Storiesonline.net
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                               Witch Eyes
                                by Argon

Copyright© 2011 by Argon


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Description: Luke Braun, computer hacker and prankster, meets Katie, his dream girl, during a night of trick and treating. One of his pranks backfires, and he loses contact to her. At Halloween seven years later, she shows up at his door with a trick of her own that turns his life upside down.
Winner of the 2011 Halloween Writing Contest :o)

Codes: MF cons rom dru
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Chapter 1: Mischief and Hash Brownies



"Hey, Luke, stop fiddling with that laptop," John Daniels shouted from the hallway. "Come on!"

"Yeah, yeah," Lukas Braun called back. "Five minutes. I'm almost there."

"What the hell are you doing anyway?"

"Leaving a little something for Halloween on the Dean's computer," Lukas chuckled.

"Tell me you're not!" John came into the room. "They almost caught you last year when you hacked Professor Parker's laptop."

"Well, almost is the operative word."

"You'll get us in a load of trouble!" John answered leaving Luke's room.

"Dean Lawrence is watching porn in his office." Luke yelled after his roommate. Realizing John was gone he kept mumbling. "Easy-peasy. He's still got Win 2000 and all the ports are open, can you believe it? And here we go. Lemme send him a little greeting now. Oops, what's that? One second."

Luke opened a drawer and found a USB thumb drive. It was a big one, a 32 MB Trek, out only for a few weeks. Luke was leery of downloading a file folder from the dean's computer onto his own hard drive. It took a few seconds to appear in the directory, but then Luke transferred three folders to the external drive.

"And done! Some light reading for tomorrow," he chuckled. Snooping on the dean's computer was a real kick.

He pulled the thumb drive from his laptop and tossed it into the old tin can that held his pens. He jumped from his chair and ripped open the wardrobe. In just five minutes, Lukas Braun transformed into a very credible Merlin the Wizard, complete with a wide wool coat and fake beard.

Soon after, he and his friend John who had dressed up as a Goth vampire hit the residential streets surrounding the campus. Many students were on the streets in varying degrees of masquerade. Grumbling to Lukas about his tardiness, John led the way to their hunting grounds.

The many people living in the single family homes in walking distance from the campus were used to the annual invasion of their front yards by more or less sober students, some of whose talents were limited to a hastily uttered "Trick or Treat?" before they collected the treats. Some were stumped when house owners boldly asked for "Trick".

John and Luke had done this before in their sophomore and junior years, and they had perfected their act. John's fake fangs looked real enough to scare young children and Luke had a few tricks up his sleeve that could impress the layman. They even found one mother opening the door and they attempted to flirt, at least until a husband showed. It was fun.

They had been about for half an hour and were turning a corner into a side street when they saw two other trick'n treaters leaving a driveway. Two girls, a medium sized slender one dressed up as witch and a tall blonde sporting a daring Elvira, Princess of the Dark, costume. The witch had red hair and a freckled face. Gorgeous! Lukas assumed his best Merlin persona.

"Greetings to you, Worthy Witch! I am Merlin, sorcerer of the Great King. Are you by chance the famed Morgaine Le Fay?"

"No, oh mighty sorcerer!" the girl returned, fighting a giggle. "Kate is my name, and my powers are but small."

"Yet, you bewitch me with nary more than the look from your green eyes," 'Merlin' answered. That was no lie. She had captivating, pale green eyes that seemed to look into his very soul.

Kate the Witch smiled back at him, obviously enjoying the banter, but also keeping her eyes locked on him. "Nay, mighty wizard. You must per chance have quaffed a love potion while experimenting."

"Cut it out, you two!" John laughed. "Good pickings here?"

He meant the house the girls had just left.

'Elvira' shrugged. "Just candy bars, but we got really good brownies from an old hippie lady down the road. Care for one?"

The two young men accepted cookies while they walked together to the next house.

"Okay, Luke. Get your trick bag ready!" the John nudged his partner.

Kate looked at Lukas. "Ooh! A trick bag! Say mighty wizard, are you fooling the poor, ignorant mortals?"

Lukas grinned back at her. "Some are not easily convinced of my powers. Those I have to dazzle. Would you like to be dazzled?"

Kate shook her head. "You may not be a wizard, but you are dangerous."

John interrupted the exchange. "Hey, will you girls join us? We can do this together. It's more fun."

"Sure," 'Elvira' gushed, eying John the Vampire with obvious interest and leaving Katie no chance to object. "I'm Linda, she's Katie."

John bowed with a flourish. "I am Count Johannes of Transylvania," he introduced himself with a horrible Eastern European accent. "I am traveling with the Mighty Merlin who was resurrected from the Ruins of Avalon."

The girls giggled while the two guys rang the bell and did their shtick. Luke performed a little magic trick for the two kids, and not three minutes later they retreated with a bag of treats.

They did the next houses together, in between munching cookies and chatting. The girls were certainly having fun, giggling and blabbing, and even though he felt a little lightheaded himself, Luke was able to connect the dots. A great big lightbulb went off in his head. This was Northern California after all.

"Shit! You know what I think?" he blurted. "I think that freakin' hippie bitch gave you hash brownies."

Somehow, Katie the Witch found that hilarious, and she doubled over in laughter. Luke could not help but laugh with her. Weak from laughter they held on to each other while John the Vampire gave Linda his most sultry look.

"That explains the munchies," he grinned. "I guess I'm gonna nibble some on you. You look tasty."

He stumbled forward and tried to reach Linda's neck. Giggling but definitely aroused she pushed him back.

"Shit, let's go back to the dorms before we get picked up by the cops."

They headed back then, but Lukas hoped that the evening wouldn't be over. He just opened his mouth to suggest they continued the evening together when Linda beat him to it.

"Let's go to our place and order pizza," she suggested, a suggestion that was met with unanimous approval.

Linda and Katie shared an apartment. A living room with a TV, a small bathroom, and two dingy bedrooms barely big enough for a bed, a wardrobe and a small desk. The sofa in the living room looked ancient but was surprisingly comfortable as Lukas soon found out. He and Katie gravitated to one corner while John sat with Linda. Stoned he was, but the attraction he felt for Katie seemed very real.

°°°

Katie felt great. There was no other word for it. She was snuggled against Luke and she felt his left hand on her upper arm as he held her tightly. The pizzas had arrived and were history. Linda and John had retired to Linda's room, while Lukas and Katie had switched on the TV. They had picked a rerun of the third Harry Potter movie, but they hardly watched it. They just talked. Katie felt like she could talk about everything, and Luke listened with a goofy smile on his face.

She was babbling, and she would have continued for the entire night but for Luke suddenly taking hold of her face and kissing her. At first she squirmed trying to get loose, but then she gave in and melted against him. He smiled at her.

"Katie?"

"Y-yes?"

"You are the sweetest girl I've met in my life."

Katie giggled. There was enough of the Mary Jane in her system to reduce her inhibitions.

"You're trying to get into my panties with that sweet talk, and it may work. You're full of shit but I don't care. Let's go to my room?"

"Is that the hash brownies talking?" he asked earnestly. Being forty pounds heavier he was not as affected by the THP as Katie was.

She shook her head. "No. I'm just havin' this really nice dream where this cute guy tries to get my cherry. Just let me enjoy this dream a little more."

"You're still cherry?" Luke asked with a touch of alarm.

"Naaah! Don't worry. I just pretend I am. God, Luke, I wish I were. That guy who took my cherry was such an asshole. You're not an asshole, Luke, are you?"

"I try not to be," he answered giving her a soft kiss on her lips before he stood and pulled her up from the sofa. She leaned into him and turned up her face.

"Just don't make fun of me tomorrow, will you?" she begged.

"Fun of you?"

She nodded. "You know, telling the other guys and stuff. How I'm not a good lay."

"Somebody said shit like that before?"

She nodded, unable to meet his gaze.

"Jeez, what a stupid motherfucker!" His hand forced her chin up. "Katie, I'd love to spend the night with you. Let me show you how much I want you."

With that, he pulled her towards the far side of the living room. There was the bathroom, and Katie found a new toothbrush for Luke in a cardboard box under the wash stand. They brushed their teeth side by side, exchanging looks via the mirror. Katie used moisture cream and tissues to remove her witch makeup. Then it was time. She led Lukas to her bedroom.

With apprehension, Katie opened her corsage and stripped off her upper clothes. Opening the waistband of the long skirt she let it fall down her legs and into a puddle around her feet. She stepped out wearing nothing but wool stockings and cotton panties. Bending over, she peeled down the stockings.

Luke had been stripping off his garments, too, but when he saw Katie in just her panties he stopped and shook his head.

"God, you're so beautiful!" he exclaimed in a husky voice that sent shivers down her spine.

He nearly fell over his own pants in his hurry to get over to where Katie stood. Then she was in his arms, feeling his naked belly against her own boobies. His hands wrapped into her red curls, pulling her face up for another burning kiss. She moaned into Luke's mouth when her breasts rubbed against his torso.

Somehow, they stumbled backwards and fell onto the bed with Luke landing on his back and Katie sprawled over him. His hands held her under her arms and he pulled her upwards until his mouth could reach her boobies. They were on the small side but pointy and sensitive, and Katie squealed when his lips closed over the tiny pink nipples.

Katie's experience with boys or men was limited both in numbers and quality. Apart from the loudmouth who had trash talked her with his buddies on the morning after, there had been one more awkward encounter in a backseat during her sophomore year when she'd had a little too much beer. She knew that she was sensual but her libido suffered somewhat from her lack of experience.

Of course, there had been Matt, Matt Carver, her on/off boyfriend since high school. Well, maybe not boyfriend. He just persisted in a half-ass boyfriend sort of way. Well, that was over. She had made it clear to him three weeks earlier that there was no future for them. She had never felt trust enough with Matt to go beyond kissing and perhaps some touch and feel.

Now with the THP coursing in her blood she gave in to the delicious feeling emanating from her titties. Relieving some strain from Luke's arms, she supported herself over his feasting mouth allowing her lover's hands to roam freely over her back and further down.

She squealed again when Luke's exploring fingers ran under her panties, along the crack of her ass and straight for her lubricating pussy. God, she was sopping wet! She hunched lower, rubbing her crotch against the bulge in Luke's jockeys. He humped her from below adding to the friction, and she began to seriously grind her pelvis against his boner. She felt that the overwhelming need to be filled was overriding all other considerations, and she pulled her breast away from his mouth. She scooted down and looked down into his eyes.

"Take me!" she whispered. "Please, take me now!"

She saw the doubt in his eyes and she had to smile.

"Please! I need you in me!"

She felt how his hands pushed down his own Jockeys before he hooked his thumbs under the waistband of her panties. She wiggled her butt to help him, and soon she pushed them down the rest of the way using her own toes. Breathing in, she aligned her wet opening with the swollen tip of his cock before she exhaled and sank down. Ouch! Too tight! Much too tight! Wet as she was, this thing did not fit right away.

"Easy, Katie! Take your time!" he whispered to her, his one hand on her hip while the other caressed her face and pulled back her hair. "God, you look beautiful!"

The warm rush she felt at his words made her relax, and with the next attempt, the tip of his cock gained perhaps an inch inside her. She breathed deeply to relax, but she felt as if she was bursting at the seams of her pussy. With just two sexual encounters to her credit, her pussy was in no way used to being stretched that wide and it took some willpower to continue in her quest. Yet, for perhaps ten minutes she persevered until her pussy lips finally rested on the wiry curls at the base of Luke's member.

"Ooof!" she giggled, still breathing deeply.

"God, Katie, you're so tight!" he moaned under her.

"I ... haven't ... done ... this ... in a ... while," she panted, trying minuscule movements. "Only ... twice ... anyway."

"Katie?"

"Yessss?"

"You feel wonderful," he said through gritted teeth. "I won't make it much longer."

"Nooo! Wait! Not now!" she pleaded, not wanting to end the experience just yet.

"Katie, kiss me please!" he asked her, pulling her down already.

Their lips met again, and Katie lost herself in the play of their lips and tongues. Squealing and whimpering, she let him ravage her mouth, probing it with his tongue and sucking on hers, nibbling on her lips and raining kisses over her face. A dam burst inside her then, and she felt herself melting under his kisses. Suddenly the feeling of being stretched gave way to the feeling of being deliciously filled. His member moved easily inside her now with the walls of her pussy relaxing, and he humped against her from below, pulling out and pushing in, pulling out and pushing in.

"Luke!" she gasped into his mouth. "Don't stop!"

"I'm trying," he squeezed out.

Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted and turned, and now he was hovering over her, his dick still hard inside her pussy and his hips forcing her legs wide apart.

"Omigod!" she wheezed feeling the deep penetration.

She felt the air squeezed from her lungs with each of his deep strokes. Desperately, her hands clawed at his back trying to pulled him closer, deeper inside her. He gave her stroke after stroke, hesitating at the apex and then plunging down. Each downward thrust was greeted by a wail now as Katie's lungs and voice chords slipped from her conscious control and became hardwired to her pussy. Pull out – plunge down! Pull out – plunge down!

From somewhere she registered Luke desperate moan, and then she felt his member pulsing inside her.

"Oh, God! Katie!" he cried.

She felt it then, his passion, his passion for her. Her hearing became muffled, her breath short, and then a big hot wave washed away any conscious thought. Nothing counted anymore, only being close to Luke was important, and so she clung to him with all her strength while his hips jerked against hers.

She returned from la-la land feeling his weight almost crushing her. She felt wiped out herself.

"Jeez!" she panted. "Where have you been before tonight?"

She felt his shrinking penis being pulled from her pussy as Luke supported himself with his arms and dropped down at her side.

"I was out there looking for a girl like you," he answered and closed his eyes. "God, Katie! Only twice? How good will you be when you have experience?"

She giggled and played with the blonde curls on his chest. "So I was good?"

"Good doesn't come close. Katie, I want to learn more about you. I want to spend more time with you." She grinned and he protested. "No, not just in bed. I want ... Wait! Are you interested in being ... with me?"

For an answer, she just snuggled close. "Oh, yeah! Luke ... What's your last name anyway?"

"Braun, Lukas Braun," he answered, not thinking to ask for hers.

"Lukas. I like it. Maybe I'll call you that."

"No problem. I'll just keep calling you Katie. Do you know that you have the most stunning eyes?"

"Flatterer! Do you have to leave, or can you stay the night?"

"What? And leave you alone? No way! Katie, you're stuck with me."

"You want to clean up?"

"Yeah, why don't we," he agreed, and they scurried over to the bathroom, cleaning their private parts.

There was an awkward moment when they left the bathroom naked and almost ran into Linda who had just locked the apartment door.

"Did John go already?" Luke asked surprised.

"Yeah, he has to get up early he said," Linda explained shrugging her shoulders.

Back in Katie's room, Luke sighed. "I'll have a talk with John. That wasn't nice of him."

Katie nodded. "That's why I always pick wizards over vampires."

°°°

Luke woke up with a very cuddly girl snuggled close, and it had to be his best wake-up ever. He marveled over her. She was a natural redhead, that much was certain. Her very light skin was showing freckles on her shoulders and her upper chest, but also on her nose and cheeks.

Suddenly those pale green witch eyes opened and engulfed him. The eyes must have liked his thoughts because they widened in a happy smile.

"Good morning," she purred.

"Good morning, Katie," he answered, stroking her copper red hair. "You're even more beautiful in the morning."

She was a major blusher. She hid her face against his chest, but not for long.

"Luke, I hate to run you off, but I have a class at nine-thirty. Can we meet for lunch?"

Luke felt a little disappointment. He had hoped for an encore. He managed a smile though.

"As long as you agree to see me again..." Her eyes told him, yes. "I'll be gone. I have to shower and to get ready myself. Half past twelve at Commons?"

"Yes, but kiss me first!"

He complied, leaving them both a bit breathless and confused.

"If you don't go now, we'll miss all our classes today," Katie panted.

He kissed her nose. "We can't have that, can we? I'll be out of your hair in a sec."

"Will you be there?"

He took her face in both hands and kissed her again. "Katie, I'm crazy about you. There's no getting rid of me!"

He found his clothes and dressed quickly. The wizard hat and other stuff he stuffed into a plastic shopping bag Katie lent him, but he still felt goofy wearing the wool coat. After one more kiss she let him out of the apartment.

Lukas returned to the dorm almost waltzing on air. Katie! Simply saying the name made him smile. Such a sweet girl, so cute, so utterly lovable!

He fairly ran upstairs to the second floor suite he was sharing with John. The door was slightly ajar. Probably John had returned briefly to pick something up. Luke stepped through the door and suddenly the wonderful morning turned into a nightmare. As soon as he stepped in, he was roughly pushed against a wall and then, to his horror, handcuffs closed around his wrists.

"How nice of you to come home, Punk!" a voice sounded, and Luke could see the corpulent figure of Captain Pomona, the feared chief of the campus police.

"What the..." Luke started to protest.

"Shut up, Punk! Where is it?"

"Where is what?" Luke asked flabbergasted. The next moment he screamed. Somebody behind him was bending his cuffed arms upwards behind his back causing a stinging pain.

"I asked you a question, Punk!" Pomona spat, shoving his pit-bull face into Luke's. "Where is the stuff?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Luke protested.

"Really? I've got news for you. When you left your little receipt on the Dean's computer, the admins could trace you. Again, where is it?"

Luke almost stepped into the trap telling Pomona that he had only left a prank message. He thought furiously. If they hadn't found the USB thumb drive yet there was hope. He needed somebody on his side though. The Fifth Amendment! Miranda rights!

"I refuse to answer any questions without an attorney," he shot back.

"Sonny boy, we got you for cyber terrorism. We can have you sent to sunny Guantanamo Bay. You answer now, and we might let you get out of this, but if you don't cooperate we'll prosecute you and send you to the hard place for ten years. Imagine that: a cute college nerd in a state prison!"

Luke's brain was working better now. This was all crap the captain was spouting. They had not read him his rights either, so any judge worth his salt would throw out the charges. He had to keep his mouth shut.

"I asked you something, Punk!"

"I invoke my right not to answer your questions. I demand an attorney."

"You little shit! You think you can weasel your way out? Parson! Lock the punk up!"

"Come on, Kid," one of the campus cops said. "Let's get you locked away."



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Chapter 2: Whistleblower



Eight hours later, Luke was still sitting in a small holding cell in what passed for the headquarter of the campus police. He had received no food or drink, and his right to a phone call had been denied. That was wrong: his angry demands had simply been ignored.

What had happened to John? John must have known about his arrest. He would call Luke's father, would he? The hunger was getting stronger now, but he tried to control it. He thought hard. Why did the Dean react that strongly? It was a harmless prank, a message popping up on his computer on the startup screen wishing "Happy Halloween!". What had ever provoked such a strong response?

It must have been something else. The campus police were in clear violation of his basic civil rights. Why would they risk that?

Maybe it was those data that he had downloaded? The file folder about the physics department annex? Maybe he could explain that he hadn't even looked at it? Bad idea. That would be admitting to breaking into the dean's computer. Right now, all they could have would be a TCP-IP address, but those were easily faked. He had been under suspicion a year before when the Math exams had been lifted off Professor Pincer's computer, and he had successfully argued that a TCP-IP address could be forged. Even Pincer had admitted to the possibility. That could work again. They might not believe it, but it was a valid defense.

Oh shit! It must be late afternoon already, and Katie would be waiting for him all day. Oh God! She'd think he had snubbed her. Shit! He had some explaining to do. Oh, Katie! The thought of her alone gave him some balance. He'd get out eventually, and then he would explain things to her. God, he didn't want to louse it up with her.

With a screech, the door lock was worked and in came ... the dean! Professor Lawrence in person! He cast an ugly look at Luke and looked around.

"I imagine you may be willing to talk now," he observed casually, but Luke could see a flicker in his eyes. The man was scared!

"Sir, I have no idea what this is all about. I have been arrested without cause, I was denied fundamental civil rights, and I was left without water or food for the entire day."

Lawrence waved his hand. "Spare me the rubbish! We nailed you last year when you came up with that flimsy excuse. It won't help you again."

"Sir, with all respect, if somebody has assumed my identity last year, he can easily repeat that."

"Oh yes, of course. Don't worry. The IT staff is going over your laptop with a fine comb. We'll know it soon."

Luke kept his mouth shut. No need to tip them off that he had securely deleted everything before switching off the laptop. If only they didn't find the thumb drive!

"Yes, and then I will run your ass off this campus!" Lawrence continued warming up to the prospect.

Luke shrugged playing for time. He needed to get in help. "The campus police is still in violation of my Miranda rights. Whatever you bring up, a judge will throw it out."

"Fine, fine! I'll get you a lawyer. Maybe he can talk sense into you."

"I have the right to an attorney of my choosing, Sir."

"Look, why not simply tell me what you stole from my computer? Return the files, and all I'll do is suspend your rights to use the intranet. You'll be graduating next year, right? Why would you want to ruin your future?"

"Sir, you are in violation of my rights. I demand a lawyer, I demand the right to a phone call."

"Fine! Have it your way!" Lawrence snarled angrily and knocked on the door.

Luke saw his chance. He knew the central administration building well enough, and he knew that campus police was lodging on the ground floor right next to the main exit. The arrest cell was nothing more than a disused office with a reenforced door and a barred window. Campus police mostly consisted of retired police officers, most of them over sixty.

Therefore, when the door opened to Lawrence's knock, Luke rushed it. He wasn't a jock but he wasn't a wimp either. He was tall – almost 6'3" – and in reasonably good shape. When he impacted on the door he brushed Lawrence to the side and sent the elderly cop stumbling backwards. Then he was through the door. He took only a fraction of a second to get his bearings, and then he sprinted towards the exit.

The cop hollered behind him, Lawrence screamed, but before anybody in the watch room could react and set down their coffee mugs, Luke was barreling through the front door and into the open.

Instinct made him run for his dorm building, but he was already contemplating the wisdom of this. This was where they'd look for him first, but he needed stuff from his room, like his stash of money and the old driver's license. Both were well hidden on top of a ceiling tile. And the thumb drive. Please God, let it still be there. Chances were that the campus cops couldn't tell a thumb drive from an eraser and had left it there.

There was the building. He sprinted up the front steps as his ears picked up the first siren. Thank god, the door was not closed. There was an old umbrella, a big sturdy one in a corner of the entrance hall. Luke stuck it through the door handles from inside, effectively blocking the door.

Up the flight of stairs he slammed into the door to his and John's apartment. There was John staring at him with disbelief first and then fear. In a second, everything was clear: John was struggling this year. Ratting Luke out would earn him enough brownie points with the dean to get passing grades.

"You shit!" Luke snarled advancing on his roommate.

John unfroze and jumped back into his room, slamming the door shut and pushing home the deadbolt. No time for John! There was yellow crime scene tape in front of Luke's room but he simply threw his weight against the flimsy door. Doors in a dorm do not have an easy life, and Luke's door had been on the receiving end of kinetic energy a few times in the past. It flew open under Luke's weight.

In a flash, he pulled his desk chair to a corner near the bed. He stepped up on it and pushed up a ceiling tile. Yes! His stash was untouched. There was his driver's license along with his cash reserves, seven hundred and fifty dollars. He only now became aware of the utter chaos in the room. Everything had been turned over! He ran to where the desk stood haphazardly, about a foot from the wall. The tin can with his pens was nowhere to be seen. He looked under the desk. There! The cops must have pushed it back over the edge of the desk. Quickly, he crawled under the desk. For six or seven precious seconds he fumbled for the thumb drive but then he found it. Stuffing it into his pockets, he grabbed for one of his warmer jackets that was lying on top of a heap of clothing and pulled it on.

From downstairs he could hear shouting now, and he quickly opened the window sash. The rear of the building was standing against a small hill, and the drop from the window was a mere seven foot onto soft grass. He squeezed himself through the open window and without a backward glance he jumped. He quickly found his footing and ran uphill. That side of the campus was surrounded by a six foot brick wall that bordered on a highway. It took him just two attempts to get one foot on the wall. Behind him, he heard the sounds of men running, but now he was on the wall and let himself drop down on the other side.

Just ten strides later, and he was on the highway. A gas station was located just half a mile down the road, and Luke set out for it in a hurried jog.

He was in luck. A trucker was just exiting the shop and heading for his semi.

"Excuse me, Mister. Are you heading for Portland?"

"Yeah. Portland, then Tacoma. Why? Looking for a ride?"

"Yes sir! I just got word that my dad had a heart attack. Can't find a flight that late, and I thought..."

"Oh, shut up and get in," the trucker grumbled. "And spare your poor father all those heart attacks when you just want to hitch a ride."

The driver's name was Eugene Manning. He was about thirty, had a picture of a pretty lady and a small kid in his dashboard, and he had his stereo set to a classic rock station.

"Keeps me from falling asleep. You running from the law?"

"Nah, not really. Just campus cops, and they've got nothing on me. Still, I need to put some distance between them and me."

"Whatcha do? Smoke grass?"

"Naw, they kinda have this idea that I did something on the dean's computer."

"Totally untrue, of course?"

"Totally," Luke assured him.

°°°

Eugene Manning dropped Luke off in Tacoma early on the next morning. Luke found a breakfast place and enjoyed his first real meal in over 36 hours. The speed with which he put away a load of pancakes made the waitress giggle, and they bantered for a minute or two. When he asked her nicely she allowed him the use of the telephone. He was lucky. His father was still at home.

"Dad, this is Luke. I'm in Tacoma."

"What the hell are you doing in Tacoma?" his father wanted to know.

"I'm sorta on the run, Dad. The campus police arrested me yesterday morning and they kept..."

"Arrested you? What the hell did you do this time?"

"Thanks for your trust in me, Dad," Luke retorted, not really worried. His father was a fellow nerd and prankster, and although he was a senior manager at a major software company near Seattle he had not lost his sense of humor yet. "They held me for the full day. No lawyer, no phone call, no food, no drink. Dean himself pressed me to confess to some nonsense. When he left my holding cell I ran for it and made it out of the building. I hitched a ride to Tacoma. Shit, Dad, it was the only thing I could think of."

"Held you without due process? You're not shitting me?"

"No, Dad, the truth."

"You have money on you?"

"Yup. Recovered my stash, so I'm covered money wise. I even got my old driver's license, you know: the one I thought I'd lost. It should still hold up in a control."

"Okay, here's what you do. Find yourself a phone shop and get a disposable cell. Call me on my cell then. I'm on my way to pick you up."

"Thanks, Dad. I really appreciate it. I'll do as you say."

"Okay. Get that cell and call me."

Thank God his father was a cool guy. His mother would have had a cow, but she had left his Dad seven years ago to pursue a life on the fast lane. He'd only seen her once in the last years, for fifteen minutes with her taxi cab's engine running. On the whole, he preferred his father anyway. For his sister Anna it could have been harder, but Anna was diametrically opposed to their mother being a hardcore nerd.

°°°

Once Luke found a phone shop and a cheap cell with a prepaid card, he called his father. Not thirty minutes later, Luke saw him drive up in the Volvo convertible that told the world that Erwin Braun was doing well as project manager for a major software company. With a sigh of relief, Luke dropped into the passenger seat.

"You look like shit," his father remarked. "Smell like it, too."

"Add feel like it," Luke sighed.

Luke's father put the Volvo in gear and left the curb.

"Okay, Lukas. Let's hear your story."

By the time they reached Seattle, his father had already contacted his lawyer who in turn found a colleague who was licensed to practice in California. He made an appointment for the afternoon and then drove to their modest home on Mercer Island. For the first time in almost two days, Luke had a chance for a shower.

Once he returned to the living room Luke's father was already going through the files on Luke's thumb drive.

"This stuff looks like contractors' quotes for a construction. There's emails, too. I can't make much sense out of this. Are you sure that's what your dean is after?"

"I really don't know, Papa."

"This looks funny. The numbers don't add up. Besides, look here: costs for a workstation computer at $180,000. That's insane. And ... Jeez! It's just three bidders for each contract. The same three bidders for each lot. And ... of course! Look! It's always a different low bidder."

"And?" Luke asked.

"It's a scam!" his father laughed. "They all turn in inflated bids, and the lowest bidder gets the job. They all get jobs, you see, although all of them charge way too high."

"So what do I do? I didn't get that stuff legally. Can it be used at all?"

"That's why we'll see a lawyer."

°°°

The lawyer, Edmundo Rodriguez, heard their story patiently taking notes on laptop. Luke saw his father's distaste looking at the laptop. It had the hated apple logo on the lid. Erwin Braun was definitely not a Mac person. Rodriguez asked questions then, still typing away when they answered. In the end, the laptop was closed and Rodriguez looked at them.

"I can see several angles to this story. It's a civil rights violation all right, but that will be hard to prove if the campus cops close ranks. Those files however give us something to play with. Do you know whether there's federal money involved in that building?"

Luke nodded. "There was something in the campus paper. They landed extra funds from NASA."

Rodriguez' eyes lit up. "I'll check that. Ever heard of the False Claims Act?"

Both Brauns shook their heads.

"If the federal government is defrauded, they will give up to thirty percent of the recovered funds to the person who uncovers the scam. We're talking maybe millions here."

Father and son looked at each other.

"Are those files legal to use?" Erwin asked.

"Maybe we have to put a spin on it. You, Mr. Braun, have to files a motion with the Justice Department."

"How do I do that?"

"Do you want me to represent you?"

Luke looked at his father who tilted his head.

"What percentage?"

Mr. Rodriguez' face changed into Poker mode. "Thirty-three, as usual."

"Can we give you an answer tomorrow?" Erwin Braun asked innocently.

In the end they settled on a 25% share for Mr. Rodriguez.

°°°

The session had already lasted for four hours and Luke was exhausted. Rodriguez was also showing signs of fatigue. Together with two FBI field agents and a man from Treasury, they had gone over Luke's testimony. The feds were very interested and had sought to get every little detail out of Luke. Now he had nothing more to offer. The senior FBI special agent also yawned.

"What do you say? Are we finished?"

The Treasury man shuffled a few papers and nodded, while the second special agent cleared his throat.

"Yes, I think this settles it for today. I don't have to tell you, Mr. Braun, that you must stay away from the campus under all circumstances. They can still charge you in California. We'll try to square things with the CBI, but right now you are a fugitive from the law in California."

Luke turned to his lawyer.

"Is there a way to get my stuff from my dorm room?" Luke asked. "There's my credits, too. Can I get those?"

"The credits should be no problem. I can get those. As for the room, they may declare the contents as evidence. Let me check with the local court. Maybe I can slap them with an injunction."

"There is also the stuff in my pockets. My driver's license, my billfold, my watch. There was a piece of scrap paper with a phone number."

"They will declare those evidence," Rodriguez said shaking his head.

"But I was never arrested," Luke protested. "Nobody told me I was under arrest. Nobody read me my rights. It was illegal."

"Again, I'll check. Don't get your hopes up."

°°°

As Rodriguez had predicted, getting Luke's credits was easy due to the California Public Records Act. By early December, he was enrolled at the University of Washington thanks to his father's clout and also to his own performance during an impromptu evaluation. They accepted almost all of his credits, and his course load was doable. Still, he had to apply the seat of his pants to his desk chair for the next weeks to catch up.

By mid-December, Rodriguez briefed him on recent events: a raid jointly executed by FBI and CBI had targeted the offices of Dean Lawrence, Captain Pomona, and of four contractors. The federal and state investigators were still going through thousands of documents, but it was already clear that indictments would follow. Dean Lawrence was temporarily relieved from his position and the construction of the physics annex was halted pending a review of the bidding procedure.

A mover had also been able to retrieve Luke's possession from his dorm room. A lot of it was unusable, and his laptop had been literally ripped apart. The problem was that his arrest had never been documented. It was Luke's word against seven campus police officers. Rodriguez advised Luke to cut his losses. Luke's driver's license and his billfold were eventually found in the lost property room and returned to him by mail. Everything had been soaked in what Luke suspected had been sewage, but they claimed his stuff had been found like that and turned in by the finder.

There was no trace at all of the scrap paper with Katie's phone number, and for the time being, Luke saw no chance at all to visit the campus. When he tried to contact fellow seniors, most were unwilling to help. Eventually, some brave soul agreed to find Linda and Katie's apartment to deliver a message. He found that nobody by the name of Katie or Linda lived there anymore. The new occupants only knew that Linda had moved to an off-campus apartment and that Katie had dropped out. That shocked and saddened Luke. What had happened? Had Dean Lawrence found the phone number and identified Katie by it? Had he expelled her? For the umpteenth time, Luke berated himself for not getting her last name. What sort of guy was he that he just left the sweetest girl in the world without bothering to learn even her last name? Now he would never find her again.

By the time he graduated, the case against Dean Lawrence and his contractor accomplices had been taken over by the courts. NASA had been quick to recoup their funding, but the state and the physics department were left with the mess, namely the costs. Lawyers would get rich with the suits and countersuits for years to come, but Luke received his whistle blower's reward to the tune of 1.78 million dollars. Rodriguez' share was a whopping four hundred fifty grand, but with 1.33 million bucks in the bank, Luke's future suddenly had a solid financial foundation.

Luke's father was happy about that. Still being saddled with paying support for Luke's mother and seeing Luke's older sister Anna through a PhD program at Berkeley, the windfall made his own life more comfortable. By summer, Luke was cleared of all charges related to his hacking into Dean Lawrence's computer and to his escape from arrest, and he was able to sign up for a master's program in informatics at Stanford.

The following two years proved to be a turning point for Lukas. Challenged by a brilliant teaching staff and competing against top of the crop students, the easy going prankster Luke transformed into Lukas Braun, MSc., a young man with an idea about his future. He did internships with some of the leading companies in the area, and by the end of the second year, he was actively recruited by no fewer than four of those.

He surprised everybody when he joined a small software company specialized in advanced imaging software. The owner and CEO was just four years Luke's senior, and he agreed to let Luke buy a share of the action. Luke did not want to spend his time working at the pleasure of the bean counters who ran the major companies. He wanted the excitement of a start-up and the easygoing atmosphere. He got both.

Working like madmen, Luke and his partner finally finished the main product, an imaging software for advanced microscopy systems with a full range of analysis tools. It was far ahead of any competing software packages, especially as its deconvolution algorithms allowed the use of standard microscopy hardware instead of expensive laser scanning technology. A half year later, they had distribution deals with three manufacturers, and shortly after sales began to pick up.

Even selling a measly forty licenses per month, those forty licenses if multiplied with a sticker price of $22.000 generate some serious cash, pushing their annual revenue over the ten million dollar threshold after two years.

They made even more when they sold a version to NASA adapted for the use in large bore telescopes. That version could only be sold less than twenty times, but the sticker price went up accordingly. Then Luke's partner had the glorious idea to offer a dumbed down version for university astronomy departments and hobby astronomers. Going against a lifelong prejudice, Luke grudgingly developed the hobby version for Macintosh and Linux systems as well, and they sold over 25,000 copies in its first year.

By then they had twenty people working for them, and the whole thing became unwieldy. They needed a manager to keep the focus. Luke did not have to ask his father more than once. Erwin Braun had become disappointed with the direction his old company had taken in the recent years. He had quite a bundle of shares to cash in from his almost 23 years at the software behemoth. With the proceeds he bought a sizable share of ImaXX Inc and became VP for Operations. The move from Washington State to the Bay Area also brought him closer to his other child, Luke's sister Anna, and further away from his ex-wife.

Five years after graduating from Stanford, Lukas Braun was the VP for Software Development of a well established software company. He bought a new, bigger house in San Jose to replace the one he had bought with his whistle blower money. It was in fact a duplex with his father living in the adjoining half. They commuted together mostly, shared meals on the weekends, even shared a housekeeper making this a comfortable arrangement.

Luke found a girlfriend, a young associate producer for a major network. She worked in Burbank, but they still only got together on weekends. Stella Daniels was pretty, she was vivacious, and she was a low maintenance woman. What she was not, was in search of a future husband. She made that clear from the start. She wanted to make a career in television, and that would require moving around the country at the drop of a hat.

All things considered, Luke was living well. Perhaps too well.



-------

Chapter 3: The Girl With The Green Eyes



On a Tuesday in late October, Luke's easy living took the first hit. The day had gone really well so far and promised to get better. He and his father had finally convinced a major Japanese producer of optical instruments to bundle their microscope camera systems with the ImaXX M software package. The deal was worth only seven million dollars on paper, but it was a breakthrough for they had never got a foot into the Japanese market before.

Luke was elated but when Stella called him at five p.m. his good mood went straight to hell. In short, she had been offered a job as executive producer in New York. Her dream on a silver platter in other words. She told him how sorry she was, but she was headed for the red-eye to New York already. That sucked. Not that she had made any promises, but she had grown to Luke and he would miss the easy, low-maintenance fuck buddy relationship.

°°°

"Why so mopey?" Erwin Braun asked his son who sat in the passenger seat staring morosely ahead. It was Erwin's turn to drive.

"Stella broke up with me yesterday. She got this new job in New York. I mean, I knew it would happen one day, but..."

"Yeah, I get you. It's a bummer. I liked the girl."

"Me too," Luke smirked. "Oh well, I better buck up."

"So, whatcha gonna do tonight? Want me to come over?"

"Why don't you. It's Halloween. Let's put a scare into all the trick'n treaters."

Erwin Braun's eyes lit up. He was an overgrown kid much like his son.

"Yeah, why don't we. Let's rustle up a few things over the day. With the Habayashi contract signed, we can goof off for a day or two. Let's call in and sign out. We can drive into San Francisco to that store near the piers. They used to have those used film props."

In spite of himself, Luke had to laugh. Yeah, why not have some harmless fun? He grinned evilly thinking of those snotty neighborhood kids. Let them pay for their treat in screams!

An hour later saw them at the store. They found what they were looking for, and while Erwin was waiting for their purchases to be totaled, Luke wandered off into the costume section. He picked an impressive wizard costume and prepared to head for the check-out when something caught his eye.

There was an older man with a very young girl who was trying on a witch costume. Probably the man's granddaughter. She looked adorable, with strawberry blonde hair tied into two braids, and a wide, happy smile on her face. Hearing Luke she turned around and looked at him.

Luke stood mesmerized. The girl had pale-green eyes, witches eyes, that fixated him unwaveringly. The little girl seemed to look deep into Luke's soul while he stared back at her as if in trance. He felt sweat break out all over his back and a strong yearning to hug the girl. He shook himself awake. Get a grip! he scolded himself. The girl smiled at him and turned back to her grandfather. Luke decided to make his escape before the old man saw his look and thrashed him. Once again, he shook himself. He had never before felt drawn towards a kid. He balled his fists. Good God! Was he one of those terrible people who stalked children? Again and again, he told himself that he wasn't. He had met many children in the last years, the kids of coworkers and of friends. Anna's two kids. No, he never felt the urge to hug them. He shuddered, swearing to himself that he would seek help if this ever happened to him again.

It took father and son until mid-afternoon to return to their duplex. Another two hours were spent rigging up their surprises. There was a large Jack-in-the-Box complete with LED illumination which they hid behind the bushes that flanked their patio. It could be triggered remotely. A glow-in-the-dark skeleton with ruby-red glowing eyes was placed in a casket. By pulling a rope, they could open the casket and the skeleton would sit up. It was silly to spend almost five hundred dollars on some used haunted house props, but they worked great and promised fun. Working all afternoon, Luke got over his experience with the small girl. He decided it had been a fluke. It must have been those eyes.

Then the memory hit him hard.

Katie! Those eyes had been just like Katie's. Oh God! Had he just seen Katie's daughter or perhaps niece? He remembered Katie saying that her family lived in Santa Clara. He groaned. He had missed the chance. Missed the chance to find Katie again. He swallowed hard. If that girl was Katie's daughter then she was married by now. He had probably missed nothing but a terrible embarrassment.

It was getting dark by now, and Luke and his father put baskets with candy bars, cookies, and other sweets in readiness near the front door. Luke made sure that the patio light was burning and donned the wizard costume.

The first trick and treaters came only ten minutes later. A mother with two boys around ten and eight years old. The CCTV showed them approaching quite cockily, and Luke gave his father a sign to be ready. The mother stood back while the boys rang the door bell. Erwin pulled the rope and, with a squeaking noise, the casket opened and the skeleton sat up. Both boys screamed in terror and ran back to their mother who laughed at them.

The Jack-in-the-Box jumped up only four feet away from her, and this time it was the mother who screamed. Laughing, Luke opened the door with the treats in his hands.

"Welcome to the haunted house!" he greeted the family gravely.

The woman was still panting. "You idiot!" she screamed. "You scared the crap out of us!"

"Treat?" Luke offered hearing the guffaw from his father still inside.

Taking a deep breath, the woman nodded. "For that you should offer us at least a three course dinner!"

She pushed her boys forward who quickly grabbed as much as their hands could hold before running back to their mother.

"Happy Halloween," Luke wished.

The woman grinned now. "Says you. Me, I've got to go home and change my underwear!"

Back inside, Luke and his father exchanged high-fives and returned to the living room. The next victims were older, teenagers, two girls in Lady Gaga memorial outfits and a guy in whatever he tried to emulate. They laughed at the skeleton but almost crapped in their pants when the Jack-in-the-Box went off. They took it with good humor though and were still laughing when they retreated with their loot.

There were a lot of young families in the neighborhood and business was brisk for the next hour. Responses were mixed, ranging from severely pissed off and angry to belly-ache laughing. The Braun men were quite satisfied with their props. Then, after a brief lull, the motion sensors alerted them to new visitors. Looking into the CCTV monitor, Luke saw two persons, a woman and a small girl, both dressed up as witches. The little girl went forward and Luke saw her face. It was the green-eyed girl from the store!

Before he could signal, Luke's father pulled the string and the casket opened. The little girl squeaked but stayed put, staring at the sitting skeleton and clapping her hands with delight. The woman, probably the mother, was standing in the shadows, but Luke instinctively knew who she was.

"Say when!" Erwin whispered, ready to activate the Jack in the Box.

Luke swallowed heavily. "Please, don't," he said and opened the door.

The little girl beamed up at him and pointed her finger. "I know you," she smiled.

The woman stepped forward, too, and Luke saw her properly for the first time. He swallowed heavily. Seven years are a long time, but he had never been able to forget her.

"Hey, Katie," he offered.

He watched as her face went through the expressions of confusion, recognition, and realization. He did not anticipate the last change, the one to raging fury. She attacked him in a blur of flailing arms and kicking feet, repeatedly connecting with his face, his shins, even his lower body. He was stupefied, unable to fend off the furious attacks. It did not stop her.

"You fuckin' asshole! You slime! You dirty, rotten bastard! I'm gonna fuckin' kill you, you hear! I'll rip your balls off and stuff them in your lying mouth! I'll..."

Katie went down in a heap under the tackle of Erwin Braun. Luke heard the little girl cry in fear, but he was too shocked to react.

"Stop it! Stop it, you crazy bitch," he could hear his father while he was still standing stock-still, his face, his shins, and his balls hurting. Later, he heard sirens and more angry voices. Somebody pulled away his hand from his crotch and he felt a prick in his arm. At least the pain went away.



-------

Chapter 4: Reality Check



When Luke woke up, he was barely able to open his eyes.

"Mr. Braun? Are you awake?"

He forced one eyelid up to see a man in a white coat.

"I'm Doctor Waintree. Mr. Braun, you were assaulted and you suffered blunt trauma, mostly to your face. Nothing was broken, but we'd like to keep you for observation."

Luke managed a nod.

"Your father is here, and your sister. Do you wish to see them?"

Again, Luke managed a weak nod. With only one eye barely open, he saw his father and Anna bend over the bed. His father looked a bit ruffled.

"Jee'. Wha' happen?" he mumbled through swollen lips.

"That batshit crazy woman almost broke my nose when I pulled her away from you," Erwin Braun stated with much indignation. "What the hell did you do to her?"

It was painful and slow, but Luke recounted that other Halloween night, seven years ago. He ended saying that he never was able to contact her.

"That's not a reason to go Loreena Bobbitt on you," Anna protested. "You should see you face! Oh, well, better not."

"Where is she now?" Luke asked.

"Two doors down. They had to put her hand in a cast. Must have broken it on your thick skull," Anna answered with a certain satisfaction. "The police have her cuffed to her bed."

Luke shook his head slowly. What was the reason for this furious attack? Okay, he had stood her up, but why did she want to kill him?

A little while later, a uniformed cop showed up.

"Mr. Braun, I'm Officer Quentin of the SJPD. Is it true that you were assaulted by Miss Kate Monahan?"

"Is that her name? Kate Monahan?"

"Yes. Miss Monahan refuses to talk to us. Can you give us any information as to the reasons for the assault."

Luke shook his head. "Not really. I haven't seen her in seven years. We ... We spent a night together then. I promised to be back later when I left her, but there were circumstances ... I didn't make it. I never saw her again after that."

"Mr. Braun, do you wish to press charges for assault against Miss Monahan?"

"Damn well, he'll press charges!" Erwin butted in, still steamed.

Luke held up his hand. "Is there a chance to speak to her before I decide? I really need to know first why she hates me so much."

After some negotiation and strong objections from his father, Luke was put into a wheel chair and pushed down the corridor and into an empty office. Before the door was opened, he could hear an angry male voice.

" ... out of control! I don't have favors for my staff. You're facing assault charges for this. As of immediately, you're suspended!"

The speaker almost ran Luke over when he left the room. He stopped and looked at him.

"Mr. Braun, I want to assure you that my office will prosecute regardless of Miss Monahan's affiliation."

"And you are?"

"David Magruder, Deputy DA. Miss Monahan is a junior Assistant DA. She was suspended from her duties pending the outcome of our investigations."

Assistant DA. Katie was a lawyer, Luke noted, and now she was in trouble. The nurse pushed him in, and there sat Katie in a wheelchair, her right hand in a plaster cast. Her eyes stared at him accusingly.

"Care to tell me why you beat the crap outta me?"

She was about to blow up again he could tell, but she controlled herself.

"What do you want?" she rasped.

"Look, the police want to know if I'll press charges. My swollen face says yes, but I want to know if there's maybe an explanation?"

"You're asking for an explanation?" She almost shrieked. Breathing deeply, she lowered her voice. "That's rich! Do you have any idea what you did to me?"

"Look, I know I vanished into thin air. I ... I didn't have any say in it. I'm sorry if that hurt you. When I was finally able to get somebody to visit you, you had dropped out. Nobody knew where you'd gone. Why did you drop out?"

"You have the fucking nerve to ask me why I dropped out?"

"Kate, please explain!" he pleaded.

"You met the reason," she returned giving him a icy look. "She's six now, and up until today all I could tell her about her father was that he was a wizard and that he disappeared the next day. That'll hold for about two more years, tops."

It took a few seconds for the information to penetrate Luke conscious thinking. The girl with the green eyes, was she really his daughter? How could ... Of course, thinking back, it was likely that neither of them had thought about birth control. That would make her a little over six years old. Possible.

Then a huge wave of guilt washed over Luke. Six years! He'd been a father for over six years, and he had shirked his responsibility, leaving Katie alone with her pregnancy and with raising a child. No wonder she went batshit crazy when she recognized him.

He looked up and saw that she had watched him, her beautiful face in an angry frown.

"What's her name?" he croaked.

"Amelia. Amy," Katie answered curtly.

"Wha ... Where is she now?"

"My father picked her up."

"I remember her crying. Shouldn't you be with her?"

With a smirk, she lifted her left hand. It was cuffed to the armrest.

"I have to wait for the arraignment tomorrow before my father can post bail."

Luke shook his head angrily. "That's bullshit! They can't hold you unless I press charges which I won't."

A snort was all the answer he got.

"Look, if I refuse to press charges, can they still suspend you?"

"Heard that, huh? As a matter of fact, they can. Disciplinary measures are not dependent on charges."

"Would it help if I pleaded with your bosses? When all is said and done, it's my fault, too."

She flared up. "Damn right it's your fault! Why did you ... You said you'd be back."

"Kate, can we please table that for now? I'll get you all the documentation, and I'll explain the reasons, but not tonight. Could we perhaps meet somewhere, so I could tell my side, and you can tell yours? There's just so much we need to discuss. There's the support I owe you and the legal stuff. Kate, did you list me as her father?"

"How? Father: Doe, John?"

"I told you my name."

"Only it was fake. I searched all the senior and junior classes, hell, even sophomores. I searched the support staff. There was no Luke Brown, there was no Brown at all."

Luke eyes opened wide. "Wait! You said you searched for me. How did you spell Braun?"

"B-r-o-w-n."

"Oh, fuck!" he moaned. "I'm spelled B-r-a-u-n, like Wernher von Braun, the rocket guy."

"Now you tell me!"

"I know! Look, I never found your number again. The cops claimed they never arrested me. All the stuff I had in my pockets was gone."

Her eyes narrowed. "What cops?"

"Campus cops. I did something stupid."

Then, in spite of everything, he had to tell her the story of his arrest, his escape, and the subsequent discovery of the bidding fraud. All the time, she stared at him, and when he finished, she gave him a hard stare.

"I'll check your story, and if you've just fed me another load of crock, I'm gonna find you where your father can't save you."

"Check it out, be my guest," Luke answered. "I can show you all the paperwork of my civil suit against the campus police. I can also bring copies of my agreement with the feds."

"It's outlandish!" she stated, shaking her head. "It's so far out left, it may just be true. I mean, who'd dream up a story like that?"

"It's hard to believe, but you can easily check it. Look, they want me back in my bed, and you should go and be with Amy. Let's find Officer Quentin."

He knocked on the door, and a nurse brought him back to his room. Officer Quentin was sitting in a chair, a cup of coffee in his hand. He stood.

"So, what's the deal?" he asked. "You wish to press charges for assault?"

Luke tiredly shook his head. "No, Officer. It's just a huge misunderstanding. I forgive her and bear her no ill will. Given what she knew and had to assume, she had every right in the world to punch my clock."

His father came out from the room. "Dad, I have news. Remember the little girl she had with her? The little witch? She's my daughter."

"Did ... Did you know?"

"Not a clue. Katie and I spent just one night together. I went home, and those asshole campus cops arrested me. I even lost the note with her phone number. I had no idea..."

"You sure she's your daughter?"

"I believe Katie."

"She's the girl you kept moping over, right?"

Luke nodded unhappily. His father gave him a lopsided grin.

"Seems like your search is over."

°°°

Katie called four days later. Luke was at home treating his bruises with ice packs, and he answered the phone himself.

"Mr. Braun?"

"Yes."

"It's Kate Monahan."

"Kate?"

"Mr. Braun, would you kindly agree to visit the District Attorney's office? We can have an unmarked police car pick you up and bring you back home."

"Sure. When should I come?"

"Would you be available around 4 p.m. today?"

"Okay. I'll be there. Is there anything I should bring?"

"No, really not. I appreciate your cooperation, Sir."

By now Luke was sure that Kate was not alone on the other end of the line.

"Say nothing. I'll be there at 4. Don't bother with a car. I'll drive myself."

His face was blue and brown, and there was nothing he could do about it. The swelling of his eyebrows and eyelids had receded enough that he had unimpaired vision, and he drove his own car into town for the meeting.

He had to take an elevator to the third floor, and there stood Kate wearing a dark grey pant suit. Her right hand was in the cast, of course. She swallowed when she saw him. Looking around quickly she ascertained that they were unwatched.

"I'm sorry. Are you still in pain?"

"Only when I laugh," Luke replied lightly. "You look good."

She did. She was still every bit as pretty as seven years ago, maybe even more so. She snorted lightly and led him into a meeting room. Luke recognized Deputy DA Magruder, but there were three more suits present. Luke was offered a seat and coffee. He accepted the former and rejected the latter. He saw Magruder give Kate a sombre nod.

"Mr. Braun, having had the chance to reflect on my behavior on the evening of October 31, I wish to express my deepest regret over my unwarranted aggression. I would ask you to accept my most sincere apologies."

There had to be a deeper meaning to all this. Luke suspected that this apology and his acceptance were crucial for Kate's future with the office. He cleared his throat.

"Miss Monahan, as I already told you, I can relate to the extraordinary shock you must have suffered. I also realize how my past behavior, however much it was unintended, must have hurt you. I attribute your behavior to extreme emotional distress, and I forgive you your reaction entirely. I would also ask Miss Monahan's superiors to dispense with any disciplinary measures in relation to the incident in question. I am absolutely certain that this was an isolated occurrence with no probability whatsoever of a repeat."

Magruder made a face, but then he nodded. "All right. Mr. Braun, we appreciate your understanding. Will you sign a written statement to this effect?"

Luke nodded. "Of course."

Magruder gave Katie a meaningful look. "All right. No further action seems required. I don't have to tell you that you are on probation until further notice?"

"No, Sir," Katie said in a low voice. She looked at Luke. "Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Braun."

"Well, this settles it. I hope to meet you again under more pleasant circumstances, Mr. Braun," Magruder said solemnly shaking Luke's hand. "My son speaks highly of the software you develop."

"We have our market," Luke said modestly.

The suits left and only Kate and Luke remained.

"My office is one floor up. You said you wanted to talk."

Nodding in agreement, Luke followed her up a flight of stairs. She moved lithely on the stairs, he noticed, like a dancer or an athlete. They entered her office and she offered coffee. He accepted.

"Look, downstairs, that was the formal apology so I can keep my job. Now that it's just us, I'm deeply sorry. I still don't know how I could do this. It's just, there was so much pent-up frustration and resentment in me."

"I told you I understand. I can't begin to express how sorry I am."

"On a positive note, your story checks out on every aspect. Jeez, I had no idea! I mean, I read about Lawrence, but I was back home in Santa Clara already. It was so easy, too. Blame everything on the scoundrel."

"Kate, I mean Katie, do you think there may be a chance for me to meet Amy?"

"Why?"

"Because she's my daughter, and I don't even know her!" Luke blurted. "I missed six years of her life already!"

"So, you want to meet her, and then what?"

"That depends on you. If you'll allow it, and if she can accept me, I'll try to play an active role in her life. Katie, I'm a rather wealthy man already and I have nobody to spend my money on."

"We're doing okay, money wise. What do you mean with 'active role'?"

"Doing stuff together. I can also fill in for you if you have a full plate at work, like picking her up from school, helping her with home work. You know, the stuff fathers do."

For the first time, she gave him a smile. "That would be great for her. Speaking of wealthy, my father will hit you for some contribution. I mean, he was great. He payed for everything. Even now, he pays for her school."

Luke just smiled. "Tell him to prepare a tally of all the costs he incurred. I also consulted my attorney and he checked with a colleague. Based on my income, child support should be somewhere around $30,000 annually. Of course, that's now. I didn't earn that much until recently. Would $30,000 per year starting now and $100,000 for the last six years cover what I owe you?"

Katie's eyes went wide. "Can you afford that?"

He nodded. "Yes. Another thing: I take it you live close to me?"

Katie shook her head. "Less than four blocks down and two left. Who'd believe that?"

"I consider it a lucky coincidence. Are you renting or owning?"

"You've got to be kidding! I've been with the office less than three years. Of course I'm renting."

"My old house is close by, too. Even closer. It's a bit smaller than my new one, but I had it remodeled last year. It's sitting empty until I decide what to do with it. How about I put Amy's name on the deed? It's paid for in full."

Katie shook her head. "Not so fast. You can't buy your way into Amy's life. Luke, I don't know you at all. Let's give this some time. There's also another matter. I'm not quite alone. I have a fiancé. I can't just accept a house from a former lover."

Luke swallowed heavily. Somehow the Miss prefix had left him with the idea that Katie was solo. He did not cover his feelings well.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," Katie said gently. "Matt is a great guy, and he stood by me in spite of the hurt I caused him."

"Wait! You said nothing of a boyfriend back then," Luke protested.

"We had broken up three weeks before. We'd been together on and off for three years, but we never went ... all the way, you know. Can you imagine how he felt when I became pregnant after a one night stand?"

"You mean he felt like I feel now?" Luke tried to joke but his voice was a giveaway.

"Look, if this is too hard for you, maybe becoming a part of Amy's live is not such a good idea?"

Luke shook his head vehemently. "No. She deserves a father, her father. I can manage. I realize that I have no claims. I'm cool."

Katie nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna break the news to Amy. She's been needling me about you for the last days. Somehow you made an impression on her."

"She's got these incredible eyes," Luke said. "They're captivating."

"Her witch eyes," Katie smiled. "It drives some people crazy when she stares at them."

"You know that I met her before?"

Katie nodded. "She told me. You were in that prop shop where my father took her. You bought that skeleton there?"

"Yes. You were lucky, you know? I somehow didn't make the connection in the store, but once I was back at home, I knew from where I knew those eyes. She got them from you. When I saw Amy on the patio I knew who you had to be. I gave my father the sign to stop the show."

"There was more than the skeleton?"

"Right behind the bush next to you. A great big Jack-in-the-Box."

Katie's eyes went wide. "I would've crapped myself."

"I know," Luke grinned. "You should've seen some of the people jump into the air!"

"And your father helped you? Great! So that's where Amy got her penchant for mischief."

"She's a handful?"

"If you're serious about meeting her you'll find out."

"I am. Really."

"Okay." She handed him a card with a neatly printed address. "Saturday at 4. Be on time. My father hates tardiness."

"Your father?"

"Nobody gets close to Amy without his vetting. Or so I let him believe. He and my mom shouldered a lot of the load, especially in the first years when I still went to law school."

"I suppose some major sucking up effort will be in order?" Luke asked with his head tilted.

"My father is a cop. Save the crap around him; he's heard it all. He did the checking out on you, by the way."

"Should I bring a lawyer?"

"He'll be cool. You'll see."

"Okay, I'll be there. Will flowers for your mom be okay? Has your dad some favorite drink?"

"You're trying to suck up, but okay. Mom loves orchids. Dad is a whiskey man, Irish whiskey."

"Orchids and whiskey, I can do that," Luke repeated.

She tilted her head. "Is it that important for you?"

He exhaled. "Okay, yes. I spent the last three days downloading the entire internet content about child development and child rearing. I had a one-hour session with a child psychologist yesterday to find out the best way to access Amy. I had someone over to check my house for dangers."

Katie shook her head. "You don't do things by halves, do you?"

"The way I figure it, if I enter Amy's life, it'll be either as full-blown father or not at all."

"I agree. Just don't overdo it, okay?"

"I've been warned about that already," he grinned.



-------

Chapter 5: Amy



The Monahans' house in Santa Clara was a typical middle class home with a front lawn and a backyard, a one-car garage, and a driveway. It was on the small side, but perfectly all right for a family of three.

Jack Monahan was a living stereotype for an Irish cop. With his short, grey hair, his piercing blue eyes, and his tall, lean body he could have easily played the "captain" in any crime show. He received Luke at the front door and looked him over pointedly.

Luke had decided to go casual. Nothing fancy, just sand-colored dockers and a light-blue shirt. The stainless steel Rolex Blue Oyster was an old one he had found in a pawn shop, and it showed the decades of use. He had left his fancy cell phone at home not wanting to appear as a show-off, and the car he had left standing at the curb was a late model Volkswagen Passat. Nothing too fancy in other words.

Jack Monahan ended the inspection and offered his hand.

"Katie says you want to do right by her and Amy?"

Luke took the hand and shook it.

"I'll try my best, Mr. Monahan. The whole situation is mostly my fault, so it's for me to fix as best I can."

"I should probably thank you for smoothing things over for Katie with her boss."

"And I should thank you for not shooting me on sight," Luke answered feeling the need to get past the niceties.

"Yes, that too," Jack Monahan grinned. "Come in!"

Luke met Katie's mother next, a petite brunette with large green eyes and smile lines around them. She, too, shook his hand and even offered a smile.

"Oh, my! Katie could've done worse," she chuckled. Then she sobered. "Luke – may I call you Luke? – it was good to hear that you did not dump our Katie on purpose. I'll not lie: when I heard how Katie beat you up I was elated. Finally you got your deserves. Now she tells us that you are willing to own up on your actions?"

"As best I can, Mrs. Monahan. I screwed up badly back then, but I never intended to dump her. She was..." he blushed crimson. "Let's just say when I left her that morning I was crazy about her."

"I hope you are past such illegal activities now?"

"I hope so, too. I am a VP and shareholder at ImaXX, an imaging software company over in San Jose. I'm very respectable these days."

"All right. Enough of this. You want to meet Amy, and she's in the backyard with Kate. Let me show you the way." She led the way through the living room and to a patio door. "Katie! Luke is here!"

Kate was sitting on a recliner and she rose quickly. "Hey, Luke. You look better with every day."

The grin told him that she was teasing him to ease the mood. He debated with himself whether to answer in kind, but he held back. She was taken. She had a fiancé. He had messed up her life enough. She could do without his clumsy flirting.

"My neighbors recognize me again," he said instead. He looked around. Amy was busy in a far corner of the backyard. "I brought something for her. It's still in my car. I wasn't sure if it's not too early."

"Let's wait until later," Katie answered. "I told her about you being her father."

"How did she take it?"

"Surprisingly well. She said you're funny. She'll be disappointed to see that the funny part is already fading."

"Hey, you sucker-punched me."

"I guess I did. Should I call her over?"

"She looks busy. Maybe I'll just go over and see what she's doing?"

He found her watching a black beetle that was crawling along a low branch. She looked up when his shadow appeared at her side. Again, Luke was mesmerized by her eyes. This time, Amy seemed to be just as captivated. They spent minutes just looking at each other before a big smile showed on her face.

"Mommy says you're my daddy?"

"So she says. I never knew."

Her smile widened. "I like you as my daddy. It's fun."

"You think so? What makes it fun?"

She looked around. "You're not a poop-head."

"What?" Luke laughed.

"Not a poop-head. Matt's a poop-head."

"Who's Matt," Luke asked suspecting the answer.

"He's Mom's boyfriend, but he's a..."

"Poop-head!" Luke blurted causing the girl to giggle.

"Can I see that skelliton again?"

"The skeleton? Sure. We packed it away for next year."

"You have a girlfriend?"

"No, not right now. My father lives next door. Oh, that's right: you have another grandpa now."

She was not deterred. "You could be Mommy's boyfriend then."

"She already has one, Amy," Luke answered.

"Don't you like her? You must like her. Only when a mommy and a daddy like each other they can have a baby."

Okay, she was a handful alright. "Yes, we – hrhm! – liked each other a lot. It's just that I had to move away and we didn't see each other, and now your Mom likes Matt."

Amy thought about that. "That's a shame," she stated. "Matt's a poop-head."

"So, that beetle, what's it doing?"

"I don't know. It just crawls. It's so small, too. I can't see what it does."

Luke had an idea. "Don't move! I'll be back in a moment."

Past a surprised Katie he ran through the house, out the front door, and to is car. In the luggage compartment was a small toolkit for minor repairs on laptops, and a magnifying glass was part of it. He returned to Amy.

"Let's have a better look," he said holding the glass for Amy to see.

She giggled. "It's so big now. It's got hairs. Ugh, it's ugly!"

Amy then proceeded to investigate the life forms in the Monahans' backyard with Luke following her on all fours. This was not good for his dockers, but he had too much fun with Amy to care about grass stains.

After some time, Jack Monahan came to call them in for dinner. It was getting dark anyway. Amy ran ahead while Jack and Luke followed more slowly.

"It's amazing how she's taken to you," Jack opined. "Amy I mean. I'm afraid she doesn't really get along with Katie's fiancé."

"She doesn't use the name Matt," Luke grinned, and Jack Monahan laughed up.

"She even calls him that to his face. No love lost between those two. Not easy for Katie."

"I don't know him," Luke shrugged.

"I do, and I don't like him either," Jack grinned a little ruefully. "She was split up from him back then, but when she came back from college that winter, you know, pregnant and vulnerable, he weaseled himself back into her life."

Uh-oh! No love between Jack Monahan and the mysterious Matt. Luke found it appropriate to keep his mouth shut. Katie had made it clear where her preferences lay. Jack looked at him sideways.

"You're awfully silent all of a sudden."

"I have no say in who Katie dates. I sort of ruined that myself. The best thing I can do for her is to help her with raising Amy and keep out of her private life."

"Wait until you meet the poop-head."



-------

Chapter 6: Poop-head

After that first weekend at the Monahans', Luke visited once a week. Never at Katie's place, though, but always at her parents' home. Luke guessed the reason. The ever elusive Matt was probably hating Luke's guts, and Katie was leery to bring the two together. Or maybe she didn't want Luke to know where she lived.

To his surprise, Luke received an invitation to Christmas dinner by Jack Monahan, and he was told to bring his father along. Erwin had already met Amy twice, and the little girl liked the idea of having a second grandfather to wrap around her fingers. The two Brauns arrived and Luke introduced his father around. Of course, Erwin already knew Katie, and the two traded a few taunts about their first encounter.

They were led into the living room where the table was set for the family, and here, Luke met Katie's fiancé for the first time. Matt Carver was tall like Luke, but where Luke had wide shoulders and at least a hint at muscles, Matt was rather skinny and stood hunched. It was also clear from the get go that Matt resented Luke like hell. The handshake was perfunctory and he did not even fake a smile. Luke could understand him, of course, and he bore no grudge.

Katie's parents went out of their ways to make the Brauns feel welcome. Katie herself was torn. Luke could tell that she was trying to be friendly without making her fiancé jealous. Amy insisted on sitting between Luke and Erwin, smiling in turn at her mother and grandparents. Matt proved to be the odd man out. It was clear from the start that he was not interested at all in being sociable. If asked anything by Jack or Katie's mother Irene, he answered in monosyllables. It was as if he was trying to punish them for having Luke and his father over.

What little Luke could gather was that Matt was a systems admin for a small business school. He showed a brief interest when learning that Erwin Braun had worked 23 years for that sacred mothership of all system admins, but then he sank back into sullen silence. Katie was almost apologetic to him which did not make sense since Matt was being the ass.

During desert Luke was involved in a rather animated discussion with Jack Monahan when Matt made the first spontaneous utterance of the evening, turning to Katie and speaking to her in accusing tone.

"Can't you make her stop that?"

"Err, say what?" Katie asked back, torn from an exchange with her mother.

"Your daughter. She's staring at me again. You know how much it irritates me."

Luke almost snorted. Amy was indeed looking at Matt. She was not even blinking it seemed. She had just fixated her pale green eyes on her mother's fiancé. Luke would have sworn that there was a spark of mischief behind her stare. Obviously, she had unconsciously picked up on Matt's hang-ups, and she was milking them.

"Katie, darling, don't stare, please. It's not polite. We talked about it."

"He was looking at me first," Amy protested.

"Well, now he isn't anymore. So stop it."

"Okay, Mom," Amy answered with insincere sweetness.

When Katie turned to her mother again, Luke caught Amy sticking out her tongue at Matt. Before he could think of a gentle way to dissuade her, Matt was complaining already.

"There! She's doing it again!"

"What is she doing?" an exasperated Jack asked.

"She stuck her tongue out at me!" came the almost petulant answer.

"Oh, did she ever?" Jack grinned. "Maybe Kate can get you a restraining order against Amy?"

Luke saw Katie's mouth twitch but she maintained her facade.

"Amy, please stop this. It's Christmas, and we should be friendly to each other."

"Okay, Mom," Amy chirped.

"Don't Okay-Mom me, little lady! Behave."

"Okay, Mom," Amy answered, and Luke finally had to grin.

"He's probably putting her up to it!" Matt stated.

"Oh, please!" Jack exclaimed. "She's known before how to get a rise out of you. Stop being such a baby!"

"Baby!" Amy giggled. "Grandpa, he's not a baby. He's so old!"

"Amy, why don't you tell your other grandpa what you got for Christmas?" Erwin interrupted trying to calm tempers.

Amy beamed. Holding up her hand she began to count off fingers.

"I gotta bicycle from Daddy," she started off with the most impressive gift of all in her mind. "Grandpa got me a helmet for it, and you gave me ... You know that! Mommy got me new sneakers, and blue jeans, and t-shirts, and a pajama! Grandma gave me a real pretty necklace." She looked defiantly at her mother. "Matt gave me nothing."

Ouch! Matt turned purple and shot daggers at Amy.

"Maybe, if you were a bit nicer to me, I'd get you something," he said through clenched teeth.

Luke was a little shocked at the open hostility Matt showed and more than a little steamed.

"Maybe, if you gave her something, she'd be nicer," he suggested calmly. "I mean, she's seven and you're supposed to be the adult."

"I don't see you in a position to give me advice," Matt shot back. "Not with the mess you left us with! And breaking into the computer of a university official is not adult behavior."

Luke fought down his own feeling of guilt. He would not back down to this wuss.

"You're a systems admin. Tell me you've never snooped in another person's hard-drive!" he challenged.

There was a telling pause before Matt answered. ""Only ... That's got nothing to do with it!"

"If you say so," Luke answered amiably. "I must've done something right though. Uncle Sam awarded me almost two million bucks," he added smugly.

That must have been news for Matt. His jaw literally dropped at hearing the sum.

"Say, Mom, isn't it time to prepare the punch?" Katie asked desperately.

"Yes, I suppose we should," Irene Monahan agreed eagerly. "Luke, I think Amy wants you to show her how to ride her bike."

Luke took the hint. "Oh, that's great. Let's go, little witch!"

For the next twenty or so minutes, Luke helped Amy keep her balance while riding up and down the driveway. Sometime in between, Luke saw Matt storm out of the house and almost run for his car. The dramatic effect of his storming out was ruined though when his rather well-used BMW refused to start, and he had to go back in and ask Jack to help out with a booster cable.

Luke kept his face very much under control while they had punch and Christmas cookies. Surprisingly, Amy reverted to being a little darling, so that even Katie who had stared at them with anger flashing from her eyes, became increasingly mollified.

Once the killjoy was gone, the evening became quite nice. Around ten o'clock, Luke found himself sitting on the Monahans' sofa with a sleeping Amy on his lap. Katie had drowned some of her anger leaving her decidedly buzzed. Seeing her daughter peacefully asleep, she plopped down on the sofa besides Luke.

"You've been an ass," she informed him slurring just a little bit.

"Yes, I was. But not the only one, and not the biggest by far," Luke answered peaceably.

"It's not easy for Matt, with Dad being against him, and Amy provoking him at every turn. And now you needled him too!"

"Only when he kept haranguing Amy. I mean, shouldn't he be able to laugh off her antics? You're engaged, right? That means you want to marry the guy. How is this going to work with him blowing up at the slightest provocation?"

Katie looked unhappy. "I don't know. That's why I haven't agreed to a weeding date yet. I'm still hoping that Amy will get over her dislike."

"And he? Shouldn't he be the one to get over his dislike for Amy?"

"Christ! I know they're like cat and dog." Katie looked at Luke accusingly. "And I know what's behind it: she's got it in her mind that I should get together with you instead of Matt. Did you put that idea into her head?"

"I swear I didn't. She asked me if I have a girlfriend, and I said no. That's when she started it. I tried to explain that you had moved on."

"And much good it did."

"Well, it might help if he wasn't such a jerk around her." Seeing her hurt expression he tried to calm himself. "Listen, it's none of my business. I'm sorry. It's your choice. Just make sure Amy won't get hurt too much."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why do you think she's so set against him? She's just six. It's not some devious plan of her. His rejection hurts her, and she's lashing back at him."

"It's difficult for him."

"Yeah, well, I better get going. Let me carry Amy up to her room, and then I'll collect my old man and be gone."

Katie just nodded, but she looked sad. It hurt Luke to see her sad, and he was tempted to give her a hug, but he kept himself in check.

"Should I pick Amy up on Saturday or Sunday?"

"Saturday would be better."

"Here at your parents', right?"

Katie shook her head. "You know where I live, don't you?"

Luke nodded silently.

"Pick her up at, say nine? I'll see to it that she' s ready. What are your plans?"

"There's a breeding show for guinea pigs and rabbits over in San Mateo. I thought she might like that. They'll have a petting zoo for kids with pony rides."

"Just don't buy her a rabbit!"

"Oh, I won't. I know she's too small for taking care of one."



-------

Chapter 7: Highland Scotch



Luke did not see Matt again for over half a year. He frequently saw Katie when he picked up Amy for a weekend, and their relationship became less strained. Seeing how he had Amy three weekends out of four, Luke anticipated or rather feared that Katie and Matt would progress faster in their relationship. Only, there was no sign of that.

Luke also saw Amy's parents quite often. When summer came, they would often pick up Amy at Luke's house, and he'd invite them in for a spell. Luke's father always joined then, and they'd all sit on Luke's porch and watch Amy play.

By late May, Katie agreed to amend Amy's birth certificate by entering Luke as biological father. While sitting in the anteroom waiting for a free clerk, Luke and Katie had a chance to talk. Luke had the feeling that Katie needed an outlet, and he listened patiently as she listed all the little and not so little happenings in her life.

A big one was the news that Matt Carver had lost his job. According to Katie, he had snooped in his boss' computer and got caught. Apparently, he blamed Luke of all persons, claiming that Luke's boasting over his two million dollar whistle blower reward had given him the idea to look into wrongdoings by his superior.

Luke barely maintained a straight face, but he lost it when Katie tentatively suggested that he might find a job for Matt at ImaXX.

"Not only no, but hell no!" he exclaimed. "I'd rather swim the Dead Sea with a fresh piercing in my dick! Can you imagine me and him working together? You'd get to prosecute me for manslaughter within a week." Seeing her dejection, he qualified his response. "I'll shop around among our customers in the area. Maybe one of them needs an admin."

That mollified Katie, and she even gave him a kiss on the cheek, a first for him, on the cheek that is. They were able to complete the paperwork, and when they left the town hall, Amy was now legally Amelia Monahan-Braun, and Luke was officially her father. He was even able to talk Katie into having coffee in a nearby diner. It was the most relaxed get-together they'd had since Halloween night.

"Umh, Katie, now that I'm legally her father, I will update my will. She'll be the sole beneficiary unless things change in my private life. I'll have my tax attorney prepare a list of my assets so you'll know what to claim should something happen to me."

He could see her worry and it gave him a warm feeling. "You're not sick, are you?"

"Heavens, no! It's just something you should know."

°°°

Amy's birthday in late July brought on the next inevitable meeting between Luke and Matt. Luka had managed to talk one of his customers into hiring Matt Carver, offering a free-of-cost customization of the ImaXX M software package in return. It cost Luke three evenings and half of a Sunday, but at least Matt was back in work.

If Luke had expected gratitude or even less belligerence from Matt he would have been disappointed. Even when Katie nudged him, Matt stared stubbornly down at his shoes while Amy sifted through a small pile of gifts. At one point, Katie's hiss, "Don't be such an ass!" reached Luke's ears, but he gave it little notice seeing that he was responsible for manning the barbecue grill.

It was a nice birthday party with Amy's friends, their parents, and Amy's parents and grandparents. Halfway through, Luke saw Katie in an animated and not quite amiable conversation with her fiancé. Apparently, they could not reach an agreement, for he stormed off again, leaving the party without saying a word to his hosts.

Just a minute later, Luke came face to face with Katie at his barbecue.

"Steak, medium," she snarled at him.

Silently, he completed her order and offered her the plate. She took it and stared at him.

"You ass! Why did you have to screw things up so badly?"

Luke tried a joke. "You have to be more specific. I've screwed up a lot."

"Breaking into the dean's computer and getting caught! That's when this whole fuckin' train derailed."

Luke looked at her sadly. "Believe me, if I could, I'd make it undone. Please don't think you're the only one who got hurt."

Looking at him, Katie angrily shook her head. "Hurt? You got millions out of that fuck-up."

She turned and left him standing.

"Yeah, millions. But I didn't get you," Luke whispered after her.

She stopped in her tracks. "What was that?"

"Err, nothing, just saying that..." he stammered unhappily.

Katie shook her head, this time sadly.

"Luke, my life's a complete mess right now. Please, don't complicate it further!"

"I try not to. But it seems that just being in your life causes you hurt."

This brought a weak smile to Katie's lips. "No, that's not true. Look at Amy and how she's happy with you. I'm grateful that you are around for her."

She left him then, and for the rest of the afternoon he only saw her from a distance.

°°°

Katie Monahan bent over the sink in her old bathroom and washed her eyes with cold water to get the redness out. It would do no good to show up weepy-eyed on Amy's birthday party. She'd heard Luke's words as clearly as if he'd shouted them: " Yeah, millions. But I didn't get you!"

Luke and Matt, two men as different as day and night. Matt claimed that he loved her, and now Luke had for all purposes admitted to it, too.

Luke. Like a whirlwind he had broken into her life almost eight years ago. True, they'd felt the effect of those damned hash brownies, but still she had felt a rush of feelings like never before or after. For seven years she had both cursed him and wished him back. She had given him the worst names and then lain awake at night imagining him with her.

She was so bad! Dreaming of the absent Luke while she kept Matt as substitute. She knew that she did not love Matt. There was not much to love about him. But she had hurt him with her behavior. For years, he had striven to do her every favor, for years she had tolerated his efforts if not welcomed them. Finally, exasperated over him once too often, she had ended it, had slammed the door in his face. All those years, he had coveted her, but she refused him. Then, just like that, she'd dropped her panties for a good looking guy she met while trick'n treating with Linda and got pregnant.

She dropped out of college to graduate near home where her parents could help her out. She felt like the worst slut on earth, a disappointment for her parents who had doted on her. Only once had her father voiced his disappointment over her complete lack of judgement, over her falling for a sleazy campus Lothario, over her pitiful lack of control.

Matt visited her at home, having heard of her dropping out, and she could still remember the look of utter pain in his eyes when she confessed to being pregnant from a one night stand. That which she had refused to Matt, she had given to a stranger whom she could not even name. That was why she had been so relieved when Matt forgave her, and that was why she later agreed to the engagement. She had hurt him once, and she would not do it again. She would marry Matt as penance for her irresponsible behavior.

Then Luke, with his two words "Hey, Katie!", had thrown her world into turmoil again. His incredible rapport with Amy, his ability to even impress her father, and his obvious desperation over his screw-up, did not match the scoundrel she'd invented to soothe her conscience. He was ... a good man. Responsible, helpful, considerate, and successful in life. He had people skills, too. Within days, Luke was closer to Amy than Matt could ever hope to be, even assuming that he hoped to be closer to Amy.

What compounded the situation was that Matt's behavior, once so supportive and understanding, had taken a turn for the worse. He was always petulant now, even paranoid, about the possibility that Katie might take a shine to Luke again. If she was honest, he was not quite wrong about it, but she had not once betrayed her promises to Matt. It did not help that she told him repeatedly that she would stand by their engagement, and that she had no plans with Luke beyond including him into Amy's life and upbringing.

This was the main point of dispute, with Matt insisting that having Luke in Amy's life was disrupting to their relationship. Here, for once, Katie did not budge. Amy had a right to spend time with her father. She might have listened to Matt if he had shown the slightest hint of interest in Amy. As it was, however, Matt never interacted with Amy other than complaining about her.

This afternoon had been another example for his worsening attitude. He had just stood there while everybody gave their gifts to Amy. He did not try to engage any of the other parents into a conversation, and he certainly did not talk to Katie's parents let alone Luke or his father. He just stood there sullenly, and when Katie asked him to be more sociable, he had suggested that they left together to be alone. She nearly blew up then, telling him that he had to accept Amy in his life if there was to be any future for them. He just accused her to look for an excuse to dump him, "again" of course, and left her standing. Just twenty steps along his dramatic exit he had stopped and looked back to see whether she was running after him, but this time Katie had been too steamed to cave in. That was when he stormed off for good.

Katie looked at her mirror image. The reddening of her eyes had receded somewhat. It was time to return to the party before her absence was noted. She touched up on her light makeup and left the bathroom. Downstairs, she went out into the garden, and ascertaining that Luke was still manning the barbecue grill she kept to the opposite side of the backyard, schmoozing with the parents of Amy's friends instead.

Thankfully, the party wound down an hour later. Amy seemed happy and definitely tired. She was set to spend the night at Luke's since Katie had originally planned to have an evening alone with Matt to soothe the bruised ego he would develop for sure. Now he had stormed off, and when Luke loaded Amy into his car and drove off with her, Katie was facing an evening alone.

For the next hour, she helped her parents with the clearing of the mess left behind by their guests, but then when her mother shushed them out of the kitchen she stood undecided. She had no plans at all for the evening, and she did not look forward to being alone at home and do even more brooding.

"Have a beer with your dad, Katie," Jack Monahan broke into her thoughts.

She was surprised. He had never encouraged her to drink. She tested the waters.

"You have something a bit stronger?"

Jack chuckled. "How about I treat you to a rare experience?"

In spite of herself, Katie smiled back. "Surprise me!"

Jack returned not two minutes later carrying two brandy balloons filled two fingers high with an amber liquid.

"Twenty-five year-old Glenmorangie," he explained. "Take it easy with this one. It's a liquid treasure."

Katie sniffed first and took a small sip. It was strong and smooth, much like a good French Brandy.

"This is whiskey?" she asked surprised.

"Scotch from the Highlands. You'll not find anything better."

Katie had to smile. Her father had never been a heavy drinker, but he had an eclectic collection of Scotch and Irish malt whiskies. This had to be one of his favorites.

"I hardly dare to ask the price," she smiled, the sip of single malt filling her with comfortable warmth.

"I didn't either. It was Luke's birthday gift."

"I guess he can afford it," Katie said with just a touch of bitterness.

"No doubt. Yet, I appreciate it."

"Yeah, at least you can pretend to have a son-in-law you can like," she sighed, sipping once more.

"You have to admit there is nothing to dislike about Luke. Or his father for that matter. Did he tell you about the job offer?"

"What job offer? Luke and I haven't really spoken in weeks."

"All because you're treading lightly around Matt, right?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Thought so. Anyway, they have landed a contract to develop image analysis software for the Pentagon, probably for satellite images or some such. They have to beef up their security, and Luke asked me if I wanted the job of security chief. I'll have to retire in two years anyway, and with what ImaXX is offering, I'd be a fool to decline. Only, I won't do it if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Oh, that's smart of him. He doesn't try to sway me, but he works on my family. Amy is a given, and now you get a nice, fat job courtesy of Luke. What's in it for Mom?"

"What are you talking of?"

"Can't you see? He's mounting the pressure on me. He's trying to insert himself in my life whether I want it or not."

"That's a bit strong, isn't it? You sound like Matt already."

"I have to see his interest, too. He's suffering already under the situation."

Jack snorted but then checked himself.

"Sorry, Kate. I guess I owe you an apology."

"For what?"

"Back, when you returned from college that Christmas telling us you were pregnant, and you couldn't find the father and didn't know his real name, I wasn't very supportive."

"What do you mean? You guys gave me a roof over my head, you took over all the medical bills, you took care of Amy so I could go to law school."

"Yes, but I was very disappointed and it showed."

Katie nodded sadly. "I noticed, and I felt like shit. You had given me trust, and I..."

"Katie, I'm not disappointed in you anymore. I was wrong. You did nothing wrong."

"Say what?" she whispered.

"Kate, look at things: you met a good looking young man, talented, well educated, with a great promise for his future, and most importantly, absolutely crazy over you. I'll tell you a secret. I met your Mom when she reported her pocket calculator stolen at the precinct. I took her statement, and on the spur of the moment I asked her out. She accepted, and our first dinner date ended in my apartment." He looked at Katie significantly. "I flatter myself that she made a good choice. Just the same, you made a good choice. Only, he got arrested and things went to shit. That doesn't mean your judgement was wrong. The timing was bad is all."

"Okay, okay, I get you. Why not follow my first instinct again and hook up with Luke?"

"No, that's not my point. I'm saying, stop beating yourself up because you think you disappointed me. You were single then, not in a committed relationship, and your instincts were right."

"You're not the only person I hurt," Katie said.

"Oh, please! I've known Matt Carver since you first tagged him home. He was hurt when you did not go to the same college as his, he was hurt when you danced with another boy at school parties, he was hurt when you spent Christmas with us, for crying out! He's always hurt. It's his MO, being hurt and making people feel guilty. You say he supported you. How? Did he once offer to look after Amy when you needed a sitter? Did he once tell you to leave your guilt behind? No. He keeps harping on it, on the oh-so terrible hurt you caused him, because he can manipulate you better that way.

"Look at today. You didn't dare to go near the barbecue for fear of being seen near Luke. Why? He's never made a move for you, even though he'd give anything for a second chance with you. No, you kept away from him for fear of being harangued by Matt again. 'You're hurting me again!' Get over this guilt trip, Katie. He's put a collar on you with this shit. You don't owe him a thing, because he never did a thing for you. Yeah, he 'accepted' you again, after your 'failure'. Big deal! He got a beautiful girlfriend out of that, one he couldn't hope to win otherwise."

"Dad, that's not fair!"

"Damn right it's not fair. Not fair to you, not fair to Luke, not fair to Amy. Tell me what you want: a guy who makes you feel guilty all the time, who absolutely hates your daughter, or a guy who would worship the ground you walk on and who will be the best father Amy can hope for?"

"Dad, I'm engaged to Matt."

"So tell him you changed your mind! Tell him you don't need his understanding and forgiveness, because you fuckin' didn't do anything wrong!"

"Jack! Stop pressing Katie!" Irene Monahan was heard.

"Irene, I won't sit idly while she makes herself and my granddaughter unhappy. She needs to hear this. Katie, can you picture you, Matt, and Amy living together? Happily? Can you imagine how things will be once Amy grows up? Do you want to spend your life mediating between two warring parties? Look at me, Katie, and think about this: Do you love Matthew Carver? Is he the man you want? Is he the man who makes you feel loved and wanted, accepted, too? Don't answer me now. Think about it some. And, for crying out loud, quit the guilt trip!"

Katie stared at her father. Not once in her life had he given her a dressing down like this, not even when she came home for Christmas break with a bun in the oven. She felt his passion, his worry, his love for her under the harsh words. She stood up.

"I have to think," she announced. "Mom, could you drive me home? I've had alcohol."

"Of course, honey," Irene soothed, shooting an exasperated glance at her husband.

Once in the car, Katie sank into the seat and pinched the root of her nose.

"Katie, your father came on too strongly, but in essence he's right. Matt can never accept Amy. Failure or no failure, she's a living proof that you loved Luke more than Matt, or so he thinks. You must think of Amy, too. How will life be for her once you and Matt have more children?"

"God, you two leave out nothing, do you?" Katie blurted. "Can't you see that I'm going crazy over this already?"

"Honey, don't get crazy. Get rational. I can't imagine that Luke is so repulsive to you, is he? Well, he and Amy get along. You and he should get along, too. He's successful, too, so he won't have a problem with you having success."

"Matt is doing much better in the new job Luke got him."

"Honey, they fired him after two weeks. I shouldn't tell you. Luke made me promise, but I won't have Matt lie to you."

Katie's mouth fell open. Just this morning he told her how much better he felt appreciated at the new place, how well he got along with his colleagues.

"What happened?"

"His new boss gave him an order, and he sort of refused and even gave his boss lip. Gross insubordination they call it. He was fired on the spot. That's what? The third place he was fired from in five years? Can you still believe that's because his bosses and coworkers are set against him? He's just disagreeable and petulant, bordering on a passive-aggressive personality. You want that at home every evening?"

Katie held up her hand. "Can we just stop this now? I feel like my head explodes."

"Just remember, honey, you have all the options in the world. We don't want to force-feed Luke to you. If you feel that he's not the man for you, fine. But you shouldn't marry Matt either if he's not the man for you."



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Chapter 8: Babble Juice



For the next months after Amy's birthday, the relationship between Katie and Matt could be best described as "strained". Matt tried to trip Katie's guilt trip trigger by complaining about her unwillingness for a final commitment, but her parents' words had left a seed of clairvoyance in her. She saw his attempts in the light of Jack Monahan's words, as attempt to manipulate her into feeling guilty.

Neither side budged on the core issues. Katie did not ban Luke from seeing Amy – a ridiculous notion, really, since they had a signed agreement – and Matt sullenly refused any of Katie's attempts to bridge the divide between him and Amy. She had to admit that Amy was being her friendliest around Matt now, making Matt's inability to connect to the girl even more obvious.

Her relationship with Luke was equally strained. He carefully avoided any situation where he would be alone with Katie making her question her father's impression that Luke was yearning for her. She for her part could not bring herself to bridge the gap either, still not fully over her sense of duty to remain loyal to her fiancé.

By mid-October, Amy began to try on her Halloween costume, already in anticipation of a night of mischief. Moreover, last year's Halloween had brought her a father in her view, and she was properly excited.

Katie was of mixed feelings. She enjoyed the night of mischief, always had, but this year might prove problematic. She suggested to Matt that they went together, Matt, Katie, and Amy, and he flatly refused to participate in "stupid superstition" much like the years before. Katie pointed out that it was simply fun, to which he responded with a lengthy rant about the kind of fun she had engaged in eight years before.

Katie was relieved when, out of the blue, Luke asked whether he could have Amy over Halloween night. She agreed, and she planned the evening as one last chance for Matt to save their relationship. She suggested to Matt and he agreed that they had dinner at an Italian restaurant owned by a friend of her family. She asked Jack to arrange for reservations, and he reported success on the same evening.

Around four o'clock on October 31, she dropped Amy off at Luke's. Luke was still out doing some last minute shopping, but Erwin was there working on some contraption to scare kids, and when he asked Katie in she accepted.

She had never been inside Luke's place, and she was curious. It was not really grand considering that Luke had to be worth a few million dollars. The furniture and decorations were unassuming yet appealing in their simplicity. When Erwin offered her a cup of tea or coffee she followed him to the kitchen. Here she found a combination of oiled beechwood and stainless steel, but none of the high tech kitchen appliances she had expected from a successful nerd. When Erwin brewed coffee, he used boiling water, a porcelain filter holder, and loose ground coffee. They sat for a while sipping the hot brew when they heard Luke entering.

Katie almost fell from the high stool when Luke entered the kitchen. He had shopped for a new wizard costume, and he looked like a younger version of Sam Neill's Merlin from the TV mini series. The fur coat looked real enough, and he even wore laced boots made of the same fake fur. Yet, to Katie's eyes he looked strikingly similar to the Luke Braun of eight years ago.

He saw her reaction and grimaced.

"Hey, Katie. I didn't know you'd be here."

"I uh ... Erwin asked me in, and I wanted to discuss a few things..."

He quickly dropped the coat over a stool and sat.

"Shoot!"

"No, nothing important. I just ... What are you guys planning?"

"To invoke terror in the hearts of snotty teenagers," Luke grinned. "To make a few mothers shriek in fear and to further caries and hyperactivity by handing out candy bars and other un-health foods."

"Sounds like fun," Katie smiled. "The skeleton again?"

"Yes, of course. But this year, Amy gets to pull the rope."

"You are probably a bad influence for her, but she'll have fun."

"So, what are your plans tonight?"

Katie's smile vanished and she looked apologetically at Luke.

"Matt and I will have dinner at a restaurant. It's time he and I had a chance to talk a few things through."

"Trouble in paradise?" Luke asked at least feigning sympathy.

"Trouble yes, but no paradise," Katie sighed. "Okay. Will you remember to bring her to school? I'll pick her up after school tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure," Luke answered. "Have a nice evening."

Now was there a touch of bitterness in Luke's voice. Katie was almost certain. She sighed heavily. However she decided her future, at least one man would be left disappointed and hurting.

Back in her rented house, Katie changed into a pretty costume and moderate heels. She rummaged in her jewelry box until she found the engagement ring Matt had given her. She could not help but smirk. The ring had looked pretty enough, and from the hints Matt gave her she understood that it must have been expensive. She wore it daily for a while until one day when she took it off in the wash room and it fell to the tiled floor. She had picked it up and there on the tiles were the splinters into which the "diamond" had broken up.

Not quite understanding the implications she collected everything and went to a jeweler asking the man to fix the ring. The amused jeweler then explained to her that the cut stone was just German diamond, mountain crystal in other words. The ring itself bore no stamp and was probably just 10-carat gold. She briefly contemplated to replace the broken crystal stone with a true diamond, but in the end she found that she did not want to incur the costs and settled for a replacement cut crystal. She did not wear it much thereafter.

This night however, she put the ring on her finger and sat down in her living room waiting for Matt to pick her up. He was on time, arriving in her old, four year-old Honda. She had given him the car to use when his old BMW failed the inspection. She was driving a new Toyota now courtesy of the lump sum Luke had paid her for the first seven years of missed child support. It felt stupid to be picked up in her own old car, but Matt insisted on driving himself and not using "Luke's car".

He was friendly enough though, even initiating a conversation about the gubernatorial campaign, and they talked animatedly during the five mile drive to the restaurant. They had reserved a table by the window at Da Luigi, but the staff was not quite ready to seat them. They were offered free drinks in exchange and sat at the bar. Katie was slightly embarrassed when Matt nagged the barkeeper until he got a second free drink. She was relieved when their table was ready and they could sit down.

Midway through the entree, Katie heard her cell phone go off. It was an MMS from Luke, and she looked at it briefly. The image showed Amy standing beside a huge Jack-in-the-Box, and Katie had to chuckle thinking that she had been lucky a year before that Luke had not triggered that thing. She would have peed in her pants!

There was a frown on Matt's face, and Katie quickly explained.

"Luke sent me a picture of Amy with one of the Halloween props. Wanna see?"

The frown deepened. "Can't we just have dinner without talking about your ex-lover? I can do without it."

"Oh please, Matt! Be nice! He's having Amy over. It's a chance for us to spend this evening by ourselves."

"Oh well, I'd rather have her tag her along and not have him in our lives," Matt opined.

"But it's such a good thing for Amy. They do things together, and she really relates to him."

"That doesn't mean I have to like the son of a bitch."

Katie sighed. "Just tolerate him, please. For Amy's sake?"

"God, listen to yourself, Kate! For Amy's sake! Everything is for Amy's sake! Why can't we do things for my sake for a chance?" Matt was talking himself quickly into a rant, possibly induced by the free drinks he'd had. "You keep postponing the wedding because your little princess has something against me. I can't stay over at your place because precious Amy might come to your bedroom. It's like the whole world revolves around her!"

"Well, I'm her mother. My world is supposed to revolve around my daughter," Katie returned defensively.

"Yes, she's your daughter! But not mine!" Matt was talking now with the stubborn, self destructive madness of those the gods want to destroy. "To me, she's nothing but a reminder of what you denied me. She's a symbol of all that went wrong in our lives. Just looking at her makes me want to scream!"

Katie listened to him with her mouth agape. Was that Matt? The guy who never volunteered any feelings? Did he really despise Amy that much? How could she stay with a man who professed hatred for her daughter? Amy was the symbol of the things, she, Katie, had done wrong, and Matt would never get over it and would never let her live it down. It was hopeless. Sadly shaking her head Katie looked at her fiancé.

"Matt, how can we be a family if you keep rejecting Amy?"

"Give her to the fabulous Luke!" he snapped.

In a fraction of a second, whatever Katie felt for Matt died. She could not even muster pity or regret anymore, just anger. He voice sounded cold to her own ears.

"I realize it's not fair that you have to see Amy if her sight makes you feel bad," she began, and his face took on a triumphant expression. Almost with malice, Katie continued. "I have a solution. You will never have to see her again."

"So you see my point?" Matt interrupted. "She can stay with her father. It's time he did his part anyway."

"No, Matt. The fact that you think I'm capable of giving up my daughter is the final proof that you really don't know me and don't care for me. My solution is that you take this ring," she dropped the fake diamond ring on the table and her voice rose, "stand up, and get the hell out of my life. I mean it! We're through and this time it's forever. I don't want you to call. I don't want you to pester me at home or at work. And by God, I want you to stay away from my daughter. If I see you just one more time, I'll get a restraining order."

It was Matt's turn to stare incredulously, but only for a moment before his face changed into a mask of fury.

"You God damned slut! You're dumping me again? I'm going to find the smug shit who put that damn bun in your oven and I'll smash his face into pulp!"

Katie never knew how, but suddenly three burly Italians surrounded the table.

"Sir, I must ask you to leave now," Luigi Gramotta, the owner, said solemnly while his two sons crossed their arms over their chests.

Matt looked from the Gramottas to Katie and then back. He deflated quickly. He looked at Katie again.

"How can you do that to me?" he whined.

"You make it so easy for me," Katie answered tiredly. "You can keep the Honda until you find work again."

Matt turned pale and jumped up. Before the waiters could interfere, Katie felt the left side of her face explode. Then Matt was face down on the table and screamed his heart out while an angry Gramotta son did his best to dislocate the right shoulder.

Chaos ensued for the next minutes until a police unit arrived. They took the statements from the waiters and from Katie who was already pressing an icepack to her cheek where Matt's fist had hit her. Then, out of nowhere, Jack Monahan stormed into the restaurant. Ignoring Katie he planted himself in front of Matt.

"Did you piece of shit hit my daughter?" he snarled and Matt cowered before him, almost whimpering.

"She broke up with me!"

"She's your daughter, Jack?" the older cop asked surprised. When Jack nodded, the cop put a hand on his shoulder. "You take it easy, partner. We've got it covered. We've got four witnesses and the bruises on Counselor Monahan's face. I'm gonna have him booked for assault."

Jack nodded and bent forward to whisper into the uniformed cop's ears. The cop just grinned sardonically and nodded.

"You got it," he said. "Let's go, Prince Charming," he addressed the cuffed Matt. "We have a nice holding cell waiting for you."

They left and Katie could see how Matt was loaded into the back of the cruiser. Then they were gone.

"How's your face?" Jack inquired. "Don't tell me that wimp did serious damage?"

In spite of herself, Katie smiled. "It's not much, but it'll get me a restraining order for sure."

"Atta girl! Now, why don't you go out to my car? I'll drive you home, but let me settle your bill first."

As rattled as she was, Katie meekly went out and sat in Jack's car. This gave Jack a chance to speak the elder Gramotta.

"Did you use up all of the babble juice?"

"Not quite, but the fuckin' freeloader demanded a second drink on the house," Gramotta grinned back, handing Jack a small, half-empty bottle.

"That stuff just makes people speak their mind, now doesn't it?" Jack laughed pocketing the bottle.

He left the place and walked over to his car. When he sat behind the wheel he looked at Katie. "You okay?"

She nodded. "It's not bad. How did you get here so fast?"

"I was still at the precinct when the call came in. I knew you planned to go here, so I came."

"Thanks, Dad. You were right about Matt. There's no hope. He absolutely hates Amy, and he'll never let me live down that night eight years ago."

"Where should I bring you then?"

She understood him and actually smiled. "First to my place. I need to change into something witchy."



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Chapter 9: Treat!



Luke and Erwin had never had that much fun. Their props were a part of it, but the best of the evening was Amy. She delighted in all the tricks. By the third try, she got the timing right with the skeleton, and after a while Erwin let her trigger the Jack-in-the-Box. She laughed so much that she got hick-ups at least twice. Seeing people jump when the Jack-in-the-Box was triggered was just too much for her, and she took minutes to get over the giggling attacks.

By nine o'clock Luke saw that Amy was barely able to stand upright, and he contemplated to call it a day. When the motion sensor went off, however, he decided to have one more go.

"Ready, Amy? Ready, Dad?"

They gave him the thumbs up, and Amy started to giggle in anticipation. Luke opened the door and stared.

"Trick or Treat?" a pretty, red-haired witch demanded.

There was something wrong with her left cheek, but all Luke could see were her green witch eyes. Eight years ago, he lost himself in those eyes, and now he felt the same. She just stared at him, and he stared back. No words were necessary. All that needed to be conveyed was packed into Katie's stare.

"Treat!" he blurted, stepping forward and holding her close. Then their lips touched and nothing else in the world mattered.

"Katie?" he whispered.

"Yes?"

"Why are you here?"

"I need an answer from you."

"Ask."

"When you left me almost eight years ago, on that morning, you said you were crazy about me. Is that still true? Be honest!"

"Damn it, yes! I don't want to mess up your life again, but yes, I still want you. Katie, I love you. I love you more now than eight years ago because I had a chance to get to know you."

"Good answer," she purred, leaning into him again and hugging his midsection. "I love you, too, Luke Braun. I want to give us a try. I want to ... EEEEK!"

Luke jumped, too, as the Jack-in-the-Box suddenly sprang up. From the patio, Amy's helpless giggle could be heard and the deep chuckle of Erwin Braun. Katie stepped back.

"Shit! What is ... Amy, you brat!"

Four steps brought Katie onto the patio, and Amy was laughing too hard to escape.

"MommEEEEEEH! No! Noooo! Hihihaha! No!"

Katie had her daughter in a lock and tickled her mercilessly.

"DaddEEEEEH! Help!" Amy screamed.

Laughing, Luke grabbed Katie from behind and poked his fingers into her waist.

"Luke, you shit! Lemme go! I said lemme go! No! No! Luke, I'm gonna get you for thumpf!"

Kissing her seemed like the best way to stop her screaming, and kissing her Luke did. When he let go of her lips, Katie was silent and just sank against him. Amy, too, was silent, looking at her parents with shining eyes.

"Let's go in and call it a day."

°°°

A half hour later, Katie had relayed the events of the evening, and by now, Amy was sleeping with her head on Katie's lap and the rest sprawled over Luke's.

"Let me bring her to bed," he whispered, lifting the sleeping Amy up and heading for her bedroom.

Katie followed and watched with a happy smile as Luke stripped Amy of her costume and put her under the blanket.

"Sleep tight, Sweetie!" he whispered and was surprised when Amy wrapped her thin arms around his neck.

"G'night, Daddy!"

She looked sleepily over to where Katie was leaning against the door jamb. Katie quickly sat on Amy's bed and hugged her. The little girl looked up at her.

"Is Daddy your boyfriend now?"

"Oh yes," Katie answered with conviction.

Amy's smile went from ear to ear.

"I like that," she whispered.

Erwin had retreated to his half of the duplex already, and that left Katie and Luke by themselves.

"Should I drive you home?" he asked tentatively.

Katie shook her head. "You're stuck with me. And just so you know: you will not go on any errand tomorrow. I won't run that risk again."

"Stuck with you, huh?" Luke smiled down at her.

"Yup! I put a spell on you. No chance."

"Yeah. You put that spell on me a long time ago, and it's still working."

"Luke? I'm sorry it took me so long to figure things out."

"I don't care. I've got you now, that's all that counts."

"Think I can bunk with you tonight?"

"I'm snoring."

"I don't care."

"Okay then. You need a T-shirt or something like that?"

She fixed her stare on him. "What do you think?"

"I guess we'll be fine without," Luke agreed.

In a way, making love to Katie was like waking up from a long nightmare. There was no worries, no hang-ups. He just brought her to his bedroom and their clothes magically melted away without their doing. Then Katie lay on her back with not a stitch of clothing on her, and Luke stared at her drinking in the sight. She had filled out just a little. Her breasts were not as pointy as they had been eight years ago. Her ribs did not stick out either. Yet, to Luke's eyes she looked just like she should.

The stormy 15-month relationship with Stella Daniels had been an education for Luke, an education into applied female anatomy, physiology, and neurology. Stella knew what she wanted, and Luke had learned how to give it. This came to pass now. He wasn't the slightly clumsy college boy anymore. He kissed and nibbled on Katie's body, testing her reactions and taking his cues. Katie's breasts were still major erogenous zones, but also her neck and the small of her back. His lips and tongue worshipped those places, stoking her arousal and eliciting hoarsely whispered endearments from her throat.

"Yes, baby! There! Yes! Oh, that's ... What... ? Ooooh, yessss!"

He could have spent the whole night like this and never grown tired, but Katie had other ideas.

"Enough!" she panted. "I want the main course now."

Luke complied eagerly. Lining up his straining erection with her entrance, he pushed in. Her hands gripped his head, forcing him to look at her face while she fixated her green eyes on his. There was the connection again, the direct link between them. Deep in those green pools he could see her love and her joy as his hips drove his penis deep into her core time and again. Time was of no consequence. Luke was not in the physical world while he lost himself in Katie's witch eyes. Likewise, Katie felt Luke's almost painful yearning for her, felt his unselfish desire to bring love and lust to her, felt how he put his soul into the act of coupling.

Their climaxes were not simultaneously, but it did not matter. Even after Luke had ejaculated into her, his erection stayed and he kept his rhythm, stoking her lust and sating her need to be filled. It was truly a magic coupling. They continued even beyond Katie's orgasm, they continued until they woke from the trance, and then they just looked at each other in wonder.

"Oh my God! What did we miss all those years!" Katie marveled.

Luke made a face. "Yeah, I screwed this up for us."

Once again, Katie took his head in her hands and made him look at her.

"Luke, I learned not to beat myself up over the past. You have to let go, too. Look at us! We found back to each other, we are a family already, we have many years ahead. All is fine now."

He smiled at her. "You are the sweetest girl I ever met. I love you, Katie Monahan."

"I guess I love you too. I must. I mean, even when I hated you I kept thinking of you. This is all very sudden though. Give me a few days to sort out my feelings before you ask me any yes-or-no questions, okay?"

"Okay, but I have one question that you need to answer: do you have to work tomorrow?"

"Afraid I have to. Can you set the alarm to half past six? I don't want to go to the office wearing my witch costume."

"Why not? The judges wear those goofy robes, too."

"I don't think I've accumulated enough credit with my boss to pull that off," Katie giggled. "Oh, by the way, I had my first conviction, I mean in a case I handled alone. Got one of those jaywalkers out of circulation."

"For real?"

"Yeah. That, and he resisted arrest and hit an officer. That means I have a 100% conviction record."

"Jeez, in no time at all you'll be running for district attorney! 'Vote Monahan-Braun, because a traffic light is not to be taken lightly!' You'll have my vote."

"You better! What's with the Monahan-Braun?"

"Sort of getting ahead of myself here. All has to do with a question you asked me to defer a few moments ago."

"It's not something I can rule out completely," she said coyly. "Now, let's hit the pillow. Do you have a T-shirt I can use? I wouldn't put it past Amy to waltz in here during the night."

Fitted with one of Luke's T-shirts Katie snuggled close to him, her head on his chest.

"Good night, darling. Don't you dare to be gone tomorrow!"

With a deep sigh of contention, Luke relaxed. He felt Katie's warm, cuddly body close. He fervently hoped that this was the beginning, the first of many nights with his beautiful witch in his arms. He listened to Katie's breathing getting more even. Suddenly, Katie purred in her half-sleep and snuggled even closer.

"I love you, Luke," she mumbled.

Could life be be more perfect?


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The End
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Posted:  2011-10-30
Last Modified: 2011-11-29 / 05:26:12 pm
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