Quickies in Love

Clair walked out into the back yard and dropped the towel. She dove her naked body into the clear pool and swam along the bottom. She loved swimming. Especially when she was trying to make a decision. Her friends had been trying to get her to go to the cabin up north and she told them she would think about it. They were almost insistent that she went. She didn’t even know why. Sure she was burnt out and needed a break from the city. Sure her job was starting to stress her beyond normal.. But what lawyer wasn’t?

"I don't need anyone right now," Kurt said to his spotter as he pressed the weights over his head. "I'm perfectly happy on my own."

"You nuts? You tried to climb into that strippers underwear last night." Kurt Bowen's longtime friend Matt Blanc said as he watched the well built man of thirty five push two hundred pounds over his head for the sixth time. "Wait, I don't think she was wearing any panties. You know what I mean. You're hard up man. At least go on the date."

Kurt had been single for over a year and a half since his last, and he thought final, girlfriend had walked out on him for another man. He was a wise cracking, good natured man, but he had taken her leaving hard and it was a long time before he was able to go out, much less to a strip club. Kurt and Matt had gone out a couple nights ago and he had to admit, he was beginning to get the feel of being out again. "I don't know."
**
At the end of her laps, Clair pushed out of the pool and had just wrapped a large towel around her body when her door bell rang. She hurried to see who it was and pulled the door opened.

“Brenda I told you I would call you later,” Clair Richards moaned and walked back out to the pool with Brenda on her heels.

“I know,” Brenda giggled, “So did you decide yet?”

Clair shook her head and smiled, “No.”

“No you haven’t decided yet or no you’re not going?” Brenda asked, “Come one what is taking so long?”

“I cant just leave Bren,” Clair complained, “I mean the firm needs me.”
“The firm will also need you after you die of exhaustion!” Brenda said and jumped into the pool fully clothed.

Clair knew her friend was right but she would not go without a fight.
**
"She's a good girl, Brenda says her name is Clair I believe," Matt said as he helped put the weight back onto its' rest. "I hear she's cute."

"You'd know better than to fix me up with an ugly, spiteful woman, right?"

Matt chuckled, "sure I do. You'd break me in half. But it would be humorous to see the look on your face. So, you going to do it?"

"Maybe," Kurt said sitting up. "What's in it for me if I don't like her?"

Tell you what. If you don't have a good time, I'll let you drive my Jag for a week."

**

Clair waited until Brenda surfaced before speaking, “You promise me peace and quiet?”

Brenda pushed out of the pool and took off her tank top and squeezed the water from it. Clair tossed her an extra towel, “I promise you peace and quiet,” Brenda smiled.

Clair took a deep breath, “Fine you can tell Anice that I’ll go for a week.”

Brenda pumped her fists into the air and jumped up and down before hugging Clair, “You will not regret this!”

"Granted, the date will take place at my cabin up north. If you two don't get along, you can leave whenever you want." Matt watched his friend's expression turn from almost saying yes to an equivocal no.

"Man, can't we just do this in town? Why do I have to go to the cabin?" Kurt took a swig of his water and they walked together to the locker room. "It'll take hours to drive up there."

"Who are you kidding? You've got your Jeep. You'll be fine."

The Jeep has seen better days. Fine, I'll go. But it better be worth it."
Matt smiled, "you'll enjoy it. “
**
“Be sure to take Benjo for his walks,” she told Anice as she scratched the gernman Sheppard behind its ears.”

“I will,” Anice smiled and walked her to her lexus, “Don’t worry about anything.”

She sat in the car and looked in the back seat the sighed. Brenda had found her lap top and took if from the car. Now she had nothing to do while she was away for a week. As she drove along the highway she wondered why it was so hard for her to admit that she needed a break. She sighed and switched lanes.

**
"When do I get started?"
"The date is tonight, Kurt. You better get showered and on the road if you want to get to the cabin before nightfall."
"Tonight?" Kurt asked incredibly. "Asshole," he mumbled as he headed for the shower. He had a lot to do in a little time, getting a good outfit from home, a shower, and some money from the bank. Not necessarily in that order.

"You better get moving. You'll need all the time you can get."
**

Pulling the car up to the back of the cabin, Clair tried to balance all her things to make one trip but ended up making three. She dumped her suitcase on her bed and made her way back to pack the groceries in the fridge. She had stopped and gotten enough food for a week and then some.

She grabbed a bag of chips and moved into the living room and flopped down into the lay-Z-boy chair with the remote. She flipped on the television to CNN and tried to watch television.

She couldn’t even do that right. She fell asleep during Anderson Cooper’s 360.

**

The traffic on the interstate was a bitch, and it had taken Kurt longer to get to the cabin than he had thought. On top of that, twice he had to stop becuase there was something electrical wrong with the Jeep. It kept stalling out and once he almost didn't get it started again. If he hadn't been so close to the cabin, he probably would have turned back.

He probably should have, since the last half hour of the drive snow had started. By the time he pulled into the drive, an inch of snow had fallen and it didn't look like it was going to stop. There was a car in the driveway, so at least his 'date' had made it. Who has a date at a cabin in the mountains in the middle of nowhere. Walking up to the door, he knocked even though he had Matt's key. If someone was home it wouldn't be nice to walk in.

Jumping out of a deep sleep, Clair looked at the television. Wolf Blitzer was rambling on about something or another. Had she just heard a knock? She got up from the sofa and dropped the chip back to the ground. She then turned the television off and let the remote fall to the sofa. She then walked to the door. “Who is it?”

"I'm the plumber; I'm here to fix the sink." Kurt chuckled to himself before continuing, "I think I'm your date, Matt and Brenda set up a date for me. Here. Tonight."

That caused her to swing the door open, “What?” she asked surprised, “I wasn’t sent up here for a date…Brenda said I needed a vacation and that she….Oh she is so dead!”

"Um... ok. Well, if there is no date here, I'll head out I guess." It would be another two hours home which would put him there at about two AM. Not terrible, but it certainly wouldn't be any fun.

“No wait,” she called to him, “I don’t know where you live but I wouldn’t let my worst enemy drive down this mountain in the dark,” she stopped speaking then looked up proudly, “you can stay the night.”

Kurt thought about the offer, and it was certainly the best he had. "All right. I'm sorry about this date thing. Matt made it sound like you knew what was going on." He stepped into the cabin and shrugged off his coat. It was a large four room cabin with a high ceiling and a generator for heat and power. It had all the immunities, including cable TV, via DirecTV. "I hope I'm not imposing too much."

“Yah and Brenda and Anice made it sounded like I was on my last breath,” she sighed, “Would you like a cup of tea or something…I have tons of food if you’re hungry.”

"Some coffee would be nice actually." Kurt sat down at the table of the kitchen and scratched his brown hair. "My name is Kurt by the way. Kurt Bowen."

“Clair,” she told him as she flipped on the coffee maker, “Clair Richards. This is extremely embarrassing! I can’t believe they didn’t tell me what they were up to.”
"Somehow I wouldn't put it past Matt. Did you notice it was snowing outside?
“It can’t be snowing,” she said walking to the window then frowned, “we are going to be stuck up here in a snow storm!” She tossed her hands up, “do you have an idea how bad the storms up here get!?”

"Yeah, I know. Hopefully it won't be that bad. I'll check the weather channel later. I have a Jeep. If it'll start, I can get us out of here. So," Kurt added, hoping to change the subject before Clair came unglued. "What do you do for a living?"

“Lawyer,” she said moving to a cupboard to grab a mug, “I cant believe they would do this…This is just enough to make me so mad…”

"Calm down. From the looks of it, you were planning to be here a while anyway. I'll be gone in the morning and you'll be back to being all alone up here." Kurt actually was enjoying this, Clair looked good all frazzled.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” she snapped waving a large spoon at him, “This whole thing is insane!” She shoved the mug at him, “make your own damn coffee!!” She then walked back into the living room and flipped on the television but all she got was static, “Oh Fuck!”

"Well, that was random," Kurt said turning around. "What's the problem?" Without really listening for an answer, he walked over to the coffee pot and pulled the half filled pot out, letting the brew drip directly into his cup until it was full, then replaced the pot to finish filling.

She slumped down into the seat and stared at the static on the television screen. The only time the cable went out in that cabin was when something bad was going to happen, like a horrible storm.

Kurt took another cup from the cupboard and filled it before walking into the living room with both of the cups. "No Battletoads tonight I take it?" he said, holding out the cup.

She bit down on her lower lip to avoid speaking. Clair knew that if she spoke she would say something terrible. She took the cup and place it down on the coffee table, “This means we are going to be stuck here until they come to dig us out!” she exaggerated, “This is not good.”

"You expect to have to be somewhere? I have some sick time I can take at work if I'm stuck here."

Clair was happy she wasn’t the cup of coffee then because she knew she would toss it at him, “I’m going to bed,” she said getting up and tried to walk pass him.

Kurt leaned over a little, blocking her way. "Honestly, which one are you more upset about. The blizzard outside, or the fact that I'm here when you weren't expecting me?"

Looking up into his face she realized then how handsome he was. That only infuriated her more, “Both!” she snapped, “now you are in my way.” The truth was she didn’t mind in the least but she wasn’t going to tell him that. The man made her mad enough to spot fire.

Kurt smiled and took a step to the side. "You going to leave hot coffee? That's just wrong."

Growling deep into her throat she walked passed him and down the hall. She slammed her bedroom door so hard she could have sworn the cabin shook on its foundation, “Jerk!” she muttered.

"More for me," he said loud enough she must have heard him. He didn't like acting like a jerk, but she certainly made it easy enough. It wasn't his fault he was stuck here, but she was damn cute and it was fun to tweak her... buttons. Sitting down on the couch, he started sipping on his coffee and stared at the static on the screen, wondering how much snow was going to show up tonight.

Clair rolled over again. How long has she gone to bed? The storm outside was howling now. She stuck her feet out of bed and slipped them into Anice’s slippers. She made sure her tweety nightgown was pulled down all the way then walked out of her room for something to drink.

Kurt heard the door open to her room. "Back for that coffee now?"

Why must he always do that? She wondered as she swung around to face him, “I don’t want your damn coffee,” she muttered walking past the living room into the kitchen. She pulled open the fridge and grabbed a bottle of orange juice. She poured some into a glass and placed the bottle back.

"Actually, it is your coffee, you started the pot." He finished his glass, but left the one he poured for hers on the coffee table. Looking at the static on the screen of the TV, he couldn't help but remark. "You ever see Poltergeist?"

Eyeing she wondered where this conversation was going, “Yes, why?”

"The static on the TV was the window into the world of the spirits. I don't know why I brought it up, probably just trying to say something that didn't end with a high volume yell coming from the other side of the room."

Shaking her head she downed the last of her juice ~great. They are so dead~ She thought as she walked pass him into the living room and grabbed a book from the shelves. She curled her legs underneath her and opened it.

"For a lawyer, you certainly don't talk very much. Now you are going to read a book rather than talk to the only other being capable of conversation within two hundred miles?"

Clair closed the book and looked up at him, “I never slept in a cabin two hundred miles from civilization with a strange man either,” she told him softly. She opened her book again, looking at him made her tingle.

"Neither have I, but I'm not that worried about it. There are two bedrooms as I remember." Kurt took her in with his eyes as she sat there, in the nightgown and slippers, she was still incredibly beautiful. Either that or he was more desperate than Matt gave him credit for, but he didn't think so.

She closed the book again and sighed, “Alright,” she spoke, “What do you want to talk about?”

"Well, what kind of lawyer are you? Criminal? Family?"

“Criminal,” she said simply. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t sit across from him and talk about her work as if nothing is wrong. She closed her eyes but hit her face away from him in pretense that she was putting away her book.

"Are you ok? I mean aside from the obvious? You look more comfortable than when you were yelling at me."

“I’m fine,” she lied and turned back to him. She took in a big breath and sent it out her mouth before standing up and stretching her back. She rubbed her muscles. Lack of sleep and tension.

He couldn't help but keep an eye on her. "Do you have a boyfriend? It would be damn awkward if Matt sent me up here and you were already involved with someone."

She was tempted to say yes, that she was involved just to see the look on his face but she shook her head despite what she wanted to do, “N-no,” she stuttered, “I’m not involved with anyone.”

"Well, that's good. I don't feel nearly as nervous then. Listen to me, I'm doing all the talking."

Clair sat down again and looked at him then. He really was something, “you want something to eat?” she ask out of the blue, “I’m hungry because I didn’t have any supper.”

Kurt looked at his watch, but it was after one in the morning. "It's almost time for breakfast, but yeah, I could use something. What do you have?"

“I could always just make us sandwiches,” she spoke getting up and walking toward the kitchen, “I bought ham and bologna.”

"That sounds fine, if you'd like." Kurt got up from his seat and headed into the kitchen to pour himself some coffee.

Clair worked in silence. She made two sandwiches both of them ham. She placed them on two plates and placed them on the table. She poured herself some coffee and went to the fridge, she grabbed some milk and dump some in then placed it back. She then sat down at the table, “Dinner is served,” she said.

"Not come, yeah I got that the first dozen times you said it." Kurt took a bite of his sandwich and washed it down with the coffee. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

“Yes you did,” she said simply and continued to eat. She was silent though. What would she have done if Brenda and Anice had told her it was a blind date? She probably would have gone to just shut them up. She took a sip from her coffee and placed the cup down on the table. She took another bite and chewed silently.

"So if it were a blind date in the city, it would be ok? I came out here knowing, or at least I thought I knew, it was a blind date. Does that make me bad?" He worked on his sandwich while he waited for an answer.

“I didn’t say that,” she spoke quietly, “A woman would rather a blind date in a public place like a restaurant. I guess I can say that Brenda and Anice must really trust you.”

"I'd like to think that they do. Hopefully it won't snow too bad and you can go back and complain to her about what she pulled. But, if not, we are going to be here a while."

Clair frowned. She had tried to calling out but the phone lines were dead and so was her cell. She finished her sandwich and pulled her legs up under her. She clasped her coffee cup in her hands but it was on the floor a second later because all the lights in the cabin went out. She screamed.

"It's ok, the generator just went out." Kurt closed his eyes even though it was dark so he could remember where everything in the kitchen was. It took a second to come back to him, but he carefully stood up and walked around the table in the darkness. He put his hand out, hoping to get her shoulder, and instead grasped her arm. He could feel her heart beat through her arm and the skin was warm with worry. "You alright?"

"I hate the dark," she muttered as she jumped when his hand touched her. She jumped partly because she was startled and partly because of the fire that shot up her arm.. "Does this mean we are stuck without lights until we can find candles?"

"Nah, I'll go out and look at the generator. I should be able to get it running." He grinned in the darkness even though she couldn't see. "I'm pretty good with my hands. They probably have candles around. it think they are in the closet in the bathroom, but I'm not sure. I'll look."

Clair used her other arm to grip his pulling him back, "You cant leave me!" she blurted out.

Kurt was pulled off balance by the sudden changing of his momentum and fell against Clair. He tried to reach out and stop himself, but the darkness didn't lend itself to finding things and he groped out, missing the table. With nothing to stop him he fell against Clair and they toppled the chair over backwards, sprawling them both onto the floor. In the confusion of the dark, they were a tangle of arms and legs for a moment.

The wind was knocked from Clair for a moment and she just laid there dazed for a bit. She then pushed at him, "I'm sorry," she mumbled, "You can go now." She was terrified to stay by herself in the dark but she can do it. She's a grown woman....right?

Her night shirt was wrapped around his arm and he was quite sure the soft flesh on the back of his right hand wasn't exactly a 'safe' area to touch on her body. Either way, he had cracked his knee against the floor and it hurt, bad. "Go where?"

She shivered because his bare arm was against her thigh. When she could trust her voice she spoke, "you said you were goin to look at the generator," she whispered trying to control her breathing.

"Yeah", he said rolling over and grasping his knee. "That was before I broke my knee," he added through gritted teeth.

“What do you mean you broke your knee,” she asked sitting up and yanking at her gown to pull it down. She reached out with her hands and tried to see where he was, “Where are you? Ok ok..Stay right here…” she reached out and felt and saw the spot was empty. She got up and turned, “Ok, I can do this,” she muttered more to herself than to him, “Stay right….there…” she said over and over as she almost stumbled over a chair in the darkness to get to the bathroom.

"I don't think it’s broken, but it hurts like hell. Wait... where did you go." He reached out a hand, but found the floor where she was lying a minute ago. "Can you find your way?"

“I’m trying,” she stopped speaking to feel along the edge of the wall. She counted the doors in her head as she walked passed each and felt along them for a knob. She knew the centre door was the bathroom so she stuck her hand out and walked straight ahead until her palms hit the door. She felt down for the knob and went in. Soon she was rummaging for candles.

Kurt tried to extend his knee, but it locked up. Knowing he had to get it straight before any torn ligaments decided to swell and become unmovable, he 'reduced' the injury with a quick push. It straightened his knee, but he let out a half scream/half yell as he did. "Fuck, that hurt," he blurted as the pain dissipated. He'd have to look for a splint and something to tie it with. It wasn't broken, but he had torn something up in it.

“I said stay put!” Clair yelled from the bathroom. She found a candle and was lighting it. She then hurried back to him. She knelt by his side, “Ok where does it hurt.”

"My knee," he said looking up into the soft glow of her face. "I tore some ligaments or tendons. Hard to tell from this angle."

“Ok,” she said as she dumped out some of the hot wax on the floor and stuck the candle into it, “Tell me what to do.”

"I need something long and wood, about two feet long. Can you find something around here? Maybe a couple short broom handles or something."

Hurrying back to the bathroom in the small amount of light she had. She searched. Behind the door she found two short brooms. Walking over to the counter, she one end of each broom in one hand and brought it slamming down against the counter. That got the sweeping end off. She then brought them back, “Now what?”

"Need something to tie them together with, strips of cloth about two feet long each. Just rip a sheet or something." He waited until she came back from the bedroom with strips of a white sheet. "Ok, put the handles on each side of my knee and tie them against my leg with the strips of cloth."

She did as he said. She wasn’t sure if she was doing it right but she worked feverish to get it done. At one point she heard him suck in some air through gritted teeth and she felt like crying. She touched his leg softly, “I am so sorry…” she ran to the bed room and came back with a bunch of pillows and blankets.

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault." Kurt pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked at the pillows and blankets. "I can't lie down now. I have to get the generator running."

She placed two pillows behind him and pushed him back against them. “You aren’t going anywhere but a hospital when we can get you to one,” she said in a stern voice, “We have enough candles to last for days so you rest. You want anything?”

"Um, I think you are forgetting. It is fifteen degrees outside, and the generator runs the furnace blower and the pilot. It's going to get very cold very soon."

“Would you stop being impossible?” she asked, “I have enough blankets in this house to bury a small army. Let me worry about all that…Just lay back and close your eyes.” She placed her pillows close to his and covered him again with blankets before slipping under some herself.

"Well, if you insist on getting comfortable, can't we move to a bed?" She was so busy in getting him covered up, she must not have thought that they'd both be more comfortable on a bed. Then you don't have to sleep on the floor too." As he finished is sentence, he realized he was getting cold, but not from the cold, but from shock.

She lifted her head to tell him that she wasn’t about to move him when she noticed him shaking. She moved closer to him, “Kurt! Tell me what to do?”

"Need to stay warm," he managed to get out. "Elevate feet about 12 inches. The effects should wear off as soon as my body realizes the injury isn't that bad." A shudder went through his body. "I'll survive, don't worry."

Lifting her pillow she gently lifted his leg and placed the pile of pillows under it. She then lifted his blanket and moved in against his side. Wrapping her arms around him she pulled in close and placed her head on his pillow.

Kurt had to admit, this date was getting pretty far along, though he hadn't banked on a bodily injury being the cause. Some people used food, movies, or drugs to get a woman in bed, Kurt gave one up for the team and got hurt. At least Clair was warm and it did help to ease the shaking. "Thanks... Just to let you know, this isn't a really good come-on. I'm really hurt," Kurt tried to joke, but laughing caused his knee to hurt.

“Close your eyes and go to sleep,” she whispered close to his ear. She closed her eyes and tried to do the same, but her body would have none of that.

He felt her head on his shoulder and he wanted for the world to go to sleep with her right there, but he knew it was out of the question. "Can't. Can't go to sleep if shock is involved. In fact you need to keep me from going to sleep for a few hours." He wasn't making it up, you had to keep the person up so you could determine their level of consciousness and whether or not their condition was getting worse. "Sorry, but I don't think I'll be getting any sleep tonight."

She opened her eyes and looked at him, “you mean we have to stay awake?” she asked. She felt like crying. She made a mental note to strangle Anice and Brenda when she got home and snuggled into him, “Alright, you stay awake and I promise not to sing.”

"I'm sorry. I know you were tired." He gave her a squeeze around the shoulder with his arm. "I apologize if this is uncomfortable to you."

She opened her mouth to tell him it wasn’t but clamped it shut, “just relax,” she said instead, “I am fine.”

"Good, he said and grew quiet for a moment as he realized his shaking had stopped. "That's better."

“What is?” she wanted to know as she lifted her head.

He felt a sense of loss as he felt her head leave his chest. "I'm not shaking anymore. My body temperature must be stabilizing, all thanks to you. Now put your head back down and relax."

“You…” she started but stopped. She placed her head back down against his chest and closed her eyes, “Can I go to sleep now?”

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He closed his eyes and settled in. Come morning the cabin would be cool and he'd have to find a way to fix the generator. But that was another day. With his knee aching, he finally had to let fatigue over take him before he'd start to fall asleep.

Clair didn’t have trouble sleeping then. She was too tired. She was asleep and snoring softly as soon as she felt his arm went around her.