The air was crisp and cool and though it was still winter, that did not stop Jorge Cervantes from rolling up the windows of his Chevy Impala as he drove down the extensive freeway, heading for his correct off ramp. For the past two hours he has been behind the wheel of his car, listening to music, smiling at the passing scenery and glancing over to the only other person he cared to have in his passenger seat. Gemma Taylor sat next to him and he watched as she looked at the passing scenes with a gleam in her eye. She did look very beautiful to the point that he had to smile every time he looked at her. It was only begrudgingly that he forced himself to turn his attention back to the road in front of him.

New York, away from the massive, high reaching cities, did have a surprising amount of natural beauty. As they moved further from the metropolis, the greenery once more started to take over the landscape and cities and towns began to further integrate with world of nature that had bore them. He looked about in awe. His whole life the man had only had seen cities, coarse sands and endless expanses of water. But this, the riots of greens and blues only made his heart swell a bit.

Seemed every day he felt more and more an elemental.

“Oops, I think that’s my off ramp,” he muttered as he moved carefully into the appropriate lanes before he finally managed to pull off and ride away from the freeway. He smirked as he drove onto the lone road and continued down, heading for rolling grass covered hills and trees.

Jorge still smirked as he thought back to how all this began. For weeks now both he and Gemma had been extremely busy with one thing or another. They managed a quick date or movie together, but other than that, their days had been filled with work. That was way the detective had managed, struggled, and greased enough hands to get himself this entire weekend off. Once that done, all there was left was to find the perfect place to whisk Gemma off to for a few days to simply unwind. Though she would never complain to him about her work, it was apparent she needed time off.

So with plenty of time, he informed her that he would be stealing her away for a weekend, did not tell her wear, and would not take no for an answer. In the end managed to convince her that this would be good for her. He knew that she loved her job, but that didn’t mean she could not take a break for herself. Besides, they would only be a couple of hours away from New York City. If a grievous emergency did happen, and he made her promise it had to be utterly horrendous, they could make it back in as little time as possible.

Another few minutes and he smirked when he saw the sign post for “Pan’s Country Bed and Breakfast” and immediately their destination came into view. The building was beautiful and rustic to say the least. It did seem like the perfect escape he saw in the brochures he had procured at work. This weekend would be good! He had to hope that it would. They badly needed a break from the crazy.

He smiled as he pulled into the road that led to the B&B and looked over at Gemma. “Surprise,” he said with a warmly.

They were going to take the weekend off. Off from work, off from adorable yet annoying students, off from the big city life, and, oh yes, have I mentioned work? Gemma did love her job, but right now, on the road in Jorge's beloved Impala, listening to music and watching the scenery, she felt like she had been breathing freely again after a very long time. And not just because of the fresh country air.

"This'd be better worth it." she muttered, not for the first time since they left the Mansion; he refused to tell her where they were going, and honestly, she was not sure she cared. It already felt like a long needed vacation.

And then, they arrived.

"You made a serious mistake here, Jorge." she said in a very serious tone as she turned to look at him. "Because I'm gonna be asleep for the next two days. And I call dibs on the whole bed."

Very grave mistake indeed.

>> "You made a serious mistake here, Jorge…Because I'm gonna be asleep for the next two days. And I call dibs on the whole bed."

At first Jorge was indeed scared that he had made the wrong decision in choosing this place, but the second he heard the rest of her statement, he had to chuckle. So she was planning to sleep the entire weekend? He couldn’t blame her. After all, with a job like hers it was not difficult to imagine she that wore herself out. From what he knew she was one of the only people in that mansion that could null the powers of hormone crazed mutant teenagers that ran amok. If that were indeed the case, no wonder she would want to take the time to regain some of her lost sleep. Still though…the whole bed?

“So long as you at least wake up for the Breakfast part of the weekend,” he smirked as he drove on.

The building slowly came into view, he more and more began to appreciate how little this place reminded him of the monoliths of New York City. It was simple and woodsy and made him feel as if he were staring at a living visage of all the books that he spent so much time reading. Though it obviously was not 18th century England or wherever his books took place, it was a chance for both he and Gemma to reconnect with that nature that so often gets lost in the glass and steel jungles of the city.

He smiled as he drove up to the front of the Bed and Breakfast and pulled into one of the empty parking spots in the dirt road next to the house. He remained seated for a moment, simply breathing in the cool, crisp air, as well letting the view simply seep in through his pores. Being out in the country definitely had a cleansing type effect on him and he could only hope that he did make a right decision in choosing this place for him and Gemma to share.

Upon exiting the car, he sighed as he walked around to the trunk. The man was dressed very simply in a green sweater and jeans that showed off his frame as he walked, his sneaker covered feet crunching the minute rocks and dirt that covered the road. As he unlocked the trunk and proceeded to pull out the two day luggage for both himself and Gemma, he smiled as he waited for her to climb out of the car and follow him. This would definitely be a weekend that they deserved after all the work they put in back in the city.

Once he was done with the luggage, Jorge made his way back over to Gemma and nodded to the inn. “Well, we are two hours away from work, schools, and apartments. I think that it is safe to say that you, Ms. Taylor, and I, are officially on vacation.” he said with a chuckle as he leaned over to give her a kiss.

>>“So long as you at least wake up for the Breakfast part of the weekend,”

"So long as I get to eat breakfast in bed" she answered with a grin. Now there was an idea. She did not say t should be Jorge who brought said breakfast to bed, but it was heavily implied. They did that, from time to time. If there was both bed and breakfast provided, why not join the two?

They got out of the car; Gemma breathed in the fresh air, and smiled.

>>“Well, we are two hours away from work, schools, and apartments. I think that it is safe to say that you, Ms. Taylor, and I, are officially on vacation.”

"I love it when you say things like that" she chuckled, kissing him back "Thank you, Jorge. I really needed this."

The house was just as adorable on the inside as it looked from the outside. Gemma couldn't stop smiling as they walked in; she hadn't been on vacation for... a horribly long time.

>> "I love it when you say things like that…Thank you, Jorge. I really needed this."

“Well, I do aim to please.” He smirked as he kissed her once more and proceeded to follow her into their weekend home-away-from-home. “Besides, I think we can both do with some downtime after the past few weeks.”

His feet crunched on the gravel path on the way up to the inn. The house definitely did look beautiful as the couple made their way towards the front steps and headed up onto a deck that lined the exterior of the house. Jorge saw only one other couple there so far, an older couple who sat reclined in a hanging bench as they stared out over the landscape. They gave him the warmest of nods before they turned back to their view and Jorge had to chuckle slightly at the moment. It was cute in one of those “what will your future be like” moments that caused him only the briefest of pauses. He watched Gemma as she walked into the building and a small smile played on his lips as he followed her in.

Apples. There were…a lot of apple theme items in the interior. Jorge was a little surprised at this turn, but he could only chuckle as he looked here and there and spied various types of apple related items including clocks, ornaments, plushies, post-its, brochures, even a window in the far off corner that had the shape of an apple as well as the desk that sat in the front of it.

Uh-oh… was all he could think as he looked at Gemma. She appeared to be looking at it with an “isn’t-this-cute” expression. He wondered how long would that last.

But as he stood there, staring at most of the apple themed merchandise, he could not help but start to crack up in laughter as he glanced over at his school counselor girlfriend. Tears in his eyes from chuckling and trying to hold his laughter in, in order to not be rude, he sighed contentedly as he finally began to calm down and addressed her.

“I am…so sorry.” he mumbled as he reached around and gave her a one armed hug. The was the move of a man who indeed was very sorry for what could be the most horrid themed vacation anywhere. “Um, let’s go check in, at least,” he said as he led the way to a small apple shaped counter (good lord), with a perky, young woman standing behind it.

“Hello! Welcome to Pan’s Country Bed and Breakfast! My name is Peggy,” said the bright eyed, red haired young lady. She wore a green, silk shirt, black pants, and a button that said “I hope you have an Apple-tastic Day!”. Jorge could only shake his head.

“Hello Peggy. We have a reservation, under the name Cervantes.”

Peggy nodded as she began to type quickly on her keyboard. The computer screen blinked and buzzed until she finally found the correct file. Once that she was done, she took Jorge’s credit card, scanned and had him fill out some paper work. As soon as all the transactions were completed, she smiled as she handed over two sets of keys that opened their room.

“Room 6, upstairs on the left hand side of the hall.” She said beamily. “We hope you enjoy your stay Mr. and Mrs. Cervantes.” And with that she disappeared into the back, leaving them to their business.

***

In the back of “Pan’s Country Bed and Breakfast”, in a large barn that was situated far from the establishment, the sound of giggling wafted out from the deep red, wooden doors. Inside the smell of hay and old leather was everywhere, as this barn had been part of the inns history just as much as the building. But it was out here that a simple farm hand made his home. Johnny, the only son of the inns former owners was a tall man, with sandy blonde hair and a smile that never faltered unless something extremely sad happened to him. He had a heart as big and caring as a giant’s from the various fairytales that he loved to read to himself. But there was something more to this man than just his obviously big heart…he was gifted as any other mutant.

Situated towards the back of the barn, sitting on a pile of hay, Johnny grinned as he stared at the bowl of fruit he had situated on top of a wooden crate. He stared intently at the fruit, particularly a golden, yellow apple. Mind focused, he held out his hand and watched in amazement as it began to slowly double in size. The bowl crunched underneath the heavy apple, as well as other fruit began to roll away or get squished. Before long, Johnny was staring at a 3 feet wide apple that gently rolled off the crate and smashed onto the ground. With a grin, he stood up and began to roll that apple out the back door of the barn.

Out in the crisp air, Johnny took a secluded path into the thick trees that lay behind the barn. All the while, as he rolled his apple, he kept glancing back to make sure that no one was follow. Through the woods we went, tripping over roots and breaking fallen leaves into tiny bits. Once he was past a certain set of trees though, he sighed contentedly as he stopped and looked up.

It was an orchard, one that the inn used in all of its apple recipes and themes. It was because of him that they could boast the freshest apples year round and even some of the biggest, though obviously not as big as the one he just made.

With a sigh he smiled as he wandered over to the trees, rolling his apple with him and parking it under one particular tree that seemed to have massive apples that all hung heavily in the air. If only one of those fell…it would be the end for anyone standing underneath. So carefully, he moved the apple next to the tree and stepped back. The red, yellow and green apples, which never grew on the same tree in nature, all did for this obviously mutated tree. A tree mutated by Johnny’s gifts.

Finally he turned to away from the tree and made back for his barn. On his way, he pulled a small letter from his pocket that had a crudely drawn heart on it. It was sealed and ready for delivering, holding his most intimate intentions for a young, inn-worker by the name of Peggy. She would leave her boyfriend for him after she read it. He knew she would.

>>“Room 6, upstairs on the left hand side of the hall. We hope you enjoy your stay Mr. and Mrs. Cervantes.”

Now it was Gemma's turn to bite back a grin, but, just like Jorge, she failed to hide the fit of laughter over being called Mrs. She'd been Mrs. for a very long time, but she never quite got the hang of it. She glanced at Jorge to see the usual deer-caught-in-headlights look that men had when they heard sentences like that.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cervantes" she giggled as they walked up to their room "Ain't that apple-tastic."

The room was just as adorable as the rest of the building - and just as severely infected by an apple overdose. Oh well, as long as it was quiet, clean and comfortable, it might as well be apples as anything else.

Falling back onto the bed, she allowed Jorge the pleasure of dragging the luggage in.

"Strange" she mused, staring at the ceiling "I live in the best mansion in New York City, and it's still not quite like this..."

>> "Mr. and Mrs. Cervantes…Ain't that apple-tastic."

Despite the fact that the man was completely brain stunned by “Peggy’s” statement, once the detective had heard Gemma’s comment, he could not help just stop, take a breath and begin to chuckle as well. It was not that the idea was ludicrous or anything, but what made it funny was that the unexpectedness of it. But was it really so unexpected? After all, they were a man and a woman checking into a very romantic inn many hours outside of New York city? Why wouldn’t workers assumed that they were married?

Married. The idea fluttered around in Jorge’s head as he climbed the stairs behind Gemma, not at all complaining about the fact that he had been stuck with the luggage. As he passed by various portraits of, what else, apples, hanging on the walls (who hangs pictures of apples on the walls?), his mind again went back to that statement. It was not so absurd, after all; someone his age getting married. Movie stars did it all the time.

Once he reached the top of the stairs and followed Gemma down the hall to their room, he paused as he watched her throw herself back onto the bed in a pure moment of bliss. A smile formed on his lips as he stood there, staring at her in a loving way as he continued to muse…

When you find the one…you find the one.

>> "Strange…I live in the best mansion in New York City, and it's still not quite like this..."

“I’m sure you can bring the feeling home with you. Just grab every random piece of apple décor you can find and toss it around the mansion…” he said with a wide grin.

Another chuckle and Jorge finally stepped into the room, carrying all the luggage with him. He did not know why he expected that just maybe this room might look a little better. But as soon as he walked it, he found that he was sorely mistaken. The bed and everything looked just as comfortable and rustic as he thought it would, but there were several statuettes and various over types of décor that was apple themed. There was even an internet capable Apple computer at the writing desk in the room! He could only shake his head as he looked around.

“Oh my god…it’s happened in here too.” he mumbled, referring to the apple products all around.

But, after he finally decided that it was simply better just to go with flow, Jorge just grinned, shook his head and set their bags down near a nice made, wooden dresser. All around, despite the décor, the room did look rather comfortable. The furniture was all wooden and handmade and simply looked cozy. There was a small arm chair with a soft, red fabric covering its frame. Their dresser was beautifully made of an old, hard oak, and there was even a fire place towards one wall of the room, directly across from the large, king sized bed that Gemma stretched out on. It really did seem like the perfect place to have a vacation and he was happy to get this chance with her.

Moving over to the opposite side of the bed, Jorge sighed as he sat down and laid next to her, staring up at the ceiling as well. The ceiling fan lay still and unmoving because of the cold weather outside. For a moment he was surprised that that was not done in some apple shape or color as well.

With a satisfied sigh, he stretched out as he continued to stare up, feeling the warmth of Gemma’s body as she lay next to him. Reaching down, his very gently slipped her hand into his and held it.

“Gemma…” he mumbled as he stared at the ceiling, speaking with all the earnest and sincerity as a man with strong feelings for a woman can speak… “Did you know…that there are over 7,500 varieties of apples in the world?”

He recited the fun fact he picked up at the front desk and chuckled as finally turned to look at Gemma, as always, completely entranced by her eyes.

****

Johnny grinned as he made his way out of his barn and headed directly for the Bed and Breakfast, his feet carrying him with the speed that only comes with a man in love. Normally the people and workers of this place treated him as a burden. To them he was only a remnant of the old owners that the new owners pitied too much to let go. So many times Johnny, because of arguments or fights with staff, was close to being fired, but when they discovered that there was something special about the man, he was kept on in a very limited capacity. His job was to grow fruit and only fruit for the establishment to take advantage of. He was their personal God of the Harvest, producing whatever they needed, when they needed it.

But he was not treated as a god…only a slave who would work for them whenever they needed it. And that was how everyone treated him…everyone except for Peggy. Only two years ago, Peggy joined the bed and breakfast and immediately treated Johnny with much more respect than he was used to. She smiled, she waved hello to him, even once she managed to have lunch with him.

He remembered that day so clearly. He was at the barn, eating his sandwich when Peggy walked over smiling as she arrived to carry the latest bushel of apples back to the inn. She stayed only for one minute and thirty-two seconds in order to eat one of the apples while he ate his sandwich. But it was a minute thirty-two that he would never forget. That was why he boldly walked up to inn now, carrying his letter in hand that spoke the volumes that his heart had been wanting to say for the past two years.

He was a good man and she was a good woman, they would be perfect for each other. At least they will be the second she dumps her motorcycling riding boyfriend with the smelly leather jacket. Already Johnny has had an altercation or two with him since he worked as the inn’s grounds keeper. Many times they clashed because he was caught staring at the man’s girlfriend. These incidents usually ended in bloody noses, bruises and death threats, but still…Johnny could not relent.

When you find the one…you find the one… he thought with a wide grin as he stepped into the inn and searched Peggy out.

>>“I’m sure you can bring the feeling home with you. Just grab every random piece of apple décor you can find and toss it around the mansion… Oh my god…it’s happened in here too.”

Gemma chuckled as she looked around. Yup, and apple bomb had exploded in the room too. Normally, she did not bother much with the decoration of the places where she'd been staying only for a few nights; she liked her own place nice and clean, but inns were a different world. In this case, a weirdly apple-centered world.

Jorge lay down too, and she smiled as he took her hand. Peace and quiet. Perfect.

>>“Gemma… Did you know…that there are over 7,500 varieties of apples in the world?”

She looked at him for a long moment, face completely blank, before she returned the comment in all sincerity.

"Jorge... that is the single sexiest thing anyone has ever said to me."

There was a long moment of silence; then, the corners of her lips twitched. The next moment, she was shaking with silent laughter till her tears came out.

>> "Jorge... that is the single sexiest thing anyone has ever said to me."

For the longest time, Jorge said nothing as he simply lay there leaving no clue at all to his reaction to Gemma’s comment. He was as still and silent as a statue until he felt the gently shaking on top of the bed. For a second it felt like the earthquakes that he used to have to live through back when he was a teenager living in California, but a quick glance to Gemma dispelled those thoughts. He saw the rise at the corner of her lips, the forceful hiding of a laugh and the tears that welled up in her eyes. Jorge said nothing as he watched her struggle to keep the laughter in but before long…he could nothing but join in.

Lying on his side and laughing along with her, he just shook his head as he let the mirth and good feeling in. It had been a good while since he really just had a good time with Gemma. The past few weeks their lives had been pretty crazy with work and just general life stuff that it was hard to find more than a morning or two of downtime just to hang around and simply watch television.

The laughter hanging in the air above their heads, Jorge could only keep chuckling as he finally stopped and turned over to look at Gemma closely. With a contented sigh he leaned over, dangerously close as he draped one of his arms over her stomach.

“And you are the sexiest woman I have ever seen.” he said with a warm smile.

Leaning in he kissed her softly on her cheek then moved over to kiss her on the lips. For that second in time everything evaporated and all thoughts of his life back in New York was gone. The craziness at work, the wanted posters, the missing persons, the unsolved cases, the runaway teens… none of it mattered anymore as he found himself, lips pressed against a woman whom he thought the world of. The warmth of her body against his, Jorge let the whole world slip away as he kissed her before slowly, and reluctantly eased up and broke their kiss. With a sigh, he kissed her forehead before he moved back a little to look into her eyes, those deep brown eyes that he has so gotten know over the past months.

Why is my heart fluttering? he paused for a second before he shook the thoughts away and returned his attention to the beautiful woman lying next to him.

“Thank you for being you,” he muttered as he kissed her once more on the lips before he sat and grabbed the menu from the nightstand to look over the food and entertainments the bed and breakfast offered. He had a mock look of surprise on his face and he looked at Gemma. “Guess what they have dinner…Turkey and Apple Casserole with sparkling Apple Cider and Apple Pie for desert.”

He shook his head a bit as he continued to look over the menu and vowed that never again was he going to eat another apple after leaving this place. On the good side, though, after their weekend was over, they would never have to see a doctor again for the rest of their lives. What was the saying? An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Maybe that is why this place has survived since whatever century they came from where apples were the only source of food in the world.

***
Peggy sighed as she sat in the kitchen and began check on the cook to make sure that dinner would be prepared on time. She was good at her job and though she did not want to stay here the rest of her life, she made damn sure that every single one of her tasks were done with the utmost attention. Her guests were checked in, the cook was on time, all the linen was washed and spares were ready. She smiled, very pleased with herself that she got so much done early that she decided to take a break and head out the back door where she could has a minute to herself. Grabbing an apple on the way out, she sighed contentedly as she bit into it and stood outside, her back against the wall.

Unfortunately her moment of solitude would not last long. Within moments, she felt the presence of another person, then heard the silent footsteps and sound of breathing. Glancing behind her at the door, she saw the farm hand, the freak fruit growing standing at the door way watching her. Immediately she plastered on her best happy expression to try and throw off how displeased she was with his appearance.

“Oh, hi Johnny,” she muttered as she stepped away from the door, trying to finish her apple subtly but quickly.

Johnny only stared for another second before he stepped outside with her. His voice gone, he said nothing, blinked only a few times before he stretched out his arm and handed her his letter with the crudely drawn heart on it. Peggy was stunned for a second as she stared at the crumpled envelope in the man’s hand. How long had he been carrying that? It looked like eons. Silently she took the envelope and twisted it over in her hands.

“Johnny, what is this?”

He smiled wide, a little encouraged by her curiosity. “You have to read it.”

Peggy looked it over then spied the drawn heart as well as the X-O-X-O’s written all over it. Immediately she knew what this was and shook her head. She had to squash this and right now. Without opening it, she reached over and slammed it back into his hand.

“No Johnny. I already told you, I have a boyfriend.”

Dumbstruck, the blonde fruit manipulator shook his head. “B-But…he doesn’t deserve you. He doesn’t treat you right.” He reached out and gripped her arms hard…a little too hard. “I…I love you Peggy. I know I do.”

“No! Johnny! Stop!” She said sternly as she removed herself from his grip. With a glaring look she shot back into the house without turning back, leaving her apple half-eaten on the ground.

Johnny said nothing as he watched her go and slowly lowered his gaze to the discarded, heart-shaped fruit lying amidst the dirt.

>>“And you are the sexiest woman I have ever seen. Thank you for being you.”

"You're welcome" Gemma murmured, leaning into the kiss. Jorge was still a very good kisser, and when all was said and done, that was one very iportant trait that women appreciated. Gemma miled and moved closer, humming as a nice, comfortable warmth radited from his body into hers. The kiss ended; but their vacation had just begun. Which made things even better.

Jorge sat up to read the menu; she was not even surprised.

>>“Guess what they have dinner…Turkey and Apple Casserole with sparkling Apple Cider and Apple Pie for desert.”

"Well, it's not called 'Bed and Dinner' for a reason, I guess." she murmured with a smile, moving behind him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She could feel tension slowly leaving his body; they both needed some time to relax into relaxing.

Rest and relaxation was exactly what the doctor ordered for Jorge and Gemma after their arrival in the room. In the peace and silence of the room, they took care of the mundane activities as quickly as possible, putting away clothes into drawers and finding the time to clean up for a bit after the long and drive out of the city. But even through all of this, though the activities were anything but exciting…that was exactly what the duo needed. Time to unwind and to relieve whatever tension still clung onto them from the world they were attempting to escape.

Even though the apple décor was a little over done and, after awhile, just quite silly to look at, it still served the purpose of relaxing the two over worked adults. Muscle tensions evaporated, thoughts of back home drifted away, and for the time being, the only concerns they had were on each other.

Jorge mused about this as he stood in the well lit bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist as he stared into the refreshed image in the mirror. The being which stared back already looked relaxed as he smirked to himself, lathering his face with the minty smelling shaving cream and proceeding to take a razor to the stubborn five o’clock shadow that followed him wherever he went. Silently he ran the razor across his skin, cutting off the prodding, poking stubs of hair and the washed his face of the remaining cream. Once he face was cleaned he peered close to the mirror and wiped off any excess cream and inspected his face closely to make sure that he was at least presentable.

The thoughts for the rest of the evening made him smile a little. This is would be his first real date with Gemma in a while where he would not have to worry about a call from the precinct, or have her check her phone for messages from the mansion. They were miles away from home and work and this left them with the only option left…to be themselves. They were not two workers finding spare time to hang out with each other and remember each other’s faces, no, for the next two days, they would get to be two actually people enjoying a much needed time together in mutual attraction.

After he finished combing his hair, Jorge turned and realized that he had left his cloths back in the dresser. With a snap of his fingers, he stepped out in just his towel. Droplets of water still clung to his chest and arms as he stepped out into the cool room. His skin immediately goosebumped and the temperature shift from leaving a warm, steamed up bathroom and into the bedroom. He would make sure to try out that fireplace when they returned after dinner.

“I’m almost dressed,” he announced as he made sure the knot on the towel was tied tight as he moved to the dresser. “Just give me five minutes, left my clothes out here by accident,” he said and proceeded to pull clothes out of the dresser for himself to wear tonight.

***

A masterpiece…that was the only way to describe the ingenuity with which Johnny manipulated a formerly single red apple in his hand. Sitting in the back of his barn, eyes straining to avoid looking at the discarded love letter Peggy had returned to him unopened, the mutant instead kept his gaze on the red piece of fruit he held. Holding it up with one hand, he reached out with the over and very gently, like a master violinist , manipulated his fingers to form and reshape the whole apple. It did not look painful, but it looked rather beautiful. The flesh crunched juicily under the red skin as it collapsed, bubbled up and took on a new shape nowhere seen in nature.

In his hands the apple transformed carefully, without spilling a drop as it reshaped itself, forming a slender form, then a pair of arms, legs, a head. Once that was done Johnny moved into the finer details. The blouse he had seen so many times before, the jeans which flared just a little at the end, then finally the name tag which pronounced the name “Peggy” in raised letters.

After he was done with the hair and forming the eyes, Johnny sighed as he sat back against the rough wood of the barn wall and reached up to run the fingers of his free hand through his blond hair. In the palm of his other hand, he sniffled as he stared at the perfect likeness of Peggy, made from an apple. It was still delectable and edible, tasting every bit like the apple it was and still is, it only looked a little different.

With a sigh, he set the apple/Peggy down onto his wooden crate next to the unopened letter and simply sat there, staring at the both of them. The scene replayed in his head and all he could do was shake at all the mistakes he had made. He was too forceful, he should have picked a better time, maybe if she had eaten one of his home grown apples she would have been more receptive to reading the letter before discarding it. Over and over he thought about what had transpired between them, and wished that he was smarter and had not practically ruined his chances. But…he could not accept that this would be the end of it. He needed a new chance, he would fight for her! She loved him! He knew that…she just needed to be reminded of that incredible minutes and thirty-two seconds they spent together sharing lunch.

“Yo Johnny!!” a rough voice yelled from the entrance to the barn.

The blond fruit manipulated quickly jumped to his feet and ducked behind from crates. He knew that voice too well. It was Al, Peggy’s boyfriend. A quick peek over the crate confirmed his suspicions. The man, the groundskeeper loomed at the entrance to the barn. The man was very tall and imposing with a shaved head, hard, steely gray eyes and a solid frame. The leather jacket-wearing, cowboy boot stomping, “gardener”, snarled as he moved into the barn, his fists tight and shaking.

“Come out Johnny! Peggy told me what happened! How dare you grab her arms like that, you bruised her! Now I’m going to wipe this barn with your butt! Where are you!?” he shouted, and tossed a wheel barrel over.

The man proceeded to stomp into the barn, practically salivating at the mouth as he looked around, kicking at suspicious lumps of hay or peeking around stalls. Growling like a caged wolf, the man shook with rage as he stepped further into the barn. It was the sound of an opening door that immediately drew his attention. Looking up, he watched as the tall, blond headed Johnny ran through a back door and into the woods beyond. Eyes seeing only red, Al immediately started pursuit, knocking over a wooden crate and sending an apple statuette of Peggy smashing into a wall as the boyfriend tore through the back door, closely behind Johnny.

>>“I’m almost dressed. Just give me five minutes, left my clothes out here by accident,”

"Don't worry about it" Gemma grinned, walking up till she was standing right next to him "I'm enjoying the view."

All right, so this was probably not the serious grown-up way to behave. But they were alone now, in peace and quiet, and she felt more happy and relaxed than she'd been in a long time. Even the apple décor did not creep her out as much as it did to Jorge. It lacked taste (pun intended) for sure, but oh well, at least it was far enough from New York City.

Leaning up, she gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and pulled back.

"Have I told you how great this is? I can't thank you enough for this vacation..."

>> "Don't worry about it…I'm enjoying the view."

As the detective pulled out a set of clothing to wear for dinner, he paused and let Gemma’s comment sink in. For a moment he truly believed that she was either talking about the room or referring to a glance outside the window and to the woodsy area that surrounded their inn. But upon feeling her presence so close by, he could only chuckle at her comment. It was no longer lost on him that she was referring to him and convenient “absence” of enough clothing. He suddenly felt like a specimen being investigated inch by inch by the wanton eye of his lover and girlfriend.

With a smirk, the man turned around, his set of clothing draped over his arm and he looked at her.

“Hey, hey,” he said with as stern a face as he could muster. “Keep your eyes above the waist, please? I am a classy gentleman after all.”

But all joking aside, the man could only smile as he looked into Gemma eyes. They were a beautiful shade of brown that he always found himself lost in whenever he looked at her. Without another word between them, he stopped as he saw her lean closer and proceed to give him a reluctantly short, but lasting, kiss upon his lips. He sighed a little as he pressed into the kiss, his free hand reaching around and gripping her hip lightly as the two shared another much needed moment of affection. When the moment was over, he sadly released his grip on her as they pair leaned away from each other. He hated releasing such a good kisser, but there would be plenty of time this weekend for them partake of another kiss.

He sighed a little as he just grinned and leaned his forehead against hers, his fingers brushing up the sides of her hips. It was then that she spoke again,

>> "Have I told you how great this is? I can't thank you enough for this vacation..."

A satisfied grin crossed his lips as he looked at her closely. Though Jorge wasn’t the type to always expect praise whenever he did something correct, it did feel good to hear how much Gemma enjoyed this surprise. It meant a lot that he was A. able to surprise her, and B. able to think of something that she sorely needed for the pair of them share. Though they respected each other in their jobs and did not attempt to cry out that one was working too much or whatever, at the same time, they knew when was the right time to make the escape they sorely needed.

He nodded happily as he leaned in and kissed her lips quickly. “You don’t have to thank me. Your smile is thanks enough for me,” he said warmly. Another gentle kiss and he broke away from her and headed back to the bathroom. “Let me change real quick then we can head down and get some dinner.”

Stepping into the bathroom, Jorge really no more than five minutes as he pulled on his clothes. Instantly he stepped out in his jeans, a nice, homey looking sweater and freshly shaven. He did make a handsome specimen of a man, but it was a compliment he would never accept about himself. A quick splash of cologne and Jorge once more stepped out into the room and smiled at Gemma, offering her his arm.

“Ready for din-Whoa,” he said with a smile as he finally took a real hard look at what she was wearing. “You…look absolutely great.” He quickly offered his arm in a most gentlemanly manner. “Shall we?”

***

Johnny ran. That was the only thing in his mind as he hightailed it through the woods, blindly just trying to get somewhere, anywhere that was no here. He could hear the anger in Al’s voice as the man tore through the underbrush like it was nothing more than confetti. Leaves rained all around, twigs were snapped by heavy foot falls, and whatever winter birds were still around chirped indignitely at being disturbed from their slumber. But for the first time, Johnny didn’t care. He did not stop to calm the birds or watch wherever his foot fell. Instead he just needed to run and to keep running.

“Damn you Johnny! I told you before to leave her alone!” the man screamed from somewhere none too behind the blond mutant. “This is the last straw!”

Johnny didn’t respond but instead just kept running. That moment behind the inn still replaying in his head. To him it had been all innocent, he was just trying to reveal his true feelings for her. He made no attempt to force a kiss out of her, he even said so in his letter! But she never read it. And considering how he had tried to stop her before she left him, he could only imagine how that would have looked to her…and what she might have told her boyfriend.

Exhausted and unable to force himself any further the mutant stumble past another bush, but looked up in shock as he realized where he was. Bursting out into the opening, he sighed a little realized at his looked at his favorite apple tree, heavy with the over sized apples that could not grow in nature. Running for the peaceful tree, he wrapped his arms around it and hugged it tight, almost willing himself to disappear. He wanted all this over, he wanted nothing more to do with the discussion tonight. All he wanted was peace of mind and sleep…that was all.

But as another boy burst into the clearing, Johnny faltered but clung tight to the tree. He sighed deeply and he turned himself around to face Peggy’s jerk of a boyfriend. The man seemed beyond peaceful talk, but as the mutant watched him, he casually reached over and leaned himself against the tree trunk…too tired to run anymore. He would take whatever punches this man felt he had to dish out against him…but he was in love with Peggy. And she will always hold the biggest spot in his heart.

“Hey, hey. Keep your eyes above the waist, please? I am a classy gentleman after all.”

"Sure" she chuckled. As if she could see anything she hasn't seenbefore. Duh. But Jorge as a classy gentleman - the idea entertained her. Sure, he was a gentleman, and he could do classy; but let's face it, that was not his default setting.

>>“You don’t have to thank me. Your smile is thanks enough for me. Let me change real quick then we can head down and get some dinner.”

"Sounds good" she agreed; she did not really feel like leaving the room, but dinner was not that far away, and she was kind of hungry. She let Jorge go, and got dressed while he did the same in the bathroom. She was very proud of herself, because she managed to find a dress that was elegant (classy...) and stil comfortabe. They were on vacation, after all.

>>“Ready for din-Whoa. You…look absolutely great. Shall we?”

"We shall" she smiled, taking his arm and walking with him down to the dining room. She was cheerful, and relaxed, and hungry. She was even prepared for a menu that consisted of apples only.

On their trek down to the dining room, the dapper were all smiles and grins as they stayed close to one another, hands trailing, subtle nuzzles and quick kisses. The country air really did seem to have an effect on them, a revitalizing one that spurred on their affectionate sides. No wonder movements such as the Romanticists always announced that it was for the greater good to run off into the wilderness in solitude. It purified the soul by allowing the person to reconnect with that part of themselves that has been bogged down with urban living. It re-teaches the human heart to shed off the form of steel and glass it has become and become a living, organic thing once more. In Jorge there were no notions of work or the depressing state that the streets of New York had become to weigh him down…there was only Gemma and a weekend in which they could not only reconnect with each other, but with their human selves.

Upon reaching the bottom landing, his fingers still interlaced with her, Jorge could finally look past all the apple décor. Yes, it was a bit much and ostentatious but there was still some charm to the place. It was enough to keep Jorge from going crazy at least. The inn, though looking like an apple bomb exploded instead, still had a rustic, country side that made it feel extremely comfortable. It was homey and did feel like something completely different from almost anything in the city. From the large antique bookcases, the tables and furniture, even a few of the apple themed decorations all gave off this sense of aged stories that he would love to hear.

Crossing the foyer, the couple entered the dining room and were greeted by such a sight. Situated in the room, surrounded by more apple-themed décor mixed with antique style shelves and cases, there was already a small gathering of people sitting at a couple of tables in the dining room. The tables were small, meant to for couples to enjoy alone conversations together and that is exactly what was going on. There were only two other couples there, the older pair that Jorge had seen when they had first arrived, and another couple, a little younger than him.

Jorge smiled as he leaned over and kissed Gemma gently on the cheek before he led her over to one of the tables. It was a small, wooden, two person table with a candle already lit on it and their linen napkins set out for them. A single sheet of paper situated between their empty plates announced the Turkey Casserole which would be served for dinner and a listing of available ciders and even wines (hopefully not made of apples).

“Well, at least there are some wines available,” he said with a small chuckle as he pulled out Gemma’s chair for her. When she did take her seat, he darted around to his own chair and slipped in, sitting in front of her. “I think maybe tomorrow we should explore the town up the road. I doubt we can subsist on apples and apple-inspired foods alone. But…” he said with a small smile as he reached over and grazed her hand with his. “I’m still glad that we came.”

***

“JOHNNY!!” Al’s voice screamed as he stepped into the orchard, snarling like a mad dog.

Johnny sniffled as he remained leaning against the base of his tree with the heavily laden fruit high above. He still struggled to catch his breath as he watched Al, the leather jacket wearing landscaper who charged into his orchard, quivering with rage. Johnny knew the man didn’t deserve Peggy and as much as he tried to make her see otherwise, she was too entranced by the overly-masculine man. She would never see him for the lowlife that he was, no matter how much Johnny wanted to prove it to her. So instead he watched over the years as she threw her life away for him.

The thought began to make Johnny seethe with anger. He couldn’t let her do that to herself. He could let Al throw away her life.

Stepping out from the shadow of the tree, Johnny whistled loud to grab the searching Al’s attention. As soon as the man heard the high-pitched sound, he shot his head up and turned with a glare over to the blond haired mutant in the flannel shirt and jeans. Johnny’s face hardened as he clenched his fists tight and nodded for Al to make his way over to him.

“I’m right here Al! What do you want?”

“You know what I’m here for!” Al yelled as he leaned down and picked up a large discarded tree branch and brandished it like a club. “I told you to leave her alone, you freak!”

“You don’t deserve her, Al. You treat her like garbage!” Johnny yelled as he remained standing, his voice quivering just a little “I’ve see you with the maids back at the inn. You’re nothing but trash!”

Without another word Al ran straight at Johnny. The fight went underway as Al attempt to club Johnny, but the blond mutant was quick to duck and back away. With no weapon, he had to resort to dodging and weaving until he could get in close enough to punch the man. Over and over they danced around each other, a branch flying through the air, a punch landing hard against flesh. Their grunts and curses echoed in the orchard around as they circle and dove into the fight, trying to best one another. Blood dotted their lips and knuckles were already bruised. It seemed like the fight would end in a stalemate, but before Johnny knew it, he misstepped. Moving back a bit too slow, and at the wrong angle and all he saw coming at the side of his head was a massive branch.

WHHHHACK!

Stars and purple. That was all Johnny saw as he felt the tree branch connect with the side of his face. He tumbled hard backward, his eyes glazed over for a minute as he fell with a gasp against the trunk of his tree. He turned, trying to regain his bearings when, he heard the sound of cracking branches. Looking up, his eyes turned wide as he saw the massive, apple laden branches begin to bend and break.

All he saw then was the massive apple, one of the ones he helped grow fall towards him like a giant, red missile.

Crack!! SNAP[/b]

It was only an apple, but one the size of a tire can easily break a human neck. Johnny tumbled back against his tree, head bent awkwardly as lifeless eyes gazed out over the surrounding area and seeing none of it. Al gasped as he stepped back, his shaking fingers dropping the branch he ha d just used to pummel Johnny. For a minute he stared, watching as blood seeped out of man’s neck and mouth and dripped onto the thick roots of the tree. With the look of a panicked rabbit, Al suddenly ran, leaving the grisly scene behind.

Drip…drip…drip…

Blood fell onto the tree’s roots, seeping into the cracked wood and flowing into its system. In the quiet of the orchard, a single tree began to bloom with fast growing apples. Apples, apples, and more apples began to grow instantly, as if they were being fed on a quick acting fertilizer. And not just red apples grew on this single tree, but reds, yellows, greens, hybrids, all grew on its branches and fell to the earth in a variety of sizes. Some normal, some small, others continued to grow in size comparable to the heights of basketballs, medicine balls, tires and even trashcans. But that was not the strangest incident. Some of these apples…growing actual limbs and clawed fingers and toes…began to move…