'Stone! Why are you back' His mother demands looking anxiously from Stone to Aleska. 'I told you to stay ___'
'Relax mum,' Stone smiles as he hugs her. 'It's Aleska's decision to come to England.'
'Oh! Really?' She wraps her arms curiously around Aleska, embracing her warmly.
'Hi General. What are you talking about?' Aleska asks, looking confused.
'Firstly Aleska,' she smiles, I insist you call me Kate, now that we're going to be family.'
Aleska grins girlishly. 'Thank you ---Kate,' she rolls her name experimentally over her tongue. 'Why didn't you want Stone to come back here?'
Kate's eyes narrow at her son. 'He was moping around, looking miserable. Obviously missing you, so I sent him packing.'
Aleska laughs.
'Why did you ___ leave your grandfather?' Kate asks gently.
Aleska's eyes mist up. 'He --- he ---.'
'Oh I'm so sorry love.' Perceptively Kate wraps her arms around Aleska again. 'My condolences,' she murmurs soothingly.
Aleska nods. 'Thank you,' she murmurs back.
Stone laces his hands through Aleska's. He gently applies pressure, letting her know, he is there for here. Aleska looks up at him, acknowledging his silent message of love. They share an intimate moment, Aleska smiles. Stone nods infinitesimally, recognizing her pain, empathetic that she is still grieving.
'Are you coming home Stone?' Kate enquires as she slides into the driver's seat of her car.
'I'll drive mum?' Stone offers.
'No,' she smiles, shaking her head. 'I can manage. Aleska needs you.'
'I'm okay,' Aleska murmurs.
'I'd like to show Aleska our home,' Stone states proudly. 'So if you don't mind mum.'
'Not at all.' Kate smiles, as she exits the airport. 'I think Aleska needs a day or two by herself. You can both come to an early lunch on Saturday. Your dad will be delighted to finally meet your fiancée.'
Stone laughs, as he looks at Aleska to see if she's okay with Saturday lunch. A broad smile etches across her face.
'I can't wait to meet him,'she smiles.
'Mum, I'm in a hurry to become married. It's going to happen in the next two weeks if I can arrange it,' Stone declares.
Kate smiles. 'Aleska it will be my honour if you allow me to buy your dress.'
Her instinctive response was to say no. 'I ___ thank you,' she smiles, sensing it polite not to reject the offer.
'Just let me know the day you want to go shopping,' Kate laughs, 'and believe me we'll need a day.'
Aleska laughs awkwardly.
'Mum why do I get the feeling that there's going to be a lot more shopping than just the dress,' Stone grins.
'A girl needs shoes and accessories and --- stuff,' Kate laughs.
Stone is delighted that his mum is reaching out to Aleska. He stretches his arm around her neck, drawing her closer to him. 'You're going to be spoilt,' Stone whispers in her ear.
'I want to pay for --- everything else,' Aleska states.
Stone smiles. He knows her stubborn independence. She is no free loader. If he knows one thing of the woman he loves, it is her fierce and fiery independent spirit.
'I know Aleska,' he murmurs passionately, 'but just this once, allow mum to spoil you hmm and when we're married you will be my responsibility.'
'I said I'm going to work to open my kinder---,'
Stone does not allow further protests. His mouth captures her in a searing kiss. She sighs delightfully, offering no resistance and responds wholeheartedly. Her one hand wraps around him lovingly.
'Here we are,' Kate turns around. 'Oops,' she laughs at the amorous couple. 'Aleska welcome to your home,' Kate folds her arms watching Aleska's expression.
Aleska looks out the window, her arm still casually around Stone's neck. 'It's so big! It is magnificent,' her arm drops. She opens the door and stares in surprise.
'Stone it's so big!'
Stone laughs, he comes around, sliding his arm around her waist. 'I hope you like it,' he murmurs gruffly.
'I love it,' she smiles. Her arms circle his neck. 'I can't wait to live in it,' her eyes lock with his adoringly.
Stone hoists her up and twirls her around. 'Well, luckily you need not wait another second. It's yours Aleska.'
'Thank you,' Aleska looks around again. She is still in his arms. Her hands tightly around him, she admires the natural simplicity of the home. Its natural tones give of an inviting country feel to it. There seems to be a moat covering the sides running to the back of the house. The home does not scream opulence. Aleska thinks the little bridge on the side, over the pond is most romantic. The engineering design lends an aesthetic look of a natural lake especially with the late afternoon light dipping over the water. She can hardly wait to see what the inside has to offer.
Kate opens the boot. Quietly removes the suitcases, observing there are just three cases that belong to Aleska.
'Aleska, are the rest of your stuff coming by freight?'
Aleska turns around. She slides out of Stone's embrace. 'That's about all my stuff,' she states with quiet pride, her chin lifting slightly.
Stone's eyes rest proudly on Aleska. She lived frugally in Russia and was unashamed of the fact. She also has the biggest heart ever. When Aleska left the military home she had stayed in almost all her life, she had offered all the furniture to the community members who were not well off. She had given away some bags of her clothes to the church. Not a single thing was thrown away. In her organised, disciplined and orderly manner, within two days, Aleska had cleared the house; spring cleaned it and was ready to follow Stone back to England.
It had been a special time for Stone. They had had lots of fun, laughing, spilling each other with soapy water as Stone had also pitched in on his knees, to scrub the floors and help with the spring cleaning.
'Aleska will buy what she needs mum. She did not want to carry too much luggage.'
'Yes off course,' Kate readily agrees. 'We'll I shall leave you two... till Saturday then.'
'Eh __ aren't you going to have some tea... or something?' Aleska hesitatingly offers.
Kate laughs. 'This boy probably needs to do some grocery shopping. He hasn't live here much since his return from Brazil.'
'Oh,' Aleska murmurs quietly.
'We'll get take out tonight, and we'll shop tomorrow.' Stone winks possessively placing an arm around Aleska's shoulder.
'Bye,' Kate kisses Aleska on the cheek, hugs her and does the same to Stone.
They wave smilingly as Kate drives off.
'Let me show you inside,' Stone reaches for Aleska's hand and runs hastily up the short stairs.
Aleska laughs. She is just as eager and follows Stone, still clutching his hand tightly
Three years later ...
'Let's take daddy a drink' Aleska cradles her one year old daughter, Natasha in one hand and holds a glass of chilled cranberry juice for Stone in the other. She is the splitting image of her mum; soft blonde locks of hair, the same ice blue eyes and an adorable angelic face.
'Me ...me,' Baby Natasha reaches for the glass in her mommy's hand.
'That's for daddy,' Aleska smiles. 'Here is yours,' Aleska places a tiny bottle in Natasha's dainty hand. The little one cups her tiny palms around the bottle and drinks from it thirstily.
Aleska expertly manages to cradle the drinking baby in the crook of one arm and takes a glass out to Stone, who is busy designing a vegetable patch at the request of his wife of three blissful years of marriage.
Aleska loves gardening and loves keeping an abundant variety of seasonal vegetables in their beautiful garden. Kate has been highly impressed with the hamper given to her of fresh vegetables Aleska and Stone were churning in their arable garden. In the last three years, Aleska has seen a bountiful crop of carrots, lettuce, radish, tomatoes, celery, green beans and cucumbers. She is hopeful for some fruit as well. So far only strawberries and lime has made an appearance. She is eagerly awaiting the nectarine, William Pear, plum and peach, to bear fruit. Having done some research on fruit farming in England, she has carefully placed her fruit into pots away from frost and the cold on the inviting terrace Stone has constructed for her relaxation.
Not that she does much relaxing. She can't seem to sit still, always tinkering about in her luxurious new home. It is a mansion, compared to what she had back in Russia. Aleska is still getting used to the idea of having a walk in wardrobe that is larger than the entire bedroom back in her military barracks bedroom.
She watches the shirtless Stone now as he methodically rakes the soil, preparing it for the herbs she wants to grow. Amazingly, she still catches her breath, every time her eyes feast on her husband's ripped body. Her eyes follow the bulging muscles of his arms and then fall to the defined form of his abs with each stroke he makes with the rake.
'Is that for me?' Stone grins, meeting her lustful eyes.
'Yeah ___.'
'Thank you,' he takes the glass gratefully and drinks half the chilled contents in one gulp.
'Hey Natasha,' he presses a kiss to his little daughter's cheek. 'You come to help dad do some gardening?'
Natasha lets go of her bottle. She tugs on her father's hair investigatively gurgling joyfully as her dad tickles her tummy.
Aleska is finding Stone's proximity nerve wrecking. The natural scent from his shirtless body is all the more alluring after the hours he's spend out in the open.
'Natasha will have her afternoon nap just now,' she blurts out.
Stone looks up into her impassioned eyes. 'Should I come read her a story?' He deliberately misunderstands.
Aleska grabs him at the nape of his neck. Her lips ravish him. He tastes soothingly cool from his fruit drink. Her tongue dips into his mouth and entangles with his ardently. 'I want you done here, in fifteen minutes,' she orders huskily.
'Yes ma'am,' he murmurs against her lips.
'Say bye to daddy Natasha,' Aleska smiles down at her half sleeping daughter.
'Bye...' Natasha smiles as she half murmurs, half waves and snuggles closer against her mum's bosom.
Stone has lost interest in the gardening after his wife's passionate kiss. 'Actually, I'm done for today,' he takes the sleepy Natasha from Aleska and positions her against his chest, carefully resting her head on his shoulder. 'Come,' he grips Aleska's hand tightly and leads his wife purposefully indoors, in the direction of their bedroom.
-the end-