She's not angry...

You gallop to the stairs then head right on down them with Elsie laughing and kicking her feet out in front of you. You are a pair of giggling fools, as carefree as could be. Taking the corner halfway down proves too much to control with El's extra wriggling weight on your back. You stumble and sway heavily into the wall. Elsie's shoulder catches the frame of a painting hung there. The painting is wrenched from its hanger and you watch in horror as it flies through the air, as if in slow motion, to hit the sharp corner of the banister smack in the middle of the canvas. The rail pierces through the painting before it clatters loudly onto the landing floor and cracks one corner of the frame.

You and El come to a stop and both stare at the torn painting and broken frame at your feet.

"What was that?" You hear your aunt's voice. "Are you two okay?"

El slips off of your back and you both continue staring at it as Peggy rushes up to the foot of the stairs. "What..." She sees what you have done. "Oh no!"

Elsie looks up with a guilty grimace. "We're sorry."

"I'm sorry Aunt Peg. I was giving Elsie and piggy back ride and...um...we got carried away."

Peg comes up the stairs and picks up the broken piece of art. She lets out a sad sigh as she looks it over. "This was one of my favorites."

"We're sorry. We didn't mean to." Elsie says, unsure of what else to say.

"We were just playing around." You hastily add. "We'll be more careful. We didn't mean it."

Peg looks up with a look of understanding. "I know. It's...okay."

It wasn't okay! You could see this picture meant a lot to her. You could see she was grieved at loosing it. Seeing Peg like this is a bullet right through your heart. You wished she would shout and scream at you, get angry at you, or even give you a firm lecture. Instead, while trying to keep a brave face, she takes the broken painting and walks back down stairs. She wasn't angry, she was disappointed.

You and El look at each other feeling utterly wretched about what you had done. You hurry to follow along.

"Peg, we're so sorry." Elsie says as the trio of you reach the kitchen. "How can we make it up."

"It's okay." Peg says as she lays the ruined piece over the marble top island that separated the kitchen from the living room. "It was an accident."

"It's not okay. We...we'll pay for it." You say. "I've got a couple hundred bucks..." Her kindly reaction to your naivety told you in an instant that a couple hundred dollars didn't even come close to covering this. "I can...sell my car."

She gives you a gentle bittersweet smile. "Don't do that Jesse. You're being silly now. I don't want your money."

Plates of fresh made food sit steaming on the dining room table. Food she had made for you and Elsie as she let you stay in this beautiful home of hers and have your fun and even wear her clothes. You had repaid her by smashing her stuff. You and El look at each other, both at a loss as to how to fix this.

Peg looks over the art. It is a peculiar piece. At first it just looks like streaks and splatters of random brightly colored oil paint, but after a moment it reveals itself as a vibrant field of jumbled wildflowers. The effect is quite striking.

"It's beautiful." Elsie says quietly.

"Mm." Peg nods as she runs her fingers over the texture of the painted canvas. "Isn't it." She looks up at the pair of you and you can feel her mood lift. "But...it's just a thing." She lets out a long sigh. "I think...I think perhaps...it's not a bad thing to let things go." You sense her words had a deeper meaning. "Especially broken things." She adds. In the blink of an eye Peg's attitude toward the painting shifts. What was once treasured now becomes just an inanimate thing devoid of value or importance. Reaching out she takes a hand of each of you and she looks upon what she truly treasured. "Hearing your laughter filled this place with more beauty than this ever did."

Elsie moves in and hugs your aunt who happily takes her in her arms. "We're sorry." El whispers one last time.

You step closer as well and join the embrace. "Let us make it up to you Peg. Let me make it up to you." You gaze into her lovely gray eyes. "Please Peg. Let us make this up."

She strokes your hair and you see the pride return to her expression. FUCK did that make you feel good.

"You're a man of honor." She says warmly.

"I was acting like a child."

Her smile grows as she lightly pinches your earlobe. "Never lose that." She nods. "Very well." She steps back and the three of you part, though remain standing close. "I could use a couple of workout partners." She pokes each of you in the belly. "And I see a two softies here who could use a bit of shaping up."

"Workout?" El gripes. Outside of your mother soft little El was the most sedentary of the Bailey's. "Can't I fix your computer or..."

You squeeze her shoulder. "El."

She sighs then blushes. "Okay. Just...don't laugh me, okay? I'm really weak."

"Only one way to fix that." Peg says before taking on a more authoritative tone and proclaiming. "For as long as you are staying here, from 6 to 7 am I own your cute little asses."

"6...AM!?" Elsie gasps. "Like in the morning!?"

"You heard me." Peg stands tall and imperious, commanding the room with her presence in a way not unlike Fiona yet somehow entirely different. "Are you refusing?"

Without even thinking you instantly and instinctively cede to her firm feminine authority. "No Madam. 6 am Madam." You bow your head. "Thank you Madam."

Following your lead Elsie bows her head. "Yes Madam. We'll be there Madam."

Peg relaxes and her warm smile returns. "Excellent!"

Elsie giggles and you grin from ear to ear as you quietly hope you get to hear Peg use that voice again sometime. She had only given you a glimpse of "Madam", but it was sexy as hell to your subby little heart.

She turns her attention to you and looks you up and down. "Well, well. What do we have here? Now THIS...this is art. Mmmm mmmm!"

You had almost forgotten that you were wearing women's lingerie and nothing more.