Title: Angels in a Cage: Chapter Seven, Gifts
Rating: R [sexual situations, language]

Summary: Chris and Susan really do seem to belong together. Alyssa has a very happy Christmas and new year. And *gasp* there's a surprise I wasn't expecting.




With a giggle, Susan looked down at the Christmas ribbon wrapped about Chris’s waist. Surprisingly both had Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off from work. While they were obligated to spend some of that time with their families, both intended to spend most of that free time together. Which led precisely to Chris standing naked save for a ribbon in Susan’s living room.

“And what am I supposed to do with such a gift?” she asked, fingers gently tugging on the ribbon to untie the bow.

“Well, you could kiss it,” he declared.

She burst out laughing, “You would like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Come on, baby,” he pleaded. “Can’t you see he wants your attention?”

“And how is this my Christmas present?” Susan knelt before him, her fingers wrapping around his shaft.

He gasped, “I’ll... explain... later...”

Closing his eyes as her mouth wrapped around him, Chris’s hands gently rested on top of her head. He threw his own head back, a guttural groan passing his lips while her tongue swirled around him, her fingernails lightly traced his veins. As he felt the tingle rise at the base of his spine, another face flashed in his mind. Chris suddenly went stiff. That face certainly hadn’t been his girlfriend or any girl before her, as far as he knew. In fact he had no memory connected to whom it was in that flash.

Susan stopped her ministrations, feeling something shift, “Chris?”

Without a word, he moved down to his knees and kissed her voraciously. She squeaked slightly as he pushed her backwards onto the carpet, their heads ducking under the tiny Christmas tree they had erected the weekend before. Chris did not hesitate to reach between her legs and shove her red panties aside. Susan moaned loudly as he pushed into her, neither caring at the moment that he was not sheathed in latex. He pummeled her deep and quickly, not really cognizant of his actions, truly just wanting to erase the face that buzzed through his mind. The tingle indicating his orgasm barely touched his spine before he thrust forcibly into Susan, spasming deep within her. Susan cried out in her own orgasm before he even thought about withdrawing.

“Oh god, Chris,” she muttered, holding him close, her body still throbbing around him. “What the hell was that?”

He kissed her, “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t me—”

“No,” she interrupted. “Don’t get me wrong. That was amazing. I don’t think you’ve made me cum so quickly before.”

Pressing his forehead to hers, “I promise to make love to you properly as soon as I—”

“No, Chris,” Susan smiled. “I want you to ravage me again. All over this apartment.”

His eyes went to hers, suddenly widening, “I didn’t use a condom.”

“I don’t care. Fuck me again,” she requested, flexing her muscles around him. “Or do I need to suck you first?”

He smirked, “Only if you want.”

Susan pushed him off of her, straddling him and pausing to tear off the rest of her small red nightie. With a smirk she moved down his body, taking him into her mouth once more. Sighing Chris folded one hand behind his head, the other snaked down to cup her head. The face that flashed in his mind was completely forgotten. Well almost.



Swinging her legs back and forth, Alyssa sighed. Despite what her daddy and mom had said, she really didn’t think that Santa Claus was going to know where she was. She understood he was magical, after all he wore that silly red suit and hat, but that didn’t really explain how he would know that she was sitting in the lobby of the hospital on Christmas Eve. Santa Claus surely didn’t visit the hospital. It didn’t even have a chimney. Of course the other option had been spending the night with Grandma and Grandpa Besette, but Alyssa wanted to be with her Daddy, not her grandparents that night. So there she sat alone, waiting for her Daddy to come and say that the baby was no longer in her mom’s belly, though she really didn’t understand how they were going to get it out.

“Hey there, kiddo.”

Her tired eyes went up to the person speaking to her. Instantly grinning she jumped out of her plastic chair and into his arms.

“Uncle Bobby!” she squealed. “Why you here?”

“Well you Daddy called me awhile ago and you see,” he sat with her in his lap, “there was some traffic getting up here from Olympia. Apparently there was this jolly old man in a red suit looking for you.”

Her eyes went wide, “Santa was looking for me?”

He nodded, “So I talked to him and explained that I was on my way here to see you. So he let me bring one of your gifts with me. The rest he’s leaving at your house so you can get them when you get there.”

“He did?” she breathed in exasperation.

Bobby shifted her on his lap and reached into his pocket, “Yep. He wanted you to open it right away too.”

Her eyes watched her uncle pull out a small box. Having seen her daddy give her mom jewelry before, she was pretty certain that the small box would have jewelry for her in it. Accepting the small present, wrapped in a wrapping paper with little elves on it, clearly indicating it was from Santa’s workshop, Alyssa looked up to her uncle before carefully removing the paper from the box. Struggling to get the lid off she handed it back to Bobby who removed it for her and handed it back. Her wide eyes looked in at the contents and she gasped softly.

“That’s for me?” she breathed.

Nodding he reached into the box to pluck the sterling silver necklace out of the box, “Santa knows how special it is to be a big sister for the first time. And he wants you to know how special you are too.”

“Will you put it on me?”

“Of course.”

Alyssa held her brown curls up as he looped the chain about her throat. Letting go of her hair when he pulled back his hands, she touched the silver “Big Sister” pendant against her skin. Without even a thought she hugged her uncle, causing him to chuckle.

“I’ll be sure to pass that along to Santa when I see him again,” he remarked.

She nodded, “Good.”

“Do you want something to eat? How long have you been sitting here alone?”

“Daddy has been coming out to check on me every now and then,” she responded. “And Nurse Betty gave me a Christmas cookie earlier. And Grandma and Grandpa were here most of the day, but had to go home so Grandpa could get some sleep.”

“How long have you been here at the hospital, Aly?”

“Mom’s tummy hurt before the sun came up. Daddy brought us here as soon as she told him.”

He frowned, “So you’ve been here all day?”

She nodded.

Bobby shifted her off his lap, “Did you eat lunch or dinner with Grandma and Grandpa?”

“Yeah, lunch.”

“Let’s go see if we can find something for a late dinner down in the cafeteria,” he stood, offering his hand down to the six year old.

Before they left the lobby, he deposited the gift box in the trash can, turning to head to the elevator. After allowing the young girl to press the elevator button, Bobby glanced once more down the labor corridor. Just as the doors opened, Howard appeared in the hallway, looking down towards the waiting lobby first. Catching his brother-in-law’s eyes, he waved at Bobby who picked up Alyssa and hurried down the hallway.

Taking his daughter from Bobby’s arms, Howard squeezed her tightly, “Do you want to meet someone very special?”

Alyssa nodded vigorously.

With the six year old balanced on his hip, Howard returned back down the hall and stepped into the hospital room. A tired Marilyn looked up and smiled. Alyssa wiggled, wanting down. Howard set her down on the edge of the bed, watching her reaction to the little bundle in Marilyn’s arms. Slowly Alyssa reached out and touched the baby’s soft head.

“Do you want to hold her?” Marilyn offered.

“Her?” Alyssa asked, nodding.

Howard lifted the newborn out of his wife’s arms, settling the baby in Alyssa’s, guiding her hand to support the baby’s head, “Meet your sister, Judith Noelle.”

“Hello, Judith. I’m Alyssa, your big sister. And I’m going to take very good care of you. I promise.”



Had the choice been his, they would have driven. Granted driving from Seattle to New York City was not ideal, but it was better than flying a plane that could explode mid-air and they would all die in a quick fiery inferno. He was too young to die in a plane. But Susan would have none of his ideas. So they had boarded a plane destined for New York City. Not even sitting in first class made it any better. He wanted the fuck off the plane.

Although he could now proudly proclaim himself a member of the Mile High Club – if he survived the landing that is.

“Chris,” Susan reached over and pried his hand off the arm rest that separated them, “you’re fine. We’re fine. The plane is just going to land and—”

“Blow into a fiery ball? Glad you agree,” he muttered through clenched teeth.

She leaned over and kissed his temple, “No one is going to blow up. Everything is going to be fine. Just take a deep breath and—”

“My last one ever.”

“Christopher,” Susan warned, “look at me.”

His dark eyes went to hers.

“You’re going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine. We made it this far, didn’t we?”

Before he answered, the flight attendants were directed to prepare for landing by the co-pilot. Reaching down for the seatbelt he only took off the one time Susan talked him into the bathroom, he pulled on it to make certain it was fastened tightly, even if his legs were going slightly numb from the extra pressure from the belt. His eyes darted nervously out the window, paying no attention to the New York skyline, but focusing on the other planes on the various runways. As he did so, Chris instantly pictured one of the planes taking off on the wrong runway and slicing their plane in half. Picking up on his sudden spike in tension, Susan reached across him and closed the shutter. His fingers instantly reached to open it again, but Susan pulled his hand away, settling it in his lap, her own fingers curling over his.

He jumped when the plane bumped when the rubbery tires connected with the pavement of the runway. Snapping a hand free from Susan’s, Chris quickly opened the shutter, nervous eyes looking about again. Just because they were on the ground now did not mean they were entirely safe. Another plane could t-bone them much like cars did all the time. However the plane pulled smoothly up to the gate and came to a stop.

Remaining seated until the seatbelt light went off, even though others in First Class had already unbuckled theirs and were pulling things from the overhead storage, Chris finally released the breath he had been holding. As Susan had been one of those who already stood, her hand reached down for his. Nodding slightly, he unbuckled his belt and slowly got to his feet. Squeezing her hand a bit more than he would have like, Chris let her lead him off the plane. If he hadn’t been trying to appear cool and collected, he would have knelt as soon as he saw the ugly carpet of JFK airport and kissed it. Instead he kept his gaze forward, letting his woman lead him down to baggage claim. He had a feeling their trip to New York City wasn’t going to be as fun as he anticipated when he agreed to it. The fact they flew there set it right up for that.



“Alyssa!” Howard called as he stepped into the house. “Can you come help with the groceries!?”

“Be right there, Daddy!” she called back, before turning to kiss Judith’s forehead. “I’ll be right back. Then I’ll finish telling you about the princess and the pea.”

Skipping into the kitchen she helped unpack and put away the groceries. Her daddy stopped her in the midst and hugged her, thanking her once more for being such a good big sister. This immediately let Alyssa launch into all the things she had been doing with Judith after getting home from school that afternoon. Even thought Judith was only about five months old, she was certain the baby would be talking soon, especially since Alyssa read and talked to her all the time. She refused to believe that the infant’s babbling was anything but her own little language.

“So I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me this weekend?” Howard asked when Alyssa paused long enough to take a breath.

“What’s that, Daddy?”

“It’s where you and I go out all by ourselves just to spend some alone time together,” he explained, glancing at Marilyn who stood in the doorway to the kitchen, smiling.

“What about Mom and Judith?”

“They’ll spend the day bonding with each other like you and I will,” he responded.

She wiggled her nose in thought, “Well... okay. But can I have ice cream?”

“Of course,” Howard grinned. “We’ll have ice cream and... go to the zoo?”

“YAY! I love the zoo, Daddy!” Alyssa squealed.

“It’s a date then.”

Watching his eldest daughter skip off to check on her sister, Howard smiled. His eyes met Marilyn’s and he opened his arms to her. Returning the smile she stepped into his embrace, kissing him gently before she stepped away. Silently the two put away the groceries, an odd tension growing between them.

With the last item placed in the pantry and the door closed, Marilyn turned to her husband, “Spill it.”

He leaned against the counter and rubbed his face. When his hands dropped from his face, a smile lit up Howard’s eyes.

“Emilie lost her appeal. The court upheld the maximum sentence of five years. She was escorted to Corrections Center in Gig Harbor. She is eligible for parole in three years, based upon good behavior, but I could shut that down as well. When she is released, she is not to make any contact with Alyssa at all, not even when Alyssa is eighteen,” he declared. “My baby is finally safe.”

Grinning in relief, Marilyn embraced him again, showering kisses all over his face, “I knew you could do, Howard. I knew it. I’m so very proud of you. Both of our little girls are going to grow up safe and happy, just as they should. This certainly is ice cream date worthy.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you. You’ve not only shown me what love is but how my – no, our daughter should be treated. I have you to thank,” he declared.

“And how would you like to thank me?” she asked, a suggestive eyebrow arching up.

Howard stared at her blankly for a moment, “Really?”

“The girls are fine for an hour or so. Judith is fed, changed, and likely asleep. Alyssa is fairly self-sufficient. Not only do I feel ready for you again, but this is certainly something worth celebrating,” she responded.

“I’ll check on the girls and meet you upstairs,” he claimed. “Oh and Mari?”

“Yes, sweetie.”

“I love you.”