Welcome Home
by Winter

Chapter 3:

The next morning, Tanya woke up feeling better than she had in a long time. Morning, she realised with a grin as she glanced at the clock radio, was a relative concept. It was past noon, and she pondered surprising her little brother with lunch in bed. Unless he was already up and running. She couldn't quite remember whether he was a morning person or an evening person. But as tired as he had been last night, he would probably sleep until the sun went down, anyway. Terry hadn't been able to walk back to his bedroom. His eyelids kept closing no matter how hard he tried to stay awake. In the end, she had picked him up and carried him to bed. Before she had even tucked him in, he was deep asleep, with the newly cleaned Mr Cuddles in his arms.

She got out of bed and hurried to her own downstairs bathroom, answering the call of nature. A little while later, she stepped into the shower and let the water wash away the last of her drowsiness, just as she did every morning. The hot water made her think about their bath last night, and she smiled to herself. It had been great fun, not just for the boy but for her as well. The smile widened as she remembered how shy poor Terry had been at first. She was glad that he had been able to bite it back and enjoy their bath. It would be a pity if they had to be embarrassed in front of each other. Especially since she hadn't shown him the back yard yet.

That thought brought another smile. The back yard had been added to after the divorce, and she really looked forward to surprising Terry with it. Hopefully, she would get to see another one of those dazzling smiles. She laughed as she towel-dried herself. Obviously, there was a clear danger that she would spoil her little brother, if nothing else then just to get to see him smile.

After putting on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, she walked up the stairs and tapped on his door. When there was no answer, she pried the door open quietly. Terry was having a fitful sleep. Mr Cuddles lay on the floor next to the bed, and he had all but kicked the quilt off, as well. Tanya walked over to the bed and sat down, patting her brother's shoulder gently. He stiffened, but then he drew a breath through his nose, and immediately calmed down. Tanya smiled. Seemed like he already knew her scent well enough, even in his sleep. She tucked him in again and gave him his teddy bear back. He hugged it close to his chest and sank back into deep sleep, and she decided to let him have a few minutes more. She kissed his cheek, then closed the door behind her as quietly as she could before going back downstairs to fix them lunch.

* * * * * *

When Terry woke up, he could smell his sister on his bedclothes, and even on Mr Cuddles. Her scent was still quite strong, and he realised that she must have been in there just a little while ago, probably to wake him up. He grinned happily. It was nice of her to let him sleep in; he had been really tired last night. He pulled the quilt back and got up, then turned around and tucked Mr Cuddles in, chuckling quietly to himself. It wasn't until he reached down to pull his pyjamas off that he realised that he was naked.

Blushing furiously, he recalled that he had been too tired last night to even walk all the way to his room. Tanya must have put him to bed, and left him naked since he hadn't told her that he usually wore pyjamas. That makes sense, he thought, forcing himself to stop being so shy. After all, she had seen all of him in the bath. What difference did it make if he had stayed naked while she tucked him in? None, he decided. It was time to stop being a shy little kit! He opened a suitcase and found himself a pair of briefs, which he slipped on before he had to make a dash for the bathroom.

* * * * * *

Tanya had just finished laying the table when she heard the patter of naked feet coming down the stairs. She didn't really know what Terry liked to eat, so she had made macaroni and cheese, something he had loved when he was little and which she felt sure he would still like. They had much to learn about each other, she realised, and she found herself really looking forward to getting to know her baby brother again. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as Terry peered into the kitchen, his twitching nose held high and his eyes closed as he tried to smell what she was cooking.

He licked his lips as he crossed the floor to the table, then seemed to change his mind. After hesitating for a second or two, he walked up and gave her a hug. This time she couldn't help laughing as she returned the embrace. Tanya's heart nearly skipped a beat as she glanced down at her brother, only to find that smile that she had already begun to crave, beaming back up at her. She returned it with one that she hoped conveyed at least a portion of the love she could see in Terry's face when he smiled.

Words seemed redundant, so she just turned him towards the table and patted his rump, causing him to giggle as he scooted over to take his seat. Clearly, Terry had been really hungry, because the generous helping she served him vanished before she was even halfway through her own meal. She nodded at the unvoiced question his eyes asked, and he helped himself to more food than she thought his little stomach could possibly hold. However, his second helping went the same way as the first, but now he leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach.

"Tanya, that was great!"

"I'm glad you liked it," she said, putting her own fork down as she had just finished her own single helping. "I know you used to like macaroni and cheese, but you'll have to tell me what you like and what you don't like."

"Oh, I'll eat anything. Mom says..." The pain Tanya had seen in his face yesterday returned, but Terry fought it back as if he simply refused to cry again. "I mean, mom used to say that I'd eat the table cloth if she didn't watch out."

"So you'll eat veggies, too?" He nodded. "What about fish?"

"I love fish!"

"We could go down to the creek some day if you want. There's plenty of fish to catch."

"Cool. I've never gone fishing before." He giggled. "Unless you count playing cards."

"No, that doesn't count."

Tanya got up and started clearing away the dishes, but Terry hurriedly leaped to his feet and pushed her back into her seat. She sat down and watched as he rinsed everything off and loaded the dishwasher, then found a plastic box for the leftovers, which he put in the fridge. Once he was done, he returned to the table, grinning happily as she thanked him with a kiss on the cheek.

"I always did the dishes back home. It's no big deal."

"It's still sweet of you." He blushed. "So, what do you want to do today? Want to get back up to the attic?"

"Uhm, my nose still kind of tickles from all that dust. Is it okay if we leave it for a while?"

"Sure. How about a proper tour of the house, then?"

"Great!" Another smile pierced its way into Tanya's heart. This was surely an addiction forming. "I don't even remember half of it."

"Well, a lot of it's been changed or added to, so that's no surprise." She grabbed him around his shoulders and ushered him out of the kitchen, ignoring his indignant squeals. "Come on!"

* * * * * *

They spent most of that afternoon exploring the big house. Terry had already seen some of the rooms, but this time he got to hear what had been in them back when he had first lived there. Some of it he remembered, but most of it had slipped his mind with time. About halfway through the tour, he had gathered up enough courage to ask about the playroom. Tanya just smiled, though, and didn't answer. His curiosity peaked, Terry grew more and more agitated with each door they opened. All in all, Tanya told him, there were twenty-four rooms in the house. Many of them weren't really used, except as storage.

"We never did that with your room, though," Tanya said as they passed Terry's door in the upstairs hall. "Dad and I always hoped you'd come back to us one day."

"Wow. You did?"

"Of course we did." She smiled sadly, and Terry could see a tear trickle down her cheek. "And now you have. Now you're home, little brother."

"Yeah. I'm home." He grinned, and his heart skipped a beat as he watched the sadness give way to happiness in Tanya's face. She was so pretty when she smiled. "I'm so happy to be home."

"Not as happy as I am to have you home."

"Yes, at least twice as happy." He screamed as Tanya grabbed him around the waist and swung him around, tickling his sides. "Happy, happy, happy!"

"I'll show you something else that'll make you happy." Terry was too busy giggling to answer, so she simply tucked him under her arm and carried him off. He could hear her mutter even over the noise he was making. "Little goof..."

"I'm no goof!" he protested as she put him down. Looking around, he recognised their father's office. "Hey, I've already been in here!"

"Sure you have. This is where..."

"No, I mean yesterday. I... I went exploring a little, while you were asleep. Hope that's okay..."

"Of course it is." She put an arm around his shoulder and pulled him to her. "This is your home, too, you know. But you didn't check the inner room, did you?"

"The inner room?"

"Yeah." Pulling him with her, Tanya walked over to a panel behind the desk and pulled it open. "This is where you and I used to stay when dad was busy in the office."

Terry merely gaped as they walked into this small side room. The playroom was as he remembered it. Every inch of the floor was covered with pillows and pouffes of all sizes and shapes and colours, and along the walls were boxes filled with stuffed animals. Paintings on the walls showed landscapes and animals, mostly horses, but then there was one that made Terry gasp. It was a painting of him and Tanya, as they had looked back then. She was a scrawny youngster, just as he remembered her, and he was just a little kit; a cute, fluffy ball of fur with a wide grin, seated sat in his sister's lap. As he watched the painting, he felt her arms around him again. This time there was no tickling, though, just a slight pull as they fell flat on their backs among the pillows.

"Do you remember posing for that?" Tanya asked. Terry shook his head. "I do. You were so hopeless."

"I was not!" Terry exclaimed indignantly. "I remember being a good kid!"

"Well, you were. Mostly." She laughed as he threw a pillow at her. "But you just couldn't sit still while dad painted us."

"Did he paint it?"

"Yeah. I had to hold on to you to make you stay put." She laughed. "Dad was really good. These are all his. He made them for me, that's why there's so many horses. They're my favourite animals."

"I remember that. You used to have a lot of toy horses, didn't you?"

"I still do. I haven't shown you my bedroom yet."

"Wow. Tanya, I love this room!"

"I made it a kind of reading room when I got too big for toys." She returned the tossed pillow. "My toys are all up in the attic now, just like yours. Maybe we could get them back down again."

"But you kept the painting."

"Of course I did." She rolled over to where Terry lay and hugged him tightly. "You have no idea how many times I've looked at it and wished I could have my baby brother back."

"Yes, I do," Terry said, his voice suddenly weak. "I've got a photo of you in my wallet. I've looked at it so many times it's all crinkled up."

"And now my wish has come true."

"Our wish, Tanya. Our wish."

"I love you, little brother."

"I love you too, big sister. I love you so much."

Terry wasn't sure how he managed to keep from crying, especially when Tanya pressed her face against the nape of his neck and began sobbing quietly. Instead, he held her and stroked her hair. It felt good, he thought, to be the one doing the soothing for once. Tanya soon collected herself, though, and she thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. Blushing, Terry couldn't help himself, but kissed her right back, only this time on the lips. His heart started beating faster when she pressed back against him, prolonging the kiss. Then suddenly he felt her mouth open slightly, and her tongue played against his lips. Terry wasn't sure what to do, but he decided to follow suit. As their tongues touched, it was as if an electric jolt had passed through him, and he moaned with pleasure. Their kiss only lasted a couple of seconds, though, because suddenly Terry's stomach let hear a loud growl, causing them both to break into giggles.

"You can't be hungry again!" Tanya laughed. "You ate so much at lunch I thought you'd burst."

"Well, I didn't eat much yesterday." Another growl had them both rolling around across the pillows, clutching their sides as they laughed. "But I think my belly's making a fuss over it."

"A fuss? Sounds like you'll eat me if I don't start cooking right away."

"You sure are sweet enough to eat..." Terry blushed as he realised what he had said, but Tanya's warm smile reassured him. "I mean..."

"I know what you mean. Thank you, Terry, that was a nice thing to say. Come on, let's go cook!" She stood up and took his hand, helping him to his feet. With her arm around his shoulder, they walked back towards the stairs, but before they had taken more than a couple of steps, Tanya suddenly stopped. "On second thought, go dress up in your best. There's a great restaurant just a bit away."

"Cool!"

Turning on his heel, Terry shot off towards his room and started rummaging through his suitcases. He picked out a pair of light blue cotton trousers, then a white, short-sleeved shirt and his favourite tie, a red one with gold stripes running down it, that his best friend Bobby had given him as a birthday gift. He hurried to get dressed, then spent a couple of minutes in front of the bathroom mirror combing his hair and brushing his face fur. When he felt absolutely certain that he looked his best, he went downstairs.

Tanya was waiting for him in the entrance hall, and the sight of her made his jaw drop and his breath catch in his throat. She was wearing a bright blue blouse and a skirt of the same colour. Both clung to her curves without being really tight, and the blouse was open just enough to show where the white of her chest fur began. A gold necklace hung around her neck, with a heart-shaped pendant resting just where her breasts began to curve. She had on a pair of shiny black, low-heel shoes, and a green headband. Terry had to grip the railing in order not to fall down the last few steps.

"You look good, little brother," she said in a hushed tone. "Such a handsome young man."

"Y-you look great, too," he managed, his voice not really carrying. "You're so beautiful."

"Thank you. Shall we go?"

"Yeah!"

* * * * * *

Tanya locked the door behind them, then held out her arm towards her brother. Terry caught on right away and hooked his elbow around hers. They walked like that down to the gate, parted for a minute while Tanya let them out, then locked the gate as well, but before they had taken three steps down the road she felt Terry's arm sneak around hers again. The boy seemed to be walking on air; his feet just barely touched the ground as he tried to make himself look big enough to be holding her like that. She couldn't help smiling at the happy grin that turned towards her every now and then. What a change from the poor little kit who had cried himself to sleep in her arms the day before!

While they walked, Tanya's thoughts returned to the brief kiss that they had shared in the playroom. It troubled her more than a little; not so much the kiss in itself as the fact that she had enjoyed it immensely. There was nothing wrong with hugs and kisses between siblings, but this had been more. It had not just been a loving kiss, it had been a lover's kiss. And if Terry's stomach hadn't stopped them, they might still have been kissing. However, try as she might to feel guilty, she couldn't deny that it had been a good kiss. A sweet and tender one, not really passionate, but close enough. And Terry had responded to it.

She snapped out of her reverie as she realised that they had almost reached the restaurant. Her feet had luckily done the thinking that her head had been too busy for, and kept them going in the right direction. Terry looked around curiously as they entered. It wasn't a big place, but she liked the atmosphere, and the food was top class. As it was getting a bit late, there wasn't much people. The chief waiter, an elegantly dressed, elderly otter who knew Tanya well since years back, met them with a smile and escorted them to one of the best tables. He handed them each a menu and took their orders for drinks, then shook Terry's hand and bowed.

"This must be young Master Terence. I can't say what an honour it is to finally make your acquaintance, sir. My name is Martin, by the way. An old friend of the family."

"Th-thanks, Martin," the boy stuttered, blushing deeply. "Nice to meet you, too."

"Okay, so I've been talking a bit about you," Tanya answered the quizzical look she got from her brother as soon as Martin had left to fetch their drinks. "Especially after it was decided that you'd come to stay with me. I think you'll find that a lot of people you've never met will know who you are, anyway."

"That's okay." He giggled. "I'm just not used to people bowing to me like that."

"Well, this is kind of an old-fashioned place. Dad and I used to come here a lot, so we know most of the staff."

"Martin seems nice."

"Oh, he is. He's more like a butler out of an old movie than a waiter out of a restaurant." She grinned, leaning across the table to whisper in Terry's ear. "If this was a detective story, he'd be our prime suspect."

Terry was still fighting to keep his giggles back when the drinks arrived and Martin got ready to take their orders. They made some small talk while eyeing through the menu, but Tanya soon noticed that Terry seemed distressed. Maybe he didn't know what to order. To help him out, she ordered steak and potatoes for both of them, with green beans and cream sauce. With another bow, Martin wrote down their order on his pad and left, but not before lighting a couple of candles on the table. Terry suddenly seemed nervous, almost scared, and Tanya began to worry that she had ordered him something he wouldn't like.

"Is there something wrong, little brother?"

"Well..." He fidgeted, glancing at her anxiously. "I saw the prices, Tanya. Can we really afford that much?"

"Sure we can!" She smiled with relief. "We've got plenty of money, Terry, don't you worry."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Wow." His face lit up. "So, can we get desserts, too?"

"Naturally."