Chapter 13: Traveling the American way

After about a minute, Victor turned around and smiled at Amber, "How's that for supporting my family?" Victor asked as he looked at the bags Amber was holding.

"Is that real gold?" she asked as she looked at the bags that were an eighth full of gold dust, and one coin that seemed to be tarnished. Amber reached into the bag, and pulled the nasty looking coin out and was going to toss it away.

"I wouldn't do that. That's a gold coin," Victor said and took the coin from Amber's fingers. He concentrated on the black coin, but more on the sand and black substance that was stuck to the coin.

Amber watched as the coin slowly revealed itself. One second it was a dull black with sand stuck to it. The next it was bright and shiny as the day it was minted. "What is it?" Amber asked.

Victor looked at the coin, and saw an O on it as well as 1850 and he smiled.

"This, my love, is a 1850 gold double eagle minted in New Orleans ... if I remember my codes right from my coin book. If so, this coin is valued at around twenty to twenty-five thousand dollars." Victor looked closer at the coin and noticed there were a few scratches on it, so he used his powers to remove them.

Amber dropped the bags beside her and lunged at Victor. Her arms went around his neck and they fell back into the sea. As they kissed, the ocean washed over them. Both sputtered as seawater entered their mouths as they sat up, they could hear giggling over the surf.

"Mommy and Daddy are silly," Lisa said to her sisters.

"Ya, they are. But let's join them," Amy replied.

"Dogpile on Mommy and Daddy," Cindy shouted and all three girls jumped on their parents.

Victor stood up with Amy and Lisa hanging on to him. Turning he tossed both of the girls into the surf. They shrieked in happiness as they landed with a splash in the water. Turning around, he grabbed Cindy by her slippery waist. He turned to toss her after her sister when Amber shoved him from behind. He went stumbling in to the water. Cindy fell into the next wave, as he went over into the cold water. Sputtering and gasping, Cindy came to the surface and giggled as Victor took off chasing Amber along the beach.

Behind them, the three girls scampered out of the water, picked up the bags and put them away in the hamper. Grabbing their towels, they wrapped them around their small bodies as they watched Amber and Victor fall in the ocean.

"They're silly," Amy said.

"Yes they are. What's for lunch? I'm hungry," Cindy asked as she sat down by the basket.

"Mom made egg salad sandwiches," Lisa replied, and the three kids opened the basket and pulled out their sandwiches and a coke, each.

Victor had Amber pinned under him, he was kissing her all over her face as she giggled. Finally, she raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck. She started returning the kiss, gently at first and then a full fledge kiss when she felt him go hard between her legs. She was even excited as her nipples became like bullets in her swimsuit.

A voice saying, "Hey knock it off, there are kids present" shattered the summer air.

Victor looked up at the man who had disturbed them, "You got a problem with me kissing my wife?"

"Yeah, I do. There are kids all around, just over there," he gestured towards the girls eating, "are three kids..."

"I don't think our children would mind us kissing," Amber replied as Victor stood up.

"Children?" the state ranger asked.

"Yes, they're our adopted children," Victor said as he pulled Amber to her feet.

"Well, your neither Burt Lancaster nor Deborah Kerr nor is this the movie 'From Here to Eternity, ' so take it home to do that. We do have a lot of people who visit here and they don't want to be seeing kids making out, even if they are married," he replied and started walking down the beach.

"What an ass. And I think you would make a great First Sergeant Milton Warden," Amber said as she went back to kissing Victor.

As they broke apart, Victor asked, "Who is Milton Warden?"

"Milton was the tough as steel United States Marine sergeant stationed at Schofield Barracks who is one of the unit's boxers before and during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He has an affair with Captain Dana Holmes' neglected wife Karen. She begs him to apply for officer training, so she can divorce her husband and marry him. Milton later admits to Karen he doesn't want to be an officer and the affair ends. At the end of the movie..."

"I would never be like that..."

"Victor, shut up. I'll buy the movie next time were at Wal-Mart and we can watch it together in bed," Amber replied as they reached the girls. Looking down at the three girls, she said, "Hungry?"

"Yes, we were, Mommy. Hope you don't mind that we ate," Lisa asked as she wiped her mouth and her two sisters burped at the same time.

"Ladies do not burp. Now what do you say?" she said as she looked at Cindy and Amy.

"Pardon me," both girls replied and giggled.

Victor shook his head and then started laughing. "Let's finish eating, and then I'll take everything back to the RV. Then we'll go for a walk down the beach to the tidal pools," he said as he sat down and pulled out his sandwich.

They sat and ate their lunch, watching the children of other families play. When finished, Victor carried everything up to the RV and stored them. Heading back to the beach, Victor froze as he heard something, but wasn't sure what it was. Turning, he looked around, and couldn't see anything. With a shrug, he started down the steps to his wife and daughters.

Reaching the beach, they started walking along the shoreline, until they reached the rocky section. The girls scrambled onto the slippery rocks and looked down into the tidal pools. They were pointing out the marine life as Amber and Victor watched them. Cindy picked up a small hermit crab and carried it over to Victor and Amber.

"Look Mom and Dad, it's a hermit crab," Cindy said as she held out the small crustacean.

"Yes, it is, now go put it back," Amber replied as she smiled at Cindy.

"I will. One day I am going to study the ocean and all its creatures," she said as she looked at the creature.

"That means you want to be a marine biologist and to be one, you must study hard," Amber replied.

"Oh, ok." Cindy said as Amy cried out she found a snail, and Cindy shouted, "Let me see," as she scampered over the rocks to her sisters.

They watched Cindy run to her sisters.

"They are good girls," Amber said as Cindy set the hermit crab down and ran to Amy and knelt beside her.

"Hmmm hmm," Victor replied.

The girls continued on, and Amber and Victor followed. The whole time Amber was talking to Victor she never received an answer to any of her questions. Finally, she stopped and said, "Victor, I'm pregnant..."

"That's nice," he replied as he looked at the hills to the north.

"Victor, I was gang banged last night!" she added.

"Ok."

"Victor, I was taken by aliens to their space ship, where they did unspeakable things to me last night!" she said and watched as Victor took a step away from her.

"VIC! WHAT THE FUCK IS THE MATTER!" she screamed.

"Huh? What?" Victor said as he looked over at Amber and asked, "Can't you hear it?"

"Hear what?" she asked as she stopped and listened, all she could hear was the surf, and children screaming as they played ball down the beach.

"You can't hear that child screaming in pain?" Victor asked.

"What child?" Screaming where?" she asked.

"There, that house," Victor said as he pointed to a condo on the bluff above the beach.

"No. I don't," she replied as Victor took off running.

"VIC!" she shouted, but he didn't stop.

"Girls, come on!" Amber said as she gathered the girls up, and followed Victor. They ran down the beach, but Victor left them behind. Coming to a stop at the base of the hill, they looked up as they tried to catch their breath. As they started up the hill, a double explosion was heard.

Murder

Victor ran across the beach and up the paths to the top of the cliff. All he could hear was a baby screaming as he jumped the four-foot fence, and ran for the backdoor. Summing his power, he pulled his fist back and hit the plate glass door. It exploded inward. Stepping into the dining room, he could hear the baby screaming as he stood there. Before he could take two steps into the room, a man appeared wearing blue jeans, a bloody T-shirt and holding a double-barreled shotgun. Hanging from his belt were several bloody scalps.