0 comments/ 22068 views/ 3 favorites Time in a Bottle By: Katherine English 2 Time in a Bottle (a companion piece to Memories II) Disclaimer: JAG is the property of Donald Belisario, CBS, and Paramount. All other characters are mine and fictional. * * * * * If I could save time in a bottle, The first thing that I'd like to do, Is to save every day Till eternity passes away Just to spend them with you. * 1200 HOURS - Friday Admiral Chegwidden's Cabin McLean, Virginia She was breathtaking. Sarah MacKenzie drifted down the "aisle" on the arm of her best friend, Harmon Rabb to join the love of her life, Admiral AJ Chegwidden. The day was vibrant with the sights and sounds of summer as the guests took their places in the wooded glade behind AJ's cabin, deep in the sylvan forest-land of McLean, Virginia. Dress whites were the uniform of the day among the tiny gathering, as everyone turned to watch the bride leave the seclusion of her fiancé's cabin, and glide gracefully across a carpet of wildflowers into the arms of her beloved. Sarah had chosen an antique, ankle-length gown of ivory eyelet lace, with a princess neckline and ivory seed pearls accentuating the bodice. She had accessorized her gown with matching vintage high-button shoes and a tiny cap made of ivory tea roses and pearls... coordinated with the bouquet she clutched between her diminutive hands. To the haunting guitar strains of Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle", the loving couple stood before the Naval Chaplin and exchanged the vows that would bind them together until the end of time. The abbreviated reception, held within the warmly appointed living room of AJ's cabin was, of necessity, brief... and the couple stayed only long enough to change clothing and accept the profuse well-wishes of their friends before hopping into Sarah's Tracker and heading for the Virginia Coastal Reserve of Parramore Island for their secluded two-day honeymoon. "I don't get it." Bud said to his wife, shaking his head. "There's nothing ON Parramore Island...no town...no roads...no people. The only way in is by private boat...and there isn't even a dock! You have to land on the Beach! Why would they want to go there?" "Oh, Bud...Have we been married THAT long?" Harriet sighed. "I think it's SO romantic," she cried, sobbing into her handkerchief. Bud had been staring at the wedding cake for a few moments, when finally the dawn of comprehension crept over his features. "Oh...I get it! You mean...?" "When we get home, Honey, I'll explain it all to you in detail." Harriet promised. Harm smiled. They were made for each other. So were AJ and Mac. Maybe some day he'd be as lucky... 1500 HOURS The Public Dock Quinby, Virginia AJ had brought his "day runner", a small sloop fashioned after the ones used to train sailors at Annapolis, to the dock the weekend before. Ready and waiting for their arrival, the "Admiral's Lady" was loaded and prepared for the short sail to the Naval Wave Research cottage on the northernmost beach of the uninhabited nature reserve. Dressed lightly in swimwear and windbreakers, the newlyweds set sail toward the north for half of an hour, then adopted an easterly tack around the tip of the island toward the area known as "Little Beach". AJ was an excellent sailor, Sarah thought, as she watched his strong hands maneuver the reefable mainsail. It was hard to recognize the seaman in him, sitting behind the protocol of his position at JAG, but he existed nonetheless. Here, AJ seemed to be in his element, plying the tiller, shifting the boom... the firm muscles of his thighs bracing against the gunnels as he leaned into the wind... Sarah caught her first glimpse of the cottage as they cleared intercoastal waters and approached the seaward side of the island. Set in a grove of loblolly pines, it stood by itself, overlooking a pristine beach of fine, white sand and sea oats, unmarked by the touch of human passage. It was an Eden, a paradise set apart...and it was to be theirs alone for two magical days and nights. Their honeymoon would be brief, but it would indeed be memorable. AJ headed the sloop at right angles to the shoreline, and planted its shallow draft a few yards from the beach. Then, kicking off his deck shoes, and throwing his windbreaker on the deck, he jumped from the side of the boat and landed waist-deep in the surf. As Sarah watched, he grabbed the towline, and made his way toward landfall. There, amid the profusion of shells and driftwood, he began to draw the small craft ever nearer to the shore. AJ was a powerful man, she realized. It was something that those who met him frequently overlooked. Though his frame was more on the athletic side, he was solid muscle, and deceptively strong. She felt the stirrings of passion once more as she watched the play of his body working the prow of the small craft up onto the dry sand, his biceps wet and rippling in the glow of the afternoon sun. Swinging her legs over the side, Sarah dropped, catlike, to the sand, and began to lift their small cache of luggage and supplies from the sailboat. "Let me do that, Darlin." he said, making an obvious concession to her maternity status as he approached her from behind, slipping his arms around her waist... caressing the minute fullness that was their child. "I know you're barely three months along, but lifting heavy gear isn't a great idea. Why don't I grab the food and our packs, and you get the bedding? It's the most crucial part of the weekend, anyway." he smiled wickedly, his lips nuzzling her throat, his hands stoking the embers which he'd ignited within her. "AJ, if you keep doing that, it'll be time to leave before I ever hit the high water mark." she breathed, her hands cupping his, pressing them into her flesh. "Then I guess we'd better hurry." he whispered sensuously against the warm fragrance of her skin. "I wouldn't want you to miss anything..." The cottage proved to be a delight. Purchased at the time the Reserve had been established, it had once belonged to a painter who had lived his life at one with the sea he loved. Now, almost fifty years later, it still sat, preserved, on the unpopulated strip of sand, waiting for their touch to bring it back to life. New England in style, the cottage was of white clapboard with sea-blue shutters and a full wraparound porch. It was used only briefly each spring by the Naval Wave Research group, who kept it meticulously maintained for their few weeks of residence each year. The inside was paneled in native red cedar, assailing the senses with its heady aroma. But the "piece de resistance" of the small three-room building was a massive fieldstone fireplace, which dominated the intimate living area. As AJ went out back to "fire up" the generator, and prime the pump, Sarah began to make up the large four-poster that commanded the main bedroom. A low rumble filled the air, then settled pleasantly into an innocuous drone as the generator came to life. Smiling, Sarah stretched a flat king-sized sheet across the soft down of the featherbed, tucking the edges beneath it, hoping the sheet would "stay put". Then, pleased with the results, she rolled onto her back and followed the pattern of the tongue-and-groove ceiling boards, as their swirls and islands illustrated a story that only nature herself could translate. She became aware, suddenly, that she was no longer alone. Turning her head, she found AJ staring silently from the doorway. "You're watching me again, AJ. Aren't you tired of that yet?" "Darlin', that's not possible." he answered, his voice hushed with emotion. "Every time I look at you, it's like you're a new woman...you just get better and better. The only thing I can't understand is how you ever decided to hitch your wagon to an aging 'seadog' like me." Sarah looked at him, perpetually amazed at the modesty of this strong and dynamic man. "Why don't you come a little closer," she suggested, "and we'll see if we can figure it out together?" AJ grinned, an expression he reserved for her eyes only. "Darlin', I was hoping you'd say that..." Softly, he lay down beside her, pressing his lips against hers, drawing her sweet breath deeply into his body as his hand explored beneath her windbreaker. Tilting her head back, she sighed, a low moan rumbling against his lips. "You have incredible hands, my Love." she whispered as he removed her jacket and slide the straps of her one-piece suit across her breasts and down the length of her body. "I had to marry you...you've spoiled me for anyone else." "No bikini this time, Darlin'?' he questioned, softly. "Oh, AJ...you don't want to see me in a bikini at this point." she warned, alluding to the changes pregnancy had begun to make in her still voluptuous figure. "Darlin'," he said, his eyes caressing the fullness of her breasts and the almost indiscernible swell of her abdomen. "You got me there. I'd much rather see you out of it." Sarah blushed, his words adding impetus to the growing need within her. It always amazed her...just a word from this incredible man, the hint of a touch, and she became consumed with wanting more...wanting it all...wanting him. AJ stood and began to remove his trunks, his prodigious erection pressing heavily against the fabric, fighting for release. "Let me." she said softly, sliding to her knees between his feet. Slowly she grasped the waistband, and began to peel the offending restraint from his firm, taut body... her hands stroking his heated flesh as the sound of his breathing quickened and his muscles tensed. Sarah closed her eyes. She wanted him there...now...in wild abandon on the rough, braided rug. But the sight of his burgeoning manhood called irresistibly to her, and she felt her hands sliding upward, across the backs of his rock-hard thighs, to clasp the firmness of his buttocks. Softly, she ran her tongue across the silken smoothness of his engorged sex, feeling it begin to pulse with impatience, tasting the maleness of him on her lips. "Oh, Darlin'...what you do to me..." he breathed, as she took him fully into the warm wetness of her mouth...touching...teasing...tormenting. He stood it, until he could stand it no longer, then, overcome, he sank to the carpet before her, imprisoning her between the firmness of his thighs. AJ held her closely, his lips claiming hers, his tongue exploring the sweet recesses of her mouth. She felt his pulsing erection pressing urgently against her belly as he gently lowered her to the floor and covered her body with his. "Darlin'," he rasped, fighting for control. "You make me crazy...you make it so hard for me to wait..." "Then don't..." she pleaded, her legs twining around his hips. "Don't wait...make love to me...now." Slowly, carefully, he parted her thighs and pressed his straining sex against the moist opening within, feeling her body rise to meet him, the firm grip of her hands pulling him tightly against her. But he had more in mind for her...much more. Demandingly, he deepened his kiss once again, then lowered his attention to her distended nipples, drawing first one, and then the other between his lips, feeling them grow and harden at his touch. Again she wrapped her legs around him, seeking the release that only he could give, grinding against his rigid manhood, pleading for completion. But still he hesitated, denying her the union she clamored to achieve. Then slowly, maddeningly, AJ began to trail his tongue down the rounded contours of her body, tasting her flesh, lowering his lips to the wet, heated juncture of her thighs. Silently, he pressed his fingers between her moist folds, opening her, exposing her to the assault of his tongue, massaging away the last vestiges of her control. Intimately, he began to tease the hardened nucleus of her desire as he probed mercilessly with his tongue, performing a mad parody of the act she so desired, feeling her body tense uncontrollably beneath him. "AJ!" she screamed as her climax stripped her bare before his plundering lips, inundating her dark curls with the uncontrollable flood of her passion "Please! Now!" Beyond containment, AJ positioned himself between her trembling thighs and plunged deeply within her, thrusting repeatedly into the moist, hot core of her body, listening to her passionate cries rend the stillness of the room. Together they climbed the highest peaks, over and over again, until finally, at one with the wilderness around them, Sarah gave one last shuddering cry and propelled them both over the edge into a blessed cataclysm of release. Afterward, they lay limply together, drained of the ability to move or function...complete in each other's arms. "AJ..." Sarah began. "What, Darlin'?" he asked, his breath warm against her throat. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me..." If I could make days last forever, If words could make wishes come true, I'd save every day like a treasure and then, Again, I would spend them with you. * 1000 HOURS - Saturday Little Beach Cottage Parramore Island, Virginia And so they had passed their first night in Little Beach Cottage, each clinging to the other, woven together by an insatiable love that only the end of time could unravel. Morning found them nested together in the big featherbed, the sounds of the gulls piercing the stillness of the day. The large flat sheet laying crumpled in a ball in the center of the bed, a victim of the night's unending passion. They were ravenous. Together they bustled about the kitchen, scrambling eggs, toasting bagels, preparing juice and coffee. Finally, their feast in place, they went out on the long, sheltered porch to eat and watch the sun lay a lazy path across the sky. "What would you like to do today, Darlin'?" he asked. "I think we already did it." she smiled, the memory lingering on her lips. "We can head back to bed if you'd like." he said, his eyes caressing the contours of her body beneath the white silk of her robe. "What's breakfast without dessert?" "Oh AJ," she teased, "You are BAD!" "That's not what you said last night, m'dear." he joked, pressing her palm to his lips. "I plead insanity...you make me crazy!" Silently they sat, holding hands like two school kids, watching the waves nudge the shore...at piece and in love. Life was good. They spent the day glorying in each other's companionship... swimming... daysailing... strolling the beach hand in hand, and watching the sea birds vie for crabs along the ocean's edge. For the first time in their relationship, the world of protocol and command agendas was far away and forgotten, carried beyond the rim of existence on the wings of a love so bright it shamed the very sun. But there never seems to be enough time To do the things you want to do Once you find them. I've looked around enough to know That you're the one I want to go Through time with. * Evening came all too soon, bringing with it the realization that tomorrow they would have to return to the mainland...to the lives they'd left behind, and leave "Paradise" to the bright-eyed plovers who inhabited it. Together in the dwindling twilight, Sarah and AJ lay on a blanket at the water's edge, watching as the tide crept stealthily along the shore, listening to the beat of their hearts as they lay in a lover's embrace, far from the din of civilization. Softly, gently, AJ stroked the graceful line of her unfettered breast through the thin gauze of her poet's blouse, marveling again at the beauty and passion that was so much a part of her. "Let's go inside." she whispered, feeling the chill of the evening stealing over her. "I like that idea." he agreed, pressing his hardened contours against her body. "Why don't you go on ahead. I need to make sure the boat's secure before we head in for the night." Silently, he watched her cross the brief expanse of beach until he saw the light flicker on in the cottage, chasing away the darkness. AJ set to work making sure their craft was "shipshape" for their return in the morning. By the time he had finished putting the sloop "to bed", the lights in the cabin had gone out, plunging the area once again into inky blackness. It wasn't until he was almost through the door that he noticed the brief flicker within, and realized that there was a warm, welcoming blaze burning in the fireplace. But that wasn't all. Stunned, AJ paused in the doorway to scan the scene before him. There before the fireplace lay the large featherbed mattress, blanket and all, looking just as it had in the bedroom beyond. The room was filled with softly flickering emergency candles placed in coffee mugs, saucers, and anything else that would hold them. It was a whole other world. But, Sarah was no where to be seen. "Darlin'?" he called from among the flickering shadows of the room. "Where are you?" "I'm in the bedroom, AJ...but don't come in! Make yourself comfortable...I'll be right out." Smiling, AJ went into the kitchen, pulled off his shirt, and began to wash up. Whatever Sarah had in mind, it was intriguing. Finishing his ablutions, AJ grabbed two bottles of flavored mineral water from the 'fridge and headed back into the living room. There he sat on the sofa, staring into the flames until he felt her enter the room. "Sarah?" he murmured. "Darlin', you take my breath away..." Silently, she crossed the room toward him, and knelt on the featherbed in front of the flickering blaze. She was wearing a champagne-colored negligee made of satin and lace, with a low, draped bodice held up by the thinnest of spaghetti straps. AJ approached her almost reverently, watching the warm glow from the fireplace play across her skin as he dropped to his knees, his thighs embracing hers, his fingers tracing the flimsy straps of her gown. Then, cradling her chin in his palm he raised her face to meet him, his mouth descending upon her own, his tongue probing hungrily between her lips. "Oh, Darlin'," he whispered desperately into the sweet scent of her hair. "Let me touch you...all of you..." Silently, he lowered the straps of her negligee, baring the golden flesh of her shoulders, covering her, inch by inch, with the seductive demands of his lips. Sarah arched her neck, laying her head back, exposing the softness of her throat to his tender assault. She felt his warm breath caress her skin as he drew her tightly against his body, greedily claiming the hollows of her throat, the flames of the fire reflected in his eyes. Then he released her and lowered the bodice of her gown to her waist, exposing her hard, dusky nipples to the ravages of his lips. She gasped as he claimed first one and then the other, drawing them deeply between his lips, eliciting a warm, wet response between her thighs. His hands stroked the graceful line of her bared back, then dipped below the satin gown to caress the firm swell of her buttocks, pulling her tightly against the hardened thrust of his burgeoning manhood. Then, gently, he lay her body back against the softness of the featherbed, his eyes dark with passion, the flickering light accentuating the play of his Adam's apple as he caressed her flesh with his heated gaze. Quickly, AJ rose and rid himself of the last vestiges of his clothing, standing above her in the warm liquid glow of the flames, the light playing sensuously against the rigid surface of his proud erection like the touch of a hungry lover. Then, gently, he parted her ankles and lowered himself between them. Sarah forgot to breath. Slowly her lover began to raise the silken hem of her gown, his hands sensuously stroking her firm calves. Her pulse throbbed loudly, erratically, in her ears... and an invisible cord began to twine and tighten within her body. Time in a Bottle Pierre and Roxanne have an unwavering love for each other. He is her Romeo, her Samson and her Lancelot; she is his Juliette, his Delilah and his Guinevere. They met in the student cafeteria at the college they both attend. It was about two in the afternoon; the lunchroom was nearly empty. She was sitting alone reading from her notes while eating her lunch. He sat down at the table next to her; it was nearest the window. He immediately began to unpack his backpack. His laptop, a thermos, an apple, a sandwich, reading glasses; the stuff kept piling up on the table. Within a minute he had the entire table filled with his things -- he put his backpack on the floor near his feet. He looked around at the things he had placed on the table. He frowned, got up and went to the lunch counter to get some napkins. He opened two of the napkins, meticulously placing one on top of the other. Next he opened a pocketknife and began to carefully cut his apple into quarters. After that, he cut out the center of each quarter, returning each quarter to the opened napkins. He put the cut out pieces onto another napkin on the opposite side of his table. Then he opened another napkin and covered the four pieces of apple. Once he was finished with his apple, he opened two more napkins -- again carefully placing one on top of the other. He took his sandwich out of its plastic container and cut it diagonally in half. He placed one section near the edge of his makeshift placemat and covered it with a napkin. He put the other section in the center of his placemat. He turned on his laptop, put his glasses on, opened his thermos and began to eat his sandwich, occasionally biting into an apple quarter. All his detailed actions caused Roxanne to look up from her reading. She couldn't help but smile. Never before had she seen someone exhibit such thoroughness when eating. 'To each his own,' she said to herself and went back to her own reading and lunch. Suddenly someone on the other side of the lunchroom yelled out "Fuck, I'm late for class" and ran out of the cafeteria. Pierre immediately apologized to Roxanne. "You'll have to forgive some of my classmates. They have no respect for women." "What?" Roxanne answered him. His statement confused her. "That student who just ran out of here, he cursed." "Oh, that doesn't bother me. It's not like I've never heard profanity before; I have three brothers. Besides, I don't have anything against it." "Me neither," Pierre answered her. "I curse myself. But there's a time and place for everything. When I'm with mixed company I try to watch my language." "You're a real gentleman," she quipped. "They're hard to find these days." Pierre blushed several shades of red. It was at that moment that Roxanne decided that she liked this attentive white boy. His long black hair and thick black eyelashes accentuate his deep blue eyes. He appeared to be short but his shoulders are broad. His muscled arms give him the look of someone who regularly works out. She could just barely make out his rippled stomach beneath his T-shirt. The rest of him was hidden below the table. She asked him his major. He told her that he was studying accounting; he wants to open up his own tax preparation business someday. When she pointed out to him that that is seasonal work, he added that he also hoped to own and captain a charter yacht for those who want to vacation in the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands or other places in the Caribbean Sea. She told him that she was studying geology. She had no idea what she wants to do once she finished college. Nor did she know why she was studying geology. She liked reading about dinosaurs when she was in high school. But so far she had only taken one course that covered the subject. All her other geology courses had been about plain rocks. They are as different as any white man and black woman can be. He is conservative; she is liberal. He likes quiet evenings home alone; she likes wild raucous parties. He knows exactly what he wants to do and where he is going with his life; she has no directions and is taking each day as it comes. He is from the poorer section of town and is working his way through college. She is the daughter of the former mayor; her tuition and books are paid for by her parents. She lives with her parents. But then it is their differences that attract them to each other. They begin dating and soon develop a strong love for each other. They are inseparable, going to night clubs, restaurants, parties, sporting events, picnics, camping and doing many other such things together. They also spend many quiet evenings together in his apartment just watching television and eating popcorn. In fact, it is their constant togetherness that puts an end to their plans. They were scheduled to spend the weekend with some friends on Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts. But at the last minute the two of them decide to drive up to his uncle's Vermont hunting and fishing lodge on the shores of Lake Champlain across from Split Rock Mountain, New York. Their main reason for doing so is so that they can have a romantic weekend alone together. His birthday is the following Sunday and they want to celebrate it in a special way. So the first Friday of a cold January afternoon they say good-bye to their friends, load up her sport utility with some food and winter camping gear and head for the mountains. What they don't know is that there is a heavy snowstorm heading south from Canada as they are heading north. The snow starts to come down just before they cross the Vermont state line. It is still coming down when they turn off Interstate 91 onto Interstate 89 for their trip into Burlington. Roxanne comments how wonderful it will be to have snow on his birthday. She intends to build a snowman in front of the lodge just for him. By the time they arrive in Burlington the snow is coming down hard. They debate whether or not to proceed south on U.S. Highway 7 for the last leg of their journey. Pierre checks with the state police and they tell him that the roads are safe for the time being. They stop to gas up the car and to get something to eat at a fast food restaurant. It is while they are eating that the weather takes a turn for the worst. As they are coming out of the restaurant and into the parking lot, a gust of arctic wind blasts them. Both lovers are too anxious to get into the warmth of the SUV to notice that the temperature has dropped considerably. They have been traveling along US 7 for quite some time before the snow really gets bad. In fact, the snow has become blinding. Pierre is driving but he can't see much farther beyond the front of the car. The SUV keeps sliding all over the icy highway. Pierre is worried about getting into an accident with another car. He reduces his speed. Roxanne is just hoping to get to the cabin before it gets too late. She wonders whether or not Pierre is lost. She hasn't seen any road signs for quite a while. "How much further?" she asks. "It's not much further," Pierre responds. "I think I saw a cabin that I recognized a few minutes ago. It shouldn't be long now." But silently he is worried. He only half recognized the cabin he spoke of. In truth, visibility is too low to distinguish anything. He continues to drive into the night. After ten or fifteen minutes, Pierre slows the car to a crawl and looks hard out of the right side window. Roxanne looks too. Yes, there is a cabin there. But he can't identify it; it is too far from the road. Turning his attention back to the front windshield, he sees that the road has suddenly turned to the left. He quickly turns the steering wheel but the SUV skids into the ditch alongside the road. The two occupants are thrown to the passenger's side of the car -- neither was wearing a seat belt. Pierre comments that he is glad that the air bags didn't deploy; they were driving too slow and the accident wasn't serious enough. However, Roxanne did hit her head against the side window. Pierre attempts to back out of the ditch. But the tires only spin wildly. He gets out and examines the car. They are stuck. He climbs back into the car. Roxanne complains about her head; Pierre's right shoulder is beginning to hurt him a little bit. He helps Roxanne out of the car and into the blinding snowstorm. They slowly make their way to the cabin. Pierre carries Roxanne most of the way there using his left arm. Luckily the front door is not locked. Pierre helps Roxanne to a green sofa just inside and to the left of the door and then goes to see if he can find a blanket and some pillows. He returns a few moments later with one pillow and a thin blanket that he found in a closet. After covering Roxanne -- she is just lying on the green sofa with her eyes closed -- he feels for his cell phone but it is not in his pants pocket. He figures it must have fallen out when the car crashed. He knows that Roxanne's phone is in her purse; still in the car. He sits on the floor next to her and ponders what he will do next -- go for the phones or rest a bit. He decides to rest first. There is no hurry; neither of them is hurt too bad. Besides, a tow truck probably won't come out at this time of night in this storm. He closes his eyes. Pierre wakes up with a start; it is morning. Roxanne is still sleeping. He goes to the door to try to open it but he can't; it is stuck. He looks out the window next to the door. The snow is about waist high and piled up against the door. He begins to survey the cabin. It has two small bedrooms, one small bathroom, a kitchenette and one large living room. He does not enter the bedrooms or the bathroom; he just peeks into each room. There is the head of a stuffed ten point buck above what used to be a fireplace that has been sealed up. Directly below the buck is a framed photograph of a man kneeling on one knee next to the dead deer. He is holding a bow and a quiver of arrows in one hand. The other hand is holding onto the whitetail deer's antlers. He is smiling broadly. Above the mantle and below the whitetail deer's head is a wooden plaque. Carved into the plaque is the statement 'Sam's Hideaway.' There is a large butane gas heater in front of the former fireplace but it does not have a butane tank attached to it. On the other side of the living room, to the right of the front door, is a clothes tree with an empty coat hanger on it. There is an easy chair and one small end table in the far right corner. There is a lamp and a copy of a nudity magazine on the table. Along the far wall is a dark red sofa. There are large double windows behind this sofa, looking out toward the road. In the far left corner is a three lamp stand. Midway between the fireplace and the left corner is a television stand minus the TV. There is a DVD of the 1988 movie Beetlejuice on the stand. The fireplace is directly across from the front door. The door leading into the bedrooms and bathroom is to the left of the fireplace, as one looks at it. The green couch -- the one upon which Roxanne is sleeping -- is near this door, midway between it and the front door. This sofa also separates the living room from the breakfast bar which is behind it. The breakfast bar separates the living room from the kitchenette. There are three barstools in front of the bar. There is no phone, television, radio or any other communication device in the living room or in any of the bedrooms. Pierre is hungry so he goes to the little kitchenette in search of food. Both the refrigerator and the cupboard are full of food, canned goods -- both meat and vegetables -- peanut butter, jam, soft drinks, beer, butter, frozen waffles, ice cream, several boxes of rice, cereal, instant potatoes and instant macaroni and cheese. There is enough food to last several hunters a couple of weeks. Roxanne comes and stands next to him as he is looking over the food; she puts her arm around his waist. They tell each other that they will leave a note explaining about their accident. They will also leave some money in the refrigerator for any food that they eat. Roxanne then puts some frozen waffles in the toaster while Pierre puts some plates and utensils on the bar and gets the syrup and butter. They eat their breakfast while making plans on what they want to do as soon as the snow melts enough for them to get out of the cabin. The first thing Pierre wants to do is inspect the damage to her SUV. He tells Roxanne that he didn't get an opportunity to do it the night before. He says that he is going to try again to drive the car out of the ditch and failing that he will call a tow truck. After breakfast Pierre again tries to open the door while Roxanne washes the dishes. The door is still stuck. Pierre again looks out the window to inspect the weather conditions. It is snowing. He returns to the kitchenette just as Roxanne is wiping off the breakfast bar. He puts his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly from behind. He kisses her on the nape of her neck. She turns in his arms, puts her arms around his neck and kisses him hotly on the lips. Their tongues entwine. He caresses her left breast with his right hand. She moans as he presses himself against her yielding body. She presses her hips into his lean figure. "Want to make love?" he asks her. He is smiling. His eyes are sparkling. "We can't do that here. This isn't our cabin. Besides, suppose the owner comes in and catches us?" "We are snowed in; no one can come in or out. We'll be here for a day at the least," Pierre continues. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want someone to walk in on us while we're having fun," Roxanne asks him. "I'm sure," he picks her up and carries her to the green sofa. Within seconds they are both naked and making love. After, they are wrapped in the blanket, lying side by side. "Wouldn't it be great if we were trapped here, snowed in for months, just the two of us?" Roxanne asks. "We could spend the rest of the winter just making love." "Why wish for just a couple of months? Why not wish to be stranded here for the rest of our lives." "Oh Pierre I could spend an eternity here with you. I would spend every moment of it making love with you." She kisses him on his lips and pulls his body closer to herself. After they break the kiss, she asks him, "How's that song by Jim Croce go? 'If I could put time in a bottle, I'd save every day just to spend them with you till eternity passes away,' or something like that." "It's something like that," he answers her. He sits up. He looks down at her supple breasts. He flicks her left nipple with his first finger. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met." "I'm not beautiful," she answers him. "My breasts are too small." She gets up and walks naked across the room to the door. She tries to open it but it won't budge. She turns to face Pierre. She leans against the door. He is just watching her. Suddenly Roxanne puts her hand near her mouth, as though she is holding a microphone. "News flash," she calls out. "Pierre and Roxanne are stranded on a mountaintop. Buried in by an avalanche, they . . ." "You're naked my love," Pierre reminds her. "Anchor women don't do the news in the nude." "Will you stop interrupting me? This is my newscast. Besides, here at WSEX we always do the news in the nude." She smiles at him and thrusts her chest out. "As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by my cameraman. Pierre and Roxanne were buried in an avalanche last night. For this exclusive interview we here at WSEX take you live to their mountaintop cabin." Roxanne walks back to the sofa. She is standing; he is still sitting on the sofa. She puts her right hand up near her mouth. "The weatherman says that you could be stranded here for months. How do you plan to spend your time up here?" She puts her right hand near Pierre's mouth. "I intend to spend every minute of every day making love to you till eternity passes away," he tells her. "Doing nothing but making love with your lover for eternity, that sounds exciting. It's something that I myself might like to try. But tell us Pierre; is your lover of the same opinion? What are you going to do if she tells you no?" "Then I guess I'll just have to spank her naughty ass," he smiles at Roxanne. She purrs an answer, "Oh, you are a mean one, aren't you?" "No not really. I only spank her when she refuses to cooperate with me in bed." "Tell us, how often is that? How often do you have to spank your lover's naked ass?" "Oh I don't know, maybe once or twice a month. Most of the time, she is pretty cooperative. We love each other very much. Neither of us would ever do anything to that would hurt each other." Pierre is smiling broadly. Roxanne turns away from Pierre to face the living room. She again holds her hand up near her mouth. "There you have it ladies and gentlemen. Pierre and Roxanne intend to spend eternity making love in their mountaintop cabin." Pierre reaches up and grabs her around the waist, pulling her down to the sofa. Roxanne screams in delight as her gropes her and tickles her. They make passionate love again. After, they get dressed and inspect their surroundings, going into each room and making an assessment of what they have. Other than the food in the refrigerator and the cupboard -- both appear to have been recently replenished -- the cabin is empty. Except for pillows, the beds are bare. There is another thin blanket in one of the bedroom closets. Both bedrooms have butane gas heaters, minus the butane tanks. The bathroom only has one extra roll of toilet paper. There is a bottle of mouthwash, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, a dirty glass and a well used toothbrush in the medicine cabinet. Two kitchenette drawers have some mismatched utensils. Except for some dishtowels, a writing pad and pencil, the other drawers are empty. They overlook a deck of playing cards in one of the drawers. One cupboard has two rolls of paper towels, some paper plates and plastic cups. The other cupboards have several mismatched dishes, cups and glasses, several pots of various sizes and three different size frying pans. Below the sink are some cleaning supplies and a box of plastic garbage bags. The oven and stove are electric; there is no microwave oven. There is a toaster on the counter top. It is evident that the owner uses this cabin strictly as a hunting and fishing lodge, a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. They both peer out of the window above the sink. There is nothing to the rear of the cabin but leafless trees; the ground is covered with snow. A light snow continues to fall. They return to the green sofa. Both are looking blankly at the empty television stand on the left side of the room. Roxanne comments that she wishes there was a television or radio or something with which they could occupy their minds until the snow melts and they can be on their way. Pierre suggests they play charades. Roxanne thinks that is a great idea. She asks him if she can go first. He says yes. She stands up and tells him that the topic is movies. She then begins to pantomime a ghost for the 1990 movie Ghost. But Pierre knows that that is her favorite movie and guesses it right away. She complains that she should be allowed another try since she chose the wrong movie. Pierre agrees and lets her do a second movie. Roxanne then begins to pantomime taking a tray of ice cubes out of a freezer. Pierre guesses ice and she points to him, indicating that he is correct. Next she pretends to build a sand castle. After several minutes Pierre finally guesses the 1978 movie Ice Castles. Roxanne is ecstatic that he has guessed her movie and jumps up and down to show her joy. Time in a Bottle Pierre stands up but for several seconds he just stands there with his hand to his chin. He is thinking. Then he announces that the topic is books. He then begins to pantomime out Diary of Anne Frank, one of his favorite books. But Roxanne is unable to guess what it is. She complains that his examples are too vague. He apologizes and tells her he will act out another book. For his second book he pantomimes out Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. After several minutes Roxanne guesses it; it is one of her favorite stories. They continue their game for another hour or so, eventually running out of topics. They both sit on the green couch, again staring indifferently at the empty television stand. Suddenly Roxanne gets up and walks toward the front door. But before she gets half way there Pierre tells her that it's not going to open. She stops as soon as she gets near the door. She looks dejectedly at the closed door. After a minute or two she turns and walks back to the green sofa without having tried to open it. She sits down and asks Pierre how long he thinks they will be snowed in. He confesses that he does not know. He comments that it is still snowing and the snow is piling up higher outside. He tells her that they may be here a couple of days. She snuggles up next to him and tells him that she is just glad that they are together. Roxanne again wishes that they had a television to watch or radio to listen to. She says that it could be a boring two or three days if they don't find something to do. Pierre asks her if she wants to play 'who or what am I?' But she answers that that is just a different version of charades. Pierre talks her into playing the game with him. But after a few minutes the two of them are again sitting on the green sofa staring blankly at the empty TV stand. Pierre gets up and walks across the room. He picks up the nudity magazine and returns to the sofa. He opens it up to the table of contents, looking for an article he thinks he might like to read. He does not find one that he likes but he finds a short story that he thinks Roxanne might like. It is a story about a college professor who develops an apparatus that allows him to communicate with animals. Roxanne likes animals. He begins to read it aloud. The professor uses the device to get animals to do menial tasks for him. But soon he begins to use it to get the animals to rob convenience stores for him. Next he gets the animals to help him get revenge against one of his colleagues who he perceives to have wronged him. Then he progresses onto killing those who he does not like. The short story ends when the animals kill him and then destroy the device so that they can live in peace. Roxanne loves the story. It combines two things she loves to read about, animals and science fiction. She asks him to tell her again how he killed the ten point buck above the mantle. He thinks a minute -- he knows Roxanne does not like guns -- and then begins a story about how he was stranded in the forest, separated from his camping friends. He had been lost for three days without food. He had only one arrow left in his quiver, having used all the other arrows defending himself against a pack of wolves that attacked him. Then he saw the whitetail deer. He made a decision that it was either shoot the buck or go hungry. He took careful aim and put an arrow right into the animal's heart. He then had enough food to last him till he could find his way back to his buddies. Roxanne thanks him for the story. She says that killing animals for food is OK but that killing them just for sport is cruel. She then starts her own story. She begins to tell him of the time she was swimming in a lagoon in one of the islands in the Bahamas. A huge man eating shark began to chase her. She screamed for help and was saved by the lifeguard -- a gorgeous hunk of a man with broad shoulders, deep blue eyes and dark curly hair. Pierre smiles as he realizes that she is describing him. When she finishes her story he suggests that they fix themselves something to eat. He doesn't know what time it is but he guesses that it is about two in the afternoon. They haven't eaten since early this morning and he is hungry. Roxanne agrees; she too is hungry. They go to the kitchenette and inspect the cupboards for something to eat. They decide to fry some canned spam and fix up some instant mashed potatoes along with some canned peas. While Roxanne sets dishes on the bar, Pierre cooks the food. The only seasonings he is able to find for the spam are salt, pepper, parsley, onion salt and garlic salt. There is also some ground cayenne red pepper but they don't use that. They open a couple of soft drinks. While they are eating they discuss where they are going to spend Spring Break this year. Pierre confesses that he has never gone to any of the traditional places many college students go for Spring Break. He tells her that he has always spent the time in his apartment reading or surfing the Internet, something he likes to do. Roxanne tells Pierre that she wants to spend Spring Break with him. She reveals that her experience in Cancun, Mexico last year was horrible. She likes wild parties but there were just too many drunks there for her taste. She suggests they come back up here to Vermont, if his uncle will let them use his cabin again. Pierre tells her that he will ask his uncle but he is sure that they will be able to spend some more time up here. After they finish eating they wash the dishes together, Roxanne washes and Pierre dries. Then they return to the green couch. They sit down and stare blankly at the empty TV stand. After several minutes Roxanne asks, "Did you check inside the TV stand to see if there is anything in it?" "No," Pierre answers her. "Suppose there's a television or radio in it," Roxanne says. She runs across the room and opens the doors of the stand. She bends over at the waist and peers into the stand. Her tight jeans accentuate the curve of her ass cheeks. Pierre marvels at the shape of her butt and becomes sexually aroused. In the stand are another nudity magazine, two old hunting and fishing magazines and three books, The Last of the Mohicans, Robinson Crusoe and The Call of the Wild. Roxanne picks up the Jack London classic and carries it back to the sofa. She sits next to Pierre, holding the book in her lap. "Want to read it to me?" she asks him. "Sure," he answers her. "But first I want to make love to you." He then kisses her deeply on the lips. They remove each other's clothes and within seconds they are under the blanket making fervent love. When they finish, Pierre picks up the book and opens it to the first chapter. They are both still naked, wrapped in the blanket. By the time he reaches the point in the book where Buck takes over as leader of the dogsled team the sun has set. They decide to take a break from the reading and fix something for them selves to eat for supper. The get dressed. They cannot decide whether they should finish off the spam they opened earlier or open another can of canned meat. Pierre offers that they do not know when the owner of the cabin is going to return. If they open too many canned goods then the food might spoil. He suggests that they eat the spam. But Roxanne is of the opinion that the owner obviously put all the food here recently and that he will probably return with a few days, maybe even tomorrow. If they leave enough money to cover what food they open then that should be sufficient. She wants to open a canned ham. She points out that there are four cans of spam and asks him how many cans of spam did he see in the cupboard earlier. He tells her four but adds that he must have miscounted. In the end, they decide to open the canned ham and, if they still cannot get out of the cabin by tomorrow, then they will eat both the spam and the ham. They will take both with them if they can leave tomorrow. They fix some more instant potatoes but they open a can of corn instead of peas. For added flavor, Pierre also opens a can of mushroom soup and pours it on the ham while it is baking. He tells Roxanne that his grandmother used to bake her pork roasts in mushroom soup; they were delicious. After they finish eating they return to the green couch. Pierre reads some more from The Call of the Wild. About half way through Roxanne suggests that they turn in for the night; it is late and she wants to get out of the cabin as early as possible if they can. Pierre turns out the overhead light and they lie together on the green sofa. But within minutes they are removing each other's clothes and are making passionate love like there is no tomorrow. They fall to sleep together in the nude locked arm-in-arm. Pierre wakes early the next morning. He immediately tries to open the front door. It is still stuck. He looks out the window next to the door and the double windows behind the red sofa on the other side of the room. The snow is still coming down lightly; everything is covered with a thick white blanket. Shivering, he wraps his arms around his naked body and returns to the green sofa. His actions wake Roxanne. He tells her that the door is still stuck closed. She answers him 'Good, I don't want to leave now anyway. Let's make love.' She then kisses him hotly on the lips. After, they are lying together on the sofa. Roxanne asks, "Do you think the owner will come today? Do you think we'll be able to get out today?" "I doubt it. I looked out both the window next to the front door and the double windows over the red sofa, the windows facing the road. I couldn't see anything, not even the road. Everything is covered in snow." "Yeah but maybe the owner will come here with a snowplow." "Don't get your hopes up my love. When he returns he'll be coming with his friends to go hunting. They'll be in their cars, not snowplows." "What makes you so sure, Mr. Know-it-all?" Roxanne is teasing him. "He obviously stocked up on food within the last few days with an eye of coming up here this weekend or next weekend. He'll be bringing the perishable foods with him when he comes, milk, eggs, bread, fresh vegetables, fruit and other such foods." "How do you know?" "I don't. But I do know that the only reason he isn't here now is because of the snowstorm." He pauses. Then, "You aren't worried about him catching us here are you?" "Oh no. I'm sure he'll understand . . ." Pierre interrupts her, "You shouldn't worry about that because we'll be out of here long before he comes. We're going to leave as soon as the snow melts enough for me to open the front door." They sit together in silence for several moments. Then Roxanne comments that she is hungry but she doesn't get up. Pierre points out to her that their clothes are scattered on the floor around the sofa, where they threw them the night before. Neither wants to get up to retrieve the clothes; it is too cold. Eventually Pierre throws the blanket off himself and gets their clothes. They get dressed under the blanket but Roxanne does not put on her brazier. Then they go to the kitchenette and fix themselves something to eat for breakfast. After they clean up the kitchenette they return to the green sofa. They sit together and stare impassively at the empty television stand. Pierre asks her if she has all her courses registered at college; he knows that she had trouble getting one of her online courses. She tells him that she got all the courses she wanted. She asks him about his courses. He tells her that he too got all the courses he wanted. She asks him if he remembered to pack his digital camera. She reminds him that he wanted to take some pictures of any wildlife they may see. He tells her yes he packed it and then asks her if she packed her toothbrush. When they spent the weekend after Thanksgiving camping in Cades Cove, Smoky Mountains she forgot her toothbrush and she had to use his. She tells him that it is in her makeup kit. He asks her why she took her makeup kit, since it is just the two of them here. She tells him that she always brings her makeup kit whenever they spend a weekend together. He asks her why; they're not going to see anyone. She tells him that she wants to look good for him. He thanks her. He tells her that she is beautiful no matter what she is wearing. Then he adds 'or not wearing' and smiles seductively. She looks at him out of the corner of her eye but says nothing. They sit in silence just looking blankly at the empty television stand. Suddenly Pierre asks her if she wants to play charades. Roxanne answers that they played that yesterday. They sit in silence just staring impassively at the empty TV stand. Roxanne asks him if he checked the drawers in the nightstands in the bedrooms. He tells her no and gets up to go check. He returns a few moments later. He tells her that the nightstand in the bedroom on the right was empty and the one in the left bedroom only had a nudity magazine in it. They continue to sit in silence staring vacantly at the empty TV stand. Roxanne picks up the copy of the book The Call of the Wild off the floor and asks Pierre to finish reading it to her. She then snuggles up next to him as he picks up reading where he left off the night before. After reading for about two hours Pierre tells her he needs a break; his throat is dry. He goes to the kitchenette for some water. A few moments later he returns with a mischievous smile on his face. Roxanne notices and asks him what he is up to. He shakes his head no as if to say 'nothing.' But then he pulls a deck of playing cards from his rear pocket. "Wanna play cards? I found these in the drawer next to the sink. They were under some dishtowels." Roxanne, clapping her hands excitedly, answers "Sure. I'd love to. What do you suggest?" "How about some Gin Rummy?" "OK, why don't you get that notepad and pencil from the drawer in the kitchenette?" They sit on the floor in front of the green couch and play Gin Rummy. After playing rummy for over an hour and a half Pierre suggests they switch to Casino. Roxanne tells him that she doesn't know how to play. Pierre tells her that he will teach her. She asks him if he wants to switch because she has won most of the rummy games. He answers that he is just tired of playing Gin Rummy. Roxanne agrees and Pierre teaches her how to play Casino. She again wins most of the games but he tells her that it is only beginner's luck. They begin to wrestle and end up making love on the green couch. After, they fix themselves some lunch. They eat the ham and finish off the rest of the corn and peas. Then they return to the green sofa. Pierre picks up the book and begins to read from where he left off before they started to play cards. But after about five minutes of reading Roxanne takes the book out of his hands and throws it on the floor. She sits in his lap, straddling his thighs. She pulls off her T-shirt; she is braless. She then thrusts her chest out and very seductively says, "You want to read about some old dog or fuck me?" Smiling wantonly, Pierre cups each of her breasts and kisses her nipples one at a time. He then pinches both of her nipples hard and pulls her toward himself -- Roxanne moans. He kisses her open mouth on the lips. Within seconds they are both naked and making love. After they finish making love, Pierre reads for a half an hour or so. While he is reading, Roxanne is putting dots all over a page of the notebook. When the page is completely covered with dots she asks him if he wants to play Dots and Boxes. He says yes but adds a proviso. He wants the loser to perform oral sex on the winner. Roxanne readily agrees. She loves oral sex; it does not matter whether she is giving or receiving. It takes them another half an hour to cover the page with boxes. But when they count up the totals they discover that it is a tie; both have the 32 squares with their initials in them. They decide to perform oral sex on each other. Then they make love. After, they are lying together on the green couch. "Want to play Strip Poker?" Roxanne asks, giving Pierre a demure smile while running her hand up and down his chest. "We can't do that my love. We're both already naked." "Well we could put our clothes back on." Pierre answers, "Don't you think that would be rather redundant?" "Yeah but after it would be fun playing." "Why don't we save the poker for later this evening? Right now I want to get back to reading the book." "OK," Roxanne quips. Pierre then picks The Call of the Wild off the floor and begins to read it to her. Both are still naked wrapped in the blanket. Roxanne again snuggles up next to Pierre. After about half an hour of reading, Pierre puts the book down. He gives Roxanne a mischievous smile and tells her that if she continues to disturb him then he will never finish the story. She counters that she is only touching him. But he shoots back that it is where she is touching him that is interrupting his reading. Roxanne asks him if he likes where she is touching him. He answers her that yes he likes it but he is trying to read. She tells him nonchalantly that if he would rather read than make love it is alright with her; she won't touch him any more. Pierre throws the blanket onto the floor, pulls Roxanne over his lap and smacks her twice on each of her naked ass cheeks. She pretends to cry. She then sits up, puts her head on his shoulder and tells him that she is sorry for being such a naughty girl, that she won't interrupt his reading any more. They kiss passionately, probing their tongues into each other's mouths. Then they make passionate love together. After, they are lying on the green couch together, Pierre has picked up the blanket and they have wrapped it around themselves; they are both still naked. Pierre asks her, "That's the third time we've made love since we ate lunch and we did it once this morning. Is that all we're gonna do is read and make love?" "Can you think of anything better to do?" Roxanne answers with a demure smile on her lips. Pierre does not answer her. He just gives her a wicked smile. "How many times did we make love yesterday?" Roxanne wants to know. "I don't know; I didn't count." "Well we did it twice yesterday morning and then again just before we went to sleep. So that's three times." "You're forgetting that we also had sex when we finished eating lunch yesterday," Pierre comments with another wicked smile. "That's right. So that makes four times yesterday and four times already today. That's the most times we've ever made love in one weekend. Do you think we're a couple of sex maniacs? "No, but we'll probably do it at least once more before this day is over." "What makes you so sure about that?" Roxanne asks. "If you think that the two of us can go to sleep tonight without making love, especially if we're both naked, then you don't know us very well." Roxanne does not answer him. She knows that he is right; she knows that they will make love at least one more time before they go to sleep tonight. Pierre tells her to pick up the book off the floor. But she answers him that she is tired of hearing about some stupid dog and kicks the book toward the center of the room. She asks him to tell her about what kind of boat he wants and the cruises he plans to charter. He tells her that he wants to get a sixty or seventy foot sailing yacht with two masts. He figures that a boat with only one mast won't be big enough for the charter cruises he wants to offer. He has seen several different yachts on the Internet and as soon as he is finished college he is going to buy one and begin his charter boat company. Roxanne wants to know how she will fit in with his plans. She tells him that she has no desire to sit home alone while he is sailing the Caribbean Sea, especially if he is going to be traveling with young beautiful women who are wearing only bikini bathing suits. He tells her that she can be his first mate. She claps her hands in joy; she would love to sail the Caribbean Sea with him. Time in a Bottle She asks him what he is going to do with his boat when he doesn't have any guests sailing on it. Smiling wickedly, he answers her that he will turn his boat into a sex slave ship, tie her naked to the main mast, spank her ass and rape her. She opens her mouth in mock horror. Then in feigned indignation, she throws the blanket off herself, walks naked over to where the book is lying on the floor and retrieves it. She hands it to him and tells him to read the rest of the story to her. She snuggles up to him. After he finishes it Roxanne thanks Pierre for reading the story to her. Then she tells him that she is glad that the dog Buck found a happy home in the end. They both sit and stare impassively at the empty television stand. After several minutes Roxanne begins to put her clothes back on. Pierre does the same. She then suggests that they play a game. Pierre asks her if she has any game in particular she wants to play but she has no idea. After several more minutes he suggests that they play hangman. Roxanne likes the idea and asks if she can go first. Pierre lets her. After about half an hour they grow tired of the game. Roxanne suggests they play Crazy Eights. Pierre agrees and they play for about an hour. Then they play some more Gin Rummy. After growing tired of it they play some Battle. But after only one game they quit. Roxanne puts her head on Pierre's shoulder and her arms around his neck. They both sit and stare blankly at the empty TV stand. After several minutes Pierre asks Roxanne if she is hungry. She tells him no; she reminds him that they just ate lunch a couple of hours ago. After a few minutes Roxanne asks Pierre if he wants to play a game. He tells her no. After several more minutes, Pierre asks her if she got all her college courses registered. She tells him yes and then reminds him that he asked her that already. He answers her 'Oh yeah that's right.' They continue to just sit and look vacantly at the empty television stand. After several minutes Roxanne gets up in expiration and tries to open the front door. It is still stuck closed. She runs over to the double windows facing the road and tries to open them. They too are stuck closed. She turns to Pierre and looks imploringly at him but he tells her that he already tried to open all the windows, including the little one in the bathroom. They are all stuck closed. Roxanne comes and sits back on the green couch with Pierre. She despondently says, "We're never going to get out of here. We're stuck her for the rest of our lives." "No we're not my love. We'll get out as soon as it stops snowing and the snow on the ground melts enough for me to open the front door." "But until then the only thing we can do is play games and make love," she answers him. "And you have a problem with that?" Pierre asks her. "You have a problem with making love with me every day all day for the rest of our lives?" She gives him a very demure smile. "No I don't. Wanna make love now?" "You don't have to ask me twice," he answers her. For the fifth time today they make love. After, they cuddle up next to each other under the blanket in the nude on the green sofa. Pierre tells her that they will have to get dressed in a few minutes. Then they can fix themselves something to eat for supper. After they eat he will start reading one of the other novels to her before they go to sleep later tonight. But Roxanne reminds him that she wants to play strip poker and make love after they eat. He answers her that they can do that after he reads. She agrees. Roxanne puts her head on Pierre's shoulder. Soon she is asleep. Pierre eases her down onto his lap. Then he leans against the arm of the sofa and closes his eyes. Soon he too is asleep. ********************************************** Sam tells his friends that he is glad that the snow stopped Friday night and not Saturday afternoon as the weatherman predicted. He just restocked his cabin Wednesday with canned goods and other stuff they will need for the next seven days. Shaquille comments that he is happy that they only lost one day because of the storm; he is looking forward to the next seven days of camping and hunting. They drive on in silence for several moments just staring blankly at the road in front of them. "OK Sam it's your turn," Eugene finally says. "You got a better joke than the lame one Shaquille told us a few moments ago. "Hey! That was a great joke," Shaquille answers him. "The problem is you just don't know a good joke when you hear one." "I know a good joke; you just don't know how . . ." "OK, I got one," Sam interrupts their banter. Eugene says, "Good, fire away." "A man is in a bar telling his friend about an argument he had with his wife the night before. He tells his friend that they were arguing over the cost of her cosmetics versus the cost of his beer. The man says, 'She told me that she buys the cosmetics so that she will look good for me. But I told her that that's what the beer was for.' The man pauses, takes a sip from his beer, shakes his head back and forth and says, 'I don't think she's coming back.' " Both Eugene and Shaquille laugh loudly. In the middle of their laughter Sam asks them if they have decided which of the two of them is going to get the other bedroom. Shaquille tells him that it is his turn to get the other bedroom because Eugene had it when they were up here before Christmas. But Eugene answers that he got the bedroom because Shaquille didn't come up here before Christmas; it was just himself and Sam. Shaquille counters that that doesn't matter; Eugene still got to sleep in the bedroom, not the cold living room, therefore he should have to sleep on the uncomfortable green sofa. Sam tells them that he doesn't care which of them sleeps on the couch as long as he gets his bedroom. He further reminds them that they better solve their sleeping problem soon because they are approaching his hunting and fishing lodge. As Sam pulls into the driveway of his hideaway, Eugene, who is in the back seat, calls out, "Hey there's an SUV in the ditch next to the driveway." Sam turns off the ignition and the three friends get out of his van. They inspect the car. The SUV is on its right side in the ditch; the front end is destroyed. The windshield on the passenger's side is smashed and bloody; there is black hair frozen to it. The passenger's air bag is only partially deployed. Eugene comments that the air bag in his sister's car was defective and only partially deployed when she got in an accident a couple of months ago. The driver's air bag is completely extended with blood on it. It is obvious that the SUV swerved off the road in the snowstorm of the night before. It is also obvious that the passenger was seriously hurt; he or she probably wasn't wearing a seatbelt and their head hit the front windshield. The occupants almost certainly called an ambulance and went to the hospital. Someone will probably return in the near future to get the car. Sam says, "Come on guys. We've got to unload the ice chests, the butane tanks, the TV, food, blankets and other gear from my van." Sam drives up the long driveway toward his hunting lodge. As he pulls to a stop in front of his hideaway he notices that his front door is pushed half open. There is snow on the floor just inside the cabin. He speculates to his friends, "Wonder if the accident victims opened the door." They all get out of the van and walk into the cabin. Sitting on the floor in front of the green sofa is a young white man. His back is to the couch and his chin is on his chest. He is only wearing shoes, jeans and a thin college T-shirt. His right shoulder appears to be dislocated. His jacket is covering a young black woman who is lying on the green couch. There is frozen blood dripping from the man's nose; it is broken. He appears to have fallen to sleep and then died from hypothermia the night before. The woman obviously has died from a fractured skull; there is frozen blood coming from her forehead, ears and nose. She is staring blankly at the empty television stand. Pierre and Roxanne have only just begun. Time in a Bottle Inching the champagne silk ever higher, his hands explored the heated flesh which lay hidden beneath it, his lips playing softly against the insides of her knees, his tongue worshipping the silken expanse of her inner thighs. Her breath came in jagged gasps, a low, wordless moan emanating from her lips, enflaming his senses, urging him to the brink. She was wet...incredibly wet, as he pressed his thumbs between her folds and opened her fully to the invasion of his tongue...probing, demanding...conquering. She squirmed beneath him as she felt her climax build within her, her throat arched in a wordless cry, her body quivering beneath the relentless assault of his tongue. Suddenly, blessedly, the world came crashing down around her, whirling her mindlessly like a leaf in a storm, sweeping her helplessly into the vortex of his touch. And then he entered her, thrusting powerfully between her thighs, plunging deeply into her core with the steely length of his engorged sex. Wordlessly, a primeval scream of passion rent the stillness of the night, an alien voice crying in the wilderness...could it be hers? And then she felt the hot flood of his release rush within her, filling her... sating her...completing her as they soared aloft together, flying blindingly into the sun. Drained and quivering, they lay side by side in the aftermath of their love, each stunned at the intensity of their passion, as they lay, touched and touching, in the afterglow. Silently, Sarah looked into her lover's eyes, as her heartbeat began to slow, and her voice found its strength once again. "Will it always be like this, my Love?" she asked, "I mean after the baby's born?" He paused, considering her question, the answer forming on his lips. "Darlin', I don't see how it can. Everyday I love you more...want you more...need you more. How can it stay the same? You've given me everything I ever wanted in a world that I never knew existed, and still it keeps getting better. You complete me, my love...nothing could ever be the same." AJ gazed into the luminous pools of her eyes, tasting the tiny tear that trickled down the side of her cheek as she began to speak. "I love you, AJ." she said seriously. "I never knew I had the capacity to love anyone this much. I couldn't live without you...I wouldn't want to. Never leave me, my Love,,,promise me?" Gently he stroked the child growing within her...his child...their child. "That's the easiest promise I ever made," he whispered into the softness of her hair, "and the easiest one to keep." Sunday Morning Little Beach Cottage Parramore Island, Virginia Silently, and with great regret, they began to load the "Admiral's Lady" for the trip home. Their time in Paradise was over...it was time to return to the everyday world of their lives, and the obligations they'd escaped for two magical days in each other's arms. He'd said that they could return again, someday, and lose themselves once again in the rapture of Little Beach, but she knew that it could never match the image she cherished within her. So, rather than sully the perfect memory of their time together, she chose to close this chapter of her life and preserve it pristinely within her heart. Silently, she reached down and picked a tiny cowry shell from the sand at her feet, placing it in her pocket as she boarded the small sloop for the return trip home. Then, with great reluctance, AJ set the sails and the wind began to carry them away to the waiting world. Poignantly, Sarah gazed back at Paradise lost...etching it in her memory as the tide washed their footprints from the sand. It would always be theirs, she smiled...because it existed now in her heart...perfect and unspoiled until the end of time. If I had a box just for wishes And dreams that had never come true, The box would be empty Except for the memory Of how they were answered by you. * - THE END - * * * * * Dedication: To my own AJ - You fill my life...you touch my soul...you complete me. Amante * Song: "Time in a Bottle", by Jim Croce