Not your typical picket fence setup [invite]

[Gideon Barnes (DELETED 8781)]

[Backdated to March 2017]

Brother-

I don't ask you to do much for me, but when I do ask, you know it's for good reason. I need you to come to Harper Rock, in Canada as soon as you can. The sooner the better. I'm back here and staying longer than I thought I would be when I first popped into the city.

I'm just going to give it to you straight. I met a woman here. No-it's not that sort of letter. I met a woman here at a bar here one night while hunting. One thing led to another, and to spare you the details and to not insult your intelligence...I'm going to be a dad.

****. You know I'm the farthest thing from an angel and I'm not claiming she is one either, but what's in her belly doesn't know good, or bad. The baby is innocent, in a city filled with sin. On top that, the city is full of things that are no friend to the likes of people like you, I, or her. We've got a problem with a 'doctor,' in town. He's meddling, brother.

I'm keeping them both safe as best I can, but it's not just that. If the kid was born twelve or fifteen, we'd be golden. What the hell do I do with a baby? I need you, brother for a lot of reasons. I need the woman you made my sister too.

Hurry.

Marcus


[Present]

Hard to believe two months had passed since Gideon had reached out for his brother. And in that time, a lot had changed. Mona was getting bigger-a lot bigger. Not that he'd have the galls to say anything like that to the woman carrying his kin. They survived a burglary and hostage situation and Gideon had been approved for a house. Not something he had shared with Mona yet. That implied things and Gideon wasn't sure how to tell her, 'move in for space, and that's all.' Did that sound insensitive? Probably. It did. He knew it did. But in the next breath, he and Mona hadn't really done anything other than what got them in this scenario and preparing for when the time would come.

The house would be needed. If not for Mona to move into and the space everyone would need, then for his brother and 'sister.' It made sense for as many bodies that were capable and able to be in one spot, instead of scattered throughout the city. And now, more than ever was that true. Especially after what he had been told earlier in the week.

[text: Meet me somewhere, brother. I have news.]

The message was sent after Gideon closed the Realtor brochure he snagged from the grocery store earlier in the day. A few prospects were circled, others circled, then 'x-d' out after further consideration, until each house had a circle, a single 'x' or a circle with an 'x' on it. The magazine was rolled up and stuffed inside a coffee mug he was using to hold a few stray pencils and pens, before Gid's shoved a covered two inch blade inside his left boot, then headed out to meet up with his brother.

[Esli Barnes]

RV :ll: Oliver

Esli glanced in the massive mirror that lined the even larger driver’s side window. It was the final resting place for the plethora of insects that they had encountered while cruising at the speed limit on the open road. That was to be expected and the very reason they invested in the gas station window squeegee three days back. His hand rummaged around the small space beneath his seat while he still kept his eyes on the road. Making contact with bottles of water he realized he wasn’t the last to use it. Glancing to his right confirmed his guess. Lasair was resting. He sighed. It was hardly the kind that would be fueled by defeat or disappointment. It was wonderful to see her so peaceful. The swell of her curves now revealed the fullness of her belly. Firm and round while the rest of her glowed in the sun that found its way through the film of dust and debris speckling the exterior of the passenger window.

“Oliver.”

He kept his voice down to a whisper glancing back just briefly enough to find the monkey. He was as content as could be lounging in the hand knitted hammock that Lasair created popping fruit portions in his mouth. Esli’s head shot back for a second glance looking over the tethered monkey bed between the cabinets on each side of the r.v. interior. All the small cabinet doors were still secured neatly with the plastic strip child locks.

“Oliver. Squeegee.” There was no issue when Lasair asked the pint size wonder to retrieve it.

Just when the request looked promising in being carried out he found his extended hand between the seats filled with a banana instead. Giving it a look over for marks that would indicate Oliver was wanting it for himself left Esli pleasantly surprised. It was unclaimed. Twenty miles to go and unsure of how long it would be before they could get something to eat he peeled the fruit. In a swift movement of fur and a few squeaks he was left holding the peeling. The banana bandit struck again.

“Just wait till Gids gets a look at you.” His eyes narrowed briefly and filed the leftovers in his hand in the paper bag on the floor. “I doubt you will be stealing his fruit more than once.”

Esli straightened up in the seat and paid attention to the signs revealing that Harper Rock had restaurants, lodging and fuel. It had a lot more than that. It was where his brother was, his niece or nephew and it was where they were called to go. If only Esli and Lasair were truly prepared for what they would find. Confident to an extreme they placed all their faith in God providing, protecting and blessing them no matter what they encountered. This would be no different in his eyes. Gideon’s letter was their invitation to come and do what they had spent the last several years doing. What could possibly go wrong with God on their side watching over them?

“Lasair?’ He hated to wake her but they were rolling into the city. “Welcome to Harper Rock.”

[Lasair Barnes (DELETED 9516)]

WEARING (with baby bump)

Lasair was looking forward to Harper Rock. She’d never been to Canada. In all their travels, Canada had not been a high priority; Canada was mostly privileged, and did not require their services. She’d never been anywhere in the US beyond Iowa, either, which was why she suggested the road trip from Iowa to Harper Rock. It wasn’t like Lasair thought the baby would slow them down at all, or that having a child would restrict their ability to travel. But she liked the idea of one last adventure before the baby was born.

It was why it took them a good couple of months to get there. They’d decided they’d hang around. It wouldn’t be just a week-long visit. They had to find someone to rent the farm, pack up, put some things in storage and, of course, find the RV. It was luxury compared to some of the places they’d stayed, and Lasair enjoyed the freedom of the camper. It was far easier for Oliver to travel with them this way, too. There was no way she was going to leave him behind.

Once in Harper Rock they’d found a reasonable park to stay at, taking a couple of days to get settled. They had yet to meet Gideon, and Lasair was looking forward to it. She was curious about the man, about how different he would be to Esli, or how similar. She was curious about his life in this city, and why he thought it was such a dangerous place to be.

They’d had plans that day to catch up with Gideon – they’d talked about it the night before. But Gideon beat them to it. He was the first to make contact. Esli’s phone buzzed on the Formica tabletop and Lasair, chewing on the banana Oliver had so kindly shared with her, reached for it and swiped the home screen. Esli himself was in the shower, Lasair waiting for him, already ready to go. She lounged while she read the message, a mischievous grin curling her lips.

[text] Brother, where art thou? We’re in the mood for a jumping castle. Know where we can find one?

She sent the message just as Esli stepped back into the van. The grin she gave him was simply beaming.

”We’re going to play on a jumping castle,” she said, happily chewing on the last of her banana.

[Gideon Barnes (DELETED 8781)]

A jumping castle? Gideon looked at the text message and then laughed. Lasair. That was his sister, alright. True, she wasn't his sister by blood, but she in essence was Gideon's sister, the day she and Esli became one. Probably before that; he had a soft spot for the woman with a big heart and a child like innocence to her at times.

Gideon knew where a castle was, but a jumping castle? They should be able to find one somewhere. Wasn't there some sort of fairgrounds or something somewhere? A light atmosphere was a good choice, he decided.
[text: Meet me somewhere in the Swansdale district. I think I know a place. Good to hear from you, sister.]

Gideon moved to the train station that was a few blocks from where he stood, paid for a ticket to the swansdale stop and then got on. The ride was uneventful, Gideon glancing at the magazine of houses, 'x-ing' out a few more, before he stood and put the rolled up magazine in his back pocket. He looked east, then west and was sure he needed to go west, but he wanted to make sure he knew where they were waiting up at, before heading to the fairgrounds, or wherever else they might be able to find a bounce castle.

[Esli Barnes]

Esli rubbed the towel vigorously through his wet mane of shoulder length hair. Once he pulled the damp cotton free from his head he pulled his feet from the dollar store sandals that already had his feet sweating. Plastic had its uses but on the bare feet was not likely at the top of his list. Stretching the towel over one of the Swedish drying racks was predictable. It saved money and the fact he was Irish Spring clean before he used it said it could be used again once it was dry. Lasair eating the last of the banana in her hands had him thinking about searching for the last of the oranges he had hidden in the cupboard basket.

“We are going to do what?” A soft chuckle rolled from his lips as he stretched his arm to reach to the very back of the highest cupboard in the RV kitchenette. “Just where is this bouncy castle you have your mind set on?” A brush of his fingertips secured the fabricated wood door. “I guess we can do that. I was also hoping to catch up with Gideon.” He stepped in closer to her while the burst of fresh citrus hit the air beneath his fingers. “Can my brother come with?”

The orange rind curled beneath the precise shaving of his thumb nail. He and Oliver had a few things in common and eating all of a select fruit was one of them. Ribbons of bitter orange were deposited into his mouth before he leaned over and gave her the puppy dog eyes that only she could really love. A purposeful pout formed over his lips briefly.

“I promise we will play nice.” The pathetic expression washed away and once again his cheerful grin returned. “Or I can just play with you, my love.” His brows did their cheesy little dance while he popped a section of orange between his lips.

[Lasair Barnes (DELETED 9516)]

Lasair watched, bemused, as her husband reached for the hidden fruit that would otherwise be consumed by the pesky Oliver. He had to be careful, too, to make sure the fur-child did not see him, otherwise he would know where the fruit was kept, and would later do whatever he could to find it.

”On the contrary, my love,” she said, her eyes gleaming with the truth of her words. Her love. Hers. Oh, after seven years, how she did still love him. How she could not keep her eyes from him when he stretched, the lines of his muscle, the deftness of his fingers as they tore at the orange. She knew what else those fingers could do, and the thought had her shifting in her seat. They had plans. There was not time for that.

”I don’t know where the castle is, but your brother might,” she said, scooting Esli’s phone in his direction. The screen was lit up with the message that had just come back, the one that Lasair had not yet replied to. She would leave that up to Esli. ”He says he knows a place. Somewhere in Swansdale,” she said, grinning. She lifted a foot so that her heel rested on the edge of the seat she sat upon, knee swaying in front of her chest.

”I might be the one who doesn’t behave,” she said. She was headstrong and could be loud, when she wanted to be. She could be course, almost a contradiction to her strong faith, but she did not believe that God would punish them for curse words. She and her Esli were selfless, in the true definition of the word. Surely a few curse words would be forgiven on the grand scale of what they had given to the world, and what they would continue to give. Lasair was equal parts quiet and compassionate as she was boisterous and fun-loving. She would lose nothing against the men. She would stand their equal.

[Gideon Barnes (DELETED 8781)]

As he waited, Gideon narrowed down his choices significantly. Every house he had circled had been criticized by two sets of eyes for the pictures they offered, then at what the small excerpt said about each house and finally, price. He was now left with four houses total in the entire book, and from there his choices would be even more narrowed down based off the size of the loan the guy would get.

He tore out the two pages he needed, then chucked the rest of the book in the bin. Those pages were folded twice, then stuffed in his back pocket for safe keeping. His eyes wandered to the fairgrounds where he could hear the faint sound of music-both automated and live, along with alarms and other sounds affiliated with winning or losing something at the fair. He grinned, chuckled and shook his head. He could appreciate his 'sister's' sense of childlike adventure and hoped it would forever stay for them. They needed that-kept everyone young, in Gideon's mind. He moved to an empty bench, slowly sat and waited for this plot of theirs to unfoil about the bouncy castle and other things. Something told Gideon that there was something up his brother and his brother's wife sleeves too.

[Esli Barnes]

“Have you really ever?”

Esli questioned his wife with the most tempting tone while his citrus soaked fingers slowed their movements to a nearly painful and precise focus. While they pinched gently at the fragile juicy flesh beneath their hold he locked his eyes on her with challenge ignoring the prompting move of his phone thanks to her assistance. The fruit lost it’s flavor, the sweetness of the reward usually found in its pulp went bland at best when his eyes were naturally diverted by the slow swaying of her glorious knee back and forth in front of her as if he was being lured and held back all at once by her. The tip of his tongue curled and tapped at the small swell of the center of his upper lip. It was nowhere close to what he was developing thoughts of tasting but there they were with plans and messages that were waiting for action.

One by one the tips of his fingers found his lips and disappeared long enough to reappear clean. There was no shame in the reaction of his body to the sight of her. He did nothing to hide it or relieve the current rise of his appreciation for the woman. It was as natural as breathing. From night one he knew she was meant to be loved hard, fierce and often. Nothing had truly changed since he first set eyes on her all those years back.

Fortunately he missed his brother enough that he inhaled deep and reached for the cell phone that was within his reach. His thumb slid over the screen and prompted the keyboard to appear for setting up the reply text that they were on their way. A quick series of taps formed their message. Gideon would see their massive relic of an R.V. and know it was them. He set the phone back down as he made his way over to Lasair.

“I, for one, hope you never do.” He leaned down and found himself staring into those mischievous eyes that said far more than her mouth was known to. He resisted the lure of her lips. “Let’s go play.” With that he rose once again to his full height and lost the the interest in the towel that he dropped on her propped knee. He left her untouched and seated as he walked to the back of the motor home to dress his naked body. His sense of physical adventure was already getting the best of him. “Feel free to fire up this beast and set sail towards Swansdale. Map is on the dash. I promised Gideon he could check it out.”

[Lasair Barnes (DELETED 9516)]

There was an inherent difference between men and women. Or, so everyone was led to believe. Esli defied the norm, the way he walked away and did not touch Lasair. Lasair herself just watched with avid enthusiasm, turning on her chair to rest her chin on folded arms to watch her husband saunter toward the back of the camper, naked *** in full view. She never got tired of watching Esli.

But he was right. They couldn’t get distracted now. They had places to be, and people to see. She got up and wrapped the shawl around her, cooing at Oliver on her way to the wheel. It was a little awkward sliding in with the baby bump but she managed, reaching over equally as awkward to grab the map. She found the square she needed and folded the map haphazardly so that it could rest neatly against the steering wheel.

Within ten minutes they were entering the suburb of Swansdale, and Lasair glanced over to her husband. They’d only run one red light (Lasair would swear that it only turned red once they were already halfway there) and only been beeped and sworn at once for cutting someone off (a campervan was like a pregnant lady, Lasair would sing. They should be given leeway). It was a wonder Esli allowed her to drive at all. But she certainly was enjoying herself.

”Has your brother replied? Where exactly am I going?” she asked. ”I mean, it might not be a large suburb, and I’m happy to drive around in circles. You know what he looks like… keep an eye out. Make sure I don’t run him over…” she said, chuckling to herself.

[Gideon Barnes (DELETED 8781)]

Some time went by-too much for his liking. Gideon grabbed his phone to look at messages, saw his brother's reply and thought about the one he should send back as he remained occupied on the bench his *** had claimed while Gideon house hunted. Were there reservations about this idea? Sure. He and Mona still barely knew the other, and his opinions about vampires seemed to be a lot more critical than hers. Still, he would do right by any children he brought into this world-or at least try to.

[Text: I'm at the train station. Only place with benches around here.]

He didn't want to give anything away until he met with his brother and 'sister.' They had the better heads on their shoulders in this respect, Gideon believed-they had been married and living together for a good while. While he might not be married to Mona, or might never marry her, he wanted to know the ins and outs of living with someone. There was always pros and cons to everything, but this wasn't some area Gideon knew anything about. His list of relations with any woman had been short, or never happened and now fate had it that he was tied to Mona in at least one respect. Who it was they brought into the world.

Gideon raised his arms, stretched them high above his head after he had pocketed his phone and finally stood. Sitting was not something he did for leisure, so when he took part in it for whatever reason, Gideon often felt 'stiff.' Probably his active imagination, but he would swear to it. When he saw the camper a couple blocks down and coming, he chuckled and shook his head. Some things never changed and that was always a good thing with Esli and Lasair. No matter how far away they were from home...the constant reminded Gideon of who and where home really was.