' I'll never forget the day you chose to walk through the door of my soul.
And wrapped my delicate pieces within the strength of yours.
Our closeness was instant , a bond so sure'. Words by Jen
The scent of freshly brewed coffee woke Ben from a restless slumber.
Trying to sleep... the operative word being 'Trying' ... on a lumpy thin couch was almost impossible.
Ben's limbs hung over the sides of the thin stick of furniture and it groaned when he attempted to roll over. Then he groaned. There was a lot of unpleasant groaning between couch and man.
Maz had kindly given him a pillow, blanket and a red ,green and orange afghan. " Made it myself." She told him proudly last night. She grinned as she bade him 'good night' and turned out the lights.
He has taken the offered bedding and had to make due with the damnable couch from Hell. His toes and fingers kept getting stuck in the afghans many holes and he awoke in the middle of the night with an extremely painful cramp in his neck.
Why was he not be sleeping with Rey ? She said he was her husband. Didn't husbands share their wife's beds or is he now living in an alternate universe where all men were doomed to sleep on god awful couches because they had amnesia?
He would demand an explanation in the morning. His Alpha should be shown the respect it deserves.
But when he pulled himself upright, his joints protesting , then stumbling into the kitchen, he only found Maz standing at the kitchen counter frying up bacon and eggs. The boys were eating quickly, so they wouldn't miss the school bus.
"Where's the coffee mugs?" He slurred sleepily. He yawned and took the cup Maz handed him.
"Careful now. Don't spill." Maz did sound like a mother. "Did you sleep well last night?" She questioned with a twinkle in her eye as if she already knew the answer.
"I don't think what I did was be considered sleeping." Ben grumbled. "Why would she slam the door in my face? I don't think she's mad at me ." He looked mildly concerned. "Is she?"
He looked across from where he was sitting at the kitchen table. His mother was eye to eye with him. "Why don't you ask her yourself when she comes home."
"Where is she?"
Darth spoke up. "Duh, dad . She's at work. Someone has to keep us in the lap of luxury."
"Hurry , boys bus will be here any minute now." Maz ordered .
"Ben can you help me with the boys lunches? Just anything you can throw into their lunch bags ."
Ben had never cooked a thing beyond top Raman in his life so he plundered the pantry for what ever he saw first.
"Ah ,dad. What are you doing?" Anikin grimaced when he saw what kind of sandwich his father was making. " I'm gonna hurl if I have to eat a peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich."
Maz rescues Anikins sandwich. Thank god for small miracles.
The boys ran to the bus when they heard the honking and Ben was left in the kitchen with the baby and Maz. He looked around in a blank stupor. What was he going to do now?
"Here ya go Son." Maz handed him the long 'Honey Do' list that Rey thrust at him last night. Shit , he had forgotten the list of jobs she needed done around the house and out side.
What should he start with first?
The easiest.
Maz took Padme on a walk in her stroller while Ben got started on the top of the list. Dishes...
Okay , this can't be too difficult. People do it every day. Ben fills up the sink with scalding hot water and adds the dishes.
He yanks his hands back when he dips them in hot water.
Yikes , maybe do the second thing on the list while the water cools. Yes , great idea. Maz sure has been gone a long time. He glances at the clock. Only ten minutes! It felt like years.
He searched the house until he found a antique looking vacuum. He had no idea how to work the blasted thing.
He was at least half intelligent, he told himself. I can figure out how to turn on a stupid vacuum. Finally he did vacuum the carpets and got to the dishes.
He splish splashed and got water everywhere. By then he was drenched ,exhausted and stumbled to the couch for some relief.
The door creaked open and Maz came in with Padme'.
She shivered as she entered the living room. "Burr, it's cold outside. Sure would be nice if that fireplace worked." Maz strongly hinted. She couldn't have him laying about when Rey was due home in just a few short hours. What would she think?
"How are you doing on that list?" Maz asked.
Ben didn't want to let his mother down so he got a broom and dust pan.
" Um, how do I do this?" The desperate look in his eyes and the pleading in his voice nearly melted the old ladies heart. She wanted to be stern with him, but his distressed look pull at her heart strings.
Maz told him the basics of cleaning and left him to change Padme's diaper.
Ben got straight to work cleaning and scrubbing the fireplace until it practically gleamed. If he was going to do something he'd never remembered doing , he was damn well going to do it right.
By the time he was finished he looked like he had rolled around in the cold empty firebox, using himself as the cleanser.
He was a real Cinderella dude. Ben stood back and admired his hard labors. He was proud with himself as he saw not a speck of soot anywhere.
But a fireplace is no good without wood to burn in it. So Ben went looking for an axe.
After searching through a old shed full of spiders and odd discarded tools he discovered a rusty axe and set to work.
He placed a log on top of an old tree stump and swung. It took several attempts and a near miss to his toes but finally he managed to cut a large log in two.
Crack!
This wasn't so hard. He actually enjoyed the physical labor . Before long he was breaking a sweat , beads of moisture trickled down his face and his midnight black hair stuck to his face in damp waves. He swiped his wet hair out of his eyes so he could see, but still he felt over heated.
Ben shrugged off his shirt and continued his chore.
Rey had come home and heard a commotion coming from the back yard. What was going on? Was that the sound of someone chopping wood? She didn't expect 'Ben' to be working outside at all.
She imagined him lounging on the couch sipping a whiskey,demanding Padme' fetch him a thousand dollars so he could burn it in the fireplace.
She knew the boys wouldn't be home for a while yet so it could not be them.
What greeted her eyes when she turned the corner of the house stopped her in her tracks. A tall shirtless Alpha male with muscles glistening and shimmering in the low setting January sun.
Suddenly, her throat went dry and her mating glands throbbed with such a overwhelming yearning she gasped out loud.
Ben stopped mid swing and turned to look in the direction of the sound.
Why couldn't she run? Why were her feet protesting movement? And why couldn't she pry her eyes off his chest?
His eyes dilated until they were almost black and his Alpha growled deeply when he saw Rey standing there. She looked throughly scandalized as she stared at him. He couldn't help preening at that. Totally understandable in front of a stunned Omega. Or so he thought.
"Isn't there a shirt or something you could put on?" She demanded, trying to look anywhere but at that large expanse of mouthwatering flesh.
"Why, don't you like what you see?" He was enjoying her bashful ogling but at the same time wondered why was she so uncomfortable.
Shouldn't she be running into his arms and kissing him to thank him for all the hard work he's been doing? She should show him her appreciation after all he's done by offering her self to him in what ever way he demanded.
"I just.... I just," Rey stammered, her brain stuttered from trying to come up with something to say. He had sauntered up to her and stood close enough for Rey's nostrils to get a good sniff at all his Alpha tastiness.
"Don't want you to catch a cold." She finally blurted out loud. Looking up into Ben's eyes nearly cost her her calm composure.
Ben noticed the pretty pink blush that colored her cheeks and how she had to swallow hard. She couldn't hide her embarrassment. Not now with the way he was looking at her like she the desert before dinner.
" I won't. As long as your around to warm me up." He purred near her ear. A electric shiver zapped down Rey's spine when his hot breath tickled her ear.
How did he get so close? One minute he was way over there dutifully chopping wood , the next he was hovering over Rey like a hungry vulture.
She froze like a puddle in the middle of Siberia. There was no where to run and hide. No way she could look away.
His scent came more strongly to her nose . It calmed her which frightened her. This was not supposed to happen!
Now she was second guessing this whole stupid plan. She could not be attracted to this Alpha, it would ruin everything .
It had only been one day, but the presence of a new Alpha had flipped Rey's calm but lonely life sideways.
But she had to fight it. She would not risk her heart or the feelings of her children.
Oh, she was in for a bumpy ride.