"Damned if I know. You heard them tonight – they think it's pretty cool having all those FBI people watching out for us, and following us around. I wouldn't be surprised if they just took it in stride, as long as it doesn't go on too long, or get in the way of their fun too much. They seem to have a pretty good opinion of me, after tonight."
She snorted, and said "Pretty good opinion, my ass. Both of them all but worship you. Even before I had to come here, I'd hear them talking about you, and they both thought you were the greatest thing since sliced bread."
"What about you?", I asked.
She paused a little bit, then softly said "Me, too.", and a moment later, adding "I knew you were something special when we sat there and talked that night, after my promotion. Then when you helped me figure out what was going on here, well, that just made it even better. And when I heard that FBI guy reading about what you'd done in the Army, and saw the way the FBI people were treating you tonight, well that settled it. I knew you were quiet and modest and all that – I just didn't know HOW quiet and modest you are until today, and tonight. You don't make a lot of noise about how rough and tough and everything you are – you just sit there, nice and quiet, until something needs to be done; then you just DO it. And you don't make a big deal out of it, and you don't try to boss people around, even though you're*way* smarter than anybody I've ever met before, and know a LOT more. You're willing to let people make mistakes if they want to; but if they ask you, you give them the best answer you can, and let them decide for themselves. Like tonight, with Sandra – it surprised the hell out of me, and I know it caught you off guard, too. But I don't think you could have handled it any better than you did. You've let her, and Robyn, and even me, know that we're important to you, and that you care about us. That matters a lot, to me, and to them; then you go even farther, and let us know that you love us, no matter what else happens, without smothering us with it.
We all know you love us, and that you'll be there for us, no matter what we need, or when we need it."
At that point, she started crying, and hugging me. All I could do was to hold her, and caress her back as I softly told her that I loved her, too, and tried to comfort her.
When she'd cried herself out, she asked me "Why did you ask me to marry you tonight?"
Trying to lighten the mood a bit, I told her "Well, when you find milk you like, you buy the cow." – and getting my side poked in response, as she laughed, and said "No, really."
"Remember that talk we had in my living room? When you asked me what I thought of you?"
She nodded, and I said "That's why. Every time we've been around each other since then, you've done nothing but show me how true all of that is. On top of that, now I know you've got guts, too, and that only makes it better."
"What do you mean, I've got 'guts'?"
"I mean I know that all of this scares you – remember, I saw the look on your face when the FBI car pulled up next to us tonight! – but you've got enough nerve to put it away the best you can for the girls' sake, and keep going. I mean it must have scared you and made you feel all kinds of embarrassed and ashamed when you admitted to me that you liked the idea of making love with another woman, and even Robyn and Sandra – but you were honest and brave enough to do it, anyway."
"But why ask me TONIGHT, of all times? And here, with me and the girls standing there in our underwear?"
I laughed, and told her "Tonight, because I wanted you to know that I'd be there for what's happening now, and what happens after. Here, so that both of us would know and understand that our physical relationship isn't just with each other, but with people that we're BOTH attracted to, and care about."
She snuggled closer, and said "You're pretty deep, and pretty smart, you know that?"
"Seems I've heard that before, from somebody. Forget who, though." – and earning myself another jab.
We lay there like that for a while, content to simply hold each other before we started feeling sleepy. I called down to the front desk, and left a wakeup call for the next morning. That done, we went back to holding each other until we drifted off to sleep again.
Part 10
The next morning, I managed to catch the phone before the second ring; Lucy stirred next to me, but didn't actually wake up. I eased myself away from her – with a mild noise of complaint – and went over to get some coffee started before heading into the bathroom. When I got out, the coffee was about half done, and Lucy was starting to stir – perfect, I thought: waking her up as gently and easily as possible.
As the miniature coffeemaker was starting to hiss that it was done, Lucy opened her eyes, and saw me sitting there, looking at her. She blessed me with a radiant smile, and as she started to roll over, caught sight of the ring I'd put on her finger the night before. She suddenly stopped, and turned to look at me, saying "It wasn't a dream last night, was it?"
I smiled back, and said "No, not for either one of us."
She suddenly sat up – letting the covers fall down and making her breasts jiggle in a most interesting way – and hugged me fiercely before telling me "I love you!"
I hugged her back, and told her that I loved her, too – but that we needed to get ready to go to the FBI office. At that, she pulled away from me a bit, and said, "I was hoping that part of it was just a nightmare", wistfully.
I kissed her, and told her "It won't be long, and you'll think it was, though", in an effort to comfort her, before gesturing toward the coffee. She nodded, and I got up to make us both a cup.
After we'd both had a few sips, I told Lucy "Last night, Agent Gallery asked me a favor."
"What's that?"
"He asked me if I'd bring the girls with us this morning."
Lucy looked at me sharply, and asked "What for?"
"A couple of reasons. First, they just want to make sure the girls understand what all this is about. Second, they want me to go with them when they hit TechnoDynamics, and having all of you at the office just makes their job a little easier. Last, at my request, they're going to give you and the girls some brief lessons on self defense, and an introduction to guns."
Grudgingly, Lucy admitted that it was probably a good idea, adding "I'm not too sure about the guns part, but if you think it's a good idea, then I'll give it a try."
I assured her that I did think it was a good idea – "If for nothing else than to make sure they understand what a gun can really do".
When we'd finished our coffee, Lucy headed for the bathroom while I went in to get the girls out of bed. I found them wrapped in each other's arms, their legs intertwined. They were so lovely, I went back to knock on the bathroom door, telling Lucy there was something she'd want to see. A minute later, she came out, and I took her over to look at the girls – and she immediately fell in love with them, all over again. I got an idea, and dug out the digital camera I'd bought; when Lucy asked, I told her that it didn't use film, so there wasn't any problem with anyone but us seeing the photos. She nodded her agreement, and I got several images, from different angles, of Robyn and Sandra laying there.
I put the camera away as Lucy headed back for her bathroom, then went and sat on the edge of the bed. I reached out, and began caressing their upper arms in turn, first one, then the other, until they finally opened their eyes. When they saw me, both of their faces lit up, and they quickly threw off the covers to give me a good morning hug. I told them that all of us were going to the FBI office that morning, and both of them brightened at the idea. As I watched their cute backsides head for the bathroom, I called down to the front desk, and simply asked for the duty agent; a couple seconds later, a female voice answered "Agent Jones. What can I do for you, Mr.