--===JUSTICE SEVEN===-- Justice Seven Episode 7: Rage of the Nightingale * * _Author's note:_* This episode begins shortly after _Episode Four: Strength to Weather the Storm_ ends, and it overlaps both episodes 5 and 6. I know that this material is becoming a bit confusing where time is concerned, so if you are getting lost, you should download the season calendar, which has a list of events up to the current episode. The season calendar may be found on the story information page.* * * ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... Claire woke up, as she had for the past week, in a bad mood. She just couldn't seem to figure out what her life had turned itself into. In the last five weeks she had begun having sex with both her stepfather and her stepbrother, and she had been repeatedly accosted by Paul. She knew that she could not entirely blame Paul, because she was completely unable to refuse his advances, but he knew about the problem, and should have been more sensitive to the issue. As to her family members, that was something she was just going to have to deal with in her own way. During the few moments when Claire was willing to admit the truth to herself, she knew that she didn't mind Mark's attention. After their first time, he had settled down quite a bit, and their lovemaking had been more gentle and caring. She still felt it wasn't quite the right thing to be doing, but she would put up with it for now. Rob, on the other hand, was a whole different story. It seemed that most of the enjoyment that Rob got from their encounters came from the fact that he was forcing himself on her. Even four weeks after their first encounter, every time they had sex was still a rough and tumble event. He showed no signs of caring for her whatsoever, and it seemed that the less she enjoyed it, the more *he* enjoyed it. She thought about these things as she made Mark's breakfast, her mind working the problem over and over while her hands absently cooked the food. Mark's usual morning kiss on his way out the door didn't help matters, either. It was merely a reminder of all the problems she was facing in her life at that time. The frustration was welling up within her, and she wished that she had someone that she could discuss it with. Once again, she thought about going to Andie, but she didn't want to reveal what was going on to her best friend. *This is nuts. If I can't trust Andie, who can I tell?* All of this was running through her mind as Claire got herself ready for school. Of course, once she was ready, she then had to get her brother up. This was a job she had come to dread over the last few weeks, and today was only different in the degree of dread she felt. Walking into his room, Claire grabbed Rob's shoulder and shook it forcefully, with enough strength that she was certain he would be awake. Rob rolled over and threw the covers off himself, exposing his nude form to her once again. His cock was already hard, and it was clear just exactly what it was he wanted from her. "Hey, sis, we don't really need to go to school right now, do we? Why don't we stay here and have a little bit of fun?" Rob suggested, advancing toward her. At this point, Claire lost it. The fire was clear in her eyes as she said, "Listen, you mother-fucking son of a bitch, I am not your goddamn whore! You throw off your sheets and wave your dick at me, and you just expect me to spread my legs because you want it?" At this point, Rob backed away from his stepsister, alarmed at her new, aggressive nature. Since they'd first had sex, Rob had been able to easily get his way with his sister whenever he wanted, and it was a rude awakening to suddenly have her in his face about it. It was clear that Claire was just warming up, and that this was probably going to be a long tirade. Rob held up his hands in supplication, trying to calm her down. "Hey, look, you can't tell me that you haven't been having fun. You've been screaming pretty loud during those orgasms of yours, sis." If Rob had looked for a worse thing to say to his sister at this point, he probably could not have found one. Claire's face paled in barely controlled rage, and she walked up to him, almost touching him, the anger in her eyes holding his gaze. "Listen closely, you son of a bitch," Claire said, her voice a deep, harsh warning, "maybe you think it's fun, and yes, I'll admit that *my body* enjoys it, but you make the rest of me sick. We aren't going to be having sex anymore, you bastard, and that's all there is to it. This is my body, and I will do with it what *I* want, and what *you* want is irrelevant." Rob was shocked at his sister's behavior, and dismayed that he might not be getting any anymore. He thought he had a way around this, however. He couldn't help the little smirk that crossed his face, and he saw that it only enraged Claire further, but he plunged forward anyway. "Now look," he said somewhat calmly, or at least affecting it, "you don't really want to piss me off over this, do you? I mean, I know you've been doing Dad, too. If I don't get what I want, I just might have to spread the news about that." "You try it, you asshole, and you'll find yourself in a juvenile detention facility. I will lie to protect Mark, and I will tell them you raped me." Seeing the look on his face, Claire nodded evilly. "Oh, yeah, I can make it believable, too. I can tell them about the first time, when you were so forceful with me that it left bruises. I can make a judge and jury believe that you are the most vicious bastard in the world. If you try to get between Mark and me, I'll make you wish that we had never met." Claire hoped that Rob would not see through her bluff. She didn't really care for Mark as much as she was letting on, but she hoped that Rob would believe that their relationship was close enough for her to follow through on her threats. The way Rob's face paled at her comments told her that her threat was effective, at least for the moment. He tried to back away from her even further, but there was no room left for him to move. He raised his hands in surrender, and nodded slightly. "Okay, okay. You win. I'll leave you alone from now on." In his mind, Rob was thinking,* You win this round, bitch, but there will be payback.* Rob slipped around his stepsister, and headed out of the room, not looking back at her. Claire leaned over, putting her hand on Rob's desk for support. Her breathing was coming in ragged, gasping breaths, and she could feel her heart racing in her anger. She wasn't quite sure what had come over her, and she didn't know how she had finally managed to stand up to her stepbrother, but she was glad it happened; she was glad it was over. She certainly didn't understand what she had started. ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... "Okay, what have you got for us?" Mimir said to Hercules. Herc pulled out a folder of possible flyers for posting around the school and the city. He passed them around one at a time, letting everyone look at each one carefully. He took their advertising campaign seriously, and he had been put in charge of the effort to develop these advertisements. Once he passed all of them around, he sat nervously waiting for people's opinions. Everyone, except for Loki, praised Herc for the work he had done. Claire, especially, looked at each one carefully, trying to decide just exactly what kind of image she wanted to be associated with. The one that caught her eyes the most had a title in large, bold letters that read, "_NEED HELP?_" The tone of this flyer clearly expressed her desires for the MDSA, and it was exactly the kind of image she felt they ought to have. Holding up the flyer, Claire said, "I vote for this one." Loki retorted, "of course you take the pussy one. What do we want to deal with, a bunch of losers who can't handle their own problems?" "But that's precisely the point, Loki," Aurora replied. "Anyone who *can* handle their own problems doesn't need us. I think Cl- ... Nightingale is right. This is the one we should go with." Aurora blushed slightly at her slip of the tongue, as she struggled to remember that they weren't supposed to use their real names during these meetings. "Of course you go with the one your boyfriend did." "My boyfriend did *all* of them," Aurora shot back. Loki wisely kept his mouth shut at that point. Mimir then looked at his girlfriend, and received a nod. It was clear that all of the girls wanted that specific flyer used. Mimir had not developed an opinion for himself yet, but in the interests of harmony, he was willing to go along with the girls. First, though, he wanted to get Herc's opinion on the matter. "Herc? Which one did you want to use?" Hercules shrugged. "I liked all of them, whichever one you guys want to use is fine with me. Besides," he said with a chuckle, "I'm not about to contradict my girlfriend." Aurora slapped him playfully on the arm, and he tickled her back for a few seconds before they got serious once again. "Okay, then, I guess the decision is made." "What, I don't get a say in the matter?" Loki grumbled from across the room. "You've already had your say," Atlanta replied. "We disagreed with you, and besides, the vote would be five to one against you. Do you really want to rebel against the group already?" "Whatever," Loki growled. "Are we almost done yet?" "Is there any other business?" Mimir asked the group. His only answer was several negative shakes of the head. "Okay, then. Herc, if you'll go ahead and make copies of those flyers, and get them posted wherever you think they'll draw attention, I'd appreciate it. Do you need some help?" "He'll have whatever help he needs," Aurora answered for him. Herc blushed slightly as the rest of the room chuckled. At that, the meeting broke up, and everyone got up to leave the room. "Hey, Princess, how come you never treat me like that?" Paul asked Claire. He slid himself up closer to her so that he could whisper in her ear. He said, "why don't we sneak off for a little fun, just the two of us?" Without warning, Claire whirled on him, her hand clenched into a fist, and her arm tense. Paul had no time to get out of her way, and no one in the room was expecting her to get physical with him -- at least not violently so. Claire's punch connected with Paul's jaw, and though she didn't have any real strength, her punch knocked Paul back about a foot. His eyes went suddenly wide, and everyone saw a strange wave of disfigurement pass across Paul's face. Claire could not have cared less about any strange effect that she was having on Paul. She lunged at him, trying to get her hands around his throat. It was clear that she was beyond reasoning; there was a wildness in her eyes that warned the others of real danger. She nearly reached him when an invisible force gently but insistently restrained her. She struggled within the invisible field before she realized that Jim had wrapped her up in a telekinetic hold. "Let me at that mother-fucker! I've had all of his shit I'm going to put up with!" Jim stepped between the two people, and tried to push Claire back without actually touching her. This was definitely not a time when he wanted to give even the slightest impression of making some kind of move on her. At that point, Paul decided that he would apparently rather make things worse. "God dammit, that hurt! You stupid bitch!" Paul screamed. Jim turned around to face Paul, and everyone else in the room knew that some line had just been crossed. Jim's expression hardened, and his eyes blazed with anger. "You can apologize to her now, or I can let her at you. Nobody calls a girl that in front of me. Say you're sorry, *now*." Paul stared at him for a long moment, trying to decide whether or not he was serious. It was clear that Claire was furious, and that she would attack him again, if given the opportunity. He also had to admit that her punch had hurt far worse than it should have.* Is my medical condition coming back? Is this some strange reaction to the amount of transformation I've been doing lately? Now is really not the time for this sort of thing to crop up.* Paul decided that now was not the time to confront angry people with supernatural powers. "Sorry, Claire. I... Misspoke." Paul made it clear that this was the best they were going to get. "That was pathetic," Jim snarled. He turned to look at Claire, and noticed that she had calmed down quite a bit. The questioning glance he gave her got a nod in return, and he released her from his telekinetic hold. Turning back to Paul, he said, "look, I promised to help you with your little game against Coach McMahon tomorrow night, but after that, don't expect much in the way of help from me. I realize that Jen and I are the newest members of this little group, and I know I'm in no position to be giving orders, but I also know that I don't have to put up with this kind of shit." Jim turned to walk away, getting a smile from both Claire and his girlfriend. He then decided there was one more thing that needed to be said. Turning back to Paul, Jim said, "and if you ever, *EVER*, called Jen a bitch, I will personally put you in the hospital." "Whatever," Paul muttered as he pushed past everyone and out of the room. Jim looked at Luke and Lori and said, "sorry if I overstepped my bounds. I just... I know how much it hurts my sister to be called that, and I've grown so used to defending her over it that I just sort of went on automatic pilot." "That's fine, Jim. I think we all wanted to say it to him, but you sort of beat us to the punch," Lori replied. Jim smirked and said, "No, Claire beat us both to the *punch*." The remainder of the group laughed as they began to leave the room. Now that the business of their gathering was over, Jen had a question to ask. "Claire, where's Andie?" "Her father was making her do something or other. I don't know what. I'm a little worried about her; her father is a real shit." "Let us know if there's anything we can do for her, okay?" Jim asked. Claire nodded, her gratitude for his concern plain on her face. ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... "No, really, man, that's okay. I'll be over in a bit. No, don't worry about it." Luke hung up the phone with a heavy sigh. "What's the matter, bro?" Zoe asked, seeing the look on his face. "Rick needs help with a computer project that's due this week. He's going to be busy with other classes for the rest of the week, so he needs help tonight." Zoe shrugged. "What's the big deal? You help people all the time." Luke looked at her sideways, and lowered his voice. "Lori's mom is out of town tonight. I was going over to her house." "Oh," Zoe said, dragging the word out as if this was some startling revelation. It wasn't. "Well," she said, thinking hard, "I can take you over to Rick's, then I can go keep Lori company until you're finished... Then I can take you over to Lori's. You're not going to be *that* long with him, are you?" "No, probably not. Rick often needs hand-holding on these things, but he's usually got the ideas down pat. It shouldn't be more than an hour, hour and a half, tops." Zoe nodded. "Okay, so that's what we'll do, then. I'll tell Mom, and then we can go." "Thanks, Zoe." Zoe walked away with a smile on her face. Rick's sudden desire for assistance wasn't a surprise to Zoe, either. She knew that he'd want to sleep with her for the favor. *It's worth it,* she told herself. Tonight had been carefully thought out, and carefully planned. An hour and a half was cutting it a bit close... but she'd told Rick to take two hours, and since she knew he wanted in her pants, it was likely that he would give her two hours. ----- When Lori answered the door, Zoe had to work hard not to laugh at the disappointed expression on her face. She quickly replaced it with a smile, but it was too late; Zoe knew what was planned for the evening. "Hey, Zoe," Lori said, forcing cheer into her voice. "What're you doing here?" "Well, Luke has to help a friend for a little while, and rather than me going back and forth to the house, I figured I'd come over here and keep you company until Luke was finished. You know, you and I don't really know each other all that well, and I think it'd be cool if we could be friends, since you and Luke are so close..." "Well, okay, sure. C'mon in," Lori said, her smile more genuine now. She let Zoe in and closed the door, leading her back to her bedroom. *I have you now, my pretty...* Zoe thought, her mind tacking on the kind of maniacal cackle that was heard in bad movies. Zoe was somewhat surprised at the femininity of Lori's bedroom; she'd expected something more masculine from a jock-girl. That suited Zoe just fine; she wasn't big on girls pretending to be boys, anyway. She immediately began looking around for things that she could use to advance her plan. She expected this to be a difficult problem, and she didn't even expect to succeed tonight, but in these sorts of things, Zoe could be very patient. As Zoe kept looking around, she listened to Lori chat, throwing in comments when appropriate, but letting Lori carry the conversation. This seemed to be something that Lori was willing to do. *Is she nervous about something, or does she just like to talk?* Zoe wondered. She realized just how little she knew about Lori, although she was now getting a crash-course in Lori's life. "So, what about you?" Lori finally asked, having given a brief history of her own life. Zoe smiled at her. "I don't do much. My only real interest is boys." She wondered what kind of a response that would get. "They are fun, aren't they? But c'mon, you're not interested in *anything* else?" *Not that I can tell you about yet...* Zoe shrugged. "Not really. I figured to be a housewife and stay-at-home mom someday. I don't do books, and sports just seemed pointless to me - no offense." "None taken," Lori assured her. Lori didn't make the mistake of assuming that her lack of broader interests made Zoe a shallow person; she simply knew what she wanted. Zoe took it as a good sign that Lori wasn't putting her down for her views. In truth, she didn't plan on getting married until she was in her twenties at some point; she wanted to have her fun, first. Besides, working would be a good experience, she thought, before she settled down and began to raise a family. So far, she hadn't really found anything that would help her plan, but then she spotted a dress hanging on the door of the closet. It was a very nice dress. Zoe walked over and fingered the soft fabric of the formal dress, and she wondered about it. Turning to Lori, she asked, "You and Luke going somewhere tonight?" "Huh?" Lori asked, then realized what Zoe was referring to. "Oh, no. There's a fund-raiser for the track team on Saturday. I was figuring on wearing that... but I'm still not sure. I hate fashion, I can never figure out what goes with what or what looks good on me." *Everything looks good on you,* Zoe thought enviously. What was important was she had a possible opening. "Well, fashion is something I'm good at. Why don't you let me help you pick something out?" "That would be great!" Lori enthused. She got up off the bed, and stepped into her closet, grabbing several choices. She held them up for Zoe to see. "These are the ones I was thinking about." Zoe rolled her eyes, not at the choices, but at the lack of understanding on Lori's part. "I can't tell you which one without seeing them on you," she explained patiently. "Oh, right! Sorry, I'm not good at this." Lori hung the dresses on the closet door hook, and then she kicked off her shoes. Zoe backed up a little as she began to undress, to give her room. *My God, what a body*, Zoe thought as Lori's bra-clad chest came into view. As Lori slipped her sweats down off her legs, Zoe admired the view of Lori's strong, tanned legs. *Shit, this girl is a goddess. No wonder I can't get Luke away from her!* While Zoe was thinking, Lori grabbed the first dress, a shimmering green number that Zoe didn't much like at all. It didn't seem to fit Lori's body type, but that was secondary to her more important concerns right now. Once the dress was slipped into place, Zoe nodded, as if thinking about something. She said, "Turn around." As Lori turned, Zoe stepped closer to her. She placed her hand on Lori's hip, as if to stop her from moving. Lori shivered, and Zoe looked up at her in surprise. Lori didn't see this, since she had her back to Zoe. *What was that about?* Zoe shook it off, and stood back, pretending to evaluate the dress. As she stepped around Lori's body, she let her hand trail on the dress. Her hand 'accidentally' slipped down and caressed Lori's ass cheek, and again Lori shuddered. Zoe was beginning to suspect something about Lori, but she couldn't act on the little bit of information she had. Continuing to walk around the girl, Zoe noticed how this dress looked like it was about to bust trying to contain Lori's tits. *Definitely not flattering*, Zoe thought. She let her hand run along Lori's abdomen, and she took the chance to look up at Lori's face. She could see a hint of a flush there, and she could tell that Lori was trying to keep herself under tight control. *An odd reaction... what's that about? Is she into girls, and doesn't want me to know?* Zoe smiled, and finally released Lori. Stepping back, she shook her head. "Not this one. It's too tight across the chest." "I have that problem with a lot of clothes," Lori said somewhat sourly. "I can imagine. Anyway, I wouldn't ever wear this one if I was you. What did you buy it for?" "A school dance. It fit when I bought it, but that was last year." "Uh-huh," Zoe said, nodding. "Growing can be annoying at times. Try the blue one next." "Okay." Lori pulled the green one off, tossing it carelessly on the dresser. She took the blue one off its hanger, and slipped it on while Zoe watched. For the next ten minutes, Zoe watched as Lori tried on dresses. Each time, Zoe would walk all the way around Lori, making sure her hands took as many opportunities to touch her as possible. Zoe noted that Lori was becoming more and more flushed, and disconcerted, but she didn't say anything to Zoe about it. Zoe was beginning to understand that Lori was just sensitive to touch. *Something I will use to the best of my advantage, young lady, I assure you.* Finally, they came to the last dress, a strapless one that would show off Lori's body very well. "You'll need to take off your bra. I've got to see it the way it will be worn," Zoe said. She'd selected this dress to be last for a reason. Lori nodded, and reached back to unhook her bra. Zoe tried not to gasp as she saw Lori's ample mounds come into view. Zoe noted the erect nipples standing proud from her pink areolas, and felt her own urges surging. She held them at bay for the moment, and waited while Lori covered them back up with the somewhat ugly-colored but well-fitting dress. Again, Zoe went through her routine of walking around Lori, letting her hand trail across Lori's body. This time, she slipped her hand across both her ass cheeks, as if checking the tightness of the dress - it was *very* tight - and she lingered probably longer than she ought to have, but Lori said nothing. It was obvious that Lori was keeping her body under rigid control at this point. When Zoe walked around front to face Lori again, she thought that this dress actually would be nice, but not for the function Lori was going to. More important, the dress fit just loosely enough in the top - how in the hell had she gotten a dress that was loose *anywhere* on her? - to make Zoe's plan feasible. If it didn't work, she'd be in deep shit with her brother, but she had to take the chance. Lori's reactions this evening had encouraged Zoe to push forward, and so she'd risk it. "Will Luke be going to the fund raiser with you?" Zoe asked. "No. We're not allowed to bring a guest. They don't want us distracted from buttering up the other people, who might make larger donations than just the cost of the dinner." Zoe nodded, having received the expected answer. "Okay, then you probably don't want to wear this dress. I mean," Zoe said, letting her hands rub upward along Lori's sides, causing an uncontrollable shiver in Lori, "if you wear this dress, some perverted guy could come along and do..." At this point, Zoe moved her hands quickly up to the very top of the dress, her hands pressing in against Lori's tits, but her movement was quick as she hooked her fingers in the top of the dress and pulled down, suddenly exposing Lori's tits. "..this," Zoe said, completing her sentence. She let her fingers now slip up onto Lori's tits and make small circles, caressing the flesh and arousing the girl. Lori gasped at Zoe's actions, stunned into silence and inaction. Zoe took her chance and stepped closer. She let her fingers rub wider circles on Lori's tits, eventually brushing against her nipples. Zoe watched Lori's face for revulsion, but all she saw was arousal. Lori was too overcome by her hypersensitive body to resist after spending ten minutes being turned on by Zoe's actions. Zoe continued to rub Lori's breasts, focusing on her nipples, as she leaned in. Lori didn't resist as their lips touched, and in a few seconds, she began to kiss back. Her hands remained at her sides, though; she wasn't yet aware enough of what was happening to push Zoe away, or to return the caresses. Zoe began to understand that Lori was inexperienced, but not fighting. In order to keep it that way, she decided to keep kissing the surprised girl. Zoe stepped even closer, pressing herself against Lori. She moved her hands around to Lori's lower back, and her tongue snuck out to lick across Lori's lips. Lori, responding automatically to a request that Luke made often, parted her lips to admit the wet intruder. Soon, the girls were French-kissing hotly. As they continued to kiss, Zoe moved her hands up Lori's back until she reached the top of the dress. She grasped the zipper and pulled it down quickly, before Lori would realize what was happening. Once it was fully undone, Zoe pulled at the fabric until it fell free from Lori's body and wound up piled at her feet. Zoe moved her hands further down, now caressing Lori's ass directly. Lori, lost in the sensations, moaned into Zoe's mouth. Taking her arousal as a cue, Zoe hooked her fingers inside Lori's panties, and pulled them down and off her hips, allowing them to fall into the pile with Lori's dress. Lori was now completely nude, and Zoe was completely clothed. This was definitely not acceptable to Zoe. She couldn't easily undo her blouse at the moment, but she did kick her sneakers off, and then she let go of Lori to unfasten her own jeans. Zoe made sure that her tongue and lips kept Lori occupied, so as not to give her a chance to really think about what was going on. In a matter of mere seconds, Zoe had her own jeans down her legs, and her panties followed quickly thereafter. The next part was far trickier. She moved her hands up between their bodies, and this gave Lori a clear idea of what Zoe was doing. Lori, however, was too lost in the passion to stop at this point, and their kiss continued uninterrupted as Zoe fully unbuttoned her blouse and shoved it off her arms. While she was still standing with her body pulled away from Lori, she unhooked and shucked her bra. Now both girls were nude, and Zoe reveled in the sensation as she now plastered her naked body against Lori's, feeling their tits mash together wonderfully. Zoe's hands now roamed Lori's body freely, though Lori was still a little too lost to participate very much. Her hands finally came up to rest on Zoe's hips, but made little movement. Zoe didn't care; she would work on one thing at a time. Zoe could feel the heat radiating off Lori's body, pronouncing her arousal to the world. Sensing that it was time to move on to the next step - they didn't have all that much time, after all - Zoe slipped her hand in-between their bodies. She gently but quickly worked her fingers downward, until her fingertips were brushing Lori's inner thighs. Zoe tenderly slipped her middle finger between those thighs, rubbing it against the side of Lori's clit. Lori gasped in shock, pulling herself away from Zoe. This opened her legs, and Zoe took advantage, keeping her hand on Lori's pussy, though she didn't move her fingers just yet. "Zoe, I... I've never..." "It's okay, Lori," Zoe said quietly, reassuringly. "You already know what to do. You just do what feels good to you, and it's sure to feel good to me, too. See, watch," she said, and then began to move her hand again, slipping her finger along Lori's slick and swollen outer lips. Lori groaned in pleasure and confusion. When Zoe slipped her middle finger deep into Lori's cunt, the confusion was quickly drowned out by the pleasure. Zoe stepped a little closer to Lori again, and Lori didn't retreat. Reaching out, Zoe took Lori's hand and brought it down to her own waiting cunt. Lori was very unsure of this, but Zoe was gentle and insistent. She used Lori's hand to rub her own pussy until Lori got the idea. It took a few more seconds for Lori to manage the movement on her own, but when she did, Zoe groaned. Lori's long, slender fingers slipped across Zoe's hot box, and caused tingles to shoot through every nerve in Zoe's body. As Zoe felt her own heat rising, and she could sense that Lori was already close to orgasm, she leaned in and resumed their kissing. Lori's tongue was far more active now, and her fingers suddenly slipped inside Zoe's cunt. Zoe gasped at the sudden pleasant intrusion, and her own fingers began to move faster in gratitude. It wasn't long before Lori shuddered, and her back arched, pushing her tits firmly against Zoe. She began to buck on Zoe's hand, and her own fingers faltered in their assault on Zoe's cunt. When Zoe broke their kiss, Lori let out loud groans and cries of passion that filled the room. After a few moments, Lori's orgasm subsided, and it was clear that her knees were weak. Zoe guided her over to the bed; she wasn't finished with this goddess yet. She laid Lori down on the bed, and crawled next to her. She removed her hand from Lori's cunt, but did not remove it from her body. Instead, she let her soaked fingers trail a path from Lori's pussy up to her tits. She rubbed her fingers repeatedly across Lori's nipples, getting them wet and sticky with Lori's juices. As it appeared that Lori was beginning to regain her senses from her intense climax, Zoe leaned over and applied her lips to one of Lori's nipples. Lori gasped in pleasure, and her hands immediately flew to the back of Zoe's head, pressing her firmly against her tit. Zoe didn't object, and let her other hand continue to work on the free breast. She switched breasts after a little while, and made sure to lavish the other nipple with as much good feelings as the first. When Zoe felt that Lori was calm enough, and accepting enough of the situation, she let her lips leave the nipple they had been sucking on, and trail wet kisses down Lori's abdomen. As she reached the vee of Lori's crotch, she gently pushed Lori's legs apart. It wasn't long before she was looking down at the beautiful pussy of this most beautiful girl. When she ran her tongue along the outer edge of Lori's pussy lips, the girl let loose a long, low wail of ecstasy. In that moment, Zoe maneuvered herself on top of Lori. The two girls were now in a sixty-nine position, but of course, Lori wasn't actively participating. Zoe would have to work at getting her into it. "C'mon, lick me, baby," Zoe said in her most seductive voice. "You can do it. You know what feels good down there. Go for it!" Zoe let her words sink in as she bent her own head back down to resume licking at Lori's cunt. Lori was terribly unsure of herself, but she felt guilty at not giving Zoe any pleasure when she herself was receiving so much. Very cautiously, she reached her tongue out to drift a feathery lick along Zoe's slit. Zoe's body jumped in pleasant shock, and Lori could feel Zoe's gasp of pleasure on her own cunt. Encouraged, she slipped her tongue once again along Zoe's cunt, and got another favorable reaction. The approving response of her partner encouraged her to become more active, and she reached up with her hands, pulling Zoe's hips a little lower to make her cunt easier to reach. Zoe readily shifted her position, and smiled to herself. *Step one, complete!* She then returned her tongue and lips to working over Lori's cunt. The girl beneath her was beginning to writhe again, once more rising toward her peak. Zoe was getting there herself, since Lori's inexperienced but highly enthusiastic tongue had begun working on Zoe's clit. Zoe decided to return the favor, and perhaps educate her partner. She licked at Lori's clit until it had exposed itself, and then she sucked it into her mouth, treating it as if it was a small dick. Her tongue lapped against it and her lips kissed it forcefully. It didn't take Lori long to get the idea, and soon they were sharing the same pleasures. When Zoe stuck her middle finger deep into Lori's cunt, that was all Lori could take. Her body was suddenly wrenched by a massive jolt of energy, and she came wildly, bucking beneath her partner. Her screams vibrated Zoe's clit, and shot thunderbolts of bliss throughout Zoe's body, pushing her over the edge into her own orgasm. The two ladies bucked and squirmed on the bed for long moments before their pleasures subsided, and they were able to regain their breath. Zoe pivoted herself so that she was lying the same way as her partner, and she smiled at Lori, who looked slightly embarrassed, but very well sated. To test the waters, Zoe leaned over and pressed her lips gently to Lori's. Her kiss was immediately returned, and Lori's hand came up to caress the back of Zoe's head. When they broke the kiss, Lori looked a little nervous and unsure. "I've never... done it with a girl before," she admitted unnecessarily. "I figured. Did you like it?" Zoe asked. This was an important question. "Oh, God," Lori moaned in reply. "I never knew that would feel so good!" "You mean Luke doesn't go down on you?" Zoe asked in surprise. He ate her out regularly. "I won't let him. I can't... I mean, I don't know how to... you know, go down on him, and I don't think it's fair to let him go down on me if I won't." Zoe then got an insight into just how special the relationship between Luke and Lori was, and she had to alter her plan just slightly. It was obvious these two actually *needed* her. She smiled at Lori. "Well, whenever you want to get eaten, you can just give me a call. You learn fast, by the way." Lori blushed crimson. "Thanks," she mumbled. Zoe kissed her again, but this was a loving kiss, rather than a lover's kiss. Lori returned it likewise, and then the two lay together, embracing gently. "Promise me you won't tell Luke about this?" Lori asked seriously. "Why not?" Zoe asked, curious. "I just... I don't think he'd understand," Lori replied, a little shakily. Zoe tightened her embrace to show support. "Okay, Baby," Zoe said tenderly. "But we might want to let him know at some point... at least, if we will ever be doing this again... And I'd really like to." "You would?" "There aren't that many bi-girls at school, and lesbians are too anti-male for me to get along with them. I prefer guys, just like you, but I really enjoy spending time with a girl, you know?" "I think so," Lori said with a smile that turned into a giggle. Zoe joined her. "So, do you think we can do this again?" "Okay," Lori nodded, "but you have to promise not to tell Luke. At least, not until I'm ready." Zoe nodded, knowing that there would be a surprise for both Luke *and* Lori on that day. She settled against her lover, content with the successful completion of the first phase of her plan. Just then, the phone rang. Lori jumped, startled. Zoe just giggled at her, and reached for the phone. "Hello, Darlington residence... Oh, hey, Luke... She's in the bathroom," Zoe lied, getting a wicked grin from Lori. "Okay, I'll let her know, and then I'll be over in a bit to get you... No problem. My pleasure," Zoe said the last and had to strangle a laugh, because Luke would not understand it. Lori put a pillow over her own face to contain the sound of the laugh that she could not mute. "Okay, see ya in a few." Zoe hung up the phone and let loose with the laugh that she had been holding in. The two girls laughed heartily, holding onto each other and letting loose the nervous tension. It was the same way every time Zoe had ever approached a girl about sex, and it felt good to release it. Their laugh finally ended with the two looking deep into each other's eyes, and a warm, deep kiss ensued. After a few moments, they broke the kiss. "If I don't get going, Luke will wonder what's going on," Zoe said. "You might want to change the sheets, too," she said with a giggle. Lori laughed and nodded. "Okay. Zoe?" "Yeah?" "Thanks. I never knew... I mean," "Yeah, I know. Most girls don't." "Why me?" she asked. "Well, Luke kept going on about how sweet and smart and nice you were... I just wanted a little piece of that myself." Lori blushed, but she kissed her new lover anyway. Then the two got up to straighten things for Luke's sake. ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... "Call me when you're ready to come home," Laura told her brother. She smiled as he nodded to her. He watched her drive off, then headed up the walk to ring the doorbell. It only took a few seconds before Mrs. Young opened the door. Jim tried not to stare. Although he had been over to this house many times, and he and Stacy had talked frequently, it was one of the rare times he'd seen her in something other than her uniform, and it looked as if she was wearing something more than her usual around-the-house clothes, too. Her fiery red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her green eyes flashed with intelligence. "Hi, Jim!" Stacy said brightly. She stepped aside to let him in, but not far enough aside that he didn't brush against her as he entered. She didn't say anything about it at all, though. "Dinner's almost ready. I think Jen's in her room. Why don't you go get her?" "Sure, Mrs... uh, Stacy." She had told him not to bother calling her 'Mrs. Young', since she felt like they were becoming such good friends. "No goofing off, mind you. Dinner's on its way to the table," she told him sternly. It was only the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eyes that betrayed her amusement. "Yes, ma'am!" he said with a smile of his own. He walked back to Jen's room and knocked on the door. "C'mon in!" she said. She knew who it was, and was kind of surprised that he'd actually knocked. On further consideration, she realized he'd never enter her room without knocking unless she told him to. She smiled when she saw him, and got up from the bed. She moved quickly across the room and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips wrapped themselves around his own lips, and they kissed deeply for a long moment. Jim's hands worked their way around to Jen's ass, and squeezed. She moaned at that, and their kiss grew hotter. Jim had to break their kiss before they were both *very* late for dinner. "We can't do this now. Your mom will yell at me. She *warned* me not to fool around." He smiled and winked at Jen, who turned her head downward slightly and blushed. "Anyway, dinner's ready." Jen kissed her boyfriend again, quickly this time, and then let him lead her out of her room back toward the dining room. ----- Dinner turned out to be ham, potatoes, vegetables and home-cooked rolls. The meal was very good, and it felt to Jim almost like Stacy was trying to impress him. *I must be deluding myself. What has she got to prove to a high-school kid?* He enjoyed the meal, anyway, and both of the ladies were very pleasant company. The conversation was light and cheerful. As dinner was finishing up, though, a strange look came over Jennifer's face. Jim was the first of the other two to notice. "Are you okay, Baby?" he asked tenderly, without concern for the fact that Stacy was sitting right next to him. Jen shook her head negatively, and scrunched up her eyes. It was clear that she was in pain. "Jen? What's the matter, Honey?" Stacy asked her daughter. "Cramp," Jen managed to get out through clenched teeth. "I think I need to use the restroom." She got up without another word and staggered out of the room toward the bathroom. Jim looked at Stacy questioningly. Stacy kind of shrugged, indicating she didn't have any better idea than he did what was wrong. "I imagine she'll be all right," Stacy said after a few seconds. "Maybe she ate something that didn't agree with her... Geez, I hope it wasn't the ham..." Jim didn't think it was anything they'd had for dinner. Food usually gives you a couple hours of enjoyment before it turns on you, and so he figured if it was food-related, it might be lunch, but probably not dinner. To take his mind off something he couldn't fix, he said, "Let me help you clear the table." "Thanks." The two of them worked together to get the table cleared off, and the dishes rinsed and into the dishwasher. They were putting away the last of the leftovers, and Jen still had not reappeared. Jim could tell that something else was on Stacy's mind at the moment, though. He didn't know what it was, and was too shy to ask her about it. He need not have worried about that. Stacy closed the fridge and turned to face him. "You know," she said with a smile, "I don't think I've ever thanked you for all you've done for my daughter. You've saved her from trouble a couple of times, and you've also made her happier than I've seen her in a really long time." What was he supposed to say to that? "It was my pleasure," sounded completely wrong, considering some of the things that had happened... and did you say that to a girl's mother about the *other*, more pleasant things they'd done? He didn't think so. Jim kind of stammered, then shrugged. Stacy smiled at him, understanding his discomfort. "You know, you're every mother's dream for her little girl. Geez, I hope I'm not giving you too big of an ego trip." She could see that Jim was blushing. She stepped closer to him, and put her hand on his shoulder. "It's important to me that Jen is happy. With her worries over her abilities, and this thing between myself and her father... things haven't been easy lately. I can't help her like you do." She saw the blush return to his face. "Well, not like you're thinking, though I think that was almost as important for her. I mean, you understand what she's going through. You can relate to her troubles. That's something I just can't do." "Stacy, I..." Jim started, but Stacy cut him off. "I know. You're just being yourself. That's what's so great about you." Stacy wrapped her other hand around Jim's neck. He was now very confused. *What's happening here?* he thought to himself. He didn't move as Stacy stepped a little closer yet. "And I just wanted to say Thank You." With that, she pressed her lips to his, and pressed her body tightly to him. Jim was in total shock, but not so out of it that he didn't return her kiss. Their lips mingled for a long moment, but when his hands reached out to take hold of her hips, he finally realized what he was doing. Jim broke their kiss, and Stacy readily let him go. She didn't, herself, quite understand what had made her do that, but she didn't regret doing it at all. It was plain on her face that there was no insistence on anything, but also no refusal. Jim's face contained more clear emotions: shock and confusion. His mind struggled for something, *anything*, to say in this situation. "I'd better go check on Jen," he finally managed to come up with, and fled the room. Stacy watched him go with a slight smile on her face. She was also slightly flushed; Jim was a very good kisser. Jim stopped in the hallway, just outside the bathroom, and tried to collect his thoughts. That wasn't working, though, because his thoughts refused to fit into any sort of collection. He decided to wrap them up and set them aside for later sorting, and deal with an issue more readily understandable: Jen's illness. Jim very lightly knocked on the bathroom door. "Jen? Are you okay?" Jen could hear the concern in her boyfriend's voice. "You might as well come on in," she said. "I hate talking through doors." Jim opened the door and walked in. As he closed the door, the smell hit him. He wrinkled his nose, but said nothing. He didn't need to. "I know, it's bad. It reeks, quite frankly. Could you hit the fan?" Jim nodded, and turned on the vent fan. "Are you okay?" he asked when he'd turned back to her. He crouched, because he didn't like looking down at her. "Not really... I don't know what's wrong. Hurts pretty bad, and the diarrhea... oh, man, you really didn't want to see what came out of me the first go-round..." "No, probably not," he said with a soft smile, tinged with a lot of concern. "What do you want me to do?" She looked at him in confusion, not really understanding the question. He said, "You want me to call someone, go home, stay here, rub your shoulders, tell you a story, what?" Jen was smiling at him now, though it was a little weak. "I'll be okay, I think. Why don't you just go watch a movie with Mom, and I'll be out when I can." The mention of her mother caused an odd look to cross Jim's face, but she couldn't decipher it, and it was soon replaced with his continuing concern for her well-being. His regard for her was very touching, and she loved him dearly for it, but there was, of course, nothing he could really do about it, much as he wanted to help. "Okay," he said after a moment, "but holler if you need anything." He leaned forward, and kissed her on the cheek. "You think you're going to get away with that?" she said, and pulled his face around until her lips were plastered to his. They kissed for a long moment, and then parted. "My stomach may not be working, but the rest of me's still okay." She softened her tone considerably and said, "I love you so much, Jim." "I love you, too." He hugged her, and then stood back up. "I'll be in the living room if you need anything." ----- The living room, of course, was a bit uncomfortable at first. The TV was already on, and some movie was playing, but Jim didn't immediately recognize it. Stacy was nowhere in sight, and so Jim shrugged and went to sit on the couch. He could see Stacy's glass of soda on the end table, so he knew she'd be back. When Stacy did come back into the room, she smiled brightly upon seeing Jim. Her concern for her daughter quickly came to the front, though. "How's she doing?" "Cramps, diarrhea... generally feeling 'icky.' I hope she'll be okay." "I'm sure she will. And I hope she appreciates how much you care for her at a time like this. This is the point where most high school boys book it out of here to go home." Jim just shook his head. He couldn't explain that, though he'd mentioned it as an option to Jen, he wouldn't leave her like this except under a direct order from her or her mother. He decided to try to relax and get lost in the movie. There was nothing he could do for Jen except worry, and he could do that on autopilot. He was greatly disturbed, therefore, when Stacy moved closer to him and took hold of his left hand. She lifted his arm up and insinuated herself next to him, dropping his arm across her shoulders. She laid her head on his shoulder, and there they remained, quietly watching the movie. Jim couldn't possibly follow the plot in the movie with all the distractions he was stuck with. He didn't understand Stacy's behavior, especially since she knew he belonged to her daughter. He tried to ignore her presence - no easy task - and just watch the movie, but every so often she'd shift her weight, just to keep comfortable, and his attention would once again be riveted on the admittedly beautiful female that he had his arm wrapped around. About halfway through the movie, Jen returned from the bathroom. She cocked an eyebrow at the two of them, but she didn't say anything. As soon as Stacy saw her daughter, she smiled, and got up from the couch. She said softly, "I was keeping him warm for you," and winked. Jen blushed slightly. Jim was beyond the point of blushing for the evening. As Jen came over to him, he scooted over to the arm of the couch, and turned. She recognized the position immediately, and she turned to cuddle against his body, her back to his chest. His arms came around her, but he didn't clasp her tightly like he usually did. "How's your stomach?" he asked, his hands coming up to very tenderly caress her abdomen. "Ugh. Lousy. I don't know how long I'll be able to be out here. Thanks for sticking around." Jim leaned down and kissed Jen on the earlobe. He felt her shiver. "Anything for you," he said. It was meant as both a tease and a serious comment about how he felt, and she got both meanings. She reached up and back, holding his head forward as he nibbled on her ear. Finally, she let him go, and he leaned back. She went with him, until they were reclined. Rather than leaving his hands around her waist, Jim put one hand on her hip, and lifted his other to lightly stroke her hair, something which he knew she enjoyed. They sat that way until the movie ended. ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... "Mom, do you have to go?" Andie asked. Her voice was a pleading whine, and it often got her what she wanted... at least out of her mother. "Sorry, Sweetie, but it's company business. I'll only be gone for about four days." "Four days alone with him..." "Andrea! That's your father you're talking about!" her mother snapped. "Go to your room!" Andie stomped off to her bedroom, and shut the door. *Four days. What the hell can he do in four days?* Just then, a knock came at the door, one knock, sharp: her father's knock. "It's open," she said. He opened the door and looked in. "Let me just make this clear junior; for the next four days, you're mine to do with as I please. You're going to straighten up, or there will be very nasty consequences, do you understand me?" "Yes, sir," she replied. She hated his nickname for her: "Junior". It was a boy's nickname. "I really don't think you do," he snarled. He looked at her with an odd gleam in his eye. "But you will." As he closed the door, Andie began to shiver. She knew that look couldn't mean anything good for her, and it had seemed almost predatory in nature. She knew she had to talk this over with Claire. Not being able to leave by the front door, because both her parents would want to know where she was going, she slipped out her bedroom window. She walked across the roof of the garage, and climbed down a trellis. She ran next door, and rang the doorbell, looking around feverishly for anyone who might see her and tell her parents. "Hi, Andie," Mark said upon seeing her. "Claire's in her room. Go on back. Will you be staying for dinner?" "I, uh... don't know. I'll talk to Claire about it." She didn't really know what she was doing; she only knew that she had to talk to Claire. In fact, she wished she had a boy or man to talk to about this, but there wasn't one she trusted readily available. She knocked rapidly on Claire's door, and didn't wait for an answer before pushing it open. Claire looked up from her desk irately, until she saw it was Andie. She was about to smile at her friend, until she saw the look on Andie's face. "What's the matter?" ----- Jim and Jen walked together through the junkyard toward their meeting place. Jen had missed a day of school from her little stomach bug, but she had recovered rapidly, and was now fully well. As they'd made their way into the junkyard, she'd made Jim tell her all about his experience with his sister the day before. Even though it had been at Jen's insistence, he was still embarrassed about it. Entering the clubhouse, they made their way to the main room, and greeted everyone. It was immediately clear that Andie - now Shadow - was very shaken about something. "What's the matter?" he asked her. Mimir interrupted. "What about Loki? Did you call him?" "I didn't figure Shadow needed his bullshit today. Nightingale said it was urgent, I didn't feel like putting up with his shit..." "He's still a member of the team, Herc." "You really think he's going to help her? All he'd do is sit there and make snide remarks. Look at her! Does she need to put up with that shit?" "Look that wasn't your decision to make, and -" "Enough, you two!" Atlanta said. "Can we for once have a meeting that doesn't involve us having to deal with the trouble caused by Loki?" Both of the boys settled, and backed down. Hercules whispered an apology to Shadow, and then backed off, standing next to his girlfriend. "Okay, Nightingale, you called this meeting. What's the problem?" "You all know about Shadow and her dad, right?" She got affirmative nods from everyone. "Well, normally her mother is able to keep his nastier attitudes in check, but she's going out of town for four days, starting tomorrow. Tell them what you told me." Shadow said, "He came into my room and basically told me I was his to do with as he liked. The look in his eyes... it scared me." Hercules frowned. "Nightingale, you don't think he meant..." Nightingale nodded. "I think he just might. Herc, he wanted a boy. He's done everything he could to turn Shadow into a boy. But look at her; she's beginning to bloom, and it's very, very hard to pretend anymore." "I noticed," Herc said quietly, and blushed. Shadow's eyes widened a little, and she blushed, too, looking away from him. She hadn't thought that someone who was already in high school was paying any attention to her. "I think he might try to force her girlishness out of her... you know, abuse her so bad that she won't *want* to be a girl anymore." Herc's look hardened. "How do we stop him?" "We have to catch him in the act. That's going to be very hard to do and still keep Shadow safe." "Could we hide in her house?" Atlanta asked. Nightingale shook her head. "There's no place to do it. Shadow's house is pretty small." "Mimir? How old do memories have to be before you can read them?" "Too old. Minutes. He'd have done anything he was going to do before I'd know it. Sorry." "What does that leave us?" Nightingale asked. She noted how Shadow was shrinking in on herself. "Standard police procedures," Aurora answered. "They call it a stakeout." "We can't watch their house twenty-four hours a day. He'd call the cops on us." "True. But I think the time between him coming home from work, and when he goes to bed, that's the crucial timeframe." Hercules had to nod at that. He noticed Shadow shrinking in on herself, too. He looked over at Mimir, who was also looking at her. The two shared a look, which both apologized to each other for their earlier eruption, and came to a decision. "That bastard," Hercules said quietly, "isn't going to hurt her." "Agreed," Mimir replied. None of the girls understood what had just happened between the boys, and that was probably a good thing. No one knew that the person Shadow's father should fear most was not a boy at all. ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... The three of them sat in the garage, listening. Mimir held the receiver, which was receiving its signal from Andie's room, hidden behind a knick-knack on her dresser. Hercules sat on top of a workbench that looked like it never got used. Nightingale paced back and forth, worrying for her friend. The boys looked at each other, knowing there was nothing they could do about Nightingale's worry. They were in Nightingale's garage, and it was the last night of their surveillance. Each night, they'd brought their homework, and they'd sat and listened. It was nearing the time when they would go home, and they'd already gotten all their work done. Now, they could only sit and wait. "If nothing happens," Mimir asked quietly, so as not to drown out anything that might be on the comm-link, "what do we do?" "In that case, I guess we all misunderstood what her father meant." They knew already that the man had tormented Andie mercilessly this week. He had tried to make her do all sorts of boy-things that she wasn't good at, like playing baseball, drinking beer - she'd nearly choked on that - watching porn, he'd tried it all. It was about nine o'clock when they heard Andie's bedroom door open forcefully. They knew it was forceful because they heard it slam into the wall. "Dad!" they heard on the radio. "All right, you little cunt!" he yelled. "So, you want to be a fucking *bitch* do you? Well, you little whore, let's see how good you are at doing what fucking bitches do!" "Dad, no!" Andie screamed. At this point, they heard the tearing of clothes. They would have heard Andie screaming for her father to let her go, but none of them waited that long. Hercules threw open the garage door, and the three of them bolted across the yards. When they reached the door, it was locked. "Is there any way you can open it?" Mimir asked Hercules. "Should we find an open window..." Just then they heard a loud scream, and Hercules didn't wait for any further options. He turned to the door in front of him and concentrated as hard as he could. The door's hinges creaked, but then the door was blasted across the inner room and crashed into the wall, shattering a mirror and crushing the hallway table. The three moved into the house quickly, and started up the stairs at a dead run. When they reached the top of the stairs, they saw Andie's father dragging her out of her room, his hand yanking her along by her hair. Andie tried to follow as best she could, but she was clearly off-balance. They could all see her body; her clothes had been completely ripped to shreds. Simon Miller's pants were at his feet, hampering his movements. His dick waved back and forth, but a close inspection - something nobody really wanted to do, but had to, nonetheless - revealed it wasn't wet yet. They had gotten here in time. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT!" Simon screamed. "Who the fuck are you people? Get the fuck out of my house!" He seemed to have a favorite word in his vocabulary. "Herc... take him." "Gotcha." Hercules extended his telekinesis around the man, and lifted with a grunt. He threw the man forcefully backward, slamming him into a wall. The quick movement had thankfully forced him to let go of Andie, who slumped to the floor, sobbing in terror. Mimir was about to begin his work on Simon's memory, but Nightingale stopped him. She could see the man was only barely conscious at this point, and she felt he hadn't suffered enough. "Let him go, Herc," she said. The low, menacing tone in her voice caused both boys to look at her, and they took an involuntary step back. Nightingale's eyes were actually glowing, and it wasn't a pleasant thing to look at. She, however, didn't realize it. She walked up to the man, who was only now beginning to come around. "You wanted to do that to your own daughter? You goddamned mother-fucking son of a bitch! I'll make sure you never fuck anything again!" Nightingale reached down and clutched Simon's balls in her hand. She meant to squeeze them into marmalade, which might or might not kill him - she didn't really care at the moment. What happened was something unexpected, and far more horrifying to witness. Before Nightingale even had a chance to squeeze, Simon screamed in agony and terror. All three of the team members watched as the man's face became instantly gray and drawn. His skin began to sink in on itself. Nightingale could feel energy flowing into herself, she was drawing energy *out of* her target, rather than releasing energy into him. Her rage continued until she began to see what appeared to be the outline of his facial bones. That scared her badly enough that she staggered backward, releasing him. Simon immediately slumped to the floor, unconscious. His flesh gained some slight color, and his skin relaxed, at least hiding his bone structure, but it was clear that he had been severely wounded by Nightingale's unexpected - even to her - attack. Nightingale stared at her hands in shock, completely lost as to what had happened. The boys had decisions to make. There was simply no way for anyone to prove Herc's telekinetic powers, but what Nightingale had just done could be easily connected; she'd touched someone, and they had suffered. How that had happened wasn't important now, but they had to do something about it. There was also Andie to deal with. Mimir and Herc looked at each other. Mimir finally said, "I'll deal with the asshole." Hercules nodded. "I'll get Andie cleaned up, and ready to go. We can't leave her here." "Where, then?" "I know somewhere. Let me handle that, okay?" Mimir nodded, and moved to deal with Simon. Hercules walked to Andie, and knelt down. They were ignoring Nightingale at the moment because they had to; there was work to do, and only after that could they concern themselves with their friend's shock and dismay, which were clear on her face. "Andie?" Herc said softly. "Andie, c'mon. We need to get you some clothes, and..." Hercules faltered when she looked up into his eyes. The pain and anguish he saw there made him want to hurt somebody. It also made him want to protect Andie, and he wrapped his arms around her. She clutched him, still sobbing. He carefully lifted her, using his TK to help him. He walked her slowly into her room with her still clinging tightly to him. Hercules got her sitting on the bed, and he had to be a little more forceful than he would have liked to get her to let go of him. He knew that someone would notice the trashed front door; they had to get out of here quickly. As he stepped away from her, his eyes naturally swiveled downward to take in her body. He was thoroughly ashamed of himself for that, but couldn't stop his reaction. He did at least get useful information out of it; with the exception of some cuts and bruises, she was not badly hurt. Turning away in disgust with himself, Hercules moved to Andie's dresser to grab some clothes. He got everything she'd need, and also threw some things in a bag he found in the closet, so she'd have a change of clothes or two. A quick trip to the bathroom gathered up some of her personal toiletries, and then he came back to the room. When he entered, Andie was still sitting on the bed, nude. She was shivering, cold, scared and in shock. Again, Hercules had to control his gaze. What he had to do next would be even harder; obviously Andie was going to need to be dressed, and Nightingale was in no condition to do it, so it fell to him. Gently, Hercules took her hand, and stood her up. She didn't resist him at all, and did what he asked her to. Carefully, gently, he began to dress her, putting her panties on first. He looked at the bra, and realized that, though he knew how to take one off, he had no clue how it went on, and so he threw it back onto the bed. He struggled next to get some sweats on her, and finally her T-shirt, covering her newly-budding breasts that had so attracted his attention earlier, to his shame. Now that she was fully clothed, the rest was easier. He sat her down and put on her socks and shoes, suddenly realizing how awkward it was to tie shoes from the other direction. Andie was now fully dressed, but still somewhat non-responsive. Herc realized it might be the room; he had to get her out of here quickly. He grabbed the bra off the bed and threw it into the bag, zipping that up and slinging it over his shoulder. He took Andie's hand again, and pulled her gently out of the room. She followed him, but it was clear she was still lost. By the time Hercules exited the bedroom with Andie in tow, Mimir had finished wiping Simon's mind of anything having to do with the attack. He now believed that three robbers had come in and been surprised. Andie was staying with a friend that night, and his wife was out of town. He would not remember the actual attack at all; his statements could not be seen to conflict with his known injuries, and Mimir had no idea what was actually wrong with him. Having finished his major task, he had turned to Nightingale. "Nightingale!" he was calling out now, trying to get a response from her. She shivered uncontrollably, mumbling something to herself that he couldn't hear. "Claire!" he hissed in a low voice, hoping that would snap her out of it. She snapped her head around to him. "What did I do?" she said, her voice shaky and brittle. "What the hell did I do?" "You saved your friend," Mimir said forcefully. "We've got to get out of here *now*." "But... Andie..." "Is right here, Nightingale. She's fine." To Mimir, Hercules said, "You two need to leave. When you're gone, I'll call Stacy - Jen's mom. She already knows about me, but there's no reason to give her any more information than she already has." Mimir had to bow to the logic of that. Leaning in, he said, "We can't just leave Claire like this..." "Take her home, and get her to her room... maybe she'll settle down once the situation calms down for her." "I hope. What the hell do I tell her parents?" "Hell, I don't know!" Hercules snapped. "Think of something!" Mimir nodded, letting the anger pass by. It was only the stress talking. "Okay. Good luck." Turning to Nightingale, he raised his voice again, and said, "C'mon, Nightingale, let's get you home." "Andie..." Nightingale said again. "I'll take care of Andie," Hercules said forcefully. There was something in Nightingale's - now normal - gaze that Hercules couldn't read, but he didn't have time, anyway. They all headed downstairs, and Mimir led Nightingale out the door, turning to take her home. Hercules, who now thought of himself as Jim again, turned to Andie to find her shivering uncontrollably. He moved to her quickly and hugged her. Andie wrapped her arms around his midsection and held on tightly, almost squeezing the breath out of him. He knew she needed a lifeline right now, and so he let her be. He spotted a cordless phone sitting on the kitchen table, and instead of trying to walk with Andie clutched around him, he used his telekinesis to bring the phone to him. He dialed a number. "Jen? It's Jim. You and your mom need to get over here right now.... No, Jen, I mean *right the hell now*. Okay, I'll be waiting." Jim hung up the phone, and set it down. He maneuvered Andie into the living room, so he could lean against the back of the couch while she continued to hold onto him for dear life. He rubbed his hands across her back absently, trying not to think of what he'd seen in her bedroom. The last thing she needed tonight was another guy thinking of her in that way. It was only ten minutes before Stacy showed up with her daughter in tow. The delay became obvious when he noticed that Stacy had dressed in something other than her normal house-clothes. He also noticed she was carrying a gun. "What happened?" Stacy said in her cop-voice. It wasn't something he'd heard from her before, and it was disconcerting. Normally, she was very pleasant, but now she was demanding. "The mother-fucker tried to rape her," Jim said. Jen gasped in shock. She'd noticed how tightly Andie was holding on to Jim, but she hadn't thought it was that bad. "Where is he?" Stacy said, her voice turning cold and ugly. "Upstairs. Unconscious. He's going to need an ambulance." "I'll be the judge of that," Stacy said, clearly indicating she thought he might need a beating instead. Jim knew differently, but let her go to look, anyway. He stopped Jen from going up; she didn't need to see that. "How bad did you beat him?" she asked quietly. "I didn't get a chance. *Claire* did it." Seeing Jen's eyes widen, he had a further surprise for her. "She's got a new power now. She nearly killed him... I think she drained his life-force, or something. It was a scary thing to see... the look on her face... her eyes were *glowing*, and I mean really! And what she did to him..." Stacy Young bolted down the stairs, and began looking for the phone. Jim pointed it out to her, and she dialed 911 without saying anything to the kids. When she got off the phone, she looked pale. "What the hell happened to him?" "I can't tell you that," Jim said. He wasn't being surly or intransigent; she knew that tone of voice meant he was protecting someone. "Okay. We need to get you guys out of the house. What... how do we explain this?" Stacy wasn't sure what she'd tell her colleagues. "Okay... Jen, Andie and I were out together, just hanging out. You were driving us around. We were at the mall last, for a couple hours. We were about to drop Andie off, when you noticed the front door was broken in. You came in to investigate, and found him." Stacy nodded, and herded them all out onto the front lawn before the ambulance, or worse, her brother law-enforcement officers, showed up. She looked at Andie with pity, and to Jim with even more respect than usual. He was holding the girl tightly, trying to calm her down. Andie was still weeping uncontrollably, and Jen had stepped away from the two, to give them privacy, even though she clearly wanted the details of what had happened. While they waited for emergency response, Jim looked to Stacy and said, "Can Andie stay with you guys tonight? Her mom is supposed to be home tomorrow..." "Sure, Jim. No problem. That is," Stacy said, twisting his tail slightly, "If you can get her to let go of you." Jim blushed, but Andie acted as if she hadn't heard a thing. That was not good news. ----- It took a couple of hours before they were able to leave. The investigating officer was not happy with anyone's explanation of things, but he had no reason to doubt them, either. Jim had watched as Luke had been picked up by his sister shortly after the police had shown up. They, of course, paid that no mind, as he wasn't part of anyone's account of what had happened. Finally, they got in the car and drove to Jen's house. Andie had finally managed to let go of him, but she insisted on holding his hand. He didn't mind this; he knew she had fastened on him for support, and he was willing to give her all the support she needed. He just hoped this was not getting him into trouble with Jen or Stacy. Jim led Andie into the house, and then back to the guest bedroom. He got her to lie down, and finally she let go of his hand. He brushed her hair out of her face, and then he grabbed a blanket that was sitting on the dresser. He unfolded it and covered Andie with it. She was already curled up in a fetal position, still shaking from the night's events. He didn't know what else to do for her. On impulse, Jim leaned down and kissed Andie very softly on the cheek. "It's going to be okay, Andie." In the meekest voice he had ever heard come out of anyone's mouth, Jim heard Andie say, "Thank you." He squeezed her shoulder gently, turned off the lamp next to her, and left the room. Something told him not to shut the door all the way, which allowed some hallway light to filter into the room. He made his way back down the hall, to Jen's room. He knew she'd be waiting for details. ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... Jim was waiting for Jen when she got off the school bus the next morning. He was actually slightly surprised to see her, thinking she might have wanted to stay with Andie. He was, as always, glad to see his girlfriend, though. Jen came up and kissed him good morning. "Hey, Handsome," she said with a grin. Jim blushed. "Hey, Sweetheart," he said quietly. Though he was not embarrassed about being seen with her, or with people knowing they were a couple, he was simply a private person, and didn't like to advertise anything. Jen knew this, and she smiled at him, wrapped her arm around his waist, and let him lead her into the building. As they walked toward her locker, Jim asked, "How is Andie doing?" "She was still sleeping when I left. Mom said just to let her be. The police contacted her mother this morning, and told her what was going on. She's supposed to be in around noon or so, and she'll come get Andie and take her home. Mom's taking the day off to keep an eye on her." "I can't believe that woman could leave her daughter with such a shit," Jim said. He could feel his anger rising again, and he fought to push it down. It didn't serve a purpose. "I know. I've never met Andie's family... come to think of it, I don't know anyone's family... I've never even really met your sister, just enough to wave and say hi." "The trouble with who we are," Jim said, shrugging. "Of course, my family doesn't know about me. If you wanted to come over for dinner sometime..." "That'd be nice, but it can wait. I really am worried about Andie." "Yeah," Jim said, frowning and looking down the hallway, away from Jen. "She really is going to need help getting through this." "She has a good friend to lean on," Jen suggested. Jim looked back to her. "I don't think Claire's going to be a lot of help in the emotional support department for a little while. She's pretty messed up herself, right now." "I wasn't talking about Claire," Jen said, shaking her head at her boyfriend's naivete. "She has the same good friend to help her that I've got." When she saw the confusion on his face, she said with a sigh of exasperation, "You, Jim. She looks up to you, you've been there for her. You need to help her." "Jen, I..." "Look, don't give me the 'I don't know anything about helping people through shit' speech. You forget, you helped me through my parents' divorce. You *can* help her, and you should. Look, Andie's my friend, too, okay? I want to see her get through this. You help Andie, damn you, or so help me, I'll..." She couldn't finish the sentence, because she really couldn't think of anything to threaten him with. She didn't need to; her meaning was clear. Seeing that, she carried on. "Whatever you have to do for her, Jim. I mean it. If you have to put doing stuff with me off to be with her, to help her out just now, then do it. I'll get over it. Without someone to care about her, Andie *won't*. And I don't think her mother is a good choice, either." "No," Jim agreed. He was once again surprised at his girlfriend. The meaning of "Whatever you have to do" seemed fairly clear to him, though he didn't think that Andie thought that way about him. Still, he would listen to his girlfriend, because he knew it was the right thing to do. Finally, he nodded at Jen. "Okay. But I'll let it sit over the weekend, okay? Let's let her at least get settled back at home. Besides, I think Luke had something he wanted to talk to us about at tomorrow's meeting. Oh, and I think Paul had something he wanted us to help with," Jim finished up, his voice dripping with contempt. "I don't like him, either, but he *is* part of the team. We should try to get along with him." "I meant it, Jen. If he ever calls you what he called Claire, there's nobody in that room that can stop me from hurting him, really, really bad." "I know," she said, her voice soft. She stroked his cheek and smiled. It was odd just how much he cared for her, she thought, but it was very nice to her to feel protected. Snapping out of her warm fuzzy moment, she said, "We better get to class, or we're going to be late." "Yeah," he said. He leaned in and kissed her. "See you in bio?" "Definitely." ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... "Another girl? What happened with Jen?" Laura asked as she pulled up to Andie's house. "Nothing. Andie said she wanted to talk about something. Andie's had a rough few days, Sis. She's just a friend." "Oh. Okay. Well, call me when you're ready to come home. It's a do-it-yourself night for dinner, so no rush on that." "Thanks." Looking around briefly, he leaned over and kissed his sister. She was startled that he did it in public, but she returned it, anyway. "What was that for?" she asked after he broke their kiss. "Do I need a reason?" he asked with a smile, and then got out of the car without waiting for a reply. *Not that I minded that one bit, but what's gotten into him?* ----- Jim hurried to the front door as Laura pulled away. He rang the bell, noting that the door had been replaced with a brand new one, and the jamb had been fixed, as well, though it hadn't been painted yet, because the weather was too cold. "Yes, can I help you?" the woman who answered the door asked. Jim assumed it was Andie's mother, but they'd never met. "My name is Jim, I'm here to see Andie." "Who are you? I don't know you." Her voice was tight, demanding, and harsh. "I am a friend of Andie's," he said, pushing past her into the front hallway. "Now look here. You don't just barge into someone's home-" Jim had had a bad week. Putting up with Paul during yesterday's meeting had not helped it at all. He was in no mood to deal with this woman, and his opinion of her was already lousy. Her current badgering pushed him over a line. "Listen, you sorry excuse for a parent, I'm one of the people who knows what really happened a few days ago." Jim was keeping his voice at a low level, but his tone spoke the attitude that his volume did not. "You left your only daughter with that *slime* of a human being, and you're going to stand here bitching about *my* manners? I don't-" Jim's voice died, because he felt the presence of someone at the top of the stairs. He looked up to see Andie looking down at them. She was looking mainly at her mother, with a frown on her face. When she turned to face Jim, there was a very slight, almost sickly, smile. "It's okay, Mom. I asked him to come over." With that, Jim stepped around the woman and moved up the stairs. As he reached the top, he turned to look at the woman, who was clearly thinking about whether or not to follow them. Jim's look stopped her dead in her tracks. He was capable of looking downright nasty when he had to. Andie led him back to her room. He noticed many changes. The sheets and cover had been changed, and the bed had been moved. Still, Andie didn't sit on the bed. She sat in her desk chair, and looked up at him. He pulled the door almost shut, but left it open a crack, just to appease the supposed parent in the house. "What's the matter, Andie?" he said softly as he sat on the bed as close to her as he could get. He assumed that she wanted to talk about Thursday, and she did, but not in the way he expected. "It's Claire. Can you talk to her, Jim? I tried calling her, and she won't answer the phone. When I went over and knocked on her bedroom door, she wouldn't even say a word. Mark - that's her stepdad - said she's barely eating. Jim, I'm really worried about her!" Jim reached his hand out to her to calm her down. She clasped his hand tightly, and kept hold of it. His heart ached for her; worrying about her friend was just one more thing that she didn't need right now. But what she was asking... "Andie... why, uh, I mean... what makes you think I can get through to her?" Andie let go of his hand and nearly jumped from the chair, turning away from him. "Look, if you don't want to do it, just say so. I'm sorry I bothered you." Jim immediately rose from the bed, and went to her. He was stuck, afraid to touch her, and afraid not to. Ultimately, he put his hands gently on her upper arms. "It's not that I don't want to, Andie. I just don't feel like I'd be helpful Wouldn't one of the other girls be a better choice?" "No! Lori's too cocky. She's too sure of herself. Jen... I dunno." Andie turned just then, and Jim lowered his hands to his sides. "Yes, I do know. I *trust* you." She saw the look on his face, and shook her head. "Not just because of Thursday night, though I think I owe you big for that. Ever since we met, and I know it's only been a few weeks, but still, you've just... I knew that Claire and I could count on you to be there if we needed you. Please, Jim? Try? I don't think you can possibly make it worse..." Jim had to bend to the logic of that statement, so he nodded his head in surrender. "Okay, I'll give it a shot. But don't expect too much of me, Andie. I'm not a counselor. Hell, I'm still learning how to use my own powers." "I know. Just try. For me?" He nodded again. He put his hand on her arm again and said softly, "Do you want to talk about...it?" He couldn't find a better word than "it." Andie shook her head. "No. Not now." Jim nodded, and turned to go. "Jim?" she said, her voice very soft. He turned back immediately. "Maybe in a little while," she said, her voice reverting back to that voice he had heard Thursday night. He stepped over to her, and gave her a hug. She returned it strongly. "Whenever you want to talk, all you have to do is call. We can talk on the phone, or I can come over," he said, still holding her. He ran his hand along her back in a soothing motion, hoping it would show support. He could tell she was crying lightly, and he let her do so, controlling his thoughts rigidly as his years of meditation had taught him to do. This was definitely *not* a time for his anger. Finally, Andie let him go. Wiping her eyes, she smiled wanly at him. "Thanks." He didn't reply. There was nothing to say about it, really. He grabbed the box of Kleenex and handed it to her, so she could wipe her eyes and blow her nose. After she was done with that, she turned back to him. "I should warn you, her little brother's kind of a prick. You might have to get past him in order to get to Claire. Something's happened in their family recently; there's a lot of tension between Mark and Rob - that's her brother." Jim nodded, certain that no 'little brother' could be a problem for the mood he was in at the moment. "And will you come back here, to tell me what happened?" "As much as I can." Seeing the look on Andie's face, he explained, "If she does talk to me, and tells me something she wants to keep private, I'm not going to tell you about it." Andie nodded understanding, and then sat back down in her chair as Jim turned to go. He made it down the stairs and was almost out the door before he was caught short by the mother. "You said you know what *really* happened here?" "That's right," he said, keeping his voice under control. "And what was that?" she said. "What did Andie say happened?" he asked, not so much evading the question as wondering which version of events this woman had been given. "That her father attacked her, and tried to rape her." "And?" Jim said. "And I don't believe her." "Don't, or don't want to?" Jim asked crossly. He received a strong slap for his trouble. "Does that make you feel better now? You've lashed out at someone for your own failure to protect your daughter. Do you feel more like her mother now?" Mrs. Miller reached out to slap Jim again, but he caught her hand. "There is a reason the police were told a different version of events," Jim said coldly. "It was because we didn't want Andie to be completely without a family. Push me too far, and you can spend the rest of your afternoon explaining yourself to a police lieutenant." This was a lie; the police had been told a story that kept the MDSA safe, not her mother. Mrs. Miller did not need to know this. Mrs. Miller paled at the thought, and she lowered her hand. "I'm sorry," she said, almost sincerely. "This has all been very trying for me." "Trying for *you*?" Jim said incredulously, raising his voice just slightly. "God what an ego." He bit off the rest of what he was going to say, because there was no point in getting in an argument with the woman. "I'm going to go next door and talk to Claire for a little while. I *will* be back to talk to Andie." "Fine," the woman said in surrender. Jim turned and walked out the door before he let loose with what he thought of the woman. ----- "Yeah, what?" the boy said when he opened the door and saw Jim standing there. "I'm here to see Claire," Jim said calmly, or as calmly as he could. The boy had a tone that pissed off Jim almost instantly. "And who the fuck are you?" Rob shot back. Jim stepped very close to him, to help exaggerate their height difference. "I'm the guy who is going to snap you in half if you don't get the fuck out of my way. Now *move*!" Rob wilted before Jim's eyes, and stepped aside all the way, giving him a clear path. He said, "Her room is the first one on the right." "Thank you," Jim said, not because he felt any actual desire to be polite, but because he'd been raised that way. Jim walked to the indicated door and knocked. After ten seconds of no response, he knocked again. It took him a solid half-minute before he decided that his promise to Andie to try was not satisfied by standing at a door and knocking. He turned the knob, and opened the door. What he saw nearly tore his heart out. Claire was sitting on her bed curled up, almost in a fetal position, her back against the wall and her eyes staring out into nothing. He watched for a few seconds and realized that she wasn't blinking as often as she should be. She was truly suffering. She hadn't yet even acknowledged that he was there. Jim closed the door and locked it. They did not need company, if he was going to be any help at all. He still had serious doubts as to whether there was anything he could do, but he was honor-bound to try. Before sitting down, Jim took a couple of moments to look around Claire's room. He'd never been in here before, and was just curious about her personality. The room seemed neat, and very female. Taking a deep breath, he realized that now he was just stalling. What disturbed him the most was how Claire did not seem to be conscious of his presence. Jim settled down next to her on her left, and then gently wrapped his right arm around her. This got an immediate reaction; Claire's body jumped, almost as if shocked, and her head swiveled in what looked like fear. Her eyes locked on Jim's, and saw the sympathy and concern in them. It was as if a dam had been broken. Claire threw herself against him, her sobs wracking her body terribly. The noise she was making had to be hurting her throat, Jim thought. He did the only thing he could think of to do; he wrapped his arms around her and held her, rocking very slightly back and forth. It took several minutes for Claire to cry herself out, and Jim didn't do anything at all while that was going on except let her. He tried to think of something to say to her, but he wasn't even really sure yet what part of what had happened had made her so distraught, and that removed any chance he had to plan his words. Finally, he could feel the sobs dying off, and she settled down to sniffling and silent weeping. He absently rubbed his hand across her back, not thinking anything of it. Claire said, "Jim, I've become a monster! You saw what I did to Andie's dad!" "He deserved it," Jim said, without thinking much about that, either. He felt Claire nod against his chest. "I know, but... but what's happened to me? I'm supposed to be a *healer*! I'm not supposed to hurt people like that! What if... what if I can't help people anymore, but only kill them? I couldn't live like that!" Her sniffling increased, and Jim squeezed her tighter. "I don't think that happened," Jim said, trying to think of something more useful to say. "Each of us has gained power from time to time, but I don't think any of us has ever lost an ability that I know of." Claire thought about that for a moment and nodded against his chest. "Maybe... but, but what kind of horrible person am I that I could *do that* to someone? I nearly killed him!" "Claire, you were angry. Hell, you were way beyond angry. You were royally pissed off. So was I. If you hadn't hurt him, I probably would have," Jim said, not knowing whether it was true or not at the time. Seeing what it had done to Andie, Jim wanted to hurt the man *now*. "You're not a horrible person, you're just *normal*. We all have moments where we lose it. Yours just happened to release a new power within you." Jim sat thinking for a few seconds about some things, and before Claire could say anything else, he said, "And I don't think it's the first time it's happened, either." Claire looked up at him, pulling back ever so slightly. Jim released his grip on her, but kept his hands on her shoulders, for support. She, however, did not release her grip on him any more than she had to. "What do you mean?" she asked, looking for the answer to life. "Do you remember the day a couple weeks ago, the meeting where you and Paul got into that little fight?" Claire nodded. "When you hit him, he reacted very strangely. It was as if your punch hit him a lot harder than I think you're capable of hitting someone. His face... distorted for a second. I think that might have been the first time we saw your new ability." Claire sniffled a little, and thought about it. She had been so angry at him at that moment... she realized that Jim might be right. The thought of it shocked her; she hadn't been *extraordinarily* angry at Paul, she had just been plain mad. "So anytime I get mad now, I'm going to hurt the people I touch?" she said, trying to come to terms with things. "I don't know for sure. This is one ability it's really hard to test, you know? But I *think* that probably you would only hurt the person you are mad *at*. I mean, you don't heal everyone you touch, do you?" Claire shook her head. "No. I have to think about it." Jim nodded, and said, "Well, you probably have to 'think' about it the other way, too... it's just that the way you think about it is by getting angry at them. If you want, later, there are some techniques I know for controlling your emotions... they're part of my meditation exercises..." Jim realized that he'd already done this for one of the team members, and wondered very briefly if it might not be a good idea to offer that training to the whole team. *Paul'd never do it. He's too hyper, and too self-centered to think anyone else would have a good idea.* Claire nodded, and thought about it. She pulled herself to Jim again, seeking the support he offered so easily. Laying her head against his shoulder, she thought for a little while. Jim naturally began rubbing her back again, hoping to settle her down and bring her out of the funk she was in. What Jim had forgotten, in the situation, and what he really should have remembered, was that there was a reason Claire did not usually like to be touched. His gentle words, kindness, and shoulder to cry on - literally - had eased Claire's emotional trauma. She still felt very bad for what had happened, and she would suffer nightmares for weeks to come, but someone who ought to know had told her she wasn't a monster, that she was going to be okay. That someone was now gently rubbing her back, and with her emotional turmoil subdued, her other, baser, emotions started to reassert themselves. She didn't pay attention to it at first, but as it began to grow, she realized it actually felt pretty good. She knew this wasn't what Jim had intended, but... After a while, Claire leaned back just enough to look Jim in the face. Their eyes were very close together. "You know," she said, "I usually get fairly upset when guys touch me anything like this." Jim paled. Her words suddenly reminded him of one of her unique qualities. He stammered, "Oh, crap, Claire, I'm sorry, I didn't..." She cut off his words by leaning in and kissing him softly on the lips. He kissed back, and when he felt her tongue slip between her lips, he opened his mouth to admit it As her tongue assaulted his, she leaned backward. Since her arms were wrapped firmly around him, he had to go with her. They wound up lying side by side on the bed, kissing feverishly. After a fairly long time, Claire let him up for air. He seemed a little breathless, but she imagined that might be from shock. She looked him in the eye, and saw a glimmer of worry, mixed with a bunch of other emotions. Right now, though, she needed him, and she hoped he wouldn't scare easily. "Jim, would you make love to me, please?" she asked. "Claire, I swear, I didn't..." She put her hand to his lips to stop him. "I know you didn't. Really. But what's done is done, and you've got me feeling very... ready. I probably haven't ever really told you this, but I like you quite a bit. I sometimes feel very envious of Jen." Jim was very surprised at that last admission. He was surprised that she wasn't angry with him, really, though his actions had been entirely innocent. It didn't take him long to realize that kissing her had made him quite hard, and he was at least as 'ready' as she was. To answer her question, Jim leaned in and kissed her again. He ran his hand along her side, caressing her. His hand slipped down far enough to reach the hem of her T-shirt, and as it slid back up, he moved it under the fabric, so that he could caress her bare skin. Claire moaned into his mouth at the feel of his fingers dancing across her smooth flesh. She stopped breathing as his fingers neared her tit, and she let out a much louder moan as they brushed along the outside of the swell of her breasts. She wasn't wearing a bra, and his fingers had direct access to her body. His fingers soon found her nipple, and she arched her back, breaking their kiss. She groaned lowly as his fingers brushed over the erect little nub. Without disturbing his hand too much, Claire rolled Jim onto his back, and straddled his waist, pausing a couple of times to let little shudders of pleasure wash over her as his fingers continued their dance. Claire reached down and grabbed the hem of her shirt, pulling it up and off in a swift motion that caused her ample breasts to bounce slightly. Jim enjoyed the sight immensely, and his other hand soon found its way onto her free tit, mimicking its partner's movements. Claire continued to murmur in pleasure, and she reached down to massage Jim's shoulders, and his chest. His shirt was in the way, but getting it off him would be too big a pain in the neck at the moment, and she was really happy with his hands where they were. Jim took some initiative, and sat up, keeping his fingers slipping lightly over Claire's tits. He kissed her again, briefly, before dipping his head to kiss her nipple. Claire's hands shot to the back of his head as her body responded instantly to the sensation. Tingles twisted through her body until every nerve felt like it was part of the act. Her pussy clutched at something not yet there, and cried out in need and desire. Claire took the opportunity to reach down and tug at Jim's shirt, getting it loose from his pants and then up his body. He had to break contact with her nipple - a distressingly unpleasant thing for Claire - to get the shirt all the way off. When his mouth returned, it aimed for the other nipple, and Claire was instantly besieged with another wave of intense bliss. Jim continued to suck on Claire's nipple as his hands moved around to her back and massaged the soft skin in the hollow just above her ass . Claire arched her back to push her tit deeper into his mouth. Jim acquiesced and sucked on her tit, lapping at her nipple with his tongue. Suddenly, Claire pulled away from Jim and got up off the bed. He had a sudden moment of panic, thinking she had changed her mind and decided to be angry at him, after all. His fear was short lived, as she hastily unfastened her jeans and shoved them, and her panties, roughly down her legs. Claire was now naked, and Jim enjoyed looking at her long, shapely legs. Being able to heal herself, Claire's body also kept itself in reasonably good condition without much effort. Jim was envious. Claire returned to the bed, but she didn't climb back on top of Jim. Instead, her hand reached for his belt, and unfastened it. The button on his jeans came next, and the zipper followed quickly. Claire began to tug on his pants, and he lifted his hips to help her get them off. She pulled them down to his ankles, then quickly yanked his sneakers off. His pants and socks departed together, and Claire soon forgot they existed. Her eyes now were fixated on his briefs. Reaching across from where she was kneeling at his feet, Claire gripped Jim's briefs. She was more careful with these, making sure not to hurt the object of her desire. She hummed softly as his briefs slid down and his hard dick came into view. It had been a few days since she'd had one of those, and her body, now released for the moment from its misery, was screaming for contact. Once Jim's briefs had been disposed of, Claire climbed between his legs. She moved up until her head was even with his waist, and gently pushed him back down onto the bed. Her eyes locked with his as her hand reached out and gently encircled his prick. Jim moaned as her fingers began to slide lightly back and forth over his length. When Claire lowered her head, Jim sat up on his elbows. As her lips touched the head of his cock, he closed his eyes tightly and groaned. Her tongue slipped out and swirled around the head of his dick before she started to move down one side of his cock, planting kisses and flitting her tongue all along his length. She moved back up his dick the same way, until she had returned to the tip of it. Parting her lips, Claire let her mouth sink down onto Jim's cock. She could feel his body trembling, and she knew he liked it. Her tongue worked along the underside of his shaft as her lips slipped along his length, taking him in as far as she could. She began to bob on his dick, knowing that he would not last long. Her hand caressed the portion of his cock not in her mouth, as her lips slid rapidly up and down his shaft. In only a little while, Jim proved Claire right. He grunted a couple of times in warning, and then spewed his load deep into her mouth. Claire choked slightly at the first blast; it had been stronger than she had expected, but she managed to keep sucking, and then swallowed his whole load as it tapered off. She kept sucking him, getting every last ounce of his spunk she could. She even sucked beyond that point, hoping to get him aroused quickly again. Jim was only half-erect when Claire let him slip from her lips. She moved up, straddling his waist, and then pulled him up to her. She kissed him hotly, her body now trapping his hardening shaft between them. She rubbed his dick with her pussy, arousing both of them. She broke their kiss and said, "You're not participating very much." She gave him a wicked grin, and he got the message. Not having been there yet, his hands decided to head for her ass, where he groped the taut flesh and let his fingers slip ever so slightly into her crack. Claire sighed at the pleasure of feeling his hands on her again. It was a wonderful feeling. She continued to roll her hips, pushing herself repeatedly against his dick, which was soon back to its full hardness. She licked her lips in anticipation of what was coming, and she really couldn't wait for it. Lifting her hips, Claire reached down with her hand and took hold of Jim's dick. She placed the head of his cock at the entrance to her cunt, and she slowly began to sink down on his shaft. Jim grunted at the feel of her tight pussy wrapping itself around his shaft, and Claire groaned in ecstasy. It took her almost a minute before she'd fully impaled herself on his hard, throbbing prick. "God, you feel good," she cried out. Jim tried not to laugh, but he did let loose a chuckle. His hands continued to knead the flesh of her ass, and he leaned in to nibble on her neck, causing her to shudder. When Claire began to move on Jim's cock, he leaned back and, having the perfect position for doing so, began to suck on her nipples again. He switched back and forth often, keeping them both pleasured with his mouth while his hands continued to fondle her ass, also helping her to ride him. Claire was bucking up and down on Jim now, her passion driving her wild, and her hips conspiring to fulfill that passion. With Jim helping her, she didn't grow tired, and she rode him for quite a while, thrashing on top of him as he sucked on her nipples. In an explosion of pleasure, Claire came, flooding Jim's cock with her love juices and filling the room with her cries of passion. Jim held on for the ride, continuing to fondle and suck at her body throughout her orgasm. It took a long time before she came down, and when she did, she sank down onto Jim's cock fully, and rested her body against his. He moved his hands from her ass to her back, caressing the skin there and holding her as she tried to regain her breath. His cock was still hard, and he felt her pussy spasm around it, keeping him ready for more. She knew there would be more. Once her body had refreshed itself, she tried to lean back away from him, but he wouldn't let her go this time. He gave her just enough room to let them kiss, which she did gladly. As their lips were locked, Jim concentrated. He knew he could lift the *weight*, but he'd never tried this before. He encapsulated both of them in a telekinetic field, and lifted them off the bed. He spun them slowly in the air, until Claire was beneath him, and on her back. He lowered them both to the bed, and then he broke their kiss. Claire looked up at him in wonder. The sensation of being moved that way... the *gentle* sensation of being caressed by his TK field... it was a very sensual act. "Can we do it my way, now?" Jim asked softly. She merely nodded at him, wondering what he had in mind. With long, deep, steady thrusts, Jim began to take Claire again. Her eyes opened wider at the feel of him sliding in and out of her so deeply. He continued to move inside her, and he closed his eyes again. At first, she wondered if he was fantasizing that she was someone else, but then she felt a myriad of feather touches slipping all over her body. She shuddered in pleasure as she realized that he was using his mind to caress her entire body at once. It was intense, and magnified the sensation of his cock sliding in and out of her at its steady, wonderful pace. Jim knew that Claire was on the verge of another orgasm. He kept his attention focused, and paid special attention to her most sensitive areas with his telekinesis. He hadn't, in fact, tried this with Jen yet, because he'd worried about whether he could do it. Now had seemed like a good time to try it for a number of reasons. His mind was somewhat distracted as Claire began to buck beneath him, once again gripped by her climax. He continued to slide into her throughout her orgasm, and kept up his psionic ministrations as well. It was a long time before Claire came down from her orgasm, gasping and panting. Jim began to slow his movement, but Claire shook her head. "Don't stop. Oh, God, please don't stop. That was intense! Do it again!" Jim smiled. He increased his pace back to what it had been, and then just a little bit faster. Claire's mind was already reeling from her orgasm, and the added sensations within her sent her mind spinning. She grunted and thrashed beneath her lover, who continued to caress her body with his hands and his mind. She could only see stars at this point, her body so hyper-pleasured by the multitude of wonderful sensations assaulting her all at once. As Jim rose toward his own orgasm, he sped up his pace. Claire's cries of ecstasy only intensified, and he was enjoying the entire experience. As his pace quickened, he grunted with each thrust, pushing them both closer to the edge. When Jim erupted inside Claire, she lost it. Her body arched, bucked, twisted and writhed beneath Jim. Jim continued to thrust into her, spewing jet after jet of cum inside her. His orgasm died long before hers did, but he continued to thrust into her until she cried out for the last time and went limp. Jim stopped then, and he gently pulled out of her. He moved to her side, and lay down, pulling her to him. He held her tenderly, stroking her hair and simply holding her until she woke up, which took several minutes. She pulled away from him very gently, so she could look at his eyes and know what he was thinking. All she saw there was a warm regard for herself as his friend, and, at least for now, his lover. She smiled very warmly at him, and kissed him tenderly. When their lips parted, she leaned back against the pillows, and he raised up onto his elbow, so he could still look her in the eye. She sighed and said, "That was... really, really nice." She giggled at the understatement. "Claire, I promise, I had no thought when I came here of... I mean, I know you hate it when guys take advantage of you, and after what Paul-" "You're not Paul," she said with great finality. "And you didn't take advantage of me. You gave me something I needed at the time. Paul's an asshole. You're not. And now I have to feel guilty for making you cheat on Jen with me... and worse, because I actually might want to do it again someday." The look on her face was one of sadness. Jim moved his hand up to gently caress her cheek. "Jen wouldn't care," he told her. When she looked at him sharply, he had to explain. "We've already had this conversation. In fact, for some reason I can't even begin to understand, she actually *wants* me to sleep around." Claire's eyes widened at that. Jim chuckled. "How do you think *I* feel?" "Does she play around on you, too?" "Not that I know of... She said she wanted me to be happy... this all revolved around a specific girl that, if you don't mind, I don't really want to talk about..." "It's okay, go on." "Anyway, when Jen and I talked about this girl, and why this girl was acting a little oddly toward Jen, and I explained that we'd had a relationship, and I had broken it off because of Jen... um, this other girl, our relationship wasn't 'normal', okay? That's all I can say..." Claire nodded, not having any interest in forcing him to reveal things he didn't want to. "Anyway, Jen told me she didn't care who I slept with, as long as she was the only person I considered to be my girlfriend. And she is. Heck, that night we had that conversation, she made me go..." he had to pause; he'd almost said "home". "um... go and sleep with that other girl." "Wow. I don't know. If I was Jen, and I had you all to myself, I don't think *I'd* be sharing," she said, running her hand along his chest. He leaned down and kissed her softly. "Yeah, well... she's also pressed me into service trying to help Andie. Jen can talk me into almost anything." "You didn't... I mean, with Andie...?" Jim shook his head. "No... is there a reason I shouldn't?" Claire blushed. "No. Actually, I think she'd rather like it if you did. She thinks you're cute." Jim cocked an eyebrow at her. "And you know this because..." "Because she told me, duh. We *are* best friends and neighbors, you know." She giggled at Jim's discomfort at being discussed between the girls, but then sobered. "Poor Andie. How is she doing?" "Apparently more concerned about you than herself. Don't take this the wrong way, but I wouldn't be here if she hadn't asked me to try to talk to you. No one else who'd tried had been able to get through, and she thought I might have some luck..." "Which you did," Claire said, smiling at him again. "For whatever reason you came over, thank you. I owe you so much for helping me out of my state." "You're very welcome. If you want to learn to meditate, just let me know..." "I'd like that. I'm probably still going to have some issues, aren't I?" Jim shrugged. "I really don't know. I'm not a psychiatrist. I suppose you still have some things to work through. If you want to talk about them, you know where to find me." "No, actually, I don't. I have your phone number, but I don't know where you live." Jim blushed. "Oh. Well, when we get up, I'll write it down for you?" "When we get up?" she asked, repeating his words. "Sorry, did you want me to go now?" he asked. His tone indicated he really didn't want to leave just yet. "No," she said, caressing his cheek and then pulling him down for another kiss. When they parted, another thought occurred to her. "If Andie sent you... are you going to tell Andie what happened?" "I have to tell her something... is there something you don't want her to know?" "I'd prefer if you didn't tell her yet about us sleeping together. I'm afraid she might be jealous, and she doesn't need that right now..." she looked off into the distance, thinking about Andie. "Well, now that you're at least talking to someone, maybe you can help Andie sort through her troubles..." He was hoping that someone would take this burden off his shoulders; he wasn't comfortable with so much responsibility. Claire looked back at him with a smile, but shook her head. "No... it's going to be a while before I can talk about that night without suffering my own troubles. Andie doesn't need that. Her night was worse than mine, and it would be too hard for me to see that. Jim, I know you don't feel comfortable with us, I mean with girls in general, but there's something about the way you are, the way you think, that makes you very easy for us to talk to. I think I respect you more now than I did when you walked in here." That surprised him. What had he done to deserve any additional respect? He couldn't ask, of course; you didn't do that sort of thing. Instead, he said, "Thank you." The two kissed again for a while, but then it was time to get up. As Jim was pulling his clothes back on, after using a towel to wipe himself clean, Claire said, "Jim?" "Yeah?" "About Andie..." She had his full attention now. Claire couldn't tell him that this was one of the things that made him so helpful and wonderful to talk to: he could focus his entire attention on the person talking to him. She stumbled for words to express what she was thinking, but he didn't get impatient, didn't tap his foot or sigh, he just waited. "Please, do what you can to help her through this... Andie's been a dear friend to me for a while, and right now I just can't be there for her. That hurts me to say, but I damn sure don't want to make things any worse... I know you'll treat her kindly, which is more than I can say for most of the people in her life." "But *how* am I supposed to help her? I don't know what the hell I'm doing, Claire," he said plaintively. She smiled at him. "What we just did wouldn't hurt." Jim sputtered, and Claire laughed at him. "I'm serious. Of course, you'll have to wait until she would accept that, but she needs to know that not all men are assholes. I'll tell you a secret, and I'd rather you didn't tell her I told you. Andie and I have been sleeping together for a while. She runs to me whenever her dad has beaten her. The one time I couldn't be there for her, she turned to you - a guy. That was weird, but you were there, and you were your usual kind, respectful, warm, understanding self, and you probably let her cling to you like she needed to." Jim nodded, but said nothing. "You're the one guy she's going to look at and say, 'That's what guys are like.' Her father isn't a 'guy' to her, he's a monster. Although I love Andie, and I really like having sex with her, I don't want to turn her into a lesbian. She needs to know guys can be cool. She sees Paul, who's a complete shit, and Luke, who neither of us can really read yet. Then there's you. I'd prefer that she got to know about guys from you." Jim blushed at this little speech. "How long have you been thinking that through?" he asked. It didn't sound like something she just came up with. "Since she told me she thought you were cute. I just didn't have any way to say it before. I've been worried about Andie for a long time." Jim walked over and embraced Claire. "I'll do what I can, but I make no more promises to you than I did to Andie when I said I'd come over here. I will only promise to try." Claire kissed him strongly on the mouth. "Look how well that turned out," she said with a grin, and then let him go so he could get dressed, which he did with a blush on his face. ----- Mrs. Miller didn't give Jim any crap when he came back to her house. He was as surprised by that as by the fact that neither of the Bullok men said anything when Jim walked out of Claire's room holding her hand. They kept their peace when she kissed him at the door, too. He pondered these things as he climbed the stairs to Andie's room. He knocked on the door, and got a quiet, "Come in." He walked in to see Andie lying on her bed, on her stomach. Her pillow was tucked under her chin, and she was hugging the pillow to her. She looked up when she saw him, and started to get up, but he waved her back down. He sat on the floor beside the bed, facing her. "Any luck?" she asked hopefully. "She's talking now. I think she's probably still going to have trouble, but..." "What's the matter?" Andie really didn't understand what had happened that night. "Claire realized she had a new power that night. She nearly killed your father with it, and it scared her really bad. She was thinking of herself as a monster." "For hurting my dad? But..." he held up his hand to stop her thought. "It had nothing to do with your dad. She felt no regret for hurting him, really, but she feared now that she had turned into something ugly and destructive." "Oh," Andie said, thinking for a while. "Is she okay now?" "Well, okay is kind of a relative term, ain't it? I think she *will be* okay, eventually. She's a little worried about you, though... are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" "Jim, I can't. I mean..." He reached out and rubbed her back. "I know what you mean. You know how to get a hold of me if you do." She nodded, small tears in her eyes. He kept caressing her back. "We all care about you, Andie. I'll be here for you if you need me. I know this has been a rotten fucking week, but things will get better." Andie shifted her position awkwardly, and wrapped her arms around Jim's neck. She hugged him as the tears flowed silently. He could still rub her back from her new posture, so he did, letting another girl cry on his shoulder today. He honestly didn't mind; he hadn't realized that he'd generated these kinds of feelings in either of these girls, and the trust, respect, and friendship they were showing him demanded that he return it in his usual, rather over-devoted manner. After a while, Andie let him go. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, and laughed at the wet spot she'd left on his shirt. He smiled softly at her, and she smiled back, though it was very weak. "You really care?" she asked. "I really do," he replied. "I can't talk about it now," she repeated. "But I'd like to talk to you about it, when I can." "Any time, Andie. Any time at all." "Thanks." ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... ..---===EWPUB.ORG===---...