Jamaica

“Do you have a minute?”

“Always, for you, Cake,” Melissa smiled at her sister and motioned her into her office.  She took off her glasses and leaned back in her chair.

Helena settled into a comfortable chair across the desk.  “I just got a call from Mom.  They’re at the condo in Vero.”

Melissa nodded.  “They’re going to stay at the beach for a few days before picking up the kids for the annual visit to the Mouse.” 

“I was just wondering if this is such a good idea.”

“What?  Taking the kids to Disney World?  They’ve been doing this for years.”

“Yes, but Mom and Dad aren’t getting any younger, and the kids are such a handful.”

“Even Susie is in school now.  I’d think it should be getting easier.  Tori and Geoff can help keep an eye on the others.”

“Well, Tori and Geoff are still pretty young, and can find their own ways to get into trouble.”

Melissa chuckled.  “That’s for sure.  But, really, Cake.  How are you going to break it to Mom and Dad that they’re too old to go to Disney World with the kids?”

Helena frowned.  “I was thinking that this year, perhaps we should go with them.”

“To Disney World?  Oh, Cake.  It’s so… juvenile.”

“So are our kids.”

Melissa leaned forward, chewing on the earpiece of her glasses.  “Helena, I love our kids, yours and mine.  But I really hate that whole plastic environment.  I’ll be happy to take the kids sailing, or surfing, or golfing, or even shopping.  But don’t make me ride around in fake little cars with them.  Besides, I’ve been looking forward to some quality time, if you know what I mean.”  Melissa winked at her.

Helena smiled at her sister.  “I know.  It seems like it’s even harder to find time alone now that Tori is in Middle School.  We’re always taking one child or the other somewhere, but never both at the same time.”

“Try three,” Alan said, walking in the door.  He settled in the chair next to Helena and winked at his wife as he tossed a file onto her desk. 

“That’s for sure,” Melissa agreed.  She took the file Alan handed her and frowned at it. 

“It can wait a few minutes,” Alan said.  “No emergency.”

Melissa nodded and set the file in a tray to her right.  “I was hoping we could get away for a few days.  Somewhere fun and different.”

“Somewhere fun?”  John asked, walking in the door.  He leaned down to give his wife a kiss and leaned against her chair.  “Sounds good to me.”

“What did you have in mind, love?”  Alan asked his wife.

“Hmmm, I hadn’t really decided yet.  Someplace where we can dance and be pampered.”

“New Orleans?” John asked.  It was a favorite of his and Helena’s.

Melissa shrugged.  “Someplace more exotic.”

“The Bahamas,” Alan suggested.  “Or Cancun?”

“How about Jamaica?  We haven’t been there in ages.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been there,” John said. 

Helena smiled at her sister. “That was before their time.  I went to that grand opening with you.  Remember?”

“That’s right.  That place was gorgeous.  Right on the water, lovely suites with four poster beds.”

“Room Service, and breakfast in bed,” Helena said with a smile.

“Delivered by that dishy little waiter,” Melissa said with a wink at her sister.

Alan cleared his throat, “I think we get the picture.”

John grinned at his sister-in-law, spotting a chance to tease her.  “Come on, Mel, we know you were getting bonked by the waiter.”

Helena and Melissa both laughed.  “Afraid not, John,” Helena corrected her husband and laid a hand on his knee.  “The lady next door was a better tipper.”

“The old witch needed to pay for it.  I haven’t ever had to pay anyone to crawl into my bed in my life!”

The others all laughed.

Alan cleared his throat.  “And I hope you haven’t felt the need in a while, love.”

“Of course not, Darling,” Melissa said with a smile and a wink.  “I am eminently satisfied with my current love life.”  Alan returned her grin.

“So, how about that place?  It really was very nice.  Golf courses.  Boutiques.  Night Clubs.  Scuba Trips.  You could swim with the manta rays.”

“Sounds good to me,” John said.  “Although I think I’ll take the golf course over the rays.  What do you think, Helena?”  He rubbed her palm with his fingers.

“Well, as long as the rest of you think Mom and Dad can handle the kids…”

“Helena,” Alan said with a smile.  “I’m sure not going to be the one to tell your parents they can’t handle the kids anymore.”

“They’ll be fine, honey.  And we’ll take the plane.  If your parents send out an SOS we can be home by sundown,” John assured her.

“And we’ll let the kids know that we would be very unhappy to be called back because of their behavior,” Alan added. 

By the end of the week, John was landing the King Air on the tarmac in Jamaica.  Melissa and Helena pulled on sunglasses as the stepped off the plane.  It had been one of those cold and blustery February days with a cutting wind out of the north when they left Cocoa Beach.  Here in the Caribbean it was a balmy afternoon with blue skies and bright sunshine.  A short cab ride later they were checking into the hotel.  John and Helena had a penthouse suite in the main building.  They parted company with Melissa and Alan with promises to meet for drinks before dinner at the beach bar at sunset. 

Helena walked out on the balcony while John tipped the bellhop.  He moved to join her but paused at the glass door, enjoying the look of her standing in the sunlight.  Her golden blonde hair seemed to have an inner glow.  It blew softly in the breeze.  This was one of those mental pictures he had imagined many times during their years on Alpha.  Helena stood relaxed and happy in the sun, a breeze lifting her hair lightly.  Sometimes when things got truly bad, John would dream of sweeping her away to a place like this.  It made this moment almost seem like déjà vu. 

Helena turned and smiled at him; her mental radar working well.  “What are you staring at?”

“I’m looking at my beautiful wife and marveling that we are here, together, after all we’ve been through.”

She smiled and held out her hand.  He joined her, placing his arms around her and she leaned comfortably against him.  He kissed her bare shoulder.  She had been wearing a cashmere sweater over a dark green sundress.  The sweater was already lying discarded on the sofa inside, unneeded here. 

“Looks like it’s nearly two hours until sundown.  Wonder why we’re waiting so long to go out,” John said, laying his cheek against Helena’s silky hair.

Helena laughed.  “Oh, John.  Sometimes you’re so… innocent.”

“What?”

She turned in his arms and reached up.  He brought his head down and touched his lips to hers.  She deepened the kiss, pulling her arms around his neck to hold him in place.  Her body seemed to melt into his, and move against his in all the right places.  By the time she let him up for air he understood perfectly.

He grinned sheepishly.  “I guess I’m a little out of practice at this.  I keep expecting someone to burst in and tell me they’re late for ball practice or ballet lessons.”

“They’re both a thousand miles away,” Helena whispered seductively.

John swept Helena into his arms and carried her back inside.  “Then let’s not waste any time.”

Melissa and Alan climbed aboard a small golf cart and the bellhop drove them down a winding path through lush vegetation.  The main hotel vanished behind them as they headed down a hill and through a grove of palm trees.  Across a small bridge and around another curve and they arrived at a small cottage.  Another golf cart was parked under an awning by the back door.  Their escort unlocked the door for them and handed them each a key card.  The two-room cottage was angled to give views of the water from both bedroom and living room without a view of the next cabin.  A deck with a hot tub in one corner connected the two rooms and there was a short path down to the glistening white sands.  A pair of sailboards lay on the beach, their sails lying next to them, ready and waiting to be used.  Melissa noticed them immediately and turned to Alan. 

“I called ahead.  Thought you might enjoy it.”

She nodded with delight.  Alan headed for the wet bar in the living room.  “But, first…”  He pulled a bottle of champagne out of the refrigerator and two glasses.  He waved them at her.

Melissa grinned.  “Even better.”  She picked up her overnight bag.  “I’ll meet you in the bedroom in five minutes.  Don’t be late,” she cautioned him.

“Never crossed my mind,” Alan murmured to himself as she disappeared into the bathroom.

At sundown the four were together again, tall glasses with rum drinks in front of them, all looking a bit smug.  They discussed what they were going to do with the rest of the weekend.  They would fly home on Monday morning.  Melissa and Helena wanted a shopping expedition and some time in the spa.  John wanted to golf and was not going to be talked into scuba diving.  Alan talked Melissa into joining him for some diving on Sunday and he would golf with John on Saturday while the girls shopped.  Helena leaned over to John and suggested that she would golf on Sunday with him as long as they had an afternoon teeoff, since she wanted the chance to be lazy on Sunday morning and stay in bed late.  John noted her choice of words, she wasn’t interested in sleeping late, just staying in bed, and quickly agreed with her.  It promised to be a busy weekend. 

After dinner they parted company again.  Alan and Melissa headed for one of the night clubs.  John and Helena opted for a stroll on the beach.  None intended to stay out very late.  Both couples were more interested in indoor occupations.

Helena met her sister in the hotel lobby the next morning at nine.  Helena had slept late and John brought her breakfast in bed.  He made jokes about tipping the waiter and she had been more than happy to tip him, although not in cash. 

Melissa looked freshly scrubbed and her hair was pulled back under a straw hat.  It looked a bit damp.  At Helena’s questioning look Mel smiled.  “We went windsurfing at sunrise.  Then spent a bit of ‘quality time’ in the hot tub.  I think this place was a good choice, Cake.”

Helena took her arm and they boarded a shuttle bus into that was to take them into town to the market place.  She agreed with her sister. 

A few hours later, they returned to the hotel laden with packages for each of the children.  Melissa had picked out a carved cocoanut for her father and Helena found a very stylish straw hat for her mother.  They handed over the packages at the desk to be delivered to their rooms and headed for the spa. 

“Massage?”  Helena asked her sister.

Mel shook her head.  “I’d rather leave that to Alan.  I don’t really like strange hands on me.”

Helena stopped, looked at her sister and laughed.  “Since when?”

Mel laughed with her.  “Okay, okay, so I’ve become incredibly… married, in my old age.  How about a manicure?  And I want something done with this hair.  I washed it but it didn’t really seem to get the salt out of it.”

The manicure counter was empty so they both settled there.  Two girls barely out of their teens greeted them and began to work on their hands.  Helena chatted with the girl at her counter, finding out that she was born here in Jamaica.  Be’nea wore her hair in dreadlocks and had an exotic island accent. 

Melissa’s technician, Lupe was a petite blonde with a New York accent.  She confided that she was really Cuban, and had hated the mainland.  As soon as she graduated from high school with her beautician’s license she began saving to come south to some place in the Caribbean.  She had worked at resorts on several islands and finally had landed here.  The four women enjoyed chatting while getting their nails done. 

Helena asked about other activities in the spa and Lupe spoke up quickly.  “Have you ever had a Brazilian wax?”

Helena shook her head.  “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that.”

Be’nea leaned forward conspiratorially, “Oh, girl, it’s just the ting if you’re here for a romantic weekend wit your mon.”

“I’ve heard of them,” Melissa said.  “It’s a very thorough wax job.”

“Very thorough,” Lupe confirmed.  “Everything below the waist goes.  Men just go wild over it.”

“Well, my girlfriend is one of de estheticians.  She says dat some women leave a little patch of hair right in front.  Sometimes in de shape of a heart, or an arrow pointing de way.”

All four women laughed.

“Really.  The first time I had it done, my boyfriend just spent all night caressing and touching me.  He couldn’t get enough.  I go monthly now,” Lupe confirmed.

Melissa smiled but shook her head.  “Wax jobs are always so painful.”

“But that’s part of the magic,” Be’nea said.  “De mon, he knows that and it just makes him crazy dat you’ve done something like that for him.”

“No other reason to do it,” Lupe said.  “It does hurt, but it’s worth it.”

“My girlfriend has had a few women who get off on de pain, but dat really gives her de creeps.”

“I’ve never been much into pain,” Melissa said.

“Me neither, but it does sound intriguing,” Helena said with a twinkle in her eye.

Melissa laughed.  “I suppose so.”

“Let’s do it.”

“You really want to?”

“I can call over to my girlfriend right now and see if she’s available,” Be’nea said helpfully.

Lupe leaned over to Melissa, “ You really won’t regret it.”

“Come on, Mel.”

“All right, I suppose.  Be’nea, can you get me an appointment to get my hair done too?”

“Sure, we’ll get you all set up.”

Be’nea made the calls and their nails were finished.  Melissa was to have her hair done right after the wax job.  There would be a bit of a delay and Be’nea suggested a mud bath as well and both agreed.  The mud bath was relaxing.  Then they had a facial.  After that they were led to tiny separate rooms for their respective waxes.  Melissa talked Helena into getting her hair done too.  In their usual world they each maintained their individuality and rarely even thought about the fact that they were twins, but they decided to be identical again for the weekend.  Same nails, same hair, even same wax jobs.  Both decided to go completely bare.  Melissa was already contemplating tanning like that.  Her private balcony could provide a nice secluded spot to catch some rays tomorrow.

The girl who entered Melissa’s room was friendly and obliging.  She explained the entire procedure in great detail and let Mel know that relaxation was the key to an effective waxing.  Melissa decided that some tequila was in order to assist with the relaxing.  The girl placed her order immediately and excused herself to pick up the drink while Melissa removed her clothing. 

The tequila didn’t completely help.  Melissa had always liked boys.  There had never been any point in her life where she had been even slightly tempted to allow another girl such intimate access to her body.  The girl was businesslike and matter-of-fact.  She chatted on neutral subjects in a calm Midwestern accent.  She was in her early twenties and originally from Des Moines.  She had followed a boyfriend to Jamaica.  He was in a band that had played in several of the clubs here.  When he left to tour elsewhere, she decided that she liked it here better than she liked being with him and they had parted with no regrets. 

Melissa remembered living a similar lifestyle, exploring new places, new people, taking up with someone different simply to follow a different path.  It had been fun, for a while.  Her life now was more settled and permanent and she found she liked it that way.  She enjoyed running the family business, coming home to her kids, going to bed every night with her husband. 

The esthetician was gentle, but warned her when the pain was about to start.  Melissa saw stars as the wax and hair were ripped off.  She took the last gulp of her tequila and set the glass down before she broke it.  It seemed to go on forever.  The girl was very thorough.  She tweezed the few hairs that the wax hadn’t cleared, a different form of agony.  Melissa wondered whether she would be in the mood for sex after this torture. 

Finally it was over.  The girl handed her a mirror so she could see herself.  It certainly did look… different.    Mel expressed her approval and the girl left the room so she could dress.  She checked the mirror.  She felt that she needed another facial and a new hairdo after this.  Her eyes were red rimmed and her hair wild from lying on the table and changing position as required.  She pulled on her panties, feeling surprisingly light and sensitive.  After a moment’s thought, she removed the panties again and stuffed them in her purse.  It felt good.  She stepped into the hallway.

Helena opened the door to the next room at the same time.  Similarly flushed, Helena smiled at her.  “Well, what do you think?”

“I think he better be awfully turned on, for me to go through that much pain,” Mel replied.

Helena took her arm and they headed back toward the reception area.  “Well, I think it feels great… now.  And I think John is going to love it.”

They were ushered to the main area of the salon.  Melissa looked at the clock.  “Cake, do we have time for this?  We still have to get dressed for dinner.  The boys will be expecting us at seven.”

One of the staff members looked at the clock as well, then at the two of them.  “We can do it Mrs. Carter.  But you may not have time to change.  Were you planning to wear something special tonight?”

“Nothing particular, but my clothes are all down at my cabin.”

“We could pick something out from our boutique for you,” another one suggested, already heating the water to wash her hair.

“We’ll have you all dressed and made up and ready for the night,” another suggested eagerly.

Melissa and Helena exchanged glances, and then nodded. 

Another woman with dreadlocks and beads woven into her hair clapped her hands.  “All right girls, the full treatment.  Treat Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Koenig like princesses.”

There was a flurry of activity.  Thick terry robes were brought, and their clothes removed.  One young woman with dark skin but oriental eyes and hair came by with a pad of paper and took notes regarding sizes and color preferences.  She promised to return quickly with several selections.  Their hair was quickly placed into the hands of two artists and Be’nea and Lupe showed up to do pedicures.  Lupe winked at Melissa and told her that she was certain it would be worth it.  The women made much over their twin princesses and at five minutes to seven Melissa and Helena walked out the door, hair swept up into golden blonde hairdos, make-up in place for an evening of seduction, toes and nails crafted and colored to match their dresses. 

They chose dresses of identical styles but different colors.  Melissa’s was an azure blue with peach accents.  It was strapless and fit tightly, accentuating her figure.  She wore matching necklace and bracelet of blue beads and blue high heeled sandals that tied with bows at the ankle.

Helena’s dress was cut alike, but the material was an iridescent purple with the hint of peacock wings in a watermark pattern on the silk.  The piping around the top and bottom were a rich dark green.  She wore a gold necklace with a peacock wing pendant and matching earrings.  Her sandals were also gold with dark green and dark purple stones on the straps. 

The spa staff sent them off with their best wishes.  They all seemed to make every effort to please and pamper their customers.

Melissa had not replaced her panties.  Her stockings were held up with blue garters.  She knew Alan would enjoy that.  She couldn’t wait to find out his reaction to the wax job.

Helena eyed her as they walked through the hotel.  They were definitely causing a stir.  “So did you like the results?”

“I’ll let you know when I get Alan’s reaction.  The pain has faded, but it still kind of tingles.  And there seems to be a bit of a breeze I’m not used to.”

Helena laughed.  “I know what you mean.  It just feels different.  What did you think when they removed the hair from your butt crack?”

“I don’t have any hair there,” Melissa said archly.

“Liar.”

“Well, I sure don’t any more,” she said with a laugh.

The men had chosen a corner booth in the restaurant.  They stood as the girls joined them. 

“You look fantastic!”  Alan said, giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek to keep from messing up her makeup.

“Thank you,” Helena replied for both of them.  “We spent all afternoon becoming beautiful for you two.”

“Well, you were already beautiful beforehand,” John said diplomatically, “but you both look wonderful now.”

Melissa found that even sitting down felt different.  She still tingled and she was much more interested in getting Alan alone than in eating.  She ordered the mahi-mahi which was always a favorite of hers and waited impatiently for the meal to be over.

John was explaining that he had looked over the stereo system in the room.  It was hooked into a satellite broadcast that allowed you to pick whatever songs you wished to listen to and make your own playlist.  Melissa could barely pay attention.

“Boys and their toys,” she teased.

“What else did you two do?” Helena asked. 

“I talked him into fishing,” Alan said.    “We went out on one of the boats and John caught a six foot sailfish.”

“That’s fantastic!” Melissa said.  “What did you do with it?”

“It was catch-and-release,” John explained.  “We have the picture to prove it.”

“And the video of him landing it,” Alan added.

“Did you catch anything?”  Melissa asked her husband.

“Not a nibble all afternoon.  But it was a great day to be out on the water,” Alan said easily.

“So what did you two do besides buy out the market place?” John asked.

Helena’s eyes twinkled.  “We went to the spa and were pampered all afternoon.”

“You look great.  Both of you do,” Alan said.

“It was fun,” Helena replied.  “Well, most of it was.”

“Most of it?”  John asked.

“Have you ever heard of a Brazilian bikini wax?”  Melissa asked.

“Something for your surfboard?” John asked, joking.

Alan nearly choked on his drink.  “You got waxed?” he asked his wife.

“The full treatment,” she replied with a wink.  “Helena talked me into it.”

Helena nodded in agreement.  She noticed John’s puzzled look and leaned over and whispered in his ear.  His eyebrows went up.

Alan leaned toward Melissa.  “Mel?  All over?”

“All over,” she confirmed.  She noticed him glance down her body.  She smiled and leaned toward him, whispering.  “I’m dying for you to check it out.”

“We’re going dancing tonight?” he whispered back.

“Flyboy, I don’t even want desert unless they deliver it to our room.”

“I can arrange that.”

Melissa giggled.  “Let’s get out of here.”

Alan turned to the other two.  “It’s been fun.  See you tomorrow sometime.”  He slid out of the booth with Melissa right behind him.

John and Helena laughed as Alan and Melissa headed quickly for the exit to the restaurant.  Alan paused, spoke to the maitre’d while holding Melissa’s hand tightly, then they slipped out of the restaurant.

“Does it feel… that different?”  John asked.

“It is different.  Melissa was reluctant at first, but a couple of shots of tequila later she was okay with it.  I’m really not sure if her… um… urgency is coming from the wax job or the tequila.”

“I’ve never known your sister to be drunk.  So, how do you feel?”

Helena laughed, sensing that John’s solicitous interest included more that a good bit of curiosity about the wax job.  “It hurt a bit when they were doing it, but that was over pretty quickly.  It feels… very smooth.  I do still want to go dancing.  I was looking forward to hearing that band.  Besides,” she added seductively.  “We have all night, and all day tomorrow.  I don’t feel like rushing things.”

John leaned toward her and kissed her softly.  “Then I’ll take the most beautiful woman in the resort dancing.”

Alan led Melissa to the golf cart and they headed back to their cabin.  As soon as they pulled away from the main building, Alan put his arm around Melissa’s shoulders.  Mel responded by moving his arm and placing his hand on her thigh.  She moved her legs apart slightly, and as they left the lights of the main building behind, he moved his fingers up between her legs.  He caressed her smooth labia.

“Oh, honey…”  He couldn’t seem to find any words to describe his feelings.

She leaned closer to him and purred into his ear, “It’s like that all over, Alan.”

Alan came close to driving off the pathway.  Quick reflexes turned him back onto the path and he took his hand away from her.  “I think I’d better get us there in one piece, don’t you?”

The little golf cart wasn’t something to hotrod in, but Alan drove it as fast as it would go down the hill and around the curves.  He parked it under its awning and they entered the cabin.  Mel led him to the bedroom where Alan drew the blinds while she turned the lights on.  He turned to her and led her to the bed, pulling the top sheet and spread completely off of the bed.  He unzipped her sundress but leaned forward to kiss her so she couldn’t step out of it quite yet.  She loosened his tie and removed his sportcoat and shirt.  She ran her hands through the hair on his chest.

“Not thinking that I should have one of these wax jobs are you?”  Alan asked, joking.

“No, I like it like this,” Melissa told him.

She unfastened his slacks and he stepped out of them and pulled her dress down at the same time.  He moved his hands slowly down her side, following her curves with his eyes.  As his hands reached her hips she sat on the side of the bed and spread her legs.  He knelt in front of her, moving his hands down her belly and across the newly bared skin.  She reached down to remove her sandals, but he stopped her.

“Leave ‘em on, love.”

“Whatever you say, flyboy.”

She slid back on the bed and lay back.  He drew his fingers down across the smooth expanse of skin, noting that she shivered as he did so.

“It’s just so much more sensitive,” she explained when he looked up at her.

He nodded and leaned down to kiss her.  She gasped as his tongue reached out to caress her.  He concentrated on pleasing her and was gratified to hear her moans of pleasure.  She spread her legs wider and he moved his fingers insider her, pumping her and savoring her wetness.

“Alan!  Oh, damn, Alan!”  she screamed as she climaxed.  She gasped for air and clutched at the sheets. 

As she began to calm, he crawled onto the bed on top of her.  She ran her hand down his chest.  “What do you think?”

“I like it.  Did it really hurt?”

“It did.  But… that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it again for, say, a special occasion.”

Alan gave her a smile and leaned down for a long slow kiss.  Their evening was just beginning.

John ordered desert for himself and Helena, a chocolate crepe with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.  They chose a nightclub with a band playing Cole Porter songs. 

It took a while for Helena to realize it, but John was working very hard to seduce her.  He ordered champagne for them and toasted her beauty.  They danced together smoothly.  It was always a joy to dance with him.  This evening he took advantage of every opportunity to touch her bare skin lightly as they danced, or brush his lips lightly against her hair.  He met her eyes while they drank their champagne.

Their lives had always been so full, or so hectic.  There had seldom been time for the two of them to be by themselves.  When they first met, those few weekends they found to spend with each other had been magical.  When with him, Helena had always felt an urgency that matched the intensity of the emotions she felt about him.  In the years they spent on Alpha there was even less time to spend together as just a couple.  Other than the occasional evening together and even more rare day off, there was always someone else demanding their attention.  Helena’s biological clock was certainly making itself known when they returned to Earth and they had settled into married life and parenthood almost simultaneously.  Sometimes Helena calculated how long it would take for the children to grow up and move out.  Sometimes she didn’t even feel guilty about it.  There never seemed to be enough time for herself and John simply to be a couple.  Traveling with her sister and brother-in-law was never a strain, although it was also a rare occurrence with them in business together.  She knew Melissa and Alan felt that same pressure to find time to be alone.

Unlike her sister, however, she enjoyed more than just the physical.  There were only a few times when John’s romantic nature was allowed free reign.  Their Valentine’s Day trip to the Lake District had been her first exposure.  His seduction this evening brought that to mind. 

“What are you thinking about?” His voice came softly in her ear.  They were on the dance floor again and she had settled comfortably into his arms.

“About how romantic you are, when given the chance.”

“Which is almost never,” John said. She moved into his arms so that she could look into his eyes. 

“Oh, there have been times… remember our first Valentine’s Day?”

“Mmm, yeah.  Actually, I was thinking about the first time we danced.  Remember?”

“You seemed afraid at first.  I was worried that you couldn’t dance.”

He laughed softly.  “I was worried that you would slap me in the face and walk out.  I had promised to call and then hadn’t found the time.”

“Oh, that would have made quite a scene, wouldn’t it?” Helena laughed with him. 

“And Victor there telling me how terrific you were.”

“Was he?  He was such a dear.”

“I still miss him.  I always wondered what it would have been like for him to have been on Alpha with us.”

The song ended and they stood next to open French doors that led out onto a balcony overlooking the water.  The moon was high in the sky, looking as if it had never left. 

Music followed them out the window

Sunshine through the window

That’s what you are, my shining star.

Making me feel I’m on top of the world…

He stood behind her, one finger tracing a complex pattern on her bare shoulder.  She leaned back thinking how completely perfect things were at this moment. 

“John?  Do you ever think about that other Alpha?  The one where Victor was with them?”

“Sometimes.  Sometimes when I see you in the sunshine and it hits me again the miracle that we’re home and together.  Sometimes I wonder if this isn’t just a dream and I’ll wake up on Alpha.”

Helena shuddered despite the warmth of the night.  “I still enjoy being in space,” she said.  “But I can’t say I liked being… trapped there.”

He placed his cheek against her silky hair.  “I know.  To escape Earth’s politics was one thing, but without support… a chance for a break, a chance to return when you’ve had enough…”

Helena nodded and pressed against him.  “Do you think they survived?” she asked quietly.

“I hope so. Do you think your sister turned up in that universe too?”

Helena shook her head.  “The other Helena and I talked about a lot of things.  She had not met her John Koenig before she came to Alpha.  Which would mean Melissa never met Alan.  And although my sister and I have always been close, she came for him, not me.”

John laughed.  “They are quite a pair.  Isn’t it odd, to think how differently things must turn out for them, all because a chance meeting in a hospital lobby did not occur.”

“Hmmm.  My behavior then, sometimes even startles me.  But when I saw you… it was as if I recognized you.  As if you were a part of me who had been missing before.”

She turned and looked into his eyes.  He touched her hair, moved his fingers slowly down her cheek to her neck.  “My other half,” he smiled.

He leaned down slowly and touched his lips to hers.  Her arms went around his neck.  They relaxed completely against each other as if there was no one else in the universe at all.  When they parted she looked up at him with large green eyes that seemed to reflect the stars above them.

“John?”

“Yes, my dear?”

“I don’t think I want to dance anymore.”

Without a word, John took her arm and they left the patio.

Helena woke at first light.  They lay side by side on the king size bed, but sideways across the bed.  There was no sign of any of the covers.  The stereo in the next room was playing Segovia softly.  John lay stretched on his back, arms above his head, his breathing telling that he was deeply asleep.  She smiled and rolled onto her back, stretching.  He should be tired.  She glanced at the clock.  It had been a long time since they had the luxury of making love all night long.  She had dozed off a couple of times and awakened to find his hands or lips on her again, and she had been more than willing to participate.  She raised herself onto her elbows and looked down at her body.  John had certainly been fascinated by the feel of her bare skin, and it did seem to make her ultra sensitive. 

Gently, to avoid waking him, she stood and stretched.  She walked over to the window.  Two windsurfers were already out on the bay.  She had an idea that she knew who might be skimming over the waves in the early morning light.  She was happy for her sister, but she turned back to watch the man she loved.  She considered making coffee, but he stirred and reached out for her.  She smiled and drew the drapes closed, darkening the room once again.  The stereo remained on its programmed list.  John had chosen a night full of romantic jazz, many of her favorites.  A Pat Metheny song started up, The Last Train Home, a song that always gave her a peaceful nostalgic feeling.  She returned to his arms and moved her hand down his body.  Tomorrow they would head back to their hectic lives of hospitals and design problems and trips to the Rock or the Moon and the never-ending procession of dance lessons, golf lessons, baseball practice and dentist appointments.   But today was for her and John alone.

Maureen J. Long