They're Elders! Oh I love it! I love how you beautifully entertwined these two stories ans now they will have a story of their own. I love it!
I'm glad you enjoyed it, though they won't have a story of their own. This was just a short story. They will however still show up occasionally in the main story, Bridgette and Dawn need their grandparents around after all
And now the new chapter as we return to Cassie and Gwen
Gwen had spent the remainder of the previous day and night alternating between sleeping and enjoying her new wife's "company." She had to admit, the alone time in the cabin with Cassie made for a wonderful honeymoon, now if only they could get rid of the "middle of the woods" bit.
As she woke up though she was dissapointed to find herself lying alone in the bed, even more worrying was the fact that she could hear the sound of pans coming from the kitchen.
As Gwen left the comfort of the cabins bedroom and turned the corner her fears were confirmed as she saw Cassie rummaging through the fridge while to the side a pot of.... something was bubbling on the stove.
Never the less, Gwen has was happy to see her wife, especially now that she could actually think of Cassie as her wife, an aspect of marriage she was still enjoying. However as she glanced over at the stove she couldn't help the look of worry that covered her face.
"Cassie" Gwen said with more than a little apprehension in her voice "What, and more importantly why are you cooking."
"I figured I would make breakfast." Cassie replied cheerfully. "It's franks and beans Mother used to make it all the time when we would go camping."
"That's all well and good, but why are you making it now. I've seen you cook, you have a lot of talents but cooking is not one of them."
"Gwen, it's hotdogs and beans. It's about as simple as it gets. Plus I've made it before so it will be fine." Cassie replied as she shooed Gwen out of the kitchen while she finished fixing breakfast.
15 minutes later Gwen found herself seated across the table from Cassie with a big bowl of franks and beans in front of her. Gwen stared down at it nervously still half hoping that this was some kind of weird joke, possibly that involved going back to civilization for some real food afterwards. But Cassie was insistent so Gwen decided that she should at least give it a chance.
"So what do you think" Cassie asked with a proud grin as Gwen lifted the first bite into her mouth. "Is it good or what?"
Gwen just stared across the table speechless as she swallowed the chunk of hotdogs and beans in her mouth. It was actually delicious.
"Well you don't have to look that surprised." Cassie said laughing.
"This is really good" Gwen responded as she more willingly now continued to eat the rest of the food in front of her.
Cassie just laughed some more as she tucked into her own bowl.
As they finished Gwen leaned back as Cassie began gathering the dishes. It had been quite a large bowl but Gwen had still easily finished it off still in amazement at how good it had actually been.
"So I take it you liked breakfast?" Cassie said still reveling in the surprise on Gwen's face.
"Mmmm hmmm" Gwen replied simply ready for a nap after the meal, possibly with Cassie joining her she thought naughtily. But before she could voice her idea Cassie disrupted the thought as she glanced back as she headed towards the sink with the dirty dishes.
"Good, now go get dressed. I'm taking you fishing."
If any food had been left in Gwen's mouth she would have choked on it at that moment as she stared in disbelief at her wife. "Fishing?" Gwen said incredulously.
"Yep," Cassie replied with an air in her voice that said that she at the very least was enjoying the appalled tone of Gwen's response. "You said yesterday you've never been camping so it's my job to show you what you've been missing out on."
Gwen just stared in disbelief but knew that Cassie likely wasn't going to back down on this. So with a sigh Gwen got up from the table and headed upstairs to the bathroom. "You are really lucky you're cute" Gwen called back as she reached the door to the bathroom before heading inside.
An hour later after having showered and dressed, Cassie sat on the couch waiting for Gwen to finally emerge from the bathroom. What was taking her so long. Gwen wasn't necessarily the quickest to get ready but this was ridiculous.
Finally though the door opened and Gwen walked out all washed and dressed.
"About time" Cassie said jokingly as Gwen walked up to where she was sitting. "I was about to send a search party in after you if you took much longer."
"I was taking a nice long bubble bath. Also I was kind of hoping that if I took long enough you'd give up on this idea and we could just enjoy the remainder of our honeymoon in bed like a normal couple."
Cassie laughed as she stood up and took Gwen's hands in her own. "As much fun as that sounds I'm not letting this honeymoon end without us having a little fun outdoors. I know this isn't normally your kind of thing but trust me. Just relax and enjoy it. Besides....." At this point Cassie pulled Gwen towards the back door of the cabin and opened it wide as she pulled Gwen outside onto the back deck.
".....isn't it beautiful?"
Gwen stared speechless for a moment taking in the view. She hadn't really paid much attention to the surrounding area since they had arrived but she had to admit it was a gorgeous view. She still wasn't entirely sure on the actual going out into nature part of things but it was a gorgeous view.
"I've rendered the news reporter speechless, there should be a prize for that." Cassie said as she guided the still amazed Gwen down towards the lake. "See it's not so bad out here. Just try and enjoy it. It could surprise you. Mom had the same attitude as you when we first came down here but by the end of it she was having a blast and I'm sure you will to."
As they reached the shoreline Cassie pulled out a pair of fishing poles she'd set by the rocks earlier that morning handing one to Gwen before turning and casting her line smoothly into the water.
Gwen sighed reluctantly and walked up to join her. "Okay fine I'll give it a try. So how do I do this."
"It's easy, just hold the release button. Then hold the rod over your head, and flick it forward releasing the button to let the line go."
Gwen followed the instructions but the line shot up into the air. Cassie giggled slightly. "Nice first try but you released the button too early."
A few tries later though Gwen finally got the hang of it and watched the line sail out into the water.
"Okay now what?" Gwen asked staring at the line bobbing in the water.
"Now we wait, just relax, occasionally move your rod slightly and reel it in a little bit so your lure moves but other than that just wait for a fish to bite."
"That's it?" Gwen asked still not entirely convinced on the concept.
"Yep, that's it" Responded Cassie. "Just relax and enjoy nature."
"Okay" Gwen replied doing her best to follow Cassie's directions though already finding the experience of fishing to be extremely boring. After a bit she glanced over at Cassie who was happily smiling as she casually flicked her pole occasionally to make the lure move around.
"You really find this type of thing fun don't you?" Gwen asked.
"Yeah I do, I have so many fun memories from this lake from when my parents would take me down here. And now I get to share those experiences with you."
"Even if I don't really like this kind of thing" Gwen said softly not wanting Cassie to feel disappointed that Gwen wasn't getting the same joy out of this that she was.
"Even if you don't really enjoy it." Cassie replied. "I'm just happy to get to make this kind of memory with you, the first of many family memories together, and maybe someday we can bring Dawn and Bridgette here as well. Whether you end up enjoying it or not I'm just happy that you're out here giving it a chance and doing this with me."
Gwen smiled back at the cheerful redhead, she couldn't truthfully say she was enjoying this but seeing Cassie happy made it tolerable enough that she was willing to suffer through it at least once. As she thought that though she was caught by surprise by a tug on her line.
"I think I've got something" Gwen called out as she tugged at her line. "What do I do now.
"Don't pull to hard, go back and forth between reeling in and letting the line give a bit. You need to wear it down before you fully reel it in."
Following Cassie's instructions Gwen gradually reeled the fish in until she had officially caught her first fish.
A small perch. Gwen knew that it wasn't very big but she couldn't deny a feeling of pride and joy that she had caught it even going so far as to hold it up proudly without any of the concern she would have normally had holding a live fish.
"See, I told you it could be fun." Cassie said happily as she saved Gwen the trouble of getting the fish off the hook and into the nearby cooler.
As the afternoon went on though Gwen wasn't the only one to make a catch.
Though the salmon that Cassie caught was quite a bit bigger than Gwen's perch. Gwen didn't care though, she'd caught a fish and more importantly she was getting to enjoy some quality time with Cassie.
And that evening as the returned to the cabin Gwen enjoyed some quality time that was more up her alley as Cassie gave her a back rub to alleviate the tension that had come from an afternoon of fishing.
Afterwards Cassie went outside to fry up some of the fish they had caught. Mostly that included perch Cassie had caught but Gwen still felt a bit of pride knowing her catch was among them. And after Cassie's success with breakfast that morning Gwen even felt a bit more comfortable in letting Cassie prepare dinner.
As they ate though she couldn't resist asking about it.
"So I have to ask how is it that you can suddenly cook? Last thing I knew you couldn't even make eggs."
"Well eggs are hard" Cassie replied slightly defensively.
"You just fried up a couple perch and you think eggs are hard?" Gwen replied with raised eyebrows.
"Well yeah. Stuff like this is easy since Mother taught me how to do it when I was young. Stuff like eggs and all the amazing stuff you cook never came up much. My parents were usually busy with work so these trips out here were the only chance they could get for stuff like cooking lessons."
"It sounds nice Gwen replied wistfully, thinking about what it would be like to have parents take you somewhere like this just to spend time together."
"Didn't your parents ever do anything like this? Maybe not camping but some kind of family vacation or to just spend time together?
"No" Gwen replied bluntly her face twisting into the grimace that usually appeared whenever her parents were brought up.
Seeing the look of surprise on Cassie's face at the abrupt answer Gwen's tone softened slightly. "Look, please just understand. Not all parents are as nice as yours, and as far as parents in general go mine are pretty far down the list as far as I am concerned. It's not a subject I like to talk about."
"Okay" replied. She'd gotten close to this subject before and been pushed back but like she'd thought back then, she didn't exactly have room to comment on someone wanting to forget the past.
Seeing the slightly sad look on Cassie's face though Gwen smiled over and changed the subject. Your parents did teach you well though. The fish is delicious.
Cassie's face broke into a smile at the compliment. "Thanks, and you enjoyed fishing more than you thought you would I take it?"
Gwen grinned back while replying nonchalantly "It was alright, it had it's moments."
"That's good" Cassie replied with a wide smirk, "because I've got more plans for tomorrow."
Gwen's stared in disbelief. More open to the idea than she would have been this morning but still apprehensive at what Cassie could possibly be planning.
"Well goodnight then." Cassie replied cheerfully as she headed off to bed.
"Hang on" Gwen said now featuring her own smirk. "If you're dragging me off to who knows where tomorrow then we have some things we have to take care of tonight."
"Hmmm," Cassie replied coyly "What could you possibly mean?"
"Well like you said earlier, you rendered the news reporter speechless and you still haven't collected your prize."
Cassie leaned in close smiling mischeviously at her beautiful wife. "And what might that be"
"You'll just have to follow me and see." Gwen said cheekily "You're not the only one with surprises."
Sorry for the delay but here is the next chapter. Better late than never
The early sun shone through the branches, birds tweeted around them, and the surrounding trees rustled in the cool late morning breeze. It was the perfect day for a hike in the woods. Gwen however was not reveling in the experience, as the two trekked through the woods she was convinced Cassie had officially lost her mind.
They had left the cabin early that morning on the newest stage of Cassie's grand plan to make family memories and show Gwen the wonder of the great outdoors. However the great outdoors so far today had consisted of what seemed to Gwen like wandering aimlessly through the woods.
As Gwen thought this Cassie paused for a second to look around in various directions before veering off in a different direction further into the woods. The trail had been left behind early on in the journey and this was now the fifth or sixth time Cassie had just suddenly changed directions.
Gwen had been trying to stay silent, hoping that like with yesterdays fishing trips the moment of fun would show up but as the morning had dragged on that was seeming less and less likely. It wasn't necessarily the walking that was getting to her, she'd been a reporter for a while after all and had had plenty of days where she was constantly on her feet heading to meet interviews or rushing to various events or crime scenes to get the scoop, but that had felt like it had a point. All she'd gotten so far here was sore feet and bug bites, and a few moments later as Cassie veered off in a different direction yet again Gwen couldn't remain quiet anymore.
"Cassie are we lost." she asked exasperatedly.
"We're not lost" Cassie replied "I just... can't find where we're going."
"That would be lost" Gwen replied with a groan.
"We're not lost" Cassie repeated stubbornly. "I know the exact way to get back to the trail."
"So let's head back to the trail. Maybe we could go back to the cabin area and ask one of the rangers for direction to this place you're looking for."
"They won't be able to help" Cassie replied as she again changed direction. "This place isn't commonly known and it's not on the map."
Gwen caught hold of Cassie's arm pulling the young redhead to a stop. "Cassie be reasonable. We've been out here for hours and haven't found it. I'm all for giving this hiking and camping idea of yours a chance but let's just go to one of the camp sites on the trail."
Cassie looked at Gwen pleadingly "Please Gwen, just stick with this a bit longer. I know I can find the place. I promise you it will be worth it."
"Why is this one spot so important to you? Another memory from when you were little?"
"Yeah" Cassie replied with a nod. "Mom and I stumbled across it on our second trip out here. It's amazing Gwen. You just have to see it."
Gwen sighed in resignation. She most certainly didn't see how anything could be worth all this walking. The beauty of the early morning forest had quickly lost it's effect on her and the camping idea didn't make much sense to her to begin with, why would you sleep outside in a tent when you had a perfectly good cabin to go back to? But she'd decided to give it a shot for Cassie, knowing how much the young woman wanted to show Gwen the same joy she'd had as a child, and as she stared at Cassie's wistful face at the memory of her and Willow finding the place when she was young Gwen couldn't bring herself to say no, as much as she wanted to.
"Okay" Gwen replied. "But let's find this place soon before the bugs finish me off."
As the day stretched on though the place was still nowhere in site. It felt like they had covered every inch of the forest but still with no success in finding the place Cassie was so fervently searching for.
And by this point even Cassie was starting to wear down. Feeling upset and angry with herself that she couldn't find this place she remembered and had so wanted to show Gwen.
Gwen saw the look of irritation and sorrow on Cassie's face and walked over to comfort her deciding that they'd hit the point where they needed to just give up. But as she said this to Cassie tears started to roll down the redheads cheeks.
"Cassie, it's okay." Gwen said softly.
"I just really wanted you to see it."
"I know, but you did your best." Gwen replied.
Cassie though didn't seem to want to be consoled as she just continued to stand there forlorn. "It was so wonderful, it's one of my favorite memories from these trips. And now we're out here and I just wanted to have that memory with you, but I can't find my way back there."
"Don't worry about it. Even without finding that place we can still have fun. Come on let's set up camp. You can watch the city girl try and set up a tent."
Cassie couldn't help but smile at Gwen's comment and though reluctant she gave in and they moved to a nearby clearing to set up camp.
An hour later, after much grumbling and moaning from Gwen as she fought with the tent and it's seeming determination to not stay up, the camp was finally set. Cassie had even cracked a few smiles as she had watched Gwen's courageous yet futile battle with the tent, before finally stepping in and setting it up herself before they ended up having to sleep outside for the evening.
But as they finished and settled down into the chairs by the fire Cassie was back to feeling down about not having been able to find that special spot.
"Come on cheer up" Gwen commented. Having resigned herself to the idea that she was going to sleep in the woods for the night, something that if you had told her earlier she would be doing she would have laughed at you, she had decided that she would make the best of it and make sure Cassie enjoyed herself as well despite the disappointment of the days hike. And with a sigh of determination she was willing to go to great lengths of personal humiliation to do it.
"Seriously it's going to be okay" Gwen said. "So what if it's not the location you envisioned, we can still enjoy the evening. Come on I know you have ideas in that pretty head of yours. What's next on the list of things to drive Gwen crazy. You can show me how to do something else outdoorsy. I won't even complain to much."
Cassie giggled slightly at her suddenly exuberant wife, she knew Gwen was just trying to cheer her up as opposed to actually enjoying camping but the fact that Gwen was willing to try was at least having the desired effect.
"So what will it be? Tree climbing, knot tying, berry picking?" As Gwen listed off the best she could think of as far as outdoorsy activities her stomach suddenly interrupted with a load growl sending Cassie into a fit of laughter.
"How about cooking hotdogs over an open fire?" Cassie said "Think you can manage that without setting the whole forest on fire?"
"I can certainly try" Gwen replied, partially relieved that at least this seemed fairly straightforward.
And as the pair pulled the hotdogs Cassie had packed from the cooler and started cooking them the young redhead was finally starting to get back to her old self as she carefully coached Gwen on cooking the hotdogs. Shad had been joking about setting the forest on fire but she figured there was no reason to take the chance.
As it got later and they finally finished their meal which had turned out quite well Gwen wrapped her arms around Cassie as they stood up next to the gradually dying embers of the fire.
"I take it you're feeling better." Gwen said happily.
"Yeah I am, thanks by the way. I know you weren't really enjoying yourself but it meant a lot to me that you were willing to try just to cheer me up."
"What can I say, I'm a giver?" Gwen replied jokingly. Her smirk then shifted into a gentle smile as she looked at her wife "I did enjoy myself though. Even if I didn't get to see that spot you wanted to show me. I'm glad you got to experience that memory and it would have been nice to see it to, but we don't need to relive your memories to enjoy ourselves. We have our own memories now. Memories of getting lost in the woods, cooking hotdogs, and getting chewed on by bugs. 1 out of 3 isn't so bad, and at least I got to be with you while we experienced them."
Cassie laughed "I wasn't aware you enjoyed getting chewed on by bugs that much."
Gwen laughed along with her as she pulled the redhead close for a kiss.
"You know" Gwen said mischievously Cassie already getting a hunch where this is going. "the nights not over yet, and it is still our honeymoon. Plus you know how tough it's going to be to get some alone time from the kids once we head home tomorrow. Think you're up for one more woodland memory?"
Cassie grinned as she let Gwen guide her to the tent not even needing to respond for Gwen to know the answer.
I just binge read the entire thing. I cried when Cassie left Gwen, I cried when she came back...I cried when they got married. This is such a roller coaster and I love it! I don't know why I didn't read it sooner.
I just binge read the entire thing. I cried when Cassie left Gwen, I cried when she came back...I cried when they got married. This is such a roller coaster and I love it! I don't know why I didn't read it sooner.
Thank you so much. It's great to hear that you are enjoying my story
Here is today's update. It's a bit short but considering they just got back from their honeymoon I figured they deserved a quiet day.
Gwen couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief as they arrived back in Oasis Springs and home was finally in sight. She had enjoyed the trip far more than she'd expected to but at the end of the day she was a city girl and she knew it, and she was happy to be back home.
As they got to the house Cassie's parents were already there waiting for them having swung by to drop off Dawn and Bridgett and to welcome back the happy couple.
Gwen took the opportunity while Cassie greeted her parents to head upstairs. She wanted to see her kids after being away for a couple days and along with being back in civilization she was ready to get back into her normal clothes.
Afterwards the family settled onto the couches in the living room to relax for a bit.
"So how was your trip" Cecilia asked. "Did you enjoy the woodlands or did you not even make it out of the cabin."
Cassie's face went bright red at the question as Willow elbowed Cecilia in the ribs. Cecilia just laughed having expected that kind of response to begin with.
"She did actually manage to get me out of the cabin" Gwen said laughing as well. "I can't say I'm a big fan of it but we did have a good time."
With that the family settled back as Gwen recounted the events of the trip much to Cecilia's amusement as the older woman laughed at the stories such as Gwen trying to set up the tent. Meanwhile Willow just nodded in sympathy having been through the same struggles when Cecilia had taken her camping.
After a bit with the day already well into afternoon Cecilia and WIllow excused themselves wanting to let the pair relax after their long trip.
With the day coming to a close Gwen pulled out Cassie's salmon which they had wrapped up and brought home and decided to show Cassie her version of a fish dish (and she could vouch there would be no frying on a grill this time).
Cassie meanwhile headed upstairs to change out of her camping clothes and to get her own chance to hug Dawn and Bridgette. And after getting their time with both parents the two kids drifted off to sleep as Cassie headed downstairs for dinner.
And she had to admit, as much as she liked the fried fish from the trip Gwen's more upscale use of the salmon was absolutely delicious. Gwen was still just in a state of bliss from knowing that she wouldn't have to go hiking again, at least for a while.
And as the sun finally set over Oasis Springs the new couple finally settled down to sleep. All the chaos of their relationship issues, pregnancy, birth, the wedding, and the honeymoon finally behind them. They were finally ready to start the next phase of their life as a family.
Cassie stared determinedly as she dabbed away at the canvas in front of her. She'd woken up early that morning and decided to take the opportunity to get started on her painting. After all if she was going to try to renew her dream of being an artist she had to actually start painting regularly again.
That wasn't going so well however as she stared at the half finished piece with a grimace before tossing it aside onto the steadily growing pile of scrapped paintings. Before replacing it with a fresh one to try again. It was quickly turning out that trying to be a professional painter was tougher than she'd expected.
As the young redhead stared at the blank canvas trying to decide what to paint Gwen suddenly stepped in front of her wrapping her in a cheerful good morning embrace.
"Hello beautiful, how's the lovely artist doing on this fine Oasis Spring morning." Gwen said happily as she hugged Cassie close.
"Could be better" Cassie grumbled though her foul mood didn't have much impact as she leaned into the pleasant embrace.
"I'm just frustrated" Cassie said as the pair separated. "I mean I wasn't expecting to paint masterpieces right off the bat or anything but nothing feels right. Maybe I'm just rusty since other than that one after Dawn and Bridgette were born I haven't painted in so long, but this is supposed to be a career plan and nothing I'm just not happy with anything I've painted so far."
"Don't worry though, I'll manage." Cassie added in quickly "I guess it's just going to take a bit longer than I was thinking. When I was young I always thought I would just paint like normal and sell them when I finished but now that I'm actually trying to do it I feel kind of overwhelmed just thinking about it."
"Well don't worry to much" Gwen said with a laugh. "Though if you ever feel to stressed over it let me know, I'm sure I can figure out a way to relax you."
Cassie smiled as she turned back to her paintings. "Don't tempt me like that or I might not get anything done."
With that Cassie went back to her painting while Gwen headed to the kitchen to work on breakfast.
However the morning painting attempt didn't improve and soon Cassie just gave up for a bit and went to the kitchen to wait while Gwen finished breakfast. As she sat down at the counter she buried her face in her hands groaning. Why was this so hard? She'd never had trouble painting anything when she used to do it and it wasn't like she was short on ideas of things to paint, but every time she started a painting it just seemed.... terrible. Nobody would want to buy any of the stuff she was painting but at the same time she couldn't think of what to paint that people would be interested in.
As she sat there caught in her internal back and forth struggle she heard a cry from upstairs. Gwen started to turn the heat on the pan down but Cassie intervened as she headed towards the steps. Feeding and playing with the girls would likely be good for her mood right now.
It turned out Dawn was the one crying as Cassie reached the bedroom. Picking the little girl up she gently gave the little girl a hug before pulling out a bottle for her.
"This is all your fault" Cassie said quietly half to Dawn but mostly talking to herself as she looked down at the little girl in her arms. "You made me realize that I need to do what I love because some people don't get the chance. I just wish I knew what to do. Being a painter was always the dream when I was growing up, and part of me still wants it.... but I just don't know if I'm cut out for it."
The little girl just giggled as she finished off the contents of the bottle. She was far to young to even begin to understand the worry in Cassie's mind. But regardless she still smiled up at her mom who couldn't help but smile back as she hugged the little girl close before laying the little girl back into the bassinet before heading back downstairs.
As Cassie settled down at the table where Gwen had already set out the plates of food for breakfast her wife glanced over at her gently "So did you have a nice conversation with Dawn"
Cassie's face went red slightly "You heard that?"
"I went up to let you know that breakfast was ready and heard you talking. I didn't hear all of it as I didn't want to disturb you. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm just.... I'm just not sure what I want right now. I don't want to give up on painting, and being an artist was always my dream. But the more I try the less I'm sure if I'm actually cut out for it. Maybe I should just get a normal job. I know we don't need it but as I've said I do want to help out. You and the girls mean everything to me."
"I understand, you mean everything to me as well. And once Dawn and Bridgette are older I'm sure they'll agree. But at the end of the day it's not just about you helping us to be happy. We want you to be happy as well. As I've said before I won't tell you what to do, but I think you should just do what you really want to do. Even if it's tough me and the girls will support you through it. If painting is your dream then go for it. If you just want to get a normal job then that's fine to. As long as you're happy with your life then I'm happy. So the question as I see it comes down to, do you want to be a professional artist?"
Cassie paused for a minute before nodding "Yes, I really do."
"Then do that. And whether you're the next Picasso or just a small time passion painter I will be behind you 100%. And remember there's no rush. If you're having trouble painting something you think others will like then don't rush it. For now just paint what you like and work that into something people will want to buy. As you said to Dawn, part of you still wants it. If that's true then do it for that reason.
Cassie laughed. "I thought you said you didn't listen in."
"Okay what can I say, I'm nosy" Gwen replied with a laugh. "But I'm serious, going for your dream doesn't mean much if you lose the 'you' part of it in the process. Now come on, enough worrying and let's eat before the eggs get cold."
Cassie smiled feeling much better about the whole situation.
And as they finished eating Cassie returned to her easel deciding to follow Gwen's advice. She was going to quit worrying about what would or wouldn't sell or what other people would like and just paint what she knew she was happy with. And whether that worked out or not at least she would be proud of what she did.
And that's it for today. Thank you for ready everybody
As time had passed Cassie had kept herself busy with her painting. In line with Gwen's advice it was mostly stuff she felt like painting rather than done to appeal to a customer. She had even tried her hand at a realism painting. Though sadly there was still no luck at getting any kind of jump start on selling any of them.
Today however she was taking a break from working on her hopeful career and was putting her talents to a different use.
Helping Gwen re-paint the guest bedroom. With the twins birthday closing in quickly the couple knew they would soon need a room of their own so the plan was to redo the guest bedroom into a room for Bridgette and Dawn. Gwen had initially planned to hire some painters to come in and do it but Cassie had suggested they do it themselves both as a fun experience to have together and an excuse to take a break from painting for a little bit. And so today had been set aside for the task.
As Cassie moved the roller up and down the wall turning it from it's original deep red to a light blue she felt a sudden dampness splatter across the side of her face. And as she looked to the side it wasn't hard to figure out the culprit as Gwen held her sides laughing hysterically still holding the paint brush she'd flicked at Cassie.
"You know we're never going to get this done if you keep messing around" Cassie tried to say sternly, though the grin on her face betrayed any pretense of that.
"Oh come on" Gwen replied still laughing "You said this would be a fun experience so you can't blame me for having a little fun."
"Yes well, lets at least not waste the paint. Plus we have to clean up the floor if you splatter to much around."
"Don't worry about it. I figured I would have some people coming by tomorrow morning to lay some carpet in here anyway. So the floor can get as messy as it wants."
Cassie laughed as Gwen flicked a little more paint in her direction before moving the bucket as she continued along the wall.
"It's kind of amazing Isn't it." Gwen said as she ran the brush up and down along the new section of wall she'd moved to. "Our baby girls are already growing up before our eyes. Soon they'll be going off to school and making new friends, dating, getting married themselves...."
"I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself there, we still have a while before some of that." Cassie said with a laugh. "But yeah I get what you're saying. They are growing up so fast."
"What do you think they'll be like?" Cassie suddenly asked glancing behind her at Gwen.
"I honestly don't have a clue" Gwen replied "and I think I like it that way. It'll be a nice surprise to watch them grow up and see what wonderful young ladies they will become."
Cassie laughed "If either of them are anything like I was as a kid 'wonderful' may not be the appropriate term."
"Hey you turned out alright, I'm sure no matter what they will as well." Gwen replied cheerfully.
"You're probably right." Cassie said though her smile dulled a bit as a thought crossed her mind. "Do you think Dawn will be okay? Things might be a bit rough for her not being able to see."
"Possibly, but if she has trouble then we'll just help her through it." Gwen said as the two finished the final wall of the room. "We can't see the future, we can just do our best to deal with it as it comes."
Cassie laughed, "You always have such great answers. You're like a living book of wise sayings some days."
"Well I'm older" Gwen responded with a slight chuckle. "I had to get something in exchange for these wrinkles."
"You're not that old" Cassie replied wrapping her arms around her wife "And wrinkles or not your still beautiful to me."
Gwen grinned as she leaned forward into the embrace for a kiss.
"You have some good answers of your own. I'm so glad to have you in my life. And there's nobody I'd rather raise our two girls with, no matter what kind of terrors they might be."
Cassie laughed as she parroted Gwen's early words. "We can't see the future, we can only deal with it as it comes."
Gwen laughed as she kissed Cassie again. "Can you see my plans for the future."
"Let me guess, it involves sneaking off to the shower for a bit."
"At least until the girls move into their new room and we get our bedroom back to ourselves. Besides you are covered in paint."
"And who's fault is that?" Cassie said teasingly.
"Oh I take full responsibility" Gwen replied mischievously as she lead Cassie out of the freshly painted room "And I'll make sure to clean up my mess, no matter how long it takes."
What a wonderful story! I've really enjoyed all of it, but I nearly stopped when Cassie left Gwen. It just made me so sad. Thankfully she came back! I'm really looking forward to the babies growing up.
What a wonderful story! I've really enjoyed all of it, but I nearly stopped when Cassie left Gwen. It just made me so sad. Thankfully she came back! I'm really looking forward to the babies growing up.
I'm glad you stuck with it. Sometimes you have to go through pain to reach happiness
Sorry but there won't be an update today. I was playing it but then my game glitched and I had to reload (the social worker took Bridgette and Dawn away claiming they weren't being cared for even though their needs were green O.o ). So now I had to replay the update and while I got that done I have work soon and won't have time to write it up. Sorry for the delay.
But just so as to not leave you all hanging here is a picture of Cassie and Gwen "neglecting" their kids
And after the taking the time to explain to the social worker what does and does not constitute neglect we are back on track
Here is today's chapter.
The house lay silent after the racket of that morning. With the twins new room painted the workers had come in this morning to lay carpet down in the guest bedroom, and afterwards to move the in the new furniture. This of course had meant a good deal of chaos throughout the morning. As such Cassie had spent most of the morning in the bedroom trying to keep Dawn and Bridgette calm. Dawn especially didn't seem to handle the sudden uproar very well and had spent a lot of the morning in Cassie's arms. Bridgette on the other hand other than a bit of confusion as the work began had taken it fairly well.
But all of that was finished now and the room was mostly ready for the twins to move in after their birthday tomorrow. The twins exhausted from all the ruckus were taking a nap and Gwen had gone out for the morning to pick up some last minute things for the room. Cassie had offered to go along but Gwen had insisted it was something she could handle on her own and that Cassie should just focus on her painting. Which is what Cassie had done.
And to her credit she had made good progress. With no distractions she had managed to finish another pair of paintings, though in the end they just got added to the batch that was gradually starting to pile up around her. She couldn't deny that she was enjoying her work which was probably why she had been able to binge paint her way through two pieces in one morning but it still felt like a waste when she didn't know how to proceed from there.
How naive she had been when she was younger she thought. All that time spent thinking about becoming a professional painter and how to actually sell her work had never crossed her mind. She'd tried calling the local museum but they had flatly refused, they didn't buy from unestablished artists and even then preferred to work through intermediaries. But how was she supposed to become established if she couldn't sell to anyone and she didn't have the faintest clue about who to talk to as an intermediary.
Suddenly she felt someone grab her from behind. Before she knew it she felt herself spun around before being dipped back as Gwen kissed her.
"What was that for" Cassie said with a grin as Gwen pulled her back up.
"I just felt like it, plus you seemed like you could use a nice start of the afternoon kiss."
Gwen paused as she looked over at the newest additions to Cassie's finished works. "Looks like you've been busy."
"Yeah" Cassie said with a sigh. "Two more to to gather dust."
"Aww, cheer up. I'm positive things will work out." Gwen said cheerfully.
"Hmmph" Was all Cassie replied with still not overly convinced given the state of things.
"Come on, cheer up, or else."
This caught Cassie's attention "Or else what"
"Or else I'll have to take you out." Gwen replied with a smirk clearly enjoying the double entendre of her statement.
"Oh no, whatever shall I do" Cassie replied in mock terror as she played along with Gwen's dual meaning, inside though she couldn't help but grin. Gwen always seemed to know how to make her feel better.
"Well you could start by slipping into something a bit fancier. "If we're going out on the town I have just the place in mind."
"Okay" Cassie replied simply as she headed up to change. She knew this likely meant the type of place that Gwen enjoyed but she personally didn't usually frequent but right now she was just happy for the opportunity to get out of the house for a bit.
And after dropping the twins off with Willow and Cecilia Cassie's guess was proven right as they arrived at the local lounge. As always the doorman instantly stepped aside to let Gwen in, it never ceased to amaze Cassie how her wife managed to maintain her popularity even though she'd left her reporter position at OA6 news.
As they entered It was still early in the day meaning that the place was mostly empty though the couple didn't mind as they happily went upstairs and settled down onto one of the balcony couches getting the space completely to themselves.
Cassie leaned against Gwen smiling profusely.
"So how has you're day been" she asked as she felt Gwen's arms wrap around her.
"Mostly uneventful, picked up some things for the twins room. Talked to some old friends. One of them even sent some toys out here for the twins. She works as a software tester and got her hands on a special toy for Dawn which can both talk and has a voice activated tracker that makes the toy beep to help kids find it when it gets lost. She thought it would be perfect for Dawn so that she could always find it despite not being able to see. It's an adorable little monster toy they've called chompy.
Also it seems Tyler, my boss from OA6, is moving out of town. He's going to be starting a news station out in Riverview, it's going to be called RVR2 news, Tyler always did like his silly word play. Corporate is absolutely furious with him over it too. Apparently they held my leaving against him, told him that he should have convinced me to stay, and on top of that now he's leaving and Tara's going with him to be the lead anchor there along with a few of the camera men and one of the senior reporters."
"Is that okay with you" Cassie asked "I mean you and Tyler and Tara were your friends, and you and Tara had just made up after the whole mess with me."
"It's fine. We'll still keep in touch. But enough about that. We need to celebrate" Gwen replied as she pulled out a pair of glasses.
"What exactly are we celebrating" Cassie asked suspiciously "Gwen, why do I get the feeling your up to something."
"I don't know it was supposed to be a surprise."
Cassie lunged in and laughed maniacally as she began tickling Gwen. "Okay, what's really going on. Clearly you didn't bring me here just for a date, spill it what are you up to.
"Was up to" Gwen replied through the laughter as she waved at Cassie in surrender. "My part is pretty much finished. I was going to wait until you got the call but I guess it won't hurt to tell you now."
"I found someone to buy/sell your paintings."
Cassie's eyes widened in surprise "Really?!"
"Yeah another old acquaintance from my time at the station. Her name is Kinsley Monroe. She's a local art collector, seller, and enthusiast.
"So are we meeting her hear?" Cassie asked glancing around.
"No, no, she's at the house looking at your paintings now."
Cassie shot to her feet "What?! Right now?!"
"Relax and sit down" Gwen replied with a laugh as she pulled Cassie back onto the couch. "Kinsley's a bit of an odd one. She really gets into her work and when she's appraising she prefers to be alone without being distracted or having her view colored by the artists explanations of what the painting means. Once she's done she'll give you a call."
At that moment Cassie's phone went off.
"And that's probably her now."
Cassie answered the phone nervously "Hello, this is Cassie"
"Your work is terrible darling."
Cassie almost choked in surprise as the breath intake of breath she'd been holding caught in her throat.
"The lines are weak, that one looks like it could be a cheap motivational poster from the interwebs, and don't even get me started on your realism painting, just uggh. The red and black one is okay I guess but it feels like something from an elementary school art show. I'll give you $400 for the lot of them, the money will be on the counter. You have such talent darling you just need to start using it. Okay bye bye darling, we'll keep in touch."
With that the call ended leaving Cassie sitting there in a state of confusion over what had just happened.
"So" Gwen asked impatiently "How did it go"
"She said they were terrible.... but then she bought them all for $400..... and then she said I had talent but I need to start using it..... I just..... what....."
Gwen busted out laughing much to Cassie's surprise. "Yep, that sounds like Kinsley. Let me guess she also called you darling. I don't think that bits natural I think she just likes the word."
Cassie still couldn't wrap her head around everything "But.... I'm just so confused. If they are terrible why did she buy them? And six paintings for just $400. It feels like I just got scammed."
Gwen placed a hand on Cassie's shoulder "You weren't scammed, that's just Kinsley being Kinsley. You won't hear a good thing out of her unless it's a half compliment or she can't find anything to say against it. As to the price you need to remember she is a seller so she buys for a reduced cost and sells it for a small profit. The only way you'll get full price from her is if she's buying for her own collection. But I promise she won't rip you off. She cares about the art too much for that."
Cassie stared down at her phone where a text from Kinsley had just come in listing a number to call when Cassie had more paintings to sell and explicit instructions to never call after 5pm. She still could hardly believe it, she was happy of course that she'd sold her paintings but she still couldn't quite figure what to think.
Seeing the look of confusion still on Cassie's face Gwen took her by the hands and looked her in the eyes. Believe me this is good. If your work was really bad then Kensley wouldn't have bought them. She only buys what she knows she can resell or wants. So for now just relax and we can get back to our date.
Cassie smiled, as weird as the whole situation was she knew she could trust Gwen, and if Gwen said Kinsley was on the level then Cassie would go along with it and trust in Kinsley as well. Plus with the stress of selling her paintings gone she was ready to get back to their date.
Thanks for reading, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.
Yay! I'm so happy for Cassie!!! She stresses so easily, the paintings and an outlet to sell more is one less thing to worry over. And she just looked so adorable standing at the easel this morning! (I think I have a crush on Cassie, what do you think?)
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I'm glad you enjoyed it, though they won't have a story of their own. This was just a short story. They will however still show up occasionally in the main story, Bridgette and Dawn need their grandparents around after all
Gwen had spent the remainder of the previous day and night alternating between sleeping and enjoying her new wife's "company." She had to admit, the alone time in the cabin with Cassie made for a wonderful honeymoon, now if only they could get rid of the "middle of the woods" bit.
As she woke up though she was dissapointed to find herself lying alone in the bed, even more worrying was the fact that she could hear the sound of pans coming from the kitchen.
As Gwen left the comfort of the cabins bedroom and turned the corner her fears were confirmed as she saw Cassie rummaging through the fridge while to the side a pot of.... something was bubbling on the stove.
Never the less, Gwen has was happy to see her wife, especially now that she could actually think of Cassie as her wife, an aspect of marriage she was still enjoying. However as she glanced over at the stove she couldn't help the look of worry that covered her face.
"Cassie" Gwen said with more than a little apprehension in her voice "What, and more importantly why are you cooking."
"I figured I would make breakfast." Cassie replied cheerfully. "It's franks and beans Mother used to make it all the time when we would go camping."
"That's all well and good, but why are you making it now. I've seen you cook, you have a lot of talents but cooking is not one of them."
"Gwen, it's hotdogs and beans. It's about as simple as it gets. Plus I've made it before so it will be fine." Cassie replied as she shooed Gwen out of the kitchen while she finished fixing breakfast.
15 minutes later Gwen found herself seated across the table from Cassie with a big bowl of franks and beans in front of her. Gwen stared down at it nervously still half hoping that this was some kind of weird joke, possibly that involved going back to civilization for some real food afterwards. But Cassie was insistent so Gwen decided that she should at least give it a chance.
"So what do you think" Cassie asked with a proud grin as Gwen lifted the first bite into her mouth. "Is it good or what?"
Gwen just stared across the table speechless as she swallowed the chunk of hotdogs and beans in her mouth. It was actually delicious.
"Well you don't have to look that surprised." Cassie said laughing.
"This is really good" Gwen responded as she more willingly now continued to eat the rest of the food in front of her.
Cassie just laughed some more as she tucked into her own bowl.
As they finished Gwen leaned back as Cassie began gathering the dishes. It had been quite a large bowl but Gwen had still easily finished it off still in amazement at how good it had actually been.
"So I take it you liked breakfast?" Cassie said still reveling in the surprise on Gwen's face.
"Mmmm hmmm" Gwen replied simply ready for a nap after the meal, possibly with Cassie joining her she thought naughtily. But before she could voice her idea Cassie disrupted the thought as she glanced back as she headed towards the sink with the dirty dishes.
"Good, now go get dressed. I'm taking you fishing."
If any food had been left in Gwen's mouth she would have choked on it at that moment as she stared in disbelief at her wife. "Fishing?" Gwen said incredulously.
"Yep," Cassie replied with an air in her voice that said that she at the very least was enjoying the appalled tone of Gwen's response. "You said yesterday you've never been camping so it's my job to show you what you've been missing out on."
Gwen just stared in disbelief but knew that Cassie likely wasn't going to back down on this. So with a sigh Gwen got up from the table and headed upstairs to the bathroom. "You are really lucky you're cute" Gwen called back as she reached the door to the bathroom before heading inside.
An hour later after having showered and dressed, Cassie sat on the couch waiting for Gwen to finally emerge from the bathroom. What was taking her so long. Gwen wasn't necessarily the quickest to get ready but this was ridiculous.
Finally though the door opened and Gwen walked out all washed and dressed.
"About time" Cassie said jokingly as Gwen walked up to where she was sitting. "I was about to send a search party in after you if you took much longer."
"I was taking a nice long bubble bath. Also I was kind of hoping that if I took long enough you'd give up on this idea and we could just enjoy the remainder of our honeymoon in bed like a normal couple."
Cassie laughed as she stood up and took Gwen's hands in her own. "As much fun as that sounds I'm not letting this honeymoon end without us having a little fun outdoors. I know this isn't normally your kind of thing but trust me. Just relax and enjoy it. Besides....." At this point Cassie pulled Gwen towards the back door of the cabin and opened it wide as she pulled Gwen outside onto the back deck.
".....isn't it beautiful?"
Gwen stared speechless for a moment taking in the view. She hadn't really paid much attention to the surrounding area since they had arrived but she had to admit it was a gorgeous view. She still wasn't entirely sure on the actual going out into nature part of things but it was a gorgeous view.
"I've rendered the news reporter speechless, there should be a prize for that." Cassie said as she guided the still amazed Gwen down towards the lake. "See it's not so bad out here. Just try and enjoy it. It could surprise you. Mom had the same attitude as you when we first came down here but by the end of it she was having a blast and I'm sure you will to."
As they reached the shoreline Cassie pulled out a pair of fishing poles she'd set by the rocks earlier that morning handing one to Gwen before turning and casting her line smoothly into the water.
Gwen sighed reluctantly and walked up to join her. "Okay fine I'll give it a try. So how do I do this."
"It's easy, just hold the release button. Then hold the rod over your head, and flick it forward releasing the button to let the line go."
Gwen followed the instructions but the line shot up into the air. Cassie giggled slightly. "Nice first try but you released the button too early."
A few tries later though Gwen finally got the hang of it and watched the line sail out into the water.
"Okay now what?" Gwen asked staring at the line bobbing in the water.
"Now we wait, just relax, occasionally move your rod slightly and reel it in a little bit so your lure moves but other than that just wait for a fish to bite."
"That's it?" Gwen asked still not entirely convinced on the concept.
"Yep, that's it" Responded Cassie. "Just relax and enjoy nature."
"Okay" Gwen replied doing her best to follow Cassie's directions though already finding the experience of fishing to be extremely boring. After a bit she glanced over at Cassie who was happily smiling as she casually flicked her pole occasionally to make the lure move around.
"You really find this type of thing fun don't you?" Gwen asked.
"Yeah I do, I have so many fun memories from this lake from when my parents would take me down here. And now I get to share those experiences with you."
"Even if I don't really like this kind of thing" Gwen said softly not wanting Cassie to feel disappointed that Gwen wasn't getting the same joy out of this that she was.
"Even if you don't really enjoy it." Cassie replied. "I'm just happy to get to make this kind of memory with you, the first of many family memories together, and maybe someday we can bring Dawn and Bridgette here as well. Whether you end up enjoying it or not I'm just happy that you're out here giving it a chance and doing this with me."
Gwen smiled back at the cheerful redhead, she couldn't truthfully say she was enjoying this but seeing Cassie happy made it tolerable enough that she was willing to suffer through it at least once. As she thought that though she was caught by surprise by a tug on her line.
"I think I've got something" Gwen called out as she tugged at her line. "What do I do now.
"Don't pull to hard, go back and forth between reeling in and letting the line give a bit. You need to wear it down before you fully reel it in."
Following Cassie's instructions Gwen gradually reeled the fish in until she had officially caught her first fish.
A small perch. Gwen knew that it wasn't very big but she couldn't deny a feeling of pride and joy that she had caught it even going so far as to hold it up proudly without any of the concern she would have normally had holding a live fish.
"See, I told you it could be fun." Cassie said happily as she saved Gwen the trouble of getting the fish off the hook and into the nearby cooler.
As the afternoon went on though Gwen wasn't the only one to make a catch.
Though the salmon that Cassie caught was quite a bit bigger than Gwen's perch. Gwen didn't care though, she'd caught a fish and more importantly she was getting to enjoy some quality time with Cassie.
And that evening as the returned to the cabin Gwen enjoyed some quality time that was more up her alley as Cassie gave her a back rub to alleviate the tension that had come from an afternoon of fishing.
Afterwards Cassie went outside to fry up some of the fish they had caught. Mostly that included perch Cassie had caught but Gwen still felt a bit of pride knowing her catch was among them. And after Cassie's success with breakfast that morning Gwen even felt a bit more comfortable in letting Cassie prepare dinner.
As they ate though she couldn't resist asking about it.
"So I have to ask how is it that you can suddenly cook? Last thing I knew you couldn't even make eggs."
"Well eggs are hard" Cassie replied slightly defensively.
"You just fried up a couple perch and you think eggs are hard?" Gwen replied with raised eyebrows.
"Well yeah. Stuff like this is easy since Mother taught me how to do it when I was young. Stuff like eggs and all the amazing stuff you cook never came up much. My parents were usually busy with work so these trips out here were the only chance they could get for stuff like cooking lessons."
"It sounds nice Gwen replied wistfully, thinking about what it would be like to have parents take you somewhere like this just to spend time together."
"Didn't your parents ever do anything like this? Maybe not camping but some kind of family vacation or to just spend time together?
"No" Gwen replied bluntly her face twisting into the grimace that usually appeared whenever her parents were brought up.
Seeing the look of surprise on Cassie's face at the abrupt answer Gwen's tone softened slightly. "Look, please just understand. Not all parents are as nice as yours, and as far as parents in general go mine are pretty far down the list as far as I am concerned. It's not a subject I like to talk about."
"Okay" replied. She'd gotten close to this subject before and been pushed back but like she'd thought back then, she didn't exactly have room to comment on someone wanting to forget the past.
Seeing the slightly sad look on Cassie's face though Gwen smiled over and changed the subject. Your parents did teach you well though. The fish is delicious.
Cassie's face broke into a smile at the compliment. "Thanks, and you enjoyed fishing more than you thought you would I take it?"
Gwen grinned back while replying nonchalantly "It was alright, it had it's moments."
"That's good" Cassie replied with a wide smirk, "because I've got more plans for tomorrow."
Gwen's stared in disbelief. More open to the idea than she would have been this morning but still apprehensive at what Cassie could possibly be planning.
"Well goodnight then." Cassie replied cheerfully as she headed off to bed.
"Hang on" Gwen said now featuring her own smirk. "If you're dragging me off to who knows where tomorrow then we have some things we have to take care of tonight."
"Hmmm," Cassie replied coyly "What could you possibly mean?"
"Well like you said earlier, you rendered the news reporter speechless and you still haven't collected your prize."
Cassie leaned in close smiling mischeviously at her beautiful wife. "And what might that be"
"You'll just have to follow me and see." Gwen said cheekily "You're not the only one with surprises."
And that's it for today.
Thanks
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Updates are usually posted daily.
The early sun shone through the branches, birds tweeted around them, and the surrounding trees rustled in the cool late morning breeze. It was the perfect day for a hike in the woods. Gwen however was not reveling in the experience, as the two trekked through the woods she was convinced Cassie had officially lost her mind.
They had left the cabin early that morning on the newest stage of Cassie's grand plan to make family memories and show Gwen the wonder of the great outdoors. However the great outdoors so far today had consisted of what seemed to Gwen like wandering aimlessly through the woods.
As Gwen thought this Cassie paused for a second to look around in various directions before veering off in a different direction further into the woods. The trail had been left behind early on in the journey and this was now the fifth or sixth time Cassie had just suddenly changed directions.
Gwen had been trying to stay silent, hoping that like with yesterdays fishing trips the moment of fun would show up but as the morning had dragged on that was seeming less and less likely. It wasn't necessarily the walking that was getting to her, she'd been a reporter for a while after all and had had plenty of days where she was constantly on her feet heading to meet interviews or rushing to various events or crime scenes to get the scoop, but that had felt like it had a point. All she'd gotten so far here was sore feet and bug bites, and a few moments later as Cassie veered off in a different direction yet again Gwen couldn't remain quiet anymore.
"Cassie are we lost." she asked exasperatedly.
"We're not lost" Cassie replied "I just... can't find where we're going."
"That would be lost" Gwen replied with a groan.
"We're not lost" Cassie repeated stubbornly. "I know the exact way to get back to the trail."
"So let's head back to the trail. Maybe we could go back to the cabin area and ask one of the rangers for direction to this place you're looking for."
"They won't be able to help" Cassie replied as she again changed direction. "This place isn't commonly known and it's not on the map."
Gwen caught hold of Cassie's arm pulling the young redhead to a stop. "Cassie be reasonable. We've been out here for hours and haven't found it. I'm all for giving this hiking and camping idea of yours a chance but let's just go to one of the camp sites on the trail."
Cassie looked at Gwen pleadingly "Please Gwen, just stick with this a bit longer. I know I can find the place. I promise you it will be worth it."
"Why is this one spot so important to you? Another memory from when you were little?"
"Yeah" Cassie replied with a nod. "Mom and I stumbled across it on our second trip out here. It's amazing Gwen. You just have to see it."
Gwen sighed in resignation. She most certainly didn't see how anything could be worth all this walking. The beauty of the early morning forest had quickly lost it's effect on her and the camping idea didn't make much sense to her to begin with, why would you sleep outside in a tent when you had a perfectly good cabin to go back to? But she'd decided to give it a shot for Cassie, knowing how much the young woman wanted to show Gwen the same joy she'd had as a child, and as she stared at Cassie's wistful face at the memory of her and Willow finding the place when she was young Gwen couldn't bring herself to say no, as much as she wanted to.
"Okay" Gwen replied. "But let's find this place soon before the bugs finish me off."
As the day stretched on though the place was still nowhere in site. It felt like they had covered every inch of the forest but still with no success in finding the place Cassie was so fervently searching for.
And by this point even Cassie was starting to wear down. Feeling upset and angry with herself that she couldn't find this place she remembered and had so wanted to show Gwen.
Gwen saw the look of irritation and sorrow on Cassie's face and walked over to comfort her deciding that they'd hit the point where they needed to just give up. But as she said this to Cassie tears started to roll down the redheads cheeks.
"Cassie, it's okay." Gwen said softly.
"I just really wanted you to see it."
"I know, but you did your best." Gwen replied.
Cassie though didn't seem to want to be consoled as she just continued to stand there forlorn. "It was so wonderful, it's one of my favorite memories from these trips. And now we're out here and I just wanted to have that memory with you, but I can't find my way back there."
"Don't worry about it. Even without finding that place we can still have fun. Come on let's set up camp. You can watch the city girl try and set up a tent."
Cassie couldn't help but smile at Gwen's comment and though reluctant she gave in and they moved to a nearby clearing to set up camp.
An hour later, after much grumbling and moaning from Gwen as she fought with the tent and it's seeming determination to not stay up, the camp was finally set. Cassie had even cracked a few smiles as she had watched Gwen's courageous yet futile battle with the tent, before finally stepping in and setting it up herself before they ended up having to sleep outside for the evening.
But as they finished and settled down into the chairs by the fire Cassie was back to feeling down about not having been able to find that special spot.
"Come on cheer up" Gwen commented. Having resigned herself to the idea that she was going to sleep in the woods for the night, something that if you had told her earlier she would be doing she would have laughed at you, she had decided that she would make the best of it and make sure Cassie enjoyed herself as well despite the disappointment of the days hike. And with a sigh of determination she was willing to go to great lengths of personal humiliation to do it.
"Seriously it's going to be okay" Gwen said. "So what if it's not the location you envisioned, we can still enjoy the evening. Come on I know you have ideas in that pretty head of yours. What's next on the list of things to drive Gwen crazy. You can show me how to do something else outdoorsy. I won't even complain to much."
Cassie giggled slightly at her suddenly exuberant wife, she knew Gwen was just trying to cheer her up as opposed to actually enjoying camping but the fact that Gwen was willing to try was at least having the desired effect.
"So what will it be? Tree climbing, knot tying, berry picking?" As Gwen listed off the best she could think of as far as outdoorsy activities her stomach suddenly interrupted with a load growl sending Cassie into a fit of laughter.
"How about cooking hotdogs over an open fire?" Cassie said "Think you can manage that without setting the whole forest on fire?"
"I can certainly try" Gwen replied, partially relieved that at least this seemed fairly straightforward.
And as the pair pulled the hotdogs Cassie had packed from the cooler and started cooking them the young redhead was finally starting to get back to her old self as she carefully coached Gwen on cooking the hotdogs. Shad had been joking about setting the forest on fire but she figured there was no reason to take the chance.
As it got later and they finally finished their meal which had turned out quite well Gwen wrapped her arms around Cassie as they stood up next to the gradually dying embers of the fire.
"I take it you're feeling better." Gwen said happily.
"Yeah I am, thanks by the way. I know you weren't really enjoying yourself but it meant a lot to me that you were willing to try just to cheer me up."
"What can I say, I'm a giver?" Gwen replied jokingly. Her smirk then shifted into a gentle smile as she looked at her wife "I did enjoy myself though. Even if I didn't get to see that spot you wanted to show me. I'm glad you got to experience that memory and it would have been nice to see it to, but we don't need to relive your memories to enjoy ourselves. We have our own memories now. Memories of getting lost in the woods, cooking hotdogs, and getting chewed on by bugs. 1 out of 3 isn't so bad, and at least I got to be with you while we experienced them."
Cassie laughed "I wasn't aware you enjoyed getting chewed on by bugs that much."
Gwen laughed along with her as she pulled the redhead close for a kiss.
"You know" Gwen said mischievously Cassie already getting a hunch where this is going. "the nights not over yet, and it is still our honeymoon. Plus you know how tough it's going to be to get some alone time from the kids once we head home tomorrow. Think you're up for one more woodland memory?"
Cassie grinned as she let Gwen guide her to the tent not even needing to respond for Gwen to know the answer.
Thank you so much. It's great to hear that you are enjoying my story
Gwen couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief as they arrived back in Oasis Springs and home was finally in sight. She had enjoyed the trip far more than she'd expected to but at the end of the day she was a city girl and she knew it, and she was happy to be back home.
As they got to the house Cassie's parents were already there waiting for them having swung by to drop off Dawn and Bridgett and to welcome back the happy couple.
Gwen took the opportunity while Cassie greeted her parents to head upstairs. She wanted to see her kids after being away for a couple days and along with being back in civilization she was ready to get back into her normal clothes.
Afterwards the family settled onto the couches in the living room to relax for a bit.
"So how was your trip" Cecilia asked. "Did you enjoy the woodlands or did you not even make it out of the cabin."
Cassie's face went bright red at the question as Willow elbowed Cecilia in the ribs. Cecilia just laughed having expected that kind of response to begin with.
"She did actually manage to get me out of the cabin" Gwen said laughing as well. "I can't say I'm a big fan of it but we did have a good time."
With that the family settled back as Gwen recounted the events of the trip much to Cecilia's amusement as the older woman laughed at the stories such as Gwen trying to set up the tent. Meanwhile Willow just nodded in sympathy having been through the same struggles when Cecilia had taken her camping.
After a bit with the day already well into afternoon Cecilia and WIllow excused themselves wanting to let the pair relax after their long trip.
With the day coming to a close Gwen pulled out Cassie's salmon which they had wrapped up and brought home and decided to show Cassie her version of a fish dish (and she could vouch there would be no frying on a grill this time).
Cassie meanwhile headed upstairs to change out of her camping clothes and to get her own chance to hug Dawn and Bridgette. And after getting their time with both parents the two kids drifted off to sleep as Cassie headed downstairs for dinner.
And she had to admit, as much as she liked the fried fish from the trip Gwen's more upscale use of the salmon was absolutely delicious. Gwen was still just in a state of bliss from knowing that she wouldn't have to go hiking again, at least for a while.
And as the sun finally set over Oasis Springs the new couple finally settled down to sleep. All the chaos of their relationship issues, pregnancy, birth, the wedding, and the honeymoon finally behind them. They were finally ready to start the next phase of their life as a family.
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Cassie stared determinedly as she dabbed away at the canvas in front of her. She'd woken up early that morning and decided to take the opportunity to get started on her painting. After all if she was going to try to renew her dream of being an artist she had to actually start painting regularly again.
That wasn't going so well however as she stared at the half finished piece with a grimace before tossing it aside onto the steadily growing pile of scrapped paintings. Before replacing it with a fresh one to try again. It was quickly turning out that trying to be a professional painter was tougher than she'd expected.
As the young redhead stared at the blank canvas trying to decide what to paint Gwen suddenly stepped in front of her wrapping her in a cheerful good morning embrace.
"Hello beautiful, how's the lovely artist doing on this fine Oasis Spring morning." Gwen said happily as she hugged Cassie close.
"Could be better" Cassie grumbled though her foul mood didn't have much impact as she leaned into the pleasant embrace.
"I'm just frustrated" Cassie said as the pair separated. "I mean I wasn't expecting to paint masterpieces right off the bat or anything but nothing feels right. Maybe I'm just rusty since other than that one after Dawn and Bridgette were born I haven't painted in so long, but this is supposed to be a career plan and nothing I'm just not happy with anything I've painted so far."
"Don't worry though, I'll manage." Cassie added in quickly "I guess it's just going to take a bit longer than I was thinking. When I was young I always thought I would just paint like normal and sell them when I finished but now that I'm actually trying to do it I feel kind of overwhelmed just thinking about it."
"Well don't worry to much" Gwen said with a laugh. "Though if you ever feel to stressed over it let me know, I'm sure I can figure out a way to relax you."
Cassie smiled as she turned back to her paintings. "Don't tempt me like that or I might not get anything done."
With that Cassie went back to her painting while Gwen headed to the kitchen to work on breakfast.
However the morning painting attempt didn't improve and soon Cassie just gave up for a bit and went to the kitchen to wait while Gwen finished breakfast. As she sat down at the counter she buried her face in her hands groaning. Why was this so hard? She'd never had trouble painting anything when she used to do it and it wasn't like she was short on ideas of things to paint, but every time she started a painting it just seemed.... terrible. Nobody would want to buy any of the stuff she was painting but at the same time she couldn't think of what to paint that people would be interested in.
As she sat there caught in her internal back and forth struggle she heard a cry from upstairs. Gwen started to turn the heat on the pan down but Cassie intervened as she headed towards the steps. Feeding and playing with the girls would likely be good for her mood right now.
It turned out Dawn was the one crying as Cassie reached the bedroom. Picking the little girl up she gently gave the little girl a hug before pulling out a bottle for her.
"This is all your fault" Cassie said quietly half to Dawn but mostly talking to herself as she looked down at the little girl in her arms. "You made me realize that I need to do what I love because some people don't get the chance. I just wish I knew what to do. Being a painter was always the dream when I was growing up, and part of me still wants it.... but I just don't know if I'm cut out for it."
The little girl just giggled as she finished off the contents of the bottle. She was far to young to even begin to understand the worry in Cassie's mind. But regardless she still smiled up at her mom who couldn't help but smile back as she hugged the little girl close before laying the little girl back into the bassinet before heading back downstairs.
As Cassie settled down at the table where Gwen had already set out the plates of food for breakfast her wife glanced over at her gently "So did you have a nice conversation with Dawn"
Cassie's face went red slightly "You heard that?"
"I went up to let you know that breakfast was ready and heard you talking. I didn't hear all of it as I didn't want to disturb you. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm just.... I'm just not sure what I want right now. I don't want to give up on painting, and being an artist was always my dream. But the more I try the less I'm sure if I'm actually cut out for it. Maybe I should just get a normal job. I know we don't need it but as I've said I do want to help out. You and the girls mean everything to me."
"I understand, you mean everything to me as well. And once Dawn and Bridgette are older I'm sure they'll agree. But at the end of the day it's not just about you helping us to be happy. We want you to be happy as well. As I've said before I won't tell you what to do, but I think you should just do what you really want to do. Even if it's tough me and the girls will support you through it. If painting is your dream then go for it. If you just want to get a normal job then that's fine to. As long as you're happy with your life then I'm happy. So the question as I see it comes down to, do you want to be a professional artist?"
Cassie paused for a minute before nodding "Yes, I really do."
"Then do that. And whether you're the next Picasso or just a small time passion painter I will be behind you 100%. And remember there's no rush. If you're having trouble painting something you think others will like then don't rush it. For now just paint what you like and work that into something people will want to buy. As you said to Dawn, part of you still wants it. If that's true then do it for that reason.
Cassie laughed. "I thought you said you didn't listen in."
"Okay what can I say, I'm nosy" Gwen replied with a laugh. "But I'm serious, going for your dream doesn't mean much if you lose the 'you' part of it in the process. Now come on, enough worrying and let's eat before the eggs get cold."
Cassie smiled feeling much better about the whole situation.
And as they finished eating Cassie returned to her easel deciding to follow Gwen's advice. She was going to quit worrying about what would or wouldn't sell or what other people would like and just paint what she knew she was happy with. And whether that worked out or not at least she would be proud of what she did.
And that's it for today. Thank you for ready everybody
As time had passed Cassie had kept herself busy with her painting. In line with Gwen's advice it was mostly stuff she felt like painting rather than done to appeal to a customer. She had even tried her hand at a realism painting. Though sadly there was still no luck at getting any kind of jump start on selling any of them.
Today however she was taking a break from working on her hopeful career and was putting her talents to a different use.
Helping Gwen re-paint the guest bedroom. With the twins birthday closing in quickly the couple knew they would soon need a room of their own so the plan was to redo the guest bedroom into a room for Bridgette and Dawn. Gwen had initially planned to hire some painters to come in and do it but Cassie had suggested they do it themselves both as a fun experience to have together and an excuse to take a break from painting for a little bit. And so today had been set aside for the task.
As Cassie moved the roller up and down the wall turning it from it's original deep red to a light blue she felt a sudden dampness splatter across the side of her face. And as she looked to the side it wasn't hard to figure out the culprit as Gwen held her sides laughing hysterically still holding the paint brush she'd flicked at Cassie.
"You know we're never going to get this done if you keep messing around" Cassie tried to say sternly, though the grin on her face betrayed any pretense of that.
"Oh come on" Gwen replied still laughing "You said this would be a fun experience so you can't blame me for having a little fun."
"Yes well, lets at least not waste the paint. Plus we have to clean up the floor if you splatter to much around."
"Don't worry about it. I figured I would have some people coming by tomorrow morning to lay some carpet in here anyway. So the floor can get as messy as it wants."
Cassie laughed as Gwen flicked a little more paint in her direction before moving the bucket as she continued along the wall.
"It's kind of amazing Isn't it." Gwen said as she ran the brush up and down along the new section of wall she'd moved to. "Our baby girls are already growing up before our eyes. Soon they'll be going off to school and making new friends, dating, getting married themselves...."
"I think you're getting a bit ahead of yourself there, we still have a while before some of that." Cassie said with a laugh. "But yeah I get what you're saying. They are growing up so fast."
"What do you think they'll be like?" Cassie suddenly asked glancing behind her at Gwen.
"I honestly don't have a clue" Gwen replied "and I think I like it that way. It'll be a nice surprise to watch them grow up and see what wonderful young ladies they will become."
Cassie laughed "If either of them are anything like I was as a kid 'wonderful' may not be the appropriate term."
"Hey you turned out alright, I'm sure no matter what they will as well." Gwen replied cheerfully.
"You're probably right." Cassie said though her smile dulled a bit as a thought crossed her mind. "Do you think Dawn will be okay? Things might be a bit rough for her not being able to see."
"Possibly, but if she has trouble then we'll just help her through it." Gwen said as the two finished the final wall of the room. "We can't see the future, we can just do our best to deal with it as it comes."
Cassie laughed, "You always have such great answers. You're like a living book of wise sayings some days."
"Well I'm older" Gwen responded with a slight chuckle. "I had to get something in exchange for these wrinkles."
"You're not that old" Cassie replied wrapping her arms around her wife "And wrinkles or not your still beautiful to me."
Gwen grinned as she leaned forward into the embrace for a kiss.
"You have some good answers of your own. I'm so glad to have you in my life. And there's nobody I'd rather raise our two girls with, no matter what kind of terrors they might be."
Cassie laughed as she parroted Gwen's early words. "We can't see the future, we can only deal with it as it comes."
Gwen laughed as she kissed Cassie again. "Can you see my plans for the future."
"Let me guess, it involves sneaking off to the shower for a bit."
"At least until the girls move into their new room and we get our bedroom back to ourselves. Besides you are covered in paint."
"And who's fault is that?" Cassie said teasingly.
"Oh I take full responsibility" Gwen replied mischievously as she lead Cassie out of the freshly painted room "And I'll make sure to clean up my mess, no matter how long it takes."
Thanks for reading, I hope everyone enjoyed it
No worries. You don't have to read every day, I'm just glad that people enjoy the story and catch up when they can
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Thanks, you won't have to wait long as the twins birthday is tomorrow
I'm glad you stuck with it. Sometimes you have to go through pain to reach happiness
But just so as to not leave you all hanging here is a picture of Cassie and Gwen "neglecting" their kids
I'd rather they have taken the most expensive item. Gwen's rich she can replace it. Dawn and Bridgette not so much
Here is today's chapter.
The house lay silent after the racket of that morning. With the twins new room painted the workers had come in this morning to lay carpet down in the guest bedroom, and afterwards to move the in the new furniture. This of course had meant a good deal of chaos throughout the morning. As such Cassie had spent most of the morning in the bedroom trying to keep Dawn and Bridgette calm. Dawn especially didn't seem to handle the sudden uproar very well and had spent a lot of the morning in Cassie's arms. Bridgette on the other hand other than a bit of confusion as the work began had taken it fairly well.
But all of that was finished now and the room was mostly ready for the twins to move in after their birthday tomorrow. The twins exhausted from all the ruckus were taking a nap and Gwen had gone out for the morning to pick up some last minute things for the room. Cassie had offered to go along but Gwen had insisted it was something she could handle on her own and that Cassie should just focus on her painting. Which is what Cassie had done.
And to her credit she had made good progress. With no distractions she had managed to finish another pair of paintings, though in the end they just got added to the batch that was gradually starting to pile up around her. She couldn't deny that she was enjoying her work which was probably why she had been able to binge paint her way through two pieces in one morning but it still felt like a waste when she didn't know how to proceed from there.
How naive she had been when she was younger she thought. All that time spent thinking about becoming a professional painter and how to actually sell her work had never crossed her mind. She'd tried calling the local museum but they had flatly refused, they didn't buy from unestablished artists and even then preferred to work through intermediaries. But how was she supposed to become established if she couldn't sell to anyone and she didn't have the faintest clue about who to talk to as an intermediary.
Suddenly she felt someone grab her from behind. Before she knew it she felt herself spun around before being dipped back as Gwen kissed her.
"What was that for" Cassie said with a grin as Gwen pulled her back up.
"I just felt like it, plus you seemed like you could use a nice start of the afternoon kiss."
Gwen paused as she looked over at the newest additions to Cassie's finished works. "Looks like you've been busy."
"Yeah" Cassie said with a sigh. "Two more to to gather dust."
"Aww, cheer up. I'm positive things will work out." Gwen said cheerfully.
"Hmmph" Was all Cassie replied with still not overly convinced given the state of things.
"Come on, cheer up, or else."
This caught Cassie's attention "Or else what"
"Or else I'll have to take you out." Gwen replied with a smirk clearly enjoying the double entendre of her statement.
"Oh no, whatever shall I do" Cassie replied in mock terror as she played along with Gwen's dual meaning, inside though she couldn't help but grin. Gwen always seemed to know how to make her feel better.
"Well you could start by slipping into something a bit fancier. "If we're going out on the town I have just the place in mind."
"Okay" Cassie replied simply as she headed up to change. She knew this likely meant the type of place that Gwen enjoyed but she personally didn't usually frequent but right now she was just happy for the opportunity to get out of the house for a bit.
And after dropping the twins off with Willow and Cecilia Cassie's guess was proven right as they arrived at the local lounge. As always the doorman instantly stepped aside to let Gwen in, it never ceased to amaze Cassie how her wife managed to maintain her popularity even though she'd left her reporter position at OA6 news.
As they entered It was still early in the day meaning that the place was mostly empty though the couple didn't mind as they happily went upstairs and settled down onto one of the balcony couches getting the space completely to themselves.
Cassie leaned against Gwen smiling profusely.
"So how has you're day been" she asked as she felt Gwen's arms wrap around her.
"Mostly uneventful, picked up some things for the twins room. Talked to some old friends. One of them even sent some toys out here for the twins. She works as a software tester and got her hands on a special toy for Dawn which can both talk and has a voice activated tracker that makes the toy beep to help kids find it when it gets lost. She thought it would be perfect for Dawn so that she could always find it despite not being able to see. It's an adorable little monster toy they've called chompy.
Also it seems Tyler, my boss from OA6, is moving out of town. He's going to be starting a news station out in Riverview, it's going to be called RVR2 news, Tyler always did like his silly word play. Corporate is absolutely furious with him over it too. Apparently they held my leaving against him, told him that he should have convinced me to stay, and on top of that now he's leaving and Tara's going with him to be the lead anchor there along with a few of the camera men and one of the senior reporters."
"Is that okay with you" Cassie asked "I mean you and Tyler and Tara were your friends, and you and Tara had just made up after the whole mess with me."
"It's fine. We'll still keep in touch. But enough about that. We need to celebrate" Gwen replied as she pulled out a pair of glasses.
"What exactly are we celebrating" Cassie asked suspiciously "Gwen, why do I get the feeling your up to something."
"I don't know it was supposed to be a surprise."
Cassie lunged in and laughed maniacally as she began tickling Gwen. "Okay, what's really going on. Clearly you didn't bring me here just for a date, spill it what are you up to.
"Was up to" Gwen replied through the laughter as she waved at Cassie in surrender. "My part is pretty much finished. I was going to wait until you got the call but I guess it won't hurt to tell you now."
"I found someone to buy/sell your paintings."
Cassie's eyes widened in surprise "Really?!"
"Yeah another old acquaintance from my time at the station. Her name is Kinsley Monroe. She's a local art collector, seller, and enthusiast.
"So are we meeting her hear?" Cassie asked glancing around.
"No, no, she's at the house looking at your paintings now."
Cassie shot to her feet "What?! Right now?!"
"Relax and sit down" Gwen replied with a laugh as she pulled Cassie back onto the couch. "Kinsley's a bit of an odd one. She really gets into her work and when she's appraising she prefers to be alone without being distracted or having her view colored by the artists explanations of what the painting means. Once she's done she'll give you a call."
At that moment Cassie's phone went off.
"And that's probably her now."
Cassie answered the phone nervously "Hello, this is Cassie"
"Your work is terrible darling."
Cassie almost choked in surprise as the breath intake of breath she'd been holding caught in her throat.
"The lines are weak, that one looks like it could be a cheap motivational poster from the interwebs, and don't even get me started on your realism painting, just uggh. The red and black one is okay I guess but it feels like something from an elementary school art show. I'll give you $400 for the lot of them, the money will be on the counter. You have such talent darling you just need to start using it. Okay bye bye darling, we'll keep in touch."
With that the call ended leaving Cassie sitting there in a state of confusion over what had just happened.
"So" Gwen asked impatiently "How did it go"
"She said they were terrible.... but then she bought them all for $400..... and then she said I had talent but I need to start using it..... I just..... what....."
Gwen busted out laughing much to Cassie's surprise. "Yep, that sounds like Kinsley. Let me guess she also called you darling. I don't think that bits natural I think she just likes the word."
Cassie still couldn't wrap her head around everything "But.... I'm just so confused. If they are terrible why did she buy them? And six paintings for just $400. It feels like I just got scammed."
Gwen placed a hand on Cassie's shoulder "You weren't scammed, that's just Kinsley being Kinsley. You won't hear a good thing out of her unless it's a half compliment or she can't find anything to say against it. As to the price you need to remember she is a seller so she buys for a reduced cost and sells it for a small profit. The only way you'll get full price from her is if she's buying for her own collection. But I promise she won't rip you off. She cares about the art too much for that."
Cassie stared down at her phone where a text from Kinsley had just come in listing a number to call when Cassie had more paintings to sell and explicit instructions to never call after 5pm. She still could hardly believe it, she was happy of course that she'd sold her paintings but she still couldn't quite figure what to think.
Seeing the look of confusion still on Cassie's face Gwen took her by the hands and looked her in the eyes. Believe me this is good. If your work was really bad then Kensley wouldn't have bought them. She only buys what she knows she can resell or wants. So for now just relax and we can get back to our date.
Cassie smiled, as weird as the whole situation was she knew she could trust Gwen, and if Gwen said Kinsley was on the level then Cassie would go along with it and trust in Kinsley as well. Plus with the stress of selling her paintings gone she was ready to get back to their date.
Thanks for reading, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.
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