Life continues to fuck me over hard, and so far life is enjoying it. I'm getting a little sore, however. Nonetheless, I will not fail in writing and those of you who have been reading this all along will be astonished at how quickly this new chapter has come out. I really want to thank everyone who sent me feedback after Chapter 7. It really motivated me to work faster, and writing this and another story I'll start posting soon has really been helping me deal with life. I'm still trying for one chapter per month from this point on, and lately I've been doing much, much better, but no guarantees that that will continue, especially since I'm damn near to surrendering to a black depression, due mostly to the fact that every time I get told I'm hired for a new job, I don't even get to start it before it is yanked out from under me; either because of a budgetary problem they didn't know they had, or because they decided not to expand their workforce at this time, etc etc... At this point, the only thing I'll guarantee is that no more than one month will go by between chapters. Yes, I hear the groans of my faithful readers, but I'm doing the best I can, really. As always, not even I know how long this story will end up being, but we are nearing the end of the beginning, as most of the characters seem to have introduced themselves in this chapter. There are two more supporting members that will introduce themselves, probably in the next chapter. I didn't even know they were going to be supporting characters until part of the next chapter intruded itself on my consciousness, but that's the way this story seems to go, eh? Once the prologue (which is all this is so far) is complete the story is likely to kick into high gear. We might even get some bad guys or something, but who knows? Frankly, I still don't know the end of this journey, or even its next step most of the time, anymore than you do, but I'm damned eager to find out. I will continue to give props to CSquared as his is the first story beyond mine that I have ever run across, where somebody had telekinesis, but did not have the ability of telepathy (always excepting the early eighties movie "Zapped!" with Scott Baio, and the debate on my end of reality continues to rage on as to whether or not he was mildly telepathic. I think he was, others are hard to convince). But even in Powers there are telepaths on hand to pull an Obi- Wan and conveniently make everyone forget. So how much more difficult would life be if those with the super-human power to move things with their minds couldn't erase the memory from the standers-by? How hard would it be for someone to have pure telekinesis, with no telepathy, and no one around to help them out? In short, a world where telekinesis was suddenly real, but telepathy was still a pipe dream? Come with me and let's find out. Now, as always, please send any and all comments to me. Suggestions and criticisms will be gratefully accepted. Flames, however, will be ignored. Please, do me a favor and tell me what you think. After all, it really is the only payment we online authors get <g>. Oh, and before I forget: if you like this type of story, I'd highly suggest checking out the works of "The Book" series by Blackie and "Tim, the Teenaged MC" by Rass Senip (which he's updating again, yay!). Admittedly, they are mostly telepathy with a bit of telekinesis, but they are works for the ages. And then there is the newer work, but every bit as good, by CSquared, "Powers" which seems to have equal amounts of telepathy and telekinesis as time goes by, and I believe it will join the previous two as works to be remembered. ------------------------------------------------------ Pure Telekinesis by: Waylan Dagger (waylandagger@hotmail.com) (c) 2009 Chapter 8 : Deck the Malls (or the Moms) David stopped in the entrance to Hot Topic and grimaced as he spotted Dawn behind the counter. Actually, she was damn hard to miss as her makeup was even more pronounced than usual. The right half of her face was jet black and the left was a dark purple. Her right eye had a purple dot centered on it and a second dot of exactly the same size was just below the left corner of her mouth. The colors were separated by a thin, sinuous white line that started at the right side of her hairline, went across her forehead in a wave, over her nose, and around her mouth in another wave to end just below the left side of her chin. "Yin and Yang," David thought. "And with the traditional light Yin being that dark, something _bad_ is going down." "David!" Dawn shouted as she spotted him. "Thank the Dark!" David brought two fingers up to his brow and mock- saluted her. "What's goin' wrong, boss?" Dawn darted around the counter and ran up, in six inch platform shoes, and wrapped a very surprised David up in a hug. He knew she was as tall as he was, but with those stilts on, he was almost being pressed into her sparse bosom. For the life of him, David couldn't figure this one out. Even as he wrapped his arms around her in return, he was marveling because Dawn _didn't_ hug _anyone_. The closest he had seen her come to that was when she had, almost literally, wrapped herself around her boyfriend and came so close to ravaging him that David wasn't sure if he'd have to hose them off or not. And once she was untangled, she'd proceeded to do the same to a much taller woman, who David later found out was her girlfriend. Dawn was interesting, no two ways about it, but she was _not_ touchy-feely. "Dawn, what's wrong?" She looked surprised at herself as she slowly detached from David. "Ron took off to New York like he'd been talkin' about," she said quietly. "Ouch," David said, recognizing her boyfriend's name. "Trish went with him," she snarled. "Trish?" David asked. "Our Trish?" Dawn nodded. "The slut steals from the store, in front of me, and makes me write her up, then steals our boyfriend! And, on top o' all of that, she leaves me low an assistant manager. And then everyone but Pradi quit as soon as they heard she was gone!" David whistled. "No shit," Dawn said. "But our theft-loss fell to less than a quarter what it had been." David shook his head. "I told ya Trish was lettin' 'em do that." "Yeah," she crossed her arms, looking _pissed_ behind the makeup. "But I figured she'd set _some_ kind of limit!" "Riiiight," David said. "She was so good at the boss- thing, after all." Dawn nodded. "I know, I know, but when you're the niece and, I've always suspected, bed-partner of the regional manager..." she faded off and took a breath. "David, you're still wearin' some o' the bandages, but please tell me ya can work! Linds is near-catatonic an' I haven't been able ta get away to comfort her." David tilted his head, silently asking why Lindsey would be upset. Dawn actually bit her bottom lip, playing with a ring with her tongue. "It never came up an' ya never asked," she said slowly, "but Ron wasn' just my boyfriend, he was _our_ boyfriend." "Ah," David nodded. "Ok, a lot more makes sense now." Dawn smiled at him, another rare occurrence. Usually it was a smirk or a leer, never a genuine smile. "You are the most understandin' guy in th' world, David, ya know that? Ya know," she said, sidling up to him, "with Ron gone there's kinda a vacuum around th' house these days..." David threw back his head and laughed. "Dawn," he started and had to wipe the tears out of his eyes, "I know you said your timing always sucked. But this time..." he trailed off as he noticed a figure standing just within his peripheral vision. "Speak of the devil," he muttered and turned around to wave her and her mother over. Ang was having a wonderful time with her mother. Usually they didn't get along well, mostly due to the fact that her mother was exasperated with how she dressed and presented herself, and partly because Ang _hated_ shopping and her mother loved it. If either of them had stopped to really think about it, they'd have realized that the rift hadn't really started until Ang entered Middle School, what other parts of the country called Junior High. Naturally, several Elementaries funneled into the same Middle School. And what most parents forget is just how brutal kids can be on the unfamiliar or "odd." Ang had always been set somewhat apart, but in Middle School her self-image took a battering, even after Nick, in their last year there, started protecting her. So Ang and started to dress-to-be-ignored, instead of standing out and shining like her mother's experience said she should. Ang was what some have termed as "scary- smart," her body was not developing as far as anyone could tell, and she wore glasses. Her mother had refused to let her get contacts, not knowing that one extra thing, on top of everything else, had doomed her daughter. But now Ang _needed_ to shop. She wanted to dress nice for her date with David. Being honest with herself, she admitted that she wanted to stun him, but had no idea how. When she expressed this to her mother, Nancy almost glowed with happiness. Until Ang said, "Just for this date, Momma. I'm _not_ going to dress any differently on a regular basis." "But why," Nancy's voice echoed the exasperated flip of one hand off of the steering wheel. Ang looked at her mother and, for the first time, she realized that her mother really didn't know. So she started trying to explain, to make her mother understand. It took until they reached the mall's parking lot. Nancy looked at Ang, shocked. "Honey, why didn't you tell me before now?" Ang threw up her hands. "You've known every single thing I've ever done wrong, just by looking at me. Except for this, you've known _all_ there is to know about me, right up to this year with Jimmy lying! How the hell was I supposed to know that you didn't know?" Nancy bit back the automatic desire to admonish Ang about swearing and she heard the hurt accusation the girl's voice. "I'm not god, Angela, I don't know everything." Ang spent a moment angry about what seemed to be a glib response, when she realized she'd strayed somewhat into hypocrisy. "I know," she said softly. "I already knew or I wouldn't have kept Daddy's work secret. But back when it started I thought you were, Momma. And once it had fully set in..." and she shrugged. "Honey," Nancy said, reaching out to take Ang's hand, "don't you think that David can protect you from all that now?" Ang frowned. "Momma, David can't use what he has like that or there'll be a _lot_ of trouble." "Not that," and Nancy shook her head. "Angela Teresa Dean, I swear sometimes you ignore the obvious. David dealt quite well with your father _without_ his abilities." "Oh!" "Oh indeed Missy. And don't you think for one second that Henry changed his 'she doesn't date until she can drive' rule because David could flatten him." Ang nodded slowly, then smiled and squeezed her mother's hand. "Ok," she said. "I'll try it your way, but I stay like this until the date. I want to see the look on his face." Nancy couldn't help it, she burst out laughing. "Does that poor boy even know what he's getting into?" "Probably not," Ang said with an impish grin. "It's going to be fun watching him learn." Nancy's laughter cut off. "Angela," she said, suddenly serious, "David's not your own age." Ang opened her mouth but Nancy said, "Just hear me out," and waited until Ang nodded. "We spent the entire time that David and Henry were talking either discussing Jimmy or you were falling apart about how you were sure David wouldn't be there when we got back. So we didn't really talk about the fact that an older boy will..." and Nancy trailed off. "That older boys are more..." and she paused again, blushing slightly. "Experienced," she managed to finish. Ang blushed and giggled. "Momma, you've heard how David sometimes lets his thoughts slip out around me?" She paused and waited for her mother to nod. "Well, the first time we kissed..." and she trailed off, remembering. Ang was brought back to the present by her mother's voice saying, "Earth to Angela, come in Angela." Ang blushed even harder and she asked, "Where was I?" Nancy smirked. "I have a good idea of where you were as you'd just mentioned your first kiss. But I have no idea what you were going to say." Ang giggled in sheer embarrassment. "He... I... We... The..." She couldn't get anything out to save her life. Nancy was secretly amused, and delighted, that her normally oh-so-eloquent daughter had, for the first time since she was seven, been reduced to such a confused state by a boy. Ang's blush became so pronounced that Nancy thought she could stand in for a Christmas light. With an effort nothing short of heroic, Nancy bit back the teasing that came to mind at first and waited. She was visibly patient but bouncing inside as Ang took a deep, calming breath. "After we stopped kissing David had this _look_ on his face as he said, 'Wow. I just kissed a girl,'" Ang mimicked the introspective, wondering tones David had used. Nancy couldn't hold it in any longer and broke out in a fit of high, tinkling giggles. Ang's throaty, sultry giggles joined a heartbeat later. And the two ladies both promptly feel apart, laughing hysterically. After at least ten minutes, Nancy and Ang had managed to stop. In fact, for the last two full minutes they'd been trying to stop. But they'd look at each other and start again, or one wouldn't have stopped at the same time as the other and the other had started just before the first stopped, which set the first one off again. "Ok," Nancy said, clutching at a stitch in her side and clearing her throat. "I can see that experience isn't something I'll have to worry about." Ang, just clutching her belly in pain from the extended bout and gasping, just nodded. "But," Nancy continued, trying _not_ to start laughing again. Then she reminded herself of the seriousness of the topic and managed to get herself completely under control. "He's not a boy, honey. He's a young man, and having to mature damned fast to survive what happened to his family." Ang, who had picked up on the suddenly sober mood of her mother, sat up straight and nodded slowly. Nancy took a deep breath and, like someone plunging into a cold lake instead of wading slowly in, asked, "Angela, what about sex?" Ang's blush returned with reinforcements. In fact she became so red that Nancy worried if the proverbial cat was already out of the bag. "Is it already too late to bring this up?" Nancy asked softly. "Mother!" Ang shrieked. "No!" Nancy breathed a deep sigh of relief just as Ang began to mutter to herself as her eyes went distant and she started to breathe rapidly. Nancy watched and shook her head with a soft sigh. "I'm obviously not going to have to worry about you being unwilling, but I do wish you'd wait," Nancy said quietly. "I don't!" Ang burst out. And promptly buried her face in her hands with a low moan of, "Oh, goddess." "Yeeeeah," Nancy breathed out. "Does this mean we need to get some, ah, protection for you?" Ang shook her head. So quietly she almost couldn't hear herself, she whispered, "I'm on the pill." "Angela!" Nancy couldn't control the sharp, almost panicky tone. Stung by her mother's tone, Ang snarled, "If you think today is the only time one of Jimmy's _friends_ made a grab for me, you're smoking something." Ang recoiled a bit and was positive she'd made a mistake from the raw fury that was pouring out of her mother's eyes and clearly filling her body. "Who was it?" Nancy hissed. "What happened? I'll rip the bastard's balls off and _then_ give him to Henry." Relieved that her mother wasn't angry at _her_, Ang said, "Scott. Scott Vance, the one that was in Jimmy's car with us when..." Nancy's eyes were still flashing. "When what?" "When David lost his temper and wrecked it today," Ang said quietly. "Oh," Nancy said softly. She quickly reviewed the hurried, whispered conference she and Henry had had at the hospital while Ang had been holding the unconscious David's head in her lap. Henry had just told her what David had done, why, and what he'd done to save her children after, just before David started coming around and 'help' had arrived in the form of that first orderly. "I'd almost forgotten," she mused. "Mother!" Ang's tone was filled with amused exasperation. "Never mind," Nancy said firmly. Then she scowled again. "You were telling me exactly why you are on the pill." "Scott cornered me last month while Jimmy was out warming up the car." Ang shuddered. "He was trying to do almost the exact same thing as Stan tried to do today an' since I thought you an' Daddy wouldn't believe me, I figured it was only a matter of time. And I did _not_ want to end up pregnant on top of being raped." Nancy Blanche. "Angela, you still should have come to us..." "Your track record this year sucks," Ang interrupted her mother, who bit one side of her lower lip and nodded. "Your father and I didn't want to believe..." Nancy's hands flipped hopelessly. "I met your father when we were in high school. Honestly, I stayed away from him until he was a senior and I was a junior. I stayed away because everyone said he was a bully and mean." She shot a guilty look at her daughter. "I guess we both found it easier to believe that it was history repeating itself instead of thinking we'd raised..." and she faded off. "Momma," Ang said, leaning over to give her suddenly crying mother a hug. "I can understand why it was easier to think I was misreading everything. But, let's face it, it nearly got me raped." Nancy opened her mouth again at Ang shook her head, so Nancy let her finish. "Don't say you'll make it up to me, you can't. It's past and taken care of, now that you and Daddy know the truth. What you _can_ do is help me now. I," and Ang looked unsure of herself, something Nancy hadn't seen in many years. "I don't know how to dress nice. I don't even know how to put on makeup!" Nancy smirked and, deliberately mocking her daughter's speaking cadence, said, "Momma, I don't need to know all of that! I have a science test to study for!" Ang couldn't help but laugh. "All right, fine!" She said. "I should've listened then. But now I need your help, Momma. And, well, I need to buy something other than just normal clothes." "What," Nancy said she gathered up her purse, "are you going to a formal bowl tomorrow?" "No!" And Ang giggled. For once she was too preoccupied to notice her mother frown when she honestly giggled. Nancy been worried for years about Ang's laughter and, especially, her giggles. Knowing how cruel and intolerant kids were, not just boys, girls were worse. She didn't know that it wasn't the softness that David had liked while he'd been in pain, but the sound itself. She would've been flabbergasted if she knew that when Ang had used the ' proper' giggle she'd been taught, in Mr. Maherty's office, David had been offended. "Angela, dear," she said softly. "We've talked about that laugh of yours." Ang stiffened and seemed to draw away from Nancy. Nancy knew how massive a mistake she'd made when Ang said, "You know, maybe you really should help Daddy with Jimmy. I'll find someone else to help me." "No!" Nancy said, a bit too sharply. Then, she took a breath to calm herself. "Please, honey, I really want to help. What else was it you needed?" Ang shook her head. "Nevermind, Mom. Let's just get this over with, ok?" Nancy winced and reached across to touch her daughters shoulder. "Please," she said. "I'm sorry and we'll get whatever you want." Ang blushed, and this time it traveled downward to vanish below her blouse. Mostly from just watching her little girl grow up, Nancy knew that particular blush meant her daughter was nearly mortified by embarrassment. "David," Ang started then shook her head. "I mean I," and she stopped again, looking helpless. Nancy waited, patiently. Her delight that her daughter finally felt something so deep it disrupted her was quickly changing to a concern that her Angela might not keep the good sense she'd been counting on at this point in her life. Ang had a deep breath and started muttering, just loud enough for Nancy to realize she was reciting Pi, something Ang did when she needed to focus. Nancy's concerns about her daughter's newfound vulnerability faded a bit as she watched Ang wrench herself back into a controlled state. "David asked how far my blush went, but he was letting his thoughts come out of his mouth again," Ang said, still blushing furiously. "I don't know what came over me, but I asked him if he wanted to see. All in one word, I think." "Oof," Nancy's breath burst out of her she leaned back in her seat. Not sure she wanted an answer, she asked, "And then?" Ang's bottom lip came out what was the first actual pout Nancy had seen from Ang since she was nine. "He said he wouldn't be right. Not yet." Nancy sat back and, just as Henry had, her estimation of the boy, no, of the young man, increased greatly. "Did he say why?" Ang nodded. "Because of his sister. Momma, I don't hang with any of the crowds she moved in, even though she was only a year ahead of me, and even _I_ knew how she was. A total sl-," and she stopped dead, remembering who she was talking to. "I do believe I've heard the word 'slut' before, Angela." Nancy's voice echoed her barely contained grin. "Yeah," said Ang, blushing again. But this time the blush only covered her face. "One of those. But Momma," she turned to her mother, eyes shining, and wailed, "he's so alone!" Privately Nancy wondered, and worried, about that. It was entirely possible that his interest in her tiny, vulnerable daughter was a need to have _anyone_ in his life. But she didn't let this show in her face, body, or voice as she said, "Well, we can help. If I can manage to keep a leash on Henry, that is." Ang giggled, that awful throaty sound again, but Nancy managed to refrain from commenting this time. "Now," she said, businesslike, "what in the world does any of this have to do with shopping?" Ang blushed again, and it was the full one. Nancy remembered, from Ang's much younger years, that those blushes could go most of the way to her belly if she was embarrassed enough. "Oh, Mommy," she said, surprising Nancy again, "if he'd seen the plain, almost-training bras I own, I'd have been mortified! When I realized he might actually see, I wanted to die right there!" Nancy blushed this time, sitting back and gulping. For a long, quiet moment she wondered how Henry was going to take the rapidly-coming fact that his baby girl was becoming a young woman. "Well," she squeaked, think they're her throat. "Well, a woman doesn't just bras by themselves. You'll have to get matching panties." Ang looked confused for a moment and then shook her head. "There's a lot to learn. And I have to learn really fast, don't I?" Nancy giggled, the light, tinkling sound irritating Ang no end. That was the sound her mother wanted her to make and David didn't like at all. A bonus in his favor, in Ang's opinion. Then she realized her mother was talking to her. "I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I was lost in my thoughts. You were saying?" Nancy was positive she knew where her daughter's thoughts had been. She would've been dismayed to learn the truth. With a mental sigh, she abandoned the, 'you should wait until you are married or at least engaged' speech she'd been going on about. Bowing to what she saw as the inevitable, she asked, "Would you like to get your bras and panties from the Bon or from Victoria's Secret?" Ang just stared at her 'don't even think about dating, sex, or even boys yet' mother. Then she thought about David. "Victoria's?" she squeaked. Nancy nodded, trying to find some way for her baby to stay a baby, but not wanting to isolate the young woman her baby was becoming. "All right," Nancy said. "We'll go there last. That way we are buying undergarments that go well with the outfits. Not the other way around." Ang looked confused so Nancy continued. "You can do it the other way around," Nancy allowed. "But it is much more difficult to find outfits you like that go well with the underwear you just bought. That's the easiest way to make a fashion mistake." Thinking that setting an example might be in order, she said, "Like how your Aunt Margaret always wears a floral, red, or black bra under her white or pink blouses." "Ugh," Ang grunted and nodded. "I see what you mean." Nancy smiled and nodded. She was overjoyed! For once her stubborn, dowdy, inherently pretty daughter _wanted_ to learn to look like a girl instead of a burlap sack! Both of them smiling, Nancy about her daughter finally wanting to be a girl and Ang about David not seeing her baby-bras, as she thought of them, both ladies happily assaulted the mall. It was after two hours and three trips back to Nancy's car to deposit bags and boxes that they finally came to the Victoria's Secret. Much to Nancy's dismay, Ang had refused to put on one of her new outfits or even leave any makeup on her face after it had been tried and demonstrated. Ang just kept saying, "No one will see this before David!" when her mother protested. Nancy was wondering how to keep Henry from finding out that the upcoming Victoria's Secret purchase was for his little girl when Ang stopped dead in her tracks, staring across the mall. Ang felt her heart fall to her feet as she watched David talking to a girl with bits of metal glinting all over her face. A face which was covered, absolutely _covered_, with a black and dark purple version of the Japanese symbolism for balance in the universe. She saw the painted girl smiled at David. David _really_ didn't fit in with the crowd at Hot Topic, so Ang came to the only conclusion she could: the girl was flirting with David. Oh, she'd watched David all she could at school, and knew he had friends that were goths and stoners, jocks and science-geeks like her. In fact, she'd seen him near almost every clique in school, always friendly with someone there. Initially, when she had noticed a person flitting from clique to clique effortlessly and without being rebuked, she'd studied him. She'd wanted to know how he managed it. The longer she watched him, and the more questions she asked about him, more interested she became in _him_. Until she had a raging crush on him. David Julian. Davey Weirdo to half of the school, 'that odd guy' to most of the others, and 'the best friend you could ever have' to the select few _he_ seemed to choose. This all happened in the early days of August, just after school let in after another dull summer vacation. Her heart had been destroyed mere days after her crush started in earnest when she saw the oh-so-amazing Janice Coleman hug David in the middle of Senior Hall. Then that horrible accident! He could have been killed and she'd never even talked to him! Ang had actually been hurrying to find him when they'd run into each other, literally. She'd overheard someone say he'd just gotten out of a car and the shy, tiny, unassuming girl actually pushed people out of her way to go look for him. As she stood there, staring across the mall, she realized that this was probably just another friend. And the tightening in her chest loosened. "I won't have to share him then," came from somewhere in the back of her mind. And her heart suddenly started to race. The images running through her mind were flickering so fast and were so jumbled that even she was confused. Then David turned and waved to her, motioning her over and the confusion vanished as she smiled. Nancy had noticed her daughter's halt and turned to follow her gaze. Just as her temper was about to blow at that manipulative, awful, cheating BASTARD David was turning out to be as he _flirted_ with that painted HUSSY, the subject of her sudden ire turned and beckoned to them. Shaken to her core, she wondered what the hell was going on here; just before her daughter turned into a streak of light heading right for David. "Oof!" David gasped as Ang impacted into him, her arms wrapping tightly about his waist. He enveloped the tiny, trembling figure in his arms, and grinned at Dawn. Dawn looked from Ang to David and back, then snorted and rolled her eyes. "Hey," David said, just as Nancy followed her daughter with an easing hearing distance, "this ain't near as bad as I've seen you an' R," he paused for only half a second and substituted, "Lindsey." Dawn giggled, one of those airhead sounds David knew was natural for her, but detested since he'd heard Ang's. "So this is why you can't work today?" Dawn asked. Nancy bit back the tirade she was about to loose on David when she heard that. This was his job?! Ang his head shot up. "You work here?!" she said, unknowingly echoing her mother's thought. "Yeah," said David with a smile. Dawn looked at Ang, smirking. "I had the same reaction when he applied. I'm Dawn, by the way." "Ang," Ang replied with a smile. "Angela," Nancy's sighed out. "What?" David asked, turning to look at Nancy. "She prefers Ang. So long as she's around me, _that_ is what she will respond to, and nothing else." Ang snuggled into him with a happy chirp. Nancy looked like she'd been slapped. And Dawn just laughed. "Dark take it, David," Dawn sniggered out. "When did you become so assertive?" David grinned at Dawn. "Right about the time I kissed her belly, I think." "Angela!" Nancy gasped as Ang turned bright red and Dawn looked hard at David. "What?" David asked innocently. "Well, you are definitely off the market," Dawn sighed. Nancy just looked from person to person, trying to regain her equilibrium, as Ang detached herself from David and took possession of his right hand. "Well, Ang," Dawn turned to her. "D'you think ya could use whatever influence ya got ta get this guy ta work tomorrow so's we can have an assistant manager again?" Ang looked up at David. "You're an assistant manager?" David blinked. "Not that I'm aware of. That's a full time position, Dawn." "Ah," she said, dismissively waving. "We'll work around your school schedule. Not that school's hard for you, yeah?" David chuckled as Ang looked up at him. Nancy finally found her voice and said, "I am Angela's mother. How long has David been working here?" Dawn knew how David was when he made a stand, and she didn't think she could stand another month of him being oh-so-respectful and 'yes, ma'am'-ing at her, so she looked at Nancy and said, "I'm sorry you're whose mother?" "Angela's," Nancy said with a motion to Ang. "Oh, you're Ang's mom! Why didn't you say so?" Nancy was about to tell this young lady completely off when she noticed David watching her appraisingly. "I'm sorry, Dawn, wasn't it? Ang," she forced the short name out, "has been telling us about her name preference but hasn't been so," and she shot a _look_ at David, "forceful about it." Dawn nodded. "David's been workin' here two years now an' he's always direct. Wish me an' Linds had listened to him 'bout Ron." "Ron?" Nancy inquired politely. "Yeah," said Dawn, glowering. "Bastard left me an' Linds real abrupt-like." "Left you and Linds?" Nancy felt totally out to sea and shared a confused look with Ang. "Lindsey, or Linds if you know her, is Dawn's girlfriend. Ron was their boyfriend but I gather the loser skipped town with Trish, who used to be the assistant manager here." Nancy began to blush furiously and Ang's jaw dropped as David casually described the recently broke up trio. "Yeah, an' ya snagged this guy jus' before I went an' invited him ta take Ron's place, Ang." Ang goggled at Dawn while Nancy made sputtering noises. "Oh," Ang said, looking up toward David. Her heart lifted immensely she saw he was smiling down at her. But she couldn't shake the image her mind had just conjured; David, naked she often pictured him, sandwiched between her naked body and a newly-created and equally naked form with Dawn's heavily pierced face. Dawn sighed theatrically and said, "It's too bad you probably ain't gonna share him." "Well," Ang's voice was preoccupied, her mind still stuck in the image. It was shattered when her mother shrieked, "Angela Teresa Dean!" Ang didn't even get the chance to do more than wince before David pushed her behind him and glared at her mother. "Do _not_ get between my daughter and I, young man!" David's voice was very quiet and monotone as he said, "No one oppresses Ang. I won't stand for it." Dawn took two steps back, distancing herself from the scene, actually scared. The only time she'd ever seen David like this was when they gone on a break together, a year ago, out by the dumpsters. They'd heard a girl's voice from the other side of the furthest dumpster shrieking for help, then a thud and a growly male voice saying to shut up. David had gotten that same blank look that was on his face now and Dawn had followed him around the dumpsters to see an attempt at rape in progress. The girl, who couldn't have been more then twelve, cowered among the remains of her torn clothing and was desperately trying to cover herself with her hands. Dawn arrived to see her crying from a bleeding mouth as the thirty- odd-year-old man unzipped his pants. "Get away from her if you ever want to see the sun come up again," David said in the quiet, toneless voice. The man had launched himself at David and, with no emotion, David had taken him completely apart. At first, Dawn thought it was martial arts or something. Later David told her that was what happened when he defended others; his perceptions and reactions went into the same overdrive his mind could achieve and everyone around him seemed to move as if they were swimming through molasses. Now Dawn watched, too frightened to even call security, as Nancy advanced on David and sent a roundhouse slap toward his face. It never landed. Nancy gasped in surprise as David's hand came up to gently grab her wrist. Her hand stopped less than half an inch from his face. His hand let hers go and blurred back to his side as he quietly said, "Don't try that again, please." Nancy saw red. She was infuriated at the _nerve_ of this Boy to get between her and Angela, then to actually _lay hands_ on her. She wasn't thinking clearly at all and didn't realize all he'd done was to prevent her from striking him. All she knew was he'd _dared_ to grab her! Her foot streaked toward his crotch and Ang, who'd sidestepped to look around David, screamed. Suddenly Nancy was falling backward, her foot having been grabbed and yanked far above the level of her head in a blur. Then she slowed and was gently set on the floor by David, who said, "Don't make me hurt you, Mrs. Dean." And then David was back where he had been started, standing in defense of her Angela. And she realized what she'd done. And what could have happened to her. "Woman, I wouldn't suggest keepin' on like that," Dawn said softly. Nancy nodded as she got to her feet. "Momma?" Ang said from behind David. "I'm all right, baby," Nancy said. Then she looked at David. "You'll protect her from anything, won't you?" "And anyone," David said, still quiet and toneless. Nancy suddenly realized that nothing but his lips had moved. He was even blinking in sequence. First his left eye, then his right. He never took both eyes off of her for even an instant. Nancy looked over at Dawn. "You've seen him like this before." "Yeah," Dawn said. "A year ago this guy was tryin' to rape a li'l girl. They took what was left o' him away in an ambulance when David was done." "Right," Nancy said, trying to find a way to defuse the situation she realized she'd caused. "I, I overreacted," she said slowly. "I'm sorry, David." David began moving normally then, and Nancy watched as he blinked and slowly drew Ang to his side. "You and your husband have done enough damage," he said with anger clear in his voice. Dawn sighed in relief, and headed off to the side to deal with the mall security guy who was finally arriving, as usual, just in time to flare things back up. "I'm just trying to protect her," Nancy started, but cut herself off at a snarl from David and a look of near-hate from her daughter. She realized just how thoroughly she'd failed when Ang, not David, said, "Well you've done a brilliant job of it so far, haven't you?" Nancy's shock, it was David who championed _her_ now. "Ang," he said, turning to look down to her as her face lifted to meet his gaze. "They screwed up ok? Real bad. But she _is_ your mother and she's trying now." Each other look at Nancy. "A bit wrong in her application of it and too overbearing, but she's trying, my pretty one. Give her a chance, huh?" Ang, who would visibly melted at the new endearment, nodded and looked at her mother. "Momma?" She waited until Nancy's attention was focused on her. "David's been the only one who's really protected me from Jimmy since the school year started. Not even Pinky managed that. If he has good friends who are obviously bisexual and not one-on-one in their relationships, well, he makes me feel safe when I wonder about those things." David smiled down at Ang and leaned down to lightly kiss her cheek. "But it isn't normal, Angela," Nancy said. "Can't you see that?" Ang started to respond but David put a finger on her lips and shook his head. She subsided and he said, "I don't see an Angela here, Mrs. Dean. Who are you speaking to?" Nancy wanted to grind her teeth, but she knew from her recent and, frankly, humiliating experience that losing her temper in front of David was a very bad idea. She slowly counted to ten then said, "It isn't normal, Ang." "Normal as a setting on a dryer," said a returning Dawn. "Not the basis of a relationship." Nancy turned her attention to the garish girl dressed all in black with chrome studs and chains, platform shoes, outrageous makeup, six studs and a ring in each ear, metal rings through either side of her bottom lip, and two rings through each eyebrow. "Exactly what would _you_ know about 'normal'?" Nancy almost sneered. David backed off this time, pulling Ang of the line of fire as Dawn advanced and _seriously_ towered over the tiny Nancy. "What would I know 'bout normal?" Dawn sneered. "My parents're nice an' _normal_. Go to th' Baptist Church ev'ry Sunday an' ev'ry other Wednesday. Nice an' normal! Lawn looks like it was mowed every- damned-day an' usually is. Leaders o' th' community who kept their on'y daughter," and she thumped two fingers to her chest between her barely existent breasts, "so damn iggerant o' sex tha' all she knewed wuz tha' good girls don' an' ya'll gotta wait till yer married good an' proper." David knew Dawn was getting hot enough under the collar to start throwing blows soon by the fact that her childhood accent was coming back, and thicker than he could ever remember. He motioned to Ang to stay where she was and crept up behind Dawn, ready to restrain her if he had to. Nancy saw him move, and where, and was suddenly grateful since Dawn was clearly almost out of control. "So fukkin' normal tha' when I went an' got sweet- talked I didn' even know I could git knocked up from it! So when mah belly started in a-swellin', they was so _normal_ they went an' kicked me out at all o' fifteen!" Dawn pointed a black-nailed finger at Nancy's nose. "Ya'll know wha happened then? I hadta git it 'taken care of' tha's what! An now I git m' life turnt 'round an' some sact'monious bitch like ya comes 'round an' tells 'm I ain't normal?! Well _good_! An' FUCK you!" she ended the last two words in a scream and spun to return to the shop, David almost diving out of her way. Nancy looked at Dawn's retreating back, then at a clearly relieved David, and finally at a stunned Ang, who had been watching Dawn stomp into the store. Ang looked back at her mother for a moment, then followed Dawn into the store. Nancy took a step in that direction, but halted when David stepped in her way. "I'll make sure she has enough money finish her shopping," he said quietly. "And I'll even pay a taxi to get her home soon. But you might want to leave." Nancy looked at him, hostile for a moment, but the hostility faded almost instantly and she shook her head. "No, David. That may seem like a good idea, but if I left I might never mend this bridge between Angela," and she paused at his smile and the gentle shake of his head. "Between Ang and I." David nodded. "All right," he said. "I'll see what I can do. Wait here, all right?" He waited until Nancy nodded and turned to walk into the Hot Topic, empty except for Dawn and Ang at the back wall near the dresses. He walked up just in time to hear Ang quietly say, "I just don't know, Dawn. _We_ haven't even done anything yet, but I promise I'll consider it, ok?" Dawn looked over Ang's head and shot David one of her small, almost secretive smiles. "She's remarkably open-minded, David. I approve." David had no idea how Ang had calmed her down, but since Dawn's accent was barely there again, he knew she had. "Yeah," he said, "about many things, actually." Ang spun about, her blush covering her face and disappearing below her blouse again. David laughed and stepped forward to fold her into his embrace. Then he softly kissed her cheek, despite her attempt to engage their lips again by turning her head, and nodded toward the front of the store. "Your mom's still waiting to finish the shopping trip." Ang looked up at him, clearly confused, and Dawn looked angry again, so David said, "She's unsure, Ang. The fact that she an' your dad failed so badly is really eatin' at her. So she's gonna overreact sometimes, but she does love you." Ang stiffened in his arms for a moment, then relaxed and nodded. "Yeah," she sighed, "I know. But what if she gets to be too much?" David held her face in both of his hands and leaned down until his lips were almost touching hers. "You know where I live now," he said softly against her lips, then kissed her briefly before letting her go. Ang moaned in frustration and got up on her tip-toes to follow his lips as far she could. David tapped her nose and said, "Now go shop," before he turned her around and sent her two steps forward with a resounding 'Whop' as his hand met her rear. Ang stopped after those two steps and mock-glared back at him. "Don't handle the merchandise unless you intend to keep it!" she shot over her shoulder before grinning and walking out of the store with a pronounced and deliberate swing to her hips. David and Dawn watched her go and Dawn barked a single laugh. "Well," she said, turning to head for the counter, "it looks like your life won't be dull anymore! Now let's see how we can schedule you and then _you_ can handle the schedule. Tracy was always an idiot about it." David just chuckled and followed her. Nancy heard the resounding whop that sounded suspiciously like someone's butt being hit, then saw her daughter walk out of the store and smiled. Nancy remembered when she used to walk for Henry like that and got an idea. "Ang," she called out. Ang stopped swinging her hips and, blushing furiously again, walked normally to stand in front of her mother. "Yes, Momma?" she asked, putting every ounce of innocence she could into her voice. "That walk is much easier with the right shoes. Victoria's was going to be our last stop, but I think we both need new footwear." Ang's eyes went wide. "You?" she gasped. Nancy nodded. "I think I should shop for myself at the next two locations as well. After all, your father wouldn't have been able to keep his secrets from me if I'd been trying." "Momma, that's so wicked!" Ang exclaimed and giggled. "I take after my daughter," Nancy said in a mock-bored tone of voice. And with many a giggle, a fair share of wicked and near-wanton looks, a few hip-shimmies, and more than a few scandalous comments, the mother and her young-but- rapidly-approaching-womanhood daughter finished their shopping trip. ------------------------------------------------------ Unfortunately, all the people willing to edit my work are still suffering from temporary lost internet access. So any typos or glaring plot holes are my mistake alone. This story is copyrighted by me, the author, Waylan Dagger. Please do not repost this story or post it on an archive without obtaining permission first. I can almost guarantee that permission will be granted, but I would like the courtesy. I can be reached at waylandagger@hotmail.com