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Dave and Alicia Ch. 01

By: chargergirl



A huge thank you goes to Mused, for all his help with this. ~Chargergirl

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I don't think I like her very well," Alicia confessed.

Elizabeth turned her head towards her best friend and laughed. "What? You don't like who very well?" Elizabeth, momentarily distracted by Samantha, had missed most of Alicia's comment.

"Stephanie! Duh, Elizabeth."

The girls were sitting on the front porch at Brett and Elizabeth's place talking about Alicia's brother, Dave, and his latest girlfriend. It was a beautiful, warm late October day and the girls were outside enjoying the afternoon sunshine. Baby Sammi was lying in the Moses basket at Elizabeth feet. She was fat and happy and in love with her toes, for the moment. She gurgled and drooled with glee, as she stuffed half her foot in her mouth.

"Why don't you like her, Alli? She seemed kind of nice to me." Elizabeth had met Stephanie two weeks ago, at the eightieth birthday party for Alicia's Grandma Ruth.

"Yeah, she seemed nice because my parents were there, and Grandma. She's an ass-kisser if there ever was one. Stephanie, not Grandma."

Elizabeth laughed again. "I knew who you meant, you dope. How long have they been together, anyway?"

"Like years, at least." Alicia snorted with a wave of her hand.

"Alli, seriously. It can't be more than a couple of months." Elizabeth had learned to count on Alicia's exaggerations.

"Well, it seems like years," she grumbled, and then added quietly, "to me, anyway." Dave's home had once been a refuge for Alicia when she needed to get away from their parents, when she needed her space. Until recently, he'd been happy to have her. 

While she loved Mom and Dad with all her heart, sometimes they were just too much. "Alicia Anne, when will you be home?", "Alicia Anne, don't forget to study", "Alicia Anne, you need to get your sleep, lights out". For Christ sake, she was nineteen years old! She would have moved out and gotten her own place, but going to college full-time made that impossible.

"I never go over to David's anymore, Elizabeth. He never lets me because she's almost always there." In that respect, Alicia was not exaggerating. Stephanie had pretty much taken up residence at Dave's house. Little sister wasn't very welcome when big brother had a woman around.

"You know you're always welcome here, Alli, anytime, and you don't even have to call."

"I know Elizabeth, and thanks. But I don't want to get in the way. Brett will get sick of me if I'm here too much."

Elizabeth could only roll her eyes at that. "If he hasn't gotten sick of you by now, I doubt he ever will." It was true, and Alicia knew it. She and Elizabeth had been best friends, inseparable their entire lives, just like Brett and Dave. "Besides, Sammi loves her Aunt Alli; you're such a huge help with her, and Brett understands that. Alli, what--hey, are you crying? Alicia, look at me."

Alicia wiped at her eyes, feeling silly for crying in front of Elizabeth. She felt the way she felt for a reason yet was reluctant to tell her friend, for the moment, anyway.

From behind came a deep male voice, "Want me to talk to him?"

Elizabeth and Alicia whipped around to see Brett. He'd managed to come up behind the girls without them realizing it.

Alicia groaned. She wondered how much of the conversation Elizabeth's brother had heard. She definitely didn't want David to know she was complaining about Stephanie, by bemoaning the fact that David no longer had time for his little sister; she'd rather stick needles in her eyes. "You better not say anything to him, Brett. I'll never hear the end of it. If I hear how wonderful Stephanie is, just one more time, I swear I'll vomit." Alicia buried her face in her hands, releasing another snort.

Brett and Elizabeth exchanged a glance and a frown.

"I don't get it," Elizabeth said, as she joined Brett for dinner later that evening. Samantha was in her little bouncy seat at the end of the table, busy making faces at herself in the hanging mirror.

"Don't get what? Damn, Elizabeth, what did you do to this?" Brett asked, chewing a piece of meat.

"Is it that horrible?" Elizabeth thought the pot roast looked and smelled fine to her.

"Oh my God, no, it's great!" Brett said, through a mouthful of mashed potatoes and gravy. He turned his attention to the glazed carrots.

"Thanks. Mrs. Parker told me what to do." Brett and Elizabeth had grown very close to the Parkers, Dave and Alicia's parents, after their own parents had literally disowned them. The siblings weren't sure if the true nature of their relationship was known to the Parkers. Brett thought the Parkers suspected something. Elizabeth wasn't as sure.

"So what don't you get?" Brett repeated. He took a sip of water from the green Coke glass perched next to his plate.

"Oh, Alicia. She's being weird about Stephanie. I mean, I can understand that she feels shut out, sort of. But it's not like Dave's never had a girlfriend before. What's this one make, like a hundred?"

Brett rolled his eyes. "Hardly, Elizabeth, it's only ninety-five. Seriously, doesn't Alli realize he'll be done with Stephanie in a month or so?"

"I don't know. He was pretty goofy-acting around Stephanie at Grandma Ruth's party. He's not usually like that."

"Do you think she's jealous?" Brett wondered.

"Maybe. Dave sure doesn't spend any time with her anymore. I remember that when you had a girlfriend, I was always last on your list of people you wanted to be around."

"I didn't have that many, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth pretended not to hear. "Gerri McBride. You called me Sprite in front of her once, and she never called me by anything else ever again." Sprite had been Brett's little girl nickname for his sister. Fourteen-year-old Elizabeth had been supremely annoyed to hear anyone other than her big brother call her Sprite. That Halloween, Elizabeth and Alicia had covered Gerri's car in shaving cream and toilet paper. Afterward, they laughed harder than they ever had in their lives. 

Elizabeth wondered if Brett had ever figured out who messed Gerri's car.

"You don't think Alli's...you know, with Dave, do you?" Brett frowned.

"You mean, like us?"

Brett nodded.

"No, but I'm getting weird vibes from her; that's for sure."

"That would be just too strange." Brett forked in the last of the pot roast and potatoes. "That was so good." He leaned over and kissed Elizabeth.

Elizabeth toyed with her napkin, twisting the corner into a point. "Do you think we're strange, Brett?"

"Nope, only you, sweet sister." He laughed at his own joke, then rose and took their plates to the sink. "I'm going to take Sam for a walk. You want to come?"

"Yeah! Let me put this stuff away, while you get her ready."

Brett put the baby in her pajamas while Elizabeth cleaned up. Elizabeth fed Sam before they left. She hoped Sam would fall asleep on their walk; because she wanted some time alone with Brett when they returned.

The late October evening was gorgeous. The brightness of the full hunter's moon lit their way down the street. Fallen leaves crunched under their feet as they walked along, with Brett pushing the stroller. It was still warm, for being so late in the day. The entire season had been unusually warm. 

Elizabeth loved the fall; it was her favorite time of the year. Quite a few people had pumpkins out on their porches, she noticed.  She and Brett had already bought theirs at the farmer's market. Halloween was only a week away.

Samantha was out like a light by the time they returned. She was such a good little baby. At only four months old, she was already sleeping through the night for her parents. Brett carefully picked her up and carried her down the hall to the bedroom. Samantha still slept in the pretty wicker bassinet that had been a gift from the elder Parkers. She'd have to switch to a full-size crib, before too much longer. 

Brett placed her down gently and tucked the lightweight blanket around her torso. 

He turned to find a partially clothed Elizabeth lying on the bed. Shirtless and braless, she had left her jeans and panties to be removed. A task thoghtfully reserved for Brett. He ambled over to her, wearing a knowing smile on his face; he knew his little sister well, and he knew what she wanted.

Elizabeth's tummy did a little flip flop as she watched him undress. That smile of his and the glint in his eyes, they both still made her quiver inside.

Ten seconds later, her jeans and panties were a faded memory, lying in a crumpled heap on the floor, and Elizabeth was spread-eagle on her back with Brett's face buried between her legs.

Brett licked at her engorged clitoris; it was swollen and hot. He nipped and stroked it with the skill of a man who knew his lover well. Elizabeth's pussy was slick with her arousal. She wanted him inside her right then and there, but Brett made her wait. He was enjoying himself far too much to give in just yet.

"Brett!" Elizabeth hissed. She pushed at his shoulders. "Brett, come on! Ohhhh yeah, oh God, Brett. I'm going to cum if you don't stop!"

"Then why would I do a silly thing like that?" He laughed and looked up the length of her body. He went back to his task. Her scent, her taste, and the way her thighs clenched and unclenched were thoroughly intoxicating.

A few more circles of his tongue were all it took for Elizabeth to grind her pussy into his face. Brett knew she was close to orgasm. His hand stole up to the juncture of her thighs. One finger eased its way in, followed by a second.

Elizabeth started to thrash her head from side to side on the pillow. Brett's fingers stroking inside her, and his tongue licking and sucking on her clit drove her right to the edge. He then shoved her over. She grabbed the other pillow and slammed it over her face. She screamed as the orgasm pulsed through her.

Elizabeth was barely able to catch her breath before Brett moved between her legs. With a trust born from more than just being lovers, Elizabeth opened herself and submitted to him fully. As always, she held nothing back. Brett filled her completely, stretching her, but never hurting her.

Brett gazed down into Elizabeth's eyes as he moved within her. Everytime they made love, it was so incredible, so special. He thought back to when he had almost lost her. She had nearly died giving birth; Samantha had nearly died. He felt the familiar pricking sensation behind his eyes as the tears threatened. He would never let either one of them go, not now, not ever; he would rather slit his own wrists.

Elizabeth cupped Brett's face in her palms and drew his head down. She kissed him deeply. She started moving her hips, meeting him thrust for thrust. Her hands moved down to grasp his butt, squeezing, trying to drive him deeper.

They were there together in their own private world, where nothing could come between them. Everything they had been through in the past, and everything they would face in the future, faded into nothingness, as they joined.

Brett buried his face in Elizabeth's neck. He groaned as he came, his gut clenching and his chest heaving. "Ah hell, Elizabeth." He rolled on his back, pulling her over onto his chest. "Did you cum?" he asked in a ragged whisper.

Elizabeth raised her head and looked up at Brett. She smiled shyly and shook her head. "Not...not right now, but I did a bit ago." She didn't add 'obviously.'

"Damn, I'm sorry I couldn't hold back. I tri--"

Elizabeth covered his mouth with her palm and shook her head. "Hush, you more than satisfied me." She laid her head back down and raked her fingers through the dark curls covering his chest.

Brett arranged the covers over them as best he could, a task made more difficult with Elizabeth draped over him. They would fall asleep that way, they always did after making love, but some time during the night they would separate, their bodies questing for a deeper sleep.

"Alicia Anne, did you just get home?" Blaire Parker stuck her head through the partially open bedroom door.

Alicia looked up and smiled at her mom. "Yeah, I was with Elizabeth."

"Studying for your test on Monday?"

"Yep." Alicia noticed her mom slip the rest of her body through the doorway. She groaned inwardly. Here it comes, she thought.

"So how are Brett, Elizabeth and Samantha?"

"Fine, Mom, they're fine. They send their love," Alicia nodded for emphasis.

"You've been over there a lot lately. Haven't been forgetting your homework, now; have you?"

Alicia couldn't hold back a sigh. "Hardly, how could I?"

"Now Alicia, there's no need to take that tone. Dad and I just want you to do well with your studies. You're so smart, and you have the ability to go so far with your life..."

There was more, but Alicia had fine-tuned the art of selective hearing. As her mother droned on, Alicia's thoughts turned to her brother. She wondered what he was up to that evening. He was probably with Stephanie. Normally, after one of her mom's lectures, Alicia would pick up the phone and call him. Now, she wasn't sure she should do that. When she talked to him lately, he seemed so distracted, leaving her with the feeling that he was only humoring her. That really hurt. They'd been so close in the past. 

Alicia could sense an ever-widening gulf eroding her bond with David. The harder she tried to get close, the further he pushed her away. Two weeks ago, the party for Grandma Ruth had been torture, especially with Stephanie there.

"Well, goodnight, dear." 

Her mother's words yanked Alicia back to the present. Bending forward, she accepted her mom's kiss on the cheek. Alicia loved her mom; she really did, but sometimes her mom could be so overbearing. "Night, Mom. I love you."

"You, too. Now, get some sleep; you need your rest."

As her mother retreated out the door, Alicia smiled benevolently and nodded, saying yes, she would do just that. She wanted to say that tomorrow was Sunday; it didn't matter when she went to bed. Instead, she reached for her cordless phone and dialed Dave's number. He answered on the first ring.

"Hey David," she greeted him quietly. 

"Oh hey, how are ya?" He didn't need to ask who it was; he would have known her voice anywhere.

The distance was in his voice. He couldn't, or wouldn't, disguise it. Alicia shut her eyes, trying so hard to block it out. "I'm OK." It was a lie, but what the hell, she doubted he'd notice. There was a time, not too long ago, when her brother would have noticed the slightest variation in her tone, be it happy or sad.

In the background, Alicia heard a soft feminine voice ask, "Who is it, Dave?" Alicia's heart fell to her knees. She heard her brother mutter, "Alicia."

He called her Alicia, not Alli, not even Alligator, the pet name he'd created for his little sister. Alicia pretended to be annoyed when he called her Alligator, but she secretly loved it.

"What's up?" Dave asked her.

"I was just wondering what you were up to, I guess. I just wanted to call and say hi, I haven't seen you in a while."

Guilt, he felt it in his heart. It was true he'd been avoiding her, yet was unable to admit to himself exactly why. "I know, I--I'm sorry, Alicia. I guess I've been kind of busy. I'll be there tomorrow night for dinner, though."

"OK. Are you...you know, will you be alone?" Alicia asked tentatively. Almost immediately, she wanted to kick herself for asking.

There was a pause; Dave replied softly with his own question, "Do you want me to be?"

For a tiny moment, for one brief second, the distance was gone, and Alicia felt close to her brother again. The moment was shattered when the feminine voice in the background urged, "Dave, come on."

"I've gotta go Alicia. I'll see you tomorrow." 

There was frustration in his voice that Alicia hadn't heard before. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but he told her to have a good night, before hanging up.

"So what did little sister want this time?" Stephanie's question was accompanied by a frown that he didn't much care for.

They had just finished having sex when Alicia called, and Dave knew Stephanie had been most put off by the intrusion. Stephanie had never been thrilled by the siblings' closeness. Dave often used Stephanie's attitude as an excuse to avoid his sister. The real reason he avoided Alicia was unacceptable to him.

"Nothing, just to...nothing." Dave shook his head, trying not to think of the tall, pretty blond girl he'd just hung up on. He knew how much he was hurting Alicia. He didn't have to see her face to know; he could hear it in her voice. He turned to Stephanie and pulled her close, feeling her large breasts mash against his bare chest. "I know what I want." 

Trying to shove thoughts of Alicia out of his head, Dave took Stephanie again, and he wasn't gentle, not that Stephanie seemed to mind in the least. He pushed her over on her stomach and lifted her hips in the air. She was wet and gaping, with his semen still leaking out from their earlier escapade. Thank god she's on the pill, Dave thought as he entered her. That wasn't his only thought, though. That same pretty blond girl kept invading his mind as he pounded into Stephanie, Eventually, it was the pretty blond girl on her hands and knees in front of him. He squeezed his eye shut tightly, uselessly trying to block the vision.

"Fuck!" He yelled as he came, filling Stephanie's pussy with even more sperm. "Son of a bitch," he muttered as he pulled out and flopped over on his back. Stephanie curled up next to him and laid her head against his shoulder.

"Mmm, that was so nice," she purred, stroking his arm with her fingers.

Dave wanted to pull away. Actually, he wanted to shove her away, but he didn't. He liked Stephanie a lot. She was a remarkable sight, but she wasn't tall, and she wasn't blond. And she didn't hold his heart.

Blaire Parker expected a perfectly set table at all meals. So the next afternoon, as Alicia set the table, she was so intent on lining up the forks that she didn't hear her brother arrive, didn't see him watching her from the archway to the dining room. 

As Dave stood watching Alicia, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked, even dressed as simply as she was. She wore a light blue tank top beneath an unbuttoned white dress shirt and close-fitting jeans that made her long legs seem even longer. Her hair was pulled back into a single French braid that showed off the diamond stud earrings their parents had given her on her eighteenth birthday. Loose wisps of hair hung down, making an already lovely face even more so.

Alicia finished the table and turned to see her brother standing in the archway. It had been two weeks since she'd seen him, the longest stretch of time she could remember. It felt like an eternity to her. He looked the same, even though, somehow, she thought he'd look different.

"Hi, David." She hadn't meant for the words to come out as a mere whisper.

He moved to enfold her in his arms; he couldn't resist. Her own arms wrapped around his waist. "Hey Alli. How are you?" 

Better now, she wanted to say, but didn't. "I'm fine. And you?"

They disentangled themselves, but remained standing there face to face. Well, almost. Alicia was tall for a girl, her height above average at five nine, but Dave still had to look down at her. They took after their dad height wise; though, Alicia had inherited her tiny waist from their mother.

"Doing OK," he said with a nod. "You look nice." He reached up and tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear.

Alicia looked down at herself, then back up at Dave and smiled. "Thanks."

"Smells good in here, what's Mom cooking?"

"Roasted chicken, squash, her stuffing--"

"Mom made her stuffing?"

Alicia nodded. She knew how much he loved their mom's stuffing.  She loved it, too. A glance at the TV showed the football teams running onto the field. "The game's starting. We can watch it for a while," Alicia suggested. "Dinner won't be ready for an hour or so."


Dave and Alicia Ch. 01



Dave had been looking forward to this game for weeks. He knew Alicia had, too. Their love of football was one of the many things they had in common. Until this season, they'd spent many a Sunday afternoon camped out on the sofa in the living room, watching whatever game happened to be on; it never mattered how bad the teams were. Their parents always retreated upstairs to the den when a game came on. The elder Parkers didn't care much for football, but they loved that their children spent time together, so they gave them their space.

The siblings settled on the sofa and watched the opening kickoff. Dave tried to relax, and actually did for a while. But each time Alicia moved, her scent, a unique smell of coconut and lime, wafted over him. He knew she didn't wear perfume, so it must have been the lotion she used. There was a green tube of it in the upstairs bathroom. He liked its scent; it reminded him of summer.

Unlike his sister, Stephanie wore perfume. A kind of heavy musk that sometimes made his eyes water. He frowned, realizing he was comparing his girlfriend to his sister, once again. It was an unfair comparison. Stephanie was hot; she had a gorgeous, voluptuous body that Dave thoroughly enjoyed, but somehow his girlfriend always came up short when compared to Alicia.

Alicia sensed his unease, and it was starting to upset her. She was about to say something to him when their mother came in and asked for Alicia's help in the kitchen. Dave visibly relaxed as she rose and left the living room. Alicia felt like crying.

Their mom and dad kept up a steady stream of conversation all through dinner. If they sensed something was amiss between their children, they didn't let on. Thom Parker talked to his son about his job, quizzed his daughter about school, and raved to his wife about the wonderful meal she had prepared. 

Alicia barely ate. How could she, when throughout the entire meal she felt like vomiting? Her brother wouldn't even look at her, and when their fingers touched over the bowl of stuffing, Dave looked completely appalled. She just wanted to go up to her room, climb into bed, and never come back out.

The siblings did the dishes after the meal, as was expected of them. Usually there was much joking and laughing between them, but this time the washing and drying was done in an uncomfortable silence. Alicia fought back the tears, for the most part, but couldn't stop a few strays from leaking out of the corners of her eyes. Dave saw them, and he knew he was the reason. He felt like such a shit. He knew he was hurting her, but he didn't know what to do about it. He didn't even know what to do about his own feelings. He did try, though.

"Alli, what--" he began.

"Don't talk to me," she snapped. She was done, just so done with him. She didn't want to look at his handsome face, didn't want to hear his deep voice. She turned her back on him and reached to put away a water goblet.

Dave refused to be ignored, never mind the fact that he'd been the one doing the ignoring the whole evening. Grabbing her arm, he spun her around. Unfortunately, he grabbed the one clutching the water goblet. It crashed to the floor and shattered into a million pieces.

Alicia stood there, staring at the broken remains of the glass. Dave stood there, staring at her, while keeping her arm firmly in his grasp. To his utter horror, she burst into tears. With a hard yank, she pulled away from his grip and fled to her bedroom.

Muttering a string of ear-burning curses, Dave bent to the task of cleaning up the broken glass. He cut his hand twice in the process, but managed to do a decent job of picking it up. The broom and dustpan made quick work of the tiniest shards.

His dad came down just as he was sweeping up the last of it. "What happened to your sister, son? She's up in her room crying her eyes out. I tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't listen. I figured you'd have a pretty good idea of what's going on."

Oh, I have a great idea, Dad, Dave thought. I imagined I was fucking my own sister last night, Dad. How about that? Dave knew he was her problem, but he didn't know what to do about it, so he denied knowing anything. Thom didn't look like he believed his son for a second, but didn't call him on it.

"I should go, Dad. Stephanie's coming over tonight; I told her I'd meet her at eight." It was only seven-fifteen but Dave wanted to get the hell away.

"Don't leave without saying goodbye to your mother. And for God's sake, say goodbye to Alicia. I think she's feeling shut out of your life right now. You spend so much time with Stephanie."

"I know, Dad. I'm just...I've got some stuff going on right now, and I'm trying to work through it, OK?"

"Anything I can help with, son?" His dad's brown eyes narrowed with concern.

"No thanks, Dad. I have to work this one out myself. I'm going to go say bye to Mom and Alli now." 

Dave took the steps two at a time, not a problem with legs as long as his. He found his mother in the den by the fireplace reading what looked like some huge epic novel. "Hey Mom, I'm heading home. Thanks for dinner."

Blaire looked up from her book and smiled at her son. She removed her reading glasses and leaned forward to get her goodbye kiss. "You're welcome. Thanks for coming. You should come more often."

The quiet reprimand. It annoyed Dave, but he wouldn't dream of saying anything. He smiled at his mom and said goodbye.

"Look in on Alicia, please, David. She was crying a little while ago."

"Yeah, Dad mentioned that," he mumbled. Leaving the den, Dave turned left. Heading down the long hallway, he passed his old bedroom, the bathroom, the linen closet, and yet another bedroom. At the end of the hall, he reached Alicia's room. The door was shut tight.

Dave listened through the door. He didn't hear anything, so at least she wasn't crying any longer. He softly rapped on the door, but there was no answer. He considered leaving without seeing her, but he knew he couldn't do that. As confused as his feelings were, he still wanted to say goodbye. What could it hurt?

The door swung open at the briefest turn of the knob. The dim light filtering in from the waning full moon made navigating the confines of Alicia's room simple enough.

Dave saw her curled up on her bed; he couldn't tell if she was awake or not. "Alli?" he whispered. "Alligator?" He approached the bed.

He saw that she was fast asleep. She was lying on her side facing him and when he looked closer, he could still make out the wetness on her cheeks. It looked like she had been crying in her sleep. He sat down on the edge of her bed with a little sigh.

She clutched a teddy bear in her arms. He felt a tug at his heart, when he realized it was the bear he had given her for Christmas, when she was only five. She loved that bear so much. For years she dragged it everywhere she went. The bear showed its age and all of the love it had received.

Dave noticed Alicia had changed her clothes. She was wearing her yellow and blue University of Michigan pajamas, U of M being their father's alma mater. She snuffled in her sleep, and then let out a sneeze.

The French braid was still in her hair, but barely, most of the hair having long since fallen out of its restraint. Dave reached over and gently pulled out the hair tie. He ran his fingers through the silky length of blond tresses, enjoying the way the hairs felt as they slipped though his fingers with ease.

"Sorry I've been such a shithead, Alligator," he whispered. "I'm not sure what's wrong with me, but I hope I can make it up to you, someday." Actually, he knew what was wrong; he just couldn't admit it.

Alicia let out another sneeze and shifted a little. Dave sighed again and stood up. He pulled the covers up over her torso to her shoulders. As tall as she was, she looked so little curled up in bed that way. Maybe it was the way her long legs were tucked up close to her, or maybe it was just him trying to picture her as she was years ago, before she grew up and became so beautiful. It was wishful dreaming on his part, to try to imagine her as anything other than what she was. Denying his feelings was fast becoming impossible.

Dave bent and kissed Alicia's cheek. The salty taste of her tears lingered on his lips. He straightened, gave her shoulder a slight squeeze, and then left for home and Stephanie.

Monday morning came too soon for Alicia. She would have been happy never facing the world again. Nevertheless, she got up, showered and left for class as if nothing was out of the ordinary.  Moving through the day in an almost dreamlike state, she aced her calculus test, as usual, before leaving for home. She felt a little better. She still wanted to kill her brother, for the way he'd been acting. Girlfriend or not, it wasn't fair of him to ignore her.

Her mother met her at the front door. Blaire hadn't forgotten how upset her daughter had been the night before, and she wanted an explanation.

"Oh, Mom, I don't want to talk about it right now, OK?" Alicia protested when Blaire began her prodding.

"Did David say anything to you? He's been acting strange lately, too."

"Believe me; I've noticed. I don't know what his deal is, Mom, honestly." Alicia was more than thrilled to shift the focus of the inquisition to her brother.

"He's been spending so much time with his girlfriend; we never see him," her mother ventured.

Alicia shrugged. "I think she's practically living with him."

Blaire shook her head. "Well, hopefully she doesn't end up pregnant."

The thought of her brother in bed with Stephanie made Alicia want to vomit.

The guts of the pumpkin plopped on the newspaper with a splat. Brett reached in and withdrew another slippery handful. "So what's it going to be this year, happy or scary?" he asked Elizabeth.

They were at the dining room table carving their pumpkin the night before Halloween. The weather was still beautiful, and there was a pleasant breeze drifting though the open kitchen windows. The unmistakable scent of fall was in the air; a hint of smoke from someone burning leaves.

"Do both, you know, like you always do; one side happy, the other side scary." Elizabeth came over to stand at his side, holding the now almost five-month-old Samantha.

As far back as Elizabeth could remember Brett had carved their pumpkin, probably even before he should have been wielding a knife. Their happy-scary pumpkin had become a tradition, though Brett never failed to ask his sister how she wanted it carved.

"Happy-scary it is, then," he agreed and went back to cleaning out the guts.

The conversation at Dave's house was not nearly as pleasant. Alicia had gone to her brother's to have it out with him, tired as she was of the cold shoulder treatment.

He was home alone, fortunately. Alicia had been worried Stephanie might be there. Dave greeted her at the door, and before he could mask it, Alicia was certain she saw a flash of something in his eyes. Affection, love, understanding, everything he used to feel for her was there, and something else.

"Hey Alicia." His heart gave a leap even as he prepared to lie to her.

"Hi yourself." She turned to face him.

"I'm uh, just getting ready to leave, Alli. Sorry."

"Bullshit." She stood her ground, hands fisted at her hips.

Dave thought he misheard her. "What?"

"I said bullshit. You're not going anywhere, and if you were, you're not now. We're going to have a little talk David, whether you want to or not."

"I don't think we've got anything to talk about, do we?"

"The hell we don't! You've been treating me like dogshit for the last month or so, and quite honestly, I'm sick of it!" A toss of her head sent her long blond ponytail over the other shoulder.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered, trying not to notice how her words affected him.

"Goddamnit, quit it! Just quit! What's wrong with you that's got you treating me like I'm some kind of pariah? Is it Stephanie?" Alicia was nearly shouting now. The siblings had rarely fought growing up, but when they did, it was quite the row. 

"Stephanie? What's she got to do with anything?" His little sister had him on defense, and he didn't like it.

Alicia's brown eyes flashed. "I don't know, David. You tell me. Does she hate me? Does she hate me spending time with you? What? I just want to know what happened to my big brother. I happen to miss him."

"Nothing's happened! I'm right here!" He spread his arms wide. Alicia wanted nothing more than to run to him, but at this point, she didn't dare. She was so afraid of his rejection.

His continued denial infuriated Alicia. "No, you're not here!" she insisted. "What happened to the guy I could depend on? The one that loved me, cared about me? Where did he go? What did you do with him?" she asked, her voice trailing off to a mere whisper.

Her words cut him to the quick. He knew she was right; everything she had said was the truth. She had every right in the world to be angry with him. He wanted to grab her, pull her close and never let go. He wanted to be everything she wanted him to be. Only he couldn't be everything to her that he wanted to be.

Dave wanted to tell her how much she meant to him. He wanted to tell her how often he thought of her, desired her.  When he made love to Stephanie, he imagined he was making love to her. It had happened again the previous night. He wanted to tell Alicia all of it, but the words weren't there, they wouldn't form on his tongue.  His frustration continued to mount.

Alicia was yelling at him again, saying something about how much she missed their closeness. He looked at her, trying to sort through what she was saying, but she was so worked up that she wasn't making any sense. Suddenly, it was all too much, the months spent denying his feelings, Stephanie harping on him about Alicia. With a quick grab, Alicia was in his arms, and he was kissing her. All the passion, frustration, and denial poured out of him into that single kiss.

Dave's hands roamed her body; they went under her shirt and bra, to cup a soft, pliant breast. They felt beautiful; he was sure they looked beautiful. His other hand was at the small of her back, pressing her lower half intimately to his. His penis grew hard; he was certain Alicia could feel it.

She could feel it, but that wasn't enough. She wanted to see and touch it. Her hand maneuvered between their bodies, and she began to pull at the button of his jeans. It gave way without too much trouble. She tugged the zipper down.

Dave felt the button pop. Reality slapped him in the face, when he realized where they were heading. He couldn't do it. There was just no way, no matter how much he loved Alicia, that he could go there. He grabbed her hand, just as her feather-soft fingertips grazed the head of his penis. It nearly killed him, but he pushed her hand away.

"Alli, don't...we can't." He pulled her to him and rested his chin on the top of her head. It fit there perfectly.

"I--I don't understand. You were touching me; I thought you wanted to..." she trailed off, more uncertain of herself than she'd ever been.

"Oh god, Alli," Dave groaned. "You have no idea how much I want to." He moved away slightly but kept his arms around her. He gazed down into her big doe eyes.  "You have no idea how much I love you. I don't want to...the last few months have been awful, but we just can't. I just...you have to go, Alli. Please, just go." He released her.

"David, tell me why. Make me understand!" She would have begged him, if she thought it would have helped. She reached up and grabbed his shoulders, but he gently pulled away. "Goddamnit David! Don't do this to me! If you love me, don't do this to me!" 

"Get out, Alicia. Please. Don't do this to us. Don't ruin what we have." Even as he said the words, he felt his guts churning.

Alicia backed away, an incredulous look on her face. "Don't ruin what we have? You already ruined what we had." She continued to back towards the door. Her hand touched the knob; she turned it, and was gone.

To be continued... 



Dave and Alicia Ch. 02



My thanks to Mused, for all his help with this. ~Chargergirl

~~~~~~

He couldn't believe it, but Alicia had really left. Of course, she was only doing what he wanted her to do. Dave had pushed his sister away, perhaps for the final time; he realized too late. Was that what he really wanted? No, deep down where it mattered, it wasn't. His heart screamed at him to chase her, but when his feet finally responded to his brain's command, it was too late. The taillights of her car mocked him as they faded away.

Alicia was crying so hard she had to pull over. She laid her forehead on the steering wheel and sobbed. She cried harder than she had ever cried in her life. Harder even than when she found out her best friend Elizabeth was going to live. But those had been tears of joy.

Dave had told her he loved her; he kissed and touched her. Then he made her leave. Oh, God, why had he made her leave? Alicia felt like her guts were ripped out, thrown down and stomped on. She didn't know what to do or where to go. She couldn't go home, not yet anyway, not in her current state.

A glance at the digital clock on the dash showed 7:27. Elizabeth and Brett would be at home, probably getting Sammi ready for bed. She could go there, at least for a little while. Brett and Elizabeth wouldn't care, especially if she got there before Sammi was asleep. Alicia certainly didn't want to wake the baby.

Much to Alicia's relief, Brett's Charger sat in the drive and the home was ablaze with light. She smiled when she saw the happy-scary pumpkin sitting on the front porch. Year after year, Brett carved the same thing. Alicia found the pumpkin strangely comforting.

The screen door was unlocked, so Alicia entered without knocking. They had long since abandoned the formality of knocking. The TV was on, but the living room was empty. Just then, Brett came around the corner from the kitchen to see who had entered his home.

He smiled when he saw Alicia, but the smile quickly turned into a frown. "Hey, Alli, how--what the hell happened to you?" Her eyes were red and raw looking, and her nose was as bright as Rudolph's was on Christmas Eve. She was a complete mess.

Alicia fought back a fresh round of tears. "I--David and I, we got in a huge...we had a huge fight, Brett." She ground her palms into her eyes in an effort to dam the flood, but it was no use. She burst into gut-wrenching sobs.

Brett went to his little sister's best friend and put his arms around her. "Elizabeth," he called out, hoping to draw his sister out of the bedroom where she was getting Samantha ready for bed. While Brett was happy to offer what comfort he could, he knew that Alicia would much rather talk to Elizabeth than him.

"He's such an asshole!" Alicia cried, her face buried in Brett's shoulder.

Brett made shushing noises; he didn't really know what else to say.

"He's been treating me like crap for weeks and weeks!"

More shushing noises.

"I just can't deal with it anymore!"

Neither could Brett. "How about if I just go kick his ass for you," he suggested, more than half-serious.

That got a little laugh out of Alicia. "You don't need to kick his ass, Brett, but thanks for the offer."

"Well, if anyone deserves it, it's him. He's been a real prick to you lately." Alicia's older brother may have been his friend, but Brett could not condone Dave's behavior towards her.

Alicia snorted. "You noticed, huh?"

"Well, actually Elizabeth has been keeping me up to date. Hope you don't care. Here," he moved away from her and grabbed a cloth diaper off the back of the sofa.

"This better be clean," Alicia muttered as she scrubbed away the tears.

"Probably just some spit-up and drool." Bodily fluids no longer bothered Brett in the least, not with a nearly five-month-old baby in the house. His sodden shoulder, now drenched in snot and tears, didn't even faze him.

The cloth diaper hit him squarely in the chest.

Elizabeth came in then with Samantha in her arms. Alicia's face brightened the moment she saw the baby. Not that she didn't love Brett and Elizabeth, but baby Sammi was in a league of her own. She went and took the freshly diapered infant out of her mothers' arms.

Elizabeth handed over Samantha. "What the hell happened to you?" Elizabeth asked, unknowingly mimicking her brother's exact words.

"Want me to leave?" Brett offered. He didn't really want to, but he would if the girls needed to talk in private. He wanted to stay and hear firsthand what was going on.

Alicia smiled at him, then turned her tired eyes back to Samantha. "Nah, you can stay, you may as well. Hey, little Boo Boo, how are you?" She nuzzled the baby's sweet smelling neck and received a hearty baby laugh for her efforts.

Alicia told Brett and Elizabeth about the fight with her brother. She left nothing out, not the part where he kissed her, not the part when he told her he loved her. She told them everything. She also told them how much she was in love with him. She could hardly believe it, but she confessed it all.

Alicia paced back and forth across the living room as she spoke. She still held Samantha, who was drifting off in her arms. Alicia switched the baby over to the other side and laid her against her shoulder.

"I don't know what to do, you guys," Alicia whispered miserably. "I feel like crap. I can't eat. I can't sleep. My stomach hurts all the time and all I want to do is cry."

Elizabeth smiled sympathetically. She'd felt the same way almost a year ago, when Jim, Samantha's biological father, had dumped her after learning she was pregnant with his child. "I know how you feel, Alli."

"How? Brett didn't do this to you." She turned to Brett with a frown. "Did you?" 

"I never treated Elizabeth the way Dave is treating you, no. I think she's talking about Jim." He turned to his sister. "Right?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah. I loved him, and he devastated me." She looked at Brett, smiled gently, and then nudged him with her shoulder. "But you were here."

Alicia watched the tender exchange between her friends. It didn't matter to them that they were brother and sister. It didn't matter to Alicia, either. Dave had been weirded out by it, at first, but eventually he had come to accept it. Alicia realized that he must be having a difficult time accepting his own feelings for her.

Her heart had soared when he'd confessed his love to her and then broke into a thousand pieces with his rejection. The revelation had come as a surprise to Alicia. At least she knew why David had been acting the way he had.

"I just don't know what to do now, you guys." She looked from Elizabeth to Brett.

"Give him some time, Alli. Maybe he'll come around, now that he's told you." Elizabeth said. "Falling in love with your sibling isn't an every day occurrence, you know. I mean, it is Dave we're talking about, here."

That made Alicia laugh. Her older brother was probably the most stubborn, mule-headed man she'd ever known in her nineteen years, and he didn't succumb to change well at all. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Elizabeth stood up from the sofa. "Here, let me take Sam; I think she's asleep." Getting her down would be a snap tonight, thanks to Alicia.

"I should go, anyway," Alicia sighed as she handed over Samantha.

"No, you should stay. I don't think you should drive while you're all upset," Elizabeth insisted.

"I'm OK, really," Alicia protested. "I can drive."

"I think it would be better if you stayed. Your judgment might be off." Elizabeth nodded. "Right, Brett?"

Brett raked a hand through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh. This argument would go on all night if he didn't do something; he'd seen it before. "Alli, you're welcome to stay, of course. If you want to go home, Elizabeth or I will take you, and you can get your car tomorrow. You really shouldn't drive."

Alicia stayed. She didn't want to go home and face her mother's questions, but she did call to let her parents know she wouldn't be home. Thankfully, her father answered and so she was able to put off the inquisition, for the time being, anyway.

************

Dave was as big a mess as his little sister. He didn't know why he'd pushed Alicia away; he loved her so much. He couldn't remember when that particular realization dawned on him. It didn't matter anyway. As close as they'd always been, he'd probably felt this way for a long time.

After Alicia left, he went back inside. His home suddenly felt so empty. He looked around the old foursquare and thought of all the times his sister had stayed over. She had her own room upstairs, which was where he wandered, feeling so lost.

Dave snapped on the lamp beside her bed and gazed about the room. Soft, feminine, and lovely, awash in the soft glow of the lamp, the room fairly screamed Alicia. Pale green and lavender, her room was the epitome of springtime; he'd only recently furnished it. He remembered how, when he'd first bought the place, two years prior, Brett had laughed at him for letting Alicia and Elizabeth repaint the room. Their little sisters had only been seventeen back then; Alicia, so tall and gangly, had seemed like a clumsy, long-legged filly. "Now look at her," he muttered to no one but himself.

Stuck in the corner of the dresser mirror was a set of four pictures of his sister and Elizabeth. It was one of those series taken in a photo booth for a dollar. He pulled it down and, in spite of his misery, laughed at their goofy expressions. They looked to be about fifteen. Alicia was still wearing braces.

Dave kept replaying the scene over and over in his head. The look in Alicia's eyes, the confusion and pain when he had rejected her, still haunted him. It was overwhelming. He felt so stupid. His actions over the past few weeks were inexcusable. He had done nothing but hurt the one person he loved most in his life.

He needed Alicia. He had to have her in his life. There was no way around it. The repercussions were enormous; their parents would kill them if they ever found out, he was sure, or at the very least, disown them. Maybe, maybe not, but Dave couldn't live with maybes, what ifs, or somedays. He had to have her, repercussions be damned.

*****************

Dave spent a sleepless night thinking about his sister, trying to sort through feelings and emotions. Some were old, and some were new. No matter what happened between him and Alicia, he would break up with Stephanie; he knew that for certain.

An early morning phone call to his parents confirmed his suspicions that she had stayed with Brett and Elizabeth the previous night. He headed there immediately. It was just after sunrise.

A soft knock brought Elizabeth to the door. A smile split her face when she saw who it was, and she knew in her heart why Dave was there. She opened the door and took him by the hand. "Come on in."

"Is she here?" A dumb question, considering her car was parked in the drive.

Elizabeth nodded. "Yeah, she finally fell asleep a few hours ago. Want some coffee?"

"God yes, thanks Elizabeth." Dave looked around the living room. There was a blanket and pillow on the sofa but no Alicia. "Where is she?"

"She slept with me in our room. Brett took the sofa last night." Elizabeth led him into the pretty little yellow kitchen and took a mug from the rack. She filled it to the brim with the strong brew and handed it to him without offering cream or sugar. She knew he took it black, like Brett. She topped off her own mug. They were all tired, and it showed. Except Samantha, she always slept like a rock.

Brett wandered in from the bathroom. He'd just rolled off the sofa ten minutes before. "Hey," he muttered and went straight for the coffee as Elizabeth poured him a cup. He took a swallow and groaned in appreciation. "Here to collect your sister?" he asked his friend.

Dave nodded. "Is she okay? We had a fight..." he trailed off, unsure of how much to say.

"We know, Dave. And yeah, she's okay," Elizabeth answered.

"How much did she tell you?" Dave wanted to know, even though he was sure he already knew the answer.

"You know your sister, man. She's pretty much an open book." Brett took another swallow.

Dave smiled at that. "Yeah, she wears her heart on her sleeve; doesn't she?" It was one more thing he loved about her, her openness and her willingness to show her emotions. Unlike him, she wasn't afraid.

A gasp from the hall drew their attention. The trio turned to see Alicia standing there in a pair of Brett's sweatpants and one of his shirts. Elizabeth's clothes were far too small for her; she'd always towered over her best friend.

She was a mess, the loveliest mess Dave had ever seen. Not that he looked great; the bags under his eyes spoke to that. He took a tentative step towards her. "Alligator?" The dark smudges under her eyes tore at his heart.

Alicia's heart began to pound a violent beat in her chest. She wondered how he would torture her now. "What do you want?" she asked flatly.

"I want to--I want...you, Alli. You. I want you." Another tentative step took him closer to his sister. He prayed she wouldn't turn her back on him.

Alicia glared at her brother. "Last night you told me to leave, David. So I left and came here. And now you're telling me you want me?"

"C'mon, Elizabeth," Brett spoke up quietly. He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen.

"Give him a chance, Alli," Elizabeth whispered as she passed by. Elizabeth caught Alicia's almost imperceptible nod.

Alicia entered the kitchen, but kept an arms' length from her brother. She folded her arms across her chest. "You hurt me, David, and not just last night."

"I know, Alli. I'm so sorry. I didn't know what to do. I didn't understand what I was feeling, or why I was feeling that way. It's not right, how I feel about you, but I can't help it."

Alicia nodded. She knew what he meant. It had taken him a while to accept the change in Brett and Elizabeth's relationship. She understood how hard this was for him, how long he must have struggled with his feelings.

"Last night, you pushed me over the edge, Alli. I finally figured it out." He gave a little laugh, one that was almost bittersweet. "Too late, though?"

Alicia swallowed hard. She took a step towards her brother, then another.

Dave grabbed Alicia and swept her up into his arms. She clung to him, her arms and legs wrapped tightly about his neck and waist. 

"It's never too late, David," she whispered through her tears.

*************

"Got your stuff?" Brett asked Alicia as she prepared to leave with Dave. She was still wearing Brett's clothes, not that he cared. She clutched the plastic bag holding yesterday's clothes to her. She looked up at him and nodded.

She was scared; Brett could see it in her big brown eyes. He remembered feeling that way six or seven months ago. "It'll be okay." He squeezed her hand. He hoped he was right. Dave and Alicia had so much more to consider than he and Elizabeth had.

"My car..."

"Will still be here when you come back. Don't worry about it, I won't let anyone steal it," Brett grinned at her. Anyway, hypothetical thief would be more inclined to steal the Charger than Alicia's beat up ragtop, but he would never say that to her.

Brett and Elizabeth watched their friends leave. "Jesus Christ," Brett sighed. He shut the door and turned to lean against it. "I feel like we just sent our own kids out into the world for the first time." He held out his arms to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth went to him and wrapped her own arms around his waist. She snuggled into him, reveling in the feel of his body pressed close to hers. "I know. I'm afraid for them, Brett. I don't think they're going to have an easy time of it."

"You mean with their parents?" 

Elizabeth nodded.

"I'm pretty sure Mr. and Mrs. Parker know about us," Brett pointed out.

"But we're not their kids, Brett. Do you think we did the right thing? Should we have told them differently?"

"We'd be hypocrites, Elizabeth. It would diminish our relationship, in my eyes, anyway."

"Do you ever think about them?" Elizabeth asked him.

"Think about who? The Parkers?"

"No, Mom and Dad." Elizabeth felt her brother stiffen at her words. His arms tightened around her.

"I try hard not to. Do you?" They rarely spoke of their parents. Brett thought he could count on one hand the number of times the subject had been broached in the last year. He felt her shake her head.

"Nope, not often. Once in a while, though, I guess," Elizabeth admitted with a shrug.

"It's okay, you know." Brett kissed the top of her dark head. "They were our parents, after all."

Elizabeth pressed her face into his chest. She didn't want to think about them, not today, not ever again.

****************

Dave turned left off of Brett and Elizabeth's street. Turning right would have taken them to their parents; left headed towards the highway, and Dave's house.

"Where are we going?" Alicia asked 

"Home." He spoke the word with such conviction, Alicia felt hopeful that things might work out for them after all. She tried not to think about what lay ahead. For now, she would take one day at a time.

Ten minutes later, Dave pulled into the long drive, happy to be home, even happier to have Alicia at his side. For the first time in so many months, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

The hundred-year-old oak trees were like welcome sentinels to Alicia. They surrounded the home on all four sides, their huge branches covered with a season's worth of reddish-brown leaves.

On her way into the house, Alicia reached out and touched the old porch swing, its armrests weathered to a silvery smoothness from years of use. She'd spent many a summer evening swinging there on the rambling front porch, sometimes alone, sometimes with Elizabeth. And sometimes with Dave.

As she stood in the foyer looking around, Alicia felt like she was returning from a long journey. Though she had been there less than twenty-four hours ago, it seemed like years. Dave came up behind her and put his arms around her. She leaned back against him.

"You okay?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yeah." She twisted around in his arms.

"Um...can I kiss you?"

Alicia smiled shyly and turned her face up to his. "I hope so."

Dave kissed her. Their first real kiss. Last night's didn't really count; that kiss had occurred out of anger and frustration, passionate though it had been. 

Dave's lips were a warm, gentle pressure on her own; they were tentative, yet full of promise. Alicia had been kissed before but not like that. A couple boyfriends had mashed their lips to hers as they felt her up, but she hadn't loved any of them, and they hadn't loved her. She wanted to know what love was.

He pulled her close and held her, hardly believing she was with him. Dave felt his heart swell in his chest and his penis began to swell in his pants. He wanted her. He looked down and opened his mouth to say something.

Alicia yawned in his face, a yawn so big he thought her jaw would pop.

"Am I keeping you up?" he asked with a wry smile. He knew she was tired, and so was he. His penis began to deflate a little. Going to bed with his sister and making love sounded like a great idea. Going to bed with his sister and sleeping for several hours sounded even better; he was exhausted. "C'mon, let's go upstairs."

As Alicia padded up the stairs behind her brother, the polished wood felt smooth on her bare feet. At the top landing, she turned right and went into her room, while Dave turned left into his.

As Alicia was climbing into her bed, Dave spoke from the doorway, "What are you doing?"

"Going to bed?" Alicia asked, momentarily confused.

"Not in here. You sleep in my room now."

"What? Ohhh..." she smiled, understanding.





Dave and Alicia Ch. 02



Dave had never seen his sister turn so many shades of red before. He wondered how innocent she really was. It occurred to him that his little sister might be a virgin, despite the fact that she'd had boyfriends before. He could remember two or three of her old boyfriends; though, he couldn't name even one.

Dave went to Alicia and took her hand. They entered his bedroom, a far more masculine place than the room they had just left.

Alicia gazed over at the big bed, and her heart started thumping a nervous beat. Oh my God, is David going to make love to me here, she wondered silently. She wanted him to, more than anything; she wanted him to be the first one, the only one. He didn't know how inexperienced she was, and that only made her more nervous. For a brief second, she wished she'd spent less time studying in high school and more time paying attention to the opposite sex.

Dave knew she was anxious. He saw her eyeing his bed, and as much as he wanted to swiftly undress her and make her his, he knew he had to go slow. This wasn't going to be a quick roll, like with Stephanie.

"Want to just sleep a while?" he whispered. "I know you're tired."

"Are we going to, you know...in there?" Alicia asked.

"Sleep?"

"Um, yeah, and you know--have sex."

"I thought maybe we'd make love," he smiled down at her. "Do you want to?"

Alicia's eyes grew wide, and Dave tried so hard to hide his amusement. "Yeah, of course. But, I've never done it, David."

Dave kissed her forehead and pulled her close. "I didn't think you had. Are you sure, then? Are you absolutely sure you want me to be your first? We can wait, if you'd rather."

Her answer left no doubt. She reached up, pulled his head down to hers, and kissed him. Deep from within his throat came an approving growl. Dave began to work the drawstring on the sweatpants she was wearing; two pulls and they were in a pool around her ankles. She stepped out of them.

Dave relieved her of Brett's t-shirt. It was long, even on her, but once it was off, he realized she had not been wearing a bra or panties. He was startled to see his little sister standing in front of him completely naked. He'd caught a passing glance at her naked body on one occasion, several years ago. There hadn't been much there, a fact that had completely changed. Now that she was older, Alicia filled out her shirts very well, something that hadn't escaped Dave's notice. 

He'd been right last night, when he imagined what her breasts must look like; they were beautiful. He reached up and gently cupped them in his palms. They were full and soft. He leaned down and kissed her, stroking her nipples with his thumbs. Their tongues mated and danced together, each taking their turn exploring the other's mouth.

Breaking the kiss, Dave allowed his gaze to travel lower, over Alicia's flat belly and narrow waist, to the swell of her hips and the curly blond hair at the apex of her thighs. His left hand began to move lower, down over her ribs, to come to rest on her hip.

The way Dave's eyes scanned her body caused a tingling sensation in Alicia's belly that slowly spread downward. She felt mildly embarrassed to have her brother scrutinizing her body, yet it was also arousing. She could feel the moisture gather between her legs.

Dave's dark eyes moved back up her body to lock with hers. His hand moved slowly over her hip and paused at the soft curls covering her sex. He waited only a moment for Alicia to part her thighs before sliding his hand sideways between them.

Alicia's wetness coated her soft flesh; Dave could feel it, slick on his fingers. His right hand moved up to the back of her neck and with little persuasion, he pulled her to him for another kiss.

Carefully, Dave parted her soft folds, seeking her clitoris with his fingers. Swollen and engorged, it wasn't difficult to locate. Alicia broke the kiss this time and moaned into Dave's shoulder as he brushed it repeatedly with his first and middle fingers. As her knees grew weaker, her arms slid up around his neck and she leaned against him

Dave wanted her to orgasm, and he thought she was near. He pulled her arms from his neck and knelt in front of her. "Spread your legs, Alli," he whispered, his palms resting on her hips. She did as he instructed.

Alicia watched as her brother's head moved toward her pussy. "Are you going---oh my God! David!" Without thinking, she grabbed two fistfuls of his soft flaxen locks as his tongue stroked her over and over. No one had ever touched her there, let alone done what Dave was doing to her.

Dave gently removed Alicia's hands from his hair and placed them on his shoulders. He wasn't exactly sure what she would do, but he really didn't want handfuls of hair ripped out of his head when she came.

"David, uuhh-ohhh, David, oh God!" When Dave began to suckle on her clitoris, Alicia nearly fell over on top of him. "The bed, David, please." she panted. She couldn't stand up any longer.

Dave led Alicia to his bed--No, it was their bed now. He got a beautiful view of her glistening slit from the rear as she climbed up on the bed and crawled on her hands and knees to the center. She turned over and lay down on her back. Dave settled in between her legs to finish what he'd started.

He pushed Alicia's legs open wide, and then spread her labia, revealing the darker pink inner folds of her sex. He licked along the entire length slowly, pausing at the top to nip lightly at her exposed nub. He moved his mouth lower, enjoying the warmth and the taste of her. He could have done it for hours.

Alicia's orgasm built slowly the entire time, finally exploding through her like a thousand points of flashing light. Her hands clenched into fists and she scrunched her eyes shut as the orgasm undulated through her. "Oh God, David, yes! Please..." she planted her feet and pushed herself up into his face. Dave grabbed her butt with both hands and held her tightly to his mouth.

As she was coming down, Dave continued to lick, stroke, and suck, but it was too much for Alicia. The sensations were too intense, too raw. She laughed and pushed him away. "I think you like it more than me," she teased him.

Dave kissed her inner thighs. As his tongue lapped at the moisture coating her soft skin, a smile crossed his face. It was true; he had enjoyed himself immensely. He thought his sister tasted exquisite. 

Dave moved up to lie beside Alicia. He gathered her in his arms and pulled her close. "Are you ready? Do you still want to?"

"Yeah, but it's going to hurt. Isn't it?" she whispered.

"At first," he admitted. "I know you're not on birth control." 

Alicia shook her head. "No. Do you have something?" Alicia watched her brother as he got off the bed and undressed. He went to his dresser, extracted a small orange square, and carefully tore it open.

"Wait!"

Dave looked up to see Alicia on her knees at the edge of the bed. "What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I mean, can I touch it?" she smiled shyly.

"The condom?" He held it out to her.

"No, you dope. You." Alicia didn't wait for Dave's answer. She reached out and wrapped a hand around his erection.

Dave stifled a loud groan and moved closer to the bed. Still on her knees, Alicia placed her other hand on his chest and leaned against him as she stroked.

A minute of her ministrations was all Dave could take. "Okay, we better stop or I'm not gonna last." He stepped back, extracted the latex from its package, and then rolled it on. He moved back to the bedside and Alicia, who had sat back on her heels. Dave put his large hands to her face and drew her up for a long, loving kiss.

His naked body felt so wonderful pressed up against hers, Alicia thought. She was nervous, and kind of worried about the pain, but she knew David would make it okay. She pulled away and moved to lie down on her back. She was ready, and she wanted him.

Dave moved between her long legs, admiring them as he did. He ran both hands up to her belly, and then bent to kiss her navel. He knew he was trying to prolong the inevitable; he didn't want to hurt her. In fact, he was dreading the task.

It was Alicia that spurred him on. She reached up and drew him down to her. "Please, David, I want you to. It's okay." She tried to be reassuring. Alicia spread her legs wide and wrapped them up around him.

Dave tried his best not to hurt her. He positioned his penis at her entrance and slowly pushed inside. He heard Alicia breathe in through her nose as he bumped up against her virginity. His head drooped with the effort to hold back and go slow. She was so hot and wet, and he wanted to ram it in. He lifted his head and their eyes met as he pushed forward and broke through her hymen.

Alicia's eyes grew huge with the pain and she tried to shove Dave off her. "It hurts. Get off!"

Dave shushed her. "It's done, Alli," he whispered. "It'll stop hurting now."

Alicia looked like she didn't believe him, but she nodded her acceptance. Dave began to move within her and she discovered he was right. It did stop hurting. In fact, it was starting to feel good. Really good. Her legs and arms wrapped him tightly, hanging on as her brother took her to heights she'd never imagined possible.

Before Alicia knew it, she was cumming again, shouting David's name as her climax washed over her. She gripped his upper arms, digging in with her nails and not realizing it. She pulled him right down on top of her and held him close as she came.

Dave could do nothing except lay there on top of her, but feeling her vaginal walls spasm and contract was enough to set off his own orgasm. "Oh Jesus, Alicia," he ground out. He buried his face in her silken locks, inhaling her sweet scent. He jerked once more with an aftershock, and then went limp.

He lay over Alicia, letting her hold him. She stroked his back and kissed his cheek. She whispered softly how good he felt, how wonderful he was, and most importantly to Dave, just how much she loved him. No one had ever said those things to him. No previous girlfriend had, Stephanie certainly hadn't, and though she did love it when he fucked her, she didn't love him, not like Alicia did.

He picked himself up and rolled off of her. "Come here, Alligator." Dave pulled his sister into his arms and held her tightly to him. "It's going to be okay, I promise. I love you so much." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "It'll all work out."

To be continued...

If you'd like Brett, Elizabeth, and Samantha's background, feel free to read the three chapters of "Brett and Elizabeth".



Dave and Alicia Ch. 03



To Mused, what else can I say? Thank you so much for your help, your time, and your patience. ~Chargergirl

*

"Alicia Anne, are you staying at your brother's again?" Blaire Parker glared at her nineteen-year-old daughter.

Alicia noticed the way her mother stressed the word 'again.' Alicia's hands shook as she folded a sweater and stuffed it in her overnight bag. She hoped her mother didn't notice. Her mother's inquiries and the anticipation of returning to David were the cause of hands that would not hold still.

Alicia pasted a smile on her face and turned to her mother, who was standing just inside Alicia's bedroom door. "Yeah, Mom, I am." She could have lied and told her she was staying with Elizabeth and Brett, but Alicia didn't want to drag her friends any further into the situation than they already were.

"How does David find time for Stephanie with you over there all the time?" It wasn't that Blaire cared one wit about her son's girlfriend. Blaire hadn't liked her from the very beginning. Stephanie had all but moved into Dave's home several months ago. It had been Blaire's fear the girl would wind up pregnant.

"They, uh, broke up; I think." There was no thinking about it; Dave and Stephanie had definitely broken up. Alicia had been there when Stephanie had shown up the evening after Halloween to see Dave. For everyone's sake, he'd taken that opportunity to make the split, not dragging it out any longer than necessary. What he hadn't counted on was Stephanie's violent reaction.

*****

Alicia was still upstairs when she heard the screaming start. She heard Stephanie call Dave a stupid motherfucker and several other derogatory names. She also heard the low rumble of her brother's voice, but couldn't make out his words. Alicia tried to stay upstairs and not interfere, but when she heard the loud smack of palm striking flesh, she bolted downstairs. She was just in time to see Dave holding his cheek and Stephanie raising her left hand to strike again.

Dave caught Stephanie's wrist mid-swing. He held it tight, not hurting her, yet his grip held firm enough that she couldn't pull away. He spoke harshly, biting off each word. "Never try that again." He glanced up and saw Alicia standing at the foot of the stairs. He released Stephanie's wrist. "Get out of here, and don't come back again."

Stephanie started to cry. She said she was sorry and that it didn't have to end that way.

"Obviously, it does," Dave insisted. "You just proved that."

Stephanie's eyes narrowed and she glared at him. She wanted to tell him right then that she thought she was pregnant, but she held back, wanting to wait a little longer to make sure she wasn't just a couple weeks late. She'd rock his perfect little world one way or another. She turned to leave and saw Dave's little sister standing there. 

"I haven't seen you around here in a while. Dave find a replacement for me already?" Stephanie snickered. She was surprised to see Alicia's face turn red. Usually, Alicia had some smart-ass comeback, a quality that Stephanie almost appreciated. She thought Alicia's silence was quite odd.

"Stephanie, I said get out of here." There was a note of warning in Dave's voice.

"You're going to be sorry, Dave," Stephanie tossed over her shoulder as she banged out the front door.

Alicia approached her brother. "You okay?" She reached up and touched his reddened cheek. It still wore the mark of Stephanie's hand.

Dave smiled down at Alicia. "Yeah." He noticed she was worrying her lower lip with her teeth. "What's wrong, Alligator?" He cupped her face in his palms, gently releasing her lip with his thumb.

"Think she's up to something?" Alicia asked.

Dave shook his head. "Nah, she's gone. Don't worry about it."

*****

Alicia returned to Dave's house later that evening. She told him about the conversation she had had with their mother. "Mom was quizzing me when I was home." She slung her bag on the bed and hopped up next to it. The large bed sat up high, and Alicia's feet didn't even touch the floor.

"And since when is that anything new?" Dave laughed. Their mother was a master interrogator, mostly reserving her skills for her daughter, but had on occasion grilled her son, as well. Blaire Parker always found Alicia easier to control than she found Dave. As such, she mostly left him alone. "Quizzing you about what?"

"About me staying here. I told her you and Stephanie broke up, too."

"That must've made her day," Dave muttered. "What did you tell her about staying here?" Dave wasn't sure how well his little sister would hold up under pressure, especially pressure from their mother. He tried to protect Alicia from it as best he could, but she was still staying at home a few nights a week. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't be with her all the time.

"I blew her off as best I could, but I don't know how long that will last." She let out a long, shuddering sigh and looked up at her brother.

Since coming to terms with his feelings for Alicia nearly a week ago, Dave had done everything in his power to make sure his sister was happy. There was a period not too long ago when he had treated her horribly, and the guilt he felt over that still ate at him, though he knew Alicia had forgiven him.

"I'll take care of it."

"Take care of Mom?" Alicia let out an inelegant snort. "How?" Alicia certainly loved their mom, so did Dave, but hiding their relationship from their parents was an impossible feat, and they both knew it. It really was only a matter of time.

"I'll tell them about us. They can either deal with it, or not. It'll be their choice," Dave shrugged.

"David, it's not that easy. How can you be so cavalier?"

"I'm not trying to be cavalier, Alli," he explained. "But I don't want her grilling you every time you set foot in that house. Do you honestly think we're going to be able to hide this forever?" Dave stepped over to stand in front of her.

Alicia looked up at her brother, her big brown eyes wide and anxious. She shook her head, then bowed it back down and rested it against Dave's stomach. Their love was going to cause so much hurt.

It troubled Alicia to such an extent that she woke up at midnight and couldn't go back to sleep. Finally, after lying there for over an hour, she quietly crept out of bed and put on her warm robe. The weather had taken a turn at last. The cold dampness of November replaced the pleasant days of October.

Alicia ventured downstairs and passed through the living room, dining room, and into the kitchen. She retrieved a glass from the cupboard, the milk from the refrigerator, and the cookie jar full of Oreos. She hauled it all to the little kitchen table and sat down to think.

After two glasses of milk, and who knew how many Oreos, Alicia felt slightly better. She even felt a little bit tired. She stood and stretched, enjoying the satisfying fullness of the cookies and milk in her belly. It was nearly two a.m. A glance out the window gave her a pleasant surprise. It was snowing, the first snowfall of the season.

Alicia made her way up to the bedroom and padded over to Dave's side of the large bed. He was sound asleep and breathing softly, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Alicia gazed down at him and smiled. He was such a sweet man; he looked much younger than he really was, not that twenty-four was old. She bent and brushed a soft kiss across his lips. She loved him so much; the emotion almost overcame her as she stood over him. She realized she would do anything to be with him.

Alicia went back around to her side of the bed, crawled under the covers, and snuggled up to Dave's naked back. Her movements caused him to stir in his sleep and he turned over on his other side to face her.

Dave slowly opened his eyes. He saw Alicia laying there, watching him. He smiled and leaned towards her for a kiss and tasted Oreos. His sister only ate Oreos in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep. "What's on your mind, Alligator?"

"Nothing," she whispered. She'd sorted through her feelings and didn't want to burden her brother in the middle of the night with her thoughts. He had to work in the morning, while she had no classes and nothing to do but study and do laundry.

"You were eating Oreos, so something's up. Spill it."

Alicia laughed. "No keeping secrets from my big brother, I see. Okay, have it your way," she sighed in mock exasperation. "I'd like to move in here permanently, David, but only if you still want me to."

Dave pulled Alicia to him. "Of course I still want you to; I'd love to have you here all the time."

Alicia burrowed further into his arms. "It's going to open a huge can of worms with Mom and Dad," she warned.

"I know." Dave was quiet for several seconds, then continued, "Can you handle it?"

"I can handle anything, if you're there."

Dave sighed, feeling so content. Sweet, gentle Alicia, always saying exactly what was in her heart. She never held back, and he loved her for that.

Alicia continued, "You should go back to sleep. You've got to get up in a few hours."

"In a minute," he smiled and tilted her face up to his for a long, loving kiss.

Alicia could feel Dave growing hard against her. His erection was poking at her sex, as if trying to find its own way home. She parted her legs and trapped it between her soft thighs. "Got you now," she teased with a laugh, then moaned as Dave began a gentle sawing motion. Her pussy lips grew moist and parted, allowing his penis direct contact with her clit.

Dave didn't want to ejaculate anywhere near his sister's vagina, so he pulled himself from between her thighs. Rolling Alicia over on her back, he leaned over her and took one beautiful rosy nipple into his mouth; while his other hand gently kneaded the soft flesh of her other breast. 

"David, that feels so wonderful," she breathed. Her arms encircled his blond head, holding him there against her breast. "Don't stop, please," she begged.

With his fingers, Dave teased a trail down Alicia's ribs to her pussy. She was so wet his finger slid right in with only a tiny bit of pressure. He carefully added another digit to the one already nestled there. It was a very snug fit.

Dave withdrew his fingers, then sank them all the way back in. Alicia reached down and grabbed his hand. This time, she pulled them out and pushed them back in herself. "Keep doing that!" she urged.

Dave released her nipple and smiled down at her. Alicia's enthusiasm pleased him immensely; so did the look of pure bliss covering her face as he worked his fingers in and out.

"Come here," Alicia whispered. She reached out and motioned him to his knees. Wrapping her slender fingers around his shaft, she turned her head slightly and guided him into her mouth.

Alicia had never sucked on anything bigger than a Tootsie Pop, so accommodating Dave's penis was a bit of a challenge for her. She wasn't sure exactly what to do, but if the grunts and groans coming from her brother were any indication, she was doing a pretty good job. The rocking thrusts of his hips grew in time to match the rhythm of his fingers.

Alicia reached around Dave's body with one hand and grabbed his backside, urging him on. She wondered if he would come in her mouth, but she wasn't sure she wanted him to.

She didn't have to wonder long. 

"Stop," Dave managed to grind out as he pulled himself from the warmth of her mouth. A few more thrusts and he would have blown right there. He didn't think Alicia was ready for that just yet. 

Dave got out of bed and retrieved a condom from the dresser. He rolled it on and returned to their cozy bed.

Dave sunk into her, reveling in the enveloping tightness that was her pussy. He made love to Alicia slowly, enjoying not only the feeling of being buried deep within her, but also the feeling of her hands caressing his back, his butt, and her warm breath in his ear. 

"Did you like what I was doing?" she whispered, looking up into his warm brown eyes.

"You mean when you were sucking me?" Dave kissed her eyelids, then the tip of her nose. Alicia nodded. "Hell yes, Alli," he grinned. "Your mouth felt amazing." He continued to move lazily as they conversed.

"I'm glad," she returned the smile. She still felt shy talking about sex with her brother. He'd been her brother forever, but her lover only a week. "That feels really good."

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Dave asked, then shifted his weight to one elbow.

"Just studying, not much--oooh God, David," Alicia moaned, pushing her head back into the pillow. Her long legs came up and wrapped his waist. She was so close, just a minute more...

"Feel good? How about this?" Dave pushed himself up on both hands and picked up speed, driving into her much harder than he had been. The headboard of the bed began to smack the wall.

"David...holy God Almighty!" Alicia's orgasm racked her body. The buildup had been so slow, almost excruciating, but now it washed over her in waves, relentless in its intensity.

Dave slowed the pace as she came down, almost stopping at one point to hold her close and whisper that he loved her. He sped up as his own orgasm neared, then pulled Alicia close once again as his seed spurted safely into the latex condom. "Alli, oh baby," he sighed.

He wanted to lay there and just hold her, but he pulled out immediately and disappeared into the bathroom for a moment, then returned and crawled back in bed. They moved to the center and entwined themselves in each other's arms.

"Love you, Alligator," Dave whispered sleepily.

Alicia was already drifting away, but she heard him. "Love you, too, David."

*****

Blaire let Alicia and Elizabeth to the shopping for Thanksgiving that year. She shook her head as she watched the nineteen-year-olds bounce out the door to Alicia's battered little ragtop. She silently wondered if she'd done the right thing.

"You were specific, weren't you, Blaire? Two small turkeys, not one monster?" Thom Parker asked his wife. He was very particular about his turkey, preferring the smaller hens to the larger toms.

Blaire smiled at her husband, who was holding Elizabeth's daughter, Samantha, to his shoulder. "I told them, Thom, and they have the list. I think they'll do fine." She nodded to the baby, "Samantha certainly has grown, hasn't she?" Blaire asked, though it had only been three weeks since they last saw her.

"She's getting heavy." He turned his head to Samantha and cooed, "Are you getting to be a big girl? Oh, yes you are! Oh, yes you are!"

Samantha, not amused at all by Thom's antics, went for his glasses and tried to rip them off his face. Thom was thoroughly enchanted and told her what a brilliant little baby she was. He grinned at his wife and said, "I can't wait until we're grandparents."

*****

Two weeks after Stephanie slammed out Dave's door, she was back, and she wasn't happy. She banged hard on the front door. Even if he was upstairs, she made sure he would hear.

Since it was Saturday, Dave was home. And since Alicia had left to shop for Thanksgiving with Elizabeth, he was alone. He heard someone pounding on his front door and wondered who it was. He managed to stifle a groan when the door swung open and he saw Stephanie standing on his porch.

"Hi." The enthusiasm was obviously lacking in his greeting.

"May I come in?" Stephanie asked. She decided to be nice, at first. If that didn't work, she would be not so nice.

"Thought you were going to break down my door." Dave thought Stephanie had an odd look in her eyes, but he stepped aside. "Come on in." He shut the door behind her. "Can I take your coat?"

"No thank you. I don't think I'll be long," she smiled up at him.

"Okay, then. What can I do for you?" 

"Is your sister here?" Stephanie looked around, but didn't see any sign of Alicia. She didn't want interference.

"No, why?" Dave's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Alicia's words came back to him. Think she's up to something?

"I need to tell you something, Dave." Stephanie paused, hoping for a bigger impact.

"Tell me what, Stephanie?" Dave's impatience was beginning to show.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out, "and it's yours."

"What? You're what?" Dave made her repeat it. She did. Twice. "But...how?" He was truly stunned.

"You mean to tell me you don't know what makes a baby?" Stephanie shot him a coy little smile.

"You told me you were on the pill! Were you lying?"

Stephanie shrugged. "I forgot to take them a few times, okay?" She didn't want to admit it, but she didn't want him to think she'd been lying about taking them altogether, either.

"You forgot? You fucking forgot? And you forgot to tell me? I would have worn something, if you'd told me. Jesus Christ, I guess I should have worn something, anyway." Fool! Idiot! he cursed himself. Alicia. Oh shit, Alicia. He felt like he'd just been punched in the gut. Dave was suddenly seeing Stephanie as he never had before. She could really come between him and Alicia now.

But, there was a baby, and Dave wouldn't turn his back on it. He remembered what Jim did to Elizabeth. He wouldn't do the same. He would never give up Alicia, he just couldn't. His thoughts were nothing but a jumbled mess; nothing made sense.

Stephanie watched the play of emotions on her ex-lover's face. His reaction was everything she'd hoped for, and then some. The Perfect Parkers, that old bitch Blaire, and her pansy-ass husband Thom, were in for a rude-awakening this holiday season. Stephanie couldn't wait. Grandma Ruth would probably stroke out, to say nothing of baby sister. Stephanie had seen the way Alicia looked at her older brother and--

Dave's words broke into her vicious thoughts. "You need to leave."

"What? Dave, we need to talk about this," she frowned. She wasn't ready to leave.

"We'll talk about it, but not right now. I need some time, Stephanie." He needed to see Alicia. Jesus, God Almighty, what would she say?

"I need to know what you intend to do, Dave!" she demanded.

"When I figure it out, I'll let you know. But right now it would be best if you leave." His patience was at the breaking point, but his words were measured and even.

Seeing the look on his face, Stephanie decided that leaving was probably a good idea after all. But she couldn't help herself. Still trying to be the one calling the shots, she got in one last cutting remark. "Call me, Dave. If you don't, I'll be at your parents home Thanksgiving day with my good news."

"You bitch! Get the hell out of here!" Dave roared. If she hadn't been pregnant with his child, he just might have picked her up and tossed her right out the door.

When Stephanie finally left, Dave picked up the phone and called his parents. His dad answered.

"Hey Dad, is Alli there yet?" Dave held the phone with one hand and rubbed his temple with the other. His head was pounding.

"No son, you just missed her. Your sister said she's staying at your house again tonight. She's not becoming a burden to you, is she? She said you don't mind that she stays there, but if you get tired of her, send her home."

"No, Dad. No, it's fine that she stays here. I like having her."

They said goodbye; then Dave sat down to wait for his sister.

He didn't have to wait long; it only took ten minutes to get from one house to the other. Before he knew it, he heard her car in the drive, that unmistakable whine of the ragtop never sounded so wonderful.

Dave nearly tackled her when she walked in the front door. He grabbed her in his arms and picked her right up off her feet. She gave a squeal of laughter. "I'm leaving more often if this is the welcome I get."

"You damn well better not," Dave growled more forcefully than he intended. He set Alicia back on her feet and helped her remove her coat, then pulled her back into his arms. He kissed her deeply, trying to possess her completely. There was really only one way to do that. Even as tall as she was, he could carry her with little effort. He headed for the stairs.




Dave and Alicia Ch. 03



"What are you doing, David?" Alicia had a pretty good idea. She giggled as they reached the bedroom.

Dave's kiss was long and searing. It left Alicia panting and breathless. His mouth traveled down her neck and back up again, across her jaw to her earlobe. He needed her, and he felt it to his very core. He had to have her, to know she was his. He pulled off her sweater, a heavy ivory cable knit thing that their parents had bought her in Ireland the year before, then quickly stripped her of her black hip-hugging jeans and panties.

Dave released Alicia's breasts from the restrictive confines of her bra and bent slightly to take one aroused nipple into his mouth, while his hand caressed the creamy skin of the other. Down and around, his hand traversed the length of her back to the delicate curve of her butt. He gently grasped one smooth, soft cheek and squeezed, eliciting a low, sensual moan from Alicia.

Alicia watched her brother straighten and yank off his shirt, jeans and underwear. There was something about him that late afternoon; she couldn't quite put her finger on. From his comment moments ago, when she walked in the door, to the almost primal look in his dark eyes, Alicia felt certain there was something wrong. 

"David?" she ventured cautiously. "Are you okay?"

Only when he knew for certain that she was his forever would he be okay. "I will be, Alli, I will be," he reassured her. Dave reached for her and turned her around, pulling her naked back to his front. He lifted her silky blond hair and lavished kisses over her neck and shoulders. His tongue snaked from between his lips and stroked the sensitive skin behind her left ear.

"Ohhh, wow, that feels nice," Alicia whispered, tilting her head to one side. David knew just how to touch her, how to light her senses afire. Her pussy began to throb with a dull ache, and she felt his erection pressing intimately into her lower back.

Alicia wanted to reach back and touch him, but as she did, he gently pushed her forward until she was bent at the waist and lying face down on the bed. She spread her legs, wanting Dave to touch her. She squirmed a little, trying to rub her protruding clit on the bed covers. It was the wrong angle. She let out a little whimper of frustration.

Dave briefly admired the view in front of his eyes, his sister spread open before him, her pouting pussy lips begging to be touched and stroked. Soft as a feather, he caressed the back of her leg.

Alicia jumped, startled at the contact. She raised herself up on her toes, trying to get him to touch her dripping slit. "David, please!" she begged and wiggled again. She tried to turn over but Dave laid a hand on her back to keep her still. He ran his other hand up the back of her leg, this time continuing on until he reached the very core of her heat. His palm came to rest there.

Dave marveled at the wetness he felt. Alicia's juice coated his hand and began to soak into the comforter. He massaged her gently, rubbing his palm up and down, making sure his fingers slid between her folds to contact her swollen clitoris. "God, Alli, you're so wet. Tell me what you want," he urged.

"Put your fingers in, please, David!" Alicia was almost frantic. She thought she would go mad if she didn't find release soon. She needed to come so bad, but every time she felt herself drawing near, Dave would back away and remove his hand. She tried to push back against his hand. 

Dave wanted to give her what she so urgently sought. He spread her pink lips open and gently pushed two fingers inside. Alicia began to move her hips in a jerky motion in time with his thrusting fingers. "Harder," she panted.

"Like this?"

"Harder!"

"Good God, Alli, I don't want to hurt you." Dave was thrusting his long fingers in and out of her as hard as he dared.

"Just fuck me then!" Alicia yelled over her shoulder.

Dave was desperate to enter her. As he took a few seconds to roll a condom over his fully erect cock, Stephanie and the baby briefly entered his mind. He looked up to see his sister, who had turned over and was laying spread out on the bed, smiling at him. Please don't hate me, Alligator, he thought as he climbed up next to her. He pulled her close and kissed her deeply for a long moment, before moving between her legs. He pushed them wide apart and stabbed into her, burying himself completely. 

David was normally a gentle lover, and his rapid entry caught Alicia by surprise. Her eyes widened and she sucked in her breath at the sudden invasion. She was small and tight inside, and it hurt, almost as much as their first time. Within seconds the pain was over.

So many feelings and emotions whirled through Dave's head, making him mindless of where he was and what he was doing. He only knew that Alicia was with him, and he needed to keep her there. He fell forward and buried his face in her neck as he continued his almost-maniacal rhythm. He heard Alicia whispering to him; she sounded a million miles away, yet he could hear her, chanting over and over, "I love you, David. I love you."

Alicia's toes curled as her orgasm consumed her. White light flashed beneath her scrunched up eyes as her world exploded. She released her legs from Dave's waist and pushed herself up, meeting his hips with her own. Their bodies smacked together in perfect union. She yelled his name once, then once more.

Alicia's pussy clenched and pulsed around his rock-hard shaft, setting off his orgasm. He couldn't hold back, not that he wanted to. His body shook as spurt after spurt of cum shot from deep inside. Dave emitted a low groan as his gut clenched, then relaxed. He fell to one side of Alicia and slid a long arm under her neck to pull her to him.

Dave held her tightly, unwilling to release her, even as she tried to pull away and look into his eyes. "David, what's wrong?" Their lovemaking had been wondrous and mind blowing, but Alicia knew almost the second she'd walked in the front door that something was the matter.

Dave knew there was no avoiding it; he had to tell Alicia about Stephanie and the baby. Stephanie seemed crazy enough to do just as she'd promised, show up on Thanksgiving and tell one and all. It was going to come out eventually, but Dave wanted to be the one to choose the time and the place, not Stephanie. He'd never allow her that perverse pleasure.

"I'll be right back, Alli; I gotta get this thing off," he said to her, indicating the cum-filled condom with a wave of his hand.

Completing the task, Dave returned to bed, once more drawing Alicia to him. He held her close, yet far enough away to look in her brown doe eyes. Dave's hand came up and traced the line of her jaw from ear to ear. He wanted to memorize how she looked right then, heavy-lidded, sleepy, and satisfied. His little sister was in love, and it showed.

"I want you to know how much I love you, Alligator, how much I've always loved you." Dave paused to take a deep breath.

"I know, David," Alicia smiled. "I love you too, and I--"

Dave placed a hand over her mouth. "Alli, stop. Please let me finish."

Alicia nodded. "Okay," she mumbled.

"Stephanie came here today."

Alicia's heart began to pound a nervous beat. She pulled his hand from her mouth. "Why?"

"She had something to tell me, Alli. She...oh God, I'm so sorry. She's pregnant, Alligator, and it's mine." Dave wanted to drop his head, to be a coward and not look to see how his words affected her, but he forced himself to take in her reaction.

Alicia's head snapped back; her mouth dropped open in a giant O, and her bright eyes grew brighter as they filled with tears. "How...I mean, didn't you use anything? Why would you have unprotected sex with her? You insist on condoms when we make--"

Dave rolled his head back in frustration. "Alicia, stop! At least let me try to explain. Please, give me that much." He looked at her again. Alicia nodded, so he continued in a calm voice. "Stephanie was on birth control, so I didn't use anything. I realize now I should have, I was so stupid. She told me earlier when I asked that she missed several pills. If she had told me, I absolutely would have worn something. Because I failed to use adequate protection, and because of the missed pills, she got pregnant."

That his sister was still lying there next to him, wanting to talk to him about it, spoke volumes to Dave. She didn't jump up and start screaming. She didn't bolt. Instead, she asked him a question. "What does she want?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I made her leave before we got that far. She told me she was going to come to Mom and Dad's on Thanksgiving and tell everyone, if I don't call her before then. Alligator, I was so pissed, I couldn't think straight. I thought it would be for the best to get away from her."

Alicia nodded, understanding. It made her angry, too, thinking that Stephanie would do something like that to David. First and foremost, he was her brother. And to think Stephanie would do that with their entire family present made Alicia furious. Yet she remained calm and asked one more question; one she dreaded the answer to. "What are you going to do about it?"

"About the baby?"

Alicia nodded. She moved a little closer to Dave, awaiting his answer.

The movement didn't go unnoticed by him. He took it as a good sign. "I won't deny it's mine, Alli, I can't. I won't be like Jim and pretend it doesn't exist."

"And Stephanie? Will you get back together with her, then?" Alicia paused for a long moment. "Maybe you should, David," she whispered.

Dave frowned at her. "What? I don't want to get back with her. I don't love her, and she sure as hell doesn't love me. Alli, I love you. I want to be with you. But I won't turn my back on her or the baby, I can't do that." "Of course you shouldn't. I just thought, you know...I'll let you go, David, if you want me to. If you, you know, want to be with her." Unshed tears finally had their way and began to fall.

Dave reached over and wiped the tears away as they fell. "Ah, hell, Alli." He smiled at her. "Don't cry, please don't cry. You better not let me go, 'cause I'm not letting you go, not for anything." 

Alicia scooted over as close as she could to her brother. She lay on her side, face resting against his chest, her own chest mashed against his sternum. At the end of the bed, under the covers, their feet touched as their toes played tag with one another.

"Can you forgive me, Alligator? For everything?" Dave murmured into her hair.

He'd made a mistake, a big one certainly, but Alicia couldn't hold him entirely responsible for it. Anyway, they weren't even together when it happened. She'd let him into her heart, and she wasn't about to kick him out. She forgave him and told him so.

"I'll understand if you need some time to think things over, though, Alli. A baby is a huge thing--"

It was Alicia's turn to cover his mouth with her hand. "Hush. Didn't I just say that I forgive you?"

Dave nodded and she removed her hand. "But, it's not going to be easy, Alligator. Stephanie won't let it be; you know? She already threatened to go to Mom and Dad."

Feeling possessive of what she considered hers, Alicia became angry all over again. Thinking about Stephanie invading their lives infuriated her. "We'll tell them together, David. They're going to find out one way or another, and I don't think Mom would appreciate Stephanie barging in on our Thanksgiving dinner."

Dave laughed a little at that. "Can you even imagine the scene?"

Alicia laughed, too. "Bet Grandma would take her right out with that cane of hers."

"Maybe we shouldn't say anything, just let her come over and have Grandma take care of her," Dave suggested.

The siblings laughed until they were nearly crying. The past two hours had been so emotional that the laughter was an incredible stress reliever. They sobered up soon enough, though.

"I don't want to drag you through this mess, Alli."

"I'd drag myself through any mess, if I could be with you, David."

*****

The following day Dave reflected on his and Alicia's conversation. He was profoundly grateful for her forgiveness, strength, understanding, and unwavering loyalty to him. He'd fucked up in a big way, yet he felt like the luckiest man alive. He knew exactly what he had to be thankful for that year.

To be continued...

Thanks to those of you who are reading Dave and Alli's story. One more chapter should wrap it up. If you would like Brett, Elizabeth, and Samantha's story, you can read the three chapters of "Brett and Elizabeth". Feedback is important, and I'll respond to any comments or e-mails I can. ~Chargergirl 



Dave and Alicia Ch. 04



To Mused, my heartfelt thanks. Thank you for not only your help with this, but for encouraging me when I wavered. ~Chargergirl

~~**~~

"I think that went pretty well," Alicia said to her brother, as they drove home Sunday night after having dinner with their parents.

Dave cast a sidelong glance and raised his brows. "Whose house were you just at, anyway?"

"I thought they took it well, David, really. I mean, they weren't exactly jumping for joy, but Mom didn't pass out, either, not like you said she would. Damn, it's cold tonight," Alicia muttered. She cranked the heat up in the car. "You calling Stephanie tomorrow?"

"No, I'm just going to head over there right after work."

"Think she'll be pissed?"

"She doesn't have anything to be pissed about, Alli. She doesn't want me back. I want to know what she does want, and I'm going to tell her what I want."

Alicia nodded, then turned to look out the window. Rolling down the highway, there wasn't much to see, only inky blackness. Here and there, a light could be seen in the distance. "What if she does want you back?" She whispered the question to the passenger window.

"I heard that, Alligator."

Alicia turned to face her brother. "Well, what if she does?"

"She doesn't. And it doesn't matter. Just because she's pregnant with my child doesn't mean she owns my life. I told you I have every intention of helping her; that's my responsibility. But I want you, Alli, only you. When are you going to understand that?" Dave reached for her hand as he exited the highway.

"I can't give you what she can." 

"And what's that?" 

Alicia sounded like she was about to confess her deepest, darkest secret. "A baby."

Dave sighed. "Is that what this is all about, then? You think I should go back with Stephanie because she can give me kids and you can't?"

Alicia nodded miserably and began to cry. "Maybe Dad's right. Maybe you should marry her."

Dave pulled in the driveway and threw the car into park. "You know something, Alligator?" He leaned towards her, over the center console of the car. "I don't care anymore what anyone thinks. Mom, Dad, Stephanie. I'm sick of our lives being dictated by everyone, especially Mom and Dad. Aren't you? God, how can you not be?" He honestly didn't know how his little sister had managed living at home for so many years. Dave had been rather lucky, flying below their mom's radar most of the time. But poor Alicia was under constant scrutiny, except for when she stayed at her brother's house.

Their parents had been most displeased when he told them Stephanie was pregnant. Their dad had even gone so far as to suggest Dave should marry her. A quick glance at Alicia nearly broke Dave's heart. She'd looked devastated by the suggestion, but he felt her relax the instant he discreetly took her hand in his.

Dave had been more concerned when Alicia announced she was returning to his house with him. She'd had her back to their parents as she fished her coat out of the hall closet and didn't see the look that crossed their dad's face. Dave saw the look, though, and it worried him.

When Dave and Alicia entered the house there was a voicemail message waiting for him. He listened to it, and became more furious with every passing second. Alicia watched the emotions play over her brother's face and grew concerned.

"What?" she whispered.

Dave handed her the phone. "Here, have a listen. That crazy bitch," he muttered and walked away.

Alicia listened to Stephanie's singsong voice on the message. "Only four more day 'til Thanksgiving, Dave. Hope I don't have to see you at your parents."

"She is nuts," Alicia muttered to herself. She put the phone down and followed Dave's path to the kitchen. She found him there, staring out of the back window, an unopened beer in his hand. She walked up behind him and slid her arms around his waist. "Gonna make you wash your mouth out before you kiss me, if you drink that," she teased lightheartedly. Actually, she was half-serious. She hated the taste of beer.

Dave set the beer down and turned around in his sisters' arms. "We need to finish our conversation."

"Which one?" Alicia asked as she laid her head against his chest, just under his chin.

"The one where you finally concede that you're mine forever. The one where you finally understand I'm never getting back with Stephanie, baby or not. And last but not least, the one where you admit that I'm right about everything," Dave grinned.

"Hmm," Alicia pretended to think about it for a minute. "I think you'll have to prove it to me."

"And just how many times am I going to have to do that?" Dave's grin turned wicked.

Alicia rose up on her toes. "Over and over," she muttered, as she leaned in to kiss him. She broke the kiss a few seconds later. "And over again." She leaned back into him, pressing her mouth to his once more. Her slender fingers began to work the buttons of his white dress shirt, stopping when she reached his waist. She pulled the shirttail out, then returned to finish the buttons.

Alicia slid her soft palms up over Dave's chest, letting her fingers comb through the mat of crisp blond hair covering his chest. Up to his shoulders, her fingers roamed, pushing his white shirt aside. Alicia bent her head and flicked her tongue over his nipples.

"What're you doing?" Dave gritted out. He pulled his shirt off.

"I decided I'm going to show you." Alicia pulled her shirt up and over and let it fall to the floor. Dave reached up and undid the front clasp on her bra. The cups fell to the side and Alicia shrugged the straps off her shoulders, sending the piece of ivory lace to join her shirt. Her nipples stiffened instantly.

Dave began to work her pencil skirt up over her thighs. It was a pretty little thing, ending just above her knees, and it had driven him wild all evening. Each time she had crossed and uncrossed her legs, he fought the urge to run his hand up the inside of her thigh. He had wanted to slide his fingers inside her panties and tease her, make her wet and hot, and drive her as crazy as she was driving him.

Dave's thumbs hooked either side of her underwear and slid them down, until they fell around her ankles. Alicia daintily stepped out of them, then dropped her skirt. She reached over and went to work on his grey slacks.

Dave noticed the gooseflesh covering her arms and shoulders and frowned. "Are you cold?" 

The button gave way and Alicia unzipped his pants. "A little."

"Let's go into the living room, then. It's kind of drafty in here. C'mon, I'll light a fire." He refastened the button and reached for her hand.

Dave made quick work of laying a fire. Soon it was burning bright and hot. Alicia knelt next to him on the floor, wrapped in a blanket she'd taken from the back of the couch.

Dave put an arm around her shoulders and drew her close. "Where were we?" he whispered, stroking her cheek. Taking pleasure from his touch, Alicia closed her eyes and leaned into his caress. She looked so content; Dave thought she might start to purr.

She opened her eyes, smiled and reached over and undid the button again. "Right...about...here."

Dave scooted back and helped her work his pants and underwear down. Alicia tossed them aside and turned back to look at her brother. With a wicked grin, she began to slowly crawl to him.

There was fire burning in his dark eyes, and it wasn't the reflection from the wood burning in the hearth. Dave watched his sister crawl to him on her hands and knees, her lovely full breasts hanging down towards the floor. He watched, mesmerized, as they swayed with each move she made.

The firelight danced on her body as Alicia made her way to Dave. Her eyes locked on his rigid cock, and without pretense, she opened her mouth and took him as far as she could. Gently, she began to bob her head.

"Oh, God, Alli," Dave muttered. He threaded his fingers through her hair and pushed it aside, so he could look down and watch her with an unobstructed view. Seeing her that way was one of the most erotic things he'd ever witnessed in his life. He began to thrust his hips, and they soon found their rhythm.

Alicia pulled off, then put just the tip back in her mouth. She swirled her tongue around, and paused to feel it in her mouth. It felt soft, almost spongy, compared to the hardness of the rest of him. She ran her hand up the inside of his bare leg to cup his sack. It felt tight in her hand, like his balls were pulled up. She wondered about that. She wondered why they were tight, when normally they hung down. She wanted to ask, but David seemed to be enjoying what she was doing, so she decided to wait and ask later. She took him all the way back in.

"Alli, baby, I'm gonna come," Dave warned her, but she didn't stop. "Sweetie, Alligator, if you don't stop it's gonna go right down your throat."

Alicia nodded; she wanted him to. She wanted to taste him; she wanted to know all of her brother.

Dave saw her nod her acceptance and that was all it took. He shot off, once, twice. His body jerked, and he shot once more.

Alicia gagged as Dave's sperm hit the back of her throat, but she swallowed it down. Some dribbled from the corner of her mouth. She pulled off his deflating penis and swore. "Damn."

Dave had felt her gag. He hoped she was okay and not completely turned off by swallowing. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"It went on the carpet." Alicia looked down at the blob of semen laying there between them, then looked up at Dave.

Dave started to laugh. He tried so hard not to, but he couldn't help it. He reached out and pulled Alicia into his arms. "It'll clean up." He kissed her deeply, their tongues dancing in a mating ritual of their own. Dave could detect a slight tang, and he knew he tasted himself.

"Thank you," he whispered, when their kiss ended. 

"For what?" Alicia wanted to know.

"For doing what you did. You didn't have to, you know." But he was thrilled that she had.

Alicia nodded, understanding. "I wanted to. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't have."

"Would you do it again?"

Alicia smiled. "I think so. It wasn't completely horrible."

Dave pushed her down gently and moved between her legs. "It's your turn," he said, as he lowered his mouth onto her aching pussy. He flicked her little bud repeatedly with his tongue, teasing her mercilessly. Dave felt his sister's fingers twine in his hair as she drew closer to her orgasm. He smiled to himself, pleased he knew her well enough to recognize the impending eruption. He backed off a little.

"David," Alicia panted. "Please, I'm so close!"

"Shh, in a minute," Dave consoled her. He moved up her body to cup her beautiful breasts in his hands. So soft and perfect, he thought. He brushed the tips with his thumbs, then gave them both a little pinch.

"Hey!" Alicia squealed, then laughed. She reached over, grabbed Dave's semi-rigid cock, and gave it a pinch. "There ya go."

"Oh God! Alicia Anne!" Dave pretended to double over in pain. "Ohhh," he groaned. He bent over so far his forehead touched the floor. 

"David, oh my God! I'm sorry! Are you okay?" She sat up, put an arm around his shoulder, and leaned close.

Dave was smiling, but Alicia couldn't tell from the way he was bent over. Without warning, Dave sat up, grabbed her around the waist and laid her across his lap. 

Alicia realized immediately she'd been fooled. "David Parker! I'm gonna get you for that!" She struggled to get up, but her strength was no match for his. She stilled when she felt his hand running down the length of her back to her butt. He stroked each cheek, then moved his hand lower until it was between her thighs. Alicia's legs parted, almost of their own free will. She moaned into Dave's thigh as his middle finger penetrated her slit. "Oh wow..." she sighed. His fingers almost felt as good as his penis. Almost.

Dave loved the way his sister looked, laying over his lap that way. His fingers were soaked, his cock was hard, and he wanted to be inside her. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I'll be right back."

Reluctantly, Alicia rolled off his lap and let him up. "Don't be long," she smiled at him as he headed for the stairs, trying, and succeeding, to look sexy.

Dave returned to Alicia and drew her down on top of him. "Ride me?" They hadn't made love that way yet, and he was anxious to try it.

"What do I do?" Alicia asked.

She was an eager student and a fast learner, and Dave was a kind, gentle teacher. When she finally came, she threw back her head and screamed her brother's name. He grabbed her waist and held her steady as her orgasm consumed her body. She collapsed on top of his chest and didn't even realize he'd cum, too.

Dave reached for the discarded blanket and threw it over them. He held Alicia tightly, not wanting to let her go. He was uncomfortable as hell, lying on the floor that way, but with Alicia draped over him, he would have been content to lie that way forever.

*****

Thom Parker couldn't sleep that night, and it wasn't because his son had knocked up his ex-girlfriend. Alicia's reaction to her father's suggestion that Dave marry Stephanie had not gone unnoticed. As Thom paced in front of the now-cold fireplace in the upstairs den, the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. The question was what, if anything, he could do about it.

*****

"Hey, Stephanie." Dave greeted his old girlfriend as she opened the door to her apartment.

"Well, well, I didn't expect to see you so soon," Stephanie cooed. "I was looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner with your parents and Grandma Ruth. Oh, and dear little Alli. How is your baby sister, anyway?"

"Knock it off," Dave growled. "Quit pretending like you didn't think I'd deal with this." He cut to the chase. "When's your first doctor's appointment?"

"Why?" She asked suspiciously.

"Because I want to go." He crossed his arms and stared down at her.

"Maybe I don't want you to go," she challenged.

Dave shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Stephanie felt flustered and caught off-guard. "You can go, if you want. I-I actually called Friday. They want to see me next Monday, when I'm almost ten weeks along."

Dave nodded. "Good enough. What time? Oh, and I'll need the name of your doctor, of course. I'll take off work and meet you there."

Stephanie gave him the information. "Thank you. Now then, have you given any thought about the baby's future? You do understand I'll want joint legal custody?"

Stephanie's mouth opened and closed twice; Dave thought she looked like a fish. "I haven't decided if I want you to or not, Dave," she finally said to him.

Dave tried not to laugh. "It's not up to you, Stephanie. You don't get to decide. Just be glad I'm not pushing for full custody."

Stephanie felt her grip on Dave slowly, but surely, slipping away. Why wasn't he groveling at her feet, wanting her back? Not that she wanted to be with him, but a little begging on his part would have been nice and soothed her bruised ego. No man had ever rejected her. And now, she was going to be saddled with a whiny little baby. "Have you told your parents and your sister? If you don't, I'm still going to show up Thursday," she said with a smirk.

"Give it a rest, Stephanie. Yeah, they know; I told them yesterday. They can't wait to be grandparents." That was the truth, in a 'round about sort of way.

"Weren't they angry?" Stephanie frowned. She'd relished the thought of Blaire and Thom exploding over the news. She'd really wanted to be the one to tell them. She'd wanted to go over to their perfect brick house, in their perfect neighborhood, and throw a giant wrench into their perfect lives. Now she wished she hadn't waited. She should have told them first.

Dave snorted. "I'm twenty-four years old. Really, what could they say? It's not like I'm sixteen, for God's sake." He was trying so hard to stay calm.

Stephanie could see that she hadn't hurt him a bit. And that was what she had wanted more than anything, to hurt him.

"Look, I've got to get going. Do you need anything?" Dave asked.

"No," Stephanie replied through clenched teeth.

"I guess I'll see you next Monday morning, then. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

Stephanie managed a tight nod as she watched Dave walk out her apartment door. She'd gotten in deeper that she had intended. She would have to do some serious re-thinking.

*****

"So you think she's really pregnant?" Brett asked Dave later that night.

"I'm guessing so, yeah. I'll know for sure on Monday, though. I'm meeting her at the doc's at nine-thirty."

"Think she would have really shown up on Thursday?"

"I don't know; it's hard to say. Honestly? Yeah, I think she would have. I never realized what a loose screw she is. Wish I'd known sooner." Dave shook his head.

"Jesus, I guess so. That would've been one hell of scene. I would've paid money to see that," Brett grinned. He was only joking, and Dave knew it.

"Fuck you, man." Dave laughed.

Brett admired the hell out of his best friend for stepping up to the plate and not simply telling Stephanie to get lost. He hadn't thought for a minute that Dave would do that. He'd watched his own little sister get shit on exactly a year ago by her old boyfriend. Brett had unexpectedly benefited, though. He now had a six-month-old baby girl to call his own and a sister who loved him beyond measure.

"How's Alli taking it?" Brett asked in a low voice. Alicia and Elizabeth were in the kitchen, probably talking about the exact same thing, but Brett didn't want Alicia to overhear him talking about her.

"She's a rock, what else can I say?"

"Who's a rock?" Alicia asked, as she entered the living room holding baby Samantha on her hip.

"You are, for putting up with me," Dave gave her a smile and held out his arms, indicating he wanted to hold Samantha. Alicia put her down on his lap.

"Guess that's something you better get used to," Brett said to him.

Dave extended his smile to include his friend. 

Samantha was sitting up now. She could maneuver herself around by pulling herself along on her elbows, like a seal. She was hardly ever content to just sit, but she did allow Dave to hold her for several minutes. She looked up at him and grinned a wide, gummy smile. "Bbbbpphhffft," she spit out and laughed at her own cleverness. A tiny hand stole up and grabbed at Dave's nose. Dave grabbed hers gently and laughed along with her.

Soon enough, Samantha had grown bored with Dave and struggled to get out of his arms. Scooting along on her belly, she headed towards her toys stacked in the corner.

From across the room, Elizabeth watched Dave and her daughter. She smiled to herself and thought, Once Dave wraps his head around an idea, he throws his whole heart into it.

*****

"I told Stephanie I want joint legal custody," Dave said to Alicia, as she climbed into bed next to him. He turned towards her, as she moved closer to him. His arm draped her naked hip.

"What did she think of that?" Alicia asked.

"I don't think she was too pleased. But more importantly, what do you think of that, Alli?" Dave's hand slid off her hip, down the curve of her waist, to the swell of her generous breast. He brushed the nipple with the back of his fingers, then continued up until his palm rested on her cheek. The pad of his thumb caressed the delicate skin beneath her eye.

"If it's what you want, then of course I'm fine with it."

"Does it bother you?" Dave asked her. His thumb swept her lower lip.

"Does what bother me? That you want to be a part of your kids' life? Or that Stephanie is having your baby?"

"All of it, I guess."

Alicia sighed. "It hurts, sure; don't get me wrong. I'm glad that you're trying with her and that you want to be a part of the baby's life, but it hurts that I'm not the one. You know?"




Dave and Alicia Ch. 04



"You're not the one, what?"

"The one having your baby. It hurts that I can't give you that."

Dave smiled and traced her nose with a fingertip. "Why can't you give me that?" 

"David, I'm you sister. It-it just wouldn't be right is all; I guess."

"Is this right, Alicia, what we're doing? Does it feel right to you?"

"Yes! I love you, you know that. But a baby, David, one of our own? I don't know... It's..." Alicia trailed off, not knowing how to express what she was feeling.

"A lot to think about right now?" Dave asked, and she nodded. "Will you at least think about it in the future?'

Alicia couldn't help but laugh. "You know, for a guy who always insisted he'd never have kids, you sure have done an about-face."

Dave thought about that for a few moments, then smiled softly. "Yeah, I guess I have."

*****

Thanksgiving was a pleasant and jovial affair at the Parker home. Grandma Ruth was there, and Brett, Elizabeth, and Samantha. As always, after dinner Alicia and Elizabeth hand-washed the heirloom china and Brett and Dave came in later to dry and put the dishes away. They watched the football game, and afterwards, Brett, Elizabeth and Samantha headed for home.

Alicia and Dave remained behind and watched the second football game. At halftime, the siblings went to the kitchen and hauled out the leftovers.

"How can you eat that?" Alicia asked in disgust as she watched her brother squirt mustard all over his bread, then glob on cold gravy, stuffing, and finally, cold turkey slices.

"My dear Alligator," Dave sighed, "Every year you ask me that, every year I offer you a bite, and you never try it. It's a culinary masterpiece, and you don't know what you're missing." He crammed a huge bite into his mouth. He held out the sandwich to her.

Alicia stared at the mess in front of her face. She opened her mouth, trying to will herself to take a taste. Just then, a congealed glob of gravy oozed out and fell to the floor with a splat. She snapped her mouth shut and took her plate out to the living room. As much as she loved her brother, sometimes he was so gross.

*****

"You can come in, if you want," Stephanie told Dave, as the nurse called her name.

Pregnant women of all shapes and sizes sat around him. Dave had only seen one other guy in the waiting room. The other guy looked up and nodded as Dave walked past. He was sitting next to a woman that looked like she was ready to go into labor at any second, at least to Dave's thinking.

The nurse busied herself taking Stephanie's weight and blood pressure, then ushered Stephanie and Dave into an exam room.

The doctor breezed in a few minutes later. She shook hands with Dave and Stephanie and sat down. "Pleased to meet you both. This is your first?" She looked from one to the other.

Dave shifted uncomfortably in his seat and smiled. "Yes."

Stephanie muttered a barely audible, "Yes."

If the doctor thought their behavior strange, she didn't show it. She conversed with them for several minutes about various things and asked if they had any questions. They didn't. "Shall we see if we can hear the heartbeat?"

"You can do that?" Dave asked. "I mean, you can hear it already?"

The doctor nodded. "Usually by nine weeks, sometimes eight weeks. Most always by ten, though don't be alarmed if we don't catch it today. Those little things can be tricky to pick up at this stage," she smiled at him. She motioned to Stephanie to lay back on the examining table.

The doctor moved with kind, gentle hands over Stephanie's still-flat belly. She lifted Stephanie's shirt and had her undo the top of her jeans and pull them down slightly. She took a small bottle and squirted some stuff that looked like KY on Stephanie's stomach and took out the fetal doppler. The doctor placed it in the middle of the goo and moved it around, searching for the heartbeat. Within seconds, she found it. "There it is," she smiled and looked at Dave. She always loved seeing the fathers' reaction the first time they heard the heartbeat.

Dave looked enthralled.

Stephanie looked appalled.

"It sounds like a rabbit," Dave said, not that he knew what a rabbits' heartbeat sounded like. It was the only comparison he could think of at the moment.

The doctor timed the heartbeat. "One fifty-five. A little slower than a rabbit." She let them listen a minute more.

Dave felt the back of his eyes begin to burn and prick. Jesus, don't let me start to cry now, he thought. He rubbed his eyelids and inhaled sharply through his nose.

"We'll do a pelvic now," the doctor informed them as she wiped the goo off Stephanie's belly.

Stephanie turned towards Dave and said, "You need to leave."

"Oh, he can stay, if he'd like to," the doctor informed her pleasantly. She retrieved a cloth gown from a lower drawer.

"No, he can't," Stephanie insisted. "I want him to leave.

"No problem, I'll be in the waiting room." Dave thanked the doctor and took his leave.

*****

For Alicia, Monday morning came too soon. Dave was meeting Stephanie at the doctor's office and Alicia was feeling apprehensive about it. She went to her classes, but could hardly concentrate. The entire day passed by in a blur.

Late that afternoon, Alicia went to Brett and Elizabeth's to see her best friend, but no one was in the house when she called inside. The radio in the garage was blaring, so she headed that way.

Alicia stuck her head in the side door to see Brett bent over the hood of his car, cranking on only God knew what. She walked up next to him. She tapped his shoulder and yelled over the music, "Hey!"

Brett startled and dropped the wrench; it fell to the garage floor with a loud clatter. "Jesus, Alli, you scared me!" He walked over and turned the radio down.

Alicia picked up the wrench and handed it to him. "Sorry, Brett. Is Elizabeth around? I checked inside and didn't see her."

"She left with Sam a while ago to go shopping. She'll be back soon. You can wait here, if you want." He waved a hand towards an old lawn chair in the corner and grinned. "Or you can wait inside, if that's more to your liking."

"This is fine." She went and sat in the lawn chair. It was freezing outside, but the garage was toasty warm from the tiny furnace that burned in the corner "What're you doing?" Alicia knew absolutely nothing about cars. She only knew how to fill hers up with gas and check the oil, her brother took care of the rest. Dave had made sure ages ago she at least knew how to check the oil; the ancient ragtop burned about a quart a week.

"Changing the oil and coolant. It's going into your brother's pole barn tonight for its long winter's nap" Brett told her. He never drove the Charger in the winter.

"Oh." Alicia watched him for a few minutes while she worked something over in her mind. "Brett?"

"Yeah?" He glanced over at her.

"Can I ask you something?"

Brett straightened and turned to face Alicia. He folded his arms and leaned against the front quarter panel. "Sure, what's up?"

"When Elizabeth was pregnant with Sammi, did you have a hard time with it? I mean, with Sam being Jim's baby and not yours?"

Brett nodded. "Sometimes, yeah. Well, not at first," he qualified. "At first I was just pissed as hell that he ditched her. But then, after a while, I began to wish the baby was mine and not his." He paused and ruffled a hand through his dark hair. "You know, though, it didn't take long to realize that it didn't matter if Sam wasn't mine. Especially after she was born. The second I held her there in the nursery she became mine, and I haven't looked back since."

Alicia remembered that day, that awful, horrible day when Elizabeth had nearly died giving birth to Samantha. Samantha had nearly died, too. Brett and Alicia were both silent for a few seconds as they thought about it.

"Are you having a hard time, Alli?" Brett asked her quietly.

"I'm trying not to, but I feel jealous sometimes," she admitted.

Brett smiled. "I know how you feel. I did too," he shrugged. "It's to be expected."

"You did?" That actually made Alicia feel slightly better, to know that her feelings were normal. She'd been feeling guilty about it.

"Sure. I think it's a little different for you, though. I mean, Stephanie's the one having the baby, not you. And she's going to be around for a long time. Jim took off, and we never heard from him again. I don't think you're going to be that lucky with Miss Stephanie. Just between you and me, Alli? I always thought she was a whack job."

Alicia laughed at Brett, but she appreciated his honesty and told him so.

"You're doing alright, Alli. I'm proud of you, both of you. You've been strong through all of this, and you're going to have to continue to be strong, not only for yourself, but for Dave, too. He's going to need you to be." Brett had an uneasy feeling things weren't going to go well for Dave. No matter what happened, whatever way the whole mess went, someone was going to get hurt.

Elizabeth pulled in the drive. Alicia rose from the lawn chair to help her friend with the baby and the groceries. But first, she went to Brett. "Thank you for talking to me about this."

"Hope I was helpful," he smiled down at her gently. "It's not easy, is it?"

Alicia shook her head. "It sure isn't."

Brett chucked her under her chin. "Keep your chin up, camper."

Alicia laughed and hugged him. "I will; I promise."

*****

"It was amazing, Alligator, and really fast. I didn't think it would sound like that; it was pretty cool. She's going to have an ultrasound in a few weeks for some kind of test and she said I could go. I'll be able to see it."

Alicia smiled at her brother's enthusiasm but felt a knife twist in her heart. Brett's words rang in her head, Keep your chin up. She wondered how long she could keep her chin up before she started to get tired. Alicia went to Dave and laid her head against his chest. She sighed, content for the moment. He felt so good.

"You okay, Alli?" Dave's arms tightened about her. "Does it bother you?"

"Yeah, a little. But I'll be fine, I promise. I can tell you're excited, and I'm glad about that." She certainly didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm. "How was Stephanie?"

"Weird-acting, especially after the appointment. She came out, then went back in to talk to the doctor for a little while. Then, when she came out again, she wouldn't even look at me."

"Huh. Wonder what that was all about," Alicia mused.

Dave shrugged. "I don't know, she wouldn't tell me."

*****

Dave didn't see or hear from Stephanie for nearly three weeks. He knew the ultrasound was coming up and he planned to call her to see when it was. She showed up at his house before he got the chance.

Alicia answered the door, then went to get Dave when she saw who it was. As much as she wanted to leave Stephanie standing on the porch, Alicia let her in.

Dave was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner. He smiled at Alicia when she entered. "Hey, I told you I'd clean the dishes." 

"Stephanie's here. I'm going to Mom and Dad's for a while."

"Alli, you don't have to leave."

"I think it's best that I do, David." If Alicia had to keep looking at Stephanie, she'd puke.

"Okay, I'll call after she leaves, then."

*****

Alicia was sitting on the bed in her old room going through a photo album from her high school years. Most of the pictures were of her and Elizabeth. A few included some other people, as well as a couple pictures of an old boyfriend. She gave an involuntary shudder when she looked at him. "What a jerk he was," Alicia muttered. She set the album aside, planning to take it to Dave's. She still had a hard time thinking of his house as their house.

She heard a car in the drive and glanced out her window. It was Dave. She frowned, even as her heart gave a little leap. Being together around their parents was becoming increasingly difficult. She'd caught both of them closely watching her and Dave on several occasions. They were going to have to tell them soon; there was no way to avoid it.

The front door slammed shut with such force the house shook. From downstairs she heard Dave shout, "Alli! Alicia, where the hell are you!"

Alicia heard her brother pounding up the stairs. His voice cracked. He sounded so hoarse, she thought, as he yelled her name. She was about to call back when her door crashed open. Dave stood in the doorway, chest heaving, a wild look in his eyes.

"David! What wrong?" 

Dave made his way to her bed and sank to his knees in front of her. To Alicia's utter horror he began to cry. 

"David, oh my God, what the hell happened? What's wrong?" Alicia drew his head down to her lap and cradled it there while he continued to sob. In her entire life she had never once seen him cry. She stroked his soft blond locks and tried to quiet him. "David, please, tell me what's wrong," she begged. "Please, why are you crying?"

"Stephanie had a-an abor-ortion, Alli," Dave stammered out. He looked up at his sister, his face streaked with tears. "She got rid of it, she--" he couldn't continue and buried his face in her lap once more.

*****

"Was that David?" Blaire asked her husband.

Thom gave his wife a strange look. "I'd certainly think so."

"Hm, he sounds upset. We should go see what's wrong." Blaire started to rise.

"It sounded to me like he was looking for Alicia, not us, dear."

Blaire gave him a pointed look. "All the more reason to go see, then; don't you think?"

Thom frowned, then nodded. Husband and wife exited the den and made their way down the hall and paused outside their daughter's bedroom door. As much as they hated to eavesdrop, there really was nothing else to be done. They had to. They needed answers, badly.

From where they stood they could observe their children without being seen. The reflection from Alicia's vanity mirror showed them everything.

*****

Alicia slid off her bed and onto the floor next to her brother. She wrapped her arms around him, pulled his head down and cradled him to her breast.

Dave felt his guts churning. He was afraid he would vomit again. He sucked in several deep breaths of air in an effort to keep the bile from rising. Alicia held him while he sobbed like a child. His baby was gone, before he'd even gotten a chance to know it. He'd heard its heartbeat, and that was all.

"Did she say why she had an abortion, David?" Alicia asked him quietly.

Out in the hall, the elder Parkers turned to each other, wide-eyed. Blaire started forward, but Thom held her back. She looked up at him questioningly; he shook his head at her and raised a finger to his lips.

"She didn't want it, Alli. She didn't even tell me until after it was done. She didn't--oh God, Alli, she said she didn't want to ruin her body." Sobs racked Dave's body anew as he spoke. The words sounded awful to him and to his sister.

They sounded awful to Thom and Blaire, as well. Thom pulled his wife into his arms and held her close as they listened to their children.

"I would've kept the baby, Alli, if she didn't want it. We could've raised it ourselves. She didn't have to do that. She didn't have to kill it." Dave began to tremble violently.

Alicia rained gentle kisses here and there on his forehead and continued to smooth his flaxen hair. She tightened her hold on him as she felt him start to shake. "I'm so sorry, David," she whispered, as her own tears began to fall.

"I know it was her choice, but she didn't even ask me what I thought. I would've been a good dad, Alli."

"I know you would have, David."

"You would've been a good mom."

"Yes," Alicia smiled sadly. She turned her brother's face up to hers and kissed him full on the lips. Slow and gentle, with not even a hint of passion. She wanted to bring him some small measure of comfort, if she could. It seemed to work, as Dave let out a long, shuddering sigh. His body began to relax, and the shaking subsided. He nestled his head back down against the soft fullness of her breasts, as Alicia continued to hold and caress him. "I love you, David," she murmured into his hair.

"Love you, too, Alligator."

"Come on, Blaire," Thom whispered, pull his wife from the heartbreaking scene. It was now confirmed that their children felt more than mere sibling love. Their children had fallen in love. How it happened, Thom wasn't sure. When it happened, he had no idea, either. He'd known for a long time that Brett and Elizabeth's relationship had changed, especially after Samantha was born. Now it had happened to his own children. Part of him was shocked; the other part conceded that they were still his children.

"Thom, I should go talk to them," Blaire protested, as her husband led her quietly back down the hall to the den.

"Leave them be, Blaire. They're adults now, with adult problems that their parents can't solve for them."

"We should really talk to them, Thom."

As they entered the warm, cozy den, Thom pulled his wife into his arms. "No, Blaire," Thom insisted.

"But there's something going on between them." Blaire was quite surprised that her husband was taking the revelation so calmly.

"There likely is, sweetheart, but honestly, what can we do? Push them away? Go in there, start yelling at them, and demand that they stop feeling the way they do about one another? My God, Stephanie just tore David's heart out. I think Alicia's the only one that can make things right. Would you deny him that?"

Slowly, thoughtfully, Blaire shook her head no. No, she couldn't do that to her children. She loved them so much. She'd carried them for nine months each, gone through agonizing hours of labor, brought them into the world. She'd watched them grow, take their first steps. Her children's entire lives seemed to flash through her head in seconds. She knew she could never turn them away, not ever, not for anything.

*****

"Happy Birthday," Alicia cooed into her brothers' ear.

Dave slowly opened his eyes to see his sister hovering over him, completely naked. A grin split his face as the night before came back to him. Oh God, had Alicia really done that to him? He felt heat build in his loins and thought about asking her for a repeat performance. 

She pushed a prettily wrapped gift in front of his face. "Here."

"What is it?"

"A surprise, you dope. I'm not going to tell you."

Dave sat up in bed and tugged at the ribbon. He ripped off the paper and opened the lid of the small cardboard box. He dug through a few layers of tissue paper until he came to two tiny pairs of shoes. He withdrew them and held them up between him and Alicia. "Alligator?" He looked up at her. "What are these for?"

Alicia took one pair and said gently, "This pair is for the baby you didn't have. I bought them be--before..." She saw the look of sorrow cross his face and spoke again, "And this pair..." She took the second pair from him. "This pair is for the baby you're going to have."

Dave's head snapped up. " Are you--Alli? Seriously?"

She smiled shyly and nodded. "Happy Birthday, David."

The End

Thanks for reading Dave and Alicia's story. I hope you enjoyed it. Feedback is important, so don't be shy. If you'd like some background on Brett, Elizabeth, and Samantha, you can read the three chapters titled, "Brett and Elizabeth". ~Chargergirl