Thread: The Longest Night:  A Meridian Society Christtmas (TheCorsair & Madame Mim)

Erik watched Sam, glowing and invigorated from the hunt. Beautiful...and kissing Anne Marie. A flame of jealousy flared up in his chest and he tried very, very hard to tamp it down. She'd come out to him a month ago, some time before Hannukah, telling him that she also enjoyed the company of women. Sexually. God knew he still loved her, and he wasn't exactly devout when it came to some parts of the Torah, but it still felt sort of...wrong. And more than that he couldn't help but feel threatened by her relationship with Anne Marie. He knew Sam often talked to her about things she couldn't talk to him about--Anne Marie was a trained professional, after all--and that still stung a bit despite understanding her reasons. Then after she had come out Erik couldn't help but notice whenever they stood close together, or touched one another in an innocent way. Anne Marie was a beautiful, experienced woman he was sure she presented a strong temptation to a young woman in her first real relationship. But then she came to sit by him and nipped at his ear, sending chills down his back. Erik bit his lip to suppress a stupid grin and leaned back against her gently, turning his face to the fire so his blush could fade. Their relationship was an open secret, he knew--nobody talked about it, at least not while they were present--but he still wasn't used to these displays of affection. That could get them put into separate units, after all. But since this wasn't official Society business, there was no harm in it. When Professor Swift declared that Sam had taken the enormous buck down herself he raised his eyebrows then turned and kissed her temple. Proud of you, Schatze, he said with a smile. He didn't have much to add to the conversation, since he didn't hunt. His father had taken him hunting several times, but he just couldn't bring himself to murder a living thing for the sport of it. Kieran laid his kill out on the counter, putting a hand on the small of Anne Marie's back and kissing her cheek. No worries love already skinned 'em for you. I know you don't like seein' 'em as, well, animals. He patted her waist before getting himself some coffee, tipping something from a flask into it, then taking a seat near the fire, though not quite near Colin. He didn't know what this little vacation meant for them. It felt an awful lot like commitment , and that was disconcerting. Thank you, Madame LaMonte said with a smile. Well then since we have rabbits we can have this lovely deer for Christmas dinner. If you would be so kind as to continue butchering that, Algernon, I'll start dinner. She cleaned her knife before turning it on one of the rabbits, cutting it up for stew. If you'd had a daughter and her mother had let you, you mean, she mentioned casually. Anne Marie's love for Professor Swift had for a good while been of the filial sort. Every now and then, when her feelings threatened to rise to the surface, she tried to recall that filial devotion. She was young enough to be his daughter too, after all. Did he still see her as a child, as a daughter? Had he ever seen her as a daughter? She wasn't sure whether she would feel relieved or devastated if he did. Did he want children at all? She wasn't particularly fond of children, but if... No. That was not even a 'what if' she would entertain. With a renewed sort of concentration Anne Marie put a pot of stock on to boil and began seasoning the rabbit.