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Chapter 35: ONE MORE MISSION, Part 1
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Beast Chapter 36: ONE MORE MISSION, Part 2
Ashleigh's mouth dropped open. A mission; with guns and fighting and terrorists…and of course she couldn't stop her mind from recalling all the news around Bin Laden's capture and death. Would Christopher be involved in something like that? His hand squeezed hers. She looked at him, her eyes troubled. "Christopher…""Sweetheart, I've been putting in for a change of duty. I asked to be removed from the task force. But this came up before my commander could get it to go through. But this will be the last mission I'll need to go on. Just one more, honey, okay?"She gripped his hand. "How long?""Two months."A harsh breath left her. She watched his eyes. "What are you going to be doing?" She had brought up his missions before but could tell that he didn't like talking about it with her. It was still kind of vague to her. "We're not going to know that until we get briefed."She didn't speak for a moment and then she swallowed. "Will you be going to places like Afghanistan or Iraq
Beast Chapter 37: A DIFFERENT MISSION
Ashleigh had fallen asleep there on top of him. After holding her sleeping form for a long time, he finally shifted her onto the bed so that he could go to the bathroom. When he returned with a wet cloth he was surprised to see her watching him. "Hi, sweetheart."She smiled. "Hi." He cleaned her while she spread her legs for him. He loved her smooth mons. She waxed regularly, but sometimes he wondered what her hair would be like down there. It would be something nice to explore. They snuggled in bed, her head on his shoulder. His body was her most comfortable pillow."I'm going to be the best Marine girlfriend. I promise," she said, almost as if she was convincing herself."Going to be? You've already achieved that." They'd only been dating for a little over four months but already he felt like Ashleigh was a permanent fixture.Her hands moved along the hard planes of his chest and her nails gently scratched at his auburn chest hair. "I'm going to make you cookies and brownies.
Beast Chapter 38: DEPLOYED
Ashleigh was talking on the phone with a member of her analyst staff. Her eyes kept darting to the clock. Damnit! It was already 11:17 and Gloria was still going on and on about non-work related stuff. Why did people go into details about their personal business?! Why couldn't she understand that no one in their right mind needed a detailed accounting of your weekend when all you did was hang out with the same man that you've been married to for twenty years and go out to eat at the same restaurant you went to each Friday???Gloria wasn't exactly her boss but high enough on the food chain that Ashleigh had to carefully consider her exit strategy."...so the bartender is single and he's such a nice guy. I think his wife died in '07…wait, maybe it was '08 because it was the same year that Bob and I bought the Tahoe—""OH MY GOD!""What?!" Gloria exclaimed."There's a…fire! FIRE DRILL! I gotta go. Talk to you later!" Ashleigh quickly disconnected the phone and then she sighed and sho
Beast Chapter 39: NO TIME FOR GOODBYES
"Is Christopher okay?!"The man gave her back another awkward pat. "He's okay. Everything is okay. Shots were fired but we controlled the situation. Everyone is okay with no casualties."She looked past him out into the empty corridor. He had somehow caused the doors to be frozen open and she wanted to be on the outside of this elevator, but more than that she didn't understand why Christopher wasn't here now. "Where is he?""Lt. Jameson came to me earlier today and requested that I take him off this mission and that I give him another." Her eyes got big, hopeful. Bruce resisted his urge to smile as he continued to stare down at her. He didn't think that she was aware that she was touching his shirtfronts, but he was…very aware. "I complied with his request." Bruce didn't feel as if it was his place to give her the details. That was between her and Beast. "I spoke to him right before he shipped out and he asked me to tell you that he explained everything in a message on your phone
Beast Chapter 40: THE POUNDING OF FEET ON A TREADMILL
Lance watched Ashleigh pick at her salad. "Honey, if you don't eat you're going to get sick. You have to eat when you have diabetes."Ashleigh shook her head and offered him a smile. "Sorry. I guess I was daydreaming." She took a bite of the wilting salad and felt like gagging. Kendra cleared her throat. "Do you want us to come over tonight?"Ashleigh shook her head. "You two came over Monday and Tuesday." Now it was Friday."You don't have to spend the weekend alone," Lance said while sipping a glass of wine. "Rick and I were thinking about throwing some steaks on the grill…"Ashleigh shook her head. She wouldn't be good company and she didn't want her friends to think that she couldn't manage her first weekend alone without Christopher. She was not going to turn into a basket case. "I'm going to hang out at Christopher's place and maybe take care of some yard work." "You?" Lance's eyebrow quirked up."Yes me. I'm not going to mow or anything. Christopher already took care of
Beast Chapter 41: DOWN HOME
Ashleigh got out of her car Sunday afternoon. She had roamed around Christopher's house missing him and had a desire to do something that would make her feel even closer to him. Now she was wondering what in the hell she had been thinking. She lingered there for a moment and considered getting back in though she said she wouldn't do that. But she considered it. Then one of the kids called her name. "Miss Ashleigh!"She plastered on a smile and headed to the little girl; Rachel. "Hi Miss Ashleigh! Where's Uncle Chris?" The other kids surrounded her in curiosity. "Your uncle is still on his mission.""Aww." They began to disburse. Rachel stuck with her and slipped her little hand into Ashleigh's. "I don't like when he goes away for a long time," she said. Ashleigh gave her small hand a gentle squeeze. "I don't either." The two of them headed for the side door and Ashleigh took a deep breath, knocking briefly before poking her head in. "Hello?"Five sets of heads turned to he
Beast Chapter 42: HIGH-SIDDITY
On Sunday Ashleigh sat in Mrs. Jameson's kitchen with the other ladies. She'd come every single weekend since that first time she'd shown up hesitantly on the doorstep like a little stray kitten. Surprisingly, it wasn't out of a sense of duty. This family made her feel closer to Christopher in the sound of their accented voices, the stories they told about him, and the resemblance that they all bore to each other. And in turn, she began to learn and understand them. For instance, she found that they weren't just regulated to the kitchen to cook for the men. The kitchen was their gathering place. They drank their coffee or soda, had a slice of cake or pie and they talked about the happenings of the past week. They were funny, sweet and entertaining, and best of all they loved having a new person to tell their old stories to.Ashleigh was making the meatloaf as she listened to tales about the wildcats that sound like women screaming and ghost stories about people who had died but then b
Beast Chapter 43: HOMECOMING
Doubt crossed Alma's face. She opened her mouth and closed it. "I have a four hundred and twenty-five dollar leather Louboutin purse." She twisted her fingers in distress. "I couldn't tell anybody. Nobody would understand. My family can't see why I'd pay that much for 'things'. I mean, what's wrong with wanting to get my nails and hair done?! I don't have to be a fashion model! But so what if I spend my money on things that I like?"Ashleigh took another look at the woman. Jealous? Alma had been jealous of her? Her heart softened. "Alma, you have to do what it takes to make you feel good about yourself. You don't have to explain yourself to anyone about that."Alma nodded. "But…I don't have anybody that I can…do those things with…" She blushed red and looked so expectant that Ashleigh further warmed up to her. "Louboutin? For under six hundred? How?""QVC.""Then it's not a knock-off…Can I see it?""Can I see your Manolo Blahniks?" "Are you crazy?! I couldn't afford them." She
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Beast Chapter 60: FRIENDS, FAMILY AND HOME
"Daddy daddy daddy!" yelled the little girl as she dashed on tiny legs through the cemetery. Christopher Jameson looked up from where he was playing his guitar. A smile fell across his face, replacing the look of sadness that had been there a moment before. He carefully moved the guitar behind his back just in time to catch his little girl as she flung herself into his arms. "Hey Princess. Where's Mommy?"The three year old pointed behind her. "Mommy's there!" she said in the highest pitched voice imaginable. Christopher grinned wider. One day his little girl might be an opera singer and break wine glasses with that voice.Ashleigh waddled toward them. Her stomach was swollen and so were her ankles. She was ready to pop. The baby was due in less than two weeks but if she managed two more days it would be a miracle. Still, she had the biggest grin on her face as she ambled towards them. Christopher stood and sat the little girl on her feet. "Go say hi to everybody and then we got
Beast Chapter 59: FAMILY REUNION, Part 3
The next morning Ashleigh was up well before Christopher, her grumbling belly sending her into the kitchen for something to snack on before breakfast.Several ladies were already awake, including Mrs. Jameson. They were slicing potatoes and onions for home fries. Uncle Ray gave her a quick good morning before heading out to supervise the whole pig that was going into the ground to roast. Yum, a pig roast. "What can I help with?""Good morning dear." Mrs. Jameson gave her a broad smile. "Here have a danish." She said while passing her a fresh baked danish still warm from the oven. She accepted it gratefully. Aww, why couldn't Mrs. Jameson be her mom? Well…then Christopher would have been her brother. She decided that having her as a mother-in-law was the next best thing."Thank you Mrs. Jameson.""Honey, you are going to have to call me Edith if you don't want to call me mom."She blushed and bit into her delicious pastry. "This is good mom. Did you bake it?""No Barbara Annette
Beast Chapter 58: FAMILY REUNION, Part 2
Ashleigh met Christopher's other two siblings who lived out of state; a brother Gregory and his wife and children and another sister. She was nothing like Alma and she immediately hugged Ashleigh and exclaimed that mom and dad loved her. Her name was Beverly, she was single, spirited and had more freckles on her face than anybody she'd ever seen. Mr. and Mrs. Jameson arrived later that evening. Butch had driven and he gave her a hug that made her feel more welcomed than anything else. Mr. Jameson was tired from the trip so they got him fed and he lay down to rest in one of the bedrooms designated for him and Mrs. Jameson.They had a fish fry with corn on the cob from a neighboring farm. There was corn pudding and corn fritters. Christopher explained that corn and potatoes would play a huge part in their meals since Uncle Ray could get them free. But in addition there would be all kinds of farm fresh vegetables. Everything was delicious and Christopher didn't bat an eye when she pile
Beast Chapter 57: FAMILY REUNION, Part 1
Christopher stood and reached in his back pocket for his wallet while everyone stopped eating and talking to look at him. "Please excuse us but Ashleigh's not feeling well. The food just isn't sitting well with her." He tossed two hundred dollars on the table. "Please have desert on us." Ashleigh stood up and waved because she didn't trust herself to open her mouth. Everyone rushed to tell her goodbye and to make false promises to call and to get together soon."Pleasure meeting you," Christopher lied, and then they left. He put his arm around her when they were outside and felt her relax."I understand. I understand everything completely. Do we have to invite them to our wedding?" he asked, half joking.She shook her head. "Hell no. I don't owe them anything." She thought about how her sister, Darlene, hadn't even thought to invite her to her party. "Besides, they are probably sitting in there already talking about me like a dog." And they were.They were halfway home when Ashleig
Beast Chapter 56: INLAWS
The family reunion had been pushed back to allow Christopher's bandages time to be removed. But Uncle Ray was anxious to get it underway while all of the school age children were off for summer break, so the weekend after next was designated family reunion time. But before Ashleigh could even think about joining Christopher at his family gathering she knew that she had to rectify her own wrong in not formally introducing Christopher to her family. So on Saturday Ashleigh made plans for her own mini-family gathering. Her father wasn't able to fly back up so soon after returning to Florida but invited them down to spend a few days, an invitation that they readily accepted. Ashleigh's mom, having just made the trip, was unable to come back up but promised to return at Christmas, which just left her two sisters and their families. Ashleigh decided on Buca di Beppos for a family style dinner. Christopher didn't understand why she didn't want to have dinner at the house. He was willing to
Beast Chapter 55: NEW FACE, Part 2
Sharing his face with his family was like watching each of them open a valued present at Christmas. Christopher never realized how much his scars had so profoundly affected everyone until every single person that had come to his mom and dad's house cried tears of joy for him. His mother was shaking and she kept touching his face. His father shed tears as well, but mostly because he thought Chris was Walt. And he kept saying that he knew Walt wasn't dead, that his boy had come back. Christopher just buried his head against his father's chest and let him think that he was Walt.By the time they got home later in the evening, Christopher was emotionally drained. He dragged himself into bed but Ashleigh wasn't ready for sleep. She changed into shorts and a sports bra and then went into the workout room. Maggie yawned and hopped up on the weight bench and watched as Ashleigh got on the treadmill. It had been days since she had run but once the endorphins released into her system, she got l
Beast Chapter 54: NEW FACE, Part 1
Ashleigh slipped her hand in his as they walked out of the medical facility. She glanced at him and considered how wrong it was that she so desperately wanted to make love. Why did it feel a little bit like she was cheating on him? Would he be jealous if she…liked his face?Two women walked past them as they walked hand and hand to the car and both began squealing and giggling. They looked behind them and Ashleigh saw that the two grown women were almost tripping over their feet craning their necks to look at Christopher."He is so hot!" They were whispering and giggling. Ashleigh rolled her eyes and Christopher looked at her in surprise."Did you hear that? They said I was hot?""Baby," she heard herself whine. "Didn't I always make you feel like you were hot?" Crap, she hated the sound of insecurity in her voice. This was not a repeat of DeAngelo. Christopher wasn't waiting to bang every good-looking girl that passed him by. Christopher didn't want her to be his fluffy girl and s
Beast Chapter 53: UNWRAPPED
Several days later, as they drove down to Ft. Campbell Kentucky to have the last of the bandages removed, Ashleigh intertwined her fingers with his. She was scared, she didn't know what to expect. All she knew was that no matter what she would love him.They held hands as they headed for Dr. Singh's office and Ashleigh felt his grip tighten a bit. She knew that Chris was nervous and she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Dr. Singh didn't make them wait and they were surprised that a webcam was set up directly to Dr. Weitz's office. There were also several other doctors in attendance and Christopher was informed that he would be the subject of an article on severe cleft palates in adults.His response was an embarrassed shrug. "I never liked getting my picture taken but if it'll help others." Ashleigh noted that his country drawl was more pronounced and she had to fight not to run up to him and throw herself into his arms. Maybe she was a perv but she had grown accustomed to seeing h
Beast Chapter 52: SURPRISE VISIT
?Christopher surprised everyone when he entered the room a few hours later, totally unannounced. There were several offices in one room and when one of the ladies saw the giant bandaged man she shrieked and dropped the file that she was carrying and sent papers scattering along the floor.Christopher bent to help her pick them up and she gave him an embarrassed chuckle and apology. "Not a problem, ma'am." He said politely while handing her the papers. "Can you tell me where Miss Dalton's office is?"The woman pointed down a short corridor. He nodded and headed for Ashleigh's office. He passed Lance's first. He was leaned back in his chair and talking on the phone. He gasped when he saw Christopher and a big smile spread across his face. "Let me call you back, Gloria. Yeah, promise." He hung up the phone and hurried to greet Christopher, who held up his finger to indicate he not mention his presence. Lance nodded and followed him to Ashleigh's office. They passed Kendra's office. Sh
