077:

She lay in bed at three o'clock in the morning and couldn't sleep. She was too keyed up, too suddenly happy. She had Steven on one arm, her lip swollen and a bit sore from his sucking, but he'd unlatched and was asleep now. She lay on her side, the light from the kitchen sending a slight shadow into her room. She could just make out the baby's flawless skin and his darling dimples. Danny twitched. His rump was against her back and his blankets were kicked off.

But she couldn't sleep.

She eased Steven off her arm, waited a few seconds and then eased herself off the bed to sit on the edge waiting for one of them to squirm. Danny still had the t-shirt on that she'd bought him at the concert. It read Eagles Concert Tour.

She smiled, looking down at her own shirt. Her hair covered it partially, and she moved it aside, still grinning in remembrance. She pulled on oversized gray sweats and tiptoed to the door.

Of course, Richard would be standing at the sink.

Both arms were planted firmly on either side of the counter, an empty glass laying testimony to his own sleeplessness, he stared out the window at the dark gray ocean. He didn't hear her approach, even though she wasn't trying to cover her tracks.

Tracy sidled up to him, not touching him and suddenly poked his sides.

Richard jumped a mile, and his breath left him with the swooshing sound as he almost cried out, but she clapped a hand over his mouth, her eyes sparkling, until his heartbeat returned to normal. She had to suppress her own giggles.

"Holy Cow! You scared the tar out of me!"

"Holy Cow, are you from the south, now? Shhhh!"

"Sorry." He held a hand to his heart to still the thunderous beating, as he faced her, dressed in his own gray sweats and a white wife beater type undershirt.

"Can't sleep?" She stated the obvious, reaching for his glass, she filled it with water. "I had the most fun tonight ever. I can't believe how much fun that was! I loved it. Loooo---ved it! I want to go again!"

He was pleased. "You like that, huh?"

"I've always wanted to see the Eagles. All that amazing five part tenor harmony. I still can't believe it." She was hissing, but Richard could see her in chest rising and falling in the dim shadows. He turned his back and leaned against the sink.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. You were incredible. I think you knew every song!" He chuckled in recollection, wiping his nose with his fingers.

She thought about her excitement, her first real concert not performing. The electric feeling of being surrounded by people, the huge speakers above them, the adulation, the provocative way the people around her writhed and screamed. It was intoxicating, more so and in a very different way than being on stage.

"So, now we're both here. A little early and unprecedented...." Richard drew a deep breath and blew it out, eyeing her in the foggy light, the one dim interior lamp above her making her glisten like an angel.

"Like being up in the night is new to us?" She laughed and pushed herself up on the counter top, her legs dangling as she sipped her water, still feeling the high from the concert.

"Right." He ran his hand through unruly hair, not looking at her.

"So, you meant early like we aren't supposed to be here now today? And unprecedented, like we've never just been us without Austin?"

"Yeah, like all of that." He mimicked her Valley Girl talk.

"Right." She deadpanned his mock favorite word.

"So, what about it?"

"What about what?"

"Are you-- are you still up for the flick together?"

"Crazy action flick starts in like three days, or four, which is it? I already told you okay. Don't you think that's why I came home so soon? I have so much to do to get ready." She shrugged her shoulders, and he could tell she wasn't wearing her bra. Too bad he was a guy, and guys always cued in on those things. He let his eyes wander to the ceiling.

"So....church tomorrow?"

"And Monday and Tuesday we.... Surf?"

"Monday we work out the kinks."

"Tuesday we surf?"

Her eyes shot up. "Okay."

"And Wednesday we work our butts off."

"I'll buy that. You have your character down so you can help me with mine?"

"He's not based on a real person, more a conglomerate of people. Cops, detectives..."

He stole a look, the way her hair curled around her shoulders, caressing, sliding down to her breasts, swaying against her in the half-light. This was a dangerous time for him. He could see the rise and fall of her chest again, her breathing was shallow, and he knew-- knew she was aware of him as a man.

Knew it with every fiber of his being.

"Tough guys." Tracy said, and her voice had a funny, shaky quality as she held his eyes, steadily. She'd changed from concert giddy to awakened.

"You're not----." He cleared his throat. "Playing a—om—helpless ninny, either."

"No, I'm not." She said not batting an eye.

Richard felt his whole body react to that frank gaze. Damn. Really? Now?

"Kick boxer extraordinaire?" He swallowed convulsively, and rubbed the back of his neck again.

"I got a tutor. Daphne Corozone, do you know her?" But her mind wasn't on Daphne, he knew. She had crossed and uncrossed her legs repeatedly. Shapely legs.

"You'll be getting in shape then, for sure." He licked his own lips like a school boy, his senses on fire.

He reached out and felt her upper arm as she struck a flexing pose.

Tracy pushed up her loose t-shirt sleeve, and looked at her arms critically. This dropped what was under the sleeve into open shadow, and he knew his thumb was dangerously close to softer, more pliant skin. He wasn't ignorant-- I'm not ignorant, he reminded himself.

"I definitely need work." He took that step, bringing himself very close now, actually nudged her legs apart and stood between them leaning against the counter.

"It'll be tough doing the intimate scenes.... There are several."

She looked away, but didn't push him. "A little kissing is all." She nodded, pursed her lips and returned to hold his eyes recklessly. "Yeah, I'm cool. Not like you've never kissed me."

"I never have kissed you."

"Yes, you have! Like on occasion. The first night we met, for Pete's sake, Richard, have you forgotten?" She drew in her breath sharply, acting all nonchalant.

He smoothed her hair over her back, all guys did it to their girls, pulled the stray hair behind her ear, it was just required, it gave his palm a place to reside against the back of her head in case he wanted to pull her in. She cocked her face toward the light, her lips slightly open.

He frowned, barely--- a frown with a knowing half smile. "Those have not been real kisses. Pecks, brushes, not real..."

"Well," She drew in her breath again. "Even if we do kiss on set, for the film audience, not like that's real either." She held his eyes; and he sensed she was telling herself this was a bad hour for both of them. They shouldn't be up right now, she shouldn't have got up on the counter playfully this way, and he shouldn't be standing between her legs, feeling the silky heat of her breasts against his chest.

He pressed into her, caution flying in the wind. "Maybe we should practice." His voice was that very soft, very sexy screen voice she's heard him use in several movies.

He watched her eyes as he got closer, watched for a sign that she would stop him. Watched for that tell-tale pulling away.

She didn't.

Her eyes were fastened on his lips.

He moved closer, bent to her, closer, pressed them together, feeling the soft yielding, the warm tingle--- pressed more, a hand against her back now, slipping to her shoulder blade, the other still cupping the back of her head, under that tawny mass of curls. And finally sealed the contact as he hadn't ever before.

He felt his own hands come up to capture her face and hold her there. His world was rocking, her lips were soft, her eyes fluttered closed, and her face tilted to meet him. Richard deepened the kiss, brought her closer, slanted more intimately than an actor should.

And like a damn bursting, the soft waters overflowed.

For those brief seconds, Richard felt himself drowning, falling deeply, one hundred percent in love.... Passionately, feeling the fullness of her. This was Tracy...the girl he'd longed for, prayed for, yearned to hold just like this.

His hands ran down her face to her throat, up under her hair again, across her cheeks, his thumbs feeling their union, the corners of her mouth as he possessed her. Oh God, she was his--right now-- she was utterly and ravenously intertwined with him and him alone.

He needed to see her eyes, and pulled back just slightly, intending to pull her back--- but one glimpse told him she knew where she was and what she was doing. Her hand came up, covered her reddened lips, her other hand to brace against his chest. "Oh no, Richard.... No..."

"Trace----." He whispered her name, his smile gentle, reassuring.

She broke away, her eyes wide, staring in startled knowledge. There was absolutely no confusion in her gaze. Her fingers curled in her shirt.

"Why did you-- why did we-- Leave. Me. Alone!" She climbed up on the counter, jumped off the back side of the bar and ran to her room, slamming the door, effectively waking the two babies who responded with yelps of resentment. He heard slamming and knew she was packing.

He glanced at the clock. Five a.m. Shit, she was packing.

He'd taken advantage.... He'd really taken advantage. Regardless of her somewhat blasé acquiesce. There may have come a pulling away, but he was the man--and he'd had no right--

Her bedroom door slammed open. Jake's door also opened. He looked sleepy, pulling on his suspenders and snapping his pants. He glanced at Richard and shook his head.

Tracy hauled the travel bed while holding the baby. Monday came out carrying Danny.

"Don't go.": He said softly. She glanced at him and her face was unreadable. It didn't matter, he knew. She was angry with herself. She never let another take responsibility for her actions.

She stumbled to the front door and Monday preceded her outside.

"Tracy, this is stupid. I'll go." He ran a few feet and stood in her way, his eyes pleading with her now.

She looked up at him, and hefted Steven higher on her arm, then followed Monday to the waiting car. Richard took the two leaps out the door and grabbed Jake's arm as he tried to hold the car door for his employer. He leaned in the driver's side and took the car keys. "I said, I'll go."

Tracy stopped, handing the baby to Monday. "It was wrong." She said with a barely audible self-deprecating sneer. "We've just added fuel and confusion to an already volatile situation. I was wrong to trust...I knew what would happen.... Dammit Richard....I don't want it to go that way. I can't....." She looked away, her lips bit to keep from crying.

He reached out to smooth her hair, and she jerked back. "No, you're right." He dropped his hand to his side helplessly in the face of her rigid self-control. "It was wrong. I'm sorry."

She shook her head, curls flying, one foot still up on the running board. "This is crap...." Her eyes darted from the front door to the car door.

"Mommy said a bad word." Danny informed them, leaning out the door.

"Bad Momma." Tracy agreed with barely controlled hostility.

"Go back inside. I won't bother you, I swear, Tracy, I'll leave."

"I don't want you to leave!" She screeched, her hands clenched in fists. "Dammit, dammit!"

"Momma said a bad word! Two bad words." Danny announced.

"Bad, bad Momma." Tracy's eyes kept jerking around as if trying to decide what to do. Richard had the unaccustomed and undesirable urge to laugh. He coughed into his hand. Her eyes snapped up at him suspiciously.

"Come on back inside, I swear...."

"Don't flipping swear!" She released her hold on the car door.

"Are we leaving or not?" Jake asked impatiently.

"No." Tracy said and took the baby. Monday hauled Danny back, his blue dump truck pajamas falling off his night time pull-up. Richard held the front door.

"I'll bring your stuff back in."

"Is flippin' a bad word, Richie?" Danny asked as Monday gave them both an evil glare for having interrupted her sleep. "Momma, can I sleep with Richie? I flippin' wanna sleep with Richie."

Tracy made it back to her room, and Monday preceded her inside, as Jake set up the travel bed for the baby. She set Danny on Tracy's bed where he scrambled off and ran to the door and through it to Richard's waiting arms. Monday gave them all one exasperated huff, and then shut her adjoining bedroom door with a loud click.

Jake's door closed as well.

"Danny...." Tracy called him wearily, her eyes on Richard.

"Flippin' Momma."

"Stop it. Flippin' is a bad word."

"Flippin' baby is crying." Danny reiterated hotly, his eyes gleaming in dancing glee.

Tracy put the baby up to her lip and gave Richard a challenging stare, and he hefted Danny's form a little higher and then nodding he turned to the den.

"We'll be right out here watching cartoons." He said. "Go to sleep."

He shut her door with her still standing there, a strange expression lighting her blue eyes, one he hadn't seen there before. His heart beat an anxious tattoo and he sighed grimly. This wasn't what he'd envisioned , of course, how could he have envisioned the onslaught of emotional roller coaster rides this girl put him through? He never could have prepared for it, not in a million years.

He pressed the buttons on Austin's remote and found cartoons for Danny, then pulled the little boy close and laid on the couch to try and sleep.