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Happy Anniversary

Chapter 4

When Jordan had returned home, he had immediately switched on his computer, seating himself in front of the monitor. The message on Danny's note was perplexing. The Pantheon, he thought. What exactly was that? It could be the name of the hotel he had mentioned, but if that were the case, why did he simply not just _say_the name? What was the importance of dashing off, leaving a vague note?

As soon as the computer had booted up, Jordan went to work, searching for this mysterious "Pantheon". The first few results were unhelpful: they all listed the Pantheon as the hierarchy of Greek gods and goddesses. Jordan paid them no mind: Danny was never interested in history, especially not mythology, so Greek gods would have had nothing to do with his message.

Finally, after pages of searching, he came across something: "Pantheon Resort". Perhaps this is what Danny was referring to. Clicking on the page, he waited, wondering what exactly he was about to find. What he found was a simple webpage, advertising...

...a brilliant lakeside hotel, seemingly 10 stories in height. The shot had been taken at twilight, making the lake sparkle like crystals; the beauty of it was astounding, and seemed almost impossible to have been just a photograph. The building itself was an eyesore in its own right: It was shaped like a palace, almost like a castle, a dedication to some regal power. Spires were shown in all four corners, and made it seem more like a cathedral than a simple hotel.

Taking in the magnificent site of the building on the monitor, Jordan searched the rest of the site, researching this strange hotel. The first thing he noticed was the price: Danny hadn't been lying, this place was surprisingly affordable! The normal rate for a couples' room was slightly less than he made in a week, and if both he and Abigail pitched in, they could easily afford a whole seven days' worth of nights there. The location, too, was convenient: judging by the address, he guessed it was about a few hours' drive from here.

All of this was perfect! Here was finally a place he and Abigail could afford to visit for their anniversary, and in just enough time to plan out their trip. Though, for some reason, in a corner of his mind, Jordan felt uneasy. This was all seeming a bit too good to be true. How often does someone come across something that was precisely what they were looking for? In his opinion, that was a rare occurrence, far too rare for it to be real.

But his trepidation was soon overshadowed by his need to give his wife a great anniversary. Abigail had been looking forward to celebrating it for weeks now; it was something that, he knew, was always on her mind. Of course, he felt her excitement for it: They both wanted to celebrate their union together, and he felt that it would be a foundation for them. If they had a day where the two of them could be happier than ever, then maybe, the rest of their marriage would be just as blessed.

He knew it was probably his paranoia and anxiety getting to him, but still, he decided that this place, for how surreally perfect it seemed, would be an acceptable place for him and Abigail to celebrate their special day. He bookmarked the page to show to his wife when she returned home from her work. Until then, he decided to rest for a while; Abigail wouldn't return for a few hours, and he needed some sleep.

So he rested, changing out of his casual clothes, not bothering to replace them, opting to sleep in the nude. Once he was comfortably nestled under the covers, Jordan shut his eyes and allowed himself to drift into sleep. He dreamt of strange things: a large body of water that resembled a reflection of a giant's eye; dancing silhouettes that seemed to laugh; and a strange whispering in his ears, of which he could only make out three words:

Enjoy your stay.

"Sweetie? I'm home!"

Jordan was roused from his sleep by the sound of a familiar voice. It seems like his wife had returned home. He rolled over, observing the bedside clock: he had been sleeping for about 3 hours now. His head felt very heavy, and the familiar fogginess of lost dreams clung to his mind. He paid it no heed: he could barely remember his dreams at all, so after a while, he had stopped trying.

"Yeah...Mmmm, I'm in here", he replied back. He gave a short stretch before slipping out of bed, shuffling over to the door, his mind restarting back to full awareness as he crossed the threshold. Abigail was in the kitchen, shopping bags laid on the counter; she was sorting through them when she noticed Jordan amble through from their bedroom.

She was about to greet him when she seemed to stop herself. Jordan had noticed she had suddenly become very flustered, and was confused for a moment before he remembered: He had forgotten to put on clothes!

Feeling his face flush red with embarrassment, his hands quickly shot to his groin in an attempt to cover up his nudity. As comfortable as the two were with being naked and, of course, lovemaking with each other, he felt that Abby shouldn't have to see something like that so suddenly. All that was running through Jordan's mind as he stood there hiding his member was to resist thinking about her own naked body; it was certainly a challenge, one that elicited several twitches from his groin as he tried to focus.

"H-hi, honey", he greeted Abby with a small embarrassed stutter. "Sorry about....this, eheheh...I fell asleep like this and...umm..."

Abby giggled, still sorting some of the shopping supplies, perhaps in an attempt to distract herself from her husband's unclothed state; Jordan could see that she was avoiding looking at the place his hands were covering, but managed to catch a quick glance every now and then. "It's alright, sweetie. Nothing I haven't seen before." She paused in her sorting, giving her lower lip a small bite. "Or....felt before."

Jordan gave a similar chuckle in response. "True enough...But, uh, perhaps I should dress...a bit more appropriately first?" He gave a sly grin, slightly hoping she would allow him to bare his nudity without shame; he did enjoy the freedom of having no clothes, and, a vane side of him would admit, he loved to see himself in mirror.

"Yes, please", his wife replied. "Not that I don't appreciate your.....assets, but I do need to pack these away, so..."

Jordan gave a brief nod and another smile, this one of abashment. He turned around to face the bedroom, aware that his taut buttocks were now in his wife's line of sight. Hoping she was looking, he shifted his tail slightly, to allow her a better, fuller view of his rump; he gave a low chuckle, knowing Abby would have fixed her gaze on his hindquarters if given the chance. He walked into their bedroom and decided to keep the door opened as he dressed himself; he half-hoped she would join him in the room as he changed.

As he started to slip on his previously discarded shirt, he heard movement by the threshold; turning, he was pleased to see that Abigail had finished packing away the groceries...and was making her way towards him, slowly, with a look of, what Jordan perceived to be, a mix of love for her mate, and sultry feelings.

She closed the door behind her as she entered the room, giving that sway to her hips that Jordan was powerless to resist in fawning over. As she reached her lover, she draped her arms over his shoulders and stood on the tips of her toes, planting a warm, intimate kiss on his muzzle; Jordan's arms embraced her as the two greeted each other in the way they were most accustomed to. Once the kiss was broken off, Abigail lowered herself, pressing her cheek to Jordan's breast; he knew she was listening to his heartbeat, an act that he reciprocated often. Listening to each other's rhythmic beating of their hearts was a truly intimate moment for them, as it gave them both an appreciation for the other's presence, and the love they had strengthened over the years.

Abby let out a small contented sigh, nuzzling her cheek against Jordan's warm chest. "I missed you today," she uttered to his torso.

"Hmmhmm...It's only been a few hours, darling."

"A few hours are still hours away from you."

"Mmm. Well, I appreciate the sentiment, darling." Jordan planted a kiss on his wife's head, pulling her a little closer.

As the two of them shared in the warmth of their cuddle, Jordan's hand slid down Abby's back, slipping down to her shorts and into the gap that separated the fabric from her fur. It was a bit of a tight fit, but he managed to wriggle his entire hand down to her posterior, which he gave a firm squeeze and pinch; at the touch, Abigail let out a pleasured moan and a gasp, already panting heavily into her husband's chest.

"S-sweetie...Sorry, but...Not now, please..."

Jordan paused, somewhat shocked at her disapproval. Usually, Abby delighted in the touching that occurred between the two of them, even the lighter actions; rarely did she ever refuse the offer to be closer to Jordan. The fact that she was declining it now was a surprise to the fox, and he immediately began to worry that something was off.

"Huh? Why not? Nothing's....Nothing's wrong...right...?" He tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice, but hints of it still slipped through, as well as traces of concern over his wife's denial for intimacy.

Abigail must have picked up on his concern and frustration, however, as she began to speak hurriedly. "Oh, no, no, no, no, it's nothing bad, honey, really. It's....It's just that...Well..."

"What...?" Jordan's anxiety was starting to build now. He had never seen his wife this agitated before, and it was making him feel uncomfortable, thinking of all the scenarios it might be.

"I'm....well....It's just.....It's my........heat..."

It took Jordan a few seconds to register that phrase. When he did, he understood his wife's apprehension now; she often got a bit paranoid around her fertile periods, and the two had been careful to resort to safer sex when she was in her cycle, or simply avoid full penetrative lovemaking. While her concern over falling pregnant was understandable, it didn't seem to be as much of a problem previously; however, now she was denying even small pleasures, which Jordan was still a little puzzled about. He decided to ask her about it.

"Oh...It's just...it's so close to our anniversary that...well, I was worried that we'd....forego the condoms, and I'd..."

Jordan pulled her close to his body, resting his chin on her head. "Hey, hey, honey. It's alright, really. I understand, we don't want a baby. Not...not now, anyway."

The couple had had this conversation before, even on the night of their honeymoon. Both of them were of different opinions when it came to the topic of when, if ever, they would want to start a family. Abigail had confided that she had wanted to have a baby with Jordan for a long while, ever since they had first made love; it was a fantasy of hers, to fall pregnant and feel a life growing inside of her.

Jordan, however, was uncertain about having children: he had not gone into great detail about it at any time, but his response would usually be the same each time. He did want to start a family with Abigail one day, of that they could be certain, but at the current time, he was still having doubts about it. In some respects, his unwillingness to make his wife pregnant was a good thing: they wouldn't have to worry about caring for another person in their lives. But Abby's constant discussion of the topic was beginning to grow more and more worrisome; each time the conversation regarding it was ended, the two would end up sleeping with a cloud of exasperation over their heads.

Jordan knew that his wife wanted a baby more than anything, but....He would never admit to her his reasons for trying to avoid starting a family. At least, until he was able to fully understand his hesitation; until then, he decided, he was unready. He hated keeping that secret from his wife, but he felt that this was one that he had to figure out on his own, for now at least.

The two broke of the cuddling, both a little weary from the small talk of pregnancy; Abigail excused herself, returning to the kitchen to begin cooking dinner, leaving Jordan alone in the room, still nude from the waist down. Suddenly he slapped his forehead: he forgot to mention the hotel that Dan had suggested to him. He quickly located his shorts and slipped them on, deciding that nudity was not a good idea, given Abigail's current condition.

He found her pulling pans out of the drawer, an apron hugging her body as she began to work. Jordan seated himself on a nearby chair, watching as his wife started to prepare the meal. He wasn't the kind of person to perpetuate stereotypes, so the idea of a "woman in the kitchen" was appalling to him. However, his cooking skills were atrocious, and he had never been able to cook decent meals on his own without burning them horribly. Thankfully, Abigail had been brought up in a household where every member was taught to make even the most basic of dishes, a skill she had refined to this day, a fact that Jordan was thankful for now. Without her, he mused, he would have starved long ago.

He cleared his throat, catching her attention. "Hey, listen. I ran into Dan today, and...Well, I might have let slip about our anniversary woes." At that, Abigail gave a slight worried look. "Don't worry; he didn't say anything about it. But...he recommended this place, called it The Pantheon."

She paused in her cooking, then, suddenly her full attention on her husband. "Pantheon? I've never heard of it. Is it...good?"

"I had a look at it earlier. It's....It looks like the perfect place, actually. Lake adjacent, affordable rooms, especially for couples, and it's not that far from here. It sounds good, I think."

Abigail stood there for a short while, contemplating the idea of this ideal holiday spot. To Jordan, it seemed that she was processing how unusual this place seemed to be, just as he had done earlier. The Pantheon seemed like the perfect spot for time away, and the ideal location for a romantic getaway; it was surprising they had never heard of it before. Still, if this place lived up to its advertisement, it would be a godsend for their anniversary.

"Well..." she began. "If this place is as good as it sounds....Wait, Danny recommended this place?" Suddenly, she had a look of puzzlement and unease on her face; she knew Dan's reputation as a womaniser, and the fact that he, of all people, had suggested a perfect romantic setting for the two of them to visit seemed to have triggered some warning bells in her head.

Jordan quickly assured her that the place he had researched was a legitimate hotel. However, he hesitated before telling her about Dan's message, the one about how the staff had strange ideas on what intimacy was. From the look in her eyes, he knew she was thinking the same as he was: maybe the establishment dealt with less-than-normal forms of sexual excitement, if Danny's cryptic disclaimer was anything to go by.

Abigail broke the silence first. "You know what? I think this is a good idea. We've been struggling over this for weeks, and this is...This is an absolute blessing, to find something that sounds so perfect. Granted, I'm a little unsure about the...'weirdness' you described, but I think we should do it, I really do." She finished with a smile, triumphant that they had found a great place to spend their anniversary. Jordan shared in her joy; the thought of celebrating their first year of marriage in a setting such as that was ideal for him.

Satisfied that they had finally decided on a place to travel for their first-year milestone of marriage, the two of them continued with the dinner. Jordan helped out wherever he could, with Abigail assisting and guiding him all the while. Thankfully, they managed to create a nice dish without too many mistakes or accidents, a feat that Jordan was proud of. They dined together and chatted about their respective days, and then watched television until it was time for them to sleep. They dressed in their pyjamas and slipped into bed, Jordan cuddling his wife as they slept, blissful as always to be in each other's embrace.