The Cure

"Ding-dong, Ding-dong. Knock, knock. Knock"

"Coming!" I yelled as I headed for the front door.

"Who in the hell is ringing the damn door bell at 6 in the morning?!"

I thought, not too pleasantly, I got my answers as soon as I opened the door. "GAVIN?!"

"Morning, bro. Sorry if we woke you up but the change in time screwed us up."

"Us?"

"Yeah ..."

Just then Gail came down the steps, dressed in just a sheer, white peignoir robe. "Who was at the door, G?"

"... Me and Jen," Gavin answered.

The room went dead silent. Then two things happened simultaneously. Gail turned around, tightened her robe and started to head back upstairs, and Jen opened her mouth.

"I see you're still prancing around letting the whole fucking world see your body, mother!"

Gail stopped, instantly, and I saw the muscles in her shoulders tighten. When she turned back around to face us, I was glad I wasn't on the receiving end of what was coming..

"First of all, young lady," she snarled, "This is MY house for right now and if I choose to walk around like this or totally naked it's my business! Second, we weren't expecting any visitors at 6 o'clock in the fucking morning! And third, it's not the 'whole fucking world'. G is the only one who usually sees me like this and he's my ..." she faltered looking for the right word to describe our relationship, "my friend, my partner, and my lover!" Of course, she didn't mention that Malia and the masseuses at the Spa had enjoyed the sight of her beautiful body as well.

I smiled as I looked at her. Just 7 years older than me, she looked much younger. Her new 'bob' cut was disheveled from a night's sleep but her gray-green eyes had a fire behind them unlike anything I'd ever seen. Her chest rose and fell quickly, telling me she was barely holding her anger in check and her hands had fallen from around her chest to clench on her hips revealing her 36D-27-32 frame to all in the room. It was only by luck that the area between her legs was in a shadow or Gavin and Jen would have known that she was now 'bald'.

"NOW, if you'll excuse me! I'm going to take a shower and get dressed. You can take a seat in here and wait if you'd like or you can wait out on the patio. The choice is yours!" she said as she spun around and stomped up the stairs.

I laughed inside as I watched her. The woman I'd met just three days ago was slowly being replaced by a very independent, strong-willed woman.

I turned to see Gavin and Jen frozen in place, speechless. "Would you like to come in?"

"Mmmmm, yeah," Gavin stuttered.

Jen continued to stand there, staring at her mother as she disappeared into the bedroom. It was only when Gail was gone that she suddenly realized what I'd asked and mumbled, "Yeah," as she walked past me into the house.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

"Nah, we're on Cali time so we ate hours ago," Gavin replied.

"I could use an OJ if you have any," Jen said, softly.

"Coming right up."

Within a few moments, I had a pitcher of OJ along with slices of fresh melon and toast spread out on the table. We sat there silently eating but I saw Jen's eyes continuously glancing at the stairs waiting for Gail to return.

It wasn't until we were almost done that Gail did return. She was dressed in a cobalt-blue bikini top that barely covered her nipples, a wrap-around that hung low on her hips and a pair of wedge sandals. Jen glared at her but she acted as if nothing was going on.

"Mother. Would you please put some clothes on. I don't feel comfortable ... mmmm ... seeing you like this."

Gail returned her stare as she took a seat next to me. "Get used to it, sweetie. I've found a whole new level of freedom since I got here and I plan on enjoying every moment of it for as long as I can."

Jen's mouth fell open, "Mmmmmm ... I ... ahhhhhh."

Fortunately, Gavin came to her rescue. "So what are the plans, bro?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talkin' about me reportin' back to base."

"I told you, that's between you and the Skipper."

"I know. I just thought maybe you could help."

"Hey. I helped enough yesterday. Those guys from Regional seemed pretty intense. The only thing saving your ass is that they agreed to allow the Skipper to decide your punishment."

"Punishment?"

I stared at him in disbelief. "You didn't honestly think you were just gonna walk back on base without something happening?!"

"I ... ahhhhh."

"Listen. I talked to the Skipper yesterday. He's probably gonna have to send you to the brig for awhile which means a loss of pay and privileges. He's also gonna have to probably reduce you rate. Anything less and the Regional guys will get involved and that would mean a "Dishonorable'."

"Fuck," he mumbled as he dropped his head into his hands.

"I'm so sorry, baby. This is all my fault," Jen whispered as she moved closer to him and gently stoked he head.

Gail leaned her chin on my shoulder as we waited for Gavin to compose himself.

He slowly lifted his head and looked at me. "Okay. I'm ready."

"You sure? I didn't give them an exact time that you'd be there."

"The sooner the better," he replied, turning to look at Jen. "Not quite the way we'd hoped for things to turn out."

"I'll wait," she whispered tenderly as she leaned forward and kissed him.

The kiss said far more than any words that could have been spoken. Gail and I found ourselves looking at each other with the same question on each other's mind.

When they separated, they looked at us. They were both blushing.

"I guess we better explain ..." Gavin started only to be cut off by Jen.

"We're engaged," she finished, pulling a ring from her pants pocket and slipping it onto her ring finger."

"But ..." Gail stuttered. "You've only known each other for a little while."

"Actually, we've known each other for over a year," Gavin replied and the lights suddenly lit up in my head.

I looked at Jen. "Sexy101?"

"Not very original, but it was what the website gave me when I signed up."

"I don't understand," Gail said.

Before I could say anything, Gavin stepped in. "Jen and I met on a 'friendship' website over a year ago. Neither of us looking for anything more serious. I mean, I'm in the military, way out here, and she's in Cali. But over time, we found more and more in common so we agreed to meet."

"Let me guess," I interjected, "Your 'family leave' six months ago?"

"You got it, bro. We met in San Diego and spent the weekend together. When I had to leave, we both knew this was something special and that we wanted to keep it going. So we set up a special account for just the two of us to meet."

"That's why you've been requesting the night-time guard duty."

"Got me again. We met the second time, the week before you got here, Gail. Jen flew in and stayed at one of the hotels just off the base. We did a lot together and I'm not talking about just in the bedroom. That was when we decided to make this 'official'. We planned to announce our engagement at the beach party but that didn't quite go the way we'd planned," Gavin finished.

Gail sat there for a few moments. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I didn't know and I was feeling so sorry for myself ..."

"It's okay, mom. It looks like you found what you needed too," Jen replied as she smiled at us. Then she stood up and offered her hand to Gail.

Gail took it and the two of them disappeared down the beach.

"So?" Gavin asked.

"So," I replied.

"You and Gail?"

"Yeah, and as crazy as it sounds it's pretty serious."

"How serious?" Gavin asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Ring serious. Baby serious," I replied.

"You gotta be kidding! You've only known each other a couple of days!"

"I know but I pretty sure she's the one," and for the first time I didn't question myself about my answer.

Gavin sighed and stood up. "Well, let's get this over with."

"Didn't you wanna wait for Jen to get back?"

"No, we talked about this on the flight over. She knew when she and her mom left that I wouldn't be here when she came back."

"Okay, bro. Let's do it." The ride to the base was quiet, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Gavin reported to the guard at the front gate and was taken into custody as expected. He waved to me as he was escorted towards the Base office.

"Take care of my girl!" he yelled just before entering the office.

The drive back to the beach house seemed to last forever and yet only seconds as I thought about what might be ahead for him, Jen, Gail, and I. I found the two woman stretched out on the patio, each wearing a bathing suit, with a large drink in their hands.

"So what now?" Gail asked, pulling her sunglasses down on the bridge of her nose.

"I'm not 100% sure. It will depend on what the Skipper decides. But I think he'll be lenient."

"What do that mean?" Jen asked.

"Like I said, stockade time, lose of privileges and pay. Maybe a demotion."

"How long do you think he'll be gone?

"The Skipper said it would probably be 90 days."

"That long?" Jen sighed.

"It could have been longer."

Jen closed her eyes and tears began to run down her cheeks.

"Hey, sweetie, think of it this way. Now, we have 90 days to plan your wedding."

Jen's eye s popped open. "You're right. I ... I mean, WE ... have 90 days to plan the best wedding ever."

At that point they began to talk about all the preparations necessary and I slipped away for my daily run.

"She DOES love me. And I DO love her! So what's the big deal. The age difference doesn't seem to be an issue between us and that's what really counts. And as for her money, she's right we can put it aside for a rainy day or for our kids. WOW, kids. Even that doesn't scare me as much as I thought."

When I got back to the beach house, I found Gail and Jen still laying on the patio. They'd flipped over onto their stomachs and I could tell that they'd either removed or pulled down their tops to get a nice, even tan. They were both giggling like a couple of school girls so I slipped away, not wanting to disturb the time together. A little while later, I returned making sure to yell out to them as I entered the house. Gail instantly sat up and walked towards me, still topless, while Jen pulled up the shoulder straps of her bathing suit.

"Have a good run, darling?"

"It was great," I replied as I felt her press her breasts against me and her lips met mine.

"Euuuuuuu," Jen laughed. "Get a room."

"We can always go upstairs," Gail countered, jokingly.

Jen gave us a quizzical look. "Are you serious?"

Gail looked at me with an impish grin. "Well, we've never had any 'afternoon delight' but there's always a first time."

"Mother," Jen laughed, nervously.

Gail gave me a light kiss on the cheek and turned away to look back at Jen. "Actually, I was thinking maybe we'd take a drive into town and start looking for a dress for you."

"Really?" Jen squealed as she ran to her mother and threw her arms around her neck, hugging her. The fact that Gail was topless no longer seeming to bother her.

We changed into casual street clothes and I spent the rest of the day chaperoning them as they darted into one store after another looking at gowns, settings, checking on local bakeries, and possible venues. By the time we were done we were all exhausted.

"Anyone hungry?" I asked.

"My god! Is it really that late?" Jen exclaimed as she looked at the clock. The numbers 8:49 glaring back at her.

"They say time flies when you're having fun," I replied, somewhat sarcastically.

"Are you okay?" Gail asked quietly as she slid up beside me.

"Yeah, just beat. I never knew that planning a wedding could be so involved. Damn, I've seen war plans that were less detailed," I snickered.

"And it's only just begun."

I groaned.

"It's been a long day. Why doesn't everyone just grab something from the frig. No need to cook anything or get out the 'good china'," she teased.

Jen nodded her head and it was settled.

The two of them quickly filled plates of fruit, cheese, and crackers before heading out to the patio. I grabbed a beer and headed for the beach.

I had no idea how much time had slipped by until I heard a familiar voice call from the shadows.

"This looks familiar," she said as she sat down next to me and took a swig of my beer.

I laughed. "Yeah, it does."

"What's bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that shit."

I sat silently watching and listening to the waves before I answered. "Just thinking about Gavin and Jen, Their life together and everything they'll need to overcome. This AWOL will carry over on his record and make any advancements a whole lot harder."

"What else? I can see it on your face. Remember your eyebrow."

Instinctively, I reached up to touch the betrayer. "I was also thinking about us."

"That doesn't sound good."

"Actually, it's VERY good. I ... ahhhhh ... I have to admit I've had my doubts even after our talk but for some reason today it all just slipped into place. I want us to be together, I want us to have kids together ... and if you agree, I wanna marry you at some point."

"Is that a proposal?"

"I don't think so. Right now we need to focus on Jen and Gavin."

"I agree," she exhaled. "So you ready for bed?"

"Yeah," I faltered. "Just one question."

"What's that?"

"Where do I sleep? I mean ... I'm sure Jen knows what's going on between us but I'm not sure how she'd feel to see the 'reality' of it. Maybe, I should go to base for the night."

"I don't think so. She's a big girl and she'll need to get used to it. Now, come on. Time to get some sleep."

We walked hand-in-hand into the beach house. The lights in the guest room were already off. So we quietly slipped up the stairs to the bedroom we shared. We didn't say a word as we undressed, as if it were now the most natural thing in the world, and slipped under the sheets. As usual, Gail rested her head under my arm and rolled over, her breast pressing against my side while her leg straddled my thigh.

A few hours later, I woke up feeling a 'presence' more than actually hearing or seeing anyone. I scanned the room through squinted eyelids and caught just the slightest movement in the doorway, and then it was gone.

"Jen?"

I wondered.

"Nah, just the lights playing tricks on me,"

I thought as I slid back into the darkness of slumber.

When I did wake up, the bed next to me was empty and the sun was already streaming through the window. I dressed in a pair of Dockers shorts and a tee-shirt and followed the laughter of the two women back onto the patio.

"Hey, sleepy," Gail called.

"Morning, gorgeous."

"How about me?" Jen quipped.

"Oh, sorry. Morning to you too."

"What? I'm not gorgeous?"

I saw the mischievous look on their faces and knew the only way out of this was a hasty retreat. "I'm going for a run and then maybe a swim. Anyone wanna join me?"

"Actually, Jen and I are going sightseeing and then we might stop at Malia's."

My face went from bleach-white, to ruby-red, and back again in seconds. "Malia's?"

"Yeah, a woman's gotta have something 'special' for her honeymoon."

"Ahhhhh ... yeah ... okay. I'm gonna go," and with that, I turned and ran as if the devil himself were after me.

I returned to the house about an hour later and no one was home so I made myself a light brunch, puttered around with some things, watched some TV and was just generally lazy. Gail and Jen finally showed up just before dinner. The look on Jen's face instantly telling me something had happened.

"What's up?"

Jen's cheeks turned beet-red as she ran past me and down to the guest room, slamming the door behind her.

"Okay," I mumbled as I waited for Gail. "Wanna tell me what's going on?"

Gail took a deep breath before replying. "I took Jen to Malia's like I said I was going to. She saw quite a few things she liked and a few others she was curious about. In the mean time, Malia and I were talking and Jen overheard some of what we said. She was curious and even asked about the various styles of trimming that could be done. I tried to explain as politely as I could but she insisted on the 'special treatment'. Even Malia wasn't sure about it but Jen insisted after she heard that I'd had one. You can guess what happened after that. I swear to god, she was so loud anyone that had walked into the shop would have heard her moaning. Afterward, she came out, took one look at me still sitting there and ran out to the car. She hasn't said a thing since."

I shook my head, unsure what to say.

Gail and I spent the rest of the day together on the patio, waiting for Jen to join us and hoping to hear from Gavin.

Around 6 PM, the phone rang and Jen almost flew out of her room. "Hello? Hey, sweetheart. Yeah, I'm doing fine," she lied as we saw the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Yeah, Gail and I went shopping yesterday and did a little running around today. But enough of that, tell me what's going on. Ah-ha. Okay. How long? Ohmigod! Oh, that's at least something to hope for. Okay. I'll make sure to keep my phone turned on those days. Love you." And with that the call was over.

"So?" I asked.

"Just like you said. 90-days in the brig, loss of all pay and privileges but he's allowed to call me twice a week so I guess it could be worse. They're gonna review his case in 60 days, and if he doesn't get in any trouble they could ... mmmm ... what's the word he used ... commute the last 30 days."

"It definitely could have been worse."

"Yeah. I realize that now. I was just too stupid and selfish to realize how much he was risking by coming to take care of me," she mumbled as tears slid down her cheeks.

Gail, instinctively, moved next to her and wrapped her in her arms.

Jen turned and buried her face in Gail's shoulder, weeping, "My god, mom. What have I done?"

"It's okay, baby. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

Jen clung to her. I silently slipped away.

Awhile later, I overheard them whispering and the word 'Malia'. At which point, I slid back down the beach.

Gail found me sitting there a short time later.

"Hey, handsome."

"Hey, beautiful."

"What ya doin' down here?" she slurred slightly from all she'd had to drink while she and Jen were talking.

"Just hiding."

"From what?"

"There are some places where even angels fear to tread and from what I overheard, one of those places was what you and Jen were talking about."

"Ahhhhh, so you heard that?"

"All I heard was her mention Malia's. That was enough for me."

"Well, let's just say she had an 'awakening' and found out she might enjoy some things that she's always been told are wrong."

"Like mother, like daughter," I quipped.

"Shhhhhhhh. She doesn't have to know everything that's happened since she left."

"I know. I was just teasing."

"Well, Mr. Teaser. Are you ready for bed?"

"Yeah," I replied as I stood and reached down to help her up. We walked back to the house with our arms around each other's waists.

This time, Jen was sitting in the living room watching TV when we entered. "You two heading for bed?"

"Yeah. Good night, sweetie."

"Good night, mom. Good night, G."

"Good night."

With that done, we went upstairs and stripped before climbing into bed. Gail cuddled up next to me as usual, her breath tickling my neck when she exhaled. Then, I felt her fingernails brush across my chest.

"You know what that does to me," I whispered.

"Yeah, I do. I also know it's been two days since we made love. At this rate I'm gonna start feeling the effects of 'lack-o-nooky-nooky'."

"But Jen's right down stairs."

"Forget it then," she snarled as she turned her back towards me.

"Gail," I pleaded only to be answered by silence. I laid there for over an hour wondering what I could have done differently before I fell asleep. When I was awoken some time later, the room was still dark, but I felt a warm, wet sensation gliding over my cock. I knew what it was instantly, so I wasn't surprised when I lifted the sheet and saw Gail looking up at me.