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Reply-To: Night Hawk <devalk2001@sympatico.ca>
From: Night Hawk <devalk2001@sympatico.ca>
Subject: {ASSM} Kelly 32 *NEW* {the Night Hawk}
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Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 19:10:03 -0400
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===================

Read this chapter as it was written!
Look for "The Night Hawk" at
http://storiesonline.net/


*note*
Don't be bitching about the format of this story in plain text.  I 
have no intention of spending the better part of the day reformatting 
a 60 page chapter that was writtin in rich text.
Read it the way it was written at Stories on Line or at my website 
www.nighthawkstories.com though I will tell you that so far it has not 
been posted to the website.

I'm posting it to this forum as a courtesy and a way to say thanks to 
ASSTR for the years of help.
While I am thinking of saying thanks, I want to let people know that 
Russell Hoisington and John Wizard have helped me keep my sanity long 
enough to complete this chapter.
I also thank Denny Wheeler for being the first to kick my ass about 
punctuation and spelling and his help in my first website.
My thanks extend to my new editor, James Henry, another sharp blue 
pencil warrior who has put up with a lot of crap from me.<G>
My thoughts and best wishes go to my creative editor Ian who is on 
hiatus from RL.

And finally, MikeC... if you ever read this forum, I hope to hear from 
you one day.  You dragged me kicking and screaming out of retirement 
and I want to sue... oops<G>  I mean thank you for doing it.  I miss 
our friendship.

Peace
Henrie
(the) Night Hawk


(C) 2006 by (the) Night Hawk

Kelly
=====

(Inspired by Mike C, based on characters in his novel: "James"
Characters and situations copyright by Mike C, 2002)

Chapter 32
__________


Cara and Ami were up at the crack of dawn Saturday morning.  Cara 
because of her desire to please Kelly before she and Brenda had their 
night on the town and Ami because today was going to be a day of 
photography!  Sherri's portfolio requirements meant there would be a 
lot of lighting changes and multiple outfits to try on.  Ami secretly 
hoped for a chance to shoot some film of her own.



After her talk with Kelly the night before, Cara felt silly over her 
jealousy towards Brenda.  She wanted to make Kelly a fancy breakfast 
and serve it to her in bed.  Todd and Laura would reap the same 
treatment since the three were always in bed together, but Cara didn't 
mind.  Laura treated her like an equal and a sister, and Todd. well, 
Todd was Todd, and you couldn't help but love him as much as Kelly and 
Laura did.



After mentioning her plans, Ami was more than agreeable to help Cara 
out.  Slipping into her shorts and a T-shirt, Ami put her running 
shoes on and headed down Jane Ave to the fruit vendor located on the 
corner of Statesville Road.  The vendor knew Ami by sight now, and 
knew she was staying with Kelly.  Since her arrival in Charlotte, Ami, 
Cara, and Kelly had stopped there numerous times, and as always, he 
had the best put aside for his very special customers.



Cara started to mix the waffle batter by hand, not trusting the 
appliances to run silently enough to let Todd, Laura, and Kelly sleep. 
On every occasion when Ami and Cara had tried to surprise the trio, 
one of them always woke up before breakfast was ready.



Cara had mixed the ingredients from scratch, grateful that Gloria kept 
the cupboards stocked with fresh supplies.  God knew that Kelly was 
too busy to attempt to do any real shopping these days.  Whole wheat 
flour was the basis for the mixture, and Cara added the other 
ingredients carefully, having learned the hard way that it was easy to 
add more, but it was a bitch taking them out!



Ami returned with her arms loaded just as the waffle iron was reaching 
the right temperature and surprised Cara with a large bag of the 
biggest, ripest blueberries either girl had ever seen.  She also had a 
quart basket of big, juicy strawberries, and she proceeded to clean 
the blueberries while Cara checked her mix to see if it would come out 
as fluffy as her mother's.



Satisfied that she had the mix as close to perfect as she could, she, 
towel patted the rinsed blueberries to remove extra water, added them 
to the mix, then poured her first batch.  She turned the oven on to 
keep the finished waffles warm while Ami cleaned and sliced the 
strawberries.  Cara wished she had the time to whip up fresh cream but 
didn't think she would, even though so far luck was running with them, 
and not a sound had come from the master bedroom yet.  There was a 
store-bought bowl of ready-made whipped cream which Ami started 
scooping onto the five plates of completed waffles.  Cara added a dash 
of cinnamon while Ami spread strawberries on top of the whipped cream. 
Inch high waffles, three to a plate, with strawberries artfully 
arranged, creating visually pleasing plates, the red strawberries 
contrasting nicely against the white cream.  Ami carried a tray with 
five large glasses of orange juice and cutlery and napkins, which she 
placed on an end table outside of the bedroom and then helped Cara 
carry the trays with the five plates on it.  The girls snickered; 
maybe this one time, they could actually surprise the three lovers 
with breakfast in bed.  It was a quarter to eight.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



Todd was in the midst of a sweet dream, cuddled between his two 
lovers, when he heard the giggling of two young females.  Since he 
slept in the nude, his half conscious mind reached down to check if he 
was covered.  He was instantly awake when his hand encountered no 
sheet, just his morning hard on.  The girls just laughed.  He had seen 
them nude on many occasions, but was careful not to expose his own 
genitals around the girls.  Not that he had reason to be shy since 
Cara and Ami were clearly only in love with each other.  He sat up so 
fast that Laura turned and rolled right off the bed while Kelly slept 
on undisturbed.



Laura awoke with a start, trying to figure out when and how she had 
ended up on the floor.  She was rubbing her butt when she realized 
they were not alone in the room, and then she saw Todd sitting up with 
both his hands in his groin trying to cover his hard cock.  Her sense 
of smell picked up instantly that there was food close by, and she 
looked at the young lovers and laughed.  Reaching across the floor, 
she retrieved Todd's shorts and tossed them to him, which garnered her 
a look of appreciation.



Moving quickly, Todd slipped the shorts over his feet and slid them up 
in record time, though he had a difficult time getting them over his 
erection, but then he too chuckled.  At least now he was covered.



Cara and Ami placed the trays on the dresser and snuck up on the still 
sleeping Kelly, lightly stroking her and kissing her cheeks and arms 
till she slowly opened her eyes.



Kelly smiled at the youngsters, and with no thought to her own nudity, 
sat up in bed.



"Surprise!" said Cara with obvious pleasure.



Laura climbed back on the bed and joined her lovers as Ami started 
passing around plates of steaming waffles.



Kelly sniffed the waffles and made a sound that reflected her 
pleasure, then said, "You finally managed to catch us asleep did you?" 
She smiled as she said it, then added, "I'll bet Todd was the most 
surprised," which caused a good-natured laugh amongst all of them.



They ate in relative silence except for the sounds of pleasure coming 
from the three in bed.  Ami and Cara sat on the swivel chairs by the 
makeup counter, the only chairs in the room.



Twenty minutes later, fully sated, Todd got up to relieve the pressure 
on his bladder while Cara and Ami cleared away the dishes.  Laura got 
up to put on a pot of tea and get the vitamins out, but Kelly had laid 
back down and curled nude in a fetal position in the middle of the bed 
and promptly went back to sleep.  Eight in the morning was not her 
strong suit.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



At 9 o'clock, Todd and Ami headed out to the studio.  They had work to 
do before Sherri showed up for her 10 o'clock appointment.  Laura and 
Cara sat drinking tea, trying to decide what they wanted to do that 
evening.  They'd already decided to spend the day at the studio 
watching Todd and Ami work and would possibly do a shopping trip for 
underwear later.



Kelly finally emerged from the bedroom just before 10, ruffling her 
hair with one hand, reaching for the tea pot with the other.  She 
still hadn't bothered getting dressed.  She knew that Brenda would 
want to make sure that Sherri was comfortable before she and Kelly 
left for their overnight special girlfriend's night out.  Brenda had 
been the one who had first introduced her to Sapphic pleasures, and 
except for a brief afternoon encounter at the opening of the Wheel, 
where she had shared Brenda with Laura, the two women had not had a 
chance to spend quality time together.  Kelly's schedule for the next 
two months was so solidly booked that she knew this would be their 
last opportunity before she returned from Jamaica as a married woman.



Now, totally awake, she gave Cara a special kiss and thanked her again 
for the wonderful surprise and breakfast treat.



Cara blushed at the compliment but was secretly pleased that Kelly had 
enjoyed the surprise.



Seeing that her lover was up and awake, Laura logged off the computer. 
She was fitting as much of her study time on line as possible, when 
ever possible.  It was actually faster and more in-depth doing her 
courses online than if she attended classes.  She could pause in the 
midst of a lesson and research the facts presented.  Without the 
distracting party time, not to mention obligatory socializing time 
with other students, travel time to and from school, between the 
buildings, etcetera, and sports activities usually associated with 
university life, she could devote more time to learning, and it left 
her more flexible time to pursue her career as a model.



After swallowing her vitamins and drinking her "go-juice," Kelly 
showered and got dressed in comfortable walking shorts and a light 
blouse.  With Laura and Cara helping, she got a small overnight bag 
packed with slacks, shoes and another top.  By 10:45, the three girls 
climbed into Kelly's Elantra and drove to the studio.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Vanetta had been awake early that morning, knowing that 
the studio would be a busy place today.  Downstairs, just wearing a 
T-shirt, Vanetta stocked the fridge with mineral water, beer, and soft 
drinks.  By 8:30, she had showered and rolled Bobby out of bed, 
sending him on a snack-shopping mission.  Pastries, smoked fish, and 
other delicacies as he saw fit.  Bobby didn't mind.  He was happy to 
be driving the luxury van on loan from the dealer until the official 
"Seniors: TNG" van arrived later in the week.  Later in the morning he 
would be picking up the Williams sisters and the three musicians who 
would back them.  They had a rehearsal scheduled for the afternoon, 
and it had been suggested that group photographs of the new 
entertainment sextet might be taken as well.



Bobby returned an hour later carrying a large box.  While he helped 
Vanetta put things away, she told him Todd and Ami had already arrived 
and were in the darkroom loading film cartridges.  Since he had time 
to spare, he helped Vanetta peel a dozen oranges and a half dozen pink 
grapefruit, then separate them into individual slices and place them 
on ice in the fridge.  Among the numerous items Bobby had brought 
back, one in particular required attention - a large block of mild 
Gouda cheese.  Vanetta showed him how to slice and dice the cheese 
using a thin metal wire with wooden handles.  It was much faster and 
more efficient than trying to force a knife through it.



Satisfied that everything was in place and all the preparations that 
could be done, had been, Vanetta and Robert headed back upstairs to 
their new apartment where they had breakfast.



"I still feel strange using a company debit card to pay for all these 
purchases," Robert said after they finished eating.  "I understand the 
logic, but I'm afraid that I'll stop looking for bargains."



Netta smiled at him and said, "It's good to be cost conscious, Bobby, 
but when it comes to a choice between quality and a good price, stick 
with quality."



He nodded his understanding, remembering his purchase of the new 
computer and office recliner for the new enterprise.  He could have 
saved half the price on a refurbished computer with fewer features, 
but at Kelly and Todd's insistence, he'd bought the best for his 
needs, along with an extended warranty.  The reclining manager's chair 
might have been a bit extravagant, especially compared to the folding 
metal chair he had been forced to sit on at his last job, but he 
realized that he would be spending a lot of time in the chair on the 
phone and with emails.  He was brought back to the present by Vanetta 
asking him if he was going to miss her when she headed to California 
and the City of Angels the next day.



"Of course I'll miss you, Sweetheart," he said.  "But, it's only for 
one night this time."



"What do you mean, 'this time'?"  Vanetta asked.



"Honey. you're now the president of one of the largest privately owned 
modeling agencies in the world.  The company also represents one of 
the most famous photographers of our time, and the advertising 
department is growing daily.  I've already accepted the fact there 
will be times when you'll have to leave to handle a situation you can't 
delegate."



"And will you miss me then?" she asked.



Robert smiled at her, the love for her clearly showing in his eyes. 
"I miss you whenever I leave your side, Netta, but this, this 
opportunity. it's a dream come true.  I'll just love you twice as much 
when you return."



Vanetta leaned over the table to kiss him.  She would have shown him 
just how much she could really love him; however, they heard laughter 
from downstairs.



"Keep that thought, Sweetheart.  I'll show you later how much I love 
you, but it sounds like Brenda and Sherri are here."



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Brenda and Sherri had arrived and were having tea with 
Todd and Ami.  Sherri was a bit nervous but tried her best to hide it, 
though Ami and Todd both picked up on it.



"Stop worrying, Sherri," Ami said.  "If Todd and Kelly think you've 
got what it takes to be a top model, you can take that to the bank!"



Todd smiled at his young apprentice.  She was learning early that, to 
get the best out of a model, they had to be at ease, and Ami was 
saying all the right things.



"Kelly will probably want to spend a bit of time with Sherri before 
she leaves with you, Brenda," he said.  "She'll want to pick out the 
outfits and do the initial hair and makeup.  Vanetta and Laura will 
help afterwards on the touchups, but trust Kelly to find what will 
work best clothing-wise."



"Cara and I aren't in your league, Sherri," said Ami, "but we learned 
real quick that we're just the racks to hang merchandise on.  You just 
have a nicer rack!"



That comment had everyone laughing and was what Bobby and Vanetta had 
heard upstairs.



Vanetta and Bobby came downstairs at the same time that Kelly, Laura, 
and Cara walked in the door.  Todd looked at the clock, anxious to get 
shooting.  Kelly sighed theatrically, claiming she was a slave to her 
job, before giving everyone a good morning kiss.  She took Sherri's 
hand and said, "Time for your shower, Dear."



"Shower?" said Sherri with a questioning look.  "I had one this 
morning."



"And it shows," said Kelly.  "Your skin is all shiny and bright.  Not 
what Todd will want for your portfolio."



Cara poured Kelly a cup of tea, just the way Kelly liked it.  Laura 
offered help to whoever needed it, and seeing that her time was free 
for a few hours, grabbed a cup of tea and chatted with Brenda for a 
bit before logging back online to get a few more lessons completed. 
She knew that in three weeks, she would be going through this frenetic 
model prep anxiety in New York.  Three weeks after that, she would be 
on a cruise to Jamaica to get married.  She smiled as she looked down 
at the huge diamond on her hand.  With a sigh, she turned her 
attention back to the computer.  Education was still the most 
important thing in her life, and she had to set an example for her 
sisters.



Her sisters were currently helping their mom pack up all the knick 
knacks from their old house.  It would still be a month before they 
moved into "Muriel's Place" but there were over 20 years of memories 
to pack up.  Aunt Sally, Lew's wife, was helping as well.  Harry was 
putting in extra shifts to accumulate vacation time so he would be 
available for moving day.  He had less than a year to make his 25 and 
retire early.  The offer to manage "Muriel's Place" was a dream come 
true.  He and Meg would earn more in four months than Harry did 
working a full year as a patrol sergeant and Meg working at the 
grocery store.



Harry and Meg had placed their house on the market, and with the 
desire to get out from under that debt load, had listed it for 
slightly more than what was left on the mortgage.  Steve, TKO's 
lawyer, had - at the request of Kelly - agreed to handle the details, 
taking the burden from Harry and Meg's shoulders.  It was a favor 
Steve was happy to do after hearing how Harry and Meg had been caught 
in a financial bind, owing the bank nearly as much as what the house 
would sell for.  He had met Laura when Kelly had first called him 
about the unlawful dismissal from the restaurant she had worked for. 
Then he had been surprised, though not overly shocked, when Todd had 
told him that he was marrying both Laura and Kelly.  Steve and his 
partner owed a lot to Todd and Kelly, but they never mentioned it, and 
they treated him and his wife, Melanie, like family.



Steve smiled to himself, remembering struggling as a young lawyer when 
Todd and Kelly had first arrived in Charlotte.  Within a year, there 
was so much business that he had to take on a partner, and between the 
two of them, they handled all of TKO's business assets and legal work. 
When Kelly had called with the tip on InterCoastal boats, Steve and 
his partner had bought nearly a quarter million dollars in shares in 
the company, only to see it double in the first week after they 
purchased.  Of course, they were immediately investigated by the 
government for insider trading, but against the two lawyers - who 
could prove they had no connection and that they had never spoken to 
any representative of IC - the investigation was quickly dropped. 
They had always been conservative with their investments, but on the 
advice of their stockbroker had taken chances before.  There was no 
law against gambling on stocks or for doing your homework before 
deciding to invest.  Steve and his partner had smiled at each other 
after the investigators left; IC stock had been climbing slowly for 
months before the big jump, and it was a logical decision.  The 
extreme climb on an established company gave even more credence to 
their story.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Kelly pointed Sherri to the shower and told her to use the 
soft cream soap she handed her.



"Aww!" said Sherri.  "I've got to take a shower by myself?"



Kelly laughed and said she was saving herself for Brenda, and that Ami 
was busy with Todd, but she might be able to convince Cara or Laura to 
shower with her.



Sherri sighed and asked if Kelly would at least stick around till she 
was finished.



"Of course I will, Sweetheart.  I've got to get you covered with the 
proper body lotion and then powdered."



Sherri quickly showered and washed her hair with the shampoo supplied 
by Kelly.  She stepped out of the shower nude and dripping, expecting 
a towel waiting for her, but instead, Kelly handed her a bottle of 
body lotion, telling her to cover every square inch of her skin, but 
not to put any on her hair.



As Sherri applied the lotion, Kelly opened a bottle of hair 
conditioner and started to massage it into Sherri's hair.  "You'll 
want another shower after the shoot," Kelly said, "or your hair and 
body will feel like you are wearing a latex body suit."



In response to Sherri's questions, Kelly explained how the studio 
lights would pick up and reflect off smooth, tight skin.  The lotion 
they were applying would absorb light and give Sherri substance under 
the unforgiving lights.  It was a near smudge-proof liquid makeup 
foundation containing very tiny seed particles that would add texture 
to her skin.



After the lotion had dried, Kelly liberally applied a moisture 
absorbing powder of honey dust, using a large feather applicator that 
got Sherri quite erotically charged.  When she finished powdering 
Sherri, Kelly handed her a robe and led her to the 
clothing/stock/changing room.  Kelly advised against either panties or 
bra, stressing the lines would be obvious in the photographs Todd 
would be taking.  Not that Sherri minded, as the clothes felt so good 
against her sensitive skin!



Kelly quickly pulled out over a half dozen outfits by lesser known 
designers who were each just starting to make their own mark in the 
fashion world.  Kelly was hoping that for the younger girl, one of the 
designers would want her exclusively for a year until she was old 
enough to turn pro and earn top dollar for the big shows - Milan, 
Paris, New York. all of the major fashion centers where Versace and 
other top designers premiered their new seasons.  A few times on the 
major runways and Sherri would become cover girl material.  Kelly had 
no doubt that Sherri would be a top earner and household name in the 
business by 2004.



Still wearing nothing but her robe, Sherri followed Kelly to the large 
makeup counter where she sat patiently while Kelly did a complete 
transformation of her hair.  Using a combination of curlers and volume 
enhancing dryers, and of course an assortment of hair gels and mousse, 
Kelly obtained the results she wanted.  Then with the help of Vanetta, 
they worked on the makeup.  Eyeliner, eye shadow, under liner and lash 
enhancers took care of the eyes, then Kelly went to work on the lip 
liner and color and added charcoal powder to accentuate the cheekbones 
and nose and chin line.  Kelly took the time to explain the peroxide 
secret for dazzling white teeth and warned against overuse of the 
trick as it would cause damage to the tooth enamel if used too 
frequently.



Todd came over to do a final inspection and turned to Kelly.  "We've 
got ourselves a million dollar baby here."



Kelly smiled.  She knew from the first day that she had seen the girl 
that Sherri had the right bone and facial structure to be a top-grade 
model.  Satisfied with her efforts, she turned the reins over to 
Vanetta and Cara who carefully slipped the first top over Sherri. 
Robert was still present, but seeing the process took any erotic 
pleasure out of seeing Sherri nude again.  Sherri, for her part, had 
no problem with nudity - either with her lovers or in front of a mixed 
audience.  A healthy attitude about her own body helped tremendously.



Kelly watched with Brenda and Laura and Vanetta as Todd and Ami put 
Sherri through the paces for her first portfolio.  She supervised 
Laura and Cara as they helped Sherri change into another outfit. 
Satisfied that Sherri was in good hands, Kelly turned to Brenda, "You 
ready to go, Honey?"



"Anytime you are, Kelly," Brenda said.  "Sherri can't drive the 
rental, so why don't we take it."



Kelly laughed.  "That's what I was thinking as well.  I'll bet Laura 
and the girls will keep her company, and if she wants to go back to 
your hotel, either Todd or Laura can drive her."



Kelly and Brenda left after kissing everyone goodbye.  Kelly ribbed 
Brenda about needing lube to get into the two-seat Mercedes SLK32 AMG, 
but liked the idea of riding shotgun in the red convertible.  Kelly 
directed Brenda to the highway, and with no preset plans, they started 
their own adventure.  Where they would end up was not a destination, 
just an excuse for an adventure, so time was theirs for the taking. 
They had the day ahead of them, two young women who needed nothing; 
they were financially stable, had more clothes, and more than enough 
toys, so shopping was not on their agenda.  Museums, art galleries, 
and good food, but more importantly, good company, was what they were 
looking for today.  Anything else would develop as mood took them.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Sherri was finally getting into the swing of letting 
herself move, pausing when she felt the time was right.  Having the 
Bangles blaring through the studio sound system helped her pick a beat 
that, unlike her classical music tastes, had a heavy beat, and Todd 
seemed able to anticipate when she would pause, and the flashes would 
fire.



Ami stood beside Todd, and he would be talking to her as he walked her 
through the process again.  Ami could see the difference between Kelly 
as a pro and Sherri as a novice, but Sherri had the looks that 
promised a great future.  They had gone through nearly a dozen 
wardrobe changes, and between songs, Vanetta would go over and check 
to see if there were any smudge marks on Sherri's teeth or if her eyes 
were getting dry.  The studio had special drops for moisturizing dry 
eyes that wouldn't run or smear the liner.  Towards the end of the 
session, Todd turned the camera and the controls over to Ami to shoot 
off two cartridges.  Now was as good a time to start Ami on model 
photography as any, and though she took a bit longer getting 
accustomed to the viewfinder, Todd saw that she too could anticipate 
when Sherri would stop to a beat.



After two hours, Todd felt they had enough to start a decent portfolio 
on Sherri, and there were no pictures in the group that she would not 
be able to show her parents if the question ever came up.  Todd 
remembered Sherri's father's response when he realized Kelly was the 
topless model from the Sports International bathing suit magazine he 
kept in his desk.  Assured that their daughter would not be posing in 
anything revealing, they had agreed to sign the contract giving Todd 
and Kelly control over their daughter's modeling career.



It all seemed so long ago to Todd, so much had happened since then, 
but he was also guided by his own morals.  The shots of Ami and Cara 
were perfectly acceptable to him and the girls since they were of 
legal age to consent to pose, and they had requested the photo series 
where they had ended up mostly nude.  It brought a smile to Todd's 
lips as he remembered how the girls had gotten so carried away, they 
had forgotten about the camera.  The result had been a series of 
fantastic fantasy pictures - fantasies older men had whether they 
admitted to them or not!



Robert had left to pick up the Williams sisters and the three boys who 
would form the new band.  Ami and Todd took the film into the darkroom 
and stored it, planning on opening the cartridges after lunch.  Laura 
was still busy doing her online studies, and Cara had offered to help 
Sherri wash the body lotion off and get the gunk out of her hair.



"The hair isn't so bad," said Cara.  "It's water soluble, so it just 
takes a good lathering to get it out.  This body lotion is something I've 
never tried as we had no close-ups."



It turned out the body lotion was just as easy to remove, and Cara and 
Sherri enjoyed a few laughs as Sherri's body seemed to shed a second 
skin much like a snake molting, right down to the eyeliner and other 
makeup.  Cara waited around till Sherri had dried off and dressed 
again in the casual attire she had worn to the studio.



"So," asked Sherri, "I'm without wheels and no particular place to go. 
Any suggestions?"



"Depends on what you want to do," said Cara.  "Ami and Todd will 
probably work on developing your film after lunch, but Laura should be 
free, and if she isn't, Vanetta will probably be happy to take us 
anywhere we want to go - if you want company that is.  Laura and I had 
planned to go shopping for undies, but we can do that any day."



"I'd love the company," said Sherri casting an appreciative eye at 
Cara, "but with all the malls becoming the same, and me not needing 
anything, that kind of leaves out the regular girl stuff.  I don't 
really want to do too much, this being my first weekend free all 
summer.  Maybe we could catch a movie?"



"That's doable," said Cara.  "Let's see what's playing; maybe we can 
catch a matinee and then be back for supper."



Sherri nodded her approval, and the two girls headed back to the main 
studio, walking in on a scene that startled them.  Two police officers 
were sitting talking with Todd.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



Harry and Lew had shown up while Sherri had been showering.



Lew had started by thanking Todd for letting him and Sally move into 
Muriel's Place, and then the older sergeant had turned serious.



"Todd, maybe it's a good thing Kelly isn't here right now," Lew said. 
"I want to tell you that by accident, caused by overcrowding at the 
CMPD jail, Mr. Labadie had an unscheduled roommate for a while last 
night."  Lew smiled at the thought, something that didn't slip by 
Todd.



"Anyway, to make a long story short, Mr. Labadie for some unknown 
reason explained his trip to our fair city.  It's you, Todd.  Someone 
is coming after you for what I can only guess is your money.  Some 
kind of lawsuit.  Seems Mr. Labadie has been looking for you for 
nearly a year, informed his boss that he'd found you, and that's who 
will be coming next."



Todd thought about it briefly.  He was sure that the overcrowding was 
not the reason Ed Labadie had company last night and wondered who was 
running interference for him.



Looking at Lew, Todd said, "You learned this last night?  What are you 
doing here?  I hope you aren't pulling a second shift."



Harry laughed and explained that both he and Lew were working overtime 
while it was still available.



            Todd smiled his appreciation and offered the two officers 
a beer, which they regretfully declined but did take his invite for 
coffee; Vanetta intercepted the request and started the pot brewing. 
Both she and Laura had kept their distance while the official police 
business was underway, and Laura looked to Vanetta for assurance.



            "Mom said the real people after Todd were coming," she 
whispered to Laura, "looks like the Obi Man was right again."



            "So you were in charge of the bookings last night, Lew?" 
Todd asked.  "And you didn't catch the fact that someone was placed in 
the cell with the suspected stalker waiting for a speak-to with a 
judge?"



            Lew smiled, despite his attempt at looking innocent. 
"Mix-ups happen on drunk nights," he said, "besides, I don't try to 
second guess you at how to take pictures."



            Todd laughed with genuine pleasure.  His suspicions 
confirmed, he went on to explain his talk with Steve.  "I talked with 
our lawyer," he said, "and there has never been a civil suit brought 
against me in my absence.  He checked a national registry for this 
kind of action, so we have no idea who thinks they can get money out 
of me and can afford to pay someone enough money to come looking for 
me."



            "But you haven't always been Todd Ayres either," said 
Harry, showing that he had done his own research, but his easy smile 
indicated that, under either of his names, Todd had never had trouble 
with the law.



            "That's right, Harry; my last name was shortened lawfully 
and court sanctioned, though under my birth name, I was little more 
than a student trying to pay my way through college."



            "Once we knew," said Harry, "we called in some favors and 
we saw the kind of work you did.  You were a hell of a sports 
photographer."  He waved his arm around the room and added, "I don't 
understand why you gave that up for this kind of work!"



            Both Lew and Todd started laughing out loud, which was the 
cue for Laura and the girls to join the trio.  Ami sat on the arm of 
Todd's chair while Laura handed her father and godfather their 
coffees.  She knew exactly how they liked them.



            "Now, Uncle Lew, if you had Todd's talent, would you 
rather be running around a group of sweaty athletes scratching their 
groins or taking portraits of beautiful women in skimpy bathing 
 suits?"



            Lew laughed as did Harry.



            "What confuses me and my lawyer," said Todd, then he 
looked at Harry, "I think you met Steve?"  When Harry nodded, Todd 
continued.  "A lawsuit can be filed from anywhere.  Once Mr. Labadie 
knew where I was, why wasn't I just notified that someone wanted to 
sue me?"



            "That's what's got us wondering as well, Todd," said 
Harry.  "Something about this just doesn't smell right.  You won't 
mind if we come around a little more often will you?"  It wasn't a 
question.  Harry had really taken a liking to Todd, always wondering 
about the man behind the name, and who was benefactor to so many kids 
programs in Charlotte.  After meeting him and finding Todd such a 
quiet, soft-spoken man who had taken such pure delight in his 
daughters singing, he felt very protective of him.



            "I'm curious why Mr. Labadie was so cooperative speaking 
to a fellow prisoner," Todd said.  "And why this other prisoner, 
especially a drunk, as you say, Lew, would give any information to 
you."



            "Must have been bothering Eddie's conscience," said Lew 
with a smile.



            "Or an undercover officer," said Todd, "prodding Mr. 
Labadie along, which makes me leery of the information he provided."



            Lew burst out laughing.  "Trust me, Todd," he said.  "We 
don't have anyone on the force qualified to go undercover for a psycho 
like Eddie.  On this you'll have to take my word that the information 
is very accurate."



            "Was he hurt?"  Todd asked.  "I wouldn't want anyone 
breaking any bones just to get a heads up as to what might be coming."



            "Only his pride," said Lew, "only his pride."



            Todd nodded, knowing he was not going to get any more 
information from the sergeant.



            Todd had just gotten up to refill the coffee cups when a 
storm blew in the front door.



            "I'm telling you we aren't going to be a gospel group," 
said Kat, and her feelings were echoed by her sisters.  "We want to 
entertain these people, not make them think they've arrived for their 
own funerals!"



            Todd hid his smile as he saw an exasperated Robert, arms 
loaded with equipment and garment bags.



            "But I thought."



            "That's the problem with teachers," said Kat.  "They tend 
to think too much.  Look.  You just let us do the music they'll know 
and enjoy.  "We've had experience with this."  The extra emphasis on 
the "we" clearly showed Todd that Robert would have his hands full if 
he tried dictating just what type of music the band could play, but it 
was Robert's show, he was in control - sort of - and Todd was not 
going to interfere.



            "Hi, Daddy, Uncle Lew," Kat said when she spotted her 
father and Lew.  Sam and Jen ran over and gave both of them a kiss 
before turning to Todd to air their beefs, but Todd just held up his 
hands and said, "This is something you're going to have to work out 
with Robert."



            Bill, Ted, and Jim were hauling in their instruments and 
amplifiers on little four-wheeled carts and looked quizzically at 
Todd.



            "For the time being why not set up in the second studio," 
said Todd.  "When the gym equipment is gone, you can have the large 
bay to set up in.  The acoustics might not be the greatest, but it 
will give you a lot more space."



            The boys nodded and proceeded to set up their gear.  Todd 
noticed that nobody was in a hurry to leave now, and watched as Cara 
got a bottle of mineral water for herself and Laura.



            "How's the packing going, gentlemen?"  Todd asked with a 
smile.  He knew that both Harry and Lew were staying out of harm's way 
while Sally helped Meg and the girls organize everything for the big 
move.



            Harry smiled with a mischievous look in his eyes.  One of 
the terms of the fast sale of his house had been that the new owners 
could take possession in 30 days.  He was aware of the memories that 
the house held for him and Meg but didn't really want to be reminded 
of every piece as it was wrapped or taken down.  As far as he was 
concerned, they were taking their memories with them and leaving an 
albatross behind.



            "The packing is going fine, Todd."  Harry said.  "The 
girls are anxious to move, and Meg has Sally helping her individually 
wrap every glass," he added with a sigh.



            Todd smiled, thinking back to when he moved out of the 
upstairs apartment and into Kelly's house.  He remembered laughing at 
Ami and Cara as they had helped him pack up the four boxes and single 
suitcase.  He had been packed in less than an hour and was totally 
moved out from a place he had called home for over half a decade.  He 
imagined, though, that having built a family with four daughters, Meg 
must have a lot of memories to pack, which made him smile even more 
because in the not-so-distant future, he too would become a real 
father.



            "Thinking of your own family, Todd?"  Harry asked out of 
the blue.



            Todd shook his head to clear the images from his mind and 
with a surprised look, asked Harry how he had guessed.



            Harry smiled and said that the contented look on Todd's 
face was a sure sign that Todd was having real happy thoughts.  Harry 
was about to add more when a loud squeal erupted from the studio. 
Everyone rushed to see what the source of the audio feedback was.



            A flustered Robert and Jim were trying to change the 
settings for the Peavey Ecoustic amp.  Changing the volume didn't end 
the feedback unless it was completely turned down.  It was all the 
extra buttons that they were trying to figure out.  The keyboard had 
its own built in speakers and Jim suggested that Robert call the store 
to find out what the problem was, or read the manual, which caused 
everyone to laugh.



            Ted had his Roland V-Drums assembled and plugged into the 
external amp.  Volume could be controlled with a pedal next to his 
bass pedal.  Bill already had some experience with electric bass 
guitars. His Peavey BAM amp was all set up, and he was tuning the new 
bass.



            The microphones had been checked and tested with the 
Peavey Escort, and three stands stood in front of the band equipment. 
Having had some practical experience playing school concerts, the boys 
had made sure the PA speakers were up high above the heads of the 
singers.  Bill had helped Robert with the initial settings, and with 
tape had labeled each mike input jack so that the settings for each 
girl would be constant.  All that was needed now was minor tweaking, 
and then only the master volume would need changing, depending on 
where they were playing.  Vanetta had supplied Bill with some heavy 
duty masking tape, which he had expertly cut with a craft knife, 
laying down strips beside each control, allowing a simple pen mark to 
mark the settings.



            Bill was just running some riffs on the bass while waiting 
for Robert to get off the phone when Laura walked over.



            "Come on, girls.  You don't need to wait for more volume 
on the keyboards to start singing!  Hell, this is probably the first 
time you three have ever used a microphone!"



            "Yeah," said Kat, "like you've had a lot of experience 
with this yourself?"



            "Actually," said Laura, "while not a lot, I have used a 
microphone in public to sing."



            "And she was great!" said Sherri.  "I know.  I was there 
on stage with her."



            Laura laughed and said that it was more like she had been 
on stage with her and Celeste, then Laura turned serious and whispered 
into Sherri's ear.  Sherri nodded enthusiastically and sat next to Jim 
at the Yamaha S80.  She whispered in his ear before turning to Bill 
and asking if he could follow a simple four-chord progression in the 
key of C.



            Bill gave her a look that was equivalent to the question, 
"Is the Pope Catholic?"  So Laura went and whispered in his ear.  Bill 
blushed furiously but nodded enthusiastically.



            Sherri and Jim nodded to each other and both started a 
duet of chord progression in Doo-Wop style.  Bill smiled when he heard 
the riff and quickly dropped into the groove starting at the next C 
progressing to Am, to F to G.  Three repeats later, he started to add 
extra notes to the rhythm, which sounded familiar to everyone, yet no 
notes had been played by either Sherri or Jim to give away the name of 
the song.  Ted had quickly picked up on the theme and had pulled out a 
pair of sticks.  He set the control panel on the V-drum's brain and 
soon had a nice swooshing sound for background.  Sherri got up, 
leaving Jim to play on his own while she grabbed Laura's arm, and they 
converged on the center microphone.  Smiling at each other, they 
started to sing on the next natural C chord.



"When the night, has come, and the land is dark,

And the moon is the only light we'll see.

But I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid,

Just as long as you stand, stand by me."



It didn't take Kat, Sam, and Jen long to dual up on the two remaining 
microphones and jump in on the chorus.  This was supposed to be a 
rehearsal after all and their teenaged hesitation of singing with 
musicians behind them when they were only used to singing with each 
other disappeared with the feel of the music.



"So darling, darling, stand by me, oh stand by me

Oh stand, stand by me, stand by me."
All six girls sang the next verse in three part harmony."If the sky 
that we look upon, should tumble and fall,And the mountains should 
crumble to the sea,I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a 
tear,Just as long as you stand, stand by me."Robert got off the phone 
and walked over to the keyboard amp, changed a setting for pickup / 
input type and tentatively turned the amp back on.  Seeing there was 
no feedback, he slowly increased the volume till Jim nodded to him 
that it was perfect and depressed his foot pedal a bit to show he now 
had remote control over the volume.        "And darlin', darlin', 
stand by me, oh stand by meOh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me."At 
the natural break, with a press of a button, Jim increased the volume 
to take over the next verse, and the girls were surprised to hear what 
sounded like an entire string section from a symphonic group.  Ted and 
Bill continued playing their parts, while Laura and Sherri did a short 
dance step at their microphone.  Just before the next chorus, Laura 
and Sherri quickly stepped aside, allowing the three younger Williams 
sisters to take up their own microphones and finish off the song. 
"Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me,Oh stand now, oh 
stand now, oh stand by me.""Darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by 
meOh stand now, stand by me, stand by me,When ever you're in trouble, 
just stand, just stand by me."


            At the end of the song, everyone stood and applauded, Todd 
loudest of all.  For a first time, first song, these teens had shown 
they could work together, and they were undoubtedly exceptionally 
talented, each in their own right.  They had justified Todd's faith, 
which was of paramount importance to him.



            Robert was quick to gather the group together and ask what 
other songs they wanted to use so he could compile a list.  A short 
discussion ensued, and after a four count by Ted, the girls started 
the first line of "All the Gold in California" by the Gatlin Brothers. 
It was a testament to their talent that both Jim and Bill found the 
key the girls were singing in and quickly joined in.  Robert made 
notes during the song and adjusted the PA mixer slightly.  He realized 
he would have to discuss with the teens which keys would be best for 
each song.  Based on the singing ability of the girls, it would 
require the boys to discover the keys and then for Robert to keep 
notes on it all.



            With regret, Harry and Lew had to leave.  They hugged the 
girls goodbye and shook the hands of the boys.  Todd walked them to 
the door and wished them a safe day.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



Across town, Brenda and Kelly were walking through yet another 
landmark of historical significance, holding hands and giggling like 
school girls.  Where they went and where they had been was of little 
importance to either of them - being close and sharing the time 
together was much more important.



Neither girl knew how the day would end, but for the moment, their 
shared bonding was more important.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Harry and Lew were about ready to call it a day.  They had 
both put in an extra six hours.  Six hours of being in a squad car was 
about all that Lew could handle, even though his best friend was 
driving as carefully as possible so as not to hit any of the potholes 
that the city had become famous for.  Thankfully they'd had the chance 
to stop at Todd's and were just pulling into a coffee shop for a final 
break when the call came in.  A four year old had left his mother's 
side while she was shopping in a discount store.  Thankfully, the 
store had security cameras, and officers on the scene had verified the 
toddler had wandered off by himself, managing to get through one of 
the automatic doors for an adventure of his own.  The problem was that 
the door the toddler had managed to make his escape through faced the 
wooded area across the parking lot, and this particular mall was 
located on the edge of one of the natural water drainages on the 
outskirts of town.  The fear was that the child had wandered into the 
woods and might fall into the water.  There were officers at the 
scene, but with it being Saturday, most active on-duty officers were 
already busy on other calls.  It would also take some time for 
volunteers to be coordinated to do a section by section search of 
areas that possibly the child hadn't even ventured into.



            Harry looked at Lew, who looked back at Harry, and both 
said at the same time, "Bubba."



            It took Harry less than ten minutes to get to Annie's 
after a quick phone call, and thankfully she agreed right away to let 
the sergeants take Bubba out to help.  Generally, Annie had little use 
for the police, based on her experiences with them, and she was sure 
that Lew and Harry had corrupted Bubba after they had taken the dog 
into a strip club to convince a hostage taker to surrender, but as 
much as she carried on against the police department as a whole, she 
knew that Harry and Lew were her friends, and besides, this was a lost 
child - something that she would never have said no to.



            Annie was waiting by the front door and had put Bubba into 
the leather harness the CMPD had given Bubba after his near-brush with 
death.  The short braided-leather leash was attached, and it was clear 
that Bubba could feel the excitement in the air as he leaped into the 
back seat of the cruiser.



            "No peeler bars this time," Annie warned the two officers. 
"I still think he's looking at women in a different way now."  Then 
she turned to Bubba and quietly said, "Find the baby, Bubba.  Find him 
quick before the sun goes down."



            Harry thanked Annie as he put the cruiser in gear and 
peeled rubber as he left for the scene where the toddler had last been 
seen.



            News stations had already been alerted to the situation 
and as always were quick to cash in on someone's misery.  By the time 
that Harry and Lew, with Bubba panting in the rear, arrived on the 
scene, it already looked like a circus.



            Thankfully, Lew turned out to be the most senior officer 
on the scene, and he quickly ordered back all those who had taken it 
upon themselves to try to find the missing child.  He hoped that his 
last few months on the force would not be spent facing misconduct 
charges based on his faith in Bubba.



            Harry and Lew made their way through the media circus and 
found the mother of the missing child.  One of the stations was 
interviewing her, but the officers knew that time and daylight was 
being wasted, so they just barged in, Harry holding Bubba by his 
leash.



            Bubba seemed to know exactly what to do and started to 
sniff the woman's clothing.  A camera turned to capture this moment on 
film, but Lew's hand shot out and covered the camera lens.  People 
have scent glands located all over their bodies, but there are certain 
areas where pheromones are released in greater quantities.  The 
strongest of these scent glands are under the arms, under women's 
breasts, and between their legs.  Since most women used some form of 
deodorant under their arms, Bubba had started right off sniffing the 
woman's breasts and goosed her before he turned and sniffed the air.



The mixture of diesel and exhaust fumes was a thick haze to penetrate, 
as were all the other 'people' smells in the crowd, but Harry took 
Bubba quickly to the exit where the child had been seen on the video 
surveillance camera as leaving while Lew stayed behind to apologize 
and remind the news station that if they wanted to film the rescue, 
not to embarrass the mother or the dog with footage of Bubba doing 
what was natural.



            At the exit of the store, Bubba sniffed the air again and 
stopped, looked towards the trees, and pulled Harry along behind him 
as he raced to the wooded area.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            All plans by Sherri and Cara to catch a movie had left 
their minds as they watched the Williams sisters rehearse one song 
after another.  It was mesmerizing as they went from song to song, and 
they were amazed that the three teenaged boys backing them on the 
instruments managed to not only keep up to all the variations but were 
able to add to the overall sound.  It was clear to anyone listening 
that this group would be in great demand.



            Todd had fetched beers for himself and Vanetta and Laura. 
Vanetta and Laura had mixed together a batch of fresh fruit juice for 
the others, and after nearly two hours of ripping through one song 
after another, Todd had suggested to Robert that it might be time to 
take a meal break.



            This idea was met with great enthusiasm, and while the six 
members of the band sat and discussed songs they wanted to try, 
Robert, the only adult not drinking alcohol, had gone off to pick up 
four extra-large pizzas.  It wasn't exactly supper, but the energy the 
group had used up required a refueling.



            Todd was amazed at the versatility of the band, and had 
stated as much, especially when it came to remembering all those 
lyrics.  Kat simply said that in their house there was always music 
on, and they had learned at an early age to memorize the words, even 
before they could read.  Not being musically inclined himself, playing 
no instrument other than his CD player, Todd was in awe of the talents 
of the teens, and though he was not a musician, he had a great ear for 
superb music.



            When Robert came back with the pizza, Laura and Vanetta 
had already made a large pitcher of sweet iced tea, and the six teens, 
plus Sherri and Ami, Cara, Laura, and Vanetta found room around the 
reception hall for everyone to pull up a chair or a grab a piece of 
the couch, and silence descended as they devoured every single slice. 
The teens ate more than the adults, which Todd attributed to the 
massive amounts of energy they burned during their rehearsal.



            Kat said that they would have to wait a little bit before 
they could continue practicing as her stomach was too full.



            Ami coughed discreetly to get Todd's attention, and he 
clued in instantly.



            "Hey, Robert," Todd said, "when are we going to see the 
rhinestone outfits and other performance clothes?"



            "Ah, we didn't exactly get rhinestones," said Kat, and 
Todd realized that she was the spokesman for the band.



            "Well," said Todd, "Whatever you picked up, I'm sure it's 
flattering.  Why don't you kids get freshened up and show me what you 
got, so Ami and I can plan the publicity shots.  We've still got the 
main studio set up for portraits and Ami here is going to shoot the 
group."



            Quick glances were exchanged and Robert knew that it was 
time he took charge in the role he had been hired for.



            "Come on guys," he said, "we've got to get this part over 
with as well.  We'll let the girls use the apartment upstairs to 
change, and the guys will take over the studio change rooms to clean 
up and show Todd how great the clothes look."



            Vanetta and Laura stood and Vanetta said, "Ladies?" and 
led the three younger Williams sisters upstairs.  Laura blushed a bit 
as she realized her younger sisters were headed to the place where she 
had spent her first night with Todd.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            "Damn, I hope you know where you're headed, Bubba," said 
Harry as he raced to keep up with the GSD (German Shepherd Dog).  "It's 
going to be my badge before I get my 25 years in if we screw this up."



            Harry knew that his captain would understand why he and 
Lew had taken Bubba instead of one of the German Shepherds from the K9 
unit, but if harm came to the child, Harry also knew that the police 
commissioner would not be as understanding and would probably hang 
both him and Lew out for public humiliation.  Bubba was a civilian 
dog, and even though much more intelligent than the CMPD dogs, the 
fact remained that they had taken time out to get a non CMPD K9 for a 
time-sensitive rescue.  A dog trained only by its owner.



            As they approached the edge of the woods, Bubba stopped 
and looked at Harry as if to say, "You're slowing me down."



            Harry nodded, already out of breath, and removed the leash 
from the dog's harness.  With a low growl, Bubba launched himself into 
the undergrowth, pausing just once to make sure Harry could see which 
direction he was headed.



            Out of earshot from the reporters, Harry said to Bubba, 
"bark when you find him, boy, or come back and get me.  I'll try to 
keep up."



            Bubba seemed to nod, and Harry shook his head.  That damn 
dog was more human than most of the people Harry knew.  He was 
positive that Bubba understood everything he said to him.



            Bubba was out of sight, and Harry, seeing no clear path, 
carefully picked his way through the brambles and bushes.  Harry knew 
that Lew would keep the reporters away from where he and Bubba were 
looking.  He cursed the overgrown, dense brush, plodding farther and 
farther into the darkness, wondering how a four year old managed to 
get through this without just turning back.  For the second time, he 
wondered if the toddler had gone this way or if Bubba was chasing 
after something else all together.  He shook his head at that thought. 
If anything, Bubba was too smart to go through this crap on a rabbit 
chase.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Kelly and Brenda heard about the lost toddler on the radio 
as they drove to a late lunch.  Both felt bad about the situation, and 
Kelly wondered if she would ever have fears of such magnitude for her 
own child.



            "I hope they find him fast," said Brenda.  "The mother 
must be sick with worry."



            "It's worse in that area than others," said Kelly. 
"People have been dumping garbage in that area for years, and the city 
keeps promising to clean it up, but it always gets dropped from the 
budget at the last minute."



            Brenda sighed and turned into the restaurant parking lot. 
"Governments and the idiots that run them," she said.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            While Robert, Laura, and Vanetta were busy helping the 
band get into their show costumes, Cara and Sherri decided they would 
be of no help to Todd at this time and had called a taxi to take them 
to the Multiplex on the corner of Statesville Road and Distribution 
Center Drive.  They promised they would be back in a few hours.  Todd 
told them to have a good time and call when the movie was finished, 
and either he or Laura would run down and pick them up.



            They heard the news in the cab.



            Back at the studio, while waiting for the band to come 
down for their group portraits, Ami switched on the TV.  The local 
station, WSOC, was breaking a news story.  Todd and Ami instantly 
recognized Lew as the person being interviewed by the weekend talking 
head.  In a split screen, a loop of events was played repeatedly, and 
a section of it showed Harry running off towards some woods with a 
large German Shepherd on a short braided-leather leash.  Ami quietly 
got up and went upstairs to tell the four Williams sisters that 
something big was happening in Charlotte, and that their father and 
uncle Lew were very much in the middle of it.



            The girls were going to rush downstairs, but Vanetta 
turned on the upstairs TV to the station Ami had named, and the girls 
watched and listened to the story about the toddler who had walked out 
of the store and Lew speculating on him continuing into the wooded 
area behind the discount strip mall.



            "Dad doesn't work K9," said Jen.



            "What's he doing with a dog?" asked Sam.



            Laura chuckled.  "That's no dog," she said.  "That's 
Bubba, though what Dad is doing with him is beyond me!"



            "You know the dog?" asked a surprised Kat.



            "We've met," Laura said explaining her introduction to 
Annie Prince and Bubba.



            "Wow," said Kat.  "I hope that Dad finds that little boy."



            "Todd has the news on downstairs," said Laura.  "You guys 
need to get your portraits done, but I'll keep an eye on the TV and 
let you know if anything develops."



            Reluctantly the girls finished dressing and headed back 
downstairs.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Harry had totally lost sight of Bubba and stopped trying 
to make headway into the brush.  He decided instead to let Bubba find 
him and wondered if he should just retrace his path to the edge of the 
woods and wait for a bark.



The place was a total mess.  People had been dumping garbage here for 
years, and despite all the promises by the city, nothing had been done 
about it.  Besides the flies and mosquitoes, the air was also filled 
with odors, and not pleasant ones.  Harry was just contemplating on 
whether he should call for Bubba and head back out before the GSD hurt 
himself when he heard a series of sharp, familiar barks.  Harry raced 
in the direction of the sound and found himself on a collision course 
with Bubba who was covered in blood and mud.  Harry wanted to check 
Bubba over and see where the dog was cut, but Bubba pulled on Harry's 
sleeve in the direction he'd come from.  Harry patted Bubba on the 
head and said, "Show me, boy.  Show me what you found."



Bubba leapt over a fallen tree branch and stopped to make sure Harry 
was following.



Harry was moving as fast as his two feet could carry him and at the 
same time talking into the radio microphone attached to his shoulder. 
"Lew, I'm not sure what, but Bubba found something.  He's also covered 
in blood and mud.  You know Bubba.  I think you better call for an 
ambulance."



Lew radioed back a confirmation, which of course led to a host of 
questions from the gathered reporters.



"What kind of name is 'Bubba' for a police dog," was the first shouted 
question from a radio station airhead.



Lew, already looking forward to his retirement, and more than pissed 
off with media sharks in general, looked up and said, "It's Latin for 
'the Best."'



In her kitchen on South Harvard Street, Annie choked on her coffee. 
It spewed out of her nose and mouth as she tried to laugh.  Jacob 
looked terrified that Annie was going to choke and rushed to her side, 
towel in hand.



Annie gratefully accepted the towel, sorry only that she had wasted 
some of Jacob's mighty fine coffee.  They had been sitting in the 
kitchen, listening to the unfolding drama on the radio, and when she 
heard Harry calling for an ambulance, she knew that Bubba had done 
good.  But damn that Lew.  His translation of Bubba's name would 
probably be refuted in the days to come, if for a change the talking 
heads bothered checking their facts, and the news people would of 
course discover that Bubba was not a CMPD K9.  Annie wondered how much 
damage this would do to Lew's career.  Well, she figured, Lew must 
know what he's doing, and her attention shifted back to the radio, 
hoping that the boy was not hurt too badly.  She knew the blood had to 
be from the boy; she wasn't worried about Bubba; he wasn't going to 
get himself all cut up unless he absolutely had to.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



Harry followed Bubba through the brush, getting his uniform ripped in 
places and what was left covered with mud.  Bubba, built a little 
closer to the ground, was protected by his thick fur coat, but it was 
covered with mud, and there were still traces of blood on him.  In a 
few minutes, Harry saw a path that was much easier to navigate and 
realized that the boy had probably followed this one instead of 
blindly walking into the dense part.  He mentally chastised himself 
for not looking for a natural entrance, realizing he should have held 
onto Bubba until he had found one, but Bubba had picked up the scent 
and plunged head first into the undergrowth on the trail of the 
missing child.



It took Harry another five minutes, some of the time spent in disgust 
as he saw used needles and condoms littering the ground on the path, 
when he heard the infant crying.  Thank God, the child was alive!



The toddler had apparently slipped off a small embankment and cut 
himself on the brush and garbage sliding down the slope till he was 
caught between the exposed roots of an old tree.  Harry could see the 
paw prints where Bubba had circled the toddler trying to find a way to 
pull him up to safety, but the child was too firmly wedged.  His hands 
were bloody, as were his arms and legs, and the blood flowing freely 
from his hands confirmed for Harry that the blood on Bubba was the 
child's.  The boy must have tried to hold on to Bubba, hoping for 
rescue.



Harry radioed Lew, saying he'd found the boy, but the kid was wedged 
in the roots of an old tree on a steep slope.  He would try to lift 
the boy out himself and would call if he needed help.



When Lew announced to the crowd that the toddler was found, alive but 
injured, a cheer went up before the news sharks started demanding 
details.



"Look," said Lew to the news hounds.  "I didn't get any more details 
than what I've given you.  My partner and his dog need to help the boy 
to safety before we can ask what happened.  You'll be the second to 
know after the medical team apprises me and the mother of the 
situation."



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



Harry struggled for five minutes before he found a way to lift the boy 
out of the twisted branches without force and without causing further 
injury.  He had done a quick check on the toddler and found no broken 
bones, but as he had looked back at the embankment, he realized a 
search team would have never thought to look down into the dumping 
area the boy had landed in.



Harry lifted the boy up under his arms but discovered he was still 
snagged.  Figuring he could protect the child from injury, he called 
for Bubba to pull at the boy's shirt, giving Harry the extra 'man 
power' to lift the boy free.  Between the two of them, they managed to 
extricate the toddler from his predicament, and the crying stopped. 
Harry looked at the path the child had taken and said to the GSD, 
"Slowly take me out of here, Bubba.  The same way the boy walked in."



It took another ten minutes with Harry carrying the boy in his arms 
before they emerged into daylight of the parking lot at the rear of 
the shopping plaza.  They were about 100 yards away from where he and 
Bubba had entered the woods.  It was going to be a race to see who 
reached their destination first - Harry at the ambulance or the 
reporters to Harry.



"Teach them some manners, Bubba," Harry said quietly.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



Laura had been watching the news, and when squawking head news anchor 
announced that toddler had been found alive and was being brought out, 
she had called everyone in to watch the rescue.  They saw Harry emerge 
from the woods, his uniform tattered and covered with mud and blood. 
His hair was wild and his utility belt was drooping as was his radio 
microphone, which was hanging down by his elbow, but the cheer from 
the crowd was overwhelming - everybody loves a happy ending.



They watched as the news crews converged on Harry heading for the 
ambulance and watched in amazement as the huge dog snapped and growled 
at anyone who tried to step between Harry and his destination.  Only 
when a doctor and two paramedics ran up did Bubba step back and allow 
the medical personnel to do their job.  One of the paramedics tried to 
lift the toddler from Harry's arms, but the boy started crying again 
and refused to let go of his death grip on Harry's neck.



The crowd gasped as Bubba came forward and stood on his hind legs and 
seemed to whisper in the boy's ear - in fact just licking his face - 
but the toddler soon let go of Harry, and everyone could hear the 
child say, "My doggie."



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



Kelly and Brenda heard the rescue news while they were feasting on 
their desert - rich New York style cheesecake.



Annie had to wipe her face as she discovered a wetness running down 
her cheek.  The child was safe.  Bubba had done real good!



Jacob, who was not used to an emotional Annie, just turned to give her 
some privacy and said a silent prayer of thanks for the life of a 
child.



Sherri and Cara, having decided what passed for movie fare these days 
was a waste of good money, were in the lobby about to call Todd for a 
ride back to the studio when they heard the news.  They hugged each 
other, both thankful that the child was safe.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



Harry was checked over by one of the paramedics and peroxide, 
antiseptics, and gauze were applied to his cuts.  The child was in the 
ambulance, an IV drip attached to replenish some of the lost fluids, 
but according to the doctor on the scene, the child would recover 
overnight in the hospital, and the ambulance sped away with the mother 
and child.



Harry hated to ask anyone for favors, but Bubba was a mess.  Though 
not physically hurt, he wanted a vet to check out the GSD and then 
take him back to the grooming center for a complete wash and check for 
ticks.  Reluctantly he opened his cell phone and called his oldest 
baby girl.



Laura was watching all this on the screen, her father standing behind 
uncle Lew and opening his cell phone.  She nearly jumped out of her 
skin when her own phone rang.



"Hi, Daddy," she said after answering her phone.



Harry was caught off guard for a second before he asked if she had 
caller ID on her phone, and laughed when she said she had watched him 
dial his phone on TV.



"Pumpkin," he said, "Lew is going to write a citation against the mall 
owners for not fencing the parking lot off from the area the boy 
wandered into.  I'm going to add my own report against the city for 
what I found in there, and that means that we'll be tied up for a 
while.  I don't want the news people to be getting too close a look at 
Bubba the way he is, and I need to get him to a vet and the groomers 
for a bath.  It's hard to tell on this dog, but if you've seen me, you 
can imagine what Bubba feels like under all that blood and mud.  I was 
wondering if you could come and pick him up and take him, so he'll be 
all clean before we take him back to Annie?"



Laura would never deny her father anything, and in this case, it was 
even more important knowing some of the history between Annie and her 
father.  "I'll be there in 15 minutes, Daddy, or less."



"Just don't go speeding, Pumpkin," he said as he said goodbye.



Laura turned to Todd and explained her need.  He told her to take the 
Tracker and when she said she'd scrounge up some sheets to protect the 
truck from getting dirty, he just laughed and said, "There's nothing 
that we can't wash out, Sweetheart.  We'll have Erik's do a complete 
detailing job inside and out afterwards.  It's about time we had it 
cleaned and shampooed anyway."



With a look of gratitude, Laura grabbed the keys for the Tracker from 
the hook by the door and was gone.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



With the mother and child reunited and off to the hospital, there wasn't 
much reason for the newsies to stick around, except for that one 
unanswered question - who was Bubba?



Lew promised them that after Bubba had been cleaned and checked by a 
vet, the dog would give a press interview at the police station, which 
caused the remaining crowd to laugh.



Then Lew got serious and had a talk with his partner of nearly 25 
years.



"Hell, Harry, I can't fine the store for the condition of the property 
because technically their property only runs to the edge of the 
parking lot, but I am going to cite them for not having a fence in 
place to prevent people from entering the woods."



"You should see it inside, Lew," Harry said.  "I'd bet one night of a 
stake out would nab more drug dealers and prostitutes than any other 
place in town.  It's littered in there with syringes and condoms, not 
counting the garbage people have tossed in there over the years."



Lew laughed.  "Well, I've got my 30 years in, come October, so I might 
as well end my career with a bang.  I think I'll write up the city as 
well for the condition of public property!"  Then he turned serious. 
"Now, what about you?" he asked Harry.  "Do you want to go to the 
hospital or do you want Sally to check you over?"  Lew's wife, Sally, 
was a nurse at Mercy Hospital.



"I don't want to go back to the station looking or smelling like this, 
and Meg has the house nearly packed.  I don't want to waste time at 
the hospital either, since they're usually packed, and I might be 
taking a doctor away from somebody who's really hurt.  I don't want to 
take advantage of a friendship, but if we go to the studio, I can get 
showered, checked over by Sally, and get Laura or Kat to bring me some 
fresh clothes."



"You sure that Todd won't mind?" asked Lew.



"Let's find out," said Harry, and for the second time he pulled out 
his cell phone.



After hearing Harry's request, Todd had convinced Harry just to have 
Meg and Sally come over.  "You don't understand, Harry.  Though not as 
often or as much, we also do men's clothing with male models, and I'm 
sure we've got some good suits like Armani floating around here as 
well as some of the best shoes you've ever seen - even boxes of boxers 
and socks.  We just keep them until we find someone who can fit into 
them.  We used to donate all the clothes to charity until we found 
that the people who work there were taking the name brand stuff and 
selling it to others for profit.  One of the conditions of our keeping 
what we have our models wear is that it can never be sold; that's why 
we have so many clothes here, and you haven't even seen our 
 warehouse!"



The way Todd explained it, Harry didn't feel like he'd be a charity 
case and said he would probably be there after they finished writing 
up the tickets - maybe about 30 minutes - but that Meg and Sally would 
probably arrive before them.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



Todd walked back into the studio and watched Ami as she continued 
shooting pose after pose.  The one he had liked best so far was the 
one where the boys were dressed as the Blues Brothers, complete with 
fedoras and sunglasses, and the girls were wearing the choir gowns 
with the colored cowls and cuffs, although one with the girls dressed 
like the females in the Robert Palmer videos was quite appealing as 
well.



Ami was getting more comfortable with the Hasselblad and was 
repositioning the band in an authoritative yet gently persuasive 
voice.  Costume changes were being done on the fly now with the group 
using the screen set to the side for that purpose.



Robert said to Todd, "I know it's not what you had in mind, but the 
kids were quite adamant about what they wanted to wear."



"It's no problem, Bobby.  They look good, and that's what's important. 
Now they look like a group as well as sound like one.  How many 
rehearsals before you think they'll be ready to start touring?"



Robert thought about it and said, "I figure they'll be ready to start 
performing the week after the company picnic.  This band you have 
coming in, I wonder if they'll be shocked having such talent for their 
opening act!"



Todd laughed and reminded Rob to have the band practice the national 
anthem since that's what he wanted to hear as the first song.



Ami turned to Todd and said, "I think I've captured all the different 
combinations of their outfits and posed them right.  I don't really 
see a need to have more shots done today, but if the pics don't turn 
out or if you don't like them, we'll just have to set aside another 
afternoon to do them over again.



Todd ruffled Ami's hair, told her to take the film to the darkroom and 
the camera to the repair counter, and told the band they could change 
back to their normal clothes.



While listening to the band start rehearsals again, this time focusing 
on the national anthem, Todd showed Ami how to clean the Hasselblad, 
which he did every time he shot more than a dozen magazines.  As he 
explained to Ami, the camera was the tool of her trade and an 
extension of her eye, and as such, it should be treated with the same 
care and attention she would any other part of her body.  Together 
they cleaned the camera and the lens before they packed the equipment 
away for the next time it would be needed.



"I hope one day I'll have a camera like this," Ami sighed, not knowing 
that Todd and Kelly had already decided to give this kit to Ami when 
Hasselblad came through on their promise of the newest model as part 
of the advertising package Vanetta had put together for them.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Laura arrived earlier than expected, and Bubba rushed up 
to greet her like an old friend.  He seemed to know that Laura was 
Harry's daughter, and when she opened the door to the Tracker, he only 
looked to Harry for a nod and then jumped in the front seat!



            Laura drove to the vet that Harry had taken Bubba to 
before, and he seemed to pout as he looked at the building.



            "Come on, Bubba," Laura said.  "I promise it won't hurt, 
and I'll hold your hand the whole time."  That earned her a big sloppy 
kiss from Bubba who jumped out of the truck.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Harry and Lew pulled up at the studio, opting to park in 
the back lest people think there was a real reason for a CMPD cruiser 
to make this many frequent visits to TKO.



Joe Johnson, parked half a block away at a garage changing a tire that 
wasn't flat, smiled at the efforts the officers were going to.  This 
Todd Ayres must be something really special, and there had to be 
something going on at TKO with all the traffic he had seen come and go 
on a Saturday.  'Little Joe' had convinced the owner of the garage to 
"hire" him on starting Monday.  It was the perfect distance from TKO 
to allow him an unobstructed view of the front of the building, and 
twice a night he would take a drive up and down Jane Avenue where Todd 
was living with Kelly and the other girl now.



It was an interesting situation from what Joe had learned since 
arriving in Charlotte.  His charge was to protect Ayres from any nasty 
business coming down from Cleveland.  A job made a bit more difficult 
for the former Marine Sergeant Major since Todd wasn't supposed to 
know he had a bodyguard watching him.  It had taken a bit of calling 
and research to discover that Ayres lived with four females in the 
house owned by his partner.  Laura Williams, daughter of a local cop, 
Kelly Jennsen, co-owner of TKO and long time friend of Ayres, and then 
there were the younger girls.  At first, Joe had thoughts that Ayres 
was building a small harem till he learned the younger girls, Cara 
Anderson and Ami Phillips - former Olympic hopefuls who had only 
recently moved to Charlotte as models for a sports equipment company - 
were from rumor and speculation much closer than just friends.  They 
had opted to stay in Charlotte and attend UNCC in the fall.



Aside from the five regulars who now occupied the house, there was one 
other person with a key to the place, and that was Gloria Clarke.  An 
enigma, that one.  Not exactly a housekeeper or maid, but more like a 
personal friend and assistant to Jennsen.  Her daughter worked for TKO 
and lived in the upstairs apartment with her boyfriend, Robert Payne. 
The apartment had been the home of Ayres until last month when he 
moved in with his partner full time.  Gloria Clarke had another child 
living in Charlotte,  Delton Clarke, who owned one of the finest 
nurseries and greenhouses in Charlotte.  Quite a thriving business 
from the tax records Joe had examined, and then he'd discovered that 
Ayres and Jennsen had set him up in business.  Unusual to say the 
least, and upon further examination had discovered that Ayres and 
Jennsen had also been paying tuition fees for the daughter who was set 
to graduate with an MBA shortly.



Joe had been confused at this largesse on the part of Ayres and 
Jennsen, though he could find no ulterior motives - as a matter of 
fact, Ayres and Jennsen had paid for the grown children of Gloria to 
come to the US, and both were now citizens.  Having been given all the 
available files from the CMPD, Joe was even more amazed at how much 
money TKO gave out anonymously every year for summer camps and special 
events for underprivileged kids.  What was it about these two that 
made them seem like philanthropists yet never wanted their names 
publicly mentioned?  There was little in the local newspapers about 
them other than their business opening and Jennsen's yearly school 
visits preaching about safety equipment.  At first he had wondered if 
they were hiding from something in their pasts, but a trace on their 
personal records showed Jennsen had been a professional model since 
she was 13, and Ayres, well he had only recently shown up on the radar 
under a new name, but it was only a truncation of his birth name, and 
under either name, he had never had any legal problems or questionable 
activities.



            Joe knew that his boss would never assign him to protect 
anyone doing anything illegal or even un-American, so he had vowed to 
stick around till the dust had settled and find out for himself if 
there really were such altruistic people in the world as these two 
seemed to be.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            The vet confirmed that Bubba had suffered no injuries and 
was not tick infested.  Any incidence of fleas would be taken care of 
at the groomers, though the vet had convinced Bubba to take two 
extra-strength vitamins from his hand and sat patiently while his 
teeth and gums were scrubbed and cleaned.



            "I'm giving Bubba a low-dose antibiotic," the vet said to 
Laura.  "I don't think he needs it, but I just want to make sure in 
case he inhaled or swallowed something that might give him a case of 
the scoots later on."



            Laura thanked the vet and paid him, and after Bubba held 
the door open for her, had let the GSD lead her back to the Tracker. 
The next stop was at the groomer's, a place that Bubba remembered 
fondly, and he was clamoring to get out of the Tracker even before 
Laura had a chance to park!  She realized that as soon as she got back 
to the studio, she would have to take a shower herself as she had 
visions of fleas crawling on her skin.



            Bubba loved his bath and subsequent shower, and the girls 
made a real fuss over the hero of the day, going so far as to polish 
up his collar, harness, and leash and even pinning a big blue 1st 
place ribbon on his collar.  They provided Laura with a huge treated 
and scented sheet to place over the front seat so that any pests that 
had transferred to the truck would be killed, and nothing could get 
back on either of them.  An hour after Laura had picked up Bubba, she 
and the proud, shiny dog were on their way to the studio after hearing 
that her Dad and uncle Lew were already there.  They could take Bubba 
back to Annie, though she would gladly do it herself.  Annie was a 
character, and Laura always thought that if she had lived through the 
sixties herself, she would have turned out just like Annie or at least 
become the type of woman who spoke her mind and acted instead of just 
watching.  Kelly would have made a good child of the 60's, Laura 
thought.  She didn't whine, bitch or moan about everything in life 
being unfair.  She did things to make the world a better place to live 
in, and that was one of the reasons why Laura loved her so much.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Harry had been a bit reluctant, but Vanetta had finally 
convinced him that the shower in the studio was there for models, and 
that he definitely looked like model material.  Lew laughed out loud!



Harry gratefully accepted clean towels, a brand new toothbrush and 
comb, a robe, and a bag into which he could drop what was left of his 
uniform, plus another bag for his gear.  He was surprised at the size 
of the shower for the studio and wondered about the one in the 
apartment above.  Clearly marked wall-mounted dispensers contained 
soft soap, shampoo, and conditioner.  While Harry was just a plain 
bar-soap kind of guy, he had to admit that the lightly scented 
body-wash was pleasant and felt good on his skin.  The shampoo had a 
delicate scent to it as well and lathered nicely.  He felt stress 
being washed away along with the mud and grime from his time in the 
brush with Bubba.



Finally clean and smelling good, Harry had to chuckle at the thought 
of his new smell.  Would Bubba even recognize him?  He emerged from 
the shower to find that someone had been in and brought some fancy 
four-bladed razor along with a brand of shaving cream he had never 
heard of.  He assumed this sort of merchandise was the part about 
shooting new products for public consumption that Kelly and Todd had 
mentioned to him.  Knowing their reputation, how they only took on 
products they believed in, he smiled as he lathered up his face. 
Damn!  He was feeling good!



"Can I powder my hero in?" he heard from behind.  It nearly scared him 
out of his skin, that being all he was wearing at the moment.  Then he 
realized it was Meg waiting for him.



He turned to her and drew her into a kiss.  "I thought I was always 
your hero," he said to her.



"You are, Honey, but what you did today was a miracle."



Harry blushed and tried to give the credit to Bubba, but Meg was 
having none of it.  "Annie's dog might have found the boy," she said, 
"but you're the one who carried him out.  I heard on the news that if 
he had been left much longer, he might have bled to death."



Harry turned sober.  "Meg, I will be so happy when I have my time in 
and I can retire from this job.  Today was a good day, but so many of 
them aren't.  Lew gets his 30 year option in October, and with a bit 
of luck, I'll have my 25 in September.  If we can get this situation 
resolved with Todd before then, I'm going to request a transfer to be 
a trainer at the police academy to finish out my last few months, and 
I'm going to suggest the same to Lew."



Meg hugged Harry fiercely with tears in her eyes.  "I'd like that, 
Harry.  That way I know you'll be safe, and then we can start our new 
lives at Muriel's Place.  You've given this city a quarter of a 
century of honest service, you deserve a chance to relax."



Harry laughed and said he wasn't sure how much relaxing he would get 
as the co-manager of Muriel's since he would have an even tougher boss 
to work for!  Meg lightly slapped him, told him to finish shaving.  As 
he did, he felt Meg's hands rubbing his body with a fine powder.  This 
really was the life.



Meg had brought in 'Joe Boxer' briefs and some name-brand socks.  "I 
know your size, Harry, and Todd said, since these were packages, you 
would just have to take the rest of each package home with you."



Harry rinsed his face off and said to Meg, "I don't know where to find 
this shaving cream, but I would really like to splurge and buy some 
for home.  Feel this, Baby," he said as he kissed her again, rubbing 
his face against hers.



"Mmm.  Nice," she mumbled as she groped for his erection.  "Are you up 
for a quick release before Sally checks out all these scratches?"



"I'd love to, Honey." he said as he groped her breasts, but I have to 
brush my teeth first.



As he opened up the cellophane from the new toothbrush, he felt Meg 
slide down his body and then the warmth of her mouth going over his 
erection.  He smiled as he fumbled with the top of the liquid 
toothpaste container and started to brush his teeth.  It would be a 
race to see if he could hold out long enough to finish brushing his 
teeth before Meg brought him over the edge.



Harry lost the race, and with a mouth full of toothpaste, he deposited 
his seed into Meg's eager mouth.  Moaning was hard, and he turned and 
spit out what was left of the tooth polish before lifting Meg up under 
the arms and kissing her again and again, tasting a faint residue of 
his own offering on her lips.



"Now, come on, Superman," she said.  "We've got to get you dressed 
properly because you are wanted downtown."



With a sigh, knowing he would probably catch hell for using Bubba, 
Harry slipped into a pair of briefs and socks and then slipped the 
robe on.  Meg had a bag into which she placed the toothbrush she had 
cleaned and the toothpaste and razor and shaving cream.



"You can't just take that stuff, Meg," Harry said.



"Actually, I can," she replied.  Todd said very few of the models here 
shave and the can would just go to waste, and the toothpaste - that 
funny stuff in the gel form - is a new product that won't be available 
for the market for another six months.  Todd just did an ad shoot for 
it and says they sent him a case of it."



Harry shook his head in wonder and amazement.  "This stuff sure beats 
all the discount soaps and shampoos we're used to Meg."



"It's funny you should mention that, hero husband of mine.  Todd told 
me that while women's products are the largest percentage of what he 
shoots, he said it was nice having another man around to share some of 
the products with.  And by the way, the girls and I now have enough 
feminine products to last us an entire year, including deodorants and 
other things you'd rather not know about."



            Harry, wearing just briefs, socks, and the robe that 
Vanetta had provided, followed Meg down the hall to the in-studio 
wardrobe change room.  He could hear his daughters singing as he 
looked at the suits that Vanetta and Meg had put out for him, but 
before he could try even one on, Sally had to check him over.



            Feeling a bit embarrassed sitting in just briefs and 
socks, Sally checked out every scrape and scratch.  The shower had 
cleaned off most of the blood and cleansed the wounds, and except for 
a few places where Sally rubbed some iodine, she pronounced him fit to 
return to duty as long as his tetanus shot was up to date.  Harry 
assured her that he had had one the year before, so Sally gave him a 
quick peck on the cheek, congratulating him for his rescue of the 
toddler and left to sit with Lew.



Todd had not been fooling when he said he had Armani suits.  There 
were other brand names as well, including Brooks Brothers and others 
whose names he couldn't even pronounce.  Meg had picked the sizes but 
had left selection of what would look best on Harry to Todd and 
Vanetta.  Todd had an eye for what made people look good  judging from 
the portraits they had seen in the studio.  Vanetta knew what was in 
style, and she and Meg had selected a few good suits and dress shirts 
and even some Gerry Garcia ties!



            Harry walked out of the change room a changed man.  His 
hair had a shine to it, and the suit fit him like a glove.  Vanetta 
had insisted that he take the other suits home with him as well, 
assuring him that they still had plenty in their main warehouse and 
more coming every month.  Harry had been shaking his head as he 
slipped on the Florsheim loafers.  These suits represented a half year's 
salary for him, but he was quickly learning that you didn't turn down 
a gift from Todd and Kelly.  Vanetta had made that very clear when she 
had dropped her proper English accent and lectured him in her native 
patois!



            The singing stopped abruptly when he entered the studio, 
and he caught an envious, admiring glimpse from Lew.  His daughters 
ran over to him carrying on about how handsome he looked.  Harry 
simply held up his hands, palms up, telling them that that's why their 
mother had married him.



            Todd smiled and said the outfit looked good on him and 
asked if the shoes were comfortable.  Vanetta stood behind Todd 
nodding her approval.



            "Hey, partner," said Lew.  "We've got to roll.  While you 
were getting all cleaned up, the captain called and we're to report to 
the station ASAP in plain clothes.  That means I've got to get home 
and get changed."



            Todd looked puzzled, but Vanetta was quick on the uptake.



            "Don't be silly, Lew," she said.  "Shower here and get 
some suits for yourself.  God knows I could use the space.  Todd never 
wears one, and Robert can only use so many.  I'd personally appreciate 
it if you helped clear out some room for me."



            Lew hemmed and hawed until Meg reached over and punched 
him in the shoulder.  "Don't be stubborn and pigheaded, Lew," then she 
smiled at Vanetta.  "Thank you dear.  He's worse than an old woman 
like me."



            Todd laughed and said that Meg was anything but an old 
woman.  In fact she should qualify for mother of the year!



            Meg blushed and Vanetta took Lew by the arm and led him to 
the shower.  Before he was out of sight, Harry hollered, "Hey, Lew. 
Why've we got to go to the station in plain clothes?"



            "I don't know why the plain clothes, Harry, but the 
captain said we had promised a press conference for Bubba, and since 
we brought him, we're now his official escorts."



            "The snooze people actually think Bubba is going to give a 
press conference?"  Harry asked.  "Damn.  Repeaters are dumber than 
the dog!"



            "Don't be insulting Bubba now, Harry!"  Lew said as he 
entered the shower room.



            Once Lew was in the shower, Todd suggested that Vanetta 
and Meg help pick out some outfits for Sally.



            Sally started to protest, but Vanetta cut in.  "Ire, don' 
vex me now mother, me had two proud jeckels 'pon my face today.  Me no 
wan' no more.  Go!"



            Reluctantly Sally let Meg and Vanetta lead her back to the 
store room.



            The band started up again, picking out new songs and 
arranging them, letting Robert know the key.  Todd sat beside Robert, 
sipping on a fresh beer.  "You know Bobby, I hear these kids play and 
all I want to do is record them.  Think you can find a decent studio 
locally where we can get a CD recorded?"



            "I can find out," said Robert.  "If not local, we can 
always take a trip for a good quality studio."



            "Yeah," said Todd.  "They're doing a lot of classics and 
those old songs have never sounded so good.  We'll make it part of the 
project and sell copies of the band playing the best.  I'll cover the 
recording and press run costs, and all the sales - 100% of the 
proceeds - will go to programs for abused and troubled kids."



            Robert nodded somberly, then laughed and said, "I'll bet 
you already have a name for the album."



            Todd smiled, he was really getting to like Robert.  "Yep, 
I was thinking, 'Cover to Cover.'"



            Rob laughed and said he liked the title.  "Maybe in a 
month or so.  Let's see if they're still getting along then."



            "The way that Ted keeps looking at Kat, I think this band 
is going to do very well together," Todd said.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Lew and Harry were drinking mineral water.  Lew was 
looking very dapper in his new suit, and Sally had a few bags for him 
as well as for herself that Todd and Vanetta insisted she take home. 
They were speculating about why the plain-clothes order when Laura 
bounded in the door with Bubba pulling her along.  That put an 
effective end to the band practice as all the kids took turns petting 
and praising Bubba.



            Bubba for his part seemed to look at Lew and Harry as if 
they were aliens, sniffing a few times just to make sure these were 
really his friends.  Of course Laura carried on about how smashing 
both Lew and her dad looked, and then Lew reminded Harry that they had 
a 6 o'clock meeting at the police station.



            Sherri and Cara made their entrance just as the two 
sergeants were getting ready to leave, so Bubba had to stop for some 
more attention, something the GSD didn't seem to mind.



            As they left by the side door, Joe Johnson was amazed at 
the transformation in the two cops.  He would have sworn the suit that 
the driver, who he assumed was Lew's partner, Harry Williams, was 
wearing was an Armani.  "This is going to be one hell of an 
interesting assignment," Joe thought to himself.



            Cara and Sherri explained that after hearing the news 
about the rescue, they had decided to take a cab back rather than call 
for a ride and interrupt what might be going on at the studio.



            The band wrapped it up after choosing regular practice 
times, and the boys put away the equipment.  They hoped that the large 
studio would be available soon so they could leave the equipment set 
up for practices all the time they weren't performing.



            Ami looked at Todd and then longingly at the darkroom. 
Todd just shook his head.  "Sorry kiddo, I've been drinking, so we'll 
have to wait till tomorrow or Monday to develop the film.



            Ami nodded her understanding, and then the entire group 
had soft drinks or mineral water before Robert and Vanetta drove them 
home.  As she left, she whispered in Todd's ear, causing him to blush. 
But he nodded anyway.  After they left, only Sherri, Cara, and Ami and 
Laura remained with Todd.



            Todd and Laura turned up the volume on the TV then sat and 
waited to see what happened to Harry and Lew.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Harry parked the cruiser inconspicuously at the rear of 
the police station, and seeing the lobby was full of reporters, they 
quietly took the back elevator up to the captain's office, ready to 
get the reprimand of their careers.  Instead, the captain was smiling 
and rubbed Bubba behind his ears.



            "I'm glad to see all three of you prettied up nice," the 
captain started off saying.  "It will look better for the cameras, 
though some people will think detectives are overpaid if they can 
afford suits like what you two are wearing."



            "Detectives?"  Harry asked.



            "You boys did good today," the captain continued, not 
answering the question.  "I remember when both of you joined the 
force, and you've been good for a lot of years.  I know it hasn't been 
easy on you, Harry; and Lew, these last few years of riding a desk 
doing paperwork hasn't been what you wanted to do."



            "But."  Lew said.



            "Now don't go interrupting my speech," said the captain 
with a smile.  "I don't like to make them, and I don't like to listen 
to them, but since I still outrank both of you, you're going to listen 
to mine."



            "Regular officers on patrol aren't allowed to make use of 
civilian help, but what you boys did, getting Bubba in to rescue the 
boy, has given us a good public relations boost.  I've already talked 
to Annie, and she's agreed to let Bubba go on a speaking tour of the 
schools with the two of you, during which time we're going to 
fingerprint and photograph most of the younger kids in each school, 
should - God forbid - one of them go missing.  A special ID unit will 
be taking care of that while you two discuss the importance of safety. 
Of course, Bubba will be the center of attention, but anything that 
gets the kids to listen is going to be a plus for us, and we can ride 
this good will and publicity for a while."



            "The problem is," continued the captain, "you didn't have 
a right to use Bubba as regular officers, but this is too good a 
situation to let some silly rule stand in the way.  The commissioner 
and I had a long talk after the boy's rescue, and we found a solution 
to the problem.  Now we know that in the next few months both of you 
are retiring, and damn it, I don't blame either of you.  This is one 
of the most thankless jobs around, and it pays squat for what you deal 
with.  Starting Monday, both of you will be working days-only unless 
there's a special needs situation that comes up, but according to the 
books, you were both promoted to Detective Sergeant First Grade as of 
last week, in charge of missing and exploited children, which will 
explain how you two could take over the scene at the mall this 
afternoon and why you could use civilian resources."



            The captain smiled at Lew.  "This should be better than 
riding a desk full of paperwork shouldn't it?  Oh, and in case any of 
those nosey news hounds complain at the press conference about the 
uniforms they saw today, the commissioner and I decided that, 
officially, the new positions would take effect Monday when your new 
office is ready, but I wouldn't be surprised if the next paychecks you 
see didn't show that you were on-duty detectives at least today, maybe 
even the whole week, that's how big a boost we think we got from your 
initiative this afternoon."



            Lew and Harry both stood there with open mouths, while 
Bubba nuzzled the captain's hand.



            "According to the books, there was a private ceremony last 
week at which time you both received these," and he produced two gold 
badges.  "There's a pay raise involved of course, but as I explained 
to the commissioner, neither of you will be around much longer and 
working just days will help keep our budget under control as there 
will be no more double shifts."



            The captain then handed Lew a gold badge and shook his 
hand.  "Congratulations Detective Weaver."



            He then repeated the same to Harry and suggested they get 
downstairs to meet the press.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            The news cameras were trained on the podium set up at the 
bottom of the main broad staircase, and the talking heads were 
recapping for the umpteenth time that the boy was safe and healthy due 
to the quick action of the CMPD.  He'd have just a few scars from 
stitches that the doctors had said would fade away as he grew older, 
and the doctors had reiterated that the child would likely have bled 
to death if not for the quick and valiant efforts of the CMPD and 
their K9 companion.



            Annie had been surprised to get the phone call from 
Captain Walker late in the afternoon after the rescue.  She had been 
hesitant to commit Bubba to a month of police service, but when Dave - 
he insisted she call him that - had explained what Bubba would be 
doing was a great public service for the new Missing and Exploited 
Children Division of the CMPD, she had caved.  She had never been one 
to turn down anything for kids.  It was even easier to accept when she 
learned it would be days-only, Monday to Friday, and that the only two 
officers who would be with Bubba would be Lew and Harry.  She agreed. 
Bubba knew these two as did she, and she knew that even though she 
gave them a hard time, she respected both of them.



            "Look, Ms. Prince," Dave started, "I know there's not a 
lot of love lost between you and the department, and God knows I 
understand why.  I've tried to explain to you that unlike what some 
people might think, the police don't make the rules."



            Annie sighed, told Dave to call her "Annie," and said that 
she did understand.  She mentioned that she damn well didn't like it, 
but she understood that she had been in the way of a runaway train 
that just happened to ruin her life.



            "Is your life ruined, Annie?"  Dave asked.  "I talk to 
Harry a lot and ask him how you're doing, and we've been recommending 
your catering services to a lot of our friends.  I've had more than a 
few meals you've prepared, and I have to say, if I was married to you, 
I'd gain too much weight 'cause I'd never stop eating your cooking.  I'd 
probably never eat at a restaurant again, except of course when you 
wanted a night off."



            Annie laughed, and said, "But I'm not sure your wife would 
appreciate it if you married another woman just for what she could do 
in the kitchen."



            "Sadly, I've been a widower for 30 years now," said Dave.



            "I'm sorry to hear that, Dave, but how the hell old are 
you anyways?  You didn't look all that old when I met you in person."



            It was Dave's turn to laugh.  "I turn 49 this year, Annie. 
I was married early and lost my wife and son to a drunk driver when I 
was 19.  We'd been married for nearly a year, and yes, it was sort of 
expected that when Linda turned up pregnant after the Senior Prom, 
that we get married."



When Jacob heard the name, "Dave," he began to sweep closer to where 
Annie stood.  Not exactly eavesdropping - not Jacob. Merely making 
sure he didn't miss at least her side of the conversation.



"Did you love her?"  Annie asked softly.



            "Very much," said Dave.  "We had been high school 
sweethearts and expected to get married anyway.  Ben just made it 
easier for us to get married sooner.  A week after I buried them, I 
signed on with the police department.  It's been my life since then."



            "Bet you were a real crusader back then, right Dave?"



            "You bet, Annie.  I worked nights most of the time just so 
I could catch those who drink and drive.  I made sergeant in less than 
five years, and promotions kept me from the streets at night."



            "I guess we've both been unlucky at times," Annie sighed. 
"I lost a daughter some years back."



            "What about your husband?"  Dave ventured on a gambit.



            "I guess we fell out of love after I got pregnant," Annie 
said, "though looking back on the situation, I'm not sure we were ever 
in love with each other as much as we were in love with the idea of 
being in love.  Anyways, he's ancient history.  He left emotionally, 
and I left physically, and he filed for divorce soon afterwards.  It's 
been just me and Bubba since Bubba was a three pound pup."



            "I wish I could say that I was sorry about that, Annie, 
but I think that means you're single and available?"



            Annie laughed.  "Are you flirting with me, Dave?"



            "Not flirting at all, Annie.  I'd like to give you a break 
from your own cooking, if you'd let me."



            "Why Captain Walker, are you asking me out on a date?"



"Go on, go on, Miz Annie!" said Jacob giving her a gentle nudge in her 
side, his grin growing broader.



            "Uhm, yes, if you'll say yes and tell me when it's a good 
time for you."



            "Just remember, Dave, that just because you saw me naked 
once doesn't mean dinner is an invitation to bed!"



            Jacob made a sour face at her comment.



            Dave thought back to that day when Annie had defiantly 
stripped in his office after the fiasco that had caused Annie to spend 
part of a day in jail.  He remembered her small perky breasts, slim 
body, and muscular arms and legs, as well as her long auburn hair, 
before he caught himself.  "No!  My God, Annie.  I'm a gentleman, and 
would treat you like the lady you are!"



            "Let's not get carried away with the 'Lady' part," Annie 
said laughing, "but if you like, I'm free tomorrow night any time 
after 6 o'clock.  Sundays are pretty well the only nights I have off 
and next weekend I have to work."



            Jacob again began to grin.



            "Then we have a date," said Dave.  I'll pick you up 
tomorrow evening at seven if that's good for you."



            "I suppose," replied Annie being coy and trying to stand 
further away from Jacob as he began to nudge her again, "but if you 
show up in a cruiser, I ain't going nowhere with you!"



            Dave laughed, assured her that there would be no cruiser, 
and said goodbye.



            Annie looked at Jacob who had a smile on his face bigger 
than she had ever seen on her helper's black face.  "If you don't turn 
down the wattage on that smile, I'll be turning lights off to make it 
easier on my eyes," she said.  "It's just dinner, nothing more."



            "Should I be makin' a double pot of coffee, Monday 
morning?"  Jacob asked jokingly.



            Annie threw a wet dishcloth at him and told him he better 
be minding his own business, though she couldn't help smiling.  It had 
been so long since a man had held her.



            "Now I've got to see if I have anything decent to wear," 
she said.



            "Miz Annie, I think that gentleman wants to see you, not 
what you be wearing.  You wear that nice white sundress with the roses 
on it, an' I think he be proud to take you anywheres."



            "Shit.  I need to get some paint," Annie said to herself. 
"I wonder if I can get out and get some before Harry and Lew bring 
Bubba back."  She tried to call Harry at home but only got the 
answering machine.  She didn't have Lew's number, but when she called 
the station she was told that both Lew and Harry were out of the 
station.



            Jacob look at her questioningly, "Paint, Miz Annie whachu 
paintin'?"



"My face, Silly, you know, makeup!  I need paint!" replied Annie.



            "Damnation!" she exclaimed.  "Typical men.  Can't get a 
hold of one when you really need one."



            "You could call Miz Laura," Jacob suggested.  "Bet she be 
knowing where her daddy be at."  Jacob was very pleased with himself.



            "Thanks, Jacob," she said, "you've been the only reliable 
man I've ever known."



            Jacob grinned and blushed, but deep inside he felt that, 
pretty soon, Miz Annie wouldn't be spending so much time alone 
anymore.



            Laura answered on the third ring.  "TKO," she said 
pleasantly.



            "Hi Laura, its Annie.  Your dad is supposed to be bringing 
Bubba back to my place when he's finished with him, but I got to run 
out and get some face paint and I can't get a hold of him."



            "I can," said Laura, "he just left with Uncle Lew.  Did 
you mean makeup?  Don't go shopping for any.  Come here instead.  We've 
got tons of the stuff, all extra and going to waste.  And it's the 
good stuff.  Got a hot date?"



            "What?  Not enough news today that people got to start 
speculating on my sorry life?"  Annie asked.



Jacob, who was still standing near by, snickered loudly.



            Laura just laughed and told Annie about how she remembered 
her and her thoughts that Annie would have been a typical hippie.



            "Yeah, well there was that," Annie conceded.



            "Come on over, Annie.  You know the address.  Good, you 
come when you can and I'll get hold of Daddy and tell him to give me a 
call when he's finished with the hero of the day."



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            "Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen," said Lew into the 
microphones mounted on the podium.  Bubba was sitting proudly beside 
Harry who had a hold on his leash.



            "My name is Detective Lew Weaver, and my partner is 
Detective Harry Williams.  We are in charge of the new Missing and 
Exploited Children Division of the CMPD, another proactive department 
recently created by the Police Commissioner to protect our children . 
. . "he paused, "our future."



            The applause was loud from the regular officers and the 
spectators who had come to the station to see the heroic GSD at his 
press conference.  The news people of course were more concerned as to 
why they hadn't heard of this new department yet, and many of them 
scribbled notes to assistants to get the Commissioner on the phone and 
get the details.



            "But of course, the 'officer' you came here to see this 
afternoon is Bubba, a civilian asset provided to our department 
through the kind generosity of Ms. Annie Prince who has trained Bubba 
from a pup."



            "Why a civilian asset?" hollered out one TV reporter 
before anyone else could say anything.



            "Because a child's life was in danger," said Harry, "and 
while our own K9 division is well trained in a variety of tasks, Bubba 
was the best qualified for this rescue."



            "What makes him so special?" asked another talking head.



            "He was trained in English," said Harry, "which means that 
both Detective Weaver and I can talk to him, and I should add that his 
vocabulary is much broader than most other K9 dogs."



            Bubba had been looking from one reporter to another as the 
questions had started flying.



            "You're trying to tell us that Bubba actually understands 
what you tell him to do?" asked another.



            Harry looked at Lew and saw Lew smile.  "Well," said 
Harry, "actually he does what we ask him to do."  Then Harry turned to 
Bubba and without looking at the snooze people he said, "Come here, 
Bubba," getting the dog's full attention.  "Can you bring the man who 
asked that question to me?"  Then Harry released the leash and Bubba 
leapt into the crowd and ran right to the reporter, grabbing him by 
the belt and started to pull the reporter to Harry.



            The reporter was trying to tell Bubba to stop, but Bubba 
was single mindedly doing as Harry asked, and when the reporter dug 
his heels in, Bubba growled.



            "Gently, Bubba, no bites, we don't want to hurt him," Lew 
said, which caused the crowd to laugh as well as a number of 
reporters.



            "Okay, Bubba," Harry said, "you can let him go now.  I 
think you made your point, and the rest of you can just consider it a 
part of our fishing catch-and-release program," which earned even more 
laughs.



            Bubba released the reporter and proudly walked back to the 
podium where he assumed his previous position.  Harry didn't even 
bother with the leash.



            It was a short press conference, during which Lew outlined 
the Department's plans to take Bubba to the schools in Charlotte and 
start the Child ID program.



            It would have been a nice, pleasant end to the day's 
rescue if not for one reporter asking if Bubba had anything to say.



            Harry turned to Bubba and asked if he wanted to say 
anything, and Bubba trotted up behind Harry, stood and placed his 
forepaws on the podium, and looked over the crowd as if surveying 
them.  He slowly nodded his head until he looked at the microphones, 
and then he gave out three sharp barks!



            The crowd went wild as Harry muttered, "Ham."  Bubba 
merely turned his head and gave Harry a 'look.'



            Lew thanked the people for their time and said that it was 
time they took Bubba home.



            Across town, as the conference was winding up, a very 
upset Judge Richardson, turned off the radio.  "Damn that dog and his 
bitch owner."



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Harry had felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket a 
number of times, and as he and Lew led Bubba out the back to where 
their personal vehicles were parked, Harry checked his text messages. 
Laura had been trying to get hold of him and left a note to call 
before bringing Bubba back to Annie since she was stopping at the 
studio.  He smiled to himself and told Lew that he would take Bubba 
back after he was sure where she was.



            "Okay, partner," Lew said.  "Hell of a day wasn't it?"



            "Damn straight!" said Harry.  "No more weekends, no more 
nights, a promotion, and a raise.  Meg is going to be so happy."



            "So is Sally," said Lew.  "How about you and Meg and the 
kids come over tomorrow and we'll celebrate?"



            "Sounds like a plan to me," said Harry.  "I'll call you 
after I confirm with Meg."



            Lew drove off while Harry called Laura.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Annie wasn't so sure about all this stuff that Laura was 
showing her, even after showing her how to apply some of it.  Todd 
smiled and helped Laura out.  He'd liked Annie from the moment he met 
her.  This was a straight forward woman who spoke her mind and didn't 
mince words.



            Annie was an interesting person from a photographer's 
viewpoint.  Simple, no makeup, and a combination of laugh lines and 
small wrinkles - braless too - Todd noticed.  She belonged in a 
different era by her appearances, but her mind was sharp, even sharper 
than her tongue.



            They finally convinced Annie to take a bag of 'paint,' 
some of the simple stuff that she could apply herself, though Laura 
kept teasing Annie about her hot date.  The way that Annie grimaced 
let Todd know that she was in fact changing her appearance for a man.



            A look from Laura, a nod from Todd, and Laura had Annie's 
arm saying she wanted her opinion on something, and she led her to the 
wardrobe room.



            Todd laughed as he heard Annie cussing out and growling at 
Laura for tricking her, but it tapered off slowly, and Todd figured 
that Laura had convinced Annie to at least try a few outfits on.



            They had the radio on in the studio preparing for the live 
press conference.  The TV stations would not air their footage till 
later in the evening.  When the news conference started, Ami went back 
to get Laura and Annie.



            "My dad and Uncle Lew are detectives now?"  Laura asked 
incredulously at the end of the 10-minute news piece.  The news 
'repeater' was giving a running documentary about the events that had 
taken place, and in an unprecedented move, he recommended that people 
watch the TV news later that evening to see how Bubba had looked at 
the crowd before stating what was on his mind.



            "Sounds to me like you're famous now, Annie," Todd said.



            Annie smirked and said that, if it brought her more 
business, then it was fine with her.  Todd noticed that Annie had come 
out of the dressing room in a semi-transparent, knee-length silk dress 
that had a circular band of material doubled in a curly fashion 
covering Annie's breasts and curling around her pelvis and butt.  He 
whistled appreciatively.  Few women could get away wearing an outfit 
like this, especially in black.  Annie only glared, then smiled.  It 
was nice to be noticed, but still, it was 'only dinner.'  This was 
territory practically un-charted, or at least something she was 
unaccustomed to.  She wasn't at all used to be looked at or even being 
'noticed.'



            After the newscast, Annie and Laura returned to the change 
room, and Todd was happy to see Annie taking a large bag of designer 
clothes.  He wasn't sure what Laura had said to her to convince her to 
take the whole bag, but he was glad she had.



Annie had the bag of 'paint' as well and was sitting with Todd and 
Laura drinking some sweet tea that she had created using what was 
available in the kitchen.  They were waiting for Harry to return Laura's 
call, which Laura assured Annie he would as soon as he could retrieve 
his text message.  Sherri, Cara, and Ami were watching TV, waiting for 
Vanetta and Robert to come back from dropping the band off.



            Annie took another look at Todd and wondered about him 
again.  She saw a man - a good man by what she could read from him - 
but a troubled one.  His mind was wandering even though he never 
dropped a word in the conversation.  Tilting her head to one side, she 
tried to surmise his thoughts.



            She had quickly grasped the situation between Laura and 
Todd and wondered for a minute how Kelly fit into this when Laura had 
clearly stated that Kelly was her partner.  She saw a handsome, caring 
man, not one of those who called women by names or had ever raised a 
hand in anger.  He had an inner calm, but from what she noticed under 
the T-shirt he was wearing, he was very physically fit.



            As they waited, Laura showed her the recent addition to 
the studio wall, the portrait of her and Kelly in their Trek outfits. 
"Whoa!" was all Annie could muster.  Had there been any doubt in Annie's 
mind about their relationship, it was long gone when she saw the 
picture.



            Annie's curiosity was just about at the bursting point 
when Laura's phone rang.



            "Hi Daddy," she said.  "I see you remembered to check your 
text messages."



            "Just like you taught me, Pumpkin."



            "Congratulations on your promotion, Daddy.  I'm so proud 
of you!"



            "Thanks, Pumpkin.  I'll tell you more about it later.  I 
saw your message about Annie not being home, is she home now?"



            "No Daddy, she's here at the studio with us.  Want her to 
wait here for you?"



            "If she doesn't mind.  I should be there in 15 minutes."



            Laura turned to Annie and asked if she could wait a few 
minutes longer, and after Annie nodded, Laura told her dad to come on 
over.



            After disconnecting from his call to Laura, Harry hit the 
speed dial button that connected him to Lew.



            "Hey Lew, want to go back to TKO?  Annie's there and we 
might get one of those Canadian beers he smuggles in."



            Lew laughed and said he would be catch up with Harry on 
I-77.



            "Your dad's coming here?"  Annie asked.  "I better get out 
of this dress before he gets the wrong idea like you did."



            Laura's intuition told her that Annie really did have a 
date and wondered how it would turn out - and who the lucky guy was.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Joe Johnson had changed vehicles and was now parked in the 
shade at the corner of the Hutchison-McDonald road in such a way that 
he could clearly see the studio with his binoculars.  A "For Sale" 
sign covered the driver's window and most of the windshield, 
effectively hiding him from view.  When he saw Lew and Harry pull back 
in, he muttered, "For a quiet studio on a Saturday, this place is 
busier than a downtown 7-11."



            Annie had changed back into her regular attire. 
Moccasins, jeans, and a T-shirt, and she was all set for Harry and 
Bubba's arrival.  She was surprised when both Harry and Lew entered.



Bubba launched himself at her, kissing her all over and she returned 
the favor by scratching his favorite places.  Then she looked up at 
Harry and said, "Well I guess I can't call you 'ossifer' anymore can 
I, Harry?  Congratulations to both of you, and I mean that."



Harry looked dubiously at Annie, and Lew decided the better part of 
valor was to keep his mouth shut.



Harry was the one who realized that something was different about 
Annie, and he looked closer.  He spotted the bag of clothes beside her 
and then realized she was wearing makeup.  "Got a hot date, Annie?" he 
asked.  I've never seen you with makeup, and you look good!"



Annie growled and stared daggers at him, then said, "I can sure tell 
why they made you a detective," she said sarcastically.  "You see the 
obvious and jump to conclusions, just like your daughter!"



Laura laughed and said, "It wouldn't take too much detecting to figure 
out something special is going on, Annie.  You've got that special 
glow on your face.  Makeup or not, we'd know."  Annie snarled in mock 
anger.



"Well, it ain't newsworthy now is it, what I do with my private life?"



Harry chuckled and wondered privately what kind of man had the nerve 
to ask Annie out on a date.



"Well, I got Bubba back, and he looks good," said Annie.  "I do 
appreciate the care you take with him.  I hear that you intend to take 
him to the schools so you can fingerprint the little ones in case one 
goes missing.  I hope you never have to use those prints to identify 
one who couldn't be found in time."  There was a catch in Annie's 
voice, then she said, "Well, Bubba, we best be getting home so Jacob 
can take the leftovers to the shelter.  One of us ain't gonna be 
cookin' tomorrow!"  She chuckled as she picked up her bags, thanked 
Laura and Todd, and headed for the door, knowing she had unleashed a 
beehive of speculation.  She wondered what Lew and Harry would think 
if they knew it was their boss she was going out with!



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



"Uhm, Todd," Harry said.  "We aren't on duty now.  Not to put too 
subtle a hint forward."



Todd laughed and went to the fridge and pulled out four Molson Extra 
Dry beers.  Laura got glasses for herself, her Dad, and Uncle Lew and 
Todd.



"It's only in mixed company that I use a glass," said Todd, grinning. 
"Stops me from wringing the bottle to get the last drop out!"



Todd raised his glass and said, "Here's to the best new proactive 
police work ever, and the two new detectives in charge of it!"



"Hear, hear," said Laura clinking her glass against the others.



Harry was telling them about how the promotion had really come into 
effect, but Todd said that they deserved it no matter how it happened. 
"You've both risked your lives for too many years not to finally get 
acknowledged," said Todd.



"And I know that Mom and Aunt Sally are going to love having you guys 
home at night and not having to worry anymore about what might happen 
on those long weekend night shifts," said Laura.



Todd offered the detectives another drink, but both said it had been a 
long 20 hours and both were driving.  "Another time?" asked Harry. 
"At a time when we can get all the family together?"



Todd nodded.  While normally a recluse, he didn't mind the Williams' 
or the Weaver's, so he finally said, "How about after the band does 
their first public performance?  We'll get together here or at Kelly's 
and do a barbeque."



Harry thought back to the night he had the steaks at Kelly's, "That 
sounds good to me!"



Laura walked her father and Uncle Lew to the door and watched them 
drive away.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



Vanetta and Robert had dropped the band members off and had taken a 
scenic tour back to the studio.  The scenic route just happened to 
pass by the very spot where the young lovers had made first contact, 
and Vanetta insisted that Bobby pull over.



Tucked out of sight from the road, it was there they discovered that 
the new van had reclining bench seats, much to Netta's pleasant 
surprise.  They had moved to the back after locking all the doors and 
Netta had slipped off her panties and shorts and placed her feet on 
the seat back in front of her, sliding down in the reclined bench she 
was on.  Bobby had scooted up between her legs on the floor and 
proceeded to lick her to multiple orgasms.  When she could take no 
more of his oral ministrations, she pulled him up to his knees and 
undid his jeans so that his rock-hard cock could slide into her hot 
cunt!



Bobby was close.  He always got so turned on when Vanetta climaxed 
multiple times at his efforts.  He felt good knowing that he could 
make her feel so loved.  He lasted just long enough for Vanetta to 
have one more massive cum, and then he spewed his seed into her womb.



Vanetta, high and delirious from the sensory overload, pulled on Bobby 
till he was on the seat beside her and fixed her mouth on his cock, 
sucking it back to life.  He gave her what she craved - a mouthful of 
hot spunk - which she greedily swallowed.



They both sprawled on the bench, Robert's arms around Vanetta, and so 
spent from their physical love that they both dozed off.



A sharp rap on the window caused them both to wake up in a panic. 
Robert did up his jeans while Vanetta looked for her panties and 
shorts.  By the time that Robert managed to crawl over the benches to 
the driver's seat, he was shocked to see a police cruiser parked 
beside him with its lights flashing and one officer standing at the 
door while another circled the van.  Robert quickly rolled down the 
window, realizing that the van reeked of sex.  He blushed as he asked 
the officer if there was a problem.



The officer recognized the scent coming from the van and smiled 
slightly but just said, "No sir, we were just wondering why a rental 
vehicle was parked off the road with all its windows done up tight, 
and when we saw nobody in the driver's seat, we thought we'd better 
check it out."



By this time, Vanetta had made it to the passenger seat and still 
trying to straighten out her clothes.  The officer smiled at Robert 
and said.  "It's a hot day in July to have all the windows closed, and 
if not for the fact that we could see your head through the front 
window, we thought it might have been stolen and abandoned."



"Ah, my fiancé and I were just a bit tired," said Robert, trying to 
force away the redness he felt in his cheeks.  "We thought it was 
better if we took a short nap rather than drive recklessly, and with 
the air conditioner on when we stopped, I guess we just forgot about 
the windows.  I apologize if we caused you any undue concern."



At that moment, the other officer came around to the driver's door and 
said, "Dispatch says this vehicle is on loan to TKO and for us to just 
verify who the driver is."



"TKO?" asked the first officer.



"Yeah!  You know them.  The kid's camps, the 'Speed Demon?'"



The first officer laughed, "Okay, now I know who you're talking 
 about."  Turning back to Bobby he asked if he could see his driver's 
license, and upon checking it, he turned to his partner.  "This the 
legal driver?"



"That's him," the other officer replied.



"Sorry for disturbing your nap," said the first officer.  "You can 
understand our concern, right?"



"No problem officer," said Vanetta.  "We appreciate your vigilance."



The officer touched the brim of his hat.  "Thank you, Ma'am.  We try. 
Y'all have a good day now!" and the two officers headed back to their 
cruiser and drove off.



            "My God, does this van smell like a brothel or what?" 
asked Vanetta, blushing.



            "I've never been in a brothel, so I don't know," said 
Robert laughing, but we need to get some moist cleaning towels for 
that rear bench and some air freshener before I take this loaner back 
to Erik's."



            From the driver's door console, Robert lowered all the 
windows to allow some fresh air in the vehicle, even if it was hot 
air.  He turned the engine on and set the fan on high as well, and 
they drove to a Qwik Stop Gas Bar for some cleaning products and 
towels.  Parked in the shade of an old oak tree, he and Vanetta 
cleaned up the rear bench and then hung air fresheners all around the 
inside of the van.  Robert made a personal note to himself to remove 
them before he returned the vehicle.



            After they were done cleaning, during which time Vanetta 
remarked again at how wet Bobby made her, they disposed of the used 
towels and placed the remainder of the cleaning solutions back in the 
bag, then stowed it under her seat.



            "Shouldn't we take those out as soon as we get back?" 
Robert asked.



            "Not yet," said Vanetta, "you still have to drive me to 
the airport tomorrow!"



            They both laughed and Robert drove to Todd's favorite 
Chinese take-out where they ordered enough food to feed a dozen 
people.  Chicken wings, because Netta knew how much Todd loved them, 
and spring vegetable egg rolls, because she knew the girls would enjoy 
them as much as she did.  She added fried won-tons and chicken fried 
rice as well as other entrees, and they headed back to the studio.



            It was after seven when they made it back.  Vanetta turned 
the news on while Robert drove, and they heard a repeat of the press 
conference with Bubba.



            Robert locked up the van, and the two of them walked in 
the side door, with Vanetta announcing, "Food!" which brought everyone 
to the kitchen.



            "Take a long time to drop off the kids?"  Todd asked with 
a grin.



            Vanetta realized that the smell of their lovemaking clung 
to them, so she told everyone to help themselves while she and Robert 
changed.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            By the time that the girls at the studio had finished 
eating and Todd had promised to take Cara, Ami, and Sherri to the best 
ice cream parlor in town, it was well after 8 o'clock.



            Robert locked up the studio, checked the security cameras, 
and headed upstairs with Vanetta to make sure she was packed.  The two 
of them spent a quiet evening watching TV and waiting to see the news, 
at which time they hoped to see the visual coverage of Bubba's 
heroics.



            Todd just had a taste of the two gigantic sundaes the 
girls had ordered, but it turned out that even for them, their eyes 
were bigger than their stomachs.  Todd offered to drive Sherri back to 
her hotel, but Sherri had said that if it was no problem, she would 
just as soon spend the night at Kelly's.  Laura was driving as she had 
only had the one beer earlier in the day, and they had driven Kelly's 
Elantra.  Todd thought at the time that it was a good thing that they 
were all small since five people in a mid-size car was pushing it a 
bit, no matter what the advertisers had to say.  They got in just in 
time to catch the news and sat in the living room, all of them with a 
glass of wine, and laughed as they watched Bubba show his colors.



            Sherri yawned and said that it had been a pleasant 
weekend, but she was bushed.  Cara and Ami shared a shower with her, 
and Laura looked at Todd, rolling her eyes at the laughs coming from 
the bathroom.  Todd just laughed.  He got up and rolled himself a 
smoke and said he was going to enjoy some cooler nighttime air.



            Laura nodded her understanding.  It had been a very busy 
day for Todd and he needed to unwind.  He was not used to so many 
people coming and going from the studio in one day and wondered how he 
managed to teach photography at UNCC once a year.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Todd laid back in the hammock and lit some of Delton's 
finest ganja, a bottle of mineral water tucked between his legs.  It 
had been a hell of a day, one of the busiest people-days the studio 
had ever seen, though he was surprised at how relaxed he felt. 
Usually just a few visitors at the studio would stress him out, and as 
he felt the buzz kick in, he wondered if it was the people visiting 
this time who made it less stressful or the fact he was very much in 
love with two beautiful women.



            Half an hour later, Laura joined Todd in the hammock and 
they gently rocked, holding each other in a loving embrace.



            "The kids all tucked in, Honey?" he asked with a laugh.



            Laura snickered and said, "Yes, Sweetheart.  The three of 
them are sleeping together tonight so we have the bed to ourselves."



            "The stars are beautiful tonight," Todd said.



            "I think they look that way 'cause you're stoned," said 
Laura, "which is why I rolled a pinner.  I want to see how things look 
to you right now."  With that said she lit up the very thin joint and 
inhaled deeply.



            "Careful, Honey.  That's potent weed you've got.  This is 
from Delton's latest harvest."



            "Its okay, Sweetheart.  I'm not going anywhere after this 
except to bed."



            They laid in the hammock, watching the stars on the warm 
summer night; Todd shared his mineral water with Laura, and they 
speculated on whether Kelly was having a good time with Brenda. 
Fifteen minutes later, they were both sound asleep.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Across town, in the Omni Charlotte Hotel, Kelly and Brenda 
had finished their city tour and had eaten in the Lobby Court Lounge, 
one of the seven restaurants in the hotel.  There were other things to 
do at the Omni, but a decent band was advertised as playing a bit 
later that evening.  Kelly figured on doing some dancing and drinking 
so had booked a room for the night.



            "Doesn't it seem silly to spend the night at another hotel 
when I've got a suite at the Hilton," Brenda asked.



            "Not really," said Kelly as she unpacked her bag in the 
suite she had rented for the night.  "Sherri might be there, and I 
want wherever we spend the night to be a special memory.  I'll never 
spend another night here with anyone else."



            Brenda's eyes moistened at how this beautiful woman 
attached so much feeling to everything she considered special.



            The two girls changed and headed back to the Lounge for 
some light drinking and heavy dancing.  More than a few males tried to 
ask one or the other for a dance, but they just held hands and replied 
they were together, snickering after each ego-deflated man left their 
table.



            The music was good, and they danced for nearly half of 
their two hour stay, then Kelly suggested they should retire to their 
room after ordering some fruit and cream specials for delivery to the 
room.



            Five minutes after room service had delivered a super-size 
platter of fresh fruit on chopped ice and bowls of freshly made 
whipped cream, they stepped into the shower.



            Lovingly, and with tender caresses, they washed each other's 
body, removing the sweat generated by their enthusiasm on the dance 
floor.



            After playing with and eating the fruit and cream, they 
retired to the big luxurious bed.  It was after two in the morning 
when Brenda pulled on Kelly's hair, screaming for her fourth time that 
night.  "Kell, enough, I can't take any more.  God, you drive me crazy 
girl.  You are so good at making me feel good."



            Kelly lifted her head from between Brenda's thighs and 
smiled as she said, "I had a great teacher, Bren.  Now it'll be you 
who can't walk for a day without setting off a mini orgasm!"



            Brenda laughingly pulled her friend up to her and licked 
Kelly's face clean of her own juices.  "I remember so well that first 
night with you, Kelly.  You were so beautiful, still are as that goes, 
but you were so smart and funny, yet you knew nothing about love.  We 
all looked up to you.  Ambitious, famous, and successful, yet when I 
kissed you the first time and asked you if you trusted me, I realized 
how lonely you had been.  Now you have two great permanent lovers and 
a baby on the way.  Now I think all of us girls are a bit jealous of 
you!"



            "It does seem like a dream come true, doesn't it Brenda? 
And if not for you, I would never have had discovered the joy of 
living and loving.  I will always love you for that and for being 
 you."



            Brenda could feel the tears welling in her eyes and then 
felt Kelly's lips leaving yet another hickey on her neck.  With a 
mischievous grin, she rolled over on top of Kelly and started kissing 
a trail back down Kelly's body again.  "We'll see who can walk 
tomorrow," she said, just before her tongue made contact with Kelly's 
go switch.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Just after six in the morning, Todd woke up feeling 
chilly.  He realized that he and Laura had fallen asleep in the 
hammock, and that both of them were covered in morning dew.  He gently 
slipped out of the hammock and carried her into the house and placed 
her in the bed they shared with Kelly.  He lovingly covered her up and 
then crawled in beside her.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            A very sexually satisfied Vanetta woke up at seven, and 
groaning, crawled out of bed.  She did her best not to wake up Bobby 
and slipped into the shower.  Emerging 10 minutes later, she was 
surprised to see Bobby making her a scrumptious breakfast of homemade 
blueberry pancakes.



            "Nervous, Honey?" he asked as he filled her plate.



            "Just a little," she said.



            "The flying?"



            "No," she laughed.  "I've flown before.  It's more the 
idea of meeting with a publisher and signing a multi-million dollar 
deal all by myself that has me a bit nervous.  I sure wish Kelly was 
going with me, but if I'm going to prove myself as the new president 
of the company, I have to make this bird fly all by myself."



            "And you can do it, Baby.  If anybody can make it happen, 
you can!"



            Vanetta launched herself across the table, knocking 
whatever was in her way off in her drive to get to Robert.  She hugged 
him and kissed him and cried on his shoulder.  Her pent-up emotions 
had peaked, and now she was ready for Lisa Greenwood and "Fit 
Pregnancy Magazine."



            They made love in the kitchen with Vanetta perched 
precariously on the counter.  Bobby brought her off four times before 
he shot his seed into her, and they both slid to the floor exhausted.



            Vanetta finally found the strength to speak and apologized 
for making such a mess, then mentioned that they had better both take 
a shower.



            "We'll take a shower now, Sweetheart, and don't worry 
about the mess.  I'll clean it up later."



            Flying with the sun would have Vanetta arriving on the 
Pacific Coast about the same time she left the East Coast.  With the 
added security brought on by the September 11th World Trade Center 
disaster, check-in time and boarding times were now a nightmare, so 
she had to get ready much earlier for her flight time.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Ami, Cara, and Sherri were up at eight, and seeing that 
neither Ami nor Cara bothered to put on clothes, Sherri just followed 
suit.  It's funny, but when you're the only one wearing clothes, you 
feel more conspicuous than if you just join in.



            Cara fried up eggs and bacon for the trio, leaving the 
makings out for when Todd and Laura woke up.  Ami fried up some bread 
the way her mother used to, and the three ate a filling breakfast. 
"Much better than toast," said Sherri, with egg yolk running down her 
chin.



            Sherri helped clean up the dishes, and since Cara had set 
out vitamins for her as well, she took them, along with the "go-juice" 
combo.



            "Its 9 o'clock," said Ami.  "Maybe we better wake Laura 
and Todd up so that we can get to the studio before Vanetta leaves and 
we can all wish her luck."



            "Yeah," sighed Sherri.  "Brenda and I have to pack up and 
fly out today as well.  I hope she and Kelly had a good time 
yesterday.  By the way, guys, thanks for letting me snuggle up with 
you last night."



            "It was our pleasure," said Ami with a smile on her face.



            Cara took it on herself to wake Todd and Laura, surprised 
to see them both in bed dressed in last night's clothes.  Cara gently 
nudged Laura who opened her eyes in surprise.



            "Good morning, Laura," Cara said cheerfully.  "I don't 
know what you two got up to last night but you're sleeping in your 
clothes."



            Laura looked down and realized she was.  Her eyes 
flickered trying to recall the events of last night, then her eyes 
opened wide.



            Todd mumbled something in his sleep and turned in bed. 
His eyes opened to see Cara smiling at him.



            "What ever you two did last night it must have been a 
riot!"  Cara said, laughing.  Grab a shower and some fresh clothes.  I'll 
have breakfast ready for you two in 20 minutes, then we're off to see 
Vanetta before she leaves.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            The shower wouldn't have taken 20 minutes, but Todd and 
Laura made slow, passionate love under the running water.



            "What happened last night, Todd?"  Laura asked after they 
had both achieved their climax.



            "We fell asleep in the hammock," said Todd.  "I woke up 
around five, and we were both covered in dew, so I just carried you in 
and covered you up, then crawled in beside you."



            "Guess that takes the romance out of sleeping beneath the 
stars, doesn't it?"  Laura asked.



            "Nothing is as romantic as what they write in stories," 
Todd said drying Laura's back.  "Some writers never learn to check 
their facts before putting pen to paper," he added.  "If you want to 
sleep beneath the stars, you need a good waterproof sleeping bag, and 
you'll still end up with a wet face and maybe covered in spiders."



            Laura laughed.  "What a romantic man I'm marrying," she 
said.



            Todd laughed as well and explained that the idea of 
sleeping under the stars was fine in climates were the temperature 
didn't drop much at night or where the air was very dry to begin with, 
but in Charlotte, North Carolina, the drop in temperature at night, 
combined with the humidity of the day, did not make for a romantic 
all-night sleep-out.



            "Gee, I had no idea I was marrying a science expert," 
Laura said as she toweled Todd down.



            Todd laughed again.  "An expert I'm not.  What I've 
learned I learned the hard way!"



            "And what's the most important thing you've learned the 
hard way?"  Laura asked.



            "Not to sunbathe nude without a lot of sunscreen on my 
willie," said Todd, which caused Laura to laugh so hard that she got 
the hiccups.



            As they entered the kitchen, Todd was grumbling that it 
wasn't funny, which of course had the three younger girls trying to 
find out what Laura found so hysterical.  Between hiccups, Laura 
managed to tell them, causing all of them to laugh.  Todd blushed, 
vowing he would never tell anyone any more of the many things he had 
learned, but he smiled as he said it, wolfing down the three eggs that 
Cara had cooked up for him, along with the bacon and four slices of 
fried bread.



            After Todd and Laura had taken their vitamins, the three 
girls got dressed, and they parked Kelly's Elantra in the garage and 
brought out her Jeep Grand Cherokee.



            "Wow," said Ami.  "I didn't even know that Kelly had 
another vehicle, much less one of these babies."



            "Pretty soon," said Todd, "you'll be able to buy any 
vehicle you want and pay cash for it.  Kelly keeps this for comfort 
when she's going to travel far, but for city driving, and to cut down 
on the need for fossil fuel, she drives the Elantra for the same 
reason I drive the Tracker in town instead of the Hummer."



            "Speaking of the Tracker," said Laura.  "We'll have to get 
it cleaned like you said.  What was that you called it?"



            "Detailing," said Todd.  That's like a carwash inside and 
out along with Q-tip and toothbrush cleaning of all the insides and a 
shampoo of the inside upholstery."



            At the first stop light, Todd flipped open his phone and 
pressed Erik's stored number.  The garage was technically closed on 
Sundays, but Todd knew that several mechanics often worked on their 
own vehicles at the shop or put in some overtime.  As luck would have 
it, the mechanic who answered the phone was the one overseeing the 
painting detail on the new "Seniors:TNG" van.  Todd explained the 
situation and the possibility of fleas and/or ticks.  The mechanic 
laughed when Todd said that, and then Todd explained about Laura 
transporting Bubba in it yesterday after he rescued that little boy. 
The mechanic got real serious and said he would personally pick up the 
Tracker and would have it cleaned and returned before the day was out. 
Spotless, he said, and no charge.  "That could have been one of my 
kids," he said to Todd.



            Todd thanked him and told him to stop at the studio for 
the keys.  Todd always kept spare keys with Erik for all his vehicles, 
but that was for emergencies.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Kelly woke up with her head on Brenda's chest.  She 
stretched and let out a loud yawn.  It had been a very late night for 
the two lovers.  Looking at the time, she realized they would only 
have an hour before Vanetta had to leave, and a few hours later, 
Brenda and Sherri would be flying out as well.  She kissed Brenda till 
she woke up, then softly told her, "I'm going to miss you when you 
leave you know."



            "Silly," said Brenda.  "I'll be back in time for the 
company picnic on the weekend."



            "I know," said Kelly, "but yesterday was a special day. 
One I'm never going to forget."



            Brenda hugged Kelly tightly as the tears welled up in her 
eyes.  "I know, Honey.  Things are going to change, but our friendship 
will last forever."



            Reluctantly Kelly got out of bed and called for room 
service.  While they waited for their breakfast, they had a last 
shower together.  It was a warm loving shower.  When the knock on the 
door announced that their food had arrived, both girls were dressed 
and packed.  They sat by the window overlooking the city.



            "I love this city," Kelly said.  "I can't see me moving 
again.  I'm going to retire here."



            "But of course you'll still travel, right?"



            Kelly laughed.  "Yes.  I love to travel and see different 
things, but there's no place like home, especially when you're tired 
and road weary."



            They finished off their poached eggs with salmon creamed 
cheese on bagels and headed out to Brenda's rental car.  The way 
Brenda drove, they were back at the studio in record time, the 
Mercedes weaving in and out of traffic like the rest of the world was 
standing still.



            "I still can't believe you showed up out of the blue," 
said Kelly.  "I guess I should say I was surprised, but you've been on 
my mind a lot lately."



            "And you on mine," said Brenda.  "I do hope you get a 
chance to come back to Chuck's before you sail off and get married."



            "We're going to try, Honey.  Todd's mostly caught up on 
his work right now, so maybe the weekend after the company picnic if 
nothing else comes up."



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Vanetta was glad to see Kelly pulling in.  Now the entire 
group was here, and she could say goodbye and get good luck wishes 
properly.  Her mom had already told her that the trip would be a 
success, so Vanetta was just prepared to go and sign the paperwork. 
It was going to be her very first solo adventure, but she knew it 
wouldn't be her last.



            Giving hugs and kisses took nearly half an hour, then 
Robert cleared his throat and picked up Vanetta's bags.  Waving, 
Vanetta left the studio, and minutes later they could hear the van 
pull away.



            "One gone," thought Joe as he watched from his "for sale" 
car.  He also knew that the two visitors would be leaving shortly as 
well so he settled back for comfort and waited.



            Brenda and Sherri were reluctant to leave, and Brenda 
wanted some alone time with Laura before she left.  She had her chance 
when Todd and Kelly were looking at a fax that had come in.



            "You know she loves you," said Brenda to Laura.



            Laura smiled a genuine smile at Brenda.  "I do know, 
Brenda, and I know she loves you too.  You taught her how to love, and 
she's so much happier now."



            Brenda nodded her head.  "It was inside her all the time, 
but I guess something in her past put up a wall that had to be taken 
apart gently.  I think you did that, Laura."



            Laura blushed and said, "How it happened, when it 
happened.  It doesn't really matter does it?  The fact is that Kelly 
is happy now, and that's what's important."



            Impulsively, Brenda reached over and gave Laura a 
heart-felt kiss.  "I'm glad that you're not going to be a jealous 
wife," she said with a smile, "and I hope that you are as happy as 
Kelly is."



            "Oh, Brenda, you should have met me before I met Todd and 
Kelly.  I was a mess.  Now I'm so happy that, every day, I thank God 
for giving me this gift."



            After a quick snack, Brenda regretfully said goodbye to 
Kelly and reminded her of her promise to come to Chuck's.  "I know he'll 
love having everybody there," she said.



            More kisses and promises that Sherri's photos would be 
processed during the week and samples forwarded to her via email, 
Brenda and Sherri left for the Hilton to pack up their belongings and 
pay the tab and then headed for the airport that would take them back 
to Florida.



~~~~~ // ~~~~~



            Robert returned two hours later complaining about the new 
security, saying that once inside the terminal, only passengers with 
tickets could remain inside, and he had reluctantly sat outside 
waiting till Vanetta's jet took off.  He gladly accepted a beer from 
Todd, and then the two men, Laura, Kelly, and Cara and Ami sat around 
the table in the studio kitchenette.



            "Seems real quiet in here doesn't it?" said Todd.



            But quiet times in real life usually echo the weather 
watcher's phrase.



            "This is the calm before the storm!"



To be continued. 

-- 
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reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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