8

Trees on either side of the narrow road swayed with the force of the strong wind and it made the snow fell from the trees in clumps, coming down like white powder to blanket the ground. It would be beautiful if it were not so creepy out here in the middle of nowhere with nothing but trees and vast darkness to surround them.

But nothing is quite as unnerving as when they get their first glimpse of the building that is to be their lodging for the night. The Sleepy Oak Motel. It was an odd shaped building, with a unique paint job. Sitting ther in the middle of nowhere, it appears to be rather formidable and sinister.

The place itself, at first glance, resembled one of those haunted mansions that you might see gracing the cover of a horror movie. It was clearly an old, large house that had been remodeled to add on rooms, in order to accomidate visitors. 

The house itself appeared to be three stories tall and it was made of wood. The withered wooden slabs that had long since bulked from the elements and stained comtributed to the creep factor of the house. On the left side of the house, heading into an opening in the trees was an expansion, clearly built on to the house much later. It was a one story, narrow building attached to the main house. It really stood out as odd, considering how new it looked compared to the house.

The expansion was painted a dirty tan color, with windows and doors creating a pattern. There were about six doors and they were each painted a faded hunter green. In the center of the door were small gold numbers. There where only six windows, so one room did not have one. She realized that it was the office, when she read the numbers and writing on the doors. 

The doors on the upper floor opened out onto a balcony that had a set of stairs that came down in front of the office. They were made of wood and looked like they had seen many a better day. Lacey really hoped that they were not going to be put in a room upstairs, because she did not want to have to climb that rickety staircase. It looked as if a strong wind would reduce it to a pile of kindling at any moment.

The door in the middle on the bottom level had the words office written on it in the same ornate gold letters that all of the other doors had. There was no parking lot or parking spaces, as far as they could tell.

The snow was so high that it was hard to make out anything, but it looked as if a circular driveway lead up to the front door of the house. Of to the side, near the expansion, sat two other vehicles. It looked to Lacey as if they were parked on the grass, but it was close to the doors and there did not seem to be many other options, so she can't say that she really cared.

As Andy rolled the car to a stop in front of the motel, next to the other vehicles. It is less than thirty feet from her side of the car to the motel, which was nice.

Andy turns Lacey and tells her "I am going to head to the office and see if I can't get us a room for the evening. You stay in here with the kids. I will leave the car running so that the three of you can stay warm." Then he opens the door of the car, preparing to leave her alone in the dark, with just the kids for company.

She wants to tell him not to go, but she manages to stop herself. Lacey does not like the idea of herself and the kids staying behind in the car, alone out in the dark, but she pushes that nervous feeling aside. She is an adult and she is a mother. She can take care of her children just as well as he can. She does not him there to protect them. She has this all under control.

It is not as if Lacey were scared of the dark or anything. She never has been, not even as a child. But there is something about this trip, about being in this place, that makes her think that she should be scared of the dark. Or more specifically, that she should be worried about what might be lurking out there in the dark.

When the door closes behind Andy with a firm snap, Lacey jumps at the suddeness of the sound. Sometime within the ten minute trip to the hotel, the children managed to fall asleep. They are both bent over, Jack's head resting on the windo of the door, while Sunny's head rests on the balled up hood of her large, bubble coat.

Lacey wishes that they were awake to keep her company while Andy is inside of the place. A small, selfish part of her wants to wake them up but she refrains from it. That would be a really crappy parenting move on her part. Waking her kids up just because she is scared to be the only one awake in a car, not thirt feet away from where her husband is. Maybe she is the crazy one.

Lacey just keeps telling herself that there is nothing that she needs to be afraid of. There is no reason to worry about anything, because everything is and will be just fine. This is not one of those lame horror movies where something is going to jump out of the darkness at her. All that is out there in the inky blackness is snow.

By repeating that over and over in her head, she is able to keep herself calm and in check. She must not let her anxiety get the best of her. The last thing that she needs is to have a panic attack out here. Closing her eyes to repeat the words to herself, she can almost imagine that she is back at their loving and comfortable home in Montana.

Laying sprawled out on the microfiber apholstered love seat by the fire place, with fuzzy socks and a soft, fleece blanket acros her legs as she lay curled up with a cheesy romance book and a big mug of hot cocoa. The crackling of the fire putting her to sleep as the kids lay on the blankets in the floor beside her, watching a movie or coloring in their disney themed coloring books. Andy is behind her, running his fingers through her hair until her eyes drift close and she falls into a deep, delicious slumber.

The sudden opening of the door has Lacey nearly jumping out of her skin. The sleepy spell she was weaving around herself now gone, chased away by the fear of his sudden arrival. She holds back the scream, but just barely. Turning to glare at Andy, she huffs indignantly. “Next time, announce your presense!”

“I did announce my presense.. just then when I opened the door.” Andy tells her and she shakes her head, giving in to the smile playing at the edges of her lips. The opening of the door let in a cold breeze that drastically lowers the temperature in the car and sets her teeth to chattering. “Don't be so jumpy, my love. There is nothing out here that is going to get you."

“Are you sure about that?” Lacey mutters beneath her breath.

But Andy heard he and he gives her a small smile. “I am very sure.” He turns to her and his smile widens into a grin.

"Honestly, anything lurking in the shadows should be more afraid of you than you of it. In a fight, I would put all of my money on you, every single time. You are scrappy, baby. Besides thay, you have got the most powerful weapon.”

"And what exactly would that be?" Lacey aks him, not believing a word of what he says.

"Your smarts. You are the smartest person that I know." Andy tells her, looking at her with love in his eyes.

Lacey knows that he meant for his words to come off as sweet and loving, but it has the opposite affect on her. His words make her really want to confront him. Why would he not believe her about Nate, if he thinks that she is so smart. She is smart, he clearly knows that, but she just is not smart enough for him to value her opinion or anything of the sort.

Changing the subject before she is further tempted to start an arguement, Lacey watches Andy as he gathers his things from the front seat. “So, I assume that you were able to get us a room here, since you are getting your stuff out of the car.”

“Yes, I was able to get us a room. It is right there actually," He points in a general direction over his shoulder. "so that we don't have to drag the luggage and the kids very far through all of this snow.” Andy says as he points to the green door that is right beside of the door to the office. The door he points two as a large, golden '2' on it. 

“Right next door to the office?” Lacey asks him, wondering if that was for convenience or for another reason.

“Yep. It is one of only three double rooms. So that the kids have a bed for them to sleep in and we have one for ourselves.” Andy gives her a fake leer look and she rolls her eyes with a large grin, momentarily distracted by the lascivious look that he gives her.

“Just grab the bags, Romeo.” She tells him, pointing to the trunk of the car.

“Yes, m'lady.” Andy teases her as he goes to do as she told him. "Anything you say, m'lady." She shakes her head and chuckles.

Lacey gathers her purse and slings it over her arm, before she gets out of the car to go around the vehicle to wake up the kids. When she steps into the snow, she is surprised to find that it comes up to just above her ankle. Beneath the fresh, powdery snow is a layer of crunchy ice, that her shoe is resting against. One wrong move and she would be on her bottom in a heart beat.

Lacey decides that she is going to start with Jack who is sitting in the seat directly behind her. Opening the door, she bends down to gently touch his shoulder and wiggle him. “Hey baby, wake up.”

He stirs but does not open his eyes. “Come on, Jackers. Wakey Wakey, eggs and bac-ee.” She pokes at his belly. “Rise and shine, mister porcupine.” She nuzzles her cold nose into his warm neck. “Time to get to bed, you big ol' sleepyhead.”

“Geez, okay, Mom! I'm awake.” Jack grumbles beneath his breath and Lacey chuckles softly. It never fails that she is able to annoy him awake. He hates her little 'wake up' songs. 

“Good. Now hop out of the car. I have to get Sunny, so that we can go inside to get some rest. We have a storm to wait out.” Lacey tells the boy, who grouses beneath his breath as he undoes his seat belt and climbs out of the car.

She helps him gather all of his things that are strewn around the back seat but they don't take them inside of the motel because Jack does not want to run the risk of forgetting them and them being lost to him forever. Instead they put them in a pile on the floor.

Once Jack is out of the car, moving about like a sleepy little zombie, he goes to join his father at the trunk of the car. Lacey moves around to get Sunny. She is not any easier to wake up, but when Lacey gets her to finally open her eyes, the little girl gives her a big smile and says 'mommy..' softly while holding out her arms for a hug. Lacey leans in even more and Sunny wraps her arms around her mother's neck, sliding her hands up into her hair and tangling her fingers.

These are the moments that Lacey lives for. Whether it is annoying her son until he wakes up or if it is cuddling her sleepy little girl in her arms, these are the moments that make Lacey's entire life worth while.

The mother and daughter stay in the embrace until a dull ache in Lacey's back forces her to pull away and straighten her spine. “Come on, my beautiful little angel, it is freezing out here. Let's get inside and we can warm up and get more comfortable.”

“Okay Mommy!”

The four of them meet up outside of the door as Andy digs the key out of his pocket. He inserts in and the door lock clicks. Turning the knob, Jack pushes the door open and runs inside the dark room. Feeling for a light switch on th wall just inside of the door, Andy flips it, casting a dim, orange tinted glow around the room.

The interior is clean enough, even if it is a bit out dated, Lacey thinks to heself. The room is nothing grand or spectacular by any means, but it is nice and will do well for the night, so that they can get some much needed sleep. It's not like they can expect the Plaza Hotel to be in the middle of no where. They were lucky to have found this place, to have somewhere to ride out the bad weather. For that reason, she decides not to look a gift horse in the mouth. She will jut be happy that they found a place to stay.

There are two beds in the room, about two foot from each wall and about three feet from each other. A small table sits between them with an old, ornate lamp on it. 

A green bed spread and white pillows adorn the bed. The walls are painted a dark tan color, so the color scheme inside the rooms matches the outside. Their is also a small tv on the dresser and a tiny, private bathroom just for their use, which Lacey is happy to see.

“Okay, children. It is time for the two of you to go wash up so that you can get to bed. We have to leave really, really early in the morning if we want to make it to Grandma's in time to celebrate Christmas with them. So, go on. Use the potty, brush your teeth and wash your faces. Then come back in here and get to bed, kiddos.”

Both children nod at their mother's words before they head off towards the bathroom to do as they are told. Lacey stands there in their wake, watching them walk away until she is suddenly tackled and knocked over onto the bed, trapped beneath the strong arms of her husband.

She looks up into his face and smiles sweetly at him. He grins back down at her. “Hello darlin'.”

“Hey handsome.”

Andy dips his head and kisses her, lightly at first, but it quickly heats up when his tongue teases the line of her lips before pushing through, to tangle with her own tongue. Lacey lifts her hands to his head, tangling her long, slim fingers in his air and messaging his scalp, as he loves for her to do. Tilting his head back, he angles his head until his hair is more fully in her hands.

He moans into her mouth, his one hand no longer supporting his weight as it moves over to her neck, stroking the soft, creamy skin. With each stroke of his hand, though, he gets closer and closer to her large, perfect breasts, underneath the neckline of her shirt. “Baby..” Andy groans.

“Mom!”

Just like that, the moment is over. Andy gives her a light kiss before he moves away. She sits up and calls back to her son. “Yeah, Jack Attack?”

“We need our toothbrushes if you expect for us to brush our teeth!”

Lacey gives her husband an exasperated look and her he grins down at her. “You can blame Sunny on me, but you have to take credit for that one. That boy is all you, my love.”

Lacey grins and nods. “Yes, he is. That is why my baby boy is perfect.”

Andy grins and throws her words from earlier back at her. “That is a nice way of putting it.”

Lacey laughs, recognizing the words, as she digs their toothbrushes out of the bags and the toothpaste, before she carries it into the bathroom for the children to use. While she is in there with them, she asked them if they want to put on pajamas or just sleep in what they are wearing.

They decide to sleep in their clothes to buy them a little more bed time in the morning, rather than having to get up and get dressed. Jack estimately that was approximately thirteen minutes that have previously. Both kids take their shoes off and crawl up in the bed, each hugging the edge so that they might not actively touch one another.  Lacey smiles at them, as they wiggle into the pillows to get comfortable before they pull the covers up and over them.

Lacey kisses both children on the forehead. "I love you, my two perfect babies. Sleep well. Tomorrow is going to be a wonderful day." Within ten minutes, both children are sound asleep, despite having napped on and off throughout the trip.

Lacey kicks her shoes off and slips off her socks, that are slightly damp from the cold. She decides to sleep in her clothes as well, since she is wearing a white long sleeve shirt with a loose red and black buffalo plaid dress on over it that hits her just above her ankles.

It is just as comfortable as comfortable as any night gown that she could wear. Same with Sunny, who is wearing the same outfit. The guys both have the cream sweater and tan slacks. Andy slips his pants off, deciding to put on his sleep pants. He pulls off the sweater and folds it up, laying it with his pants on top of the pile of luggage.

While he undresses for bed, Lacey uses the phone to try to call her parents home to warn everyone that they wouldn't make it there tonight so that they don't worry about them, if they hear about the storm. There is no answer, so she sends her brother a message on his pager. She just hopes that he gets it. It is nearing ten o'clock at night. They are still three and half hours away, so they need to leave by no later than five in the morning, to hopefully make it in time for breakfast with the family.

“Alright. Now I am more comfortable.” Andy lays on the bed and pulls her into his arms. She has the remote and she is turning on the television, to try and find a news report that tells them about the weather. They need to know how long it is predicted to last.

Andy's hand is running up her leg, beneath her dress, making her squirm when something on the tv catches her attention and she stills his hand. No, that has to be wrong.. “Oh my God, Andy look!”