And here it is! The (rather fluffy) Epilogue of High Explosive! It's been fun....
As always, disclaimers apply.
Also as always, reviews are greatly appreciated.
* * *
"Isn't it great how Zack has finally settled down and become a one-woman man?" James asked Raye. They had
just returned from a party at the house of a couple called Darien and Serena White. The two had been the latest
assignments for Zack and Amy, the kind-hearted and sweet-faced Agent Mercury who had helped them in the
case against Saffir. During THEIR assignment, Zack and Amy had managed to fall head over heels crazy in love,
and James was glad to see that his usually very flirtatious friend settle down.
Raye nodded and snuggled next to him. Then, she turned to him with a determined look on her beautiful face. "I
want to make an important trip on New Year's. Would you make it with me?"
James brushed the side of her face with his hand. "Anywhere you want to go, I'll come with you, beautiful."
Raye gave him a small kiss. "I want to go back to my parents' house. Make peace, in a way."
James nodded. "Sure, I'll go with you. Whenever you say the word."
~ ~ ~
"Are you nervous?"
"Not really, are you?"
"Slightly. I haven't spoken to them in years!" Raye gave James a slightly shaky smile. "And you know full well that
I was never the genteel East Coast debuttante, like they wanted me to be."
She felt his arms wind tenderly around her small waist from behind. A soft kiss pressed to the nape of her neck.
"If I had a daughter, I would want her to grow up to be like you." He whispered into her hair. "Not necessarily the
whole agent thing, I don't think I'd necessarily want to force that kind of lifestyle on her, but I'd want her to be
just as strong, as brave, as loyal, as honest, and as beautiful as you. With silky black hair."
She smiled at that, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "You just might have such a daughter someday."
His arms tightened around her. "I'll take that as a promise."
~ ~ ~
Hand in hand, they walked up to the door of the huge stone mansion. Raye was dressed in a red fuzzy sweater
and long black velvet skirt, covered with a warm charcoal cashmere coat, and a single strand of black pearls sat
on her throat, to match the diamond and black pearl ring on her finger. Behind her, James was wearing gray dress
slacks and a white shirt, covered by a coat, with one hand holding hers and the other holding a large bouquet of
(unpoisoned) white lilies. Raye set her teeth, then rang the bell.
A formal-looking, moustached butler opened the door. "May I help you?" He inquired politely in a formal-sounding
New England accent. Raye gave him a placating smile.
"Mr. Evans, remember me?" She removed her sunglasses. The butler studied her for a few moments. "Ah, you're
Miss Raye." His face broke out in a smile. "We've not seem you since you left for college 11 years ago! You look
lovely. Come in!"
"Thanks, Mr. Evans. Will you get my parents? But don't tell them that it's me, okay?" Mr. Evans nodded and went
off.
Raye rubbed her hands, the only sign that she was nervous. She felt a warm, calloused hand on her shoulder, and
turned sideways to give him a grateful smile.
"Who is it, Evans? I must make final preparations for the New Year's banquet tonight." A rather harried male voice
sounded in the hallway, as well as the clicking of high heels on the hardwood floor, Louis Warrington III, a tall,
aristocratic-looking man with iron-gray hair and ice-blue eyes, dressed in an impeccable-looking black suit, came
out, closely followed by Marguerite Seymour, elegant, still attractive, lavender waves of hair held back with a tie
of silvery silk that went well with the winter-green morning dress she was wearing. Her violet eyes widened when
she saw Raye, and whispered unbelievingly, "Raye?"
~ ~ ~
Raye nodded, and stepped forward, expecting to be given a lecture or at least a very cold reception. Therefore,
she was surprised when her mother, the cool, always-poised-and-stately Marguerite Seymour, enveloped her in a
hug and started crying. "Oh, honey, we've missed you."
James smiled as Raye, his strong, fiery Raye, had one of those rare, adorable little-girl moments. "Really?"
"Damn right we did." Louis Warrington III smiled at his daughter. "You've grown up to be a beautiful young woman,
Raye. We've missed having you around."
Raye frowned, "W-what? I'd thought that you'd only be too glad that your rather unladylike, totally rebellious, hot-
headed, temperamental daughter was out of your hair."
Louis Warrington III laughed slightly. "Raye, you're all of those things, but most importantly the last. You are my
DAUGHTER." Raye smiled slightly at that. Marguerite's voice pulled their attention to James.
"Raye, who is this handsome young man here with you?" James immediately handed the lilies to Raye's mother, as
Raye cleared her throat.
"Mother, father, I would like to introduce to you James Byrne, my colleague and fiance."
"A pleasure." Louis Warrington III gave the younger man an appraising look. "Any relation to Senator Gabriel Price
Byrne from Boston?"
James swallowed. "None, I was originally from the Bronx, New York."
"Oh." There was silence for a moment, and Raye looked at her parents challengingly. Louis Warrington III finally
spoke again.
"Well then, if my Raye here loves you, you have my blessing. Treat her well."
James smiled sincerely at the other man. "I will, I swear on my life."
Raye smiled proudly at her parents. 'Well, whaddya know?' Her mother's voice broke through her thoughts. "Dear,
we simply must have the wedding here! We can invite all of your old friends, and I'm sure that your fiance has a
lot of people he would like to invite as well, we can have a huge gala..."
Raye gave a wry smiled to James, who was still standing next to her. "We're eloping." She mouthed silently to him.
* * *
YAY!! And it's done :):):)
Totally fluffy. But whatever....
Upcoming attractions: The story of Mina Angell and Kevin Knighton. Yay!
REVIEW!!!!!
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V
As always, disclaimers apply.
Also as always, reviews are greatly appreciated.
* * *
"Isn't it great how Zack has finally settled down and become a one-woman man?" James asked Raye. They had
just returned from a party at the house of a couple called Darien and Serena White. The two had been the latest
assignments for Zack and Amy, the kind-hearted and sweet-faced Agent Mercury who had helped them in the
case against Saffir. During THEIR assignment, Zack and Amy had managed to fall head over heels crazy in love,
and James was glad to see that his usually very flirtatious friend settle down.
Raye nodded and snuggled next to him. Then, she turned to him with a determined look on her beautiful face. "I
want to make an important trip on New Year's. Would you make it with me?"
James brushed the side of her face with his hand. "Anywhere you want to go, I'll come with you, beautiful."
Raye gave him a small kiss. "I want to go back to my parents' house. Make peace, in a way."
James nodded. "Sure, I'll go with you. Whenever you say the word."
~ ~ ~
"Are you nervous?"
"Not really, are you?"
"Slightly. I haven't spoken to them in years!" Raye gave James a slightly shaky smile. "And you know full well that
I was never the genteel East Coast debuttante, like they wanted me to be."
She felt his arms wind tenderly around her small waist from behind. A soft kiss pressed to the nape of her neck.
"If I had a daughter, I would want her to grow up to be like you." He whispered into her hair. "Not necessarily the
whole agent thing, I don't think I'd necessarily want to force that kind of lifestyle on her, but I'd want her to be
just as strong, as brave, as loyal, as honest, and as beautiful as you. With silky black hair."
She smiled at that, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "You just might have such a daughter someday."
His arms tightened around her. "I'll take that as a promise."
~ ~ ~
Hand in hand, they walked up to the door of the huge stone mansion. Raye was dressed in a red fuzzy sweater
and long black velvet skirt, covered with a warm charcoal cashmere coat, and a single strand of black pearls sat
on her throat, to match the diamond and black pearl ring on her finger. Behind her, James was wearing gray dress
slacks and a white shirt, covered by a coat, with one hand holding hers and the other holding a large bouquet of
(unpoisoned) white lilies. Raye set her teeth, then rang the bell.
A formal-looking, moustached butler opened the door. "May I help you?" He inquired politely in a formal-sounding
New England accent. Raye gave him a placating smile.
"Mr. Evans, remember me?" She removed her sunglasses. The butler studied her for a few moments. "Ah, you're
Miss Raye." His face broke out in a smile. "We've not seem you since you left for college 11 years ago! You look
lovely. Come in!"
"Thanks, Mr. Evans. Will you get my parents? But don't tell them that it's me, okay?" Mr. Evans nodded and went
off.
Raye rubbed her hands, the only sign that she was nervous. She felt a warm, calloused hand on her shoulder, and
turned sideways to give him a grateful smile.
"Who is it, Evans? I must make final preparations for the New Year's banquet tonight." A rather harried male voice
sounded in the hallway, as well as the clicking of high heels on the hardwood floor, Louis Warrington III, a tall,
aristocratic-looking man with iron-gray hair and ice-blue eyes, dressed in an impeccable-looking black suit, came
out, closely followed by Marguerite Seymour, elegant, still attractive, lavender waves of hair held back with a tie
of silvery silk that went well with the winter-green morning dress she was wearing. Her violet eyes widened when
she saw Raye, and whispered unbelievingly, "Raye?"
~ ~ ~
Raye nodded, and stepped forward, expecting to be given a lecture or at least a very cold reception. Therefore,
she was surprised when her mother, the cool, always-poised-and-stately Marguerite Seymour, enveloped her in a
hug and started crying. "Oh, honey, we've missed you."
James smiled as Raye, his strong, fiery Raye, had one of those rare, adorable little-girl moments. "Really?"
"Damn right we did." Louis Warrington III smiled at his daughter. "You've grown up to be a beautiful young woman,
Raye. We've missed having you around."
Raye frowned, "W-what? I'd thought that you'd only be too glad that your rather unladylike, totally rebellious, hot-
headed, temperamental daughter was out of your hair."
Louis Warrington III laughed slightly. "Raye, you're all of those things, but most importantly the last. You are my
DAUGHTER." Raye smiled slightly at that. Marguerite's voice pulled their attention to James.
"Raye, who is this handsome young man here with you?" James immediately handed the lilies to Raye's mother, as
Raye cleared her throat.
"Mother, father, I would like to introduce to you James Byrne, my colleague and fiance."
"A pleasure." Louis Warrington III gave the younger man an appraising look. "Any relation to Senator Gabriel Price
Byrne from Boston?"
James swallowed. "None, I was originally from the Bronx, New York."
"Oh." There was silence for a moment, and Raye looked at her parents challengingly. Louis Warrington III finally
spoke again.
"Well then, if my Raye here loves you, you have my blessing. Treat her well."
James smiled sincerely at the other man. "I will, I swear on my life."
Raye smiled proudly at her parents. 'Well, whaddya know?' Her mother's voice broke through her thoughts. "Dear,
we simply must have the wedding here! We can invite all of your old friends, and I'm sure that your fiance has a
lot of people he would like to invite as well, we can have a huge gala..."
Raye gave a wry smiled to James, who was still standing next to her. "We're eloping." She mouthed silently to him.
* * *
YAY!! And it's done :):):)
Totally fluffy. But whatever....
Upcoming attractions: The story of Mina Angell and Kevin Knighton. Yay!
REVIEW!!!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
V