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A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 01

By: rexspaulding



Author's Note: I've been a reader here on Lit for almost 3 years, so I think it's time I try contributing. This section contains no sex, but important build-up. This is my first story submission, so comments, feedback, etc are all welcomed. I'm currently working on part 2, and I hope to have it up soon. 

***** 

Chapter 1 

I can vividly remember the day I met her, as if it just happened. Only a fool would forget such a perfect woman, and my mother always said she "didn't raise no fool." 

The day in question was cold. I suppose frigid would be a more apt description. It was November, classes had let out for the week, and my parents had invited me home to share Thanksgiving with them. I was working on a Doctorate's degree at a small college nestled in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, studying chemistry, so an invitation for home cooking was more than welcome. I may have known a few things about what mixed with what, but when it came to culinary matters, I was clueless. My dad had called the previous morning, with quite a few interesting things to say. 

"Hey Son," he began, "Your mother and I were looking forward to having you over for Thanksgiving this year." 

"Oh?" I replied, hearing the leading tone in his voice. 

"Yes... and we were hoping we'd have to set another place." 

I rolled my eyes. For the past three years, my parents had been hoping that I'd find some girl to get together with and bring home with me to meet them. 

"No, Dad, not yet." I exasperatedly explained, for perhaps the hundredth time. "I don't want to start dating until I find..." 

"...just the right girl, I know." My dad finished for me. He sighed. "Look, Paul, you're almost 25 and you haven't dated a single girl yet. I just don't want you to miss out on something wonderful." 

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Dad." I rubbed my brow. I really did know what Dad was saying. I had felt a little lonely at times. I often wondered why I hadn't found anyone special yet. I suspected it had something to do with the way I got so nervous around women. I had always worried I was too geeky for most women. In high school, I fit the typical nerd profile - pocket protector, slacks, button-up shirt - I was even in band. I got through that socially awkward time by believing that someday women would appreciate that about me. But I watched all my jock peers get the girls. When I was an undergraduate at college, I saw the same thing. Even the guys in marching band seemed to have girlfriends. I wished I had stayed in band several times. 

"Paul? You still there?" my dad asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. 

"Yeah, Dad, still here." I thought I'd change the subject. "So I think I'll head out tomorrow morning, since there's a chance for some snow today and tonight." 

"Ok, Son. We look forward to seeing you. Call us if anything comes up." 

That night, I was restless. My dad's words echoed around in my head, reminding me of how lonely I felt here at college. Sure, I had friends. My roommate was pretty cool, but he had his girlfriend, so I didn't see him that often. Not to mention his girlfriend was loud, so even though my room was at the other end of the house we rented, I still heard her, through two closed doors. Which, I'm a little ashamed to admit, often led to a few tissues being used. They had sex so often that I had learned her exact scream patterns, when she was close and when she finally flew over the edge. After, I'd always cling to my pillow, wishing I had a real girl to snuggle up to after making love. 

Tonight, though, I was alone. I sure felt the loneliness. The house was empty, no noises anywhere. I lay on my side, watching small flakes of snow float past the window, as if performing some majestic dance. Tears began to form in my eyes, then trickled down to my pillow. I longed so much for someone to hold, to share my hopes and dreams with. I fell asleep that night, silently crying. 

------ 

The following morning, just before sunrise, I took one last look around the house before locking up and leaving. I had already packed yesterday, so I climbed into my pride and joy, a relatively new Ford Explorer. I had saved up all through high school and into college. My parents had lent me an old car while I saved, and when I was 21, I bought it brand new, returning their old car. 

Shifting into gear, I rolled out onto the deserted main road, noting it hadn't snowed as much as I had expected, and started off on my long journey. My parents lived in Phoenix, Arizona, so I had quite a trip yet. 

With the heater blasting, the radio and my voice competing for dominance, I was about an hour out of town when I spotted the girl ahead on the shoulder of the highway. Seeing someone on the road out in these mountains wasn't completely uncommon, even this time of year, but when I noticed what she was wearing, I thought something must be wrong. Her bare arms were wrapped tightly around her green tank-top covered body, clearly shivering. Her long bare legs stuck out of a short skirt, and whatever shoes she was wearing, it didn't look like she had socks on. 

As my Explorer slowed, she must have heard me approaching, so she just moved a little more from the road, but kept walking, her head bowed, body shivering. Glancing behind me, I saw no one coming, so I matched pace with her, rolling my window down. 

"Excuse me, Miss," I called out, "Are you alright?" She stopped then, her long red hair hiding her face. Her body continued to shiver, but she didn't move. I wondered what was wrong that she wouldn't look at me. I couldn't see anyone else around, and it didn't look like she had any other clothing or belongings. My outside thermometer read 15ºF. I wondered how she got there and how long she had been outside. I doubted she walked from somewhere, wearing that outfit. Knowing this road, there weren't any side roads to private homes for at least 30 miles in each direction. I was at a loss for why and how she was there, but I knew if she stayed outside much longer like that, she could get frostbitten, or worse, hypothermia. 

"How long have you been out here?" I asked. She didn't respond once again, just stood there shivering. I reached across and pushed the passenger door open. 

"C'mon, hop in and get warm," I called out to her, "and then maybe you can talk to me." She didn't move for a few seconds, and I began to wonder if she had something wrong with her. I wondered if she had a mental condition. I noticed her skin had a gray tone, as if the color had disappeared. She had to have been outside for a long time now. I was worried frostbite had already set in on her extremities. I thought of one last-ditch effort to help this girl. 

"Look, the closest town is about 45 miles away, why don't I just give you a ride there and then we can decide what to do from there." She startled me by suddenly moving and climbed into the car, shutting the door behind her. Her trembling hands clicked the seatbelt in place, but she never once glanced up at me. I started driving again, making sure the heater was on high. 

For the next fifteen minutes, she sat still, while I kept glancing sideways at her. Her shivering had finally stopped, and I noticed color was returning to her arms and hands. 

"My name's Paul." I finally said, breaking the silence. "I'm glad I found you. Who knows how long it might have been before someone else drove by?" She didn't respond, but her arms had dropped to her lap. 

"Are you ok now?" I asked. "Is it warm enough in here? Are you thirsty? I have some bottled water in the back seat." 

I heard a sniffling sound, and glancing at her again, I saw tear drops had fallen in her lap. I didn't say anything else. I worried I had said something wrong. She finally spoke in a small voice. 

"Why are you being so kind to me?" Her voice cracked a little. I could tell she was trying to hold back the tears. 

"I, uh... well..." I stammered, caught off guard by her question. "I saw you dressed like that, shivering, and all... and, well, I thought you might be cold or something." 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw she had lifted her head and was looking at me. I glanced her way and felt my breath catch in my throat. She was beautiful. No, beyond beautiful. Her eyes were an amazing shade of green that I'd never seen before. Her face looked like it was carved out of marble with delicate detail. Her lips were a rich red color, almost matching her long, red, curly hair. I felt the tires leave the road and quickly jerked both my eyes and the Explorer back on the road. 

"Thank you," her voice choked out. I glanced back to her. A small smile had appeared on her lips. It quickly vanished though. "That's the nicest anyone's been to me in a long while." 

"What do you mean?" I asked, seeing the hurt on her face just before she turned to face the road. She just shook her head, a few more tears falling in her lap, her red curls swishing about her head. 

"Katherine." She said, wiping her eyes with her hand. It seemed she was gathering herself, as she took several breaths before continuing. "My name's Katherine, but most people call me Kat." She extended her hand toward me. "Thank you so much for stopping for me back there." 

"I'm Paul," I said, realizing I had already said my name. "Uh... again." She giggled, and I reached for her hand and shook it. Her hand was so soft; I think I may have held on for a few moments longer than necessary. And that giggle... I knew I would love to hear that again. 

Directing my attention back to the road, I thought of what to say next. My awkwardness with women was creeping up on me, sitting next to such a beautiful woman. My thoughts were jumbled and I felt my hands start to get sweaty. Thankfully, she spoke next, and to this day, I wonder if she knew I was feeling so nervous at that time. 

"I'm sure you're wondering why I was out there dressed like this." Katherine said, gesturing to herself. I could only nod, still staring forward. She sighed, staring out her window. 

"Well, I actually live in Arizona," she started, which made me jerk my head over to look quizzically at her. "In Phoenix." 

Chapter 2 

My eyes widened. Phoenix? 

"You're kidding!" I exclaimed, shocked at the coincidence. "That's where I'm heading, to visit my parents." 

"Really?" Katherine looked equally as shocked as I felt. "How lucky then... to have such a cute guy... going right where I need to..." She was staring out the front window then, that small smile back on her lips. 

I immediately felt my face flush with heat. Me? Cute? Surely she must be joking, pulling my leg or something. No one ever said I was cute. I mean, I knew I wasn't hideous looking or anything, but cute was not a way I thought I would describe myself, let alone hear a beautiful woman say about me. She started to giggle then, and my hopes plummeted. Here it comes, I thought, she's going to laugh and tease me, say she was kidding or something. 

"It's all kind of funny when you think about it," she said, between laughs. She looked over at me and must have seen my confused expression. "Oh, let me explain. 

"See, my dad owns this huge plot of land that's been passed on to him from his grandfather. Well long ago, his great-great-grandfather bought the land with a friend, Tom McMahon, but they had a falling out in disagreement over what the land should be used for. His great-great-grandfather wanted to use the land to raise longhorn cattle and some horses, but McMahon wanted to develop saloons, burlesque houses, gambling centers, things like that. The problem was that the deed was in his great-great-grandfather's name, so his friend had no legal right to say anything or do anything. He tried to come to a compromise, knowing that McMahon would just do the building anyway if he added his name to the deed, and offered him a portion of the profits the land made. But McMahon adamantly refused it and called him all sorts of names. Since then, it's been this huge family feud, with my family still having legal ownership to the land, but the other family, being bitter about the whole thing and hating our family and all, began buying surrounding land and put up different businesses." 

"All this over a plot of land?" I asked, amazed at the complexity of the story. 

"Yes," Katherine said. "To top it off, my own family isn't exactly on great terms with me, since I don't want a part of the ranching life. I'm the only child, so that means there is no direct heir." She cast her gaze down to her hands. "I want to be an artist. But my family thinks there's no future in it, so I've had to work my own way through art school." 

"So how'd you wind up here in the mountains?" I asked, thinking the closest art school was back in Phoenix. 

"Well..." She began with a sigh. "See, the McMahon family knows I'm the only heir to the ranch. Well, the twins, Jasmine and Jasper, are next in line. They've got it in their minds that if they can make life miserable for me, I wouldn't want to stay and take over the ranch." 

"Don't they know you want to be an artist?" I asked. 

"Not yet." She chuckled. "That's why you found me out here. I tried setting up a lunch meeting with them to explain, but when they picked me up in their van, I was blind-folded and tied up. I lost track of time, fell asleep at some point, and the next thing I knew, I was on the side of the road in these mountains. I had just about given up." She glanced over at me and smiled. "And then you came along and rescued me." 

"Oh my god," I exclaimed, shocked that someone could do that. I considered the reality for a moment. I had left my house just before the sun was up, since I had about a 12 hour trip and I found her about an hour into my drive. This time of year, there were very few motorists who would brave the mountains, with sudden snow storms posing a real danger in these mountain passes. "You could have died out here! Now I'm really glad I came along when I did." 

"Me too," Katherine said as she reached her hand over, laying it gently on my knee. My whole body tensed and shivers raced down my spine at the sudden contact. I couldn't believe such a gorgeous woman was touching me, even if it was just my knee. My heart had started hammering in my chest. I was fully at a loss for what to say next. Curse my bashful, awkward self. I hoped she didn't notice how scared and nervous I had become at such a small contact. Then again, she was but a perfect stranger. Even if I ended up driving her all the way to Phoenix, it's not like we'd just start dating. I probably would never see her again. 

"Oh, look, it's starting to snow," she said, breaking me out of my thoughts. Her hand still rested on my knee and my heart still marched a cadence in my chest. I noticed the small flakes swirling against the windshield, bristling against the glass, sounding like little grains of sand. Her hand squeezed my knee gently, making my already tight nerves feel like little rubber bands twisted and stretched to the limit. 

"I could still be out in that..." she whispered, watching the snow swirl about the windows. She looked nervous. It struck me as comical, that she would be nervous about the weather and still being stuck in it, while I was tense from the simple physical contact of her hand on my knee. "Thank you," she said, turning to face me. "You're like my guardian angel." Me, an angel? Not only that, she had called me cute earlier. Was I dreaming? 

"I uh..." I stammered. Usually when I got really nervous, I began spouting random facts. Now was no exception. "Did you know that water is one of the few substances we know of that expands when it freezes? Most substances begin to contract and, in essence, shrink, as the temperature declines." I can't believe I just said that. She had just called me an angel, cute earlier, and I feed her a line of boring trivia? Most of the time, when I would spout trivial facts to girls I was chatting with, they would roll their eyes, look away or say "that's nice" and then find excuses to leave. I imagined she would be content to call someone from the next town and just wait for a friend or family member to pick her up. From the moment she mentioned she lived in Phoenix, I had been hoping that I could have her company for my drive home. But I couldn't imagine her wanting to ride with someone like me. 

"Really?" she asked. I glanced at her, expecting her to call me a nerd, but I saw her eyes opened wide, almost as in wonder. Then, she smiled. "So is that why the inches of precipitation from rain are always less than the inches of snow?" 

I was shocked. Not only had she not ridiculed me, but she understood what I was saying and made a conclusion from it. 

"Yeah, you're exactly right." I said, smiling. "Do you want to know why?" 

She nodded, so for the next ten minutes, she listened intently while I rambled on about the properties and intricacies of water. 

"... and so when they got this kid's letter about dihydrogen monoxide, they flipped out and were ready to ban the substance, before they realized it was just another name for water." I finished, telling her the story about people being led to conclusions. 

"I can't believe no one caught it!" she giggled, "I mean, two hydrogen, one oxygen, H-2-O, right?" I couldn't believe I was making a girl laugh, let alone one as beautiful as Katherine. I didn't feel as nervous anymore, so we chatted like we were long-time friends, rather than strangers, until we reached the sign welcoming us to town. 

"So, we're here at the town I mentioned," I started, surprised that the last hour had passed so quickly since I picked her up. "You must be hungry, having been bound in the back of a van since lunch yesterday." 

"Oh, god, I'm famished!" she laughed. "It was so fun talking to you, I didn't even think about it until you mentioned it." I had thought I was surprised enough to be called cute and angelic in nature. But now I was fun talking with as well? Interacting with Katherine was so much unlike any other experience I had in the past, I found myself asking her to breakfast before I even thought twice about it. 

"There's this quaint little diner here that makes some of the best omelets you've ever had." I suggested. "How's that sound?" 

"I would love that," Katherine said, resting her hand on my arm. Once again, I felt my face flush and body tense. Her touch was electrifying, the warmth of her fingers on my arm, the softness I could feel of her hand against me, it was almost too much for me. 

"We're here," my voice cracked, as we pulled into the small snow-covered parking lot. She giggled. I was beginning to really enjoy hearing her giggles and laughs. It was like they were intoxicating. 

I hopped out of my Explorer and ran over to the other side, opening the door for her. I at least had presence of mind to offer her both my hand and my coat. 

"Oh!" she cried out when the first bit of cold, snowy air hit her skin. She shrugged quickly into my offered coat and grasped my hand. "I can't believe it's so cold!" She shivered and kept my hand firmly locked in hers. Ah, her hand felt so wonderful. I hurriedly guided her to the diner's door, holding it open for her. She hurried in, pulling me along with her. She started giggling as I stumbled in behind her. 

"Well, summer's just a few months off, little lady," the waitress, a middle aged woman with her golden hair pinned back, said to Katherine. "You a member of that Polar Bear Club?" 

Katherine laughed, shaking her head side to side. I enjoyed watching her red curls bounce about her shoulders as she did. 

"Two, then?" The waitress said, eyeing me with a curious look. 

"Yes, ma'am," I said. She led us to a small booth where the window looked out on a small valley, covered in snow. 

The waitress, "Call me Helen, Sweeties," handed us each a menu, and headed off to tend to the few other patrons in the diner. 


A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 01



"Would you believe this is my first time seeing snow?" Katherine asked me, her eyes glued out the window at the picturesque view. "Well, I've seen pictures, videos, things like that, but not like this, being right here in front of it." 

"Frozen water, each molecule arranged in an almost precise manner, to form the structure we know as a snowflake." I told her a bit more about the properties of water when it entered its solid state. 

"Wow, you know so much!" Katherine exclaimed. Her eyes were wide with what looked like wonder. For all I know, she could have been wide-eyed in astonishment at how geeky I was truly being. But, she seemed earnest enough, asking me more questions. Before we knew it, Helen was back with some coffee and was ready to take our orders. 

"What'll it be, Miss Polar Bear?" she asked, a grin on her mouth. Katherine looked over at me. I shrugged and told her to get what she wanted. 

"Well, Paul here tells me you guys have the best omelets I've ever tasted, so I'd like one of those." She finally said after a few moments of thought. 

I ordered the same, and our jolly waitress Helen was off. We sat there talking some more, off the subject of water and snow, it would seem, when Katherine announced she had to use the restroom. 

She got up, and as she turned to walk away, her red curls bouncing with each step, my eyes were glued to her legs, the way they traveled so smooth up to where they vanished under her skirt. I doubted I had ever seen anything quite so wonderful before. So transfixed was I that I hadn't noticed Helen appear at my side. 

"Quite an asset on that lady, huh my boy?" she jabbed with a small chuckle. I turned several shades of red, casting my gaze on my coffee mug. "Hey, don't be so ashamed, she's quite the keeper. You keep track of that one, huh?" And with that, she was off again, having laid two plates of steaming pancakes and the syrup rack on our table. 

With the sweet aroma of the pancakes teasing me, I sat back, casting my gaze across the small diner. I saw two other tables occupied, noticing the other patrons all had on heavy winter clothing. I continued my scan and my eyes fell to the TV playing quietly above the bar-counter. That was when I saw the winter weather warning, showing a massive snow storm moving in rapidly. The text at the bottom claimed to expect anywhere from 18" - 24" of snow before the end of the day, with another 2' - 4' expected tomorrow. An anchorman was speaking, and with my eyes glued to the screen and my mouth gaping, someone must have turned up the volume a little. 

"... with road closures already going up for most major passes in the Western Rocky Mountains. Again, if you're looking to travel this week, you probably won't be getting very far with this much snow coming. Stay safe and stay warm. Jane?" 

The waitress must have seen my reaction of shock and worry, for she came over right away. 

"You kids were planning on travelling somewhere?" she asked me. I nodded. 

"I'm supposed to make it home for Thanksgiving in Phoenix." I glanced at the bathroom door. 

"Honey, westbound Highway 50 has been closed," she said, "Guess you're stuck here unless you head right back the way you came before the storm hits. But, uh, judging by that," she nodded to the windows outside, "you probably won't be doing that either." I turned to glance out the window. The few flakes that were dancing around outside less than fifteen minutes ago had turned to a relentless army of frozen ice pellets. The valley below was no longer visible, and the small pines that must have been less than twenty feet from the diner were almost lost to the swirling mass of white. 

"You might want to try Aspen View Cabins, just up Jefferson road here," she pointed out the window. "He'll have good rates this time of year, being off-season and all." She turned to go, pausing to look over her shoulder as she spotted Katherine exiting the restrooms. "And I think they only have single King beds," she whispered with a huge wink. 

I'd lost track of how many times I had blushed since this morning. My face suddenly felt hot as I had a mental image of sharing a bed with the beautiful woman walking towards the table. I shook my head, trying to push those thoughts away, staring intently at my coffee as she sat down. 

"Are you ok, Paul?" Katherine asked. "You look worried." I sighed, relieved that she didn't mention my blushing and noticed my worry of the coming storm instead. 

I looked up at her. She had her brows knitted together in clear concern. I hesitated, wondering how I was going to tell her about the onrushing snow storm. 

I had just opened my mouth to tell her when she gasped and looked out the window. 

"My God! Paul! You can barely see outside!" Her eyes were wide and she began to look as worried as I felt. 

"Katherine." I began, getting her attention again. "Our road out of town has been closed. They're expecting anywhere from 3' - 6' of snow in the next two days. We're probably going to have to find a place to stay and ride the storm out."



A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 02



Author's Note: Whew, here it is, part two of my tale. I had it take longer because my friend who normally edits for me was out of town and couldn't help. So this is self-edited. Any errors are mine, and likely stupid ones at that.

Warning: Contains copious amounts of snow.

Chapter 3

"Wait... How much? You said feet, right?" Gone was the bright bubbly Kat I was seeing before. Standing by the table next to me, she looked like a scared little girl. It made my heart ache, as all I wanted to do was stand up and comfort her, pull her in to a nice, warm, secure hug, running my fingers through those delightful, red curls, whispering words of comfort, using my other hand to trace her back and find spots of tension to ease...

"Paul?" her shaky and clearly worried voice snapped me out of my daydream. I could merely nod, her brows furrowing more. "What are we gonna do?"

Having lived in the mountains since my freshman year, I'd experienced only two other storms close to this intensity. This current snowfall rate made those look like light flurries. Had we been on I-70, those plows probably would have been able to keep up with it. But anything over an inch an hour tended to close these smaller highways. I know Helen, our waitress, had just mentioned a local hotel, or cabins, I think she had called them. That would keep us warm and safe. 

"Ka..." I cleared my voice, made sure it was working. I was worried she'd freak at my suggestion. "Our, uh, Helen, our waitress, she, well, she said that some cabins down the road would likely be our best bet for this storm." I felt my face getting warmer. I hoped she didn't freak out. Of course, she really had nowhere to go. It didn't look like she'd had a purse or wallet or anything. "That is, to uh, wait it out."

"Oh, we can wait it out? Will it pass? Will we be ok? Where will all the snow go? Can we drive through it?" Up to this point, she hadn't spoken nearly this fast. I needed to help comfort her. I needed to help her, but I was scared I'd mess it up. Every time I had spoken to a girl, or woman, I had found attractive in any manner, I had messed it up in some way, either by clamming up and being a bore, or by saying weird and unrelated things, seeming like some kind of eccentric weirdo. My heart pounded in my chest. It was just talking to her. Katherine. The girl with the red curls, the one who had called me cute, her guardian angel, fun to talk to. She needed me to help her, being left stranded miles from home in a strange place, seeing things she'd never experienced before.

"It... will be ok." As if just saying it made it so, I felt a sudden calmness starting to replace my rapid pulse. "I've experienced storms like this before." I left out the part that this was the worst one I'd ever seen. "They dump a lot of snow in a short period, but the plows usually clear it when the blizzard passes, once they can see the road safely again. Our best bet is to stay here where we have access to food, water, shelter, everything we need, rather than trying to beat this thing. Helen said they've already closed the highway up ahead, the way we would be heading. We could head back the way we came, back towards my town and house, but there's a chance this blizzard could get us stuck in that small pass too." As I spoke, she seemed to be calming just a little. I gestured for her to sit back down.

"So... we wait?" She slid back into the booth, her brows starting to uncrease.

"Yep. And, since we've got our pancakes, I think our omelets are almost ready. So dig in, eat up here, and then we'll go see if we can find a room until the blizzard passes and roads close."

"God... I always wanted to see snow, but this... this is incredible! There's just so much of it. And... you can't even see that valley we were just looking at! Paul, this is just like those dust storms back home in Phoenix! They move in so fast and you can't see anything."

I remember growing up witnessing several dust storms roll through Phoenix. Some were so bad you had to cover your face just to breathe. She did have a point though. Blizzards and dust storms had quite a bit in common.

"That's... actually a really perfect analogy, Kat." She smiled at my compliment. "The only difference, this storm leaves behind lots more accumulations than dust storms."

"So, feet, right? You said 6 feet? That's taller than I am! I can't even picture that, like, what? The snow is like a wall then? Or more like a sand pit?" 

"It depends on the type of snow falling, and if and how it drifts." She raised her eyebrows at that. "Oh, yeah, a drift is just a collection of blown snow, where the winds carry it and stack it higher. You know, if we're getting 3-6 feet of snow, we could see drifts higher than that, easily." She started to look a bit worried at that, so I cleared my throat and changed that line of thought." Anyway, just as we were coming in, the air was cold; the snow was coming like tiny ice pellets, rather than large flakes. See, right here on the window?" I pointed to a large, flat flake that was sliding down the glass. "This indicates that there's abundant moisture in this storm, feeding the intensity. It also shows that it's really cold high in the sky where these guys likely formed. So our temperature probably dropped a few degrees. These are called dendrites. They've formed because the air is supersaturated with moisture and the temperature is above column and plates formations, but below needles. Basically, it's cold enough that these elaborate structures formed almost instantly."

"Wow... Paul, you are amazing! I never knew there was so much information about snow!" Her eyes were wide, and she had a small smile on her face. It was a stunning look for her. Those beautiful emerald eyes were captivating. Her gaze travelled to the window, watching the flakes that hit against the window. "Is it true about the uniqueness of snowflakes, that each one is different than the next?"

I grinned. This was an oft asked question, one I loved answering, since it was both simple and complex, all at the same time. And, it looked like she was calming down.

"Do you want the short answer, or the long version?"

"Do we have time for the long version?"

"We will."

"Then short for now, and tell me the long when we're at that cabin place."

"In short, yes. Every snowflake is extremely unlikely to look like any other one. Actually, if you were to be able to catch every single snowflake falling out in this storm – and believe me, that's a lot of snowflakes – there would be absolutely no exact duplicates. Essentially, snowflakes are made out of water molecules, all neatly arranged, but in slightly differing patterns. Since a typical flake might have over one pentillion water molecules - that's a billion billions - with well over 100 formations for a snow crystal's most basic shape, there's more arrangement possibilities than there are atoms theorized in the entire universe. But, there are cases where smaller ones, called nano-snowflakes, can be made up of as few as 275 molecules. They can have direct copies, of course."

"Paul, just what do you do for a living? Are you like, a researcher, some genius meteorologist?"

I took a bite of my pancake, noticing Helen was bringing over our omelets. We really did need to hurry up and get a room, and get some supplies before the snow got too dense and packed on the roads.

"In a way. I'm working on a dissertation at Mountain State College. I'm also a GTA, a graduate teaching assistant, helping out the professors there with things like labs and recitations."

"So, are you going to become a professor? And what are you getting your doctorates degree in? What's your dissertation about?" She was leaning forward now, asking questions after she'd finish a bite of pancake.

"Honestly, I'm not too sure right now. I'm getting a Ph.D. in chemistry, and my dissertation is actually about the relationship between quantum physics and the molecular complexity of snowflakes." 

She giggled. "No wonder you know so much about water and snow. Here I was thinking you were some fancy, genius weatherman."

That giggle was intoxicating. And it seemed that no two giggles of hers were exactly alike, a phenomenon I would absolutely love to study in detail. Before I embarrassed myself with some silly, stupid grin, Helen arrived with our omelets.

"Here you are, Sweeties. Can I get the two of you anything else?" Her cheerful and warm demeanor was such a contrast to the blizzard rattling the windows. 

I was curious. "Helen, how are you getting home in this?"

She chuckled. "Well, Sweetie, I have a 4x4 out back, with chains. I had a suspicion this blizzard was comin' when I woke up this mornin'. You're in that Explorer out there, right?" I nodded. "Make sure you stick to 4-wheel, take 'er slow, and get to Aspen View soon, probably no more than a couple hours, unless you got chains?" 

"No ma'am, I don't."

"Well then, you guys probably got about 2, maybe 3 more hours before you likely won't even be able to get your Explorer down the road. I'll get you guys your bill, just call me when you're done, and I'll get you on your way."

This entire time, Katherine was silent, watching Helen talk, but she suddenly spoke up.

"Pardon me, Helen?"

"Yeah, Sweetie?"

"Would you happen to have an extra pen or pencil, maybe some paper?"

It was a peculiar question, yet Helen didn't even bat an eye. 

"Sure do, Sugar." She reached into her apron, brought out the requested items, and after setting them down, smiled and walked away while calling out, "There you are."

"She is a sweetheart!" Kat grinned at me. 

"Why'd you ask for that?" I thought she might have wanted to write down what Helen said, but it seemed easy enough to remember.

"These snowflakes are called dendrites?" She pointed with her pencil to the window. 

"Yeah..." I had no idea where she was going with this. But then, she leaned forward and began moving the pencil across the paper in quick strokes. Of course! She said she was going to art school, so naturally she probably had some kind of artistic talent to even consider that. Her sketch marks quickly began to resemble a detailed spiny dendrite snowflake. I glanced at the window, seeing the occasional flake press to the window. But within moments, it would slide down and change. I was impressed. She could catch these details in such a short time. Then I noticed something that had me blushing furiously. She was leaning forward over the paper, concentrating, and it did amazing things to her tank-top. I can't believe this entire time I'd been around her, I hadn't bothered to check out her breasts. They were perfect, much like the rest of her, creating a gloriously symmetrical cleavage, the top of each breast curving and diving into the depths of the fabric of her top. First her eyes, and now this... To say I was mesmerized was a gross understatement. I was transfixed. I was hypnotized. I was as interested in that as my own dissertation. 

"Paul? Paul? Paul!" I snapped my eyes up to her. Had I not turned beet red, I imagine I might have been able to pull of the fact I was just in awe of her artistic skill. She glanced down, and then I thought I saw her blush. 

"I, I, I, uh..." I was stammering like an idiot. "I'm sorry." I finally blurted out. "I was watching you draw and... um... I'm sorry, that was inappropriate of me to stare like that." I buried my face in my hands. God, I was staring, practically salivating. Could I have been more perverted? But then I heard her giggling.

"Paul, I'm flattered, really." I looked up from my hands and saw such a warm smile on her face. "I was worried you weren't attracted to me at all."

"Are you kidding?" I blurted out, "You're absolutely beautiful, stunning, and best of all, you are intelligent, absolutely delightful to talk to!"

"Aw, Paul, thank you. I think that's the nicest thing anyone's said to me. Anyway, I'm sorry about the sudden distraction. I just had to try drawing a snowflake, like you've described them, kinda like what I saw through the window." She slid the paper over to me. "What do you think; does it look like a real one?"

My mouth hung open. Her drawing had depth to it. It looked like a giant gray colored snowflake was resting on this piece of paper. Each arm of the flake was beautiful, with crisp angles. I glanced up at her, seeing a hopeful look on her face.

"It's... impeccable. It looks real; it looks like ones I've studied in my lab."

"Thank you. I love drawing things, trying to give them shape and depth."

"You've got a gift, Katherine."

"Aw, Paul, thanks. Remember though, I said all my friends call me Kat." 

"Oh, sorry about that Kat."

"No need to be sorry." Her smile was warm. I couldn't believe I'd been able to have such amazing conversations with this girl. She was prettier than anyone I'd ever seen, yet I was still able to talk to her like one of my colleagues or professors.

Glancing out the window, it seemed the blizzard was worse than it had been just moments ago. It brought back the reality that we had to get moving before we got stuck.

"Kat, let's finish up our meals, or take them with, and get going soon." At my words, she glanced outside, nodding in agreement. As if on cue, Helen showed up with some to-go boxes.

"Sweeties, I hate to interrupt you, but you kids best be gettin' on over to Aspen View real soon, probably stock up on some food and water, too." She pulled our bill out her apron, setting it on the table. "Besides, we're closin' up in just a few minutes before we get stuck in here ourselves. I imagine that storm is getting' itself worse before it gets better." She chuckled and briskly walked away, clearing off the other tables. Then I noticed the other few people who were in here had already left. I had been so focused on Kat, her drawing, our conversation, that I had completely missed them leaving. A sudden warning sound chimed from the TV.

"The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm warning and Blizzard warning active until 9 P.M. this evening. Doppler radar indicates heavy concentrations of moisture over the area. Snow amounts have been expected to increase at higher altitudes, with accumulations up to 6' overnight, with further snow accumulating another 2-4' throughout tomorrow. Strong straight-line winds in excess of 40 miles per hour have been reported. Visibility is less than 50' in some areas. Viewers are advised to take shelter immediately and not travel in these conditions. Swirling snow can cause disorientation to even the most experienced, with frostbite danger to exposed skin in less than ten minutes of exposure."

The warning continued on the TV, but I saw Kat's expression of worry continue.

"Time to get going, Kat." I simply said, packing up our food and grabbing the bill.



* * * * * * * * * *

Chapter 4

After having paid our bill to Helen, she had us wait a few minutes, deciding that we'd be safer to ride with her chain-equipped truck than brave it in my own Explorer. 

"OK Sweeties, follow me. You two need anything from your Explorer?" Helen was still smiling and bright as we had met her. 

"Paul does, but I don't." Helen gave Kat a very questioning look. "It's a long story."

Helen shrugged, then led us through the kitchen, saw the last of the staff off, then ushered us out the back door. I was the first one out the door, and saw there was at least 4" on the ground already. The wind and snow was blinding, and as Kat had my coat on, I was chilled to the bone instantly. I reached back for Kat's hand, remembering she had on some kind of loose-fitting shoes. Even in the middle of the storm, her hand felt so wonderful in mine. It didn't last for long though, as Helen was telling us where to go. She had to shout to be heard above the wind.

"My truck's just over there!" We saw her pointing, then I noticed her truck was already on and idling. She must have had a remote starter. I pulled Kat behind me and hustled over to the waiting truck, opening the door and helping Kat inside. Thankfully, Helen's heater was already blasting warm air into the cab. Kat handed me back my coat, but Helen just arrived and told me to wait for her to pull up next to my Explorer. As I climbed in, Helen hopped into the driver's seat, grabbing a brush and was back into the storm. We watched as she quickly and efficiently cleared the windows and got back in.

"Whew, this one sure is a beast!" She winked at us before turning around and pulling up alongside my Explorer. I grabbed what I needed; just a couple bags, and was back in the cab as quick as I could. I was still shivering from that initial blast of cold without my coat. As Helen started driving the truck slowly into the white ahead of us, Kat grabbed my hand and held it tightly. I was glad for her hand, and I was very glad for Helen's kindness, as I doubted I could have driven in this kind of snowstorm.

"I'm gonna pull in to the general store. Monty will still be there, since he lives above it, and you Sweeties go pick up some necessities." 

I looked over at Kat and she had her head hung, similarly to the way I found her just hours ago. 

"What's wrong Kat? Are you still cold? Worried or nervous?" My words picker her head up and she turned to me then.

"God, Paul, I'm making such a mess of things!" Tears were on her cheeks, as her voice cracked a little. "You would've missed this storm if I hadn't been here, and now you have to buy all these things because I don't have my purse with me!"

"Kat, it's going to be alright. I'm glad I found you, because if I didn't, you'd be walking blindly in this storm. And please don't worry about cost. I have enough with me to cover anything you need." Her hand clenched mine tighter.

"Here we are, Sweeties!" Helen called back to us. "I'll wait here, keep the truck running and warm for you."

"Helen, really, thank you so much. You've been an amazing help to us." I made sure to tell her.

"Well, buddy, I think Miss Polar Bear here needs some things, plus you both need food and water, plus some heavier clothing or coats just in case the power cuts out."

"Ok, thank you Helen, we'll hurry back." I plunged out into the bitter cold wind, helping Kat down from the truck. We raced inside the general store and a tiny, white-haired man seemed to appear from behind a counter.

"Hi there folks, the name's Monty, and I'm guessing you need some emergency supplies?" His voice had an odd little whistle on every s-sound he made.

"Monty, we'll need some food and water, first and foremost, to ride out this blizzard." He grinned and motioned for us to follow him. As we walked I explained the other items I assumed we'd need.

"Alrighty, kids, I'm assuming now you'll need some warmer clothing, Miss?" 

Kat finally spoke up, "Yes, of course. I had, well, an emergency, and I have no way to get my belongings just yet."

Monty took Kat back to a small clothing section and helped her pick up a few things. I began looking around for things we could do while being stuck in a cabin. I spotted a small portable DVD player and a small selection of DVDs, which I added to my basket. 

"Paul, did you need any other warm clothing?" Kat asked.

"I've actually got that it my bag, so I'm fine, thanks." 

Monty helped us take stock of the items we had picked out, when Kat had a sudden question.

"Do you have any art supplies, Monty?"

"Well, nothing more than some pencils and sketch books." He pointed down one of the few aisles.

In a few more minutes, we had everything purchased and ready to load into Helen's truck. Monty even offered to help us load it, but I told him we'd get it so he didn't have to go into the cold.

Kat and I dashed back into the cold, loading our goodies as quickly as we could. 

"You Sweeties all set then?" Helen still had such a jovial sound to her voice.




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 02



"I believe so, Helen. Thank you, once again."

"You kids looked like you needed some help. Here we go then." Helen pulled back into the blizzard. From the backseat, I couldn't even see where the road was, but apparently she had it memorized or could see more than I, for within just a few more minutes, she announced our arrival at Aspen View. I asked Kat to stay in the warm truck while I talked to the owner to get a room. I found it funny that I couldn't even see any of the cabins, and was practically on top of the office door before I could see it. 

A thick, barrel-chested man, with a beard that looked more like a rope suited for a ship hanging from his chin, greeted me, having emerged from the attached living quarters.

"Well, I didn't expect to have any customers during this frightful storm. What can I do for you, son?" 

"I just need a cabin for 2 so we can ride out this storm. What does each cabin have in it?"

"Oh, all but two of my cabins have 3 rooms, one bedroom, one main room and a bathroom. There's a small stove, refrigerator, sink, and a wood burnin' stove in case the power cuts out, thought I got backup generators around if that does happen. The other two have 4 rooms, but they're both occupied now, sorry."

"What do you have available?"

"I've got good ol' number 1 ready, just a short ways away from the office here." He pointed a finger as thick as a sausage off to my right side. "Will that work for you, son?"

"Yes of course thank you. Oh, and how does checkout work, or staying for more than one day?"

He grabbed the behemoth beard hanging from his chin, and while stroking it, had a simple answer.

"Think of it as pay-per-view, but I do pay-per-night. When you're all done, just bring the key back to me and I'll bill you for the nights you stayed." He paused, asked "Hey, need any help?" 

"It's pretty cold out there, but if you could, I'd greatly appreciate it."

"Alright son, just a moment then." He proceeded to bundle up in some fancy cold gear he had tucked into a closet. "Ok, just pull your vehicle up to number 1, I'll meet you there."

"Thanks again, sir."

"Please, call me Max."

"Ok, thanks Max."

"Not a problem, Son."

We headed outside, with I climbing into the truck and telling Helen which way cabin number 1 was, and Max disappearing into the storm.

"Oh, I love number 1!" Helen exclaimed with a laugh. "Max gave you one of the best cabins, Sweetie!" She continued to drive through the wall of white, somehow navigating her way just fine. 

When we arrived, I hopped out and rushed to bring everything inside with Max's help. When he first saw Kat in the seat, he paused for a moment, before he said something much like Helen had.

"Well, little lady, you're a tad bit underdressed. Polar Bear club?" Kat giggled at his guess, shaking her head no. Max spotted Helen."Oh, Helen, beautiful lady, seems you've rescued these two wayfarers."

"They came into the diner, before the storm looked too bad, but I thought I'd help them get safely here to your cabins."

"Alright." He paused, glancing around him at the swirling snow. "Good thing you did too. Ok, almost done." He hoisted the bottles of water and carried them in, the last of the supplies I had purchased with Kat. I shook his hand and watched him disappear into the storm. 

Back at the truck, I offered my coat and hand to Kat, who gladly accepted both.

"Helen, I thank you once again. I'm not sure if I could have driven this as well as you." She beamed at my compliment before waving us off.

"You Sweeties stay safe, stay warm. And don't forget to stop by the diner on your way out of town!"

Kat and I waved goodbye, then rushed into the cabin. While unloading, I hadn't taken the time to survey the interior, so with the door shut, Kat shrugging out of my coat, I stopped and looked around. Max had tastefully decorated the interior with subtle Native American influences here and there – a woven rug of bright colors, a dream catcher hung from one wall, a painting of mesas and red rocks from another. There were a few wooden chairs and one wooden sofa huddled around a fireplace, a small kitchen table with chairs – everything looked handcrafted and customized for this cabin. 

"Wow, Paul, look." Kat was staring out a large bay window, complete with seating area. It looked as if the window had been painted white, with an occasional movement of the snow here and there, "My God... had I been out there, I..." Her voice trailed off, and I thought I heard a sniffing sound.

She surprised me when she turned around and threw her arms around me, squeezing me in a warm embrace.

"Thank you Paul, for saving me." She breathed into my chest. I wrapped my arms nervously around her, returning the hug. Her body felt amazing pressed against mine. It was as if she was made to fit into my arms. I closed my eyes, slowly inhaling her scent. I felt arousal flooding my pants almost immediately, getting scared she'd notice and think me a pervert, but as she pulled gently away, I think she noticed my hammering heart instead.

"You're nervous?" Her green eyes looked up at mine, searching me. They seemed like searchlights, probing my soul, but I nodded to her.

"Like, uh, I said, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met." I slowly moved back toward the door to start packing some of our belongings away, anything really to hide my erection. "We should get some of the stuff put away before it goes bad."

"Oh right, I almost forgot!" Kat hustled over to help me, and within just a few minutes, we had everything put away, chatting while we worked. 

"What should we do now?" I pointed to the DVD player I had purchased. "We could watch a few movies, or just talk?"

"I'd like to talk to you some more." She grinned. "I'd like to hear more about the snowflakes. Would you mind describing some while I sketch a picture?"

"Ok." I sat down on the sofa while she gathered her stuff, setting up on the floor rug by the fireplace, using the coffee table for her sketch pad. "What did you want to know?"

"Back at the diner, you mentioned there was a long answer for the uniqueness of snowflakes. What did you mean by that?" Her hand was already sketching something. 
Again, from this angle, I could see her wonderful cleavage. Before I got too bothered, I cleared my throat and answered.

"Ah, yeah. The long answer is largely what my research and dissertation is based upon. So, first, when someone asks that question about snowflakes being identical, or even alike, we have to determine just what that person means by being alike, the same, identical, unique, whatever word they may choose. If I remember you asked about the uniqueness, each one being different, right?"

"Yeah." She paused to look up from her sketch. "I mean, there has to be millions of snowflakes out there right now. Couldn't a few of them have similarities and be copies of each other?"

"You know the philosophical question about the tree falling in the woods, if no one was around to hear it, would it still make a sound?" She nodded. "That addresses a simple concept of the human necessity to exist. But, does sound, a vibration, depend upon our ears, or the source of the vibration?"

"Well, the source, right?"

"Yep. With science, we're able to assess the whole situation. A tree falling and hitting the ground would cause massive vibrations, the essence of what sound is, spreading out until the energy dissipates. If no one or nothing is around to hear these vibrations, it doesn't hold much significance then, as the falling of the tree itself. But our perception wouldn't change the way the tree caused vibrations in the ground."

"Ok, I follow that part, but what does that have to do with snowflakes?"

"If no one is around to monitor and compare each and every snowflake to the other, can anyone be absolutely certain they aren't alike after all? That's where a small amount of uncertainty comes into the equation, and probability arises. I mentioned that earlier at the diner, that there's more configurations water molecules can take to make a snow crystal than there are theorized atoms in the universe. Having two identical snowflakes has less chance than if you entered various lotteries and won all of them, every day, for the rest of your life."

"Wow... That would be unlikely then."

"Exactly. Now, my long answer involves more semantics, in a way, as the clarification of 'alike' and how you define a 'snowflake' are more important to the answer. Make sense so far?"

"Yeah, go on." Kat was grinning again, her pencil sat down for the moment, resting on her paper.

"I already mentioned that nano-snowflakes can be the same, since they can be made up of countable molecules. Beyond that simple fact, some other things in nature can and are, in fact, identical. Take, for example, how we understand the electron to be. It's considered an elementary particle, or being basic, not made up of other parts. These electrons are actually understood to be absolutely identical in every way – a chief idea behind quantum physics itself. Now, a water molecule is much more complex, and, in fact, there are differing water molecules. Ever hear of heavy water?"

"Yeah, my grandpa used to talk about it, on the ranch."

"Well, that's only a small example of how water can differ. See, water, being made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen, usually come in the form of basic hydrogen and oxygen, O-16, you could say, describing the proton-neutron makeup of the atom. Sometimes, hydrogen exists as deuterium, and sometimes oxygen exists as O-18. These atoms aren't the same as the more common forms, and during the crystalline production of ice, can affect the structure. You might see a small portion, like 1 in every 500 atoms being like one of these. Since a single snowflake can be made up of a massive amount of water molecules, it's safe to say there's a slightly lesser, yet still massive amount of different molecules in there. All these molecules are scattered at random through the snowflake, adding even more uncertainty on the exact arrangement. So on a molecular level, the chance of having two snowflakes being identical is indistinguishable from zero."

"That's... deep." Kat was staring out the window now. "There's so many snowflakes... and all of them are truly unique?"

"I'd stake my entire dissertation on that fact, because I'd have a greater chance of being right than winning my money back in any lottery game."

"God, Paul, you are so smart!" Kat was turned back towards me, watching me now. "You know this stuff better than I know which pencil to use to get a different effect in my sketches. And it's fun listening to you!"

I blushed. Up to this point, I'd never found a more willing audience than her. Even students who were majoring in chemistry would often get bored with this information. 

"Thanks... I'm flattered you enjoy it."

"You sounded like there was more to the story though, right?"

"Semantically speaking, yes. If you expand your view of a snowflake to the macro level, say, the naked eye, or even a magnifying lens, and find the most basic structure of snowflake, like a pillar or prism, there's similarities. When the air's just cold enough to freeze the water, you get a hexagonal prism shape. It's entirely possible to have two flakes then, weighing 'the same,'" I emphasized my point by adding air-quotes with my fingers. "Or at least with how accurate your scale is - and measuring 'the same' across. That idea quickly dissolves though, when you consider that even prisms have crystalline structures stacking differently, and of course, how many water molecules they're actually made up of. Not to mention the environmental effects on snow – dirt, wind, temperature, relative humidity – all these things shape and reshape the crystal, even after it's made."

"Wow, then it's very much like humans – we may look alike on the outside, but molecularly we're different, and our environment shapes us constantly." I raised my eyebrows, not in disbelief – well, partial disbelief that this beautiful woman was this astute – but mostly in surprise that she, once again, had a perfect analogy. "And that's why you study them, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Kat, that was an amazing analogy... one I'd never considered before."

"Well, my dad always praised me for my observational skills." She grinned. It was at that point that I noticed her sketch. She had drawn a recreation of the valley we had been able to see shortly before the blizzard arrived. A valley I had seen every time I drove back home, yet I couldn't recall as much detail as she had with a pencil. I sank off the couch and slid next to her, examining the picture more closely. That's when I noticed the snowflakes. Scattered throughout her picture, little snowflakes looked to be floating across the page, each one looking different from the rest. I felt like I was staring at a photograph, not a sketch. 

"Wow... Kat... This is utterly amazing! I mean, look at this, it's, it's stunning! You are an incredible artist!" I turned to look at her and saw she was slightly blushing. She rested her hand on my hand then.

"Thank you, Paul. You inspired me, actually. Your passion for snowflakes is amazing. Not to mention, you saved me, so I could actually be here to draw them." She leaned forward and placed a kiss on my cheek. I wonder if I looked as shocked as I felt. Of course, those lips touching my cheek had to have been one of the best things I'd ever felt in my life. I sat there stunned for a few moments, before thinking to regain myself and respond to her or something.

"You, you're welcome." I was thinking what to say or do next, something, as I looked back at the picture. Then I realized it. "Kat, tell me, how did you get started in art?"

She grinned and leaned back, stretching her hands behind her and leaning against them, staring out the window. This had the effect of pushing her chest forward a little bit, a fact I was really aware of. 

"I was a little girl the first time I remember being praised for my art. My grandpa had bought me a little pack of crayons and some paper. That afternoon, I sat on our porch and sketched the ranch. When I showed it to him, he gasped and said that was the most beautiful picture he'd ever seen. He strode right over to the fridge and tacked it. He told me we had to post it up where everyone would be able to see it in all its beauty. Throughout the rest of the evening, the rest of my family said pretty much the same thing. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world to make everyone so happy with a picture, so I kept making more. By the time I was in middle school, I was being entered in art contests and winning first place. I think I had over a couple hundred blue ribbons."

"Wow, that's impressive. I think the most I did in middle school was make my mom and dad crazy with all the things I was trying to mix."

She laughed. "So you were a little scientist from the get-go huh? 

"Well, not the most wise one, actually. I remember when I was much younger, I was in my parents' bathroom mixing toothpastes and mouthwashes, anything I thought I could get a reaction out of and see that big poof of smoke like they showed in the cartoons. After no success, I noticed I had used a lot of my dad's mouthwash, a yellow one. Afraid I'd get in trouble, I did the only thing a young kid would think to replace the yellow liquid."

"No..." she giggled, covering her mouth, "You didn't!"

"Yep. I peed in it. I thought, 'well, pee is yellow, so is this mouthwash, alright!'" She was laughing now, clutching her side with one hand, covering her mouth with the other. She looked so beautiful in that moment. 

"Oh my God! He must have been so pissed!" She snorted some more, "No pun intended!"

I was laughing now at this point too, then finished the story. "Yeah. I was playing in my bedroom when I hear the loudest spitting sound I'd ever heard, followed by him screaming my name 'PAUL JACOB GOODMAN!!! DID YOU PEE IN MY MOUTHWASH!?' Never mind the fact I had a brother and sister. He just knew it had to be me." While she was laughing, I did see she had reacted to my name. I wondered momentarily what it was, but she interrupted my thoughts.

"Oh my gosh, that's funny!" She wiped her eyes, tears having formed at the corners. "You must have been a riot to your parents."

"Yeah, they remind me of that every time I come home to visit." I realized she had been telling me about herself and I interrupted with my story. "I'm sorry, I cut in with my story, please continue."

"No no, that was worth it." It seemed her laughing had finally subsided. "Oh man. Where was I?"

"You had mentioned the blue ribbons."

"Oh yeah! So, my grandpa was proud of me, always praising my work, but then I noticed after a while, my dad wasn't as happy anymore. I'd bring home another blue ribbon, and he'd smile, tell me 'that's nice dear' and get back to work. It hurt, but at that time, I didn't know what was going on in his life." She took a big breath, and as if remembering something, announced "I'm pretty thirsty, how about you?"

"Oh, yeah, all the talking, what were you thinking of having? We've got some juices and milk, that wine we picked up, or I could mix us a drink?"

"Oooh, Mister - no, Doctor Chemistry! What are you going to mix for me?" She had a mischievous look to her face, probably recalling my story.

"Hey, in my defense, I spent some time studying drink mixes, because I was fascinated how those liquids mixed to make different flavors and drinks. I just can't cook."

"Well you're in luck, because I pride myself on my cooking skills." She stood up, and walked the short distance over to the fridge, with me following shortly behind. I began pulling a couple glasses down (thankfully the cabin was stocked with tableware and silverware, since I forgot to buy some) and got the liquor out. 

"Are you feeling hungry yet?" She was peeking into the fridge, looking at our stock. "I could whip us up something yummy for lunch."

"Well, I am feeling a little bit hungry." I hadn't realized so much time had passed since we left the diner. This woman was something else entirely. I was enjoying myself immensely in the conversation, hearing her stories, watching her sketch.

Kat got to work, using some of the ingredients which, at the time we bought them, I didn't know what they'd be for. I got busy mixing some drinks and our conversation picked back up.

"Do you mind sharing what was happening to your father?" I asked after a while. She had just mixed up some dough and was spreading out what looked like a pie crust. I'd had our drinks mixed for some time, so I set about making refills.

"Sure. That was when we started getting grief from the McMahons, again."

"You mean the same family of that first guy you mentioned? Wasn't that like, 10 generations ago?" I thought I had counted the great-greats properly.

"I'm set to be the eighth, actually. My grandpa told me stories of how, throughout the time the land has been in our possession, the McMahons have tried ways of buying it, forcing, intimidating – you name it – just to get access to that land."

"You can add kidnapping and attempted murder to that list, now with you." I added, thinking how she explained she was taken and blindfolded then dropped off in these mountains.

"Well, that was already attempted. My grandpa's sister, actually. Luckily they failed, she was returned safe and sound and my grandpa worked on a sort of truce that lasted until I was just starting high school. That's when they started giving grief to my dad."

"What'd they do?"

"Started killing his cattle."

"Oh my God. Did you guys call the cops?"

"Of course, but there was never enough evidence to prove it was them. We knew, of course. But he'd find cattle dead, fences torn down, all without clear evidence for the police to do anything. The head of the McMahon family denied having any knowledge of it. That's when I figured it out. The twins, Jasmine and Jasper, would leave me hints at school. Again, nothing concrete or provable. But they left a series of hints – plastic toy cows with paint or cuts like our cattle had been found."




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 02



"That's awful!" I felt bad for her. She just wanted to be an artist. "So, when did you tell your family you wanted to be an artist?"

"A little after I knew the twins were doing it. I joined my dad down by our watering hole, while he was working and broke the news to him. He wasn't just unhappy, he was furious, calling me ungrateful and unfaithful to the family tradition. He told me if I went to art school, he'd disown me. So I went. And he never said anything. Every holiday, I'd get a card from him, nothing more. Mom wrote the letters, telling me not to worry, that he still loved me, but it hurt not talking to him anymore."

"Harsh." I handed her a refilled drink. I topped mine off and sat to watch her finishing what she said was a quiche, before sliding it into the oven.

"Yeah. But I thought if I was away, the twins would knock it off, knowing I had no intent to carry on the business, going to art school and all. Apparently my dad had been telling them I was at business school, learning how to better manage the ranch. That's when I decided I'd take matters into my own hands, inviting the twins out for a meal to settle things and get them to stop. I had no idea they'd take me like that. I had just gotten out of my car, when tires screeched, and a bag went over my head, my hands getting bound behind my back. It felt like I was yanked off the road, thrown into the back and I felt the vehicle speed off. I tried screaming, but I heard the voice of some guy say he'd cut me if I kept screaming, so I stayed quiet. I tried keeping track of how far we had gone, turns, those kinds of things, but it was so silent in the van."

When she paused, I saw that she had some tears in her eyes, so I stepped over to her and held my hand out. She grasped it and pulled me closer, so I just wrapped my arms around her in a hug. I felt a couple sobs and heard her muffled cries.

"Paul, I had no idea what they were going to do to me, if they were gonna r...r...rape me, or worse." I started rubbing her back gently. "I fell asleep at some point, then woke up when I heard them talking quietly about gas. I felt something press to my throat, and a different voice said 'one scream and your throat will be split wide open, bitch.' He didn't sound as calm as the other, and I truly believed he'd kill me. So I stayed quiet, then we started moving again. Before much longer, hands grabbed me by the arms and lifted me up. I felt cold, bitter cold rush against me, then they shoved me roughly to the ground, with the last words of 'Come back and worse happens next time.' I heard the tires squeal as they sped away. I tried moving and found my hands were bound looser than they had been in the car, or van or truck, whatever it was. I pulled and a hand came free, so I tore the bag off my head, then blinked rapidly while my eyes adjusted to the brightness. That's when I saw the pine trees, the mountains, and snow. I freaked for several minutes, realizing I had nothing with me, and I was so cold. I picked a direction, and just started walking, hoping someone would drive by or I'd see a driveway or house, anything. After what felt like forever, I was about ready to just sit on the road and wait to freeze to death, when I heard a vehicle coming. It sounded a lot like what I had been riding in, so I thought they were probably coming back to do something, but then I heard your voice and I couldn't believe it. I was so shocked, I thought it was a prank or something, but you kept calling out to me." She squeezed me tighter to her, mashing our bodies together. "God, Paul, I owe you my life. Thank you."

"Hey, I'm glad I found you, you know. That I could help you."

She pulled away and looked into my eyes. I wish I knew what she was thinking right then. Her eyes had such intensity in them. I thought I saw something, but I couldn't tell what it was, before she buried her head against my chest and hugged me even tighter.

"...fee...s..ood." I heard her mumble against my chest.

"Uh, what? I didn't hear you."

She nestled her head around, then said louder, "You feel so good, Paul. Will you just hold me for a while?"

I swallowed hard. It was like a dream come true, holding this wonderful woman, offering her any amount of comfort I could. I felt my heart racing, my face felt hot, and frankly, I felt blood rushing to my groin, an erection growing. I began to worry she was going to feel it and think I was a pervert. Instead, while still holding on to me, she leaned back to look at me again.

This moment, I knew, was one I'd hold on to and cherish, regardless of what happened next. It was as if everything else didn't exist. I saw her eyes flicking down to my lips. I saw her tongue wet her lips. I could feel her breath on my own lips, as she parted her lips and leaned toward my lips. This was it. We were about to kiss, I'd be experiencing my first kiss, while holding this incredible redhead in my arms. I closed my own eyes, leaning in toward her lips with my own, anticipating the contact of our...

BBZZZZZZZZ!!! The timer on the oven had gone off, signaling our quiche had been cooked.

To say we both jumped would be like calling the Grand Canyon a small crack. I had jolted so far back that I tripped over one of the chairs at the kitchen table, sprawling backwards across the floor. I heard Kat give a little yelp sound, followed by a gasp.

"Ohmygod, Paul! Are you ok??" She rushed over to my side, kneeling next to me. I felt fine, at least at the moment. I think I was more embarrassed by the situation than anything.

"Uh, I'm fine..." My voice was shaky. "Are you ok?" Her concern seemed to melt away as she started giggling. At first I felt bad, like she was laughing at me, but soon I couldn't help it - I was giggling right along with her. Soon we were both laughing hysterically for what felt like a full minute before she gasped again.

"Shit! The quiche!" She leapt up and dashed over to the oven, grabbing some hot pads and taking out the steaming pie plate. "Whew! We're still good!" She giggled again.

I got back to my feet and went over towards her. Damn that oven timer! I wondered if that moment would come back again, or if I had missed my chance to kiss this beauty. I was pretty sure I couldn't come up with a reason or situation to justify leaning in and kissing her myself.

"Did you want some now, or want to wait for later?" Her question snapped me back to attention, but I wondered if there was some hidden, implied meaning in that statement. Was she hinting at trying to resume where we were? I wished at that moment I had gained more experience with women.

"Uh, would it be better if it set up?" The first question I had come to mind blurted out my lips. Well, better than stuttering or saying something truly stupid and asinine.

"Usually they are. We'll only have to wait like, 10 minutes or so."

We sat at the kitchen table, chatting for a while, before she glanced at the clock and said that we had waited long enough. She cut the quiche and served a piece to each of our plates. I poured us each a glass of wine and nervously blurted out a question.

"I've been serving you alcohol, do I need to card you, Miss?" I hoped it sounded amusing, or funny, at least less stupid then I thought it sounded coming from my own mouth.

She put her hands on her hips and stuck her lip out in an exaggerated pout. "Hey, I turned 21 in July, Mister." She grinned, adding, "Or can I call you Dr. Goodman?"

I grinned right back at her. "Well, you can, but I'm not official until I submit my dissertation and get it accepted."

"Well I like the sound of it. Dr. Goodman. It sounds much better than Mr. Goodman." Her eyes lit up for a moment. "Oh yeah, you can't card me anyway. I didn't get kidnapped with my purse or anything." And then she surprised me by sticking out her tongue.

"Har har, well I believe you. But keep sticking your tongue out and I'll start having my doubts."

She snickered and scooted her chair closer, just to poke me in the ribs before scooting back away. This woman just kept getting more and more interesting. I also felt myself relaxing bit by bit around her. I'm not sure if it was the alcohol, or just Kat herself.

"Thank you for cooking this, uh, what'd you call it? A kish?"

She giggled. "No, a quiche, silly. It's got a funky spelling. I think it's French, but you pronounce it like it rhymes with leash."

I nodded, taking a bite. As I chewed it, it was delicious. It had an amazing texture, a phenomenal taste. "God, Kat, this is amazing!"

I heard her sigh, and realized she must have been waiting for me to take a bite. "I'm glad you like it."

We ate mostly in silence with some small talk in between bites. When we had finished our plates, I collected them and placed them in the sink.

"Oooh, a gentleman! I like that in my men." 

As I was rinsing the plates, I felt her arms slide around my torso and her head rest on my back.

"Seriously, Paul. I'm grateful for you. For saving me, of course, but because you're a wonderful guy."

I focused on the dishes, once again blushing. I don't think I had ever blushed this much in my entire life. With the plates clean and set to dry in the rack, I used a towel to dry my hands.

"Would you, uh, want to watch a movie now?"

"Sure, that sounds nice." She pulled away from my body, and I missed the proximity of her already. I wondered if she would have stayed there had I not moved. "I'll go find a blanket."

She set off searching, while I unboxed the portable player and set it up. 

"What do you feel like watching?"

"What'd we get?"

"Uh, a Western, a poor-looking action film, and a sappy looking romantic comedy."

"Ooh, do you mind sappy for a while?" She had reappeared with a blanket, this having a similar pattern to the rug. I simply shrugged at her and popped the movie in the player.

"Well, we've got all of a 7" screen. Shall I do the honors of holding it?"

"I'd be delighted, my good sir." We giggled together, and crawled onto the couch. It was actually a lot more comfortable than it had looked at first, seeing as it was made of solid wood. Kat slid up close to me so most of our sides were touching, and pulled the blanket over us. I held the player in one hand, Kat pressed up to my other side. I felt her hand search out and curl around my own. My heart sped up once again. I hit play, and settled in. Kat laid her head on my shoulder. Everything I had ever dreamed a woman might be like paled in comparison to being this close to Katherine. The movie started, and as I predicted, was sappy, full of cheesy lines that made us giggle. But when the lead male character got to the scene where he professed his undying love to the lead girl, I felt Kat grip my hand tighter. From there on out, the movie tanked. It seemed content to have made two characters fall in love then just repeat similar lines and ideas throughout the rest of the film. When the final credits finally rolled, I looked over to Kat to share a look of contempt for such a pitiful excuse of a screenplay. However, I saw she had fallen asleep, nestled against my shoulder, her hand still in mine. I couldn't think of a much better place to be, so I lightly kissed the top of her head, rested my own head against hers, and closed my eyes.

When I next came to, there was white swirling all around me. Each white was a picture, hand drawn and spectacular, but swirled by too fast to really appreciate each one. A light was shining in the distance, and what sounded like an angel's voice hummed a tune I couldn't recognize. A sound similar to scratching started to get louder, and the humming persisted, but the swirling white faded away. I slowly opened my eyes, realizing I had been dreaming. The humming was coming from Kat, sitting at the other table with another blanket draped around her shoulders. She had her sketch pad and was making the light scratching noise I had in my dream with her pencil. She glanced up and saw I was awake and immediately smiled.

"Hey there, Sleepyhead." She set her pencil down and rose to stretch, the blanket falling off her shoulders. The bottom of her shirt pulled up, revealing a toned and tanned stomach, a cute little belly button and lines that disappeared into her skirt. I quickly averted my eyes before she stopped stretching. "I had to pee, but I didn't want to leave your warm side. But, I had to go. When I got back, you looked so cute, smiling, and sleeping so peacefully. I got my sketchpad, because once again, you looked like my own personal angel." 

I rose, letting the blanket slide off to the side. I approached her, then looked questioningly at her.

"May I?" I asked, gesturing to her book. She stepped back and waved her hand invitingly toward the picture.

I sat down and looked at a picture that made my breath catch in my throat - here was an amazing sketch of me, sitting on the couch. It was as if I was looking at a photograph of myself. Only Kat had added some things to the picture. She had somehow shaded the image to look like a light was shining from above on my head, and had added feathery looking wings tucked behind my back.

"Holy shit... Pardon my language, but Kat..." I turned to look back at her. She was biting her lip, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "This is... I can't even describe how amazing this is."

Kat let out a breath. "You're not mad I made you into an angel?"

"No, no, of course not. I'm flattered... this is, just... You've left me speechless!" I finally got out. I couldn't take my eyes off the image. She had put so much detail into this paper, with what looked like nothing but a graphite pencil. A cheap one at that. This woman was destined to be remembered as a famous artist someday.

"I could see that, while you were sleeping there, almost as vividly as the sight of you actually on the couch." I felt her hands rest on my shoulders, then started kneading little circles on my muscles.

"Ohhhh..." I couldn't help but moan. Whatever she was doing to my shoulders was incredible. "That's... wonderful... ohhhh... thank... ohhh... you." I got out between grunts and moans every time her fingers dug into the muscles.

"You looked tense, and you must have been, the position you kept on the couch so I could be comfy. It's the least I can do for you." 

"Unngh... Well... ahhh... if you wanted... mmmm... me to try and massage... oooh... your shoulders after..." I tried to sound as coherent and understandable as possible, but she was making it rather difficult.

"Sure, but you just hush up and enjoy for now." Her voice was kind, and her fingers were magic. I did as she said, and kept my mouth shut. Occasional grunts and moans escaped my lips, several times making her giggle. She suddenly stopped and appeared at my side. "C'mere. Follow me."

I accepted her offered hand and she was guiding me into the bedroom. My heart leapt in my throat and I thought I might faint. Was she wanting...?

"Lie down on your stomach, that way I can get more of you." Oh. I felt silly jumping to conclusions, then almost disappointed. But the prospect of her rubbing my back some more was too enticing to speculate on more, so I gladly climbed onto the bed. For what felt like both an eternity and nearly no time at all, she had covered my entire back, my legs, and even my feet. I felt she more than deserved her turn, so I sat up and rolled my head around. God, that massage felt amazing! I felt like a new person.

"Wow, Kat, I feel great! I hope I can do that massage justice." She grinned at me then climbed onto the bed. Having a chance to look at her without her seeing me, I scanned her body head to toe, appreciating every curve, every swell and part of her body. I saw those amazing legs disappearing into the skirt and wondered just how her butt must look.

"Paul, are you checking out my ass? Or my legs?" Damn, my face flushed immediately, then I heard her giggling. She knew! She was teasing me now. Well, I decided, two can play that game. I was going to try and give her the most amazing massage she had ever experienced. I thought I'd start at her feet, so I moved to the end of the bed and started on one. Her moans told me I was doing something right, so I continued for several minutes before switching to the other foot.

"Ahhh, that feels so great, Paul." Her words of encouragement kept me going at the pace I was at, so I started into her calf, squeezing the muscle and kneading it gently with my hands. She continued sighing and whispering how it felt good. I alternated legs and slowly worked my way up to where these glorious legs disappeared into the skirt. Just as my fingers neared where the skirt covered her, I'd move away to the other leg. I heard her breath catch in her throat, then exhale, almost as if she sounded disappointed, ever time I did that. After about the fifth time of doing this, she finally said something.

"Ah, Paul, if you're going to keep teasing me like that, at least tell me you're going to rub my ass now?" Wow. I did not expect that. Instead of saying anything, seeing as I didn't really trust my voice anyway, I just moved my hands to her skirt and started kneading her upper thighs. A relieved sound escaped her lips, replaced by what sounded like a whimper. As I inched higher, I could feel the incredible softness of her butt, even through the skirt. I found myself getting hard instantly, tenting my pants. I hoped she kept her head turned inward, because I doubted this was subsiding anytime soon. "Ahhh, keep going, please, that feels great."

I soon was working her lower back and upward. I kept finding my hands would return to the slope of her hips, just below her ribs. Everytime I pressed on that spot, she would sigh - a sound I soon found intoxicating. After a few more minutes she suddenly started to sit up.

"Kat? Everything ok?" Did I do something wrong?" I feared I just ruined it. Why was she sitting up?

"No, nothing's wrong. Actually, I feel really good right now, thanks to you, Paul." She had sat up, turned towards me. I quickly sat down next to her, hoping to hide my bulging erection. "You want to cuddle?" Such an innocent sounding question, but it made my heart soar. I nodded. She motioned with her finger to come closer, then patted the bed up higher near the headboard. I took up position, my back against the headboard. She started to wiggle onto my lap, then straddled my lap completely, her thighs on either side of mine, her skirt draping over me. My breathing hitched. I felt like, this entire time I'd been with her, I'd been running a marathon, what with how rapidly my heart had been beating. Now was no exception. She leaned forward until she was resting mostly on my body, her head pressed to my upper chest, her fingers of her hand on my body.

"Paul, you really are an amazing man," she whispered close to my ear, her fingers tracing small circles through my shirt. "You don't have to be so nervous. I think you are actually a pretty confident guy." 

I jerked my head toward her at this. Did she not feel me trembling? Or hear my racing heart? I was scared out of my mind. What if I messed everything up? If I was a terrible kisser, would she stop? Would she stop talking to me? What if I couldn't even give anything back to her? 

"Paul. Look at me." She calmly traced my chin, twisting my face forward. Her hands braced my face on each side. I could feel such warmth from those soft hands, but again, those emerald eyes captured me. I could lose myself staring into them. "You are confident. And I know this because look at what you've accomplished, first of all. That alone takes a lot of confidence." With this she brought her lips to my forehead. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed that brush of her lips. If I died right now, I imagined I would be happy just being this close to such an amazing woman, feeling her hands, her lips on my forehead. 




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 02



"I'm so worried I won't be good enough for you." I confessed. 

Katherine suddenly leaned back. She had a smile on her face that I don't know exactly how to describe. It looked like part triumph, part joy, part mischief, and, at least I thought, part lust. 

"Just, for a moment, imagine I'm a snowflake, one of those amazing dendrites you described. You get the chance then, to investigate each molecule," with this she gestured to her lips, her neck, her chest, her stomach, "and see how it's arranged to make up this unique snowflake."

I couldn't help but grin at her analogies. I felt better, less shaky, since it seemed she had a point. I always felt calm talking about anything chemistry related, especially snowflakes. So I just decided to go with it and see how it wound up.

I reached forward and brushed my fingers against her lips. Her eyes closed and she began to lean closer. I snaked a hand around her neck, pulling her even closer. When her forehead touched mine, my heart still beating, but with a new perspective, I began talking about the things I knew best, yet never imagined I'd be saying in a situation like this.

"These are just like two immaculate hydrogen atoms perched upon a wonderful oxygen atom," I leaned in and brushed my lips against hers. The sensation was marvelous. I'd never imagined a kiss could be so sensual, exciting, and beautiful. She let out a sigh and pushed her lips harder to mine. I felt hers slide gently over mine, as she lightly nipped my bottom lip and pulled on it. I couldn't help but moan lightly. It felt like jolts of electricity were racing straight from my lips through my body. I felt more aroused than I ever had before; more so than that one night my roommate didn't realize I was home and was making love to his girlfriend in the living room. My door hadn't been shut, so I had a clear view of the two grinding against each other. I swear she knew I was in my bed, even though my room was dark. She had kept staring into my room, like she was watching me. I had masturbated to that image for months after that incident. Yet the sensations of just kissing Kat, feeling her body press harder into mine, was infinitely more pleasurable and enjoyable.

"Oh, Kat..." I whispered into her lips. With slightly trembling hands, I reached down towards her tank-top-covered breasts, and remembering her words, touched them gently. She moaned openly now, opening her eyes to look at me.

"The crystalline structure of these water molecules has begun to form a perfect polyhedron." She giggled at my description, smiling warmly.

"Oh Paul, you are so interesting! I have been fascinated by everything you've said since I met you." She caressed the side of my face. "Please don't stop."

"Kat, the facets of your crystalline lattice," My hands, tracing circles of her stomach, started gently tugging the tank-top up and sliding my still trembling hands across her smooth skin. "This lattice allowed the formation of your perfect, symmetrical prisms." This time I felt her bra, and was caressing the surface of the material. Her breathing had increased, and I heard her whispering 'yes' several times. I tried to be bold, and pressed my hands under the cups of her bra, feeling the hot surface of her bare breasts against my hands. She gasped, holding on to me tighter, then moaned when I found her nipples, hard little nubs against my palms. "And atop the prisms sit extensions of the lattice structure," pinched between my fingers, "capping the peaks of the first dendrite arms." She was moaning my name now.

"Ohhh, Paul... God that feels so good..." I was actually starting to feel good about myself, my ability to please her, when a jolt of intense pleasure shot through me, as I felt her hand dropped to my lap, caressing my member through my pants. "Mmmmm, Paul, make love to me... my angel..."

Hearing her ask me to, more or less, have sex with her, was like a drug. I was fueled by the thought that I had finally encountered a woman who enjoyed the way I was, seemed to like my weird euphemisms, and was intrigued by me. And on top of that, she had repeatedly called me cute, or her angel, or an interesting man. I was on a sudden head-trip of sorts, her words and actions through the day strengthening my resolve.

My other hand, which had been behind her head, slid down her body, into the waistband of her skirt, and underneath the fabric of her panties. I felt the smoothness of her ass, this time without the skirt blocking the sensation. She scooted higher up on her lap, the hand on my penis being replaced by the pressing weight of her hips. I felt about to burst at the sensation. That thought alone startled me a bit, made me worried once again, that I might not even last to penetration. I think she sensed my hesitation, for she lowered her lips to mine, pulling me into an intense kiss. As she was kissing me, I felt her hands tugging at my shirt, pulling it up my chest. She pulled away from the kiss just long enough to rip the shirt off over my head, then continued to attack my mouth with hers. My hands had come out from under the front of her shirt, so I used them to start inching her tank-top up her back. She pulled back again and did this thing that was magical to see, in and of itself. Her hands crossed over her body, seizing the bottom of her shirt, and in one swift and fluid motion, peeled the tight tank-top off her body.

"Oh God, you are beautiful!" My eyes devoured her shape, the smoothness of her skin, the contrast of her tanned skin against her black bra. I fumbled around behind her with the clasp, but after a few attempts had it unhooked. She shrugged out of the straps, letting the cups fall away from two gorgeous breasts. I thought they were the most stunningly perfect shape I'd ever seen – and I'd seen a fair few, what with being a lonely, single male and all, with internet access.

When she pressed her chest up to mine, resuming our kiss, we both sighed deeply into the kiss. It was such a fulfilling feeling, her naked chest pressing into mine. I could feel her nipples against my skin, a thought that turned me on even more, which, up to this point, I thought was impossible to be this aroused. 

"Kiss them, Paul, suck my lattice extensions into your mouth!" Oh my god, she could talk my kind of dirty speak – I immediately obeyed, seizing a nipple with my mouth, suckling it and licking it, while playing with the other one with my fingers. She moaned louder, giving me soft directions to continue and not to stop.

Kat pulled my head up for a kiss, momentarily, before kissing her way down my neck, my chest, licking each of my nipples, and continuing down my body to my waistband. I was vibrating with need at this point, full on shakes of my body. She unfastened the snap on my pants and pulled them with my underwear down until my cock sprung free, clear pre-cum coating the head already.

"Ohhh... you've been enjoying this pretty immensely, huh?" I nodded vigorously, nearly panting now, part in excitement, part in nerves. She continued to pull my pants off my body, but not before planting a quick kiss on my cockhead. That alone was almost enough to make me cum, but I somehow didn't. She threw my pants to the floor, then crawled back up toward me, her hands sliding along the inside of my legs, up past my knees, along my thighs, then her fingers toyed with my balls for a while before wrapping around the shaft of my penis. "Ready?" she breathed, her mouth inches away from the tip. I again nodded, watching those green eyes as she put first the head into her mouth. The heat, the moist feeling, the light suction she applied – all of this had me moaning loudly, saying her name, and trying my hardest not to cum in all of two seconds. As I watched her eyes, watching me, she kept her mouth closed and sunk slowly, lower and lower down. I could feel the crown press against her mouth, deeper, and I couldn't hold it any longer. I had reached the point of no return. The warmth, the slippery wet sensation, everything was too much for my virgin self to maintain. I tensed, tried to warn her with a "Kaaaughhh" sounding wail. Her eyes opened wide for a moment as the first blast of my semen shot into her mouth. I felt her lower her mouth into my orgasm, swallowing as each pulse of fluid came out.

"Mmm, mmm... mmm... mmm..." The humming she made while her lips were still closed around my cock just made the orgasm that much more intense and sensual, lasting longer than I had ever imagined it could be. As the spasms started to slow, I still felt pleasure pulsating through my abdomen and body. She slowly started to pull off my shaft, the head finally coming free with a soft popping noise. I was panting. I was grateful. I was still trembling. I was even crying a little. She crawled up my body and held my head to her chest, an action I felt incredibly endearing and comforting. 

"Was that your first?" She asked softly.

"First anything..." 

"Wow, I'm honored I've been your first, but I don't quite feel done with you just yet, Dr. Goodman." She kneeled off the side of me then. "I think I've got a couple pieces of clothing too many... Think you can help me remedy that? I still have arms, and legs, of my dendrite that need exploring, good Doctor." How could I resist that? 

I found a small zipper on the back of her skirt, slid that down and started easing the skirt to her knees. She lay back onto the bed now, raising her hips so I could slide the skirt the rest of the way off. She had on a simple black panty, I think they called it a bikini style, but for all I know they may have called it anything else. She was looking at me with clearly lust filled eyes now, so I took the opportunity to kiss her stomach, the waistband of her panties, and the crotch of the fabric, inhaling the musky aroma. It wasn't quite what I had expected, but it was rich, full and vibrant, and I wanted to smell it some more. Her panty was also rather damp; a fact I hadn't missed and understood she was as turned on as I was, well, still am, as I felt my cock had regained a lot of stiffness. 

"Right here, the junction of the arms of the dendrite form a perfect angle, where the lattice framework joins a cavity," I tugged her panties down, seeing the glistening slit. She had a sparse covering of hair, neatly trimmed. I placed a kiss on the mound, then on the lips of her pussy. "A cavity that may be subjected to environmental effects during this storm." She giggled, that same giggle I'd come to love and thoroughly enjoy.

"I never imagined I'd be so turned on by scientific terms... Oh!" I had just run my tongue from the bottom of her slit to the stop, making her cry out. I was mostly testing the taste, finding it to be acceptable and actually enjoyable, in a tangy kind of way. I really didn't know what to do, but I remember my roommate giving unsolicited advice on the 'art of cunnilingus.' I hadn't wanted him to know I was paying a lot of attention, but judging on the cries of his girlfriend – 'Oh lick my pussy, oh that's so good' – I imagined he had quite a bit of experience. So I applied all I could remember to right now, slowly licking around the edge of her labia, nuzzling the lips apart with my nose. I'd tease my tongue around the rim of her vaginal opening, before pushing it in as far as I could, then licking upward to where her clit was, but avoiding it. I listened to her breathing, her continued moaning, and when she made a sound that seemed really enjoyable, I noted to keep doing it and keep coming back to it.

"Holy shit! Oooooh fuck, Paul, God, how are you so good at this? Ahhh..." I was grinning at her sudden use of language, where up to this point she'd left out vulgarity, now it was abundant and seemed directly correlated to the intensity of the pleasure I was giving her.

"I'm watching your reaction."

"Ungh, fuck, that's fucking awesome! Keep it up, fuck!"

I continued licking her, intentionally avoiding her clit until I heard frustration in her noises, then she actually begged.

"Fuck, Paul, please, just lick my clit, just lick my... FUUUUUUUCK!" She let loose a loud, long scream of pleasure right as I pulled her clit gently into my mouth, swirling my tongue around the bud, flicking it back and forth. Her hips were bucking now and I struggled to keep my tongue in contact with her sweet spot. After several more screams and moans, I felt her fingers in my hair, pulling me up her body.

"Paul, I need that inside me, fuck me, Paul." She was speaking raw lust at this point, almost incoherent with her need between words.

"Do we need any condoms?"

"No... pill... just fuck me, Paul, fuck me!" She chanted.

I felt her fingers close around my cock, pulling me closer to her awaiting pussy. She rubbed the head up and down her slit a few times to get it moistened, then lined me up as I gave a gentle push. The sensation of sinking into her warmth was incredible. It felt smooth, slippery, hot, and just right. I slowly moved into her, bit by bit. She was moaning, I was moaning, and then I felt my hips meet hers, her warmth completely surrounding my cock. 

"Ungh... Kat, you feel just right. God this is amazing!" I leaned down to kiss her. Her hands reached up and held on to my shoulders while she kissed me, but then her hands slid down my back to my ass and started urging me to move. I felt awkward at first, unsure of how fast, hard, or deep to go, but I tried paying attention to what she was responding to, and quickly found a pace that had her panting and whimpering at the same time. Ever time my cock slid mostly out of her then plunged back in, she let out a whimpering groan, a 'uh, uh, uh, uh' that was music to my ears.

"Oh, Paul, oh fuck, I never knew it'd feel this fucking fantastic! Ahhhh!" I was surprised – did she just say it that way, like she'd never had sex before?

"This is... uh, ah, your first time too?"

"Yessss... uh, I'm glad you're my first."

"Me too."

"Now fuck me... ah, harder... harder, harder, yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!" Her chanting began to match my rhythmic pumping, and as I felt the tingling of an approaching orgasm, her moaning increased in tempo until she was screaming.

"I'm cumming, I'm cumming, cumming, cum with me Paul, cum with meeeEEEE!!!" Hearing her words and feeling her pussy clench against my pumping cock pushed me over the edge. With one last push deep into her, I felt myself erupt in an incredibly powerful and fulfilling orgasm.

"Ahhhh, God, Kat, I, oh feel so good with you."

Kat was clutching to me tightly, planting kisses on my cheek, my neck, anywhere her lips could find, it would seem.

"God you beautiful man, you are incredible!"

"I could say the same of you, being an incredible woman."

"I'm glad you found me."

"I'm glad I found you. You've been so wonderful."

I started to gently pull out of her, when she stopped me.

"No, just stay here, hold me again, please?" I couldn't resist her, even if I wanted to, which I didn't, so I stayed there, kissing her gently. Before long, though, I needed to pee.

"I have to go to the bathroom, Kat, I'm sorry."

She just laughed. "Me too, don't be sorry. You go first."

After our restroom break, I told her I thought it'd be a good idea to use the little radio we bought to check the weather. She agreed, but said she wanted to take a quick shower, then probably a nap before dinner time.

"Ok, Kat, just call out if you need me." I kissed her, watched her walk naked to the bathroom, pulled my own clothes on and left the room. The little radio reminded me of my cell phone. I debated checking it, since I knew there was no reception up here every time I drove through, but thought it'd be a good idea just in case. Nope, no service, no reception, no bars. Nothing. Thankfully the radio worked, and picked up a few stations. I found one that was giving an update on the weather.

"... proceeds to continue snowing at record rates. The National Weather Service has indicated the blizzard could keep up intensity well into the night, increasing snowfall amounts in higher elevations by up to 2'." Well, that just sucked. I hoped we didn't get stuck in here too long. Kat and I had just discovered a fantastic way to pass the time, but our supplies wouldn't last forever. I reached to turn the radio off, but hit the tuning button instead. The station happened to stop on another radio show that was providing news.

"In recent news, the daughter of agriculture and ranching conglomerate owner, Doug White, was reported missing yesterday afternoon. Several witnesses have claimed to have seen Mr. White's daughter, Katherine White, abducted by masked men driving a non-descript and unidentified white van. Any information regarding Katherine White's abduction or disappearance should be reported to local authorities as soon as pos~"

No. Fucking. Way. I was with THE Katherine White? I couldn't believe I hadn't put two and two together. The White family owned the largest agriculture business in America, owning major farming and ranching chains throughout the rest of the country. They had been named a Fortune 500 company, ranked at number 2, only behind Wal-mart. 

And I had just had sex with Katherine White, the sole daughter and heiress apparent to the company business.





Closing Notes: Told ya' didn't I? Snow... more snow... so much snow!!! I'm thinking State records are gonna be broken here. Perhaps more things may be broken too... I'm eager to work on the next part, I hope you all can forgive me my time taken between parts. But I think the direction of the next chapter will be worth the wait. 

Rex  



A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 03



Author's Notes:

Here it is, the (hopefully) much anticipated next segment of our journey with Kat and Paul. If you haven't read the first two parts, please go do so. This will make very little sense by itself. Any references to real entities are for reference purpose only. I do not own any of those names.

A big thanks to GaiusPetronius – he stepped up and helped to edit this segment, when my friend has been busy. Gaius' guidance and wisdom/experience has helped shape several sections into this story – in my opinion turning a good story into a great one. He did this entire edit in one night. So I claim responsibility for any remaining errors, since I trust his abilities.

Enjoy chapters 5-7!

Chapter 5

I sat there in complete disbelief. Katherine White – daughter of Doug White, CEO of the White Family Corporation – was the poor stranded girl I had picked up off the side of the road. She had been kidnapped. If I remembered correctly, since the McMahon thugs had crossed the state border, it was a federal offense. From Kat's description of what happened, I doubted anyone knew she had been dumped off in the mountains of Colorado. 

And we'd just had sex. Incredible, amazing, satisfying sex. My mind wandered, replaying the events of our lovemaking. Had she said anything that could have indicated this, during our passion? No, I didn't think so. She kept chanting my name, encouraging me on. Just the thought of what we had done had me growing hard again. 

But had she lied to me? It didn't seem that way. There were a couple times she seemed to be thinking about something, but I thought she was being honest the entire time. 

Well, my phone didn't get reception, but there was the cabin phone. Perhaps I could call out and notify her parents...

Shit! My own parents! They were going to be worried sick about me. I checked the time, seeing it just after 4 pm. They will have expected a call from me by now. Better take care of that really quick.

I rose from the chairs and found the cabin phone, hanging from the wall. A corded phone, something I hadn't seen or experienced since I was a little boy. Well, it was still a phone. I picked up the receiver, ready to dial my parents first, deal with that, then try to reach Mr. White, or the Phoenix police, someone to notify that she was safe and we'd be back when the blizzard ended.

I paused. Something didn't sound right. The phone sounded hollow: no noise, no static, no dial tone. 

Shit! Again! I checked the cable, made sure everything was plugged in, traced the line to where it entered the wall – everything seemed in place. The snow must have done something to cut the phone line. How would I reach the outside world now? I could probably put my coat on and trudge out through the snow to the main office, get some help from Max. That was probably the wisest thing to do, before it got too dark. The sooner everyone could be notified, the better.

I went over to the bedroom, peeking in, but saw that the bathroom was still closed. I'll write her a note, leave it on the bed, let her know I'm going to the office and I'll be back soon. No sense in making her worry when she comes out and can't find me.

A few minutes later, I had left a simple note, with paper from her sketch book, on the bed. I had all my warmest clothing on, my coat, a hat, my gloves – anything I thought that would keep me warm during the short trek. I took a deep breath and grabbed the door handle, pushing against the door. But it didn't move. Did I leave the deadbolt latched? No, all the locks were free. I checked and confirmed the handle was turning in my gloved hand. But the door still wouldn't budge. Was I being an idiot, in a sort of panic, trying to push when I should pull? 

Oh. That made me feel dumb. But pulling on the door didn't change the panic I was starting to feel. As the door opened up, the storm door revealed snow was blocking all but the top inch of glass. Holy shit. How would that even budge? I had to at least try. 

I twisted the knob and gave a lunge with my shoulder. The door seemed to move, but upon checking, it was less than an inch. I gave another shove, harder than before, but I couldn't feel the door give any leeway. It looked as if we were stuck. My shoulders slumped. I wiped some sweat from my brow, and realized I was roasting, with the effort I had been exerting and being dressed in full winter garb. Defeated, I closed the main door and started peeling off all my layers, putting them back, wondering how I was going to break the news to Kat that we were well and truly stuck. Well, if all else failed, I'm sure one of the solid wooden chairs could crash through the side window. But if the blizzard was bad enough to hold the door shut, I imagined I probably couldn't even find my way to the main office anyway. 

I took one last look around the cabin to see if there was any other way out of here. Finding none, I sat down heavily onto the couch, resting my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. I sat there like that, thinking, pondering how I was going to talk to Kat. And what to do about the knowledge that she was the daughter of a ridiculously wealthy family – an heiress to that, too – who wanted to go her own way instead of taking over the family business. I couldn't blame her, really. Sure she could have wealth, probably power too, but if she wasn't happy, or if she couldn't have the time to do her art, with the responsibilities of running a corporation, what was the point? All work and no play, after all. I sighed and leaned back into the cushion. What was I going to do? 

I had been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't heard the shower stop, or any other indication that Kat was right behind me, until I felt warm hands trace from my shoulders down my chest, then her lips press into my neck. Ah, God that felt so good...

"Didja miss me?" Her soft whisper into my ear, followed by her tongue, sent shivers down my spine and blood rushing into my member. 

"Hmmm, of course I did..." I placed my hands over the top of hers. Her lips and tongue were doing wonders to my neck, jolts of pleasure racing through my body. I had to talk to her though, quickly, before I lost all rational thought. "Kat, I..."

"Shhhh..." Her finger reached up to my lips, pressing her fingertip into my mouth. Good lord, this woman was sensuality personified. "No talk – just fuck me again." Those words were like a fire, igniting a passion in my core. I sucked gently on her finger, then I tried one last time.

"I just have..." This time her lips cut me off, as she had used her hand to pull my head to the side, pressing her tongue against my lips. I couldn't help it, so I parted my lips and felt her tongue press into my mouth, searching out my own tongue. That kiss lasted for what felt like forever, leaving me breathless.

"Well, if you won't fuck me..." She climbed over the back of the couch, and I saw she was still naked from her shower. "Then maybe I should just fuck you..." How can a guy argue with that? I didn't think I had the courage to do so anyway. I still felt a little nervous, but far less than I'd ever felt around a woman before. The sight of her naked, climbing over the couch, and pressing into me was perhaps one of the sexiest, most beautiful things I had ever seen. She must have noticed the "deer in the headlights" look I had, for she giggled softly, pressing me down into the couch. She straddled my hips and leaned down, her still damp, red hair creating a curtain around my head. Her lips found mine again, one of her hands caressing the side of my face. I traced her back with my own hands, feeling the soft curves of her hips, the roundness of her ass. 

"Ah, Kat... I lo... uh, love the way you make me feel." I was surprised I was about ready to spout the love word to her, having known her for less than a day. She either didn't notice or didn't care, for her other hand slid down my chest and grabbed my rigid penis through my pants. 

"Hmm, I love the feelings you give me too!" I'd often read of authors describing a woman speaking in such a way that it was as if she purred. I thought it ridiculous, picturing a woman purring like a cat, or some other odd behavior. Yet the way Kat had just said that – damned if she didn't purr. "Although, I think you're way overdressed for this."

I moaned as I felt her hand slide up and under my shirt, bunching the fabric up around her arm as she continued up my chest. As she got to my shoulders, her other hand joined the fight to get my shirt off my body. She pulled, so hard that I lifted off the cushion a little bit. I helped her out by leaning forward a bit more, lifting my arms around my head. She wasted no time, chucking the shirt to the side, attacking my bare skin with kisses, caresses and licks. I could feel the heat of her own crotch as it pressed against mine, a fact that just made me want her even more. Our first time making love had been incredible – no, it was stunning, simply beyond mere words. I was already anticipating the incredible sensations of being with her this way.

"For a Ph.D. candidate, you sure have a rockin' body," I heard her moan, kissing her way down my abs and reaching the waistband of my pants. Me, a "rockin' body?" I didn't think so, but apparently running and hiking had its benefits. She undid the button, slowly pulled the zipper down, kissing the head of my penis through the thin fabric of my underwear. I twitched at the pleasure of that kiss. "And this..." She kissed it again. "Is... absolutely... amazing..." Each word punctuated by another kiss. I thought I was going to cum, right then, without her even getting my underwear off, but she just blew warm air around it, pulling my pants the rest of the way off.

"Unghhh..." The most words I seemed to be able to get out. "I, uh... I almost came from that..."

"Really? You like it?" She leaned forward and kissed through the fabric again. "Or do you just like seeing me do it?" This time, she pulled the waistband of my pants down and pressed her lips around the head of my cock. "Are you gonna' cum in my mouth again?"

I found it hard to form any words, as I had one seemingly continuous moan escaping my lips. I nodded furiously at her, a blush spreading across my face.

My cock popped out of her mouth, and she grinned. "Which question? All of them?"

My face turned a bit redder as I thought of her lips locking tight around my orgasm, not letting anything escape. I nodded again, still a bit unable to speak. She was a bit bolder this time, taking charge. I think I liked it.

"Well, Paul... cum in my mouth then." She pulled me into her mouth again, pushing a bit further down than before. It felt amazing, and I wasn't even sure what she was doing. The pleasure built in intensity, as I felt her tongue doing impossible things. At one point it felt like her tongue pushed against my slit, then flicked the underside and around the head, before pushing me further into her mouth. Her head began bobbing up and down, her hair getting a little bounce to it as it dried. Her emerald eyes were locked onto mine. I couldn't blink, I was captivated by her – the intensity with which she did these things, the smile her eyes seemed to have as she continued to slide up and down the shaft, never letting my cock slip from her mouth. The nostrils on her cute little nose would flare with each breath, each bob, up and down. I was a goner, and I'm sure she knew it. I felt that tickling intensity that signaled the oncoming orgasm.

"Ungh... ungh, Kat... Kat... I'm... guh... I..." Words strung together into nearly incoherent phrases, as I tried to warn her. She grinned, then pushed down hard, her hand grasping the base of my shaft, the other hand massaging my balls, as the first contraction hit me like a punch to my entire lower region. Each blast, a second apart, was so intense, so pleasurable, so wonderful. My hands had grasped onto anything I could, one hand gripping the back of the couch, the other on the edge of the seat. I could see her throat moving, swallowing, as my cum poured out into her mouth. As the waves of pleasure subsided, I think I finally found the ability to breathe, and gasped for air, feeling my pulse throbbing in my head. I watched her ease up, sucking as she went, so that she came off with a pop. She swallowed hard once more, then proceeded to lick around the entire length of me, from top to bottom, with these slow, luxurious-feeling strokes of her tongue. It felt like she was massaging it, praising it, something. I had no idea that pleasure like that existed. I finally closed my eyes, breathing hard still, and tried to mumble my thanks, about as loud as I could manage at the moment.

"What's that, baby?" 

"Thank you."

She chuckled, a sound that still had a sexy quality to it. "It was," she paused with a huge smile, "my pleasure." She crawled slowly up to meet my lips, which I gladly accepted, kissing her fully. I remembered hearing from my roommate that he didn't like kissing his girlfriend after she gave him a blowjob. I couldn't see why. I could tell a subtle taste of myself was on her lips, but it was still her lips, her tongue and her passion I could feel in the kiss. I wasn't passing that up. Besides, I think I remember she kissed me after I did it to her. Seemed only fair.

"Uh... can I... um, do you now?" Wow, I sounded so awkward.

She grinned and giggled. "I thought you'd never ask." She pulled me with her, maintaining our kiss, and fell back on the couch cushions, pulling me on top of her. I realized I still had my underwear around my thighs, so I paused to pull them off.

"I, uh, still have these on." Once they were off, I crawled back onto her, kissing her lips some more. I felt my slightly soft penis press against her, feeling her wetness. Wow, that was hot. Hot enough that I felt myself getting harder. She did too, as she grinned and kissed me some more. 

"We could... just skip... to fucking..." She whispered between kisses. I broke off from her kiss, grinning at her.

"Soon." I promised her. "But, uh, first I want to taste my little snowflake." I hoped it didn't sound too cheesy. I was hoping for endearing and sweet.

"Hmmm, then taste me all you want, Doc, but you may need to insert your probe for further testing." Kat's grin was another intoxicating quality about her. There really was so much about this woman that begged further studying, inspecting, and appreciating. 

"That, I can do." I set to work, hoping I could give her the kind of pleasure she gave me. I recalled what I did to her before, the slow buildup and priming of her body before even touching her. Perhaps if I repeated my method, the results may match. 

I started by kissing her neck, much like she had to me, and licked near her ear. I decided to try whispering to her as I kissed around her neck. She seemed to like it a lot.

"When I first picked you up, I thought I had found a goddess or something." I felt her sigh. I used one of my hands to trace around her stomach, under her breasts, and between them. "You wore such an amazing outfit. It was so out of place. I actually thought you may have been an angel yourself, wearing something like that out there." I paused to kiss under her chin, across her collarbones, to the other side, repeating the same kisses and licks. "When you first turned towards me, your eyes were more beautiful than anything I'd ever seen before." I bit the bottom of her earlobe lightly.

"Ohhh, Paul..."

"And your face – so smooth and beautiful – reminded me of a perfectly carved statue." My hand caressed the tops of her breasts now, briefly passing over her hard nipples, making her tense up and moan lightly. "Then talking to you – that was the most magical part. Your mind seems to be the most beautiful part of you." I gently squeezed one of her breasts now, before twirling my fingers around her nipple, lightly pinching it. "Which says a lot, as you're the most beautiful woman I've ever met." 

Her breathing increased, her chest rising and falling more rapidly now. "Oh God, Paul..." She was moaning, arcing her hips up into my groin now. I felt her wetness against my stiffening penis, so I thought I'd try and tease her, just a little bit. I moved my hips up and down, so that just the tip of my cock traced along her slit. When she gave a little "oh" of pleasure, I pressed my hips a little harder against her. I thought I could feel her clit touching the head, so I tried rubbing the length of my shaft against her. 

"Oh, just fuck me... please..." Her hips were moving too, as if she was trying to capture my cock.

"Soon." I repeated my promise again. I slid my kisses down her chest to her nipples, latching onto one and squeezing the other. Her moans increased. I kissed further down, along her stomach, flicking my tongue into her belly button, then down her hips, just past her lips. I heard frustration in her groans now, as I moved my kisses and tongue down her inner thigh. I got to her knee, then switched to the other leg, tracing back up. When I reached her glistening slit, I breathed deeply, inhaling her rich aroma, then breathing across the lips of her pussy.

"Ahhh, Paul, lick my pussy..." I obliged her then, tracing my tongue along the outer labia, around the inside, pressing into her opening a few times. Her hips were moving slowly to my caresses and licks now. Her breathing had increased to a light pant. I knew I wanted to hear her moan and scream out in pleasure again, but I had really enjoyed hearing her beg me for release. I continued licking her everywhere but her clit, using my hands to hold her hips steady. When the panting increased, I used my hands to spread her pussy lips apart. I heard some frustration in her groans now, and looked up at her eyes to see her watching me. She was pinching and tugging on both her nipples now, caressing her own breasts. Her brow was furrowed, and she bit her lip.

"Oh God, Paul, don't tease me... don't tease... make me cum, please..." There it was – her begging, panting voice. It sent shivers down my own spine. I pushed one of my fingers into her slippery pussy, and attacked her clit with my tongue, flicking it around and pulling it between my lips. The reaction was nearly instantaneous. "Fuck, fuck, fuck... AHHHH!!" Her breathing stopped, she tensed up, her back arching up off the cushions. Her eyes were pinched shut, little whimpers over and over. "Uh, uh, uh, hmm, mm, mm, yes!" Once again, it seemed that my licking became too much, because she tugged on my hair to pull me up her body. Sliding up, I snuck a kiss on each breast before I found her waiting lips.

"How... was... that... my... goddess?" I asked between kisses.

"God, tasting myself... on your lips... is so hot!" Her hands roamed over my back, pulling on my ass again, just like earlier. "Fuck me, please... push into... YESSS!" She hissed as I entered her, pushing fully into her in one thrust. "Uhh, you feel so good in me!"

"Weren't you supposed to fuck me?" I felt emboldened, swearing – something I rarely did. But asking her that seemed to light a fire in her eyes, for she pushed on my chest, up and off of her. I slid out of her as she continued pushing until I was once again on my back. She crawled onto me, straddling my hips, grasping my cock and aiming it at her wet pussy.

"Then prepare to be fucked!" And with that, she slid down, all the way. She hissed with pleasure, and proceeded to grind her hips on me. It was such a beautiful sight, watching her hips roll back and forth, feeling her hot wetness sliding up and down my shaft. "Ah God, so good," she moaned. I reached up and cupped one of her breasts, feeling its weight in my hands. I rolled the nipple lightly between my fingers. "Paul, oh, Paul..." She was moaning as she rolled her hips in a steady rhythm. It felt so good; I didn't think I'd be this hard, this quickly after her amazing blowjob.




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 03



Within minutes, I was panting too, moaning her name lightly, caressing her breasts, her arms, her thighs – anywhere my hands could reach her. She fell forward onto my chest, kissing me passionately, hungrily. I held her hips and kept a steady rhythm as I thrust up into her from below. Apparently this was a perfect position for her, because she quickly started moaning louder and louder, chanting my name with each thrust. She opened her eyes and gazed at me, so close to my face, her hands cradled my head. I had never received such an intense stare as I received from her just then. Her eyes suddenly snapped shut, she pressed her lips to mine, and I felt her scream in my own mouth. I also felt her pussy grip me tightly, as if begging for my own release. She broke from the kiss, hugging me tightly, her lips next to my ear now, as she made a squeaking moan, then a sudden outrush of air. 

"Oaaaaghhhh... Paullll... Fuck!" She nipped my ear, then "Fill me with your cum, baby, cum in me," she kissed into my neck. The sudden demand from her, the whisper in my ear, the amazing sexiness of the entire scene had me rapidly approaching orgasm. With a few more thrusts, I plunged as deeply as I could, and grunted.

"Ahhh... Kat... Ungh, ungh, ungh, ohhhhhh..." I was clutching her to me, as if she was an anchor. I think my own orgasm must have done something for her, because I felt her pussy clutching again, extending my own pleasure some more.

"Oh Paul, fuck!" I felt her nails dig into my shoulders. "Ohhhh..." Her body went limp on top of me as she tried to catch her breath. I was breathing rapidly too, in near disbelief I had just had two orgasms with her, and two more only a short while ago. I held her tightly and rolled her sideways so that her back was to the cushions, my back to the open air.

"God that was amazing..." She breathed. 

"No kidding."

"You're sure you've never done this before?"

"You're my first... this is only my second time ever having, uh... sex." 

"Well..." She was holding my head in her hands as she whispered. "I'm glad you're my first, now second time."

"What? Really?" I scooted my head back a few inches. "But... you're so... amazing! Oh, right, you told me earlier I was your first too, but wow! How can you be so good at it?"

She giggled, a sound I was quickly growing incredibly fond of. "I, uh... practiced. At home." She seemed slightly shy, something I hadn't seen on her since the day I met her. 

"Wow. I'm... I'm honored to be your first."

"I'm really glad, too. You saved my life... you've been nothing but sweet to me, kind and considerate, and you are..." She leaned in to kiss me, "...an amazing kisser..." She touched my face, then reached between us and grabbed my limp penis, "...and an incredible lover."

I was reeling, to say the least. This woman, a woman I largely considered perfect, was practically calling me perfect. Holy shit.

"Uh... wow. I, uh... hmm," I leaned in and kissed her, hoping that she could feel all my emotions in that kiss – a soft, sensual kiss – with our lips lightly parted, my hand gently stroking her face, replacing my lips, as my hands traced along her face, touching her lips, her nose, her closed eyelids, then back to her hair. "Thank you. Words can't describe the way I feel right now, about you, about what we've done... I, uh, you are just incredible. That's not even enough. Amazing, stunning, beautiful, gorgeous, delightful, intelligent, fun, cute, sexy, adorable..." I trailed off, listing several more adjectives, each one making her smile grow larger and larger. By the time I ran out of descriptors, she was positively beaming, and I saw a tear form in her eye and then roll down the side of her cheek. 

"Paul..." She sniffed. "You are... just wonderful!" She pulled me into a hug, a rather difficult position lying on our sides as we were. She laid her head upon my own, sniffing. "This is... the happiest I've been in, like, well, since I was a kid. Thank you, thank you thank you!" Then she was pecking my face with kisses all over, making me laugh and smile. I was thinking how, in such a short time since I had picked her up off the side of the road this morning, it felt as if we'd grown incredibly close. And when I had checked the weather, it sounded like we'd have more time...

The weather! That's right, the radio, the news broadcast – I had completely forgotten to talk to her, to tell her what I had discovered.

"Kat." The sudden change in my demeanor had her frowning slightly. "It's ok, but, before we... uh, made love," Wow, I still felt nervous talking about it. "I was trying to tell you what I found out while you took your shower."

"Oh, yeah, the radio. What's up?"

"Did you want to dress or anything?" I thought it was just slightly awkward talking while nude. Enjoyable, of course, but possibly distracting.

"I enjoy your skin on mine though. Can we cuddle like this and talk?"

"Alright." I cleared my throat, and stroked her hair some. "I listened to the radio report about the weather... It turns out the blizzard has gained some intensity and may drop an additional couple inches of snow." I paused to gauge her reaction to this.

"So I get more time with you? Buried in this little cabin with you? That's not so bad. We have food, water, each other."

"True, but, well, we really are stuck."

"What do you mean?" 

"I tried to open the door earlier. It's stuck, won't budge. I mean, look at the window." I pointed to the bay window, where earlier, the snow had been a few inches above the bottom of the glass. Now it was covering over half the glass. She gasped.

"Oh my God! Paul, it's so beautiful though. It's really like a wall!" She got giddy, gave a little giggle. "I mean, wow! To have never seen snow before, then this! I have to see this!" She jumped off the couch and bounced over to the window. I watched her naked form move and was mesmerized again. Her outline against the snow-covered glass made me wish I could revive my spent dick and make love to her again. "Wow! You can see a lot of the snow crystals pressed against the glass!"

I got up to join her, lightly pressing my hand to her back. She snuggled into my arms, laying her head on my chest. 

"That's likely a drift, I don't think that much snow has fallen yet."

"How much do you really think has come down?"

"Well, I can't see. I remember hearing that bad blizzards can dump anywhere from 1-2" of snow an hour. It started early, maybe 8 hours of this intensity so far? Could be anywhere from just under a foot to two feet or more, but the drifts can reach any height, really, depending upon how the wind carries and deposits it."

"So... if the initial report was at, what, 3-6'?" She looked at me, so I nodded. "Then you said they added up to 2' more?" I nodded again. "Could the snow completely bury the cabin?"

"Uh... I don't really know that one. We'll likely see how it pans out tomorrow. It sounded like the snow was going to end tomorrow night, from the initial report, I think. I didn't hear if it was going to last longer. Most of the time, blizzards can't maintain intensity past a day or two. But... nothing's impossible, I suppose."

"We'll figure it out." She hugged me tighter. I liked how that sounded. We. I thought I could get used to hearing that.

"I uh, have some other bad news."

"Uh oh. What is it?"

"I... well, my cell has no service. And the phone here is dead. I tried calling my parents, as they expected me around, well, now I suppose."

"Oh... they'll probably be worried. There's no way to get out or anything?"

"Not that I saw. I traced the line to the wall, so it's nothing here. It's probably outside, something probably happened."

"We really are stuck." Her voice was a bit small-sounding, so I hugged her more tightly. She pressed fully against me now, her warm breasts against my chest, our groins pressed together – it felt natural and, well, perfect, as if we were made for each other. "At least I'm with you. I just hope your parents don't freak out."

"Well, your dad is worried too."

"My dad? How do you know?" She pulled her head back a bit, looking at me quizzically.

This was it. I had debated earlier on how to ask her or talk to her about her family. I took a deep breath, deciding the direct approach was probably best, seeing as she'd been pretty direct with me, at least in bed.

"There was a news report saying Doug White, your father, reported you missing, and a few people saw you abducted by masked men in a white van. They think you've been kidnapped, Katherine White."

******

Chapter 6

I hadn't anticipated seeing the look she had on her face. It looked partially as if she'd been slapped, a bit of disappointment, and a bit of... shame? Still scanning my eyes, she held me at arm's length, her weight shifting from one leg to the other. It was all the more awkward and uncomfortable, since we were both still naked, and she was being really silent. Had I offended her? I just told her about the news report, and mentioned her full name. 

Kat dropped her head. "I knew he'd do this." 

I almost didn't hear her. "Pardon?"

"My father." She looked up at me. "Can we lie on the bed, you holding me? It just feels... right, when you hold me. There's more." She pulled away from me, weaving her fingers into mine, and guided me into the bedroom with her. I pulled back the covers and she climbed in first, nestling into me as I got settled. It really was comfortable and felt just right. I felt like the luckiest guy on the planet, as I thought about how amazing she was. And apparently she felt comfortable enough with me to share something pretty intimate. I stroked her hair with one arm, cradling her to me with the other. Her fingers traced lazy circles around my chest, her leg hiked up and resting across my thighs.

She took a big breath. "My dad has been pressing for me to come back. I mean, really pressing. He keeps offering 'incentives,' as he calls them – perks, or bonuses. He's really intent on keeping the business in the family alone. I asked him if any of our cousins could, or would, take over. He rejected that idea quickly, saying that most of them didn't want to take over, or he couldn't trust them. 'I'm not perfect, Dad,' I'd tell him over and over. He'd say 'You are more perfect than you think.' I'm flattered, of course, that he compliments me... I know he loves me, but I wonder sometimes if he loves the company, the history, more than me or Mom." She paused, so I thought I'd interject quickly.

"He's right, though. About you being perfect." She looked up at my words and smiled.

"Thank you." She pressed a kiss to my chest. "But anyway, after that mild falling out, when I left for art school, I think he understood how important art is to me. So he's been telling me to do art while I take over the business, alongside it. But I just can't get him to understand that I really don't care about "The Five C's," as they call it down there..."

"'The Five C's'?" I gave her a puzzled look. "What's that mean?

"Copper, Cattle, Cotton, Citrus, and Climate." She rolled her eyes, then took another deep breath. "See, when Phoenix was founded, around 1867 or so, just after the Civil War, a Confederate veteran, Jack Swilling, saw potential in a valley near modern-day Phoenix, basing his ideas off the natives that used to live there. Well, Francis White, the founder of our business, was a Union soldier veteran who had happened to befriend Swilling. McMahon was a soldier as well, in the same platoon or squad, whatever they called them back then, as Francis White, but he supposedly was very anti-south, thinking the lot of them needed to be punished for causing the war. Ass-backward thinking, if you ask me." She grinned, feeling my soft chuckle. "Well, basically, White and Swilling made a deal and parceled off the land available. McMahon wanted nothing to do with Swilling and refused any dealings with him. In the end, it was McMahon who got screwed, not having any land in his name. Well, at first, White wanted to partner with McMahon, creating a mining and cotton ranch, with cattle as they grew their business together. McMahon, as I think I explained earlier to you, wanted to build nearer to the other communities, offering those burlesque houses, saloons, gambling centers, all sorts of stuff like that. I don't think McMahon ever forgot, feeling like he got shafted, and has apparently passed that grudge down through his generations. Our family expanded to have all 'The Five C's' covered across our lands, then expanded into water management sometime in the 1900's. And it just kept growing. Now, word is the McMahon family wants our main plots of land, as it rests at a junction between California, New Mexico, and Mexico. I personally suspect drug trafficking down to Mexico, and some kind of oil deal with Texas. They operate mostly out of New Mexico, with some other operations in Arizona."

"Wow. It's way more complex than I had imagined."

"Oh yeah. It is special that our family has run the business since the founding of Phoenix, but I have absolutely zero interest in that kind of stuff."

"So how is the small business down there able to make your family's company a top Fortune 500 company?" I was curious, if all they did was crops down there.

"Arizona produces over 95% of the nation's lettuces, you know, head, leaf, and romaine. Well WFC, our corporation, produces over half of that alone. Something like $400 million annually from lettuce, then like, $300 million each from our cattle and dairy, then all the 'Climate' businesses. Basically touristy things. That pulls in like, $1.5 billion, I think Dad said."

"Yeah, for not having any interest in it, you sure know a lot about it." I pointed out.

"Of course I do! Dad makes sure to tell me every chance he gets, as if repeating the history and current crap will make me magically care about it."

"So even though you could have the chance to take over a multi-billion dollar corporation, appoint someone else to manage it for you, thereby giving you all the money you wanted for art and still appease your dad, you won't do it?"

She sighed. "It's not that simple. Dad is a real hard-ass about who will ever be given the reins of his precious company. He even jammed a clause in the corporate by-laws that spells out that nobody but a direct descendent of Francis White is eligible to hold the office of CEO. When he didn't have any sons, but me, he amended the by-laws to permit the husband of a direct descendant of old Mr. Francis, but even then the husband has to assume the White family name for himself and sign an iron-clad prenuptial agreement giving up any claim to any interest in the company in the event of divorce." She took a large breath of air after all that.

"Uh... shit. No way around that, like my idea, huh?" This guy seemed to have thought of everything. Most everyone knew of Doug White's story, similar to Sam Walton. Walton had started small, out of nothing, growing that massive retail giant, whereas White had inherited a mid-sized, successful corporation. However, he'd grown the White Family Corporation from a state-level multi-million dollar industry to a multi-billion dollar nation-wide one. So it figures he'd be pushing hard for Kat to take over.

"Shit. Your dad's pretty intense, huh?" Lying here naked, chatting with Kat, I felt I had finally loosened up. Conversing with her just seemed easy.

"Only when it comes to the business. I can remember days where I'd be out on the ranch with him, he'd be teaching me to ride the horses, or telling me about this and that." She had rolled over so she was resting her chin on my chest now, and she smiled, staring past me, seemingly lost in thought.

"Ok, so why do you think the twins kidnapped you?" That was still bothering me, why they thought a kidnapping would help them. Especially with the last two tidbits of info, Doug White probably wouldn't budge in the least. Unless they held on to her as ransom... "Fuck, they didn't mean to let you go..."

"What? What do you mean?" She looked puzzled.

"Kat, think. What good would it do if they just dumped you somewhere, or killed you or something? Sure it'd make your dad sad, but he'd still run the business, probably keeping it away and out of the McMahon family's hands even more firmly. But if they had kidnapped you and kept you..."

"Ah, you're right. They could have demanded a ransom or something."

"Kat, are you sure you aren't interested in this? You sure know a lot about it."

"I don't give a fuck about Dad's precious business!" Kat snapped. The sudden change of demeanor made me flinch. "Sorry... I didn't mean to yell at you. That's just the same question I got all the time. Everyone kept saying 'Oh you're just like your father,' or 'You'll make a great CEO when your dad steps down,' all sorts of shit like that, over and over and over. It gets old."

"I'm sorry I pressed. I suppose I could respect your position and your decision about everything. I knew I wanted to be a chemist, even though my parents wanted me to stay in Arizona and be close to them."

Kat sighed, burying her face into my chest now. Her arms snaked around me, and she shuddered. That's when I realized she was crying.

"Uh, Kat, what's wrong? Did I say something wrong?" I tried gently patting her back.

"No..." She sniffled a little, then looked up at me with tearful eyes. "I imagine your parents just said something like 'Ok sweetie go ahead,' and I got a little jealous."

"Well, actually we fought." 

"Really?" She wiped her eyes. "I guess I don't know you or your parents enough to assume."

"No worries. But yeah, when they heard my decision, my dad was all 'Absolutely not, young man, you need to stay home.'"

"Wow. He and my dad could be best friends."

I chuckled a little. "I suppose. It took quite a while convincing my parents that I wanted to be at a university that was close to what fascinated me – snow." I grinned. "They agreed, especially when I told them the nearest university that produced artificial snow and studied it regularly was in Germany."

"Haha, yeah, that'd do it. 'Hey Mom, Dad, if you don't like a day's drive away, I can always go halfway around the world.'" She giggled and I joined her. It really was easy and fun to talk to this girl. We sat in a small silence for a few minutes, tracing circles on each other's bodies.

"Paul, tell me again what your dissertation is about?"

"Oh, it's about the relationship between quantum physics and the molecular complexity of snowflakes." I started to explain, but heard her giggle.

"That's exactly what you said in the diner. Is that your title?"

"Sort of." I had to chuckle. I did say those exact words and that exact phrase in the diner. "The specifics are boring though, really involved technical information. Lots of mathematical proofs."

"Can you share a condensed cliff notes version?" Her hopeful look, mixed with a slightly curious one, made me laugh.

"You... are adorable. I have to say it." Wow, I'd gone from blushing at almost everything to now making her blush with a compliment. Maybe sex was the missing factor...

"Don't tease..." Her playful whine, accompanied by a swat to my chest, told me she didn't mind too much.

"Ok, ok. Seriously, I think I had mentioned to you about electrons being pretty much all the same. I also told you about the smallest snowflakes being made up of just over 275 molecules, right?" She nodded, so I continued. "There's a link between how things behave on a quantum level, and how snowflakes form. There was a doctor who conducted a large research project that was fairly widely published, about having thoughts and intentions affect ice crystal formation. He used a method that wasn't exactly reproducible, and had a hidden agenda of sponsoring sales of bottled water. Not exactly following the scientific method."




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 03



"Oh yeah, I heard about that."

"So, what I've done, is investigate the uncertainties of electron flow, as affected by external environmental artifacts – in other words, what outside forces, if any, affect an electron."
"Ah! Just like you explained the snowflake, developing differently based on all those factors!" She was excited to know where I was going, I could tell. I grinned and nodded.

"Exactly. When you start investigating the world at a really tiny level, things don't behave like they do in the macro world. My research and theories, so far, have helped me write several papers that have been published in scientific journals. I'm not sure if they're of any help to anyone, but they're out there now."

"What are your papers about?"

"Most are about what I just described, only in the gory mathematical and scientific detail."

"'Most?' What about the others?"

I hesitated, only because I knew these papers had earned me a couple angry letters from various sources. But, I figured she was pretty trustworthy.

"Climate changes."

"What? How does that have to do with quantum states, or whatever?"

"Uh... it's not really simple. I'm not sure I can explain it in the condensed version either – it's based largely on mathematical postulation."

"Ok, you don't have to share that one." She made a face. "I can't believe how smart you are..." She pressed her hands against my head. "How do you fit all that knowledge in here?"

I smiled and responded by tickling her ribs. She squealed, an intense sound that I found absolutely divine and cute.

"No, DON'T!" She shrieked, giggling hysterically. "Stop stop stop!"

"I wonder how you can fit all your intelligence, talent, beauty and just plain awesomeness in here." I calmly said as I wrapped my arms around her.

Her giggling subsided and she blushed again. "You're such a sweetheart." She repositioned herself in a sitting position, cross-legged, an effect that displayed her beautiful pussy to me. She saw where my eyes had drifted to and grinned. "And a perv."

"Hey," I laughed, "It's something worth investigating and studying."

She got a sudden serious look on her face and then asked something that made my heart leap.

"Can I claim you?"

"Uh... like... boyfriend, girlfriend?"

"Yeah. I think we're a great fit. And I think we'll just fit better together as time goes on, so I was gonna skip the interim and claim you for my own before someone else snaps you up."

"Ha, I'm not sure there were that many girls ready to 'snap' me." Her compliment and words made me both blush and grin. "But I agree. I have been enjoying my time with you, more than I thought possible."

"Now that you've been laid, I bet your confidence will shoot through the roof. And if any girl gets even a tiny glimpse of who you truly are – that amazing, sexy, funny, interesting, kind, gentle and loving man – forget it, they'll be pining over you and won't give up very easily."

"Thanks, Kat." I reached for her and pulled her to me in a hug. "I'd love to be your boyfriend and have you as my girlfriend." As I held her to me, I thought I heard what sounded like a giddy squeal. Then she pressed me hard into the mattress, leaning over me.

"God, you make me so hot," she breathed. I wondered where she had gotten so worked up, all of a sudden. Probably talking about dating. Whatever it was though, seeing her like this, still naked, and appearing suddenly very horny, I liked it. 

"Let's make love again."

I really liked her directness. I thought this time I'd try taking the lead, see if I could actually do it. I sat back up, forcing her onto her back. She yelped in surprise, followed by what sounded like a growl.

"Oh Paul, God, fuck me now, don't even bother with the teasing." I was just about to follow her order, but I thought I'd still try my idea of taking charge.

"No." She looked kind of shocked for a second. "I'm gonna make love to you."

"Ohhh, Paul..." I glanced between her legs and saw the glistening wetness awaiting me.

"You are such an amazing woman," I breathed out, before lowering myself to her waiting mouth. Our tongues instantly met, having had some time to become familiar, earlier today. As we kissed, I reached down and pressed my fingers against her wetness, trailing a finger from bottom to top, lightly pressing her clitoris with my fingers. She moaned into my mouth. I felt her hips strain into my hand, eager to continue the pleasure I was giving her. I broke off from our kiss and trailed my way down her body, kissing here and there until I reached her breasts. I gave each breast equal time and attention, between my lips, teeth, tongue and fingers, she was panting and moaning by the time I moved on from her breasts.

"God, Paul, don't stop," She complained as I left her breasts.

"I won't." My lips glazed down her stomach, over her light pubic hair, and met her waiting wetness with my tongue. I think she expected me to tease her longer, since she jerked her hips and let out another yelp. "Hmm, you taste good."

"Oh, yes, yes..." I was watching her again, seeing her eyes watch me. She kept her eyes open as I spread her with my fingers, inserting one finger into her, twisting and flexing and pumping it in and out of her, while my tongue licked all across her pussy. Her moaning continued. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, I'm gonna cum, ah ah ah, oh fuck!" Her words made me attack her with an increased intensity, once again sucking her clitoris into my mouth, to swirl my tongue around it, flicking it back and forth rapidly while fingering her, a technique I learned from my roommate's boastings.

I paused only long enough to say, "Cum for me, baby," before I continued. She lost it at that, her hips violently jerking, her eyes closed tight and her moans turned to full screams of pleasure. I slowed my intensity, remembering another tip from trusty ol' roommate, until it seemed like she was almost done with her orgasm, before I sucked on her again, inserting another finger into her. She wailed now, what sounded like my name. Her fingers were once again tugging at her nipples, as she rode out another orgasm. I paused to continue and do it again, but she planted her palm squarely on my forehead.

"No... more... please. Let me... rest a... moment before... we make love." She panted between breaths. I liked the sound of that. I rose from between her legs staring down at her glorious nude body. She was stunning. And I was incredibly horny, pre-cum dripping from my penis, onto her mound. She was watching, still catching her breath. "That's hot... It's like you're... priming me." Then she rolled over and stuck her ass up in the air, wiggling it at me. "Paul, fuck me from behind... I want to feel you take me."

Wow. That was an amazing position... I stared at her ass, the sight of her anus puckered between her ass cheeks, the slit below it shining in the light – all of it was such a captivating sight.

"Paul, fuck me, please!" She looked back over her shoulder. "Yoo-hoo... I think it'll feel pretty good, probably more enjoyable than just looking."

Shaking myself from that spell, I moved forward, lining up my cock with her waiting pussy. I pressed slowly into her, moaning at the contact of her slippery walls on my sensitive penis. Pulling back out partially, I marveled at the sight. It looked like her ass was eating my cock, and it turned me on pretty immensely. I pushed back into her and she grunted in pleasure.

"Harder, fuck me harder." I complied, pulling out and ramming back into her harder. The feeling was so intense and amazing, different from the past two times we'd made love. There was a different pressure on my dick. She must have found the sensations enjoyable too, as she was moaning, chanting and panting all at once. "Oh, oh, Paul, Paul, yes, harder." Her words repeated with each pump into her. Gradually she got louder, everything becoming an incoherent moan. I felt myself getting closer.

"Kat, uh, I'm gonnn cum," I told her. She moaned louder than before, almost a whine.

"Yes... Paul, cum with me... cum with me... Oh, oh oh oh!" I felt it, her orgasm, spasms around my cock as I moved in and out of her. My own breathing hitched, the tightness overwhelming me, groaning out my own orgasm, as I pressed as deep as I could into her. My body trembled as I felt each jet of my cum pour into her pussy. Panting, I leaned forward, hugging her shoulders. She reached a hand back to touch mine. We slowly eased apart, a gout of my cum trailing out of her pussy. "God, I can feel your cum in me now, easing out of my pussy. That's so fucking hot, Paul."

"You are so fucking hot." I felt like a kid, 'nuh-uh, you are' type of words. I collapsed onto the bed next to her. She grabbed a towel I hadn't seen earlier and wiped away some of the mess.

"God this has been amazing, Paul. I never knew it could feel like this."

"Me neither." I lay there, breathing deeply, still trying to catch my breath. If we kept this pace up... I couldn't even think or imagine keeping this pace going. "I think I need a shower though."

"Me too. Again. The shower's awesome, though. Wanna take one together?"

"Yeah, sounds fun." She giggled, and we hopped up to take a shower together. And it really was fun. We took turns washing each other, teasing and playing with each other, kissing and pressing our slippery bodies together. After we exited the shower, drying each other off, then getting dressed, I realized it was well past 8pm. My stomach was rumbling.

"Man I am hungry!" Kat's words echoed my own thoughts.

"Leftovers?" I suggested, remembering the quiche from earlier.

"Sounds good to me." With that, we reheated the plate and enjoyed a quiet dinner together, chatting about our pasts, our likes and interests. The more we talked together, the more I found myself really enjoying her company, really liking her. I was glad she had suggested we skip the time thing and just claim each other. I didn't want some guy sweeping her off her feet, that's for sure.

That evening, after dinner, we spent the whole time together. We watched a movie – the Western, which turned out to be an interesting tale of betrayal, similar in a sense to Kat's early ancestor – then we chatted some more, and before we knew it, it was well past midnight. It had been hard to tell what time it was once our window was mostly covered by snow. We decided to head to bed and rest. There wasn't much else to do. Well, have some more sex, but I think we were both spent completely from our wild lovemaking sessions today – yesterday, technically. I checked the cabin phone once more, just in case, but to no avail.

"Paul, you comin'?" I heard Kat call out from the bedroom.

"Yeah, just checking the phone once more." I sighed. I really did worry how long it would take before we could get out of here. I shrugged. No sense worrying about it. Not much we could do to fix it, anyway.

As I walked into the bedroom, I saw Kat was already snuggled up in the covers, but smiled brightly when I walked in.

"Saved you a spot." She patted the bed next to her. I had to laugh, as the bed looked like it could swallow her up whole. I doubted this was a true King sized bed... it looked larger in every direction. "C'mon, I'm cold and could use some warming up." I didn't know if she meant that as a sexual innuendo, or a legitimate concern. But then I saw her shiver. I shrugged out of my clothes, leaving my underwear on, but she just grinned and shook her head. So I dropped those too, and her grin was wider, as she nodded her approval.

Climbing into bed naked, feeling her naked form press into me – quite possibly one of the most comforting and relaxing sensations I'd ever felt – and I soon found myself nodding off.

I dreamt that first night we were together. A strange dream of a white van that kept zooming around in my vision, while I tried to chase it off, attempting to protect Kat from harm. At one point, the van almost had her, some hands grasping her, when everything turned to swirling snow. I was the size of a snowflake, and tiny golf-ball-sized colored things were swirling around me, as well as the larger snowflakes. Then this light shone on one particular snowflake. As I floated over towards it, I saw it had red hair and green eyes, Kat's face materializing on one of the arms of the snowflake. The flake moved and was covering her head, then moving up and down. I was suddenly aware of a pleasurable sensation, as I watched snowflake-Kat's face move up and down one of the arms of my dendrite snowflake. Dream-world slowly faded away to a semi-dark gloom, where I felt warm, hot lips wrapped around my cock, bobbing up and down. I blinked the sleep away, and smiled at Kat, only to moan with the pleasure she was giving me.

"It was poking me, so I couldn't resist, plus, I had to get rid of it somehow." The smile in her voice was cute, endearing and heartwarming. Not to mention sexy.

"Oh Kat..." I moaned, running my fingers through her red curls, watching her give me amazing pleasure. A few minutes later, I was groaning my release, watching her swallow every bit. She crawled up toward me, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. I started moving to repay the favor to her, but she stopped me.

"Just hold me, I'm sleepy." She yawned, punctuating her point. I spooned up behind her, and we fell back asleep. No other dreams came to me the rest of the night, and well, most of the morning. Thanks to the blizzard, still raging, it appeared, the only way to tell the time was from my cell phone.

That second day in the cabin, we watched our final movie, the terrible action flick – and it was indeed terrible – made love some more, ate an amazing cooked meal (I couldn't even pronounce the name) talked more, took a nap together, made love again, showered, and found ourselves sitting in the main room, me fiddling with the radio, trying to find a station that could update us on the weather. Kat had taken out her sketch book and was working furiously on something. I let her be, to focus on whatever creative vision she had. Station after station played music, or talk shows, even a Spanish channel (I didn't know a lick of Spanish, which was funny, considering I grew up in a state that bordered Mexico), before I finally found a weather report.

"...indicates the blizzard that was in effect until 9pm has been canceled. Light flurries are expected to continue through the rest of the evening and night, with accumulations less than 1". Snow and blowing snow advisories are still in effect until 5pm tomorrow."

I turned the volume down, and glanced over to Kat. She was focused, probably hadn't heard the news report. I rose to go over and tell her, but she suddenly looked up and halted me.

"Wait! Don't move! Sit!" I sat down, startled. I looked around, trying to figure out what she was seeing. "Just a few more minutes..." I watched her work, scribbling, flicking, shading with her fingers – it was quite the sight to see. "Ok, sorry about that."

"That's ok. I heard a weather report."

"Oh, good! What's the scoop?"

"No more blizzard. Just light snow, less than 1" expected."

"How much do you suppose actually fell?" 

"Hmm..." I checked my cell phone for the time. "If it snowed solid since we got in here, perhaps from 4'-8'. Unless the rate dropped at some point."

"Holy shit! That much? Is that like, a new record?"

I thought for a moment. "Nope. A town west of Denver got over 5' in one day, back in the early 1900s. This was a big blizzard; don't get me wrong, just not the absolute most." I walked over to where she was sitting, wanting a peek at what she was drawing. She saw me and stood up.

"Oh yeah, I got inspired to draw a more abstract piece." She stepped aside, allowing me to sit in the chair. I'm glad I sat, because I was once again, absolutely blown away by her artwork.

"Oh my... Kat, this... everything you've drawn has been awe-inspiring and has taken my breath away." There on the paper, Kat had drawn an image of a cabin, looking much like ours, with snow swooped up the sides of it, such that just the roof and a little chimney were essentially poking out the top of a mound of snow. But what really captivated me, was how she somehow superimposed an image of me, wearing lab goggles, looking as if I was mixing something into the cabin, while keeping the snow at bay. And again, behind my back, were wings, like an angel, and that similar lighting effect around me. I don't know how she got two images like this on the same page. It looked like a photoshopped effect. 

"... Katherine White..."

"Wait,did you hear that? The radio – it said my name!" Kat rushed over to the radio and turned it up.

"... as one witness reported seeing a white van driving out of Phoenix, Northbound on I-17. Authorities have expanded their search to include Flagstaff, among other Arizona cities. Neighboring states have been notified of the search for the missing girl, now believed to be kidnapped. Anyone who has seen Katherine White, or has information regarding her whereabouts is encouraged to contact the FBI Crimestoppers at ~"

Kat turned the radio down again, flipping it to the couch.

"Holy shit... it sounds like one of those Dateline specials..."

It did indeed. The FBI was involved now. I wondered what would happen first – the FBI finding us, or the snow melting or getting moved so that we could leave. I knew one thing for sure: Katherine White was truly a fascinating and exciting woman to be around.

*****

Chapter 7

We sat there, a bit dumbfounded, confused, scared even – well at least I was. Kat looked somewhat excited. 

"This is gonna be on the news." She was staring off into space, her hands clasping together and fidgeting.

"Uh... it already is, I believe."

"No, I mean televised, probably nationwide. I wouldn't be surprised if international news picked up on it. I mean, my dad started dealing with some exporting."

"Exporting?"

"Yeah, like, beef products, certain dairy products, lettuce... those kinds of things."

I thought for a second, recalling all the information she'd told me, especially about the family she suspected was ultimately responsible for her kidnapping. If the McMahon family, probably those damned twins, wanted to use some land in Phoenix as a 'base of operations,' what better place than one that's already established and had the perfect front? "Paul? You look lost in thought. What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, I think I found, well, I have a hypothesis as to why the McMahons have been stepping up their 'attacks' on your family's business." I took a sip of the water I had next to me. "I suspect that he's looking for a 'front' to do shady business deals – perhaps trafficking to Mexico, as you said. If he had an established and well respected name, there probably wouldn't be as intense scrutiny of any shipment leaving with the White name branded on it."

"Fuck..." Kat's gaze unfocused, staring at a point somewhere beyond where I was sitting. "That would explain..."

"Explain what?"

"Some of the other issues we found on our properties – particularly our warehouses where trucks came and picked up goods to transport them. Slashed tires on the trucks, chains wrapped around axels..."

"I wonder if the McMahons even realize how minor and inconsequential these things are?"

"There's got to be more to it though. They've always raised their kids to be shrewd and cunning. I heard the conversation my dad was having with the board a while back. They'd been monitoring what McMahon had been doing with his company. Everywhere they looked – the income statements and balance sheets and other financial reports, other areas of public information – it all suggested that there was something shady going on. Things that should have been prohibited, regulated, restricted, they found these things were still running. Oil rigs in Texas that weren't up to environmental standards but never got shut down or changed, even cases where the EPA had been called in to investigate but no report had ever been filed, at least publically."




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 03



"Good God, how much money does this McMahon group pull in?" I was thinking there were some bribes, buyouts and payoffs going on there.

"It's hard to say. We've tried tracing every group, company, business, whatever; they just run too many companies to know for sure. Dad thinks they do that so it's harder for authorities to track where money may be going, how it's changing hands, if illegal things are going on..."

"To stay low profile..." I mused. We sat there in silence for a few minutes, absorbed in thought. I was considering the fact that Kat was probably in serious danger. But if there hadn't been any concrete evidence that this was a targeted attack, and not just some random kidnapping... She was the daughter of a wealthy business owner - maybe that was sufficient to get her police protection. But could McMahon have some police in his pocket too? Or was he even behind all this? Could all the attacks have been from a different party? I sat there staring into space. My eyes fell upon the radio, sitting on the table. It was still playing the station we had been tuned into. I could hear the sound of country music and identified it as my mom's favorite song – a George Strait number about ocean-front properties in Arizona. It was the end of the song and the station went into commercials. The sound of this commercial caught my interest, as it started with a voice-over, sounding like a skit.

"The date's over, and you're standing there in front of her door with her. She's inviting you up. 'C'mon, let's go.' Will you be ready when that moment... comes? 'Oh Johnny!' Get protected, with BarrierBlue, available in assorted sizes and textures."

What an odd commercial. Cheesy, with the innuendo, and horrible voice acting. The woman saying 'Oh Johnny' sounded like she was bored. At least I got to experience the full feeling and sensation with Kat, since she was on the...

Oh... no... We were stuck in here and she didn't have her purse when she was taken. She'd said she was on the pill. Didn't she have to take it every day? Or...

"Kat?" My voice cracked slightly. She looked over at me so I continued after clearing my throat. "Uh, earlier... you mentioned you were on the pill, right?"

I think she saw the worry I was trying to hide. At least, I think. I'm not actually sure what kind of look she gave me, since it crossed her face and left as soon as it had appeared.

"Kat?" I pressed again, wondering what she was thinking or what was happening.

"It... will be ok." Kat looked over at me and smiled warmly. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to think I've lied to you or anything. I really am on the pill," she paused for a moment, looking like she was concentrating on something. "We should be ok. I don't think I'm at the most fertile part of my cycle."

Well... that meant that every time we were having sex, we were basically gambling with the chances of having a pregnancy – with a woman I didn't know much about... except that her father was a really wealthy and probably very powerful man. I'm not sure that would go over well, trying to introduce myself as his daughter's boyfriend and explain away a pregnancy. I glanced at her again, but she didn't look worried. In fact, she was smiling and staring at me.

"Uh..."

"Shhh..." Kat interrupted me. She got up and walked over to me, placing her hands on my face. "Don't worry, Paul. It's only been a few days, but I have a feeling everything will work out." 

Huh, if that didn't sound cryptic then I was reading into what she just said a bit too much. 

I felt a little awkward, unsure what to say or do next. I know it was basic, something you just ask your partner. Hmm, my partner. I liked the sound of that.. Kat stretched and yawned. It made me yawn as well.

"Well, looks like we're both tired." She giggled softly. She offered me her hand. "Shall we go to bed?"

"Sounds good to me." We walked into the bedroom and turned in for the night. I wish I could say we made love, but it must have been the semi-dark feeling the cabin had, what with all windows covered by snow, that was making me feel just plain exhausted, as if I had run a marathon. Plus, snuggling up naked with Kat was incredibly relaxing and felt incredibly good. I felt her breathing slow, my own eyes closing.

**********

"...al... aul... Paaaaul..." The gradual whispers woke me from my dreamless sleep.

"Uhhhhh... what time is it?" I asked, feeling like my eyelids wouldn't quite open. I felt her reach across my chest. I squinted out one eye, seeing her check my phone.

"11. Good morning, sleepyhead." She kissed me, a tender sweet kiss that made me happy. That was definitely a wonderful way to wake up in the morning. I caught the scent of coffee in the air, plus something else. Eggs? Bacon? I couldn't tell.

"You've been busy, huh?" I kissed her nose.

"Yep." Her giggle was still as cute as when I first heard it. "I made us breakfast, then when I came in to wake you up, you looked so peaceful. I drew a picture of you, and then I climbed in to wake you, before our food got too cold."

"Ok, just let me use the bathroom real quick." I had to pee. Pretty badly. And for whatever reason, it was that feeling that, when just waking, the bladder doesn't feel full, but within a few minutes, you feel like you're going to piss yourself. I also had a rock hard erection, thanks in part to morning wood – I looked it up once, it actually has a scientific name of 'nocturnal penile tumescence' – but also to the fact Kat was wearing an apron, which must have been here in the cabin, and nothing else. The front of the apron hid her breasts, but her cleavage was still incredible to look at. What had me turned on the most was seeing her crawl back out of bed, her backside completely bare, save for the two ties at the neck and waist. Wow, her ass was absolutely amazing! I groaned, frustrated that I'd have to figure out a way to pee with my penis sticking straight out.

"Hmm... did I cause that?" Kat sounded overly innocent, looking at the tent I made of the covers. "Maybe I should take care of it then..."

"But I have to pee..." I can't believe I was attempting to refuse her. 

"I read in a magazine that guys can get an intense and incredible orgasm when their bladders are full. Wanna test it out?" Her sly grin made me smile too.

"With you looking like that, and knowing what you're capable of, I doubt I'll last long at all."

"Hmm, then we can still have warm food." With that, she crawled back on to the bed, peeling the covers off my body. Today, she wasted no time at all, grasping the base of my shaft and putting the head into her mouth. Holy crap, she was right, it felt more intense. Every sensation she made with her tongue, lips or teeth jolted up to my groin. It felt like I was on the edge of orgasm, due to the pressure of my bladder. 

"Oh God, Kat, that feels amazing!" I started moaning, panting as she picked up speed. "Oh, oh... hmmm..." It was intense. I was becoming delirious with pleasure. It started to feel like I was at the cusp of orgasm, but it just kept building in intensity. Higher and higher my pleasure went. My hands grasped hold of the sheets, hanging on for dear life. I was panting now, words failing me. My hips were jerking around, almost out of my own control. My panting built to a rapid in and out as I felt an incredibly powerful orgasm building. This feeling was definitely it, not the trick of my full bladder. I held my breath as the first wave of pleasure felt like a dam bursting within my whole groin. I could still feel my full bladder, pressing against something, making it feel more intense. Kat was watching me, those green eyes glued to mine, clearly smiling. As the next few waves hit, my breath let out, animalistic grunts coming from me with each spasm. Her mouth just caught every bit, swallowing. It felt like she was using my cock as a straw to suck out my cum.

As the last bit of cum leaked out of me, Kat licked it from the tip of my penis. I felt hyper-sensitive still, the contact making me jerk. 

"Well? What kind of results do we have? Is the hypothesis true?" She was grinning triumphantly now, as if she'd finished a race or won a medal.

"Uhhhh..." I still couldn't speak. I just nodded as much as I could, panting to catch my breath. "Gahh... I... wow." My heart was slowly returning to a normal pace. Kat crawled up to plant a kiss on my lips. I could barely wrap one of my arms around her back to accept the kiss. Part of her weight shifted onto my stomach and I was immediately reminded how badly I needed to pee. "Ok, gotta go now."

"Oops, sorry." She kissed me once more on the forehead, then turned and walked slowly out of the room, swishing her ass side to side, glancing over her shoulder to make sure I was watching. She blew a kiss and then she was out of sight. I slowly tried standing up. My legs were shaky, uncertain after such a powerful orgasm. But, as I made it to the toilet, I was soft enough to pee comfortably. I'd say that experiment was a profound success. But, further studying and confirmation would have to be made before we changed it from a theory to a scientific law. I'd have to tell Kat my findings.

Venturing out into the kitchen/dining area, I saw the small feast Kat had prepared. Wow. This girl did have a talent for cooking. There was a bowl of scrambled eggs, still steaming, a plate of bacon that looked cooked to perfection, some sausage links, biscuits, and Kat had already poured orange juice into our two cups. And there was the coffee I smelled, steaming in two mugs. I sat down in awe, and thanked her for the massive breakfast.

"You're welcome, Paul. Thank you for that serving of cream," She winked. "I wasn't sure how you'd want your coffee, but I think mine will be perfect now." Wow. She was still wearing the apron and nothing else. I had only donned a pair of shorts, but we ate and enjoyed the breakfast. We had idle conversation, small talk and sharing of stories from our childhood and on.

Just as we had finished and were picking up our plates and clearing the table, I heard it. It sounded like a rumble, a low hum. 

"Kat do you hear that?" I paused what I was doing, listening intently.

"What?" She stopped too, looking at me.

"Just... listen, do you hear that low rumbling sound?"

"Yeah, yeah I do. What do you think it is?" We looked between each other, but the sound gradually got louder and louder, until I realized what it was.

"Ah, it's a snowblower!" I quickly set the plates I was holding into the sink then heard the loud knock at the door. I ran to the bedroom, grabbing a pair of pants, then shrugging into my coat. "Kat, get dressed or hide, whatever you need to do, I think that's Max, the owner!" Kat scrambled to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. I approached the main door, hoping that it was just Max, so I could still have more time with Kat. Slowly opening the door, I was right, as the sight of thick, rope-like braids of beard stuck out from a bundled face and body. It was odd, but much better to see that than the wall of snow that had covered the storm door. I opened the storm door for him. 

"Hi! Just clearing out some of the snow, thought I'd check on you guys, see if you needed anything!" Max gestured behind himself, and I was in awe. There was almost a tunnel behind him, snow reaching up above his head. That has to be a drift; we couldn't have gotten that much snow...

"Hi Max. We're fine in here, just antsy to get out." He chuckled at my response. 

"Cabin fever setting in?" I could see a grin on his face, as he looked past me to the closed door.

"Well, uh... not exactly." I didn't tell him that authorities were searching for the 'missing' girl I was with. "The phone in here doesn't work, and my cell doesn't have reception out here."

"It don't work? Huh, I can have that probably fixed by this afternoon, can't guarantee it though." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'll be working on clearing out the parking lot and access road to this cabin. We only got a couple plows in town, but those boys know how to handle snow. I'd expect you can take off, well, provided they get the pass opened up, by nightfall, though I'd recommend another night to be safe."

"Thanks Max." I was about to shut the door when I had another thought. "Do you have a working phone, by chance? My parents were expecting me a couple nights ago and I thought I should call them before they worry themselves sick." 

"Yeah, I got my phone back at the office. It works, 'cause I called around this morning about the roads and plow progress." He looked over my shoulder again. "Why hello, Miss. I don't think I've had the pleasure..." He was extending his hand toward her. I stepped out of the way. Katherine was dressed in the heavy clothing we bought at the store.

"I'm Katherine, nice to meet you." She shook his hand. "How bad are we stuck?"

"Well, I was just sayin' probably one more night, to be safe."

"Thank you, for clearing this out." Kat looked behind him, her mouth hanging open in awe. I remembered, she said she hadn't seen snow, so to see the tunnel must have been a new sight. "How did you get through all that snow with that little machine?"

He chuckled, holding his finger up to his lips before whispering, "It's my li'l secret - a method that earns me lotsa money clearin' out snow." He stepped back from the door. "You two take care, stop by if you need the phone; I got a path clear to the office. I'll be running the truck later, trying to clear some of this away. Not sure how that part'll work, with the snow higher than my blade... haven't figured out a secret method for that one. Anywho, see ya folks later!" I shut the door to keep some of the heat in the cabin.

"Paul, we can get out of here! We can call our parents!" Kat was jumping up and down, then threw her arms around me in a crushing hug.

"Whoa," I grunted, her hug squeezing the air out of my lungs.

"Sorry, I'm just happy. I mean, this has been amazing, seeing snow, being with you... but I'd like to get back home, and hopefully sort some of this mess out."

"Yeah, that would be nice." Outside, we heard Max start the snowblower back up, the sound slowly fading away. "This whole town just seems to be full of nice people."

"You're right. Helen, our waitress, Monty, the store clerk, and Max, the cabin owner... It almost feels like a TV sitcom or something."

"Cheers... 'Sometime's you wanna go...'" I started to sing the theme song. She was giggling.

"'Where everybody knows your name!'" She finished for me, laughing. "That's awesome."

"Ok, well, if you want to get dressed to walk through this, we can head up to the office and make some phone calls," I offered.

"Yeah, sounds good." Kat bounded off to the bedroom again, and emerged a few moments later, wearing snow boots, gloves, hat, and scarf wrapped around her face. She looked adorable, so I thought I'd compliment her.

"Kat, you look... gorgeous, beautiful as always, but exceptionally cute in all that cold-weather gear."

"You look pretty handsome yourself." Her compliment made me grin and blush slightly.

"Alright, let me get my things and we'll head out."

The trek through the snow wasn't as bad as I had expected, but it was still incredible to see all the snow. It looked like the pictures of the Sahara Desert with the swirls and trenches created by the wind. We passed Max along the way, waving to him. He had gotten in to his truck as he had told us, and was working on the roadways, bit by bit.

Arriving at the office, we kicked the snow off our boots and stepped inside. I found the phone just inside the main desk area.

"You want to call first?" I asked Kat.

"Nah, you go ahead, let your parents know you're ok."

"Ok. Here goes." I dialed my parents' home number. It picked up after two rings.

"Hello?" It was my dad's voice.

"Hey Dad, it's me, Paul. I'm ok, just got caught in that blizzard and had to ride it out.

"Just a moment." There was a slight pause and shuffling, before the phone speaker nearly deafened me.

"PAUL!!! OH MY BABY, I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!!! HOW COME YOU DIDN'T CALL, YOU SHOULD HAVE CALLED US. YOU WORRIED ME SO MUCH, YOUNG MAN!!!" I had the receiver away from my head, but my mom could still be heard quite clearly. Kat mouthed the word 'wow' to me. I mouthed back, 'I know.'

"Mom... it's ok, calm down. We didn't have any phone service, and were literally snowed in."

"We?? Why did you say 'we'?" Figures my mom would be both that quick and that nosy.

"Kat and I. I fou..." Kat interrupted my words with an elbow to my ribs, shaking her head. 'Later' she mouthed to me. I cleared my throat. "I met Kat earlier and thought I could give her a ride since she lived in Phoenix, too."

"Oh, ok, honey, that's nice of you. We were so worried, Paul. We heard about the blizzard, and we thought the worst when we didn't hear from you."

"I'm sorry you had to be worried like that. Well, the roads will probably be safe enough by tomorrow, so I'll probably see you guys tomorrow night. Love you."

"Ok, honey, we love you too. Be safe, be careful! I still want to meet this girl, you know."

I laughed. "Yeah, of course, Mom. Bye now."

"Bye bye, honey." I heard the line click and set the phone back onto the receiver.

"Whew, that wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be..." I said to Kat.

"You did a good job," she said with a smile.

"What, lying to my parents?"

"No, of course not. I meant how you allayed your mom's fears in such a calm way. Besides, you didn't directly lie, you just didn't tell the whole truth."

"I suppose you're right. You need to call your dad?"

She sighed. "Yeah, I'd better, before he spends way too much money paying for search parties and whatnot." I stepped aside so she could dial.

"Here goes," she whispered to me. She waited longer than I had to. Based on her face, I assume she was listening to the answering machine, or voicemail, whatever it was. Then she started speaking.

"Hey Dad, it's me. I'm ok, really. I'm not harmed in any way – I'm ok. A really nice gentleman saw me on the side of the road and offered help, so I'll be riding back with him tomorrow. The snow has had us trapped for so long, but it's been fun to see all the snow. Well, I'll get going, tell Mom I'm ok. Bye." She hung up the phone and turned to me. "It was his answering service. He must be away."

"Do you think we should call the FBI or something, let them know you're fine?" I wondered.

"Naw, my dad will do that part. He'll have an easier time getting the message across."

"Ok, well, let's go then."

With our messages delivered to the best of our abilities, we headed back to the cabin. The rest of our day was largely the same as the past couple days – food, hang-out time, chatting, making love. Although we did get out to build Kat her first snowman. She loved that part, because afterward, when we were cold, we raced into the cabin and helped each other stay warm with hot chocolate, warm showers and cuddles.

The evening and overnight passed by quickly. The next morning we checked around the cabin, packing all our belongings, cleaning here and there as needed, when we heard a horn sounding outside the cabin. I peeked out the door, surprised to see Helen waiting for us.

"Hop on in, Sweeties! Max told me you'd be leaving this morning." Helen drove up the small inclined hill, parking in front of the office. I paid Max, thanked him profusely for his assistance and wonderful cabins. Back in the truck with Helen, she drove us to the diner, where we enjoyed a meal before we'd be heading out on the road. She gave us some last advice for getting over the pass.

"Honey, I have some extra chains. I had a truck with tires pretty much the same size as your Explorer. So you get those chains on over the pass and take them off when the sign indicates." Helen even stepped outside with us and showed me how to install them. I thanked Helen so much, since without her I doubt we'd have been able to make it to the cabins.




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 03



She waved it off as no big deal, thanking us for stopping by. "Make sure you come back here. And let me know when the wedding is!" She laughed when both of us turned red. "Bye Sweeties!"

There I was, back in my trusty Explorer, Kat sitting next to me – this time bundled in winter wear – and we headed off down the road. The plows had been through and did the best job they could. When I encountered the chains sign, I pulled off at the next rest stop area, quickly putting the chains on. We made it over the pass with no issues. After a few bends and curves, the road straightened out a bit. With a little over 6 more hours to go, we headed down the other side of the mountain pass, a near constant stream of conversation going between us. 

"Paul, can we stop at the next rest stop? I have to use the restroom." Kat announced a while later.

"Sure, I should probably go too." We had a lull in the conversation after that, so I began thinking. Had that blizzard not shown up, I would have just taken her straight home. Or, she would have been found by someone else. I think I was the only one really travelling that day, what with a winter storm warning in effect. I realized I was actually thankful for that blizzard. I had discovered things with Kat that I doubted I would ever encounter again. She had awoken a fire within me, a passion for something other than snowflakes. And that was saying a lot. I had based my whole college existence on studying snowflakes. I'd probably continue it, too - there was so much to learn from them. But this feeling – a warm, glowing feeling, something that I felt deep inside of me, and every time I considered it, I felt happy – this feeling made me want to get trapped in another blizzard with Katherine White. It made me want to be there for her through thick and thin, to help her when she was down, and to celebrate with her in the ups... Anything I had ever imagined love could be, I was starting to feel with Kat. And yet she had been the one to suggest a commitment... I wondered if she was still serious about that, and if she still would be when we got back to Phoenix. There was a chance she was just putting me on, since there wasn't any other option she could have taken. But everything she had said and done was so genuine. My thoughts were interrupted as the rest stop came into view.

"Ok, here we are." I said, coming to a stop in a parking space. Kat walked quickly to the restrooms. I didn't feel too strong an urge, so I thought I'd use the phone instead. My cell had reception now, so I decided to call my roommate. I tried to explain to him our situation, and if he knew of any way to let someone know that Kat was safe – like an anonymous tip. He told me he'd try his best.

"Paul!" Kat cheerfully called my name. 

"Ok, gotta go, talk to you when I get back?" I ended my call with my roommate, then turned and saw Kat headed rapidly my direction. I quickly stuffed my phone into my pocket, just in time, as Kat leapt into my arms. It caught me slightly off balance and we tumbled into the snow (considerably less of it here than back around that pass) laughing the whole time. She was straddling my hips and leaned forward to kiss me. 

"Kat, may I ask you a question?" I was staring into her deep green eyes. She nodded.

"You don't have to ask me if you can. Just ask me what you want, you know?" 

"Oh ok... Well, are you still serious about being my girlfriend? Like we talked about, skipping the interim stuff?"

"I'd like to give it at least a try, Paul. You're such a wonderful man, and I enjoyed my time with you in that cabin."

"Yeah, me too." I paused, taking a deep breath. "More than I had ever imagined. I... well... I think I'm starting to fall in love with you. I'd really like to give this a try."

"Aww, you really are such a sweetheart!" The smile was at her lips again. "So you're my boyfriend now?"

"Of course," I murmured, between kisses. What started as soft, innocent and sweet kisses, quickly evolved into deep, passionate, tongue–twining, tantalizing kisses. I found myself growing hard, and somehow Kat felt it. Or guessed it. Probably guess, since we had on so much clothing.

"Ah, I love feeling you get hard." Well, I guess she did feel it. She rose off of me to look around, then leaned closer to me to whisper. "Let's make love."

"Here? Now??" I was wondering if she meant out here in the open. While we were alone at the moment, anyone could be pulling off for their own rest break.

"No, silly. We could go over into the woods a short ways, or behind the building." That sounded more enticing. 

"Ah, you know I can't resist you. Let's hurry though; it's still really cold out." She helped pull me to my feet. We rushed across the snowy open area, behind the brick building that housed the bathrooms. The building had been erected just beyond a line of trees, so we had a pretty effective screen of privacy.

"God, I just love fucking you," Kat whispered into my ear, kissing any exposed skin she could find. Her hands were fumbling with the belt of my pants, so I reached down to help her out a bit. She took the time to pull her gloves off, stuffing them into her pockets. As she reached into my pants, pulling my hard cock out to the air, the sting of the cold was a bit shocking, but the contrast between her still warm hands and the frigid air had a certain allure to it that made it all the sexier.

"Ah, Kat, that feels good." She was using her hand to slide up and down my stiff member. "Switch spots with me, I have an idea." I had been with my back to the wall, so we shuffled around so her back was against the wall. I reached down, undoing her pants and sliding them slowly down so I could reach my fingers in and touch her pussy. It was wet, hot, and seemed ready to be fucked, so I kissed her once more, then spun her around to face the wall, her bare ass facing me. She gasped, bracing her hands against the wall. I bent and kissed each cheek a few times. She caught on to what I was thinking and arched her back, thrusting her hips toward me, letting me catch a glimpse of her glistening pussy tucked between her legs. I pressed my cock between her cheeks, feeling her warmth against me. She reached back to help guide me in, and I felt myself sliding into her, bit by bit. Oh, heavenly sweet bliss, that felt so good, the walls of her vagina creating a sensation of perfect friction on my shaft. 

"Fuck me hard, Paul, and spray my insides with your thick cum." Ooooh, she was talking dirty. I liked it, but I wasn't sure how to get her to say more. I decided to do as she said, and pressed hard into her, my hips meeting the flesh of her bare ass. "Ungh, yes, hard, just like that. Make me scream..."

I pulled back until just my head was in her before ramming forward again, my hips slapping against her. She grunted, then moaned as I repeated it, over and over, grunting with each thrust, moaning with each pulling out.

"Paul, oh fuck, I can feel your balls slapping against me... Oh! Fuck, fuck, ungh ungh, ungh, ungh!" I was pounding into her now, full sawing motion, deeply in and out of her. The pleasure was intense, but hearing her moan and grunt was even sexier.

"Are you gonna cum for me, Sweetheart?" I was surprised to hear myself sounding confident and in charge. It felt wonderful and amazing! "Cum on my dick, let me feel you cum and hear you scream."

"Ah! Fuck, I love hearing you talk dirty. Fuck my pussy, harder!" We were like wild animals at that point, with me pounding into her fast and hard, her grunts and groans mixing with dirty words of encouragement.

I was panting now, feeling my own release approaching, as I heard her breathing start to hitch. I think that meant she was about to cum, based on our past experiences. Sure enough.

"Oh fuck, I'm cumming, Paul, fuck, fuck, I'm cumming, oh, your cock feels so gooooood, FUCK!!!" I thrust a few more times and felt myself shoot into her.

"Ungh... fuck." Was all I could get out, my release overwhelming me. That was intense. I looked around us, seeing the white of the snow everywhere, hanging off the trees, coating the ground with branches and pine cones poking out of the thin layer of snow here and there. With a last effort, I tried to sound in charge and confident. "Look around and remember this moment, Kat. You got fucked behind a rest stop, surrounded by snow." I leaned in, peeling her coat back enough to kiss and nip at her neck.

"Oh, Paul, you fucking amazing man... I told you there was a confident man inside you... Believe me, I will remember this moment... ooooh..." She eased forward so I slid out of her. She quickly pulled her pants back up, slightly shivering. I pulled mine up too. Grabbing Kat, I pressed her back into the wall, kissing her deeply and fully. Oh it felt good to feel like this – in charge, confident, in control. 

"Kat?"

"Yeah Paul?"

"That was amazing."

"Agreed. But I'm getting cold."

"Right, let's get back to the heater." We ran around the corner, and saw that there was a middle aged man letting his dog out and about. As we passed him, I heard him mutter, 'Fuckin kids these days' or at least something similar to that. It made Kat and me giggle, even after we got into the Explorer and started back down the road.

"Do you think he heard us?" Kat asked me, giggling.

"'Fuckin' kids these days,'" I tried to imitate how I heard his voice. Kat burst out laughing.

"Oh, I thought he said 'Fuckin' as they please, gah.'" We shared laughter for a while, enjoying the high of having just made love in a public space, with someone potentially having heard us. 

It wasn't too long before Kat and I eased into the comfortable pattern of conversation and silence we'd grown accustomed to over the past few days together. Everything about it just felt so natural, so perfect. I really was falling in love. Whether it was a long-lasting, permanent kind of love or not was a question for a different day, a different time, but right now, I knew I was falling for her – hard. 4 days. It didn't seem like that much. Yet it seemed like a long time. In a way, it almost felt like a honeymoon. I let my mind wander and enjoy that thought – being married to this incredible, feisty, beautiful and talented redhead. Katherine White was a dream girl, and as it appeared, as she had even said, she was MY dream girl. I couldn't help it, I started giggling with giddy excitement.

"What's so funny?" Kat asked, looking over at me.

"Nothing much... I was just thinking how you're, like, totally my dream girl. Everything I ever thought I wanted in a woman, you have and then some. You're far more beautiful than any woman I've ever seen, dreamed, or fantasized about. And you follow my intellectual ramblings as if you were a fellow Ph.D. candidate – or already holding a doctorate's degree. Plus, you create these amazing sketches from a piece of paper and a cheap pencil, expressing such deep emotions and thoughts with such simple mediums... Oh, and you make good food too." After my little speech, Kat had tears, but was laughing at the last line. 

"Oh, Paul, you are really so sweet. I really feel the same about you, you know? You're such a smart guy, knowing a bit about almost everything, but especially all you know about water, snow, and the formation of ice. You're sweet, kind, caring – willing to share the coat off your back even if it means you'll freeze. You've got an incredibly cute body, I feel like I fit so perfectly in your arms and against you. I feel like the winner here." She giggled, further reinforcing the fact that I couldn't get enough of that giggle – and that each one was unique in and of itself. She was shuffling now, so I glanced over to her, seeing she had unbuckled her seatbelt and slid as far over as she could, to lean on my shoulder and hold onto my arm. She sighed, but it sounded content and happy. We continued talking with her hanging on to me like that. 

I'd been so lost in conversation with her that I hadn't noticed our signs. We were only 20 some miles outside Phoenix. Still dressed in our snow attire. That made sense why, even with the heater off, I had started sweating. But, we were almost home. Gosh, those last few hours passed so quickly. I was curious what would happen with the whole kidnapping thing. I thought now the perfect time to let Kat know I cared.

"Kat, if anything happens after I drop you off, if the whole kidnapping thing is too much, call me, please." I had her get a piece of paper and a pen from my glove box, to write my number on. She took it and put it back in the glove box. I was confused at first. Why did she do that? Did she not want my number?

"You don't need paper, I already put my contact info in your phone." Hearing that, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Paul, I just want you to know that regardless of what happens, I've enjoyed our time together. I will never forget all the things you gave me and meant to me. I really do hope we can be together, but if something happens, please, just remember that." I smiled at her, nodding and saying I would remember it, asking her to remember the same of me.

After a few short minutes, we were in Phoenix. Kat was directing me toward her parents' home. Navigating the final few turns, I felt a growing anxiety. I was going to be separated from her. I had grown so accustomed to having her around. 

Pulling into a quiet looking neighborhood, I eased my Explorer along the road, watching for the wide, green ranch-style home. Nope, nope, not that one... ah, there it is. I pulled into the driveway, and shut off the engine. For being the house of a multi-billion dollar CEO, it was really unassuming and, well, plain. As I was opening the door, trying to get out quickly and open her door for her, I noticed rapid movement in the side mirror and out of the corner of my eye. People, who looked as if they had been walking dogs and watering gardens, were now rushing towards my Explorer with guns.

"GET OUT OF THE CAR, NOW!!!" I heard a voice scream. What the fuck was going on?

"GET OUT!!!! FBI!!!" I stepped out of the car, seeing Kat do the same. We still had on snow pants from earlier. 

"HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD WHERE WE CAN SEE 'EM!!!" A voice yelled, from what looked like an unsuspicious dog-walker.

"GET ON THE GROUND!!! HANDS OUT!!!" This came from a tropical-shirt guy who was gardening earlier. Holy shit, what had I gotten into?

I eased myself to the ground, slowly. I could see Kat being hauled off by two men in black uniforms. She was screaming my name, screaming 'don't take him, don't take him from me!'

"No sudden moves, asshole! Give me your hands!" A voice yelled behind me. I complied, lifting my hands to the small of my back. I felt my hands being bound together.

"What's going on?" were the only words I could manage to get out.

"Paul Jacob Goodman, you are under arrest in connection with the kidnapping of Ms. Katherine White. You have the right to remain silent..." He proceeded to ramble off the stuff you only usually see on TV, before I realized what he was saying. Me?? Kidnapped her?? What kind of misunderstanding was this???

"PAUL!!! NO, LET HIM GOOOO!!! NOOOOO!!!" I heard Katherine's wails from somewhere off just beyond my vision. The sound of her voice nearly broke my heart. 

What the fuck was going on!?



Ending Notes:

Bum bum baaaa!!! Holy shit, even I didn't see that coming. What's going to happen next? I hope to have the next section up much quicker than it took this one to come out. Barring unforeseen and unexpected circumstances, I expect it will. It's flowin' and it's flowin' hot and ready.

As an aside, GaiusPetronius, my editor, was curious about my reference to the full bladder experience, mentioning it wasn't a much heard of sexual experience (And he's retired from being a lawyer, so I imagine he's seen a lot).

I actually experienced this myself, and noticed it is an incredible experience. I was still in high school when I signed up for a sample Playboy. In there was an article about orgasms with bladders being semi to mostly full. Well, it was several years later, after I had met the woman I'm still with, while we were laying there in my bed, in a small apartment in Colorado. We were relaxing, just cuddling and enjoying our time together. I was just about ready to get up and pee when she rolled over and started kissing me. I couldn't pass up the moment, so I went with it. During the entire thing, I felt the pressure of my full bladder, in a sensation that was similar to having a mild orgasm. I also lasted longer than I usually did, to the point that she actually had gotten off several times and was wondering if I was ever going to finish. I redoubled my efforts, and with her encouragement, finally got release. It felt so intense, so incredible. I looked it up, and it turns out, at least in males, that when orgasm hits, the sphincter to the bladder pinches extra tight, so much so that I doubt even the strongest willed could urinate during orgasm. It's supposed to happen to protect the other areas of the plumbing from having waste (read: urine) get into it. (Any wonders where I got the inspiration for Paul's character?)

Anyway, guys, if you're bored and lonely some night and thinking about masturbating, give it a try. Not when you're ready to burst, the "I-can't-hold- this-get-outta- my-way-before- I-piss-myself" feeling, but when you have that urge. It's a unique and interesting feeling.

Apparently, in females, when you've emptied your bladder before, that "I'm-about-to-piss-myself" feeling is actually some glands in there ready to make you squirt. 

And that concludes my end notes, sorry for the length. 



A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 04



Author's Notes: 

Up to this point, every scientific detail has been thoroughly researched and included as fact. There are a few spots in this chapter where I use, how shall I say, "author's prerogative" to advance the plot in the way it happened in my mind. 

This was a fun chapter to write. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it. 

Once again, a huge thanks to GaiusPetronius. He helped me catch a couple glaring plot holes. He also helped, once again, to polish any rough edges I may have left behind. I made some changes after his edit, so I claim responsibility for any errors remaining. 

***** 

Chapter 8 

"C'mon pal, get your ass up!" one of the FBI agents yelled at me, roughly tugging on the cuffs. To say I was shocked was a gross understatement. No, I was confused beyond thinking straight. The only things I could actually think about were the ticking I was hearing from my Explorer's engine and Kat. Where was she? Was she safe? At least she'd be kept out of the clutches of the McMahons. I couldn't hear her anymore, so they must have either taken her inside or gotten her into another vehicle. 

"Where is she?" I finally croaked out. 

"Like fuck we'd tell you!" another agent piped up. "Can you believe this guy? Kidnaps the lady and delivers her right back." 

"Yeah, what a fucktard." The agents were conversing as if I wasn't even there, acting as if I was like the same kind of "perps" seen on TV shows. But what could I say? 

"I didn't kidnap her!" I tried protesting. "I picked her up off the..." 

"Shut up, asshole! Don't forget anything you say can and WILL be used against you." The supposed gardener, the one wearing the tropical shirt, came around to the front, facing me. "Do as we say, cooperate with us, and things will go smoothly. You don't want to see what happens if you resist..." The iciness in his voice sent chills down my spine, worse than the coat-less journey out to Helen's car while I was with Kat. Kat... did that really happen just 4 days ago? And now this? What the hell was going on? 

"Let's go, boys!" The group followed suit, piling into a van that hadn't been there just moments ago. I tried looking around to spot Kat, but I couldn't see or even hear her. I just hoped she was ok. She had sounded so pained and hurt. In my mind's ear I could still hear her voice calling out my name. 

As I was roughly shoved into the van, another agent clipped my handcuffs to an anchor in the floor, another agent using a plastic tie to secure my feet together. Where were we going from here? I imagined they'd take me to some unmarked building and interrogate me, or throw me into some cell for a while. At least that's what they did on TV and in the movies. But then a black bag suddenly went over my head. I hadn't expected that. It was thick too, my breath immediately heating up the interior. I found it more difficult to breathe. And the van was fucking hot. It didn't help I still had on my snow pants and boots, but at least I had taken the upper layers off, leaving just a t-shirt. 

"Gecko, where are we goin' again?" I heard a voice from the front area of the van. 

"Fuck, Dingo, pay attention next time!" One of the guys to my right practically screamed. That same icy voice, now filled with rage, made me shiver. "Drop point R-Four-Two-Two! Ask again and I'll shoot you myself." Drop point? What did that mean? And was he joking, or being serious? I didn't have any idea how FBI agents actually conversed but this sounded, I don't know, somehow "off." I felt the van lurch forward, rapidly gaining speed. Each turn and bump was painfully tugging on my cuffed hands. At one point, a turn was taken so abruptly, my head was thrown into an agent's knee. He then, in turn, kicked me away. Was this how criminals were treated behind the scenes? And how about the fact I was innocent? Maybe Kat would explain it to the other guys and this whole misunderstanding would go away, and we could be back together. I couldn't believe how much I missed her already. I tried to imagine how much time had elapsed since I pulled into her parents' driveway and agents piled on us from every direction. I think it was about 4 or 5 pm, with the sun just setting. I couldn't even guess what time it was now, or even gauge how long I'd been in the back of this van. 

It was quiet, save for the road noise. No one had said anything. There had been a couple of light coughs, but no words had been exchanged since Gecko had threatened the driver, Dingo. What odd names. I understood Gecko, but Dingo? Wasn't that an Australian dog? Unless the agent was from Australia... but his voice sounded much like the people I grew up around - very plain. The time seemed to crawl and I was getting more and more anxious the longer the van traveled. It was going straight at a high speed now, suggesting we were on a highway or interstate. Where were they taking me? I began counting the bumps I felt in the road. They seemed to be coming every second or so, like a crack or segment in the road at regular intervals. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I kept counting. It was the only thing I could really focus on anyway. 

I'd been counting for a while, having reached over 500 when I felt the van change course just slightly, with me leaning forward now. It felt like an offramp. That seemed correct as the van slowed nearly to a stop before making a hard turn. So I was right, we had been on some kind of limited-access highway. The van continued at a slightly slower pace than before. There were no bumps or cracks to count this time, so I let my mind drift back to Kat and our time together. I remembered her telling me her story of how she was abducted - first sketchily at the diner, then in more detail at the cabin. And suddenly it was as if a bell chimed inside my head. I realized I was speaking before I could stop myself. 

"The reports said multiple men abducted her." Shit, I spoke. Was I not supposed to? But that was a pressing detail I felt could absolve me, even partially. 

I was on my side before I even knew what hit me. Pain had erupted on both sides of my head - one side from hitting the floor of the van, the other from God knows what smashed into me. 

"Are you retarded or something?" The same voice spoke up, the one the driver had called Gecko. "What part of 'Shut up!' do you not understand?" 

"Gecko, chill, he said alive and unharmed." A voice said somewhere above my head. This voice was low, relaxed, but sounded authoritative. My head was throbbing, but at least I could still hear and understand what was being said. He? The voice said 'he.' Who was he talking about? A supervisor or superior or something? 

I heard a scoffing sound from where I thought Gecko was. "You are one lucky sonofabitch, let me tell you that, buddy," followed by a chuckling sound. "Anyone else and you'd be dead already." 

What? Dead? Did the FBI do that to people? Before I could think on that further, the van pulled to a stop. I felt my arms being unhooked from the floor. Hands gripped me around my shoulders and feet, lifting me up off the floor of the van and out into open air. The first thing I noticed was the air temperature. I had expected it to be milder, but it felt chilly. I also noticed a lack of any sound except for a few crickets. I was carried for several seconds before being roughly dumped onto the ground. Since my arms were bound behind my back and the bag still hung around my head, I couldn't identify the terrain, whether dirt, grass, concrete or something else. 

"Here's the deal, buddy: You got lucky. You just got yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Listen to this after we pull away. Do what it says, and you'll never see or hear from us again," Low-And-In-Control said to me. I felt something hard and heavy drop onto my back, just above my cuffed hands. "But make any sudden moves before you hear us leave and we'll shoot you. Goodbye, Mr. Goodman." The cuffs were unlocked and removed from my sore wrists. I did as they said and remained as motionless as I could. The sounds of feet walking away from me, doors closing, and the van peeling away were the only things I could hear. 

I lay there and waited for what seemed an eternity, until I could not hear the van any longer. Slowly, I brought my aching arms up to push myself off the ground, feeling that hard, heavy object slide off my back. I pulled the bag off my head, but I might as well have left it in place. It was dark, nearly pitch black. Virtually nothing was visible in front of me. Off in the distance, on the horizon, I saw the glow from some city. I hoped it was Phoenix. But, seeing as I didn't know how long they'd driven me, it could've been Tucson. I doubted it was Flagstaff, since I hadn't felt any significant altitude changes, although I really wasn't sure anymore, especially since the air felt so cold. I remember as a child, some of the surrounding deserts would get bone-chillingly cold at night and during the winter months. 

Remembering the thing that had landed on my back, I searched around me for where it was. Finding it, I fiddled with it, trying to figure out what it could be. The guy had said to listen to it. It felt roughly square in shape, perhaps 8 or 9" on one side. I felt some kind of seam or split along the sides. As I fingered it some more, it dawned on me: I was holding a portable DVD player, much like the one Kat and I had purchased to play movies. I found the latch release and popped it open, pressing the button I assumed was the power switch. 

When the screen flicked on, a little white triangle appeared in the corner, and the screen faded in from black to the image of an elderly man sitting at a desk, books behind him. Looking into his eyes, I felt terror. He began speaking, in a tone that was equally frightening and commanding. 

"Greetings, Mr. Goodman. My name is Edmond McMahon. I imagine, since you've been around Miss White for a while, you may have heard a few things about my family - mostly, I presume, about my grandchildren, Jasmine and Jasper. My son, Stanley, you probably didn't hear much about, since he wanted to make amends with the White family. He didn't have any spine. Those White bastards have always been getting their way, yet looking like noble, lawful people the whole while." Edmond slammed his fist on the table. "They don't know a fucking thing about running a business! Sure, Doug has built up a pretty large company. But he had everything given to him along the way. Those businesses were already up and running when he got them. He didn't have to scrape and penny-pinch. He didn't have to struggle to make ends meet. No..." He started chuckling. "My business, my empire - this is how you run things; neat, efficient, cost-effective, and productive. 

"Mr. Goodman... Paul, you are lucky, son. Normally, if someone had come poking their nose where it didn't belong, they wouldn't be breathing right now. Neat, efficient, cost-effective, and productive. But you, you've written those damned papers - climate-control papers that have started appearing in scientific journals. I've been around. I know how this stuff goes. Some cub reporter on a slow news day gets hold of those journals, reads your articles, figures out enough from the abstracts to see something newsworthy. Pretty soon, stories start appearing in the popular press, the so-called Main Stream Media. You get your almighty doctor's degree, find yourself on the lecture circuit, and all the Chicken Littles get stirred up again. And that is bad for my kind of business. I'd like to have you killed, each part of your body left somewhere buried in snow - that'd be ironic, wouldn't it, Paul?" His stare, even through the screen, made my blood run cold. The man looked to be in his 70s or 80s, but had such an icy stare to him that I started shaking. I didn't think it was the cold making me shiver, either. The video continued, showing Edmond with a smirk. 

"I'd just love to have you buried piece by piece in snow. But, being that you've written what you have, any unfortunate end to your life would likely raise the wrong sorts of suspicions and send authorities sniffing around here, especially since you've had contact with Miss White. That would be most undesirable. So... you get to live." He leaned forward. "But I promise you this: if you so much as show up around my business in any way - poking your nose into the White family affairs, meddling around with that little bitch, or fucking around with anything I am even remotely associated with, you can consider your miserable little life at an end, along with your family, friends, associates... Well, I'm sure you can get the picture." He chuckled, or rather cackled, a hideous, evil sound. "But if you don't... let me demonstrate to you just how much I know." 

The screen turned to black with white words scrolling past. First were my parents' names, their address and phone numbers, what looked like their social security numbers... How did this guy get this kind of information? Next came my aunts and uncles, my cousins and their kids, followed by my roommate, his girlfriend, my professors... My stomach was turning sour. The list kept going on and on, names I realized I hadn't been in contact with for very long, but there they were, nonetheless. When I thought I couldn't take any more, the screen faded back in to Edmond, with his creepy, smirky grin. 

"So Paul,.. do I make myself clear? I'll say it clearer for you. STAY...THE FUCK... OUT OF... MY... BUSINESS!" His fist hammered the table with each word. His face was red, a vein popping just above his eye. I briefly wondered if he could get a heart attack or something, acting like that. But his point was clear. And he scared me, he scared me shitless and pissless. He continued, after taking a deep breath and wiping his brow with a handkerchief. 

"The only name I left out of my list is Miss Katherine White. I saved her for last. If you continue to poke around in my business, she gets the special treatment. I'm talking about torture, Paul - the kind of torture that makes people beg for death. I won't elaborate, as I'm sure you might be able to imagine." He cleared his throat. "The best part is that I can make it look like you did it." He pulled out a small device, and pushed a button on it. I heard Kat's voice. ~Dad... I'm... not ok... really... harmed... saw me on the side of the road... riding... had... me... trapped for so long... tell... Mom... bye...~ He clicked the device off. How the heck had he done that? That was some intense voice-manipulation. That would probably explain why he knew, or suspected, at least, that she was coming back. He must have had her father's phone tapped. 

"Now, you're in the desert, Paul. And if you want to survive, I suggest you listen carefully. Stand up. Now." I did just that, standing up, still holding the player. "Walk towards the glowing horizon." Again, I followed his orders. I doubted a trick now, as I was pretty sure if he intended me dead or harmed, I wouldn't be holding this video. "Walk straight for 50 meters. You'll find your vehicle waiting for you, everything you had still inside. Remember, Paul, I know how to find you and all your loved ones. You contact the police about this, or the FBI..." He pulled his finger across his throat. "And don't even think about showing this video. In fact, I'd recommend you throw this player as far behind you as you can and sprint toward the glow. Unless you like pieces of plastic embedded in your skin. You have 10 seconds." The player turned black, a giant green 10 on the screen. It turned to 9 and I assumed this guy wasn't kidding. I turned around, closed the lid, and chucked the player like it was a discus, hoping it went far enough. I turned back to the glow and started running as fast as I could, trying to count in my head. When I thought the time had run out, two things happened at once; behind me, I heard and felt a blast more powerful than I thought possible from that tiny DVD player, and I found my Explorer, running into it full tilt. 

I knew I was dazed. Lying on the ground, staring up at the starry sky, I wondered which had caused the dizziness. I tilted my head back slowly, trying to see any indication of the explosion. I think I may have expected a fiery blaze, a residual flaming crater, anything except the blackness I saw. I slowly got to my feet, leaning on my Explorer for support. Damn, that hurt. As my mind came back into focus, my experience in chemistry told me that any kind of explosive, given the size of that DVD player, wouldn't have caused the chaos I had been imagining. I chalked it up to my frayed nerves. 

So I hadn't been arrested, hadn't been charged with kidnapping. That would have been a more desirable outcome, as I thought about it. Kat would have testified and cleared my name and we... 

Kat! Fuck, that bastard must have her! But what could I do about it? If I went to the authorities, even the FBI, he clearly said he'd retaliate. I didn't want that for anyone, and most of all not for Kat. But I couldn't just leave her in the clutches of such a loathsome, twisted man. One thing I knew for sure: I had to figure out where the hell I was right now. 

I climbed into my Explorer, immediately searching for my phone. I usually tucked it into a side pocket while I was driving anywhere. I sighed in relief, seeing it was still there. Remembering Kat's words that she had put her contact information into my phone already, I searched through my contact list. Finding her name, I opened it just to make sure. In the number line, instead of her digits, the words 'NICE TRY BUDDY' were listed. Well, that just sucked. Not that they'd likely let her have her phone. Or that she even had it to begin with, since I hadn't driven her to her car where she said she had left her belongings. 

That's it! I could look there, try and find where she had parked, see if it was still there. I racked my memory, trying desperately to remember if she had told me any details about the abduction, any information about her car, the location, the restaurant name... I sighed. It wouldn't matter anyway. The police would have tried combing the area over for details, likely seizing the car as evidence. And even then, there was no guarantee how much of a hair-trigger rage Edmond McMahon had. Would he act on his threat if I so much as went to look for her information? Probably - he sounded like he had control, information, and an ability to get others to do the dirty work for him. 

I pounded my fist into the steering wheel. I know it didn't help anything, but I was at my limit of frustration. I figured I'd call my parents and let them know I was ok. They were expecting me, once again. I pulled up their contact picture and hit dial. 

"Hello?" Dad's voice answered after the first ring. Sheesh, did Dad just wait by the phone all the time these days? 

"Hey Dad, it's me again." 

"Paul, are you ok? We've been worried about you. You're late." At least it was Dad, and not Mom yelling like she tended to do. 

"Yeah... I, uh... well I ran into some trouble again, and we'll probably have to stay at a motel tonight." I was surprised how easily the lie came to my lips. I felt bad, but I didn't want to get my parents involved in whatever crap I had just stumbled upon. 

"Thanksgiving is only a couple days away. Will you make it?" 

"I'll give it my best, Dad." I wasn't sure if I was going to make it, or how that was going to work out. 

"Ok, Son. We love you. Take care and keep us updated if anything happens." 

"Alright, love you too, Dad. Tell Mom I love her too." I wondered, if I did get involved, would I even be able to see my parents again? Or anyone? I shook off the thought. 




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 04



"Bye, be safe." And the line clicked off. I stared at my still-glowing phone, wondering what I was going to do at all. 

A sudden thought struck me. How had Edmond McMahon known about me? How had he had enough time to get all that info? Oh, it had to be a phone tapping. Kat had called her parents' house again, while we were driving home, letting them know my name. These days, from what I understood, a name was all you needed to get plenty of information - provided you had the right connections. 

At least my phone had reception out here. And a data connection. It was limited, but it still worked. I quickly checked the maps and saw I was outside Phoenix, some 70 miles or so. I was actually close to a small town called Gila Bend. I figured I could search for a hotel or other lodging there. I wondered if Edmond had my phone tapped. Well, the quickest way to solve that was to shut it off and remove the sim card. 

I started down the road in silence, thinking about what I was going to do. I felt trapped, much like I had in the cabin. Only this time, I wasn't with Kat, I was in a place where I couldn't reach her, couldn't save her, couldn't do anything for her. 

Although, I could just forget the whole thing, stay away from anything related to Edmond McMahon, and return to the Mountain State campus of Caltech. I wanted to slap myself for even having that thought. Katherine White had changed my life. Her wit, her wisdom, her talent, her compassion, companionship, passion, beauty, sexiness... all these things about her were so ingrained in my mind, I could never abandon her. But what was I going to do? I didn't even know where she was, or who had her. She could be in another state by now. Or even another country. I doubted that one, but it was still plausible. I needed time to think, probably to do some research. And a way to know that I wasn't being tracked or followed, monitored, or spied upon. My phone was a likely and almost guaranteed source of tracking. They could have put something in my Explorer too. If they had access to social security numbers, they probably could track my spending by credit card. I stopped at the next gas station I saw, and used their ATM to withdraw as much cash as I could from my account. It was only $500, but it was better than giving away a trail of what I was doing or where I was going. Neither of which I was entirely certain. At least at this gas station, it was on the road I would have had to take to get back into Phoenix anyway. As a last minute impulse thought, I grabbed a pay-as-you-go phone and a refill card. Ok, communication was ok. But I still had to figure out what to do about my Explorer. 

Pulling into Gila Bend, I found a hotel that offered business connections and accepted that I paid by cash. I signed in under a false name, one I thought up just before coming inside. Tonight I was Wayne Ford. I had no idea that would play into my favor within the next 24 hours. I had simply chosen it as a composite of the best movie Kat and I had watched together, starring John Wayne, and Ford from the manufacturer of my Explorer. Luckily, the town was small, there was a clear need for business, and there was a teenager working the front desk. I walked back outside to drive around to my room, since it was situated on the other side of the building, when my solution for a car presented itself. There was a decent looking car with its window open. It looked old enough to not have any fancy GPS devices on it, yet new enough to be reliable, and more importantly, valuable. Looking around and seeing no one present, I checked inside the car. The keys were dangling from the visor. I hatched a quick plan, something that would delay anyone finding out I had swapped cars. I realized I was about to commit a crime, something I had never done before, but thinking about how I had to save Kat, whatever it took, I shrugged it off, trusting that the owner had insurance. 

Snatching the keys from the visor and pocketing them, I unlocked my room and hauled several things inside. I unturned the covers of the bed, climbing under them for good measure, before moving about the room, making it look as if I had been there. I found a guide for local sightseeing, and laid it upon the table, the courtesy pencil stuck in a page about an attraction within walking distance of the hotel. I checked my own phone one last time, before setting it on the table. With everything looking as I wanted it to, I left the room. 

Starting someone else's car, with their keys, and without their knowledge, was exhilarating yet troubling at the same time. I chose not to dwell on the latter feeling. I carefully pulled away from the hotel and went down the road a ways until I spotted a weed-choked used car lot a little off the beaten path. 

The lone salesman was just the man I was looking for, an overweight stump of a man, with a scruffy 3-day growth, protruding belly, bald head, and patches everywhere on his suit coat. After a short haggle, I had traded in the car for a different one, a small 2-door Honda. Considering the difference in value between the trade-in and the Honda, Mr. Stump was willing to dispense with details like registration plates, insurance certificates, and other pesky legal niceties. The car ran, it had AC and a radio, and it left a confusing trail for anyone searching for me - mostly thanks to the complete lack of integrity I had just witnessed. I really hoped that the original owner of the first car wouldn't check out too soon. 

With the new confidence that nothing could track me at the present moment (I searched my person, including body cavities, and checked my clothes - no bugs), I set out to get closer to Phoenix - and to finding out what I was going to do to find Kat. 

******* 

A short while later, I found myself in an internet café, just outside Phoenix, that promised to be open all night, browsing any information I could find on Edmond McMahon. I cross referenced the other names as well - Jasmine, Jasper, Edmond's son Stanley - and searched through the information I could find. Edmond proved to be the most fruitful, giving me several businesses that had his name involved in some manner. I was looking for anything - a lead, a clue, a thought of where he might be keeping Kat. Or even where he did his business. 

I almost gave up when something rang a bell. I came across an article in a business magazine about a patent one of Edmond's companies had purchased some five years ago for some ridiculous amount of money. The patent itself - a small bag that worked much like instant ice-packs - was unimpressive and not really unique. But the application was being used to serve snowcones anywhere. The user simply squeezed the top bag, releasing the chemicals to cause an immediate and drastic endothermic reaction, freezing the syrupy-water in the lower bag just enough to make it slush-like. Once an indicator turned color, the user then twisted the whole thing off the cone, running the ice through an imbedded grinder, creating a snowcone on demand. The magazine article found it incredulous that this technology was somehow economically profitable. 

The company that owns and operates the snowcone factories is named, ironically, Blanco's Sno Cones. Even I, untutored as I am in the Spanish language, know that blanco means white. Indirectly, Edmond named his product White's Sno Cones! He was thumbing his nose at his rival and there was nothing Doug White or the White Family Corporation could do about it. The lawyers shrugged and said there was no trademark violation: after all, the actual tradename is Blanco and, besides, white is just the color of snow or, in this case, shaved ice. 

Edmond McMahon had shown himself as delighting in irony. In the video message he left for me, he had made a reference to irony, the irony of chopping me up and burying me in snow. 

I stepped outside, surprised to find a working payphone in this modern cell-phone-dominated world. It just played in my favor. 

I dialed the number I had received for the factory. I waded patiently through the voice-response menu, offering a maddeningly vast array of numbers to press for various connections, until finally hitting the hours of operation. I was in luck: they stayed open late, and I still had time. Hanging up, I nearly pumped my fist in excitement at the lead I had. Well, I hoped it was a lead. I was basing this completely off the idea that Edmond liked irony. If I wasn't right, I could be discovered at the factory and - well, I may just end up being some bear's snowcone. 

Climbing into the Honda, I started driving toward the address of the factory. I was taking a big risk, bigger than I had ever taken before. I wished I had the kind of aptitude I'd encountered in video games I used to play- steady hands, incredible athleticism, perfect aiming capabilities, plus the ability to acquire weapons and vehicles at will. I at least had my own intelligence. Ah, yes. That was how I was going to make this work. I detoured slightly to get the supplies I'd need, before attempting something I never imagined I'd ever be doing. 

****** 

Chapter 9 

It took only a few minutes and some minor tweaking and rigging, but I had a successful smoke grenade - five of them, actually. And with my knowledge, I knew how to create the ones that created thick, billowing smoke that lasted for several minutes, all with self-starting 'pins' similar to a grenade. I also had purchased some goggles and a few handkerchiefs, to get through the smoke unscathed. I recalled once more, the schematic layout of the factory that I was able to access online. If my hunch was right, and Kat was being kept in the facility, she'd be on the second floor in one of the offices. If I timed it right, the smoke from my grenades would make workers assume a fire had broken out. Then I'd be able to either get to Kat, or see where she was taken. My first step, though, was to survey the building's perimeter, check for cameras, security, things of that nature. 

I drove calmly through the neighborhood, checking out each entrance. The front was an obvious no-go, what with a security check-in booth, gated entrance and all. Each side was accessible, but left me exposed to the bright outside lights far too long for me to be comfortable. I could set off a smoke grenade or two, but I wanted to save them for when I got inside. As I drove around the back side of the factory, where I saw deliveries were handled, I spotted my perfect vantage point. A three-storey parking garage sat overlooking the entire back of the factory. 

I pulled into the garage, and parked in a spot on the second floor. I took up a spot between a large truck and a support pillar, mostly blocked from sight of any cars coming or leaving. I pulled out the cheap binoculars I had picked up and began scanning the back entrance. I saw a minor check-in spot, but with the activity going on, all focus was on the gate, not the back corner of the fence, which also happened to be conveniently darker than the rest of the grounds. I checked as close as I could with the low magnification level of the cheap binoculars, noticing a lack of security cameras back here. There looked to be only the one security person in the booth, who was largely focused on the trucks. 

I did notice something peculiar. Each truck seemed to be checking something with the gate guard before entering, then getting it back from him after leaving. I had no idea what that was about, but thought I would note it for future reference. 

When the time seemed right, I hitched the small backpack on my back, loaded with my grenades and a few other supplies, then headed down toward the darkened back corner of the factory grounds. I tried to appear as calm and in control as possible, hoping that if anyone saw me, they would assume me harmless. I made it to the corner of the fence, looking around once before grasping it and swinging myself up and over. Nerd though I was, I had learned how to climb a chain-link fence at a tender age, when I would cross from our house into the adjacent park to play. This fence posed no problem as I landed softly on my feet, inside the fence. 

Now that I was closer, I saw an even better point of entry - a side door, which was unmonitored. I assumed it was there solely for the smokers, a guess that was quickly confirmed as I saw a man dressed in factory-worker coveralls, hard-hat, and goggles come out, stretch, and light up a cigarette. I quickly moved to the building while he was turned and stepping away from the door, which he had propped open with a stopper, so I quietly moved behind him and into the building. He didn't notice me. As soon as I entered, the noise of the machinery was louder than I had anticipated. I tried to recall the schematics. Where had the side door been? I looked left and right, catching sight of an 'EMPLOYEES ONLY' sign at the far right. I moved cautiously over toward the door, peering through the glass. No one inside. Easing myself in, I looked around at what appeared to be a break room. Nothing looked very remarkable, until the hallways leading off to lockers caught my eye. That was interesting. 

Taking a closer look, I discovered several lockers were open, or unlocked, and quickly picked out a worker outfit that fit me. At least now I'd be much harder to detect as an intruder. 

The door to the break room suddenly opened, startling me. I moved behind the last row of lockers, hoping that this was just a break and not someone's shift change. I heard change plunk into the vending machines. Someone began talking. The acoustics of the room made it as easy to hear everything as if they were in the locker room with me. 

"Yeah, can you believe he did that to me?" one voice whined, in a very nasal voice. 

"Girl, you gotta get rid of him," the other retorted. 

"Yeah, but this job pays so well. It's because of him that I'm working here." 

"I bet you can get better pay elsewhere - you smart girl, not like me." 

They dropped their voices a little, and it became harder to hear them. 

"Do you know what actually happens here?" The nasal-voiced woman was nearly whispering. 

"No, what?" 

"Adam says that over half the cones get shipped to a special warehouse, where they're packed with various drugs, then delivered to store fronts, as snowcones. We're paid more overnight cause these are the 'special' cones." 

"No shit?" 

"Shhh... yeah. Adam has hinted he is involved in that process, too." 

"He get more money for it?" 

"Well, if he does, he doesn't tell me." 

"Then why you stayin' around, girl? Leave his scrawny ass!" 

"I'm just worried he'll do..." The rest of the conversation died out as the women left the break room. That was very interesting. That must have been what the check-in gate and drivers were handing back and forth, something to do with this. I had figured the McMahons were in to drugs somehow. It actually sounded like a brilliant idea. Who thinks of snowcones as a drug-carrier? Individually wrapped, too. How convenient. How'd Edmond put it? Neat, efficient, cost-effective and productive? Yeah, that guy had to be stopped. I added that to my list of reasons to hate Edmond McMahon and his whole bunch. 

I emerged from the locker room and walked out of the break room, heading toward the sound of the machinery. Now where would he keep Kat? The most logical place was the second floor, where the offices were. I doubted workers would be up there, at that late hour. Holding my backpack full of goodies in one hand, I tried once again to look unsuspecting, unsuspicious, and normal. At least my bag was very plain, nondescript looking. My heart was hammering though. I was worried someone was going to stop me at any moment, not with words, but some kind of weapon. The sound of someone dropping something nearby made me jump. Calm down, Paul, calm down. 

I took a deep breath, and continued walking toward the stairs. I reached the steps with no one accosting or challenging me. Walking up the stairs, I saw, there at the end of the row of doors, a guy dressed in black sitting on a metal folding chair by a door and looking as suspicious as the thug from central casting. A thrill coursed through my body. I was sure that I had outsmarted Edmond McMahon, the cocky bastard. Now, how to get past that guy? Now was the time to use my smoke grenades. I pressed against a support beam, hiding from everyone's sight. I reached into my bag, and grabbed three of the grenades. I pulled the pin on one, dropping it over the edge of the railing, directly below me. Within a few seconds, the container the grenade had fallen into was producing a large amount of smoke. A few people below screamed and started shouting 'fire!' at the top of their lungs. Peering over at Black-suit, I saw him stand up, trying to see what was happening. He hurried over to the opposite set of stairs and started going down. I pulled the pin out of the second and third grenades, and chucked them over the support beams and lights of the main open space. I hoped no one saw the light smoking trail. 

I picked my bag back up and rushed toward the end of the rows of offices, and stopped at the one behind the folding chair. The locks were on the outside of this door. This wasn't the first time someone was being held in this room. The door was solid and had no window. I had no way to know if someone was inside or not until opening it. As I cracked the door open, peering into the gloom, lit by one single small light bulb, my heart leapt into my throat. 

There was Kat, wearing the same thing as when we were separated, her hands tied behind her back. She looked exhausted, defeated. She was slumped in her chair, but I could still see her face was red, probably from crying. How could this asshole do this to her!? Not my Kat! I stepped into the room and Kat lifted her head to see who had entered. I'm sure she was wondering why a worker had snuck into the room with her, for her first look was one of confusion. 

"What are you doing in here? Get out, now, before you get in trouble!" She practically hissed. Her tone was harsh but to me it was the voice of an angel. She hadn't recognized me yet, because I had put on the goggles. I pulled them up and over my head, and saw recognition start to cross her face. 

"I'm not leaving without my girlfriend." 

"Pa... Paul? Is that really you??" 

"It's me, Kat. I came for you." 

"But, how did you find me? He'll find out! You'll be killed!" 

I tried to smile, to reassure her. "He left clues. I think he has this subconscious desire to be caught - something about adding to the danger. I saw it on a Discovery Channel show about criminal profiling. And no, I intend for him to not find out until we're safely away from here." 

"Oh Paul... you've saved me twice now!" 

"Let's get out of here first, before you say I've saved you." I moved forward, looking at her bindings. They were plastic, so I pulled out the pocket knife I had picked up, one of those folding toolkits with pliers and screwdrivers and the works. I quickly had her free of the chair and the bindings. She immediately threw her hands around me, nearly knocking me over. 

"Oh Paul, Paul, I love you, thank you for coming back for me, for getting me!" She planted a kiss on my lips, as I registered the words she had just said. She loved me. She said it. Well, she may have been stressed, but it still meant she was thinking it, right? 

The sound of an alarm behind me shook me from my thoughts. "Time to go, Kat." I felt as though I had said that before, or something like it. 

"That's what you said before the blizzard hit hard. Is that going to become your catch-phrase, just before you step into action and look like some kind of hero?" 

"I hope not. This is freaking me the fuck out, but it's for you." I saw her smile at my words. This woman had brought out so many firsts in me, so many things I didn't know I was capable of - much like my sudden resort to swearing. I reached into my bag, handing her the extra coveralls I had stashed from the locker room. She quickly pulled them on, making her look like another factory worker instead of a hostage. 




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 04



"Thank you, again." 

"Thank me when we're out and safely away," I muttered, hoping I wasn't jinxing our luck. I stepped to the door, peered out, and saw that my grenades had been more effective than I thought. The entire factory had a smoky haze to it, but I think someone had turned on some fans, as the smoke was quickly dissipating. 

"Hey! You can't be in there!" Black-suit had spotted me, and was pointing and shouting. I grabbed Kat's hand and started running down the raised path. "HEY!!" Shit, shit, shit. He wasn't supposed to spot us. 

"Kat, run!" She didn't need to be told twice; she ran with me down the length of the second floor path. "Head over to the far wall, there's a side door we can get out!" I called over my shoulder. I reached into my bag and pulled out another grenade, yanking on the pin and dropping it behind me. I hoped Black-suit was following and would be disoriented by the smoke. We raced down the stairs, trying to weave through the machinery to the wall. 

"THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!!" I heard Black-suit's voice bellow over the machinery. Another guy was somewhere in here trying to get us? I thought quickly and made a snap decision. 

"Not that way! This way, Kat!" I felt her lurch to a stop, my hand tugging on her to pull her away from where we'd been heading. 

"Back into him!?" 

"No, just trust me!" 

"Ok!" We ducked and ran along the row of machinery, into where I thought I remembered a doorway. Rounding the corner of the last machine, there it was - the side entrance to the loading docks. I yanked it open, pulling Kat in behind me. I turned around, seeing it had a latch. It'd buy us a few seconds as one of them fumbled with keys to open it up. "God, Paul, you are amazing right now!" 

I blushed. "Thanks! This way!" I led her into the loading docks, seeing the panic hadn't quite spread into this room. There were several people moving rapidly, but not in a panic. Then I noticed at one end, a group of men were loading gray packages into the back of a truck. I quickly turned us around, hoping they hadn't seen us. When I heard no shouts, I guessed we were in the clear. But I had a sudden realization that made me stop. 

"What? What's wrong, Paul?" Kat had turned around and saw my wide-eyed expression. 

"Fuck... I forgot the fact that everyone would be following a set fire-escape plan, and move to a safe spot... the way I got in, well, it looked like the safe spot." 

"Can we get out another way?" 

"Probably not. There's too many people around. Someone will recognize you, or realize we're not workers." 

"What about the trucks?" She looked at me with hope. I supposed it could work... It would just be another law we'd be breaking. 

"I like it, it's our best shot." We walked along the rows of trucks, checking to make sure no one would see us, but also checking for unlocked doors, keys in the trucks. We'd searched four trucks and I was about to give up when Kat found it. 

"Paul! Here!" She was wiggling a set of keys. "You drive, or want me?" 

"I'm not sure I know how to drive these kinds of trucks..." 

"I do, c'mon. Hop in." Right, Kat was raised with farm and ranch experience. It made sense she'd probably helped out at some point, unwilling though she was to take over the business. 

"Ok." I raced around the other side, jumping in to the passenger seat. Kat had already buckled in and started the engine. "When we leave, you'll see a parking garage. Go around to the entrance, we can hop out and get in my car - a bit less conspicuous than this truck." 

"Alright, here we go." Kat shifted into gear and the truck lumbered and lurched into action. She angled the truck to the door, when someone saw us. They pointed, and it looked like some people were trying to close the door. "Uh oh, what should I do?" 

"Speed up, ram it." I suggested. Kat did just that, and the truck barreled down on the closing door. We punched through the metal as if it was tissue paper held up before the football team barreled out onto the field. Up ahead, the guard was yelling into a radio, but had no choice other than be squished or get out of the way. 

"Left or right?" Kat asked. 

"Right, get out past the buildings. Don't pull up in front of the parking garage, stay far enough away, but close enough we can run before they catch up to us." 

Kat nodded and put my words into action. She handled the truck as if it were a fancy sports car, weaving the corner as if we were going to take out the building, but speeding right past it. 

"Do you drive all your cars like this?" 

"Only when I'm running for my life." 

"Ok." Kat did as I had suggested, getting just around the block before lurching to a stop, about a hundred feet from the garage. We took off sprinting along the sidewalk. Apparently Kat was a runner too, for she stayed pretty much in pace with me. We reached the garage entrance in seconds, with only a few people looking at us like we were crazed lunatics. A few more seconds and I stopped in front of the car that I currently called my own. 

"Wait, where's your Explorer?" Kat asked, looking around. 

"Uh... waiting for me to get back from my daring rescue attempt?" I pointed to the car in front of us, and Kat just grinned and shrugged at me. 

"Ok, works for me." She climbed in, and buckled up immediately. I really liked this girl. And I liked what she brought out in me. The new confidence I was feeling, the desire to protect her and keep her safe - new feelings that were intoxicating. "Where are we headed?" 

"Well, I thought about rushing straight to the FBI office, but something tells me they might be waiting, anticipating that. So I think we go find a place to lie low and think it out." 

"I like that idea..." Kat had turned to me and was tracing her hand along my thigh. I didn't feel it so much, due to the coveralls, but the intention was clear, and I liked it. Apparently all the mad action-hero work I had just done must have sucked out the new confidence I was feeling, as I just nodded in agreement. Kat giggled. I loved hearing that sound. But her giggles quickly spun into sobs, as she started crying, a near guttural moan. 

"Kat?" 

"Oh God, Paul... I thought I lost you!" She gasped out between sobs. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself. "I thought...they were gonna'... k...k...kill youuuuu!" She started crying again. I reached one hand over to her, offering a hand to hold. She grasped it firmly with both hands. "Then... he... he threatened... Oh God..." She started crying some more. 

"It's ok, Kat, I'm here, I'm here," I offered, hoping I could give her some small measure of consolation. 

She sniffed a few times. "I'm sorry. This has just been an intense day." She was right, a little over twelve hours ago we were making love like wild animals behind a rest-stop building, with snow all around us. "He... Edmond McMahon... that's the twins' grandpa... he said he'd... he'd cut me... cut pieces of me off..." She was shaking now, her voice wobbling with every word. "... and send them to... my father..." Holy shit, this man was demented, toxic, and far more powerful than I could tolerate. 

***** 

Chapter 10 

"I think we'll be ok now." I had just pulled up to a hotel on the outskirts of Phoenix. I checked both Kat and me in as Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bruce - another little gimmick in my head, with Henry Ford for the first name, and Bruce because of Bruce Wayne - but Kat was giddy at the thought of us being Mr. and Mrs. for tonight. She leaned over to whisper in my ear as we were waiting for the elevator. 

"Well, this way we can be fucking each other silly and no one will think twice... my husband." Wow... was she being serious, speaking her feelings for me, or just playing along with the husband-wife subterfuge? I didn't doubt the fucking each other silly part - I was certain of that. 

"Ok, my wife, want to wait for this silly elevator to get us to the second floor, or shall we use the stairs?" I had barely finished the question when she was running full-tilt toward the stairs. I struggled to keep up with her. Both of us were giggling like little kids. We still had on the coveralls and hard-hats from the factory, which explained the laughter I heard from the front desk. They must assume we were workers out for a late-night dalliance or something. I was thinking that would indeed be a funny sight to see, both of us behaving like newlyweds. I also realized we'd have to be careful, as Kat's picture was probably on every news channel. But the sight of Kat racing up the stairs, her ass wiggling in the coveralls as she took each step, made me push that thought aside and race after her. 

As we reached the door, I was struggling to put the key in the card slot, since Kat was already kissing my neck, my ear, my lips, anything she could get her lips on. Finally, the damned card slipped in and the door unlatched. We rushed in, and kicked the door shut behind us. Kat was immediately all over me - pawing at the coveralls to rip them off me, sliding her hands in over my shirt. I helped her by shrugging out of them and stepping clear of the fabric. She pushed me onto the bed as she started peeling hers off as well. That was such an erotic sight - to see clothing come off, with more clothing on underneath. It was like when someone tricked you with a massive box wrapped up for Christmas, so that you had to unwrap and un-box each layer, with each one promising to get you one step closer to your longed for present. 

"God, just getting undressed for you is making me hot, Paul..." Kat's cheeks were rosy. Her coveralls finally came off, piling on the floor next to mine. She had on the same snow pants from earlier in the day, the same tight t-shirt that said 'Precious' across the front (I was surprised Monty's store carried that) and then I realized she must have had the same panties on - ones that had probably already absorbed her desire from earlier in the day, not to mention any of my fluids that may have leaked out of her. 

She pushed the snow pants down to her ankles, wiggling her way out of them. 

"Kat... are those the same panties from earlier? The ones that are probably stained with my cum?" Damn, I felt so wicked and naughty saying things like that. It really did feel good to be able to say something confident like that. 

Kat's eyes fluttered momentarily, and she let out a slight gasp. "Oh... fuck, they are... that's so hot... I almost forgot about that." She slipped her fingers into the elastic band, started pulling them slowly down her hips. Inch by inch, her short pubic hair was exposed, getting to the point where I could tell they were sticking to her. "Hmm... can you see? They're sticking to me, part from your cum, part from my arousal for you, Paul." Her dirty talk had a huge effect on me, but I think my desire was already more than evident to her, gauging by the way she kept eying my tented pants. She gave one final tug, the panty freeing itself from her pussy, and I was once more in awe of her stunning beauty. She still had the t-shirt on, but this was enough to make me wild for her, seeing her bare hips and legs, the covering of her hair leading down to the glistening lips, yet her shirt still clinging to her top half. I couldn't resist myself. I turned around on the bed then hung my head off the edge nearest her, tugging on her hips. These cheap beds were low enough that it was almost perfect - my head could ease mostly between her thighs, so I could lick her like this. She gasped, moaning and whimpering my name. 

"Yum... I have missed this," I moaned into her moist lips. I continued moving my tongue around her - just as I had come to know how she liked it. My hands held onto her bare ass, holding her steady and bracing myself so that I could keep lavishing attention to her. 

"Oh... fuck Paul, you are amazing... oh! Keep doing that!" She quickly let out a pant that increased in tempo as I used my nose to wiggle around her vaginal opening, and my tongue to twirl around and across her clitoris. After a few minutes, she let out a whimper and I felt her thighs tighten slightly around my head. "Hmm... hmmm... hmmm..." I paused to let her ride out the orgasm. She stepped back to look at me with a grin. "That was... amazing." She panted out. "Now scoot back a little, so your head is on the bed." 

I did, and said "Why?" But my question was quickly answered as she climbed onto the bed, lowering her pussy toward my face. Holy shit, that was absolutely amazing. I felt her tug at my pants, pulling them down so my cock could spring free. 

"There you are," she moaned, then I felt her warm lips and wet mouth slide down my length. Ohhhh... this was, by far, the best oral experience I thought we had shared together. Each thing we had done in the past was amazing and beautiful, but this one just seemed to top it all. Her glistening lips lay poised above me, almost beckoning me. So I leaned my head forward and licked her. Her voice hummed her pleasure around my head, another amazing feeling, before her head continued an up and down motion, sliding with her mouth. 

"Ohh fuck, Kat... this is so good..." I pressed into her again, with my tongue, dragging it all around her lips and around her clitoris. 

"Mmmhmmm," her moan came, still held around the head of my penis. I wondered if I could hum something into her? I didn't think so, not at this angle. I'd definitely have to try that some other time. 

The effect of having my face buried in her pussy, the smell and taste and erotic feeling of it had me almost as aroused as our first time together. That thought stuck, and I realized this woman had given me a lot of firsts, not to mention all the firsts we shared together - first-time lovemaking, first oral, giving and receiving, at least for me (I hadn't asked if she'd done it or had it done to her before me), first girlfriend, first time sleeping overnight with a woman in my arms, first time taking a shower with a woman, first - my thoughts were quickly interrupted by something she was doing to me that was by far the most intense feeling I'd gotten from her mouth. I couldn't help but pant directly into her lips. I lost track of what I had been doing to her. I was caught up in an incredible flood of sensations - the powerful scent of her pussy, what with juices actually inside my nostrils, the feel of her bare skin under my fingertips, the contrast of her clothed upper body pressed against what little areas I had exposed around my hips and lower stomach, and of course, the indescribably wonderful pleasure she was causing to my entire cock. My pants increased rapidly right up to the point where I wasn't even breathing anymore, as the tension of the impending orgasm felt like a dam about to burst. The pressure was building deep within my abdomen and spreading throughout my groin. I had sucked in one last breath and held it deep as the final slurp, the last little lick or suck or flick or twirl or whatever the gloriously amazing thing she was doing to my cock took me crashing over the edge. 

"Kat... cumming, cumming, cumming!" I exploded my pent up breath and began chanting into her lips, as each contraction and spasm rippled through my entire core, feeling like a pleasurable impact with each one. I felt her moan around my shaft, and her cheeks hollowed and her lips and tongue began sucking, milking the cum right out of me. My entire body was rigid, except as each spurt caused my body to twitch and buck. I couldn't concentrate on anything at all, realizing my face was buried between her lips, slippery with her excitement. She soon was doing something similar to a few times back at the cabin - something that seemed to heighten and extend the sensation of the orgasm. As it finally dwindled down to comfortable pleasure - an almost over-sensitive state - she continued to gently lick and kiss my cock as it softened slightly. I was breathing hard, hardly able to move. Kat peeked over her shoulder and giggled at the sight of me. 

"Wow... you look so sexy... and your entire face is covered with my juices." I loved that giggle. It was so playful, exciting, and alluring. I realized I still had hold of her hips and she was still poised over my face. I felt some of my energy return, and I felt immensely grateful, so I leaned up and attacked her clit. I think it surprised her. 

"AhhhhheeeeeeeeeEEEE! Oh! Oh! Oh! Paul, fuck! Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!" She must have been right on the verge of orgasm when she triggered mine, because it didn't take more than a few licks and sucking her clit into my mouth. I helped her the best I could, trying to heighten her pleasure during her orgasm. She gripped my cock now, holding it in her hands and moaning continually, her legs pressing against my shoulders, her hips and crotch bucking and pressing into my face. I felt her press my cock against her face, like she was nuzzling it, or hugging it. Soon, though, she started pulling away from me. 

"Oh oh, no more, no more... too much!" She called down to me, her body collapsing on top of me and rolling off to one side. I gently eased her legs off of me and crawled up to join her. Holy shit, she was asleep! Or passed out. I couldn't tell. I eased my body up against hers, cuddling into her. I heard her moan and sigh, pulling my arm across her chest so that we were spooning, my arm hugging her to me. She must have just been so contented at that moment - and probably incredibly tired. I still had no idea what, if anything, the other thugs had done to her. 

And there was still the pressing issue of Edmond McMahon. Would he follow through on his promise? Did I just endanger everyone I knew with my reckless rescue? What if he did start killing and making them all disappear? It would be my fault. I could have thought up some other kind of rescue, something that didn't potentially put my entire known world in harm's way. 

"Paul? Are you ok?" Kat was holding her hands against mine. "You're trembling." 

"Oh..." I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. "I thought you were asleep... It's just everything is catching up to me." 

"God, Paul, you were amazing! You looked like an action hero from a movie. How did you make those smoke bomb thingies?" Kat spun around so she was facing me. We both crawled under the covers at almost the same time, entwining our hands, fingers, feet - anything to get closer to each other. 

"Well, I am a chemist after all." I had to chuckle. She sounded like a young kid, with her excitement. I wondered if that was covering the terror she must have been feeling at some point. 

"Was it hard?" 

"Well, it was pretty easy, actually, since I knew what to make, how much to use, exact temperatures... that kind of stuff." 

"How the hell did you find me in a snowcone factory?" 

"Well, I had a lead, that I didn't think he intended to leave as that." 

"Who did?" 

"Edmond McMahon." 

"What kind of lead? How did you figure it all out? Tell me, I want to know how you were so incredible!" Kat squeezed my hands, her eyes pleading. Wow, I was learning the looks of her eyes already? That felt good - it felt right too. "Please? I wanted to know what you had to go through." I nodded, squeezing back. 

"Ok, but you tell me what they did to you, too." She nodded, so I began telling her about the guys in the van, my head being covered by some black bag and all the details leading up to the DVD player the thugs left on my back. 

"...then he said, 'Listen to this, but try anything and we'll shoot you' or something like that, before one of them unlocked the handcuffs. After I gathered myself, I listened to it. Edmond had prepared an entire speech for me, basically bragging about his exploits and threatening me if I got involved - especially looking for you. Well, he had left a big clue which I hadn't realized until later, when he told me about how he would like to kill me and bury me in snow." I felt Kat shudder and pull tighter against me. "He mentioned how ironic it would be, and judging by his face, he seemed to enjoy the idea of death by irony. So after his message, he rigged the device with an explosive, so I couldn't turn it in to authorities. I found my Explorer - one of his henchmen had driven it out there for me." 




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 04



"Wait wait wait... wait..." Kat interrupted me. She looked confused. "Why didn't he just kill you then, like the rumor goes, that he does with anyone who crosses him? Why go to all that effort to scare you and keep you alive? And he had someone drive your Explorer out there??" 

"I have two theories. First, it's possible he has always wanted to be caught all along. I remember some profiling episode on some channel, where they mentioned that sometimes, a criminal will purposely leave a trail, to spice it up or make it more entertaining for themselves." Kat frowned at this idea. "What? I heard it on TV. The Discovery Channel, I think. It might not even be that true. I'm a scientist, not a psychologist or anything." 

"Ok, so what's theory number two?" 

"This theory seems more likely to me, but I wonder if the first one has some truth to it. Well, my second theory is largely based upon what he actually said. He told me he would like to kill me, but the papers I wrote a few years ago were holding him back. He thought that if he hurt me, specifically now, after I'd been around you, somehow the authorities would come poking around, asking him questions, putting two and two together - bad for his business, so he says." 

"Paul, what are the papers actually about?" 

"I mentioned earlier they were about climate change, right?" Kat nodded, so I continued. "Specifically, I discovered a connection between snowflake formation and the expelling of exhaust fumes from factories and industries. The gist of one of the papers is that pollution has to lessen soon, otherwise there is a strong likelihood that we will start seeing serious ramifications in our snowfalls, snowmasses, and snowfall patterns. In another paper, I demonstrated how I was able to synthesize a structure based on an organic substance that grows similarly to ice crystals, which catches pollutants that would normally escape into the atmosphere. The resultant compound is a biodegradable solid that looks like salt crystals. I hadn't expected the paper to be published in a journal right away, nor had I anticipated the responses. I had attack letters from big businesses and manufacturers, letters praising my work from environmentalist groups, conservationists, and other scientific communities heralding my discovery." 

"Paul... that's like, a global impact. You're gonna be famous real soon, huh?" 

"Well, I doubt it. I'm just a chemist, and a young one at that. Several groups doubt my discoveries. Even though another lab was able to reproduce my results, I just don't have the respect from the scientific community to really make waves." 

"I bet it'll have a bigger impact than you think, Paul. I mean, it really sounds like it'll change business and..." She paused, her eyes turning serious. "Wait, you said Edmond was concerned now that you've been around me? Why's that?" 

"Oh, well... it turns out the process of compounding this synthetic substance uses several components of a very common and natural ingredient - something I didn't realize your family made almost half of in the entire US..." 

"Lettuce!?" Kat jerked back to rest on her elbows. "You've got to be shitting me... Global warming can be combated with lettuce???" 

I chuckled. This was the reaction I had gotten from most people who couldn't follow the intricate mathematical and chemical details of the process. I suspected Kat would, if I sat down with paper and pencil, going over every step - but that seemed tedious and pushing my luck with how much she was actually interested in my work. 

"Not exactly, Kat. Lettuce has some molecular chains in it that are key components necessary for the stability of the synthetic substance - otherwise it deteriorates way too fast." 

"Well, I can tell why Edmond's pissed and scared - it's direct competition to his businesses and direct benefit to his most hated rival, not to mention that if this becomes an industry standard or some EPA mandate, it's extra expenses he'd be incurring that he would think wouldn't be necessary." Kat said everything so matter-of-fact, with no hesitation. She was so observant, so astute, and so very quick. 

"Wow... I've been thinking about this the entire evening, just reaching that conclusion not too long ago, but you got it in seconds? That, Kat, is one of the things that I find so attractive about you." As I watched her, I saw a blush creep up her face. It seemed like such a turnaround from when I'd first met her, when I was the one blushing, and she was the one complimenting me. 

"Thanks, Paul. I have to admit - you're the first guy I've met who can challenge me intellectually and not be intimidated by my intelligence," she said with a huge grin. 

"Guys can get intimidated by a smart woman?" I actually laughed. "What, do most guys expect women to be dumb and obedient or something?" 

"Yeah, the past boyfriends I've had all wouldn't see me after the first few dates. One of them I cornered, asking him why. He said, 'You're too smart, I feel so dumb and useless next to you.'" 

I scoffed at that, ready to call the guy all sorts of lame names, but Kat continued. 

"But anyway, that makes sense now, why he didn't just kill you, or leave you for dead in the desert or something. He was just concerned that you'd get linked back to me, with the result of your research - stuff that supports my family - being stuff that would negatively affect him. Plus, it's not like it's a secret that his family largely detests WFC. Any detective worth his salt would find reason to find him suspect." 

"Yeah..." I couldn't help but stare at Kat with a profound sense of respect. This woman had endured a family pressuring her to do something she didn't want to do, a kidnapping, well, two kidnappings now, and God knows what else - which she still had to tell me about - yet she was razor sharp and caught on very quickly - not to mention how observant she was, a quality clearly borne out in her artistic talents. 

As if my thoughts were being broadcast, Kat suddenly got up, searching through the hotel room. I enjoyed watching the contrast between her nude lower half and clothed top half. She found what she must have been after - a pencil and a notepad. She plopped onto the other bed with her findings. 

"It's small," she gestured to the paper. "But I had to make a quick sketch. Can you continue telling me how you made the connection or whatever you did to find me?" 

"Sure..." I wasn't as surprised as I had been the first time this happened, but I still found it fascinating to see her use a cheap pencil and start sketching. I was curious what she was suddenly inspired to create, but I did as she asked and continued telling her how I figured it out. 

"So, like I said, that video suggested he was really into irony, right? I didn't know it at the time, or register it, until I was at an internet café trying to search anything I could about Edmond McMahon. And there it was. Blanco's Sno-Cones. It was like a giant 'X marks the spot' moment. It had irony written all over it - mainly the white and snow aspects. If he'd made a point to tell me how he wanted to see me ironically chopped up in the very stuff I studied, then I figured he'd be stashing you there." 

Kat looked up from her sketching for a moment. "That was a pretty clever deduction. So then what, you bought smoke grenades?" 

I chuckled. "The stuff for making them - sugar and saltpeter, then a portable stovetop burner, a pan, containers, and matches for the 'pins' you saw me using." 

"Paul, that is so... fucking cool. I can't think how else to describe it." Kat clasped her hands together. "I'm so glad my hero is also a genius." I blushed a bit at that remark. I caught sight of an edge of her drawing and I was instantly curious exactly what it was. 

"Is your sketch finished yet?" 

"Almost. How'd you get in the facility?" 

"Oh, I just climbed the fence in a dark corner and spotted a side door and snuck in behind a smoker." I paused, recalling the conversation I'd overheard in the locker room. "Oh, I think that factory is a front for drug-smuggling or somehow involved in drugs." 

Kat laughed. "Figures it'd be the cones." She jumped up, reminding me that she was still naked from the waist down. "Here, it's finished." She handed me the sketch. 

"Holy... fuck." I wondered if I was ever going to have an intelligent response the first time I saw her artwork. This one was no exception to the awe-inspiring pieces I'd already seen her create. On the back of a hotel notepad piece of paper, Kat had drawn me with wings once again, in full flight and carrying her out of a window of a building. That same light she'd had on me from before was illuminating me, while she had made smoke, looking incredibly realistic, pouring out from the building, swirls of it in our wake. I still didn't understand how she was able to create such brilliant sketches in such a short time with sub-quality tools. I thought about chemistry, my specialty, how if I started with sub-par equipment, none of the results would be reliable. 

"Well... besides being dumbfounded, what do you think?" She was leaning close to me, having sat on the bed next to me. 

"I, uh... am completely without adequate words to describe the profoundly mesmerizing effect of your artistry." 

Kat laughed, leaning in and hugging my arm. "You're sweet, Paul." She planted a soft kiss on my cheek. "And you're a dork. Something I really love about you." That made me recall, earlier she had said 'I love you' to me. I wondered if it was spurred on by the heat of the moment, the adrenalin and stress we must have been feeling prompting those words, perhaps? I thought I'd find out by being bold - something that, until meeting Katherine White, had seemed impossible to me. 

"There are lots of things I love about you, Kat." 

"Awww!" The smile on Kat's face told me these were the perfect words. She grabbed my head in her hands and kissed me. She threw her arms around me, embracing me tightly. "Paul?" she whispered. 

"Yes?" 

"Is it too soon to love you?" Her soft words were so charming, endearing, and heartwarming. The only women I'd ever known who'd said 'I love you' to me were my mom and aunts, and my grandma. Of course, I already knew I was falling in love with this woman. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths to save her. In fact, thinking about what I did at the snowcone factory just made me that much more convinced I loved her - God that was rash, dangerous, and incredibly daring. Those words had never been applied to me before now, particularly not in my own mind. Before I thought too much more, it seemed prudent to answer her question, lest she worry about having said it. 

"Was a few days ago too soon for me to love you?" I chose to counter her words. She smiled widely and pressed against me hard, forcing me onto my back. As she crawled on top of me, I realized since our oral ministrations on each other, I hadn't pulled my pants back up. My rapidly hardening cock immediately made contact with her moist pussy lips. "Ohhh... Kat." 

"Yesss..." Kat reached between us, guiding me to her opening. "Then let's make love, Paul." She sank down onto my cock, arching her back and moaning as she reached bottom, our hips fully contacting each other. She wiggled her hips a few times, but kept me fully inside her as she leaned forward to kiss me. We kissed for several minutes, lazily moving our hips together. This was a coupling of love, that much I was sure. There was no need for fervent motions, for animalistic grinding and humping. I reveled in the taste of Kat's mouth on mine, the way her tongue would trace along my lip, teasing me to bring my tongue out so she could suck gently on it before resuming our full kisses. I could have spent hours just kissing this woman and be content, but having my cock buried fully inside of her was infinitely more delightful. My hands roamed her back, realizing she still had her shirt and bra covering the creamy soft skin I desired to see right now. I reached down to tug the shirt up over her head, but Kat just leaned back and did that special woman-magic-trick of sliding the shirt up and over her head in one fluid, sensuous motion. I immediately leaned forward, kissing the tops of her breasts, gently rolling my hips forward, enjoying the ever so slight and ever so sexy feeling of being so deep in her and sliding slowly around. 

"Hmm... gotta see 'em." I whispered into her cleavage, as I used my fingers to unsnap her bra, much more gracefully than I had the first time. She shrugged her shoulders forward, letting the straps slide off her and in turn allowing the cups of the bra to fall free from her breasts. I never grew tired of seeing her fully nude breasts, with their perfect roundness accentuated by hard nipples and crinkly areolas. Sucking one nipple into my mouth, I caressed the other breast, tracing around the nipple but not touching it. I felt her torso twisting, and realized she wanted me to treat her other nipple the same way. I happily obliged, tasting and teasing the other with my mouth. As we'd been sitting up, Kat pulled on my shoulders and fell back on to the bed, dragging me with her. I had to unlatch from her nipples, but it put me in the perfect position to kiss her neck, a place on her body I had grown especially fond of. 

"Ahhh... Paul... love me... keep loving me..." Kat was whispering now, soft moans and hisses of pleasure as I began to slowly press in and out of her. I felt Kat's legs wrap around my back, then her feet hooked into the pants I still had on, tugging them off my body. I wiggled my legs the best I could and was able to kick them off the side of the bed, returning once more to kissing her neck, trailing up to her ear, where I chose to whisper more words to her. 

"Kat... When we were coming down from that mountain pass and stopped at that rest area, things just felt so perfect and right with you. I felt like you were a part of my life and not just some poor girl I was returning to her home." I pulled slowly out of her and then pushed in a little bit quicker. "You are even better than my ideal dream of a girl. You are incredibly talented," I caressed the side of her breast as I whispered, "You are so passionate about what you want, you are so caring and kind-hearted," I placed my hand above her breast, "A heart that, I think, wants to pour out the love it feels inside." I grabbed her hand and placed it on my chest, realizing I was still wearing my shirt, but made my point anyway. "And this heart is beating for you, right now. In this heart, I have a deep desire to be with you, to watch you reach for your art dreams, to support that and assist any way I can. This heart wants to wake up next to you every day, talk to you about your day, my day, anything and everything. This heart," I kissed her fully, trying to put every ounce of compassion and love I could summon up into it, "wants to love you, Katherine White." 

"Aww, Paul..." She was gripping me tightly, cradling my head with her hands. She kissed me back, as firm as I had. "I... I love you." 

"I love you too, Kat." Wow! That felt so good to say. It also felt right, as though I'd grown up saying it. 

Kat started tugging at my shirt now. "Then get this thing off and keep making love to me!" She teased, giggling at my struggle to tear the shirt off of me as fast I could. When I finally discarded the offending garment, she pulled me on top of her, our nude skin pressing together. We moaned in unison. Her nipples were extremely hard and I could feel them pressing into my chest. Her legs wrapped back around me and started encouraging me. My movements picked up pace, small and slow thrusts stretching into faster, fuller and longer thrusts. Kat began moaning, her hands tracing all along my arms and back, my chest and face. "Oh Paul, that feels so good! God, I love you, Paul, I love you, ugh, ah, ah, yes..." Her chants were like little jolts of pleasure to my whole body. Hearing her say 'I love you' made me feel like the luckiest man on the planet. 

"Kat, oh, Kat, I love you, I love you, I love you," became my new mantra, spoken with each long full stroke I was using. Everything was culminating into what was going be another intense orgasm. Her moans were turning into sharp gasps of pleasure and then I felt it - the tightening of her vaginal walls around me, the pulsing sensation of her contractions. 

"Uh, hmm, hmm, hmm... aaaahhhh! Oh God, cum with me, Paul... fucking cum in your lover, fill me up, my love!" Kat nearly squeaked. Those words did it, pushing me over the edge. I grunted and pushed as far into her as I could. I felt my toes curling, my insides quivering with each blast of my cum. 

We held each other long after our orgasms subsided, whispering words of love and admiration to each other. Whatever our future had in store for us, I was beginning to picture Kat with me, right by my side, and myself with Kat, right by her side. That's how I wanted it to be, forever. I had fallen in love with her. 

"Goodnight, my love," I heard Kat whisper. We had just adjusted and moved to get back under the covers, me spooning into her back. My arm was hooked around her, resting just under her breasts. She had her arm resting on mine - it felt as if she wanted to be sure I wasn't going anywhere. She just seemed to fit perfectly against my body. I'd never been this comfortable before in my entire life. 

"Goodnight, Love." I whispered back, kissing the nape of her neck. My head rested next to her luscious red curls. Being as comfortable and content as we were, I slowly slipped into an incredibly peaceful sleep. 

***** 

The chirping of a weird sound woke me up from my sleep. What was that sound? I looked around the room, seeing Kat looking around confused, too, before I found the prepaid phone next to us on the end table. I frowned, wondering who could possibly know the number for this phone and call at 5 in the morning. I cautiously picked it up. 

"Hello?" 

"Oh, thank goodness I reached you, Sir. I wanted to let you know that there were two very large and scary looking men asking about your room, Mr. Ford. They kept calling you Mr. Goodman, though. I thought they had the wrong guy, until they described your vehicle. They looked angry, so I wanted to warn you. They're waiting for you just outside right now." That had to be the teenage girl who was at the desk of the first hotel I had stopped at, before everything got crazy. It made me speechless, really, to hear how much this teenager cared, how concerned she was for my welfare. 

"Oh, uh, thank you. Can you let them know you saw me head out toward Yuma?" 

"Of course, Sir. Um, when will you be back? I worked a double shift last night, and I saw this morning that you had swapped cars with me." Oh shit, that car belonged to her? Fuck, I hadn't considered that possibility. 

"Um... if they leave, go into my room, and you'll see my keys there. You can take my Explorer. And, if anyone follows you or asks, just let them know I let you borrow it." 

"Ok, thank you, Sir, and good luck!" The call ended with that, leaving me with a feeling of unease and guilt. I really hoped nothing would happen to that poor girl. 

"Kat..." I began. 

"Yeah, who was that?" 

"Uh, a long story... but it means that they're looking for us. And it probably won't be too long before they find where we are hiding. We need to get moving, and find a way to get to the FBI office." 

"But won't it be covered by their guys?" 

"Yeah... you're right." What were we going to do? Something had to be done to stop Edmond McMahon and his influence. 

BAM! BAM! BAM! The three sudden pounds at our door made both Kat and me jump. 

"Housekeeping!" A voice that was a little bit too gruff sounding called out. 




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 04



"Get dressed, quickly!" I whispered to Kat. I highly doubted this hotel employed a man with that kind of manner and voice as a maid, least of all one pounding on doors before the sun was even up. Kat scrambled to pull on her clothing as I yanked mine on and gathered up what few belongings we had with us. 

"The window?" Kat whispered to me, pointing at the sliding door. We were on the second floor, so we could theoretically jump and land unharmed... 

"Open up! Housekeeping!" The voice growled from behind the door. I rushed over, setting the deadbolt and latch as quietly as I could. I grabbed one of the chairs in the room and propped it up underneath the door handle. I hoped that would slow whoever it was down just a little bit. 

Kat and I rushed over to the sliding door that opened to a tiny balcony. I peered over the edge, and saw that the drop was a bit too long - on solid concrete nonetheless. As I looked left and right, a thought appeared that we could climb across the small gap to the adjoining room's balcony. If we could get over to the lawn area on our left - or even better, the giant green box housing some kind of electronic equipment - we could probably get down. 

A loud sound echoed out of the room, followed by what sounded like a gunshot. 

Shit, they weren't messing around this time. That meant going to the FBI offices or police was practically suicidal. But if we couldn't get to the FBI... 

Another thud and cracking sound came from the room. We both heard the sound of the latch catching and the voice swearing. I helped Kat onto the balcony and into the next room, closing both balcony doors behind us. It wouldn't take long for the man - or men, we had no way to know how many were here - to get into our room, see that we had already left and assume we went out through the balcony. Our options were running out rapidly, as I heard the door crash open in the room we had been sleeping in just minutes ago. We listened carefully and heard the man opening the balcony door. We moved to the front door, peering out. The fisheye effect of the peep-hole showed me the hallway was clear. The stairs were just in front of the door, but so was an emergency exit. I gauged that the emergency exit would probably be the quickest and safest exit, rather than traipsing through the hotel lobby. 

"Ok, Kat? We're going to rush through the emergency exit just outside this door, to the right." She was nodding to everything, somehow maintaining composure. I held three fingers up, then tucked each one down. 

We pulled the door open, then as Kat turned to shut it, I barreled into the side exit door. It felt as if the door hit something, which was quickly confirmed by the grunt and sound of someone tumbling down the metal stairs. I peered around the edge of the door to see another man crumpled on the ground at the foot of the stairs, a gun by his side. Holy shit, that was lucky and close - had we gone the other way, he'd have spotted us leaving the lobby and been able to stop us. Racing down the stairs, I reached down, scooping the gun off the ground and tucked it into the pocket of my pants. I didn't really know too much about firearms, but the weight and presence of it made me feel better than being bare-handed. 

Peering around the corner into the parking lot, we determined that the two guys we had seen were acting alone, or the other guys with them were hiding and would surprise us anyway, whether we considered them or not. 

"Wow, Kat, look. I don't think they knew what vehicle we were driving." I was pointing over to where I had parked the car last night. There wasn't a single car or pedestrian or gardener or anything that looked to be surreptitiously watching the car. "How do you suppose they found us, but don't know what car we drove?" 

Kat looked at me and shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine." 

"Think the car is still safe?" 

"Well, do we have any other options?" she asked. I looked around. There were no other cars in the parking lot. I didn't feel comfortable walking, so I decided we'd just risk it in the car. We had to act fast, anyway, whether they knew which car we were driving or not 

"Nope, let's just get to the car and leave, find a safe place to collect ourselves and think. Ready?" 

"Ready, Paul. I love you," Kat added, squeezing my hand. 

"Love you too, Kat. Let's go!" Holding Kat's hand, we briskly walked toward the car - a trade-in for a technically stolen car - getting inside without any problems. I checked the controls and everything I could before wondering if I would even notice something awry. 

The car started without a hitch, and we were heading down the road. We were silent for about 10 minutes, and after having taken several turns, I let out my breath and let myself relax just a little bit. 

"I think we're safe, ok for the moment." I told her. 

"That was intense. Paul... you're such a quick thinker. You keep proving over and over that you've got these amazing heroic qualities." Kat had her hand on my knee, was gently rubbing my thigh muscles."And you're my hero - all mine. I didn't even have to find you, you found me." 

I felt flattered, that Kat viewed me so highly. And then something clicked. 

"Kat... you're a genius! That's how we'll get them!" 

She looked at me, completely puzzled. "Huh?" 

"You didn't have to find me, I found you." I repeated. 

"Yes, and? I don't get... oh! The FBI!" 

"Exactly. If we can't get to the FBI... well, we'll just have to find a way to make them come to us." 

***** 

Author's Ending Words: 

Once again, sorry for the delay. I caught a nasty cold that has intense pressure through my head. Next chapter is already in the works. I hope this sickness clears up fast so I can get back to writing quicker. Thanks for reading!



A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 05



Author's Notes: 

Here it is. The finale, the conclusion! This is going up in the Romance category, as, well, Paul and Kat have experienced most everything in the First Time area. Here we get to see... well, you'll find out as you read it. 

A few disclaimers: names are used as reference points to enhance the plot. This is, after all, a work of fiction. 

I'd also like to thank GaiusPetronius, who, once again, helped me to polish off my rough edges. I went over his edits and changes, so I claim responsibility for any remaining errors. 

If you haven't read the previous four parts, this one will make little sense to you. 

Otherwise, please enjoy the exciting conclusion of A Thankful Blizzard. 

***** 

Chapter 11 

I glanced over to Kat in the pre-dawn gloom. She was such a remarkable woman. She'd been through so much in her life, yet she was so... alive. Her vitality made me feel like a zombie in comparison, or rather an inert, noble gas. Sure, I'd written some papers. They'd been published, attracted some attention, but I didn't consider that anything spectacular. I always had support for what I was doing, save for the few scathing letters I'd received from the big corporate PR folks, taking aim at my findings. On the other hand, both Kat and Edmond McMahon thought they were significant. As I thought about it, I supposed it was a significant discovery - using lettuce, a renewable resource, to form the catalyst for a 'super-scrubber' as I thought of it. 

"Paul?" Kat interrupted my thoughts. 

"Hmm?" I realized I'd been sitting at a stop light after it had changed to green. "Oh, right. Drive." 

"What's on your mind, Babe?" Kat rested her hand on my arm. I decided I really liked being called pet names by Kat. And her hand felt warm and comforting. 

"Well, honestly, I was just thinking about how much you've accomplished, with everyone practically forcing you in the other direction. It's inspirational, really, downright awe-inspiring." 

"Thanks, Paul, but you've done a lot too!" 

"You're right... but I've had constant support and help along the way. I only met resistance from my parents when I was choosing to go off to graduate school. But, as I pointed out to them, Caltech's satellite campus in Colorado was the best in the nation for my field of studies, second best in the world only to a German research facility. Everything else has been supportive, encouraging... I haven't been kidnapped because I'm heir to something, I haven't had someone forcing me to take over something I don't want to, I haven't had all that, so my accomplishments seem to pale in comparison to yours. Sometimes I think I just haven't really done much of anything... 

"Stop it!" Startled, I glanced over to Kat, who was looking at me with a scowl - the first I'd ever seen on her face. "Paul Jacob Goodman! How can you talk about yourself like that?" Kat yanked on the steering wheel, pulling us over to the curb abruptly. I jammed on the brake to avoid jumping the sidewalk. 

"That's not the man I fell in love with! That's not the man who stormed a factory with nothing but smoke bombs, not knowing what could be inside. That's not the man who drove willingly into the face of danger and threats to be with a woman he cares for. Paul... it doesn't matter, all those things you said. What we accomplish is unique to each of us. Our paths have been different, and they've made us into the people we are now." Kat reached across and grasped my hands off the steering wheel. She had turned in her seat to face me fully. "Paul, I fell in love with you because you are an incredible man. I thought I was brave, defying my father and refusing the company, going off to art school on my own. But since you picked me up, I've seen real bravery. Especially since yesterday; oh God, that was just... amazing. You've inspired me to keep trying harder, to never give up." Her eyes began glistening. "You've shown me what unconditional compassion is. You didn't flinch or care that I was heiress to a multi-billion dollar fortune. Most guys drop me when they discover I can hold an intelligent conversation; most of the others treat me like a china doll or a fairytale princess - always afraid to say or do something wrong around me. But you, Paul, you've made me feel alive. Like a warrior - your own Xena the Warrior Princess." She smiled, a tear leaking out of her eye. "It's obvious you love me. It just pours from you." I reached a hand up, wiping the tear away from her cheek. She made some pretty epic points. "So, please, don't become that other Paul. Be you. I love you, Paul." I felt myself tear up a little. "So kiss me, then get us out of this mess." She snickered and leaned forward, giving me a kiss that spoke volumes of the love and compassion she had for me. It felt warm, familiar, comforting... it felt like love. 

"You know... you could always pitch in an idea, too." I grinned at her. She laughed and lightly slapped my arm. 

"You've been the brain here, always coming up with these incredible plans of action. Ok, tell me how your mind works. You said we have to get the FBI to come to us?" 

"Well, yeah. Your statement earlier, about me finding you - that's the key. If Edmond McMahon and his resources are tracking, or at least I assume they are, most of our available outs, plus the cops and the FBI field office here in Phoenix, they'll know if we call or drive in with our direct problem." 

"So what can we do? Call them up and falsely claim something?" 

"Well... yeah. But we have to be believable. That's where..." A plan was hatching in my mind. Not just any basic plan, but the beginnings of an elaborate, yet effective course of action. I pulled back onto the road, lest we become highly suspicious, just sitting there this early in the morning. "Ok, I got it. What makes the FBI respond to any incident?" 

"Um, federal crimes, right?" 

"Yeah. Or really intense situations that could use the assistance of the FBI. Now, kidnappings, especially when they cross state lines, are federal offenses, immediately checked out by them. We could say something about you, but that would probably alert the McMahon gang. What we will do, however, is have you pretend to be the girlfriend of one of McMahon's thugs. You're tired of being abused, you're afraid to go to the cops, and you suspect he's part of a massive drug smuggling operation. They'll ask how you know; you'll say that you overhear him and his drunken buddies bragging about hiding drugs in those new snowcones. They may hem and haw, pass you from reception to some kind of desk agent, but keep pressing until you get to a field agent. Don't give up your identity, no matter how hard they press for it. Mention that you have some really sensitive information and you're afraid they might be listening in on your conversation, you want assurance you're speaking directly with a field agent, ideally the special agent in charge of the Phoenix field office. You keep hinting that it's Edmond McMahon who's running the drug operation, but don't actually say his name; my guess is they already have a profile on him and are looking for the killer strike to hit him with. Once you get that special agent, tell the story, mention you know it's McMahon, and then drop the bomb - tell them you overheard him saying they have Katherine White. List the details of what you were wearing when they had you kidnapped - the snow pants and the shirt with "precious" written across the front. That will get their attention, and hopefully get a search warrant and have the FBI and DEA show up at the warehouse - which we'll find by following one of the trucks. " 

"Holy shit!" Kat had been staring at me, her eyes widening as each detail of my plan came out of my mouth. "You're going for the jugular, aren't you?" 

"My dad always told me that the quickest way to kill a rattlesnake was to cut off its head. He also said that if you attack the king you gotta kill the king - not just wound him. I'm thinking Mr. Irony does a lot of dealings with Blanco's Sno Cones as his cover. So, exposing that, with his name linked directly to it, will likely open up investigations into his other businesses." 

"Good God, Paul, remind me to never get on your bad side." 

I grinned. "Well, you're definitely on my good side now, my Love." 

"I'm relieved," she chuckled. "And you can keep calling me that. It's sweet." 

"Ok, Kat my Love, we'll need to find and follow one of those trucks and see if it heads to a suspicious looking warehouse." 

"Ok, that sounds like a great plan and all... but what about the fact that they found us, but haven't been following this car?" 

Damn, she was right. How had they found us? I'd given out fake names at both hotels, hadn't used credit or anything. I had a phone that wasn't linked to me. I'd even checked my clothes and my person for any tracking device... but... I hadn't checked Kat. She had to have some kind of homing device on her, leading the thugs to us, but not knowing what car we had. 

No sooner had I finished that thought than I felt the tail end of our car swing out, leaving us spinning out in the middle of the road. Kat let out a startled scream. I craned my neck around and caught sight of a white sedan circling back. It looked as if they had come barreling out of an alleyway and clipped the tail end of our Honda. I was immediately thankful for the time my roommate and I used to spend racing go-karts every summer, driving like maniacs and sliding around corners. I just hoped this old Honda could summon up some kind of race-car performance. 

"Hang on!" I yelled to Kat. She was clutching the door, wide-eyed, but otherwise didn't seem too panicked. I punched the accelerator, turning away from where the sedan was aiming for us. The tires squealed, found traction, and had us lurching forward. In the rearview mirror, I could see the sedan turning to follow us. 

"What the fuck!?" Kat finally said. "How'd they find us again??" 

"Your clothes! They must have put something on your clothes! You need to get rid of them!" Normally, when Kat strips, it's glorious, entertaining, arousing, and simply beautiful to behold. Now, however, she was frantically tugging off the coveralls from Blanco's, then stripping out of her clothing. She laid the coveralls aside and then sent each article flying out the window. I was left sitting next to a momentarily very naked woman. 

"Man, I really liked that shirt! I wanted to keep it to remember you and my first blizzard and everything!" 

"I'll get you another," I promised her. It was hard not to stare at her perfect breasts, but the sudden lurch of the sedan running into us from behind had captured my full attention. 

The steering wheel twisted left to right in my hands, but I wrested control of the vehicle, keeping us on the road. We needed to lose them, and fast. I glanced over to Kat, who was pulling the coveralls back onto her body. Just as she finished, clicking the seat belt into place, the sedan bashed into the car again. I fought to maintain control over the tiny Honda. I took a sudden turn into an alleyway, seeing the sedan screech past the entrance. I had a few seconds lead on them now. 

I raced as fast as I dared down the narrow alley, swerving around dumpsters and trashcans. At the next intersection, I sped out and swung hard right, the tires sliding and groaning in response. Eyeing the rearview mirror, I saw the sedan just pull out of the alley as I was making my next turn. I kept up the twisting and turning, asking for every last bit of performance from the poor little Honda that it could manage. The little car somehow delivered, keeping us always just ahead of the sedan chasing us. 

I saw our escape with an underground parking garage. The rearview showed that the sedan was still well back from us, so I made a sudden move and zipped into the garage, swerving to a stop. We had caught another lucky break: it was a free public garage, and we didn't have to stop for a ticket or pass through a gate. Kat and I scarcely breathed while we waited. 

Seconds dragged on into a full minute, before we resumed breathing normally. It appeared we had lost them. 

"Wow... Paul, is there anything you can't do?" Kat chuckled. 

"I can't ski." 

"No shit! You lived in the mountains of Colorado and you can't ski??" 

"Never tried it, actually. I was too busy studying most of the time." 

"Add that to our list." 

"What list?" I looked at her, wondering what she was hinting. 

"Our list of things to do together. Once this all clears up, I want to do all sorts of things with you." 

"That sounds nice." I paused, thinking. "But, we gotta get out of this current mess. They've seen this Honda, so we can't keep using it." 

"Well, we're in a parking garage, all these cars around us... Maybe one of them is a bit too trusting?" I didn't really like it, but I didn't see any other alternative. I eased the Honda into an available parking spot. Kat and I got out. 

"I'll start on this row. You want to start over there?" I pointed at the opposite row of cars. Kat nodded and walked off. I can't believe we were getting ready to steal a car. I hoped, once this was all said and done, that the FBI didn't hold these crimes against us. 

Several minutes passed and I had just finished checking the row of cars. Sixteen cars, all of them locked. Glancing at Kat, I saw that she was at the last one, getting ready to check. Whom was I kidding? This was downtown Phoenix. People would be smarter than to leave their doors unlocked, even in an underground... 

"Paul!" Kat called over to me. "Got it!" 

Wow. Leave it to Kat to find these things. I started over to the last car, suddenly noticing it. Seriously? The owner of a fancy-looking Audi had left their car unlocked? 

The engine purred to life. They left their keys too?? That was almost asking to get stolen. I hurried over to the passenger's side, climbing in next to Kat. 

"Wow... look at this! Can you believe they left their keys in here, unlocked and all?" Kat was grinning, but I felt uneasy. I doubted someone would be that forgetful, or naïve, or stupid. 

Sure enough, we heard a voice start yelling. 

"My car! Hey, what are you doing with my car!" A guy in a business suit and fancy overcoat was jogging toward us. I knew it seemed too good to be true. 

"Hang on, Paul!" Kat threw the car in gear, backing up and speeding out of the parking garage. This was bad. He was going to report it stolen. A car this new probably had some kind of built-in GPS, too. 

"Crap, this isn't good, Kat!" 

"I think this will work: trust me!" Kat looked determined. It seemed there weren't really any other options anyway. 

"Ok. Now we need to get to the factory to follow..." I trailed off, as just ahead of us, a truck with Blanco's Sno Cones emblazoned on it pulled out. "That guy," I finished. I hoped this one was heading to the special warehouse. "Kat, can you use the phone and follow this guy at the same time? We have to hope that he's heading to the warehouse we need." 

"Yeah, I think I can." She was maintaining a wide enough gap from the truck so as to not draw suspicion. Grateful for my memory with numbers, I dialed the number for the Phoenix FBI office, putting the phone on speaker for Kat. It rang a few times before a recording answered the phone. 

Thank you for calling the Phoenix field offices of the FBI. If you have an immediate emergency, please hang up and dial 911 now. Para Español, opprima ocho. To find out more information about our offices, please visit our website. To report terrorism in your area, press one. Kat and I looked at each other with grins. Wow. It seemed silly, but sad at the same time that an option like that was available. The recording continued. To report foreign intelligence operations or espionage, press three. To report cyber-based attacks or high-technology crimes, press four. To report any level of public corruption or criminal breach of the public trust, press five. For major white-collar crimes, press six. For all other inquiries or reports, please stay on the line and an agent will be with you shortly. 

Smooth jazz began to play out of the speaker phone. I couldn't help but snicker, after that extensive menu that just played, followed by the serene-sounding jazz. I was about to whisper something to Kat when a female voice picked up the line. 

This is the FBI field office of Phoenix, how can I help you today? 

"Uh... hi... um... I need to report something, and... I'm not sure how, or who to say it to... but I'm afraid for me... for my family... uh, and I think it involves a lot of drugs." Wow, Kat sounded frail, pathetic, and depressed. 

Ok, Ma'am, I'd be happy to try and assist you, can I please have your name? 

"Uh... no, no... I'm afraid he'll know and... hurt me again." Kat was whimpering into the phone. If I hadn't been sitting next to her, I'd be worried and want to help her any way I could. 

Who would hurt you, Ma'am? 

"Uh... my, my, my boyfriend. He... I think he's involved... smuggling." 

Ma'am, normally drug related offenses are handled by the DEA. We can assist by passing your report along to them. You can be assured all tips are kept in the strictest confidence and your name won't be released. 

"I... no, I still can't. He might..." Kat began whispering. "He might be listening now." 

One moment... There was a clicking noise, a slight hiss, then the voice resumed. I can assure you that no one else will hear this call. Do you at least want to provide your first name? 

"Uh... Gina... you can call me Gina." Kat was doing an amazing job. All of this was going on as she was following the truck. 

Ok, Gina, you suspect your boyfriend is involved in a drug smuggling operation? 

"Uh, yeah. A big one." 

Gina, how did you come across this information? 

"He, uh... he has parties, and some friends of his come over. They get real drunk and brag about snowcones." 

Snowcones? What do you mean? I could tell the voice had changed. It looked as if my hunch might be correct. 

"Yeah... you know... those single-serving, wrapped baggie things, things you twist." 

Ok, one moment, Gina, let me get you to an agent here. The smooth jazz resumed for a few minutes. I looked at Kat and mouthed 'wow' to her. She just grinned and winked at me. A brief click sounded before we heard a male voice speaking. 

Hello Gina. This is Special Agent Olivero. You are absolutely certain they were speaking of snowcones? 

"Uh, yes. They said it on... uh, many times. One, uh... one guy even kept describing them, the bag that freezes them on the spot." 

Ok. Did they give any information on where these cones go, where they might be headed? 

Kat paused for a moment looking at me. She gestured to the truck in front of her and mouthed, "Should I say I'm following them?" I tried to mouth back to her, but she must have had a sudden inspiration, or thought, something, which caused her to jerk her head back to the road and speak up to the agent. 

"Um... I'm following a truck right now." 

Pardon? 

"Uh... he thought I been acting strange, so... he told me if he saw any, uh... fuckups, he'd... he'd do the same to me. Fuck me up, he said." Fuck, Kat was either really gutsy or crazy. Would they believe her? And if they did believe her, did we have the right truck? "I decided to call and follow a truck... but you have to help me. I'm... I'm scared, I think he'll... he'll hurt me i-i-i-if he finds out." There was a sudden muffled noise, then what sounded like voices, only as if we were listening to them from several rooms away. Another muffled noise and the agent returned. 




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 05



Ok, Miss, Gina, I'm asking that you confirm that detail for me. 

"Look, I'm fucking scared, ok?" Kat had a sudden tremble to her voice that sounded genuine. "I'm following a snowcone truck, I'm calling the fucking FBI, and I'm afraid for my fucking life! You have to help me, please!" Kat started sobbing. It nearly broke my heart. I hoped I'd never have to hear her sound like this in reality. I almost placed my hand on her leg to comfort her, before realizing she was just pretending, faking this whole persona. I didn't want to interrupt her or get her off track.  

Up ahead, the truck made a turn on to a side road and there it was up ahead - a gated entry, complete with a guard shack and guys who, even from this distance of several blocks away, looked the part of common street thugs. 

Ok, Gina, please try and remain calm. I'll stay with you on the line as I contact the Phoenix Police De- 

"NO!" Kat nearly screamed, startling me. "Please, God, no, don't call the cops! I tried that once and he... he hit me for... I couldn't move for hours. Please, please, don't call the cops, you're my last hope!" 

Ma'am, Gina, I can contact the police from an untraceable line and use an alias for you so that you can- 

"Please, listen! The cops can't do anything... he...he's too powerful!" 

Who is, Gina? 

"I... I can't say his name." Kat had started whispering again. 

The man who owns the snowcone factory? 

"Y-yeah. A-a-a-and... they have her, too." 

Who do they have, Gina? 

"Ka... uh, is this line safe?" 

Just you and me, Gina. 

"Katherine. Katherine White." As Kat spoke her name, my heart leapt in my throat. I thought we weren't going to use her name. I was about to protest and say something when the agent started to lose his composure. 

Ummm. Wow. Gina, can you confirm this? Are you certain? Agent Olivero sounded suddenly on edge and alert. Well, at least it got their attention. But they also had our exact location, an alley a few blocks from the warehouse. 

"I'm... I'm positive. I saw her red hair, the face, the same face I'd seen on the news. They, uh, they were taking her, I watched them. I followed him this morning, he, uh, he said he had important business. He never talked like that, so I followed, saw them load her into this truck, followed it. Please, you have to come. Now!" 

Gina, please stay on the line with me. I will send a few of my agents out to you and - 

"I can't. I... they'll find me if I do, I know. It's the warehouse on Higgins St. I'm sorry." Kat pressed the red "END" button. Holy shit. That would probably have them scrambling. Kat rolled her window down and threw the phone as far as she could down the alley. It landed and broke into several pieces. I was staring at her in shock. 

"Holy... Fuck! Kat! Do you think Edmond could have heard that? Or could he know?" 

"Well... that sound you heard, when I asked if it was secure? I know what that was. My dad has one. It checks the line for abnormalities - things that are caused by bugs or additional lines 'listening in' to the call." Kat was grinning triumphantly. But it made me wonder... 

"So how did McMahon eavesdrop on your calls and find out I was driving you home?" 

Kat frowned. "Well, it may have been recent, or Dad may have turned it off..." 

"Well, either way, we've got to move. This car was stolen, remember? It's probably got GPS or something like that in it that will allow the cops to find it." 

"Oh fuck! I almost forgot about that." Kat turned the engine off and opened the door. "Then let's get going!" I unbuckled and quickly followed suit. As I got out of the car, I heard Kat mumble something. Closing the door, I saw her standing still, frozen in place, her eyes staring wide open at something behind us. I slowly turned and then I felt like fainting. 

A man was pointing a gun at Kat, staring at her with ugly, beady eyes. He glanced my way, pointed the gun at me, and gestured me to stand next to Kat. I slowly moved around the front of the stolen Audi, holding my hands in a placating gesture in front of me. 

"I thought I could smell a couple of rats... I never knew one of 'em would look so... tasty," Gunman leered at Kat, licking his lips. What the fuck were we going to do now? Kat inched closer to me so our shoulders were touching. I could feel a slight tremble. I wanted to hold her and comfort her at that moment, but this guy looked dangerous. I thought maybe we could talk our way out, say we were lost and having car trouble or something. 

"Um... we were just, uh, just lost, and our car here was giving us some -" the gun fired. The sound was louder than I had expected, like a small explosion, the bullet ricocheting off the brick behind us. 

"SHUT UP! You can't fool me, fucker! I saw you followin' me back several miles ago. That bitch," he leveled the gun at Kat, "was on the damn phone. You two some kinda undercover cops or some shit? Vig-uh-lan-tees, huh? Well I ain't getting on the boss's bad side 'cause of two punk kids like you! Pop the trunk, missy!" He pointed with his gun to the Audi. Kat glanced at me, and I shrugged. We didn't really have a choice. 

"Uh... the keys are in the car." Kat said, her voice trembling. 

"THEN GET THEM, YOU CUNT!" Gunman roared. Kat flinched, but slowly backed up, pulling the door open slowly. "And don't try no funny business, bitch, or I'll fuckin' shoot the both of ya." Kat moved slowly, grabbing the keys from the ignition. She eased back out of the Audi, showing the man she had the keys. She slowly pressed the trunk lid. The latch made a small click and the trunk sprang open. 

"Now... get in! Move!" He fired once again, as if to prove his point. The sound once again made me flinch. I briefly wondered if people would report the gunfire. Even in this more commercial and industrial section of Phoenix, someone must have heard the shots. Kat and I moved quickly to the trunk. I crawled in first, lying on my side, my back pressed up against the back of the seats. I had to curl my legs slightly, but I was surprised at just how much room there was back there. Kat crawled in next, pressing into me. I could feel her trembling, but I pulled her close to me, trying to comfort her. I could see beyond Kat that Gunman was standing at the trunk now, his one hand held out. 

"Keys, you cunt," he snarled at Kat. She quickly handed them over. He stood there a few seconds longer. "Pretty boy back there will have a nice quick death, but you, Reddie, I'm gonna have some fun with you first." He licked his lips again and I couldn't help but shudder. He was talking as if I were a piece of dung to be scraped off his shoe and Kat were his personal plaything. "I'll be back after I make my delivery. Don't be goin' nowhere..." The trunk slammed shut, cutting off the menacing chuckle of Gunman and plunging Kat and me into darkness. 

We held still for a few minutes, listening intently for any sounds. From the silence I inferred that Gunman was gone. I whispered to Kat. 

"Are you ok, Kat?" I hugged her tightly to me. I kissed her neck, and ran my hand up and down her arms. 

"Holy shit, Paul! I thought he was going to shoot us!" She shuddered again. "But, maybe that would have been better... Paul..." She made some sobbing noises. "Please don't let him do that to me. You... you have to kill me before he comes back. Please, Paul, I don't want to be raped." 

"What!? I can't kill you, Kat! I couldn't even think of harming you!" 

"But... he's going to rape me! You heard him! He'll probably just shoot you, and you won't have to worry about anything!" 

"Kat, Kat! Calm down! Please, we can't panic now." I tried rubbing her arms some more, but her trembling was increasing. "We can get out of this. Somehow. We'll..." I started thinking. What could we do? We were practically blind in here. I started feeling around, thinking maybe there was some escape latch or something, since this was a newer model Audi. 

"Paul, what are you doing?" 

"Looking for a latch, something to get us out of here. I'm not going to let him kill you. Or me." 

"But, what can we do? We're stuck in here, he'll be back any minute to..." And the trunk lid sprang open. I hadn't expected him to come back so soon. Fuck, I was trying to think what we could do if he opened the trunk - maybe jump out at him or something, but he wasn't standing directly in front of the lid. I actually couldn't even see him. Maybe the FBI had really gotten here and was going to save us! I raised my head a little to look around. But... there he was, moving slowly toward us, his gun raised and leveled, pointing directly at me. 

"Hey there, Pretty Boy. Didn't think I'd forget about you, did you?" He inched closer still, within a few feet now. "Oh no, not with that sweet piece of ass you got with you. I wouldn't forget Reddie..." He licked his lips again. Fuck, was this it? Was I going to be shot by this vile, repulsive reptile? 

"FBI! DROP THE GUN!" A voice yelled, just beyond our vision. Gunman whirled toward the voice, swiveling his gun too. 

"Fuck you, Pig! D—" As Gunman was pulling the trigger, a shot rang out and his head snapped back. He dropped to the ground, out of my line of sight from the trunk. Seconds later, a blonde-haired woman wearing a bullet-proof vest with "FBI" letters on it appeared. 

"Mr. Goodman, Ms. White, I'm glad to see you're ok." The use of our names shocked me. The agent must have seen my bewilderment. "It's a long story. I'm Special Agent Erica Hubbard. I'm sorry, but you're safer in there." And suddenly the trunk lid snapped shut again. 

"Hey, hey wait!" I tried calling out. The lid stayed shut. What the fuck? But my question was soon answered as the sound of gunfire - lots of gunfire - erupted. What sounded like assault rifles, or some kind of rapid-fire machine gun, was chattering away close by. It was deafening, even in the confines of the trunk. Kat let out a scream, and I hugged her as close to me as I could. 

"Kat! Whatever happens, know that I love you! I fell in love with you the first day I laid eyes on you! I doubt I'll ever find anyone quite like you!" I nearly screamed, in order to be heard above the gunfire. 

"Oh God, Paul! I love you, too! Holy shit! Hold me, hold me, hold me!" Kat's voice was panic-stricken. I couldn't blame her, I felt pretty panicked myself. We had no way of knowing what was happening outside the trunk. There were so many shots being fired, I couldn't tell how many guns or even what kinds of guns were firing, if it was the FBI or Phoenix Police, or from the warehouse. 

Just when I expected the gunfire would keep up indefinitely, when I felt that we had suddenly been dropped smack into the middle of a warzone, it stopped. I could hear echoes of gunfire sounding far away and a few voices shouting. One in particular was close enough that we could hear what was being said. 

"Echo 2-9! Move up! Bravo 4-5, cover! Charlie Team, on me!" I heard muffled footsteps and then suddenly it was quiet. There was a car alarm going off somewhere, but there was no more gunfire. Kat and I huddled together, wondering what the hell was actually happening. We waited. We tried to calm each other. We held each other, kissed, rubbed arms, held hands - anything to stay calm. 

I had never before suffered a panic attack, but when the gunfire ceased I found that it was suddenly unbearably hot and stuffy in the trunk. I couldn't breathe. Every breath seemed insufficient. I was breathing rapidly. Air! I needed air! I was panting now, gasping for breath. I felt as if I was drowning. I was gasping, sucking in deep lungsful of air. I started pushing against the trunk lid, punching it, hammering it with my fists. I was kicking the side walls. I was vaguely aware of Kat saying my name, trying to reason with me and calm me. I had to get out. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't get enough air! I was going to suffocate! 

And just like that, the trunk lid sprang open again. I sucked in as much air as I could, holding on to the trunk lid, trying to pull myself out of the trunk. I saw the blonde-haired agent again. What was her name? Hubble? Like the telescope? Fuck, Kat! Was she ok? The agent was saying something. Kat was saying something. Why couldn't I hear them? I saw a man approaching with a tank. He held a mask up to my face. Cool air flowed into my nostrils, into my lungs. It felt like a magical elixir. I felt my heart slowing, I felt my hearing return. I felt Kat holding my arm, her eyes filled with worry. 

"...ok, Mr. Goodman?" The blonde agent said. Oh yeah, her name was Hubbard. I nodded. "Are you going to be ok now?" I nodded again. "Good. If you and Ms. White would step out of the trunk and come with me, I have some questions for you. And, probably some much needed information." 

I looked at Kat and she nodded. The man removed the mask from my face and retreated. It was then that I noticed the swarm of people and cars. There was a SWAT van across the street, along with several black vehicles. There were several people wearing FBI-labeled vests, several SWAT officers, several police officers, and even some people in plain clothes, wearing bullet-proof vests. It was surreal. I wondered if I was dreaming, or if Gunman had actually shot me. But as we crawled out of the trunk, I could see a couple of agents taking care of a very dead Gunman. 

I finally found my voice. "Agent Hubbard, what the hell just happened?" I held Kat's hand firmly, her hand grasping my own with a crushing grip. 

The blonde-haired agent let out a laugh, while leading us through the throng of people, past some yellow police-tape, and into the back of a large van. "You guys just saw - well heard, I suppose - a firefight." 

Chapter 12 

Agent Hubbard gestured to two seats in the van, nestled behind a small table, as she sat in a swivel chair. A small stack of donuts occupied the middle of the table. "And please, help yourselves." I couldn't help myself. I snickered. 

"Donuts?" 

Agent Hubbard nodded. "Yep. I know, I know, cops and donuts and all. But we're federal agents - doesn't count." 

Kat reached out and grabbed a chocolate-iced donut. "Thank you," she said calmly. I figured I might as well - I was feeling hungry and lightheaded anyway - and grabbed a similar donut. 

"So. I'm sure you both are wondering how I knew you, knew where to find you, all that stuff." The agent had leaned forward on the table, looking between Kat and me. We both nodded. 

"The simple answer is, I've been tracking this case since Miss White was first abducted. What I do need to know, before I answer your questions is this: Mr. Goodman, how did you know where Miss White was being held? We understand that Mr. McMahon has several dozen potential locations he could have kept her, but how did you know exactly which one?" 

I swallowed my bite of donut before answering her. "Well, Agent Hubbard - " 

"Please, just call me Erica." 

"Ok. Erica. The video Edmond McMahon left for me -" 

"He left you a video?" Agent Hubbard cut in. "Where is it?" 

"It, uh, was blown up." 

"Blown up? As in an explosion?" 

"Yeah. I watched this video on a portable DVD player, and at the end he warned me I had ten seconds. At the end of those ten seconds it really did blow up. I assume he used some kind of C4, as a conventional explosive that size wouldn't have produced the powerful explosion I heard and felt." 

Agent Hubbard cocked an eyebrow. "You know your explosives well, Mr. Goodman? I thought your specialty was water and snowflakes." 

"Yes, but most explosives are the stuff of basic chemistry really. And, well... I get curious." 

"Ok, very well. Continue." 

"Anyway, Edmond McMahon mentioned he'd like to have me killed and buried in snow. He laughed and said it would be an ironic end for me. I didn't think much of it - other than being royally creeped out - until much later, when I found out he had a snowcone factory here in Phoenix operating under the name Blanco's Sno Cones." 

"Ah, very clever, Mr. Goodman." 

"Yeah, I just assumed if he was that amused at the irony of me in snow, then a factory dealing with all those things - white, in Spanish; his apparent hatred of Doug White, the whole White family, and the White Family Corporation; the color of snow - it would fit his arrogant nature to keep her there." 

"Ok. Very good deductive reasoning. Now, I'll fill you both in on what's happened and then I'll ask you some questions to fill in the details so we can clear up this mess and move on with our lives. Sound good?" I was beginning to like this agent's straightforward manner. I nodded, seeing Kat nod as well. 

Agent Hubbard began to fill us in on what had been happening and how she had been assigned to investigate the kidnapping of Kat. She had initially suspected the McMahons, but couldn't find hard facts to link them to it. She received the call from Doug White, who also suspected the McMahon family, but without any hard evidence, they had nothing concrete to go on. 

A few days later, though, she received a call from Helen, the waitress from the diner who had helped us out so much. Apparently Helen had called the FBI to let them know that Kat was being brought back to Phoenix by "a nice young man." Without very much information to go on, they monitored police channels and had a few agents monitoring the WFC offices. When there were several calls to the police station about men seizing a man and woman in front of the White residence, she scrambled to get a team there, but was too late. There had been nothing left behind, no trace of anything, with neighbors only having witnessed the men and the basic van and sedan that had pulled up to haul me and Kat away, respectively. 

Even though Doug White had submitted the voicemails to the FBI, there was a lull in the case, with Agent Hubbard and the FBI knowing Kat had been kidnapped twice now, but having no leads on where she had been taken, and no reasonable cause to suspect McMahon - the wire-tap had been planted without disturbing anything, leaving no trail to follow. At this point, they still hadn't known my name. My activities south of Phoenix hadn't raised any suspicions right away. The FBI kept vigilant, listening for anything that might relate to Kat's kidnapping. 

When I had rescued Kat, a couple of people had reported seeing smoke from the factory, and one of the delivery trucks was found abandoned a block away. That was when Agent Hubbard said she knew that was Kat being rescued, but she still didn't know by whom, or where Kat could be. 

Then early the next morning - just a few hours ago, actually - two reports had come in almost simultaneously. First, the teenage desk clerk at the motel had reported two men asking for a Paul Goodman. She had seen them holding pistols. Then the hotel we had stayed at had reported two men asking about a man and red-haired woman. They then heard a gunshot shortly after, and saw the man and woman fleeing past the entrance and into a car. 

Agent Hubbard had quickly inquired and looked into both cases. She had checked my name, saw a Ford Explorer licensed to me. She called the girl at the desk and she confirmed the description of my Explorer and admitted I had swapped it with her car. Agent Hubbard then traced that car to the used-car lot and the car I had acquired on a trade-in with that stumpy salesman. A stolen car was reported not far from the hotel, but the thing that sealed everything for Agent Hubbard was the call that came in to the FBI offices - which was traced back to the GPS signal of the stolen car. She had listened in on the call Kat had just made, at long last learning enough information to finally act. 

"We can fudge just a little bit of information - say we rescued you from that warehouse." Agent Hubbard explained. "All the men that were in that warehouse put up resistance and opened fire. They're all dead, so..." The agent trailed off. 




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 05



"So I was actually in there, rescued by the FBI," Kat finished. Agent Hubbard nodded. 

"Underhanded, I know, but McMahon is nothing but that himself. We have enough now, with the raid of this warehouse, to search all his businesses. If he's got any other stashes going, he'll be in even deeper than he is now." 

"Um..." I cleared my throat. I still had a couple of questions. 

"Yes, Mr. Goodman?" 

"The, uh... few crimes I committed... will they, will I have to, uh... will I be charged?" 

Agent Hubbard laughed. "With what you did, I'm surprised you're not looking into a career enforcement." 

"So... they'll be dropped?" 

"Like they never even happened." 

"What about that poor girl? The desk clerk? Will she get her car back?" 

"We pulled some strings with her insurance company. In the interests of national security we prevailed on them to record her car as stolen by unknown perpetrators and unrecovered. Her insurance company, as an accommodation to the FBI, will replace her car - yet somehow her premiums won't increase," Agent Hubbard said with a grin. "But that used-car dealer is in deep doo-doo." 

"So will I have anything to worry about from the McMahon family? What about the twins, Jasper and Jasmine McMahon?" Kat piped up. 

"Don't worry, Miss White, I'm pretty sure our searches will find enough information for us to get the goods on them. Until then, you two are going to a safe house." As she said this, the doors of the van opened and two agents entered. 

"Mr. Goodman, Ms. White, please come with us. You will be escorted to a safe location." One of them said. We rose from our seats, thanking Agent Hubbard. 

"Agent Hubbard," I saw her eyebrow raised, so I quickly corrected myself, "Erica, thank you. I'm grateful you saved us. I thought I was going to die." 

"Mr. Goodman, I should be thanking you. Your efforts helped save Miss White, not to mention you helped us uncover Edmond McMahon's criminal enterprise." She paused, looked to the side for a moment. "And the death of a fine scientist like you would be a great tragedy. Do take care, now." She waved us off, and the agents escorted us quickly out of the van. 

As we headed toward a waiting Suburban, I caught a glimpse of a familiar face. It was the eyes - a cold icy stare - that drew my attention. Our eyes met, and I had an ugly flash of recognition. It was the one called Gecko - the one who had wanted to kill me himself, the one who seemed like a loose cannon with a fiery temper, one of the pseudo-FBI agents who had "arrested" me. He had been heading our way. When recognition registered on my face, he did not break stride but smoothly unholstered his sidearm and raised it - in the direction of Kat. 

I did the only thing I could think of at that moment - I lunged forward, knocking into Kat, forcing her out of the way, just as the gun fired. I felt a piercing hot sensation rip into my upper chest, near my right shoulder. It was undoubtedly the most excruciating pain I had ever felt. I watched as Gecko, preparing to fire again, was riddled with bullets, his blood splattering and spraying from his mouth. I couldn't feel my right arm. My chest suddenly felt cold, really cold. And wet. It was getting harder to breathe too, as if something heavy was sitting on the right side of my chest. I realized Kat was holding on to me, screaming my name, as I was slowly sliding down to the ground. She was patting my hair, tears streaming down her cheeks. I wanted to raise my hand to wipe away her tears, but my hand wouldn't budge. Funny, it didn't hurt anymore. Things started to look fuzzy. Kat went out of focus, then came back into focus. She was crying still. What was making her cry? Why was she so sad? I just wanted to hold her. I couldn't move. I glanced down and saw the white coveralls weren't white anymore - they were red. Weren't they always red? No, they used to be white. I remember. So why were mine red? And it felt so cold. When did Phoenix get so cold, even in the early winter? Kat was still crying. There was that same man who had brought me the mask. He was yelling something to someone. Why was everyone so frantic? I felt more pressure on my chest. It was getting really hard to breathe. I just wanted to sleep. Sleep sounded good. I could just close my eyes and fall asleep. But someone was yelling my name. Kat? She was still crying. Sobbing now. Poor Kat. I had to comfort her. I tried to tell her I loved her, but something warm bubbled up and out my mouth. When did that happen? Maskman put something in my mouth. I heard a beeping noise. I felt movement, and suddenly I was lifted in the air. I saw buildings moving past me. Were they on wheels? The buildings came to a stop and I felt a few bumps. There was suddenly a roof over my head. Kat was still there crying. I heard the beep turn into a long, endless whine. Wasn't that me? Had my heart just stopped? It couldn't. I was still here. I was just so sleepy. I wanted to close my eyes again. I heard someone yell the word 'clear' and something made my entire body lurch. That was interesting. It felt like a tingle passing through my whole body. The same voice yelled 'clear' again and it happened again. A tingle, only this time followed by what felt like I had just been kicked in the chest. I saw Kat, crying. I'm sorry, Kat, am I making you cry? I couldn't say it. My mouth wouldn't work. But there was something in my mouth anyway. The tingle-lurching-kicking must have worked, cause the whine turned back into a beep. I felt whiteness closing around my eyes. It was so pretty. I just wanted to sleep. Just close my eyes. Just rest. So I closed my eyes. 

***** 

"Paul?" I thought I heard my name being called out. My eyelids didn't want to open. What was going on? I tried moving, anything, but nothing would happen. I couldn't tell where my body began and where it ended, everything felt so numb. 

"Paul?" There it was again. My name. I knew it. It was such a soft voice too. I liked hearing it. 

"Baby, come back to me, please." Whoa, that sounded really familiar. Someone who really cared about me? And that voice - the voice of an angel. 

"I love you, Paul. Don't leave me, please." The voice was sad. I didn't want that voice to be sad. It reminded me of someone I cherished. My eyes finally started opening. There she was. That someone I cherished. Red curls, emerald green eyes, although they were swollen and rimmed with redness, they still belonged to Kat. My Kat. 

"Oh Paul!" She smiled, new tears pouring out of her eyes. "I thought I lost you! Oh God, I love you!" How would I be lost? I was right here. Then I vaguely felt a hand holding mine, two hands. I tried to turn my hand over and grip the hands. It wouldn't budge though. Why wouldn't my body do what I wanted it to? Was I in someone else's body? No, that was ridiculous. 

"I was so scared, but you saved me. You saved me again! You keep saving me, Paul." My eyes focused more now. I saw Kat clearer. I tried to say something, to tell her I was ok, that I loved her, anything. There was a damned tube in my mouth. How could a guy talk with a fucking tube in his mouth? I couldn't even reach up to get it out. Uh oh, time to sleep again. I felt the pull of the darkness, as my eyes lost focus and closed. 

****** 

"...when I knew I loved you. Even in those coveralls, you looked so handsome, so sexy. I couldn't believe I was so lucky even to know a guy like you, much less..." I heard Kat's voice. She wasn't sounding so sad now. I couldn't open my eyes though. Then I heard another voice. 

"Well, it appears his condition is improving. He had a lot of blood loss, but he should make a complete recovery, with very little residual effects. Just thank God the slug wasn't a hollow-point bullet. He'd probably have lost his right arm. As it is, thankfully, it will just take time - and a lot of therapy - for his body to heal." 

"Oh God, thank you, Doctor!" Another voice now. This one sounded familiar, too. "It's ok, Sweetie, Mommy is here." Ah, Mom. That must mean... 

"Hi, Son, the doctor says you will get better with time. We're still waiting to have that meal with you and your girlfriend, so get better soon." My dad - that was just like him, focusing on keeping everything the same. Why wouldn't my eyes open though? I wanted to open them and tell everyone I was ok. I could hear them. I was here. I loved them. 

"Katherine, thank you so much for being with him." My mother's voice sounded extremely grateful. She sounded as if she was crying too. 

"Of course, Mrs. Goodman. I wish we could have met under better circumstances, but Paul's become the love of my life. I couldn't imagine ever leaving his side again." Wow, that was so sweet. I was such a lucky guy to have Kat. I wanted to let her know, but the darkness was closing in again. Noise faded out, and once again I was submerged into darkness. 

***** 

My eyes slowly opened. It was semi-dark, the glow of instruments and monitors providing the light in the room. I could tell I was in a hospital bed, everything hooked up to me. And the memory returned. Gecko, that bastard who pretended to be an FBI agent - he must have been an actual agent after all - had tried to shoot Kat and I took the bullet instead. 

Where was Kat? I tried turning my head, but it wouldn't move much. There was just a curtain on that side. I slowly rolled my head as far as I could to the other side. There, curled up in a chair with a blanket up to her chin, my own angel, my beautiful, precious Kat, was sleeping, her head resting on the chair's back. 

"She's a sweet girl," a woman's voice suddenly said from my other side. I turned slightly toward it. "She's been with you every night, these past four nights. This is the fifth night she's stayed here, right by your side. You keep ahold of that one and don't you ever let go. Goodnight, Sugar." The nurse had taken my vitals and disappeared behind the curtain. I looked back over to my keeper. My Kat. I wondered how bad my injuries were. There wasn't a tube in my mouth anymore, so that was a start. I tried moving my feet. Yep, I could wiggle my toes; heck, I could even shift my legs. I tried my hands next. My left one started working, but I couldn't get my right one to work just yet. Well, it was a start. It was better than being able to move nothing at all. I tried my voice. I had to talk to Kat if I could. 

"Kuh." Gah, it was pathetic sounding, like a cross between a gurgle, a strangle, and a cough. I tried again. "Kaa." A little stronger. I summoned up everything I could, and finally got her name out. "Kaaaat." It was as if a jolt of electricity hit her. Kat leapt straight out of the chair and was at my side in an instant, grasping my hand. Her eyes were wide and immediately, tears formed. 

"Paul! Oh Paul, there you are, my Love!" She leaned over and kissed my forehead. "God, I've missed you. How are you feeling?" 

"Ugh. I... feel... like I... got shot," I forced out. Kat burst out laughing. 

"Oh Paul, I'm so glad you're alive. I really did think I would lose you." 

"I... couldn't... leave... you." 

"I love you, Paul." 

"I... love you... too." Talking was so hard. The right side of my chest still felt like a ton of bricks was resting on it. "What... happened... to me?" 

"They said the bullet broke into fragments once it entered you. Some of the fragments hit an artery near your shoulder and others pierced your lung. But the doctor says you'll make a complete recovery, Isn't that wonderful?" I nodded, trying to squeeze her hand in mine. "Ok, Sweetheart, get some rest." I nodded again, and closed my eyes. 

****** 

The next couple of days passed in a similar manner, only I regained my strength, bit by bit. Soon enough I was sitting upright and feeding myself, talking more and more normally. Kat stayed by my side. She informed me that she had called and spoken with her professors and gotten an extension on all her coursework, so she could complete the semester. She had called my major professor as well, and all my deadlines connected to my Ph.D. thesis were suspended. She was an amazing woman. Each day brought a new and interesting visitor. One day I got to see Helen, the waitress from that diner. She was as sweet and bubbly as ever. Her parting shot was the same request as before, that we inform her when the wedding was. Inform, hell! Helen was going to be one of our honored guests! 

A few days before my discharge date, I got a surprise visitor. He walked in and I was almost speechless. Even Kat looked shocked. 

"Hello there, Mr. Goodman. I'm pleased to meet the man who has not only saved my daughter, but won her heart as well." Doug White stood near my bed and shook my hand - my left hand. "I've heard a lot about you. When you're released, I'd like to talk to you more personally." 

"Of course, Sir." 

"You can call me Doug. In fact, I'd prefer it," he smiled. 

"Thank you, Doug. I look forward to speaking with you," I grinned back at him. 

"Oh Dad, quit trying to recruit him already!" Kat playfully punched her dad in the shoulder. I must have missed something, for they seemed to be acting like a normal family that loved each other. 

"What? I'm just chatting with the guy who saved my daughter!" He laughed. Doug stayed and chatted amiably with us for about an hour before announcing "duty calls," getting up to leave. Kat surprised me again, giving her father a huge hug. 

After Doug had left, I had a few questions for Kat. 

"I thought you two weren't on very good speaking terms." Kat just ginned at my observation. 

"You've been out quite a while. What else was a girl to do while her love was unconscious?" She smiled warmly, grasping my hand in hers. "We talked. Quite a bit, actually. He apologized profusely, over and over, insisting it was his fault that I got into this whole mess. I just told him that if it weren't for this 'whole mess,' I wouldn't have found the love of my life." 

"The love of your life, huh? That sounds hopelessly romantic," I said with a wink at Kat. "So if I feel that way too..." I trailed off as Kat moved her face closer to mine. She had a gleam in her eye. Her lips grazed mine and moved up to whisper in my ear. "I can't wait to fuck you silly and then get down to the business of making sweet, slow love to you." That sent a chill down my spine, right to my crotch. Wow, she got me going so easily. I felt slightly daring, maybe having something to do with surviving a gunshot. 

"Why wait?" I whispered back, grasping her firm ass. She jumped with a light squeal. 

"You're so bad!" But she tiptoed over to the door, peering out before closing it and thumbing the lock. "But we've gotta be quick then." 

"You know they can unlock that really easily?" I asked, my eyebrow raised. 

"Then they'd better be prepared to see a patient getting well and thoroughly fucked." With that, she peeled her shirt off her head, reached for my gown and lifted it up. "One thing that's nice about these hospital gowns," she paused, grasping my already stiff cock, "is the easy access." She disappeared underneath my gown as I felt her hot, wet mouth close around my shaft. She licked and sucked a few times before reemerging. "Oh, I've missed you," she cooed. 

"I've missed you too," I added, groaning as she sucked me into her mouth again. I didn't think I could wait. "Oh, come here, get on me, I want you now!" I practically growled. 

"Mmmhmmm," she moaned around my cock, popping off the head and appearing with a sexy grin. She unhooked her bra, shrugging out of it, exposing her gorgeous breasts to my sight. I doubted I could ever grow tired of seeing her naked. She hooked her fingers into the waistband of her pants and removed her panties as well, stepping out of them. She was completely naked as she crawled into the bed, right on top of me. I could see her glistening slit, and saw her lowering herself to me. She grasped my cock and guided it to her entrance. Just the touch of my head to her heat had me moaning in pleasure, but when she started sinking onto my length, it was everything I could do not to orgasm right then at the sight of her beautiful, slippery pussy swallowing me up. We both moaned in unison. 

"Ahhh... Kat, you always feel so perfect." I pulled her forward on top of me, pressing my mouth to hers. I winced, aware of the gunshot wound that was still healing. She apologized, but continued to kiss me and wiggle her hips, creating a wonderful feeling. 

"God I've missed you inside me," she hissed. She kissed me again, then rose up to a sitting position on top of me and started moving her hips in a way that I couldn't imagine was possible, yet made for intense pleasure. 

"Kat, I'd stop a dozen more bullets for you," I panted as she rode me. 

"Oh, I think one is enough." 

"I love you, Kat." 

"I love you, Paul, ungh!" She picked up the pace. She was gyrating fiercely on top of me. Her breasts wiggled and bounced with each movement she made, so I reached up and caught them, squeezing and massaging them in my hands, feeling the nipples press into my palms. It was such a contrast, seeing the IV in my hand, on her breast. My right arm was still a little sluggish and stiff, and there was a residual ache in the arm, but I didn't care at the moment, seeing Kat bounce and grind on top of me. The heart monitor must have still been connected, since I heard the rhythmic beep pick up speed. 

"Ah, ah, they're gonna check on you, uh, uh, with that increased heart rate, Oooooh," Kat moaned. 

"Fuck... oh God, Kat, I'm gonna cum soon!" She was doing amazing things to me. 

"Oh, yes, pinch my nipples, I'm gonna cum too!" I did as she asked, rolling the buds of her nipples between my fingers, tweaking and twisting them. I heard her breathing pick up pace and her panting turn into moans. 

"Ah, fuck, Paul, I'm gonna cum!" She rode me faster still, a squishing noise and the sound of the hospital bed squeaking, combined with the rapid beep of my heart monitor, all joined together with our moans. I felt the sensation rise, my balls tightened, and I knew it was approaching. Then I felt it - her pussy tightened into a clench, her breathing stopped and her hips came to a halt. Her whole body turned rigid, and her pussy walls seemed to vibrate on my cock. That sensation alone was enough to push me over the edge, as I felt my own release shoot up into her. We panted together, groaning our mutual releases and satisfaction. Kat fell forward on my chest, her breathing labored, gasping for air. I winced again, the pressure of her on my wound bringing an intense, sharp pain. 

"Holy shit, that was good," she panted. "How you always make me feel good! Oh, God, your wound, I'm so sorry!" She sat up and frowned, gently patting the bandaged area. 

"Fuck... it was worth it, Kat. But... imagine if every patient got a treatment like that..." I moaned, caressing her hips. 

"Everyone would be pretending to be ill then." 

"Or getting shot," we giggled together. The rush of having sex in a public place, risking being caught by someone, was intense. Couple that with the drugs I had to have been on, and my head was positively spinning. 

"I better get changed quickly, they'll probably be checking on you soon with your heart rate increase and," she got off of me, carefully catching the cum dripping out of her with some tissues she had grabbed, "your sudden drop in heart rate." She was pointing at the monitor. Sure enough, my heart rate had dropped dramatically, from the rapid cadence it had been beating during our lovemaking to a slow and steady pulse now. My scientist side was curious if that happened every time after orgasm, what with the sudden rush and release of endorphins. Not my specialty or main interest, but it intrigued me, nonetheless. 

Kat picked up her clothes and rushed off toward the bathroom, unlocking the main door as she slipped into the bathroom. I smoothed my gown down my front just as I heard a knock. Shit, already? I still had a partial erection. 




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 05



"You ok in here, Sugar?" The nurse poked around the corner. I nodded that I was ok, but I could have sworn she saw the bulge in the gown and my face was probably flushed, and then Kat came out of the bathroom. "Ah, ok then, I'll check on you in a little bit." She had to have known. Kat and I heard a giggle from her just before the door closed. 

"She knew!" Kat giggled. "Did you see her look? That change from the 'is he ok?' look to the 'haha, they just fucked each other' look?" 

"Yeah, not to mention the bulge in my gown here, thanks to you," I gestured in mock accusation. I had to giggle with her. It was exhilarating, exciting, and fun. 

"Hey, I thought I took care of that!" She poked my cock, which had been slowly deflating, but was suddenly threatening to come back to life. 

"You keep poking and talking about him and he'll come looking for you," I warned. 

"That's not really a bad thing..." she giggled, poking my erection again. Then she surprised me and quickly lifted my gown up, diving under and popping me into her mouth. God, even after sex with her, her mouth felt incredible. She pulled back out, and gave me a devilish grin. "There, a promise for later." God I loved this woman. 

"I will hold you to it then," I grinned at her. 

"Ok then, I love to be held." She sighed contentedly. "I love you." 

"Love you too, Babe." My endearment made her smile and rest her head on my chest. 

The rest of the afternoon passed with Kat bringing me up to speed on what had been happening while I was mostly unconscious. Edmond McMahon had been arrested, along with a large number of men (and a few women) who worked for him. Several high-level officials throughout the city, whom McMahon kept in his back pocket, had been indicted. Apparently evidence had popped up that indicated a couple US Senators and Representatives had been involved. Kat said this whole case was all over the news. 

Agent Hubbard dropped by every now and then. She thanked me for my assistance with the whole process. Even in the hospital Kat and I were still under FBI protection. Once I was discharged, Kat and I would be taken to the safehouse we were originally supposed to have been delivered to, where we would stay until McMahon had been brought to justice. We just grinned at each other, knowing we'd have plenty of time to get to know each other even better. I'm sure Agent Hubbard saw this, for she smiled and excused herself. That night, I fell asleep holding Kat's hand, eager to be released from the hospital and continue my life - now with Kat firmly a part of it. 

****** 

With no further complications, the hospital released me with follow-up appointments for physical therapy. An agent met us outside and informed us that a therapist would be screened and let into the safehouse to work with me. Over the next few weeks, a physical therapist would come and work my right arm and back extensively, leaving my arm burning and exhausted. Afterward, Kat would always seem to have her own brand of physical therapy for me. Hers was much more exciting and yielded even greater benefits. 

Around the time my physical therapist declared me good as new, an agent told us we were free to go after Special Agent Hubbard had a word with us. The trial for Edmond McMahon had concluded with a guilty verdict on all counts, Apparently, they had charged him with dozens of counts of a massive assortment of crimes. The judge sentenced him to several life sentences, to be served consecutively, although, at his advanced age, ten years would have sufficed. Special Agent Hubbard, who as a result of the McMahon case had been promoted to Special Agent in charge of the Phoenix field office, was our last visitor at the safehouse. Along with wishing us well in the next phase of our life together, she sat us down for a candid discussion. 

"Frankly, Paul, we leaned pretty hard on some folks on your behalf, to cover up the crimes you felt compelled to commit in effecting your escape from the clutches of Edmond McMahon and his henchmen. There could be some serious blowback on some really decent people within the FBI if news of our intervention came to light in the press. I know you acted out of necessity. And I know we did nothing wrong in helping to shape the facts to your benefit, and you know the same thing. But facts get all twisted out of shape once the media get ahold of a story. We'd appreciate it - in fact, I'd consider it a personal favor - if you would just keep that whole side of the story out of the public eye." 

I had nothing but gratitude and admiration for the FBI. They made the new life we were about to embark on possible. I had no intention of causing them embarrassment. 

Up until now, these many years later, I have cherished these events privately as belonging only to myself, Kat, and a very small circle of close family and trusted friends. Together these events tell the story of the birthing of a new me, the confident man I have become out of the love of a good woman, the man I didn't even know existed before Kat. That's something sacred. It's not something you go around blabbing about. 

For the short term, I moved in with Kat, in her little townhouse apartment in Phoenix. I was sure we'd figure something out by the time the next semester started. 

I had called my professors for the few steps I had remaining for completion of my doctorate. They agreed to let me take my comprehensive exams in Phoenix. All in all, I was able to negotiate the last few hoops, with no complications. All that was left was the public defense of my dissertation, and I had no worries on that score. Kat returned to her classes at art school and finished off her semester. 

She had begun complaining of recurring bouts of nausea, feeling sick to her stomach for no apparent reason. I suspected she may have caught a virus, with the advent of flu season. That is, until one evening she approached me with a slightly somber, solemn look on her face. We were in her apartment, Kat having finished her finals and I having passed my comps. 

"Paul... we need to talk." Her words made my heart speed up, my breathing hitch, and my stomach flop. Uh oh... what did she mean? Was she going to break up with me? I couldn't fathom that - she seemed head over heels in love with me. Was she terminally ill? Did she actually have some other kind of sickness making her... oh. Click! It dawned on me. She had been on the pill when we first met, but had no way of keeping it up while we were caught in that blizzard and blessedly trapped in that cabin. We had made glorious love so many times I had lost count. It seemed obvious now, thinking about it. She was experiencing that 'morning sickness' I'd always heard about. I sat down with her, hoping my guess was right and it wasn't something else. 

"Sure, Kat, what's up?" 

"Uh... I'm not sure how to say this... But..." 

"You're pregnant," I said more than asked. She looked shocked. I was right. She started stuttering. 

"B-but... How'd... huh... Paul, how'd you know?" I had to smile to myself. It wasn't often that she was the flustered one and I was the one in complete control. 

"The sickness, in the mornings particularly. And the timing. You mentioned you were on the pill, but during the blizzard we didn't have access to any more." I was grinning at her now. 

"You're not mad?" She sounded so timid, so unsure of herself. 

"When have I ever gotten mad at you? I couldn't be mad at you, Kat. Not for this. I'm happy. I couldn't be happier. You're making me a daddy. The most beautiful, talented, intelligent, and glorious woman in the world is having my baby!" Kat launched herself at me and nearly knocked me off the couch. 

"Oh God, I love you, Paul! I'm so relieved!" Kat was kissing my face. "I love you so much! Can you believe we've made a life? We're going to be parents!" Kat's kisses turned from happy little pecks to more demanding, needy ones. She started pawing at my shirt, lifting it up and over her head. God, she was right. We had created a life together. The thought of it filled me with awe, yes, but also with the most urgent physical need for her. I needed to be as close to her as I could. I attacked her shirt, yanked it over her head and immediately peppered her delicate collar bones with kisses. She was fully straddling my lap now, her head tilted back, clearly enjoying my kisses and nips around her neck and chest. Reaching behind her, I unclasped her bra, tugging the cups away from those perfect breasts. I kissed my way down to her nipples, sucking one into my mouth and licking it. 

"Paul... hold me, love me..." she moaned. 

"Always," I whispered into her breasts. I rose up from the couch, Kat's legs encircling my waist. She squealed and giggled. I soon found her hot breath trailing over my ears, under them and around my neck, as she hung on to me and kissed my neck. I sat her down and wasted no time in shoving my fingers into her waistband, pushing the sweats she was wearing down to her ankles. I dropped to my knees and kissed her bare stomach. I could already smell her arousal - a scent I had come to love, a scent that drove me wild with need. 

"Fuck, Kat, there's a little life in here - one that we helped create, out of love... You are going to be one hot MILF..." I heard Kat giggle above me, her fingers gliding through my hair. Her giggles abruptly turned to a deep moan as I pressed my mouth between her thighs, my hands on her rear, penetrating her slit with the deepest reach of my tongue. Her taste was just as intoxicating as her scent. I felt her knees wobble and tremble. I slowly stood up, placing kisses along the way. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me fully, her body pressing tightly against mine. 

"Ohh, Paul, the things you do to me..." Kat moaned, sliding down my body. She hooked her fingers in my waistband, slid my pants and underwear down, and then tugged them forward to let my cock spring forth. The head bounced and grazed her cheek - a sight that I found highly erotic. She must have sensed this, as she nuzzled against it, my pre-cum spreading against her cheek. 

"Kat... that looks so incredibly sexy," I moaned to her, letting my fingers curl into her red hair. She smiled and opened her mouth, seemingly swallowing my member in one gulp. The hot wetness of her mouth had me moaning loudly, my eyes fluttering shut. "Fuuuuuck..." I sighed. Her mouth was incredibly talented and always drove me wild. 

Just as I was getting into the sensations she was giving me, they abruptly stopped. I opened my eyes to see Kat leap up and run halfway to the bedroom. 

"Catch me if you can!" she called over her shoulder. I chased after my beautiful, playful belle, intently watching the way her hips moved as she nearly pranced into the room. I caught up to her right at the edge of the bed, and tackled her into the mattress. She had her face pressed into the pillows, yet I could still hear her squealing giggles. I got to my knees, using their leverage to nudge her legs apart. She quickly understood what I was after, arching her back and pressing her ass into the air. That glorious sight - the curve of her sides flaring into her hips, the roundness of her ass, the way her cheeks met, the tight pucker of her anus, the glistening lips of her pussy, slightly parted, beckoning me - I would never grow tired of that sight. I gladly lined myself up to her and pushed in swiftly, sliding effortlessly in on the first push. We moaned our mutual satisfaction in unison. I leaned forward, reaching around and cupping a breast in each hand, as I started to move my hips slowly in and out. I found a rhythm that had her sighing lustily with each push, and whispered into her ear. 

"I am definitely the luckiest guy in the world." 

"Oooh, how so? Ungh" Her moans punctuated her question. 

"My intelligent, artistic, talented, beautiful girlfriend is going to make me a daddy." 

"Hmm, hmm... my genius... ungh... heroic... angel... boyfriend... is making me... Ooooooh... a mommy." Kat pulled forward with this, twisting beneath my body, now lying flat on her back. She hooked her legs around my back, pulling me on top of her and using her fingers to guide me back in. "I need to see you, my Love." 

"I love you so much, Kat." 

"I love you too, Paul. Let's go slowly. I want to feel every bit of you, and be connected like this." 

"Ok. Ahhh... you feel so good." 

"I feel like we're one right now, Baby. Make love to me, make me cum with you." Kat's legs were wrapped around my waist, her arms wrapped around my back. I was on my elbows, supporting my weight, but my fingers were playing with her beautiful red curls. 

"The first time I saw your hair, back when I picked you up, I was mesmerized. I had no idea hair could look so perfect and beautiful." 

"When I looked at you, I really did think you were an angel, that maybe I had actually died and you had come to get me. You were just that good looking." 

Even though we had decided on slow going, with my length pressing fully into her and withdrawing almost to the tip, it felt amazing. I could hear Kat's breathing get deeper and faster. I could feel her heartbeat throb against mine, in syncopated rhythm with my own. She was right; it did feel as if we were one right now. I slid an arm underneath her shoulders, holding her as close to me as I could. 

"Oh, oh, Kat, I'm getting close. God, I love you!" 

Kat clutched my shoulders harder. I could feel her ankles pressing into my back harder, as every muscle in her body seemed to begin to tense. 

"Hmmmmmm..." she let out a long humming sound. She sucked in a sudden breath and I felt her insides grip me tightly. She let out little noises rapidly, and forced some words out. "Uh, uh, uh, cum... with... me... uh, uh uh." 

The sound of her struggling to say a few simple words, coupled with the sensation of her pussy pulsing on my cock had me pushing into her as far as I could, my body tensing as well. 

"Kaaaaaat! Ah! Ah, ah, ahhhh!" My orgasm hit me with a power I hadn't even imagined, much less experienced, despite all the times we'd made love. I felt my entire insides pour out into Kat. I felt her pussy suck my cock like she would during a blowjob. We panted and moaned, clutching each other tightly for what seemed like an eternity, before I felt her start to relax. My own orgasm subsided, leaving me with pleasant twitches and light spasms. 

"Oh Paul, that was..." 

"Beyond words," I finished for her. She nodded, pulling me in for a kiss. We stayed like that for several more minutes. I felt the amazing sensation of softening while still inside her, before I slid out. I rolled onto my back, my body spent but my heart soaring. Kat hooked her leg across my own, and nestled her head against my shoulder. I could feel her fingers lightly rubbing against the scar of the gunshot wound. 

"You were ready to die for my sake that day, weren't you?" 

"Of course. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat." I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her close to my body. We wiggled under the covers. 

"I'm so glad you're ok. I couldn't imagine what would have happened if you..." she trailed off. 

"I'm still here. As long as I have breath, I'll be here to talk to you. As long as I have ears and can hear, I'll be here to listen to you. As long as I can walk, see, feel - you name it - I'll be here for you, Katherine." I felt Kat sigh and hug me tighter. 

"Good. I'll keep you around, then." 

I chuckled. "Glad that's settled." 

"Good night, Baby." 

"G'night, Babe." I reached over and shut off the lamp next to her bed. I thought life couldn't get any better than this. But I had no idea what was was in store for us the next day, when her dad decided to have that "more personal" chat with me. 

Chapter 13 

The day was incredibly pleasant right from the start. Kat had awakened before me and prepared a breakfast much like the one she had whipped up in the cabin when we had been snowed in. The smell of coffee and breakfast goodies roused me from slumber and dragged me out into the kitchen. 

"Ah, that smells good as always." I placed a kiss on Kat's neck, noticing that, unlike last time, she had put on clothes this morning. 

"Thank you, I hope you enjoy it. I'm thinking you'll need it. My dad called this morning and would like to meet with you today." 

"Uh oh..." Fuck, that didn't sound good. Doug White was a good guy, right? "Is that a bad thing?" 

"Well, I couldn't tell. Remember, I haven't been around him much, nor have I been speaking with him much the past few years. Paul, I honestly have no idea what he wants to talk to you about." She turned around and gave me a hug. "I wouldn't worry too much, though. He's probably just going to thank you for saving me." She squeezed me tighter, then mumbled, "I hope." 

"You hope?" I looked down at her, but she had buried her face in my chest. I took a deep breath. "Well, as long as he's not like Edmond McMahon, I think I'll be ok." 

"Hey, yeah, that's a good way to look at it. You faced that creep and he wanted to kill you and your whole known world. In comparison, Dad will probably be no problem at all." 

We sat down to eat breakfast together. At one point, Kat had to rush off to the bathroom, because of her morning sickness, she said. She made some lemon tea and sipped that while I finished my plate. I helped her clean up after I had finished eating. 

"He said he'll have someone pick you up at 11." I glanced up at the clock, seeing it was already past 10. Shit, I had to move. I think I had a nice outfit packed - something I had prepared for Thanksgiving with my parents. I jumped in the shower, got dressed, and was waiting at the door by 10:45. 

"Paul, relax, it'll be fine." Kat was commenting on my nervous pacing. I felt like a character in those cartoons where they create a trench from pacing too much. 

"You're right, there's no sense in worrying like this." When I saw and heard a car pull up to the curb in front of Kat's townhouse, I gave a little start. 

"Stay calm, Honey. Just breathe, just think of me, if you need to relax. Imagine you're doing this for me." Kat reassured me. Well, she was right. I had a question for Mr. White that I hoped I could ask him today. So in a way, this was for her. 

The driver knocked on Kat's door; I opened the door and told him I would be out in a moment. 

"Ok, Sweetheart, I'll see you later today?" 

"Yep, I'll be here all day. I think I'll draw a picture of you wearing a trench into the floor." Damn, sometimes I wondered if she could read my mind. 

"Ha ha, funny. Bye, Babe, I love you." I leaned down to kiss her lips. 

"Love you too! Bye!" 

As I stepped out the front door of Kat's - I did like to think of it as "our" - apartment, I stopped dead in my tracks. I had expected some kind of limo. Instead, there at the curb, the driver was standing next to a vintage Aston Martin. It could have been a prop in a James Bond movie. He waved to me, then called out. 

"Mr. Goodman? Are you ready?" 

"Yessir, as ready as I'll ever be," I answered, as I approached the car. 

"Very good, Sir, my name is Barry. I'll be your driver today." Barry held the door open for me. It seemed surreal to be crawling into a car like this, about to be chauffeured to a meeting with one of the wealthiest men in the country. After closing my door, Barry crawled his way into the driver's seat. He glanced over at me and grinned. "Mr. White likes his cars. So do I. Buckle up and hang on, Sonny." I clicked the latch - a simple lap belt - into place, and looked for something to hang onto as Barry peeled out. Holy shit! I hadn't expected that. He wasn't kidding when he said to hang on, as he nearly skidded around the corner. Did Doug White have his drivers treat all his guests this way, or was this a special privilege reserved to me? 




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 05



"Whoa!" I grunted as Barry took a corner, letting the back end slide around, drifting through the turn. 

"She's a dream, huh?" He called over to me. I thought I was going to be sick. "Don't worry; we're almost there, Sonny!" He rounded another corner, drifting the Aston Martin to a sliding stop in front of a very plain looking office building. Wow... that was intense - and not an experience I'd want to repeat anytime soon. 

My door opened, and I realized I must have been slightly dazed, as Barry cleared his throat, getting my attention. 

"Sorry." 

"Not to worry, Sonny. I'm sure you weren't expecting that," he chuckled. "You should have seen the look on your face! Wooo-heee!" He slapped his knee and then suddenly reverted to a very official demeanor. "Rose is waiting for you just inside, Mr. Goodman. She'll escort you up to meet with Mr. White." 

I walked up to the building, noticing a small sign indicating it was the WFC corporate headquarters. It seemed Doug White didn't really throw his money around, except maybe on his fleet vehicles. I could only imagine what other cars the man might own. 

Opening the door, I immediately spied a plump woman with her black hair in a bun. She stood up and walked from behind her desk over to me. 

"You must be Paul Goodman." I nodded. "Please, right this way, Mr. Goodman." The woman (I assumed it was Rose) led me over to a bank of elevators, and pressed the call button. "You look slightly nervous, am I right?" 

"Uh, just a little, Ma'am." I hoped I wasn't that transparent. 

"Please, call me Rose." The first elevator dinged, its doors opening up. "Right this way, please." We stepped into the elevator. She pressed the button for the fifth floor. "Mr. White has a certain... intimidating aura about him, but I can assure you, he is a kind man. You've nothing to worry about." 

Well, that made me feel a little bit better. When the elevator landed on 5 with a soft chime, the doors opened upon a thoroughly incongruous sight. I had been expecting paneling of some fancy rosewood, mahogany, oak, or other kind of expensive wood., I expected light fixtures of some fancy metal. I expected either sleek but functional modern office furniture or stuffy, conventional leather chairs set between huge solid wood desks and matching credenzas. What I saw was not at all what I expected. 

Arrayed before me was a décor that would seem better suited to a John Wayne western than a corporate headquarters. Instead of desks, or cubicles, there were areas that looked like hubs, with walking space down the middle of them. They looked almost like kitchen islands, resembling a bar that might be found in an old saloon. Wooden planks lined the pathways along what looked like real grass and dust. The ceilings were vaulted, raised much higher than I had imagined they would be, letting in great swaths of sunlight. Along one wall hung longhorn skulls, wooden wheels, cast iron tools, and similar artifacts. The other three walls were glass. There were several people, each looking much the part of a corporate executive, except that they sported cowboy-style boots. 

"Paul Goodman!" I turned, trying to find the source of the voice that called out my name. A man wearing a cowboy hat, a long-sleeve shirt, denim jeans, and cowboy boots, was waving to me. He strode over, extending his hand. I couldn't believe it; it was Doug White. When he visited me in the hospital he was wearing a well-tailored, conservative business suit. Every picture I'd seen of him showed him wearing typical business attire. I accepted his proffered hand, receiving a firm and solid (but not bone-crushing) handshake. "Welcome to my office!" His hands swept the expanse of the room. "Thank you for making it out here." 

"Uh, the honor is mine, Sir." 

"Oh, none of that 'Sir' stuff around me. It makes me feel old and stuffy. I grew up on a ranch, came of age as a rancher, and even though I got an MBA, I still like to cling to that ranching past. I'm just Doug up here, Paul." He started walking away, so I assumed he wanted me to follow him. I hustled to catch up, glancing over my shoulder and seeing that Rose had vanished, probably while I was standing there gawking at the unique room. I followed Doug over to a pair of wooden chairs that sat facing each other. He gestured to one and sat in the other. "So... I've heard some amazing accounts from my daughter about a daring rescue and how you threw yourself in front of a bullet to save her." He paused and watched me intently. Was I supposed to answer? 

"Um, yes, Ss - Doug," I quickly corrected myself. 

"What made you risk your life for Katherine?" 

"I, uh..." Well, that question brought me to my love for his daughter much more quickly and straightforwardly than I had anticipated. I took a breath and decided it was now or never to tell him. "I fell in love with your daughter and I couldn't leave her behind or abandon her. And the bullet, well, I couldn't stand the thought of her getting hurt in any way." He eyed me curiously as I said this, but made no direct response. 

He continued to gaze at me for a few seconds. I couldn't read the man. I grew uncomfortable, wondering what he was thinking. He cleared his throat and spoke words that surprised me. 

"How'd you fall in love with her?" Again, he was inscrutable, showing no outward signs of any kind of emotion. 

"I first found your daughter -" 

"You can use her name, you know," he interrupted me. 

"Right. I first found Kat on the side of the road just about a half hour's drive out of the town where I lived. She was wearing a skirt and tank-top, something you don't wear in the Colorado mountains in November. I offered her a ride, at least to get her out of the cold and to the next town so she could call someone to get her. She warmed up in my car and explained she lived in Phoenix. I was headed here to spend Thanksgiving with my parents anyway, so I offered to give her a ride. We stopped for breakfast, seeing how she hadn't eaten since she was kidnapped the day before, but the blizzard moved in faster than anyone anticipated. A waitress suggested we get to shelter and ride the storm out. We were snowed in for four days, and we got to know each other. I was attracted to Kat right from the get-go but I fell in love with her in that cabin. After the blizzard ended and we were no longer snowbound, we came down the mountains and into Phoenix, and then we arrived at your house, only to be accosted by who we believed to be the FBI but, as you know, it was a gang of goons in the employ of Edmond McMahon. When they dumped me in the desert, I knew I had to find Kat and rescue her." During my little speech and recitation of the events, Doug had leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. 

"Did you learn she was my daughter before or after you fell in love?" 

"After." 

"You almost have your Ph.D." It was a statement, not a question. 

"Uh, yes, Doug, I do. I just have to defend my thesis before my committee and wait for the next graduation convocation." 

"And you've written some pretty impressive articles." What was he getting at? 

"Yes..." 

"What do you plan on doing now?" This entire time, Doug White had kept a straight face, showing no emotion - no anger, no happiness, nothing. I told myself to remember never ever to play poker with him. 

"Pardon?" I wasn't sure I completely understood him. 

"With my daughter. You are living with her now and you stayed in the FBI's protection together, correct?" Shit... she probably hadn't told him she was pregnant. But, I did have a question to ask him, and I thought this was probably the best time to ask it. 

"Yes. Doug... And I have a serious question to ask you." I paused. He simply nodded, so I continued. "I have, as I've said, fallen deeply in love with your daughter, Katherine Marie White. She has shown me things I never thought possible - most particularly, a confidence and resourcefulness within myself that I never recognized I had. With that confidence, I wish to ask you for your blessings before I ask her to marry me." My heart thumped in my chest. I had said it. I watched him carefully. The man continued to show absolutely no emotion: he just stared back at me. After several seconds had passed without a word, I saw his jaw muscles twitch once, twice, then he sighed. 

"Paul... I knew this day was coming at some point." He rose from his chair, walked a few paces away, and was gazing out the window. "Every generation of Whites had a male. I wasn't the first to have a girl, but I am the first not to produce a male heir. The White family tradition goes back eight generations now, of father passing the ranch down to his son. I was prepared to pass the ranch, which has now become this corporation, down to my daughter, but the family tradition doesn't have as strong a hold over her as me, and she's had different plans." He sighed heavily again. "I probably pushed her too hard, and ended up driving her away from me. I've only ever wanted her to be happy, and I was too damn stubborn with my pride of tradition to notice she wouldn't be happy unless she could be the artist she always dreamed of being - and has the talent to be. When I got news she had been kidnapped, I was furious and, honestly, scared. Petrified. Pants-wetting terrified. My little girl was getting caught up in a feud she had no part in and wanted no part of. I knew Edmond was trouble, but I didn't think he was that evil or that dangerous. He and his father tried kidnapping before, so I shouldn't have grown complacent and I shouldn't have been surprised. 

"Anyway, Paul. I've had an extensive background check conducted on you, a full history of your school work, job history - the works." My eyebrows rose. "Yeah, I'm a bit overprotective. I assumed, ever since I heard her voicemail, that she had fallen for you, so I wanted to do my research. I read your papers. I'm fascinated by your discoveries. Come with me, if you would." He started walking toward the elevators, so I rose from my chair and followed him. Had he answered my question? Was there something I had to prove to him first? 

We reached the elevators and descended two levels to the third floor. When the doors opened, I was met with normal looking offices. 

"This is the White Family Corporation research and development department. I've had my R&D crew here trying to find ways of conducting our businesses that will cause the least possible damage to the land, especially with water usage, and will cut down on emissions of particulate contamination. After all, if we help contribute to mucking up the very thing that makes our businesses grow, I'd think that'd be a very asinine and foolish mistake. Well, all of these researchers work a solid 40 hours a week, sometimes more, each, and between all of them, since they started researching this two years ago, they haven't found a system that can yield even a respectable fraction of the efficiency of the method you outline in your papers. Paul, my Vice President of R&D has been offered a tenured position as chair of the chemistry department at Arizona State. She's going to accept ASU's generous offer, and I'm planning to appoint an interim direction of R&D to keep the plates spinning. When you complete all the requirements for your Ph.D., I'd like you to take the permanent position of R&D Director here in my company. After a year, you'll get promoted to Vice President of R&D and after that - well, we'll just have to see what happens." Doug had finished and was looking at me expectantly with his hands on his hips. "What do you say, Paul: will you make a future for yourself here in our company?" 

I was flabbergasted. Ask a CEO for his daughter's hand in marriage and get a counter-proposal to head up a department in his company? Was that what had just happened? I couldn't believe the opportunity he had just presented. But what about my question? I decided to answer him with a question of my own. 

"Does this correlate to my earlier question in any form?" 

"No, they have no bearing on one another." 

"Then yes, I gladly accept your offer." 

"Good, I'll have Rose print out a contract for you before you leave today." Was he changing the subject, avoiding my question? 

"Doug, about my ques-" 

"I really look forward to working with you and having you direct R&D within - " 

"Doug, with all due respect, as the father of the woman I love, please answer my damned question." He stopped and for the first time his face darkened. A frown appeared and he almost glowered. Had I overstepped? 

He sighed heavily and spoke in a quiet voice. "As her father, I wish I could tell you no, a feeling I'm sure you'll feel at some point if you ever have a daughter. But..." He sighed again. "I like your attitude. I like your grit - going after the things you really want. I don't know if Katherine told you much about how this company is run, but, based on what I know of you already, I'm thinking that with hard work and the right grooming, you could become a future chairman and chief executive officer of WFC. Welcome to the White family, Son." A smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he grasped my hand, pulling me in to clap me on the shoulder. "Oooh, so sorry! Was that the shoulder where you got shot?" I must have winced more than I thought I had. 

"Yes, but it didn't hurt that bad," I lied. Holy mother of God, that fucking stung! I pressed forward, trying not to show my pain. "And thank you, Doug. I'm not even sure what to say to everything..." 

"Well, one step at a time. You guys plan your marriage and let me know if there's anything I can do." 

"That I will. Thank you again." 

"No, Paul, thank you. You saved my daughter. That's more than any man could ever ask for in life." 

As I walked away from Doug, I couldn't believe what had just happened. Not only had I received his blessings in marrying Kat, but he had given me a guaranteed position as R&D Director and had even suggested he was considering grooming me to be his replacement some day! Holy fuck, wait until Kat heard this! The excitement of the whole situation almost made me forget the sting and ache my shoulder felt after he had clapped it so hard. 

****** 

The paperwork for the contract hadn't taken as long as I thought it would, and I was out the door within fifteen minutes of ending my conversation with Doug. Barry was waiting. This time, though, he was standing next to a pristine Corvette. It looked like one of the classic Stingray versions, but I wasn't that well versed in cars to know for sure. 

"Alright, hop on in, Sonny!" Barry was grinning ear to ear, as he shut the door for me. When he climbed into the driver's seat, he glanced over at me. "I take it you're gonna hang on tight this time, right?" 

"Oh yeah!" Damn, another ride in a powerful car with this maniac driver? 

A short time later, with my blood pumping in my ears from the adrenaline rush, Barry opened my door in front of Kat's apartment. 

"See ya later, kid!" Had they told him already? Probably. He seemed to know quite a bit about the company. 

"Thanks, Barry!" He climbed back into the Corvette and sped off down the street. I headed back up to Kat's apartment. 

As I opened the door with my key, Kat greeted me with an anxious look on her face. 

"How'd it go, Paul?" 

"Well..." I paused. I picked her up off the ground and spun her around. "After I get my Ph.D., your dad is making me the next R&D Director of the company." 

"What!?" Kat's eyes were wider than I had ever seen them. "What did you do to impress him that much??" 

"Something. I can't tell you just yet." I had an idea forming in my mind, and I needed to act quickly. "Kat, I'll explain more real soon, I promise, I just need to do something really quick." 

"Um... ok..." Kat was looking positively perplexed. 

"I'll be right back; I just need to get something." I kissed her again and was out the door. The details came together quickly and I knew just what to do. I did some calling around and asking a few questions. I made a few purchases, called in a few favors, and arrived back at Kat's apartment in under a half hour. 

"Ok, what's up, Paul?" Kat was watching me move around the apartment rapidly. 

"Pack some clothes, Kat. Enough for about, oh, four or five days." 

"Wh... why? What's going on? Are we in trouble?" Kat chased after me, asking. 

"No, nothing's wrong. Can you trust me?" I stopped and held her hands in mine, looking into her eyes. 

"Of course, I'm just curious as hell what you are doing." 

"You'll see." I hoped I sounded cryptic and as inscrutable as her dad. She shook her head and set about packing. 

"God, you sound just like my father." She was grinning, so I supposed that wasn't a bad comparison. At least it suggested I had been completely unreadable in my plans. 

We left shortly thereafter, in my Explorer. She was staring at me, watching me closely. 

"Ok, can you tell me now?" 

"I'll tell you what happened at your dad's offices." 

"Ok, start there." Kat listened intently to my story - only I left out a few details about the marriage and him welcoming me to the family, and the little detail about potentially becoming the next CEO, too. 

We continued chatting as I drove North past Flagstaff and back into the mountains. 

"Paul, this is the road we took coming out of the mountains... where are we going?" 

"The cabin," I answered simply. 

"What? Why there?" 

"I thought we could get away and have some time to ourselves." I hoped she didn't catch on to my plans. "Like a celebration of us becoming parents soon." 

"Aww, that sounds nice! Like a miniature vacation?" It appeared I succeeded in keeping her unaware of my true motives. 

***** 

Just after night had fallen, the snowflakes had gotten much fatter, splattering themselves against the windshield, dancing in the headlights. I was extremely lucky. I had originally planned on just arriving at the cabins and staying for a few days, but it appeared that there was one of those late spring mountain snowstorms inbound for the area. We had just pulled into Aspen View Cabins. Max stepped outside just after we arrived and walked us down to the cabin - the same one we had stayed in when we were stuck just a few months ago. His beard looked the same - as if it belonged on some kind of naval ship's rope riggings, rather than on his face. 

"Here you kids go. Paul, you do know there's another bli-" Max started to say. 

"Thanks, Max! We'll let you know if we need anything!" He walked away shaking his head. 

Kat and I quickly carried our few things inside the cabin. Everything looked the same as it had, except for a neatly wrapped package on the table. I grabbed it and handed it to her. Kat sat on the couch, holding the package and gazing at it. 

"Ok, Kat, I think I can maybe explain what we're doing up here." I began, sitting next to her. "But first, I want you to open that." 

"What is it?" She examined the package and began to tear into it. "I thought you said we were having a little vacation. A getaway." She gasped as the package opened. Inside was a shirt with the word 'PRECIOUS' on the front - an exact replica of the one she had to throw out of the window when we were being chased. She turned to me with a huge smile. 

"Oh my god! Paul, it's the same shirt! How..." 

"I called ahead and asked that store owner, Monty, if he had that shirt still in stock. It turned out he did - his last one - so I asked him to wrap it and get it to Max. And here it is, just for you." She held the shirt against her body. Her stomach had a slight bump to it, the beginnings of her pregnancy starting to show. 

"Thank you, Paul!" Kat leaned over and kissed me. "Is that the whole surprise of coming up here?" 

"Yes. Well, no, only partially." I grabbed one of her hands. "I wanted to come back here because this place is so special and perfect. When you mentioned how you liked that shirt, I just had to get it replaced. And I wanted this one to have some special memories attached to it as well." I paused for a moment, taking a huge breath. Here goes. "You know, I found you just before Thanksgiving. And while we were here, snowed in, I never imagined I'd fall in love with you, let alone how deeply I've fallen for you." She smiled warmly at my words. "But here we are. I'm so head over heels in love with you - I couldn't imagine my life without you in it now. Since it was here I first discovered I loved you, I figured this would be the perfect place. And..." I paused, pulling out a portable weather radio. I flicked it on, letting it play out the local weather warning, indicating a blizzard was moving in and would dump a lot of snow in the area. "I figured now was the perfect time, since we'll likely be snowed in for a few days, again." 




A Thankful Blizzard Pt. 05



I dropped down to one knee in front of Kat, staring up into her eyes. One hand went to her mouth, as tears formed in her eyes. 

"Katherine Marie White..." I began. 

"Oh my God!" 

"Will you do me the honor and the privilege, of accepting my hand in marriage and becoming my wife? Will you marry me?" The tears streaked rapidly down her face as she leapt to her feet, pulling me up with her. She jumped up into my arms, hugging me fiercely. 

"YES YES YES YES YES!!" She screamed over and over again. "Of course I'll marry you!" 

EPILOGUE 

Kat and I married later that year. She was looking extremely pregnant in the wedding photos, but she was incredibly happy. It looked good on her. Helen was one of Kat's bridesmaids. 

After much soul-searching and discussion, involving both Kat's father and my parents, we decided to adopt her last name, White, as our family name. It was a hard thing for my parents to get used to, but when they heard the history and understood the traditions of the White family, they eventually came around. So, I became Dr. Paul Goodman White. 

After a lengthy period spent rebuilding the relationship with his daughter, Doug White followed through on everything he laid out to me that day in his office, and then some. He appointed Kat and me to the WFC Board of Directors and even placed us on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. If Kat and I eventually wanted to manage the company together, he said, he would do everything necessary to make that happen. After graduating from art school with a master's degree in graphic design, Kat went to work at WFC in marketing. Eventually she worked her way up to Vice President of marketing. In that capacity she undertook a major redesign of the company's corporate image. She devised several marketing strategies using simple pencil sketches that caught on like wildfire in the media. As Doug promised, I was in charge of research and development. I helped the company develop several new methods of water management - a blessing to the arid climate of Arizona. That was on top of the new patent I held for an incredibly efficient carbon scrubber that drastically reduced emissions. 

In the fullness of time, Kat delivered a healthy baby boy. Kat insisted he be named after her two favorite guys, and so our boy was named Jacob Douglass White. He eventually grew up to perfect my technique of carbon filtering and ended up creating a renewable fuel out of the byproduct. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at age 24. I was one of the happiest and proudest fathers in the world. Jake, however, muttered about how politicized the Peace Prize had become, and genuinely yearned for the professional recognition that would accrue from the Nobel Prize in either chemistry or physics. It hasn't happened for him yet, but none of us have given up hope. 

That teenaged desk clerk, whose car I had inadvertently stolen, was the first beneficiary of the White Foundation Scholarship. With the help of the scholarship she would graduate cum laude in her class, earning a degree in hospitality management. She would open a very successful chain of hotels that included personal vehicle rentals in its service offerings. 

Special Agent Hubbard eventually worked her way up to become director of the FBI. Under her supervision, the FBI's most wanted list dramatically shrank in size. And apparently she still gave out donuts to anyone who wanted one. 

Edmond McMahon did not get to complete the three consecutive life terms to which he was sentenced. He died under "mysterious circumstances" when his funds ran out and he could no longer pay the protection money his fellow inmates required. I guess he just couldn't take it as well as he could give it. 

Jasmine and Jasper McMahon were indicted and sentenced to short prison terms for various lesser crimes. Upon parole, they tried to restore the luster of the badly tarnished McMahon name, but to little avail. Later, they got caught up in a tawdry scandal involving claims of incest. They fled the country. 

My dad started a tradition of uniting both the Goodman and the White families every Thanksgiving for a massive feast. The White family, including our branch of it, and the various branches of the Goodman family would fill up a gymnasium for the festivities. Eventually, it evolved into a community-wide event, where people who didn't have enough were invited to enjoy food, friendship, and fellowship in an atmosphere of peace, joy, and abundance. 

And it all started with a blizzard - something I had never envisioned I would be thankful for.