The Mad Mon's Progeny

Jeff Winters rolled his eyes but followed his wife's rushed 'tour' through the home. He knew better than to look to the Real Estate agent for help; the woman was already spending the hefty commission she was going to receive.

"... perfect!" the dark haired young beauty enthused, "There's a view of the lake from the master bedroom... We can go out on a boat anytime we want instead of having to drive someplace." Jeff nodded, admitting to himself at least that would be nice. "I know you love the water... We'll get that boat you've been wanting; the loan won't be that much larger." He winced, but was resigned... if Alex wanted the house, they would get the house. "... are almost perfect," she went on, dragging him in and showing him the deep bubble tub and the walk in shower, "It's been remodeled, and the owners are anxious to sell."

"OK, OK, babe," Jeff waved his hands in surrender, "I take it you want the house." He loved the way her eyes sparkled when she nodded and smiled at him.

"I'm telling you, it's perfect." Jeff didn't bother looking at the rest of the house.

"You're sure." But he knew the answer already. "You'll let me talk to them... try to at least save us a little money?" But he was relatively confident the agent would assure the owners they WANTED the house... there was little chance they would accept what he wanted to pay. Alex sighed theatrically, but shrugged. He took that to mean she did not care what he did, so long as they got the house. "And you said it's ready to move in?" He looked at the bare room, wondering if she was already planning what would go where. His wife nodded enthusiastically. He shrugged fractionally, gazing out at the big lake again. The boat house looked big enough to store a couple hulls. He found himself debating between a power boat and a pontoon for entertaining or a sleek sailboat." At least there were things about her dream house he could love as well. "Well, keep looking around, while I let the agent know."

***

To Jeff, that day seemed impossibly ideal... His suggestion the price—already reasonable even in the depressed market—was 'ambitious' had not raised an argument. It had been an effort not to react, though, when he had sat down to examine the paperwork; the owners were asking barely half of the amount at which the county had appraised the property. Cautious that the deal might be 'too good to be true,' he had specified the owner would pay for the inspections of his choice by the inspectors he designated, and that the full cost of any repairs would be paid by the owners.

The agent had made a phone call, astounding him with a lower number than the asking price, AND agreeing to his stipulation. When he cautioned they would need a contingency regarding the sale of their nice but more modest home, the owners had offered to accept a trade at the appraised value of their home. Jeff was pleased they had worked and saved to pay the house off. It was true, he would have listed their home for more, but not much more, and he knew the market was depressed... Accepting their suggestion spared his worrying about having two homes at the same time. And given the current interest rates, he was confident they would pay the entire loan off in less then five years.

Considering his position was protected, he had signed a contract that day. Where other friends had been living in limbo for more then a year trying to sell their homes, only two weeks after Alex had called that she had found 'her dream home,' the loan was secure, the inspections had come back universally clean, astounding his inspectors and himself, and they were nearly moved in.

Of course, much of the house looked bare... their last home had been barely half the size of the mansion they now called home. Proud of the fact that his efforts had brought them such success, Jeff climbed the stairs to the second floor, skipping steps as was his habit, to find Alex looking out at the backyard, shaking her head.

"What's up, babe?" he asked, stepping up and trying to hug her from behind. Alex dodged out of the embrace after only a few seconds. She smiled at him, but there was no 'come hither' invitation. He swallowed a momentary pang at the casual rejection.

"I can't believe this is home," she swept her hands around, "I mean, sure, we'll have to do some decorating, but..."

"Wait... decorating? I thought this was ready to move in condition?" Jeff tried not to sound too confrontational, but he could see dollars hemorrhaging from their account. Alex pouted.

"That doesn't mean we can't improve things... make this our home."

"Uhm, that's why we have the pictures we brought," Jeff countered, "I mean, sure, we've got more walls... We can get more, but we don't have to do it right now." Alex shook her head and snorted.

"It won't be much... There are entire rooms we have to furnish, though," she patted his shoulder briefly, "and now it's time to start that family we've been talking about." He tried to tell himself there was an invitation in that statement, but she had already brushed by him headed for whatever room she was redecorating in her head.

"I can't believe anyone would have turned this down over some superstitious crap."

"Babe?" he chased after her, "What are you talking about?" He found her staring out the front window of the larger bedroom upstairs.

"See? Aside from maybe new paint this room is set up... Your son or daughter's bedroom, daddy!"

"Sure," Jeff was not going to be dissuaded, images of Indian burial grounds raising his anxiety level. "What are you talking about superstitions?" Alex laughed, shaking her head dismissively.

"Oh, when I first asked the real estate agent about this listing, she was reluctant to show me. She said several the owners had originally left over concerns the place was haunted. Can you believe that?" she laughed, "Letting silly superstitions keep you from enjoying all of this!" Jeff shrugged. He knew several people who were very serious about the world around them having special powers and properties. He had never really considered it, himself, but did not believe in tempting fate.

"Uhm, did she say what about it was haunted?" Alex smiled,

"Do I have you worried?" Jeff let an eye roll answer for him. She shook her head, "No, she didn't say anything specific... something about a killing in the original house. But they've almost entirely rebuilt it... The original home was just three rooms downstairs and two rooms upstairs... The old kitchen is now the laundry room, but almost everything else was totally replaced in their renovation." She swept passed him, patting his shoulder again. Jeff tried not to consider how similar it was to petting an obedient family dog. "Don't worry," she assured him, "I won't wake you up to chase off the Bogeyman." Jeff managed a smile, but he had felt an undeniable shiver the moment she had mentioned the house being haunted. Struggling to write it off as an active imagination, Jeff returned his attention to unpacking the various boxes in his den. The overhead light flickered slightly. He made a mental note to bring bulbs to leave in a drawer for when the bulb died all together. He flopped back in the leather chair behind his desk, eyeing the stacks of boxes he had hoped to get through in one day. He had been overly ambitious, he realized, but that was not unusual.

Leaning back, he looked out at the curving drive, wishing absently his den faced the lake. He wondered if Alex would notice if he slipped out to do some fishing. The tackle had been among the first boxes he had unpacked, and he had quickly assured his wife she had chosen wisely; a few minutes drowning worms after the worst day at work made evenings at home much more enjoyable. Above him, the fan turned slowly. Watching it absently, Jeff mused about just how they had gotten to where they were at.

Having reached the executive level of his father's corporation before the age of 30, Jeff was kept busy with his job, often arriving home at almost dark. Worse, he usually had more work to do once he and Alex were through with dinner. It had led to the occasional tiff about his 'ignoring her,' but generally Alex realized what he was doing was important, and that he was doing for them... For the family they would have one day.

Or rather, for the family they were working at having. He had been skeptical when Alex had first mentioned starting a family. Sure, they meant to have kids some day, but he had not been as sure 'now' was the time to begin trying. That said, he had happily anticipated a more active sex life then they had enjoyed since the end of the honeymoon. Jeff was not one to complain, but somehow it seemed unfair to expect sex once a week as being 'generous.' In fact, it rankled whenever she argued he should 'thank her' for 'doing it' that often... he worked hard to make sure she climaxed whenever she did agree to having sex. In the first couple years of their marriage, he had hoped she would be encouraged by his diligence to want to have sex more. So far that hadn't worked.

Worse, as her goal had shifted from 'together time' to 'baby making time' it'd often proven all but impossible to get her off... she was simply too focused on his 'finishing inside of her' to relax and enjoy the trip. He had been embarrassed at how often she was just laying beneath him urging him on as he finished, and only reluctantly submitting to his 'finishing her' with his fingers or tongue while she lay for whatever amount of time the books and articles she was reading insisted was 'optimal' for her becoming pregnant.

They'd been trying for several months when she'd called him at work that she'd found the house. Actually, he did not know how long 'they' had been trying, because true to form she had stopped taking the pill without discussing it with him. She had wisely waited to complain she 'wasn't pregnant yet' until a time they were having sex; Jeff found it essentially impossible to be upset with his wife when she was doing THAT to him, and afterwards... Well, after they had finished, it had been obvious enough that was her goal, and since he was not entirely opposed to having rug rats, it had seemed a useless thing to fight about.

Instead of having more sex to get pregnant, Alex had bought some 'fertility package' online... maybe from the 'Lifetime' channel, Jeff had sometimes mused. She dutifully charted her 'core temperature' three times a day, and would announce when she was 'ready.' For two or three days a month she would frankly demand that they have sex. The rest of the time Jeff was 'on his own.' More than once Jeff had complained he felt like a circus animal, performing on demand. Alex had merely sniffed at that, asking as she sashayed her bare hips on the mattress awaiting his 'joining her' if he was complaining about what he was about to enjoy. And honestly, Jeff was not... how to make his pretty wife understand, though, that what he wanted was more of her, and more spontaneity.

Such musings were never far from mind as he unpacked. In part, the decision to buy the house had been easy, as had capitulating to whatever 'redecorations' she determined were necessary. He hoped it might temper her single-minded pursuit of a baby. There was plenty of time for that, and just to be sure he had already scheduled a visit with his doctor, just to make sure there was nothing wrong with him.

"I know, Sheila... It's just perfect. I mean... It's just perfect. Sure, the rooms have to be papered and painted... I'll have to find some antiques for the great room, and it'll take some new window treatments, but it'll be the perfect place to have parties... MOPS, the newcomer's group..."

"No," she shook her head at her friend's question, "Not yet, but it's just a matter of time. I can't wait, I tell you. If we don't get pregnant soon I'll have to consider going overseas to adopt... I want to sit with the other moms our age, talking about what our husbands and kids are doing... I want to be able to go shopping with a daughter or cheer my son on as he runs around on the soccer field." Her friend knew other couples who had gone the adoption route.

"Well, I'm not giving up, yet... It's only been 9 months, and the book said we shouldn't worry until it's been a year... Of course I'm doing it right... No sex except when I'm fertile to keep his counts up... I don't get up for thirty minutes when we're done... Really? I hadn't thought about that... surely ice would mess up sperm, she has to be lying." She shivered at the thought, puzzled for a minute as she watched a shadow move across the room where the wall met the ceiling. "What's that? Where would we adopt? I hadn't really thought it out... I guess there's Korea and China, but I'd probably look at Russia first... It's just, well, I'd miss the whole visit the baby if we did that, you know?" Image was important to Alex Winters. It was not everything, but it was a definite something. She sometimes wondered how who they appeared to be to friends and neighbors could mean so little to Jeff. "I've still got to take my temp this morning," she warned her friend, refocusing on the subject at hand, "I've been unpacking for about three hours, so I'd better go before I screw up all the charts I've been doing... Today could be the day, you know." She giggled at her friend's response, "Oh, not to worry, he's always ready to go when I want... I just have to be a little persuasive sometimes." She listened as her friend responded to that.

"He didn't! You're kidding me! No, Jeff's never been able to just 'go again,' even when we were having sex to have sex... you know, before I could stop worry about ever swallowing again," both women laughed at that. "Well, I guess you're a lucky woman, though frankly, I wouldn't want to encourage him any more that is already true. OK... Sure... Bye now." Alex hung up, turning to lift another stack of clothes from the box she had left open on the bed. She would check her core after she had emptied the box.

She paused, realizing too late she had forgotten to tell her friend the 'haunted history' of their house. Jeff's response had been hilarious, as if there might really be ghosts in the halls. Besides, if her friend or her other friends believed they might not visit or bring their children once she and Jeff were parents. That simply would not due.

Alex blinked, realizing she could see her breath in the room. She looked around in surprise; it was almost that cold outside, maybe, but the window was closed; the house had been perfectly warm a minute before. She looked at the gooseflesh on her arms, rubbing them with her hands as she shivered almost violently. The room was simply freezing. There was a brushing sensation over her belly almost to her sex, and Alex gasped, pressing a hand against her skin and finding nothing. She backed away from the bed, rushing to the bathroom.

By the time she had emptied her bladder she had decided the strange episode had been imagined; she had merely needed to pee. The room was fine when she returned. She made a note of her core temperature, glancing at the rough curve... The next weekend, she guessed, confident Jeff would be happy to hear that. Putting the binder back in her nightstand drawer, she resumed unpacking, trying to decide which room to redecorate first.

***

Even though Jeff had been obliged to go in to work twice during his week off, things were mostly unpacked by the next Friday night. Nothing important had been broken or lost in the move. Every room was bigger as well as nicer. When she had asked snuggling against him for a moment before rolling away to fall asleep, Jeff had assured Alex it did feel like home. And that the hideously expensive 'now' job that had been done on every room of the ground floor admittedly looked nice. Alex had been irate that the light floral print paper she had chosen for the great room had been unavailable, but Jeff had been relieved, since that had meant they had saved a little money.

In fact, the only time he had complained about her spending had been more then effective; when Alex had complained about his going in to work Thursday afternoon, he had shrugged, reminding her his work was how she was getting everything she wanted in her new home. He doubted that argument would work again, but silencing her even once had left him smiling for the rest of the day.

He had grilled bacon wrapped filets on the grill while Alex tossed a salad and prepared scalloped potatoes from a box. With bread from the local grocery and a bottle of wine she had chosen, Jeff had thoroughly enjoyed his last evening of vacation. Afterwards, Alex had insisted he go relax in the den while she did the dishes and prepared dessert.

For once, Jeff did not have extra work to do. He booted the computer, intent on searching the daily bargains at Amazon and eBay, and maybe taking a peek at whatever skin was being flashed on Sherm's Shack that day. He frowned as the screen flickered, filled with static, then froze, two somehow gleaming black spots projected over the reflection of his eyes in the screen.

"What the?" Reaching down, Jeff hard booted the desktop, "That's weird... Have to make sure the virus protection is updated," he muttered. Strangely, the screen didn't go dark. Jeff sat up, reaching for the monitor power button.

"Honey?" He turned his attention to the doorway as Alex appeared. She smiled at his open mouth, leaning seductively against the doorframe. "Guess what, babe?" Jeff stood up, smiling. His wife was wearing a white bustier with matching stockings and three inch heels.

"So this is dessert?" he laughed. Alex crooked a finger.

"It's time, baby... I'm yours however you want, as often as you want, for the next seventy two hours. Now, come make me a mommy." Neither saw the image shift on the screen, a photorealistic expression of Alex, reclining in the arms of a stopped man with wild black hair and a filthy, unkempt beard, breasts bare, head back, mouth open in ecstasy. As Alex caught Jeff's hand, giggling happily at his reaction and leading the way down the hall to the master bedroom, the image pulsed, burning the outline in on the screen before fading to black.

"Seriously, babe?" Jeff tried to hide his irritation, "It's hard to snuggle like that..." Alex shrugged, hitching her naked hips for a moment to reposition the pillows keeping her pelvis raised. She had already pushed him away when he had tried to administer the coup d'grace, obviously irritated he wasn't content with what he had enjoyed.

"You know why I'm doing this," she countered tiredly, "I don't know why you're complaining... we had sex... You got off." He gritted his teeth visibly at that.

"I want to get you off, too, dammit." She waved a dismissive hand.

"That's not what I meant, you know I think you're a great lover." Jeff rolled his eyes... He didn't believe that was wrong... he also didn't believe she meant it saying it that way. Things had started off, so well, too, he lamented. She had been playful like when they were just married; the lingerie had been a great start. Of course, lingerie never lasted very long. In less then a minute it had been strewn across the floor as they kissed and caressed. He had moved his mouth down to lick and suck at her nipples, relishing the low moans and the way her body undulated at his touch as her arousal built.

She had been wet when he slipped his fingers down over her neatly trimmed pussy, teasing her clit, which was already aroused, then dipping lower between her swollen labia. Sighing, Alex had tilted her pelvis, welcoming his exploring fingers.

"I want you," she had husked, "Fuck me, now." Her hands had been busy freeing his aching cock from his jeans. He had paused long enough to release the snap and step out of the well worn denim, moving up onto the bed between her spread thighs. "Ohhh!" her moan had urged him on as he thrust into her ready sex. Anxious to prolong their pleasure, Jeff had held back, stroking in and out fully but slowly, kissing and licking and sucking while bracing on one hand to grope the opposite breast, tweaking Alex's erect nipple with his thumb. She had panted and whined, urging him on, hands grabbing his ass, pulling him against her, urging him to thrust faster.