The Party: Part Three

Tom starts telling her about the lady. How nice she was.  How she would
let him clean her gutters and then feed him lunch afterwards.  How she
would listen to all his troubles. How she had let him down easily when
he asked her to be his girlfriend.

"You know, I wouldn't have...Never mind, forget it."

"Never mind what?"

"It's not important," Abby insists. "Should we get desert or just go
back to the hotel?" she tries to distract Tom.

"Do you want desert?  I'm not very hungry for food right now."

"And what is it you're hungry for?" Abby says. ~Whew. That was close.
Real stupid to say anything in the first place. Got to watch your
tongue.~

"What do you think?"

Abby whispers a menu into his ear. "And what will you be having tonight,
sir?"

"You, you, and you."  He says.  "Waiter, check please."

Abby laughs.

The waiter brings the check.  Tom pays it and soon he and Abby are on
their way back to the hotel.

"A whole night, alone, just you and me," Abby says. "The possibilities
are endless."

"That they are."

"If we get an early start, we might work our way through more then a few
of those possibilities by morning," Abby suggests.

They make it back to the hotel room and start working on the
possibilities.

At some point they rest, and even fall asleep, but Abby wakes in a cold
sweat from a nightmare. She slips out of the bed, hoping she hasn't
woken Tom.

Tom awakens and reaches for Abby.  When he finds she isn't there he gets
out of bed and goes to her.  "Are you ok?"

"Sure," she says her voice not quite matching her words. "Go back to
bed. I'll be there in a little while."

"Ok," he goes back to bed and worriedly waits for her.

And waits.

And waits.

And waits some more.

Tom finally gets out of bed and brushes off the dust bunnies from the
long wait.  "Abby what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I said I'd be in in a little bit."

"Abby if you can't tell me who can you tell?"

"Just about anyone," Abby mutters under her breath.

Tom sighs.

"Look, it's a little embarrassing, all right? I'll be fine. Let's just
drop it."

"All right but if you change your mind you know where I am."

"Yeah. Thanks." Abby goes back to looking out the window.

Tom goes back to bed again but doesn't want to.  He wants Abby to
confide in him. ~Why can't she confide in me I'm her husband.~

~I can't tell him. He'd feel guilty, and it's got nothing to do with
him. Damn it, I'm on my honeymoon, I shouldn't be having that dream.~
Abby punches the wall by her chair in frustration.

~I don't care if she doesn't want me to comfort her I am.~  He gets out
of bed, hugs her, and checks on her hand.

Abby pulls her hand back. "I said I'm fine! Why won't you just listen to
me?"

"Because I know you well enough to know that you are not fine."

"Tom..." Abby tries one last time to keep her own counsel.

"Abby."  Tom holds his ground.

"It's silly. It was just a bad dream. Everyone has them, right?"

"Of course, do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Abby says, knowing that she probably shouldn't talk about
this to Tom, of all people. He didn't want to go to Carmel for fear of
raising bad memories--the dream isn't something he'd want to hear about.

"Ok," he hugs her.

She shrugs out of Tom's embrace, not quite sure where she fits in, still
shaken by the dream.

Tom doesn't know what to do so he just returns to bed.

Abby tries not to care, but ends up crying, not sure which of her
husbands she's more angry
with.

Tom hugs her again hoping she doesn't push him away.

"I'm sorry, Tom. I didn't mean for...not now. I wanted everything to be
perfect."

"Abby you didn't do anything wrong. You just had a bad dream."

"I shouldn't be dreaming about him. I'm here with you," she explains.

"You can't help who you dream about."  Tom says.

"Of course you can. But I started to think about him, and I dreamed
about him," Abby heaps the blame on herself.

"Abby just because we're married doesn't mean that we're going to
automatically stop thinking about Frank or Joan."

"I know. But not now. Now I just want to think about you. I wish I
hadn't pushed you into that conversation at dinner."

"Abby things like this are going to happen."

"But I don't want them to! I can't do this--worrying that I'll have that
dream again whenever you mention a war or you get hurt," she says, not
realizing that she's giving away a secret she'd kept since Tom's car
accident.

"You dreamt about him when I got hurt?"

"What?" Abby realizes, too late, what she's said, and has no choice but
to admit it. "Yeah, I did. I suppose--is it dreaming of someone when
even in your dream they're not alive?"

"I don't know, I suppose so."

"Then oh boy did I dream of him." Abby tries to laugh, but it comes out
more like a sob.

Tom orders some hot cocoa from room service.

"You said he wasn't alive.  Abby if you want to talk about this I'll
listen."  Tom promises.

Abby looks out the window and begins speaking. "It's almost like one of
those student nightmares. You know, you're late to the single most
important exam, and you can't find the classroom? Only I'm looking for
the POW camp. And if I find it, I can rescue him, but I don't know where
it is, and it's so damn hot there I have to keep stopping to rest. And I
get lost--I'm not really the jungle type, am I?" she laughs at herself.
"And then I find it. It's--oh, it's indescribable. All the cages up on
the platforms, and the men, and what's being done to them.  And I go
running from one to the other, looking for him, and I can't find him,
and I know time's running out. Sometimes all I find is the cage he was
kept in, and some of his things on the ground, when I'm lucky, I guess.
And sometimes I see him dying, every time some new torture, something
I've read about in a book or heard about on the news, or pulled out of
who knows what dark corner of my mind. I used to think that once I got
on with my life, that would be it, I wouldn't have that dream anymore,
but..." Abby shrugs. "And sometimes I wonder if it's the
not knowing, if anytime I'm uncertain I'll dream, if it's just a little
part of me going crazy because I'll never know how he died."

Tom doesn't know what to say to her so he just comforts her.

When she's composed herself a little, Abby asks, "You dream of her,
don't you?"

"Yes I do, and sometimes of the way she died."  Tom's face clouds over.

"You never said, but there was one night I thought you might be," Abby
tells him.

"What night was that?"

"Remember that night we were waiting for Nancy's test results, and you
and I had fought and hadn't made it up before we went to sleep?"

"Yeah I remember.  I had very strange and bad dreams that night."

"I could tell. You kept stealing all the covers."

Tom laughs before continuing.  "I kept seeing Joan's funeral all over
again and then it would be Nancy's funeral and then yours.  Everyone I
love was dying on me."

Abby hugs him close. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to argue with
you until we're both old and gray."

Tom starts crying and just hugs her.

Abby holds him and dries his tears. "We have got to be the strangest
people I know," she says.

"Why because we're crying on our honeymoon?"

"That, too," Abby smiles at him. "I love you."

"And I love you."  He returns the smile.

Abby is about to suggest they go back to sleep, but somehow it still
seems awkward. "Why don't we go for a walk? It looks beautiful out, and
we don't have to wake up to an alarm clock tomorrow."

"Ok,"  they get dressed and go for a walk.

"It's nice here," Abby says as they walk in the moonlight. "Were you
ever here before?"

"No, but Greg always speaks highly of it."

"If I had known that, I would have been wary," Abby teases.

Tom laughs.

They walk towards the lake. "Too bad it's too cold to go swimming," Abby
says.

"Yeah really, hey they have an indoor pool here."

"No fun skinny dipping in an indoor pool," Abby teases.

"You have a very good point there."  He kisses her.

"I guess you'll just have to owe me one," Abby says, and returns the
kisses.

"That I will."

"When are you planning to pay up?"

"I don't know yet."  He teases.

"You're going to try to wiggle out of paying up, aren't you?"

"No, Summer will be here before we know it."

"Is that promise on the record, Mr. Journalist?"

"It sure is."

Abby smiles at him. "Now I have something to look forward to."

Tom returns the smile and kisses her again.

Abby turns him around and points upward. "Look--a shooting star. Make a
wish."

Tom closes his eyes and makes a wish.

Before he can open his eyes, Abby kisses him.

Tom wraps his arms around her and returns the kiss.

"I could get to like this wish fulfillment thing," Abby tells him.

"As could I."  Tom says and he continues to kiss her.

"You know," Abby says, "they say you shouldn't tell what you wished for.
Think it would be all right if I showed you?"

"Yes I think it would be all right."

Abby looks at him, standing there. "I can't do it here, you know," she
says. "Unless you want to add an arrest for public lewdness to your rap
sheet."

"Well let's get back to the room then."  He says.

"Race you."

"Abby I'd love to but by the time I made it back you'd probably have
time to have a cup of coffee."

"Feeling a little old, are you?"

"Nope young people get tired too."

"No we don't," Abby insists. "Plenty of energy for the important
things."

Tom grumbles and they head back to the hotel room.

"Poor Tom," Abby sympathizes. "Don't worry, you're young enough for me,
I think."

Tom takes her in his arms and kisses her.  "So what were you going to
show me?"

"Sure you're not too tired to see it?" Abby teases.

"Abby just for the record.  I'm never too tired for you to show me
anything."

"Are you so sure about that *never*?"

"Very sure."

"Why don't we test that theory?" Abby asks.

"Ok,"  Tom says more than happy to test it.

An hour later: "Tired yet, mister?"

"Nope how bout you?"

"I'll show you tired..."

Tom smiles.

"Wipe that grin off your face, Tom Bradford, or I'll wipe it off for
you."

"How will you wipe it off?"

Abby kisses him as demonstration.

Tom gratefully returns the kisses.

"Hey, you never said what you wished for," Abby says while attempting to
wipe the smile off Tom's face.

"I can't show you what it is and if I tell you it'll jinx it."

"Tease."

"Abby I'm serious I can't tell you."

"I think I like you better when you're not serious. Or superstitious."

"Do you really want to know?"

"Should I be afraid to?" Abby asks.

"Of course not."

"Well, then? " Abby sits up, waiting to hear the wish. "What is it?"

"For us to be happy for the rest of our lives and for the kids to find
love like we did when they set out looking for someone."

"I don't think you jinxed anything. But I hope the kids don't have to
wait as long as we did to be together." She gives him a kiss. "They had
a good role model, from what they've told me about you and Joan."

"What did they tell you?"  He asks.

Abby tells him some of the things the kids have told her about Joan, how
special she was and how special she made them all feel, and how much
their parents had loved each other. "They really miss her, you know."

"I know."  His face clouds over.  "The love Joan and I had for each
other was very special, and it was very hard losing her, but I wouldn't
trade the love you and I have for anything."

"Hey," Abby caresses Tom's face. "I thought you once told me--no
comparisons. Besides, if you'd have tried to marry me instead of Joan,
you'd have ended up in jail."

Tom laughs.  "That I would have."

Abby smiles. "All I'm saying is I wouldn't worry too much about the kids
if I were you. They have a pretty good idea what love looks like."

"Yes they do."  Tom says and starts kissing her again.

"Not tired yet, I see," Abby jokes.

"Not even close."

"You know I'm just going to keep at you until you admit you're
exhausted," Abby says as she starts to kiss him.

"Ok."  He returns the kisses.

"Just remember," Abby says between kisses, "you asked for this."

"I'll remember."

Abby laughs and tries to tire Tom out.

A few hours later he finally runs out of energy and falls fast asleep.

"Never too tired, eh, old man?" Abby laughs, and lays down to sleep,
too.

The next day Nancy awakens, goes downstairs, and find's Jason asleep on
the sun porch couch.

~Hmm, why isn't he at his place?  I thought Cassie was out of there.~
She wakes him up and he gives her room to sit down.

"Hey."  He says.

"Hey yourself.  Why aren't you sleeping in your own place?"

"Too many memories there.  I think I'll move out."  He says.  "How are
you holding up?"

"One minute I'm depressed, the next I'm angry, and then I'm going
through spells where I don't care it's their loss."  Nancy says.

"Sounds like me.  Nancy I don't get it.  Cassie and I have been going
together for almost 2 years and bam."

"Yeah I know.  It hurts more from her than it does Ray.  She was my best
friend since Junior High."

"I can only imagine.  Hey if you let me borrow your shower I'll take you
out to breakfast."

"Deal."  Nancy says.

He goes upstairs to take a shower, she leaves a note for her siblings,
and then they go out to breakfast.

Later at the restaurant.

"So where did you and Joannie go yesterday?"

"Frisco, saw my Grandfather there."

"How is the jerk?"  Jason asks.

"Jason."

"Well he is."

"I know but I'm the only one that's allowed to say that here in this
restaurant today."

"Well you've said the same about my Dad."

"You're Dad used to beat on you that's different."

"Well your Grandpa has turned his back on you.  That's almost as bad."

"Yeah but."  Her eyes grow suspicious when she sees two guys enter with
overcoats.

"What's wrong?"  He looks to where she's staring.  "Hey let's get out of
here I don't like the looks of this.

"Neither do I."  They're about to leave when the men pull out guns and
order everyone to stay put they then rob the place and flee.  The
manager calls the cops and the police come and don't let anyone leave
until they get statements from everyone.

Two hours later Nancy and Jason finally get to leave.

One the drive home.

"Are you ok?"  He asks.

"Yeah I'm ok, no one got hurt, it could have been worse."  She says.

"Yeah much worse."  He says as he sneaks a glance at her.

He drops Nancy off at home and then goes apartment hunting.  She finds
her siblings in the kitchen.

"Long breakfast Nance?"

"No short breakfast.  The cops wouldn't let us leave till they got a
chance to question us.  The restaurant got robbed while we were there."

"What is it with you, Nance?" Joannie asks. "It's like you're a magnet
for trouble."

Nancy shrugs.  "I don't know and it's not like anything major happened.
The gunmen didn't even talk to me so.."

"What'd you expect?" Joannie teases. "They'll come up and say, 'Well, we
see Nancy Bradford's here; our timing's perfect'?"

Nancy pretends to glare at her but winds up laughing instead.

"So, anything else that can go wrong while Dad and Abby are away?"
Joannie asks.

"I sure hope not."  Nancy says.

"We're just going to have to keep Nancy locked in her room."  Elizabeth
says.

"Leave me some food, music, and a guy and I'll be happy."  Nancy says.

"Any particular guy you'd like? And it'd better not be Sean. Once is an
accident, twice is grounds for murder," Joannie warns.

"No not Sean, he's yours.  As soon as I think of one I'll let you know."

"OK, everyone we have a mission. Get Nancy a man!"

"And very soon."  Nancy smiles

"Now that's a switch--us finding a guy for Nancy," Joannie teases.

"The stars or planets must be out of alignment."  Elizabeth jokes.

Meanwhile in Lake Tahoe Abby wakes before Tom and tries to get him to
wake up, but he's dead to the world. "Never too tired," she laughs to
herself. She gets dressed, leaves Tom a note, and goes out for a walk.

Tom wakes up a little while later, finds the note, gets dressed, and
goes looking for his wife.

Abby walks into the hotel as Tom is walking out. "You're alive," she
teases. "I thought I'd finally managed to give you that heart attack I
keep threatening you with. Guess I'll have to try harder today."

Tom laughs.  "I guess so, so where do you want to go eat breakfast?"

"I saw a place by the lake while I was walking," Abby tells him. "Even
if the food isn't great, the view will be."

"Ok,"  They head there.

"So, what are our plans for the day?" Abby asks as they are seated.

"I don't know.  Do you want to do some stuff around Tahoe or stay in the
room all day?"  He says.

"And have you fall asleep on me again?" Abby teases.

"I fell asleep?"  Tom asks embarrassed.

Abby nods. "You know, I never realized before--you snore."

"No I don't, do I?"

"Unless there was some other man in my bed last night..."

"Nope that was me."

"Then you snore, at least when you're very tired," Abby tells him.

"I didn't keep you up all night did I?"

"No," Abby says with a gleam in her eye. "You fell asleep before you
could."

Tom grins and kisses her.  "Too bad."

"You're telling me. Oh, well, I'll just have to let you try to do better
tonight."

"Looking forward to it."

"Oh, so looking is what you like, huh?" Abby continues to tease her
husband.

"Among other things."

"Oh, really? Anything I don't know about?"

"I'm not sure."

"Poor man," Abby purrs. "You're confused. Maybe you need to lie down a
little."

"That's exactly what I need.  Want to join me?"

"Well, someone's got to keep an eye--along with other body parts--on
you."

Meanwhile a few tables away.

"Now how come we never talk like that."  A young wife says to her
husband.

"Well, obviously they've had more practice. Look at the age of that
guy," the young husband answers. "Got to say, though--the lady's
well-preserved."

"Hey," she turns his head to look at her.  "I'm the only one you're
allowed to look at, and if you don't start romancing me I'm filing for
divorce."

"I don't notice you romancing me, either," he points out.

"Hmm," she approaches Tom and Abby.  "Excuse me can I talk to you for a
second."  She asks Abby.

"Of course," Abby says, wondering why this strange woman has approached
her.

They go to a corner.

"I need some tips."  She explains the situation with her husband.

"Men are just grown up boys," Abby tells her. "So have fun.  And if you
do something outrageous now and then, they won't be able to take you for
granted." ~I'm giving marital advice? Me, who's been married a grand
total of just over a year over the course of a decade?~

"Thank you I think I got it."  She goes over to her husband, wraps her
arms around him and gives him a long and deep kiss and then she returns
to her seat.  "I think I'll have the special how bout you?"

It takes her husband a few seconds to recover. "I think I've already had
the special. But I wouldn't mind another taste."

"What did you two talk about?"  Tom asks as he sees the lady kiss her
husband again.

"Do I have the word 'teacher' stamped across my forehead or something?"
Abby sighs.

Tom checks her forehead very carefully.  "Nope not that I can see."

"Complete strangers come up and ask me for advice. Maybe I ought to
check who writes the agony aunt column for the Register. In case the
Board of Ed ever gives me my walking papers," Abby says, not a little
amused.

"Maybe they observed the way we are with each other."  Tom says.

"And what way is that?" Abby falls back into their flirting.

"This way."  Tom kisses her.  "And this way."  Continues to kiss her
working his way down to her neck.

Abby is about to protest, but remembers what she told the young woman
about being outrageous now and then, so instead she reaches beneath the
tablecloth and starts to caress Tom's knee, slowly working her way
upwards.

Tom whispers in Abby's ear.  "Let's go back to the room."

"I was wondering which one of us would break first," Abby whispers back.

He laughs, pays the bill, and leaves a tip and then they head back to
their hotel room.

On the way out, Abby and the other young wife exchange smiles.

When they make it back to the hotel room their room is being cleaned.

Abby leans her head against Tom's shoulder. "I do not believe this..."

"Are you almost done?"  Tom asks the hotel employees as he wraps an arm
around Abby.

"Just started," the chambermaid said. "It's a mess in here. Ya know,
room service food isn't for that."

Tom grumbles.

Abby laughs and whispers to him, "You know, you're irresistible when
you're pouting."

"But Abby what are we supposed to do now?"

"There's always the broom closet," she jokes.

"Now that's a very good idea."

Abby stares at him. "Are you serious?"

"Not really but if worse comes to worse."

"You know, we could just tell the woman she doesn't have to make up our
room. After all," Abby reasons, "we're just going to mess it up again."

Tom tells the chambermaid this and also gives her a good tip for what
she's cleaned so far and then she leaves.

"Bribing the chambermaid. If being here with you in the middle of day
didn't feel illicit before, it certainly does now," Abby says as she
puts her arms around Tom.

"Hey whatever takes to get us some time alone together."  He says as he
kisses her.

"Whatever covers a lot of ground," Abby warns.

"What do you mean?"  Continues to kiss her.

"See, all it takes here is a little bribery. But what are you willing to
do once we get home, and we've got the kids,  jobs, the house to run,
all of that? Whatever covers a lot of ground," Abby repeats.

"Kids can be bribed too, very easily."

"Your kids are not bribed easily," Abby says.

"Hmm good point.  Abby can we think about this later?"

"Why?" Abby begins to play with the collar of his shirt. "Have something
you'd rather be thinking about than that?"

"I sure do."  Continues to kiss her.

"The stock market?" Abby pretends to guess.

"Nope not the stock market.  Although that would be fun."

"Christmas shopping lists," Abby ventures another guess.

"I was thinking more of the lines of exploration."

"So you're the Stanley and Livingston type? Deepest, darkest Africa and
all that?"

"Something like that but you're the only one I want to explore."

Abby pulls Tom close to her. "Then let the expedition begin."

Tom grins and the exploration begins.

After a while there's a creak, and then a groan, and then a bang, and
Tom and Abby find themselves on the floor amidst a tangle of bedding.

Tom starts laughing.

"Oh, sure, laugh," Abby says between giggles. "The man behind the desk
will probably give you a medal for breaking one of his beds, a man of
your years."

Tom continues to laugh and kisses Abby.

"On the floor?" Abby asks, pretending to be scandalized. "I should have
believed you when you said you were a wild man."

"Yes you should have."

"Well, as long as you promise not to complain about the bill for broken
furniture," Abby says as she launches herself at Tom.

"Oh I promise."  He catches her.

"And watch out for splinters," Abby murmurs between kisses.

They stay like that for most of the afternoon.  Until their stomachs
start growling at them again.

"Room Service or restaurant?"

"Depends on how fast you want the people downstairs to know about the
furniture," Abby answers.

"Restaurant, definitely restaurant."

"No I got it."  He tries to get up and groans.

Abby laughs and holds out her hand. "Come on, lazy bones. Never too
tired..."

He lets her help him up.  "I'm not tired, just a little sore."  He says.

Abby leans towards him and whispers, "I know it's our honeymoon and all,
but isn't that supposed to be the bride's line?"

"Yes I guess so, oh well."  He kisses her.

"Oh, well," Abby echoes. "You know, we keep this gender bending up and
one of these days the kids will think you're actually cool."

Tom laughs and goes to get ready for dinner.

Abby pouts. "I don't get to watch?"

Part four