Topic: September Birthday (NSFW)

PrlUnicorn

Date: 2012-09-16 00:50 EST
9 September 2012

Collie's knuckles rapped on the heavy oak door to Darien's study. "Dare" Lunch is ready. I made fried chicken."

"Mm....Got'ta finish this. Be out later," came the muttering from inside the man cave. It had been the same story at breakfast.

Colleen shook her head and went upstairs to pack the diaper bags for the twins. Abby and Madison would be spending a few days with Rhiannon and Dennis Harker's family. The other four children that resided in the old manor house already had their bags ready. The boys would be spending time with their brother, Rick, while the girls would be settling in with Nicole in the apartment above her shop in New Haven.

Two vehicles arrived out front along with a lone rider on horseback. Rachael and Dee Dee bailed into Nicole's four door pickup. The small group of menfolk were off on their way to the lake. That left three generations of the family's women standing in the driveway. Rick Harker had remained at home to go fishing with his father.

"So, let's get the show on the road," Collie said. "Maggie, why don't you 'n' Catie go up ta the nursery 'n' pick out a few toys for Abby 'n' Maddie ta take along ta yer house, eh?"

Maggie looked between her grandmother and mother before looking at her little sister. "Come on, Catie. That's big people talk for we want little kids not to hear what we're gonna say." The girls raced up the stairs to the nursery.

Rhiannon chuckled as her daughters moved out of sight. "Was I like that?"

Colleen grinned and nodded. "That a rhetorical question, Rhi?" She waved her daughter into the house and got her to help with a little photography project.

When they finally exited the master bedroom and headed up to collect the girls. "If he doesn't notice that thing, order a casket," Rhiannon murmured.

Maggie and Catie were able to get up and down the stairs under their own power. Abby and Madison had a while before they would be able to get from one floor to the other and needed to be carried. Maggie hauled the tote filled with toys and made a point to remind Catie to hold onto the railing on the way down.

"Gran," Maggie said as they reached the front door, "Mama gots diapers onaccounta b'cause Abby 'n' Mad'son aren't housebroked, yet."

"Potty trained, Maggie," her grandmother corrected.

"Housebroked, potty trained. They don't know where the potty is, they don't know how to use it! Same t'ing! Like Aunt Rhi says, s'man'ics!"

"Och, Maggie. Yer learnin' bigger words everahday."

The conversation caused stifled giggles to come from Rhiannon as Catie climbed into the dark blue SUV. Abby was content to gnaw on her favorite teething ring as she waited on two more passengers to be fastened up. Goodbyes, kisses, hugs and last minute instructions were given before Colleen went back into the house.

Another hour had passed, four since she'd knocked on the door for lunch. Fish and chips, one of Darien's favorites was still hot and waiting in the kitchen. Again, the answer was the same, "Give me another hour, I'll be done be then."

Colleen picked at her own dinner while the hour passed. The clock in the hallway chimed and told her that it was an hour and a quarter, she cleared up her own plate. Darien's dinner was taken from the oven where it had been kept warm, wrapped, and put into the fridge.

Next stop was the master bedroom where two travel bags were packed. She rolled them out to the front hall. Again, she rapped on the door. "Darien, have ya looked at the calendar?"

Shuffling noises, like paper being moved in a hurry could be heard. "Eh....Sometime in September" What about it?"

Collie bent and shoved a pair of pictures under the door. The top one was of his cell phone, laptop, and briefcase. Each item crossed out with a red X made with a thick marker. A hammer with a question mark was pictured above the other three items. The photo half covered a picture of Colleen, herself, dressed in a gauzy black negligee, with a neatly wrapped gift with the words Happy Birthday written on the paper.

"What about it, indeed!" she complained. Six lousy days in the year that I hope that ya will remember and you ferget this one" Those days were Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day, both of which he'd missed this year. Christmas Day, their daughters' birthday and their anniversary, both on New Year's Eve. Her birthday, that fell in November and he hadn't forgotten it since they'd met. That left the one he should have known best, his own birthday. A slip of paper with an address was the last thing that went under the door. "Fine, I admit defeat. Ya win! I'm leavin' ya be! Yer dinner's in the fridge, ya can warm it when yer ready." She blew some hair out of her eyes. "I'll be spendin' what?s left o' yer birthday 'n' a couple days after in a lovely lakeside cottage wit' a gallon o' chocolate ice cream, a seventy five year old bottle o' Glenfiddich, 'n' maybe some 'andsome man will keep me company if ya won't!" She neglected to add that said man was on a nighttime drama over the airwaves of Rhydin. The front door was left hanging open as Colleen hauled out the travel bags. She slammed the trunk of the Shelby Mustang so loud that it could be heard in the front hallway.

"What're ya talkin ....Coll?" Darien appeared suddenly in the doorway, gobsmacked at the scene before him. When Colleen got irritated her voice had a tendency to get very high, very fast, and so very thickly accented it was difficult to parse out - especially if one wasn't paying attention. He stood there, pen still uncapped and shoes off from when he'd reluctantly left the study, and rubbed his eyes. "Where are ya goin??"

Collie stared at the man, her husband, in the front doorway. "Off ta see the bloody wizard!" she snapped. She pointed inside and managed to get a few words out clearly. "Study doorway. Pictures. Drew you a map." Sometimes, she literally had to draw him one!

It was blessedly late enough that the driveway pavement didn't burn the soles of his feet as he dragged them to his irate wife. "Babe, I'm tired. Can't y'jes tell me?"

She blew some stray strands of hair out of her face as she looked at him. "Ninth o' September, Darien. Ya shouldn't be workin' today." Her expression and tone had become somewhat regretful. It was supposed to have been a pleasant day, but somewhere along the line a monkey wrench or two had gotten tossed into the plans she'd made to surprise him..."Don't tell me." She sighed. "Yer own birthday 'n' ya fergot it?" Her head shook slightly as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through a few things before turning it around to show him what appeared on the screen. The picture, time stamped that day, was of her in a slinky black negligee holding up a bottle of Glenfiddich dated 1937. If one didn't get his attention, the other surely would! Her other hand gestured to the trunk. A single brow rose as if to ask, Do I need say more"

Darien squinted at the tiny screen for several seconds before he finally gave up and took the phone from her. One or both of the images made his mouth water, but he wouldn't say which. He looked up, an amused smirk on his lips. "Ninth of September ain't my..." Mentally, he calculated. Oh, wait. Yes it was. "Ah, shit," he handed the phone back, dragging his fingers through his hair, "I'm sorry. I was so wrapped up in gettin' this book finished, I didn't stop t'think you'd made plans."

She grinned and brushed her fingers over his cheek. "I'll remember that come November when I'm workin' on some project 'r other 'n' yer the one what made plans." She glanced down at the phone and shook her head once before tucking it back into her skirt pocket. "Looks like there's a yet another change in plans. Seems our reservation was cancelled due to not checking in on time." Colleen was never without a Plan B, C, X, or G, but sometimes, she feigned lack of such. "We've got a few options, but it's yer birthday, so, what would ya like ta do?"

Darien caught those fingers and held them against his lips as he murmured, "I want t'make ya happy. Whatev'a you want t'do."

"Ya do make me happy. More 'an ya know I'm thinkin'," she murmured as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Got the house to ourselves fer the next few days. We can warm the water in the pool in the private garden 'n' drink that 'fiddich while we soak." There it was, a wicked smile that could have tempted even the most saintly of men. "But ....ah ....yer goin' ta 'ave figure out 'ow ta get this thing off first!" She moved back the opened part of her blouse to reveal a hint of that little black garment she'd been wearing in the picture she'd showed him. "Who knows, maybe there's a surprise 'r two hidin' in the house somewhere!" The infamous impish twinkle glinted in her eyes.

The corners of his eyes wrinkled, amused. "Colleen Fenner. Why're ya so good t'me?" Arm draped around her shoulders, he aimed to steer her back inside. Suddenly he wasn't so tired anymore.

"I ask ya the same question all the time. Spoken 'r not, it ends up ta be the same answer." She stood there in silence for a bit as she studied Darien's face. The stillness was broken as Collie's laughter rang out. She handed Darien the keys to the classic car. "I think if we're goin' ta gorge on seventy-five year old whiskey that we bloody well ought ta 'ave the bottle!"

He collected the keys and left a peck on Collie's cheek before he moved back to the trunk and inserted them. A turn of the lock sprung the hatch open, and he lifted the steel up with a loud creak and searched the compartment for the gift in question. It wasn't hard to find - wrapped so neatly and brightly in silver birthday wrapping, and wedged between two carry-ons. He seized what he perceived to be the neck of the bottle and pulled, adjusting the suitcases effectively so as to prevent the rare liquor from injury. The trunk was closed soon after, leaving the packed baggage behind as he brought the bottle to his ear and neared her again, shaking the wrapped parcel for show. "I wond'a what it could be..."

"Looks like the birthday fairy's been at work, hmm?" She snickered as she peered over her shoulder at him. "Wait'll ya see what she left in the bedroom. And somethin' fer yer study, but that that 'as ta wait fer now." She grinned from ear to ear. "Seein' yer the only one what goes in there, well, be nice on either o' walls what don't 'ave a door 'r window."

"Why wait?" he said, nudging her calf with his toe. "I'm headed the'ah now."

"Impetuous!" She giggled like a schoolgirl! "Just don't ask who painted it!"

((Co-written with the player of Darien Fenner! Thank you! :) ))