Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Title: Colleen


Summary: Out of the ashes, brother & sister find romance.


Keywords: inc,fic



   Mythology tells the story of the Phoenix; a powerful bird that at
certain intervals will build a nest and sit in it as it is consumed by
flames.  Out of the ashes the Phoenix is reborn to once again grow in
strength and wisdom.  Sometimes in life, the thing that kills and destroys
us is the very thing that is life's greatest blessing.

   My name is Robert O'Conner.  My family calls me Bobby but the rest of
the world knows me as Robert.  Immediately after graduating from college I
was recruited by Willis, Goldman & Reed and assigned to the Chicago office.
There were eleven new hires that started on the same day and that is when I
met Barbara.  We were given desks next to each other and as the new kids on
the block we sought safety in numbers in defense against the veterans.  The
rookies started having coffee together at the break and then meeting over
lunch to commiserate or cheer each other on as we all tried to integrate
ourselves in the corporate world.  After several months the group began to
dwindle until there was just Barbara and myself.

   Barbara was gorgeous.  The kind of physical beauty that could make a
dead man stand up and dance.  After we got to know each other she admitted
that she had been featured in one of those photo spreads that Playboy
magazine occasionally runs, "Sorority Girls of New England Colleges." I
immediately went out and found a copy of that issue and kept it in the
drawer of my nightstand.  Every guy in the office tried to date her but she
rebuffed them all.

   She had long thick red hair, a mass of curls that hung below the middle
of her back, and dark green eyes.  Her skin was flawless and she used very
little makeup, she didn't need to.  Even without lipstick her lips were a
deep red.  She stood six feet tall in her stocking feet, an inch above my
own five-eleven.  Most of the time she wore slacks to the office but on
those occasions when she wore a skirt the male employees were treated to
the blinding vision of her perfectly formed long legs.  Her breasts were
neither large nor small, just the right size and shape.  Every thing about
her body was in perfect proportion.  Each movement she made was a symphony
of sensuality, from walking across the office to get something from the
filing cabinet down to the simple act of putting a paper clip on a piece of
paper.

   As for myself, I am not a Golden Adonis nor am I the elephant man.  A
girlfriend in college once described me as being "six points above
average." I have been told by several women that my best features are my
blue eyes and my smile.  One of my few regrets in life is not being able to
reach six feet like my two brothers.  If genetics hold true, by the time I
reach fifty I will be thirty pounds heavier than the day I graduated from
high school...with absolutely no hope of ever losing them.

   I am not the life of the party but can hold up my end of a conversation
and do reasonably well at telling a joke.  For all of her beauty Barbara is
fairly quiet but not shy, she was the center of attention no matter what
the setting.  Without even speaking she would have men gathered around her,
just waiting for the pleasure of her smiling in their direction.  You don't
realize how intelligent she is until you have been around her for a while.
I could never figure out how we ended up connecting.

   From having coffee and lunches at work we progressed to catching a movie
after work and then on to dinner and drinks Friday nights.  From there it
was Friday and Saturday nights and then several nights during the week. 
Six months after our first official date we were married.

   Life was good.  We were madly in love with each other.  By working in
the same office we could go to and leave work together.  We had our own
little universe that had little room in it for other people.  The daily sex
was fantastic and together we learned new ticks and moves that made it more
intense as we went along.

   Several years after we were married, corporate headquarters sent in a
new manager for my unit.  Derrick Andrews was a tall muscular black man
with his head shaved smooth and an arrogant look in his eyes.  He was
smooth with the women and a real bastard to the men in the office. 
Gradually I found more and more of the workload being put on my desk as I
struggled to get it all done.  Instead of coming to work with Barbara, I
increasingly had to go in early and stay late, not getting home until eight
or nine most nights plus having to go in to the office on Saturdays.  It
became obvious that Andrews was trying to force me to quit the company.

   During this time the only thing that kept me going was Barbara.  Every
night she would sooth my battered ego and take away all the stress.  During
the day she would call my desk just to say, "hi" or come by my desk with a
cookie or slice of somebody's birthday cake.  I had just about reached my
breaking point when Barbara gave me the news.  She was pregnant.

   All thoughts of quitting immediately flew out the window.  There was
nothing that Derrick could do to me that I couldn't endure.  The joy of
knowing that I was to be a father took care of every thing.  The sex on the
night she told me was one of the greatest experiences of my life up to that
point.

   I had heard the stories from the other guys in the office about how
horny their wives got during pregnancy.  At first it was true and the sex
was almost non-stop at home.  But as the due date got closer Barbara seemed
to run hot and cold.  One night she would literally jump me and tear my
clothes off as I walked through the door.  The next night she would be cold
and distant.  During the last few weeks she had completely withdrawn and
would flinch whenever I tried to touch her.

   At last the day came.  Her water broke on Sunday morning and we rushed
to the hospital.  By the afternoon we were in the delivery room with the
doctor telling her when to push.  Finally there was one last push and the
baby came out of the birth canal.  The doctor immediately looked up at me
and then over to Barbara.  The room was oddly silent.  Without saying a
word the nurse placed the baby on Barbara's chest.

   The baby's skin was back as coal.

   I stood there, stunned, looking at the baby.  Barbara's face had a
horrified look.  It seemed as though everything was happening in slow
motion.  I backed away from the delivery table, then turned and walked out
of the room.  As the doors closed I could hear Barbara screaming, "Robert
come back here."

   I made it as far as the parking lot before I stopped to throw up in the
bushes.  In a daze I was somehow able to find the car and take off.  I
drove around aimlessly for a while and then headed home.  For the next
several hours I paced back and forth trying to make sense out of what just
happened.

   I wrestled with my emotions for hours.  Had I made a mistake, could I be
wrong?  Did I misunderstand about the baby?  Had I misjudged Barbara? 
Where do we go from here?  What possible explanation could there be?  Had I
done something to cause her to be disloyal?  What signs of her cheating
could I have missed?  Was there more than one man she had cheated with? 
Could the marriage be saved, or was there any thing left to save?  It
always came back to one simple fact.

   There is no way in hell that two people of Irish descent could produce a
black baby.

   After my third trip to the toilet to vomit I lost any sense of
self-control and completely destroyed the bathroom.  Barbara, my reason for
living, had betrayed me.  The emotional pain of her obvious infidelity
became a physical pain as well.  After all the years of what I thought were
love and devotion for each other, Barbara had been unfaithful and bore a
child fathered by another man.

   We all make choices about where our lives will go.  It was very clear
that Barbara's choice did not include me; she had not honored the wedding
vows we made to each other.

   The phone had been ringing constantly since I returned to the house. 
The first time I let the answering machine pick up and heard Barbara's
voice demanding that I return to the hospital so we could talk.  She called
five more times in the next hour, each message becoming less demanding
until the final one when she was crying and begging me to come to her.

   I couldn't take it any more and unplugged the phone so I wouldn't have
to hear it.  I went to the garage and came back with a hammer.  I placed
the telephone on the kitchen counter and left it in a thousand pieces
before throwing the hammer through the closed window above the sink.  By
now the rage had subsided enough that I was able to put together some
coherent thoughts.

   In situations like this it is surprising how quickly material things
become meaningless to your life.  Over the next several hours I gathered up
the few things that I now valued and piled them in the middle of the living
room floor.  Everything fit into three cardboard boxes that I found in the
garage and I loaded them into my car.  I threw all of my clothes into the
car without bothering to pack them into suitcases.  I put the empty
suitcases in the car planing to pack them later.  I had to get out of that
house that held so many memories of Barbara's and my life together.

   The last thing I did was to go to the garage and come back with another
hammer and nail.  I went into the bedroom one last time and looked around.
I took off my wedding ring and nailed it to the wooden headboard.  I heaved
the hammer through the mirror over the dresser and left.  By 11:30 that
night I pulled out of the driveway and went in search of a hotel.

   I got no sleep that night and in the morning I called my secretary, Mrs.
Lopez, to tell her that I would not be in that day.  Mrs.  Lopez asked how
Barbara was doing and I quietly hung up the phone with out answering.  I
spent the entire day inside the hotel room trying to get control of my
thoughts and emotions.

   The next morning I knew I would go crazy if I stayed there any longer,
and not knowing what else to do, I went into the office.  I was standing
outside my office door trying to focus on what Mrs.  Lopez trying to tell
me when Derrick Andrews walked up.

   "It's about time you showed up for work O'Conner.  I'm getting tired of
your work habits lately.  The only reason I don't fire your ass is because
I need to keep you employed so you can raise that little bastard of mine."

   Mrs.  Lopez and I both stared at him with our mouths open.  With a smirk
Andrews continued.

   "Didn't know about that did you.  I've been fucking your wife non-stop
for the last two years.  Your wife is one sweet pussy."

   I am not a violent man and I don't actually remember hitting him, but I
watched as Andrews flew backward knocking over several chairs before
bouncing off of John Gordon and sliding to the floor.  Blood was flowing
out of his nose leaving a large red stain on Gordon's shoes.  Mr.  Gordon
was a corporate vice president and head of the Chicago office.  It was
rumored that he was first in line to become the next CEO.  When Andrews
tried to get up from the floor I kicked him in the ribs three times as hard
as possible.  After the third time he remained on the floor curled up into
a ball.  I spun around and walked past the other people in the room that
were cowering wide-eyed in the corner and left.

   Outside I walked away from the building.  My hand was really starting to
hurt so I stopped at a deli and bought a large cup of ice to stick it into.
I kept walking until I came to a bench that overlooked Lake Michigan and
just sat, staring out at nothing.  In the space of three days my life had
turned to complete shit.  I was twenty-seven years old and had been
betrayed by my lover, my marriage of four years was in ruins, I was out of
a job and was probably going to be arrested for assault.  I am normally a
laid back type of person, but today I had turned in to some kind of
homicidal maniac.  As I sat there, words like love, betrayal, cheating,
dishonesty, commitment, infidelity, deceit, unfaithful kept floating
around, racing in and out of my thoughts.  Eventually I noticed that it was
getting dark so I returned to my hotel room.

   At 9:30 that night I was wrapping my hand in a fresh batch ice when
someone knocked on the door.  I opened the door and was surprised to see
John Gordon.

   "Good evening Robert, you're a hard person to find."

   I only stared at him in confusion.

   "Do you mind if I come in?  What I have to say may take a while."

   "Sure, why not." I stepped back to let him in.  "Look, Mr.  Gordon, I
won't apologize for what happed this morning, but if you don't mind there
are a few personal items in my office...excuse me, my former office that I
would like to get."

   "Ah yes, this morning.  You certainly have an interesting way to start
your Tuesdays." I opened my mouth to speak when he raised his hand to stop
me.  "Please don't interrupt me just yet.  I need to say this and get on my
way before my wife reports me as a missing person.  First off I want to
assure you that you are not fired.  In fact, I am very grateful for what
you did this morning.  Derrick Andrews is a shithead and I've hated him
from the moment he walked into our office.  But he was sent by headquarters
so my hands were tied."

   "After you left, Mrs.  Lopez grabbed me and pulled me into your office
and started yelling in Spanish.  At first I didn't understand much of what
she was saying, but gist of it was 'you have to fix this.' I thought she
was mad at you but she wasn't, it was Andrews.  She told me about the
things he had done to you in the office over the last two years...and about
your wife." At that point he paused and looked around the room before
continuing.

   "By eleven o'clock this morning, Mrs.  Lopez had seven women lined up
outside my office telling me that they were going to file sexual harassment
charges against Andrews and the company.  I spent most of the afternoon on
the phone with the legal department in New York.  The upshot is that the
women are not going to file a complaint against the company, but in return
our legal depart will represent the ladies in court when they do file
against Andrews personally."

   "I have done nothing today except try to put out the fires that you and
Andrews started.  I interviewed every single person in your unit and they
all confirmed what Mrs.  Lopez told me.  You may not be aware of it but you
are the most respected person in that building.  Within twenty minutes
after you left the entire unit was writing their letters of resignation. 
Andrews has completely destroyed the morale of that unit and most of the
people only stayed out of loyalty to you.  Fortunately the staff has agreed
to hold their resignations until I get a chance to sort everything out."

   "You have several options to think about here.  If you want to come back
to the office, you will be coming back in Andrews' position as manager.  If
that is too much for you right now, I know several CEOs around the country
who will hire you at a moment's notice on my recommendation...or here in
Chicago if you want to work on your marriage." Again he paused for a
moment.

   "There is a third option I would like you to consider.  You are too
valuable an employee for the company to lose.  I understand that you're
originally from California.  I can arrange for you to be transferred to our
San Miguel office in California...at times like this it helps to be around
family."

   The minute he said San Miguel I knew my answer.  I opened my mouth but
before I could speak he stopped me again.

   "I don't want an answer tonight, I want you to sleep on it, although it
doesn't look as though you've been doing very much of that the last couple
of days." He handed me a small card with a telephone number on it.  "This
is my private line, call me at 9 AM tomorrow." With that he headed for the
door.  He opened it and turned around with small grin on his face.  "Just
so you know, the score was one broken nose and three cracked ribs.  I made
certain that assault charges will not be filed against you.  Here's the
good news.  When Andrews gets out of the hospital, he is going to explain
to the district attorney how a man on his salary is able to pay cash for a
Mercedes-Benz." His grin got bigger and then he left.

   The news about San Miguel was the only good thing I had heard in the
last few days.  I was born and raised in Santa Teresa, about one hours'
drive south of San Miguel.  iMy mother and two brothers still lived there
but that was not the good part.  My best friend in the world lives in San
Miguel.  Colleen has always been the most important person in my life, from
childhood and on to our "grown-up" lives.  We share everything.  I was the
best man at her wedding and she was a bridesmaid at mine.  There was
nothing that we would not do for each other.

   Colleen is also my sister.

   There are four of us.  Colleen is the oldest and three years older than
me.  In between are James and Michael, the twins.  We all love each other
but as children the natural paring was always Jimmy & Mikey against Colleen
& Bobby in all the games we played.  That same bond just continued as we
grew up.

   Colleen taught me how to tie my shoes and held my hand crossing the
street.  She sat behind me when we went down the giant slide and let me
hide in her bed under the covers when the monsters in my closet were ready
to come and get me.

   When we were in high school, she watched out for me and kept me from
doing anything stupid that would end up branding me as a hopeless dork for
the next four years.  Colleen gave me the best birthday present any
fifteen-year boy could possibly imagine.  She convinced her best friend on
the cheerleading squad to take me to the Senior Class Christmas Ball as her
date.  I was the hero of every male in the freshmen class.  Afterwards
Cindy would wink and wave to me in the hallway and I became a living
legend.

   Colleen had married Bill after college and moved to San Miguel so he
could open his business.  They soon had two daughters and everything looked
bright.  Bill became an extension of Colleen for me and there was nothing I
wouldn't do for him.  But then Colleen's world fell apart.

   Bill was diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of cancer.  After
five months of agonizing pain, Bill died at home in Colleen's arms.  Two
months later our father suffered a massive heart attack and died instantly.
The strain was almost too much for Colleen but somehow she survived, became
stronger and kept herself involved in her daughters.  Even though we talked
on the phone at least weekly, if not daily, I had not seen Colleen since
Dad's funeral two years ago.  I was excited at the prospect of living in
the same town with her.

   Surprisingly, I did get some sleep and after a shower in the morning
felt almost human again.  That was the physical part.  On the inside, I
could feel my soul, my spirit, whatever you want to call it, starting to
shrivel up and die.  At 9 AM I called Gordon and told him my decision about
San Miguel.

   "Excellent choice Robert.  There is a Starbucks around the corner from
here on 53rd and Randolph.  Meet me there in one hour." And he hung up.

   By the time I got there he was already sitting at a table with a box in
front of him.

   "I don't have much time so here is the deal.  Mrs.  Lopez put all of
your personal things in this box.  Right now, Mrs.  Lopez and I are the
only people that know you are going to San Miguel and it will remain that
way unless you tell someone personally." He handed me a thick envelope that
was sealed and stamped CONFIDENTIAL.  "Harold Peterson is the head of the
San Miguel office and is expecting you at 8 AM Monday morning, he loves
punctuality.  Give this to him when you get there." He handed me a second
envelope that was not sealed and I pulled out the contents.  Inside was a
first class airline ticket, one way to San Miguel.  The other item was a
piece of paper with the name and address of a law firm a few blocks away.

   "You have an appointment with these people in thirty minutes.  Whether
or not you keep that appointment is your decision, but I suggest that you
do." He stood up and was ready to leave when I stopped him.

   "Mr.  Gordon, why are doing all this for me?"

   He looked down at the floor for a long time before raising his head to
look me in the eye.

   "Because I was in your position myself a long time ago.  Besides, Mrs.
Lopez told me this morning that if I didn't help you, she was going to
bring her husband in to beat the crap out of me.  The scary thing is I
believe her.  I don't know what you did to earn her loyalty, but that's the
kind of people I like to have around me.  She started this morning as my
personal secretary."

   "Thank you Mr.  Gordon...and please tell Mrs.  Lopez thank you and that
I will miss her."

   "I think she already knows that Robert, and good luck.  I know it
doesn't seem like it right now but life will get better, you're just going
to have to trust me on this one."

   One more time he looked at me and grinned.

   "This morning an independent auditing firm will begin examining the
accounts that Andrews managed.  I'm very interested in seeing what they
find."

   He shook my hand and walked out the door.

   I did keep the appointment with the attorneys.  Obviously Gordon had set
this up himself because they already had some background information about
what had happened.  We spent the rest of the day going over all the options
that were available to me and any possible consequences.  I made it clear
that for all the pain and the shit that Barbara had dumped on me, I did not
and would not seek any revenge.  I did not want to destroy her, to have my
"pound of flesh." All I wanted was out of the marriage as quickly as
possible and to never see or hear from her again.  I had already taken the
few things I wanted to keep from the last five years and just wanted to
walk away.

   I finally left the lawyers around 7 PM that evening and went back to the
hotel.  I was able keep some food down and for the first time in days felt
as though I was taking back some of the control over my life that had been
yanked way from me.  I waited until I knew it was after dinnertime in San
Miguel before I called Colleen.  It was such a joy just to hear her voice
when she answered.

   "Bobby, where are you?  What's going on?  Barbara has called here a
hundred times; she says that you're missing."

   "Do you know if she's talked to Mom or the twins?"

   "Yes she has, she's been calling everyone from what I can tell.  What's
going on?"

   "I'll explain everything later but right now I need some help."

   "Anything you need, you know that Bobby."

   "Thanks.  I need you to pick me up at the airport.  I'll get into San
Miguel Friday afternoon at 5:30, TWA flight 1649.  I also need a place to
stay for a while; I was hoping I could stay with you and the girls."

   "Of course you can, I'll move Molly in with Meghan.  They will love to
see you."

   "One more thing, call Mom and the twins and ask them to come to your
house Saturday morning, but don't let them know that you've talked to me
unless you have to.  I don't want Barbara to know where I am just yet. 
I'll explain everything on Saturday."

   "OK Bobby, but the explanation had better be a good one."

   After a few minutes of banal conversation we hung up and I lay back on
the bed.  I tried to compare what had been the two most important people in
my life up to now.  Barbara was cutting edge fashion and all night dance
clubs.  She was all angles and flat planes and tight muscles; she was smoky
darkness and a promise of sensual erotic delight.  You knew that sex with
her would turn into an athletic event.

   Colleen was clean simple lines, all curves, classic, timeless
traditional beauty.  She was daylight and PTA meetings.  She gave you a
feeling of contentment.  I can put on a perfectly tailored suit and it will
look like I had slept in it for a week before I reach the sidewalk.  My
sister on the other hand, can put on discards from the Salvation Army store
and look elegant and sophisticated.  She makes people, male and female,
want to go find their partner and reproduce the species so they could have
children just like her.

   More from total exhaustion than anything else I did sleep that night,
but the dreams made me wake up the next morning in a cold sweat.

   I spent most of the morning back at the lawyers finishing everything so
I could leave Chicago the next day.  I told them about Barbara calling my
family.  They immediately started the paper work to get a restraining order
that would prevent Barbara from contacting my family or me.  I signed a
power of attorney so that I wouldn't have to be involved in every little
detail of what was going to happen.  In the afternoon I tried to tie up all
the loose ends I could think of and packed everything to leave.

   And then I waited.

   By this time all of the rage and anger had dissipated but in its place
was a constant dull throbbing pain that was starting to wear huge calluses
onto my soul.

   The next morning a secretary from the attorney's office drove me to the
airport in my car.  The lawyers were going to sell the car and the money
would be added to the final settlement.  The divorce papers were to be
served to Barbara that afternoon.  From the time I left the hospital Sunday
afternoon until I got on the plane Friday morning, I had not seen nor
spoken to Barbara.  And if there was a God in heaven I never would in the
future either.

   I don't remember much about the flight.  I kept trying to force myself
to stop thinking about what I was leaving behind and concentrate on where I
was going.  I had a three-hour lay over in Denver where I changed planes
for San Miguel.  Everyone left me alone as I waited; it felt like I was
sitting in some type of isolation both.  When I went to the men's room I
was startled by the dead face staring back at me from the mirror.  I was
lucky I wasn't hauled away as a suspected terrorist.

   John Gordon was right; being close to family was just what I needed
right then.

   The only emotion that I could feel was a small flicker of excitement at
being able to see Colleen.  It's funny how genetics works.  The twins,
Jimmy and Mike, and I look like Dad.  Fortunately Colleen looks like Mom.
Growing up, Colleen was the typical girl next door.  She was cute and
bright and sunny and everyone's best friend.  When she was in high school
she was the head cheerleader and had at least two dates every weekend.  She
was so sweet that the twins and I teased her that she would give us
diabetes, but every boy in town knew that the twins would beat the crap out
of them if they didn't treat our sister right.

   Colleen had made the transition to adulthood beautifully.  If you look
in the dictionary under Soccer Mom you will see Colleen's picture.  She is
five foot four and had complained to me one time that her wedding dress was
a size 6 but after giving birth to my nieces she was now a size 10 and her
bra had increased a full cup size.  Just like Mom her hair is the color of
gold and she keeps is short, not even long enough to pull back into a
ponytail.  The twins and my eyes are blue like Dad's but Mom and Colleen's
are a deep brown that has a completely serene look.  I know it sounds corny
but it is true; when she smiles the sun shines.

   After the plane landed, I walked through the gate and started to look
around when I heard two small voices squealing, "Uncle Bobby!  Uncle Bobby!
Over here." Meghan, age seven and Molly, age six were jumping up and down,
waving their arms and each holding a bright red balloon on a string. 
Colleen was standing behind them, smiling and they all rushed over to hug
me.  I have never seen a more beautiful sight.

   We collected my bags and on the ride to the house Meghan and Molly were
chattering a mile a minute telling me everything they had been doing since
the last time I had seen them.  Colleen lives in an older part of town in a
large craftsman style cottage that had been built in the 1920's.  She and
Bill had spent a lot of time and money restoring it to a pristine
condition. Pulling into the driveway, I felt as though I had come home.

   After we had unloaded my stuff, Molly took my hand and pulled to show me
her room where I would be staying.  While the girls and I talked, Colleen
went to the kitchen to start dinner.  After we ate, she told the girls to
get ready for bed and that she had surprise for them.  Grandma and Uncle
Jimmy and Uncle Mike were coming tomorrow for a visit.  This caused more
squealing and jumping and it was another hour before she could get them
into bed.

   After closing the bedroom door on the girls, Colleen went to the kitchen
and came out a few minutes later with two cups of tea.  She set them down
on the coffee table and sat next to me on the couch.  When several minutes
of a comforting silence had passed she put her arms around me and gave me a
little kiss on the cheek.

   "Is there any thing you want to talk about?"

   "Not just yet, wait until tomorrow.  I don't want to go through this
more than once."

   "Ok." She stroked the back of my head and gave me another peck on the
cheek.  "It's good to have you here.  The girls are really exited about you
staying with us."

   "Thanks, I think this is where I need to be right now."

   Colleen stood then took my hand and pulled me up after her.  "I gather
that tomorrow is going to be a tough day and you look beat.  Why don't you
go to bed and I'll see you in the morning."

   I lay on the bed but did not get undressed.  I lay there staring up at
the ceiling as every emotion in my body slowly drained away, leaving me
completely numb.  I must have eventually fallen asleep because the next
thing I knew it was daylight and Meghan was shaking my shoulder to tell me,
"breakfast is ready and mommy said to come and eat." After breakfast, I
took a quick shower and then spent the rest of the morning letting the
girls introduce me to their favorite Saturday morning activities.

   Mike pulled up in the driveway just a little before noon with his wife
Sharon and their three kids.  Mom arrived with Jimmy and his wife Mi Lin
and their two kids about 10 minutes later.  Mike has a successful and
growing construction business and Jimmy is a deputy sheriff.  No one was
interested in lunch right then so Colleen asked Meghan and Molly to take
their cousins out in the back so the grown ups could have a little talk. 
On the way out, Mike's youngest, two-year-old Patricia, turned back,
climbed into my lap and refused to leave.  Somehow that seemed right so I
kept her there and five minutes later she was asleep in my arms.  I was
sitting on the piano bench facing everyone else who was spread around the
living room.

   Over the next hour I told them everything, the story of Barbara's
infidelity, the baby and Derek Andrews, spilling out all the anger and pain
and frustration that had been overwhelming me for the last week.  I held
nothing back and didn't try to sugar coat anything.  Jimmy and Mike only
stopped me a couple of times to ask questions and Colleen and Mom said
nothing.  By the time I had finished, Colleen and Mom had tears in their
eyes and Colleen said, "No wonder you only wanted to tell this once." After
several minutes of silence, Colleen asked what my future plans were.

   "Bright and early Monday morning I officially start at the San Miguel
office of Willis, Goldman & Reed.  After that I'll just play it by ear I
guess."

   From that point every one started in trying to carry on ordinary
conversation and catch up on things from the last few years.  All too soon
lunch was started and finished and it was time for everyone to make the
drive back to Santa Teresa.  For the first time since we were kids, my
brothers gave me a hug when they said good-bye and Mom hugged me like she
would never let go.

   The next day was Sunday and after church, Colleen, Meghan and Molly
drove me around introducing me to my new hometown.  The girls showed me
their favorite parks and had a spirited argument about which restaurant had
the best pizza.  That night after the girls were in bed, Colleen and I sat
talking late into the night and then I went to bed.  I lay in bed staring
at the ceiling again, trying to sort out what was happening to me.

   At 8:01 AM the next morning I was seated in a chair across the desk from
Mr.  Harold Peterson handing him the envelope from John Gordon.  He laid
the envelope on the desk in front of him without opening it.  He picked up
the phone, punched in a number and said, "Miss Jennings, would you step
into my office please." A moment later a young girl that appeared to be a
recent graduate from a secretarial school came into the office.

   "Miss Jennings, this is Robert O'Conner.  He will be taking over for
Barry, would you show him around and to his office.  Robert, Miss Jennings
will be your secretary.  When you're done, come on back in here for a few
minutes."

   After te tour, I was back in the chair across from Peterson.  This time
the envelope was open and a pile of papers sat in front of him.  He got up
and crossed the room to shut the door and sat back down.  He tapped the
stack of papers with his finger then spoke.

   "John speaks very highly of you and his word is good enough for me.  Did
he tell you that we were room mates in college?"

   "No, I don't think he mentioned it."

   "Oh well...here is the plan.  For the next six months you will be doing
the same job you had in Chicago, only not so much of it at one time." This
he said with a small smile on his lips and then continued.  "After that we
will sit down and chart out your future with Willis, Goldman & Reed. 
Welcome to San Miguel."

   San Miguel was as different from the Chicago office as anyone could
possibly imagine.  Chicago had over 300 employees and was the stepping
stone to get to corporate headquarters in New York.  San Miguel had 65
employees and suits and ties were discouraged unless corporate drones flew
in from headquarters.  Working in this office was a welcome relief from
Chicago and I fell into the routine rather quickly...same job, new faces.

   Peterson was a dream to work for.  He was 40% manager and 60%
cheerleader.  He set incredibly high standards for his staff then spent
most of his time convincing them they could do it.  As a result, our office
had the highest profit margin in the company.  I was able to meet and
interact with all of the employees, even fake a laugh at the typical office
humor.  But inside I kept myself separate and apart, never letting down my
guard for one second about my personal life.  I was living inside a glass
booth.

   And then the numbness came.

   I had always been a person that enjoyed his life, but now...nothing.  At
times it almost seemed that people could hear a dry wind blowing through
the hole in my soul.  Before, I had been open and comfortable in almost any
situation, but now I was closed and guarded.

   The only pleasure that I had was being around Colleen and the girls. 
Meghan and Molly and I struck a bargain.  Each night after dinner I would
help them with their homework, how to add and subtract, learning to read a
chapter book.  They in turn would teach me every "Knock, Knock" joke known
to mankind.  They insisted that Colleen and I tuck them in together before
allowing the lights to be turned off and go to sleep.  Afterwards, Colleen
and I would sit together in the living room and talk or watch TV or read or
do nothing, just sit on the couch next to each other before going to bed.

   It was at night that it was the worst.  I had not slept alone for almost
six years and it was then that everything could creep back, all the images,
all the thoughts.  Some were real pictures from my memory, others were
pictures from my imagination, constantly playing in an endless loop until I
couldn't tell the difference.  But now they meant nothing to me.  I had no
feelings, nothing good, nothing bad...only mental pictures that just
wouldn't go away.

   Only the numbness remained.

   Life became an emotionless routine for me.  Routine was something that I
desperately needed.  During the day when I was at the office, Colleen was
at home.  After Bill died, Colleen sold the business and between that and
the life insurance, she and the girls were set financially.  This gave her
the time to be a full time mom and do the thing she loved the most while
they were in school.  Colleen was an illustrator.  She had illustrated
seven children's books, none of them best sellers, but she was proud of
them and rightly so.  In between she had freelanced a couple hundred
drawings to several greeting card companies.  All of this allowed her to
work at home and set her own schedule.

   Living together, we become this odd family unit.  Each morning I would
say good bye to the girls as they sat at the table eating their breakfast.
Colleen would meet me at the door and send me back to my room to get rid of
that hideous tie or put on socks that matched.  She was still preventing me
from humiliating myself in public.

   Saturday mornings the girls would get me out of bed early and drag me
half asleep to the couch.  There I would lie down and they would lie on top
of me watching the early morning cartoons.  At 8:30 everyone would eat
breakfast, get dressed and take Meghan and Molly to their soccer games.

   If Colleen and the girls had not been there to prop me up, suicide would
have been an attractive option.

   About three weeks after I had arrived in San Miguel, I came home to find
a large manila envelope lying on the dining room table.  The return address
was for the attorneys in Chicago.  I opened it and inside were two other
envelopes.  One was an empty envelope that was already stamped and
addressed to the attorneys, obviously meant to be used to return something.
The other envelope was thick with papers and across the front was hand
written, "Robert, please read this.  PLEASE!" I recognized it immediately
as Barbara's handwriting.  I stared at it, studying it for several minutes.
Without opening the envelope, I tore it in half and put the pieces into the
return envelope, sealed it and took it out to the mail box for the postman
to pick up the next morning.

   I continued to sleepwalk through my days and nights.  Colleen did
everything she could to draw me out of my emotional coma.  The best part of
the day was when she would kiss me on the cheek in the morning as I went
out the door, or when the girls hugged me good night before bed.  But for
the most part the emotional numbness had taken over my life.

   One Monday morning six months after leaving Chicago, Miss Jennings
brought a FedEx man into my office saying that I had to sign for the
package personally.  After signing, the deliveryman said that his
instructions were to wait until I had signed the papers and return them.

   I opened the package and inside was the final divorce papers.  I signed
in the marked places and handed them back the FedEx guy.  He stuffed them
into another envelope, turned and left.  It took less than ten minutes and
four years of marriage to Barbara was over.

   Six days later on Saturday morning, the doorbell rang and outside was
another FedEx delivery from the attorneys.  I signed for the package and
went out back onto the deck.  I sat on the glider and watched Meghan and
Molly as they played in the yard.  Finally I gathered what strength I had
and opened the package.  Inside was my copy of the final divorce papers
signed by Barbara, the judge and myself.  Also included was a check for my
portion of the community property settlement.  My marriage to Barbara was
now officially over and the four-year investment for me had a monetary
value of exactly $7,827.59.

   I was lost in my own private misery when I felt something next to me. 
Meghan and Molly were standing mere inches away, holding hands and just
watching me.  Meghan sat next to me and put her arms around me.  Molly
crawled up into my lap and put her arms around my neck.  She quietly said.
"I love you Uncle Bobby," then lay her head on my chest.

   A second later another pair of arms went around me from behind and I
heard Colleen's voice whisper in my ear.  "And I love you too Bobby, we all
love you."

   After several moments Colleen stood up, kissed me on the top of my head
and said, "Girls, would you mind going into the house for a little bit?  I
need to talk to Uncle Bobby."

   A quick squeeze from the girls then they hopped, skipped and jumped into
the house as Colleen replaced Meghan on the glider next to me.  She hooked
her arm through mine and pulled me closer until we were leaning against
each other.  She took the papers out of my hands, looked them over then set
them aside.  We sat quietly before she spoke.

   "When Bill died, I wanted to die too.  I couldn't see any reason for
going on.  And then Dad died.  The only thing that kept me here was the
girls...and you.  I must have sat holding the girls for hours; I couldn't
bear to have them away from me.  And you, you called me what...three...four
times a day?  You have no idea what that meant to me.  I know what it means
to lose someone you love.  I think loosing someone to death is probably
easier to deal with than what you've lost because I know that Bill loved
me. Do you remember what you said to me...oh, must have been a couple of
months after Dad died?"

   "No, I don't."

   "You said, 'Colleen, you will always love Bill and Dad and it hurts to
lose someone.  You must remember everything about them, the good and the
bad, but we love you and it is time to let go...' Bobby, it's time for you
to let go."

   For the first time since that day at the hospital with Barbara, I cried.
It was as though a giant festering emotional wound had erupted and my soul
was pushing all of the poison out.  Colleen sat holding me saying nothing.
She waited patiently until the sobbing of a grown man stopped and I was
able to pull my self together.

   "You're right, I know it's time to let go.  I just loved her so much.  I
don't want her back; I just want to understand why she did it.  I know in
my mind that I did nothing wrong, but emotionally I feel like I failed as a
person somehow...that I failed Barbara...that I failed myself.  But you're
right, I will not let what Barbara did to me ruin the rest of my life. 
I've been using you and the girls as an emotional crutch for too long...I
need to stop free loading off of you, I'll start looking for a place of my
own."

   "You will not.  You'll just sit there alone in some apartment feeling
sorry for yourself and the girls would be devastated if you moved out."
Then she ruffled my hair, "besides, it's nice living with you again without
having the twins around to tease the hell out of us.  When you're ready,
come inside and help me fix lunch."

   John Gordon was right.  It was at that moment that life began to get
better.

   After lunch I took everyone to an afternoon matinee of the new Disney
movie and against Colleen's wishes, treated the girls to buckets of
popcorn, candy and sodas.  During the movie Colleen kissed the back of my
hand and held it in the dark until the credits began to roll.  For the
first time in a very long time, I was having fun.

   That night after the girls were in bed, Colleen and I talked late into
the night, mostly me taking, Colleen listening as I purged my soul of more
emotional poison.  We have always been close, but now I was able to
understand how much our family loved each other.  That simple act of
listening meant more to me than anything anyone has ever done.  Only now
did I realize the importance what I had done for Colleen after Bill died,
and now she was returning that act of love to me.

   After I had gotten into bed and was lying on my back staring at the
ceiling, I heard the door open and watched as Colleen came into the room
walking to the bed.  She lay down next to me on top of the covers and
pulled me close to her.  When I started to say something she just stroked
my face and said quietly, "Sh-sh-sh, just let it go baby." When I awoke in
the morning, she was gone.

   Slowly but steadily my life got back on track.  My harrowing nightmare
existence began to fade, the dreams and mental pictures came less
frequently at night.  I began to interact with the people in the office in
a more personal way.  One day I had Colleen come to the office where I
introduced her around before taking her to lunch.  Later that evening after
the girls were in bed, she had a half smile on her face when she asked why
I hadn't mentioned to anyone that she was my sister.

   "I don't know, it never crossed my mind.  I guess that I'd better
correct that tomorrow."

   "No, that's ok.  It'll be good for the rumor mill to think that Bobby
O'Conner has a girlfriend.  Besides, I haven't been the object of gossip
for a long time."

   I thought about it for a while and realized Colleen had introduced me to
her friends as just plain Robert.  I pointed out to Colleen that she had
not mentioned that I was her brother to the neighborhood, that she done the
same thing I had done.  We started laughing at what a scandal we must be in
the neighborhood, that nice widow woman with the live-in boyfriend.  We
were laughing so much at what we both had inadvertently done that we had
tears coming down.  Laughter felt good once again.

   When we caught our breaths, Colleen gave me a hug and whispered in my
ear, "Well, I have to admit, I could do a lot worse for a boyfriend." Then
she turned, went to her bedroom, stopping to smile and blow me a kiss
saying, "good night sweetie" before closing the door.

   Life was getting better for me and the memories of my time in Chicago
began to fade.  Colleen and I spent a lot of evenings talking late into the
night.  Conversations that started with "Do you remember when..." and "What
ever happened to..." but always ended with sharing everything that was
important to us.  Colleen told me of how much she missed Bill and Dad, but
was now at peace with the idea of that chapter in her life being closed. 
My thoughts no longer dwelled on Barbara and I tried to express to Colleen
how important Meghan and Molly had become to me.

   I was surprised when Colleen insisted that I accompany her to the
parent-teacher conferences for the girls.  I applauded enthusiastically
after Meghan and Molly sang their solos at the first, and second grade
concert.  Gradually I began to accept Colleen's invitations to participate
in her neighborhood activities.  Our hugs at the front door in the morning
were lasting longer each day.

   It may seem odd, but one of the things that I came to enjoy the most was
grocery shopping with Colleen.  We would walk, or more accurately, stroll
down the aisles pushing the cart, talking about everything and nothing.  If
the girls were with us, they would have to remind us that we had put
nothing in the cart and they were getting hungry.  Many times in public and
when we were at home alone I would glance up to find Colleen looking at me
with her half smile.  She would hold me in her gaze for several moments and
then return her attention to what ever she had been doing.

   But she wasn't the only one.  Unconsciously I would find my attention
drawn to Colleen at unexpected moments, watching her play with the girls or
working in her studio.  My relationship with her was shifting from little
brother and big sister to friends that genuinely care for each other. 
Smiling came much easier me and I found that I had a tendency to whistle as
I walked to the car after work.

   One Friday in late March I came home from work to find Colleen and the
girls loading sleeping bags and duffel bags into the trunk of Colleen's
car.

   "What's going on?  Is someone running away from home?"

   "No Uncle Bobby, we're going to our Gymboree.  Come with Mommy to take
us, please, please, please."

   The girls had been talking about this for weeks.  The Camp Fire Girls
had a weekend campout that was going to take place in the gym of the local
high school.  The campout would last from Friday evening until 10 AM Sunday
morning.  We arrived at six o'clock along with 70 other girls between the
ages of six and twelve and assorted parents and grandparents.  Inside the
gym was an entire village of tents and sleeping bags scattered around.  To
call the scene bedlam would not do it justice.  We got the girls signed in
and found their assigned place with the rest of their troop.  A quick kiss,
a few hugs, a rapid "see you on Sunday" and Colleen I beat a hasty retreat,
barely escaping with our lives.  We agreed that the adults who actually
planned this event and stuck around to supervise the weekend deserved the
Congressional Medal of Honor.

   As we pulled out of the parking lot Colleen said that we needed to stop
at the supermarket and pick up something for dinner.  I looked at her for a
few minutes and said, "Listen, this is the first time since I got here that
we've been able to have an evening alone.  How about I take you out to
dinner, someplace where the food doesn't come in a paper bag with the
picture of a clown on it?"

   Colleen had a faint smile on her lips as she spoke.  "Why Robert
O'Conner, are you asking me out on a date?"

   "Well...yes...I guess I am...that is if you're not busy and it's ok with
you're parents, I'd really like to take you on a date...if you don't
already have a boyfriend."

   "I don't know, I sort of promised Cindy that we might go to the malt
shop together, but sure, I guess we could go out if you're sure you want
to...with me that is.  I know it's ok with my parents."

   "Gosh Colleen, you're just swell."

   We had instantly reverted to that gut wrenching insane insecurity
everyone has in junior high and we continued joking in this manner as we
decided where to eat.  We finally settled on the Shanghai Garden, a small
neighborhood Chinese restaurant at the edge of downtown.  After parking the
car at the curb, I walked around, opened the door and held out my hand to
help Colleen out of the car.  When she was out of the car I held on to her
hand and asked, "Would it be alright if I hold your hand for a while?"

   She gave my hand a squeeze and said, "Sure.  Just remember, I don't kiss
on the first date." I didn't reply, but gave her a quick peck on the cheek
then we walked down the block to the restaurant.

   It was much warmer than usual for March.  Colleen was wearing a thin
jersey knit black top.  It was sleeveless with a scoop neck, low enough to
show the smallest possible view of her cleavage and emphasized the full
roundness of her breasts.  She wore a khaki colored skirt that stopped
inches above her knees; modest but still short enough to show the beautiful
shape of her thighs.  It was snug enough around her hips to be flattering
without making her look like a streetwalker.  Her legs were bare and she
had on a pair of sandals that consisted of a sole and a couple of thin
straps.

   It was early in the evening so we were the first patrons for dinner. 
The waiter was showing us to our table, Colleen following the waiter and me
following behind, watching Colleen, when I had a heart stopping epiphany.

   My sister has a fantastic ass.

   This realization threw me for a loop.  That mental picture of her ass
made it difficult for me concentrate on what to select for dinner from the
menu.  Eventually we did order something and began to eat.  We talked about
what we thought the girls were doing right then and whether or not the
troop leaders were still sane, or were they ever sane to begin with.  We
talked about my work and what illustration projects Colleen had going at
the moment.  We discussed what was on the upcoming schedule for Meghan and
Molly.  All through this we kept our private joke running about our first
date.  After we finished eating, we were waiting for the waiter to bring us
coffee when Colleen reached across the small table, placed her hand on top
of mine and left it there.

   When we were completely finished and the bill paid, we walked out of the
restaurant still holding hands.  Out on the sidewalk I asked, "it's still
early, want to catch a movie?  We could see something for grown-ups this
time."

   "I'm sorry Bobby, but tonight is too nice to waste it sitting in a dark
room staring at lights on the wall.  Let's just walk for a while."

   We casually walked along the sidewalk with no particular destination in
mind, talking or stopping to look in the shop windows, completely oblivious
to the fact that we were still holding hands.  Out of the corner of my eye
I could see Colleen's breasts gently sway underneath her top as we walked.
When we stopped to look in the windows, we stood close to together, the
skin of her arm pressed against mine.  When she would turn to say something
to me, her breast would delicately brush across my arm and cause a strange
feeling to shoot across my chest.  I don't know if it was because of our
joking about dating or what, but tonight I was seeing a completely
different Colleen than the girl I had grown up with as a sister.  I was
starting to feel more than a little confused and awkward.

   Eventually we found ourselves in front of a bookstore that was still
open and we went in to browse around.  Several times I looked up to find
Colleen gazing in my direction with that half smile she uses when she is
happy.  We finished up by buying a bunch of paperbacks for ourselves, and a
couple of volumes of the Nancy Drew Mystery series that the girls had not
read yet.  By the time we pulled up in the driveway at home, I looked down
at my watch; it was only 9:45.  We walked up to the front door where we
quietly continued acting out the big finish to our date.  I held both of
Colleen's hands in mine and tried to look at her face but for some reason
the only thing I could focus on was her lips.

   "Golly gosh gee whiz, I had a super-duper time Miss Colleen, I hope that
you will let me take you out again sometime."

   Colleen has this way of laughing quietly that is so intimate you can
only hear it if you are right next to her.  She pulled me close and softly
said, "I think that can be arranged." She pulled my head closer and
whispered, "I told you I don't kiss on the first date but tonight I feel
like breaking that rule."

   She put her arms around me and kissed me full on the lips, a kiss that
was tender and loving and held the promise of something I couldn't
comprehend.  I held her in my arms and was lost in the love I felt for this
woman.  After several minutes she pulled her head back and asked, "Do you
have a curfew?  Would you like to come in for awhile?"

   "What about your parents, will they approve?"

   "They're already in bed, and they won't know if we're really, really
quiet."

   "Ok, as long as we won't get into trouble or anything."

   Again Colleen smiled, then opened the door and we went inside.  She went
into the kitchen and started making us some tea while I sat on the sofa in
the living room skimming through the books we had just bought.  She brought
out two mugs, set them on the coffee table then sat next to me.  We didn't
say anything for a while then Colleen turned to look at me.

   "Bobby, all kidding aside, I want you to know that I haven't had this
much fun in a very long time.  I haven't had a date since before Bill died
and I just want to say thank you.  Tonight has been very special for me."

   "I know what you mean.  These last eight or nine months, I feel like
I've been to hell and back.  I never would have made it if it weren't for
you and the girls.  Tonight is the happiest I've ever been in my life...you
know, I really do love you."

   "I know Bobby, I love you too."

   Colleen placed her hand along the side of my jaw, leaned in and kissed
me again full on the lips.  She pulled her head back as we looked at each
other in the eyes.  This time, I leaned over and kissed her, but now all
pretense was gone.  Our arms wrapped around each other as the kiss grew in
intensity, becoming an act of passion trying to feed a desperate hunger. 
Somewhere along the line our mouths had opened and our tongues began a
dance that was millions of years old.

   After what seemed like an eternity that lasted only a few minutes, I
broke out of Colleen's grasp and slid down to kneel on the floor in front
of her.  I looked up into her face to see that she was breathing heavy, her
breasts rising and falling with each breath.  At that moment I began to
feel like I was having an out body experience, as though I was standing
over in a corner watching myself.

   Kneeling in front of her, I slid my hands slowly up the outside of
Colleen's thighs.  When they reached the hem of her skirt, I gently pushed
it up her legs until it reached her crotch where it exposed the tiniest bit
of her panties.  I could see a large wet spot on her panties between her
legs when I leaned forward and began to gently kiss the tops of her thighs.

   "BOBBY!  WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

   I looked up into her face and saw a glazed look in her eyes and she was
biting her lower lip.  By now I no longer had any conscious control over
what I was doing.  I was on automatic pilot and found it hard to actually
form words.

   "I think I'm going to fuck my date."

   We were frozen there, staring at each other, uncertain of what to do. 
After several moments, Colleen spread her legs apart, as wide as she could
get them.  This forced her skirt all the way up around her hips, exposing
her pubic area and lower stomach.  At the same time she placed her hand
behind my head and gently pulled it forward until my face was pressed
against her panties.

   I could make out the faint shadow of her pubic hair that was trapped
behind sheer pale lavender panties.  I began to slowly and gently rub my
face against the silky thin material.  Each time my lips got to the top I
would give a small kiss or a lick on her skin above the waistband.  I moved
my face further down and started to lick and suck directly between her
legs. I placed my open mouth directly onto her pussy and began sucking the
juice that was soaking the material.  It seemed as though the more I sucked
and swallowed, the more the wetness flowed out of her.

   I felt Colleen moving around and raised my eyes to look up at her.  She
had removed her top and was grasping her breasts in her hands.  She wore a
matching bra made of the same thin material and I could see the dark
circles surrounding her nipples.  She had a frantic expression on her face
and was rolling her head around on the back of the sofa.  Her body gave a
small shiver then she reached down, placed both hands on the side of my
head and pulled my mouth away from her.

   "Bobby...stop...stop."

   She stood up, pulling me with her.  She was directly in front of me,
looking me in the eye when she spoke.  "You are most certainly not going to
fuck your date." Then she leaned in and whispered, "But you will definitely
make love to your sister all night long."

   She walked away from me and down the hall to her bedroom.  Her skirt was
still up around her hips and I watched her gorgeous ass it twitched from
side to side.  The bouncing movement of her panty covered cheeks was
breathtaking.

   I paused for only a moment before sprinting behind her into the bedroom.
A bedside lamp was on and she was standing in the middle of the room by the
time I had entered.  There was a bemused smile on her lips as she watched
me desperately ripping the clothes from my body.  When I was done she
didn't say anything, just pointed to the side of the bed where I sat down.
She reached behind and undid the clasp on her bra.  She leaned forward
slightly and shrugged her shoulders, letting the straps slide down her arms
before falling to the floor, allowing her breasts to sway freely.

   She stood there bare breasted, her skirt up around her waist and her
panties just barely big enough to cover her pubic area.  A few stray hairs
were sticking out above the waistband and between her legs at the crotch.
She reached behind again, this time undoing the button and lowering the
zipper on the skirt.  She gave it a small push and it fell to the ground on
its own.  She stepped out of it and kicked it aside.

   I had never thought of my sister as a sexual being other than to
acknowledge the fact she had given birth to the two sweetest nieces in the
world.  Nothing in any fantasy of mine could compare with what stood in
front of me.  Colleen was erotic and sexy and earthy and sophisticated and
loving and warm and desirable all at the same time.  So much so, that I was
having trouble breathing.  She was a million times more beautiful than
anything I could have ever imagined and I was starting to get dizzy.

   My sister, the head cheerleader, my best friend, was standing before me
with a contented smile on her face.  Most women look better naked than
clothed but I was not ready for this.  Her skin was flawless.  It was
smooth in texture and creamy in color.  The only mark was a small dime
sized birthmark on her right hip just above the panty line.

   Colleen's waist was slightly thicker than it had been in her
cheerleading days and her hips softy flared out and down to her full
thighs. Even after giving birth to two children there was not a single
stretch mark to be found anywhere.  Her stomach was flat from the bottom of
her breasts all the way down until it reached her mons.  She was all soft
curves without crossing the line into chubby.

   Her breasts were large and round.  Nursing the girls had only added a
fullness to them that I had never noticed before.  They were not the huge
medical oddities I had seen in pictures that gave some women a certain
bovine quality.  They were in proportion to her body and hung down because
of their weight.  The nipples were wide and long, and very hard from
excitement.  The only two words I could think of at that moment were "ripe"
and "succulent."

   I put my hands on her hips and pulled her forward.  Once again I started
to rub my face against her panties.  She held me there for a moment then
stepped back and put her hand under my chin, lifting my head to look up at
her.  She began speaking in a quiet and very serious voice.

   "Bobby, we need to talk.  I have already lost one lover in my life and I
will not go through that again.  If we do this, we are no longer brother
and sister; we will be lovers and nothing on this earth will be able to put
things back the way they were.  If you later decide to move on to some
other woman I won't be able to take it.  Once this is done, you have to
understand that we are both in it for the long haul...the very long haul.
If you're not ready for that, we have to stop right now."

   I could hardly get the words out of my mouth.  "Stop loving you?  I
don't think so.  If by long haul you mean the next fifty or sixty years,
then I'm in.  I have always loved you, even when I was a baby.  I just
didn't know how much until tonight.  I have never been happier than I am
right now.  If I learned anything from Barbara, it was the meaning of
commitment.  I promise I will never leave you...or cheat on you...and
never...ever...do anything to hurt you."

   The smile on Colleen's face spread from ear to ear as she leaned forward
until our noses were touching.  "Good.  I'm glad you feel that way because
if I catch you so much as looking at another woman I will cut your dick off
and feed it to the ducks."

   "Jesus, you drive a hard bargain.  Is it too late to back out?"

   "Yes, it is."

   "Well ok then...I guess I can live with that."

   She took another step back and paused.  She pushed her panties down her
legs, stepped out of them and tossed them over her shoulder into the
corner. I had never known how erotic and sensual the simple act of removing
a pair of panties could be.  I thought my eyeballs were going to explode.

   She held her arms out to the side and struck a model's pose.  "This is
it Bobby.  This is what you get...this is what a soccer mom looks
like...last chance to change your mind.  Do you still want to do this?"

   There was not a snowball's chance in hell that I would change my mind.
No soccer mom, or any other woman in the world could look as good as she
did.  I wanted to shout with joy, secure in the knowledge that I was going
to see this every day for the rest of my life.  I would sooner die than
give up what I was feeling right then.

   There is one genetic thing about Colleen that I have never been able to
understand.  The hair on her head is golden blonde.  I know it's natural
because I have lived with her for most of her life.  But her eyebrows and
eyelashes, and as I could now clearly see, her pubic hair are a deep dark
brown.  The effect in contrast to her smooth creamy skin was arresting. 
The thick mass of dark hair created an inverted triangle, forming an arrow
that pointed down between her legs.

   I tried to speak, to tell her how much I loved her but the words came
out as a soft gurgling sound.  She laughed in her quiet way and said, "I'll
take that as a yes," and gave me a kiss on the lips.

   Colleen crawled up onto the bed and arranged the pillows at the
headboard.  She lay back and spread her legs wide.  She looked at me and
said simply, "it's time Bobby." I moved until I was kneeling between her
legs, looking down where they joined together.

   Colleen always shaves her underarms and legs, and the skin felt like
satin.  But she has never shaved her pussy.  The hair continued between her
legs and her swollen pussy lips poked through making it look like two black
stripes that slowly faded out by the time it reached her ass.  Her clit was
barely visible as it peeked out from under its hood at the top of her slit.
Every new feature of her body that I was discovering was more amazing than
the last.  My dick was like an iron bar and my brain was trying to pump
more blood into it.  If I dropped dead right then, I would die a happy man.

   I stroked the insides of her thighs once or twice then leaned forward to
taste the sweetness of the juice I could see dripping out of her.  Before I
could get close enough to do that she put both hands on the sides of my
head and pulled me up over her until we were face to face.  She reached
down between us and brought the head of my cock up until it was touching
the lips at the opening of her cunt.

   "Baby, you will get plenty of chances to taste that, but right now I
need your cock inside of me."

   She let go of my cock, placed her hands on my hips and slowly but firmly
pulled me forward until I was buried as deep as I could go.  We fit
together like the first two pieces of a puzzle that had finally found each
other.  I could feel the muscles in her cunt grasping, holding on to me,
trying to swallow my dick even further.  She was wet and hot and tight
inside.  Not so tight that I had trouble going in but tight enough that if
she kept flexing her cunt like that I would orgasm instantly.  The only
sound that either one of was capable of making was that low inarticulate
moan of pleasure that only lovers can make when they first join together.

   We lay there without moving, not speaking, my cock deep inside my
sister. The feeling was glorious and I was afraid that I would awaken from
a dream and loose all of this.  I dropped my head down and began to kiss my
way up the side of her neck until my lips reached her ear.  Even though we
were the only people in the house, what we were experiencing was so
intimate that we could only whisper to each other.

   "Colleen, you feel wonderful."

   "I know baby, but please, just fuck me.  I've needed you for so long."

   "My God, I can't believe how wet you are."

   "All for you baby, all for you.  Now shut up and fuck me before I go
crazy."

   I pulled back until I was almost out, then slowly pushed forward to be
inside of her again.  The inside of her sheath felt like velvet that had
been soaked in warm oils.  Her hands were still on my hips and she began
pulling on them, helping me set our rhythm.  She would grunt at the end of
each stroke and sigh as I pulled back.  She planted her feet flat on the
mattress to use her legs as leverage to push her hips up to meet each of my
downward strokes.  Soon we began to pickup speed and she started to whisper
frantically in my ear.

   "Oh god this is good...please don't ever stop fucking me...dear god I
love you so much."

   I don't know if we were pumping against each other for five minutes or
five hours, all we knew was that we couldn't stop.  We were going faster
and faster until we were thrashing around uncontrollably on the bed.

   Suddenly Colleen arched her back and her eyes rolled back in her head.
Her body started to convulse then she snapped forward, throwing her arms
and legs around me.  She held on to me as tight as she could and began
sobbing as the orgasm overtook her.  She was practically screaming, "Oh
God...yes...do it...put your cum inside me...put it inside."

   At that moment my own orgasm exploded and my balls began to pump all of
the pent up semen out the end of my dick and into her waiting pussy.  Her
cunt muscles were flexing, trying to swallow every last drop I could give
her.  The feeling was so intense that while Colleen was sobbing, I was
still pumping and gave out one last low moan of pleasure when I was
completely drained.

   We finally let go of each other and collapsed on to the bed, lying on
our backs looking up at the ceiling.  Colleen reached over and grasped my
hand, squeezing it as hard as she could.  After several minutes she
whispered, "I feel like I've just been hit by a freight train.  Sweet Jesus
that was good." She turned on her side and propped her head up on her arm
and looked at me.  I turned my head to look back at her.

   "That was fucking amazing," I said.

   "Damn right it was." She began planting soft kisses on my face and neck
and lips.  She reached down to hold onto my cock using slow sensual strokes
and whispered, "we are going to be doing a lot more of that...one hell of a
lot more."

   I pulled her closer to me and started returning her kisses.  "My god,
why didn't we do this years ago?"

   "Because we would have been arrested.  But now that we've started, I
have no intention of ever stopping.  How soon can we do it again?"

   "Jesus woman, give me a break.  I need to get my heart rate back to
normal before I have a stroke."

   "Ok, but don't take too long, just remember what I'm holding on to.  I
wouldn't want anything to get hurt while I'm waiting."

   "For a sister you can be very demanding."

   "I know, that's why you love me.

   She gave me a deep kiss and tried to shove her tongue past my tonsils.
She gently laid her head on my chest and kept sliding her hand up and down,
squeezing my cock.  We lay quietly with my arms around her, slowly stroking
her back.  I was about to drift off to sleep when I felt Colleen moving
around.  I opened my eyes to see her with her head raised, smiling and
watching my face.

   "What?" I asked.

   She said nothing, but slid sideways and rolled on to her back.  She
spread her thighs wide again and said, "I'm ready."

   I rolled over and lay on top of her, my hips falling between her legs.
This time Colleen did not have to guide me, my cock knew how to find its'
way back home.  We quickly found our rhythm, slow and steady that seemed to
go on forever.  No words were spoken, only our grunts and groans, the
involuntary reactions to physical pleasure.  At last Colleen started to
throw her hips hard and fast up against mine.  She began chanting, "oh
god...oh fuck yes...oh fuck I'm coming...I'm coming..." She twitched all
over then went rigid.  Her cunt clamped down and started sucking on my cock
as my balls began pushing more sperm into her.

   When we were done, we rolled over until we were lying on our sides, our
arms wrapped around each other, my cock still inside of her and fell
asleep.

   I was dragged back to consciousness when I felt Colleen shifting around
on the bed.  I opened one bleary eye to see that the bedside lamp was still
on, making everything on the bed visible but leaving the rest of the room
in shadows.  I turned my head and opened the other eye.  Colleen was
kneeling by my hips, one hand holding my balls, gently squeezing and
rolling them around.  Her other hand was methodically sliding up and down
my cock.  She looked at me with that half smile she has and said,
"sh-h-h-h...I'll take care of everything."

   My hips began a rocking motion on their own that matched her strokes. 
When my body had pumped enough blood into my cock to make it hard, Colleen
raised one leg and straddled me.  She held my cock straight up and lowered
herself until her pussy lips were touching the tip.  She let go and lowered
herself the rest of the way until I was buried inside her, deeper than I
had been before.  Her eyes were unfocused and her breathing was heavy.  She
was sitting straight up, rocking her hips back and forth, pressing her clit
against me as my cock massaged the inside of her cunt.  I could feel her
juice is it flowed out of her around my cock and down on to my balls.

   She leaned forward until she rested her hands on either side of my head.
She slowly moved her shoulders causing her to tits sway directly above my
face.  Using one hand, she took one of the breasts and held it to my mouth.
Both of my hands came up to hold the breast in place as my lips opened to
suck it in.  Up until this moment I had neither touched nor tasted her
breasts.

   It was divine, I couldn't get enough of them.  My head began moving
frantically back and forth between them, kissing, and licking and sucking
on the nipples while my hands were rubbing and squeezing what I couldn't
get into my mouth.

   Colleen began to pump her hips up and down on my cock.  When she started
to moan, I put my hands on her hips trying to pull her down harder on each
stroke.  Without warning, my balls exploded forcing another stream of cum
into my sister.  As soon as she felt my cock pulsing, her own orgasm
started, forcing a long extended moan out of her throat.  She collapsed on
top of me and lay on my chest.

   Colleen wasn't kidding when she said that I would make love to my sister
all night long.  We did it two more times that night, and after the last
time, I looked over at the clock that said it was 5:10 in the morning
before we both passed out.

   When I awoke, I sat up, confused, trying to figure out exactly why I was
in Colleen's bed.  Then the memories of what we had been doing for the last
eighteen hours came rushing back.  I fell back on to the pillows and lay
smiling up at the ceiling.  I looked around and saw that Colleen was not in
the room but I could hear faint noises coming from the direction of the
kitchen.  I got up and without putting any clothes on, headed down the
hall.

   I thought that I would never see anything as erotic as Colleen had
looked the night before, but I was wrong.  I was to soon discover that the
most erotic vision will always be the next time I see Colleen.  When I
stepped into the room, my sister the head cheerleader was completely naked,
standing at the counter with her back to me, pouring two cups of coffee. 
Her magnificent ass was directly in front of me and I could see the side of
one of her breasts when it would sway into my line of sight.

   I stepped behind her putting my arms around her waist and kissed her on
the cheek.  I pulled her close to me and slid my hands up until they
cradled both breasts.

   "Hey watch it, this coffee is hot."

   "Sorry, I couldn't resist.  Did I ever tell you what a great looking ass
you have?"

   "No you didn't." She took one of my hands off of her breast and moved it
down until it rested on the thick mass of her pubic hair.  She kept her
hand on top of mine, forcing the fingers between the lips and setting a
very slow rhythm of movement.  "Is there any thing else about me I should
know?"

   "That I love you."

   "Yeah, I think you did say something about that last night.  By the way,
you should know I feel the same was about you." She turned, put her own
arms around me and gave me a kiss on the lips.  She handed me one of the
cups and picked up the other before taking my hand, pulling me with her
towards the dining room.  "Come here.  I need to get some coffee into me
before I start breakfast."

   We set the cups on the table and then did something that we were
destined to repeat a thousand times in the future.  With neither of us
wearing any clothes I sat down on a dinning room chair.  Colleen turned
sideways and sat on my lap with her arm around my neck.  A kiss on the
cheek and she rested her head on my shoulder.

   There is a certain kind of silence that only lovers can experience. 
There is nothing that can compare to the quiet comfort that comes from two
bodies at rest against each other, skin on skin.  We sat there in the now
mid-afternoon, holding each other in silence, sipping our coffee.  We were
so focused on each other that we had no concept of the passage of time.

   Colleen finished her coffee and set the cup back on the table.  She
kissed me on the forehead then leaned back to look me in the face.  "Bobby,
we need to talk."

   "Uh-oh, this doesn't sound good."

   "I don't know if it is or not."

   There was an uncertainty, almost a sadness in her voice as she spoke. 
"Last night was the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me.  I
loved Bill passionately and the sex with him was fantastic, but what we did
goes beyond anything I have ever experienced.  I was a virgin the day I got
married and you are only the second person I have made love to.  For the
last couple of weeks, every time you kiss me good bye at the door, you
leave me so wet that I have to run and change my panties so the girls won't
smell anything.  I loved you before, but right now I'm almost scared at how
much more I love you.  I don't ever want anything to come between us.  I'm
going to give you one last chance to change your mind.  We can keep the
memory of last night and go back to being brother and sister if that is
what you want."

   "You have got to be joking.  I made my choice last night and there in
nothing on God's green earth that can change my mind.  The very thought of
living here in this house with you, or any where on this planet and not
being able hold you like this for the rest of my life is so terrifying I
can't think straight.  You said it last night, I agreed and I still stand
by it, we are both in this for the long haul...honey, why are you crying?"
Colleen's eyes were wet and her lower lip was quivering.

   "Because I was afraid I might loose you," she whispered.

   "Oh no sweetheart, your problem is going to be how to get rid of me. 
Besides, you have a lot more body parts I need to examine and tell you
about."

   "Thank you."

   She thew her arms around me so hard it almost knocked us both out of the
chair.  After a few minutes Colleen was able stop sniffling and regained
her composure.  She stood up and said, "If we're going to repeat anything
of what we did last night, we need to get some food.  What would you like
to eat?"

   "Actually, I was hoping it would be you."

   "Good Lord, you are incorrigible.  Is it going to be like this for the
rest of our lives?"

   "Pretty much, yes."

   "Good, I wouldn't have it any other way." Colleen gave me one of her
sunshine smiles.  "I mean it this time, what would you like to have for
breakfast?"

   "I don't care, anything quick and simple.  But I wouldn't try cooking
bacon dressed like that if I were you."

   Colleen gave me a cheerful laugh and a slap to the back the head then
went into the kitchen.  After eating, we spent the rest of the day doing
nothing, just being lazy, not once giving any thought to putting clothes
on. We talked, we read, we watched a movie on TV, we danced nude to Sinatra
singing Cole Porter tunes.  I think I might have given the old lady across
the street a heart attack when I went out to get the newspaper off of the
porch.  As the sun was starting to set, turning everything that kind of
amber color that only a sundown can do, Colleen was lying in the middle of
the living room floor moaning in ecstasy while I was furiously pumping more
sperm into her.

   After that we went to the kitchen for more nourishment and headed back
to the bedroom to pick up from where we left off the night before.  Colleen
lay down on the bed and propped her head up with the pillows.  She spread
her legs wide and said, "I believe you said something about eating..."

   No matter how many times I see it or taste it, I am always dumbstruck by
how wonderful Colleen's pussy is.  The hair is dark and thick and feels
like silk.  When she gets excited the flesh between her legs swells up
forcing the slit to open ever so slightly, allowing her juice to leak out.
The clit starts to escape from its hiding place and sits there like a big
pink button coming out of the hair.

   I leaned forward and began kissing, nibbling, nipping at the lips of her
cunt.  Using the flat of my tongue I gave long, wide strokes along the
length of her inner lips, stopping occasionally to push it inside as far as
it could go.  When she started the quivering motion that I now knew was the
beginning of her orgasm, I moved to the top of her slit and took the clit
between my lips.  I pulled it in, sucking it like a nipple, massaging it
with my tongue.  I opened my mouth wide and tried to cover as much of her
pussy as possible, sucking and swallowing all of her juice.  Colleen put
her hands against the back of my head to push my mouth even harder against
her as her thighs clamped around my head.  She suddenly pulled me up until
I lay on top of her.

   "Oh god Bobby, get your dick inside me quick.  I need to feel your cum."

   I always obey my older sister.

   We were slamming against each other for only a couple of minutes when we
screamed out together the arrival of another freight train orgasm.  My
balls are only average sized, but they should have been the size of
grapefruits for the amount of sperm they were producing.  It completely
filled Colleen's womb and started a back-flow out around my cock and was
oozing down her ass on to the sheets.  The major waves of pleasure had
stopped and my balls were still pumping out thick cream.

   When everything had subsided we lay still with my cock still inside of
her, hoping that the moment would never end.  I held most of my weight on
my elbows and dropped my head to whisper in Colleen's ear.

   "You realize of course that I am living out every boy's fantasy."

   "What, every guy wants to screw his sister?

   "Not that fantasy, the other one."

   "Which is...?"

   "I am the high school freshman geek that gets to fuck the head
cheerleader."

   "Hey, the only reason I let you do that is because you promised to
respect me in the morning."

   "Sweetheart, what I feel for you goes way beyond respect."

   "I haven't led a cheer in years, but if that makes you drop your socks,
I just might have to take it up again."

   We couldn't match our record from the night before and were physically
capable of doing it only two times before falling asleep for the night.

   I woke up the next morning to find that we were spooned against each
other; Colleen was behind me with her cheek resting on my shoulder blade
and her arm around my waist.  After several minutes her arm casually
drifted down until her hand rested on my dick and started to squeeze and
pull.  I rolled on to my back to give her better access and she lay her
head on my chest.  Just as things were starting to get serious, she let go
and sat up.

   "Ok bub, time to get up."

   "I am up."

   "Not that kind of up, get out of bed."

   "WHAT!  What I supposed to do about this?" I pointed down to my rock
hard cock that was standing straight up.

   "Don't you dare touch that.  Just think about it all day, that will make
it twice as good tonight."

   "So there's going to be a tonight?  I like the sound of that."

   "Get a move on.  We've got a lot to do."

   "What could we possibly have to do at..." I looked over at the clock,
"oh Christ it's only 7:30 in the morning."

   "We have to pick up the girls by 10 and we need get the house in shape
before they get back.  I don't want the girls coming back with the house
smelling like a bordello."

   "And exactly how is it that my two nieces know what a bordello smells
like."

   Standing, Colleen reached down and cupped her pussy.  "If you expect to
see or touch this any time in the near future, you'll get your ass out of
that bed by the time I count to 3.  1...2...ok that's better."

   "You can be such a tyrant at times."

   "I know sweetie." She bushed the hair back from my face and kissed me on
the lips.  "We'll start with a shower.  You're starting to get a little
ripe."

   I lifted my arm and took a whiff.  "Don't know what you're talking
about, fresh as a daisy here.  You in the other hand..."

   Laughing, she took my hand and pulled me into the bathroom.  It was a
good thing that Colleen had started us so early because the shower took
much longer than it should have.  Showering with Colleen was definitely
going on to my list of things to repeat.

   We got the house in order, changed the sheets on the bed and opened the
widows to air out the bedroom.  To be honest, it was smelling a little
rank. We arrived at the high school with five minutes to spare.

   We got the girls signed out, collected up their gear and all the crafts
projects, said good-bye to their friends ("see you at school tomorrow"),
loaded up the car and headed for home.  Meghan immediately leaned over the
back of the seat and said, "Mom, how come you're smiling so much?"

   Colleen shot me a quick glance, wiggled her eyebrows and replied, "Uncle
Bobby told me a funny story."

   "Goody, tell us the story Uncle Bobby."

   Colleen watched me with a grin as I struggled to come up with an answer
to that one.

   "I can't.  It's a grown up story and little girls aren't allowed to hear
it."

   "OK...Mom, Brittany is going to get a pony and she said we could come to
her house and see it, is that all right?"

   "Sure, I'll call her mom and make arrangements," she said, then leaned
over and whispered, "Nice save."

   All the way through lunch, the rest of the afternoon and then dinner,
Colleen and I were treated to a constant stream of consciousness
description of every activity they did, every craft they made, every song
they sang and everything their friends did.  By the time they were done, we
were as exhausted as the girls.  By 7 that evening Meghan and Molly were
sound asleep on the sofa.  We picked them up and carried them to their
bedroom.  You haven't lived until you've tried to put pajamas on to a limp
child.

   We watched a little TV, waiting for several hours to guarantee that the
girls were not going to wake up until the morning then went to bed
ourselves.  Colleen was right, thinking about it all day did make it that
much more intense.  This time we both had to bite the pillows to silence
our moaning and screaming.  The next day I would have to move the bed and
headboard away from the wall.

   The next morning I was rudely woken by Colleen shaking my shoulder. 
"Bobby, wake up.  You have to get out of here."

   "Why?"

   "Because you can't be in here when the girls get up."

   Ok, ok, ok, ok, I'm up."

   I went in to the kitchen to start the coffee while Colleen got the girls
up.  We spent the next hour doing the things we normally do on a Monday
morning in order to get out the door to school and the office.  As I was
heading out the door, Colleen was there as usual to hug and kiss me
good-bye, still wearing her nightgown and robe.  While she was hugging me,
I looked over her shoulder to keep an eye on the girls.  I pulled up the
front of the nightgown and slid my hand down into her panties.  I inserted
two fingers into her hole and wiggled them around, using my thumb to rub
her clit.  I whispered, "Do you realize that we spent thirty-six hours
without a single stitch of clothing on?"

   "Yeah, that was a lot of fun.  We'll have to do it again the next time
the girls are away."

   "Well, you know, they really like getting to see Mom and the twins..."

   "I'll call Mom tonight and see how soon we can arrange something."

   "Maybe we should join one of those nudist society groups."

   "In your dreams buster." She pulled my hand out, gave a small push on my
chest, and said, "We'll finish this tonight.  Now out."

   As I went through the door I called out, "good-bye girls."

   "Good-bye Uncle Bobby."

   I had just sat down at my desk with a cup of coffee when Peterson walked
into my office.  He started to tell me something then stopped and looked at
me.

   "Robert, you look like the village idiot with that grin all over your
face."

   I clasped my hands behind my head and leaned back in the chair.  "Feel
as happy as the village idiot, sir."

   He smiled and said, "Good.  Glad to see things are looking better."

   Right then Miss Jennings walked in and dropped a stack of papers in my
in-box.  Without looking in my direction she said "somebody got lucky this
weekend," then turned and walked away.  Peterson was roaring with laughter
as he followed her out.

   That evening we did our normal weekday routine.  During dinner everyone
discussed their day, told jokes, planned the next day's activities and
created general chaos.  After dinner, the homework was finished early so
there was time for the four us to play a quick game of Candyland before
sending the girls off to bath time and bed.

   Once we were assured that the girls were definitely down for the night,
I was headed to my bedroom when Colleen grabbed my arm and pulled me into
hers.  As she was taking off her clothes she started talking.

   "Bobby we need to talk."

   "I hate it when you start with that phrase."

   "Just shut up and listen.  I've made a decision.  From now on, you're
not going to sleep anywhere except in bed with me.  If you're in the other
room at night I'll go crazy, I want you in here next to me."

   "What about Meghan and Molly?"

   "Think about it for a minute.  They always go to bed before we do and
always get up after we do.  If we're careful they will never know."

   "What about Saturday morning cartoons?"

   She got into bed and pulled the covers up to her neck.  "We have four
more days to figure out the weekends.  So what do you think?"

   It didn't take me long at all to think about it.

   "Ok, on one condition.  You have to promise me that you will never wear
any clothes to bed, nothing, nada, nine, nyet, zilch, zippo."

   She smiled and pulled back the covers to show me the thick bush
surrounding her pussy.  "Deal.  Now get your clothes off and get in here."

   I slid into bed, settled in between her legs and whispered, "I must be
the luckiest man in the world."

   The next two weeks were like a dream come true.  During the day we were
focused on the girls, laughing and telling jokes, crying over skinned knees
and struggling with homework.  The big family project was teaching Molly
how to ride a bike.  Colleen and I followed the schedule closely and had
the most delicious sex every night, most nights more than once.  We were
even able to deal with the Saturday and Sunday morning problem.  Then
disaster struck.

   I was roughly shaken awake by Colleen as she whispered in panic. 
"Bobby, wake up.  You've got to get out of here, and be quiet."

   I rolled over to look at her and was horrified at what I saw.  Meghan
and Molly were sound asleep, dead to the world, lying in the middle of the
bed between Colleen and me.  As quietly as possible, I rolled out of the
bed and onto the floor.  I grabbed my clothes and crawled on my hands and
knees out the bedroom door as fast as I could.

   During breakfast Colleen was so nervous that she kept dropping things
and I wasn't much better.  At the door I asked, "Do you think they saw me?"

   "I don't know, but we have to come up with a better solution.  Now get
going or you'll be late."

   That night after dinner Colleen served us lemon meringue pie for desert,
an unusual treat for the middle of the week.  Just as we were about to take
the first bite, Colleen spoke.  "Girls, we need to have a discussion."
There was a collective sigh from the three of us because we all knew that
what was about to be said was going to be serious.

   "Your Uncle Bobby and I had a talk today.  Bobby feels very badly that
he is taking Molly's room and that Meghan has to share hers, plus Molly's
room is sort of small for a grown up.  So, Bobby has been thinking of
moving to his own home.  I told him that we needed to talk it over with you
girls."

   They immediately erupted in protest.  "NO!  You can't leave; we want you
to stay here."

   "Well, can you help us to think of a better solution?"

   Both of their faces went into a frown as they began to concentrate. 
Suddenly Molly broke into a big grin as she looked first at Colleen and
then at me.  "Uncle Bobby, mommy's bedroom is huge and she has a great big
bed.  Why don't you sleep with her?"

   "I hadn't thought about that.  It sounds like a very good idea, but what
does your mother think?"

   "Mommy, is it ok, can Uncle Bobby sleep with you?"

   "I don't want him to leave either so, yes, I'm willing to give it a try
and see if it works out...as long he promises not to hog the covers."

   "Yay!  You get to sleep with Mommy, Uncle Bobby." Then they both
giggled, "And leave the covers alone or we will come and get you."

   They ran down the hall to gather up Molly's things to move her back into
her own room.  I leaned over and kissed Colleen on the cheek and asked,
"how did you know how to do that?"

   She got that half smile of hers again and said, "Once you become a
parent, these things just come to you."

   So that night I permanently and openly moved into Colleen's bed and made
it our bed.  Molly never said anything, but you could tell that she was
happy to be back in her own room.  Things just kept getting better for
everyone.

   About a month later I woke up to find myself in bed alone with some
awful sounds coming from the bathroom.  I got up and went in to find
Colleen on her knees with her head in the toilet.  I ran to her in a panic
and asked, "Are you ok?"

   "Does it look like I'm ok?  Go away, I don't want you to see this."

   "But..."

   "Just go away...oh god..." This was followed by something very
unpleasant looking spurting out of her mouth.  "GO!"

   I went back and sat on the edge of the bed listening to some violent
retching noises for the next ten minutes.  Finally I heard the toilet flush
and the sound of Colleen gargling with mouthwash.  She came in and sat on
the bed next to me, her face pasty white and her eyes slightly red.

   "Honey, are you Ok?"

   She turned her head and smiled at me.  "Yes, as a matter of fact
everything is fine, it couldn't be better."

   "What happened, what's going on?"

   "Well, let's think here for a minute.  I'm three weeks late with my
period and I've been puking my guts out for the last four mornings.  If I
remember the symptoms correctly from the last two times, there's a fairly
good chance that I'm pregnant."

   "WHAT?  How?  When?"

   "You had better already know the how part, and as to when, it was
probably the first time we did it.  I was ovulating that day and some how I
just felt it, sort of special you know."

   "Are you sure?"

   "I can't be one hundred percent positive until I take the test, but yes,
I'm reasonably sure that we are going to have a baby."

   I sat staring at her with my mouth open for several minutes before she
spoke again.  "Bobby...are you ok, say something."

   I pushed her back on to the bed, spread her legs apart and slammed my
cock into her.  She yelped out, "Bobby...what are you doing...oh
God...Jesus Bobby you're...oh God, oh fuck...don't stop." She put her hands
on my ass, pulling me in and at the same time telling me to go faster and
harder.  I only had to stroke about nine or ten times before both of us
screamed out our release.  We lay there panting and gasping for air.  After
we had calmed down, Colleen turned and looked at me with a shocked
expression on her face.

   "What the hell was that?"

   "If you're not pregnant now, I'm going to make damn sure that you will
be."

   "Does this mean that you're ok with the idea of being a father?"

   "How could you possibly think any thing different?"

   She cuddled in close to me and whispered, "I just need to hear you say
it."

   While Colleen got the girls up and ready for the day, I called the
office to tell them that I would not be coming in.  Together we dropped
Meghan and Molly off at school then stopped at the pharmacy to buy a home
pregnancy kit.  Holding hands we raced into the bathroom.  As Colleen sat
on the toilet and put her hand between her legs to pee on the stick, I
unbuckled my belt and shoved my pants down to my ankles.  When the pee
started, she reached over, grasped my dick and began sliding her hand up
and down.  When she finished, Colleen laid the stick on the counter and
said, "We have to wait for ten minutes."

   I pulled her up by the hand, spun her around and made her bend over the
sink.  Driven by some type of animalistic compulsion, I shoved my cock into
her from behind.  She immediately began pushing back against me, neither
one of us caring if the other one climaxed.  The only thing I wanted was to
leave another load of sperm in my sister's womb.  The screaming of our
orgasms was magnified by the echoes inside the small room.  She turned her
head and looked back over her shoulder, smiled at me and said, "I think
being pregnant is going work out pretty good for me."

   Colleen picked up the stick, looked at it for a second and said one
word.

   "Positive."

   With the urgency of knowing about the pregnancy over, we spent the rest
of the morning in bed making love, slowly, tenderly, passionately.  In the
afternoon we got dressed and I went to pick up the girls while Colleen
phoned the doctor.  She got an appointment for later in the week to have
the official test, but it didn't matter, we already knew.

   We were deliriously happy during those first few weeks.  When she wasn't
looking, I would catch Colleen smiling and slowly rubbing her lower stomach
where our baby was growing.  Our friends and neighbors began to smile when
they looked at us as though they knew something was different.

   By the third month, Colleen was beginning to show and we knew that we
would have figure out some way to let people know.  Since no one in San
Miguel knew that we were brother and sister, we decided to neither hide it
nor broadcast it, but go with a direct response if asked.  Yes, Colleen is
pregnant and we are overjoyed.  Let the rumor mill feed itself...the
live-in boyfriend knocked up that nice widow woman.  As far as the office
was concerned, when Colleen was really showing, I had her come in and pick
me up for lunch.  By the time I got back an hour later, everyone in the
building knew I was going to be a father and Miss Jennings was already
making plans for a baby shower.

   The family however was a different matter.

   Colleen hated maternity clothes, so the only things she would wear were
two pairs of overalls left over from the last time she was pregnant, or a
couple of pairs of track pants with an elastic waist that I had purchased
for her.  When Colleen got big enough that loose clothing couldn't hide it
any longer, we decided it was time to tell the girls.  One night after
dinner, she brought out the lemon meringue pie.

   "Girls, we need to talk."

   Meghan and Molly froze in place; their eyes focused on Colleen, waiting
for the other shoe to drop.

   "You girls are growing up so fast; you're going to be in the second and
third grades next year.  You're just not my little babies anymore.  Uncle
Bobby is at his office all day while you're at school so I'm here alone. 
You know how much I love tiny babies so I was wondering...what would you
think if Mommy had another baby?"

   Both girls squealed and clapped their hands.  "That would be wonderful.
How soon can we get the baby?" Meghan looked over to me then back at her
mother.  "What about Uncle Bobby, he lives here too.  What does he think?"

   "I agree, I think a baby is a wonderful idea."

   "Good.  I'll go clean my room so she can sleep in my room."

   "Will not, she's going to be in my room."

   The girls went into the living room still arguing about where the baby
was going to sleep when Molly ran back in out of breath and yelled, "We
want a sister, bothers are icky," and ran back out.

   I looked at Colleen with admiration.  "You're very good at this."

   "Don't worry, a year from now you'll be able to do this kind of thing in
your sleep."

   The next step was dealing with Mom and the twins.  Every couple of
weeks, Mom or one of the twins, or all of them would drive up from Santa
Teresa and spend the day with us while the kid cousins would wreak havoc
and mayhem together in the back yard.  They were concerned about my well
being after all the shit from Barbara and wanted to make sure everything
was going ok.  Once Colleen was showing, we started coming up with excuses
to keep them from coming to visit.

   By the seventh month, Colleen was as big as house.  Most of the weight
that she gained was all in the front where the baby was.  She had been like
that with Meghan and Molly too.  She looked like a lady who had shoved a
beach ball up under her shirt.

   It had reached the point where we couldn't put off telling Mom and the
twins any longer.  I called Mike and Jimmy and asked them to meet us at
Mom's house the next weekend.  So bright and early on Saturday, we loaded
Meghan and Molly into the car and headed out for Santa Teresa.

   When we pulled up in front of Mom's house, Meghan and Molly had the car
doors open by the time the engine was off.  They flew up the steps and
burst through the front door yelling.  "Grandma, Grandma we're here." I
walked around to the other side to help Colleen get out of the car and saw
Jimmy step on to the porch.  He took one look at Colleen and stuck his head
back in the door and yelled.

   "Mike, get out here, quick."

   Jimmy and Mike watched as their brother and sister, Colleen holding on
to my arm for support, walked up the steps of the house we had all grown up
in.  Their sister who would only dress in the most sophisticated of clothes
was today wearing a pair of navy blue track pants with a white stripe down
the side.  On top was one of my t-shirts and a sweatshirt from college that
was not zipped up because it couldn't stretch far enough to close around
her belly.  She had accessorized her wardrobe by putting on a baseball cap
with the stray ends of her blonde hair sticking out from underneath going
in a dozen different directions.  The last thing she wore was a beatific
smile that made her look like Pintirelli's "Madonna." In plain and simple
terms, Colleen looked beautiful.

   Colleen had to hold on to my arm to get up the eight steps to the porch.
Mike came half way down to meet us and took her other arm to help get her
the rest of the way up.  As we walked past Jimmy I heard him say, "I can't
wait to hear this."

   Once in the living room, Jimmy and Mike, and their wives just stood
staring at Colleen.  Finally Jimmy's wife Mi Lin spoke.  "You've been in
the car for over an hour, you probably need to go to the bathroom and we
can talk when you're done.  Jimmy, go outside and get your mother...and
tell the kids to stay outside."

   Mom came in followed by Mike's daughter Patricia who was now three years
old.  She ran over and held out her arms for me to pick her up.  Mom smiled
at us while everyone else was fidgeting and looking at me.

   "What's so important that the kids need to stay outside?  Where's
Colleen?"

   "Right here Mom, I just went to the bathroom."

   Colleen walked into the room and came to stand next to me, holding my
hand as I held Patricia in my other arm.  Mom took one look at Colleen and
her eyes began to bug out.  She took two steps back and sank down on the
couch, her eyes wide and mouth open staring at Colleen's mid-section. 
After several minutes of deafening silence Mom spoke.

   "Colleen, is there something you would like to tell us?"

   "Mom...Jimmy...Mike...I'm pregnant."

   "I can see that for God's sakes," Mom snapped.  "I'm not blind.  Could
you elaborate?  As in who is the father?"

   "I am."

   There was an audible click as all eyes snapped towards me and jaws fell
even further.  Mike's wife Sharon was the first to recover.  "Excuse me,
what did you just say?"

   "I said, I am the father.  Colleen and I are having a baby...together."

   Everyone looked to watch Mom.  The color in her face had turned white as
she said.  "Oh my God," and placed her head in her hands.  After a long
pause she raised her head back up and shook it hard as though trying shake
things back into place.  Mom took several deep breaths that seemed to calm
her down somewhat and stared wide-eyed at Colleen for several minutes then
asked, "Why?"

   Colleen squeezed my hand a little harder and answered, "Because I love
him."

   Mom looked to me.  "Bobby?"

   "Mom, I love Colleen more than life itself."

   After a long period of silence, Mom gave a sigh of resignation then
stood up.  She came over and put her arms around both of us.  "I don't
understand what is going on here, I just pray to God that you kids know
what you're doing.  I don't want anyone to get hurt.  When is the baby
due?"

   "January 3rd."

   "Your grandfather's birthday, he would be very honored."

   During this time Mike and Jimmy had been whispering to each other,
getting more and more animated.  Finally Mike asked his question.

   "Listen, guys, when did you...um...the first time...the very first
time...uh...you know...first time...um...uh."

   Jimmy finished Mike's question.  "When was the first time you guys did
it?"

   Colleen looked down at her stomach then back at the twins with a smile.
"This March, first time's the charm.  Why do you ask?"

   Jimmy said, "HA!" at the same time Mike exclaimed, "Damn it." Mike
pulled out his wallet, counted out five singles and handed them to Jimmy
who was grinning from ear to ear.  Mom watched this and asked, "What's this
all about?"

   Mike had a sheepish look on his face.  "Oh...well uh, when we were in
high school I bet Jimmy five dollars that Colleen and Bobby were doing it."

   "MICHAEL THOMAS O'CONNER!  That's a disgusting thing to say about you
sister!"

   "Oh come on, Mom.  Until Colleen met Bill, she and Bobby were
practically joined at the hip.  Half the kids in school thought they were
doing it."

   Our mother looked like she was about to have a stroke.

   "JAMES, IS THIS TRUE?"

   Now it was Jimmy's turn to look awkward.  "Yeah Mom, but I didn't. 
Remember, I'm the one that won the bet."

   One of the many things that we have always been able count on from Jimmy
has been his ability to defuse explosive situations, especially when it
came to our parents.  He walked over, put his arms around both Mom and
Colleen and grinned.  "Just relax Mom.  Take a look at Colleen, you can see
how happy she is...and that big doofus brother of mine.  Everything is
going be fine.  Besides, you're going to have one more grandchild to spoil
rotten.  Now where is that casserole you promised?  I'm not leaving here
until I get some." Still grinning he leaned in to me and whispered so that
no one else could hear.  "Do anything to hurt Colleen and I will kill you."

   I knew that he meant it.

   I whispered back to him, "If I ever do any thing to hurt her I'll load
the gun for you myself."

   "Good, just so we understand each other."

   As lunch was started the tension was still there but once Mom showed
signs of accepting the situation, things started to smooth out.  After
lunch, Colleen and Mom, Sharon and Mi Lin stayed in the kitchen talking
about all of the things women talk about when one of them is pregnant.  The
twins and I wandered out to the back to keep an eye on the kids and sat on
the steps of the deck.  Jimmy was watching the kids and didn't look in my
direction.  "You don't have a clue about what you're doing, do you?"

   "Probably not, but Colleen and I have never been happier."

   "Just remember what I said."

   "Don't worry, I will."

   Mike turned his head, looked at me with a serious expression and said,
"Don't ever let Colleen get more than twenty feet from a bathroom or you
will live to regret it."

   That was the last time either Jimmy or Mike said anything about the
pregnancy.

   All too soon it was starting to get dark so we rounded up the girls to
head back to San Miguel.  The girls were buckled in the back and Colleen
and I were standing on the sidewalk saying our good-byes.  Jimmy and Mike
shook my hand and gave Colleen a quick hug then headed back into the house.
Mom gave Colleen a hug that seemed to last forever and finally whispered
something in her ear that made both of them smile and tear up.  Next she
gave me my hug and whispered in my ear.  "I know she's the oldest but she's
my baby, just make her happy."

   "I will Mom, I promise."

   As we pulled away from the house, Colleen reached over and took hold of
my hand.  I glanced over to see a tear trickle down her cheek.

   "What's wrong honey?"

   "I know Mom is upset, but she and the twins are so accepting of us and I
love them so much...we are the luckiest people in the world to have them
for a family.  I don't know what we would have done if they had rejected
us." I didn't say anything, just nodded my head in agreement and tried not
to cry myself.

   By the time we arrived back home it was past the girls bedtime so with
very little fussing we got them tucked in for the night and headed for bed
ourselves.  From the very beginning, Colleen has known how excited I get
watching her take off her panties, so every night, she has performed her
own private strip tease show just for me.  Only now, because she couldn't
bend over with out losing her balance, I had the pleasant task of pulling
down her panties for her.  She has kept her promise to me and never worn
any clothes to bed.

   Once I had gotten her clothes off of her, Colleen sat on the side of the
bed and pulled me by the hips in front of her.  Looking up into my eyes,
she smiled as she began to unbuckle my belt and open my pants.  She pulled
out the waistband of my jockeys and reached inside to take hold of my
erection.  Holding it in place with one hand, she used the other hand to
push the underwear and pants down my legs until they fell to the floor and
left them there.

   My cock was already rock hard and pointing toward the ceiling.  With one
hand she cupped my balls while the other hand was around the base of my
dick.  She held it steady then lowered her head until my cock head was at
the opening of her mouth.  She held it there for only an instant so that I
could feel her warm breath then inserted it the rest of the way and closed
her lips tightly.  She tilted her head until the roof of her mouth was
caressing the tip while her tongue began to massage along the shaft.

   Colleen sat there on the side of the bed with the weight of the baby
resting on her thighs, slowly bobbing her head up and down sucking my cock,
stroking the bottom half with one hand and gently massaging my balls with
the other.  When I began to feel the orgasm build in my balls I leaned over
and said, "Oh god honey, I'm going to cum soon."

   Colleen slowed down and then took her mouth off of my dick.  Looking
into my eyes she said, "I don't understand it, but ever since I got
pregnant I can't get enough of your cum inside me.  It wasn't like this
when I was pregnant with Meghan or Molly but sometimes I feel like I will
go crazy if I can't feel your cum inside my cunt." With that she let go of
me and turned around to crawl up on to the bed.  As she was doing this I
finished taking off my clothes.

   Making love to a woman in the final stages of pregnancy is tricky at
best and damn near impossible at times.  We had stopped using the
missionary position several weeks before and by now the only position that
made Colleen feel comfortable was rear entry, either lying on her side or
on her hands and knees.

   Colleen was on her knees at the very edge of the bed facing away from
me. She pulled all the pillows over then leaned forward, resting her belly
on the pillows, her legs spread.  Her cunt lips were swollen, exposing her
slit.  She was so excited that I could see her juice began to leak out.  I
stepped up behind her and gently stroked between her legs, running my
fingers through the thick mass of hair that covered her pussy.

   Holding her hips I placed the head of my cock at the opening of her cunt
and began to slowly, but steadily slide inside of her.  She let out a soft
moan that only ended when I had reached as far up into her as I could go. I
leaned forward until my chest touched the skin on her back.  I reached
around with both arms below the baby and held her as I began to slowly and
deeply hump in and out of her as she pushed back against me.  I kept a slow
and steady rhythm until I started to the feel the tingle re-build in my
balls.  I began to pick up the pace until I was slamming into her with
everything I had.  I slid my hand down into her pussy hair, wiggling my
fingers around searching for her clit.  At last I found it and held it
between my thumb and forefinger.  When I pinched down and pulled on her
clit, Colleen exploded with her orgasm and the walls of her cunt clamped
down on my cock.  This caused me to go over the top and I began to shake as
I pumped one more load of cum into my sister.

   We rolled sideways and lay there with my cock still inside of her as we
tried to catch our breath.  When my dick had deflated and fallen out,
Colleen scooted up further into the middle of the bed and under the covers.
She held the covers open for me and said, "Baby I'm really tired, let's go
to sleep."

   Because Colleen was so far into the pregnancy and couldn't travel, it
was decided that Thanksgiving would be at our house that year.  Everyone
drove up to San Miguel and arrived early in the morning.  Mike's daughter
Patricia had recently been moved out of her crib and into a real bed, so he
brought it with them for the baby.  Mom, Sharon and Mi Lin commandeered the
kitchen and started fixing the Thanksgiving dinner.  In the end they
prepared enough food to feed a small village.  Mike spent the morning
reassembling the crib while Colleen directed Jimmy and I in bringing down
boxes of baby clothes that were stored in the attic and out in the garage.
The cousins spent the day in the backyard enjoying what would probably be
the last of the mild weather.

   After dinner, the grown ups were in the living room talking and the kids
were roaming who knows where.  Colleen and I were sitting on the sofa
holding hands when Patricia came in and crawled up into my lap.  She gave
me a hug then leaned over and hugged Aunt Colleen.  Next she lay her head
on Colleen's belly and promptly fell asleep.

   Family memories are made from these types of gatherings and often
Colleen and I regret not living closer to Mom and the twins.  Even though
it is only an hour away, it's still too far when you want to just drop by
for a cup of coffee.  But even so, it is also good when everyone packs up
and leaves and quiet returns to the house.

   For a while I was worried that I had developed some type of kinky fetish
about pregnant women.  But after looking around I realized that my
obsession was not pregnant women, just one woman, Colleen.  At the time
half of the women at the office were pregnant, but they did not appeal to
me.  It seemed like the only thing I wanted was to fuck my pregnant sister.
Each time I did, it only intensified the desire to fuck her again.  And,
Colleen wanted me as much I wanted her.

   During the last month of the pregnancy the sex was intense and frequent,
sucking and fucking at least twice every single day.  Sex so strong that it
would make a bald man grow hair.  On more than one occasion Colleen sent
the girls to play with the kids next door so that I could fuck her
senseless before we started to make dinner.  But that is not what I
remember the most about that time in our lives.

   In the evening she would lay on the sofa on her side with her head in my
lap.  We would watch TV or read while the girls lay on the floor in front
of us doing homework or some kind of craft project.  I mastered the art of
holding the book and turning pages while softly stroking Colleen's head or
swollen belly at the same time.  The four of us had become so bound
together as a family that none of us were capable of being in a different
room, separated from the others.  It was these moments of serenity that I
treasure the most.

   After Thanksgiving Colleen began to get tired during the days and needed
to rest.  During the last few weeks she didn't leave the house except to
see the doctor.  She didn't walk any more as much as she waddled around the
house with one hand on her sore back.  When she sat down it took me or both
Meghan and Molly to help her stand back up.  The only clothes she wore were
a thin flannel floor length nightgown and a robe that couldn't close
because her belly was too big.  But she still came to bed in the nude.

   One day I walked into the living room and found Colleen standing in the
middle of the room with an exasperated expression on her face.  She glared
at me and hissed, "This is all your fault...you did this to me.  If this
kid doesn't come out pretty soon, I'm going to reach up in there and yank
it out."

   The girls and I got the house decorated for Christmas, all under
Colleen's careful and explicit...very, very explicit...directions.  This
was the happiest any of us ever been.  Laughing, singing, dancing...yes, at
some point in your life you must slow dance with the woman who is two weeks
away from delivering your child.  There is no greater feeling that any man
can experience.

   At last Christmas Eve came and we had finished the last minute details
to get ready for the next morning.  Meghan and Molly put out the cookies
and milk for Santa and oatmeal for the reindeer.  There was a round of hugs
and we sent the girls off to bed.  At the doorway, the girls stopped and
stood whispering to each other, pointing back to where Colleen and I were
standing.  Finally they walked back to us, Meghan pushing Molly in front of
her saying, "You do it."

   Molly took several deep breaths to screw up her courage, with Meghan
behind her saying, "Go ahead, ask him." Finally she spoke.

   "Uncle Bobby, can we ask you something?"

   I was ready for this.

   I had been planning for weeks, rehearsing my best "Yes Virginia, there
is a Santa Claus" speech.  I had a very well thought out, logical
explanation for the existence of the Christmas spirit.  "Of course
sweetheart, you girls know you can ask me anything."

   The girls looked at each other and back at me.  Then Molly asked.

   "We don't want to call you Uncle Bobby anymore.  Is it OK if we call you
daddy?"

   I was not ready for this.

   I was so stunned that I dropped to my knees and pulled both girls to me.
I looked behind them and saw Colleen standing with her mouth open, a look
of complete shock on her face as a tear rolled down her cheek.  After a
moment she smiled and nodded her head yes.

   "Meghan...Molly...I would be very happy if you call me daddy.  I can't
think of a better Christmas present I could ever get."

   There is a particular squeal of delight that only little girls can make
and I got it in stereo.  More hugs and another kiss on the cheek and the
girls ran toward their bedrooms, pausing at the doorway laughing.

   "Mommy, Daddy...you guys better go to bed soon or Santa won't come." And
then they disappeared.  As soon as they had turned the corner I grabbed
Colleen, pulled her to me and held on tight.  By this time she was openly
sobbing.

   "Sweetheart, are you Ok with what the girls just asked?"

   "Oh Bobby, of course I'm ok with it.  I'm more than ok with it.  Meghan
barely remembers Bill and Molly has no memory of him at all.  You're the
only father they've ever known.  I just had no idea they were thinking
about this." Then she wiped at the tears and smiled.  "Looks like you're
going to be more of a daddy than you thought."

   "Just like I told the girls, best Christmas present I ever got."

   We sat on the sofa in silence holding and caressing each other for
almost for an hour.  I got up and went to check on the girls to make sure
that they were asleep.  We drank Santa's milk, ate his cookies, leaving a
few crumbs on the plate, and put the oatmeal back in the box, also leaving
a pile grains on the floor near the bowl.  Reindeer are very messy animals
when they eat.

   We brought out the presents that Santa was bringing and put them under
the tree, and wrapped the last three or four presents that we hadn't gotten
to yet.  Then we started locking up the house so that we could go to bed
ourselves.  Finally we were in the living room where the only lights that
were on were the small twinkling lights on the tree.

   Colleen was on her hands and knees in front of the tree with her
nightgown and robe pushed up over her hips.  I was behind her in between
her spread legs with my cock held tightly in her sheath.  I leaned over her
and reached around to hold and massage her breasts that had been growing
the last few days in preparation to produce milk.

   Of all the times that Colleen and I have made love, this is the one time
I remember and cherish the most.  This was not sex, it was not fucking,
this was making love in every sense of the word.  My stroking inside of her
was not fast, it was not hard, it was not frantic.  It was slow and tender,
every touch, every feeling an expression of our love for each other.  There
was very little of our normal grunting and moaning, only the soft sighs of
lovers.  When our orgasms came at the same time, it was not one of the
freight train experiences that we are capable of producing.  It was a quiet
gentle expression of emotion that far out shown any physical pleasure.

   When we were done, I helped Colleen stand up, turned off the Christmas
tree lights and we went to bed.  As I turned off the bedside lamp, I looked
at the clock and saw 12:27

   At 4:30, Colleen and I were waking up the girls, trying to get them
dressed as quickly as possible, then loaded them into the car and headed
for the hospital.  At precisely 7:03 AM Colleen gave birth to our child, a
beautiful girl.

   I had written Mom's telephone number on a card and I handed it to Meghan
as we went into the delivery room.  One of the nurses helped her make the
call to Santa Teresa to tell Grandma the news.  By 11:30 Mike's wife
Sharon, and daughter Patricia, had driven Mom to the hospital.  Jimmy and
Mike would drive up with the rest of the kids that afternoon.  Colleen was
asleep so we all went to look at the baby through the nursery window. 
While talking to Grandma and Aunt Sharon, Meghan and Molly kept calling me
Daddy.  Mom gave me a questioning look and then the exact same half smile
that Colleen uses to show that she approved of that concept.

   After several minutes, the nurse indicated that Colleen was awake and
was taking the baby to her.  We walked to Colleen's room to find her
sitting up in the bed cuddling the baby to her chest.  Everyone crowded
around to get a look at this new member of our family.  Patricia was too
small to see over the top of the hospital bed so I picked her up and held
her as she leaned forward to look.

   "The baby's beautiful.  What's her name?" Patricia asked.

   "Well, we were thinking that Rose was a pretty name," Colleen replied.

   Then Meghan spoke.

   "No.  She was born on Christmas day so her name is Noelle."

   Colleen and I looked at each other.  Smiling, Colleen kissed the baby on
her forehead and said, "girls, meet you new sister, Noelle Rose O'Conner."


   pics---->> http://bit.ly/1D1q3qp