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Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. The rights to those characters and to the show belong to the creators of the show, to CBS, The Sullivan Company and to A&E. This is the sequel to “Life Goes On.”
Heartsong Chapter 1: Denver Enthusiasm Michaela and Sully had spent the last two weeks in Denver, away from the stress of Colorado Springs. The twins were two months old and thriving, and although they were supposed to wait until six-weeks after the twins were born, Michaela and Sully had cheated a bit and refreshed their love life a few days into their vacation. Michaela was feeling so much better about everything that had happened in the past couple of months. She and Sully were happy together, and their boys were doing exceptionally well. However, it was time to go back to Colorado Springs, and Michaela and Sully were spending their last night of their vacation in each other’s arms. After making love that night, Sully held Michaela in his arms as her head rested on his chest. She was listening to his heart beating steadily in his chest, and she knew that she would always cherish that beautiful sound. “I can’t believe we’re going back home tomorrow,” Michaela whispered as Sully’s hand stroked her back gently. “I miss the children and our friends, but it doesn’t seem like we’ve been gone for two weeks.” “I know. But, at least we’ve had some privacy.” “Yes, that’s something I’d been missing.” “Me too,” Sully replied with a chuckle. He gave her a kiss and she sighed against his lips. “You feel okay?” Michaela nodded and sat up in bed, pulling the sheet up to wrap around her body. “Yes. I feel wonderful, Sully. It’s just that I’m going to miss Denver. I’m going to miss being alone with you for two weeks. Well, we haven’t been completely alone.” Michaela looked toward the twins’ beds. “But it seems as if we’ve grown even closer if it’s possible.” “I think it is,” Sully replied. He leaned in to kiss her. Michaela smiled against his lips. “Do you think everything’s alright in Colorado Springs?” Sully sighed and leaned back onto his pillow. “I thought we weren’t supposed to think about bad things during this vacation,” he pointed out. “I know,” Michaela replied, getting out of bed and walking across the room to pour herself a glass of water, not bothering to put her clothes on. “I just can’t help but wonder how they’re all getting along without a doctor.” “I’m sure they’re all fine.” “I can’t help but worry.” “Ah,” Sully warned, getting out of bed and going to his wife’s side. He pulled her into his arms and she put her glass of water down. “We gotta leave in the mornin’, so we might as well make the most of our time left.” “And just what are you suggesting we do until the morning?” Michaela asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning widely. Sully pulled Michaela close and ran his hand down her back to her bottom, and then slowly back up to run through her hair. “I’ll show ya,” he replied. He picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed they had been occupying for the past two weeks. He put her down and she sprawled out in the center of the bed, her golden brown hair splaying out across the beautiful silk bed sheets. Sully walked over to the cart which room service had brought in. Michaela had felt the craving for fresh cherries earlier, so he decided to make the most of the leftovers. “Sully?” Michaela asked. “Shh,” he whispered, bringing the bowl to set on the bedside table. Once he situated himself on the bed between her open legs, he picked up one of the cherries by its stem and held it to her lips. Michaela’s lips puckered against if for a moment. She stared into her husband’s eyes before bringing her tongue out to lick the sweet juice off of it. She finally took it between her teeth and tore it from the stem. She chewed it slowly as Sully ran another cherry along her neck and followed the sticky trail with his tongue and lips. Michaela’s skin began to tingle at Sully’s sensual caresses. His free hand moved to her breast and began to gently massage her, running his thumb over her nipple, causing her to moan from the back of her throat. He looked up to see Michaela swallowing the last bit of her cherry. “Good?” he asked. “Mmm,” she replied with a grin, all words lost to her at the moment as his hand moved to give her other breast the same wonderful treatment. Michaela felt bold and flipped Sully over onto his back by gently pressing on his chest and shifting her weight. She straddled Sully’s waist, feeling his arousal pressing against her thigh. She pulled a cherry out of the bowl and ran it down his chest, lapping up the sticky sweet trail as she continued her sweet torture. When she reached his right nipple, she licked it slightly and then tenderly bit on it like she did with the cherry. Sully let out a growl from deep inside of him. “Michaela,” he moaned as her hand moved to stroke the soft part of his belly below his navel. His hips bucked off of the bed and Michaela knew that he was holding on for dear life. Michaela’s lips met Sully’s, and they could both taste the sweet residue from the cherries in each other’s mouths. Sully made a swift move Michaela onto her back. He decided to show her a bit of pleasure, the kind he had shown her while she was still sore after giving birth. Michaela closed her eyes tightly and arched her back, gripping the bed sheets as Sully began to make love to her with his mouth. She bit her bottom lip as Sully’s lips invaded her with a loving tenderness. “Sully!” she cried out, trying not to be too loud. They were always worried that the babies would wake and interrupt them if they got too loud. But, she couldn’t help it. But, in order to stifle her voice, she pulled a pillow over her mouth to moan into. Sully smiled, pleased at the way his wife called out his name. He kissed up her body and pulled the pillow from her mouth, tossing it over his shoulder. He kissed her lips as her hands moved to clench in his hair. “Are you ready?” he growled into his wife’s ear. She moaned and nodded enthusiastically. “Yes,” she replied softly, practically purring her response. A moment later, Sully was buried inside of her, filling her to the hilt with himself. Michaela gasped for breath, loving the way her husband fit inside of her. After a moment, Sully regained his composure and his trembling lips met Michaela’s. He began to move inside of her, taking long, slow strides as she pulled her legs around his waist to meet his thrusts with her own. “Michaela!” he moaned as he buried his cries in her shoulder. The passion grew by the moment, and the amazing feelings they could produce between the two of them in the midst of making love was incredible! Sully’s mouth moved to Michaela’s breaths as she panted heavily. His tongue found her hardened nipples. He knew her breasts were tender, so he decided not to spend much time on them with his mouth, but once he moved back to her mouth, he felt her breasts swell a bit in his hands. Michaela felt herself coming close to the edge. Her entire body was trembling as the sweat coated her body. She felt Sully become rigid as he cried out his climax. Sully spilt his seed and collapsed atop his wife. He rolled off of her and played out on his side of the bed. Michaela, although sated, was hungry. She reached over and took the bowl of cherries and began to finish them off. Sully’s breathing was starting to slow, and he looked at Michaela with narrowed eyes. “Ain’t you tired?” “Yes, but I’m hungry,” she replied. Sully looked at her flat stomach and then at her face. “You ain’t pregnant again, are ya?” Michaela nearly choked on a cherry pit. “No!” she exclaimed, coughing a bit. “Sully, don’t ever say that to me while I’m eating.” Sully grinned, and Michaela leaned down to give him a gentle kiss. “When do ya want to have more?” “You want more now?” Michaela asked with wide eyes. “Well, we talked about havin’ four of our own.” “Well, why don’t we wait until the boys are a little older than two months old to discuss it,” Michaela replied with a laugh. Sully grinned at her. “Don’t ya want more?” “Of course I do, but it’s just a bit soon to be talking about more children.” Daniel began to cry. Michaela and Sully had learned to distinguish his cries from Connor’s, because his were a little more shrill. “Speaking of babies,” Sully chuckled. Michaela pulled herself out of bed and walked over to pick Daniel up. She cradled him against her body and he began to nurse. She settled back down into the bed, and Sully sat up. He loved watching Michaela nurse their children. It was one of the most natural things in the world, and it was amazing how much she glowed when she had a baby at her breast. Michaela smiled knowingly at Sully. She loved how patient he was with her when she had to feed their children. He also knew when to be gentle with her, because she was tender most of the time now that both of her sons were on a regular feeding pattern. It was amazing how quickly Sully had learned how to make love to her without making her uncomfortable. Sully climbed out of bed and pulled Connor into his arms. He brought him back to the bed and settled in next to Michaela. They looked at the two of their identical sons. Both boys were a mixed shade of Michaela’s pale and Sully’s tan. Their hair was starting to come in, and it was soft and brown. She knew they were going to be spitting images of their papa. Michaela rested her head on Sully’s shoulder as he turned their oil lamp down low. They realized that it was getting rather late, so they decided to rest with their boys in their arms until it was too late for them to keep their eyes open. They both loved these quiet moments before bedtime when they could bond with their boys and each other. It was an amazing experience, and they knew that this bonding was going to form a connection for life. Once the boys had both had their chances to eat, they both drifted off to sleep and their mama and papa took them back to their cradles. “Rest up boys,” Sully whispered. “In the mornin’, we’re goin’ home.” Michaela and Sully walked hand-in-hand back to the bed, crawled in, and spent the rest of the night, or at least the next hour and a half in each other’s arms, waiting for one of their sons to wake them. *~* Holly was pacing back in forth at Grace’s in the morning. Myra had come back to work, even though Hank didn’t want his new wife to lift a finger. They were still in the newlywed stage, so Myra knew that would change. Grace was preparing breakfast for her customers who would surely be arriving soon, and Myra was setting the tables. “Holly, are you alright?” Grace asked, nibbling on a piece of wheat toast, hoping it would calm her morning nausea. “I’m so frustrated,” she vented. “Jake and I have been going to dinner four times a week. Jake is enjoying it, and I’m just trying to get a rise out of Horace.” “Horace loves you. He’s jealous. Mark my words,” Myra said with a nod. “Well, if he loves me, why doesn’t he fight for me?” “He wants you to be happy.” “But he makes me happy,” Holly replied, sitting down at a table and running her fingers along the patterns on the plates. “Want me to have Hank talk to Horace?” Myra asked. “Would it do any good?” “Maybe.” “Hank’s sure changed,” Grace added. “Maybe he can talk some sense into him.” Holly shook her head. “I think I messed this up,” she whispered. “I had a great thing going with Horace until he started acting really funny.” “Maybe your best bet would be to talk to him,” Grace suggested. “Ya never know until ya find out.” “Here’s your chance,” Myra whispered. Horace was walking over toward the café. Myra quickly finished setting the table and continued to help Grace prepare breakfast. Holly watched as Horace sat down at a table a few feet away from hers. “Horace, you can sit with me.” “I’m alright,” he replied. “Figured you’d be waitin’ for Jake.” Holly swallowed hard. “Horace, we’ve got to talk.” “Ain’t nothin’ to talk about.” “No, you’ve got to understand why Jake and I have been having dinner together.” “You’re courtin’ him now.” Holly sighed and stood up. “Come on.” “I’m hungry.” “Oh, don’t think with your stomach right now. We’ve got to talk.” Horace stood up. “I ain’t in the mood. I s’pose I’ll eat later.” He stormed off, and Myra sighed heavily. She snuck off toward the saloon to talk with her husband. She found him playing poker and puffing on a cigar. Poker she didn’t mind, but she hated when he smoked those darned cigars. “Hank, we gotta talk,” Myra said, crossing her arms. Hank looked up at his wife. The men around the table laughed. “Damn, Hank, you’ve been married for two weeks. What’d ya go and do now?” one of the drunken players asked. “You mind your own business. Jake, take my place.” He handed his cards to Jake, who was sitting this round out. Jake was happy to oblige. Myra took Hank by the hand and lead him out of the saloon. Once they were on the porch, Myra turned to face him. He had his cigar in the corner of his mouth, and the smoke nearly made Myra choke. She pulled it from his mouth , threw it to the floor, and crushed it with her foot. “That cost me, Myra!” Hank exclaimed. “Now why are ya mad at me?” “First of all, ya know how much I hate it when ya smoke those things. Second of all, I ain’t mad at ya.” “Then why’d ya drag me out here in front of all them guys?” “Because I need you to talk with Horace.” “What?” Hank asked with a groan. “Why me?” “I thought you guys were friends now.” “Friends?” Hank laughed. “Hell no. We understand each other now, but we ain’t friends.” “Well, you gotta talk to him anyway.” “’Bout what?” “Holly.” “Holly’s with Jake now.” “No,” Myra replied. “So you know she’s makin’ Horace jealous?” Hank asked. “You knew?!” “Jake told me,” Hank replied. “I didn’t know you knew.” “Well ya do now. It’s getting bad. Horace is real upset. Will ya please try to talk some sense into him?” “Will ya stop interruptin’ my poker games?” “For now.” “Alright,” Hank replied. “Thanks honey,” Myra replied with a grin. She gave him a peck on the cheek and rushed off to Grace’s, leaving Hank shaking his head. Hank saw Horace walking across town and figured that the sooner he got this over with, the better. “Hey Horace!” Hank called out. Horace looked at him but kept walking. “Wait a minute!” He rushed out to catch up with himn. “What do you want, Hank?” Horace asked quickly. “What’s the matter with you?” “That ain’t your business.” “You love Holly. She loves you. Why don’t ya do somthin’ about it?” “She’s with Jake now.” “Jake’s inside the saloon right now.” “I mean she’s courtin’ him.” “She don’t love Jake, Horace. She loves you, so you better go make things right before ya really do lose her. Don’t be stupid.” Hank turned around and went back to the saloon. Horace stared after him for a moment before he looked back toward Grace’s. He saw Holly standing there, staring at him, and he knew that he had to talk to her. He couldn’t lose her like he’d lost Myra. He loved her too much for that. *~* The stagecoach was rolling along the prairie as Michaela and Sully sat in the cab with their children. Michaela was worn out from their lack of sleep over the last few nights, so Sully was holding the children while she got some sleep. Sully loved the way Michaela looked when she slept. She had a smile on her face, and he wondered if she was dreaming about him. Connor and Daniel were sleeping in their papa’s arms. They had been fed about twenty minutes ago, and the stagecoach was halfway to Colorado Springs now. Sully couldn’t wait to get back home to see his older children. He knew Michaela was thrilled to be going back home. Michaela had gotten over her little sleeping problem once they got to Denver. She and Sully would wear each other out during the evening, so nobody had a problem sleeping. It was just that the past few nights at the hotel had been pretty sleepless due to the act of trying to wear one another out. They loved being able to make love and not get interrupted. Michaela had learned quickly that if she fed the twins right before bedtime, they would sleep for at least two hours before they’d wake up again. That gave Mr. And Mrs. Sully some quiet time of their own. Sully was amazed at how fast time was flying. It was November, so that meant that their anniversary was in a month. He couldn’t believe that he had been married to Michaela for almost a year! They had two beautiful children out of the fruits of their labors, and they were both still very young and healthy. He knew they had the rest of their lives together. He smiled when he saw the locket around Michaela’s neck. It was his heartsong necklace. He regretted now that he had separated the words when he had the locket made. Having the word connected as one would have made the locket more special. But, he knew Michaela adored and appreciated it just the same. The stagecoach came to an abrupt halt, waking Michaela from her slumber. “Sully? What’s going on?” “I’m not sure,” he replied. The sound of two gunshots let Michaela and Sully know that their coach drivers were dead. Michaela went to scream, but held her tongue. Sully became alarmed because he wanted to get out and find out what was going on, but the twins were nestled in his arms so peacefully. A moment later, the door to the cab of the stagecoach opened and a older man with a wild look in his eyes pointed the barrel of a shotgun right at Sully. “Look, mister, ya don’t wanna be doin’ this.” “Get out,” he grumbled. “Go on,” Michaela whispered. “I’ll follow you.” Sully slowly started out of the cab with the babies in his arms. Once he was down on the ground, Michaela started out. The man grabbed her arm roughly, and Sully wanted to throw his tomahawk at the man’s arm right then and there. But he couldn’t move quickly because he had this boys to think about. “Get your hands off of her!” The man roughly pushed her back into the cab and slammed the door. He climbed up onto the stagecoach and looked down at Sully. “Michaela!” “You tried takin’ her away from me!” the man yelled. “She ain’t yours! She’s mine!” “Sully!” Michaela cried out in terror. “Come after us and I’ll kill you! Yah!” The horses ran off and Sully wanted to follow, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t take his sons into that danger. He had to get them to safety, and then he was going to go after his wife. If he had to, he’d kill the man that had taken her away. |