6 comments/ 67056 views/ 9 favorites Illusions By: TMAJO Author's Note: The plot packs on the bulk. You've been waiting patiently so here it is: Chapter five in my Wound in Time series. The story contains mainly F/F action as well as a plot. It's a lengthy piece that will not likely satisfy your search for instant gratification. Please check out the previous chapters if you want extra dirt on the characters. They're not listed in order but the titles are sequential as follows: (WIT)At First, Blind Borne, Escapade and Felon Failing Fallen. That said, read on and hopefully, enjoy the story. Don't forget to comment. TMAJO Ripe for it. *************** "Oh my god! I cannot bu-lieve you did that!" Joann eyed her friend like she was insane. "I know, I know, I know!" Bellinda blushed with the absurdity of it all. "You're telling me you put out AFTER she admits to sleeping with not one, but TWO other women?" Joann paused to gather air, "On more than one occasion might I add?" "I know it sounds crazy but that's always been the case!" Bellinda threw her arms in the air. "That's doesn't excuse her screwing around on you!" Joann said and both of them remained quiet for a few beats until Joann added, "She's just a player." "Jo, she's been honest with me so far and I'm realizing that it's all I ever wanted." Bella finally said with a sigh. "Okay, so why did you break up again?" Joann said but was actually thinking, 'What have you gotten into B?' "We didn't break up. I mean, I don't think so." Bellinda fidgeted with her hands. "We only had a fight...I just don't know what it was about." "Okay whatever, this right here is not helping. Come to the Shack with me." The blonde locked her eyes onto her friend's. "Jo, I can't." Bellinda whispered. "Yes you can." Joann grabbed Bella by the shoulders. "I know things are kinda messed up right now, but if José were here, he'd want you to have fun." "If I say yes, will you stop trying to make me feel guilty?" Bellinda siad with a roll of her emerald eyes. "Deal!" Joann squealed and pulled Bellinda into a hug, "Mani-pedi?" "Deal." Bellinda smiled at her friend even though her head was really screaming. ********** Mavin left the office after reviewing the security tapes with Detective Wagner. There wasn't much of visual significance but the audio recording was in a class all by itself. Mostly because José could be heard taunting the gunman. There was no way he could fight or run so instead he entertained himself. Laughing wildly and provoking the already trigger-happy death dealer. Mavin shook away the images of José's lifeless body that was sure to haunt her for eternity, and turned the tapes over to Wagner. She hinted to him that the attacker may not have been a complete stranger. She was in a very bad mood. As she'd predicted the day had been hellish. She wasn't able to get much work done as she'd hoped and all the new details surrounding her friend's death overwhelmed her. To top it off, her mind couldn't function for two seconds without being inundated with thoughts of Bellinda. Being the one to blame for the mini-explosion that occurred in the morning didn't make it better. In a short-lived moment of clarity, the tall woman pulled up into her family home. She found it empty and figured Zeke was out spending green. She dragged herself to the den and just crashed. She wasn't physically tired but her psyche was well battered. She was about to hop on the sleep train when her phone came alive. Mavin cursed the gadget as she picked it up. "Not a good time, Eva." Mavin said flatly. "Is anytime ever good for you?" Eva asked but wasn't really expecting a response, "How come you didn't tell me about José? I had to hear it on the news...and did you know her father's a senator?" "Eva, there's nothing to tell. He's gone and they're investigating shit." Mavin grumbled, ignoring half of Eva's rant. "And you don't think that's worth talking about? Goddamn it Mavin, I can't believe the shit you pull sometimes. Why're you being so fucking reckless?" "Not now Eva." Mavin droned with her eyes closed. "Where you at?" Eva didn't hear Mavin's plea. "Westbury." Mavin mumbled, "Don't bother coming out here." "You gon' be there all night?" "Yeah, why?" "Shouldn't you be with Bellinda, since this all affects her too?" Mavin sighed and scratched her head. "Mavin, are you hearing me?" "We had a fight." "You don' lost yo' mind, haven't you?" Eva's voice rose again with shock. "Why did you go and pick a fight with her now, of all times? I swear something is-" "Why the fuck are you blaming me?" Mavin cut Eva off. "'Cause I know you Mavin. This is what you do." Eva said knowingly, "Whatever happened, y'all need each other." "Eva, what I need is not a fucking lecture." Mavin said as her temper flared. "I ain't lecturing, I'm just saying you gotta think about her too." Eva ignored the hint. "Whatever, just fucking drop it!" Mavin said firmly, her chest tight with anger. "Don't be coming at me with that tone, I will not hesitate to kick your ass." Eva said and Mavin couldn't keep the laughter from erupting as she forgot her temper for a split in time. "I'm serious, don't think 'cause you're all beefed up...I know kung fu." "Aight, I'm sorry. Please don't unleash the dragon." Mavin was rolling on the den floor. "Shiiit, I'll put you to sleep in a choke hold." Eva continued her jive. "Oh, I'd pay you to do that." Mavin grinned, glad for the subject change. "Yeah, I bet you'd pay me to do a lot of things." Eva joined in the laughter. "Now that I think of it, I'd pay you not to take that job with Kurt Pryce." Mavin said, her tone regaining seriousness. "What, why not?" "Listen, I just found out some shit today that's so, so, so fucked up Eva. It's off the hook like murder." Mavin emphasized. "Like what?!" Eva wasn't sure about what she heard. "Did you sign those papers yet?" "Nah, they're here though." "Aight, don't sign anything. I'll explain tomorrow." "What's wrong with now?" "Not a good time." Mavin shook her head as if Eva was in the room with her. "You know, you keep saying that but now you got me all worried." "Aw, well now we're in the same boat." Mavin chuckled. "See what happens when you don't listen to me?" "Yeah, yeah." Eva relented. "You still up for the party or are you still sore?" Mavin joked. "Shut up. Why are you thinking of a party now anyway?" "Yo, Jasmine asked me to be there and I'ma be there. Besides, I'm on a fast track to stressville and I need a detour." "Oooh, you are so dirty! I couldn't date you." "Um, newsflash Ms. Wilson; you don't date." Mavin stated fact. "Yeah well, neither do you, so I guess that makes it alright." Eva paused, "You gon' bring her?" "I-I dunno....Eva I gotta go." Mavin was in a hurry to get Eva out of her ears. "Why, you have something hot waiting for you?" "Nah, I wish. I just need to chill for a bit." "Sure sweetie, I'll call you tomorrow." "G'night." Mavin said and killed the line. In less than 72 hours, her world had been flipped and she needed to regain her footing. How a night of partying would contribute to that cause was beyond her but, she knew she didn't want to spend the weekend agonizing over Bellinda. She dropped her head and was snoring before it hit the cushion. ************ Meanwhile ************ Bellinda, Joann and Adam met up at a late spa to get pampered. It was after-hours but Bellinda could afford it so she was treating her friends. She didn't mind, in fact she was happy to be spending quality time with her best friends. It was good that she wasn't the only one with matters of the heart. Adam had just broken up with Jason but was keeping a stiff upper lip about it. Joann was the only one not exactly suffering from love and took it upon herself to comfort her friends. The trio had on their mud masks and were having their feet rubbed. Joann was flirting shamelessly with the guy massaging her soles while Adam and Bellinda, well mostly Bellinda, took turns ranting. "I hear Mavin works in the same circle as Jason, you think she'll be going to the conference?" Adam asked. "I dunno, she doesn't tell me these things. I mean, not that she would." Bellinda said tightly, the spa treatment wasn't helping as she thought it would. "Whoa lassie, calm down before you pop a vessel." Joann said even though her eyes were set on the half naked masseur. "Okay Bee, what were her words again?" Adam continued his interview. "'I'm sorry you feel that way'." Bellinda repeated, the tension not abating. "What exactly is she sorry about?...wow you are talented." Joann made a gurgling sound and they all laughed. Everyone except Bellinda. "She basically wants me not to feel betrayed about this." Bellinda said in a near whisper. 'Why did I get caught up in this...because I wanted...want her.' Her mind was on a mission. "That makes sense from a certain point of view." Adam sighed while his toenails got filed. "Way to take her side Adam." Bella rolled her eyes. "It makes sense for her to share herself with every woman in New York?" "What? It's not a crime." Adam said playfully. "You aren't exactly exclusive." "You know, that's exactly what she said and now I'm starting to wonder about you." Bellinda gasped. "I want us to be exclusive." "Somehow, I don't think you do. You might wanna consider an open relationship. Just think of it as S&M without the S or the M." Adam retorted. "That leaves nothing, Sir Know-a-lot." Joann mumbled. "No, it leaves obsession, Ms. Don't-know-squat." Adam grinned at the blonde. "Besides she invited you to meet her family and they think you're special. From what I've heard, she never does that." "Should it feel better to think that she's obsessed with other women and not me?" Bellinda said in a tired tone. "Wait, what you've heard...what exactly have you heard?" "Hey, you're not the only lesbo that I know and I've heard some wild things about your beau." "Like what?" Bella jumped out of her unrelaxed position, and stared at Adam. "Like what?" She asked again. "Well, do you want the raunchy or the watered-down version?" Adam teased his friend. It was unwise, but he couldn't help it. "ADAM!" Bella was 2.4 seconds away from strangling her pal. "Okay, okay, calm down. Jeez, it's not that bad really. She...let's just say she has a reputation of...um..."Adam trailed off as he tried to articulate his knowledge, "She has issues." Adam surrendered. "Issues, issues Adam?" Bellinda fumed, "What the fuck does that mean?!" "It means, she doesn't do relationships and she has issues." Adam explained without much success, "You know, trust, anger, commitment, and a bunch more but my resources only range through her days in pro-BB. So that all could've changed." Neither one of her friends noticed it but Bella was sure she looked pale. She now wondered about the seeming mess she was in and what it all meant. She knew Mavin didn't do commitment, but trust and anger were new to her. She'd gotten a sneak peek at the anger part, she realized and was beginning to think whether she should back off. 'Why would Mavin have trust issues?' Bella asked herself and instantaneously knew if was futile to try and dissect Mavin's psyche from a spa. She had to approach Mavin somehow, but she herself wanted to be stubborn. "She could be obsessed with you and not want to admit it." Joann offered, not knowing Bellinda's attention had slipped. "Yeah, and she could also just have an insatiable appetite for anonymous sex. A lot of people do." Adam echoed his opinions. "That just makes it twiiiisted." Joann moaned in pleasure unable to control herself. The hands on her back were just too skilled. "We're all twiiisted baby, one way or another." Adam mimicked Joann. "Preach sister!" The guy massaging Joann said, smiling at Adam. Everyone else gasped in mild shock. Joann was blushing all reddish colors while the other two masseuse snickered at the show. Bellinda remained lost in her thoughts. ************ Friday ************ "Get up, come on, get up!" Mavin's eyes snapped open, to see Louise using her body as a trampoline. "I'm up!" Mavin lunged forward and took hold of her wild niece. "What did I tell you about marching on my gut?" Mavin asked quietly. "That it tickles?" Louise wore an impish grin. "And what happens when you tickle the monster?" Mavin's grip on Lou tightened. "I get tickled faster?" Lou's tone inflected with panic. "That's right." Mavin growled and began to tickle the already giggling girl. "Haha!...no...heheheee...wait....I didn't hahah..mean it...arghhh...mom said...heeha...to...get you!" Lou giggled her cause and Mavin ceased her actions. "Alright, then. Let's go see what she wants." Mavin tossed Lou over her shoulder. "Where's Sharon?" "Sleeping." Lou positioned herself on Mavin's shoulders. "Okay, you ready?" Mavin rose up to what was a dizzying height for Lou. "Yeah." She took her grip in Mavin's locks. "Giddy up!" She yelled and Mavin hopped playfully around the den, out to the hallway and then the family room, where she knew Becca would be. "I see you two are having fun." Becca observed when she heard Lou's laughter. "Nothing beats horseplay." Mavin grinned and lowered her niece, but not before giving her a tumbling dismount. "Go get Sharon. I'll take you out when I get back from work." "Mavin, they've already been shopping yesterday." "Yeah, but they didn't go with me." Mavin winked at Lou who scurried off. "You spoil them too much." "Why not? They only get to be kids once." Mavin smiled as Lou ran off to bug her twin. "So how you doin', Becks?" Mavin took a seat on the sofa. "I'm fine but the traveling is starting to take it's toll." "Hmm, you knew that when you married him." Mavin wore a faint smile. "I suppose, but I figured it would be less these days." Becca's face shimmered with soft beauty. Her dark eyes focusing on Mavin. "Yeah, it would be if Zeke didn't love to travel." Mavin's eyes glowed in the light of the fire. "I guess I knew that too." Becca tossed her hair and cocked her head at Mavin. "Enough about me, how've you been?" "Very busy." Mavin cleared her throat, 'I can smell where this is going.' She thought for a split second. "Well of course, busy running." Becca kept her eyes on the tall woman. "The girls told you?" Mavin asked unsurprised, 'Hmm...here we go.' "Well it's not that hard to figure out." Becca's cajun-spiced voice said. "So they did tell you." Mavin eyed the older woman and nodded, 'Trust the musketeers.' "Yes, you know how children talk." Becca smiled and Mavin shrugged, "What happened?" "We had a fight, no big deal." Mavin stated and was ready to dismiss the conversation five minutes ago. "Oh, what about?" Becca asked without needing permission. "I don't even know." Mavin sighed, 'End it now, end it.' Her mind screamed. "So you started it?" Becca's eyes implored her. "Why does's everyone keep saying that?" Mavin rubbed her temples and wondered if she was that predictable. "I'm just asking." Becca chuckled at Mavin's childlike antics. "Yeh, I guess...I don't...Becca....I-" Mavin's lips were whispering a string of nothing. "You know, she really loves you." "Hmm,....is that what y'all were talking about?" "Relatively, yes. But it's very obvious." Becca took hold of Mavin's hand. "Don't be afrai-" "I'm not afraid." Mavin interrupted and sat up on the edge of her seat. She didn't pulled her hand away. "No, let me finish. Don't be afraid for her, on account of you." "How can I not be? I have my ways and I don't want to hurt her." Mavin thought aloud. "She's gonna feel whatever her heart tells her to feel, good or bad, and you can't hinder that." "I know." Mavin's brows furrowed. "And you're afraid of that." Becca said, locking her eyes onto Mavin's. "You won't change without wanting to." "That's only half the story." Mavin chuckled, 'That kinda change is impossible, no...unwanted.' "Well, you'll be selfish until you wear yourself out, but if she's patient, she'll have you." "You're assuming things on my part Becca." Mavin leaned back into the sofa to stare at the ceiling. 'Assuming the feelings are mutual. Are they?' "It's only a matter of time before you admit your feelings for her." "Oh wait, let me guess, 'Because it's obvious'." Mavin craned her neck to look at her brother's wife. "What's obvious?" Both of them saw Zeke in his robe. "'Sup Vin, I hear you're planning to fry your wallet." Zeke grinned at his sister. "Hey babe." "Hey you." Becca motioned for him to sit next to her. "What more could they want besides toys, sugar and more toys?" Mavin shrugged. "Yeah, might as well knock yourself out." Zeke chuckled and kissed his wife as he sat. "So what's obvious, did I miss something?" "Oh this is nice, gang up on me, why dontcha?" Mavin rolled her eyes but she was smiling. "I should know better than to hang with married folks." "Nothing sweetie." Becca kissed Zeke again and rose up. "You guys want anything to drink?" "No thanks." Mavin said. "Coffee please, dark as hell." Zeke called as Becca was already leaving the room. "When's the funeral for José?" "Monday or the day after." Mavin said, relieved that her brother wouldn't carry on in the same subject. "Are you gonna be okay?" If Zeke hadn't witnessed her relationship with José, he wouldn't find her glacial response to his death so eerie. But then again, Mavin wasn't sentimental about many things. "I'll be aight. You know how it goes this time of the year." "Yeah, it's gonna be hell, huh?" Zeke eyed his sister. She hadn't changed much. She was still as brooding as ever. Perhaps even more so over the last few years. "Hmm...how's pop?" Mavin shot out of the blue. "Aging as expected." Zeke said and they both started laughing. "Haha! I might visit after this crazy rush is over." "Fo' real man?" Zeke sat up to stare at Mavin. "Yeh, I mean...I haven't been back in a long ass time." Mavin sighed heavily. "What brings this on?" Zeke asked, finding it incredulous that Mavin was suddenly homesick. "Nothing, it's just one of those things, you know." Mavin nodded as the decision to make the 10-hour trip to Nigeria cemented itself in her mind. "Are you gonna take her?" "I don't know. We'll see how shit plays out." Mavin scoffed and closed her eyes, signaling the end of the topic. Bellinda had gotten familiar enough for a year. "Yo, I gotta bounce to the lab. I'll see you guys later." "Sure man. Thanks to you, I can lounge all day since you and your musketeers are gonna be out spending yo' money." Zeke humored himself. "Yeah, yeah, we'll have fun doing it." Mavin grinned and jabbed her brother. "Oh, I'll get you for that." Zeke was about to chase Mavin through the hallway when Becca popped up between them, holding a tray with coffee. "Haha! you see that?" Mavin called from down the hall and bowed to Becca with a wide grin and a french accent, "Enjoy your café." "See what dear?" Becca asked as he served Zeke his coffee. "Nothing, we're just horsing." Zeke rubbed his shoulder as he sipped his drink. "Deadly, thank you." *************** A few hours later *************** Mavin was in the process of preparing samples of a new drug to be tested. Actual testing would begin in a week or so but she wanted to get an early start. She was notorious for stretching her hours in an already wild schedule. Now that she was in charge of the place, her staff worried about the future of their own schedules. Luckily for them, Mavin had no such plan. The investigation would carry though the holiday and maybe more. As exhilarating as the lab was, Mavin wanted to give herself time to spend with her family. This time of the year was especially hectic because the committee for some reason took odd pleasure in dishing out new quick-test assignments for certain drugs. The fact that Mavin was truly the one in command of the facility added to the burden because she now had to oversee the budget plans that would carry into the new year. Illusions "At least I'll be busy." Mavin muttered to herself under the protective mask she was wearing as she transferred a batch of samples into the storage freezer. She began fixing another set when her radio buzzed. She'd done away with the pager so that the security department could keep in touch with her more efficiently. "What's going on Zoë?" Mavin took of her mask and walked to the corner of the lab. "I just got word from the committee secretary about a small conference happening next week." Zoë said through the radio. "What, are you sure?" Mavin asked uselessly. 'Of course she's sure.' "Yes I am." Zoë responded and paused, "Don't they usually call these meetings a month in advance?" "That's what I thought too." Mavin sighed, "I guess I'll be flying sooner than expected, you know what to do." "You sure? I mean Christmas is less than a week away." "Yes Zoë, reschedule everything accordingly and take the days off when you're done." "Oh I don't think I could..." Zoë began her protest. "No, you will. I'll be outta here in a bit." Mavin said and dismissed her assistant along with her protests against a week long vacation. 'What's the world coming to? No one likes vacations anymore?' "Well apparently not." Mavin answered her own head. She sighed deeply and strengthened her resolve to get through the crazy season alive. José had trusted her with Lecter Corp. and she wasn't about to let it fall apart. Not even if she was. Another deep breath and an epiphany; he had also trusted her with Bellinda. The question became whether she trusted herself not to fuck things up royally. "Well, it's too late for that now." Mavin said out loud to the chemicals brewing before her. *********** The day went by fairly smoothly for Mavin as she took her nieces for ice cream and then a movie. She took them into a few stores and watched as they ranted off about the toys they really wanted and then every few minutes, the ones they couldn't do without. Mavin didn't buy anything, instead she made mental notes of the things she'd pick up later. She couldn't help but wonder how their tastes would change as they got older. Now they only wanted dolls and trucks and video games. In about 10-15 years, they'd want very different things. Mavin smiled at the thought. ********** In another part of town, Bellinda was signing off with contractors she'd hired to prepare Illusions for the New Year exhibit. She had Adam in a knot making calls to initialize, confirm and finalize a slew of artist deadlines. Bellinda's office was perpetually occupied with agents and sometimes the artists they represented. The few who couldn't make it to her office, came through by her phone and laptop. Unlike Mavin, she was already a full-time resident of stressville. Adam watched his friend in action, with awe. Her energy never seemed to dwindle, despite everything he knew was eating her up inside. Her uncle's death and all that came with it was tied strongly to Mavin and all that came with her. Adam couldn't resist the growing fear that Bellinda would burn herself out in a very short time. ******** Mavin dropped off her nieces and headed back to her apartment in the City. She took a long shower and then listened to the messages Susan and someone else she didn't recognize left her. She tried to unwind, now that she was really in her own head space. There was still a few hours before she met Eva so Mavin decided to call Bellinda. For some reason when the thought popped into her head, she couldn't ignore it. She dialed Bella's number gingerly and got the redhead's voicemail. She called the gallery and only heard Adam's voice for a moment before she got put on hold. Mavin had to wonder what was going on even though she dialed both numbers a few more times each with the same results. "Fuck!" Mavin clenched her jaws, "Why the hell am I even calling?" Mavin asked nobody but continued to call a few more times. At around the umpteenth try, she finally got through to Adam who quickly passed the line to Bellinda. "Bellinda?" Mavin said tentatively. "Mavin, I'm really busy." Came the tired response, "What do you want?" The question was posed again. "I want you..." Mavin's voice died in the flurry of her breath, her heart was racing for some odd reason. "You want me to what?" Bella's voice came again, business-like. "Nothing...I just...what are you doing tonight?" "I'm working pretty late. Mavin I don't have time for this-" "Bellinda, I'm sorry." Mavin blurted. "I don't know what you want from...wait what?" Bellinda suddenly found time to pay attention. "I know I was being an asshole yesterday and I'm sorry if...I'm sorry I hurt you." Mavin couldn't stop herself now if she tried. She realized the line was silent, "Say something Bellinda." "I have to go. It's crazy over here, I'll call you." Bellinda said. Mavin was already protesting but the line was dead. Her body trembled slightly and her hands weren't much better. "I gotta get outta here." Mavin got up, dressed and bailed before any more of what just happened could settle into her. ********** "What the fuck is going on Eva?" Mavin eyes were glued to the road but her focus was out of whack. "Let's start with you trying to kill us, slow the fuck down!" Eva yelled from the passenger seat. Her eyes about to jump out of her head. No doubt she was scared, more because Mavin wasn't aware of it. "Mavin!" "What?!" Mavin barked and took a hard left. "Oh sweet Jesus!" Eva closed her eyes and scrambled for the 'oh shit' bar but they survived. "Please tell me you're not drunk, what's up with you?" "I'm losing my mind Eva. Actually, I think I never had it." Mavin wasn't slowing down as she turned right. "You'll be losing more if you don't slow down!" Eva screamed just as Mavin punched her brakes through the floor. The car was skidding for half a block until it finally stopped. "We here." Mavin said flatly and killed the engine. "What?" Eva looked around and saw the obscured entrance to the new club. "What the fuck is your problem?" "I wonder." Mavin said as she got out. Eva didn't wait to get out of what she saw to be a death machine. Mavin was already opening the metal door that led to De Shugga Shack. ********** "Shoot me please." "Trust me if I had a gun, I wouldn't spare myself either." "I feel like I've just run a fucking marathon." "At least it's over for you. I still have to go clubbing with Jo." Bellinda and Adam were curled up on the floor in Bellinda's office. The day's work had been done but it was far from over. Aside from the physical drain she was feeling, Mavin's phone call had left her feeling bare. Bare because her own conscience was stripping her of her defenses against the tall butch. "You're insane to go clubbing now." Adam said, but his usual flare was barely audible, if it was there at all. "I have time to rest, and I promised Jo, I'd go with her." Bellinda said, her body disagreeing in every way. "If I close my eyes I'm a goner but I just don't see me getting off this floor." "Think of a nice, warm, soft, bed..." Bellinda said with a tired smile she knew Adam wasn't seeing. 'Preferably with a hot body to snuggle into.' Bellinda thought as she pictured Mavin in her bed. 'Stop it.' She reprimanded herself. "My bed won't be warm, but it'll do." Adam sighed with a hint of bitterness. "I don't see how it will if we're lying here like this." Bellinda observed. "I'm not gonna have sex with you, but I'll sleep with you." Adam grinned. "I love you Adam, but not like that." Bellinda laughed softly, "Come on Lazy Lad, let's get up." "You get up and pull me." Adam closed his eyes. "I'll see you on Monday." Bellinda said and Adam heard her footsteps starting within a few inches from him and then moving farther away. He opened his eyes and looked to see Bellinda by the door with her bag over her shoulder, ready to lock him in. "Fine I'm up." Adam grumbled and slowly pulled himself up. "You have to be a bitch huh? Mavin's in for an ass-kicking when I see her." "Yeah, okay Agua Lad. Just make sure you stretch before you get into anything with her, she'll run you over pretty well." "Eww, please tell me you weren't just saying what I think you said." Adam scrunched up his face. "Are you coming?" "Maybe never again with that visual, thanks a lot." Adam feigned disgust. ************** Mavin walked into De Shugga Shack with Eva clinging to her arm, for security. At least that's what the dark eyed woman said. The stares and pointing began immediately. Eva was sure they were directed at Mavin but the tall woman didn't really think so, nor did she care. They walked deeper into the crowded space, thumping with a current of new excitement. "What's wrong." Mavin asked when she felt Eva's grip tighten on her arm. "Someone just grabbed my ass." Eva stated and looked around. The alcohol wasn't at high tide yet, so the lights were brighter and Eva realized as she took in the place, that there were only females there. "Take it as a compliment." Mavin grinned and moved her hand down Eva's back to grab a handful of the 'dise. "You have a nice ass." "Shut up Mavin. I expect it from you 'cause you're a dog." Eva said with a swat at Mavin. "Calm, down. It's 'cause you're with me." Mavin said but her eyes scanned the area for Jasmine. She felt the eyes on her but that could be for a multitude of reasons. "Hey stud." Mavin heard in some direction but didn't turn until she felt the hand tracing her right arm. She saw the woman with the dark eyes done in smoky shades smiling at her. "Hey." Mavin responded and shot a grin. "You're with company?" The woman's hand was still on Mavin's arm, trailing it lightly. Mavin turned to Eva who nodded and swatted Mavin before she turned to mingle on her own. "Guess not." The woman said with her lips parting seductively into a smile, "Come, dance with me?" "Why not?" Mavin replied as the cogs and gears turned in her head. She examined the woman before her and liked what she saw. The femme's body was clad in a shimmering top of ashy hues and a mini-skirt. "I'm Sasha by the way." The woman said as she pulled Mavin to the dance floor. "Useless info." Mavin muttered as she followed her prey. "What was that?" Sasha spun around to look at Mavin. "I could use a nympho." Mavin said darkly and pulled her closer. They melted into the groove as Sasha took the lead, pressing her body into Mavin, grinding her ass on Mavin's thighs and spinning around every so often to tease the devil herself. 50 Cent's 'Just a lil bit' was playing and Mavin just smiled at the game they were playing. She was enjoying it no doubt, but she wanted it to end quickly enough so she could get to the next course. Anything to keep a certain redhead off her mind. She plotted her move and executed it. The smoky-eyed femme stood no chance. ************* "Just pick something for fuck's sake. You're not even gay and you're stressing about how you look to go to a dyke bar?" Bellinda was getting impatient, only because she was so tired and wanted to just sleep. But the adrenaline pumping through her over Mavin wouldn't allow that. "Stop your whining. We don't have to get there in a hurry." Joann strutted her ass in and out of her closet looking for the perfect outfit. "Ugh...just hurry up!" Bellinda sighed. ************ "Oh fuck!" Sasha knew she'd been dance-raping the tall woman that had her pinned to the wall. She never lost sight of being moved from the floor to the darkened corner. She knew she'd moaned when the tall woman's fingers found the wet secret in her thong. What she couldn't figure out was how it all happened so fast. "Shhiiit!" She moaned again as Mavin's fingers played hide and seek between her thighs. They'd been dancing when she felt Mavin's rough grip on her ass and in her silky hair. She'd felt Mavin's lips on her ear as it slid down past her lobe to her neck, making her shudder. She remembered the hunger balling up in the pit of her gut, growing with every heated breath she took. Mavin's arms weren't wrapped around her and so she wanted more. She'd tried to turn around for it but Mavin held her fast. "I'm gonna hurt you." The tall woman had whispered into her head, in a tone that seemed to have been meant for her alone. "Ohh...really?" Sasha felt hot all over, something about the thick body pressed into hers made it impossible to form coherent thoughts. "Yes." Came the hiss at her ear, making her knees tremble while the grip in her hair tightened. Before she could yelp, Sasha found herself backed into a dark corner. Mavin was in another realm by herself. The smell of fresh prey teased her senses and the rush was like a drug she just couldn't get enough of. She bit the woman's flushed neck, liking the jump it produced in her victim. She slipped her thick palms under the woman's sheer blouse, finding the twin treasures and giving them a gentle squeeze before pinching a nipple roughly through the lacy bra. That earned her a squeal. "You like that." Mavin stated more as fact when she felt the woman's hands at her fly. "You got somethin' here for me?" Sasha whispered into Mavin's ear. She had her left thigh wrapped around Mavin's legs, a miracle that was possible because of her denim mini-skirt. She felt Mavin's fingers searching deep inside her. She bit her lip to prevent the scream from erupting as Mavin thumbed her clit. "Champion!" A loud voice intruded the booming atmosphere. Mavin heard her friend and slowly pulled her fingers from their various hiding places. She turned around leisurely despite the woman moaning for her not to stop. "Ha! Me truss ya teif di DJ." Jasmine laughed as she eyed her friend. "DJ?" Mavin mumbled as she cleared the fog from her head and looked at the woman she was just toying with. "Hot." Mavin breathed and slipped her fingers into Sasha's open mouth. "Find me later." "Sasha, get ya ass to work!" Jasmine got serious. "Me nuh pay ya to fuck." "Later..." Sasha reluctantly peeled herself off the wall and made her way through the crowd, her eyes not leaving Mavin. She'd been so close but Jasmine pretty much ruined it for her. "Be easy Jas." Mavin grinned as she sniffed her fingers. "So she's your DJ, huh?...Smells good." "Yeh, ya nuh fit change Mavin. Truss mi." Jasmine watched her friend. "Hmmm." Mavin took her handkerchief and wiped her hands. "Spot's banging Jas." "Ya like?" Jasmine spread her arms as Mavin nodded her approval. "Come, mi sho' ya 'round." Mavin followed Jasmine as she got a tour of the place. The VIP section was on another floor on the building. Being the official opening night, the place was packed with curious patrons wanting something new and different. The music had the place jumping and the alcohol was beginning to flow faster. Mavin followed her friend through the vibrating throng of clubbers, getting groped here and there. They finally made it to the quieter lounge section. "Wow, I'm proud of you Jas, this is tight." Mavin grinned and sat in one of the plush velvet chairs. "Vision, Mavin." Jas smiled excitedly and signaled for a round of drinks, "Disya be lan time vision." "Yeah, I like it. Hella hot!" Mavin smiled and patted Jasmine's shoulder as they toasted to the Shack. ************* "I don't know why I let you talk me into this." Bella and Joann arrived at De Shugga Shack, with Joann more excited than she needed to be. "How're you supposed to feel special with that attitude?" Joann quipped and Bellinda just rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that night. "They're gonna fall outta your head if you keep that up." Joann smirked and got a gentle shove from Bellinda. *************** Eva was wading through the vibrating bodies in search of Mavin. She'd gracefully turned down a few invitations to various parts of the club, including the bathrooms. "Mavin's lounging." Eva heard someone say to her right but she lost sight of them as she turned to see who. "Well, that's definitely helpful." Eva shook her head and headed towards the lounge space. ************ "I'll have a 'soaked thong' and my friend here would like an 'orgasm'." Joann ordered drinks and flirted with the sexy bartender. Bellinda blushed fiercely at her friends display of shamelessness. "It gets worse every year." She muttered to herself. "What does?" Came the response. Bellinda found herself in the grey-eyed gaze of the bartender. "Oh nothing, just what they name these drinks." Bellinda forced herself to say. For some reason she couldn't breathe. "Tonight's specialty." The bartender smiled faintly as she set the drinks in front of them. "Right." Bellinda said as she felt the heat rising into cheeks. Joann was watching intently, at least until the song changed to 'Laffy Taffy' and she lost her mind. Flying off her seat and pulling Bella with her. "This is amazing!" Joann just about screamed. "I can't believe you just did that, I was talking to someone." Bella said with a little hint of irritation. "Get over it. The place is packed and she'll be there all night." Jo smiled and shimmied in front Bellinda, doing something goofy with her dance. "You're crazy." Bellinda laughed after a minute of watching her friend. "This...is how you do it." Bellinda began a booty-snapping routine and soon both girls fell into the rhythm. ********** Mavin lounged for a while, enjoying the place. The throbbing sensation in her jeans was however, a welcomed distraction. Jasmine had left to handle some other business, but not without leaving Mavin to the whims of 3 curvaceous dancers, whom she called 'De honey bunnies.' 'Classic Jas.' Mavin thought as she reined herself to a night of debauchery. The dark woman turned her attentions to the to the fabulous ass-clapping that was taking place before her. The dancers smelled sweet and fruity as they gyrated to the music, mere fingers away from fucking. Mavin kept her hands to herself for the entire show. The idea of screwing a fruit basket wasn't all that appealing. She tipped the dancers generously and regretted it a moment later when another group of 2 dancers came in and attempted to milk her for more money. The tall butch excused herself and left the lounge for the main floor. "Hey, remember me?" The dance floor area was darker now, and Mavin turned to the source of the voice. "Refresh my memory." Mavin said in a low-pitched tone as she focused on a black woman wearing micro-shorts that really looked more like a belt than anything else. 'It's fucking winter!' Mavin thought as she dragged her hazel gaze up the woman's legs, past her camel toe, and right up to the pasties that left nothing to the imagination. 'Damn, why do you even bother with clothes?' "Backstage at Ms. Olympia a while back?" The woman smiled, hands on her hips, stepping closer to Mavin and offering a better view of everything. Mavin shook her head. She didn't remember and didn't really care. There was always room to get reacquainted. She licked her lips out of habit and feasted her eyes on the very exposed breasts calling to her. "Are you staring at my tits?" The woman threw Mavin for a second. "Well, they do look good from here." Mavin shot back. She didn't move her eyes, watching the luscious peaks of flesh rising and falling. Her tongue twitched with want. "Wanna go somewhere private and maybe I'll show you some more?" The woman pressed herself into Mavin and dragged her fingers up the dark woman's abs through her shirt. "I enjoyed watching you on stage, oiled up and blazing." She whispered into Mavin's ear and slowly made her way to the lounge. Mavin swallowed hard, following, undoing her belt as she pushed through the heavy fabric that comprised the entrance. A scent trail lodged in her nostrils. Mavin sniffed a little. Vanilla. Illusions "Fuck!" Mavin stopped cold and turned around, so very tempted to follow the latest distraction. A couple of redheads danced in and out of her vision. She sniff again as her eyes skittered left and right in observation. The trail was gone but now she was permanently on edge. "Fuck!" She gasped again as a pair of hands grabbed her by the pants and pulled her into the lounge. "What took you so long?" The voice came from the body pressed into hers. She felt movement in the fly of her jeans and didn't bother to look down. "I know, you'll enjoy this." The woman whispered softly into her ear. Moist lips, kissing down her bare chest. A warm tongue snaking out to lave her every so often. 'What do you want from me?...What do you want?...What do you want from me?...' Bellinda's voice was stuck on repeat in Mavin's head. She sure as hell couldn't focus now. "Fuck..." Mavin muttered again. "Hang on baby." Some more movement at her fly, and then a slurping sound, and then some gagging. That would've thrilled her a moment ago. A fucking moment ago. ********** Meanwhile ********** "Yo I saw this woman yesterday, she looked like she had 2 basketballs in the back of her jeans, I was tempted to call offense; double dribble. Know what I'm saying?" "Hmm yeah." "I wonder how she got her ass in those jeans, oh my fucking god. I swear it was amazing." "Right, I'm sure." "I mean, my eyes were burning, I couldn't take my eyes away and it was like 30 degrees. 30 fucking freezing degrees. But that ass...jeez." "Musta been some ass." "Talk about whoa." Bellinda winced. She was being pinched savagely by Jo who was talking to a dark haired woman about basketball-sized asses. Bella could tell Jo was trying not to laugh but then again, only she would find it funny. Bella thought it was ridiculous for her friend to be posing as a carpet muncher just to get Bellinda 'laid like foundation' as Joann had put it. "What are you ladies doing later?" "No, were waiting for someone, thanks though?" Bellinda said sweetly, albeit through her teeth. "Wha?" Joann was about to protest. "Yes, Jo. You know, who we're waiting for right? Don't you?" Bellinda pinched Jo back, she yelped a little but turned it into a sudden memory. "Owoh, right, how could I forget?" Jo slapped her forehead. "Sorry, but it was nice meeting you...um..." "Gin." The dark haired woman smiled. "Right, Gin." Jo flicked her tongue in her mouth and nodded. "Maybe some other time?" "No doubt." The woman said and walked away. "Bee, what is wrong with you?" "Me? Hello, I don't have b-ball sized ass cheeks!" "Come on, that was like the 5th good looking person you've suddenly had selective memory about." "Gee, I thought my message wasn't clear enough." Bellinda rolled her eyes, she was much too tired for this. "What message?" Jo said and eyed the redhead, only to realize she wasn't even paying her any attention. "Bee!" "What?!" Bellinda snapped back to face her friend. "What did you see?" "Nothing, I thought I saw...never mind. I doubt she even left work." "Who?" Jo grabbed Bellinda by the shoulders. "Mavin." Bella sighed and felt her blood boiling. Was Mavin stalking her now? "Why don't you find out for sure?" "And say what?." "I dunno, we'll see when we get there." Jo grinned wildly and began to pull a reluctant Bellinda towards the lounge. ********** "Wow." Was all she could say. "Glad you're enjoying yourself. So, you're a friend of the Champ?" Eva nodded absentmindedly. Her eyes planted on the private dancers jiggling their scantily clad assets on the wide stage. Jasmine had found her wandering around the club in search of Mavin and had taken the liberty of inviting her to the dance show happening for the night. "Not much for words, no?" Jas smiled endearingly, her accent fading only slightly. She liked the glint of new discovery in Eva's brown eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, but this is so....I don't even know how to take it." "Slowly is always a good way to start." Jas whispered smokily, her accent spicing up her words. "If you say so." Eva turned to face Jasmine who was now sitting even closer than she'd remembered. "Oh, I do Eva. I definitely do." Jasmine said slowly, as she leaned in. Eva didn't move away, even though everything was happening in slow motion. What was in those drinks? *********** Mavin sat with the woman bouncing gently in her lap. The tall butch was happy with the dark lighting in the room. Her breath was steady and only shook with her words. "Yes...take it deeper." Mavin's hands gripped the woman's hips and tugged her down harder. Her own, not needing to move. 'What do you want?' The voice in her head asked, she knew it wasn't her own. "Faster..." Mavin breathed, trying to escape without actually moving. 'What do you want from me?' "Shit! Arggh...Stop!" "What's the matter baby?" Came the thong-muffled reply. "Just...just stop." Mavin swallowed and found herself covered in a sheet of cold sweat. She could smell her own arousal and it irritated her for some reason. She pushed the woman off her lap and pulled her jeans up. "What the fuck?!" The woman pulled at Mavin's shirt. "You can't just leave this!" "Watch me." Mavin said in a dead pan tone as she redid her shirt and left the lounge. She walked right into... ********* Bellinda stopped cold as her eyes locked onto Mavin's. Joann smiled at the sparks. Or that could be from the fourth 'orgasm' she was totting. She quickly made herself scarce. "Bellinda." Mavin breathed, barely. Her chest was so tight from something she couldn't catch. "Wha...how...what are you doing here?" Mavin asked, her tongue glued to her palate. Bellinda eyed Mavin, noticing the sweat, the familiar odor. A wanton current of desire rippled through her. Against her wishes. She was about to say something when she saw the barely-dressed woman walking out of the room Mavin had just popped from, giving Mavin the evil eye. A cold shiver ran through the redhead as her blood boiled for the second time that night. Mavin didn't notice the shapely woman, she didn't notice the hungry look in a few spectators' eyes. She certainly forgot the sound of the music as her heart pounded an animalistic rhythm in her ears. She was however, aware of the lights in the club and how they played on Bellinda's face. It was something out the hallucination she'd had months before. The only thing missing was the heat. And then she felt it, like a hot slap across her chiseled face. She didn't feel the blow, but it burned nonetheless. ********** "You sure this is slow?" Eva said when Jasmine was within inches of her face. "Ya fancy torture eh?" Jas grinned wickedly. "Um...wha?" Eva felt her skin flush. "I thought so." Jasmine smiled and pulled herself back, turning her attention back to the stage. Eva sighed heatedly. There was a lot of heat floating around and it wasn't from her breath alone. *********** "You bastard!" Bellinda found the words after her hand stopped throbbing. "Bellinda, it's not what you think." Mavin said and shrugged with a bitter after thought, 'Correction, it was what you think.' "You're gonna stand there and tell me you didn't fuck her?" Bellinda said coldly. "No, I won't say anything, 'cause nothing happened." Mavin said, her eyes imploring. 'But something did happen and you know it.' "Why don't I believe you?" Bellinda shook her head, tousling her mane into her eyes in an attempt to keep them from leaking. "I haven't been completely honest with you." Mavin said and clenched her jaws as another wave of cold sweating consumed her. "I don't know why I ever thought you were." Bellinda spat and turned on her heels. She had to get away, she was suffocating. What was it about the tall woman that had her this rattled? "I'm in love with you Bellinda!" Mavin said in a tone that was a hybrid of a loud bark and a low growl. Bellinda stopped as her world began to spin. She needed air and she needed it fast. She started running through the crowded place, looking frantically for the exit. She saw someone step into her path and panicked because her vision was blurred. "What happened? Where are you going? Who's chasing you?" 21 Questions from Joann. "I...home...I gotta get...outta here." Bellinda stammered as the tears came faster, hotter on her cheeks. She felt a presence creeping up like a chill in her spine. She didn't need to turn to know who was chasing her. "Okay, lemme just get Sasha and we can leave." Joann said and was about o walk away. "Give me the keys Jo." Bellinda demanded and Jo eyed her friend for a second before she relented. Too late. ********* "I've had a wonderful time here Jasmine, but I think I should find Mavin." Eva smiled as she rose from her seat with Jas in tow. "Mavin's at the main floor." Jasmine said as if she had her friend tagged with a GPS locator. "I'm gonna go get her." Eva said as they made their way down. "I think she's already had." Jasmine said, again with the wicked smile. ********* "Bellinda." The smooth, yet husky timber kissed her ears beneath the thumping sounds of the club. Coaxing a secret festival, hidden between her silky thighs. She almost lost her balance as she shivered visibly. "Let's go Jo." Bellinda squealed as her airways froze. Why was she so upset? They hadn't agreed on anything and thus, were both free to do as they desired. But that was it. While her mind was consumed by Mavin at every turn, Mavin seemed to have no trouble jumping into skirts, so to speak. "Don't do this babe." Came the low voice behind her, sending sharp tingles up and down her spine. Bellinda couldn't move her feet now. She wondered if she really even had a reason to be so angry. After what seemed like an eternity, Joann rolled her eyes at the dramatic nonsense she was witnessing and promptly gripped her friend's shoulder, to spin her around. For the second time that night, she was too late. Mavin was gone. ************ "Fuck, way to disappear on me Mavin!" Eva panted as she caught up with her friend. "Don't take the job." Mavin said as if they hadn't spent the last 3 hours apart. "Oh, now you wanna bring that up. What is up you tonight?" Eva said, her voice shrill and unsteady. "Look, Kurt Pryce and A.J. might have been involved in José's murder. I don't want someone else I care about in harm's way." Mavin said quickly as she kept walking, on the verge of breaking into a run. "You know, that's too bad. I already signed the contract." Eva sighed and Mavin froze in her gait. "WHAT?!" Her breath exploded into words. "I asked you not to!" "Mavin, you didn't give me any real reason and even now, you're not. Besides, the contract was hot against time." Eva said in her defense. She's signed the papers and taken the job. "Well in that case, congratulation." Mavin said and kept walking to her car. ************** A week later ************** "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Was what the twin musketeers proclaimed in the Bright household. The girls ran around, trying to decipher their route through the sea of gifts that had magically appeared overnight. "Wow, Santa broke the bank this year." Zeke joked behind a glass of eggnog as he eyed Mavin. She was smiling, but in no way was she jolly. She'd ordered all the things her nieces had gawked at in the various stores she'd taken them to, and now was enjoying their expressions as they tore through their neatly-wrapped presents. "Oh my gosh!" Lou's eyes widened as they danced over the rest of the unopened gifts. "What?" Sharon asked with a candy cane hanging from her lips. "Do you smell that?" Lou said with a serious face. "Tell me, what?" Sharon moved closer to her sister and sniffed the air. Mavin, Zeke and Becca watched in amusement. The girls were very intuitive and were in the process of guessing what was in one of the boxes, as they did every year. "I smell a 360." Sharon giggled brightly and eyed her sister. As if on a timer, they both suddenly dashed under the tree in search of a box, sniffing like bloodhounds. "Got it." Lou screamed after a short while and rolled out from beneath the tree. "It's mirco soft." She said goofily and set the box down. "Ready?" Sharon asked and Lou nodded. "Go!" With that they both ripped the box apart like savages, completely unaware of the 3 pairs of eyes watching them. The wrapping dissolved under their experienced claws and they high-fived each other upon seeing that it was indeed an Xbox 360. "Awesome! I'm so gonna knock the bejeezus outta you, Shar." "Louie, Louie, Louie, still whining are we?" Sharon said in her best Lestat impression. "Well, I am gonna beat you cuz I know something you don't." Lou grinned wildly. "And I know something you do." Sharon retorted. "What's that?" "I never lose." Sharon said and sent the their family into a fit of laughter. They'd been watching the girls banter and despite the seeming hostility, it was egregiously entertaining to the elder members of the Bright clan. "Aight girls, get together for pictures." Mavin said as her abs ceased vibrating. "Say 'Santa'." Mavin commanded as she snapped a few pictures with her digital camera. She'd actually been taking pictures the whole time, but figured a posed set wouldn't hurt. "Excellent, now for a few with everyone." Mavin set the timer and motioned for the family to gather on the sofa. "You aight?" Zeke asked Mavin as the commotion died down. "You look the same way you did when I raided your fun stash." "Hahaha! You're crazy you know?" Mavin smiled broadly, remembering the time so long ago, when Zeke had gone through her stuff looking for one thing and finding a box of assorted condoms. He'd emptied the box by half. "I know, but you didn't answer me. You hanging cool?" Zeke implored with concern. "I'm cool. Just exhausted." Mavin lied, she wasn't feeling chatty. "Aight, get some rest then. It's been a wild week." Zeke nodded not wanting to push, and squeezed Mavin's knee. It had been a wild week. José had been buried earlier in the week. She'd seen his body again. Cleaned and prepped for a new life six feet under. It didn't even look like José. There was something off about the color, the careful dead expression. It was death, and it inhabited José's body by invitation from a bullet to the head. Mavin had gone alone, not wanting to drown in sympathy from well wishers. Bellinda had been there, so had her father. Mavin had met the man a few times in passing but only momentarily. He had a cold hard look about him, but Mavin chalked it up to the mood of the day. She didn't think Bellinda had told him about her. That string of thought brought her right back to where she didn't want to be. José had trusted her with Bellinda. She had fucked up. But then again, she had never committed anything to the redhead whose bright green eyes were rimmed with tears. Mavin felt her heart shattering with every shudder of Bella's slight shoulders as José's body was lowered into the ground. She ached to have Bellinda in her arms, to comfort her, to... 'You're in so much trouble.' Mavin sighed to herself. It hit her like a ton of marble and there was no way to ingnore it. She wasn't paying much attention to the ceremonial drone that was taking place, but she had Bellinda to anchor her mind. She'd giving up on trying to pry the firery woman from her thoughts. Was it even possible now? Mavin cursed herself for getting so caught up in all of this. But she couldn't pull herself away. She didn't want to. "Mavin? Calling Mars are we?" Mavin blinked at the voice as her vision cleared from the fog she'd just immersed herself in. "What?" The tall woman asked softly. "Dinnertime sweetie." Becca smiled at Mavin's self-imposed turmoil. The woman was just too stubborn for her own good. "Oh...Um...I'm sorry Becca but I have to do something before it's too late." Mavin said slowly but didn't move. She simmered a tad longer until she felt like her skin would rip from the tension invading her body. Becca just nodded and left Mavin to find her bearings. Just as she was out of view, Mavin's cell vibrated in her pocket. She fumbled with the gadget, noticing the anonymous caller. She figured Agent Turner was up to her neck in something. "Susan you know not to call this--" Mavin began tiredly but was cut off by the gruff voice on the other end. "If you want to see her again, you'll do as you're told." ************* End of Chapter 5 Illusions Amongst the Pines -While there is no actual incest in the story, it is discussed, which is why this story calls Erotic Couplings home. -Characters involved in sexual contact are at least eighteen years old. -- It felt like a dream, this wet, silky warmth engulfing me. It had to be a dream. A feeling so blissfully addictive had to be the effect of an REM sleep-induced wonderland. Because otherwise, what else could it be? Sensation after overwhelming sensation elevated me to the point of eruption, shaking me out of semi-consciousness. At first, my hazy logic dictated that my bladder has simply released in my sleeping bag. However, I was eighteen, so the thought that I had 'wet the bed' was quite laughable. In the next few seconds, as I drifted out of my dreamy wonderland, I realized something real and direct was at work. Slowly, it became obvious someone - someone uninvited - was in my tent. This wasn't an overall wetness, but an intense, moist heat moving rhythmically along my shaft. My nostrils were filled with the nonthreatening, feminine scent of Coco Chanel, which momentarily put me at ease. My eyelids rose as I awoke slowly, but doing so made no difference. My need to discover the arbiter of my bliss was prevented by the utter darkness around me. The mystery warmth, which my mind envisioned as a mouth, continued to consume my member. My chest was heaving; I wanted to speak, but no words came out. I couldn't manage to utter a sound or move so much as a pinky. Although somewhat aware, I still hadn't arrived at full consciousness and the glorious sensation that held my virgin length firmly was all my confused mind could contemplate. My frozen condition had one positive aspect: it gave assurance that I wouldn't startle the person whose teeth were dangerously near my cock. 'Why, who, and what the fuck is happening?' The words were stuck in my throat. My chest heaved; as I came more fully awake I was filled with a combination of not only lust, but fear. The warm mouth surrendered its rapid efforts along my length and a silent pause followed. All I could do was absorb and observe as much as I could in the absolute darkness. At least I could be sure it was a she; I had felt exceptionally long hair brush along my exposed abdomen. The ever present Coco Chanel scent I had noticed as I awakened was an indicator that this wasn't the actions of one of the varsity alpha's with whom I attended boarding school. She lifted her body, causing my sleeping bag to open further. Her very real, soft mounds slid against me as she slowly glided upward. My mind began to contemplate who it could be and it touched upon one person- but I couldn't place her doing this. Still, an inactive introvert such as myself did not have a long list of admirers. I sensed rather than felt when she shed her clothing. "John, I know you're awake - although you are being much quieter than usual." She took hold of my cock in her small delicate grip. "Tell me you love the way I suck your cock, baby," she said in a soft and quivering, seductive tone. My tongue felt heavy, and, as usual, no words came. All it took was her speaking, and I knew who it was. Not because of her words, but because of the voice that delivered it. I had never truly spoken directly to her, but her voice was unmistakable. I also knew that I wasn't the person she thought I was. This had been a case of "pitching a tent" in the wrong tent. The hot body that was now cuddled against my tense frame belonged to Lydia Bryant. Her voice was unmistakable, not only because we shared so many classes, but because we were both on the Adams Academy Choir together. Her voice, much like her, was a free spirit. Laying there in the tent with more and more of my body covered by the most stunning girl in school, you'd think I'd be all smiles. Not so; I felt suffocated. I wanted everything to return to a state of normality. I've never done well in interpersonal situations, especially ones bound to become exponentially horrific. My analytical brain buzzed as she moved her waist to align with mine. The name "John," kept playing out in my head. She obviously thought I was someone else; my name is Daniel. But, who was this "John?" We had quite a few students named John in our school, but only one was in senior year with Lydia and me and there was no way... Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning; I realized who she thought was in the tent with her. My body locked tighter than it had at any other time in my life. My lust gave way to instant nausea. My heart sped up and my chest heaved mechanically. I was scared. Her hands returned to my member and she encased it with what could only have been a condom. She began to speak but my mind blocked it out. I couldn't breathe; where before everything had been simply dark to my eyes, now my mind began to go pitch black too. In moments, my brain completely shut down. ---- I'll back up a bit: No, my name is not John. The only thing John and I have in common is that we attend the same pretentious boarding school. My name is Daniel Miller and four years ago I was accepted into the fold of Adams' Academy, a boarding school in Andover, Massachusetts. Adams' Academy stands amongst the most elite preparatory schools in America. Without a doubt it is the most successful at producing men and women of tremendous influence. The academy has educated more elder statesmen than there are states. A point of pride for Adams' has always been the three alumni they produced that made it all the way behind the resolute desk. I, however, am one of the few charity cases that Adams' admits annually to add credence to the Adams' core values of "Virtue, Sacrifice, and Duty". Scholarship students were the butt of jokes and underhanded jabs. We were the lowest on the social spectrum, even lower than the day students. Thanks in part to my economic status, my first couple of years at Adam I was a social outcast. I was as nerdy as one can get, and I suffered from a terrible case of introversion. I survived my first two years in Andover by permanently sequestering myself. I talked to no one. With - what I had thought of as luck - I had been graced with a single room. I had always assumed single accommodations would be prized. As it turned out though, all the millionaire alphas had perfected the art of networking early. Doubles were the rarest and most coveted rooms. Finally, in my junior year, I was forced out of my bubble. I was placed in a double room with an international student. Brandon Cheng had transferred from the school he attended in Hong Kong to Adams. He and I quickly became not just good, but the very best of friends. Even though he had grown up on the other side of the world, we were quite similar. We had the same favorite television shows, and video games and even the same anal study habits. The one exception to our similarities was that Brandon was light-years ahead of me socially. Before his arrival, eating in Hilliard dining hall consisted of me nibbling away alone at the far end of the large, emasculating room. In the dining hall, students at Adams divided themselves into groups, mainly the nerds and the preps. If I had come from money, a logical fit would have been my fellow nerds. Most of the scholarship students seemed to try harder than all the other groups to fit into the Adams' mold but instead I isolated myself before anyone could write me off. From the start, I put up a great wall around myself. I felt estranged from one and illegitimate to the other. I was a kid from a blue collar town in Pennsylvania, and I felt like an island. That changed with my new roommate. When junior year rolled around I became a fixture at the Asian dominated table in Hilliard. Adams' almost always reverted to ethnic and socioeconomic cliques, with the occasional spillover or random association. The academy's miniscule Asian population was oddly cohesive; they did not splinter off into economic subsections like all the others. Thanks to Brandon, I became part of the glue in their clique. On this occasion, as a senior at Adams' Academy, I was part of what would be our last annual wilderness trip. For the weekend, our senior class would sleep among the great pines on the north end of the academy's grounds. I called this bonding excursion "May Torture," since it occurred at the end of every May. It was supposed to link us to nature with the hope that upon our final exit and entry into positions of power, we would have enough respect for Mother Nature that we wouldn't ravage her. The camping trip had been planned so that the senior students would leave after Friday's supper. By six thirty sharp we all had to meet on Canard field, no exceptions. No excuses were allowed no matter who you were. Assistant Head Master Leyland was dressed as rugged as you'd expect from a Rhode's scholar. Still dressed in his Scottish tweed, his grizzly eyebrows were arched upward as his left hand rubbed his chin. He approached the activity staff and they didn't look too pleased. By my digital watch and calculations on the size of the boy's group, it appeared as though one person was running about ten minutes late. I really didn't think much of who was running late at the time because it didn't matter to me; he was just another rich boy. However, little did I know that it would set a chain of events into motion that would drastically change my senior year at Adams. As we waited, the sporty, brand name-dressed varsity alpha males with their Ivy League crew cuts were making their typical flirtatious gestures to the girls and tossing around a football. They looked to me like peacocks flouting their colors. Brandon and I stood with our other friends in the middle of Canard Field debating the application of Star Trek's Prime Directive. While we waited, Brandon pulled me aside. "You should go over and speak to Alice Wade," he said, pointing at the angelically cute, Chinese-American girl currently talking amongst her girlfriends a few meters away. "Why?" I asked. "Like I've said before, she has a crush on you. I really don't know how it's possible, but it is," Brandon said with a smug, confident smirk. "Ha ha, yes, I know you keep saying that. But how do you know for sure?" I asked. I had to admit though, my interest having been peaked. "It's so obvious." "It's obvious. Right, I doubt that; she doesn't like me." "Okay, since you're so inept, I'll spell it out for you. Why does she choose to sit beside you at almost every meal instead of sitting with the other girls?" "She's not into gossiping. And plus, we like talking about the same things." "Exactly. Why does she laugh at every stupid joke you make? And why is she looking over her shoulder at you every few seconds like - time it - right now? You need to wake up and make a move! Unless, of course, you don't like her?" Brandon was talking about cute, petite Alice. Of course I liked her. I had serious doubts, however, that she liked me. Brandon holding up his hands in surrender and my eyes wandered beyond Alice to another group of girls, the elites. Don't judge me; I'm a red blooded male. My eyes went straight to the jewel of the group, Lydia Bryant. She was two inches shorter than my five foot ten, with high cheek bones, green eyes, an unforgettable fluid form and ever-present, radiant skin. She stood releasing her light auburn hair from a pony tail and it cascaded down her back to land just above her tight, rounded ass cheeks. With no good reason for them to be held up, the girl's side was being given the thumbs up by Leyland to start their Northern trek. Brandon made sure to point out that Alice was waving at me as she left. Five minutes later, the jackass straggler that had been holding up the boy's group finally decided to grace us with his presence. Assistant Head Master Leyland made a beeline straight for the straggler, typical Ivy League alpha, John Bryant. --- John was a self-appointed disturber of the peace. Each year, by the end of the first day at Adams', all first-years became acquainted with his hazing rituals. Brandon and I considered him the Emperor of assholes. I'm sure the majority of the Adams' population agreed, with the exception of the school elites. I couldn't hear what Leyland said, but Brandon came up with multiple mocking scenarios later on as we walked. I had just been admiring John's sister, Lydia. I think it's clear to point out that there were obvious differences between the two Bryants. Lydia never did disturb the peace like her social animal of a brother. She displayed clear intellect and never made any enemies. I can't know how she was in private, but to me she always came off as a positive and confident, yet humble, person. Being attractive was something the two Bryants shared, but intelligence was not. She was going to Princeton but he'd be lucky to get into University of South Dakota. John was a year older than Lydia, and last year, we had all been relieved and glad that John and his gang were graduating. But, low and behold, John stayed at the academy due to failing his courses. The only good quality John possessed was his ability to catch a spiral while blazing down Canard field. Winning was very important at Adams'. Lydia was another story; she had her brother beat intellectually and socially. I would watch as Lydia participated in the Adams' debating league. My Mother taught me chess when I was eight and I eventually became a keen player. Playing chess made me observant. I noticed that Lydia would win arguments when she wanted and lose where she could have won. She was a tactician and a masterful mover of men. --- It took about an hour and a half to arrive at the campsite. We were all tired beyond reason, and of course the girl's section had beaten us, winning the better spot. We quickly set up camp before downing a few hotdogs and marshmallows. It wasn't long before Assistant Head Master Leyland had another tussle with young Master Bryant. Leyland had found two bottles of Lagavulin hidden away in John's camping packs which resulted in John getting sent back to campus. Since he had already set up his tent and I was still struggling with mine, I decided just to use his. Hence, I ended up in John Bryant's custom built tent, with all its illuminating markings. When lights out was called, I was already tucked away sleeping soundly. --- I came to after my brief black out and all I could think of was that Lydia, thinking I was her brother, had sucked my cock. My brain wanted to reject the thought. I could feel the heat of her body in my sleeping bag with me, and she was straddling me. I could feel my cockhead sliding into the seductively tight wetness of her pussy. She began to slide down me, her velvet crevice slowly swallowing me. Her face was next to mine and she ran her smooth upper lip down my cheek, and grazing against my lower lip on its short journey. My smaller head stayed firm, betraying the shocked emotions running through my larger head. I was almost fully encased in that sweet pussy when my bigger head finally decided to override the smaller one. "Get off me, get off! I'm not your brother!" I said. I forced her up and off of me and gave her no time to react as I ran from the tent pulling up my pants, my feet bare slapping against the morning dew on the long grass. I only made it a short distance before I released the contents of my stomach onto a nearby pine tree. A member of the activity staff moved speedily in my direction, shining a high powered flashlight in my unadjusted eyes. "Mr. Miller?" the young male member of the staff said as he recognized me. "Daniel, man, are you all right?" He asked, now aware of my distressed position. "I..." was all that came out My mind contemplated spilling my guts verbally. After all, I shouldn't have to carry someone else's burdens. However, bent over with a condom still gripping my semi-erect cock, I decided against it. "I was just feeling a bit queasy, but I'm okay now," I said to the activity staffer. "Are you sure?" "Yeah." Where were you before Mr. Night Watchman? I added silently in my head. "I'll get you some water. You're sure you don't need to head back to the academy? I can tell Mr. Leyland you need to, if you'd like." It would have been easier to say yes, but I declined. I would endure. "Okay, stay here; I'll be back with a bottle of water." As he left I saw Lydia make her exit from the tent. She turned and looked at me. I caught a glimmer of her through the moonlight at the same time she saw me. She was wiping something from her lips. "I won't tell anyone," I whispered loud enough for her to hear. Without a word she nodded, then was off like lightening. I wanted to assure her that I wouldn't say anything. God, I didn't want her to do something stupid to herself. She seemed shaken, but surprisingly restrained. I tried to convince myself she had meant to be fucking another 'John.' It wasn't like she had asked, 'do you like the way I suck your cock, blood bro?' I knew I was kidding myself though; there were no other 'Johns' on the trip. No, the bitch was sick, but I resolved that I would keep my promise and keep her secret. Besides, my continued rigidity was proof that not all of me was opposed to what had happened in the tent. I received my water and a pat on the back, got some mouth wash and headed back to ground zero. I tried to fall asleep for the longest while, but I couldn't. What thinking animal could sleep in such an unusual circumstance? All I could do was think and wonder about how things had changed. I thought about the scenarios that could lead a brother to sleep with his sister and vice-versa. Are there any legitimate circumstances for something like that? Then I remembered last year's Thanksgiving where I had less than pure thoughts about my older cousin Bridget. I hadn't seen her in a while, and let's just say she had developed in a lot of places previously lacking. Before she left our house after Thanksgiving to return to college, she had given me an extra-long, teasingly-tight hug. Her large breasts had pressed against my chest, and it had seemed like she was aware of what her voluptuous flesh was doing to me. As I thought about it, I became more convinces that it had been purposeful. In the heat of that moment - yes - I probably had thoughts of fucking my cousin. I never acted on them, though. Did that make me morally superior to the Bryants? Daylight came and I reasoned the best thing to do was act like last night never happened. Hopefully she would too. After breakfast and the early bonding activities were over, I remembered that I had hidden the condom in the tent. Retrieving it, I snuck into the forest. Venturing down the path, I found the lake and tossed the used condom in. "Daniel?" Someone called to me while I was facing the lake. I froze for a moment, but rebounded quickly and turned to face the owner of the feminine voice. It wasn't Lydia; Alice stood there with her tight petite body, shoulder length jet black hair, and the cutest face you've ever seen. She put a finger on my lips even before I said anything. "We only have a month left in the year and this has been going on for too long." "I don't know what you're talking about?" I was confused, her words were making no sense to me. "I guess Brandon didn't spell it out for you. I'm guess I'm going to have to be blunt. This is hard for me; I was hoping you would do this." She paused, took a deep breath, and looked at me with her hazel eyes. "I like you, and I need to know if you feel the same." To say I was surprised would be an understatement. After last night my emotions were all over the place. Did I like her? I more than enjoyed spending time with her; I looked forward to eating with her and studying alone with her. Digging through my cluttered mind, I decided I liked Alice where I had previously lusted for Lydia. Illusions Amongst the Pines "I do like you Alice, but..." "What, "but" could there be?" She was being more assertive than I'd ever seen her. "This just isn't a good time to do this," I tried to explain. She took my hand and pulled me to the water's edge where we sat on the wild grass. "The next few months are the last times we will see each other. I'm going to Columbia and you're going all the way to Stanford, so I'm telling you I like you. It's that simple." "I like you, too." She didn't respond with words as she locked lips with me; her lips on mine felt right. My hand roamed nervously over her frame, getting close to her perky mounds but avoiding direct contact. In response, she unhooked her bra from under her loose, long-sleeved shirt. She took my hand and placed it under her shirt, pressing them to her firm breasts. My chilled fingers caused her to shiver in the morning air. We rolled to the ground and she landed on top of me. Our lips met again and our tongues danced together. As my fingers traced her body mapping the undiscovered flesh I had a hard time believing that this was happening. Still, living in the moment, I knew I wanted all of her. My fingers caressed her tight little ass, squeezing the package my eyes had watched for so long. She pulled back, jerking upwards. "Are you alright?" I asked. I was hoping that I hadn't messed things up. "Yeah, it's just that we should be heading back now." With that final phrase she stared at me, a question of my intent in her eyes. I knew what her eyes were asking, and I was in full agreement. I smiled and nodded at her. I now had a girlfriend and a secret for the ages. What a weekend this was turning out to be. Alice went back to the girl's section and I went to the boy's. The rest of the weekend's activities, along with the thoughts of my new girlfriend, served to block much of my internal philosophical debate on incest. ---- A week passed, and I didn't have any direct interactions with Lydia Bryant until the following Thursday night. That evening, I was on the third floor of the Cullen Library, studying with Alice in a secluded room. After a couple of hours, Alice went to the washroom and left me alone; my back was facing the door when Lydia entered. "I wanted to say thanks for not saying anything." I turned towards her and spoke my piece. "I'd rather act like it never happened. Like I said, your secret is safe." "I just wanted to say thank you Daniel." All the awkward glances from afar for the last week had more than I could handle and this was too really much. I just didn't want to speak with her. "I... er... I have to go find a book," I said. I really just wanted a way out of the conversation. I left the study room to walk amongst the rows of books, hoping she would just leave on her own before Alice got back. I walked around and around stack after stack of books. Two minutes later I headed back, praying enough time had passed and that she would be gone. Alice was already in there waiting. "Lydia Bryant was leaving here when I turned the corner. Was she looking for you?" "No," I lied. "Are you sure?" She pressed. "Why would she be?" "Because she told me this morning that you're partners on a presentation for your International Development class." She could see the confusion on my face. "We can stop studying this if you need to meet with her. From that look I'm guessing you haven't even started it yet. I know it's just Stanford but you wouldn't want them to pull their offer." "Ha ha ha, very funny and no I'm staying in this room. I'm not going anywhere." "You can go, I don't mind." "Alice!" "Good." "Why?" I asked. "Because I have a surprise for you," she said got up and locked the door to the study room before returning to guide me to the corner, out of the sight line of the door's tiny window. She unbuttoned my shirt, and her smile left no doubt in my mind as to what she planning. I had run away the last time I came close to having sex. I was sure as hell that wouldn't be the case this time. She pulled me into her body and propped herself up on a shelf on the wall. The shelves were designed for heavy books and easily supported her petite weight. Her legs wrapped around my waist as she pulled me in for a smoldering kiss, and her fingers began unbuckling my belt. I took the initiative then, and discovered quickly that there were no panties under the short skirt she wore. Her pussy was irresistibly hot, and her entry was locked tight. The pressure in my groin was intense. I slid myself into her already-wet folds and a moist grip encased my length, daring me to go in further. An ever, expanding warmth engulfing me with every inch forward. Alice's legs wrapped around me pulling me in tighter. I knocking her against the wall as I thrust frantically and she begged for more. This was a wild side to her of which I was just becoming aware. Now I wasn't nervous about seeking out her breasts. My still inexperienced hands charted her firm mounds and two fingers brought a moan from her as her hardened nipple found its way between them. Her hot pussy and cute kissable lips drove me wild and I was starving for more. I rocketed my hips forward like a maniac, my every inward thrust echoing through our confined space. In that moment, where we were didn't matter to me, or even her I think. Alice's eye widened with stunned surprise by my burst of energy. Kissing my neck with breathless whispers seeping through her tiny mouth, her words increased the fire burning within. "Yes, Dani... yes, fuck me, yes, harder, yes!" As she moaned, I moved with more passion. I was harder than I had ever been. I began to thrust with a singular focus deep into her tight, wet passage. She had said she wanted it harder, and I obliged. Her lips parted as little moans came forth. My hips started to take directions from her moans, and with her unbelievable flexibility, she repositioned pulling me in deeper. "Yes, like that!" She cooed before my lips silenced hers. My tongue was hungry for her small, hot mouth. It felt like she was in my head. Her nails dug into my back. I erupted abruptly and suddenly my legs completely lost their resilience. Once I could think again I realized I had really pushed them beyond their limits. They caved in on me, and our meshed bodies glided down to the carpeted floor. We held each other in silence for a few moments. Then, to my delight, she lowered her head to my softened member. She stretched her tiny mouth over my girth and within a blink of an eye I was hard again. She smiled up at me and her lusty lips forming an unbreakable seal around my shaft. She took me deep into her mouth and she moved up and down with the intensity of a Hoover for a few moments, before shifting her focus from my shaft to my balls. While I lay on the floor, re-hardened, she straddled my member. Lowering herself down, she took my head in slowly. My skull snapped back, hitting the floor as my cock nestled inside her again. Moving herself rhythmically along my shaft, her pussy made my cockhead feel like a thousand tongues were focused on it and it alone. "You're so beautiful," I said. Her returning smile was radiant. My hands moved along her soft skin to her perky mounds and still-hardened nipples. As she rode me, she smiled seductively with her perfect cute lip. She brought a finger to those perfect lips, coated in what could have only been my seed. She extended her tongue to roll her index finger on it like a lollipop and let out a moan. In time with my urging hands, she began to pull her body down faster on my shaft. I drove upwards with rigid precision, and she grabbed my shoulders to steady herself as her body quivered with her release. It felt like she was going to rip my shoulders off as she dug her fingers into my skin. Her pussy shuddered uncontrollably around me as she collapsed on top of me. "That was." She said whispering in collected grasps for air while we dressed. "Great." Seated again at the desk, all plans to finish studying disappeared. I couldn't stop looking at her and she knew it. Sitting next to me, her face was illuminated by sweat and an arousing smile. Her eyes tried to focus on her text but kept lifting upward forcing a smile to creep up unto her face. I just had to feel her again, a second after the thought our lips locked. We stayed that way, until the closing bells buzzed. We were forced to vacate the study room by a stern unpleased librarian. Smiles were still plastered on our faces, even after getting caught. Alice's hands tightly griped mine while I walked her back to Eleanor house, her dorm. Just before she went inside, I asked her the obvious. "You are my girlfriend, right?" I asked my heart pulsing like a speeding train." "No." Her tone was slightly sarcastic and her look said "Yes, of course." "I knew that, I was just checking to make sure we were on the same..." She cut me off by placing her soft, incorrigible lips on mine. Pulling away, she made the confidence-setting statement of the night; "You are so fucking cute." With that she was gone and I was literally hopping back to my dorm room. I entered the building with twenty minutes to spare before curfew. It was a record late-time for me. --- "What are you grinning about?" Brandon asked me as I walked through the door. I wasn't going to lie to Brandon but I wasn't prepared to tell him either. "I can't say." I quickly changed into my pajamas. "Woo, what is this? You know you can tell me anything." Brandon said. He jumped from his bed, sound defensive. "I'm going to take a quick shower." I said. I grabbed my towel and bathroom kit, and left the room as quick as I'd entered, not giving Brandon a time to rebut. About fifteen minutes later I attempted to creep into bed. The lights were out and I wasn't about to turn them back on. "It's not going to be that easy." Brandon said from the darkness. I jumped a bit in my bed. "We'll talk about it in the morning." I said, trying to buy time. "The hell we will, Daniel." "Fuck" I mumbled out loud." "Yeah, that's about what I think happened." Brandon said. I could sense that smug smile. "I can't talk about it." "I knew it, the second shower after supper the cologne and then this. Dude, did she give you head a tug, or what?" "I..." Right then dorm staff came by shining a light into the room then closing the door. "So, which was it? I know she wouldn't have fucked you. What was this the third date? You guys aren't even official." "We are." "What? Oh well, tell me." "I can't..." I said. My two loyalties were fighting each other. Then I remembered there was an even bigger secret I was keeping from Brandon; one that no one could know. Plus, Brandon was my most trusted friend. I could at least tell him about this one. "Come on." "If you tell anyone, I swear..." "What, you don't trust me? We're going to Stanford together. We've lived together for two years! Man I'm your best friend - your best friend!" Brandon stated, full of grand theatrics. "Fuck... yeah we did it." That set Brandon off. He wanted to know just about everything short of, "Did you take pictures?" Thanks to him, it took me two hours to fall asleep that night. --- That Saturday I awoke to a text waiting for me from Alice, inviting me to play tennis. I ran into the long awoken Brandon, in the dorm's hallway wearing dark baggy pants and a dark sweater. "Hey we're heading into town to play paintball for free time. I know you're down for it, so go change out of that ridiculous outfit." "It's for tennis." "I know what it's for; since when are you athletic outside of laser tag and paintball?" "I'm meeting Alice at the tennis court." "Which one?" Brandon asked, with a mocking stance. "Which one? What do you mean; which tennis court?" "Look it's supposed to be just the guys, but you can bring Alice paintballing if you'd like." Brandon said, walking off. I had an hour before I had to meet Alice so I headed over to Hilliard dining hall for a late breakfast. It was a ghost town, which was the norm for Saturdays. We were given passes to go in town today but most just slept in. Getting my breakfast, I caught sight of John Bryant leaving a table angrily. As I went to the opposite end of the dining room with my food, I noticed Lydia was sitting at the table John just left. He hadn't noticed me, but she had. She went from tears to a pleasant looking demeanor in seconds. I sat down quite away from her, but she got up from her seat and headed toward me. "I promise I come in peace; can I sit down?" "I'd rather you not, sorry." She sat down anyways. "I am sorry you have to deal with my problems, I am sorry I did that to you. This must be so awkward for you." "That doesn't even begin to define it." "I just want us to resolve this and possibly be friends" said Lydia. Her pleading eyes awaited my response. "You don't need to do that Lydia. I haven't told anyone, not even my best friend. You don't need to keep tabs on me." "I believe you and thank you, but that's not why I want to be friends. You're a good person; although, a bit of a nerd." She whispered the second part with a defense-lowering smile. Sitting there I tried to read her. She was dressed in a relaxed outfit, with Adams' school sweatpants and a matching long sleeve athletic shirt. She looked so average, like someone bound by normal rules, but I knew differently. "I'm going to speak and I just want you to listen. Okay Daniel?" "I bet you grew up seeing your parents every day. Just nod if I'm right." I inhaled and nodded looking at the clock behind her as I swallowed my cereal. Even with my current knowledge about her, her eyes, her hair and her whole, striking nature captured my attention. "I'm not trying to get your sympathy; I'm just trying to gain your understanding. I'm not saying what happened was right, because it wasn't and I'm so sorry that what happened to you happened at all. I also regret putting you in the middle of this." "Growing up John and I would see our parent, once a year if we were lucky once a year. We were raised in places like this and by people we barely knew. My mom changed out nanny's like most people change out toilet paper. Before Adams', the longest time we stayed in one place was six months. We had no one except each other. John left for Adams' a year before me and it was the first time in our lives we were apart. We started writing and phoning whenever we could. Unexpectedly, he came home to visit one weekend, we were all alone at home protectively cuddling like old times, except it turned into more." She paused and started to tear up. I knew they were most likely crocodile tears but they forced me to sympathize further. I figured it was time for me to say something. "My cousin once made me so..." I trailed off, embarrassed. "She made you horny, go on there's nothing you can say to that'll shock me." "Yeah," I said. Now I was laughing with her. I told her the hug story and how I had jacked off to my cousin for a week after that. "You wanted to fuck her?" I paused hesitantly. "Yes," I said with my head slumped. No smile appeared on her face to say "got ya." Her face showed genuine compassion and understanding. "I'm sorry to press..." There was an implied question in her tone. "I would have done it if she had offered, yes." "So you can relate?" "Yes, but your situation seems complicated. Mine is simply perverted." "We're all a little perverted," she said, staring into my eyes. Looking away, I spotted the time on the clock ahead and rose immediately. "Sorry I have to go." "I assume you're playing tennis. Which tennis court did you book?" Lydia asked, standing up. I took her tray and she gave me a thankful smile. "I'm not sure." "You know there are eight, right?" "I think she meant indoor tennis, so I'll just head over to the McAlister sports centre." I said. We walked towards the exit together. "The new Bryce sports centre has a tennis court too." "I'll text her." I said. I went for my phone, but there was no response in the minutes following. Lydia and I ended up walking to the McAlister sports centre together. "Just before you walked in I ended it with John." "Oh." "Yeah" "I wondered what that was." "I made up a story about having to take a morning after pill, which shook him enough for him not to get too mad." We arrived at the Macalister Sports Centre and, low and behold, Alice was waiting outside with a smile on her face. "Before you go, I hear we're partners on the presentation for Franklin's development class?" "Yeah, I arranged that with him, but I'd understand if you want to switch." Lydia said. "No, I was just wondering. I guess we should meet to discuss it sometime." "So you're okay with it?" "Yes, we're cool now." I assured her. I began to walk away, towards Alice. "We should do something on gender equality." "Remember to tell her how sexy she looks in her tennis outfit." Lydia said, as she waved at Alice. I gave Alice a good morning kiss and told her how hot she looked in her white shirt and shirt. Unable to resist, I found myself delicately caressing her ass. "Really?" "Sorry." I said, pulling away. She immediately grabbed my hand and pressed it hard against her tight cheeks. "You're the only one that gets to do that. Take pride in it." My hand slipped below her short tennis skirt, discovered that she was again wearing no underwear, and squeezed her bare uncovered ass cheek, causing a little air to leave her lips. "I'm going to my locker." Scanning around us quickly, she stuffed her hands in my shorts and cupped my penis briefly. My eyes widened and my body reacted to her immediately, "And I'm the only one that gets to do that." Minutes later we were on the tennis court. She refused to go easy on me from the get go. Spike after spike after spike and it was soon over, my ego shattered. Not really. All I could was do was try my best and that's what I did. "I didn't know you were so good." I stated to her at the end. "I've been playing all my life. Did you expect you'd play for the first time and beat me?" "Yeah." "Seriously?" "Yes, because you're short." I said as we walked out of the sports centre. "You think I'm short?" she asked. She playfully punched me in the shoulder. I laughed and pulled her in for a kiss, and she cupped my balls through my shorts. There was a tree-covered path right next to the sports centre and I pulled her unto it before I could lose my composure. Alice quickly tied back her hair with a band that had been on her wrist and soon my bare ass was rubbing against bark as her tongue ran alongside my cockhead. The pleasure of the one made up for discomfort of the other. My hands made their way to her breasts and began to rub. We heard youthful voices approaching and quickly "wrapped things up". Three freshmen were passing through the tree's, toking up. Alice, the fearless risk taker, took my hand and pulled us over to the guys. They tried to hide their joints until we were close enough to be identified as harmless upper years. "Hey do you mind if we get a puff?" Alice asked. "We have an extra one." One of them lit it and handed it to me. I took two large puffs causing me to cough; Alice patted my back until I could breathe again. "Dude, you good?" asked one of the lowly freshmen. "Daniel, seriously, are you okay?" echoed Alice. "I'm fine." I said composing myself. "That was pretty crazy back there." One of the freshmen pulled me aside and showed me his phone. For a second I thought it was a picture of me and Alice. Instead it was John Bryant and some girl fucking amongst the pine trees. It wasn't Lydia, that much was certain. Illusions Amongst the Pines Alice came over, still puffing on the joint, and she began to laugh once she saw the picture. Of course, we didn't tell the freshmen who it was. The freshmen left to cause whatever havoc they intended and Alice and I went to the point in the forest the pic had been taken originally. John and his toy were still there. He was clearly over his sister as his cock hammered into a blonde cheerleader. Alice took out her phone before I could rebuff the idea but we both had a good laugh nonetheless. --- A few days later, the school began to fill with the scandalous images. The headmaster came in and squashed the whole thing, resulting in the expulsion of at least one freshman, and the early graduation of John himself. Lydia and I sat together in class, and I told her about Saturday's event and how the pictures came to be. I figured she'd be mad at me for not trying to stop the freshmen, but she wasn't. A thought came to mind, that Lydia may have planned the whole thing. The next day she and I started preparing for the presentation. Lydia had gotten permission for me to access her room so we could work there. We worked on it Tuesday through Friday, and by the end of the week we were more than ready to present for the following Monday. Spending all that time with Lydia made me look at more than just the events of the wilderness trip; I had regained my respect for her. It also lowered my defenses. Before I left on Friday night Lydia handed me an envelope, saying. "Don't open it now." Even though I was suspicious of it, I agreed. She hugged me, and I was off. I felt guilty because the hug did more for me than it should have. Once again I was beginning to fall for her sexy figure and auburn hair. After leaving her dorm I decided to get a late snack in Hilliard, where I ran into Alice. Ignoring the letter she began with: "There's this party in town tomorrow that a bunch of us are sneaking out to go to." "Yeah, Lydia told me about it; it's on Saturday night, right?" "Did she ask you to go too?" "What do you mean?" "You've been hanging out a lot with her." "Nothing's happening," I half-lied. "Yeah, I know sorry." She conceded quickly. Then she noticed the letter and its official seal. "A letter from Princeton? You didn't tell me you applied!" I didn't know how to respond because I hadn't applied. Brandon and I had both decided on attending Stanford. I opened it and Alice must have seen the surprise on my face. "What's it say?" "I got in." I dropped the letter to the floor and Alice picked it up. "Shit they're not only giving you a full scholarship, they're giving you bursary money. We're only going to be an hour apart now!" She jumped up and gave me a hug and deep French kiss ignoring our surroundings. I wondered if Lydia could be pulling one over on me. But why? All I knew was that Lydia was going to Princeton as well. Alice dragged me by the hand, realizing the time. "Shit we have to head back to the dorms." Leaving Hilliard Hall, we ran into good old Assistant Head Master Leyland. "Ah Mr. Miller, or should I say Daniel, you are one of us now aren't you? I just got off the phone with an old Princeton chum. He told me that even though your application was extremely late they were moved to grant you admission. It's a divinely crafted campus much like ours; you'll feel quite snug." "I don't know that I'm going. I did accept to Stanford already, and they are the best college for my program...." "What are you talking about Daniel; I thought you did this for me?" Alice said. "You should listen to the girl Mr. Miller; one doesn't turn down The Tiger for a Tree. You better hurry up or you'll be late for curfew." Leyland said. He steered me down the hall, wearing an expression of contempt. He held Alice back, and I overheard him talking to her as I left. "Ms. Wade is it? Princeton never makes exceptions like this. You'd do well to re-educate your boy on the definition of common sense, and make certain he uses it for practical application. The rest of the way back consisted of Alice yelling at me. "You're the only one that can decide if this relationship can continue past the next two weeks." "We can do this long distance." It was the last thing I said before her hand slipped from mine and she suddenly decided to walk herself through the illuminated path toward Eleanor house. Later that night, my calls to her and texts went unanswered. --- The next barrage started as soon as I entered my room. "So you're not going to Stanford now?" "Brandon, I'm still going to Stanford in September. I'm nearly certain of it." "Oh, you and Alice broke up?" "No, but it's almost like you've been rooting for that lately." "No, that's not it..." "Then what is it then?" I closed the door behind me. "I was jealous, okay?" "Jealous of what? Brandon, a lot of girls like you." "It's not that simple." "Well, I know you're not gay, so what is it?" I cocked my head, waiting for his explanation. After some prodding and after getting tucked away into our separate beds, I finally got the truth out of him. Through the darkness of the room, it poured out like a burst of energy. "Look, I was friends with Alice, long before you. Then you started flirting with her." I jumped from my bed and flipped on the light. "Alice.... You like Alice? Are you learning impaired? You pushed me to ask her out! You could have told me!" "I thought I might get over her." "Wait, is that why you applied to Columbia as a back-up school?" "I don't want to talk about it." "We're going to talk about it Brandon." "Are you going to make me?" Brandon said angrily. Getting out of bed, he pushed me across the room and it wasn't a joke. I shot up from the floor only to be put back down. I kicked at his feet and he landed with a thud. I jumped on top of him and was just about to wail on him, but thought better of it. He was my best friend. I got up and helped him to his feet. "I think I love her." Brandon said. I laughed in disbelief, "Yeah sure." "I'm serious Daniel. I'm sorry." "Wow." It was all I could say before going back to a sleepless bed; it was a long night. I doubted that Brandon loved Alice, but I knew I didn't. Sure, I liked her well enough, but just not that much. I didn't think Brandon was sleeping either. When we both lifted ourselves from our beds the next morning, an underlined awkwardness filled the air. "I'm sorry about last night." "I know." "You and Alice are great together; I'm sorry." That morning as I headed over to the McAlister sports centre to play tennis with Alice there was a debate brewing inside me. My stomach was so entangled that hunger was the last thing on my mind, and I bypassed Hilliard dining hall. Alice was waiting for me in her usual spot. I kissed her on her cheek but she didn't seem to care. As we played, I got ball after ball past her. She just wasn't into the game. I won for the first time, but I didn't feel like I had truly won anything. "Alice we need to talk." I said. I have never thought I would be so cliché. "I think I know what you want to talk about." She said. "I can't do this and it's not about schools. I never thought I'd say this." "You just want to be friends." "Yes." "I was going to say kind of the same thing." Although I would miss the closeness she and I had, it wasn't as painful as I had thought. I walked her to Eleanor house, for the last time. "Are you going to the party tonight? We could go together, for old times." "No, I think I'll sit this one out." I said. I turned to leave, and then turned back to make a recommendation. "You and Brandon should go; at least as friends." "You'd be okay with that? I mean, us going as friends?" I nodded, smiled and went back to the dorms to Brandon's continued apologies. I told him what had happened. He kept it cool and calm, suppressing his joy. We went to Hilliard for grub and Brandon dug in quickly. I was soon left to eat alone with my thoughts. I saw some fellow upper years I'd seen around and decided, why not? I got up and went to sit with them. No one shot me, there was no pain. It all went smoothly. To think, I had spent my time at Adams' avoiding these people because of my insecurities. About ten minutes later, Lydia walked in and smiled as she spotted me. I smiled back. I could tell she wanted to sit together and I predicted a deep conversation, so I moved with her to a more secluded spot. "The letter wasn't a bribe." "I kind of figured that." "Good." We sat in silence. Nothing else apparently needed to be said. She was a mystery to me and I simply watched her eat. When she was done, I picked up her tray and held the door for her. We walked out of Hilliard together, still in silence. We walked around campus for what seemed like hours before we spoke again. "Your mom's Eleanor Bryant, right?" "That's mom." "She's on the board at Princeton?" "Princeton doesn't let anyone in based on name. At least they didn't in this case." "What do you expect me to do?" "Whatever makes you happy. Look, I heard about what happened between you and Alice. Now you need to do what makes Daniel happy." She ran off the trail to a small grassy hill. In her designer clothes, she began to roll down the hill, rolling in the grass like a child. I didn't understand her fully all the time, but I did at this moment, and I hurried to join her. We stayed there for about an hour until the sun was setting. With curfew fast approaching, we hurried back and ended up in a pitch black campus. Students were running about, teachers, staff, and security were chasing after them. A student almost knocked me over in the chaos. "What's happening?" I asked. "Some genius hacked in or did something to the power, so key cards aren't working. Nothing electronic on campus is working, the power is out. All the seniors are headed into town for the party. We don't need to sneak out now!" He said while running off. Lydia and I ended up in my dorm room in the dark. My heart was beating loud enough to be embarrassing. I closed in to try and kiss her but I missed, due to the dark of the room. She laughed and I was feeling quite small until she connected the kiss and soon we were on my bed. This time I was on top of her. Her shirt was off, and so was mine. My lips were moving down to her breasts when Lydia paused things. She pulled out a single pill and passed it to me. Without waiting for her to explain that it was ecstasy, I grabbed bottled water from under my bed. Soon, I was outside of my body. I watched myself climb back onto Lydia, ripping through fabric covered in grass. She was flat on her stomach with her ass in the air and I was nibbling on her ear as my cock drove in to the tight wet pussy I had once rejected. Luckily, our loud screams were no match for the ensuing chaos outside. Inside the room I felt at happy, and the nonstop moans from Lydia told me she was too. I was sweating all over as I drove inside her with manic thrusts. I had never felt such pleasure. My hands were tingling just from the touch of her skin. "Yes," Lydia screamed her approval, her cries bordering on insane. "Yesss, fuck me baby." Like a jackhammer on hyper-drive I sped forward, inducing crazed hollers and screams as I unloaded deep in her warmth. I was still incredibly hard as I continued to push my cock in and out of her. My arms felt like liquid as they slapped her round cheeks while I fucked her. My head began to swim and my entire body felt like it was held by the hot, wet tightness of her pussy. I was determined to focus on her pleasure and I soon caused her to scream like a banshee as she came for me. I pulled out of her and grabbed blindly for the lotion from the nearby night stand. I slathered white lube on to my member and placed myself at the entrance to Lydia's rear passage. With my tip at her backdoor, she yelled "Fuck me." That was all I needed to hear as I drove through the temporary diverting pressure of her anal sphincter. She moaned as my hands gripped her round cheeks and my entire weight focused on her ass. My cock slowed at first as she tensed under my hands, but I soon felt her discomfort recede. Soon my balls were slapping against her flesh fifty times a minute. Her path was immensely tight and encouraging; it was like a living dream, being inside Lydia Bryant like that was insanely surreal. My hands moved along her ass, her soft round cheeks shifting under my tightening fingers. My nostrils took in her alluring scent tenfold. Not being able to see her did nothing to limit the bliss of my senses. The heat drove me wild as the cooling nature of the lotion guided me in. The lubricated cold texture melted away to the hot pulling force of her anal canal. I came explosively, lubricating her tight hole with my seed. I groaned and she cried out as my nails pinched her cheeks. Suddenly and instantly I felt thirsty; everything I had I had given to her. My hazy head began to drift downward now, not wanting to crush Lydia, I guided my suddenly-heavy body to the side hers laying there panting. Rolling over, Lydia gave me a nourishing gentle kiss and we both drifted off to sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night to a familiar sensation. Lydia's lips were running along my cock and her soaking tongue slid over the underside of my sensitive head. Seconds after she closed her lips over my cock, I erupted inside her thirsty mouth. Lifting her body up alongside mine I kissed her, tasting my seed and her ass. It was a dirty, greedy, electrifying dream like kiss. My being content wasn't a dream though. With her hot body clingingly cuddled next to mine, my ever contemplative mind realized venturing to sit with a new crowd was just like, my lube covered cock running through her hot clenching ass: Every little risky experience, with its unknown outcome, bad, good, embarrassing or immoral is a step on the staircase to attaining that ultimate orgasmic, seemingly impossible dream, turning an illusion into reality. --- Brandon and Alice became quite the item the last two weeks of school; attending prom together. To no surprise he opted to go to Columbia. Lydia and I didn't go to Prom but we spent that time together, rolling around on the hillside. --- A few days before schools end we met at the hill. "I like you. I have since the week following the camping trip, so I'm curious where are you're going next year?" "Stanford," I lied. Not telling her yet that I had accepted the slot at Princeton. This either didn't bother her or she knew. Together we rolled down the hill again and again. Happiness was no longer an illusion to me; it was just an out of the box thing. Finally we came to a stop and lay panting at the bottom of the hill. Lydia turned and smiled at me. "So, how hot is this cousin Bridget?" Illusions Lost This is my first submission to Literotica Stories, hopefully not the last. This story was originally going to be sent to an anthology contest, but by the time I was finished and ready to submit it, it was reported that the publishers were no longer going to make the books. A missed opportunity. So, I decided to submit it here instead. I hope you like it. ___________________________ Captain Picard paced the length of his ready room still not believing his luck, and wasn't sure whether it was good or bad. Nevertheless, on his desktop terminal was the course for their next assignment, once their mission briefing was complete. After replacing the warp core, which they jettisoned during the Ba'ku incident, the Enterprise was ordered to Starbase 343. Once there, a mission advisor would come aboard and give the particulars of the assignment. That was Picard's first surprise. He had worked with this individual once before during a covert operation, and didn't think he'd have a second opportunity. He figured it must have taken a lot to extract this person from his "unofficial" location, but judging from their destination, the only piece of information the advisor gave him so far, Starfleet felt it was necessary. That was surprise number two. Picard couldn't believe they were actually going there... of all places! This sector had been quarantined for years, and it was a paramount issue that no one entered this region of space... ever. No one knew why, except a very few, one of whom was on board. Straightening his uniform, he left his ready room. "Number One?" Riker rose from the command chair and met Picard halfway, "The briefing?" Picard nodded and tapped his comm badge, "This is the captain. All senior officers, report to the main conference room." Then, turning to Riker, "We'll be there shortly." "Aye, sir." Picard entered the turbo-lift and headed for the VIP section of the ship. It was his duty to escort their guest to the briefing, and he certainly didn't want to keep him waiting. * * * In the main VIP stateroom, a robed figure knelt before a small tapestry draped over a corner table. The cloth, embroidered with the IDIC emblem, was a gift from his stepmother, his father's third wife. The message with it expressed her love and their shared grief. Many people in his life were gone now, but he learned to expect and eventually accept it; most humanoids didn't possess the same life span of a Vulcan. Though one tried, he mused. Out of spite, no doubt. He thought of him and their constant war of words, and found he missed it. He thought of his closest friend: a young maverick, taking risks and going on instinct more often than not. In later years, he became a seasoned veteran of space, with a little bit of that 'maverick' still in him. He thought of a certain engineer who, through his own mechanizations, found his way to the twenty-fourth century, but he knew that time would not be denied. Soon he would be gone, like Uhura, Sulu and Chekov, Dr. Chapel, his mother, so many others, and just recently, his father. He knew them all, knew all their fates... save one. It was ironic that he didn't know the fate of his very first friend, and yet this mission would bring him to the last place he saw him. He couldn't have known; entry into this sector was forbidden under Federation law, a law he once broke to help his friend. Now, with this new information, he and the Enterprise-E were going back to a world that no one has had contact with for 107 years. Bringing himself out of his thoughts when the door chimed, he rose to his usual stance and answered, "Come." The doors parted and, with respect and courtesy, Jean-Luc Picard bowed slightly to his honored guest. "It's time for our briefing, Ambassador. May I escort you to the conference room?" "Thank you, Captain." Picard still expected to see a giant appear before him every time he heard the Vulcan speak, but from the outside, the giant was an elderly man, with hull gray hair and facial lines that ran deep with decades of service to the Federation. The upswept eyebrows and elegantly pointed ears completed the look that all Vulcans had: haunting grace and dignity. Picard felt a little intimidated. It isn't every day one gets to walk with a legend, he thought. "I offer my gratitude for keeping my arrival as subdued as possible, Captain." "No trouble, Ambassador. None of my officers know of your presence yet, but I can count on their discretion, as can you, sir." "Most kind, Captain." The ambassador did know Picard's officers, after a brief mind-meld with him. He saw them in the captain's mind when he delivered the news of his father's passing. His first officer: tall, bearded, that half-serious, half not-so-serious smirk. And playing a trombone? His ship's counselor: a beautiful, lithe woman with flowing black hair and those deep black Betazoid eyes. His chief engineer: a capable young man, wearing a prosthetic eyepiece. And of course, his Ops officer, the android. They arrived at the turbo-lift, and Picard allowed his guest to board first. "Main conference room." The lift complied and whisked the pair upward. "Ambassador, what kind of problems could we expect?" "There is the potential for danger, Captain. However, I believe my presence should defuse anything unwarranted." That statement made the hairs on Picard's neck stand out. He was about to ask "How much potential?" when the lift doors opened. A short walk, and another set of doors parted revealing the conference room. He stepped to the side, allowing his companion to enter. "Ladies, gentlemen. Allow me to introduce our mission advisor... Ambassador Spock of Vulcan." Eyes widened when the famous Vulcan walked into the room, and Picard gave everyone a moment to compose themselves, then got down to business. He made the introductions, starting with Riker who offered the chair next to his own, which Spock accepted. Next was LaForge, whose optical implants were a pleasing improvement over the VISOR, Spock noted. Then, Dr. Crusher, Counselor Troi, "and of course, you know Mr. Data." "Indeed; most pleasing to see you again, Commander." "Likewise, Ambassador." Picard finished with, "and our chief of security, Lt. Commander T'Vel," a Vulcan woman, with long black hair tied back in an oriental queue. "Greetings, Commander," said Spock, holding up his hand in a Vulcan salute. "A great honor to meet you, Ambassador," she replied, returning the salute. Picard began pressing a few table padd controls, and a holographic map of space materialized. "The orders Starfleet sent us are considered 'classified'. No one outside this room will know anything of this meeting." He looked at his officers, and they nodded in agreement. "Computer, display course; authorization: Picard, beta 287." A white dot blipped on the map, indicating the Enterprise's position, and a blue line traced her course ending at a yellow dot, dead center inside a shaded red area. Widening out to a representation of a star cluster, consisting of old red giants, the view expanded again to a single star system with eleven planets. "This is our destination," said Picard, as the map expanded one more time, narrowing in on the fourth planet. The computer flashed its name, and even T'Vel with all her Vulcan control couldn't totally hide a look of dismay. The others didn't bother trying as their destination was projected in yellow letters. The one forbidden world in the entire galaxy. Talos IV. The reactions hit Picard like a hurricane. "...WHAT? TALOS IV? Are they kidding... ...not seriously entertaining this... ...fleet regulations clearly state that General Order... ...does Starfleet get off ordering..." Picard let this go on for a few beats, and then tapped the table, calling for silence. He got it immediately. "One at a time, please. Number One?" Riker turned and nailed Spock with a confused glare, "With respect, Ambassador... please tell me this is a joke." "Vulcans never joke, Commander," T'Vel said, flatly. She then saw a slight twitch at the corner of Spock's mouth. Was that a smile? "This came straight from the top, Number One. This is no joke," Picard directed their looks toward Spock. Resting his elbows at his sides, the not-quite-so giant Vulcan spoke. "I appreciate your misgivings about our destination, and I know that General Order 7 is quite explicit in its finality." Every first year cadet had Starfleet's general orders drilled into their heads from day one, especially number seven: no vessel, under any condition, emergency or otherwise, is to approach Talos IV. Any communication or signal of any kind emanating from this area is to be considered false and ignored, with no exceptions. Moreover, everyone in Starfleet knew the consequences if this order was disobeyed; it was the only death penalty left on Starfleet's books. There was only one person in the room that knew why. "You must trust me that the information I possess will justify this mission." Spock entered a code on his padd, and the viewer behind Picard came to life. It showed an old briefing room with three tables and a large viewscreen on the far wall. There were officers wearing uniforms about a hundred years out of style, and the individual off to the right everyone recognized. It was the ambassador, in the formal dress of a commander. Two officers sat at the middle table, one of which was James Kirk. There was a third on the left, but he was sitting in, what Dr. Crusher recognized as, an old anti-grav medical chair used to care for those who were injured beyond the point of self-locomotion. She also recognized Leonard McCoy, as if anyone in the medical field wouldn't, and Geordi knew that had to be Montgomery Scott operating the recording monitor. And on the old viewscreen, a starship glided into view. Those in their respective briefing rooms knew what ship it was when her registry number came into focus. N.C.C.-1701, U.S.S. ENTERPRISE. "This transcript was recorded aboard the Enterprise, stardate 3012.6, while on course to Talos IV. This is a record of my court-martial." The officers looked from him to the screen, not believing what they just heard. "The charges were mutiny, theft of Starfleet property, and the abduction of a Starfleet officer, Fleet Captain Christopher Pike." Spock explained that thirteen years prior to this transcript the Enterprise, under the command of Pike, responded to a distress signal from Talos IV and discovered an encampment with eleven survivors from a forced landing. Pike was led away from the others by a young woman named Vina, and then captured by the planet's inhabitants. Watching the events happen just as Spock described them, they saw the Talosians, fragile beings with enlarged craniums, drag Pike into a lift disguised as a rocky knoll. The landing party fired their weapons at the hidden doors to force them open, but to no avail, and Commander Spock reported that there were no actual survivors and the captain had been abducted. "Ambassador, how could you and the away team see and hear, even talk to the survivors if they weren't actually there?" asked Riker. "The Talosians were found to have mastered the power of illusion. They have the ability to super-impose their own brainwaves over the sensory receptors of other beings. The receiving victims would see, hear, and feel anything the Talosians wished, usually a re-creation of the victims own thoughts. Illusions as real and as solid as this table, and just as impossible to ignore." They looked back at the screen and saw the court-martial board watching the end of a fight between Pike and a Kalaran warrior from Rigel VII. The behemoth jumped from an upper level of a courtyard attempting to land on him, but Pike brought up the business end of a broken spear and the Kalaran took it full in the chest. He rolled him off and then looked up at a woman dressed in something out of a fairy tale. Different dress, longer hair, but Picard and the others saw that it was Vina, the woman from the survivors' camp. The image blurred for a second and Pike was now in a holding cell with a large transparent wall, with Vina beside him. She began to describe life on this world when Spock interrupted. "The Talosians suffered a devastating war many centuries ago, and were forced to move their civilization underground. They found life there to be somewhat limiting, concentrated on developing superior mental power, and perfected their ability." They returned to the transcript to hear Vina finish the story. "...but they found... it's a trap, like a narcotic. Because, when dreams become more important than reality, you give up travel, building, creating... you even forget how to repair the machines left behind by your ancestors. You just sit... living and reliving other lives left behind in the thought records." Kirk turned to the officer on his left, but the man didn't move, and then Picard heard the distinctive beep of Captain Pike's med-chair, apparently answering a 'yes or no' question, but no one had asked anything. And the man in the middle still didn't move an inch. Picard wasn't the only one who noticed. "Ambassador, why isn't the officer in the middle moving or even saying a word?" asked Troi. "Commodore Mendez was the senior officer presiding over the inquiry, but he was never actually on board the Enterprise." "An illusion?" this from Crusher. She looked closely at the screen, startled to see Pike screaming and writhing in pain as flames licked at him from all sides. The image blurred, and he was back in his cell, holding a vial of blue liquid. The Talosian observing him said, "From a fable you once heard in childhood." Pike tried to argue with him, but was interrupted with, "If you continue to disobey, from deeper in your mind there are things even more unpleasant!" "If that officer isn't really there, why can we see him?" asked Geordi. "The Talosians' power of illusion can make anyone not entirely sure of what they do or see," Spock answered, "After the incident, it was discovered that Chief Engineer Scott was being manipulated. While he was monitoring the transmissions, Mr. Scott was, in actuality, creating an image of the commodore for the sake of the official record. The interaction between the commodore and the others was solely in their own minds." LaForge went back to Pike and his keeper. With an intense look on his face, Pike drank the liquid, and suddenly launched himself at his jailer. The transparent wall bounced him back, but the Talosian backed away, regardless. Troi didn't need her Betazoid ability to know what that move meant: fear. "That's very interesting," Pike said, "You were startled; weren't you reading my mind then?" "So they do have limitations. Pike was angry when he attack, but the Talosian jumped back, knowing full well the wall would protect him. If he was reading his thoughts, he wouldn't have moved." "Correct, Counselor," said Spock, "The Talosians cannot read through primitive emotions such as hate, anger, and so forth." "Ambassador," this from Data, "in describing what happened to Mr. Scott, you said "transmissions". That would suggest the images the inquiry board are watching..." "...were coming from Talos IV." They all returned to the transcript and saw Pike's new surroundings: a palace drawing room, complete with a reflecting pool, a quartet of musicians, and lounging pillows scattered about. Pike, dressed as a sheik, was watching a woman dancing seductively to the music. Their suspicions were justified when they heard Kirk ask, "That's Vina again, as the green Orion slave girl?" Pike, in his med-chair, beeped once: yes. With green skin, wild black hair, and wearing an outfit that looked ready to fall off, Vina whirled about, doing her best to arouse her 'master'. Succeeding in only angering him, she watched Pike bolt from his pillows and stomp away. Picard asked the next question. "Were the Talosians doing this to see how Captain Pike would react, or was there another purpose?" "I may have an answer, Captain," said T'Vel, "The Talosians were experimenting, not just on Captain Pike, but on other beings they've collected, and for a considerably long time. Since many species do not possess a lengthy life span by most standards, they must have performed their experiments on the species' descendents. Therefore, the Talosians required two of every being they captured." "Correct, Commander," said Spock. "But Pike couldn't possibly have mated with Vina," Crusher countered, "She was an illusion, wasn't she?" The doctor then noticed two other women in the cell with Pike and Vina, and realized her point might be moot. The new arrivals were Enterprise crewmembers, and she guessed the Talosians were giving Pike a selection since he didn't want anything to do with Vina. "Slaves." They all looked at Riker, and he continued, "The Talosians didn't want a community of humans, but a colony of slave labor. They needed someone to repair their technology and rebuild their culture for them." A nod from Spock told him he had guessed right. Next, Pike was dragging a Talosian through a hole in the rear wall and into the cell. But just as he got his hands around his keeper's throat, the Talosian blurred and was replaced with an ape-like creature, with orange fur and a wide, growling mouth full of pointed teeth. It took a couple of swipes but Pike didn't give an inch, and the ape-thing vanished with the Talosian reappearing and threatening to destroy the Enterprise. Vina said he wasn't bluffing, "...with illusion, they can make your crew work the wrong controls or push any button it takes to destroy your ship." Pike told his crewmember to hold the Talosian, and turned to fire the weapons the two crewwomen had hidden on them at the window. Nothing happened. He then threatened his keeper, and the "nothing happened" blurred into a large hole burned through the glass. The group, with Pike using the Talosian as a hostage, made their way back to the surface. "They prevented the away team from seeing that, too," said Geordi, pointing out that the knoll and half of the lift was blasted away by weapons' fire, "They cut through it and never knew." The tall, black haired woman told the Talosian that their plan for enslaving humans was wrong, and set her weapon to 'overload'. Pike ordered Vina to get to safety, then told his keeper to go with her, "...just to show you how primitive humans are...", but Vina refused. Two more Talosians appeared on the knoll and direct their thought images of the Enterprise's library records at the one below, and Pike told his officer to wait on the 'overload'. Picard and his staff listened carefully to the next part. "We had not believed this possible," said the keeper, with a sad look, "The customs and history of your race show a unique hatred of captivity. Even when it's pleasant and benevolent, you prefer death. This makes you too violent and dangerous a species for our needs." "What he's saying is... they can't use you," said Vina, "You're free to go back to the ship." Pike looked from Vina, to the Talosians on the knoll, and finally to his keeper. "And that's it," he said with a sarcastic smirk, "No apologies. You captured one of us, threatened all of us..." One of the two above replied, "Your unsuitability has condemned the Talosian race to inevitable death. Is this not sufficient?" "No other specimen has shown your adaptabilities. You were our last hope." "Wouldn't some form of trade, mutual cooperation...?" Pike offered. Shaking his head, he answered, "Your race would learn our power of illusion and destroy itself, too." "You mean Starfleet seriously thought something like that could happen?" asked Riker. Illusions Lost "At the time," Spock answered, "it was considered a genuine possibility." The two crewwomen were gone, and the staff noticed that Vina's appearance was changing. Her blond hair was now a tangled mop of gray, and dark facial wrinkles appeared, with a horrible scar running down her cheek. Her nose was forced to the right, obviously broken in the middle, and a grotesque hump of skin tissue on her shoulder forced her to lean. "So, in a way, I was right," Beverly exclaimed, "she was an illusion." The explanation came next. "They found me in the wreckage," said Vina, her voice ragged, "a dying lump of flesh. They rebuilt me; everything works, but they had never seen a human. They had no guide in putting me back together." Pike just stared at her, puzzled, and turned to the Talosian for the explanation. "It was necessary to prove to you that her desire to stay is an honest one." "This whole thing had something to do with Pike, didn't it?" Deanna commented, "I mean the one in the med-chair." A certain look was on the ambassador's face as he nodded. She wasn't sure but, to her, the look said 'regret'. The Talosian was back on Kirk's viewscreen, not as a thought-recording, but actually 'speaking' to him. "...Captain Pike is welcome to spend the rest of his natural life with us, unfettered by his physical body. The choice is yours... and his." With that, Kirk leaned over to Pike. "Chris, do you want to go back there?" A single beep from his chair answered it all. Yes. "What you have just seen is an edited version of what transpired 107 years ago," Spock punched a new code into his padd while he spoke, "By agreement with Starfleet Command, Captain Pike was allowed to beam down to Talos IV and remain there for the rest of his life." He directed their attention back to the viewer. It showed a gray-purple object: a hexagonal cylinder with controls on one side and a small thruster at the base. "The starship Bey recovered this object near the Epsilon Cephei system. Their sensors found the thruster's ionization trail, and traced it back to its relative point of origin." Holographic space materialized on the table again, and a blue line traced a path from Epsilon Cephei to the red shaded quarantined zone. Spock continued, "After scanning the object, it was found to have properties in its structure that did not conform to any construction techniques used anywhere within the Alpha Quadrant. However, after reviewing certain records, its origin was revealed." He touched a few padd keys, and the picture changed from the cylinder to a ship: dark gray-purple hull, ovoid in shape with two warp nacelles glowing lavender. A Jem'Hadar vessel. "Starfleet believes the Dominion was in the Talos sector, but when they were there, or for how long, is unknown. Our mission is to establish the presence of the Jem'Hadar within the quarantine zone, and the reason why." "Could the Talosians have sent it by scanning the thoughts of someone who knew of the Dominion?" asked Troi. "I doubt it, Counselor," answered LaForge, "Their whole technological way of life atrophied, so there's no way they could even build such a thing." "Even so," Picard interjected, "the Talosians know Starfleet cut them off from the rest of the Federation. Why bother contacting us if they know we won't answer," He then turned to the ambassador, "Part of the transcript said that their thought transmissions reached into deep space." "Indeed, however Starfleet believes their transmissions are unable to reach the Bajoran system or the Gamma Quadrant, and would have no knowledge of the Jem'Hadar." "Maybe they thought-scanned a ship that was involved in the Dominion War," said Crusher. "Perhaps their ability is stronger than Starfleet believes," added T'Vel. "Or maybe..." Picard stopped Riker in mid-sentence with a raised hand, halting all the speculation. "Right now, we're just guessing. I believe there's only one option. Ambassador?" "Agreed, Captain; we must proceed... to Talos IV." The finality in voice told them there was nothing more to say, and Picard tapped his comm badge. "Picard to bridge." "Bridge, Lt. Kai." "Set course to these coordinates: -119.4 by -43.7 by -24, and engage at warp eight." A pause, then, "Begging your pardon, sir, but that course..." "I know where it takes us, Lieutenant; carry out your orders. Picard out." Then he addressed his officers, "That concludes the briefing. You are not to discuss this with any personnel." All nodding in agreement, they left the conference room. Escorted back to his stateroom, Spock turned to Picard. "Captain, may I make a request?" "Of course, sir." "When our mission is complete, and if circumstances permit, would it be possible to..." he paused, finding it difficult to ask such a large request, but Picard knew the rest. "...visit the Talosian community? That could be considered as "conflicting with orders", Ambassador. However... I see nothing wrong with investigating in the most thorough manner possible." "Thank you, Captain. I would be concerned, however, if this... request puts you in a difficult position with Starfleet." "Not to worry, Ambassador." It won't be the first time, he thought. When they reached the stateroom, Picard added, "We should be there in nine hours. I'll contact you when we arrive." And with that, the legendary Vulcan entered his quarters, and when the doors closed, Picard straightened his uniform and headed for the bridge. * * * After he was paged eight hours and fifty-three minutes later, Spock entered the bridge. Old and fond memories came back to him, as if destiny would always find him on the bridge of the Enterprise, even this one. With the grace of a swan, the ship slid into orbit. Talos IV was a desolate world made up of light and dark browns, with a sparse cloud cover tinted a sickly ocher. It looked barren, cold... alone. Picard hit the 'all call' button on his chair. "Attention, all hands; this is the captain. We've entered orbit around, what you all probably know by now, Talos IV. I'm sure that feelings are running high about our being here, but rest assured our mission, though classified, has been authorized by Starfleet Command. There will be no reprisals for violating General Order 7. However, it is my order that no one speak of our visit to anyone, and there will be no log entry made mentioning our presence in this area. For the record: we were never here." He closed the comm and turned to Spock, "Ambassador, would care to take the conn for our initial contact?" The bridge personnel stood at attention as the ambassador made his way to the command chair. "I would consider it an honor, Captain." He eased himself into the seat and for the first time in decades, albeit temporarily, Mr. Spock was in command of the Enterprise. "Commander T'Vel, open communications." Once done, he straightened his posture and addressed the screen. "Greetings. This is Ambassador Spock of Vulcan, aboard the Federation starship Enterprise-E, Captain Jean-Luc Picard commanding. I wish to speak to the head of your community, known as the Magistrate, or his successor. Please respond." Silence. Picard turned to T'Vel for his unasked question, and she assured him the frequency was open. "This is Captain Picard. For the duration of our mission, our government has suspended the order that quarantines your world. We need to speak with you regarding another vessel that may have entered your space. Please reply." Again, silence. "Captain," interrupted T'Vel, "sensors are picking up a metallic mass on the surface. Readings indicate the composition of the material is consistent with the object found by the Bey." "Pinpoint coordinates. Picard to Transporter Room Two. Stand by to beam down an away team in five minutes." "Acknowledged, sir." was the response. "Will, Deanna, T'Vel with me. Data, you have the bridge. Have LaForge and Dr. Crusher join us in Transporter Room Two." "Aye, sir." "And you, sir," he continued, now facing Spock, "will be joining us later, if the situation permits." "Understood, Captain." * * * After the tingling on his skin faded, Picard found himself standing near low hills and rock formations, with five of his officers. Getting their bearings, they gazed at the world the Federation deemed "forbidden". Talos IV was a bleak wasteland as far as they could see. Dirty and boulder strewn, and spotted with a strange type of harmonic vegetation, the barren world was still trying to heal itself after its cataclysmic war. "Commander?" The captain addressed T'Vel. Adjusting her tricorder, she replied, "Seventy-two meters, over that rise, sir." T'Vel pointed behind them, and they started climbing the gradual terrain. And when the away team reached the top, there was their conformation. One third of the hull was buried under the rubble it kicked up when it crashed. One warp nacelle was obscured; the other was gone completely. Pieces of metal were scattered everywhere, in various sizes and in no particular order. Despite it all, they recognized the gigantic 'insect' lying dead at their feet. A ship of the Jem'Hadar. The away team was on it like bees on pollen, while Picard called the ship. "Enterprise, Data here." "The vessel appears to be a scoutship. We'll see if we can find a way in," Picking his way through the debris, Picard found himself near LaForge, "Stand by." "It's under here, sir," Geordi lifted a section of hull insulation material to reveal a half-open airlock hatch. "Data," Picard said to his comm badge, "maintain a transporter lock on us; we're going in." then to the away team, "Geordi, Beverly, with me. The rest of you, continue your survey." Squeezing between the door panels and through the airlock anteroom, they found themselves in an ordinary corridor, except for the pieces of struts and bulkheads littering the deck. And the body, or rather what was left of it, sprawled out in front of them. Tricorder in hand, Crusher reported, "Scans of the remains show he died almost seventy years ago." The 'being' was just bones and flaking skin tissue, but the uniform was unmistakable: A Jem'Hadar warrior. Stepping around debris and seven more bodies, they had found the vessel's bridge, and in the center, the command chair with another corpse in it. "No power to any systems," said Geordi, waving his tricorder around, but that was plain enough to see, "but basically still intact." He set down his port-a-generator in front of an access panel and, positioning it, switched on a tight beam of blue light, connecting it with a power terminal. The console above it flickered and steadied to a dim pulse as the controls came alive. "I have access, sir," Geordi's fingers tapped across the dusty panel. "A small percentage of their computer core is still functioning." Picard and Crusher joined him as the screen above the console burst into static and formed the face of a Jem'Hadar soldier. "My name is not important. I am from a species known as the Jem'Hadar, soldiers who serve our leaders, called the Founders, in defense of our realm, the Dominion. While scouting a region of unknown space, our ship encountered an anomaly, and was thrown almost 90,000 light-years from where we were." The Bajoran wormhole, Picard thought. "We were rendered unconscious and our overseer, a Vorta, was killed. We lost our bearings, but our ship was still shrouded. We wandered for months before an asteroid collided with our shields and shorted out half our systems. We crashed on this planet with a loss of all hands, save one... me. My injuries are not too severe, but I will be dead soon enough, for my supply of the White is dwindling... (static) ...power is almost gone." "I warn whoever is listening to... (crackle) ...beings on this world that can alter your thoughts; beware of them... (static) ...my final entry. For the Founders, for the Domin... (crack, static) ...ictory is life..." The screen winked out. "Geordi, gather what information you can and send it up to Enterprise. Let's finish this, quickly," Picard and Crusher made their way back outside the doomed vessel and met up with Riker. "We're just about finished, sir." "Good. Geordi's collecting what's left of their computer information. Beverly and I are going back up. This place doesn't feel right, Will, so don't dawdle; get it done and get back to the ship." "Understood, sir." Picard called the ship, "Enterprise, Picard; two to beam up." The cold sparkling light deposited the pair in the transporter alcove, with Data waiting for them. "Captain, Geordi is ready to transfer his findings," Data looked at Beverly, "and send the readings of the corpses onto Sickbay. Commander Riker should be finished in a few minutes." Picard heard the 'and' in his voice, and said so. "And," Data said, compliant, "Ambassador Spock is waiting in your ready room." "Thank you, Data. I thought he might be." * * * Twenty minutes later, Picard and four of his senior staff beamed back down to the surface. After securing the area, he had the Enterprise transport Counselor Troi and Ambassador Spock. A sense of déjà vu overwhelmed the ambassador as he looked at a place he thought he'd never see again. The knoll had changed. Where once stood an incline path of rock leading to a squared shaft of stone, concealing the underground access, now stood a pile of rubble. Only a disguised door panel remained lying atop a boulder, and the rest was slabs of rock and soil, with a few musical plant sprouts peeking out. "This has the look of being sealed off," Picard said, "on purpose. Picard to Enterprise." "Data here. We were about to contact you, sir. We have reviewed the Jem'Hadar computer logs. It seems the commander went out exploring the area and found the underground entrance. He was met by a human and the commander attacked him." Picard questioned Spock, "Pike?" "More likely, an image of Pike." Data continued, "The human vanished, and the commander saw another being on the hidden lift. He fired his weapon repeatedly, then escaped back to his ship. He stayed sealed in, and managed to launch a rescue beacon." "Data, stand by to beam us to the coordinates provided by the ambassador." "Aye, sir; standing by." Picard asked Spock, "Are you sure about those coordinates, sir?" "As well as I can recollect, Captain." Picard then asked what was on everyone's mind, "What if this is really an illusion?" Spock pondered this for a moment, then answered, "The Talosians have no need to continue their experiments, and if they know I am here, they would have no reason to deceive us." But then he added, "However, I must point out that if our readings are indeed illusions, one could find oneself materialized inside solid rock." That got everyone's attention instantly. "Nothing will be said if anyone changes their mind," said Picard. No one said a word. He called back to the ship. "Transporter Room. Coordinates are set; ready to transport, sir." "Energize." The bleak landscape faded out, and replaced with almost total darkness. Their hands immediately went for their wrist lights, and saw they were next to an open lift filled with rocks and dirt. Both Geordi and Crusher scanned it. "The debris shows miniscule traces of organic tissue," said the doctor, "There was a body under here." "Doesn't look like he survived the ride," commented Riker, "Where to next, Amba... Ambassador?" He and the others found him across the hallway, staring at a dark, empty cubicle. Captain Pike's cage. Their lights revealed a raised sleeping pad covered with a thin, metallic blanket and a layer of dust. In the corner, a lime encrusted fountain, and on the rear wall, the secret cage access, open. Scans showed there were no remains inside, but Spock knew there wouldn't be any. Since Pike and Vina chose to remain there voluntarily, there would be no reason to keep them caged. A signal from LaForge's tricorder sounded, "Captain, picking up a faint energy source; 24.6 meters." Spock stole one last glance at Pike's, and again, felt regret. The away team followed the weak signal down the dim and cobweb draped corridor, passing other cages. Picard peered into one cage and saw the skeleton of a big creature, its eyeless skull gaping at him with open, fanged jaws. The ape-thing from the transcript, he deduced. Suddenly, Geordi stopped and pointed his tricorder at a door, marked with a three-pronged circle of gold and a dark jewel set in the hub. "In here, sir." He and Riker gripped the door panels and forced them open, producing a shriek of grinding metal. They swept the room with lights and tricorders and found a paltry furnished area, full of stale air and the faint scent of something everyone recognized: the smell of a dead body. Dr. Crusher found the source in the far corner, and the body took form under her light. It was thin and frail from decomposition, and wore a long metallic tunic. The mummified face was half-skeletal and what skin remained looked leathery. Its cranium was almost three times the size of an average humanoid, and Beverly's light caught a dark jeweled, circle of gold just above its folded arms. They had found the Magistrate. "According to these readings," started the doctor, "he's been dead for about sixty years, and there's some type of viral infection residue in the remains. It looks like a mutated strain of some form of enzyme," She hit a few controls on her tricorder, waited, then said, "An isogenic enzyme." "The Jem'Hadars' ketracel white." said Riker. "Captain," this from T'Vel, "the energy reading is emanating from the next room." Her light played on another set of doors, also marked with the gold emblem. Again, the doors were forced, and Spock recognized the chamber, now expose to wrist lights. The thought viewing/monitoring room, where Pike was kept under surveillance. T'Vel's light caught the main viewer, blank and unused for years. "This is the source of the energy read..." She didn't finish her sentence, for the ancient screen flickered and came to life. "I must have inadvertently triggered the activation..." Picard stopped her explanation with an "it's all right" raised hand, and he and the others gathered around the screen. It showed the Magistrate, with two other Talosians standing behind him. The protruding veins on his bloated head pulsed when he spoke, even though his mouth never moved. But, to Spock, he looked tired and weak, as if he were... dying? The recording began: "What you now seem to see and hear are my thought transmissions, stored here in the great thought records of our world. To whatever life form that finds this message, this will be my final recorded thought." "I am known as the Magistrate to the inhabitants of this planet. Our world was almost destroyed by a war long ago, and our minds developed the power of hypnotic illusion as the result of limiting, underground existence. Our technology fell into atrophy and our mental power became an addiction. We sought others to use in rebuilding our society and, by chance, a vessel crashed on our world with a single human survivor. We thought this species to be ideal for our purpose, but later learned of their unique hatred of captivity. Fearing those of their kind would learn our ability and destroy themselves as we have, their governing body, known as the Federation, quarantined our entire star system. The two humans who chose to remain on our world were in need of our illusionary ability because of their physical deformities." "But our quiet isolation was shattered with the arrival of an unwelcome visitor. Aggressive beings found their way to our planet, and crashed on the surface. These creatures exposed us to a disease that we have no immunity against, and the end came swiftly." Illusions Lost "We are all that remain of our kind, and have only two last appeals to whoever is listening. We ask that you deliver the remains of our two human residents to their homeworld, as it was their last request. And, for the sake of my race, I ask that you maintain the quarantine imposed on our star system, to prevent others from disturbing our final resting place." "In memorial, I bid Captain Christopher Pike and Vina... and you, farewell." The screen went blank. Picard turned to Spock, and was surprised to see a bit of moisture in his eye. "Ambassador?" Bringing his composure back, he faced Beverly, "Doctor?" Checking her tricorder, she replied, "Out the way we came in and to the right." They worked their way back to the corridor, but not before Spock paused at the side of the Magistrate's remains and raised his hand in a Vulcan salute. "I offer a Vulcan prayer to you, Magistrate of Talos IV. 'In death, may you at last find peace you were unable to find in life'." Spock and the others proceeded back into the corridor and, at the far end, found a set of wide doors. They noisily rolled open, and an eerie glow illuminated tables on which two shrouded figures lay. Lying near them were simple placards: Christopher Pike, captain, U.S.S. Enterprise. Species- human. The other: Vina, crewmember, S.S. Columbia. Species- human. And in the corner, dusty and unused for decades, Pike's med-chair. "Picard to Enterprise." The captain called the ship as Spock stepped over to the shrouded male, and gently touched the placard. He silently said good-bye to his old friend and, in the same thought, asked his forgiveness for not having come sooner. "Ambassador," Picard said, softly, "the transporter's standing by to beam up the remains." Spock thanked him, and Jean-Luc knew he was sincere. For that single tear that threatened to escape the Vulcan's eye, did just that. * * * Spock felt ashamed for so blatantly displaying his emotions in front of the others. It is not logical to grieve, he thought. Then he remembered the times he did showed grief and not felt it wrong. His father's death, his mother's, his former shipmates'. He had wept for them and decided that expressing grief, however illogical, was sometimes necessary. He approved Picard's handling of this mission and saw a little of Kirk in him. He had the remains beamed aboard, without the consent or approval of Starfleet, but said he already knew their answer. "And if not... c'est la vie. This is one decision I can live with." Yes, a little of Kirk. Not so 'by the book' as he first pondered, but a man of conviction and honor... a 'maverick'. Fascinating. * * * Picard tapped out the last of his report to Starfleet. There's going to be Hell to pay if they disapprove of this, he thought. That moment, the door chimed. "Come." Riker stepped in. "Dr. Crusher reports the remains are in Morgue Stasis and prepared for their return." Will sat down, then, "Captain... Jean-Luc, do you think this whole thing... I mean, what if..." "...this whole affair wasn't real? I've been wondering the same thing: what if it was all fake, an illusion. But Beverly and Geordi confirmed the readings on the remains; they're real, and they are who they are... were. They'll be returned to Earth." "And Starfleet's response?" Riker asked with a small smile. "Probably not 'gleeful', but I stand by my decision. They'll still enforce the quarantine, regardless." "The Jem'Hadar ship?" "Leave it be. Set course for Earth, warp six. Engage when ready." Riker got up to leave, but turned back to Picard, "For whatever its worth, sir, you made the right decision." "Thank you, Will." And then, Picard was alone in his ready room. His thoughts turned to the ambassador. He cried. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I never would've believed it. Right then and there, he decided that everyone, even Vulcans, had feelings they had to express, in one form or another. He had heard people say that Vulcans were cold, emotionless beings, and was glad that illusion was shattered. I guess, deep down, we're all human. * * * "They have left orbit." "Do they suspect?" "The one named Picard, perhaps; Ambassador Spock... probably." "But we have fulfilled our promise to Pike." "Indeed." "They will never return to our world?" "No... they will not." The Magistrate activated the thought monitor and images of Pike and Vina appeared, skiing down the Aspen slopes, lying on a moonlit beach, riding horses through the parklands of Mojave, joyfully... living. It wasn't easy waiting all those years for the right opportunity, but when the salvage freighter passed close enough, it wasn't too difficult to thought-convince the merchant captain to launch the Jem'Hadar marker buoy. Scanning the Bajoran merchant's mind revealed every detail of the Jem'Hadar, and when the Enterprise responded, the illusion fell into place. The only difficult part was thought-convincing Picard and the others not to include Commander Data, their minds and wills being stronger than anticipated, but they managed. They had to; there was no possible way they could've deceive an android with an illusion, and though he felt troubled for misleading them, he could think of no other viable way to grant Captain Pike's last request. After witnessing all their experiences, the real world, even in the end, was preferred over illusion. Our illusion... their reality. The Magistrate sincerely hoped that they found their way as pleasant.