DISCLAIMER: Karen Sisco and its all characters are property of Jersey Television. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Weekend Getaway
By Ann
Karen stood, staring out of the glass doors of the beach cabin as the rain continued to pound a steady beat on the deck outside. She and Marley had finally managed to synchronize their work schedules to include a three day weekend, and her friend, Julie, had offered the two women the use of her cabin. Karen had looked forward to long walks on the beach, coupled with the occasional frolic in the ocean, but, now, it appeared that she and Marley were stuck indoors for the duration of their stay.
The bottom had literally dropped out the minute they'd unloaded the car, and from that moment on, there'd been no sign the rain would ever stop. Although thankful they'd managed to keep their belongings and groceries from getting soaked, Karen couldn't help feeling disappointed that they were going to be denied the total beach experience. A pair of arms snuck around her waist and pulled her from her gloomy thoughts.
"Hey, why so sad looking?" Marley tightened her hold and rested her chin on her lover's shoulder.
Karen shrugged in the embrace. "I was looking forward to spending time with you in the sun and sand. This rain kind of puts a damper on our little beach getaway, no pun intended."
A warm hand slid under Karen's top. "Well, we still have two days. Maybe it'll stop soon."
The hand moved to cover a breast, and Karen inhaled sharply. Marley smiled and leaned down to kiss the exposed neck as Karen tilted her head to give her lover better access.
"Yeah, maybe it will."
The rain discussion quickly came to an end as the two women found something much more engaging to occupy their time.
Sliding the casserole into the oven, Marley set the timer and glanced out the window over the sink. The rain had let up, but the drizzle continued at a steady rate. Sighing, she left the kitchen in search of her lover.
Karen was sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine. It was obvious that she was bored as she barely looked at the pictures as she thumbed through the pages. Marley started towards the sofa, but took a slight detour at the last minute when she spotted the cabinet next to the TV.
Opening the door, Marley practically squealed in delight. She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a stack of DVDs, and turning, she hurried over to join her lover on the couch.
"Oh my God, Karen; look what I found! I can't make up my mind; which do you want to watch first?"
Karen turned her gaze on the movies, tilting her head slightly to read the labels. Her eyes quickly scanned the stack from top to bottom, and she barely kept the groan from escaping. She'd forgotten about Julie's taste in movies, and from Marley's reaction, Karen was certain that her lover had the same taste.
There, in alphabetical order, were the dreaded musicals: An American in Paris, Gypsy, Meet Me in St. Louis, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Shall We Dance, Showboat, Singin' in the Rain, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music. Karen also happened to know that there were more in the other cabinet.
"Um," Karen began, only to be interrupted by her lover.
"I think we should start with Singin' in the Rain given the current weather conditions." Marley grabbed the DVD and jumped from the couch; her destination, the DVD player.
Karen closed her eyes and said a quick prayer that the player was broken, but the sound of the familiar whirr of the machine coming to life dashed the marshal's hopes. So, being a good sport, she sat next to her lover and watched the film with a smile pasted on her face.
At the movie's end, Marley reached for a second DVD just as the timer went off in the kitchen. Karen had never heard a more beautiful sound.
"Did you know that Howard Keel was originally chosen to play Don Lockwood?" Marley took a bite and looked across the table at her lover.
Karen reached for her glass. Marley had talked non-stop about the musical over lunch, filling Karen in on all sorts of trivia that the marshal had no desire to know. Every time Karen had tried to change the subject, Marley found a way to bring it back to the movie.
"Speaking of Howard Keel, I was thinking Seven Brides for Seven Brothers after we clean the dishes, what do you think?"
Karen glanced out the window at the heavy rain. She'd rather take her chances getting pneumonia than watch a bunch of lumberjacks dancing around while chopping wood. Suddenly, Karen broke out in a huge smile.
"Hey Marley, you know it's raining outside?"
Marley looked at her lover like she'd lost her mind. "Yes, I'm aware of that."
Karen winked at her lover. "I was thinking that maybe we could reenact some of the scenes from Singin' in the Rain. I bet we could come up with a few variations of our own."
Marley's gaze moved to the window and then back to Karen. Grinning widely, she jumped from her chair and grabbed Karen's hand, tugging her lover towards the door. Karen laughed aloud as she gladly followed Marley into the pouring rain.
Pulling the covers tightly around her, Karen sneezed loudly and moaned. Her impromptu dance in the rain had not been one of her best ideas. Stomping around in the puddles had looked a lot easier when Gene Kelly had done it.
"Here, drink this." Marley sat on the edge of the bed, holding a steaming cup of tea. Karen slowly moved to a sitting position and reached for the mug; the hot liquid instantly providing the warmth she was seeking.
"You know, Gene Kelly was sick with a fever when he filmed that dancing scene."
Karen handed the mug back to her lover and slid back under the covers. "You could've told me that before I sloshed around in those puddles."
Marley reached out and lightly stroked her lover's fevered face. "Why don't you lie on the couch? We could watch more movies."
Frowning, Karen looked into Marley's eyes. "Um, Marley? There's something I need to tell you. I hate musicals . . . I really, really hate musicals."
"Why didn't you say so?" Marley asked softly, continuing to stroke her lover's face. Karen just shrugged her answer.
"Is that why you stayed out in the rain when I wanted to come in?"
Karen looked down at the covers. "Yes, stupid, huh?"
"Well, considering you're an intelligent person, yes, it was stupid. You should've just told me instead of nearly catching your death of cold."
"Sorry." Karen offered simply.
Marley smiled and leaned down to kiss her lover's forehead. "Just tell me next time, okay? Now, you get some sleep. I'll be in the other room." Standing, Marley turned and left the room.
Fifteen minutes later, Marley was engrossed in another musical when the sound of shuffling feet caught her attention. She hit the pause button and turned towards her lover.
"Hey, why didn't you call me if you needed something? You shouldn't be out of bed."
Karen didn't offer a reply; she just continued her path towards Marley. Sitting next to her lover, she stretched out on the couch, placing her head in Marley's lap.
Marley chuckled. "Comfy?"
Smiling sleepily, Karen closed her eyes and nodded.
"I thought you hated musicals." Marley teased, gently running her fingers through her lover's hair.
Karen sighed, mumbling, "I hate being away from you more." A beat later, a soft snore escaped from the sleeping marshal.
Marley shook her head and smiled. Hitting play, she lowered the volume and turned her attention to the dancing lumberjacks.
The End