40 comments/ 52173 views/ 79 favorites Lost & Found Ch. 05 By: beachbum1958 This is the 5th and final part of this story, which has been a part of me for so many years now, it feels strange, and a little unsettling, to be finally putting it down; to be honest, there have been times when I really wanted to delete the whole thing and walk away in disgust. Mriceman1964 persuaded me, a long time ago, to clean it up, polish and re-shape it a little, and to listen to my wife and her cronies,all of whom seem to have this unnatural, hormonal attachment to Robbie (and gin Martini's, too, let us not forget that!) This is how I tried to see the story ending all that long time ago, when I first started writing this in my spare time, while deployed firstly in Iraq, then in Afghanistan, but really, Mike, Bonnie Hurd, and of course, my darling wife Lori and her gang of really quite lovely ladies, all made it happen, so many heartfelt thanks to all of them! I won't be re-visiting this story again; I feel like it's finished, all the loose ends have been tied up to my satisfaction, and all the people involved in the story have reaped their just rewards, so this is where I say my final farewell to Robbie, Casey, Sarah & Joey, Frank, Caitlin, and of course, Steve Dolan! Thank you for bearing with me, I've enjoyed the ride, and I've enjoyed unravelling my mind at you, I hope you think it was worth the wait. Auf Wiedersehen, beachbum1958 _______________________ ********** Part 1: Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice – Ephesians 4:31-32 ********** I was transfixed, horrified, mortified, and shrouded in guilty shame; Kat, here, naked, with me, in my bed! Oh dear God, what the fuck was I thinking? What in the name of Christ had I done? How could I have been so stupid? She was my little sister, I was supposed to look after her, not drag her into my bed like some oversexed teenager and...and then...Oh my God, how could I ever fix this? Kat reached out to me, smiling, her eyes still blurred and unfocussed with sleep, and I slid away from her, so fast, in fact, I slid right out of bed and landed on my ass with a loud thump. I lay there, letting the shock take over for a few seconds, unable to contemplate the full, sheer awfulness of what I'd done; I'd bedded my baby sister, on her prom night, of all nights, I'd abused her trust, I was no better than her prom-date spiking her drink and doing her while she was passed-out. What was I going to do? How the fuck was I going to fix this? Ask Sarah? Not in this life; she'd skin me, then skin Kat, then come back and finish me off. Oh fuck, what a mess, what a complete, fucked-up, unbelievably stupid, God-forsaken mess I'd made... Kat's face appeared over the edge of the bed, looking down at me in amusement. "That was funny, Frankie, but why are you still on the floor? Come on, get back up here, I'm cold, hold me!" I nearly passed-out at that. Hold her? I shouldn't even be touching her, not after what I'd done to her, not after...oh God, what was I going to do? Something touched my head, startling me, and I looked up to see Kat trailing her fingers through my hair. I shrank back, seeing the hurt puzzlement in her eyes. "Frankie, what's the matter? Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost, what's wrong with you?" I gulped, my head spinning as I sat there, desperately trying to think of a way to apologise to my baby sister for what I'd done to her... "Kat, Caitlin, baby...I...I...we...what happened...I was...I didn't think...oh God, I'm so sorry...!" Kat lay on her forearms, watching me as I dissolved into a quivering heap, a small, knowing smile on her lips, her full, curving, desirable, kissable...stop that! "What the hell's wrong with you?" I chided myself, "you fucked up so big you're gonna be a dead man when Sally finds out, you better start thinking of a way out of this, not mooning over Kat, and her lips, and her eyes, and her body, her delectable, desirable, beguiling, sexy body...!" I groaned; I was a dead man walking, Sally was out there, she was waiting, and when she found out about this, (and make no mistake, she would, the girl could see through a brick wall) she was going to skin me alive, slowly, then shove her foot up my ass as a reminder of why it was wrong to fuck my baby sister... "Alright, Frankie, enough. I don't know what bit you, but if you don't come up here right now, I'm coming down there! FRANKIE! Are you listening to me?" she grinned, her voice finally distracting me from my contemplation of my imminent death. I looked up at her miserably. "Kat, I'm so sorry, I made you do...things, last night, things I'm supposed to protect you from, God, Kat, I'm so, so sorry, if you want to call the sheriff and have me arrested, I won't run, I have to pay for what I did, I'll tell him I forced you, no-one needs to know about us, what happened was all my fault..!" Kat looked at me in amusement, her eyes sparkling with glee and good humor as I ground to a halt. "Have you quite finished?" she grinned, and I nodded miserably, ready to take my punishment. "Frankie, of all the lame-brained, half-witted, idiotic, bone-headed, gibbering nonsense I've ever heard dribble out of your mouth over the years, that little speech just took the prize for the stupidest, dumbest, most ass-headed garbage I'm likely to hear in this life or the next. Maybe I should call Sheriff Fatso, maybe getting your ass kicked by Fatso and his bozo deputies will shove your brain back into place, it must have got dislodged when you fell out of bed and landed on your ass!" I gaped at her, unable to comprehend what she meant. Kat grinned even wider, beaming at me as she sat upright. The bed covers fell away from her as she sat, naked to the waist, artlessly, unselfconsciously naked, her white skin glowing dazzlingly in the morning sun, her nipples like jewels, a delicate pale coral pink against the milky whiteness of her skin. "Frankie, everything that happened last night, everything, was because I wanted it; do you really think I'd have let you do anything to me I didn't want you to do? Think, Frankie, this is me we're talking about here!" I was trying to hear her, but all I got was a sense that she perhaps wasn't too mad at me or repelled by me after what we'd done; all my attention was riveted on just how deliciously, erotically, delightfully desirable she was just then, one half of me drooling over her, the other half disgusted beyond measure with me for sullying my baby sister, with a healthy dose of fear parked on the sidelines in reserve for when Big Sister found out... My attention was dragged back to her face when she leaned down and clicked her fingers several times in my face. "That's right, Frankie, over here, baby, that's it, look at me!" When she was sure she had my attention, she smiled slowly, pulling the covers back up over and around herself, just like she used to do when she was younger, in the bad days after we lost dad, leaving her smooth white shoulders bare. "Frankie, everything that happened, everything we did, happened because I wanted it to happen, and more; I've been trying to get your attention for months, I've been practically throwing myself at you for God knows how long, just about the only thing I didn't do was pull my panties down and rub my ass in your face! Last night was supposed to be the clincher; you were supposed to find me irresistible, so do you know how disappointed I was that you let me go to that stupid prom? I wanted you to throw Cory out and drag me back upstairs, rip my dress off and yank my panties down, and do all kinds of bad, nasty, exciting things to me; why do you think I bought that stupid dress? To parade around in front of those slack-jawed, knuckle-dragging, drooling half-wits in that school? Frankie, all I ever wanted was you, I've been trying to make you see that for months, but apparently your normal state is to have your head shoved up your ass... I looked at her in shock, amazed at the things that were coming out of my little sister's mouth, her beautiful, sexy, desirable... I pulled myself together enough to focus on what she was saying, finding it hard to credit that sweet little Kat could say or want those things. "Kat...what are you saying, don't you know we can't...?" I stammered, watching as that little line appeared between her eyebrows; she was getting pissed. "Frankie, I'm trying to tell you, again, how much I love you and how much I want you; I told you last night, you better not have forgotten!" That's right, she had, in all the fright and disgusted self-loathing of the last few minutes I'd forgotten that, now it flashed up again, that whole scene in that grimy motel room when she'd told me she was in love with me. "FRANKIE!" she snapped, and my eyes snapped back to her as her voice penetrated my woolgathering. "Frankie, if you're not up here by the time I count to three, I'm coming down there, and if I have to come down there, I swear to God I will punch you so hard...!" she gritted, her sea-green eyes flashing like emeralds in sunlight. I tried one last desperate tack. "Kat, we can't, please, think; last night was wrong, I was wrong, you're too young to make a choice like that, think what dad would say!" She looked at me, one eyebrow arched haughtily, doing it even better than mom. Her face stilled as she leaned down to look closely at me. "Francis Xavier Novak, if you don't quit shivering like a little girl and get your ass up here and back into bed with me, I promise that anything dad would have done to you would be simple, painless, and over in a heartbeat compared to what I'm capable of; I didn't spend all those years bringing you up just for you to crash and burn at the end. Now get up here this second, blondie, and I fucking mean it!" I was lost for words at what she'd just said, actually spluttering as everything I tried to say tried to come out all at once. Kat looked on as I bubbled over, her expression slowly softening and mellowing into her beautiful dimpled grin as my sputtering and gibbering fizzled out. "Right, are you done? Good. Up here, now, Frankie, don't make me hurt you; I know where all your soft-spots are, I have sharp teeth and nails, and I will use them!" Mentally crossing myself, I slid back into the bed, scrupulously avoiding touching her, thinking all the while of just how many ways this was wrong. Kat rested her head on her hand, her elbow on her pillow, and grinned at me, her other hand resting outside the covers, and once again I was struck by just how milk-pale her skin was, how vividly scarlet her hair was against that porcelain whiteness, and just how lustrous her smoky green eyes were, like the finest Colombian Boyacá emeralds. "Frankie," she murmured, "am I really so repulsive that you have to run away from me? I thought you loved me, or at least liked me. I need you, now; why won't you hold me?" Her grin faltered and her lip quivered, and I suddenly realised just how hurt she was by my sudden, panicked rejection of her; she really didn't know, or didn't care, just how wrong what we were feeling was, and believe me, I was feeling it strongly; all I could think of was her, and how much I wanted her, how much I needed her, and, at the back of it all, how wrong it all was, of course it was, no question; but it felt right; it felt natural, and normal, and unforced. "Kat, I..." I began, and she slid herself over to me, her arm going around my neck as her lips pressed against mine, and I was lost; all my fears, for me, for her, and all those feelings of wrongness disappeared, wiped away by her lips and the feel of her silky-soft warm skin as it pressed against me, her lovely tight young body molding seamlessly into mine. After a million years or so, Kat pulled away from me slightly, looking up into my eyes, her eyes sparkling green pools that a man would happily, unhesitatingly sink into, or like bright, sunlit glades in a secret forest, lush, green and verdant, brimming with life and the love of life... "Are we good now, Frankie, does that make it right?" she whispered, her eyes wide and hopeful, but a hint of fear at the back, fear that I would finally reject her; she didn't have to worry. That kiss had done what no amount of argument, soul-searching, or anguished internal debate could ever have achieved; it told me how things were between us, and how they were going to be from now on; I wanted her, and I didn't care what I had to do to keep her, because she was mine now, and I was hers, period. My arms slid around her of their own volition, around her waist and further down, to cup her taut cheeks and pull her closer to me. Kat smiled, her arms tightening around my neck and the back of my head as she pulled me down for another kiss, this time with my full and willing participation. I kissed her like it was the first time, gently, tentatively, slowly parting her lips with my tongue and slipping it into her mouth, to fence gently with hers. As we kissed, she writhed and rubbed herself against me, obviously enjoying the feel of my solidly erect cock squeezing between us and poking into her firm stomach. The feel of her wriggling against me was doing all sorts of things to me, feelings and desires all slowly coalescing into one big thought; I needed to fuck her, hard, now. She must have seen the need flare up in my eyes, because she pulled herself tight to me before slipping her leg over my hips and pushing me, rolling me onto my back with her on top of me. "Like this, Frankie, I want you like this....!" she muttered, her moist pussy lips sliding along the length of my amazingly hard cock as it lay along my stomach, sandwiched between us. The feel of her wet heat dragging along me as she rubbed herself up and down my length was overpowering any lingering doubts or apprehensions, and when she stopped I groaned in frustration. I was only momentarily disappointed though; she lifted up slightly and took hold of me, the feel of her warm hand wrapping around me at once a blessing and an urgent need, one I had to satisfy at all costs, otherwise I'd have exploded there and then. She grinned at me as she rose up a little more, rubbing my cock-head against her damp swollen labia, the heat again making me groan with need for her. She looked me in the eyes, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she grinned at me, and slowly, slowly, lowered herself down on me, her warmth and wetness engulfing me at a snail's pace and with lightning speed at the same time, until I was, at last, buried in her to the hilt. She leaned forward and kissed me once, lightly, on the lips, before sitting back up and smiling secretively, slyly at me. "This is for you, baby!" she smiled, the smile morphing into a sexy pout as she began to slide herself back and forth, small movements, but combined with a rhythmic squeezing as she clenched and relaxed her muscles around me, squeezing and massaging me as she slowly pumped herself against me. Now she began to shimmy her hips as she ground against me, the sight and feel of her so erotic I was nearly overcome with the power of it. I reached out for her, and she leaned forward, pushing her tense, straining nipples directly into my outstretched hands. I closed my hands over her breasts, kneading and massaging the soft, firm mounds even as I twirled and squeezed and rubbed those beautiful, stiff pink nubs, watching her face and neck slowly flush as I squeezed and caressed her breasts, her eyes closing and her breathing slowing and deepening as her arousal increased. She began to grind harder and faster against me, her own hands dropping to rest on my midriff, holding herself steady as she pumped and ground against me, her hips pistoning as I began to pump and push back against her, increasing my penetration as she strove for more from me. She came with a piercing cry, her eyes clenched tightly shut as she shook and wailed on top of me, her body shuddering as her orgasm flared and crashed though her. As her pussy convulsed around me, the hot, squeezing, pulsating sensation was too much for me, and my cry answered hers as I too surrendered to orgasm, my cock swelling and pulsing as my white-hot sperm boiled out of me and into her in long, hot spurts, painting her insides with my own creamy tribute as her rippling pussy milked me so thoroughly. I came in endless, jolting spurts as she shook and whined above me, her orgasm kicked into higher gear by the feel of my heat exploding inside her over and over, filling her with my essence. Kat finally slumped down against me, her heart hammering against mine as she drew a long sobbing breath, forcing air back into her lungs after the long free-fall of orgasm, the bright flare of nirvana giving way to the mundane and the normal again. I was in no better shape; having sex with her was like nothing I'd ever experienced before, a clean, heart-bursting, white-hot intensity that drove all rational thought from me and left me with nothing but the overwhelming need for her, for her kiss, her touch, the smell of her hair, the feel of her skin, and the chance to once again drown in the limpid, emerald-green pools that were her eyes. I suddenly realised I had truly fallen in love, and, strangely, that thought brought no sense of strangeness or shame that I should feel that way about my baby sister, only acceptance and a deep and abiding sense of the rightness of it; society said it was wrong, but everything inside me said otherwise; Kat was the one for me, and I could feel the corresponding thought and need radiating off her with every breath she took. My arms wrapped around her, holding her to me as I waited for her body to relax and recover, my hands caressing and gently squeezing her ass without any conscious thought or need on my part; they just went to the place they were most comfortable with and rested there, gently playing with those firm, satiny little cheeks. At last, Kat stirred, raising her head to blearily look into my eyes, her tongue snaking out to lick my lips as she smiled like a little girl. "Hi Frankie, can we do that again soon?" she smiled, her eyes still blurry with tiredness, and something else as well in back of them; trust; she trusted me to make this come out right for us both, and I knew I would, that I would do whatever it took to keep us together, whatever the outside world wanted to throw at us. "Forever, baby, as long as you want to do that, and anything else, I'll be there to do it with you; I'll never leave you, Kat. I love you baby, and I always have." She smiled happily, seeing the truth of what I was saying in my eyes, sure now that we were finally together. She sighed and laid her head back down on my chest, wriggling contentedly on top of me, and making my half-hard cock still inside her suddenly twitch in reaction to her wonderful, tight young body lying so invitingly on top of mine. "Give me a few minutes, Frankie, please, a lady needs to look her best...!" she giggled, obviously feeling my cock suddenly wanting to come alive again at the thought and feel of her. My hands roamed lightly over her as she relaxed, a small smile on her lips as I touched and smoothed, caressed and lightly traced every line, contour, and curve of her body. She was lithe and slim, a willowy and slender but shapely figure, with a dancer's grace and the body of an acrobat or trained gymnast, every muscle in her body honed and shaped into a perfect, harmonious whole. I had seen her walk, noting the unconscious poise and grace of her body in motion, her gait fluid, balletic, and elegant, and it occurred to me that I must have been watching her and storing up these images and conclusions for a very long time, and now, now that we had become what we were, now my mind chose to release the floodgates of memory and let me see her all over again in my mind's eye, realising that she really was 'Poetry in Motion', as Johnny Tillotson so eloquently put it. Lost & Found Ch. 05 As my hands roamed, my cock stiffened; the feel of her was making all sorts of things happen in my head, foremost of which was the almost overpowering urge to fuck her, hard; I didn't want to make love to her; I wanted to fuck her bowlegged, I wanted to ram my cock into her and make her gasp out my name, beg me to stop, beg me to do it harder, to groan with the force of me hammering into her, and make her beg me to fill her up. Of course I did none of those things; she was my lover, yes, and we were naked, with my cock still buried balls-deep in her, but she was also my baby sister, and I would never, could never, treat her like that. Instead I fondled, squeezed and touched, wondering at how plush and silky soft her skin felt, how her vitality and life-force tingled through my fingertips with every touch or caress of her, how warm and soft her lips were as I returned periodically to give and take a small, tender kiss. Her eyes flickered over me, laughter and girlish amusement side by side with the needs and drives of a grown woman glittering deep inside them as I explored in minute detail her lithe, tight body, her porcelain skin, her stiff, beguiling nipples and the taut, sensitive bud of her secret place as my fingertips slipped delicately over it during the course of my explorations. At last I couldn't take any more; my cock inside her was aching with the need to pump her full of my tribute, I wanted to fill her, and hear her gasp for me as we made love, not lie here and grope as my balls ached to empty inside her again. Kat sensed the tenor of my thoughts, and pulled my head down to her, pushing her nipples against my chest as her teeth lightly nipped the end of my nose, my bottom lip, my chin. "Love me, Frankie, make love to me again, baby, please!" she whispered, something I was only too willing to do. As she rolled away from me, I rolled with her, keeping my weight off her and on my knees and elbows, while simultaneously withdrawing and sliding back in again. "Ooooh God, yesss!" she moaned, lifting up to meet me as I pushed back into her, enthralled with her expression as I slowly pushed my cock deep into her and withdrew once again. As I pumped she began lifting to meet me, her hips rising up in counterpoint to mine as I pumped down into her. At the same time, she pulled herself closer-in to me, holding me tight as I sped up, pumping as hard and as fast as I could. Kat was writhing under me even as she madly humped back at me, her head whipping from side to side as she gasped and groaned each time I thrust my cock back into her. I could feel my balls tightening as my climax approached; I couldn't hold it much longer, and from the look of her, neither could she. With a long, wailing cry, she climaxed, her pussy clamping down on me so tightly I was locked in place as she shook and trembled beneath me, her eyes screwed tightly shut as her orgasm surged and crashed through her. This was too much for me, and I came with a shout as my sperm blasted out of me, long, hard spurts of semen spraying deep inside her womb, again and again, until I thought I'd never stop. Eventually the crashing, trembling sensations inside me died away, the bolts of semen shooting from me dying away to a trickle as I emptied myself into her. Kat shuddered and quivered under me as she too came down from that place into the calm of post-coital relaxation, her storm passed and tranquillity gradually returning. As I slumped down next to her, her hand came up to press against my chest, a small smile flitting across her lips. "I can feel your heart, Frankie...so fast, like a trapped bird..." She gently nibbled my chin as she rubbed my chest, her hands warm and smooth. "Calm down, baby, relax, there, like that, that's it..." she soothed me as I recovered from the exertion and emotional outpouring that was so much a part of making love to her, to my little sister. I knew I was caught now, I was in whatever this was for the long haul now; Kat and I were a couple, and it was surprisingly easy to admit that to myself. The hard part hadn't even started yet. One day Sarah would have to be told, and soon, before she found out by us giving ourselves away; what happened then was in the hands of the Gods; I couldn't see yet how to make this work for Kat and me, and I still had no earthly idea how I was going to break it to Sarah and walk away with all my teeth... Kat broke the train of my thought by posing exactly that question. "Frankie, we have to tell Sally; I don't want to spend my life sneaking around, only ever being able to be free with you inside our home; I want to be able to hold you close anywhere and anytime I feel like it, not just when we're behind closed doors; Sally loves us, and we love her, and this is too big to keep locked up forever; I want to tell my big sister that I love the best guy in the world, and he loves me, and we want to be together. How are we going to do that, Frankie?" Good question. I had no answer, other than knowing that walking up to her and saying "Hi Sally, nice day, by the way, I've been fucking our little sister, I like it, a lot, she likes it, also a lot, so we're gonna keep on doing it a lot, if that's okay with you!" was not the way; somehow I had to sneak it up on her in such a way that she didn't go completely batshit and ream me out with the nearest blunt object to hand... That question continued to squirrel around inside me for the rest of the day, and most of the night, and when I had to get up for work, I was thick-headed from lack of sleep and worry; Kat looked to be in no better shape; everything that was worrying me was also troubling her, and she'd tossed and turned the night away with me, both of us too preoccupied with how we were going to make this work to give much thought to rest and sleep. By the time I got home from work, I was so dog-tired I could barely walk up the porch steps; my day had been a catalog of mistakes and missed opportunities, and eventually my boss, Max Donnelly, one of dad's old friends and a man I'd known all my life, had taken me to one side. "Frank, you look terrible; you look half dead, and I can't stand to see you dragging around here looking like that any longer; go home and get some rest, maybe a good night's sleep will put you back on your game; right now you're no good to man nor beast. If you want a word of advice, whatever you've been doing to get you in this state, you need to keep it at home, not bring it to work with you, not when others are depending on you. Now go home, and come back when you've had some rest!" It was a powerful rebuke, reinforcing even further that I had to resolve our problem, and soon; family friend or not, Max wouldn't be so lenient with me next time, of that I was sure. I took his advice, drove home in a haze and dragged my ass into the house. As I came in the door, I noticed something smelled delicious, and Kat popped her head out of the kitchen to smile that dazzling smile of hers. She was wearing mom's old apron, and her hair was tied back into a ponytail; she looked cute, wholesome, sexy, and young, much younger than her more than eighteen years. "Dinner's nearly ready, get washed-up and sit down!" Tired as I was, the smell of whatever she was cooking woke me up enough, and just as I was sitting down at the table she brought in a large stew pot. I looked inside, at the rich dark stew, my stomach grumbling at the heavenly smell, but then Kat turned around and I nearly forgot my appetite completely. Holy fucking cow, she was naked, only mom's apron between her and the world! I gaped as she flirted her mouth-watering ass at me as she went back into the kitchen, bringing back a dish of mashed potatoes, and returning to fetch the other vegetables, which she placed on the table, and then sat opposite me, her chin resting on her hand as she grinned at me. All I could do was stare at her, knowing as I did now that she was stark naked at the table with just an old apron covering her front, but still buck-naked nevertheless. She served me my food, and I ate mechanically, my eyes fixed on her, my mind constantly replaying the sight of her nakedness, her perfect skin glowing white as new milk as she ferried food from kitchen to table, the image of her performing such mundane housewifely tasks jarring only slightly with the fact of her complete, bare-assed nakedness! "Do you like it?" she smiled. "Huh?" was my considered response. "The stew, Frankie, do you like it?" she asked again, her expression slightly less sunny. I suddenly realised what she was asking me, and with that came the realisation that whatever it was I was eating, it was delicious; I could taste red wine, mushrooms, baby onions, pancetta, herbs and spices, garlic, and tender, succulent beef, and I began wolfing it down. "You like it? Really?" she grinned, and I nodded, mouth too full to speak. At last, appetite temporarily sated, I asked her what it was. "It's French; it's called "Boeuf Bourguignon", it's beef with mushrooms in red wine with herbs, I found it in one of Grandma Hennessey's cookbooks, some English writer, Delia Smith or something like that. I'm glad you like it, Frankie, nothing's too good for my man!" She grinned as she said the corny line, and I grinned with her, pulling her close for a "thank you" kiss before broaching the subject of her current state of undress. "Umm, Kat, quick question, baby; why are you naked?" She gave me an arch look and raised one eyebrow. "You were planning on having some dessert, weren't you, Frankie?" she pouted, dropping the apron and shaking out her hair. I swear to God, I have never finished a meal so fast in my entire life... Kat shrieked with laughter as I grabbed her hand and towed her towards the stairs; she'd stayed naked to tease and unsettle me, now she was going to pay the price, oh God, yes! "Oh Frankie, you're so dominant, so manly, oh you are, you are! Oh my goodness, whatever are you going to do to me?" she simpered modestly, falsely, a gleam of pure wickedness in her eye as she pretended to struggle, bouncing on her tip-toes to make her lovely, firm little breasts and tight little ass dance and jiggle most fetchingly. "Oh Mr. Novak, are you going to do naughty, nasty, unspeakable things to me? Are you going to make me touch your pee-pee? My daddy warned me there were men like you, I hope you'll respect me after you've had your wicked way with me!" OK, that did it; I pulled her close, unable to keep my hands off all that young, alluring flesh anymore, and as I pulled her close and held her to me by clamping my hands to her tight, smooth, springy little butt-cheeks, her arms snaked around my neck to pull me down for a long, hot, incredibly sexy kiss. Kat has the softest lips I've ever kissed, soft, tender, and monumentally horny, and her kiss was doing things south of my belt buckle that needed addressing, and soon! "Let's go, Frankie, I've been bubbling inside all day, I need you to calm me down, baby, what are you waiting for?" she murmured in my ear, followed by a quick nip as she wriggled against me. My cock was like a lead bar; I'd never needed to get naked so much in my life as I did right then, with Kat draped around my neck, all my nerve-endings lit-up like Macy's on Christmas Eve, and what felt like the granddaddy of all hard-on's pressed against her. That was my cue to hustle her upstairs and into my room, where she dived onto my bed and flipped around to lie and watch me as I struggled out of my clothes. Eventually I managed to get down to my shorts, at which point she sat up, and, grinning wickedly, yanked them down, my achingly erect cock swinging out and into her hand, where she squeezed lightly, making me gasp with the sensation. Kat grinned sexily at me, and leaned down to kiss the end of my cock. I gasped again at the sensation of her soft lips against the sensitive flesh. "Like that, do you?" she grinned, and licked slowly across the tip of my straining cock, drawing something between a sigh and a groan from me. "Oh yes, you really like that!" she teased, winking at me before slipping her lips over the end and sucking me into her mouth. I'd only ever had someone give me head once before, on my prom night, and I'd always wanted to repeat the experience, and now here was my baby sister doing that very thing for me! Kat kept up a slow, bobbing motion as she slowly sucked, her tongue occasionally dragging softly over the tip, making me screw-up my eyes with the effort to not unload there and then when she did that; I wanted to drag this out as long as possible, because it was fucking fantastic; either someone had showed her how to do this, or there was more to 'women's intuition' than I'd been led to believe... I was finding it hard to hold back; the sight of her little rosebud mouth stretched so obscenely around me, the feel of her tongue flicking and rubbing the head as she sucked me, the sensation as my cockhead rubbed against the roof of her mouth, all of these were leading me up to that grand finale I wanted to hold off as long as possible, but it wasn't going to happen. My balls tightened as she gently squeezed them, telling her I was nearly there, if my agonised expression hadn't already tipped her off. I started to groan as I felt my spunk rising, and Kat squeezed my balls one last time as she deliberately rubbed her tongue through that furrow in the tip of my cock and poked her tongue inside the hole in the end. That was it. I lost it, nearly buckling to my knees with the force of my orgasm, the sperm bulleting out of me with almost explosive force. Kat felt the strong muscular contraction in my cock as I came, and pulled away from me, aiming my hosing cock at her face. Long ropes of sperm bolted from me, splashing across her nose and lips, her cheeks, and against her throat, one after another, spraying across her upper torso in long silvery-gray streaks. I opened my eyes to see my beautiful Kat, my baby sister, streaked with my sperm, long splashes of the stuff criss-crossing her face and chest, and dripping from her chin in long shivering strings and rivulets as she moved. "Oh Frankie, that was...incredible!" she murmured, "Jojo was right, it's so hot, it's just...wow!" I dropped to my knees in front of her, resting my head against her knees while my heart slowed to normal, then looked up at her again, at her dreamy smile, her sperm-ravaged features, and my cock rose again, wanting her even more now. I picked up my discarded shirt and dabbed at her, wiping the drips and runnels of spunk off her knees and thighs, then Kat took the shirt from me and wiped herself off properly. "We'll have a shower later, Frankie, I see round two's about to begin!" she grinned, looking pointedly at my now fully recovered cock. I was amazed; I'd never recovered that quickly before; obviously the Power of Kat was at work here. Whatever it was, all I knew was I had a definite urge to pin her down and fuck her properly, to give her some of what she so urgently needed!. I surged up and bore her over backwards, landing on top of her on the bed. Kat squealed and tried to get away, and our struggle to get into position quickly degenerated into a laughing, tickling, wrestling match. I had the advantage of weight and superior strength, but Kat knew I couldn't possible hurt her, which gave her an unfair advantage, so she showed no restraint when it came to biting, nibbling, gnawing, grabbing and squeezing, finger-poking and unfair tickling. We rolled around, laughing, grunting, giggling and squealing as one or the other ended-up on top of the other, until at last I somehow managed to hold her down spread-eagled, lying between her outstretched thighs, my cock throbbing with urgent need. "Say 'Uncle', you red-headed menace!" I growled in her face, with Kat grinning insolently back at me as she shook her head and stuck her tongue out. "Say it!" I repeated, "Say it or I'm dragging you into the bathroom and dunking you in a cold shower!" Kat grinned at me, her eyes opening wide and a look of carefully contrived innocence settling on her face as she fluttered her long, sexy eyelashes at me. "If I say 'Uncle' will you fuck me really, really hard, Frankie?" she whispered at me, suddenly introducing my cock to a whole new order of magnitude of aching hardness. I could only nod as my throat and mouth dried up in sudden, overwhelming lust for this gorgeous fire-sprite spread so wantonly under me. "Uncle, Uncle, Uncle, Uncle, Uncle!" she sing-song'd, grinning provocatively. I slid down so I could kiss and lick her cute little navel, making her giggle and squirm, then further down, to the delta of soft, gold-shot copper curls adorning her most secret place. "Oooooh Frankie!" she breathed, quivering as my tongue brushed through the soft, crisp little curls and probed at the top of her slit, at the little hood concealing her love-button. Her scent teased and tantalisd me, sweet and fresh and strong, tempting and demanding, making me want her even more, if that were even possible. As I slid my tongue along the moist slit of her pussy, she trembled and quivered, her eyes tightly closed and her breathing becoming shallower. Her thighs drifted even further apart, allowing me even better access to her lush, soft little pussy, and I dove in, probing her pink moistness with pointed tongue-tip, tasting her, teasing her, making her ready for me. As I worked my tongue in and around her sweet little pussy, Kat writhed and wriggled delightfully under me, forcing me to take hold of her tight little butt-cheeks and hold her against my mouth as I licked and sucked and probed her. "Oooh God, yesss, Frankie, yesss, harder, harder!" she groaned, pushing her wet pussy against my ravening mouth as I licked and sucked her into a frenzy, her head thrashing around as her pussy pulsed against my tongue. When I finally took her clitoris between my lips and sucked on it, tasting the slick juices pouring out of her all over again, Kat convulsed, then screamed soundlessly, a flood of her sweet, tangy juices filling my mouth as she orgasmed, straining against me as her pussy convulsed and shuddered under my lips and tongue. As another wave of shuddering convulsions stormed through her, I slid up level with her, and she lifted her hips as I thrust forward, burying myself to the hilt in her as we both groaned with delight. "Oooh God, yesss, baby, God, that's so good, aaahhh!" she murmured, her pussy clenching around me and almost making me lose it there and then. I backed away, then pumped in again, making her cry out in delight, her hips pumping against mine, lifting to meet my thrusts, all the while giving little cooing noises as she enjoyed our tryst. I was silent, saving my energy for her, making sure I gave her what she wanted most, and loved her to the best of my abilities. At last though it was too much; the feel of her wrapped around me, of her belly slapping against mine as we fucked, her sweet kisses, sharp and piercing as arrow-points, her cries as she ascended the heights of orgasm yet again, all combined to tip me over the edge, and I came like a furnace, like a steel-mill crucible, white fire pouring out of me and into her, driving her ever higher as we shook and shuddered together, Kat screaming her release as sexual energy crackled and sparked between us, all thought of the outside world obliterated by the intensity of our shared ecstasy. I slumped down, utterly spent, my heart racing like an Indy car, Kat likewise spent and blown, her face flushed with the outpouring of sexual energy she'd shared with me. Finally, after a few minutes to calm our thundering hearts, she turned to me and smiled. "Thank you baby, that was again, incredible, remind me to keep you!" Lost & Found Ch. 05 Something she'd said earlier surfaced and flicked a fin at me. "Baby, who's Jojo?" I asked her. Kat yawned as she spooned against me. "Jodie Hollister, that cheap slut Laurie's kid sister; she's sort of a friend, she told me how much fun a creamy facial was; she wasn't joking! Oh! I almost forgot, I have something to tell you! Jojo's pregnant, and guess who the father is?" I had a funny feeling I already knew. "Go on, surprise me!" I grinned. "It's that asshole Steve Dolan!" she grinned, and my grin got even wider; when the Hollister brothers, marines all, and three of Uncle Sam's best trained killers, found out what Steve Dolan had been up to with their baby sister, his remaining time on earth was going to be measured in long, endlessly painful seconds, and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy... Kat yawned hugely, and reached back to give me a friendly squeeze. "I'm bushed, I wonder why, you stud you!" she murmured, I had just enough wit and energy left to reach up and cuddle her boobs, making her wriggle contentedly against me, and lean over to flick my alarm on, before Kat pulled the covers over us and snapped off the bedside lamp. "Good night, baby, sleep tight!" she yawned again, nestling up against me and falling asleep almost immediately. I kissed her ear and hugged her, and next thing I knew my alarm was jarring me awake, but this time I felt refreshed, invigorated, at peace with myself at last. Work that day was, for me, a time for reflection and weighing-up the consequences of my actions with Kat; I was absolutely sure I was in love with her, and her own statements regarding her feelings for me were unequivocal; she wanted me, and felt about me the way I felt about her. This being the case, I felt it would somehow cheapen our new-found relationship if we confined it to our house and kept it secret, like it was something to be ashamed of; I wasn't ashamed of how I felt about Kat, and I knew she felt the same. There was no question left in my mind; Sarah had to know, I loved my big sister with a deep and abiding intensity, after Kat she was the most important person in my life, and I wasn't going to lie to her by keeping silent about us and what we had. As soon as I made the decision I knew it was the right one; all feelings of guilt or apprehension dropped away; if Sally got angry, she got angry; she'd bite, but then she'd calm down, kiss it better, then put her agile mind and fine intellect to work to help us find a way forward. I called home before I left the office to let Kat know we were going to see Sally, and arrived home in a state somewhere between apprehension and 'root-canal day', but not frightened, not of Sally, despite my panicked, knee-jerk reaction the day before yesterday. Kat was in something like the same state, a little apprehensive, but not scared, and so we drove the short distance to Bixby and Sally's place. When I pulled up outside, a burnt gold Firebird with the 'Firebird' emblem stencilled on the hood was parked carelessly across Sally's drive. I knew of only one person in this town with a car like that, and my insides tightened as I wondered what he wanted with Sally. Kat saw me tense up, and grabbed my arm. "Frankie, what's the matter, who's car is that?" she asked, her expression worried. I took her hand off my arm and stroked her cheek gently. "Stay in the car, baby, something's wrong, I think Sally needs me. Wait here baby, and lock the doors!" Now Kat looked frightened, but she bit back any more questions and nodded agreement; good girl. I slid out of the car and scooted around to the back of the house, avoiding the squeaky step up to the back porch, and slowly turned the handle of the back door. To my good fortune, the door was unlocked, and so I slipped inside, hearing voices coming from the family room. I tip-toed through the house, hearing a male voice; I was right, it was that cocksucker Steve Dolan, and it sounded to me like he was laying down the law to Sarah, the arrogant son of a bitch! "I don't care what you say, or who you tell, no-one in this town will listen to you, or lift a finger to help you, Sarah, and you want to know why? Because this is my town; my family built this place, and we own all the little nobodies here; we make the rules, and if they want to keep their jobs and feed their kids, they'll keep looking the other way. I don't care if your bastard son is mine or not; I'll never acknowledge him, he means nothing to me, he'll never get a penny out of me, and if you need money, you know how to earn it; the same way you earned that kid! I swear to God, if you try and make trouble for me, I have ways of making sure you lose that kid permanently! This is your only warning Sarah, so take heed!" Even as my blood boiled at this, I looked into the family room to see Sally standing in front of Steve, her eyes flashing like polished gold-flecked granite. "Who the hell do you think you are, you piece of shit?" she gritted, her chin lifted proudly. "My son and I want nothing from you and your stinking family! Why don't you go drink yourself to death like your worthless bum of a father and leave decent folk to get the rancid stench of you out of their noses!" Steve raised his hand, and at that moment Sarah saw me over his shoulder. Steve must have seen the change in her face, and as he turned, his face a mask of rage, I let him have one, a left hook that came from somewhere near my knees, all my anger and outrage in it, spinning him round and dropping him like he'd been pole-axed. As he went down my foot was already in motion, like a soccer player taking a penalty, connecting solidly with his ribs, apparently with enough force to break some, judging by the sudden look of agony on his face. As he writhed on the floor, I stepped forward and hovered my foot over his throat, ready to stamp down; for the second time in my life I came close to murdering Steve Dolan, although in my mind it would have been justifiable germicide. "No Frank!" screamed Sarah, the sound of her voice cutting through the fog of murderous rage and bringing me back to sanity. I looked at her and nodded, letting her know I was past it, and kicked that slimy bastard again, hard, this time in the groin, watching him curl up in agony all over again. I knelt down next to him and slapped him a few times to get his attention, (although what I really wanted to do was keep ramming his head against the floor until I split his fucking skull...) and twisted my hand in his collar to pull him up close enough for me to talk to him. "Alright Dolan, you remember me, don't you? I fucked you up once, and I warned you what would happen the next time you crossed me; now you're out of chances, so next time your body disappears, you got it, you little puddle of piss? If you come near my family again, any of them, after I've kicked the shit out of you, I'm telling Jethro, Jonah, and Jeremiah Hollister just who it was who knocked-up their baby sister. You'd better pay real close attention to what I'm telling you; all I'd do to you is beat you into a fucking coma; they'll strap you to a tree and shove a chainsaw up your ass, you know how they get when it comes to their sisters." His eyes widened in fear, with good reason; the three Hollister brothers were gung-ho, super-fit, hard, humorless, trained killers, just one hairsbreadth away from being certifiable psychopaths; they doted on their sisters and rigorously defended their good names, despite the fact that Laurie had more fingerprints on her ass than the FBI had in their files, and they hated Steve and his family with a vengeance, so he had good reason to avoid coming to their attention. I continued, filling him in on how to keep himself alive. "This is your life from now on, you little sack of shit; you never show your face here again, you never contact Sally ever again, you forget this family ever existed, you stay on your side of town, and you pray to fucking Christ I never see your face or hear of you again, because if I do, you're dog-meat, got it?" I shook him for emphasis, watching his head loll like a drunk's. "You want to sic your fat fuck of a pet sheriff on me? Try it; the instant I see him or his dogshit deputies I drop a dime, and after the Hollister's have finished using that moron as a bayonet dummy for what he's been doing with Laurie, they're gonna come find you, and they will find you, have no doubt about that. Anyone gets after Sarah or her baby, I drop that dime, and you get to beg Jeremiah Hollister to kill you quickly, understand? You've got no friends in this town, Stevie-boy, and plenty of folks who want to watch you strung up with bob-wire and hanged 'til you fucking strangle, so if you want to keep living and breathing you keep your head down, your mouth shut, and your face out of this part of town, are you hearing me, fucko?" He nodded vigorously, his eyes darting around fearfully, just as I remembered them doing last time I beat the shit out of him, which told me he'd taken my lesson to heart, so I dragged him to his feet, ignoring his gasp of pain from his broken ribs, gave him a head butt to the bridge of his nose, and the knee to remind him just how serious I was, and to make him fear me all over again. I marched him to the front door with his head held back to stop his spouting nose dripping on Sarah's carpets, and kicked his ass down the porch steps, watching in satisfaction as he sprawled full length on the drive. A muted, whistling scream of agony burst from him as he jarred his busted ribs and re-broken nose, but he still managed to struggle to his feet and reel into his car. The Firebird wheeled away like all the devils in hell were after him; mind you, I'd rather have all the devils in hell after me than the Hollister triplets, because I wasn't exaggerating about the chainsaw... Sally was waiting for me back inside, hugging me as she trembled in reaction. I held her and patted her back, soothing her until she stopped shaking and I could get her to sit down. "Frank, what did you mean when you told Steve you'd fucked him up once before? When? What did you do to him?" I tried to avoid telling her, but it somehow all came out, that I'd known what had happened to her, and I'd hunted down that worthless douche-bag and kicked his ass for him. Sally looked ashamed that I knew of her shame, but I hugged her, telling her that I did it because I loved my big sister and no-one was going to hurt her while I was around. "And Kat, does she know too?" she murmured, and I just nodded, helpless to stop the tears that spilled down her cheeks. "If it helps, Sally, she's as angry as I am, but we don't blame you; how could we? Just like we can't blame that beautiful little boy in there; he can't help who his daddy is, but he's sure lucky he's got you for a mom!" Sally smiled sadly at that and stroked my cheek in gratitude. "Sally, what did that prick want with you?" I asked, and Sarah stared into space as she collected her thoughts. "He came here to warn me not to make any trouble for him and his family; I don't know where he got that from, the last thing I want is to be reminded of that rabble, or what he did to me! Frankie, he threatened to take Joey away!" Her voice cracked, and I could see the fear in her eyes; I promised myself, the next time I saw Steve Dolan, he'd pay again for frightening my sister! Sarah calmed down as I held her, telling her that Steve Dolan was too fond of his life to throw it away crossing me, while I thought black thoughts of death and vengeance raining down on that spoiled little asshole. I had no idea where he'd got the idea that my family wanted anything to do with his pond-scum family, but at least now he knew where he stood with us; on the brink of death. My threat to tell the Hollister boys about him was real, make no mistake; one hint he was thinking of making any trouble for Sally and I'd make a call to Jeremiah Hollister, the meanest, angriest, most unreasonable, and most psychotic of all the brothers, and that Dolan prick would be just a memory and a couple of anonymous bloodstains somewhere deep in Bad Indian Woods. "Thank you for being here, Frankie!" she murmured, "I never needed you so much as just now, I love you baby, and thank you for making Joey and me safe!" She wiped her eyes and then looked curiously at me. "Why are you here, baby?"she asked, and I took a deep breath. "Sally, I've...I have a girl, she's perfect, she loves me, I love her, and we want to get married!" Sarah's eyes lit up a she smiled at me. "Oh Baby, I'm so happy for you! What's she like, who is she, when do I get to meet her?" I drew another deep breath; this was it. "She's in the car, I asked her to wait while I took care of your...visitor, wait there and I'll go get her!" I went to the front door and opened it, beckoning Kat inside. She joined me on the porch, trembling but resolute. I took her hand and caressed her cheek. "Are you ready, baby-girl?" I asked her, and Kat's chin lifted bravely as she nodded. "Fine, then let's do this!" I smiled, and led her inside. Sarah smiled in welcome as she saw our little sister, and looked at the front door questioningly, waiting for this mysterious girl of mine to appear. When I closed the door, Sarah raised her eyebrow, her smile even more puzzled. "Well, where is she, baby and what's Kat doing here?" Kat and I exchanged glances, and she took my hand, holding herself close to me. Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Frank, what's going on, where's this girl of yours?" she demanded, her voice tinged with suspicion. I held up our joined hands, and looked directly at her. "Right here, Sally. Kat and me...we've...found what we want, and that's each other, and we want to be together. I know you'll probably think it's wrong, but this is how we feel, and what we both want. Help us, Sally, please, help us find a way to be together!" Sarah backed away from us, her hand to her mouth and a look of horror on her face, and when I made to move toward her, she backed away even further, her hand held up as though warding me off as she leaned back, increasing the space between us even more. "No, no, no, no, no, you can't be serious, no, this is not happening, this is a joke, both of you, say it's a joke!" she pleaded, her face hardening when I shook my head. When I made to move toward her again, she backed away some more, until her back was against the wall. "Don't touch me, don't you touch me!" she flared. "How can you stand there and tell me you want this? It's disgusting, it's wrong, you're her brother, you're not supposed to want your sister like...that, no, don't...touch me, I feel sick, you make me sick, both of you! Get out of my house, get out, get out of here!" She was almost screaming, her eyes blazing again, this time in revulsion and anger, and Kat looked at me in horror; this wasn't how it was supposed to go; Sally was supposed to show us how to make this work, to help us because we needed our big sister, not reject us out of hand! With a strangled sob she fled, with me in hot pursuit. She jumped back into the car and slammed the door, to sit with her head bowed in her hands, her shoulders shaking. I didn't know what to do; Kat was crying, and Sarah was furious, I needed both of them right now, but Kat needed me, so I climbed in next to her and started the car. I drove away from Sarah's house convinced I'd never see or hear from her again, she was so incandescently angry and disgusted with us, and my eyes stung with tears for both of them; for Kat and the hurt and rejection she was feeling, and Sarah for the burden we'd dumped on her by telling her about us, and for driving her away from us forever. I drove aimlessly, on full autopilot, seeing only the expression of disgust on Sarah's face, her tawny eyes blazing golden with anger and outrage, but gradually heading out of town, until I saw the sign for the Dew Drop Inn, and pulled into the parking lot on impulse; I didn't feel like going home just then; Sarah was quite capable of coming down there to beard us again, and I didn't have any stomach for that kind of fight just now; all I wanted to do was hold Kat and try and make it right for her again. The Desk Clerk handed me the room keys with only the minimal amount of leering at Kat, although I have to say, she did look more than delicious; she was wearing a tight black pencil skirt, nude seamed stockings and black stiletto's, and a short-sleeved teal-green silk blouse that set off her pale skin and tumbled cascade of blazing red hair to a T; with her tiny waist and clearly defined, tight little ass in that skirt, she looked like she'd stepped off the set of a movie from Hollywood's Golden Age, and in spite of what had just happened, I could feel myself wanting her all over again. Once we were in the room, which was clean, with fresh sheets, for a change, Kat let herself go, sobbing hysterically as she clung to me, and I held her close, rocking her and crooning to her just like I had when she was small, while I tried to figure out what to do next. Whatever we did, it looked like Sarah was out of the picture, which meant Kat and I were on our own, and I didn't know what to do next. Kat eventually stopped crying, but she still clung to me, perhaps because I was her most enduring symbol of care and comfort from her earliest days, but it was nice for me too, no matter what her reasons. After her sobs died away to the occasional sniff, she suddenly swung herself up onto my lap, and wrapped her arms around my neck as she buried her face in my neck. I had been rubbing her back as I soothed her, but now it felt different, somehow my soothing and calming my little sister had become sexier and it was getting to me. Kat wiggled on my lap as the evidence began to make itself felt, and her cheek against my neck had somehow become her lips as she kissed me softly, gentle little pecks as I smoothed my hands over her. "Frankie, what do we do now?" she whispered between kisses, and I had to think on my feet; I'd had no plan as such, other than to get Sarah to give me a way forward. "Baby, we're on our own, I think that's obvious. We should leave Springfield; too many people here know us for there to be any chance of a life together, so we'll just have to sell-up, find jobs somewhere far away from here, and make up our own life. I'm sorry baby, I thought it would turn out okay, I thought Sally...I'm sorry...!" My voice cracked as the sudden loss and desolation hit me; we really were on our own now, and Kat sat bolt upright, her hands suddenly cradling my face. "Frankie, you still have me, and I have you. Mom's gone, daddy's gone, Joe's gone, and now Sarah and Joey are gone, and it's just you and me left, but we're all we need, baby! You'll be my family, and I'll be yours, and we'll make our family work somehow, have faith, baby, we'll get past this!" With that she kissed me, all rational thought suddenly fleeing as the full impact of that kiss hit me; my Kat certainly knew how to power-kiss! It obviously had an effect on her too, as she slid off my lap and reached behind to unzip her skirt. As soon as she did, she began sliding it down, with me appreciating just how tight that pencil skirt really was by the gyrations of her hips as she wriggled while tugging it down, Certain other parts of me had also taken full heed of the floorshow, and the constriction in my shorts was almost painful as Kat wriggled and shimmied in front of me, her skirt finally slipping off to reveal she was wearing a garter belt matching her tiny green silk panties. I pulled her close to me, my hands automatically slipping around to cup and squeeze her taut little cheeks, my fingers slipping into the warm tight crease between those luscious little globes. Kat shimmied against me again, grinning as I nuzzled her pert little breasts, still concealed behind her silk blouse and bra. Lost & Found Ch. 05 Kat kissed the top of my head, then leaned back slightly to unbutton her blouse, sliding it off her milky shoulders and tossing it onto the chair, on top of her skirt. Her bra matched her panties and garter belt, and, with her beautiful features, clear, porcelain skin, and cascade of vivid red hair, she looked like a model from the Fredericks of Hollywood catalog; svelte, classy, and drop-dead gorgeous. I was lost in wonder that this beautiful girl had lived under my nose for all these years, and that something so lovely could even be bothered to say 'Good Morning' to me, let alone pledge herself so completely to me. "Frankie, hello, Earth to Frankie, are you receiving?" I heard her voice as though from a distance, snapping me out of my reverie. "Do you want to help me get out of these things or not, baby?" she smiled, her arms already behind her, ready to unhook her bra. Of course I leaped to her assistance, what true gentleman wouldn't? Besides, this was my present, I was going to unwrap it my way! I stood up and slid my arms around her, gently unhooking the bra, Kat sliding the straps off her shoulders and wriggling slightly to let the garment drop to the floor. She then rested one foot on the bed and grinned at me, until I realised she was waiting for me to unclip the garter belt from her stockings. I obliged, of course, anything to touch and hold those taut, smooth thighs again. Kat smiled secretly at me as she slid her stocking off, before putting the other foot on the bed for me to unclip the garter belt again, and once again slowly pulled off the stocking. I pulled her close and kissed her as I unhooked the garter belt from around her waist and let it drop, and now she was standing in front of me in just her skimpy little green silk bikini panties. "Your turn, baby!" she grinned, and I suddenly realised I'd stripped her but was still fully clothed myself. Kat giggled and loosened my tie, pulling it off over my head and throwing it over her shoulder, then slowly worked her way down my shirt buttons, pulling my shirt out of my pants and pushing it back over my shoulders. I pulled off my undershirt, leaving me standing in my pants, socks and shoes. I quickly lost those, leaving Kat the pleasure of yanking down my shorts and fondling my very engorged cock. Still grinning, she led me to the bed, which I was gratified to see actually had clean sheets and pillowcases, and climbed on to kneel and pose for me, her arms behind her neck to thrust her breasts out at me. I looked at her in astonishment; she was absolutely gorgeous, and, in that pose, unutterably sexy; whatever else happened to us, I knew I'd made the right choice when it came to the woman I loved. Kat smiled at me as I stared at her like some slack-jawed hayseed, completely bowled over by just how stunning she was; the faint blue tracery of veins just visible through the translucent skin of her pouting little breasts, her large, smouldering green eyes and long sooty lashes, her hair a tumbled riot of burnished copper over her shoulder, glowing against her milky-white skin, and her softly pink nipples dancing with her every movement. "Come here, Frankie, be what I want, be my husband!" she whispered, her emerald eyes glowing with an inner light, and I was helpless to resist; she'd caught me with that one word; husband. I wanted more than anything in the world to be just that, to keep her always, to be husband, lover, brother, best friend, all the things she needed or could ever want from me. In a trance I climbed on to the bed, my hands slipping around her as shoe folded her arms around my neck, pulling me closer, her eyes fixed on mine as she molded into me, her skin warm and soft and silky, sparkling with life and the love of life. Kat looked up into my eyes and winked as she smiled at me. "Love you, husband!" she whispered, then her lips were on mine, and once again I felt myself falling into her, lost in the wonder of her, our kiss lasting a million years or more. As we kissed, we rolled until I was in top of her, and it seemed the most natural thing in the world for my aching cock to slip into her, Kat gasping as my girth stretched her open once again, then instinct took over, Kat bucking her hips up to meet my thrusts as I pumped into her, both of us straining and flexing together as we pleasured each other, and ourselves; my cock had never seemed harder, my excitement more durable, as when we made love that night, endless variations as we experimented with positions, with techniques, with our fingers, lips, tongues and teeth to explore each other, to try and discover what the other liked the most; it was a battle, of sorts, but not for dominance, rather, to see who could excite and stimulate the other more, to see who could gratify the other more. Eventually Kat slid off me, my cock throbbing and unfulfilled, with a look of pure wickedness in her eyes. "Lie back, Frankie, you're going to love this!" she slurred, her expression sly, sexy, enigmatic, and I slumped back, trying to guess what she was planning on unleashing on me. Kat knelt between my legs and slowly licked the length of my cock, coating it in her saliva, paying particular attention to the crown, where she lavished even more saliva, slathering it. I was wondering why the sloppy blow-job, when suddenly she answered all my questions; turning around and throwing a leg over me, Kat straddled me in a classic 'Reverse Cow-girl', and began gyrating her hips while holding my straining cock, rubbing her tight pink little knot of a rosebud with a slim finger, dipping that same finger into her pussy and trailing it back across her anus, wetting herself until she finally slipped her finger inside herself. I could see her in the dresser mirror, her eyes were closed as she went into her own world, her face serene and relaxed, her soft lips parted as she pleasured herself. Her finger returned continually to her little honey-pot, drawing more of her juices out of herself to rub and slip into her tight little rosebud. As I watched, she slid another finger in, two fingers now rubbing in and out of her tight hole, her expression in the mirror now almost ecstatic as she frigged her anus. My cock was straining for release at this erotic display, but Kat seemed to have forgotten me as she pleasured herself. How wrong I was. Just as I was ready to groan in frustration, Kat looked back over her shoulder at me, grinning minxily and flexing her cute buns at me, and then she took hold of me and slowly, agonisingly slowly, rubbed my slick cockhead over her little pink anus. My eyes flew open as I dared to hope she might really do what I thought she was leading up to. Kat grinned at me and rose up slightly, and slowly pushed herself down on me, the pressure on my cockhead almost unbearable as she pushed her weight down on my cock, forcing me into her tight asshole. As she did, through the sensations ringing in my head, I realised she was muttering and gasping softly to herself. "Oh God, oh my God, ooooh Jesus, that hurts, ooohhh...!" All I could focus on was the hot, wet pressure on my cock, the feeling of my head being squeezed so tightly, when suddenly the head popped through her ring and her anus snapped tight around my cockshaft as I slid past her ring. Kat gave a whistling moan as I slid into her, forcing herself all the way down on me until I was in her to the hilt, her gorgeous little ass-globes quivering and her chest heaving as she adjusted to the feel of my cock buried inside her tight, velvety little ass. Finally she leaned back and wiped her face, and I realised with a shock she was wiping her eyes as well; ramming herself down onto me like that must have really hurt her! "Kat, baby, if you don't..." I began, to stop short as she looked back at me and smiled, her face composed and her eyes clear. "I want this Frankie, I want to do this, so are you gonna fuck me or not?" she grinned, wriggling on top of me and clamping momentarily around me, making my cock jump. "Aaahhh, yeah, like that baby!" she moaned, leaning forward to rest her hands on my thighs as her buttocks slid up to allow me to see her hole stretched so obscenely around my stiff cock; how I didn't come at that sight I'll never know, it was so fucking erotic, as well as downright pornographic! I began thrusting up into her as she pumped down onto me, my hands finding her hips and holding her in place as we humped together, Kat pummelling her sweet little ass up and down on my throbbing cock. At some point, she decided to lay back, lying full length on me, her legs on either side of my hips as my hands found her breasts and squeezed her nipples in time to my thrusts into her ass, savouring each little "oh...oh...oh...!" as I shoved myself into her. Kat, in the meantime, was rubbing her little snatch, teasing herself as I bit her neck and shoulder (but gently, oh so gently!) and squeezed her solid nipples, and when my hand drifted down to join hers, slipping my fingers in and out of her as I grazed and lightly caressed her clitoris, she came with a gasping scream, her back arching as her pussy clamped down on my invading fingers. As her pussy convulsed, her ass squeezed me tighter than ever before, and that was my cue. I pulled her legs up and grabbed hold of her ass cheeks, holding her ass as I squeezed and clenched those delectable globes, my hands feasting on her satiny ass as I hammered into her, until it was finally all too much for me, and I came with a roar, my hands holding her ass cheeks apart as I exploded deep inside her, my sperm jetting out of me to bathe her interior in jet after jet of creamy heat. Kat convulsed, screaming my name, orgasm possessing her once again at the feel of me unloading so copiously inside her. At last I stopped pounding my sperm into her; she'd taken every drop I had, and as I rolled onto my side, heart hammering like it was going to burst, I slowly slid from her, Kat once again convulsing as yet another orgasm ripped and blazed through her, making her gasp and call my name. Eventually her storm calmed too, and she lay against me, murmuring contentedly as she gently ground herself against me as we spooned, exhausted but very, very satisfied. I supposed she was as ragged-out as I was, but then I felt her small hand gently rubbing up and down the arm I had around her. "Frankie," she murmured, "Was that good for you, baby? Did I do it properly?" I nibbled her ear, making her giggle. "Baby, that was...that was...fucking amazing! Where the hell did you learn how to do that?" I breathed in her ear, and even with my face buried in her neck, I could feel her grin. "Jojo told me how to do it! She said if you do it right, it's mind-blowing, but all I know is; I never came like that before!" I grinned into her ear, mentally tipping my hat to 'Jojo', thanking her for the most erotically supercharged moment of my entire life to date! With me fondling her, and Kat murmuring as she gently writhed and wriggled against me, time seemed to fly past, until I realised I had to get her home; it was too late now for Sarah to come out to the house and start anything, and I needed a change of clothes for work, so, somewhat reluctantly, I roused Kat and dragged her into the shower with me. The powerful spray soon woke us up completely, and once we'd removed all traces of what we'd been doing, Kat insisted on washing my cock slowly and with great attention to detail (little minx!), while I counted and re-counted the tiles in the cubicle to prevent the male reflex, something she was trying so hard to kick-start! We made it out of the shower without any further slippery games, and I was sitting on the bed doing up my tie when there was a soft knock on the door. Kat froze, then scooted onto the bed next to me, her eyes wide and frightened. "Who is it?" I called out, and after a pause; "Babies, it's me, it's Sally, we need to talk, and I want...I want to say I'm sorry!" I could hear the sadness in her voice, so, with a quick glance at Kat, who bit her lip but nodded, I crossed the room and opened the door. Sarah was standing there, and strangely, so was Max Donnelly. I stood aside and gestured that they come in. I looked quizzically at Sarah, wondering why Max was with her, and indicated she take a seat. "Frank, Kat, I...I wanted to say I'm sorry for going off at you like that. I have no excuse, I should have listened, we're family, and family comes first; I'm sorry babies..." At the mention of family Kat's ears pricked up, my run-in with Steve Dolan and his threats to Sally obviously looming in her mind. "Sally, where's Joey?" she asked, worry and concern in her voice and expression. Max grinned. "Don't worry, Caitlin, my Mary's looking after him; he's a lovely kid, I think she's in love! Sarah told me how that little son of a bitch threatened her, if young Frank there hadn't kicked his ass, there's a couple dozen people I know who would have, me included! Joey's fine, you couldn't get him away from Mary with a towin' chain!" Sarah was looking at me sorrowfully, but without reproach or disgust, and my heart broke for her as I realised how she must feel, the shock she must have felt when we dropped our bombshell on her. Sarah finally forced her face into something resembling its normal lines, and squared her shoulders. "Okay Frank, Kat, why don't you tell me about it, and what your plans are." She said in an almost normal voice, but I could see what it was costing her. Kat looked at me, nodded slightly and turned back to Sarah. "Sally, I don't know where to begin; I've always known how I felt about Frankie; he was always my rock and my best friend, he looked after me, he looked out for me, and I've always felt he was more than just my big brother; I love him, Sal, I always have. Please don't hate me, I didn't mean to hurt you, I don't want to hurt anyone, but I need Frankie, and he needs me, and we both need you, don't leave us because of this, please!" She was crying by the time she'd finished, her eyes fixed on Sarah, and for one awful moment I thought Sarah was going to look right through her, get up and walk away from us forever, just abandon us to our fate. Of course our big sister did none of those things; instead she reached out and pulled her little sister close to her, letting her cry against her shoulder as she rubbed her back and nuzzled her hair, the way she used to when Kat was a little girl. Sarah looked at me. "And you, Frank, what about you? How do you feel? Talk to me, baby, please!" I didn't know where to begin, so I started at the beginning, rambling on about how Kat had always been the most important thing in my life, how I'd steered her through the rough patches following all our losses, Joe, then Dad, then Mom, and how she'd always been uppermost in my mind, how I'd worried about her, and also how I'd felt when she began dating, the possessiveness and irrational jealousy, and how I'd finally realised what it meant, culminating in our mutual attraction, and what had happened on her Prom night, only a few days ago, I realized with a slight shock, finally winding down once I got to this evening's confrontation in Sarah's living room. Sarah listened attentively, nodding now and again as something became clear to her, never once letting go of Kat or ceasing stroking her hair or gently rubbing her back. At that point Max cleared his throat. "Frank, Caitlin, you do know what you're doing is illegal, right?" We both nodded, and he grinned wryly. "So I suppose me telling you to stop isn't really gonna work, is it?" Again we both nodded, Max grinning as we did. "Both of you, you look so familiar, and not just because I know you so well; Frank, you're the image of your father, and you, Caitlin, you have Roisian Moran stamped all over you; your grandmother and your aunt Rosie both. I went to school with your parents, with your aunt Rosie, Caitlin, and I put that silver bangle on your wrist the day you were christened, so I think I have the right to speak to you now, not as Frank's boss, not as a family friend, but as family. What you're doing is dangerous; there are people in this town who will use that against you, who have reason to use that against you; you know who I mean, Frank. If word of this gets out, it will be bad, very bad, and will only get worse, for all of you. Sally asked me if I knew of a way to help you; I have one, but you may not like it; in fact I know you won't; I don't, and neither does Sally, but it's the only thing we can do that will keep you both safe." Kat looked at me in apprehension, then squared her shoulders and lifted her chin to look him squarely in the eye. "As long as Frankie and I can be together, we can live with it. What's your answer, Uncle Max?" Max clasped his hands in front of him, looking at the floor, a faraway expression on his face. "The penalty in this state for In...for what you're doing, is five years on each count, up to ten if the female is under 21, so you're looking at a possible seven to ten for each count they choose to charge you with; that's a lot of jail time, Frank, so you have to go; you can't be together here. We have a new office just opened out of state, they're in dire need of a good B2B sales manager, I mentioned you before to Human Resources when the vacancy first came up, they thought you were a good fit, now it looks like fate's taken a hand, so the job's yours if you decide to take it. The salary is pretty good, there's a pretty generous relocation assistance package, and the company will pay for your basic accommodation for up to 90 days, which should give you time to find a place of your own." Kat looked at him, her lip quivering. "Where...where is this job, Uncle Max?" Max looked up, but not at her, rather he looked over her shoulder, fixing his gaze on the wall. "Santa Clara...in the San Francisco Bay Area..." Kat gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as she looked in shock at Sarah, who sat with her face expressionless, no flicker of emotion on her face. "California...Frankie, no, it's the other side of the country, how can we...Sally...Joey...!" I was in shock too; even though I agreed with Max that we couldn't stay here and be safe, to suddenly up-stakes and go all the way to the west coast...! "Take it, Frank!" hissed Sarah, "You'll never be safe here, not after today, not after what you did to that filthy bastard, they'll find out about you somehow, and then...then...!" two big tears rolled down her cheek, but she dashed them away. "I don't want you to go, I need you, both of you, you're all I have left of Mom and Dad, and Papa Mike, but I have to think of Joey as well as you; somehow, some way, those slimy Dolan bastards will find a way to get at you, I'm scared they'll try and do it through my baby, so I have to ask you to go!" I looked at Max, trying to see my dad's best friend, not the man who was helping to break up my family ("but you did that Frankie-boy", a small voice crowed relentlessly in the back of my mind, "this is your fault, boy, this is what it costs to drop your pants and drag your sister into bed...") "When do they want me to start, Max?" I asked, dreading the answer he would give, but when he did answer, it was even worse than I feared. "Monday, Frank, they'll want you there first thing Monday morning!" Kat gasped, her head snapping round to look in anguish at Sally, a low keening rising in her throat. "NO, that's only five days away! Sally, I don't want this, please, I want to stay with you, don't make me..." Sarah took her by her arms, then gently but firmly held her chin, stopping her head as she shook it repeatedly in an emphatic 'no' gesture. "Stop it baby, stop it! Listen to me! You have to go, you have to get away from here before they find out how easy it would be to destroy you. You'll be fine, baby, I promise you, Frankie will be there for you, and with you gone, Joey and I will be safe; Max and the boys will look out for us, and there's always the Hollister boys to keep Steve Dolan in line; Jonah's an old friend of mine, if I need him, I know how to get hold of him in a hurry, but as long as you're here, we'll never be safe; that piece of garbage will find a way to get back at us through you, so this is the only way to protect everyone. Do it for me, baby, if you're safe somewhere far from here, out of reach of those vermin, Joey and I'll be safe too, I promise!" Lost & Found Ch. 05 Much as I hated the thought of leaving, I knew she was right; the Dolan family was widespread through the state, in positions of power and influence at all levels; Steve's arrogance and sense of entitlement was a common trait shared by all of them, and when circumstances dictated, they'd band together, just like the pack of hyenas they were. Sarah was right; we had to go, and the sooner the better. Max caught my eye, and I nodded at him, letting him know I was ready. He leaned over and gently disengaged Kat from Sarah, his arm around her like dad used to do. "Caitlin, your daddy and Frank's daddy were my oldest and best friends, and I love you both like my own kidsr; it pains me and Aunt Mary to let you go like this, but you know I wouldn't lie to you. This is the best way, baby-girl, this is how you protect yourself, and how you protect Frank, and Sally and Joey too, so I'm asking you to be strong for your family. I need you to be strong for Frank, to take care of him, to be his family and his friend, will you do that for me?" Kat stared at him, her lip trembling, then squared her shoulders and smiled tremulously, nodding her agreement. "I will, Uncle Max, I promise!" * We left two days later; Kat and I packed what we could of our own stuff, and as many mementoes and reminders of Mom and dad as we could, and in a frenzy of picture-taking, captured Joey and Sarah in a whole series of frozen moments, something for us to look at when we were so far away. Sarah helped us pack, although, to be honest, I did most of the packing; Sarah and Kat spent most of their remaining time together hugging and crying, and cuddling little Joey, who seemed to pick up on our sadness. I tried not to watch them together, otherwise I'd have pushed my way into the middle of that and spent all my time crying with them too. At last the car was filled with our indispensable things; everything else would be packed by Max and his boys, and on the advice of Max, we arranged for shippers based in Phoenix to collect it all for transhipment to Reno, and then another shipper to collect and deliver it all to us once we had a place of our own; we daren't use any of the local movers, they all had some kind of connection to the Dolan clan and we couldn't afford to have any hint of where we'd gone leak back to that den of jackals. Max would handle the sale of the house; we gave him power of attorney, and that, more than anything else, signified the end of our lives here and the breaking of our ties to Springfield; this was my father's house, my sole remaining link with both my real father and the man who took his place in my life and in my heart, my mom, Joe, all the family we'd loved and lost. Now we were truly fragmented. Kat felt it even more keenly; she adamantly refused to look at the house as we drove away, knowing full well her last link too with Dad and Mom was gone now. ********** Part 2: The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death - Proverbs 14:32 ********** The drive took two days; we only ever stopped for gas, food, or sleep, anxious to get it over with; Kat was silent for the first day, her head turned away from me, and her eyes hooded behind sunglasses; I thought she was asleep most of the time, and then I finally saw the wetness on her cheeks. Stopping to comfort her only burst the dam as she sobbed uncontrollably. She wasn't excited in the slightest to be moving to California, she was going into exile with me, or so she felt, only doing this to protect her family, and several times as she cried she almost asked me if we could turn around, go home, go back to how we'd been before we caused such an upheaval in our family. For her, I would have; the sight of her so obviously heartbroken was doing all kinds of things to me, none of them good. I would have let her go in an instant if it would have healed her wounded heart, no matter what it cost my own, taken her home and tried my best to forget what we'd meant to each other, but when I wavered, Kat rallied back, refusing to let me go, reminding me that we'd promised ourselves to each other, and she'd promised to be there for me no matter what. My company had secured a furnished, 2nd floor two-bed, one bath apartment for us in Santa Clara, not far from the office; if I felt like it, I could walk there in ten minutes, which suited me; it meant Kat was only ten minutes away at most if she needed me; as an added bonus, and something good for a change, Max's younger sister Shelley, her husband Marty, and their three young teenage daughters lived in Sunnyvale, close to El Camino, and had been told by Max we were on our way, so they were waiting to welcome us to the Bay Area. Shelley remembered my real father clearly, and she commented how much I looked like him; it was nice to have something from our home so far away , but Kat was a little overwhelmed, especially as she'd been dreading the loneliness and isolation of being new arrivals in a strange town, and Shelley's motherly concern caught her off-guard. Shelley hugged her as she started crying, and she and the girls disappeared into one of the bedrooms to commiserate and generally make her feel better, while Marty and I waited for them in the living room. For my part, I was feeling a little better; at least we weren't completely alone all the way out here on the west coast; I'd been afraid for Kat, wondering how being alone out here would affect her while I was at work, but at least now she'd have someone to pass the time with, go shopping with and talk with on the phone, someone motherly who understood how it was for young girls (and Kat was still that, just a little past eighteen) and take her around and show her the Bay Area. Marty had just recently started working for the same company I did, in a different section, and we chatted about the company, my role, and made tentative plans to get together the following weekend for a barbeque at their place. I soon settled into my job; sure, there were the occasional pangs of homesickness, even more so for Kat, but she was a bright, gregarious girl, and she'd soon charmed the neighbors, the local stores, even the drivers on the bus route into San Jose, her favorite shopping spot, especially the Eastridge Mall, with her three favorite stores in the whole world, Macy's, J C Penney, and Sears, and, of course, Victoria's Secret for me! Kat soon adapted to the Californian laid-back lifestyle, the anonymity and freedom of living in a town where no-one knew you or cared about your business, and the sophisticated, bohemian exuberance of the Bay Area. The first time we went sightseeing in San Francisco, Kat was awestruck by the sights and sounds of San Francisco, Union Square, the gingerbread houses, riding the cable cars for hours on end just for the sheer enjoyment of it, poking into every little shop and boutique on Market Street, and walking across The Golden Gate Bridge, the iconic symbol of California, to view the city from the Marin Headlands, ending the day by pigging-out on the buffalo menu meatball sandwiches in Tommy's Joynt at Van Ness & Geary. We kept in close contact with Sarah; though we'd made friends, some very good friends, especially Shelley and Marty and their girls, Sarah was still uppermost in our thoughts at all times. For the first year or so, Kat was plagued by bouts of almost crippling homesickness, and though they died away somewhat, they never really went away. On her 21st birthday, I gave her the present she wanted most of all; a return airline ticket to Springfield. We'd been gone almost three years, so it was time she went home and connected with Sally again. I couldn't go because of work pressure; the company was going through a period of restructuring and I was snowed-under re-organizing my department, so there was too much to do for me to take a vacation, but Kat went home to see Sally, and her beloved little Joey, although he wasn't so little anymore. Joey was almost eight years old now, and the image of my father (and me at the same age), no trace of his worthless father in him, rather a Novak through and through, and already a Little-League and Pee-Wee football star, a taste of things to come. Kat was away for three weeks, and by the time I collected her from San Francisco International, I was nursing an unfeasibly stiff and quite unbelievable erection, not helped by the sight of her slinking through 'Arrivals' looking like a vampy, trampy, femme-fatale, complete with Hermes scarf knotted elegantly around her neck, Pilot sunglasses, "Fuck-Me" ankle boots with teetering stiletto heels, skin-tight black leather mini-skirt, and a designer black leather jacket with a bandeau top on underneath, with her glorious, vivid copper hair cascading over her shoulder; heads were turning as this vision glided through the Arrivals lounge, pulled off her sunglasses, and glued her face to mine, the nearness and smell of her taking my already throbbing cock to new heights of arousal, something she noticed right away. "Oh my, Frankie, I do believe you've got a present for me!" she grinned impishly, grinding herself against me for emphasis, watching as my eyes briefly crossed. With that she laughed, kissed me again and took my hand to lead me to the parking lot. Getting home seemed to take forever; the traffic in Millbrae seemed to be going out of its way to prevent me getting to I-280 for the Lawrence Expressway and downtown Santa Clara. At last, however, we managed to get clear of the snarl of traffic in Millbrae and made good time home. Kat insisted I hand her out of the car, her sunglasses back on and her lips startlingly red against the porcelain whiteness of her skin, her scarf once more carelessly tied around her white throat, and her hair a cascading riot of scarlet; the sight of her taut ass quivering as she shook her hair out sent shockwaves up and down my surging cock. I don't think I ushered her indoors with unseemly haste, but my hands were under her skirt and squeezing her ass before I'd even got the door closed! Kat was just as hungry, her leg wrapping around mine as she ground her panty-clad pussy against my giant economy-size erection, both of us panting into each other's mouths as we kissed so hard I thought we'd split our lips; we'd never been apart more than two days in the last three years, and it showed! "Bedroom...!" she groaned between feverish kisses, and I obliged, lifting her so her legs were wrapped around my waist, but never once breaking our lip-lock, and carried her into the bedroom and collapsing onto our Queen-sized bed, my hands holding her delicious little buttocks as Kat continued to rain kisses on my lips, my face, my throat, everywhere she could reach. I hooked her panties and began to slide them down, intending to do what I always did as a prelude to fucking my sister; I wanted to taste her, I wanted to soak her pussy with my tongue, I wanted to make her scream as she orgasmed on my tongue, but Kat was in no mood for foreplay. "No, Frankie, fuck me, fuck me hard, Oh God Frankie, three weeks, I thought I'd explode, just do it to me now, I want you inside me now!" she muttered in my ear while nibbling my earlobe. Never one to disappoint a lady, I slid upright and yanked my polo shirt off, laid down flat and kicked off my slacks, and toed-off my shoes and socks, leaving only my shorts on, with a massive tent in the front letting Kat know what she was doing to me, just in case she was unclear! She got it right away, her eyes glinting as she yanked her mini-skirt off, unzipping and shrugging-off her leather jacket, and pulling her top off in one smooth move, allowing me to see once again her beautiful little pink-tipped breasts. That was all I needed; with an inarticulate growl I lunged for her, Kat shrieking as I grabbed her and rolled over so she was on top of me, pressed flat against me as we kissed wildly. My cock felt three sizes bigger than normal after begging me for her for three weeks, and Kat obviously felt my need, no doubt matched by her own, as she straddled me, and with no further ceremony, slid herself down onto my stiff cock, hissing in satisfaction as she sank down on me until her bare little pussy was rubbing against the mat of hair at the base of my cock. As she slid down she began screwing her hips from side to side, fucking me as I lay supine, totally enthralled by the sight of her gyrating above me, her fingers pinching and squeezing her nipples as she rocked back and forth on me. My hands slid around her hips, holding her to me as I began to push up against her as she ground against me, both of us straining and pumping as we relieved the tension and build-up of need over the last three weeks. Kat suddenly stiffened, her eyes tight shut as her orgasm rose up and blasted through her, her body quivering and shuddering as wave after wave of pleasure swept through her, and her pussy clamped down tight around me, the sudden, delicious constriction setting me off, and I shouted out loud as I exploded inside her, pulse after pulse of sperm rocketing into her depths. The feel of me exploding inside her obviously triggered another massive blast of pleasure, as she screamed piercingly as once again orgasm took her to a new height of pleasure. The convulsions in her pussy nibbled and sucked at me, milking every last drop of sperm out of me, until I slumped back, more dead than alive, as reaction to our mind-blowing mutual orgasm set in. Kat slumped down on top of me, her sweet-smelling hair in a cloud about my face as she rested her head in the hollow of my neck, my cock still embedded balls-deep in her as our thundering hearts slowed together, and our racing pulses slowed to something more like normal. It felt like heaven to me, to lie there with my arms around the sweetest, most beautiful girl I'd ever known, and she was mine; life just couldn't get any better than this. Kat lay atop me for a while longer, slowly squirming and stretching, and making little liquid cat-like sounds as my cock finally shrank from her. By now she'd have said something, and I started to grow a little concerned that she seemed to be avoiding looking at me. At last I couldn't stand the suspense any longer. "Kat, what is it, there's something wrong isn't there?" Her head popped up and a look almost of guilt flashed across her face, and my heart sank as I jumped to all sorts of conclusions. She'd met someone else, or she'd been with someone else, or she was leaving me for someone else, or she was just leaving me, period, and this had been my goodbye, mercy fuck before breaking the news to me, she was going... Kat saw all this in my eyes, confusion now showing in hers. "Frankie, what's wrong, talk to me, Frankie!" she whispered, suddenly looking as panicked as I felt. "Why don't you tell me, Kat!" I husked, fearing the worst, but needing to hear it anyway. Kat looked at me strangely at my words, tears suddenly brimming in her eyes. "Don't hate me, baby, please...!" she began, and my world dipped and spun as I knew what she was going to say next; I was right, here came the worst news I never thought I'd hear..." "Frankie, Sarah took me to the doctor while I was there, Oh Frankie, I didn't know, please, don't hate me for this, I know we always said...!" I cut across her almost harshly. "What's his name, Kat, tell me that at least!" Kat looked at me strangely. "Doctor Fuller, who else, Frankie?" I was aghast; he was at least 65, an old man; she was leaving me for an old man. I laughed harshly. "I hope you're both happy together, for however long it lasts!" Now it was Kat's turn to look at me in complete incomprehension. "Baby, what the hell are you talking about?" she demanded, and I grinned mirthlessly. "You...and that old geezer...what a joke!" Now Kat was starting to look annoyed. "Frankie, just what the fuck are you talking about? Answers, now, Novak!" I looked into her deep, lush, limpid green eyes, storing the memory for when she was gone, not that I needed to; those eyes were imprinted on my soul. I drew a deep breath, steadying myself to say the words I never thought I'd ever hear. "You're leaving me; you came home to get your stuff, and now you're going back to Springfield, to...him...!" I choked, unable to continue. Kat's eyes narrowed dangerously, then suddenly widened in shock as she realised what I'd just said. "Frankie, oh God, no, no, no, no! Baby, I can't leave you, I love you, where did you ever get...?" Now it was my turn to look shocked. "But you said...it sounded like...I thought you...oh God, come here!" I gathered her in to me, holding her as tight as I could as I let all the fear and loss drain out of me; she wasn't leaving me! Thank you, God, Thank You! Kat was hugging herself to my neck, her lips buried in the hollow of my neck, and I could feel her trembling. "Frankie, why did you think I was leaving you? How could you ever think I'd leave you? I told you once that you were all I ever wanted, that hasn't changed, what were you thinking, baby, what did I say to make you...?" I was feeling too happy to feel foolish, although that would probably come later. "Baby-Girl, you asked me not to hate you, that's like the classic first line of a 'Dear John'; I thought you were home to give me one last fling, get your stuff and go..." Kat rose up, her forearms resting on my chest so she was looking me in the eyes again, her eyes clouded, worried, scared. "Frankie, I don't want you to hate me, but I'm so afraid you will after you hear what I tell you. I know we said we'd wait, I know you'd like us to have our own place, not this rented apartment, but it's too late. I was sick back home, so Sally took me to see Doctor Fuller, and he did some tests. Frankie, I'm sorry, I know what we said, that we had plenty of time, but that's all changed now; baby, I'm pregnant...!" I could have smacked myself on the head like one of the Three Stooges; of course! Doctor Fuller, Mom's gynaecologist! Now I really felt stupid; two seconds later what she said actually hit me; we were pregnant! Kat was looking at me apprehensively, chewing her lip in a completely adorable and overpoweringly sexy way, smiling tentatively as I grinned happily at her. "Cammere, you!" I growled, pulling her closer so I could kiss her properly, and maybe bite her adorable lip as well, just a little... She pulled away from me to look deeply into my eyes, her own emerald eyes darkening to grass-green as she looked searchingly into mine. I always knew Kat's mood from the color of her eyes, right now she was scared and apprehensive, so I pulled her in and held her tight as I did my best to kiss her fears away. "Are you angry, Frankie? I know we agreed, and I didn't mean..." she began, but I kissed her and stopped that line there and then. When we finally broke apart, I held her close to me as we talked. We talked about Mom, about Dad, Sally, Joe, little Joey, family, reminding ourselves about our family, and now the thought of the new life beginning right here, our own little family growing day by day. I did everything to allay her fears, because I really did want a family, with her, when she was ready; that had been my only reason for stipulating that we wait, that Kat had to be ready to take that on. She was obviously ready for it; as we talked I saw how her hand curled protectively around her smooth, flat belly, already unconsciously protecting that little spark of life glowing in there. After that, life became normal, for us, anyway, or as normal as it could be, given our relationship; quickie courthouse wedding in Lake Tahoe, new home, mortgage, job, all the things you'd expect of a young suburban couple just starting their family. The day Kat found out she was having twins was a Red-Letter day for us, and the scan printout, with the two little hearts clearly visible, and the twin heart traces superimposed one on top of the other, is still my most treasured and carefully-kept possession, even after all these years. Lost & Found Ch. 05 We still kept in close touch with Sally; Joey was growing to be everything Joe would have been proud of, no matter who his real father was, and another snippet that concerned me at first, but I followed Sally's lead in this particular case. Steve Dolan had shown he'd inherited all the business acumen his forebears had in such great measure. He'd rebuilt his part of the family's business empire from the chaotic, almost bankrupt shambles his drunk of a father had left it in, turning around the problems caused by Jerry Dolan and becoming, at a commendably early age, the wealthiest man in Springfield, and one of the richest men in the state, with a chain of huge hardware super-stores across the Southwest. However, the stories we'd heard all those years ago about how he treated his son were borne out by, of all people, Sally, who'd somehow wrapped herself around Dolan's boy and taken him to her heart. She was obviously deeply taken with him, as was Joey, and from what Sally told us, Joey took extra care of his young half-brother, even though he was unaware of the relationship; he just knew and understood almost instinctively that young Robbie was special and needed protecting, and he stepped up; like I said, a boy for Joe to be proud of. And so it went, my babies growing into tough, hard-headed, smart, spiky, erratic, brilliant, maddening, unpredictable and absolutely adorable miniatures of Kat, their Moran blood showing in every line and aspect of them. And then, one day, when Moira and Morag were just about 10 or so, I got a call from Sally that was going to change our lives. I'd just come in from a long and hectic day in the office, the girls were in the midst of one of their daily, never-ending territorial disputes, the central air was playing up, no joke in the South Bay in summer, and Kat had a splitting headache from the heat, trying to locate a repairman who'd come out at such short notice, and constantly dealing with our touchy pair of green-eyed monsters, when Sally called. "Frank, I need a favor, and I need it quick. Young Robbie Dolan's finally told that pack of swamp rats he calls a family what he thinks of them, and he's here with me. Frank, the boy needs help; his pig of a father's denied him any help, all his life, they've given him nothing, not a damn thing; everything he owns in the world is here in one ratty old holdall! He got a scholarship but he had to turn it down because his father refused to help him with living expenses, just flat-out refused; the bastard claimed they had nothing to spare for him, after buying that worthless tramp daughter of theirs a new car and a trip to Europe. Frank, the poor boy needs someone to give him a chance at a life; he's a lovely kid, he's just like Joey in so many ways, and it breaks my heart to see him left out once again; he deserves a break too, just a chance to make something of himself. I know how smart he is, he knows everything there is to know about game software, Joey says he's a genius, apparently the University of California thought so, too, do you know anyone there in Silicon Valley who might be able to help him?" As it happened, I did; my good friend and fellow A's fan, Steve Vargas, who owned a small but influential and highly respected game software company in Palo Alto, not too far from our home. I gave him a call and asked him to at least talk to the boy; he agreed, we made the call, the rest you know. When Robbie came to stay with us, I was struck firstly at how much, from certain angles, he resembled Joey (that would be the legacy of their pig of a father), but also how many of Angie Raynes' features he had; she was always a looker, even if I did consider her the Queen Bitch of the Western World, and Robbie had inherited a fair portion of her looks; the next thing was how soft-spoken, diffident, and humble he was; I guess a lifetime of being nothing and nobody had given him zero expectations, but worst of all, no detectable sense of self-worth; it seemed he'd learned to live with it, but it wrenched at Kat's heart, though. This boy was her own close kin, and she couldn't tell him, but I could see after only a few days she was completely in love with him, as were the girls; for them, he'd gone from being houseguest, to trusted friend, to big brother in just a few days, probably because there was absolutely no pretence or guile in him, and the girls instinctively fell in love with that aspect of him; the perceptions of the young are uncannily accurate, and it was no trouble at all for them to spot that Robbie was the real thing. Robbie was honest, helpful, mild, and sweet-natured, unassuming, and smart as a whip, and before he knew it, he was one of our kids, just as much as Moira or Morag, never mind that he was almost eight years older than them. The sight of him sitting with the girls of an evening, after a long day at his new job, patiently teaching them basic calculus, or trigonometry, or algebra, his complete absorption in helping the girls because he wanted to, always brought a lump to my throat, and I'd look up and see Kat also watching him intently, a fond smile on her lips. The only thing about him that worried me was his almost complete lack of presence; his entire life he'd been shunned by those who were supposed to love him, and he'd learned early in life that drawing attention to himself wasn't possible in a household where no-one could see him, and so he'd learned how to "switch" himself off; it was a long time before we could get him to join in family activities, as he had no way of relating to them; he'd never been included, so had no real idea how to be included, and it confused him. His relationship with Joey was different, more one-to-one, but I truly believe that it was Kat and the girls who taught him how to venture out of himself. Socializing with the immediate family was no issue, but taking him anywhere was always fraught with difficulties, as he immediately sank into himself and literally disappeared from view; it took him a long time to un-learn that, and Kat used to regularly curse Steve Dolan and Angel Raynes for turning their only son into a living ghost, a pale shadow of who he should have been. Her relationship with Robbie was slightly different to mine; in her eyes, Robbie was her boy, she was fiercely adamant about that, and anyone who stepped between them was going down, period; the only people in the entire world she was prepared to share him with were Sarah, the girls, and me. That was the effect that boy had on our family. As the years progressed, various things happened, some good, some not so good. Casey, Robbie's sister, became involved with him, after she'd spent four years searching for him; she actually came to see us, to tell us what and how she felt, and I had to tip my hat to her for the bravery she showed by doing that; Kat was quite capable of skinning her alive and then slow-roasting her for what she'd done; after all, this was her Robbie we're talking about here! I never commented on what they were doing, not when my own darling wife is also my baby sister, but Casey convinced Kat to let her in and be a part of our family. When that sack of shit Steve Dolan tried to attack Robbie, our boy did to him what I should have all those years ago, he hospitalized the bastard, and when we heard what Steve had been doing to Casey for years, I drank a special toast to Robbie; that was my boy! In due course Robbie and Casey had a baby, the loveliest little boy I'd ever seen; he looks just like Robbie, and Kat and the girls absolutely worship him; as far as they're concerned he's theirs, Robbie and Casey just get to look after him once in a while! Of course, they also feel like that about Robbie; much as they love and adore Casey, Robbie's theirs, he belongs to them, and they want him back. All things considered, Robbie and Casey were happy; they loved each other, they had that beautiful boy, and his mom lived near him again. Sarah had met and married my buddy Steve, and had a little girl, Caitlin, a black-haired, flashing-eyed little Sarah lookalike, already a beauty at just two years old. Steve and Sarah lived in Novato, while Joey and Karen and my own great-nephew, little Joey Jr. lived literally around the corner from Robbie up in Daly City, so all the family was still close, and close by if they were needed. With all this domesticity breaking-out, I was waiting for that call from Robbie, the same one I'd had from a panicked Joey before he got married. Something was up with Robbie, and I thought I knew what it was. In many ways, Robbie and Joey are mirror-images of each other, although they'd both look skeptical if you drew their attention to that fact; they think alike, dress alike, like the same food, the same baseball teams, the same TV shows, have the same sense of humor, and they both even have the same little facial quirks and mannerisms; it wouldn't have surprised me if one day they hadn't married lookalike girls! So I waited for that call, and sure enough, Joey called me to give me a heads-up, followed a short while later by a call from Robbie. Joey had just needed a little reassurance, that he was up to the job, that he was doing the right thing, that he deserved someone like Karen, and Kat and I were happy to calm him and tell him what he needed to hear. It had been fairly easy; while Joey had never had a father, he'd always been a sporty, outgoing, gregarious and popular boy, worldly, confident, and self-assured, a typical young American male, and boosting his confidence and calming his jitters was accomplished with a pep talk and a couple of beers. Robbie, on the other hand, was a horse of a different color entirely; he'd never had any positive reinforcement, no strong older male role-model, no-one to show him how to be a married man, or even how to grow into a man, only contempt and neglect, so the boy had learned nothing about how people worked, nothing except what young Joey could show him as they grew and matured together. Steve Dolan should have taken his son in hand, he should have told him things, and shown him by example, but the only thing that sack of shit had ever shown his son was how to be an invisible, valueless nonentity. Now I had to try and give him the confidence to be what he should be; a man grown, embarking on one of the most important and significant adventures of his life. It was ironic, and not in a good way, either, that the man who was going to try and show him what a father should have, was the man who twice almost killed his father, only drawing back from the brink at the very last second. Something told me this was going to take a little more than just a chat and a couple of Coors... * Robbie was a little apprehensive as his uncle and aunt ushered him into the den and waved him onto the couch, after making sure the girls really were gone; they had a talent for eavesdropping and snooping bordering on genius, and it would never do for them to hear any of this. Once they were satisfied the coast was clear, they both sat down, Frank in his favorite recliner, Kat on the couch next to him, his hand in hers. "So, Robbie, Joey tells me you've got something on your mind. You want to tell me about it, son?" asked Frank. Robbie looked nervously at Kat, she smiled and nodded. "Go ahead baby, there's only us here, and nothing you say will ever go outside this room, I promise. Tell us what's troubling you, baby, we only want to help!" Robbie slid his hand out of Kat's, nervously lacing his fingers together and looking at the floor as he gathered his thoughts, looking for a place to begin. Kat smoothed his hair back out of his eyes, something she'd done a million times before, and the familiarity of the gesture calmed him, reminded him of where he was and who he was with. "Uncle Frank, Aunt Kat, you know...I...Casey and me...we...we..." "Calm down, Robbie, take your time, we have as much time as you need, just tell us what's bothering you," smiled Frank, that and the sudden smile from Kat stilling him and letting him once more gather his thoughts. "Uncle Frank, Aunt Kat, you know Casey and me, we...we want to get married, I asked her to a long time ago, I know she wants to marry me, but...what if I get it wrong? I know who I am, I know who my father is, what if I'm like him, you know, inside, what if all that stuff about the apple not falling far from the tree is true, supposing I ...?" Frank cut across him at that. "OK Robbie, that's enough! Listen to me, son, no," as Robbie tried to interject, "hear me out first, Robbie, please!" Robbie subsided, his face flushed, and Kat leaned closer, suddenly concerned; he looked almost...frightened, yes, frightened, scared; suddenly the confident young man she knew and loved so much was gone, and in his place was the lonely, traumatized outcast he'd been his whole life. Her heart went out to him, and it took a real effort of will to not just gather him in and mother him, hold him close and make the fear go away. Frank also leaned closer, sitting almost close enough for their knees to touch. "Robbie, you're not like Steve Dolan, not in any way; I know him, I know him better than you think, and I see nothing of him in you, not one of the things that make him who he is! I know what he did, I know how he treated you, but he also did you the biggest service possible; he made sure you were never going to be like him! Your mom watched over you, she and Joey taught you things, almost without meaning to, about how to be a good person, how to be a kind person, how to be the man you are today; that's who you are! All this stuff about the apple and the tree, that's nonsense, I don't know where you got that from, so just think on this; sometimes old wives tales only exist because old wives had nothing better to do with their time than sit around, spread malicious gossip, and stick pins in people!" Robbie looked at him in astonishment; he'd never heard that tone or seen that expression before, and he suddenly realised Frank was deadly serious. "Robbie, you're like my own son; I really wish you were, and I'd never lie to you, so what I'm telling you now is the truth; you can never be like the man your father is, it's not your nature; there's nothing of the Dolan clan in you, and I know that because I know what went into you to make you who you are. Did you ever meet your grandmother, your father's mother?" Robbie looked completely lost at that question, at the sudden change of subject; why would his grandmother have anything to do with this conversation? He let his puzzlement show in his voice. "No, Uncle Frank, all I know is she lives back East, in New York State, Albany or Oneonta or somewhere like that. I've never met her." Frank leaned back slightly, his expression suddenly less serious, and a quick grin quirking the corner of his mouth. "Oneonta, eh? "Go Outlaws!" Perhaps you should meet her; it would certainly make a lot of things clearer to you." Now Robbie was really confused. "Aunt Kat...?" Kat looked at Frank and saw the small nod, telling her to tell him. "Two things Robbie, but before I say anything I want your solemn promise you won't say anything, to anyone, ever; do I have your word?" Robbie had a pretty good idea what she was going to tell him, but decided to keep shut; he wasn't supposed to know, after all, so he nodded agreement. "I promise, Aunt Kat, not a word, ever." Kat sighed, her hands in her lap, slowly rubbing them together, obviously far out of her comfort zone. "Baby, your Uncle Frank and me, we...we know what you're going through, you and Casey; we know because we went though it as well. Baby, we went through it because Frank is...Frank is my big brother, or rather, half-brother. We never intended for any of our kids to find out, the girls don't know, only you, please, please don't tell them, God knows what it would do to them!" Robbie slid over to his aunt, taking her hand in his and putting his arm around her shoulder. "Please, Aunt Kat, it's okay, really, I won't tell anyone, I promised!" Kat lifted her head to look into his eyes, her eyes suddenly widening a little as she realized something. "You already knew!" she whispered, and Robbie, abashed, his eyes downcast, nodded. "Mom...sort of let it slip the day she told Joey who his father was, that Casey and me were his brother and sister. She didn't mean to, honest!" he blurted out at the look in her eyes. Frank nodded to himself, suppressing a small grin at Robbie's complete inability to prevaricate or dodge the truth. "Joey pressed her after she told Casey and me how difficult it was going to be for us, he worried at her about how she knew so much about it, and she told us how much it hurt her to let you both go, how she had to watch the family break up to keep it safe, how she had to lose both of you, we could see she was still hurting, even after all that time...I'm sorry Aunt Kat, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I knew, but I promised mom I'd keep my mouth shut, and I did..." Kat reached up and cupped his chin. "Yes you did, baby, thank you. How about Joey, and Karen, how do they feel about...Frank and me, all this?" Robbie grinned. "Aunt Kat, they've been here like a million times since, Karen leaves the baby with you when she takes the girls mall-hopping in Oakland, and she and Casey sit huddled together watching chick-flicks and crying in stereo, if she had a problem with any of this, I think you'd have heard about it by now!" Kat smiled, a happy, relieved smile, and Robbie noted once again just how beautiful his aunt was. "Thank you baby, you always know the right thing to say! Now there's that other thing. Remember Frank asked you about your grandmother? We have a very good reason for asking. Your grandmother is Roisian Shelagh Caitlin Dolan, but her maiden name was Moran. My father was Michael Moran; he and Roisian were brother and sister." Robbie looked at her in wide-eyed surprise. "So you're...you're..." Kat nodded. "Even before you came to us, you were my family; I'm your cousin, the girls may be your sisters now, but before that they were your cousins, so you see, you were always surrounded by family, even if you didn't know it! I don't think your mom knows, we couldn't tell her, not after what your father...what Steve...did to her, so this has always been my secret, mine and Frank's." Frank stirred once again, leaning forward to speak. "I met her once, Robbie, she was a beautiful lady, she and your aunt could be mother and daughter, they look so much alike. My reason for bringing her up was because of the kind of lady she is, and she is a lady, make no mistake; she left because she couldn't stomach Steve and his wife, and you've inherited her strength, her courage, and most of all, her character; what makes your aunt Kat who she is, you have in large measure as well, and that's why you are going to be a good husband and father, a good provider, and a gentle and caring man, you come from the right stock for it! Your aunt's father was my stepdad, but you'd never have known it; for all my life he was just my dad, and he and his sister were two of a kind, quality people, so never forget, you may have had the Dolan name, but you have the Moran blood in you, you and Joey, and it shows!" Robbie looked at Kat, and she took his face in her hands once again. "Baby, everything your uncle says is true; you come from good stock, some of the very best. Daddy was one of the best loved men in Springfield; most of the town came to his funeral, because of who he was; he made it easy for people to love him, and so many people did; you're his sister Rosie's grandson, and he would have been so proud of you, he would have seen his own father in you, and that alone is going to make you 10 times the man your father could ever be. Casey is a very lucky girl!" Lost & Found Ch. 05 Robbie looked away, embarrassed by the compliments, but Kat reached out and gently cupped his chin, turning his head to face her again. "Baby, when you came to us, the first thing I saw was the man you were going to be, and I wasn't wrong about you; everything you are, everything you're going to be, it all comes from inside you, and what's in there is a fine, honest man who'll do everything it takes to keep his family safe, provided for, and happy, no matter what! Your father only ever thought of himself, of his own appetites and how best to feed them, and his children suffered and became casualties along the way; with you, it's the other way round; everything you'll ever be or do or achieve will only ever be for your family, for your children, so they too can be the best they could ever be; that's the difference between you and Steve, and it's a world of difference, believe me!" She stroked his cheek fondly. "You will always be my boy, just as you'll always be your mom Sarah's boy too, so I'm just a little biased when it comes to thinking about you, but I do know one thing for a solid fact; nothing of your father will ever intrude and interfere with your life with Casey; you're not made like him, and nothing of him is in you. Casey loves you because she can see that, she always could, you both fit together perfectly, and nothing of your father or his ways will ever come between you! Go home, Robbie, marry your girl, make her the happiest girl on the planet!" Robbie glanced over at Frank, who nodded and smiled at him. "Listen to her, Robbie, she's telling you the truth. We all know what a good husband and father you'll be, question is, do you believe it now?" Robbie looked pensive for a moment, but no longer unsure or hesitant, before replying. "Uncle Frank, I think I know what to do now, you answered all my questions, and gave me a lot to think about, but I think I'm ready now. Thank you, both of you, I love you both!" Kat leaned her head against his shoulder for a moment, then pulled him closer and kissed him on the side of the neck, her favorite gesture of affection. "And we love you too, baby! Now that's settled, you better take the girls out for pizza or they'll scream the house down, and I don't need that right now!" * Casey had just finished putting her son down for his nap when she heard Robbie come in, and was waiting for him with mixture of trepidation and relief. One look at his face told her all she needed to know; whatever Frank and Kat had told him seemed to have worked, his fears and worries had fallen away, and gone was that air of distraction and barely suppressed agitation; her boy was back, and she breathed a sigh of relief and a heartfelt prayer of thanks to Frank and Kat for pulling him out of the downward spiral he'd fallen into. As he saw her, his face split into a giant grin, happy and delighted, happiness and restored good humor dancing in his eyes. "Hey babe, wanna get married?" he grinned at her, catching her in a bear hug and squeezing her as she kissed him enthusiastically, before pulling back to look closely, searchingly in his eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want, baby? I know why you went to see Frank, I know what's been on your mind, we don't have to, you know, not until you're completely sure..." Robbie pulled her in close, his arms around her, holding her tight to him. "I've never been surer of anything in my life, Case; I love you, and I seem to remember I once asked you to marry me; in fact, I'm sure I gave you a ring...!" Case grinned and showed him her ring finger, Gramma Novak's engagement ring sparkling here. "You mean this one here, baby?" she grinned in wide-eyed feigned innocence, before dissolving in soft peals of laughter. Robbie's expression changed, suddenly serious. "I'm sorry, Case, I should have been more honest with you, I should have told you a long time ago, but..." Casey cut him short with a fingertip to his lips. "It's okay, baby, I understand, no harm done, and now at least I get to marry you!" Robbie grinned and kissed her, Casey kissing him back, sliding her tongue between his lips to lightly rub against his own. Robbie responded by sliding his hands down to cup and squeeze her ass, his hands curling around each curved sweet handful of her trim, taut little ass. "Mmm, someone's feeling MUCH better!" she murmured, grinding her crotch against the bulge she could feel growing in the front of his jeans, Robbie kissing her harder as he gently pulled her buttocks apart, making her gasp at the sensation. "Ooooh, that's nice! Let's go in the bedroom, baby, I have things I want to do to you!" she grinned as she licked his lips, Robbie responding by hoisting her up so she could wrap her long legs around his waist as he carried her into their room. Once there, Casey slid off him, her fingers fumbling with the button of his jeans, as his were doing with hers. Robbie grinned happily as he unbuttoned her blouse, eyeing her trim figure appreciatively; her breasts were slightly larger than before little Robbie's birth, but still pert, firm and delectable, her waist was still narrow, her belly still flat and unlined, and her ass was still the taut, firm, twin hillocks he loved to squeeze and caress. Casey grinned at his scrutiny, well aware of the effect she was having on him. For her part, every chance she got to see and handle his toned, fit, muscular physique was time well spent, in her opinion. As always, she wondered at his physical beauty; his perfectly proportioned body, well muscled without being heavy, kept in shape from the hours he and Joey still spent lifting weights and working out after work in the small employee's gym at the office, and it was always a source of amazement to her that nobody had captured him before she came looking for him, and along with her love for him was a deep and abiding sense of wonder that he'd fallen for her, of all the girls there were, and had given himself so completely to her. Casey pulled off her blouse and pushed down her cut-off jeans, Robbie's eyes glinting at the sight of the pink lace thong she was wearing. Casey grinned and reached behind to unclip her bra, but Robbie pulled her close, squeezing her firm cheeks possessively with both hands as he ground against her before sliding his hands up to unhook and slip her bra off. As the cups fell away from her breasts, Robbie dipped down to catch a nipple between his lips, making her gasp at the sensation, a glow starting inside her as his hand slid around her to catch and gently squeeze her other nipple. Casey wasn't idle, either; she could feel the size of the bulge behind his zipper, and as he nuzzled and squeezed her nipples, her hands were busy unbuttoning his shirt and pushing at the waistband of his jeans, eager to wrap around his sizeable cock. Robbie helped her by standing back and stripping off, Casey watching enthralled at the sight of his rippling physique, his handsome, smiling face, and that adorable wave of hair flopping forward, making her itch to smoothe it back. When he was down to his shorts, the front tented-out some considerable way, Casey grinned and wrapped her arms around him, pulling her mons tight up against that tempting bulge, making him gasp at the sensation. As they kissed, she slid her hand down and into the back of his shorts, gripping and squeezing a rock-like buttock, all the while thinking to herself "God, what an ass, and it's mine, all mine!" Robbie happily returned the favor, holding and fondling her as they kissed, his thumbs eventually hooking the sides of her thong and sliding them down. As Casey stepped out of the lacy wisp of material, Robbie's hands once again clenched her ass cheeks, this time gently probing and searching in that shadowed cleft between them, his fingers brushing her anus lightly before rubbing along the length of her slit. Casey jumped, then melted against him with a soft groan as he found her pussy, and slipped two fingers into her moist slit from behind as he kissed her deeply. As they kissed, Casey began a slow, circular motion of her mons against his cock, and now it was Robbie's turn to gasp as she ground and slid against his tented cock. Casey broke their kiss, and slid to her knees in front of him, her fingers already tugging down his shorts. As the waistband slipped over his pulsating cock, it slipped forward, columnar, thick, and solid, 7 inches of perfectly sculpted flesh, hard as bone, and aching for her. Casey looked up at him with a rich, sexy smile on her face, and reached up to hold him, gently but insistently sliding her hand up and down his length, fondling his scrotum with the other, before slipping the end into her mouth and sucking gently. Robbie gasped at the sensation of her hot mouth on him, his stomach muscles tightening and rippling involuntarily as Casey began to bob her head up and down on him, fucking his cock with her mouth as she squeezed him. Robbie had to try and not think about what she was doing, else he'd have filled her mouth there and then, caving-in to the avalanche of sensations and the arousal he was feeling. At last he could take no more, and gently disengaged from her, pulling back from her enticingly hot and talented mouth and helping her to rise. Casey smiled and tugged him to the bed, pushing him down and straddling him, leaning down to kiss him, and impaling herself on him at the same time. Robbie's hands automatically clasped her firm ass-cheeks, holding her as he began to pump against her. Their movements took on the smooth, fluid rhythm of seals or dolphins sporting in calm seas, muscles and bodies melded together in perfect harmony as they moved together, their attention fixed on each other, their expressions rapt as they lost themselves in their dance, and finally gave themselves up to their mutual pleasure, the 'little death' catching them in a perfect moment of shared orgasm, every muscle, sinew, and heartbeat perfectly balanced against that of the other as they peaked in their moment of attainment, before sliding down into that trough of peace, and silence, and stilled motion on the other side. The sound of their son laughing and gurgling in the other room finally brought them back to reality, and Casey reluctantly climbed off the bed to see to him, or at least, she tried to. Robbie pulled her back, pulling her down to sit next to him. "Case, now that I've fixed my...problem, we really need to think about this whole "getting married" business; I spoke to mom, and Karen, and when you're ready, they want to take you shopping; mom's decided she's gonna be organizing our wedding, and she's got a vision of how it's going to be, so be prepared! Also, I'd like you to think about this; how about we wait until she's recovered from the birth, then have a dual wedding with your mom and Elio?" Casey gaped, then flung herself at him. "You'd do that? Really? Oh Robbie, thank you, thank you, I know mom will love the idea, thank you baby!" Just after midnight, Casey was awakened by the phone. She answered sleepily, but was wide awake a in a few seconds as Elio told her that Angie had gone into labor and had been taken to O'Connor Hospital in San Jose. She shook Robbie awake, and while he dressed, Casey strapped the baby into his carrier and packed the baby-bag for him. The cross-town and freeway traffic was light at that time of night, and they made good time, arriving at the hospital less than 40 minutes after receiving the call, to be met by a jittery Elio, and the news that Sarah and Steve were also on their way. Casey took little Robbie to see her mother, while Robbie took Elio to get some coffee into him and calm him down. Angie was in no danger; her pregnancy had been entirely normal, so the Obstetrician was unconcerned, even though she was almost three weeks early; his attitude was that the estimated Due-Date always had two weeks or more leeway, because of the inaccuracy in calculating when conception actually occurred, and in his opinion, three weeks early was as normal as three weeks late; that was enough calm Elio's fears, although impending new-father jitters were still there, naturally enough.. Sarah and Steve arrived soon after, with little Caitlin in her carrier, and now the family was all there, awaiting the arrival of Angie's daughter, Casey's new sister. Robbie offered to watch over the babies while Casey went into her mother, but Casey decided that she'd let Elio share this with his partner. It still gave Casey a small twinge now and then that Robbie still hadn't found a way to connect with Angie, his biological mother, not even in the most superficial way; as far as he was concerned, she was just plain 'Angie', his business partner's wife, and his prospective mother. Even though he was intellectually aware that she was his real mother, for Robbie there was only one Mom, and Sarah was it; after Sarah came Caitlin Novak, his beloved Aunt Kat, and there was no room in that particular niche for anyone else. So while Robbie and Sarah sat and talked and watched their respective children, Steve and Casey nervously paced, both of them wearing a groove in the waiting area carpet. At last Casey could stand it no longer. "I'm going in there, babe; she's my mom, and she needs me too!" Robbie grinned at her tone, and nodded his head in the direction of the Obstetrics Unit. "Go on, Case, you're making me dizzy with all that pacing! We'll wait here, she probably does need you right now, go to her." Casey shot him a grateful smile and spoke to the Charge Nurse, who took her away to get her gowned-up. Robbie, Sarah and Steve settled down to wait for their newest family member to make her appearance. At 4:45 A.M., Casey poked her head through the door of the delivery room. "Guys, she's beautiful! You have to see her, she looks just like Mom, God, she's so gorgeous! Wait a few minutes, then you can come in one at a time!" Robbie nudged Sara, who came awake with a start, indicating she go in first. The first thing Sarah saw was how tired Angie looked; healthy or not, this had really taken it out of her, and she was muzzy with exhaustion; she may have borne two children before, but that had been nearly 25 years ago, and she'd been a lot more resilient then; now, she was feeling every second of her 43 years, and she looked like exactly like a woman who'd just been through several hours of agonising labor, but she still had enough strength and composure to smile and beckon Sarah closer. "Sarah, thank you for being here. I'd like you to meet your niece, Sarah Caitlin Vargas; Sarah Caitlin, this is your Aunt Sarah, say hello!" Sarah's eyes filled at the compliment, the last fragments of hurt from the old days finally disappearing at the olive branch Angie held out to her. Sarah held out her arms. "May I?" Angie smiled and passed her daughter to Sarah, who took her and looked in rapt wonder at the newest member of the clan. Casey was right; she did look like Angie, and a lot like Casey, as well. "Hello, baby," whispered Sarah, brushing the tiny forehead with a gentle kiss, "welcome to your family! I have a gift for you; when I was young, my name was Sally; now it's time to pass the name on, so I'm giving it to you, because it belongs in our family; it's your turn to keep it now, baby!" Angie smiled wistfully as Sarah handed the baby back to her. "I wish I'd been able to call you Sally back then; thank you for such a special gift, Sarah, I know how much it means to you!" And that was the moment when the two women finally became true family, after a lifetime of being on opposite sides of the fence. Angie asked Sarah to sit for a moment, as she had something to ask her. Sarah sat on the edge of the bed and waited to hear what Angie had to say. "Sarah, Casey told me that she and Robbie have finally worked things out, and they want to be married as soon as possible. Elio and I, we want to get married too, and Casey suggested we have a double-wedding. I know Casey would like Frank to give her away, what I want to ask is, will you ask Joey if he'll give me away? I don't have anyone, and..." Once again Sarah's eyes brimmed as she smiled and leaned down to kiss Angie on the cheek. "Of course he will, he'll be proud and honored to do that for you, I promise you!" * All eyes were on the two couples at the altar rail; the groom's in black suits and crisp white shirts, the brides in voluminous white dresses and long flowing veils, and the bridesmaids, two tall, striking redheads, in simple long gowns of teal-green, the objects of attention of every young man in the church. Robbie and Casey said their vows, followed by Angie and Elio, no modern, New-Age poetry, rather those that had been said for generations, as sanctioned by church rite, traditional and heartfelt, while the congregation looked on in rapt attention. Sarah and Karen watched the children, little Joey, young Robbie, Caitlin, and now little Sarah, as their parents partook of the Sacrament of Marriage. Joey had given Angie away, Kat acting as her Matron of Honor, while Morag and Moira had been both women's bridesmaids, and true to her wishes, Frank had given Casey away, as proud as though he was actually her father. Sarah was so wrapped up in watching her boy get married that her attention momentarily wandered, only catching from the corner of her eye someone standing behind the pew where all four baby carriers were lined up. Suddenly Karen gave a cry and slumped sideways, As she turned in shock, seeing Karen slide off the bench onto her knees, she felt a blow to her face, the shock making her cry out, seeing a blurry shape lifting baby Sarah's carrier. She shook her head to clear it, to see a shocking sight; Steve Dolan holding little Sarah's baby-carrier, his face twisted in a horrifying sneer of mingled hate and triumph, and Karen sprawled over the three remaining baby-carriers, blood pouring from her split lip, desperately protecting the other three children with her body. Robby and Elio both turned at the sound of her cry, their faces also shocked, seeing Dolan with Angie's baby in his grasp, one hand holding the baby-carrier, the other holding a retractable utility knife near her. Casey found her voice first. "NO! No Dad, what are you doing? Put her down, you sick bastard!" she screamed, attempting to reach her father. Robbie held her back, realising their father had lost whatever tenuous grip he had on sanity, his expression showing nothing but animal hatred and rage. "You fuckers took everything from me, everything I had, my wife, you and all those bitches, they all lined up after you fuckers destroyed me, they took everything you left me, everything! Let's see how you like losing everything!" Elio was raging, fear for his daughter and outrage flickering across his face. Frank and Steve having to use all their strength to hold him back, recognising they were confronted with a madman, a madman who had nothing to lose, and had a vulnerable child in his grasp. Kat watched in horrified silence, terrified for the babies still strapped in their carriers on the church bench, waiting for the opportunity to edge her way to where Karen was kneeling with her arms around the three remaining baby-carriers, her eyes burning with anger, hatred, and contempt as she glowered at Steve Dolan. "You took everything from me, Angel, you destroyed me, you made my daughter hate me, now my business is gone, my house is gone, everything's gone, and it's all your fault; but now, now I get to pay you back, now I have your little bastard, this little bitch's bastard is gonna die, what are you gonna do? Fuck you, fuck all of you, this is all your fault, you brought this on yourself, you fucking whore, you and your fucking whore daughter!" Lost & Found Ch. 06 Pt. 01 In order for this story to make sense, it is advisable to read at least Part 5, as this is a continuation, set just a few months after the events told there. There isn't a large amount of sex here, and there is a second part coming shortly, so please reserve your judgement until that second part appears. Of course, the more eagle-eyed may be able to deduce who Luna actually is from the clues in Chapter 5, but part 2 will make all clear, I promise you! My thanks go to GrandTeton for once more editing, breaking me of my habit of writing long sentences that leave on gasping for air, and advising on the story-line and the continuity. My thanks also to Bonnie for liking this, and Alun S. for not actively hating it! As usual, please remember this is not the real world, it's my world, so the things that happen here are possible only because that's how my world works. There's no message, no acrostics or parables, no morality play, it's just a story a lot of people asked me to write; please read and enjoy, I know I did writing this. If you liked it, please vote for it, if you didn't, please tell me why. beachbum1958 ***** Chapter 1: Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning - Psalm 30:5 The handful of dry soil rattled on the casket lid, a soft sound suddenly loud in the complete silence. Joey backed away and stood again between Robbie and Casey as, one by one, everyone else gathered around the grave followed suit. His eyes were hooded, distant, as the unreality of the whole situation once again threatened to overwhelm him. A week ago she'd been shopping in Oakland with Casey, after leaving Joe Junior and young Robbie safely tucked away with Frank and Kat in Morgan Hill, promising to pick up a pizza on her way home. Now this was all that was left of her, a headstone and an open grave, disguised with artificial grass, in Colma, the Bay Area cemetery city. Joey looked over the heads of the gathered mourners, catching sight of the digger parked discreetly out of sight behind some trees, waiting for them to leave so her grave could be filled, underlining the fact of her death, the final act in her tragically short life. It had all happened so fast; the guy had been driving well, safely under the limit, no drugs or alcohol in his system; how was he to know the union seal on the brake line had failed, and all his brake fluid had been dripping steadily as he drove, air bubbles forming inside the brake line? He'd not even noticed his brake warning light until too late, and when he'd tried to brake at the crosswalk, his spongy brake pedal hit the floor uselessly, his brakes dead. He'd careened straight through, unable to stop, plowing into the knot of pedestrians on the crosswalk, finally crashing into the side of the cement truck crossing the intersection, to die impaled on the steering column. There had been several injuries among the people on the crosswalk, some serious, but only one fatality: Karen. Casey had just stepped onto the sidewalk, and was looking back to say something to her, not two feet away, when the old Dodge Shadow slammed into Karen, killing her instantly. Joey stood numbly through the rest of the graveside rituals, accepting the murmured condolences without really seeing who was offering them as people slowly drifted away until only family remained: Robbie and Casey, her hands clasped around her swollen abdomen, with Roisian Dolan, theirs and Joey's grandmother; Sarah and Steve with 2-year old Caitlin, Joey's half sister, Sarah outwardly calm and composed, but shrieking with grief inside at the hurt done to her boy. Elio and Angie were also there, friends and family both, with their baby daughter Sally, and of course, Frank, Kat, and both their girls, Moira and Morag, their eyes swollen and red with grief at Joey's loss, and theirs too. Everyone else withdrew from the graveside, to leave Joey alone to say his last words to his beloved wife, best friend, school-friend, and only-ever girlfriend. The rest of the family waited back at the cars, Casey gently bouncing eight-month old Joe Jr. to try and settle him; even the baby seemed to know that everything had gone wrong in their world, and Casey wasn't having much success in calming him. Joey finally slipped his sunglasses on against the blazing sunshine and walked slowly back to the family, smiling bleakly at Casey before taking the baby from her. Junior immediately settled down, content to be in his father's arms again, but his eyes still searched the familiar faces for the one face he'd never see again. "Just you and me now, little man," murmured Joey. "Mommy had to go away; she didn't want to, but she had to, so it's just you and me now, okay?" Casey listened to her eldest brother talk half to himself as he patted the infant, tears rolling down her cheeks for his loss, and for the loss to all of them. Karen had been one of the first people to welcome her into their family circle, and had been her closest friend and confidante, and Casey was still numbly trying to come to terms with her sudden, shocking loss. The family congregated at Joey's townhouse on Southgate in Daly City, together with Karen's younger sister and her aunt, the only family she had left, to talk, be together, and stay with their son, brother and nephew for as long as he needed them. It was Robbie who first started talking about Karen, reminiscing about their days in school, how she and Joey had seen each other the first day of 8th Grade, when she was newly-arrived in town from San Diego, and how they had been together ever since; he talked about how she'd become like a sister to him, the way she'd adopted him and defended him as fiercely as did Joey. Gradually other family members joined in, sharing their own memories of Karen, remembering her to everyone else, making sure their memories of her remained keen and sharp. Joey held his son and said nothing, preferring to keep his memories to himself. * The following day, Robbie and Casey attended another funeral; that of the innocent man who'd also lost his life that terrible day. They went with Joey and Sarah's full knowledge, to acknowledge that their family didn't blame him for what had happened, that he was also a victim of the same mix of circumstance and fate. The sight of his young wife and two small children was almost too much for Casey, but she still found the strength to lay a single white rose on his casket, letting him know that he'd done no wrong in their eyes, and he wasn't to blame for what had happened. * Life gradually levelled-off into a kind of normal for Joey as the weeks passed; GameStx had engaged a live-in house-keeper/childminder to assist him with this new phase of his life as a single-parent, and Mrs. Carrillo did indeed make a huge difference to his life. He'd initially considered requesting that he be placed on a part-time contract to enable him to work and care for Joe Jr, but Steve and Elio Vargas had both vetoed the idea; Joey was family, and too valuable to the company to allow him to drift away from them like that. Instead, they arranged for childcare round the clock rather than lose him. In addition, Casey and Robbie were only five minutes away, so most of the day little Joe was under Casey's watchful eye along with Robbie Jr. Joey seemed to be happy with that arrangement. During the day Joe Jr. had Casey as a reasonable substitute mom. Joey played with his son in the evening and gave him his evening bottle, and Mrs. Carrillo took care of the night-time feeding and changing, leaving Joey free to continue to develop and grow with GameStx. But it still wasn't the same for him; it never could be. Coming home every evening was a heart-wrenching, soul-numbing experience. Walking in the door of the house he and Karen had fallen in love with, with the tubs of flowers she'd planted and so carefully nurtured, the subtle hint of her perfume on his suit jacket lapels, and the faint lingering traces of her hairspray and her floral body lotion every time he opened a closet door, all these were taking their toll on him. Sarah watched helplessly as Joey grieved in silence, never revealing his pain and loss, his need to scream and rant at the universe for being so unjust, for taking away the one thing in the world he wanted and needed more than anything. His pain was her pain, and yet there was nothing she could do. As the weeks passed, he'd gradually stopped seeing Robbie and Casey, the excuses becoming flimsier and flimsier, until he'd stopped even pretending; their happiness was a stark reminder of what he'd lost, and he was avoiding them. Even more troubling, he was becoming more and more disconnected from his little son as his grief intensified and spiralled down into depression. Mrs. Carrillo had children Joey's age, and she watched helplessly as he slowly, relentlessly fragmented, her motherly concerns mounting daily as Joey became ever more distant and disconnected even from his son. Mrs. Carrillo finally decided that Joey's family needed to know what was going on with him, and voiced her concerns to Casey, who had more than a few concerns of her own regarding her oldest brother. Mrs. Carrillo told her how Joey had stopped even pretending to care about Joe Jr; how he came in from the office and went into his room, and that was the last she'd see of him for the evening; in the morning his car would be gone, and where once he'd called every hour or so to check on Joe, that had now ceased altogether, and there would be silence from him, nothing except a murmured 'Good evening, Mrs. Carrillo' as he came in the door before he once again locked himself away in his bedroom. Even the birth of Casey and Robbie's daughter, Roisian, failed to stir him from his apathy. Eventually, Sarah and Robbie decided this had gone on long enough; Joey needed his family, he needed his mom, he needed to find his way back to everyone who loved him, but most of all, he needed to find his way back to his son. The following morning, as he opened the front door to leave for work, Sarah and Steve, his mother and step-father, were waiting for him. He stared listlessly at them, wondering distractedly what they wanted at such an early hour. "Joey, we need to talk; we all need to talk. Forget about work right now. This is important." So saying, Sarah took him gently but firmly by the arm and piloted him back through the house, Joey unresisting as she led him into the living room and sat him down, her arm still linked in his. "Baby, this can't go on. Your son needs you, we all need you. I know how you feel; I went through this as well; your father meant the whole world to me, and when I lost him, I honestly thought my world had ended. It hadn't; I still had you. Now you have that little boy asleep in there, and he needs you more than ever; he's nearly a year old, baby, and he needs you to be his world now. I feel so bad for you baby, but truly, if you let it, this too will pass, I promise you." Joey looked into her eyes for the first time. "She's gone, Ma, all the plans we made, all the children we were going to have, the life we were going to live, they're all gone as well. How can I live when the only life I ever wanted is gone forever? I dream about her, Ma, and I dream about the kids we'll never have, and the places we'll never go, and I wake up and it's just me and junior alone in an empty house; everyone else we were supposed to have with us, they're all gone, they'll never be here, and we'll always be alone. How is that right, Ma?" Sarah's heart broke for the loss and pain in her son's voice, in his eyes, in his defeated posture, and she pulled him close, tears on her cheeks as the depth and intensity of his loss and grief hit her again. "Let it go, baby, you have to; that little boy needs his daddy!" she murmured, and felt him stiffen. "He needs his mom, and she's gone, and I can't...I can't do this without her...!" he stuttered, "Mom, she's gone, and I'm alone, and I need her so bad...!" Joey's words ended in a sob as he broke down, all the pain and loss and fear finally breaking out of him. Sarah hugged him tight as he cried silently against her, weeks of bottling it all up inside him finally taking its toll. Sarah rocked him as she had when he was small, comforting her son as best she could, a little frightened at his outpouring of grief, but instinctively recognizing it as the best thing for him right now. "You're not alone baby. You have me, you have Robbie and Casey, there's Steve and Elio, but most of all there's that little boy in there, and he still needs his daddy." Out in the hall, there came a light tapping on the front door, and Steve went to open it. Robbie and Casey slipped inside with quick questioning looks at him. Steve bit his lip and gently shook his head, squeezing Casey's hand at the look of alarm on her face. Robbie grimaced, as though psyching himself up for an unpleasant task, then nodded resolutely at Steve. "Let me go talk to him, Steve; I know what he needs right now." Steve shrugged and nodded in the direction of the sitting room. "At this point I'm ready to try anything, Rob; Joey's a mess and Sarah's really scared; hell, even Caitlin knows something's badly wrong with her brother; if you think you can get through to him..." Robbie grinned. "'Course I can, he's my brother; I know what makes him tick. Just leave this to me...and keep mom out!" As he went to open the door, Casey put her hand on his arm, concern for her oldest brother plainly written on her face. Robbie looked at her questioningly. "Baby, I know what you're going to have to do; just go easy on him, please?" she murmured, and Robbie smiled back at her worried expression. "Always, baby. Don't worry about Joey, I know him, he'll listen to what I have to say." Sarah looked up at Robbie as he slipped into the room, her face lined and scared, her eyes two pits of fear and sorrow for her son. "Mom, can you leave us alone please?" he murmured. Sarah glanced at Joey, once again sunk in apathy now that the spasm of grief had passed, and nodded, unable to discern if she'd even gotten through to him. She patted his arm and smoothed his hair away from his forehead, a gesture that had always irritated him, but now he ignored it, staring listlessly ahead. "Help him Robbie, do something, please!" she murmured urgently, "he needs you more than ever now, help your brother, please!" Robbie held her briefly. "Don't worry Mom; I think I know what to do; just leave us alone, okay? I've got some things to say that you don't want to hear, and I don't think you want to be here for that!" Sarah nodded. She knew how much Robbie loved and idolized his big brother; she knew with an iron-clad certainty that he could never hurt him, but she was intrigued nevertheless. "I'd like to stay, baby, I promise, not a word!" as Robbie opened his mouth to object. Robbie shook his head. "No, Mom, we've got to do this alone, just Joey and me; just leave us alone for a few minutes, please. I got this, I swear!" Sarah looked doubtful, but ultimately her trust in Robbie asserted itself. "Okay, you do what you have to do for your brother; just don't hurt him, baby, he's been through enough already!" Robbie grinned at her. "As if I would! Now, please..." he nodded meaningfully at the door, and waited until she'd slipped out and closed the door behind her before he sat on the couch next to Joey and nudged him. "So this is where you spend your time feeling sorry for yourself! I knew you were a fucking meathead, but a cry-baby as well? I ought to drag you outside and beat the man back into you; you're a disgrace, snivelling like a little girl in here. What the fuck is your major malfunction?" Joey slowly swivelled to look directly at hm. "What the hell did you just say?" he asked, animation in his voice and expression for the first time in who knew how long. "You heard me; I called you a snivelling meathead! What are you going to do about it?" sneered Robbie, watching Joey's face carefully as the jibe sank in. Joey looked at him in shock. "Rob, what's got into you? You can't talk to me like that!" Robbie sneered at him again, a lip-curl of derision. "No-one else in here crying like a girl! What the hell would Karen think of you if she saw you right now? I know what she'd say; she'd say you were fucking pathetic, that's what! What's the matter, Joey, cat got your balls?" A flush crept up Joey's face as his fists clenched. "How fucking dare you say her name! You're not fit to say her name out loud! You better get out before I forget you're my brother and kick your ass!" Robbie looked him up and down, and grinned tauntingly at him. "How you gonna do that, Joey? Gonna cry at me some more? Gonna blubber about how lonely you are? News Flash; we fucking know, so what? What the fuck makes you think I give a shit for a sorry-ass, cry-baby quitter like you? Act like a man, fuck-tard, or have you forgotten how to be one?" With a low, feral growl Joey launched himself at Robbie, hands reaching for his throat as his face twisted into a mask of rage. This was what Robbie'd been waiting for. As Joey crashed into him, he leaned aside, the two of them landing on the carpet where they rolled back and forth, Joey trying to hit, choke, punch, slap, anything to make Robbie take back those things he'd said. Robbie easily dodged Joey's rage-blinded attempts to hit him, and so they rolled back and forth on the carpet, Joey trying to gain the upper hand, his fists crashing against Robbie's biceps and forearms as he tried in vain to land one telling punch, something to hurt Robbie and make him pay for what he'd said. Robbie's solid, powerful arms formed an impenetrable barrier, raising Joey's fury to new heights as he forgot everything he and Robbie had ever been to each other; all he wanted to do was smash that grinning face, to hurt him for saying those things, to pound him senseless for daring to speak to him like that. Robbie's taunting grin ensured Joey kept up his furious attacks, his rage powering his fists as they battered repeatedly against his younger brother, trying to find a way through. At last, though, the fires of rage burned out, and Joey slumped forward, too tired to even raise his fists again. He rolled onto his back, lying passively next to Robbie on the floor, his chest heaving and his breath hissing in the sudden silence of the room. Sarah had heard the ruckus inside, and realised that, for the first time in their lives, her boys were fighting; no matter what she'd promised Robbie, she had to put a stop to this. As she tried to open the door, Steve and Casey both pulled her back, Steve blocking her way as she tried to push past him. "No Sarah!" he hissed. "Leave them be, they've got to work this out themselves; no, leave it!" They listened in silence until the sounds of scuffling died away. Sarah looked at Steve and raised an eyebrow in query. He grinned and took her hand. "Give them a few more minutes, babe, then you go on in. I think it's just about over now." Back in the sitting room the two brothers lay silently side by side on the floor, Joey's eyes closed as he fought to regain his breath, his heaving chest finally slowing to something approaching normal. Robbie had been waiting for that, and nudged him as he grinned up at the ceiling. "You done now, meathead? You ready to talk?" he asked, and smiled as Joey nudged him back harder. "Just lemme get my breath, and I'll show you who's done, you butthead geek!" Joey retorted, a faint smile twitching his lips. A shadow fell on them and they both looked up to see Sarah standing over them. "I may not know exactly what happened in here, but I know what I heard, and I never want to hear anything like that again! That goes for both of you! Now what the hell just happened in here?" Lost & Found Ch. 06 Pt. 01 Joey grinned up at her. "It's okay Ma, we're okay, we just want to lie here a little longer. Robbie and I got stuff to talk about." Robbie also grinned up at her. "Mom, this is kind of brother-stuff, we'll be out soon enough, just leave us be, we're alright now. Please, mom?" Sarah shook her head, but left the room smiling. Somehow, and she wasn't sure how, Robbie had gotten through to Joey; his smile at her had been his old smile, his voice had lost that dull, dead quality, and his eyes had been alive, not listless and disinterested. He was back; his brother had pulled him back from wherever he'd gone; somehow he'd known exactly what to do to snap Joey out of his half-dead state. Back in the sitting room, both brothers lay on the floor, gazing at the ceiling in silence. Eventually Joey stirred. "If you ever speak to me like that again, ever, I WILL kick your ass, that's a goddam promise!" Robbie grinned. "Yeah, whatever, you're full of shit; tell it to someone who cares!" Joey laughed and sat up, then clambered to his feet, extending his hand to Robbie to pull him upright. As he did, he punched him on the arm. "Thanks, bro!" he whispered, then flopped down on the couch. "So what next, Rob, what do we do now?" Robbie sprawled on the other end of the couch, staring pensively at the ceiling, gathering his thoughts. "Okay, Joey, this is what we'll do. You need to get away, you need a break from Daly City, from work, from all...this..." He waved his hand, conveying in that one gesture all the sadness and gloom that had gathered in the house. Joey grimaced, shaking his head. "I can't just...run away, just leave town like that; what about Joe, what about work..?" Robbie cut him short. "You need to leave this behind for a while; face facts, bro: she's gone, and you moping around here like some lost soul isn't gonna bring her back, and really isn't doing you or that little boy any good. I kind of know how you feel, Joey, really I do; when you lost her, so did I; she was my big sister when I needed one real bad; she was my family, I only had you, and mom, and her, and I loved her as much as you did." He closed his eyes briefly as he massaged his temples, his voice low and vibrant, loss and anguish clearly discernible just under the surface. "I miss her too, Joey, believe it; I miss her every single day, and so does Casey; she was her big sister, and her best friend; she can't bear to watch any of those damned movies anymore, because Karen's not there with her, eating popcorn and crying with her; we've got a big hole in our lives too, but we all have to find a way to let her go." He leaned back and studied the ceiling again for a moment. "You have to get away for a while, a few weeks, a couple of months, long enough to get your head out of your ass and back where it belongs! Don't worry about Junior; he's gonna stay with Casey and me; he's been pretty much part of us for months now, while you've been...wherever the hell you were. Don't worry, you know how Robbie loves him, they'll be good for each other, and Casey loves and cares for him like he's ours, so you know he'll be okay. Gramma Rosie's close by as well, and mom, so you don't need to worry about him; the family's got it covered. Take as much time as you need, a month, three months, six, however long it takes. Get your life back in shape, and come home when you're ready; we'll all be waiting for you." Robbie could see Joey considering the idea, so he let him think it over. After a few seconds, Joey spoke again. "It sounds like a good idea; I could do with getting away from here for a spell; y'know, one time I seriously thought about taking the "Lady Midnight" out and just sailing away, just letting the tides and currents take me wherever they wanted; perhaps you're right, some time away sounds real good. What about work though? I can't just drop everything..." Robbie grinned again. "Actually, you can; as of today, you're taking Leave of Absence for an indefinite period, due to family circumstances. Elio's already squared it away with payroll, and thanks to you, your team of marketing geniuses have several months' worth of marketing strategy and proposals to work through, so you can leave with a clear conscience; in fact, you're leaving today. I booked you a flight before I came here, so better get started packing, you have a plane to catch." Joey looked at him in astonishment. "Flight? What flight? Where the fuck am I going?" Robbie smiled. "You're going home, meathead; your old home; you're going back to Springfield, to mom's old house on Bixby. Casey thinks you need to be around familiar places and familiar faces for a while, all the things that were around you when you were growing-up; I happen to agree with her, so you're going. It'll be good, I promise!" Joey looked sideways at Robbie. "You knew how this was going to play out, didn't you?" Robbie grinned. "'Course I did. Let's face it, bro; to me, your mind's like an open book; a very small book, with very big print..." Joey grinned back and gave him the finger. "Fuck you, butthead! I'm gonna go pack. Just try and not lose my kid while I'm gone!" * Joey stepped out of the cab and stared up at the house he'd grown up in. In the nearly three years since he'd last seen it nothing seemed to have changed. The porch looked swept clean, the small front lawn was clipped and neat, and the flower-beds on either side of the porch were well tended and colourful. Sarah had said she'd asked her friend Jonah to keep an eye on the place; obviously people had taken the knowledge that Jonah Hollister was looking after the house to heart and left it scrupulously alone and untouched. He walked up the porch and put the key in the door. As he was fumbling with it, the sound of someone clearing their throat meaningfully behind him made him spin around, almost dropping his keys and flight-bag. "And just what you think you're doin', boy?" drawled the tall, hard-faced man standing at the foot of the porch steps, his ageless face smooth and hard as porcelain. As Joey stepped out of the shade, the man grinned, a mere skinning of his teeth, but it suddenly made him look a little less forbidding. "Damned if you ain't the spit of Sarah's daddy! You must be Joey; I ain't seen you since you was three or four. Your mama asked me to keep an eye on this place. I guess I can let go fer now. You here for long, young feller?" Joey nodded. "A few weeks, just until I..." The man cut him short. "Sshhh, your mama told me all about what happened, and I'm real sorry. Sarah tells me she was a good girl; there ain't too many of them these days, and I do grieve for your loss; she was your wife, and that makes her one of us. Sarah's real worried about you, so you need anything you just lemme know. You'll find the gas and electric's back on, I had Southwest Power out here this morning gettin' you all set-up again, and AT&T put your phone back on for you; they also gave you somethin' called 'DSL', and fitted an internet Hub, whatever in hell they are. My niece came in and cleaned up a little for you as well, and there ain't no need fer thanks; Sarah's home folks, and my friend, too, and I reckon she'd do the same fer me if I needed it. Y'all take it easy now, and there ain't no-one gonna trouble you, not 'less they want me explainin' things to them!" Joey was touched by his sincerity, remembering how clannish some of the families around here could be, and grinned briefly at the thought that his mom was nearly two thousand miles away, but this man still thought of her as 'home folks'. This must be Jonah Hollister, one of the notorious Hollister triplets, the one family in Springfield you most definitely did not want to piss-off. Jonah ran his hand through his buzz-cut grizzled hair and nodded at the house. "Luna stocked you up a little as well. All the essentials are in the pantry or the icebox, and I reckon you know your way 'round town real good, so I won't insult you and tell you where the stores are if'n y'all need anythin'. Your mama's old Riviera's in the garage. I got the charger on it; keep it on fer another couple hours and she should be good to go. If you need me, Luna's got my number; she'll look in on you now and then, she's a good girl, just like her mama. Rest easy boy, your mama told me you was here to try and get over your girl, you just get to it, no-one's gonna disturb you. See you around, son, and remember, you need anythin', anythin' at all, let Luna know." With that he turned and climbed into the nondescript Ford pickup parked on the street and pulled away. Joey grinned again and went into the house, looking around in wonder as he did so. Nothing had changed; apart from a couple of pieces of heirloom furniture she'd taken with her to California, it still looked like his mom lived here and had just stepped out for a moment. Most of all, he felt a weight lift off him as he relaxed properly for the first time in what felt like forever. No matter that he lived in California now, this was always going to be his home, and he was back. Joey dumped his flight bag and laptop on the hall table and walked through the house, soaking in the feel of being at home again, the soft siren song of childhood familiarity calling to him. A picture on the sideboard of him and Karen taken at their prom caught his eye, his heart suddenly turning over and pounding, and his breath catching in his throat as he saw that familiar image again. He stared at it for a long moment, then reached out and slowly, deliberately, turned it face-down. He wandered through the house, fingers trailing over the familiar things of his childhood, remembering, grinning at the height marks Sarah had etched in the door-frame, he on one side, Robbie on the other, eventually finding himself in the kitchen. He smiled at the unopened pack of coffee and box of filters stacked next to the coffee maker. He filled the beaker and poured the coffee grounds into the filter top, switched the coffee maker on and went back into the sitting room to sit and wait for the coffee to brew. As he sprawled comfortably on the couch he and Robbie had shared for so many years as they watched first cartoons, then, as they got older, their shared weakness, cop shows, once again he marvelled at how nothing had changed. For the first time in a long time, he had nothing to do, and the feeling suddenly hit him; what was he supposed to do now? There was no-one here but him. Was he supposed to languish in grief until it died away naturally, or go out and make new friends, or maybe look up some of his old high school buddies? For so long his decisions outside work had involved Karen; they'd done everything together, and had done since the 8th Grade. How was he supposed to do this alone, how did he even start? He went back into the kitchen and poured himself a coffee. As he took his first sip he heard the front door open. "Hello the house!" called out what sounded like a young woman. "I'm in the kitchen!" he called back, and carried his coffee back to the sitting room. As he walked in, a tall, pretty girl with pale skin, long, silky, copper hair and compelling green eyes poked her head in the other door. "Hi, you must be Joey. I'm Luna. Jonah said you'd be here. I hope the place is okay. I put some basics in the fridge, milk, juice, bread, that kind of thing, but if you need anything else just leave me a note, I'll pick it up for you. There's no cable hooked-up yet, but the local stations do a great line in farm reports, GOD TV, TBN, and Familyland, oh, and reruns of 'The Lucy Show', 'I dream of Jeannie', and 'Gilligan's Island'! Cable guy said he'll maybe be here tomorrow, but this is Springfield, so don't hold your breath! In the meantime, welcome back to the teeming metropolis that is Springfield!" Joey felt breathless listening to her talking nineteen to the dozen, and caught his breath as she stopped talking and smiled at him. He noticed her eyes, so like his Aunt Kat's particularly vivid shade of emerald, and her luxuriant bright red-bronze hair, glowing in the early evening sun, almost red enough to be true Titian, a rich, vibrant shade somewhere between bright chestnut and true copper. Something about her tugged at his memory, but it was fleeting, and disappeared almost immediately. Joey grinned at her as she wound down. "Hello Luna, this...all this, it's very kind of you, but you didn't have to...it's okay, really..." Luna smiled, her grin fleetingly reminding him of someone else, but he couldn't pin it down. "Aw, it was a pleasure; your mom's my Uncle Jonah's friend, they've been friends since Grade School, he thinks of her as family, so I guess you're family too." Her smile faded. "I know why you're here, and I'm sorry, I don't mean to intrude, maybe I should go now..." Joey shook his head. This girl made him breathless the way she rattled along, but he found himself enjoying her company; it was refreshing talking to someone other than family, someone who wasn't walking on eggs around him. "No, please stay...sit, please, have a coffee, I've got a fresh pot in the kitchen." Luna smiled again, and once more that fleeting ghost memory nagged at him, that feeling her knew her from somewhere, then it was gone just as quickly, before he could pin it down. "I'd love one; you sit, I know where everything is, just give me a minute." She was back a few seconds later with a steaming mug which she set down on a side table as she sat in Sarah's old recliner, one leg curled under her as she sat. They stared appraisingly at one another for a few seconds, strangers thrown together and wondering what to say next. Eventually Luna broke the silence. "So you're the famous Joe Anderson; did you know they still have your picture up all over Ellenbrook High School? Three consecutive State Championships; we never managed that ever again. You're quite the legend!" Joey grinned, blushing a little as Luna smiled at him. He was beginning to notice how attractive she was, and it threw him; the thought made him feel disloyal to Karen and her memory, but there was no denying it; Luna Hollister was a very attractive girl. She was above average height, but still petite enough to have to look up to look him in the eyes, something she did with disconcerting directness. She was possessed of long, slim legs and a small, neat waist, her lithe, slim, but shapely, figure covered but not concealed under skinny jeans and a tight tank-top. Her skin was pale, the merest hint of freckles dusting her cheeks and the bridge of her small, up-tilted nose, and her large, expressive eyes were a vivid, vibrant green. "So you're still in High School?" he asked, vaguely disappointed that she was so much younger than he was, but Luna shook her head. "Hell, no! I graduated three years ago, and I've been looking for a real job ever since. I worked for a while at the Dolanco store downtown when I was still in school, but I didn't like it there; Mr. Dolan kept looking at me real intent whenever he came in, it was just too creepy, so I quit, and then it went bust anyway. In the meantime, I looked after my uncles, although only Jonah lives here now. Uncle Jethro and Uncle Jerry are still in the Marine Corps, so they only come home when they get some leave; in the meantime, I'm on hand to meet and greet new arrivals in town!" Joey was oddly relieved that she wasn't impossibly younger than him, just four years, and filed it away for analysis later; he couldn't think why he should feel that way, and it unsettled him more than a little. Luna carried on talking, unaware of his momentary distraction. "Did you know my mom was your aunt's friend? Jo Hollister. She and your aunt Caitlin were buddies in High School. Mom used to talk about her, how Kate Moran was the prettiest girl in Laroque County, and about how one day she just split, left town in a big rush, and never a word to anyone. It was a nine-day wonder around here, in Springfield, hotbed of intrigue that it is; it was probably the biggest thing to happen here since the Civil War, and even then nothing happened here!" Joey grinned in spite of himself; he knew who Jodie Hollister was alright; his mom had torn a strip off him and Robbie once when they were eleven or so for spying on her undressing in her apartment at the intersection with Bixby and Lewis Street with the little 20-power telescope he'd gotten one Christmas. So this was her daughter; he'd never have known; Jodie Hollister was petite, grey-eyed, with dark hair, so Luna must take after her father's side. He could feel himself being drawn to this girl, much as he tried to deny the fact; her sense of humor, her quick smile, her soft contralto voice, and the nagging feeling he knew her from somewhere, all these things added-up to an intriguing package. Of course he didn't know her, he couldn't possibly know her, but still the feeling persisted, and wouldn't go away. Luna put down her coffee mug and stood up. "I'd better be going now, I've got chores to do back home. I'll stop by some time tomorrow, if that's okay with you; I kind of promised Jonah I'd look in on you every day, but I have to go now. If you're hungry, there's stuff in the freezer, pizzas and such; I didn't know what you liked, so it's kind of pot-luck. You have a good night, Joe Anderson!" Joey was more than a little reluctant to see her leave, and he couldn't understand why, then it struck him. She felt like Karen, that same air of quiet competence and warm compassion, and her almost supernatural way of relaxing him; he'd not felt so at-ease in company in all the months since Karen's death, and he realised he wanted to keep on feeling that way. Joey also stood up, grinning at her. "You have a good night too, Luna Hollister, and I'll be here when you come by; maybe we can talk some more." Luna flashed him her bright smile. "I'd sure like that. See you tomorrow, then!" The house felt even emptier now that she'd gone, so Joey switched on the TV, but was unable to pick up anything except the local station; true enough, farm reports, feed prices, hog auctions, reruns, and some kind of evangelical show seemed to be the choice for the evening. The Fox and NBC affiliate stations in Roseville and Piedmont Heights were unwatchable, the screen constantly dissolving into diagonal interference patterns, and the sound was hopelessly distorted. Joey gave up trying to make sense out of the fare being offered, and walked out to the garage, remembering that Jonah had told him to unhook the charger from his mom's '85 Riviera. He grinned at the dated, slab-sided car, recalling how proud she was of it, and how he'd scorned it in favour of his pride and joy, a less than reliable '89 Camaro IROC-Z. It was strange to think that this old bus was now regarded as a classic of the future in some circles. Joey finally raided the freezer, finding a stack of frozen pizzas, and a six-pack of Bud in the fridge, so contented himself with pizza and beer for dinner, while he watched back to back episodes of 'I Dream of Jeannie' and finally retired to sleep in his old room, tired, emotionally worn, but happy to be back in the place that felt most like home. * His sleep was disturbed and fitful; dreams of Robbie and he fighting, long, incomprehensible conversations with his mom and Steve. Finally he drifted into a dream of Karen, of the heady days after their wedding, buying and learning to handle and maintain the refurbished 35' Bavaria Cruiser sailboat he'd christened "Lady Midnight" in honor of Karen and her beautiful, jet-black hair. It was their first long trip in her, all the way north along the coast to Puget Sound, then threading their way through the straits and islands to Lakebay, to spend some time with one of their friends from school who'd moved out that way. Lost & Found Ch. 06 Pt. 01 Joey was deeply asleep, dreaming he and Karen were bustling about on the boat, and when he hugged her from behind, he buried his face in her lustrous bronze hair, enjoying the scent and feel of it, his hands roaming over her baby-bump as he basked in his love for her and thoughts of the new life growing inside her. Suddenly something struck him as very wrong; red hair? Karen had black hair, and she wasn't pregnant when they made the trip to Lakebay. Who was he holding? He spun her around, and it wasn't Karen at all, Karen was gone, and in her place was Luna Hollister, reaching out to him, her face concerned. "Joey? Baby, what's wrong?" Even her voice was wrong; it was Karen's voice, but Karen was gone, and this other girl was here in her place, talking in her voice. "No...no, why are you here, ...Karen, Karen, where are you...?" His voice trailed away as he took Luna by the shoulders, needing to drag answers out of her; what had she done to Karen, where was she, why was Luna here instead of his wife? Joey came awake with a jolt, most of the dream fading away, but the memory of dream-Karen sharp and vivid, and then she'd gone, and he'd dreamed of a girl he'd only met for a few minutes that day. Joey slumped back miserably; how could he get over his loss when she haunted his dreams and brought their life together back to him again and again, and what was he doing dreaming of Luna Hollister anyway? With tears in his eyes, feeling empty and betrayed by his dreams, Joey set himself for yet another weary, sleepless night as his emotions raged once again, misery, loss and anger churning inside him, compounded by his treasonous dreams about a girl he hardly knew. Morning found him once more at a loose end. Tired as he was from a night of little sleep and no real rest, he couldn't bring himself to try and sleep again; sleep brought dreams of her, and then he'd wake and find it had all just been a dream, and the hurt would roll back in again. After the vivid, disturbing dream of the night before, he had even less inclination to sleep. So it was that Luna found him, quiet, withdrawn, uncommunicative when she dropped in as she said she would. She tried to draw him into conversation, but from the tired look in his eyes and the drawn lines on his face, she guessed he'd had a bad night, so soon made her excuses and left. Joey was uncomfortable with her presence, but with her gone the house seemed even emptier. Every morning for the next week, Luna dropped by, checking on him. Joey had developed the routine of emailing Casey to give her a daily update on what he was doing and how he was, and from the tenor of his emails, Casey and Robbie decided that he wasn't making anything like the effort he'd promised to try and put his life back in focus; quite the opposite, in fact. Something was going on with him, and it was dragging him back down. They'd shared their misgivings with Sarah, and Sarah in turn had been talking to Jonah. He'd passed some of her worries on to Luna, who then pondered how to bring Joey out of the funk he seemed to be slipping back into. Finally, ten days after he'd first come home, Luna decided that it was time he stopped brooding alone in that house and found some of the world again, and with Luna, to think was to act. That evening, Joey answered a tapping at the door, to find a smiling Luna there, but instead of the usual jeans and tank-top, she was wearing a short-sleeved clingy white top with a low-cut back and a black tight skirt that barely came to the tops of her thighs. Her shining hair had been pulled over one shoulder in a loose twist and she was wearing black platform pumps, emphasising her long slender legs and making her almost the same height as him now. "Come on Joe Anderson, tonight Springfield awaits your presence!" she grinned, her eyes narrowing slightly as Joey shook his head. "Luna, I...I can't ...I, I..." he stuttered, making her purse her lips in exasperation. "I said, come on!" she gritted. "You've been holed-up in here for over a week now, you don't step outside, you don't talk, you just sit in here and mope; well I've had enough; you're coming with me, whether you like it or not, and I won't take no for an answer! Now get your coat, Joe Anderson, and get in the car!" Joey stared in silence at the fire in her eyes and swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. Luna stared at him in silence, one eyebrow slightly raised, a gesture he found hauntingly familiar, her flat expression segueing into a sunny smile as he slowly nodded and picked his leather jacket off the hall stand. "There now, that wasn't so difficult, was it?" she cooed, and Joey had to grin slightly at the note of triumph in her voice. They made landfall in a bar on Serramonte, what passed for 'downtown' in Springfield. Joey was intrigued to see the envious looks from the other male patrons, but no-one accosted her when she slipped up to the bar and had a quick, whispered conversation with the bartender. When she rejoined him, her smile lit up the room, and a couple of seconds later, a girl brought over two beers and placed them on the table. Luna picked up her beer and tipped the bottle at Joey. "This is nice. Thank you for coming out with me. There's a band coming on later; local boys, but I hear they're good. Maybe later you can show me some of those California dance moves!" Joey made to protest, but caught her teasing grin, and smiled back sheepishly. "I don't really know how to dance properly; Karen always said she'd teach me, but..." he trailed off, breaking eye contact and taking a quick swallow of his beer rather than finish the sentence. Luna reached out and touched his arm gently. "Then maybe I'll show you some of them ole Springfield moves, Joe Anderson. Why, we practically invented Western Swing, right here in good ole Laroque County!" Joey grinned as her accent broadened into a rural twang, Luna grinning back at the first genuine smile she'd seen from him. "I've got to go to the little girl's room; you wait here, I'll only be a minute," she smiled, patting his hand as she stood up and walked to the ladies' restroom. Joey couldn't help watching her hip-swaying strut as she walked away from him, her walk all the more sexy for being completely unconscious of his scrutiny; she wasn't trying to tempt him or work him up; this was just Luna being herself, and Joey could feel himself responding to her on all sorts of levels; part of him saw her only as the family friend trying to help him over his shattering loss, but another, more primal part, saw her as something else entirely: a beautiful, desirable girl. He tried almost in a panic to suppress and deny that thought; he loved Karen, and he always would; he couldn't help it that a small, treacherous voice deep inside him insisted that she was gone, and that life went on, and perhaps it was time he accepted that. Besides, how many guys had a beautiful girl practically dragging him out of his house to take her dancing? "Hey, you're Joey Anderson, aren't you?" said a young female voice, and Joey looked up to see a pretty waitress with a tray of empty glasses. "Guilty," smiled Joey. "Do I know you?" The girl grinned in an open, friendly way. "Prob'ly not; I was a sophomore when you graduated High School, but I remember you playing real tight with my brother against El Cerrito in the state championship playoffs; he was your defensive tackle." Joey looked closely at her, at her suddenly familiar features. "Wait, you're Elvis Hood's little sister? I remember you! How is your brother? I haven't seen or heard from him since the Senior Prom." The girl grinned. "I guess you know about him, how he was, I mean. He came out to Mom and Daddy that night, they had a real big fight, and he left right after. He's living in Long Beach now, he's got a ...y'know, a partner, they run a fitness club together, and I guess he's happy, he says he is when he calls me, and he don't sound like he's lyin'. He told me he'd tried to get with you, and how you turned him down but were good about it, and you didn't say anything to anyone, so thank you for that; I don't think the other guys would have understood." She smiled again, and leaned closer. "I saw you come in with Luna Hollister, so you just be careful; she's nice, real nice, and I do mean that, but just you remember: you touch her anywhere 'tween neck and knee-bones and she don't like it, her uncle Jonah's liable to get real indiscriminate on your ass, and if them other two are around, weelll, I wouldn't give much for your chances! Just a friendly warning, y'understand!" Joey nodded gravely. "No chance of that; Luna's just a family friend, helping me out while I'm..." The girl cut him short. "I know why you're here, most everyone in town does. I'm real sorry for your loss. I remember your wife, she was Head cheerleader, but a real nice girl, never acted like queen of the school or anythin' like that; you just take it easy now." Joey looked puzzled. "How do you know...?" The girl grinned. "This is a small town, Joey Anderson; everyone knew why you were here the day after you arrived; my mama told me; Lord knows who told her. Don't sweat it, no-one's gonna disturb you; I hear Jonah put the word out about leaving you be, but anytime you wanna talk, come on down; I don't charge for listening, and I guess I owe you at least that much for keepin' shut about my brother." Joey looked up to see Luna threading her way through the tables toward him, smiling at the girl as she took her seat again. "Hey Lou, how's your mom?" Lou grinned at the pair of them as she picked up her tray. "She's fine, Luna, and thanks for askin'. I gotta go now, but just nod if you want anythin'. See y'around, Joey Anderson!" * The evening was as much fun as any Joey could remember; the band was good, a sound somewhere between West Coast country-rock and Chicago urban blues, good dance music, and Luna made him dance with her, Joey shuffling self-consciously as he held her with a chaste space between them until she pulled herself close to him, holding his hips and making him sway with her. As he danced, he found himself remembering dancing with Karen this way. Strangely, this time the memory didn't sear him; instead, it left only a gently poignant, warm sadness, but also an appreciation of just how alive and vital the girl he was dancing with really was. Almost against his will, he found himself enjoying her lithe curves and the graceful way she moved as she danced, all the more alluring because she was unconscious of his scrutiny. Luna eventually announced she was all danced-out, and led Joey back to their table to sit, drink a cold beer, and share Chilli cheeseburgers and fries. For Joey it was the crown of the best time he'd had in what felt like forever. The food was good, the beer was better, and the company was exquisite, and he hadn't felt so alive and relaxed in a long, long time. The healing process had begun, and Luna had helped him get there, he suddenly realized, the thought making him wistful rather than guilty. Luna took him home, then drove away. As he turned to open the front door, he saw Jonah's Ford pickup also pull away from the side-street opposite, following her home, and grinned at the thought of her uncle making sure she got home safe and unmolested; Lou Hood had been right to tip him the wink about Jonah and his brothers. Still smiling at Jonah's protectiveness, Joey went to bed, and, for the first time in months, his sleep was untroubled and he woke feeling rested and refreshed, ready to face the world. That evening, he was unsurprised to hear that familiar tap at the door, Luna there once more, taking him out bowling this time, followed by pizza in Roseville. Thereafter, the pattern was set. Seven o'clock sharp brought that tap on the door, and there would be Luna, a fresh adventure planned; sometimes all they would do was grab a burger in Roseville, or Piedmont Heights, or maybe catch a cult movie in the old grind-house movie theater on Harvey Street. Luna loved those over-the-top slasher flicks, 1980's horror movies, and ludicrous creature features. Joey enjoyed sitting there in the dark with her while she giggled and gasped and clutched at his arm at the outré antics and bad acting on screen, although most of them made him squirm. Watching movies like 'Re-Animator', 'Basket Case', 'Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers' or 'Hellraiser' was never going to be top of his evening entertainment hot-list, but he endured them because Luna liked them; he just never got why the stupid-ass teen girl always went alone into the cellar/attic/woods/closet and got shredded, eaten, or zombiefied . And so they drifted along. Luna made sure Joey had no time to brood or mope; she kept him busy, and on those evening when she was unable to come over, somehow Jonah would happen to be in the vicinity and would drop by 'in passing', and he and Joey would chat about Sarah, about 'young Frank' and how mad he'd get if anyone called him 'Frankie', about the day he'd accidentally pushed Frank over in the school-yard and Sarah had descended on him like all the furies and 'beat him real good' for hurting her little brother, and how he and Sarah had called a cautious truce, said truce gradually growing into friendship and trust. Jonah also talked about his days in the corps, as a Staff Sergeant with the 2nd Recon Battalion at Camp Lejeune, NC, retiring when Luna was thirteen so he could look after her after her mother had died. Joey learned that both Jeremiah and Jethro were Gunnies, US Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeants, Jethro with 1st Recon at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, and Jeremiah with 3rd Recon, stationed at Camp Schwab, in Okinawa, Japan. Jonah seemed quite smug about the fact he'd made Staff Sergeant long before either of his brothers. Talking to Jonah (and Joey thought he could detect his mom's hand in Jonah's concern for him), Joey gradually came to understand how things had worked in Springfield. On the surface, it had seemed just another small mid-Western town under the thumb of the local robber-baron, but under all that there was a different town entirely, one where respect, kinship, obligation and duty held sway. It was almost with a sense of shock that he realized, because of his connection with Sarah, and through her, the Moran, Hennessy, Donnelly, and Mason families, and even a distant family connection to the Hollisters through their mutual Mason relatives, he was an integral part of that whole other community. It had nothing to do with who was a power in the town, and everything to do with who had respect and standing in the eyes of the populace; it was just a little weird to think that, because his mom was held in high regard in the real town, so was he. Joey knew how the Hollister family felt about the Dolans and their myriad hangers-on, so made no mention of his parentage; talking with Jonah he came to understand that the Dolans walled themselves away because they were not, and had never been, part of the real town; they had no respect in the eyes of the townsfolk. People sang low in their presence, because they had the power to decide whether or not their children ate, but it was precisely because of that power, and the contemptuous ease with which they wielded it, that they had no respect. Not a soul in town had shed a tear or marked in any way the passing of Jerry Dolan or his son, Steve, Joey's real father. As the days slowly slipped by, turning to weeks, Joey and Luna began to develop that closeness that only true friends ever do; Joey became used to, and eagerly looked forward to, Luna coming and going as she pleased, or turning up unexpectedly with a picnic lunch or a pizza and cokes, and they spent many an evening sitting companionably on the couch watching TV and commenting on the absurdities of the shows they were watching. Joey was still addicted to cop shows, and couldn't survive an evening without a fix of NCIS or 'Law & Order', something Luna conceded to him if she could watch Jerry Springer or the gross-out wedding and Prom shows on MTV. As the days progressed, he found it easier and easier to open up to her, telling her about his life with Karen, his son, his extended family (although he never went into the convoluted family relationships; it was too complicated, and still too personal for him to share easily). As a side-effect of his blossoming relationship with Luna, and at her gentle prodding, the tone of Joey's calls and emails home changed, letting his mother know he was okay, telling her about his days, and how he'd found a friend in Luna. He began calling Casey on Skype instead of just emailing her, talking to little Joe, letting him hear his father's voice, and smiling at his little boy's peg-toothed smile and almost-words as he tried to touch Joey through the computer screen. Chapter 2: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever - John 24:16 Gradually, imperceptibly, both Joey and Luna began to realize that being apart from each other made them uncomfortable, and it puzzled them both. Joey found himself waiting for that turn of the door handle every evening, unable to relax properly until Luna was there. Luna was feeling the same thing; her day wasn't complete until she'd seen, sat, and eaten with Joey, and it puzzled her even more. Neither of them recognized the growing attraction between them, Joey because his feelings and emotions were still blunted by his loss, and Luna because she'd never really been stirred by anyone before. Finally, one evening, instead of claiming a corner of the couch to watch TV with him, Luna, for reasons she didn't fully understand, plumped down next to Joey, tucking her feet under her as she slipped her arm through his. Joey was surprised at first, but said nothing; it felt good to have someone he liked and trusted cuddled up against him as they watched Maury Povitch and the procession of cuckolds, plastic surgery addicts, and unconvincing sex-change weirdo's trotted out in the name of entertainment. Finally, Luna yawned and stretched, stating that she'd better get home, Jonah was expecting her and would start worrying. Joey was reluctant to let her go; their evening together was the best and most comfortable he could remember, and he wanted that feeling to continue. Luna also was reluctant to leave, but she had to get home. Joey compromised by offering to drive her home, and Jonah could drop her back the next day so she could collect her truck. Luna agreed, and so Joey drove her back out to the Hollister place, near the state line, neither of them speaking, but exchanging glances and smiles all the way. It was almost a shock when the house came into view. The twenty mile drive had passed in what felt like an instant, and now he had to face the prospect of the drive home alone. Luna leaned over, and, to his surprise, kissed him, a short, gentle, 'thank you' kiss, but it was on the lips, and it galvanized him. His eyes widened, as did hers as she pulled back, blushing prettily in confusion, before climbing out of the car and leaning down to once more smile at him. Joey's lips tingled from the slight pressure of her lips, and he watched her go indoors, waiting until she'd closed the door before driving away, the memory of that kiss filling his head as he drove home on auto-pilot. Sleep came hard to him that night. Over and over again, the memory of that kiss, Luna's eyes and her blushing smile replayed in his mind's eye. Joey was at a loss to explain why such a simple thing had had such a profound effect on him, but he realized with something akin to shock that he'd liked it, and would like to do it again, and again. That thought rattled him; once again, thoughts of Karen and their life together came flooding back, but now the hurt and loss were tempered with the realization that he was probably ready to move on; while he could never forget or replace Karen, maybe he could start again, and maybe, just maybe, Karen would understand, and, wherever she was, she would maybe be OK with it, and let him finally let her go. Lost & Found Ch. 06 Pt. 01 His dreams that night were confused: images of Karen and their life together interspersed with flashes of Luna and her brilliant emerald eyes, her wide, generous smile, the sound of her laughter, her soft voice and distinctive Midwestern drawl, flavored with a soft Southern accent, her hip-swaying walk, and the way she tossed her hair out of her eyes as they talked. Joey woke refreshed and, for once, with the memories of his dreams intact. He'd spent most of the night dreaming of Luna, of her warmth and companionship, her beauty, her way of making him feel alive and connected again. As he pondered what that meant, it came to him that he might be falling for her. He was thunderstruck; it was like a light had suddenly switched on in his head, his own moment of epiphany. He spent the rest of the day in a daze, unable to relax or put his mind to anything, finally admitting to himself he was waiting for the sound of the door handle and her customary "Hello the house!", and yet dreading it as well. Uppermost in his mind was the fear that she didn't feel the same way, that she was just being friendly and kind, and that he'd misread her entirely. It was with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation that he heard the front door open and Luna's light tread in the hall. "Joey, hello?" she called out, but her voice seemed different, almost hesitant, apprehensive, even. "In here, Luna," he called back from the kitchen, waiting for her to poke her head inside and give him her bright smile. Their evening was the same as many other evenings: a shared pizza, followed by TV and maybe a couple of beers or sodas as they relaxed on the couch, but this time there was an undercurrent, a definite sense of things unsaid between the two of them. Joey finally got up the courage to say what he'd been feeling all evening. "Luna, I think we need to talk...about last night" Luna dipped her head down, then looked back up at him, a slow flush spreading across her pale skin. "About...y'know...?" she ventured, and Joey grinned, nodding slightly. "I'm sorry Joey, I didn't mean to step over the line or anything, it was just..." Joey cut her off. "Is that what you think this is about? Luna, you didn't offend me or anything; I...liked it, it was nice, and...I didn't...I mean I wasn't...! Oh Jeez!" "What are you trying to say, Joey?" she asked softly, and watched as Joey in turn flushed. "I guess I was trying to say it...it was nice, it was very nice, and I wanted...I wanted to do it again! I'm sorry if you're offended, I know you didn't mean anything by it, I...!" Luna grinned at him. "Listen to us, like a pair of kids on a first date! Joey, I don't know why I kissed you, or why it took me so long. I only know I wanted to, and it was nice for me, too. I'll understand if it's too soon for you, but when you're ready, I'll be waiting!" Joey was flabbergasted; he'd expected a lingering awkwardness after he apologized, and maybe a few days break from each other, not this; she'd liked it, she liked him, oh boy... Luna stared speculatively at him for a second, her eyebrow slightly raised, an expression Joey found attractive and still hauntingly familiar. She suddenly reached over and took his hand, Joey not resisting, thinking distractedly how vividly grass-green her eyes looked as she searched his face. Luna smiled and dipped her head down, and when she looked back up into his eyes, her gaze frank and unafraid, her eyes were their original lambent emerald again. "Joey, come here; I think I want to kiss you again, and I want to do it properly. Are you gonna let me?" Joey grinned at the absurdity of the question, as if a normal guy ever needed to be dragged into kissing a lovely girl! The challenge in her voice also struck a chord deep inside him, and with that came his emotional response; of course he was going to kiss her back, they'd come this far, what kind of a fool would he be to shy away now? Moving closer together, each seeing the other's need in their eyes, their lips met, slowly, tentatively. Joey wanted to hold her closer, to press his lips harder to hers, to probe her mouth with his tongue, but held back, not sure if she was ready for that. He was caught unawares when her tongue darted between his lips and brushed against his. Their kiss intensified as they tasted each other, their tongues gently fencing as they kissed deeply, finally realizing where their friendship had been leading them. Joey broke their kiss first, pulling away to look keenly into her eyes. Luna looked back steadily, a flush slowly creeping up into her cheeks. "Wow, that was...incredible!" breathed Joey, "I've never been kissed like that before!" Luna grinned at the compliment, even though she was feeling exactly the same thing; kissing him had felt new, and bright, and wonderful, like a door she'd never known was there had suddenly opened in her head, letting loose a feeling of something so right, so perfect, it was almost predestined in the way it settled into her mind. She knew at that moment that he was the one for her. Joey was having almost the same experience; his mind was racing as all the pieces began clicking into place at last, along with a certain sense of panic that he was somehow betraying Karen by feeling this way about someone else. "Luna, I...never thought I'd be doing this with you, it's all a little...sudden!" he finally managed to stutter, grinning weakly at the smile slowly curving her lips. "Joey, this has been building for days, weeks. I knew it, you knew it, hell, even Jonah knows it!" Joey's smile evaporated as he came back to earth with a bump; Jonah knew? Oh Shit! Luna patted his wrist as she grinned at his expression. "It's okay, he's not gonna rip your face off or anything; he told me to go easy with you, he said you were still hurtin' big inside and I wasn't to do anything to make the hurt worse, and we both need to make sure we knew what we wanted. I know what I want, I think I have from the first time I met you. Maybe you need to understand what you want. When you do, I'll be waiting." She stood up to leave, to sit back down abruptly as Joey grabbed her wrist. "Don't go, please! I know what I want, I think I did from the first time I saw you too; I just didn't know that you wanted it too!" He gave her an embarrassed grin. "I even dreamed about you, how weird is that? It scared me, it seemed too soon, I didn't want to let Karen go, and it seemed wrong to even be thinking about you, but it doesn't anymore. I don't want you to go; I want you to stay, if that's what you want..." Luna cupped his face in her hands, "I will, but you need to understand something; this isn't some one-night-stand, or a passing infatuation, or us flirting; this feels real to me, and it's what I want more than anything. If you can't promise to give me what I want to give you, then I'm leaving, now, and you better go back to California, because I don't know if I can stay here with you here, wanting you and knowing you don't really want me!" Joey looked into her eyes, seeing the determination there, and the slight quiver of her lip, and suddenly all his feelings for her solidified into a single, unbreakable certainty; he was ready to move on, and this was the girl he wanted. For the first time in a very long time, other, more basic urges stirred in him as well; Karen had been gone for almost six months now, and he'd been with no-one in all that time, and now, for the first time, he wondered how Luna would look naked, how she would taste, and smell, and feel as she moved against him, and what she would look like when she woke first thing in the morning, with her blazing hair spread across a pillow, and her marvellous eyes still soft and blurred with sleep. All those thoughts flew through his head in an eye blink; he realized she was waiting for a response from him. Joey drew a deep breath, knowing what he said next would be the start of a new life, or the death of something before it had ever had a chance to live. He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "Luna, you know why I came here, and you know how it's been for me sometimes, and I never really shared anything with you. Before we go anywhere, I have to make sure you're okay with what went on before, how it was for ...for Karen and me; the more you know, the better you'll know me, and when you know me better, perhaps we can take it from there. Are you good with that?" Luna nodded, curious to know more about the girl Joey had loved so much and lost so tragically. To date he hadn't opened up about her at all, and she hadn't pried, figuring that when he was ready, he'd tell her. Now it looked like that time was finally here. Joey began by telling her about how he'd met Karen, that first day in 8th Grade, and how he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her; how they'd become friends, then more, and before he knew it, she was his girl. He spoke about how they'd been the classic High-School pair, he the star quarterback, she the head cheerleader, how they'd gone to college together in Monte Vista, Karen studying Computer Science and he studying for an MBA, and how they'd applied for jobs at the same insurance company in Roseville. When Karen's father had died, her mother had moved back to San Diego with her younger sister, but Karen had gotten a small apartment in Springfield so she and Joey could stay together. Joey glossed-over his history with Robbie; it didn't seem relevant, but Luna caught the omission, especially as he'd let slip in previous conversations about his 'kid brother', but she chose to say nothing as Joey talked about he and Karen, their life together, their son, their home in the Bay Area...and the accident. As he talked, Luna noticed that he now increasingly referred to Karen in the past tense; before, he'd always spoken about her in the present tense, as if she were still around; now at last he seemed to be acknowledging, if unconsciously, that she was really gone. He told her how he'd made the decision to come home and try and put some of his life back together, and what had prompted his return. Luna smiled as he changed tack now, talking now about his childhood, and Robbie, how he and Robbie had been inseparable from early days, and how he and Karen had moved to the West Coast at Robbie's instigation, how he had become Vice-President of the company Robbie was now a partner in. Luna caught the omission again, the change in tone when he mentioned Robbie. "Joey, who's Robbie? Is he from around here? What's his family, perhaps I know them?" Joey grinned. "Robbie is like my kid brother; his name is Robbie Dolan. I guess you must have heard THAT name!" Luna looked astonished. "That was the boy who disappeared! The whole town was buzzing with it. They still are! Everyone thought his family did something to him, he just disappeared and no-one knew where he was. You mean you knew all along?" Joey nodded, his eyes far away, the soft golden brown suddenly hard and unforgiving as polished agates as memory flooded back. "Robbie's family didn't give a damn about him. His whole life they just kind of wished he'd never been born; they treated him like he wasn't good enough to be one of them, so they left him out of their family, their lives, everything they ever did. They had no room for him in their family, and so my mom took care of him when his own family wouldn't. He became part of this family; he became my kid brother, and when he needed help, my mom and my uncle Frank did what they could, and now Robbie lives out West, with a new name, a family who loves him, all the things he never had here." Luna nodded slowly. "I remember there was a...scandal; something about a scholarship, and a...sister? Yeah, that's right; she had something to do with it. I only transferred-in to Ellenbrook when I was 14, so I wasn't there when all this happened, but I remember the story about her graduation, how she got booed and slow-handclapped off the stage; she was supposed to be some piece of work!" Joey cocked his head at her. "It's not quite as simple as that; you don't know the whole story yet..." he rebuked her gently. "Robbie's sister looked for him, she searched for him for years, she was sorry, really sorry for what she helped do to him, and she really tried to find him so she could make it right with him." Luna backpedalled, realizing she'd just touched a sore spot. "I'm sorry, I didn't know; all I really know about what happened is what was going around the school; when it comes to the Dolan family, there's a whole lot of no-talking going on, even now. What happened, did she ever find him?" Joey grinned. "Oh yes, she found him!" he said, almost to himself. "She found him and she made it right. Now she's happy, and Robbie's happy; they're both happy." Luna suddenly realised the reason for Joey telling her so much; he was sharing his life with her, finally letting her know who he was, and the knowledge made her smile, something Joey picked up on right away. "What, what did I miss?" he asked playfully, and Luna reached out to take his hand again, sliding closer to him on the couch so they were almost hip to hip. Her nearness was doing things to him as well. "Thank you for sharing, Joey Anderson!" she grinned, and leaned forward, her lips brushing his. Joey almost recoiled, then leaned in, once again tasting her, revelling in her kiss. Luna moved closer, her arm reaching out to encircle his neck, while his arms went around her waist, holding her close as they kissed, gently at first, then more and more passionately as their feelings took hold. Joey found himself leaning backwards as Luna leaned more of her weight on him, until he was almost prone on the sofa, leaning against the armrest with Luna almost on top of him. Joey was uncomfortably aware of his erection pressing against the front of his jeans, the kiss stimulating him more than he could have believed; she must have felt it too as it pressed into the soft skin of her flat stomach, but she said nothing, continuing to kiss him as she undulated gently against him. When they broke for air, she grinned down at him once again. "So what do we do now, Joey?" she asked him, her eyes dancing. Joey grinned in reply, keeping the mood light. "I dunno, what do you think?" Luna tried to look demure as she smiled. "Well, I'm sure I don't know either, but you're a grown-up, I'm a grown-up, there's something I've been wanting to do with you for a while now, what say we go somewhere and find out if it's something we both wanna do?" Joey raised an eyebrow in mock concern. "Miss Hollister, are...are you trying to seduce me?" he quavered in a fairly accurate impression of Dustin Hoffman in 'The Graduate', making Luna smile. "Let me think, now; you just kissed me real convincing, like, your hands are like one inch from grabbing my butt, there's no-one else here kissing you back, what do you think?" Joey grinned even wider. "Good, I'm so glad, I thought I'd lost it!" he murmured, sliding his hands down to cup Luna's taut ass as he pulled her closer for a longer, even more satisfying kiss, Luna responding by wriggling and grinding against him, making him gasp. "You really need to do something about that!" she giggled as she broke their kiss, "and I think I know what works for that; follow me!" She pulled him by the hand as she stood up, Joey a little reluctant to stand to follow her. Luna looked at him quizzically as he blushed. "Maybe we should wait..." he began, and once again her eyebrow lifted in that naggingly familiar way as she smiled faintly. "Joe Anderson, we've been dancing around each other for nigh on three months now; I don't know about you, but tonight I'm done waiting for you! Now, are you coming with me or not?" Joey nodded, but still seemed reluctant. Luna cupped his chin as she looked up into his eyes. "What's wrong, Joey, really? If you don't tell me, I can't help you." Joey looked away in embarrassment. "Luna, it's been a long time since...since I did anything like this, what if..." Luna cut him off smoothly, a knowing smile curving her lips. "You'll be fine; it's just like riding a bike, only softer... and a lot more naked!" Joey grinned as he followed her upstairs, wondering what he was getting himself into, but eager for the chance to find out. Once in his bedroom, Sarah's old room, with the queen-size bed, Luna took him by the hands and looked into his eyes. "Now or never, Joey, this is what it comes down to; we can do this, and I really want to, or you can ask me to leave, and we'll never know. Dealer's choice, Joey." In answer, Joey pulled her closer and kissed her again, his hands sliding down her back to once more cup and squeeze her firm, shapely ass through her fashionably faded jeans. As he kissed and fondled her, Luna reached up and began unbuttoning his shirt, grinning in the midst of their kiss as he in turn fumbled with the waistband of her jeans. Finally, Joey left off trying to unbutton Luna's jeans to yank off his shirt, while Luna unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans to let him push them down past her hips. Luna smiled and wriggled and shimmied until her jeans dropped to the floor, allowing her to step out of the scrunched-up garment and kick it away. Joey's kiss intensified as his hands now slid and roamed unimpeded over her panty-clad bottom, finally pushing the waistband of the skimpy panties down to clasp and squeeze her naked buttocks, smoothing the soft, silky cheeks with his hands, lost in the sensual texture of her naked skin. "How about you, mister?" whispered Luna, smiling back at Joey's answering grin. He stepped away to unbutton his jeans and kick them off, then reached up to unbutton Luna's blouse as they resumed their kiss. Luna pulled herself closer to him, grinding her crotch against his, making him groan mid-kiss, the heat of her pussy evident even through the material of his shorts. Joey lost all remaining inhibitions at that point, pulling Luna's blouse off and reaching behind her to unclasp her bra all in one move. Luna seemed to be in the same place, her lips glued to his as she hooked the waistband of Joey's shorts, pulling them down until his engorged cock fell into her waiting hand. She squeezed it gently, feeling the texture and tenseness of it, enjoying his soft groan as she slowly pumped him, making him even harder. "Don't...please...I can't..." he gasped, but Luna cut him short. "No Joey, let me do this, then it'll be better, I promise!" Joey leaned back against the wall, his eyes screwed shut as all his need centered in what Luna was doing, her insistent pumping and squeezing of his already sensitive member bringing him on. Luna glanced up at him, at his tight-closed eyes and the pulse beating in his throat, guessing how close he was, and squeezed a little harder as she pumped once more. "Oooh GOD! Aaahhh!" groaned Joey as orgasm rose wild and unstoppable in him, Luna angling him towards herself as long spurts of semen sprayed from him, coating her belly as she held herself close to him. Joey's head rang with the force of his climax, the first since before Karen had died. Only the beautiful girl holding herself against him prevented him falling to his knees with the shock of his release. His heart pounded as the sweetly agonising totality of his orgasm rolled through and over him, obliterating all sound and vision, and his body shimmered and trembled like a softly struck bell. As the noise in his head gradually subsided, he slowly became aware of her whispering encouragement to him even as her hand continued to pump him, his ejaculation now tamed to a thick trickle that crept down over her clenched fist as she pumped him dry. Lost & Found Ch. 06 Pt. 01 "Luna, I...I didn't... " he began, trying to apologise for going off like that, but her finger to his lips silenced him. "Ssshh, it's alright, you needed that, we needed that if we're gonna have any more, so don't say anything more. How d'ya feel?" For answer, Joey pulled her closer, heedless of the streaks of sperm criss-crossing her belly as his lips found hers, kissing her with need and without restraint, no longer holding back in the slightest, his feelings for her now fully founded and part of him. Luna kissed him back just as eagerly, feeling the sincerity in his kiss, understanding that they'd just passed a milestone in their relationship. She broke their kiss to grin up at him. "Pass me your shirt, Joey; help me get some of this off me!" she smiled, Joey coloring as he saw the sperm smeared over her belly and his. Luna kissed him once, then took his shirt and swabbed herself off before turning to him and wiping the sticky mess off his stomach as well. "Your abs are like iron; you must work out regular," she commented. Joey nodded. "Robbie and me, every evening after work; we have a small gym at work, so we used to work out together. Lately though..." he trailed off as Luna, satisfied they were both clean enough, dropped the shirt and pulled his head down for a kiss. "Well maybe you can start again; you look good, Joey, you should keep it that way. You ready for Round Two now, baby?" she smiled, and to his surprise, Joey found he wa; her hands as she wiped him down had been stimulating him even as she cleaned him, and he was once again fully erect. Luna took his hand and led him to the bed, smiling as she lay down and stretched like a cat. Joey took the opportunity to admire her sleek, lithe form, her long legs with the small tuft of neatly trimmed coppery curls at the apex of her slit, with her shiny, moist labia just beginning to swell and darken with arousal, and her small, perfect breasts, crowned with pink, quarter-sized areolae and stiff, half-inch long nipples. Her skin was pale as milk, a white glimmer in the light of dusk, with not a mark or blemish to sully it. Her hair was a river of darkly molten fire flowing over her flawless white shoulders. Luna grinned up at him as he stood there, lost in admiration of her. "Well come on, City-Boy, are you gonna get down here with me or stand there like a statue?" she teased, her eyes dancing, and Joey wasted no time in clambering up next to her, eager to hold her close and feel her satin skin against his again. As their lips met, his hands slipped down to again cup and squeeze her ass, savouring the feel of those tight, firm globes as he squeezed and gently massaged them. Luna responded by gently undulating against him, reminding him, as if he needed it, just how much she too was into this. Joey began to kiss her along her neck and throat, Luna closing her eyes, smiling as he softly kissed her, teasing her with his lips. As he moved down, now kissing the base of her throat, Luna sighed happily, holding him closer as his lips moved ever lower, until finally his probing tongue gently circled and brushed against her stiff nipple, sending a sharp thrill though her. This was further than she'd ever gone before, than she'd ever wanted to go before, and the simple eroticism made her heart thrill even as she gasped in pleasure at the electric shivers radiated through and through her as Joey gently licked and suckled her. Now he continued, onwards and down, Luna gasping softly as he kissed gently in a line from the valley between her breasts, swirling his tongue for a moment in the dimple of her navel and hearing her soft giggle before kissing and licking her once more, until finally his tongue grazed and parted the soft, fine hairs decorating the apex of her slit. Lana moaned softly as Joey went where no other man had ever been before, her fingers twining in and stroking his hair as he slowly licked and teased the small tuft of red-gold hairs, enjoying the silky, crisp feel of the soft hairs against his tongue, tasting the subtle, feminine tang of her arousal. Luna wriggled slowly, languidly, lost in a world of sensation as he moved lower, the flat of his tongue lapping against the crease between her labia, feeling the lips swell in arousal as they engorged, heat radiating from them. With that heat, the scent of her arousal arose, stronger, richer, tickling his nose and exciting him, pheromones flooding his system and raising his own arousal to its peak. Joey lay between her thighs, the skin of her inner thighs soft and smooth, silky and warm against him as he dipped down to lick at the cleft between her swelling labia. Luna gasped and shuddered as Joey inserted the tip of his tongue between those swollen lips, feeling the heat as more and more blood flowed into them, feeling them swell and blossom even further against his insistent, probing tongue. Her scent rose even richer now, inflaming his brain with the need to possess her, but he suppressed his baser instincts; he wanted to eat her, to savor her succulence and lap her fragrant juices. He slowly, inexorably, licked her with the flat of his tongue, from the soft little pucker of her anus to the stiffly erect, glossy little pearl at the apex of her slit, savouring the rich, sweet, earthy taste of her as her fluids poured from her, soaking his mouth and chin and readying her for what must surely come later. As she panted and writhed, her eyes clenched shut as she grabbed at the bedding, Joey touched, teased, tormented, and delighted her with his tongue, feeling the first tremors of orgasm uncurling and surging through her body, feeling it in the tendons of her thighs, now taut as guitar strings, in the pulse-beat beneath his tongue as her pussy trembled and fluttered against him, and in the pulse beating in the hollow of her throat as sweat beaded her brow. Joey bored in relentlessly, holding her taut, delectable buttocks in his hands as he held her against him, worshipping her with his tongue, feeling the throbbing tension whipping through her, and when he finally sucked her stiff, swollen clitoris between his lips and licked firmly, she came in a screaming welter of hot orgasmic pulses. Wave after wave of hot pleasure surged and pounded through her, electricity sparkling and crackling all through her as her senses shut down in response to her gigantic, soul-shaking orgasm. A hot spray of her delicate, fragrant, tangy juices coated his lips and chin, filling his mouth with her sweetness as her body wracked and shuddered in the throes of release, wave after wave convulsing her, her body filled with liquid fire as light and energy seemed to blaze and crackle in all her nerve-endings, surrounding her in a white-hot nimbus of pure pleasure. Joey held her all through her paroxysm of orgasmic release, never relinquishing his hold on her as his talented tongue drove her on and on, until the moment finally passed and sense and sensation flooded back in. Her body felt limp and languid after such a cataclysmic orgasm, but she still had enough strength to hold him and urge him up next to her so she could hold her body against his and wait for the fires burning in her to die back to a slow roar from the thunderclap she'd just weathered. Luna smiled blurrily, her senses still tingling and shuddering with delight as she leaned over and kissed him softly, tenderly, her lips barely brushing his. Joey returned her kiss more firmly, pulling her to him as their tongues arched and fenced, their lips suddenly glued together as heat once more built between them. Luna gasped as Joey rolled onto his back, taking her with him so she now lay on top of him, her breasts crushed to his chest as his hands once more molded and squeezed her delicious ass, her knees planted on the bed on either side of his waist. "What now, Mister Anderson?" she smiled, feeling his stiff, swollen cock trapped between them, hearing his soft intake of breath with every move of hers as she slowly ground against him. "I think you know what you want to do..." he grinned, pulling her firm cheeks slightly apart in revenge, making her gasp at the sudden sensation. Luna smiled sexily, biting her bottom lip as she lifted up on her knees and slowly, deliberately, ground her hot, wet pussy against the underside of his throbbing cock, making him groan at the sensation. Luna suppressed a gasp herself at how good it felt, instead doing it again, and again, teasing and tormenting him, torturing him with what was so near and yet still not his. Finally, she took pity on him; doing that to him was making things happen inside her as well and she knew what she wanted from him now. Leaning down to kiss him one more time, Luna lifted herself off him and took hold of him. Joey's eyes snapped open at the sensation of wet heat on the head of his cock as Luna slowly rubbed him between her labia, lubricating him with her juices even as she felt his size. At last, unable to hold herself back more, she slowly sank down on him, her almost inaudible gasps of pain as he slid into her mixed and mingled with Joey's soft groans of pleasure as he finally entered her. Joey's mind was in a whirl; he'd never done this with anyone except Karen; they each taken the other's virginity, only ever been with each other, and now, to find himself doing this with someone else, all he could think of was Karen; but then a new insight intruded, his sub-conscious self shooting a gleam into his conscious mind; Luna was a lovely, loving girl, she wasn't doing this with him because she wanted to play; no, she was doing this because she'd realized he was the one for her. With that understanding came the final revelation for him; he could do this again, with someone else, someone who loved him for him, the way Karen had loved him, and he could love someone else that way as well. It was time to let Karen go now, and he realized, with no hint of guilt or betrayal, just a momentary sadness, that he could; now, at last, he understood; Luna wasn't taking Karen's place; she was the start of something new. A tear trickled from the corner of his eye, something Luna saw immediately, leaning down to look into his eyes, her own full of concern. "Joey, what's the matter baby? If this is too soon..." she began, but Joey smiled, his heart lifting at the love and concern he saw in her eyes, and reached up to pull her in for a long, heartfelt kiss. "Nothing 's wrong, baby, nothing's wrong at all!" he grinned. "I think I just managed to do what Robbie told me I had to do months ago; I finally pulled my head out of my ass!" Luna smiled again and kissed him softly. "Then that's two firsts tonight, one for you, and one for me..." Luna grinned at the expression on his face as he realized what she was saying, then squeaked in surprise as he pulled her down for another kiss, this time a long, slow, deeply satisfying kiss; a lover's kiss. When they finally broke apart, Luna stared into his eyes. "What was that for, Joey?" she whispered. Joey smiled back at her, his eyes clear and untroubled at last, but concern for her apparent in his gaze. "Why didn't you say something earlier, baby, I would have...!" Luna cut him short, her eyes dancing as a small smile played on her lips. "Sshh, I wanted it to be for you, something from me to you, and it was wonderful because it was with you. Now shut up and kiss me again!" Joey obliged, finally breaking their kiss to hold her close against him. "That was because I love you, Luna Hollister, I love you and I want you to stay with me. Will you?" Luna smiled back down at him. "Of course I will; I love you too, Joe Anderson, I have probably since I first saw you, I just never thought you'd ever feel about me the way I feel about you!" she grinned suddenly, a delighted laugh pealing from her lips. "Jonah knew! He told me to catch you if I could, and I just laughed it off; but he could see it coming all the time, that sly old...!" With Luna's declaration came a renewed need in Joey to make her know how he felt, to join with her. Luna gasped as his cock, still embedded in her, gave a lurch as he moved under her, pushing up against her. Luna responded instinctively, pushing down against him, her mouth falling open in a silent gasp as new and wonderful sensations raced and surged through her. Joey reached up to hold and cup her breasts, and slowly rub her nipples with his thumbs, Luna gasping as thrills ran through her body and seemed to ground in her pussy as she clasped his cock deep within her. Her movements became faster, more rhythmic as she ground and gyrated against him, instinctively rubbing her clitoris against the base of his cock as he slid his hands down to cup her taut cheeks, holding her against him as he pounded into her. Luna leaned forward, resting her hands on his chest as her hips ground against him, more and stronger sensations arcing through her, her heart-rate rising as wisps and tendrils of orgasm began to uncurl inside her, driving her on, until she was pumping against him as hard as he was pounding into her, holding her hips as he thrust up into her. Luna stiffened, sitting bolt-upright as a gigantic orgasm ripped and shrieked through her, closing down all her senses as white light flared inside her. She vaguely heard herself as she screamed in release, but it came from far away, a sound from a different time and place to where she floated between waves of pleasure that surged and battered her, leaving her almost devoid of sense or reason. As she came, her pussy clamped down hard on Joey, the sudden restriction tipping him over the edge, and she dimly heard his deep, inarticulate groan as he too orgasmed, pulse after pulse of white hot flame pouring into her, filling her with heat and pushing her even higher and further into that place she already floated. Finally, sated and tired almost beyond their ability to describe, the lovers collapsed together in a heap and tangle of limbs, hearts beating fit to burst as they descended from that plateau of pleasure. Their chests rose and fell rapidly as they fought to breathe, until, at last, their hearts slowed and breath returned. Tired limbs were stretched and luxuriated-in as the delicious post-coital afterglow overtook them. Joey held Luna close as her body twitched and shuddered as aftershocks rolled though her, gradually quietening until their bodies were still. Their breathing slowed to normal, and the heat of their coupling transmuted to a warm, drowsy languor before sleep finally took them both. * Joey came awake to see Luna's eyes open, looking into his with that disconcerting frankness of hers. He smiled tentatively, his eyes widening as the remembered rush of what they'd done came flooding in. Luna smiled back at him, and gently rubbed his chin with her pink forefinger. "Good morning Joe Anderson!" she smiled, her face even more beautiful in the early morning sunshine flooding through the big bay window. Joey searched her face, her eyes, looking for any hint or clue that she regretted what had happened the previous night, that she regretted giving herself to him like that, but he found only calm acceptance and warmth, his fears draining away as he realized she had meant everything she'd said and done with him. Joey wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, marvelling again at her eyes, at the depth of brilliance in the emerald coloring he found so familiar, and at the immediate need he felt to press his lips against her full lips, remembering their softness and eagerness to kiss him last night. Along with the memories of her warm silky skin, he took in for the first time the pale whiteness of her shoulders, like new milk, with just a hint of barely visible freckles dusting them, and the deep coppery magnificence of her hair in the morning sun, shining like burnished metal as it spread in a soft net across the pillow. "Good morning, Miss Hollister, I trust I find you well this fine morning?" he intoned gravely, the twinkle in his eye belying the formality of his words. Luna grinned, then schooled her features into lines of mock severity. "Fair to middling, good sir; however, I had a sorely disturbed night; someone couldn't keep their hands to themselves, and now I find myself temporarily with neither clothes nor dignity! I trust you will forgive my present condition?" Joey grinned and slipped his hands down to squeeze her tight little buttocks and pull her closer. "I don't think so; I think I much prefer you this way!" he grinned, nuzzling her neck, making her squirm and giggle. "Why Mr. Anderson, you're such a bad, naughty man, are you planning on doing to me again what you did last night?" Joey stiffened, the blood draining from his face as sudden realization coursed through him; last night! How could he have been so careless, what was he thinking? Luna pulled back as she felt his body stiffen, looking into his eyes and seeing the guilty recall there as he remembered what they'd done together. "Joey, what is it, what's wrong?" she murmured, her eyes widening as she realized what had just struck him. "Luna...last night, .I didn't even ask you, I just...!" he stuttered and stammered as the full awful realization flowed over him; they'd had sex, wild, unprotected sex, and he hadn't even checked, just gone at it; how stupid could he have been! Luna smiled reassuringly, her fingertip on his lips silencing him. "Sshhh Joey, it's okay, I'm safe...!" she began, but Joey didn't hear her as the panic roared through him, heavily laced with guilt and remorse for what he might have done to her life. "Oh shit, how could I have been so stupid, I didn't even check with you, I just dragged you into my bed! Oh God, I'm sorry, Luna, I'm so, so sorry!" A thought seemed to strike him, and his face paled even further. "Shit, what about Jonah, what's he gonna say, after all you did for me, both of you? I let you both down, I'm so sorry...!" He stopped for a moment to look her squarely in the eye. "Luna, if...if it should come to that, if, if it should happen that you're...that there's..." He took a deep breath. "I will do the right thing, I swear; I'll take full responsibility for my child, I would never leave you high and dry! I only hope Jonah gives me a chance to make it right with you...!" Luna grinned even wider and pulled his face around to look into his eyes, her fingers pressing into his cheeks, shutting him up as she spoke slowly and deliberately, cutting across his panic. "Joey, shut up and listen to me; I AM SAFE, got it? I have protection! Stop worrying! Jonah knows where I am, he's okay with it; I'm a big girl, now, Joey, I'm over twenty-one, remember? I wanted you, he guessed the truth, he told me to catch you if I could; I told you this last night, don't you remember? Calm down, baby, I'm here because I wanted to be here, with you, doing this, okay?" Joey pause mid-panic, her calm tones finally cutting across the knee-jerk reaction to the realization he was in bed with Jonah Hollister's niece, both of them naked as jay-birds, with ice-cubes of dread tumbling up and down his spine... "What?" he mumbled, his eyes narrowing at Luna's peal of laughter. "Joey, I'm here with you because I want to be; you didn't 'drag' me anywhere, give me some credit at least! My uncles are marines, remember? If I didn't want to, you'd be one sorry piece of road kill by now!" She smiled gently and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Honest, Joey, Jonah knows how I feel; he knew this might happen, all he said to me was not to hurt you. I'm a grown woman, Joey, not some half-drunk prom-date, and Jonah accepts that, so he's not waiting outside the door with a rope and a lynch-mob, I promise you! Breathe slow, baby, that's it, keep doing that!" Lost & Found Ch. 06 Pt. 01 Joey relaxed, his momentary panic passed, his thoughts in a whirl as he digested what she'd said. Jonah was the closest thing she had to a father, and Joey knew what he'd do to any man who'd done to his daughter what he'd done with Luna, and Jonah knew so many more inventive ways to inflict pain, if even half the stories about the Hollister brothers were true... Luna grinned and pushed Joey onto his back, sliding on top of him to lie along his chest with her face resting in the hollow of his neck. "Baby, this was my choice, and Jonah respects that; he's got nothing but respect and admiration for your mom, and he likes you too. People around here think he's some kind of psychotic killing machine, and maybe he was, I don't know, but that was then. He was a marine, one of the best, and that's what they did, him and other men like him, and that's why we live free." She grinned and tapped his chin with a graceful forefinger. "But now he's past all that; now he's just the town handyman, my family, and he thinks you and your mom are family too. Did you know he used to babysit you? He told me how, after your daddy died, your mom was living here alone, and he used to look after you if she had to go someplace in a hurry; he's known you since you were a baby, so relax, he'd be glad I finally found you. You're the kind of guy he's always wanted for me, and luckily, I happen to think so too..." Joey pulled her closer to him, their lips almost touching as she lay on top of him, smiling down at him. "That's good to know. You're really okay with...this, all of this? You know I can't stay here forever, right? I finally found what Robbie told me to go look for. Now I have to go back to my little boy, so I guess I'm asking if you'll come back to California with me...?" Luna grinned at him, her forefinger pressed to her chin in an 'I'm thinking...' gesture. "Let me think, Joey, in fact, why don't you try asking me nicely?" Joey smiled back, and slipped his hands down to gently squeeze her butt-cheeks. "Miss Luna Hollister, will you please, please, pretty please with sugar on the top, come back to California with me?" Luna pretended to consider his request, then grinned, her eyes dancing. "Now why would I want to do something as crazy as that? The very idea! You actually expect me to go running off to the other side of the country with you, City-Boy?" she teased, then gasped and giggled as Joey squeezed and jiggled her buttocks, pulling them apart. "Yes I do, because I love you, and you love me, and because I need you as much as you need me. That good enough for you?" he replied, nuzzling her neck. Luna nibbled his earlobe and blew in his ear. "That's true, can't deny that. Okay, I will. When were you planning on going back?" Joey rolled onto his side, holding Luna tight and taking her with him, so they were now lying facing each other. Luna once more reached up and lightly tapped the end of his nose. "Just so you know, I don't plan on being some kind of summer girlfriend; you're not some fling for me while you're here; I think you're the one for me and I have for a while now." She pulled herself closer to look into his eyes. "I'll give up all I have here to go away with you, because you asked me, and because I want to; but I need to know what you want from me, Joe Anderson. I want to hear you say it just this once, and I'll never ask you again; do that for me, and we can go today if you like!" Joey stared at her in wonder, astonished and humbled, but also deeply moved and excited at her declaration of the depth of her feelings for him. His hands caressed her as he framed a suitable reply. "Luna, the first time I saw you I felt something, it felt like the start of something, and I tried to push it away, because...well, you know why. But it wouldn't go away, and every day I saw you, I felt it more and more. I didn't know how to deal with what I was feeling, because all I wanted was Karen, she was my whole world, and even thinking about you felt wrong, so I tried not to; I tried, but it didn't work. Luna, I don't know how, or why, or what happened, but I know one thing; I never thought I could have that feeling again, I thought you only ever once got it so right, and I'd had my chance, and she was gone." He paused to smile into the distance, his eyes glittering. Luna reached up and gently rubbed his eyes, blotting the single tear that ran from each eye. Joey looked back down at her and smiled, his eyes clear and direct. "But I was wrong, Luna; I found you, and suddenly I found I could feel that way again, that perhaps, maybe, I was getting my second shot, the one I wasn't supposed to have; somehow you found me, and I found you, and I never want to let you go. Come with me, please, be with me, we can have a good life, a family, everything the world has to offer; I have a good job, a nice home, family who love and care about me, and I know they'll love you too. I can give you everything you want, just say you'll come home with me and be with me forever!" Luna raised herself up to look down into his eyes, her own eyes glittering as she smiled at him. "Yes Joey, I will go home with you, and stay with you forever, and we will have it all, I promise you!" Joey smiled up at her, then his expression became serious. "There is one more thing; I love my son, he's just over a year old now, and he's the most important part of my family; he comes as part of the package, so will you still take me, knowing that?" Luna smiled back at him, her finger gently tracing the outline of his jaw. "I knew that Joey, and yes, I will take you both regardless; babies need a momma, and that little boy's no different, so maybe I can be that for him, if you'll let me; besides, looking after little Joe's gonna give me some practice for when some more babies come along, right? I do promise you one thing, though; I will never be anything except his momma, and he will be our son, but he'll always know that Karen was his momma first, and that she loves him too." Joey smiled and pulled her close, Luna responding by showering him with kisses. As she undulated against him, Joey could feel himself hardening. Luna felt it too, and her wriggling and grinding against him intensified as she kissed him even harder. Joey's hands roamed over her body, touching, caressing, fondling and squeezing her lithe, tight body, heating her up even as his internal temperature rose at her nearness. Joey rolled Luna onto her back as he reared above her, looking down into her eyes. Luna grinned back up at him and nodded, her lip caught between her teeth as he slid into her, her eyes closing tight and her mouth falling open as he slowly filled her, gently stretching her open all over again. Her breath came in a soft "aaahhh!" as he slowly pushed his way into her, and her fingers dug reflexively into his back as he buried himself once more in her tight warmth. As he slid out of her again, as a prelude to slipping back into her, Luna lifted her hips, meeting him as he plunged back into her, and so they made love, their sexes joining and pulling apart as they pleasured each other, their breathing quickening as the need for release rose wild and unquenchable inside them. Luna gasped out loud as she peaked first, tightening around him as orgasm blew through her in a blast of heat and excitement, her nerve-endings alight with sensation as pleasure radiated out from her center. Pulse after pulse thrummed through taut nerves and stretched tendons, her entire body humming like a power-line on a quiet day as the pleasure coursed through her, a prairie fire that burned without consuming her, bathing her instead in a glowing heat that warmed her through and filled her with a deep sense of satiation. Joey gasped at the sudden constriction, the catalyst needed to push him over the edge, and he too gasped, shuddering with pleasure as jet after jet of sperm hosed from him, seemingly endless spurts of hot semen flooding her, splashing against her cervix as he gave way to his feelings and needs, the pleasure heightened for him by the knowledge he was making love with the woman who had promised herself to him. Joey rolled over to lie silently next to her, his chest heaving as the raging aftermath of orgasm controlled him, his muscles twitching and rippling as the adrenaline from his recent exertions slowly dissipated within him. His blood thundered in his ears, a lessening drum-roll as his racing heart gradually slowed to normal. He turned to Luna as she turned to face him, her eyes a brilliant, sparkling green in the bright Midwest morning sun, and once again a memory surfaced briefly, the certainty he'd seen those eyes, that smile, before, but yet again it eluded him. "Penny for your thoughts, Mr. Anderson." she murmured, her eyes dancing with amusement as Joey slipped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "I was thinking I should go and talk to Jonah, then call my mom, then call Robbie. They're all going to be so happy, well, maybe not Jonah, but he's the least of my concerns right now. There was one thing I forgot to ask you, probably the most important thing." Luan looked at him quizzically, again that so familiar lift of her eyebrow, then her eyes widened as she realized what he was talking about. Joey took her hands in his, and looked into her eyes. "Luna, I know I already asked you to come home with me, but I don't just want you to live with me; I want more than that, and so do you, I think, so here goes. Luna Hollister, I love you, and I know you love me; will you marry me?" Luna stared at him, at his eyes, reading him and seeing nothing but sincerity there, her serious expression slowly softening into a shy smile. "Yes I will Joey, I would be honored to marry you and be your wife!" Joey smiled, suppressing a sigh of relief; for a moment there he'd thought she was going to say no, that it was a step too far, too soon, but obviously Luna felt the same way he did. "And now we tell the folks!" he grinned. "Let's go find Jonah, it's too early to go calling the West Coast just yet, and he deserves to know first. Are you okay with that?" Luna grinned and nodded, seeing the sense of his words. "But first, we need to go downtown," he continued, "there's something I want to buy you..." While they showered and got dressed, Luna tried to get Joey to divulge what was so important they had to go downtown so early, but Joey just smiled and said nothing, and it wasn't until they stopped outside the town's only jewellery store that understanding dawned. "Joey, you don't need to do this, I already said yes, I know we're engaged, that's all that matters to me!" she announced, but Joey wouldn't hear of it. "I want people to know you're not available anymore; a beautiful girl like you is gonna attract plenty of attention in Daly City, believe me. I just want to make sure everyone knows you're taken!" he grinned, to which she had no answer, so she followed him into the store, to emerge with the most expensive thing she'd ever owned. Luna was almost speechless at how much Joey had paid for her engagement ring. "Joey, you have a family, you should be saving your money, not wasting it on me!" she'd protested. "If you really needed to give me a ring, any old thing would have done; it's the thought and how we feel about each other, not the price that matters!" Joey shook his head. "This is the new beginning we promised each other, this is how I mean to go on; you'll never want for anything, I promise, and neither will our children; that ring is my pledge to you, and I mean every word of it." Once they were out of the store and back on the sidewalk, Luna looked at him, her eyes once more searching his eyes, his face, looking for something, anything he wasn't telling her. Eventually she spoke, her voice low and throbbing with emotion. "Joe Anderson, I've waited all my life for this moment, and I think you should know, for me, this means 'forever', no half measures. I want you, all of you, and you're all I want, but if you can't say the same thing, then please, take this back and go get your money back. For me, it's all or nothing, Joey, and I need you to tell me if that's how it is for you too!" She paused to take a shuddering breath, her chest heaving with the intensity of her emotion. "I meant every word I said, about loving you, about wanting you, everything, but if you can't tell me the same thing, honestly, before God, then at least I'll know, and I can walk away and not live to regret this; I can't live with the fear always lurking in the background that one day down the line you'll turn around and tell me I trapped you, or it was a mistake; that would kill me, so please be straight with me, right here and now, tell me you're sure, that this is truly what you want, and that everything I'm feeling is what you're feeling too!" As she spoke, two tears ran down her cheeks, with more tears trembling in her sooty eyelashes, sparkling like diamonds in the bright summer sun. Joey was almost rocked back on his heels by the gust of raw emotion that blew from her as she bared her soul to him, his heart slamming in his chest as he realized just how much he wanted this girl, how much he needed her, and the depth of her feelings for him. He pulled her close, cradling her against his chest as he hugged her, trembling with the nearness of her, at the feel of her trembling against him as she cried silently. He led her to a nearby bench on the sidewalk, where he held her again while he waited for her to stop crying, dabbing at her eyes until she had her emotions back under control, then tipped her chin up so he could look directly into her glorious eyes. "Luna, I meant every word I said, and more. Every part of me, every least, tiny little piece of me, needs you, and only you. I guess I knew that the first time I saw you; it was like a shock deep inside me, like something I always knew, but I was still so angry and lost after losing Karen so suddenly that I didn't want to even think about you; but I couldn't do that. The first night I was here I dreamed about you, and nights after that, and I couldn't understand why, I wouldn't understand why, because I was still too busy feeling sorry for myself." He smiled, brushing his fingertip across her quivering lip, bringing a quick smile to her lips. "I dreamed of you most nights after that, and gradually I realized I wasn't dreaming about Karen anymore; I was dreaming about you...and me. I'll never forget Karen; how can I when she was everything to me, when I see her every time I look at Joe junior? But people change, things change, so I hope you'll understand that I should never forget her, for Joey's sake, but she's gone, and now I have you, and you have me, all of me, if you still want me. I know I'm asking a lot from you, but I promise you I will never give you cause to mistrust me, or a second's worth of doubt. I love you, Luna Hollister, I want you to be my wife, to be my family, and make a family with me!" He opened the plush ring box and took out the diamond-set platinum engagement ring. "Luna Hollister, will you marry me, love me like I love you, and stay with me forever? I promise you all my love and everything you could ever want, just please say yes!" Luna smiled at him, her lip still quivering, but it was a genuine smile, no reserve or unasked questions, just acceptance of the fact of Joey's honesty and calm decency. Love for him flooded through her all over again as she finally understood that they were together forever now. "Thank you for that, Joey Anderson, and thank you for being you! Yes, I will marry you!" she whispered, her eyes sparkling as Joey slipped the ring onto her finger, then leaned over to kiss him and seal them together, their kiss developing into a long, drawn-out kiss, heedless of the smiles of the other early-morning passers-by along that stretch of sidewalk. Eventually they surfaced, content and ready for what they had to do next. Joey was silent on the drive out of town to the old Hollister place to break the news to Jonah, and get his blessing. Joey wasn't scared; he was more nervous than anything; Jonah was the nearest thing Luna had to a father, and it was important to him that Jonah accept him as her husband, not just his old friend's son. Luna tried to convince him all the way there that he had nothing to worry about, that Jonah was expecting their engagement, but Joey was too keyed-up to let that sink-in, and it was therefore with a certain amount of trepidation that he pulled-up in the front yard of the Hollister farmhouse. Jonah was waiting on the porch, his face set and impassive as Joey and Luna walked up to him hand-in-hand. "Missed you las' night, Lu," he observed laconically. "I guessed you was safe so I didn't come looking fer you. Reckon you got somethin' you wanna be telling me, am I right?" Luna smiled shyly and nudged Joey forward. Joey swallowed nervously, his mouth suddenly dry as Jonah stared interestedly at him, daring him to speak. He cleared his throat and pulled Luna closer. "Jonah...I mean, Sir, earlier today I asked your niece to do me the honor of becoming my wife. I'm happy to say she said "yes", and I would therefore like to ask your permission..." He trailed-off as Jonah grinned at him, looking in confusion at Luna, who nodded encouragingly. Jonah stuck out his hand and Joey took it instinctively. "Joey, this is the twenty-first century, and I don't think you-all need to go asking anybody's permission 'cept the girl, but I'm glad you at least came up here and took a stab at it; it's good to see livin' in California ain't damaged your good manners none. Why don't we step inside and talk a little?" Joey and Luna followed Jonah into the large, meticulously maintained farmhouse and sat on the couch indicated while Jonah sat in the fireside armchair. He picked up his pipe and took his time tamping tobacco into it, then lit it, before sitting back and eyeing Joey. "It seems like only yesterday your mama was whaling me for hitting young Frank in the schoolyard, although it was an accident, I swear! Your mama and I been good friends a long time, through what she went through when your daddy passed away, God rest his soul, all that business with Frank and Caitlin, and all the while you were growin' up, so I know your family, and I know you too." He paused to smile encouragingly at Joey. "I know what kind of man you are, I knew from when you was just a baby just what kind of man you was gonna be; there's a lot of your granddaddy Martin in you, and I got to say, I think Luna picked herself a good one. I used to wonder what kind of life she'd have here, all alone, with no-one her age, especially after her mama died; none of the boys around here are worth squat, and I didn't want her wasting her life out here the middle of nowhere. Now, at least, she'll go out there and see some of the world. All I want from you is your word you won't hurt her; Luna ain't my daughter, but she's as close to me, and all I want is the best for her." He knocked his pipe out on the hearth and stood up, waving them both back to their seats as he poured two glasses of clear liquid and handed one to Joey. "To the happy couple!" he toasted, tossing his drink off in one. Joey looked sideways at Luna, who mouthed "be careful!" and so he took a careful sip of what smelled and tasted like a cross between rubbing alcohol and kerosene. Joey tipped back some of the spirit, his eyes watering as he choked at the sensation of someone shoving a hairbrush down his throat. Jonah grinned at him. "Smooth, eh? Best batch I ever made! Wanna refill?" "Uncle Jonah!" gritted Luna, getting Joey a glass of water from the kitchen. She waited until the coughing stopped, and handed the empty glass to Jonah, glaring daggers at him. Lost & Found Ch. 06 Pt. 01 "Not funny, uncle Jonah, not funny at all!" she hissed, Joey meanwhile trying desperately to catch his breath as the full effect of the moonshine hit his stomach; for one dreadful moment he thought he was going to throw it up again, but after a rebellious few seconds his stomach settled down again. "Baby, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let him give you that, it's 180 proof, somethin' went wrong with the still and it came out like that; he keeps it to give to Jerry and Jethro when they get out of line, and it's disgustin'!" apologized Luna, while Jonah nodded admiringly; even his two brothers wouldn't knowingly touch that stuff, and they were marines, notorious for being able to drink anything that poured. Jonah grinned placatingly at Luna, who couldn't help but smile back. "Welcome to the family, Joey! You'll make Lu-Lu a fine husband, I know it; I've knowed you all your life, even if you-all don't remember me much, but your mama's fine folk, and so was your daddy, all your people are, and I'm pleased you love my niece. You do love her?" he asked, his voice suddenly menacing. Joey nodded. "Yes sir, yes I do. I've got a good job, a nice home, a little boy who's gonna to love her like I do, and a family, well, you know mom as well as I do, better, even, so you know she's gonna flip over her, what can I say?" Jonah stood up, giving his hand to Luna as she stood up, looking apprehensively at him. "What about Jethro and Jerry, uncle Jonah? Won't they have something to say?" Jonah snorted derisively. "They didn't do squat about bringin' you up, 'cause they thought being a marine was more important; shit, I thought it was important too, but so's family, and we ain't got so much we can afford to let it go, so you go, live in California, be married, and be happy, and you let me worry about them two! Best you get movin' now, you got packin' to do!" Luna hugged her uncle, who looked surprised, then hugged her back fiercely, before letting her go. "Go on now, time's short if you wanna catch that six o'clock flight!" Luna gaped at him, then smiled her beautiful smile, even as two tears trickled down her cheeks. "I'll come back and see you real soon, Uncle Jonah, I promise!" she whispered, hugging him again, then darting from the room. Joey and Jonah listened as she clattered up the stairs to her room. "I'll look after her, I swear!" murmured Joey, and winced as Jonah squeezed his shoulder. "I know you will, son; your mama brought you up right, I know you'll do the right thing by her. Just promise me you'll marry her proper-like, none of this hippy, five-minute, standing-in-a-stream, California, new-age poetry stuff; she wants a proper white wedding, she told me that when she was a little girl, just do that for her, and Joey, don't you ever let her cry; she ain't never had much, and she deserves better than we ever done for her, so you just make sure you make her happy. I got your word on that, right?" Joey nodded. "I promise you, I will never give her reason to cry; I swear I will make every day a good day for her; if she wants it, I'll find a way to give it to her, don't you worry!" Jonah grinned. "I know you will, and I can't ask better than that; your mama told me a lot about you, I can see she warn't just blowin' smoke, so while you're waitin', call your mama and tell her 'bout you and Lu-Lu, she's gonna want to know, for sure!" Joey dialled Sarah's number, remembering too late it was only 7 a.m. in California, but Sarah picked up after only two rings. "Ma, it's me, I'm coming home, I'll be there tonight!" he said, homesickness suddenly leaping large in him at the thought of seeing his son again. He could hear the excitement in her voice as she called Steve to the phone. "Joey, are you ready for this, are you sure?" she asked, unable to keep an edge of concern out of her voice. "Never more sure, Ma...and I've got something to tell you; that girl I told you about, Luna, well she's coming back with me. Ma, she and I...we...both of us...she's the one, Ma, I'm sure of it. I asked her to marry me, and she said yes!" He could hear the wonder in his mom's voice. "Baby, are you sure, really sure about this? This is a big step, and you've got a lot of baggage; does she know what she's taking on?" Joey paused. "She knows about...about Karen, about Joe, she even knows about Robbie...well, some of it anyway." Sarah sounded even more concerned now. "So you haven't told her everything yet...about you, Robbie, and Casey, Frank, Caitlin, the whole story? These are things you have to tell her, baby; if she's really the one, then she needs to know what this family's been though, and who we are; it's not fair on her to leave that stuff out!" Joey lowered his voice. "Ma, I will, but I want her to meet everyone first, then she'll see for herself none of that stuff matters. It'll be fine, Ma, don't worry, she's a great girl, she'll handle it, I promise!" In Novato, Sarah stared blankly at the 'phone, then mechanically hung up, and turned to her husband. Steve held her while she patted his back absently, gathering her thoughts. "Penny for your thoughts..." murmured Steve, and Sarah rested her head on his shoulder. "He's fallen in love with Jonah Hollister's niece; he's bringing her back with him, tonight!" Steve stroked her hair. "That's a good thing, yes? You know this Jonah well, you've told me about him, you think they're good folks, obviously so does Joey. So what's the problem? What's really going-on?" Sarah sighed as she toyed with his shirt button. "He hasn't told her, about Robbie and Casey, about Frank and Caitlin. He's storing up so much trouble and he thinks he can handle it, but this is no way to start out; he should have told her, he should have been completely honest! Supposing she finds out and freaks out? We've only just got him back, what would that do to him? I'm worried, baby, I'm really worried, and I'm scared; I'm scared we'll lose him for good if this all goes bad..." Lost & Found Ch. 06 Pt. 02 This is the last part of this story, it's taken almost 4 years to get here, but I've enjoyed every step of the way. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to GrandTeton for his patience and restraint while leading me through the intricacies of punctuation and plausibility, with only the occasional clout on the nose with a rolled-up thesaurus to remind me when I was writing complete nonsense. A big thank you also to my lovely wife and her bonkers friends for entertaining me with their wildly implausible plot-bunnies, and for Lori, a special 'thank you' to Leroy Jethro Gibbs, to whom Jonah Hollister owes so much... This is just a story, from a time and place that exists in my world only, told solely to entertain. All characters are over 18, and are indulging in consensual activities. If you liked this story, please comment or vote for it, if you didn't, please let me know why. This final story segment is dedicated to all those nice people who asked for it, and waited patiently for it, and have been following Robbie and his family through all their troubles and triumphs. All my best, BB1958 ***** Chapter 3: whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. - Galatians 6: 7-8 Robbie paced back and forth in the waiting area in San Francisco Airport Domestic Arrivals, more for something to do than out of any nervousness; Joey was his big brother, and he was bringing his girl home with him, and Robbie was agog to see her, although you'd never know it to see him; Robbie was the personification of laid-back, Mr. Calm himself. Casey was another story, her nerves stretching thinner and thinner as Joey's flight adamantly refused to touch down even a minute early. She, too, was agog to meet this girl who'd captivated and captured Joey so quickly. At last, Joey's flight number flicked over from 'On Time' to 'Landed', and Casey moved up to clutch Robbie's arm, her nerves keyed-up to fever pitch as people gradually began to filter through the arrivals gate, but still no sign of Joey. For long minutes she waited, in an agony of suspense, and then he was walking through the gate, flight bag slung jauntily over his shoulder, holding hands with a leggy redheaded girl who looked somehow familiar. Robbie and Casey exchanged a quick glance even as Joey saw them and quickened his pace, a huge grin splitting his face. He and Robbie hugged each other, pounding each other on the back as they grinned happily, before he released Robbie to hug Casey, kissing her on the cheek as he did so. The greetings done, he took Luna's hand and pulled her forward. "Luna, this is my brother, Robbie, and this is his wife, Casey. Guys, meet Luna Hollister, she's the girl I told mom about, the girl I'm gonna marry." * Joey sat with his arm around Luna for the short drive from the airport to Daly City. She was silent, gnawing her lip nervously, her fingers twined with his as they held hands, a look of apprehension on her face as she waited to see what Joey's family thought of her. Every so often their gaze would meet, and his fingers would tighten on hers as he flashed her a reassuring smile. Finally he leaned over, turning her face to his with a gentle finger. "Calm down, baby, Mom will love you, I promise. The whole family will. Relax, babe, you'll be fine!" Sarah was waiting outside the house when Robbie pulled into the drive, her eyes shining, a welcoming smile on her face as she cradled Casey's baby daughter in her arms, little Joe fast asleep in a stroller next to her. Joey hopped out of the car and hurried around to the other side to open the door and hand Luna out; as she stepped out of the car and stood up, Sarah's eyes widened. She quickly schooled her features back into a welcoming smile. "Baby, I'm so happy to see you!" she grinned, hugging Joey tightly, while Joey smiled in turn, hugging her back just as enthusiastically. "Good to be home, Ma, I missed you, I missed you all! I want you to meet someone, Ma; this is Luna, and Luna, meet my mom, Sarah Vargas." As Sarah embraced Luna, a little body squeezed between them, a little girl, maybe three or a little older, with raven-black hair and dark, bright eyes. She had a strong resemblance to Sarah. "Joey, Joey! Where you been Joey? Mommy said you had to go away, and I asked baby Jesus every night to bwing you home!" Joey laughed, and picked her up, kissing her and grinning when she grabbed his ears and kissed him on both cheeks, then grinned and scraped the tip of his nose with her teeth before shrieking with laughter as he tickled her. He grinned at Luna, turning so she could see the little girl too. "Baby, meet my baby sister, Caitlin. Katy, this is Luna, she's my girlfriend! Say hello, munchkin!" Caitlin smiled and waved shyly. "Hello Luna, are you gonna mawwy Joey?" Luna held out her arms, and Caitlin climbed into them. As she did, Sarah handed him little Joe, still fast asleep. "Would you like it if I married Joey?" she smiled and Caitlin nodded. "Yes. Will you be baby-Joe's mommy too?" she lisped. Luna laughed, touching Caitlin's nose with the tip of her finger, making her giggle. "Only if he'll let me. Do you think he'll like me?" Caitlin nodded, and hugged Luna even more tightly. "You're nice. I like you!" Luna grinned, once again chucking the little girl gently on the tip of her nose. "Good, because I like you too! Will you be my friend? I don't know anyone here except Joey, so if you want, you can come and play anytime you like!" The little girl laughed, and wriggled in her arms. Luna laughed too, a happy chuckle that made the hairs on Joey's neck stand up, as once again a fleeting chord of memory struck deep inside him. His grin matched hers. As she put Caitlin down, Joey handed her his son, now awake and smiling at all the attention. "There's someone I'd like you to meet, baby!" he murmured, his eyes softening as Luna took the little boy and cradled him in her arms. Joe looked up at her, his fingers skittering gently across her face as he tried to touch her vivid green eyes. Joey watched in wonder as Luna and Joe locked gazes, the two of them silently communicating, something seeming to pass between them, something that Joe understood immediately. He gazed intently at her while his fingers twined gently in her hair. Joey let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding; somehow, his son and Luna had connected; he'd accepted her in the first seconds of meeting her, something Joey had never seen before. Luna looked deep into the little boy's eyes, his brilliant blue eyes tracking her emerald eyes, the two of them talking on some other level than mere speech. Joey looked around, and spotted Casey, her baby now in the crook of her arm, and his eyes softened as he saw his new niece. He held out his hands, and Casey smiled, kissing his cheek as she passed him the baby. "This is your uncle Joey, baby-girl!" she murmured, and Joey smiled, his vision blurring as he gently rocked the little bundle. "She looks like you," he murmured, his eyes sparkling, "but she's got Robbie's eyes, Case; you did good, sis, you both did! Where's Junior?" Casey smiled at his concern for his nephew. "Don't worry, he's with Mom, you know how she loves having him; she's probably spoiling him right now." Sarah ushered them all into the house and waited for everyone to get comfortable, then smiled, holding out her hands for Casey to pass her the newest member of the family before settling down herself. "All my children are here, and now we have a new one joining us; welcome to our family, Luna, and thank you for making Joey happy again!" Luna blushed as she smiled and nodded her thanks, then busied herself adjusting Joe's jacket to cover her confusion. Joey smiled and took her hand, lacing his fingers in hers. "Guys, it's been a while since I had anything to be happy about, and I'm sorry I made you all so worried, but that's over now, because, finally, I've met someone who makes me happy again. Luna and me, we've been talking some, and we'd like to get married as soon as we can, but nothing special, just a small wedding, family only. I'll leave that up to you, Ma, you and Luna are gonna have to work that out; I'm gonna be busy; I've been away too long already!" Robbie threw a cushion at him, catching him in the face. "Jest hold your horses, Tex, ain't no stampede around hyar!" he drawled, while Casey and Caitlin giggled, followed by little Joe. "Get settled in first, Joey. The place won't fall down if you take a few more days; believe it or not, I got it under control, meathead! Tell him, Case!" Casey knelt on the floor next to Joey and took his hand. "Take some time with Luna, Joey. Smell the roses. You've got so many responsibilities now, you need to take the time, because it's going to get really hectic from now on!" Joey looked at her in puzzlement. "What are you saying Case, what's...?" Casey stood up and kissed her brother on the cheek. "While you were gone, all those marketing strategies you had your team refining and getting ready for the 'Ghost Planet' launch? Well they worked, they worked so well you are now the West Coast's hottest, most talked about marketing boy-wonder! 'Ghost Planet' is flying off the shelves, they can't keep up with the demand. According to Elio, revenues are the highest this quarter the company has ever seen, and it's all because of you, Joey! Your name is being noised about by the great and the good as the next big thing in the world of mass-marketing. Everyone's asking who you are, where you came from, and most of all, what will it take to make you leave GameStx and go work for them!" She smiled at his dazed expression. "But now here's the best parts: GameStx and 'Ghost Planet' have been nominated for 6 awards at the Game Awards this year, and 'Ghost Planet' has 5 nominations for the BAFTA Games Awards in London; you're going to London, Joey, you and Robbie! What's more, Universal and New Line want to make a movie of 'Ghost Planet', maybe a three-hander, and there's a whole list of top science-fiction writers and publishers queuing-up to write the screen play and publish the tie-in's." She paused to grin at his glazed expression before continuing. "MB and Mattel loved 'Ghost Planet'. They think it's 'Toyetic', and they're really anxious to discuss a franchise to produce the Mrindaka, Stahamer and Illustra space ships, all the different battle craft and scout craft, and the Phobian Lightships, and all the main characters: Elias, Captain Jorru, Xyno and Nidia, Legion-Troopers, Skinwalker Cyborgs, Sihuoli Blood-Takers, everything. Congratulations, Joey, you just invented the next generation of collectible toys and tie-in merchandise!" Joey was looking increasingly shell-shocked, managing only a weak grin as Casey patted his hand. "Your way of doing things, Joey, all that stuff you convinced Steve and Elio to take a chance on? Well it caught all the big players looking the other way, and now they're wondering why it took a small software house like GameStx to show them how to market so innovatively and effectively that Hollywood bought in almost from the start of the campaign! You came out of nowhere and you've lit fires up and down the West Coast, Joey, and the world of Madison Avenue is baying for you! Everyone wants you, and Steve and Elio are chewing their nails down to the elbows wondering how to keep a hotshot like you on-side and in their game, so... Robbie?" Robbie grinned, and lobbed another cushion at him. "Welcome back, Partner!" he grinned, his smile widening at the blank astonishment on Joey's handsome face. "That's right, big brother; as of today, you are now a full partner in GameStx, with stock options, parking spot with your name on it, and one day, if we ever get around to having an Executive Washroom, you might even get a key. You've arrived, meathead!" Joey had a dazed expression on his face, but grinned when Casey hugged him. "Well done, Joey; love you, big brother!" she whispered in his ear. Luna was looking a little confused, so Robbie bailed her out. "Luna, Joey was Vice-President in charge of marketing; before he went away, he left a whole bunch of advertising and marketing strategies for his team to polish and put into action; they're all nearly as talented as him, so they did, and we took off in a big way, all because of my brother here! We couldn't have come this far without him, and we owe our success to him. Hear that, meathead? You finally got something right; not bad for a meathead jock, not too bad at all!" Luna looked sideways at Joey, her expression still puzzled. "Why does he keep calling you meathead?" she murmured, and Joey grinned, scooping her closer. "Robbie calls me meathead, and I get to call him butthead, because he's a butthead geek, ain't that right, butthead?" Robbie grinned and flipped him a lazy finger. Joey grinned at that and winked at Luna. "Of course, if anyone else calls me meathead he's a dead man, and only I get to call Robbie 'butthead', mostly because I know him so well, so I know what a butthead he really is...!" Luna relaxed, paying only vague attention to what he was saying, relying instead on her other senses to feel the truth of it. She was a highly perceptive girl, talented at reading people with very few clues, and she could tell Joey and Robbie were close, maybe closer than real brothers. She could feel their closeness almost like a sort of buffer-zone around the pair of them; a thousand subtle little cues that said they shared a deep connection. Strangely, she could feel that from Casey as well; she may have been Robbie's wife, but she obviously adored and was deeply attached to Joey as well, though not in a sexual way; in fact, it felt just like that brother-bond the two men shared. Luna tucked that one away to mull over at a later date; right now, Joey's family was her priority. She could feel the love everywhere, that odd, but somehow right, connection among Joey, Robbie and Casey, the love in Sarah's eyes when she looked at her son, Joey's obvious deep attachment to his beautiful little sister and, most of all, his love for his baby son. As she thought, she unconsciously swayed, rocking and gently patting Joe on the back, softly humming an old song her mom used to sing while working, only looking down at him when Joey caught her eye and grinned as he rolled his eyes at the infant. Luna looked down to find Joe fast asleep, his hand holding her shirt tightly, and almost gasped at the sudden gust of protectiveness she felt for this little boy. A lump appeared magically in her throat and her breath caught as she held him just that little bit closer, just a little more securely, motherly instincts she never suspected she had leaping high and fierce inside her. She blushed again, slightly wrong-footed, and then her eye caught Sarah's, who nodded approvingly as she gently rocked Robbie's baby daughter. Casey caught Sarah's eye, her small nod, and tapped Robbie gently on his arm. "I think we should leave now, baby. I think Joey and Luna need some time alone with young Joe. Come on, Robbie; help me get the baby into the car." They all stood, all except Luna, who didn't want to disturb the sleeping child in her arms. She smiled up at Casey as she leaned down to stroke the child's hair. "We'll see you later, you guys. Just get settled in; the fridge is full, or we can go out for dinner someplace nearby if you want. We'll all be getting together at Uncle Frank's place in a few days. Aunt Kat had to go out of town with the girls, so we'll go meet them when she gets back. I know she's dying to meet you," she whispered. "Just be ready for the twins; they're a little much to take in all at once!" With a final flurry of whispered 'goodbyes', the family left them to get settled in. Luna smiled as she settled back in the couch, cradling Joe to her. "Your family are lovely, Joey; I'm glad I met them," she murmured, holding it down so as not to wake the sleeping infant. Joey sat next to her and stroked his son's hair. "They liked you too, baby. I think you're gonna fit in just fine around here. It's been a long day, so let's get you unpacked and then we can think about dinner. Casey mentioned she asked you..." Luna shook her head, cutting off the unspoken question. "No baby, I'm dead on my feet; please, can we take a rain-check? Tomorrow, once I figure out where I am and what I do next. Do you mind waiting just a little while, just so I can get my bearings?" Joey grinned, his naturally sunny temperament coming to the fore. He reached out and smoothed a stray lock out of the way so he could see her face properly and nodded at her answering smile. As she made to stand up, a thought struck her. "Joey, do I know Casey's family at all? What I mean is, is she from Springfield? I have to ask, she just seems kinda familiar, and she sure doesn't talk like she's from around here. And while we're talking about family, when will I meet Robbie's sister? Why wasn't she here to meet you? You've been away a while, why didn't...?" Robbie bit his lip, wondering how to answer her, but then plowed on; his mom had been right. Honesty was what was important now. "Baby, you did meet her, she was here," he said, watching Luna's expression closely as he said it. Luna looked puzzled, then suddenly her eyes widened as comprehension dawned, her mouth twisting in distaste. "Casey?" she gasped, "How? I mean...what...that's just not right, it's...oh my God, how could they...!" Joey took her hand as her she trailed off. "It's not like that, baby, really; remember I told you how Robbie's sister spent all those years looking for him? Well she found him, by pure chance, and she finally got to tell him how sorry she was; all she wanted to do was make it right with him, to connect with her big brother at last. Well, she did, and then they found something else as well; they found each other." He paused, his eyes far away, smiling faintly at the memory of the first time he'd met Casey in several years, in Robbie's condo in Daly City when he and Karen had stopped by on a whim on their way back to Springfield. "Casey says that when she found Robbie, she found that part of her that she'd always felt was missing, and I guess Robbie felt the same, because here they are, and they're as tight now as they were then. Don't judge them, babe; everyone needs someone, and Robbie and Casey need each other; they're in love, and it's no-one's business but their own." Luna stared at Joey, feeling that instant surge of revulsion die away as she listened to his acceptance of what Robbie and Casey were doing. Her own generous nature allowed her to grasp an inkling of what they must have felt, how they must have agonized over this, and finally to have made such a decision in the face of all the prohibitions against it; they must really be deeply in love to ignore all that. Joey watched her carefully, seeing the understanding, and acceptance slowly dawning in her eyes. "You're right, Joey. It is their own business. I guess a country-girl like me needs a little time to wise up to the ways of you city-folk! Comes to that, I guess you city folk don't have a monopoly on that kinda thing, if some of the stuff I hear about what goes on down in Sweetman County 's even half true!" Joey grinned, and helped her up, holding her close as she kissed him. "I still meant what I said, City-Boy; you have a lovely family!" she whispered. "Now let's put the baby in his room. I have plans for you!" * Once they'd changed little Joe and tucked him in properly, Luna watched him sleep while Joey put his bottle, made-up earlier by Casey, in the fridge, and then they tiptoed from Joe's room and into the master bedroom. Someone had tactfully put the large framed picture of Joey and Karen on their wedding day in the dresser drawer, Joey saw with a small pang of guilt and regret. Luna saw his expression as he ran his finger lightly over the glass, tracing the outline of Karen's face, and gently pulled the photograph out of the drawer and put it back on the dresser. Joey looked at her in surprise as she smiled at him. Lost & Found Ch. 06 Pt. 02 "Why...?" he began, before she touched his lips with her finger, silencing him. "Because this is her home too, baby. This was hers, you were hers, long before you were mine, and she's still part of you, of both of you. One day that little boy will need to know who his momma was, so leave that picture there, and let her see him every day, and he can see her, and maybe they'll work somethin' out together. You need it too, baby; she didn't leave you; she didn't run off and desert you and her baby; she was taken from you, for no good reason, and that's why she's still a part of you, and she always will be; I understand and accept that. Now make me feel at home, too, Joey Anderson!" Joey stared at her in wonder, amazed again at her maturity and acceptance, and her compassion and understanding. "How did I ever deserve you?" he smiled as she nuzzled his neck while unbuttoning his shirt. Luna nipped him even as his hands slid around her waist, then strayed lower, to cup and squeeze her taut rump. "Give me a while to figure it out, hotshot!" she purred as she ground herself against the bulge suddenly tenting the front of his jeans. Joey grinned happily as he fumbled with the button of her jeans. As he unsnapped the button, he slid his hands under the waistband and into her jeans, pushing them down even as he once more squeezed her bottom, making her giggle. "Wait up, baby, I got this!" she husked, wriggling her hips as she pulled her jeans down and kicked them off. Joey grinned as his hands once more slipped down and around her tempting ass, revelling in the feel of the taut, smooth flesh molding against his gently squeezing hands. Luna giggled as she leaned away slightly so she could pull her top over her head, to stand in his arms in just her bra and panties. Joey's eyes sparkled as his head dipped down to kiss her throat, her shoulder, eventually planting a gentle kiss on the swell of her breast in its fabric case. "It unsnaps at the front..." she whispered, as Joey grazed on her breasts, his hands still gently fondling and squeezing her bottom. "I know, baby, give me time," he murmured, enjoying the feel of her warm, smooth skin against his lips, then lightly kissing her back up along her throat, her chin, to once more kiss her lips. They kissed gently, unhurriedly, Joey slipping his tongue into her mouth to fence and tangle with hers, his fingers unhooking her bra clasp so she could shrug it off and he could hold her firm little breasts cupped in his hands again. His thumbs gently brushed against her stiff, sensitive nipples, making her gasp and writhe with every caress. Now Luna unbuckled his belt and slid it out of the loops before she undid the button on his jeans. Joey toed his shoes off and sat on the bed so he could pull his jeans off, then pulled her closer, his lips finding her nipples even as his hands once more clenched around her taut ass. He held her close while he suckled her delightfully stiff, fat little nipples. Luna slipped her thumbs into the waistband of her panties and began to slide them down, but Joey took over, his hands smoothing her flanks as he slowly slid the wispy material down her smooth thighs and past her knees. Luna stepped out of her panties and grinned as she pushed him flat on his back. As he reached for her, she grabbed the hem of his shorts and tugged sharply, yanking them off him in one fluid motion. "Me naked, you naked, Joey, that's how it works!" she grinned, arms akimbo at the foot of the bed. Joey gazed wonderingly at her in the soft golden light from the bedside lamps, her pale skin touched to a pale gold, and her hair like lustrous antique bronze, a deep mahogany with glints of gold in the warm light; only the green of her eyes remained untouched by the golden light, still clear and bright, like vivid, sun-touched emeralds, deep and entrancing. He stared at her, enthralled by her beauty, enchanted by her presence, his head swirling with how much he wanted her, and not just the bodily need of a man for his woman; something deeper inside him, something primal and seated in the very core of him, needed her, wanted her, had already made her part of him, and it would not be denied. "Come to bed, baby..." he whispered, unable to speak louder as the moment of enchantment overwhelmed him; he held out his hand to her, and she came to him, her soft body molding against his as their lips met. This time there was no light-hearted play, no bantering or teasing; something deeper and more deep-seated than either of them could comprehend grew about them, an unquestionable and undeniable 'rightness'; they were meant to be together, they were meant to be here, and this would always be their moment, the moment they truly became one. Luna again ground and rubbed herself against him, feeling again that need, the need to hold him, and possess him, and be taken by him, and her kisses showed it as they kissed almost hard enough to bruise their lips. Joey too felt that same urge, his cock aching with the need to bury itself in her, to fill her as he fucked her wildly. His lips sought out her nipples, his tongue and teeth grazing, licking, sucking, driving her wild with lustful need. First, though, there was something she wanted to give her man. With a heave, Luna rolled Joey onto his back, her lips and teeth grazing his nipples as she squeezed and pumped his throbbing erection, making him groan and shudder with renewed lust and the need to slake it soon. Luna continued to kiss and lick his chest, his stomach, wondering at her heightened perception of the taste of him, of his skin and the sharp, tangy sweat, at the texture of each crisp hair on his chest and outlining his well-defined 'six-pack', to that line of short, fine hairs leading from his navel to merge with the dark blond mass of crisp curls at the base of his cock. Joey writhed as she teased and tormented him, her fingers still pumping him as she kissed his torso. Suddenly, she broke off her kissing and nibbling him. When he looked up into her eyes, she smiled slyly at him, her eyes glinting wickedly. "Something special for you baby...!" she whispered, and then he closed his eyes and tensed, groaning out loud as her soft, glistening lips closed tightly around the head of his straining cock. Jagged bolts of light flared and flashed behind his eyelids as the hot succulence of her mouth enclosed and overwhelmed him, the shock of pleasure almost tipping him over the edge there and then as almost forgotten sensations once more made themselves felt. Joey gritted his teeth, trying desperately to hold back as the hot suctioning drove spikes of pleasure into his brain. Luna could feel him alternately tensing and relaxing as his body tried to override his mind, his muscles quivering with tension as he fought to hold back, to prolong what he was feeling. She smiled to herself even as her lips slid up and down on him, the taste of him also waking deep and primal instincts in her. "No, wait...please..." he gasped, and she looked at him in surprise, and then, as he took her hand, she smiled in understanding. Without relinquishing her grip on him, she threw her leg over him, straddling him even as her head once more dipped down. Joey pulled her hips closer, listening with satisfaction to her gasp as he pulled her taut buttocks apart, and buried his face between them, his tongue once more probing her wet succulence, and gently lapping at the tense little crinkle of her tight anus, making her shudder and gasp each time his tongue-tip prodded gently against that enticing little target. And so they writhed and gasped together, each pleasuring the other, lips and tongues teasing, tasting, arousing to a fever pitch, both holding back from that final surge, each savouring the moment, and delaying the inevitable. At last, Luna couldn't take it any longer. Her movements against him told him she was nearing the point of no return, and so he too began to relax, letting his feelings have free rein, feeling her lips sink lower and lower on his aching cock, the urge to explode inside her, anywhere inside her, rising wild and uncontrollable. "Ooohhh, Goooddd, oooohhh yesss!" she growled, her pussy shuddering and convulsing as orgasm swept over her, and with that he, too, finally tipped over the edge, groaning loudly as pulse after pulse of hot sperm blasted out of him and into her hungry mouth. Luna gulped and sucked avidly as he filled her, his hands squeezing and fondling her gleaming white flanks, and when he dragged the flat of his tongue over her juicy wet slit, to rub the point over and then push into the tight crease of her anus, she screamed in ecstasy as orgasm once more bulleted through her, outlining her bones in white fire as her limbs froze in the ecstatic, painless agony of utter fulfilment. How long they hung in limbo like that they couldn't know, each trembling and soaring through an endless, achingly perfect moment, to finally slump down as reality once more flooded them, leaving behind that memory of utter, perfect oneness, the connection between the two of them now full and complete. Luna finally stirred and slipped off him, pivoting to lie next to him, sheltering in his arm as the trills and tremors of aftershock slowly died away, feeling Joey likewise calm and compose himself once more . As they lay together, sated and fulfilled, Luna smiled as she wiped the tears that had rolled unheeded down his cheeks even as they had made love, and kissed his fingers as he too wiped her tears away. That splendid moment of true epiphany had passed in both of them, but the knowledge and understanding it had left in its wake, and the connection it had forged, still remained, felt by both of them at some deeper level than mere conscious thought. Now they were complete, now they were truly family. "What happened there, baby?" whispered Joey, his voice soft but still awestruck. Luna shook her head, dazed but bursting with happiness. "I don't know, baby, but whatever it was, it was the most wonderful...all I know is, when I think of you, I feel like Christmas morning, the first day of summer, the best birthday I ever had, and Snow Day all rolled into one. I want to cry, and I want to laugh, and I want run through town naked and scream your name on every street-corner, and I want to hold you and never let you go. Now you know how much I love you, Joey Anderson!" Joey smiled as he kissed her happy tears away, his lips finding hers and affirming what she had felt; now they had each other, and they were complete, forever bonded. * Joey woke alone in the dark, wondering for one brief second if it had all been a dream, and then, on the very edge of hearing, came the faint sound of singing, a song he almost knew. He climbed out of bed and followed the sound of soft singing to young Joe's room, and smiled at what he saw. Luna was sitting on the love-seat, her legs tucked under her as she sat wrapped in a light, filmy robe, Joe cradled in her arms, his empty bottle on the stand. As she sang softly, swaying gently as she rocked the infant, Joey finally recognized the tune; it was 'If I don't have you', by the Skyliners; it had been Karen's favorite lullaby for Joe, and his eyes were already fluttering sleepily as her warm contralto lulled him. Luna looked up and saw him in the doorway, flashing him a quick smile before once more turning her attention to the little boy in her arms, still singing softly to him. Joey watched, entranced, as Luna lulled his son, their son now, her eyes filled with nothing but tender compassion and concern for the motherless little boy she held as she sang him to sleep. Finally, she leaned down and kissed Joe on the forehead, then looked up again at Joey. "Go on back to bed, baby, I'll be along in a minute; just let me get this little one settled in." she breathed, her long legs unfolding gracefully as she stood up in a poem of elegant motion. She smiled at Joey and motioned with her head at the door, shoo'ing him away. Joey grinned to himself as he padded back to the bedroom. He'd only just climbed back into bed when Luna slipped into the room, pausing at the door to listen out, then nodded her head in satisfaction before doffing her robe and sliding into bed next to him, warm and delightfully naked. Joey pulled her close, and Luna obliged, molding herself against him as they lay in the pre-dawn darkness, both of them thinking about how much their lives had changed in the last few days. Luna finally slipped her hand from around his waist and turned around, to lie spooned against him, his arm around her once more. Joey drifted, lost in the feel of her against him, the scent of her hair, the warmth of her body, and then something he'd meant to ask earlier prodded his mind. "Luna? Baby?" he whispered, "Are you awake?" "Yeah baby, still awake..." she murmured, "Is something wrong, honey?" Joey brushed her hair away from her face,. "Nothing, baby, I was just wondering...that song you were singing to Joe; how did you know it was...it was the one Karen always sang to him?" Luna turned to face him, her fingers grazing his cheek. "I didn't, baby; Mom always liked that song, and it just seemed the right one to sing. Joe liked it, and it just felt right; it was like I could hear it all around him, but if you don't want me to..." Joey put his finger to her lips to silence her. "No, it's not that, I was just...curious, that's all; that was the song his mommy always sang to him, so now you're gonna be his mommy, at least I hope you will, you sing anything you want, anytime you want!" Luna grinned impishly at him. "Well how 'bout that? Most girls never get even one great guy, and now I done got me two! Land sakes, if you'd 'a tole me sooner this was gonna happen...!" she smiled, her accent once more softening into that warm, unhurried, southern drawl she'd been surrounded by as a child. Joey grinned and hugged her closer, revelling in her closeness. "It's after three o'clock baby, get some rest," he murmured, relaxing his hold on her so she could make herself more comfortable. Luna sighed softly as she relaxed, pulling his arm closer around her as they both slipped back asleep. * The scent of bacon and coffee finally woke Joey, and he smiled at the simple domesticity of it, before sliding on his shorts and faded 49'ers T-shirt. When he came into the dining room, he paused to take it all in; Luna sitting in the love-seat, dressed only in one of his long tee's, her coppery hair tied back in a loose pony-tail, once more holding the sleeping boy against her neck while she sipped a mug of coffee. Her eyes twinkled as she saw him, his grin answering her. "Well finally, sleepyhead!" she stage whispered, "We've been up and getting acquainted for hours now; I think I tired him out, so don't you dare wake him!" Joey kissed her as he took his son from her, looking at the sleeping infant, and seeing, as always, so much of Karen in him. "He looks so much like her, doesn't he?" whispered Luna at his shoulder, and even as he nodded agreement, he found time to wonder how she'd known what he was thinking. "There's coffee on, tell me when you're ready and I'll make you some breakfast," she murmured, stretching up to kiss him lightly and leave him to have time with his sleeping son. Joey nodded again, engrossed in his little son's features, seeing him, really seeing him, for the first time in months. Now that he could see him properly, without family clustering around and distracting him, he felt a small stab inside as he saw how much the little boy's features had changed in just the few months he'd been away. Joe was growing with a vengeance. He was already walking now, still tentative and unsteady, to be sure, but soon he'd be running, and always, overlaying that, was that heart-piercing resemblance to his mother, and a deeper sorrow that she'd never be there to share any more milestones in their son's life with him. Joey sighed, and gently smoothed the hair back off Joe's forehead, before sitting on the couch, his son in the crook of his arm. Luna sat beside him, her head on his shoulder as she too gazed at the sleeping child. "I promise you, Joey Anderson, I'll be the best mom I can be; this little guy deserves that, at the very least," she murmured. She smiled as Joey passed the little boy over to her, settling herself more comfortably with Joe cradled between them. They sat in silence for a while, each busy with their own thoughts, before Luna stirred. "So Joey, when am I going to meet the rest of the family?" she smiled. Joey grinned as he collected his thoughts. "Robbie told me Aunt Kat's taken the twins on a tour of all the colleges they got accepted to in Oregon and Washington State; Uncle Frank couldn't get the time away from his job, so she took them instead. They'll be graduating soon, and the Dangerous Duo both want to study for an MBA, but not too close to home; I guess they want to get some distance from their folks. I hear Uncle Frank's not too happy about that, but he has to go with the flow, I guess. Anyway, they've been gone a week or so, and they'll be back in a few days, and then you'll get to meet all the family at the same time; Aunt Kat thought it was better that way. You'll like them, I promise. The girls are great kids, and Uncle Frank and Aunt Kat are way cool. Didn't you say your mom was Aunt Kat's friend in High School?" Luna nodded, her eyes far away. "She and Mom were pretty good friends, and Mom used to talk about her a lot; they were about the same age, and she was always kind of sad she never got to say goodbye. She never knew why your aunt did her disappearing act. So your aunt Caitlin came out here; I wish Mom was alive, she'd have wanted to know. I think she missed her a lot; she told me once she used to talk with Kate Moran about all the stuff she couldn't tell her sister." Joey put his arm around her as she leaned back against him, careful to not jar the baby. "What was your Mom like, Luna? I remember seeing her when I was a kid. She lived up the road from our house, up on Lewis, but I don't remember seeing you there..." Luna sighed. "Mom was...funny; she liked to laugh and kid around; she didn't take after the Terrible Trio and she was nothing like that tramp Laurie, thank the Lord for that! Mom liked a good joke, to have some fun, to do things on the spur of the moment; she was a lot of things, but she was never boring! I think she only had a few friends, real friends; your aunt was one of them, and Myra Donnelly, Natty Hennessey, a couple others around town, all family, when you think about it, and a few in the place I grew up, Holden's Crossing; that's a wide place in the road 'bout eighty miles south of Springfield, over the state line. That was where I was born; when Mom found out she was pregnant, she left Springfield, and went to live with grandpa Hollister's second-cousin, Stella Mason, down to Holden's Crossing. Her momma was a Hennessey, so I guess she's Miss Sarah's cousin too" Her eyes glittered, that faraway look softening as she smiled sadly. "When I was about six, Mom came back to Springfield to find a job. I think Jonah, and maybe Jerry and Jethro too, used to send her money, but she never felt right about takin' it, so she decided to find somethin' to support us both. Stella had a hairdressing salon, but Mom was allergic or somethin' to the stuff they used, so she couldn't work there. There were no real jobs in Holden's Crossing anyway, so she went back to Springfield and got a job with the maintenance crew on the campus in Monte Vista; Jonah had taught her how to fix leaks and snake-out pipes and such, and even how to dry-wall and tile; she used to do all that stuff back to home, when Aunt Stella needed it done." She smiled wistfully, her voice soft, with a hint of sadness. Lost & Found Ch. 06 Pt. 02 "Mom liked her job at the college; she was good at it. She stayed in Springfield during the week, and Aunt Stella looked after me, and Mom would come home Friday afternoon. She'd pick me up from school and we'd go off and do stuff, have some real family fun all weekend, and she'd go back Sunday night." Luna looked down at the little boy, stroking his hair absently as she looked back over the years. "I asked her one time why I couldn't live with her in Springfield, seein' as she had a place there and all, but she just told me 'no' and never said why; I just got the feelin' that for some reason she really didn't want me livin' or bein' in Springfield. She wouldn't even take me shopping there; instead she used to take me all the way over to Gainesboro, or even Monte Diablo, more'n three hours Southwest of Holden's Crossing, rather than take me into Springfield." Luna shifted uncomfortably; Joey could see this story was bringing back painful memories, but she shook her head and smiled when he would have asked her to stop. "Mom never said as much, but I kind of got the feeling she was worried about something or someone in Springfield, and the Terrible Trio were away bein' marines, which is why she lived in town; she never come out and said so, but I could tell she was afraid to live up at the farm all alone; she felt safe in town, she had Myra Donnelly's kid brother living in the apartment below, and Logan Hennessey, Natty's brother, right across the street." She paused, her expression sad, and when she resumed, her voice was lower, almost a murmur. "She was driving back one Sunday, it was a real wet night, a big storm came up, and her car came off the road, and she was killed. I was nearly thirteen when it happened. Jonah came and got me; he said that now my Mom was gone, he was gonna look after me, that I was his baby sister's baby, and it wasn't right to just leave me with Aunt Stella, even though she was real good to me; that would be like abandoning me, and he wouldn't do that, family takes care of its own. He left the Marine Corps, the only thing he ever loved, and he walked away from it so he could give me a home...' Her voice faltered, and a tear spilled down her cheek. Joey frowned and wiped it away. Luna looked at him questioningly. Joey returned her gaze, but that concerned expression was still there. "I promised Jonah I'd never make you cry, and here you are, your first morning home with me, crying on my couch..." he murmured, but Luna smiled as she patted his arm companionably. "Don't you all worry, I'm not sad, you didn't make me cry, baby! I just got kind of wistful there for a second thinkin' about it all. I guess it was just when he said that to me, it felt like he really was family come to get me, not just a face in a picture and a story from my Mom when I was small." She blinked, and her eyes were clear again, green and fascinating once more. "Them other two, Jerry and Jethro, they weren't gonna leave the Corps, not for me; they wanted to pack me off down to Nogales and go live with that slut Laurie and her latest deadbeat, asshole boyfriend, and her tribe of whoever's kids they were; Jonah wasn't havin' none of that; I hear things got kinda physical...!" She grinned, her sudden smile literally lighting up the room. "I guess he really did care about me; he's the nearest thing I have to a dad. When I needed him, he walked away from the Corps, just when he made Staff Sergeant too..." She shook herself, and patted his arm again. "Ancient history, Joey, but now maybe you can tell me something; tell me how Robbie Dolan, only son of the richest family in the state, came to be livin' in California with you and Miss Sarah and all her family? I know there's things you need to keep to yourself, but at least tell me what you can, because all I know are rumors and stories, and a big ole mystery right in the middle of it, about the boy who disappeared. Tell me why Robbie Dolan is Robbie Anderson." Joey pulled her closer, settling Joe more comfortably between them while he stared unseeing at the opposite wall, gathering his thoughts. When at last he started speaking, his voice was so low she could barely hear him. "Robbie was...unwanted, yeah, that's the word I was looking for. His whole family just decided he wasn't one of them, for whatever reason. I don't know, and I never asked; it's a real sore point with Mom; even now, after all that's happened, it still riles her up. Anyway, they just kind of...left him to one side; everything they had, they gave to Casey, and they never gave him a damned thing; they just left him out." His face tightened, a frown-line appearing between his eyebrows as he thought back to his childhood. "They used to go away on vacation, and take Casey with them; they mostly never even told him they were goin' away; Robbie'd be knocking on our door the night before they left because that's when they'd tell him he couldn't go, so he had to come stay with me 'cause he had nowhere else to go and no-one to turn to; not that I minded, y'understand; Robbie and I grew up together; hell, he could have stayed a week, a month, forever, it wouldn't have mattered to Mom or me. Mom looked out for him because his family wouldn't; they just left him out every damned time because he meant nothing to them at all. I never understood that part; Robbie's a genius, but they were all so wrapped-up in Casey, and so goddamned ashamed of him. It wasn't right!" Joey stopped talking, instead chewing his lip, the remembered anger flashing in his eyes, before calming down again. "They never took him anywhere, or gave him anything, or did anything for him, nothing; he used to walk around in beat-up old clothes, and his house had Mercedes Benz's and Cadillacs parked out front! When I first knew him, we were in first grade and Mom said I had to make friends with him; he used to get beaten-up a lot, because he had to wear these huge eyeglasses; man, those things were like telescopes! He was almost blind, and all the usual assholes soon worked out that all they had to do was take them away from him, and they could beat on him, because he couldn't see to defend himself." Luna looked closely at him; his eyes were slitted with anger at the memory, outrage still burning there, even after all the intervening years, at the bullying Robbie'd had to endure. "So I stepped in, partly because Mom wanted me to, mostly because I wanted to. I'd always liked Robbie, he was a quiet kid, but he knew things, all kinds of things. He never rubbed it in your face, or made a thing about how smart he was, and no-one deserves what those assholes did to him; poor kid was like a lump of meat in a dog-pound, he just got ripped-up and chewed-on by everyone. Mom liked him from the first time she met him, and it kind of went from there. Robbie and me lifted weights and ran laps together, but his eyesight was still real bad, and sometimes, when I wasn't around, one of those assholes would catch him, smash his glasses, and then they'd all whale on him, and his fucking father never did a goddamned thing about it!" Luna held his arm comfortingly as the old feelings once more rose up in him, the outrage at the injustice and neglect his brother had suffered at the hands of his family. Her expression grew concerned at the effect his tale was having, at the flash of deep anger in his eyes as he plumbed once again the darkness he'd thought was gone forever. "Baby, don't, it's OK, another time, please! I didn't mean to rake all that up again, you don't need..." Joey wrapped his arm around her as she shifted Joe more comfortably in the crook of her arm. "It's OK, Luna, I need to tell you all this, so you understand a little better how it is between us. Robbie was always a nice kid, he never hurt anyone, never complained, never bad-mouthed his folks, not once; he just took it, probably because he thought that was how his life was supposed to go; that's what they did to him, and it made my mom's blood boil. His whole family spent as much time as they could mocking him, running him down, leaving him out, and making sure he knew he meant nothing to them; they treated him like something you scrape off your shoes; they took away his self-esteem, his future, and any chance for a life of his own, and that's the most evil, most unforgivable part of the whole thing; Mom once said to me about Robbie that it was a sin to waste your life, but a crime to waste someone else's; what they did to him was purely criminal." He paused, raking his fingers through his hair. "Robbie's a genuine, honest-to-God genius. He could have been his family's biggest asset if they'd ever once given him a chance to show them, or even let him speak up without being shut-out or just plain ignored. When he was younger, mom couldn't touch him, because he thought that was wrong, not allowed; none of his family ever touched him, picked him up, talked to him, hugged him, nothing; he was like a leper, an outcast; he just stayed in his room because they made sure he knew they didn't want him around." He sighed, frowning still at the memory. "Mom and me, we tried, and pretty soon my mom was his mom as well; she had to be; his own mother could give a shit if he lived or died, and when he finally walked out, it was Mom who called up Uncle Frank, and between them they got him this gig. When he moved out here, he lived with Uncle Frank and Aunt Caitlin, and pretty soon she was his mom as well." He grinned suddenly. "If you ever take the notion to harm Robbie, you better be damned sure Aunt Kat never finds out, because if she does, she'll flay your skin off real slow, and bury you in salt; Robbie's her son, and the twins, Moira and Morag, are his sisters, and they're as tight with Robbie as Aunt Kat, and just as mean when they need to be. Mom once told Angie Dolan there are people she could name who'd stand over Robbie on bloody stumps and defend him to the last; she was talking about Aunt Kat, Uncle Frank, and the girls, among others. Robbie's kind of unique; he's a special guy, and he makes the people around him feel special, too." Luna smiled at the note in his voice, once again her talent for reading people clicking into high gear; for some reason, Joey adored Robbie; he really did think of him as his beloved kid brother, every note in his voice and line of his face told her that Joey and Robbie had a special closeness, one she'd never encountered before. Joey shifted uncomfortably as he once more replayed what had happened at the house in Springfield, at Robbie and Casey's wedding, and the final, shocking episode in this drama, the death of their father in Santa Rita Holding Facility after his crazed attack on his ex-wife's new-born baby. "Did you hear, back in Springfield, about Robbie's father, about Steve Dolan, and what happened here?" Luna shook her head. "Nope, 'bout all I know is that he disappeared, and all the DolanCo stores went bust 'bout a year ago, something to do with a whole bunch of lawsuits and the family's refusal to file Chapter 11; put a heap of folks out of work, that did, then next thing we hear a few months back is he's dead, in jail here in California. So tell me, Joey, what did happen to him here?" Joey paused, picking his words carefully. "Angie, Robbie's mother, finally worked out what she'd done to him, and what her husband had been doing to Casey, what kind of a man he really was, and she divorced him. She came out here, and met Elio, my stepdad's brother. Angie Dolan finally made it right again with Casey, but it was too late for Robbie; she lost him a long time ago, and as far as he's concerned, Angie, for all her being sorry, doesn't mean much more to him than the fact she's now his business-partner's wife; she married Elio, and they have a baby girl, Sarah-Caitlin, my God-Daughter. Dolan somehow found out where she was and followed her out here; he snuck into the church at Robbie's wedding, punched-out mom and Karen, and grabbed Angie's baby; she was just a new-born then, and he held a craft knife at her throat. He threatened to kill her..." Luna stared at him in shock. "Go on, please, finish it!" she whispered, and Joey took her hand, lacing his fingers in hers again. "Did he...?" Joey shook his head. "That stupid, crazy sonuvabitch thought he was going to get Angie to go back to him if he threatened her baby. He didn't know Robbie's grandma, his own mom, was right behind him, and she brained the bastard with a church candlestick before he could hurt that baby, Robbie's little sister; if she hadn't been there..." Luna waited in shocked fascination for him to finish the story. "Dolan spent six months down in Atascadero, where the state cages-up the psycho's and sex-offenders, and then they transferred him to Santa Rita, over in Dublin in the East Bay, pending trial. One day someone decided to shank him, so they did, but they raped him first. Don't waste any pity on him, babe; he paid for everything he ever did, and believe me, he did some bad stuff!" Luna stroked his face, wiping away the outraged expression there. "You said something about what he did to Casey...?" Joey leaned back and averted his eyes, his lip curled in distaste. "That's not for me to say, baby; what he did to her is something she'll have to tell you herself; when she's ready, she'll tell you about it, and then you'll understand." But Luna, her mind already in-sync with his, knew what he was trying to avoid saying, and her eyes widened, her expression aghast as she contemplated a man doing...that, to his own daughter... "How...how is she now, what..." Joey adjusted his arm around her, holding her and the sleeping toddler closer. "Now he's dead, she's finally free of him, she can rest easy at night; she thinks justice has been done, and I don't think she's losin' any sleep over him. Robbie knows his family are safe, and that's all that matters to him. His family sleeps safe at night, so everybody wins." Luna still looked shocked. "So Robbie's ...OK with the murder of his father? What kind of...?" but Joey interrupted her. "It's not that simple, baby; Robbie isn't OK with it. He didn't condone it, he's a peaceable man, and he thinks everybody's got some good inside them. I have no doubt in my mind that one day he'd have forgiven Steve, his mom, everyone who ever hurt him; he'd forgive them and let it all go. Robbie doesn't hold grudges, he doesn't know how." He paused to scratch his chin reflectively. "But think about this: now that Steve Dolan's gone, he's not gonna be waiting around a corner in five years, or ten, or twenty years from now, to harm Robbie or Casey or their kids; he's not gonna be harming any babies, and he's not gonna be killing Robbie, or Casey, or her mother, or any of us. Robbie accepts that; he's sorry it happened, he's shocked and horrified at how it happened, but he's also relieved. To give him his due, he's horrified that he's relieved, but at least now he knows his babies, his wife, his whole family, is safe, that there's one less demon to trouble the world. If you'd seen the way Dolan held that knife at that little baby's throat, you'd have shot him down in an instant, like a mad dog. I still can't believe I saw that happen, in front of my eyes, in a church, it was..." He shook himself, a shuddering quake of his body, like a man waking from a nightmare and realising it wasn't real. Luna shifted the baby's weight and leaned closer against him, her warm presence calming him even further, as did her head on his shoulder. "Hey, Joey," she whispered, "I didn't mean to stir it all up again for you. It's been a bad time for you, for all of you, but it's over now. I'll never mention it again, cross my heart!" Joey gently bumped his head against hers as he grinned. "No, it's alright, you were right to bring it up; you should know these things, baby; you need to know where this all started, how I came to be out here, why you're out here now; it's all part of the same story, and you're part of the story now." Luna leaned back against him, mulling over what he'd just told her. Joey didn't seem particularly bent out of shape over it. There was outrage there, there should be, but also resigned acceptance; bad things had happened, and now they were done; time to move on. Luna understood that. Now it was a new phase in his life, now it was their life together, this was the next chapter, and it was up to them to write it. They were still sitting comfortably together when a knock at the door roused them. Joey went to see who it was, his face splitting into a grin when he saw it was Casey. "Good morning, big brother!" she smiled, "I've come to take Luna and show her some of the sights of Daly City. I was planning on taking Junior, Roisian, and Caitlin to Lake Merced, and I thought Luna might like to bring Joe along; it's a lovely morning; I think she'll like it. I'm sure the fire-fighters at the fire-station are tired of whistling at me, so I thought I'd give them a real redhead to leer at!" Luna came out just then, grinning as she caught the tail of Casey's remark, her eyebrow cocked in query. Joey grinned and nodded, so the two girls disappeared upstairs to get ready, leaving Joey to walk around holding Joe. While Luna was gone, Joey reflected on the circumstances that had brought her here, to his home and his life, and, once again, found that all he wanted was her, with him, to be his wife. * The next few days were a whirlwind for Luna; when Joey brought his Bentley Continental GT back from the secure parking garage under Robbie's condo, she'd gasped in amazement that he owned such a fabulous car. Her eyes widened when he told her that Robbie had given it to him as a wedding present, and that he'd added her to his insurance, so it was hers to drive too, whenever she wanted. She was astonished at his generosity, but she would never have dreamed of taking him up on his offer; she'd grown up around pickups and Jonah's succession of battered Chevy step-sides, they were what she was more comfortable driving, not that incredible dream-machine. San Francisco and the Bay Area was everything she'd always dreamed it would be. Nothing competed with the thrill of seeing the famous landmarks and the districts, and walking across the Golden Gate bridge, of course, then Chinatown, Golden Gate Park, The Presidio, Pier 39 and The Embarcadero, Castro, Haight-Ashbury, the Coit Tower, the Bay Bridge, and shopping in Ghirardelli Square and Market Street. Along with slaloming down Lombard Street, visiting Alcatraz, and spending a whole day at Six Flags with Joe and little Caitlin, it all blurred together into one huge, happy moment, more famous places and iconic experiences than she 'd ever thought could be in just one place. She'd never been happier, nor could she find the words to tell Joey just how much living in such a wonderful place, with him, and baby Joe, meant to her, but she didn't have to; the look on her face was enough for him. Luna was falling as surely in love with her new home as she had with Joey, and so their days filled with happy exploration of the city and all it had to offer, and their nights fled by in a blur of passion as they connected on ever more and deeper levels, making love though the night, every night. Every second of lovemaking was an eon of hot sensation and lightning-strike orgasm, electricity flowing between them from one moment of passion to the next, vivid, sharp and delightful, bonding them ever closer, welding them into one seamless, seemingly unbreakable whole. Finally, the day Luna had been waiting for arrived. Kat had called Joey and invited him and Luna to meet the family; she had recovered at last from her marathon trek through the best the Pacific Northwest had to offer in the way of tertiary education. The twins had a lot to think about before they started earmarking colleges, but they'd put that all aside in their eagerness to meet the girl Joey had met and fallen for in such a big way. When Luna finally finished dressing and made her grand entrance, Joey's eyes widened as he gave a low, drawn-out wolf-whistle. Lost & Found Ch. 06 Pt. 02 "Baby, you look...incredible!" he murmured, smiling appreciatively as Luna grinned and twirled to give him the full view. She was wearing a short, forest-green dress, light and summery, and almost the same shade as her marvellous eyes. Her long hair had been brushed until it shone with an almost metallic sheen, a brilliant coppery splash against the green of her dress, setting it off perfectly. Her long, smooth legs were clad in nude stockings, and once again she was wearing black platform stilettos, displaying her slim, elegant, endless legs to their best advantage. "Why thank you, young sir!" she simpered modestly, falsely, fluttering her eyelashes coquettishly, and giving him a twirl so he could once again get a good look at all of her. She grinned wickedly at his expression, sashaying up to him to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him even as she ground lightly against him. Joey slipped his arms around her to pull her closer, feeling her grin against his lips as he did so. "Uh-uh, no you don't!" she grinned, "you get started on that and we'll never leave the house!" Joey smiled, still not releasing her. "I'm sure Aunt Kat won't mind if we're a little late; with you dressed like that, how can I...!" he whispered, gently squeezing and massaging her hips though her dress, his mischievous grin matching her own . "No! Down, boy, heel, heel!" she commanded, wriggling out of his grasp with a giggle and dodging his reaching hands. "Come on, baby, show-time!" she smiled, picking little Joe out of his play-pen and holding him against herself as protection against any more of Joey's advances. Joey grinned in defeat, and bowed her into the car, watching fondly as she buckled the little boy securely into his safety seat, then sank back luxuriously into the deep, soft leather upholstery. "Let's go, Blondie!" she grinned, squirming and giggling as Joey reached out to squeeze her knee. * The drive to Morgan Hill was uneventful, and when Joey pulled into Frank and Kat's drive, he saw Robbie's Mercedes already parked there, along with Steve's Dodge Crew Cab, and Gramma Rosie's frumpy old Lebaron, so he knew the family was already there. As Luna busied herself unhooking Joe and collecting his baby things, Joey looked up and grinned as Frank stuck his head out of the door and grinned at him. "Gang's all here Joey, just waiting on you!" he called out, a big grin splitting his face, and then freezing, his eyes wide as Luna backed out of the car and turned to face him. "Baby, this is my Uncle Frank!" grinned Joey. Luna looked curiously at Frank, her gaze flicking between him and Joey, and smiled as she held out her hand. Frank took it, but it seemed to Joey he had something on his mind. His momentary distraction passed, and he seemed to be his usual self after just a moment, but Joey could tell there was something bothering him as he ushered them through to the back of the house. Luna was so wrapped up in Joe that she didn't seem to be aware of the sudden undercurrent, baby-talking and rubbing noses with Joe and watching him squirm and giggle. It was only when someone dropped a plate that her head snapped round, her eyes fixing on Moira and Morag, Kat's twin daughters. The three girls stared at each other, a frozen tableau, as all conversation died away. Luna was astounded; the two redheaded teenagers were almost the image of her! The same bright, coppery hair, only theirs were a mass of long curls, not straight and glossy like hers, the same vivid green eyes, the same milk-pale skin, the same fine, classic features. "Joey..." she murmured, frozen in place, her arms tightening around the small body in her arms as she looked from face to face. The two girls also looked just as shocked, their eyes flicking from her to each other, to her again. Luna nearly collapsed in shock, her knees trying to buckle when two older women, one obviously the girls' mother, and one older also stepped into her field of view, their expressions equally as shocked; they were almost mirror images of her, too. "Joey, what's going on?" she moaned, starting to panic, her heart thudding so loud everyone in the room must have heard it. Joey heard the panic in her voice and held her close, his own expression as shocked as hers; he was stunned that he hadn't seen the resemblance sooner; Luna looked enough like the twins to be their big sister. How could he have been so blind? For the first time in his life, Joey was completely speechless. He, too, wanted to ask the same question: what the hell was going on here? The younger of the two women stepped closer, and Luna shrank back against him with a low whine of panic as this stranger with her face approached her. "Who are you people?" she whispered, "Why do you all ...what are you, is this some kind of...?" she trailed off as the older woman smiled gently at her. "Please, calm down, it's all going to be OK, you're among friends. Please, both of you, come with me; Joey, tell her, everything's going to be fine!" Joey, still slightly glassy-eyed, could only nod. "Aunt Kat, please, what's going on?" he husked, and Kat Novak shook her head slightly, telling him 'not here' as she took him by the arm, piloting both of them into the den and away from the shocked silence in the formal sitting room. Luna took a seat where Kat indicated, still too spooked to say a word, only jigging the little boy in her arms as he squirmed restlessly, picking-up on her disquiet. "Joey, I think I know what's going on here; much as it stretches my credibility, there's only one possible explanation. Luna, your mom was Jo-Jo Hollister, wasn't she, not Laurie?" Luna nodded, still not seeing where this was going, or why it mattered who her mom was. "It's my fault," sighed Kat, rubbing her temples distractedly, "I should have questioned Sally a little further. I was just so happy when she told us Joey'd found someone, when she said it was Jonah Hollister's niece, I just assumed it was Laurie's daughter she was talking about; she'd already had a little girl when I left Springfield who'd have been about Joey's age..." She looked sadly, compassionately, at Luna. "Luna, did your mom ever mention your father, say who he was, a hint, maybe, anything like that?" Luna shook her head, wondering at the question, who her never-mentioned father was, and what it had to do with all these people who looked so like her. Kat sighed again, fixing her gaze on Luna. "The reason I asked is, before I left Springfield, I met up with Jo-Jo. It was the last time I ever saw her. She told me she was pregnant, and who the father was, and that she was going to leave Springfield, that she needed to get away from him. Baby, I don't know how to tell you this, so I'm just going to tell you; your daddy was Steve Dolan, that other lady out there is his mom, your grandmother; Robbie is Steve's son; he's your big brother, honey..." She paused to let Luna take it all in, sensing her panic and confusion as her words sank in. Kat took her unresisting hand, twining her fingers gently with Luna's, holding hands with her. "My father was Michael Moran. He and your grandmother Rosie were brother and sister, which means Steve Dolan was my cousin, and you are as well; the Moran blood is in you, it bred true in you, just like it did in my girls; I know this is a lot to take in, but you're my family too, Luna, you're among family, and we'll help you get through this." Luna's head was spinning; she was Steve Dolan's daughter? She was that...man's daughter? Holy fucking Christ, no wonder Mom had kept shut about who her daddy was. Now she had a whole bunch of strangers for family, a grandmother, too; how was she supposed to deal with this? She became aware of Joey's arm around her, holding her protectively as her mind ran over and over what she'd just been told. A thought occurred to her, and she glanced sharply at him, noting, almost in passing, the look of shock, and...something else, on his face. "Did you know about this? About all this...this?" she asked him, her voice sharp with suspicion, but the look he gave her was one of honest bewilderment; that, and something else, something she couldn't sense, which was unusual for her. "No baby, I swear! It never even crossed my mind how much you look like Aunt Kat and the twins; I thought you looked familiar when I first met you, but I wasn't thinking too straight then, I just thought I was maybe remembering your mom from when I was a kid, honest!" Luna looked searchingly at him, and slowly nodded, seeing no hint of a lie, only his puzzlement, and that...something else, something to do with her. Joey stirred from his shocked study of her face as Kat tapped him gently on the arm. "The rest, Joey, you have to..." Joey nodded, and handed her his car remote access fob. "Aunt Kat, ask the girls to go across town, get some pizza, anything, they can't be here, not for this, please?" Caitlin nodded in agreement, and opened the door to the den, calling Moira over. Joey heard the girls squeal, knowing how thrilled they'd be to be seen driving and posing in his Bentley, and Kat led them both out to the family room again, where Frank, Roisian, and Robbie and Casey waited. Luna looked at him in trepidation, unconsciously holding Joe closer; she could sense there was more to come, and she was unsure if she could take it. When the girls clattered out, and the muted throb of the Bentley's engine sounded, Kat opened the door wide, and ushered them out into the circle of family waiting for them. Luna scanned each face minutely, especially that of...her grandmother? The handsome older woman was almost the spitting image of Caitlin, just a few years down the line, and Luna realized she was, indeed, in the presence of family, unsettling as that was. As she thought that, her eyes fell on Frank, and suddenly his resemblance to Joey struck her like a thunderbolt; how could this be? If Caitlin was his aunt, why did he look like her husband? "Joey, I thought Caitlin was your aunt, I thought she was your mom's sister!" she whispered, and Joey nodded. "She is..." Luna's eyes narrowed in puzzlement. "Then why do you look like her husband? He looks just like Miss Sarah, is he her brother? If he is, does that mean...Oh my God, Caitlin's his sister isn't she? He's with his sister too? And they have children? Oh my Christ, you're all the same, all of you, what kind of people are you? I have to go, I...I can't stay here, not like ...first Robbie and Casey, now Frank and Caitlin, who else, Joey, what else is going on around here?" Joey looked helplessly at Kat, who sighed and nodded. "Tell her Joey, you have to, she has a right to know!" Joey tried to take her hand, but Luna shrank away from him, her eyes wide and horrified. "Tell me what, what do I need to know? Who are you, Joey, are you Frank's son, is that what you didn't want those girls to hear? But he's already with his sister, and Miss Sarah's his sister, and she's your mother..." She trailed off, an expression of horrified disgust sweeping across her face, twisting her mouth with distaste. "Oh my God, your mom and...her brother too? What...how...oh dear God, Joey, who else, tell me!" Joey looked at Sarah, lost for words, but Sarah stared at him, her expression flinty, all her fears coming to fruition as their family secrets tumbled out of their carefully tended hiding places. Kat reached out and touched his arm, her eyes filled with love and compassion, but her features set firm. "Tell her, baby, please, you have to..." she murmured. Luna looked almost fearfully at Joey as he gazed back, for once in his life completely at a loss. "Baby, I'm not Uncle Frank's son, but I am Miss Sarah's son. She was in school with my...my father, my real father, stuff happened, some bad stuff, and she got pregnant. Robbie and I are like brothers because we really are brothers; his daddy is my real daddy...and yours, and Casey's too. I'm sorry baby, I didn't know about you, how could I...?" Luna's eyes widened in shock and horror, words tumbling out of her as she struggled to find some balance. "Your uncle and his sister, your brother and his sister, now I'm your sister, and you want to...to...oh dear God in Heaven, what have you done to me? This is all so wrong, everything about this is wrong, and no-one cares, you all think it's fine, and now I'm part of this...this...with my own brother..." Luna stared at Joey in thin-lipped shock; Joey was... he was Steve Dolan's son too, he was...her brother, and the things they'd done, the promises they'd made, all ashes, all less than nothing, because he was her brother. He'd taken her heart, he'd made her love him, and that beautiful, wonderful boy, who should have been her son, and now he was gone, too, the dream as trampled and soiled as her heart. Now her heart was a crushed and blackened ruin, forever sullied because of what she'd done, and yet...and yet... She trembled as conflicting emotions battled inside her; part of her wanted to believe this was all some weird hallucination, and it would somehow all suddenly melt away, while another part of her was revolted to its very core, memories of what she and Joey...her...brother, had done echoing and trampling around inside her; and yet another part of her wanted to say that it didn't matter, that she still loved him, that she wanted him, and their son, and it all be perfect again and not the nightmare it had all become... As she wavered, Roisian stepped forward, and gently took Joe from her, passing him to Kat, and reaching out to her, her expression compassionate. "Luna, as soon as I saw you I knew, I have another granddaughter, and she's a beautiful, smart girl. Please, honey, sit down, let me explain. I know this is a lot to take in, but we're not monsters, just family, and you're my family, you're my granddaughter, and I wouldn't do anything in the world to hurt you, I swear!" She made to embrace her, but Luna leaned away from her, her expression anything but understanding. "If you want to help me, get me away from this...all this..whatever 'this' is!" she grated through clenched teeth, "All you people...perverts, oh my God..." she trailed off, holding her hands to her face to shut out the sight of all those deviants staring at her. Roisian looked helplessly at Sarah, who nodded, and so Roisian gently led the trembling girl to her car, and drove away. * CHAPTER 4: And you will know the truth; and the truth will set you free - John 8:32 Joey watched, paralyzed, as his grandmother drove away, his hands clenching and unclenching by his sides as his world collapsed. Now he felt the truth of Sarah's words; even if he hadn't known that Dolan was her father, he'd still kept the truth from Luna; he hadn't been honest with her, and now she'd found out, in the worst possible way, and she was gone. Casey and Robbie sat in silence; Casey's head was whirling, but underneath it pulsed deep concern and fear for her big brother, the fear she'd thought she could finally put aside. Luna was Steve Dolan's daughter, which meant she was...she was her little sister, and even worse, she was Joey's little sister too; how the fuck did this all happen, and more to the point, how the fuck were they supposed to make it come right again? Sarah took Joey's arm and turned him to face her, alarm bubbling inside her as she saw that apathy and deadness slowly building again; he was sliding back already; Luna had been his hold on reality and normality, a promise of a return to a life of happiness, and now... He looked into her eyes, pain and guilt welling-up in his own eyes. "You were right, Ma, I should have told her back in Springfield. I should have let her know who we were...who I was, before I ever...now she's gone. What do I do, Ma?" "You go find her, meathead, that's what you do!" rumbled Robbie's voice in his ear. "Anyone can see she's crazy about you, and she should be here; she's one of us, too, so what are you waiting for?" Joey glanced at Casey, who nodded in agreement. "Go to her, baby," said Casey, "Robbie's right, go find her, and tell her everything; she has to know it all. It's your only chance to make this right. Just trust her, baby, she needs you too, and you need to be there to remind her of that!" Joey looked at Sarah, and she slowly nodded. "Go find her, baby; go find her, talk to her, and bring her back to her family. You have to make this right with her; you have to make her see who you are. She did once; make her see you again." Just then the twins came in carrying pizzas, making their usual amount of noise and fuss, and stopped dead, sensing immediately that something was wrong, their eyes tracking from their mother, to Sarah, to Joey and back again. "What, what'd we miss?" asked Morag, her sister a split second behind her. "Not now, babies, later," stated Robbie. "Joey's got to leave, keys, please." The girls silently handed Joey his key fob, exchanging a long glance and a quick burst of muttered 'twin', the gibberish that only they understood, but saying nothing more as Joey hugged little Joe and strode from the room. A moment later, the throb of his car engine rumbled through the house, and then he, too, was gone. * When he arrived back at Daly City, after a frustrating, seemingly endless tussle with the Saturday traffic in downtown Sunnyvale, the house was silent; there was no sign of Luna, no sense of her presence, and, a sudden foreboding gripping him, he checked in the bedroom; her closet was empty, and her flight bags were gone; she really was gone. Joey tried ringing her cell, but it just rang-out, and ringing his grandmother's cell was equally fruitless. He didn't know what else to do; there seemed nothing he could do, and so he sat, while the afternoon light dimmed and evening shade closed in. The light slowly faded, twilight shrouding him, and still he sat, immobile, endlessly replaying what he'd done, trying to work out a way to undo it all, to have it not happen, to give himself a chance to do it over, and do it right, and then came the thing he wanted hear most of all: keys in the lock, and the front door opening. He looked up in wild hope as footsteps sounded in the hall, and then the door swung open, but it was only his grandmother, and she was alone. "Gramma, where...?" he began, but she shook her head. "Baby, I'm sorry, I couldn't get her to stay; she had to leave, so I took her to the airport. She's gone home, baby, I tried to convince her to stay, I'm sorry..." "What do I do, Gramma, if she's gone..?" he choked. The look Joey turned on her melted her heart; all she wanted to do was to hold him, comfort him, tell him it was all going to be okay again; instead she did the only thing she could think of to wipe that lost, hopeless look from his face and shake those tears from his eyes. In two steps she was at his side, her hand reaching out to grasp his ear and haul his face up to hers. "What do you do, Joseph Anderson? You get off your ass and you go get her, that's what you do! Do you think your granddaddy Martin would have sat around moping for one instant over something like this? No, he wouldn't. He'd get off his ass and fix it! I hope he's not watching you now; a fine spectacle you're making of yourself! I loved your granddaddy; he was the best man I knew, and I had to smile and look happy when he married someone else, because he loved her more than he could ever love me. He was true to his heart; now you have to be true to yours. You've got to fix this, and fix it now; I just hope you have one hundredth of the backbone he did, because you're all I have left of him. Don't you dare let him down!" Joey looked at her in shock; she'd never spoken to him like that before, and it jarred him deeply. Lost & Found Ch. 06 Pt. 02 "Gramma, I didn't..." he began, to have her cut him short. "You lied to her Joey; oh, you didn't flat out tell her a bunch of whoppers, but you left out really important stuff, things she was entitled to know; you lied by omission, and that's just the same as telling her a big, fat lie to her face! Add that to all the other shocks she had to face today, it's no wonder she ran! If you love Luna, you'll go find her, and you'll tell her everything, everything, you hear me? When you're done, you get down on your knees and you apologize to her for doing what you did, and you beg her forgiveness!" Roisian smiled grimly and fixed him with her gaze. "She's a good girl, and you hurt her really badly, so now you go find her, you let her say her piece while you keep your lip zipped, and when she's done, you apologize, properly; the worst thing you can do with an apology is ruin it with an excuse, and you have none anyway, so don't you go making up any! This is your mess; baby, go clean it up! Now git!" Joey nodded mutely, astonished by her vehemence, her words outlining that acid core of guilt in him; she was right; he'd done this, now he had to fix it. He rushed upstairs and hurriedly stuffed clothes into a flight bag, and came downstairs to find his grandmother still there. She nodded at the door as he came into the room. "You're staying with me tonight, Joey; I'll take you to the airport in the morning, so leave your car in Robbie's parking garage. Move it!" * The following morning, Joey waited for his flight, more dead than alive; he'd tossed and turned all night long, unable to sleep, replaying the previous day over and over again. Now he sat uncomfortably in the airport lounge while he waited for his flight, his eyes gritty from lack of sleep, and his brain fogged with fatigue. Roisian waited with him, not allowing herself to show any of the pain and sorrow she felt for him; right now she needed him to focus on getting on that plane and bringing his girl home again, not sitting alone in his empty house and brooding. Joey was in a world of his own, guilt and loss ricocheting around inside him, when a tap on his shoulder startled him out of his reverie. He looked up to see Casey standing there, Joe against her chest in his baby-carrier, and a baby-bag slung over her shoulder. She smiled at him as she slipped the harness and handed him his son, and slid the bag onto the seat next to him. "I can't get him to settle, Joey," she grinned, "he misses his momma, so he's going home with you!" With that, she kissed him on the cheek and stepped back, ruffling the little boy's hair. Joey glanced sideways at his grandmother's smile, realization blooming inside him; somehow she'd known Joe needed to go with him, and now here he was. The flight home was uneventful, the plane touching down in Springfield exactly on time. As Joey walked through the 'Arrivals' gate into the main circulating area, he wasn't at all surprised to see Jonah waiting for him. Joey felt a burst of trepidation even as he steeled himself for what promised to be a very uncomfortable meeting with the man who was the nearest thing Luna had to a father. Jonah merely skinned his teeth in his version of a smile, and took Joey's flight bag. They drove in silence to the Hollister farm, Joey fidgeting constantly, alight with a combination of excitement at seeing her again and dread that she'd reject him finally, utterly, and completely. The little boy picked up on his father's unease and seemed as agitated as Joey the entire time. They reached the farm and pulled into the yard, but Joey sat immobile, too keyed-up to move. It was only when Jonah clapped him on the shoulder that he climbed out of the truck and squared his shoulders. "Jonah...Sir, I...I mean, Luna and I, well, we..." he stammered, while Jonah waited, his face impassive as Joey tried to find a way to tell him what had happened between the two of them. "It's okay, son, I know, Luna told me everything; I guess I should'a seen this comin' too. I knowed she was that man's daughter, but I guess with him not knowin' 'bout her she'd be safe, so I never tole her neither; what she didn't know, she couldn't let slip. I guess it woulda come out one day. These things are hard to keep hidden in a place like Springfield, but I thought with him gone, it didn't matter no more; guess we was both wrong. " He hefted Joey's flight-bag, and ruffled little Joe's hair lightly. "Looks like his momma, don't he? Luna's inside, son; you go tell her what she needs to hear. Sarah and Miss Rosie told me what happened, and you were both wrong, just like I was; she shouldn't 'a' gone runnin' off like that, but I guess I don't blame her none. Now she's up in there, and it's your move, boy." Joey nodded and slipped the straps of the baby-carrier, intending to carry Joe inside, but Jonah gently took the little boy from him. "I reckon there might be some hard words said, and he don't need to hear or see that; you go on up; I'll bring him up in a while. You go on now, do what's gotta be done!" Joey walked up the steps, the slight creak of each step sounding like a gunshot in his heightened state of agitation, pulled the screen-door open, and hesitated, turning back to look once more at his son in Jonah's arms. "You know you gotta do this, boy," he said quietly, but Joey heard him clearly. He drew a deep breath and stepped into the house. There was no sound, nothing to hint she was here, but he could feel her presence beating against his consciousness, and so he did the only thing he could. "Luna?" he called, "baby, it's me, please, I...I need to say something to you, please baby, don't do this!" For long seconds there was utter silence, then came the sound of light footsteps on the stairs, and the sense of her presence intensified. He looked up and his heart slammed against his ribcage at the expression of loss, of deep hurt and deeper betrayal on her face, sorrows he'd put there, after solemnly promising he'd never hurt her or make her cry... "Why did you come here, Joey?" she asked, her lip trembling, "haven't you done enough? You let me fall in love with you, but you were never straight with me, were you? You hid all those...things; you didn't trust me enough to tell me what was going on, and I found out who I am the worst way I could! Haven't you and your family done enough already?" Joey paled as he saw how deeply she'd been hurt, but now he had to tell her how he felt, to apologize to her face, and then, if she still rejected him, at least he'd know, and he could leave, because there'd be nothing else to say, and nothing here for him anymore. Luna looked down at him, and his heart sank at the set, angry expression on her face. She looked away, and then spoke again, her voice low and expressionless, but there was still that quaver that said she was trying not to cry. "Joey, why did you come here? You shouldn't have; just go, please!" Joey shook his head slowly. "Please Luna, I wasn't trying to deceive you, honest! I thought I'd kind of break it to you in bits, but I was wrong, that's all I can say; I was wrong, and I'm sorry. I should have been straight with you from the beginning, and I wasn't, and for that I apologize most sincerely; if you give me another chance, it will never happen again, I swear to God. Please, won't you come down so we can talk?" Luna stared at him for an uncomfortably long moment, then nodded curtly for him to precede her as she glided down the stairs; even in his turmoil of guilt and impending loss, Joey found time to marvel at her lithe grace as she descended the stairs. Once they were in the sitting room, she watched where he sat, then sat as far from him as she could, an action that wasn't lost on him; he was losing her, and now, now was the most difficult part... "So what else did you need to tell me, Joey? she asked, her voice flat, and her face set and emotionless, but even Joey could see it was only with an effort she could speak to him at all... "Please, tell me, what more is there to say about your family? Our brother is shacked-up with our sister, and they have two kids, your aunt and her brother are shacked up, also with kids, and you want me to do that with you; have you no shame? I'm your sister, dammit, we've already done stuff no brother and sister should be doing, and why? Because you're not supposed to want to do those things with your sister, it's wrong, it's sinful, and immoral, and illegal, just in case you forgot! But none of that seems to matter to your family, they just carry on regardless! I thought that kind of stuff only happened in Deliverance world, or the backwoods somewhere down south, but no, right out there in the open, in California, no less, blatant as can be, so you tell me, Joey Anderson, what more is there to say?" Joey swallowed nervously; she was so mad at him; no-one had ever lost it with him like this before, but then he'd never done anything like this before either. Then his mother's words came to him, something she'd been telling him and Robbie all their lives. "Joey, whatever you do in this life, you have to face up to the consequences of your actions; the man in you faces his troubles, and he takes what comes. That's what a man is, this is what your daddy wanted you to know, and how he wanted you to live your life. Be a man, Joey, just a man, that's all you have to be, because you can't be anything else." With that thought echoing in his head, he squared his shoulders, and plowed on. "Luna, I didn't know who your father was, I swear; I just fell in love with you, with Luna Hollister. Robbie and Casey, they love you too, and now they know they have a little sister, all they're going to want for you is that you be happy. That's all I want for you too. Baby, I didn't tell you everything at once because I didn't know how you'd take it. I see now that I was wrong, that I should have trusted you more, and all I can say is I'm sorry; I never meant to hurt you, or drive you away; all I want is for you to come back to me, and that's the truth. After what you heard at Aunt Kat's place you have every right to be angry and confused, but none of that makes any difference to me, it doesn't change the way I feel about you, not one iota, and that's God's honest truth!" Luna stared at him, her heart breaking at the look on his face, the loss and longing she was feeling herself, but this couldn't be, it just couldn't! She steeled herself for what she was going say, because there was no other way to go with this. "Joey, you can't feel that way about me; I'm your sister, didn't you hear what I just said? Didn't you hear your aunt tell me who my father was? He's your father too; no matter what we did before, we're brother and sister; nothing can change that!" Joey's face was a mask, his heart in his eyes, and much as she wanted to run to him, to hold him and take away that pain inside him, that one fact held her in place; what they wanted was wrong, it was against the law, it went against some of the most fundamental beliefs of her faith, and there was nothing they could do to change that. The sound of Jonah clearing his throat made her whirl around, her hands flying to her mouth as young Joe grinned and wriggled in his arms as he reached for her. Tears spilled from her eyes to run unnoticed down her cheeks as the little boy gurgled and tried to reach her, his little face creasing with worry when he saw her crying. She spun around to glare at Joey, her heart hammering in her chest. "Why did you bring him here? That was a dirty..." she gritted, her teeth clenched to prevent her fury erupting, but Joey cut her short. "I brought him because he's our boy now, not just mine; he wants his momma; he wants you...and so do I. I love you, Luna Hollister. I have from the first moment I saw you. I love you now, and I will always love you. Please, come be part of us, we need you, Joe needs you, we both love you; none of this has to matter, not if we don't let it; we can work this out." Luna wrung her hands in despair; she wanted so much to do just what he said, to take Joe and hold him, love him, be his mother, but that thing would always be there, that one fact that couldn't be denied; Joey was her brother, and it went against every law and every moral code there was; incest was incest, and they'd already crossed that line, albeit unknowingly; now she knew, how could she pretend it wasn't there, that it didn't matter? Jonah stepped between them and silently held the little boy out to her. Luna glared at him, in an agony of indecision, and then, with a soft cry somewhere between joy and anguish, snatched the child from him and held him close, murmuring and kissing him, while Joe crowed with laughter as he once more held and tugged her glorious copper hair. When she surfaced, Jonah led her back to the couch and sat her down, where she waited, her arms wrapped around the little boy, stroking his hair as she looked from Jonah to Joey, to Jonah again. He sat in his chair and reached for his pipe, and put it back in his overall bib pocket with a sigh when she glared at him. "So what do I do now, Jonah?" she asked, her tone challenging, still spoiling for a fight. Jonah leaned forward, to fix her with his gaze. "You do what you were fixin' do originally, what you left here to do, no wait..." he held up his hand, "lemme finish. It don't matter about you and Joey, and who your daddy is, and what happened all that time ago; that was then, this is now; hell, you lift the skin on near-on everyone in Laroque County and they's kin to one or t'other of you underneath; what happens between you is between you, and the fact you' all are related don't mean nothin' much; most folk in this town are damn' near that close kin to you, and they all got their stories too; it don't mean they go blabbin' them all over town. Remember, some things belong to the family, and they ain't for other folks' ears; remember that, and you'll be fine. Think on this: your momma's friend, Myra, she got a daughter 'bout your age, right? Young Emily, works in the Stop'n'Shop." Luna nodded, her anger derailed as she wondered where he was going with this. "Well, Myra and her big brother, Blaine, they were real close, and she was real broken-up when he went to the Gulf. Boy got his-self killed in Oman, car-bomb, never even got to the fightin' in Kuwait, a real shame, he was a nice kid, and a good soldier. Eight months after he was deployed, young Emily was born, and it didn't take too long for folks to put two and two together. But it don't matter to the folks in town; they don't hold it against young Emily for what her momma did, and Myra, well, she been alone and grieving ever since, and the town respects her loss, and they don't trouble her none with gossip and talk. " Luna stared at him, then glanced at Joey. "So what's your point?" she asked, anger still boiling just below the surface. Jonah grinned at her as he took his pipe out and pointed at her with the stem. "My point is, these things sort themselves out; there ain't no need to go lookin' for the big picture. The little picture's usually what you need to keep your eyes on. You go, Lu-Lu, you be a momma to this little boy here. I ain't got no children I know of, so right now this is the closest I got to a grandson; he needs you, so you look after him, y'hear me?" Luna looked rebellious, her eyes flashing even as she held her voice down so as to not spook little Joe. "Uncle Jonah, you knew about Joey all along, didn't you? " she gritted. "You knew who his father was; you knew he was my half-brother, you bastard, and you didn't say anything, you just let me... why the hell did you let this happen?" Jonah nodded slowly. "Okay, mebbe I deserved that, but I had my reasons too; I said nothing because there warn't nothin' to say or do; way I see it, who your daddy is don't mean that's who you are, and it don't matter anyway; he's dead and gone, all them things he did, they're gone with him. I know what he did to his daughter, things like that don't stay secret in a place like Springfield, and what he tried to do in that church; Miss Sarah told me what happened to him in prison; his daddy destroyed my family, and he destroyed his own, and now he's dead 'cause of it; it just seemed to me that I should let the dead bury the dead; what else should I have done?" He jabbed his pipe-stem at her for emphasis. "Way I see it, young Joey here's Miss Sarah's boy, you're my baby sister's girl, that makes you good folks from where I sit, no matter who your daddy is; Steve Dolan was an accident in your momma's lives, nothin' more; it don't mean he gets to rule yours, neither. Rakin'up the past wasn't going' to solve nothin', I could see how you were with each other, you were both so happy, and I didn't see any reason to go spoilin' that for you, so I kept shut; sometimes the best thing to say is nothin' at all." Something else seemed to be on her mind. "Was it Dolan my mom was afraid of? Why? Did he even know or care about me?" Jonah took his pipe out again, staring wistfully at it, before setting it down on his lap. "Me and Miss Sarah, we go back a long way, you know that. She's never kept secrets from me, and she told me about Joey, about what that man did to her. He came round one time, blusterin' and actin' all that, threatenin' to take Joey away from her, which was the kind of stupid you could only get from that family. Anyway, young Frank kicked his ass for him, sent him to the Emergency Room! Word got out about what he'd threatened Miss Sarah with, and your momma was afraid he'd do the same to her when he found out she was pregnant, so she left." He grinned suddenly. "I sure wish I'd seen young Frank kick that smug sumbitch's ass, it might 'a' helped make up for what his family did to us..." At Luna's enquiring look, he sighed, once more fiddling with his pipe. "I guess you're old enough now to know the whole story; it aint pretty..." Luna settled Joe more comfortably on her lap, one arm around him, and her free hand somehow in Joey's as she waited, fascinated, to hear what Jonah had to say. "Back when the three of us was just kids, mebbe six, seven years old or so, and Laurie was still just a baby, my daddy worked at the Dolan's tire re-molding plant in Monte Vista; he was a press-operator, been there since he come back from Vietnam, and momma worked in the office, processing the orders; that's where they met. She was real pretty. You've seen pictures of Laurie when she was young, how pretty she was? Well, momma was even prettier." He stared into the distance, his eyes hooded and his voice deeper, softer. "Daddy had an accident, a stack of old tractor tires fell on him, crushed his pelvis pretty bad, and that was the end of his job; Dolan's just let him go, with no compensation, and they took no blame; their lawyers tried to make him sign papers in his hospital bed, stuff about how he was at fault and absolving the company and the plant of any blame. When his insurance ran out, they brought him home from the hospital and he was stuck in that front bedroom. We didn't have enough money for no wheelchair or anythin' like that, and VA welfare people never replied to momma's letters askin' for help; likely never even got them, seein' as the Postmaster then was one of Dolan's kin, so momma had to keep workin' at the plant." He paused, looking at his pipe, then slid it regretfully back into his pocket. "Round about then Steve Dolan's old man, Jerry, started sniffin' around momma; he wouldn't leave her be; he used to come here and be puttin' his hands all over her, knowing daddy couldn't do nothin' about it; if daddy'd been on his feet, Jerry Dolan would've been one dead sonuvabitch!" Jonah looked pensively out the window, then resumed his story.