Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. Hanna Chapter 8 Healing Love For a few years, our lives proceeded in a peaceful, contented way. Much of our income was reinvested into long-term situations we felt held promise. We set up college accounts for the kids. We lived comfortably on what I made from the 49ers and our stipends from the USOC and IOC. And, if one of the kids was participating, we attended all the sporting events or school presentations we could. About that time, the kids hit puberty--simultaneously. The sixteen-year-old Jason shot up two inches a month, it seemed. Twelve-year-old Moira, did, too. They were both larger than most of their classmates before, so their growth made them tower over their peers. Moira was aware of it, as she heard her friends speaking from her chest, rather than from her chin level. Over dinner, after Hanna had brought it to my attention (Of course kids that age shoot up! I didn't think it was a big deal. Hanna wanted me to reassure them that it was all natural.), I had a chat with them. "You two are really growing fast right now. I suspect you're aware of it?" They both grinned. Of course they were. "Do you know that what you are experiencing is completely normal? Natural?" They looked a bit uncertain. "Dad?" Jason began. "Yes?" "Dad, should it hurt?" "What hurts, son?" "Well, different things. My legs. My arms. Sometimes my back...?" "An ache sometimes is normal. Sometimes bone grows faster than muscle, or something. If it hurts bad, tell one of us and we'll have you checked out. It's probably OK, but we don't want to take any chances." Both nodded at that. "How big will we get?" Moira asked. "That's hard to tell. Your mother and I are both large people, so you are likely to be our size--maybe a bit bigger or smaller, but similar." They seemed to digest that. Then Moira asked, "How about the urges I'm getting?" "What urges are you getting?" I asked, suspecting what was coming. "Sex urges, daddy. Sometimes I want to have sex with someone so bad it's painful. I start to dream about what it would be like with Jason--or with you. I know mommy likes it a lot, 'cause I hear you...she's not very quiet about it." We all grinned about that. Hanna was pretty vocal when we made love. "Honey, those urges are normal. In primitive societies, you'd be getting married about now and those urges would make sure you made babies for the tribe. Unfortunately, we are more `civilized' and giving in to those urges could cause tremendous problems for us all." She looked disappointed at my answer. "You'll survive. And your mom will show you some things you can do to relieve the tension. But I'm sorry to have to tell you that it would be a very bad thing for Jason or me to have sex with you." "Dad?" Jason asked. "I've had the same problem for a while. And Moira is a pretty foxy chick, if you haven't noticed. Why can't she and I take care of each other? Why should we have to suffer, when we have a willing partner, who we love and respect, ready and able to take care of those needs?" "Several reasons, son. But the most important is that it is against the law--in a serious way. The social services people would break up the family, if anyone found out. I could go to jail and you could, too. At the very least, you would both be removed from our home and put into foster homes far away from us and from each other. "Another, even trickier issue is this: "Suppose you and Moira fall in love--not the love you have for each other as brother and sister, but as man and woman. You can't marry, legally. And having babies would be dangerous. We don't think Moira's blindness is hereditary--but we just don't know. It would be criminally stupid to take a chance, by the two of you breeding. "A related issue is that it would be hard for you to conceal an affair. Both of you are so young and you're both so open, it's hard for you to lie or keep secrets. Beyond that, a person's first sex partner is always special. If you two had sex, you'd always have that between you. If you fell in love, besides--something very likely, given who and what you two are--you'd tip off all your friends and most of your teachers fairly quickly. Then all the problems from the legal system would fall on the family like a ton of bricks." Hanna had stayed on the sidelines through all this. Now she spoke. "I think it's commendable that you two are taking such a practical approach to this. Believe me, I know all about the problems you're having." A huge grin split her face. "I remember the incredible letch I had for your dad for almost three years before we finally got together. Once we did, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that we were together--carnally, as well as being best friends. I couldn't hide it. I don't think either of you could, either." She turned serious. "And, in spite of all our precautions, Jason came along a long time before we were ready for him... Not that there's anything wrong with you, son. It's just that we were too young, and it would have been much easier for all of us if we could have waited." She smiled with love at our son. "I wouldn't change a single hair on your head, if I could change anything about you." Hanna had a private chat with Moira and I with Jason, to make sure they knew how to get off by themselves. We strongly suggested that this was a private activity. We constantly affirmed them and made them certain of our love and support. Over the next several months, both kids continued their growth spurts. Soon Moira was six feet tall and Jason a couple of inches taller...and neither was done growing. But the extreme growth seemed to taper off as fast as it started. Then they both began to fill out, to `grow into' the height they'd gained. Moira, especially, was a tall beanpole one minute, then a tall, curvy young lady the next. She'd always been beautiful, now she grew sexy, too. Jason had inherited our love of sports--Moira too, but she couldn't play team sports, given her blindness. When Jason reached high school, he was a three-sport man: Football, basketball, and baseball. His football coaches wanted to make him an interior lineman, since he was so much bigger than most of his teammates and opponents. But his speed and determination to follow in my footsteps caused them to put him at end, where he could run some pass patterns. If anything, he was better than I was at that age. He loved the contact--running right through a defensive back made his whole week! Besides size, he had quickness and agility--and could easily throw the football 60 yards. With a windup, he could throw it eighty yards. By the time he was a junior in high school, Jason found himself the biggest high school quarterback in northern California. That he could--and did--run with the ball with more speed and power than most running backs, made him more feared. One afternoon, while Hanna and I were working out on the Stanford campus, I found myself sitting beside the football coach as I wiped my face with a towel. "I know you're a Duck, through and through, and all that. But Jason hasn't developed those bad habits yet. Do you think he'd consider coming here?" "I'm sure he would," I said, grinning at the `Duck' crack. Oregon had done well by me. But an education at Stanford was a whole different thing. "There are some considerations, though. He and Moira are extraordinarily close. They're `best buddies' as well as taking care of each other. He's been her eyes since her birth, literally. So, even though he dates--and I'm sure tries to get laid as much as any high school kid does, he will insist on `being there' for his sister." "That's no problem. He should live in the dorm his freshman year, but after that, he can live anywhere. Your home is close enough that he could commute... Anyway, we have another year before we need to worry about those things. I wanted to see if you thought he'd be interested in us, or if you'd already locked him up for Oregon." I chuckled. "Nope. Take your best shot, coach. Good luck... I'd like him to stay close enough that I can get to the games." Moira decided that she could be a sprinter. She was certainly faster than her classmates. I spoke with a friend in a high-tech company just down the road from us. We developed a very lightweight headset for Moira. A coach--usually Hanna or me--could stand beyond the finish line and tell her when she was straying to the edge of her lane while she ran. Soon she was eating up the high school competition. We couldn't figure out a way to solve the curve in the 220, though. We tried several `coaches', with limited success. She had the speed, we just had to figure out how to keep her in her lane. (Later the device was modified to a system of tones, keyed to wires laid in the track under the lane markers.) - - + + + + + - Jason signed a letter of intent to play football for Stanford. He didn't feel he had the time or ability to play varsity basketball at that level, but did get a commitment that he'd be allowed to play baseball in the spring, rather than spring football--if he made the team. Two months before Jason's high school graduation, one of the researchers at the Stanford Medical Center had a breakthrough. He'd been able to pinpoint with remarkable accuracy the areas of the brain related to vision. And he was able to measure Moira's visual activity in a completely non-invasive way. He found that her eyes were perfectly healthy--we knew that. But he determined that her optic nerves were completely normal too. For some reason, her brain wasn't processing the signals properly. It was receiving them and processing them. But the result was wasted...and not `seen' as visual images. Now, he thought he had an answer to everyone's question: Why? His answer got so technical, so fast, my eyes glassed over immediately. But the bottom line was that he'd developed a drug he wanted to try on her. We got several other opinions that the drug he wanted to use would not cause any harmful side effects--it was basically a matter of changing very slightly the balance of compounds existing in her brain. The test was scheduled for late in July. Jason and Moira had, if anything, grown closer. Hanna and I thought they honored our desire that they not have sex with each other--Hanna had even provided Moira her own vibrator! Their social life, besides Jason's dates with high school classmates, was each other. They were constantly together. Jason had learned to lead Moira by the hand through subtle signals--they looked like a young couple holding hands as they walked. He would describe what he saw as they walked, so she had a constant commentary on the scene before them. If they were discussing something else as they walked along, he'd still interject comments about what he saw... It was very interesting to listen to. With others, Moira had to resort more to typical techniques of the blind, grasping an elbow to follow, or using a long cane to feel the terrain before her for obstacles. She preferred her brother. With him, she could be more like other kids. And there was no one she loved as much... She had a huge crush on him, too. Knowing he'd have to live in a dorm during the next school year--and understanding that it was irrational--she quietly worked herself into a panic. For a whole year, her brother would not be home at night, would not be available to chat with her about the day, or take her to the mall on Saturday. Or quietly lend her his strength and confidence, with his love. - - + + + - As soon as Jason graduated from high school and the kids were out of school for the summer, we took an extended vacation. We visited our parents and spent a happy week with them. Then we rambled around western Oregon. I wanted a home up there. We needed to shelter more income and a second home was a good way to do it. It was a bit boring for Moira, who couldn't see the marvelous scenery we passed through. Though she said she was OK...Jason described everything to her. We first looked at property on the beach. Nice, but a long drive--and very wet. Then we took a trip up the Gorge. I'd have happily bought a place near Biggs, but Hanna, though she loved the scenery, thought it was also too far out--and too hot! Up the Deschutes to Bend...and then up the hill to Sisters...we still couldn't agree. Back then, to the Valley. Neither of us wanted the exploding cities of Eugene or Salem. We wanted something rural, with acreage. Finally we found a realtor who understood what we wanted and found it for us. I bought a 200-acre `farm'. Really, it had never grown a crop and was zoned for forestry. From our standpoint, it had three things going for it. A decent road ran along one edge. It had a good artesian spring that provided excellent soft water, even in the driest weather. And it included a hilltop that was higher than anything nearby. From that hilltop, we had marvelous views of the coast range and across the valley to the Cascades, including, on a clear day, Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, and the Three Sisters. There we would build our home, and there we would live part of each year. While we were looking, I'd taken a suite in a new hotel in Salem. For several days, while we looked again and again at the property we decided to buy, and finalized the transaction, the kids stayed in Salem. They preferred to visit the malls and look around the capitol. One morning, Jason went to collect Moira for a visit to the `Old Mill'. He found her half dressed, curled up and shaking with sobs. Holding her shoulders, he asked gently, "What's wrong, sis?" Moira just wailed. "Come on, Moira. I can't help if you don't talk to me." "Oh, Jason, I'm sorry... It's just... you're going... away... to school. ... I'll... be all... alone..." and she wailed again, in agony. "I'm not going that far. I'll be home most weekends, you know. And you can come with me to the games next year. I promise, I'll sit with you and describe everything." "But you won't be there in the evenings to help me with homework, or tell me about your day... Oh, Jason, I don't know what to doooo." Still slender, Moira at fifteen was a fully developed, curvy woman, an inch over six feet. Jason, by this point, was holding his sister in his arms, trying to comfort her and allay her fears. Neither of them knew when their caresses turned from comforting to arousing. Neither of them knew when his little kisses of concern and care met her lips and became demanding. Neither was aware of their clothing melting away from bodies that needed the feel of the other against it--unfettered skin against skin, without any barrier. Their hands, their mouths, their whole beings became voracious. They required the other. In moments, they were joined. And as Jason's rigid member entered Moira's welcoming, tight tunnel for the first time, their spirits joined also. The movement, the friction, the wetness and the arousal were incredible--but irrelevant. In the simple act of joining, each knew, with joy and absolute certainty, that they were one. It was Moira's first time, though she was not a physical virgin--her vibrator having long since taken care of that. Though it was not Jason's first, he had never melded with a woman's spirit. He told Moira years later that he felt like a virgin, when he felt the `oneness' of their joining. It was as if all the sex he'd had before was a mere shadow of the real thing... And neither of them had even come yet. When they did, it was an explosion--more in their minds and psyches than in their sex, good as that was. Some uncountable time later, Jason untangled himself enough to back away and look at the dear face, so near his own. "My God!" he breathed. "Did you feel what I felt?" His sister--his mate--looked at him with her sea-green eyes, caressed his face and lips gently. "Yes, my beloved. You are mine. And you are beautiful." Jason noticed that her eyes were tracking across his face. "You see me!" "Yes. Your love has cured me... I'm sure the doctors will find some other explanation, to fit their theories. But I know. YOU healed me. I love you so much... That you were willing to do that for me... I HAD to see you. I'm not disappointed." Jason was incredulous. He really hadn't expected to make love to his sister, though he'd had a letch for her for years. But that she could see... He was probably more thrilled than she was, he was that happy for her. And isn't love, after all, being more concerned with the happiness and well-being of the beloved than your own? There were a gazillion things he wanted to show her. But the first thing she wanted to do was look at him--all over. She looked, and felt, comparing the tactile impression with the new visual one. Then she rose and he steered her to a mirror, where she could gaze at her own naked body. Smiling shyly, she asked, "How does it look? I have no way to know." "You are gorgeous!" Jason replied without hesitation. "You're a big girl... A lot of guys like smaller women. But no one will say that you are not absolutely beautiful!" "Do you like how I look?" "You bet! You look good enough to eat...which is something I'm going to do shortly, if you don't get some clothes on." "Promises... promises..." Moira grinned. In response, Jason cupped her mound and ran a finger through the wet slot. Moira shuddered and Jason steered her to the bed, sat her on its edge, and plunged his face between her legs. He began with a long lick from bottom to top that sent Moira out of control. In moments, she was cresting, her fingers tangled in his hair as she held him to her. Slowing down just a bit as she caught her breath, Jason attacked with new force and had her coming again in only a minute. Soon he had her in a continual state of orgasm, until she finally pushed him away, too exhausted to take any more. "I need to shower. I reek of sex," Moira complained, languidly. "I'll wash yours if you'll wash mine," Jason grinned. Moira hauled him to his feet in response. Washed, dried, sated, and more or less clothed, Moira wanted to learn about makeup. "I'm really not the one to ask, sis. I'll bet mom will be more than happy to teach you, though--once she gets done freaking out about you being able to see." "OK. I'll wait. But can you just tell me about the basics? I want you to take me out, and I don't want to look like a frump when you do." "You are beautiful, sis. You don't need makeup to be beautiful. If you have to do something, just a slight touch of lipstick and brush your hair--and you did that blind. If we're going to go, you'd best get on with it. Mom and dad will be back in a couple hours." Jason was a slight bit devious. He took her to a mall, to the makeup counter at a major department store, where he arranged for her to have a `makeover'--and explained that she was his cousin from the jungles of Africa, so everything needed to be demonstrated and explained very carefully. The result, ninety minutes later, was stunning but, to Jason's eyes, no more so than when he'd taken her there. It was a more sophisticated look, though. Jason thoroughly enjoyed leading Moira through the malls and the stores. He was able to show her why certain clothes should not be worn with others, now that she could see color. And she was amazed at the profusion of items filling the store windows. Of course, she couldn't read any of the signs. She knew when she entered Nordstrom's, or some of the other shops, due to the highly developed navigational sense she'd developed. It was about 400 steps from the mall entrance, on the right--and so on. That ability hadn't left her. But it was an annoyance that she couldn't understand that the decorations on the doors and windows carried information as well as pleasing patterns. Jason promised to teach her the visual alphabet. They still went hand-in-hand and Jason guided her silently, just as before. Except now, he was sharing in her wonder at the visual cornucopia before her. The couple, a head taller than most of their contemporaries, the girl exceptionally striking, gathered more than their share of attention. In one store, while Moira was trying on some clothing she'd selected all by herself, a saleslady commented to Jason, "Your girlfriend acts like she'd never seen a store like this before." "You don't know the half of it," Jason said. We were in the suite when they returned. As they entered the door, Moira gasped, at her first sight of us. Then she ran to Hanna, threw her arms around her, and wept happy tears. Hanna held her, while looking at Jason and me. What was this about? Jason just smiled and shook his head. He wanted his sister to share her news. Things got pretty confused after that. I remember that we were told that Moira could see, and that we all shed a happy tear--several actually. This was certainly a matter for celebration. I required my family to dress up and had the concierge get us reservations at the best restaurant in town. We'd arrived by cab and would be returning to the hotel the same way. So there was no problem about driving, when I ordered two bottles of very good red wine with the dinner, and good champagne with dessert--and four glasses. The kids didn't look twenty-one, but dressed up, with Moira made up, looked close enough that the waiter didn't make an issue of it. When we returned to the hotel, the kids were slightly tipsy, though none of us was really high. It had been a big day for us all. I'd bought the property on the hill...and our daughter had miraculously gained her sight. Hanna was so excited she couldn't sleep. She just had to share her joy with Moira. Crossing the suite sitting room, she quietly opened Moira's door... and discovered an empty room. She noticed Jason's door was ajar. She was about to knock, when she heard the unmistakable sounds of lovemaking. Shocked, but not as surprised as she thought she should be, she waited until she was certain the sounds she heard were from both her children--not someone Jason had picked up. Hanna came back to our bed, where she attacked me with some of the best sex I'd had all year. When I'd come for the second time and she for the fourth or fifth, we lay contented in each other's arms. Touching my lips and face with a feathery caress, she said, "I hope it's as good for Jason and Moira." "I do too, when they find someone of their own." "No, darling. I mean, for Jason and Moira together." I sat bolt upright. "Huh?" "That's right..." she drawled. "They finally got together... With each other." "Oh, damnit!" "Now, dear. Don't be that way. Remember Don and Kathy? Things worked out pretty good for them, didn't they? We just need to make sure that, if it's what they want, we make things work out even better for Jason and Moira." "I repeat: Damnit! But, if that's the way it is, you're right, and we'll have to do what we can for them." "Glad you're thinking that way, dear. Think hard, 'cause I don't see any easy solutions. I don't think a `Don and Kathy' would work for these two. I think we need to encourage them to find other mates, while doing all we can to prevent any unwanted surprises." In the morning, Hanna ordered in a big room-service breakfast. When we were all seated around the table and we'd asked the blessing, Hanna said, "So... You two figure to get married, or what?" The expression on their faces was mostly shock that we'd found out so soon. There was no defiance. But I soon spotted determination in both of them. They saw that we weren't going to go orbital on them, so they calmed down. We soon had the entire story--including that they at least were convinced that it was the strength of Moira's love for Jason that gave her her sight. They were also emphatic that they had achieved a connection, a blending, that would keep them together forever. "`Forever' is an awfully long time, honey," Hanna said. "I'm sure you felt a connection. Most girls do, their first time, as long as it is a loving thing and not just sexual experimentation. All I'm saying is that I think it is really important that the two of you both continue dating others--and even having sex with them, as long as you are scrupulous about using protection, and are careful about who you date. "I think, both of you, that you will find someone special to love, besides each other. I sincerely hope you do. Because, try as I might, I can't see how you could make it together. Maybe for a while, but too many people know you. Incest is a crime in most states, regardless of your age. And, doggone it, I want some grandchildren one of these days." Moira firmly told us that she didn't think it likely that she'd ever find anyone she would be as happy with, or could love as much, as Jason. Jason concurred. They were very respectful, and weren't `in your face' about it. They were just laying out their situation, as they saw it. Of course, at nineteen and almost fifteen, neither of them had the experience to know... We were counting on that. They cheerfully agreed to be over-cautious with birth control, and to always carry condoms if they had a date--and use them if they had sex. In return, we agreed to allow their affair to continue. They would have to learn acting skills, too. In public, they could not--ever--be more than brother and sister. We were happy that this happened in the summer and away from our home--no one who knew us would see the kids and not know their secret, until they had a chance to learn to control themselves. I arranged for clearing of our homesite in Oregon, and to have road and utilities put in. Then we found an architect we liked and we all bombarded him with our ideas, and the things we wanted in the home. Of course, it wasn't all practical, and we'd all change our minds about many of the details. But after looking over the site, and talking with us for a couple of days, he said he had enough to give us some ideas. He'd see us in a week, to go over some sketches. I rented a house in the community near our new property. We'd have a place of our own to stay in, while we waited for our house to be built. We'd mostly be in California, anyway. Hanna took Moira home. She wanted the doctors at Stanford to examine her, so see if they could detect any changes that might account for her gaining her vision. They spent most of a week, with various tests, without finding anything to explain why she couldn't see before or why she suddenly could, now. Her eyes tested out perfectly normal, with 20/20 vision in both eyes and no noticeable astigmatism. Her color vision seemed OK, as did her night vision. One doctor wanted her longer, but Hanna told him she might be available for an hour or two occasionally in the fall. Otherwise, unless there was some compelling need, Moira was not a guinea pig. Moira was excited and happy, during her daily call to us. She was pleased that her vision was normal and looked forward to learning the coordination skills most people take for granted. "I haven't forgotten that you promised to teach me to read, either, Jason," she said. "But you can read. All you need to do is learn the alphabet." "Wrong, buddy boy. I talked to the doctors about that. There's a lot more. You promised to teach me. It'll give us something to do when you come home for a weekend..." Jason laughed. Teaching his sister to read wasn't what he had in mind when he came home for a weekend. Hanna and I, on extensions, laughed with him. When we'd hung up, I said, "You know, I'll bet you can have her reading just fine before school starts..." Jason grinned back at me. "I'll bet you're right, dad... Did I take the time to thank you? Most parents would be having fits. You and mom just accept what we're doing and help us. I don't know how to repay you for that." My grin faded to a small smile. "Son, that was thanks enough. You repay us by doing what we agreed on. Don't ever hurt any of us by letting us down on that. Because, believe me, you're playing with fire. If you aren't meticulous, on all of it, the whole family is likely to get hurt pretty bad... But we love you kids very much. We know that, if you decide you're going to have sex, you're going to do it even if you have to sneak around us to get together. We'd prefer that you'd found someone else--and we still think you will, both of you. But for now, we'll do what we have to, in order to protect us all." Jason hugged me... first time in years. "Thanks dad," he whispered. "That's what dads are for." "Make no mistake, Jason," I added later, driving to the airport to pick up Hanna and Moira, "I am protecting us all. The consequences of anyone finding out about you and Moira would be, literally, disaster." "Yeah. I understand that. We'll be discreet... The fact that she's just starting high school as I'm starting college helps. We're not together in the hothouse gossip of high school." "Good thinking, son. How are you going to handle it when she has a date on a weekend?" "Hopefully, I'll have a date, too. Otherwise, I guess I'll just have to hassle my parents, or maybe study." He grinned at this last. I did, too. "I suspect, especially during football season, that you'll be studying more on weekends than you want to think about. Certainly more than Moira will want to think about. You'll need to learn to handle that fast. Stanford has no easy classes, son." We continued our drive in friendly conversation. That night, Hanna tried to fuck my brains out. Moira did the same to Jason. 10