HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS-PAGE 3

  Murdock and Aislynn sat together on the couch as they finished their hot
 chocolate, Murdock's arm around Aislynn's shoulders as he gently caressed
 her arm while they talked. Within a few minutes they were back at the
 decorations and happily working together on adorning the tree with the
 colorful items Aislynn's mother had sent along. In Aislynn's opinion, the
 best item of all had to have been the mistletoe and she was now quite glad
 that her mother had included it with the rest of the box full of things. As
 for the tree, well, they had chosen one about four feet in height, & it sat
 in one corner of the cabin quite nicely so that it wouldn't be too close to
 the fire. It had begun to get dark outside by the time they were through
 with their decorating project. Murdock added the finishing touches by
 placing the angel atop the tree and plugging in the lights. He then went
 around the room and shut off the table lamps as the two of them stood back
 and inspected their tree. 

 Aislynn stood with her arms crossed. Neither had spoken for a couple of
 minutes as they stood and stared at the tree, the sound of logs crackling in
 the fireplace. Murdock slid around behind her and put his hands on her
 shoulders, gently rubbing and massaging as Aislynn moaned softly. "Mmm, that
 feels good...oh, yeah...a little more to the right...that's it! You got it!"
 she managed to say as she let herself relax against Murdock and the magic
 his fingers seemed to be working. When he leaned over and began to nuzzle at
 her ear, Aislynn felt warm and tingly all over. She turned slowly and stared
 up into his face as the light from the fireplace danced off of both their
 forms. Without saying anything, she reached her arms up around his neck as
 Murdock slid his arms around her waist and drew her near. 

 Murdock stooped slightly as he kept an arm around Aislynn's back and the
 other slid behind her legs to lift her off her feet. Standing in the middle
 of the floor with Aislynn in his arms, he smiled as he walked over towards
 the couch and slowly lowered the two of them down. Aislynn seemed to be a
 perfect fit, but when  Murdock eased himself on top of her, he found himself
 with his feet hanging over the edge of the couch. They continued to kiss and
 caress each other with desired fondness as they murmured sweet nothings in
 each other's ears. It was Murdock who tried to gain control of his feelings
 first as he felt Aislynn's hands sliding his sweater up his back. He slid
 his own hand in between them as he reached up to his neck and grasped her
 arm gently, all the time looking into her creamy brown eyes.  

 "Aislynn, please," he whispered. "I, uh, I shouldn't have done this darling.
 Not yet. Let's not take this thing too far...too soon. O.K.?" Murdock said
 quietly. He continued to plant kisses on her face and neck as he lowered his
 hand once again to Aislynn's waist. Slowly he moved his fingers beneath
 Aislynn's sweater and inched his way up until he managed to cup her breast
 within his hand. His teeth gnawed gently at the skin on her neck as he felt
 her back arch and her hips rise up against his hardness, listening to her
 groans of pleasure. He didn't want to move ahead so quickly, and knew that
 if he didn't soon regain control of his senses here that he would have to
 give in to his feelings, hook, line and sinker... 

 Just as they continued to caress and explore each other on the couch, the
 door to the cabin opened. Aislynn let out a gasp as Murdock pulled at her
 sweater, all the time trying to scramble to his feet to face their sudden
 intruder. He stood and glared at who had just entered the cabin, his hand
 outstretched to help Aislynn to her feet. With a scowl on his face he didn't
 hesitate to voice his disapproval at their unwanted company. "Can't you
 knock?" he stated angrily as he continued to glare.

 "Knock? I didn' think there was nobody here, foo'! Can't see no lights on
 from the outside," B.A. growled as he tried to adjust his eyes to the dimly
 lit room. He continued to scowl as he spoke again. "Hannibal sent me down
 here to see if you two was gonna join us for somethin' to eat," he said.

 Aislynn was still trying to properly arrange her sweater as she spoke to
 B.A. "We'll be there in a few minutes, B.A. Tell Hannibal thanks so much for
 the offer. Oh, and tell him that I am looking forward to meeting him," she
 finished as B.A. turned to leave. Murdock had been standing just slightly in
 front of her as he addressed B.A., & she reached out to wrap her hands
 around his waist and lay her cheek against his back. She couldn't help but
 laugh as they stood wondering how things must have appeared to B.A. when he
 entered the cabin. Murdock hadn't thought it too particularly funny at the
 time, but was smiling now himself as he placed his hands over Aislynn's.
 Together they walked over to the coat hooks to retrieve their jackets and
 made their way, hand-in-hand, up to the main house.

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

Aislynn was impressed immediately with the handsome silver-haired gentleman
 who appeared to be the head of the household. She watched in fascination as
 he & Face served up a delicious meal, then even insisted on handling the
 cleanup themselves while Aislynn, Murdock & B.A. retreated to the front
 room. It wasn't long before Hannibal and Face joined them with trays of
 treats and a fresh pot of coffee. Aislynn enjoyed the relationship that
 appeared to be present among these men, and she was also aware of the fact
 that Hannibal acted a lot like a father figure to his three younger
 counterparts. Sure, he was the authoritative figure in the household, but
 it was the chemistry between these guys that somehow struck interest within
 Aislynn. She was sitting quite comfortably beside Murdock on the sofa as
 they indulged in their desserts, and the guys enjoyed telling her some of
 their past adventures. It had also become obvious to Aislynn just how much
 these men cared for each other, more like the relationship of brothers, and
 she could see just how much respect Murdock, B.A. & Face had for Hannibal. 

 About eleven o'clock Aislynn felt that she had had a long day and was ready
 to return to the cabin. Thanking the guys for such a wonderful evening and
 saying good night to everyone, she & Murdock made their way back along the
 lane way to her cabin. It was a beautiful crispy winter's eve outside with a
 full moon in the sky reflecting off of the sparkling white freshly fallen
 snow on the ground. They walked along in silence with only the crunching of
 snow under their boots to be heard. Within five minutes they were at
 Aislynn's door and she was placing her key in the lock. When the door
 opened, she noticed that Murdock remained where he stood and made no attempt
 to enter with her. Aislynn stood on the step and looked into his face
 expectantly.

 Murdock removed his glove and reached out to caress Aislynn's cheek. He
 leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips, then stepped towards her
 as he put his arms around her shoulders and drew her near for a hug. He then
 stood slightly back and looked into her face as the moonlight reflected off
 of them. "Can I see you tomorrow? Maybe we could go for a walk or something,
 and...and you could show me the rest of the property. I'd like that," he
 said as he smiled at her.

 "I, uh, I guess this means that um, you won't be coming inside for awhile,"
 she said, trying with all her might to hide her disappointment. 

 Murdock shook his head slightly and smiled, this time a little more
 sympathetically. "No, not yet," was all he said as he leaned down to kiss
 her one last time.

 Aislynn slid her arms around his waist and commanded one more hug before
 deciding to let him walk away. "I have to visit at my parents' place
 sometime tomorrow. I'm not sure when I'll be available," she said as a
 couple of small tears began forming in her eyes. "Good night then," she
 whispered as she tried to smile back at him, then attempted to step inside
 the cabin. Murdock grasped her arm tightly and pulled her back out the door
 and into his arms. They embraced and kissed passionately, Aislynn throwing
 her arms around his neck and clinging to him like there might not be a
 tomorrow. After several minutes of standing there and just holding each
 other, Murdock reluctantly released his hold on Aislynn and gave her one
 final good night kiss. Aislynn stood in the doorway and watched as he made
 his retreat. A few feet away from the door, he stopped and turned around to
 face her.

 "I'm really crazy about you too, Aislynn, and I, uh, I'm glad you feel the
 same way about me," he said matter-of-factly, then stood there as if
 awaiting her response. Aislynn stood with her arms folded, smiled and nodded
 at him. The light from the moon was bright enough that Murdock could see
 everything he needed to see in her face, then he turned and started jogging
 towards the main house, his arms outstretched as if he were an airplane.
 Aislynn watched then began to laugh as she heard him make some sort of
 howling noise as he continued along the lane way. When he was out of sight,
 she finally went inside and closed the door.

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

 The next morning Aislynn awoke early. She had several errands which she
 wanted to accomplish today, so the sooner she got at them, the more time she
 would have to spend with Murdock later in the day. She quickly got showered
 & dressed, grabbed a muffin and banana on her way out the door, and headed
 for her mother's place. As she drove past the main house she hadn't noticed
 any sign of anyone up and about in there yet. She slowed her truck down just
 as the door opened and Murdock came outside, shrugging his way into his
 leather jacket. Aislynn shoved the gearshift in park and climbed out of the
 truck to meet him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he put his arms
 around her waist and lifted her off her feet, swinging her around in the
 air. "Good morning!" she managed to say as she looked around into Murdock's
 face. He was still holding her off the ground as their lips met, then let
 her slide slowly down to the ground, all the while not taking his mouth away
 from hers.

 "Mmm...yes, it IS a good morning...," Murdock said as he stared deeply into
 Aislynn's eyes. "Um, how...how long will you be at your folks' place?"

 "I don't expect to be anymore than a couple of hours or so. I just have some
 last minute preparations with my mom to go over. Oh, we might slip into town
 to finish up a few things this morning, and then I should be back. Can we
 meet, say, sometime after lunch? You could meet me at the cabin."

 Murdock smiled as he continued to hold Aislynn in his arms, and began
 rocking her back & forth. "Ya know? That sounds like the best plan I've
 heard so far today. I think the guys are heading into town for awhile today,
 too. I'll be at the cabin when you get back." With that he leaned down for
 one last kiss before removing his arms from around her waist. 

 Aislynn reached up and touched his lips lightly with her finger, then turned
 to leave. Murdock stood and watched her truck until it was no longer in sight.

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

 Aislynn and her mother had decided to do their errands in town first thing.
 All it involved was a few last minute items plus some extra groceries. When
 they had returned back to the house, Aislynn felt that now would be as good
 a time as any to speak to her mother about what was on her mind. 

 "You know, mother," she began, "we have an awful lot of turkey and ham for
 our meal this Christmas. I was thinking that maybe it would be the
 neighborly thing to do to...to invite Mr. Smith and his friends to spend
 Christmas here...with us. I will gladly chip in and do any extra that I can
 to help prepare the meal," she added quickly, thinking that maybe it would
 be best to let her mother know that it wouldn't all be on just her shoulders.

 "Why Aislynn! What a wonderful idea! You know, now that you mention it, I
 was thinking along those lines myself just the other day, especially when
 you said you had met that nice Mr. Peck. I've felt all along that I wanted
 to invite him here, and it would be only fair that we invite his friends as
 well. Yes! It would be a wonderful idea!" she exclaimed once again. "You
 know, I think maybe we could plan it for Christmas Eve...yes, that would be
 it! We shall have a grand feast Christmas Eve, then we could all be together
 to ring in Christmas!"

 Aislynn thought for a moment about what her mother had just said. "But...but
 mother...I, uh, I...Mr. Peck?" she asked, thinking that maybe she should
 tell her mom about how she had been getting along with Murdock rather than
 Faceman.

 "Now Aislynn, there will be no 'buts' about it! You just leave everything to
 me, and yes, I would very much appreciate your extra help to get everything
 arranged here. Oh dear, you are so lucky to have met such a nice, kind man
 like Mr. Peck!" she tittered while taking delight in the fact that Aislynn
 might have finally met a well-dressed and apparently educated man. "Now, I
 suppose it would be best if you invite them, a.s.a.p., just in case they are
 making alternative plans for themselves at the estate," she concluded. Her
 mood had brightened considerably Aislynn thought as she watched her mother
 unpack the groceries and put everything in its place.

 Aislynn took a deep breath and stood with her arms folded. She knew she
 should tell her mother right away that the object of her desire was Murdock,
 but for some reason she just couldn't bring herself to spoil her mother's
 mood, for the time being anyway. Not that Murdock was not a suitable beau,
 but knowing her mother, she thought that she would wait and tell her at a
 more opportune time. She felt that her parents would come to like and enjoy
 Murdock's company as well as the 'nice' Mr. Peck, once they have had the
 opportunity to get to know him a little better. Hmm, but now how was she
 going to make this work once the guys arrived? That is, if they even accept
 their invitation? Oh well, on to the next step...

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

 Aislynn drove back to the cabin and noticed smoke coming from the chimney.
 She was careful to take a select few parcels inside with her, leaving a
 couple to be looked after for later, once she would be alone. She closed the
 rear hatch on her truck and made her way to the door. Just as she was about
 to open it, Murdock was there and reaching for her parcels. Stepping inside,
 she slipped out of her boots and coat and was greeted with a huge, warm bear
 hug from Murdock. Aislynn returned the affection as she wrapped her arms
 around Murdock's waist, then slid her hands up under his sweater and
 grasping onto his shoulders from behind. For several seconds they just stood
 within each other's warmth. Pulling back slightly, she looked up at Murdock
 as he leaned down to caress her lips with his. "Mmm...," she cooed, "that's
 nice...but wait, I have something I'm dying to ask you. Would you guys all
 be willing to come with me to my parents' place for Christmas dinner?
 Everyone's invited, and I'd really love to have you there," she said as she
 waited for his reply. "Oh, and uh, well...it's my mother's idea to have our
 main meal on Christmas Eve, then that way we would all be together to
 welcome in Christmas."

 "Oh, well let's see...speaking for myself, well, uh, YES! I would love to be
 there with you," Murdock grinned as he tugged at Aislynn's lower lip with
 his teeth. "But I can't speak for the other guys, although I'm sure they
 will be delighted as well." Murdock stood up & planted one last kiss on
 Aislynn's forehead. "C'mon, I have some nice hot stew and some sandwiches
 ready. And then...after we eat...," Murdock growled as he lowered his voice
 to a husky whisper, "we can go for a walk in the woods."

 Aislynn smiled at his last comment as she reached up one more time to kiss
 his neck. "Um, about the invitation to my folks place, um, well uh, it's
 just that...," she stammered as she tried to find the right words here.

 "It's just what?" asked Murdock as he patiently waited for her to continue.

 "Well, it's just that my mother has me matched up with Face, and it put her
 in such a good mood that I, well, I just didn't have the heart to tell her
 any different, ya know?" she said as she watched for his reaction.

 Murdock thought for a few seconds, then slowly his lips began to curl into a
 smile. "Oh, I see," he said as he appeared to contemplate the situation.
 "Well don't you fret none. This could turn out to be kind of fun. Let's just
 keep it to ourselves, o.k.? I think I can find a way around it for us," he
 grinned. With that out of the way, the two of them made their way to the
 small table for their lunch before venturing off for an afternoon walk on
 the property.

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

 Christmas Eve at last! Aislynn could hardly contain her excitement! She had
 gone to her parents' place quite early in the morning in order to help her
 mother with the dinner preparations. Hannibal and the others had quite
 graciously accepted the invitation to spend Christmas with her and her
 family. Neither she nor Murdock had said anything to Face or her mother
 about the 'couple' arrangement. This gnawed a bit at the back of her mind,
 but with the excitement of everything else and the fact that she & Murdock
 would be together, well, she just let it go for now. She had come close a
 couple of times to letting her mother know the truth, but it really seemed a
 shame to burst her bubble. 

 The van pulled up outside at six o'clock sharp. Aislynn had asked the guys
 to be there around that time for a cocktail and perhaps some hor'doerves
 before their main dinner. Aislynn rushed to meet them at the door. She had
 decided on a simple low cut red dress with spaghetti straps and matching
 jacket, thinking that the color would be most suited to the occasion, not to
 mention wanting to look as attractive as possible for Murdock. She still had
 no idea what he might have up his sleeve as far as disclosing their
 relationship to her parents was concerned. They were the only two who would
 know that something was amiss.

 Aislynn's parents came up behind her when she answered the door. Her mother
 was quite overwhelmed at the kind and courteous group of men whom she had
 invited into her home for this warm occasion. She smiled and blushed
 incredibly as Hannibal handed her a bottle of fine wine and some chocolates.
 Everyone was ushered in the doorway as Aislynn began to take their coats.
 When her mother saw Face come towards her carrying flowers, she figured 'Oh,
 oh! It's gonna hit the fan now!'

 "Good evening dear lady," began Face. He extended the flowers out to her.
 "These are for our lovely hostess. Thank you so much for wanting to include
 us in your family Christmas. None of us will have the opportunity to be home
 this year, I'm afraid, and this really does mean a great deal to us," he
 spoke in his utmost charming demeanor. 

 Aislynn watched as her mother put a hand to her cheek and giggled almost
 girlishly. "Oh Mr. Peck! Why, you are most welcome here within our home any
 time!" she gushed.  

 "Please, call me Templeton. Or better yet, by my nickname of Face," he said
 as he kissed her hand. Taking a step away from her mother, he then took
 Aislynn's hands and planted a small kiss on her cheek. Hannibal and B.A.
 were already in and waiting for the others to finish with their greetings.

 Aislynn stood by as Face walked over to where Hannibal & B.A. were standing,
 then looked back towards the doorway as Murdock walked in. He very
 nonchalantly walked over to Aislynn's mother and brought her hand to his
 lips, kissing it lightly. "Please accept my thanks as well, madam, for this
 most gracious invitation into your home," he commented eloquently. He then
 walked over to Aislynn and cupped her face in his hands, brushing her lips
 lightly with his. Aislynn noticed out of the corner of her eye the strange
 look her mother had given them, especially when Face's greeting had been
 only half as obvious as Murdock's. She smiled back at Murdock as she offered
 to take his coat. With all that over and done with, they retreated into the
 family room for a drink and visit before sitting down to their meal.

 Hannibal, B.A. & Face were making themselves comfortable on the sofa when
 Aislynn's mother spoke up. "Oh, Mr....I mean Face...you might be more
 comfortable over here on the loveseat. Please, come over here and make
 yourself right at home," she said. Face looked a bit taken aback, but gladly
 complied with the wishes of his hostess. He stood and went over to sit on
 the cozy looking loveseat as Murdock made a move to take his spot on the
 sofa. Just then Aislynn's mom took her arm and led her to the loveseat to
 the spot beside Face. Aislynn just simply looked at Face, then over at the
 sly grin that Murdock seemed to have curled on his lips, as she let her
 mother lead her to be seated next to Face. She then turned and headed for a
 comfortable looking reclining chair next to a matching one that Aislynn's
 father had seated himself in. 

 Face uncomfortably adjusted his tie as he leaned over towards Aislynn.
 "Would you, uh, would you mind telling me what is going on here?" he
 inquired out of the corner of his mouth. "For...for some reason here, your
 mother seems to have paired the two of us together," he queried. 

 Aislynn leaned over and whispered in his ear. "She doesn't know about me &
 Murdock. I don't know what he has planned...it might be a surprise to us
 all. All I can suggest is that we just play along for now," she said as she
 sat up again and faced everyone. She noticed that Hannibal was grinning and
 B.A. was looking just a little bit confused himself. Without any further
 questions from Face, they began to relax and indulge themselves in some
 friendly conversation.

 Within about forty-five minutes, Aislynn and her mother excused themselves
 as they went to set the table. When all was ready, the two ladies returned
 and asked that the gentlemen be so kind as to be seated at the table where
 their dinner awaited them. Aislynn thought she would drop through the floor
 with what her mother came out with next.

 "Please come and make yourselves comfortable at the table, gentlemen. The
 only seating arrangement I have planned is Face's chair next to Aislynn's.
 Other than that, feel free to sit wherever you please. Oh, and Aislynn? You
 might notice that I have some mistletoe placed here in the archway leading
 into the dining room. Feel free to escort your friend Face to the table,"
 she said with her hands clasped together. Hannibal & B.A. met Aislynn's
 mother in the archway and gave her cheek a peck, then headed for their
 chairs. Aislynn and Face were the next to meet with her. Face gave Aislynn's
 mom a light kiss on the cheek, then turned to face Aislynn. Again all he did
 was take her hands and kiss her cheek. Aislynn smiled slightly as she
 noticed the curious frown on her mother's face. Then she turned around as
 Murdock came up behind her. He said nothing, but continued to smile as he
 embraced Aislynn and bent her backwards, kissing her with such passion that
 it caused Aislynn's mother to gasp in awe.

 Aislynn could only hang onto Murdock's neck as he clamped her within his
 embrace. In the background she could hear some snickers and chortles coming
 from the table. She hadn't meant to dupe her mother in such a manner as she
 had been totally unprepared for Murdock's actions that evening. After a
 couple of minutes Aislynn heard Hannibal comment from where he was sitting. 

 "MURdock?! I think we get the message now as to what the mistletoe is
 actually for. Don't the rest of you guys agree?" he said as he addressed the
 others. 

 B.A. growled in agreement with Hannibal. "He's right, foo'! Now get over
 here before everyone's dinner gets cold!" he threatened as he slid his chair
 back a little to show he meant business.

 Aislynn's mother continued to stare as the young couple straightened
 themselves, all the time smiling into each other's face. "Aislynn! Is it Mr.
 Murdock you are keeping company with? Why on earth didn't you tell me?" she
 said. She appeared much more curious than disappointed, but still wanted to
 know just the same.

 "I'm sorry mother. We didn't mean it to be any big secret. Yes, H.M. & I
 have been seeing each other since I went to stay at the cabin. You just
 seemed in such a good mood the other day that I didn't want to interrupt
 your plans you had for Face & me," she said as she stood with her arm around
 Murdock's waist. She looked back up at Murdock as he leaned down to kiss her
 forehead. By this time Face had taken a seat on the same side of the table
 as where Hannibal & B.A. had seated themselves, not caring to add his two
 cents' worth to the situation at all, but instead just sat back and took it
 all in.

 Aislynn's father came up behind them and greeted his wife with a small kiss
 under the mistletoe. "It's alright, dear. There's nothing to be excited
 about here. And besides, I think they make a really cute couple," he said as
 he motioned for them all to be seated. "There's no harm done. All we have to
 do is make a slight change in the seating arrangement is all," he concluded
 as he took his seat at the head of the table. Murdock and Aislynn made their
 way to their chairs and sat down close enough for their shoulders to touch.
 Aislynn's dad said the blessing, and the rest of the meal seemed to go off
 without a hitch.

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

 After everyone had eaten their fill of Aislynn's mother's fabulously
 prepared meal, they were all asked to adjourn to the family room again where
 dessert would be served before there were gifts to be opened. And although
 Aislynn's mother didn't admit to it right away, Aislynn could tell that she
 was somewhat impressed when Murdock began working his own charms on her by
 offering to help with some of the cleanup and then assisting with serving
 the dessert. He said he was delighted to lend a hand as it was part of his
 job to help cater to the other guys as it was. Aislynn's mom was becoming
 even more fascinated as Murdock started making a fuss over some of the
 dishes she had prepared and began asking what some of her recipes were. She
 couldn't help but smile as she observed her guy obviously winning her mother
 over.

 The guys couldn't believe the plateful after plateful of desserts that had
 been coming their way. Everyone was behaving so normal and relaxed that it
 appeared as though they had been doing this for years. For the last time
 that night, Aislynn stood up to take away some of the dessert dishes as
 Murdock jumped right in to lend her a hand. The two of them disappeared into
 the kitchen and managed to spend a few precious minutes alone together
 before B.A. called threateningly from the other room. Smoothing their hair
 and their clothing, they returned to join the others who were already
 handing out some gifts.

 This time it was Aislynn and Murdock who shared the loveseat together. They
 sat so close to one another that a third person would no doubt have sat
 quite comfortably beside them. Their parcels to each other had been handed
 to them, and Aislynn watched with pleasure as Murdock opened his gift and
 removed the luxurious royal blue sweater with the hand knit winter scene
 emblazoned on the back, then held it up for everyone to see. Aislynn noticed
 the sparkle in his eye as he also uncovered several of the computer games he
 had been checking out the day they had gone to town together. She then took
 much delight in opening the hefty gift that was addressed to her from
 Murdock, and couldn't believe her eyes when she removed the extra tissue
 paper and found a rare copy of a local history book she had been wanting for
 quite some time. She ran her hands over the precious book, then looked up at
 Murdock and put her arms around his neck. "You remembered my mentioning this
 to you the other day? But...but how did you ever get your hands on a copy?
 I've been looking for this for ages!" she exclaimed as she hugged tight
 against his chest and kissed his neck.

 "Well, it sure wasn't easy. And I had lots of help from Faceman here. He's
 the one who has all the right charms and knows just the right words to say
 when it comes to making a deal for something like this," he said into her
 ear. "Oh, but this isn't all of your gift. I uh, couldn't manage to pick up
 everything I wanted to give you, especially on such short notice with our
 having been together only a few days. But I promise it will be here before
 New Year's," he told her. Aislynn had eyes for only Murdock as their lips
 met for a few precious seconds of ecstasy.