Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. Title: Nia Ch. 02 Summary: Jamie and Nia tell their father about their love. Keywords: inc,fic Excerpt from the private diary of Nguye't Morrison, age 18 and three-quarters. Note to Jamie; if you read any of this, I swear I will put a bend in your knob that no amount of wanking will ever straighten out; you have been warned... Tuesday 1st July, 2008 Jamie's coming home tomorrow, at last. He left me desolate 3 years ago, and I want to snub him, cut him dead for abandoning me, but all I can do is tremble at the thought of having him back again. He's been my protector, my favourite source of comfort and big hugs all my life, and when he left I was bereft (look it up, I've been waiting for years to use it), and I haven't stopped crying yet; I know, weird, right? He's my older brother, but he feels like the love of my life, and for the last three years there's been a huge blank space where he should be; every time I thought of him, I burst into tears, and I thought about him every day. When he comes home I'm going to play it cool, be aloof, casual, let him know that going away for so long is almost unforgiveable, that you don't make someone need you so much and then leave them. My friend Shelagh Kennedy asked me if I was in love with him, 'cos apparently I talk about him all the time, and of course, I pooh-pooh'd the very idea, told her she was weird and perverted for even thinking such a thing, and she said the strangest thing. "OK then, if you're not going to bang him, do you mind if I do? Every time I've ever seen him he's given me a twinge in my minge, and now I know you're not going to, as far as I'm concerned that makes him fair game for a work-out!" I asked her what she meant, and she got all disbelieving on me, started going on about how he's a tall, built, mega-cute, oil exploring, rugged polar-hero type, a real arctic fox, and she'd like a chance to check if he got frostbite anywhere important, and if he's built up a full head of pressure, she'd like to be the one to be there when he blows his cork, and if I had eyes and a brain I'd have decoyed him down a dark alley years ago; apparently all my friends think the same thing... I had to think about that, I mean, Jamie? I know one thing though; I've always had a sort of low-key thing for him (or maybe not so low-key, I don't know), even got all possessive of him at one point, but that's because he's mine, and he belongs to me, exclusively, and if that red-headed harlot thinks she's getting her slutty little mitts on my lovely Jamie she's got another think coming; I must keep her corrupting influence away from him! Must think more about this, things are happening in my head that I don't want to write down in case I accidently leave this open one day and dad or mum see this. Wednesday 2nd July, 2008 Jamie will be home this afternoon, and the suspense is killing me; what were butterflies in my tummy have turned into a herd of rhino's barging around, and I've nearly been sick on any number of occasions. Coupled with that is the fact I can't seem to stop weeping, every time I open my mouth or think of trying to do something constructive with my time, I get a picture of his sweet, patient face and the waterworks turn on - I feel like some lovesick 11 year old mooning over a boy-band, and this is really freaking me out. It's only Jamie, for God's sake, and regardless of what I said or thought yesterday, he's my big brother, and yes, I missed him terribly, but why the extreme reactions? Most peculiar; I am definitely conflicted. I think I'll go out, not be here when he gets here, if I see him walk in that door, and the state I'm in right now, God only knows what sort of idiotic shambling wreck I'll turn into - he already left me once, and, heaven forbid, if he sees me sweating and gibbering at him he might do it again, and I can't have that - I'm keeping him here this time, if I have to use a nail-gun and superglue on him. Mum asked me to be here when Huyn'h gets home, but I really don't trust myself to not either A) Wet myself, B) Get all tongue-tied and idiotic, or C) Fling myself on him and stick my tongue in his face. I've made up my mind; I won't be here, I'll saunter in all casual and mildly indifferent to his presence, going "Oh Hi, you're back then," peck him on the cheek, enjoy the moment of crushed despair as he realises I haven't missed him in the slightest, and saunter out again. Vengeance is a dish best served cold, and he needs to pay, just a little, for leaving me all alone while he went off to the other side of the world and pretended to be Nanook of the North while contemplating the Great White Waste and mushing seals or whatever the hell it is they do down there for fun.... So I'm off now, I need to shop so I don't think about Jamie and how he abandoned me, and I'm taking the Scarlet Harlot with me so she and her chest don't get any ideas around Jamie while I'm not there.... Postscript: When I got back, he was asleep! Heartless, indifferent, cave-dwelling, igloo-building Oik, in his room, fast asleep, with no regard for my feelings, how dare he! I went into his room to kick him, and there he was, sound asleep, and my tummy did a double back-flip and landed in the lay-out position; whoowee! When he left he was cute, but now, after three years, he was absolutely take-me-I'm-yours gorgeous, man-beef on the hoof, talk about scrubbing-up well! I had every intention of landing a heel right in his dangly bits, remind him what happens to people who abandon me for the snowy wastes, but right then all I wanted to do was bite him, and then take another bite out of that tall, fit, muscular Polar-Bear man-babe, oh my paws and whiskers, yes! Obviously, manhandling all those drill probes and test-core drilling rigs had put some beef on his bones, and right now I wanted to manhandle him a little! Further notes to follow, I shall have to rethink my Jamie strategy; this may get just a leetle-bit complicated! +++ Nia and I kept our more sweaty activities as discreet as possible; while mum approved, or at least hadn't actually disapproved of our new-found relationship, I doubt she would have condoned us humping and heavy-breathing around the house, so we cooled it, at least while she was in earshot. At night, though, that was another matter. I couldn't get enough of Nia, and she seemed to be feeling the same way, judging by the exertions she put me through that second night we slept together; I could only hope mum was in her room, with the door locked, the TV turned up full, and her fingers in her ears, going "La La La" at the top of her voice... That first day, the morning after mum had found us, I was over the moon - I had finally found the real Nia, the one she'd always wanted to show me, after all the years we had been together, and she was all I'd ever wanted in a girl; smart, funny, sexy, breathtakingly beautiful, sassy, and I knew I'd lucked-out, especially when I remembered some of some of the nosebags and outright mental cases I'd dated over the years, just to have a date on Saturday night for cinema/groping/strangulated erection relief. Nia was eager and amused to hear of some of the more bizarre dating disasters - like Carole Whitton, body like the great outdoors, brain you could have stored in a thimble, with room to spare; if you stood close enough to her you could hear the hum as all four brain cells orbited peacefully in the blissful emptiness of her skull; having sex with her had been like inflating a beach ball; lots of effort, long time to get results, and then you wondered why the hell you bothered in the first place. Nice tits, though... Then there was the unforgettable Ansfrida, with the Norwegian Geophysical Survey team overwintering in Port Stanley, who took a fancy to me. She was a big girl, shoulders like a Samoan rugby player, unfortunately also had the cauliflower ears, nose, and chin like one, including the bristles. I spotted her first, and my first thought was "I will never be that desperate, please God, don't let her like me!" The only girls on the islands were the daughters of the islanders, and they were all locked in the cellars whenever our team of incipient rapists hit port, but even the enforced celibacy couldn't make Ansfrida look like anything except hulking and dangerous. All the rest of the team were slowly sliding down in their seats, or pretending to be gay, and so she homed-in on me, sitting herself down on the bench, my side of the bench tilting up. The collective sigh of relief in the room made the windows bulge outwards, and every male in the room grinned and sat back to watch me get dragged off and pummelled by Andre the Giant's even uglier sister; whoever said Nordic blondes are all icily gorgeous hadn't met Ansfrida yet. "My name is Ansfrida!" she boomed, shaking me gently by the neck, feeling my bicep, her hand wrapping all the way round it. "Good muscle tone, you want sex?" "If I say yes, will you promise not to kill me?" I asked her, trapped and helpless. "That good enough. Come!" She frogmarched me out of the room, me mouthing 'Help me' to my team, them all grinning and looking relieved that they'd dodged that particular bullet. I heard later that she offered the crew of the Royal Navy frigate a gang-bang, causing them all to suddenly declare their love for each other and set sail for Argentina to surrender... +++ Today was Thursday, and dad was due home Friday night. Between now and then I had to think of a way of telling him without ending up nailed to the garden shed with something red-hot stuck somewhere tender; I know mum had said she'd clear the way, but this was big, the biggest. Nia was his little princess, even though, if put to the torture, he'd deny it emphatically, and every scenario I tried to envisage ended with me eventually being chucked in the Thames, bound and gagged, with a size eleven shoe embedded in my arse... Nia was a lot less troubled. "Dad's cool, he's not, like, all hairy and chest-beating, he's a nice guy, worryingly strange, but nice. Mum says he'll see the light, so stop your vapouring!" Nevertheless, and even with all Nia's confidence that dad would remember he was a loving father before he actually stuffed me in the wood-chipper, I was still going to allow myself a little vapouring, with a side order of sweating terror. Mum wasn't at all weirded by this situation, and, hearing us discussing the plan for 'Operation Reveal' even poked her head round the door that morning while we were dressing to ask what we wanted for breakfast, so definitely not strange at all... Eventually, Nia lost patience. "Look Jamie, do you want me at all? Do you even love me? Because it feels like you're having doubts about this whole thing. Make up your mind, polar-boy, me or one of those Nobel Prize candidates you've been banging at uni!" God, she was gorgeous when she got angry! It also stiffened my wilting backbone, as well as other things... I took her in my arms. "Nia, princess, I love you to distraction, with all of my heart, I always have, I want you every minute of the day, I can barely keep my hands off you, but right now I'm just trying to put myself in Dad's shoes. If I had a gorgeous daughter and some guy announced he'd slept with her, and intended to keep on doing it, I'd fillet him. I'm not banking on dad remembering he's a loving parent when we hit him with this, so hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, that way no surprises - Si vis pacem, para bellum - If you would have peace, prepare for war!" Nia grinned. "OK, yeah, because what's the worst he can do? Oh yes, he could fillet you, or string you up in the greenhouse and write the Gettysburg address on you with a lit cigarette, or shove his fist up your arse and poke your eyeballs out from the inside, or make you eat your bed sheets and then yank the ends out of your arse and set light to them, or inscribe 'I will not rape my little sister' 100 times on your backside with a hot soldering iron, or nail your tongue to a tree and chase you round it a few times, or pull your bottom lip up over your head and staple it to the back of your neck, or all of the above, in order, you know how methodical he is!" Good to see the old, malicious Nia was still there, lurking just under the surface! "OK, I get it, point taken, we do this, and take what's coming, and by the way, I hadn't thought of all the above, so thank you for putting my mind at ease! What do you think he's going to do to you?" I grinned. Nia grinned even wider, false sincerity radiating from her. "Me? Nothing. I'm his little girl; you're the rapist around here! However, because you were my favourite Polar Bear, I promise I will occasionally try and remember you fondly, oh sorry, did I say 'were'?" Yeah, ha ha, very funny! The sudden resolution I felt was reflected lower down, and Nia smiled happily at me. "It looks like someone else has made up their mind, too!" What can I say, some parts of me know what's real before the rest of me catches up... I started tugging off my shirt, Nia helping me to undo my jeans as she slipped out of her habitual leggings and loose top. God she had a lovely body, and all thoughts of dad, retribution, or wood-chippers disappeared as she stood in front of me, a naked vision of slender perfection. As my jeans dropped off, I kicked them away, Nia grinning and yanking down my shorts to examine my state of readiness. Looking at her was more than mortal flesh could bear, so I grabbed her, holding her tightly by her delectable bum cheeks, kissing her as hard as I could while backing towards the bed. Nia pushed me back onto the bed, and landed on top of me, squirming around to lie on her side, looking at me with a big grin on her face. I can't resist that grin, especially if she's using it as a challenge, so I leapt on her, pinning her on her back so I could kiss her some more. At last, I surfaced for air, Nia smiling at me as she slowly pumped my cock, her hand wrapped tightly around me. I returned the favour, nibbling her sexy nipples while trailing a hand down to her belly, sliding a finger through her trimmed pubes to lightly brush against her labia. She jumped at that, grinning as she closed her eyes and pushed out her chest, raising her nipples closer to my mouth. I obliged, gently biting and sucking on them, feeling them grow solid and rubbery against my lips and teeth, Nia murmuring as she began to flush, become more fully aroused. I slid down and between her thighs, kissing her belly and grazing gently on her neatly trimmed little thatch of fine soft pubic hair, before licking and probing further south, to lap lightly at her labia, enjoying her fresh scent and tangy taste. As I lapped more seriously, she began slowly squirming and lifting her pelvis, pushing her slit against me harder, wanting me to lick higher, so I obliged, poking my tongue-tip into the front of her slit, rubbing against the hood of her little nub. Nia flushed deeper, murmuring and sighing as I licked and gently rubbed my tongue against her pink flesh, her clitoris hardening like a little pale nipple, erecting as it emerged from its hiding place, her juices running around it, bathing it and rolling across my tongue. She tasted sweet, fresh, tangy, and as her fluids dripped onto my tongue, her pelvic thrusts against my mouth became more pronounced as her arousal climbed. I sucked her clit as hard as I dared, rubbing it with my tongue, and she came in a series of rippling waves, her clitoris pulsing between my lips as her climax gusted through her. At last her orgasm died away, leaving her twitching and murmuring, arms stretched out luxuriously, a small smile on her face. I kissed and nibbled her pussy a while longer, enjoying the taste and succulence of her, my erection a hot lead bar against my stomach as I lay between her thighs, before I reared up and shuffled between her legs, looming over her, my cock pointing at her wet slit, the head just barely touching her warmth. I slid myself just far enough inside her for her to feel my head, then backed out, enjoying the feeling of her hot moistness surrounding the head of my penis, my erection stiffening even further as she moaned and pushed up against me, trying to take more of me in. I was having too much fun - the feel of her enveloping me was exquisite, the wet succulence sensational. Her eyes narrowed, and she pulled my head down to her level, hissing at me "Will you get on with it, for Chrissake, just do it, now!" Unable to hold out any longer, I slid into her in one long steady push, Nia groaning as her pussy stretched to accommodate me all over again, the feeling of tightness as her inner muscles clasped me erotic and very stimulating. I began sliding in and out, pumping my cock into her, she responding by hunching up against me, trying to get as much of me inside her as possible. I lowered myself down onto my elbows so I could slide my hands under her mid-section, pushing her breasts up so I could suck her nipples while I pumped into her. Her neck and chest began to flush deeper, and her movements against me became more forceful, humping against me as I pumped into her, matching me stroke for stroke, simultaneously tightening her vaginal muscles to clasp me tight, the friction on my cock delightful as I approached my climax. Nia was also nearly there, her movements against me more determined, grinding herself into the base of my cock, her head thrown back and her eyes tightly closed as she pumped in time with me, until..."Oh God, Jamie, Oh God, oooh yesss, oooh YESS! GOD! OOOOOH GOOODDD!" Her scream as she came was piercing, and that set me off, my orgasm no less intense as I shot jet after jet of sperm deep into her, the ripples and sucking of her vagina milking me of all my sperm, the sensation of her pussy walls clenching at me almost unbearable, extending my orgasm, keeping pace with hers. At last she stopped shuddering and quivering, the sensation of her cervix fluttering against me diminishing, and my cock softened enough to slip out of her so I could lie next to her, heart thumping and breath in short supply, Nia caressing my face and murmuring as the tail-end of her orgasm after-shocked through her. At last, she reached over and touched my lips with her finger tip. "Marry me, Polar Bear," she whispered. "Wherever and whenever you'll have me, Baby- Girl!" I promised her. "Is it always going to be this good, Jamie?" she enquired sleepily, smiling at me. "I bloody well hope so, princess!" I grinned back, pulling her close against me so I could smell her hair, her skin, and under all that, the fresh, subtle, subliminal scent that said 'girl' that no amount of perfume or fancy soap could disguise. We lay for a while, enjoying the afterglow, cuddling and kissing, when Nia suddenly sat up. "Jamie, I want to go out tonight - I want you to take me to a club, you've never, ever taken me anywhere that you weren't ordered to, so tonight we are going on a date, you got it, Kimo-Sabe?" I was curious where this had come from, and when I asked her she grinned. "Tomorrow you may be dead or banished, so tonight I get to be your girlfriend, OK?" Way to do positive thinking, Nia... She wanted to go dancing, to a club in Borough, near London Bridge, of course I agreed, as I had no intention of doing anything other than watch her anyway - my dancing talents are strictly limited; I've been told I have the dancing ability of a three legged dog in roller boots, that people watching me cringe with contact embarrassment and soon develop the urge to put me out of my misery, but I like to watch Nia move, and if she danced the way she walked, she should be well worth watching. She made a couple of calls, and explained in response to my unspoken query. "I've asked a couple of the girls to meet us there, I need someone to talk to when I go to the rest-room!" We spent the rest of the day deliberately not shagging like coked-up baboons; mum was buzzing around all day, and although we had tacit carte-blanche to 'enjoy relations' it still seemed wildly inappropriate to do so while she was roaming around, humming as she dusted and occasionally smiling at us knowingly. We eventually got to the club about 11pm, having had dinner first, just as the place was starting to fill up. We bagged a table and sat down with a couple of drinks, waiting for the place to warm up a little, and for Nia's friends to join us, two girls I vaguely recognised from her school days, a tall redhead with a stupendous chest and a skinny blonde with a mouth like a dockworker. Nia introduced us, and the redhead, Shelagh, held my hand just a little too long, and stuck her chest out just a little too obviously; if she'd tried any harder she'd have looked like the Hunchfront of Notre Dame... Nia and the two girls went off and danced around their handbags, some things never change, while I held the table, watched coats, and generally enjoyed watching Nia. No boys tried to pick her up, the door policy here was quite strict; couples or single girls only, no single guys, so everyone was already paired-off or gaggles of girls; seemed like a good idea to me. Eventually the girls returned to the table, sat down, and a slow number came on. I instinctively looked at Nia, wanting to dance with her, but she gave a tiny little headshake, flicked her gaze at her friends; of course, we were not supposed to be a couple, but that begged the question; if she wanted to go dancing with me, why did she invite her friends, knowing she couldn't dance with me in front of them. She was up to something... Shelagh jumped up and tugged me to my feet and dragged me to the floor, and practically laminated herself to me, forcing me to slow dance with her, Nia looking stricken, and me making sure my hands went nowhere near any questionable territory. It was a strange situation for me; I'm on a dance floor with a hot redhead with a spectacular figure, slow dancing with her while trying to pretend I'm dancing with my girl, while my girl watches from the sidelines because she daren't dance with me; what was going on here? Shelagh ground and rubbed and gyrated against me, holding herself so close to me that, to paraphrase Groucho Marx, if she'd stood any closer, she'd have been in back of me... If I were single, unattached, and not in love with a spectacular girl of my own, it would have been a situation made in Heaven; how could it not be? She was gorgeous, she was single, and she was obviously into me; trouble was, I only had eyes for one girl, and it wasn't her... The number finished, and as I looked over at Nia, Shelagh grabbed my face and planted a smacker right on my lips, trying to probe my mouth with her tongue. I froze, because I was looking right into Nia's eyes when she did it, and I saw the look that fleeted across her face before her eyes narrowed. It was a look of hurt, and sadness, and anger, and it caused a sudden sharp pang; she was really upset her friend had kissed me, but also seemed to be expecting it, and she looked like she was satisfied with something, because her expression cleared up and she even smiled and nodded slightly at me, that triumphant little smile she gets when she knows she's scored a winning point. Shelagh, on the other hand, looked equally stricken that I'd not kissed her back, and her eyes widened and welled-up as she realised she'd had no effect on me, that I wasn't interested in her in the slightest. I walked her back to the table, where she said she was going to the restroom, and she and Nia headed off again. "I saw what happened out there." said a soft voice, and I realised Nia's blonde friend, Julie had just spoken to me. "Sorry, what was that?" I asked, as Julie hadn't spoken to me all evening. "Shelagh's had a thing for you for years, Jamie, hell, half our class feels the same way, but she's always had it big and bad. I know what she was trying to do out there, and I saw her kiss you, and you just looked like she was invisible; she's probably crying in the ladies rest-room right now!" I felt terrible for her, but I also felt that it wasn't my problem -she'd kissed me and I had felt nothing except embarrassment at the unwanted attention. The only girl I wanted to kiss was currently untouchable. "I also saw the look you gave Nia when Shelagh kissed you, and the expression on Nia's face. How long have you two been a couple, then?" Busted. I tried to talk my way out of this particular corner. "Look Julie, it's not like that at all...." I trailed off as she slowly shook her head. "Jamie, she's had you buzzing around her all her life, holding her hand and being sweet, and I have to admit, you are kind of OK looking, and nearly everyone in our entire year at school has been drooling over you for years, so the only question I have is; why did it take her so long?" Now I was curious. "So you have no problem with Nia and I, you know...? Really? Why?" Julie's face writhed for a second, a brief flicker of pain. "Because I know what's happening with you two. My older brother was my first, he said he loved me, I know I loved him, he said we would go far away, where no-one would know us, we could be a couple, have a family, the whole thing. My mum found out, talked him out of it, asked him to leave me and go, and so he fucked off, and he's never been back in contact with me, so yeah, I know what it's like for Nia, and no, I won't say anything; it's your business; you can't help who you fall in love with" she said, almost to herself. Two big tears rolled down her cheeks, and my heart went out to this wannabe tough chick who'd just shared her heartbreak with me. I handed her my handkerchief, and she dabbed her eyes, smiled brightly at me when she handed it back. "Nia's been my friend since we were 11 years old, and all she's ever talked about is you. She's been in love with you since she was a little girl, even if she never came right out and said it; we all got it long ago, how long did it take you to get it?" For some reason I found it easy to open up to her; she seemed genuinely interested in what was happening with us, plus she had her own experience of what we were going through, even if it hadn't worked out for her. "I only found out yesterday, no, correction, admitted it to myself for the first time yesterday; Nia was always the most important thing in my life, and I always adored her, even when she was being a real pain; I promised mum I'd be a proper big brother, look out for her, and I kept my promise; it wasn't that hard, to be honest. When I saw her again yesterday, for the first time in three years, she showed me how she felt about me, something clicked into place, and I knew I felt the same way. I'm not leaving her behind again; wherever I go from now on, I'm taking her with me." Julie smiled. "Good boy! Perhaps you should tell her that. I just got why she asked Shelagh and me along tonight, you're smart, you should be able to figure it out too. Oh, and one more thing; Shelagh's a nice girl, but she can be a vindictive cow, and you just blew her off, so don't let her know about you and Nia." I was trying to digest all this as she was talking, trying to work out what Nia was up to, what her motives were for asking the two girls along, when Nia and Shelagh rejoined us, Shelagh smiling and chattering, but her eyes looking a little swollen and reddened. No further mention of the incident on the dance-floor was made, although I noticed she sat as far from me as she could, for which I was thankful; it was awkward enough without having her sitting right next to me. Instead, Nia sat between us, and her hand crept under the table to pat my leg reassuringly. After a couple more drinks, Julie asked me if I wanted to dance, and Nia's lips twitched in a micro-smile, telling me to go, so I went with her to the dance-floor. While we danced, Julie pulled my head down to speak into my ear over the music. "Remember one thing, Jamie; Nia's one of my closest and oldest friends, if you hurt her, I WILL find a way to make you pay, make no mistake about it!" I was a little bemused at being threatened by this skinny little girl, but I could recognise the sincerity in her voice. "Julie, I promise you, Nia's all I want, I know she's the one, so you can rest easy, whatever we do from here on, we're doing it together, is that good enough for you?" Julie grinned, and slapped me on the arm. "OK, Jamie good enough for me; now for fuck's sake try and dance like you know what you're doing!" When the number was over, we threaded our way back to our table. Shelagh stood up, announcing that she was tired, and Julie immediately offered to share a cab with her as it was getting really late. We left the club and hailed a black taxi for the two girls, Nia seeing them off with much hugging and air-kissing, Julie giving me a wink and a meaningful look. While we waited for another cab, I decided to that now was the time for a little chat with her about this bizarre date/not-date we'd just been on. "OK princess spill it; what are you up to, and what was all that about inside, and don't play coy with me Nia, you owe me some answers!" Nia looked at me with a thoughtful expression on her face, and seemed to come to a decision. "Alright, Jamie, complete honesty time. I asked Shelagh to come because I knew she wanted to take a run at you. I know how she feels about you, but I also know she's got no chance with you. She needed to discover that for herself, so she wouldn't keep ambushing you and making a fool of herself; she's my friend, and I love her, and I didn't want that to happen. This seemed the best way, the least painful or humiliating way for her; all that happened was one kiss, and she got the message; it may have been in public, but it was still anonymous; no-one here knows us. She won't try that on you again, and in a few days she'll be her old, predatory man-trap self. I asked Julie to come along because I didn't want Shelagh to be alone when she realised you weren't even slightly interested in her, Julie will help her hate you for a while, then it will all be forgotten. Trust me." I wasn't so sure. "I dunno, Nia, it seems a little...calculating to me, setting up your friend like that, she's your friend, and you used me to get her out of the way, not nice, Nia, not nice at all!" To give her her due, she at least she had the grace to look guilty. "Jamie, I promise you, I wasn't getting her out of the way, she was never in the way! I needed her to get the clear message that you were off the board; what would you rather, that she make some big move in front of all our friends and get blown out of the water in front of everyone she knows? Because that's what would have happened, and I won't let my friend be humiliated like that; it would destroy her!" OK, that made sense, so I decided to share some of what Julie had told me. "Your friend, Julie, she figured it out, why Shelagh was there, why she was there...and what's going on with you and me." Nia looked startled, then worried, so I thought I'd better put her mind at ease. "Julie understands, she's been there already, it didn't work out for her, but she sympathises. You have some OK friends, Baby-Girl; just don't pull any stunts like this again, with any of them, you're better than that. I know you tried to do it kindly, and you had the best intentions, but you know which road is paved with good intentions!" Just then a black cab turned up, so we jumped in and headed home. When we got in, late as it was, Mum was still up, pottering around, and offered to make us something to eat. "You eat something now, it been hours since dinner, you hungry, yes? I make you snack, sit down, sit!" So we sat, while mum bustled around in the kitchen. I held my arm out and Nia crept up to my side, unsure if I was still annoyed with her, so I kissed her to let her know that it was all forgotten now. "Are we good now, Jamie?" she whispered, and I squeezed her in affirmation. "All forgotten, princess, just try and not be so devious in the future, eh?" "I promise!"She grinned, huddling closer to me. Mum chose then to come in with a chicken and bacon club sandwich, and suddenly I was ravenous, Nia watching as I took a big, blissful bite, and cautiously tried a nibble herself. Her eyes widened, and she took half of my sandwich and got to work on it, mum grinning at my expression. "Not to worry, Huyn'h , I make two!" she smiled, handing the other one to me, both of us watching Nia stuff her sandwich in her face like she was starving, muttering "God, so good, oh my god, this is so good!" "Both of you, it late, go to bed, take sandwich with you, leave plate on dresser, not on floor, go now, go, go!" urged mum. I needed no further encouragement, so, kissing mum good night, I took Nia by the hand and led her up to my room. We sat on the bed and finished our sandwiches, as there's little point in trying to undress a pretty girl who's more interested in a sandwich than you, having one of those regrettable conversations that happen when you try and talk with your mouth full. I finished eating first, so sprinted into the bathroom to brush my teeth, then stripped-off and climbed into bed, waiting for Nia to finish so I could ravage her properly. She disappeared into her room to brush her teeth and freshen up, reappearing looking adorable in a cut-off t-shirt and panties, tight, miniscule panties, the kind you want to peel off with your teeth. She slid into bed next to me, wrapping her arms around my neck to pull me down and kiss me seriously. This was extremely gratifying, seeing as I'd been watching and wanting her all evening, and I luxuriated in the feel of her lips, her warmth against me, the smell of her. I kissed and licked her neck, then switched to her flat stomach, poking my tongue into the shadowed dimple of her navel, kissing all round the hem of her little T-shirt. Nia sat up and pulled her T-shirt off, allowing me to see and admire her beautiful, perfect little breasts, her sexy little nipples, already erect like little pencil erasers, pink and firm. I lapped at them, drawing them gently through my teeth, making her gasp and shiver. I pulled her against me, and rolled onto my back, taking her with me so she was lying on top of me, her knees on either side of me, and slid my hands down to cup and massage her buttocks, pushing my hands into her tiny little panties and edging them down. Nia straightened her legs and I slid her panties all the way down, allowing her to kick them off, leaving her naked on top of me. She leaned in to kiss me, my hands tightly clasping her buttocks again, kneading and pulling them apart, stretching her anus open, making her gasp and giggle into my mouth and against my lips. She sat astride me, rearing up so I could fondle and caress her breasts, palming and lightly pinching her nipples into little solid peaks, making her flush and close her eyes as she enjoyed the sensation. My erection was trapped under her, and she began to slide back and forth on it, rubbing herself on me, teasing herself, the wet heat of her pussy tangible along the length of my cock as she pressed my hands to her breasts, holding me against her nipples as I rubbed and squeezed. She released my hands and slid off me, taking hold of my cock and pumping it slowly, squeezing firmly, rhythmically as she pumped. Nia brought her head closer to my cock, and licked the tip, gently, feather-light caresses of the crown with the tip of her tongue, kissing the end as she pumped. My hips began rising involuntarily in time to her pumping, and she slipped the end of my cock into her hot little mouth, sucking and licking as she pumped me. The feeling was indescribable, and it took all my willpower to resist the urge to fill her mouth with spunk, lying back instead and letting the sensations roll over me. Her sucking became more insistent, urgent, and I got that imminent feeling, that prickle at the juncture of my thighs that said I was ready to come. "Nia...I'm going to come!" I managed to gasp out, and she smiled and sucked harder, rubbing the tip of her tongue in the little furrow and hole in the tip of my cock. With that I lost all restraint, and felt my cock swell as I groaned out loud and shot stream after stream of spunk into her hot mouth, Nia swallowing rapidly to keep pace with my ejaculation, her cheeks hollowing as she continued to suck, coaxing every last drop of semen out of my twitching cock. At last the flow dried up as the muscular pulses of my ejaculation stopped, and she swirled her tongue over the head of my penis, washing away every trace of semen before relinquishing her hold on my manhood and sliding up next to me, to kiss me lovingly. "You taste nice, Jamie!" she grinned, eyes dancing, "and high-protein as well!" For answer I rolled her onto her back and kissed her tenderly, tasting her lips and tongue, then her neck and throat, and down to her breasts, nibbling briefly at her nipples, feeling them pop out again and grow stiff against my tongue. I kissed all the way down her belly to her little patch of fuzz, rubbing my tongue through the soft, silky hairs, enjoying the feel of them. I slid between her thighs, and kissed her hairless labia, little beads of moisture already appearing, inhaling her feminine scent, fresh and appealing. I slid my tongue along the seam between her lips, hearing her gasp and feeling the labia swell against my tongue, blushing as they engorged and flowered open. I poked my tongue inside her secret place, feeling the inner lips, the nymphae enclosing her vaginal passage, and then swirled my tongue against the hood of her clitoris, her juices running freely now, slick and delicious against my tongue. I felt her clitoris growing firm and swollen in my mouth, the nub hardening as it eased out from its hiding place. Nia was gasping and sighing, holding my head and murmuring as I licked and tasted her, her labia swelling even more as her arousal climbed, blushing darker as the blood rushed to them. I sucked on her clitoris, and the effect on Nia was electric; she stiffened, her thighs clamping on either side of my head as she pushed her vulva harder against my lips, her hands digging into the bedclothes as she strove to gain purchase for her pelvic thrusts against my tongue. I rasped her clitoris one final time, sucking it as I did so, and Nia screamed as she came like a torrent, arching her back as her juices sprayed out of her and across my mouth and neck as she convulsed, madly humping her groin against my face, pumping against me as the waves of pleasure blasted through her, loud groans of fulfilment accompanying each wave as they rolled through her. At last the convulsions stopped, and her shuddering and quivering eased off, her breathing gradually returning to normal, and her tightly closed eyes opened, tears standing in the corners. She lifted her head to look at me, smiling sleepily, and held out her arms to me, inviting me to hold her. I moved back up the bed, using a corner of the sheet to swab down my face and neck before kissing her passionately. "Love you Polar Bear!" she whispered. "And I love you too, little princess, that's why I'm marrying you!" I replied I gathered her into myself and turned off the bedside lamp. "Go to sleep now, princess, tomorrow we have dad to deal with." For some reason Nia was unable to sleep, restless and muttering, unable to settle. Eventually I had to ask her what the problem was; was she worried about dad and his reaction? Nia dismissed that, saying "It's nothing Jamie, go to sleep." I knew something was up, so I held her close to me. "Talk to me, Nia, what's the matter?" "Jamie, where do you think she is?" she blurted out. "Who, princess? " I replied, suddenly knowing the answer as I asked the question. "My big sister, Hu'e, where do you think she is, do you think she's alright, Jamie?" I had to go carefully here. "Princess, don't go there, you can't wrack your brains over something that happened twenty-five years ago, on the other side of the world. I know you want to help mum, God, so do I, but this isn't the way to do it; let's just get this situation of ours out of the way, then we can put our heads together, try and find someone to help. There are agencies, UNICEF, Save the Children, Amnesty International, The Anti-Slavery League, people like that, they must have files and resources to track down stolen children, we can talk to them. Hu'e has been gone twenty-five years, a little longer won't make any difference, but I promise I'll help any way I can; she's mum's daughter, so that makes her my big sister too." "I know, Polar Bear, and thank you, but I feel so...helpless. Did you see the look on mum's face, listen to her voice when she told us about her baby? She had me, and I made up a little for the loss of the other one, but she had Hu'e first, and she hasn't given up on her, and she wants her back. I just feel bad that she's been carrying that around all this time; makes our problems seem a little...unimportant right now." She was crying now, and I could only hold her close and try to comfort her, the way I did when she was small, as her tears rolled down her cheeks. I felt so helpless; normally I could take the tears away, get her over her blues, but this was different; mum's story had cut her deep, and there was nothing I could say that wouldn't sound trite and hollow. So I let her cry, 'til eventually she cried herself to sleep, again, my heart breaking for her sorrow that I couldn't assuage, couldn't promise her I would fix, not this time. +++ Excerpt from the private diary of Nguye't Morrison, age 18 and three-quarters. Friday, 4th July, 2008 No time yesterday to record all that has happened, suffice it to say that Jamie is now my personal property, branded, hog-tied and tagged with a big 'Hands-Off, Bitch!' tag that every girl will see a mile away! Once he wakened on Wednesday afternoon and I explained a few facts to him vis-a-vis our actual relationship, and he (with a tad of persuasion, and much embarrassing crying on my part!) accepted that I wanted him, and he wanted me, it all went 'strordinarily well! The only stupid mistake I made was falling asleep 'in flagrante', and mum caught us in bed, bare-arse nekkid, but did absolutely nothing about it, didn't even disturb us! That was shock A. Shock B was her reason for not screaming and denting Jamie's skull with a skillet. I never knew mum had a secret history, and when she told us about her first husband and who he was, his so-called 'traffic accident', the theft of her baby, being smuggled into Laos to escape the people who were supposed to protect her, well, Jamie and I were shocked, no, horrified that my tiny little mum, who bakes cakes and buns, watches and agonises over TV soaps, darns socks and laughs at dad's terrible jokes, had had such a traumatic life -I spent most of Wednesday night crying, writing this down is making me want to cry some more, especially knowing what I now know, that I have a big sister somewhere out there in the world; is she safe and well, living a good life, is she in danger, being hurt as I sit here, was she sold to a family who loved her, or was she sold into slavery, or worse? How can I find her? Who knows where to start looking when the trail is nearly 25 years old? Of course Jamie wants to do all he can to help his mum, bless his big Polar Bear heart, which is why I love him like I do, but he's right; maybe after our most pressing problem is dealt with we should contact the specialists, the people who know where and how to look. Must go now, Polar Bear is waking, and I need him to hold me for a while. +++ I woke alone, slightly disoriented, wondering where Nia was, then I heard the click-click of a keyboard, and turned to see her at my desk, wearing one of my T-shirts, her laptop open. She looked sombre, not her usual morning face, and I guessed some of last night was still swirling around in her. She looked at me, and I could see the sadness in her eyes, her face, and held out my arms, calling her back to me to comfort her. She climbed back into bed, burrowing down against me, holding tight to me as she nuzzled my neck. "Hold me close, Jamie, please, I need my Polar Bear right now!" she said into my shoulder, and of course I complied; all she wanted was human contact now, warmth and tenderness, all of which I had for my little princess. Eventually she tapped me, her signal that I could let her go a little, and she drew back slightly so she could look into my eyes. I had always been fascinated with Nia' eyes; looking into them was like staring into a mountain lake on a cloudless sunny day, bright pools of sapphire blue, like and yet so unlike mine, large, limpid, and very, very beautiful. "Jamie, are you scared? About tonight, dad, I mean?" she asked me. I thought for a moment. "More apprehensive than anything, princess, but no, I'm not scared. All that stuff yesterday was just jitters; Dad's not an ogre, and he's certainly not going to hit or hurt anyone, he doesn't do that, he thinks it's barbaric. I do have a feeling like pre-exam nerves, though, how about you?" She grinned. "Phew, I thought I was the only one. I'm more scared of losing him than scared of him, you know?" I knew, and I understood. Nia was a lot closer to dad than I was, although he and I weren't distant or anything, I suppose it was that father/daughter thing; not in a sexual way, or anything, just that 'my little girl' thing; I had the same kind of relationship with mum. Nia dropped her head into the crook of my neck. "Whatever happens tonight, Jamie, you'll always be mine, you understand? If you go off into the world again, you'll be taking a part of me with you, so I'll always be there with you!" she murmured into the hollow of my shoulder. I was touched; I'd never heard Nia speak this way before, and it made my chest ache as all the things I wanted to say fought to tumble out all at once. I tried to say what I was feeling. "Nia, I've always had a part of me inside that was always yours; when you were born you reached in and claimed that part of me, and I can never take it away from you; it's only ever been for you, I was made that way; when we young I adored you, now that we're where we are, I know that I love you more than I can say. So whatever happens tonight, you're mine, and you'll always be mine, and wherever we go, whatever we have to do, we'll go there and do it together." Nia smiled happily, tears sparkling in her eyes as she reached up to pull my head down so she could kiss me. "Thank you Jamie, I want you so much, I needed to hear you say how much you want me too!" I had finally said what I wanted to say, and it felt right. Julie had been right; I should have told Nia sooner, worried about her instead of worrying what dad was going to say. Nia prodded me with a finger. "I haven't forgotten what you said yesterday, either, Polar Bear; you promised to marry me, and I'm holding you to it!" I slid my hands under her T-shirt, finding her gratifyingly naked under it, and squeezed her bum cheeks, making her giggle. Nia kissed me again, playfully rather than with any particular intent, I returned her kiss rather more seriously, pulling her closer to me so she could feel my cock pressing against her slit through the long T-shirt. She sighed, and slid her arms around my neck, kissing me while she gently rubbed herself against me through the material of her T-shirt, the cloth riding up until I could feel her damp heat against the head of my cock as I prodded her slit. I tugged the shirt up and slid it over her head, leaving her naked once again, and nipped and nuzzled at her delectable little nipples, teasing them into pink points, firm and rubbery against my lips and tongue. Nia's eyes were closed, a faint smile on her lips as I suckled at her, my fingers probing her buttock cleft, sliding over her puckered little starfish to rub her slit from the back, feeling her begin to seep as I slid my fingers back and forth over her slit. When I slid a finger into her, her lips parted in a small gasp, her eyes flicking open as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth and grinned at me, eyes dancing as she waited to see what I would do next. I continued to rub and probe at her slit, dipping my fingers in to her, spreading her slickness around, nibbling her nipples as I did so, assaulting her senses as I aroused her. I turned her on her front and continued to slide my fingers, one then two, into her slick pussy, drawing gasps from her as I found and rubbed her clitoris with one finger as I penetrated her with the other. I pulled her to her knees, and leaned down to slide my tongue over her swollen labia, making her jump and gasp as I poked my tongue between the aroused folds of flesh, enjoying her scent and the taste of her pussy. I knelt between her legs, and pointed my straining cock at my target, the gap opening between her labia as they flowered open, and leaned forward, sliding into her, my cock embedded between her fabulous sexy bum cheeks. Nia groaned as I slid into her, pushing back against me, taking me in as I pushed into her. I slid my hands around her rib cage to her lovely firm little breasts, cupping them in each hand as I rubbed her nipples, making her gasp and sigh. I began to slowly pump in and out, building up a rhythm, squeezing her breasts in time with my thrusts. Nia moved one hand underneath her, found her clitoris, and began to rub and pet herself as we fucked, her breathing quickening as she approached her orgasm, her hand movements faster and more urgent, until, at last, she came with a loud gasping moan, her vaginal walls clenching around me as her orgasm rocketed through her; the sensation was too much for me, and with a matching groan, I sprayed her insides with my spunk, what felt like gallons of sperm roaring out of me and deep inside my beautiful Vietnamese princess. My cock convulsed and twitched as jet after jet of sperm shot into her, until I was heaving dry, my body emptied of my seed. Nia had slumped down on the pillows, her gorgeous little rump raised up to me, and I was treated to the incredibly erotic sight of my sperm oozing from her filled pussy as I withdrew, her little anus winking as the aftershocks of her orgasm whirled through her. I slid up next to her and gently pulled her down against me, spooning her as I kissed and nibbled the back of her neck, her shoulder, and her earlobe, wrapping my arm around her and holding her tight against me. Nia reached behind herself to gently scratch the back of my neck and caress my face. "Thank you Polar Bear, I love you," she murmured. "I love you too, princess!" I whispered into her ear, poking the tip of my tongue in her ear and making her giggle. Just then there was a knock on the door. "Jamie, Nguye't, breakfast ready, come and eat while it hot!" called mum. Nia and I looked at each other, and burst out laughing; this situation was just too bizarre to take seriously! We quickly dressed in t-shirts and shorts, a shower could wait until after breakfast, I could smell what mum had cooked, and you had to eat it hot, so no time to waste. We charged downstairs, and yes! Mum had made Banh-Cuon, steamed rice-flour pork rolls and Pho, spicy beef soup, my two favourite things in the world to eat, in tragically short supply while I was at uni! Once we'd taken the edge off, i.e. stopped gorging, mum sat down with us. "Huyn'h Jamie, Nguye't, your daddy leaving Birmingham at 5 o'clock, so he be home for 8 o'clock. I not want you be here until 10 o'clock, OK? I want to talk to daddy first, let him know and let him understand, so go out, go to cinema, go to pub or something else you find to do, but not come back until after 10 o'clock, OK? I will call you when I want you come home, and do not worry; you my children, my little boy and little girl, I make this OK for you, you doing the right thing for you, that is what matter!" We nodded, mum obviously had this under control, and she just as obviously understood her husband, so we bowed to it; we'd find somewhere to be until then. We lounged around the rest of the day, watching TV, killing time, trying not to pace like caged animals. Nia seemed content to huddle against me and be warm and soft, then she suddenly sat up and grinned at me. "Jamie, I know where we're going to spend the evening, I just have to go and make a call...!" She dialled a number and wandered out of the room, and I heard her voice in the corridor, talking to someone. She hung up and came back in. "OK you, get your boots and socks on, we're going out, get a move one on, come on!" she grinned. I asked her where we were going, and all she would say was "Quit wasting time and get dressed, it's nearly 4, dad will be home in four hours or less!" I grabbed some clothes out of the closet and tugged them on, Nia coming back into my room and shaking her head in despair. "No Jamie, you are not wearing that; you look like you dressed in the dark in a thrift shop. Those nice, tight black jeans of yours, not those horrible condemned things you've got on for a start, and a nice plain shirt -you're taking your girlfriend out, not dodging lectures to shoot pool!" I had to grin; I considered asking her what was so wrong with baggy cut-off jeans and yellow Aloha shirts with green and orange parrots on them, but instead grinned at what she'd said. "So you're my girlfriend, yes?" I teased her, and she grinned back. "Damned straight I am, polar-boy, don't you forget it either!" Mentally resigning myself to a future of being led around shops and having clothes bought for me, I wore what she handed me from my closet, fondly waving goodbye to my days of dressing like a slob because it was comfortable; so this was what it was like, being the male half of a couple... As I was dressing I watched Nia dress in her usual leggings and loose top, and daydreamed about stripping her off and ravaging her, even checking my watch to see if we actually had time for a little afternoon delight. She seemed to be having the same thoughts, as she padded across the floor to me and draped herself around my neck, kissing me with thought and attention to detail. I immediately sprang to attention, Nia feeling it as she slowly undulated against me, smiling gently as she rubbed herself against me. I slid my hands into the waistband of her leggings, cupping her shapely little buttocks as I pulled her against me, feeling the thong she was wearing, and sliding a finger under it to lightly rub her slit from the rear. She giggled and rubbed herself harder against me, making my erection even harder and more urgent, if that was possible. I'd had enough of this now, and I pushed her leggings down as far as I could, Nia fumbling with the button of my jeans and shoving them down without ungluing her lips from mine. She stepped away so she could pull her top over her head, and there she was, in a tiny black thong that barely covered her cute little muff and a wispy, lacy black bra. I closed in, tugging down my shorts as she unhooked her bra, my best friend standing out solid and ready for action. Nia grinned happily, taking hold of me as I gathered her in again, kissing her as I slid my hand down the front of her thong, gently cupping her soft little pussy, feeling the heat starting to emanate from it, and the lips beginning to swell as I gently rubbed and teased them apart, eventually sliding a finger into her and circling her clitoris with the pad of my thumb. Her tongue worked against mine as we kissed, our hands working as we masturbated each other, our breathing deepening as we became more aroused. Nia broke away to lead me to the bed, climbing onto it and holding her arms out in invitation. I slid up next to her and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to me and pressing my erection into her belly, trapping it between us. She slid down the bed and onto her back, giving me access to her beautiful little breasts and sexy nipples. I kissed down her neck to her nipples, drawing them between my teeth; I knew she liked this, and her sighs and gasps told me I was having an effect. I suckled on her lovely sexy teats, turning them into hard little rubbery nubs, firm and delectable against my lips, before kissing down her abdomen to her soft peach-fuzz patch of pubic hair, and slid between her legs to lick her succulent little labia, swelling and blushing dark as I watched. I lapped at her, feeling her lips swell even further, parting under my tongue, her scent rich and strong and attractive, inviting me to lap further, taste her some more. I probed her innermost recesses with my tongue, Nia writhing and murmuring, holding my head firmly against her sweet pussy, rubbing herself against me as I lapped and rasped at her. As her juices flowed more freely over my tongue and chin, I rubbed her little tight pucker, lubricating it, and slowly slid my finger into her, making her gasp and gyrate her hips at the new feeling, and slowly pumping my finger as I probed and stabbed with my tongue at her clitoris. Her moans and sighs were becoming more pronounced, her movement against me more intent, as her orgasm approached, and I sucked her clitoris between my lips and rubbed my tongue over it. Nia came in a series of waves, a crescendo building within her, and when I jammed my tongue into her sweet little anus as hard as I could, she screamed as she climaxed with shattering force, her thighs clamping against my head, her tendons and muscles taut as guitar strings as she convulsed, arching off the bed in the extremity of her pleasure, her fingers tightening in my hair as her hands clutched at my head. At last she came down from that high place, muscles relaxing to allow her to slump back down with a groan, her breathing harsh and heavy, eyes rolled back in her head, her throat palpitating as her pulse fluttered. She opened her eyes and looked at me, smiling. "What the hell was that, Polar Bear?" she grinned, "Because you can keep doing that, as many times as you like! Holy shit, that was good!" I slid up next to her, nuzzling her, Nia opening her legs again and pulling me on top of her. "Your turn, my big Polar Bear!" she smiled. My erection was like a steel bar, and Nia took hold of me, positioning me until I felt the heat of her pussy against my head. With one smooth slow lunge I was inside her, making her gasp at the sensation, her knees coming up and draping over my arms to increase the angle of penetration. I began slowly pumping my cock into her, she sighing and murmuring as I slid in and out of her, increasing my tempo until I was pumping as hard and as fast as I could. I was already so stimulated that I knew I wouldn't last long, and I put my hands behind her knees and pushed her legs up until her knees were level with her shoulders, her feet pointing at the ceiling, doubling her over underneath me. Nia gasped at this position, my cock pumping deeply into her at an entirely new angle; I could feel her catching up with me as my climax approached. She pumped against me as I hammered into her, until, with a long drawn out groan, she came again, her vaginal walls clamping and squeezing at me as she orgasmed, the sensation too much for me and my spunk boiled over and into her, erupting in long, satisfying jets, the feeling so intense my vision whited-out as my eyeballs rolled back in my head, and my ears popped and crackled. I pumped until there was nothing more to give, the spray of semen reduced to a trickle as I emptied out, giving all I had to this beautiful girl. I slumped down, winded and exhausted by my exertions, and Nia rolled into my arm, resting her head on my chest as she listened to my heartbeat slowing to normal, drumming her fingers on me as she looked up into my eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. "Five minutes, Polar bear, then you need a shower, oh boy, do you need a shower! I'll join you, then we go, OK?" +++ "Are we actually going somewhere Nia, or are we just aimlessly roaming the storied streets of London until mum calls?" I asked her as we threaded through a maze of streets in Clapham Old Town that I'd never seen before, and I'd lived here all my life. "Patience, Jamie, we're going to see a friend, someone you know, who actually likes you, because I need to talk to her, just a couple more minutes, OK?" We walked up to a small 'workers cottage' type house in a little side street and Nia rang the bell. The door opened and it was Julie. She grinned and ushered us into the small sitting-room, Nia sprawling over the back of the armchair I sat in, resting her chin on my shoulder and grinning at Julie. "So Nia, you said you needed to see me, you and Lover-boy over here!" she nudged me with her foot. "What can I do for you, babe?" "Jules, Jamie told me you twigged what was going on with the two of us, and that you'd been there. Why didn't you tell me, Jules, was it Mark?" Julie looked sad for a second. "Yeah, it was Mark, and when he was told to go, he went, and he left me behind; he got what he wanted, told me what I wanted to hear, and fucked off at the first open gate. You're lucky, Jamie won't go anywhere without you. Your parents obviously don't know, which I'm guessing is what you want to talk about." Nia looked relieved. "Jules, how did your mum take it when you told her, how did you deal with it?" Julie smiled, but there was no humour there. "She dragged it out of Mark, not that it took much effort, he was always under her thumb, then she came for me, screaming like a fucking banshee, telling me I'd seduced my own brother like a little whore, that normal people don't do things like that, that even if he was older than me, Mark was so innocent and I was such a conniving little slut..." She stopped, tears rolling down her face at the remembered pain, and Nia climbed off me and sat next to her, holding her while she cried. She mopped her eyes, stopping crying with an effort, while I went and got her a glass of water from the small kitchen. "When did this happen, Jules?" asked Nia softly. "Easter, just before I moved here; I had to, mum told me to go, said the sight of me made her sick..." replied Julie, her eyes welling up again. Nia caught her before she started crying again, hugging her close and stroking her hair, making little soothing noises. Julie pulled herself away from Nia, knuckled her eyes. "You're lucky Nia, your dad's a human being, he won't go psycho on you like my bitch mother, at least he'll try and understand. I think after you tell him, you should maybe come and stay here a few days, 'cause he might accept that what you tell him is how it's going to be, but he may not want to be reminded of it too much, and seeing you draped around Jamie, well..." It sounded like a good idea to me, but Nia balked at it. "No, I'm staying with Jamie, we're both in this, and I'm not telling him then hiding in case he gets freaked by seeing us together. Mum already knows, and she has no problem with us being together, so he'll just have to take his lead from mum!" Julie looked at Nia. "You're telling him tonight, aren't you? Why else would you want to talk about this with me?" Nia smiled. "Actually, mum's telling him, breaking it to him gently, and she wanted us out of the house until he's ready to see us, so we may be crashing on your couch tonight, Jules!" Julie looked unperturbed. "Be my guest, I had Shelagh on there last night, hating men until she went to sleep, and you were top of her hit-list Jamie!" she smiled maliciously. Nia and I exchanged glances. Julie grinned "Don't sweat it, she's already fixated on someone else, in a week you'll be so completely off her radar she'll never trouble you again! I helped her in my own small way, we bitch-slapped you until she got tired of it, then I pointed her at some of our friends' older brothers, and she's resetting her sights as we speak!" I suggested we went out for a drink, as the conversation on this particular subject seemed to have run its course, so we headed out to the Windmill Tavern, a huge pub over on Clapham Common itself, and we slid into a corner booth, waiting for mum or 10 o'clock, whichever came first. A couple of guys I recognised from school came in, and came over to say hello. They didn't know Nia, of course, and gave her the once-over, some very admiring looks, nudging me to introduce them. So I introduced Nia to them as my fiancée, getting a very warm look from Nia and some very envious looks from my school friends. Julie just grinned broadly. That incident seemed to lighten Nia's mood considerably, and she and Julie got down to some serious yakking about people I'd never met, school days etc etc. I clock-watched; I was keyed-up and waiting for Zero-hour, when this would all either be resolved, or blow-up in our faces. Either way, Nia and I would stick together, with or without dad's blessing, but I also had faith in mum; she'd never let things go that far. So Nia chatted, and I second-guessed mum until, suddenly, Nia's phone went off, she looked at it and it was the house number; mum. She picked up, and spoke briefly and hung up. "Jamie, that was mum, she wants us to come home now, says everything is fine, dad's anxious to see us." I gulped down my drink, a little Dutch-courage never hurt anyone, and we left, walking Julie back home before carrying on to our own. When we dropped her off, she hugged Nia, whispered something to her, then reached up and pecked me on the cheek. "Cheer up Jamie, you're not dead yet!" she grinned, hugged me and waved us off. When we came in, mum and dad were in their night clothes, mum in a nighty and dad in his sweat pants and dressing robe, which I thought was odd, they never got changed for bed until they actually went to bed. Dad cleared his throat. "Jamie, Nia, please sit down." When we had, he continued. "Your mother tells me you have something you want to tell me, so please, whenever you're ready." I started. "Dad, Nia and I, we, that is...I wanted to tell you how I feel...about Nia, about how we feel about each other..." Dad raised an eyebrow. "Go on." "Dad, I love Nia...and she loves me, and we want to ...be together." I dried up under that calm stare. Dad flicked his gaze over to Nia. "And you, Nguye't, what do you have to say?" Nia gulped and moved closer to me, slipping her hand into mine. "Dad, Jamie's right, everything he says is true. Tôi yêu anh ay rat nhieu, Cha, xin vui ḷng không ghét tôi!" (I love him very much, father, please do not hate me!) I didn't understand what she said, but dad obviously did, because he looked closely at her. "Is that what you think I would do, Nugget, really? Anh em là con cua tôi và tôi yêu em, tôi không the ghét ban!" (You are my children and I love you, I cannot hate you!) I don't know what he'd said, but suddenly Nia was crying, and she took her hand out of mine to walk over and stand in front of where he was sitting. "Tôi không muon dieu này xay ra, Cha, xin vui ḷng không do loi cho Jamie! (I did not ask this to happen, father, please do not blame Jamie!) Dad ran his fingers through his hair, and looked closely at Nia, and I could swear I saw tears glimmering in his eyes. Nia had said something about 'blame', and 'Father' and me, but my Vietnamese was way too sketchy to follow the rapid fire conversation they'd had. She held out her hand, and he took it, gently pulled her over to him, and rested his head against her, his arm curled around her waist. "Jamie, what do you and Nia intend to do or have you even gotten that far yet?" he asked me, "because you're in no position to support my daughter, and you can't live here as husband and wife, or whatever. So what do you plan to do?" I marshalled my thoughts; I hadn't banked on this. "I will be looking for a job as soon as I can, once I get a job, I'll find a flat, somewhere we can live, until then Nia will have to live here, and I'll find somewhere to stay until I can get my own place." Nia looked stricken, and mum gasped, but dad just nodded. "Seems like a reasonable plan. I presume you and Nia have talked about what you're doing, what the law says you are doing, how were you planning on getting around that?" I replied with the answer I had come up with while pondering this same question. "I know we can't get married, but we can live together. We have the same name, and we're not obviously related, so people can assume we're married if they wish to, we just take care not to correct them." Dad nodded again. "And children, have you thought about children, and what it means to them to have parents who are as closely related as you are, the possible risks to them?" Nia spoke up. "I checked up on this. As we both only have one parent in common, we only share half the DNA, which means our children would probably have the same risk of genetic issues as children born to first cousins, and those risks are small in the first generation cross. I looked up the studies, and a risk does exist, but it's low." Dad looked at both of us. "It appears you have been giving this some thought, but it's a big ask, asking me to accept this...relationship. I can't have you living here as a couple, but I don't want my children to leave. Neither one is compatible with the other, so this is what you're going to do. While you live here, you live here like brother and sister, at least while I'm around. That means no sneaking around and swapping bedrooms or playing musical beds in the middle of the night." "When I'm not here, I expect you'll do what all young adults do, and I have no control over that, but you will both have to decide, live here as siblings, or move out and do your own thing. If you decide to move away Jamie, you become two people; my daughter's boyfriend, and I expect you to behave like a respectful one, and, when you're here, with Nia, in my house, you become my daughter's older brother, and again, you should behave appropriately." Nia looked stunned, and mum drew herself up and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her, while dad looked shocked at her reaction. Nia broke the silence, "So that's your...solution, is it?" she asked him, eyes narrowed and glittering like spikes of blue ice. "Jamie, come and help me pack, we are leaving!" I mutely rose and followed her, looking at dad one last time, his face confused and worried. "Jamie, I thought...!" he began, and Nia cut him short. "I thought you would at least try and be human about this, see what it's doing to us, but no, you just hand down pronouncements from on high as though your word is divine law. I thought that you could just be my dad, but instead you decide to be some, some...some Roman Judge! Jamie and I are leaving, now!" I trailed after her, feeling groggy; it had all gone so horribly wrong, and now we were leaving, because dad was more concerned about how he felt than about his children, more specifically, about his daughter. As I passed mum's door, I heard faint sounds from inside and stopped. I listened closely and heard the unmistakeable sounds of crying. I knocked softly. "Mum, mum, it's Jamie and Nia, may we come in?" There was no reply, so I edged the door open, and saw mum, sitting cross-legged on her bed, crying. It made me feel very peculiar; I'd never seen mum cry, and it was both distressing and very worrying. Nia bolted past me and flung herself on her, crying and gabbling Vietnamese, while I sat on the bed, passing them both tissues while I waited for the machine-gun dialect to finish. Mum finally reached over and stroked my hair, which was a bad move, because I started crying then, partly because I felt so let-down, mostly because seeing mum hurting had rattled me so deeply. "It OK Jamie, not cry any more, I am very sorry, I thought he better man than that, I was wrong, now I make you hurt as well, not want to do that to my little boy..." she trailed off and looked up. Dad was standing in the doorway, and mum's eyes flashed. "Get out! Shut door and go away, this not your room, this not your family! Get out!" He looked stunned, and backed out of the room, closing the door as he retreated. Nia burst into tears again, and I resumed handing out tissues, mum holding her with one hand, and stroking my hair with the other. "I think perhaps I come with you, wherever you go, I want be with you, cannot stay here if I cannot have my children, stupid man, very stupid man, make children very unhappy, make children leave, children important in family, no children mean no luck, children run away, good fortune leave with them!" her indignant muttering went on, lulling me as I listened to the rhythm of her speech. I had heard her speak all my life, and I had never been able to tell she had an accent; when kids at school said to me "your mum talks funny!" I'd look at them like they were mad, but now, I understood what they meant, her clipped, rise and fall tones almost sing-song, hypnotic. Mum never usually put long sentences together, using two or three words to convey meaning that other people couldn't get across with a whole essay, and listening to her talking non-stop was novel and compelling. I had always believed she was so brief because her English wasn't that good (and how good was my Vietnamese after living with her for close on 20 years?), but that was just how she spoke, believing brevity was the soul of communication. There was a knock on the door, and mum slid off the bed and stalked over, flinging the door wide. "I tell you once, this not your room, you sleep in spare room or greenhouse, I not care, I with my children, they need me, not need you, you hurt them, not love them, not care about them, neighbours more important, now you go away, ban là mot nguoi dàn ông rat ngu ngoc!" (You are a very stupid man!) Dad looked like he was going to burst into tears. I'd never seen mum so angry, and presumably neither had he, judging by the look on his face. His face worked, and when he finally spoke, it was in a whisper. "Anh, Jamie, Nia, I'm so sorry, I thought...!" Mum flashed back at him. "What you think, that your children like your employees, you make rules and they jump around? They your children, James, they special, rules not apply, family come first, without family, there is nothing, you not know that yet? When you learn that?" Dad really had tears on his cheeks this time, and mum was crying as well, but she was still furious. "Anh, I just thought that we shouldn't...!" he began again, and again mum cut him short. "Should not what, James? Should not let them be in love? Try and make them not love each other? You not listen to your children, No, just say stupid things and watch them leave. Perhaps it time for me to go too; my children are crying, and you are making rules; when you stop loving your children and start loving rules so much? It time for you to go now, my children need me, and you not sorry, you just want to explain stupid rules. You promise me that you not drive my children away, that you listen to them, be their father, help them when they need you, now you drive them away. Go away!" Dad looked at Anh, and slowly shook his head. "No, not until I apologise to Jamie, and Nia...and you. I was wrong, I wasn't thinking, and I'm sorry. Can we go back downstairs, start again, work something out. I don't want the kids to leave, I don't want you to leave me, please!" Mum looked slightly less angry, but her face was still set and her eyes were flinty, sharp and hard as they bored into his. Eventually she nodded, and dad turned to go back downstairs. Mum looked back at the two of us, and nodded. "Children, we go, talk some more, maybe he have better idea. We see!" God, she was tough, I'm just glad she was on our side! We trooped back downstairs, Mum with that set expression on her face and Nia still dabbing at her eyes, and filed into the sitting room. I sat on the sofa opposite dad, and Nia huddled behind me, her arms around my neck, glaring defiantly at him. Mum sat on the arm of the sofa next to me, her arm over Nia's shoulder, and we waited for dad to begin. "Anh, kids, what am I saying, you're not kids anymore, Jamie, Nia, I'm sorry, I overreacted, I let the whole situation get away from me. Jamie, I haven't seen you in almost a year, and I haven't even said hello yet, just went straight into it; I'm sorry, I missed you, I know Nia did, she spent the last 3 years moping around, crying whenever we mentioned your name; I suppose with hindsight, I should have seen this coming. I wanted to say I was wrong, I made a mistake; I just thought I could make this not be happening, that my children didn't really feel like that about each other. I know your mother sees it differently, but I just looked at it one way, and I got it wrong. Of course I want to help you, and I would never ask you to leave, either one of you, I would cut out my own heart before I drove either one of you away, and if you want to be together, I can't stop you and I won't stand in your way. I only have one condition. I meant what I said about musical beds, I can't have that, so what you'll do is, the pair of you will move into the top floor of the house, that will be your space, what you do in there is none of my business. I want my children to feel wanted in their own home, and this is the best I can do. Tomorrow, Jamie, you and I will clear it out and move whatever you want up there. Later, you may want to find a place of your own, do that, if that's really what you want, but this is always going to be your home. I didn't mean to hurt you, either of you, and I don't want to hurt you again; every man's entitled to make a complete bloody fool of himself once in his lifetime, I think I just used up my quota!" Mum stood up and walked over to him, kissed him on the cheek. "Now you making sense, at last!" He looked at Nia. "Is that good enough for you, Nugget?" he asked with a small smile. Nia grinned at him. "Thank you daddy, Jamie and I accept, we'll both help you tomorrow!" Dad grinned at us. "I meant what I said, no musical beds, tonight you're still brother and sister, so your own rooms, please, tomorrow night, well, we'll see!" he rubbed his chin. "I must be mad, this is so...so...I don't know what this is, there must be a name for it but I'm buggered if I know!" There was one thing I had been meaning to ask dad, ever since mum had told us her story. "Dad, what was my mother like, my birth-mother, and why didn't you tell me she and mum were friends, or anything about her?" Dad looked pensive, eyes far away for a second. "Jamie, your mother, your birth-mother, and I were married for almost a year. She was a trainee-teacher, learning to teach primary school 5-year olds. You look a lot like her. She was a lot like you, quiet, funny, patient, happy. She got pregnant soon after we got married, and Anh lived with us - your mother's parents had passed away, and Anh was like her young sister, the only family she had. Soon after you were born, she began having headaches, blurred vision, nausea. The hospital said she was suffering from migraine, kept giving her painkillers, but nothing helped, and the headaches got worse, so they did a CAT scan, and found she had a tumour, a large one, and it was inoperable. She passed away less than a month later. She gave you to your mum, told her she was your mother now, and that's how we kept it. Your mum was the only mother you knew, I didn't want you to be confused when you were small, and after a while it didn't matter, your mum was your mum, she looked after you, fed you, changed you, did everything for you. The rest you know." Somehow it felt better, clearer, knowing something about the woman who'd given birth to me, and Nia was rubbing my back gently; I think she thought I may have been affected by dad's story, but the truth was, she was still little more than a face in a photograph; mum was my mum, what dad had told me was just background information, nothing there to make me change my life plans or anything. I had another question. "Dad, how come you speak Vietnamese so well?" He grinned. "Jamie, your mother is a good and patient teacher; you should have stuck with it!" He stood up. "Anyway, it's late, we have a busy day tomorrow, go to bed, now, your own beds, and I'll see you at breakfast!" +++ to be continued.... pics---->> http://bit.ly/1D1q3qp