Secrets

Foot In Mouth Syndrome

The glass of wine in her hand was soothing. Each sip relaxed her more and removed the stress of her day.

"Ben, you simply must tell me where you get this," Rachel gushed referring to the wine.

"No, you would never come over if I did."

"Well, that's not fair, or true!" She gasped, "my best friend lives here, as does my godson. I must come by and visit them."

"Ah, yes, my mistake. I had forgotten you don't just love us for our wine collection."

"Are you two ever going to end this silly squabble?" Megan asked as she entered the kitchen.

"Your husband is a dunderhead."

"He is not!" Megan gasped playfully, "he's adorable, you take that back right this moment Rach or I'm removing your wine privileges."

Rachel made a small squeak as Ben chuckled deeply.

"Chase asleep?" He asked his wife.

"Yes, and I've set the monitoring charm to your side of the bed tonight; I need some decent sleep."

The chime of the doorbell in the foyer, rang lightly, "I wonder who that could be this time of night."

Only a few people had access to Ballias Manor, so it didn't cause too much alarm when unexpected guests dropped in. Ben was left his childhood home by his late mother. It was only right it became his family's home as well. The gates of the home had a built-in 'do not disturb' feature if they really didn't want anyone coming over.

"Ben," Dean called out as he let himself in, the doorbell just a courtesy to let his friend know he was here. The last time Dean just walked in, Ben and Megan were in a compromising position in their living room. It was the last time he let himself into his childhood friends' home without some sort of notice.

Rachel and Megan's eyes bulged out widely as her husband returned the call with a simple, "in the kitchen."

Dean's voice carried down the hall, "man could I use a whiskey after the day I've had. Mate have you ever heard of a doctor in your wives ward named..."

He stopped short as he entered the kitchen. Sitting at the small kitchenette table was the woman in question with Megan.

Ben stood by the stove putting the finishing touches on a pasta dish he was throwing together, he looked at Dean with a raised eyebrow.

The Ballias' didn't often entertain right inside the kitchen; they had a dining room and a formal dining room for such things. However, when it was just them, they usually sat at a small table off to the side. It's also where Rachel and Megan often sat on nights when Ben insisted on sending their cook out of the home and cooking dinner himself.

"Well, I suppose you have then."

"I take it you met Rachel today," commented Ben with a smile.

"Indeed."

"You know Meg now that I think about it your right, Ben is adorable. Mr. McGuiere on the other hand, HE is the dunderhead," giggled Rachel obviously more than two glasses of wine in.

"Dr. Wood, can ask exactly what I've done to offend you?"

"Yes, you may ask," she smiled.

"Well?"

"Oh, I said you may ask. Not that I would answer," she continued with a small giggle into her wine glass as she took another sip.

Dean's face hardened he looked over to his friend for help who just shrugged and handed him a glass of whiskey.

"Really you two. You would think finally getting to meet face to face would be more exciting for you," Megan pouted.

Realization dawn on Dean and he choked on his drink, "this," he began and coughed from swallowing the alcohol forcefully. "This is the best friend you've been trying to introduce me too."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "really, I have a name."

"What's with the hostility tonight?" Ben wondered.

"Ugh! Do you know what this woman did to me last night?" He put down his tumbler on the kitchen island and turned to fully face his friend, "first she teased me then she fucking assaulted me..."

"Wait! No, I did not assault you I was doing my job!" Rachel interrupted, "I told you there were dampening spells on those walls, and I apologized for only having those exam rooms available. Maybe, sir-fucks-a-lot, you should keep your dick in your pants, and you won't be subjected to such testing."

"Are you serious right now? Are you insinuating I'm some sort of male slut? That's rich, I've never met you darlin', oh but I'd heard stories. You're so much worse than me. Those men you go out with at Ben and Megan's insistence, they talk"

Until that moment the married couple was quite content with their friends hashing it out. Get the negativity out of the way and you could cut the sexual tension in the room with a knife, but Dean was going too far.

"Dude, don't," warned Ben.

"No, it's fine," Rachel said stone-faced. Neither of them had noticed they had both moved from their previous spots and were now standing mere inches from one another.

"They say yeah she's pretty," he smirked, "but she's fake, talks a lot of game. Shakes her ass just right to get ya all hot and bothered and then just up and leaves. You're worse than a hypocrite darling, you're a prude. Probably a virgin who, quite honestly, probably couldn't even handle a real relationship if you tried. You're scared of love and refuse to allow anyone in."

Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat, then the rest of her wine, "well, okay then."

She placed her glass on the counter and nodded to her best friend, "I just remembered I have somewhere else to be tonight. Thank you for the wine maybe next time."

She bowed her head simply at Dean and walked quickly to the foyer to fade home.

"Rach wait," called Megan as she rushed out the door behind her.

"Way to go, Dunderhead," sighed Ben.

"What? She pushed."

"Doesn't mean you had to push back man."

"Look just because she's got her panties in a wad and can't handle the truth doesn't mean that I have to play nice. If she didn't want me to state the obvious right back at her, she shouldn't have opened her damn mouth."

"That's the point Dean," Ben began with a sigh, "she was stating the obvious. You have become reckless with your bedmates. You literally found out this morning you didn't accidentally father a kid, and you're wrong about her. She's been in love before, ended tragically."

"Hard to believe that cold heart has loved."

"She was just doing her job," Snapped Megan as she came back in the kitchen interrupting their conversation. "So, she tried to make it fun for you, get over it don't think I didn't notice you getting all hot and bothered by her yesterday and just now. You'd think you'd be in a better mood after finding out you don't have a bastard child."

A baby's wail halted any further conversation.

"I'll get him," Megan snapped at her husband as he had started towards the door, "I'm no longer in the mood to socialize."

Ben leaned on the island, elbows down head in his hands. He sighed, rubbed his face and looked up at his friend with a knowing look.

Dean downed the last of his whiskey murmured "fuck," and slowly made his way to the nursery.