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Kira came back into the picture. “If there is anything we can do Daniel please let us know.”
Dan pulled himself together and looked at Willow with gratitude. “First off, I’d like to introduce you officially to Willow.”
Willow smiled uncertainly at the screen but Kira graciously took the conversation from there. “Hello Willow! My name is Kira. I am so pleased to meet you!”
Uncertain what to do as she’d never spoken to anyone over a computer before much less been allowed to speak without permission Willow just nodded her head towards the screen. Dan rubbed her back and felt her jump slightly at his touch then she climbed up and snuggled on his lap.
Dan was uncomfortable with such a display in front of Kira but couldn’t scold her for the damage that might do. Kira seemed to be enjoying his blush as she wore a big grin on her face. Then he thought of something. “There is one thing I would like to ask of you actually. I have no clothes for Willow here at the house and we’re snowed in. I was going to order some online and have Wally airdrop them but I have NO idea what to order. I’ve never had to buy women’s clothes before and Willow hasn’t ever chosen her own clothes. If I gave you the credentials for my online account could I ask you to shop for the clothes she’ll need for the next 4 months?”
“That I can do! Send me her measurements and I will place the order,” Kira said with a smile.
“Thank you so much! Please speak to Svetlana for me! You know I think the world of her, and Irina and Katya! I would never do anything to hurt them!” he blurted and glanced awkwardly at the blond curled on his lap.
Kira made placating gestures. “They know you do and they all love you for it. Some a little too strongly. Not to worry Daniel. Because they love you they understand. I will speak with you soon as will Andrei. Goodbye, Willow!” and she disconnected.
Dan pulled the keyboard towards him and banged out a quick email to Kira with the measurements and the details of where to get the secure credentials. He maintained an online repository for such details and he knew she had the credentials to access that. Once that was sent he pushed back his chair and stood up with Willow in his arms. She snuggled her face into his neck. He carried her into the kitchen and checked on the timer for the pizza. It was almost ready. Dan walked over to the kitchen table and set Willow down on a chair. She seemed reluctant to let go but when he asked her to she did immediately.
He set the table and poured some drinks. The oven chimed and he took the pizza out. He ran the cutter over the pizza to ensure the slices were separated and brought it over to the table setting it between them.
“If there are any toppings you don’t like feel free to pick them off,” he said.
Apparently Willow had a lot of experience with pizza so Dan was free to just watch her devour slice after slice. Finally she pushed back from the table and rubbed her tummy which showed just the slightest bump.
Dan tidied up and wrapped up a few sliced that were left over. These would be good for her mid-morning snack tomorrow.
It was still early so he asked Willow if she’d like to see a movie. She got a strange look in her eye which Dan wasn’t able to interpret but she nodded hesitantly. Dan grabbed the tablet PC and pulled up the listing of movies they had on the house server. He thought he would start out really light. He had no idea what she liked or what kind of movies she had been exposed to. This would be a good experiment. He took her hand and led her through the living room grabbing up the blanket they’d left on the couch. Once they were comfortably seated on their recliners in the theater room he used the tablet to activate the projector.
She watched the screen with some hesitancy until she saw it was an animated film about dogs. She glanced over questioningly.
“Have you ever seen ‘Lady and the Scamp’?” he asked
She shook her head, eyes wide and riveted to the screen.
Dan leaned back and enjoyed the movie. He especially enjoyed watching the innocence in Willow’s face as she became thoroughly involved with the story. He saw her delight, her tears, and once heard her laugh out loud before she clamped her hand over her mouth and looked at him nervously. He only smiled so she turned back to the film. When it was over she was looking at him and practically vibrating with excitement. He smiled and gestured for her to come closer. She leapt from her chair and climbed onto his to smother his face with kisses.
“So you liked that?” he chuckled.
She nodded vigorously with a big grin on her face.
“I’m going to read in bed before I go to sleep. I suppose we should discuss sleeping arrangements,” he said.
Willow looked a little nervous.
“From the fact that you snuck into my bed this afternoon, may I assume you would prefer to not sleep in your own room? I want you to know that I won’t be offended, hurt, angry, or disappointed if you would like to have your very own room and sleep in your own bed. I respect your need for privacy and personal space. I also want you to know that the offer for having your own room will ALWAYS be there even if you don’t choose to do it right away.”
Willow’s voice got really quiet. “May I stay with you?”
“Yes,” he simply said.
She beamed at him and rubbed her body against his.
He could feel himself responding so he sat up and lifted her to her feet. They walked out of the theater and made their way back to the master bedroom. He put new sheets on the bed and dug out a long t-shirt Willow could use for pajamas. He was going to run out of clothes himself if he had to share so much of this wardrobe with her.
He slipped off his clothes and stepped into some shorts he slept in. When he turned back Willow was in the t-shirt and had her dirty clothes in her arms. They put their clothes in the bin and brushed their teeth together, an activity which seemed to delight Willow.
Soon they were tucked into the bed, he reading the news from his tablet and she stretched out against his side. Dan managed to read for an hour before his eyes grew weary and he put the tablet away. He slipped down under the covers and Willow snuggled in after looking at him for permission. He’d have to work on that. Then they drifted off.
Dan arranged with Wally to do some deliveries for him. His friend was also delighted to hear his best buddy had found some female companionship. The pilot made two separate drops over three days, the first being extra groceries to tide them over until spring thaw and the second was the clothes for Willow.
Kira really came through with the shopping spree and Willow was set. So many beautiful outfits and some seriously sexy underwear. Willow delighted in trying them on for Dan to see and he delighted in taking them off. She enjoyed that too.
A few weeks later Andrei got back to Dan to say his investigator was having some difficulty following the cold trail but was still working on it. The people in question had lived secretive lives and even the information on their deaths was often limited.
Officer Duncan called back and said that the Fed’s would wait for Dan and Willow to come in for an interview.
Dan worked on two projects for customers during those months and was very pleased with his productivity. While Willow was often a distraction and a delightful one, he was far more focused when he was working. His clients were very happy as well.
He determined that she needed a hobby. She was fascinated when he built prototypes for his projects in the metalworking shop so he started teaching her how to work with metal, including welding. She showed an immediate aptitude for it and began building small sculptures with pieces of scrap metal as practice. Once he was confident that she understood and followed all of the safety precautions he would leave her to her creating and go back to his work. She wouldn’t stay away from him for long though. She’d pop her head in to see him every 30 minutes or so and the anxious look would slip from her face when he smiled her way.
The next few months flew by. Dan kept up the calorie and nutrition rich diet for Willow, combined with some light exercises and she responded very well. Soon the gauntness left her features and her curves began to fill out.
Sooner than he expected the winter months passed and the snows began to recede. Spring rains began in earnest and did their best to wash away the rest of the snow. Dan received notification from the highway patrol that the mountain road would officially open in a week. This gave him time to make preparations and setup appointments with the various government officials in the city to begin the process of building Willow a new identity.
Andrei had gotten back to him with the disappointing news that his investigator had been unable to identify Willow’s mother. There had been a surprising number of unidentified dead Jane Doe’s in the rough geographic area and time frame the investigator had been given. There was a good possibility that the woman had been renting her apartment on a cash basis from the original owners so there were no records. There were no work records they could trace back either so he’d reached a dead end.
Dan sat down with Willow to discuss next steps. They sat on a couch in the living room before the fireplace watching the flames dance across the logs. He asked her how she wanted to proceed. Willow just asked him what he thought she should do. She had no emotional connection to her past. What she’d gone through had scoured that away.
Dan held Willows hands as he looked into her eyes and felt himself falling into their depths. She’d become such an important part of his life over the past few months. He’d come to the realization that he could no longer see his life without her in it. He was still dealing with his PTSD though the flash back episodes were less frequent now than they’d ever been. Dan was amazed that this beautiful, damaged woman could make his own broken mind feel so strong and complete.
“I’ve set up some appointments to get you identity documentation so we can get you a passport so you can travel with me. It hinges on your having a name.”
“My name is Willow,” she smiled at him and he felt his heart skip. He really did love this woman!
“If you would have me, I would like you to be Willow Bishop. Will you be my wife?” he asked holding his breath.