Disclaimer: Be warned there are rampant POV changes at every bold heading, that's what I get for having pushy characters they all wanted a say.

SPECIAL THANKS

A huge thanks to my on-call ideas guru (you know who you are) you did great at crackin the whip and keeping me inline for this chapter!!

I'm popping my own literary cherry here so tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is more than welcome, I will beg for it if I have to...... hunnybakedham@yahoo.com.au

Gummy Bear Philosophy


I could get used to this. Waking up with a gorgeous blonde drooling on my shoulder is a whole lot nicer than it sounds. In fact I could live with it for a long, long time before getting over it. I bend my head and kiss her on the forehead.

"Cooper, It’s Saturday, the day of rest. Go back to sleep." She grumbles.

"Sunday’s the day of rest Liz, today is for doing stuff."

"No, Saturday is the day of pre-rest." Speaking to me as if I were a small child.

"Pre-rest?"

"Yeah, so that way when you actually get to Sunday you’re rested enough to enjoy your real day of rest."

Ok, the logic is there, it might need some work; but it is logical. However, I’m not great at being still; the hospital stay proved that, so fighting the urge to run my fingers along her skin is just way too much. The shiver and gooseflesh indicate a job well done; however the small hand that just batted mine away says otherwise.

“Go play with your brother, I refuse to open my eyes until the alarm clock is back into single digits.” I look over to said clock, it’s only 10am, damn…… I sigh sadly and kiss her head again before sliding out from under her. Woody only has a couple more days of leave so I guess making the most of the time we have left is good idea.
 

*************

Woody and I have been playing Ratchet & Clank on the Playstation most of the day and tossing Gummi Bears into each other mouths, ok, At each other; occasionally one would accidently land in a mouth. While Liz has relocated her ‘Pre-rest’ to the couch and is snoozing on my shoulder. Woody picks out a green gummy bear and holds it up.

“What will you give me if I can land this in Liz’s cleavage?” He asks with a big grin and wiggling his eyebrows at me?

“A concussion and possibly a broken nose.” I tell him seriously, I may have even growled. I feel a kiss on the cheek and Liz whispers “good puppy” in my ear, then goes back to sleep.

Woody just howls with laughter.

Another day in the life…… I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
 

************

 Bombs Away



Well today was a good relaxing day until Woody dropped a depth charge. Apparently tonight is the night I get to meet the rest of Cooper’s brothers. Woody arranged a surprise visit that Cooper doesn’t know about. I know she has loved having Woody around the last couple of weeks and I can’t really complain about meeting the rest of the clan, but a girl can be a little nervous cant she? What if they don’t like me? What if I don’t like them? The fear must show on my face because Woody just asked if I need an antacid. He is a sweet guy, but a guy nonetheless.

“Liz?” He asks gently “Don’t stress, the boys will love you. Just feed them and you will have three Rottweilers licking the palm of your hand.”

I can’t help but laugh. It hurts less than crying and doesn’t make my face puffy.

D-Day.

They are due any minute now, Cooper still doesn’t know; and I am still breathing. I’ll take it as a good sign.

I hear a car pull up and car doors slam shut. Woody takes point and goes to the door letting in the three brothers. They all exchange hugs and make their way into the house where Cooper is waiting to see who has arrived. With five Bensons in the small house the volume levels have hit the roof. Everyone is talking at the same time, all able to follow all the conversations; I have never seen anything like it. At the moment I am hiding in to kitchen just listening to the boisterous noise. Peeking around the corner I come face to face with a blonde god in a naval uniform. Face chiseled out of marble by a master sculptor and Grecian curls crowning his noble head.

“Hi, You must be Liz? We have heard all about you from Woody. I’m Gene, nice to finally put a face to the name.” He says in a lovely rich tenor. This is Cooper’s twin holding out a friendly hand. Somehow I switch on my brain and slowly reach out my own hand to meet his, he grabs it a large warm hand and just pulls me into a tight hug.

“Welcome to the family.” He says kissing me on the cheek.

Well Gene just proved I was indeed 100% lesbian. Not turned on in the slightest. The man just cannot be real. I still haven’t said a word when Cooper hobbles her way towards me.

“You should have seen him before I broke his nose.” She says to me laughing. Good to see my dumbfounded reaction mustn’t be a novelty. If the US Navy ever needs to recruit, they have their poster-boy. “C’mon the rest of the guys want to meet you.”

********** ********

I feel like I have well and truly earned a t-shirt saying “I Met The Bensons AND SURVIVED”. I flop onto Cooper’s bed and sigh.

I am exhausted.

They are all really nice guys, I was worried for no reason. I still can’t get over the names these poor kids got saddled with. I had no idea Woody’s full name was Woodstock Freelove; or Hawk was born Mohawk Ramone; I had thought Henry was a pretty boring name until he told me what was listed on his birth certificate, Hendrix Morrison. Even Gene who is the only one who uses his given name was lumped with Gene Simmons Benson, I mean really what was she thinking. No wonder they all adjusted the names, I can’t believe Cooper was named Alice. I think it is the most unfitting name for her. It’s like naming Grizzly bear ‘Kitty’ or ‘Fluffy’. I hope I never have the misfortune to meet ‘Mommy Dearest’. I’m not sure how long it would take me to get arrested.

Listening to the whole clan tonight talk about stupid things they did as kids, not once was Mom mentioned. It was always Woody to the rescue or Hawk who drove ‘such and such’ to the hospital for stitches. Some of the adventures they got up to as kids though, it’s a surprise they all still have four limbs each.

Gene told me about a ‘rock-climbing’ expedition Cooper talked him into once when they were 8. They had heard about Woody’s Marine Training course in Abseiling, and wanted to be just like their big brother. So of course they went to a disused quarry and climbed halfway down a crumbling cliff face; each using a pair of Hawks jock straps as a harness, tethered to a small desert shrub by an unraveled ball of purple wool. Apparently it snapped (surprise surprise) and they slid the rest of the way down on their asses. They had to walk the hour back home with no asses in their jeans, bleeding and grinning like fools. Hawk added that he spent the rest of the afternoon pulling bit of dirt, rocks and other assorted bits out of their tender flesh. I had meant to ask Cooper about the little tiny scars on her rump….

Apparently she really did break his nose though, they were 12 and playing a Neanderthal game called ‘Toss the Brick’; Cooper tossed Gene missed, Crunch, blood everywhere. Im sure you can see the ‘Funniest Home Video’ that goes with it.

“Im gonna end up in a brawl with 3 of my brothers because of you, you know.” Cooper says softly from the doorway.

I have no idea what she is talking about, I thought everything went pretty well.

“You spent the entire night charming the proverbial pants off them all. So now there are 4 Benson’s who are in love with you.”

“I did not do anything of the……..In love with me????” Did she just say what I think she did?

********** ********

In The Navy, Be Bold and Make a Stand



What do I do now? Do I tell her something I’m not too sure about? Do I tell her I’m not sure? Do I say nothing and just pretend I didn’t hear it? I know I need to say something, but as I looking around the room there is no Cooper. She was here right? I wasn’t just imagining the whole thing? Some subconscious day dream?

I look at the alarm clock, 4:17 am, Shit, shit, shit. When I came into the room it said 2:03am. Where did the last 2 hours go? What the hell must Cooper be thinking.

She tells me something important and I don’t say a word. I know Cooper well enough to know she is probably stewing, beating herself up and I know for a fact that she is a pretty sensitive type. It doesn’t take much to crush her ego. How the hell do I fix this mess? Talk about the blind leading the deaf….. between us were are a mass of idiosyncrasies and neuroses. I’m terrified of another situation like Cally happening again, being left behind, ego shattered, afraid of caring so I don’t get hurt WHEN it happens. I’m petrified of Cooper realizing that she can do better, Someone who isn’t as emotionally damaged. Maybe I’m still letting Cally win. If I let her win, Coopers huge heart gets hurt. What if I hurt Cooper? I really don’t want to do that, I’m crazy about her. She is intelligent, has a great, if not a little strange, sense of humor. She doesn’t use emotional blackmail, treats me like a queen and is fantastic in bed. I love the way she loves me.

SHIT.

She has been doing that for weeks. Loving me. WE have been doing that for weeks. Even the thought of not having Cooper in my life makes my chest ache and my stomach turn to acid. Even Cally leaving didn’t feel this way. That hurt my ego, not my heart, that’s been mine all along; Cally never really had all of it. Currently it’s probably down the hall parked on the recliner, brooding. I AM AN IDIOT, AND NOW IM GOING TO FIX THIS.

I toss the bedding back and gird my mental loins. I want the girl, hell I want it all, picket fence, dog, even kids; the Bensons are good stock, all those boys are handsome, except Gene who is more beautiful than handsome.

Most of all, I just want Cooper.

Now I’m going to get her.

"At least you were brave enough to take the risk. I’ve never told anyone I wasn’t related to I loved them." I can hear Gene talking as I go down the hallway.

"Just what I always wanted to be when I grew up; cannon fodder for Cupid." She sounds so dejected. I have a whole lot to make up for. Not even a second thought that her brother is sitting right there on the couch, He is family after all; I haul myself up and straddle Cooper’s lap facing her. I make it a simple as I can.

“I love you.” And kiss her with everything I have.
 

Continued in Part 11

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