Blackberry sweet tea was set on the table in a glass pitcher. The early morning light caught the clink of the ice in the dark liquid like some bizarre prism. "She gon' land safe. She gon' land safe. I just know it, I swear 'fore god, she gon' land safe. Just gotta wait for her to get here. I made her tea, I made her tea, she gon be here for this tea. She gotta... she gon' be here for this tea."

Mary paced as she rubbed her anxiety into the apron she wore over her layered skirts. She paced and then adjusted the pitcher on the table again, set the glasses across on each placemat, then checked them three times, then three times again before adjusting the pitcher a third time and finally going back to pacing.

___

Hodel was three stoplights away, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, listening to klezmer pop music. She took a deep breath and gunned it once the light turned green. "Almost home, almost home," she whispered.

Ten minutes later, she was turning down the cul-de-sac road and up the driveway, putting the car in park. She saw the pitcher of blackberry sweet tea on the table from the curtain-framed window. Getting out of the car and grabbing her bag, she made her way up the cobblestone walkway to the front door. Knocking once, twice, then pausing before knocking a third time.

Mary gasped, her pacing froze, her heart in her throat. She went over to the door and unlocked all five locks and then took a deep breath before slowly opening the door to see Hodel there wearing her army fatigues and her crooked smile, making her blue-gray eyes sparkle just a bit. She gave a salute. "Private First Class Hodel Schechner reporting home, ma'am."

Mary gave a salute back to her. "At ease, Private," she said, and they both released their salutes and stared at each other as if waiting to see which would break first. Hodel's easy smile wilted into a more somber expression.

"I missed you so much," Hodel admitted.

"Then you know you better show me with more than words. Get yourself in here. I made your tea." Mary breathed and opened the door so that Hodel could come inside, then closed the door after her, locking the locks and checking them three times, then three times more, before turning around to look at Hodel.

Hodel was standing there holding her cap in her hand, her bag set down next to her shiny polished boots. She stood still as Mary looked her over up and down, as if she was under some sort of inspection. "I made your room up. I'll- I'll go put your bag in there, you just have your tea. Okay, have your tea, and I'll unpack your things. Then I'll help you clean up and... we can... show each other how much we missed the other."

"Yes ma'am."

Mary's lips twitched to a slight smile. "Drink your tea. Okay. I'll be right back." She dusted her hands on the apron then picked up the bag and started down the hallway to the prepared bedroom, leaving Hodel in the front room to enjoy her tea.

Taking a deep breath, Hodel went forward to the table and poured tea into one of the glasses. She took a swallow or two of the tea and felt the stress just dissipate with a full body shiver. "Fuck, it's good to be home." She downed the rest of the tea from the glass.

"I'm glad you think so."

Hodel turned around to the sound of the voice and then laughed out loud. "What are you wearing?"

"Do you like it? I got it special for you."

"Mary... You didn't have to... trouble yourself for all that."

"It's only trouble if you don't like it. It's for the occasion."

"I gathered as much."

Hodel stared at Mary, who was no longer wearing layered skirts and an apron, but baggy colorful pants, bright wig and red nose, and a loud, colorful shirt. "Do you not like it, Hodel, I thought - April Fools day, I could... surprise you with something special like -"

Hodel closed the distance and pressed a kiss to Mary's lips, wanting to sew reassurance where there was so much insecurity and anxiety. "I love it. And I love you for thinking of this."

"Really?"

"Yes ma'am, really, really."

"I know I didn't have enough time for makeup, but I... wasn't sure if you'd like it, so I didn't want to go all out and do the make up, and you hate it and then everything would be ruined, and I couldn't live with myself if everything was ruined. I know you told me that this is your favorite holiday of the year because of your family traditions and how it's always such a mirthful thing and I didn't want to bring my tension to something that gives you joy and I thought, what gives me joy, and I always felt happy when I went to the circus or carnivals and I thought maybe I could... find a way to celebrate this mirth with you and we could have our own mirth and joy for today, that was safe for my nerves, and my tension because I don't like surprises or I don't handle them really well. I wish I did, but I really don't and I thought... I thought... I -"

Hodel ran her hands over Mary's shoulders as her words sputtered into wheezing and panicked breaths as the anxiety billowed out of her forty-six-year-old body like smoke from a burning building. Hodel ran her hands along her shoulders like she'd been told to do when Mary was having a panic attack, years ago when they first met. She was told to rub her shoulders and to just hold space and let her ride it out. And after a moment, Mary's breathing returned to its normal rate and she nodded.

"That was a big one. Thank you."

"Of course,"

"You think you can help with the makeup, since you like it, maybe..."

"I'd love to."

Mary smiled, and then sort of leaned forward and bonked her head on Hodel's chest, and Hodel ran her hand along Mary's back awkwardly. "The tea was amazing by the way," Hodel added. And that made a laugh rumble and bubble out of Mary. "I'm glad, I know you like my sweet blackberry tea. That whole pitcher is for you, my sugar can't handle any more elevation right now. I will fall asleep and we won't enjoy each other's company the way I had planned and hoped we could. You getting to come home today was too perfect to not do something."

"I agree. But if I drink any more of that tea right now, I will need the toilet, and I want to help you put on clown makeup."

"You know, I got a second outfit for you. We can... do each other's makeup?"

Hodel's eyes widened. "That... would be really fun, actually."

"Fun is extra sexy today or I shall be April's Fool~" Mary said playfully, and booped Hodel's nose. Hodel tipped her head up to kiss the tip of Mary's finger. Mary exhaled audibly, watching her finger get kissed, before raising her eyes to meet Hodel's. "Oooh, you feel that?"

"Yes ma'am."

"C'mon let's get made up so we can make love." Mary took Hodel's hand and tugged her along to the bedroom. It wasn't the spare room where Hodel's bag was not yet unpacked but set neatly on the bedroom chair. It was Mary's room. She turned to look at Hodel before she opened the door slowly and turned on the light. Hodel entered the room and looked around.

It was a very large room with a canopy bed in the middle of it and a couch at the foot of the bed, a vanity dresser to the side, a closet on the back right of the bed; the door left ajar and light spilling out of it. There was a ceiling fan turning slowly on the low setting and a humidifier going on; on the far left, near a tall bookshelf with open slats that let light stream in from the sheer, pink lace drapes over the floor-to-ceiling glass of the only window in the room. On the right side of the bed there was a door that led to an en-suite bathroom.

"Close the door behind you, please and then lock it. Or you know what, let me. I need to be able to check the locks to make sure they lock. You know they don't latch all the way sometimes. I have to check the locks because I don't want anyone disturbin' us once we get started, you know. Why don't you go look at that make up and the second clown outfit is hanging in the closet, go on and see if it fits. But we may need to shower first together so don't put anything on, yet, and don't touch anything, because we need to shower first, and I need to check the locks because I don't want anyone to disturb us."

"Alright, you go on and check the locks, I won't touch a thing til the space is secure from being disturbed," Hodel said and stood in parade rest, looking away from Mary who then nodded and went to lock the five locks on her door and checked them three times, and then another three times, and then unlocked them to lock them again and checked them again and tugged on the door to test the locks and then checked the locks again before she finally turned around.

"Alright, all secure. Shall we?"

"Yes ma'am," Hodel said.

___

The bathroom was immaculate, with a walk-in shower and a separate hot tub style bath along with a cabinet full of soaps and skin cream and body oils and another cabinet full of fluffy towels of every size. Mary turned to look at Hodel, "I want to strip the clothes off of you. You're gonna stand real still while I do it."

Hodel fought to keep a straight face as she heard a semi-direct order from her clown-clad girlfriend. "Yes ma'am," she said with a grin.

"Good. Arms up!"

Hodel raised her arms and Mary went up to start unbuttoning the shirt, revealing the plain white t-shirt underneath it that held back Hodel's sports bra-clad breasts underneath it. Mary stared, and Hodel did her best to stay still. "Your nipples are showing through this shirt, Private."

"Yes ma'am."

"Arms down."

Hodel lowered her arms to her sides, and her breath hitched as Mary ran her hand over her shoulder to take off the top garment.

"Is something the matter, Private?"

"No, Ma'am."

"Are you lying to me?"

"Just a flesh wound, I'm good to continue this mission."

"Flesh wound?" Mary's voice softened, and she gently pressed on Hodel's shoulder til the other woman's breath hitched again.

"What happened?"

"Phaser pistol. Just drills, it's nothing really."

"You had Phaser Weapon Drills? You qualified for a Phaser Weapon?"

"Top Marksman in my class."

"But that means... are they sending you off-planet?"

Hodel exhaled slowly. "Yes ma'am."

"And when were you going to tell me?"

"There isn't exactly a good moment to bring up news like that. I was going to bring it up right away, but then the tea and the make up and everything I got... distracted."

"Hodel Schechner, if this is an April Fool's Joke, you tell me right now."

"It isn't a joke. I wouldn't joke about something like this. Especially not with you."

Mary started to wheeze. She stumbled three steps away from Hodel, taking off the wig and quickly unbuttoning the clown jumpsuit and throwing it off, like she couldn't breathe, like she was being suffocated by anything and everything that would touch her skin that was too new or unfamiliar.

"You're gonna l-leave me?!"

"No, I --!"

"THEY ARE SENDING YOU OFF-PLANET. I AM DISCHARGED AND NOT IN ACTIVE SERVICE, NOT LIKE I CAN JUST UP AND GO WITH YOU EASY AS PIE, HODEL. How can I go with you? You want me to up and leave my house, my home, and go to where? I can barely handle... leaving this house anymore, after... " she drifted off and shook her head before continuing.

"I ain't worth my rank anymore, they saw to that, I don't like this. I don't care if it's a joke, I cannot... cannot... b-breathe. Why did you tell me this now, why... now... now the bathroom is soiled and I can't get the tension out of the walls. I have to sage the tension out of the walls. You're going to leave me here... you're going to go on to some other world, and you'll rise in the ranks and you'll outrank me and then you won't... you won't... you won't come back..."

Mary collapsed in front of the sink and hyperventilated for what felt like hours and Hodel stood there, holding space like she'd been told to do, but she didn't dare go to her now to rub her shoulders, it didn't feel like it would be welcome right then.

"Mary..."

The other woman looked up at Hodel. "What is it?"

"I will always come back to you. And anyway I was... hoping I would bring you along, but you'd have to answer me a question first."

"What question?"

Hodel took out something from her pocket, a small ring case. "Would you make an honest woman out of me and be my wife?"

"What?"

"Marry me, Major Mary Nilar Sizemore."

From the floor, Mary stared at the ring box that Hodel held open with a ring inside. "You sure you want me? And all this... tension that comes with me?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my whole life."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"Why would you want fifty years or more of living with this, with me?"

"Because I love you. And I want you in my life"

"But why? I can barely do anything but keep myself together on a good day, on the bad days, I... can't stop checking the locks, and making everything straight and tidy and neat, and I... Don't want you to resent this. What we got works because we see each other so sparingly. We get married and there is no respite for you. You get to see all of it, every bit of madness I have. You want that?"

"Yes. And... well, you know, it's really hard to find someone who knows how to make Blackberry Sweet Tea just the way I like it." Hodel tried to joke, but the levity didn't seem to land for Mary, and Hodel's expression went solemn before she continued.

"Or who knows how to unpack my bag and fold all my clothes neatly by regulation in the dresser, and make a canopy bed with hospital corners, and who knows how to check all the locks to make sure we aren't disturbed. And it is really hard to find someone who wears a red nose as fucking well as you do. I know that the military discharged you for the reasons they discharged you, but there is no one else I would rather have watching my six than you, Major. You will check every lock and keep the Fort of our home safe and secure and defended. And if anyone ever dares to break in then I'm an expert marksman with phaser and non-phaser weapons and I will protect every fiber of your being with my life because I was trained by the best and you are the woman I love."

Mary exhaled slowly, swatting at a stray tear that fell from listening to Hodel's declaration. She reached for the red nose and placed it back on her nose and stood up slowly and walked over to Hodel. She looked at the ring, then up to Hodel's face. "You sure this isn't some April Fool's joke?"

"I'm very serious."

"So you meant what you said just now?"

"Every word."

"Every word?"

"Every, every, every word."

Mary seemed to exhale a bit of relief but then she smiled. "Then yes. I would love, love, love to marry you, Private First Class Hodel Schechner."

Hodel's face brightened with a big smile. She took the ring out and placed it on Mary's finger.

"Perfect fit."

"Perfect fit."

"So how about we run us a bath and while we prune in the bubbly water we can plan our wedding?"

"I'd like that."

They made quick work of running the water and deciding which bubble bath and oils to add to the hot tub-style bath. They turned the bubbling jets on high and warm before each woman stripped the clothes off the other, methodically, reverently, and Hodel offered a hand for Mary to get into the water first, before following her in after. They sat across from each other, the water and foamy soap up to their nipples, showing their cleavage like they were wearing some lavish avant-garde faux fur stole of some sort.

"We should have brought the tea in here. And some flute glasses, so we could look all well-to-do. Give a toast and all that. A toast to the new happy."

"Yeah, but we will share other baths where we can do that, like say for the honeymoon."

"When are they shipping you out?"

"In three weeks, time enough to pack and... if you wanted to get married here, on this planet, we can do that too?"

Mary was cupping some of the bubbles and blowing them into the air to watch them float. "Can we have bubbles at our wedding instead of flowers?"

Hodel laughed. "How would that work?"

"A bubble maker of course. And I want to wear pink and gold."

"Bubbles and Pink and gold sound doable"

"Speaking of doable..." Mary's foot slid along Hodel's in the water, up her thigh until her toes rubbed against her mound. Hodel moaned and she reached her foot to Mary's mound and raised her eyes to the other woman's. "First one to cum can choose the honeymoon..?"

"I'll take that action."

"No hands allowed, only feet for the first round."

"Agreed..."

Mary ran her foot up and down the hairy slit of Hodel's mound then pressed her heel inside the slit, rubbing until she made contact with the underside of her clit with the labia curling around the sides of her foot, being sloshed by the warm soapy water like thick petals in the underbrush of some bubbling stream as the jets blew bubbling currents in the warm water. Hodel sighed and used her big toe to wiggle around Mary's folds before sandwiching her big toe and middle toe around her clit and rubbing up and down - the slosh of the water lapping against the cove of her hole, dripping cream into the warm soapy water.

There was only the sound of their heavy breathing and the sloshing water for what felt like several minutes. Until Hodel was whimpering within the orbit of her orgasm and Mary drew her foot away.

"Why did you stop, I was so close..."

"Not yet. Don't want you to cum yet. Not till I say."

Hodel was breathing heavily but she watched as Mary moved closer to her in the tub. "You still gotta teach me that clown makeup. So I don't want you cumming and then falling asleep."

"So you mean to torture me with my own pleasure, to make sure I don't fall asleep. That's a perfect plan. I definitely won't crash in post-coital bliss after you whip up my sexual exhaustion with all the stop and go --"

Mary broke Hodel's sarcastic quip with a kiss, claiming her lips. The nose she was wearing squeaked and the kiss broke with the two of them laughing. "Lord, I didn't know it did that"

Hodel's laughter was causing small tsunamis with the 'quasi land masses' of gathered bubbles.

"You look good when you laugh."

"So do you."

"No, I mean you look really good when you laugh. I want to make you laugh so hard that you cum."

"How do you plan to do that?" Hodel asked with raised brows.

"I don't know. Guess it's good I said yes, so we have a lifetime to figure it out, huh?"

Hodel growled softly and leaned in to kiss Mary's lips, claimingly, then moved to her neck, holding her with both palms as she raised out of the water to lean Mary against the other side of the tub, where a jet was blowing water bubbles at full force. Mary broke the kiss to squeal.

"The jet."

"I know, I was trying to sit you on it. "

Mary smirked and then moved a bit, till she was sitting with the jet blowing straight into her cunt.

"We need to work on your aim."

"Oh?"

"Yes ma'am, your aim needs work."

"Oh I see, how about if I were to aim here..."

Hodel's hand went between Mary's legs to thumb her clit, pressing and rubbing on it, in tight fast circles. Close iterations of three. Fast, but with a slight enough pause between each set, that she knew Mary would notice. She smirked when Mary's eyes went wide in realization, before crossing.

"Oh shit, you're doing threes"

"Yes ma'am. See, I know what you like. Hodel knows how to please her fiancée"

"My weakness..."

"Count them for me, beautiful."

"Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen." She gasped at the pause, before continuing. "Eighteen, nineteen, twenty." Another gasp.

The repetition was beautiful to behold. Hodel watched with a degree of awe in her eyes, as Mary counted the next three numbers, then gasped, then three more numbers, and then another gasp. And her voice lost a bit more stability the longer she went on, the longer Hodel ground her thumb on that clit. That tender, hungry clit.

"Thirty-six, Thirty-seven, thirteeee..ayy - eii eiiight-----I'ma... I'm boutacum. Hodel, please, please, please don't stop, don't stop please, don't stop, please, please"

"Cum for me gorgeous, cum, cum, for me"

"YES!"

Water thrashed from Mary's spasming and her bucking hips, her arm grabbed Hodel's arm and squeezed, as she kept bucking against that grinding thumb. "Don'tstop; dontstop nononodont'stop forty, two, forty three, forty four, don't stop don't stop don't stop... "

Her high pitched plea, squeezed tears from her body, being wrung out with pleasure, the water was flushed with her piss, and her squirt and her sweat the more she came over and over and over again, till she shrank away, embarrassed and exhausted and floppy. She covered her face with her hands.

"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod..." she panted and panicked, curling in on herself as shame shivered through her now as freely and recklessly as her orgasms were seconds before.

Hodel drew her hand back and moved to the side to rub Mary's shoulder, watching silently and offering what support she could until Mary calmed down and unfurled from her hiding spot, turning to look at Hodel.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Look at me with soft eyes after seeing me ripped apart by the demons that camp out in my mind?"

"Because I'm your Hodel and you are my Mary. And you just were in the throes of something harsh and scary. You don't need that from me. I'm here to remind you that sanctuary exists. That love exists and I would fucking kill those demons if you gave the order. And it wouldn't harm you to kill them,"

"You say sweet things like that so easily."

"I spend a lot of time worshiping you in the altar of my mind when we are apart. So I guess it is a habit at this point. You just get to see my praise book now."

"You talk of praising me like I'm some sort of god. I thought you were Jewish."

"I am. But you and I are made in G-d's image, so worshiping you, is worshiping him. At least that is how I see it."

"You want a Jewish wedding?"

"It would be nice, but if you don't then I'll survive. As long as I am married to you, I'm happy."

"I don't think I'd feel right if I married a Jewish woman and didn't have a Jewish wedding."

Hodel leaned down to kiss Mary's shoulder. "Then we can have a Jewish wedding. My battalion has an Omnist Chaplain. He wears a yarmulke and prays on a rosary but it may be good enough for the time frame we have, and, well, you're Christian so... it works out."

"It does."

It was Mary's turn to have soft eyes looking at Hodel. "Are you sure this isn't some April Fool's joke?":

"Yes."

"It feels too good to be true. Like I'm dreaming. It can't be right to feel this much happy at once without something bad to balance things out. Unless I'm dreaming"

"Well I still haven't cum yet, that's probably the bad thing that is giving balance to this whole thing."

Mary laughed. "I did interrupt that, didn't I?"

"Yes you did. I'm still all riled up, are you going to put me out of my misery, Major, or just let me be hot and bothered and wet and soapy for longer and longer... and longer?"

Mary sucked in a breath through her teeth. "Stop using my threes against me, or I just might."

"Might? Oh there is still hope that orgasmic pleasure will be mine. Thank G-d!"

Hodel laughed when Mary splashed her. "You gonna get struck by a lightning bolt if you ain't careful, then where would I be?"

"Full of regret that you didn't let me cum?"

"Try again."

"In heaven with me because the thought of my being dead would have killed you too? Our hearts too wed as one already even before our vows have been said under any sort of chuppah."

"Mm, that's better. You go, I go. You understand, Private?"

"Yes ma'am. So no death do us part in our vows then?"

"No. I don't want any parting from you. Not now, not ever. It's a big universe. If I could choose but one constant, fixed point of familiarity by my side always, it would be you, Hodel. Know that. Bank on that. Set roots of certainty deep down in that."

Hodel's eyes welled up with tears, but she blinked them back. "Yes ma'am."

"Try that one again, with my name"

"Yes, Mary."

"Better."

"I need to seal this with a kiss."

"Then what are you waitin' for?"

Hodel grinned and kissed Mary on the lips again. The nose slowly honked between them until Mary took it off, tossing it into the bath water, and pulled Hodel closer and kissed her deeper until Hodel was straddling Mary, and Mary had slid back enough that the jet was bubbling between her legs and sending ripples toward the expanse of Hodel sitting atop of her.

"I need to make you cum, that's a better seal to this promise of ours"

"Please."

Mary slid fingers between them and held Hodel open so that the bubbles tide-kissed against her opening and her folds. "You're still blocking the full strength of the jet, I can't fee-"

"Shhh..."

Hodel's mouth snapped shut and she looked into Mary's eyes as Mary slid her finger inside Hodel and started cum hither motions inside her, slow at first.

"One, two, three," Mary said in a waltz cadence. "Follow my lead, soldier. One, two, three. Rock your hips."

Hodel gyrated her hips in a circle, in time with the curling motions of Mary's fingers.

"One, two, three. Count with me, Hodel. One, two, three."

"One, two, three..." Hodel whispered back, her eyes already losing focus, the water was sloshing all around and under her now. The intimacy of being on Mary's lap, the curling cadence of her finger, the way her hips were riding, swaying, and the whispering repetition was pushing Hodel toward that edge, and her breath was heavy again. "Please, two three. Can I- One, two, three, cum, please, two.. three. Too close... Mary, please. One... two... the---nnnghhh... pl.. I.... Ahh.. nnngh.."

"Let it free. Cum for me, cum, cum, cum for me. Private, that's it. Cum, two three, one, two, three, cum for me... "

Hodel felt Mary's other hand hold her back when she let her orgasm shiver through her like a heat of power and pleasure. Mary kept curling her finger and the aftershocks sparked and clashed into another climax that had Hodel falling backward into the water on her back, Mary's hands too slick to catch her, but she lifted those hips and started to drink in the cream from Hodel's cunt, direct like drinking spring water from a clam shell.

Hodel gasped and splashed, dipping her ruby red hair back into the water and running her hands over her face. Her thighs closed as she shivered again, her face surfacing from the water, the soapy bubbles suds-scurrying across her pale breasts with bright pink nipples and the line of dark, dark, red, that was almost black hair on her abdomen down to her well trimmed, but not bare mound. Mary looked up at her - up the expanse of her body - as her mouth latched onto Hodel, sucking her clit like she was trying to wring out every bit of pleasure that was banked there, or til her nerves fried and short circuited her brain completely.

"S-stop.. I.. can't take anymore, Mary. Please... "

Slowly releasing her mouth hold on Hodel, she gasped and wiped at her mouth. Hodel was splayed across the tub like a starfish as she looked up at Mary. "If you say April Fools right now, I may splash you," Hodel said.

Mary laughed, "I ain't saying a thing. I got your toes in my mouth keeping it busy," she said and then took one of Hodel's feet to her mouth and sucked on one toe then the other. Hodel laughed a full-body sound and moved the other foot up to fondle Mary's nipple. Her toes pinched the hard nipple and pulled and Mary bit Hodel's foot before letting it go.

"Girl, you better be careful with them toes on my breasts..."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll make you wish you were an April's fool."

"How's that?"

"By this..."

Mary lifted Hodel's foot until a certain spot was being pressed against the hard bud of Mary's nipple, and she rubbed it. The other foot was held in place on the other breast and Hodel felt her whole body get tense and her breath came quick, fast. "Mary?"

"Acupressure, Reflexology. Pressure points..."

"Ohhhhh..." Hodel sighed, then laughed. "You're evil for this, I fucking love it. How many more surprises do you have in that mind of yours that I don't know about."

"Mmm, you have forever to figure that out."

"Oh, I fucking love April Fools Day more now. It's forever in my mind the day I asked you to marry me."

"You are an April fool to ask my panicky, tense self a life altering question on a day that celebrates practical jokes."

"I am. I am April's Fool."

"Tsk, now you done messed up, you only said 'I am' twice, and 'April's fool' once, Try that again."

"I, I,, am, April's Fool, am, April's Fool, April's Fool, I am."

Mary froze upon hearing that and Hodel opened her eyes to look over at Mary. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Not at all. I just never heard someone make poetry out of my neurosis like that before. It was... beautiful."

Hodel smiled. "I'm your perfect match. Do you believe me now?"

"Yes."

"That was only once, try that again."

Mary grinned. "Yes, yes, yes."

Hodel grinned, and rubbed her foot against Mary's breast again and it sloshed the water so that the floating red nose washed up onto Hodel's stomach, right over her navel. The two women stared at it, then at each other, and laughed, until their shaking bodies caused a tidal wave that had the red clown nose take cover under the last embankment of bubbles in the corner of the tub.

"I heard there is an Expedition tour in Antarctica. Could be a fun place to have a honeymoon. Given I came first, it is my choice." Mary said after a moment. Hodel stared at her. "April Fools." She said and then splashed Hodel with bathwater again.

Hodel laughed. "So where do you want to have our honeymoon then?"

"No time for anything far away, so what's wrong with right here? Some Sweet Blackberry tea, in flute glasses in this house before we are reduced to some military quarters on some station lightyears away from here."

Hodel moved so that she was close enough to spoon Mary's darker-skinned body. "That sounds perfect."

"Should get some blackberry seeds and tea leaves. Keep a small garden. That way you'll always have your tea when you get home."

"You say that as if coming home to you isn't enough. It is."

"I'm still packing the tea, Hodel."

Hodel laughed. "Yes ma'am"