This story contains the following:
(Mf,some ff,adult/teen,cons,romance,love,some violence (non-sex related))
WARNING!
--------
Do not read this story if you are under the legal age in your country.
If any story of this sort is illegal in your country, please do not read
it. Hey, what can I say? Move.
If you're one of those religious fanatics, or any other sort of person
looking to force your opinion on others, such as myself, go away. You
aren't going to get me to "See God," or to "Make me repent for my sins." I
don't believe in God, and I don't like people like you. Leave me alone, or
you might be on the receiving end of unpleasantries.
If you're one of the media looking for more evidence of porn on the
Internet, well, you found it. Now go away and write your slanted, biased
articles or news clips.
Any constructive criticism, suggestions, etc. direct to
alan@geocities.com. Flames, Spam, religious spiels, offers to help me to
be saved by Jesus or any other religious character, and people who want to
whine about my or others' "immorality," direct your comments to
idont@givadamn.com. My response will come in the form of a full quote of
your message, as well as an insightful message similar to "e-mail
undeliverable".
I also read a.s.s.d., so DON'T post any comments to a.s.s.! If you do
I'll get real pissed off and you'll never get a response. ;-) We have
enough noise in a.s.s. already, don't contribute to it.
Note: Book One and Book Two of "The Watching Trilogy" is available at
Water's Edge in the "Archives" section,
(http://waters-edge.home.ml.org) along with other info about the series
and later more stories by me, Alan Mathews.
All my work will also be available on the a.s.s. FTP Archive at
ftp://129.21.108.190/authors/alan.mathews. If you are an author of any
genre, erotic, sci-fi, etc, I encourage you to submit any work you feel
comfortable submitting to Water's Edge. The person who maintains the page
has been very accommodating for me, risking the wrath of those who run
Geocities.
If you are a writer of erotic stories that you have posted to or plan to
post to a.s.s., please upload them to the a.s.s. FTP Archive when you do.
It's free for everyone, and I think once it gets going, it will be a great
place to find stories of your liking.
This Page Left Blank To Protect The "Innocent".
Author's Note For Watching: Book Two, The Return Of The Past
------------------------------------------------------------
I originally intended to release this book in mid-February. But thanks to
the great response to Book One, I was pushed off my rear and forced to work
a bit harder. This book is about 1,800 lines shorter than Book One, but
I'd like to think it's just as good. I also had two Editors pop up after I
first posted Book One of Watching; thanks to both of them for helping to
make this story better, and for helping me to fix stupid grammatical
mistakes. It also goes to show what your e-mails and responses to an
Author's work can do. We do, after all, post these for free to a.s.s., and
we all need a little ego boost every once in a while. We also need to know
that our stories are appreciated.
I also want to thank the ice storm that hit during the last six chapters of
this book, and disabled my power for three days straight. I also want to
curse it, since it also caused me to loose chunks of writing whenever the
power blinked. But it gave me a chance to sit down during the boredom of
having no computer and think of where I wanted Watching to go in the
remainder of Book Two and into Book Three.
While trees were snapping off under the weight of ice and three feet of
snow, it gave me a chance to also ponder life and death, as my stock of
firewood that kept the house warm in well below freezing weather shrank as
the days without power wore on.
But I'm still here. And I'll keep writing, even after I finish Book Three.
I have too many ideas to quit now.
I've never considered myself a writer of erotica, but rather a writer of
emotional stories that have erotica in them. So, once again, if you want a
constant sex type of story, look elsewhere. No B&D, no S&M or TG, just
romance, love, and a little longing.
Alan Mathews (alan@geocities.com)
December 1996
Watching
By Alan Mathews
The Watching Trilogy Timeline
------------------------------
ÚÄ(January)
³ o Book One: The Meeting begins, Alex and Jenny meet
³
ÃÄ(2 Weeks, Late January)
³ o Jenny moves in with Alex for first time after parents kick her out
³ (13 Years old, Alex 18)
³
ÃÄ(1 Month, early February)
³ o Jenny moves back in with parents
³
ÃÄ(3 Months, early May)
³ o Alex leaves for college in New Mexico
³
ÃÄ(2 Months, July)
³ o Jenny moves in with Alex again after parents abuse her
³
ÃÄ(2 Months, September)
³ o Jenny turns 14
³
ÃÄ(3 Months, December)
³ o Alex turns 19
³
ÃÄ(One Month, January)
³ o Year turns
³ o Jenny and Alex's first anniversary of their meeting
³
ÃÄ(1 Month, February)
³ o Jenny and Alex find out Jenny is pregnant
³
ÃÄ(8 Months, early September)
³ o Skyla born
³ o Alex and Jenny get married 2 weeks after Skyla is born
³ o Jenny turns 15
³
ÃÄ(9 Months, July)
³ o Skyla starts talking (In recent drafts of Book One only)
³
ÃÄ(1 Month, August)
³ o Skyla starts walking (In recent drafts of Book One only)
³
ÃÄ(1 Month, September)
³ o Skyla turns 1
³ o Jenny turns 16
³ o First marriage anniversary for Alex and Jenny
³
ÃÄ(2 Months, December)
³ o Alex turns 20
³
ÃÄ(1 Month, January)
³ o Year turns
³ o Alex and Jenny's 2nd anniversary of their meeting
³
ÃÄ(5 Months, April)
³ o Alex meets and makes up with his Father
³ o End Of Book One
³
ÃÄ(6 Months, September)
³ o Skyla turns 2
³ o Jenny turns 17
³ o Alex and Jenny's second marriage anniversary
³
ÃÄ(2 Months, December)
³ o Alex turns 21
³
ÃÄ(1 Month, January)
³ o Year turns,
³ o Alex and Jenny's 3rd anniversary of their meeting
³
ÀÄ(4 months, April)
o Book Two Begins
Book Two
The Return Of The Past
----------------------
"Humans have a saying. What is past, is past. The Membari also have a
saying. What is past is also sometimes in the future."
-Delynn, Babylon 5
Chapter One
-----------
"Why do you want to take a year off school after you finish high school?
Don't you want to go on to college?" my husband asked, confused. I love
him, but he can be so thickheaded sometimes.
"I want to spend more time with you and Skyla, Alex. I feel like I
barely know you two anymore. I come home, get her dinner, and put her to
bed. I hardly get any time to play with her-or you, for that matter." I
tried to distract him by smiling seductively, tossing my hair back in the
way that I knew always turned him on. He sighed.
"But why not just the summer? We'll have plenty of time then."
"But I want a year, Alex. Skyla is over two years old, and it seems
like I haven't spent half the time you have with her. I see how close she
is to you, and want to be that close to her. If I take a year off, you can
go back to going to college during the day and finish up school in only
three quarters instead of six. You could get a better job that makes you
work fewer hours, and then we'll have more time together since you won't
have to go to school or work as hard."
"But I like staying home with Skyla," he protested.
I moved closer to him, snuggling up against him in the way that usually
made him melt, or at least distracted him. "I know you do. But don't you
think it's my turn to stay home with her for a while? Before she goes off
to kindergarten in a few years?"
"Kindergarten?" He had the stricken look on his face that he always got
when he thought about his little girl growing up. I laughed.
"Don't worry, it's still three or four years away. But I'd like some
time with her and you. I haven't seen you as much as I would like either.
We hardly talk anymore. We don't spend nearly as much...time...together as
we used to. We're too busy, and I don't like it."
"Maybe you're right. I have missed you, with school and everything else
going on. It seems like the only time I get to see you is after Skyla goes
to sleep. Even then I have homework." He paused, thinking. "We do need
some time together, just Skyla, you and I. We could go someplace for
spring break. It's coming up in only a month or so."
"Where could we go? We aren't exactly rolling in money right now."
"I don't know if you'll like the place I'm thinking of." He had the
tone of voice he always had when he was worried about telling me something.
"Where do you have in mind?" I asked cautiously.
"Well, Kallie and Amanda have been bugging us to let them come down to
see us again. It's been more than two years. We could go visit them
instead."
I opened my mouth to protest. "Now hear me out, Jenny," Alex
interrupted. "We have the house. Kallie and Amanda would be overjoyed to
have us so close, and Skyla would get a lot out of being in the woods for a
week or two. I have vacation time stored up. The drive would be a long
one, but I think the car could make it."
"But you know how I feel about being so close to my parents!" I felt a
little ill just thinking about it.
"I know Jenny. But they wouldn't get near you. I promise. I won't let
them hurt you again."
"I know that, Alex. But that doesn't keep me from being afraid."
"I can't blame you Jenny, considering what they did to you. But think
about it, will you?" he paused and stood. "I have to go to school. I'll
see you around seven."
I gave him a weak smile and kissed him goodbye as he walked out the
door. Skyla was still asleep, so I had some time to think.
Alex and I had met on a school bus almost four years before. The bus
broke down in early January, and I had forgotten my heavy jacket at home.
I was freezing, and he was kind enough to give me his coat when he saw how
cold I was. I think I started to fall in love with him at that moment. No
one had ever been so kind to me. Well, people had, but it always seemed to
be because someone wanted something from me. It wasn't that way with Alex.
I felt bad when I saw how cold he was becoming, so I offered to share it
with him. After all, it was his coat. He was reluctant at first, but I
managed to persuade him. After a few minutes, I was on his lap so the coat
could be closed in front. Before I knew it, I was fast asleep. I had
never felt as safe as I did when I was in his arms.
A couple of weeks later my parents found out about a 'sexual encounter'
with my best friend, Kallie. My mother called the school and told me I had
better find someplace else to live, because I was no longer welcome at
home. I got on the bus that night not knowing what I was going to do.
Alex came to the rescue again. He comforted me, took me in, fed me, and
gave me a place to sleep.
I went into his room that night when I wasn't able to sleep. Knowing
how well I had slept when I was in his arms last time, I hoped that I could
do the same thing. I also wanted to show him how thankful I was that he
had taken me in. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to him, even
before he shared his coat with me. One thing led to another, and before I
knew it, I was coming under his fingertips. He didn't seduce me; in fact I
think we seduced each other. I had never been so forward before, even with
the one or two boys I had made out with before. But something about him
made me feel adventurous, while still feeling safe at the same time. Not
long after, we fell asleep together.
The next day, I made a mistake in what I said to him about why I had
come into his room and he took it the wrong way. We fought about it-one of
the few fights that we've ever had. We patched it up, and I lived with him
for over a month, despite his father coming home and finding out about us.
We fell in love. But then my parents came back after the rumors had died
down about Kallie and I. I never told them that the rumors were true, they
were too religious, too morally "upright"; at least, that was the way they
saw it. I knew they would never let me back in the house if they knew for
certain that they were true. They invited me back home and I went, not
wanting to be a 'burden' on Alex, despite his protests to the contrary.
Things were okay for a while. My parents treated me fine, and then Alex
left for college. I was lonely, and went to Kallie to help me with my
loneliness. I never told Alex that I slept with Kallie a few times after
he left. I didn't know how he would react, despite him telling me that he
supported me if I wanted to sleep with another girl. Alex doesn't know the
whole story, but we were walked in on again, this time by Kallie's mother.
She, of course, overreacted and blabbed it to everyone, including my
parents. That's when things turned really ugly at home.
When they came to pick me up, they didn't say anything. But when I went
to my room, they locked the door behind me. I tried to get out but
couldn't; they had boarded up the window as well. I broke down crying when
the taunts started, day and night, being called through the door.
They fed me very little, only letting me out to use the bathroom, and
sometimes not even then, leaving a pail in the corner. They would either
throw me in the shed out back or in my room, depending on how they felt at
the time.
Then came the worst part, the part that I could never tell Alex. My Dad
would slip into my room at night when he was drunk, and...molest me.
I couldn't stop him, he was too strong. I begged him to stop, but he
would just taunt me, asking if that's what my girlfriends did to me. He
never actually raped me. That was too high above his 'religious
standards,' even when he was drunk. Instead he and my mother raped my
mind, wore me down until I was little more that a crying heap of flesh on
the floor. Then they started to beat me.
One night they made a mistake, though. When they tossed me crying onto
my bed after another beating, they forgot to lock the door. I slipped out
and ran as fast as I could down the road, not knowing where I was going.
Some woman stopped and picked me up. I refused her offer to take me to a
doctor, asking her to take me to Kallie's instead. I snuck in the window
of Kallie's room and waited for Kallie to show up. Kallie saw how I looked
and started sobbing. I joined her, telling her the whole story. She got
me on a bus to Alex, I moved in with him, and my life has been a dream ever
since. I got pregnant, and we were married less than a month after Skyla
was born. I've never felt any desire to go back.
Only Kallie and Amanda know the true story of what happened. If I had
told Alex, he might have gone and killed them both. If he had, I would
have lost him too, and I wouldn't have been able to bear that. So, I swore
Kallie and Amanda to secrecy.
I know my husband well. Better than anyone else does, I'm sure. Alex
is a very gentle man, with a strong sense of justice and right and wrong;
at least what he considers right and wrong. He grew up outside 'society'
in many ways, and lived mostly alone for many years, his father being away
working. What he learned came from books from his father's library. He
turned out very well considering he never got much love, even when his
mother still lived with him. But he won't admit how much his childhood,
both before and after his mother left, still affects him. He doesn't know
that he cries out in his sleep, calling out his mother or father's name,
asking them to come back to him. Sometimes he even cries. If I woke him
up, he would be embarrassed. That's just the way he is. So, I cuddle up
to him when he has those dreams, whispering soothing things in his ear, and
he eventually settles down.
I know how he likes to be kissed, how he likes to hold me, and be held.
I know just the way to stroke his back until he purrs like a kitten. I
know that if you kiss him between the shoulder blades, he'll shiver every
time. I know that he likes it when I lick and suck on his nipples, even
though he'd never admit it. I know how to make him come quickly, and how
to make him last a long time. I know he likes eating me out more than
he'll ever say. I know that he likes it when we're making love with him on
top, and I whisper in his ear how good it feels to have him inside me while
I lick and nip his earlobe. And I know how much he loves Skyla and I.
But sometimes it seems like he's holding back. Every once in a while I
walk in on him while his mind is off somewhere else, with a look of pain in
his eyes that's so intense I feel like crying just looking at him. I have
to snap him out of it by slipping my arms around him and giving him a hug.
When I look into his eyes then I can see the pain recede slowly, but it's
always there, lurking somewhere in the background. I ask him what he's
thinking about, but he always evades my questions. I let him, knowing that
if he doesn't want to talk about it with me, then he must have his reasons.
Alex would never let anything hurt Skyla or I, if there was any way in
the universe he could stop it from happening.
I remember a time a few months ago when we went to a nearby playground
with Skyla. We put her in the sandbox and sat on a nearby bench, talking
and watching her out of the corner of our eyes. Another little boy, around
five years old, seemed to think she was invading his turf. Suddenly he
picked up one of those heavy metal toy dump-trucks, holding it over where
Skyla was playing happily in the sand. Before I could even react, Alex was
gone. He dived and tackled Skyla, protecting her with his body. Less than
a second later, the boy dropped the truck on Alex's head, where Skyla had
been seconds before. It dropped with a thunk, nicking his head, but he
didn't seem to notice. By then, Skyla was crying. I rushed over and
picked her up, dusting the sand off her. I lost track of Alex for a few
seconds. Then I saw him hauling the kid off by the back of his shirt,
apparently toward where his mother, the only other person in the
playground, was sitting reading a book. I hurried over, hoping that I
could stop it if it got to ugly. If someone tries to hurt Alex's family,
they usually end up regretting it.
"Is this your kid?" Alex demanded.
She looked up from where she was reading. "Hey, let go of him!" she
yelled. He did, and the kid ran to his mother and started to cry. "What
did you do to him?" she demanded.
"I didn't do anything but haul him over here. Your son tried to drop a
toy on my daughter's head. If I hadn't been as quick as I was, she could
have gotten seriously hurt."
"So, your kid is your responsibility, not mine. Next time make sure she
doesn't get around Alvin!" she said snottily. By this time, I was getting
angry, but Alex was absolutely steaming.
"So you're not going to do anything about this?" he demanded through
gritted teeth.
"About what? I don't see a problem!"
Alex opened his mouth to say something uunpleasant, but I grabbed his
arm.
"It's not worth it Alex. People like that can't be dealt with," I said
quietly, cooling him down a little.
"You're right, Jenny. Let's just go home." We turned away, looking
down at Skyla. "Are you okay, honey?"
"I'm okay, Daddy," she said, climbing into his arms and giving him a
hug. He melted, as he always does when Skyla hugs him. We walked away,
Alex still carrying Skyla. He paused, turning back to face the mother and
the little boy.
"It's parents like you who raise children to become adults like Hitler!"
he called angrily. She ignored him, but the little boy gave us the finger
and snickered, his eyes suddenly dry of tears. Alex growled under his
breath about irresponsible parents during the rest of the walk home.
Alex doesn't know how to deal very well with ignorant or just plain
stupid people; he hasn't been around them much. He doesn't understand why
people are so cruel to one another, or why people discriminate against each
other. He doesn't really know why war or genocide exists, or why there are
evil people in the world. He knows the facts about them-the reasoning.
But he doesn't understand the emotions that cause them.
Alex has never felt afraid of someone because they were different. He's
never felt the need to have control over someone else, like so many people
seem to. He's much like a young child, so innocent and naive. Maybe
that's why he and Skyla can play for hours at a time, working on something
as simple as a coloring book. In many ways, Alex is a child trapped in an
adult world. And that's one of the things I love most about him.
End Chapter One
Chapter Two
-----------
I heard Skyla padding toward me from her bedroom, where she had been
taking her afternoon nap. She'd grown so much in the last few years. Her
hair was long now, reaching a bit below her shoulder blades. Her
vocabulary had grown tremendously; sometimes it felt like I was talking to
a ten-year-old instead of a two-year-old. She'd already lost the awkward
way of walking that a lot of toddlers often have. She had such a sweet
face too, and those blue eyes of hers caught even me sometimes, and I'm her
mother.
"Hi Mommy. Daddy go to school already?" she asked, still rubbing the
sleep from her eyes and climbing into my lap.
"Yes honey. Just you and me for a couple of hours," I hugged her.
"Good. I miss you sometimes," she hugged me back.
"I miss you too," I said with a weak smile. I think that, more
than anything else, made me decide to go on the trip, as well as
solidifying my decision to take a year off from school.
"How would you like it if all three of us went on a vacation to where
your Daddy and I grew up?"
"Really? All of us together? Yay!" she squealed and hugged me again,
giving me one of her famous sloppy kisses that she tended to give to
everyone she met. She embarrassed some of them, since she often kissed
them on the lips. "When do we go?"
"In a few weeks when your father and I get out of school on spring
break."
"Not tomorrow? Well, I guess I can wait that long," she frowned, a
little disappointed. I smiled and kissed her head.
I made Skyla dinner, while she was constantly talking and asking
questions about where we were going. Alex came home a little after seven
thirty, as he always did. The only time we ate together anymore was at
breakfast, and I missed being able to have dinner together, like we used
to. But Skyla won't eat unless someone eats with her, so I usually have
dinner at the same time she does.
When he walked in the door Skyla ran up to him, dressed in one of Alex's
old t-shirts to sleep in. It was so long that it almost drug on the floor,
her arms disappearing in the sleeves. She started drilling him with
questions about our trip. He picked her up and kissed her cheek, walking
over to where I was standing. Then he gave me a peck on the lips.
"So I'm guessing you decided to go. Are you sure?" he asked.
"Well, I've told Skyla and I can't back out now, can I?" I smiled wryly
at him.
"It'll be fun. I promise," he said, hugging me around the waist.
"Well, Skyla, I think it's your bedtime."
"Noooooo! I don't want to go to sleep!" she complained.
"Really? Then why are your eyelids getting so heavy?" he teased. I
followed him as he walked into Skyla's bedroom.
"They aren't heavy. I'm wide-awake. See?" she said, holding her
eyelids wide apart with her fingers, making Alex and I laugh. Alex set her
gently down on her bed, then Skyla tugged the t-shirt over her head and
rolled over. I pulled the blankets down so she could slide underneath.
"What story are you going to tell me tonight, Daddy?" Skyla asked.
Alex tells wonderful bedtime stories, usually centered on fairies,
knights, and castles. I don't know where he comes up with them, but
they're good enough to entertain even me.
I asked him once how he came up with them, but he just shrugged, saying
it was probably a result of reading too many fantasy books when he was
younger. Skyla loves them.
"Well, what kind of story do you want to hear?" he asked.
"Mommy was talking about where we're going, and about the forest. Tell
me about that." She had never really seen a forest; New Mexico doesn't
have a lot of them, and we almost never travel. Certainly it doesn't have
any on the scale of the ones in Oregon.
"Okay," Alex sat back and thought, closing his eyes to get a picture of
it in his head. He began to describe the forest that surrounded his old
house.
"I doubt you'll ever see as many trees as you will when you're in the
forest around where your mother and I used to live. Tall pine trees are
everywhere, with big leafy bushes crowded around them. You've never heard
any place so loud, yet so peaceful. You can wander into a forest and
you'll never hear a car, a door slam, or the sound of people talking. You
just hear the sounds of the birds singing in the trees, the crickets
playing their song, and the sound of the wind in the trees. Colors are all
around, and on hot days, you can smell the sharp scent of pine sap in the
air.
"My favorite place was by the pond a ways behind the house. I don't
think anyone ever went there but me. I used to go there in the early
morning during summer break, and watch the sun come over the trees."
Skyla had closed her eyes, imagining the place that he was describing,
with a small smile on her face.
"Little water-bugs would skitter across the pond, the sun glinting off
its surface. Once in a while a fish would splash as it tried to catch a
bug on the surface. There was a big oak tree right beside the water, some
of its roots trailing into the water. I would sit under that tree and read
a book during the hot days of August. There always seemed to be a light
breeze rustling the leaves, tinted with the smell of water, plants, and
life.
"When I was little and it had been hot for several days without a break,
I would run out in the middle of a heavy rainstorm, tear off my clothes,
and run around nude, letting the cool rain wash all the sweat and dirt that
had accumulated over the last few days off of me.
"Sometimes when I'm tense, I sit back and imagine what the forest felt
like after it rained good and hard. The sun would come out, and everything
seemed fresh and clean. Droplets of water would act like miniature prisms,
spreading small rainbows all around as they dripped off the leaves and fell
onto your skin, leaving a cool wet trail as they ran off into the soil
below. You couldn't help but breathe deep, getting all that city soot and
pollution out of your lungs. You always felt better after it rained."
Alex stopped and opened his eyes. Skyla didn't. She was sound asleep,
as she always was after one of Alex's stories. Alex and I both gave Skyla
a kiss on the forehead and tip-toed out of the room, Alex stopping to shut
off the light and close the door.
We sat down on the couch for our 'quiet time,', as we called it. We
made sure we got at least an hour of it a night, no matter what else we
needed to do. We cuddled together, enjoying the feeling of warmth and
closeness being wrapped in each other's arms gave us. I love his scent; he
always smells clean and fresh, with a slight hint of after-shave.
"You miss living in the woods, don't you?" I asked him.
"Sometimes I do," he sighed. "You just don't see much in the way of
green plants living down here. At least not as many as where we grew up."
"Well, you'll get a chance to see the woods again. Just wait a month or
so."
Alex turned toward me with a serious look on his face. "Are you sure
you want to go? I mean, you were almost dead set against it before I
left."
I sighed. "I thought about it. Then I decided that we needed to be
together more than I needed to stay away from that place."
Alex sighed, running a finger around the rim of my ear and making me
shiver. "I wish we had someplace else that we could go, but we don't,
unless we want to stay here."
"If we stay here you'll get called away, no matter how much you want to
be with us."
"I wish I could give you more, Jenny. But we're just scraping by on
what I'm making now, and with school it's even more difficult."
"Alex, all I ever wanted was you and Skyla. Not a fancy house or an
expensive car."
"I know that. Still, I want to be able to give you those things. But I
also want you to do more than just stay home with Skyla all day."
"Alex, we've already discussed this. I'm taking a year off, and that's
that."
"Nothing's going to change your mind?" he probed.
"Nothing."
"All right," he gave in. "But after that year, promise me that you'll
at least take a few college classes?"
I gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Promise."
"Good. Now, do you want to go to bed early?" he said suggestively.
"If you think you're up to it," I purred, kissing his neck.
"If you keep doing that, I will be in a few seconds."
I giggled. "Well, let's get you into the bedroom and out of those pants
before you burst your zipper."
"Sounds like a good idea," he stood, still holding me in his arms.
"You haven't carried me in ages," I said, wrapping my arms around
his neck.
"I haven't done a few things in ages. I plan to do most if not all of
them tonight."
"Hmmm. Sounds like we aren't going to get much sleep then."
"If you want to sleep, we can always do it another time," he grinned as
he
kicked the door closed and lowered me onto the bed, kissing my collarbone
while he unbuttoned my blouse.
"No way in hell are you getting out of it," I laughed.
"I think someone's hormones are in overdrive," he chuckled as he
pulled my blouse open and began to suck on my nipples, making me moan. I
don't wear a bra; they're too uncomfortable. Alex has always told me I
don't need one anyway since they're firm enough.
"What, you don't like your wife being horny? Afraid that that cute boy
down the hall will steal me away?"
"No."
"And why not? Am I not pretty enough?" I teased.
"No, you're the most beautiful girl I know. I just know that that boy
doesn't know where all the spots on your body are that drive you crazy with
pleasure."
"Really. You don't think I could teach him?"
"I don't think you're patient enough. Besides, all a teenaged boy cares
about is getting off. I, on the other hand, know how to give you five
orgasms for every one I have."
"Really? Prove it!" I challenged with a grin.
"Oh, I will. I promise." he laughed, pulling my skirt and panties off
with one quick yank. I moaned as he climbed between my legs and lowered
his face to my pussy.
"My, you are wet," he said, burying his tongue in between my labia. I
felt his tongue wiggle into my vagina, making me buck and moan again. He
did know all the ways to drive me insane with pleasure. Lucky for me I
knew all the ones that would do the same for him.
I came quickly, releasing the lust that had been building up all day. I
had to stop him from licking me to another orgasm. Not that I'd mind it,
but I wanted him inside me. I pushed on his shoulders, and he stopped with
one last flick of his tongue over my clit, making me gasp. I motioned for
him to stand up and crawled over the bed to him, standing on my knees. I
pulled his shirt up, stopping briefly to suck on his nipples until he
pulled it the rest of the way over his head while I went to work on his
pants. I unbuttoned them expertly and pulled them and his boxers down.
His cock popped up, nearly hitting me on the chin.
He moaned as I took it into my mouth. After a few seconds of furious
sucking, I pulled my mouth off of him, giving the underside of the head a
loving lick. I stood and kissed him.
"I want you inside of me," I whispered in his ear, burrowing my tongue
into his ear as if trying to follow my words into his head. He smiled and
took me in his arms, laying us both down on the bed with him on top of me.
I gasped as he pushed himself into me gently, gradually filling me up. I
have a small pussy, at least Alex says I do, and when he thrusts into me, I
can feel every vein as he moves. I moaned again as he began the long, slow
strokes that I loved so much.
After a few minutes of constant lovemaking, I rolled us over so I could
be on top for a while. It's my favorite position, since he gets so deep in
me it feels like he's trying to push his way into my womb. Bobbing up and
down on his cock, he wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me down
harder onto him. I leaned over so the topside of his dick rubbed against
my clit every time one of us moved. I came, shuddering on top of him while
my pussy contracted around him.
When I went limp on top of him, he kept lifting and dropping my hips so
his cock continued to pound into me, obviously trying to make good on his
promise of giving me five orgasms for every one he had. If he kept up the
way he was going, I had no doubt that he'd do it. I lay on top of him,
letting him do all the work as I kissed his chest, reaching down to fondle
his balls -- another thing he loved me to do.
Before long, I was shuddering my way though another orgasm. Even Kallie
had never been able to make me come as many times or as hard as Alex did,
and she had a very nimble tongue.
After I recovered from my last orgasm, I began to move as well. I knew
he was close to coming, and I wanted to come at the same time.
Then he had a surprise for me:. Hhe slipped a finger into my ass,
something that always drove me up the wall. I came almost immediately,
letting out a small cry as I did so. When I collapsed on top of him after
I had finished, he rolled over on top of me again, driving himself hard and
fast into my pussy.
'God, he is going to make good on his promise,' I thought to myself as I
felt myself climbing for yet another orgasm. Enjoying the sensation of him
plunging into me, I listened to the sound of his balls slapping against my
ass on every thrust. Suddenly he grunted and pushed hard into me. I felt
his his cock expand, spraying his semen against the back wall of my vagina.
"Oh god!" I moaned, then went into convulsions myself as my orgasm
exploded in my head. Alex collapsed on top of me, nearly squashing my
110-pound frame under his 200-pound bulk, and rolled over to take his
weight off me. Throwing a leg over his, I kept his shrinking organ inside
of me, feeling the last drops of his come leak into me. I love the feeling
of warmth I get when he comes inside of me. The month that we had to use
condoms before the birth control pills took effect after Skyla was born was
hard on me, and on him. He loves to squirt inside me as much as I like him
doing it. We kissed and caressed each other in the afterglow.
"Still want to run away with that boy down the hall?" he chuckled.
"No. I think you're good enough for me," I said, snuggling up to
him and closing my eyes as his warmth soaked into me.
End Chapter Two
Chapter Three
-------------
A month later, we were packing the car for our visit back home. Skyla
ran around Alex and I as we tried to get everything crammed in. We had
both decided to leave a day early since it would take us two days to get to
our hometown if we took turns driving and sleeping. Alex had two weeks for
vacation, and I decided to skip school for the second week after Spring
Break ended, giving us a few more days for our visit.
In the end, we decided to rent a minivan for the trip. Our car was an
old clunker that usually barely made it to the supermarket and back, and we
didn't want to risk a breakdown. Besides, it would save money in the long
run since it got better gas mileage, and we could use it as a mini-camper.
By taking out the first seat, we were able to get a big enough area for the
cooler, extra clothing, a couple of sleeping bags, and toys for Skyla. At
night, we reasoned that one of us could sleep while the other drove until
they got tired. I was glad that I had gotten my license when I had turned
sixteen.
The trip was long and tedious as car trips usually are, especially when
you only stop for gas, bathroom visits, and food. Skyla was a little
hyperactive for the first few hours, but quickly passed out on the
backseat.
The air conditioning was on overdrive for the trip through the desert.
The scenery was dull for most of the trip through New Mexico, Utah, and
Nevada. I spent most of the time lost in thought despite Alex's attempts
at conversation. I had seen the same scenery when I had come down on a bus
almost four years before at age fourteen, beaten, starving, and in need of
someone to love me again.
I went over the last four years in my mind, wondering at how much had
happened. I remembered when I came in the door of what soon became our
apartment, falling into Alex's arms. I relived the moment I had found out
I was pregnant with Skyla and the day she was born, one of the happiest
moments of my life. Then our marriage, and the days of Skyla growing up in
front of my eyes. More than once my eyes grew teary.
Alex understood that I didn't want to talk about what I was thinking,
but drove one handed, with his other hand hholding mine, letting me know I
wasn't alone.
Memories of my childhood began to surface as the desert turned into
prairie, and then into the forests of Oregon. Our hometown was located
near the Cascade Range, bordering on Washington State. Memories of picnics
and fishing trips, spending hours with my Father and little sister looking
out over the lake. Memories of hot days spent canning preserves in the
kitchen with my mother, which I hated, and hours sitting in uncomfortable
Sunday clothes in the old church on the edge of town, which I hated even
more. They hadn't been bad parents, at least up until the time I turned
ten or eleven. After that, we started to grow apart. Mom turned a little
odd, and Dad seemed to follow her example. What happened between Kallie
and I went against their beliefs in a way that they couldn't possibly
handle. That had been the end of what remained of our family relationship,
and the start of real trouble.
Stops were the interesting part of the trip. People would constantly
mistake us for two kids and their older brother when we walked in the door.
I've been told I look no more than fourteen years old, even though I'm
seventeen now. It's frustrating for me, although I think Alex likes me
looking as young as I do. But Alex looks his age at 21, and Skyla of
course looks like a two year old little girl, even if she doesn't act or
talk like it most of the time.
In Nevada, we had stopped to get gas. The station was nearby a
supermarket, so I told Alex I was going to get us a few snacks to put in
the cooler. He told me to go ahead, he'd meet us inside when we were done.
Then we could go to a nearby restaurant for lunch.
I picked up Skyla, since I didn't want to leave her in the car after
three hours of solid driving.
Skyla got the usual smiles as we walked though the automatic doors into
the (thankfully) air conditioned store. Skyla is always getting smiles
from people, especially older women. She's one of those children that
seems to make people want to walk up to them and coo. It drives me nuts
sometimes, but Skyla seems to take it well.
I picked up a cart and sat her in the child seat then wandered the
isles, picking up a few things as I went. Shortly after I was ready to
check-out, and stood waiting for Alex to show up while the woman at the
cash register rang up the food.
"Your little sister is adorable. Did your mother send you down to get a
few things for dinner?" she asked me, smiling at Skyla. She smiled back.
I saw Alex approaching from one of the doors and looked back at the
woman distractedly. "What?"
"I said..."
"Hi hon," he said, walking up and giving me a quick kiss. The
woman looked shocked. Of course at that moment, Skyla decided to start
begging for a piece of candy.
"Mommy, can I have some gum?" she pleaded. The woman's jaw dropped.
"Mommy?" she said incredulously. I felt a little sorry for her, but
couldn't help feel that she deserved it. Granted, I'm a little young to
have a two year old daughter. I had her when I was barely fifteen, after
all. But if she thought I was around fourteen... well, let's just say she
had a right to be shocked, considering how most people felt about underage
girls having children.
"No Skyla, we're about to eat lunch." For once she gave in without a
fight, thank God. I turned back to the woman.
"Yes, she's my daughter. This is my husband," I said, motioning at Alex.
He smiled at her, trying to figure out what was going on. I decided not to
tell her my real age, just to give her a good story to tell. She just
stood there, her mouth still gaping open. I took the bags and handed them
to Alex. "Would you take these out to the car Alex, and put them in the
cooler? I'll finish up here and meet you outside the restaurant. Oh, and
Alex..." I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a long kiss with plenty
of tongue. I stifled a laugh as her eyes bugged out more, if possible.
"Hmmm, I'm going to have to carry things for you more often," he grinned
and headed for the car. I looked at the amount displayed on the register
and paid her.
"Keep the change," I said, not wanting to wait for her to manage to
figure out the correct change. It was only a few cents after all. Picking
Skyla up out of the child seat and pushing the cart next to where I had
picked it up. I walked out, Skyla waving at the woman at the cash
register, who hadn't even picked up the money I had left on the counter.
"What was that all about?" Alex asked as we headed for a restaurant
across the street.
"The woman at the cash register asked me if my mother had sent me down
with my little sister to get a few things for dinner," I said simply.
"Why would she...oh. So that's why you kissed me," he snickered. "And
Skyla..." he started laughing. I couldn't keep a straight face, and ended
up joining him. The expression on Skyla's face told us that she obviously
thought her parents had gone insane, but that just made us laugh harder.
Skyla came alive after a day and a half of sleeping off and on, playing
with her toys, and complaining about when we would get there. The flat
land had suddenly gone hilly, then mountainous as we entered the wooded
lands of Oregon. She began pointing out things that Alex and I missed,
such as a small waterfall pouring off a cliff face we were driving past, a
crick bubbling along its gravely bed, or a huge tree that towered over the
others. We stopped more as the wilderness encroached at Skyla's pleading.
We went wading in ice cold streams, or just went for a walk at a
historical site, smelling the fresh air. It was the first time Skyla had
seen a 'real' forest, and she was fascinated with all the wildlife. She
would squeal and chase a squirrel or rabbit, no matter where it took her.
She wasn't afraid of anything, and more than once Alex had to carry her so
that she wouldn't go running off into the woods.
Seeing something through a child's eyes instead of an adult's is like
the difference between looking through a clean and a slightly dirty window.
You can see as an adult, but you don't have the crystal clear, unprejudiced
view of the world that a child has.
The trip took three days instead of two, due to our stops. But we
didn't regret it, for the things that we saw and learned were worth it.
We arrived in town in the early afternoon. The drive through it had
revealed that next to nothing had changed over the last four years. Even
old Mr. Jenkins was still sitting drunk in front of the only bar in town.
I have memories of seeing him when I was four or five years old, still
looking as prune faced and fall-over drunk as ever.
A light cloud of dust hung in the stagnant air. A few scruffy children
ran past laughing, heading for god knows where. Twangy sounds of a country
western tune spilled out the open door of Alice's Diner. The signs on the
stores looked a bit more faded, a new pickup truck sat in front of the
barber shop, and the potholes were a bit deeper. It it seemed to be as it
had always been, a small, poor backwoods town on the fringes of a
progressing society, slowly dieying as it's main industry --, logging, --
died.
But soon it fell behind us, and we headed for Alex's old home, the house
that we had fallen in love in.
The house looked a little overgrown. The ivy I remembered had crawled a
few feet higher on the walls, and the grass out front needed to be mowed
more than ever.
Skyla was sleeping in the back seat. She woke up after I climbed in
back and shook her shoulder.
"What is it Mommy?" she asked sleepily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"We're here," I told her tiredly. She was wide-awake instantly.
"Really?" she jumped out of the car, trying to take everything in at
once, from the tall pines surrounding the house to the gravel of the
driveway. She ran up to the door and tried to turn the knob.
"Daddy, open it so I can go inside and look around!" she demanded. Alex
was busy unloading the car, but stopped long enough to reach into his
pocket for his keys. Then he went a little red in the face. "Oops," he
said sheepishly.
"You forgot the key, didn't you?" I groaned.
"I knew I forgot something."
"Daddy forgot the key?" Skyla asked.
"Yes honey," I turned to Alex. "Would the Walkers have a key?"
"They did when I lived here, just in case I somehow locked myself out.
But I don't know if they have it anymore."
"Well, we might as well ask. Besides, we need some eggs and milk."
"I wanted to introduce them to you anyway. Mrs. Walker will go nuts
over Skyla. If you think Dad spoils her, just wait. Well, let's just walk
down there. It isn't far, and we could use a good walk after that trip."
We headed down the road, Skyla noticing and exclaiming over almost
everything we came across. Finally Alex just picked her up and set her on
his shoulders so we could walk faster.
It was usually a five-minute walk, but it was ten with Skyla.
The Walker's home an old farmhouse bordering on a little over a
hundred acres of farm land. The yellow paint was faded and was flaking off
in places, but overall it was well kept, with the small patch of grass out
front mowed and hanging plants ringing the front porch.
"Wait here, I'll go see if anyone's home," Alex told us, setting Skyla
down next to me. He climbed the creaking steps and knocked on the door. A
few seconds later the door opened.
"Hi Mrs. Walker. Remember me?" Alex said.
"Alexie! I haven't seen you in years! What are you doing here?" a high
pitched voice squealed. "Come in! Come in! Have something to eat. You
look so thin!"
"Sure, in a second Mrs. Walker. First I want you to meet a couple of
people."
"Who?" The voice questioned. Alex turned around and motioned us toward
him. I took Skyla's hand and walked forward. A short, stout woman who
looked to be around seventy came into view. She was the classic
grandmother: soft and plump, wearing an old pink dress and a faded apron.
Her gray hair was done up in a tight bun, with a few stray hairs poking
through the sides.
"This is Jenny," Alex said, wrapping an arm around my waist as I climbed
the stairs to the porch. "My wife."
"Wife? So you finally got married, thank God! It's nice to meet you!"
she exclaimed. "And so young and pretty too! Are you sure it's legal?"
"I'm seventeen, Mrs. Walker.," I said, blushing. "And it's nice to meet
you, too."
"Ahh. Wait! Who's this little one hiding behind you?" she said.
"Skyla, say hello to Mrs. Walker," I said.
"Hi," she said softly, obviously a little frightened by Mrs.
Walker's bustling behavior. Alex picked up Skyla and held her on his hip.
"This is my daughter, Skyla. She's two." Alex said proudly.
"Oh, and a pretty little girl she is too! Looks just like her mother,
except for those beautiful blue eyes."
"You look just like the lady on those cookie boxes!" Skyla exclaimed,
obviously getting over her fear quickly.
"Skyla!" I scolded.
"Oh, I don't mind dear," she told me. "But I make better cookies than
you'll find in any box at the store.," she told Skyla. "I'll bet you'd
love to have one, if it's all right with your mother."
Skyla's eyes lit up at the mention of cookies. "Yes!"
"I think it would be fine for her to have one or two cookies.," I said
with a smile.
"Good! Let's all go inside and I'll fix us all cookies and milk." She
turned around and waddled back to the house. Skyla squirmed out of Alex's
hands and ran after her.
"She's certainly nice," I said.
"She always was to me. But I'm guessing Skyla will wolf down a dozen of
her cookies. She's not bragging when she says her cookies are better than
any you'll find in a store."
"We'd better follow them before they miss us. Alexie," I teased.
"Please, don't ever call me that again," he groaned irritatatedly.
"It's embarrassing. It makes me feel like a little kid."
"What? You don't like the name Alexie?" I teased.
"No. But I can take it when she calls me that. From you, I can't."
"Ohhh, poor Alexie. Doesn't like his nickname.," I laughed.
"Jenny, I mean it. Stop!"
I just grinned and took his hand as we walked in the door.
The Walker kitchen matched Mrs. Walker perfectly. The faded wallpaper
even matched her apron. An old potbellied stove sat in a corner with a
more modern electric oven sitting next to the chipped pink Formica counter.
The smell of baking bread wafted from the oven, and a small battered table
with four chairs around it sat in the middle of the area.
Skyla was already seated at one of them, with a big glass of milk
sitting in front of her. Mrs. Walker was busy at the counter, pouring
three more glasses of milk and stacking chocolate chip cookies on a plate.
"Sit down, sit down. I won't be a minute."
Alex and I took chairs next to Skyla. Mrs. Walker bustled over to us,
setting a glass of milk in front of each of us, then set the cookie plate
in the middle. Skyla immediately attacked it, seeing how fast she could
stuff cookies into her mouth.
"Slow down, Skyla. There isn't any hurry," Alex said. Skyla smiled and
ate a little slower.
"Just a minute, just let me call Marvin so he can meet you two." She
walked to the back door and yelled. "Marvin! Get in here, you'll never
guess who's showed up!"
A few minutes later a man a few years older than Mrs. Walker came in the
back door. If his wife was the classic Grandmother, he was the classic
Grandfather: tall and lanky, nearly bald with fringes of hair along the
sides of his head, and a grin showing a few missing teeth. He wore
overalls and an old flannel shirt that looked as if it was ready to come
apart at the seams. Taking a squinting look at Alex, he grinned.
"Alex! I never expected to see you here! How's it been?"
"Great, Mr. Walker," Alex grinned back at him.
"Marvin, this is Jenny, Alex's wife," Mrs. Walker said.
"Wife! Well I'll be damned! Actually got married, did ya? I thought
you'd hold out for sure!" he laughed. He turned and looked me over. "Nice
to meet you, Jenny. Golly you're young!" he said, looking at me though
squinting eyes.
"I'm seventeen, Mr. Walker. Nice to meet you, too."
Mr. Walker turned to where Skyla was still chomping down on cookies
ravenously. "And don't tell me this is your daughter, too! You been busy,
haven't you, you old dog!" he laughed, slapping Alex on the back. Alex and
I blushed.
"Don't be crude, Marvin," Mrs. Walker scolded. Mr. Walker ignored her
and pulled up the last chair. Noticing that Mrs. Walker had no where to
sit, I pulled Skyla onto my lap. She protested until I pulled the cookie
plate closer and moved her milk over. She continued to munch happily.
Mrs. Walker smiled at me gratefully as she sat down, pouring herself a
glass of milk. I tentatively reached out and took a cookie. When I bit
into it, I found out that as Alex had said, she wasn't bragging. I could
see why Skyla was shoveling them down. But Skyla shoveled anything sweet
down.
"Well, what have you been doing the last few years Alex, besides getting
married and having kids?" Mr. Walker asked.
"Well, I've been working on college. I'll graduate next year. Other
than that and what you said that's about it. I've been too busy to do
anything else."
"How long have you two been married, and why didn't you invite us?" Mrs.
Walker asked Alex.
"A little over two years. We lived together for a year and ten months
before we got married. I didn't invite you because I didn't think of it.
I doubt you could have made it, it was in New Mexico."
"A year and ten months? Ahh. So why did you decide to get married so
young?"
"I knew I was going to ask her eventually, but I wanted to wait until
she was a little older. But as things turned out, with Skyla being born
and the rest of it, I figured that it was better to marry her sooner than
later."
"But how did you two meet?" Mrs. Walker asked.
"We met on the school bus when I was thirteen. I used to live near
here," I said.
"Oh, what's your maiden name?"
"Baker."
"Little Jenny Baker? We used to know your parents when you were little!
I knew you looked a little familiar. But I haven't seen you since you were
five or six years old!" Mrs. Walker exclaimed.
"Well, I've grown up some," I said.
"Really! I haven't talked to your parents in a long time...there were
rumors a few years ago that you had run away from home. Natalie Wood said
that she picked you up late one night, running along the road, looking
beaten up. No one's seen you for the longest time. Now I see why."
I flushed.
"Jenny's parents didn't treat her very well, so she came down to New
Mexico to live with me. We'd like to leave it at that," Alex said firmly.
I smiled gratefully at him.
"We understand. They always were a little mean spirited and set in
their ways. I can see why you left, especially to go to a boy as nice as
Alex here." Alex blushed. "So you came back up here to visit?"
"Yes, and just for a vacation. We've been busy, and decided it was time
to take a little quality time together. We wanted to see one of our old
friends and Jenny's sister, too. We just stopped by to visit with you for
a few minutes, and to see if we could pick up some eggs and milk." I shot
him a look. "Oh, and do you have the spare key to the house? I forgot it
back in our apartment in New Mexico," he grumbled.
"Ahh, forgot the old key again, did you? You always did. That's why
his Dad gave us the extra key, so he could get in if he forgot his," Mr.
Walker told me. Alex looked embarrassed. I looked at my watch. "Alex,
we'd better go. Kallie and Amanda will be getting out of school soon."
"Yeah, I guess we'd better. So do you still have that key?"
"Yup. I'll go get it while Jane here gets you your milk and eggs."
Mr. Walker hobbled off to get the key, while Mrs. Walker busied herself in
the fridge again, coming up with a gallon of milk and a carton of twenty
four eggs which she set on the table.
"There, that should keep you a while," Mrs. Walker said.
"Thanks, we'd better go, we have to meet a couple of people down at the
high school," Alex said. He tried to give her some money, but she refused.
"I haven't seen you in so long. It's a gift. Just make sure to come
back and visit again before you leave." We thanked her. Mr. Walker met us
at the door, handing Alex the key.
"Just don't loose this one," Mr. Walker laughed, handing Alex the key.
"I won't. It would be a long trip to get a new one." Alex said. Mr.
Walker laughed again, and we walked out the front door. Mrs. Walker
touched me on the shoulder and handed me a bag of cookies.
"These are for Skyla's desert tonight. She's a sweet little girl. A
reflection of her mother, I'm sure. Just don't let your parents bother
you. I never liked them much, and neither did Marvin," she whispered. I
smiled at her gratefully, taking the cookies from her.
"Thank you," I whispered back. "We'd appreciate it if you wouldn't tell
anyone we're back. I don't want to have to deal with anyone from my past
except for the ones I want to." She gave me a pat on the cheek.
"Don't worry, we won't. Now follow your family before they miss you,"
she said, motioning me to follow Alex and Skyla, who were walking ahead of
me already. I hurried after them, waving to Mr. and Mrs. Walker as I went.
End Chapter Three
Chapter Four
------------
We got back to the house in time to unload the car and get to the high
school to hopefully pick up Kallie and Amanda. Their spring break didn't
let out until a week after ours, so we could, if we were lucky, just grab
them before they got on the bus. We hadn't told them we were coming,
wanting it to be a surprise.
We pulled up to the school five minutes before it let out. Alex waited
in front of the bus, knowing that I'd be recognized faster than he would;
if we had to, we didn't want anyone to know that we were here except for
Kallie and Amanda. We wouldn't have to deal with people talking again, or
worse, having my parents show up at the door. But I was a bit nervous,
after all, I hadn't seen either of them in over two years.
Looking at the school I was glad that I didn't go there anymore. It
looked even more run down than before, and I'm sure the teachers hadn't
gotten any better. I had learned more in a year in the schools in New
Mexico than in all the time I had spent in that school. The only good
times were during lunch and when Alex and I used to slip into an old
storage room while skipping class.
Luckily, Amanda and Kallie came out of the school together. They both
screamed in delight when they saw Alex standing in front of the bus,
running up and nearly knocking him over as they both tried to hug him at
once.
Alex just laughed and hugged them back. Then they started to drill him
with questions. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but Alex obviously
wasn't answering them. He almost had to drag them over to the van. I got
out of the passenger seat of the van and opened the sliding rear door,
allowing Skyla to get out. Then Kallie and Amanda spotted me.
Immediately I was surrounded by hugs, and a few tears. I couldn't help
myself; I hadn't seen them in so long. I started crying, and soon we were
just a 'mass of crying females,' as Alex would put it.
Amanda had changed a *lot*. She wasn't quite the little girl I had
remembered her to be. Under her t-shirt I could see definite signs of
development, and she had cut her slightly-curly light brown hair to
shoulder-length. Her wide green eyes seemed a bit wiser now, displaying a
sense of maturity and confidence that they had lacked before. She was
definitely growing up. She had a figure with a small willowy waist with
lightly flaring hips that filled her jeans well. The baby-fat was gone
from her stomach, replaced by a nice firm but soft looking surface. I was
impressed. My little sister was turning into quite the beauty. I almost
envied Kallie.
Skyla climbed out of the van.
"My god has she grown!" Kallie exclaimed when she spotted her. Suddenly
Skyla was surrounded in people she hadn't seen since she was a little over
a month old. She looked scared to death, until Alex stepped in and picked
her up. She hugged him and buried her head in his chest as if trying to
hide from the overexcited doting of her aunt and godmother.
"This is your Aunt Kallie, and this is your Aunt Amanda, Skyla. You've
seen them before, but you were only a month or so old at the time," I
explained. Skyla still looked wary.
"Skyla, you've heard my voice over the phone, haven't you?" Kallie said
softly, finally figuring out that she was scaring her with her loud
squawking. Skyla slowly nodded. "And you've heard Amanda's voice once or
twice, too." Skyla nodded again. "Good, then don't be afraid of us. We
wouldn't hurt you any more than your mother or father would," Skyla smiled.
"God she's cute though, isn't she?" Amanda exclaimed.
"So what are you three doing here? You never told us you were coming!"
Kallie said.
"We came up for a vacation. We hadn't seen you two in a few years, and
you were bugging us constantly about seeing us again. So we drove up for
spring break."
"So how long are you staying?"
"Nine, ten days at the most," I told her.
"It's just so good to see you again!" Kallie said, pulling me into a hug
again.
"It's good to see you. You've grown, a lot. Me, I haven't changed much
since you last saw me."
Kallie pushed me back, giving me a once over. "No, you haven't. But
I'm sure Alex likes you that way. Cute and still looking fourteen years
old." I just smiled.
"Well, are you two going to come visit with us, or are you going to
stand there like two idiots?" Alex demanded.
"As courteous as ever, Alex," Kallie said, punching him lightly in the
arm.
"Only to you Kallie," he said sweetly. I sighed exaggeratedly.
"Well, I suppose I can come out for a few hours. I'd have to call my
parents. I don't know what I'd tell them, though," Amanda said.
"Just tell them you're over at a friends house doing homework. They
won't care," I told her.
"My parents won't even notice I'm gone. They've got six other kids to
worry about." Kallie said bitterly.
"I thought it was five?" Alex said.
"They had another one. A girl. Now I have to share my room," she
grimaced. "At least I can move out in a year."
"Well then, let's go," I said. Kallie, Skyla, and Amanda climbed into
the back while Alex and I climbed in the front. We drove out of the
school parking lot. I never looked back.
*****
Skyla ran inside to explore the house as soon as the car pulled to a
stop and Kallie opened the door. We hadn't let her before since we didn't
want to have to hunt her down when we went to pick up the girls at school.
Alex went to get us all something to drink while we sat down to talk
idly about what had happened since the last time I had spoken with them.
He came back a few seconds later and handed us each a Coke, and sat down in
an armchair across from us. I could tell he was restless by how he
squirmed around in his chair, like an eight-year-old during Sunday mass. I
guessed that he had been cooped up inside a car too long and wanted to do
something other than sit around and watch us women talk.
"Who feels like a swim?" Alex asked suddenly, unable to contain his
impatience any longer.
"Swim?" Kallie asked. "The closest pool is in Sandville."
"Who said anything about a pool? There's a pond a ways back through the
woods that I used to swim in all the time when I lived here."
"But we don't have our suits with us," Amanda protested.
"Who needs a suit? I never used one," Alex said with an impish grin.
"Alex!" I scolded.
"What?" he said defensively. "I don't see a problem. They've both seen
us naked doing...other things. Skyla doesn't care one way or the other.
The only ones who could be squeamish about it are Amanda and Kallie."
"I don't have a problem," Kallie said. "Let's go."
"But..." Amanda said weakly, then gave in when she caught a look from
Kallie. "Fine, let's go before I change my mind."
"Good," Alex said, nodding his head. "I'll get some towels, why don't
you three see if you can find Skyla."
It was a good thing he sent three of us to find Skyla. It looked as if
she had disappeared into thin air (again) until Amanda found her in the
attic. She'd found a trunk full of old moth-eaten clothes, and was
playing 'dress up.'
"Well, it looks like she needs a bath anyway," I sighed when I saw her,
cheeks smeared with dust, her hair entwined with cobwebs.
Alex was waiting impatiently in the living room when we came down, Skyla
still protesting about us breaking up her game. But she forgot all about
it when I told her we were going swimming. Amanda called our parents, and
we followed Alex out the kitchen door.
A well-worn path led to the pond, winding between the tall trees and
through the thick underbrush. Sunbeams slanted through the branches,
almost like spotlights on the life growing beneath them. Then suddenly the
path widened and the pond came into view.
"It's just like you told me it looked like, Daddy!" Skyla said. We had
to stop her from running directly into it, clothes and all. Not that it
would have mattered all that much, considering the coat of grime on them
already.
Skyla and Alex quickly shucked off their clothes and waded into the
pond. Kallie, Amanda and I were a little slower, unsure about undressing
in the middle of the woods, where anyone could be watching. Alex whistled
obscenely as we stripped.
"You'd better stop whistling or you're going to regret it," Kallie
threatened.
"Oh no. Can you three even swim? I bet I could swim circles around
you, even if you do know how to swim," Alex called, paddling out to the
center of the pond with Skyla in tow.
"Maybe me, but you're outnumbered four to one."
"Oh, I doubt it. My own wife and daughter wouldn't turn on me,"
Alex said, sounding a little unsure of himself.
"Don't bet on your wife coming to rescue you," I called sweetly, peeling
off the last of my clothing and posing seductively against a nearby tree.
Alex gaped at my display, his jaw dropping. But I was sure something else
was rising unseen under the water. The three of us slid into the water and
paddled toward him, eyes glinting mischievously.
"How about you, Skyla. Will you help defend your Daddy?" Alex asked
desperately.
"Skyla," I called. "I have a cookie back at the house with your name on
it."
"Sorry Daddy," Skyla said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before
trying to drag him under unsuccessfully.
"Sold out by my wife and my daughter. I feel so...used," Alex said,
feigning terror as we closed in on him. Alex bolted, dragging Skyla after
him and depositing her in the swallows, only to dart back into deeper
waters. He wasn't lying; he could swim circles around us, the obvious
advantage of spending nearly every day during the summer swimming. But we
caught up with him once we organized ourselves and surrounded him. Skyla
cheered us on from the shallows since she didn't know how to swim.
He immediately realized he was cornered, and waited to see what we
intended to do, looking for an avenue of escape. He watched me warily as I
swam up to him. I decided to use one of my most powerful tools against
him: sex appeal.
I swam slowly up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. He tensed,
ready to move if I tried anything more, but I just smiled sexily. He
looked at me warily. Then I kissed him, slipping my tongue into his mouth.
He wavered slightly, but I knew I wouldn't be able to pull him under unless
I relaxed him a little bit more; he could still toss me easily. So, I
pressed my body against his, all my curves molding against him. He moaned
and closed his eyes as I reached down and grasped his semi-erect cock. I
was considering whether to go through with it and dunk him or not, feeling
my pussy get moist. And not from the pond water.
Then I decided I could have him later, and attempted to yank him under.
He tried to recover from his dive, breaking the kiss as he flailed his arms
and pushed me away. But it was too late; Kallie and Amanda had already
moved
in on him while he was occupied with me. They jumped on him and pushed him
under. He came up sputtering, only to be hit again by Amanda, who wrapped
herself around him. Not only was he overbalanced, but I think that having
her breasts pressed into his face while having her slick body tightly
against his
was also a factor in his plunging under the water again.
After one more dunking, we decided that he had gotten what he deserved.
He swam toward where Skyla was and soaked in the shallow end.
I swam up to him. "Mad at me?" I asked, giving him my best sad look.
"Mad at you? No. I just feel betrayed by my own family, and half
drowned," he grinned sarcastically, then pulled me into his arms and kissed
me as I had him right before his involuntary submergence. I relaxed, and
before I had a chance to react, I felt my own body being pushed under. I
squealed into his mouth in surprise. Then he stopped, leaving my face
barely above the murky water, still kissing him. He pulled away slightly.
"Thought I was going to dunk you, didn't you?" he laughed.
"Yes," I admitted.
"You were right."
"What?" his supporting arms dropped away, and I went under only to feel
his arms pull me back up again, sputtering.
"Gotcha," he grinned.
"Jerk," I murmured, then kissed him again. A real kiss which was not
meant
to disarm. I felt his erection poking my belly as we pulled each other
closer. We hadn't really had a private moment since the trip had begun,
and we were getting...desperate. Suddenly six arms reached out and pushed
both Alex and I under. We came up choking on pond water, the mood ruined.
"You two looked like you needed cooling off," Kallie snickered, Amanda
and Skyla standing beside her and grinning. We glared at them. I looked
at Alex. "What do you think?" I asked him.
"Let's go for it," he said, grinning evilly. We dove together, swimming
through the murky water until we sighted the three girl's dangling legs. I
took Kallie and Alex took Amanda. If they had known what was coming, they
would have moved a lot quicker than they did. But by the time they felt
our hands wrap around their legs, they were already flailing underwater.
Alex and I surfaced next to each other, still holding our victims under
while a giggling Skyla looked on.
"Should we let them up?" I asked Alex.
"I don't know. It's actually almost quiet now," I said, struggling
to keep Kallie under.
"Yes. It is, isn't it? But they are our friends and family, no matter
how noisy they are."
"Yes, I suppose you're right," I agreed. We released our hostages and
they floated to the surface, gasping for breath.
"Maybe that'll teach you not to interrupt us while we're kissing," Alex
chuckled.
"You looked like you were about to do more than just kiss," Amanda
giggled. I blushed. Alex just grinned at her.
"Truce?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"Truce," everyone agreed. Kallie, Amanda and I swam back to the
swallows near our clothes and watched as Alex attempted to teach Skyla how
to swim.
"He's very gentle with her, isn't he?" Amanda commented.
"He's gentle with everyone. Especially her," I said, watching as
Alex got her to try to float on her back, careful to never let her head go
under.
"And you, Jenny. I've never even seen him yell at you," Kallie said.
"He hasn't. He's gotten angry, but he's never raised his voice to me.
He hasn't to Skyla, either. In fact, the only person I've ever seen him
yell at is his father, after he more or less threatened me."
"Well, he looks like he could do some damage if he wanted to," Amanda
stated, watching his muscles flex as he held Skyla easily above the water.
"He sure hit Dad plenty hard."
I felt something cold sink into my stomach as I heard her talk about my
father. Kallie nudged her under the water, nodding her head in my
direction. "I'm sorry Jenny," Amanda said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it Amanda. It's in the past," I sighed, leaning my
head back to feel the cool water brush against my scalp, trying to shake
the old memories away. Amanda nodded and changed the subject.
We climbed out of the water an hour or so later. You can't really call
yourself 'clean' after swimming in a pond, so we trekked back to the house,
not even bothering to dress. Alex, Skyla and I shared the master bathroom
shower while Kallie and Amanda took the big tub in the bathroom down the
hall. We didn't bother taking turns. We knew Amanda and Kallie wouldn't
mind bathing together, and the three of us took showers together at home
all the time, in the name of 'saving on the water bill.' But we all knew
the real reason; it was just a lot more fun with two other people to wash
your back.
As soon as everyone was dry and back in their clothes, Alex drove the
girls home. I stayed behind to keep an eye on Skyla, who was by now fed up
with driving around all day. Frankly, so was I.
By the time Alex got back it was getting late, so we put Skyla to bed in
Alex's father's room, and went to spend some time together on the couch,
just like old times.
"I think today was pretty successful," I said sleepily, laying my head
on his chest.
"A full day, yes. Full of...interesting sights," Alex said, a slightly
lecherous tone in his voice.
"I know what you were looking at most of the day," I giggled.
"It was kind of heard not to look, with all that skin flashing in my
face, or better yet, pressed against it."
"Hmmm. Yes, Kallie is becoming well endowed, isn't she?"
"Amanda isn't half bad either," Alex added absently.
"Looking at my little sister again, are you?" I grinned at him.
"Yes, I am. But my eyes kept wandering back to you," he said,
kissing me.
"Don't try to change the subject," I said, then kissed him back. Alex's
hand slipped between my thighs, pressing against my clit through my jeans.
I pulled my mouth from his, gasping. "Let's go upstairs, and relive a few
more memories. I'll even let you fantasize that it's Amanda you're with,"
I laughed.
"When I make love to you, you're the only person on my mind," Alex said,
nuzzling my neck.
"Does that mean I have to give up my fantasies of Harrison Ford?" I
joked, then sighed as his hand slipped up my shirt and cupped one of my
breasts, playing with the erect nipple.
"Harrison Ford? No wonder you drag me to every movie he's in," He
tried to pull my shirt over my head, but I stopped him.
"Let's get upstairs before we lose all control, and Skyla finds a
surprise when she comes downstairs tomorrow morning," I said, pulling my
shirt back down. Then the couch fell away as Alex picked me up swiftly
into his arms and headed for the stairs. "You like doing that, don't you?"
I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck.
"Yes, but I also know it turns you on."
"Hmm, you know me pretty well, don't you?" I said, nipping at his
earlobe as he began to climb the stairs.
"Let's see how well," he chuckled, kicking the bedroom door shut
behind us.
"Sounds good to me," I said as he lowered me onto the bed.
End Chapter Four
Chapter Five
------------
"We need to get some supplies," Alex said, peering into the fridge at
the years-old contents. "I don't even want to think about the expiration
date on the sour cream. I know for a fact that it was in there years
before I left."
"Well, we'll just have to go into town and pick up a few things. We
can't live off decade old sour cream."
"Yeah, but Sandfield is half an hour away. I don't want to drive all
that way just for some macaroni and cheese."
I rolled my eyes. Macaroni and cheese was Skyla's current fad in food,
and wouldn't eat anything else unless we managed to sneak it in with a bowl
of the stuff. "I didn't mean Sandfield. I said town."
"Town? I thought you didn't want to go into town. Hell, I don't want
to go into town either. And what about your parents?" he said grumpily,
plopping down in one of the chairs around the kitchen table.
"I figure we have to come out in the open sometime. I really don't want
to stay cooped up out here for two weeks. Besides, we have to go into
town. We don't have enough gas to make it much further than that."
"Gas? How do you know how far we can get on what's left?"
"When the needle points to empty, it generally means you need gas. You
don't go on a half hour drive when you're running off fumes," I said dryly.
"Fine, fine. You're right. Let's go, before we all get hungry enough
to start thinking about that sour cream."
*****
"One of these days I'll learn to listen to you," Alex grumbled as we
coasted down the hill to roll up in front of the gas station at the edge of
town. The engine had died just as we were cresting the final hill leading
into town.
"Don't worry Alex, it's just those male hormones that tell you that you
can make it just one more mile further on an empty tank of gas," I grinned
at him as he climbed out to fill the tank. I looked around and decided to
get a head start on shopping. "Alex, I'll meet you down at Hamilton's when
you're finished. I'll take Skyla with me." Alex mumbled something, which
I took as a yes. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and helped Skyla hop
out of the van. We headed down the street, Skyla peering curiously into
every window.
Main Street in Kendleston was really the only street. No one had ever
bothered to pave it. It would raise the taxes too much, and if there was
anything the townspeople hated, it was taxes. It really wasn't worth it
for the pitiful offering of shops. No more than eight buildings lined the
street, ranging from the barber's shop run by old Mr. Johnston to
Hamilton's, the 'grocery store' where everyone who didn't want to bother to
drive the distance to Sandville shopped. It was, of course, run by the
Hamilton family. No cars were visible on the street, and if it hadn't been
for the electric lights in the stores and the more or less modern dress of
the people, it could have been a scene out of the 1800s.
By talking to the people you wouldn't know that you were living in the
late twentieth century. Bible thumping god-fearing people lived here, and
if you didn't attend the local church, you were considered a social
outcast.
The old morals and ways of thinking ran deep in this backwoods town.
Women were still expected to stay home and raise the kids, while the men
went out and worked. Most girls got married at sixteen or seventeen. It
was a feminist's worst nightmare. I was glad that I had gotten out when I
did, remembering the lumbering jerks who had come on to me when I was still
in school here.
But what really caught Skyla's eye was the sign with a bright ice cream
cone hanging from the front of the small diner run by Alice Mason. She
immediately asked for one. I told her later, which seemed to satisfy her,
at least for as long as a two-year-old can be satisfied.
The bell over the door jingled as Skyla and I walked through it,
bringing back memories of when I was little more than Skyla's age,
wandering through and looking at everything from the viewpoint of a person
three feet tall. The shelves seemed huge then, now they barely reached my
chest. Shaking my head as if to clear the cobwebs of the past from my head
I wandered the small store with Skyla in tow, picking up this and that and
tossing it into the basket that I had picked up at the door. I had to keep
Skyla's hands out of everything, which I was quite used to by now.
As it was near noon, and the store was empty. A small fan on a shelf
over the counter kept the hot air moving lazily through the store, rustling
the graying hair of Mrs. Hamilton as she watched amusedly while I
maneuvered Skyla expertly through the isles.
Alex walked in a few minutes later. Mrs. Hamilton eyed him critically
as he walked over to Skyla and I.
"Hi hon, got everything yet?" he asked, not quite so grumpy as he had
been while filling the gas tank. Mrs. Hamilton looked surprised.
"Not quite yet. I still need to pick up a few things here," I answered,
reaching into the battered cooler in the back corner of the store to fish
out a few soft drinks.
"Daddy, can we get some ice cream?" Skyla pleaded.
"I don't know, Skyla. Depends on how long it takes to finish up here,"
Alex said, picking her up and holding her on his hip.
"Why don't you take her over and get her a cone, it'll only take me a
couple of minutes more to finish up and pay," I told him.
"Sounds good to me. We'll get you a chocolate, right?" he said with a
humorous gleam in his eye, knowing my weakness for chocolate ice cream.
"If you get anything else you'll regret it," I smiled and gave him a
peck on the lips. He wandered out of the store, headed for the diner down
the street.
I found the last few things I needed and set the full basket on the
counter. Mrs. Hamilton began to ring them up as I pulled my checkbook from
my purse.
"You're Jenny Baker, aren't you? I haven't seen you in here for a good
four years," she stated, not looking up from her cash register.
"I moved a few years back," I said, surprised that she remembered me.
"It's Jenny Braxton now, though. I got married a couple of years ago."
"Really? You don't look nearly old enough to be married, even around
here."
"I married Alex when I was fifteen, after living with him for a while.
And I had Skyla, the little girl you saw my husband leave with."
"Braxton...I seem to remember that name. Didn't they used to live
around here?"
"Alex did. His father still lives here theoretically, but he's out of
town most of the time. We met here, then moved down to New Mexico. We're
just up here for a couple weeks of vacation."
She rang up the last item on the ancient cash register. I paid her,
gathering up the bags of groceries as well as I could.
"Well, have a good vacation. Good to see you again," she said with a
smile.
"Thanks. See you," I said then walked out the front door. I headed for
the van, intending to drop the groceries off before joining Alex and Skyla.
"Well if it isn't Jenny Baker, the local lesbian," leered another
familiar voice. I paused as the memories of torment flooded back of
bullies all through elementary and high school, of people who seemed to
think that by hurting others they could boost their own self-worth.
Barely managing to recover, I continued to walk toward the van on shaky
legs, ignoring the voice. Another voice, slightly higher than the first,
joined in.
"What, you ain't even gonna talk to us, Miss Priss? Come on, we just
want to talk to you, after all this time," the voice said mockingly. I
turned to face them.
"I have nothing to say to you," I said coldly. It was all three of the
Maine brothers. They had been bullying me since I was in second grade,
having only gotten worse in the last few years before I left. Those years
that I wanted to forget. A scruffy hand reached out and grabbed my
shoulder.
"What, you can't even say hello to your old buddies?" Jack sneered.
"Let go!" I shouted, pulling away from him. A foot reached out and
tripped me. I fell back, dropping the groceries and grating my hands on
the sharp gravel underneath me as I fell. My hands slipped and my head hit
the gravel with a thud. I lay on my back in the middle of the road, my
head swimming. Suddenly I felt a weight on top of me.
"Come on, give me a kiss for old times sake, baby," Harry growled. I
tried to fend him off, but he pressed harder against me. The other two
managed to grab my arms and pin me. I screamed, but that only seemed to
egg them on. Harry pressed his lips against mine, I nearly threw up as I
felt his tongue wash wetly against my lips. I felt a hand grab one of my
breasts roughly and I sobbed, trying to push them away.
Suddenly a thud followed by a sickening crack split the air to my left.
Jack screamed in pain, and my arm was free. Harry looked up in surprise.
A fist met his face, and he tumbled off of me, holding his nose. A foot
slammed into his crotch, making him double up in pain. Jake, who had been
holding my other arm, managed to stand up.
"All right motherfucker, whoever you are, now you're going to get it,"
he snarled menacingly.
"I don't think so, asshole," a familiar voice snarled back. Alex was
standing over me with his fists balled up at his sides. His face was a
mask of fury and hate. Jake swung and Alex blocked it, sending his fist
into Jake's belly. He grunted but managed to stay erect. He tried to
swing again, but Alex's fist intercepted his face before he could get any
power behind it. His head flew back. Alex's leg lunged out, catching him
in the kneecap. One of Jake's knees bent in the wrong direction. He fell
to the ground screaming, holding his knee.
The three boys lay around me moaning in pain and cursing. I tried to
sit up, but my head spun and I sank back.
"Don't move," Alex said softly. Strong arms lifted me. I buried my
face in the crook of his shoulder and cried like I was ten years old again.
"Don't worry, it's over. They aren't going to hurt you again," Alex
promised, carrying me over to the van and settling me into the passenger
seat.
"I'll be back in a second," he said, wiping a tear off my cheek.
"Don't go," I sobbed and held onto him.
"Don't worry, I'll just be a second," he said, gently pulling
my arms off him. Skyla crawled up and sat on my lap, hugging me. I
wrapped my arms around her, grateful for the comfort.
Alex reappeared a minute later, climbing into the passenger seat. "You
don't need a doctor, or anything?" he asked worriedly. I shook my head.
Alex nodded and started the van, driving carefully around where my three
attackers still lay prone in the road. A few people had appeared, looking
at them. One or two of them had grins on their faces. The Maine brothers
were not well liked, by anyone.
I closed my eyes, and the next thing I knew we were pulling up to the
house. Reaching out I opened the door when the car stopped, but fell back
against the seat when my head began to swim. Alex hopped out of the van
and opened the passenger side door. Skyla climbed out, and I tried to get
out on my own again. My head thrummed and I nearly fell, until Alex caught
me.
"Stop that," Alex scolded. "You're going to hurt yourself more.
Just let me carry you."
"All right," I grumbled, letting him pick me up again. I watched the
scenery flow by as he carried me carefully upstairs and lay me on the bed
in his old room. Skyla had followed us silently, watching with a worried
look on her face.
"Skyla, don't let Mommy move, okay? I'll be back in a second," Alex
said. I started to protest but he silenced me with a 'no nonsense' look.
Skyla nodded obediently and climbed up on the bed beside me, watching every
move I made. The way I was feeling, I didn't make many.
Alex reappeared with a bowl of warm water, a couple of washcloths, a
small towel, and a tray of ice. He set them on the dresser, then walked
over to the bed and began unbuttoning my blouse.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Taking your clothes off. You'll be more comfortable, and I want to
make sure you don't have scrapes and bruises to match the ones on your
hands anywhere else."
Sighing I gave in to his mothering, only moving to lift my hips to help
him pull my jeans off. I at least felt cooler in the excessively warm room
when my clothes were gone. He went to the dresser and fetched the
washcloths and water. I grimaced as he wetted one of them and used it to
gently wash the dirt and imbedded gravel from my hands and elbows.
When he had them clean to his satisfaction, he wet the washcloth again
and washed my face, wiping away the tear streaks that wound their way
through the dust and sweat which had accumulated on my face. He finished
with one final swipe over my chin. I smiled when he kissed me gently.
"Think you can roll over?" he asked. In response I rolled over, taking
care not to bump my head more than needed. "Good girl. Want a treat?" he
grinned. I turned my head and glared at him. He continued to smile as he
swept my long hair aside, pulling it into a loose ponytail which he lay to
my side.
He examined my bump while I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He
whistled.
"Nice one you have there. There isn't any blood, but I'm guessing
you'll be out of commission for a day or two."
"But we're on vacation," I complained.
"Well, vacations are for relaxing. So you'll be relaxing here, with
Skyla and I as your humble servants."
"Hmmm. That has promise. As long as my main servant is you," I giggled
and moaned as the motion sent a shock of pain through my skull. "I'm told
I tip well," I grinned at him with a lusty glimmer in my eyes.
"Are you flirting with your doctor, ma'am?" he said, acting as if he was
shocked.
"Only with the cute ones," I failed to repress another giggle. "Now
please stop making me laugh, it hurts my head." I moaned.
"Yes ma'am," he smirked as I rolled my eyes. He wrapped a few cubes of
ice in the towel and set it on the bump on the back of my head. "Skyla,
hold this here please?" Alex said. Skyla nodded, by now used to not
knowing what we were talking about half the time. Her small hand gripped
the makeshift ice bag, holding it gently to my head, while Alex's hands
caressed my back.
"Now I want you to take a nap for a while," he ordered, then kissed the
nape of my neck. His fingers dug gently into the muscles of my back. I
moaned as he worked on the tense muscles, making me go limp on the
bedspread. He certainly knew how to get me to sleep quickly. My eyes
closed in a relaxed haze. When his fingers went to work on the small of my
back, I went out like a light.
End Chapter Five
Chapter Six
-----------
I woke with a gasp to find an ice cube slowly melting in the middle of
my back. I reached back and swept it off, pressing my hand to the cold
spot it had left behind. My head ached as if someone had pounded a nail
through the back of my skull, then used an axe to dig it free.
As I slowly came to my senses, I realized that two bodies were pressed
against mine. Skyla lay on my right side. It looked as if she had fallen
asleep still holding the makeshift ice pack to my head. Her hand had gone
limp as she fell asleep, and the towel that had been holding the ice in
place had come apart, spilling the few remaining unmelted pieces.
I lay back down and tried to go back to sleep, but the room was
stiflingly hot. The fact that my brain seemed to be trying to escape the
confines of my skull wasn't helping much either.
'God I need an aspirin,' I thought. I sat up, holding my head in my
hands, then moved to climb over Skyla.
"Where are you going?" Alex asked sleepily, my movement waking him.
"I need aspirin. Bad," I groaned. He took my shoulder and pushed
me gently back onto the bed.
"Don't move. I'll get it."
"I'm not helpless," I grumbled.
"No, you're not. But you're also the one that's injured."
I sighed. "Fine, I'll let you get it. But give me a hug first," I
said, pulling him against me. He winced as my arm pressed into his ribs.
"I'm the one that's injured, huh? Take that shirt off, I want to take a
look."
"It's nothing. I'll go get that aspirin," he mumbled, then tried to
climb out of the bed. I grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.
"You aren't going anywhere until you take that shirt off," I commanded.
"Jenny, it's nothing. It's just a little bruise, that's all. One of
them got a punch in before I...finished him off."
"Let me see," I glowered at him, my arms crossed.
"All right," he said resignedly, then pulled his shirt over his head. I
pushed him onto his back, moving his arms over his head. A large purplish
bruise on the right side of his ribcage showed where Jack must have landed
a punch before Alex broke his arm. Alex winced as I tenderly probed it,
his breath hissing through his teeth.
"Do you have to poke it?" he complained.
"Does it hurt when you move? Any trouble breathing?" I asked, ignoring
his complaints.
"Only when you touch it or I bend over. I don't have any problem
breathing."
"Good," I said, pleased. "Then you probably don't have any cracked
ribs."
"Yes nurse. Can I go get that aspirin now? After all this I think I
need one or two myself."
I nodded. He moved to get up. "Alex?"
He groaned and flopped back against the pillows.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you," I kissed him and gave him a hug, careful not to touch
his bruise. His skin felt wonderful against mine, and he hugged me back.
"Hey, I told you I wouldn't let anyone hurt you. Sorry I got there so
late."
"You got there just in time," I smiled up at him. He smiled back and
climbed out of bed, heading for the bathroom. I heard him digging through
the medicine cabinet, cursing under his breath as he looked for the
aspirin.
I lay back and pulled Skyla against me, who was still sleeping. Then I
heard the front door slam. I tensed, thinking unreasonably that the Maine
brothers were back, even though they would be in no shape to beat up on
anyone for at least a few weeks.
"Anyone home?" Kallie's voice yelled. I relaxed, thankful that it was
only Kallie.
"Didn't you two ever learn how to knock?" I heard Alex call down the
hall.
"Nope," I heard Kallie's voice retort. "Where's Jenny? Is she okay?"
"In the bedroom. Down the hall first door on the right."
A second later Amanda and Kallie walked into the room, then rushed over
and immediately began poking and prodding me.
"Hey!" I protested as Kallie tried to roll me over.
"You're all right? They didn't hurt you?" Amanda asked.
"Hurt me? No, I just fell. I have a headache and a little skin came
off my hands, but that's it."
By now Skyla was wide awake and from the look on her face was wondering
how all these people got into the room. I was wondering a little about
that myself.
"Jack and Jake are in the hospital, and Harry has this big splint on his
nose!" Kallie blurted. "Everyone's saying that Alex did it!"
"So I did," Alex said, walking into the room with two glasses of water
and a bottle of aspirin. "The bastards deserved it."
Amanda and Kallie turned to gape at him as he walked in, his shirt still
off.
"How did you manage to beat up all *three* of them?" Kallie gasped.
"I was really pissed off. They were hurting Jenny. So I stopped
them," Alex said matter-of-factly. The two girls just sat there staring at
him for a moment as he handed me a glass and a couple of aspirin. I
swallowed them, then watched as Alex swallowed one himself. Then Kallie
noticed the bruise.
"They did that to you?" she asked wide-eyed. Amanda and Kallie nearly
bowled Alex over as they rushed to give him a through examination. Alex
protested mildly, seeming to condemn himself to being manipulated by the
two. At least until Amanda tried to pull his pants off 'to give him a more
through examination' she explained. Alex pushed them away.
"I'm fine," Alex stated firmly.
"You're sure?" Kallie asked. She may argue with him at every
opportunity, but I know she cares about him.
"For the thousandth time, yes! First Jenny and now you two. Why can't
women ever listen?" he said woefully, tossing himself back on the bed and
covering his eyes. Amanda beamed as he called her a woman; he didn't seem
to notice. But I did. She always acted that way around Alex.
'She must have a crush on him!' I was shocked at the realization. Then
I smiled. 'And why not? He's only treated her better than any other man
or boy she's ever known.'
"What are you smiling about?" Kallie demanded, breaking me out of my
reverie. "When those two talk to the cops, Alex's going to be in big
trouble. They'll lie as much as they can get away with."
"I doubt it," Alex grinned.
"What did you do?" I asked, giving him a suspicious look.
"Nothing. I just explained the circumstances to him," he said
innocently.
"What did you do?" I insisted.
"They assaulted you. They hit me first, so they also assaulted me. So
I told them that I would have them brought up on charges of assault, and a
couple other charges," He was leaving something out. I could tell. He
never could hide anything from me.
"What might be the 'couple of other charges' be?" I growled.
"Does it matter?" he said defensively.
"Yes, it does. Now tell me, before I make you sleep on the couch!"
He sighed. "Attempted rape of a minor," he said in a small voice.
I gaped at him. Amanda and Kallie seemed as shocked as I was.
"What?" I gasped.
"I had to have something besides assault to threaten them with, didn't
I? And you are seventeen, and that means you're legally a minor. You were
on the ground with one of them on top of you."
"You still had no right!" I shouted in rage.
"You were hurt. I wasn't thinking clearly. It sounded good. And I
really doubt that they'll bother us again."
"Fine," I groaned. I was still a little angry, but I never could stay
mad at him for long. He just gives me one of his sad looks and I melt.
"But don't do it again."
"I don't go around threatening to charge people with attempted rape
every day," Alex chuckled. I had to grin.
"I think you're forgetting something," Kallie broke in.
"What?" I asked her.
"Those three may not bring charges against Alex, they're smart enough to
figure that out. Barely," She added. "But they'll convince themselves it
wasn't a fair fight. Then they'll come after you again. Especially Alex.
Jake may not be able to walk for a while, but the other two have friends
just as bad as they are."
I paled. "Alex, what if she's right?"
"Don't worry. We just won't go into town again," he said. I was
grateful that he didn't mention that I was the one who made us go into town
in the first place.
"They know where you're staying," Kallie said darkly.
"There's a shotgun downstairs. I doubt they'll try anything, and if
they do we'll just call the sheriff."
"I don't know," I said worriedly.
"Don't worry," Alex said, giving me a squeeze.
"All right, if you say so," I squeezed him back. I couldn't shake the
feeling that it wouldn't be quite that easy.
*****
I was feeling much better by that evening. Alex all but forced me to
stay in bed all day, despite my protests. By five o'clock that evening I
felt like a caged lion, and was in a similar mood. Sure, it was a posh
cage, with people to tend to my every whim. But I would have rather been
up and moving around. So I did the next best thing; I annoyed my captors.
After the tenth glass of water I called for, and the fifth trip to get
the water at just the right temperature, they were glaring at me. When I
asked Alex to hold the glass while I drank since I was 'Just too weak to do
it myself,' he broke.
"Alright, alright. I give. Get up and do what you feel like, but don't
think I'll be there to catch you if you get dizzy and fall," he warned.
I slid out of bed and kissed his cheek. I wrapped my robe around myself
and smiled at him. Despite his warning, I knew he would be there if
possible to catch me if I did fall. Alex followed me as I walked out of
the bedroom, heading for the bathroom down the hall. He followed me in. I
sighed in exasperation.
"Why are you following me?"
"You might get dizzy, fall and crack your head again. If you're
planning on taking a bath, you could get dizzy and slip, knocking yourself
out. You could drown. Or you could slip getting out of the tub, and crack
your head again. I'm watching you so that won't happen," he said
matter-of-factly.
"I think you're being a little paranoid, don't you?"
"No. I think that you won't stay in bed, so I'll make sure you don't
get hurt while being out of it. No matter what you think, you still have a
nice bump on the back of your head. You can't recover fully in just a few
hours."
"Fine. I was going to take a nice long bath. I was going to invite you
anyway. So you can satisfy your paranoia, and I'll have someone to wash my
back."
"Sounds good to me," he grinned.
"Well, then get out of those clothes. I'll run the bath. I think we
both need a good soak," I said, sniffing the air.
"You'd still smell great even if you didn't take a bath for a week
during a heat-wave," he said lovingly, watching me bend over to stop up the
drain and turn on the hot water tap.
"You just want to get in my pants. But, since I don't have any on, I
suppose you'll have an easy time of it," I flirted, letting my robe fall
open slightly to his gaze.
"Well, I'd better get out of mine then," he said, raising an eyebrow at
my display.
I watched him undress with a sexy smile on my face. His semi-erect cock
popped into view when he pulled down his boxers.
"Now I think you're the one that's overdressed, madam," he said. With a
quick step forward, he pushed the thin robe over my shoulders, letting it
drop to the floor. I stepped back with a slight smile on my face, letting
my hand slip down his chest. I stopped slightly after his navel and let my
hand drop, denying him the expected touch.
I raised my hands over my head and stretched luxuriously, drawing my
breath in and holding it as my muscles pulled taught. My stomach arched
toward him, breasts jutting firmly in front of me, pink nipples erect. He
groaned. I laughed silently to myself, knowing the torture I was putting
him through. Alex says I'm beautiful, and I use it to my full advantage.
Or rather, to our advantage. My body has the traditional lines; my hips
are slim despite having Skyla two years before, my stomach flat and firm,
my waist slim in proportion to my petite frame, tiny in comparison to the
average woman. Alex loved long hair, as he had told me once. I had let it
grow long in our years together, and now it reached the small of my back in
long, dark brown waves. It would have been a pain to take care of if Alex
hadn't been so willing to help me with it. He loved to brush my hair,
letting his fingers trail through it as he worked it over with a brush,
gently working the tangles out as he came across them.
The water was over a foot deep in the tub by this time, so Alex and I
stepped in. He put his hands on my waist to steady me as I climbed in.
The sides of the tub were high enough to make getting in almost like
climbing over a fence, at least for someone barely over five feet tall. We
both hissed in pain as the hot water washed against the skin of our feet
and shins, but quickly adjusted to the heat. He didn't remove his hands
from my waist as he sat, pulling me down with him. He supported me easily,
then gently lowered me until I was resting comfortably against his chest.
The water had risen as our bodies displaced the bath water. Twisting
around in his grasp I turned and hugged him while the water lapped at the
small of my back, feeling like small wet hand flicking against the skin.
I sighed and went limp against him, except for a gentle stroking with my
fingers along the sides of his torso. I felt like purring as he wet a soft
washcloth and began to wash my
back, working with the gentle touch he always seemed to be ready to use if
you would just let him. I almost protested when he paused. Then I
realized that he was just turning off the water, which by now was rolling
in gentle waves over my shoulder blades.
"I'm sorry I was such a witch today," I said, groaning as he worked the
knots out of one of the more complaining muscles.
"I'm used to it," Alex said with a grin.
"Used to it, eh? What do you mean 'used to it'?" I giggled, splashing a
little water at him.
"You must be a witch. No one can be as beautiful as you are without
using some sort of spell."
"Really? And you don't think that the hours I spend in the bathroom
have anything to do with it?" I smiled, reaching up to wrap my arms around
his neck. I rested my chin on his chest, looking up at him. He paused in
his ministrations to my back.
"You know as well as I do that you only wear makeup on special
occasions. And you spend only a little more time than I do in the
bathroom. Besides that, there is other proof to my suspicions."
"Really?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "And what proof is that?"
He pressed his palms against my cheeks, staring into my eyes. "I know
because you enchant me every time I see you. All I know is that I can't
resist you, and I don't think I ever will be able to."
"Does that scare you?"
"No. It makes me love you more, since I know you feel the same way
about me."
"Why do you flatter me so much? I'm already married to you. I thought
men only used flattery when they wanted something."
"You're right. As always. I do want something."
"So what do you want? Money? Sorry, I left my purse on the bed,"
I said playfully.
"Money? No. I want you."
"Really? And if I say no?" I used my arms to leverage myself up until
my face was only inches from his.
"Then your body will say yes," he chuckled, sliding a hand between us,
searching for my pussy. He found it.
I groaned and kissed him, darting my tongue into his mouth. I gasped as
his hand retreated, running smoothly over my pussy and clit. I gave him
the sexiest look I could manage and slid myself down over his cock, its
length sliding through my wet pussy lips and over my clit in a very
satisfying way. I slipped up and down his body, his cock spreading my
pussy lips like a hotdog in a bun. A few seconds later I was panting, the
feeling of the hot skin from his cock brushing against the outside of my
labia was making me feel as if I was lost in a cloud. Alex groaned as his
cock caught at the entrance to my pussy, then popped free before it
entered.
'Sweet torture,' I thought hazily, continuing my slow motions. I was
getting close to coming, and from the look of concentration on his face, he
was too. 'But having semen floating in our bath water just won't do.' I
grinned as the thought flashed through my mind. I lifted myself a little
higher on the next stroke and slid him slowly inside me.
"Unnnnnghh..." I grunted as I felt him slide into my belly. I felt full
-- delightfully full. His cock rasped against my clit at the perfect
angle.
"I think your body says yes," Alex groaned. I answered with a gasp as I
buried him inside me completely.
I rested for a moment, getting used to the sensation. Then I started a
slow, rhythmic pumping. My nipples drug over his damp chest hair, sending
little spikes of pleasure down my torso to join the waves from my vagina
and the bolts from my clit. Closing my eyes, I let my mouth hang open
slightly, gasping in the hot, moist air of the bathroom. I felt like I
could keep up the gentle pace for hours, feeling his hardness pushing in
and out of me, bumping against my cervix on the in-stroke. Then I felt
Alex's hands on my waist. I opened my eyes and looked at him questioningly
as he pulled me against him and refused to let me move.
"My turn," he grinned.
I was about to ask what he meant when he pulled me up until the head of
his cock was barely inside me, just nestled between my inner lips. Then he
kissed me hard, almost sucking the breath out of me. It certainly cut off
any questions I had, as I became absorbed in our kiss. The kiss broke
slowly, until our faces were hovering inches away from each other. I could
feel his breath brushing against my face, making my bangs move slightly in
air current. Then he smiled, and impaled me sharply on his cock. My eyes
went wide, and a small shriek of surprise escaped my lips which quickly
climbed to a cry of pleasure. The sudden burst of ecstasy traveled my
spine and flashed into my mind, obscuring the sudden shock. Suddenly I
found myself in a mix of raw lust. Alex continued to thrust upwards into
me, while lifting me by the waist and bringing me down in sharp smack.
Vaguely feeling the bath water rushing around our flailing bodies, I
lost all track of what was going on around me as we settled into one of the
most intense, fast, and hard love making sessions we've ever had.
His rapid thrusts made me loose track of the out-strokes. It felt like
we was plowing into me forever, my pussy somehow magically taking foot
after foot of cock inside me, with no end in sight. Fireballs of pleasure
ripped from my belly and blasted their way upward through my body,
screaming along my nerves until I thought my head might explode.
I vaguely remember myself wailing in pleasure until my lungs ran out of
air, breathing in, and wailing again. The animal centers of my brain
overran the logical centers, and I lost what little control I had left.
My head thrashed in circles while my wet hair whistled through the air.
I instinctively writhed in Alex's gasp, trying to get deeper penetration,
faster thrusts until I could feel the orgasm growing in my belly. Dim
sounds of Alex's groans filtered through the pleasure, and knew he must be
close as well.
We charged onward, waves of water cresting the sides of the tub as our
bodies whipped it into a froth like hundred mile an hour winds on the open
sea. One final scream built in my throat, slowly rising in volume as I
felt the force of orgasm cut through my mind like a laser through an ice
cube.
"Aaunnnnggghhh!" I screamed, then my jaw clamped shut as the pleasure
spasms overtook my body. Alex's cries joined mine, and then everything
went
black.
*****
I woke up what seemed to be a few seconds later. Groaning, I shook as
an aftershock rolled through me.
'God, no one pull the plug on the tub or I might just follow the water
down the drain,' I thought deliriously.
"Mommy, are you okay?" I heard Skyla ask with a slight edge of fear in
her voice.
"Skyla?" my head snapped up, looking up over the edge of the tub. The
three girls stood at the open bathroom door. Kallie and Amanda's mouths
hung open with a glazed look in their eyes. Skyla stood wide eyed next to
the tub and looked down at us, her head barely clearing the rim.
"I'm fine, honey. I'm just feeling really, really good," I said with a
weak smile, letting my head rest on Alex's chest again. She didn't look
entirely convinced.
"What are you three doing here?" Alex demanded.
"We were coming back from the pond, and we heard Jenny screaming. So we
ran up here to find out what was wrong. The door was unlocked, so we went
in," Kallie said sheepishly.
"We thought you were being murdered or something," Amanda added quickly.
"Hardly," I laughed. Somehow I found the strength to get up on wobbly
legs. Alex grabbed my waist again, steadying me. He didn't look to steady
himself, either. Looking around, I wondered how we managed to get so much
water on the floor.
"Mommy, what's that white stuff?" Skyla asked innocently, pointing
between my legs. I looked down to see a stream of Alex's semen and my
juices running down my thighs.
"Ooops," I giggled, embarrassed. I used a second towel to clean myself
up the best I could, then dried off.
"I'll tell you later, Skyla. It'll take a while to explain, and right
now I'm a little tired," I said, grimacing inwardly about trying to explain
the 'birds and the bees' to a two year old. Skyla just nodded.
"Well, if you're all done staring at us, we're going to go take a nap,"
Alex said, grinning at Kallie and Amanda, and then turned to Skyla. "Come
on honey, it's about time for your nap too." She nodded again and followed
us from the bathroom, looking like she was deep in thought. Kallie and
Amanda looked after us, then looked at each other.
We curled up on the bed together, and quickly fell asleep. But not
before we heard the door to the bedroom down the hall click shut.
End Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
-------------
The phone rang that night as the three of us sat eating dinner. Kallie
and Amanda had gone home an hour or so earlier. But I wondered how long it
would take my parents to find out that we were back in town, and for them
to figure out where Amanda had been going every night after school. They
wouldn't approve of it, and would find someway to punish her, even if they
were afraid of what Alex might do. I hadn't thought about her when I
decided to go into town, and I kicked myself for not thinking of her first.
But I told myself that their reasons for treating me like they did were
completely different than for Amanda lying to them about where she was
going.
Somehow I couldn't quite convince myself of it, though. If they could
do it to one daughter, they could do it to another. And that had been
haunting me ever since I had left her behind. Even more so when I found
out that she and Kallie were occasional lovers. Buried deep was a fear
that they would be discovered. I knew they were always careful; Kallie
always made sure that if she did something 'wrong' she wouldn't get caught.
But I worried that Amanda wouldn't be able to keep the secret as well as
Kallie had.
I tried to turn my thoughts away from my parents. It made it hard for
me to eat. The cold lump in the base of my stomach was back, and this time
it wasn't so easily gotten rid of. Then the phone rang.
"Who would call us here?" Alex asked, looking puzzled.
"The police?" I suggested, the lump in my stomach getting heavier, my
throat constricting in fear.
"I doubt it. I'll get it," he said, pushing back his chair. I watched
as he left the room. I stared down at my plate, afraid that if I got up
and followed my knees would wobble so much that I would fall.
Skyla had noticed my fear and looked as scared as I did, even though she
didn't really understand what was going on.
I heard Alex pick up the phone. "Hello?" he asked gruffly. "Yes
Amanda, she's here. You want to talk to her?" he sounded audibly relieved.
"Jenny, Amanda's on the phone," he called.
I stood up and hurried to the phone in the living room, flashing a
relieved smile to him as I took the receiver from his hand.
"Hello?"
"Jenny, it's Amanda," she said, her voice sounding strained.
"What's wrong?" I asked, after hearing the tone of her voice. "And how
did you manage to get this number?"
"The operator gave it to me. Listen, Jenny. I'm at home, and...Mom
wants to talk to you." Her voice cracked as she finished.
"Mom wants to talk to me?" I said numbly. Alex's eyes widened, and I
had to stop him before he grabbed the receiver from my hand and hung the
phone up. I looked at him and shook my head. He looked unconvinced but
withdrew his arm reluctantly.
"Why does she want to talk to me?" I asked Amanda, my voice shaking
slightly.
"I don't know. She heard about...what happened today. And she asked me
if I knew that we were in town. I said yes, and then she told me to call
you. I'm sorry," she sounded close to tears.
"Don't worry about it Amanda," I said, trying to sound soothing. The
cold lump in my stomach had begun rolling around, making me feel like I was
about to be sick. "Put her on. I'll talk to her."
Alex almost panicked when I told Amanda that I would talk to her. I had
to position myself in front of the phone so he couldn't hang it up. I took
his hand and gripped it tightly, telling him with my eyes that I needed to
do this. Emotions flashed through his face, a mixture of fear -- fear for
me, fear for his family, and fear of loosing me to them again. I felt his
hand trembling as much mine was as we held hands while we waited the few
seconds for my mother to pick up the line.
"Jenny? Is that you honey?" I heard the voice of my mother ask, clear
across the phone lines, sounding the same as it had when I was a little
girl. I felt myself shrinking back within myself, then forced myself to
sound calm, no matter how I felt inside.
"Don't call me 'honey' Mother. Why did you want to talk to me?"
"You sound so much older, Jenny." She struggled with the words.
"I heard that you married that Braxton boy, and that I'm...a grandmother."
"You aren't a grandmother. You gave up claim to that a long time ago."
I felt tears in my eyes as I said it. She was breaking me down, just
through the sound of her voice. As she always had.
"Don't say that, Jenny. I -- we're both sorry for what happened, back
then. It was wrong of us to do what we did."
"If you really are, which I doubt, you can't change it. And I can never
forget it. Or forgive you. Now, if that's all..."
"Please, at least let us see you. We haven't even heard from you in
almost four years. I want to see my granddaughter. I want to see...the
woman that you've turned into."
"Why should I let you see me? Much less the rest of my family?" I
asked, incredulous at what she had just asked.
"Maybe I've changed over the last few years. Maybe we have. But
please, at least let us see you. To see if we can explain what we were
thinking when we did what we did."
"Why can't you do that over the phone?"
"It's just...too hard to explain without seeing you in person. Could
we just meet someplace neutral? Maybe near the creek where we used to go
for picnics when you were little?"
Memories of running though the tall trees and thick underbrush, playing
in the creek with my little sister ran through my head. "I...I'll think
about it."
Alex's face registered shock as he heard the words leave my mouth.
"Really?" she said, sounding excited. "Meet us there at two tomorrow.
If you decide to come. But I hope you will."
I hung up without saying another word.
"You're actually thinking about going?" Alex asked in shock. I
nodded, trembling uncontrollably as the day caught up with me. He pulled
me close, hugging me to support me physically and emotionally.
"Why?" he asked.
"I don't know. I just never faced them for what they did. And I...want
to. I want to see them, see them for what they are. They're my parents. I
can't change that. I have to give them a chance."
"Do I have to remind you what happened last time you gave them a
chance?" Alex said gently. "I almost lost you then, and I don't want to
risk losing you again."
"You won't. I promise. I won't go anywhere with them. In fact, I
won't even come within ten feet of them if I can."
"So you've decided?" Alex said, his voice as tight as his arms were
around me.
"Yes," I said, and then wished I hadn't said it. But I knew I had to.
If anything, just to put that chapter of my life finally behind me, instead
of bouncing around my subconscious for the rest of my life.
"You know I don't want you to go. But I can't force you not to. It's
your decision. But they aren't getting near Skyla, ever. Even if you
somehow forgive them. I've seen the look in their eyes, Jenny. That look
can't be changed. They may say they've changed, but deep down, they'll
always be the same people deep inside."
"I should listen to you. But I can't. You understand that don't you?"
I asked, looking searchingly into his eyes.
"Yes, I do. But I'm going with you. And there's nothing you can say
that will make me stay here."
"I know. I want you there, to back me up. I don't trust them either."
"Good. If I lost you, I don't know what I'd do."
"You know I feel the same way you do, Alex. But nothing will go wrong.
I promise."
"I just wish that I knew for sure that it's a promise that you can
keep," Alex said, holding me tighter against him.
*****
I got up the next morning to find Alex missing from my side. It was
surprising, since he usually sleeps quite a bit later than I do if I let
him. But I figured that he was as worried about our meeting as I was, if
not more. But when I went downstairs to find him after checking on Skyla,
who was still asleep, I still couldn't find him. I ran out back to check
the pond, but he wasn't there. I walked back, starting to get worried. He
could defend himself, I knew that. But he was known to bite off more than
he could chew from time to time.
I heard the front door slam, and Alex walked in carrying a gallon of
milk, whistling. I ran over to him and hugged him, nearly knocking him to
the floor. He somehow managed to keep the milk from spilling onto the
floor.
"Whoah, wait a second. What's wrong?" he said, setting the milk down
for a moment beside the couch.
"Where have you been? I've been looking around for you ever since I got
up! I thought you had been picked up by some of the Maine's friends, or
maybe even the police!" I scolded.
"I just went down to see the Walkers, and to get some more milk. We
were running a little low," he said soothingly.
"You should have left a note!" I said fiercely.
"You were asleep. I figured I'd be back in bed within fifteen minutes,
if I hurried."
I sighed and hugged him, knowing he had meant well. He really didn't
think he was in any danger. 'Well, if he's not going to worry, I'm going
to worry for him,' I thought to myself.
"Come on, let me put this in the fridge, and we can go back to bed. We
don't have to get up for another few hours."
"All right. I'll meet you upstairs. Don't run off again."
"I won't, I promise," he grinned, picking up the milk again. I
headed for the stairs, and made sure to let my robe fall open as I climbed
them showing long flashes of leg and thigh as I climbed the stairs. He was
still watching me with a gleam in his eye as he disappeared from view.
*****
I woke up around noon feeling relaxed and a little limp. 'And very much
in need of a shower,' I thought to myself, smelling the mixture of dried
semen, pussy juice, and sweat caked to my body. After Alex had joined me
upstairs, we had gone into a two hour sex marathon until both of us
collapsed. I stretched, groaning as my muscles pulled taught and relaxed.
"Are you trying to turn me on again? If you are, it's working," Alex
chuckled from the other side of the bed.
"No. I'm still a little sore. Besides, I think Skyla needs to get some
sleep without our grunts and moans waking her up," I giggled. Skyla had
wandered in a few minutes after we had started, asking if I was okay. I
had just had a very powerful orgasm under Alex's talented tongue, and was
too out of it to answer. Alex tried to explain that I was fine, while
trying to wipe my juices off his chin. We had always been very open with
Skyla about sex. She knew what we did in our room at night, but didn't
really understand it. She had seen both of us naked more than a few times.
We didn't walk around the house naked all the time; we just didn't bother
getting dressed if we didn't have to go anywhere. None of us slept in
pajamas. It was partly because of the heat, but mostly because it was just
more comfortable.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this today?" Alex asked, still
trying to change my mind.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"I still don't understand why. But I said it was your choice, and I'm
going to stick to what I said. But I have a really bad feeling about
this."
"I know you do. But I still have to do it," I said stubbornly, wishing
he wouldn't make this harder than it already was.
"Well then, we'd better get ready. I'll go wake up Skyla, then we can
climb into a shower we both need."
I nodded and climbed out of bed, heading for the shower. Alex walked in
a few minutes later as I was just getting the shower to the right
temperature, carrying a still sleepy Skyla. I took off my robe and took
Skyla from Alex while he shed his robe. I stepped into the shower still
carrying Skyla. She came wide-awake quickly as she felt the hot water
hitting her back. Alex stepped into the stall after us. We washed each
other, Alex holding Skyla while she scrubbed my back, and I held her while
she scrubbed Alex's. Then we both scrubbed down Skyla.
Ten minutes later, we were ready to go. Kallie arrived (late, as usual)
to watch Skyla while we were gone, for what I hoped was only an hour to
two. At first I considered bringing her along, but Alex was firm that she
was going to come nowhere near my parents, under any circumstances. I gave
in knowing that if he thought Skyla was in danger there was no way to
convince him otherwise. If he could, he would do the same with me. But I
was his wife, not his daughter. He knew I would do what I felt I needed to
do, with or without his approval.
I called Kallie to explain what was going on, and to see if she would
baby-sit. She agreed, but looked like she wasn't much happier about me
seeing my parents than Alex was.
Alex drove. I directed him to the old back-road that led to the picnic
spot my mother had spoken of, staring silently through the windshield
between instructions. A few minutes later, I saw my parent's car sitting
vacant beside the road. Alex pulled the van to a stop and shut off the
engine.
"I'll ask you one more time. You're sure you want to go through with
this?" he asked, sitting back stiffly in the drivers seat, hands gripping
the wheel until his knuckles showed white.
I didn't answer, but unfastened my seat belt and opened the door. He
sighed and followed.
We trudged though the trees the three hundred yards or so to the creek.
It was more of a small river than a creek, the trees creeping down the
edges of the water, dogwood branches trailing in the current.
Ahead was a small clearing with a well-worn path leading into the water.
My parents were leaning against a tree, staring at the water. They turned
as they heard us approaching. We stopped about ten feet away from them.
Alex stood glaring at them with his arms crossed, a no-nonsense look on his
face. My mother cleared her throat.
"Well, Jenny. You look a little taller, and a little older, but not
much different from when we last saw you," she said nervously.
"Yeah, but this time her clothes aren't torn and she doesn't have
bruises all over her body," Alex growled.
"Alex! Be quiet, please?" I pleaded. He clamped his jaw shut, but
continued to glare at them, especially my father. He glared back with
poorly concealed hate.
"Well, I guessed we deserved that, right Bryan?" my mother said softly,
looking at her husband. He didn't look like he agreed with her.
"I'd say you di..." Alex stopped as I glared at him.
"What did you want to talk about?" I prompted her.
"I don't know. I just wanted to see you again, and to say that I'm
sorry, face to face."
"Your apology is not accepted," I said coldly.
"But..."
I interrupted her. "It never will be, from either of you. That's why I
came today. Alex didn't want me to come, but I wanted to face you, to get
you out of the nightmares that I've faced over the last four years. I
wanted to tell you that I hate you more than anyone alive," pausing, I
struggled to keep the sobs from escaping my mouth and the tears leaking
from my eyes. "But now I can't help but feel pity for you two, so tied up
in your petty beliefs that you couldn't even see clearly enough to love
your own daughter, no matter what she did. But you went even further. You
did your best to break me, to wear me down until nothing was left. I thank
God that I escaped you. I have my own family now. One that you aren't
part of, and will never be part of." I stopped, no longer able to keep the
tears from dripping from of the corners of my eyes. Alex stepped up behind
me and wrapped an arm around my waist protectively.
"I think she's said what she wanted to say. We'll leave now," he said,
turning to lead me back to the car.
"Please, wait," my mother called. I stopped, and Alex stopped as well,
though reluctantly.
"What?" I quavered, trying to keep my voice even with little success.
"Can we at least see our granddaughter? Just once?"
"She is not your granddaughter," Alex growled. "You are not part
of our family. You will never be part of our family. I thought Jenny made
that clear. And as long as I'm still alive, you will never see Skyla,
either." My mother looked at me. I looked back and said nothing, silently
backing up Alex's words.
"All right, then," she sighed. I heard the click of a pistol being
cocked. Alex tensed behind me. A low rumble emanated from his chest.
"If you will not let us see her, we will simply take her," my father
said. He was holding a small revolver pointed at Alex and I.
End Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
-------------
"I told you they were scum," Alex said, looking furious.
"Shut up and turn around. We're going to take your car and drive
back to wherever our granddaughter is," my father commanded.
"What are you planning on doing?" I said, worry slipping into my voice.
"Simple. We're going to take our granddaughter and leave. We've
already emptied our bank accounts. The house we don't give a damn about.
It could burn down for all we care," my mother said nonchalantly, walking
up to us and looking with amusement at Alex as he restrained himself from
lashing out at her. Barely.
"You aren't taking Skyla," Alex said coldly.
"Oh, I think we are. There isn't a thing you can do about it."
Alex gritted his teeth.
"What about Amanda?" I asked her boldly.
"Her? She's no better than you are. We know what has been going on
between her and that bitch of a friend of yours for months. We just
couldn't do anything about it, until now. She's tied up at home, just as
you will be soon. We'll raise Skyla right, away from people like you and
Kallie. Maybe then she'll grow up properly. It's for her own good."
"What, taking her away from her family that loves her? Raising her on
the run? Teaching her your own twisted beliefs? I'd rather die," Alex
hissed.
"So would I," another voice said, followed by the sound of shotgun being
cocked.
"What the..." my mother said, whirling around. Alex let go of me and
pounced on her, wrapping his arms around her body and easily immobilizing
her. She kicked and screamed, but stopped when Alex squeezed her hard
enough to take her breath away.
All this happened before I even had a chance to react. I looked over to
where my father had been standing. Now he was laying on the ground, arms
on his head, the gun he had been holding now surprisingly in the hands of a
triumphant Mr. Walker who also had what looked to be a very well maintained
shotgun in his other hand.
"How did you get here?" I gasped.
He grinned. "Ask Alex,"
I looked at Alex, who by now had released my mother who was standing
limply nearby, looking defeated.
"I went for more than milk this morning."
"Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded.
"I figured you'd get mad at me if I even suggested it. So I did
itanyway, figuring you'd never know if nothing happened. And if it did,
then I'd deal with it when you found out that I had asked Mr. Walker to
watch over us. He knows these woods better than anyone."
"I ain't as fast as I used to be, but by golly I'm fast enough to keep
these two from hurting anyone," Mr. Walker chortled.
"You still should have told me," I scolded Alex.
"Sorry, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I probably should
have told you. I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted. Just tell me next time when you have a backup plan
in case we get held up by anyone else who has plans to kidnap Skyla," I
joked, hugging him tightly.
"I'll certainly remember. Next time," he grinned. He let me go and
walked over to Mr. Walker and took the pistol from his hands, then
continued to hold it to my parents. Mr. Walker lifted his shotgun again,
keeping them doubly covered.
"Get up," Alex told my father, nudging him with his foot and keeping the
gun trained on his head. He slowly got to his feet, looking exhausted.
Suddenly, apparently thinking he had nothing to loose, he leapt at Alex.
Without missing a beat Alex pistol-whipped him, knocking him out cold at
his feet.
"Damn, now I have to carry all this dead weight back to the car," he
said cockily.
"Sitting in front of that computer all those years hasn't slowed your
reflexes a bit, Alex," Mr. Walker laughed.
Alex had me hold the pistol while we walked back to the van, since he
had to carry, or rather drag, my father behind us. Mother just looked
sullen. I drove the van while Mr. Walker and Alex held the guns on our two
captives. My father woke up a few minutes later. A forty-five minute
drive took us to the nearest police station in Sandville.
The police tensed and drew their guns when we walked in the front door
of the station. I couldn't blame them. It's not every day when five
people come into a police station, armed with a pistol and a shotgun.
"Put your guns down," an officer said, walking out of a crowd of several
other officers.
"Who do we talk to to press charges against these two?" Alex asked,
setting his gun on the ground and
motioning for Mr. Walker to do the same, figuring that my parents wouldn't
be able to escape very easily.
"What crimes have they committed?" the police officer asked skeptically.
"We'll start with attempted kidnapping and go from there," Alex said
dryly.
Both of my parents looked miserable as we told the story to the officer.
When we were done, he looked a little amazed, since we had ended up
starting from the beginning.
"Is all this true?" he asked my father, eyebrows raised.
"I'm not saying anything until I speak to my lawyer," he said grumpily.
"Fine, have it your way," he said, then looked up at another police
officer who had been standing behind us throughout the story. "Take these
two down to lockup and start the paperwork," he turned to us. "We'll need
your names and addresses. We'll take your statement from that story you
just told me."
"Thank you," Alex said gratefully. Then he paled. "Oh my god!"
"What's wrong Alex?" I asked worriedly.
"We forgot about Amanda!"
"Oh god!" I echoed. "We'd better get back and untie her! She's
probably half out of her mind by now!"
"Untie who?" the officer asked.
"My parents said that they had tied my little sister up at the house.
She's been sitting there for at least three or four hours!" I said,
gathering up our things quickly. Alex told the officer our addresses and
phone numbers for both here and in New Mexico and thanked him again.
"No problem. But we'll need a statement from her, too. Bring her in
tomorrow. If you need to contact me, here's the number. Ask for
Lieutenant Rodman."
We ran out the door of the police station and jumped in the van to get
back to Amanda as quickly as possible. I remembered Kallie at the last
minute, so I stopped and called her since she would have been worried sick
since we had been gone so long. She sounded relieved to hear that we were
okay, then told her that I had to go untie Amanda. I hung up over her
questions and jumped back in the van, knowing I'd have a lot of explaining
and apologizing to do when we got back.
Alex went over the speed limit by a good margin and we made it back to
my old house within thirty minutes, roaring past the other cars so quickly
I thought that the other driver's heads might spin from trying to watch us.
We jumped out of the van and ran in the front door.
"Amanda!" I yelled, hoping that they hadn't gagged her as well.
"In here!" I here a faint yell from upstairs. We found her in her
bedroom, tied down to her bed, her eyes tear streaked.
"Jenny! Alex! You're okay!" she cried out. Alex pulled out his
pocketknife and cut her free. She immediately wrapped her arms around him.
"I'm so sorry! I never would have called if I had known!" she sobbed.
"It's all right. They're in jail now, they won't be hurting anyone for
a long time," Alex soothed. I hugged her from behind, sandwiching her
between Alex and I.
"We don't blame you for what happened, Amanda. There's nothing you
could've done about it," I said softly.
"Yeah, I know. But I still feel bad," she sniffed, still holding on to
Alex. After a few minutes of us holding her, her sobs subsided to the
occasional hiccup.
"Now what am I going to do? My parents are in jail and it looks like
I'm not going to have a place to live once the trial is over," Amanda said
forlornly.
"No place to live? You happen to have three people that love you very
much. We aren't rich, but I'm sure you can live with us, if you like," I
offered.
"Really?" she said hopefully.
"Hey, I can't let my little sister sleep in a dumpster, now can I?" Alex
joked. Amanda laughed and then sniffed, wiping a tear away from her eye.
"All right, grab what you need and we'll head back to the house. Kallie
and Skyla are probably worried sick by now. I called but hung up after
telling them I had to go untie you."
"Geez, yeah we'd better go. Kallie has a very active imagination,"
Amanda said.
Amanda packed a few things, tossing them into a battered suitcase. We
left without even bothering to lock the door. There wasn't a lot to steal
anyway, the few valuables in the house probably sitting in the trunk of my
parent's car. We filled in Amanda on what she didn't know on the way back
to the house.
Kallie ran out almost in tears when we showed up.
"What happened? All I heard from Jenny was a rushed 'We're okay, don't
worry about us,' and something about having to untie you, Amanda," she
said, looking at Amanda, who was still rubbing the welts on her wrists that
had developed during her struggling to get free.
"Her parents held us up and were intending to kidnap Skyla. Mr. Walker
here helped us stop them," Alex nodded to where Mr. Walker was leaning
against the side of the van. "They're in jail now, that's why it took so
long. We had to go untie Amanda as well, since they had tied her to her
bed before they left."
"What?" Kallie said, looking at Alex in disbelief. "Jenny, you tell me
what's happened, I think Alex has finally lost it."
"It's true. So Amanda is going to live with us, at least until we
figure out when the trial is going to be. Meanwhile, we don't have to
worry about them. They're locked up," I said. Kallie just stood there
looking as if she still didn't believe us.
"Well, I'd better be getting home, now. The Misses will be wonderin'
where I've gone to," Mr. Walker said.
"Thank you so much," I said, giving him a quick hug and a kiss on his
wrinkled cheek.
"Oh, hold it there, lassie. My wife will be wondering why I have the
perfume of another woman on me," he grinned. "But I was happy to help.
Just make sure that little girl grows up properly."
"We will," Alex said, wrapping an arm around my waist. I hugged him
back.
"All right. I'll be seeing you then," He waved as he walked down the
road. A few seconds later we heard him start to whistle as he walked
toward his house, and his wife.
"Now, let me get this straight...your parents held you up, and told you
that they were going to kidnap Skyla. How did you stop them, and what did
Mr. Walker do to help?" Kallie said, sounding confused.
"It's a long story. We'll tell you sometime," Alex teased.
"You'll tell me now buddy boy," Kallie threatened.
"Boy? You aren't even old enough to vote yet, and you are calling ME
boy?"
I didn't hear Kallie's retort, and the thick oak door cut off their
voices
as I closed it behind me, leaving them to argue on the front lawn.
End Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
------------
Amanda didn't seem to mind sleeping in the same bed as Skyla. Skyla
didn't mind either. In fact, she welcomed the company. She still crawled
into bed with Alex and I every once in a while, "when she got lonely" as
she told us. When she was a baby, she slept on Alex's chest almost every
night. It was the only place we could get her to sleep for more than ten
minutes at a time. I think she still misses it subconsciously, even if she
can't remember that far back.
Amanda was understandably a little nervous about living with us. She
was especially worried about moving to New Mexico on such short notice. I
know it took me a few weeks to adjust to the slightly different culture and
much different climate of New Mexico. It's a drastic change.
Kallie finally believed us after sitting down and telling her the entire
story -- twice by the time we finished. it was well after nine o'clock that
night. Alex drove her home, and I put Skyla to bed. Amanda turned in with
her, exhausted from what had happened that day. I sat down in the living
room with a book I had been hoping to finish and waited for Alex to get
back.
I heard the crunching of gravel as Alex drove up fifteen minutes later.
The door opened, and Alex stepped inside.
"I'm back," he said, plopping down on the couch next to me. I put down
my book and scooted over to him, sighing heavily as his arms wrapped around
me. I gave him a quick kiss. "I'm sorry," I whispered, hugging his arms
tighter around me.
"For what?" Alex said, confused.
"For risking that meeting with my parents today. For trusting them when
I shouldn't have. For coming close to destroying the family that we've
worked to build up over the last couple of years. And for nearly getting
both of us killed."
"Nah. Couldn't have happened, even if I hadn't asked Mr. Walker to
watch us, just in case."
"Really? And how do you figure that?"
"It's easy. I'm invincible. Impervious to harm," he said simply
and grinned at me.
"Really? Well, let's just test that theory," I said, playing along.
Then I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow. He oomphed in pain. "You
don't seem that impervious to me," I laughed.
"Okay, okay. So I'm not so impervious. But you did what you had to do,
and so I did I. If it hadn't happened today, they might have snuck in here
while we were asleep and kidnapped Skyla anyway. At least this way we
don't have to worry about it. Besides, I'm here to make sure we aren't
shot or kidnapped. But you have the most important job of all, you know."
"What's that?" I asked, curious.
"Making sure we don't run out of gas in the middle of nowhere," he said
seriously.
I laughed. "Is that all I am to you? A living gas gauge?"
"Nope. You're also a very good bed warmer."
"Ugh. Sometimes I wonder why I love you," I said, letting my head
fall melodramatically back onto his chest, looking up at him, unable to
hide the smile on my face.
"Because I keep you from getting shot?" he suggested, looking down into
my eyes.
"Nah. I think it's because you make a good bed warmer, too," I giggled,
and kissed his chest through his shirt. He smiled down at me.
"You are so beautiful," he murmured, brushing my hair back from my
forehead.
"So what are you going to do about it?" I said suggestively.
"I think I'm going to go through with the plans I had for tonight, even
after what happened today. I think we both need it."
"What plans?"
"You'll see," he grinned. "You'll have to get up, though."
"Is it worth it?" I asked. "I like it here."
"It is. Just sit here for a few minutes while I gather everything up."
"All right," I gave in, sitting up slowly. "But it'd better be good."
"It will be," he said, and pecked me on the lips. "It'll be about
fifteen minutes."
I nodded, and he disappeared into the kitchen. Twenty minutes later he
showed up in the living room again, this time carrying a big old picnic
basket.
"You're late," I observed.
"Sorry, madam. But I was delayed in traffic," he said in a cheesy
French accent.
"What traffic? That ant crawling across the floor?" I snickered. He
ignored my comments.
"Come with me," he said, holding out his hand.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"A moonlight picnic for two, on the shore of the lovely pond out back,"
he announced.
"Oooh, sounds romantic," I smiled and took his hand. He pulled me to my
feet from the couch and entwined my arm in his. He led me out the kitchen
door and across the back lawn with the picnic basket on one arm and me on
the other.
The full moon was shining, the light glinting off the surface of the
water. A slight breeze rippled the surface, making the moonlight refract
into the air around us, making the world around us seem to sparkle with
teasing beams of light. Crickets chirped loudly all around us. A spicy
smell of sage was in the air, mixed the murky smell of the water. I jumped
in surprise when an owl hooted in the distance; Alex pulled me closer, and
I hugged his arm gratefully.
He led me to the edge of the pond and under the same oak tree that he used
to sit under for hours reading during the summers of his childhood. I
started to sit down, but Alex stopped me.
"Must not let the madam get her behind all dirty," he said, setting down
the picnic basket and pulling an old blanket from it. Spreading it over
the slightly damp ground, he straightened out the wrinkles with tugs to
each corner. Taking my arm again he sat me gently down on one corner of
it. Then he began to lay out the food.
"I originally intended to make fried chicken, or something along that
line," he explained, "but I didn't have time. So, we'll have to have ham
sandwiches instead, and seven-up instead of champagne."
"That's fine, Alex. It doesn't have to be fancy. I love you for
thinking of it," I said, leaning against him as he sat next to me with his
back against the tree. I reached for a sandwich, but he stopped me before
I could reach them.
"Must not let the madam's hands get dirty," he said with a grin.
"Then how am I supposed to eat?"
"I'll just have to feed you," he said.
"If you like," I said, giving in to his coddling. "Just hurry up,
I'm hungry. For more than just food," I added slyly. He almost dropped
the sandwich when he heard my last few words.
We spent the next few minutes with him feeding me the sandwich and sips
of seven-up from some wineglasses that he had brought.
"Now let me feed you," I said, grabbing one of the sandwiches.
"All...mumph," he was cut off as I pushed the edge of a sandwich
into his mouth. He bit down and chewed. "Not bad," he commented. I fed
him another bite and a sip of soda. Then on the next bite I tried to push
the last half of the sandwich into his mouth. Unfortunately for Alex, most
of the sandwich didn't make it in his mouth. I started laughing as pieces
of the sandwich stuck to his face.
"Just what I've always wanted. Ham up my nose," he commented wryly. I
laughed harder.
"I guess I overestimated the size of your mouth," I grinned.
"Well then. I'll just have to wash it off," he said, and pulled his
shirt over his head.
"What are you doing?" I asked in surprise.
"Going for a swim," he said, unzipping his pants and letting them fall
to the ground.
"But it's dark!" I objected.
"Not entirely. Come on, we're alone this time. No one to dunk us but
ourselves if we get...carried away in the moment." I could barely make out
his grin in the light of the moon filtering through the trees and
reflecting off of the surface of the pond.
I sighed. "Fine, but if I start to drown, you have to save me."
"That's a lot to ask," he said with mock seriousness. "I don't know if
I can handle the responsibility." He dropped his boxers and walked into
the water, waving to me until the water surrounded everything below his
chest. Watching as I stripped, he whistled as I stepped out of the last of
my clothes and began to walk toward where he was treading water.
"A goddess in the moonlight, the light dancing off her hair, skin so
pale it appears to never have seen the light of day, glowing in the
darkness," he said softly.
"Is the help trying to seduce the mistress?" I teased. "It would never
be accepted. You see, I have a jealous husband."
"Mistress is married?" he said with a gasp.
"Yes. To a man whose genitalia is comparable to that of a pencil run
though a sharpener to long." I paused to gauge his reaction, but was
unable to tell in the dim light. "And not even one of those thick
pencils," I added.
"Ahh, but madam, I can beat that easily," came his words as he swam
closer to me. I felt a hand on mine, and he led it to where his cock now
stood erect under the water. I reached further down the shaft, and stopped
when I touched where it joined his torso.
"Why, what an odd place to keep a pin!" I exclaimed.
"I'll show you where to stick this pin!" he playfully growled and
grabbed for me. I screamed and swam from him, my water-slicked skin
helping me to escape his gripping fingers. Eventually I let him catch me.
He turned me around and held me against him, my breasts pressing into him.
"Please don't stick me with your pin! I hate needles!" I pleaded with a
grin on my face.
"Ahh, but you'll like this injection," he murmured, and lifted my body
until his cock was poised at my entrance. He lowered me slowly, and I
couldn't help but groaning as he slid into me.
"Maybe this won't be so bad after all," I sighed, then gave up the
charade and locked my legs around him, pulling ourselves closer together.
We kissed, dueling tongues in the cool water. I closed my eyes as he
lifted me slowly and brought me down on his prick again. I couldn't help
but grunt as he pushed against my cervix. The water swirled around us,
feeling like small fingers brushing over our sensitive skin as we made
love, my wetness mixing with the water surrounding me.
Alex was gasping in my ear and I in his, as we thrust wildly against
each other, fiery arousal fanned by the place in which we had decided to
couple. My erect nipples rubbed against his chest as I bobbed in the water
like a rowboat in ocean swells, feeling his cock stroke the walls of my
vagina. My pants turned into cries as I climaxed, Alex following soon
after, shooting his semen against the back of my pussy as he pulled my body
tight to his. We swam to the shallows still joined and lay in a foot or
two of water, caressing each other as we felt the mud squish beneath us.
Eventually he slipped out of me, and we climbed up onto the bank and lay
on the old blanket under the stars and the moon, letting our bodies dry in
the soft breeze. We made love again under the old oak tree, our sighs of
only heard by the crickets and animals.
It was well after midnight by the time we snuck back into the house and
into our room. We took a quick shower together to wash off the mud from
the pond and the by-products of our lovemaking under the oak tree.
I fell asleep in his arms, contented.
End Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
-----------
The next morning I woke up to someone banging on the front door. Alex
didn't seem to hear, so I wriggled out of his arms reluctantly and pulled
my robe on. I walked to the front door, half-hoping that whoever it was
would be gone by the time I got there so I could go back to sleep.
I glanced at the clock on the mantle and rolled my eyes when I saw that
it was not even eight thirty. 'Whoever it is, they're an early riser,' I
thought.
As I neared the door, whoever it was started banging again. I pulled
the door open, revealing a fortyish woman, six or seven inches taller than
myself. She was dressed in a slightly out-of-style dress, her hair pulled
back in a loose bun, streaked with gray. A few strands escaped, softening
the stern look on her face, but not by much.
"Can I help you?" I asked, trying to conceal how sleepy I still was.
"Hello. Is this the Braxton residence?" she asked politely.
"Yes."
"Are your parents home? I need to speak with them."
"As far as I know, they're still in jail. If you want to talk to them
you'd better head for Sandville." I knew I was being testy with her, but
when I'm woken at 8:30am, especially on my vacation, I get cranky.
"Ahh, so you're Amanda?" she said, seeming to ignore my tone.
"No, I'm Jenny Braxton, Amanda's sister. But please, call me Mrs.
Braxton." I don't know what it was about her, but her very voice seemed to
grate on my nerves.
"Misses?" she said, finally showing shock. I felt vaguely satisfied
that I had finally gotten a reaction out of her.
"Yes, I married young."
"I'd say so. You don't look a day over thirteen," she said. I could
hear
the skepticism in her voice at my claims.
"I'm seventeen. I married Alex two years ago. I also have a
two-year-old daughter. Do you have a problem with that?" I said, raising
an eyebrow.
"Now young lady, don't lie to me," she said harshly.
I opened my mouth to retort, but stopped as I heard Alex's deep baritone
a few feet behind me.
"Are you calling my wife a liar?" he asked. "If so, I hope you can back
up your claims. I haven't known her to lie. Ever." He stepped closer and
wrapped his arms around my waist. I let myself be engulfed in his embrace.
The woman at the door was looking decidedly shocked now, and slightly pale.
"She was telling the truth about her age, about our marital status, and
about our daughter. If you like, we can show you our drivers' licenses.
As for our daughter, I don't want to wake her up unless necessary. Now, it
seems you don't have a foot to stand on. Would you like to make any more
accusations?" Alex's voice had lost most of its edge, and was taking on a
trace of amusement.
"No, I suppose not," she admitted.
"Good," I said. "You haven't even told us so much as your name, much
less why you're here."
"I'm Ms. Chunder, from child protective services. I'm a social worker.
I'm here to see that Amanda Baker is cared for while her parents
are...unavailable," she said, trying to regain some of her former
professionalism.
"I see. There is very little to say. We're her closest family, and we
will take care of her, as long as needed," Alex said with finality. "Is
that all you needed to know?"
"I'm afraid it isn't as simple as that. I must examine where she would
be living to see if the environment she would be living in would be
acceptable. If I decide so, we will have to work out the proper
paperwork."
"It will be difficult to examine our normal housing arrangements, since
we normally live outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico," I explained. "But
you're welcome to look around this house. We're on vacation until sometime
next week."
"There may be some difficulties if you're planning on taking her out of
state," Ms. Chunder said.
"Why don't you come in and sit down while we go get dressed and wake
everyone. Then we can discuss this more comfortably, and give Amanda a say
in what she wants," I suggested.
Ms. Chunder nodded her ascent, and we stepped aside to let her pass. I
pointed her toward the couch and told her it would be a few minutes while
Alex and I climbed the stairs. I told Alex to start getting dressed while
I went and woke Skyla and Amanda.
Amanda and Skyla were snuggled up against each other on the large king
sized bed in what had become Skyla's temporary bedroom. I stopped for a
second to admire how cute they looked, then snapped out of it, realizing
that we had to hurry. I shook Amanda's shoulder.
"What's going on?" she asked sleepily.
"Someone from the state is here to talk about where you're going to
live, and we need to discuss it with her. You and Skyla need to get
dressed as quickly as you can, she's waiting downstairs."
She woke up quickly, jumping out of bed, waking Skyla. While I'm
usually a morning person, Skyla seemed to have inherited Alex's morning
grumpiness. It always took her a while to get going, and I hoped Amanda
could handle her while I went and got dressed.
Alex was just pulling his pants on when I walked in.
"What do you think of her?" he asked, struggling with a pant leg.
"Ms. Chunder? I don't like her. But we have to deal with her if we
want to keep Amanda living with us," I said, reaching into the closet and
pulling out one of my more modest dresses that I had brought with me.
"I don't like her either. I've always hated social workers. Especially
the kind that think they know what's best for everyone. And she's one of
those types, I think."
"Try to be civil, Alex. We can't take any chances."
"Of course I will, Jenny. Amanda means just as much to me as she does
to you."
"I know that. But you get carried away sometimes. Don't deny it," I
said, cutting off his protests. "Just make sure you think through what you
say before you say it."
"Yes ma'am. May I ask you a question, ma'am?" he said, snapping to
attention, letting his pants drop around his ankles. I couldn't help but
laugh at how ridiculous he looked, standing there in only his boxers with
his pants around his ankles, saluting me as if I was a superior officer.
"You may ask one question, soldier," I said, playing along with his
game.
"May I kiss ma'am before I go do battle with the enemy," he said
stiffly, trying to contain a grin.
"You may, soldier," I stepped closer to him, and stood on my toes to
kiss him lovingly. After a moment I stopped and pulled away.
"Happy, soldier?" I asked.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Now get those pants on before I make you peel potatoes for the
rest of your army life," I said with a grin.
"Yes ma'am. And ma'am?"
"What is it now soldier?" I said gruffly, playing my role to the hilt.
"Thank you for helping to raise the flagpole," he said straight faced,
pointing down to the growing bulge in his boxers.
I had to fall onto the bed and pull a pillow over my face to muffle my
laughter.
I was just pulling on my blouse when Amanda walked in a few minutes
later.
"Skyla ready yet?" Alex asked, looking at her from where he was brushing
his hair while looking in the mirror over the dresser.
"I sent her in here a few minutes ago," she said, looking surprised.
"She never showed up here," I said, confused.
"Oh god," Amanda said, the blood draining out of her face as she
realized where she must have gone.
"Don't tell me she went where I think she went," Alex groaned.
"Must have," I said with a sigh, grabbing the brush out of Alex's
hand and running it through my hair a few times to get the major tangles
out. "Come on, let's see what damage has been done."
We could hear Skyla's voice as the three of us slowly made out way down
the stairs into the living room. She was sitting across from Ms. Chunder,
chatting away happily.
"...Daddy works all day on the computer while he's watching me, and then
goes to school at night. Mommy goes to school during the day."
"Oh, so you only see your Daddy during the day?" Ms. Chunder asked,
apparently not hearing us approach.
"No, I see him before I go to bed. He and Mommy tell me a story almost
every night before I fall asleep."
"Ahh," Ms. Chunder said.
Alex stepped forward and scooped Skyla into his arms.
"Morning Daddy," she said, giving him a hug and a kiss.
"Morning Skyla," he said, returning the hug and pecking her on the
cheek. "Have you been bothering Ms. Chunder?" he asked, the question aimed
more at Ms. Chunder than at Skyla.
"Oh, no. She hasn't been bothering me at all. She's quite eloquent for
someone her age," she observed.
"She's been talking since she was nine months old. Before she was
walking, even," Alex said proudly. Amanda stepped forward.
"You've met everyone but the person you came to see. I'm Amanda Baker,"
she said.
"Good to meet you. Now, if we can get down to business. I need to make
it across the county to get to another appointment at ten-thirty."
Alex sat down across the couch from Ms. Chunder, sitting Skyla on his
lap. Amanda and I took chairs across from the couch. Ms. Chunder looked
at Amanda.
"I've heard from your sister and brother-in-law that you would like to
stay with them for the time being?"
"Yes, I would. I have no other family that I know of, and I've been
made welcome so far," Amanda responded politely.
"From what I've heard from Alex and Jenny, I understand that you're
quite welcome. Based upon what I've seen and the talk I had with Skyla,
I'm prepared to let you stay with them, at least until your parents trial
is over. After that, you may or may not be returned to your parents,
depending on the outcome," she said, a little distaste making it's way into
her voice as she mentioned my parents. Amanda paled visibly when she heard
that she might be returned to my parents. Alex noticed and jumped in.
"Ms. Chunder, I don't know if you know the full story of what happened."
"All I've been told is that Amanda and Jenny's parents have been jailed
on charges of assault and attempted kidnapping," Ms. Chunder said.
I held up my hand. "Amanda, could you take Skyla upstairs for a minute?
I don't want her to hear this yet."
Amanda nodded and took Skyla's hand, leading her upstairs. I saw
Skyla's questioning look as she disappeared around the curve of the stairs.
Alex continued.
"Well, to make a long story short, Jenny and I are the ones who are
pressing charges," Alex said. Ms. Chunder looked surprised.
"Jenny and I went to meet with them, to try to resolve a...conflict
between Jenny's parents and us," Alex continued. "Jenny's father pulled a
gun on us and held us hostage. That's where the assault came in. Then
they told us that we were coming with them, where we would be forced to
lead them to where Skyla was. They made it clear that they were going to
kidnap her, and 'bring her up properly' as they put it." Alex told her the
story, filling in the details Ms. Chunder wasn't aware of.
"I don't think I need to say what shape Amanda or Jenny and I may have
been in after being tied up without food or water for more then two or
three days," he finally finished.
Ms. Chunder looked distinctly pale. "What did they mean by 'bring her
up right'?" she asked.
"My...our parents," I said, "are, how should I put it? Fanatical in
their beliefs. Beliefs that Alex, Amanda and I don't share."
"I see. So returning Amanda to them would be a mistake."
"In the extreme. For more reasons that just tying her up," Alex
said, looking at me, a questioning look in his eyes. I nodded reluctantly.
Ms. Chunder looked at him. "Go on," she prompted.
"I met Jenny when she was thirteen, and I was eighteen. Despite our age
difference, we became friends of sorts. Her parents kicked her out when
they found out that she had done something that went against their beliefs.
She came to me, or rather, I came to her, and took her in. We fell in
love, but soon I left for college. We wrote each other every day, but one
day I stopped receiving letters from Jenny. A couple of weeks later, she
showed up on my doorstep, weak, dirty, and emaciated to the point I could
easily feel her bones under her skin when she fell into my arms," Alex
swallowed heavily. I looked at the floor, unable to look at anyone as I
fought memories.
"I took her in, fed her, and got the story out of her. Her parents had
kept her prisoner for weeks, feeding her little, or not at all. They had
beaten her as well. She managed to escape and make it to a friend's house,
who managed to get her on a bus to me. I took her to a doctor, who told me
she was severely malnourished, almost to the point of needing
hospitalization. She had multiple bruises all over her body. I took her
home, and under the doctor's advice, managed to nurse her back to health.
"So, you see, it would be a major mistake to let her go back to her
parents."
If Ms. Chunder had looked pale before, she looked absolutely sick now.
"Is this true?" she asked me. I nodded silently.
"Why didn't you two tell anyone? Much less let Amanda live with people
like that?" she asked.
"We figured that if we called the police, there was a good chance we
would be split up. We didn't want that. So I took the pictures of Jenny
that I had taken a day after she came to me, and consulted a lawyer. I got
him to write up some papers transferring custody of Jenny to me. Then I
flew back up here, and managed to...convince them that it would be best if
they signed them," Alex said, a wry grin on his face. "I also told them
that I had contacts here, and that if we ever heard of anything happening
to her, we would be sure to nail them with everything we knew, as well as
anything we could dream up. It worked, up until now."
"This is highly unorthodox, and also more than a little immoral," Ms.
Chunder said, taking off her glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose.
"There's more," I said, in a voice barely topping a whisper.
"More?" Alex and Ms. Chunder said simultaneously.
"Yes. Alex, I've never told you any of this. I was afraid of what
you'd do if you knew." I took a deep breath and reached for the locket
that Alex had given me all those years ago. The solid feel of it beneath
my blouse comforted me some. "My parents did all of what Alex said, and
more. They beat me several times, not just once like I told you, Alex.
And there was some sexual abuse."
"WHAT?" Alex said in shock, anger and hatred filling his eyes. "That
bastard!" he growled, his fists clenching.
"What kind of sexual abuse?" Ms. Chunder asked gently, ignoring Alex's
outburst.
"He never actually had...intercourse...with me. He would come into my
room after mother had gone to sleep and...touch me improperly. But that
wasn't the worst part. The worst part with the psychological abuse. It
was constant, beating me down until I couldn't feel anymore, couldn't
think. If it hadn't been for Alex, I don't know how I would have dealt
with it. He was my lifeline." I was in tears by now, the drops falling
off my face, wetting my jeans and the old rugs beneath my feet. Alex
seemed to recover and stood, pulling me out of my chair and into his arms.
He hugged me tightly. His warmth and comfort meant more to me than
anything in the world then. Just like it had when I had shown up at his
apartment door, barely fourteen years old and feeling like I was a hundred
and twenty.
I sobbed into his shoulder while he rocked me, murmuring in my ear that
it would be all right, and that no one would hurt me. And I realized
everything would be all right. I felt like my head and my heart had become
ten pounds lighter as Alex comforted me, the full secret finally out in the
open.
"Excuse me," Ms. Chunder said hesitantly. "I feel like I'm intruding,
and I think you two need some time alone to talk about this. I'll bring
the paperwork out in a couple of days for the temporary placement. We'll
see about getting Amanda placed in your permanent care after the results of
the trial come out. I'll add charges of child neglect and abuse to that
which they're already charged with. If needed, we'll bring charges related
to you, Jenny, only if we need to. You seemed to have dealt with it well,
but I don't want to put you on the stand if possible."
"Thank you," I said gratefully. Alex smiled at her.
"It seems like I got more than I bargained for on this vacation."
"From what I've heard, it hasn't been much of a vacation," Ms. Chunder
said dryly.
"Well from now on I think it will work out better," Alex said hopefully.
"I wish you luck. I'll be in touch." Ms. Chunder collected her things
and we showed her to the door, Alex's arm still around my shoulders. I
felt exhausted and was leaning heavily against him.
"Goodbye," she said and waved as she headed for her car. We waved
back. We closed the door and headed for the stairs and bed, the sound of
gravel crunching under wheels signaling her departure.
End Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
--------------
Amanda and Skyla rushed out of one of the bedrooms as soon as they heard
us climbing the stairs.
"How did it go?" Amanda asked nervously.
"Better than I thought it would," Alex said grimly. "But I learned a
few
things that I'm not sure I wanted to know."
"I told them everything," I said, looking at Amanda.
"Everything?" she asked, looking at Alex.
"I'm guessing you knew all about this too?" Alex asked wearily.
"Depends on what you're talking about," Amanda said cautiously.
"I told him all about the other things Mom and Dad did," I said,
feeling my knees tremble a little. I squeezed Alex's arm tighter.
"Oh," Amanda said quietly. "Did she say I could stay?"
"She said you could stay until the trial was over. After that, we'd
have to work out more paperwork for formal transference of guardianship,"
Alex explained.
"If you want us to go for that," I added.
"Of course!" Amanda said. "As long as it's okay with you guys,"
she added quickly.
"It's fine, Amanda. Don't worry about it. I'd worry more about how
you're going to handle the move from Oregon to New Mexico," Alex smiled.
Amanda walked up and hugged us both.
"I don't know what I'd do without you two," she said wistfully.
"You're family, little sister. We can't throw you out," Alex
grinned. Amanda gave him a light punch on the arm.
"Call me little sister again and you'll see I'm not so little," Amanda
grinned back.
"What, you don't like the term 'little sister,' little sister?" Alex's
grin widened.
"If you weren't Jenny's husband I'd rip a dangling piece of your anatomy
off," Amanda threatened with a grin, not putting any force behind the
words.
"Speaking of Jenny, I think we'd better head back to bed. And I need to
talk to her about a few things," Alex said. I felt my stomach sink when he
said 'talk about a few things.'
"Okay," Amanda said, and taking a closer look at me asked, "Jenny, are
you all right? You look a little weak."
"I'm fine. Just tired. I've had just a little to much action, between
nearly getting shot, almost having my daughter kidnapped, coming close to
loosing you to the state, and re-living things that I had thought I had
gotten over."
"We're going to bed. We'll talk to you in a few hours," Alex said,
shooing off Amanda and Skyla, who had been looking on with interest ever
since we had climbed the stairs. We turned to go into our respective
bedrooms when I stopped and called out to Amanda.
"You might want to thank Skyla for talking to Ms. Chunder. I think
she's one of the reasons why she let you stay."
Amanda looked surprise, and then looked down in appreciation at Skyla,
who smiled innocently up at her. Then Alex led me into the bedroom. I
flopped down on the bed with a sigh and moaned.
"I don't think I can move another inch, much less get undressed."
"Then I'll just have to help you," Alex said mischievously.
"Please Alex, not right now," I pleaded.
"Don't worry. I just want to undress you, maybe rub your shoulders a
little, then cuddle up to you and sleep a few hours. We can talk later,
when we've all gotten more sleep."
"Thanks Alex. For everything," I said sleepily as he pulled my blouse
over my head. He somehow managed to strip off my jeans as I lay limp on
the bed. I felt his body press against mine, and I fell asleep with his
arms wrapped around me.
*****
I woke up a little before noon when I felt the bed sink slightly as
someone's weight was put on the edge. My groggy mind realized it wasn't
Alex, I felt his arm still wrapped around my waist. I didn't open my eyes;
I was still in that frame of mind where you're awake, but not quite fully
aware enough to care about anything as harmless as a subtle shift in the
mattress.
I opened my eyes slowly as the weight shifted again, moving closer
toward me. I already knew who it was by the distinctive higher pitched and
slightly louder than normal breathing.
"'Morning Skyla," I said softly, not wanting to wake Alex.
"'Morning Mommy," she whispered back as her small body wriggled under
the covers and snuggled against mine. I ran my hand down her side and
wrapped it around her belly hugging her to me. She wriggled a little more
and settled down with a sigh, her head nestled beneath my chin.
We lay in the near-silence, the only sound our breathing and the distant
ticking of the old clock in the hallway. The curtains were open, and I
could see that it was overcast, with clouds dark and laden with rain. A
distant rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.
The house was still cool from the night, making our southern-acclimated
bodies welcome the warmth of each other, those both asleep and awake under
the thin sheets of the summer bedclothes.
After a few long minutes of quiet, Skyla spoke.
"Aunt Amanda moves around all night long, and steals all the covers,"
she complained.
I remembered the nights that Amanda and I had spent sleeping outside in
warm August nights in the ratty old tent my father had kept since he was a
child. She had always tossed and turned back then. 'It must be even worse
now, considering what's happened over the last few days,' I thought to
myself before answering.
"Sorry honey, but she's always done that, and she's facing a lot of
problems now. We'll set up the guest room today, so you don't have to
sleep in the same bed. But you might have to share a bed for a few days
when we go home, since Aunt Amanda is coming with us. You'll have to share
a room at least for a while there too."
"I don't mind sharing a room. I just can't sleep when she's moving
around and making me all cold when she pulls the covers away. Can't I just
sleep in here with you and Daddy?" she pleaded.
"We've talked about this before. We don't mind you coming in every once
in a while, but we need some time alone sometimes too."
"Yeah, for all that moaning and groaning and stuff. I know that, but I
never sleep as well alone as I do when I sleep with you and Daddy. It
makes me feel safe."
I was surprised. 'I wonder how much she's overheard and understands
what's been going on?' I thought. Aloud I said, "You don't feel safe in
your room, even at home?"
"I just have bad dreams sometimes that someone is going to hurt you or
Daddy, or is going to take me away. It got worse when we came here."
"Hmmm," I said, stroking her hair with my free hand. "Are you worried
about those men who tried to hurt me a few days ago? Daddy stopped them,
and I don't think they'll try again." I tried to put a convincing tone to
my voice.
"I guess. And then there was that lady here this morning, and you and
Daddy talking about her taking away Aunt Amanda."
"Well, she came because my Mom and Dad did something bad, and are in
jail. That's where Daddy and I went yesterday, to get Aunt Amanda, and to
talk to the police. They're in jail right now," I didn't want to tell her
that it was all because they had intended to take her away from us, that
would have really scared her.
"Your Mom and Dad did something bad?" she asked, surprised.
"Yes. You see, my Mom and Dad don't act the same or believe in the same
things your Daddy and I do. They hurt me a long time ago, before you were
born."
"Why did they hurt you? Did you do something bad?" she asked.
"They thought I did. But I didn't. That's how I ended up living with
your Daddy; then we got married. I was getting away from them."
"What did they think you did?"
I sighed. "Skyla, I'd just scare you if I told you the whole story. I
don't think you're old enough to have to worry about that kind of thing.
One day, if you ask, I'll tell you. But if someone comes up to you and
tells you that they're your grandmother or grandfather, don't go with them.
Run away as fast as you can, yelling for help. Find another adult, or
better yet, Daddy or me. I wish I didn't have to tell you this, but it's
important. It's like talking to a stranger, but worse. Understand?"
"Yes Mommy. But what about Grandpa Paul and Grandpa Sampson?"
"They're okay. But don't go with anyone but Me, Daddy, Aunt
Kallie, Aunt Amanda, Grandpa Sampson or Grandpa Paul, okay?"
"Okay. I won't."
"Good. Want to sleep a little longer?" I asked, noticing her eyes
drooping a little. 'Amanda must have been really tossing and turning if
Skyla is still sleepy,' I thought.
Skyla nodded and closed her eyes. I kissed her cheek, making her smile
slightly. I watched my little girl sleep. Then the full realization that
my parents had tried to take her from me hit. I choked back a sob, a tear
leaking from the corner of my eye. I hugged Skyla tighter to me, making
her squirm slightly in my tightened grasp. I swore to myself that they
would never get her, no matter what I had to do to prevent it.
*****
I woke to a loud crack of thunder and a cry from Skyla, as she too was
shocked out of sleep as the house shook under the blast of sound. Skyla
hates thunder. Always has. Every time a storm rolled in back home it was
all we could do to keep her from running around in a blind panic.
Fortunately it happened rarely, but the weather here is a lot less stable
than that of New Mexico.
Skyla cowered in my arms, her little body shaking and jumping at each
flash of lightning and roll of thunder.
"Damn storm," Alex grumbled as he woke. The clock only read three in
the afternoon but it seemed more like after dusk outside the window, with
streaks of lighter gray showing though the dark color of the thunderheads
where the sun managed to get a few specks of light though the cloud cover.
I rolled over, taking Skyla with me. I held her while Alex stroked her
back, trying to calm her down.
A moment later Amanda walked sleepily into the bedroom.
"Big storm, huh?" she said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Hey,
so this is where you disappeared to," she said. Skyla gave another twitch
as a roll of thunder sounded again, this time a little further off.
"Skyla hates lightning storms," Alex explained.
"Ahh," Amanda said, nodding. "I used to, when I was her age. Just
something about lights flashing and loud noises that scared me. Since then
I've seen worse things, so..." she shrugged. I nodded in understanding.
Thunder and lightning may be frightening, but can rarely hurt you. People
on the other hand, are much more capable of hurting others.
A few minutes later the main storm had moved off, still generating a
slight rumble or flash of lightning in the distance. The rain was pouring
down now. We could hear it beating on the roof, its incessant patter
blending in with the sound of water streaming off the roof and slapping
into the ground below. The hardest rain always comes after the thunder and
lightning.
After a moment of sitting on the edge of the bed in silence listening to
the rain, Alex decided to break the somber mood were all in.
"I remember something else I used to do when I was little, and it was
raining hard outside," he said, looking up at the ceiling.
"What?" Skyla asked curiously, recovering from the fright caused by the
storm.
"It'll sound a little strange to you three. But I always found it
exhilarating. But we'll have to hurry. That is, if you are all willing to
give it a shot."
By now I was as curious as Skyla and from the look on Amanda's face, she
was too.
"What do we have to do?" I asked.
"Just follow me," Alex said with a grin, and jumped out of the bed.
He didn't even bother with his robe as he strode out the bedroom door. I
followed him, trailed by Skyla and a curious but reluctant Amanda.
We trailed him to the front door, which he yanked open and marched down
the front steps to stand in the pouring rain. His hair began to slick
down, and he was drenched with water immediately.
"Alex, what are you doing?" I yelled out over the roar of the rain
pouring off the roof and spattering over the wood of the steps.
"Running around naked in the pouring rain!" he shouted back with a huge
grin on his face.
"You'll catch pneumonia!" I hollered back.
Amanda snickered. "He'll catch more than that if anyone sees him." I
turned to glare at her and Skyla slipped by while I wasn't looking, running
to join her father who was still standing insanely in the middle of the
downpour. He scooped her up and spun her around. She shrieked in delight.
"Come on Jenny, be a little girl for a while. We all need to feel young
again, from time to time," Alex called. I stood, torn between being
'mature' and staying inside, and running outside to join my husband and
daughter. The only person with a stitch of clothing on was Amanda, who had
on a simple nightshirt with Bugs Bunny emblazoned on the front. I sighed
and gave in, running out into the storm. I shrieked in shock as the cold
spring rain poured over my skin. Alex caught me as I ran up to him. His
warm skin against mine was a delightful contrast to the iciness of the
rain. Skyla had run off and was wading in a puddle a few feet away.
"Now, don't think about anything but the rain and how good it feels
running over your skin. Forget about all that's happened over the last few
days. Let yourself go, don't think about responsibilities or expectations
of others for the few minutes we have," Alex whispered, pushing a soaked
tendril of dark hair back from my face.
I smiled and gave him a quick kiss, then pulled away to join Skyla in
her puddle hopping. I wasn't difficult to forget my problems; I was soon
absorbed in getting muddy water spread over every inch of my body. Alex
hung back and went to talk to Amanda, who was still looking out at us with
a look on her face that told us she thought we had all gone out of our
minds. After a few minutes of cajoling, she finally pulled her nightshirt
over her head and ran out to join us.
We splashed, laughed, and generally let ourselves go for the few minutes
we had. Skyla sat in a mud puddle deep enough to nearly reach her knees,
splashing anyone who came within striking distance.
A few minutes later I found myself with Alex again, holding each other
close, reveling in the body heat of the other. We swayed slowly back and
forth, almost as if we were dancing to the indefinable beat of the rain.
All too soon we broke apart, smiling at each other. Skyla and Amanda came
running up, breathing heavily. Alex grabbed my hand, and I grabbed
Skyla's. Amanda joined hands with Alex and Skyla. We stood there,
grinning at each other, a private moment among us. Skyla began to swing
back and forth, and soon we were all dancing in a circle, like a semi-adult
version of 'ring around the rosie.' We fell back laughing when Skyla lost
her grip. We lay there for a few minutes in the tall grass just beyond the
front door, feeling the heavy drops beating against our skin.
The rain soon slackened off, leaving nothing more than a drizzle. We
reluctantly rose and headed inside again. As I stepped across the
threshold, I couldn't help but miss the fresh smell of the rain.
Not until we were inside with the door closed did I realize how cold I
was. I was shaking. Skyla's lips were blue; she shook violently from the
cold.
"Now comes one of the best parts. The hot shower to warm you back up,"
Alex said cheerfully, leading the way upstairs to the master bath. We
trooped after him, grateful for the chance to warm up.
The shower was a long one, and also the first traditional 'family
shower' that included Amanda.
Afterwards, as we were toweling off, Amanda walked up to me and hugged
me tightly, tears in her eyes.
"Thank you," she said tearfully. "This is the first time I've felt like
I've had a real family in a long, long time."
"Don't worry," I smiled at her. "You'll have one for a long time to
come."
End Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
--------------
We spent the rest of the day relaxing around the house. Around seven
that night, Alex and I were reading together on the couch in front of the
fire which Alex had built to ward off the sudden cold of the relapse into
vaguely winter-like weather. Meanwhile Kallie (who had come over an hour
earlier) and Amanda tried to teach Skyla how to play Monopoly on the
kitchen table. Much to Alex and my amusement, Skyla seemed to be winning.
Kallie and Amanda didn't seem to share in our amusement.
After a while we set the book down and relaxed together, listening to
the sounds emanating from the kitchen as the three battled it out.
"So what are we going to do when we get back home?" I asked Alex
sleepily, the warmth of him holding me and the heat from the fire lulling
me to sleep.
"Well, I figure we'll put Amanda up in Skyla's room for now. We can't
afford a three-bedroom apartment. We'll have to hunt down another bed,
though. Skyla can't even stand sleeping in the same bed with her for one
night, much less longer."
"No, I don't think she could. She'd climb into bed with us every night.
I don't mind her sleeping with us, but it does limit our...activities."
"After I graduate and get a better job we can get a larger place. Maybe
even rent or buy a house."
"That would be nice. No neighbors banging on the ceiling or playing
their stereos so loud the walls vibrate."
"No, we'd only have a neighbor whose dog insisted on howling all night
long," he said wryly.
"At least then we could slip it a sleeping pill or something in a hunk
of hamburger," I grinned up at him.
"Then the neighbors would only complain about your howling," Alex
teased.
"I wasn't that loud. And it was your smart idea to open the bathroom
window to get some air circulating through the house, you know," I said and
pinched his arm lightly.
"Ow! Stop that, you husband beater," Alex said with a smile on his
face.
"Husband beater, eh? I'll show you who's a husband beater!" I said in
mock anger, digging my fingers into his side, tickling him mercilessly. He
tried to grab my hand and pull it away from his side, laughing loudly. He
retaliated, squeezing my leg behind the knee, causing me to loose my hold
on him as I tried to pull his hand away.
We rolled around on the couch laughing for a few minutes more before
someone Kallie interrupted.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your...interesting form of foreplay, but I was
hoping I could get a ride home," she said with a grin on her face.
"Yeah, sure. Just let me get my keys and jacket," Alex said, breathing
hard and climbing out from under me.
"Oh, you just want to get away because you were loosing," I taunted,
still grinning.
"We'll just see about that when I get back," Alex said with one last
tickle to my stomach that sent me into convulsions of laughter.
Alex and Kallie headed out the front door, and after a few minutes of
recovery, I walked into the kitchen. Amanda and Skyla were picking up the
pieces of the Monopoly game.
"Time for bed Skyla, it's almost 9 o'clock," I said.
"Awww, I don't want to," Skyla pouted.
"You say that every night. But as soon as you lie down you're out like
a light," I said with a smile.
"Okay," she sighed, getting up slowly and dragging her feet toward the
stairs.
"I'll be up in a few minutes," I told her. She nodded and looking as
forlorn as she could, trudged up the stairs.
"She's so dramatic," Amanda observed when Skyla had disappeared around
the corner.
"Guess who she got it from," I said dryly as I helped her gather the
money into the proper piles. "I'll give you a hint, he just walked out the
front door."
She smiled. "He's taught her well."
"Sometimes too well. She manipulates him as well as I ever have."
"She's his little girl. She has a lot of leverage. But I think he only
lets you two think you manipulate him because he loves you both so much."
"Think so? And here I was, thinking I had him fooled the entire time,"
I said with a smile, knowing she had hit on the truth.
"Anyone could tell that he loves you and Skyla. I wish I had someone
who loved me like that."
"You do. We all love you. You're my little sister, and Alex sees you
that way too. And Skyla, well, she loves everybody. And don't forget
Kallie. She loves you too. Just remember that whenever you have a bad day
or start feeling lonely."
"Thank you for doing all that you've done for me. I don't know what I
would do if I didn't have you and Alex to back me up when I needed it."
"It wouldn't be right if we weren't."
"So what does Alex think of me?" she asked me out of the blue.
"I told you, he thinks of you as the little sister he never had. But
I managed to worm something else out of him about you," I said devilishly,
thinking he'd kill me if he ever found out that I had told her.
"What?" she asked curiously.
"He's been attracted to you since that time you visited for the
wedding."
"Really?" she said with a shocked look on her face.
"Really. And you, little sister, have a crush on him," I said
matter-of-factly.
She looked even more shocked. "I do not!" she protested.
"Yes you do. I can see it in the way you look at him. Don't worry, I'm
not angry."
"And what if I say I am attracted to him, even a little?" she asked
quietly.
"I would say it was only natural. He's probably the first guy who's
actually been nice to you, at least without trying to get in your pants.
But most of all, you've seen him naked."
"Yeah, so?"
"You're fourteen. You're right in the middle of the time where your
hormones are raging at their peak. Of course you're going to lust after
the first man you've seen naked. Especially when we were doing what we
were doing at the time."
"Fine, fine," Amanda sighed. "So it's hormones. It doesn't mean that I
only see him as a sex object."
An insane idea popped into my head. 'I could satisfy both of them with
one fell swoop,' I thought to myself. The more I thought about it, the
more I liked it. And the more turned on I became.
"I know that," I said, hoping I wasn't making a mistake. "That's why
I'm going to let you both have some fun together."
"You don't mean?" Amanda said wide-eyed.
"That's exactly what I mean," I said with a devilish grin.
"Alex would never go for it!" Amanda said.
"You're right," I said thoughtfully, leaning back against the kitchen
counter. "Sometimes I wish he weren't so monogamous."
"Yeah, so forget it. Anyway, it might drive the two of you apart, and I
couldn't stand to see that happen."
"Oh, I doubt that. Besides, it'd only be once, just so you would both
have the experience. Not to mention having someone who cares about you
take your virginity is a lot better than having some jerk do it in the back
seat of a car."
"Maybe...but Alex still would never go for it. And how do you know I'm
a virgin?" she said, sounding as if she was trying to convince herself more
than me.
"That's why we'll just have to spring it on him. It'll be done before
he can get a word out of his mouth. As for you being a virgin, I asked
Kallie a while ago."
"You'll be there?" she said, a concerned look on her face.
"You bet I will. Like I'm going to miss seeing Alex's face when he
finds out what's going on."
"He'll be so pissed off," Amanda grinned.
"He owes me one for what he said to the Maine brothers. We'll be even."
"I think you tricking him into having sex with your little sister is a
little more serious."
"No it isn't. He'll enjoy what I'm doing to him. That evens it out."
"If you say so," she said doubtfully. "So what are we going to do?"
"Well, first I need to get him to bed..."
*****
Alex was surprised when I jumped on him as soon as he walked in the
door. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him as passionately as I
could.
"Well, I'm glad I'm back too," Alex said, a little flustered.
"Let's go upstairs. I think we both need some time to relax; away from
Amanda and Skyla," I said huskily, leading him by the arm.
"Okay, who slipped the aphrodisiacs into your food?" Alex joked as I
practically drug him up the stairs. By this time, it wasn't an act;
planning out Amanda and my scheme had made my imagination run wild. I felt
almost like panting I was so turned on, but I knew I had to save Alex for
Amanda or we'd never get him to do it.
I think it was one of the hardest things I had ever done, but I didn't
jump on him as soon as I had the bedroom door closed. A few seconds later
I had both of us undressed with him lying on his back on the bed while I
took him into my mouth. A few seconds later I stopped.
"I have a surprise for you," I said.
"Really?" he asked. "What is it?"
"Would it be a surprise if I told you?" I laughed softly.
"No, I guess not," he admitted.
"Fine then, now close your eyes and don't open them for anything unless
I tell you that you can."
"You aren't going to try to pee on me again are you?" he grinned.
"No, I'm not," I said, annoyed. "That was years ago, and you said you
didn't mind water-sports."
"I was..."
"Joking, I know," I sighed. "Now are you going to close your eyes or
not?"
"All right," he said and let his eyes fall shut.
When I was sure that he was going to keep them closed, I waved Amanda
in. She slipped in silently, thanks to freshly oiled hinges and a piece of
tape over the doorknob latch.
I took him into my mouth again, making him moan. Amanda, now naked,
stood at the foot of the bed, looking uncertain. I stopped working on Alex
and waved Amanda over. Then we carried out the rest of the plan.
I stepped back and Amanda took over. It took some furious waving of
arms to get her to take Alex into her mouth, but she finally did it. I was
hoping Alex was too turned on to notice the difference. Finally Amanda
stopped and slid up Alex's body. I stepped behind them and helped position
her over his cock. She looked really nervous by now, and I gave her a
reassuring smile.
With a deep breath, she slowly began to sit down on his cock.
He didn't seem to notice as her pussy lips parted around his cock. But
when he felt her virginity...
"What the hell!" he yelled, almost throwing Amanda across the room and
he grabbed her waist and rolled, throwing Amanda off his cock. He pinned
her to the bed and looked down at her. Shock registered on his face.
"Amanda?" he said in disbelief.
"Alex," she said weakly.
"Ooops," I said, thinking we were
Alex looked up at me. "All right, whose crazy idea was this?" Alex said
angrily. From the way he was looking at me, I could tell whom he
suspected.
Then Amanda started to cry.
"Oh no," Alex groaned and took his weight off Amanda, pulling her
into a hug and rubbing her back. Alex can't stand to see anyone cry,
especially someone he cared for as much as he did for Amanda. Before I
knew it, I was joining her. I sank onto the bed and curled into a ball,
sobbing.
"Come here," Alex said softly. I practically lunged at him, burying my
face in his shoulder.
For a few moments he comforted us, while we got out all the frustration
and anger that had built up over the last few days.
"Feel better?" Alex asked gently a few minutes later when our crying was
little more than hiccups.
"Yeah, I think so," Amanda said, but made no move to leave his arms.
"Still mad at us?" I asked, looking pleadingly into his eyes.
He sighed. "I guess not. But *why*?"
"I thought it would be sexy," I said. "I know you've been attracted to
Amanda for a long time, and I realized a while ago that she had a crush on
you. So I figured I'd satisfy you both at once."
"My pervert wife," he sighed again.
"And your pervert sister-in-law," Amanda added with a weak laugh.
"It seems that I've gotten myself into quite a situation," Alex
said.
"Will you still do it? Please?" Amanda asked softly.
"Why me?" he asked with a confused look on his face.
"I've never done it before, and Jenny seems to enjoy it with you, so I
figured that I'd loose my virginity to someone that I cared about."
"I think I've underestimated the importance of the situation," Alex
said, closing his eyes with a look of deep thought on his face.
"Alex, I don't mind if you do it. If I did, I wouldn't have done this.
So don't let any ideas of monogamy to me get in the way of doing what she
wants -- what both of you want."
"How do you know I want this so much? I could hurt her, or it could
hurt our marriage."
"You won't hurt her any more than you hurt me the first time. As for
our marriage, I'll still love you as much after you do it as I do now, if
not more so for doing this for my little sister."
He seemed to think some more, and I could see the inner war going on
behind his eyes. "All right," he said after a moment. Amanda and I
exchanged grins. "But only this one time. You're going to be living with
us Amanda, and whatever Jenny might say now, I think that if I was sleeping
with you all the time it would make it hard on Jenny and I."
Amanda's smile faded a little. "All right I guess. But that won't make
me any less tempted."
"Take it or leave it."
"She'll take it," I said quickly. I hadn't thought about later, and
I didn't think I could share Alex with her all the time. I barely get
enough as it is without another girl to compete with for 'attention'.
He looked at Amanda. She nodded.
"Well then, I guess we'd better get started," Alex said resignedly.
"Okay, how do we start?" Amanda said, obviously nervous again.
"I think he needs to start by getting you turned on again. He's very
good at it," I said with a grin.
"Fine then, what do I do?"
"First you two need to get off of me. Then just lie back on the bed,
arms and legs limp, and close your eyes," Alex said. Amanda and I quickly
untangled ourselves from Alex. I moved off to one side to give them more
room.
When Amanda was situated properly, relaxed as much as she could be on
the bed, Alex moved toward her. He started by kissing her ear, sucking at
her earlobe, and then slowly moving across her chin. I felt an unexpected
twinge of jealousy as he kissed her lips gently. 'A very good thing Alex
said only once,' I thought to myself, instantly feeling guilty about being
jealous of my little sister for doing something I had come up with in the
first place.
I felt slightly relieved when he left her lips and proceeded to kiss his
way down her body. He stopped to suckle on her small pink nipples. I
grinned as she gasped when he bit down lightly. I could tell she was
already becoming aroused; she was breathing heavily and a light flush had
spread over her shoulders and neck. But Alex continued mercilessly,
teasing her as he kissed his way slowly across her stomach. When he
finally reached her pussy, he gave one long lick up her slit, causing her
to gasp, then moved to kissing her inner thighs.
'Uh oh,' I chuckled to myself. 'Now she's in for it.'
"No more than ten minutes, Alex. I don't think she can take any more
than that," I grinned.
"Yes dear," Alex said, his voice muffled.
"What?" Amanda said breathlessly, then moaned as Alex flicked his tongue
over her slit again.
"You'll understand in a minute," I said cryptically.
In a few minutes, she did indeed understand. Very well. You don't know
the meaning of the word 'begging' until you've been teased and driven half
out of your mind by someone during sex. But the orgasm at the end of it is
always worth it.
"Pleeeeeaaaasssseee!" Amanda begged.
"No," Alex said with a laugh. "I'm getting even."
"Jenny, please make him!" she pleaded.
"Sorry, he's never listened when he was doing it to me, so I doubt he'll
listen now."
"You've got that right," Alex said. "Besides, Jenny's up next." He
attacked her pussy again, making her squeal so loudly I thought she might
wake Skyla.
"Oh no," I groaned, but was actually rather looking forward to my turn.
He continued for another two or three minutes until Amanda was almost
crying, she was so frustrated. I leaned over and whispered something in
his ear.
"And I thought I was cruel," he snickered. I backed off again with a
grin.
"What did you tell him Jenny?" Amanda demanded between pants.
"You'll see."
Alex reached up with one of his hands and wetted his finger in her now
freely flowing juices, then slowly inserted it up her ass. I thought the
noise she made was going to bring the Walker's running.
"Oh GOD!" she screamed. I put my hand over her mouth.
"Shhhh!" I hissed. "You're going to wake Skyla." She glared at me.
"Don't look at me like that. You know it feels good," I giggled and moved
away. She whimpered, her hips moving rhythmically against Alex's tongue.
A minute later Amanda wasn't capable of speech; her eyes were squeezed
tightly shut. Her body was trembling, and every time Alex went back to her
pussy, her body would jerk and a loud moan would escape her mouth. I
touched Alex's head and he looked up at me. By motioning as if I was
pointing to a watch, I told him to finish her off. He nodded. I moved
into position to cover her mouth when she came.
When I was in position, Alex moved in for the 'kill.' He pushed his
face into her pussy, flicking his tongue hard over her clit, then drawing
it into his mouth and sucking. Amanda screamed as she came, or at least
tried to until I muffled her mouth with my hand. Her eyes rolled back in
her head, her face contorted into a look of intense pleasure. She flopped
under Alex's still moving tongue like a fish out of water, then went limp,
out cold.
Alex raised himself up from her pussy with big grin on his face.
"Looks like it runs in the family," he grinned.
"Do I look like that when I come?" I asked curiously.
"Yeah, but you flop around more, and usually almost rip my hair out."
I slid down the bed and kissed him, tasting my sister on his lips. "Did
you like that?" I asked.
"I liked both, eating her out and your kiss. She tastes a little
stronger than you do, though."
I smiled, and then Amanda started to wake up. Alex quickly cuddled her,
knowing I always wanted someone to cuddle with after I came.
"Jesus Christ," Amanda said, still lying limply in Alex's arms.
"Was that worth the wait?" Alex teased.
"I'd say so," she sighed dreamily.
"Are you ready?" Alex asked after giving her a few minutes to recover.
"Yeah, I think so," Amanda said, uncertain again.
"Okay, why don't you be on top? That's the way Jenny and I did it, and
it seemed to work well enough. It'll give you a bit more control over
what's happening."
"All right," Amanda said. Alex rolled onto his back, taking Amanda with
him. She spread her legs and straddled him, using her hands to prop
herself up on his chest. Alex grabbed her waist to help steady her.
"Relax," I said, stroking her back. "If you relax, it'll be easier and
better for you."
She nodded, and took a deep breath. She rose slightly higher, and I
reached between them and took Alex's cock in my hand. Amanda looked
surprised when I touched her, spreading her pussy lips with one hand while
swabbing Alex's cock up and down her slit, getting the head moist. Then I
placed it against her entrance.
"Now push down slowly," I instructed. She nodded, and started to sit
down slowly. I could tell when it hit her virginity by the look of
discomfort on her face.
"Now this will hurt some," I said, then nodded to Alex. He pushed her
down hard, ripping through her virginity in one quick thrust. Amanda
screamed, more I think out of surprise than pain. She was even more
surprised when I kissed her (no more surprised than I), keeping her silent
during the initial pain of loosing her virginity. Alex kept lowering her
until he was all the way inside then let her go limp on top of him, her
head resting on his chest. I lay down beside them, my hand touching Alex's
as I stroked her back.
"How are you feeling?" Alex asked her gently.
"That really hurt," she whimpered.
"I'm sorry, but that's the only way to do it," he told her, kissing
her on her forehead. "Just relax, we have plenty of time."
I sat up, and moved back to look at where they were joined. I think
that seeing her there, perched on top of him with his cock all the way up
her belly, her pussy lips stretched taught around him, is most likely the
sexiest thing I'd ever seen. I felt like pulling her off him and taking
him myself, but I restrained myself to just gently stroking my clit to the
sight.
I plopped back down beside them, still touching myself.
"Trying to move your hips a little bit," I told her. "It'll start to
feel good, I promise."
"I don't think I can," she told me, still not moving.
"Sure you can," I said, then put one hand on her ass, using it to
move her hips in a slow, gentle circle. She moaned, but not in pain.
"See? I told you it feels good."
She experimented a bit, rotating her hips, then slowly raised herself a
fraction of an inch off of him then lowering herself again. They both
moaned. She rose again, a little over an inch this time, and sank. A few
seconds later she was moving up and down half the length of his shaft, then
eventually two thirds.
A rhythm soon developed, and I synchronized rubbing my clit to their
thrusts. They were both gasping by now, and Alex was moaning something
about "it's so tight!" over and over. I could tell he was close, and
Amanda was a little behind him. I reached out with my free hand and began
to stroke her clit. She jerked a little in surprise, but was too far-gone
to protest.
They continued to accelerate, the sound of flesh slapping together
followed by grunts of pleasure filling the room.
Finally Alex jerked under her and came with a load groan, pushing his
hips up off the mattress in a vain effort to get further inside of her.
Amanda let out a strangled cry as she came a few seconds later with the
help of my finger, her back arching like a bowstring, then went limp, lying
again with her sweat-dripping face on Alex's chest. Then my own orgasm
overtook me and I went blank for a few seconds as the pleasure coursed
through me.
When I came out of it both of them were laughing.
"What's so funny?" I asked them.
"I think you enjoyed that almost as much as we did," Alex laughed.
"What, I was just supposed to sit here and watch while you two had great
orgasms?"
They both just laughed harder. I couldn't help but grin myself.
When the two fools had decided that they had laughed enough, I cuddled
up next to them. Amanda kept Alex inside of her by my recommendation, I
figured she should get the full experience of sleeping with a man, as I had
gotten the first time I slept with Alex.
And so, I fell asleep with my arm around my husband, and my little
sister, feeling closer to them than I had even been before.
End Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
----------------
I woke the next morning to Skyla jumping into bed with us. All three of
us. Alex and Amanda didn't wake.
"'Morning Skyla," I said giving her a hug.
"Did Aunt Amanda have a bad dream last night?" she whispered as she
realized Amanda was in bed with us.
"What?" I whispered back, confused. Then I figured out what she meant.
"Something like that," I said with a smile, grateful that a ready-made
excuse had presented itself.
Thankfully, they had separated during the night. Amanda was cuddled up
against Alex's back. One of his arms was wrapped around my waist, holding
me close. I glanced at the clock. It was a little after 9am.
"I guess it's time to get up," I sighed.
"Thank god it's a queen sized bed," I heard Alex grumble behind me. "If
we jam any more people into it it's liable to collapse."
"'Morning Daddy," Skyla said cheerily, then climbed over me and hugged
him.
"Good morning my little alarm clock," Alex said with a smile and hugged
her back.
"I'm not an alarm clock Daddy," she giggled.
"No, I suppose not. You're much too big to be anything but a big cuckoo
clock," Alex teased.
"I'm not a cuckoo clock either, I'm a little girl," she protested.
"Really? You don't sound like one to me," he said, then tickled her.
Skyla screamed and thrashed around laughing. Alex held her down and
continued to tickle her.
"Say cuckoo!" Alex laughed.
"Cuckoo! Cuckoo!" Skyla screamed with laughter, wriggling in his grasp.
"Just stop it! Please!"
Alex stopped. "I told you that you were and oversized cuckoo clock.
And a very loud one," he added with a grin.
"I don't know about cuckoo clocks, but I think you're both cuckoo,"
Amanda groaned, then stretched.
"Are you sore?" I asked her.
"A little, but not much. But that was a very interesting way to wake
up," she said with a smile.
"Good," Alex said. "Get used to waking up in odd ways, though. That's
the way it seems to work in our family."
"You're all obviously going to keep me on my toes."
"You have no idea," I said.
*****
Alex and I relaxed on the banks of the pond, watching Amanda, Kallie and
Skyla play in the water. The rain had passed overnight and the next day
had heated up again, but with more humidity due to the rain evaporating
under the heat of the sun. We had decided to spend most of the day at the
pond, since it was really the only cool place to be.
The relationship between Alex and Amanda didn't seem to have changed
much. They smiled at each other more, and he was more likely to give her a
hug or to accept a hug from her. I hoped that last night's experiences had
just made them closer to each other.
I hoped.
I was considering running back to the house to get a book or and some
sun-block when Alex's stomach let out a menacing growl. I glanced at the
sun.
"Sounds like someone is hungry."
"A little," Alex admitted.
"Just as well, I think we both need some sun-block anyway. Your nose
is getting a little red," I said, running my finger over the bridge of his
nose.
"I guess that's what I get for spending most of my time in front of a
computer," he hissed in pain, pushed my finger away.
I got to my feet. "Hey you three, I think it's time for us to get some
lunch. Alex's stomach is making funny noises," I yelled over the water.
"So what else is new?" Kallie laughed. Alex made a face at her.
The three of them waded out of the cloudy water, and we set off for the
house.
"Race you!" Skyla cried, then ran ahead. I wasn't in the mood for
running, but Amanda took off after her. We 'old fogies' continued to walk,
grinning as the two disappeared into the trees. Then we heard Amanda
scream.
Alex was off like a shot, Kallie and I right on his tail. We got out to
the house a few seconds after he did.
"Oh shit," Alex muttered as we ran up behind him. Kallie screamed, and
then I saw why. Alex's Dad was standing in the middle of the back yard,
his mouth hanging open and his face flaming red, holding Skyla in his arms,
who of course was talking a mile a minute.
"Grandpa, are you even listening to me?" Skyla complained.
"Uh, sure honey. But just a second," he said distractedly. I
recovered my senses enough to jump and hide behind Alex, and Kallie did the
same. Amanda was nowhere to be seen.
"Um...Hi Dad," Alex mumbled, covering himself the best he could.
"Excuse me," I said, and pulling Kallie along behind me ran into
the house blushing furiously.
"That was Alex's Dad?" Kallie asked.
"Yeah, and I'm surprised he didn't have a heart attack," I grumbled,
running up the stairs and into Alex's and my bedroom.
"Well, he sure got an eyeful," Kallie snickered, already recovering from
the shock.
"I don't know how poor Alex is handling it, though," I said worriedly.
"It's his Dad. He changed his diapers, it's no big deal."
"It's still damn embarrassing," Alex said as he walked through the
door with Skyla on his hip. "I told him we'd be down in a few minutes.
Dressed, preferably." He looked around. "Where's Amanda?"
"Oh god, we forgot about her," I groaned.
"She must be in the other bedroom," Kallie said. I stopped her
before she ran out of the room still nude. "You wait here, I'll go see if
she's okay." I grabbed my robe and walked out of the room. I could hear
the sobs emanating from the bedroom down the hall. I knocked on the door,
and then opened it slowly.
"Amanda?" I asked.
"Go away," She was laying facedown on the bed. I walked over to the
bed.
"Come on, it's not that bad. It's only Alex's Dad."
"Alex's Dad? Oh god!" she wailed, and buried her face in the pillow
again.
"I thought you knew!"
"No, all I saw was a man standing in yard. I screamed and ran inside."
"When we walked up Skyla had already climbed into his arms and was
talking to him. I don't think she has a modest bone in her body," I said
with a grin. "So come on, get dressed and come meet him."
"But I can't face him now!" she said.
"Sure you can. He's Alex's Dad, it's not like he's never seen anyone
naked before."
"Yeah, but..."
"Amanda, don't worry about it. It's nothing. I'm embarrassed, and
look at me. I'm his son's wife. Look at Kallie! She isn't even legally
related to him, and she's already laughing about it."
"But that's Kallie. Nothing gets to her for long."
"Kallie is Kallie, I know. But you have nothing to be embarrassed
about. His mouth was hanging open and he was speechless when we ran across
him. You should be proud that you can do that to a man. Now come on and
get up; remember this is his room. He's going to come in here eventually,
and wouldn't you rather he didn't get a second look?" I teased.
"No, I guess not," she sat up and forced a smile.
"Good, now get dressed and we'll introduce you properly so he'll at
least know what name to use in his fantasies."
"Jenny!"
I just laughed and walked out of the room.
A few minutes later we all tromped down the stairs. I held Skyla until
she wriggled loose and ran to sit on her Grandfather's lap. He was sitting
in one of the old armchairs across from the couch. He blushed slightly as
he saw Amanda, Kallie, and I. Amanda and I blushed as well. Kallie just
grinned.
Alex cleared his throat. "Well, I guess introductions are in order.
The blonde is Kallie, a friend of Jenny and I that lives around here, she's
also Skyla's Godmother. And of course, Amanda, the first girl you...ran
across. She's my sister-in-law, who is also going to be moving in with us
when we leave for home in about a week."
"Nice to meet you both," Alex's Dad said, nodding at us. "I hope next
time we meet in less embarrassing circumstances." Amanda blushed again and
looked down at her shoes. Kallie just kept grinning.
Everyone took a seat, Alex, Amanda and I on the couch and Kallie in the
second armchair. The atmosphere was awkward, to say the least.
"So Alex, you never told me you and Jenny were nudist," Alex's father
said, raising an eyebrow. Alex looked surprised. I know I was.
"I don't know if we're nudist. We were coming back from the pond out
back. It's just more fun to skinny dip."
"Ahh. I see," his father replied lamely. "So Amanda is moving in with
you, eh? Why?" he said, hunting for conversation.
"That's a long story," I told him.
"I have time."
"Well, we came up here for a vacation. But it's only really been a
vacation for the last day or so. We had a few...problems with some locals,
and then, well, Jenny and Amanda's parents were arrested for reasons I'll
explain later," Alex said, looking pointedly at Skyla, who had managed to
fish one of her Grandfather's pens out of his shirt pocket. I was praying
she wouldn't decide to re-design his shirt with it. "So Amanda has no
place to go. We couldn't let social services get her, so we invited her to
come live with us. She accepted."
"They were arrested, eh? About time," he said understandingly. Alex
and I had explained my past to him a while back.
"Yeah, I know. Anyway, it's worked out for the best."
He nodded. "I wish I'd known you were going to be up here, I would have
asked for some time off. I have to leave tomorrow, but I would have liked
to have spent more time with you."
"We didn't think of it at the time. To tell you the truth, we had to
get away just to be able to think about anything but our more pressing
problems. We hadn't spent much time together, so we cut out for spring
break."
"A good idea. A little time with your family is always a good thing."
We talked for a few minutes more, until Alex's stomach made another
loud, demanding gurgle.
I smiled. "We were coming back to have lunch when we ran across you," I
said to my father-in-law. I was still having problems with thinking of him
as 'Dad.' "Alex's stomach is reminding us of that. Have you eaten?"
"Not since this morning."
"Let's go out to eat," Alex said.
"Ahh, good idea. I feel like Chinese," I said.
"I know a great place in Sandfield," Alex's Dad volunteered.
"You always know of a great place to eat," Alex observed.
"You eat out often when you spend most of your time traveling," he
shrugged.
"Then let's go. I'm starving," Alex said, heaving himself off of the
couch. My father-in-law stood as well.
"Come on, everyone's invited," he said, heading for the door.
End Chapter 13
Chapter 14
----------
My father-in-law still had his little red two-seater and Skyla begged us
to let her ride with her grandfather. We let her. She doesn't get to see
her grandfather often, and usually gets spoiled rotten when she does see
him once or twice a year.
Still good looking, he was trim despite years of bar-hopping and eating
out. He looked to be in good health, a little shorter than Alex now, with
his hair streaked with gray. His hair was thinning, but not much, which is
more than most men even in their late thirties can say, much less a man of
almost fifty. He walked with purpose, and knowing how well he could
sweet-talk someone from personal experience, a good salesman. He looked
successful, even in his casual slacks and button-down shirt with a brightly
colored tie. While his face was showing signs of age, you could see that
the lines around his mouth were the smile lines of someone often happy, or
at least someone who needed to come across as happy to make a living. I
wasn't sure which it was in his case.
Skyla climbed into the car with her grandfather, while the rest of us
piled into the rented minivan. The ride to Sandfield was swift, with us
following Alex's father who almost never dropped below 80mph. Alex kept
up, and I was praying during the entire trip that neither Alex nor his
father would get us killed.
Soon we pulled up in front of a small, slightly dingy looking
restaurant.
"This is it?" I asked skeptically, looking at the drooping awning and
the slightly overflowing dumpster barely visible in an alley that ran
between the restaurant and the antique shop next door.
"Just wait until you see the inside," my father-in-law promised as he
led us in the narrow door.
I was surprised when we walked through the door. Inside was vastly
different from the outside of the restaurant. It was dimly lit, but the
smell of incense laced the air, and dark mahogany paneling lined the walls,
intricately carved with detailed murals. Further inside, you could see no
more than ten tables, half of them empty, the rest with well dressed,
professional looking people sitting around them, talking quietly. An
elderly maitre de stood just inside the door. He smiled as we walked up to
him.
"Ahh, Mr. Braxton. We have not seen you in several months. It is good
to see you again. And who are these people with you?"
"This is my son Alex, his wife Jenny, her sister Amanda, their friend
Kallie, and the little one is my Granddaughter Skyla," he replied. "Quite
a troop, eh?"
"Ahh, you never told me you had a son. Much less one with such a fine
family, and a very beautiful wife and daughter as well," he bowed
graciously.
I blushed, a little flustered and embarrassed at his comment.
"So you will need a table for six. Luckily, we do have a table to
seat that many. Please, follow me," he said and lead us to a table near
the rear of the restaurant. He seemed to float more than walk, his feet
not making a sound on the expensive oriental rug-covered hardwood floor of
wood as dark as that of the walls. He seated us, and found a chair high
enough for Skyla to eat at the table comfortably. I was grateful when he
placed a cloth bib around Skyla's neck. He must have had children; only
parents seem to notice how messy small children are when they eat.
He handed us each menus and vanished with a smile.
"It's much different on the inside than on the outside," I observed.
Soft, muted music seemed to emanate from nowhere, adding to the relaxed
atmosphere of the restaurant.
"Yi Liu tries to keep a low profile on his establishment. It's
word-of-mouth only, and you are only admitted if you've been invited by
someone who has already eaten here before. If you try to walk in
otherwise, you're politely told all tables are reserved and turned away. I
was introduced here a few years ago by a business associate of mine."
"Is the food as good as the decor is?" Alex asked, looking around.
"Better," his father smiled.
"I don't think they have happy meals here," Skyla said mournfully.
Everyone laughed. "No, I don't think they do Skyla. But I'm sure they
have something good for desert," her Grandfather smiled. Skyla brightened
a little at the mention of desert.
We looked at our menus. A wide selection of foods was available. Alex
read off the list to Skyla, looking a little dubious at the higher than
average prices on the dishes while I puzzled over what to order.
"The almond chicken is good, but if you want a real treat, get the duck.
It takes them hours to prepare properly," my father-in-law told me.
I shrugged. "I guess I'll have the duck then."
He went around the table, giving suggestions to everyone who looked
undecided. He even recommended something for Kallie, who was a long-time
vegetarian.
"You seem to know this place well," Alex said to his father.
"I eat here every time I'm home. I've tried most everything on the menu
besides the squid and a few of the other more exotic dishes."
Yi Liu appeared a few minutes later, took our orders, then disappeared
again, leaving glasses of ice water in crystal tumblers for each of us
except for Skyla, who had milk.
We chatted while we waited for the food to arrive. Just the normal,
'talk about the weather' kind of chatter. Alex mentioned that I was
planning to take a year off from school to stay home with Skyla while he
went back to school full time.
"It's a good idea. Alex will get out of school faster, and be making
more money. You won't have to struggle so much. That will make it easier
when you do decide to go to school."
"I still don't like it," Alex grumbled. I started to open my mouth to
respond, but luckily for him, the food arrived before any words could
escape my mouth.
The duck was as good as I had been told. It seemed a little greasy when
you looked at it, but the taste was nothing like I had tasted before. It
was sweet, spicy, and sour all at the same time, with an undertoning taste
of chicken.
Skyla slurped her way through a serving of chow mien and rice, Alex
chomped what looked like Barbecued beef and almond chicken, Kallie picked
at a salad unlike any I had ever seen before, and Amanda was looking at
what she had ordered, apparently still trying to figure out what it was. I
didn't even want to think about what Alex's Dad was eating. I was
beginning to wonder what he meant by 'more exotic dishes.' By the time the
main course was finished, I was dreading cleaning up Skyla. I just hoped
that she hadn't spilled too much food into her lap.
My hopes were dashed when desert arrived: something else that I couldn't
recognize for Alex's Dad, and good old American hot fudge sundaes for
everyone else. Skyla loves chocolate, as any kid does. But ice cream, hot
fudge, and two-year-old little girls do not mix, at least in any mother's
opinion.
By the time she had finished, I was resolved to my fate. Fudge was
spread on her face nearly ear to ear. If it hadn't been for the bib, her
clothes would have been covered in the gooey mess as well.
When she had finished, I reached for a napkin to clean her up, at least
as much as possible. I stopped just before I spit on the napkin to help
wash off her face. I shuddered and put the napkin down. I wasn't so old
that I didn't remember how much I had hated my mother doing that to me when
I was little. 'It must be instinct,' I thought to myself, then asked Yi
Liu where the restroom was so that I could clean Skyla up. He pointed me
to a door near the back of the restaurant. I led Skyla into the small
restroom and washed her face of with paper towels and warm water.
By the time we got back, everyone was ready to leave. Alex protested
when his father put the bill on his credit card, but he raised his hand and
quieted him.
"This is to make up for the embarrassment this morning," he said with a
smile.
"I wasn't embarrassed, just surprised," Kallie grinned.
"Well, I'm sure someone was embarrassed," he said, looking at
Amanda, Alex and I.
Skyla rode with her Grandfather back to the house. I hoped that she
wouldn't stick to the leather seats.
*****
I was left alone in the living room that night with my father-in-law
after Kallie had gone home and Amanda and Alex had taken Skyla upstairs to
put to bed. I told them I'd be up when I had finished my cocoa.
"I think this is the first time I've been alone with you, Jenny," he
said.
"I think so too."
"For my daughter-in-law, I don't know you very well."
"For my father-in-law, I don't know you very well either," I smiled.
"Well, then. Let's take this opportunity to get to know each other, shall
we?"
"All right," I agreed.
"Good," he smiled at me. We sat in silence for a few moments.
"This isn't going well, is it?" he asked with a grin.
"I don't think it is either," I grinned back.
"Okay, then how about I start with a question?"
"What question?" I asked.
"You and Alex never told me what happened with your parents that has
forced Amanda to move in with you."
"Oh," I said, swallowing heavily. "They were trying to kidnap Skyla."
"What?" he said in surprise and anger.
I ran him through the story. By the end, he had a disgusted look on his
face.
"People like that..."
"I know. Can we move on to something else?" I pleaded.
"Sure. But what?"
"What was Alex like when he was little?" I asked.
"I don't know if that's the best question to ask. I wasn't home all
that much, as no doubt Alex has told you."
"You were still around from time to time, weren't you? He won't tell
me, so it must be good dirt," I said.
He sighed. "Alex's going to kill me for this one."
I grinned in anticipation.
"He was slightly hyperactive when he was little. Always running around,
happy. A little like Skyla, but somewhat less so. Curious as hell. Drove
me nuts when I was home. 'Dad, what's this do? Dad, what's that do?' all
the time. Then he changed after..." he stopped, seeming to get a little
choked up.
"After what?" I asked curiously.
"Well, I was away when his mother died..."
I interrupted him. "He never told me that she died. He said she left!"
I said in shock.
"Hold on a second. He didn't lie. He said she left. In a way, she
did," he seemed to be trying to blink back tears. "You see, she killed
herself."
I sat in shock. "She killed herself?"
"Yes."
"And Alex..."
"Found her, yes," he said, using his sleeve to wipe his eyes dry.
"Oh God," I whispered, feeling ill.
"Apparently she...decided she didn't want to live anymore. She
dissolved a bottle of aspirin in a glass of warm water and drank it. She
was dead within fifteen minutes. Mrs. Walker came over to drop off some
eggs and found Alex huddled in a corner, staring at his Mother's body.
"Alex came down the next morning and found her slumped over the kitchen
table. She called an ambulance, but it was much too late. He had been
sitting there staring at her for almost two days, judging from how
dehydrated he was, and the state of the body. I was called, and came home
as quickly as possible. Alex wouldn't say a word for over six weeks.
"He came out of it suddenly, one minute staring at the wall lifelessly,
the next he was moving around, eating and talking again. But he wasn't the
same. Even I could tell that. He was more reserved, less likely to talk,
and when he did, he spoke in monosyllables.
"I made him go to see a psychiatrist, but he just sat there, looking at
the wall until the session was over. Alex was quite eloquent even back
then. After we went through several different psychiatrists, he finally
told me in no uncertain terms where I could shove my 'shrinks,'" he smiled
wryly, with little humor.
"And then you went back to work?"
"I had to. Our savings were running out. Alex seemed to be doing well
enough considering what had happened. Now I realize I was just running
from the pain by going back to work. I left. What little closeness Alex
and I had faded over time. He grew up by himself out here, and then met
you.
"You and Skyla have done wonders for him, you know. You broke him out
of his shell. You cared for him when the people who were supposed to be
caring for him weren't there," he said sadly.
I shuddered. "I think we're no good at talking about light subjects with
each other."
"I think we just need to get through the dark subjects to get to the
light ones. But I also think you need to go upstairs and help put Skyla to
bed. I need a drink," he smiled and stood, walking on unsteady legs toward
the study.
I headed upstairs and arrived just in time to help with the voices in
Skyla's bedtime story.
End Chapter 14
Chapter 15
----------
Alex and I went to bed shortly after Amanda did. We were tired from the
day's activities. I was cuddled up to his side, slowly stroking his chest.
I couldn't get the story I had heard earlier out of my mind.
"Alex, why didn't you ever tell me that your Mother was dead?" I asked.
He froze. I wondered if it had been such a good idea to ask.
"Who told you that?" he asked, his voice strained.
"I was talking to your father. He told me...everything," I said softly.
"Everything?" he asked.
"Yes, about the suicide, you finding her, everything."
He began to shake, almost violently, as if he was standing in a cold
room.
"Alex, I can't imagine how that must have been for you," I said,
reaching
up and stroking his cheek. I felt the dampness of tears on my fingertips.
"I don't want to talk about it," he rasped.
"Alex, it's been over ten years. You have to talk about it sometime.
Look what it's doing to you. You're shaking all over." I wrapped my arms
around him as best I could, trying to calm his shivering.
"I killed her," he whispered.
"You did not kill her. She killed herself," I told him firmly.
"I might as well have. I saw her take the bottle of aspirin downstairs.
I knew that she had been depressed for weeks. But I didn't pay any
attention. I should have stopped her. But the next morning I came
downstairs, and there she was, slumped over the table, her eyes staring
blankly. Right at me. I fell back and hit a wall, and slid to the floor,
sobbing. She kept staring, almost as if accusing me of doing the deed
myself," he said hollowly.
"Alex, you couldn't have stopped her. It wasn't your fault," I
insisted. "You were only ten years old. She decided, and did it. She was
only thinking of herself. If she had been thinking of you, she would never
have done it so that she would be found by you, or not have done it at
all."
"Still..."
"Still nothing," I told him vehemently. "Why do you always have to
blame
yourself for other people's mistakes?"
By now sobs were racking his body, tears rolling down his face. I had
never seen him fall apart so completely. A decade of guilt built up behind
the wall Alex had constructed was a powerful thing. All I could do was
hold him.
Sometimes the only thing you can do for someone you love is let them
know that you're there for them. And so I did, holding him while he cried
out the years of pain and frustration.
*****
Alex wandered down to the kitchen soon after I started breakfast.
"What smells so good?" he asked, giving me a good morning hug and kiss.
"The eggs, most likely," I said with a smile.
"No, it smells sweeter," he paused, sniffing the air. "I know! It's
you,"
he said with a grin.
"You're a hopeless flirt," I groaned, pressing my body into his to show
him that I still appreciated it, "But I'm glad to see you're feeling better
today."
His face darkened for a moment, then he smiled again. "Somewhat."
"Good," I said, squeezing him tighter, "Because I'm going to keep
telling you it wasn't your fault until you believe it."
"I know it wasn't my fault," he said, looking down at me.
I looked into his eyes. "No, I don't think you really believe it yet."
"How can you tell?" he asked uncomfortably.
"I can still see that glimmer of pain hidden in your eyes."
"How can you tell so much from my eyes?"
"I know you, Alex. I know you better than anyone. I should be angry
that you kept this from me for so long, but I'm not. We all have our
little secrets; I kept some from you. But all I want is for you to forgive
yourself for what happened."
"I don't know if I can."
"You will. Eventually."
"Maybe," he sighed.
"Good," I said. "Let's talk about something else. Like how it felt to
sleep with my little sister," I grinned.
"Do we have to?" he groaned.
"Yes, we do. Now, tell me. Who's better in bed, me or her?" I asked
mischievously.
"You can't compare the two of you."
"Try."
"Why do I..."
"Try," I told him firmly.
"Fine. If you really want to know..."
"I do. So tell me!" I said, exasperated.
"I told you, you can't compare. I care about Amanda, and it of course
felt good, but she isn't you. You know I love you, Jenny. I love Amanda
too, but in a different way. Sex is sex, but with you...it's more than
that. I feel connected to you, like we're sharing our thoughts and our
pleasure. I couldn't keep my mind from wandering to you the entire time.
I didn't do it for myself, I did it for Amanda, and because you wanted me
to," he took my head in his hands and looked deep into my eyes. "You are
the only lover I want, Jenny. You don't have to worry about Amanda or
anyone else taking me away from you. Ever."
I smiled up at him. "I hoped you'd say that," I said, relieved. He
smiled back, then kissed me tenderly. I closed my eyes and let everything
else fade away.
"So, the lovebirds are at it again, are they?" Alex's father said with a
grin as he and Skyla walked into the kitchen
"They're always doing that," Skyla said disgustedly.
Alex and I broke off our kiss, but still held each other and smiled.
"One day Skyla, you won't find that so disgusting," he chuckled.
"Whatever," Skyla said, dismissing it as she sat down at the table.
Alex released me and leaned against the kitchen counter.
"So when do you have to leave, Dad?"
"Pretty quick. Around ten this morning. I'd stay longer, but duty
calls," he replied, pouring himself a cup of coffee that I had started,
knowing that he always seemed to need a cup when he woke up.
Skyla hopped out of her seat and gave her grandfather a hug. "I wish
you didn't have to go," she said.
"So do I sweetie, but I have to go to work. Maybe I'll come down and
visit you sometime this summer, okay?"
"Okay," she said, brightening a little.
Alex's Dad left that morning, with a hug to Skyla, a handshake to Alex,
a smile at Amanda, and to my surprise, a tentative hug to me.
"I hope we can get to know each other better in the future. And talk
about more positive things," he said with a smile.
"I hope so too, um, Dad," I said awkwardly. He smiled a bit wider and
walked toward his car. Alex picked up Skyla and we all waved as he drove
off.
*****
That night Alex and I were sitting on the couch discussing Robert
Heinlein's later books when Skyla thumped her way down the stairs. When I
say "thumped," I mean thumped. She jumped down every step.
'Anything to make stairs more interesting,' I thought to myself. Alex
and I continued to talk, and Skyla climbed into my lap and leaned back
against me.
"Mommy, you never told me what that white stuff was a few days ago," she
said.
"Huh?" Alex and I said in surprise at the same moment.
"When me and Aunt Kallie and Amanda came into the bathroom after you
were yelling so loud, you got out of the tub and white stuff was running
down your leg. You never told me what it was."
"Oh," I said, wondering at the same time why she couldn't remember to
flush the toilet when she could remember the tiniest little promise for
days.
"What are we talking about here?" asked Alex.
"When we were...in the tub that one time, I climbed out and had, um,
well, you know, running down my leg. I told Skyla that I'd tell her
later," I said sheepishly.
"Ahh. So, go ahead, tell her," he said with a grin.
"You're enjoying this way too much."
"Hey, you're the one that got yourself in this mess," he snickered.
"If I remember properly, it was your 'white stuff' running down my leg,"
I retorted.
"Are you fighting?" Skyla asked exasperatedly.
"No, we're discussing," Alex told her.
She rolled her eyes. "Well is someone going to tell me or not?"
"Yes, your mother is," Alex said. I opened my mouth to protest,
then Skyla looked up at me expectantly. I sighed. I knew what my parents'
attitudes toward sex were, and I also knew that I wanted Skyla to
understand it well enough to not get into trouble later.
"We've told you about what we do in bed, right?" I asked her.
"Yes. Kinda."
"Well, there's more to it than just a mother and a father sleeping
together. You know that spot between your legs?"
"Where it feels funny when I touch it?"
"Yeah, that's the spot. That's your vulva. And you've seen what Daddy
has between his legs too, right?" I still couldn't believe I was
explaining the facts of life to a two-year-old.
"Yeah, that dangly thing," Alex grinned when heard her name for it.
"Yeah, that small..." I stopped when Alex glared at me. I grinned
devilishly back, then continued, "that *really* small dangly thing is
called a penis. And you have a little hole between your legs, that's
called a vagina. When a man and a woman who care about each other, they
have what's called 'sex.' The man's penis gets hard, and he puts it into
the woman's vagina. It feels really good for both people, and after a
while, the man squirts what's called 'semen' into the woman from his penis.
That's what you saw running down my leg, and that's also why I was yelling
so loud, because it felt so good."
"Weird. How does it fit?" she asked curiously.
"The woman's vagina is very flexible. That's also where babies come out
of a woman, so it has to stretch," I explained.
"So that's how babies are made?" Skyla asked.
"Sort of, yes. But not always."
"So if Daddy put his dangl...penis inside of me, I could have a baby?"
"No, you're too little, and Daddies aren't supposed to do that with
their daughters anyway."
"Why not?" Skyla asked. "Daddy cares about me, doesn't he?"
"Of course I do, Skyla," Alex said.
"Then why can't you do it, at least when I get bigger?"
"It's just one of those things that there's no answer to, Skyla. If
Daddy was to do it, then he might get in a lot of trouble, and probably
even be put in jail if someone else found out."
"Why?"
"People think that when Daddies do it with their daughters, it hurts
them."
"How?"
"I don't know, Skyla. It usually happens when the father forces the
daughter into it. Sex isn't supposed to be about forcing someone else to
do it, just for one person's pleasure. Most people think that little girls
can't make that kind of decision on their own."
"So even if I want to we can't?" Skyla asked, confused.
"Nope. Not unless you want to risk your Daddy going to jail, and I
don't think you want that."
"No. But that's still dumb."
"That's the way life works sometimes, Skyla. When a lot of people think
something is wrong, some people have to live with that, even if they think
what other people think isn't true."
Skyla sighed. "I don't like it. Even when I'm grown up, I still won't
get to do anything."
"You'll make your own decisions, Skyla. I promise you that," Alex said
with a smile. "And sometimes you won't want to make them."
End Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
---------------
I was lying awake at Alex's side that night, for some reason unable to
sleep. Alex's breathing was deep and even; he had fallen asleep what
seemed like hours before.
I heard a creaking noise from downstairs, wrote it off to the creaks of
the house settling. Then I heard the stairs squeak. Fear swept through
me, the same noise that they always made when someone heavy was going up or
down them. I reached over and shook Alex.
"Alex, wake up! I think someone's in the house!" I whispered to him.
He woke up slowly, as always.
"Wha...what's wrong?" he asked groggily.
"I think someone is in the house!" I whispered again.
"It's just the house settling. Relax."
"But I don't think..."
Skyla's scream cut me off.
"Mommy! Daddy! Help!" she screamed. Alex was gone before she had even
finished. I jumped up myself, running for the door. I was just exiting
the bedroom door when I saw Alex enter the bedroom down the hall.
"Skyla, what's..." he started, then I heard a soft thunk and Alex's body
slid to the floor with a thud.
"Alex!" I screamed and ran to him. I knelt over him, trying to see if
he was all right. I looked up when I heard a throaty chuckle, then someone
turned the bedroom light on.
"Dad!" I gasped as I recognized his face.
"That's right, honey," he said sarcastically. "Now get over there in
the corner by your sister," he said, waving a gun toward the rear corner of
the bedroom where Skyla and Amanda were huddled, looking fearfully at my
father.
"What have you done to him?" I yelled at him angrily.
"Nothing more than a bump on the head. At least, not yet," he grinned.
A cold fear ran through me.
He waved me over to the corner again. "Now get over there, or I'll have
to shoot you and drag you over."
I got up slowly and walked to where Skyla and Amanda were huddled in a
corner, then sat down beside them.
"Now," he said cruelly, "we have a bit of payback." He kicked him three
times in the chest and stomach, hard. Alex groaned.
"Don't hurt my Daddy!" Skyla screamed, trying to wriggle loose of
Amanda's arms. She held her, barely. But Skyla kept screaming and trying
to get loose as my father kicked him twice more.
"Stop screaming, you little bitch!" he commanded. I tried to shush her,
but she wouldn't listen.
He took three quick steps toward her. "I said, shut the hell up!" he
screamed in her face.
She didn't.
He slapped her.
Skyla screamed; she'd never been hit in her life. She buried her face
in Amanda's chest, crying. I rushed to help her, but before I could move,
a roar came from nearby the door. I looked up and saw a blur slam into my
father, knocking him against the wall and then onto the bed. I looked to
see what had hit him. Alex stood over him, panting with a trickle of blood
running down the side of his face. A look of rage filled his eyes. He
leapt on top of my father where he lay prone on the bed.
The gun fired, but they kept struggling, writhing on the bed, shouted
curses coming from the tangle. They rolled off the bed and landed with a
crash on the side out of my view. I heard some muffled cursing and a few
crashes. Another shot rang out, and suddenly all was still.
"Alex!" I screamed. Grief washed through me. I heard another thud, and
then the sound of someone dragging something across the floor.
Alex's head appeared around the corner of the bed.
"Is someone going to help me or not?" he asked gruffly.
"Alex!" I yelled and ran across the floor to him. I hugged him tightly.
Amanda and Skyla were right behind me. After a moment I let go and looked
him over. A smear of blood ran down his leg, and I followed it up to where
a large wound in his thigh was gushing blood.
"You've been shot!" I exclaimed.
"I noticed," he grunted. I got up hurriedly.
"Amanda, run and get some towels and try to stop the flow of blood.
I'll go call 911."
Amanda nodded and took off. Skyla sat back, tears still running down
her face. An ugly black bruise was developing on the right side of her
face.
"Come here, Skyla," Alex said softly. She jumped into his arms, sobbing
loudly.
"Shhhh, shhh. It'll be fine, Skyla. Are you okay?" he asked her
gently. She nodded, but continued to cry. He hugged her tightly to
against himself.
I got up and called 911, without looking on the other side of the bed.
I didn't want to see what I knew I would see there. There had been no
moans or sounds of pain from that side of the bed since the final shot had
rung out. There was also blood on Alex's chest, blood that wasn't his.
After that, things were a blur. The paramedics arrived ten minutes
later, along with the police. Alex managed to stay awake at Amanda's
prompting, to keep him from going too far into shock. I was glad that she
knew first aid. She had efficiently stopped the blood flow from Alex's leg
with a few towels from the bathroom. The paramedics then took over,
wrapping Alex in a blanket and loading him into a stretcher. They tried to
pull Skyla off of him, but she refused and Alex agreed.
"It's my leg that has a hole in it, the rest of me can wait. Skyla
needs me more than you need to look at my ribs," he told them. They
weren't happy about it, but when two people are as stubborn as Alex and
Skyla are there's little chance of success if they have their minds set on
something.
I tried to go with them in the ambulance, but the paramedics refused,
saying it was too crowded. Alex agreed, telling me to get some clothes on
and follow in the van, bringing some clothes for him and Skyla when I came.
I blushed when I realized that I was still naked. Alex grinned.
"Don't worry about it, I doubt they mind," he said, gesturing toward one
of the paramedics, who had a big grin on his face and no doubt a bulge in
his pants to match. I gave them all dirty look and ran inside as the doors
closed on the ambulance, obscuring Skyla and Alex from my view. They
roared off, ambulance siren wailing.
*****
Alex was in surgery when Amanda and I arrived. Skyla was sitting with
the nurses, a blanket wrapped around her. She looked exhausted. The
bruise had darkened in color, now in the shape of a hand print.
"Mommy!" She brightened and ran toward me. I scooped her up and held
her close.
"Is she okay?" I asked one of the nurses. She nodded, looking surprised
when she heard Skyla call me 'Mommy.'
"She'll be fine. It's just a bruise."
"What about my husband?"
"You're Jenny Braxton?"
"Yes," I answered.
"He's in surgery right now. They're removing the bullet and stitching
him up. It'll be another thirty minutes or so. The doctors said to tell
you that he'll be fine. You can wait over there," she said, nodding toward
some chairs and small couches not too far from the nurse's station.
"Where can I dress her?" I asked.
"Just use the restroom. Down the hall and to the left."
I thanked her and told Amanda to wait, just in case there was word about
Alex while Skyla and I were gone. I found the bathroom and took Skyla
inside, locking the door behind me.
I pulled the blanket off of her and gave her a quick once over.
"I'm fine, Mommy," she protested, but I persisted. When I was done
I looked at her face, then ran my fingers lightly over the bruise. I felt
the first tears well up.
"I'm so sorry, honey," I sobbed, hugging her again.
"Mommy, I'm fine. It just hurts a little. Honest."
I pulled back from her and brushed her hair out of her eyes. She smiled
at me. I smiled back.
"I did what you said."
"What?" I asked.
"That man came into my room and said he was my Grandpa. I remembered
what you said, and yelled for help."
"I'm glad you did, honey. I'm really glad. You did the right thing.
Now, let's get you dressed," I said, then pulled some clothes out of the
bag I had brought.
A few minutes later I walked out of the bathroom, still carrying Skyla.
I couldn't bring myself to let her go, knowing how close I had come to
loosing her and Alex yet again. We sat down next to Amanda on one of the
couches. We huddled together, as though we were protecting one another
from the world. Skyla fell asleep within a few minutes, her breath warming
my neck as I held her close. A nurse offered me some coffee. I usually
don't drink the stuff, but in this case, I accepted. The warm but bitter
drink warmed me a little. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep as well.
*****
I woke up to someone shaking me lightly on the shoulder.
"What is it?" I asked sleepily.
"It's the Doctor. He wants to speak to you," Amanda said. I came
awake fully and looked around to see a moderate-aged Doctor smiling at me.
"It Alex okay?" I asked immediately.
"Yes, he's going to be fine. He has a mild concussion, a few cracked
ribs, and of course, the bullet wound in his lower right thigh. We've
given him a blood transfusion, and he's going to recover fully. But he
won't be on his feet for a few weeks."
"Thank God," I breathed in relief. "When can we see him?"
"He's in recovery now. But he'll be moved shortly to a room. You can
see him then."
"Great," I thanked him, and he left us. Fifteen minutes later a nurse
led us to where Alex had been moved.
He looked pale, but his breathing was steady, and when I took his hand
in mine his skin was warm. I lay Skyla down on the thankfully empty bed
next to his. Noticing how tired Amanda looked, I told her to join Skyla.
She protested, but eventually gave up and lay down next to Skyla. I pulled
a chair up next to Alex's bed, took his hand again, and waited.
End Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
-----------------
I must have fallen asleep sometime during the night, because I woke up
to a hand stroking my face. I opened my eyes slowly, and saw Alex smiling
at me.
"So you're awake," he said softly.
"How do you feel?" I asked, sitting up with a groan as my muscles
protested from being moved from the awkward position I had been sleeping
in.
"I hurt like hell, but the doctors say I'll be fine."
"Yes, I know. They told me last night," We sat there for a few
minutes, just smiling at each other. Finally I spoke.
"I thought that I'd lost you for a minute there," I said, tears
starting to flow again against my will.
"Hey, I'll be fine. Didn't I tell you I'd always be there for you? A
little bullet isn't going to stop me from keeping a promise," he
smiled and wiped the tears from my face. I couldn't keep from falling onto
the bed next to him and burying my face in his neck, sobbing. He held me
the best he could with all the tubes coming out of him and the pain in his
chest.
After a few minutes, I pulled away from him. I sniffed and grabbed a
Kleenex from the box on the table next to him. I heard the sound of
someone moving from the bed across from Alex's, and looked over to see
Skyla stretch and look over at us.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed and jumped off the bed then climbed up onto
Alex's. She threw herself into his arms and gave him a big kiss.
"Hey, sweetie. Just be careful, my chest hurts a little," Alex
said with a grin as he hugged her.
"Are you okay?" she asked, pulling back to look at him.
"I'll be fine. Are you all right?" he asked, concern on his face as he
saw the bruise on the side of her face.
"I'm fine, Daddy."
"Good. I'm sorry I didn't stop him sooner."
"You did great, Daddy," she said.
Someone coughed from nearby the door. We looked over and saw a
policeman standing there, looking uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to ask you all a few questions."
"And I have a few to ask you too, officer," Alex said angrily.
"Why weren't we informed that her parents had been released?"
"It isn't policy for us to inform..."
Alex cut him off. "It isn't policy my ass! You and your 'policy'
nearly cost me and my family our lives!"
"I'm sorry, but we had to release them. They posted bail."
"I don't give a damn. Your department is going to be facing a few damn
big problems when I get back on my feet, that's for sure!" Alex roared,
trying to sit up. He grunted and fell back as pain from his chest shot
through him.
"That's fine," the officer said calmly. "That isn't my department. My
job is to ask you a few questions and get the full story."
"Fine," I said, giving Alex a look to quiet him.
"All right. Let's start with the big question. How did your
father-in-law end up dead in your house?"
"He's dead?" Amanda paled.
"I shot him," Alex said wearily.
"But dead?" Amanda murmured in shock. Apparently she hadn't thought
about it the night before with everything else that had gone on.
"He was shot in the head by a small caliber pistol," the policeman
said.
"It was self defense," Alex said. "He broke into our home, snuck into
the bedroom where my sister-in-law and two-year-old daughter were sleeping.
I heard my daughter scream, and ran in to see what was wrong. Mr. Baker
hit me on the head with a pistol, knocking me unconscious. I woke up to
hear him call me daughter a name I'd rather not repeat, and then he slapped
her. I got pissed off, and tackled him. He shot me in the leg with his
gun. I jumped on top of him. We struggled. He was shot in the head while
waving the gun around, trying to get a shot in on me. The End," Alex said
firmly.
"That's rather lacking in detail..." the officer started.
"That's all you're going to get right now," Alex said. "Right now I'm
tired, and I want to spend some time with my family. We can talk again
later."
"But..."
"Later!" Alex growled.
The Policeman sighed and left the room.
*****
The next few days were hectic. If I wasn't at the hospital with Alex, I
was at the Walkers' house. They had volunteered to give us a place to stay
until we'd leave for home again. I was glad; I didn't think I could sleep
in
that house again. Not after what happened.
It turned out that my parents had been released on bail the day before
the incident. They apparently had gotten the gun from the small collection
my father kept, and waited a day while they rented a car and bought
supplies with money they had stored away. Then that night they had come to
our house, intent on trying to kidnap Skyla again. My mother was caught
when the police pulled up, sitting a ways down the road, waiting for her
husband to come back with my daughter. Luckily, they didn't succeed.
Last I heard my mother was in jail again; this time without bail. We
didn't know how long she would be, since an early psychological examination
had revealed that my Mother was acutely paranoid-delusional. She would
most likely spend years in a mental hospital. It was a shock to me, but
not so much so to Alex. He had always said that there was something
wrong with her. As for my Father, well, no one would ever find out if
he had been mentally ill when he did what he did.
When Alex was released from the hospital we packed up and headed home.
There was a tearful goodbye from Kallie. I didn't know how well she would
fare without even Amanda living nearby. But she was planning on going to
the same school Alex was attending. Chances were that in less than a year
we'd be seeing a lot more of her.
I drove the entire way home since Alex was still in a wheelchair and
unable to use his right leg. I tried to talk to him about what had
happened
during the long hours while driving. But he just changed the subject.
When we arrived home, Amanda settled in quickly. We went out and
bought a second bed so that Skyla wouldn't have to suffer her moving around
all night long. Alex was on sick leave from school, although he was still
able to work. You don't need your legs to program.
He was depressed, though. There didn't seem to be any way I could get
him out of it. He felt guilty for killing my Father, even if it was in
self-defense.
On one of the few times I got him to talk, he just told me that he had
to learn to deal with the fact that he had killed a man. I worried that he
felt he had two deaths on his conscience now.
It was Skyla who finally snapped him out of it.
I came home from school and headed for the bedroom to see how Alex was
doing. I heard voices coming down the hallway. Being the snoop that I am,
I stopped and listened to see who it was before I walked in. I heard Skyla
speak first as I peered around the corner of the bedroom door.
"Daddy, why have you been so sad?"
"Sad? I'm not sad, Skyla. I just feel guilty."
"About what?"
"I don't know if you understand really what went on when we were on
vacation, Skyla. But that man was your Mom's Dad. When he hurt you, I
lost control. He shot me with a gun. When we were fighting, I shot and
killed him. He's dead, and there's no way to reverse that."
"I know that. But why do you feel guilty?"
Alex sighed. "You aren't supposed to kill people, Skyla."
"I know that too. But weren't you just trying to protect me and Mommy?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I don't feel guilty about it."
"But if you hadn't, couldn't he have hurt or killed me too? And maybe
killed Mommy and Aunt Amanda? He kicked you Daddy. Hard. I don't think
he cared."
"He didn't, Skyla. He didn't care at all."
"Then why do you feel guilty?"
"I just do, that's all."
"That's not a good reason, Daddy."
"You sound like your Mother," he said gruffly.
"That doesn't mean I'm wrong."
"No, it doesn't," Alex laughed and hugged her. He held her at arm's
length. "Thanks, Skyla."
"You're welcome Daddy," she smiled and hugged him, burying her face in
his chest.
Then I knew he was going to be all right.
End Chapter Seventeen
End Watching Book Two