A Year And A Half In The Life Of Pryde & Wisdom
Part 17
Finale

                 ************

It was ten weeks after Kirsten's birth, and Excalibur had convinced
Pete and Kitty to take a romantic night out, their first in over five
months, since Kitty's enforced bed rest in the last two months of her
pregnancy.  Feeling that The Chalk & Cheese was far too mundane, Pete
booked reservations at a restaurant in London, and Kitty flew them down
late that afternoon, with reassurances that if anything happened with
Kirsten, Amanda would call them immediately.  Mostly however, Kurt
ordered them to have a good time, and Kitty's anxiousness at leaving
her daughter was assuaged by Meggan's enthusiastic promises to look
after the baby while the Wisdoms were away.  That evening, Brian and
Meggan were in the TV room with Kurt, Amanda, Rahne, Moira, Douglock,
and Rory, who were all listening quite amusedly to Brian's
tongue-in-cheek grousing at having to help care for 'Wisdom's spawn'
as he grinningly referred to Kirsten.  Although the conversation
drifted off into other territory, it was interrupted periodically by
the women of Muir, with every coo the infant made prompting a round of
fussing over her.  After the seventh or eighth time that happened,
Brian growled toothlessly at his wife, "I swear Meg, I still don't see
why you had to volunteer our babysitting services to Kitty and Pete."

Meggan smiled shyly at him, realizing that he had given her the
perfect opening.  "Well, you big silly, I just thought you might want
to get in a spot of practice over the next few months...."  Her voice
trailed off as the other women gasped at that, while the men just sat
there with their mouths agape, stunned.  Brian looked at Meggan, then
Kirsten, then back and forth between the two for almost thirty
seconds.  Then, in a small voice, he asked "You mean you're-" and was
cut off by Meggan's enthusiastic nod.  The look on her face changed to
worry as Brian took Kirsten from her arms and handed the infant to
Rahne, but then Meggan squealed with joy as Brian lifted his wife off
the couch, laughing loudly as the rest of the team applauded and
cheered the Braddocks on as they danced all around the room.

                 ************

"Pete, where are we?"

Pete Wisdom grinned at his 21 year old wife and mother of his child,
though she couldn't see it through the blindfold.  "Look, Kitty, I
told you t' wait just a bleedin' minute, alright?  Bloody hell, you
can be impatient, love...."

Kitty smiled herself at that, then she heard a door open and Pete
ushered her through it.  As he closed the door behind her, Kitty tried
to see through the blindfold, but it was far too dark.  "All right,
Pete, what gives?"

Pete undid her mask and watched with satisfaction as Kitty gasped in
shock.  They were in the penthouse of The Dorchester Hotel, and Kitty
could see he'd already turned down the bedcovers.

"See, love, I figured you and me could both use a little romantic
time-out, so here we are.  Whadda ya think?"

Kitty smiled at her husband as she pushed him gently towards the bed.
"Oh, I think you know what I think."

                 ************

Pete and Kitty got back late the next evening, around nine, and Meggan
and Brian were glad to hand Kirsten back off to her parents.  After a
few minutes of laughing and congratulating Muir's newest expectant mum
and da, Pete and Kitty took the sleeping infant up to their quarters
to get into bed.  Pete got undressed first, while Kitty watched their
daughter, then he hit the bed after kissing his wife.  Kitty changed
from her evening dress into her usual bedtime garb of oversize
sleepshirt, a pair of Pete's boxers, and socks, then had to stop
herself in the middle of going to sleep when Kirsten woke up wanting
to be fed.  After Kitty finished nursing, burping, and changing her
daughter, she sat back down in the rocking chair to help her nod off.
Kitty looked down into the infant's blue eyes, and Kirsten looked
right back at her, seemingly perfectly willing to continue like this
all night.  Kitty smiled down at and began to sing to her child.

"Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night, and wouldn't you love
to love her...."

                 ************

The End.

(for now)

                 ************

Many thanx to Luba Kmetyk for inspiring and encouraging me and posting
my stories.  Thanx also to my fans who wrote to me and kept relighting
that creative fire under my butt.  Sorry it took so long.

'A Year And A Half In The Life Of Pryde & Wisdom' is copyrighted
1998-99 LuNaTiC Publishing.  No part of this story may be archived on
any site without my permission.  Please respect my rights.  The author
supports free speech.

Song Credits

"It's Your Love"
Performed by Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
Music & lyrics by Stephony Smith
CD:Everywhere--Curb Records

"Kind And Generous"
Performed by Natalie Merchant
Music & lyrics by Natalie Merchant
CD:Ophelia--Elektra Entertainment

"There's No Way"
Performed by Alabama
Music & lyrics by John Jarrad, Lisa
Palas, and William Robinson
CD:For The Record:41 Number One Hits--RCA Records

"Morning Desire"
Performed by Kenny Rogers
Music & lyrics by Dave Loggins
CD:A Decade Of Hits--Reprise Records

"I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"
Performed by Aerosmith
Music & lyrics by Diane Warren
CD:Armageddon:The Album--Columbia Records

"Rhiannon"
Performed by Fleetwood Mac
Music & lyrics by Stevie Nicks
CD:The Dance--Reprise Records

"You're Still The One"
Performed by Shania Twain
Music & lyrics by Shania Twain and Robert John Lange
CD:Come On Over--Mercury Nashville

"Something That We Do"
Performed by Clint Black
Music & lyrics by Clint Black and Skip Ewing
CD:Nothin' But The Taillights--RCA Records