The honeymoon begins...

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Admin Note: It's pretty unusual for me to retro classic a part of another retro classic story or series. However, this story, being very special to me with its feel and flow, enticed me to reshow this story to everyone. This sequel occurs after the original Notes of A Journey Trilogy and is officially part four (Chapters 1 through 11). Rather than represent the entire trilogy, readers can click the link to read it from the beginning onwards to this from the side menu bar you should see on the right of this page or the link above if they wish to read it chronologically from beginning to end. This fanfic of Madelline Bell's Gaby series is an alternate universe of her work based on a crucial moment in the series when a "What If?" situation occurred and this series of events played out. PB has masterfully taken the characters of Gaby and breathed a different life about them in an interesting and romanticized way that touched my heart. I hope you find this work as lovely as I did.

Originally published on BigCloset TopShelf on Friday 06-10-2011 at 12:03:20 pm, this retro classic was pulled out of the closet, and re-presented for our newer readers. ~Sephrena
 

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 1
 
December 7, 2013 … MayschoáŸ, Germany

“Almost ready, sweetheart?” Maddy cheerfully called out as she was placing the last of their luggage by the front door. “Dad’ll be here soon.”

“Coming!” Gaby sang out in reply. “Just putting on some lipstick.”

When Maddy heard her coming down the stairs, she paused to look up at her wife. She was wearing her black, flowing, mid-calf A-line skirt paired with her cream, long-sleeved, cable-knit turtleneck and a pair of ‘Suntan’ pantyhose. She finished off with a pair of high black boots that had three-inch stacked heels, her feather earrings and the Aboriginal bracelet that Jessica gave her.

After she stepped off the bottom step, Gaby did a slow twirl for Maddy’s inspection.

“Do I look okay?”

Maddy briefly stared at her and then in a quiet, seductive voice replied, “…you always do.”

“I know that look, Maddy Bond! … An’ you’ll just have to hold onto all those lovely thoughts until we get to the hotel … just … like … I’ll … have ... to … dooommmmm,” Gaby cooed as she was gently pulled into a very passionate kiss.

“Mmmm … I’m gonna hold you to that promise, Frau Bond...” Maddy playfully whispered as they parted. Gaby lovingly pulled her back for an encore.

“Besides … I couldn’t exactly wear jeans when you look like this, could I?” Gaby added as she gestured towards Maddy’s outfit, an off-white, mid-thigh, cable-knit turtleneck sweater dress, black tights and knee-high boots with three-inch heels.

“You could’ve. You do have those tight, sexy black ones...” Maddy suggestively breathed.

“They’re packed...” Gaby softly revealed as she leaned in for another kiss. The doorbell rang just as their lips met.

“Let’s pretend we didn’t hear that...” Maddy whispered as the two continued to hold each other.

“That’s gotta be your dad...” Gaby smirked.

(sigh…) “Mum’s always said that there were times when his timing was impeccable ... then there were times...” Maddy quietly remarked while slowly shaking her head. ”I’d best get it, sweetheart … you grab our coats.”

As they reluctantly parted, Gaby went off to get their things while Maddy reached for the doorknob.

“Morgan, Pet … you girls ready?”

“Soon as Gabs gets our coats and bags.”

“Make sure both of you have your passports and everything!” Carol piped up.

Maddy looked over her dad’s shoulder while stepping aside to let him begin taking the luggage out to the car. She was quick to give her mum a hug as Carol started to walk through the opened door.

“You didn’t have to get up, Mum!”

“I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t come to see you off ... and maybe even do a bit of shopping after we drop you two at the airport.”

“Most people would be all shopped-out by now … being this close to Christmas,” John quietly stated as he walked back into the house.

“Never happen, Daddy. You should know that!” Maddy laughingly replied.

“You’re your mother’s daughter, alright!” John sarcastically shot back with a smile as he walked out the door towards the car with the last piece of luggage. "Sometimes I wonder what you got from me."

"The chequebook!" Both mother and daughter chorused.

“Coat … gloves … and … one bag … with visas, passport and assorted unknowns.” Gaby playfully itemized the contents as she handed them to Maddy, then took out her own keys and proceeded to lock up the house.

“You sure you’ve got your passport?” Maddy inquired.

“Right here ... I’ve already checked ... twice!” Gaby cheerfully replied as she patted her bag.

“I haven’t seen those coats before. They go really well with your outfits,” Carol commented as she watched the girls zip up their thigh-length hooded suede coats.

“Mad found these last week, in Bonn.”

“When did you get time to shop?” Carol wondered.

“We only worked a half day last Friday because of some open-house or something at the University … so a few of the girls found something else to do,” Maddy explained.

“You sure your boss didn’t mind you taking off like that?” John cautiously asked.

“Doktor Ackart was one of the girls!” Maddy snickered.

“You two remembered to pack your ski jackets and winter boots?” Carol asked as they all got into the car.

“Yes, Mum …” Gaby answered. She loved how Carol sometimes still had to pause and think when she addressed them as Mum and Dad.

“Just wanted to make sure before we got on the road. You’ll love Banff ... John and I were there before Maddy was born and didn’t want to leave… but … remember ... it is December there too!”

“We’ll be okay, Mum … relax,” Maddy quietly replied. “Oh! Before we totally forget, Gabs has copies of our itinerary for you.”

As they were leaving Mayschoß, Gaby produced two copies of a printed Word document and passed them to Carol, hoping she would read it over before they reached the airport in case she had any questions.

“Could you give one to Mum and Dad for us?” Gaby asked.

“Okay … we’ll be seeing them later this evening.”

“…An’ let Mum know … we’ll call one of you before we set out over the Atlantic. We’ll let you guys keep each other up to date.”

“We’ll also let you know when we’ve arrived … both at the hotel and Jessica’s...” Maddy added. “...Just so you don’t worry.”

“Thank-you. I guess I best read this then and see exactly how much sleep your father and I will lose with these calls,” Carol playfully commented. She then slipped on her reading glasses and turned her attention to the girl’s itinerary.

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Bonn — Calgary Flight Info:
Bonn Depart 8:50 am	to	London Arrive 10:20 am (11:20 am our time)	Sat 7-Dec Duration: 1hr 30mn	Lufthansa Flight: 4784
London Depart 1:30 pm (2:30 pm our time)	to	Calgary Arrive 3:55 pm (local) (about 1 am our time)	Duration: 9hr 25mn	Air Canada Flight: 851
Dec 7 to Dec 15: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise …we'll call from the airport upon arrival.
Calgary — Richmond Flight Info:
Calgary Depart 7:15 am	to	Toronto arrive 1:10 pm	Mon. 16-Dec Duration: 3hr 55mn	Air Canada Flight: 174
Toronto Depart: 4:50 pm	to	Richmond Arrive: 7:00 pm (local) (1 am German time)	Duration: 2hr 10mn	Air Canada Flight: 7968 Operated by: Air Canada Jazz
Staying with Jessica Dec 16 to Dec 20 …We'll call from the airport when we arrive in Virginia
Richmond — Bonn Flight Info:
Richmond Depart 8:19 pm	to	Philadelphia Depart 10:50 pm (4:50 am German time)	Sat 21-Dec Duration: 7hr 10mn	US Air Flight: 4628 Operated by US Airways Express-Piedmont Airlines
Philadelphia Depart 10:50 pm (4:50 am German time)	to	London Arrive 11:00 am +1 day (noon German time)	Sat 21-Dec Duration: 7hr 10mn	US Air Flight: 728
London Depart 10:50 pm (4:50 am German time)	to	Bonn Arrive 5:25 pm (local) Terminal 1	Duration: 1hr 20mn	Lufthansa Flight: 4787
We'll call upon departure from Philadelphia and arrival in London.

“Uh huh … well … you seem to have everything covered!” Carol stated.

“I see you’ve made a note to call us when you arrive in Calgary … but don’t mention anything about letting us know how to get you at the hotel in case of emergency.”

“We figured you won’t be too crazy about us calling you at four in the morning,” Maddy replied. “…So we’ll call later at a more reasonable time.”

“Four in the morning?” Carol asked.

“Your time. Gabs figures it’ll be close to that, before we’re checked in.”

“Oh … okay. Ummm … I don’t see Jessica’s number anywhere. You wouldn’t know that, by chance ... would you?” Carol asked as she prepared to pull a pen out of her bag.

“Mad thought you still had it ... but I know Mum still has it on her laptop ... ask her,” Gaby replied.

“Why would she have it?” Carol asked.

“From the wedding?”

“Oh ... I’ll get it from her tonight, then. At least we’ll know where you are … if not what you’re doing,” Carol replied with a chuckle.

“Mummm … I bet Gran never checked up on you and Dad when you were on your honeymoon!” Maddy whined.

“Ohhh … she wanted to,” John replied with a smile as he looked into his rear-view mirror at his daughter’s reaction.

“I still can’t believe you got the time off after working at COMBIO* barely three months,” John commented, changing the subject.

“At my final interview for the job, I told them about Gabs and I ... and that we were hoping to go abroad for our honeymoon. Doktor Ackart only said to let her know the dates as soon as we had finalized our travel arrangements.”

“...This Doktor Ackart … she’s okay with you two, is she?” Carol asked. “I admit … when you told us you got the job, your father and I were a bit concerned how the University would react to your marriage.”

“Everyone’s fine with it, Mum ... I’m not hiding it,” Maddy explained. “I’ve even got three photos of the two of us on my desk … including our wedding picture and Ivonne always has a nice comment whenever she sees them.”

“Ivonne?” Carol questioned.

“Doktor Ackart’s really laid back and insists her title should only be used for more ‘appropriate’ occasions.”

“Sounds like she’s a nice person to work for.”

“She is…”

A short time later, John entered the grounds of the Köln-Bonn airport and pulled up to the passenger off-loading area at Terminal 2. After he shut off the ignition, everyone got out while he started pulling out the girl’s luggage.

“Got your boarding passes and whatnot?” John asked.

“Miracles of online technology ... just click an’ print them in the convenience of your own home,” Gaby cheerfully replied as she reached into her bag and pulled out the documents to show her father-in-law. A scant minute-or-two later, it was time to go and both girls traded hugs with John and Carol.

“See you when you get back. Jen and Dave will be here to meet you two, so don't worry and have fun … Tschüss!” Carol enthused just before she and John got back into the car and drove off.

“Well … this is it, luv…” Gaby quietly mentioned as they gathered their luggage and headed into the terminal towards the Lufthansa departure lounge.

“It’s all been like a fairy-tale…” Maddy started to say as they approached the check-in.

“What?”

“All this.”

“How so?”

“Well … when I first said ‘I love you’, I never imagined our lives would be like this ... especially after Grottoes … an’ now … we’re leaving on our honeymoon!”

“So … you saying the Princess got the Princess?”

“Uh huh.”

“Then wait ‘til you see the hotel room! Fit for Royalty!”

“You’ve seen it?”

“Virtual tour…” Gaby smugly replied.

“How many beds, then?” Maddy challenged.

“Wellllll ... I had to make a choice … two ‘doubles’ ... or a single ‘king.”

“...And the winner was?” Maddy coaxed.

“The ‘king’...” Gaby smirked.

“Oooo … now, that has potential…” Maddy mischievously pondered.

“An’ we just don’t have a room ... we’ve got a whole suite.”

“Do we have a view?”

“Uh huh ... both the bedroom an’ sitting room face Lake Louise ... all surrounded by thick forests an’ mountains.”

“Mmmm ... with that kind of romantic scenery looking back at us … how ‘bout we just stay in bed?” Maddy playfully asked.

“For the whole week?”

“You said it’s a ‘king’…”

“It’s already been done by John and Yoko … besides … I kinda thought we could get out an’ do a few things,” Gaby hinted.

“Like what?”

“Ummm … think I’ll tell you later… keep it a surprise.”

“Gabs….” Maddy whined with a playful pout.

After the girls surrendered their luggage at the check-in desk, Gaby handed over their pre-printed boarding passes and her passport.

“Paß, bitte.”

“Mad … she needs your passport,” Gaby softly urged as she gently nudged her

“Oh! Sorry.” Maddy quickly retrieved her passport from her bag and started to hand it to Gaby.

“Not me … her!”

“…’tschuldigung.” Maddy sheepishly apologized as she handed the passport to the woman behind the counter. She then turned to Gaby and in a quiet but audible voice, uttered, “It’s all this excitement ... “

“Your German is quite good,” The woman remarked in near flawless English after noting their British passports.

“Danke,” Maddy replied. After a brief pause for a final check, the girls were returned their documentation.

“Here are your boarding passes and passports. You and … your sister … have a good flight.”

“Danke,” Gaby replied as they gathered their documentation and proceeded to go through security.

“She thought we’re sisters,” Maddy hissed as they walked away.

Gaby stopped walking a few metres from the check-in desk and looked at Maddy.

“Look at me.” As Maddy turned her head, Gaby gently kissed her on the lips while holding her wife's hand.

“Wonder what she’s thinking now,” Gaby mischievously whispered, knowing full well that the woman was probably still looking at them.

“Gabrielle Bond! … You little …” Maddy playfully replied, barely containing her laughter.

“C’mon!” Gaby was trying hard to contain her own laughter.

While still holding hands, the two girls quickly went off in the direction of Security. Once through the required checks, they began to relax as they entered the Lufthansa departure lounge. All they were waiting for now, was the boarding call for their flight.

As they sat down in the waiting area, Maddy held her passport up for Gaby’s inspection.

“Do you realize this is the first time I’ve used this? “

“Feels good?”

“Uh huh … it says ‘Madeline Bond’. Sounds nice…” Maddy had a wide grin as she cuddled Gaby’s arm and squeezed tight.

“Now you know how I felt when Gaby first used hers. Want to quickly grab something before our flight’s called? I mean … besides me? We got some time.”

“Oh pooh! You’re really gonna make me wait, aren’t you?” Maddy replied with a faux pout.

“Didn’t your mum ever tell you ‘All good things come to she who waits?“ Gaby playfully whispered.

“In that case … I guess I’ll have a tea and a strudel,” Maddy replied with a smirk.

Shortly after the girls finished their tea and returned to their gate, their flight started to board. As they entered the aircraft and once again produced their boarding passes, a member of the cabin crew directed them to their seats.

“Ihre Plätze sind in Reihe 9 Sitze B und C – rechts neben dem Notausgang.”

“Danke,” the girls replied.

“Well … here’s the Emergency exit … so these must be our seats … 9B and 9C. Which one do you want?” Maddy asked.

“I’ll let you have the aisle … put our bags under the seats.”

“You realize that we have about three hours to kill at Heathrow? Other than a very long lunch … any ideas?” Maddy asked as she sat down and fastened her seat belt.

“Wander around the shops?”

“Sounds good …”

“Or … we can catch some sleep,” Gaby playfully offered.

“Tempting … but … much too public,” Maddy cooed.

“Don’t forget we’re going west, so we’ll have to set our watches back for London and then again for Calgary,” Gaby mentioned. “Maybe we should lose the hour for London, now. Don’t want to forget and miss our connection.”

“How many hours we lose when get to Calgary?”

“Eight … I think. We’re scheduled to land mid-afternoon their time.”

“An’ it’s a nine hour flight. That’s too weird.”

“Think if you actually work it out it’s a nine-and-a-half-hour flight.”

As the aircraft started its steep climb out of the Köln-Bonn airport, Maddy tightly squeezed Gaby’s hand.

“Nervous?”

“Nope … just extremely happy,” Maddy quietly admitted.

Gaby leaned over and gave her a soft kiss before gently brushing a tear from her cheek with the back of a single finger. Meanwhile, Maddy contently smiled at her wife and closed her eyes as she laid her head on her shoulder.

As the aircraft levelled off for the remainder of the flight, the cabin crew came around offering soft drinks and peanuts to the passengers.

“Fräulein...?” The flight attendant quietly got Gaby’s attention, but easily switched to English after seeing the opened paperback in Gaby’s hand.

“Can I get you or your … friend … anything to drink?” Considering that Maddy was asleep on Gaby’s shoulder and holding onto her arm, there was little doubt the two girls were ‘together’.

“No thanks.” Glancing at her wife, Gaby softly explained in a hushed voice, “She was up earlier than usual this morning.”

The flight attendant gave an understanding smile and moved onto the next row of passengers, while Gaby turned her attention back to her book.

Later, her concentration was broken as she noticed a change in the sound of the engines and the familiar sensation of being held back. Looking out the window, she saw the ‘flaps’ on both the leading and trailing edges of the wing, were fully extended.

Gaby had just returned her book to her bag and was just closing it when another one of the cabin crew passing her seat, stopped and got her attention.

“Entschuldigung ... Frau?”

“Ja?” Gaby automatically responded in German.

“Wir sind bereit, in London zu landen. Befestigen Sie bitte Ihre Sicherheitsgurte.”

“Ja … Danke.”

“Mad? … Darling … wake up … we’re coming into Heathrow and you have to put on your seat-belt”

“Already?”

“You slept the whole flight … an’ from the way you were smiling … you must’ve had one really great dream.”

‘Oh … I did,” Maddy mischievously whispered as she put on her seat-belt and resumed her hold on Gaby’s arm.

“Gonna tell me about it?”

“Maybe tonight,” Maddy quietly hinted with an ‘evil’ grin.

Gaby closed her eyes and slowly shook her head while sporting a wide grin the whole time.

A few minutes later, she heard the ‘clunk’ of the landing gear being lowered and locked into place. As they continued their gentle descent, passing low over the airport’s perimeter fence, she habitually looked at her watch as the gentle ‘bump’ of the Boeing 737’s tires signified that they were again on British soil.

“So far ... so good.”

Soon after they de-planed, Gaby spotted one of the many British Airways hosts that wander Heathrow’s Terminal 5, providing assistance to passengers.

“That Flight Attendant said if we have any questions, these people can help us out … an’ I’ve never been in Terminal 5. I’m lost an’ I’m not a man ... so I’m going to ask,” Gaby chuckled as they headed towards the two women in BA uniforms.

“Excuse me.” Maddy was the first to get their attention.

“Miss?”

“We have a connecting Air Canada flight at … (looking at her boarding pass) gate 62 … could you please tell us how to get there from here?” she asked while Gaby stood beside her.

“Certainly … quite simple really. You see the purple sign over there?” the guide asked while pointing off to her left.

“Yes,” Both girls replied.

“That’ll direct you to the escalators and then just follow the signs to ‘Flight Connections’. From there you’ll end up in the departures area. Make sure you keep looking at the information screens for your flight information, though. They try to keep announcements to a minimum in Terminal 5. You’ll find the screens scattered throughout the terminal. ”

“Thank you. You’ve been most helpful,” Maddy remarked as the two girls started off on their quest to follow the purple signs.

“C’mon, luv … this way ... sign says we have to go down,” Gaby commented as she read the directions on the sign.

“Not having any luggage to fight with really makes things much easier, doesn’t it?” Maddy commented as they stepped onto the moving steps.

“That an’ I don’t have to worry about finding surprises,” Gaby playfully mumbled under her breath.

“And just wot are you referring to … Mrs. Gaby Bond?” Maddy quietly shot back while unsuccessfully suppressing a chuckle.

“I do hope that our stuff gets put onto the right flight, though...” Maddy abruptly added as a concerned afterthought.

“It will,” Gaby replied while giving her wife a reassuring smile.

When they stepped off the escalator, they found themselves at one end of a large open hall with one wall taken up with a bank of staffed customer service desks that had an information screen above each desk. At the opposite end to where they were standing was maze of ‘roped pathways’ that eventually led to an area, that according to an overhead display was the ‘Boarding Pass Presentation’.

“I betcha we go there,” Gaby dryly offered, nodding to the opposite end of the hall.

“We best hurry, then … there doesn’t appear to be a large queue right now. Then again … what’s there appears to be moving rather well...” Maddy observed.

A few minutes after joining the queue with their fellow passengers, the girls found themselves presenting their boarding passes and passports to one of the attendants staffing four of the desks in the area.

“Here you go ladies. Just take the escalators behind me … straight up to ‘Security and Departures’. Have a nice flight.”

“Quick and painless,” Gaby commented as they were heading up to ‘Departures’. After a short walk off the escalator and through the metal detectors of ‘Security’, they stood overlooking a large concourse.

“Well, we’ve arrived …an’ here’s your shops!” Gaby playfully enthused. “What do you want to do first … shop or eat?”

“Let’s get something to eat, sweetheart. We only had a small breakfast and I’m starved!”

“Ummm … okay. There’s a map over there. Let’s see what they have,” Gaby quickly agreed. “Since we got three hours to waste … let’s find a sit-down restaurant and have a proper meal.”

“Gabs … here’s Huxley’s! Remember? That’s the one Brit and the gang kept talking about! Let’s give them a try, shall we?” Maddy enthused while pointing to the interactive map display.

“According to this ... it should be (looking around) … over ... there! Okay … let’s go!” Arriving at the door, they saw that it was beginning to get fairly busy for the noon hour.

“Think we’ll get in and still get our flight, sweetheart?” Maddy quietly wondered.

“It doesn’t look like much of a wait ... at least judging by the way the queue is moving,” Gaby observed. Fifteen minutes later, they stepped up to the Hostess’ desk inside the restaurant.

“How many?”

“Two,” Maddy answered.

“This place reminds me of Salvatore's. You remember … that restaurant back in Worksop that Mum liked?” Gaby casually remarked as they were seated.

“I know what you mean, with all these photos on the wall … including yours, sweetheart...” Maddy answered with a giggle.

“What?” Gaby almost shouted. By now the server was at their table and a few heads were turned in their direction upon hearing her outburst.

“Sorry, Miss … I was talking to … her,” Gaby sheepishly pointed to Maddy and apologized while trying to concentrate on the menu.

“Lessee now … Mad … where’re you going?”

“Be back in a mo’. Just want to check out this photo. You go ahead and order.”

Maddy pushed her chair back in and walked over to where the framed photo was hanging. When she returned to the table and sat down, Gaby couldn’t help but notice the smug look on her wife’s face.

“Just as I thought. It’s you winning the Fem’s individual Time Trial last summer,” Maddy proudly mentioned. “You ordered, sweetheart?”

“I was watching you.” Turning to their server Gaby quickly added, “Ummm … fish an’ chips and a tea, please.”

“Now that you’ve ordered … go check it out, yourself!” Maddy urged. Gaby accepted her wife’s challenge and rose out of her chair to go take a closer look.

“I think I’ll have the same,” Maddy intoned as she passed the menus back to the server.

“…’ere … is that really your friend in that photo?” she quietly asked Maddy.

“Uh huh.”

“Cor!” A couple of minutes after the server left with their orders, Gaby returned to the table, slowly shaking her head in amazement.

“Well? Was I right?” Gaby sat down and silently glared at Maddy for several long seconds. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’...”

(sigh) “Yes,” Gaby reluctantly whispered.

Later, when they had finished their meal and their server had collected Gaby’s credit card, a tall, athletic-looking, middle-aged gentleman, approached the girl’s table.

“Excuse me … Miss? My name’s Gerry O’Brian and I’m the day manager here.” His thick Irish accent was very noticeable.

“Is there a problem?”

“Oh, no … not a’tall … but I was wondering … if this young lady was you, by any chance?”

Reaching over the table, Maddy turned the photo he held out for her wife’s inspection and took a quick look. She then quickly looked at the wall and saw that the photo, frame and all, was gone. Gaby looked at the picture and then raised her eyes to look across the table at Maddy.

“Yes,” Gaby confirmed in a soft voice.

“In that case … on behalf of Huxley’s … I’d be honoured if you’d autograph it for us.”

“I’d be happy to.” Gaby accepted his pen and proceeded to sign. As she handed the photo back, both girls noticed that she’d become the centre of attention among many of the restaurant patrons, especially those at the surrounding tables.

“Thank you. May I say … you’re much prettier off the bike.”

“Thank you…”

“I can’t get over people coming up to you for your autograph!” Maddy quietly enthused after Gerry left.

“I still feel like that when I see people coming up to Mum,” Gaby softly replied.

“I don’t know how it makes you feel ... but it kinda makes me proud ... and now everyone’s trying to figure out who you are!” Maddy cheerfully remarked as she was gathering up her bag.

“Let’em guess…” Gaby whispered while they both got up from the table. As they were walking out under the questioning gaze of several customers, they observed the manager proudly returning the now-signed photo to its rightful place on the wall.

A few minutes later, while standing on the concourse and getting their bearings, Maddy heard a timid voice behind her.

“Excuse me? Are you Gaby Bond?”

“Sweetheart … you’re being paged,” Maddy whispered into Gaby’s ear after looking back to see who was calling her. As they both turned around, they were confronted by a young girl of 10 or 11.

“Yes, I am...” Gaby softly confirmed when she turned around.

“I wanted to ask you inside ... but you and your friend were leaving by the time I got up … can I have your autograph?”

“Sure,” Gaby sweetly replied. She smoothed her skirt behind her and knelt down as the girl approached her and offered up a pen and pad.

“What’s your name, dear?”

“Maddy…”

“That’s her name…” Gaby softly acknowledged as she glanced up at her wife. “You ride, Maddy?”

“I was tested by the British Youth Program last month … just waiting to hear how I did,” the girl proudly replied. “I think I want to turn pro and maybe become World Champion like you.”

Gaby noticeably blushed as she returned the pen and paper.

“You know what? I bet you’ll do it!” Gaby quietly mentioned while giving the girl a hug. As she ran back to her waiting parents, proudly displaying the signed paper, Gaby stood up and Maddy again clung to her arm.

“Just like your mum,” she sweetly whispered as she planted a kiss on Gaby’s cheek.

“I think we better skip the shops and get to our gate,” Maddy conceded a minute or two later.

“You’re ... passing up a chance to go shopping?”

“Only because our flight’s now showing on the information screens an’ they did warn us to be there and through security at least thirty minutes before we board or we lose our seats … plus we still have to phone Mum,” Maddy added as she checked her watch.

“Guess we better get down there, then...” Gaby playfully agreed. Less than an hour later, the girls were crossing the coast and heading out over the Atlantic Ocean.

* Centrum für Molekulare Biotechnologie der Universität Bonn
(Centre of Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Bonn)

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...
 

Oh, to be in Alberta now that December is here...

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 2
 

“Welcome to Calgary, Alberta. The local time is 3:50pm and the outside temperature is -10 Celsius or 14 Fahrenheit. Please remain seated and seatbelts fastened until the plane comes to a complete stop… Ensure that you take all your carry-on and your customs declarations with you. On behalf of myself, Captain Simons and the entire flight crew, I thank you for flying Air Canada …”

“So … this is the Canadian West,” Gaby quietly joked as Maddy was putting her book into her bag along with her customs forms. “Looks civilized…”

“Did you see those mountains when we came in?” Maddy asked while she was looking out the window as they taxied to the terminal.

“That’s where we’re going,” Gaby quietly revealed.

“Mmmm … nice. Now that we’re here, are you finally going to tell me wot you have planned?” Maddy sweetly asked as she gently cuddled Gaby’s arm.

“Once we’re in our room…”

“The one with the king-sized bed…” Maddy playfully interjected.

“The one with the king-sized bed,” Gaby confirmed with a chuckle.

“I just wanted to surprise you and make this week a romantic get-a-way … something neither of us will forget … that’s all,” she softly added.

“It will be, sweetheart…” Maddy whispered as she squeezed Gaby’s hand. “I love you.”

Once they cleared Canadian Immigration, they quickly got their luggage and were boarding one of the private coaches that regularly picked up guests of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, from the airport. In a little over two-and-a-half hours later they were pulling up to the main entrance of the hotel, situated amidst the scenic Canadian Rockies in Banff National Park.

“This sure beats Buckingham Palace!” Maddy breathlessly exclaimed as they walked through the lobby and approached the reception desk.

“…‘Ow would you know?”

“Mum an’ I took the tour.”

Turning around slowly in a complete circle, Maddy scanned the lobby with wide eyes. Its high vaulted ceilings and cream coloured walls were in stark contrast to the richly finished oak trim throughout. The walls were lined with a series of arched recesses, each one containing an oak-panelled wall that was adorned with a single painting depicting a scene related to the history of the Canadian Rockies.

Looking to one end of the lobby, she saw a grand staircase flanked by heavy oak hand-railings, connecting the lobby and the first floor mezzanine. Looking like a wide “Y”, it rose to a landing half way up before splitting off in opposite directions that connected with the upper floor. On the landing was an oak-framed niche that contained a life-size statue of a man that appeared to Maddy, to be right out of the old west, standing like he was personally greeting the guests.

Hanging from the ceiling, a large multi-tiered chandelier dominated the lobby like some sort of guardian, surveying all that stood below. A twenty-foot Scotch-Pine stood directly below the chandelier, decorated in white lights and appeared to be, hand-made wooden Christmas ornaments. Surrounding the base of the tree was a small mountain of wrapped boxes, completing the seasonal theme. Couches and chairs upholstered in soft leather, were strategically grouped throughout the lobby on both sides of the Christmas tree.

Below her feet, rich, a luxurious patterned carpet covered all the floor from wall-to-wall. As her gaze turned back to the hotel’s main entrance, she was surprised to see a stuffed adult Grizzly bear ‘walking’ in a natural-looking wooded setting, above the same main entrance doors they’d recently walked through.

“Amazing!” Maddy quietly enthused.

“Isn’t it?” Gaby cheerfully agreed.

After they checked-in, the girls followed the bellhop as he took their luggage up to their room.

In keeping with the festive season, each arch in the lobby, as well as the stair’s heavy oak banister, was trimmed with garland and interlaced with small white Christmas lights. While they were walking to the bank of elevators, Maddy felt she just had to take a closer look at the decorated staircase.

“You know that garland’s not real?” Maddy commented to no one in particular, after running to join her wife at the opened elevator.

Arriving at their suite, the bellhop opened the door for them and then stepped aside to allow the girls to enter the room first. Maddy was again overwhelmed as she walked down the suite’s short hallway into the small sitting room with its two plush chairs and rich pine furnishings that included a wall unit that housed a large flat-screen television, behind a pair of decorative doors. After scanning the room, her attention quickly moved to the three framed-windows.

“It’s just like you said, sweetheart!” Maddy breathed as she took in the panoramic moon-lit view of an ice-covered Lake Louise and the surrounding snow-capped mountains. She was still taking in the view when the bellhop departed.

“Beautiful, innit?” Gaby softly asked as she walked up behind Maddy and wrapped her arms around her wife’s waist.

“Yes it is,” came her whispered reply.

“Come ‘ere. Check this out,” Gaby quietly urged.

She gently took Maddy’s hand and led her back down the hallway. Her first stop on the mini-tour was the bathroom with its large slate tiles and heated floor.

“Our own sinks!” Maddy playfully enthused as she ran her hand along the long granite counter top.

“Thought you’d like it,” Gaby smirked as she watched a grin form on Maddy’s face.

“I could easily get used to this!” Maddy squeaked as she lovingly ran her hand along the top of the oversized spa tub with its many water jets.

“Check this out…” Gaby suggested as she directed Maddy’s attention to the large separate glass-enclosed, walk-in shower with two shower heads.

“Now, this … this … has possibilities!” Maddy mischievously pondered.

“There’ll be time for that later … first … ya gotta see the bedroom…” Gaby suggestively breathed as she gently steered Maddy to the room across the hall.

“My mommy told me about girls like you,” Maddy playfully smirked.

Like the sitting room, the bedroom was lavishly furnished with pine furniture and a view of the mountains.

As her eyes fell upon the king-size bed, Maddy let out a quiet squeal of joy. She quickly removed her boots before lifting the hem of her dress and crawling to the middle of the large mattress. Flopping onto her back like rag doll, she answered Gaby’s amused expression with a huge contented smile of her own.

“Oooo … this is sooooo nice. C’mon …you gotta try it!” Maddy urged.

“So this is okay, then?” Gaby asked. When she removed her boots, smoothed her skirt and started to lay down beside her wife, another smile grew on Maddy’s face as she nodded her approval.

As Gaby rolled closer, Maddy turned onto her side to face her, draping her free arm over her wife’s shoulder and pulling her closer.

“I’ve been waiting all day to give you a proper snogging…” Maddy seductively whispered as she held Gaby.

“Now?”

“Now…” Maddy breathed as their lips met.

“Wow!” Gaby whispered as their lips finally parted.

“That was worth the wait…” Maddy softly declared as she snuggled up even closer.

Gaby opened her eyes and happened to glance over her wife’s shoulder.

“I hate to ruin the moment … but it’s dark outside … an’ that thing-with-the-big-green-numbers behind you, says it’s now going on eight … so … would you like to go downstairs and get something to eat … or … stay here for a while longer?”

"Hmmmm … ravish you now … or … ravish you after dinner? That's a tough one. How ‘bout asking me something easier?”

“Well?”

“I hafta choose, huh?” Maddy coyly asked.

“Yes!” Gaby softly hissed.

“Ummm … now that you mention it ...” Maddy softly pouted. “…'Sides, I always ravish better on a full stomach!”

“Hungry, are we?” Gaby joked.

“I wasn’t until you reminded me I was…”

“Feel like hiring some skates after dinner? The hotel’s cleared a large rink on the lake…” Gaby ventured.

“I saw that when I looked out the windows in the lounge.”

“Well?”

“Might be nice … but … you’re only delaying your destiny, you know…” Maddy whispered as she leaned in for another kiss. After their lips parted, two girls remained locked in their embrace on the bed, silently gazing into each other’s eyes, for several minutes more.

(sigh…) “Let’s go eat ... then we can come back and get changed,” Gaby reluctantly suggested. Once they repaired their make-up, they ventured out of their suite and headed downstairs.

After browsing the choice of in-house restaurants, they found themselves back at the ‘Tom Wilson Steakhouse’. Shortly after they were seated and given menus, Maddy playfully started in on the local trivia.

“According to the menu, this place was named for the first ‘White Man’ to see Lake Louise.

“I bet that statue we saw on the lobby stairs was this Tom Wilson,” Gaby suggested.

“Probably right.”

Minutes later, their conversation was interrupted as their server came and took their orders.

“Hmmm … I see you didn’t order the Bison, either…” Maddy later joked with a smile.

“Maybe before we leave … if … I feel adventurous,” Gaby smirked.

“Okay … now you finally gonna tell me what you’ve got planned?” Maddy excitedly asked in a quiet voice.

“Why not? I thought tomorrow we could relax and go into Banff … maybe explore the town. The Banff website said that there’s a First Nations museum which I’d kinda like to see and then we can spend the rest of the time wandering around … looking at the shops … and when we get back here … we’ll play it by ear.”

“And…” Maddy playfully urged.

“An’ I’ve booked a few things online, for later in the week … but nothing’s carved in stone, so until then ... we’re free to do 'whatever' for the next couple of days.”

“What if I just want to stay in our room and make wild and passionate love to my wife?” Maddy mischievously asked in a quiet voice.

“We could…” Gaby softly replied while giving her a very suggestive smile.

“Mmmm … best keep that option open … hadn’t we?” Maddy purred.

“I’ve booked something for Wednesday morning ... an' I know you’ve never done this … nor anyone else we know, for that matter.”

“And that would be…?”

“Dogsledding?”

“You serious?” Maddy squealed with delight, at the same time trying to keep her voice down, aware of the other diners.

“It’s a two hour trip that leaves here, crosses ‘the Continental Divide’ an’ heads to some place called ‘Kicking Horse Pass’ in the next Province. You start out riding in the sleigh, but the web site says that they let you drive the team … if you want to.”

“Ooooo …I can’t wait!” Maddy gleefully enthused. “Are we in separate sleigh’s?”

“I could’ve asked for that … but I thought it’d be cozier in one sled!”

“Mmmm,” Maddy softly moaned.

“I figure we can pick up any additional warm clothing we may think we’ll need when we’re in town tomorrow,” Gaby explained. “Then when we get back … we have a choice of skating, tobogganing ... or doing whatever we can find…”

“Mmmm … I like the idea of ‘doing whatever we can find’ … especially if it’s back in the room … but … tobogganing also has possibilities,” Maddy seductively purred, causing Gaby to turn a deep red.

“You blush really easily … you know that?”

“You’re bad … you know that?”

“Can’t help it … look who I married.”

“I love you too…” Gaby smirked as she reached for her water.

“What else?”

“Well, I also thought we could do a bit of skiing while we’re here.”

“Sweetheart? Do you think that’s a good idea? I just don’t think either of us are good enough to tackle these mountains … an’ I don’t want to have anything happen to you…” Maddy voiced with some concern. “…Especially with the 2014 season just around the corner.”

“Not ‘downhill’ … ‘Nordic’. I still remember when it as just the two of us, back in Virginia.”

“That was nice, wasn’t it? It’s the only thing about that whole trip that I’ve held onto…” Maddy softly replied as she reached across the table and took Gaby’s hand into her own.

“The place we'll be going to has a few different trails that I thought we might try while we’re here,” Gaby softly proposed. “We’ll have to take a shuttle to the ski area an’ we can hire everything we need when we get there.”

“I’d really enjoy that, sweetheart…” Maddy quietly agreed as she gave a single squeeze to Gaby’s hand.

“I’ve kept the best for our last day,” Gaby quietly admitted.

“Any hints?” Maddy wondered. Looking at her wife, Gaby saw the sparkle in her eyes start to return along with a smile that was slowly beginning to form.

“Uh Uh … I’m gonna make you wait … but … I think you’ll like it,” Gaby softly allowed.

“If you’re with me … I know I will,” Maddy replied in a near-whisper. She still had a hold of Gaby’s hand when their food arrived at their table.

The remainder of the dinner was relatively quiet, with the girls enjoying the food and each others company. Following the meal, they were soon back up in their room getting ready to change into their jeans for skating.

Maddy had just pulled off her sweater dress when she noticed Gaby quietly sitting on the edge of the bed, staring down at the folded skirt that she had just draped across her lap. After silently watching her for a couple of minutes, she walked around the bed and sat beside her.

“A penny for ‘em…”

“They’re not worth that much,” Gaby replied with a chuckle.

“Tell me anyway.”

“I know I suggested skating after we ate … but we’ve been on the go for almost twenty hours … how ‘bout we just call it a day … and get a good night’s rest … okay?” Gaby whispered as she put her arm around Maddy’s waist and pulled her close against her.

“Okay…” Maddy quietly agreed.

“You sure you don’t mind?”

“What? Getting you into bed?” Maddy softly answered and then gently kissed her wife on the lips before informing her in a seductive, breathless whisper, “I brought that white lace babydawwww … mmmm.”

~~~

The following morning Gaby lay in the bed, propped up on one elbow and looking at her wife, as the sun streamed in the window with the promise of another beautiful winter’s day.

“You gonna get outta bed … or just lie there with that silly grin on your face?”

“Whaddya mean … silly grin? You put it there!” Maddy playfully shot back as she moved a lock of her dirty-blonde hair from her face. “Besides … I prefer to think of it as a look of pure contentment …”

“Are you ... contented?”

A mischievous smile grew on Maddy’s face as she threw her arm around Gaby’s neck and pulled her close for yet another long and very intense kiss.

“That answer your question, sweetheart?”

“Have I ever told you that I love you?” Gaby softly asked as she held Maddy tightly against her.

“Not this morning…” Maddy softly answered, as she leaned in for another kiss.

“Mmmmm … I could do this all day,” Gaby whispered after both girls decided to surface for air.

“What’s stopping us?” Maddy quietly wondered.

“Well … if we’re gonna do wot we talked about last night … we gotta get up,” Gaby cheerfully urged.

“Okay ... but … for the record...” Maddy replied with a cute ‘little girl’ pout. She rolled onto her back and turned her head to look at the clock radio on the nightstand, did some quick figuring and then got out of bed.

“I’ll call Mum and give her our room number … it’s about two in the afternoon back ‘ome, innit?” Maddy wondered.

“I think so, luv…” After straightening her own ankle-length nightgown, she quickly glanced at her wife and then turned her attention back to the bed.
“That’s what I thought!”

As Maddy picked up the phone and was preparing to place the overseas call, she smiled to herself as she watched her wife repeatedly peel back the massive covers, frantically searching for something.

“What are ya looking for, Gabs?”

“Your panties … unless you want Housekeeping to find ‘em when they make the bed!” Gaby replied with a grin. It was only then Maddy realized she was missing the lower half of her babydoll’s.

“Should be in there somewhere, sweetheart. What did you do with ‘em?”

“Moi?” Gaby innocently asked as she did her best to appear wounded by the accusation.

“You heard me!” Maddy returned her stare with a knowing smirk of her own as she finally started to punch her parent’s number.

“Uh uh … I seem to recall it as more of a co-operative venture,” Gaby quietly countered.

Seeing Maddy raise the phone to her ear, she quickly added, “An’ when you do get through … don’t take long ‘cuz we still have to get breakfast and grab the shuttle into town.”

With another flick of the bedcovers and an air of triumphant relief, she grabbed the AWOL panties from the crumpled sheets. Turning to Maddy, she then raised them in victory and firmly, but quietly, declared, “Found ‘em!”

“Hello? … Daddy? Just a quick call…” As soon as Maddy started talking, Gaby motioned to her that she was going for a shower.

Once she was satisfied with the water’s temperature, she removed her nightgown and hung it up on one of the hooks on the back of the bathroom door along with the recovered panties.

Once she made sure that she had everything she’d need when she got out, Gaby stepped into the warm spray and wet herself down. While she was putting some body wash on the puff, the shower door behind her was abruptly opened and Maddy quickly stepped in.

“Miss me?” With a devilish smile, she gently took the puff from her wife’s hand.

~~~

“You have everything or do you need to go back to the room?” Gaby asked as they left the hotel restaurant following breakfast.

“I’m good to go, sweetheart. We might as well get on the shuttle. How far are we from town?”

“From Banff? A little more than 50 kilometres … why?” Gaby quietly responded. Maddy rolled her eyes as they both entered the touring coach and sat down in a vacant pair of plush upholstered seats.

“Don’t you remember? … We came through there yesterday on our way here.”

“I guess I never noticed … an’ when you said shuttle, I thought…”

“It’s gonna take almost an hour to get there … so sit back and enjoy!”

“You say Banff is the closest town and we’re still an hour away by coach? Cor! Really makes one see how crowded our part of the world is, doesn’t it?”

“Uh huh,” Gaby agreed.

Maddy turned to look into her love’s eyes as their lips met for a brief kiss. When the other passengers began to board, the two girls parted and got comfortable in their seats in anticipation of the drive through the scenic ‘Rockies’, ready for their first full day in Alberta.

Shortly after they arrived in Banff, they stood with other hotel guests, looking up and down Banff Avenue and the various shops that lined the road.

“Now which way, sweetheart?”

“That way! Seems to be more built up,” Gaby directed.

After walking past several storefronts, she soon began looking around after deciding to get some help from the locals. Her search paid off and she soon spotted two girls in their early twenties, approaching them on the sidewalk.

“Excuse me. I wonder if you could help us with some directions?” Gaby asked as they started to walk past.

“If we can. We’re from out-of-town, ourselves … but we come here a lot, so we do know the place fairly well,” replied the taller of the two girls.

“Betcha you're more 'local' than us,” Gaby joked.

“Calgary?” the shorter girl answered.

“That’s more ‘local’...” Maddy grinned.

“Judging by your accents ... I’d guess either British or Australian?” the one girl wondered.

“British,” Gaby confirmed.

“So! How can we help you?” the taller girl cheerfully asked.

“Could you recommend a good sports store around here where we can pick up some additional warm clothing for the slopes?” Gaby asked.

“That’s easy … Monod’s. Gotta be the best of the sports stores in the area. We always go there … in fact, we’re heading there now,” the taller girl related.

“It’s a bit of a hike if you walk, but much easier if you take the bus. You see that orange sign about two stores down … that's the bus stop. Why don’t you c’mon with us?”

“Thanks!” both Maddy and Gaby chorused.

“By the way … I’m Gaby … and this is Maddy.”

“I’m Cheryl and this is my sister … Diane,” answered the tall brunette while looking at the girls.

“Sisters?" Cheryl wondered, but before either one could say anything, she noticed their rings.

“I like the rings! Never seen that style before.”

“It’s called ‘Traditional Celtic’.”

While Cheryl was looking at Gaby’s rings, her sister noticed Maddy tense up ever so slightly with this new direction of conversation.

“A double wedding?” Cheryl inquired, while glancing over at Maddy’s hand. Meanwhile Diane gave Maddy’s arm a reassuring touch as she discreetly answered her sister.

“I … don’t think so, sis...” She then softly voiced. “You two are married … aren’t you? It’s okay … we won’t bite.”

“Since last May,” Gaby softly admitted.

“We’re finally taking a honeymoon,” Maddy quietly offered, as she protectively inched closer to Gaby.

While neither girl had made any attempt to hide their relationship, this conversation with two strangers was charting new waters. Both girls were also aware of other people standing around them, waiting for the city bus.

“Kewel. I’ve only known one girl who was…” Diane began. Seeing her sister’s confused look, Diane decided to enlighten her.

“You remember Sharon? Last summer? Worked with me at the Stampede*.”

“The one you kept telling me all the guys tried to hit on? She was? Really?”

”Yes, she is. I’ve known since I first met her and despite that … we’re still good friends!” Diane flatly remarked as she stared at her sister.

Turning back to the girls, she added in a quiet, but more playful voice, “You’ll have to excuse her … she’s led such a sheltered life. Oww!”

“I know there’s been a lot of same-sex marriages in this country, but I’ve never met a married couple. Was it in a church … or did you have one of those ‘civil unions’?” Cheryl quietly asked in a guarded voice.

“Church,” Gaby stated.

“Where?” Diane asked.

“Bad Neuenahr. It’s a town in the south of Germany,” Gaby offered.

“You live in Germany?” Cheryl wondered.

“Uh huh. Gabs rides professionally for a German-based women’s cycling team … Team Apollinaris … and I work as a research assistant for the University of Bonn.”

“Oh, wow! Cycling … as in bike racing?” Diane enthused. As Gaby nodded, she quickly added, “My boyfriend’s into that, big time!”

“Gabs’ the current Women’s World Champion for road racing,” Maddy proudly revealed.

“Wait ‘til I tell Mark that Cheryl and I met you!” Diane exclaimed. “He’ll be kicking himself for not coming skiing with us this time!” Again Maddy’s pride in her wife swelled as she tightly held Gaby’s arm.

As the bus pulled up, Maddy took the opportunity to re-direct the focus from them by inquiring to neither sister in particular, “How much?”

“A buck … but it’s exact fare. The driver can’t make change,” Diane replied as she produced a gold-coloured coin from her wallet. Noting the furrowed brows on Maddy’s face, she added, “You guys have change?”

“This is the smallest I have,” Maddy replied as she pulled out a Canadian five-dollar bill.

“Mad … never mind!” Gaby jumped in as she produced two ‘Loonies’** from her wallet as Cheryl was opening her purse to make change for Maddy.

“Where’d you get those?” Maddy asked as she accepted her coin.

“…’member I got us those Cokes yesterday before we left the airport for the hotel?”

“Oh, yeah…”

When the four girls climbed aboard the bus, Maddy and Gaby sat in the front forward-facing bench seat, while Cheryl and Diane sat in front of them on an inward-facing bench seat. As the bus pulled away from the curb, Cheryl broke the silence.

“You two into downhill?”

“We’re much better at Nordic,” Maddy replied.

“Nordic? I’m not…” Cheryl wondered.

“Cross-country,” Gaby offered.

“Okay … that I know.”

“You’ll find whatever you need at Monod’s … equipment … clothes … whatever,” Diane mentioned as she looked back at the girls.

“Mainly we just need something warmer than this for when we’re out all day,” Gaby replied as she indicated their ski jackets and jeans, with a sweeping motion of her hand.

“I’d suggest you go with ‘layering’ rather than a ‘snowsuit’. They’ve got some great two piece outfits to wear under your clothes … made to fight off the cold and wet,” Cheryl advised. Diane nodded her agreement.

“Might seem a bit pricey, but you’ll get much more use out of them than if you got a complete ‘snowsuit’.”

“Sounds good! Okay … that’s what we’ll look at, then. Thanks!” Gaby mentioned.

“It’s the next stop. Like I said … a long walk … but a short ride,” Diane stated as she stood up and turned around to pull the yellow cord running along the inside of the bus, to request a stop. The other three followed Diane’s example and stood up, grabbing the support railing and waited for the bus to pull over.

“Next stop … Buffalo Street!” announced the driver.

As they gathered on the sidewalk after stepping off the bus, Diane turned to the girls. “Monod’s is a few stores back that a-way.”

After going a few steps, Cheryl abruptly stopped and when the others turned to face her, she meekly offered an apology.

“Hey, guys … I’m sorry if I said anything back there that made you two uncomfortable.”

“If you think you did, Cheryl … we know it was unintentional. Don’t worry about it … Mad an’ I aren’t,” Gaby soothed as both she and Maddy walked back the few steps and gave her a hug.

“Now relax ... it’s okay … really.”

“You sure?” Cheryl softly asked.

After quickly glancing at each other, both girls chorused, “Yeah … we’re sure.”

“C’mon, sis … if we’re goin’ in…”

Diane and Gaby each took one of Cheryl’s hands, while Maddy took Gaby’s free hand and together the four girls, spanning the width of the sidewalk, walked the remaining few steps to their destination where they only released hands in order to walk through the single door.

“Hi, girls! Mark not with you, Diane?” a young man in his mid-twenties asked, obviously addressing the two sisters.

“Not this time, Wayne.”

“Who’s your friends?”

“This is Gaby … and Maddy,” Cheryl answered, pointing first to one and then the other. “They’re visiting from Germany.”

“Welcome … is this your first time to Canada?” Wayne politely asked.

“We’ve been here a couple of times … but this is our first trip to this part of the country,” Gaby replied.

Upon hearing a distinctly British accent, he turned to Cheryl. “I thought you said Germany…”

“She did. Both of our families have lived in Germany for the past few years … but we’re both British born and raised,” Maddy playfully explained.

“Gaby’s a World Champion!” Diane blurted.

“Really? What sport?” Wayne wondered, his interest now piqued.

“Women’s professional cycling,” Gaby offered. “I ride for one of the German-based teams …Team Apollinaris.”

“Well … it’s an honour to have you in the store. Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”

“We got these two covered, Wayne … but you can cash ‘em out,” Cheryl teased as she gave him a hug.

As he walked away, Diane smugly confided to the girls, “Cheryl’s got a thing for him.”

“C’mon … the stuff you’re looking for is on the second floor,” Cheryl pointed out whilst obviously ignoring her sister.

“Wait a mo’ … you guys came here for a reason, didn’t you?” Gaby wondered. “We don’t want to intrude on your plans.”

“We can deal with that later!” Diane replied. “We just have to pick up our new skis, no big deal … so c’mon!”

“Really … and that’ll only take a few minutes...” Cheryl sweetly confirmed as both girls looked at her. “...So ... since we’re here anyway ... we might as well get you two fixed up.”

When they got to the second floor, the two sisters led the girls to the several clothing racks that contained the thermal base clothing that they had suggested, earlier.

“Sis and I both like to pair these Marmot half zip tops with the Arcteryx Rho LTW bottoms … comfortable and warm … and of course some nylon snow pants to slip over our jeans!” Diane remarked as she led them further onto the floor.

“Okay … I guess,” Maddy agreed, not quite knowing what they were talking about.

“Ahhh … here we go guys …’fraid you don’t get much choice in colour … just this ‘forest green’ … but you can’t beat them for warmth and comfort. What size ya take?” Cheryl remarked as she led the girls to a circular clothing rack of the base tops.

“Umm ... dunno?” Gaby replied, somewhat confused as she looked at the labels of several garments.

“This will help, guys … look here.” Diane stated as she pointed out a printed chart sitting on top of the clothing rack. “All the racks have an international size conversion chart with measurements in both inches and metric!”

“Reflects the amount of business they get from European visitors,” Cheryl added.

“Brill! Now according to this … Mad and I both take a medium,” Gaby replied as she studied the chart.

Cheryl quickly found two medium tops and handed them to the girls.

“There ya go! Two medium tops! Now here’s what makes these so good...”

Cheryl proceeded to give the girls a run-down on all the features of the chosen tops and then began comparing them to some other brands on racks nearby. In the end, both girls had to agree with her choice.

After making their selection, they noticed that Diane had already gone to a rack containing the Arcteryx Women’s bottoms.

“This style’s the one we like,” she explained, holding one up. “They’re wool … but soft ... not itchy … and ... warm. Since they’ve got some stretch, they’re very comfortable … and the nice thing with these is that they have a tapered leg ... meaning that they won’t bunch up under your jeans.”

“This says we need a ‘regular medium’ for these,” Maddy intoned as she looked at the accompanying conversion chart.

After both girls had found their size, their self-appointed hosts showed them other styles and again, explained the differences.

“Told you they were a bit pricey … but in this case … it’s a matter of you do get what you pay for,” Cheryl admitted when Maddy began looking at the price tags. “You guys know your finances better than we do, so you make the final decision.”

Following a quick think, the girls agreed to follow the advice of their new friends. They reasoned that there would be plenty of opportunities back home to put these base garments to use. When asked, the girls said they were okay for hats and gloves, plus the detachable hoods on their jackets would also provide protection.

“Are those the ski jackets you two’ll be wearing on the trails?” Diane asked as she rummaged through a rack of nylon snow pants, before picking out two black pair.

On the way to the change rooms, Maddy almost walked passed a rack of tank tops before abruptly stopping when something caught her eye.

“Oooo … I like that! I wonder if they have a medium?” She quickly thumbed through the rack looking for her size.

“What size is that?” Diane inquired.

“Small ... ah! Here’s one!” Maddy answered even as she resumed scouring the rack for an identical top. Not finding another one, she briefly examined her prize at arm’s length.

“Whaddya think, sweetheart?” Maddy cheerfully asked as she turned the camisole-style tank top for Gaby’s approval. The V-neck bodice was a dark blue with a wetlands scene printed in white and the torso was the reverse, with the wetlands marsh scene, printed in the dark blue, over white.

“Sorry … it just slipped out,” she sheepishly apologized to their two new friends.

“Didn’t bother us,” Diane replied with a shrug.

“Don’t feel you have to be anything other than yourselves … okay?” Cheryl comforted Maddy with a quick hug.

“Thanks, guys…” Maddy quietly offered before turning her attention back to Gaby.

“Feel how soft that is,” she remarked as she offered the top to her wife.

“It’d look lovely on you ... get it,” Gaby voiced.

She then started looking through the rack again until she picked out a style similar to the one she had in her hand. It had a Sweetheart V-neck, thin-strapped T-back with a scooped hem as well as the same style of brushed elastic shelf-bra as on her tank top.

“This would be nice for you. You could wear this under your skins on those hot stages and not worry about unzipping your top.”

“Mark Cavendish might be able to get away with it … but … I’m no Mark Cavendish,” Gaby joked.

“I know…” Maddy mischievously shot back as she reached out and cuddled her wife’s arm before presenting Gaby with the cream-coloured tank top.

“Let’s go try this stuff on while we can still afford to eat,” Gaby joked.

Later, down on the main floor, the girls stood at the cash while the two sisters waited behind them with their new skis.

“As promised Wayne…” Diane conveyed as he started cashing the girls out.

Outside the store, Gaby examined the sales receipt before she put it in one of the bags.

“He’s not on commission … is he?” she jokingly asked no one in particular.

“He’s not … but …if he was…” Diane chuckled as she looked over Gaby’s shoulder.

Maddy and Gaby soon parted company with the Canadian girls, but not before exchanging hotel information and a promise to get together for some Après-ski later in the week. The Banff ski resort Cheryl and Diane frequented was the same place the girls would be going to later in the week for the cross-country trails.

While the sisters crossed the street to begin the long walk back to their hotel with their new skis, the two honeymooners slowly started their own leisurely long walk back up the street to their bus stop for their hotel shuttle. This time they took the time to browse in any of the stores that caught their interest, along the way back.

The winter sun was just beginning to set when they finally got settled in their seats for the return trip.

~~~

Following a hearty supper to compensate for a missed lunch, the girls decided to turn in for the night, knowing the following morning would herald a busy day.

“I had a lovely day today … thank you, sweetheart…” Maddy whispered as she settled under the covers and into Gaby’s arms.

“We didn’t do much … just shop and walk and explore the town.”

“I know … but I enjoyed every minute of it!”

Maddy leaned over and kissed Gaby on the lips, then snuggled back down in her wife’s embrace. After a short blissful silence, her thoughts again turned to the day’s events.

“Cheryl and Diane were really nice … weren’t they? It’s gonna be fun getting together with them later on … where’d you put their hotel number?”

“Already on my mobile ... thought it’d be safer there than stuck on a scrap of paper.”

“Gabs?” Maddy whispered after a brief silent interlude.

“Hmmm?”

“Sorry you didn’t get to the museum,” Maddy softly apologized.

“I’m not … I had much more fun shopping with you, enjoying ourselves and making new friends,” Gaby thoughtfully replied as she pulled Maddy in closer.

Silence once again fell in the darkened bedroom as both girls lay snuggled together under the blankets.

“I love you,” Gaby softly whispered as she gave her wife an affectionate squeeze. Maddy responded by lifting her face and drawing her bride into a long and deep, passionate kiss.

“Sweetheart?” Maddy seductively asked as she gently kissed her wife’s silk-and-lace covered breast. “Are you tired?”

~~*~~

*Calgary Stampede – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary_Stampede

** The ‘Loonie’ – Popular nickname for the Canadian one-dollar coin that replaced the folding money equivalent. The name came from the raised picture of a Loon swimming in a lake, on one side of the coin.

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...
 

Nocturnal goings on...

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 3
 

Her eyes where still closed when she rolled over to the middle of the bed and instinctively reached out to cuddle with Maddy, only to find an empty space. Thinking she was in the bathroom, Gaby relaxed for several minutes before realizing that she hadn’t returned.

“Mad?” Gaby quietly called out and upon hearing no response, propped herself up on one elbow and called out again in a louder voice while staring in the direction of the bedroom door.

“Maddy?”

“I’m right here, sweetheart…” Maddy softly replied as Gaby’s head turned at the sound of her wife’s voice.

Throwing back the covers, Gaby worked her way to the edge of the large mattress and as soon as she was on her feet, she headed off to the small alcove that adjoined the bedroom while adjusting her twisted nightgown as she went. When she entered the small sitting area, she saw that Maddy had opened the drapes and was quietly seated on the window bench with one leg tucked up under her and patting the cushion beside her.

“What’re you doing here, darling? It’s only a-quarter-to-three,” Gaby softly wondered as she sat down beside her bride. “You’re gonna be in great shape when we meet Cheryl an’ Diane later...”

“That’s today?” Maddy softly asked.

“Well ... we did tell ‘em, Thursday...” Gaby quietly replied with a shrug of her shoulder.

“Oh...” Maddy’s voice trailed off as her eyes once again, drifted out to the mountains.

“Are you okay, Mad?” Gaby asked as she put her arm around her wife and pulled her close.

“I ... was looking at the mountains. They’re really quite pretty in the full moon,” Maddy softly replied and then added in a voice not much more than a whisper, “… an’ thinking…”

“…’bout us?” Gaby softly wondered.

“Not really … more like … about me.”

“I thought we’d settled all that long ago, luv…” Gaby whispered. She got up off the bench and then taking Maddy’s hands in hers, gently pulled her to her feet.

“So did I ... until I read… “

“My diary…?” Gaby softly interrupted as she wrapped her arms around her bride in a loving embrace. “Mum told me the two of you found it while cleaning out my old room when the team was back ‘ome for that short break in August.”

“How’d you know I read it?” Maddy whispered, her moist eyes reflecting in the soft glow of the full moon.

“I know you ... that an’ Mum tellin’ me she saw you when she came back into the room.”

“She didn’t say anything.”

“No, she didn’t … but ... she did tell me that all she saw ... was you ... sitting at my desk, bent over my diary an’ crying. We both knew you’d find out sometime ... but Mum hoped I’d be there when you did. Since we were only back for a few days an’ I was busy with the team ... she gave you some time to yourself, instead.”

“Sweetheart ... I’m sor...”

“Please don’t apologize, luv. As far as I’m concerned ... you had every right,” Gaby soothed. As she pulled her close, Maddy laid her head upon her wife’s bare shoulder. “Why’s it bothering you now? You know how I feel about you…”

“I can’t help it. It just seems to be ‘there’ ... whenever I have too much time to myself (sniff). Why didn’t you tell me how much I really hurt you, back when we first got back together?”

“… ‘cuz I love you … pure an’ simple. Would've it served any purpose to make you feel bad for something you did when we were kids? Maybe even push you away again? We can’t do anything about the past … but we do have each other, now ... an’ that’s all I care about,” Gaby softly explained.

(sniff) “Promise me you won’t leave me because of what I did?”

“Mad ... Think about it for a minute. I knew wot you did, but I still stood up in church an’ took you for my wife ... in front of both our families an’ all of our friends. Face it ... you’re stuck with me for an eternity.”

“Eternity? You sure?” Maddy quietly wondered.

“That’s wot it sez on our Marriage Licence. You did read the fine print, didn’t you?” Gaby smugly whispered.

“No ... but ... I can live with that,” Maddy softly replied as she looked into Gaby’s moonlit face. “I love you, sweetheart...”

“I love you, too...” Gaby whispered as they tightened their hold on each other and their lips met in a gentle kiss.

“Better?” Gaby later whispered.

“Uh huh,” Maddy quietly purred while she snuggled closer to her love. “I know I’m being silly ... but...”

“Shhhh ,” Gaby whispered as the two girls continued to hold each other.

“I’ve got an idea ... since we're both awake ... let’s get dressed,” Gaby abruptly suggested after a silence.

“What?”

“C'mon … we'll go for a walk by the lake.”

“Now?” Maddy softly asked. “What about skiing?”

“We’ll manage ... besides ... you know a better time for a pair of love struck insomniacs to take a moonlight stroll? We won’t go far ... an’ we’ll keep the hotel’s lights in sight as a beacon.”

“You know you’re crazy … don’t you?”

“So you’ve told me ... several times,” Gaby smugly mentioned as she led Maddy by the hand, back to the bedroom.

“This is gonna make for one l-o-n-g day … ya know that?” Maddy playfully reminded her wife as they both stripped down and started to get dressed.

“Romance an’ hormones wait for no girl! We can always have a nap later ... then go meet them.”

“Will we need these?” Maddy asked, holding up their newly-acquired ‘base’ clothing.

“I doubt it…” Gaby offered.

“Bet it’s cold out there,” Maddy countered as she pulled her sweater on.

“I promise … we won’t feel it,” Gaby mischievously replied as she pulled her jeans up over her tights.

“Ooooo … I like the sound of that!” Maddy quietly squealed.

Moments later, the girls were dressed and grabbing their ski jackets before heading out the door. Out of habit, Maddy made a grab for her bag.

“Don’t think you’ll need that, luv … but we will need this,” Gaby remarked as she slid the room pass into her jacket pocket and zipped it closed.

Later, when she left the room, Gaby closed the door behind her as softly as she could before quietly racing down the hallway to join Maddy waiting at the bank of elevators. Upon reaching the ground floor, the girls found themselves walking through an eerily silent lobby. The only person they saw as they approached the hotel’s main entrance was a lone individual working at the check-in desk. Once outside, it was a quick right turn and they were soon strolling hand-in-hand, down towards the lake.

“It’s nice out here, innit?” Gaby softly asked as the girls slipped an arm around each others waist. “Let’s go this way an’ get away from the hotel grounds.”
As they strolled along the hotel’s waterfront, the semi-wooded developed shoreline and wide plowed-out walkways gave way to the natural beauty of a thick Pine forest and the undeveloped wilderness. True to Gaby’s word, they only found themselves wandering a few hundred meters from the hotel grounds, but the difference was striking.

“Mmmm ... you can’t beat that moon,” Maddy dreamily offered as she looked up at the stars in the clear night sky and nodded towards the full moon while they carefully shuffled on the snow-covered ice out on the lake, a couple of metres from the wooded shoreline.

“I wish we could package this and take it back with us,” Gaby agreed.

“Turn around and lookit the mountains across the lake, sweetheart!”

“I think Doug told us that one over there, is Mt. Fairview.”

“In a way, they kinda remind me of when you rode through the Pyrenees … don’t they?”

“A bit … but when I rode through them, I was too busy peddlin’ to enjoy the scenery. Now these ... I can enjoy!”

“Tends to remind you of where we fit in this world … doesn’t it, sweetheart?

“Makes you think, anyway.”

“Don’t see snow this deep back ‘ome too often, either…” Maddy remarked as she buried her boots with ease by cautiously shuffling her feet on the smooth lake ice.

“Careful, luv … maybe we should move back off the ice … the chances of one or both of us going down on our butts is considerably less if we hug a tree,” Gaby playfully suggested.

“Okay.” Holding onto each other for support, the pair slowly made their way off the ice and onto the relative comfort of feeling solid ground beneath the snow.

“I wonder if we’ll bump into any animals, out here.”

“What? Wolves an’ stuff? Somehow I kinda doubt it. They’ll see us first … an’ stay away.”

“It’d be nice if we saw something, though…” Maddy offered as she snuggled into her wife’s side while they slowly walked amongst the Pines. As they started climbing the steep slope, Gaby steered her wife towards a small clearing.

“Over there, Mad … crikey! I’m ... glad I don’t ... have to climb this ... on a bike!” Gaby puffed as she grabbed for another tree

As they made their way into the clearing, Maddy stopped after a few paces and almost at the same time, Gaby turned to face her.

“You were right,” Maddy softly purred. She removed her gloves and after placing them in her jacket pockets, she gently pulled Gaby’s hair out from under her ski jacket and arranged it so that it framed her face and fell down the front in soft blonde waves.

“About?”

“I don’t feel the cold…” Maddy whispered seductively before wrapping her arms around her bride and pulling her into an intense kiss.

As their lips parted, she decided that while she had the courage, she had to ask the very question that troubled her earlier.

“Can I ask you something, sweetheart?”

“About?” Gaby softly wondered. The girls continued to embrace each other as they spoke in hushed tones, lest they awake any sleeping creature in the surrounding forest.

“Your diary?” Maddy timidly replied while trying not to bit her lower lip. “I know I read it, but I have a nagging feeling there’s a lot you didn’t put in ... but only hinted at.”

“Mad...”

“Sweetheart … I need to hear it from you ... all of it. Please?”

“Well ... okay … but this is the last time I’ll talk about this … alright?”

“I promise ... but if it’s too painful...”

“It is ... but … I think you of all people, have every right to ask … an’ I promise I’ll do my best to answer. Okay?”

“Okay … if you’re sure...”

“I’m not ... but ... we’re gonna have to deal with this sometime, so it might as well be now.”

“Okay ... then ... think back to the entry for your fourteenth birthday…”

“Wot ‘about it?” Gaby knew what was coming.

“When I read it ... I got the feeling that there was much more to it than you actually wrote...”

“If I didn’t write it ... maybe it wasn’t important?”

“I think it was … an’ … what I didn’t read ... won’t let me alone...”

“Oh,” Gaby replied in a soft, almost inaudible, whisper. “I don’t want to hurt you, Mad...”

“Then don’t answer...” Maddy whispered after sensing the anxiety in Gaby’s voice.

(sigh) “I think we both know I have to, don’t we?” As Gaby stood in the moonlit snow with her arms tightly wrapped around Maddy, she knew time had come to shed the more painful aspects of her past.

“I’m only askin’ because I love you,” Maddy whispered as she tenderly stroked Gaby’s cheek.

“Maybe that’s why it’s so hard for me to answer … but…” Gaby gently laid her head upon her wife’s shoulder as Maddy softly questioned the diary entry.

“I’ll never forget those words ... ‘it was like Prue’s all over’. They’ve haunted me ever since I first laid eyes on them. I know whatever it was that did happen back there ... and what happened at your party, had your mum and Jules terrified ‘it’ would happen again. You even mentioned that your mum had Jules follow you when you walked out … why? What … what happened at Prue’s that scared them so much? Tell me … please?”

(sigh) “Back at Prue’s ... everyone was doing all they could to stay away from me. I finally went outside to be by myself an’ try to figure out why the ‘gang’ had changed towards me … an’ how you … an’ I … had changed towards each other.”

Gaby paused to take a breath and noticed the reflecting moonlight in Maddy’s eyes.

(sniff) “Please don’t stop...” Her whispered reply was weak as she wiped away a tear as it threatened to run down Gaby’s cheek.

“Okay ... well ... later when we went back to the Walters’ … sis an’ I were talking with Deb an’ I ‘member she asked me what I liked about the trip ... other than the cyclin’ bit. You know what? I couldn’t answer her … ‘cuz … everything else was like a really bad dream ... except it wasn’t. So instead ... I ran off to the loo just to get out of the room.”

Gaby paused again and pulled Maddy closer, as much for inner strength as anything else, while she searched for her next words.

“When I didn’t come right back … Jules came lookin’ for me.”

Following a pause that felt much longer than it actually was, Gaby continued. “She ... ummm ... found me in our bathroom … shakin’ out a handful of pills from a brand new bottle that was sitting on the shelf.”

“Pills? What … kind of ... pills?” Maddy’s reluctant question was spoken barely above a whisper as she probed for an answer she knew she didn’t want to hear.

“Some headache pills ... but they contained codeine an’ I knew that if I took enough of them…”

“Ohhh, Gabeee …why?” Maddy quietly asked in a pleading whine. Gaby gave her wife another gentle squeeze and a kiss on the forehead, before continuing with her story.

“The next day before we got on the bus for Washington, Jules told Fran an’ Jessica about the previous night ... an’ for the rest of the trip home, Jules didn’t want to leave me alone. That’s why Fran had us share a room in Washington.”

Gaby ever so briefly, closed her eyes in thought before going on with her story.

“When we got back to Warsop … we told Mum an’ Dad about everything … the trip … us … an’ … the pills. Jules an’ I convinced ‘em that everything was okay an’ that I wasn’t going to try it again ... an’ they believed us … right up until my birthday. When Mum an’ Jules saw the emotional mess I was in right after wot you an’ Em pulled, they were both sure that I’d try again … an’ … they wouldn’t be able to stop me. They were real scared, Mad.”

“That’s why she had Jules follow you home?”

“Uh huh.”

“Why (sniff)…?” The tracks from Maddy’s tears shimmered when the shadows from the trees allowed the soft moonlight to touch her face. “Why’d you even think about doing it? Nothin’s that bad.” (sniff)

“Depends. Losing the ‘gang’ in Grottoes wasn’t exactly the end of my world … ‘specially as I figured that we were goin’ to move, anyway … but … losing you … was. You hafta understand, Mad … you were … an’ still are … my … life.”

“Gaby (sniff)…” Maddy whispered through trembling lips, as she tightened her hold on Gaby. “If Jules wasn’t there (sob) ... you would’ve killed yourself because of me ... I (sob) never imagined that yo ... I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m … so … very … sorry... (sob)”

“Shhhhhh ... it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” Maddy tearfully blurted.

“Look ... if that’s what it took for us to really find each other … I’m not sorry it happened ... not one little bit. Watching you walk up that aisle was worth every empty moment I felt during those four years we were apart.” As she softly uttered those words, Gaby looked deep into her wife’s eyes and gently wiped a few tears from her cheek.

“There's no love - like your love … And no other - could give more love...”

“I love you ... (sniff)” Maddy whispered.

“I'll always love you...” Gaby’s quiet voice trailed off while she gently pulled Maddy into a tender kiss.

“You know I’m not going to settle for anything less than being with you for that eternity,” Maddy playfully whispered once their lips parted.

“I can live with that,” Gaby softly replied through a weak smile.

“But … you have to promise me, here an’ now … that you’ll never do that again ... an’ … that you’ll talk to me and let me help you if ... you ever start to feel that way, again. Okay? Promise me! I love you too much, Gabs (sniff) … an’ I don’t want to have to live without you.”

“I promise…” The two remained locked in a silent embrace for some time before Gaby spoke again. “I’m sorry … it’s not much of a romantic moonlight walk, was it?”

“I should be the one apologizing … after all, I was the one to ask the question.”

“Yeah ... but I was the one who took all night to answer it ... sorry. Once I started, something inside told me it was time to tell you.”

“I’m glad you did, sweetheart. Now (sniff) maybe we can both put ‘it’ behind us.”

“Maybe you’re right...” Gaby quietly agreed.

“You told Ally, though ... didn’t you?” Maddy wondered.

“We talked a couple of days after the party … she say something?”

“Not in so many words … but … she once told me that you loved me more than life itself … an’ now after tonight ... I know exactly what she meant,” Maddy softly replied through a weak grin.

“You wanna go back?”

“No … not unless you want to,” Maddy quietly offered. “Can we stay out here a bit longer? I find it rather peaceful … an’ … very romantic.”

“Not just saying that to make me feel better?” Gaby softly asked.

“Uh uh. Look around you … this place … the moonlight … you in my arms. I don’t need anything more to feel like I do,” Maddy seductively whispered as she lay her head on Gaby’s shoulder while she continued to hold her. “Besides, it’s lovely here ... so peaceful … ‘cept for that Owl.”

“I think the French call it, ‘ambiance’…”

“Sweetheart…”

“What?”

“Less talk…?” Maddy breathed, as she pulled Gaby into an intense ‘French Kiss’. When they eventually parted, Gaby took a deep sigh while unzipping her ski jacket to let the cooler night air, circulate.

“A little warm, are we?” Maddy knowingly joked as she playfully traced a finger over the front of her wife’s sweater, ensuring she repeatedly brushed against a nipple.

“What do you think?” Gaby cooed as she tenderly caressed Maddy’s cheek with her hand.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Maddy mischievously whispered, before unzipping her own jacket and pulling her wife in to her for an encore performance.

“Ever see so many stars?” she quietly asked as they later stood holding each other and looking up at the night sky.

“No light pollution … just us … an’ nature,” Gaby softly offered.

“Oh … quick, sweetheart!” Maddy enthused as she pointed out the falling star. “Did you make your wish?”

“Uh huh … but I can’t tell you what it is … can I?”

“Not if you want it to come true...”

“Then … I won’t,” Gaby whispered as she held Maddy close.

“C’mon, darling … let’s take advantage of all this moonlight…” Maddy softly hinted after a brief silence. The two girls linked hands and slowly left the clearing, occasionally grabbing a tree to slow their decent down the slope as they headed back the short distance to the frozen shoreline.

“Now which way?” Gaby wondered when they reached the lake. Maddy looked back to the hotel, then turned and looked into the moonlit landscape, further up along the shore before decisively pointing towards the wilderness.

“That way!”

As they cautiously made their way through the calf-deep snow following the shoreline, Gaby put her arms around Maddy’s waist and pulled her close.

“Sweetheart? ... I wonder if Mum an’ Dad ever felt like we do now, when they came here?”

“I’m sure they did … but somehow, I can’t see them talking any midnight walks,” Gaby thoughtfully answered.

“How about your ‘rents? Can you see them here … walking in the moonlight?”

“There was a time when I really didn’t think so…”

“An’ now?”

“I can easily see them out here.”

“With all they’ve been through … it’d make a nice anniversary present, wouldn’t it?”

“Their thirtieth is in June … that’s well into racing season. I doubt they’d...”

“So … we got married in May, but we’re here now…”

“An’ they like the winter. Well, at least that’s something to think about,” Gaby pondered, then abruptly asked, “How ‘bout yours?”

“Mine?”

“Well … if … we manage to send Mum an’ Dad here … surely your parents deserve something. If nothing else … they gave me you…”

“This could get expensive, couldn’t it?”

“Uh huh. When we get home, we’ll hafta do some serious number crunching an’ see if this is even feasible. Okay?”

“I think Mum and Dad would understand if we only did this for your ‘rents. They know what they’ve been through … an’ I think they could use it. Besides, they’ve never really had time alone since your mum’s cancer … have they?”

“Like I said … we’ll do some number crunching when we get ‘ome … between our combined salaries and my sponsorships…”

“Let’s try ... okay?”

“Okay...”

“I left my watch back in the room … what time is it, sweetheart?”

“It’s a bit past five … if that means anything,” Gaby replied after twisting her wrist in the moonlight to see her watch face.

“Maybe we should start thinking about heading back,” Maddy hinted.

“Now? We’ll be too early for breakfast an’ it won’t take us that long to get ready for skiing. The first shuttle doesn’t leave ‘til seven.”

“Who said anything about getting ready for skiing? We can have … ‘breakfast’ … back in the room,” Maddy softly cooed with an impish smile as she took Gaby’s hand and turned to head back.

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...
 

Yer a good woman, Charlene Brown...

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 4
 

“Gabs? …. Ummm … what time is it?” Maddy wearily asked.

“Hmm … I’ve got good an’ bad news. The bad news is that it’s just past nine ... the good news is that it’s still Thursday ... but we’ve missed the first two shuttles into Banff,” Gaby whispered as she strained to prop herself up on an elbow to look over her wife’s shoulder at the bedside clock.

“Guess we should get up, then. Cor! … I feel like I’ve only had 15 minutes sleep!” (yawn)

“Funny … we weren’t tired when we got back…” Gaby playfully joked with a huge grin as she returned her head to the pillow and resumed holding her wife.

“I wonder why that is?” Maddy suggestively asked.

“No idea … an’ I think it’s closer to 10 minutes … not 15…”

“Sweetheart?” Maddy’s mood took on a more sombre tone.

“Maddy ... we agreed...” Gaby softly commented as she saw the moisture building up in her wife’s eyes.

“I keep thinking about last night. If Jules wasn’t watching out for you back in the States...” Maddy whispered as she wrapped her arms tightly behind Gaby’s neck, pulling her into a long embrace.

“Forget about it … okay? It’s just going to eat you up if you keep thinking about it,” Gaby softly pleaded.

“You don’t mind if I keep rememberin’ how much I love you … do you?” Maddy innocently wondered.

“I knew I made the right decision back when you talked me into going to that ‘Obicon’ thing-y…” Gaby softly commented.

“…an’ what decision was that, pray tell...” Maddy mischievously wondered, still hugging Gaby.

“You were the girl I was going to marry…” Gaby softly replied.

“You really that knew back then?”

“Never a doubt.”

“Even after ... you know?”

“Nope,” Gaby sharply whispered.

“Not even a little bit?”

“Uh uh.”

“What if I...?” Maddy whispered as her right index finger gently traced figure-eight’s around her wife’s breasts.

“Then I would’ve been very upset...” Gaby softly pouted before she gently rolled Maddy onto her back and proceeded to smother her with kisses.

Much later, after several false starts to get out of bed and a long shower where both girls had trouble concentrating on the task at hand, they were finally dressed and ready for a day on the ski trails.

“Why do we have to go into Banff, again?”

“…To get the bus for Mount Norquay.”

“We can’t just go there from here?”

“Nope … we have to catch it at the Banff Springs Hotel” Gaby cheerfully replied.

“Oh…”

After making sure they had everything they’d need, the girls left the room and soon found themselves on the next shuttle, heading for the town of Banff.

“I text’d Cheryl and told her we were running late. She suggested that we met them for lunch at a place called ‘Lone Pine’ in the Cascade Lodge. Oddly enough, that’s where the shuttle drops us...”

“What time?”

“About half twelve an’ we’ll figure out what we’re doing after skiing.”

“Will we get there on time?”

“The schedule says we get there shortly before noon. If we get our connection … that should give us time to get sorted before we hafta meet the girls.”

“Sounds good,” Maddy agreed.

“I also think it’d probably be a good idea, if we both had a proper lesson before we hit the trails. It might be more of a refresher for me, but I know it’s been a while since you were up on skis … right?”

“Uh huh…” Maddy quietly agreed.

“We’ll have to sort that out when we hire our ski equipment.”

“Wot about daily passes? You said we might want to go back…”

“Maybe ... but that’s only if you want to, okay?”

Maddy nodded her head and took a quick glance around at her fellow passengers before deciding to chance giving Gaby a quick kiss on the lips. As they parted, Maddy settled back in her seat and closed her eyes.

“Wake me when we arrive...”

Gaby just looked at her wife and slowly shook her head side-to-side. With a smile on her face, she set the alarm on her mobile to vibrate and then zipped it inside the pocket of her ski jacket before settling back in her seat for the remainder of the one hour ride.

Later, the movement of the bus gently shook the girls back to the real world, as it slowed to negotiate a rather sharp turn when it entered the Banff Springs property.

“Sweetheart? What we said last night about your ‘rents … you really think we can do it?” Maddy quietly asked, still leaning against Gaby.

“We survived on our combined incomes without having to touch my sponsorship money ... an' only a portion of that paid for all this … so, barring any major money problems, I'm pretty sure we can.”

“Maybe we should ask Jules and Gerhardt if they’d like to come in on it. That way, it’d be something from all of us,” Maddy wondered as the bus slowly pulled up to the hotel.

“Good idea!” Gaby enthused. “We should talk to those two as soon as we can after we get back. I don’t expect that they’ll be able to put in too much … but as you say, it’d be from all of us…”

“The more I think about it … the more I really want to do this,” Maddy softly confirmed.

“So do I...” Gaby began.

“Banff Springs Hotel! Those continuing on to Mount Norquay … your bus should be here in about twenty minutes,” announced the bus driver in a loud professional voice. “Buses returning to the Chateau Lake Louise leave here on the hour … with the last one departing at 1AM.”

Following his announcement, everyone left the coach with many of the passengers waiting to get their skis from the bus’ storage compartments.

About a half hour after they left the Banff Springs Hotel, the girls found themselves walking into the Mt. Norquay reception area to see about equipment rentals and the other necessities of the day. After arranging their Nordic lesson and generally getting sorted out, they then made their way into the lower level of the ‘Lone Pine’ restaurant.

“Let’s grab some lunch and take it outside,” Gaby suggested.

“Outside?”

“The girls said they’d meet us on the outdoor patio on the upper level,” Gaby revealed as she handed Maddy a tray when they joined the line at the buffet. “Relax … we’ve got lots of time. Our lesson isn’t set to start until one.”

“How long’s this lesson?

“Two hours. It’s private, so no one will laugh at you … much,” Gaby smugly replied. With her hands full carrying her lunch on a tray, Maddy’s only retaliation was to playfully stick her tongue out at her wife. “We’ll still have plenty of time to do the smaller trail at a comfortable pace.”

“Define 'smaller trail,” Maddy quietly shot back.

“The map at the reception desk lists it as three kilometres.”

“Is that all? Oh well, then!” Maddy sarcastically voiced. Walking out onto the patio, she quickly spied an empty table with four chairs and a marvellous view of the slopes.

“There’s always the ten or fifteen kilometre trails,” Gaby smirked.

“Like I said ... the three kilometre trail sounds like a nice one to start with,” Maddy sweetly replied.

It wasn’t too long after they got seated when they both spotted two familiar figures slowly walking aimlessly amongst the lunchtime surge of skiers, all the while balancing their lunches on trays and searching the now crowded patio.

“Diane … over here!”

“Hi guys! See you made it,” Cheryl enthused as she and Diane joined the girls at their table.

“Hey, guys … snow’s great! Perfect conditions,” Diane chipped in as she started to take her lunch off her tray and arrange it on the table in front of her.

“How’d you two make out yesterday ... you know ... dogsledding?” Cheryl impatiently wondered as she pulled her chair in.

“Fantastic! The scenery was breathtaking and the company couldn’t have been more beautiful ... all in all ... a truly memorable experience,” Maddy quickly volunteered.

“Did you both get to drive?” Diane asked.

“Naw ... I decided to ride in the sled both ways ... but Doug let Gaby take it all the way back.”

“Was she any good?” Cheryl inquired.

“Depends ... you talking about the ‘sledding ... or later?” Maddy mischievously offered while linking her free arm with Gaby’s.

“Too much information,” Diane chuckled as she watched Gaby turn beet-red.

“Ummm ... how late you two figure on skiing, today?” Cheryl asked a short while later, successfully changing the direction of conversation.

“Well, we have a refresher lesson at one … then it’s off to the trails … but I figure we’ll be back here by 4:30 … 5:00 at the latest. We’re only doing the three kilometre trail today,” Gaby replied as she outlined their plans for that afternoon.

“Ummm ... you’re gonna miss the last return shuttle into Banff if you get back that late. Listen ... I’ve got my car, here … so don’t worry,” Cheryl commented. “Maybe we’ll grab some dinner at our hotel or somewhere else in town, if you want ... before you head back to yours.”

“Sounds good! Maybe even wander around town before the stores close tonight … if there’s time?” Maddy hinted as she gently squeezed Gaby’s hand.

“You thinking about any store in particular?” Gaby quietly asked although she had a good idea of Maddy’s answer.

“Well … I’d kinda like to go back to that lingerie shop we went in last Monday,” Maddy coyly suggested.

“You really don’t think I’d say ‘no’ to that … do you?” Gaby playfully asked.

Diane glanced at her blushing sister before taking another forkful of her own salad and then in a deliberate effort to change the subject, she asked the girls, “Any plans for tomorrow?”

“I dunno … she’s the one with the itinerary,” Maddy joked while looking at Gaby.

“Not really. We were thinking of making this a two-day pass,” Gaby answered while indicating the day-pass clipped to her zipper. “…But that’s not cast in stone, yet. Other than that … Friday’s wide open as far as having anything scheduled. Why?”

“How about Saturday?”

“Same … wot’s up?”

“Ummm ... after we met you two last Monday, I phoned Mark and told him about meeting you guys. I thought he might try to come out to join us for some skiing and to meet Gaby, here … but he told me that he can’t get away. However, he did come up with an alternative plan,” Diane explained.

“Go on...” Gaby cautiously prompted.

“It would mean you two would have to come back to Calgary with us tomorrow. You'd stay the night at our place … and then Diane and I’ll bring you back to Lake Louise sometime Saturday,” Cheryl added. “Mom and Dad won’t mind.”

“Mark wants me to invite both of you to his cycling club’s annual dinner tomorrow evening. It’s being held at the Calgary-Marriot,” Diane disclosed.

“They also hand out a few awards to the deserving … and if you two agreed to attend … it was suggested that maybe Gaby could even present one or two of the more prestigious awards to the girls?”

“Just the girls?” Maddy inquired.

“All the annual awards are presented to both a male and female recipients. Normally the club’s president would give out all the ‘big’ awards ... but this time he agreed with Mark and thinks that the ones that’ll go to the girls might have more meaning for them, if Gaby did the honours,” Diane explained.

“Sounds logical,” Maddy smirked.

“Sounds like Mark’s already run this by the club president,” Gaby observed.

“He was talking to Bill ... and kind of mentioned we met you two...” Diane admitted.

“Kind of?” Maddy smirked.

“Uh huh,” Diane timidly agreed.

“How big’s this club?” Gaby asked.

“About 80 members, but last year they seated over 200 at the dinner. As long as Mark and I have been going, it’s always been well attended by the club’s supporters.”

“What’s happening on Saturday?” Maddy inquired.

“We thought we could play it by ear,” Cheryl replied. “If nothing else, we can just sleep in and head back here at our own pace.”

“It could be fun, sweetheart … and you said we have nothing planned … can we go?” Maddy sweetly asked as she put her hand on the table and gently covered Gaby’s hand with her own.

“I promised Maddy ‘no bikes’ while we’re on our honeymoon, but you heard her. What time you leaving?”

“That depends … do you have something nice to wear tomorrow night?” Diane asked.

“Seems I’ve heard that somewhere before…” Gaby jokingly whispered to Maddy.

“It’s not terribly formal or anything like that ... but it’s not exactly casual either,” Cheryl offered.

“No jeans!” Diane stage whispered.

“Sis and I usually go with a nice skirt, top, heels … that kind of thing,” Cheryl added.

“Also … there’s usually a silent auction of things donated by various people and businesses, along with raffles or some such thing. All the money raised goes towards some annually designated charity,” Diane added.

“Other than wot we wore on the plane, we didn’t bring much in the way of dressy clothes…” Gaby confessed. “An’ ... I certainly didn’t bring anything that I could donate towards this auction.”

“Nothing?” Diane asked in a mildly disbelieving tone.

“Uh uh ... we didn’t think we’d be going anywhere fancy,” Maddy sheepishly added.

“You think that we could find some time to pick up something more suitable to wear, than what we have with us?” Gaby wondered.

“It’s possible ... I know a few places in Calgary that might work. If we pick you up at your hotel at around seven in the morning, that’ll get us back in town somewhere between nine-thirty and ten. That should give us a few hours to do some serious shopping before we have to get back to my parent’s, to get ready for the boys.”

“Sounds good,” Gaby voiced.

“What’s this about ‘the boys’?” Maddy wondered.

“Wayne’s driving in later and he and Mark will pick us up for the dinner,” Cheryl mentioned.

“Hmmm ... I guess this means the ‘full Indian’, sweetheart,” Maddy playfully taunted her wife. “After all … it is sort of a public appearance for the World Champion.”

“You look for every opportunity, don’t you...” Gaby smugly stated as she tried to suppress a smile while looking into her wife’s eyes.

“Only because I think you look so sexy…” Maddy playfully countered.

“What’s this?” Cheryl wondered.

“For some time, Gabs has had an interest in North American Indian jewellery ... to the point where it’s become her trademark look. If you’ve ever seen photos of her off the bike in cycling magazines or such, chances are you’ve seen her wearing her feathers…” Maddy pointed out.

“This I gotta see,” Diane declared, obviously intrigued by Maddy’s explanation.

“Crikey … it’s going on a quarter to one! We best get going Mad, or we’ll be late for the start of our lesson,” Gaby remarked when she caught a glance at her watch as she was reaching to finish her drink.

“Sorry to eat an’ run, guys … but…,” Maddy stated as the two girls took their trays and got up from the table.

“Before you go … five o’clock ... same place the shuttle dropped you when you arrived!” Cheryl quickly got in.

“We’ll be there … Auf Wiedersehen,” Gaby cheerfully replied. When they were out of earshot heading down the stairs to the lower level and their rented locker, she turned to Maddy.

“Don’t say anything to the girl’s in case nothing comes of it … but I’m calling Dad tonight. It may be too late to courier a couple of Team jackets to add to whatever the girls get as an award ... but if these girls are serious about the sport ... maybe I can help open the door for them.”

“The Youth Program?”

“Won’t be the first time that Dad’s talked to a girl outside of the EU,” Gaby flatly replied. “Anyway ... enough of that ... let’s go skiing!”

A short time later, the girls gathered up their rental equipment and had ventured outside to join their instructor before hitting the cross-country trails on their own.

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...
 

Something new our way comes...

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 5
 

“Here we are guys ... home sweet home,” Diane cheerfully said as her sister pulled up in front of large ‘split-ranch’ with a two-car garage, in suburban Calgary.

“Wow ... nice house ... but where’s all the snow? When we first landed there was about a foot of the white stuff, everywhere ... and a bitterly cold wind. Now, it feels and looks more like late October ... well ... it does ... if you ignore the odd patch of snow on the grass,” Gaby commented with a shrug of the shoulder.

“I thought you had white winters...” Maddy noted from the back seat.

“We do. We’ve even had a few real good ‘Canadian winters’ ... but we’ve got these things called Chinooks ... warm winds that come down off the Rockies and change the season on us... sometimes for days at a time. Come to think about it ... the chances for a white Christmas in this part of the province seem to run about 50-50,” Diane explained.

“Look on the bright side, guys ... at least we don’t need to wear boots tonight,” Cheryl cheerfully pointed out.

“HAH! With our luck ... we’ll probably get a major dump before the boys pick us up!” Diane sarcastically remarked.

“My sister ... the optimist! Look, sis ... when we get inside ... get the girls squared away in your room. I told Gaby that we’d take a look at what they had to wear tonight before making a final decision about what to do the rest of the day.”

“Okay! “ Diane enthusiastically agreed.

Ushering the girls and their large sports bag into the house, she soon had them in her room. A few minutes later, Cheryl joined them as Maddy started to lay their ‘travelling outfits’ out on Diane’s bed.

“I like this!” Cheryl enthused as Maddy smoothed out her wife’s cable-knit turtleneck and black calf-length skirt.

“I still think we should go shopping,” Gaby offered while Diane admired Maddy’s turtleneck sweater dress.

“Why? I’d say these are perfect for tonight ... casual but smart,” Diane suggested as her sister nodded her agreement.

“Unless it gets a lot colder than it is now ... I think the knitted stuff will be too heavy,” Gaby replied.

“True...” Cheryl sheepishly admitted. “Well, if we’re going shopping ... we gotta move ... you guys ever heard of Victoria Secret’s?”

“Who hasn’t?” Maddy enthused.

“You guys ever been to one?”

“They have stores here?” Maddy asked with amazement. “We thought that was strictly an online thing.”

“Nope ... they’ve been in the US for a long time, but it’s only in the last few years that they’ve set up shop in Canada and the only stores in Alberta are in Calgary and Edmonton,” Cheryl proudly informed their guests.

“It’s got everything ... a full line of clothes ... shoes ... some ... very sexy lingerie...” Diane suggestively added, emphasizing the ‘sexy’ part while she held up Maddy’s infamous babydoll and stared directly into the owner’s crimson face.

“And ... if you don’t find everything there ... the other stores in the Chinook Centre may have something,” Cheryl quickly pointed out, changing the subject.

“I take it this Chinook Centre is a mall?” Maddy wondered.

“A big one,” Diane ventured.

”Until the West Edmonton Mall opened, it was the largest one in Alberta ... and it’s right here in town!” Cheryl proudly added.

“All abooooard! ... Ha ha ha ha ha...” Suddenly the opening riffs of Ozzy Osborne’s ‘Crazy Train’ abruptly tore into the conversation.

“You really got to get a new ring tone, sis...” Cheryl playfully chided above the fast running, raw opening guitar riffs of the song.

“Why? It gets your attention,” Diane cheerfully shot back as she flipped her cell phone open. “Hello? ... Oh hi, darling...”

“Must be Mark,” Cheryl whispered as Diane blushed and took the hint, moving quickly into the hall to get away from the others in an effort to get a little privacy. “Better get comfortable ... she’ll likely be a while.”

After several long minutes, Diane rejoined the others and informed them that Mark would drop by shortly to see Gaby, but declined to explain why. While they were waiting, they all continued to hang around Diane’s bedroom, talking about their upcoming plans for the day.

(Ding, dong ... ding, dong...)

“I’ll get it!” Diane called out as she darted out of her room and down the stairs towards the front door. A couple of minutes later she rejoined the others, holding hands with a very fit looking young man. After introductions, Mark got right down to the purpose of his visit.

"Diane said you wished you had something you could donate to the silent auction . . . right?"

Gaby nodded her agreement then watched as Mark produced a large 12” x 14” head-on photo, of an indeterminate number of cyclists caught in the chaos and raw power of the sprint.

“Knowing how I like cycling, my aunt took it while on vacation in France last summer and gave it to me...”

As he carefully laid the photo on Diane’s dresser, the girls all gathered around to get a better view of it, but it was Maddy who first recognized the scene.

“Sweetheart ... doesn’t this look familiar?” As Gaby studied it, a wide grin slowly formed on her face. As she glanced at Mark, he nodded his agreement.

“It’s the final sprint on the last stage of the ‘Tour de Féminine’. See? That’s Gabs ... right there!” Maddy proudly explained while pointing to a pair of sunglasses and a pale lime-green and mauve helmet, peeking out from behind several other riders.

“She beat all those women?” Cheryl asked.

“Nope ... came fourth this time ... but she won the overall race on the points she amassed over the course of the race,” Maddy proudly replied.

“How long’s this race, then?” Diane voiced.

“Five l-o-n-g stages, over five days ... including two days in the Pyrenees,” Gaby wearily answered.

“Whoa!” Diane breathed, much to Mark’s amusement.

“Is this the race that she became World Champion?” Cheryl asked.

“No ... but the ‘Tour de Féminine’ is probably the most prestigious stage race on the women’s circuit and it was also won by her mother in 2003. Since then, it's always been one of Gaby’s goals to win it like her mum did. She actually won this year's World Champion title when she won the ‘World Championships’ in Norway, last September...” Maddy explained.

Pausing briefly to let Cheryl and Diane take that in, Mark resumed letting Gaby know what he had planned for the night.

“What I figure is that you can sign it and I’ll donate it to the auction under your name. A friend of mine works in a photo studio downtown and he’s assured me that he’ll have this suitably framed and under glass for me well before Wayne and I have to pick you guys up for dinner. He’ll even title it however we want. I’m kinda thinking maybe something like ‘The Last Sprint’... ”

“I like that,” Gaby agreed.

She then took the proffered pen and after some thought, lowered her hand to the photo and allowing for what she guessed was the width of the matte that would act as the inner ‘frame’ for the photo, wrote in the lower right-hand corner...

Tour de Féminine, 2013
Gaby Bond
— World Champion (Women’s Road Race)

“Perfect! I’ll get this to Steve. Cocktails are supposed to start around six, so Wayne and I will plan on picking you girls up around five, give or take, then drive to the hotel ... that okay?” Mark enthused as he gathered up the photo and prepared to leave.

“A real pleasure finally meeting the two of you (turning to face Maddy and Gaby) ... see you girls later ... bye all!

“I’ll walk you to the door,” Diane sweetly offered. After he left, she re-joined the others and following any last minute checks of their make-up, they quickly gathered up their purses and got ready to ‘hit the mall’.

Thirty minutes later, the girls were inside Calgary’s Chinook Centre with Cheryl leading the charge towards their first objective, the new Victoria Secret’s outlet.

“How much time do we have?” Maddy wondered as the four girls entered the store.

“I figure we should be leaving here around three ... three-thirty at the latest ... if we don’t want to be too rushed before the boys pick us up,” Cheryl replied.

“Four hours. (sigh) Hardly enough time for this store, let alone the mall...” Maddy playfully lamented.

“You and Cheryl would make a good pair!” Diane joked. At that moment, a salesgirl who looked fresh out of high school, walked up.

“May I help you ladies with anything?”

“Actually ... yes. Our two friends here, are looking for something they can wear to a semi-formal dinner this evening,” Cheryl replied while nodding towards Maddy and Gaby. When the sales clerk looked towards them, both girls returned an innocent smile and a little synchronized finger wave.

“If you follow me, our Holiday fashions are right over here. Do you have anything in mind?”

“I was thinking along the lines of a skirt an’ top,” Gaby replied.

“I’m not sure. I could go with either a skirt or a dress. Whatever looks good,” Maddy added.

“What about pants?” the salesclerk wondered.

“From what we know about tonight, I think we’ll pass,” Gaby concluded after seeing Cheryl subtly shake her head.

Okay ... sizes?”

“Not sure?” Maddy sheepishly admitted.

“They’re visiting from Europe and aren’t familiar with the North American sizing. In Banff, they both took a medium when they purchased some outer clothing for skiing,” Cheryl quickly mentioned.

“Hmmm ... looking at you two ... I’d say an ‘8’ ... maybe a ‘10’. Why don’t we start there and see what happens.”

After walking a short distance through the store, they approached a section packed with clothing, from the casual right up to the formal.

“Here we are, ladies. The Misses section is right in front of you and the change rooms are along the back wall.”

At Diane’s suggestion to save time, they split up, with her and Maddy going off in one direction while Cheryl followed Gaby. They were only into their own shopping frenzies a few minutes when Maddy called Gaby over.

“Sweetheart ... are you sure you don’t want pants?”

“Huh?”

“Look at the mannequin over there ... the one with the black leather pants and lace top. I think you’d look very sexy in that...” Maddy mischievously breathed when they were close together.

“That’s a hint, right?”

“You’re learning...” Maddy whispered with an impish smile.

”Maybe ... but, I still want to find a skirt for tonight,” Gaby softly replied, with a gentle squeeze of her wife’s hand.

“Okay.”

As they again went their own way, Gaby found the salesclerk straightening up some nearby displays. After pointing out Maddy's mannequin to her, she was soon leading Cheryl and her to the appropriate clothing racks.

“This is the same top as on the mannequin. We just put these out on the floor this morning. It’s completely black lace with short-sleeves and a double-V neckline with a cross-over back.”

Cheryl quickly thumbed through the rack. Finding a medium, she took it and held it up against Gaby.

“OhmyGod ... you got to at least try it on!”

“Kinda long ... isn’t it?” Gaby questioned.

“It’s supposed to hang down to just below your hips,” the staffer replied.

“In that case ... I like it,” Gaby voiced.

“We have them with either a black or a midnight blue silk camisole.”

“Go with the black, Gabs...” Cheryl suggested.

“I think you’re right,” Gaby agreed.

It wasn’t long before Gaby had two each of the lace top and the leather pants, in her arms. On the way over to the change rooms, Maddy caught up to both girls before they reached their destination and presented Gaby with two ‘grey’ miniskirts that were the same style, but different sizes.

“I thought you and Diane were searching for your outfit,” Gaby joked as Maddy stopped her.

“We are, but I saw this skirt and thought it’d go well with that top.”

“I like the colour...”

“Diane said it’s called ‘light heather’ ... now, hurry up and try them on so you can tell me what size I am,” Maddy playfully hinted.

Gaby took the clothes and disappeared into the change room. It was only after several threats to send in a search party that she reappeared modelling the lace top and skirt.

“You take an ‘8’ Mad! The ‘10’ was definitely too big,” Gaby announced as she stood in front of the others. “Whaddya think?

“Not crazy about the white bra ... you definitely need a black strapless for that top ... but other than that ... it looks lovely on you,” Maddy gushed. “Have you tried on the pants?”

“Already did ... I think I’m getting those as well,” Gaby replied.

“Told you!” Maddy smugly whispered.

“Some black pantyhose would look perfect with that,” Diane mentioned.

As she returned to get changed, Gaby requested the salesclerk properly fit her for a bra to make the search go a little faster, while Maddy and Diane resumed their hunt for the perfect outfit.

“C’mon ... I still have to find some ‘pantyhose’ before we get outta here,” Gaby mentioned to Cheryl as she left the change room after settling on a bra from the selection her friend brought her.

On the way back to the lingerie section, they had to pass back through the Misses clothing and whether it was a lack of resolve or an excellent floor layout, Gaby soon spotted more clothes to look at.

“Just a minute Cheryl,” Gaby requested as she approached a circular rack of blouses.

She pulled out a very feminine silk long-sleeved blouse in a deep Maritime blue. The elastic cuffs were trimmed in black lace as was the drawstring hem. The most striking design feature was a very wide vertical strip of black lace reaching out a few inches either side of the hidden buttons that extended down the front of the blouse

“Whaddya think ... with the leather pants?”

“Very nice! Is that your size?”

“Nope ... it’s a small. Hope there’s a medium here...” Gaby murmured as she continued to search through the rack. “Ahhh ... found one!”

When she looked up, she noticed Cheryl was holding an off-white sweater.

“Where’d you get that?”

“That pile over there. Wayne’s going to melt when he sees me in this!”

“Might as well surrender now, Mad!” Gaby mumbled to herself as she searched the pile for her size. Finding one, she pulled it out and examined it. “I’ve never seen this style of sweater before.”

“It’s called a Boucle shawl-collar. I’ve seen several girls at school wearing sweaters like this ... not this style, but this same knit.”

“Maddy’s gonna love that neckline ... I like the colour. Kinda an off-white,” Gaby declared as she held up the sweater in front of her.

“It’s called Vanilla-bean-heather,” Cheryl smirked while reading the tag.

“Who comes up with these names?” Gaby playfully asked.

“Back to the change rooms?”

“Uh huh ... or we’ll be here all day,” Gaby joked. A short while later, the two re-emerged from the change rooms and headed off for the lingerie department for a second time.

As they stood at the checkout waiting for Maddy and Diane, Gaby asked Cheryl about shoes.

“I really don’t want to wear boots with the temperatures called for tonight, but I didn’t see anything that grabbed me as we walked past their shoes. Any other places in the mall you’d recommend?”

“Payless ... I get most of my shoes there. We’ll hit them, next,” Cheryl quietly replied.

“Find what you want, Mad?” Gaby asked as she and Diane approached.

“Yep ... and a couple more things. Ummm ... you’re not angry, are you?” Maddy wondered when she saw a lack of expression on her wife’s face.

“She can’t complain. The small one's mine ... the large one's are hers!” Cheryl revealed as she lifted her small bag while standing aside to show three large bags resting against the checkout counter.

“That makes me feel better!” Maddy joked.

She then proceeded to show Gaby everything as she handed each item to the salesclerk to be rung up, including a black fitted, mini-dress with scooped neck and sheer blouson sleeves with wide four buttons cuffs.

“That’s for tonight and this is to wear home...” Maddy produced a long purple and black plaid, calf-length skirt and a black silk blouse. “I think this would look nice with my dress boots ... don’t you?”

“You always did have a good fashion sense,” Gaby softly replied.

As soon as everything was paid for, Cheryl and Diane whisked the girls back out into the mall and down several stores to Payless Shoes. Once inside, Gaby and Maddy gave their bags to their friends before wandering down the aisles looking for that special shoe. They found a few styles that caught their eye, but when they had their feet measured their sizes weren’t in stock.

Before long, both girls did find that special pair. Gaby settled for an ankle-strap pump with a four inch heel and a half inch platform sole. Being five 5’8” in her bare feet, she thought she could use the extra height. Maddy found her shoe of choice - a Dorothy Mary Jane style pump with a four inch heel and a single strap over the bridge of the foot.

Once their mission was accomplished and the girls had what they needed for the evening, the four made their way back to Cheryl’s car and home.

It was just before five in the afternoon, when Mark turned into the Chamber’s driveway and pulled up behind Cheryl’s car. Minutes after Mark went into the house, Wayne pulled onto the curb in front of the house and joined the others, inside. Mark took a few minutes to show the girls the framed photo he was donating in Gaby’s name to the club’s silent auction and then following a brief conversation with the parents, Wayne was helping Cheryl into his car before heading off to the dinner. After Mark said his 'good-nites' to Diane's parents, the remaining four left the house and headed for their rendezvous with the other two at the hotel.

The journey from the Chamber’s residence to downtown Calgary was only a few minutes, but as soon as Mark entered the city streets, they encountered traffic and road construction. When things looked like they’d still make it on time, they encountered yet another red light just as their destination came into sight. After what seemed like hours, the light turned green and he advanced through the intersection.

As he approached the first of four entrances to the hotel complex, Mark turned in instead of continuing on for another block to their multi-level parking garage, as he usually did. When they drove up beside the main entrance, they saw the other two were already standing outside waiting by the main doors. While his girlfriend was busy wondering how her sister managed to get to the hotel before she did, he swung into the reserved ‘valet parking lane’ before bringing the car to a stop in front of the hotel’s main doors.

As Mark turned to look at Diane, her expression seemed to question this pleasantly unexpected move.

“What?”

“Valet Parking? ... Now this is new,” Diane sweetly stated with just a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

“You don’t honestly think that Wayne and I were going make the four most beautiful ladies in Calgary walk through a dirty ol’ parking garage ... do you?” Mark fought a losing battle to hold back a huge grin in the face of Diane’s glaring stare.

“You know that you’ve set a precedent for next year’s dinner ... don’t you?” Diane playfully asked. She then leaned over and lightly brushed her lips to his before she sat up in her seat and allowed the Hotel Doorman to assist her out of the car.

Once they entered the large, open lobby, Mark and Diane led the small group to the long escalators at the opposite end.

“When you get to the top ... hang a right and wait for us there,” Mark called out to Gaby as she and Maddy got on the ‘up’ escalator several steps before the others.

“Where are we this year ... same place?” Diane asked as they started walking down the wide carpeted hallway.

“Yep...” Mark sharply replied as he caught sight of their destination. “...But it looks like they’re not quite setup yet ... the doors are still closed.”

“Guess we wait out here with the rest of the crowd,” Diane mentioned as she started to lead the girls over to one of the several leather covered benches that lined the wide hallway running outside the hotel’s conference rooms. “Grab that one ... it’s empty!”

“You guys hang here and I’ll go and try to find Bill. He’s probably inside directing things since I don’t see him out here. I know he wanted to talk to Gaby when she got here,” Mark suggested once the girls got comfortable.

“If I don’t come back out before they open the doors, I’ll meet you guys inside ... okay?”

A few minutes after he disappeared behind the closed doors, Diane turned when she heard a familiar voice call her name. Scanning the gathering dinner crowd, she saw some familiar faces heading directly towards them.

“Gaby? Do you mind if I let you introduce yourself and Maddy? I think it’d sound better coming from you,” Diane whispered as she directed Gaby’s attention to the approaching threesome, by a subtle nod of her head.

“Feeling a little awkward, are we?” Gaby quietly joked.

“Thanks ... I’ll leave you an opening...” Diane quietly acknowledged with a smile.

“You seem to know them. Do you think they’ll ‘freak out’ when I refer to Mad as my wife?” Gaby hissed. “I don’t want to cause a scene or anything.”

“I don’t think so ... but try it! We’ll both find out...” Diane quietly suggested.

“Oh, gee ... thanks!” Gaby sarcastically whispered as Diane’s friends drew near.

“Hi, Mrs. Wright ... Mr. Wright. I see Heather managed to drag you two out tonight,” Diane whimsically observed. “No Kaylee?”

“Babysitting for the Crane’s...” Heather flatly replied.

“That’s right! She told me a while ago that she couldn’t make it to the dinner. She said something about it being the Crane's anniversary or something like that,” Diane firmly answered, berating herself for her own forgetfulness.

“Heather saw some new faces sitting with you and thought we should come over and welcome them,” Mrs. Wright cheerfully admitted.

Turning first to both girls and then back to the Wrights, Diane began the introductions.

“Guys ... these people have been friends with my parents since before I can remember. This is Mr. and Mrs. Wright ... and their youngest daughter, Heather. She may be only sixteen, but she's one of this club’s rising stars. Their other daughter, Kaylee and I grew up together. Right now, we share an apartment with four other girls when we’re back at university... much better than staying in Residence...”

Upon hearing Diane’s cue, Gaby took a firm hold of her wife’s hand. With a reassuring glance from Maddy and a gentle squeeze of their joined hands, both girls silently hoped for the best.

Previous to the night’s dinner, the girls had only attended one function together as a married couple and that was jointly hosted by both the Team and corporate Apollinaris at the end-of-season. For the two girls, being among friends, family and a ‘few’ invited guests, didn’t count. This was different. They were on their own.

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Gaby Bond ... and ... this is my wife ... Maddy.”

When the Wright’s gave no outward sign of a reaction, both girls mentally breathed a collective sigh of relief as Diane resumed talking.

“They’re visiting from Germany and are staying up at Lake Louise. Sis and I found these two last Monday wandering the streets of Banff ... cold, confused and looking for a good sports store.”

“Well ... two outta three ain’t bad,” Maddy playfully whispered to Gaby.

“And I suppose you just happened to steer them to Monod’s...” Mrs. Wright jokingly guessed.

“Naturally,” Diane smirked.

“Pleased to meet both of you,” Mr. Wright offered. “I must commend you on your English. I could easily have mistaken you for British if I hadn’t been told you were German.”

“Actually, Mad an’ I are British. My family an’ I moved to Germany about nine years ago ... an’ Mad’s family joined us a few years later.”

“What part of Germany?” Mr. Wright asked.

“Mayschoß . It’s a small town about an hour south of Bonn ... near Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, in the Ahr Valley. Both our parents live there as well,” Maddy replied.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if my dad’s been there. He was based in Lahr with the Canadian Forces, in the late sixties,” Mr. Wright casually mentioned. “He liked to travel around the country ... when he had the time.”

“Great wine country,” Gaby put in.

“Then he probably knew it very well,” Mr. Wright replied with a chuckle.

“How long have you two been married?” Mrs. Wright wondered while she studied the girl’s rings, as if sizing them up.

“Seven months next Wednesday,” Maddy replied. “Gabs had to wait until the end of the season before we were able to get away.”

Thinking that she’d probably have an opportunity to talk to them later in the evening, Mrs. Wright changed the subject.

“Gaby? I’m curious ... are you by any chance related to Jenny Bond, the cyclist?”

“She’s my mother!” Gaby proudly admitted.

“I thought as much. I’ve only seen her photos, but you look so much like her...”

When Heather heard this, she blocked out the rest of her mother’s conversation while her eyes went wide in disbelief that she could actually be in company with the 2013 Women’s World Champion.

“OhmyGod! Is it really her?” Heather excitedly hissed to Diane.

“Yep...” Diane smugly confirmed in a whisper.

“I can’t believe I didn’t recognize her standing there! I’ve seen all her photos ... I even saw her racing last summer in Montreal. She looks so different off her bike ... more like a fashion model!” Heather softly gushed to Diane.

“...And you have all evening to talk with her,” Diane quietly mentioned.

“But she’s the World Champion!” Heather hissed.

“So? Does that make a difference?”

“I don’t know ... it’s just that ...” Heather meekly whispered.

“Look! Talking to these two is no different than talking to Cheryl or me,” Diane sternly whispered.

“... but...”

“But nothin’! They may be married to each other and Gaby may the World Champion, but they’re still regular people ... just like you ... me ... or Cheryl. Spending time with them has been no different for us than if we’re spending time with friends from school.”

“Really?”

“Really...” Diane confirmed.

“... Still no sign of cancer?” Mrs. Wright was still talking with Gaby about her mother when Heather rejoined the conversation after Diane gave her arm a gentle nudge.

“No, thank God! As of January, she’ll have been cancer free for nine full years.”

“Is she still involved with the sport?” Mrs. Wright asked.

“Currently, she’s the Training Director for the Team Apollinaris’ Youth Development Program ... but that doesn’t stop her from occasionally riding with the pro team on their training rides. She keeps tellin’ us that it’s just to keep her hand in...” Gaby proudly related.

“Jenny Bond was the 2003 Women’s Professional Road Race World Champion,” Mrs. Wright explained as an aside, to her husband.

“Gaby’s the current Women’s Professional Road Race World Champion!” Diane quickly added with some enthusiasm. “And ... she rides for Team Apollinaris, just like her mom did!”

“Like mother ... like daughter. Congratulations on winning the title,” an obviously impressed Mr. Wright mentioned.

“Thank you.”

“Guys ... I guess we should go in now. They’ve opened the room,” Diane observed.

“Would it be okay if Mad an’ I picked this up later? I’d especially like a chance to talk with you, Heather ... but right now, as I understand it ... Diane’s boyfriend is looking to meet us inside with your club president,” Gaby mentioned as she felt a discreet tug on her hand.

~~~

“See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Diane quietly commented as she calmly linked arms with the other two as the Wright’s drifted off.

“You knew ... didn’t you?” Gaby replied a she sported a wide grin.

“I tried to tell you guys at the house, there’s nothing to worry about ... period! These days, it’s almost as common to see same-sex couples getting their wedding pictures done in a park as it is to see heterosexual couples posing for their photos.”

“Kewl,” Maddy murmured.

“Even the Spring ‘bridal shows’ around here, have businesses show up offering packages to same-sex couples ... so relax ... be yourselves and enjoy, just like you’ve done all week ... okay?”

“...’Kay...” the girls sheepishly chorused.

“I see Cheryl and Wayne over there ... now ... where’s Mark?” Diane wondered as she scanned the room.

“Ummm ... behind you?” Gaby playfully answered.

When the three girls turned towards him, he started to introduce the two people that he was with.

“Girls ... may I present the President of the Calgary Cycling Club ... Bill Peterson and his wife, Jerry. Bill ... this is Gaby Bond and...” Mark’s voice began to trail off as he searched for the proper words.

“...My wife ... Maddy,” Gaby jumped in, with a smile.

“Gaby’s the 2013 Women’s Professional Cycling Road Race World Champion...” Mark quickly added as he suddenly found his voice.

“...And Maddy’s a microbiologist doing research at the University of Bonn.”

After the initial pleasantries were out of the way, Maddy and Gaby chatted with the Petersons' for a while longer before setting out on their own and mingling with the other dinner guests, looking at the tables of donated items for the silent auction and meeting up to continue their talk with the Wright’s.

When dinner was announced, the room’s central partition was rolled back to reveal the full size of the ballroom and a buffet meal. As the guests began to organize themselves into two orderly food lines, Mark quickly ran back to the table they picked out near the ‘head table’. Placing the chairs so their backs rested on the table’s edge, he ‘reserved’ their table, before re-joining Wayne and the girls.

During dinner, the conversation at the table was kept light and any ‘shop talk’ about the sport, was noticeably absent. After dinner, attention was focused on the small stage and the podium set up in one corner at the front of the room near the ‘head table’, as the awards ceremony commenced.

“As you all know ... in the past, I’ve presented all the various awards. However, this year we’re changing things around a bit. You’ve probably noticed that there is still one award to present ... and for that ... we have someone with us tonight who’s far more qualified to present it than I...” Bill later announced, after he handed out all but one of the awards.

He then stepped off the small stage carrying the hand-held microphone and took a few steps over to the table where Gaby was sitting. When he came up behind her, he squatted down between the two girls and lightly tapped Gaby on the shoulder.

“...Your turn!”

“How does this work?” Gaby joked as she slowly turned around in her chair and nervously accepted the ‘mic’ from Bill.

“You lift it up to your mouth and speak here...” he playfully replied.

“Thanks,” Gaby smirked while sporting a grin.

“You’ll do fine, sweetheart,” Maddy offered as she gently put her had on Gaby’s arm for re-assurance.

With a nod, Bill stood and walked off to join his wife at their table, while Gaby rose from her chair. Before heading up to take her place behind the podium, Maddy gently grabbed her wife’s hand and pulled her down for a quick, ‘good luck’ kiss on the lips.

“...For luck...”

After a few steps, Gaby stepped up onto the small stage and when she accidentally tapped the mic against the wooden lip of the podium, she heard the quiet thud of contact. It quickly dawned on her that it had been ‘live’ the whole time that she had it at their table. Raising it up to her mouth and looking directly at Maddy, she sweetly addressed her lovely wife.

“Umm ... Mad ... did you realize this thing was still ‘on’ when it was handed it to me?“ Gaby swore she felt her wife blushing. Then casually addressing the room as a whole, she added in a light-hearted voice.

“Ummm ... what can I say? ... It’s our honeymoon.”

Gaby’s candid spontaneity seemed to be exactly what the room needed and she could feel any tension from Maddy’s unexpected affection towards her, evaporate.

Then turning to the matter at hand, she faced the room once again and got a bit more serious.

“I know I haven’t met everyone in this room tonight, so there’s probably more than a few who are wondering who this girl is an’ why is she up here? I hafta admit, there’s been more than a few occasions when I’ve asked those very questions, myself.”

Muted laughter rose from at least two tables in the room.

“In answer to the ‘why’ I’m here ... it’s to present the last of the evening’s awards to a young lady, who by her stats, richly deserves it. After learning that Maddy and I were in the neighbourhood, so to speak ... your Club President had the idea that the recipient of this award might get a bigger kick out of it if I gave it out, instead of him ... an’ so here we are.”

“Now, for the remaining question... ‘who is she’?” Gaby playfully stated. In a calm and quiet voice, she provided the answer.

“Well ... my name’s Gaby Bond ... an’ ... I’m the 2013 Women’s Professional Cycling Road Race Champion.”

When Gaby relaxed and looked out at the approximately 200-plus dinner guests seated at the thirty large round tables that dotted the room, she was taken aback by the room’s reaction. The clapping slowly started with a few of the female club members and quickly spread to the other tables. Before they were done, she was facing a room-wide standing ovation. As she looked over to the table where she had been sitting, Maddy openly blew her a kiss.

“I’m really gonna hafta ask Mum how she deals with all this,” Gaby softly joked into the microphone as she recovered from her shock. Shortly thereafter, the applause started to fade and people returned to their seats.

“Thank you ... all of you!”

After a deep breath, Gaby raised the microphone back up to her mouth and began to do what she’d originally been asked.

“Okay ... I’ve really got to hand this award out ... but before I do ... I’d like to say that when I first agreed to come here, I asked to see the stats for all the girls that were in competition for this award. To all of those girls ... an’ to the club as a whole ... I can only say that in my opinion ... you guys have some serious raw talent here!”

The polite clapping was easily drowned out by a more rowdy, but good-natured frenzy of loud clapping and cheers from the club members. After a few seconds, she held up her hand and once the clapping had again died down, resumed speaking.

“However, as in all competitions ... there can only be one clear winner. Out of a total of nine major club races in her age group over the course of last summer ... this year’s recipient of this award, walked away with two firsts, a second and a three thirds. I think ... that in itself ... deserves a hand.” Following another round of applause, Gaby once again spoke into the microphone.

“The winner of the ‘2013 Most Podium Appearances by a Female’, goes to ... Heather Wright!”

The club president brought forward the award from a table that was against the wall behind Gaby and passed it to her. When Heather made her way up onto the small stage, there was a brief exchange of words and a congratulatory hug before Gaby handed her well-deserved award.

After a few photos with the World Champion and the plaque, Heather excitedly returned to her family seated at one of the tables while Bill returned the award to the ‘trophy table’ for the remainder of the evening.

When Gaby returned to her table and resumed her seat beside her wife, Maddy leaned over and whispered a few words of her own.

“You tell her about your dad?”

“I told her to expect a call...” Gaby smugly replied in a soft voice.
.
 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...
 

Time is fleeting...

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 6
 

“Where’re we going, sweetheart?” Maddy asked as she was silently directed to the waiting Banff shuttle. When they boarded, Gaby put their sports bag in the overhead before taking the seat beside her wife.

“Remember I told you I wanted our last day here to be really special?” Gaby softly asked in answer to her wife’s curiosity.

“Uh huh,” Maddy softly answered as other passengers walked past her seat.

“Okay, then … I thought we could spend the day hangin’ around that hotel we caught the shuttle to go skiing ...”

“Why ... what’s there?”

”Just thought you might like a day at the spa…” Gaby softly murmured as she looked into Maddy’s eyes while reaching for her hand.

“What?” Maddy sweetly asked in a hushed tone.

“Think of it as a romantic ‘Grande Finale’ to the week,” Gaby whispered as the coach made its way from the hotel onto the highway into Banff.

“A real spa?” Maddy’ eyes lit up as she quietly squealed.

“Jus’ like back ‘ome…”

“I’ve never been...” Maddy quietly admitted, wide-eyed and all excited.

“That’s why you’re going today…” Gaby softly allowed. “An’ it doesn’t stop there...”

“Mmmmm ... tell me,” Maddy softly purred.

“After the spa … we come back here, where we’ve got reservations for a quiet, romantic, dinner. You get to dress up tonight, darling...” Gaby laid out with a smile. “...Then we just go ‘wherever’ the mood takes us before we have to pack-up and get out.”

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re a hopeless romantic?”

“Matter of fact … there was this one girl. Quite beautiful as I recall…” Gaby thoughtfully recalled while staring into Maddy’s eyes.

“I love you too, sweetheart!” Maddy softly whispered as she gently caressed her wife’s cheek and then snuggled up against her.

“You want me to tell you about the spa or you rather it be a surprise?’

“Surprise me…” Maddy softly declared with a gentle squeeze to Gaby’s hand.

“Okay ... but when we get to the hotel, we’ll have to leave all our jewellery an’ our wallets in the hotel safe before we check in at the spa.”

“Is that why you said to leave our stuff back in the room’s safe and just take our wallets?”

“Uh huh.”

“Do we even have to put our rings in the hotel’s safe, when we get there?”

“Unfortunately. The spa’s brochure says that that the high mineral content of their baths may ruin them. Even if we don’t actually have one of the baths, the stuff’s in the air ... like chlorine at an indoor public swimming pool.”

“When do we have to be there?”

“Our appointment’s for half ten.”

“Why’re we going now? We’ll be there before nine.”

“They’d like you there at least thirty minutes before your appointment … to see the place and relax ... as in whirlpool or sauna...”

“We couldn’t do both, could we?” Maddy asked hopefully.

“You can always ask.”

“Okay.”

“Will we be having any of these mineral baths?”

“Maybe…”

“Do we have to wear bathing suits or is this place like those Japanese baths you hear about?”

“Yes an’ no ... the brochure says it’s optional in some parts of the spa … but they do give you one of those fluffy white robes you always see in ads for posh hotels.”

“Did you put our bathing suits in the sports bag?”

“Of course … didn’t you see me?”

“No, you wouldn’t let me in the room ... remember?” Maddy replied with a child-like pout. “So ... I’ll finally see you what you look like wet in that sexy bright yellow two-piece you got last summer?”

“I told you ... it’s neon yellow... not bright yellow!” Gaby countered with a playful grin. “But ... I could say the same about the one you brought...”

“Mmmm … well, whatever it is ... I can’t wait,” Maddy purred as she held her bride’s hand.

“But on-the-other-hand ... you did say bathing suits, optional, didn’t you?” There was no mistaking the hope in Maddy’s voice.

“We have a private suite...” Gaby mischievously hinted.

“We do?” Maddy questioned.

“Uh huh. It’s part of our package ... ‘Ritual for Two’ ... an’ it’s designed only for couples ... sooo ... if the mood strikes.”

“Hmmm … I like it the sound of that,” Maddy purred with an impish grin. “Are you always going to be this romantic?”

“Only when I’m in your arms...” Gaby softly replied.

Thinking that they were sufficiently hidden from the other passengers by their high-backed coach seats, she gently turned Gaby’s face to look at her and tenderly kissed her on the lips.

“Honeymoon…” Gaby quietly offered in a deadpan voice, as the two girls parted from their kiss. From her vantage point sitting with her back against the window, she was looking directly at two college-aged boys seated across the aisle, staring at them.

As soon as she heard her bride’s voice, a red-faced Maddy shot back in her seat and snapped her head around to look where her wife was directing her attention. Flushed with embarrassment at being caught, the boys immediately directed their attention elsewhere.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t think anyone would see.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mad. I think they’re more embarrassed at being caught than you are for being seen.”

The remainder of the trip was quietly spent with the girls looking at the passing scenery and cuddling with each other, while enjoying the quiet moments. Meanwhile, the two boys talked in whispers and avoided any obvious glances in the girl’s direction.

When the coach pulled up by the main entrance to the Fairmont Banff Spring’s Hotel, the girls quickly got off and started to head for the main doors while the majority of their fellow passengers hung around waiting for their belongings to be extracted from the bus’s storage lockers.

“Excuse me … Miss?”

Both girls turned around at the sound of a quiet male voice to see the same two boys who sat opposite them on the coach. As they waited by the hotel doors, they watched them along with their ski equipment, confidently wind their way through the growing group of skiers awaiting the arrival of the Mount Norquay shuttle.

“Yes?” Gaby replied. Almost immediately, neither girl cared for the way the boys were checking them out as they stood in front of them.

“My friend and I just wanted to apologize for any embarrassment we might’ve caused you girls, on the bus…”

“There was no embarrassment on our part, I assure you...” Gaby sarcastically answered.

“I love your accent. British … isn’t it?”

“You just can’t take a hint, can you?” Maddy thought to herself.

“Yes it is. Now, we really have to go,” Gaby tersely replied.

“Wait!” the one boy asked Gaby while he lightly put his hand on her arm to stop her. “Since we’re obviously both staying at Lake Louise, maybe we could buy you two dinner tonight … as a proper apology? By the way … my name’s Jeff and this here’s Steve.”

There was a cold silence as Maddy watched her wife glare at him while thinking of a suitable response.

“I don’t think so,” Gaby quietly, but politely uttered as she gently removed his hand. “Like I said on the coach … my wife an’ I are on our ‘Honeymoon’.” To emphasize the point, both girls removed the gloves on their left hand, while the boys stood there frozen in disbelief and wondered how to exit with some grace.

“Shit, Jeff! She was telling the truth, man!” Steve whispered as an aside to his friend.

“How was I to know? I thought she was just giving us a line,” Jeff hissed a little bit louder than he intended. Gaby decided to ‘twist the knife’ as she sarcastically berated the pair like two little children, after overhearing the boy’s ‘silent’ exchange.

“Girls don’t give lines ... inflated male egos do! Now, really ... when you watched us kiss ... didn’t that tell you anything or are you so full of yourselves to think we did it to turn you on? We know you two were tossing childish glances at us the whole trip ... so ... seeing us cuddle the whole time must’ve told you something … right? If that’s not enough … did I not explicitly tell you it was our ‘Honeymoon’? Now, c’mon guys … how many more clues do you need to tell you that you ‘need not apply’?”

“C’mon, man … I think that’s our bus,” Steve weakly mentioned as he pulled Jeff away.

While the girls watched the two boys sheepishly retreat with their egos suitably shredded, Maddy tried unsuccessfully to repress a chuckle. Gaby soon joined her wife’s merriment as they abruptly turned and continued to walk, hand-in-hand, to the hotel entrance.

“The cheeky monkey!” Maddy playfully commented as she looked over at her wife.

“Complete and utter bastards is more like it!”

“Oh, don’t let it bother you, sweetheart. We’ll be gone in the morning … an’ it’s not like we’ll ever see them again. Let’s just enjoy our last day here,” Maddy softly advised.

“You’re right! Shall we?” Gaby’s renewed headlong charge into the hotel was pleasantly slowed when a gentleman exiting the hotel, held the heavy glass and oaken doors open for the girls.

“Ladies?”

“Thank you, kind sir…” Maddy offered as they both smiled sweetly at him when they walked past.

“I guess chivalry still lives,” Gaby quietly gushed.

“Being a girl does have its perks, sweetheart…” Maddy sweetly replied.

When they walked through the ornate lobby and approached the Concierge Desk, a middle-aged gentleman behind the counter stopped his conversation with another staff member and quickly turned his attention to the girls.

“May I help you ladies?”

“Yes. We’re staying at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise…” Gaby began while she drew out their room pass from the zippered pocket on her jacket, as confirmation of their stay. “… an’ we have an appointment at your spa later this morning. We’d like to put some items in the hotel safe … if we may?”

“Certainly. If you’ll step over to the door at the other end, I’ll let you in.”

“If you ladies will follow me, please?” he asked once the girls had stepped through the open doorway.

After a very short walk down a hallway, they were led into a separate room with a walk-in safe. Laying a safety-deposit box on a small table, he also produced a pre-printed form that required their signatures and room number in exchange for the safety-deposit box number and a key. Once the girls had secured their valuables, they continued through the lobby and down stairs to their destination.

“Why did you show that guy our room pass?” Maddy quietly wondered.

“Since our hotels are part of the same chain, we can use the safe ... no charge!”

“Oh!”

“Well ... here we are ...The Willow Springs Spa! Shall we go in?” Gaby presented with a grand sweep of her hand, as they stood in front of a double pair of glass doors with polished bronze accents.

“Whatta place! First we walk through a misplaced Scottish castle an’ now we enter a Greek temple!” Maddy quietly exclaimed as they entered the spa’s reception area.

“Good morning, ladies … may I help you?” the receptionist asked in a cheerful, yet professional, voice.

“Morning. We have a ten-thirty appointment … name’s Gaby Bond?” Gaby revealed in a business-like fashion as both girls reached the desk.

“You’re a bit early.”

“I know an’ you can blame the shuttle schedule at the Chateau Lake Louise.”

“Believe me ... you’re not the first to say that. Here you are … ‘Ritual for Two’… ten-thirty,” the receptionist confirmed. “Just need your room number.”

After Gaby supplied the information, the receptionist continued with the check-in process.

“Thank-you. Oh, I see you’ve pre-paid! That certainly makes things easier for everybody … doesn’t it?” After entering the girl’s room number, she studied her computer monitor while in deep thought.

“Is there a problem?” Gaby inquired.

“Oh, no … just making sure all the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed,” she pleasantly answered, while trying to consider how she would diplomatically explain what appeared to be an obvious mistake.

“Didn’t anyone explain to these girls that the ‘Ritual for Two’ is for couples only? Oh, well … guess it’s not too late to change things … hmmm … what’s this?”

Scrolling down the page, her attention was drawn to the ‘additional comments’ noted at the bottom of screen.

“Makes sense now...“

“Okay! Everything’s all set. Has it been explained that we’d like all of our guests to be here thirty minutes prior to their scheduled appointments?”

“That’s mentioned on your website,” Gaby replied.

“Well, then … if you have nothing else planned and you definitely have some time to kill … may I suggest a relaxing dip in one of our two pools until you’re scheduled to begin your appointment? There’s no additional charge.’

“Sounds great,” Gaby agreed after looking over to check with Maddy.

“Good! Dawn will be working with you today as your personal therapist, so I’ll have her come out and get you two fixed up with a locker and show you where the pools are. We have an indoor 32-metre lap pool and a 20-metre outdoor, heated pool … that’s open year around. Just let her know which one you’d like.”

“The outdoor pool, Gabs … please?” Maddy quietly enthused as she made her choice known. Gaby looked at her wife and while gently squeezing her hand, nodded her agreement with a smile.

“If I can just get the two of you to sign in … right here, Dawn will get you two started.” As the girls signed the registry, the young receptionist added, “Thank you. We hope you’ll enjoy your time with us!”

Later, as the three walked towards the women’s change rooms, Dawn took the opportunity to let the girls know about the different services the spa offered including the fitness centre.

“I’ll come to get you two later when it’s time to begin your appointment. Here’re your lockers. You’ll find two robes already inside. If you’re walking around in the public areas of the spa … the rule is … robes over your bathing suits.”

“I guess you’re wondering about the lock?” Dawn joked as Maddy was examining the locker.

“I was just about to ask for the code.”

“”You set your own three-digit code like this,” Dawn offered while demonstrating how to set the code. “It’s a lot better system than making you keep track of a key. We do ask that you set it back to triple zero when you leave.”

“Ummm … Dawn?” Maddy nervously asked. “Gaby?”

“I suspect she knows…” Gaby softly confided, knowing what was on Maddy’s mind.

“I knew this package was for couples, so I felt it best to come clean an’ explain we’d be on our ‘Honeymoon’. I didn’t want any problems ... not now ... not today...”

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Maddy softly voiced as she gently rubbed the palm of her hand against Gaby’s cheek. Turning to face Dawn, Maddy felt she had to say something by way of an explanation.

“While we’re open about our relationship … we don’t toss it in everyone’s face … but … we don’t hide it either … an’ seeing how you’ll be staying with us today, I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable because of us.”

“Thanks, Maddy...” Dawn quietly answered. “Nadia told us to expect you.”

“Is she the one I spoke with on the phone?” Gaby asked.

“That’s her! She’s the Spa’s manageress. Anyway, after you phoned and booked your stay with us, she called together all the staff that were scheduled to work today and told us of your relationship. Since you’re the first same-sex couple the spa has had as clientele, she also talked to us individually to ensure we would be comfortable working with you.”

“Whaddya mean ... we’re the first?” Maddy questioned.

“Sorry ... that didn’t come out the way I meant it. I’m sure you’re not the first gay person to use the spa’s facilities. In fact, I know you’re not ... but ... you’re the first to let Nadia know in advance ... something she greatly appreciates, by the way ... and ... you’re also the first to use our facilities as a couple,” Dawn quietly admitted.

After she left, the girls quickly changed, then grabbed their towels and headed for the outdoor pool.

“This should be interesting … swimming in an outdoor pool in December at the height of a Canadian winter!” Maddy enthused.

When they approached the glass doors, they hesitated a bit before venturing out into the cold air. After a few seconds to work up their courage and determine the quickest route across the wooden deck and into the steaming water, the girls flung open the doors and calmly stepped outside in their two-piece bathing suits.

“Ya know the ‘rents will think we’re bonkers, don’tcha?” Gaby put in as they casually dropped their towels on a waist-high wooden box that was sat against the wall by the doors.

“Maybe … but I betcha that if we told them we were enjoying a glass of champagne while in the pool … both our mom’s would think it positively romantic!” Maddy playfully offered.

“Sounds like Mum,” Gaby smirked as the girls slipped into the heated water. “Mmmmm … this is lovely! Looks like we got the pool all to ourselves, too!”

“Everyone’s probably skiing … still … all the better for us, innit?” Maddy cheerfully commented.

Once in the water, they took more time to look at their surroundings. The open-air pool was surrounded by a richly stained wood deck and an eight-foot high Plexiglas partition that afforded bathers a breath-taking vista of the thick Pine forests and surrounding mountains, on three sides.

“Wotta view!” Maddy breathed.

“The water temp certainly lives up to advanced billing. I’d have absolutely no problem getting use to this,” Gaby quietly confessed as she slowly sunk down up to her neck in the heated water.

With what only seemed like a few minutes later, Dawn appeared at the door and beckoned the girls to come in to begin their appointment.

“Now, as part of your pre-treatment relaxation period … you two have your choice of a whirlpool or sauna … followed by either a cold shower or a cold drink in the lounge,” she explained as they walked.

“I think after the pool, we best go with the sauna and the cold drink. Wotcha think, Gabs?”

“Yeah ... I can dry my hair ... just need to get my brush,” Gaby playfully remarked.

“Fine. I’ll meet you a bit later, in the lounge … okay? The drink list is posted outside the doors. Let any one of the attendants know your choice and she’ll bring it to you,” Dawn replied as they walked through the facility.

“Well, here we are … enjoy! The sauna is behind these doors and the lounge is straight down the hall … can’t miss it! See you guys later.”

As promised, Dawn later wandered into the lounge and had the girls follow her out and down a maze of corridors to a pair of solid Pine doors with brass door-handles.

“Welcome to your private suite, ladies...” she stated with a bit of a flair as she opened the doors for the girls.

“After you! You’ll find that this suite has a bathroom and a separate shower. Through here, you’ll find a sitting area with a small fridge stocked with some bottled water and a few lite snacks.”

Following their brief tour, Dawn led them into the centrepiece of the suite.

“Finally … this is where you’ll both be receiving your spa treatments. When it’s time for your massages, I’ll be joined by another therapist ... her name’s Lisa. Anyway ... you’re scheduled for two hours … so, after I instruct both of you how to give each other a mineral scrub … you’re on your own…”

“I’m sure you know by now that in the privacy of your suite, clothing … is optional. Some client’s prefer to stay in their swimsuits during their spa treatments … but it’s totally up to you … any questions? No? … Great! Let’s get started.”

Without another word, the girls silently hung their robes up on the furnished wall hooks and removed their bathing suits.

“That was a quick decision…” Dawn joked.

“Easy choice…” Maddy casually answered.

“Okay … now, if Maddy will get up on this table … on your stomach …I’ll give you both a lesson in applying a mineral scrub,” Dawn began. “Gaby … I’ll talk you through it …but let’s move her hair out of the way first … good. Now … beginning with the back…”

A short time later when Dawn felt they had the technique down, she started to leave the room, but not before issuing some final instructions with a knowing smile.

“Just remember … when doing the arms and legs, to be sure to get the knees and elbows … and to brush her off with the loofah after you finish each area. When you’re all done … you can apply this lotion … all over. Lisa and I will be back in about forty minutes for your massages … enjoy ladies!”

Later, when the two therapists returned, they found both girls relaxing in the sitting room over a tumbler of ice water. While Lisa went ahead to prepare the tables in main room, Dawn stayed and briefly chatted with the girls.

“Lisa’s just gone to set the mood … you know … dim the lights … light a few softly scented candles … put on some nice … soft … relaxing music…”

“Kinda sounds like a dream ‘date’,” Gaby offered.

“Does, doesn’t it?” Dawn whimsically agreed.

Even though the girls chuckled at Dawn’s response, Maddy dreamily added, “We’ve had a few like that.”

“Well … before this ‘date’ is over, you two still have a side-by-side full-body massage,” Dawn playfully offered as she had the girls top up their drinks before they adjourned into the main room where Lisa was waiting for them.

“Guys … time you met Lisa. Lisa … this is Maddy … and Gaby. They’re visiting from Germany by way of England…”

“Hi, Lisa…” Both girls chorused.

“Okay, ladies … pick a table! On your stomachs, please. I probably know the answer, but … would either of you feel more comfortable, draped?” Dawn asked while holding two folded sheets. Both girls quickly shrugged off the offer.

“Didn’t think so…”

As she was rubbing a blob of scented oil in her hands to allow them to glide smoothly over skin, Lisa had already started to massage the sides of Gaby’s neck and work up to her temples. Soon, both therapists were working in concert at an identical slow, relaxing pace. Except for the frequent appreciative groans, conversation was minimal to allow the girls to totally relax while the two masseuses worked their magic.

“Mmmmm … ahhhh … that feels really good!” Maddy mumbled into the doughnut shaped support pad that surrounded her face.

“Is this your first massage, Maddy?” Dawn inquired as she was kneading the tension out of Maddy’s shoulders.

“Uh huh … but … Gabs gets them all the time after a race or training.”

“Not ... like … this! An’ I thought Monique was good … mmmm…” Gaby murmured as Lisa was concentrating on her left shoulder blade.

“Ahhhh … that feels … sooooo … lovely…”

“Monique?” Lisa asked.

“She’s one of the masseuse’s with the team…” Gaby purred.

“Gaby’s a professional cyclist …” Dawn explained to her confused co-worker.

“Interesting…” Lisa conceded as she continued to work Gaby’s shoulders and neck.

Pausing only to apply more oil to their hands, both therapists continued to slowly work down the length of the girl’s bodies. Once they got to their feet, Dawn asked them to flip onto their backs.

Staring with the right leg, they began massaging the shins and working their way up to the hips. Once they completed the one leg, they switched sides to do the other leg. As they started to work the upper body, Dawn had to chuckle at Maddy’s attempts to control her reactions.

“Don’t worry about it, Maddy … it’s not uncommon … more so with the women than the men,” Dawn offered in a calm and reassuring voice. She then began to concentrate on the chest area, which tested Maddy’s resolve even further. When told she was done, Maddy sat up on the table and looked over to see Gaby still lying on her back with her eyes closed.

“I’m done, Gaby … time to wake-up,” Lisa softly spoke while leaning in close to her face.

“I’m awake … just restin’ me eyes,” Gaby quietly insisted.

“Hmmm … you sound like my Dad after a Christmas dinner … and we don’t believe him either!” Lisa playfully countered.

“You just gave Lisa the biggest compliment a masseuse could get, Gaby … falling asleep!” Dawn chuckled as Gaby sat up and started to get off the table.

Following a quick tidy, Lisa said her good-byes and left to go elsewhere while Dawn let the girls know what was happening next.

“I’ll bring you a lite lunch and you can eat it here. Then after about a half-hour, I’ll take you to our salon.”

“Salon? As in ‘beauty salon’?” Maddy softly asked.

“Nothing fancy, really … just a shampoo an’ blow dry Oh! … An’ getting our nails done … all of ‘em,” Gaby playfully revealed as they waited for lunch.

“That concludes the ‘Ritual for Two’ portion of your Spa experience. Gaby mentioned that this was your first time at a spa, Maddy … whaddya think?” Dawn cheerfully asked.

“I could get used to all this very easily … especially that massage,” Maddy dreamily replied.

After checking off their choices from a menu, the girls put their bathing suits and robes back on while Dawn went to get their food. A short time later, a knock on the door announced she was back with their lunch. When she left and closed the door behind her, Maddy stood in front of her wife and swept her up in a loving embrace.

“Thank you, sweetheart. I can’t begin to tell you how lovely this week has been … but … there’s always tonight…” Maddy seductively whispered as she drew Gaby into a very long and intense kiss. Minutes later, they parted after deciding to breathe.

“Kein Schlaf?” Gaby murmured in that soft, sexy, pout of hers that Maddy loved so much.

“That’s right ... no sleep…” Maddy softly confirmed. Following a lingering kiss on the lips, they somewhat reluctantly turned their attention to their lunch. Later, Dawn was at the door.

“Time to move on, ladies. Oh, don’t worry about that… just leave those dishes.”

After they took a last glance around, the girls followed her as they wound their way through the spa complex to the salon. Upon walking through the double glass doors, they found themselves standing in front of another reception desk.

“Angela? … This is Gaby and Maddy Bond … I believe Nadia had scheduled them.”

“Let me check … ah, yes … here they are,” Angela replied while studying her computer monitor. “If you ladies would like to have a seat over there … Ann and Sarah will be out shortly.”

“You can leave your robes in your locker, after you change … please remember to reset the access code back to zeroes and leave the door open when you leave,” Dawn instructed as she got ready to move on to her next client.

“I now leave you two in their capable hands. This is where I say good-bye and I hope you’ve enjoyed your Spa experience. On a personal note … I really enjoyed working with both of you,” Dawn allowed as Ann and Sarah approached the three women.

“Thank you. We’ve certainly enjoyed every minute of our time here,” Gaby replied as Dawn left to return to her work.

“Maddy? … Gaby? I’m Ann and this is Sarah. I’ll be your stylist, Maddy … and Sarah’s going to look after you, Gaby. I was told you both want just a shampoo and a blow-dry … is that correct?”

“Yes,” Gaby replied.

“Okay, if you’ll both come with us … we can get started.”

“I understand you’re together?” Ann knowingly asked as they walked back towards their respective stations.

“Yes…” Maddy hesitatingly replied.

“Relax … Sarah and I won’t bite. Both of you from England?”

“Born an’ raised … but now we live in Germany.”

“I’ve travelled a fair bit in Germany … where’s home?” Ann ventured.

“Mayschoß. It’s a small village in the Ahr Valley … near Bad Neuenahr.”

“I’ve been there … Bad Neuenahr, I mean. We’ll talk later … when I’m working on you,” Ann whispered as they arrived at their stations.

“How would you ladies like your hair trimmed?" Sarah began as she stood by her sink. "We can leave it straight across and just trim the ends as needed, leaving the length essentially the same … or we can shape it just a bit.”

“I think you should stick with what you have now, sweetheart … any shaping would probably give Tina nightmares when she braids it.”
“You usually braid it?” Sarah questioned.

“I wear it in a single braid when I’m out on the bike ... which is most days,” Gaby explained.

“In that case … I would agree with keeping your current style and I’ll just trim the ends.”

“You part it in the middle or the side? Sarah asked.

“The middle.”

“How about you, Maddy?” Ann asked.

"Same as Gaby’s ... but with a side part.”

"Okay … that was easy! Now, if you’ll change into these smocks in the room behind you … there’s a small closet and hangers for your robes, in there. When you come back out, we'll get started," Sarah pleasantly instructed them as she offered them two neatly folded bundles.

Once the girls returned, Ann and Sarah walked them to another station where two ‘shampoo girls’ waited to wash their hair.

“This is Leslie and Beth. They’ll take good care of you,” Sarah mentioned.

“We’ll wake you two in a bit, okay?” Ann joked as both her and Sarah turned to go back to their stations to prepare for the girls.

“I see what she meant by ‘waking us’,” Maddy purred a short time later as Leslie was working the shampoo into her hair and massaging her scalp.

“Ohhh … don’t I know…” Gaby quietly agreed as she closed her eyes and relaxed under Beth’s spell. “Think you can learn to do this?”

“Only if you do…” Maddy joked.

After a while, the girl’s hair was thoroughly cleansed and the excess water squeezed out. Letting Beth and Leslie loosely wrap their damp hair in a towel, both girls sat up to see Ann and Sarah waiting for them.

“So … we were talking about Bad Neuenahr,” Ann began as she took Maddy, back to her station. “I was there last May, visiting my husband’s aunt ... a very picturesque city. I especially loved wandering around the old part … very friendly people, too.”

“It’s hard not to fall in love with the place,” Maddy agreed as she lowered herself into Ann’s chair. “Gaby and I were married in the Town Church.”

“Is that the big one in the centre of town?” Ann casually asked.

“It’s not really that big … just lovely an’ old … but that’s it.”

“On the last Saturday before flying home, Glen and I were there and caught a wedding coming out of the church … couldn’t get over how they just waded into the townspeople on the square,” Ann casually mentioned.

“I think it’s a bit of a tradition that the newlyweds celebrate with whoever happen to be in the square,” Maddy uttered. “We enjoyed it, when it came our time.

“That’s a lovely tra… Ann’s train of thought abruptly ended as she paused to look at Maddy’s face and then looked over at Gaby.

“Something wrong?” Maddy asked smiling to herself.

“Umm … sorry,” Ann apologized as she collected her thoughts. After a short pause, her conversation changed direction. “You said you were married in Bad Neuenahr.”

“… in the Town Church,” Maddy confirmed by finishing Ann’s sentence.

“When?” Ann cautiously asked.

“Last May,” Maddy replied with a straight face. The conversation paused while Ann thought things through as she absently reached for her wide-toothed comb.

“Okay. I feel like we’re playing twenty questions here … but … when in May?” Ann playfully asked as she began spraying more detangler and combing out Maddy’s hair.

“May 18th … why?” Maddy coyly asked, hardly able to suppress the broad grin she felt building up inside as she suspected where the conversation was heading.

“May 18th,” Ann thoughtfully echoed. “Then … it was you … and … Gaby … that we saw?”

“Small world, innit?” Maddy confirmed, through a wide grin.

As Sarah was starting to trim Gaby’s ends, Ann turned to her and called out over the short distance between their adjacent stations, “Sarah? Remember me telling you about the trip to Germany Glen and I took last May?”

“What about it?”

“You remember me telling you about the wedding we saw ... right?”

“Yeah … what about it?”

“Guess who’s it was…” Ann smugly replied as she glanced at both the girls.

“Really?” Sarah quietly squealed.

When she came and looked at the face of the attractive but somewhat drowned blonde sitting in her chair, Gaby coyly smiled back while giving her a shy little finger wave. Sarah soon had Gaby recounting their special day, while she finished working on her hair.

Ann resumed Maddy’s interrogation while she finished trimming her ends and setting up to dry her hair. Once the blow-driers started up, all conversation was effectively ended while both stylists concentrated on their work. As a finishing touch, the girl’s opted for a little bit of a ‘reverse’ curl at the ends so their hair hung nicely, but they declined the offer of a fixing spray to hold the shape.

“Kind of pointless really, considering that we’ll just have to put our ski jackets on … but (looking at Maddy) you two have done beautiful work,” Gaby fussed, then whimsically added, “Too bad we couldn’t take you back with us.”

“Elsa would probably be glad to make room for these two,” Maddy half-joked.

“Thank you” Sarah and Ann chorused.

“It’s always nice to hear a satisfied customer,” Ann playfully added.

“You girls can put your robes back on … just leave the smocks in the room,” Sarah casually commented.

The girls quickly changed back into their robes and returned to where Ann and Sarah were waiting as two attractive Oriental ladies joined them.

“Nails…” Gaby softly smiled while reminding her wife. A minute later, they were being introduced to Lin and Mya who promptly took them back to their stations where all their various tools and products for nail care, were kept.

“How would you like your nails? Maybe acrylic nail extensions?” Mya asked neither one in particular.

“I think I’d best stay away from anything like that and just get them filed and shaped,” Gaby explained. “If my nails are too long … it could interfere with my job.”

Mya took Gaby’s hand as she led her to sit at her station.

“I see you’re not wearing any nail polish now. Is there any colour you would wish or maybe you would prefer a simple clear coat?”

“I think I’ll go with the clear coat.”

“As you wish.”

With those simple three words Mya began to work on Gaby’s nails, beginning with a footbath of bath salts and a pleasant, warm orange scented soak to relax her hands.

Following the soak, Mya went to work shaping Gaby’s nails and trimming her cuticles, then finishing up by applying a clear coat to her nails. Moving quickly to her feet, she repeated the process for the toenails. Like her finger nails, a clear coat was applied to Gaby’s toenails.

Meanwhile, Lin was working on Maddy. Since she too, worked with her hands, Maddy opted to follow her wife and get a basic manicure/pedicure with a clear coat.
Except to ask about their preferences, both girls spoke little, but went about their work very efficiently. When they were finished, they thanked the two nail technicians and then left the salon to make their way back to their locker.

"How’re we gonna tip all these people, sweetheart? Our wallets are upstairs in the hotel’s safe," Maddy whispered as they were changing back into their clothes.

"All taken care of. The Spa includes the tip in the price for each service." As soon as they were changed, they made sure the locker code was reset as Dawn requested and then made their way out of the Spa and back upstairs to the main lobby.

“I’ll be glad when we get our rings back on, sweetheart…” Maddy offered as they stepped off the top stair.

“Me too. I feel naked without them...” Gaby tenderly replied as she took hold of Maddy’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

The girls wasted no time in going to the Concierge Desk and gaining access to their safety-deposit box in the hotel safe. The desk clerk waited outside the room while they retrieved their wallets and put each others wedding rings back on their fingers, where they belonged. As quick as they were to get to their belongings, they returned the safety-deposit box key and headed off to the hotel’s main entrance.

~~~

"Excuse me? … I’ve made arrangements for a limousine to take the two of us ... me an’ her (pointing to Maddy) ... back to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise …I was told at the Concierge Desk that you’d notify the driver that we were ready."

“Certainly, Miss …” the Doorman replied. “Name please?”

“Gaby Bond.”

“Thank you.” After getting her name, he picked up a phone and made the required call.

“Should be here in a minute or two, Miss...” he announced after he put the receiver back on its cradle.

“Thank you.” Gaby took the opportunity to slip the gentleman a tip as she and Maddy went outside to await the limousine’s arrival. Shortly after they walked through the doors and onto the wide curb, their ride was pulling up in front of them.

When the car came to a stop, the driver got out and looked at Gaby as Maddy stood cuddling one of her arms.

“Are either of you two ladies, Gaby Bond?”

“I am.”

The driver then quickly walked around the car and opened the back door for the girls. For a brief moment, they stood alternating their gaze between the driver, the car and each other, before Maddy broke the silence.

“You ordered a stretched limo … for us?” Maddy asked her wife.

“I’m just as surprised as you are, Mad … it’s a nice surprise … but still…” Gaby admitted as she turned to the chauffeur in hopes of an explanation. “It’s only just the two of us.”

“Luck of the draw, ladies! Technically, I should take you in one of the regular limos … but the hotel called saying they have need for this one back at the Chateau later tonight … and since we’re short a driver today … I figured I might as well deliver you and the car at the same time, rather than make a special trip back here to pick this up … if … you have no objections, that is…” he explained with a smile.

“Nooo … no objections,” Maddy replied, slowly shaking her head side-to-side and wearing a wide grin as both girls looked at each other.

“Sorry I can’t restock the bar until I get back to Lake Louise … but you’re quite welcome to whatever’s in there.”

“Thank you,” the girls cheerfully chorused.

As each girl started to enter the limousine, they gratefully accepted the chauffeur’s assistance by way of a steadying hand. A short time later, they were on the Trans-Canada Highway, heading out of Banff towards Lake Louise.

“You’re quiet all of a sudden, darling … anything wrong?” Gaby softly asked. Maddy closed her eyes and snuggled into her wife’s arms, laying her head gently upon her shoulder.

“No … just thinking ...” Maddy weakly whispered as she lifted her head and looked deep into her wife’s eyes.

“About?”

“Nothing … everything,” Maddy dreamily replied while she proceeded to cuddle up against Gaby’s side as much as the limousine’s seating would allow.

“Sweetheart?” Maddy murmured after a short period of silence.

“Hmmm?”

“When do we leave?”

“One in the morning … why?”

“Hardly worth going to bed … innit?”

“We’ve still got that seven PM dinner reservation in the hotel’s main dining room’. That should kill a couple of hours.”

“I’ll finally get to dress up and look beautiful for you,” Maddy playfully whispered.

“As far as I’m concerned, you’re always beautiful,” Gaby softly answered.

“Sweetheart...”

“Yes, luv?” Gaby could see Maddy was at a loss for words.

As she stared into her wife’s hazel eyes, Maddy could feel herself beginning to get misty-eyed. She did the only thing left open to her. Putting her one hand, gently behind Gaby’s head, she pulled her into a long and very passionate, kiss. Eventually breaking for air, she decided to take the opportunity to continue asking about plans for their last evening in Lake Louise.

“So what about the rest of the evening ... besides packing?”

“If you want, I guess we could check out the Glacier Saloon ... or maybe just stay in our room ... but ... whatever we do ... we’ll have to be checked out and in the lobby with our luggage when the shuttle arrives around midnight.”

“I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Maddy suggestively implied.

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...
 

They always return to the scene of the crime...

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 7
 

“Welcome back, guys!” Jessica called out as she and Robert caught sight of the girls when they emerged from the luggage claim area.

“How was the flight?”

“Quite nice … even with the three-and-a–half hour layover in Toronto,” Maddy volunteered.

“...an’ Mad still ran out of time to hit all the shops…” Gaby joked.

“You know they have a Harrods in the main terminal there? I didn’t think they had any stores outside of England … an’ it’s big!” Maddy exclaimed before sarcastically adding, “...And just like ‘ome, the prices are very affordable ... if yer Bill-bloody-Gates!”

“Yeah … it was good they called our flight before she went into full cardiac-arrest!” Gaby chuckled as Maddy took a playful swipe at her wife’s arm.

“Love the Stetson, Maddy! Black hat … long blonde hair … ‘boned’ choker … verrry sexy!” Jessica suggestively commented, quickly changing the subject. “I’ve always said you can’t beat the look of a ‘felt’ Stetson.”

“Better hang onto that one, Mad ... she’s got that look in her eye,” Gaby joked.

“Thanks…” Maddy coyly replied as she looked at Gaby. “We got this in a ‘western clothing’ store in Banff. Gabs told me that I had to get it after I tried it on.”

“You know a black hat means you’re bad,” Robert playfully stated.

“She usually is…” Gaby answered with an impish grin as she threw her arm around her blushing bride’s waist and pulled her close.

“Between you wearing your feathers and her looking like that … I bet you had a lot of guys checking you two out,” Jessica stated.

“The few that did, only looked...” Maddy voiced. “I don’t know why.”

“Maybe it was because we were always holding hands or possibly ... ‘thee’ ... kiss,” Gaby innocently added.

“The kiss?” Jessica wondered.

“Not ‘the kiss’, but ... ‘thee’ ... kiss,” Maddy joked.

“...’Thee’ ... kiss?” Jessica quietly echoed.

“You know … the kind that gives you a warm, tingly feeling all over?” Gaby quietly added as she looked at her wife.

“Oooo ... I know what those are like…” Jessica softly purred as she glanced at Robert.

“And?” Robert asked.

“Instant turn-off, I guess. Never saw 'em again,” Gaby quietly chuckled.

Jessica smiled and slowly shook her head while Robert couldn’t help but try to suppress a smile as he pictured the scene.

“Guess they felt they couldn’t compete with that.”

“You’re definitely not the same two girls I first met in England!” Jessica quietly observed with a knowing grin.

“Don’t suppose you’ve eaten yet?” Robert asked in an effort to change the subject while continuing to try to keep a straight face.

“Nope,” both girls chorused.

“There’s plenty of places around here … we can always grab a bite before heading out,” Jessica suggested as her husband took a large suitcase and the large sports bag from the girls.

Gaby rested the other suitcases on their wheeled frames, while Robert stared at the large open canvas shopping bag that Maddy was holding under one arm.
“What’s this?” he asked as he pointed to the bag.

“My … you’re nosy tonight!” Jessica playfully admonished her husband.

“That?” Maddy set the bag down and proudly pulled out a rather large stuffed bear. “Oh … that’s ‘GeeBee’. Gabs bought him for me.”

“Shoulda seen some of the looks she got carrying him around. She cuddled him for the whole flight!”

“Just him?” Jessica inquired while sporting a devilish grin.

“I didn’t say that,” Gaby softly replied with a huge smile on her face as she flicked a lock of hair off of her face.

“Well … they’re both cute!” Maddy pouted while hugging the stuffed toy in one arm and strangling Gaby’s arm with the other. “Besides … he wouldn’t fit in a suitcase.”

“He is rather cute … isn’t he?” Jessica agreed with a giggle as Maddy put him back into the bag.

“How’d you get the name ‘GeeBee’?”

“It’s his initials ... he’s a Grizzly Bear,” Maddy stated.

“Shoulda known,” Jessica deadpanned.

“We told Carol we’d call once we got here and let everyone know we arrived in one piece.”

“Do it now, sweetheart. It’s getting on two in the morning there … and knowing mum, she’s looked at our itinerary and is sitting beside the phone watching the clock.”

“You guys hang on, then? Shouldn’t be too long!”

As they stood around by the main entrance, Gaby found a nearby quiet corridor as she pulled out her mobile and called up Carol’s number. After a brief conversation, she returned it to her bag.

“You were right, Mad. She was sitting by the phone ... answered on the second ring!” Gaby playfully announced as she approached the waiting group. “Told her we got here okay and that she could go to bed.”

“She say anything?” Maddy asked.

“Not really. We kept it short an’ sweet … but she did say that everything’s okay. They’ve been keeping an eye on the house for us ... an’ that we’re just to have fun.”

A short time later, they’d loaded Rob’s SUV and were pulling out of Richmond International’s North Garage parking lot.

“You guys want fast-food or a sit-down meal?” Jessica asked as they turned onto the main road running from the airport.

“Whaddya recommend?” Gaby wondered.

“There’s an Applebee’s just up the road about a mile or so … food’s pretty decent.”

“Sounds fine,” Maddy agreed.

Later, they arrived at the restaurant and were shown their table, once inside. Out of habit, Maddy studied the establishment’s seemingly random-themed décor as she walked to her seat.

As well as the photos of various celebrities and sports figures, her eyes took in all the memorabilia for the local High School and College sports teams that adorned the walls. Various Hollywood memorabilia and other assorted knick-knacks, including a collection of car license plates were also in evidence. A large three-sided bar dominated the main eating area, with monitors hung at the four corners affording the patrons a view of whatever sport event was currently being shown.

“Something’s missing Gabs,” Maddy joked as she sat down at their table. “No pictures of you … or your mum.”

“I like this place already!” Gaby chuckled, with a very slight twist of sarcasm.

“Sounds like someone’s a little camera-shy,” Jessica playfully commented through a smile.

“With cycling being as big as it is in Europe, it seems photos of Gabs and her mum are always showing up in places like this,” Maddy explained.

“You’re famous, Gaby ... enjoy it,” Jessica offered.

“That’ll pass.”

“Not used to the attention?” Robert asked.

“Not really. Public appearances with the team or signing autographs after a race is one thing, but having people come up to you when you’re just out ... doing whatever … I still can’t get used to it.”

“It happens that often?” Jessica wondered.

“Enough…” Gaby dryly admitted. “I don’t mind the odd one, but I kinda miss being able to just go out without being stopped at least once.”

“I guess that comes with being a World Champion. People recognize you … and look up to you,” Robert needlessly pointed out.

“Didn’t you collect the autographs of those you looked up to, when you were younger?” Jessica asked.

“Nope...” Gaby softly replied. “Every time someone comes up to me and wants my autograph, I feel like asking 'em ... ‘Why?’.”

“Well ... don’t under-sell yourself,” Jessica quietly stated.

“You always said you liked signing for the kids,” Maddy softly allowed.

“The last young girl who got Gabs’ autograph told her that she wanted to be just like her.”

“I think you make a very good role model!” Jessica frankly admitted.

“It’s not the kids. They’re not the ones who come up to you when you’re eating out or just shopping with the wife,” Gaby softly stated.

“Once a World Champion ... always a World Champion. Her mum’s still signing autographs,” Maddy proudly added, as she put her hand on Gaby’s arm. “Better get used to it, sweetheart!”

“On that note … what’s everyone having? My … err …our treat,” Robert stated as Jessica playfully slapped his arm.

Taking the hint, the four focused on their menus. Following a very short discussion in which he was out-voted, Robert was deemed spokesperson for the table. A few minutes later, their server appeared.

“Are we ready to order, here … or do you folks need more time?”

“No … we’re ready, thanks. We’ll start with two orders of Potato Skins...”

After their orders were taken and the server left the table, conversation focused on bringing both couples up-to-date with their respective lives and again halted when the food was brought to their table. After they had finished their meal, their server returned to their table.

“Can I get you folks any dessert … coffee maybe?”

Looking at the girls, Robert decided to take a chance and order his favourite pie for everyone.

“Four pecan pies … and two hot teas for these two, please (indicating Gaby and Maddy) ... and could we also get a refill on our coffee? (indicating the cups in front of Jessica and himself)”

“Sure … I’ll be back in a few minutes,” the girl cheerfully replied as she started clearing the plates off their table.

As promised, she quickly returned with their dessert along with two teapots and cups. As they were being served, another girl arrived with a fresh pot of coffee for Jessica and Robert.

“I haven’t had this since the Walters,” Gaby happily commented as she dug into her pie. “Whaddya think, Mad?”

“It’s very good,” she replied between mouthfuls.

“Usually I find pecan pie too sweet, but I’ve always liked how they do their pie, here…” Jessica agreed.

After they finished their desert, Gaby automatically reached for her bag and pulled out her wallet.

“Gaby … put that away! Rob told you it was our treat!” Jessica sternly ordered, but her smile told the two girls all they needed to know.

“That was good! … Thank you,” Maddy enthused.

“Yeah, thanks … much better than the airline food we’ve all day,” Gaby echoed.

”You’re welcome,” Robert replied.

“Anything you want to do in particular while you’re here?” Jessica asked before taking the last sips of her coffee.

“I know we can’t see everyone, but since Frank and his wife couldn’t make the wedding, I’d like to see them before we go ... if they’re around,” Gaby answered.

“Call him!” Jessica suggested as she pulled out her cell and started to dial.

“Living in a small rural community like Piedmont has its advantages … it doesn’t take much to memorize the phone book. It’s ringing … here!” Gaby took the phone as Jessica reached across the table and offered it to her.

“Hello? Frank? … It’s Gaby! Oh, c’mon … how many Gaby’s do you know? (giggle). Maddy an’ I are staying with Jessica until Friday evening … but we’d love to see you an’ we were wondering when would be a good time to come around?”

There was a moment of silence while Frank was checking with his wife. “No … that’s fine. We’ll see you then … ‘bye.”

“Whadda he say, sweetheart?”

“His wife has a follow-up appointment for her hip, this week … but he’s invited all of us to lunch on Friday.”

“When do you leave?” Jessica asked.

“About twenty after eight in the evening, but since it’s an international flight ... we’ve got to be there something like three hours earlier.”

“That’s a pain, isn’t it?” Robert voiced.

“It’s roughly a two hour drive from home to the airport...” Jessica added.

“Probably be best to leave right from there, wouldn’t you say?” Robert wondered.

“Sounds like it,” Gaby agreed.

“Speaking about leaving, I think we should start thinking about getting out of here, hon. It’ll be getting on to ten by the time we get home,” Jessica suggested to her husband as she caught their server’s attention to settle the bill.

As they left Richmond, the conversation in the car turned to old friends and bygone times.

“Diane wished she could be here this week, but she’s in Oklahoma City at some convention representing Biggs Fabrications. If she gets back in time, she’ll try to get over … but if she has to stay until the end, she won’t be back until the day after you leave,” Jessica mentioned.

“Oh! She also mentioned that Derek and Patty won’t be around either. They’re in Florida showing off the twins at her parent’s ….”

“They had twins?” Gaby was surprised to hear the news. “I knew Patty was almost due around our wedding, but … twins?”

“Thomas and Nicole. They put poor ol’ Patty through hell with her labour, though ... a full twenty-eight hours! She always said she didn’t want any drugs ... but ... she eventually caved in.”

“I can’t even imagine what that’d be like!” Maddy declared.

“Derek said little Tom arrived first and his sister followed some fifteen minutes later.”

“Somehow I can’t picture Derek as a daddy,” Gaby mischievously mentioned.

“Diane says he’s really good with the kids.”

A brief pause ensued and then Jessica’s voice became noticeably quieter as she turned in her seat as much as possible to address the two.
“On a more serious note ... I suppose you two remember Dan?”

“Yes,” both girls dryly answered. Maddy winced at the memory as she glanced at Gaby.

“I can understand your feelings, but he really changed after you two left,” Jessica replied in his defence upon hearing the girl’s tone of voice.

“After graduation he went into the Army and they paid for his College. Last I heard, he eventually got his Bachelor’s in something-or-other and was working on his Master’s while getting his commission.”

She briefly paused before continuing in a much more sombre tone.

“He was killed two weeks ago while searching for a father-and-son that had been missing for a few days in the Colorado Rockies. I can’t remember the exact reason they gave, but the paper said his helicopter lost power and exploded against the cliff walls. None of the crew stood a chance. His parents buried him three days ago…”

An eerie silence fell upon the occupants of the car with only the road noise providing a distraction. A minute or two later, a sharp and bitter whisper emitted from the back.

“Why does stuff like that always ‘appen around this time of year?”

“Unfortunately ... we just notice it more when it happens now,” Jessica ventured.

“I doubt if Em knows…” Maddy murmured as she held Gaby’s hand. “Whatever she felt about the guy, this’ll hit her hard.”

“Yeah … she’s like that,” Gaby whispered. “Here he was tryin’ to help someone...”

“Better tell her and Ally when we get back,” Maddy softly suggested.

“...’Kay...”

Once again, an awkward silence fell inside the car. After they drove along for a period of time, Jessica spoke up.

“Speaking of Christmas … it’s your first one. You two have any plans?”

“Besides finding some place quiet?” Maddy joked.

“Jules says it’ll be the first gathering of the entire Bond clan in years. I know Dad’s expecting his brother an’ sister … an’ their families ... an’ I’m not really sure if I’m looking forward to that or not. I can’t even remember the last time I saw any of them.”

“Both our Gran’s will be there, as well … an’ my parents … plus the Pinger’s,” Maddy cheerfully added.

“…Gerhardt … can’t forget him!” Gaby whimsically added.

“How’re they doing?” Robert inquired.

“Hopelessly in love!” Gaby playfully answered.

“I know another couple like that…” Jessica smugly offered. She was about to ask Gaby if her father’s siblings at least knew about ‘Gaby’, but remembering her husband was in the car, she caught herself at the last moment.

As they approached Waynesboro, Robert jokingly asked, “Anyone besides the car, need to stop?”

“Could do,” Jessica innocently answered.

A few minutes later, he pulled into a truck stop on the outskirts of town. While he was filling the car, the women ran inside the adjoining convenience store. When Robert was at the counter paying for the gas, Jessica and the girls walked up to him, each one carrying a couple of bags.

“What have we got here?” Robert asked as he peered at their selections.

“Munchies for later,” Jessica replied.

“Junk food,” corrected Robert as he smugly placed his two ‘Oh Henry’ bars on the counter. Having paid for their ‘supplies’, the four returned to the car and were soon on their way to Piedmont.

“Home at last! You won’t find too many changes since you girl’s were here…” Jessica commented as Robert turned into their driveway.

“I’ve cleaned up your old bedroom … put extra towels in the upstairs bathroom and if you think of anything else ... let me know.”

Between Robert and the two girls, they quickly unloaded the car and got their luggage upstairs. As they were unpacking, Jessica poked her head in the door and suggested they get changed into something more suited to lounging around in mixed company and join her downstairs.

“Rob’s got a good fire going and I’ve got the kettle on. He’ll join us after he checks on the two boys out back…”

A short while later, Maddy came downstairs wearing her medium grey UMIST sweatshirt and matching track pants. Gaby followed on her heels, going with her Apollinaris warm-up pants and a solid black sweatshirt.

“You guys take the couch. More room to stretch out,” Jessica playfully suggested.

After disappearing into the kitchen, she brought out the tea and coffee as well as assorted munchies and left them on the coffee table before putting on some soft background music. She opted to take the plush chair opposite the couch, while leaving the recliner for Robert.

“U-MIST … I gather that’s the College you attended,” Robert asked as he read the large black-outlined, orange lettering on Maddy’s top.

“Uh huh … University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology,” Maddy proudly replied. “Even though it’s been part of the University of Manchester for a few years, it’s still called UMIST by the students.”

“You look deep in thought, Gabs…” Jessica observed.

“Not really. It’s just nice to relax and cuddle after being in airports all day,” Gaby thoughtfully replied as she pulled Maddy even closer to her.

“How was your time in the Canadian Rockies?” Jessica quietly asked as she put her coffee down on the table beside her.

“Gaby said she wanted it to be romantic … and … it … was…” Maddy gushed as she dreamily gazed at her wife.

For the next while, both girls told of their stay in Banff and all the people they met. Maddy made sure to mention their appearance at the Calgary Cycling Club’s annual dinner and Gaby’s role as a featured presenter for their award ceremony. It was a little after midnight, before everyone decided it was time to call it a day and head up to their respective rooms.

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...
 

Can I ask a favour?...

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 8
 

“Morning girls,” Jessica greeted the two as they came down the stairs. “How’d you two sleep last night?”

“Now I know what they mean by ‘downsizing!” Maddy playfully hissed to her wife, thinking Jessica couldn’t hear her.

“What’s this about ‘downsizing’?” Jessica wondered as she walked back out from the kitchen.

“How did she hear that? Maddy whispered in shocked amazement.

“I … dunno...” Gaby quietly replied. “She’s a teacher?”

“You said something about ‘downsizing’…” Jessica prompted.

“Ummm … Just that it’s going to take some re-adjustment to get used to a ‘queen’ mattress again,” Maddy sheepishly offered.

“We were kinda spoilt with the ‘king-sized’ bed at the hotel,” Gaby quickly put in.

“Oooo…” Jessica teased with a wide knowing grin as the three of them walked through to the kitchen.

“Been there … done that,” Robert flatly added to the exchange, causing all three women to blush.

(cough) “Yeah … well. C’mon, you two … tea’s made ... just like Maddy taught me,” Jessica chuckled as she urged the girls and Rob to sit down at the kitchen table for breakfast.

“…’Western omelettes’ okay for everyone?”

“Okay!” everyone agreed.

“Love the Native look, guys,” Jessica commented as she looked at what the girls were wearing.

“It does have a certain charm, doesn’t it?” Gaby replied with a smile.

The girls were both wearing straight-legged jeans tucked into their knee-high moccasin boots. Maddy was wearing a red cotton blouse with the top two buttons, undone while Gaby wore her toned-down lime green cotton pullover with a ‘keyhole’ neckline and bell-sleeves. Even though Maddy didn’t bring her Nighthawk feather on the trip, both girls went for the ‘full Indian’. It was also one of the few times Gaby wore her Mohawk bracelet with polished stone details.

“Some things don’t change, do they Gabs?” Jessica knowingly smirked.

“Uh uh,” Gaby smugly grunted.

“Ever wear the moccasins outside?” Rob wondered.

“Sometimes ... in the summer ... but only if it’s dry,” Gaby replied as she and Maddy sat down at the table.

“If the rest of the team had their way, she’d be wearing them whenever she wears her feathers...” Maddy playfully added. “...And my boss likes it whenever I wear all my Aboriginal stuff. She says it dresses up the jeans.”

“You get to wear jeans to work?” Jessica asked with some envy.

“Dress like a student,” Maddy chuckled.

“That’s not fair!” Jessica playfully whined.

(Briiiiing … Briiing … Brii)

“I got it!” Rob called out as he raced to pick up the receiver.

“Hello? They’re both right here … which …oh … okay … then we’ll see you when you get here … bye.” As he came back into the kitchen and took his place at the table, everyone noticed he had a puzzled look on his face.

“Who was that, honey?”

“Deb Walters. She wanted to know if Gaby or Maddy were here, but didn’t want to talk to them … just said she’ll be over as soon as she could,” Rob explained. “She sounded a might upset.”

“I’ve no idea, Jess. We spoke to her before we left home and everything seemed okay. The only ‘downer’ was that she couldn’t say if she’d be in town while we were here,” Maddy confessed as Jessica gave the two girls an inquisitive glance.

The four quickly finished their breakfast in anticipation of Debbie’s arrival. Conversation was understandably speculative as to the reason behind her mysterious call as well as Gaby’s tentative plans to get Maddy in the saddle. However, before Maddy could comment on her wife’s plans, the doorbell rang…

(Ding dong…)

“Saved by the bell!” Gaby jokingly enthused as she ran to get the front door. When she opened it, her mood instantly changed to reflect Debbie’s sombre expression.

“May I come in?” Debbie weakly asked.

“Of course ... what’s wrong Deb?” After leaving her coat on the old wooden Deacon’s bench by the door, Debbie removed her boots before wearily walking into the open area that served as Jessica’s living room.

“Here … sit down before you fall down! I bet you could use a coffee,” Jessica instructed as Debbie flopped in one of the upholstered chairs.

“Oh … I’d love one ... thanks!” As Jessica disappeared into the kitchen, Debbie called out, “Black, please!”

When she returned with another tea for the girls and coffee for everyone else, she settled down beside her husband to hear what was on their visitor’s mind.

“Wot’s up?” Gaby was the first to break the deafening silence.

“It’s Brit,” Debbie began.

Before any questions could be asked, she held up her hand and continued, “Let me start at the beginning…” As everyone focused on their guest, she took a long sip of her coffee.

“Ahhh! … That’s better!” With a heavy sigh, Debbie launched into her explanation as the others gave her their full attention.

“It seems ages ago, now ... but ...ever since Brit and I stayed with the Bonds ... I felt Brit … seemed more interested in the girls when she was around Gabs and her friends. Later when Gabs and Jules stayed with us, I began to notice changes to Brit’s body language whenever Gaby was around her. It all made sense later, when you guys were getting ready to leave and Brit laid that kiss on you, Gabs! I don’t really know if it was the actual kiss ... or that it was in broad daylight in the school parking lot ... that set Mom off ... but I do remember that she was really ‘pissed’.”

“When we went our separate ways for College … I didn’t see too much of my sister for a while. I knew she had a few boyfriends, but nothing serious. The proverbial light went on when we were going to your wedding (nodding to Gaby and Maddy). She told me of her latest break-up and joked that maybe she wasn’t really looking for a guy. If that was true, I thought ... that would explain so much. Then last summer, she visited Ken and I ... and it was then that she decided to sit down and ‘tell all’.”

Debbie paused to take a few sips of her coffee and then quietly continued her story.

“She knew of the gay friends Ken and I have … but in hindsight … I think her 'coming-out' to mom and dad a couple of weeks later was because of a combination of several things … including how you two were accepted by everyone and the acceptance Ken and I showed when she ‘came out’ to us.”

“From what she told us at the wedding, she knew how your parents felt … especially your Dad!” Maddy pointed out.

“I guess she felt she had to do it ... regardless,” Debbie thoughtfully replied.

“Been there ... done that ... bought the t-shirt,” Maddy softly acknowledged. Gaby glanced knowingly at her wife as she gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

“If she knew ... why did she have to do it?” Debbie reverently asked.

“There’s no short answer for it, except ... she had too. Call it ‘self preservation’,” Maddy intoned.

“What happened when she told your parents?” Jessica wondered.

“Brit told me that Mom was quiet ... almost sympathetic when she ‘came out’.” Debbie paused to look at her coffee mug and contemplate her next words.

“Then we have Dad. Sis said he tried every ‘guilt’ angle and cliché in the book … from misquoting the bible to what-will-our-friends-think. When the smoke cleared and he saw that all his lecturing and shouting had no effect, he told her to get out and that she wasn’t his daughter anymore. I guess Mom tried to calm him … but when his mind is set…”

“Surely that was just the moment!” Jessica was clearly thrown by hearing about extreme nature of his reaction. “From some of the parent-teacher interviews I had with him … I knew he could be pig-headed once his mind was made-up ... but this?”

“No … Dad meant it. He even stood at her bedroom door and watched her pack. She’s now living with her girlfriend, off-campus, in Boston...” Debbie reluctantly admitted.

“When did this all happen?” Jessica wondered.

“I’m not sure ... but she only told me about it the other day, when I phoned her to ask about her plans for Christmas.”

She again paused to take the last few sips of her now cold coffee.

“I told Ken and immediately flew here on the red-eye to try to talk some sense into my folks. Sis reluctantly agreed to fly down last night and meet up with me in Richmond. That’s where I was this morning. After we got a room at that ‘Best Western’ outside of Waynesboro, I drove straight here while she stayed back in the room.”

“They know you’re coming?” Robert asked.

“No.”

“You said you could use our help … how?” Gaby wondered. “Sure Brit’s our friend, but we’d only make matters worse if we just showed up. As far as your ‘rents are concerned ... we’re just two more bloody lesbians.”

“I thought if I can get things where we can talk rationally…” Debbie started to say.

“Based on what you just told us...” Jessica angrily interrupted.

“I know ... but I thought if I can get things to where we can have a calm discussion, Gabs and Maddy could at least explain things to Mom and Dad.”

(sigh) “I don’t know how to put it, but you’re both my ‘ace-in-the-hole’. Sure, I can argue in support of my sister all I want ... but I’m not a lesbian ... I can't speak from first-hand experiences like you guys can,” Debbie quietly pleaded.

“You know we’ll do whatever we can, Deb...” Gaby readily replied after a quick glance to see Maddy’s approval.

“Thank you…”

“Don’t thank us … yet,” the girls cautiously chorused.

“We still have to deal with your dad,” Gaby added.

“When do you want to do this?” Maddy wondered.

“Today ... now!”

“Why not take some time and gather yourself, first? You look awful!” Jessica asked. “I don’t think a couple more hours is going to make any difference.”

“Maybe you’re right. Between the flight and the layovers … I got precious little sleep last night. Before I got here, I think I was running on pure adrenaline. All I know is that once I pulled into your driveway and took the keys out … I just wanted to close my eyes.”

“Then go have a lie-down on our bed. We can go when you’re feeling more yourself,” Maddy offered.

“Good idea!” Jessica agreed.

“Thanks … best phone Brit an’ let her know what’s going on, first.”

“Use our phone … Waynesboro’s a local call from here,” Robert offered as Debbie pulled out her cell phone. “No roamin’ charges.”
After a short conversation with her sister, she gratefully accepted their offer of sleep while rising from the chair to follow Jessica over to the stairs.

A few minutes later, Jessica returned to the living room and surveyed the empty coffee cups.

“Didn’t take Deb long...” Jessica whispered to Gaby while the girls helped clean up.

When they finished cleaning-up, Jessica produced two apples from the fridge and offered them to the girls.

“Why don’t you go and say hello to the boys? Somehow, they know you’re her and Deb’ll probably be down for a while, yet. I’ll call you if she wakes before you‘re back in.”

“C’mon, Mad!” Gaby enthused as she accepted the apples.

She quickly plopped herself down on a kitchen chair, proceeded to remove her moccasins and put on one of the pair of rubber boots Jessica still kept by the kitchen door. Maddy quickly copied her wife and soon the two were walking at a semi-brisk pace, over to the shed where the two horses were kept.

“Slow down, Gabs ... I think I got Rob’s boots!” Maddy playfully urged as Gaby swung open the large doors to the shed and started to go inside.

“They don’t seem as big as I last saw them,” Maddy playfully commented as she entered the shed.

“Funny how that happens, innit?”

Upon hearing a familiar voice, first Paint then Tonto peered out of their respective stalls at the approaching girls. Gaby entered Paint’s stall, quickly closing the gate after her. After hoping up on the low wall between the horses, she coaxed her wife to enter Tonto’s stall and join her while offering the apple to Paint.

“C’mon Mad … Tonto’s tame … he likes pretty girls. Just make sure the gate’s closed behind you.”

Once she entered the stall and secured the gate, she offered her apple to Tonto while patting him on his neck.

“So … you think you might like to try riding Tonto later on, if Jess agrees?”

“I guess so … sure … but why do I have to get Tonto?”

“… cuz Paint’s my horse! Jess’ just keeping him for me!” Gaby teased. “We’ll have to see if she has some ‘Cowboy’ boots we can wear before we go riding.”

“Oh … I’m sure I do. Think you might like to go for a ride, Maddy?” Jessica asked as she walked up to Tonto’s stall.

“Later … if we could.” During the whole exchange, Maddy was standing beside Tonto and stroking his neck.

“I don’t see any problem with that,” Jessica quietly replied, then turning her attention to Gaby, added with a knowing grin, “I told you Paint missed you.”

“First we need to help Brit…” Gaby quietly mentioned.

“Agreed.”

Gaby slid off her perch and after giving both horses a final pat, the girls exited the stalls and joined Jessica to head back to the house.

“Weren’t you girl’s cold?” Jessica wondered, pulling her own sweater around her as they crossed the open yard.

“Wasn’t bad in there,” Gaby offered as they moved quickly to get into the warm house.

“Good timing, ladies … I think I heard Deb moving around, upstairs,” Rob mentioned as they were removing their boots. A short time later, Debbie came down.

“Ready guys?”

“You didn’t have much of a nap,” Maddy observed.

“I know. I just want to get this over with. The more I lay there thinking about it … the angrier I got.”

“Nice car!” Gaby later enthused. The girls looked on in amazement as Debbie led them out to a yellow Ford Mustang GT with black interior and wide dual black racing strips running the length of the car.

“Can we get one, sweetheart?” Maddy half-joked.

(sigh) “I’d really love to say it’s mine ... but it’s a rental,” Debbie pouted. “Don’tcha just love how they managed to keep most of the classic look after all these years?”

“Ever notice how the sexy girls always drive the real cool cars, Mad?” Gaby playfully asked as she tilted the back of the front passenger seat forward, while Maddy crawled into the back.

“So how come you aren’t driving one?” Debbie responded with a huge grin.

“She’s got a point…” Maddy sweetly agreed as Gaby started to blush a vivid red. A short time later, the three girls were on their way into Grottoes to face Debbie’s father.

“Let me talk to Mom and Dad, first … and get ready to pull me out if it all goes sour,” Debbie half-joked as they pulled into the driveway behind her parent’s two cars.

“Think they’re waiting for us? It’s quiet … almost too quiet,” Gaby softly commented as she got out and held the seat forward to let Maddy out.

“I think you watch too many scary movies, Gabs … but … I admit ... it is kinda spooky … no birds ... nothin’,” Debbie whispered as she got out of the car. “Don’t slam the doors ... the element of surprise and all that!”

“You still have a key, Deb?” Maddy asked in a hushed voice, as they approached the door.

“For now…,” Debbie smirked as she opened the inner storm door. Seconds later, the three girls were standing inside the main entrance of the house, looking into the living room at her father.

“Debbie ... you should’ve called and told … us…”

Donald’s voice became cold as he noticed Gaby and Maddy standing behind her. Just then, Jocelyn came out of the kitchen still drying her hands and momentarily froze when she caught site of the two girls.

“Hello, girls.”

“They’re staying with Jessica for a few days ... and before you say anything ... they’re here because I asked them. We have to talk,” Debbie flatly explained as they removed their boots.

“Stay here for now, guys … you’ll know when it’s safe,” she hissed and then confidently ushered her parents into the dining room. Debbie’s raised voice could be heard almost as soon as the double doors were closed.

“What were you thinking? How could you treat my sister … your own flesh n’ blood … that way?” It was the last clear voice the two girls heard as the heated arguments and counter-arguments came fast and furious.

“Sit down, darling. It sounds like it could be a while before there’s a lull in the hostilities,” Gaby suggested as she sat on one of the lower steps of the main staircase and patted the carpeted step beside her.

“What was that poem? Oh, yeah … Half a league … Half a league … Half a league onward … All in the valley of Death … Rode the six hundred…” Maddy mumbled as she squirmed to get comfortable.

“That about sums it up,” The two girls then sat quietly and listened a bit longer to the melee of shouting voices, before Gaby broke the silence.

“Kinda sounds like Parliament ... don’t it?”

“Uh huh,” Maddy acknowledged. “Gawd … I wish we didn’t have to be here, sweetheart.”

“I know … I feel the same way, luv … but if we can help Brit … it’s worth it.”

Every once in a while, someone’s voice would dominate the ‘discussion’, but it seemed to the girls that the only two really doing the arguing were Debbie and her dad. It also very obvious to the girls, that her position was non-negotiable. Later, in the midst of more raised voices and endlessly repeated arguments, Jocelyn suddenly ran from the dining room in tears and collapsed on the couch in the living room. Debbie was still verbally sparring with her father as she quickly followed her mother into the living room.

Donald stood in the dining room doorway and glared first, at the girls sitting on the stairs and then at his oldest daughter, as she sat on the couch holding her mom. As she turned to face her dad, Debbie slowly and angrily threw down her trump card through clenched teeth.

“If you can’t accept … and love … my sister … as herself ... you can’t love me! You throw her out of this family … and you throw me out! It’s your choice…”

“Debbie … honey! You can’t mean that!” Mrs. Walters cried out as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Why not?” Debbie coldly replied, suddenly reeling around to face her mother.

“You had no problems when ... he ... threw my sister out! If I walk out that door without you and Dad unconditionally accepting Britney … I swear … it’s the last you’ll ever see or hear of either me … or Brit!”

Snapping her head back to face her father, she met his cold stare with her own and demanded, “It’s your call … your answer … now!”

A very real chill descended over the room and a classic ‘Mexican standoff’ soon materialized in front of the girls. They slowly stood up from where they were sitting, in anticipation of Debbie’s next move. Mr. Walters remained standing silently in the doorway, a cold, unemotional stare fixated on his remaining daughter.

After several tense minutes had passed, Debbie decided to raise the stakes and force her father’s decision. Abruptly releasing her mother, she shot up from the couch and headed for the front door.

“Debbie! …” Jocelyn pleaded. When the three girls began putting their boots on, Mrs. Walters angrily turned to her husband.

“Donald! For God’s sake … she’s going! Enough of this macho bullshit … you’re not at the bar arguing with the boys, this is our family we’re talking about ... now say something!” When he still remained silent, she decided that she’d had enough.

“If we lose our girls…”

Her icy stare and the conviction in her voice said all that needed to be said and immediately, Jocelyn and the girls saw Donald’s cold expression, thaw.

“Okay … I’m listening,” Mr. Walters quietly conceded as he walked into the living room and sat down in his favourite chair. “Might as well get comfortable!”

“I think it’s safe, guys … phase two ... c’mon,” Debbie nervously whispered.

The three girls removed their boots and cautiously relaxed, while making ready to head into the living-room. Acting upon Debbie’s direction, the two girls calmly made for the ‘love seat’ while she quickly grabbed her cell phone from her purse and punched some numbers.

“Hang tight … we’re still talking,” Debbie quietly conveyed to her sister. After returning the phone to her purse, she then joined the others.

“If this is a family discussion … why are they here? No offence girls,” Donald abruptly asked Debbie as she sat down.

“Since we’re talking about Brit’s life and your bigotry ... why not? Considering what this town has put these two through … can you think of anyone more qualified to offer us their expert insight?”

Donald let out a subdued grunt and sat back in his chair.

“So how do we begin this?” he sarcastically wondered.

“First you get rid of that attitude or we can stop right now and the girls and I will leave!” Debbie angrily replied.

“Donald … please!” Jocelyn softly implored her husband to co-operate with an open mind.

“Go on...” Mr. Walters muttered.

“More than likely, you guys heard everything ... right?” Debbie directed her question to Gaby.

“Hard not to ... even out there by the stairs,” Gaby offered.

“What did you think?” Debbie pressed.

“Strange question ... even for you, Deb...” Maddy commented.

“First thing that crossed my mind was judging by your dad's attitude, this town hasn’t changed. I just thought I’d never hear those same sentiments from two people that Jules and I were so fond of. Thankfully, Deb and Britney decided to make up their own minds an’ not listen to you,” Gaby calmly observed.

“You obviously think we're wrong,” Donald smugly retorted.

“Please, Dad ... I asked these two here because unlike the three of us, they can speak to us from personal experience and not out of some irrational fear,” Debbie pleaded as she motioned for Gaby to continue.

“Mr. Walters ... one thing you quite clearly repeated several times was that … she ‘chose’ to be a lesbian. Do you honestly believe that being lesbian, gay, transgendered or anything else ... is something we ... choose? Those words not only hurt ... but they also reveal a gross ignorance of the subject an’ a closed mind.”

Gaby paused for a second to let that sink in.

“Let me assure you, it is definitely not something anyone chooses! Why on earth would we choose to become targets for verbal and physical abuse? We’re born that way ... just as you were born heterosexual or a child’s born with a heart defect!”

“Right…” Donald sarcastically dismissed.

“Then answer me this. When you were a kid ... why did you ‘decide’ that girls were attractive to you an’ not the other boys? Was there a point in your life that you actually had to think about who you found more interesting ... boys ... or girls ... or did your apparent interest in girls just come naturally?”

After getting an awkward silence as an answer, Gaby pressed on.

“There’s a fairly respected scientific theory, that claims all your basic instincts … including one’s gender and orientation … are hard-wired in the brain while you’re still in the womb, along with all your other survival instincts ... in something they call your ‘primitive brain’. Research has concluded that unlike the rest of the brain, we can’t change or ‘unlearn’ what’s in there. Science has also found out that the brain doesn’t always develop to agree with the physical body. A lot of things can go amiss and affect the chemical mix needed for a ‘normal’ baby. If this chemical mix isn’t right, the result can be anything from … physical deformities … to a life-threatening disease … or even the development of the brain, itself.”

As Gaby was speaking, she kept her gaze on Donald. Although he politely sat there, she couldn’t read him so she wasn’t sure if she was getting through or not. Regardless, she calmly pressed on.

“You can look all this up yourself, but the bottom line is that your daughter did not choose to be a lesbian … she was born that way. Brit was destined to like girls even before the doctor first spanked her! It has nothing to do with the way she was raised … or the people she hung around with ... so don’t even start to blame each other or anyone else!”

“You’re correct ‘bout one thing, though. She did have a choice ... either be honest with herself or continue to live a lie an’ pretend to like boys … just to please the two of you. The fact that she chose to ‘out’ herself to you tells me that her decision was a bit of a no-brainer. I guess that she wasn’t prepared to wait until both of you were dead an’ buried before she could lead her own life ...”

Again, an awkward silence enveloped the room. At that point, Maddy decided it was her cue to enter the discussion.

“At our wedding … Britney told us you were kinda okay with our relationship … but with her … you’re not. Why the double standard?

“You’re not my daughter!” Donald spat.

“I see ... you’re okay with lesbians … as long as they’re not in your family.”

“Homosexuality is a sin against God … but … it’s your sin,” Donald muttered.

“Don’t even go there, Dad! Besides ... since when did you get all religious? I bet you can’t tell me the last time you even stepped into a church or held a bible ... can you?” Donald fell silent at his daughter’s attack.

“Yeah ... I thought so! Can’t think back that far, can you? More likely you’re only concerned with how your drunken friends see you!”

Before Mr. Walters could retaliate, Maddy added to the inquisition.

“Is Deb right, Mr. Walters? Is it because your daughter dared to ‘come out’ you … her ‘loving’ parents … an’ now you’re worried about how your neighbours an' friends will look at you if they found out?” Gaby could hear her wife’s anger rising as she questioned Donald.

“Easy Mad…” Gaby soothed.

“Sorry, sweetheart … but of all the stupid, bloody … reasons!” Maddy’s voice oozed with disgust as she leaned back into her wife’s comforting embrace. Moments later, speaking in a softer tone, she broke the awkward silence that once again, fell on the room.

“Sorry, everyone…”

“No! Don’t apologize for being right, Mad...” Debbie calmly replied as she sat glaring at her father.

Debbie’s parents looked at each other in reflective thought, for several minutes. It was Jocelyn who spoke first.

“Suppose we admit that we were wrong? What were we supposed to do? What’ll happen to us when it’s common knowledge? What kind of life will she have? Will we have?”

“Did you just hear yourself? What will happen to us? What kind of life will we have? What is this ‘we’ or ‘us’ crap? It’s always been keeping up appearances with you, hasn’t it? To hell with worrying about how this family looks to the outside world! We’re talking about my sister ... your own flesh and blood!” Debbie forcefully pointed out.

“Deb’s right, Mrs. Walters. There is no ‘us’ ... an’ no ‘we’. No one’s going to care if your daughter’s a lesbian or not,” Gaby added. “As for Brit…”

“We’re only concerned for her welfare,” Jocelyn stated.

“How? By kicking her out of the family? Damn funny way to show your concern,” Debbie angrily shot back. Jocelyn grimaced at the ferocity of her daughter’s response.
“Remember … she’s still the same Britney you gave birth to and she still needs the love and support of her parents,” Gaby voiced.

“Admittedly, she’ll have to watch herself when she’s here … unless things have changed radically in Augusta County since we were last here,” Maddy added.

“What do you mean by that?” Donald sharply asked.

“Only that she’ll have to outwardly conduct herself as any other girl her age would and not call attention to herself … especially when she’s with a girlfriend. Even you have to admit that this isn’t exactly the most tolerant of communities,” Maddy responded with a measure of restraint.

“You have to realize, Dad … that not everyone, everywhere ... agrees with the bigoted people of this county. Eleven States currently have same-sex legislation giving gay couples the same rights as everyone else ... and that number is slowly increasing. Internationally, there’s an increasing number of countries that have similar if not more open-minded, legislation. You honestly think politician's would’ve been able to pass anything like that if the people didn’t agree with them? Face it, Dad ... attitudes are changing and people like you are becoming extinct. Brit would have no problem with just being herself in public,” Debbie calmly interjected. “The only threat to her is from the shrinking number of narrow-minded folks like yourself that refuse to see them as people.”

“Case in point ... these two,” Debbie added while pointing to Maddy and Gaby. “They’ve travelled through several countries with no problems ... right Gabs?”

“Because of the whole negative experience with the exchange visit, I decided that I’d never hide that I was a lesbian or that I loved Maddy, if I was ever asked. A few weeks after we returned to Warsop, we moved to Germany an’ I put that decision into practice. From the start ... everyone knew ... friends, schoolmates, family friends, extended family ... everyone. Before we were married, whenever Mad an’ I appeared in public, we’d carry on as any other couple in love would do. We still do ... and so far, where ever we’ve gone ... we’ve been accepted as just another married couple,” Gaby revealed.

“I’ve got three photos on my desk at work ... one of Gabs on her bike and the other two are of the two of us together ... and one of those is our wedding photo,” Maddy beamed.

Debbie decided now was the time to pounce. Seeing her parent’s shock with the girl’s comments, she decided to ‘up the ante’ when she turned the conversation back to her sister.

“If Brit brings a girlfriend here … it’s no different as if she brought a boy home. So they kiss, cuddle, hold hands … or any of the other things a couple might do … so what? Why should it bother you? They’re not hurting anyone and it’s just as natural for them as it is for you and Dad.”

“What?” Donald exclaimed in a loud voice. “She’s not...”

“I don’t know … seeing Brit with another girl. How did your parents react when they first saw you and Maddy?” Jocelyn calmly asked Gaby while cutting off her husband, mid-sentence.

“They accepted it without question … but I really don’t think it’s fair for you or Brit to use us as any kind of definitive guide. In our case, we literally grew up together and both sets of parents saw a relationship developing between us even before we did … right, Mad?”

“Uh huh…” Maddy softly replied as she nodded in agreement.

“Mom? You and Dad wondered about how you’d feel if you saw Brit with another girl, right?”

“Of course … why shouldn’t we? I’d like to know what to expect,” Jocelyn sharply responded.

All three girls were puzzled by Mrs. Walters’ choice of words.

“What do you mean ... you’d like to know what to expect?” Debbie pointedly asked.

“Seeing Britney making out with another girl ... how am I going to react?” Jocelyn quickly answered.

“Same way you’d react if that was a boy in her arms!” Debbie shot back.

“Not in this house,” Mr. Walters fumed.

After a few thoughtful seconds, Debbie made an observation.

“Don’t worry Dad ... I doubt Brit would make out with her girlfriend here ... they’d get a room. Anyway, do you two realize the whole time we’ve been here in the living room … Maddy’s been snuggled up against Gaby and they’ve been holding hands? For a while … she was even resting her head on Gaby’s shoulder. Hell ... the only thing they haven’t done in front of you … is kiss ... and it never even bothered you ... did it?”

“I never noticed,” Mrs. Walters quietly admitted.

“That’s my point! So why should it be any different with Britney?” Debbie quietly asked.

“Because she’s our daughter…” Donald curtly replied.

“Is she, Dad? You were the one who threw her out and disowned her.”

ahem) “Umm … ahhh ... she’s still a Walters … just … like you are…” Donald weakly conceded. Debbie rose from her chair and then met her dad in the middle of the floor for a long hug.

“Does this mean that Britney can come back … with no conditions?” Debbie whispered.

“It’ll take some gettin’ use to, but …yes,” Donald softly replied.

“Just Britney?” Debbie asked in a hushed voice, still holding her dad.

“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.”

“I’ll tell her to give you lots of advance warning.”

“Fair ‘nuff.”

“Not to look a gift horse in the mouth … but what changed your mind?”

“When you pointed out how those two where sittin’ together. I actually had to stop to think if it really bothered me or not. That in itself made me think long and hard. Even your mother didn’t notice and she was lookin’ directly at them the whole time! You also made me realize that I still love Britney. I just hope she’ll give me another chance.”

“I know she will…”

As Jocelyn got up from her chair and approached the pair, Debbie turned and gave her mother a tear-full hug.

“Would you happen to still have the girl’s wedding pictures here? I think I’d kind of like to look at them while they’re still here,” she whispered to Debbie. “We best have an idea of what we could be in fer…”

“I’ll warn you … there’s lotsa hand-holdin’ an’ kissin’ ... an’ other mushy stuff… ” Debbie playfully acknowledged.

“I think your dad and I will survive…” Jocelyn quietly reassured her eldest daughter.

“If you feel you’re ready for it ... I think I left the CD in my room from the last time I was here. Be right back.”

When she was mid-way up the stairs she turned and grasping the railing with both hands, called down into the girls, “Hey, guys … you don’t mind sticking around to look at your CD … do you?”

“Do we have a choice? You got the car!” Gaby cheerfully replied.

“How long’s this CD?” Jocelyn inquired of the girls.

“Only about fifteen minutes. The photographer we had, made a slide show set to two pieces of music that we’d used that day … you’ll see some photos of the ceremony and touring the town square after we left the church, as well as a few of the reception, including our ‘first dance’.”

“...Touring the town square?” Mrs. Walters quietly wondered.

“The main entrance to the church literally opened up onto the town square. Apparently there’s a really nice local tradition that when a couple’s married there, they ‘tour’ the square upon leaving the church ... mingling with any and all who happen to be there at the time,” Gaby cheerfully explained.

“You know how busy a town square gets on a Saturday afternoon?” Maddy joked.

“Got it!” Debbie enthused as she came down the stairs, waving the clear ‘jewel case’ in one hand.

“Deb? Why don’t you go an’ get Brit first … then look at it with your parents?” Gaby suggested.

“She’s here?” Donald inquired with a small bit of hope.

“Brit and I took a room at a motel just outside of Waynesboro,” Debbie admitted. “We didn’t know how things were going to turn out.”

“I have a better idea ... how ‘bout we all go and get her?” Mr. Walters quietly suggested with a faint smile, as he glanced at Maddy and Gaby.

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...
 

Mo' horsin' around...

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 9
 

“Sit down … coffee’s ready and we’re taking orders for breakfast!” Maddy playfully commented as Jessica and Rob walked into the kitchen.

“You girls didn’t have to do this,” Jessica insisted.

“We wanted to. Now sit down ... so whaddya want?” Maddy cheerfully replied.

“Uh … coffee … two eggs … sunny-side up … and some toast?” Robert cautiously rambled off his order while his wife looked on.

“Sehr gut! … An’ you madam?” Gaby cheerfully inquired.

“Just coffee and toast, please.”

While Maddy took care of the toast and coffee, Gaby occupied herself with the eggs – throwing in a couple more for them, in the process. When the girls had served up breakfast, they grabbed their tea, and joined their hosts at the table.

“Sorry I wasn’t up when you came in the other night, but I was exhausted.”

“That’s okay. Rob let us in,” Gaby replied.

“I meant to ask you two, yesterday ... but I thought it better to wait until mom and dad left. Everything now quiet on the ‘Walters Front’?” Jessica asked as she took another sip of coffee.

“Think so…” Maddy offered.

“After we called you … we all drove out to pick up Brit. Later, Mr. W insisted he take us all out to dinner and get re-acquainted...” Gaby explained. “...then we all went back to Deb’s hotel where she an’ Brit checked out. Now the family’s back under one roof.”

“Once we all got back to the house, we had a surprisingly nice visit with Deb’s parents … considering the prevailing mood earlier in the day,” Maddy remarked.

“That mean Britney and Deb get to spend Christmas with their folks?” Robert asked.

“That’s the plan,” Gaby replied. “Deb says she and Ken are doing Christmas here … then New Year with his family…”

“Yeah … but the real news is that Brit’s bringing Janet!” Maddy revealed.

“Janet?” Jessica and Robert chorused.

“Her girlfriend,” Gaby said matter-of-factly.

“Really?” Jessica asked without a hint of surprise.

“Uh huh. Brit told us they’ve been living together since last June,” Maddy added.

“Brit’s parents okay with this?” Jessica wondered.

“Bringing Janet for Christmas or the living arrangements?”

“Both?” Jessica asked.

“They don’t know about them living together an’ I don’t think Brit’s ready to ‘tell all’ yet,” Gaby playfully replied.

“I think her ‘rents will be okay with Christmas, though. They weren’t bothered by Gabs and I cuddling on the couch all evening … and Deb says that if they can put up with us...” Maddy offered. “In fact … they became quite comfortable with us being ‘us’ as the evening wore on.”

“I think seeing us earlier in the afternoon is what made them re-think things. Obviously Mrs. W decided she felt comfortable enough to later ask Brit if she had a friend … an’ when she told them she did… both parents suggested that they meet her,” Gaby offered.

“Don’t know how serious it is between those two … but Brit got on her phone awfully fast!” Maddy put in.

“So … anything particular you two want to do today?” Jessica asked.

“I was hoping to go for a ride before Mad had second thoughts. If you have some boots we can borrow.”

“Boots I’ve got!” Jessica smugly replied. “So … are you going to try again, Maddy?” She wondered between sips of her coffee.

“Gabs thinks she can teach me.”

“Good luck!” Robert joked as he turned to Gaby and raised his coffee mug in salute.

“Humph … men!” Maddy replied with mock indignation.

“I know, dear … but they do have their uses,” Jessica sweetly replied as she put her hand on Maddy’s arm and giggled, causing Robert to almost choke on his coffee. As he was wiping up his mess, Jessica thankfully changed the subject.

When the girls had finished relating their reunion with the Walters, Jessica went upstairs and returned with two pairs of her Western Boots. “Hope they’re okay, Maddy.”

“If they fit Gabs … they’ll be okay for me,” Maddy replied.

“You probably remember how to saddle Paint, but let Rob do it...” Jessica smugly whispered to Gaby. “...makes him feel needed.”

“What are you going to do while we’re out?” Gaby coyly asked.

“We’ll think of something…” Jessica demurely replied with a wink.

“It’s such a nice day … we could be out for an hour or two,” Gaby quietly replied with a mischievous smile.

“Oooo … you’re bad, Gaby Bond! You two better get ready … Rob’s already out there.”

“One would be nice …. two would be even better...” Jessica whispered as she hugged Gaby. In the meantime, Maddy returned with their ski jackets.

“What are you two planning?” Maddy suspiciously asked.

“Not me … her!” Gaby defensively answered while pointing to Jessica.

As the girls went out the back door, Gaby glanced back at Jessica and raised two fingers in a ‘V’ salute. When their eyes met, Jessica silently mouthed a ‘thank you’.

“Here you go, ladies.” Robert met the girl’s part way to the shed with both horses, already saddled. Once he gave them the reins, he continued into the house. “Have fun!”

“You too!” Gaby called back, with a knowing smile. She gave him a quick-but-mischievous finger-wave as he turned around to throw her a questioning glance before he entered the house.

“Gaaab-eee!” Maddy jokingly cautioned.

“Can’t ‘elp it, luv … it’s in me blood,” Gaby answered in her best Liverpudlian accent as she steadied Paint. Maddy quickly stuck out her tongue as Gaby mounted her horse in one movement and glanced down at her bride.

“So you going to just sit up there grinning like a bloody Cheshire cat … or what?” Before Gaby could think of a response, Maddy hoisted herself up and was getting comfortable in the saddle.

“You seriously didn’t think you had to teach me how to ride … did you, sweetheart?” Maddy playfully remarked as she started to move Tonto away from the house. She enjoyed seeing the look of surprise on her wife’s face.

It only took Gaby a second to recover before she drew up alongside of Maddy and the two followed Jessica’s driveway around the side and out to the road.

“Despite what Jess may have said … I was listening the one time she got me up,” Maddy smugly revealed. Her mood quickly became very sombre.

“Some time after you moved and I began to face reality ... I started to go to those riding stables out by Worksop … to think … when I began to think … anyway.”

“About what? … Us?”

“Uh huh.”

“Why the stables?”

“They were peaceful … and in a way, reminded me of here … an’ how I was hurting Jessica ... she tried to make me see what I was doing to us … only, I was too dumb to listen…”

“Mad…” Gaby softly reminded her wife as she sided up close along side of Tonto. “I thought we agreed to put that all behind us.”

“We did … but being here ... sorry.” When both girls halted their horses along side of the house, Gaby leaned over a planted a soft kiss on Maddy’s lips.

“Now … cheer up! You heard Rob. We’re supposed to be having fun!”

“You’re re right …” Maddy quietly remarked with a faint smile and a nervous chuckle. “Only happy thoughts for now on.”

“Speaking of fun … I told Jess I’d give her two hours … so which way, Kemo-saw-bee?” Gaby playfully stated as they reached the road.

“This way … two hours, huh? What’re we gonna do for two hours?”

As they turned out onto the shoulder of the road at a walking pace, Gaby gently nudged Paint into a trot, making Maddy do the same. Once they were again along side of each other, Gaby turned to face her, with a devilish smile on her face.

“I’m sure we’ll think of something!”

After riding a short distance, they came over a rise in the road and saw a house that could have easily been transported through time from the American Civil War, about a quarter of a mile ahead of them. It was a large, asymmetrical, two-story frame and brick house, with a chimney at each corner and a central front porch adorned with two vertical columns supporting a small pinnacle roof. Set in behind the main house was a large court-yard, now paved over and a smaller building, which appeared to be stables with additional living quarters above them, opposite the main house. Along the road, a waist-high stone fence ran in front of the property.

“Mary’s place ahead, luv. Any suggestions if we’re spotted … like … maybe make a run for it?” Gaby joked.

“I’m afraid that you’ll just have to stop and pretend to be civilized, sweetheart…” Maddy playfully replied. “I know it’ll be hard … but do try … for me?”

“Okay … for you,” Gaby smugly replied.

While nearing the house, the girls saw an older woman in a winter coat come outside and walk up the driveway to the single mailbox located by the side of the road. After she retrieved the mail and started to return to the house, she paused after taking several steps only to turn back to look up the road. Shielding her eyes from the glare of the sun, she took a long look at the two approaching riders. Gaby thought they were going to pass by unrecognized after almost making it to the mailbox.

“Don’t recognize us …Pul-ease!”

“Gaby? … Gaby Bond?” Now caught, both girls pulled back on the reins and halted the horses.

"Shee-it!" The word virtually screamed through Gaby’s brain.

“Hello, Mary!” both girls chorused.

“My Lord … I thought it was you! ... And Maddy! What’re you two doing back in this part of the world?” Mary excitedly asked.

“Visiting Jessica…” Gaby replied. “…but we’re going home tomorrow.”

“England?”

“Germany, actually...” Maddy answered.

“Germany?”

“Uh huh. My family moved there soon after our exchange visit … an’ then Maddy’s family joined us a few years later,” Gaby explained.

“Erm ... what are you girls doing now?”

“I’m currently a research assistant at the University of Bonn … an’ Gaby’s a professional cyclist with Team Apollinaris. She’s the current Women’s Road Race World Champion.”

“Congratulations, the both of you! It’s always nice to hear how one’s former students are making out in life.”

“Thank you,” both girls chorused.

It wasn’t long before Gaby noticed that Mary wasn’t looking directly at them, but instead seemed to be staring at their saddles or more specifically, their hands. Finally, she couldn’t hold her curiosity back any longer.

“Both married I see.”

“…And why not? We’re gone tomorrow,” Gaby impishly thought, then spoke up.

“Since last May.”

“To each other?” Mary was flabbergasted.

“Uh huh ... I even decided to take Gabs’ last name. Now I’m legally Madeline Bond!” Maddy innocently added.

Both girls could just envision the wheels in Mary’s mind churning to try to process this information. “…They were right about Gaby after all! … But Maddy? I never would’ve guessed.”

“Next time you’re talking to Jessica … you should ask her to show you the pictures she took at the church. They’re really quite good,” Gaby suggested.

“You were ... married in a church?” Mary questioned with some disbelief. Gaby her nodded her head.

“...And you say Jessica was there?”

“She an’ Rob … as well as a few others from Grottoes, flew over...” Gaby admitted.

“Where’d you ... ummm ... get married?”

“Bad Neuenahr ... it’s a city in the southern part of Germany,” Maddy put in.

(ahem) “What brings you girls back to this area? A bit cold for a vacation isn’t it?” Mary quickly gathered herself following the initial shock.

“A belated honeymoon, actually! We had to wait until the racing season was over before I could get away. I’m only off for a few more weeks, then I’m off to Australia in February with the team to start the 2014 season.”

“Oooo … look at that face … heheeee.” Gaby was enjoying every minute of this.

Mary quietly cleared her throat again, before continuing. Maddy was trying very hard keep a straight face once she saw what Gaby was up to.

“Ah … Em was one of your friends, as I recall … have you … ummm …heard from her recently? Sandy tells me that she hasn’t heard a thing the past few weeks,” Mary asked, abruptly trying to change the subject.

“She looked really good when we last saw her … she was one of my bridesmaids,” Gaby revealed while again, deliberately mentioning the wedding.

“…but we’d talked to her just before we left to come over here. Do you happen to remember Ally... umm ... Alison Rose?” Mrs. Jones nodded her head. The name was familiar as one of Gaby’s friends but she couldn’t quite recall the face.

Gaby continued with a straight face, “I think she and Ally are finally engaged…"

“Oh Lord! What next? Has the world run out of men?” Mary wondered. Gaby thought the look on her face was priceless.

“How are you and Sandy doing?” Gaby politely asked.

“Very well, thanks. I think I’ll stick it out at the school another two or three more years and then retire. Sandy’s sharing an apartment in Richmond with a couple of her friend’s from college. They recently decided to go into business for themselves and opened a flower shop in one of the malls, there. Doing very well, I understand.”

“When you next see her, tell her that we said ‘hello’ ... and we’ll remind Em to email her, once we get back ‘ome...” Gaby mentioned with some sincerity.

Using the excuse she was getting cold, Mary said her good-byes and then quickly returned to the warmth of her house while the girls continued with their ride.

“Gaby Bond! You deliberately wound that poor woman up … didn’t you?” Gaby turned and looked at Maddy with an exaggerated pout.

“Moi?” Gaby innocently responded. “I was just being civil like you asked…”

“Well … at least you tried, sweetheart … you tried,” Maddy added with a giggle. Changing the subject, she asked, “You really think Em an’ Ally might be engaged by now?”

“I dunno … but I wouldn’t be surprised if we called them once we get back and found out they were,” Gaby thoughtfully replied. “Feel like giving these guys some exercise, luv?”

“Ge’yap!” Maddy sharply barked, much to Gaby’s surprise.

“You get the feeling that this has ‘appened before, Paint ol’ boy? … Hee-yah!” Gaby wondered aloud before chasing after her wife.

~~~

“Think I’ll ask Jess if we can thaw out our jeans in the dryer…” Gaby shivered as she slipped her bare legs into her floor-length denim skirt while Maddy stood beside her wrapped up in Jessica’s warm fleece housecoat.

“Way ahead of you, sweetheart … I asked her if we can do a washing … sooo … bundle up your dirties, m’dear…”

“Maybe I’ll just climb in the drier with the clothes!”

“Serves ya right for throwing me in that snowdrift,” Maddy cooed as she flirted with her love.

“Oh, God! … Yer hand’s are cold!” Maddy shrieked as Gaby momentarily slipped a hand inside the borrowed housecoat before quickly pulling it back.

“It’s yer fault! You were supposed to let go!” Gaby quietly pouted.

“Ya know … they say a good way to warm a cold body … is to cuddle…” Maddy softly suggested just before she pulled Gaby into a loving embrace. As their lips met in a long, lingering kiss, a wandering hand had a mind of its own.

“Mmmmm … don’t stop,” Gaby purred.

“You feel the blood circulating yet?” Maddy seductively murmured.

“I’m not s-s-sure ... but whatever ... yer ahhh-hhh ... doing…” Gaby softly breathed as she tried to return Maddy’s kiss. When they heard Jessica’s footsteps coming up the stair, they suddenly parted like two teenagers about to be caught by her parents.

“You didn’t close the door!” Maddy hissed.

“Guess we better get the laundry together,” Gaby quickly adlibbed for Jessica’s benefit.

Their host smiled knowingly as a beet-red young woman hurried out of the room and passed her with an armful of laundry. When Maddy followed, Jessica stopped her in the hall.

“Thank Gaby for the two hours, for me … will you?”

“Time well spent?”

“Yes.” Now it was Jessica’s turn to blush. “Listen, I…”

Later, after the washing was going, Maddy cornered her wife alone in the living room. When she came and sat beside her bride, she had Gaby show her the cover of the book she was looking at.

“Where’d you find that?”

“Over there…” Gaby replied, indicating the large wall-unit that dominated one wall of the living room.

“Figures … your dad has his castles an’ you have...”

“You!” Gaby lovingly enthused as she leaned over and gave Maddy a gentle kiss on the lips.

“Now you made me forget what I was going to say,” Maddy pouted. “Oh, yeah … Jess says thanks for the two hours.”

“Thought she had this ‘glow’ about her after we got back,” Gaby quipped with an understanding grin.

“Gabs,” Maddy thoughtfully began. “While you were putting a load in the drier I was flipping through an’ looking at the pictures on the kitchen calendar … guess wot I saw?”

“I dunno.”

“Next month is Rob and Jessica’s fourth.”

“Yer kidding! … Doesn’t seem that long ago she emailed me that she was getting married … did ya note the date somewhere? … We’ll have to send them a little something.”

“Already did, sweetheart … oh! … What time did Rob make the dinner reservations for?”

“Seven-thirty.”

“Where?”

“Not sure … Olive Garden … or something like that,” Gaby replied after a thought-filled pause.

“I think he said it was in Waynesboro … anyway … he mentioned that we passed it the other night when they picked us up at the airport.”

“I take it this is not a night for jeans?”

“I seem to remember that there was a time when you lived in skirts,” Gaby softly pointed out.

“Do you like me in a skirt?” Maddy seductively asked.

“Wot’s not to like?” Gaby breathed as she slowly ran her fingers through her wife’s hair.

“Funny … I was thinking the same thing about you at dinner the other night,” Maddy mischievously whispered.

“Changing the subject ... what time do we have to be at the airport, tomorrow?” she then asked in a normal speaking voice after a brief pause.

“Six in the evening … but don’t forget we’re leaving directly from Frank’s after we’ve had our visit.”

“So … I finally get to meet him?”

“Uh huh.”

“We’re flying at night?”

“Sunrise ala Atlantique…”

“Well … there’s another night, shot!” Maddy sarcastically exclaimed.”No sleep ... and no fun!”

“But I’m all yours the next…” Gaby seductively whispered.

“Why do I always have to wait?” Maddy pouted as she wrapped her arms around Gaby and pulled her close.

“You did it before … good news is … there’s still tonight,” Gaby softly hinted as their lips met.

(sigh) “Just remember to close the door this time … okay?”

“Promise.”

(Bzzzzzzzzz) The buzzer on the drier sounded telling the girls their laundry was done and totally interrupting the moment. As Maddy went to take the clothes out of the drier and start to fold them, she looked around for a laundry basket of some kind.

“Didn’t you use a basket to bring this down?”

“I was in a hurry,” Gaby sheepishly replied.

“I guess we’ll just have to be careful taking this stuff back upstairs,” Maddy commented as she neatly laid the folded clothes on a nearby table. “Here … take this bunch up!”
Later, while the girls were putting away their laundry, Jessica poked her head into their room.

“Guys … Rob’s running me to the school for a bit. I almost forgot to get these grades in before the end of the week. We’ll be back before we have to leave for dinner,” she announced with a quick wink to Maddy.

“We’ll be okay … see you when you get back!” Maddy called out to an empty hallway.

When Jessica reached the bottom of the stairs, she glanced back over her shoulder and smiled to herself.

“Payback doesn’t always have to be a bitch...”

“So we got everything put away … now what? Any ideas?” Gaby mumbled as she hung up Maddy’s indigo silk blouse.

“You thinking of travelling in a skirt tomorrow, sweetheart?”

“I guess so. Considering how long we’ll be travelling, it seems to be the more comfortable option. I was thinking of wearing my black one with the sweater I got in Calgary. You?”

“I guess my plaid skirt with the off-white sweater. Gotta dress for comfort and the weather, ya know...” Maddy sweetly answered. “I take it we’ll both be wearing our dress boots.”

“I think so. They may not have much snow here, but I bet they got tons back ‘ome.”

“Okay ... now I know what not to pack. C’mon … let’s go back downstairs...”

“Better add our ski jackets to that. Somehow, I can’t see them with our skirts,” Gaby playfully advised.

“Okay ... now, feel like seeing what’s on the telly?”

“Not really,” Maddy dismissively replied, as they got to the bottom of the stairs.

“Maybe curl up with a good book ... in front of the...? Who started the fire?” Gaby asked as she glanced at the fireplace.

“I dunno, sweetheart...” Maddy innocently called out from the dining room.

“Guess we should stay here and keep an eye on this thing, huh?” Gaby added as she turned and scrutinized the mysterious fire that was left burning in the fireplace.

“Would that be so bad?” Maddy softly asked as she brought out an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and two glasses buried in the crushed ice.

“Where’d you get that?”

“Kitchen table…” Maddy mischievously replied. She set the bucket on the nearby coffee table and pressed ‘power’ on the CD player. Soon, a soft Celtic ballad filed the air.

“…’ere … ‘ow’d you know that CD was already in there?”

“Lucky guess.”

Maddy knelt down on the plush throw rug in front of the fireplace and gently taking Gaby by the hand, pulled her down to join her.

“Are you trying to seduce me, Frau Bond? … ‘cuz if you are … I must tell you that I’m a happily married woman…” Gaby softly stated as she knelt on both knees in front of her wife and stared into her eyes while gently holding both of her hands.

“I’m not … ‘trying’ … to do anything … Mrs. Bond,” Maddy innocently whispered as she reclined on the rug, slowly pulling her bride down into a long and very deep kiss. After a few minutes, their lips parted while Gaby closed her eyes and Maddy tenderly traced her wife’s growing smile with her finger.

“Whaddya thinking about, sweetheart?” Maddy whispered.

“Mmmm … just enjoying the moment,” Gaby softly replied before pulling Maddy into another kiss.

“What do we say if Jess an’ Rob walk in an’ we’re makin’ out on their rug like a couple of teenagers in heat?”

“Nothing … they know we’re on our honeymoon. We’re only just doing what newlyweds do,” Maddy softly explained. “Now … come here … we’re not finished

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...
 

There's no place like home...There's no place like home...

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 10
 

“Gabs … sweetheart … time to get up…” Maddy softly offered as she leaned over to give her wife further encouragement with a morning kiss.

“Morgen…” Gaby sleepily murmured. “What time is it?”

“Half-past morning, lover…” was the quiet reply.

“Huh?”

“It’s after ten,” Maddy quietly confirmed as she continued to cuddle with her wife.

“How long you been awake?”

“Ohhh …since almost nine.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?

“You looked so peaceful … besides … I just felt like laying here and watching you. I think you’re just so sexy when you’re sleeping,” Maddy suggestively whispered as she softly caressed Gaby’s cheek.

“I bet you say that to all the girls…”

“Only you … I so wish we could stay here in…” Maddy’s whispered reply was cut short as Gaby chose that moment to return her ‘wake-up’ kiss.

(sigh) “Unfortunately … I think we better get up if we’re going to pack and be ready to go to Frank’s later on,” Gaby reluctantly admitted.

“Go have a shower to wake up … I’ll start packing.”

“Not going to join me?” Gaby asked with a pout.

“Jess has a small tub … we’ll trade places when you come out.”

“Ohhh … alright!” Gaby quietly conceded as she threw back the blankets and started to get out of bed.

Their showers done and bags packed, the girls were in the midst of dressing for the trip home, when Gaby started to look around the room.

“Darling? I thought you left my sweater out?” Gaby wondered.

“I did, sweetheart ... it’s still in the dresser.”

“Thanks, mum...” Gaby sheepishly replied while she sat down on the bed with her unzipped high black dress boots in her hand. “Luv? Jess suggested we keep out our moccasins to wear at Frank’s … she’s taking hers.”

“Mmmm ... Do you really expect me to keep my hands off you all day, looking like that?” Maddy playfully stated a few minutes later as she watched her wife zip up her boots, then stand up and straighten her skirt.

“No...” Gaby joked.

“You want me to get out your feathers and choker?”

“On one condition … you wear your choker and earrings!” Gaby whispered as she leaned over and gave her bride a quick kiss on the lips, as Maddy was leaning over to unzip one of their suitcases.

Seeing that the door to the guest bedroom was ajar, Jessica knocked on the door-frame and then poked her head into the room.

“Can I talk to you guys a second?”

“Sure ... what’sup?” Maddy playfully asked.

“Last night after you two turned in … Rob and I did some talking about our vacation this year and we thought we’d take a couple of weeks in July … and go to Europe,” Jessica revealed as she stood in the open doorway.

“Right in the middle of the season,” Gaby sulked.

“That’s why we figured if you sent us your race schedule, we could tailor our holiday so we could catch you in a race or two. It’s about time we saw you terrorizing the roads...”

“Brill! As soon as George lets the team know … I’ll email it to you guys!” Gaby enthused as her mood instantly improved.

“Will you be able to get a few days, Maddy?” Jessica wondered.

“I still have a week’s holidays coming to me.”

“Then it sounds like we have the makings of a plan,” Robert offered as he moved up behind his wife.

A short while later the girls were pulling on the hooded suede coats they wore on the flight over, while Robert was loading their luggage in the car.

“I’m jealous! Isn’t there anything you two wear that doesn’t look good on you?” Jessica playfully remarked as she approached the girls, carrying her own coat.

“Ooo … careful of that Nighthawk feather, Gabs!”

Jessica’s sudden warning made Gaby abruptly stop pulling her jacket up onto her shoulders.

“You’re okay now … I just thought you were going to catch it with your hood.”

Gaby then continued to ease it onto her shoulders with a bit more care than usual. As she pulled the zipper up, Maddy gently arranged her wife’s hair from under the coat so that it hung out the front, softly framing her face.

“Danke, Frau Lindsey…” Gaby replied and turning to her bride, she softly offered, “Thanks, darling…”

“You’re welcome … Frau Bond,” Jessica smugly countered. Maddy thanked Gaby with a peck to her cheek.

“You two look lovely today,” Robert commented as the girls came out from the house.

“Thank you,” they chorused.

“What about Jessica?” Maddy impishly inquired.

“She’s always a vision of beauty,” Robert quickly answered.

“Good save, dear…” Jessica smugly replied as she walked past him towards the car after locking up the house.

“I must say … you two do seem to get a lot of wear out of that Indian stuff … especially you, Gaby,” Robert pointed out as they all got in for the short drive to Frank’s. “Is that Jess’ doin’?”

“Guilty on one count ... but I think Maddy is all Gaby's doin',” Jessica playfully replied.

“Jess got me interested back when Mad and I were here as exchange students.”

“Gabs is so identified with it back ‘ome. The team almost expects her to appear wearing ‘em on all her public appearances!” Maddy volunteered.

“I always seem to hear about it if I don’t…” Gaby sarcastically added.

“You mean Kris?” Maddy wondered.

“…Or Tina or…” Gaby playfully answered as Robert slowed the car to turn into the driveway leading up to their destination.

(Ding dong!)

“C’mon in an’ warm yerselves!” Frank enthusiastically urged as he held the door open for his visitors. “Irene’s in the kitchen watching the roast.”

“Before you ask … the girls are right behind us,” Jessica remarked as she and Robert walked past him and into the house. Gaby and Maddy quickly followed and stood in the entrance hallway, while Jessica was removing her boots and Frank was hanging up their coats.

“Jes g’wan through to the kitchen … everybody else does,” Frank instructed before turning to take the girl’s coats.

“An’ there’s my ‘English Rose’ … in full bloom,” Frank quietly addressed Gaby as they hugged each other. She then gave him a kiss on the cheek before taking off her coat.
“Thank you ... an' I still remember when you first said that...” Gaby softly replied. “...I still have a certain signed ‘Grottoes Express’ team photo on the wall in the study.”

She then gently pulled Maddy up to her side and looking at him, quietly introduced her.

“Frank … I don’t think you two ever met when we were both here before … but … this is ... Maddy … Mad … meet Frank.”

“Every bit as beautiful…” Maddy blushed as Frank gallantly kissed the back of her hand. “C’mon … Irene’s been very anxious to meet you ever since Gaby called.”

Seizing her bride’s arm after they each pulled on their moccasins, Maddy followed her and their host into the kitchen where Jessica and Robert were already in animated conversation with Irene. Both girls noticed that she was standing against an island in the middle of the large kitchen while a cane hung beside her with its curved handle balancing on the counter-top.

“Gaby! … C’mon in … and this has to be … Maddy! Welcome child,” Irene gushed as the two walked up to her and received a warm hug. “We’re awfully sorry we didn’t make the wedding, but…”

“That’s okay. You had a really good excuse,” Maddy politely interrupted. “How’s the hip? I see you’re using a cane now?”

“Unfortunately it wasn’t a simple break. I needed a couple of operations,” Irene explained. “I was using a walker for a spell, but I graduated to a cane back in September. Frank still has to drive me to Waynesboro for ‘physio’ every week.”

“I keep telling Irene she’s pushing things and she should use the cane more, but she won’t listen an’ use it as much as she should.”

“Land sakes, Frank! … I told you I’m fine for the short hauls!” Irene playfully admonished her husband.

“Just the same … we’re here now!” From the tone of her voice, Irene knew Gaby was telling her that they would not tolerate her over extending herself because she had company.

When the pork roast and the rest of the food was finally done, Irene put everything in the proper serving bowl or on a plate, with some help from the other three women. Jessica then promptly ushered her and the cane, into the formal dining room and firmly told her to sit down with the men-folk while they brought everything to the table.
The lunch itself was as Gaby remembered her last dinner at Frank’s - good company, good conversation and lots of good food. Irene’s love of cooking and entertaining was certainly made very clear to everyone there.

“How about we take a break and let things settle before dessert? That’ll give me a chance to clean the kitchen up,” Irene asked as she started to push her chair back from the table.

“Fine … but you just sit at the kitchen table an’ direct … we’ll do the leg work,” Jessica offered.

The two girls quickly agreed as they each grabbed some dishes off the table when they got up. In very short order, they loaded the dishwasher and got it going, then together finished up hand washing the few things that required it. When they put away the last pot, they adjourned back to the dining room with the dessert and laid it out on the table.

“You have your choice … homemade apple or peach pie,” Irene proudly announced.

“Where’d you find apples and peaches this time of year?” Maddy wondered.

“Irene loves to can fruits and jams when she can,” Frank replied.

When everyone had their fill, there were sizable gaps in both pies. Once the table was again cleared, the ladies joined both men in the living-room. Later, Jessica happened to glance at the clock on the fireplace mantle and noticed it was nearing three PM.

“Sorry to break this up, but we really must get these two to Richmond … or they’ll be walking home,” Jessica announced. Following some quick ‘good-byes’, the Lindsey’s were whisking the girls off towards Richmond’s International Airport and the first leg of their flight back to Germany.

~~~

“You guys all checked in?” Jessica asked.

“Just got to walk through the scanner,” Gaby replied as they stood outside of the secured departure area.

“Wished you two lived closer. These visits are too far apart and too short!” Jessica lamented as the girls exchanged hugs with her and Robert.

“There’s always the summer. Hopefully nothing scuttles your plans…” Maddy quietly replied after she gave Robert a hug and a kiss on the cheek before releasing him.

“Remember … let us know if Mary asks about our wedding,” Gaby mentioned.

“Oh, I will … don’t worry about that! I only wish I was there to see her face when you told her,” Jessica gushed.

“As I recall … you were busy at the time.” Maddy’s playful observation caused Jessica to blush as Robert wrapped his arm around her waist. “We’ll give you a call from Philly before we catch our flight ‘ome.”

“We’ll still be up … bye now! Have a good flight!” Jessica called out as the girls passed thru security.

“Don’t forget … let us know what’s happening with your holidays!” Gaby answered as they waved their final farewells.

Finding a pair of vacant seats in the crowded departure area by their gate, the girls settled in for the wait.

“I’m going to wander back to that book store and see if I can find anything … be right back,” Maddy quietly informed her wife.

As she rose up to leave, Gaby pulled out her paperback from the side pocket of the travel case that served as her carry-on. She hadn’t gotten very far into her book, when Maddy re-appeared with a plastic shopping bag.

“This is for me…” Maddy announced as she pulled out a copy of ‘Desire by Starlight’. “I’ve been looking for this for some time but could never find it.”

“What’s the magazine?”

“Nosey … I was gonna give that to you on the plane!” Maddy quietly joked as she handed Gaby the current edition of ‘Cycling Weekly’. “I was shocked to see they even carried the Comics.”

“Thanks!” Gaby whispered. She was about to give her wife a kiss, then thought better of it considering … and opted to give Maddy’s hands an affectionate squeeze. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

“Once or twice … but that’s something I’ll never tire of hearing,” Maddy softly replied while returning Gaby’s squeeze. “Gabs? … I love you…”

As Gaby slowly turned her attention to her Comics, Maddy pulled GeeBee from his carryall and cuddled him as she prepared to immerse herself in her book. Sometime later, the anticipated announcement was heard over the PA system.

“US Airways flight 4628 is now ready to board. Please have your boarding passes ready.”

“That’s us, luv!” Gaby quietly enthused as the two girls put away their books. “Don’t forget GeeBee.”

After Maddy put him back into his carryall, the girls rose from their seats to join their fellow passengers for the short walk to their waiting aircraft.

Once aboard, Gaby stowed her travel case in the overhead and the two settled into their seats. Soon after Maddy did up her seat belt, she once again pulled GeeBee from his bag. With a loving smile and a gentle squeeze of Gaby’s hand, she settled back into her seat as the Dash 8 departed Richmond International.

During the short flight, Gaby pulled out the airline magazine from the pocket on the back of the seat ahead of her. As she flipped through the pages, she found what she was looking for, a schematic of Philadelphia’s airport.

“Now I know why we have a ninety-minute layover … it’ll take us that long to get to our connecting flight!” Gaby joked. As Maddy leaned over, Gaby pointed out Terminal F and the gate they were to arrive at, plus the gate of their connecting flight over in Terminal A.”

“Sweetheart … shows here that there’s a shuttle bus that goes to Terminal A … see? All we have to do is walk over to the next gate to catch it,” Maddy pointed out as she studied the map.

“Oops ... missed that,” Gaby embarrassingly whispered as she gently squeezed Maddy’s arm.

A little more than an hour later, they had de-planed and were on the shuttle bus pulling up to gate A1. When the girls joined the sea of humanity in the departure area known as ‘Concourse A - East’ they quickly decided their priorities were to find a ‘loo, locate their departure gate and get a tea, in that order.

“Okay … A3.” Maddy observed the gate on their left as they started to walk down the concourse.

“First things first … there’s the ‘Ladies’ over there!” Gaby mentioned as she quickly started across the hall, with Maddy following close behind.

Having finished their business and make-up sorted, the girls resumed their quest to find their departure gate. Walking down the concourse, Maddy noted the odd-numbered gates were on their left and even-numbered gates were staggered on their right.

“A7 … A9 …” Maddy quietly called out.

“A2 … A4…” Gaby countered.

“A11 … you see A10 anywhere?”

“Nope … let’s ask,” Gaby suggested as she walked across to a small bookstore. “Excuse me … can you tell me where gate A10 is?”

“Right at the end, Miss … can’t miss it.”

“Thank you,” Gaby replied. “C’mon … we’re going in the right direction.”

A few steps later, the long arm of the concourse opened up into a semi-circular hall. Scanning the scene in front of them, the girls soon located gate A10 and as they drew closer, they were able to note the boarding times for their flight.

“Great! Now we got that settled … ‘ow about a bit of a nosh? I saw a salad place back one or two gates,” Gaby suggested after checking her watch. As they passed a bank of phones, she reached into her bag and pulled out her mobile.

“Hold up, Mad! I should give Jess a ring an’ let her know we got here in one piece. I’ll phone Mum closer to boarding … let ‘er sleep a bit longer.”

Once she completed the call, the two girls quickly headed off to satisfy their leafy-cravings. Returning to the gate with their take-out, they settled in for the relatively short wait until boarding.

“I’m gonna call Mum, luv … you finish up,” Gaby announced as she again took out her mobile and proceeded to punch in the number.

“Guten Morgen, Mama!” Gaby cheerfully enthused.

“Yes ... I know it’s only four in the morning … I’m told it has something to do with the curvature of the earth … yes, we were good girls ... I’m just calling to let you know they’re about ready to let us board … next stop … Heathrow!”

Gaby paused for a brief time while her mother obviously carried the conversation at the other end. When Jenny felt a need to pause, Gaby took the opportunity to get a word in edgewise.

“Oh! … In case you need it … our flight is US Air … flight 7 ... 2 ... 8 … yes … it’s on our itinerary …what’s that? … Yes … we had a wonderful time … we’ll tell you all about it when you pick us up … yes, Mum (sigh) … we got lots of pictures … oops! … Have to go … there’s the boarding announcement … call you when we land at Heathrow … Tschüss.” As Gaby put the phone back into her bag, she habitually glanced at her watch. “ten-thirty-five ... not bad.”

 
 
Comments are Greatly Appreciated!

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To Be Continued...
 

I'm free!...

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Viewing Note: This story should be viewed with the Edwardian Script ITC font installed on your Windows platform in the c:/Windows/Fonts directory. Microsoft Word installs this font automatically.

Photo Credit: Permission to use the photo of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, has been granted by the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts .

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Chapter 11
 

“Maddy! … Gaby! ... Over here!” Both girls heard Jenny’s voice call out as they walked out of the luggage claim into the crowded ‘Lufthansa Arrivals’ gate of the terminal.

“I see your mum, sweetheart ...”

“An’ there’s dad! … C’mon.” Maddy put her hand up on her Stetson to keep from losing it as she jerked her head around to follow Gaby’s gaze. Spotting Gaby’s parents, the two girls suddenly changed direction and together pushed the luggage trolley towards the elder Bond's.

“Welcome back, girls!” Jenny greeted after the two finally made their way through the congested ‘Arrivals’ hall and stood before them.

“Why so busy?” Gaby wondered aloud while obviously forgetting the date.

“Christmas traveller’s I suspect,” Dave flatly replied.

“Oh, yeah...” Gaby sheepishly answered.

“Good flight?” Jenny enthused, eager to change the subject.

“Super!” Maddy enthused as she threw her arm around her mother-in-law’s waist. “But we kinda splurged.”

“Meaning?” Jenny prompted.

“Meaning … when we checked-in for our London flight … we asked about upgrading our tickets to ‘First Class’, not expecting anything to come of it … but … once we found that a pair of seats was available in ‘World Business Class’ ... we decided to go for broke.”

“Gaby! I do hope that’s not going to hurt you girls,” Jenny voiced.

“No, not really. I’ve been putting my sponsorship money into a separate account … an’ that’s what paid for our honeymoon …an’ the upgrade … just!” Gaby explained with a nervous smile as she appeared to shrug off the added expense.

“Was it worth it?” Dave wondered.

“Compared to our flight to Canada … the wider seats an’ extra leg room really did make a difference … didn’t it luv?” Maddy nodded her head in agreement, while Jenny and Dave looked on with some envy.

“Gabs figured you only live once, so why not jump at it when we had the opportunity?”

“That’s something your mother and I’ve never done,” Dave quietly admitted.

“Yet!” Gaby smiled to herself.

“Everyone who flies should get to do it at least once,” Gaby playfully replied. Neither of Gaby’s parents caught the non-verbal exchange between the young couple nor the true meaning of her words.

Unfortunately, our connection at Heathrow only had economy seating,” Maddy quietly lamented.

“S’not my fault,” Gaby quietly pouted.

“Well, that covers your flight … so now … how was the trip?” Jenny impatiently wondered.

“Fan-tastic! Did you know your daughter can be ... very … umm ... ‘romantic’?” Maddy playfully, but quietly disclosed and then seeing Gaby turn several shades of red, gently brushed her wife’s lips with a kiss. “Well ... it’s true, sweetheart…”

“Oh? I never would’ve thought. You’ll have to tell me all about it…” Jenny softly hinted through an impish little grin, as she leaned closer to Maddy.

“Suitably edited for parental consumption…” Maddy playfully whispered to her bride.

“But of course…” Gaby softly replied with her own mischievous grin.

“Good Lord! You girls leave anything in the stores?” Dave jokingly remarked as he looked at their bulging luggage cart.

“Three … four … fi … John said you left with only two pieces.” Dave continued to mentally count while pointing to the smaller bags piled on the cart.

“Have you and Mum ever gone anywhere and returned only with what you left with?” Gaby smugly responded.

“Good point,” Dave smirked as Jenny playfully slapped his arm.

As Maddy snatched a cloth carry-all off the top of the cart, Jenny looked quizzically at the brownish-grey furry contents.

“GeeBee,” Gaby flatly remarked as she glanced lovingly at her wife.

“Gabs bought him for me in Banff … he’s a Grizzly Bear!” Maddy enthused as she took the stuffed animal out of the bag to show Jenny.

“He’s cute…” Jenny remarked as she playfully snuggled the bear to her chest and made like she was going to walk away.

As she turned back feigning reluctance handing to it back to Maddy, Dave suggested that the kids unpack and rest up once they get dropped off at their place and then plan to come over to the house for a family dinner that evening.

“That hat really suits you,” Jenny gushed as she looked at her daughter-in-law.

“We found a store in Banff that specialized in ‘western wear’ … an’ Gabs insisted that I had to get it after I tried it on just to see what I looked like in it.”

“All I said was … you looked very sexy in that Stetson,” Gaby playfully interjected.

“That’s what I said … you ‘insisted’.” When Gaby stuck out her tongue at her wife, she was rewarded with a second quick, but tender kiss on the lips.

“Did you get one as well, Gaby?” Jenny asked.

“Nope ... it didn’t look good with my feather,” Gaby playfully replied.

“C’mon … let’s get out of here. There’ll be plenty of time to talk later,” Dave urged.

“Was Jules able to get back for the holidays?” Gaby hopefully asked later when they started to get into the car.

“Both her and Gerhardt are already at the house,” Jenny replied. “Apparently they have something to tell us ... but won’t say anymore until you two are there.”

Dave quickly joined the ladies and took his place behind the wheel after loading the luggage into the boot.

“Mummm! ... She’s not…” Gaby shrieked, as she settled into the back seat.

“Gaby! That was my ear!”

“Sorry, Dad ... I didn’t mean to...”

“No ... she’s not … yet … at least … I don’t think so,” Jenny slowly replied, her voice fading as the thought progressed.

“Tante Gaby … has a nice ring to it,” Maddy whimsically mentioned.

“Yes, Auntie Mad…” Gaby playfully responded as she gently cuddled Maddy’s arm. Neither girl noticed Dave and Jenny’s smiling reflections in the rear-view mirror.

Oh, before I forget … Kat’s got her ring! Kurt finally popped the question the other night,” Jenny revealed. “I think you girls started something.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, Mum. That’s only Jules an’ Kat.”

“Yes, but that’s both of your Maid’s of Honour since you girls exchanged vows,” Jenny pointed out.

“Em and Ally?” Maddy mischievously whispered.

I dunno … you think?” Gaby quietly giggled. “Cross yer fingers!”

“You want to give them a call when we get home?”

“Okay.”

“That still leaves the rest of the afternoon...” Maddy suggestively whispered as their lips gently touched.

“You know you’re going to be the death of me, Maddy Bond…” Gaby breathed as they gently bumped foreheads and gazed into each others eyes.

“I know … and you love it … don’t you?” Maddy softly asked.

“Uh huh .... mmmmm,” Gaby quietly purred as their lips met for a second time.

“Were we ever that bad, darling?” Dave quietly asked his wife as he checked the rear-view mirror.

“Much worse!” Jenny softly admitted. He glanced at her with a mock scowl. “You can ask Mum!”

Dave gently put his free hand on top of his wife’s leg as the car sped along the Autobahn.

“Eyes on the road, dear … or we won’t get home,” Jenny quietly reminded.

Forty-five minutes later, Dave had turned off the Autobahn and was passing Bad Neuenahr. Gaby shook her head to release her thoughts of the last two weeks and decided to gently roust her wife.

“Almost home, darling … have a nice nap?”

(yawn) “I think so … did you?”

“Couldn’t … too wound up I guess.”

“Well … try to lay down this afternoon … okay, sweetheart?”

“I’ll try, but we’ve got things to do.”

“Like?”

“Unpack an’ laundry...”

“S’not gonna take all afternoon. You try to lay down. It seems we’ve been on the go since forever!”

“Okay, I’ll try. Mum … you know if George is around this week? I was thinking I’d give him a ring and thank him for the time off.”

“He’s home all this week, dear. I know he’ll be there for sure later this afternoon.”

Minutes later, Dave turned the car into the paved close of the girl’s house. As he turned off the ignition and popped the boot, the two got out of the back and started to take some of their bags up to the house.

“I won’t come in, dear … but plan on a late dinner. I’m thinking about eight-ish. Come earlier if you want,” Jenny mentioned as she sat in the car.

“Got your keys Gabs? My hands are full.”

“Already out,” Gaby replied as she pulled one of the larger pieces of luggage behind her.

Once Dave and the girls got the bags inside and up to their room, he and Jenny returned to their house leaving them to unpack and generally sort themselves out after a long trip. It wasn’t long before they were once again standing in a tidy bedroom, after putting everything away

“Sweetheart? I know what you were thinking back at the airport when we told your ‘rents about upgrading our seats,” Maddy whispered as she put her arms around Gaby’s neck and held her close.

“You said it yourself during our little nocturnal walk … they deserve it after all they’ve been through … with Mum’s cancer an’ all,” Gaby quietly replied as they stood holding each other.

“You’re an amazing … loving … and caring person, Gaby Bond. My heart never stood a chance against you … did it?”

“You did put up a bit of a fight, if you remember...” Gaby softly countered.

“Did I?” Maddy breathed as she gently pushed Gaby onto their bed and then joined her.

Later that evening, after supper, Jules and Gerhardt ushered everyone into the lounge and had them take a seat while the young couple remained standing. Jules tightly held onto his hand while anticipating her family's reaction to her news.

“Well?” Jenny impatiently asked.

“Gerhardt and I have set a date! … May 17th,” Jules beamed.

“May 17th?” Gaby echoed.

“Sorry Gabs … we didn’t set out to choose the same date … but we were thinking of you when we chose it.”

“Me?”

“Mum told me to call George the other week and find out about your mid-season break ‘cuz I’ll be needing you for my Matron of Honour,” Jules explained.

“Told ya she’d get back at ya!” Maddy smugly exclaimed. Gaby quickly turned towards her wife and playfully stuck out her tongue.

“Where’re you planning to have it?” Jenny wondered.

“We first thought of having it at the Town Church like these two, but after thinking it over some more ... we decided that since Gerhardt’s entitled to a military wedding ... we’d get married at the base chapel in Lechfeld,” Jules mentioned with a shrug. “I know it’s a bit out of the way, but...”

“Don’t apologize. It’s your wedding,” Jenny quickly put in.

“It’ll probably be a little smaller than yours (looking at Maddy and Gaby). Gerhardt and I thought three on each side would be about right.”

“She hasn’t picked out her dress yet, but we both would like you three to wear the Indian stuff you wore for Gaby und Maddy’s wedding,” Gerhardt added while looking at the three seated Bond women.

“Face it, sis … those feathers have become a part of you,” Jules cheerfully taunted. Maddy leaned into Gaby’s shoulder as she gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“See? I keep telling you that I’m not the only one who thinks you look sexy…” Maddy seductively whispered as Gaby gently squeezed her wife’s leg.

“… und Jules will wear hers,” Gerhardt continued.

“You started a new tradition for us Bond women, sis…” Jules added while cuddling up to her fiancé. “Actually, I’ve been wearing mine quiet a lot when we go out...”

While Jules paused mid-thought, everyone kept looking at her expecting her to say something further. She didn’t disappoint when she quickly glanced at Gerhardt and then with a wide grin, proudly announced, “… AND … Gerhardt gets to wear his new Oberleutnant’s dress uniform!”

“Congratulations, son! When did your promotion come through?” Dave enthusiastically inquired.

“It’s been ‘official’ for a couple of weeks, but we’d thought we’d wait until now to say anything … while everyone ist here.”

“We’re spending New Year with his parent’s ... so we’ll tell them everything when we see them,” Jules explained and then turning to face Gaby, she asked the all-important question.

“You will do it ... won’t you, sis? … Matron of Honour, I mean.”

“Of course I will…” Gaby softly replied as she stood up and the two sisters hugged each other.

“But you do know that I probably won’t be around for anything except the wedding ... right?”

“Mad could always stand in for you, couldn’t she?” Jules quickly asked. “As for your dress ... again that’s no problem ... is it? I mean … ever since you two’ve known each other, you and Mad have always been able to share clothes with no problems.”

“Ohhh … how true…” Gaby smiled to herself.

“We still can … and do … right, sweetheart?” Maddy confirmed. Gaby responded by giving her a knowing smile.

“Well … no probs, then!” Jules announced with some finality.

“You do realize that we’ve never met Gerhardt’s family or friends ... apart from his parents,” Gaby mentioned.

“So?” Jules responded.

“As open as Mad an’ I are about 'things' ... will your family and friends be okay with us attending your wedding?”

“We guarantee it!” Jules firmly stated while Gerhardt nodded in agreement.

“I tried, darling,” Gaby joked as both girls rose up from their seats to give both Gerhardt and Jules a hug.

“One other thing,” Jules coyly added and then turned to look straight at Maddy. “I’m short a bridesmaid.”

“Me?”

“An’ why not?” Will you do it?”

“Yes…” Maddy weakly answered, through misting eyes.

“I can hear it now.” Gerhardt began. “Und now, I’d like to introduce our head table. To the immediate right of Gerhardt’s gorgeous bride … ist Jules’ beautiful Matron of Honour, the first of three Frau Bond’s here tonight … her little sister … Gabi. Sitting next to her … ist one of our two very lovely bridesmaids … und our second Frau Bond … Gabis wife … Maddy … und next to her ist…”

“You wouldn’t dare! … Would you?” Maddy squealed.

“Know what’s scary, luv? I think they would…” Gaby answered as she cuddled with her wife on the couch.

“C’mon ... they’ll have to introduce the head table!” Jules implored.

“Like that?” Maddy questioned.

“Possibly...” Jules reasoned after thinking about it.

“Guess who’s coming to dinner?” Gaby sarcastically intoned.

“It’s certainly something we can think about, anyway,” Maddy conceded. “I assume you’re planning to introduce the parents, too … an’ the third Frau Bond?”

“Of course,” Jules confirmed.

“I was only kidding, guys!” Gerhardt half-pleaded.

“You thought you were, Liebling…” Jules sweetly replied as her lips brushed his in a tender kiss.

“My boy … a bit of advice. When the ‘wife’ says you had a good idea … don’t argue!” Dave whispered when he walked up behind his future son-in-law. Gerhardt closed his eyes, let out a sigh and then nodded.

“Ja.”

“One other small request, sis. Would it be possible for you two to pop up to Lechfeld before you run off to Australia with the team? I’d be nice if you and Mad could meet my other bridesmaid, Bärbel. She teaches with me at the school.”

There was a short silence as Gaby obviously thought about it.

“If you can’t make it up ... I’m sure we could come down for a day or two,” Jules hurriedly added in the hope that her sister would agree.

“It’d probably depend on Mad’s schedule more than mine, but I think that we might be able to manage a weekend after the New Year … before I get too busy with the team ... can’t we, Mad?” Gaby mentioned as she glanced over at Maddy.

“Just let us know when she’ll be around,” Maddy cheerfully added.

“Thanks, guys!” Jules gushed as she hugged both girls.

“You think this time you’ll finally be able to show me that plane of yours, Garhardt?” Gaby impishly hinted.

“Ja ... I think we can arrange that. It should still be relatively quiet around the base for a few weeks, yet. I’ll haf to set up a time und clear it with the Jagdwaffe Kommandore and then if he agrees … meet you at the main gate … but I don’t think we’ll haf any problems this time. I’ll make the request to include you, Maddy und Jules.”

“Maybe we can get the wedding party together for dinner or something?” Jules sweetly hinted.

“Gut idea! Let everyone meet these two before Gabi runs off on us,” Gerhardt agreed.

“Anyone for tea? … Gerhardt? … Coffee?” Jenny asked as she rose for her chair to head for the kitchen. After everyone placed their order, Jules followed her mother into the kitchen while Gerhardt engaged Dave in further conversation.

Maddy decided to take full advantage of the brief lull in the evening to nuzzle closer to her bride.

“Never did call Em …did we?” Gaby whispered.

“Oops. Make sure we do it tomorrow…”

“Okay…”

Their quiet time was interrupted a short time later, when Jenny and Jules brought out the drinks, along with some cookies and slices of Christmas cake. After being served their tea, Gaby put hers down on one of the end tables that flanked the couch and then leaned over and gave Maddy a tender kiss on the cheek.

“Be right back, luv…” Gaby whispered as she got up off her parent’s couch.

“Where ya going?” Maddy softly asked.

“Mum … Mad said you two found my diary when you were cleaning out my room. Is it still there?” Gaby wondered.

“We put it back in the night table drawer … where you always kept it, dear.”

“Okay ... thanks!”

“Oh! While you two were gone … your dad and I took that box of your old clothes to the church, like you wanted.”

“Thanks … be right down, Mad!” Gaby enthused as she quickly dashed up the stairs to her old room. A few minutes later she came back down brandishing the small book, but not before Maddy had a word with Jules.

“Jules?” Maddy quietly got her sister-in-law’s attention.

“What’sup?”

“Thank you…”

“For?”

“Just … thank you…” Maddy softly repeated.

As Gaby walked into the lounge, she went over to the stone fireplace where Dave had been nursing a wood fire all evening, instead of returning to the couch to sit beside her wife.

“Come ‘ere, darling…” Gaby softly beckoned Maddy to join her. As she walked up the hearth and her wife, the two girls joined hands.

“What, sweetheart...?” Maddy quietly murmured as she stood beside her Gaby.

“Shhh … this is for us...” By now, the girl’s actions caught the attention of the rest of the family.

For several minutes, Gaby stood silently looking at the closed diary in her hands, then knelt down and carefully placed it in the crackling flames. After making sure it caught fire, she straightened up, brushed the palm of her hand on a leg of her black leather pants and then stood motionless. Maddy solemnly slipped an arm around her wife’s waist and holding her close, joined her as they stared at the burning pages.

“It can’t hurt us anymore...” Gaby softly declared as she turned and looked at Maddy.

“Hold me?” Maddy softly asked.

Then Gaby tenderly kissed her wife before gathering her up tightly in her arms. As they held their embrace, Maddy looked over Gaby’s shoulder and caught sight of Jules giving her a knowing wink and mouthing, “You’re welcome, sis.”“

“Now that you guys got that settled … tell us about Canada... Neither of you have said a word about it all evening!” Jules cheerfully encouraged in an effort to lift the mood.

“Mmmm ... should we?” Maddy softly replied with a mischievous grin as she stole a glance at her wife.

Fini...

~~*~~

Postscripts:

Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. The photograph is a winter shot of Lake Louise; Banff, Alberta; Canada. The ‘Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise’... the 5-star hotel the girls stayed at while staying at Lake Louise ... is pictured in the foreground.

Title Credit: It’s the title of the 1967 hit by ‘The Association’ … ‘Never My Love’. Take a look at the lyrics below and listen to the MP3. I think you’ll agree it was a natural title for a story about the girl’s honeymoon, given Gaby’s feelings for Maddy. PB 2009

Never My Love
by The Association….

You ask me if there'll come a time
When I grow tired of you
Never my love
Never my love

You wonder if this heart of mine
Will lose its desire for you
Never my love
Never my love

What makes you think love will end
When you know that my whole life depends
On you (on you)

Never my love
Never my love

You say you fear I'll change my mind
And I won't require you
Never my love (never my love)
Never my love (never my love)

How can you think love will end
When I've asked you to spend your whole life
With me (with me, with me)

Never my love (never my love)
Never my love (never my love)

Never my love (never my love)
Never my love (never my love)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjessON4Uo4

 
 
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