angels-in-a-cage-ficlets

Piercing Memory

Tue, 23 Jul 2013 03:18:00 +0100

Title: Piercing Memory
Characters: Alyssa, David
Rating: NC-17 (sex)
Word Count: 1507
Summary: Summer of 1997, the year before Alyssa's and David's final year at high school. The teenagers are feeling bored... and that usually leads to trouble.

July 17, 1997

Seattle, Washington

There was nothing that exceptional about that Tuesday. She had the day off, so did he. Hanging out at the lake had been fun. They had even gotten a little stoned, but the ennui of summer had set in. She needed something different to break through her boredom.

“David?” Alyssa’s hazel eyes flicked to him.

His eyes met hers over the lip of his soda can, “Yeah?”

“Can’t we do something different today?”

“Like what?” he asked, setting down the can.

“I don’t know. I just feel like we’re wasting our last high school summer.”

“Because you spend half of it sucking Chris’s d—”

“David,” she warned.

“Okay, okay,” he smirked. “So what do you want to do?”

“Something memorable.”

David took another drink from his can, glancing her over, “Let’s go get your belly button pierced like you keep talking about.”

Her eyes brightened, “Where?”

“I know a guy…”

An hour later, Alyssa stretched out on a table, her shirt tucked under her head. David sat nearby, watching the piercer swabbed her skin. He picked up the needle, told her to take a deep breath, and quickly punctured the skin at the top of her navel. Biting her bottom lip, she watched as he threaded the jewelry through.

“There you go,” he stated after twisting on the ball at the end. “I’ll give you cleaning instructions. If there’s any sign of infection, come back here immediately. In a month, you should be fully healed enough to switch out the jewelry. No swimming for a few days. And no bodily fluids…”

Looking down between her breasts, Alyssa smiled, “Thank you.”

“I bet if you blow him, he’ll pierce your nipples too,” David spoke up.

Alyssa instantly turned bright red, “David!”

“Um,” the piercer stood up. “That won’t be necessary.”

Once the guy left the room, Alyssa threw her shirt at David, “I can’t believe you said that!”

He chuckled, “He totally left with a chubby too.”

“You are such a perv!”

He grinned, “Come on. You got wet thinking about sucking his dick.”

“No!” her cheeks once more turned red.

“You mean if I were to reach into your bikini bottoms right now you wouldn’t be—”

The door opened again and the piercer returned, holding out a small plastic bag, “So here’s your aftercare stuff. I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”

The two teenagers left the studio — without paying a dime — a few minutes later. Despite her protests, David continued to push her about being aroused at the thought of blowing the piercer. Stopped at a stoplight near their houses, Alyssa glared at him. Grinning, he told her the light changed before she had a chance to once more tell him how perverted he was.

“Get out,” she declared, stopping in front of his house.

“Fine, but you’re coming with me,” he declared, opened the door, snatched her purse, and darted into his house.

Growling, Alyssa turned off her car and headed to the house in pursuit. The front door closed as she stepped in. Her eyes instantly went to David’s, reading his intentions a moment before he kissed her. His continued sexual teasing for the past half hour had not left her unaffected and she quickly melted into his kiss. Dropping her purse, David’s arms circled her waist, pulling her close.

“Ow!” Alyssa muttered against his mouth.

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, Aly,” he gently pulled back so he was no longer touching her piercing.

“It’s okay,” she breathed.

Grabbing her hand, David pulled her to his bedroom. He dropped her hand in the room, spending a minute to clear off his bed before letting her sit on it. Plopping down beside her, he leaned over and kissed her again. With little effort at all, David guided her to lie back. He wasted little time before removing her bikini top.

“You should have let him pierce your nipples,” he muttered huskily before leaning down and sucking on them.

“But then,” she moaned softly, “you wouldn’t be able to do what you’re doing now.”

“You’re right,” he responded before sucking on her other nipple.

Being certain to lie to her side, his fingers danced down the curve of her body until they reached the top of her shorts. He traced along her skin, careful to not touch her sore navel, until he reached the button of her denim shorts. Leaning up, David kissed her mouth as he unfastened her shorts and slipped his fingers over her bikini bottoms. Moaning softly, Alyssa’s legs parted, allowing his hand to dip down and rub the deep red Lycra against her sex.

“David,” she moaned, wiggling beside him.

He kissed her deeply once more before pulling away. Her eyes went to his, questioning his motives. He smiled and pulled his shirt off before standing up. Boldly he pulled his swim trunks off before sitting back on the bed. However, David did not lean over to kiss Alyssa again, but waited for her to come to him. It took her a moment to understand why he had not returned to kissing and touching her.

Getting to her feet as well, Alyssa removed her shorts and bikini bottoms. She straddled David’s legs, sitting down on his thighs. Eyes locking with his, her fingers wrapped around his erection, but did not move. Instead, she waited for a sign from him. David merely smirked and folded his hands under his head. Rolling her eyes, she leaned down to lick him but stopped.

“I can’t,” she muttered.

“Sure, you can, Aly,” he breathed.

She shook her head, “Bending over like that hurts.”

His eyes went back to her piercing. Saying nothing, his hands came out from under his head and went to her thighs. He carefully guided her forward, making her hands drop from his cock and rest against his chest. With his cock lying against his stomach, David guided Alyssa to rub her sex up and down it. One hand left her thighs to rub her clitoris.

They continued like that for a few long moments. Alyssa’s hands left David’s chest, moving to cup her breasts instead. As her head dropped back in a moan, David’s hand left her clit and circled his cock. On her next downward grind, her hot, wet body engulfed his erection. Her eyes flew open as she gasped, looking down at him. Smirking, both of his hands went to her hips, once more guiding her movements.

Letting her slowly ride him for a few minutes, David enjoyed Alyssa’s moans and groans. His fingers tightened on her hips as she lifted up, keeping her from sinking back down on him. Groaning, he thrust up into her, making her body squish and her lips moan. David quickly pounded her, wanting nothing more than to roll over and continue, but worried he might smash into her sore piercing.

Suddenly, David pulled her off him. Giving Alyssa no time to consider his actions, he turned her around. As her fingers flattened against his headboard, he thrust deeply into her from behind. She arched back for his thrusts, squealing when he slapped her ass. With a few more quick, deep thrusts, Alyssa’s body tensed, squeezing around him as he continued to thrust into her.

Pushing deeply into her, David grunted. Electricity shot down his spine and into his erection. Grabbing onto his cock, he pulled out of her after one squirt inside her quivering body. His orgasm spewed out on her dewy flower and ass, before he collapsed onto the bed next to her. Sighing, Alyssa rolled onto her side, facing David, and gently kissed him.

He smiled crookedly, “I think today has been a more…memorable day.”

Alyssa shifted closer, draping one leg over his, her fingers dancing dangerously close to his semi-soft cock, “Oh most definitely. Most definitely.”

His hand grasped hers before she began to stroke his fire again, “So in two weeks, you’re going to suck him off and get your nipples pierced, right?”

She pulled her hand free and slapped his chest, “Not a chance.”

“How about… I get my dick pierced and you get your clit pierced?”

Alyssa flushed, “No!”

David chuckled and pulled her into a kiss again, “Fine, fine. But I get to pick out your first belly ring.”

“That’s not fair.”

His hand rolled over her hip and he quickly thrust two fingers into her wet body, “Life’s not fair.”

Alyssa’s eyes closed and she moaned softly as he began to stroke her, “How about a bet?”

Continuing to finger her, he smirked, “Okay. What’s the bet?”

“Whoever,” she paused to moan again, “cums again first… gets to choose the belly ring.”

Pulling his fingers out, David stroked himself a couple of times, rolled over between her legs, and thrust back into her, “It’s a deal.”

A few minutes later, Alyssa sat at David’s computer, wearing his boxers and her bikini top, scrolling through images of belly rings — while he pouted in bed, his cock still standing at attention.

Thought it was the end

Fri, 05 Jul 2013 00:48:38 +0100

Title: Thought it was the end
Characters: Alyssa, David, Chris
Rating: NC-17 (sex)
Word Count: 1438
Summary: Alyssa is alone in LA for the red, white, and blue holiday. Or is she?

July 4, 2000

Los Angeles, California

It had been a mistake, which she should have known. Had it been her first summer in Los Angeles, then she could have forgiven her naivete. Rather it was her second summer, the summer between sophomore and junior year of college, so Alyssa really did not know why she thought everything would be fine.

Everything was not fine.

Jamie was in New York, working for some cancer doctor for the summer. Though she could have gone back to Seattle for the summer, she opted to remain in California, mostly because of an internship at a local design firm. As she sat alone in her apartment, listening to explosions outside, she suddenly wished she at least went home for the long weekend afforded her by the fact 4th of July landed on a Tuesday that year. The majority of her school friends were not in town, her boyfriend was on the other side of the country, her family up north in Seattle. She was utterly alone, no party invitations at all, not even by the people at the firm who asked her if she had plans for the holiday.

“Maybe I should get a cat,” she sighed, turning off the TV since she could not hear anything over the fireworks outside.

Part of her considered calling Chris, but she did not think he would take her call. There was incredible distance between them, not all related to physical distance. Just a few days prior, Susan birthed a beautiful baby girl, a baby that Alyssa tried to not blame for the gulf between her and Chris —afterall he had not consented to her creation. Besides, if he did accept her call, what good would it do? It would just be a few minutes where she was not dreadfully lonely.

Holidays sucked alone.

Deciding that being alone would just make her sadder, Alyssa got up and dressed. She was not entirely sure what to do, but figured if she went to the Axis of Justice offices, someone else would be there. Plus headquarters was not near residences so unlikely to have kids setting off fireworks all day and night.

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Alyssa reached for the doorknob just as a knock sounded. Confused, her brows knitted as she opened the door. She blinked a couple of times, unbelieving her sight.

“I… what are you doing here?” she muttered softly.

“You said you were alone this weekend. I couldn’t let that happen,” he stated, stepping forward.

A smile quickly lit her face, “Really?”

“Of course. We’re best friends, right?”

Grinning, Alyssa stumbled forward and embraced him, “I’m so, so glad to see you.”

“Me too,” he hugged her back, nudging her back into her apartment. “Were you going somewhere?”

“Just trying to distract myself from my loneliness,” she admitted.

“Where’s the boyfriend?” he dropped his duffle bag on the floor after closing the door.

Her hazel eyes dropped to his bag, “New York still. Doing whatever it is that he does when I’m not around.”

His fingers went to her chin, tilting her face back up, “And Chris?”

She frowned more, “Seattle with his wife and baby, I presume.”

He kissed her nose softly, “Well it doesn’t matter. I’m here now and we’re going to tear up this town.”

She smiled slightly, “Thanks, David. I really appreciate it.”

Stumbling into the apartment, more than a little tipsy, Alyssa erupted into giggles. Without any guidance, the two friends ended up at a random party not far from her apartment. Even though she had not known anyone, her cleavage bought them passage into the house party, any ruffled feathers smoothed over by David sharing joints with the hosts. David managed to get them out of the house party just before Alyssa reached the level of intoxication that tended to lead to much wilder actions, including the removal of clothing.

“Daaaaavid,” she giggled, collapsing onto the couch.

He rolled his eyes and sat next to her, “What, silly girl?”

She moved closer to him, leaning in to kiss him. His hand quickly covered her mouth and he shook his head. She pouted against his palm.

“You don’t really want to do that,” he declared.

Her hand went to his crotch, massaging him erotically, “Yes. I do.”

He groaned, “No, you don’t. You love Jamie.”

Her eyes did not waver, “I haven’t had a dick inside me in months.”

His hand went to her wrist, gently lifting her hand from his lap, “Aly, you don’t want this. It’s the alcohol.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“Sure you are. You—”

She pulled his hand away and quickly kissed him, “Drank bottled water all night. I was only pretending to be tipsy so we could leave before they got stupid with fireworks.”

He blinked, saying nothing. Her hand returned to his lap. His hand disappeared into her hear, pulling her into a deep kiss. Within moments, they were tearing at each other’s clothing, throwing it haphazardly around the living room.

After licking and fingering her with her positioned on the edge of the couch cushion, David half-stood, cock in hand. Rubbing his oozing tip against her wet entrance, his eyes went to hers, waiting for her to tell him to stop. Instead, she whimpered slightly, her hands going under her knees to pull her legs open more. With a groan, he pushed into her hot body.

Closing her eyes, Alyssa moaned, pressing her head back into the couch pillows. Her body undulated and squeezed his, all the cells in her body alight. A gasp passed her lips as his fingers pinched her erect nipples hard, causing her eyes to flutter open.

Alyssa instantly froze, confused. Expecting to see David looking down at her, she instead saw Chris. Her lips opened to question him, but all that she muttered was his name amongst moans as he continued thrusting and touching her perfectly. Her confusion was chased away by euphoria shooting through her body before he rolled, repositioning her on top. Happily, Alyssa rode him, reaching back to fondle his balls. Within moments, she reached orgasm again, her body’s pulse bringing him to completion as well.

Collapsing down onto him, her head on his shoulder, she muttered softly, “I have missed you more than words can explain.”

“I’ve missed you too, Lyssie,” he stated, brushing her long hair from her face before kissing her. “This is where I always belong.”

“Don’t ever leave,” she uttered, snuggling close to him, not caring they were naked in the middle of her living room. “Ever.”

“I promise, Lyssie. I will never leave you.”

A sudden ringing in her head obliterated all thoughts and senses. Rubbing her eyes, Alyssa sat up and looked for the source. It took her a couple of moments of looking around in the dark to realize the sound was her cell phone ringing on the pillow next to her — in her bedroom. Lying back down, she picked it up, puzzles as to why she was in her bed, not cuddling with Chris in the living room.

“Hello?” she grumbled.

“Lyssie?”

Her heart stopped, “Chris?”

“Hey, sweetie. How has your Fourth been?”

Her bleary eyes glanced at the clock near the bed, “Honestly?”

“Always.”

She paused for a moment, “Absolutely horrible.”

“Why?”

“I’m completely alone here in LA and… oh Chris, I’m so lonely. I haven’t… I didn’t even get out of bed today.”

He sighed, “Where is your boyfriend?”

“New York.”

“And his family didn’t invite you over? Or anyone from the firm?”

“No,” she responded softly, her bottom lip beginning to tremble.

“Lyssie… I’m going to be LA at the end of the week. I promise I will make up for today.”

She smiled slightly, “You already were.”

“I was?”

“I was having a lovely dream… and you were in it.”

“How did I make you feel?”

She smiled again, “Perfect, like you always do.”

Chris was silent for a long minute again, “Lyssie?”

“Yes?”

“I… I want you to know… nevermind.”

“No, Chris, please…”

“I will show you in a couple of days. I promise.”

“Okay. Chris?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you sing or play your guitar for me? Just for a little while.”

“As long as you need me to, I will.”

Smiling, she turned on her side, curling around her cell phone. Though her odd sexual dream still teased the edge of her consciousness, Alyssa focused on Chris’s song. For the first time all week, she felt like she was not alone, that someone cared — no, loved her. Being loved was much greater than feeling independent, much, much greater.

Splash

Mon, 01 Jul 2013 20:19:57 +0100

Title: Splash
Characters: Chris, Alyssa, Lily, Patrick, Toni, Nick
Rating: PG (cuteness)
Word Count: 1971
Summary: The blended family heads to San Diego for some family time... with orcas.

June 21, 2006

San Diego, CA

Deciding that theme parks were best mid-week, even during the summer months, Alyssa had booked three nights in The Dana Hotel in San Diego. With an infant, a toddler, and two young children, she knew it was not about to be a relaxing vacation. Despite that, she remained nestled in the crisp white sheets of the hotel bed, hoping the children would give her another hour of sleep before needing to wrangle them all for Sea World. Yet just as she was beginning to drift off once more, she heard her alarm clock: an infant’s cry.

With a half groan, she rolled out of the bed, not realizing Chris was not in the room at all, pulled her hair back from her face and shuffled out of the room. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Alyssa slowly realized that Chris sat on the sofa, holding his youngest child, bottle in hand.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he commented softly as she sat next to him, reaching for the baby. “I’ve got this.”

It took her a moment to realize they sat on the folded up sofa bed, “Where are the other children?”

A giggle just outside the open patio door answered her question. Getting to her feet, Alyssa headed to the door and leaned out slightly. Lily and Patrick sat in the bistro chairs at the small patio table. A squirming Toni giggled and tried to slip off her older sister’s lap. The two older children tried to silence the toddler, but all was for naught the moment she saw Alyssa. Toni squealed and reached for her. Shaking her head, Alyssa picked up the nearly two-year-old girl, kissing her loudly.

Her eyes flicked to the table, “No breakfast?”

“Shamu!” Patrick exclaimed, jumping off his seat. “We’re having breakfast with Shamu!”

“Who?” her eyes settled on him, confusion on her face. “Who is this Shamu? Have we met?”

“Mom!” Lily jumped out of her chair as well. “We’re going to SEA WORLD. That’s where Shamu is.”

“Who is this Shamu? That’s such a weird name,” she commented.

“Mooooooom!” both Lily and Patrick whined.

Alyssa grinned at the two older children, “Well then I guess we better go put on our Sunday best and head to the park.”

“What’s Sunday best?” Patrick asked, stepping back into the suite.

Alyssa ruffled his curly, dark hair, “Go find your swim trunks, Patrick. I bet you’re gonna get pretty wet today.”

“Okay, Mom!”

“You get your suit on too, Lily,” she instructed as she closed the patio door, her eyes flicking to Chris as he stood up.

“I’ll change him then take charge of the kids so you can get ready,” he stated, pausing to kiss her.

Once everyone was dressed and slathered with sunblock, the blended family headed out of the hotel suite. Getting in and out of their car was as much a production as getting the four children dressed, yet somehow Chris and Alyssa had found a system and rhythm. It amazed even her that they seamlessly moved from vehicle, through the gates of Sea World, and to the dining area for Breakfast with Shamu.

However, within minutes of sitting down, she had a feeling the children were not about to eat anything at all as they all squealed upon seeing one of the orcas swim pass them. She attempted a few different ways to bribe them to eat, but each time it seemed to be succeeding, the orca would swim pass or jump out of the water.

“I give up,” Alyssa muttered, turning to her own food.

Chuckling, Chris glanced across the table, “Don’t worry, Mom, they’ll eat.”

“Least one of them did,” she reached over and pulled Nick’s hat back on.

“They’ll be fine, Lyssie,” he stated, taking a bite of his eggs.

Her hazel eyes flicked up to him, “Be prepared to buy Shamu pretzels and cookies all day then.”

“Oh I’m ready. I have a wallet full of money,” he winked. “I know that’s why you brought me along.”

“And for someone else to push the stroller some of the day,” she declared flatly.

Chris laughed, “Yes, of course.”

“Mom!” Patrick shouted. “Did you see that!?”

“Pretty amazing, huh?” she smiled at him, though she was not entirely sure what he was talking about.

Chris snorted, but did not point out she had not been watching the pool like the boy had been, “We’re going to see lots of exciting things today, Patrick. After breakfast, we’re going on a special tour.”

“Really, Dad?” Lily glanced at him. “Are we going to see dolphins?”

“You might even get to touch one…”

Her eyes widened, “Really?”

“But only if you eat your breakfast,” he declared.

Lily instantly turned her attention to her food. Shaking her head, Alyssa smiled slightly. One down, two more to convince to eat before heading on their tour. It was going to be a long day.

With the sun warming even the metal seats, Alyssa did not dissuade the kids from making a beeline to the soak zone at the Shamu show. Where the children seemed to find their endless supply of energy, she did not know. Only Nick, who was not even a year old, seemed to tire out, napping against Alyssa’s chest during the sea lion show. Though he was fussy again, she thought it had more to do with the heat of the day than needing a nap in his bed.

So with their double stroller parked, Nick on her hip, Toni on Chris’s hip, they followed Lily and Patrick into Shamu Stadium. They quickly found a seat in the center of the stadium — in the front row. Chris started to protest, but Alyssa waved it off and sat down.

“Do you want me to take him?” Chris offered, shifting Toni to sit on the bleacher between him and Lily.

Holding over the fussing infant, she smiled and quickly kissed Chris, “I hope you’re ready to get wet.”

He chuckled, “You did make me wear my shorts.”

“You have on your swim trunks, Dad?” Lily asked, glancing down at Chris’s cargo shorts. “Those don’t look like swim trunks.”

“Uh,” he glanced at the oldest, “they’re underneath my shorts. Like how your suit is under yours.”

“Huh.”

“LILY, I CAN SEE THEM!” Patrick declared, standing on his toes on the bench. “THEY’RE PRACTICING.”

The young girl climbed up onto the bench next to him, “Where?”

“You are not wearing a suit under those shorts,” Alyssa commented softly as she pulled a bottle out of the diaper bag and mixed up formula for Nick.

“Sure I am,” he winked, accepting the bottle. “The tight kind I can wear under shorts.”

She rolled her eyes, “Sure you are.”

“You want to take a look?” he offered, motioning down with his eyes.

She rolled her eyes again and pushed his sunglasses back up his nose, “Maybe later.”

Before he could playfully make another innuendo-filled comment, Toni squealed that she could hardly see anything. Alyssa quickly pulled the toddler into her lap and sat back down. A moment later, the crowd erupted into cheers as the show began.

Following the dripping children out of the stadium half an hour later, Alyssa chuckled as Patrick and Lily happily recounted each of the orcas’ leaps, splashes, and dives. The older girl even declared she wanted to be an orca trainer — not two hours after declaring she wanted to be a dolphin trainer.

“Can we go see the sharks now?” Patrick asked, while Toni climbed into her seat in the stroller.

“I was thinking we would go see them after we have some dinner,” Alyssa suggested.

“But Mooooooom,” Patrick whined.

“I agree,” Chris spoke up. “Don’t you want a Shamu cookie?”

“No,” Patrick responded.

Guiding the stroller towards the nearest eatery anyways, he replied, “No? Cupcake then.”

“I want to see the sharks!”

“Patrick,” Alyssa warned.

“Well I do.”

“After we eat,” she stated.

“But—”

“James Patrick.”

He sighed, folding his arms across his chest. Though he continued to pout as the family headed into the restaurant, he quickly changed his mind upon being allowed to pick whatever he wanted to eat. The children actually fell silent as they dug into dinner.

Chris shifted closer to Alyssa, kissing her after she took a bit of watermelon, “Mmmm, you taste sweet.”

She shook her head, finishing chewing her bite, “Well thank you.”

“I think today has been a success,” he declared.

Alyssa laughed, “It’s not over yet, Chris. We have two more shows and a few more animals to see. Plus Lily wants to go feed the dolphins again. And don’t forget that we—”

He kissed her again, “Relax. Just enjoy it.”

She nodded, “I will.”

Heading back to Shamu Stadium for the final orca show before the fireworks, Chris halted suddenly. Alyssa continued forward with the stroller, chatting with the two older children. Toni had pulled away from him and squatted. The toddler finally noticed the shells embedded in the concrete. Chuckling, Chris snapped a couple of photographs as she attempted to pick the shells out of the sidewalk.

Tucking the camera away as Alyssa turned and noticed why they had stopped, he squatted next to his youngest daughter, “Why don’t we leave those there, Toni?”

“But, Daddy…”

“Let’s leave those there, Toni. We have to go see Shamu one last time,” he held out his hand to her.

The little girl picked at the shells for another minute before finally turning to her father. Grinning, she stepped forward into his arms, allowing Chris to pick her up and join the rest of the family. Once beside Alyssa, Toni started to babble about the pretty shells on the ground. Her babbles fell silent once they entered the stadium.

“Where should we sit this time?” Chris asked as Alyssa adjusting the diaper bag on her shoulder.

“In the front!” Patrick and Lily exclaimed.

“Uhhh… isn’t it kinda chilly for that, guys?” he looked at the two older children.

“Pleeeeeease, Daddy? Please?” Lily pleaded.

Chris looked to Alyssa, who merely shook her head and shrugged.

His green eyes went back to the children, “How about we sit a few rows up so we can see all the fun flips and jumps better?”

The children agreed and made a beeline for the seats near the shallow slide-out pool. Shaking his head, Chris followed them, keeping Toni on his hip. Alyssa sat next to him, dropping the diaper bag at their feet and adjusting the sleeping baby in her arms. A minute later, Chris was back on his feet, purchasing lighted Shamu toys for the three awake children. The toys provided amusement for a few minutes, but were promptly forgotten once the show began and the water rocked with waves.

Despite it being a night show, their proximity to the pool did mean splashing went their way. Alyssa managed to shield Nick from most of it, though he did wake with a frustrated cry. The family remained seated after the show, the children’s eyes focused on the fireworks in the sky.

Once the finale sparkled above, Lily turned to Chris and hugged him, “You’re the best Daddy ever.”

His face lit up as he hugged her back, “Thanks, Lil. I’m glad you had a good day.”

“It was great!” she declared, beaming up at him. “Can we come back tomorrow?”

He chuckled and touched her nose, “We’ve got more things to do tomorrow, Lily. I think you’ll have just as much fun then.”

She sighed, “Well okay... but I do want to be a killer whale trainer.”

He smirked, balancing a yawning Toni on his hip, “We’ll see how you feel about that tomorrow, Lily.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re going to the zoo.”

Platinum Magic

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:18:32 +0100

Title: Spin
Characters: Alyssa, Patrick, Chris
Rating: NC-17 (sex)
Word Count: 3250
Summary: A very important anniversary is upon Chris and Alyssa. What better way to celebrate it than to spend the weekend at the happiest place on Earth? Also, Chris gifts her with something very special and sparkly.

April 6, 2006
Los Angeles, California

Though she had been as a child and again as a young teen, Alyssa could not quite explain how excited she was. It was rather ridiculous if one asked her. Why would a twenty-five-year-old woman be excited for Disneyland? Wasn’t that childish?

Shaking her head free from those thoughts, she smiled and continued packing. That alone made her smile. She lived in Los Angeles with her nearly four-year-old son. Yet he promised her a very special couple of nights in Disneyland — just the two of them. And it apparently came with overnight accommodations that did not include either of their homes. Luckily it was Jamie’s week with Patrick — not that Alyssa ever doubted he would not jump at the chance to spend time with their son. He was twice the father his own had been.

Realizing she once more she was lost in thought, Alyssa stepped away from her failed attempt of packing her things and headed into her son’s room. As it was after midnight, the boy slept peacefully, thumb in his mouth, blankie clutched in his fingers.

Alyssa sat on the floor next to his bed. Her hazel eyes focused on his sweet, sleeping face. Illuminated by his dinosaur night light, Patrick’s small, pink lips curved into a sleeping smile, finally making him release his thumb. Smiling, her fingers gently brushed his dark, soft curls from his face. Part of her wanted to trim the hair from his eyes, but when he was an infant, she decided to allow him — and any future children — decide when to cut their hair. Plus the curls were adorable as they were.

Watching him sleep soundly for a few minutes, Alyssa leaned forward and gently kissed his forehead, “Mommy loves you.”

Leaving her sleeping son, she returned to her room and managed to finish packing for the magical retreat he planned for them. Eventually Alyssa crawled into her own bed and attempted to sleep. The excitement of this date with Chris was nearly too much for her. How would she ever sleep?

Since Jamie picked up their son, Alyssa paced the living room. Chris was never, ever late with her; not once in the decade of knowing each other. He was always — her eyes widened. They had known each other for a decade. That was what this was about. She was certain of it.

Imbued with the desire to completely re-dress, Alyssa turned to head to her room. On cue, a knock sounded at her door. Finding it odd as Chris never knocked, usually just entered the apartment, her brows knitted as she approached the door. On the other side stood a man in a chauffeur’s suit. Confusion was not abated.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Miss Morgan?”

She nodded.

“I’m here for your luggage.”

Nodding, she stepped to the side, “Is Chris… casually dressed?”

“No, ma’am, he is not.”

“Suit or tuxedo?” she quickly asked.

The chauffeur extended the handle on her suitcase, “More akin to a suit. No tie, leather jacket.”

“Of course.”

A bit perturbed Chris had not informed her of the dress code for their date, Alyssa hurried into her room and threw open her closet doors. Quickly peeling off her tee shirt and jeans, she tossed them aside. She decided to change her bra and panties as well before pulling on a simple black, sheath dress. Choosing simple sandals with a low heel and exchanging her jewelry for a set Chris gifted her years ago; Alyssa once more joined the driver in the living room, her previous outfit shoved into the large purse slung over her shoulder.

“Does this work better?” she asked.

The man quickly glanced over her, “You look lovely, Miss Morgan.”

“Thank you.”

Following the man from the apartment, she quickly locked the deadbolt before catching up with him in the elevator. Once more anxious in regards to Chris’s plans, she fidgeted with her necklace.

“Why didn’t he come up for me himself?” she suddenly asked as the elevator doors opened.

“You will have to ask Mr. Cornell that yourself, Miss Morgan.”

Nodding, she followed him out of the apartment building. Seeing the white limo with her handsome best friend, lover, and boyfriend holding open the door with a bouquet of irises and red roses in his other hand, Alyssa instantly stopped. She did not even notice the driver take her luggage to the back of the vehicle. She was completely transfixed and speechless because of Chris.

Holding out his hand to her, he grinned, “You look amazing.”

Slipping one hand into his and accepting the flowers with the other, Alyssa stepped forward and gently kissed him, “Thank you.”

He stole another quick kiss, “Your chariot, milady.”

Once seated in the back of the limo, Alyssa turned to him, “Chris, what—”

His lips touching hers silenced her question, “Don’t ask questions. It takes away the magic.”

Sighing, she grudgingly nodded, “Though you should have told me you were dressing up.”

“Didn’t I?”

“No,” she shook her head. “I was wearing a tee shirt and jeans. That would have been horrible next to you in your button up shirt.”

“Impossible. You’re beautiful in yoga pants and my old tee shirts,” he complimented

Alyssa flushed slightly, “Thank you.”

He squeezed her hand slightly, “More beautiful than the day we met.”

“And quite a bit wiser, too.”

Chris nodded, smiling, “Though you have been brighter than me since Day One.”

“Doubtful. You have always had wisdom greater than your years.”

He chuckled, “You always leave me dumbfounded though.”

Rolling her eyes, Alyssa shook her head, “You don’t need pretty words, Chris. I’m already yours.”

Leaning over, he kissed her, “Even if they’re true?”

“Even so.”

“Well,” he kissed her again, “by now you should know that will never happen.”

“Maybe so… So what are our plans?”

Chris chuckled, prying her hand from his thigh before it wandered in hopes of coaxing his compliance, “Patience, beautiful one. Patience.”

Standing in the center of their eleventh floor suite overlooking Disneyland and California Adventure, Alyssa was once more awed. She knew their accommodations were going to be special, but she expected a normal suite, not one at the top of the building with a balcony overlooking the entire resort complex.

Slipping up behind her, while she looked over the grounds from the balcony, Chris wrapped his arms around Alyssa. Her arms easily crossed over his and she smiled as he kissed her ear.

“So, my princess,” he whispered, “what would you like to do first?”

“Um,” she gently bit her bottom lip, “change back into my jeans and tee shirt before we go out into the park?”

He chuckled, “As you wish, though we do have dinner reservations in a couple of hours.”

“And they have a dress code?”

“Mmmmhmmmm,” his hand wandered slightly. “But you are right, it would be unseemly to wander the park like this.”

Closing her eyes as he cupped her breast, she muttered, “Could you unzip me then?”

Without hesitation, Chris’s hands went to her back zipper. His kissed the curve of her shoulder as it was bared. Pausing once the zipper reached the bottom, his lips still on her skin, he quickly unfastened her bra as well before pushing both it and her dress down her body. Turning, Alyssa stepped over her clothes and she gently pushed him in from the balcony, her fingers dancing down the tiny buttons of his crisp, white dress shirt. He smirked, shrugging off the shirt while she unbuckled his belt and unfastened his pants.

Stepping out of his clothing, including his boxers a moment later, Chris led Alyssa to the king-sized bed. As he peeled back the covers, she pulled off her panties and tossed them aside. He turned back to face her, his green eyes sweeping over her body.

“Lyssie,” his hands grasped hers, “you are so fucking sexy.”

She flushed slightly, “Thank you.”

His fingers released hers. One buried in her long, brown hair and pulled her into a kiss. The other snaked around her body and gently squeezed her ass. She gasped but quickly fell into the intense kiss, her hands slipping over his shoulders. With ease, Chris pivoted and guided her down onto the bed. Before she could protest, he parted her legs and began to kiss and lick her sex.

Alyssa moaned and wiggled underneath him. Her fingers disappeared into his short hair, clutching and releasing in time with her moans. Glancing up at her, he smiled and leaned up slightly. Chris quickly replaced his tongue with his fingers and began to stroke her deeply with two digits.

“Oh god, Chris,” she moaned, tugging on his hair.

Knowing her unspoken symbol, he kissed up her body. He paused to stop and kiss her breasts, sucking on each nipple for a moment, while his fingers still danced between her petals. The moment his lips met her hungry mouth, Chris removed his fingers and quickly thrust into her hot and ready body. Moaning, Alyssa’s hands gripped his forearms while her eyes locked with his. Her legs wrapped around his waist, keeping his thrusts deep inside of her.

With her moans in harmony with his thrusts, Chris felt his body tense more quickly than expected. However, before he attempted to slow down and temper himself, Alyssa moaned loudly and pulled him close. Her body instantly clenched his tightly. With a few quick thrusts, Chris joined her in ecstasy before leaning down and showering her face with kisses.

After a few more shared kisses, Chris gently extricated himself from Alyssa. Though he would not have been opposed to remaining in bed with her all day and night, they did not come to Disneyland to…not go to Disneyland. With another stolen kiss, he crawled out of the bed, scooped up her panties, and tossed them at her.

“What do you want to ride first?” he asked, pulling casual clothes from his luggage.

“Besides you?” she teased, rolling out of the bed to do the same.

Chris grinned at her as he pulled his jeans on, “Yes, besides me.”

“Hmmm, I’m not sure. Let’s just head over there and see?”

“As you wish,” he quickly kissed her once she pulled on her tee shirt. “We’ll just have to come back and change in about three hours for dinner.”

“You better keep track of time then. Once those mouse ears are on my head, I’ll revert to a little girl,” she stated, slipping on her walking sandals.

He chuckled, “Mouse ears?”

“Oh yeah,” Alyssa nodded. “And you’re getting some too.”

Leaving Disneyland after a couple of hours of walking through the crowds and enjoying rides, Chris plucked the mouse ears from his head as they sat on the Monorail. Alyssa quickly snatched them from his fingers and returned them to his head. Before he could protest, she kissed him. Not about to give her cause to frown, he kept the mouse ears on until they returned to their hotel suite.

While part of him wanted to love her again, Chris resisted and turned his focus into dressing for dinner. He stole a single glance at her as she stepped into her dress once more, but that was enough to raise his blood pressure again. Quickly zipping her up, he excused himself and disappeared into the bathroom to calm himself down. As his hand slipped into his jacket pocket, his increased blood pressure suddenly had a different cause. After checking his other pocket, Chris took a deep breath, his long fingers closing over the box.

Calmed down, Chris stepped out of the bathroom. His eyes met Alyssa’s, instantly bringing a smile back to his face. He offered his arm and led her from the hotel suite, noticing she had even refreshed her perfume. Complimenting her, he reveled in the slight blush once more brought to her cheeks before they stepped out of the elevator. He truly loved the woman at his side more than he could have ever imagined.

They returned once more to the park and Chris happily guided Alyssa back to the New Orleans section in the park. Her eyes glanced around, trying to figure out where they were going. She had not noticed any restaurant with a nicer dress code, but maybe Chris knew something she did not. Her eyes flicked up to the sign as his steps slowed and she smiled. She had noticed people sitting at tables by the river of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Her heart began to flutter.

However, he passed by the entrance of the Blue Bayou, only pausing long enough near its queue to check his watch, “Perfectly on time.”

“Chris, aren’t we…?”

He quickly kissed away her questions and led her to a subdued, grayish door. To the right of the door, an oval plaque with “33” indicated the door’s address, but nothing more. Chris reached over and pressed the small brass button. Confused, Alyssa stepped a bit closer, trying to figure out what he was doing. She barely heard a female voice ask for the name under which the reservations were made.

“Chris Cornell, party of two,” he responded simply.

A soft click could be heard, unlocking the door. With a smile, Chris opened the subtle door, ushering Alyssa inside. Stepping into the building, her eyes widened. While Chris spoke with the hostess, she glanced around, absorbing every detail of the very Victorian lobby. Completely awestruck, she hardly noticed when he guided her into the French lift.

“Chris… what is this place?” she asked softly as the elevator moved up to the actual restaurant.

“Club 33,” he smiled. “One of the most exclusive restaurants in California.”

“How…?”

He stole a quick kiss as the lift stopped, “Come, my love. Let’s go have dinner.”

Following the maître’d through the Lounge Alley Bar into the proper dining room, Alyssa remained silent. Her designer eyes soaked in the rich textures and colors of the sumptuous fabrics, woods, and wallpapers. Led to a small table in the corner of the dining room, the couple sat on blue satin chairs, quickly placing cloth napkins in their laps.

“Chris, this is…”

Had she been able to finish her thought, their server would have interrupted. Alyssa nearly asked for a menu, before she realized Chris had already arranged everything — even a special drink created just for her. When an identical drink was placed before him, her eyebrows rose.

“They made me a non-alcoholic version,” he commented softly before lifting his glass to toast her.

Course after amazing course took the couple on a culinary journey, each paired with perfectly with a glass of wine. By the dessert course an hour later, Alyssa had more than a little buzz. Chuckling, Chris opted for coffee for both with the rich, chocolate dessert.

Leaning over with chocolate still on his lips, Chris kissed her softly, “What do you think?”

“You taste amazing,” she commented with a smile.

“There’s more where that came from,” he winked.

Alyssa flushed slightly before accepting another bite of the dessert from his fork, “This night has been amazing, Chris.”

“Oh but there’s still more to come,” he stated.

“What more could there be?”

“Fireworks,” he declared.

Her eyes brightened, “Can we see them from here?”

“I think it would be best to see them from the castle.”

“Oh, okay,” she nodded. “How much longer do we have?”

He glanced at his watch, “Almost an hour. Don’t rush.”

Extricating themselves from the table twenty minutes later, the couple slowly headed out of the opulent dining room. Alyssa paused to look at framed photos and sketches on the walls. They parted to visit the restrooms before slowly descending the staircase. Halfway down, Alyssa stopped to caress the wallpaper. Chris smiled, kissed her cheek, and tugged her down the stairs.

With a sigh, she stepped out of secret club, holding Chris’s hand. He chuckled before tugging her towards the Cristal D’Orleans Shoppe. Her eyes danced around all of the sparkling items, paying little attention when Chris stepped away from her. Thinking they should maybe get five-year-old Lily a jewelry box, she picked up one of the crystal boxes with the silhouettes of Belle and the Beast etched on it. Before her eyes found the price on the jewelry box, Chris kissed her ear and whispered they needed to leave for the fireworks. Nodding she set it back down, accepted his hand, and left the shop with him.

Chris weaved through the crowds, heading towards the castle. His green eyes glanced around once they reached the center. With a smile, he noticed the photographers were in place and guided Alyssa to stand just in front of the drawbridge of the castle.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a box, his eyes meeting hers, “I thought you would like something to commemorate our date weekend.”

Her eyes lit up as she accepted the box, “Chris…”

Opening the simple box, she gasped. Inside rested a platinum necklace, with a castle pendant. A single diamond glittered at the top of the castle. Without pause, Chris snatched the necklace from the box, stepped behind her, brushed her hair to the side and fastened it about her throat. He briefly kissed her shoulder before turning to face her again. His lips touched hers as the fireworks began to light up the sky.

Both turned to face the castle, their eyes towards the sky. Chris stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on top of her head. Though he appeared outwardly relaxed, Alyssa could still feel tension in his arms and body. Discreetly, she pressed backwards, trying to ascertain if his nerves were due to sexual arousal. He noticed her movements, instantly deciding the time was right as neither really watched the fireworks.

Turning to face her, Chris kissed her quickly, “Lyssie…”

Her hazel eyes turned to meet his gaze, “Yes?”

“Ten years ago today, you came into my life and that is quite possibly the most life-altering moment in my life,” he declared, taking a step back from her. “I cannot imagine my life without you by my side. I don’t want to.”

Chris’s hand instantly disappeared into his jacket pocket and he kneeled before her. Her eyes widened and her hands covered her mouth as she realized what he was doing. He cracked open the black velvet box, revealing a platinum diamond and ruby engagement ring.

“Alyssa Anne Morgan, will you do me the greatest honor and take me as your husband?” he muttered softly.

“Yes!” she squealed without a second of thought. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

As her acceptance was punctuated by the boom of the final bursts of fireworks, Chris slipped the ring on her hand, stood up, and embraced her. He picked her up slightly as they kissed; knowing more than just his hired photographers snapped pictures of the moment. But he did not care. The whole world could know he was marrying Alyssa — he wanted them to. He wanted to climb to the very top of the castle right in that moment and scream it out to everyone.

Instead, he kissed her again, twirling her around slightly, as the fireworks died down.

“You just set very high expectations for our wedding, Mr. Cornell,” Alyssa teased, glancing at the ring ever so briefly. “Oh, Chris, it’s beautiful.”

“This is merely the beginning of our happily ever after, Lyssie. Just the beginning.”

Spin

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:12:38 +0100

Title: Spin
Characters: Chris, Alyssa, Landon, Sophia
Rating: NC-17 (sex)
Word Count: 2082
Summary: Chris is out of town, finishing up preparing for his Songbook tour. All the while Alyssa is at home with the kids. During a phone call while the youngest kids nap (the older kids at school), Alyssa fears her world crashing to a halt...

March 15, 2011
Seattle, Washington

Tucking their youngest daughter, Sophia, into her bed for her nap, Alyssa backed out of the girl’s room. Excited that she managed to get the fifteen-month-old to lie down without any fuss, she headed to find Landon. The little boy, who was supposed to be napping as well, sat in the children’s playroom, driving play cars on the road play mat.

Leaning on the doorframe, Alyssa watched him for a moment before speaking up, “Hey, big guy.”

“Mama,” he looked up, grinning.

“How about we go take a nap now?”

“But I’m not sleepy.”

“Well,” she motioned to him, “how about you come and sit with me in the sun room?”

“Okay, Mama,” he abandoned his cars on the mat.

Holding onto the three-year-old’s hand, Alyssa led him down the hallway. Reaching the top of the stairs, she picked the little boy up and bounced down the steps, making him giggle. They stopped in the kitchen to get him a sippy cup with milk before heading into the sunroom. She sat down in a loveseat, letting her son snuggle up against her. Before long, he dropped his cup as he drifted to sleep. Smiling, Alyssa pulled him closer and carefully stood.

Once the little boy was settled in his car bed, Alyssa returned to the main floor of the house after turning on the monitors in each child’s room. She picked up her half of the monitors, clipped it on her belt, and headed into the library. Seated at the desk, she powered up her laptop to pay household bills, plan the following week’s meals, and make a grocery list. With Chris leaving shortly for his Songbook tour, she knew she had even more cause to be on top of her game. He would be gone for weeks, leaving all of the parenting to her. She certainly needed to be prepared for it.

As he crossed her mind, the phone nearby began to ring. Without even glancing at the caller id, Alyssa picked it up and chirped a greeting. Smiling as he instantly complimented her, she set aside her work to focus on the conversation with her husband.

“Now where are you right now?” Alyssa asked, leaning back in the chair.

“On my way to the label. Have to go over a couple of things for the tour,” he responded.

“Ah, work things,” she nodded. “When will you be home?”

“Flying back home tonight. I should be home in time for dinner,” Chris replied.

“Excellent. The kids miss you,” Alyssa paused. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, baby.”

For a few minutes, they chatted about the family’s activities in Seattle while he was gone. Chris assured her that the tour would be brief and they would not be apart for long. They even discussed remodeling part of the house once the tour concluded. A smile lit up her face and she was no longer worried about getting bills paid or the children’s schedules in check. All she focused on was how his voice made her feel.

Suddenly her heart stopped. The sound of a horn blaring was quickly followed by a long, sustained tire squeal. Eyes wide and mouth dropping open, Alyssa could not process what she had just heard. She muttered his name, but it was barely a whisper.

Seconds longer than eons passed, before Chris muttered, “I gotta go.”

Listening to the dial tone for a long minute, Alyssa slowly hung up the phone. Her heart pounded so strongly that her ears vibrated. She could not move, could not think. He was okay. He had to be okay. She had not heard any crashing sounds. He had even muttered something to her. He was okay. He had to be okay. She stared at the phone for a few long minutes, worry filling her every cell.

Her attention suddenly snapped from the phone, hearing their youngest child beginning to cry on the monitor. Snatching up her phone, Alyssa got to her feet and headed up to the bedrooms. She briefly glanced in on Landon before slipping into Sophia’s room. The boy slept on his side, holding onto a plush wolf. Smiling slightly, she closed the door silently and glanced down to her phone.

Trying to keep her nerves under control, she slipped into Sophia’s room. The young girl fussed in her crib, her volume increasing once she noticed her mother. Focusing her attention on the little girl, Alyssa scooped her up, kissed her loudly, and headed to the changing table. With Sophia on her hip a few minutes later, she once more checked her phone, willing it to ring.

It was not until she filled up Sophia’s chair tray with Cheerios and sliced bananas that Alyssa’s phone rang with Chris’s ringtone. Stepping back from the young girl, she quickly snatched her phone off the counter, not caring about the banana smear on the screen.

“Chris? Chris, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m okay, Lyssie,” he responded. “This asshole cut me off. I swerved to miss him and ended up in a spin. But no one was hurt.”

“Oh god, Chris. I thought… I thought…”

“I’m fine. This isn’t even anything like the motorcycle accident a few years back. I’m fine.”

Alyssa took a deep breath, “Promise?”

“Promise,” he responded. “I’ll be home for dinner and you’ll see for yourself.”

She paused, “Chris, I was so worried. I can’t lose you…”

“I know. I’m fine. Everything is fine. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Though he assured her he was okay, which she believed, Alyssa did not feel quite at ease yet. She knew that would not fully happen until she could hold him, see him with her own eyes. If she lost Chris…

Smiling as Chris closed Landon’s door, Alyssa wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. His arms slipped around her waist, squeezing her gently. Giggling, she pulled him away from the kids’ room. Her fingers clutching his, she pulled him down the hallway, towards the stairs. Before she stepped down, Chris tugged her to him. His lips touched hers quickly and he motioned towards their bedroom in the opposite direction.

“Chris?”

“We don’t need to go downstairs,” he responded, leading her to the master suite.

Not arguing, as she had no desire to watch TV, Alyssa closed the French doors behind her. With a smile, he once more embraced her, his lips touching her forehead. She cuddled against him, saying nothing. Completely understanding her silent actions, Chris held her for a few minutes. He had felt shaky himself that afternoon, wanting to be with his wife and children. He knew some sort of divinity touched him that day, saving him so that he could love and care for his family.

“Lyssie,” he muttered.

“Chris… if…”

“Shhhh, sweetheart. Everything is fine. I’m here. I’m fine,” he stated, tilting her face up so he could kiss her lips.

“I know… I know…”

His lips brushed hers again, “I love you, Alyssa. I’m not going anywhere.”

Nodding she stepped away and headed towards their bed. Trailing behind her, Chris sat on the edge after she pulled back the covers. His eyebrows rose as she began to peel off her layers of clothing. Though he found it odd she did not at least pull on one of his shirts to sleep in, Chris did not object as his wife climbed into their bed wearing just her panties. Not about to argue, he quickly shed his own clothes, turned out the light, and climbed into bed with her.

As Alyssa snuggled up against Chris, bare chest to bare chest, his body naturally reacted to hers. While he did not want to ruin what could be a sweet, loving moment, he could not deny the fact her nudity still aroused him after all those years. Yet he still restrained himself, hoping she would take the lead, as she was the one who got into bed half-naked.

Feeling him tense, Alyssa smiled slightly. Though she had known what being topless would do to him, she was not entirely certain that was what she wanted — until her body began to warm to the thought of his arousal. However, she did not kiss or touch him any more than the cuddling, needing to know he loved her for more than just her body.

“Lyssie,” he muttered softly, “I have loved you since the day I saw you. It gets stronger and stronger each day. You bring such… calmness and happiness to my life. That is something I can never fully repay, I think. And… you are such an excellent mother to all of our children. I know even more now than I did ten years ago, I have to do whatever I can to make you happy, to show you how very important you are to me.”

“Chris…”

His lips gently touched hers, “I will do so until the end of time, Lyssie. You will never, ever lose me.”

Unable to verbalize how she felt, Alyssa pushed up and kissed him deeply. As his arms circled her waist once more, she shifted to straddle him. He held her for a moment, kissing her, until she began to grind against his body. Moaning softly, Chris’s hands reached up to cup her bare breasts. Alyssa sighed softly, her lips briefly touching his throat.

Sitting up, her eyes locked with his in the dim light of night, “I love you, Chris. Completely.”

“I love you, too,” he declared, his fingers still caressing her milky globes. “So much.”

Suddenly pulling to the side, Alyssa quickly removed her panties and carefully pulled his boxers down. His eyes rolled as her lips circled his cock, her fingers dancing along his shaft. Glancing up at him as his fingers disappeared into her long brown hair, she slowly sucked and caressed erection. Her tongue swirled the tip while she massaged his balls, making Chris groan and pull her back onto him.

Alyssa straddled her husband once more, a smile on her lips. Holding his cock in her fingers, she rubbed him against her body, teasing his tip with her damp entrance. He groaned and gently pushed up, but she guided his cock to her clitoris instead. With a smirk and his hands on her hips, Chris thrust slightly against her, making his wife gasp as he pressed against her swollen bud. Giving into their mutual desire, Alyssa guided him back down to dewy center, slightly pushing him inside. As her hands covered his, Chris arched up, fully entering her. Both moaned softly.

Holding hands, Alyssa slowly gyrated on top of Chris. His right hand left her hip and slipping between her petals, teasing her clitoris while she continued to slowly move. The more he touched her, the more she moaned, but she did not increase her pace.

Unable to continue at the slow, languid speed, Chris’s hands squeezed her hips when she was in an upstroke. Alyssa smirked, looking down at him. Without pause, he began to thrust quickly up into her body. She threw her head back and moaned, her hands going to his knees to support her weight.

Suddenly Chris thrust hard into her and pulled her down to the bed with him. Her hands moved from his knees to his chest, intending to keep up the frantic pace herself. Not about to allow that, Chris quickly rolled them over. He smiled, kissed her quickly, and guided her legs up onto his shoulders.

A few quick, deep thrusts later, Alyssa smothered her orgasmic moan with her hand. Chris continued to pound her quivering body, riding out her orgasm. The sexual tension began to build in his body with every squishy thrust. He moaned softly and leaned down to kiss her, still keeping up the deep thrusts.

Her body once more clamped down around his erection. At the edge himself, Chris pressed his forehead to hers, thrust twice more, and sputtered inside of her. He grunted slightly as he continued to thrust slightly, instinctively pushing as deeply into his wife’s body as possible. Her fingers cradled his face, wiping beads of sweat from his brow before pulling him into one final kiss before they separated.

Pulling her off the wet spot left on the bed, Chris covered both of them with the bedsheets.

“Don’t ever leave me, Chris. I’d be so lost without you,” she muttered softly.

“So would I, baby. A million times over.”

Stress of Christmas

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 07:09:37 +0100

Title: Stress of Christmas
Characters: The Cornell family: Chris & Alyssa, Lily, Patrick, Toni, Nick, Landon, and Sophia
Rating: NC-17 (sex)
Word Count: 2415
Summary: The family prepares for Christmas, which stresses out mother-of-six Alyssa. Chris tries to calm her down in the way that only he can. There's a mix of cute family time and alone adult time...

December 10, 2012
Seattle, WA

With only two weeks left before Christmas, Alyssa’s stress level was through the roof. She had list after list, some with checkmarks, most without. Chris had been busy with the band all through November, so she had fallen behind on all of her Christmas shopping. If Judith had not been over the previous week, the decorations would not yet be up at all. She was… going to break down if something did not give…

“Mommy!” Sophia shouted from the other room.

Hearing urgency in the four-year-old’s voice, Alyssa jumped up and hurried into the other room. She instantly burst into giggles. The four youngest children apparently took it upon themselves to start on Christmas cookies. The kitchen was covered with flour, eggs, and sugar.

“Okay, whose idea was this?” she asked, not stepping any further into the room.

“Mommy!” Sophia grinned and rushed towards Alyssa, hugging her legs.

Shaking her head as the little girl left white prints all over her dark green leggings, Alyssa scooped her daughter up and stepped into the kitchen, “Well we better get this cleaned up before Daddy gets back.”

“It looks like snow!” Toni declared with a grin.

“Can we make snowman, Mommy?” Landon asked.

Alyssa laughed, “No, buddy, we can’t make snowman out of flour and sugar. But if we get this all cleaned up, we can make some cookies.”

“Cookies!” all four kids exclaimed.

She set Sophia back down, “Okay. Nick, you get the broom. Toni, you get the vacuum. Landon and Sophia, you two pick up the bowls and spoons and whatever else is on the floor.”

With the children set in motion, Alyssa moved behind them, cleaning up what they missed. She was ever grateful the kids found it as much fun to clean the kitchen as it was to make it messy. They giggled and danced, even threw a couple handfuls of flour at each other. It was all too adorable for Alyssa to intercede, so she allowed them their fun while they cleaned up.

“Lyssie?” Chris called as he entered the large Seattle house.

“In the kitchen,” she responded in a singsong voice.

After instructing Lily and Patrick to hide their purchases in the guest room denoted as the wrapping central for the large family, Chris headed into the kitchen. He grinned as he watched Alyssa roll out cookie dough, with Landon and Sophia poised to press cookie cutters into it. At the nearby breakfast table, Toni and Nick slathered frosting on the cookies, mostly losing the shape of the cookies.

“It looks like my elves have been busy,” he commented, pausing to kiss Alyssa’s cheek.

“You should have seen what it looked like in here thirty minutes ago,” she commented with a smile. “How did shopping go?”

“Eh,” Chris’s eyes met hers, “I’m not really all that good at it. Not like you.”

Alyssa shook her head, “I can’t be buying my own gifts.”

He smirked, “You sure? Then you’d get what you want…”

She shook her head again, “Not doing it.”

“Okay… okay,” Chris glanced at Lily. “You and Patrick going to get all that wrapped?”

“Daaaaad,” she whined, her eyes on the cookies on the table.

“What?”

“Why can’t we do cookies too?”

“Well if you don’t get the gifts wrapped right away someone who isn’t supposed to know what they are, might see them,” he explained.

Lily looked to Alyssa, “Mom?”

“I’m sure we can all stay out of the wrapping room for an hour, Chris,” she stated.

“But they won’t get their wrapping done if we—”

“Let them help with cookies, Chris. Besides, we both know you’re dying to dump sprinkles on some too.”

He smirked, “Well…”

“All ready, Mommy!” Landon exclaimed.

Alyssa turned her attention back to her two helpers, “Perfect. Let’s get these in the oven and get to rolling out some more.”

Shaking his head, Chris headed to the table with the two older children, joining in with Toni and Nick. A few moments later, Landon and Sophia hurried to him, wanting to help. With Sophia in his lap and Landon sitting between Patrick and Nick, Chris happily chatted with the children as all six decorated cookies. He gasped dramatically when Toni accidentally broke the head off one of the snowmen. Second later, five more cookies broke so the children could munch on them.

“Hey now,” Alyssa approached the decorating table with another plate of cooled cookies, “who said you could eat cookies?”

All six children pointed at Chris as he bit into a broken cookie himself.

“What?” he muttered between bites.

Alyssa shook her head and kissed him quickly, “Don’t fill up on cookies. We still have dinner…”

Sitting in the living room, Alyssa laughed while Chris lifted Nick up onto his shoulders so that the young boy could help decorate the top of the tree. Landon quickly clamored for the same treatment, but Patrick distracted him with a new box of ornaments. Nearby Lily and Toni attempted to untangle a strand or two of bead garland. Sophia sat on the floor near the fireplace, playing with a nutcracker and the tree angel. Alyssa tried to hear what they were saying to each other, but over the Christmas music and the other children, she could not hear Sophia’s play.

“Mommy!” Landon shouted, drawing her eyes to him.

“What’s up, bud?”

“Daddy has blue balls!” he declared.

Her eyes snapped to Chris. In each hand, he held a blue ornament. Winking at Alyssa, he handed one up to Nick. She shook her head and stood up. Plucking the garland from the girls’ hands, she tossed it back in their storage box and motioned for them to join the boys. Sophia tucked the angel under her arm like a doll and headed over to the rest of the family.

“Well that’s exactly what we need, Soph,” Chris stated, flipping Nick over his head.

“Mine,” she declared, hugging the angel tightly.

“But, Sophia,” he squatted in front of her, “if we don’t put her on the top of the tree, Christmas can’t come.”

“My angel,” she repeated.

“Don’t you want Christmas to come?”

Sophia squeezed the angel tighter and shook her head.

“But what about all the presents we bought?”

She said nothing.

“And Santa?”

She shook her head again.

Sighing, Chris stood back up and looked to Alyssa for help. She merely shook her head, letting him know he had to handle it. Running his hands through his curls, Chris’s eyes focused on his youngest child once more. Saying nothing, he held out his hands for the angel. Sophia squeezed it more, making the plastic cone in the center pop.

“Soph… the angel wants to sit on the top of our Christmas tree, so she can watch over everyone and make certain everyone is good,” Chris explained.

“Mine.”

He looked back to Alyssa, “I don’t know what else to do.”

She stepped over and kissed him gently, “I’ll handle this. You help the others clean everything up.”

While the rest of the family packing up the remaining decorations, though the tree remained unfinished, the lights not plugged in, Alyssa scooped up Sophia, angel and all. The little girl buried her face on her mother’s shoulder, but did not relinquish her grip on the angel. Heading up the stairs, Alyssa carried her daughter into her purple princess room and sat on the bed.

“Okay, girlie, what’s up?” her eyes looked into eyes so like Chris’s.

“My angel.”

“Don’t you want to put her on the tree and share her beauty with everyone?”

She shook her head, squeezing the angel tighter.

“Hmmmm… okay. You can keep the angel in your room,” Alyssa stated.

Sophia’s eyes went wide, “Really?”

She nodded, “You keep her in her to watch over you. But we’ll have to go get a new one for the tree.”

“Can she help?” she asked.

“Unfortunately not. We don’t want to upset your angel, make her think you’re going to replace her. So why don’t you put her on top of your dollhouse so she can see everything and we’ll go get our coats and get a new one,” suggested Alyssa.

“Okay, Mommy,” the little girl jumped out of Alyssa’s lap and deposited the angel on her dollhouse. “All ready!”

Standing, she offered her hand to Sophia, “Come on, munchkin. Let’s go tell Daddy our plan. He might want to come along too.”

Collapsing onto the sofa next to her, Chris grinned before kissing his wife, “We did it. We’re ready for Christmas.”

Alyssa laughed, “Hardly. Sure, we got cookies baked and all of the decorations up, but we are not ready for Christmas.”

“What is left?”

She rolled her eyes, “Really?”

He nodded, slipping his arm around her shoulders.

“There isn’t a single present under that tree. We haven’t visited Santa yet. I still need to coordinate with Jamie about seeing Patrick for the holiday. We need to figure ou—”

Chris kissed her, interrupting her words, “All of that can wait, Mrs. Cornell.”

“Not really. I don’t often get all six in bed at the same time. If you stay here with them, I can get a few—”

He kissed her again, “You’re not going anywhere.”

“But—”

Tightening his arms around her, Chris kissed Alyssa until she relaxed and gave in. He ended the kiss once he felt her relax and even smile. When her lips parted to utter some protest, Chris’s lips quickly silenced it with his own. He shifted them on the sofa, pressing her back down on the seat cushions.

“Chris,” she breathed.

His lips touched hers again before he gently kissed her neck, “Let me worship you.”

“The children…” she hesitated, softly moaning as he suckled gently on shoulder.

His long fingers slipped up under her sweater, gently caressing her soft abdomen, “Are tucked away all nestled in their beds.”

“But…”

“Relax,” he cupped her right breast, his thumb tracing her lace-covered nipple.

Closing her eyes, Alyssa focused on her husband’s touch. Smiling against her skin, Chris continued to touch and caress her, carefully working her sweater up. With a smirk, he quickly peeled her sweater off and tossed it aside. She giggled as he pulled her up and quickly unfastened her bra. Before she could protest, Chris leaned down and kissed her nipples. She moaned softly, her fingers disappearing into his curly hair.

Pausing his worship of his wife’s body, Chris pulled away and pulled off his shirt. Her hands rolled over his shoulders, pulling herself into his lap. Grinning as they kissed once more, Chris loved that she had apparently changed her mind about loving each other that night. He suckled on her nipples, his hands settling on her butt cheeks, pressing her closer to him. Feeling his pants bulge even more, Alyssa groaned.

“Chrisssss,” she hissed as he nibbled her nipple gently.

Saying nothing, his arms circled her tightly and he stood up. She gasped, not expecting him to lift her off the sofa. A moment later, he released her, grabbed a nearby soft throw blanket, and spread it on the floor near the Christmas tree. Before tugging her to lie down, Chris pulled off her jeans and panties. He smirked and quickly stripped his own clothing off.

“I can’t…”

“Shhhh,” he kissed her, guiding her down to the blanket.

Chris quickly showered her face with kisses. His fingers danced down her body, guiding her legs open so he could pet her petals. She gasped and spread her legs, allowing Chris to touch her as much as he wanted. Within moments, two long fingers pumped in and out of her body, eliciting moans from her lips.

Nibbling on her nipple one last time, his mouth met hers passionately. Alyssa reached down and pulled his hand away from her sex. With a smile, he offered his wet fingers to her mouth. Sucking suggestively on his finger ever so briefly, she gasped as he thrust into her body.

They moved together slowly at first as Chris’s hands roamed her body. His hands settled on her hips, slipping underneath and lifting her from the floor. He pushed up onto his knees, his green eyes focusing on her bouncing breasts. Moaning, her hands covered each globe, squeezing in concert with each thrust.

Guiding her ankles onto his shoulders, he groaned as she squeezed him tightly. Her hands left her breasts and slipped underneath her lower back. Supporting herself, she moaned as Chris began to thrust hard and fast. Her moans became softer and more breathy with each intense thrust.

Feeling her arch up towards him as her body began to tense, Chris smiled. He pushed in as deeply as possible before reaching down to rub her clitoris. Her body suddenly tensed and squeezed his tightly. Moaning loudly, her body convulsed in orgasm. Remaining still, Chris kept his orgasm off, allowing his wife to enjoy the sensations in her body.

Alyssa kept her body arched up in the plane, keeping Chris buried deeply in her. Smiling, his fingers danced over her body, loving the way the twinkling lights from the Christmas tree near them danced off her womanly curves. Slowly she lowered herself back down to the floor, making Chris push down so that he did not lose contact with her. His lips dipped down to kiss hers.

Without words, Chris pulled out of her and turned her over. Guiding her hips up, he gently pushed back into her hot, wet body. Both groaned as he pushed fully in. Alyssa reached between her legs, rubbed her clitoris briefly, before cupping his balls. A gasp left his mouth and his body began to convulse. He quickly reached for her clitoris with one hand and rubbed it hard. Alyssa bit her bottom lip, attempting to stifle her orgasmic moans.

“Cum for me, baby,” Chris muttered, struggling to hold off his own orgasm.

“Ohhhhh, Chrisssssss,” she moaned and once more orgasmed.

Grunting, he thrust deeply into her once more. His body released a torrent into her. He thrust a few more times, before slumping forward onto her back. His lips kissed her spine as his arms wrapped around her waist, guiding her to lie on her side.

“I love you, Alyssa,” he muttered, kissing her ear.

She turned her head and met his eyes, “I love you too, Chris.”

His lips met hers, “Still feel overwhelmed by Christmas?”

She smirked, “Not in this moment, Chris. Not at all.”

All Dessert

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 03:34:04 +0100

Title: All Dessert
Characters: Chris Cornell and Alyssa Morgan
Rating: NC-17 (sex)
Word Count: 727
Summary: Chris thinks he's spending his birthday alone...

July 20, 1998
Seattle, Washington

Sitting on his uppermost deck, Chris slowly smoked a cigarette, watching the boats slide across the bay. Even though it was his birthday, he did not expect anything special to happen. He and Susan were still married, but legally separated. Though he hoped she would give him the divorce on his birthday, he certainly did not expect it. Alyssa and he were… strained. He did not know any better way to describe it. So his birthday was expected to be… he sighed.

Flicking the last of his ashes over the edge of the deck, he deposited the butt in the ashtray and headed into the house. He shuffled through his bedroom and then down the stairs. Chris made his way to the fridge, pulled it open, and stared into it. Without Alyssa’s constant presence, his stock had dwindled down into a bachelor’s fridge. And he… hated it. Reaching for a beer, he shook his head and decided that things needed to change, immediately.

But that would wait until after he finished his beer.

Sitting on the couch, he propped his feet up on the coffee table and sucked on the bottle. As he neared the end of it, he itched to reach for the phone and call Alyssa. Before he touched it, it rang. Without pause, Chris snatched it up.

“Hello?” he grumbled.

“Oh good, you’re home.”

A grin instantly lit up his face, “Lyssie…”

“You’re not planning to go anywhere, are you?”

“No…”

“Good. I’ll be there soon.”

“…okay…”

He slowly finished off the beer, wondering what Alyssa had in mind. How could he have doubted her? She never let him down.

As the last drops of beer touched his tongue, the garage door opened. In walked the most beautiful girl in the entire world. Her arms were full with brown paper bags, obscuring his view of her perfectly luscious body. While he was wondering what she was wearing, Alyssa breezed pass him and into the kitchen. His eyes turned and he followed her into the kitchen.

His breath caught somewhere in his throat. She wore a long tight, black, spaghetti-strapped tank dress underneath a completely shear, black sheath dress. After setting down the grocery bags, she stepped to the side and removed her strappy platforms, tossing them out of the way. As his eyes finally traveled up her body to hers, Chris managed to calm himself enough to smile.

“Lyssie,” he muttered, stepping forward, “I wasn’t expecting you.”

She shook her head, smiling, “I wasn’t about to leave you alone on your birthday.”

His eyes brightened, “You remembered.”

“Of course I did,” she turned to the paper bags and began to unpack them. “Why else would I get a cake?”

He helped her put the groceries away, stealing a couple of kisses whenever she would allow it. Eventually, Alyssa pushed him away, sending him to turn on music. While Chris messed with setting the mood, she quickly prepared one of his favorite meals. He returned to the kitchen just as she slid it into the oven.

Without hesitation, Chris picked her up and set her down on the counter. Before she could protest, his mouth found hers, kissing her deeply. Her arms slowly snaked around his neck as her tongue wrestled with his. Smiling, he ended the kiss, pecking her lips quickly.

“I am so glad you’re here. I thought… we… Lyssie…”

“Shhhh. Don’t worry about all of that now,” she kissed him again. “Just enjoy tonight.”

A few moments later, her skirt was bunched up around her waist and his pants pooled around his ankles. He thrusted hard and passionately into her as he fingers dug into his shoulders. She gasped and moaned, her legs gripping him tightly. His body tensed quickly and he was unable to maintain his cool, especially when she flexed her muscles around him. With a grunt followed by a deep kiss, Chris thrust deeply into Alyssa.

She kissed him sweetly for a moment before the kitchen timer went off, “Chris… dinner…”

“Right…” he hesitated and kissed her, ignoring the beeping timer.

“Let’s eat dinner then you can have all of your dessert,” she pushed him away and jumped down from the counter.

“All of my dessert?” he asked as he fastened his pants.

Alyssa merely winked at him and nodded, “All of your dessert.”

Dozens

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 04:47:32 +0100

Title: Dozens
Characters: Chris, Alyssa, Lily, Patrick, Toni, Nick, Landon, and Sophia Cornell, mentions of Eddie, Jill, and girls Vedder, Judith Morgan and Andy Helms, Jamie Page, and Howard and Marilyn Morgan
Rating: PG-13 (some innuendo)
Word Count: 2047
Summary: Alyssa and Chris are hosting friends and family for Easter at their house in Seattle.

April 7, 2012
Seattle, Washington

Standing in front of the stove, Alyssa slowly eased another dozen eggs into the large pot of water. Patrick chased a giggling Landon around the kitchen island and back into the living room. Lily sat at the dining room table, coloring pages with Toni and Sophia. Trailing his father through the house, Nick rattled off questions about the holiday. Amused, Chris stopped, shook his head, and told his son to go ask Alyssa. With a toothy grin, the blonde boy hurried into the kitchen.

“Mom, Mom, Mom,” he tugged on her shirt.

Alyssa glanced at seven-year-old boy, “What’s up, Nick?”

“Where does the Easter Bunny come from?”

Her eyes held his for a moment, “Go ask your father.”

“He told me to ask you.”

She looked beyond him, spying Chris talking to the girls. Shaking her head, she told Nick that his father was the only one who knew the truth about the Easter Bunny, so she could not help him. Frowning, Nick returned to bugging Chris about it.

A few minutes later as Alyssa ran cold water over the eggs, Chris slipped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her ear, “Let’s have another baby.”

Setting the pot down in the sink, she turned in his arms to meet his eyes, “You cannot be serious.”

“Why not?” his hand rubbed her belly before discreetly cupping her breast.

Alyssa pushed him away, “Because we already have six children under the age of twelve in this house. That is definitely enough.”

“But Lyssie…” he pouted.

“We are not having any more babies, Chris. Our family is quite complete as it is.”

He continued to pout. Alyssa rolled her eyes and turned back to the sink. Remaining where he was, his arms casually looped around her waist again. His chin rested on her head, watching her actions. In that very moment, he tuned out the sounds of the six children playing around the house. It was just him and Alyssa like it had been fifteen years ago.

“Chris,” she wiggled in his arms, “I need to get the eggs in the fridge to cool down so the kids can color them.”

His hands left her waist and he grabbed the pot of eggs, “I’ve got it. You go sit down.”

“Putting the eggs in the fridge for me is not enough to convince me to have another child, Chris,” she remarked.

He smirked as he opened the fridge, “Lyssie, how many eggs did you boil?”

“That would be the last of them. Three dozen in total.”

“…why so many?”

“Really, Chris?” she sopped up the water around the kitchen sink.

He closed the fridge door, “Yes, really.”

“We have six kids. Did you really think I would just make a dozen so they could color two each?”

“Well… no, not really. But what are we going to do with all of them after that?”

Turning around after tucking the towel in the ring near the sink, Alyssa kissed him quickly, “You let me worry about that. You need to—”

A crash sounded in the living, instantly followed by a chorus of three little boy voices. Without saying a word, Alyssa pulled away to go investigate whatever the boys had done. Smiling, Chris intersected her and headed in himself. Shaking her head, she checked on the girls. Maybe giving this lot sugar was not such a good idea…

April 8, 2012
Seattle, Washington
Sitting on the back porch while the children attempted to find the plastic eggs Chris, Eddie, Jamie, and Andy hid in the yard and surrounding forest, Alyssa sipped on a mimosa, absently listening to Judith and Jill’s conversation about some fashion news. Though her eyes remained focused on the children while their fathers attempted to aid the egg hunt, her thoughts kept wandering off, wondering where her parents were. They had missed brunch. Being late was odd on its own; missing an event had never before happened.

Completely distracted, she stood up and headed into the house. She picked up the nearest phone and quickly dialed her parents’ number. It rang six times before going to voicemail. Hanging up, she tried both of their cell phones. Sighing once she reached their voicemails again, Alyssa hung up the phone. She glanced out the kitchen window at her family and friends. Though she wanted to return to the backyard with them, she just could not put aside the fact that her parents were not there and should have been.

Alyssa noticed the men and children were headed back up to the porch, meaning the egg hunt was over. She knew she was expected to gush over how many eggs each of the kids found and tease Chris about how poorly he hid them. However, she could not bring herself to put on a happy face and return to the family gathering. She just hoped Chris would notice her absence and come looking for her.

As she hoped, Chris headed into the house upon realizing Alyssa was not gushing over the baskets of plastic eggs filled with jelly beans, chocolates, and small toys. Locating her in the kitchen, vacantly staring out the window, he slipped up behind her and embraced her. She instantly wiggled around in his embrace, burying her face on his chest. Chris held her silently for a few minutes, completely confused about her emotional state.

“Aly?” he muttered softly. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“My parents… I tried calling them and they didn’t answer. They should have been here hours ago,” she mumbled.

“I’m sure they just… lost track of time.”

She pulled back to look up into his eyes, “They’re never late to anything, Chris, especially not something that involves their grandchildren.”

“Maybe they’re just trapped in traffic,” he suggested.

“Chris, they don’t live that far away. And I called their cell phones too,” she declared.

He kissed her forehead again, “I’m sure it’s nothing, Lyssie. They’ll be here.”

“This is so unlike them,” Alyssa sighed. “Andy and Judi have news they want to share, which I’m sure they told my parents they would share today…”

“What news?”

“They either eloped or she’s pregnant are my guesses,” she declared. “But that’s not important now. My parents—”

“Aly? Chris? Kids?” a sing song voice echoed in the entryway.

Instantly pulling free from Chris’s arms, Alyssa hurried to the front door, “Dad, Mom… where have you been?”

“Didn’t your sister tell you?” Howard kissed her cheek in greeting.

“…No..”

“We had Easter brunch with my mother at the retirement center,” Marilyn declared as she embraced Alyssa. “I’m sorry we’re so late. It’s always hard to get out of there. And then we ran into post-Church traffic. We should have told you ourselves. No need for you to worry.”

“But I called your cell phones…”

“Oh we left those home,” Howard spoke up. “Mari says it’s the only way she can get me to not work. So they were left behind.”

“Oh.”

“Howard, Marilyn,” Chris greeted Alyssa’s parents, “we were beginning to think the two of you skipped town.”

Howard glanced at his daughter, “We didn’t mean to worry anyone.”

“No worries. Though you did miss a delicious brunch and the kids have already filled their baskets with goodies.”

“Darn. We have things for them all. I suppose we can just sneak it into their baskets…”

Plopping down on the sofa next to Alyssa after seeing Eddie, Jill, and their daughters out, Chris leaned over and kissed her, “Another successful holiday, Mrs. Cornell.”

“Yeah, I guess,” she replied.

“Your parents were fine, Lyssie,” he pointed out. “In fact, I think they left here feeling even better than before, with your sister’s news and all.”

“Just because Judi and Andy are having a baby doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind since yesterday, Chris.”

He chuckled and kissed her again, “I wasn’t even hinting at that.”

“Sure you weren’t.”

Chris paused for a moment, looking over his wife, “Aly, what’s wrong?”

She shook her head, “Nothing.”

He reached for the television remote and turned it off, letting the silence of the house fill the room. His green eyes focused on her, hoping she would open up without him needing to charm her. Instead, Alyssa got up and left the living room. Sighing, Chris got to his feet as well and trailed after her, turning out lights as they headed to the stairs.

Following her into the master suite, Chris closed and locked the door, not thinking it would be a good idea to give the children the easy chance to interrupt. Alyssa remained silent as she dressed for bed. Though she probably chose to wear a band shirt, thinking it was asexual, Chris did not think that was the case at all. Rather he found the fact she wore the snug shirt and nothing else very sexy, moreso because it was an old Soundgarden shirt.

As she pulled back the bedding and tossed the decorative pillows aside, Chris began to undress and spoke up, “Aly, tell me what’s bothering you.”

“I’m just tired,” she responded, climbing into the bed.

Knowing it was more than that, but not pushing it, he quickly joined her in bed. His arms slipped around her, pulling Alyssa close to him. She snuggled against him, but did not relax. Having known her for sixteen years, he believed she was about to confess or explain something. It seemed that she preferred big confessions in the darkness where he could not look into her eyes. As that thought crossed his mind, he wondered why it was that way. But before he had a chance to bring it up, Alyssa spoke.

“Chris?”

“Yes, sweetie,” he rubbed her upper arm lightly.

“I know you want to have another baby. And I know I love babies. But I do think that bringing a seventh child into this house would take away too much from our children,” she declared. “We’re lucky they were born in clusters but…”

“Alyssa, I understand and respect your feelings on this. I don’t want you to think it’s something I would ever consider forcing on you. We don’t need to grow our family any more. It’s perfect just as it is,” he stated.

She sighed slightly, “I can’t help but be nervous that I could get pregnant again, unplanned.”

Chris paused, “Aly, are we having the conversation I think we’re having?”

“I think I should try some other form of birth control.”

“I’m not adverse to wearing condoms.”

“I know, but… I don’t like them and I know you really don’t like them either. And condoms can fail. Sophia is here after all,” she remarked.

Chris chuckled, “Well I suppose I could go to the doctor too and see what our options are.”

She sighed, “Let’s not talk about this anymore tonight. It’s Easter.”

He kissed her forehead, “As you wish, Lyssie.”

“Next year, let’s just have Easter with the two of us and the kids.”

“I totally agree.”

“Really?”

“I love your family and I love Eddie and Jill, but it was quite a crowd here today. I think a smaller holiday gathering would be more… under control.”

Alyssa chuckled, “Luckily Jamie stopped them before they emptied all of the bubble solution on the porch.”

“Oh. I suppose he would have to come to next Easter too.”

“No,” she rubbed her cheek on his shoulder, “I don’t think so. He’s very understanding when it comes to these things. Plus Patrick will be eleven then, so even less wanting to be around his father than this year.”

“Ever since Jamie realized what he lost and started making an effort to be a part of Patrick’s life, I’ve been worried I would lose you to him… again.”

Alyssa leaned over and kissed his mouth softly, “That has never been a threat, Chris. Once I was your girl again, I became your girl for life. Nothing Jamie or anyone else says can change that. You are all there is for me.”

“And you are all there is for me,” he replied before kissing her again.

“I love you, Chris,” she snuggled up against him. “Happy Easter, husband.”

“Happy Easter,” Chris kissed the top of her head. “I love you too, forever.”

Uncharted

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:16:31 +0100

Title: Uncharted
Characters: Chris, Alyssa, Andy
Rating: R (language)
Word Count: 2697
Summary: Alyssa and Chris's world falls apart...

September 20, 1999
Los Angeles, CA

Curled up in front of her computer, Alyssa scraped her spoon around the yogurt container, trying to capture the last creamy bit stuck in the seam of the cup. Giving up on it, her bare feet hit the floor as she headed to discard the cup. As she dropped the cup in her garbage can, the phone rang. Not really expecting a call from anyone, she let it go to her machine instead of answering it and returned to working on her project for the firm.

With enough finished for the day, she decided she would call Chris and see what he was up to, perhaps talk more about their future. Just over a week prior, he had declared he wanted to be with her and only her, that he would do whatever it took for that to happen. She did not know what was different now, but everything felt different. All the drama they had struggled through seemed to be just their past. Chris was her future, no matter what anyone said.

Stepping over to the phone, she noticed the flashing light and remembered the ignored call. With a shrug, Alyssa pressed the button to listen to the message. Without pause, an angry voice filled her small apartment with aural venom. Though she heard the words, even understood them, Alyssa could not believe what she was hearing. She felt her heart leap out of her chest and smash onto the ground as all the air left her lungs. This could not be… this could not be happening.

With the beep indicating Susan’s angry message was over, or at least she ran out of time to finish yelling at her, Alyssa collapsed onto the nearest chair. She had no idea what to do. She wanted to pick up the phone and call Chris, but if Susan was yelling at her, she had to be screaming at Chris. If she called him to ask what was going on, to see if he was okay, she could make the situation worse.

Biting her bottom lip, Alyssa wondered what the best course of action would be. With a deep sigh, she decided to just wait, let Chris make the next move. She did not want to make things worse for him. She only hoped he would call her soon, really soon.

Her phone rang again, what seemed like hours later. Hesitating for a moment as she did not want to be screamed at, Alyssa picked up the device and held it to her ear, saying nothing. She bit her lip again, waiting for the caller to say something…

“Aly?”

She sighed in relief, “Chris?”

“Hi…”

“Hi.”

“So you got a message…”

“Yeah…”

“I’m really sorry about that. I don’t know what came over Susan. She… she found all the letters you sent me and freaked out. I don’t know why it’s a big deal, since we’re separated…”

“But they go back before that,” Alyssa pointed out.

“Yeah…”

“Chris, what’s going to happen?”

“Um… I want you. I just want you. There’s no doubt in my mind at all. I don’t know what she’s raving about,” Chris stated. “I… can I see you? I’ll fly you up here or come down there. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Are you sure? That feels like I would be flying right into the storm of things.”

“I need to be with you. I just do. So whatever it takes.”

Alyssa sighed, “Okay. You work out whatever and I’ll do whatever you need me to.”

“Oh, Aly… I love you. I really do.”

“I love you too, Chris.”

Waiting for Chris to get done at the studio to find out when she would be flying up to Seattle to help him through this sudden storm, Alyssa attempted to focus on her work. Her thoughts kept flicking to the man up north. With each thought, her eyes glanced at the phone. It had been a couple of hours since she heard from him. It did not sit well with her, not at all.

Giving up on her anxiety, Alyssa got to her feet and crossed the room. As her fingers reached for the phone, it began to ring. Without pause, she snatched it up.

“Chris?”

“Hey, baby, I’m heading home now. I’ll call you again once I get there and let you know when my plane leaves.”

“You’re going to come here?” she glanced at her open luggage.

“Yeah. I had been considering it anyways, but this makes it even more clear in my mind. I need to be with you. You’re the one I want. You’re the one I’m supposed to be with. You’re my One,” he declared.

Alyssa smiled slightly, “You’re my One too.”

“Anyways, I’ll call you when I get home. And I’ll be with you soon.”

“Okay.”

“I love you, Aly.”

“I love you, too, Chris.”

After hanging up the phone with a smile on her face, Alyssa unpacked her luggage and returned the suitcase to her closet. She languidly cleaned up her apartment. Though Chris had been there two weeks before, she felt like she needed to make everything perfect for his arrival. Things were different now. She was not entirely sure how, but they were.

Plopping down on her sofa and picking up the remote, Alyssa flipped on the television to wait out Chris’s call. As she flipped from channel to channel, trying to find something to distract her thoughts with, Alyssa felt her stomach begin to tense and knot up. Something was not right, but she could not figure it out. It had to do with Chris, that much she was sure of. Maybe she should call him and check in, see how things were going.

Before she could actually go through with it, her phone began to ring. Jumping off the sofa, she snatched up the phone. Alyssa hesitated to say hello, feeling her stomach clench more.

“Alyssa?”

Hearing emotion in his shaky voice that she was unaccustomed to, Alyssa nodded and swallowed hard, “Hi, Chris.”

“I… I’m sorry. I can’t… I can’t do this anymore,” he muttered, his voice quivering with emotion.

“What?”

“I’m really sorry. I just can’t do this anymore. I can’t talk to you anymore. I can’t…”

“Are you saying…?” her heart plummeted into her feet.

“I’m sorry.”

Before Alyssa could ask anything else, Susan interrupted and screeched at her again. Letting the woman yell for a moment, she quickly tried to find ground to stand on once more. She could not believe what he was saying.

“Is that what you want? Is this what you really want?”

“Yes,” he muttered.

“Is this what you want, not what she’s yelling at you? I really think you should make this decision on your own. Go somewhere else. Call your therapist,” she stated.

“This is what I really want.”

Alyssa’s bottom lip trembled, “I gave you everything, Chris. Everything.”

“I know.”

“There is no going back on this.”

“Oh shut up. Get your own boyfriend, bitch,” Susan interjected.

“Oh just stop it. This has nothing to do with you—“

“It fucking does, whore.”

“Yelling at me does no good at all,” she argued.

“Yes, it does. It makes me feel better, bitch. It makes me feel a lot better.”

“Oh just shut up and let me talk to Chris. This is between me and him. I deserve that much.”

“Fine, whatever, bitch. Bye, bitch.”

“Chris… Chris, tell me this is what you really want. Really think about it. Who makes you feel safe and sane?”

He paused, sobbing slightly, “She does too.”

“Fine… fine,” her eyes wildly looked around the room. “If this is what you really want, what you want… do one thing for me.”

“Okay.”

“I sent you something. Don’t send it back. I don’t want to see it at all. Do not contact me again. Don’t call me, don’t email me, and don’t mail me anything. Nothing.”

“Okay. I’m really sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough anymore,” she declared and slammed the phone down.

Before she even finished her breath, tears began to pour out of her eyes. She had given him everything, everything, her heart and her body. Breaths became ragged and shallow. Her entire world seemed to be spinning and falling apart simultaneously. This could not be happening.

A knock at the door interrupted her painful sobs. Mindlessly she got to her feet and stumbled to answer it. Wiping her copious tears, she pulled the door open, her hazel lifting.

“A-andy?”

Saying nothing, he stepped into her apartment and wrapped his arms around her, “Aly, what’s wrong?”

“H-he l-left m-me,” she muttered.

“Dumbass,” he quickly muttered, closing the apartment door. “He’ll realize it too. I’m sure of it.”

After two days of seemingly unending crying, complete lack of sleep and eating, and avoiding civility, Alyssa emerged from her bedroom. Her hair was a mess of tangles and her complexion a lighter shade of pale. But no tears dripped from her eyelashes.

“Andy?” she muttered softly.

His eyes snapped from the television to her, “Ally!?”

“I think I… I might be hungry,” she uttered.

“Hallelujah!” he jumped up. “I’ll make French Toast.”

Pushing her plate away few minutes later, leaving more than half on it, Alyssa sighed, “I don’t think this was a good idea.”

Andy frowned, “No, no. You ate like half of everything. That’s amazing, Aly.”

“I just… my stomach is all nervous again,” she admitted.

“It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot,” he stated.

“I guess…”

“Why don’t you take a shower and then we can take a walk?” he suggested.

When they returned to her apartment after a long walk in the sunshine, Andy instantly noticed her answer machine was flashing. He stepped between her and the machine, blocking her view of the red light. Alyssa did not even glance at it, but headed directly into her room, intending to change back into PJs. As soon as her door closed, he turned around and quickly checked the caller ID. Reading over the last caller, he sighed. That message could not be good at all. Maybe he could erase it before she even knew it existed.

As he pressed play, Alyssa’s door opened. His blue eyes widened, flicking up to her. In a panic, he randomly slammed his hand down on the machine. Rather than stopping the playback, he turned it up.

“I made a mistake, Aly. A really big mistake. You’re the one I want to be with. You’re the one I’m meant to be with. All I’ve been thinking about is you and how wrong I was. Is there any hope for us? Can I please be yours again?”

Her eyes stared at the machine, “Chris…”

“You don’t have to call him back,” Andy declared.

“Yes, I do,” her fingers reached for the phone.

His hand covered hers, “No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do.”

“You don’t. He’s the one who is a complete asshole here. Don’t call him back.”

“But—”

“Don’t call him back.”

“But—”

“Don’t call him back,” Andy repeated. “Don’t.”

“Fine,” she sighed, removing her hand from the phone. “I won’t call him back.”

“Good girl,” he smiled. “You go take a shower and I’ll pick us a movie, okay?”

Nodding, Alyssa turned and headed into her bedroom. Andy watched her until she closed the door. The moment it clicked close, he snatched up the phone. Taking a few breaths, he pulled Chris’s number up on the caller ID and dialed it.

Waiting for Chris to answer, thinking it was Alyssa, Andy quickly snapped, “Look, asshole, you don’t have a clue what you’ve lost. Alyssa is the best thing that has ever happened to you and the best thing that will ever happen to you. But you fucked everything up. Have a nice life with that psycho. Oh and Chris?”

“Yeah?” he barely muttered.

“Fuck off,” he grumbled and slammed the phone down.

Left alone for the first time in days, Alyssa curled up on her sofa, flipping through channels. Nothing appealed to her mood at all, but she ended up stopping on a random sitcom. Her thoughts instantly drifted off, not focusing on the storyline at all. As she had for every single minute since Chris called her, Alyssa began to pick apart everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks. None of it made any sense. He had been getting his act together, so that they could be together. She did not understand it at all. If only she could talk to him, then maybe she could quiet her soul some. But she could not talk to him. Not any more, not ever again.

Lost in her thoughts, she did not hear the knock on her door. Her mind instantly blocked it out, presuming it was a part of the show she was not watching — until it sounded again in the middle of a commercial. Alyssa slowly got to her feet and shuffled over to the door.

Opening the door, her breath caught in her chest, “Chris?”

He stepped forward and embraced her, his lips quickly touching hers before she could protest. Closing the door behind him with his foot, he kept his arms around her and showered her face with kisses. Tears poured out of her eyes, tinged with confusion and shock.

“I am so, so sorry,” he muttered before kissing her again. “I was an enormous fool. Susan… oh fuck, it doesn’t matter. Not right now. I love you, you, you, you.”

“You… you hurt me so much…” she breathed. “I gave you everything… I gave you another chance. I…”

“I know, Aly. I know,” his forehead pressed to hers. “I will spend the rest of our lives healing your heart, if you will let me.”

“Chris…”

“Please. Please, baby.”

She sighed, “I can’t… I can’t promise you anything.”

“I know. But I can promise you that it is you and only you that I want. I don’t care what Susan has said or possibly done. I just want you.”

“Wait,” she pulled back enough to look into his eyes, “what do you mean by ‘possibly done’?”

“Um, nothing.”

Her eyes looked into his, “Tell me.”

“Susan might be pregnant, but that doesn’t matter. I’m here to be with you. You’re the one I’m supposed to be with. Period.”

“She might be pregnant? What?”

He frowned as she pulled away and paced away from him, “You know how we couldn’t get pregnant. Prior to meeting you, Susan had some eggs harvested and stuff. The day she found your letters, she apparently got some embryos implanted in some effort to keep me. But don’t worry. There’s a good chance they won’t take.”

“Wait. You came all this way to win me back and your wife might be pregnant? This all just became a bit more fucked up, Chris,” she declared.

“I know… I know. But I love you. I know I love you. And we can make it through all the other shit. As long as we’re together. I’ll clean up. I’ll move wherever you want me to. I just haven’t been able to get my thoughts off of you. You are all I think about, all I dream about. I love you, Alyssa.”

She sighed, “I can’t… I can’t promise you anything.”

“I know. But I love you. I really, truly do. I haven’t had a drink or anything since… since I was such an asshole. Please… please believe me.”

Her eyes searched his. Though her gaze wavered slightly, his did not. Her thoughts warred with her heart. She could hear all of her friends, telling her that he should not be in her apartment and definitely not in her life. While she understood their concern, even why they believed what they did, as she looked into Chris’s eyes, she knew she could not cast him out of her apartment, or out of her life.

“All I can give you, Chris, is… that I will try.”

He stepped forward and kissed her forehead, “I will make this up to you, Aly. I promise you that. I will heal your heart.”

Corporate Whore

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 00:57:06 +0100

Title: Corporate Whore
Fandom: Chris Cornell
Characters: Chris, Alyssa, the kids, Yogi, special guest appearances by members of the Seattle Scene
Rating: R (language)
Word Count: 3026
Summary: Someone needs to slap Chris.... or save him.

With a trailer full of children, Alyssa hadn’t leeway to spend the meet and greet seated next to Chris. Normally she did, as much for his support as well as her own curiosity. But not that night. Nick was cranky, likely catching his sister’s cold. And Toni would not leave the baby alone, no matter what Alyssa said. It was a night her maternal role was greater than anything else. Or so she thought.

The door to the trailer suddenly burst open. Though it was dark, way past the children’s bedtime, her husband still wore sunglasses. Yet with even the concealment of his eyes, she knew Chris was filled with an unexplainable rage. He cursed and muttered about some ‘fucking bitch’ outside at the meet and greet, his fuming waking the baby.

“Christopher!” Alyssa snapped.

He looked to her, still wearing the sunglasses, “What?”

Rolling her eyes she scooped up the crying infant from her bassinet, “I don’t know or care what your problem is. I finally got the baby to sleep without Toni bothering her. Your behavior is—”

“She knows about the book,” he interrupted.

“Who knows about what book?” Alyssa questioned, sitting down with the baby, attempting to calm her.

“That fucking bitch knows about the book!”

“Christopher, take a breath and explain to me what’s going on.”

With Toni peaking out from the de facto nursery in the rear of the trailer, Chris launched quickly into his story. Skipping or avoiding details, he explained how a fan gifted him with a booklet of poetry and lyrical ideas back in November, a few weeks before he headed to the studio to work on the new album. Pacing the small trailer, Chris quickly spouted about the young girl appearing at this meet and greet. A pit formed in her stomach as she listened to his words. She knew where the story was heading and did not like it at all.

“The fucking bitch had the gall to ask if I used her stuff in making the album!” he exclaimed.

Shifting the baby to rest against her shoulder, her eyes went to his, “Did you, Chris?”

His mouth dropped open, “How could you—”

“Did you, Chris?” she repeated sternly.

“Lyss, I—”

“Yes or no.”

His shoulders slumped, “Maybe.”

Alyssa sighed, “Where’s the girl?”

“I don’t know. I kicked her out.”

“My god you’re really stupid sometimes, Chris,” Alyssa got up.

“Where are you going?”

“To fix your mistake. Watch the kids,” she instructed before heading out of the trailer, infant still in her arms.

Finding the roadie she knew was last with Chris, she questioned him about the girl’s whereabouts. Pointed to the ramp out of the amphitheater, Alyssa thanked him and headed towards it. Though she had remained staunchly uninvolved in Chris’s career, even when it killed her that he hooked up with Timbaland, this had gotten too far out of hand. She would smooth over things with the girls first, then work on Chris. Clearly he was screaming for help and she hadn’t heard.

Finding Yogi embracing a girl, she presumed this was the one she sought. The baby gurgled against her shoulder, making her pause to kiss the child. Yogi noticed her at this point, their eyes meeting. Nodding to him, Alyssa continued towards the pair.

“Miss?” Alyssa spoke up. “Are you the one who recently spoke with Chris?”

The girl pulled away from Yogi, turning to face Alyssa, “Y-yes.”

Her eyes met the girl’s puffy red eyes. While she felt bad for the girl, warning bells sounded in her head. This was no normal fan, not at all. Instantly she wished her newborn baby was not in her arms, that she had left the child in Chris’s protection. But she quickly hid those fears and smiled at the girl.

“I apologize for my husband’s behavior. It was greatly uncalled for. Our family has been ill lately, stressing him to no end,” Alyssa proclaimed, quickly glancing at Yogi. “How can I make this up to you?”

She sniffled and wiped her nose, “Did he... use it?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t a part of the songwriting process. Chris tends to lock himself in his room when writing songs,” she responded. “I can say I’ve never seen anything in his studio that wasn’t his.”

“B-but the new songs sound just like my poems,” the girl argued.

“Do you have a copy with you?”

The girl quickly dug a stack of papers out of her large purse, “Here.”

Accepting the folded papers, Alyssa nodded, “I’ll look over this. Do you have some way I can contact you?”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Um, yeah,” she dug in her purse and pulled out a pen. “I’ll give you my email and phone number.”

“Great,” Alyssa handed back the paper so the girl could scribble on it.

Eyes glancing over the jotted notes, Alyssa bit her bottom lip. She knew the girl’s name, knew her email. And instantly her previous nerves seemed validated. Perhaps Chris wasn’t so stupid.

“Thank you, Jessica. I’ll be in touch,” she stated, folding the paper again with one hand and tucking it into her pant pocket. “Again I apologize for Chris’s behavior. I hope we can fix things.”

The girl nodded, “Thank you.”

Waiting on the ramp until Yogi returned after escorting the girl away, Alyssa sighed. This was much, much bigger and worse than she thought. This was no regular fan at all. Chris’s actions were still uncalled for, but not as much as she thought before.

“Did Chris really yell at her?” Yogi asked as he joined Alyssa.

Turning to head back to the trailer after another quick glance to ascertain the girl was gone, Alyssa replied, “Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Did he do what she says he did?”

“Again, I don’t know.”

“But something troubles you,” he pointed out.

“Yes,” she admitted, shifting the baby to her other shoulder. “That girl.... Yogi, I think she may be the one.”

Making a face at the baby in hopes of getting a toothless grin, he responded, “The one?”

“One of the ones who has been stalking us,” Alyssa stated.

Yogi halted in his steps, “No shit?”

“No shit.”

With three kids finally sleeping in their beds, Alyssa returned to the hotel suite’s living room. Not a word about the incident had been spoken since she returned to the trailer. But the time had come. He knew it as well as she did, the moment she sat beside him. Nervously he set down the book he hadn’t been reading and looked at his wife. His eyes quickly took in her form. Their daughter was barely two months old and he could tell by looking at his wife. Though she hadn’t lost all of the baby weight, she was still so beautiful to him. A pall of exhaustion hung about her spirit, instantly making him regret the tour, regret fording her to mother his children on the road. But most importantly he felt regret for making her worry about things she shouldn’t be.

“Lyssie,” he muttered, “I’m so sorry about getting you inv—”

“I do not condone your actions at all, Chris,” she interrupted. “However it made me realize a few things.”

“That I’m a jerk and you shouldn’t love me?”

Alyssa snorted, “No. Not at all.”

“Then what?”

“That because of our little girl and my staunch declaration of staying out of your career, you’ve been floundering. I thought after ‘Carry On’ you would find your voice again, but instead you fell into someone else’s vision, recommended by your former brother-in-law who doesn’t know fuckall about this industry and your musical soul,” Alyssa proclaimed. “I left you for the wolves and they came for you.”

He frowned, “Do you really think the Timbaland thing is bad?”

“Yes,” she instantly responded. “You are so much better than... hip hop shit. So much better.”

“But...”

“It doesn’t matter now. You’ll fulfill the obligations of the album,” she said. “And we can talk more about everything later. But we need to talk about tonight.”

“Lyss, she—”

“—is the stalker,” Alyssa interrupted. “Or one of them.”

His eyes widened, “What? How did you...”

“I got her name, phone number, and email. Told her that I would look into her claim,” she stated. “And she’s the one who thinks you’re Jesus.”

“Fuck.”

Alyssa nodded, “Which is also why we can’t just blow this one off. But we have to play it carefully.”

“Baby, what are we going to do?”

Alyssa got up and retrieved the manuscript from the baby’s diaper bag. Returning to the couch she handed the creased paper to her husband. He unfolded it, eyes first going to the scribbled name, email, and phone number. Feeling Alyssa’s eyes on him, he quickly scanned the first page. It was familiar but not necessarily because he had read it before. Flipping through the pages he certainly felt like the words were reminiscent of the new album.

“Have you seen this before?” she asked.

Sighing, he shook his head, “I don’t think so.”

“When does she claim to have given it to you?”

“November.”

Alyssa thought about it briefly, “Chris, you wrote a lot of the songs in September and October.”

His eyes went to hers, “I did?”

She nodded, “Our daughter was conceived in October. Trust me. I know what you were up to around then.”

He flashed her a grin, “So then we’re cl—”

“No. In the morning you’re going to call someone in Seattle to go to the house and search your studio for that manuscript,” she instructed.

“But who could do that?”

“Call Eddie,” she suggested.

“Do you think that will be enough?”

“No. We’re also going to have to talk with our bodyguards considering her... fan status and how to best proceed. In any matter, if the story of your behavior gets out, no matter her mental status, will damage you publicly,” she stated.

“Then we silence her.”

“That will not work.”

“But—”

“It won’t work, Chris.”

Sighing he set down the papers, “I’m sorry, Lyss.”

Her hand reached over and grasped his, “I’m sorry you’ve walked this alone. No more.”

Relaxing for a moment while the children napped, Alyssa sat before her computer. Chris was out somewhere, talking with Timbaland’s packaging designer about ‘Scream.’ Hating the proof they had been sent, Alyssa urged Chris to do something about it. Becoming involved with his career at that point had been trying. He might listen to her at home, but seemingly as soon as they parted others would sway him. She felt as if everything they spoke he was right back in Timbaland’s clutches and she had to remind him of his own integrity. And each time supported her argument with words from his fans; things she found on his website.

Figuring she would need to convince him once more that the cover was horrible once he returned, Alyssa pulled up Chris’s site in her browser. Though she had a log in, she never used it. She knew Chris’s band had logged in and defended each other and Chris before, but never had she felt it necessary herself. That day she had not intended to either. But if she had, Alyssa wouldn’t have been able to: the site’s forum was closed.

Without pause, she picked up the phone and hit Chris’s management’s number. It rang thrice before a perky girl answered the call. Demanding to be patched through at once, Alyssa waited to be connected to Chris’s manager.

“Alyssa, how good to—”

“Why is the forum closed on Chris’s site?” she demanded.

There was a momentary pause, “I don’t know.”

“Bullshit. Why did you shut it down?”

“Alyssa, we—”

“No. Don’t lie to me.”

“That girl was going to claim Chris stole his songs from her,” he blurted out.

Alyssa sighed, “You guys are fucking stupid.”

“But—”

“No. You are. And I shouldn’t have to be the one telling you that nor fixing your fucking mistakes. But I am. Goodbye,” she hung up without waiting for a response.

Drumming her fingers on the table, she quickly racked her brain for a solution. Chris had already changed management, not a move she initially thought wise. Which meant circumnavigating management somehow. She needed to go directly to the fans but without management’s involvement how could she do that? Fan sites.

Alyssa quickly drafted an email to the webmasters of various fan websites. Reading over it thrice she decided it was succinct and professional enough. It might have been better to let Chris sign off on it, but the more she considered that the less she liked it. Chris had made far too many poor decisions of late. His input was not welcome.

With a click of a button, the email shot around the world. Five minutes later Chris entered the house, accompanied by Lily, whom Alyssa was not expecting at all. The older girl happily greeted her stepmother before skipping upstairs to deposit her bag in her room. Chris then approached his wife, leaning down to kiss her.

“Uh oh,” he stated, halting before a kiss. “Something’s wrong.”

“They shut down the forum on your website.”

“Uh, okay,” he crouched beside her. “And that means...?”

Alyssa rolled her eyes, “Don’t you care about the fans any more, Chris?”

“You mean the ones who don’t like what I’m doing now?”

“I don’t like what you’re doing now.”

Chris frowned, “But—”

“No, Chris, you’ve become this corporate whore. At least on the Revolution tour, I still saw the man I love and admire on occasion. But now you’re jumping at any chance to suck Tim’s dick.”

He blinked, “You seriously believe that?”

“You’ve spent more time in LA with Tim than here at home with your family. We moved out of LA years ago because of that fake life, Chris. But now... it’s like you’re addicted to it. And I don’t know why,” she stated.

“Lyssie, is this really about my website?”

“And more,” she admitted. “If I hadn’t been so focused on the baby, I would have slapped you a long time ago. Didn’t you learn anything from... fuck, Chris. You’ve been in this industry for twenty years. You can’t tell me you were clueless.”

“Alyssa, what do you want me to do?”

Pausing in thought for a moment she considered his question, “First you need to show your fans you actually care about them.”

“How?”

“Have a free concert,” she instantly answered.

“Lyss, you know management won’t—”

“Fuck the management. Do this yourself.”

“But—”

“I’ve read your contract. You can if you want.”

“Okay,” he responded carefully. “What else?”

“Address your fans. You, not your PR fucks. Your fans’ websites will happily help,” she stated.

“Okay. And?”

“Cancel all the other shit you’re doing for Tim that has nothing to do with the album. No more fucking red carpet shit, unless it is something like a charity event that you support. Get back to the music and the fuck out of Hollywood,” Alyssa said.

Chris listened to her for a moment, “Babe, I understand what you’re saying but wouldn’t it be worse to pull out of those commitments?”

“No. Pulling out shows you have artistic integrity. Going regardless shows you have no balls and need Tim to blow smoke up your ass and tell you otherwise.”

He smirked, “Really, Lyss?”

“If you don’t do something smart now, you’re going to lose your fans. And I don’t think you can suck enough cock to bring them back.”

Finally standing up, Chris nodded, “Okay. I trust you.

“Good.”

“Oh, and Lyssie?”

“Yes?”

“They can’t change the cover. It’s already been printed. But they’re re-doing the other promotional items,” he stated.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

He kissed her forehead, “It will. I’ll go work on that free concert idea. Maybe Ed will help out.”

With the baby strapped to her in a sling, Alyssa hurried around backstage. The show, populated by a crowd of 10,000 of Chris’s fans, some flown to Seattle on Alyssa’s dime for the event, was an hour away from beginning. She had confiscated Chris’s cell phone earlier that day in order to keep his management’s calls from reaching him. Only once she answered, leading to her hanging up on them in anger. So getting a hold of him meant physically tracking him down. Pausing outside the dressing room, Alyssa glanced down at the baby to make certain she still slept. Pleased the child behaved sweetly, she headed into the room.

Her eyes flicked around the room. Though only Chris would take the stage that night, the green room was filled with veritable reminders from where he came. Eddie, Jeff, and Stone of Pearl Jam lingered near a juicer she surely hadn’t approved for the room. Other Seattle scene names hovered about like Jerry Cantrell, Mark Arm, and Krist Novalesic. Intermixed with those names, Chris’s current touring band lounged on couches, chatting and drinking smoothies. Eyes returning to Pearl Jam, Alyssa shook her head. The band had better not expect Pearl Jam treatment on tour.

And yet Chris was not amongst all of the others.

“Has anyone seen my husband?” she asked loudly.

“He took the kids to the bathroom,” Yogi answered.

Thanking the guitarist she left the room to seek her family. Meeting them halfway to the bathrooms, she smiled when Chris smiled at her. In his eyes, not hidden by sunglasses anymore, she saw his soul shining brightly again. In that moment he was back. He was back.

“Chris,” she kissed him quickly, “there’s a few people I want you to meet.”

“Who?”

“Some fans,” Alyssa responded.

“What about the kids?”

Shaking her head, she offered her hand to Nick, “They’ll come too, silly.”

Stopping just outside the VIP room where some of the most volatile – both negatively and positively – fans waited, Chris turned to Alyssa, “You’ll protect me, right?”

She laughed, “No. Stand up for yourself. You’re a man.”

He frowned, “You think this will save me?”

“It’s a step. It’s a step.”