Chapter 18

Marathon Key in Florida was a beautiful place of green palm trees, luscious grass, old Spanish architecture, and blue seas.

And it was entirely too short of a stay.

Kit could learn to live here, that was for sure.

Vil's condo was everything one would expect from a rich woman's vacation home. It was huge, some nine rooms, luxuriously furnished, and lavishly appointed with all the toys, gadgets, and appliances rich people would want in a vacation home. It had a huge TV and entertainment center, a large balcony overlooking the ocean and a hot tub large enough for four furs in the master bedroom, a hot tub that faced a large bay window with a similar view of the ocean. The condo was in a twenty story building that catered specifically to be the vacation retreat for the rich, and had every luxury one could imagine as part of their offered services, from a concierge to a private helipad for the residents to fly back and forth to Miami to all manner of activities, services, and merchandise offered… and not all of it entirely legal. The concierge delicately and politely informed them when they arrived that he could get them anything, even that which the law considered to be illegal, and they had a certain club on premises that catered to the more… adventurous clientele. The manager, a short lemming, further expanded on that by telling them to consider themselves on a private island where the laws of America didn't exactly apply, an oasis of liberty where people who could afford it could indulge themselves, so long as they remained on the building's properties. And it had a lot of properties. A private harbor was near the private beach, where multi-million dollar yachts, sailboats, and charter boats were moored or anchored. The building had a private golf course, tennis courts, gym, running track, rock-climbing wall, four pools, a water park, miniature golf, and a small amusement park for the children of the tenants. The condo building and its compound took up nearly a quarter of the island, an elite retreat for the rich, isolated from the nation without leaving it, and treating its tenants like royalty.

It was the time-share of the rich, catered to and for the rich, and it was four days of absolute bliss.

Kit and Jessie didn't even leave the condo for two days after they arrived. They spent the time together, from sitting in front of that huge TV watching DVDs ordered from the concierge to enjoying the hot tub at night, looking out over a moonlit ocean. Napping on the couch, sitting on the floor nude as they ate delivered Chinese and threw noodles at each other like children, making love, sitting at the table on the balcony reading books and newspapers as they let the warm Florida breezes invigorate them, they had no desire to leave the condo until the third day, Monday. On that day, they took a helicopter tour of the Florida keys in the morning, Kit introduced Jessie to one of the games he liked to play, tennis, and they spent the afternoon sitting on the beach, under a huge beach umbrella that protected them from the heat of the sun while they enjoyed the salty breezes. Jessie actually shocked him by wearing the bikini he'd bought for her as a joke out of the condo, and he couldn't keep his eyes off her when she took off her wrap and sat down on her beach chair and picked up a novel and read it. She was just so unbelievably sexy wearing that bikini, the first time he'd ever seen her to look sexier wearing something than she was nude. He couldn't keep his eyes off her–neither could any male that happened by their beach chairs, for that matter–and she seemed to soak up his attention like a puppy, unable to not grin like a misbehaving child when she looked at him. She drove him wild with that bikini, until he just couldn't take it anymore, all but dragged her back up to their condo, and made wild, passionate love to her.

And there were the pictures. Jessie finally relented to give him his pictures, pictures of her in the nude in tasteful, elegant, sensual poses, nothing nasty or pornographic, but she also demanded nude pictures of him. He obliged her, having as much fun taking the pictures as he did taking pictures of her, and then they marked the camera they used to prevent them from using it for anything else, and also knowing exactly which memory card held those most private of pictures.

The other reason he was glad Vil lent them the condo was because it was a gated community, closed to the public… and that mattered. News of Kit's marriage did hit the tabloids, and speculation surfaced that the estranged Vulpan family might be on the verge of reconciliation. It was common knowledge that he'd married a cat, a major affront to the purist Vulpan family, but it also became known that the elders of the Vulpan family had attended his private and very secret wedding ceremony at the Holy Cross, so secret it was held in the dead of night, and the outcast Vulpan literally flew in, drove to the church, married, then drove right back to the airport and flew out. Those conflicting signals confused many in the tabloid community, him doing something his family would oppose violently yet having them at his wedding, and set the gossip columnists and ambush reporters into an absolute frenzy to try to get the truth of what was going on. Kit surfed the gossip internet sites on Tuesday and was highly amused by it, one site going so far as to hint that the Vulpans were invited to the wedding and had no idea Kit was marrying a cat, that it was an ambush and Kit's last act of defiance… because the rogue Vulpan left Boston in a great hurry after the ceremony and was currently in an undisclosed location…

It amused him a little bit, seeing all that speculation on gossip sites that covered it. He knew it was going to happen, and he was also glad that he wasn't anywhere near home for a while. No doubt they were camped outside the apartment complex looking for them.

He was sitting at the table on the balcony on a warm, sunny Tuesday morning, wearing nothing but a pair of swim trunks, going over it. Tricoon had delivered the video and pictures of the wedding by express courier just a bit ago, and Kit had his laptop out, watching it with Jessie sitting on his lap, wearing a more modest blue two-piece bikini that was practical for going in the water, her tail swishing back and forth as they watched from the beginning. They'd done a fantastic job so far, professionally edited footage from multiple cameras that began with Jessie's arrival, showed her getting ready in the antechamber with her bridesmaids and her mother, as Jessie tried to ignore the camera as she fidgeted with her little tiara and the veil that it held, and as Sandy was making all kinds of dirty jokes about their wedding night. Kit was surprised when Jessie shot back with a rather naughty comment that there was nothing they could possibly do on their wedding night they hadn't already done, which make Kit erupt into laughter and made Jessie's fur stand on end from head to toe.

"I can't believe she put that in the video!" she gasped in embarrassment.

"I dunno, I liked it. I love seeing you get all huffy," he chuckled, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her closer.

The video then showed him arriving, greeting the Monsignor, and him milling around, looking both nervous and excited, talking to anyone who came close to him. Then the video panned through many of the guests. When the Governor arrived, the video cameras caught it, and they caught him shaking Vil's paw and kissing her on the cheek.

"It's so strange to see it from another point of view," Kit noted.

"It's nice to see what I missed staying in the room," Jessie laughed.

The video then more or less fast forwarded to the ceremony itself. They watched the ceremony from three camera angles, one behind, and one to each side of the altar which surprised Kit quite a bit. He didn't remember them talking about setting cameras there, and he didn't see them. But, they were good angles, and to his surprise they zoomed in and out as if they'd had a paw there using them. "They had to be remote controlled," he realized. "They had a pretty big video board up in the balcony, I'll bet the raccoon up there was running the cameras."

"I've never seen remote control cameras," Jessie mused.

"They have ones that have basic little remote functions. These must be some pretty expensive cameras to have that kind of remote control ability."

Kit held his wife closely, her proximity and the fact she was sitting on his lap wearing a bikini getting to him, stroking the fur on her slender stomach as they watched the ceremony. Jessie kept twisting her wedding ring around her finger as they watched, as if to remind herself that it was there, then she gave a contented little sigh when she heard herself say I do. They watched the ceremony end, and then saw them standing there for a moment as their guests applauded and took pictures, as Endless Love played, dubbed into the background with the audio. The camera at the end of the aisle got a great shot of them coming back down the aisle at the end of the ceremony, and then the handheld camera the femme raccoon used captured video of them standing in the front of the church for a final picture opportunity.

"We sure didn't give them much time," Jessie giggled. "When Jim and Penny were married, their video people held them at the church for nearly an hour. They were soooo late getting to the reception!"

"They seem to have coped very well," Kit noted.

"Who? My aunt and uncle?"

"No, the raccoons," he said, motioning at his laptop. "Your script didn't allow for extended photo shoots."

She giggled "Vil's suggestion. She said that if I made it clear we'd be first to the reception to greet the guests, it set the tone for the video people that we meant business. Where are the pictures?"

"They sent us DVDs for now. This note says we'll get the photographs and the albums when we get back home," he told her, holding up a letter included with the package. "Mike and Lilly's pictures are in here, too," he said, holding up two other DVDs. I need to send them our pictures," he said with a husky tone, sliding his paw up and down her stomach.

"Don't you dare!" she giggled, slapping his paw. "Those are our pictures, and nobody else had better see them but us!"

"Hmm, I may have mixed the other pictures in with them on that memory card," he mused.

"You better not," she warned. "If you used that camera for anything else, I'll erase that card, I swear!"

"Then I'll just have to take the pictures over again," he breathed, reaching behind her and pulling on the strings of her bikini top, undoing the knot.

"Always trying to get me out of my clothes!" Jessie accused with a giggle as Kit undid the knot, causing the bottom of her bikini top to drift away from her very shapely chest.

"Just keeping you pretty," he teased, pushing her top aside to put his paw on the delights it concealed.

Her breath caught in her throat. "Kit, baby, we have an appointment, remember?" she said in a protesting voice, but she did nothing to stop him, and she began to purr.

"Not until ten," he retorted, sliding his paw down to the waist of her bottom and snagging the material, sensually sliding his fingers under it.

She gave a shivering sound. "I'm willing if your back can take it," she cooed in his ear.

He laughed against her neck and shoulder. "I'm gonna be spending our time in Cincinnati wearing a heating pad strapped to my back," he admitted. "A bed that's too soft and a wife I have to satisfy… I'm gonna be in sorry shape come the time we go home."

"Oh, no, don't blame that on me," she teased. "Just who untied my top and started pawing me?"

"And who tackled me in the kitchen yesterday and all but raped me right there on the floor?"

"You can't rape a boy. They're always willing."

"You sure as hell tried to prove that wrong," he teased.

Jessie laughed, burying her face against his neck. "I thought you'd enjoy it," she told him apologetically. "You know, me being all wild and wanton," she added with a giggle. "Give you some memories of our honeymoon, since this wasn't where our physical relationship started."

"Memories are good. Scars, well, that's another story."

She laughed. "I guess I'm giving you quantity to make up for not being able to give you those memories. I don't think we've ever had so much sex in three days."

"I'm more than willing to go for the record," he hummed, sliding more of his paw into her bikini bottom and making her gasp.

She grabbed his wrist and quite deliberately pulled his paw out of her bikini, then got up off his lap. "Well, you're going to finish what you just started, my handsome fox," she told him in a playful yet authoritative tone, pulling him up out of the chair and dragging him into the condo. "I think it's time I give you another reason to get excited at the idea of leather sofas," she grinned.

"Oh, be still my heart," he breathed.

They snuggled on the couch afterward, and Jessie seemed bold enough to ask him about Suzy. "I could tell she still loves you when I met her," she told him, rolling over on top of him and rising up, her paws on his chest as she looked down at him. "Did she talk to you about it?"

"Sorta. She admitted it, but also said she wanted to move on. She has a boyfriend now I think she hopes will propose to her," he answered, unable to resist fondling her breasts with them right there and so deliciously available. She laughed and dropped down onto his chest, giving him a long kiss.

"I thought we just took care of this little problem," she teased.

"That's a task you'll be working on for the rest of your life," he answered.

"I can handle it."

"So can I," he said, squeezing her breasts deliberately.

She laughed helplessly, then she gave him a playful kiss. "We spent two whole days making love, I would like to spend our last day here at least seeing more of this place than the beach and tennis courts."

"Why Misses Vulpan, are you saying you don't love me anymore?" he said with a mock gasp.

"I'm saying I can love you when we get back from the tour," she grinned, opening her maw and biting him lightly, playfully, across his nose and muzzle. "Now heel."

"I'm a fox, not a dog. Foxes don't heel," he challenged.

"Neither do cats, but I'll have to give you the rough side of my tongue if you don't obey," she warned with a mischievous grin.

"Oh, I'm so afraid of a naked femme," he chided, slapping her bare bottom to accent his point.

She took her tongue and grated it right over his nose. She'd never done anything like that before, even when they french kissed, so the middle and back of her tongue, which were very rough, assaulted his tender nose with a sensation that was both unusual and actually painful. She'd licked him before, and licked him in some very sensitive spots, but she'd never licked him so hard, with so much force before, and it gave him an appreciation of what a cat's rough tongue was capable of doing. He'd bet that she could scour the skin off his nose with that tongue if she was serious about it. He struggled under her, his arms windmilling wildly as that tongue tried to strip the skin off his nose, and when she finished, he very nearly sneezed before he burst into helpless laughter. "Now, don't make me do that again," she winked.

"I've never felt anything like that before!" he gasped as he fought for air.

"I'm a cat, baby," she teased, digging her claws into his chest and sides lightly to remind him of that fact. "All my best weapons are always with me. Now don't make me give you the rough side of my tongue again. Behave."

"But I liked that punishment!" he protested. "Do it again," he said with a grin.

"If you keep it up, I'll do that someday when I'm doing something else for you."

His eyes widened, and he shuddered almost involuntarily. "Okay, now that is a threat," he laughed. "I'll be good."

"Don't be too good," she said impishly. "You make life fun with your antics and shenanigans."

"Now I feel like I married an English professor," he said seriously.

Jessie grabbed a pillow and bopped him with it. "You did," she shot back.

"Oh. That explains it. You're pretty hot for an English professor, you know that?"

She laughed helplessly.

The helicopter tour was breathtaking, flying them down to Key West along the land route, U.S. One, which went from key to key along bridges that connected each one to the mainland. In Key West, they and the other couple, a pair of martens, were treated to a carriage-ride tour of the city and lunch at one of the most exclusive restaurants in town. They then toured Ernest Hemingway's house and were given two hours for shopping or personal sightseeing before the helicopter returned them to Marathon. Kit made sure to collect on Jessie's promise when they returned.

She was right about one thing… they were having an awful lot of sex. Maybe she was right and they were just making it feel like a honeymoon with quantity, since their honeymoon wasn't about the traditional reason of the pair getting to know each other physically. But for him, it was just one simple idea; she was his wife. That got him so turned on it wasn't funny, and he couldn't keep his paws off her… and she certainly seemed to be quite willing to succumb to his attentions. He had no idea why it got him so excited, but it did. Just knowing that that fine example of female cat was now his wife just made him want to touch her, and that touch made him want to kiss her, then undress her, then make love to her. Even the most casual contact between them could initiate a heated, passionate session of lovemaking, and it soothed his ego a little that he wasn't the only one that seemed vulnerable. Yesterday, the simple act of pulling Jessie's hair away from her face was what caused her to take him on the kitchen floor.

Maybe it was knowing that they'd be going from a condo where they could make love anytime, anywhere, to her parents' house, where they'd be much more restricted was what was making them both so bandy.

They watched the wedding video again in bed, laying on their stomachs side by side with the laptop in front of them. Jessie had her chin and muzzle supported on her paws, kicking her foot back and forth behind her, ghosting her tail over his back and legs as it swished back and forth. They smiled and commented and laughed and gasped through the second viewing of the video, then Kit loaded up the picture DVDs and they went through them all, both the Tricoon pictures and the ones that Lilly and Mike sent them. They laughed quite a bit, because the gang all had great senses of humor and they weren't afraid to show it for a camera. Lilly and Marty had decided to mimic the cake feeding tradition, but their idea of it was to smash pieces of cake into each other's faces, leaving them both a mess. There was also a good picture of Sheila and Muffy basically fighting over Ben, both of them hanging off him and kissing him on each cheek as Sheila pushed at Muffy's shoulder and Muffy poked one of her short claws into the side of Sheila's neck. They got a picture of Kevin and Sam, Sam holding up the bouquet, while giving each other a cool, speculative look. There was a great picture of Rick dancing with Hannah, and a picture of Jeffrey threatening to stab Sandy with one of the model replicas of a gladius that was on one of the tables.

"Oh!" Kit gasped.

"What?"

"I forgot to check the website," he said, minimizing the picture viewer and bringing up his web browser. The condo had wireless through the whole compound, and it had taken all of two minutes when they arrived for them to add their laptops to the network. He brought up the magazine's website, and there it was, just as Mike threatened. A picture of Kit and Jessie kissing at the end of the wedding ceremony, with lettering above and below the picture. Kit and Jessie Vulpan graced the top, and below that was It's about damn time! There was an article posted on the website, written by both Barry and Lilly from the bylines. It described the wedding in detail, and made note of the fact that it was attended by quite a few notable people. They'd put up a bunch of pictures from the wedding on the website as well, but there wasn't a single pictures on the site that they hadn't sent on the DVD… except for one. It was a picture of Jessie putting on the garter that Kit threw at the reception, with her beautiful gown hiked all the way up to her thigh as she pulled the garter into place.

"Ooooh, be still my heart," Kit said as he checked out the picture, and Jessie's cheeks ruffled.

"That rat! I told her not to use that picture!" she complained.

"And you believed her? Hon, we gotta talk," he laughed.

"At least my hose doesn't let any of the perverts see anything," she fumed.

"But it gives away the shape of those lovely legs," he teased.

"Not another word, or you won't touch those legs again for a week," she said primly.

"I have pictures of them. And better things," he winked.

"Yeah? Well, remember, buster, I have pictures of you too!" she reminded him. "If you don't want me to send some really revealing pictures to the tabloids, you'll watch your step."

Kit laughed. "Oooh, so we've resorted to blackmail already?"

"It's not blackmail. It's the tactical use of available assets to gain an advantage over your opponent. Vil says so," she said with a grin.

"I knew there was a good reason to keep you away from my family," he sighed. "You're just too young and impressionable."

"I'm only seven months younger than you!" she protested.

"That's a lifetime for some," he noted sagely.

She reached over and swatted him on the snout. "Bad fox!" she admonished. "Be nice to your wife!"

"But I like being punished," he protested.

"I think I need to find punishments you don't enjoy," she said musingly. "Duct tape, maybe."

"Pft, that would rock if you used it right," he suggested with a naughty tilt to his voice.

"Mmm-hmm. Then I pull it off you," she noted.

Kit shuddered. "Alright, I take that one back."

"Thought so," she said with a teasing smile, then she leaned over and nuzzled his muzzle. Then she opened her jaws and clamped them down over his snout, forcing his head down. Jessie was a biter. She always had been, and this kind of bite, a clamping bite, was an impulse she often had, but had become much more prevalent in the days since they were married, now that Jessie felt that she was fully and completely his wife and lifemate. She would clamp her jaws on parts of him, most often his muzzle or neck, and hold onto him, or force him in a direction she preferred. It was behavior he'd expect from a wolf or a fox, but not from a cat… and was one of the subtle ways her fox side showed itself. Foxes too were biters, and clamping was an instinctual behavior among mates. Her jaws forced his head to the bed, which made her giggle at dominating him, then she rewarded him for his obedience by kissing him on the top of his muzzle. "You big faker," she taunted. "Acting all big, but you knuckle to me without a fight."

"And threaten my lifetime supply of the sexiest femme on earth? Dream on," he said calmly. "Besides, I didn't realize we were going to fight like animals for dominance in this marriage."

"Only over certain things," she said, then she began to purr as she nuzzled the top of his head. He winced slightly when she bit his right ear and held on, but she let go and lowered her head, clamped her jaws over his snout, and pulled to urge him to raise his head off the bed. She was just flaunting it now, teasing him by flagrantly controlling him. But she again rewarded him for his obedience, letting go of him and kissing him, which turned into a laugh when he flinched away, opened his jaws, and clamped them down over her shorter snout. Jessie could barely fit her jaws over his snout, but Kit had no trouble getting a firm grip on her muzzle, and he didn't let go of her. Kit had her jaws locked shut from his grip on her, exerting just enough force to hold her jaws shut without hurting her, so when she tried to talk, she had to do it through clenched teeth. "Leggo," she ordered. When he didn't release her, she slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Kit, leggoame," she commanded. "Kit! Leggo, you're scarinme!" Kit couldn't speak with his jaws pried open like that, but he exerted just a tiny bit of pressure on her muzzle, which made her flinch slightly. "Kit, leggopleeze!"

He released her. She flinched away and opened her mouth, rotating her jaw side to side as her paw checked her snout and chin for puncture holes, then she glared at him. "That wasn't funny!" she complained.

"All you had to do was say please," he said with a slight, evil little smile.

"Oh, so you wanna play, do you?" she called, then she lunged at him. Kit fought her off with paws pushing at her shoulders, but she overwhelmed him, rolled him over, then pinned him down with her paws on his shoulders and her weight holding him down, her legs straddling his stomach and legs, her tail writhing behind her. "Now who owns you, Mister Vulpan?" she demanded, grabbing his wrists and pushing them down to the bed over his head. "Huh? Who owns you? Come on, say it! You're not getting up until you do!"

"Well, I've leased myself out to you with the option to buy," he answered. "The rate was quite favorable and I could live with the down payment. But you never know, some rich old lady might come along and try to execute a hostile takeover."

She gave him a startled look, unready for such a response, then she laughed. "Lease? I didn't lease you, you silly male, I won you. I own you! You're my trophy husband, after all! Soon, I'll start my plan to steal your family fortune, then I'll have to decide if I want to keep you," she winked.

"Oooh, and what if you do?"

"I guess I'll have to take you to Costa Rica or some other tropical getaway and crush your will by offering you unlimited love and devotion. Oh, and sex, of course. Lots of that," she winked.

"You know me well," he said in a mock serious voice, as if he were addressing a business rival. "I might have to find a way to torpedo that attempt at a hostile takeover."

"You'd better," she said with a teasing smile, dipping down and kissing him. Then, with a laugh, she clamped her jaws down on his nose and the end of his muzzle.

"Next time, dear, use a different angle and clamp my jaws shut," he said, took in his breath, then blew into her mouth, hard. The sudden air startled her into letting go. "Or that happens," he chided, pushing her head away from him with a paw to her upper chest.

She laughed and wiped her mouth with the back of her paw. "That was a creepy feeling."

"Live and learn."

One of their phones was ringing. Kit reached over Jessie and grabbed the ringing one off the nightstand and saw that it was Vil. "It's Vil," he said, putting it on speaker and holding the phone in front of both of them. "Hey sis," he called.

"Sorry to disturb you two, but I had to call," she said, her voice a little tinny through the speaker. "Having fun down there?"

"Your condo is awesome, Vil!" Jessie gushed.

"Yeah, I like it. Did you try the six hour sailboat excursion?"

"No, we took the helicopter tour and shopping trip to Key West," Jessie answered.

"Ooh, that must be new," she mused. "Then again, last time I was there it was summer, they offer different things at different times of year. You pregnant yet, Jessie?"

She laughed. "I'm trying!"

"She's really trying," Kit noted, which made Vil laugh and Jessie smack him on the shoulder.

"Ah, so, you really did have a honeymoon," Vil teased.

"Oh, did we," Jessie giggled, her cheeks ruffling. "It's not over yet though," she said teasingly.

"Well, it's a tiny bit shorter," she said. "There's been a schedule change. I refunded your commercial tickets because I rearranged my schedule, and I'm coming to get you myself. I've already contacted the concierge and building staff about it and made the arrangements. Tomorrow at eleven you're getting on a helicopter for Miami. I should be on the ground by the time you get there, so we'll be on our way to Cincinnati. All the gifts you bought are already there, I put them on my plane and had them fly them over after I got home."

"Thanks."

"No problem bro. Sheila is going to come, just to warn you," she told them.

"I don't see a problem with that," Jessie said.

"You will the first time she catches Ben under the mistletoe," Kit chuckled.

"Ben's a big boy, he can handle her."

"Jessie, no male can handle Sheila when she's being militant," Vil said seriously. "It'll be up to your mother to keep those two separate."

"Oh, I'm not too worried," Jessie giggled.

"So, remember guys, schedule change. Be ready to leave by ten thirty, and in case you forget, I've arranged to have the concierge call you tomorrow morning and remind you that you're leaving."

"I'm going to miss this place, it has everything," Jessie sighed.

"Oh, don't worry too much about that," she said. "You won't be living in squalor for long."

"Huh? Vil, what did you do?" he demanded.

"Me? I didn't do a thing," she said, a little too sweetly. "See you tomorrow little bro, and brand new sis," she said, then she hung up.

"That little–" Kit grunted, but Jessie put her paw over his and looked at him.

"Leave her alone," she said. "She enjoys pampering you, and it's Christmas."

"Oh come on, pretty kitty, I thought you understood."

"I do understand. You don't want money to poison us, and it never will. But look at it this way, love. Vil enjoys giving you the things she believes you deserve but were denied. Right?"

"Yeah, she does, but I don't want it."

"You mean to say you haven't enjoyed this condo?" she asked archly.

He laughed. "Okay, you got me there. This place is awesome."

"So, as long as she doesn't give us money, and she doesn't try to make us move away from the complex, why worry?"

He laughed. "Well, that's a point, I suppose."

"I'm going to ask her for a favor."

"What?"

"Well, Lupe's going to move us into the new buildings. Since they have to build them, I think I'll ask to see if we can't get a hot tub like the one here," she said, her cheeks ruffling. "We can pay her back a little at a time."

"You just said the magic words, love," he said with relief.

"What?"

"Pay her back. That makes me totally confident about it now. You really aren't letting all this go to your head," he noted, motioning at the luxurious room.

"Well, it is nice here," she admitted. "And I could get used to living in a place like this. But I also love our apartment, and our friends, and I don't want to leave them. Vil tried to get me to talk you into letting her give us a house," she admitted, "but I told her no. Partly because I knew you'd never do that, but also because I'm happy in our apartment. I love living right near Lupe and Dan and Mickey, and being so close to the campus and sorority so the girls don't have to go far to come see me. We have great friends, we have a great life. I want to keep it the way it is."

"I love you," he said honestly, nuzzling her by putting his muzzle under her chin and pushing up against her.

"Prove it," she teased lightly as he started nipping and biting gently at her neck.

"You're gonna have to wait a while, but eventually I'll do just that," he promised.

She laughed. "So I finally wore you out, eh? I knew I could do it eventually! Now I can get some sleep!"

"It only took three days. Doesn't that count for something for my ego?"

She giggled. "Your ego should be very proud of itself. It acquitted itself with full honors."

"It'll feel better once it gets you pregnant," he noted. "It's a major blow to my ego that I can't give you the one thing you want."

"Aww, you're so sweet," she gushed, nudging him with her shoulder. "What do you want to do tonight after we go on that scuba trip and have dinner down in the restaurant? The last night of our honeymoon," she noted. "We could go see that Broadway show, you know."

"I wouldn't mind trying to give you what you want," he said teasingly.

"You just made a deal," she hummed in her throat, and began to purr as he nibbled lightly at her ear.


Jessie was one cat that didn't mind water.

Kit, despite being from Boston, was actually a very good swimmer. It was easy when one spent lots of vacations in the tropics and had an indoor, heated, private pool. But Jessie showed that she bought her swimming two-piece out of experience, not out of fashion sense. The swimming two-piece was still sexy, but it also was practical for swimming, and Jessie proved it. They went scuba diving at one of the reefs off the keys, and Kit was amused at how they did it here. Usually one had to take several lessons to scuba dive, but Jessie received a two hour crash course in scuba diving, and when they went on it, trained scuba divers escorted them closely at all times… most likely to make up for the lack of individual training. There was a trained diver literally at arm's length for their diving adventure, swimming along a shallow coral reef, seeing quite a few colorful fish, and even seeing two rays and a small nurse shark.

They got back from the scuba excursion around five, and they showered to get the salt out of their fur and hair, dressed in very nice clothes–him his black suit and Jessie in a very sexy black dress she'd bought in Key West–and went to the five star restaurant down on the second floor of the building. The food was absolutely heavenly, the wine selection was outstanding, and the dining room was serenaded by a pianist at a grand piano on a raised pedestal in the center of the dining room. The entire pedestal raised and lowered, and also slowly rotated, which made Kit muse that they must interview quite a few pianists to find professionals good enough to play here without getting motion sickness up there.

Kit just thanked God he didn't have to pay for the meal. They were there on Vil's private account, everything they did paid for by her… and it was a damn good thing, for the cost of that meal was nearly a thousand dollars. The waitress brought him a check, and then the skunk realized that she'd made a mistake and took it back with a ruffled face and about fifty apologies.

"How much was it?" Jessie asked curiously.

"You don't want to know," he said seriously.

Kit kept the wine. At four hundred dollars, he was damn well taking the whole bottle with him, and he wouldn't have wine of that quality again for many years.

They finished that bottle of wine up in their room, and they ended up going to bed early, but getting to sleep late.

The next morning, they had to get ready. The concierge called them at nine o'clock and gently reminded them that they had an eleven o'clock appointment to be picked up by a helicopter to fly them to Miami, and offered housekeeping servants to come help them pack their belongings and get ready to go. Kit declined the offer politely, and they regretfully packed their suitcases, put out their cold-weather clothes and shoes, and Jessie wrote a little thank-you note to the maids that came in and tidied up for them while they were there, then apologized for not having a tip for them to which they'd be accustomed given what kind of place it was.

Kit didn't have the heart to tell her that their tips were covered in Vil's account.

A steward pushed their luggage cart for them as they left Vil's condo, and he went down to the condo building manager and returned the key to him. "You still have nearly thirty minutes, Mister Vulpan, Misses Vulpan," the rabbit told them with a smile. "Perhaps you'd enjoy some breakfast before you go?"

"I am a little hungry," Jessie noted. "Would that be alright, since we're kinda not guests here now? And can we afford it, Kit?"

The manager laughed. "Madam, you're the brother and sister-in-law of one of our most important permanent owners," he told her simply. "If I didn't show you the hospitality you're due, she'd sell her condo and find other accommodations, and I won't stand for it. Miss Vulpan has always been one of our most prestigious and most thoughtful and pleasant tenants. To lose her would be devastating to the building and quite a blow to the people who work here, who always look forward to her visits."

"And her tips," Kit noted.

"Which is one reason why they're always glad to see her," he agreed with a smile. "The entire staff loves her, and they'd kill me if I snubbed her brother at the end of his honeymoon. Now, if you were the brother of one of the time-share tenants," he mused and trailed off, which made both of them laugh.

"Sounds like we need to sneak down here without telling Vil someday," Jessie said with a sly look at Kit.

The manager laugh. "Misses Vulpan, you're more than welcome to do just that. I can put you up in a special condo we keep available for special guests, and I'm sure we can reach agreements over reduced rates and fees for our services for you."

"We might have to do that, Kit!" Jessie beamed. "This place is fantastic!"

"I'm overjoyed you enjoyed your stay here with us, Misses Vulpan. Now, let's get you some proper breakfast before you begin your trip. Going home?"

"Going to visit my parents for Christmas," she answered as the manager led them from his office.

"Ah, going to the arctic tundra, from the look of you."

She laughed. "Cincinnati," she told him.

"For a Florida lemming like myself, that is the arctic tundra."

The manager treated them to a breakfast of quiche and freshly squeezed orange juice, and then walked them personally to the helipad. He even helped the steward load their luggage onto the commuter helicopter. "I do hope you come enjoy another visit with us," the manager said, shaking their paws, then he helped them into the helicopter and stepped back with the steward to watch them take off.

The flight up to Miami was uneventful. They landed at the Miami International Airport about a half hour after leaving Marathon Key, and there was a limousine waiting at the helipad. A burly badger took their luggage from the pilot as he unloaded it, and then told them he'd take them to the hangar. Kit thought it was a bit silly to ride a limo from a helipad to a hangar, but that was how they'd went when they got here, so they were doing it again going back. The badger ferried them across the airport on a five minute trip, and the limo pulled up to a private hangar in an annex off the main terminal area. "Miss Vulpan is on final approach now," the badger told them as he opened the door for them and helped Jessie out. "Her flight was caught up by a ground delay that put the entire airport behind schedule. "Oh no, allow me, Mister Vulpan," he said as Kit picked up one of their suitcases.

"You don't have enough paws to carry everything, and there's nothing wrong with my arm," Kit told him.

"Me either," Jessie said with a smile as she shouldered their carry-on bag, holding their important things, their cameras, and both their laptops.

The badger chuckled and closed the trunk with two suitcases. "Very well, follow me please."

They were given seats in a small lounge as they waited, but they didn't have to wait for more than ten minutes before a member of the hangar staff came in. "Miss Vulpan's jet is just outside and waiting to board you," the black-furred rat told them with a short nod. "Please come with me."

The jet was sitting outside of the hangar, its engines still running as a fuel truck refilled its fuel tanks. The hatch was open and stairs were down, and Vil was standing in the hatchway. She waved to them excitedly when the rat led them out onto the tarmac. "You'll be passing in front of the engines," he called loudly over the noise. "You're going to follow me, but please listen as I give you a little safety briefing concerning operating around a jet with its engines going. Remember to always approach the jet from the nose and don't go past the stairs. There's no danger at all as long as you stay on the far side of the stairs from the engines. It's going to be noisy. I can get you earplugs if you'd like."

"We'll be fine. Where is our luggage?"

"I have workers bringing your luggage as soon as you've boarded," he answered. "Three suitcases and a garment bag, right?"

"That's right."

"Alright then, follow me please."

The rat led them to the jet from the nose side, and then helped Jessie up the steps. Vil hugged her as she reached the hatch then ushered her inside, then she hugged Kit. Her panther bodyguards were in the jet, sitting on the chairs near the hatch, but Vil led them past them and towards the couch. "Close the hatch, Avery!" she shouted to the captain as she pulled Kit into the jet.

"But our luggage–"

"We have cargo doors, silly," she told him. "You're looking good! Did you like my condo?"

"I want to move in there," Jessie laughed. "I never knew a place like that existed! It was like a cruise ship on dry land, and you own your stateroom!"

"Yeah, it's awesome," Vil agreed as she had them sit down. "That condo cost me six million dollars, but it's worth it," she noted, which made Jessie's eyes bulge. "Sorry I'm late, there was some equipment thing that kept us from landing."

"You and everyone else, from what the hangar people told us," Kit added. "Oh, did you get a copy of the wedding video?"

"Of course I did!" she laughed. "Did it get to you?"

They nodded. "We have it with us."

"You get some pictures of Key West?"

"Yeah, and we took a lot of pictures of the condo's areas too, and the manager reminded us not to let anyone see them," Jessie laughed.

"Yeah, they take privacy very, very seriously there. You can't even show pictures of the grounds to people who aren't owners or relatives of owners. So, show me your pics!" she demanded with a grin.

They fished their video camera and the camera they used out and showed them the pictures they took on the camera's viewing screen. "We haven't put them on DVD yet. The scuba guys had an underwater camera and they took some pictures of our scuba dive," Jessie said, digging a DVD out of the carry-on. "That was so much fun!"

"Oh, I never did that when I was there. I was too chicken," she laughed as Jessie dug a laptop out of the bag and booted it up. The jet began to move as Jessie put the DVD in the drive and accessed the pictures. "We went with another couple, a pair of wolves that were from California," she said. "They totally snubbed us when they found out were weren't rich," Jessie laughed, pointing at a picture the divers took of all four of them in the water, near the boat.

"We'll be taking off in a few minutes," Avery's voice called over the intercom. One of Vil's bodyguards picked up her teacup and hurried it back to the galley.

"Thank you, Stav," she called to him, then pointed to the monitor. "Wow, Jess, you look awesome in that bikini."

"Thanks Vil," she said with her cheeks ruffling slightly. "Look, here's one of the stingrays we saw at the reef, the diver caught a pic of it. Oh, and they said this big floating jellyfish is called a Portuguese Man-O-War. They said it's dangerous, so they kept us away from it. They even moved our dive site further away because it was drifting where they wanted to take us. I guess it has a bad sting."

"Got me. I was a business major, not biology."

"I was history," Kit chuckled. "If the professionals think it's bad, that's good enough for me."

The plane took off as Jessie showed Vil the diving pictures, then she dug into the carry-on and came up with a toy ukulele on a little stand, with Vilenne written on the neck. "Here, we got you this in Key West to put on your desk," Jessie told her with a smile. "Merry Christmas."

Vil laughed. "If this is all you got me for Christmas after everything I did for you, you're in soooo much trouble!"

Kit and Jessie both laughed. "We got you a rock too," Kit told her.

"Oh, I'm so blessed. Did you buy this rock, or was it something you picked up out of the golf cart path?"

"You'll see. We wrapped it for you."

Vil looked through the pictures and video again as her panther bodyguards served them tea and small sandwiches, then opened up the big TV screen that folded into the roof of the plane and started a DVD of The Shawshank Redemption that Jessie had bought in Key West. Vil's brow raised noticeably, and she handed Kit the small silver camera they'd used for their private pictures. "I don't think I need to see those," she said delicately, which made Kit laugh and Jessie's entire body of fur stand on end.

"I knew those wouldn't stay private!" she complained.

"Relax, I saw him, not you," Vil winked. "He's gotten a little more impressive since the last time I saw him naked, but it's still nothing I haven't seen before."

Kit's cheeks ruffled, and Jessie erupted into laughter.

"I suggest you pull that memory card and hide it. Hannah seems like the snooping type to me," Vil suggested delicately.

"That's a good idea," Jessie said, pulling the small memory card out of the camera and reaching for her purse.

"Well, I'm glad you seem to have had fun while you were there," she added with a mischievous wink.

"You should see the video," Kit said in a deadpan voice. "It's a good thing they don't enforce American law there, or we'd both be going up the river for years after what we did to that poor chipmunk."

Vil gave him a startled look, then exploded into laughter. "That's another reason why I sent you there, so you could be wild and uninhibited," she grinned.

"We were about as wild as a box of corn flakes, thank you very much," Jessie said primly, stuffing the memory card deep into her purse and putting it back on the floor by the couch.

"I think those pictures on that card say you were as wild as a box of Rice Krispies, not Corn Flakes," she winked.

Kit laughed despite himself.

It took them about three hours to get to Cincinnati, landing in a cold, miserable drizzle. Airport workers unloaded their luggage into a waiting limo that pulled up by the plane on the tarmac, and one of the panthers held an umbrella for Vil as they disembarked. Kit held an umbrella for Jessie, carrying their bag as she carried her purse, moving quickly to the limo. Kit climbed in beside Jessie on the seat facing Vil, their backs to the driver, and one of the panthers got in with Vil as the other one got in the front seat. "Take us to the Williams house," Vil ordered. "You two are staying there, aren't you?"

"Well, nobody's said we're not," Jessie laughed.

"From feast to famine," Vil said with a sly little smile.

"Oh, hush," Jessie replied primly.

Vil called ahead and warned Jessie's parents they were coming, and they arrived about twenty minutes later, as the rain began to pound down with surprising vehemence. The panthers and the driver escorted them up to the front door with umbrellas, where John and Hannah were waiting for them on the porch of their rarely used front door. Jessie hugged her mother as Kit shook John's paw, then Hannah embraced him as well, patting him on the back. "I'm glad you made it safely, we were worried with this rain," she told him as the panthers and the driver brought their luggage up to the porch.

"It wasn't raining at all until we landed," he chuckled. "How was your flight back?"

"Boring, naturally. Your cousin arrived yesterday morning, she and Ben and Jenny are out at the mall right now," she informed him.

"Oh? Have you locked her in the basement yet?"

John laughed. "She's staying at the Sheraton, the closest hotel to here," he explained. "We're just out of room with you and Jessica here as well as Ben and Jenny. We offered her the couch, but she decided to go with a hotel."

"Well, that's not where I'm staying. I should pick her up," Vil said as she hugged John, then hugged Hannah. "I'm staying at the Cincinnatian."

"That's not a surprise, dear," Hannah chuckled.

"It's not quite what I'm used to, but I got curious about it from what I read about it when I was looking for rooms here. It's only four stars, after all," she said airily. "However will I manage such dismal accommodations?"

"Be nice," Kit warned.

"I'm just joking, bro, and they know it," she grinned.

"Yes, she only pretends to be a stuck-up snob," Hannah noted, which made Vil laugh. "Are you staying for dinner, dear?"

"I wish I could, Hannah, but I have a lot of work to do. I murdered my schedule for the wedding, and I'm still trying to catch up. I'll have to pass tonight, and probably tomorrow as well."

"But tomorrow's Christmas Eve!" she protested. "We always have a family dinner on Christmas Eve and open one present. You have to be here!"

"I–alright, I'll find time," she said with a nod. "What are you having?"

"We have a small ham on Christmas Eve and turkey on Christmas day," she answered.

"And leftovers for a month afterward," John added lightly.

"Do I need to bring anything?"

"Well, we keep no spirits in the house, so if you want wine, you have to bring your own."

"I'll bring a bottle," she said with a nod. "Oh, just one warning."

"Yes?"

"If I bring wine, and Sheila's there, she will want some."

"She's underage," Hannah said simply.

"That's a relative concept in our family, Hannah," Vil told her. "The Vulpan children have had wine with dinner since they were twelve. Some of us even younger. It's our tradition, just like the family dinner is your tradition. If you want, I won't bring any. But you have to know what's coming if I do, and be ready for it."

Hannah looked torn for a moment, then nodded. "She will not drive, though," she said. "If she takes a single sip, she will not leave this house under her own power."

"I'll pick her up and bring her to my hotel, so I can keep my thumb on her, Hannah," she informed them. "You have her cell number, bro?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, taking his phone out of his pocket. Vil read it and added it to her phone, then called her.

"Sheila. It's Vil. Fine, just listen a sec. Pack your stuff, I'm moving you to my hotel so you don't have to worry about getting back and forth. Well leave, silly femme, you can go again later tonight." She glanced at Hannah and smiled. "She's at the movies with your children," she said, then returned to the phone and listened a moment. "You can stop trying to weasel out of it, girl. You will be moving to my hotel, or I'll run you out of Cincinnati personally. I'm sure I'll find it. Go back to your room and pack your things and meet me in the lobby." She put her paw over the phone. "Do they still have taxis going here?"

"Of course dear, this isn't a backwater village," Hannah said with a smile.

"Okay, Ben and Jenny can either take a taxi back or they can go with us and I'll have the limo bring them home. See you in ten minutes." She turned off her Blackberry phone and put it back in her small purse. "I knew that was coming."

"What happened?" Jessie asked.

"She has mischief on her mind, that's what. She didn't want to come to my hotel, even though it's much more luxurious." She looked to one of her bodyguards. "Would you mind terribly escorting Ben and Jenny back?"

"Not at all, madam," he said with a nod.

"Thank you, Stav, you're always a lifesaver," she said to him gratefully.

"No need to usher the kids around, Mister Stav, they're grown and in their hometown. But don't worry about them, I'll follow you to the hotel and bring them home," John offered.

"That's very kind of you, sir, but unnecessary," he said, motioning with a large paw. "We can give them a ride in the limo, which they might enjoy."

"It's no trouble at all. And it gets me out of the house while Hannah works herself up to asking Jessie about her honeymoon," he grinned. "Or I could just go with you and ride in the limo myself," he proposed.

Hannah gave him a cold glare.

The panther laughed. "Well, if you insist."

"That's a deal, John," Vil agreed.

"No problem at all, let me get my coat and boots," he said, stepping back in and hurrying back to the laundry room, where they kept their outdoor gear.

"I'll see you all tomorrow afternoon, then," Vil said, giving Hannah another short hug, then she embraced Jessie and Kit at the same time, an arm over each of them. "I'm so glad to see that ring on your finger, little bro," she chuckled in his ear.

"You're next," he teased.

"The planet would explode if I ever got married," she snorted as the limo driver stepped up and prepared to cover her with an umbrella, and John returned with his boots and coat.

They came through the living room and kitchen, back to the laundry room that served as an entry area for the back door, and Kit took Jessie's coat for her and hung it on the rack by the door, then removed his own as she bent down and took off her shoes. Hannah took Kit's coat and hung it for him as he took his shoes off, then went back and picked up two of the suitcases from the porch and carried them up to Jessie's old room. Jessie was right behind him with the third suitcase, and Hannah carried the garment bag. "Is this–"

"No, Mom, it's not," she answered before she could finish. "I shipped my dress and Kit's tux to Rick the day after we got to Florida. I was going to just carry them, but Vil didn't want to take any undue risks with them. She had them shipped back to Texas like they were a Ming vase," she laughed. "We'll pick them up from him when we get home."

"What's in here then?"

"The dress I wore and the suit Kit wore in Boston. We're not quite as attached to those," she giggled.

"Amen," Kit grunted in approval. "I might burn that suit."

"Oh dear, tell me what happened, Kit."

"My sister invited my family to the ceremony in Boston," he grunted. "And I had no idea they were there. I literally saw them when the bishop led us in to begin the ceremony."

"Oh my. Why did she do that?"

"I still don't entirely understand why she did that," he said as he hung the garment bag in the closet. "I avoided murdering them if only because of the sanctity of the church," he said, glancing at Jessie, "and because this little trooper here did the talking for me," he added, which made her laugh.

"They were so arrogant and stuck-up, I just couldn't go without saying it," she told him.

"I think I need to hear this entire story in order," she noted.

"There wasn't much to it, Hannah," Kit said as he put a suitcase up on the bed and opened it. "The ceremony in Boston was already planned, to honor the wishes of my mother. Well, we get there and everything's fine outside the fact that the Archbishop of Boston is there to do the ceremony himself," he said with a frown.

"We walk in at the start of the ceremony, and they're all sitting on the pews by the altar," Jessie continued as she took a pawful of folded clothes from Kit and put them in the dresser. "They didn't disrupt the ceremony or anything, at least. They were quiet all the way through. After it was over, we just tried to get out, but Vil stopped us and his family came over while she was talking to us. They were so rude!" she said angrily. "You should have heard it, Mom! They just talked like they never did a single thing to him, and then all but demanding him to do what they wanted! Like he was just one of their servants!" she flared.

Kit put a paw on her shoulder, and she blew out her breath and nodded. "Right about there, this little soldier here went off on them. I was never more proud of her," he chuckled. "She dressed them down right there in the church and told them what they really were. I don't think anyone has ever talked to them like that," he chuckled. "But, they got what they wanted."

"How so, Kit?"

"They heard it from us that we don't want their damn money," he told her honestly. "Actually, they heard it from her," he corrected, patting Jessie on the shoulder. "That's what it's all about to them, Hannah. Money. I don't know if we told you, but the lawsuit's basically over."

"Jessie mentioned something about it. She didn't go into specifics, she just said that Vil had a lock."

"Yeah, it's over," Kit said. "We can't really say how or why, but it is. Vil's going to win, and that means I'll be named heir and executor of Dad's estate. That had my family in a panic, because the deal that split the family fortune up among them will get nullified when Vil wins the case. I'm the one that'll have all the money. Every penny."

"Ah. So, they began kissing up."

"No, they can't even do that, Hannah," he chuckled.

"You'd think they would, but you should have heard them, Mom! They talked like them disowning him had nothing to do with anything, and his aunt just basically ordered him to rejoin the family! You'd think that if you were in that position, you'd at least try to be nice to him! Their arrogance was absolutely unbelievable!"

"Love, the very idea that they'd have to submit to me is just beyond them," he told her. "I've broken from the family, and I married a cat. That one fact made me amazed that Uncle Zach didn't pull out a gun and try to shoot us right there in the cathedral. Zach is the most rabid purist that ever walked this earth. I'm amazed he could even manage to talk to me without trying to punch me in the nose."

"That's why he couldn't suck up to you. He's blinded by his hate, but not so blinded that he did something that would make you disown him," Hannah said after a brief moment. "Greed is more powerful than hate, but that hate tainted his attempts to be nice. So, what are you going to do with it, Kit?"

"Give it back. Every penny," he said honestly and immediately, giving another stack of clothes to Jessie. "I don't want that money, Hannah. It's a curse. It's tainted. It would never bring me any happiness. That money is why I have this," he said, pointing at his ear. "If I take it, it'll change my marriage, it'll change everyone around us, it'll even change my relationship with you. It's just not worth the baggage it comes with."

"It'll change those relationships either way when your friends find out you had it and gave it up."

"Not as much as it would if I had it and they knew it," he answered. "Money does things to furs, Hannah. It corrupts. It destroys. I don't want any part of it."

"I think you're not the only opinion here, Kit," Hannah told him. "I think Jessie has a say in this, or your vows don't mean that much, do they?"

"He's right, Mom," she said seriously. "When I saw the rest of his family, I finally understood what he's been saying all this time. Seeing it in action was like a slap in my face. He's right, he really is. The Vulpan family fortune is a curse, Mom, it's a curse that's destroyed his family. I don't want our marriage cursed, so I told his family myself that we don't want a dime of their fortune. I fully support his plan to just give the money back to them, because he's right."

"You're sure, dear? Think very carefully. I'll agree that when you have too much money, it changes you, but a small amount, invested wisely, could supplement your working income quite nicely and allow you to never worry about money."

"We already never have to worry about money, Mom," Jessie told him. "If we ever have an emergency, we can always ask Vil for help. She'll help us. She wants to do a lot more than help us, but Kit won't let her. And since it's not our money, and we fully know we're taking it from someone else, it'll keep us from getting crazy."

"You really have thought about this," Hannah said after a moment, as Jessie finished putting the clothes in the suitcase away.

"How could I not, Mom? Sure, Kit's disowned, but the money's still there, and even I thought about what if a few times. But when Vil offered to pay for the wedding, I realized then that she'd never let us slip into a deep hole. If we ask her for help, she'll help us. But since we're asking for something that's not ours, we can't go crazy, or we'll lose respect for ourselves, and Vil will lose her respect for us."

"You raised one hell of a daughter, Hannah," Kit said appreciatively, opening the next suitcase. "Now do you see why I love her so much? She's got quite a mind."

"That's not her mind talking, it's her moral upbringing," Hannah said. "But I'm proud of you, dear. You've certainly kept your head about this."

"It was keep my head or lose my husband," she said honestly. "Kit would have left me if he thought I was a gold-digger."

"In a heartbeat," he admitted honestly, handing her a few pairs of jeans.

She looked around curiously. "Isn't this more than what you left with?" she asked.

Kit laughed. "Jessie kinda went crazy on a shopping tour of Key West," he told her. "The condo place had to find us a third suitcase to fit it all."

"Not all of this is mine!" she said quickly. "I seem to remember seeing you walking out of Emersons with several bags!"

"True, but you bought more than me."

"Well, that's technically true, but I'm a girl. Girls have more clothing demands," she said primly.

"You don't have to dress up for me," he chuckled. "As far as I'm concerned, the less you have on, the prettier you are."

"Kit!" she complained, her cheeks ruffling as he pointed at Hannah.

"We're married now, love, I'm allowed to say things like that in front of your mother," he said with a sly smile.

"Kit."

"Yes, Hannah?"

"Behave."

"Yes ma'am," he said, coming over and kissing Jessie on the cheek, which made her giggle and put her paw around his shoulder.

After they unpacked, they went back downstairs to look at the tree. It was a seven foot artificial tree with a large number of delicate glass ornaments, some bulbs, some blown glass, some sculpted. Hannah seemed to collect Christmas ornaments, for there were many different kinds on the tree, interspersed with tiny glass candy canes with frosted stripes and twinkling white lights. The tree was curiously without the kind of color one would expect to see on a Christmas tree, but it was still very beautiful. The glass caught the white light of the bulbs on the tree and refracted it, and at some angles the tree seemed to be alive with a thousand scintillating rainbows. It was a stunningly beautiful effect.

"Woah," Kit breathed as he stared at the tree, the area beneath it absolutely stuffed with gifts and presents in a riot of different colors and styles of wrapping paper.

"John has his Bengal Den, I have my Christmas tree," Hannah said modestly, stepping past him and patting him on the cheek, then sauntering into the living room as if she'd just won some kind of argument.

They added the gifts they'd bought in Florida to that huge pile, so many that they had overflowed the tree and were stacked against the wall behind it, taking up almost half of the wall. Just by casual glance, there had to be well over a hundred presents under and around the tree! Kit inspected them, and realized that over two-thirds of them were from Vil, to all the members of Jessie's family, and there were also quite a few from Sheila. That unsettled Kit just a little bit. Vil loved to meddle, and it looked like she was starting to meddle with Jessie's family as well, starting, as she usually did, by worming her way into their heart with gifts and kindness, which put her in a position to exert her influence on them. Kit loved his sister, but he also wasn't blind to her faults, and that was one of them. Vil was a Vulpan, and she shared many of the family traits. She sought to dominate, and unlike his aunts and uncles, Vil's type of domination was from the kindly overseer point of view, in her mind doing it for their own good. Vil would shower Jessie's family with gifts, but there were hidden hooks in those presents that would snare Jessie's family and give Vil a measure of control over them.

But then again, John and Hannah were very wise and down to earth, and wouldn't be easy to tempt with Vil's presents and her money. But Jenny and Ben, on the other hand, might be easier for her to sway.

"These are from Vil. These are too. And so are these," Jessie said, frowning. "She's trying to buy my family, Kit!"

"I doubt she'll have much luck," Kit told her. "Hannah's not the type you can buy."

"We fully expected something like this," Hannah said as she came back into the living room, carrying two cups of Earl Gray tea, copying what Jessie had bought for his visit. "Vilenne is a rich woman, Jessie, and she's flaunting it just a little bit for us by showering us with gifts. But, I think there's also some love there," she said with a slight smile. "Vilenne is very attached to you, Jessica. She's just trying to show you how much she cares about you by being lavish."

"Well, this is a bit too lavish," Jessie complained. "There has to be thirty gifts here from her!"

"Closer to fifty, if you add the gifts she got you two and Sheila," Hannah corrected.

"Vil bought gifts for Sheila?" Kit asked in surprise.

Hannah nodded. "Sheila brought a whole trunkful of gifts as well. About thirty of them down there are from her. Sheila got here yesterday and immediately had Jenny and Ben take her to the mall," she chuckled. "I think they just had to flaunt their wealth a little bit."

"That's not far from the truth," Kit nodded. "I think it's going to be a pretty interesting Christmas for you, Hannah. Vil and Sheila have very deep bank accounts, and neither of them are afraid to spend it."

"Well, I have a son-in-law now, so that automatically makes it different," she told him.

"I'll do my best to make sure you hate me, just as a proper in-law relationship should be," he said in a light voice, stepping up and kissing her on the cheek.

Hannah gave him a frosty look as Jessie laughed, then she actually dared to reach down and swat him on the bottom. "You're already on thin ice as it is, young male," she warned. "Don't go looking for trouble that's already looking for you."

"Well, I don't have to be nice anymore," he teased flippantly. "We're already married. Now the real me can ooze through the cracks in my polite and gentlefurly veneer."

"Jessica," Hannah said, snapping her fingers and pointing. Kit didn't see what that meant until the throw pillow from the couch appeared in Hannah's paw, and she belted him right in the head with it. Kit staggered back, nearly spilling his tea, and retreated as Hannah advanced on him threateningly with the pillow, then ran for the stairs.

"Now I see where she gets her pillow skills," Kit laughed as he ran upstairs and to safety as quickly as he could while carrying a half-full cup of tea.

"I taught her well!" Hannah shouted after him as he fled, then he heard the two femmes share a laugh as he retreated to the safety of Jessie's room.

Kit wasn't surprised that Hannah wasn't afraid to play, but he was a little surprised that Jessie got her deadly pillow combat skills from her mother.

John returned not long afterward with Ben and Jenny, and Sheila arrived not thirty seconds after he pulled into the driveway. The limo was pulling away from the house, but there was also a rental car sitting out on the street. Sheila hugged Jessie, then patted her on the belly. "So, there something growing in here yet?" she asked.

Jessie laughed. "I don't think so, but I wish there was," she answered.

They spent the evening just hanging around in the basement. Kit sat at the end of the couch, and Jessie sat snuggled against him as they chatted with Jessie's family, then showed them the video and pictures from the wedding using the big TV and their DVD player, and the family showed Jessie and Kit the pictures they'd taken. While they watched, Kit moved all their pictures taken during the honeymoon they were willing to show to others onto a DVD, then showed those after they went through all the wedding pictures. Jessie's family was amazed by the pure luxury of Vil's condo, for they'd never seen or heard of a place like it before.

"They don't advertise, Hannah," Kit told her. "You either know about it, or you don't."

"Like Fight Club," Jenny giggled.

"More like Eyes Wide Shut," Sheila amended. "Places like that don't just cater to what you can get legally."

Jessie nodded. "When we arrived, the concierge said as much. I was a little shocked."

"The rich have their own rules," Kit told them.

Sheila got her first cooking lesson from Hannah that night. While everyone else was watching a movie downstairs, Sheila helped Hannah prepare broiled salmon, mashed potatoes, asparagus, salad, and banana pudding for dessert. After dinner, Kit volunteered to do the dishes, which John joked would set a bad precedent for the males in the house to volunteer for chores, at least until Hannah gave him a cold look and told him to take out the garbage.

Though Vil was too busy to come visit, she wasn't too busy to call. She talked to everyone in the house by turns for about five minutes that evening, while they were watching another movie down in the Bengal Den. It wasn't all that exciting of a movie to Kit, and he nodded off somewhere in the middle of it. Much to his surprise, he woke up some time later in bed, of all places, all undressed and with Jessie wrapped up with him. He blinked and tried to get up, but that was quite impossible with Jessie's dead weight pinning him to the bed. He got his head up enough to see that it was nearly one in the morning, and he couldn't remember getting up and coming up to bed.

"Ben carried you and I undressed you, now go back to sleep," Jessie murmured, getting a better grip on his shoulder and hiking more of her weight up onto his chest to push him back to the mattress.


They lounged in bed until nearly eleven. Kit woke up groggily and realized he'd slept over twelve hours after looking at the clock, and boy, did his back register that amount of time in an incompatible bed when he woke up. He untangled himself from Jessie and sat on the edge of the bed, hissing in pain with both paws on his lower back, his tail shivering.

Did he really sleep that long? The last he remembered, it was around ten, and they were watching one of John's favorite movies, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, and he didn't remember falling asleep. He didn't remember coming up to the room, or anything. One minute he was watching the movie, the next he was here, some thirteen hours later, with a sand-filled head and a back that was threatening to go on strike. He stood up and stretched, which made his back pop loudly, and he looked around to try to get his bearings as his brain attempted to re-engage itself.

A paw on his tail told him that Jessie was awake. He looked back and saw her sitting up even as she pulled his tail, forcing him to sit back down, then she snaked her arms around him from behind and kissed him on the corner of his neck, where his white ruff bordered his red fur. "I can't believe we slept so long," she said sleepily, resting her muzzle on his shoulder.

"Guess those four days in Florida caught up with us," he chuckled, leaning against her.

"How's your back?"

"A little gimpy this morning, but I'll make it," he answered.

He heard her hum in her throat, then began to purr, sliding her paws down his chest as she cuddled up more against his back. Kit knew her well, and knew that she was in the first stages of pulling him back down into that bed. "Jessie," he said as she started biting gently at his ear.

"Mmm?"

"I'd usually never say no to you, but I'm not sure my back is ready for that. Can we wait a while?"

She giggled in his ear. "We need to get back to reality anyway," she agreed, grabbing his shoulders and kissing his ear. "But I'm going to hold you to that later. I think I'm going to make sure Santa skips us tonight, because I'm being a bad girl."

Kit's tail shivered at her husky tone, and he laughed. "Tease. I'm going to go down and get some breakfast."

"I'm going to take a shower, I'll be down in a bit," she told him.

Hannah was already busy cooking when he came down, but she had a kettle of water waiting to be put on for his tea. "It's about time," she noted. "I was afraid to come wake you up. I wasn't sure if you were sleeping."

"I think it was the crash after the honeymoon," he said, scrubbing his face with his paws. "I don't even remember falling asleep last night."

"Ben carried you upstairs," she told him.

"Well, that explains that," he said as he went to where they kept the tea last time he was there, and found it waiting for him. It was a new box of Earl Grey, no doubt Hannah just mirrored what Jessie bought over Thanksgiving. "I was wondering how I got up there."

"You feel alright?"

"Stiff, Jessie's bed does not like me. Where's the aspirin?"

"Medicine cabinet," she answered as she began to glaze the small ham.

Kit made a cup of tea for himself and Jessie, and after taking some Advil, he sat at the table and read the newspaper that John had left. Jessie came down while he was reading the sports section, a towel around her hair and wearing a bathrobe, going straight for the tea sitting in a cup on the table and swallowing almost all of it in one long draw.

"Morning, Jessica," Hannah said from the kitchen. "You alright?"

"I slept way too long," she complained, putting her paw to her head. "I feel like I have a headache."

"Honeymoon crash," Kit chuckled.

"Probably," she laughed in agreement.

The day was spent more or less idly. Kit was introduced to Ben's Xbox 360 by Ben and Jenny, and found out that Jenny was one of those rare creatures on earth, a girl that knew how to play Halo, and wasn't that bad at it either. He also found out that playing Xbox on that huge TV downstairs was awesome. Jessie wasn't a gamer girl type, she instead spent the time watching her husband and siblings play while she sat on the far couch, legs tucked under her, knitting using her mother's knitting supplies. Kit often forgot that Jessie was very good at knitting, because she'd been too busy lately to indulge in what was for her a stress-reducing hobby. She didn't knit seriously, only for fun, but she was more than capable.

"Making baby booties over there, Jessie?" Jenny teased as she took up the needles from her mother's knitting bag.

"Nah, thinking of a potholder," she answered. "You still knit?"

"Hell no!" Jenny laughed. "I hate it."

"At least you can make your own clothes," Kit chuckled.

"I'll have people make my clothes for me, thank you," Ben said as they loaded up a new game.

"I'm being left out," Jenny complained. "My sister marries a rich guy, and my brother's gonna pull down millions of dollars a year once he reaches the NFL. I'll be the family pauper!"

"Suuuure, Miss Future Doctor," Jessie teased. "If anyone's gonna be the pauper around here, it'll be me. Kit's not rich, he's just from a rich family that he hates."

"Pft, you're still rich, even if you're broke. You know, that snooty blue blood. Kit'll infect you with it."

"Infection's a good way to look at it," Kit chuckled. "I always did look at being rich as a disease."

"Well, as long as I don't lose my head," Ben said modestly. "I just hope I don't. I don't want to be one of those spoiled guys like T.O., no matter how good I get. Guys like him forget that football is a team sport. It takes the other ten guys on the field to help you look great."

"Well said, son, well said," John said as he came down into the den. "Now, we just have to hope that Cincinnati drafts you when you get out of college. I'd suffer a nervous breakdown if you went to the Browns or the Steelers."

"Your son playing for your most hated enemies," Kit laughed. "That would be cruel to you!"

"I wouldn't know what to do with myself," John chuckled as he nodded in agreement. "At least this will be the year!"

"He says that any time the Bengals reach the playoffs," Jenny told Kit.

"Hey! You have to back your team with your heart and soul, Little Miss Doubter!" he told her. "The Bengals are winning the Superbowl this year!"

"I'll put a bet on that, Dad," she teased.

"What is this I hear? You spend one year in Columbus, and now you're doubting the Bengals? That's it, young lady, you're coming back home and finishing school here!"

Jenny laughed. "No way! I still love my Bengals, Dad, but I'm a football realist. They're gonna lose their first playoff game, and the Colts are gonna go to the Superbowl."

"I'll take some of that action," Kit said immediately. "The Patriots had a damn good year this year."

"Is that an offered bet I hear?" Jenny said tauntingly.

"Ten bucks on the Patriots to go to the Superbowl," Kit offered, digging a ten out of his pocket and slamming it down on the coffee table.

"You're on!" Jenny said immediately. "I'll put my ten on the Colts!"

"And I'll put my ten on the Bengals!" John added.

"And if nobody wins, that money goes to the house," Hannah said as she came down into the basement. "Thirty dollars would be a nice start on a dinner fund for Outback the next time I feel like going out to eat."

"You have a deal, hon," John told her.

Sheila and Vil arrived that afternoon, and they had the Williams traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Stav and Marcus seemed reluctant when Hannah pushed them to the table, but gave in and seated themselves to eat with the family, though they said not a word. The food was excellent, but it was the company that made it wonderful. Vil gelled very well with Jessie's family, but he was surprised by how well Sheila got along with them. She bantered with Hannah almost dangerously, teased John and Jenny, and was a bit too forward with Ben, but Jessie's family accepted her despite those issues. They coaxed her into telling her life story to them, about what it was like growing up a Vulpan, and her new life as a semi-autonomous young woman going to Harvard. "It's not that bad," she said. "My morning class sucks, but I enjoy my business classes, and I'm actually getting decent grades!" she said proudly.

"Wow, Harvard, I wonder what it's like," Jenny mused.

"It's kinda boring, actually," she said. "The students are all stuck up, either because they're rich or because they managed to get into Harvard. There's a lot of mutual butt-kissing going on on campus. The only fun furs are the legacy students, like me. At least we know how to have fun," she grinned.

"I was there for the degree, not because it's what was expected of me," Vil said. "I went from Harvard to Oxford," she explained. "I got my political science Master's from Oxford, and my Bachelor's and Business Master's degrees from Harvard."

"Prestigious," John chuckled.

"You don't get legacied into Oxford," she said, a touch smugly. "You earn it."

"You have two degrees?" Jenny said, a bit surprised.

"For what I do, understanding both politics and business is essential," she nodded in explanation. "Being a CEO of a company like ours requires someone who deals with both politicians and businessfurs, so I covered both bases. Oxford won't take legacies and it's fearsome competition to get in, so my getting into Oxford for my political science Master's program just proved to my father how serious I was about running the company after him." She sighed. "He died just a few months after I finished my thesis and took my MCE."

"You getting a Doctorate?" John asked.

"I'm already working on it," she nodded. "It's very hard because of how busy I am, but Harvard is letting me slide on the time limits on some of the required coursework. I do what I can when I can, the only real problem I'm gonna have will be when it's time to do my dissertation."

"Doctorate in what?"

"Business, but I wouldn't mind eventually getting my Doctorate in political science too," Vil answered. "Unlike the rest of the family, I'm actually entertaining the idea of going into politics after I've done the CEO thing for a while, and one of us has an heir to take my place," she chuckled.

"Oh, no, don't even think of trying to get my kids in the chair," Kit warned.

"Well, I'm thinking more along the lines of me," she said. "I'm coming up on thirty, bro, and I don't have any kids. I'm starting to hear the ticking coming from down here," she said, pointing under her ribcage. "The problem is, I can't find any males that even remotely interest me. Maybe I'll go to England and look," she mused. They all can't be like Cybil over there."

"There's lots of males around, Vilenne, you just have to look," Hannah told her.

"Yeah, well, I do have a few prerequisites," she said with a smile. "He has to be accomplished, intelligent, and, well, no offense, but a fox. I'm no purist, but to be honest, I just don't get turned on by males outside my species. I could go for a gray or silver fox, but I'm not attracted to males who aren't foxes. They just don't do anything for me at all."

"There's nothing wrong at all with that, dear, as long as you're honest about it," Hannah told her. "And that you'd look at grays and silvers shows that you're not a purist."

"Thanks, I was hoping that wouldn't offend you," she chuckled.

"Well, dear, no doubt you'll have no trouble attracting a male."

"Yeah, but attracting the right male is the trick," she said. "I don't want a male version of Cybil."

Kit nodded in agreement. "One of the curses of money, Hannah. The leeches."

"That's a good term for them," Sheila laughed. "You have no idea how many guys hit on me cause I'm a Vulpan. They want to marry into the money. So I just screw them and leave them. That way they get a taste of what they'll never have again," she smiled.

"Sheila, that's not very proper," Hannah said disapprovingly.

"Hey, I'm not a proper girl," she grinned in reply.

"It's a losing battle, Hannah," Vil said with a chuckle.

"Yes, and she'll lose it," Hannah said frostily, giving the young vixen a steady look.

After dinner, Jessie's family traditionally opened one present, and they moved to the living room for it. Hannah was the one that chose them, pulling gifts at random from the huge pile, one for each of them. Ben was the first, getting a small box from Sheila. He opened it to reveal a necklace with a medallion of the Ohio State logo, a huge O with the words OHIO STATE curved through its lower half, gold letters with a silver background, connected to a thick silver chain. There was a single small diamond and a single small ruby above and below the text of the logo, representing the school colors of red and white.

"Wow, it's beautiful, Sheila!" he said with wide eyes. "Thanks!"

"I had to get you something with your school logo on it," she grinned.

Jenny was handed a small box from her father. When she opened it, she pulled out small piece of paper. "What's this?" she asked curiously.

"A gift card good anywhere on campus at Ohio State, dear," he told her. "We got you some real presents, to be sure, but we also thought you might like to have a little extra spending money next semester."

"Aww, thanks Dad!" she said sincerely, kissing him on the cheek. "No doubt I'll get some mileage out of this!"

"It's rechargeable, dear, just like a pre-paid credit card," he told her.

Jessie was next, being handed a medium sized box that was from Vil. She opened it to reveal a Blackberry, the same model as what she and Kit had. "I figured it was time to subvert you into the ranks of the Crackberries, Jess," she grinned.

"Well, I love Kit's," she laughed. "Thanks for getting me one of my own!"

Hannah picked out a smaller box for John, also from Vil. He opened it and removed a small letter. He read it, and his eyes widened. "Vilenne!" he gasped.

"What is it, Dad?" Jenny asked.

"It's a luxury box at the stadium!" he said. "And four season tickets for next year on the first row at the fifty yard line!"

"Kit said you were a nut for your football team, so I had to do something about it," she grinned. "I figured you wouldn't be happy unless you were right on the field, so the tickets are for you, and the luxury box is for your guests or when you don't feel like sitting in the rain."

"A true fan endures the same elements as the team!" he said with a laugh. "But still, this is wonderful! I can invite people to the box and let them watch the game while I sit in the stands like a real fan!" He got up and hugged Vil, then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, you're family now, and I love spoiling the family I care about," she winked.

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow now," Jenny laughed.

"You better, hon, I have plans," Vil said with a smile.

"It's going to be hard to top that one," Hannah laughed as she picked one at random for Kit. It was from Sheila, about the size of a shoe box. He opened it and found a box, then opened the box and gawked.

It was a metal statuette of Jessie.

Naked.

"Umm, this one's not fit for family viewing," he said, his cheeks ruffling as he put the lid back on, which made them all explode into laughter.

"Sheila!" Vil chided. "What did you get him?"

"Lemme see," she said, coming over and looking over his shoulder. "Oh Kit, give it up, this isn't dirty! Not saying there aren't a few dirty ones in there, but this one's art."

"Jessie might disagree."

"Pft," she said, reaching into the box and pulling it out. "See, it's just a figurine. Since Kit has this thing for cats, I got him one of a cat."

Hannah looked closely at the figurine. "Sheila, that statue has Jessica's face."

"Yes, well, the artist needed something to go on," she winked. "So I gave him some pictures of Jessie."

"That's me? I'm not wearing any clothes!" she protested, her face poofing out.

"Well it is quite a nice piece," Vil said professionally, taking it from Kit. "It's very good. Did he do this as a cast?"

"I dunno, I guess, I don't know anything about how artists do this crap," she shrugged. "It just looks good, that's all I know."

"There's nothing nude about it, either, Jess," Vil said. "Look. It's just a silhouette, no detail. It's very nice. Who did this for you, Sheila? I might commission one for myself, it's quite lovely."

"Well, the proportions are right," Jenny grinned, which earned her a smack from Jessie.

"I think I'll avoid Sheila's presents from here out," Hannah said, which made them all laugh. She pulled a gift out from John, and opened it to show them a very handsome blue dress. "Why John, it's lovely! Thank you!"

"It made me think of you when I saw it in the window, hon," he told her. "It's definitely you."

"It is at that, dear," she nodded, standing up and holding it against herself.

Hannah handed a gift to Sheila, and Kit recognized it as one they'd bought in Florida for her. "Uh, Hannah," Kit said, "pick another one."

"What? Why?"

"Because I don't think that gift would be appropriate."

"Oh, it's a dirty gift? A joke? Gimme!" Sheila said, snatching it out of Hannah's paws and tearing it open. She exploded into laughter when she revealed a latex blow-up doll, Horny Harry. Hannah gave Kit and Jessie a heated look, then she laughed ruefully as the entire room exploded into laughter. "We found it in Key West, and we naturally thought of you, Sheila," Kit told her with a laugh.

"Oh baby, and he's cute too! I'll try him out tonight and let you know. You have a bike pump I can borrow, John?" she winked. Hannah gasped, but Kit and Vil almost fell off the couch laughing.

"Oh my," Hannah, sighed. "I should have fought this marriage, I see."

"Oh, go on, dear, and give Vil a present," John chuckled.

Vil received a small gift from John and Hannah, and opened it to reveal a pair of very elegant chain and diamond earrings, three diamonds hanging from mounts that dangled from an emerald at the post, by delicate little golden chains. "Oh my, these are lovely. Thank you," she said, removing the ruby earrings she had in her ears and immediately put them on.

"We thought they'd go well with the kinds of suits you wear, dear," Hannah said. "And they look elegant enough to be worn by a woman of your means."

"That they are, Hannah," Vil nodded.

"Now then," Hannah said, taking out two small black-paper wrapped gifts, and offering them up and across the room, where Stav and Marcus stood near the front door. "We couldn't very well ignore you two, now could we?"

"You're quite gracious, madam," one of the panthers said with a surprised look. He read the tag and then handed it to his brother, then opened it. Inside was a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, and not the cheap ones, which made him chuckle and hold them up. "How thoughtful! And they're even my size," he said, putting them on.

"Well, you two just looked the sunglasses type," John chuckled. "We hope you like them."

"I'll wear them quite a bit, sir," the other panther said with a sincere smile, trying his on. "Good sunglasses are a requirement for our line of work, so onlookers can't tell exactly where our eyes are looking. And you even got the proper tint," he said with a satisfied nod. "Just dark enough to hide the eyes but not so dark we can't see in dimly lit rooms. Very well done, sir."

"Way to make me feel rotten there, Hannah," Sheila said darkly. "I totally forgot to get them anything!"

"There's still time if you hurry, dear," Hannah said with a slight smile.

"That's quite alright, Miss Sheila," the first panther said with a wave of his large paw. "We quite understand, and honestly weren't expecting any gifts at all. But we do appreciate that you'd get us one if you could."

Kit and John cleaned up after dinner so the girls could relax, and Vil and Sheila left not long afterward. To her credit, Hannah had never said a word about Sheila drinking wine at her table, and after Vil and Sheila left, Jenny gave her mother a strange smile. "So, Mom, think I might try a glass of wine at dinner tomorrow?"

"Over my dead body," she answered immediately. "I bent for Sheila because it's a tradition of her family, and for no other reason."

"We need a tradition like that."

"When you have children of your own, you can start one," Hannah told her sternly. "But you will not taste a single drop of alcohol in this house until you are of legal age."

"Why couldn't I be born into a fun family?" she sighed as she walked away.

"I'll show you some fun, young lady!" Hannah barked, which made Jenny laugh and run away, retreating for the stairs.

Kit was feeling a little tired after dinner and presents, and lounged about downstairs as the family watched a movie on the big TV. Jessie and him took up a whole couch since he was laying on his side with his head in her lap as she played with his hair. About halfway through the movie, he yawned and sat up. "I think I'm gonna head to bed guys," he said. "All that sleep I got last night has messed up my internal clock or something."

"I'll come with you, love," Jessie told him. "I've seen this movie anyway."

"Sleep well, you two," John said as they got up."

"You'd better not wake me up," Jenny called, waggling her tail at them. "So get it done before I go to bed."

"Jennifer Ophelia Williams!" Hannah barked, which made Ben laugh. "Behave yourself!"

"I am, mother," she answered calmly. "They're married and going to bed way too early to be sleeping. You're not the one whose bedroom is beside theirs. I'm not sure I want to hear all that moaning and the bed knocking against the wall while I'm trying to sleep."

Jessie's entire body of fur stood straight out, but John laughed with his son. "Leave her alone, dear, she does have something of a valid point," he smiled, which made Jessie gasp.

"Dad!"

"Go on, and have fun, you two," John said mildly, though he was smiling.

"Well, I think we can do that," Kit said, taking Jessie's paw and leading her away from her family.


It was certainly the most momentous Christmas ever for the Williams family.

Vil and Sheila arrived at seven in the morning, sharp. Vil was wearing, of all things, a sweater and a pair of jeans, the first time Kit had seen her out of business clothes since before he was disowned, and Sheila was wearing a brand new black Cincinnati Bearcats tee shirt and a pair of jeans. Kit and Jessie woke up around six thirty, got dressed, and went down to help Hannah cook breakfast of omelets and sausage for everyone. Vil and Sheila arrived as they were sitting down to breakfast, and Hannah cooked them up something as well. Jenny kept looking at the huge stack of gifts like a child, until her parents finished breakfast and announced it was time to open the gifts.

Kit was a little unsettled about it. If the football tickets were any indication, then Vil had gone nuts with the shopping, and Sheila wouldn't be that far behind… and his fears turned out to be justified. Hannah seemed to wisely sense that anything opened after Vil and Sheila's gifts would seem paltry by comparison, so all other gifts were opened first. After that, though, they started on the gifts from their rich in-laws. Vilenne's gifts to his wife's family were extravagant. Each member of Jessie's family got their own digital camera, top of the line Sabletech laptop, and BlackBerry. She showered Hannah with kitchen appliances, nice clothes, jewelry, a plasma TV for their room, and tickets to a March two week cruise through the Caribbean for a vacation. John received clothes, electronic gadgets, a blazing fast desktop for the house, and a football signed by every member of the Cincinnati Bengals in a glass case. Ben was given two game consoles in addition to a laptop, a desktop for his dorm when he went to Ohio State, and all kinds of other gadgets and toys a college kid would love. Jenny too received a plethora of useful equipment for a college student, a lot of clothes, her own laptop and desktop, and a mess of software for medical students, some of it quite expensive. Vil gave Kit and Jessie all kinds of things for their apartment, some jewelry for Jessie, new software for Kit so he could play more with photo and magazine editing, clothes, two new laptops to act as backups in case theirs were damaged, and an ultimate kick-ass desktop that could handle absolutely anything Kit could throw at it, a desktop that put his at home to shame. She also gave them some vouchers for new furniture, since their furniture at home wasn't exactly coordinated, being a mix of bought and donated pieces that served their purpose, but didn't look like they belonged together.

Sheila too went crazy with the gifts, but Sheila also showed she had a sense of humor. Each of them got one or two gag gifts, like the vibrator that Sheila got for Jenny, which made her explode in laughter and make Hannah hastily try to take it from her, to the voucher for one free lap dance at a local strip club for Ben. She bought a leather teddy for Hannah and a pair of bondage leather underwear and a vest for John, which made John laugh for almost ten minutes as he brazenly stood up and put them against his waist to check the size.

Vil wasn't done yet. When most of the gifts were opened, she reached into her portfolio and withdrew two small jewelry-sized gifts. "For you," she said, handing one to Ben, and the other to Jenny. Ben and Jenny were stunned when they opened tiny boxes that held keyrings, with two keys on them each. One was obviously a key to a car, and the other looked to be a housekey.

"What is this, Vil?" Jenny asked, holding it out.

"Just your new keys," she said with a bright smile. "Wanna see what they're to?"

"Uhh… sure?"

"Then come with me," she said as she stood up.

Outside, with big red bows on them, were identical Ford Mustangs. One was black, and the other was red. "Oh my God!" Jenny gasped, jumping up and down. "Which one is mine?"

"Go try your key and see," she winked.

Jenny bolted into the wet grass without her shoes and coat, and excitedly tried the red Mustang first, which opened to her key. She jumped inside it and closed the door, and the engine started with a loud yet smooth purr.

Kit could hear Jenny screaming in delight even from inside the car, over the engine, all the way across the yard.

Ben stood there in the doorway holding the other set of keys numbly. "That's mine, Vil?" he asked in humble tones.

"All yours, Ben," she smiled. "Just please do me a favor and don't go crazy. I don't want to hear that you crashed it next week."

"I'll be very careful with it, Vil. Thank you very much."

She kissed him on the cheek. "No in-laws of mine bum rides off people," she winked. "Now go play with your new toy."

"I'm not sure I approve of you giving them such expensive cars, Vilenne," Hannah said as they looked on.

"Well, I can't go and let you think that, Hannah, so I'm bribing you too," she said, holding out another key. "Right over there," she said, pointing. Kit joined the others, and they looked in the driveway, where a brand new white Ford Freestar minivan was parked.

Hannah gasped.

"Oh, and there's one more in here," Vil grinned, digging a final key out and handing it to John. "I hope you like SUVs, John, because I got you a Ford Escape. Right over there," she said, pointing at a black SUV parked on the far side of the street.

"Vilenne, this is too much!"

"Pft, it's just right," she snorted. "I saw those cars you were driving, they're too old! These are brand new, and I made a special deal with Riverfront Ford, who sold them to me. They'll never cost any of you a dime if you take them back to the dealership, guys. They'll do your oil changes, tune-ups, and all repairs for you for free. The only thing you should ever pay for these cars is gas and car washes. They'll pay for everything but gas, John, Hannah. Take it back even if you just need the windshield washer fluid refilled."

"Dear, this is a true gift!" Hannah said reverently.

"I've made a deal with a Columbus Ford dealer, Baxter Ford, to handle maintenance for your kids' cars when they go to school," she added. "Oh, and those other keys on their rings? Those are for apartments."

"Come again, dear?" Hannah asked.

"I'm not letting my brother and sister in-law live in a dorm," she snorted. "I looked around and found a very nice apartment building about a mile from the campus. Each of them has a spacious one bedroom in an upscale complex, filled with amenities. They have security, dedicated parking, a gym, a pool, the whole deal. They have unlimited leases there, those apartments are theirs for as long as they're at Ohio State."

"Oh my," John said quietly. "Vilenne, dear, this is too much! All those gifts, and the vacation, and cars for us all, and apartments for the children at school?"

"Oh, and these," she chuckled, digging a quartet of credit cards out of her portfolio. "These are debit cards, John, connected to special accounts. Each has ten thousand dollars in its account, one for each of you. Every September the accounts roll over. Every September first, ten thousand dollars more is added to the balance, so you don't lose whatever you had left on them when that time comes around. Use them for living expenses, trips, gifts, mad money, whatever you want. They work anywhere that takes Visa. This way, you and your family always has something to fall back on if you need it. Just use them responsibly," she smiled. "Don't let Jenny go out and burn through her whole ten thousand in a month."

"You're serious!" Hannah gasped.

"Deadly," she said simply. "You're now my family, Hannah, and I take care of my family."

"I wish I could compete with her gift-giving skills," Sheila chuckled as John and Hannah stammered to try to either thank Vil or tell her she went too far.

"She has a bigger checkbook than you do," Kit told her simply. "Notice that she set the rollover date well before Christmas."

"I did notice that," Sheila giggled.

"So, what are you doing standing here?" Vil demanded at them. "Go check out your new cars!"

John and Hannah gaped at her, then they both laughed, took the keys, and did just that.

Chapter 19