He nodded. "Okay." He said and chuckled. "Not that I don't like your parents, you know I do. But quiet time without any
more home improvement projects is always good. On the other hand, please tell me your family isn't worse than mine.
If they are, we're hiding out in Hawaii or Belize or some place warm with water."
She made a soft noise against him, somewhere between a hum and a laugh.
"If I simply say they're worse, do you promise?" She teased. Then she was quiet, shutting her eyes again. God willing,
Hector would never have to face any of her extended family. She intended to keep him as far from them as possible
and - given the distance already between her and them - it shouldn't prove to be too hard. But... just in case...
"They're not worse. They're just - different. You fit their mold or they aren't happy with you. Not Da's side. Mum's.
They're like - very thin, very long, very cold hands. Always reaching for you. Always trying to find a way to pull you
back in. And they can be very cruel about it. Cold and beautiful and cruel. Everything in their world is beautiful and
cold and cruel." She shook her head slightly against him. "I don't really know how to explain them and the way they
twist things around. And all so politely. No one throws fits or ever yells or even raises their voice. It’s just - cold. Like
freezing. Even Bea and a few of my other cousins I grew up with part ways - there's something missing from them
now." She opened her eyes and exhaled. Not able to put into words the feelings. "It’s like the Snow Queen stories.
The old, original ones. They're like that."
Hector listened, and listened carefully, frowning at her description. "At least my family lets you know where you stand
most of the time." He said, appreciating that in a strange way. There was no guessing with Beth, or Brett, or even
Sara and Pete. They let you know and let you deal with what you knew.
"So we'll just be hermits." He said with a chuckle. He intertwined the fingers of one of her hands with the fingers of one
of his. "And your hands aren't cold. Never have been." He assured her. He loved her hands. They were long fingered,
and expressive in movement and purpose. Her hands never sat idle, even if the rest of her was restful in repose.
Her shoulders, which had slowly been unconsciously curling, slowly relaxed and she exhaled, long and soft. Smile
starting to spread across her lips as she gave the hand he was now holding hers with a light squeeze, looking at the
interlocking fingers. Hers so pale and thin mixed with his so competent and strong. Both of them with long, long hands
and longer fingers.
"Good." She murmured. "Can you imagine what cold hands would do to my patients?" she asked. Better inside.
Because she understood what he'd meant when he said that, even if she'd chosen to answer in the lighter tone that
had coated it. She tipped her head back, exposing her throat and looked up at him with bright, laughing eyes. Warm
deep down inside her where he touched so easily with a look of his, a word, a simple touch. "Can you imagine what
cold hands would do to you?" She teased.
"You're going to kill me." Hector said with a chuckle. "Drowned, head injury, and now shock from cold hands." He
raised their intertwined hands to his lips and kissed her hand. "I don't have much to worry about. Well, except for
drowning with a head injury. But luckily for me, I'll have a trained medical professional at my bedside to revive me. Or
she could call Beth and explain what happened to her brother." He teased.
This far away from his family, it was easier to joke about the lighter parts, like Beth and her own 'quirks' (control freak).
Oh. And he was making her go melty again, she thought with a silent exhale as his lips touched her hand. There was
so much of her and yet her hands were her weakness. Not in the way her throat and shoulders were. But - she did
everything with her hands. Healed and touched and learned and felt and - and the threat of having them crippled or
just the same, simply cut off - her body shifted uncomfortably even at the memory. The hidden terror that had terrified
her more than anything else that had been threatened against her. Dying long and slow didn't fill her with such
unreasonable animal terror as the loss of her hands did. The same way Hector's lips brushing against them so gently
and possessively stirred something deep in her soul and made her palms tingle. Feeling so - completely loved and
accepted.
"If I killed you," she stated calmly, managing two very different trains of thought at once. Doing... fairly well at it. "Of
course I'd revive you. Because if you died, you'd get out of whatever I was dousing and concussing you over in the
first place. And that's cheating. Beth would just say 'I told you so' to everyone else."
"I love my sister," he said, reading between the carefully drawn lines, "but she's all bark and no bite. Believe me, if she
had anything to back her words up with, she would have reigned in my family a long time ago. And, as you saw today,
she's just as powerless as the rest of us. There is absolutely nothing she can do except bitch and give orders she
hopes one day will be followed. But I spend my whole professional life following orders, no way I'm going to do that on
my free time, I like my own orders then."
"I like your own orders too." Andi agreed contentedly. "Especially since they include words like 'hot water', 'sleeping
in', and 'good food'." She didn't talk about people. She'd been taught both against gossip and that only weaker
people felt the need to talk about others. If you had a personal problem with someone you either dealt with it or you
let it go.
She wasn't going to complain to Hector about what his sisters had said to her. She didn't need to. He loved her and,
she trusted, knew her well enough that whatever they might say about her, he knew better. It helped impossibly that
he'd already defended her against Cassie when honestly, at least Cassie had seemed more worried about him than
about how Andi was going to effect the family.
What bothered her was how cruel Beth's words had become. Not toward Andi. She didn't know Andi so whatever she
said was just wishful thinking and smoke. But about Hector. About his 'place' in the family. How, at the end, without
achieving her dominance, she'd lost herself into mad fury and venom. Andi wasn't threatened by her words. Beth was
throwing herself up against something she didn't understand and she was going to hurt herself very badly if she really
did try to carry through with her threats. But - she was Hector's sister. And he did love her. And it would hurt him to
see her hurt just as much as she might be able to hurt him if it turned out that she really did see him as just another
place setting in her carefully ordered life and he found out. Andi simply wasn't sure that Beth really realized, deep
inside herself, that her love for her brother was more important than controlling the 'family'. It was like trying to hold
the bumper of two cars about to rocket off in different directions. And she was worried Beth was going to try to hold on
to both. She didn't want her hurting Hector when she realized she couldn't. His family seemed to lash out with potent
cruelty to assert themselves when pushed to it.
She looked up at Hector.
"Your family's worried about losing you. That your love might be limited and I'm taking some of it away from them now.
It's just going to take them a while to realize that's not so." Though - there were going to be changes. Andi wasn't
going to let them abuse him anymore. But that was different and she'd deal with it if and when it came up again. It was
time someone thought of Hector first instead of always after everyone else. Just because he might be the only one in
the family that could take care of himself didn't mean he should have to. That part, she was quite firm on.
"My family expects me to be at their beck and call." Hector clarified. And, truthfully, he previously pretty much was.
They'd drop their kids off randomly, or ask him to fix something, or other things like that. Because he was a homebody
when he was home. After traveling the world, when he came home sometimes he just wanted to just...be.
And it wasn't Andi's fault that wasn't the case this time around. Not exactly. It had been a while since he'd had a
reason to do anything besides veg and hang out, so he was taking advantage of it. Purpose. He liked purpose,
everything in his life had a purpose, even if he had to stretch to find that purpose.
Andi was in a whole class by herself though.
"I'm not going to let them blame you for anything." He said, firmly. Just as her thoughts were firm, though they were
unknown to him. "They'll just have to be adult about this, everything. For once."
She reached up, gently slipped her free hand down his cheek. Hearing the protection and decision in his voice. How
did you protect someone that was protecting you? Her thumb brushed his lower lip and she gave him a soft smile.
"And I don't want you getting hurt over this. They'll get used to me. I won't be a problem for this family."
"Like I said, they'll have to act like the adults they claim to be." He said. "I'm never around all that much for them to
really fret about it anyway, I mean, if I hadn't brought you, they wouldn't have believed me anyway. On the other hand,
that might not have been such a bad idea..."
They said time and distance healed all wounds, but he knew for fact that wasn't true. Just covered them with calluses
that sometimes broke off, leaving a bigger wound than had started....
Her free hand slipped down to curl lightly at the back of his neck, fingers moving absently in the curling hair there.
“I'm glad I met your family." She told him, eyes on his so he'd know. It was true. She had needed to meet them. Both to
still the worry over not knowing what she faced and because it opened doors inside her so she understood why
Hector did some of the things he did better. "I'm glad they met me. And I think Sara and Pete are thrilled for you. Or at
least that they've finally got something they can tease you over. Cassie seems to be willing to let me sit near her and
the children. And, I think, as far as I can tell, Dee just doesn't want me to sit at the wrong place at family dinners." She
smiled softly at him. Simplifying Dee's stand a bit but it was the impression she'd gotten at least. "See? That's over
half the family that's already willing to stick me in a pigeon hole and let it be." She wasn't going to sugar coat and
pretend Beth might not have a harder time with her. Or that Vanessa and his father were minor pieces. Gentle she
combed her nails through the hair at the back of his neck. "Why don't we let tomorrow, and what the family might do
tomorrow, take care of itself for now? We've done enough tonight that we don't need to borrow worry." Leaning up
she pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "Other things we can think about instead." She whispered.
"There are many, many other things I'd rather think about than my family." He agreed with a chuckle. "First of all, we
seem to have the beach all to ourselves. I mean, sure, we have to share it with the water, and the stars and the moon,
but I hear they're very open to sharing."
He'd watched patiently as his family had found areas of happiness, or at least contentment, outside of their family
circle, as wobbly as it might be. Was it too much to ask to just have them step back and let him do the same? He really
didn't think so, and he also hoped they wouldn't call him on that.
She made a softly surprised sound and tipped her head back to look up at the sky above. Turning her face to check
the beach.
"I think you're right." She agreed, sounding surprised and pleased. Dark eyes dancing with laughter. "We do seem to
be alone. And we didn't even have to lock any doors to get that way." She gave it some 'thought', face attempting to
be serious. "But we've been alone so rarely in the past I almost don't know what to do with ourselves now."
His family would learn. Because Andi wasn't going anywhere. And, as cold as it was, if Hector would walk away from
his father, she thought it might have just made them realize that he could walk out on them as well. And she hoped
that meant they'd rethink things and decide that loving him was more important than trying to put things back to the -
well, 'broken' way they'd been before. Hector deserved to be happy and he deserved to have his family that he loved
too. Andi didn't think it was really as impossible as some might think. And she'd find a way to let him have both. It
might just take a bit of work and patience. Luckily, Andi believe in both.
And right now, she thought his family had had enough of her concentration for a night too.
He felt...not better....but okay. He hadn't hidden anything, and for once, not hiding behind his infamous concrete steel
enforced wall felt good.
And all thoughts of his family, those he pushed behind that wall of his. Because he'd decided, and she agreed, that
enough energy had been spent on them for one day.
"I really don't think the birds count as supervision.." He said with a chuckle. "Uh oh, I just might be completely at your
mercy." He said as he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.
Wanton. She was really becoming quite wanton. She realized that. And realized how much she was enjoying it. A
sighing, pleased hum and her lips were parting for his as she melted, long fingers tangling in his thick hair.
They'd work things out. One step at a time. As it came. That was part of this new world she'd stepped into. Having
someone next to her when problems came up. Learning how to walk through things together. And it was - so much
nicer than walking through everything alone. One of her hands trailed against his rib cage, slipped around to stretch
against his skin along his back.
The sand was cool under her and there was a nice breeze coming in off the water, tainted with salt and wet and warm.
A beautiful night, in a beautiful place. Because of Hector. If he was at 'her mercy' she was going to take what she
wanted. Which was him. Just... him... The feel and the heat and the heart of him. Everything she wanted in this world.
Because she constantly lost herself as well to him. Over and over as sure as the waves whispering against the shore.
They could have spent the entire night on the beach, had they had the foresight to bring a blanket. Sleeping under
the stars in each other's arms was a definite draw...but there was always the chance of a stray fisherman or shrimper
coming along the shore...
And some things should be kept private. Like the scar high on the back of his thigh, or the tiniest birthmark she had
on her lower back. Her very lower back.
So as dawn started to break the sky and reflect off the water, they gathered their clothes and rushed back to the
cabin, shutting the door and the rest of the world outside.
She was laughing. Really - that family of her Mum's she'd told him about would be shocked - shocked! - at her these
days. She was quite pleasantly surprised at herself. It was the freedom Hector gave her. Humming she pressed
another kiss against his mouth.
"Shower?" She suggested. Since they were a bit sand spackled. "Then - maybe - breakfast?"
It wouldn't be the first time either one of them had gone on just a few hours of sleep. She wasn't worried about that.
She just hoped, if she filled his day with enough simple, relaxing things, when he did want to sleep - he'd be able to.
Without nightmares.
She thought this place might be most helpful in providing easy, simple distractions.
"I"ve got sand in places I didn't even know I had." Hector agreed with a chuckle as he shook the sand out of his hair
onto a towel on the floor. "Maybe then completely do absolutely nothing."
It wasn't like they had anywhere to be, or anything to specifically do. Pretty much a first for the both of them. Even
back up 'north' they had a schedule, as relaxed as it was. Shopping, home improvement, day with the guys,
christening...
Now? Absolutely nothing.
So nothing was absolutely what they did. And it was wonderful. The shower certainly didn't have a large enough tank
for the hot water but they managed, mostly by sharing. Breakfast was odds and ends of things they'd brought that
didn't require any prep time at all. There was a great deal of cuddling that went on and distracted too. The day was
wonderfully sunny and clear so there was a long stroll down the beach just to see where it went - the answer being it
went on forever as far as they could tell. And there was a bit of impromptu swimming as well, the water staying shallow
so far out that when it finally did drop off you were still waiting for the next sandbar. Lunch fell somewhere in between
just sitting on the porch in a chair with their feet up on the edge of the two by four table and the exploration around
the outside of the house and the neighboring area. Andi, with much lighter skin, didn't stay out too long for any stretch
but she did enjoy the chance to chase the little birds who'd come back at dawn all the way down the beach until she
got laughing too hard and had to give up. They tracked long trails of sand into the house and left it gleefully on the
floor. Hung up more wet clothes than they had dry ones left. And used up so much water it would have horrified their
friends still in Africa. Wanton, apparently, didn't just apply to Andi and her penchant for melting at Hector's slightest
touch.