31 comments/ 10599 views/ 39 favorites Lost and Found Ch. 01 By: bobalous I'm declaring a contest of my own... of sorts. If you go to my author's page, I have submitted the first chapter of 3 stories on the same day (10/30/15). I will write and post the next chapter of the highest rated story every week or two (or maybe three) until all the stories are done. These should all be pretty short stories, around 3-4 chapters. If there is one or more stories that aren't well received (less than 4.25 rating), I will post a summary and ending to them, so that those readers who liked that story aren't left wondering what happens next. If you really like this or the other stories and want to read more, please vote 5-stars, so that I know and will keep it going. If you hate it and want to save others from the pain you've felt, I'm giving you the power to make it stop. I also enjoy reading your comments, so feel free to tell me what you thought of the story, or what's on your mind. Thanks for reading! ***** Lost and Found My ex-wife, Liz called me as I was approaching the end of cell phone range in my truck. I put the call through the Bluetooth in the car stereo. "Hi Ben, how are you doing Sweetie? I just wanted to catch you before you start your hunting trip to say good luck and be safe." She said "Thanks hon." I replied. "I'm almost out of cell range, so if I lose you, it may be a few days before I call back." "You'd better call me back anyways, and you'd better come over for dinner when you get back, we have something we'd like to discuss with you." Liz replied. "Sounds good. Give Brooke my love, and I'll share some meat with you if I get an elk." I offered. "Thanks, but I'm not holding my breath." She joked. "Yeah, me neither." I replied. We said our goodbyes and the call dropped as an enormous Colorado mountain fell into position between the cell tower and my phone. As soon as the call as the call was disconnected, my MP3 of an Italian language lesson started back up again. It was a running joke between Liz and I when we were married what I was actually doing with my hunting time, since I had been hunting since I was a child, and had still never shot a deer or elk. "There's always next year." My father had told me when we used to hunt together. The thought of my father brought a dark cloud over my head. I hadn't spoken to him in over a year, not since he had disowned me. *** I had married my best friend. Literally. Liz and I had been inseparable since we met in our church youth group in middle school. We had each been raised in strict conservative Christian families. We said our pledges of chastity before anyone had even explained the birds and the bees to us. We were married the summer after high school graduation, and that was when the problems started. We stuck it out for 7 long years, during which time we both went to college, and Liz attended law school against the wishes of her family. We never had any kids, luckily. After 7 years of marriage, we both realized how unhappy we made each other, and separated amid a big fight. Divorce followed a few months later. Both of our families called me, and called her, begging us to stay together, then pouring on the guilt, and finally passing judgement. We were disowned. Liz and I each turned to our best friend for support - one another. We agreed that we had made terrible spouses, and while we still loved each other, we could never again live together, and certainly not stay married. We had the world's most peaceful divorce. Liz's friend and co-worker, Brooke, agreed to be a lawyer for both of us, and expedited the process. Liz was a bit of a packrat, and that was part of our problems. I was meticulous, and enjoyed order, while she spread out over every horizontal surface. I took only my clothes and a few possessions when I moved out, and there was no fight over who got what. Liz kept the stuff. Money was split evenly, and I had my best friend back. By far, the biggest marital fight Liz and I had was over sex. Liz's libido was low to start with, and with birth control and antidepressants, she could barely stand missionary sex once a month. She never masturbated or watched porn, and was initially angry with me for doing so. After our divorce was final, Liz asked Brooke to move in. She was a co-worker at Liz's law firm, and was also asexual. Liz swore that she was not gay, or even bisexual, but she craved a relationship and human contact with no sex. They shared a bed, and according to Liz, cuddled and talked every night, but that was the extent of their relationship. Disaster struck when my parent's ran into Liz and Brooke shopping and holding hands. Within hours, Liz's parents were at her door, demanding to know the details of their relationship. When they saw that the two women lived together and there was only one bed in our old townhouse, they assumed that their daughter was gay. I didn't think that there were levels of disownment, but Liz and I were both pestered to get back together, and end our "sinful" lives. When we refused, Liz and I were both sent copies of our parent's wills showing our portion of our inheritance was to go to the church, and a homosexual reform organization. Liz and I banded together even closer, and Brooke became a close friend to me as well. We could talk about anything, including sex and relationships. They set me up on blind dates with their female friends, many of who couldn't believe that Liz wanted them to date me, her ex-husband. A few of the women made it past the first date, and one even made it to girlfriend status, for a while. We wanted different things from life, and agreed to go our separate ways. Two years ago, I had lost my job. Liz and Brooke came through for me, loaning me money to pay bills until I had found a new one in a town almost an hour's drive up in the mountains. I was going to wait until my lease was up on my apartment to move, but found that I didn't mind the commute that much, and the mountain real estate market was ridiculously expensive. I had started passing the time by checking out Pimsleur language lessons from my local library, and learning languages during the two hours a day I spent in my truck. I had learned a school year's worth of Mandarin, three years of Russian, and two years of Arabic (Syrian variety, since there is a regional difference). I was currently working on Italian, which was my second favorite so far after Russian. Both languages seemed to flow off the tongue smoothly. I had learned Spanish in high school, and still retained most of what I had learned at a conversational level. *** I pulled into the campsite as the sun set. I cleared out the camper of my truck, and spread my bedding in the truck bed under the hard topper. I made no fire, and ate a freeze dried meal. I laid out my clothes and sprayed them with a baking soda solution to reduce smells. This was supposed to help mask me from the elk I was hunting, though they always seemed to smell me anyways. The next morning, a Saturday, I was the only one on the trail head two hours before dawn. I hiked 3 miles into the meadow where I knew the elk bedded down for the night, and was waiting. I saw a big bull, but I had a hunting license for a cow elk, so I just watched it pass. Around noon, the woods seemed to fill with hikers, out for a September hike to enjoy the golden aspens changing colors. I walked the 3 miles back to my truck and took a nap in the bed, and repeated the hike near sunset. Sunday went the same as Saturday, except that I didn't even see a bull elk. I heard some calling in the trees above the meadow, but nothing ever came down. I spent a third night in the bed of my truck, and on Monday I stayed out all day. I never saw or heard any elk. When I returned from my morning hunt on Tuesday, there was only one car in the parking lot, an expensive Mercedes SUV. I awoke from my nap around 4 PM, and hiked the three miles back into my meadow. This time I saw a small herd of cow elk, but they stayed at the other end of the meadow until after sunset, and I never had a shot on them. I grudgingly set back off down the sparse game trail, following the stream towards my car. I turned a headlamp on, since it was too dark to see by the moonlight. When I reached the main hiking trail, I heard a moaning sound that sounded distinctly human. The temperature had fallen, and I was beginning to get cold. Anyone lost or stuck out here on the mountain overnight would be in trouble without the proper precautions. "HELLO?" I shouted. I heard the moan again, followed by a faint woman's voice "help!" I called out again, moving in the direction that I thought I had heard her voice. I moved around a small lake, and over a pile of rocks. I could see a flash of pink polyester fabric at the bottom of a small cliff. I climbed down to her and called out. The woman was petite and blonde. She lay in a fetal position, and moaned again as I reached her. I shone my headlamp at her, and saw that her lips had already turned blue. She had a black eye, and a split lip, but otherwise was very pretty, with fine features and gentle curves. "Hi, what are you doing out here? Do you need some help?" I asked her. She lifted her head to look at me, but seemed unable to focus on me. I took the headlamp off, and shone it on a rock to provide diffuse lighting to the area. "I'm Ben, what's your name?" I asked her. "No English" she replied in what I thought was a Russian accent. "Vui gavaritzya pa Ruskya?" (Do you speak Russian?) I asked her. The woman's eyes focused on me for a moment, and I thought I saw fear in them, but then her head slumped, and she regained her fetal position. I took off my backpack. I had a small survival kit, and in it was an emergency 'space' blanket. I found the small rectangle, the size of a deck of cards and started unfolding it. It was a 5'x7' rectangle of metallic colored plastic film that looked a lot like a sheet of aluminum foil. I wrapped the blanket around the woman, rolling her over to get it under her body as well as on top. I took out my jetboil stove, and started boiling water, and made up a packet of ramen noodles that I had luckily not eaten for lunch. Within minutes, the noodles were ready, and I took out a spoon, sat the woman up, and spooned a little both into her mouth. She slowly came awake as the warm broth hit her mouth. I cooled another spoonful enough to drink, and fed it to her. Her eyes fluttered open, and I saw that they were a brilliant blue color. She looked right into my eyes, her own eyes filled with fear. "Do you speak Russian?" I asked again in Russian. The woman slowly nodded her head. "My name is Ben. I speak a little Russian." I said, working to remember the words I had learned so many months earlier. The language came back to me slowly as I tried to form the next sentence I wanted to ask her. "We need to move. Can you walk?" I asked her. She shook her head slowly. I spooned more broth into her mouth, and she gratefully took what I offered her. I held out the mug and spoon to her, and she opened the sliver blanket with a pained effort to take it. I closed the blanket over her shoulders, and could see steam from the soup pouring out the blanket around her neck. She closed her eyes and seemed to relish the warmth of the steam coming off the noodle soup. "Your name?" I asked her in Russian. Her eyes slowly opened, and she seemed to assess my intentions. "I'm Alexandra." She told me. "Are you here alone?" I asked. Her eyes lowered, and she didn't answer me. "Black Mercedes is yours?" I asked, sure I missed a pronoun in there. Alexandra's eyes shot back up to me, and the fear returned. "We need to move. I carry you?" I asked. Alexandra recoiled from me, but stopped when her back hit the rock, knocking the light over, and we were once again in darkness. I heard a whimper from Alexandra as the light disappeared between two stones. I fished it out, and set it between us. "Eat." I commanded, gesturing at the soup, then pulled a water bottle out, offering it to her. "Drink." A hand shot out from the silver blanket, and grabbed the water bottle, I unscrewed the cap, and she drained it in two big gulps. The pink color was coming back into her lips, and as she handed me the water bottle back, I noticed her manicured nails, and how expensive her clothing looked. Alexandra began sipping the soup, and used the spoon to shovel mouthfuls of noodles out. I watched while she ate the entire mug of soup, and I accepted it back from her, empty. "Now walk?" I asked. Alexandra shook her head. She stuck her ankle out from the blanket, and I could see swelling where it had been twisted. I took her ankle in my hand, and she jumped at the contact. "Pain?" I asked, and she nodded. "Carry?" I asked again, and she dropped her head in resignation and nodded. I got to my feet, and situated my backpack. I slung my rifle over my back, and lifted Alexandra. She probably weighed only 100 pounds or so, and was easy to pick up, but I had two miles to hike over rough terrain before I could get to my car and get her to her own car. I am over six feet tall, but not overly strong. I have the frame for big muscles, but never put the time into working on them. I was regretting that now, with my heavy burden, and miles to carry her. I had to stop every quarter of a mile to rest. Alexandra was still wrapped in the silver blanket in my arms, and she seemed to be in pain, though she was silent. I was pouring sweat under my coat, and my arms were burning. At a mile, I had to set her down and take a long rest. I split the rest of my water with her, and gave her a bag of trail mix. She silently accepted the food, and to my surprise, there was even a hint of a smile as she picked out the chocolate M&Ms. I marshalled all of my strength for the final mile. The trail finally leveled out, and was smoother, and I walked faster the last half mile. From a distance, I was surprised that my car was the only one at the trailhead. I was sure that Alexandra's car would be there. "Alexandra?" I asked her. She turned her head to look at me, and our noses were inches away. Suddenly I was aware of my breath, hoping I didn't smell like nuts and chocolate. "Your Mercedes... not here." Alexandra looked, and I felt a small sob shake her whole body in my arms. As I approached my own truck, it seemed to be leaning at a bad angle, which surprised me. Then I saw why. The front and rear tires on the driver's side had both been slashed. I had one spare, but couldn't fix both, and couldn't drive the 20 miles back to cell range with a flat tire. I pointed out the slashed tires to Alexandra, and her face grew angry. "Ashraf!" She spat. I set her down in the bed of the truck, and she winced in pain as I helped her back onto my air mattress. "Ashraf?" I asked. "Druzhok." She said. I didn't recognize the word, so I put it into my phone translator, and came up with 'boyfriend.' I was suddenly nervous. Alexandra hadn't twisted her ankle on a hike, she had been injured and abandoned by her boyfriend. With the cold and remoteness where he had left her, that was attempted murder. That he slashed my tires, either showed that he left in a rage, or that he wanted to limit her chances of rescue by hobbling me. Either way, he was bad news. "Sleep here." I told her. "Hospital tomorrow." Alexandra's eyes darkened, but then she set her chin and nodded. "Food? Water?" I asked, but she shook her head. I offered her an Ibuprofen, which she accepted. It was after 10 PM, and we were both worn out from our ordeal. I took off my jacket and climbed into my sleeping bag. Alexandra looked at me, then took the space blanket off of her, and to my surprise, she unzipped my sleeping bag and crawled in with me, zipping it up behind her. I was on my side facing her, and she curled into my large frame, letting me spoon her. My arm was out to the side, and she lay her head on my bicep, using it as a pillow. It seemed like less than a minute before she was asleep. *** I woke with the sun the following morning, all thoughts of continuing to hunt gone. This would be yet another unsuccessful year without an elk. I shifted in my half-asleep state, and was shocked to feel a small hand gripping my morning erection. I quickly awoke, and looked down to see sapphire blue eyes smiling up at me, one surrounded by a purple bruise. Alexandra looked back down, and moved so that she was grinding her pussy on my erection through both of our layers of clothing. It felt amazing, but I was having trouble reconciling the bruised, injured and terrified woman freezing to death on the mountain last night with the playful and sexually forward little blonde playing with my morning wood. Alexandra was breathing heavy and her back arched hard against me in at least one orgasm as she ground her ass backwards, rubbing herself over my hard length. I placed my hand on her hip to slow her, but she grabbed it with two hands and brought it to her breasts. I grabbed her breasts gently, remembering Liz's stern warnings about being gentle when handling her breasts. Alexandra was having none of it. She squeezed my fingers roughly, kneading her breast flesh over bra and shirt. I felt a nipple poking through the fabric of the bra, and gently circled it. "Please!" Alexandra cried out in Russian, and I gently pinched her nipple. "More!" she cried, and I roughly twisted and pulled. "AHHH!" She sighed and arched her back again in another orgasm. My erection was rock hard, and she was pushing against it with surprising force. I'd had sex with two other women since my divorce, but had never seen a woman so lost in lust for me. It was beyond any of my wildest fantasies, and we hadn't even gotten naked together. Alexandra started working on my belt, then my zipper. She had my bare cock in her hand when we were distracted by the sound of a car approaching. I lifted my head and saw the black Mercedes from yesterday pulling into the parking lot. "Ashraf?" I asked, hoping I remembered the right name. Alexandra poked her head up, and then sunk back into the sleeping bag, hiding her face. She muttered a string of profanities that I didn't understand, but got the meaning of pretty well. I heard men's voices as the car shut off, and doors opened. Four distinct doors slammed, and I recognized the language being spoken as Arabic, though not the Syrian variety I had learned. The light in the bed of the truck darkened as I could tell several heads looked in on me. I held still as though I was sleeping, and they moved away from my car. "... stay here...two hours. ... woman's body..." I only caught a few words that I recognized in Arabic. I raised my head in time to see 4 men headed up the trail with a stretcher, and a fifth sitting in the driver's seat of the car. My mind was racing. Ashraf had returned for Alexandra's body. He would be upset when he returned without her. He had brought muscle, and I doubted that they would be understanding about my rescuing her and spending the night sharing body warmth. I felt Alexandra shaking against my body. She was plenty warm, so I knew she was trembling in fear. She knew what Ashraf and his friends were capable of, and I already knew that it included leaving an injured woman to freeze to death on a mountainside. I slowly worked on a plan. There was nothing I could do that would get us out of there risk free. I briefly considered abandoning Alexandra to the man in the car, then chastised myself for my cowardice. I looked up and studied the man in the black Mercedes SUV, and the car itself. An idea occurred to me, and I decided to try it. "Stay." I whispered to Alexandra, and slipped out the top of my sleeping bag. I donned my jacket, then my orange safety vest and cap that showed I was a hunter. I then grabbed my rifle and slipped my boots back on. The man in the car next to me noticed my movement, and was watching me, but stayed in the car. I opened the bed of the truck, climbed out and locked it behind me. I could still see Alexandra shaking in fear. Lost and Found Ch. 01 "She's really cute. She doesn't seem to speak much English, though. How do you guys communicate?" Liz asked. "She speaks more English than she lets on. I think she clams up when she's tired or nervous or..." I was going to say during sex, but that's not something Liz needed to hear. "...plus, sometimes we speak Russian." I admitted. I looked to Liz's eyes for her reaction, but she just rolled them. "Oh, sure cause you just happen to speak Russian?" She said mockingly. "Da, Nemnogo." (Yes a little) I said. Liz's eyes snapped up to mine. I couldn't hide my smile. "A little." I translated. "Benjamin Evans, you are just full of surprises today!" Liz said, using my full name. She was cut short by Brooke leading Alex back to our table. Brooke sat down and looked at me. "We talked, and the two of us will escort you and Alexandra to the police station after lunch to take official statements." Brooke looked to Liz, who nodded her agreement to join us. "Just to warn you two, since Ashraf has diplomatic immunity, the state department will be getting involved, and you will both have to give statements to them. "Since Ashraf's full name is Ashraf Ali Bin-Nahyan, homeland security will probably come snooping. We will also probably have a few other agencies smelling blood, and running their own agents over us. We will be with you through it all, but just so you know, this will be a three-ring circus, and I wouldn't expect to get out of there before midnight tonight." Our food arrived shortly, and we all dug in. Alex still looked worried, and picked slowly at her food. "Alex, what's wrong?" I asked her. "Ashraf." She said glumly. "He is still dangerous man. Even with police on our side, he will be more dangerous. He gets angry when he doesn't get his way. I was glad we escaped this morning, but I am worried that you made him even more angry when you left him stranded. Now I am worried for both our lives." I look Alex's hand in mine. I had the same fear, but I didn't want to let it show, so I put on a brave face for Alex, and since our two lawyers were at our table, I tried for a diplomatic answer. "Alex, laws are very important in this country. Ashraf wouldn't be allowed his position if he wasn't smart enough to know that he can't always get his way. If he comes at us, it will be through his lawyers, and we have two brilliant lawyers to help shield us from whatever he throws at us." I looked over and Liz and Brooke were both nodding. "Since there is a history of domestic violence, we can also ask for a restraining order. I don't know how that would work with diplomatic immunity, but we can ask that he keeps a distance from you." Brooke offered. The rest of the dinner was more pleasant conversation. We talked about work and relationships. Liz ribbed me again for coming back from my hunting trip again empty handed. I joked that it wasn't a complete failure, since I got Alex out of it, which got me a smile from Alex. The women reminded me about coming to their house for dinner, and they seemed really nervous about something. I suggested that we do it soon, just to get it out of the way. They suggested the next evening, and we made plans to meet again at their house tomorrow evening at 6 PM. After dinner, Alex and I returned to my truck, and followed Liz and Brooke to the police station. I still had the gun and smartphone in my glove box that I had taken from the man in the car, but I left them there. I was sure that I would be asked to give them up when I gave my statement, and mentioned that I had them. The police station was quiet, on a Wednesday afternoon, but we were given a number, and asked to wait. The Sargent that met with us took us to a conference room because there were 4 of us, and as we started telling him Alex's story, his eyes grew. 5 minutes in, he stopped us, realizing he was way out of his depth. Brooke recommended calling in his chief, and making some calls to homeland security and the state department. An hour later, the three-ring circus had arrived. I told my story first to the chief, who sent a uniformed officer to my truck to retrieve the stolen items. He brought them back in a plastic evidence bag. Men and women in suits started arriving, and I could tell that Alex was becoming extremely uncomfortable with the authority in the room. I held one hand, and Brooke held her other, and we fed her all the strength we could muster. Pictures were taken of Alex's face and ankle, and lawyers and district attorneys came and went. I told my story at least six more times, and a Russian translator was brought in for Alex, who appreciated being able to tell her story in her native tongue. The Russian embassy had been called, and a representative had been sent. He claimed that Alexandra Kosoya had died in the same car accident that claimed her parents. Alex refused to speak to him alone, and when he started berating her in Russian, I called him out on it, and he left, red faced. He hadn't believed that anyone else in the room could understand him. Next came representatives from the state department. They were all very professional, and excelled in talking without saying anything. The only thing that I learned from the two men was that Ashraf Ali Bin-Nahyan was the nephew of the sultan of Abu Dhabi, and was responsible for American investments of his uncle's money in the billions of dollars. The state department refused to mention the crimes Alex accused him of, and left after taking her statement. Next, an FBI representative came to speak with us. They had collected the phone and gun as evidence, and since the phone was unlocked, they were legally allowed to check it for evidence of a crime. They found photos, videos and texts that implicated the owner in numerous violent crimes, and Ashraf as having ordered them. "I'm going to recommend a police escort be placed near your home for the next few nights." The FBI agent offered us. "I don't want to worry you, but it seems that Mr. Bin-Nahyan is not above resorting to violence to get his way." The state department sent another representative that was interested in Alex's story. "We were very upset to learn of the deaths of Yuri and Ludmilla Kosoy. It was part of a broad pattern of intimidation and elimination of the free press in Russia during those years. We never received word until today of the death of their Daughter, Alexandra, but the incident is under investigation. In the meantime, we take you at your word that you are who you say you are, and allow you to stay in the country for 120 days as a resident alien until your identity can be confirmed." The representative told Alex to her great relief. Beating Brooke's estimate, we were free to go by 10 PM. Alex had a restraining order out against Ashraf, and a temporary ID card from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We were told that a police car would be parked near my apartment until Ashraf was served with his restraining order, and probably for at least a week after. *** When we got home, we were both exhausted, and fell right into bed, with me once again spooning Alex. I tossed and turned all night, waking at every sound, convinced that someone was going to come busting in. I checked that the door was locked, and propped a chair against it. I drew the curtains, and then put a chair against the door leading down the stairs into my garage. I fell asleep with Alex wrapped in my arms, smelling her soft blonde hair, and holding her naked body against mine. I woke up the next day the same way I woke up the previous day, with Alex's hand on my cock and her ass rubbing around it. Just as I was about to stop her, she rubbed me over her opening, and thrust her hips backwards, sinking my cock deep in her soaking tunnel. I let Alex do all the work, moving her hips back and forth, while my arms encircled her, kneading her breasts, and pinching her nipples. Alex's breathing changed as she approached her first orgasm. I began pumping my hips to speed her orgasm along, and that was all it took as she arched her back in a silent scream, every muscle in her body tense. As soon as she regained control of her legs and arms, she pulled me out of her, and climbed on top, wasting no time seating herself on my throbbing erection. Alex began bouncing on top of me, swiveling her hips as she humped me. I was shocked at the feat of athleticism and stamina Alex was displaying, as she was quickly pushing me to my own orgasm. I began pumping my cum into her, which triggered Alex's release. We rode out our simultaneous release, with Alex still bouncing before she suddenly collapsed onto my chest, shaking and panting. She was muttering something in Russian, then looked up at me and said "Spasibo." (Thank you) Alex kissed me, then jumped up and ran to the bathroom. I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up some time later to the smell of coffee and bacon. I got up and walked naked into the kitchen where I found Alex cooking at the stove wearing only my apron. Her perfect little ass wiggled as she danced to a song that only she could hear. I snuck up behind her, and she jumped and squeaked as I wrapped my arms around her. Alex spun and smiled and I wrapped her up in my arms and kissed her. The kiss was just getting hot when I heard the bacon pop, and Alex lunged forward, pushing me away from the stove, and hissing in pain. I got a cold washcloth, and quickly soothed her backside where a drop of oil hit her. Alex noticed my cock once again rising, and reached out for it. "I've been meaning to talk to you about us." I started. Alex's smile dropped. "I just want us both to understand where we are in our relationship and what we want. It's not normal in this country for a couple to move in together after knowing each other less than a day." Alex looked like she was fighting tears. "I have nowhere else to go. I can cook and clean for you, but please..." I stopped her with a kiss. "I'm not kicking you out." I said. That earned me a sweet smile from Alex. "I just feel like our relationship is moving really fast, and I feel like we don't know each other. I'd like to slow things down until I'm sure that we're together for the right reasons." Alex's face was serious. "I like you. You like me. What other reasons do we need?" "I want to make sure that you are with me because you chose me, not because I found you half-dead on the side of a mountain, and brought you home with me. I know you haven't been shown a lot of kindness in recent years. You have no responsibility to me, you know." I said, starting to lose my confidence under the darkening emotions on Alex's face. "You carried me three kilometers, share food, warmth, water. You cut your trip short, and risked your life for me with Ashraf's man. Some women will sleep with man because he buys them drink in bar, or pays compliment. You saved my life. You are good man. Never question whether I want to be with you for right reasons! Yes I've had hard life, but I am not asking for pity or sympathy! I'm not so stupid not to realize good thing when I have it, and I'm not letting that go!" Alex was shaking with anger, and opened her mouth for another rant when I hugged her close, and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to push you away, I just wanted to make sure that you understood that you have a choice..." Alex started to pull away, and I pulled her in closer. "...and I can see that you do understand, and I'm happy that you chose me." That calmed Alex down, and she sunk into my arms, but another pop of the bacon made her turn back around to flip it before it burned. "I do still want to get to know you, and let you get to know me. I think that's important for our relationship." Alex turned and smiled at me. "I'd like that too." She said, and turned back to making breakfast. "I think we can take turns asking each other questions. For example: How did you not go crazy for those three years, talking only to the people Ashraf sent?" I asked. Alex looked thoughtful, and said "It was two years only speaking with them, and they both spoke Russian. I became good friends with them, and I learned how to play Ashraf's game while he was in town so he thought I was stupid. I learned a lot about America and other people through my conversations, and there was always television, books, cooking and puzzles. I stayed busy as well as I could." She paused for a moment, and then asked "How did you come to learn Russian? I thought Americans didn't learn other languages." I told her about my long commute, and how I had started listening to the lessons to pass the time. I told her that I also spoke some Mandarin and Arabic, and was working on Italian. Alex was impressed. Next, I asked her about her parents, and she described them to me in reverent detail. "They would have loved you." She said. "They were always fighting against evil in this world. They saw corruption in the government, and believed that good people would triumph over the bad, if they only knew who the bad people were. They had so many friends, and they were loved by so many people. I still can't believe they are gone sometimes." Alex took a few deep breaths to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes. "My turn. What happened with you and Liz? Is she lesbian? Is that why your marriage ended?" I pulled a chair away from the table and sat down facing Alex, thinking of how much to tell her. I decided to spill it all. "Liz and I got married young. Our families were religious, and we never had sex until our wedding night. She was my best friend, and we love each other, but we didn't make each other happy. Liz isn't a lesbian. She doesn't like sex at all. With anyone. Brooke is the same way." Alex stared dumbfounded, unable to grasp the concept. "So maybe she just didn't like sex with men? She is with Brooke now, right?" "They are together, but I understand that they don't have sex. They meet the other needs of a relationship, but neither has any desire for sex." I tried to explain again. "How long were you married?" She asked, turning the heat down on the stove, and straddling my lap. "Married seven years." I answered. "And you never had sex?" She asked incredulous. "Maybe once a month. I would beg her for it, and she would sometimes try to use it as a reward, or punishment for me. We fought about it a lot." I said, remembering the hurt feelings and nights spent on the couch. "You must have worn out your arm jacking off?" She asked me as she leaned back and wrapped her hand around my stiff member. "Sometimes, but she didn't like me doing that either, she wanted to be enough for me." I said. Alex made a scoffing sound. "I was locked in a cage for three years, but even I know that a man needs more than once per month." She said angrily. "Listen Alex, we're going over to their house tonight. I'm okay with you knowing, but can you please still treat Liz and Brooke like friends, and not hold it against Liz? We worked through it, and I would be upset if you and Liz couldn't be friends because of something like this." "Of course." Alex answered with a smile. "And I will also promise to never let you go a month..." she stroked my cock up hard and back down. "...A week..." Again, she stroked me. "Or even a day without relief." Alex began stroking my cock hard, and when I let out a gasp, she slid off my lap, and onto her knees on the floor in front of me. She brought her mouth down, and sucked the head in between her lips, while working my shaft with one hand, and rubbing my balls with her other. She brought her mouth off long enough to say "I will be the perfect girlfriend, and you will never want to let me go!" Then she went back to her blowjob, taking me deeper into her mouth, until she started deep-throating me. I came within minutes, and she held me in her throat as she swallowed my load before licking me clean. She stood back up and started cooking breakfast again. When my legs stopped tingling, I stood to get coffee for each of us, but she shooed me out of the kitchen. "It's your turn to ask a question." She told me. "What shows did you watch to learn English?" I asked. Alex blushed. "PBS kids shows in the morning. They use small words and repeat slowly. I learn from Sesame Street and Super Why." I laughed, and Alex laughed with me. "My turn. Tell me about your parents." She asked sweetly. My smile was gone, and Alex looked embarrassed. "You don't have to if..." "No, you're going to know sooner or later. My parents supported my marriage to Liz. They didn't support our divorce, me dating afterwards, or me 'letting' Liz date Brooke. They are very religious, and are the worst examples of what their religion is supposed to be." I said, fighting back tears of my own. "Are you still religious?" Alex asked. "Not really. I still believe, but I see religion as too inflexible. When Liz and I first realized we had problems, we sought help from the church pastor. He told me I needed to take a stronger hand with my wife, and in time she would learn. It sounded too much like he wanted me to rape Liz until she broke. He had no better suggestions than that. We started seeing a counselor at our college who put Liz on some antidepressants. She was happier, but it made her libido problem even worse. He talked us through a lot of our problems, and we never would have made it seven years without his help. We decided that we would seek secular help for our problems from then on." Alex nodded. "I was raised secular. My parents were raised under communism, and never went back to religion after the soviets fell." Alex and I talked all through breakfast. I memorized her birthday, and learned about her favorite color, flower, foods, and other interests of hers. I told her about mine too. I discussed more about my parents, job, and my marriage to Liz. Our conversation was halted by my cell phone ringing. It was the police department, telling me that Ashraf had been served with a no-contact order, and was being charged with domestic violence and attempted murder. The man whose gun and phone I confiscated had been arrested for murder, but was out on a 2-million dollar bond, paid for by Ashraf. When the call ended, I looked outside, and looked around until I spotted the unmarked police car that had been assigned for our protection. They were across the street, and one of them appeared to be sleeping. It didn't make me feel safe. Suddenly I was wishing that I had the gun back that the police had confiscated. Alex saw the worry on my face and came to wrap her arms around me. She was so small in my arms, and so beautiful. I swore to myself that I would do whatever it took to protect her. After breakfast, Alex and I left to run some errands. The first stop was at a gun store. I went right to the counter, and started looking at the semi-auto pistols. Alex's eyes were huge. She had never seen so many guns out in the open, and all for sale. The gun salesman showed me a few Glocks, and a colt, then asked what I needed it for. I told him I needed it for home defense, tilting my head at Alex, and said "We're just worried about an ex-boyfriend causing trouble. Better safe than sorry." The man nodded. He was a clean cut ex-military type. "There's no waiting period for a gun in Colorado, but you can't legally carry a pistol out of your house without a concealed carry permit. If you really need it for a deterrent inside the house, I would actually recommend a shotgun." He walked me over to a display of shotguns. "Assuming you can pass a background check, you can take one of these home today. If I was worried about someone coming into my home, I would load one of these rounds." The salesman opened a box of shotgun shells onto the counter. "There's a one-ounce rifled lead slug in each of these. A pistol round will generally have low penetration, especially shooting through walls and doors. These bad boys will punch through anything. As for the gun..." He took one off the shelf and removed a trigger lock. He pumped the action making a 'chik-chuk' sound. "...there's no better deterrent than that sound right there." Lost and Found Ch. 01 I wound up buying a pistol-grip 12-guage shotgun with a pump action and a 9 round magazine. I also bought 50 rounds of the ammunition he recommended. On the way home, I took Alex to Costco, where we picked out several outfits in her size, and I bought a security camera setup with 6 motion sensor cameras and a digital recording center. If Ashraf and his men did try something, I wanted to have proof of it. We also bought some food and got a cell phone for Alex. When we got home, I loaded the shotgun, and set it in the corner of the bedroom closest to my side of the bed. I spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon installing the security cameras and playing with the setup, while Alex set up her new phone, playing with every feature. She especially loved the translate app, which allowed her to speak in Russian, and have the sentence come back spoken in English. *** By late afternoon, Alex had tried on all of her clothes, and we headed over to Liz and Brooke's house, Alex in a brand new outfit of jeans, a t-shirt, a new jacket, new shoes, and sunglasses. We arrived at their townhouse just before 6, and I reminded Alex that Liz and Brooke were a couple, but not lesbian or bisexual, but asexual. I also reminded her that Liz and I had worked out our problems, and that she was not to hold our problems from our marriage against her. Alex agreed. Liz and Brooke greeted us at the door, and I could smell the wine on their breath, and in the air as we entered their home, my old home. I took in the same messes that had been there when I had lived there. They had cleared off the kitchen table and couch, but every other horizontal surface held a mélange of papers, clothes, dishes and household odds and ends. I had to take a deep breath and remind myself that it wasn't my home or my problem anymore. Liz was cooking stuffed chicken breasts, one of my old favorites. She drug Alex into the kitchen with her to talk, while Brooke offered me something to drink. Alex didn't have a driver's license, so I was driving and asked for water. Brooke sat down at the couch with me, a glass of wine in her hand. I could tell from the empty bottle on the table, and her slightly slurred speech, that it wasn't her first of the night. She still looked nervous, despite the liquid courage. We started with small talk, I thanked her again for her help the previous day, and we talked about the warm fall we were having. "Ben," Brooke finally started. "...Liz and I have a big favor to ask you. We've decided to move our relationship to the next level." She looked into my eyes, hoping for me to understand. "You're getting married?" I asked, confused. "Can you keep a secret?" Brooke asked, looking over her shoulder into the kitchen where Liz and Alex were laughing over chopping vegetables. I nodded. "We've technically been married for the last two years. It started out as a financial and tax decision, but we both love our arrangement, and want what we have for life. The paperwork has been filed, and we don't need a ceremony. We agreed months ago that we are both in it for life." I looked at Brooke, waiting for her to continue. She took a big draft of her wine. "We've decided that we're ready to start a family." She spit out in one breath, and then took another gulp of wine. I saw where this was going, but let Brooke continue. "I know my timing sucks with Alex coming into your life, and all of the stress of everything, but Liz and I were hoping that you would be willing to help us conceive." She looked nervously into my eyes, and I gave her a slight smile, nodding for her to continue. "It's just... I always wanted to have kids one day. With work and my relationship with Liz going so well, I feel like there will never be a better time than right now. We looked into adoption, anonymous sperm donors... Liz and I both agreed that we want our kids to grow up knowing their biological parents. I know it's weird, with yours and Liz's history, but we can't think of any man whose kids we'd rather have." Brooke tipped her wine glass back, and drained the rest. I reached out my hand to touch her, but then remembered that Brooke doesn't like to be touched. Liz's sexual problems were medical, while Brooke's problems were emotional. I had overheard just enough to know that she had suffered some abuse in her adolescence, and couldn't stand being touched by men. I started to draw my hand back, but Brooke reached out and grabbed it, holding it in both of hers, her eyes pleading. "I love both of you, and would do anything for you. You know that." I told Brooke. She let out a nervous laugh that was also half-sob. "I think there's a lot of details to work out, but if everyone can agree on details, and no one gets hurt, I'll do whatever I can to help you." Brooke leaned across the space between us on the couch, and threw her arms around me. I couldn't believe that she was touching my hand earlier, and now I was shocked by the full body hug that she was giving me. I felt her shaking, and realized that Brooke was crying. I looked over into the kitchen, and saw Liz and Alex in a similar hug, but staring at us. My eyebrows went up, and Liz beamed a big smile at me. Brooke and I joined Liz and Alex in the kitchen, and Alex launched herself into my arms. "Will you do it? Will you help them have a family?" She asked me. "We have a lot of details to work out, so no promises, but if you're okay with it, I told Brooke I'd like to help her." I said. Alex kissed me passionately on the lips before drawing back and looking me in the face. "I think it's wonderful of you. You are good man and will make wonderful father." I looked over to Liz and Brooke, who were standing, embracing and watching us. They nodded in agreement. "Okay, then. Let's discuss this." I said. "Obviously you two want to be the parents, the kid will live with you. What kind of visitation will I have?" "Open invitation for babysitting any time, including overnights at your house, and you can stay over at ours." Liz offered. "What will we tell them when they grow up? Will you both be mommy? Will they know I'm their dad?" I asked. Just then the timer went off, and Liz set about serving dinner. Brooke answered for her: "We agreed that we don't want some anonymous father. We want you involved in the lives of our kids. They will call you dad, and see you as often as you will let them. You will also be listed as the father on the birth certificate." I had to smile at that. That's what I wanted too. "How about money?" "No." Brooke answered. "We make good money at our jobs. We've helped you out in the past, and you repaid us, but we won't ask you for any financial contributions for our child. Let us worry about that." "What about discipline? How will we raise our child?" I asked. Brooke got a look of concentration on her face. "Liz and I need to discuss that more, but we both ask that you let us set the rules and follow them. For example, we will have a 'no spanking' rule, and we ask that you follow it when you are with the child. We can work out discipline and rewards when that comes up, but I think we will ask you to follow our lead." "What about Alex?" I asked Brooke. Brooke looked between us, and smiled at both of us. "As long as she is part of your life, she will be part of our lives too." That brought a big smile from Alex, and she hugged Brooke. "Now for the uncomfortable part." I said. "How do you propose we go about making this baby? Do you just want a plastic cup of baby seed a few times a month?" Liz looked up from serving her plates at Brooke, and they communicated something with a look. Alex broke the silence first. "I can help with the collection!" That drew a laugh from all of us. The laughter from Brooke was nervous. "Um... no. Liz and I were talking. We were hoping that we could do it the natural way." Brooke's normally pale complexion was turning beet red. "You would be okay with that?" I asked Brooke. "And you too?" I looked at Liz. "I...I don't know. I haven't tried yet. I think..." Brooke struggled with words as her already red skin seemed to grow even more flushed. "I think if you're gentle and patient with me..." She paused, searching for the words. "I trust you, Ben. I think if my life had turned out differently, I could have seen myself with a man like you. Alex is right, you are a good man." Brooke paused for a moment, then took a step closer, opening her arms for only the second hug I had ever gotten from her in the three years I'd known her. She continued. "I really think everything in my life is in such a good place right now, and this is something I want so badly. I know if there's one man I can stand to have sex with, it's going to be you." I wrapped my arms around her in a protective hug. "You may not believe this, but I've handled hundreds of divorces. I've never heard an ex-husband or wife talk about their former spouse with the love and respect that Liz talks about you. I know that if she hadn't been handed such a rotten hand that you two would still be together, making each other very happy. "I think Alex would agree with me that we're glad for how things turned out, but that says a lot about what good people you and Liz are to still have the relationship that you do." Liz started crying, and joined Brooke and I in a group hug. Alex, not wanting to be left out, came up and wrapped her little arms around me, grabbing onto Brooke. Brooke and I eventually broke apart, and turned to our respective women, wrapping them up in hugs. Dinner was as good as I remembered it. Liz was an amazing cook as always, and had given her recipe to Alex, who had spent time on her phone translator, and copied the recipe in Russian. I watched as she printed it on a notecard in beautiful Cyrillic script. Liz brought out a homemade key lime pie for dessert, and Alex once again asked for the recipe. I could see that Brooke and Liz were starting to sober up, and they seemed to be communication something with their eyes. Finally, Liz broke the silence: "Ben, about the timing of our starting our family... we had planned on starting next month, but... tonight would actually be a really good night for the first try. Do you think you might have a little time to stick around and... you know?" I looked between Liz and Brooke. Brooke's blush had returned, but she looked at me with hopeful eyes. I looked at Alex, and she was smiling. "Is everyone okay with this? There's no taking it back after we do it." I asked. Brooke broke into a big smile, and stood up to sit on my lap. I couldn't help it, but I instantly reacted to her. She could feel my cock grow under her, and quickly jumped up off my lap, looking back at the offending lump. She smiled and apologized, reaching out, and tentatively touching it through the fabric of my pants. "So." I asked. "How do we want to do this? On the bed? Alone? With spectators?" "I'd like to be there, but I won't be participating beyond moral support." Liz said. "Alex, you're welcome to join if you'd like." Alex just smiled and nodded. I offered my hand to Brooke, who took it and led me down the hall to their bedroom. My old bedroom. The mess had grown, and I could tell that Brooke was just as messy as Liz. Dirty clothes were sprinkled on the floor, while clean laundry sat in various stages of being folded on the bed, dresser, desk and a chair. Liz quickly went to clear the bed by piling the mess on the dresser even higher. I turned my attention to Brooke. She gave me a nervous smile, and I started undressing her. I stopped when I saw her start to shake. Alex walked up behind me, and lifted my shirt over my head. Liz hadn't seen me without my shirt in three years, and whistled at the weight I had lost. I told Brooke to sit on the bed, and I turned my attention to Alex. We kissed slowly, passionately, while my ex-wife and her current wife watched. I slowly undressed Alex, while she took my pants and shoes from me. I could hear Brooke breathing heavy, and looked over to see her watching us. I took Alex's bra off, and removed her panties. She took my boxers off, and I heard a small gasp as my cock sprung free. Alex was on it immediately, sucking it into her mouth, and pulling it in deep. She gave a little moan, and I could see that she was watching Brooke on the bed. I looked over, and Brooke was watching us. Most of the nerves had settled, and I thought I could see lust in Brooke's eyes. I held out one hand to Brooke, who took it without breaking eye contact with Alex. I slowly inched Brooke's shirt up her skin, gently touching and caressing as I lifted. Brooke raised her arms, but seemed entranced by Alex's ministrations on my cock. Alex really did look beautiful, and the expression of bliss on her face was genuine. I drank in the sight of Brooke standing in her black bra. Her dirty-blonde hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders, and she once again was enthralled by Alex, slowly moving up and down my cock. I gently unbuttoned Brooke's jeans, and lowered the zipper, moving slowly, so as not to break the trance that Alex had her in. Brooke gave me a little wiggle of her hips, to help me lower her jeans down as far as I could reach, before she stepped out of them. Her black panties were French cut, and matched her bra right down to the little pink bow on the front of each, and the lace on the sides. I turned my focus back onto Alex, who was slowly teasing my cock, licking and sucking on it, but not pushing me towards any kind of resolution. I ran my fingers through her hair, which earned me an extra moan. I felt the vibrations across my cock, and up into my stomach. Brooke reached behind her, stretched her bra in the back, and unsnapped the clasps. She looked at me as she let it fall down her arms. Brooke's breasts were beautiful, full B cups. Her small pink nipples sat on small pink areola, forming little cones on otherwise perfect, round orbs. Her nipples were tight, and I could tell from her breathing that she was turned on by the sight of Alex enjoying my cock. She caught my eye, and smiled at me. She was so breathtakingly beautiful, I had to smile back. Brooke made sure I watched as she slowly lowered her panties, and stepped out of them. She took a step forward, and knelt on the floor next to Alex, who gladly scooted over to share my cock with Brooke. Brooke slowly reached a tentative hand out, and wrapped it around the base. She stared hard at it while moving her hand back and forth. "It's so hard, yet soft at the same time." She marveled. "Wait until you feel what he can do with it." Alex whispered with a wicked smile. Brooke stuck her tongue out, and licked the underside of the head. She smiled, and took the whole head between her lips, making me gasp as she scratched her teeth along the top and bottom. "Sorry!" she apologized. I looked up and saw Liz. She was fully dressed and watching Brooke with love, though not a hint of jealousy or lust. She saw me starting, and met my eyes. "Thank you!" She silently mouthed. I winked at her. "I think I'm ready." Brooke said after a minute. "Can I be on top?" "Of course." I said, and moved to lay next to Liz on our old bed, Brooke climbed on top, and straddled me, then caught Liz's hand and said "I love you." To my ex-wife. To my surprise, Liz reached between us, and guided me into her wife's sopping wet pussy. Brooke lowered her hips just a little, then started to shake, and pulled all the way off. "If you aren't ready, we can..." I started to say. Brooke surprised me by covering my mouth with a kiss, our first ever. It lacked the passion of Alex's kiss, but was sweet, and just a little needy. "Shut up. I can do this." She said. She then leaned over and kissed Liz. Liz's hand came up, and caressed Brooke's cheek. "You CAN do this. Make us a baby!" She said with conviction. Liz once again grabbed me and guided my cock into her wife. Brooke lowered herself slowly, stopping often, and staring into Liz's eyes. Something was communicated, and Brooke started again after each break with more determination. Finally, I was fully seated inside Brooke, and she was resting on my hips. "I'm doing it!" Brooke beamed to Liz. "Oh god, it actually feels good!" Liz reached up and stroked her wife's cheek. Alex slid onto the bed next to me and pulled my face in for a passionate kiss. Brooke lifted her hips up a fraction of an inch, and lowered them, blowing a lungful of air out as she did. She started rocking her hips, slowly back and forth, then in a circular motion. She was incredibly tight, and I could feel my cock putting pressure on various walls inside her body. Brooke lifted her hips up a little more, and brought them down, inhaling this time, then she repeated the action. She fell into a slow rhythm, and I brought my hands up to her hips, helping her move. "Oh god, I never thought I would actually enjoy this!" Brooke said to Liz, her voice full of surprise. And then to me: "Ben, thank you! You have no idea what this means to me!" Alex pulled my head over to face hers and said "you are a good man." In Russian. "Best girlfriend ever." I replied in Russian. "Hey, English you two." Liz scolded. Brooke was bouncing on me now, her pace speeding up as her breath became ragged, and the blush that had colored her face red before spread down her chest. Taking a chance, I reached up and grabbed those perfect breasts, bouncing in my face. I grabbed her nipples between my thumb and forefinger, and gently pulled. "YYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!!" Brooke shouted as her orgasm overtook her. I could feel her already tight pussy clamp down, so hard that it almost squeezed my cock out. A trickle of her juice flowed down my stomach, and pooled on my hip. Alex dipped her finger in the thin fluid, then offered it to me. I took it greedily into my mouth, and marveled at how sweet Brooke's nectar was. "Do you see what you did for her?" Alex whispered in my ear. "More!" I asked Alex, who reached two fingers in, and got them soaking before bringing them to my lips, then repeating a few more times. Brooke was still shaking through aftershocks, and struggling to stay upright on my cock. Liz was sitting up, holding her, and the two of them were whispering. Alex had her forehead against mine, and told me again how good of a man I was for doing this for my friends. She told me to give them a baby. Before long, Brooke started rocking again, then started fucking hard, up and down. She wasted no time in reaching a second peak, which Liz held her through, whispering as Brooke gasped for air and breathlessly cursed. "So good Ben!" Brook gasped. "But I need you to come inside me. Give me your seed. I need it." I lifted Brooke forward enough that I could move my hips, and started humping up into her. I expected her nerves to come back, but she just rolled her eyes back in bliss. I felt my pleasure rising, and warned Brooke that my orgasm was approaching. I let out a soft moan, and grabbed her breasts for my own enjoyment. That was enough to send Brooke into spasms, right as I started shooting my load inside of her. We both shook together, until she collapsed on top of me. "Never..." Brooke gasped. "I never believed that it could be like that. Oh my god!" Brooke kissed me then, deep and passionate, with just a little tongue. Liz stared on dumbfounded, and I thought I saw just a little jealousy in her eyes, but she smiled down at me and gave me a quick, chaste kiss on the lips. "Thank you, Ben." Liz said. "I never thought I would see Brooke enjoy anything that much. If anyone could have done that for her, I knew you would." Liz hugged me and Brooke together. "Thank you for your gift and for being part of our family." Lost and Found Ch. 01 I hugged Liz and kissed the top of her head, then turned back to Alex. "I need to get you home and take care of you now." I told her. Alex smiled big and joined the pile on top of me. *** Alex and I noticed a black SUV that seemed to be following us home, but she didn't recognize it as one of Ashraf's cars, and it broke away, so we didn't pay it any mind. The police were still parked outside of my apartment, and nothing seemed out of place, so Alex and I checked the security cameras from our phones before we went inside and locked up. I even put a kitchen chair under the front door and garage door. Alex and I talked briefly about kids. She knew she wanted them one day, but Ashraf had paid a doctor to put an IUD in her, and she couldn't have them until it was removed. 'Babies were for his wives,' he had told her, 'not girlfriends.' I was worn out from sex with Brooke, and still satisfied, so when Alex seductively stripped her clothes off, and gestured for me to join her on the bed, I started by kissing her, then I made my way down her body, giving her nipples plenty of attention before I made my way to her honey pot. Alex's fingers twined into my hair, and she directed my mouth where she wanted it. I sucked her clit into my mouth when she directed me there, and her hands shot up to her nipples, tugging at them. I worked one finger into her wet pussy, and she shook through an orgasm as soon as I massaged her g-spot. I worked her up to several more orgasms before she cried out "no more" in Russian. I climbed up her body, and she licked her own juices off my face before passionately kissing me. She settled into a cuddle, her head on my shoulder, and my arms around her. I checked that the shotgun was still in its place as I turned off the light and fell off to sleep in Alex's arms. *** I was woken by the sound of a car revving its engine, and the sounds of a police siren. I was suddenly thirsty, and sat up to get water from my night stand. The first kicks on the front door woke me from my half-asleep state. I immediately grabbed the shotgun, and tapped the safety off. "Alex, call 911." I told her, dialing for her, and tossing her my phone. There was a banging on our front door, and I ran down the hall, naked, but holding my shotgun ln front of me. I crossed into the kitchen as the door gave way, and took aim as the man raised his gun. We shot at the same time. I was spun around by something hitting my right shoulder, but there was no pain, so I didn't think I'd been shot. Time seemed to move in slow motion as the head of the man who had shot at me exploded in a spray of red. Immediately behind him, another man was coming through the door, and he was thrown backwards. I remembered to pump my shotgun, then ducked behind the opened refrigerator door as I could see a hand with a gun blindly stuck through the door frame, and start shooting. I waited until the clip was empty, then shot at the wall where I knew the man should be standing. The shotgun slug tore a hole through the wall, and I could see light through the round space left by the slug. I barely had time to pump before another man came running into my apartment, gun raised, and firing blindly. I squeezed one more round off, and felt my right arm go numb. The man was thrown back adding his own spray of red blood to the already dripping door frame. I stood, staring for what felt like an eternity at the two bodies on the floor, and the feet of a third man outside on my stoop. I pumped again, and sat waiting for more to come running in, but there was no movement. I could hear Alex screaming in the bedroom, and suddenly remembered that I had left her all alone. I carefully moved past the door, and down the hall to our bedroom. Alex was hidden behind the bed, mumbling Russian to the 911 operator. When she saw me, she jumped on the bed, and crossed the room, screaming. Surprisingly, the first thought that ran through my mind was how hot she looked, jumping naked on the bed. "Ben..." Alex struggled with English in her agitated state. "What is address?" I spoke my address into the phone, and the operator asked us to stay on the line. I turned back around, and walked back to defend my home and my girl from the next wave of invaders. "Police! We're coming in!" I heard from the other side of the door. I had the sense to drop my shotgun, even putting the safety on before I leaned it against the wall. Two uniformed officers stepped over the bodies on the ground, pointing their guns at me. I held my hands up. One man covered me while the other ran down the hall. Alex screamed when he entered the bedroom, then he checked the bathroom and yelled "Clear!" I looked over my shoulder at him, and saw brown spots all over my carpet. I was angry with the police officer for dragging so much mud into by bedroom, then followed the trail, and realized it led to me. I looked down at my numb right arm, and saw a rivulet of blood running from a hole. I checked my chest, and saw another hole higher in my shoulder, and one down on my lower left side. "Shit." I managed to say, before the world turned black. *** Alex's face was smiling down at me as I woke up. She held my hand in hers. At first I thought she was laughing, then I realized she was crying. It broke my heart to see such sadness, and I couldn't remember why she was so upset. I blinked my eyes several times, trying to get them to focus. I raised my head, and I could see Liz and Brooke on a sofa on the other side of my bed. I was in a hospital, and there was an IV in my arm. Suddenly, the whole shootout came rushing back to me. I immediately looked for the bullet holes, but bandages covered the damage. "Shh. Don't move." Alex told me in her adorable Russian accent. "How..." It was hard for me to speak, my throat was dry and sore. "How long?" "Two days." Alex said. "You lose too much blood. They have to transfuse. I give you my blood." I smiled up at her. "Thanks. How are you?" I asked Alex. "Scared. I've never been that scared in all my life. When I saw you bleeding, and the police officer was yelling but wouldn't let me touch you, and you wouldn't wake up..." Alex sobbed. "I thought I had lost you. I never want to feel that again." I tried to reach my arms out to hold her, but found them heavy and unresponsive. "The doctors have you on some heavy painkillers. You may not want to move for a while." I heard Liz say. "Thank you two for being here for me. How much trouble am I in?" "You mean legally, or with your family?" Liz asked me. "Let's start with legally." I answered. "Not a lick. Colorado has a 'make my day' law, which states that you can't be held legally liable for killing home invaders. Add the video evidence to that from your new security system, and you won't even have to give a police statement." Liz said. "As for the rest of us, don't ever scare us like that again." Liz proceeded to tell me the whole story. Ashraf's men had paid teenagers to speed past my apartment. The police officers stationed outside were bored, and decided to make a traffic stop. Once they were out of the way, four men had kicked out the deadbolt, and knocked down the door. My first shot had decapitated the same man that I had fought up on the trailhead, and whose phone and gun I'd stolen. The assailant directly behind him caught the bullet in his chest as he followed through the door. The third man blindly fired, and I had killed him when I shot through the wall. The fourth man I shot directly in the heart, killing him instantly as he entered my apartment. I was hit by three bullets. One hit my humerus, and cracked it, but didn't break through. One was lodged in the muscles of my shoulder, and one went through the side of my abdomen. None of the bullets were life threatening by themselves, but they bled heavily, and I passed out from blood loss. I had needed 2 units of blood just to be stabilized, and more during surgery. Alex was by my side the whole time, and looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep. I asked her to rest, and Brooke suggested that they go get some food in the cafeteria before she fell asleep. Once they were gone, Liz took her seat, and held my hand. "So, how are you feeling?" She asked. "Groggy, like I'm on drugs." I answered. "That makes sense, because you are on drugs." Liz laughed. She looked pensive for a moment, and I asked her what was on her mind. "So that's two marriages you've screwed up for me." "What?" I asked. "You and Brooke?" Liz nodded. "No, that was my very first stipulation... no one gets hurt." "Relax, babe. We're going to be fine. You've just given us a lot to think about, and a lot to talk about. Being asexual was always something that Brooke and I had in common. We had each other, and that was enough. You are just enough of a stud to have woken something up in Brooke that two decades of therapy couldn't reach. "Now, she's having fantasies, and getting turned on, and she couldn't stop talking about the next time we could get you to come over and try again. When we got the call that you were in the hospital, we were both crushed, but I think Brooke took it even harder than Alex. We've all been leaning on each other a lot the last two days here." Liz was silent, subconsciously rubbing circles on the back of my hand, and I let her stew without asking. Finally she spoke. "I've loved you since that first day of middle school youth group. My parents made me go, and I thought it was going to be nose-picking losers in there, but you took my breath away the first second I saw you, and I could never understand why you wanted to be my friend. Dad razzed me when I didn't put up a fight the next week, but I was looking forward to seeing you again. "I've been in love with you ever since. I know that we can never live together, and that we can't meet each other's needs, but I still want to be more than friends with you. "When Brooke and I started our relationship, I know she was jealous of you. You still had my heart, and it took us a long time to find our relationship, and come to terms with everything that it entailed. After you and Alex left us, we talked all night. When Brooke crumbled at the news that you were in critical condition, I realized that she loved you too." I started to talk, but Liz just put a finger to my lips. "Please, just listen. She loves you. I know that Alex is in the picture, and she loves you too. It's only a few days into your relationship, but I can see the deep feelings she has for you, and I'm no longer worried that it's some sort of hero complex. She's an amazing woman, who has been through so much, and somehow seems stronger for it. It makes Brooke and I feel inferior for the problems we have from so much less. "We like her. She's good for you. We've talked with her a little, and once you're feeling better, we'd like to propose some future plans together that we hope you and Alex will go for." I nodded. "I'm looking forward to hearing about them. Thanks again for being here for me and Alex." "That's what family is for, right?" Liz said, and kissed my forehead. "Go ahead and sleep. Oh, one more thing. Your parents called when they heard. I told them the whole story, but got pretty catty with them when they started asking if you were going to turn your life back over to god." "Thanks." I told her, and I lost consciousness again. *** Alex was sleeping on my left side when I woke up the next time. Brooke and Liz were not in the room, and I assumed that they had gone home. There was food on a tray in front of me, and it looked amazing, but my right arm was immobilized in a cast, and Alex had my good left arm wrapped around her. I was saved by a nurse coming into the room, and waking Alex. "I'm sorry miss, I just need to check his bandages." She told Alex, who groggily climbed off me, and curled up on the couch. "Can I eat this?" I asked, pointing at the meal. "You could, but it's cold. I'll get food service to bring you a meal." She offered, and handed me a menu. I felt like I could eat one of everything, I was so hungry, but I just ordered a few items that sounded the best. "I'll send a doctor in to talk with you, now that you're awake." The nurse said. "You were awake for a little while yesterday, but back out by the time the doctor was free." "So today's Sunday?" I asked. "That's right." The nurse answered as she lifted my gown, and started removing bandages. The doctors had pulled the skin back together with stitches, and it looked like I would have a little star-shaped scar on my stomach and shoulder. "You got lucky with these. Nothing major hit, and they were shooting smaller caliber bullets with less penetration. I've seen GSWs where they take out bone and organs. You were easier to put back together again." I didn't know what to say to that. The nurse replaced my bandages, and offered me a small cup full of pills. She scanned my bracelet, and did a bunch of typing on her tablet, and left, saying that the doctor would be with me soon. The food beat the doctor, and I was digging in when she entered the room. Alex woke at the sound of the doctor entering the room, and sat up in the chair next to me. The doctor explained that I would need some physical therapy, but would be discharged from the hospital within 48 hours as long as my pain was manageable, and I didn't develop an infection. Once she left, Alex started crying. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Your home." She answered. "...Our home." I corrected her. "It's not liveable is it?" Alex shook her head. "There's so much blood, and holes in the walls and kitchen. It could be fixed, but..." "You wouldn't really want to stay there anyways, would you?" I asked. Alex shook her head. "Liz asked me to call her once you were awake. They want to come visit after work." "That'll be nice, I wish I could wear real clothes, and get up off this bed." I grumbled. Alex put a hand on my chest. "They understand. You were shot three times. You will be in hospital at least another day. No one is at their best in hospital." Alex made a phone call in the hallway, then we talked and cuddled most of the afternoon until Liz and Brooke showed up. I thought that they would be happy, but they had ashen looks on their faces. "Ashraf was seen at your apartment the night you were attacked. He drove away when his men were killed. They caught him at his apartment, but the government of Abu Dhabi demanded that he be released to their embassy, and the state department gave in. They are demanding that all charges against him be dropped. So far, the charges stand, but security has been added to your hospital room, and will need to follow you once you leave here." Brooke said. "Which is the next thing that we want to talk about." Liz jumped in. "Brooke and I have been saving up for a house. We both make really good salaries, and wanted something that we could raise a family in. We realized this week that you are family to us, and will be family to our children. We are about to put in an offer on a really cute little townhome with two units in it. We would love for you two to come live in the other unit." "We know that your apartment isn't liveable right now, and I can't imagine you'd be very comfortable there. This townhouse is in a gated community, and its 30 minutes closer to your work, Ben, right at the base of the mountains in Golden." Brooke added. "There would be two separate living spaces, one for us, and one for you. You two would get your privacy, and we would get ours, but we would be within reach of each other, and could look out for each other. What do you say? Will you come live with us?" Liz begged. I looked at Alex, who was smiling, and looked thrilled. "I think we would like that. Thank you." I answered for both of us. Brooke jumped on the bed, and gently pulled me into an embrace. "Thank you!" She whispered into my ear, and kissed my cheek. I looked over to Alex, who was watching with a smile. Brooke sat up, but stayed on the edge of my hospital bed. "We hope you don't mind..." Liz started. "...but Alex has been staying with us for the last 2 days while you were unconscious. Our townhouse won't be closed on for another month, so we hope you'll stay in our guest room until we can move." My mind swum with the idea of going back and living in Liz's mess. It would only be for a month, and I would be with Alex. I hoped that she could help me stay sane living in that home once again. Liz could see the conflict on my face. "Alex will be with you, and we can clean up some... plus you'll have your own room, and we'll give you and Alex lots of time together..." She was practically pleading. "Okay!" I relented. "Fine, we don't have anywhere else to go, and we appreciate your hospitality. Thank you Liz, and Thank you Brooke." "We'll hire some movers to pack up your bed and clothes, and move them to our house." Liz offered. "By the time you're released, it will feel just like home." The three women stayed in my room for several hours, Brooke stayed close, touching me often, which still felt strange. In the three years I had known her, I had never touched her with more than a handshake before a few days ago. Now she seemed to be actively flirting with me. At one point Brooke and Alex went to find a vending machine, and Liz came to sit on my bed. "You make Brooke happy. I've never seen her like this." Liz said. There was a mix of emotions that I couldn't read on my ex-wife's face, and I worried for her. "She's happy, and I'm happy for her. I hope that when you are with us that you and Alex will be open to a relationship that includes Brooke. "That's one thing that she and I never had a problem with, but since you made love to her... she hasn't been the same. She's been happier than I've ever seen her, but it's like you flipped a switch inside of her, and I'm no longer enough for her. I just hope that you can fill that role, and that Alex doesn't get jealous. She was so sweet the other night, but Brooke and I just don't know how to bring it up with her..." "I'll talk to Alex. You know I love Brooke, but I never imagined a physical relationship with her. I can't promise either of you anything until I talk to Alex, but we're family, and I'll do my best to look out for everyone." I said. Liz gave me a chaste hug and I returned it with my left arm. Alex and Brooke came back into my hospital room, and I could see that both women had been crying, but they had their arms around one another. I held my arm out to Alex, and she came and cuddled up to my side. Brooke came and sat on Liz's lap, and they were whispering to one another. Alex took my earlobe in her mouth and gently sucked it, and then whispered to me in Russian "Brooke needs you. When you get home, I will be your girlfriend, but Brooke needs you as a friend too. You must make both of us happy, and we will make you happy." I looked down and Alex was smiling at me. I leaned to her ear and asked in Russian. "In the car, when you thought Liz and I were married, you were angry. Now you are willing to share me? What changed?" Alex giggled a little. "I wanted you. I was worried that she would not share you with me. It would be wrong not to share you with Brooke, now that she is my friend and family. Brooke says you are the only man that she would make love to. She asked me to share you, and I told her 'only if you're willing'. Do you not want to make love to Brooke again?" I smiled at Alex. "Only if I get to keep you too." I said. "English, you two." Liz chastised us. Alex giggled again. "I was telling him that he needs to make love to Brooke when he gets home. He has agreed." She told them in English.