A Winter's Tale Ch. 01

Hailey was cut short by the shout from a tall regal looking woman. Lean and muscled like a pro tennis player, the flaming red haired woman stood in the doorway looking at Spencer. "Bloody hell."

Ione was the first to act and found Spencer before the movie actress could recover from the shout.

"Regan, this is Spencer," Ione said while she put her arm around her girlfriend to relax her which she quickly did.

"Bloody hell," Regan said once more but less loud as she walked over to Spencer but it wasn't Spencer she looked at it was Zooey.

"How on earth did you manage that?"

Spencer looked at the hand that caressed Zooey's face and then faced the last of siblings she hadn't met. "She came to me and sat in my lap and then went to sleep."

"Really," Regan said utterly confused. "Does Henry know?"

"I know, Regan, don't worry it is all right. She seems to like Spencer's purple hair," Henry said as he walked in with a very English looking man, almost a spitting image of Colin Firth, who Spencer had worked with. She reckoned that he would be John.

"Bloody marvelous," Regan said and then looked at Spencer for the first time and almost choked. "Where is the camera!"

She looked around searching for a camera and someone to tell her she was getting punked. When nothing happened and her family started to stare at her uncomfortably she deflated and turned to Ione who she hadn't seen in two years.

"You did that on purpose, right?" Regan asked a bit too forceful.

"Regan!"

The room was instantly silent when Gerald called the name. He stood in the doorway with a disappointed frown. "This is no way to meet your sister's friend. If I had known you'd turn into something like this I'd never have let you go to that island."

John looked at his wife and he had the same expression as his father-in-law, consensus seemed to have been reached without a word.

"I..." Regan started and then took a deep breath. "I am sorry." With those words she looked at Ione and then at Spencer who looked ready to run. "I am not very good with surprises of this magnitude, say Richter scale ten."

Ione got up and hugged her sister without holding back on her strength and a wet kiss. "Don't scare my girlfriend like that ever again." The words were even and soft so only Spencer heard but they had a deep impact on both that heard them.

"I won't," Regan said emotional, the initial shock gone and the situation catching up on her. "I am sorry," Regan added and kissed her sister tender and long.

Zooey had woken up and watched Regan with big eyes. She pushed herself off Spencer and walked over to Regan to clutch at her leg, copying the stance of her aunts.

"You little one," Regan said and went to her knees. "Do you want me to pick you up?"

Zooey shook her head but kissed her aunt on her cheek before she walked off to the play room.

"Nice to meet you," Regan said as she held out her hand in front of Spencer who was now standing.

Spencer nodded and took the hand of the intimidating woman, a real power girl.

"I am sorry again. I just don't handle surprises very well. Come meet my husband."

Lucy Winter, wife of Paddy was looking at the movie star from the doorway. Her husband had told her the story from last night and had been worried for both women. She loved Ione as much as her own girls and boys and was rather protective, more so perhaps than Kathleen who was more of a burnt child dreads the fire type of mother.

"Didn't you say she was a mess last night?" Lucy asked her husband in a whisper.

"Yeah," Paddy said not believing what he saw. He had noticed the attraction between his sister and the lost girl but had not realised it would progress this fast. "But you know Ione, she can take care of herself with plenty left over to take care of the rest."

Lucy chuckled and decided that she wanted to meet this girl. When John was done with his charming offensive she moved in.

"Hi Spencer, I am Lucy, Paddy's wife. I am glad you are feeling better."

Spencer looked scared to Paddy and then to his wife, Lucy. "I am better. Ione and I... It is so easy to be with her."

Lucy knew instantly that Spencer was still vulnerable and hurt but that Ione had worked her magic. Whatever may come of them it was going to be either fireworks or a fizzle with nothing in between.

"Good, you're still welcome at our house if you need a place to stay," she whispered.

Spencer nodded and let Lucy hug her and before long the family was talking loudly and happily.

"Want to go for a walk?" Spencer asked. The weather had cleared outside and she wanted to have time to process all that had happened.

"Yes," Ione said understanding the reason instantly. She walked over to her dad to tell him she was going to show Spencer around. This was overheard by Sondra who wanted to come along.

"No, pumpkin, your aunt and Spencer need a bit of alone time. I'll take you out later."

"But..." the girl started but stopped when she saw the raised eyebrow of her dad and disappeared into the play room to sulk.

When they closed the door behind them Spencer took Ione's hand and they walked in the snow and sniffed the chilly air. Spencer hadn't realised how much she needed the quiet.

"Your family is loud."

"I don't even notice anymore," Ione said after thinking about it. "But I know what you mean. Come I know the perfect place for you, it is only a ten minute walk."

They walked in silence. There was no need to disturb the quiet fields that surrounded the Winter residence. The sound of crushing snow was the loudest noise for a while until they came closer to a rushing stream and a large clearing with various sized stones.

"This is our family legacy. Each of these stones have been placed here to remember a family member."

Ione walked over to a stone that looked to have been placed only recently. "This one," Ione said while she caressed it slowly, "is to remember Stacy."

Spencer looked at the oddly shaped stone, it had a few holes in it and there was a name scratched into the side.

Ione moved to two other stones. "These are here to remember my paternal grandparents and the ones over there are my uncles Jeremiah and Kurt stones."

"Why stones?"

Ione had to think about that. "I think because that is what they started with. My family goes back a ways. The first Winter living here married a Dutch girl called Margreet, he was a farmer and they had eight children. Ryan I think he was called. He's here somewhere."

"It makes sense," Spencer said as she walked around the stones all misshaped and odd. There were quite a few, perhaps more than five hundred ranging from a foot to three feet in size, nothing bigger.

"I used to come here to think. Want to be on your own for a bit?" Ione asked.

"Yes, I... You understand, right?"

"Yes, you can find your way back or want me to come back later?"

"I'll be fine," Spencer said and walked over to Ione and kissed her softly. "You saved me."

Ione nodded and then left Spencer to battle her demons on her own.

"Where's Spencer?" Hailey asked concerned when her sister returned alone. "You didn't break up right?"

"Hailey, calm down. She just needed some alone time. She isn't used to a big family that pries and prods until you reveal your most secret of secrets."

Ione waited for Hailey to back off and when she did it felt like a relief. Sometimes she could strangle her family for being so caring.

"Want a tea?" Kathleen asked when Ione walked into the kitchen.

"Yes, please," Ione said and sat down at the kitchen table not wanting to go into the living room where a debate was going on.

"Want to talk?" Kathleen asked when she placed the cup of tea in front of her youngest daughter.

"Do you think I am too caring?"

Kathleen shook her head. "No dear, you are who you are because you want to be who you are. If that makes sense at all."

Ione nodded after the words had found their way to the right parts of her brain. "I think I never loved her."

"I don't think you did," Kathleen said knowing exactly who Ione was talking about. "It was a sex thing."

Ione nodded again, her mother made sense. Even the way she had said it made sense. It had been sex and nothing more.

"I am an open book to you."

"Sometimes. Right now I can tell you that you are doing the right thing. You gave her time. You didn't press on. She's really vulnerable. Paddy told me about you two. He even mention love at first sight and your brother isn't the most intuitive person in this family."

"It wasn't that exactly. It was more like a revelation, something that was already there but unnoticed. Until she held me."

Kathleen put her arm around her child and waited for Ione to continue which wasn't for a couple of minute. A couple of minutes without someone walking into the kitchen was unheard of but it was what it was.

"I think I am in love."

"You sure look that way," Kathleen observed, she brushed away the lock of hair that obstructed Ione's left eye. "But you need to give her time."

"I know."

"Drink your tea. I'll keep the vultures away."

The vultures circled but saw the mother bear and fled only to return a few minutes later, it stopped after an hour when Tara and Teagan were standing in the doorway looking afraid.

"You can say hi to your aunt, girls, but don't overdo it," Kathleen said with a smile.

Tara and Teagan, almost too identical, rushed over to shower Ione with kisses and hugs.

"We missed you," Tara said. Ione never had had any problems keeping the twins apart unlike other members of the family.

"I missed you too," Ione said after she kissed the youngest one, if only by ten minutes, hello and then moved to Teagan who was the quiet one. More like her aunt Ione than any other of Ione's cousins or nieces.

"Teagan, you look so much older. I should have come home sooner," she saw the tears in Teagan's eyes and within moments she was sobbing into Ione's shoulder while her sister comforted her with soothing words.

"I am sorry," Ione said while she let her niece cry her heart out. Leaving for college had been the hardest on the twins. Even though they talked almost every week on the phone, texted and shared photos it wasn't enough.

Kathleen walked in on the three and shook her head. "You three are the most pathetic bunch of kids I'll find in the county."

"We're not," Tara said defiantly but then looked up to see she had been had and accepted the hug of her grandmother with eagerness.

Spencer watched the water flow and listened to the music it made until she was a tad cold. It was getting dark and she had made up her mind. It was best for both of them. She couldn't expose Ione to her world or live in fear. The world wasn't as forgiving as the Winter family.

When she got up from the bench she felt empty. She wanted to be with Ione, she wanted the world to change. She hated the world.

Silence was destroyed by her phone going off, it was Moira.

"Hi," Spencer said when she picked up. If Moira called it was important.

"Hi Spencer, I just got a call from the airline and they told me you missed your flight. Has something gone wrong?"

"Yes, my dad kicked me out of the house."

The gasp at the other end made Spencer almost cry. "They didn't, you're joking, right?"

"No, he grabbed my arm and pushed and pulled me out of the house until Lucas stopped him."

"Why didn't you call me? I would have come and get you."

"You were with your family. I couldn't do that to you. Not after all what you did for me."

Moira cursed. "Bullshit, that is a heap load of bullshit. Where are you? I am coming to get you. You shouldn't be alone right now."

"I am not alone," Spencer said and cursed herself. Why did she have to say that? She wasn't going to mention Ione at all. She didn't deserve someone as beautiful and pretty as Ione. Someone who she was going to have to lie to to protect from the wolves.

"Who're you with? Not some creep that offered his assistance and turns out to be a serial killer."

"I... She's nice. The flight was overbooked and she gave me her ticket so I could be with my family. When I got back to the airport to get on the next flight to Seattle... She found me again. She..."

The tears started to fall and Spencer almost dropped the phone from her trembling hands. She swayed on her feet from emotional exhaustion.

In the distance she heard Moira call out getting more frantic every second. She found a tree that could hold her weight and took deep breaths.

"Spencer!"

Spencer took up the phone and croaked. "I don't think I can do it."

"What are you talking about? Don't do it." Moira sounded desperate, she was almost in a state where she was going to call 911 but she had no idea where Spencer was. "I love you as a sister. You're my best friend. Please don't."

For a while Moira could only hear breathing. "What if I tell her..."

"Tell what? You're not making any sense. Tell me where you are and I am going to get you."

"I am still in North-Dakota, Moira. I am with someone."

"Someone who? You better make sense soon or I am going to call 911."

"That would look stupid," Spencer chuckled. The idea of Kathleen receiving a call to rescue her daughter's girlfriend was almost hilarious.

"I am calling," Moira said.

"Stop! I am not having a nervous breakdown. I am trying to tell you that I have met someone. I fell in love. Don't you get it. I love her and I can't let her fall in love with me because she'll get eaten by the wolves."

Moira was flabbergasted. "What?"

"Ione, her name is Ione. She picked me up at the airport and her brother took me to her parent's house."

"Picked you up? Is she some kind of hooker?"

"NO!" Spencer shouted. "No! She's someone with a heart big as a planet and I love her."

"And she isn't all over you because you are Spencer Lucas?" Moira didn't believe a word. She knew Spencer. The girl that had sworn off women. Sworn to be a perfect actress and to be a star.

"She didn't even know until I told her. She doesn't care who I am nor does her family."

Slowly Spencer started to calm down. Her brain started to work once more. Ione had fallen for her, the real Spencer, not the fake one she put on when in front of cameras and television. Would she risk everything to be with Ione?

"Spencer where are you?"

"I am with Ione Winter. I don't know the address."

"I'll find you," Moira said and then the connection was gone.

Spencer started to dial Moira but got a busy tone. She gave up after ten tries.

It was dark by the time Spencer knocked on the kitchen door. She was cold and her face a mess.

"Come in dear," Kathleen said when she saw Spencer. "You could use a cup of hot chocolate. Now go upstairs and clean up. We don't want the others to see you like this."

"Thank you," Spencer said as she clutched her arms around the strong woman.

"You're welcome, now go freshen up. We're having dinner in about an hour."

Spencer nodded and walked up the stairs into Ione's room and found the black haired beauty on the bed crying. It was too much for Spencer and rushed over to the pixie that had taken her heart.

"Are you two ok?" Kathleen asked when she intercepted Spencer and her daughter in the garage.

"Yes," Spencer said with a smile as did Ione.

"We talked," Ione added. "We're going to try. Spencer was afraid..."

Spencer cut off Ione with a kiss. "I didn't want to put Ione through my life as a closet lesbian and getting followed by paparazzi all the time."

"I told her WE should be making that decision together."

Kathleen took both girls in her arms. "That is how a relation should work. Talk it out don't sit on it like on a pile of gold. If you don't use the gold what is the use of having it at all."

"Now let's have dinner," Kathleen said as the three of them walked into the kitchen and were assaulted by stares, questions and cheers.
"I can't believe you're really my aunt's friend," Teagan said to Spencer when she handed Spencer the bowl of salad. "I have seen all of your movies."

"Teagan, relax, Spencer's not here to talk about her movies." Lucy berated her daughter.

"I don't mind," Spencer said as she passed the salad to her girlfriend sitting next to her.

Tara fired her question the moment those words left Spencer's mouth. "Did you really swim with a shark?"

"I did," Spencer said. "It was a bit scary but it was all inside a pool and with loads of people."

"Oh, I thought they added it later," Tara said surprised.

"I even touched it. Wait I'll show you," Spencer said as she took her telephone and searched for the right picture. "See that is the pool, and this is the shark."

"It looked a lot bigger in the movie," Teagan said after she had seen the photos.

"Welcome to the reality of movie making," Spencer said with a smile.

"How did you two meet?" Sean signed across the table. He felt a little left out. Geena was with the children for a bit, she alternated with Lucy and Regan.

"At the airport," Spencer signed after she exchanged a glance with Ione. "Ione offered her ticket so I could get on the flight. It was overbooked."

"But how did you end here together?"

"Fate," signed Ione who then pulled her girlfriend close and kissed her softly on her cheek as if she was claiming her.

"What she said," Spencer signed with the biggest smile.

As dinner progressed Spencer felt more comfortable and at some point she even got into a teasing contest with Hailey and Kylie over who the cutest of all Winter siblings was.

"I think it is because Ione is the only one with raven black hair."

The conversations stopped for a moment around her and Ione looked at her mother with fright.

"Honey, that is because Ione is adopted," Gerald answered instead. "Kat found Ione in an abandoned car when she was perhaps a year old."

"I didn't know," Spencer said automatic. She looked at her girlfriend who tried to keep a happy face.

Gerald continued, he knew his daughter pretty well. "Ione doesn't like to be remembered that she was abandoned. We took her in and have treated her like a daughter."

"Treated?" Ione asked offended.

"You are my daughter. I love you and you're just being difficult," Gerald said with a gentle touch on her hand.

"We all love you," Paddy said and soon everyone showed their own sign of affection, Hailey especially who even got out of her chair and went over to hug her sister and shower her with a few kisses.

"I know but I still don't like to be reminded," Ione said being difficult.

"I am sorry," Spencer said knowing she had caused all of this.

"Don't be sorry," Kathleen said as she held up her hand. "Ione's one irritating habit is that she likes to be difficult when it comes to talking about her past. You may as well know."

"I am not being difficult," Ione pouted but relented a little when she felt Spencer's hand on her knee.

"Did you know Ione was the first girl in the history of the Winter family to get accepted into an ivy league university. With a full scholarship," Henry said from across the table.

"I am a nerd," Ione said softly.

"What university?" Spencer asked surprised.

"Penn," Ione said softly.

"Really? I am so impressed. I wanted to go to college, will go to college, but I just didn't have the time. Perhaps I should go. I don't know," Spencer rambled.

"Why were you at JFK then?"

"I travelled with my roommate, her dad's a pilot. She got me cheaper tickets."

"I get it, just curious," Spencer said content.

When dessert was served, Ione got her own little plate filled with grapes, grapefruit, a peach and slices of apple. It didn't take long for Ione and Spencer to share it while giggling.

As the evening came to a close, kids had to be put to bed, dishes needed to be washed, Spencer was unceremoniously parked in the living room together with Sander and John with the words, "You are guests and will not help in anyway. We have a routine, it works. Now back off and have a wine or Scotch."