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I Was So Much Older Then...

By: Spinneret



 (Note; this story is a direct sequel to my  Old Family, New Friends, and so belongs in the same series -- and the same future world -- as my earlier Restarted parts one and two, Thanks for the Memories, The Transgression Solutions, and Once Bitten, Live Twice. You don't have to have read any of those to understand it, though.)




The cafeteria was open to anyone with legitimate business in the clinic, so the people using it tended to fall into three categories. The clinic staff were obvious enough, the nurses and orderlies in uniform green tunics, the doctors wearing ID badges, and all having a professional, even academic look to them (and usually being engrossed talking technicalities with each other). The Restarted patients were even more obvious, although they wore no badges and their clothes were a random mix of medical-issue basics and fashion choices from across the last eighty years; their gray or part-gray hair and athletic-to-anorexic figures were utterly distinctive.

The woman who was sitting alone at a table, picking at a salad, didn't fit into either of those groups. She appeared far too old to be Restarted – older, indeed, than any of the doctors – and she wore no uniform or badge. She looked to be in good condition for her years, but she had made little effort to disguise the lines on her face, and her faded golden-blonde hair was denser and longer than that of any of the newly Restarted, and showed no trace of dye. She was dressed smartly, in styles that would have attracted no attention in the world outside.

Another woman walked up to the table, holding a tray with food. "Mind if I join you?" she asked.

The seated woman looked up. The newcomer was obviously a patient, with dead white hair in cornrow braids, dressed in a soft blouse, jeans, and sandals. That hair contrasted strikingly with her dark skin.

"Sure."

The newcomer sat down, picked up a fork, and dug into the pasta dish on her plate with some enthusiasm. "Sorry if I disturbed you," she said, "but you sit alone round here, people will come up and talk to you."

"That's okay." The first woman shrugged.

"It's the gaps in our memories," the second said. "We're always trying to fill them up. Get some idea of how other people work. Get some stuff to remember, y'know?"

"I can understand that," the first woman nodded slightly and ate a little more salad.

"You must be visiting. First time here?"

"Third, actually. I've come to see my parents."

"Both of them are here? Oh, hey, they must be the Porters, right?"

"Yes." The first woman looked a little harder at the second. "Do you know them?"

"No, I've not spoken to 'em yet. Just there's not many couples in here. They're not the first, but – well, two people showing up as right for the process at the same time? It's not impossible, but it's a bit of a coincidence. Guess it'll get more common as the process starts getting used more, though."

"Oh. Right."

"Mmm. Anyway, how are they?"

"They're fine, I think."

"You only think?"

The older-looking woman smiled wryly. "They don't remember much. I gather that they were further gone even than most people in here... Before they were Restarted, I'd pretty much given up on them as, well, people, you know?"

"Yeah. And the process actually makes it worse." The second woman pulled a face. "Must be rough on you. Do they remember you at all? My name's Mina, by the way."

"I'm Beth. And they remember bits and pieces, I think. Mostly of me as a child."

"Huh. That's normal." Mina put her fork down for a moment. "It was good of you to come back. Not everyone can handle seeing this stuff. 'Fraid that we've got a lot of people here wishing their kids would show up more often."

Beth sighed. "They are my parents, for better or for worse. I can see a little bit of what I remember there."

"Still, props for the effort."

"Thanks. I suppose I worry for them."

Mina frowned. "They'll be fine. We're the healthiest people you'll meet, fresh out of Restart."

"Oh, I'm sure they're physically fine. It's just... No, I shouldn't inflict this on a stranger."

Mina smiled. "Don't worry 'bout that. Like I said, us Restarted like filling our brains up. But I'll promise to keep secrets, if you tell me any. And if those two have problems – well, us Restarted stick together. No one else quite understands us, after all."

Beth took the deep breath of a woman who was glad of an excuse to unload private worries. "That may be the problem. My parents are sticking to each other too much, I think."

Mina frowned. "That's only natural," she said. "After all, they've been married – how long for?"

"Seventy-two years."

"Phew!"

"Yes. But they hardly remember each other. I think that they're clinging to each other because they think that's what married people are supposed to do."

Mina frowned. "Well," she said, "I guess it worked for them before..."

"I'm not sure it did, really," Beth said. "They stayed together, but I'm afraid there was always a lot of squabbling. If they get annoyed with each other like that now, well, I'm afraid that they could be quite bad for each other."

"You sure that it didn't used to just be harmless chat? Kids don't always understand how their parents work together. And, well, seventy-two years..."

"Oh, I'm sure. They weren't the sort to think of divorce, if that's what you mean. They were far too old-fashioned. And..."

Mina looked up as Beth's voice trailed off. "Something else?"

"I'm seventy-one," Beth said. "I was born six months after my parents got married. And I don't think I was premature."

"Ah. Shotgun wedding." Mina nodded. "Not a good start. Well, no danger of a repeat of that this time," she continued with a grin. "We've all got medical implants."

"Huh." Beth scowled. "I'm not sure how much danger there is of that being needed. If there was an accident before they got married, I think it put them off for life." She sighed. "I can't complain, because it's why I'm here, but I think it made a bit of a mess of them. They were always very ... negative about sex. It took me years to relax and shake off some of what my mother tried to tell me."

"Huh." Mina frowned. "But would you really want to split your own parents apart? After seventy years?"

"I'm not sure." Beth looked worried. "I think I just want them to think about..."

"Hi, Mina."

A third person had appeared at the table, again carrying a tray of food – a man, and one of the Restarted. Beth glanced at him, saw that he was typically wiry, and still entirely gray-haired, with cool gray eyes.

"Hi, Stephen," Mina said. "Can you give us a moment? Private conversation..."

"Oh – sorry."

"Hang on, though." Mina turned back to Beth and spoke quietly. "Actually, do you mind if Stephen joins us?" she asked. "He's a friend, and a good guy. I'd like to help you with this, but I might need backup, and he's a good start."

"Okay," said Beth, a little uncertainly, and Mina waved Stephen to rejoin them.

"Beth here's got a worry," Mina said as Stephen sat down, and then gave him a quick summary of what she'd been told.

"Hmm," Stephen said. "I've spoken to Iris and Giles, once or twice. They do look like they're clinging together a bit too much."

"Well," said Mina, "sounds like the least we can do is draw them out of themselves a bit."

"But it sounds like you might not stop there," Stephen commented. "Do you really want to take that responsibility? Breaking up a seventy-year relationship?"

"Already done it once, for myself," Mina said tartly, and Stephen gave a brief smile as Beth looked puzzled.

"Mina isn't ... quite how she used to be herself," he explained. "Okay, we'll see how things go."

"So you don't think this would be a bad thing?" Beth challenged him.

"Oh, I'm sure that I'd have disapproved once," Stephen admitted. "But I was so much older then – I'm younger than that now..."

Beth arched a well-groomed eyebrow. "Bob Dylan?" she asked.

Stephen frowned. "One of my youthful tastes. A lot of lines have stuck. It's nice to know that some people still recognize them."

"Oh, I was quite a folkie in my time," Beth said, suddenly looking more cheerful. "Never played myself, but I got to a lot of gigs."

"Me too," said Stephen. "At least, I think that I remember that ... I think I saw Dylan a couple of times in the '70s."

"Me too..."

Soon, the pair were talking names and songs, as Mina looked on. But before long, she interrupted. "I'll leave you to this," she said, "but we ought to keep in touch, Beth. Only snag is..."

"What?"

"You ought to know – between ourselves – the clinic's computer monitors e-mails and stuff going in and out. They're legally responsible for us, and it turns out there's a big medical get-out clause in the privacy laws."

"Oh dear. That's ... weird."

"Yeah. Lot of people think that's a pain. So we might have to be careful what we say, if we don't want the docs breathing down our necks about meddling. They aren't sure when they should or shouldn't butt in."

"Well," said Stephen, "they aren't going to worry about casual chat. And we're free to come and go from the place – we're not prisoners. So we can meet in person next time you're in the area, if we've got anything really private to talk about..."

***

In fact, Stephen and Beth exchanged Internet contact details, and found themselves chatting online several times over the next few days, discussing mostly music, exchanging recommendations and reminiscences. Hence, when Beth announced that she would be returning to visit her parents again, staying in a local hotel for a couple of nights, Stephen casually suggested that they should meet for lunch on the day she arrived.

He named a local Italian restaurant, and on that day, he arrived at the place to find Beth already there, nursing a mineral water.

"How are my parents?" she asked as he sat down.

"They're ... fine," he said. "There's a bit of news. But frankly, I'd rather leave that until later. I haven't got away from the clinic for a meal very often before."

And so they continued their conversation about music over pasta and wine. The time passed rapidly, and soon they found themselves relaxing with coffees.

"God, I could go on like this for hours," Beth said. "I'd forgotten how much I loved this stuff."

"Me too," said Stephen. "There's so many interesting bits and pieces coming back to me. And you're really helping fill in the gaps."

"Glad to hear it," said Beth. "But we ought to talk about my parents, too, I suppose. Anyway, shall we take a walk?"

"Actually," said Stephen, leaning forward while gazing down at his coffee cup. "what I'd really like to now is to go to your room."

Beth stared at him. "If that means what it seems to mean, you're insane," she said.

"Not really," said Stephen, toying with his coffee. "You're still thinking of me as young, aren't you? But I'm not. I'm ten years older than you. I hadn't had sex for a while before I was Restarted, but I kept going until a few years ago. I had affairs with women around my own age. Some of that's still in here." He tapped his forehead. "So far as I'm concerned, you're one of the sorts of women that I'll happily sleep with."

"I hope that you really do understand how you look to me, though," said Beth.

"I think so."

"Good. Because then, you'll understand that there's no way I can turn you down."

Stephen nodded slightly, and Beth signaled for the bill. They left the restaurant and walked back to Beth's hotel arm in arm, looking perhaps like fond grandmother and grandson. As the door clicked shut behind them, though, Beth released Stephen's arm and stepped quickly over to the window to draw the curtains.

Stephen touched the light switch, but Beth turned around hastily. "No," she said, "keep the lights off, please."

"I don't mind looking at you..."

"But I might mind you looking. I'm not an idiot. I'm sure that you've seen naked women since you were Restarted."

"Yes," Stephen admitted, dimming the lights again.

"Restarted women, I imagine? There are rumors about that, and Mina said something about medical implants..."

Stephen stepped across the room and kissed her. "Don't worry about what else I've seen," he said.

She kissed him back, at length. "Have you been with Mina?" she asked.

"Yes," he admitted, "but I told you not to worry."

He saw her smile in the dim light. "I'm just curious," she said, and began to unbutton her blouse. "Is she good?"

Stephen shrugged. "Screws like a rabbit, if you must know." He loosened the simple tunic he was wearing and pulled if off over his head. "But she's not here, is she?"

Beth reached out and touched his naked chest. "Okay," she said, "I admit that I'm worried about what you might see in me. My boobs have been sagging for decades, damn them."

"At least you have boobs," Stephen replied. "That's the trouble with being Restarted. Everyone has minimum body fat."

"Hah!" Beth sounded amused now. She discarded her blouse and then watched as Stephen removed his shoes and stepped out of his pants. She shed the silky shift she was wearing, kicked off her own shoes, carefully, then removed her loose, flared pants.

Stephen kissed her again, and when she sat down on the bed, he sat beside her. He was down to a pair of boxer shorts now; she was wearing just bra and panties. "Hold on," she said, and gave a series of sharp taps to the medical implant under the skin of her left shoulder. "Hormone release," she said. "At least I can avoid some of the worst things about being my age."

"Neat," Stephen said, and fondled her breasts through her bra. She sighed softly, then twisted away and got into bed.

"Cold?" Stephen asked.

"I'm still not sure that I want you seeing how I look these days," she replied.

"And I told you not to worry," Stephen said, as he joined her in bed.

"Bear with me," she said. Stephen said nothing, but kissed her. "Thanks again," she said when he broke away. With his arms now round her, he was able to unfasten her bra. He threw it away, off the bed, and she pressed the length of herself against him. He sighed happily as she she reached around and grabbed his ass with one hand, fingertips digging in.

"Oh God," she murmured, "your body is so firm."

He grinned. "You sure I'm not just scrawny?" he asked.

"No. I know scrawny these days." Beth squeezed his ass again, then released it. "Hold on," she said, and burrowed down beneath the bedclothes only a little clumsily. Stephen laughed slightly as she carefully pulled his boxers half-way down his thighs; then, a moment later, he gasped as her mouth engulfed his cock for half its length. Then she drew back, fondling his length with lips and tongue as she went.

"Experience counts for something," Beth said from under the sheets. Then she returned to work on him. Within seconds, he was gasping and groaning as Beth gently but effectively applied tongue and lips. Then she paused, gave the damp tip of his organ a quick kiss, and squirmed back up the bed, rolling onto her back when she arrived. Stephen took the hint, climbed carefully on top of her, and let her guide his erection into her cunt. With a smooth push, he entered her completely.

"Oh, sweet Christ," Beth murmured as Stephen began moving inside her. "God, this is good. God, you feel so damn good."

"This feels good," Stephen told her.

"Thanks," she said. "Just... Don't stop!"

Stephen said nothing, but moved slowly on top of and inside her. Her legs wrapped around his, she gave a series of soft sighs and wordless murmurs.

"Can we turn over?" she murmured in his ear.

"Sure." Holding each other close, they rolled to put Stephen on his back, disarraying the bedclothes completely. Then Beth raised herself with her hands on the pillow either side of his head, and gazed down at him.

"Mmm," she murmured, "you're amazing."

Stephen laughed softly as Beth closed her eyes and sighed softly, repeatedly, rotating her hips slightly at the same time.

"Oh," she said, "oh.... oh yes!"

She sagged on top of him, breathing audibly. He held her close, then shifted and gave a twist, rolling them back over. Suddenly, she found that he was pounding hard on top of and inside her. She gasped, but not as loudly as him. After perhaps thirty seconds, his gasps turned to a series of groans, and he raised himself above her on his hands and gave one last hard thrust. Then , after a frozen moment, he almost dropped on top of her.

"Oh," he said, "sorry about..."

"Shut up and don't stop!" she said, and he realized that her arms and legs were clamped around him and her hips were rocking back and forth. He began to move with her, and after another few seconds, she gave a hoarse moan, and then relaxed.

"Oh," he said.

"Wow," she replied.

"God," he said. "I hope that I didn't hurt you there."

"I'm fine," she said. "That was so damn good. Though I'm not sure how much more of it I could take."

"Sorry," he said. "I'm still getting used to the idea that I can do this ... at all. With anyone. I may get a bit carried away."

"It was ... great. And quite flattering," Beth said. "I don't think that you broke anything."

Stephen laughed nervously. Then, realizing that his erection was softening, he withdrew from her and flopped onto his back. He laughed softly, then rolled onto his side to look at Beth.

"I have to say, you look damn good," he said, gazing at her face.

"Don't overdo the flattery," said Beth, getting up from the bed and stepping over to the room's minibar. She no longer seemed so self-conscious about her naked body. "I know that I've been stupidly lucky this afternoon. You don't have to worry too much about my feelings. I'm a realist."

"So I can say what I like to you?" Stephen said. "Any sort of insult or whatever?"

"Why?" said Beth as the minibar recognized her thumbprint. She opened it and extracted a half-bottle of chilled white wine and two glasses. "What were you thinking of saying to me?"

"Well," said Stephen, "I fucked your momma."

"Oh." Beth sat down on the bed, still holding the bottle and the glasses and looking thoughtful in the dim light that filtered through the curtains. "I see." She put the glasses down on a bedside table, and began removing the bottle's screw cap. "Well, I suppose that's good news, really, isn't it?" She smiled very briefly. "I mean, it must help with the plan."

"That was part of the idea."

Beth suddenly laughed. "Oh God," she said, "there's no words for this, are there? Oh well, I really can't complain. I said it myself... And you, young man..."

"I'm still older than you!"

"...You should be honored. I imagine that you're only the second man to have her in her entire life."

"Well," said Stephen, "not really."

Beth paused from pouring the wine and looked at him sharply. "What does that mean?" she demanded.

Stephen sighed. "I guess that you should hear the whole story," he said.

***

It took Mina a couple of days to catch Iris Porter alone after her conversation with Beth, but it wasn't actually difficult. The Porters were only recently out of intensive post-Restart treatment, and both of them were scheduled for frequent, long sessions with the doctors. Giles Porter had been called in for one such, and his wife was sitting on a bench in the clinic's gardens. Mina simply walked up and sat down beside her. Iris, who was six inches shorter than Mina and slender even by Restarted standards, looked up uncertainly.

"Hi, honey," Mina began. "Iris, ain't it? How you doing?"

"What? Oh, fine, thanks." Iris looked surprised.

"Hey, sorry – didn't mean to intrude," Mina said. "Just I hadn't had a chance to talk yet. Us Restarted ought to talk sometimes, don't you think? Compare notes. Help each other."


I Was So Much Older Then...



"Yes, I suppose so." Iris still looked uncertain, but now she visibly relaxed a little. "This is all very new to me, you know?"

"Know what you mean, honey..." Mina continued in a relaxed and casual way, until Iris became quite chatty. In fact, it soon dawned on Mina that Iris was indeed very pleased to have found someone else to whom to talk.

"Must be kinda strange, being Restarted alongside your husband," she observed eventually.

"What? Oh, I suppose..." Iris glanced at her. "Were you married?"

"Not exactly," Mina said. "Anyhow... You two getting all back together okay? I mean, I gather you and him have both forgotten even more than most of us. That must make it kind of weird, if you don't really know each other now."

"I suppose," Iris said. "We're taking it slowly."

Mina laughed. "No big cuddling straight off?"

"Oh, you mean sex," said Iris artlessly. "No, not yet."

"Well, the docs don't really like us doing that too quickly," Mina said, carefully keeping a straight face.

"No, it seems that they don't." Iris shrugged. "It's funny. I don't remember much about it, you know? But I think I'm looking forward to it."

"That's good. How about Giles?"

"Oh... You know, one thing I think I remember about Giles from before is that he always liked to do things right. By the book, you know? So... We aren't rushing anything."

Mina smiled. "Sounds like you'd like him to get a move on," she said.

Iris blinked. "I don't know," she said. "As I said, this is all very new."

"Not really, honey. Sex goes back a long way."

"Well, yes." Iris was frowning now. "I suppose that's the thing, though. There must be so much to know about it."

"Finding out's fun, I'll tell you that." Mina grinned.

"Oh good!" Iris said, then she shook her head. "Well, I suppose people always say..." Her voice trailed off.

"There's a question I want to ask," said Mina. "But it's definitely kinda personal."

"Go ahead," said Iris.

"Is it sex with Giles you're looking forward to," Mina asked, "or do you just want to have sex?"

"Oh!" Iris looked at her sharply, then smiled nervously. "I see what you mean, I suppose. There is a difference, isn't there? Logically... But not really in practice."

"Oh, there's a world of difference in practice." Mina gave a quick grin. "Anyway, I notice you haven't answered the question."

"I'm not sure," said Iris, in a careful, uncertain tone. "And I still don't see that it matters."

"Hmm." Mina shrugged. "Well, think about it. Tell me if you get an answer."

"And what will you do then?"

 Like I said before," Mina said. "Help a fellow Restart."

"You almost seem to be implying that I might ... have an affair."

Mina laughed. "It's an option, honey. Lot of it happening round here, if you look."

"Really?" Iris looked genuinely surprised.

"Oh, yeah, honey. It's always an option."

***

Two days later, Mina was sitting in one of the computerized training rooms, working through a basic course on political events of the last twenty years, when Giles Porter appeared and walked straight over to her.

"Do you know where my wife is?" he demanded as she removed her headphones.

Mina stared at him. "Why should I know, especially?" she shot back.

"She said you ... I gather you'd been talking to her a lot lately. She seemed very excited about what you'd been saying."

"I guess that I'm glad to hear it."

"Never mind that now. Do you know where she is?"

Mina shook her head. "Honestly? No. Haven't seen her since lunch. And no, I didn't talk to her then, She was chatting with a bunch of other folks."

"Huh." Giles scowled at her, but said nothing else, simply turning on his heel.

After he had left, Mina put her headphones down and crossed the room to where Stephen had been watching the scene from his own computer. "You get that?" she asked him.

"Enough of it. I suppose you were telling him the truth."

"Can't seem to shake the habit. Iris was with Delroy and Diego and Judy. You know where she's gone now?"

"No, but I know where I'd look first. That group get room seven – the one with the big screen – set up as a movie theater a lot of afternoons. They say they're catching up on popular culture."

"Sounds fun. Look, maybe I ought to go warn her that Giles is running round with a stick up his ass."

"I'll come along. I need a break."

The pair strolled through the clinic to room seven, and slipped through the door. The room was darkened, but the screen was blank; no one had started the movie yet. As Mina and Stephen's eyes adjusted, they saw that the room's modular furniture had been arranged to form a set of couches facing the screen. They also saw Iris and the rest of the Restarted group.

"Oh, my," Mina murmured.

The whole group was naked. Iris was lying on her back on one of the couches. Her nakedness showed that her body was not so much slim as wiry; it looked as though she had been exercising even more intensively than most of the Restarted. Delroy Cable, a tall, serious-looking man who kept his head shaved out of dislike of his still-silver Restarted hair, was between her thighs, gently but steadily fucking her. Judy Davies was kneeling behind the couch, reaching over the back to fondle Iris's breasts. Diego Sanchez was standing in front of the couch; Iris was reaching up to grasp his erect cock.

The four of them looked over at the newcomers. "Hi," said Judy. "I was just telling Iris about blow jobs. But I think she'd better leave that for a while."

"Oh, God," Iris moaned, "feels so good...."

"Glad to hear it," Mina managed.

"You were right..." Iris gasped. "Oh yes. Should have ... sooner..."

"Wasn't she..." Mina said quietly to Judy.

"A virgin again? Yeah, but it turned out that didn't matter too much to her."

"S'okay," Iris moaned. "It's all ... It's all good. Feels so good."

Judy brushed Iris's brow gently. "She was curious," she said, "then we realized just how curious she was."

Iris grasped Judy's hand and kissed it passionately. "Yes," she moaned. "This ... sex ... deeper!"

Delroy responded by fucking her harder and deeper, and Iris gave a happy gasp.

"We probably ought to leave 'em to it," Mina murmured to Stephen.

"Probably," he agreed. "The only thing is – this room doesn't have a lock, does it?"

"Oh. No, it doesn't. Reckon Giles is still looking round for Iris?"

"I'll bet he is." Stephen glanced round. "The door opens inwards. Come on, help me move this."

He was already shoving a two-seat sofa; working together, the pair of them soon had the door blocked. Then they dropped onto it together, laughing like teenagers, just in time to see Iris clutching convulsively at Delroy's hips and giving a series of quiet whimpers, which rose to an obviously climactic cry, leaving her gasping for breath.

Delroy, who had evidently been holding back to ensure Iris's pleasure, gave one last, hard, thrust, groaning in orgasm himself, and then drew breath and withdrew carefully from her. Iris moaned softly in frustration, but Delroy was simply making way for Diego, who took his place between Iris's things and in her cunt, guiding himself into her carefully. Iris gave a deep gasp as Diego began steady, hard fucking, and Delroy sat on the floor beside the sofa to watch.

Stephen put an arm around Mina's shoulders. She responded by squeezing his thigh. "How you doing?" she asked.

"Pretty well," he said. "Maybe not as well as Iris."

Mina laughed. They watched for a few minutes as Diego pushed Iris back up towards climax. Her soft gasps turned to groans, and then to a sudden squeal. Diego didn't break rhythm at that, though, and after a minute or so, Iris made the same sound again. Only then did Diego suddenly accelerate to a frenzy, ending with an animalistic growl.

"The girl's a damn hot lay," he said as he withdrew.

The handle of the door which Mina and Stephen were keeping shut rattled. "Busy," Stephen called. After a moment, whoever was outside went away.

"Sex," murmured Iris. "Yes – sex – that was good..."

"The word you're looking for is fucking," Judy told her.

"That still sounds ... rude," Iris gasped.

"Ruder than doin' it, honey?" Mina asked.

Iris giggled. Then she turned to sit on the sofa, her legs unselfconsciously slightly open, and looked at Mina and Stephen. "You two have sex – with each other?" she asked.

"I've known them to," said Judy from behind her.

Mina's hand was already resting on Stephen's thigh; now she moved it far enough to determine that he had an erection. "Mmm," she said. "You know, after these people put on such a good show for us..."

"We should return the compliment?" Stephen asked.

"Yeah."

"Sounds good to me."

"Okay. Let's show Iris something different." Mina grinned, then got off the seat, took a step forward, and quickly stripped off her clothes. This gave Stephen a back view of her naked form, and he smiled happily, especially when she did a quick full turn around. Then she got down on all fours.

Stephen in turn stood up, removed his own clothing, and knelt behind her. He used one hand to feel between her legs. "You're ready," he observed.

"We've just seen a good show," Mina said.

"I know what you mean," Stephen replied, grasping his erection with his other hand. He guided it to the entrance of her cunt, and then pushed immediately. Mina sighed happily as they began to move together.

For a moment they were distracted from the others, but as they settled into a rhythm, they both saw Diego, who was kneeling close to them and watching intently. He smiled and nodded appreciatively, then moved a little closer, putting him face to face with Mina, and kissed her as she gasped in time with Stephen's thrusts. Then he twisted his slim frame and slid under her on his back, kissing her breasts in passing. Stephen gave a startled gasp as he felt Diego's tongue running over his tense balls; this was a new category of experience for him (so far as he could remember, at least) and a challenge to his tastes. However, it soon became obvious that Diego was paying most attention to Mina's pussy, applying that tongue to her clitoris. Mina gasped and looked down to see Diego's cock in front of her face, still soft after its vigorous use in Iris. She took a deep breath and then dipped her head to kiss it, running the tip of her tongue along its length.

Stephen glanced up and saw the other three sitting together, watching. Judy and Iris were side by side on the sofa with their arms round each other, while Delroy was sitting on the floor at their feet. Then Delroy nodded, twisted around to kneel between Judy's thighs, nuzzled her crotch until she opened her thighs, then set to work with his mouth. Judy's breathing grew deeper.

Iris glanced down at that, and smiled. "That looks fun, too," she said.

"You can try it ... ahhhh! ... later," Judy told her.

The handle of the blocked door rattled again, and then the door opened an inch.

"Busy!" Stephen yelled. Iris started to get up as if to go to the door, but Stephen hastily shook his head.

"Hello?" a male voice said through the door, but after a while the door closed again.

"Was that..." Stephen began.

"Fuck him!" Mina said.

"Think you'd do better fucking that sweet pussy," Diego said from under her.

"Already am," Stephen said, setting up a pattern of slow, hard thrusts.

"What is it ... with Restarted ladies?" Diego asked with only the softest of pauses as Mina's tongue caressed his cock. "Real hot to go."

"Catching up!" Judy said, wriggling happily under Delroy's attentions.

"Yeah!" Mina agreed. "Second chance... Oh, babe, thassit – deep as you can go!"

Stephen responded by grasping her hips with his hands and then pushing hard and deep, and Mina moaned appreciatively. Soon, their gasps were nearly synchronized, and punctuated by Diego's murmurs. Meanwhile, Judy had slumped back on the sofa, arms and legs thrown wide, while Delroy worked on her with his mouth.

Iris watched the others intently, her gaze switching between the two groups every few seconds. She nodded thoughtfully, then reached out a tentative hand and caressed Judy's breasts. Judy in turn grasped her hand, held it for a moment, then lifted it up and kissed it repeatedly, before suddenly stopping, drawing a long deep breath, then exhaling with a gasp of "Oh God, fuck – yeah..."

"Yeah!" Mina agreed. "Fuck, yes!"

Behind her, Stephen gave a series of orgasmic gasps. Within seconds, Mina gave a yelp of pleasure.

The entire group froze in silence for a moment, gazing at each other. Then Judy released Iris's hand and stood up as Delroy moved aside from her. With the pause broken, Stephen slowly withdrew from Mina.

Judy turned to Iris. "And that, dear thing, is sex," she said calmly.

***

A day after that, Iris came to Mina's room while Mina was inside, reading, and tapped on the door. When Mina let her in, it was obvious that she was unhappy. "I told Giles something," Iris said, "I said to him that we ... we may not really be married any more."

"How'd he take it?"

"He wasn't happy," Iris replied. "He keeps saying that I'm his and he's mine."

"Aw, shoot." Mina pulled a face. "Leave this with me, honey. Try to keep out of his way for now. I'll see what I can do."

She spent some time talking to other people. Then, when the time was right, she set out to track down Giles. She found him sitting in a lounge, apparently watching a television but clearly not paying much attention.

"Hi," she said.

"Hello," he replied with a scowl.

"You and I gotta talk," she said. "about Iris."

"What about my wife?"

"There's also something you gotta see," Mina said. "Come on, we're going for a walk."

Giles wasn't much inclined to cooperate, but Mina insisted, and so eventually he found himself being lead away from the clinic and into town. Mina took him to a small apartment building, where the front door opened to her thumb and eye prints, and then up three flights of stairs to a door to which she again had access. Inside, they found a two-room apartment with plain white walls. The tiny kitchen was fitted out, and there were shelves with a few books, a small TV screen on one wall, a table with four lightweight dining chairs, and a simple futon on the other side of the same room, but the place was largely bare.

"What is this?" Giles asked.

"Mine," said Mina, suddenly smiling broadly. "My home. I'm renting it," she went on, "but I've signed the lease. All legal."

"Congratulations," Giles said flatly.

"Hey," said Mina, "This means a lot to me. I don't have any savings," she continued. "No big pension settlement, like a lot of Restarted. But somebody's sorted me out a student loan, would you believe? I'm going back to college. I think I'll get a job as a librarian or a database manager, eventually. And the money covers this."

"Good for you, but what's that got to do with anything?"

"Those jobs – I didn't pick them at random." Mina was looking thoughtful now. "I've got good at organizing information. It's something you'll need to learn." She took a breath, looked round the room. "This is what this room is about, Giles. It's a blank screen. Like my brain. As I get more stuff to put in it, I'll fill it up and cover the walls."

"I still don't see..."

"New stuff, Giles," Mina said. "Not old junk."

A chime sounded somewhere, and Mina smiled. "That's the door. We got company." She checked a small screen, then pressed an unlock button. A few seconds later, there was a tap at the apartment door, and Mina opened it to admit Stephen and Iris.

"Hi," Stephen said.

"Iris!" Giles exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"We've been helping her keep out your way, actually," said Mina. "But now we've all got some communicating to do."

"This is none of your business," Giles snapped.

"Maybe not," said Stephen, "but friends help friends."

"So you've appointed yourself my friends?"

" They're my friends," Iris said quietly. "Look, can we at least sit down and talk like human beings?" She didn't wait for an answer, but dropped to the futon and sat cross-legged. "God," she said, "I think it must have been years since I've been able to sit on the floor."

Stephen sat beside her. Mina grabbed two chairs, pushed one towards Giles, and sat on the other herself. After a moment, with ill grace, Giles sat down.

"It's like this," Iris began. "I really am not your property, Giles..."

"I never said that you were my property, I said that you're my wife!"

"In law, maybe," Stephen said. "But that law's out of date. Look, how much do you really remember of being married to Iris?"

"Everyone forgets things," Giles muttered.

"Sure they do," Stephen nodded. "But when you forget practically everything, it's gone, my friend. End of story. End of one story, start of a new one."

"So why shouldn't we get back together?" Giles demanded.

"You might, one day." Stephen shrugged. "But that's up to both of you. And it seems that Iris has her own ideas about how she wants to do things."

" I do," said Iris, and leaned sideways and kissed Stephen on the cheek. "There's so much I want to try, and I'd rather try it for myself."

"We can..." Giles began.

"No," Iris interrupted. "No. There's something you have to see, Giles. So I'm going to show you." She took a deep breath. "And I need your word that you'll remain seated on that chair while I show you, and not interrupt or try to stop me or run away. Do I have your word, Giles?"

"If you insist."

"Good." Iris said. "And Giles, I swear to you, if you break your word, I'll never speak to you again."

Giles sighed theatrically. "As you wish."

"Fine." Iris looked down, took a breath, and then began unbuttoning her blouse.

"What do..." Giles began.

"No interruptions, Giles," Iris said warningly. She was wearing a bra beneath her blouse, despite the fact that her newly-Restarted figure gave her no need for one, but she removed that briskly. She smiled at Giles. "So far, so good, I suppose," she said. Then she turned to Stephen beside her. "Your turn," she said. Stephen responded by removing the sweater he was wearing and unfastening his own shirt.

"What do..." Giles repeated, and began to rise from his chair. But he suddenly found that Mina had moved round behind him while he was distracted, and she now restrained him by putting her arms around in his shoulders.

"You gave your word," she said quietly in his ear. "And I think Iris meant everything she said. Just sit quietly and learn."

Giles turned his gaze back to the other two, who were now kissing, tentatively at first but deeply. They broke apart for a moment, and Iris looked at Giles. "You know," she said, "I don't remember much about our time together, but I think I remember a tiny bit about when we first met. But it's only now that I think I understand how I felt back then."

Giles said nothing. Iris and Stephen both removed their shoes and socks, and then their pants.

"You aren't curious?" Iris said, looking back at Giles. "No, I'm afraid that you're not terribly good at thinking about how other people feel. But the fact is, back then, I'm fairly sure, I just really, really wanted sex." She lay back on the futon and pushed her plain cotton panties down her legs as Stephen knelt beside her and kissed her shoulders. Her steel gray bush formed a neat, tight triangle, markedly darker than her pale skin. "But I couldn't say so then, I suppose," she went on. "Oh well."

Stephen stood up, removed his briefs, and lay down beside Iris. They kissed again, and then Iris reached down and grasped his cock, which was growing fully erect. "Mmm," she said, "that one feels nice too."

"What..." Giles began.

"Hush," Mina murmured in his ear. "But yeah, Iris has been gettin' laid by one or two guys."




I Was So Much Older Then...



Oblivious to that conversation, Stephen and Iris were now kissing again. But Stephen broke away a little and winked at Iris. "Hi," he said.

"Hi yourself," Iris replied, and giggled.

"You have a sweet body," Stephen told her. Iris giggled uncertainly as Giles stared furiously at them both. "Really nice." He ran a series of kisses down her throat, between her breasts and further down her belly. He paused then, applying his tongue to her navel.

Iris giggled. "That tickles," she said. "Oh, golly... This is fun."

Stephen continued making her giggle for a few moments, and then moved on downwards. Iris gave a soft, uncertain sigh, then slumped backwards, opening her thighs as his mouth arrived at her groin. He used his fingertips to part her cunt lips, and then applied his mouth in small, precise movements.

"Oh, my," Iris said, "oh, yes, you ... oh, yes, please!" Across the room, Giles squirmed slightly as Mina's arms around his shoulders held him on his chair. "Oh, lord," Iris sighed, "I love ... Oh, yes, aaah..."

She slipped from speech to soft moans of pleasure, and then gave a short gasp and fell silent for a moment. A second later she exhaled and visibly relaxed.

Stephen lifted his face from her pussy. She grasped his head in her hands and smiled at him. "Thanks," she said. "Now, look, come up here a moment."

Stephen wriggled up to bring his face to hers, but then, after one kiss, she in turn moved down him, kissing his chest and belly briefly in passing. Sensing her intention, Stephen rolled onto his back as she reached his groin.

"This seems only polite," Iris said, "but I haven't done this before. Do say if I'm doing it wrong."

Stephen gasped as her mouth tentatively engulfed his rigid cock, and Giles gave an angry groan.

"Lemme guess," Mina said in Giles' ear, "she never did that for you? Far as you remember?"

"Of course not!" Giles snapped.

"No, I guess that you two weren't the types. But don't worry for her; she'll learn fast enough. Hell, I'd never done it myself until a few weeks back, but I soon got the trick."

In fact, Iris was tentatively moving her mouth up and down Stephen's cock, and throwing him inquiring glances which encouraged him to tell her how much he liked the feeling – which was evidently quite a lot. His erection, already full, grew visibly even more rigid as Iris worked on him.

After a little more of this, Stephen brushed her face carefully with a fingertip, and she stopped and looked at him questioningly. "You're doing fine," he said, "maybe too well. You're probably not ready to have me go off in your mouth just yet, and I've got a better idea."

"Okay," said Iris, "I get the idea."

"And?" Stephen smiled.

"Yes," Said Iris with a smile of her own, "I really want you to do sex to me now."

"Not quite the usual words," Stephen said.

"Oh. Oh yes." Iris smiled softly. "Okay, I want you to..." she paused, and took a deep breath. "I want you to fuck me." She had raised her voice almost to a shout. "Is that right? Please – fuck me, right?"

"My pleasure," Stephen said. He threw a momentary glance at the scowling Giles, then turned back to Iris. "I think you should go on top," he added.

"Okay." Iris crawled up the futon, kissing Stephen on belly, chest, and mouth. Then she carefully straddled his hips, raising herself up a little as she did so.

He reached down and caressed her cunt for a moment. "Mmm," he said, "you're damp." He parted her cunt lips with his fingertips, then used his other hand to guide the tip of his cock to her entrance.

Iris looked down at him, and he nodded slightly. At that, she sank down, engulfing him, as he grasped her thighs with his hands, and they both sighed happily. Iris wriggled her hips and squealed girlishly. Then she repeated the action twice more, and Stephen gasped. He reached down between her thighs with one hand again and brushed her clitoris with a fingertip.

"Oh, yes," she sighed, "oh, yes."

Stephen repeated the caress, then reached up with his other hand to fondle her breasts. Iris sighed softly, then clamped that hand to her with both of her own. Suddenly, she began moving her hips rapidly back and forth on top of Stephen, and her soft murmurs changed just as quickly to yelps of pleasure, only changing back to a recognizable "Yes!" as she reached a loud orgasm. By then, her head was thrown back and her eyes were tightly closed.

Across the room, Giles gave a soft, unhappy moan.

"Look, honey," Mina murmured in his ear, "you gotta let this go. You two barely know each other, so you got no grounds for complaint. She looked over his shoulder, then glanced down. "Oh," she added, "what's that I see?" She moved one hand down to his waist, and felt carefully at the front of his soft cotton pants, where a visible tent was forming. "Hot, ain't they?" she added quietly. "Quite a thing to watch."

Giles twisted round and out of her grasp, and stared at her angrily. "Iris was mine, once," he said coldly.

"So you've been told. But that was then, an' this is now, honey. You want her or anyone else now, you gotta start over."

Giles looked angry for a moment longer, but then his face fell. "I don't know how!" he wailed quietly.

"Oh, is that all?" Mina laughed softly. "Anyone can learn. Plenty of space in our brains, you'll find. But look, right now, there's something you maybe need to know."

"What's that?"

"You got a good Restarted body there, honey. No shame in using it." She stepped around to stand in front of him, and pulled her tunic up and over her head. Like most Restarted women, she didn't bother wearing a bra; her breasts were larger than some, but not very large.

"Slut!" Giles snarled.

Mina put her hands on her hips. "You can call me that if you must, honey," she said. "Maybe I kinda enjoy bein' a slut sometimes, if you insist on the word. But the question is – you never wanted to fuck a slut?" She raised a white eyebrow. "Or didja only ever want the teenage girl who just wanted to get some relief, an' ended up stuck with you for seventy years?"

Giles' attempt to reply to that was interrupted by another loud orgasmic moan from Iris.

"Ah fuck it," Mina said with a shrug. "You fuck me now, or you fuck off an' stop being a pain in the ass."

Giles sat staring at her wordlessly. After a moment when the only sounds were the grunts and moans from Iris and Stephen, Mina stepped forward to where Giles was still seated. Straddling his thighs with her own, she pushed her breasts into his face. "You ain't fucked off, I see," she said.

After a moment, he began kissing her nipples savagely. She gave a short laugh, then stepped backwards, kicked off her shoes, and shed her jeans, leaving her in just a pair of red briefs. Giles stared at her.

"C'mon, honey," she said conversationally. "This place needs christening some more, an' this slut ain't gonna fuck herself."

Giles rose to his feet, cast his jacket aside, and then hauled off the T-shirt he was wearing underneath. Mina watched him, head cocked on one side. His shoes, socks, and pants were hurled away, and then he just glared at her, the front of his briefs pushed far forward by an erection.

"Okay," she said with a nod. Then she simply lay flat on the floor. Giles all but threw himself on top of her, and began fondling her breasts roughly. Mina simply laughed and grasped his hips, digging her nails into his skin.

"By the way, honey," she said, "this is prob'ly a pity fuck. I'm told that's a bad thing, but I ain't sure why. Between you an' me, I'm still learning about this stuff myself."

"Okay," Giles muttered abstractedly, dragging her panties down her thighs before reaching down to get rid of his own briefs.

"Yeah, well, anyhow, you probably don't wanna make a habit of it, so... Hey, Jesus!" Stephen and Iris looked across the room at her exclamation. "Hey, have you seen this?" Mina said, grabbing Giles' erection. "Biggest one I've seen yet!"

"Is that good?" Iris asked, as Stephen laughed briefly.

"I'll tell you in a moment," Mina said, guiding Giles to the entrance of her cunt. "Now, c'mon babe," she crooned, "give it to ... Ooh, hey, yeah!"

Giles had thrust hard into her, and now he was on top of her, pushing eagerly. "Easy, there, boy," she told him. "Slow down! Pity's only good for one fuck, so you gotta make this lady – oof! – feel good if you want more later."

Giles raised himself on his hands and looked down at her, pausing in his thrusting. "Sure you won't want more of that penis?" he asked, then pushed hard against and into her.

"I'll make up my own mind," Mina said, and clamped her legs around his thighs. "If you give me..."

But before she could finish the sentence, Giles gave a shuddering thrust and a half-mournful groan, and then slumped on top of her. A moment later, he rolled off her and aside, and then lay staring at the ceiling.

Mina, though, glanced at him and laughed. "Ah, shit," she said. "That's the usual thing with guys just out of Restart, first time in. Guess it's not your fault." She sat up, and then reached over and traced the length of his half-flaccid cock with one fingertip. "Maybe pity gets you two times," she added. She moved down and kissed his damp cock briefly, then threw Iris and Stephen a lascivious grin as they separated from each other. "Any bets how long I'll need?" she asked.

"I don't know," said Iris seriously, propping herself up on one elbow on the futon as she gazed at Mina. Stephen just threw a glance in the same direction and laughed.

So Mina knelt beside Giles, grasped his cock firmly in one hand, and began moving that hand gently up and down. With the index finger of the other hand, she began tracing shapes on his chest. "The thing you gotta understand," she said to him conversationally, "is that those balls of yours think you're eighteen, with one chance to spread your seed around before you gotta settle down."

"So you know me better than I know myself?" Giles asked, staring up at her.

"Ain't difficult." Mina shrugged. "Anyway, don't complain. Your seed ain't going nowhere anyway – the clinic have the sense to make these magic boxes they put in us stop that – so you just get to fuck any woman who likes your skinny new body or that big fat cock of yours enough. No consequences."

"Okay," said Giles flatly.

"You bet it's okay," said Mina, and ducked her head down to his crotch. Opening her mouth, she engulfed a good half of his hardening cock. She raised her eyebrows expressively, and then it became obvious to the others that she was sucking, hard.

Giles moaned again. After a few seconds, Mina lifted her head away, leaving a restored and quivering erection.

"O-kay," she said. "our boy's back." Giles reached out his hands toward her, but she more or less ignored the gesture as she straddled his hips, facing away from him. Grasping his erection once more, she wriggled forward, squirming until her cunt had engulfed him again.

"Oh, yeah," she murmured. Giles grunted softly.

"That's different," said Iris, who was now sitting up to watch. "Doing sex ... like that."

"It's called reverse cowgirl," Mina said from atop Giles. "It's in all the sex videos."

"Oh, I see." Iris moved over to kneel near Giles's feet, and stared with fascination at close quarters at the junction of his cock and Mina's cunt. "Golly," she continued, "it looks strange close up, doesn't it?" She glanced up at Mina's amused smile. "But it can't be doing much for your clitoris." She pronounced the word carefully, clee-torr-riss.

"There's ... compensations," Mina said, moving her hips back and forth gently. Behind her back, Giles moaned softly again. "Specially with a big cock like this. Finds all my hot spots inside."

"Still..." Iris said, leaning forward for a closer look. Then, tentatively, she kissed Mina's clitoris. Mina sighed happily, and Iris drew back a little, then leaned forward once more. This time, she kissed Giles's balls, a whole series of brief, careful pecks. Giles gave a distinct groan.

Iris continued kissing and tonguing for a little time as Mina gazed down at her head with a cheerful smile, and Stephen watched with interest from across the room. Then Iris paused, and moved her head a little way to meet Giles's gaze past Mina's body, as Mina rocked atop him.

"You know, Giles," she said, "I think that word you called Mina – that it's very cruel."

"Aaaah," Giles gasped, "I'm... I'm sorry."

"Good," said Iris. "Because I think that I might like to try that big penis one day. But if you're cruel to my friends, Giles, I won't allow myself to try it."

Giles simply moaned a little in reply. Iris stared at him for another moment, then returned her attention to the interlocked genitals, wriggling into a prone position for best access. She set to work again on Giles's balls, brushing them with her lips and caressing them with her tongue as Giles's ecstatic moans grew louder and louder. Then she suddenly switched back to Mina's clitoris, and Mina yelped in happy surprise, almost pulsating on top of Giles. Within moments, she climaxed with a gasp and a moan of "Oh, fuck!"

Iris paused, then used her tongue to fondle the base of Giles's cock. Giles gave one more groan, and then his hips bucked orgasmically. Iris hastily pulled away to avoid being battered by his movements.

"Jesus fuck," Mina muttered. "You go, Iris sweetheart!"

"Thanks," muttered Iris, sitting back and distinctly blushing.

"Now," said Mina, lifting herself off Giles's softening cock, "one more thing." She found a tissue, mopped Giles's semen from her inner thighs, and then theatrically sniffed it with a smile before binning it. "Come here, Stephen," she said

Stephen obeyed. His cock was no longer erect, but was still turgid. He stood in front of the other three, and Mina went down on hands and knees and crawled up to him. "That's lovely," she said, staring ostentatiously at his cock, "isn't it, Iris?"

"Yes," Iris agreed.

"Yes," said Mina, and leaned forward to kiss the organ in question gently. "Your turn, Iris," she added, and Iris joined her and imitated the action. "And now you, Giles," said Mina.

There was a pause lasting a short moment, and then Giles slowly and uncertainly came forward. Getting down on his knees, he too followed Mina's example. Then he looked up at Stephen's face. Stephen glanced at him, and then, questioningly, at Mina.

Mina laughed. "Oh, don't worry, you two," she said, "I'm not going to tell you to suck cock, or be sucked. I just wanted to be sure that Giles is playin' by the new rules now." She put her arms around Giles and hugged him close. "You'll do fine, honey," she said. "Though between you and me," she said more quietly, "maybe you should try a little cock-sucking some time. Ain't like our first time around – there's no law against it."

"And I like it," said Iris brightly.

Mina laughed again. "Oh yeah, that too. An' if us girls can lick pussy, well..."

She let go of Giles and turned to gathering up her clothes. "But that's for another time. Lots more for all of us to try."

"Yes," Iris agreed, giving Giles a quick kiss on the cheek before turning to getting dressed herself. "Lots..."

***

"So I'm afraid that your mother may yet decide to sleep with your father. If only out of curiosity," Stephen said.

"Curiosity about the size of his cock," Beth said drily. "You know, strictly, that was probably too much information."

"Sorry," said Stephen. By now, Beth had rejoined him in bed, and the wine was finished.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm seventy-one, I've just screwed a man who looks a third my age, and those people barely count as my parents any more, do they? Somehow, I don't seem to be disgusted, and I can't really work out how to be shocked."

Stephen smiled. "...And don't criticize what you don't understand," he half-sang.

Beth nodded at the Bob Dylan quote. "Quite."

"You still cared enough to come visit your parents," Stephen pointed out.

"Call it a hobby. Anyway..."

"What?"

"I'm okay just now, but in ten years – maybe I'll need Restarting. I have a morbid interest in the subject."

Stephen laughed gently. "Sorry if we come across as screwed up," he said.

"What, with the orgies and the screwing people like me and all?" Beth laughed back. "Not only am I not shocked, I'm jealous."

Stephen smiled as he held her gently. "Just taking advantage of opportunities," he said

"So," she said, "what's next in your plans? What's the next opportunity?"

"Well," Stephen replied, "do you have any daughters?"

Beth gazed at him for a moment, and then they both laughed. "Bastard," Beth said. "No, you can't screw your way through my entire family."

"How would you propose to stop me?"

"I don't know," Beth said, "although..." She pushed a hand beneath the bedclothes and explored for a moment. "I could try to wear you out," she said.

"What makes you think that you could do that?"

"Well, it seems that you're ready for me to make a start now," Beth said, gently grasping Stephen's hardening cock under the covers.

"That should just tell you that I'm insatiable," Stephen shot back.

"Oh, let an old lady dream," Beth said quietly.

"I'll do better than that," Stephen said. "I'll let you try..."

//END//