		 		HOMECOMING (Chapter 69)

Warren and Sophia pulled out of the campus at 8am on a Saturday morning, heading home for Christmas break. 

"Springsteen, again?" Sophia asked as he started the CD player.

"It's good driving music, Pookie. Besides, you like Springsteen."

"Yeah, but you always put him on when we're in the car. It's so.....predictable." She giggled.

"We're going to be on the road for two days, we'll have time to listen to a whole bunch of stuff. I need Bruce to help me wake up."

"Well, OK then."

They found some coffee, and hit the highway.

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It was midmorning, and they were well on their way.

"Warren," Sophia began, "There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about. Mary says I should. But it's difficult."

"What, Pookie?"

"Well.....it's about our sex life."

"Uh-oh. The last thing a guy wants to hear from his girlfriend."

"Don't worry," she laughed. "I love it with you, you know that. However, we were talking about the whole Eduardo thing, and why I was attracted to him in the first place."

"I know. You like it rough sometimes."

"It's not so much rough. It's just that.......I don't know........" Her voice got quieter. "I guess I have a submissive streak."

"OK. And I'm not satisfying it."

"Warren, don't put it that way. Most of the time I love your gentle touch. It's just every once in a while......." She took a deep breath. "It's not that I want you to be rough. The couple times that has happened, it's been natural. I wouldn't want you to force it--that's not in your nature. Oh shit, I don't know what I want."

"You want to be dominated."

"Yeah. Just once in a while. I don't know if you can do that, though. If you can't, it's all right. But I wanted to talk about it."

"You're right, I really have to be in the mood to be rough. Hmmmm. Being rough is not the same as being dominating, though."

"Not necessarily, true."

Suddenly, Warren grinned. "You know what? I have an idea."

"What?"

"I'm not going to tell you. I'm going to surprise you."

"Aww, that's no fair! Tell me!"

"Nope. You'll just have to wait until we get home."

 "Fine." She paused. "Will I like it?"

"We'll find out, won't we?"

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The homecoming was happy. Everyone was glad to see them, and everyone was especially glad to see them together. They got home late Sunday night, and spent most of Monday going around and saying 'hi' to people. Crash had flown home on Saturday, so they saw he and Jess for lunch on Monday.
 
Tuesday they spent in the rink, most of it. And June recognized that they had a problem, one they had started to realize the past month.

"You know what? That original dance sucks." June told them.

"We know," said Sophia.

"So change it!"

"We need an idea first."

"Listen. You're using boring, traditional, march music. Open it up. You guys are musically aware, Warren in particular. Read the music requirements, but be creative."

"Hmmmmm."

"We have time to choreograph a new OD, but we have to do it right away," June said. 

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That night, Warren listened to some music. He got a great idea, read the music requirements for the March OD and found it would just make it. He made a cut to the proper length, and burned it onto a CD. 

He walked into practice the next day. "I think I've got it. It qualifies as a march, although just barely."

"Play it," Sophia said.

He did. It was an early-nineties girlpop confection by Sam Phillips, called "I Don't Know How To Say Goodbye To You." It was perfect. By that afternoon, they had most of it choreographed.

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They decided to do something different on Christmas eve--they had a little party, with the two of them, Jessie and Crash, Dave and Kate, Nick and Karen, and Mo Kenney and her boyfriend Larry. They ordered out Chinese and spread out in Sophia's room. Ellen had bought them a couple bottles of wine.

"So you still thinking of transferring?" Warren asked Jessie.

"Um-hm," she said through a mouthful off Moo Shi shrimp. "Northern Illinois or Wisconsin-Milwaukee are the current frontrunners. Cheap enough, good nursing programs, and closer to a certain guy." 

"At least you guys are the same age," Kate said. "If Dave goes away year after next, I'll still be in high school."

"Don't worry, Lady Katherine. I won't be going far, I don't think."

"You going to study art?" Sophia asked him.

"Actually, I want to study computers. I want to be an animator. I can do the art half on my own."

"Cool!" said Warren.

"I'm leaning towards Northeastern or BU. Plenty close enough."

"Whew, that's a relief," Kate said, to general laughter. 

"But what about you?" Sophia asked her. "What if you decide to go away the year after that?"

"Naah," Kate said. "I want to be an art teacher, actually. I can do that around here."

"Art teacher? That's very cool," Mo said. "My major is in English, with an education minor. I want to be an English teacher."

"We can't all be weathergirls, or doctors," quipped Jessie.

"Or ice dancers," added Crash.

"Or lawyers, either, Attorney Kowalski," Warren countered. "And as for you, Jess, be nice to me or I won't hire you to be my ace nurse when I start my practice."

"Promises, promises."

"If the two of them think about working together, I'd best concentrate on malpractice law," Jason quipped, earning a swat on the arm from Jessie.

"All you college pukes. You're making ol' Sophomore-in-high-school me feel like the baby of the group," grumbled Kate.

"You are the baby of the group," Warren pointed out.

"Thanks, Warren. You're all heart."

"Don't mention it," he grinned.

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Warren and Sophia spent Christmas together, as usual, and had a wonderful time. After dinner, they went back over to Sophia's house to spend some time there.

"I was thinking something," Warren said to Sophia when they were alone.

"What's that, sweetie?"

"I haven't punished you yet."

"Huh?"

"You need to be punished for thinking you could leave me."

"What are you talking about?"

He grinned at her. "You just do as I say. I will be here at seven PM tomorrow. Kate is going out with David, your parents are going out, and your brother and sister are with their dad. So, I will be here. You will be wearing a skirt, a blouse that buttons down the front, and a pair of panties you don't care about. No bra."

"Warren, what are you talking about?"

"You just do as I say. You'll see. Tomorrow is my night, you'll do exactly as I say."

Realization dawned on her. This must be his big idea. "OK, sweetie, I will."



