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