Prelude

Part 1

A rare sight from the upper level of his flat; sunshine. Max looked out on London already awake and going about its business. He had a plane to catch and Maxi to collect from Battersea but still he lingered at the railing. Something so alive in the City fast paced and moving, constant motion from the water taxis on the Thames to the helicopters crossing overhead now. Smiling a little…sometimes he missed it. He sighed, but now he had to get a cab to Battersea and to Terry’s.

"Mon frère, mon frère…Dadee," Maxi came running to him. Max took him up and hugged him, gave him a kiss and closed his eyes as the little boy’s arms went around his neck. This was bliss.

"Anna’s got all his things here in his bag, I’ll go down and get his car seat…what are you driving?"

"Ah London cab," Max glanced in Terry’s direction. The air was still crackling between them. Max examined Maxi’s black eye, not as bad as he’d imagined. He noticed Jacky hanging in the doorway to the living room clutching his monkey and he squatted down.

"How are you Jacky, only five more days and you’ll be coming to France and be with us." He reached out and pulled him close for a hug. It was hard for Jacky and Max recognized that, he wanted to be with his brother. Maxi reached out and put his hand on Jacky’s head. Jacky looked up at him and held his monkey a little tighter.

"Joe," Maxi said pointing to the monkey. Jacky smiled a little.

Max had a feeling they were mentally communicating with each other. He heard Terry’s footsteps on the stairs.

"Strapped in and ready to go," he took Maxi from Max and walked to the car with them. "They’ve had a good time I think I’d like to do this again sometime especially as they get older."

"I’ll let you and Toni work that out. Bye Jacky see you soon," Max took Maxi and buckled him in.

"Well, guess I’ll be seeing you soon too." Max met Terry’s eye.

"Unavoidable," Terry replied with a slight smile, "have a good flight."

Max half listened to Maxi’s chatter on the way to the airport. He wondered how long Terry’s anger would last. He also had Toni to face when he got home. She’d called him back about five minutes after Terry left and wanted to know what the hell that was all about, was it a joke or what? His rambling explanation hadn’t sufficed.

He gave the city one last wistful look out of the window and turned his attention to Maxi.

Toni parked the car at the airport and unbuckled Rose from her seat. She hoisted her on her hip and went inside checking the flight arrivals. He should be setting down about now she thought. She hadn’t told him she was meeting the plane. But after talking with him and Terry the night before she felt like she needed to be there. She wanted to see Maxi’s eye and get the truth out of Max.

It wasn’t long before she saw them. Max was carrying the seat and Maxi’s bag in one arm and he’d had a haircut; she bit her lip that was Terry’s doing cutting off his curls. Then the dark eye.

"Oh look there’s Mummy, see…" Max directed Maxi and let him go to Toni.

"What have they done to you," Toni wailed and swapped Rose over to Max. "Maxi…"

"Mummy," he was all nestled into her now realizing how much he’d missed his mum.

"Darling we’re blocking ...we need to move on love."

Max could tell on the way to the car that Toni was more upset over his haircut than the black eye. He thought the haircut was long overdue; Maxi looked like a boy now.

After stowing the children in their seats, Max moved behind the wheel and looked over at Toni. "Aren’t you glad to see me too?"

Toni raised a brow, "I’m not sure yet. Let’s go home."

"I don’t think I can stand it if you’re angry with me too." Max started the engine.

"I’m not angry…a little confused maybe, curious…very curious."

"I’ll satisfy all your curiosity and hopefully everything else," he grinned ingratiatingly.

Toni smiled a little and looked out of the window. It was very hard to be angry with Max in fact she couldn’t’ really think of a time when she had been. He could be aggravating sometimes, stubborn and hard headed but he was generous with himself, thoughtful and very loving. She let out a big sigh.

Toni glanced in the back seat; both children were asleep in their seats. "This will serve as their afternoon nap. Max, why were you with Terry in the flat and not at his house with the boys?"

"Well I didn’t know I’d be bringing Maxi back and if he saw me then I would have had no choice."

"Why did Terry kick you both out?"

"I’m not sure about Maxi; maybe he did it to aggravate me. I suppose he had reason to kick me out. I’ll tell you the truth, love. Dino called me and said he was worried about Terry’s mental state. He seemed too quiet, perhaps lost confidence in himself, ah lost the fire, withdrawn, etc. So I said I go over and see what I could find out."

"Why didn’t you tell me this instead of making up a lie?"

"It wasn’t exactly a lie I did make a few trades from the flat. Anyway If I’d told you the truth you would have been in the middle of it and I wanted to talk to him alone."

"What did you find out is he okay?"

"He’s fine; I got him talking for two nights. He’s going to make a few changes in his work, nothing wrong with taking himself out of the line of fire. He’s taking his role as a father more seriously, nothing wrong with that either. He still feels lost sometimes without you and I can understand that. I think that’s when we began assembling our weapons. He realized what I had been doing, digging into his private affairs making him talk about it. In some ways I think he wanted to talk but he didn’t always like what I had to say. I finally got him mad enough the fire came out again. He hasn’t forgiven me for that yet."

"Did he really try and hit you?"

"Yes, he did…hit the fridge door and bashed it in we’ll probably have to replace it."

"How’s his hand did he…?"

"His hand?" Max raised his brows, "That might have been my nose he bashed."

"But he didn’t…"

"Only because I moved quickly out of the way, would you have liked that if I came home looking like Maxi?"

"No, darling," Toni put out a hand and caressed his arm. "I would not have wanted to see you hurt at all. What happened exactly to Maxi?"

"I take it Jacky tends to push him around a little and he pushed one time to many and Maxi fought back. They were actually fighting according to Terry, both crying but still swinging."

Toni smiled a little, "Boys…I suppose it’s to be expected…after all look at their fathers."

Toni got Maxi and Rose settled playing in the den and went in search of Max, he’d gone upstairs and changed clothes and came back down but not to the den.

"There you are," He was in the kitchen making a pot of tea.

"Like a cuppa," he smiled slightly.

"Yes, you make good tea." She slipped by him and went into the pantry bringing out a tin of Madeline’s. "I made these all by myself."

"Did you, I didn’t think you liked to bake."

"I took advantage of being alone here and tried out my new pan. If they turned out awful I’d have tossed them and not said a word."

"Hmm maybe I should disappear more often who knows what you might master."

"No…you shouldn’t. I don’t like it when you’re not here. This is a very large house for only Rose and me."

"Imagine what it was like when there was only me here with Henry’s ghost." He took the tea tray to the table. "The sun was out in London this morning…"

"Oh and you’ve come home to rain."

"No, I’ve come home to you."

Toni set the plate of cakes on the table and moved between his knees, "If you hadn’t come home I’d have come after you. I love you." She kissed him softly and moved to a chair.

"Umm, I love you too." He turned in the chair, "Still there’s something about London that makes me feel I should be up and doing something; bustling about with a brief case."

"You miss it?"

"Only for a moment. I’ve become fat and lazy not sure I could stand the pace anymore."

"Oh I think you could but would you want to I know you tried it for awhile, living at the cottage with Connie. After…well we came back here and never looked back."

"That’s true there was never any real thought about living in England again."

"Is there now? I’ll go anywhere with you."

"I know love," he sipped his tea, "thing is I’ve gotten used to the life we live here. It’s perfect really it is. I think about you sometimes stuck out here in the countryside."

"I’m not stuck…I’ve got you and the children to keep me busy, this old house and the gardens. If ever I want anything else all I have to do is say so and we jet off somewhere."

"I just don’t ever want you to get bored or lack for anything, a stimulus of some sort or…"

"I find you quite stimulating, Mr. Skinner."

He grinned and met her look, "That’s not what I was referring to."

"I know that."

"You were a writer when we met…"

"I may be again someday, what a book I could write about a magical house."

"You wouldn’t name names?"

"Of course not, I wouldn’t want people ganging up in the drive to get a glimpse of you."

"I can’t imagine anyone wanting a glimpse of me, good Lord."

"Because of who you are…but you have nothing to worry about. You’re the best kept secret in Provence."

"I wouldn’t mind going back there sometime, just the two of us without there being any kind of a life or death situation. I know the place holds different memories for you but if we went in summer do you think?"

"To The House of Four Seasons…yes why not. It would be a vacation for us a step away from real life for awhile. I know you loved it there."

"I did but perhaps for different reasons than you might think. It took me out of my movie and gave me a glimpse of what life could be. What it could be with you to love. Now I know full well what it means and I couldn’t ask for anything more."

"You are so sweet. Let’s go the first of June, back to where it all began, back to where we fell in love. It will work out perfectly June is Terry’s month and we can send Maxi with Jacky."

"And Rose?"

"Tuppy…"

"Well then," he smiled and touched his cup to hers, "we have a plan."

Part 2

Jacky ran as fast as he could to the door while Terry pulled his things out of the trunk of the rental car. Toni opened the door and grabbed him up in her arms. After he submitted to her kisses he wanted down to find Maxi. Before she could tell him Terry was coming in the door.

"Hello luv," he dropped his load and kissed her.

"Terry," Toni tasted her lips as she backed away, he noticed.

"Where’s ah…"

"He’s in the den."

Jacky found Max and wanted to know where Maxi was.

"Ohh Jacky he’s over at Grandpa Duncan’s." Max watched Jacky’s face fall, his lip came out and he crossed his arms, Joe dangling from a hand.

"Tell you what, I’ll run you over there on the tractor."

"Duflot’s tractor?"

"The very one, although it belongs to me." Max handed Rose a toy and stood taking Jacky’s hand "We’d better tell someone where we’re going."

They walked out in the hall and looked toward the entry. "We’re going tractor riding."

Toni tilted her head, "Are you really?"

"Taking Jacky over to Duncan’s, be back in a bit."

"Hey ah Max…thanks." Terry called after him. Max stopped and turned nodding slightly and led Jacky out of the back door.

Terry walked around the table, "I don’t’ suppose we have time to um…you know?"

"I don’t suppose we do; Rose is in the den…what a romantic you are."

Terry grinned and ran a hand over the stack of books, "All you can do is say no, worth a try. How are you, you look good."

"I’m fine…what happened with you and Max?"

"Nothing important."

"You bashed the fridge…"

"Well I did yes but yesterday a new one was delivered and the bashed in one hauled away. We’re allowed you know to um blow off steam once in awhile."

"Who allows steam blowing off, not me?"

"I do…Max does," he popped his gum. "We’re all right luv, I know it and he knows it." He moved around the table again coming up close.

She could smell his scent, no longer blended with cigarettes she could smell his gum. It had the same affect on her it always did. She reached out and straightened a book on the table not looking at him. "He says you’re making changes in your life…I hear everything second hand…even though my cell phone still works."

"I should have called you I guess. Sometimes I try going it alone sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve got my priorities straight right now." She was so close he could smell her hair, clean shampooed smell. "You haven’t moved away from me so um." He put his arms around her and pulled her against him. "You don’t mind this do ya?"

She looked up meeting his eyes, "Tell me a priority?"

She leaned her head against his chest catching her breath, "I…need to check on Rose." She slipped out of his arms.

He followed her into the den and squatted down to play with Rose for awhile. Toni noticed her manner, "she’s flirting with you."

He looked up, "did you teach her that?"

"No, it comes natural. You’re an easy target." She smiled a little. "Where are you headed from here?"

"Miami, I’m going to talk to Dino about a partnership. He doesn’t know it yet but he’s about to trade in his combat boots for some shiny shoes."

"How do you know he wants shiny shoes?"

"Because I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse. Equal partnership…a gift."

"You are generous…"

"What’s the use of having it if you can’t spend it? Max has done well by me and by Jacky. Good thing we’ve got a banker in the family."

"Yeah. Um do you think you can take Maxi for June?"

"Sure, Jacky would love that."

"Why did you have Maxi’s hair cut?"

Terry sat cross legged on the floor, "I took Jacky in for a haircut and Maxi wanted one too. It was time, Toni he looked like a little girl. He was very proud of his haircut."

"It was a shock you should have asked me."

"You’re right I should have but it seems to me that all three kids belong to all of us. I don’t say anything when Jacky comes home speaking French, I’m not raising a frog but that’s okay it’s good that he’s bilingual. Max has taught him English, he says bollocks quite plainly."

"Oh dear."

Terry looked up at her and raised a brow having made his point.

"About the fighting…"

"Boys are going to fight, Toni. It all started with a red truck, we now have four red trucks all just alike so there’s nothing to fight about there. I’m sure they’ll find something else but Anna keeps a good eye on them when they’re with me."

"I wish I could say the same for Tuppy, she’s due back on Sunday. She’s very good with Rose and Maxi but the two boys together tend to look after themselves. Max and I try to stay close with them around."

"What’s this I hear about Jack taking you back to his time period?"

"He’s bought a cottage by the sea, it’s in England. I think it will be lovely for Rose."

"And for you?"

"I…I don’t know about that…"

"I don’t like him taking you back, I have this fear that something will happen and you won’t be able to come back across the divide."

"He does it all the time without a problem."

"That’s him…if he gets lost in the netherworld too bad but you…that can’t happen Toni."

"I can do it myself, not like he does but I can step across, I did it in Rome and I did it in Florence."

"It’s too much of a risk, baby."

"Babee, babe…"Rose climbed on him claiming his attention.

Toni smiled, this was a man who’d lost his confidence, she didn’t think so. He’d taken on her and three children since he’d walked in the door. "Are you flying from Marseilles?"

"Um no from Paris, early morning flight."

She raised a brow, so he’d be spending the night in Paris, probably with his Paris girl; he was too full of himself to be sleeping alone tonight. Damn lucky woman whoever she was. "Anything I need to know?"

He pulled Rose around, "About what?"

"I don’t’ know…anything…um…anything."

"Can’t think of anything."

"Uh would you like something to drink um coffee or tea or?" she shrugged.

"Or me," he smiled, "I’d love you but I’ll settle for coffee."

"Is that what you do?" she asked.

He grinned, "No sometimes I have tea."

She went to the kitchen hiding a grin.

Max came in the back door toeing off his shoes, "Duflot has spread fertilizer all over everything."

"Not Jacky I hope,"

"I made him wash his hands at Aubrey’s…gave him a good dust off."

"You left them over there?"

"Yes, Aubrey will keep them busy for awhile, making coffee?"

"Um hm, Terry’s entertaining Rose."

"Good for him."

"He’s bought you a new fridge."

"Has he…well…good." Max smiled and went to the sink to wash his hands.

Terry carrying Rose, "Thought I heard you in here."

"Are we on speaking terms now," Max dried his hands on a towel.

"Guess so it’s either that or go to our respective corners and sit in time out."

Max grinned, "Saved me though didn’t it."

"Yeah it did. So ah you’re driving tractors now?"

"A Lamborghini tractor not just any old…"

"Ahh."

"It was the fastest means to get Jacky to Duncan’s, just go through the vineyards and he enjoyed it."

Terry smiled and accepted a cup of coffee from Toni; Max was good with the kids he didn’t know why he thought he might be disinterested maybe because he didn’t make a big show of it. Rose was put in her high chair with a cup of juice and a biscuit.

"Did Toni tell you we’re going to the House for June, sort of a vacation?"

"No…she didn’t just ask if I’d take Maxi. Why would you want to go back there?"

"Nostalgia," Toni answered. "And it’s a nice place to go, a vacation from life.

"Be careful there…"

"Why would you say that?" Max asked

"I don’t really know…just came to me maybe I’m a little skeptical of magic now, I believe in it but I don’t necessarily trust it anymore."

"Well this time we aren’t going there to be healed from anything, just to relax and let it take care of us." Max said.

Part 3

"Was there anything else?" Max stopped at the front door, he was on his way to Marseilles to pick up Tuppy and making a stop to deliver some wine label art in Bonnieux.

"I don’t think so darling," Toni came from the den "just hurry back with Tuppy." She laughed. Tuppy had been on leave for a month while Maxi stayed in London with Terry and Jacky but now all the children were here at La Siroque.

It bothered Max to leave Toni alone at the Chateau; Terry had planted the fear in the back of his mind about Jack taking her back into his world and something going terribly wrong. He had no way of stopping Jack from appearing except to tell him and he’d already done that, not that it did any good. Toni had listened to both he and Terry’s fears and he hoped she had enough sense to realize the danger.

Toni came and gave him a kiss goodbye, "My goodness you’d think you were leaving on a trip." She laughed.

He held her eyes a moment with a look "Don’t pop off anywhere…please."

"No…no I won’t…what…?"

"Nothing really just a feeling I have of losing you I don’t know where it came from really."

"I’m not going anywhere darling, I promise." She caressed his cheek and with a last look he went out the door heading toward the garage.

Toni wondered at his fear, there was no way she would go off and leave three children on their own. He and Terry both were spooked for some reason. She shook her head and went back to the den absently picking up toys and glancing at the video they were watching.

Tuppy was back now and things returned to normal at La Siroque. Aubrey Duncan’s dog had puppies and the boys spent a good deal of time over there. They were both promised a puppy when they were old enough to leave their mother.

"What about Rose?" Jacky wanted to know. He and Maxi were beginning to include her in their circle. She was quite happy to follow them around the house and garden.

Max had a call from Terry it seemed he now had a new partner in SI and he wanted to thank him for pushing the issue. Dino was now in Bolivia but expected in London when the job was finished. Max handled the money transfer for him and stock purchase. While he was at it he had a look at John’s finances. John was now the Sheriff in Belfast, Maine and Max considered his income from that to be insignificant but it gave John something to do besides count fish. He’d bought a lobster boat now. Max chuckled at his youngest brother’s ventures.

A last glance at bank accounts brought his eye down to Jack’s. Really a waste but he did need money when he was around for any period of time and it automatically paid his credit card. He worried about Jack a lot. This new found magical ability of his upset the natural order of things. He wondered if Jack really thought he’d come out into reality or if he knew all along he wasn’t like the rest of them. He suspected the latter but he’d played along with them letting them think he was real.

"What are you doing in here on this glorious day?" Toni came into his study.

"Hi love, boring old banking business, what’s up?"

"We’ve got a picnic all ready to go, just need you." She kissed the top of his head.

"Oh well I…"

"Leave it, it’s not going anywhere…come away with me…" she played with him.

"That’s more like it…"

"And come away with Jacky, Maxi and Rose…"

"Ohh."

"It will be fun a family outing."

"Where are we going?"

"To the beach…find your swim togs and come on." She smiled and winked.

She had the ability to bring him out of those boring little trenches he dug for himself now and again and make life fun. Throw it all overboard and head for the beach…why not…

"You deserve everything you’re going to get, parading around half naked in front of me all day." Max lay her back on the bed. They were still wet from the shower that had washed away the beach from their bodies.

"What about you, I had to rub oil on your legs."

"Ha, ha," he laughed softly, "that was almost my undoing," his mouth closed over hers. Passion that had been building all day was about to explode.

Sex with Max could be many things, today it was filled with a hot passion that rolled them over the bed unable to get enough of one another. It was beautiful.

They were in the back garden at midnight. "What a day it’s been fun, thank you." He kissed her cheek.

"It has been I thought it was so cute for Jacky and Maxi to dig a pool for Rose to paddle in."

"It was a good thing they did otherwise she would have been in the ocean. No fear of water."

"Look who her father is. It’s in her blood."

"You’re in my blood," he slipped an arm around her; "deeply embedded…I love you Toni."

The month was moving on, Max booked seats on a plane for Boston to arrive June 1^st. Toni filled the time getting them out as a family to festivals, village fairs and more trips to the beach. They wouldn’t see the children next month and so they spent as much time with them as possible.

Goodbye’s to Rose who didn’t understand what was going on, Tuppy took her to the nursery where a new bag of toys awaited her. Toni, Max and the boys flew to London. Terry sent a company car to meet them at the airport and bring them to his house.

Jacky carried his own little bag full of things he’d been allowed to buy in the airport at Marseilles. Toni carried Maxi’s, he was apt to leave it in odd places.

It seemed a little strange walking up to Terry’s flat, Toni had only been there once and that had been the night Rose was born. Terry answered the door, Anna would be there in the morning he explained.

Jacky was busy showing him the contents of his bag, Maxi rushed off down the hall to the bedroom he would share with Jacky. Max a little more familiar with the place went down to the kitchen and put a kettle on. Toni wandered into the living room.

It seemed so empty to her but then she was used to the clutter of La Siroque. It was masculine…definitely without a woman’s touch.

"I don’t spend that much time up here in this room."

Toni jumped unaware he was in the room she turned to find him right behind her. "I was just thinking that…doesn’t look that lived in."

"We hang in the den where the TV is. Um those are Jade plants…came with the flat all I do is water."

"Yes…it’s a nice room Terry."

"It’s home, we’re comfortable here."

"Well…show me where you hang out then I think Max went to put the kettle on."

He rested his soft eyes on her a moment, "it’s down this way off the kitchen."

Toni immediately recognized Terry’s nest, she had to smile at the recliner and stack of books on the table beside of it and multiple remotes, huge TV took up a wall. Comfortable furniture here with tables within reach of the seating. His lap top plugged in and waiting.

"We tend to eat in here, they pull their little chairs up to the coffee table. Nothing fancy but they have to use a knife and fork and a napkin."

Toni grinned up at him. "You’ve done well, Terry." She walked to the back windows and could see a narrow metal stair winding down to the back gardens. "Do you ever go down there?"

"Nah there’s a n old lady on the first floor and she’s kind of taken that area over, nobody bothers it besides the park is just across the street."

She walked into the kitchen where Max was pouring milk in a little jug. He had a tea tray ready. "You just make yourself at home here don’t you?"

Max glanced at her, "Yeah if you want anything here you have to do it yourself, he’s a washout as a host."

They had their tea and Toni went up to check on the boys. Jacky’s room had been redone she noticed. Two twin beds now occupied the room and one half of it was given over to toys and a play area. A door off this room led to a small alcove that held a bed for Anna. She wasn’t trying to be nosey just curious as to how he lived, what his things looked like now. A small bedroom was an office and at the end of the hall was his room. She opened the door and stood quietly taking it in.

Nothing of her in here at all, but why should there be. He’d had a designer do up the whole flat that was evident but even at that he had to chose something. A man lived here without a woman…

"You wanted to see where he sleeps?" Max leaned on the door.

She had been lost in her thoughts and hadn’t heard him. "I’ve been having a look around the flat, just curious where our boys stay."

Max came into the room, "he sleeps here alone, Toni…doesn’t bring anyone here…ever."

Her gaze went straight to the bed and then back to Max, she bit her lip and moved past him into the hall. "How much longer have we got?"

"About three hours do you want to spend them here or go into the city for a meal?"

"I think I’d like to go…"

He smiled a little and took her hand, "We’d better say our goodbye’s then."

Toni kissed Terry, not making a big show of it but their eyes met for a moment saying things they couldn’t. He took her hand as they walked toward the door, "Enjoy the House…I hope it’s going to be what you think it is."

"That’s a strange thing to say,"

"Yeah, well you’re with Max whatever you’ll be fine that I know for a fact."

"Any problems with the boys get in touch with John, he’s the closest one to us but we’ll be calling in. Good luck Terry." Max patted his shoulder.

"Yeah…yeah sure, Max." he walked down the steps to the front door of the building, "Max…Max take care."

Max turned and looked at him, "Okay ," he grinned, "Don’t worry we’ll be fine."

In the cab heading for central London, "What was that all about Max?"

"I have no idea, love…no idea."

TBC