Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Christie and Me

   Chapter 5 Paradise Regained

   by knight_b_4@hotmail.com

   Story codes: Mff, hum, les, rom, preg

   Author's Note: This story involves sexual activity between a variety of
people, some of whom are underage.  If it is illegal in your jurisdiction
to read about such things, please delete this story immediately.  (And know
that you have my sympathies for living in such a repressive atmosphere.)
This story is entirely a work of fiction; none of the events described
herein actually took place (at least not to the author's knowledge).  The
author does not condone sexual activity with minors, although he does
recommend most of the following if done with a consenting adult.

   This story may be posted with no changes or deletions on a free site, or
the free area of a commercial site.  The work is copyright 2012 by the
author, and all rights are reserved.



   I was up late the next morning.  Despite apparently falling asleep
early, I'd had a miserable night, waking up time and again and having
horrible dreams involving Christie and hundreds of disembodied penises.  I
don't keep any sleeping pills around the place, but I sure wished I'd had a
bottle that night.

   It was probably a good thing I didn't.

   It was almost 10 before I stumbled out to the kitchen for the morning
coffee routine.  I sat listlessly at the kitchen table while I waited for
it to brew, just staring at my hands folded in front of me.  Traveler
jumped up on the table and butted her head against me, but I ignored her.
She meowed loudly several times and when I still ignored her, she hopped
off the table and went into the living room and, I discovered later, shit
behind the computer desk.  When the pungent smell of fresh coffee finally
penetrated my brain, I poured a cup and sat back down, sipping slowly and
barely noticing when it burned my tongue.

   Revived a little (but not much) after the second cup, I got up and
wandered into the living room and turned on the computer.  I checked my
email.  There was finally a reply from my brother, which I read but didn't
answer; I was afraid anything I'd write just then would worry him, the mood
I was in.  The only other things worth saving were messages from clients
(including yet another one from the ditzy bitch; I'd never dumped a job in
the middle before, but I was getting real close) which I saved but didn't
read.  I didn't think I was going to get much work done that day.

   Still dressed in yesterday's clothes (I'd never taken them off before
going to bed), I took the coffee cup outside and sat down in the lawn chair
I kept on the back porch.  There was an ashtray on the small table there;
I'd given up smoking years ago, and now shooed any smoking visitors out
here.  For the first time in a long time, I wanted a cigarette, and I found
myself looking at the couple of old butts sitting there and wondering where
I might have some matches.  I shook my head and gave that idea up, sipping
some more coffee instead.

   It was a beautiful day in my small backyard.  A bright May sun shone
down on a flowering cherry tree bursting with pink blossoms.  A hummingbird
fluttered at the bird feeder, and I noticed the birdbath needed filling
again.  Somewhere nearby, a bird sang out its joy at the day and from a
ways off, another bird answered.  It was gorgeous, peaceful, calming and
pleasant.

   It was shit.

   I went back inside then, showered and changed clothes, looked at the
panties still laying on the bed and left them there.  After refreshing my
coffee, I went back to the living room and slipped an old Muddy Waters CD
into the stereo and sat down on the couch.  Some people are timeless;
Muddy's one of them.  It was nearing the end and Muddy was singing about
"another mule's been kickin' in my stall." and I was thinking about which
CD to put in next when my cell phone rang, nearly causing me to jump out of
my skin.

   I reached into my pocket, but it wasn't there.  Shit.  Where did I leave
the damned thing?  It rang again, and I tried to orient on the sound.  I
jumped up and ran to my desk, looked all around, heard it ring again,
finally moved a stack of CDs and found it.  I didn't recognize the number,
and almost didn't answer but finally shrugged and hit the button

   "Hello?"

   "Harry?" A young girl's voice.  A sweet musical voice, sounding a little
uncertain as if she might've dialed the wrong number.  A sweet musical- was
that...

   "Christie?"

   "Hi, Harry." She sounded more confident now, knowing she had the right
number.  "I had a hard time reading my scribble, I wasn't sure if this was
the right number or not."

   "Yeah, it is.  How are you?  Shouldn't you be in school now?" Inane,
Harry.  Ignore that sudden thrill rushing through you and at least try to
have an intelligent conversation.

   "Half day today; we got out early.  So, Harry, I was wondering- you want
to get together?  If you're not busy, that is." Busy?  I'd have run out of
a meeting with a client offering me a million dollar contract right then.

   "No, it's a pretty slow day for me.  Want me to come pick you up?  Where
are you?" Easy, Harry, don't sound as eager as you are.

   "Nah, I've got a ride.  Why don't you meet me at Vittorio's, say about
12:30?" I looked at the clock; it was just a little after 11 now, plenty of
time.
"Sounds good, Christie.  Should I wear a flower in my lapel so you'll
recognize me?" Stupid, stupid, stupid.  Don't try to be witty when your

brain's aflutter.  She laughed.

   "Sure, Harry.  Wear a red rose, so I'll know it's you." She lowered her
voice a little.  "And polish up your wand, so it's ready to work some more
magic.  See you in a little while, Harry." The phone went dead.  I stared
at it for a moment, then hung up my end.  I saved the number, then put the
phone in my pocket.

   I strolled sedately (OK, I ran like hell) to my bedroom, pawed through
my clothes and picked out a shirt I knew looked good on me and a pair of
dark dress pants.  Into the bathroom for a shave, brush my teeth, comb my
hair, change clothes, back into the bedroom and toss the other clothes onto
my bed.  Pick them up and throw them into the laundry hamper, then
straighten up the bedroom, just in case.  Back to the living room and tidy
up a bit in there, just in case.  Into the kitchen- already tidy, no sweat.
Turn the coffee pot off, back into the living room and look at the clock.

   Twenty minutes?  I did all that in 20 minutes?  How do I kill the next
40?  It's half an hour to the mall, even if traffic's at its worst (and at
lunch time, it would be).  Then I got an idea, and grinned.

   Whistling cheerfully, I got into the car and popped some Pink Floyd into
the CD player.  I drove to a florist's shop just a couple of miles away and
got a red rose which the lady helped pin into my collar.  I started to ask
for a dozen red roses, then decided that would be way too much, and decided
on a single red one instead.  And then I hesitated.  A red rose is for
love. Did I really love Christie?

   =(If you didn't, would you be acting this stupid?)= (Good point.)
=(Red's still too much, and even pink would be pushing it.  White's for
remembrance- tell her you got it for her to remember you by, just like she
gave you the thong.)= (Good plan.)

   Her thong.  Shit.  I'd left it sitting on the bed.  Would she expect to
get it back?  Then I grinned evilly, causing the saleslady to look at me
funny.  I'll just keep it as an excuse to see her again another time.

   I went with the white rose, a single one bound up with a small bit of
baby's breath in a red ribbon.

   Back in the car, I saw I still had plenty of time.  Too much time- I
wanted to see her now.  I headed for the mall, knowing I'd be early even if
traffic was really bad, but I didn't care.  I could sit in the car for a
while or something.

   Even driving slowly and taking some meandering back routes, I arrived at
the mall at 12:02.  Much too early to go in; I didn't want to seem as eager
as I felt.  I had another idea, and pulled back out of the mall.  There was
a convenience store just down the street, and I pretended to be interested
in the magazines for a while, bought some breath spray, scanned the USA
Today headlines in the box on my way back to the car, and drove back to the
mall.

   I parked, got out and started for the door, went back and picked up
Christie's rose off the seat, headed for the door again, and almost got hit
by a bus.  =(OK, stupid, wake up.  You're not picking up your date for the
prom, you're just here for some sex.)= (Some really great sex.) =(Whatever.
Put your feet back on the ground and remember she said, `Don't ask too
much.')I was silent at that, and started second-guessing the rose.  I
shrugged as I walked toward the food court; I'll just tell her that since I
had one, I thought she should too.  No big deal that way.

   I was still a few minutes early when I got to Vittorio's, but from the
big grin on Charlene's face when she saw me, I guessed Christie was already
there and had clued her in.  (Was Charlene always here?  Did she maybe
sleep in the office after the mall closed?)

   "Hi, Harry," Charlene said.  "What's up?" she asked, emphasizing that
last word.  Her grin got even bigger; much bigger and I think the corners
of her mouth would've met at the back of her head.

   "Big things, as usual, Ms.  Streisand." She looked puzzled at that. 
"You're being a Funny Girl today." She still looked puzzled.  Guess she
hadn't seen the movie.  Guess I was showing my age.

   "Ooooo-K," Charlene said.  "Anyway, someone's waiting for you in the
office.  And Lily's out here." I looked where she pointed.  Lily was
sitting with a couple of other girls, slurping a drink through a straw. 
She waved and gave me a thumbs up sign.  I grinned and waved back.

   "Guess I'd better head on back then," I said.  Charlene lifted the
counter and as I went through, noticed the rose I was carrying.

   "A flower?  Oh, that's so sweet," she sighed.  "If I ever decide to go
straight, Harry, will you marry me?" I grinned and kissed her on the cheek
as I passed.

   "In a heartbeat, sweetie.  See you in a while.  A long while, I hope."

   My hands were sweaty as I tried to open the door; I wiped them on my
pants while Charlene laughed, then went through and tried to walk calmly to
the office.  My heart was doing back flips, somersaults, and a mean salsa
as I knocked on the door.  I held her rose behind my back.

   "Christie?  It's Harry." I heard a pattering of feet across the floor,
and the door flew open to reveal a naked Christie.

   "About time," she growled.  I was going to protest that I was early, but
she grabbed me by the belt and yanked me into the office, slamming the
door.

   "Get that shirt off," she ordered, as she tugged at my belt.  "I'll take
care of these." She stopped long enough to give me a quick kiss, then
noticed the rose pinned to my shirt.  "Hey, you really did wear one. 
You're silly, Harry."

   She gave a frustrated growl as she tugged at the button of my pants
(it's rather tight), then yanked on it; the button went flying and bounced
off something.  She yanked the zipper down and jerked my pants to my
ankles, squatting down and ordering me to lift each foot so she could get
them off.  My cock, already half hard in anticipation, popped out to wave
hello, and she gave it a quick lick on her way by.

   Why had I decided on a button-down shirt?  I was still fumbling with it
when she threw my pants in the corner and started attacking the lower
buttons.  She leaned over and kissed my nipples while she fumbled at the
buttons, and I could feel my cock head poking her belly.  When the last
button came open, she pulled the shirt down off my shoulders, then swore
when it stuck because I hadn't gotten the cuffs undone.

   "Hurry, Harry, hurry.  I need you in me -now-."

   While I fumbled with the cuffs, she dropped to sit on the floor and in
one quick swoop took my entire shaft into her mouth, sucking hard.  I
quivered as I threw the shirt to one side and placed my hands on her head.

   "Oh, Christie," I moaned, reveling in the sensations her hot warm mouth
was sending through me.  She formed a tight seal with her lips and slid her
head back off my cock, stopping with just the head still inside.  Her
tongue flicked the sensitive underside, swirled around the top and tickled
the little slit at the end before she opened her mouth and let it go.

   "Lay down," she commanded.  Obedient, I stretched out on the floor.  The
tile was cold, but I didn't care.  One hand grabbed and jacked my dick
while she positioned herself over it, rubbed the head through her soaking
wet slit a couple of times, then jabbed the end into her hole and slammed
herself down on it, mashing her clit hard against my pubic bone.

   We both groaned as my hard cock speared through her tight ring and
shoved her pussy walls apart.  They fought back against this welcome
intruder, grasping and squeezing, alternately trying to push it back out
and pull it in further.  She ground her crotch on mine, auburn fur mingling
with black, then she lifted herself almost to the tip and slammed back down
again, so hard it hurt.

   Oh, glorious, wondrous pain.

   Again she rose and slammed down, and again, and again, a hard, demanding
rhythm.  This wasn't the sweet sensuous lovemaking of a few days before-
this was pure, animal fucking, overheated, supercharged genitals slamming
together, demanding release.  I tried thrusting back at her, but all I did
was spoil her timing, so I just lay there, hips thrust forward while she
fucked herself on my cock.  This was Christie's show, and I was her living
fucktoy, and if I just laid there and let her run things, she was going to
take us both to a nuclear orgasm.

   She growled deep in her throat, her head thrown back and I growled with
her.  I held tight to those wonderfully smooth thighs, feeling the hard
muscles flex as she rode up and down.  My juicy little darling was flowing,
her cunt pumping out fluids which squirted out over her thighs, ran down my
cock, gushed over my balls and flowed down the crack of my ass, a river of
liquid fire coating us both in love slime.

   Christie was moaning and panting now, and her thrusts started getting
faster, but still that long full-length stroking of my cock.  She slammed
down one more time, hard, and her pussy started spasming, gripping my cock
and squeezing hard as she thrashed through an incredible orgasm.

   And she didn't stop.  As hard as she was coming, as tightly as she was
clenched around my dick, she just kept whipping that hard little ass up and
down, head down, teeth gritted, her long lustrous hair whipping across my
belly and sides, her maddened snarl echoing around the room.  A deep growl
joined it, and I realized that was me, sharing in her lustful joy even as
her pussy tried to strip the skin from my dick.

   I don't know why I didn't cum right then; I should have.  Maybe she was
gripping my dick so hard the cum just couldn't get through.  I don't know,
but she rode my cock through her orgasm and when it was finished, she
wasn't.  Harder, faster, up and down, thighs rippling with power, she rode
my cock, insatiable, demanding, pounding, squeezing.  We were both panting
and growling, unable to breathe, unable to think, inhuman, just a cock the
size of the universe pounding into a cunt of infinity.

   One final time she slammed down, and held herself there, thrashing,
grinding her clit into me, as her second orgasm hit.  This time I joined
her, jetting pulse after pulse of hot white cum into her clenching,
spasming cunt, both of us shrieking out our joy in high-pitched keening and
sheer animal pleasure as intense, mind-numbing, soul-mingling tsunamis of
pleasure rocketed through us.  The joy washed out of me, fired up through
my dick into her pussy, roared through her body, bounced off the top of her
skull and the end of her toes and came back into me multiplied a hundred, a
thousand, a million times.

   After a time somewhere just short of eternity, Christie moaned and
collapsed forward on my chest, pussy still spasming in little mini-orgasms
around my thoroughly drained and still half-hard dick.  It tried to join
her, pulsing a little in sympathy, but the well was dry; hell, the whole
aquifer had been drained.  I tried to put my arms around her, but they
wouldn't move- they just shook and twitched and refused all my brain's
orders.  It didn't really matter.  My whole being radiated a love that
wrapped around her in a soft warm embrace.  My arms might not move, but my
heart held her tight.

   =(Finally!  You're admitting it at last, then?)= (Yes, I love her.  With
all my heart and soul.  Now don't gloat, it's not nice.)

   A long, long time later, I finally managed to pull my twitching arms out
from between us (they still clutched those lusciously smooth powerful
thighs) and slowly wrapped them around her.  The movement caused another
little mini-orgasm, and she moaned.  Slowly, one hand came up to rest on my
shoulder and the other to softly stroke my cheek.  And we just lay their
like that for another long, long time.

   Finally, Christie turned her face to my chest and kissed each of my
nipples, then lifted her head to look at me.

   "Hi," I said.  "Nice to see you again." And she looked at me incredulous
for a second.  Then she giggled.  And then she started shaking and roaring
with laughter and we both lay there like two idiots, screaming with mirth
and the joy of living.  When we finally calmed down, she laid her head on
my chest again, still snickering while I stroked her back.

   "You are really something else, Harry Potter," she said, moving her hand
to stroke my cheek again.  "One of these days, I might figure out what."

   "Oh, don't do that," I replied.  "Then all the mystery will be gone, and
you won't want to rape me as soon as I walk in the door." She giggled
again, and raised her head to look at me.

   "I guess I did, didn't I?  I've never raped anyone before.  Like it?"

   "Loved it.  Feel free to rape me again any time you want.  Although, you
might have to wait a little while." My cock, even though it was still
buried inside her tight little snatch, was as thoroughly limp as it had
ever been, but protested feebly that it was ready and willing to go again.
It even managed a small twitch- which set off another tiny little cum that
made Christie moan again.

   "Oh, Harry, how do you do that?  I thought when you licked me, it was
the best cum I'd ever had.  But this time- whew!  I think I boldly came
like no girl's come before." I grinned and lifted my head to kiss her; the
best I could reach was a quick peck on her nose.

   "I told you, dear, it's all in the partner.  You bring out the best in
me.  Not to mention the beast." She smiled and laid her head back down.

   We lay there for a while, a timeless time of peace and contentment and
might have stayed there forever if Junior hadn't suddenly awoken and let us
know he didn't appreciate all the shaking.  Christie's belly suddenly
started squirming, and I felt a couple of very hard kicks against my
stomach.

   "Oof," she said, sitting up and rubbing her swollen abdomen.  "OK, kid,
I get the idea- the earthquake's over for a while.  But Momma hasn't had a
good fuck in a few days."

   "The guys yesterday weren't good for you?" I asked.

   You remember the old Warner Brothers cartoons, when the coyote runs off
the cliff and there's that brief moment right after he realizes it and
right before he starts to fall?  I can tell you -exactly- how that feels.

   Christie froze.  Then, with great dignity, she stood up, my limp cock
dropping out of her and releasing a flood of our combined goo down her leg
and into my crotch.

   "You want to know about yesterday, Harry?" she asked, in a dangerous
voice, standing over me looking down, arms crossed over her bulging belly.

   (Oh, shit, you're in for it BIG time now, you asshole.  Stupid, stupid,
stupid.)

   "No, I don't," I said hurriedly.  "It's not my business, it's yours. 
I've got no right to say anything, I just thought with that many of
them...."

   Even the coyote was never stupid enough to grab an anvil in each hand.

   "Let me tell you about yesterday, Harry," she continued, still in that
dangerous quiet voice.  "Lily and I figured we'd have a good old fashioned
gangbang, fuck `em `til they can't get it up anymore, right?  We've done it
before.  We'll probably do it again.  Yeah, I fucked all four of `em,
Harry, and two of `em twice.  And you know how many times I came, Harry?"

   I just shook my head; the coyote may not ever learn, but sometimes I do.

   "Once, Harry.  Just once, and that was almost an accident.  And you know
-why- I only came one fucking time, Harry?  Because I kept seeing the hurt
and disappointment in a pair of brown eyes that belong to someone I'm not
supposed to care about.  And while those hard cocks were banging my pussy"
(I winced) "you know what I realized?  No, not realized, you know what I
finally admitted to myself?  That that's all they were- just hard fucking
cocks banging my fucking pussy.  Those guys didn't care if I fucking came
or not, it didn't matter a bit."

   Her voice was rising now, along with a flush that started on her chest
and spread up to her cheeks.  Any other time, it would've been enticingly
erotic.  Now, it was scary.

   "All they wanted to do was empty their nuts, then go off and brag to
their friends they just banged the pregnant girl.  -They- didn't offer me
dinner afterwards.  -They- didn't get me a Coke, or cuddle me when they
were done.  They didn't give a -shit- about Christie.  Not one of those
bastards even said `Thanks for a nice fuck'," she shrieked.  Tears streamed
down her face, and her chest heaved as she gulped and panted.

   "That never bothered me before, Harry," she continued, still crying but
softer.  "Hell, I wanted it that way.  If they didn't get close, they
couldn't hurt me.  Then someone came along and -cared- if I came, wanted to
make it good for -me.- And now just getting fucked isn't enough, not nearly
enough." Her eyes locked with mine and she said softly, "God damn you,
Harry Potter."

   The knife in my heart twisted and went deeper, not for me but for my
darling angel.  I was finally starting to get a glimmer of what Christie's
life must really be like, and I ached for her.  I felt tears welling up.

   "The older guys I've fucked were just the same," she said bitterly,
turning away and reaching for her t-shirt on the desk.  "They just wanted
to squirt their shit in my cunt, or my mouth, or my ass, then get rid of me
so they could go home to the wife and kiddies." She yanked the shirt over
her head.  "They jerk off thinking about fucking their cute little
daughters, but they can't do that `cause they think it's wrong or they're
scared they'll fuck up their perfect little lives.  It's OK to fuck little
Christie, though, `cause she's just a slutty little tramp who doesn't
matter.  Find me, feel me, fuck me and forget me, Harry.  That's all they
want, `cause that's all I'm good for, all I'm worth.  Little Christie, the
fucking cum dumpster."

   I stood up and took a step toward her, reaching out to put my arms
around her.  She slapped me across the face, hard.  I staggered back and
tripped over the chair, banging my head on the wall as I fell to the floor.

   "Don't fucking touch me!" she screamed.  "Haven't you done enough?" As I
lay there holding my head, trying to open my eyes or speak or just move
through the pain, I heard the door slam and footsteps running down the
hall.

   I lay curled in a ball for a little while, the pain in my head competing
with the pain in my heart.  I had to go after her, but I couldn't even
stand up.  By the time I finally managed to stagger upright, head still
pounding, I heard running footsteps coming back.  My heart leaped and I
hoped.

   Charlene and Lily burst through the door, Charlene looking worried and
Lily looking furious.  Lily charged up into my face and from about four
inches away screamed at me, "What the hell did you do to Christie?" I
flinched and a few tears of pain joined the tears of heartbreak on my
cheeks.

   "I think," I said slowly, "I think I just cracked her shell." Lily
looked confused.  Charlene started to hug me, looked down at the cum
puddled on my whole midsection, and placed a hand on my arm instead.

   "Oh, Harry, you didn't."

   I nodded.  "I think I did.  I opened my fat stupid mouth at the wrong
time, and she broke like an egg." I started crying in earnest now,
silently, head bent forward.  Charlene turned to Lily.

   "Go find Christie," she demanded.  "No matter what it takes, go find
her. She really needs you right now.  And don't stop to fuck anyone on the
way."

   Lily looked indignant.  "Would I do that?"

   "Yes," Charlene and I both chorused.

   "Oh." Lily looked chagrined.  "Boy, once a girl gets a reputation...."
Charlene grinned.

   "Honey, we know you.  You'd fuck a dog if it licked your hand."

   "Hey!  That was one time, at a party and I was drunk.  And they dared
me. Lily Crenshaw does not turn down dares."

   "Then I dare you to go find Christie.  Scoot!"

   Lily saluted, then turned to leave.

   "Wait," I said.  "If you find her, tell her..." I stopped.  I wanted
Lily to tell Christie I loved her.  But that would be stupid right now. 
Besides, I hadn't told her myself yet, and I wanted to be the first.  Then,
inspiration struck through the anvils still ringing in my head.

   "Tell her Joanne said to say `Hi'." If anyone could help Christie right
now, it was Joanne.  I hoped my little darling would pick up on it and go
see her.  Lily shrugged.

   "Sure, I'll tell her.  Tally-ho!" And she left.

   "And what a tally you must have, ho'," Charlene muttered.  Somehow, I
managed a small snicker at that.  Charlene grabbed a package of paper
towels off one of the shelves, those folded white towels you find in
bathroom dispensers, and started wiping me off.

   "You're a mess, Harry," she said, then looked up into my eyes.  "In more
ways than one, right?"

   I nodded.  "Yeah.  I screwed up."

   "Well, I can tell by this mess you sure screwed something.  I know
Christie's pretty juicy, but I think half this stuff is you.  You always
squirt this much, or was it just a really good time?"

   "It was absolutely the best I've ever had.  And I'll never have it again
now." I reached blindly for the towels on the desk so I could wipe my eyes,
but my hand grabbed a piece of cloth instead.  I lifted it and looked at
it; red material of some sort.  I shook it out; Christie had gotten dressed
so fast she'd left her panties behind.  Dumbly, I held them up to show
Charlene.

   "I know," she said, nodding.  "She was still fastening her skirt when
she went flying through the restaurant, and flashed her pussy at about half
the customers.  I thought one old guy was going to have a heart attack,
until he started grinning."

   I gave a half-laugh at that, the best I could do even though the mental
picture was a pretty good one.  Heck, on a good day, Christie would
probably do that on purpose.

   I set the thong back down and took a towel this time, while Charlene
continued wiping me up and tossing towel after towel in the trash.  The
tears had stopped, and I wiped the wetness off my cheeks, wincing when I
brushed across my swollen eyes.  I hadn't cried this much since- well, in
almost 10 years.  It was a lost love that time, too.  =(Don't think about
it, Harry.  Let the past go, and worry about your future with Christie.)=
(Do I even -have- a future with Christie?) =(Don't give up yet, pal. 
Especially if she talks to Flower Girl.)Engrossed with myself, I almost
missed what Charlene was saying.

   "There you go, Harry.  Clean enough to get dressed, although you
probably still ought to have a shower." She tossed the last towel in the
trash, and this time stepped up and hugged me, a long close silent hug that
spoke volumes to my pain.  I actually felt a little better when she finally
let go and stepped back, holding me by the arms.

   "Don't give up yet, Harry.  If you broke her shell, you shocked her into
seeing the things she's been trying to ignore.  Give her a little time. 
And even if- and I don't think it'll happen- but even if you never see her
again, you helped her.  Remember that.  She'll be in better shape for
having met you, Harry.  You're a good man."

   I almost started crying again, especially when Charlene leaned up and
kissed me softly on the lips.

   "Oh, and I found this out in the hall." She picked up the white rose
from the desk and handed it to me.

   "I must've dropped it when she yanked me in," I said.  Charlene lifted
one eyebrow at that.  "Long story.  Good one, too, I promise I'll tell you
sometime.  Just not right now." She nodded.

   I stood there for an indefinite time, holding the rose, turning it in my
fingers, staring at it.  Finally, I looked up, into her eyes.

   "You're right.  Even if.  We're both in better shape because we met. 
So- even if." Impulsively, I thrust the rose out to her.  "Here.  Something
for the second-sweetest lady I've seen today."

   She grinned and took it.  "That's Christie's rose, Harry.  I'll keep it
for you and make sure she gets it, OK?  Any message with it?"

   "Yeah.  Tell her, `White roses are for remembrance.' " Now Charlene
looked like she was about to cry.  "And tell her, `A little white for a
little green'." Charlene looked puzzled at that, but nodded.

   "I'll tell her, Harry," she said softly.  "And even if- that girl won't
ever forget you.  Not even when she's 90 and senile."

   I chuckled at that, then sighed.  "I hope Lily finds her, and soon. 
Wish I could be there, too, but I don't think that'd be a good idea."

   "Extra bad, in fact," Charlene agreed, nodding.  "Like I said, just give
her time.  Meanwhile, if I can make a suggestion, I think you ought to go
home and get ass-tearing drunk.  You'll feel like shit in the morning, but
still better than if you sit around sober all night and think." All night?
What time was it, anyway?  The clock said it was after 4.  Damn; we did
take a long time to recover.

   "Charlene, how'd you get so smart for such a young gal?" She quirked one
side of her mouth in a wry grin.

   "Tell you what, Harry.  Let's get drunk together some time and swap life
stories.  Bet yours is prettier than mine."

   "Well, a really good friend suggested I do that very thing tonight. 
Want to come over and share a bottle or three?"

   "I could do that," she said, slowly.  "But are you sure you want me to?
Seems like this might be a good `alone to mope' drunk." I thought about it
for a second, and I had to agree with her.  I can be a riotously funny
drunk, but I wouldn't be tonight.  Tonight wasn't a night for company other
than Mr.  Jack Daniels or perhaps Captain Morgan.

   "You're right.  Damn, you're good.  Guess I'll just hit the store and
head home, and hope it all works out somehow.  Nothing I can do about it
right now." Charlene nodded and pulled a cell phone out of her work apron.

   "Give me your phone number.  I'll let you know if Lily finds Christie."
She held up a cautioning finger.  "But that's all I'll let you know, that
she's OK.  Anything else, you and Christie have to talk through
yourselves."

   "I hope we get the chance," I said softly.  I gave her my number, then
another hug.

   "You're wonderful, Charlene.  Guess I'll go get that bottle and head
home.  Tell Lily thanks for helping."

   Charlene let me get all the way to the door before she stopped me. 
"Harry?" Hand on the knob, I turned back and looked quizzically at her.

   "Don't you think you ought to get dressed first?"

   Oh shit!  I looked down and sure enough, I was still naked.  I flushed
bright red as Charlene started laughing, then joined in with her.  It felt
good to laugh, even at my own silliness.

   While dressing, I picked up Christie's panties and put them in my
pocket. Guess I was starting a collection.  Charlene didn't say a thing,
just smiled.

   I drove back to that convenience store and joined up with Mr.  Daniels
and the good Captain, as well as a couple of 2 liters and a bag of ice.  As
I passed Murray's, I thought briefly about stopping in, but decided I'd
better not, in case Christie wanted to.  So off home I went, rejoiced a
long time later when Charlene called to say Christie was found and
reasonably OK, petted Traveler for a while, did significant damage to both
bottles of booze, and passed out on my bed with two thongs laying on my
pillow, one green and one red.