Snapshots and Still Frames

Fandom: The Practice

Title: Snapshots and Still Frames

Author: Carla

Pairing: LH/RK

Disclaimers: Still not mine. Mainly because I am still not David E. Kelley. No profit made no harm intended.

Archiving: Okay to list archives and the Realm all others please ask. This story along with all of my other stuff can be
found at http://www.realmoftheshadow.com/carla.htm.

Feedback: If you are inclined to give it I am inclined to get it. Send it directly to me at cmfloresfd@yahoo.com.

Author's Note: I'm not sure who (if anyone) read my previous fic, Seeds of a Lifetime, but this stems from that one.

Intergenerational relationships fascinate me in part because I wonder what each person in the relationship gets from the other. The answer of course is as varied as the couples I know. One couple I know, with a 24 year age difference, have been together 18 years this month. Another with a mere 16 year difference in their ages only lasted two years.

At any rate I couldn't get this story out of my head. I sat down at the keyboard two days ago and have barely left it since. Let me know what you think. Now I am off for a nap.

Also this hasn't been beta-ed so any and all mistakes are mine and mine alone I tell you. ;-)

"Fancy running into you here." Lucy looked up from her notes to see Roberta Kittleson.

"Judge Kittleson" Lucy put down her pen and smiled. "I'm here 'cause I have to be," she gestured towards her notebook. "Big economics test on Tuesday but why are you here?"

"Mind if I sit?"

"Of course not sorry." Lucy cleared space on the table so that Roberta could put her armload of books down. The older woman sat down placing her books on the table as she did so. "So?"

"So. Oh right well I'm taking a creative writing course and I needed to do some research for a piece I'm working on."

"On a Saturday?" Lucy asked in a slightly derisive tone. "That bites. I thought you'd be out with Jimmy..." she stopped speaking abruptly. Judging from the look on the jurist's face, it was possible she'd gone a bit too far with that last comment. After all it wasn't as if she and Judge Kittleson were really friends. They'd only spoken once for any length of time, the night a few weeks back when they'd shared a cab ride home.

Roberta laughed softly, "You're right it does bite. But he's spending some time with his mother and I really need to do this research so it all works out."

"What are you writing about?"

'It's a short story. I just needed to check on some things you know."

"Oh. Well I won't keep you from it then." Lucy picked up her pen and turned her attention to her book.

"Actually I'm done. I was just taking these back to the shelves where I got them. When I was an undergraduate at Radcliffe I worked in the library ever since I feel obligated to re-shelve whatever books I look at." Roberta smiled to herself as she fondly recalled spending hours in the library lost in the peace and quiet of the stacks and the repetitiveness of shelving.

"Where'd you go to law school?"

"Yale."

"Did you grow up around here?"

"In Cambridge. My father was a lecturer at Harvard Divinity who thought it was a waste of what little money we had to send a girl to college. That's why I worked in the library to pay for my books, I had scholarships for the tuition. I lived at home until my senior year when I was the student resident advisor for the freshman dorm."

"That must have been interesting."

"It was shall we say 'Fun' for the most part." Roberta stood up and gathered her books once again. "I'm going to put these away and let you get back to your studying, okay?"

"Actually I think I'm going to call it a day. I'm pretty sure I know it or at least as much of it as I'm going to at any rate." She patted the economics text and her notebook on the table in front of her.

"Care to join me for some coffee and a bite to eat?"

"Sure."

They'd spent the rest of the day and into the evening together, talking and getting to know one another. The hours passed without notice by either woman until Lucy's father called on her cell phone demanding to know where she was and why hadn't she called to tell him she wouldn't be home in time for dinner.

"Pop I'm sorry. I'll be home in a little bit. I'm just down here at Fanueil Market with a friend I lost track of time is all. No not a boy Daddy. I love you too?see you in a few." She disconnected the call and turned to Roberta a sheepish look on her face. "Sorry. He worries if I'm not home in time for dinner when I say I will be. You know how it is what with some of the psychos from the firm and all."

"He loves you is all. It's what any parent would do. I would. My son is 29, almost 30, and I worry about him when he's late and doesn't call. My daughter too and she's 25.

"I didn't know you had children."

"Hugh and Julia." Lucy detected a note of pride in Roberta's voice as she spoke of her children. "Hugh lives in Springfield he's an attorney with some insurance company out of Hartford...the Traveler's maybe. He's married to a lovely young woman, Denise. My first grandchild should be joining us any day now."

"Wow. You must be excited about that."

"Very. I left my car parked in the garage at the library if you want we could take a cab there and then I could drive you home. We don't want to keep your father waiting any later than he has to."

"He'll live don't stress it."

"I want to stress it. How else will you get home?"

"I'll take the 'T'. I do it every day you know."

"I realize that. Humor an old lady then and let me take you home."

"You're not old so stop that."

"I'm not ready for the day to end."

Lucy didn't know what to say to that. The truth was that she wasn't ready for it to end either. She found the elegant and contained jurist interesting, witty insightful and all Lucy could think of was that she wanted to get to know this woman better. They walked in silence for a few minutes before taking a place in line at the taxi stand.

"Me neither." Lucy said softly.

"I haven't had a day like this, you know the kind you don't want to end, in a long time. Years, since my husband actually."

"I haven't ever really had one of those."

"A husband?" a smile crept across the older woman's face.

"That too actually but usually I can't wait for the day to end."

"Why is that?"

"I dunno. I guess it's just...there's so much to do and sometimes, a lot of times, I just feel so overwhelmed and all I want is for the day to end so I can go to bed."

"Well then let's get you home shall we."

"No rush. Today is different." They'd been standing in line at the taxi stand and now there was only one other couple ahead of them.

"Would you like your own taxi or may I have the pleasure of your company for just a little longer?"

"The pleasure is mine I assure you. Besides you still have to tell me about Julia. And your husband, what was his name?"

The next taxi pulled up and they got in. The conversation never faltered, it hardly slowed at all, ending only when they pulled into the driveway of Lucy' home two hours later. They'd taken the long circular route to get there normally it was a 20 minute drive from the library where Roberta had been parked to Lucy' house.

"We're here."

"Yeah"

"So?" Roberta's voice trailed off into the darkness of the car. She was acutely aware of the woman, the young woman, seated next to her.

"So?" Lucy unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to face her new friend. The darkness making her perhaps a bit bolder than she might otherwise have been she leaned over and kissed the other woman's cheek. "Thank you for a lovely day."

"Thank you. Maybe we...that is if you wanted to of course?"

"I had fun. We should do it again sometime."

"I'd like that."

"Call me."

"At the office or on your cell."

"Either way works," with that Lucy opened the car door and got out. Roberta watched till she was safely inside and then drove off.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Judge Roberta Kittleson sat in her chambers deep in thought; her hand rested on the phone receiver. All day she'd been unable to stop her thoughts from wandering to the petite young woman with whom it would seem she'd struck up a friendship. The one and only time she had felt so comfortable so fast with another woman had been in college. Bunny Keller one of the girls in the freshman dorm where she had been the RA, their friendship had been almost immediate, certainly it had been intense. It ended the day Bunny's parent's found them in bed together they'd gone to the younger girl's home for Easter. It had been a disaster. Bunny didn't return to Radcliffe and Roberta lived in virtual fear that the girl's aggrieved parents would say something to the school. Her scholarships all had morals clauses and in nineteen sixty-four a RA having a lesbian affair with one of her residents would have been grounds for dismissal. That perhaps they would say something to her parents had been an equally big fear.

"Donnell and Associates please hold," a voice in her ear intoned. Roberta looked at the phone in her hand when had she picked it up and dialed she wondered. Nonetheless she did not hang up, "Certainly." The fading sounds of the Beatles' classic line 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' came over the phone line and Roberta grinned to hear it. When the opening chords of George Harrison's 'Here Comes the Sun' began the grin transformed into a full-fledged smile. Surely the randomness of the songs was in some way prophetic or at least highly ironic she thought to herself.

"Donnell and Associates how may I direct your call?" Lucy' slightly breathy voice came over the line again and the self-contained blonde felt her pulse quicken. Oh yes it was Bunny Keller once again.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Lucy Hatcher was studying for her cultural anthropology final or rather she was supposed to be studying but her mind was wandering. Somewhere in the house the phone rang and then her father's voice boomed out, "LUCY phone for you."

"Thanks Pop," she called out. "I'll be right there." She hurried to pick up the extension in the living room. "Hello"

"Lucy it's Roberta." On the other end of the line Lucy Hatcher felt her scalp tighten, it was an almost tingly sensation that she often got when she was excited about something. Lately though she also got it whenever her thoughts wandered to the older woman, which meant that she felt this way a lot. Giddy.

"Hi! How are you?"

"Good...good. Listen I was calling because?"

"Because we speak almost every night at this time." They had settled into a routine meeting for a late dinner Mondays and Thursdays when Lucy was done with class, lunch and a movie Saturdays after Lucy was done at the library. Every evening they spoke however briefly.

"Smarty-pants"

"Not according to my GPA."

"You're doing fine. Just one more exam tomorrow night right?"

"Yeah. Three hundred multiple choice questions in two hours though. I don't know I don't 'do' tests very well."

"You'll do fine Little One. You've been very disciplined about your studying and I have faith."

"Thank you Yoda"

"Who?"

"Oh c'mon surely you took your kids to see Star Wars. Return of the Jedi, Frank Oz as the voice of Yoda. You know the short wrinkly old guy looked like a puppet. In fact was a puppet. Any of this ringing a bell for you?"

"No Charles always took the children to the movies."

"I see. Good man that Charles."

"Yes he was."

"So are we still on for tomorrow night? I should be done with my exam by about eight."

"Actually I can't."

"Oh." Unseen Roberta frowned to hear the disappointment in Lucy' voice. Perhaps there was a way to adjust her schedule so that she could have dinner with her daughter and still meet Lucy later.

"Julia's going to be in town tomorrow on business. One night only and she wanted to have dinner."

"Of course. I understand. Saturday then as usual."

"How about drinks after dinner at my house. Come when you're done with your exam. You can meet Julia."

"Okay. Should I plan on spending the night, that way we could get an early start on Saturday or is Julia staying with you?" If Julia was staying at her mother's it meant there was no place but the sofa for Lucy to sleep and she was never really able to sleep on a sofa. Not even for a nap.

"She has a hotel and I washed the clothes you left here the last time you stayed over so you're all set on that front."

"What clothes?"

"A pair of jeans, a Disney sweatshirt you know the one that says 'Happy to be Grumpy' and some underwear."

"Cool. So how was your day?"

"I had a murder trial begin today."

"Who's the DA?"

"Helen Gamble."

"It's not one of our cases is it?"

"No or else I wouldn't be talking about it with you at all you know that."

"I know." She also knew that Roberta was that way with Jimmy Berlutti, one of the attorneys at the firm where Lucy worked and with whom the older woman had an on again off again relationship. "Hey I was thinking that maybe on Saturday we could go see this double feature that's playing at the BU student union."

"What's playing?"

"Its part of this film festival the Southeast Asian Student Union is sponsoring called Women in Bollywood. At any rate there are these two being shown back to back that sound good; 'Bhajee at the Beach' and 'Fire'. The first one's an English film really but the other one, 'Fire', is subtitled."

"Sure why not. From what time to what time I promised Jimmy that I would join him, his mother and her partner for dinner. It's his mom's birthday."

"Starts at one and according to the program we should be done by four, four thirty. Should give you plenty of time to go home and get ready. That works actually 'cause Pop's been getting on my case about how I'm never home on Saturday and he never gets to see me yada yada."

They spoke for another half-hour while Lucy got ready for bed finally ending the conversation as they had almost every night for the last four months or so when it was time for Lucy to brush her teeth.

"So tomorrow nine o'clock your place right?"

"Right."

"Should I bring something? A bottle of wine maybe?"

"Lucy dear you're not old enough to buy wine yet?"

"But I know people old enough to buy it for me."

"As a member of the bar in good standing I didn't hear that," Roberta shot back. "If you have a chance on your lunch hour pick up some of that cannoli from Cafi Lucia. Otherwise just bring yourself."

"Cannoli from Cafi Lucia got it."

"Good luck tomorrow...even though you don't need it."

"Thanks. Have a nice dinner with Julia." This was the hard part, hanging up; neither wanted to be the first. They listened to each other breath while Lucy put toothpaste on her toothbrush and ran it under water. Tonight Lucy gave in first, "Night Bobbi."

"Goodnight Lucy. Sleep tight."

"Don't let the beg bugs bite," Lucy finished the old children's rhyme in a singsong voice and hit the disconnect button to end the call. She brushed her teeth, washed her face then got into bed. Her last conscious thought was about what she would wear the next night when she met Roberta's daughter. She didn't want to embarrass the older woman somehow. It passed her mind briefly, quickly getting lost in the haze of sleep, that what she really wanted to do was show herself off to Roberta, for Roberta. But she didn't want to look like a slut or a child doing it.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / /

The ride to Lucy' house from the movie Saturday afternoon was an unusually quiet one both of them lost in thought. They'd gotten up later than planned thereby missing the first feature on the program, Bhajee on the Beach. The second movie, Fire, a love story between an older woman and her younger sister-in-law, had given them each a lot to think about.

One scene in particular when the two women kissed for the first time had been extremely revelatory. For Lucy it gave name and face, as it were, to her own inchoate desires for the woman beside her. This threw her. She'd never really thought of herself as someone who was attracted to women, especially women who were old enough to be her mother. For Roberta the revelation lay not in the scene itself but in the way Lucy' hand had slipped into her own and stayed there until the movie ended. Perhaps her desires weren't as entirely one-sided as she'd feared. Not that she was going to do anything about it on the off chance she might be wrong.

"That whole scene at the end where everything's burning," Lucy' voice neatly sliced the layer of silence that blanketed them.

"Uh-huh"

"That was an allegory or a metaphor or something like that right?"

"Or something like that," Roberta glanced sideways at her passenger and smiled.

"What are you smiling at? Surprised I know about stuff like that Miss I-Take-Creative-Writing-Classes-For-Fun," Lucy teased.

"Not at all. A lot of things about you surprise me Lucy but knowing what an allegory or a metaphor," she patted Lucy' knee as she continued. "Or something like that is isn't one them."

"What about me surprises you then?"

"That you...that you want to be my friend," a note of wonder crept into the older woman's voice, "that always surprises me." They turned onto Lucy' block in silence and parked in the miraculously open space in front of the house. "That you're only twenty THAT always surprises me when I think about it."

"That always surprises me too. The friend thing not the 'I'm twenty thing' 'cause well you know you're fifty-five and?"

"Fifty-six," Roberta flinched internally to hear the difference in their ages so clearly spelled out. Surely, she thought to herself, she was she delusional if she thought there was even a chance, however remote, that the younger woman was interested in her beyond mere friendship.

"Not till next month," Lucy countered smoothly, "Julia invited me to join you for dinner. Anyway the point is it always surprises me too that you want to be my friend." She looked down at her hands loosely clasped in her lap and mumbled, "You're my best friend, you know."

"What was that?"

"I said you're my best friend. I never really think of you as being fifty-five or fifty-six or any age for that matter you're just Bobbi, my best friend."

Roberta reached for one of the girl's hands and laced their fingers together. "That is the sweetest thing anyone has said to me in a long, long time." She gave the small hand in hers' a gentle squeeze before letting go. "I feel the same way about you."

They sat in silence and for the first time in their friendship the silence seemed truly awkward. Roberta cleared her throat then took a sip of water from the bottle she always had with her in her car.

"You should get going I guess. You're meeting Jimmy at eight you said and it's almost five thirty so?" Lucy' voice trailed off into the dark of the car.

"I hadn't realized the time. I should get going."

"Night." Lucy leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek as she had so many times before.

Only this time, whether on purpose or not Lucy couldn't have said, she shifted ever so slightly to the right so that her lips gently caressed the corner of the older woman's mouth instead of her cheek as she usually would. They stayed like that for a heartbeat or two before Roberta turned her face ever so slightly bringing their lips together fully. When they came up for air a few minutes later the windows in the car had already begun to fog over and they were both panting slightly form their exertions. Lucy who had somehow ended almost in Roberta's lap sat back down in the passenger side seat in a daze. "Oh my God," the petite brunette husked out.

"Lucy?"

"Bobbi?"

Then they were in each other's arms again, mouth to mouth losing themselves in each other and the newness of it all. Unbeknownst to them Lucy' father watched from the living room window moving away from the window when Lucy exited the car.

He was waiting for her by the door, "Hi honey. Did you have a nice time?"

"Uh-huh," she continued dazedly towards the stairs and her room.

"Princess? Lucy are you okay?"

"I'm fine Pop."

"You sure."

"I'm sure."

"You know Princess you can talk to me about anything. Anything at all okay."

"I know Pop." But really she thought could she talk to him about this.

She was almost to the top of the stairs when he called up to her, "You know Lucy I don't say it near enough but I'm really proud of you. Your mother would have been proud of you too."

She rushed back down the stairs to hug him where he stood at the foot of the stairwell and disappeared into his embrace. "Thank you Daddy. I needed to hear that."

"Anytime Princess." He held her head to his chest as he stroked his daughter's hair, "You know Lucy I will always love you. No matter what you're my daughter and nothing, NOTHING will ever change that."

"Thanks Daddy I needed to hear that too."

"I thought you might." He held her at arms-length then kissed her forehead tenderly. "Invite you're friend for dinner sometime. I'd like to meet her."

"Maybe?"

"No maybes I want to meet the woman my daughter is fogging up car windows with," he teased her gently and hugged her again.

"Pop?I," she started crying into his chest. It was such a relief to know that he was okay with the idea she'd been afraid he might not react well.

"It's okay sweetheart like I told you 'I love you.' Unconditionally and nothing will ever change that."

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

"May I help you sir?"

"I'm supposed to be meeting my daughter and her friend here for dinner."

"Reservations under?"

"Excuse me?"

"The reservation sir under whose name was it made."

He glanced down at the note Lucy had left for him that morning with the details of their meeting. "Kittleson. I think...it's hard to read my daughters writing without my glasses."

"Ah yes you must be Mr. Hatcher. Allison will show you to your table sir." The imperious man signaled a young woman who led John through the restaurant to a secluded corner table where an elegant older blonde sat going over some paperwork while she had a glass of wine.

"Judge Kittleson your party is here."

The woman took her glasses off, closed the file she was reading and stood presenting her hand to John as she did so. "Roberta Kittleson, you must be Lucy' father."

"John Hatcher a pleasure to meet you." They shook hands and sat down.

"Would you like a drink?" Roberta lifted a hand and a waiter appeared as if by magic at the table.

"Would the gentleman like something from the bar?"

"Scotch on the rocks please. And a Coke."

"Certainly Sir."

"Lucy called ahead and left a message she's running a little late. Seems there was a problem with the car but they're on the way now."

"Dead battery?"

"Apparently it took awhile to get a jump start."

"She say how late?"

"Fifteen maybe thirty minutes."

"Well I must say I'm looking forward to meeting your daughter Lucy speaks so highly of her." At the look of confusion on Roberta's face he stopped talking. He appraised the situation closely noting for the first time that the table was set for three not four. "Am I missing something?"

"I think maybe?"

"You're 'Bobbi'?" he said incredulously. His mouth snapped shut on his next words as the waiter placed his drinks in front of him.

"Anything else Madam?" The waiter asked as John downed his scotch in one gulp. "Sir?"

"I'll have another one of these," he shook the now empty scotch glass. "Double."

"Certainly." The waiter scurried off as John began crunching ice between his teeth and shooting daggers at the woman seated across from him.

"I'm sorry I thought Lucy had told you."

"What are you forty-two, forty-five maybe?"

"I'll be fifty-six next month."

"Christ! My wife, Lucy' mother may she rest in peace, would have been fifty-four this year. What is wrong with you? You're old enough to be her mother for God's sake. You couldn't find someone your own age. Wait I have a niece she's seventeen maybe you'd like to meet her." His voice rose progressively and people were beginning to pay attention much to Roberta's chagrin.

"I'll thank you to keep your voice down Mr. Hatcher. Please don't cause a scene."

"I'll cause any damn scene I want. You must be out of your mind if you think I'm going to let Lucy'?"

"Let Lucy what Pop?" Lucy said from behind him. She took a seat between them but it wasn't lost on John that she scooted her chair closer to Roberta's not his. It was he noted in the logical part of his brain a clear declaration of Lucy' intent in this matter. "Let me continue to see her 'cause you can't stop me from doing that Pop."

"Lucy be reasonable."

"Double scotch on the rocks Sir."

"Thank you."

"And the young lady?"

"I'll have a sparkling water thank you."

The waiter disappeared as quietly as he'd appeared.

"Lucy, sweetheart listen to me?"

"No you listen Pop. You said you would always love me. You said you wanted, and I quote, 'meet the woman my daughter is fogging up car windows with.' Well here she is. I love her. I want to be with her. And I am incredibly blessed that she feels the same way about me," she reached for Roberta's hand on the table and laced their fingers together, "We make each other happy. I want you to be happy for me."

"Sweetheart believe me all I want is for you to be happy. But this 'thing' between you two," he shook his head, "I don't think...Sure you're happy now but think about it she's thirty-five years older than you are. What's going to happen ten years from now when you're thirty and looking to start a family maybe. She'll be sixty-five and looking to retire."

"John...Mr. Hatcher I understand your concerns. I'm sure they'd be mine if one of my children, my daughter for instance, brought home a man who was much older than she was. But I also hope that I would hear her out, hear her reasons for being with that person and be able to put aside my objections and support her decisions."

"That's easy for you to say your daughter isn't bringing some guy my age home to meet you now is she?" He downed the rest of the scotch in front of him.

"No she isn't so let me say this to you; I love your daughter. Very much and I would never intentionally hurt her. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for her much the same way there wasn't anything I wouldn't have done for my husband when he was alive. Much the same way I suspect you felt about your wife. I loved my husband very much but he's been dead almost ten years now. And I'm not claiming to have been celibate since then but Lucy...Lucy is the one I cherish."

"That's all well and good but here's the hard reality okay. I'm fifty-four, two years younger than you are and I've already had a heart attack. Sure you look like your in great shape God knows you don't look your age but," now he turned his attention to Lucy, "what happens if...how long do you really think you'll have together hmm? Have you thought about that?"

"You know what I remember most about the day Mom died? I remember someone, Uncle Danny maybe, saying that you were lucky to have had as much time with her as you did and you saying it wasn't enough not nearly long enough." She caught her father's gaze and held it, "That's how it would be Daddy. Not nearly long enough."

They continued looking at each other in silent communication until John broke, "Well this will take some getting used to."

"I love you Daddy."

"I love you too Princess." He reached out to pat his daughter's cheek, "Let's order shall we."

/ / / / / / / / / / / / /

A month later they were cuddling watching TV in Roberta's living room when the phone rang. The blonde reached behind her for the cordless phone somewhere on the sofa table.

"Hello," she sat up fully and pulled Lucy' head into her lap so that she could continue to run her fingers through the younger woman's hair.

"Mother"

"Hugh darling, how are you? How's Denise and the baby how is my only grandchild?"

"They're fine mother. Sheila looks adorable in the outfit you sent her. I'll e-mail you the pictures."

"I'll be looking for them then. So to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I spoke with Julia yesterday."

"Yes"

"She said...she said she thought you might have taken up with someone new. Lucy I think she said her name was."

"I had hoped to tell you myself."

"So it's true."

"Yes"

"And she really is?"

"Thirty-five years younger than I am. Yes she is."

"I thought Julia must surely be exaggerating."

"I'm 'fraid not."

"You know Mother you've made some questionable decisions with regards to your little peccadilloes in the past but this takes the cake."

"Excuse me!?!"

"What are you thinking or rather 'What' are you thinking 'With' Mother?"

"You watch your tone with me Hugh. I am still your mother and I deserve your respect. In fact I've earned it." She smiled down at Lucy and traced the bridge of her nose along her eyebrow and finally the outer shell of the younger woman's ear.

"Twenty-one Mother. Never mind that she's a woman...Twenty-one. What is going through your mind might I ask. I mean really; what could you possibly see in a twenty-one year old woman? What do you think she might possibly see in you but a nice meal ticket and some good sex."

"Fantastic sex actually."

"Mother! I'm being serious."

"So am I Hugh, so am I. So listen carefully Hugh because I am only going to say this once. I love her. I am in love with her do you understand? Lucy is not a gold-digger and I resent you implying otherwise especially since you haven't met her." The night of Roberta's birthday dinner her granddaughter had taken ill and Hugh and his wife had been forced to stay home to care for her.

"Mother?"

"Not another word Hugh or I'll hang-up this phone."

"Fine. I'm coming to Boston this weekend then."

"Lovely. Just you or?"

"Just me. And Julia she's flying in from Chicago we should be at the house by two."

"We'll see you then."

" 'We', Mother?"

"Yes 'We', Hugh. Lucy and I, I presume that's why you're coming here right to talk to me face to face. Make me see the error of my ways as it were. Well in order to do that it stands to reason that you should meet her don't you think?"

"Yes I suppose so," he gave a sigh of resignation. He'd never really won an argument with his mother she was one of the most infuriatingly logical people he had ever met.

"Hugh?"

"Yes, Mother?"

"I love you, you know that right?"

"I love you too Mother. I just worry about you. I know you miss my Father, still."

"You're right I do. But understand something; Lucy isn't a replacement for him. She's in addition to him. She makes me happy, darling." There was silence on the other end as Hugh contemplated this.

"I love you Mother. I'm sure I'll...Julia says she's quite a lovely young woman actually. And obviously in love with you."

"She did?"

"She did."

"She say anything else?"

"That you were obviously in love with her."

"I'll see you Saturday then. Kiss Denise and the baby for me."

"Will do. Bye Mother."

"Bye" she hung up the phone and leaned over to lightly kiss Lucy on the lips.

"Everything okay?" Lucy reached up to tuck an errant lock of hair behind her lover's ear.

"Everything's fine. Julia shared her suspicions about us with Hugh."

"And?"

"And he's, that is he and Julia, are coming to Boston on Saturday to meet you."