Storiesonline.net ------- My Girls by unknown1000u2 Copyright© 2006 by unknown1000u2 ------- Description: This is an account of a Dad, Mom and twin young teenage cheerleaders girls and their friends. There is tasteful sexual content and descriptions, but the emphasis is on story development and the lives of 2 girls and their family. If you like good stories with erotic content but graphic stroke sex is not the primary reason for reading, try this one. Codes: MF Mf ff Ff Mult cons rom reluc rape dru het fant ScFi TimeTr humor tears ESP mother bro sis fath dau gang group 1st oral anal slow violent ------- ------- Chapter 1 I remember every detail of the day my life changed forever. I am 37 years old, a happily married man, married to a wonderful woman for 15 years. I met her through my college roommate my junior year of college. She was a friend of his. I didn't find out until much later that they had been more than friends at one time. Not that it would have made any difference - we were instantly smitten with each other. Besides, I fell madly in love with his girlfriend the first time I saw her, so it was only fitting that he knew mine as more than a friend. We were married shortly after graduation. Victoria is a real sweetheart, and a beauty besides. She is about 5' 4", 110 lbs, long black hair, and small breasts (just as I like them!); slim and athletic with a beautiful face and the most stunning green eyes you have ever seen. She has a personality as wonderful as her body - calm, laid back, sweet. She has only raised her voice to me once in all our time together - and that was in a crisis when one of our daughters was in grave danger. She also showed at that time that she's not quite the pretty but helpless thing everyone always thought she was; that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself and her loved ones. That's another story for another time. Although I've been told I am good looking, I never could understand how I ended up with her. A few months after our wedding Victoria announced she was pregnant. We were both delighted! Our joy was compounded when the doctor announced a few months later that it was twins. Our joy overflowed on the day she gave birth to beautiful twin girls. On the day in question, the girls were 13 years old. It was obvious when you saw them that they weren't identical twins. In fact, it was hard to tell that they were twins at all. Cindi, the oldest by 15 minutes, was 5' 1", 90 lbs soaking wet, long blond hair, small breasts, and beautiful deep blue eyes. Amy is 5' 4", 108 lbs, and is the almost perfect image of her mother, with the same long black hair, small breasts, and stunning green eyes. Their personalities were also very different. Both were so smart it was scary. Victoria and I are intelligent, but we look like dummies next to these two. Cindi was quiet, very serious, and very emotional. She cried about everything. Weddings, funerals, birthdays, movies, happy, sad, didn't matter - she cried if it was emotional. Amy, on the other hand, is happy go lucky, adventuresome, and always cheerful. After babyhood, I don't think I ever saw her cry until she was 13 years old. Both girls were outgoing and popular, and even in their early teen years were just the sweetest things you would ever want to be around. I often wondered when they were going to turn into the monsters at 13 that all teens seem to become, but it still hadn't happened. They helped around the house without being asked, and generally took care of their dad very well. That was good because Victoria traveled a lot as part of her job. Many of our friends jokingly asked if we wanted to trade children, ours were so sweet. As early as I can remember, both of the girls were adamant that they were going to be cheerleaders. And starting as soon as they could apply, they were. Both were very pretty, and being popular, it meant that there were always numerous beautiful and, for 13-14 years olds, sexy young girls running around the house all the time, in various stages of dress and undress. For whatever reason, Victoria and I were the most popular parents of all the cheerleaders, and combined with the popularity of our girls, our house was always full. Not that we minded. We loved kids, and the girls were mostly sweet and well behaved, with one big exception. They loved to try to embarrass me with their attitudes about dress. It wasn't unusual to walk into a room and find several pretty, young teenage girls in tee shirts and panties (on a few occasions minus the tee shirts) sitting on the floor talking. Of course, this always resulted in squeals (theirs, not mine!) and giggles as they ran for the bedroom. My two weren't as bad or as obvious, but they often played along too. Of course, the next day they would do it again, so I knew it was a game. Or, when taking a shower, they would "forget" their clothes and have to run giggling through the house in their panties and, sometimes, bras. Again, since my wife traveled a lot, it was usually just me around. The times when it happened when Victoria was around, she thought it was cute and just as funny as the girls did. Then she would mock scold them about how it wasn't nice to tease me, all the while smiling at them. Predictably, they giggled. Although I recognized that all of the girls were very pretty, their antics never really bothered me any. I knew my girls were stunningly beautiful, and their friends were almost as pretty. All right, as a dad I'm not exactly unbiased, but they really were. The point is that it never bothered me because I was just not into young girls sexually. Ok, I'm not dead - some of the prettier and more developed of them I would notice and maybe get a hard-on at the time (boy, they really giggled at that and turned the prettiest shades of red), but there was never a thought of being attracted to them. Cindi and Amy had always been affectionate, and still were at 13. Hardly a day would go by that they failed to sit in my lap or cuddle up next to me and tell me they loved me. They did the same with Victoria when she was around. Often they would fall asleep like that watching a movie. After a while, some of their friends also started cuddling with me, particularly a little cutie named Katie. She had just moved into town about a year before. Her dad wasn't around, and I got the impression that she was never close to him anyway. Actually, I got the impression she hated his guts and was glad he wasn't around. I guess I was a substitute. The first time she cuddled with me and called me daddy surprised me, but I was very touched. She was so embarrassed she turned bright red, but was relieved when I told her it was ok. I really got to like Katie a lot, and she became almost like another daughter to me. Of course, I was close to all the girls in the group, but Katie was special to me. For some reason Cindi and Amy were never close to Katie, even though she was really sweet and nice, but they had no objection to her being close to me or calling me daddy. They just always seemed rather reserved around her. They once implied that Katie was rumored to be loose with boys, but clammed up when I tried to find out more and never referred to it again. She was about 5', 90 lbs, long blond hair, small breasts, and actually looked much more like Cindi's twin than Amy did. You could even mistake one for the other if you saw them from behind. People who had never met the group before and knew there was a set of twins in the group usually assumed it was Cindi and Katie. One summer day I was at home, having taken the day off work. I had been working long hours, and needed a break. Victoria was out of town (again!) so I thought it would be nice to have Cindi and Amy come home to a parent instead of an empty house. At 13 they were old enough to take care of themselves (better than I could take care of myself!), but still, I should be around sometimes. Besides, something was going on with the girls that I was worried about, and I wanted to take some time to think about it. Cindi and Amy had always been best friends as well as sisters. They seldom went anywhere without the other. They even had to be cheerleaders together. They seemed to always be in tune with what the other was thinking or feeling. Even when they were young, they never fought. They played together, shared things, and just got along great. Cindi, being the "oldest", was fiercely protective of Amy, and they always covered each other's backs in anything they did. Therefore, I was particularly concerned that the last two weeks they had been fighting quite often. Since they had always been so good about working things out, I hadn't interfered, hoping it would resolve itself. I was petrified that my sweet, wonderful girls were finally turning into the teenage monsters so common among our acquaintances. Even the other girls noticed the tension and seemed uncomfortable at times. I noticed that it was always Cindi who started the fights, usually about stupid things that had never been a problem before. Ok, I'll admit, and everyone knew, that if I had a favorite, it was Amy, because she looked so much like her mom. I loved Cindi dearly, and I don't think I ever showed favoritism, but we all knew it was there. No one, including Cindi, minded - they were treated equally; she just knew that Amy was special to me and Cindi thought it was cool. I say this to make the point that I was sure I wasn't just blaming it on Cindi - I had observed several times when they didn't know I was listening to what was happening. Amy, being as laid back as she was, pretty much remained cool about it, but I could tell she was as confused as I was. I was also disturbed that over the last two weeks Cindi had stopped cuddling with me, wasn't sitting on my lap anymore, and in fact seemed to be avoiding all physical contact with me. I knew that the degree of contact with the girls would inevitably begin to taper off as they got older, but I wasn't ready for it yet, and I assumed it would occur slowly, not to this radical degree. I was wondering if I had done something wrong, but neither of the girls ever showed much reticence bringing it to my attention if I had done something stupid. Something was definitely wrong. I was sitting in the living room thinking about all of this and wondering what to do about it, if anything, when I heard something drop through the mail slot. When I went to check on it, I found a package lying on the floor. Whoever had pushed it through was long gone by the time I went to look. When I opened it, I found a video tape. There was no title, no note, nothing indicating what it was or whom it was from. Being curious, bored, and at a dead end as to what to do about the girls, I turned on the TV, put the tape in, and started watching it. I was shocked by what I saw, and at that moment my life changed forever. I sat, stunned, as I watched my sweet daughter Cindi being gang date raped by three boys she knew, one of which was her boyfriend. ------- Thanks to Tajod for his help in re-editing this chapter. All good things about it are mine and all mistakes are strictly his. Oh, wait ... that's not how that is supposed to go ... um ... I mean, all mistakes still in here are strictly mine. Yeah, that's it ... that's how it's supposed to go. ------- Chapter 2 The video started out harmless enough. Cindi was sitting on the couch with her boyfriend, watching TV in our basement. He had his arm around her, and occasionally they would kiss. A couple of times he would try to go a little farther, but she stopped him and told him no. Both Cindi and Amy had stated on several occasions when we talked about sex, (with my wife out of town so much, we talked about EVERYTHING when the time was right), that they weren't ready for any kind of sexual involvement. From the angle of the scenes, the camera was obviously in a room behind and to the right of the TV. It was also obvious from the quality of the tape that someone was manning the camera, or someone who set it up knew a lot about filming and lighting, etc ... It was also obvious that Cindi had no idea the camera was there. After a few minutes, Cindi's boyfriend got up, went into the kitchenette/bar, and asked her if she wanted anything to drink. He must have opened the back basement door, as when he came back he had two friends with him. Cindi was surprised and a little nervous, since she and Amy were home alone and she wasn't supposed to have her boyfriend there, but they were all friends, so she wasn't too worried. They started horsing around, kind of wrestling like they often did, Cindi was giggling and having a good time. Even when her boyfriend grabbed her ankles and one of the other boys grabbed her hands and stretched her out on the couch, she still thought it was funny and was playing along. It wasn't until her boyfriend started undoing the belt and button on her shorts, and the third boy began unbuttoning her blouse that she realized what was happening and started to panic. She struggled to get away. "What are you doing?" she squealed. "No, stop!" When they ignored her, she started to cry. "Please, no," she begged them. "Please, don't do this to me." Being 5' 1" and 90 lbs, there was nothing she could do to stop them and they soon had her completely naked on the couch. Her boyfriend spread her legs apart and went down on her, licking her pussy and sucking on her clit. The second boy was playing with and sucking her small but pretty little breasts and nipples, the third boy had his shorts off and was kneeling above her head, trying to push his hard cock into her mouth. He was holding her head with his hands, keeping her from turning away as she was trying to do. She was crying, begging them to stop. When the boy above her head told her to suck his cock, she whispered "No, never!" He didn't seem concerned at all. "That's ok, you don't have to." I could see the relief on her face, until he added, "We'll just go upstairs and get Amy and make her suck it. She's prettier than you; I would rather have her suck me off anyway". I saw a look of terror cross Cindi's face. "No, please, please don't hurt Amy," she whispered. "I'll do anything you want, just please don't hurt her!" He looked down at her expectantly as he touched the head of his cock to her lips once again. Cindi started sobbing, and after a minute slowly opened her lips and let him push his cock into her mouth. After several minutes of her boyfriend working her over with his mouth between her legs and licking her little asshole, I could tell from the video that Cindi was beginning to have another problem that she wasn't quite aware of yet. Her boyfriend was obviously not a beginner at oral sex, and her legs and hips were beginning to twitch and move as her body started to respond to his actions. He would suck her clit into his mouth, then run his tongue around it in tiny circles, first slow, then fast, and then slow again, all the while maintaining the suction. Then he would run his tongue back and forth rapidly across her clit, still maintaining the suction, front to back, back and forth, fast, and then slow. She wasn't aware that she had unconsciously spread her legs farther apart to give him more access. It was quickly obvious to me that she wouldn't be able to take much more without having a shattering orgasm. It didn't help that the second boy was really working on her nipples, and they were hard. The boy whose cock she was sucking told her to run her tongue across it, licking it as she sucked, and to rub his balls. She refused until he mentioned that he bet Amy would be really good at rubbing balls, and told the guy working on her breasts to go upstairs, wake her up, and bring her down. Cindi's response of, "No, please no!" was muffled by the cock in her mouth, and she immediately started licking and sucking, while she moved her hand up to rub his balls. When she sucked on just the head of his cock, she would stroke the rest of his shaft. I think she was trying to get him off as soon as possible to get it over with. As she continued to suck and lick him and fondle his balls, he started breathing heavily and moaning. Although she was a little awkward at first, it was clear she was a fast learner, and was really doing a good job on his cock. It was also clear from the look on her face and the tears rolling down her cheeks that this wasn't something she wanted to be doing. Clearly, she was trying to do the best job she could to protect Amy. The boy was enjoying it tremendously, moving his cock in and out to various depths, alternating between fast and slow strokes, varying the sensations as much as he could. He told her how to suck lightly, then harder just on the head, and how to lick around the head, making him moan in ecstasy. He even forced her to deep throat him a couple of times, but stopped that when it looked like she might throw up from the gag reflex. She really started sobbing when he made her lick his balls and ass hole. It wasn't long after that he announced he was going to cum. Cindi tried to take his cock out of her mouth, but he held the back of her head and told her if she didn't swallow it all he would do Amy next. By this time Cindi's whole body was shaking as she neared the first orgasm of her young life, at least the first one given her by someone other than herself. The third boy, about that time, shoved his cock deep into her mouth and came, filling her mouth with several shots of come. She sobbed as she swallowed it all. As he took his cock out of her mouth, she cried out desperately, "Oh, God, please stop, please don't do this to me!" He covered her mouth with his hand as her whole body convulsed as she came. She screamed, but his hand muffled it. Her boyfriend kept licking and sucking, holding her legs as she tried to get away, continuing to eat her and suck her clit with a finger inside her pussy. She came repeatedly, her back arching up off the couch. Finally, she collapsed back on the couch and lay there, sobbing and crying as she tried to catch her breath, shocked at how strongly her body had reacted. At that point, the two other boys backed off. Her boyfriend lay down on top of her petite body. He began kissing her, telling her he was so sorry, but she was so pretty, and he just had to have her. He began kissing her neck, kissing her mouth and forcing her lips open, playing with her tongue. He softly and gently stroked her hair, telling her he loved her and he was sorry. She was so traumatized that she began to respond to his "kindness". I was shocked as she stopped sobbing and cried less. Finally, her arms went around his neck and she began to kiss him back. Unfortunately for her, this was just the prelude to round two. As he kissed her and whispered to her, he had his legs in between her legs, so her legs were spread. As she closed her eyes and kissed him back, he reached down, took his cock, and in one stroke shoved it all the way up into her wet pussy. She screamed, but with him kissing her it was hardly heard. She was crying and sobbing again, begging him to stop, and then she seemed to lose all will to fight. It was obvious that she didn't want this to happen, but realized resistance was futile. Her boyfriend told her to wrap her legs around his waist, which she did without any resistance. After a while, he held her tightly and rolled over, so that she was on top. He held her down against his body so she couldn't get away. When the boy that had been playing with her nipples moved up to her mouth, she seemed resigned to what was happening. She turned her head towards him, taking his cock in her mouth without even being told to. She also began rubbing his balls, all the while with tears streaming down her face. The two of them continued to fuck her, pushing their cocks into her repeatedly, first slow, then fast, then slow again, alternating speeds and depths to keep her off balance. She continued to shake all over, moaning and whimpering as she tried unsuccessfully to keep her body from responding. She continued to be rocked by small orgasms as they worked on her, changing speeds and stopping occasionally to keep her from having a full orgasm. As the one boy finally came into her mouth, he merely said, "Remember Amy," and she swallowed it all, licking his cock clean as she rubbed his balls, crying all the while. As he took his cock out of her mouth, her boyfriend pulled her down against him again, holding her close, kissing her again. It was obvious why as I watched what she couldn't see. The boy whom she had originally sucked off had moved in behind her, and I saw him spreading Vaseline on his cock. As he started to push it into her ass, she cried into her boyfriend's mouth, "O God, no please don't, not that!" He held her tight as he pushed it all the way in, and they began a coordinated assault on her pussy and ass. She cried and begged for mercy, but they ignored her and continued to fuck her. As one pulled out, the other pushed in, so there was always a cock pushing up into her. The third boy once again put his cock in her mouth, forcing her to suck him. It wasn't long before her body began to betray her again, responding to the constant and varied stimulation. After a while, she struggled less as her ass became used to the invasion. She joined them in her second orgasm as they shot their sperm together into her pussy, ass and mouth. When they got up off her, I could see the relief in her face that it was all over. Then she cried out in anguish and despair as she realized they were just trading positions. Over the next two hours, I watched the three boys fuck my little girl in every conceivable way. Each one fucked her ass, mouth and pussy, usually all three being fucked together. I don't know how many times she came that night - I doubt she knew either. After a long time, they dressed and left her curled up in a ball on the couch, eyes closed and sobbing. She apparently never saw them take the camera with them. When the tape ended, I sat there on the couch in shock. My first thought was to find the bastards and kill them for violating my precious little girl. My second thought was, no wonder poor Cindi had been acting so strange and so upset all the time. As I sat there, I became aware of something that horrified me even more; I was turned on and excited by watching my little girl's body, watching her having orgasm after orgasm. Hating myself for it, I even watched it again. I hated the fact that she was being raped, but I was so turned on by her responses. I was turned on by a 13-year-old body, of my daughter no less, when young girls had never attracted me before. After watching it the second time, I shut off the VCR and TV, hid the tape where it couldn't be found, and sat back down on the couch. Then I cried my eyes out as I remembered what had happened to my precious little girl and what a degenerate I had become. ------- Chapter 3 After I cried myself out, I began to think about what I had seen and what it meant. I now knew why Cindi had been acting so strange. She no longer wanted me to touch her - I couldn't blame her for shying away from all men, even though it hurt to be classed with those animals. But maybe I should be, after enjoying what I had seen. Let me be perfectly clear on this point - I was not turned on at all by the fact that she was forced and raped. I was glad that it still horrified me - I don't know that I could have lived with myself if I had been turned on by that. No, it was the sight of her pretty little body, and the response of her body as she came, seeing her for the first time as a female, that turned me on. I could also see why she was fighting with Amy. Unfair as it may be, she was blaming Amy for many of the things that had happened to her. She had to suck cock and swallow cum to protect Amy. She had to rub balls, when she would rather have died than do all those things, all to protect Amy from being raped. In her upset state of mind she didn't realize that a) she would have been raped anyway. They would have raped Amy also, or if that was a bluff, forced Cindi to do it anyway. I suspect threatening to take Amy was a bluff - they were turned on by making her give in and do it of her "own free will". And b) She made the choice to protect Amy. I will always have a special love for Cindi for protecting my Amy like that, but it was not Amy's fault. She had nothing to do with it. My problem now was what to do about the whole situation. Obviously I felt we should go to the boys' parents and the police, but I felt that had to wait, since my wife was out of town (again!). God, there were times I hated her job, whatever it was! This had happened at least two weeks before, so another day or two wasn't going to matter. A bigger problem was how to go to the police and how to talk to Cindi about it without using the tape. She was traumatized enough - I really didn't want her to know that her rape had been videotaped and god knows who had seen it. Even worse, her daddy had seen it. I couldn't do that to her! I had to find another way. I suspected it hadn't been widely viewed by the boys at school or some of her friends would have known. Some of those girls knew everything that happened - it was uncanny. Someone other than the original boys had obviously seen it - it was unlikely they had delivered the tape to me. But, was this the original, or a copy? As good as the quality was, I suspected it was the original, but I couldn't be certain. I had to do something about that - I couldn't stand the thought of my baby finding out through some sick locker room gossip that her rape had been recorded. As often is the case when there seems to be no clear way to go, an opportunity presented itself the same day to deal with the situation with Cindi. That evening Cindi and Amy had another fight. This one was bad enough that it finally got to sweet, gentle Amy, who never got upset about anything. I heard the whole thing, and again it was Cindi that started it. That made sense to me now. Amy got so mad she stomped out of the room, yelling, "Go to hell, bitch!" and slammed the door. I thought Amy was going to die when she stomped into the living room and saw me sitting there looking at her. What you have to understand about Amy is that she's the original goody two shoes. Except with her, it's all genuine. Until that day I had never heard her say a bad word, even "damn" or "hell". I didn't know she knew such words, much less "bitch". I doubt her mouth was capable of saying, "fuck", if she even knew the word. She stopped dead in her tracks, a look of horror on her face, turned bright red, mumbled, "I'm sorry, Daddy", and then announced she'd had enough and she was going over to Rebecca's house, three doors down. She very quietly walked out of the house, closing the door softly behind her. I waited about 10 minutes for things to calm down then I called Cindi into the room to talk to her. She walked in belligerent, angry, snotty, with a chip on her shoulder, and snapped "WHAT?" She knew she was in trouble as she was as shocked by Amy's outburst as I had been. At first, I was mad that she would act that way towards me, but I was immediately sorry for that reaction. My heart just melted for this poor little girl and what she had gone through. I called her over to me. When she stomped close enough, I reached out, grabbed her hand, and pulled her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her, and hugging her. I saw the surprise in her eyes. She was sure she was going to be chewed out, not hugged. She tried to pull out of my arms, but I wouldn't let her go. She looked at me with moist eyes and said, "Please let go of me, Dad." I thought I would stop breathing when she said that, but I held on to her and asked, "What's wrong, Cindi?" "Nothing," she replied in a surly tone. "Why do you think something's wrong?" "Well, it could be that you've been a total bitch to Amy tonight. It could be that you have been that way for about two weeks now, or it could be that you won't let your Daddy touch you, your Daddy who loves you more than he can even tell you. Which one do you want to pick?" "Dad (Oh god, when did I become dad instead of Daddy?), Amy is such a snot. I'm so tired of..." "Cindi, cut the bullshit. I heard the whole thing tonight, as well as several over the last two weeks. You've started every one. Now, are you going to tell me what is going on?" She gave me a glare that would've put me in the grave if looks could kill, but said nothing. I shrugged my shoulders and smiled at her. "You know, Cindi, I haven't had a cuddle with you for two weeks, and I've really missed it. If you want to sit here on my lap all night, that's fine with me. I'm rather enjoying holding you, but I'm not letting you go until you talk to me". Suddenly the dam broke. She laid her head on my shoulder and cried, sobbing her little heart out. I held her, stroked her hair, and told her how much I loved her. I didn't tell her it was going to be ok because I knew it might never be ok for my little girl again. She sobbed her heart out for 15 minutes or so, not seeming to be able to stop. Finally she wiped her tears on my shirt, looked at me, and wailed, "Oh, god, Daddy, I don't want to be a slut, I don't want to be a whore!" She started to cry again. When she finally stopped crying again, I asked her what was wrong. What did she mean by what she said? "Oh Daddy, I'm so ashamed." Haltingly she began to tell me what had happened to her two weeks ago. I played ignorant, not letting on I knew all about it. That might seem cruel, making her relive it when I could have saved her the time, but I felt it was important for her to talk. I couldn't let her know I had seen her "shame"; I might have lost her forever if I let her know that. She told it straight down the line, even about how she couldn't stop the orgasms. She cried as she told me how hard she had tried to keep her body from responding, but she just couldn't help it. As she talked, I began to realize that she thought she was a slut and a whore because her body had responded. I explained very carefully how it was possible for a male who knew what they were doing to make a female have an orgasm whether she wanted to or not. I explained how that didn't make her a slut. I told her that she had been raped, and that nothing her body did after she said no changed that. I spent a lot of time holding her, letting her know she was loved, that not all men were like that, and that it was not her fault. After quite awhile, she began to believe me. Then I started to work on the other problem. "Cindi, you need to stop blaming Amy for what happened to you." "I'm not!" "Yes, you are, honey. I'm so proud of you for protecting her, and I will always love you in a special way for what you sacrificed to protect her, but she had nothing to do with it and it wasn't her fault. You've been mean to her because they used threatening her to get you to cooperate, and you're blaming her for that. It's not fair." Her eyes got very big. "Am I really doing that?" We talked it out for a while, and then we just cuddled, with her on my lap, her head on my shoulder, and our arms around each other. We stayed like that for such a long time I thought she had gone to sleep, she was so relaxed in my arms. When the front door opened Cindi immediately sat up as Amy walked in. I saw Amy's eyes open wide as she saw Cindi sitting in my lap, so obviously the opposite from the way she had been lately. Then Cindi jumped up, ran over to Amy, threw her arms around her in a tight hug, and started crying. "Oh, god, Amy, I'm so sorry I've been so mean to you, I love you so much, please forgive me, I know it wasn't your fault, I'm sorry." She kept asking Amy to forgive her and saying she was sorry. Amy looked at me over Cindi's shoulder, confusion in her eyes, and mouthed to me "what?" I mouthed back, "just go with it," and she shrugged her shoulders and hugged Cindi back, telling her it was ok, she loved her too. They went into the other room together, and I slumped back down on the couch, breathing a big sigh of relief, totally exhausted. I knew we, and Cindi, weren't out of the woods yet. One hour or two of talking wasn't going to solve all of Cindi's problems, but at least, for the first time since I saw that movie, I was beginning to have hope. ------- Chapter 4 It was a Tuesday when I had my talk with Cindi and she and Amy had their big hug fest. Victoria came home very late Wednesday night, actually in the wee hours of Thursday morning, so I didn't have a chance to talk to her until Thursday night. I made some excuse to send Amy over to Rebecca's house Thursday night; as far as I knew, she knew nothing about all of this and I was trying to shield her from it all. I was hoping she bought the excuse - yeah, right. The girl is a certifiable genius. I knew it was likely I was the only one who was fooled. I told Victoria about the rape, omitting any information about the movie. We called Cindi into the room and Victoria talked to her about what had happened. Although Victoria has always been very calm and laid back at all times, I was still surprised at how calmly she took all of this. When she turned to look at me during the conversation, I saw her eyes, and I got goose bumps all over - I was scared. Before I started my career in the medical profession I had been trained, and worked, as a law enforcement officer in a very specialized branch of work that received highly specialized training. I don't scare easily. Victoria normally has very expressive eyes. When she smiles, she lights up the whole room, and when she is just acting normal, without smiling, her eyes only light up half the room. This time when she looked at me, her eyes were flat and devoid of all expression. I had seen that look in her eyes once before, a year earlier, when three men tried to hurt Amy. I will never forget that look, nor what she did to those men while I moved Amy to safety and before I could get back to help. The thought suddenly popped into my head that I was glad I wasn't one of those boys I figured we would go to the police on Friday, but Victoria announced that she had to be out of town Friday and all the weekend. I'm ashamed to say that was one of the few times I've ever been really irritated with her. I asked her if someone else could do it and was even crass enough to imply that her family ought to be more important than anything else. She looked like I had slapped her in the face, then stared at me with big sad eyes. "Don't you think I want to be there for Cindi"? She looked like she was going to cry, and Victoria never cries. My heart melted; I loved this woman so much, how could I even think of implying what I did? "I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean that, I was just ... I don't know why I said it. I know you love the girls as much as I do. I'm sorry, it's been a very trying couple of days." The smile she gave me was forgiveness enough. The other reason I had been so short with her was I also had to be out of town for my job all weekend. I really didn't want Cindi to be alone while we were both away. Cindi seemed the sanest of all of us and decided that she and Amy would stay at their grandparents for the weekend. She insisted it was ok - after all, she had been alone for two weeks anyway because she was avoiding or fighting with everyone. It wouldn't hurt to be with her grandparents for two days Amy came home a little while later from Rebecca's house, and as she walked by me she asked in a quiet voice that no one else could hear, "Did you get it all straightened out?" Damn! Like I said, certifiable genius. I don't know why I even try to fool her. She never did ask what it was all about, though. Victoria wouldn't get back into town until late Monday night. Since I would be back Sunday, I told her parents to drop the kids off at the house about two hours before I got home, as they had a scheduling conflict for those two hours. When I walked into the house Sunday afternoon I knew immediately something was wrong. Cindi was locked in her room, crying, and Amy was almost beside herself, as close to panic as I had ever seen her. When I asked her what was wrong, she had trouble speaking coherently, but finally managed to say that Cindi had read something in the paper, ran into her room crying, and refused to open the door. I told Amy to go to her room and wait there for me until I called her. She rolled her eyes at me as if I was just the biggest dork in the world, stamped her foot in frustration and stomped into her room. Amy doesn't get upset often, but when she does, she makes sure you know all about it. And when she gives you that eye roll, you feel about 2 inches tall... I finally got Cindi to open the door and sat down next to her on the bed. She immediately hugged me tightly. "Cindi, honey, what's wrong? Amy is almost out of her mind with worry." "It's them, Daddy," and she handed me the paper. The front-page story was of a SUV with three teenage boys in it traveling at high speed, running off the road late Saturday night on a deserted stretch of highway. All three boys were killed instantly. I recognized the pictures of all three from the movie I'd seen, although I didn't let on that I knew who they were. The paper mentioned that an investigation was still ongoing, as there was some suspicion their car might have been forced off the road. I felt chills go up and down my body. After the look in Victoria's eyes on Thursday night, then the sudden unscheduled trip out of town, I sincerely hoped the sudden thought I had wasn't true. Things seemed to return pretty much to normal over the next two weeks. Cindi and Amy were best friends again, Cindi seemed much happier, although she had occasional moody periods, and Victoria was back to out of town much of the time. Like I said, back to normal. I've never been able to figure out how all of us can love her so much. The whole family gets along so well and functions so well, even when she is seldom around. Just shows how truly special she is. There was one thing that occurred during those two weeks, a change that ended up being very significant, although I didn't realize its significance until later. Monday night we all went to bed as usual. Victoria wasn't getting back until late Monday night. About two hours after I went to sleep I suddenly woke up. Something was different. Then I realized that someone was in bed with me, snuggled up alongside me. At first, I thought Victoria had arrived home early, but then realized that was probably not it, as she always wakes me up, usually in a very delightful way. We usually stay in bed for the first day or two she is home, making up for lost time. The girls walk around the house going "EWWWW!" and making gagging noises, but they really think it's "cute" and usually keep us in food until we rejoin the living. They do blush a lot, and seem to forget how to talk when they bring the food into the room, though. They are so pretty when they blush! I also realized the body was too small to be Victoria, so I figured it was Amy. She's always been terrified of thunderstorms and jumps in bed with us every time we have one. I hadn't heard any thunder. Then I realized it was Cindi. I was on my back, and she was snuggled up close, with her head on my shoulder and her hand on my chest, sound asleep. I stroked her hair and kissed her forehead and she smiled in her sleep. Poor little thing. When Victoria got home, she found us asleep together, in the same position. I started to move Cindi back into her own bed, but Victoria said she should stay where she felt safe, and besides, it looked so darned cute. In the morning, before the alarms went off, I woke her up (quite a feat in itself - these girls HATE to get up in the morning), kicked her out of bed, swatted her butt and told her to hit the shower. She looked at me with this fake hurt look, but giggled all the way to the shower. The same thing happened the next night, and every night during the next two weeks. Cindi would go to sleep in her own bed, then sneak into my room after I was asleep. On the days when Victoria was home, she would crawl in between us and cuddle up to one or the other of us. For some reason it was important for me to get her out of my bed before Amy woke up. I don't know if it was because I was afraid Amy would be jealous, or if I was just uncomfortable with the situation, knowing my reaction when I saw the movie. It didn't bother me that Cindi was in the bed - it just bothered me that Amy would know. The fourth night it happened. Amy got up to go to the bathroom before the alarms went off and saw me booting Cindi out of bed. I must have looked embarrassed, and must have stumbled around trying to explain, because Amy gave me one of her famous eye rolls. "Geez, Dad, chill out will you? It's not like I don't know Cindi's been sleeping with you every night." Then she got an impish little smile on her face. "Is there something going on between the two of you that I should know about?" she whispered theatrically. "AMY! That isn't funny!" I said as she practically rolled on the floor laughing - SHE sure thought it was funny! "You are just too easy," she choked out between laughs. "Cindi's been going through a hard time lately and needs some extra love and attention," I explained. "Oh. You mean because of the rape?" She was serious now, whispering. I swear, my heart stopped beating. Certifiable genius. God I love her! "How did you know about that"? I gasped, panic setting in. Eye roll. "Geez, Dad, I'm not stupid. I heard about it at school." Dad. That meant I was being a dork again. Now I was really panicking. "Oh, God, Amy, we have to stop that from getting around! We can't let Cindi hear about it; she'll just die if she finds out people know." Then I got scared again. Amy gave me a cold little smile, her eyes taking on that same flat, expressionless look as Victoria's last Thursday when she found out about the rape. Where did my sweet little baby with the sweet smile and twinkling, expressive eyes go? "Don't worry, Daddy, I took care of it. No one will ever mention it again." "Amy ... What ... did you do?" Her eyes were back to normal, and she had that cute, impish little grin again. "Remember Robert, the football player that you think it's so cute that he has a crush on me? Well, he really has a crush on Cindi; he just hangs around me because he's too shy to talk to Cindi and that way he can be around her. I haven't told Cindi yet because it's so funny watching the two of them dance around each other. God, my sister can be such a dork sometimes. When I heard the rumor about the rape, I told him. I have never seen somebody so mad before. He only had to break one nose before he knew that there was only one copy of the movie, it had disappeared, and only one guy, besides the three involved, the one whose nose he broke, had seen it. He assured me that no one will ever mention it again," she giggled. "Amy, Cindi must never know there was a movie." I said. Then I realized what I had said. Oops. No question about what movie, no surprise. Smart. Damn. Maybe she would miss it. Certifiable genius. Her eyes widened briefly, she looked at me for a couple of seconds, then she got a sad look on her face. "How was the movie? It was hard for you to watch it, wasn't it? "Hmmm ... so, did you run those guys off the road, or was it Mommy?" she asked quietly. Something in my face must have told her something, as she reached up, put her arms around me in a big hug and kissed my cheek. Then she walked away. I was desperately hoping she would never figure out the other reason I was upset about watching it. I knew I hadn't run those kids off the road; I wished I could be sure Victoria had nothing to do with it. I was worried, though. I already knew from experience you do not mess with her babies. One night, about two weeks after Cindi had started to sneak in bed with me, I was sound asleep having a wonderful dream. Victoria had come home early and was in bed with me, playing with me. She was very passionately kissing me, rubbing my chest with one hand, with her other hand inside my underwear, softly, gently rubbing my cock and balls. As I woke up I began to realize that this wasn't a dream. Victoria really had come home early, and she really was playing with me. I was thrilled! I reached out my hand to rub her breast, and suddenly felt cold all over. Victoria has small breasts, but not that small. Her body wasn't that small, either. Trying not to panic and scar somebody for life about sex, I slowly opened my eyes to look into the nervous, tentative smile of my daughter Cindi. ------- Chapter 5 To say I was shocked would have been the understatement of the year. Hell, the century. Here I was laying front to front with one of the two cutest 13 year old girls in the whole world, and one I had seen completely naked involved in about every sex act you could imagine, albeit forced. She was kissing me, tongue in my mouth, softly rubbing my chest as she softly, gently, slowly rubbed my raging hard on and very sensitive balls. I guess I should have felt lucky - at least she wasn't sucking me. Oh, and I forgot to mention one other small detail - SHE WAS MY DAUGHTER! And she was NAKED! Completely naked! I slowly broke the kiss, trying to be nonchalant. I knew I had to get her hand out of my underwear, and very soon, or I was going to be in big trouble. It just felt way too good, raging guilt or not. The problem was, this poor girl had been badly traumatized by her recent gang rape. If I followed my first instincts and asked her what the FUCK she thought she was doing, she might never recover to lead a normal sex life again. I reached down and gently pulled her hand out of my underwear, bringing it slowly up to my mouth and kissing her fingertips. I knew kissing her fingertips might give her the impression I wanted to go further (Oh god, did I?), but on the other hand, it would get her hand out of there without embarrassing or upsetting her. Hah! Sometimes we mere mortal adults win out over the brilliant teenagers; she smiled sweetly and did not seem too upset or embarrassed. She had a nervous little smile on her face, though. She was afraid she might be in big trouble, and I don't think she knew what she wanted to say next. She obviously had a plan, but I had no idea what the hell it was! Still keeping with the concept of not traumatizing the poor little girl any more than necessary, but also trying not to become the close, intimate friend of a large inmate named Bubba, I looked at Cindi and said, "Hi." I can be downright wordy and eloquent when I want to be! "Hi," she said back. Well, she is my daughter, and I've taught her well about effective, high level communicating! "So, what's up?" I asked. Oh God! Brilliant! Please don't let her be the smart ass that I know Amy wouldn't resist being in these circumstances. Her eyes twinkled briefly before she had mercy on me. "I couldn't sleep," she said. Giggle. "Great! Now I can't either". "I'm sorry," she giggled nervously, sounding anything but. "No, you're not. So, what's on your mind, honey?" "Well, Daddy, remember when we talked and you said that a guy who ... um ... knew what he was ... um ... doing could make a girl ... um ... feel ... um ... things that she didn't want to and she couldn't stop it and it wasn't her fault and it didn't mean that she was a slut or anything like that cause she really couldn't help it and she really really tried to stop it but she just couldn't so it really didn't mean anything? Remember?" I reached over and tickled her sides, making her squeal. "Wow! And you said all that in one breath? Yes, I remember". "Well, I understood what you said, and I even agreed with it, but it just doesn't feel that way. I still feel dirty and awful. But I figured out why and what to do about it," she said proudly as her face brightened. I hate it when these girls figure something out. It is never good news for me. "See, it's because I had such a bad experience for my first time which shouldn't have even happened yet and I felt so guilty and it was just terrible and it's all I have to remember and I have nothing to compare it to and every time I remember it is just so icky and I just think EWWWW and..." 'breathe, Cindi' I silently implored, "so I decided I just need to do it again with someone sweet and wonderful and who will be gentle and make me feel good and make it all right again and who loves me ... and then I can just forget about icky and EWWW and just remember wonderful." She looked at me brightly, nodding her head in agreement with her words, as if she had just discovered the secrets of the universe and it was just so obvious. I was getting a headache. My only excuse for the next bit of stupidity was that I was still half-asleep and still in shock from feeling my 13-year-old daughter's hand on my cock. "Cindi, dear, you know I feel that you are too young to be having sex. Just because it was forced on you the first time doesn't mean you should continue down that road." I could see the sadness starting to take over. "But, on the other hand, I really can't watch over you 24 hours a day, and if you are determined to do this, I guess I can't really stop you." Here comes the aforementioned stupidity. "So, who's the lucky guy you have in mind?" Hell, don't ask me what I was thinking or where my brain was. Here she was in bed with me, naked, had been kissing me, rubbing my chest, fondling and stroking my balls and cock until I stopped her, she says she wants to have sex with someone who loves her, and I brilliantly ask who she has in mind! Then I'm shocked when she says, "It's you, Daddy," as if it was the most natural thing in the world to say. At least she didn't roll her eyes at me as if I was the biggest dork in the world and say "duh"! There are some things Cindi will pass on that Amy would never be able to resist. I'm not sure how I kept from having a heart attack right there. Running in circles, screaming and shouting in panic sounded good right about then, too. But I kept my cool. This was my little girl's psyche we were dealing with here, and I had to be careful. I smiled sweetly at her, although I am sure the shock must have shown on my face. She DID have my undivided attention now. "Cindi, that's just so sweet of you to say that, and believe me, I am so touched that you thought of me. But I can't do that, honey. You're my daughter, not to mention 13 years old. I could never take advantage of you like that. I'm sorry." Her eyes were instantly filled with tears. "Don't you love me enough to do that? Aren't I pretty enough? I know I'm not as pretty as Amy, but..." "Cindi," I interrupted, "this has nothing to do with loving you or how pretty you are or Amy. You know you and Amy and your Mom are the most important things in life to me; I love you more than life itself. You and Amy are the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. But it would not be right. I could get in a lot of trouble. You might think it would help, but it would just hurt you in the end. "This isn't the answer, sweetie." "I knew you would say that" she whispered sadly. "But it isn't taking advantage of me if I want it and am asking you for it and I promise I would never tell anyone, not even Amy, I promise, honest, and we could just do it this one time, just to remove my bad memories, and I promise I would never ask you to do it again if you didn't want to, just this once, and you could even just lay there and I would do all the work so that you wouldn't have to feel guilty, it would be all me and I wouldn't tell anyone not ever. I promise, Daddy, I just know this would make me feel so much better and help me so much." Irrationally, in the middle of this crisis, my first thought was that someone really needed to teach this girl about sentence structure and run-on sentences. How had she ever gotten straight A's in English? She looked at me with those big, sad, incredible blue eyes. I have never been able to resist that look, and she knew it, but I just had to this time; I could not do this. "Cindi, I'm sorry, I can't do this. Please, just drop it and go back to sleep." "Ok. I love you, Daddy." She smiled shyly. "Can I still sleep here tonight?" "Yes, you can, but you have to promise me you won't do anything more like you woke me up with. And put your tee shirt and panties back on!" "Spoilsport," she giggled as she got dressed, then cuddled up close, laid her head on my shoulder, closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. "Good night, Daddy," she whispered. Too bad I didn't notice at the time what you have undoubtedly already noticed; she didn't promise! About two hours later, I woke up, again to some incredible feelings. Cindi, naked again, was kneeling between my legs. My underwear had somehow been removed. She was softly, gently, slowly rubbing my cock and balls again. She looked up into my eyes with an innocent little smile, looking so happy and proud of herself, and said, "Hi, Daddy!" "Ciindii! I thought we agreed that you wouldn't do that anymore?" "You agreed, Daddy, I didn't. I didn't promise," she giggled. "But..." She reached up and put her finger across my lips. "Oh, Daddy, shut up," she said sweetly. Then she sucked my cock into her lovely, warm, moist mouth, and I was lost forever. Thanks to Tajod for his editing and proofreading help. ------- Chapter 6 When Cindi sucked my cock into her mouth, my brain just exploded into nothingness. I could not think, talk, move; it was as if I was electrocuted as sparks exploded throughout my body. Victoria and I have always had a great sex life, and she was great at oral sex, but I had never felt anything like this. Maybe it was because it was forbidden sex, I don't know, but it was different. I tried one more time to stop this, putting my hands on her head to push it away, and whispering, "No, Cindi, we can't!" She refused to move her head, just softly stroked my hands and arms. Soon I was stroking her hair instead of pushing her away. When she looked up at me, I could see a gentle smile in her eyes, as if she knew she had won. If nothing else, Cindi's rape had certainly taught her how to suck cock. She sucked softly on the head, stroking the shaft and massaging my balls, then ran her hot little tongue around the head in little circles. Then she took the shaft into her mouth, as far as she could, licking the underneath with her tongue while sucking. She alternated between fast and slow, driving me crazy. It did not take me long until I was ready to fill her mouth, but just as I was about to cum, she stopped and lay on top of me, kissing my neck and lips. When I opened my eyes, she looked at me with her cute little impish smile and asked me if I enjoyed that. I could only grunt in frustration. She laughed and said since this was the only time she would get to do this, she was going to make it last. I just hoped I would survive! She started jacking me off, slowly and gently, stroking my whole shaft while again rubbing my balls. Once more I was ready to come, but she stopped again. She kissed me long and deep, playing with my tongue while slowly rubbing and stroking my stomach and chest. Then she asked me if I wanted her to quit. I swatted her butt and told her she was mean. She giggled, then moved down and swallowed my cock again. I thought I was going to die. After teasing me this way for about an hour, she asked me if I wanted to cum in her mouth. I was so far gone by this time I begged her to let me. She grinned at me sweetly, and said, "Anything for my Daddy!" Then she started sucking me slowly, very softly, so softly I could barely feel her mouth. She did not stop this time, as I exploded into her mouth, but she kept moving very slowly. I must have passed out for a second as I came, because the next thing I knew, Cindi had lowered herself down onto my still hard cock and had taken me inside of her. I panicked. A blowjob was bad enough, but I could not have intercourse with my little girl! "No, Cindi, please don't," I moaned, and tried to push her off, but she lay down on top of me and put her arms around my shoulders to hold on. She started slowly moving up and down, driving me further up inside her, until I was buried all the way. Then she just held me tightly and whispered softly to me, "It's ok, it's alright, you're not molesting me; I want this so bad. Make love to me, Daddy. Show me what it can be like. I love you Daddy. Love your little girl." She kept whispering to me as she started moving again. I finally stopped fighting her and started moving with her. I could not have stopped then even if I wanted to. I kept whispering repeatedly how much I loved her; she whispered back, "I know, Daddy". Since I had already cum once, she was farther along than I was. I watched as my little girl had her first consensual orgasm. She held me and cried out softly as her whole body shook. I held her tight and kept pushing up into her as her movements became too spastic for her to keep a rhythm. I kept it up until she came again, and this time I came with her. We fell asleep with my cock still inside her. When I woke up, Cindi was laying on top of me, her beautiful hair scattered all over the place. As I became aware of my surroundings I remembered what we had done. I was afraid my greatest fear was going to happen - there was no way I could limit this to just once. I saw her looking at me, smiling, but with a worried look on her face. I started to speak, but she put her finger across my lips to silence me. "No, I will not let you be sorry, you have nothing to be sorry for. I love you, Daddy, that was so wonderful, and if this is our only time together I am not going to let you waste it on nonsense. Now kiss me!" How could I resist an offer like that? I kissed her, and then I started tickling her. She shrieked and squealed, laughing hysterically. I pushed her over on her back and with no warning, put my head between her legs and sucked her clit into my mouth, while putting my other hand over her mouth. She was so surprised she screamed into my hand. I figured we had to keep the noise down a little, as Amy was sleeping in her room. Fortunately, nothing except thunderstorms wakes her up. As I kept sucking and licking her, she screamed, "Oh God, Daddy!" and exploded into another orgasm. I continued to suck and lick her, driving her to two more orgasms before she begged me to stop. I moved up on top of her, spreading her legs apart and kissed her deeply, playing with her tongue, then I slowly slid my cock all the way into her pussy as I reached down and sucked her nipple into my mouth. She was so wet I slid in easily, even though she was very tight. It helped also that I'm only 6 inches, just the right size for little teenage girls. I felt her jerk and tremble. Her arms flew around my neck and she whispered, "Oh Daddy, again?" I slowly moved in and out of her, and soon she wrapped her legs around me, holding me tight and whispering my name repeatedly. We made slow and gentle love for a long time, and when we finally came together it was more like a gentle rainstorm than an explosion. My girls have always been cuddly, but this last time seemed to have turned on the cuddle gene big time for Cindi. She just kept kissing my face, neck, shoulders, rubbing her hands down my body, whimpering nonstop. Finally, I turned over and let her lay on top of me again. That was how we were still laying when the alarm went off. Amy was a little worried about us the next day. She told me Cindi had fallen asleep twice in class, and then Cindi and I both fell asleep on the couch watching a move, Cindi on one side of me and Amy on the other. I woke up to find that Cindi had gone to bed. Amy was sitting on my lap with her arms around my neck, kissing my cheek. "Daddy, are you ok? You never fall asleep during movies". "I'm just tired, honey. I didn't sleep well last night." She giggled. "Yeah, Cindi can be hard to sleep with sometimes. Both of you falling asleep? What were you guys doing last night?" she smirked. Fortunately, she was not looking at me when she said that, as I am sure my face was a remarkable sight. She apparently was just joking, as she continued to prattle on about Amy nonsense for a few more minutes while I got my heart under control. I sincerely hoped she did not figure this one out. Right. What were the chances? Certifiable genius. After a few more minutes, she got up, grabbed my hand, and pulled me up from the couch. "C'mon, Daddy, time to go to bed". I groaned; I was so tired I didn't think I could walk into the bedroom and asked her to just let me sleep on the couch. Nope - she refused - Amy always knows best, don't you know? She walked me into the bedroom, sat me down on the bed, and started unbuttoning my shirt, taking it off for me. When she started on my pants, I decided I was not ready for her to do this for me, especially after last night with Cindi, but she just slapped my hands and told me to stay out of the way. She undressed me to my underwear, pushed me down into the bed, and covered me up. Then she walked over to the other side of the bed, crawled under the sheet, and snuggled up to me. "Good night, Daddy," she whispered as she spooned up to me, holding me close. As she moved her hand away from me to pull the sheet over her, her hand accidentally brushed against my, now, hard cock. I was mortified; what was wrong with me? Please, I silently begged, not with Amy too! Not little sweet, innocent Amy. She didn't seem to react, and I thought for a moment that she was not aware of what had happened, or she was choosing to ignore it. Right. As if Amy would ever pass up an opportunity to tease. What planet do you live on? As she cuddled up again, she kissed my ear softly, whispered, "Missing Mom a lot, are you?" and giggled. Was there no end to the supply of giggles for a teenage girl? "I'm sorry, Amy. I couldn't help it." She suddenly got serious. "I'm sorry for teasing you, I know you miss Mom and I know I remind you of her a lot. It's ok; I think it's a compliment that you react that way". She hesitated for a minute. "You know, Daddy, we love you a lot, we always will, no matter what. There is nothing you could do to make that change. You take care of us and make us so happy, and we would do anything to make you happy too. Whatever it is that is worrying you, Daddy, its ok. Really." Then she kissed me. Oh, please, don't let her have figured it out already. Please let this little genius have at least one blind spot! "Besides," she whispered, "I think it's kind of neat that you get hard around me thinking about Mom. Don't worry; I won't take advantage of you!" She giggled hysterically, then snuggled up and went to sleep. Later, when I woke up, she was gone, back in her own bed. Cindi didn't come to my bed that night, nor did she for the next 10 days. Maybe her idea had worked, as she seemed much happier, more cuddly again. I realized to my astonishment that I rather missed her in my bed. She was such a sweetheart, so pretty, and I loved her a lot. Cuddling was the thing I missed most about Victoria's absences. The next 10 days were uneventful. Cindi seemed to be almost deliriously happy, laughing and, yes, giggling incessantly. She teased Amy a lot, and even played a couple of practical jokes on her; things she rarely did. Cindi was usually much too serious for that. After one particularly funny practical joke, that cracked us all up, Amy looked at me and gave me her famous "What?" look. I shrugged my shoulders. I figured I knew what it was due to, but I was not going to tell Amy. When Amy and I were alone for a few minutes, she whispered, "What's up with Cindi?" "I don't know, but I like it better than the other way!" I whispered back On the tenth day after our liaison, Cindi seemed kind of quiet and withdrawn that evening. Amy and I looked at each other with the same expression - Uh oh. Cindi was nice, not bitchy, just quiet and subdued. Later that night, as I was about to fall asleep, I felt someone crawl into bed with me. I wondered who it was - when Cindi had stopped sleeping with me, Amy had snuggled up to me a couple of nights. I didn't know if she was jealous, or just sensed that I missed the snuggling I had been getting before. It could be both - it was almost uncanny how Amy could often read people's emotions. I waited for whoever it was to snuggle up to my back, but they didn't. When I turned around to look, Cindi was laying there, big sad eyes wet with unshed tears, hands clasped to each other across her chest, and trembling like a leaf. Thanks to Tajod for his editing and proofreading help. ------- Chapter 7 I was alarmed. I had not seen Cindi this upset since the big talk weeks ago. I scooted over, wrapped her up in my arms, and kissed her forehead. I could feel her shaking all over. "What's wrong, Cindi? Has someone scared you or hurt you? Did you have a nightmare? Talk to me, sweetie." "Oh, God, Daddy, you are going to hate me so much, I'm such a baby, I tried so hard, I just can't do it, I'm so sorry..." She started crying. "Cindi, stop it dear. Take a deep breath, slow down, and tell me what you are taking about." "W ... well, r ... remember when I wanted you to make love to me and you said no and I tricked you and made you do it anyway and I think you were a little mad but I could tell you really enjoyed it cause you came really good 'n so did I and it was really nice and I was so happy after we spent all night ... um ... you know ... doing it ... and I said I would never touch you again if you didn't want..." I put my hand over her mouth. "Cindi, take a breath, you're turning blue. You can start a new sentence every now and then, you know." "Oh, Daddy, you're teasing me!" No, I wasn't - she was turning blue! "Anyway, I really tried to stay away from you but I just miss you and cuddling with you and doing other things so much that I just can't stand it I'm such a baby and Amy saw I was so unhappy today and I hadn't cuddled with you for a long time and she told me to come see you tonight..." Uh oh! "Amy told you to come see me?" "Yeah, she said whenever she is down she cuddles with you and that cheers her up. Course, I think she was just lying to cheer me up 'cause Amy's never down". "Cindi, I think you are misremembering what was said. You never said you would never touch me again - you said we would never do what we did again if I didn't want to." "I know, but I just don't think I can just cuddle with you and not want to do more. And I want to cuddle so badly!" What a mess! I didn't know what to do. All I knew was I loved this little girl, and she had gotten such a rotten deal. I couldn't stand to see her unhappy. She had really seemed happy the last week or so, and if making her happy meant breaking a rule now and then, which I had already broken once, maybe I should. If anyone ever found out, would it really matter how many times we had done it? All I knew was I could not leave her this way. I did the only thing I could think of to do. I kissed her. Long. Hard. And passionately. I teased her lips open, and played with her tongue. I kissed her for probably five minutes, and when we finally broke the kiss, we were both breathing so hard we could hardly talk. "Daddy? What was that for?" "It means that I release you from your promise, Cindi. I will be there for you anytime you need me." Suddenly I had 90 lbs of squirming, deliriously happy, incredibly soft and smooth Cindi-flesh in my arms, kissing me everywhere and gushing enthusiastically. "Oh, thank you, Daddy, thank you, you are so sweet and I love you so much and I promise I'll act normal and never tell anyone and I'll make you feel so good and you make me feel so good and I promise I'll get better..." I did the only thing I could think of to shut her up and keep her from hyperventilating - I kissed her. Her hand started to head south on my body. She looked at me quizzically when I stopped her. I rolled her over on her back. "It's your turn, Cindi. Tonight is just for you," I said, as I kissed her again and stroked her hair. "Oh, goody! Poor me!" That night I showed Cindi what it really was like to make love. I took it nice and slow and gentle with her, no matter how much she begged me to hurry up. I wanted her to know how good it felt to be truly loved. I kissed her, stroked her hair, kissed her neck, nibbled and sucked on her ears lobes, sticking my tongue in her ear. I know this will shock you, it is so unexpected from Cindi, but - that made her giggle! Imagine that! By the time I started to kiss down her chest, heading for her nipples, she was already squirming all over the place and asking me to go inside her. "Calm down, girl. We've got a long ways to go yet before I'm inside you." "Why are you being so mean to me?" she whimpered, but I could tell she was teasing and was really enjoying my attentions. "Mean, huh? I'll show you mean!" I said, as I sucked her nipple into my mouth and bit it gently. She squeaked, then held my head close to her, closing her eyes and stroking my hair as she tried to remember how to breathe. I spent a lot of time sucking, licking and playing with her breasts. Apparently, she had sensitive breasts. I was not surprised - Victoria has sensitive breasts also (I wonder if Amy's ... stop it!) Cindi had a small orgasm just from me working on her breasts. I started sliding my hand slowly down her stomach, following closely behind with my mouth, kissing her pretty little belly. I could feel her stomach trembling with each touch, her breathing getting heavier and more ragged. She gasped and cried out softly as my hand roamed through her sparse pubic hair. "I don't know how much more I can take," she gasped. Then I really was mean to her. I started running my hands slowly up and down the insides of her thighs, purposely avoiding the most important place as I moved from one leg to the other. I did the same thing as I kissed and licked up and down the insides of her legs, always avoiding where she really wanted me to touch and kiss and lick. When I sucked her big toe into my mouth, licking and biting it, I thought she would go crazy. She was giggling and laughing hysterically, trying to pull her foot away from me, but I held her leg firmly, sucking all five toes into my mouth at the same time, sucking them and licking the bottoms of her toes. "That tickles! Stop! Please stop! I'm going to pee my panties!" "No you're not. You don't have any panties on, remember," I said as I kept sucking. Then I reached up and rubbed her pussy and clit softly with my fingers. She cried out, then stopped moving and struggling, lying perfectly still. She stopped breathing, her whole body stiffened as she gave a little cry, and she shook all over. She collapsed and seemed to pass out, or at least she stopped responding to everything. Since she was not resisting, I kept sucking and licking her toes until she started to move slightly again. Then I moved up and took her into my arms, holding her gently to me. Finally, I felt her hand moving ever so slightly, gently playing with my hair, as if the effort was almost too much. She opened her eyes lazily and looked at me with a reproachful look in her eyes. "That was really mean, doing that to my toes when I couldn't do anything about it. I will get you for that!" "Whatever. Poor little thing. Are you ready for round two?" "What? Yes ... no ... maybe... "I don't know!" Since she was too weak to resist at all, I moved down, licked her pussy, and sucked her clit into my mouth, pulling at it with my lips and sucking the tip. She trembled all over as she held my head tight against her, and then screeched as she came again. As she was recovering, I moved on top of her and slowly pushed my cock into her. I made gentle love to her, wrapping my arms around her and holding her close, whispering how much I loved her as I stroked her hair. She wrapped her arms and legs around me, panting and crying out softly every time I moved inside her. I kept it slow and easy even when we came together, never speeding up or stopping until we both turned into boneless piles of flesh. She whispered softly that she loved me so much, and then she started crying. The crying worried me. She had cried after we made love last time too. I know Cindi cried about everything, but still, it worried me. "What's wrong, Cindi? I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done this. I'm taking advantage of you, I'm sorry..." "No, you're not! I'm fine. I am just so happy. I cry over everything, you know that. It's ok, Daddy." I rolled us over, and she lay against me, her head on my shoulder, one hand on my chest, one leg lying across me, eyes closed. She sighed contentedly, and whispered, "Good night, Daddy. I love you." We fell asleep in that position. And that is the same position Victoria found us in when she walked into the bedroom to tell me she was home. Thanks to Tajod for his editing and proofreading help. ------- Chapter 8 I had forgotten that Victoria was coming home that night. Her schedule was so erratic that it was often a surprise when she showed up. I never really kept track that close, as I never had anything to hide. Now, when I had something to hide, I forgot. A noise had awakened me, and as I shrugged off sleep I noticed Cindi was still sprawled out next to me, her head on my shoulder, hand on my chest, hair everywhere, with a satisfied little smile on her face. I loved watching my girls sleep - they were so cute. Of course, we were still naked. I looked up to see what woke me and watched Victoria walk into the bedroom. Time froze as my mind tried to grasp what was happening. Bizarre thoughts flitted through my mind as to how I could get out of this. Disappear? No, this was real life, not fantasy. I could pretend I was asleep, but that would just postpone whatever was going to happen. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I realized that my desire to help my daughter, no matter how misguided, might in the next few minutes cost me everything I held dear in life. It was dark in the room and Victoria was too far away for me to see her eyes, to see if they were the flat and devoid of all expression eyes I had seen twice before. If they were, it would mean that my life would probably end in the next few minutes, literally. There was no outward indication of what she was feeling or thinking, but I just could not see any way it would be good. Victoria walked into the room. She moved over to the bed and stood there, obviously waiting for me to say something, for me to explain what the HELL was going on before she killed me. Even then, my love and sympathy for Cindi won out over my fear and I just knew I had to protect her. "Victoria, don't blame Cindi for this. I'm the adult here, I'm responsible, and I should have stopped it. It's not her fault. She's a hurt little girl trying to find her way, trying to find love anyway she can. Blame me, not her. Please don't hurt her any more than she already has been by others and me. Although not intentionally, I took advantage of her and I cannot tell you how sorry I am." I said all of this in a whisper, hoping not to wake Cindi and have her face this any sooner than she had to. I could finally see Victoria's eyes, although not well through my tears. They didn t look flat and devoid of all expression; maybe I would live through this yet. She sat on the edge of the bed, bent down& and kissed me! I was stunned! I couldn t think. Her first kiss was just a gentle kiss, too quick for my numbed mind to even respond. Then she kissed me again, and this time her mouth opened and she slipped her tongue past my lips into my mouth. I responded automatically, as my brain struggled to figure out what was going on. After she broke the kiss, she sat up and stared down at me. Her eyes were solemn, yet full of a strange twinkle that seeped out from around the edges. "Surprised you didn't I?" she asked, smiling gently. I could only nod my head. "Look," she said, "I know you well. You would never take advantage of anyone. I doubt very much this was your idea, or that you gave up easily. I've seen the change in Cindi the last few weeks; I'm not entirely surprised by this. Whatever you are doing with her, it seems to be working. She is getting better, and that's all I care about! If I thought you were just taking advantage of our daughter to get some teenage nookie& we would not be talking right now. Just be careful. Amy must never know about this& and for heaven's sake close the bedroom door! I'll call from now on before I come home." Before I could respond Cindi started to wake up, obviously awakened by our voices. When she opened her eyes, she was looking at me, unaware that someone else was in the room. She smiled brightly, then noticed the direction I was looking, turned her head, and saw her mother sitting on the bed. The look of fear on her face broke my heart. "Oh my God! Oh my God! Mommy! Mommy, I'm so sorry. It was my fault, all my fault! Please don't hate Daddy, I made him do it, he tried to stop me, but I tricked him while he was asleep, please Mommy, don't hate him, he loves you so much, I'll go away and live somewhere else, please don't leave him ... Pleeaasee Mommy!" she begged in her little girl voice and started crying. Victoria tried hard to look stern and mad for a minute - she is Amy's mother, after all and cannot resist teasing people - but she quickly stopped when she realized how upset Cindi was. She reached out and took Cindi into her arms, holding her and kissing her. "It's alright, honey, I know. I understand. I'm not mad ... well, I might be a little if you've worn him out!" Cindi's eyes were as big as saucers as she tried to grasp what she was being told. "You know you can't let anyone know about this. Not even Amy. Especially not Amy. If any one finds out, your dad would go to jail and they would take you two away. You have to be very careful." Uh oh. Cindi had been practicing Amy's eye rolls. She was not as good at it as Amy was, but this one was not too bad. "I know, Mom. I'm not stupid, you know. I won't tell anyone." Then I could see it in her eyes. Victoria could too; we both smiled a little as Cindi decided that maybe she shouldn't be so snippy with her Mom considering the current circumstances. "So, you're really not mad at me?" "Well, I'm a little upset about this and there is one thing we need to resolve right now, young lady." I could see the look in Victoria's eyes, so I knew this was going to be good - she was playing with Cindi. You are so bad, Victoria, I thought. The fear was back in Cindi's eyes. "Oh, God, Mom, anything. I promise I'll do anything to make it better, please tell me what I can do!" "Well, it's my turn and you are in the way. Move over, please!" I could see the wheels turning in Cindi's head as she tried to understand what her Mom was saying. Then her eyes opened very wide, she blushed bright red clear down to her chest, gave a nervous little laugh, and jumped over to the other side of the bed as if she had been shot. She watched, fascinated, as Victoria stood up and started to undress. "MOM!" Although I was surprised, I was not very shocked as she undressed in front of us. Victoria had shown a flash of inventiveness in the past, although not what would be called kinky now days. There had been an interesting girlfriend swap with us and my roommate and his girlfriend in college. Victoria had dated with my roommate before me, and I had always been madly in love with his girlfriend, so it worked out well. Only thing was, everyone had been in on the plans except me. I didn t learn until years later that while I thought Samantha was seducing me one weekend, Robert and Victoria had been off having one last fling. A month and a half later, Robert announced he and Samantha were getting married, as she was pregnant. I always wondered whose baby it was ... As Victoria finished getting undressed, she knelt on the bed. When she gets home after a long trip, she usually likes to take me inside her right away the first time without any foreplay. She is usually so horny she s ready to go right away. Then we play around later. As she lowered herself down on me, I thought Cindi was going to die. She was so embarrassed, and yes, there was a little bit of "EWWWW!" as she watched her parents make love, but she was also riveted in place, fascinated; she couldn t have moved if she d wanted to. Victoria reached over, took her hand, and pulled her over close to us again. "Cindi, honey, climb up on Daddy's face and show me what he does to you that has made you so much better." Victoria looked down at me and smiled. "MOM!" "It's ok, honey, Mom won't mind," I said. "DAD!" As Victoria put her arms around Cindi and moved her over, helping her get into position, Cindi covered her face with her hands. I think her whole body was bright red. "I cannot believe I am doing this," she moaned. "I am so embarrassed". I put my hands on her hips and lowered her down on my face, licking her pussy and sucking her clit into my mouth. She jerked, trembled, screeched quietly, then seemed to forget all about her embarrassment. Amazing how that works, isn't it? I was quickly getting overwhelmed. Two of my favorite four females in the whole world were making love to me. I was really pushing it with Cindi. I wanted to make sure she had an orgasm before Victoria finished me off, but it was going to be close. Cindi was having problems sitting upright she was so turned on, so she leaned back against her Mom for support. Victoria put her arms around her waist and held on to her, whispering in her ear, asking her how it was as she stroked her hair. "Oh, God, Mom, you have no idea how good this feels!" Then she giggled. "Oops, yeah I guess you do!" Cindi cried out as I pushed my finger up into her, and her orgasm overtook her. That, plus the sight of the two of them cuddled together and the sound of Victoria's orgasm was enough to set me off. After we all calmed down a little and could breathe again, Cindi became aware again of where she was and what condition she was in. She turned beet red again, jumped off me and the bed saying, "I am SO embarrassed, I can't believe I did this, I got to go!" and ran out of the room. Victoria and I looked at each other and laughed. "I'll go talk to her. She'll be ok," she said, as she got dressed and left the room. She came back later and said Cindi was ok, she was just really embarrassed, but they had a nice long talk and she would get over it. Victoria undressed, climbed back in bed, and we proceeded to have our usual day of fun when she got home. Funny thing, the next day it was always Amy that brought us food in the room. Cindi always seemed to be busy. Nothing like that ever happened again. Neither Victoria nor Cindi did anything sexual with each other during that one time, nor did Victoria ever participate in any other sexual activities with Cindi and me again. Neither of them ever mentioned it again, nor did I. Cindi did, however, always blush so prettily anytime Victoria and I ever kissed, cuddled, or did anything even remotely sexual. I started paying more attention to when Victoria was coming home, and Cindi and I had a rule that we never did anything when Victoria was home or coming home. Victoria and I had a long talk the next evening when the girls were out. She agreed that what was happening was good for Cindi and should continue. She did, however, formally express some ground rules, all of which I was following anyway. Her ground rules were: a) this could only be with full consent of all parties involved. If at any time Cindi was to say no or express any doubts about continuing the relationship, I was to never touch her sexually again, nor was I to try to change her mind b) there were to be no babies c) be careful, no diseases d) Cindi was to be encouraged to date when she felt comfortable and the time was right - this was not meant to be a permanent relationship e) unless she specifically asked, Victoria did not want to know any of the details, unless it was necessary for Cindi's well being, and f) Cindi was not meant as a replacement for Victoria. If Victoria ever felt that she was being neglected sexually or emotionally because of the relationship with Cindi, we would pull the plug on the whole deal, regardless of the circumstances. I agreed whole-heartedly to all the conditions, as she knew I would. There was never any jealousy between the two, Cindi managed to hide it from Amy (quite an amazing feat as we discovered later), and the situation continued until circumstances beyond anyone's control caused it to stop about six months later. Thanks to Tajod for his help in editing and proofreading. ------- Chapter 9 Things were finally smoothing out with Cindi. She seemed to be happy again. She'd changed, however. Some of the changes were good, some not so much. On the good side, she was less shy than she used to be. I think our experiences together helped with that. She also developed a better sense of humor than she used to have. She was now able to give Amy as good as she got in the teasing department. Previously, it was Amy that always teased her, and Cindi usually just looked at her somewhat blankly, as if she didn't understand. She was almost as smart as Amy; there was no possibility that she didn't understand. My suspicion was she always understood perfectly; this was just her way of getting back at Amy by acting dumb so she got no response. If I understood that, so did my little genius, so she just kept teasing. Now Cindi was showing she really did have a sense of humor. Fortunately, Amy was very good at taking teasing, but it sure shocked her the first few times it happened. The first time Cindi teased her and pulled a practical joke on her, Amy just sat there, stunned, but with a big smile on her face. "Cindi! You did something funny! Wow! Did you think of that all by yourself, or did the big dork over there help you?" she asked, pointing at me. "Ha! You know he would never help me to get at you, his FAVORITE!" Her smile took away all offense. I thought to myself. 'WHO am I sleeping with?' "Besides, someone in this family has to have a decent sense of humor!" she said as she stuck out her tongue at her sister. I left the room at that point - no way was I getting in the middle of that one. Good thing, too - from the shrieks coming from there, a massive tickling attack was going on. The bad part was that she seemed nervous around boys, and she usually refused to go anywhere by herself, or stay home alone. Not that it was a problem - seldom did any of us go anywhere alone anyway, but it was the idea. Amy and Cindi had always been close. After her ordeal, they were even closer. Much of this was due to Amy. She always had an uncanny way of telling what kind of mood people were in, and could read their emotions. Even before she knew what was happening with Cindi, she was trying her best to cheer her up, doing things for her, leaving her little presents where she could find them. Amy loved to help people, and she loved to help her family most of all. She felt guilty for a long time about the one time she blew up at Cindi when they were fighting. I finally convinced her that it was the catalyst for correcting the problem. As I said, things were going smoothly. Of course, the laws of nature say that could not continue for long in a house full of teenagers. So, imagine my surprise when the next problem to greet us was from one of the adults in the family. And - it wasn't me! One Friday evening I was fixing supper for Victoria and the girls for when got home (yes, she was actually in town!), when the phone rang. Have you ever had the feeling when the phone rings that it was not good news? Maybe it's because the phone didn't ring that often - the girls usually got calls on their cell phones and were not home anyway, Victoria was always on her way home from work, and no one usually called me. Whatever the reason, somehow I just knew it wasn't good news... It was the highway patrol informing me that Victoria had been in a car accident on the way home from work, and I needed to come to the hospital right away. The girls walked in as I answered the phone and knew immediately, I guess by my face, that something was wrong. I herded both of them into the car and took them to their grandparents. The girls wanted to go, but I said no. I had no idea what I would find there, didn't even know if we could see her - she might be in ICU. They wouldn't tell me anything over the phone; all I knew was that she was alive. Cindi was especially upset, of course, due to her recent experience with car accidents. When I arrived at the hospital I found she was in a private room. She had been brought in semi-conscious, but was now just asleep and was expected to live and fully recover. Since this was the hospital where I worked, I slipped on my white coat and had no problems getting in to see her. First I stopped by the nurse's station and sweet-talked one of the nurses into showing me her chart and the doctor's notes. One of the nurses was the mother of one of the older cheerleaders, not one in our particular close group, but she knew us. The chart verified that the injuries were due to a motor vehicle accident, according to the police that brought her in. I was glad I had not brought the girls. She looked much worse than she was. Bruises, contusions, but no broken bones. Then I looked closer and went out in search of the doctor. I asked him what his findings were, and he stated pretty much what was in the chart. I then asked him why her injuries were not consistent with a motor vehicle accident, but more consistent with assault. He frowned and said he put it down for a cause because that was what the police told him preliminary investigation showed. He added that two others had been brought in from the same accident, one DOA and the other in critical condition. I asked if their injuries were similar and was he was willing to come in and look her over again with me, but he just walked away. As I sat in her room with nothing to do but watch her sleep, I was confused. What was going on? Then I remembered other instances where odd things happened in connection with Victoria's job that didn't make sense. Victoria's job had always been a small sore point with me. Nothing major ... except I didn't know what she did for a living or whom she worked for. She was in the "service" part of the company and she was incredibly gifted at programming and fixing computers. I knew that because I was good at it too, but she could make them sing. She traveled a lot, all over the country, many times on last minute notice. This actually worked out well for the girls, because on occasions when she went to a neat place and she felt the workload would allow it, she would take one of the girls with her for a few days. They loved it. However, every time it came up as to whom she worked for or what exactly she did, I got a change of subject or an evasive, non-informative answer. Like I said, it wasn't a major thing, but after 15 years of marriage, I thought I ought to know what my wife did for a living. What made no sense was that Victoria had always been an open book to me - she never lied to me, at least as far as I knew. It bothered me that I was now saying, "as far as I knew". A couple incidents in our life together did have me wondering what it was that she did. The first incident had occurred two years earlier, when the girls were 11 years old. It also should have shown me, had I paid attention and caught the significance of it, just how special out little girls were. Two years ago Victoria had a trip, planned this time, to go to San Francisco for a few days. It was Cindi's turn to go with her, and Victoria thought she'd have enough downtime to really do some neat stuff with her. Amy was a little put out that she wasn't going, but I reminded her that she had gone last time and the two of them together were too wild for Mom to handle alone. That earned me a stuck out tongue and a pillow upside the head when I looked away. A week before the trip, plans changed dramatically. Victoria's schedule in San Francisco was changed such that there were times when Cindi would have to be alone in a hotel room in the evening, and possibly at night. Neither of us were comfortable with that, so we decided Cindi would not go. She was devastated. Amy tried her best to console her, saying they would have me all to themselves. Nice try, Amy, but that happened all the time anyway. I offered to take her to an amusement park to compensate. Amy even offered to let her have the next two trips, giving up her own turn, but none of it helped. Cindi understood and wasn't trying to be a pain; she was just so disappointed. They not only looked forward to these trips to neat places, but also the opportunity to spend some time alone with Mom. That night the girls were at Rebecca's house for a sleepover with most of the cheerleading crew (wow! Not at our house for a change), so Victoria and I had the house to ourselves. We made good use of the time alone; a nice romantic candlelight dinner and one of the sappy chick flicks that she just loves to watch (ok, I like them too, and it does set the mood for later!), then retired to the bedroom for a night by ourselves. After I slowly undressed her, kissing every inch of her body as I did it, I asked if she wanted a massage. She squealed and giggled like a little girl (NOW you know where they get it) and dived onto the bed. She loves massages. I got out the oil and proceeded to rub her entire body to relax her. Of course, some of the areas I rubbed did not exactly relax her, but that's ok. We finally ended up in a wonderful 69; I sucked her clit and stuck my tongue as far up into her pussy as I could, while she swallowed my entire cock into her mouth. We ended up with her on her stomach and me on her back, taking her from behind, with our hands intertwined together as I sensuously kissed her neck. One of her favorite positions. Having been married for 11 years and having sex for almost thirteen, we're usually able to time our orgasms together, and this night was no exception. About ten minutes later, as we were catching our breath, the phone rang. We both looked at each other and laughed. We knew what was coming, so we both picked up a phone, and said in unison "What is it, girls?" That was greeted with peals of laughter and lots of giggles as Amy and Cindi laughed their butts off. We never could figure out how they knew when we were done, but it never failed. I even checked the room one time for cameras and bugs (just as a joke, not that I expected to find them) but no, they had some other way of knowing. We never asked them, because we didn't want to ruin their fun. As we were talking, Amy asked Cindi to go get her another soda. While Cindi was out of the room, Amy suggested that I get time off work and we could all go to San Francisco together! What a great idea, and what a delightful child for thinking of it, just to make her sister happy. She asked us not to mention it to Cindi as she wanted it to be a surprise. Well, it worked out just fine. The squeals of delight, ear piercing as they were, while they hugged each other and jumped up and down in the middle of the room when Cindi found out that, not only was the trip back on, but Amy was going too, made it all worth it. A week later we were on our way to San Francisco. The one odd thing was that the accommodations were going to be a little strange. Another company was now paying for Victoria's room, so she could not have anyone else staying with her. No problem - I rented another room for the girls and me in the same hotel. Because there was a big convention at the hotel, the rooms were on opposite ends of the floor, but we did not plan on the girls spending much time alone anyway with both of us there. Things went wonderfully. We saw the sights, the girls got to shop ad nauseum, and Victoria and I even got some alone time while the girls watched TV in the other room. Everything was fine until the last night. Victoria had to work late that night, finishing up, so I was in my room with the girls. We watched a movie, then the girls went to bed so they could get an early start the next morning (those two get up early? Ha!). I was reading a book when both girls almost simultaneously yelled, "Daddy!" Before I could respond, both of them came running in, looks of fright on their faces and their hair all askew - they had obviously been asleep. When Cindi cried out, "Daddy, Mommy's in trouble!" I told them they had just had a bad dream. Cindi was in tears. They glanced at each other and then ran up to me. Amy took my hands in hers, looked up at me and said very calmly, "Daddy, Mommy really is in trouble." The hair stood up on the back of my neck - when Amy says things and uses that tone I always listen - she is usually always right and she does not get flustered easily. I asked them how they knew; they hesitated, and said they had a dream. Both of them? At the same time? Amy looked me straight in the eyes, her large green eyes full of worry. "Please, Daddy, Mommy is in trouble and she needs you. In her room." I told them not to open the door for anyone, even if it was me - I would use my key. Cindi was crying and Amy told me to be careful. I raced down the hall to her room. The door was open and there were cops everywhere. Victoria was leaning against the wall in the hall, down from the room, talking to one of the police officers. She had a couple of rips in her clothes and a bruise on her face. I glanced into the room as I passed and saw two men, well dressed in suits, lying on the floor. Victoria saw me, gave me a small, tired little smile and said something to the police officer she was talking to. He beckoned me over and she hugged me tightly. I asked her what happened. The police officer stopped her from answering. They had to take her statement before she talked to anyone. He arranged for a police car to take me down to the station and a female police officer to stay with the girls while I was gone. I didn't understand why I couldn't in the car with her, but for some reason it was not an option. The girls were more composed when I got back to the room. Amy said, "She's ok". I told her yes, not realizing until much later that it was a statement, not a question. When I arrived at the station, they let me see Victoria for a few minutes to verify she was ok. She then disappeared into an interview room. I didn't like how this was going, the lack of information and the hush-hush way they were handling this. I went in search of a colleague who worked there, a guy I worked with when I was in law enforcement. We knew each other by sight, but I couldn't remember his last name and I doubt he knew mine. We never kept in touch, so he was unaware I was no longer in that field. I mentioned that a friend of mine was involved in an incident that might be connected to something I was working on. When I mentioned her name, he looked it up and said there was no such case. Then for some reason I gave him Victoria's unmarried name and there was a case being worked on under that name. What the hell? A police report was still in the process of being filed, but the notes filed by the officers in the field were available. They were very interesting reading. Victoria and I spent most of the night at the station. Before we left I got a preliminary copy of the police report from my acquaintance, after assuring him it would not get him in any trouble. When the cops dropped us off at the hotel, all her stuff had been moved to my room, and I insisted she stay there for the night. She wasn't eager to talk much, but I got a quickie update on what had happened. She had come to her room, opened the door, two men ran out, one hitting her in the head on the way out, knocking her into something that tore her clothes, and that was it. Nothing taken, no one hurt, no big deal. Let's go to bed. While she took a shower, I sat down and read the police report. Then I sat back, stunned. Victoria had lied to me! I was shocked. The one thing I was sure of was that we never lied to each other. Maybe we didn't tell each other everything or left out details, but not bald-faced lies. The police report collaborated her account to a tee, even using much the same words, and it was also now under her married name. The officer's notes from the scene told a completely different story. It was listed under her maiden name. There were two bodies in the room both dressed in suits. There were signs, both on the bodies and in the room, of a fight. Three different caliber of silenced guns, since no shots were heard, had been fired in the room, one a .25 caliber. A woman's gun made for a purse. Burglars usually don't carry guns, nor do they wear suits or fire on a lone woman interrupting a burglary. They don't carry three guns, one a .25 caliber that was not found at the scene. And why was Victoria using her unmarried name? That name was not on the hotel registry or airline tickets, I was sure. But then, had I ever seen those? That was one detail I forgot to check out. I didn't sleep very well that night; neither did Victoria. She tossed, turned, had nightmares, moaned and cried out a lot. We went home the next day. When we talked about it later, Victoria's account still followed the police report. She had no idea I had seen the bodies, the police report and the officer's notes. She didn't know I knew she was lying. I never did get any resolution on what really happened. In all the turmoil in my mind as to what had happened, I completely forgot about the "dream" the girls had. Weeks later, when she was in the shower, I looked in her purse. There, in a small pocket in the bottom, was a .25 caliber Beretta. And a small silencer. I thought it significant that it was well over a year before she took Amy on her next trip. Present Day I checked on Victoria, then went out to get something to snack on and some coffee. I never drink coffee, it's disgusting, but I did not want to fall asleep without knowing my sweetheart was going to be ok. When I returned to the room, I sat down and let my mind drift off to the second instance of strange behavior. One year Ago Even though the girls were not competitive, we always made sure that if one got to do something neat by herself, that we did something with the other one too, something special. In this case, Cindi was going to a cheerleader "mini-camp" for the weekend. Usually Amy would go too, but she had sprained her ankle in practice a few days earlier and couldn't go. She insisted she was fine, but the doctor said no, so, too bad little girl. A happy camper, right? Not! Amy's a really, really sweet girl, but if she doesn't get something she thinks she should get, and doesn't agree with the reason why not, stay out of her way. She doesn't get mean or bitchy, but she will kill you with sweet sarcasm. Believe me; you do not win a sarcasm war with Amy. To compensate we decided to take Amy to a big fair in town, fireworks, the whole deal. She was excited; she is more a country girl than Cindi. Cindi is the cultured, sophisticated, high class one, always dressed perfectly, never wants to get dirty or sweaty (unless it's for cheerleading; then she'll muck it up with the best of them and take two showers afterwards). Amy will get in there and get dirty for anything. She likes to tease Cindi, saying that is why God made showers. Cindi says her not having to get dirty is why God made Amys. Until recently, that was the closest to humor you got with Cindi. It was pretty funny, though. The place was crowded when we got there, so we had to park at the far end of a parking lot that was really a farmer's field. The fair was great. We had a great time, especially watching Amy run around, squealing at all the little baby animals she saw. Of course, she had to pick up and cuddle every one. I don't know why the girl wants to let every animal she comes across lick her face, but she does. As she would say, "EWWWW"! After the fireworks, we ran into people we knew and got to talking. By the time we were ready to go it was dark and we were way out on the back end of the lot. They had strung a few lights, so there was plenty of light, but it was still desolate. Ours was the only car left out there. I screwed up big time that night. Because of my previous law enforcement training I had the habit of always keeping a close watch on what was going on around me. Always, always, always. Except that night. We had such a good time, Amy was bubbling over, overjoyed because of all the animal spit on her face, I guess, I was horsing around with her, and Victoria was watching us, amused by it all. I didn't see the three men approaching us until it was too late to run. Victoria saw them about the same time I did. Since they came out of the dark, I don't know if I'd have seen them sooner had I been paying attention, but damn it, you don't take chances with your wife and daughter. As they approached, cutting off all retreats except to the car, they began the normal crap of wanting our money and oooh, what fine looking girls, let's have some fun. My heart went cold as I realized how much trouble we were in. Two of the men were carrying some type of stick or bat; one looked like he had a knife. When Victoria heard the remarks they were making, she turned to me. "Take Amy to the car," she said, then she started walking towards the men. Of course, I ignored her; I was the tough guy who was going to take care of my family. I hadn't recognized it yet, as she did right away, that two of them could engage us while the third one grabbed Amy. Then it would be all over. As I moved towards them, I noticed something interesting about how Victoria was approaching the men. Like, she really knew what she was doing. As we got nearer, my movement caught Victoria's eye. She saw me still approaching the men, turned, and in a loud, strong voice of authority yelled, "Take Amy to the car! NOW!" I remember thinking at the time that it was the first time Victoria had ever yelled at me. It has also been the only time so far. I'd been trained to respond to voices of authority, so I probably would have responded anyway. However, two other things galvanized me into action. The first was, as she turned to me and yelled at me, I saw her eyes. They were not the expressive, sparkling eyes of just a few minutes ago. They were flat, devoid of all expression, almost empty. If I was going to dare argue with her tone of voice, I sure was not going to argue with those eyes. The second thing that galvanized me into action was the realization that she was right. I was in the awful position of having to decide if I was going to save my wife or my daughter. I knew instantly what she knew all along - I had to save Amy. She was a little girl, unable to defend herself. I just prayed that Victoria could survive long enough for me to get back and save her life. I grabbed Amy in my arms and raced for the car. She didn't complain, ask questions, or do anything to distract me; she just wrapped her arms around my neck and held on for dear life. When I got to the car I opened the door, threw her in, gave her the key, and told her not to open the door for anyone except Mom and Dad. Even if someone else was with us, she was not to open the door. Start the car and drive out of there - go to the police. If we were not back in five minutes, do that anyway. I had taught her the rudiments of driving a car, so I knew she could do it. Then I slammed the door and turned to run back to Victoria. As soon as I turned, I knew I was too late. They had surrounded her and would be all over her in seconds. My heart was in my throat as I started to run. Since I was facing them, running with my head up, I got to see the most amazing spectacle I have ever seen. Those three men never had a chance. I have never seen anyone move with such grace, fluidness, and speed as I watched Victoria spring into action. As the first guy swung the bat, she just casually stepped inside the swing, grabbed his wrist, twisted his arm outwards, and broke his elbow with the flat of her hand, slamming into it with full force in the opposite direction it was designed to go. I heard the snap all the way over to where I was. As she brought her hand back, she angled it upward and slashed it across the bridge of his nose, at the same time kicking him in the chest. He went down and did not move. As the second man swung at her from behind with his bat, she dropped to the ground and swept his feet out from under him. As he went down, from a prone or nearly prone position, she almost literally kicked his head off. I have received specialized training in my younger days, so I recognized that she was not just trying to disable. In no more than 3 or 4 seconds, two of her assailants were down. I didn't see how the second one could ever survive that kick. I don't think it registered with the third man what had happened as he started the attack. As he moved his arm forward to stab her, she just moved to the side and kicked his arm, while bringing the edge of her hand down on it from the opposite direction. Once again, I heard the crack of bone breaking. Before the knife even hit the ground, she grabbed his arm, pulled him violently towards her, and slammed the flat of her palm into his face as hard as she could. He joined the others on the ground. In no more than 6-8 seconds, she had done what I don't think I would have even been able to do in triple that time. When I reached her she was standing there, seemingly relaxed, with her hands at her sides staring at the ground. I asked her if she was ok. She looked at me with a vacant stare and nodded her head slightly. I reached down to put my hand on the neck of the closest guy to check for a pulse. I couldn't feel one. 'Oh, fuck, ' my brain screamed. As I stood up, Victoria suddenly came alive. "Come on," she said, grabbing my hand. "We have to go". I told her we needed to check out the men and call the police and an ambulance. She grabbed my hand even tighter. "We have to get out of here. Now!" She sounded like she was bordering on hysteria, so, against my better judgment, I held her hand as we raced to the car. Victoria got in on the right side and held Amy in her lap. I was concerned about her. Her breathing was excessively shallow and her color was pale. I didn't see any signs of injury, and from what I saw, they never even came close to touching her. I thought maybe she might be in shock, as she was trembling. Amy, bless her heart, seemed to know what to do. She pulled a blanket up from the back seat and covered the two of them. It was summertime but Victoria was shivering as though she were cold. Amy held her Mom tight, kissing her, telling her it was all right, it was ok, that she had to do it. She kept saying, "Thank you, Mommy, for saving me". Victoria held on for dear life, whispering to Amy that she was ok, that Mommy and Daddy would save her. I reached over and felt her pulse - it was fast, as expected, but strong, so I felt it was more of an emotional and adrenalin overload situation than anything else. I drove as fast as I could, trying to get home before Victoria shut down completely. I carried her into the house, took her clothes off, and put her into bed, covering her up really well. I checked to make sure Amy was ok, and then went back and got into bed with Victoria. I cuddled up to her. She held my hand, kissed it, said 'thank you', and drifted off to sleep. After I was sure she was ok and just asleep, I went into the living room to check on Amy. She was just sitting in the same chair I left her in, staring at me with her big round green eyes. "She's ok," she said with a nod. Just as I missed it a year ago, once again I missed that it was not a question. "Yes, she is." I asked if she was ok and she nodded yes. She looked like she was ready to cry, but Amy never cries, so she didn't. She looked at me with big, sad eyes. "She probably killed those guys, didn't she Daddy?" she whispered. I certainly wasn't going to answer that question for Amy. "I don't know, honey". Amy gave me a pathetic look, like 'how stupid do you think I am', then she giggled almost hysterically. "Don't mess with Mommy's babies," she said in a little girl, singsong voice I told Amy I had to go out for a while, that she wasn't to answer the door for anyone; I would use my key to get in. If anything happened, or Mommy woke up, give me a call. She looked scared when I said that, but said she'd be ok. I called a good friend from my law enforcement days and asked him to watch the house from the outside. He's the sort of guy that doesn't ask questions. He was there in 5 minutes. I had no evidence that this was anything but a simple crime, but what were the chances of the same person being involved in an altercation like this twice in a year, in two different cities? I told Amy he was out there so she would not get scared if she saw him, then I drove back to the fairground. There were no police cars, no crime scene tape, no evidence that anyone knew what had happened. I checked the field; there were no bodies. Was I crazy? I drove back, thanked my friend, went in and sat down with Amy. "What's wrong, Daddy?" I asked her to tell me exactly what had happened. She looked at me as if I was crazy, then related what had happened. It was much the same as I had seen, with the natural differences due to distance and angle. When she was finished, I sat there looking puzzled. Suddenly the light seemed to dawn on her. "There wasn't anything there when you went back, was there?" she asked quietly. "But that's good, cause that means she didn't kill them. Or at least we'll never know." Amazing. Certifiable genius. The next day Victoria woke up about noon. She seemed ok, just really hungry. I talked to her about what happened, and where she had learned to do that stuff. She looked a little embarrassed and said she really didn't remember all that much about what happened. She remembered them threatening Amy and just went berserk. She said her dad had made her take self-defense classes in high school. I pretended to believe her, but I knew it was BS. I've attended and taught self-defense classes before - they don't teach that stuff. Then maybe she did go berserk. Maybe Amy was right - don't mess with her babies. That still didn't explain San Francisco or her training, or the gun, or the mysterious job, or... The next day I decided to find out more about what Victoria did for a living. I found an old check stub with the company name on it and looked it up on the internet. It took some finesse to find it, and some special backdoors I knew about from the old days, as it was buried under many layers. No wonder - when I finally found it, it had no sales, no revenue, no expenses, and no employees. It paid no taxes, put out no quarterly statements. It wasn't listed on any stock exchange, and had no capital equipment. There were no officers listed. It was also a subsidiary of another company that even my backdoors couldn't find. Well, there's more than one way to skin a cat. I called an old buddy that could find Elvis if he wanted to, and asked him to look into it. When I told him the name of the holding company, he immediately told me to drop it and leave it alone. Not possible, I told him; it concerned Victoria and her safety. He reluctantly said he would look into it. An hour later he called back and told me he couldn't find out anything and to drop it. Ten minutes later I received a call from a man named 'Bob'. He asked me politely to meet him at the bar two blocks down in ten minutes. When I asked what it was about, he said, "Your wife," and hung up. There was only one person sitting by himself, right at the back. As I approached, I eyed his nametag, 'Bob' neatly printed across it. I asked him what this was about. He calmly told me where Victoria, Amy, Cindi and Katie were at that moment. I asked what his point was, and he told me brusquely to stop digging into what my wife did for a living, that I could cause a lot of harm by doing so. I then asked if he was threatening me. He laughed, and shook his head. I had the wrong idea; their job was to protect Victoria and everyone special to her. He said my digging could expose her to others. I told him I would quit digging if he would answer one question; was she doing anything illegal? Was she on the side of the law, or... ? He laughed and said that was two questions, but he would answer them. Sometimes Victoria did things that would be illegal for others, but she would never be charged for them. Sometimes things she did were covered up. He frowned for a minute, looked at me, and said, "Like San Francisco." Times like that, he assured me, she only did in self-defense. That there was no one more patriotic and law abiding that Victoria when she was given a choice. He sounded like he knew her well, and was proud of her. I stopped my digging that day. A week later, Victoria and I were lying in bed, basking in the warm glow after having made love. The girls had banished themselves to their rooms in what they termed self-protection. As we lay there, she whispered in my ear. "Please don't dig anymore, honey. The girls and I are as safe as we can be. Please? For me, for them, let it go. If I could tell you more, I would. Please don't make me lie to you ... again." She put her finger on my lips to keep me from responding, turned over, and went to sleep. I never found out what my wife does. From the information I dug up, I could take a wild guess. I don't dig anymore. We never talked about it again. Present Day I stopped daydreaming and looked over at Victoria to see her looking back at me with a tired smile. I went over, kissed her, and asked her what happened. She looked me right in the eye. "Car accident." I kissed her lightly and whispered in her ear that she was a liar, but I loved her anyway, and gave her a big smile. She looked shocked. "I love you too; now shut up and kiss me." I called her parents and had them bring Cindi and Amy down. I used my connections at the hospital to sneak them in, and we all piled into her bed to spend the night. It was awfully crowded. "What the hell," Victoria whispered in my ear when Amy went to the bathroom, "Cindi's used to sleeping on top of you all night long anyway!" Victoria went home the next day. I never did find out what happened. Thanks to Tajod for his editing and proof reading help. ------- Chapter 10 We were all delighted to get Victoria home from the hospital. She was sore, so the girls had a wonderful time catering to her. It was a treat for them to have Mommy around for more than a day or two, whatever the reason. Victoria took it with grace, although I know she got sick of doing nothing. However, she was glad to be with the girls and me too, so she did not complain. I was delighted to have her around too - we spent too little time together. Over the years we had learned to spend quality time, not quantity together. Quantity was good sometimes, though. It was a pleasure to watch the three girls interact. I say three, because Victoria was just another girl when she was around Amy and Cindi. Except when mommy mode kicked in, of course. She giggled, squealed, shrieked, teased, chased and chattered right along with them. I just sat back and watched. I found the teenage mind an amazing thing to observe; not understandable, but amazing. Sometimes Victoria's mind was not much easier to understand. Because of her injuries, Victoria had an extended leave from work for as long as she needed. The doctor thought two weeks would probably be about right. The girls and I thought two months sounded better. You know, just to make sure she was completely recovered, well over her trauma, etc. Maybe she needed to recuperate in a warmer climate - like Hawaii, maybe. Yeah, right. Probably more like Peoria! We had not spent all that much time together for a long time. I hoped we still liked each other when it was done! Cindi was pretty much back to normal, except for the changes that would probably never go away. Amy was really starting to bloom. She was number one in her class in GPA or whatever they call it these days, with Cindi as number two. Katie was number three and Rebecca number six, so when they all got together, I went and hid in the basement as much as I could. My two made me feel inferior enough, without a whole pack of geniuses to contend with. Of course, they would call me back upstairs whenever they just had to have someone to tease or pick on. Secretly, I loved it, but I would never tell them that. Like they didn't know. I was having a good time with everyone home and in good spirits. We we never seemed to be short on crises, however, so I wondered when the next one was going to come. As it turned out, it was Victoria again. Sheesh! I wonder if her warranty was still good - I could trade her in on a less troublesome model! Just kidding - I could not live without her. I came home one day, all excited because the whole family was going to be home for dinner. It would be interesting to see if we still knew how to do this. As I pulled up to the house, I noticed a police car parked at the curb. I wondered which of the neighborhood kids was in trouble now. At least I didn't have to worry about it being mine. Cindi wouldn't know how to get into trouble even if she wanted to and Amy would never be caught if she ever decided to do something. As I walked into the house, I was surprised to hear Cindi yell, "NO! You are NOT!" Cindi? Yelling? This was going to be interesting. I walked into the room to find Victoria on one side of the room, Cindi a little in front of her, with two police officers standing in front of Cindi, and Amy standing near one of the police officers, talking earnestly to him. As I walked in Cindi saw me and cried, "Daddy! Do something! They're going to arrest Mommy!" She looked really upset. I asked what was going on. "We need to take your wife down to the station for questioning," said cop #1. "For what?" "We'll discuss it there." Ah, standard police doctrine - get them out of the emotionally charged atmosphere so they controlled the situation. I understood that, but NIMBY. Victoria had been quiet so far. "Sorry, I need know what we are discussing first or she doesn't leave here." "They want to question her about the three teenage boys killed in that SUV accident, Dad," Amy blurted out. Uh oh. Dad. Amy was upset. Added to that, I wasn't sure I liked how quiet Victoria was. Was it the calm before the storm? I had seen an example of her storms before. Maybe we should rename her Camille. Except Camille did far less damage in a much longer period of time. "Do you have a warrant? Let's sit down and discuss this," I suggested. It was obvious to me that Cindi and Cop #1 were not getting along at all. He was young, arrogant, and inexperienced, and she was pissed. She was red in the face and as mad as I had ever seen her, but there was something else there, too. Oh, shit, I suddenly realized this was bringing up the whole rape issue again - I needed to get this settled as fast as possible. It is surprising how fast things can go to hell in a hurry. Cindi, much to my surprise, was being very aggressive. She stepped towards Cop #1 and said, "You are NOT taking my Mom anywhere!" "Cindi..." I said soothingly. Just then Cop # 1 decided he had had just about enough of the snotty, punk 13 year old brat that was interfering with his God given right to take someone into custody. "Shut up and get out of the way or I'll take you in too!" he snarled, and reached forward to grab her and jerk her out of the way. Oh, Fuck! Don't mess with her babies! I heard Amy call out "Dad!" as I saw Victoria start to move. Yeah, yeah Amy, I see it. Shit! I knew where this was going if I did not do something quickly, and I did not like it at all. I had already witnessed how fast Victoria could move when someone threatened her babies. I looked at Amy and I saw it in her face too - she had seen this movie before. I saw Amy begin to move and wondered what she was up to, but I was way too busy just trying to keep Camille from making landfall to worry about her. The events that followed happened so fast that it was only later that I was able to sort them out in the right order. I screamed "NO!" and moved three steps forward as fast as I could. Because of the way everyone was placed, I couldn't get between Cindi and the jerk soon enough to stop him from grabbing her, so I did the only thing I could - I grabbed his arm and spun him around. About that same time, I heard Amy's voice say "Cindy, stop Mom." As I was spinning the cop around, I was once again looking at Amy's face, and I swear I didn't see her lips move. They must have, because Cindi apparently heard her instructions. Cindi throw her arms around Victoria's waist and screamed, "No, Mommy, no, stop, please, no!" I could see the sick look on Cindi's face as she realized the consequences her actions had just set into place. Even though Cindi had never seen Victoria in action, she somehow knew that it was not good. I did not even want to see Victoria's eyes. I twisted the jerk's arm behind his back and slammed him into the wall face first. As I pulled his gun out of his holster, I distinctly heard the sound of the slide being pulled back on an automatic pistol and the click of a safety being taken off. 'Damn, ' I thought in despair, 'I'm not going to make it in time.' I braced for the impact of a bullet as I swung the gun over and pointed it at Cop # 2. It was amazing how things went instantly from moving so fast that it was almost impossible to follow, to total silence and no one moving at all. I looked at Cop # 2 as I pointed the gun at his head and saw that I needn't have bothered. Amy had his gun in her hand, holding it rock steady, pointed right between his eyes. Stalemate. And we were in big trouble, but not as much trouble as if Victoria took on two cops. As I looked around, I saw Cindi was holding her mom around the waist, begging her to stay there. I saw Victoria relax a little. Amy smiled gently at Cop #2, who seemed very surprised, and said sweetly, "You are going to be awfully embarrassed if you get shot by a 13 year old girl with your own gun. Won't that be fun to explain to your captain, hmmm? Shall we dance?" Wow! Not only a pretty face and a certifiable genius, but the girl had some teeth about her too! I was going to give her a big hug - and then we were going to have a long talk. Victoria was standing still, looking at Amy and me, eyes wide in surprise. Cindi was staring at all the guns being pointed around the room and was well on her way to hysteria. I had to diffuse this now. "Amy, set the gun down on the floor over by the door and come back here to me. Cindi, get you mom out of here. Victoria, honey, go with her, please, I will take care of Amy. I promise." Surprisingly, they did just what I told them to do. I was worried that Victoria wouldn't go, but she gave me a grateful smile, looked at Amy in astonishment, then picked up Cindi, who was hysterical at this point, and left the room. When Amy got back to me, I gave her the gun I had and told her to set it next to the other one. When she returned I kept my hands out in front of me, sat down at the table and motioned for the cops to do the same. Amy stood next to my chair, looking completely relaxed and smiling sweetly. Only I could see the vein throbbing in her neck. "Let's talk," I said. "Amy, go into the other room with your Mom". "Nope," she said, "I stay here with you." Great. The first time in 13 years she ever disobeys me and it has to be now. Strangely, though, I felt safe and comfortable with her by my side. Cop #1 started to get belligerent again. "I'm going to take you all in for resisting arrest!" "No you're not," I said calmly. "If you do, you won't have a job tomorrow. First, you threatened and grabbed a 13 year old who had done nothing to you. Does the word 'minor' mean anything to you? And a female to boot, who is recovering from a gang rape and is paranoid about men touching her. Especially male chauvinist pig men like the ones that raped her. Men who are trying to take away one of her parents. What do you thing the TV news crews are going to say about that?" Cop # 2 was more reasonable. "But we do need to take your wife in for questioning". "I understand that and you can, when we agree that no charges will be filed due to what happened here, and after I have had a chance to calm down my daughter. Can we agree to that? Or do I have to call my old boss Chief Haskin and tell him that one of his finest just tried to throw my mentally unbalanced 13 year old rape victim daughter across the room? A young girl that he knows personally and thinks the world of." That did it. Ten minutes later Cindi was only crying as Amy hugged her tight and whispered in her ear. I had Rebecca and her mom and Katie come over to stay with the girls, while Victoria and I, without handcuffs, (I thought Cindi was going to get hysterical again when the jerk brought those out) were on our way to the police station. When we arrived, we were taken into a room for questioning. I asked to see the evidence they had for detaining my wife. "We don't have to show you that," the jerk said. All right, I had had enough of this shit. "You know, asshole, next time I'm not going to bother to save your life", I snarled. Victoria looked at me, then looked away. I took out my wallet, removed a card from under my driver's license, and handed it to Cop # 2. "Please give this to Chief Haskin and ask him to see me as soon as possible," I asked politely. Victoria spoke for the first time since the drama started. "I understand I get one phone call. I would like mine right now," she stated politely. Cop #2, a little uncomfortable with what was going on, moved the phone over to her before he left the room. Cop # 1 insisted it be on the speakerphone. Victoria smiled sweetly at him, dialed the number, and when it was picked up, simply said, "I'm at the central police station," and hung up. I thought Cop #1 turned a little pale. Cop # 2 came back in about 10 minutes later, looking worried, and whispered to Cop #1. Then Cop #1 looked a lot paler. Five minutes later Chief Haskin walked in. We stood up as he walked over to me and shook my hand. "Patrick, it's great to see you again." Then he hugged Victoria. "Victoria, you are as beautiful as ever, I see. And how are your lovely daughters Cindi and Amy doing?" Victoria smiled brightly at him. "Amy's fine. I hope Cindi is ok after her episode with John Wayne here." She pointed to Cop #1. He was really looking very uncomfortable now. "I am sorry about that. Officer Daniels explained to me what happened. I'll take care of it. Sometimes our young officers get a little enthusiastic and don't show good judgment. Please thank Amy for me for her restraint. She is a remarkable young lady." He handed my card back, and gave me a barely perceptible nod. "Please give my regards to Captain Jensen next time you talk to him. Feel free to call me anytime I can be of assistance." He turned to Victoria. "And give Robert my best." He handed me a brown manila envelope. "Here's the documentation on this case. Please look it over, show it to your lawyer, and call me to make an appointment. We will talk more then." Both Cop # 1 and Cop # 2 were standing there with their mouths open. Ten minutes later, we were on our way home, after calling Rebecca's mom to come get us. While we were waiting for them to show up, Victoria and I both spoke at once, me asking her who she had called with her phone call, and she asking what was on the card I had given the cop. We laughed together and decided we both had some secrets. The van showed up with Rebecca, Amy, Cindi and Katie as passengers. Victoria and I got in the back with Cindi and Amy and were immediately mobbed by two squealing and one crying (gee, guess who?) teenagers. Cindi sat on her Mom's lap, head on her shoulder, as Victoria whispered to her all the way home. Amy sat on my lap, hugging me. "Thanks, Daddy. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if he had touched Cindi," she whispered. "Yeah. That was quite a display you put on there, Amy. Thank you, you might have saved my life. I'm going to have a long talk with Cindi!" "De nada. Like Dad and Mom, like daughter. Hey, I'm a cute, athletic, 13 year old cheerleader genius, Daddy - you have no idea the things I can do that you've never seen!" she giggled, blushing. I don't even want to know what she was referring to! "Leave Cindi alone; she's too fragile to scold right now. She already understands how bad that could have been because of her. Just let her sleep with you and Mommy tonight. She's had a small relapse." Actually, both girls slept with us that night. Cindy had nightmares all night and, after the first thunderstorm hit at 10:30, Amy snuggled on and trembled all night long. I hope they never grow up! The circumstantial evidence against Victoria looked strong. An eyewitness placed someone fitting her description as the last person to see the three boys when they left the bar that night. She had supposedly danced with all three, flirting and coming on to them and agreeing to go home with them. The car she left in, following them, however, didn't match any of our cars. It was a rental car found the same night with damage on the right front fender and rented to a fictitious female. There were no fingerprints in the car. All of the case stemmed from the one eyewitness. Victoria stopped into work briefly the next day to explain what had happened. They told her to not worry about it; they would take care of it. That seemed to mean a lot more to her than it did to me. While she was gone I made a couple of phone calls, and then I logged on to the internet and started looking up everything I could about her company. Ten minutes later I got a call from a man named Bob, inviting me to meet him at the local bar (yeah, it worked!). When I got there, it was a different guy than before, with a name tag that said "Bob". I told him why I wanted to meet. He said don't worry about it, it would be taken care of. I told him they better, or I would take care of it and that might cause them a lot of embarrassment. He raised his eyebrows, and said that the card I had given the police chief had impressed many people; could he see it? I told him no, but take care of the problem or he would see it. He handed me a card with a phone number on it and said if I needed to talk to them, use that number - stop screwing around on the internet! When I got home, Victoria gave me a puzzled look. I knew she somehow knew about my meeting. I asked her if everyone in her company was named Bob or Robert. She chuckled and said there did seem to be a lot of them. Two days later, Chief Haskin called us and asked us to come down to the station. When we entered his office, he asked for the packet back. After I handed it over he told us the case had been dropped. The police had raided the house of the eyewitness due to a tip about drugs and, after a shootout, had found two kilos of heroin in the house. They also found some expensive camera equipment and child pornography tapes. He handed a tape to me without any explanation. I asked him what it was. He said he didn't know; he had never watched it. The sad, haunted look in his eyes told me he was lying. The drug dealer was fatally injured in the shootout, so they had no eyewitness, hence no case. He also handed me a large, brown, sealed envelope addressed to me that had come to the station. He said he had not read that, either. I believed him - it was still sealed. It would be embarrassing if he had read that one, since the charges were already dropped. Victoria asked what was on the tape when we got home. I put it in the machine, turned it on, and we saw Cindi and her boyfriend sitting on the couch in our basement. I immediately turned it off and told her she didn't want to know. She asked me if I had seen it. I nodded yes, tears in my eyes. She kissed me, went into the bedroom, and came back with the copy I had hidden months ago and forgotten about. She asked if ot was the same one. I asked her how she had found it and she said she didn't - Amy did. Amy told her it wasn't even hard to find, that I was just too easy. I smiled ruefully - certifiable genius. Victoria said none of them had watched it, to please destroy both of them. I told Victoria I was glad we didn't have to use the brown envelope to beat the charges. When she asked what was in it, I handed it to her. As she began to look at the contents, her hand covered her open mouth in shock. Inside were numerous pictures, with date stamps, coverimg the last 6 months, including the weekend of the car crash, showing her in various shots with a man. Some of them strongly implied he was more than a friendly acquaintance. They were holding hands, kissing, making out in public places in various cities. There were airline ticket stubs, motel receipts, and restaurant receipts for numerous dates, including the weekend in question and covering all the cities the pictures were from. There were time stamped pictures in a nightclub, showing her kissing the same man, at the same time the crash had occurred. There was a private detective report covering the six-month period, with an hour-by-hour record of her activities for the weekend in question. Victoria looked at me, pain, shock and fear in her eyes. "I swear to God, I have never so much as held another man's hand since we were married. None of this is true. I love only you. Please, you have to believe me." I could hear the trembling in her voice. "I know that, silly. It never crossed my mind that you had." "Then, what ... how ... why?" "Victoria, when the police questioned you about that weekend, you would have had to refuse to answer their questions. That's because you didn't go that weekend to where you told me and the girls you were going to, where we would have testified you told us you were going. You would have looked guilty as hell. Even though I know you often don't go where you tell us you're going, because of your work, you still would have looked guilty for that time. Therefore, what better way to explain your reluctance to answer, than the reason that you were afraid your husband would find out you were having an affair?" She looked at the pictures once more, back at me, then laughed. Then she punched me in the arm, hard. It hurt for a week. "Damn you, you scared the hell out of me," she said. "You know I love you, don't you? You know I would never do something like that, don't you?" I felt ashamed for not preparing her for what she would find - I had never heard her sound unsure of my belief and trust in her faithfulness before. "It's just ... I've had to lie to you so often; I never know when you might stop believing me on anything." "I will always believe you on everything, Victoria, except concerning your work. And I will just not ask about that anymore, so you don't have to lie." "But how did they get these pictures of me like this?" "It's not you, silly. But if we fooled you, think how well it would have fooled the cops." "Who are we? And how did you get all this done in three days?" she asked. "What? You think your "company" is the only ones that can get things done? You know, Victoria, maybe we ought to sit down and tell each other all our secrets one of these days." She grinned at me. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours?" "Are we still talking about our jobs?" I asked, as she lifted up her bottom to help me slip her panties down. "Nope," she giggled. Soon we were mostly undressed, making out on the couch like a couple of teenagers. Speaking of which, Amy and Cindi came strolling into the room to see what we doing. They stopped, frozen, as they entered the room, their minds registering what they were seeing. "EWWWW!" they shrieked as they turned and ran into their bedrooms, slamming their doors shut in unison. Victoria and I fell over laughing. Mere mortal adults 1, genius teenagers 0! They didn't come out the rest of the evening. Now we knew how to get some peace and quiet! As we lay there, later, enjoying each other and basking in the glow, I told her I had been worried about the strength of some of the evidence against her. She smiled and said she wasn't; she knew it was a setup from the beginning. She'd made sure no one had seen her. Thanks to Tajod for his proofreading and editing help. ------- Chapter 11 It was one of the best summers I could remember for a long time. Even though it was at the expense of her 'car accident', we had Victoria home with us for almost three weeks (she still had some "lingering pain" after two weeks!). The issue of the SUV accident was finally behind us. I had worried about that for a long time, without telling anyone. Three men hurt one of Victoria's babies, and two days later, they were dead? Too convenient. Not that I blamed her. I would have done it if she hadn't, but she's probably better at it. However, we'll never know now. Sure as little fishies she wasn't going to tell me, if she refused to tell me whom she works for. Victoria and I had always been close, and had what I would call an ideal marriage, but we'd grown closer in the last several months. Even though I always knew it, I was now completely confident that she would do anything for her family. She would always be there when she was really needed and it counted. It was crystal clear, even more so than before, that we were everything to her, the most important thing in her life. I learned that we could be that, and she could still do her job. The two were not incompatible. I also put aside the irritation I always felt about her job. She couldn't tell me, and that was it. Not wouldn't - couldn't. She vowed not to lie to me anymore about anything. If she was unable to answer, she would just say she couldn't talk about it, and I vowed I would not pursue it anymore when she said that. I was touched the night she expressed to me how badly she was feeling, even to not being able to sleep at night, every time she lied to me. I think we loved each other more than ever, and that was saying a lot. Cindi was getting better every day. She was more confident, although she was still leery about boys. I think that will continue until she falls in love with one and finds out they are not all jerks. Probably someone a little older than her, more mature, more sensitive. That was possibly what attracted her to me. One thing I was both happy and sad about - we were slowly phasing out our sexual relationship. Not deliberately, it just didn't happen as often anymore; it wasn't needed as much by her as it once was. We still got together occasionally and we still enjoyed it tremendously, but it appeared she really just needed it to get her over her bad memories. It just took more than the one time she planned. I missed her that way - but we also found that we were so close, and loved each other so much, that just cuddling together on the couch or snuggling in bed was almost as good as sex. I've never been deprived, at least in quality if not in quantity, by my sex life with Victoria. Horniness or deprivation was never the reason for my actions with Cindi, but love and a desperate need on her part. Plus, it was doing wonders for the lingering guilty feeling I have always had. We made no plans to stop completely, but we knew it might just stop all of its own accord. I think Cindi recognized she was just not ready for a recurrent sexual relationship with anybody. She agree with me that she was just too young. I've always been closer to Amy that Cindi ... No, that's not quite right. I was closer in a different way. That was still true, because as Cindi and I grew closer that summer, so did Amy and I. I had an even more profound respect and admiration for Amy since her performance during the episode with the cops. There's nothing like someone saving your life to make you trust them completely. Amy had a maturity, understanding, and wisdom well beyond her years that Victoria, Cindi and I had come to trust explicitly. Yet she still maintained her ability to be a cute, giggly, wiggly 13 year old. She flicked back and forth like flipping a switch when it was needed, and it was obvious immediately when she changed hats. Her capacity to read and understand a situation, adapt to it, and read other peoples emotions and parts in it, was uncanny. I sometimes wondered if she can read minds. But then, I decide she couldn't, or there were times I would have been in big trouble! Both the girls and I still enjoyed immensely snuggling together in bed at night. Except for the occasional trysts with Cindi, there was little sexual content there. Although there were times I wondered about Amy, if it was there, neither of us dared to act on it. Somehow, the girls concocted a kind of system of who was going to snuggle on what night. The nights that they both came in, it was obviously deliberate. There was no hiding it as if it was wrong - they did it just as often when Victoria was around as not. The girls were really heavily into cheerleading, so that meant, even more than before, the constant presence of cute 13-14 year olds around all the time. They were all enjoyable - the one I enjoyed the presence of most was Katie. She was almost as sweet as my girls are. Probably as sweet, but I always gave my girls first place. She was around quite often, even staying overnight on a regular basis. She and her mother didn't have that much in common. Her mother had five other younger kids to raise, so she didn't really mind that much if Katie wasn't at home. Although Cindi and Amy were not all that close to her, she really liked Victoria and me, and the feeling was mutual. When I stayed up late at night and she was staying over, she would often come downstairs and snuggle up to me on the couch, or lie on the couch with her head in my lap, to watch TV. We would often stay up for hours just talking about anything and everything. Many nights she fell asleep with her head on my lap and I would carry her into the spare bedroom to put her into bed. She and the girls were very good about somehow scheduling the time so that there was never a conflict with Katie when Amy or Cindi wanted to cuddle or talk. I have never understood how females do that, seemingly without ever talking about it. She hadn't quite reached the point of talking about her father yet. The poor girl had been hurt very badly, and since she didn't talk about that or her father, I sensed they were related. I saw some of the same signs in her as what Cindi went through. I hoped I was wrong. One interesting situation occurred over the summer with Amy that I found nerve wracking at the time it occurred, about midway through the summer. The cheerleaders decided to host a get-together for all the girls and guys they knew, kind of like an informal party and dance. We didn't let Cindi or Amy formally date yet, but if it was an informal group with chaperones, etc, we would let them go. This one wasn't at our house, but was hosted at Laura's house, one of the 15-year-old cheerleaders. We debated letting the girls go, since Laura's parents weren't the best chaperones in the world, but we finally figured there would be enough other people there that it would be ok. They're not bad, just not as watchful sometimes as we were about the things teenagers always try to get away with. We weren't worried about our girls - just the idea they could be caught up in something if anything went wrong. Amy was excited about going; Cindi made it clear that she wouldn't be there, for exactly the reasons we had questioned, and because she wasn't ready for that much contact with boys yet. She decided to go to Elizabeth's house for the night, where a bunch of girls were gathering whose parents wouldn't let them go to the other gathering. Amy had an 11:00 PM curfew time to be home. At 11:00 PM, the doorbell rang. Thinking Amy had forgotten her key, I answered the door to find Amy, drunk as a skunk, being held up by Cindi and Elizabeth's college age sister. Cindi quickly asked me to hear out what happened before I got mad and grounded Amy until her 40th birthday. They helped me get her in, and I laid her on the couch and turned around to hear from the two girls why I should let her live! As I calmed down I remembered that Amy never drank, did not like the taste of the stuff, so I knew there was some kind of story here. It turned out that someone had spiked one of the bowls of punch and Amy hadn't realized it. Amy loves punch. By the time anyone figured out what was going on, she couldn't walk by herself. It would be hard to tell if Amy was drunk till she started losing motor control, since she was so outgoing in a group and acted drunk half the time anyway. Finally, someone called Cindi pick her up, since nobody dared to bring her home. Cindi said she would stay to take care of her, but I told her to go back to Elizabeth's house. There was no sense in ruining her night; I would take care of Amy. The first thing I noticed was that she stank! Sorry, Amy, but it's true. She, or someone, had spilled alcoholic drinks on her clothes, and she had thrown up at least once with her head not in the ideal position, if you get my drift. Think about what can happen when you throw up in a toilet bowl with long hair. Sorry, maybe too graphic, huh? The first thing was to get her cleaned up. It was too big a job for a washcloth and sink - it was in her hair and everything. She was in desperate need for a shower, and since she was too unstable to go in alone, it looked like she was going to take a shower with Dad. A drunk Amy loses all the maturity that people are so impressed with. She becomes a constantly giggling 13 year old that says and does bizarre things. Much to my consternation she became much more interested in sexually oriented subjects. Can you tell this is an embarrassed father trying to talk about his daughter? She found it great fun, while I was holding her up and washing her, to play with the hair on my chest. Of course, this was hilariously funny and necessitated much giggling. Sigh. Then she discovered that if she ran her soapy fingers over my nipples they would get hard, just like hers. Giggle, giggle, giggle. Lord, give me patience. Good thing I love this girl. Then, did you know that if you kiss Daddy when he's not expecting it, you can stick your tongue in his mouth as he gasps in shock? That deserved a full fledge laugh. It also rated a slap on the butt for her, and a retaliatory turning off the hot water for a few seconds. Little drunk Amys shriek very loud in a cold shower. Hee hee. Then came the worst of all - she discovered that Daddy has a cock and balls (giggle, giggle), that (gasp) gets really big when it gets hard (she's never seen one before, so what does she know about big?), as it does really quickly when you put cute soft little Amy hands on his cock and balls and rub them (yep, you guessed it - giggle, giggle, giggle, giggle, etc.). I couldn't believe this! Sweet, innocent little Amy? I was going to have nightmares about this for years to come . I had to get her out of there quick, but unfortunately it takes time to wash her long hair when she has vomit in it. I slapped her hands and told her to behave. Oh boy, telling a drunk Amy she can't have something she thinks is fun to play with. Not good even when she is sober, useless when she is drunk. Victoria, there are times when I hate your job! This should be you doing this. I finally dragged her out. Then we had more fun. Drying off a drunk Amy. Great! While I was drying off her hair and upper body with both my hands, well, of course, that means she can play with Daddy's privates again, since he has no hands to stop her. Right? That's the way things go in Amy's (drunk) world. Then, when I moved my hands down to her lower body to dry her, that means if you are Amy you are free to throw your hands around Daddy's neck and try that tongue kissing thing again. I finally decided the hell with drying her, she can just sleep on wet sheets, so I picked her up and carried her into bed, laid her down, covered her up, kissed her cheek, moving fast before she decided to do the tongue thing again, and started to leave the room. "Daddy? Daaddyy? Would you sleep with me? I want to cuddle, I can't go to sleep." Damn. How in the hell do you know, girl? You've only tried for 7 seconds! Did I say she was my favorite? I think she just slipped two points below the jerk, cop #1! I crawled into bed and snuggled up behind her, with my arm around her waist. Go to sleep, Amy. Then, after a few minutes, she started crying. "Ok, what's wrong, Amy?" "Why did they do all those awful things to Cindi, Daddy? It was terrible. And she saved me, Daddy. She let them do it to save me. Why did she do that, Daddy? It wasn't fair. She is so sweet and never mean to anyone and they made her do those awful things, and it hurt her so much. And it was all because of me. I tease her all the time and called her a bitch when she was hurting so bad and I didn't know she sucked cocks to save me. How can I ever make that up to her?" she sobbed. "Amy, honey, did you watch that movie when you found it?" "Y ... y ... yes. Please don't be mad at me." Damn. Why did I forget about that thing? I wish I had remembered to throw it out like I meant to. "Honey, she did those things because she loves you. I think you would have done the same for her if you had to. They did it because they were bad boys. And they paid the price for it. You make it up to Cindi by loving her and being nice to her, just as you always do. Honey, Cindi likes your teasing, just as we all do. Her fun is in not letting you know that." "Daddy, will you make love to me tonight?" "No, honey, I won't. You're drunk, and you don't know what you are asking." "Daddy, did Mommy kill those boys because they hurt one of her babies?" Before I could answer, I heard her snoring gently. "I don't know, Amy" I lied, whispering, slipped out of bed, and went into the living room. The next day was Saturday, so, fortunately, Amy could sleep late. She slept so late that she missed cheerleader practice for the first time in her life. Cindi went anyway. Amy woke a little after noon and came looking for me. Since I'd given up drying her, she had slept in wet hair, and it was frightful looking, sticking out everywhere. When she came into the room I took one look at her and screamed "Monster, Monster!" and jumped behind the couch, peering out around the edge. She didn't think it was funny at all. She gave me a dirty look. "NOT funny, DAD!"she snarled. I asked how she was feeling. I will not repeat her answer. Amazing how she can give a non-repeatable answer and not say a single bad word. Then she climbed up into my lap and hid her face in my shirt. "I'm so sorry, Daddy. I'm so embarrassed." "You didn't know the punch was spiked, honey." "I don't mean for that. I mean for last night in the shower, and in bed." She was red now. "I'm sorry for the things I said and did, Daddy". "It's ok, sweetie. Everybody does embarrassing things when they're drunk. Remember that." She hid her head in my neck, looking the other way in acute embarrassment. "Daddy, did I really ask you to make love to me last night?" she whispered softly. I moved her head, holding it between my hands, and made her look at me. "Amy, you and your Mom are the two most beautiful women I know. If I were 20 years younger and not your Dad, I would have been proud last night to be the first one to make love to you. Make that just not being your Dad, I wouldn't care about the age difference." I must have said something right, because she just beamed, lighting up the whole room. Then the true Amy came back. She grinned at me. "Who said you would have been my first?" Brat! She said it just as I was drinking, and I spat my drink all over the place. She laughed hysterically. "You are just too easy!" I tickled her until her head hurt. Serves her right. Suddenly I was embarrassed. That does not happen often with me. "Would I ... would I have been your first?" I asked quietly. Why are you asking this? Do you really want to know? She looked at me shyly for a second, then reached out and touched my cheek softly. "Poor Daddy. Its hard being a parent, isn't it? Especially to a smart-assed, genius kid like me." She smiled at me sweetly. "You know me, Daddy. You already know the answer to that. Yes, it is the answer you are hoping for. But thank you for asking. I love you, Daddy." Of course, my little smart-assed genius kid always has to have the last laugh. She grinned impishly. "But, of course, the day is yet young! And you may not know me as well as you think you do!" Snot. I tickled her until she cried for mercy. Amy spent the entire day cuddled on the couch with me. Snuggling, or lying with her head on my lap, dozing. Just about every position she could think of to try to get comfortable. It was a nice day. I bet she has learned her lesson about drinking. Poor little thing. It was a wonderful day, one of the best I'd had. She did get sick one more time during the day. You do not realize how much you love someone, or how much he or she trusts and loves you, until you hold their head, keeping their hair out of the way while they puke their guts out. Afterwards she lay on my lap, sighing contentedly and dozing as I softly rubbed her stomach, then her temples, trying to make her feel better. The smiles she lit up the room with as I stroked her were well worth holding her head while she puked. I didn't dare ask what the impish little grin was about. I did not think I wanted to know! I wondered if it had anything to do with the soft, gentle trailing of my fingertips up the inside of her leg. Once. I did not dare do it again. Amy slept with me that night. I don't think either of us moved or stopped cuddling all night long. Sunday Amy stayed home from practice again. When Cindi told me she was going alone again, I went in to check on Amy again. She said she still felt 'yucky'. I love these scientific terms, just loaded with hard data that makes it all clear what she means. She threw up again, and seemed to developed a fever and felt weak all over. Hmm. Seemed to be more than a hangover. Monday I offered to stay home with her, as she was still sick; had a sore throat now, too, but she said to go on, she would be fine. I called her several times during the day; she said she was ok, but it wasn't the perky Amy I normally talk to. I called her just before I left for home, but she did not answer. Asleep, I guess. When I got home I went to see how she was, not wanting to call out and disturb her if she was asleep. I found her on her bed, lying on her back, she and the bed soaked in sweat. She was tossing fitfully in her sleep, mumbling incoherently. I went in and touched her forehead. She was burning up. I thought I would change her out of her sweaty nightclothes; see if I could make her more comfortable. When I unbuttoned her top and opened it up to take it off, I saw the red rash on her chest and stomach. My blood ran cold. I checked her pulse - rapid and thready. Respiration shallow. This was not good. I quickly got a cold washrag and put it on her forehead, then went into the living room and dialed the emergency room at the hospital. Because they knew who I was, I would get better service by calling the ED rather than 911. When they answered the emergency line, I identified myself. "I need an ambulance immediately, this is a medical emergency. I have a case of suspected severe systemic septicemia. Please hurry." After I gave them my address they said one would be there in less than five minutes and they would notify the doctors that we were coming in. I then called Rebecca's mom, and asked her to take Cindi to her house when she picked them up after practice. I would call her later. She could tell by my voice that something was wrong, but knew it was not the time to ask. Almost immediately after I hung up, the ambulance arrived. The paramedics looked at her, stuck a thermometer in her mouth, started an IV, and moved her to the ambulance. We were at the hospital in five minutes. Hospital emergency rooms are not designed for the comfort of visitors. They are designed for treating patients, and they are variably effective at that. However, they are really designed to treat critically ill patients, and when that patient is a particularly well liked child of a staff member, they excel beyond all expectations. They wheeled her in, checked her vital signs, and immediately carted her off to MICU. I didn't even know she had gone upstairs until I was finished talking to the ER staff. "Can I see her now?" I asked a nurse. "I'm sorry; she's been moved to MICU already." She gave me the doctor's name. When I got up to the ICU, I looked up the doctor. "How is she?" "We'll know better once we have some test results back. We started her on some wide spectrum antibiotics and some drugs to try to stabilize her heartbeat, blood pressure, and respiration, and we're trying to bring her fever down a little. She's a very sick girl." I asked to see her chart He showed me what they had so far, and I'm sure my face must have turned pale. "Are you all right?" "Can I see her?" "Yes, but try to stay out of the way. I can't guarantee she will know you are there, though." I went in to see her. She looked awful. She had IV's in both arms, monitors hooked up everywhere, and I could tell they would soon be putting her on a ventilator. I went over to her bed, took her hand, and held it. She squeezed my hand! I bent down and kissed her forehead, and she opened her eyes. "Hi Daddy," she said weakly. "I'm sorry I'm so much trouble and scared you. You know me, I'll do anything for attention and to get out of school," she teased. "Bah! You'll have to try harder than that to get my attention," I said bravely. "A little touch of the flu, you'll be back home tomorrow." "Liar," she whispered. "Have you called Mommy yet? You'd better get her here. Cindi too." The nurse appeared and said she needed to put the ventilator mask on. "I love you, Daddy," she breathed. "I love you too, Sweetie," I said, and left the room. I went out into the waiting room, and approached the nursing station. I asked to use a phone. One of the nursesrecognized me, took one look at my face, and led me to the nurses' private room. She asked the two nurses in there use the conference room, set a phone in front of me, told me to buzz her if I needed anything, then left, shutting the door. I put my head down, wiped a few tears out of my eyes, and made a phone call. Then I called Victoria. "Hello?" "Hi." "Hi!" she said happily. "This is a pleasant surprise! How are you?" "Ok." Pause. "What's wrong?" she asked, concern in her voice. "Amy's sick" "Is she ok?" "Victoria, you need to come home right now. Immediately." She did not ask unnecessary questions. "I don't know how soon I can get a flight out of here." "Don't worry about that. Where are you?" She told me where she was staying. Good. Right where I thought she would be. I already knew, without looking that up, where the nearest base was. "There is a helicopter waiting at the hospital across the street from you. Go to the Emergency room and ask for the director. Identify yourself. They will fly you to the base outside town. When you get there, identify yourself to Captain Jensen. He will meet you at the pad. They have a jet waiting for you. Don't bring any luggage with you; there will not be room for it. There will be a helicopter waiting at the Base here for you, to bring you to the hospital. Oh, and Victoria, if you have eaten, better ask for an airsick bag if you get sick on high speed military jets." "Honey - what's going on? You're scaring me." The tremor in her voice verified that. "Just get here, Victoria. Get going now. We will talk when you get here," I said, my voice breaking. "Bye. I love you," she said, and hung up. Next, I called Rebecca's house. Cindi answered the phone on the first ring. "Daddy" she said, somehow knowing it was me, "what's wrong with Amy? She's not home, and you're not either. She's sick and in the hospital, isn't she?" She sounded really upset. "Cindi, how do you know Amy is sick and in the hospital?" "I can just feel it. Rebecca's mom will drive me down there. Amy wants to see me and I want to see her, too." She sounded like she would be crying any minute. "Honey, why don't you get a good night's sleep and I will pick you up in the morning and bring you here to see her". "No! I'm coming tonight. Daddy, she's not ok," she whispered. "I'll be there as soon as I can," she said, and she hung up. I sat there listening to a dial tone. What a strange conversation. I checked on Amy again. She squeezed my hand when I held hers, but could not talk well because of the ventilator. She looked scared. I squeezed her hand and told her I loved her. She smiled and looked a little better. I sat there with her for about an hour, holding her hand and talking to her. About an hour and a half after I talked to Victoria I heard what sounded like a sonic boom. Amy opened her eyes and looked up at me. 'Victoria's here, ' I thought. "That's Mommy. She'll be here in a few minutes," I whispered. Amy smiled and mouthed thank you. I told her Cindi should be here shortly, too. She smiled more at that. Cindi said she was coming as soon as she could. I didn't know what was taking her so long. About 15 minutes later, Victoria and Cindi walked into the ICU. They had apparently met each other in the lobby as they walked in. I went out to meet them. A nurse was moving to intercept them, probably to tell Victoria that Cindi could not come in to visit - there were minimum age restrictions in the ICU. She was a new nurse that did not know any of us. I walked up to her to try to head off a scene. I really did not want someone telling Victoria she could not bring Cindi in. The way Cindi looked, I was not sure who would explode first. "It's ok. She can come in. She's her twin sister." "I'm sorry, but..." "We're going in," I interrupted her. "Go get the hospital administrator. If he wants to throw her out, tell him to come see me." We turned around and walked towards Amy's room. Victoria looked at me with a strange look on her face. "I've never been in an F-15, flying on afterburners across the country before. In flight refueling is a little scary". I ignored her and took them in to see Amy. They ran up to her, hugged, and kissed. Cindi seemed briefly shocked at how Amy looked, but then she blanked her facial expression. The nurse said she would take off the ventilator mask for a while and put a nose clip on instead. Amy smiled weakly at Cindi. "It's ok, I know I look terrible." They all hugged, cried and kissed for a while, and then the doctor and nurse came in. "I have the test results. Let's go somewhere where we can talk." "No. I want to hear what you have to say," Amy said. "I'm staying too," said Cindi. The doctor looked at Victoria and I, and we just shrugged. We were going to tell them what he said, anyway. "And tell it to me straight; I don't want any BS. I understand your jargon," Amy stated emphatically. "Ok," he sighed. "Your daughter is a critically ill girl. She has a systemic infection throughout her body. So far the antibiotics have made little headway. It may be viral, in which case the antibiotics are not going to do any good anyway. There are signs the infection may be beginning to affect many of her organs. Her blood pressure is beginning to fluctuate, her urine output is dropping, and her liver enzymes are showing a mild increase, along with her heart enzymes. If we can't get it under control, her organs will begin to shut down. We'll know more in the next 12 hours. We can do little else. If we don't get some improvement in the next 12 hours, the chances of survival are not good." Well, she wanted it straight. Cindi and Victoria look like they were in shock. I was marginally better, but only because I knew this was what I was going to hear. Amy, surprisingly, looked calmer than she was before. "What is causing this?" Victoria asked. "About one in a million times, a relatively harmless virus, influenza or a cold virus, something like that, suddenly goes out of control. We don't know why it happens." As we talked, Amy seemed to drift off to sleep. I looked at the monitors and realized she was probably unconscious. I could see the nurse and doctor recognized it too. "That's it?" Cindi finally exploded. "All this modern medicine and drugs, and you're telling us that you can't do anything, and unless something changes all by itself, she is going to die?" She was yelling now, tears pouring down her face. "That's it?" "I'm sorry," he said. "Sorry, my ass! If you can't do anything then get the fuck out of here! Both of you! GET OUT! NOW!" she screamed. "Cindi!" I started. Victoria tried to hug her, but she refused to be held. She just looked at the doctor and nurse and pointed her finger at the door. They stood there, stunned, and when they didn't move, she shoved them towards the door. "GET OUT!" she screamed again. "I think maybe we should leave for awhile. We will be back later." They headed for the door. Victoria and I stood there, in shock. At Amy's prognosis. At Cindi's outburst. At everything. We were openly crying ourselves. Amy was fortunately oblivious to it all. Cindi walked over to us and took our hands in hers. "Mommy? Daddy? Do you love me?" she whispered. ------- Chapter 12 Cindi walked over and clasped our hands in hers. "Mom? Dad? Do you love me?" she whispered. "Cindi, you know we do," I answered for us, wondering why she felt she had to ask. "Mom? Dad? Do you love me? Please, you have to say it. Please." I squeezed her hand, and the memory of the time we made love, our climax like a spring rainstorm, and the feeling as we basked in the joy and beauty afterwards, came unbidden into my mind. I wanted to smile, but it was a little hard under the circumstances. "I love you, Cindi. I think you know how much," I told her. She smiled at me, a special, gentle smile, squeezed my hand in return, said "Thank you," and I realized with a sense of shock and wonder that she had seen that image go through my mind. "I love you too, Cindi, more than I have shown you and more than I can possibly tell you," Victoria answered. I saw the look on her face as she had the same experience I did; the realization in her mind that Cindi did know. We looked at each other in confusion; what was going on here? Cindi was speaking again. "Mom, Dad, I know I'm not good at a lot of things, like Amy, she's like a superwoman or something, but please, Mom, Dad, please, would you trust me this time, please trust me, that I can do this? Please? For Amy's sake? Please?" She seemed calm now. There were tears in her eyes, but they were no longer tears of fear or rage. She looked so intense; I had to do what I could for her. Victoria looked at me and nodded. "We trust you, honey. Do what you can." I had no idea what I was telling her to do, or why, but if it helped her deal with what was coming, I would do it. I just was not sure how I was going to deal with what was coming. She looked down, closed her eyes, and whispered, "One more time, Mom and Dad, and really believe it this time. For Amy's sake, do you love me and trust me?" She seemed to be concentrating, and suddenly I felt a wash of love and trust pour through me. Victoria's gasp, told me she felt the same. Cindi led us over to Amy's bed. She took one of Amy's hands and laid it in mine. I clasped it, half feeling, half hoping that I felt her squeeze back faintly. Cindi smiled at me. "Yes, she knows you are here." Then she took Amy's other hand and laid it in Victoria's hand. Finally, she took each of our remaining hands in hers. "Close your eyes. Think about nothing except how much you love me." I did as she asked. I did not know what was going on, but my girls had always been special, and if this would help either one of them, I would do it. I thought again about the time like the spring rain. Cindi squeezed my hand. I thought about all the wonderful times I had had with her. As I continued to think how much I loved her, I could sense a blue fog seeming to come over my eyes and seep into my mind. It was blue, a deep blue, the same color as Cindi's eyes! The blue deepened the more I thought of her. Images ran through my mind of the times I had enjoyed with Cindi. But somehow, they were different. I was seeing Cindi's memories of our love and wonderful times together in my mind! I could feel the love building up in me, higher and higher. I was so full it felt like I was going to burst. When I felt I no longer could hold it in, Cindi spoke again. "Think of how much you love Amy. Think of your baby. Give her all your love." Interesting. I could hear Cindi's voice ... in my head! I thought of spending Sunday together with Amy. Rubbing her temples, her stomach. I thought of running my fingers up the insides of her leg. Cindi squeezed my hand. I thought of all the times we cuddled in bed together. The haze in my mind turned green, beautiful, deep green. Amy's eyes! My God! I could feel her! I basked in the joy of feeling at one with my girls. I could feel Victoria there, too. I was amazed at the depth of love I felt from her, for me and for her babies. And for the one that wasn't there. I didn't know what that meant. I felt the huge bubble of love slowing, leaving me, colored bright green as it left. I wondered what it looked like in the room. In my mind, I saw Amy lying on the bed, green tendrils floating across to her body and disappearing inside. Cindi's voice whispered in my mind, "It looks like that," and she giggled. I had never seen anything so beautiful. I heard Cindi in my mind again. "This is our secret, just for us. Even Amy doesn't know. Tell no one." The green faded. Suddenly we were standing there, by the bed, the three of us hugging each other, our eyes open, a warm sense of calm, love, and peace filling us. It seemed like we had walked over to the bed just a minute ago, but a quick glance at my watch showed a half hour had passed. I had only a vague remembrance of something too weird to be possible having happened. "Hey. Don't I get a hug, too?" a weak voice asked. We turned quickly around, to see Amy, eyes open, smiling faintly. Amy looked awful, but she looked better. Some color had returned. Victoria and I wrapped our arms around her, hugging and kissing her as we cried. A look of panic crossed Amy's face. "Cindi! Where is Cindi?" I looked around. Cindi was sitting in a chair, leaning back against the wall. She looked tired, really tired, and sick, her eyes half closed and face pale. She looked old, and ... sick. "Dad! Bring her over here," Amy said. We helped her walk over and sat her on the bed next to Amy "Cindi, what did you do?" They looked into each other's eyes, communicating with each other somehow. "You goofball, what am I going to do with you? Thank you," Amy whispered. Amy called me over close to her. "Daddy, Cindi needs something from the nursing station. Can you get it for her, please?" She pulled me down and whispered into my ear. I stared at her in surprise. "Are you sure, Amy? If you are wrong, things will get awful interesting real quick!" "Trust me, Daddy." Well, I had learned a lot about trust in the last few minutes. I kissed her forehead, hurried out to the nursing station, and I asked the nurse to prepare what I needed. She looked at me in astonishment. "Are you sure?" she asked, assuming it was for me. "If you have digestive problems, suffer from migraines, have heart problems, or latent diabetes, things will get awful interesting real quick around here!" She didn't understand why I laughed. "Trust me," I winked. I got what I needed and returned to the room, handing Cindi a glass of murky white, foul smelling liquid. Cindi crinkled up her nose in disgust. "Are you sure about this, Amy? This stuff smells yucky!" "Drink it all down. Good news. It tastes worse than it smells. And perhaps ... next time you'll think twice about saving my life," she teased. After Cindi, complaining loudly and continuously about why this couldn't be a pill, drank it all down, two things happened almost simultaneously. She perked up, her color returned, and her energy level returned. She looked her age again, and no longer looked ill. At that same moment the monitors hooked up to Amy went crazy. Her blood pressure returned to normal, as did her temperature, her pulse stabilized, her respiration deepened and evened out, the irregularities in her EKG disappeared, and her rash faded almost away. Alarms that were set to sound with significant changes in either direction were beeping incessantly. I laughed. They all looked at me quizzically. "Wait for it," I chuckled. Almost immediately, the door burst open and the nurse and doctor ran in. They paused slightly when they saw Cindi, looking at her nervously, but she smiled sweetly at them. "Come on in! I'm human again!" she quipped. Then she looked at us and winked. She ran over to Amy and hugged and kissed her. "I'm so glad to see you again." "Me too! What happened?" "Don't know," Cindi answered. "We were standing here, then all of a sudden I felt sick and you started waking up. What did you do?" Cindi asked innocently. Amy rolled her eyes and gave her the Amy look (YES, she is getting better!). "I'll talk to you later," she murmured. The doctor politely told the girls to quit gabbing and let him give Amy a checkup. Amy politely told him to talk to the finger (Poor Amy. So innocent. She doesn't know these things. She had no idea she held up the wrong finger!), and all of us, including the doctor, burst out laughing. She turned red and asked what was wrong. We told her she wouldn't understand. They kept Amy two more days, trying to find out what had happened. They were expecting her to suddenly get worse again. Finally, on the third day, Amy demanded we either take her home or she was walking out the front door and hitching a ride with the first person that picked her up. If we liked this place so much, we could stay and eat that ... food! Yep, Amy was getting better. She was still weak as a kitten, however. We decided we wouldn't make her hitchhike home. I refused the wheelchair and told them I would carry Amy out, and picked her up in my arms. She squealed in delight, wrapped her arms around my neck, and kissed me. She gave me a big kiss, not quite daughterly but not too scandalous, and asked me quietly if I was going to give her another shower. I had not told anybody about that. I told her I was feeling a little weak myself, especially in my arms; I hoped I would not drop her on the way out. She giggled and said she was sure she could find a convenient handle to hold on to with her hands. That did it! I blushed and decided to quit while I was only way too far behind. "Sorry, Daddy," she whispered in my ear, while everyone else waited patiently to hear the story behind those comments, but I wasn't talking. It's hard to sound sorry when you are giggling. Amy had lost weight while she was sick, so she was ravenous. I dropped them off at home and went to buy dinner. I got a sausage and pepperoni pizza for Amy and me and a special for Cindi and Victoria. I also bought a quart of Pistachio ice cream. For those with weak stomachs, you might want to skip the next paragraph at this point. Ok, remember, I warned you. Amy likes to tale alternate bites of sausage and pepperoni pizza with pistachio ice cream. As Cindi says, sometimes she is just way too gross and disgusting! I told her if she ended up in the hospital again due to gross eating habits, the insurance company would not pay; it does not cover self-abuse. We left her in the kitchen eating alone, telling her we were going into the other room to eat with normal people before we got sick. When we sneaked back in and gave her a tickling attack, her mock sad face got happy and she just beamed. She just loves being teased. "I love you guys," she sighed happily. Two days after getting home, Victoria had to leave town again. She looked so distraught trying to explain to Amy why she had to leave, but we all understood; all was well. I had as much time off as I needed from work until Amy was better. The next day she told me I could go into work if I needed to. I flatly and curtly refused, and when I saw her eyes widen I turned and walked away. A few minutes later, a pair of teenage arms slipped around my waist and a pretty little girl snuggled up behind me. Then she gently turned me around and took my hands in hers. "It wasn't your fault, Daddy," she said softly. "It still would have happened if you would had stayed home from work that day. I didn't feel really bad until shortly before you came home. It wouldn't have mattered". I looked down and felt silly for her having figured me out. The doctor had said the same thing. I was also glad she had not figured out the other reason I felt bad. "I just don't know what I would do if I lost you," I whispered. She just hugged me. "It would kind of ruin my whole day, too," she whispered back seriously. The third day home, Amy announced that she felt dirty and disgusting and we needed to do something about it. "I thought you were just kidding about giving you another shower," I said, feeling frantic. "Not shower. Too weak. Bath. Now." So, I carried her into the bathroom. She waited patiently for me to fill the tub and take her clothes off. I helped her into the tub, she sighed happily as she sank in to the water and soaked for a while. I got up quietly to leave, but she put her hand on my arm and asked me to stay, then closed her eyes again. I think she just enjoys teasing me to death. She knew the lovely sight her beautiful body made lying naked in that tub. She asked me to wash her; she said she was too weak to do it properly. I tried, but I was just making a big mess trying to do it with me outside the tub (washing her, I mean). Finally, she took the washcloth away from me. "This just isn't going to work this way, Daddy. Get you clothes off and get in here and wash me right." I must have looked like a deer in the headlights, because she cracked up, and then put her hand on my arm affectionately. "I'm not drunk. I'm not going to seduce you. Well, probably not. Not while I'm this weak, anyway! Just kidding! We have already seen all there is to see of each other. Come on." She lay back and closed her eyes as I got undressed, so I wouldn't be embarrassed. She is such a sweetheart. Then I climbed in behind her and sat down. She snuggled back against me, closed her eyes again, and sighed happily. I proceeded to wash her cute little body all over. I'm sure she must have felt me against her butt, but for once in her life Amy passed up the opportunity to tease. Once I was over my embarrassment, and assured myself that nothing was going to happen, I really enjoyed giving her a bath. She just turned boneless when I washed her hair. She enjoyed it so much she fell asleep. Drying her off was a hell of a lot easier than last time I was in the bathroom with her! We got dressed, and went into the living room, where she sat on the floor in front of me on the couch while I brushed her hair. If any of you have never brushed female hair, you have to try it. Whether she is 6 or 37, (I've never tried it older than that) it is one of the most sensual (not the same as sexual) things you can do. Washing hair is tied for brushing hair on the sensual scale. They are both about a 15 on a scale of 10. Victoria loves it almost as much as a massage. It had been a long time since I had washed and brushed Amy's hair. I made a mental note to do it again soon. She purred like a kitten as I ran the brush through her long black hair. Not for the first time, I marveled at how much she was an almost exact duplicate copy of Victoria physically. Maybe I should take a bath with Victoria next time she came home. We did the bath thing a few more times until she was strong enough to take care of herself. The next day I filled the tub before I carried her in and, unbeknownst to her, made it a bubble bath. She squealed with glee when she saw it and I let her enjoy it for quite awhile, giggling and splashing and just generally making a total mess of the bathroom until we finally got around to getting her clean. Just watching her have such a good time made my heart melt, and I hugged her, getting misty-eyed thinking how close I had come to losing her. She looked at me with head cocked to one side, curious as to what I was thinking, then her eyes softened as she seemed to figure it out. She wrapped her arms around my arms, which were around her waist, laid her head against my shoulder, and whispered, "Me too." It didn't take long before the girls in the cheerleader group found out that Amy had been in the hospital and that she was back home again. The house began to fill up everyday with her friends. I had to monitor the situation closely, to make sure they did not tire her out too much, so I had to spend a lot of time around cute, 13-14 year old cheerleaders. It's a terrible job, but somebody had to do it! After the first day or so of me being around all the time, they completely lost all inhibitions they had. I was one of the girls. The standard mode of dress became tee shirt and panties. Bad enough with some of these cuties, but it took a while to get used to it with Cindi and Amy. They had to fit in with the other girls, you see. I found out there is absolutely nothing teenage girls will not and do not talk about. Amy, of course, had to give a very detailed account of her drunken episode and, to my horror, a, thankfully somewhat sanitized, account of "the shower". Of course, she also told them how I was helping her bathe each day. I expected endless teasing, but I was startled to hear, and see in their eyes, expressions of envy and respect. Apparently, the consensus was that none of their dads would do those things for them. Were their dads really that stupid? Their loss. These girls were sweethearts, all of them. Of course, after those revelations, it was not long before someone suggested that we all play strip poker, since we had a "neat, cool, good-looking guy" (Not a dad, but a guy!) here to play (read: harass, embarrass, tease) with. I of course vetoed that immediately. Katie got a far away, dreamy look on her face, walked over to me, sat on my lap, put her arms around my neck, and announced that she thought it was a wonderful idea! This caused everyone to crack up, giggling hysterically. Let's see - one dad, 7 teenager girls - who do you think won here? After the game was over it was decided that the one person who still had clothes on (no, it wasn't me) should take hers off too. After awhile, it wasn't hard (no pun intended, and not true besides!) at all. After the initial embarrassment by some, today's teenage girls, at least these cheerleaders who are adorned often in various stages of undress anyway, seemed very casual about nudity. The only real difficult part was Katie sitting in my lap most of the time, a fact that everyone seemed to expect. Apparently, Katie's crush on me, a fact I was blissfully unaware of until this time, was well known by all, and all thought it "cute." I was, however, somewhat unprepared for the sex talk. Yep. Captive dad, 7 teenage girls, let's talk about sex. As a medical professional, I am used to giving talks about the subject, but I was not expecting it with girls I knew, while naked. Nevertheless, exhibit A and Bs were there in plain sight, so why not? I was surprised at how little some of these girls knew. Therefore, I talked plainly and bluntly. I told them how it happened, where everything went, and what to expect. Hysterical giggling broke out when Katie suggested that we have a demonstration. She immediately volunteered, to catcalls. Someone else suggested that, since Amy spent so much time naked with me in the shower and bath, maybe she could be the moderator. This caused Amy to turn 39 different shades of red. Apparently she had embarrassed one of the girls somehow in the past, and this was paybacks. About that time, the phone rang. It was Victoria, telling me she was back in town and would be home in about 20 minutes. Oops. So, all the girls got dressed in jeans and sweatshirts, right? Nope. They put on panties and tee shirts, and sat back down in the living room floor to talk again. That is how they were when Victoria walked in. She looked around, smiled at everyone and said, "You didn't need to stop just on my account!" How do women always know what is going on? Dinner was the four of us together again. I could get used to this. After dinner, Victoria announced her surprise - she was going to Florida next week and her schedule would allow her to take one of the girls. Cindi and Amy immediately pointed at each other. "Take her!" they declared in unison. I love my girls! "But it's your turn," Cindi protested. "No, it's not," Amy declared. "The last one was supposed to be yours, but we both went, and so it's still your turn. Besides, I'm still not feeling well enough for something that intense. You can call me every day and let me know what you did. I know, I know, you get to go to Florida and I just get stuck here with Daddy, but I'll make do somehow!" She smiled brilliantly at me. "But, Amy..." "No buts." They were sitting next to each other on the couch. Amy leaned over, whispering into Cindi's ear. "You've saved me twice now; even though you deny involvement at the hospital, I know better. This is a pretty pitiful thank you for that, but at least it is something I can do for you." Cindi lowered her eyes, looking embarrassed. We wondered what they were whispering about. She smiled shyly. "Thank you, Amy. You are so sweet. I love you." They hugged and kissed. Yep. She did. Cindi, I mean. Cried. Of course. Is the world round? Does a wild bear ... never mind. Once that was decided, the next logical step was announced. There was shopping to do! Of course. Cindi and Victoria headed off to begin the chore. Shopping is a nasty job, but someone has to do it, right? Amy sat on my lap, facing me, put her arms around my neck, kissed my cheek, and looked into my eyes. I knew what this meant. Serious talk time. "Daddy? What happened in that hospital room?" "I don't know, honey. I was kind of hoping you could tell me. What do you remember?" "I was feeling really bad. I could feel everything fading. I knew I was either losing consciousness or dying, and I was sure I was dying. I vaguely heard Cindi screaming at someone. Then it gets hazy. I had a dream that the room was filled with a deep blue light, then a deep green light. I could feel you and Mommy, even stronger than ever. Then I woke up and you were all hugging by my bed. I have no idea how much time elapsed during all those events." Sometimes in retrospect, I could just shoot myself. I had missed clues three times, twice when Amy said Victoria was OK, and once when Cindi said Amy was not OK, that these were not questions. I missed the significance of the clue that Cindi knew Amy was in the hospital. I even missed the significance of the clue during the police officer episode when Amy told Cindi to stop mom but her lips never moved. I forgot about the simultaneous "dream" they had in San Francisco when Victoria was in trouble. Now I missed another one. 'Then I could feel you and Mommy, even stronger than ever.' Later I would regret for a long time the memory of the pain and anguish Amy would go through because I missed all those clues. Although it would not have affected the ultimate outcome, maybe I could have made it easier on her. When she said the part about the blue and green light, I felt all the blood rush out of my face, as memories, dreams, or whatever they were flooded my mind. I am sure I turned pale as a ghost. So, what do you think? Do you think a certifiable genius would notice? Is the world... ? "Daddy! What's wrong?" "Nothing." This earned me an eye roll, an Amy look, and a little frustrated hop up and down on my lap. "Tell me, Daddy!" "No, Amy, I won't. I was warned in this dream, or whatever, that I was to tell no one. I don't know what the consequences of breaking that warning might be. I will not risk your health or life!" She didn't like it, but she understood. "Daddy, I know Cindi had something to do with this. The way she looked when I woke up. She will not tell me anything! She just acts innocent. I can't believe she's keeping secrets - not from me!" "So, you tell me. How did you know about the concoction you asked me to get for Cindi?" Amy thought for a minute, biting her bottom lip. I love that habit; she is so cute when she does that! "I don't know. I just knew. Must have read it somewhere." The next week went by quickly. The evening before they were to leave, Victoria announced she was taking Amy shopping. We were not invited. As she left she made a point of telling me that they would catch a movie and wouldn't be home until 11:30 at the earliest. She whispered to me that she would call before they came home. I was watching TV when Cindi turned off the TV, sat on my lap, and kissed me. It was definitely not the same kiss Amy gave me. As she kissed me, passionately, she reached down and started unbuttoning my shirt. When she had it undone, she ran her hands across my chest. "So, what's this about a shower you and Amy took that night she was drunk? You never took a shower with ME. I thought you loved me?" she giggled. "I can't help what you think," I said as I picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. "Of course, when Amy and I did this, I had to put her in with her clothes on!" "Daddy, no! You wouldn't dare! Not my sweater! This is my best one. I wore it just for you. Please, Daddy?" she begged in her best little girl voice. I laughed. "So you wore it just for me, huh? So did Mom tell you about this little shopping trip?" She blushed. "Well, I'm going to be away from you for a whole week and I'm going to miss you so much and I love you so much, and Mommy knows about us and how I feel and we couldn't do anything with Amy around and I just had to have some time with you before I left and Mommy said..." I kissed her to shut her up. I didn't want to know what Mommy said. Her acceptance of this whole situation still freaked me out sometimes. I very slowly took Cindi's clothes off. Then she took mine off. I told her she was deviating from the Amy shower scene. She stuck her tongue out at me and told me to get over it. I led her through everything Amy did in the shower. I did not fight nearly as much this time, though. I told her I didn't want it to be that realistic. After I carried her into bed, she wanted to try a 69. It was wonderful! She didn't even bite me when she came. I did bite her lightly in an especially sensitive place, but that was intentional. She didn't seem to mind, although she did make a lot of noise when I did it. Afterwards, we made sweet, gentle love, like the spring showers. She really loves that. She cries when we do that. Surprising, huh? Later, she really surprised me. She said she wanted to do anal with me. "Are you sure, honey?" knowing how much it had hurt her last time. "Yes, Daddy. It's the only bad memory I have left. I want you to erase it. Please?" I laid her on her stomach and put a pillow under her hips. I licked her little clit and pussy, getting her very wet, and making her cum again. I wanted her really relaxed. I put Vaseline on my cock and rubbed it on her little hole, pushing it in with my finger. She jerked at first, and sucked her breath in quickly. I waited until she relaxed again. Once I had my finger all the way inside and had spread the Vaseline around well, I withdrew my finger and snuggled up behind her. I asked her again if she was sure. "Yes, Daddy. Please," she whimpered. I started to push up into her little hole. I reached down and rubbed her clit and played with her pussy, to try to keep her relaxed. I was surprised how easily I went all the way in. I knew I was not hurting her, as she was pushing back against me, trying to take it faster. Then I started very slowly, very gently to move in and out of her. I was surprised that she seemed to enjoy it right from the start. As I thrust in, she pushed back, taking me all the way. She was the one that stepped up the pace. After a little while I was thrusting into her as fast as I was in her pussy. She was crying out in ecstasy, whimpering in pleasure. "Don't stop! Oh, please, don't stop. Faster! Oh, that feels so good! I love you!" she cried out, as she exploded into an enormous orgasm. I was not quite ready yet, so I continued to thrust into her. I was really surprised when she came again as I poured myself into her. I collapsed on her and held her until I slipped out, then I snuggled up to her. "Thank you," she breathed softly. She seemed to enjoy it. Anal is not my favorite, but it was fun. We fell asleep, cuddling in each other's arms, and didn't wake up until Victoria called and told me she would be home in 45 minutes. They were stopping at Baskin Robbins after the movie. Amy was tired but happy. "Victoria ... thank you, sweetie. I love you more than you can know." "Sure I can. It's almost as much as I love you. Have fun sweetie." I woke up Cindi. When she heard we had 45 minutes, her eyes lit up. "Oh, goody, time for a quickie and then a shower! Or a quickie in the shower!" We decided on the former. So, we did. When they got home, Cindi was in bed, "sound asleep", and I was reading. Amy ran over, sat down next to me and cuddled up. She told me all about her evening and the movie, gushing on endlessly. I smiled tolerantly. Victoria smiled impishly. They left the following day and would be gone a week. They were to get back the next Saturday. The timing on that day was going to be interesting, as the girls both wanted to go to a sleepover at Katie's house (yes, mom and the kids were out of town but she had her mother's permission and there would be good chaperones this time), so I would take Amy there and Victoria would drop off Cindi there on the way home from the airport. I was so excited - a whole night alone with Victoria just back from a trip! After the incident in the hospital room, Cindi was a changed girl. She was so much more confident in herself. It was as if she now knew that she could do things right, and, even more important, Mommy and Daddy trusted her to do things. We always did; I do not know where she got the idea she was a mess up and we did not trust her. I guess it was just hard being under superwoman Amy's shadow all the time. However, she was so happy, confident, and joyful; it was a pleasure to behold. On Saturday afternoon, I dropped Amy off just as planned. I went home, waiting for Victoria to get home. I felt as excited as a teenage boy did on a big date. She said she would be home by 5:00. By 5:45, I was a little nervous. When the phone rang at 6:00, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I really hate that damn phone. "This is Officer Collins of the Highway Patrol. May I speak to Patrick Phillips, please?" We knew John Collins pretty well. Oh, God, no, not again! Please, no! "Speaking." "Sir, your wife and daughter have been involved in an accident. You need to come to the hospital right away." "Are they OK? How's my wife?" "I wasn't involved with your wife at the scene, sir. I know she was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. I do not know her condition. They did not airlift her, so that may be a good sign." "How's my daughter?" "Sir, you really need to come down to the hospital." "Damn it, John, don't do this to me! HOW'S MY DAUGHTER?" He hesitated, and then I heard the break in his voice. "I'm sorry, Patrick, your daughter did not survive. She was declared dead at the scene. She was killed instantly." 'Oh, God, no! Please! Cindi!' My brain cried as I sat down abruptly on the chair and dropped the phone. ------- Chapter 13 I don't know how long I sat there. Probably not long. Enough crying! I had to go take care of Amy and Victoria. I tried to make myself presentable, so as not to scare the hell out of Amy, but I figured that after five minutes it wouldn't make any difference anyway. I was so numb I didn't care about anything anymore, except Victoria and Amy. I grabbed a bag of stuff they might need and headed out to the car. I don't remember the trip to Katie's house. As I drove up to the front and parked, I was surprised to see Amy sitting on the front porch. As soon as she saw me, she ran to meet me, hugging me tight. "Daddy, what's wrong with Cindi? She's gone; I can't feel her anymore. What's happened, where is she?" I was confused by what she was saying, and in my traumatized frame of mind was willing to latch on to anything except the job I had to do. "What do you mean, you can't feel her, Amy?" "She's not there, Daddy, she's gone, I can't feel her! What's happened to her?" Amy was starting to get hysterical. The solid rock of my life, her and Victoria, and she was falling apart right in front of me. Might as well get this over with; it was not going to get any easier. "Amy, honey, I'm so sorry. Cindi was killed in a car accident a little while ago." I managed to get it out without breaking down too badly. I had to be strong for my little girl. Strangely, Amy actually calmed down some when I told her. She hugged me tight, with her head buried in my chest. "I was afraid something like that happened," she mumbled. "Oh god, Daddy, what am I going to do now?" she wailed heartbrokenly. "We have to get to the hospital, honey. I have to check on Mom. She was in the accident too, and I have to see how she is doing." Instantly, the caring, sympathetic Amy kicked in. "Daddy. Mommy's OK." I just looked at her. Now was not the time to ask her how she knew that. I saw Katie run out of the house towards us. She had tears running down her face. She hugged us both. "I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" Katie asked. "No. Something has come up. I have to take Amy home." "She's not going to come back tonight, is she?" Katie asked. "No, honey, I'm afraid not." "I'm so sorry," Katie sobbed, and ran back to the house. It wasn't until much later that I realized what she had said, and what she had not asked. I got Amy into the car and drove to the hospital. We were taken into a private room off to the side. A doctor and nurse joined us immediately. Then a state trooper came in to join us. Amy and I were sitting on an exam bed; she was leaning into me and I had my arm around her. She was crying softly, her eyes closed. I asked the doctor how Victoria was and the police officer what happened. They looked questioningly at Amy, then back to me. "Amy, honey, do you want to go lay down in the other room while I talk to these men?" "NO! I'm not leaving you! Please don't leave me alone," she begged, her eyes pleading with me. I looked at them and nodded to go on. "Your wife is doing well. Some impressive bruising, a few contusions, and some burns on her hands, but all in all, in very good shape. We will probably keep her overnight, but she can go home tomorrow." He seemed relieved that he could give me some good news, at least. "I think once you hear what the police officer has to say, it will be unnecessary to explain about your daughter." He looked pointedly at Amy, who seemed to be ignoring us, just holding onto my arm as if I were going to disappear. "Your wife was driving through an intersection on what was a green light for her, when a dump truck ran the red light at high speed and broadsided her car on the passenger side." I felt dizzy and nauseous. In a low voice, he continued, "Your daughter never felt a thing, never knew it was coming. Accident reconstruction says she was looking at your wife and laughing when it happened. She never knew anything. The driver of the truck was killed. It caught fire and burned after the accident. Your wife burned her hands trying to pull him out to save him." They seemed impressed with her heroism. I snorted and they looked at me strangely. I didn't tell them that it was likely Victoria tried to pull him out so she could kill him for killing her baby. "It was likely he was already dead before the fire anyway; preliminary evidence indicated he was dead drunk." Well, at least my baby didn't suffer. You have to take the silver lining where you can get it. I took Amy upstairs to see Victoria. She was sitting in her room, a blank, desperate look on her face. She didn't even notice when we walked in. She looked up when I said her name, and I shivered at the haunted, dead, sad look in her eyes. 'I'm so sorry, Victoria' my mind cried. She stood up, and instantly I had two crying, sobbing young ladies in my arms, as they cried their hearts out. Yeah, I cried some too, but I tried to be strong for my girls. "It was my fault," Victoria cried, "I took a shortcut so I could get home to you faster. If I had gone the regular way..." she sobbed brokenly. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong, Vickie." I said, emphasizing the name. She looked up at me in surprise. I had only called her Vickie once before, shortly before we were married. We had had our first, and I think only, argument, on a subject I was not flexible on. Afterwards she admitted she was wrong when we made up (I don't think she really believed that, she just knew when to quit on that subject) and we agreed that if she was ever being a complete ass, I would call her Vickie. She smiled faintly and squeezed my hand. We were in a lull during the crying when a police officer type came in. He reminded me of the jerk, Cop #1. He said he had some questions to ask. "I'll answer them tomorrow," Victoria stated flatly. "No. Ma'am, we need to talk about them now. It will only take a few minutes. Now, if you will excuse us..." he said to me. What rock did this ass crawl out from under? The first time I ever heard that tone of voice from Victoria, I knew better than to argue with her. Excusing me from the room? With that attitude, and the present mood Victoria was in, I had no doubt who was coming out of that room alive. Victoria and Amy, almost as one, jerked their heads around and looked at him. Ever hear the terms "Eyes on fire", "Eyes ablaze", or "Flames shooting out of their eyes"? I have seen it now. I had never seen that look on either one of them before, and I certainly didn't want to find out right now what it meant. I realized I now had a side bet. Which one of them would kill him first. I put my hand on his arm. "This is a really bad time. She said she would answer the questions tomorrow. We will see you then. Thank you for coming," I dismissed him politely. "I'm sorry, sir, but I have to..." I tightened my grip on his arm and started moving him to the door as I saw both Victoria and Amy start to get up. "I don't think you heard me or the lady correctly. No. Now, get out of this room while you still can." There we go. He saw Victoria's face. His eyes widened, and he left ... quickly. "Thank you." Victoria hugged me. "One of these days I need to do something about this temper of mine." I don't think she realized what Amy and I had noticed long ago - her temper only showed up when the situation involved the well-being of the girls. I smiled weakly at her. "That's ok, honey. I'm desperately looking for someone to beat the shit out of too." She looked stricken. Amy looked up, her eyes softening too. "Oh, God, honey, I forgot all about you. I'm so sorry, Patrick." That was a sign of how upset she was. She never calls me by my name. She and Amy came over and held me this time. Amy whispered in my ear. "It's ok to cry, Daddy. Really, it is." I just couldn't, not much. I decided we would sleep in the hospital room that night, all three of us. I talked to the head nurse and the doctor, and told them that we were not to be disturbed for any reason, protocols be damned, unless we called for them. Then I called Chief Haskin, told him about the accident, and asked him to keep his people away from us tonight. I told him about the busybody that had already showed up, that I didn't know what Victoria would do in the mood she was in if someone hassled us some more, and Amy was just as bad. I heard his intake of breath, as if he remembered Amy disarming one of his officers and the rumors he had heard and things he suspected about Victoria, and he assured me no one would be there unless we called. We got ready for bed. I had grabbed a nightgown for Victoria and Amy before I left the house, plus a few other things. Amy looked a little uncomfortable. Finally, she and Victoria whispered in the corner. Amy went into the bathroom while Victoria came over to me. "She thought we might want to be alone for awhile, for some special time," Victoria explained. "I told her we wanted our little girl next to us all night long." She looked at me questioningly, her eyes pleading with me. "I agree. I don't know if you've noticed this yet, but she's deathly afraid of being alone. I don't want her alone tonight, either." Amy came back in, looking nervous. I hugged her, then picked her up and carried her over to the bed. I laid her down, then Victoria and I lay on either side of her and sandwiched her in the ultimate snuggle. Amy clung to me all night long. If I had to get up, she whimpered and clung to Victoria. When I came back, she held on to me again. I think she cried almost the whole night. I held her and told her we loved her many times. That's all I told her. I knew it would never be all right for any of us ever again. I didn't see how it ever could be. Once again, I was wrong. Sometimes I really get sick of being wrong, but this time I was glad I eventually was wrong. The next two weeks were the worst times we ever had, the worst I could ever envision it could be. If it gets worse than that, I do not want to be here. Amy slid downhill very spectacularly during those two weeks. The first three days, I expected it. She had lost her twin sister and best friend, for heavens sakes. After a day or two, Victoria and I started to get back to normal. You have to. You don't forget, but you have to. You have to cook, clean, wash, plan a funeral, talk to relatives. After three days, you just have to start acting normal again because you have no more energy to grieve. I always wondered how people in interviews a week after a loved one died talked normally and didn't cry. Now I understood. I was not out of energy due to grieving; that would come later. I always took a long time to react emotionally to things. And this was so big. I was out of energy just trying to help and be there, do things for my girls. The funeral was a mess. Everyone showed up. There were so many people to talk to; too many people! I've always hated funerals, but this one was the ultimate. One thing Amy and I agreed on - we refused to go up and see Cindi in the casket. I would remember her from the last night we spent together, or in many other ways, not as a lifeless doll lying in a box. I was afraid if I heard someone say that classic line "Oh, doesn't she look so natural, just like she's asleep", I was going to say, "No, actually she looks just like she is dead!" I spent my time comforting Amy, and to a lesser extent, Victoria. Every time I approached Victoria, she shortly sent me back to Amy. She said Amy needed me more. Finally, it got too much for Amy, and she fled the room, crying. I went after her, and found her sitting on a bench, knees pulled up to her chin, arms around her legs, sobbing. I sat and held her. There was nothing to say, and she didn't seem to want any conversation. We never went back in. They had a memorial service in the school gymnasium. The whole gym was packed full. Knowing how upset Amy was, they didn't string it out too long. Someone did get a reaction out of her, though. Towards the end, Katie walked up to the microphone. She said she had a special tribute for Cindi and Amy. She was the only one that included Amy too. She then sang a capella, the most beautiful rendition of Wind Beneath My Wings I have ever heard. It was a special favorite of mine, because it was the song Victoria picked to be sung to me at our wedding. No one even knew Katie could sing. She had the most beautiful, clear, bell-like soprano voice I have ever heard. When she got to the line, "Did you ever know that you are my hero?" she looked right at Amy and the empty chair that was there for Cindi. There was not a single dry eye in the place. When she was done, Amy, who had not moved during the entire ceremony, got up, walked over to Katie, and hugged her, thanking her. They then held hands as they went to sit down. Amy insisted she sit in the chair set there for Cindi and they sat together the rest of the program. Pretty good for someone Amy never really liked. Katie reached her when her loved ones could not. As long as someone did. After that, it got really bad. Amy wouldn't eat, she couldn't sleep. She stayed up almost all night watching TV. Mindless trash she never bothered watching before. Then she would spend all day sleeping in my arms or on my lap. She wouldn't take a bath for days. She insisted on staying in physical contact, or at least in the same room with one of us at all times. This went on and on. Even worse, she turned snotty. The anti-Amy was here. She would tell us to mind our own business, yell at us, or worse, the biting sarcasm. She wasn't teasing now. She had turned into the nasty 13 year old we had always hoped we would never get. The only things that kept me from laying her across my lap and paddling her obnoxious little butt was the knowledge of what she was going through, and the look deep in her eyes that told me she hated what she was doing, but she just couldn't help it. The feeling that there was something going on that we didn't know about, that I was missing something important constantly plagued me. Victoria and I were so worried, we started keeping an unofficial suicide watch on her. If she ever left the room alone, one of us followed her. Victoria and I were both on open-ended leaves from our jobs until we got this straightened out. Some thoughtless idiot called Victoria from work about coming in for something stupid; by the time she was done handing their head to them on a platter, I was wondering if she would even have a job. I didn't care - I was sure I could find something for her to do. When I asked her who that was, she smiled faintly and told me it was her boss. I was impressed; I had never heard her set aside work for us so forcefully. After a few days of this, we decided Amy had to at least bathe or shower or something. I had told Victoria about the baths when Amy was sick - she thought that might work. I walked up behind her one day and kissed her on the neck. She smiled faintly. Good, I could still get some reaction. "Come on, Amy, you need to take a shower. You stink, girl." I said. She turned around and gave me a nasty look. "I don't really care. Stay away from me if you don't like it." Oops, hit a nerve there. I bent down and whispered in her ear. "We could take a bath together." Finally! That got a reaction. She smiled almost prettily, said ok, and got up to go into the bathroom. "Oh no you don't," I said, as I picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, where I had already run a bubble bath. She didn't exactly squeal in glee, but she did give me a smile, hugged me, and sighed contentedly when she got in. I climbed in behind her, she leaned back against me, and promptly went to sleep. After those two weeks, Victoria and I were desperate. I tearfully told her I thought we were going to lose Amy too, and I could not stand that. As Amy slept, all these things started entering my mind that I had forgotten about before. It started with Amy telling me that Cindi was gone; she couldn't feel her anymore when I went to pick her up to take her to the hospital. Then I remembered all the times Cindi and Amy had told me that Victoria was ok, and the time Cindi told me that Amy was not ok. The way they communicated without words in the hospital room. The "dream", which I never believed was a dream, that they both had in San Francisco. The way they looked at each other, possibly communicating, when they were trying to convince me that Victoria needed me. Maybe there was something here we were missing. After Amy and I finished her bath, I brought her out into the living room. She promptly sat on my lap and started drifting off to sleep again. "No, Amy, stay awake. We need to talk." "Don't want to." "What did you mean the day I picked you up when you said Cindi was gone, that you couldn't feel her anymore?" Well! That certainly got a reaction. She looked at me with more fire, more anger in her eyes than I had seen in a long time. "My sister is dead, Dad, and you're wasting my time playing games, asking me questions you've known the answer to for years? Give me a break and leave me alone." I was not letting this one go. I moved her head and held it so I could look directly into her eyes. "Amy, have I ever lied to you?" "Every Christmas, when I guess my Christmas present!" She smiled slightly. The old Amy was still in there, I just had to find a way to reach her. She was hurting badly in some way that I just didn't quite understand yet. "Ok, have I ever lied to you about anything important?" "Christmas presents are pretty important to a little girl," she replied. "Ok, Dad, no, you haven't. What's your point?" "The point is that neither your Mom nor I understand what you mean when you say you can't feel her anymore." "Come on, Dad, you know what I mean, that place in your mind where Cindi was, where she lived, the place where you could always feel her, know she was there and ok. Doesn't it bother you that she isn't there anymore?" Victoria and I looked at her blankly. She looked at us closely. Then I noticed something new on Amy's face - fear. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" she whispered. We both shook our heads. She started crying. "Oh, God, I really am all alone then! I'm a freak! No one can help me! I wish I had died instead of Cindi. It's my fault! I insisted she go on that trip instead of me. I killed her!" She tried to get off my lap and run into her bedroom, but I held her and wouldn't let her go. She kept trying to get away. She got so desperate she swung around and hit me. Hard. It was so unexpected that I didn't have a chance to stop her. She had never hit me before. There are some things you never expect in life, and Amy hitting me was one of them. I felt the room spin, and then I blacked out. When I came to, Victoria was bathing my head with a warm washcloth. My jaw really hurt. I didn't care for the look in her eyes. I knew she wouldn't hurt Amy, but she was in big trouble. Amy was holding me, sobbing. "I'm so sorry, Daddy, I didn't mean it. Please wake up, I love you. Mommy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt him." She looked at Victoria, and knew she was NOT forgiven. Victoria's eyes said she had had enough of this and something needed to change. I put my hand on her arm and had her help me up. "Victoria, it's ok. She didn't mean it. She can't help it right now. I know now why she's hurting." The three of us sat and talked for hours. Victoria and I listened in amazement to a story we never knew or suspected. It seems that Cindi and Amy had always had some kind of mental connection, since as early as they could remember. They never mentioned it, because they just thought everyone did it. It was all they knew, so it was normal. They always knew where the other one was. Even on opposite sides of the continent, they knew where the other one was. Specific stuff, like she is in the mall downtown shopping. They couldn't tell what store, but knew the location. They were also able to tell the emotions and feelings of the other one. If Cindi was unhappy, upset, afraid, Amy knew it. They were also able, to a more limited degree, to do the same with Victoria and me. Apparently, Cindi was able to block access to her emotions to a certain degree, as she hid her emotions from Amy when she was being raped. Amy didn't know how she did that. There were also some times lately when Cindi had been blocking her from emotions that lasted a few hours. Amy got the impression that they were very intense, and were happy emotions, so Amy didn't worry about it. I could tell her what those were, but I wasn't going to! The last two years or so, starting in San Francisco, they started to be able to pass rudimentary thoughts to each other. Their ability to monitor our emotions became stronger. Hence, the ability to tell that Victoria was in trouble in San Francisco, and the ability to tell she was ok. They had lied about it being a dream, because they were beginning to realize that this was not something everyone could do. They didn't want to be thought of as freaks. They still thought that all of us in the family could do it, at least to some degree, until Amy found out differently today. There was a little place in her mind where the knowledge of Cindi lived; it was always there, the feeling that she was ok, happy, etc. Now, that place was empty and black, and Amy was inconsolable. Imagine losing your eyesight. How devastating would that be? This was worse, maybe like losing your eyesight, your favorite sister, and your best friend, all at once. "So, this is how, when we were in the altercation with the policemen, you told Cindi to stop Mom?" "Well, yes, but how did you know about that? Cindi wasn't supposed to tell anyone about this stuff, we promised each other." "Cindi didn't tell me; I heard you, loud and clear, but your lips never moved." "That's new; I've never been able to do that before." She bit her bottom lip; she didn't seem to care for that at all. We finally talked ourselves out. We had no solutions. Amy had lost something invaluable that meant the world to her, and it was irreplaceable. Although we could never replace Cindi, we could fill our lives with other people, other friends. She couldn't do that. In many ways, Amy was even more upset now that we had talked. She knew she was truly alone in the world; no one was going to come save her. She wasn't sure she wanted to go on. I was very upset when we went to bed. I had hoped that this would make things better, knowing what the problem was, and all I had done was make it worse. I cried that night, after everyone was asleep. Not grieving for Cindi; I still had not gotten there yet, but grieving for Amy. A lost little girl that I had just hurt even more. I wished I could help. I would do anything to help this lost little girl find her way. Amy's arm tightening around my waist, her little kisses on my neck, and her head on my shoulder dropping her own tears told me my tears had not gone as unnoticed as I thought. The next day, Sunday, things were even worse. Amy was, if possible, even more surly, rude, and obnoxious. I could see in her eyes how much she hated herself for it. She stayed in her room most of the day. We let her keep the door closed because we didn't want her to think we didn't trust her, but we made a point of checking in with her on an irregular basis, but at least every hour or so. That pissed her off even more. Victoria and I were sitting there, holding each other and trying desperately to think of something to do, when there was a timid little knock on the door. It was 11:00 in the morning. I remember looking at my watch, as it was an odd time for visitors. When I answered it, Katie was standing there. After I let her in, she just stood there, looking lost. Finally, she spoke. "I am so sorry, Daddy." My eyes welled up with tears at that. She looked so much like Cindi, and she called me Daddy! "I would change places with her if I could. I would gladly take her place if it would bring her back," she sobbed. I looked in her eyes, and I knew this sweet little girl was telling the truth. She would do that, gladly. I pulled her into my arms and hugged her. "I love you so much, I would do anything for you, anything at all," she whispered in my ear as she cried. Finally, I pulled away from her. "So, did you just come over here to make me cry, or is there something we can do for you, little girl?" I said flippantly, trying to get a handle on my emotions. She giggled and looked at me speculatively. Then she got serious. "Amy needs me. She needs me right now," she stated. "Well, you know where her room is. Be warned, though, she's in a nasty mood. I hope you can cheer her up." She smiled gently at me and said hi to Victoria, then walked over to Amy's room, opened the door, and walked in, shutting the door after her. That was strange, I thought. Katie is impeccably polite. She never enters someone else's room, or house, without knocking first. Even if she has just been there. I shrugged and turned back to Victoria. An hour later there was still no sign of Amy or Katie. I went to her door, and knocked. "What?" Amy hollered. "Are you ok? You guys need anything to drink?" "I know where it is if we do. Leave me alone! Stop bothering me!" "Oh, Amy!" I heard Katie's angry voice. "You can't talk to him that way! He's your father." "They won't leave me alone. I'm sick of it!" "Amy, they're hurting too. Maybe worse than you. You lost a sister. They've lost two daughters, the way you're acting. Do you know what I would give to have a father like that? They love you so much..." At that point, I stopped eavesdropping, feeling guilty. I sat down next to Victoria again. She saw the look on my face and didn't say anything. After another two hours and no Amy or Katie, I just had to risk Amy's wrath and check again. I knocked on the door again. "Amy, honey, you ok? Is there anything I can get you?" "I'm fine, Daddy. Thank you," Amy's sweet voice answered me. A pause, then apparently feeling bad for her nastiness at my last knock, "I love you and Mommy, Daddy!" I was too stunned and choked up to even answer. Victoria took one look at my face and knew something had happened. "What happened?" she asked fearfully. I smiled and said, "I think Amy's back, and I hope she stays." Amy and Katie finally came out of the room at 5:00. Amy was smiling and they both had been crying. They hugged, and Amy asked Katie if she would see her in school tomorrow. Katie said absolutely. Amy went into the bathroom. Katie started to leave, hesitated, and then walked over to me. She sat on my lap and whispered in my ear. "She's ok. She will be fine now. It's ok now." I hugged her tightly. "Thank you for giving me back my little girl. I can never repay you enough for this. Anything you ever want, just ask." She giggled. "Careful what you say, I just might take you up on that!" She kissed me softly, then got up and went over to Victoria. They whispered, too softly for me to hear. Katie giggled and blushed. Katie, blushing? I am probably glad I missed what was said there! The hugged, and Katie left. A few minutes later Amy came into the room. Her face was scrubbed and her hair was combed. Victoria had moved over to the couch next to me. Amy came over and squished herself down in between us. "Mom, Dad, I'm sorry! I've been such a brat lately. I'm so ashamed. Please forgive me. I promise I'll try to do better. Mom, please, please, forgive me for hitting Dad. I love you both." We cuddled together for quite a while, and then we all went out for pizza and pistachio ice cream. Well, ok, there are some disadvantages to being a happy family again. Later, after Victoria went to bed, Amy and I stayed up and talked. I asked her what had happened with Katie. "Oh, nothing really. We just talked. She made me realize how lucky I was to have parents like you guys. Made me see what a snot I've been. "Dad, I'm sorry. Cindi was so important to me." Her eyes were getting wet again. "I just lost it and went to pieces. I'm sure I'll have bad days again. Katie will help. She's really nice. She's kind of like Cindi. And she really likes you!" She giggled. Oh, God, how I had missed that sound! I may not be a certifiable genius teenager, but I can tell when the subject is being changed on me. She was good, though. I let her steer the conversation away from my question ... Her changing the subject partially answered the question anyway. Just talked, my foot. My daughter never was a good liar. Well, as long as she was better, I was happy. I was beginning to suspect that Katie was a very special little girl indeed. ------- Chapter 14 When Amy woke up (or rather, I booted her cute little butt out of bed; she would be late for school every day if it were up to her) she seemed more like her old self. She looked fresh, reasonably awake, clean (thank God!), and almost happy. I could still see sadness in her eyes; I rather thought it that would be in all our eyes for a long time, but at least I did not see the desperation there anymore. Amy, Victoria and I had breakfast together, a rare treat, except lately when Victoria was in town for unpleasant reasons. Victoria told Amy she was going back to work today. She seemed worried about how Amy was going to take it. Amy smiled and had her fun. "So, does this mean you've forgiven me for decking Daddy? You trust me to be around him alone?" She cocked an eyebrow in mock severity. Amy's sense of humor takes a little getting used to, and Victoria is not around as often as I am. Besides, who would have expected humor out of the Wicked Bitch of the West that we had seen over the last two weeks? "Oh, honey it's just that Daddy is special to me too and I don't want him to get hurt. I know he wouldn't defend himself ... Oh, you! You're teasing me, aren't you?" Victoria said accusingly. Amy giggled, a decidedly welcome sound, especially of late. "I'm sorry, Mom. I just couldn't resist. I get Daddy so often; I have to get you when I can." "Well, I was thinking of forgiving you, but because of that, I think I will hold a grudge a little longer ... until you prove yourself, little lady!" Amy's face fell. "Mom, I know..." Victoria's face beamed. "Ha! I got you too! It's ok, Amy. I could never hold a grudge against you. Your Dad would never let me, even if I wanted to. You're his favorite, you know." Victoria suddenly became serious as she saw the look on Amy's face and realized what she had said. "Oh, Amy! I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking!" Amy smiled weakly. "It's ok, Mom. She's unlikely to be someone we're ever going to forget. We have to just act normal and deal with the memories as they come." They hugged each other and Victoria headed for the airport. I had been watching Amy as she bantered with her Mom, trying to get a feel for how she was feeling, and which Amy we were seeing today. Now we were alone together. "So, how are you feeling, Amy? Really." I asked softly. She came over and hugged me, burying her face in my shirt. "How am I feeling? Really? Tired. Washed out. Embarrassed. Ashamed at what I put you guys through. Sad - I miss Cindi. Not as lonely as before. I think Katie is going to be a good friend. Nervous about going back to school and watching everyone dance around me, not knowing what to say. I don't even know what I want them to say. Nervous about how I am going to react. Will I blow up and become Amy the Hun again when someone gets up the courage to say something? Will it be 'God help the first idiot that says something stupid'? "Look what I did to you this weekend; you were trying to help and I didn't even mean to hit you. Am I going to become like Mom where certain things set me off? Something happened to her in her past to make her that way, you know. I know it's useful to her in her job to be able to turn it on and off, but she doesn't seem to be able to control it in certain situations outside of that. I think the talk with Katie helped me a lot. I don't know, Daddy. This is uncharted waters for all of us. And I haven't talked this much in a long time. My mouth is dry." I smiled. She was still on this kick of the 'talk with Katie'. The girl was desperate because of an empty place in her mind that could never be filled, and suddenly, with a six-hour talk, that fear was gone and everything was ok? Maybe in some sappy erotic internet story on SOL or something, but I didn't believe it. I had missed too many clues in the past and it had cost Amy dearly; I was not falling for this one until I was sure. Time to do some research. However, something else she said interested me more now. "Amy, you mentioned something about your Mom's job. Why would that be useful as a computer troubleshooter?" Amy looked back at me silently, giving me that classic Amy 'Who is this stupid two headed alien and what has he done with my Dad' look. Oh well, it was worth a try. I guess I was going to have to be more direct. "Amy, do you know what Mom's job really is?" Eye roll. 'How stupid do you think I am?' look. Yep. She was definitely recovering. "Of course, don't you?" "Um ... actually, no, I don't. I have made some guesses, but they are just that. So, how can you know and I don't?" "Oops. I'm sorry, Daddy, I was just kidding you when I said that. I assumed you knew or I wouldn't have teased you like that. I'm sorry." "So, tell me. What is it? And how do you know?" "I'm sorry, Daddy, I can't tell you. I promised Mommy I would never tell anyone. She specifically included you in that promise. You will just have to figure it out for yourself as I did. However, you might not want to. I still feel bad about the look on her face when I told her what I knew. She really doesn't want us to know, and she really has a good reason for keeping it secret. Don't figure it out unless you're prepared to make her very sad. I think she's afraid if you knew, you wouldn't love her anymore. She doesn't see what I can see, that that could never happen." Certifiable genius. What was she going to be like when she grew up and became really smart? I took Amy to school. She seemed to be handling it well as I dropped her off and her friends surrounded her. I hoped she had a good day. She deserved some good for a change; she'd had a rough couple of months. Not as rough as some people, but ... I pushed the sadness away and headed to work. The hospital received no benefit by my finally coming into work. I spent the whole day at on the internet looking up mental connections among twins. What I found was interesting, and scary. There wasn't a whole lot of hard data out there, but some interesting studies and more interesting theories and "conclusions". The first thing I found interesting was that the mental connection that Amy and Cindi had was variable in expression from case to case and most often found in identical twins, not fraternal twins. Although it was rare, it was rarer in non-identical twins. The mental connection was often stronger than this case; however, it was not unknown for weak cases to get stronger with age. It was extremely rare in non-twins. Sometimes it bled over into family members. The scary thing was that often one twin did not survive the death of the other twin. We were lucky with Amy, but I did not think it was really luck. She was showing the classic symptoms of those who didn't survive, usually terminating in suicide or wasting away, losing the will to live. After reading the information, I felt even more strongly that, somehow, Katie had saved our little girl. As I read further, it was clear to me that she did not do it by just talking to her, as Amy claimed! Not that it mattered. I knew in my heart that Katie would never cause harm to Amy; she just wanted to help. I wondered if she was getting something out of it too. I left work early. I knew everyone there meant well, but I just got tired of dealing with the consolation callers and visitors. I knew I would always remember Cindi, but I wanted it to be at times when I was ready to deal with it, not walking down the hall and suddenly having to go through it all again. I knew I would have to get used to it, but not today. I walked in the house at the same time as Amy and Katie. Amy looked better than she had in awhile - she and Katie were laughing, joking, and having a good time. Amy did one of her favorite "get Daddy" things when she saw me behind her. She started telling Katie all about a really steamy sexual relationship she was having with this hot older guy at school, just so I could overhear. We both knew it was untrue, but she knew it made my heart go flip-flop that my little girl was growing up. She would act surprised when she saw me, and stop talking about it. Only problems were, a) she couldn't keep from giggling because she thought it was so darn funny, and b) since she knew little about the practical aspects of sex (make that nothing, I hope!) she would often describe acts that were either physically impossible for normal humans, or at least were not possible by 108 lb, 13 year old teenage girls. Let her have her fun. I'll have mine when she brings home her first boyfriend. "Hi Daddy! Katie and I are going to make you dinner tonight. Katie's staying for dinner." I groaned. "Can Katie cook? I hope? I've tasted your cooking!" I'm not stupid. I always say things like that in the living room, because couch pillows are the most likely thing she will pick up in there to throw at me. They hurt much less than other things. Zing! There it came. "DAD!" she shrieked. "I'm a good cook!" She was, too. "Yeah, and I'm Napoleon Bonaparte," I muttered. Zing! Another one. "Sir, is it alright if I stay?" Katie asked shyly. The manners on this girl are unbelievable. I still can't get over a shy Katie. Although she is quiet, she doesn't seem to be shy around anyone else. "Absolutely not," I stated emphatically. Amy gave me a dirty look. Zing! "Not unless you call me Patrick. "Katie, you are welcome in this house anytime," I assured her. "It's Amy we're sick of and trying to move out as soon as possible. Say! Do you want to move into her room when we get rid of her?" Zing! Ok, all the couch pillows were on the floor, I could stop. Katie looked at me strangely, almost with a hopeful look. What was going on there? "Forget it, Daddy. When I move out, maybe tomorrow, she is going to be my roommate." She gave me her best 'little girl begging daddy' look. "Can I borrow some money for rent?" Then she dissolved into giggles as Katie looked at both of us like we were nuts. Ah yes, my sweet Amy was back. Fortunately, probably thanks to Katie, we did not have pepperoni and sausage pizza with spumoni ice cream for supper. Victoria called as we were finishing dinner. She would be home in 20 minutes. Amy put her on speakerphone. "Are you hungry, Mom? Katie and I cooked dinner!" "Well, maybe if Katie helped ... it's not pizza is it?" she teased. "MOM! Not you too?" Amy had a huge grin on her face. She is one of the few people I have seen that actually likes to be teased. Katie just looked lost. Amy chattered away to her Mom, ignoring our attempts to tell her she could talk to her live in 20 minutes. "Ok, Amy, I'm pulling up in front of the house. You can hang up now." Amy sure loves to stretch out a joke. She continued to talk until Victoria, standing right next to her, reached over, took the phone out of her hand, and hung it up. We smiled tolerantly as Amy giggled helplessly. Katie seemed to think it was the funniest thing, too. Teenagers! Amy decided to go to Rebecca's house later with Katie. She said it would be way too noisy around here to get any studying done, throwing looks at us. Katie looked confused, and then blushed as she realized what Amy was saying. It looked like Katie was spending the night with us again. She didn't seem in any hurry to go home. That was ok, I liked having her around. I just wondered how long my heart would go flip-flop when I caught her out of the corner of my eye and thought I saw Cindi standing there. Victoria and I cuddled together on the couch, kissing softly and gently. I stroked her beautiful hair and kissed her neck. God, I had missed her this time. I wanted to spend more time with her; I wanted her around more. She was my wife, my lover, my sweetheart, my soul mate. There could never be another. I had known that since the first week we had dated. I knew her job was important, both to her, and in the grand scheme of things. I knew I was probably just feeling vulnerable because of Cindi. However, I was afraid for her. I couldn't bear the thought of her getting hurt, or worse. I didn't think "her people" could protect her as they had promised me. They failed in San Francisco. They failed at the fair. They failed in the "car accident". A thought entered my head unbidden. Had they failed when Amy got sick? Had they failed with Cindi's accident? I did not know, but I was damn well going to find out. If I found out that Amy's sickness or Cindi's death were not accidents, those responsible would wish they were dealing with Victoria. They would find out what my eyes, dark green like Victoria's and Amy's, looked like when I let the monster loose. It would be directed against Victoria's protectors as well as her enemies if I found out they had been involved or negligent in their duties. I knew I could no longer let the protection of my family rest in the hands of strangers that I didn't trust. I just couldn't leave them out there all by themselves. If "her people" couldn't, or wouldn't, protect them, I would. If they got in the way, they would be sorry and I wouldn't be responsible for what happened. I felt the weight of the world lift off my shoulders. Many years ago, I walked away from something I didn't think I could do anymore, something I was one of the best in the world at. I think I always knew in the back of my mind, that the day would come when I could no longer live with that decision. That day was now here. I couldn't ignore the danger my family might be in and live with myself. I wasn't sure I could live with myself anyway if Cindi's death turned out not to be an accident and I had not acted sooner. I was good at what I did in medicine. In the top three, or better, in the country. I was now going to go back, at least part time, at least for a while, to something I was even better at. For the best reason in the world. To protect my girls. However, this time I would make sure it didn't change me into something I did not want to be. Victoria smiled at me as I laughed aloud. I smiled back at her. "God, I love you so much!" She smiled happily. "I love you too. What brought that on? Besides the obvious?" she grinned as she looked at my lap. "Wait here. I'll be back in a little while." She looked confused, but folded her hands in her lap and relaxed. I ran into the bathroom, and started to fill the tub with water. I put the bubble bath in and then waited for the tub to fill with hot, almost too hot, water. I ran back to her, grinning like an idiot. She was smiling, looking at me as if I had lost my mind. I took her hands and gently pulled her to her feet. I kissed her, softly and sensually, and I heard her breath catch in her throat. Or was it mine? Ours. I slowly started to undress her, kissing each part of her body as it became exposed. She closed her eyes and shivered. When she was completely naked, looking like the goddess she just had to be, I stood there silently, just watching her, not moving. She finally opened her eyes and looked at me. She tilted her head slightly to the side, as I had seen Amy do so often, and looked thoughtfully at me. "My turn?" she asked. I nodded, unable to speak. Slowly, sensuously, she removed my clothing, piece by piece. When she was done, she grasped my hands loosely, and stared into my eyes, unshed tears filling hers. "I love you so much," she whispered. "Close your eyes," I murmured. I kissed her and then I reached down and picked her up in my arms. "Patrick!" she squealed, laughing. "Uh uh. Eyes closed," I repeated. I carried her into the bathroom and I lowered her into the bubble bath water. "What are you doing?" she asked, as I took the washcloth and started to wash her. Then she leaned back and sighed happily, closing her eyes again. "Amy says this doesn't work so well this way; that it works much better if you get in too." "Oh? And what else did you and Amy talk about, huh?" "Wouldn't you like to know? Get in here, you dummy." "Move forward, little tub piggy." "Tub piggy! You should talk! Amy said there almost wasn't enough room in here for her because of all the room taken up by a certain body part of a certain person that shall remain nameless!" she giggled. Ok, that was more information than I needed! I hurried up and got in the tub, blushing furiously, before I got embarrassed even further. Victoria laughed delightedly at me. "You are just too funny!" she got out between giggles. She leaned back against me, closed her eyes, and relaxed. I started to gently wash her body. She was just so beautiful it took my breath away. I paid special attention to her breasts, to make sure they were clean. Then I put the washcloth aside and paid extra special attention to another very special area with my fingers. She must have really liked that, because after a few minutes she cried out softly, her whole body tensed up, and then she shook all over, whimpering softly. She shivered and pushed against my hand. "Please. I can't take anymore." I continued to gently touch her, and after a few moments she cried, "Oh, God, not again?" She trembled all over and then collapsed against me. I stroked the inside of her thigh softly. When she started to breathe again, I lifted her up, slid underneath her, and set her down, inserting myself slowly all the way up inside her in one smooth motion. I felt her tremble all over, as I caressed her stomach, making love to her slowly. "What are you doing to me?" she whispered, her voice shaking. "Showing you how much I love you. Victoria, you are my life. I would do anything for you," I whispered, as we climaxed together. We lay there for a long time, enjoying the glow. We heard the front door open and close, sweet little teenage voices chattering back and forth, giggling and laughing almost continuously. We grinned, knowing we were about to gross out our young daughter again. Amy and Katie walked into the bathroom, looking for us. I don't know what they expected to find — it was a bathroom, after all — but they stopped dead in their tracks. They both blushed all the way down to their toes. Amy did not screech and run away this time. They both looked at us tenderly. "God, Mom, Dad, that is the hottest, sexiest thing I've ever seen!" Amy blurted out, and then they turned around and went silently to Amy's room. We heard the door close softly. Later we all sat down to watch one of the girl's sappy romantic movies. Amy and Katie were cuddled up on either side of me, and Victoria sat on may lap, snuggling. Amy, for once, did not say a word about our making out. She told me later that we just had a glow about us that she could not bear to mess up. I saw her and Katie look sideways at us a few times, smiling. As we went to bed, Amy gave me an especially long hug, and a tender kiss. Katie looked at me longingly. I held out my arms, and she flew into them eagerly, blushing furiously. What was it about this sexy little girl, rumored to be so experienced, that she blushed around me so often? Later, Victoria and I lay in bed talking quietly. As happens so often between the two of us, she brought up the very subject I had been thinking about. "Honey, I think we should do something special for Katie. She saved Amy. I know we can never repay her for what she did, but I think we should show her how much we care, how much we appreciate her and what she did for us." Victoria looked at me, eyebrows raised, waiting for my answer. "I was thinking the same thing. I just didn't want to mention it; I didn't want you to think I was just trying to get into her panties!" I teased. "I thought about buying her a car, but she can't drive yet and I wanted something more immediate. I thought about paying for her college tuition, but that's a long way off too. What do you think she would really like?" "Well," Victoria mused, biting her lower lip (she looks just as cute as Amy does when she does that!), "I think you have already hit on the right idea; you just mentioned it." "The car? College? But they're so impersonal and far away." "No, silly. The other idea you had. Why don't you get into her panties?" "VICTORIA!!" She giggled like a teenager. Sounded just like Amy when she teases me. "You are so much fun! Actually, I'm serious. You do know she is madly in love with you, don't you?" "Oh, come on! She can't be! She's 13, I'm 37. That's ridiculous!" "Since when does age have anything to do with it? All the girls know it. Ask Amy. Why do you think you and Katie end up in a room alone so often? They think it's "cute" and clear out to give you two some time alone together. It's not as if you're not attracted to her. I've seen the way you look at her when you think I'm not watching!" "You're crazy!" I exclaimed. "She's a very pretty girl, cute as all get out and sweet as they come. But..." "But she reminds you so much of Cindi it almost makes you cry. And I know how much you loved her," Victoria interrupted. "I could never do that to you, Victoria." My heart pounded in my chest. "Don't you love me anymore? Are you tired of me?" I whispered, shaken. Victoria gasped. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry! I should have known you would misunderstand me that way. You should know better than that, especially after tonight. I'm not talking about undying love, or marriage, or replacing what we have. "Look, we want to do something special for Katie, something she wants more than anything else. The poor girl is hurting, honey, and her life is shit. Her words, not mine. The best thing in her life right now is her friendship with Amy. It's the only thing that keeps her from wallowing in despair and depression. There is only one thing she really wants in this world, and that is for you to make love to her. "She knows she can't have you; she knows she could never take you away from me, and she wouldn't do that to me anyway. I love her and she loves me. If that is what she wants more than anything in the world, I would be more than willing to share her when I am out of town. I know you get lonely, and you don't have Cindi anymore. Give her what she wants. God knows she deserves some happiness for a change. Honey, I am not threatened by a 13 year old girl. Hell, if Cindi didn't interfere with our love, no one could. "Victoria..." "I'm not giving you permission to have sex with anyone you want," she interrupted again. "I'm giving you permission, encouraging you, to give one very special girl that we both love like our own daughter, now even more than ever, a very special gift that would mean the world to her. Who knows, maybe you can reach inside that shell and help her deal with the demons she has in there. I know from Cindi how good you are at that. Just promise me you'll think about it, ok?" She reached over and kissed me. "Can I talk now?" "Sure," she laughed. "Unless I think of something else to interrupt you about!" "Sweetheart, you're amazing. Do you have any idea how much I love you, even though you scare the hell out of me sometimes? I never knew you were so kinky! What is going to happen if you regret doing this? Or get jealous? What if you really don't mean this, and I do it, and you hate me because I was supposed to know you wanted me to say no? What would happen if Amy found out? She would hate me forever for cheating on you; at least the incredibly short time forever would be before she killed me. Maybe you have forgotten that punch, but I haven't!" Victoria laughed happily. She was really enjoying this! "You are just so precious! We both know I don't play those games, setting you up for a test to see how you will perform. If I was not prepared to offer her this, I wouldn't have brought it up. I would have no need to bring it up unless I was serious and sure about it; you never would have thought about it. I know you would never have tried anything with her. She would have to drag you kicking and screaming to bed like Cindi did. "If I regret it or get jealous, which I won't if you don't start ignoring me, we just stop it right there. She just wants a little bit of happiness, and you're the only one she trusts. As for Amy finding out, you might be more surprised about that than you think. She clears out of the room to leave you two alone too, you know. Please, honey, just tell me you'll think about it. It's your decision." "Ok. I can see I'm not going to get any sleep tonight if I don't shut up and give in. Some of us have to work tomorrow. I'll think about it, ok? Just for you. And, just for the record, I did not kick when Cindi dragged me to bed. Screamed, yes, but I did not kick!" She squealed in delight, and kissed me. Then she straddled me and took me up inside of her. All the while she rode me she whispered in my ear, telling me how cute and sexy Katie's body would look. Telling me how pretty she was. Describing in great detail all the things Katie would do to me. All the things I could do to her. Telling me how soft, smooth and firm her cute little body would feel. Laughing softly and merrily at how hard I was, and how fast I came up inside her. We fell asleep with her on top of me. I slept all night long, dreaming of Cindi and Katie. I dreamed that Cindi told me it was ok; to make poor Katie as happy as I had made her. She helped me to make love to her the first time, showed me what she would like and showed me how to make her happy. After Katie fell asleep in the dream, stretched out happily next to me, purring like a little kitten in her sleep, Cindi told me she loved me ever so much, that she would never stop loving me. She put a beautiful red rose on my chest, closed my eyes gently with her fingers, and gently helped me to drift off to sleep. It was the most wonderful dream I ever had. I knew even in the dream that I was just dreaming, but it felt so real. When I woke up in the morning, Victoria was already gone. As I lay there, slowly waking up, lying on my back, I saw a beautiful red rose lying on my chest. I wondered why Victoria had left me a rose, and where she had gotten it. She'd never done that before. Later I found a note telling me she had been called out of town unexpectedly and that she would look forward to seeing me again soon. She told me she loved me more than life itself. After I took a shower, made breakfast, kicked Amy and Katie's cute little butts out of bed (we had convinced Katie, after much argument from Victoria, Amy and me, that she could stay in Cindi's room whenever she stayed over) and got them off to school, I figured I might as well get started with what I had to do. I picked up the phone and dialed a long distance number. I got another dial tone. I dialed a second long distance number. I got a dial tone again. Finally, I dialed a third long distance number. The line seemed to go dead for about five seconds. I now had a secure, untraceable line. The phone was picked up, and a female voice said, "Yes?" "Do you recognize my voice?" I asked. There was a brief hesitation. "Yes, sir!" she said softly. "I would like to speak to Captain Jensen, please," I asked politely. A brief hesitation again. "Yes, sir! Please hold on and I will connect you, sir!" Ten seconds later, the phone was answered again. "Captain Jensen speaking. How may I help you?" "Do you recognize my voice?" I asked again. There was a slight note of surprise in his voice. "Yes, sir, I do." "My authorization code is Alpha Tango seven three four six X-ray. Please repeat that back to me," I requested. "Yes, sir. Alpha Tango seven three four six X-ray, verified, sir. My authorization code is Delta four seven three Charley. Please repeat that back to me, sir." "Your authorization code is Delta four seven three Charley," I repeated. "What can I do for you, sir?" "Please activate plans G and K, effective immediately, for numbers 1, 2, 3 and 5. "Attach codes P and T to those plans, please," I continued. I heard a slight intake of breath. He answered in a quiet tone of voice. "Yes, sir. Activate plans G and K effective immediately, for subjects 1, 2, 3, and 5. Attach codes P and T. Am I to understand that number 4 is not to be involved, sir?" "Number 4 is no longer active, Captain." "I understand, sir. I am sorry to hear that. You understand that I need you to repeat this back to me to verify, sir." "I understand, Captain. Activate plans G and K, effective immediately, for subjects 1, 2, 3, and 5. Attach codes P and T," I repeated. "Thank you, sir. What intensity are you requesting, sir?" he asked. "Intensity code M, Captain." "Are you sure, sir?" he blurted out. I smiled. "Yes, Captain, I'm quite sure." "I'm sorry, sir, of course you are sure. Intensity code M. What response codes are you requesting, sir?" "Response codes E and I, Captain," I answered. "Yes, sir. Response codes E and I. This request will be activated in about ten minutes, and will be fully active in twelve hours. It will remain active until terminated by you personally. Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?" "Thank you, Captain. That will be all for now." "Thank you, sir. Please contact us if we can be of further assistance. And sir ... Welcome back! It is good to hear from you again! "Thank you, Captain," I said, and hung up the phone. I sat in the chair, thinking. I had done what I could to make my family as safe as possible. I would have to notify "Victoria's people" of the change in protection. If they got in our way, that was their tough luck, but I did not want them ignorantly stumbling into something. Now it was time to start finding out if someone had been messing with my babies. God help them if they had, because no one else would be able to. ------- Chapter 15 The next day, while at work, I visited the Microbiology laboratory at the hospital. I was shown into the director's office right away. After taking care of the obligatory condolences, I asked him what the conclusions were on the organism that had almost killed my daughter. He surprised me by saying they did not know yet. Surely, they would have had time to isolate and identify it by now. He explained that some organisms grow slowly in culture, and some in very specialized conditions, and that they had not found the right conditions for culture. I asked him why they did not just culture it in a living organism, since it obviously lived there. He smiled, obviously happy to be talking to someone who understood his field, at least somewhat, and said they had tried culturing it in several mice. All of them died so quickly they were not able to find much yet. With no offense intended, he said, he couldn't understand how Amy had survived, and so dramatically. This thing had quickly killed everything they had exposed it to. They were unable to identify it as anything they knew. He reassured me that that did not mean it was unknown, new, or even mysterious; they just did not have a handle on it yet. I asked if it could be something that had escaped culture, like a mutated or synthesized virus or bacteria. "You mean like biological warfare agents," he asked, laughing. I laughed also and said it was just a far-fetched idea. We had a good laugh, but he had a faraway look in his eye when I left. He assured me he would let me know whatever he found out. Next, I went to see Chief Haskin. After chatting for a while and catching up on our families, I asked him how the investigation was going on the accident. He looked at me strangely, and said the driver was drunk and ran a red light. I asked if he had checked carefully for other causes. What was the cause of death? Usually dump truck drivers did not die from hitting cars. He looked at me in silence for a minute. "Is there something you know that I don't?" "No, I just have an uncomfortable feeling. Just being thorough. Do me a favor, will you? Look at it again. Yourself, personally. You know how paranoid Victoria is. I just want to be able to tell her we are sure." He agreed he would check it out and let me know. When I got back to the office there was a small package waiting for me. It was a ballpoint pen, one of those fancy gel ones. This one was really fancy, though. It contained a cellular phone and a two-way paging radio. The Nextel type that paged anywhere in the country for instant two way talking. And network wide paging. A codebook listed various quick dial numbers. I was #1. Captain Jensen was #2. There were various other numbers listed. Amy and Victoria's cell phone numbers were also listed, as was Katie's. However, Katie did not have a cell phone. Oops, yes she did, it was included the package, nationwide service paid up for two years. She would be excited. Incidentally, the pen really did write! I changed my mind about letting "Victoria's people" know that I was providing security for my family now. I knew if I did that, Victoria would find out about it. I did not want that. It could put her in an uncomfortable light with her people. Also, I didn't want her to know for her own protection. And ... I just did not want her to know. Period. I wasn't so sure there was not a leak somewhere in her organization. I would just depend on the people I was working with to keep things under control. They were the ultimate professionals. Chances are "Victoria's people" would not even know they were there. When I got home, I discovered a message on the answering machine from Victoria saying she would be home this weekend. Good. It was going to be a special time, because it was our birthday. Yes, our birthday. One of the odd things about Victoria and I was that we shared the same birthday. We thought it was neat when we first started going together. Just another one of those similarities that attracted us from the beginning. Like both of us being shy growing up ... Both of us being number one in our class in high school. Both of us being kind of nerds and computer geeks. Both of us being adopted. It was as if we were made for each other. We still felt that way. However, it made for really fun birthdays. It became a big family event, usually lasting for the whole weekend. We would go see her parents over the weekend also, almost like Christmas. It did help a lot in not forgetting her birthday. I guess it really wasn't that weird. There were four people in my grade school class that had the same birthday as me. I guess I could have married any one of them. Well, three of them, anyway. I would have had to change my sexual preference to marry the fourth one. Anyway, Victoria always managed to get home over that time. It was the one time she never failed to get off. When I arrived, Amy and Katie were already home. Katie was sitting there, all puffy eyed from crying, and Amy had her arm around her, looking serious. She had that 'do something, fix it daddy' look on her face. Uh oh. Another crisis. I hoped it was a silly teenage one, not something serious. Well, I had plenty of experience with things like this with Cindi. Would I ever stop being sad when I thought about her? I went over, sat next to Katie, and put my arm around her. She dived into my chest and started sobbing. Katie was not as emotional as Cindi, but she was not far off. She did know how to cry. I looked over at Amy. She just shrugged, looked at me with big serious eyes, and said nothing. Soon the waterworks dried up a little. "Hey, pretty girl, want to tell me what the matter is?" She shook her head. I tickled her a little, getting a little smile. "Are you sure?" She nodded, so I tickled her some more. She started giggling. I kept tickling her until she was laughing and trying to get away. I held her down. "Please, stop!" she giggled. "What will you give me if I stop?" "Anything!" "Anything?" I smirked. She giggled. "Well, almost anything. I lost that a long time ago!" Giggle. "Well, I guess I'll just have to settle for you telling me what the matter is, then." Her lip quivered. "You cheated! That's not fair!" "It can't be that bad, Katie. We will figure it out. Let me help you. That's what Daddy's are for." "My mom kicked me out of the house!" she sobbed. "What am I going to do? I don't have anywhere to go, I have no money, and I can't even get a job." I kept myself from smiling. This was serious to her. But a 13-year-old even thinking she could get a job? "Is there any other relative you could live with?" I asked. "No one cares about me. Who cares about a foster child? Even my mother and father never really cared. I won't go live with my father! I won't! I won't! I'll run away first! Even if there were someone that wanted me, I would have to move and not see Amy anymore. She is the only friend I have ... I can't go back to that empty place again... "I'll kill myself first," she whispered in a tiny voice. Amy looked terrified, and my heart turned over. I lost it. I grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her. "You will not! You will never do that! I won't allow it! You understand me!" I yelled at her. "I will not lose another daughter," I whispered, tears running down my face. "I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt you, you've been so nice to me. But, I will not go back to my father. And I won't leave Amy. I can't go back there ... I can't. You have no idea what it's like ... I would die." She was serious, I could see it in her face. She was more upset than I had ever seen her, but at the same time, she was icy calm about what she said. She hugged Amy, sobbing. "Well, it seems to me this is easy to fix. You can just stay here. You're here most of the time anyway. You can just move into ... Cindi's room." "I couldn't do that." "Why? You don't like us?" I teased. She missed the teasing. "Oh, no! It's not that! I love you people! I just couldn't impose on you." "Cindi, you would not be imposing. I love you like a daughter. You are rapidly filling an empty place in me that I thought would never be filled again. You are more than welcome here as long as you want," I assured her. She looked at me shyly, her eyes filled with tears. "You called me Cindi," she said in a soft voice. I looked at her, shocked, thought back to what I had said. I had. She looked like her. She was taking her place in my heart. I had been afraid I would make that mistake and call her that someday. "I'm sorry." "I'm not," she said fervently. "I would love you to think of me as Cindi. I will gladly be your Cindi any day." We hugged each other and cried. I wondered if she would say that if she knew everything Cindi had been to me. Whom was I kidding? She probably would in a heartbeat. I was the one that had a problem with it. Even my wife did not mind. Finally, I booted them off the couch. "Go make supper, you two freeloaders. I have some work to do" "Freeloaders! How dare you!" Amy giggled. Zing! I got out of there before the next pillow flew. I went into the other room and called Victoria. "Hello?" "Hi!" "Hi. Is everything ok? The last time you called me like this..." "No," I reassured her. "Everything's fine." "In that case, hi! This is a pleasant surprise. I love hearing from you!" "I have a question to ask you. Katie was kicked out of her house today. Can she stay here?" Victoria squealed in delight. "Of course she can! You didn't even need to ask. Wait ... there's more, isn't there?" "Well ... yeah. Promise you won't yell at me? And you'll tell me honestly what you really think?" "Ok. What did you do? I am going to yell at you if you don't tell me pretty quick!" "Well," I stalled, "I just found out that Katie is a foster child. What would you think about us ... adopting her?" There was a long pause. My heart was in my throat. Then I heard Victoria sniffle. "Are you crying?" "God, I love you so much!" she said firmly but quietly. "You are so sweet. I think that is the most wonderful idea I have ever heard. You really love her, don't you?" "I can't explain it, Victoria. I miss Cindi so much, but when Katie is around, it is a little easier to take. I know she's not Cindi, but she just fits in there so well. She needs to have a family so bad, and she wants it to be us. Are you sure you don't mind?" "Mind? I think it is a wonderful idea. We can talk about it with her this weekend. We will need to talk to her mother. She can move into Cindi's room. Even some of her clothes..." Victoria was off and running. Being a Mom. I told her I had to go eat dinner and I would talk to her later. When I went back into the kitchen, I remembered Katie's cell phone. I brought it into the kitchen. "Here, Katie, I got this for you today." Her mouth fell open. She looked at it as if I had just given her a new car. Amy ran over to look at it, and they both jumped up and down in the middle of the floor, giggling. Dinner was forgotten for a while as they sat down and did those things that only teenagers know how to do with electronics. Did you know Amy can actually program the VCR we have? Certifiable genius. We don't use it much anymore, but she still programs it whenever it needs it, making sure I am in the room when she does it, just to irritate me. I finally took the phone away from them so we could eat. They looked like I had just taken their puppy to the pound. "You can have it back after supper. Don't cry, Amy!" She stuck out her tongue at me. "You must carry that with you everywhere you go, you understand, Katie?" She nodded. "Amy, do you carry yours with you all the time?" "Usually." "All the time, Amy. Without fail," I told her. Amy looked at me, head cocked to one side slightly. Then she gave me an imperceptible nod of her head, a serious look on her face. "Yes, Daddy." I could see the question in her eyes. Later that night, as I tried to go to sleep, I felt Amy slide into bed and snuggle up to me. "Are you awake, Daddy?" "Of course. How could I be asleep with a pretty girl cuddled up to me?" "Flatterer!" she giggled. There was a pause. "Do you really think I'm pretty?" she asked shyly. What was this? Lack of confidence from Amy? I turned over to face her. "Amy, you are just about the prettiest girl I have ever seen. You have to know you're pretty." "Just about? I know. It's just ... you're my Dad. I wasn't sure you would think so." "It works the other way, pretty lady. Dad's always think their babies are pretty." "So, do you think I'm as pretty as you did the last time I was in bed with you?" she giggled. I knew right away what she was referring to — the time her hand had accidentally brushed against me. She reached over slowly, and laid her hand against me. "Oh my goodness! I guess so!" She removed her hand. "Thank you, Daddy." Then, she got to why she really came to see me. "What's wrong, Daddy? Why do you seem so sad tonight?" "I'm sorry, honey. I have just been ... really missing Cindi today. Some days are worse than others ... this has been a bad one," I confessed. "I know. If you could have anything, Daddy, other than having her back — that's a given — what would you want?" "I think I would just like to talk to her one more time. Just hear her voice one more time." "Close your eyes, Daddy," Amy said softly. As I lay there with my eyes closed, wondering what was going to happen, knowing if Amy was involved it would be good and not boring, I felt a soft kiss on my cheek. "I'm so glad to be here with you, Daddy, I just love you so much and I know that you love me too and I just miss you so much Daddy and you know I would be here with you if I could, please don't be sad for me Daddy I can't stand to see you sad you know I love you and take good care of Mommy and Amy and Katie for me, ok Daddy?" My God! Cindi! It was her voice, her way of speaking! I missed those run on sentences. Before I could open my eyes in shock, Amy put her hands gently on my eyelids. "Uh uh. Keep those eyes closed, or she will go away. Wait here." I felt her leave my side. A minute later, I swear I felt Cindi's body snuggle up to me. I continued to hear Cindi speaking softly to me, telling me how much she loved me, holding me, kissing me gently on my neck and cheek. Then she said goodbye and left me. When Amy told me, I opened my eyes. Katie was snuggled up to me, smiling shyly, eyes bright and moist. Amy was smiling gently. "Ok, I understand the body, which was Katie — she looks and feels so much like Cindi. Thank you, dear," I said, as I kissed her. She blushed. "But where did the voice come from, the manner of speaking?" Amy laughed. "Daddy, I have lived with Cindi for 13 years. We went everywhere together. We shared thoughts, good times and bad. I know her maybe better than she knew herself. I am Cindi and she is me. I can be Cindi for you anytime you want. All you had to do was ask. I wasn't sure I wouldn't make you sadder if I was her for you, so I didn't dare." She bit her lower lip, a sign she was thinking of asking something. "Have you been dreaming of her?" she asked softly. She noticed my look of surprise. "Me too. Very realistic dreams." She tilted her head to the side. "I don't know what it means. Go to sleep now, Daddy." Katie started to get up off the bed. "Oh, no, little girl. After that performance, you have to play Cindi all night tonight. You're sleeping here with me." I said as I held her hands. Amy looked at Cindi's face and laughed. "Not like that, dear. Just to snuggle," I told her. "Darn!" Katie said sheepishly. She and Amy snuggled with me all night long, one on each side. It was the best night's sleep I had had in awhile. It was the first time I went all night without missing Cindi, feeling sad about her. I love my girls! I woke up the next morning feeling as well loved as a man could be. Katie was laying on top of me (God, she reminds me of Cindi more every day!) and Amy was snuggled as close to me as she could get without being on top of me, with her head on my shoulder and her arm and one leg thrown over me. Man, I have cuddly girls! Since both of them have really long hair, one blond and the other black, there was hair scattered all over the bed, making a pretty two-tone collage. I just lay there for a while, enjoying the view, with a lump in my throat. Finally I decided it was time to begin the arduous task of getting these pretty, sleepy little teenagers up for the day. What is it with these kids, anyway? They are the most impressive bundles of energy all day long, never tiring out; but as soon as they hit the bed, waking them up is like waking up the dead. Maybe I should just make thunder noises in Amy's ear — that would wake her! Maybe not — she was already in daddy's bed, where she runs to be safe! They moaned and groaned, whined and whimpered as I tried to convince them to get out of bed. Finally, I had to use the nuclear option; the threat of a glass of ice water over their heads. Their eyes flew open immediately when I threatened that; "You wouldn't dare!" they protested, with this 'would you?' look in their eyes. What would adults ever do for fun without teenagers to tease? I got the girls bundled off to school and then went to work. There was nothing new on either the hospital or the police front as far as the investigations. Everything was fine until about 11:30, when I received a call from the school to come pick up my daughter. The school assured me that she was fine, but I needed to take her home. Puzzled, I arrived to find Amy and Katie in the waiting room of the principal's office. Both looked somewhat disheveled. Amy was mad! Katie looked scared. Before I could talk to them, the principal called me into his office. After introducing himself and exchanging pleasantries, we got down to business. "We had an altercation here at the school involving your daughter Amy and, as I understand it, another young lady that is in your care, Katie. I brought you in here before you talked to them to let you know that all the eyewitness accounts, and my investigation, has verified that neither your daughter nor Katie were to blame for the situation that developed. They did not start it. Your daughter did, however, finish it in rather spectacular fashion. If it were not for Katie's calming influence on Amy, things could have gotten out of hand." "What happened? How did it all start?" I asked. "There is a group of girls and boys here who have never liked, nor gotten along with the group of cheerleaders your daughter and Katie are a part of. They have never gotten along well, but there's never been a problem before. That changed today, due to some emotional stress you daughter has been under?" "Amy has been under a lot of stress. In the last two months she has almost died herself from a serious illness and her twin sister was killed in an automobile accident. She's made remarkable progress in the last couple of weeks, but she is still a little fragile and unstable at times. So, what did the unfortunate "victims" make the mistake of saying or doing to Amy "I'm not comfortable going into what happened, as it was rather crude, but you have a right to know. Katie has never been very popular with the crowd outside her immediate circle of friends, and she's been teased a lot. She also has a reputation among the gossip crowd of being more sexually active than most of the other girls. We've seen no proof of that, but the rumor is there. Apparently, one of the boys that she has refused to date called her a slut. Several of the girls friendly with him joined in. This has happened before, but it is the first time Amy heard it. Amy calmly told them that if they wished to continue living in the manner they had become accustomed, they would not refer to her friend that way. The two of them have gotten quite close o9f late." He stopped speaking at this point. "Yes, they have. But so far you haven't told me anything that would account for my daughter and her friend being in the principal's office." I looked at him questioningly. "That's true. This part is painful for me to relate to you. The group in question turned their attention to Amy, and ... um ... asked her if she was going to defend this slut since her own slut sister wasn't around anymore." I gasped and turned white, I'm sure. The principal looked very upset and concerned. "I guess I should ask at this point how many of those children are still in the hospital." "It was over pretty quickly. Your daughter seems to have had some good teachers in the art of self-defense. All four of the offending students were on the ground in very short order. By that time, Katie was over her shock and removed Amy from the scene. Fortunately, none of the students were seriously hurt. I think once the parents understand what happened and the ramifications of the nature of the teasing, it will all blow over quickly. I would, however, encourage you to talk to your daughter about over reacting to unpleasant stimuli." I thanked him for his time and understanding, and went out to collect my little juvenile delinquents. Amy appeared to be more scared than angry now; Katie, not knowing how I dealt with such situations, was very scared. I took them out to the car, put them in, and headed for home, without saying a word. "Daddy..." Amy started. "Not now, Amy. We'll talk when we get home." Both of them looked unhappy. When we got inside the house, we all sat down on the couch. "First of all, are either of you hurt?" I asked calmly. They both shook their heads no. "Ok. Good. Now, suppose you two explain to me why I had to go down to the school today to pick up my daughter, my sweet gentle daughter who is the apple of my eye, who has never been in trouble in her life, to take her home, because of fighting. Fighting? What got into you, Amy? I never thought I would be disappointed in you." I looked at Katie. "I'm glad at least someone had enough sense to do the smart thing." I sighed in frustration. I saw Amy's eyes fill with tears. Since she had been a little girl, the most effective way to discipline her was to show disappointment in her. "Daddy..." Tears flowed down her face as her lower lip trembled and her voice shook. She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. I pulled her over onto my lap and hugged her close, as she put her arms around my neck and cried. After a few minutes, she calmed down. I wiped her tears, held a Kleenex to her nose, and told her to blow. She gave me an 'I'm not a baby' look, and then blew her nose. I kissed her forehead. "Tell me, honey, what happened." "We were minding our own b ... b ... business and they started c ... c ... calling Katie a slut and I told them to s ... s ... stop, and then they called Cindi a slut," she sobbed. "Cindi wasn't a slut, Daddy, she was r ... r ... raped! She wasn't a slut!" she cried softly, tears rolling down her face. Katie was looking at us, eyes wide in horror, as she started crying also. She obviously never heard about what Amy was referring to. She looked terrified; I really didn't like the look on her face. 'Please, do not let this mean what I think it means, ' I prayed. "And so you beat them up. Amy, both the principal and I were impressed how you handled yourself, but what were you trying to accomplish?" "I was protecting Cindi!" she whispered. She looked at me, confused. "From what, Amy? Amy, honey, I'm sorry, but Cindi is dead. Nothing can change that. How did it help her by what you did? How would she have been hurt if you had walked away? Amy, honey, you risked getting hurt, and hurting others, being kicked out of school, and maybe even spending time in juvenile detention had someone been severely hurt. You also risked Katie getting hurt had the fight gone differently. Did you think of that? Did you think that if you get kicked out of school you would have to go to another school different from Katie?" Amy was crying again, her eyes wide in shock as she looked at Katie. Katie was not paying attention to us; she had a dazed look on her face, as if she was in another world. I was afraid the world her mind was in right now was not a very pleasant place. I was worried about her. Something was going on here. "What would you have done, Daddy?" Amy asked in a tiny voice. I sighed. I knew we were going to get here eventually. All I could do was be honest with her. "Amy, I would probably have kicked their asses, just like you did. And I would have been just as wrong as you were. Reactions like what you had in that situation must be reserved for situations where life is in danger, or protecting the well-being of others, or even defense of property. But you must pick the times very carefully when such actions are used." "I'm so sorry, Daddy! I didn't think, I just got so mad. Please don't be mad at me." "I'm not mad at you, honey. I understand. You've been through some hard times lately. I probably would have done the same thing had someone said those things about Cindi, especially now. I'm not so upset at what you did, honey. I just want you to think next time, so that this does not become a habit in how you react to these situations. By the way, where did you learn how to fight like that?" "I didn't. I just knew what to do. I don't know how." I turned to Katie. "Katie, why don't you go take a shower and get ready for bed?" She pulled herself away from her thoughts and went into the bathroom. "Ok, Amy, I've gotten Katie out of here so she doesn't hear things she shouldn't. Now, ask what I can see in your eyes you want to ask." "What about Mommy, Daddy? How do the things she does fit into this? What about the time at the fair?" "The fair was a different situation. Both you and your Mother's well-being, if not your lives, were in danger. They meant to at least rape the two of you. Maybe your Mother over-reacted, but she had reason to be worried and that is how she has been trained. Amy, your Mother is an adult. All adults have to make decisions to do the things they feel are right. Your Mother's job requires her to do things that in other situations or for other people would be wrong. I know she only uses her abilities in situations where she has to, in self-defense or in defense of her family. I have talked to others in her organization and verified that. Even though she is totally committed to what she does, there are many times when she comes home after being out of town that she cries at night when she thinks I am asleep. Don't ever tell her I know that. She pays a price for what she feels has to be done. I respect her greatly for that." "I understand, Daddy. So you do know what Mommy's job is?" "Yes, sweetie, I know what she does; I just let her think I don't. I have told you that, too. It's sometimes better to not broadcast everything you know." Amy looked at me thoughtfully. "Like not telling us everything you do, right Dad?" I reached over and kissed her on the cheek. "I think it's time for you to go to bed, Amy. Go kick Katie out of the shower before she uses all the hot water." After everything that went on that day, and the long talk with Amy, I couldn't sleep that night. I went down into the basement and watched TV, hoping to fall asleep on the couch. But all I could think of was that look on Katie's face and in her eyes. I hoped she was ok. ------- Chapter 16 After all that went on that day, and the long talk with Amy, I could not sleep that night. I went down to the basement to watch TV, hoping to fall asleep on the couch. But all I could think of was that look on Katie's face and in her eyes. I hoped she was ok. I was daydreaming and deep in thought so I did not see Katie standing there until she spoke. "Hi." "H ... Hi Katie. What are you doing up?" "I can't sleep. Can I watch TV with you?" "Sure. Pull up a rock." She sat down next to me. She had on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, and looked squeaky clean, girl next door fresh. Her long hair was tied up in a ponytail, making her look so cute. She cuddled in close, I put my arm around her, and she laid her head on my shoulder. We watched some nonsense for a while. It was obvious neither one of us wanted to watch TV. "So, you want to talk, tell me about it?" I asked. "Talk about what?" she stalled, with that 'deer in the headlights' look in her eyes. "Oh, I don't know. About why you hate your dad, and why you would never go back to him again. About why you would kill yourself before you would move away from Amy. About why you almost came unglued when you found out about Cindi's rape. All those would be nice. But, let's start with this one, the one I really want to know — about how you inserted yourself into and filled up the empty space in Amy's mind that Cindi used to occupy." I smiled gently, trying to put all the love I could into that smile and my eyes. I expected a reaction. That was the idea. I did not expect the one I got. Katie turned white as all the blood left her face, and the look in her eyes was now the 'deer in the crosshairs' look. She tried to talk twice, but could not. Finally, she tried to act dumb. "What ... I don't know what you are talking about." She swallowed hard. She really was not a very good actor. "Really? Then let me tell you what I know. Amy and Cindi had a mental connection since birth. They possessed mental abilities that brought them much closer than two normal sisters. They could sense each other's presence and emotional states. They could sometimes communicate with each other. Victoria and I never knew this was going on, even though there were many clues. Then, Cindi is killed. Amy becomes pathologically depressed and loses the desire to live, to the point that Victoria and I fear suicide. Amy has this area in her mind where she could always sense Cindi, and now it is empty. "When I picked her up at your house that night, she already knew something was wrong. There's no possibility that anyone could have told her. You came running out of the house, said 'I'm sorry, is there anything I can do', and never once asked what the problem was. Why? Because you already knew. "After two weeks of Amy falling apart, you walk into our house one day, walk into Amy's room, and six hours later Amy is back to her old self. There is only one way that could happen; someone filled up that empty place in her mind. She treats you just like Cindi now, loves you just as she loved Cindi, even though neither she nor Cindi were close to you before. Only one thing can cause that, Katie; you occupying the place that Cindi once occupied. I just can't figure out how you did it. Most importantly, how you did it without being a twin. This mind connection exists almost exclusively in twins." I smiled down at her and kissed her cheek. Katie looked at me in panic. She was so scared she forgot to lie. "Who are you? How can you know these things?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "How am I doing so far, sweetheart?" I asked softly. She gave up trying to deny it. "Please," she begged. "You can't tell anyone about this. How do you know all of this? They will take me away, I will be a freak, and I will live in a government facility for the rest of my life. Please, I don't have much in my life, but I don't want to lose what little I have!" Tears poured down her cheek. My heart melted. Perhaps I had been too hard on her. However, after the way she acted tonight, I had to do something to shake her up, make her talk. It was clear to me she could not go back to how she was after tonight. It was either uphill or downhill from here on. I was not going to lose another daughter, or soon to be daughter, if I could help it. "Katie, calm down. Think about it. Amy is the same way. Do you think I'm going to do something that will hurt her? Not to mention that I would never do anything to hurt you anyway." For the first time that night, I saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Maybe she could trust me. I watched as she visibly forced herself to be calm. Finally, she looked up and smiled at me tentatively. "Ok. What do you want to know?" she asked. "How did you do it? And how can you do this without being a twin?" She stared at me solemnly, thoughtfully. "You know, for being a really smart person, and the father of the smartest person I've ever known, you can be pretty stupid sometimes." "And ... what do you mean by that?" I somehow sensed something traumatic was coming. "You said only twins can do this?" "That's what I understand." "Well... ?" She sobbed, her voice trembling, tears running down her face, her lip quivering. Suddenly it hit me! How could I be so stupid and blind? "You're a twin!" I said softly. "Was," she sobbed, and buried her face in my chest. I held her, stroked her hair, tried to calm her down. I felt even stronger now that she had to talk about what was eating her up, but what had I done to this special girl? I felt so bad for her. When she calmed down some, I asked her if she wanted to talk. "I'm not sure I want to," she said sadly. "Katie, you have to. This is killing you. You're dying inside. If you can't talk to me, find someone else you trust to talk to, but you can't go on like this." "You're the only one I can talk to, the only one I trust, except for Amy, and I can't dump this on her." She smiled tiredly at me. I waited. "My twin's name was Becky. We were identical twins. Becky was the sweetest person I ever met. She existed only to make others happy, to make me happy. There was not a mean bone in her body. "Like Amy and Cindi, we had a connection from birth. Ours was probably stronger, because we were identical twins. We didn't have the close, wonderful family that you have here. Dad was a drunk, and Mom was dependent on him and unable to leave. Things were not good. "I was eleven when Dad raped me the first time. I fought him as hard as I could, but I was even smaller then. For six months, he raped me almost every night, at least several times each week. He wasn't a good, kind man as you are. All of us cheerleaders would gladly let you make love to us if you wanted to. He wasn't a nice man. For six months, I fought him as hard as I could, every time. I never gave in, never! Not once did I ever even come close to enjoying it. I hated him. "One night, I just couldn't take it anymore. Not that night. I told Mom repeatedly what was happening, but she didn't believe me, or didn't care; didn't want to fight him. I had to leave. Becky told me to go spend the night at our friend's house. She would have gone with me, but she had the flu and had to stay home. But she saw how desperate I was, so she told me to go. "I was so mad, so upset that night, that it interfered with my ability to read Becky. I didn't think anything about not reading her; that sometimes happened when she was asleep. I knew she had gone to bed before I left. Consequently, I never felt it when he, not finding me, went in to Becky and did to her what he had done to me so many times." Katie was openly weeping now, her eyes wild. "She fought him, just as I did. She fought him so hard, he knocked her out and broke her leg. She also had internal injuries. I don't think he knew he had injured her that badly. He wouldn't have cared anyway. He was drunk. After he was done with her, he left her there and went down to the bar to drink. "No one knows what happened after that. Somehow, the house caught on fire. By the time Becky regained consciousness, she was almost overcome by smoke. She couldn't move anyway. She called out to me in her mind. It was the only time we were able to talk mind to mind. She told me to stay calm and call the fire department. She knew they wouldn't get there in time. "I called, and then I panicked anyway. I started running back home. Becky, that sweet sister of mine, in her last moments alive, spent all her time staying calm, telling me how much she loved me. Never once did she panic or express any fear for her life. She made sure that the last thoughts I ever had from her were of love. "I was responsible for her death and she told me how much she loved me! I swear to God, I never would have left her there had I known that might happen!" Katie couldn't talk anymore. She buried her head in my chest and cried her little eyes out. My heart ached for her. After awhile, she started talking again. "During the investigation it was revealed what my father had done to Becky and what he had been doing to me for six months. My father left town one night, disappearing just before they were going to arrest him. They took me away from my mother. My mom's sister took in foster children for the state. They placed me as a foster child with her. That's the 'mother' I was with until a few days ago. She has five other children; her husband is never around. They just take the children in for the money. He shows up when the state comes to visit. When they come next time, they will probably just tell them I ran away. "If you can imagine what Amy went through, mine was ten times worse. I walked off and left my sister in the same house with that ... that bastard! He wouldn't have hurt her if I was there. "Imagine what it was like to talk to your sister in your mind, knowing she was dying. I had the same black, empty space Amy had. After two weeks of enduring the emptiness, with no home life, with the guilt of being responsible for her death, I decided it wasn't worth living anymore. I decided to end it all. "I planned it well. I stole the sleeping pills from my 'mom'. I waited until no one was around. I had them in my hand, ready to swallow them, when the ... the voice stopped me. "I swear, I heard a real voice talk to me that day. Not just in my head, but aloud, in the room. There was no one there. It told me I couldn't kill myself yet. It told me that if I killed myself now, someone like Becky would die, because I wouldn't be there to save her. The voice was so convincing that I stopped myself from taking the pills. I begged the voice to tell me where, when, who ... but it never talked to me again. "A year ago, we moved to this town. The first time I met the cheerleader group, I knew that Cindi and Amy were twins and connected. Even though they didn't look like twins, I knew. I could sense them. I had never been around another pair, so I didn't know I could do that. I think that's why they were always uncomfortable around me and we were never close. At some deep, unconscious level, I think they knew I was like them and that I could sense them. "When Cindi died, I felt her presence extinguished from that place in Amy's mind, just as she did. I knew before you got there that she had died. Remember, I had felt a mind die before; Amy wasn't sure what it was, but I knew. I realized the next day the mistake I made when I came out and talked to you, not asking the right questions. I just hoped you wouldn't notice. "After a few days, I knew Amy was the one I was supposed to help. I didn't know what I was supposed to do, but somehow I was sure I would know when the right time came. That Sunday, I woke up and knew the time was right." She looked at me solemnly. "Did you know that Amy was planning on killing herself after you went to bed that night? She didn't know that, but I did. I recognized it. She could take no more. Even then, Amy was sweet and loved you two. She was sad at how much she was hurting you, how much more she knew she was going to hurt you. "When I went into her room, we sat and talked. She was in so much pain. When you knocked on the door, and she yelled at you, it gave me the opening I needed." She stopped talking for a while, her eyes closed. I thought she had gone to sleep. "How did you do it?" I asked, tears in my eyes. This poor girl. I swore then that I would make it up to her, somehow. She was way too gentle, too loving and caring to suffer like she had. "I don't know. I took her hand in mine, and we looked into each other's eyes. She has the most beautiful, deep green eyes." She looked up at me and smiled. "Just like yours! "I looked into them for a long time. I could feel her. Then I felt something else ... like little tendrils flowing from me to her. Then, after awhile, I felt tendrils flow back from her to me. That was it. I was in her mind, where Cindi used to be, and she was in mine, where Becky used to be. The relief and joy of being whole again overwhelmed us. We didn't know what had happened, but we knew what the result was. "That's about it. Before you ask, no, I am not Cindi. I am Amy's Cindi and she is my Becky, but I am not Cindi. I wish I were Cindi, for you." She smiled warmly at me. After cuddling for a long time, Katie sat up, turned slightly, and in one athletic move, swung herself over onto my lap, facing me. Before I could react, she wrapped her arms around my neck, leaned in, and kissed me. When she broke the kiss, I started to speak. "Katie..." She shushed me with her finger, and kissed me again. Longer. Softer. A wonderful kiss. If I was going to stop this, I had to do it soon. She was too good a kisser. Then, while kissing me, she started unbuttoning my shirt. Working the buttons with one hand while she softly rubbed each new exposed area of my skin with her other hand. This time I broke the kiss. I had to speak. This sweet little girl had been abused, taken advantage of so often. I could not do the same thing to her. "Katie ... no, we can't do this. You are vulnerable right now. I can't take advantage of you like this, like everyone else has." She laughed, her voice a merry tinkle that made my toes curl. "Do you think this is something new I just decided I wanted because you were nice to me tonight? Patrick ... Daddy ... this is something I have wanted since almost the first time I met you. I may be taking advantage of you, but you could never take advantage of me." Her eyes filled with tears as she turned serious. "Please, Patrick. Let me choose the one I really want to give myself to. I have been taken so many times, I've given myself to so many boys, to so many older men, in search of one that would make me feel loved. Please, give me this tonight, even if it is just this once, the only time. Let me enjoy it for once because I want it. I love you so much." She whispered her sad words softly to me as tears trickled slowly down her cheeks. She laid her head on my shoulder, and whispered in my ear. "It's ok ... I know," she whispered. "I know you love Victoria. I know I can never have you that way. I know I am too young. But, in some ways I am too old. I stake no claim on you. Just love me when you can. It will be our little secret. No one will know. Please? Don't be the only one to ever refuse me; the only one I have ever freely wanted." I love my wife so much! I was so glad she had already given me permission to do this, because there was no way I could refuse the plea this sweet young woman was making to me. I had the feeling this was a mistake, just as I felt it had been with Cindi. I was wrong then; I hoped I would be wrong now. Please, don't let me hurt this sweet girl more. I could not stand bringing her more pain. She looked at me, hope on her face. She squealed with delight when I kissed her. She whimpered as she [ulled me forward and took my shirt off the rest of the way. Then she leaned back and pulled her tee shirt over her head, throwing it to one side. She started kissing me again, slowly running her hands across my chest. She gasped as I cupped her breasts, softly stroking her little nipples. We sat there for a long time, her hands around my neck, kissing me, kissing my neck, whispering sweet words into my ear. I stroked her hair, and kissed her neck too. I bent my head down and sucked one of her nipples into my mouth, making her moan. She broke her contact with me, stood up, and slipped her shorts and panties off. Then she tugged my shorts off. She smiled as she sat back down on my lap. She smiled even more when she lowered herself down on me, taking me all the way up inside her. She rocked herself slowly back and forth. My goodness, this girl was good! It only took a few minutes before both of us were exhausted, cuddled together, with Katie still sitting on my lap. Katie lit up the whole room with her beautiful smile as she looked up at me. "Oh my, I had no idea it could be like that!" she gasped. "Katie, is that the first time you've ever ... enjoyed it that much?" For some reason, I was suddenly embarrassed. She smiled at me shyly and nodded her head yes. "Oh dear, you are you in for a delightful time, young lady. This was nothing." She blushed prettily. "Oh, goody! I hope I survive!" She smiled shyly. "So, am I a good substitute for Cindi?" Giggle. I froze in panic. I knew, as I looked at her that I could not bluff my way out of this one. "How ... how did you know about that?" "I didn't," she giggled. "You just told me. I just figured that Cindi probably received comfort from you after her rape just as I just did. It was a good guess, though. I could tell by the way you two acted the last few weeks that she was around. Don't worry; I don't think anyone else caught it. I'm sure Amy doesn't know." She bit her lower lip, trying to decide if she should tell me something. "Except, I'm pretty sure Victoria knows." I kissed her. "I love you, Katie Marie." I was taken by surprise when she started crying. "I'm sorry, sweetie, I shouldn't have said that." "No! Don't you dare take that back. You just don't know how long I've wanted to hear you say that." She touched my cheek tenderly. "It's ok, I know you don't mean it the way I would, but I'll take love anyway I can. I love you too." Katie and I made love several times that night, before she went to her room at 5:00, before Amy woke up. The last time, we were lying there in each other's arms, resting. "Can I tell you something, without you getting upset?" she asked tentatively. I hate questions like that from females! It is a no win position. I nodded my head. "You really love Amy a lot, don't you?" I nodded again; how was that going to upset me? "I know; the last time you had an orgasm you called me Amy. It's ok, I don't mind." She chewed her bottom lip again. "You know, you could have Amy if you wanted her." Oh God, I did not need to know that! "Yeah, right. And how would you know that, Little One?" "She told me. We were playing truth or dare and I dared her to tell me her deepest, darkest, most exciting fantasy. She turned red and said no. I told her she could not change the game in midstream, she had to tell me. She finally told me that she wanted you to be the first one to make love to her." Katie smiled at me impishly. "Want me to tell her you're interested? I could tell her you called out her name when you were making love to me," she giggled. "Katie! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone! I would get in big trouble. And then Victoria and I wouldn't be able to adopt you." "I was just kidding. I wouldn't..." her voice tapered off. "What did you say?" "I said I would get in big trouble." "Not that, you dope! Did you say ... adopt me? Would you guys ... really do that?" She looked at me with watery eyes and quivering lips. "Yes. Now get your butt upstairs before Amy catches us and kills us both. We will talk about it this weekend." She kissed me and scampered upstairs. I lay on the couch for a while, feeling happy. Victoria, what did you get me into? Amy wanted me? I was afraid to even think about that one. Why does my life always get so complicated? ------- Chapter 17 I woke up the next morning to the delicious smells of breakfast. I had fallen asleep on the couch and spent the night there. That did wonders for my back. I decided I'd better get up fast and find out who the burglar was that had broken into the house and was making breakfast. It surely wasn't one of my girls this early in the morning! Imagine my surprise when I entered the kitchen and found Katie cooking breakfast. Katie? I went over to her, put my arms around her from behind, and made a big point of looking at the clock closely after kissing her neck. She sighed softly, and leaned back against me. The smile she gave me would have lit up a small town for a whole day. "What are you looking at?" she asked. "Just wondering how the clock got so messed up on time." She looked at it, puzzled. "It's the right time," she insisted. She reached over and gently bit my ear as she realized what I was saying. Ah, so there was a difference between Cindi and Katie. Cindi would never have got that joke. After more hugging, she steered me over to the chair to sit down. She looked at me for a second, her head tilted sideways slightly (I love it when they do that), then started to rub my shoulders. Sometimes there are advantages to having girls that can sense emotions. She made my back feel better. I didn't really care if it did or not, as long as she kept kissing my neck and kept those cute little hands on me. Then she slipped onto my lap and kissed me. That was good, too. She whispered in my ear how she would like to make something else feel good, too, but Amy would probably feel that emotion. Then she served and fed me breakfast. By the time Amy stumbled in, I was eating my own breakfast; Katie was hungry and was eating her own instead of feeding me. Amy walked in, took one look at Katie, looked at me with a surprised but pleased look on her face, and then mouthed "thank you!" to me and went over to get her own breakfast. She sat down to eat, and Katie and she proceeded to have one of those teenage conversations where I wasn't even sure what language they were speaking, much less understand any of it. I could've bought a Porsche for what I spent sending them to school just so they could talk like that! Well, not really, but you get my point. After Katie left to get ready for school, Amy looked closely at me. "Thank you, Daddy, for whatever you did last night to cheer Katie up. I can't stand seeing her unhappy. I don't know how you do it; you always were able to do the same thing with Cindi." Brief jolt of sadness for both of us at the mention of Cindi. "Well, if you got sad once in a while I could show you," I teased. Then I turned serious. "Of course, the one time you did I was a miserable failure." "Daddy, that's not true! You were a big reason why I came back. We just needed a little help." "Your Mom will be in town tomorrow," I reminded Amy. Katie walked back into the room as I said it. "Really?" Katie asked. "Yeah. It's their birthday. Nice hint, Dad." Amy the smart aleck. We told Katie about the whole weekend of festivities we usually had planned. She was excited. They never did anything fun like that in her family. After dropping the girls off at school, I decided to see a lawyer friend of mine. I told him about Katie's situation, and asked him about adopting her. He said I would need a signed statement from her current "mother" releasing her. I thought that would be easy, even if I had to bribe her. He said statements from the real parents might or might not be necessary, depending on the language of the judgment from the court. He would research that and get back to me. In any case, unless someone fought it, it should be done quickly, since she was already living with us. I told him to let me know if there were any problems and I would take care of it. I checked in with Chief Haskin to see if there was any progress with the accident investigation, but he wasn't in. I told his secretary I would check back later, and headed for work. I visited with the Director of Microbiology about Amy's bug. He told me they had made some substantial progress, but he couldn't tell me anything yet. He'd let me know when he had something. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I had the feeling he knew more than he was saying and that he wasn't happy with what he knew. After work, I stopped by a jewelry store to pick up Victoria's birthday present. I had put it on layaway a few weeks earlier when I saw her admiring it. I was sure I wouldn't surprise her, but she would enjoy it anyway. When I got home, Amy and Katie had supper ready again. This I could get used to. After supper, Amy came down to talk to me. Must be serious, I thought, the 'twins' were not together. "Dad," she started. Yep. Dad. Serious. "Can I ask you a question?" Really serious. She didn't sit down or cuddle. "No, Amy, you are not allowed to ever talk to me again! "Of course you can ask me a question." "Well, it's just that I know you aren't going to answer it, so I don't know why I am bothering ... Dad, do you have someone following us?" Damn! Certifiable genius. I never expected her to notice that, though. Those guys are professionals. "Why would I have anyone following you, honey?" She rolled her eyes, gave me an 'Amy' look, and stamped her foot in frustration. "Look, Dad, I know I'm just a kid, so I don't really expect you to tell me things that you haven't even told Mom about what you really do for a living, but don't treat me like an idiot, ok? I want to know if this is something I should be worried about, or if there is something I should know about. I guess I could just take him out next time I see him and ask him myself. You know I can do that." Damn it. Why does she have to be so damn smart all the time? Why not just when I'm ready for it and think it's cute? "Ok, Amy. I won't treat you like the idiot you are acting like. What did he look like, and how did he act?" She described him and his actions to me. Nothing to worry about; one of mine. Except a 13 year old girl had just blown the cover one of the best shadowers I'd ever met. Maybe I should hire her! "Don't worry about it, Amy, he's one of the good guys. Just a little added protection I arranged for my family." "And your family would need added protection ... why?" Great. She wasn't going to let this go. I guess I was going to have to piss her off. "Let me worry about that, ok sweetie? You just concentrate on being a teenager that doesn't irritate her parents too much. Ok?" That should just about do it. She gave me another 'Amy' look. "Strange, how someone who works in a hospital can arrange protection like that," she snapped, and she stomped off. Well! That was fun. Wonder how long she would be mad at me about that? I had trouble sleeping again that night, so I went down to the basement to watch TV again. Maybe the excitement about the upcoming weekend; I really did enjoy these times together. Maybe an uncomfortable feeling I had that I was not going to like the results of the investigations that were running. Maybe I was just secretly hoping Katie would come find me. Whatever the reason, I finally dozed off, only to wake up with Katie sitting on my lap kissing me. "Hey, sleepy head. Couldn't stay awake waiting for me? If you are really tired, I can leave you alone tonight." I put my arms around her and held her so she couldn't get away. "You're not going anywhere, Little One. Now, what was this you were going to show me this morning that Amy would have picked up on?" She grinned, giggled, and slowly took her clothes off. Not that she had a lot on anyway. The universal uniform, panties and a tee shirt. Then she just as slowly took my clothes off. I love it when she undresses me. Then she swallowed my cock all the way, and gave me one of the best blowjobs I've ever had. The things she does with her tongue, lips, hands and teeth had me filling her mouth within minutes. Then she sat down on me, taking me inside her before I could get soft, and proceeded to bring herself to an orgasm as I watched. I just love to watch her tremble and shake all over, with her head buried in my neck, kissing me and trying to keep from screaming her brains out. We cuddled for a while, and then she started to cry. I instinctively knew this was not the usual happy cry. Something was wrong. "What is it, pretty lady? Talk to me." "You are going to hate me so much. I seduced you and started this whole thing, and now I have to stop it. I'm so sorry!" she sobbed. "Sweetheart, this has always been up to you, whenever you need it. We can stop whenever you feel the need to. But why do you have to stop it?" "I don't want to! I love you so much, and you make me feel so good I can't believe it. You and Victoria have been so nice to me, giving me a place to stay, and even talking about adopting me. And I repay Victoria for all her kindness by seducing her husband behind her back. The kids at school are right — I'm just a slut." She sobbed brokenly against my chest. This was going to be fun. I love problems this easy to solve. I lifted her head up, looked into her eyes, and wiped her tears away, kissing her gently. "Katie ... look at me. You are not a slut. Sluts sleep with multiple guys at once. You're not two-timing me are you? And you said you were seducing me behind Victoria's back. Would it help it I told her about it?" I teased, trying to get her to laugh. She smiled shyly. "Well, I'm not sleeping with or making out with anyone else. I am dating someone, though." She looked at me nervously. "Is that ok?" "Of course it's ok. You should be dating guys your own age." What I said finally dawned on her. "No! Please don't tell Victoria! She would hate me! Not to mention she'd probably kill me and kick me out of the house!" She looked frantic. She didn't seem to see the humor of being killed and then kicked out of the house. "Katie, you know I love Victoria very much. You said I was a nice, sweet guy. Did you ever wonder why I gave in to you so easily? Why I did these same things with Cindi? "Well ... because I seduced you and you couldn't resist, because I remind you of Cindi? Because you felt sorry for both of us? Because you get lonely and ... you know ... when Victoria is gone so much? I don't know." I laughed. "You certainly are very pretty and sexy, Little One, and you would be hard to resist, but I think I could have managed it if I had wanted to." She blushed prettily. "The truth is, Katie, Cindi did seduce me the first time, but Victoria knew about it by the second time we made love. She approved of it, because of the good effects it was having on Cindi's recovery. She also told me in so many words that I was a fool and she would kick my butt if I did not make love to you. She has given me permission to be with you anytime she is out of town. Not only given permission, but strongly encouraged it." "WHAT? Why would she do that? Why would she share someone like you with someone like me?" Katie looked stunned. "Because she loves you. She knows I love you. She knows how much I miss Cindi and how much you remind me of her. She knows how hurt you have been, sexually and emotionally, and she knows I can help with that as I did with Cindi. Because we are grateful to you for saving Amy's life. We discussed things we could do for you in appreciation. She knew you were in love with me, and the thing you wanted most in life was to make love to me. Was she right?" Katie blushed and looked down when I said that. "Yes," she whispered shyly. "But, I would never try to take you away or make this a permanent arrangement or anything like that! I just want to enjoy you when I can." "She knows that, Katie. No offence, pretty girl, but you could never take me away from Victoria. No one could. This is not meant to be permanent. You will someday fall in love with a wonderful man, and you won't need this anymore. Until then, I'm here anytime you need me, as long as Victoria isn't in town. As long as you follow certain guidelines. Don't get pregnant. Don't bring diseases home from other guys. Do not tell anyone." "I would never tell anyone! Those other things would all involve having sex with someone else, and I am just not interested in that. Besides, I'm on the pill. Do you really mean it's ok? She doesn't mind?" "Yes. Now, shut up and make me happy," I teased her. Suddenly, I had 90 lbs of wiggly, squirmy Katie all over me, kissing, hugging, and sucking everything she could find to get her mouth on. Then she decided she wanted to do something special for me. First, she pretended she was Cindi. That was sad but also nice. Then she pretended she was Amy, giving herself to me for the first time. How hot was that? I don't want to think about that anymore! By the time she left to go back to bed, I was exhausted. I was going to have to get some sleep one of these nights. It wasn't going to be tomorrow night, though, because Victoria was coming home. I told the girls they could sleep over at Rebecca's house if they wanted, but strangely, they both said no, they would just suffer through it. Giggle, giggle. When I got home from work that evening and walked into the kitchen, I was greeted with the prettiest sight I could ever want to see. Victoria, Amy and Katie were all working together, cooking dinner. I stood there and watched, and listened, before they knew I was there. Victoria was the essence of loveliness; at 37, she still looked no more than 25. Amy, looking so much like her, looked older than her 13, maybe 16. For some reason, I doubt it was accidental, they were wearing almost the same outfit. Finally, Katie, looking so different, yet so much like Cindi it took my breath away. The others looked happy, but Katie positively glowed. She was happier than I had ever seen her. I knew Victoria would be talking to me tonight! They were all mine for the whole weekend. Tonight was staying at home night. Tomorrow evening was dinner at Victoria's parents' house. Sunday was the birthday celebration at our house, with just us four. As we were relaxing after dinner, teasing each other and just generally having a wonderful time, Victoria and I decided it was time to talk to them about Katie's future. "Amy, Katie," Victoria said, "your Dad and I have talked about it, and considering Katie's situation at home, we decided we would like to start proceedings to adopt Katie. Your Dad has looked into it and it should not be hard to do, and hopefully would not take that long. What do you girls think about it?" Of course, Katie was excited. I'd warned her not to let on that I had already mentioned it to her. Amy had a strange look on her face, one I could not read. Victoria noticed it too, and looked at me questioningly, but I had no idea what was going on. "Sure. That would be great," Amy said, then burst into tears, ran into her room, and closed the door. Victoria and I looked at each other in shock. We never would have dreamed that Amy would have a problem with this. Katie started crying and looked devastated. I told Victoria I would talk to Amy and headed for her room. I knocked on the door. "Amy. It's Daddy. Can I come in, sweetie?" I heard a very tiny "yes". Amy was lying on her bed, sobbing her heart out. I have never been able to handle females crying. It just tears me up inside. Amy crying has always been particularly upsetting to me, maybe because she does it so seldom. This was several times in the last two months. Poor little thing. I sat down next to her on the bed, took her head and lay it in my lap, and just held her, stroking her hair. Finally, she calmed down a little. "Want to tell me about it? A very upset little girl out there doesn't understand why you don't want her to be your sister. Honey, how did we screw up? I honestly thought you would be happy about it; we wanted to surprise you. You and Katie seem to be so close..." I was thoroughly confused and upset that I had caused all this commotion. I could just imagine how Katie must feel. Amy looked at me with big, sad eyes. What had I missed? I felt like I should know why she was crying. I braced myself for the chewing out I was going to get. Amy isn't the most forgiving or diplomatic person when she's upset. Usually you didn't have to guess what the problem was. "God, Daddy, I'm such a brat! Poor Katie, she must feel just awful. I really am happy for her, and I really think it's a great idea. I would love to have Katie as a sister. It just seems like ... like we're forgetting about Cindi. I'm so happy around Katie. and yet it just feels like I should be missing Cindi and not being happy. When I heard we were going to adopt Katie, it just seemed we wouldn't need or remember Cindi anymore. I'm so sorry, I'm so silly, and now I've made a scene and Mom and Katie both probably hate me; Katie's so upset; I can feel how upset she is in my mind. And you have to listen to all this nonsense from me and I'm ruining your birthday weekend ... Daddy, is this what they call a relapse? Am I having a relapse? I don't want to go back to the way I was before. Please help me, Daddy!" she cried as she started sobbing again. I didn't know what to do. This was such a little thing, but it was so big to her. "Honey, we don't have to adopt Katie right now. We don't have to adopt her at all. It was just an idea to help her. However, we can take our time and let you get used to it. She can still stay here just like she has been." "No! I really don't mind. It's so important to her. She needs to belong to a family. I'm the idiot here, not her for wanting a family. I just need to calm down here for a while, and then go back out there and see if I can repair the damage I've just done. I hope it can be repaired. Tell them I'm ok and I'll be out in a little while." "Amy, they love you. They will understand. Don't be so hard on yourself. I'll tell them." I went back out to a sobbing, red, puffy eyed, almost hysterical Katie, with Victoria futilely trying to comfort her. I walked over, picked up Katie, and sat down on the couch with her in my lap. She buried her head in my chest and sobbed. Victoria looked lost, not knowing what to do. I smiled at her and told her it would be ok. I finally got Katie to calm down. I sat her down between Victoria and me, so I could talk to them both. "Katie, Amy thinks you hate her now." "I don't hate her! I love her. I thought she hated me. I can find somewhere else to live. I don't want her to think I'm pushing her out of her family. I can go somewhere else. I don't want to hurt her!" "She doesn't want you to leave. She thinks it's wonderful that you would be her sister. She was just taken by surprise. She thought we were all forgetting about Cindi." I cringed at the look of horror on Victoria's face. "She understands now how impossible that is. She's afraid she's having a relapse and she doesn't want to go back to how she was. We have to be gentle with her; she's a very hurt little girl. Just because she's been acting normal the last two weeks, we tend to think everything is ok. Even though you have helped a lot, Katie, she still misses Cindi." Amy finally came out of her room. She apologized to everyone, then took Katie by the hand, led her into her room, and closed the door. They came back out an hour later, laughing, joking, and giggling as if nothing had ever happened. Teenagers! So resilient. Later, when it was time to go to bed, I asked Amy if she needed to sleep with us tonight. She rolled her eyes and giggled. "I don't think so! I'd like to get some sleep! Besides, you might not be able to tell Mommy and me apart in the dark! Hmmm, on second thought..." Victoria swatted her on the butt for that. Both Katie and Amy hugged Victoria goodnight together, each whispering in an ear. Victoria blushed? I had to hear what they said! Neither of us bothered to wear any clothes to bed. We were both too excited for such unnecessary frills. Victoria was in a playful mood, however, as she proceeded to give me one of the best blowjobs in history. She kept bringing me right to the point of climaxing, then backed off and let me calm down. I had a flashback of the first time Cindi had done that to me. Now I realized where she got the idea. The imp had been watching us! I looked over at the doorway, and sure enough, two little wide-eyed faces were showing through the partially open door! They looked guilty and started to dive under cover until they heard me laugh. I smiled and mouthed "I love you!" to them as they watched. They mouthed it back as Victoria stopped long enough to ask me why I laughed. I told her it was because I loved her and she made me so happy. That was true. When she lowered herself down on me, taking me inside her, I understood why she had taken me so far with the blowjob. She was so wet! She exploded with her first orgasm as soon as I was inside her. Just in the short time it took me to peak, she had another orgasm. This was going to be a fun night! The two little faces looked stunned. Later, as we were resting together, she looked at me and grinned. I knew that grin; I was in trouble. "So," she whispered sexily, "how was Katie?" I looked to make sure our little voyeurs were no longer present. "I thought she was fine tonight," I answered, deliberately misunderstanding her. "Once I explained why Amy ... OW! What was that for?" I exclaimed, feigning hurt feelings after she punched me. I did not have to pretend it hurt physically. "You know what I am talking about, smart aleck. How WAS she?" "How do you know I did anything yet? I just said I would think about it." "Are you kidding me? She was positively glowing tonight. Either you did, or she's been taken over by aliens." This was a fun game, but I decided I did not want to risk another punch, so I told her what she wanted to know. "She was sweet, wonderful, very talented, not as good as you, but very enjoyable. She has also been very badly hurt, as you suspected." I told her the story Katie had told me. Katie had given me permission to tell Victoria. She had tears in her eyes, just as I did when I first heard it. "Patrick John Phillips, you better tell me you made love to that poor girl after that story, or I'm going to beat you!" "No, but I let her seduce me. Afterwards, she had a panic attack, thinking she was betraying you. I had to tell her that you knew." I heard Victoria laugh at that. I answered her unspoken question. "Yeah, she was freaked out, but once I convinced her it was true, she was happy." I told her all about that night. She insisted on the details. "You make sure you keep that girl happy when I'm gone. She is way too precious to lose," Victoria ordered. Yes, ma'am! "Since I told you about her, does that mean I can tell them all about our sex life?" I teased. "What? You mean the stuff they didn't see tonight peeking through the door?" "You knew about that?" I asked, shocked. "Hell, Cindi and Amy have been doing that for years. I figured with me gone so much, it was better than relying on you to give them the sex education talk!" This time I swatted her. "Well, I did give them the talk." I told her about the experience with all the girls and the strip poker and sex talk. She was laughing hysterically by the time I was done. "Damn! I'm going to have to watch it or I'm going to be sharing you with all those girls!" She didn't sound too distressed at the idea. "Right. Just what they want. An old man and their friend's father to boot. They're not all like Katie, you know." "Are you kidding? All of those girls would take you in a minute. Maybe at the same time, for all I know. Even the ones like Elizabeth and Emily who haven't the foggiest idea what sex is are hot for you, willing to learn." Great. I didn't need to hear that! There is one good way to shut Victoria up. Well, from speaking, that is. She didn't say any coherent words for quite a while after that. The next morning, we all had breakfast together. Amy and Katie looked tired, but then it was before noon. I asked them if they slept well. "No," Amy complained. "Someone was torturing small animals all night long." Katie leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Oh! That was Mom and Dad? Who would have known? However, I think they deserve some recognition for their stamina, if nothing else." Smart-ass comedians. They both stood up and clapped long and loud. Both Victoria and I were blushing furiously. They finally got us good. Katie leaned over and whispered in a loud stage voice. "I have some experience in these matters. They are really not very good. Your Dad climaxes way too soon, and obviously doesn't care a wit about his partner's enjoyment. And your Mom shows an amazing lack of flexibility, inventiveness and interest. She just lays there like a bump on a log." She giggled and ducked as I threw a biscuit at her. Amy reached out nonchalantly and caught it without even looking. She caught me looking at her in surprise, and she just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Then Katie cringed in mock fear as I gave her a 'see if you get any more of my not very good technique' look. All of us were red now at Katie's crude remarks. I wondered how many other sides this girl had to her that we hadn't seen yet. The girls, including Victoria, decided they wanted to go shopping so I decided to go with them for a change. I usually get bored very fast with shopping. They figured out that if they tried on sexy bathing suits occasionally, that would keep me attentive. Boy, did it! Then they had to try on panties and bras and have my opinion on those. I told them I couldn't really tell unless I could see them as they were taken off, or took them off myself. Katie said "ok," giggled, grabbed my hand, and started to lead me back to the dressing room. Amy turned red and got tongue tied, and Victoria whispered "later." We had a fun time all day. They even let me look at some electronic stores. They rolled their eyes, but they smiled patiently while I played. Mainly because Victoria looked with me, since she is also an electronics geek. It also gave us a chance to neck and embarrass the girls. We got home mid afternoon. The girls decided what they were going to wear to the dinner that night. Then we all decided to take a nap, since we would probably be up late. Of course, we all piled into the same bed to nap. I didn't actually sleep; I just watched three very beautiful females as they slept. I love to watch them sleep. When I got bored with that, I tickled Amy or Katie's ear and watched them swat at it in their sleep. I tickled Victoria in another, more fun place. After the third time, I found out she wasn't as asleep as I thought; she whispered that if I kept that up, she was going to have to kick the girls out of the room. I suggested we go into Amy's room. One of these days when I really want to gross Amy out, I'll have to tell her we made love in her bed! Dinner that night was interesting. Victoria's parents are nice people. They adopted her when she was 16 years old. She had been living in foster homes from the time she was two years old until they adopted her. She was just elated when she finally found a permanent family. I understood exactly what she went through, as I had gone through a similar situation. She doesn't talk about it much, but I think she had a much tougher time of it than I did. As Amy said once, something happened that made her so frantic to protect her babies at all costs. I suspected there are things about her early teen years that we didn't know and that she would love to forget. I usually can't resist, when we get together with her parents, to take the opportunity to find out things about her past. This time I was checking up on something she told me after the incident at the fair. I was talking to her Father in the study, alone. "By the way, I wanted to thank you for the self-defense courses that you let Victoria take when she was young. They have really helped out with teaching the girls some things they need to know." By now, I pretty much figured the response I was going to get. "Well, I wish we could take credit for that, but we never had her in any such classes that I know of. Maybe it was before we adopted her. She always was pretty graceful, though." He proceeded to tell me several stories from her mid teens. I love to hear those stories. He got a brilliant idea just as the others came into the room. "Would you like to see all her pictures in the family album? We found it the other day when we were cleaning up." He pulled it out of a drawer. "Dad ... Patrick and the girls don't want to see all that old stuff," Victoria protested. "Yes we do!" we all yelled in unison. Wow! It had been a long time since I received a dirty look like that from Victoria. I try to avoid getting that look. I'm scared of her, but Amy's not. She laughed at her. We spent quite some time looking at the pictures. It was remarkable how much she and Amy looked alike when Victoria was 13. You could literally mistake one for the other. Then he pulled out the really special picture. "This is one we found the other day. I hope this doesn't upset you, Victoria. This is the only picture we have of her from her original family. It shows her Mom, Dad, and brother with her when she was about two years old. Isn't she cute?" Unfortunately, there was no response, because it was at exactly that moment that Katie and I both had an attack of the clumsies and both dropped our glasses on the floor, shattering them in a hundred pieces. After much apologies and helping to clean up the mess, the album was forgotten, to Victoria's relief. Katie and I managed not to make any more messes the rest of the night. I noticed Amy periodically giving us some curious looks. I knew she was reading my emotions and knew I was upset about something. I was trying not to show it until I could check things out at home. Something was bothering Katie too; I didn't need emotional reading ability to see that she couldn't sit still. I knew that nosey little Amy was not going to let the evening pass without bugging me about it. Sure enough, a few minutes later I felt her sidle up close to me. "So ... mister sure fingers, I don't think I've ever seen you drop a wine glass before. Waste of good wine. You seem ... somewhat upset. Want to talk about it?" She smiled at me so sweetly as she said it. Amy really is a sweetheart — she loves to help people. We have always been open with each other and pleasant to each other when we overstep the boundaries of privacy. I'm sure knowing that made my answer even more confusing to her. "No, Amy, I don't want to talk about it. If I wanted to talk about it with you, I would have come to you. Why don't you go bother your mother for a while?" I snapped at her, turned around, and walked away. I don't know why I snapped at her like that. Something was bothering me, some feeling of doom or distress, and I was distracted. I would never have talked to Amy that way otherwise. When I glanced at her later, she didn't look like her feelings were hurt; she was just staring at me with a sad and worried look on her face. I needn't have worried about hurting her feelings; Amy had a cause now. Daddy was upset about something, so she made it a point to stay as close to me as she could, touching me and holding my arm any chance she got. I wasn't so distracted that I didn't appreciate it. Just don't bug me about my emotions when I didn't have them sorted out myself. I was trying desperately to figure out what it was that was bothering me. Something about Victoria's childhood was not right. I couldn't put my finger on what it was that I saw or heard that was out of place, but whatever it was, it had triggered either some unpleasant memories or deep-seated concerns. Whatever it was, it was worrying me, and I was scared, since somehow I knew it involved Victoria. The rest of the evening was pleasant enough, although I must admit I can't remember much of it. Amy stuck to me all night like glue. It wasn't unpleasant, as she really is a very charming and pretty young lady, and she didn't bug me anymore about talking to her. Katie still seemed antsy about something, but it didn't seem critical. Otherwise, everyone had a good time. The ride home was quiet. I didn't feel like talking, and Victoria noticed that. Amy and Katie dozed in the backseat. As we prepared for bed, Amy gave me a big, close, special hug and kiss, then looked at me with those marvelous eyes of hers, full of concern and worry. She laid her cheek against mine, her mouth to my ear. "I love you, Daddy, so very much. No matter what, I love you. Remember that. No matter what," she whispered. Then she went to bed. Katie gave me a somewhat distracted hug, and also headed for bed. When Victoria and I went to bed, she quietly held me close, letting me feel the love she had for me. She could sense something was wrong. She could also sense I couldn't talk about it yet. For the first time since as far back as I could remember, we didn't make love. Somehow she knew I couldn't. She knew I just needed her close, so we held each other close all night long. Sometime during the night, Amy came in, and when I awoke the next morning, she was cuddled close to the other side of me. That was about the only joy I was to experience that day. I felt worse after we got up Sunday. After I left Victoria and Amy in bed, I wandered around the house like a lost puppy. I couldn't snap myself out of it. I yelled at Amy again. She smiled sweetly at me and told me she loved me. Later that afternoon I yelled at Katie when she wanted to talk to me, and she ran out of the room in tears. A few minutes later, Victoria came into the room. She took me by the hand, led me into our bedroom, and closed the door. She looked unhappy. "Ok, you've yelled at Amy twice now. Katie is in tears, because her Daddy doesn't love her anymore. Now it's my turn now. Yell at me, get it over with, and then maybe you can tell me what this is all about." She looked really worried. "I don't know what's wrong. If I knew, I would tell you. I just have this dreadful feeling that something is terribly wrong, that disaster is about to strike me. I wish I knew. I ... I can't believe I yelled at Katie. And Amy. Please ... tell them I love them. I'm too ashamed to face them." "I have an idea," Victoria said brightly, trying to cheer me up. "Let's exchange presents now instead of this evening." She called out to the girls, then took me by the hand and led me out to the living room. I insisted that we give Victoria her presents first. I didn't feel that I deserved any, the way I had been acting. Suddenly, I understood how Amy was feeling after Cindi died. How she was acting out, knew she was doing it, felt awful about it, but just couldn't help herself. I gave Victoria a bracelet she had wanted, and that I loved too. It was a pearl string, with delicate gold chains on either side. It was beautiful, and she was ecstatic. The girls gave her things she was just as excited about, but I don't even remember what they were. I was happier, laughing and having a good time. The darkness had receded for a while at least. Victoria gave me a new watch, and Amy some sweet little things that I would treasure later, but didn't remember what they were at the time. Even Katie had something for me. Then, Amy said she had one more, special present. As she went to get it, the phone rang. She answered it, and then came back to me. "It's for you, Daddy." "Tell them to call back later," Victoria snapped. It seemed my lousy mood of before was rubbing off. "He said it was important. He needs to talk to Dad immediately." Amy sounded concerned. I took the call in the office. I knew who it was before I even answered the phone. "Patrick, it is John Haskin. Happy birthday to you and Victoria." "Thank you, John. We appreciate the good wishes. But that's not why you called, is it?" He sighed. "I'm afraid not. Patrick, I looked over all the information on Cindi's accident. I'm afraid we missed something very important in the original investigation. The truck driver was dead before the collision. He had a bullet wound in the head. Someone else steered that truck and set the fire before escaping out the passenger door. I'm afraid it was no accident." "You're telling me Cindi was murdered?" I whispered. "How did you miss this on the original investigation?" Oh God, Cindi, forgive me for not protecting you! "I'm afraid so. I don't know how it was missed. Parts of the autopsy report were inexplicitly left out of the police report. We're investigating that." What he didn't say was more important than what he said. "I'm also afraid I have some more bad news for you." "What could you tell me worse than this?" I asked, my voice breaking. What could be worse than killing my little girl? I found out; trying to kill my other little girl. "The Director of the Microbiology Laboratory at the hospital just called me. He hasn't been able to reach you. He has asked me to initiate an attempted murder investigation for Amy's illness. It seems the virus she was infected with was an engineered virus, the kind developed by Biological Warfare Laboratories. He says there is no way she could have been infected accidentally, especially since she was the only one infected. She was very lucky; that virus has a near 100% fatality rate, with the few survivors succumbing to a relapse within a week." Suddenly I was calmer. I thought I knew what I had been dreading. "We will be investigating both of these crimes, I assure you we will find those responsible and bring them to justice. "Pull your people out, John. I will take care of this one," I whispered. "Patrick ... we've discussed this before. I've seen how you work in this type of situation. I will not have the streets of my city filled with dead bodies. You and Victoria are dear friends, but I can't let you do this." "You can't stop it, John. It's going to happen whether I want it to or not. Get your people clear. I don't want any of them on my conscience." I hung up the phone. I sat there, berating myself. I had failed Cindi. She had died because I didn't protect her. I suspected what Victoria really did after San Francisco. I knew for sure after I met Robert, after the incident at the Fair. I stopped digging after that meeting because I recognized Robert. He didn't know me, but I knew of him. Still, I trusted them to protect my girls, instead of doing it myself. They had failed; I had failed. But for Cindi's strange powers, Amy would be dead too. Cindi saved Amy, I killed Cindi. How could I tell Victoria that her baby had been murdered? What would happen if — when — she found out that I had the ability to protect her babies and failed not once, but twice? How could she continue to love me, live with me after that? How could Amy stand to look at me, her Dad, who had let her twin be killed, put her through all her suffering? These thoughts continued to swirl and build in my head as I outwardly calmed myself to face my family, for probably the last birthday I would ever spend with them. I actually appeared calm and happy when I rejoined them. I told Victoria the call was nothing important, but Amy and Katie were not fooled. They could read my emotions, could see the intense turmoil in my mind. They had an almost scared look on their faces. Amy said she had one more special present for me. She handed me a four-inch cube box. "This was Cindi's present for you, Daddy," she said almost fearfully. I opened it slowly. Inside was a crystal sphere. Inside the sphere were tendrils of bright green and bright blue, the colors of Amy and Cindi's eyes. Etched in the glass was an inscription. It said, "Love me. Trust me." Images flooded my mind, showing me what had happened in that hospital room. I remembered it all. Suddenly, I couldn't take anymore. I got up from the chair and walked out to the patio, to gaze out over the landscape. Amy, Katie, and Victoria watched me go with surprised looks on their faces. I heard Amy whisper. I heard Amy whisper fearfully, "Mommy! He is not ok!" When I thought things couldn't possibly get worse, I suddenly realized what was not right with Victoria's childhood. I remembered a picture, in an envelope, in my bottom desk drawer, underneath all the papers. A picture I had only looked at once and nobody else had ever seen. I walked back to my office, took out the envelope, and drew out the picture. The only picture I had of my original family. A picture of a Mom, a Dad, and a little girl and little boy. I turned it over and saw an inscription on the back, an inscription I had never seen before, with a date on it. It said: "Mom, Dad and the two year old twins ... Patrick and Victoria." It was exactly the same picture I had seen at Victoria's parents' house last night. With shaking hands, I put the picture back where I found it. I felt the darkness closing in. I knew this meant I had lost Victoria forever. How could she stay married to me once she saw this picture? I couldn't hide it from her. How could any of them want to be around the one who had failed to protect Cindi, had failed to protect Amy? I didn't even want to live anymore. I felt my body, my mind, closing down as I reeled under the multiple shocks it had received. I felt myself sinking to the floor, tears running down my face. I dimly heard Amy and Katie scream as Victoria walked through the doorway. "Mommy! Daddy needs you! He is not ok!" At the same time, I heard Victoria yell, "Amy! Get in here and help me with your Dad! Now!" That was the last thing I remembered before I blacked out. ------- Chapter 18 Victoria and Amy wrote the following chapter. To avoid confusion, parts written by Victoria will be in italics. Amy: My name is Amy Phillips. I am the 13-year-old daughter of Patrick and Victoria Phillips. I found this file on my Dad's computer when I was searching for clues to his mysterious black out. I got bored just watching him sleep and decided to add some stuff here. Won't that be fun when he finds it! Giggle! I haven't read the contents of this file. I won't do that unless he tells me I can read it, that would be an invasion of privacy. He respects mine, and I respect his. That's why I may repeat things on here that he may have already said. If there are contradictions, I'm right and he's wrong. Giggle! Has he told you I'm a genius? Giggle! I have other talents too, some of which he doesn't know about yet. He hates it when I say that; he envisions awful teenager things that he would just as soon not think about. So I would say it even if it weren't true, just to drive him crazy. Giggle! Actually, my twin sister Cindi, who was killed in a car accident two months ago (sad face), was smarter than I am. No one knew that except her and me. She tried her best to hide it. She would do anything to make people happy. One time I noticed she missed questions on an exam that I knew she knew the answer to. She told me later, after much probing, that she did it so I could stay number one in class ranking. She knew how important it was to me. She never wanted people, even Mom and Dad, to know how smart she was. Sometimes she would deliberately do dumb things just to hide it. I miss her so much! Katie, my best friend now, helps a lot, but I still really miss Cindi. Katie's a lot like Cindi, even looks like her, so that helps a lot. I think that really hurts Daddy sometimes when he looks at her. Mom and Dad are talking about adopting Katie. That would be so neat! My Dad and Mom are just the greatest parents in the world. All my friends are in love with my Daddy (so am I! Giggle!), and have adopted Mom as their Mom away from home. Mom is not around much — she travels a lot. She's a computer troubleshooter; just ask her, that's what she'll tell you. Dad and I know better. She thought she was pulling the wool over Dad's eyes for a long time, but he wasn't as fooled as she thinks he was. He's pretty smart. He has his own secrets, too. I haven't figured it all out yet, but I think it's pretty much the same as Mom's secret. I think the whole thing is hilarious. Here all these years they've been keeping these big secrets from each other and eventually they're going to find out it's essentially the same secret! Parents! What's wrong with just telling each other? And me! I'm going to find it out anyway — I always figure these things out myself. Did I tell you I'm a genius? I've been worried about Daddy for a while. I don't think he's ever dealt with Cindi's death. Not that I'm doing so well, but at least I have had a good cry (several of them actually — poor Daddy). I think he's just transferred those feelings for Cindi to Katie. I knew that one of these ays this was all going to come around and bite him. I think it finally did Sunday. I guess I should tell you something important about me. I hope Daddy doesn't mind me telling this, but I doubt he has in mind just anyone reading this. You see, Cindi and I, and now Katie, have always had this special thing. We could read emotions really well. I always knew how she was feeling, and she always knew how I was feeling. We could do it with our parents also. We can also tell where the other one is, no matter how far away. The location thing works with Mom and Dad also, but not as well. We could just feel it in our minds. They think we could just do the emotion thing with them sometimes; we've never told them how well we could do it with them. We didn't want to freak them out. It gets somewhat interesting sometimes when they are ... um ... fooling around. Those emotions can be pretty overwhelming for a 13-year-old girl! Maybe one of these days I'll gross Daddy out by letting him know how ... excited ... Cindi and I would get sometimes! Giggle! Course, maybe it wouldn't gross him out. Maybe I won't think about that. I don't know how I'd feel about that (yes I do, I just don't want to think about it! Giggle!). Not that we knew what it all meant. We used to sneak over to the door of their bedroom and watch. Why not? If we're going to feel the emotions, we might as well watch! Dad caught Katie and me the other day, but he didn't tell Mom. He is so cool! What would really make them freak out is if they knew that I'm getting better at this. Sometimes I swear I can read their minds. I know what they are thinking before they say it. I try to control that. The way Daddy looks at Katie sometimes, I do not think I want to know what he is thinking! Giggle! Anyway, where I was going with this is that Daddy has never dealt with Cindi's death. I can see the pain in his eyes sometimes, even often, and I can read in his emotions that he still hurts. I think that's what's going on now. His mind is so mixed up and confused, I can hardly make sense out of his emotions. I can feel tremendous guilt, and I know that somehow it seems to be connected with Cindi and me. I don't know why. Cindi's death was an accident. How could that be his fault? I don't know what he has to feel guilty about with me. Somehow, Mom is involved in his concerns too. That one has to do with fear. Is he afraid she's in danger? Surely, he can't be afraid she would leave him, no matter what the problem is. That would never happen. Even with my reading him, I have no answers. Whatever happened to him started Saturday night when we were at my grandparent's house for the birthday celebrations. Up to that time, he was fine. I noticed all of a sudden that he was upset about something. I teased him about dropping his wineglass and asked him why he was upset. Boy, did he take my head off! He has never talked to me like that before. I would've been really mad and hurt if I hadn't been able to feel that he was really hurting. The next day he was even worse. He yelled at me again, but I was determined not to let it get to me. Then he yelled at Katie! That really got Mom worried. Daddy would never be mean to Katie. We decided to give them our presents to try to cheer him up and then he had to take a phone call. He said it wasn't important, but he was lying. Then he just got really upset when I gave him Cindi's present. Maybe I shouldn't have done that, but I know she wanted him to have it. She spent a lot of time getting it just right. He went into the office, and that's when the emotions coming out of his mind got really scary. About then is when he collapsed. Mom and I got him to the bed. When he still hadn't responded by the next day, Mom got worried. "Amy, I think we should call a doctor. I don't like this," she said. I didn't think it was a good idea to call just a regular doctor. I don't know what Dad's secret is, but if it's like Mom's, as I suspect, he would not want to see just a regular doctor. "Mom, I'll take care of that. You stay here with him. I think he would want you to be close to him." That wasn't much of a risk; I knew she didn't want to leave him anyway. She and Katie could tend to him while I could figure something out. As I left the room, I picked up a fountain pen that was in his shirt. Nobody paid any attention to me. I had noticed something odd about that pen. He had only been carrying it the last few weeks. Suddenly it appeared along with his favorite one, and it looked different. On a hunch, I picked it up, went into the other room, and started playing with it. It didn't take me long to figure out this was not just a fountain pen, it did some other things too. It seemed to be a cell phone of some kind. I punched speed dial one and it vibrated in my hand. Ok, that was Daddy's number. I managed to get into an address book of some kind. The entries seemed to be coded, but it didn't take me long to find one that looked like my number. I set my cell phone on vibrate, and then hit that speed dial number. Yep, my phone went off. Ok. I could tell then that Dad was number one, Mom was number three, I was number four, and Katie was number five. So, who was number two? He started carrying this after Cindi died, so it couldn't be her. So, if Dad was number one, and he was out of commission, and I needed to get him a doctor, who else better to go to than whoever was number two? Did I tell you I was a genius? Giggle! Here goes nothing. I dialed number two. I hope I was doing the right thing. I heard the phone being answered. "Yes?" a soft-spoken polite female voice answered. "Please don't hang up. My name is Amy Phillips..." "Please hold on," she interrupted. I heard a series of clicks, and then a male voice answered. "This is Captain Jensen. How may I help you?" "Please," I repeated, "don't hang up. I found this number and my Dad needs help." I was getting a little flustered now and didn't give them all the information I should have. "How did you get this number, young lady?" he asked firmly. "I found it listed in a fountain pen phone like thingy that my Dad had. He's unconscious and needs a doctor." "How did you figure out how to use it, and why did you dial this number, young lady?" I wished he would quit calling me that! "It was pretty easy to figure out, and I figured out all the other numbers, and since he was number one, I figured out I wanted to talk to the number two guy. That's you. And don't you dare call me young lady again! And how come you've never asked me who my Dad is?" I was beginning to wonder about this guy. He chuckled softly. "You must be Amy. I don't have to ask who your Dad is. The fact that you dialed this number means it could only be one person. Patrick told me you were very smart. So far, you're doing fine. We have a problem, though. An authorization code is normally used. Since I have never talked to you before, I don't know your voice. I'm not sure if you are who you really say you are." "Fine. If you insist on going by the book, the authorization code is Alpha Tango seven three four six X-ray. I believe you now would repeat that back to me. However, let's cut the crap and I'll tell you that your authorization code is Delta four seven three Charley. Can we get on with the business of getting help for my Dad now?" There was a long silence. "How do you know those codes, young ... er, Amy?" He sounded surprised. "I don't know. I've never heard them before. I just knew them now. I guess they're right, huh?" I felt a little sorry for him. He didn't know how to deal with a smart-ass 13-year-old genius. I wondered if it would make him feel better that I don't know how to deal with me most of the time either! "Are you at home right now? Maybe I should speak to Victoria." He still was not comfortable dealing with a teenager. I felt a little better that he knew Mom's name. "I wouldn't suggest that. Mom doesn't know anything about this part of Dad's life. I don't think Dad wants her too, either. She probably won't believe you." "And what do you know about 'this part of your Dad's life', Amy?" he asked. "I know enough to figure out this isn't a normal pen. I know enough to figure out how to use it. I know enough to not call a regular doctor. I know enough to figure out you're the one to call and how to do it. I'm afraid you're stuck with the teenage smart-ass kid. Sorry." For the first time, he laughed. "You are amazing, Amy. No wonder your father is so proud of you. There will be a doctor there in 15 minutes. And Amy ... forget all about this number and conversation." "Darn. I sure wish I could get this stupid number to work. All I get is a busy signal!" I giggled. He laughed and hung up. I had done what I could. I hoped Captain Jensen was one of the good guys. Now it was time to go back and see if I could help Daddy. Victoria: My name is Victoria Phillips. Patrick Phillips is my husband of 15 years. Like Amy, I haven't read what Patrick has written. Amy and I have also agreed not to read what each one of us has written. At least, that is the plan. I wouldn't put it past Amy to sneak in and read what I wrote later. She is trustworthy, just too curious for her own good sometimes. So, Amy, if you're reading this, I love you honey, and you're a brat! I was glad that Amy offered to help by calling a doctor. I really didn't want to leave my husband's side. Patrick and I have known each other for 17 years, and except for one brief weekend shortly after we met, I have never been with anyone else. We knew almost immediately that we were meant to be together. The brief weekend consisted of my last fling with my old boyfriend and Patrick's roommate, while Samantha, Robert's girlfriend, was seducing Patrick. Robert and I wanted one last time together, for old times sake, and I knew Patrick had always been madly in love with Samantha. I wanted him to have one time with her before we became exclusive. Both Samantha and Robert were all for the idea. Poor Patrick — everyone knew about this but him. He didn't find out the truth until later when he confessed his guilt to me. Patrick is everything to me. He's my husband, but even after 15 years, he's still my lover. He's my soul mate. I can't imagine life without him, or with another. Both of us still get breathless when the other walks in the room. That was how I knew something was wrong Saturday night. It is the first time in my memory that he was not ready and willing to make love to me, to drive me crazy. He is also my rock. I don't know how I would've survived when Cindi died without him there to help me through it. It was almost unbearable the first time I went through it alone; I wouldn't have been able to go through it with Cindi without his strength. In some ways, I think Amy and I did him a huge disservice by relying on him so much during that time. He spent so much time helping us that he never had a chance to grieve himself; he was too busy being strong for us. After his collapse, Amy told me she knew something was wrong Saturday night. Something happened that night at my parents' house that began this whole process of out-of-control grieving. Katie did not notice, as she was having some problems of her own. I haven't even tried to deal with that yet; she is reluctant to talk about it, partially because she is afraid after her Daddy yelled at her, but mostly because she says Daddy comes first. Thank you, Katie. As I said, Patrick is my rock. He is such a calming influence on me. It is so comforting, with the hectic job I have, to come home to the world's biggest yuppie. He works in a hospital, so calm, collected, with such a structured life, nothing ever exciting. He was in some branch of law enforcement before we met. Somehow, I just can't see him in a job even that exciting. I'm not demeaning him. He's the world's sweetest person and deserves calmness and stability. It's for that reason that I feel so sorry for him with what he's going through now. He's always there for us and now we seem to be able to do nothing for him when he needs us. I've always tried to keep secret from Patrick what I really do. Somehow, the time has just never seemed right to tell him that his loving wife is actually a "consultant" on semi-permanent loan to an anti-terrorist division of the government, that is so secret it doesn't even have a name, from a branch of the intelligence community that is so secret it doesn't even have a name. Sometimes I don't have a name either, or at least not the one he knows me by. "Consultant" is a fancy term for the one that handles all dangerous situations and people that there isn't a strong legal case to prosecute, but can't wait to build such a case. Usually it is as exciting as computer troubleshooting, which I really do, but sometimes it gets really interesting. Occasionally, dangerous. Not that I could tell him that anyway. I'm only writing this now because sometimes I just have to let go and talk about it to someone. Writing it out is safer than telling someone. This way I get it out of my system. I'll go back and erase this later. I have detected some suspicion on his part that he realizes I am not just the computer geek I pretend to be. I hope he doesn't think I am hiding my life from him because I'm a prostitute or something like that. It would be easy to come to that conclusion, as many times as I have had to lie to him. That is what hurts the most, not being able to be honest and tell the love of my life the truth. Even if I could tell him what I do, the next obvious question would be why. As much as I love Patrick, I'm not sure I could or would want to answer that question. The memories of what shaped me to this way of life in my early teens are still too painful to even think about. I was a very wild young girl from about 10 to 16 years old. My parents think I lived in foster homes during that time. Sure, if foster homes are defined as the streets. Those years defined what I am today, why I do what I do. It only takes once watching a very special young girl ... well; I swore that I would do everything in my power to try to keep my babies from ever being hurt again. I failed with Cindi, and I will live with that scar for the rest of my life. I'm the one that should feel guilty, not him. That's one of the things Amy is able to feel in his troubled emotions right now; guilt, somehow connected with Cindi and Amy, and fear connected with me. Amy, honey, if you are reading this, please don't read beyond this point. This is stuff you really do not need to know about, sweetie. Trust Mommy on this. Two things saved my life. The first was a very kind, gentle middle-aged man who showed me what love was all about. No, he didn't molest me. I seduced him when I was 13. He resisted for a long time, but once I discovered that a man brought to a certain point while he is asleep is helpless to resist when he wakes up, he never stood a chance. I gave him desperately needed love, and he taught me how to love. I hated him for a brief time when I found out he was dying, but then we gave each other the best six months of either of our lives. Until I met Patrick, that is. I know Patrick is confused and does not understand when I let him continue, even encouraged him, with Cindi and encouraged him to help Katie, but I understand completely how healing an older man's touch, especially one like my Patrick, can help a troubled young girl. I fully expect he will also be Amy's first some day, probably soon. Those two are way too close and love each other way too much for her to want anyone else. I can't think of anyone better to teach her what love is and, just as important, how to make love and be loved. The only question is which one of them will make the first move. She may be 30 before it happens! They both seem to walk on eggs around each other on this subject. It's fun to watch; they're both so sweet! The other thing that saved me was my wonderful adopted parents. Any time I refer to my parents, I am referring to them. Amy is back with the doctor. I'll write more in this later if I have a chance. At least until I decide to erase it all. I'm not sure I want even Patrick to read this stuff. Amy: The doctor arrived right on time. He was an older gentleman and seemed to know my Dad, and his history, very well. After checking him out, he ran some kind of portable scanning device over his head. I have never seen one of those on TV. He compared it to some scan tracings he brought with him. Previous brain scans? Daddy, what do you do for a living, really? Later, he sat down with Mom and me to talk to us about Dad. He wouldn't let Katie sit in because she is not listed officially as a member of the family. Wow! Was she mad! I have never seen Katie that mad before. Remind me never to get her mad at me! The doctor said that as far as he could tell, Dad had suffered multiple emotional, traumatic events very close together and he had just emotionally shut down. He would probably stay that way until his brain sorted them out and figured out how to deal with them. That is what scares me. His brain is so messed up right now, emotionally, that I wasn't sure how that was going to happen. He didn't seem to be working on it right now. I tried to act cool about what he said, to keep from scaring Mom, but I'm not a good actor and Mom is pretty smart. I'm so glad Katie was not in there. Now we have to calm down and then figure out something to tell her. Right. Like she hasn't already read our emotions. I think I'm learning what Daddy has known for a little while now — trying to lie to someone who reads your emotions is pretty useless. Rats! It's not much fun being on the receiving end of problems with this reading stuff! I asked Mom to go talk to Katie. I told her Katie would be able to read my face too well. I just wanted her out of the room. I decided to try something I swore I would never do; try to read my Daddy's mind without him being able to tell I was doing it. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what was there, but if I could help him, I would take his pain. I will write more later. Well, that was a big waste of time. I'm not very good at this mind-reading stuff anyway, at least not yet. His mind was so jumbled up and confused, I couldn't tell much more than I already knew from the emotions. For some reason he is overcome with guilt about Cindi and me. Why Cindi? It was a car accident ... wasn't it? Could Cindi's accident have not been an accident? Why would the police not know that? Wait — the phone call Sunday! That voice could have been Chief Haskin! I know Daddy was lying when he said it wasn't important. But why would Daddy feel responsible / guilty? Ah, because of his big secret. Maybe he felt he should have /could have protected us. He did say he had people following us. He thinks he is so smart with that 'make Amy mad so she will stop asking questions and go away' act. Like I can't see through that! Ok, let's assume that is it with Cindi. God, I hope I'm wrong! That will really tear Mom and Dad up. Not to mention the bloodbath that is going to follow if I know them the way I do. They had better not even try to keep me out of it. That was my Cindi! Ok, calm down. This is still just speculation. Ok, so we go with that for now. Then why would he feel guilty about me. What has happened with me? Oh, shit! Oops! Daddy thinks I don't know or say those words. I meant shucky durn golly gee willikers! My illness? Surely not! Can't think of anything else. Now, where does Mom fit in? It doesn't feel like he is scared for Mom's life. More like just scared for them. Why? She's crazy about him, and he about her. I can't even think of anything that could break them apart. When did all this start? Saturday night when we were looking at the pictures of Mom. And he's scared about Mom. I first noticed he was upset when he dropped his wineglass. He dropped his wineglass when looking at the pictures. Which picture? Let's see ... The original picture of Mom and her ... brother? Same birthday? Holy shit! And I ain't apologizing this time! That's not possible! Is it? Oh, man, if that's it, I have GOT to be there when he tells Mom to see the look on her face! That would be priceless. But ... surely he doesn't think that after 17 years Mom would leave him just due to a little thing like she is married to her ... twin ... brother? She wouldn't. Even if she would, she'd have to deal with me first! But he may not realize that in his state of mind. I really like being a genius, but I really hope I'm wrong on this. God, Cindi ... I know dead is dead, but man, I hope you didn't go like that. If Dad thinks Mom goes crazy when someone hurts her babies, he ain't seen what a smart-ass 13 year old genius who just happens to be able to kick her Mom's ass in a fight (he doesn't know about that yet; and we have seen what she can do!) is going to do about someone murdering her twin sister! Wonderful. The genius figures it out — maybe. So, how does that help Daddy? I'm going to bed. I wish Cindi were here. She figured out how to save me when I was dying. I'm sure she would have been able to help Daddy. ------- No change in Daddy's condition today. I'm really getting worried. I love you Daddy, please don't leave me! I have to go — I have to go cry, and everyone knows Amy does not cry, so I got to go hide. Oh, God, Mommy and me and Katie can't survive without Daddy! ------- I'm back. Mom is becoming a basket case. I actually saw her cry this morning. Mom never cries. I have to find a way to help her and Daddy. I had the weirdest dream last night. It was very clear and realistic. Daddy and Cindi were there. Daddy was in the same condition he's in now. Cindi gave me very detailed instructions on how to wake him up. I just wish it were that simple. The instructions were rather embarrassing. Especially with your Daddy! Giggle! Not that I have not thought about that! Giggle! Cindi said something really weird in the dream. She said, "All you had to do is ask." What does that mean? Oh well; it's just a dream, right? ------- Ok, something weird is going on here. I had the same dream again last night. About Daddy and Cindi and how to wake him up. It was so realistic. At one point in the dream, Cindi and I were cuddled up on the bed together, naked. How embarrassing! I mean, it's not as if Cindi and I were never cuddled together naked. Sometimes when Mom and Dad would get us so ... um ... you know. I mean, it's not like Cindi and I ever actually did anything together. I mean, we just couldn't. It would be too much like doing it with yourself, you know? But ... well, sometimes we would ... um ... do ourselves ... you know what I mean ... right next to each other. It was better that way. But not with our Daddy and Mommy watching and naked too ... like in the dream, for heavens sake! I just have this really strong feeling that this is the way to help Daddy. But how can Cindi be showing me this? She's, like, dead, you know? I know she could do things we didn't know about. Could she have planted this in my brain for use sometime when I needed it? ------- Ok, three nights in a row, more real each time. I've got to talk to Mom about this. Oh, God, this is way too weird! I am really uncomfortable with this. But if it will help Daddy... Victoria: Amy came in to the bedroom this morning, looking as uncomfortable as I've ever seen her. Under different circumstances, it would've been hilariously funny. The little smart aleck genius not sure of herself, and embarrassed? I hope I get to see this again. When she told me her plan, I could see why she was embarrassed. Poor little girl. She doesn't realize that I already know how she feels about her dad. Yeah ... that way. I don't think she even realizes it yet. It doesn't bother me anyway, but I really don't care what she has to do if it will bring Patrick back. "Mom? Can I talk to you a minute? I think I know a way to help Daddy." "Amy? That's wonderful! Tell me how." "Well ... it's kind of weird. You see, I've been having these really realistic dreams about Cindi and Daddy and ... well, they're really explicit and ... God, mom, it's so embarrassing, but I would do anything to bring Daddy back!" she half sobbed. "It's ok Amy." "Mom? Do you love me?" "You know I do, sweetheart." "Mom? Do you love me? Please, I have to hear you say it." Suddenly, it all flooded into my mind. What had happened in the hospital room. I knew what this was. "Yes, Amy, I love you more than life itself. As much as I love your Dad." "Mom? Do you trust me?" "With my life, sweetheart. And with your Dad's." "Thank you. One more time, Mom, you love me and trust me." She appeared to be concentrating. " Mom, we have to take all of our clothes off," she whispered. "Then, we have to take all of Dad's clothes off. And get into bed on either side of him." I suddenly realized I was just hearing Amy in my mind. When did that start? Then we were both cuddled up to him. "Mom, please forgive me, but I have to prepare him for you. He will only initially respond to me. When I tell you, you must show him how much you love him. I just can't do that part." "Sweetheart, if you have to do it all, it's ok. Really. Your Dad and I will understand." "I just can't, Mom. We have to try this way first." She looked at me with calm, but pleading eyes. Then she started kissing him. Gently, softly, tenderly. It was passionate, but not overly sexual. Erotic. Sensual. It was the most touching and beautiful thing I have ever seen. She stroked his hair, kissed his neck, gently stroked his chest, and whispered into his ear. After a few minutes, I noticed a change in the room. Everything was bathed in a bright, deep blue light, with a bright deep blue glow surrounding Patrick, Amy and myself. My heart leaped into my throat. I recognized this! ' Cindi? Cindi? Oh, please let it be so, ' my mind begged. Poor Amy had her eyes closed, I think so she could not see the effect she was having on his body. Soon she took my hand and laid it on him. I stroked him softly, making him even harder. Then, it began to happen. His eyelids fluttered. He was breathing harder. He moaned. Now it was a bright, deep blue and bright, deep green glow, mixing, yet separate. Amy just cuddled up to him and whispered, "Now, Mom!" I made love to my husband as I had never done before. I poured every ounce of love into him that I ever could. Amy watched, eyes big as saucers. She had a worried look on her face, as if it would not be enough because she had backed out and let me finish. Then Katie moved over to the bed from the other side of the room, fascinated by what she was seeing. I saw her eyes seem to glaze over and her head tilted to one side. She seemed to be concentrating. Suddenly, yellow tendrils flowed from her into the glow surrounding Amy, Patrick and myself. The blue and green glow moved to envelope her also. Amy looked up in surprise. I could feel him responding. Finally, as he and I exploded into an orgasm, I heard him cry out and I felt his arms wrap around me and hold me tight. Then his eyes opened and he gave a sad little smile. I smiled back and Amy and Katie's smiles lit up the room. The glows faded out. My darling husband looked around, and saw Amy lying against him, naked, holding him tight. I smiled softly at the look of panic that crossed his face. "Amy, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Amy put her finger across his lips. "Shh Daddy, it's ok. It was necessary. It's ok," she reassured him. "Did I ... did we... ?" he asked, chagrined. "No, Daddy, we didn't," she assured him. Then she gave him a teasing 'Amy' grin. "Not yet!" she whispered. "But the night is still young!" We all laughed at his panic-stricken face. "I love you all," he whispered, and then he started crying. This ends the section written by Amy and Victoria. The following is by Patrick once again. I slowly woke up, feeling disoriented. I was having a wonderful dream, about Victoria, Cindi, Amy, and Katie, all wrapped together in wonderful love. I wondered if my heart could take it! I realized, as I came more awake, that I was indeed wrapped up in love, having just had an orgasm. I sighed, then opened my eyes and found myself cuddled up to Victoria. Heavenly! Then I realized that Amy was cuddled up to my other side, smiling at me. Naked. Oh no! Please! Not Amy! "Amy, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Amy put her finger across my lips. "Shh, Daddy, it's ok. It was necessary. It's ok," she reassured me. "Did I ... did we... ?" I asked, panic-stricken. "No, Daddy, we didn't," she assured me. Then she gave me a teasing 'Amy' grin. "Not yet!" she whispered. "But the night is still young!" Victoria, Amy, and Katie all laughed at me as I blushed. "I love you all," I whispered. Then I remembered everything that had happened before I blacked out. Oh, God! I couldn't help it. I started crying. They all looked at me, concerned, and cuddled up to me, holding me close. I couldn't help it. I sobbed brokenly against them for what seemed like hours. All the pain, the sadness, the sorrow that I had never dealt with after the death of Cindi; it all came pouring out. I couldn't stop it. Amy held me, whispering in my ear "I know, Daddy. I know. Let it go, Daddy. I understand. I love you. Always. Remember. No matter what. I love you." "Oh, Amy, I only wish that would be true! You have no idea what I have to tell you, my precious little girl," I sobbed. She just held me. "Victoria, I love you so much! I'm going to miss you so much, I don't know if I can stand it!" I cried. "Patrick, my love, why would you miss me? I am not going anywhere, now or ever. I love you, now and forever!" "I only wish that were true. The things I must tell you. You will hate me!" My heart was breaking. "Mom, Katie, can you give me a few minutes alone with Daddy? Please. Trust me." Amy looked at them, her eyes begging them. After they left the room, Amy looked at me, smiling gently. "Ok, Dad, what is so awful that we will stop loving you? Do you really think that would ever happen?" She smiled encouragingly. "Oh, Amy, you have no idea." I had no idea how or where to begin. She sensed my confusion. "Ok, Dad, you are upset and confused. Let me help you. I'll tell you. First, Captain Jensen sends his regards. You are going to have to deal with him soon. I think he is rather ... upset about a conversation I had with him. I'm afraid I didn't follow protocol." She giggled as she held up her hand to stop me. "Don't worry; your secret is safe with me. Mom knows nothing. "Ok, let's see what is so terrible. First, Cindi's accident was no accident. She was murdered. I'm sure you'll tell me how. My illness wasn't an accident. That was attempted murder. You feel responsible for not stopping either one. Daddy, I know this is going to destroy your image of me, but that is bullshit!" She smiled at my shock at her use of a bad word. "Yeah, I just learned that word ten minutes ago. I don't know what it means, but maybe you can explain it to me!" She smiled as I laughed at her. "Both of those incidents happened before you activated your protection of us, Alpha Tango seven three four six X-ray, so why would you be responsible?" She smiled at my shocked look. "Yeah, that was about Captain Jensen's reaction too. I think he wants to talk to you about that. Don't ask me how I know that — I have no idea. I needed to know it, so I did. Don't bother to change it; I know I won't recall it after today. "Did you know Mom feels just as guilty as you do about Cindi's death — that she should have protected her? You're going to have to help her through that. Bear in mind you're going to have to figure out an explanation for your guilt for her; how a hospital employee should have been able to protect his daughter. Not saying you shouldn't tell her; you need to get this stupid guilt out of your system. "Ok, now the biggie. Do you really think Mom is going to stop loving you or divorce you just because you tell her she's married to her own twin brother? Something neither of you knew, nor anybody outside this room has to ever know? Does it change your love for each other? I know it doesn't mean anything to me. I am, however, really looking forward to seeing the look on her face when you tell her!" She giggled. "So, Daddy, how am I doing so far?" She smiled at my stunned look. "I thought I had it about right. Daddy," she said seriously, "despite my trying to cheer you up, I'm very upset about Cindi. You're going to have to move fast if you plan to kill the people responsible for that before Mom or myself, or even Katie gets to them first. Don't even think about excluding us from what you're going to do. We're a family, albeit a rather strange one, and they have messed with my - our - family. Heads will roll." "Amy," I whispered in shock, "how do you know all this? How can you know?" "Hey," she said with a cheerfulness I knew she did not feel, "I'm a genius, remember? Now, you had better get yourself together, because you have a very upset, very loving wife, and a very upset, very scared little girl out there to deal with. Call us when you are ready to talk." She got up and walked out of the room. Did I wake up in some type of time warp? When did my little girl grow up so much? Was she 13, going on 30? If nothing else, these people would pay for taking my little girl's childhood away from her. She shouldn't have to be playing the parent at 13 to her messed up Dad. Somehow, I would figure a way to make it up to this remarkable girl. After I pulled myself together, I called all three of them in to talk. I told them how Cindi's accident was not an accident, how she had been murdered. I held them, and cried with them as they dealt with that. Then I told them about the attempted murder of Amy. That actually did not seem to surprise Victoria as much, although she tried to hide it. With her connections with anti-terrorism and what they had to know about Bioterrorism (of course, I was not supposed to know anything about those connections!), she had recognized the unusual nature of Amy's illness. I think she just had not carried it out that far yet. I was glad I was on her list of loved ones. I really did not like the look in her eyes as I told her all this. The look in Amy's eyes, now that she didn't have to cheer me up or worry about making me go nuts again, scared me as much if not more. Katie just looked plain pissed off. I had never noticed the flecks of yellow in her eyes before. I didn't know enough about her yet to read her expressions, but with everything she had been through in her life, I'm sure she was just looking for an excuse to kick some major ass. For not the first time, I decided these three were going to give me some real trouble in the future. Then I saw Amy grin as I started to dance around the subject of Victoria's and my relationship. "Oh, for heaven's sake, Dad, just get to it, will you? Good grief, she's a big girl; she can take it. Besides, I can't stand the suspense anymore!" she giggled. Thanks, Amy. Get me in trouble. "So, how is it Amy knows what you have to tell me before I do?" Victoria raised her eyebrows and looked at me dangerously. "Hey, it's not my fault. The little smart-ass genius figured it out herself. Would you do something about getting some control of your daughter?" I demanded. So, I told her. Amy was right. It was priceless to watch. Victoria's eyes got real big. She put her hand up to her open mouth in shock. Then she started laughing. She laughed so hard she cried. Finally, she got serious. "Patrick, you goofball, did you really think I would leave you, divorce you over that? No wonder we get along so well. Hell, I just wish we had known before. Think of all the extra excitement we could have had if we'd known we were having kinky, perverted sex!" She giggled like a teenager. Not her too! "Mom!" Amy was shocked. Then she got an impish look on her face. "Since you and Daddy are committing incest, does that mean he and I can fool around too? Hey, brother / sister, father / daughter, what's the difference?" She squealed as we both swatted her butt. "And does this mean I'm my own first cousin? And what does that make Katie when we adopt her?" She could hardly talk, she was giggling so hard. I noticed that Katie was the only one not laughing. I pulled her over on my lap. "Hey, Little One, I'm sorry I yelled at you when you came to talk to me the other day. You have something to tell us, don't you?" I smiled at her warmly, trying to put her at ease. She was shaking like a leaf. I didn't know what she was going to say, but whatever it was, it was very serious to her. "Um ... Mom? Dad? I don't know how to say this..." "Just spit it out, Little One. That is usually the best way. We will clean it up later if you say it wrong. We love you, Katie. Nothing you say is going to change that." Amy reached over and held her hand. She sighed. "You know that picture we saw the other day, of you and Mom when you were little?" We all nodded. "Well ... the man and woman in that picture ... well ... I'm almost sure they are mine and Becky's mom and dad." Well! Leave it to Katie to capture an audience! We certainly didn't expect that. Even the little genius was taken by surprise. Everyone started talking at once. "Are you sure, honey? That picture was taken 35 years ago." "That's not possible! You're 37 and she's 13. How can you be siblings?" "Well," I said, "it is possible. If they were, say, 18 when they had Victoria and me, and there is 24 years difference between Katie and us, then they would only be 42 when they had Katie. That is possible. Twins run in families, so it would make sense there, too. Katie, how old did your parents appear to you to be when you were taken away?" "Oh, they were really old. I would say at least in their 40's." Poor Katie, she didn't even understand why Victoria and I both smacked her! "I never noticed the yellow flecks in your eyes before," I whispered in her ear. "Very sexy!" She blushed prettily. "I did it just for you, Daddy," she giggled. What did that mean? "So, Dad, do we have to adopt Katie if she is your sister? Of course, we can't tell anybody that without letting everybody know that you and Mom are perverts! And that means that after we adopt Katie, she'll be both my sister and my aunt." Amy was having way too much fun with this, practically rolling on the floor laughing. This was just the type of stuff that really appealed to her twisted sense of humor. "Well, it's been a long day. I'm going to bed. Coming with me, Auntie Katie?" Amy shrieked as Katie chased her into the bedroom. I smiled at Victoria. Teenagers! "So, sister of mine, I think I have some making up to do for the other night. Want to have some kinky, perverted sex?" "Ooh, kinky sex! Let's go. Race you to the bedroom, brother!" As we headed to the bedroom, we heard Amy call out to us. "Goodnight, Aunt Victoria, Uncle Patrick!" she called out, giggling helplessly. "Would you get some control over your niece," I snapped irritably to Victoria. ------- Chapter 19 Our lives slowly returned to normal over the next few weeks. Or as normal as we were ever likely to get. How normal could it be, knowing you were married to your twin sister? That you were going to adopt your sister as your daughter? You understand what I mean. Strangely enough, it did not seem to really bother any of us much. I guess Victoria was right — after 17 years of loving someone, it really didn't matter who it turned out that they really were. You still felt the same. I would be lying if I said that I was instantly ok after I woke up. I still felt guilty about Cindi's death. But Victoria and the girls were determined that I was not going to go too far with it again. Over the next few days I was never alone, with usually two or more of them with me all the time. They babied and pampered me like I was some kind of royalty. I guess they had been really scared and were determined that I was never going to be in doubt as to how much I was truly loved. Not that it had ever been the problem anyway, but I guess they were not in the mood for taking chances. I sure wasn't complaining! I was rather surprised the first night when it came time to go to sleep that I ended up sandwiched between Victoria and Amy for the night. I thought after me being out for several days that Victoria would want a night of passion to make up for the time we had missed. Besides, I knew she would be on the road again soon. It was not that I was disappointed; being cuddled by Victoria and Amy was almost as good as sex any day. After cuddling and whispering by these two almost identical twin beauties, Amy went to sleep. I was just starting to doze off when I felt Victoria turn around to face me in the bed. I wasn't surprised when she started kissing me, nudging my mouth open and playing with my tongue. When she slipped her hand down into my underwear, I was suddenly wide awake. This was interesting! How far was she going to go with our daughter lying right beside me, cuddled up as close as she could possibly get? Victoria answered the question of how far she was planning to go when she began to slowly work my underwear down my legs, finally getting them off without waking up Amy. Then she started to slowly jack me off, while moving my hand over to show me exactly where she wanted me to touch her. Ok, a little weird, but nice. I started to panic a little, however, when she scooted right up to me, front to front, and slipped my cock right up inside her. "Um ... honey, did you forget that Amy is cuddled up sleeping right next to me?" I whispered desperately. She raised herself up on her elbow, looked across at Amy, and giggled softly. "Nope!" she declared softly but emphatically. "I didn't forget. She's still there. Why? Did you want me to wake her up?" She giggled again. Had she gone crazy? This was Amy we were talking about — sweet, innocent Amy. I was definitely not ready for this! "No! Are you crazy? That's what I am afraid of, that she is going to wake up. What are we going to do if she wakes up?" I was panicking. This was Amy we were talking about, for heaven's sake! "Well," she giggled again," I guess you are just going to have to be careful not to make any noise, aren't you? Hmm. That will be an interesting game. How noisy can I make you be?" What was with all these giggles? She began to play the game in earnest. First, she kissed me while she rubbed my chest and my balls and cock softly, all at the same time. Then she started to kiss her way down my body, scrunching herself down in the bed to reach me. Finally, she got far enough down that she took me into her mouth, continuing to rub my balls as she swallowed me all the way. I tried my best to keep quiet, but I could not suppress a little moan. "Victoria! Please!" I whispered. "Ah, good! He's begging! He wants more," she chuckled. What a brat! She knew full well that was not what I was saying 'please' for. Well, not exactly. I mean ... by this time, I wasn't sure I knew what I meant. "Honey, please, I'm going to be so embarrassed if she wakes up!" "Wouldn't that be fun, if she woke up? Maybe she would want to help! Just think about it, honey, Amy's cute little hands on you, rubbing you, her soft little mouth sucking on your nipples and then playing with your tongue as she kisses you. Maybe I would even let her help me rub your cock and balls. Can you imagine what her warm, soft, wet little mouth would feel like, engulfing your cock, licking your balls? Do you think she could take you all the way inside, like I can? Can you imagine how wet she would be? What her little clit would feel like? Pretend I'm her, sweetheart. Make love to your little girl for her first time. Please, Daddy, I want you so bad!" She was laughing softly as she moved back up and took me inside her again, as she knew she was driving me crazy. She could feel how hard I was inside her. I knew I was not going to last very long. "Come on, Daddy, come inside me. Please, Daddy. Your little girl is going to come for you. Come with me, Daddy!" Victoria and I exploded together, trying our best to keep quiet as she slowly pumped me inside her, milking me with the walls of her vagina. I guess we didn't sound like a thunderstorm, because Amy didn't wake up. We both lay there, trying to remember how to breathe, basking in the afterglow of tremendous orgasms. Finally, I got up enough strength to softly smack her butt. "What's gotten into you? That was mean! I never knew you were so kinky!" I laughed softly. "Are you complaining? You seemed to have a good time. So, how long have you been fantasizing about little Amy?" She grinned impishly at me. "Victoria, please. This is too embarrassing to talk about." "Ok. Poor baby. I'll behave. Well, mostly. Think you can handle being by yourself for a while? I have to go to the bathroom. Try not to ravage poor Amy while I am gone." "You are incorrigible. What am I going to do with you?" I groaned. "Fuck me again?" She chuckled as she got out of the bed. I lay there, trying to calm myself down. That had been hot. Somewhat uncomfortable, embarrassing, but hot. That was when I felt a soft little kiss on my neck and a little, soft hand very lightly brush across my cock and balls. Oh no! Amy! "Shh. It's ok. Turn around and face me," she whispered, her breath hot on my ear. I turned around slowly. I'm sure my face was bright red. "Amy, sweetheart, how long have you been awake? I'm so sorry, honey." I was chagrined. "I was awake all the time. I'm not sorry." She kissed me, softly, passionately, slipping her little tongue into my mouth. She continued to slowly, softly run her fingertips across my cock and balls. "Does this feel good? Am I doing it right?" "Honey, please stop. If you keep that up any longer, I don't know that I'll be able to stop," I begged her. "I know," she whispered. "I just wanted to tease you a little bit. You two got me so hot." She looked at me with a little grin. "What will you do if I sneak into your bed some night and rape you?" Oh God, I love her so much! Such a brat, just like her mother. "What will you do if I sneak into your bed some night and take you?" I whispered back. I couldn't believe I said that. I ran my fingers lightly between her legs, and grinned when she gasped. "I guess you'll just have to try it and find out," she giggled, nervously. "Seriously, Daddy, I don't know how I feel about this. I just know I love you so much, more than anyone else in the world." She bit her lower lip in frustration. "I know, sweetie. Me too. But if you don't stop what you're doing, we're going to find out before either of us is ready to. Besides, I hear your mother coming back. I'm going to turn over now and act innocent." I turned over the other way. She laughed softly as she ran her hand softly over me one more time. "Yeah, right. As if you could look innocent with that sticking out." Victoria came back and slipped into the bed next to me, cuddling up facing me. She looked at me, and then her eyes widened briefly. She kissed me, and then whispered softly into my ear. "I can leave the room again for a while if you want. I'm sure Katie would love to snuggle with Mommy tonight." She smiled softly. How does she always know these things? "No. Please don't go. Stay here and protect me." She started to laugh, and then realized I was serious. She kissed me softly. "It's ok. Really. I'll behave. Go to sleep, sweetie." She edged away from me to arrange the covers. I felt a soft little hand gently slide up my cock and balls one more time, felt a soft little kiss on my neck, and heard a quiet, nervous little giggle in my ear as we all settled down to go to sleep. It took me a long time to get to sleep that night. The next morning I woke up with two pretty, identical looking young ladies cuddled up to me, one on each side. I kissed their foreheads softly, and left the room before they started teasing me again. Amy spent a lot of time that day sitting on my lap, cuddling with me, smiling and constantly giggling at me. I think the others just thought she was so happy to have me back. That too. I caught Katie several times looking at us, head tilted slightly to the side, a curious look on her face. Later, Katie and I were alone together. I walked up to her and gave her a big kiss. She sighed happily and put her arms around my neck, holding me close. "I understand I have you to thank for my recovery, Golden Girl," I teased, referring to her yellow glow. She blushed and smiled shyly, looking down at her toes. "No, it was really Amy. She knew what to do, and did most of it. I just joined in to make sure. She really wasn't expecting that. I really mainly caused some other, unforeseen effects." "Hmmm? What unforeseen effects are you referring to?" Other than the yellow flecks in her eyes, which seemed to have grown and become more numerous in just two days, I had not noticed any effects. Except being awake of course. I wondered if her eyes would turn completely yellow eventually. That would be so cool! My little kitten. Katie looked at me hesitantly, biting her lower lip as she apparently debated whether to tell me or not. "Well, I guess you're going to have to know eventually." She tilted her head slightly, and concentrated briefly. I always assumed this was when they were communicating. Suddenly I heard two giggling teenage voices echo in my mind. 'Hi Daddy!' Katie. 'Hi Daddy!' Amy. What? Amy wasn't even in the room! And I heard them only in my mind. I was stunned. "Hi girls. How did you do that? When did this start?" 'No, Daddy, answer us in your mind. Just think of us, and then think what you want to say.' I tried it. 'Hi girls.' It worked. But I heard a lot of other things, too. I'm sure Amy was deliberately thinking nasty thoughts just to embarrass me. Katie seemed to notice. 'Daddy, I can show you how to do it so Amy can't tease you like that, ' she giggled. 'Also, I was helping you there a little. I can help you do it by yourself, but I have to have your permission to do that. I think we should sit down and talk.' The next two hours was an enlightening period. Apparently Katie's joining in had magnified things to where some powers that we all had, some of us latently, were beginning to express themselves, or strengthen themselves in some cases where they already existed. We now had some thought transfer abilities (slightly different than mind reading). Then Katie dropped the real bombshell. "Daddy, I can help you do this, clean it up, show you how. But I have to have permission to go into your mind. I won't do it if you say no." "I don't understand, Katie. You can actually change my mind?" I was flabbergasted. "Not exactly. I can't put anything there that was not latently there before. I can modify or improve what is there. Like giving you more control. I can't make you do or implant anything that would be against what you would choose to do." "How do you know it will work on me?" I asked. "It will work on anyone." She looked really embarrassed. "Besides, I already know it will work on you, because I have already done it once. I'm sorry, Daddy, I had to. It was really necessary. I hope you know I would never hurt you." She looked about ready to cry. 'Katie, honey, I trust you with my life. I believe you when you say it was necessary. You may do whatever you need to. Will this allow me to communicate with anyone?" I tried to set her at ease. She looked relieved. "No, it doesn't work that way. You can only communicate with people you have talked to or have communicated with you," Katie explained. "We noticed this morning that you were 'on line', so to speak. We wouldn't be sharing this with you if we hadn't figured out how to filter and somewhat control it. Believe me, this ability is not nice if you can't control it; I know." "Does Victoria know about this?" I asked. Katie looked uncomfortable again. "Not yet. We're not sure yet that we can teach her to control it. If we can't, I don't think it's fair to open it up to her and enhance it. It would cause pain. I'm sure we can do it — we just have to figure it out. There are some ... peculiar and dangerous areas in her mind we have to figure a way around," Katie explained. I was amazed! I had no idea that what Amy and Katie could do could be taught, or somehow acquired. They It seemed like a new concept to them also. Maybe we all already had it and she was just waking it up, refining it. I felt this new awareness came about because of Katie. I wasn't sure we had any idea yet what this wonderful little girl could do. How long had she been carrying this knowledge, this ability around, unable to tell anyone except Becky? Then Becky was gone. No wonder Katie had wanted to kill herself. Or was she just learning herself? No wonder she cried so much. She concentrated for a few minutes, and then said she was done. I didn't feel any different. She had reduced my sensitivity. It could mean that sometimes it wouldn't work. But I didn't have to listen to anybody I didn't want to now. I could now block sending if I wanted to, for any reason. I hoped nobody noticed Katie blushing. I asked them if that was how Cindi had blocked some emotions. They said they didn't know but it was likely. It was just Victoria and me in bed that night. I guess the girls were finally convinced that I wasn't going to disappear or anything like that. It also could mean she was leaving town again. We had a wonderful night. I took it slow and gentle with her, to make it last. After kissing her and paying attention to her nipples, I began to slowly lick her pussy, suck on, and lick her clit. I concentrated on going very slow, moving my tongue around in little small circles, very slowly. She really likes that, but it also drives her crazy. I kept it up slowly, until her hips were gyrating all over the place. Then, I decided to tease her, as she has so often to me, and stopped. She whimpered in frustration as I turned my attention to her breasts and then kissed her deeply. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "Please! Do it some more! It felt so good!" she begged. I never could resist her begging. I went back to working on her clit and pussy, alternating this time between fast and slow circles, back and forth. Finally she exploded in her first orgasm of the night. Then, I simply kept working on her without stopping. Soon she was begging me to stop as I continued to stimulate her, holding her to keep her from moving away. Eventually she just lay there, not responding anymore. That is when I moved between her legs, and pushed myself up inside her. Victoria always responds well to sex, sometimes very vocally. On rare occasions she goes crazy. This was one of those times. She reacted so well that I noticed the girls peeking in the door to make sure everything was ok. I thrust up into her deeply and slowly, pulling almost all the way out before thrusting again. This was a new sensation from the previous tongue action, and so she quickly became alert and active again. She was so excited she didn't know what she wanted. She would beg me to stop, yet thrust up against me when I slowed down or stopped. Finally, we both exploded together, and collapsed, falling asleep. When I woke up in the morning, the bed was crowded. The girls had joined us during the night. Katie was, of course, sleeping stretched out on top of me. Both Cindi and she loved to do that. I liked it too. Amy and Victoria were cuddled up together, arms around each other. It was hard to tell where one stopped and the other started. I felt a little sad, because I knew the girls, joining us in bed, meant Victoria was leaving town that day. Somehow, they always knew, and slept with us the last night. Sure enough, she left that afternoon. We had an interesting little teenage crisis that evening. Katie, Amy, and I were sitting on the couch, watching TV and cuddling, as usual. Katie received a phone call on her cell phone, and left the room to take it. She was gone for quite some time. When she came back, she was crying her eyes out, big sobs wracking her little body. Both Amy and I were very concerned. "What's wrong, Katie?" we both asked at the same time. We set her down on the couch between us and tried to find out what the problem was. "H ... h ... he left m ... m ... me. He b ... b ... broke up with me," she sobbed. "Who?" we asked. "My b ... b ... boyfriend. He doesn't want to go out with me anymore. Some crap about us being too young. He just doesn't want to go out anymore because I don't want to be the school slut anymore. I'm only good enough for sex, not for love!" she sobbed. Amy and I did our best to console her. We assured her that she was a very sweet, wonderful, pretty young girl that anyone would be lucky to have. I told her that if he dumped her, it was his loss. Neither Amy nor I felt we were getting anywhere with her. When it was time to go to bed, Amy and Katie went into the same room. Good. Amy would be good for her. I went to bed alone for a change. Had the whole bed to myself. No fighting over covers. I should have been happy, but I missed the little twerps. I was not quite asleep yet when I felt Amy slide into bed with me, and cuddle up. You know how a guy can always tell when a female wants something? Well, Amy is not even very subtle most of the time. She wanted something. "Daddy?" Yep. That Amy 'I am just too cute for words and you can't resist giving me anything I ask for' voice. The pity is, she's right! "Hmmm?" Maybe if I act asleep, she'll go away and leave me alone. "Daddy, I know you're not asleep. Please, Daddy, it's important." I sighed. If Amy said it was important, it was. She didn't (usually) dramatize things. "Ok. Hell, I'm too old to need sleep anyway. What is it, pretty girl?" "Flattering me is not going to get you out of this!" she teased. Then she turned serious. "Daddy, Katie needs your help. She really liked this guy. He was Becky and her friend for years. She's really hurting bad. Daddy, could you go in with her and sleep with her tonight? I know you can make her feel better. She's just crazy about you. Please? I can't stand to see her miserable." "Amy, honey, you know how Katie feels about me. You know I love her to pieces too. You know how I react to crying girls. Can you live with what might happen if I go in there tonight?" Amy didn't know that Katie and I had already been together that way. "Daddy, Katie needs you tonight. If that is what she needs, then give it to her. It will be our secret; I won't tell Mom." Her eyes widened briefly. "Although it wouldn't make any difference, would it? Mom has already given her permission, hasn't she?" she whispered. Damn! Certifiable genius. How could she know that? "Ok, Amy, you have to tell me where you came up with that wild conclusion." "Dad, you're a lousy actor, especially when you're trying to act shocked. It's easy. You wouldn't even be asking me if I could live with it if you didn't already know that it was ok with Mom. The idea of you cheating on Mom is an idea that even my genius mind can't fathom." She giggled impishly. "So, has she given you permission for me too yet?" "AMY! You are such a brat! I refuse to even respond to such a ludicrous question!" "Good! That means yes. Now all we have to do is decide if we want to." Can a teenager die of excess giggling? "Amy! You are a bad girl. Are you sure you want me to go in with Katie?" I asked, changing the subject delicately. I'm sure I just fooled her so bad with that one. "Yes. Please. She needs you. If it happens, Daddy, it happens. I will turn off my sensing, so you don't have to worry about corrupting your precious, innocent, virginal daughter. Whatever she needs, Daddy. She is too precious to be hurting like this," Amy said seriously. "Hmmm. I'm going to have to ask Victoria where she is hiding this other daughter of ours." Amy looked at me, confused. "You know, the precious, innocent, virginal one!" I dived out of bed to avoid her punch. I reached over and kissed her. "Amy, you are just so precious. Katie is so lucky to have a friend like you. I love you, sweetie." Wow! Amy blushed! When I walked into Katie/Cindi's room, Katie was laying on the bed, crying softly. I quietly walked up to her, reached over, and kissed her softly on the neck, while running a hand softly up her pretty little leg. She jumped, and looked up at me as I slid into bed beside her and kissed her again, this time much more passionately. I slowly slid my hand inside her nightgown and softly rubbed her cute little breast. She looked at me in shock. "Patrick!" she whispered. "We can't do this now! Amy is going to catch us!" "Who do you think sent me in here to make you happy, Little One? She has turned off her sensing and told me I am to do whatever I need to make you happy again. And yes, she knows what the possibilities are." I loved the look on her face. "She ... she knows about us?" she stammered. "No. She is just expecting it tonight. And it does not bother her." "Oh boy! This is going to be a fun night! I guess I should get back to crying and being upset so you can console me, huh?" "Well, it would help, so I don't waste my time. Seriously, Katie, I know how this has upset you. If you want to just cuddle, that's ok too. We just love you and don't want to see you hurting." I kissed her gently. So, we cuddled. Naked. For a long time. Eventually, I knew we would go to other things, and we did. We made love like a spring shower. It felt just like with Cindi. It was so sad and so wonderful. Katie understood completely, and held me as I cried afterwards. As we were cuddling, I heard a soft noise at the door. We watched as Amy came in, naked, and stretched out on the bed with us. She cuddled up to me on the other side from Katie. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to come in." She noticed I was crying. "What's wrong, Daddy? I thought you were consoling Katie?" She looked concerned. "I'm sorry, sweetie. She just looks so much like Cindi. It just was too much." I lay my head on her chest and had a good cry. They both held me. "It's ok, Daddy. Let it out. We understand. We do it too, almost every night. You can always come in and cry with us if you need to." Amy stoked my hair as she held me. I kissed her. It was not a daughterly kiss. She kissed me back, as we played with each other's tongues. I gasped as she ran her hand lightly down my stomach, trailing her fingers lightly across my cock and balls. She gasped as I played with her sparse pubic hair. We played lightly with each other, driving each other crazy, while Katie looked on, grinning. Finally, we stopped, hugged and cuddled, knowing we could go no farther without losing control. "I'm sorry, Daddy," Amy half sobbed. "I'm just not ready for this yet." I saw Katie roll her eyes. She didn't understand what the big deal was. To her, it was a no brainer — we were made for each other. "It's ok, Amy. You don't ever have to be ready for me. I love you anyway. Besides, if we ever go all the way, I want it to be when you're ready and willing and have no doubts. I couldn't stand the thought of hurting you." "You could never hurt me, Daddy. Someday, maybe ... I can't promise. However, I could never think of anyone better than you. If we never do it, I think I will always wish we had. I just don't know." "There's no hurry, honey. You're young. Don't rush it. I'll be here in any way you want me, whenever." We all cuddled together in a big glob and went to sleep. All the hands and legs looked like a nest of snakes. The next day we decided to plan a camping and float trip for the following weekend. The girls called Victoria to see if she could come with us. I was hoping she could, as she was the one that really knew about floating on a raft. The girls leaped into planning the event with their usual efficiency. As the big day approached, we got more and more excited. Finally, it was Thursday evening. We were going to leave Friday evening so we could start early Saturday. Just before bedtime Thursday evening, we got a phone call from Victoria. I answered the phone. After exchanging pleasantries, she got to the point. "I'm sorry, honey, I just can't make the float trip. I'm just not going to be able to make it out of here on time. Maybe I could join you Sunday, but it wouldn't be worth it for one day." "Well, I am going to let you tell the girls. They'll be disappointed. They were really looking forward to it." "I know. I'm really sorry. Are you mad at me?" She sounded concerned. "No, I understand. We knew it was only 50:50 that you could make it anyway. I just hope we don't all drown without your rafting ability. Here, talk to the girls." The girls were disappointed, of course, but it was not the first time this had happened, so they dealt with it pretty well. Besides, we were still going. We just would be minus one. The float part turned out to be a disaster all the way around. None of us knew what we were doing. Towards the end of the first day we tipped the raft over, and all ended up in the water. We were all soaked, and the girls lost their sleeping bags and change of clothes. Fortunately, I didn't lose mine. We decided to make camp early to try to dry things out. We found a good place to camp, set up the tent, and made a fire. By this time the girls were shivering. It was warm, but they were soaked. We decided to camp out under the stars instead of in the tent, but first I had to take care of the wet clothes problem. "Ok, girls, strip. Get those wet clothes off," I ordered. Katie grinned real big, and proceeded to take them off. Katie was always ready to take her clothes off; this was a great excuse. Amy was not so happy about it. She turned red and looked at me as if I was kidding. "C'mon, Amy, get them off. I'm not going to explain to your mother how you caught pneumonia." "Dad! I can't take my clothes off. I don't have anything to wear. I can't go naked!" Amy was horrified. "C'mon, Amy. This isn't the first time I've seen you naked. Shuck 'em." I was enjoying this. The teenage smart-ass genius embarrassed about something. Poor little thing. "But Dad! This is in public. Someone could come by and see us. I can't do that!" "Amy, take them off, or I'll take them off for you." I started to move towards her. That got her moving. She slowly took all her clothes off except her bra and underwear, casting dagger-like looks at me the whole time. I don't think she was very happy with me. Too bad, little girl. She stopped at her undergarments. I guess she thought I didn't mean those. "All of it, Amy. Don't make me come over there, or I will take them off and paddle your cute little butt as well." I grinned at her. She glared at me as she took them off. "Sometimes, I just don't like you very much," she stated emphatically. "I'm a parent. You're not supposed to like me all that much anyway. Be happy we get along as well as we do." I smiled sweetly at her. I was trying to get as much fun out of this as I could, because I knew I was going to pay for it later. We put a foam mattress and the sleeping bag on the ground for a soft mattress, and had a light blanket for a cover if needed. I lay down in the middle, with a pretty little girl on either side of me, cuddling close to keep warm. It wasn't long before Katie decided things were not even. "How come you have clothes on and we're naked?" Katie whined. "That's not fair!" "Because I have a dry change of clothes. Hey, life isn't fair, Katie. What are you going to do?" You have to get up pretty early in the morning (figuratively; noon is early enough literally) to get ahead of Katie. She had figured out by this time that I was having fun messing with them. So, she showed me what she was going to do. She started unbuttoning my shirt and taking my clothes off. Amy was staring at her with huge eyes. Giving me her ok to do things to help her depressed best friend was one thing; having that same best friend apparently seducing her father in front of her was apparently another thing altogether. She continued to stare as Katie took all my clothes off, but didn't say anything. That ended when Katie got them all off, lay down next to me, and proceeded to begin kissing me. And boy, do I mean kissing! "Katie! What are you doing?!" Poor Amy was in danger of hyperventilating. This was the first time she had ever had direct experience with the wild Katie. "Duh! I'm taking his clothes off. Now I'm kissing him. I thought you were the smart one!" Katie decided she was going to have some fun with Amy too. "But ... but ... he's my Daddy!" "Well, he's not MY Daddy. Not yet, anyway." Katie was trying to keep from giggling. She was not very successful at it. "You know, Katie, I could get in a lot of trouble if anyone found out about this," I deadpanned. Like I wouldn't be in trouble before this! "Well, I'm not going to tell. Amy, are you going to tell anyone?" We were having so much fun with her! Amy paused as if thinking really hard. "Let's see. I'm laying here naked, cuddled up against my Daddy, who is also naked, with my best friend naked making out with him ... Duh! I don't think I'm going to be telling anyone about this!" She rolled her eyes at us. "See? You're safe," Katie giggled and she continued to kiss me. Amy became increasingly alarmed as Katie worked her way down my body. She softly kissed my face, then my neck, then kissed, licked and sucked on my nipples. Amy didn't know what to do. She was getting cold, so she snuggled up close to me. She watched with big eyes as Katie kissed her way down my stomach. Her eyes about popped out of her head when Katie started playing with my cock and balls. "Katie!" she whispered. "Oh shush. Close your eyes if you want to." Katie was not about to give up on a great chance like this. Amy kept her eyes open. I put my arm around Amy and pulled her in tighter to snuggle with me. She was trembling all over. I didn't think it was due to cold, but I wasn't taking any chances. She laid her head on my shoulder and watched everything Katie did. She didn't even notice that she had put her hand on my chest and was softly rubbing it. Occasionally she would snuggle closer and softly kiss my neck; I don't think she realized she was doing that either. My little girl was getting turned on! I think Katie got tired of watching Amy and I dance around each other on the subject of sex. She decided that we were right for each other, and she was going to bring it about, with or without our help. When Katie decides she wants something, she usually gets her way. She reached up, took Amy's hand in hers, and started moving it down my chest towards my cock. "Amy, you have just GOT to feel this. It is just so neat you won't believe it!" Amy tried to pull her hand back. "No! He's my Daddy! I can't do that!" She resisted half-heartedly. She apparently didn't remember she had touched me there before. Katie was having none of that. "Stop being a big baby and give me your hand!" She grabbed her hand, and put it on my cock, laying her hand on top of Amy's to guide her and keep her from moving it away. Poor Amy's face was beet red as she rubbed her Daddy's cock and balls. She buried her face in my shoulder. "I cannot believe I am doing this! I am so embarrassed!" After a few minutes, Katie removed her hand. Amy left hers on me, rubbing and stroking gently. I couldn't believe it. It was so hot! Since Amy was taking care of the rubbing part, quite well in fact, Katie decided to move on to more interesting things. She slid down a little further and sucked my cock into her mouth. I thought Amy was going to freak out. "Daddy! She's ... she's putting it in her mouth. And sucking on it!" She stared at Katie for a while. Then she cuddled up to me again, trying to hide her face. "Does it feel good?" she whispered in a tiny voice. Then, so softly I almost didn't hear it, she said, "I wish I could do that!" I put my arm around her, pulled her close, and with my other hand, I raised up her chin and kissed her. Her eyes flew open when I did that, and she almost pulled away for a second, then she gave a little whimper and kissed me back. She was the one that opened her mouth first. We played with each other's tongues as she melted against me. I stroked her hair and kissed her as she touched my face with her hand and rubbed my chest. When we finally broke our kiss, she hid her face in my neck again. All this time she was still rubbing my balls, having moved her hand down there to give Katie room to suck me. I heard her whisper softly. "I can't believe I'm touching you down there. Oh, Daddy, I've wanted to for so long." Then she quickly moved her head up and started kissing me again. Her kisses were getting hotter by the minute as she whimpered softly into my mouth. Katie stopped working on me, and moved up above me. She gave Amy a little smile, then slowly lowered herself down onto me, taking me all the way up inside her. I thought poor Amy was going to pass out; her eyes were huge and she seemed to be having breathing problems. "Daddy! She's got you inside her!" she gasped. "Does it feel good? Is Katie good?" She was talking in a whisper. I don't know who she thought was going to hear us. "She's very good, honey. She feels wonderful." Amy sighed softly, and started gently kissing my neck. "It's ok, Amy. We don't have to do anything you don't want to. It's ok," I whispered. "She's so lucky!" she whispered. Katie decided it was time to have some more fun. "Amy ... I want you to do something. You will love it, I promise. Move up here and kneel down over your Daddy's face. Just like that. Now, lower yourself down onto his face." "EWWWW! He's not going to like that!" Amy exclaimed, reluctant to do what Katie told her. "Yes, he will. I guarantee it. Go ahead, you'll really like it, and so will he." She reached up and pushed Amy down on me at the same time I reached up grasped her hips, and pulled her down on me. I raised my head and ran my tongue all the way up her little slit, ending on her little clit. She shrieked, and all resistance suddenly ended. I proceeded to introduce little Amy to the pleasures of oral sex. I licked her pussy, then sucked her clit into my mouth and started tonguing it. I alternated speeds, directions, and moved periodically to her pussy and to her cute little asshole. At first, she resisted that, moaning that it was gross and dirty, but after a few seconds of me tonguing it, she quickly forgot those ideas and just cried out softly every time I touched it. Her breathing was becoming very rapid and ragged. When I moved back to her clit, she gave a soft shriek trembled all over. "Oh, God, Daddy! What are you doing to me? Please stop! No, please don't stop! I feel funny, Daddy! I feel like I'm going to pee! Oh, God!" My little girl tipped over into her first real orgasm as I pushed one finger into her tight little pussy and fingered her tivy asshole. Katie and I held her down on me as she tried to pull away, and I just continued to work on her clit, licking and sucking it. She started to scream. Katie pulled her back against her, and started to rub her nipples. I don't think Amy even realized she was doing that. I remembered Victoria holding Cindi in a similar way a long time ago. That thought brought me to my own peak as I began to empty myself up into Katie. She began to come also as we all cried out together. We all just lay against each other as we recovered. Katie and Amy leaned against each other, holding each other up. Poor Amy was just a boneless mass as she was barely conscious from the intensity of her first orgasm. Katie and I gently moved her onto her back on the sleeping bag. We lay next to her and cuddled with her. I could feel her use all her energy to wrap her arms loosely around me. Occasionally she would barely move her fingers against my back as she rested. Finally, she started to revive. "Hey sleepyhead. You ok?" I teased her. She whimpered weakly as she answered. "Is it always like that? That was so incredible." Obviously, Amy had a good time. "Not always, although it may be with you, you are so sexy!" She smiled sweetly at me. I moved closer to her, and leaned over her, kissing her. She found the energy to open her mouth and kiss me back. She gasped as I ran my hand slowly down her body, across her stomach, and down the insides of her legs. Then I slowly ran it back up and gently stroked her wet pussy and clit. She cried out softly every time I touched her, she was so sensitive. Her eyes opened when I moved over on top of her, holding my weight up off her. "Are we going to make love now, Daddy?" she asked in a tiny little voice. I could see excitement and a little fear in her eyes. "We're not going to do anything you don't want to do, sweetheart. Do you want to make love?" I kissed her tenderly as I awaited her answer. Katie jumped in to help. "Oh, Amy, say yes! You will love it! I promise!" She was so excited; you would have thought it was her first time. "Will it really be better than what we just did, Daddy? I don't know that I could stand anything more intense than that!" She giggled softly. Then she looked serious. "Will it hurt?" "It will be different, honey, but yes, it is better in some ways." "It will hurt a little at first, but then it will be wonderful!" Katie was trying to help again. "It's whatever you want, Amy; you don't have to." I wanted it to be just perfect for her. "I want to. I do." She wrapped her arms around me. "Make love to me, Daddy. Please." I was mean. I couldn't help it. Before I entered her, I ate her out again and made her scream again. I thought it would help with the hurt. Finally, I slowly pushed my cock up inside her. I heard a sharp intake of breath, so I stopped for a little while. When I felt her legs wrap around my waist and try to pull me in, and her hips pushing up against me, I started moving again. I kept pushing in slowly, waiting for the pain, but it never came. I don't know why, but the random thought entered my mind that maybe she had done this before. Amy smacked my butt playfully and grinned. "No, I haven't. You're the first. I saved myself for you. I've never even kissed anybody but you before." Before I could say anything, she kissed me. Then she reassured me it was ok, she wasn't mad for me thinking that. Finally, I was all the way in. I just lay there, enjoying the incredible feeling of being inside her. I had dreamed of this. "Me too," she said. Finally, she must have been ready, because she wrapped her legs and arms tight around me, holding me close. She kissed my neck, and then whispered in my ear. "Make love to me. Fuck me, Daddy!" She giggled as I gasped when she said that. I didn't know she knew that word. For some reason it really turned me on to hear sweet little Amy, who never said bad words, asking me to fuck her. "Katie taught me that word. She's a bad, bad influence on me. She didn't teach me what it means. You'll have to do that!" Gladly, sweet Amy! As I started to move inside her, Katie moved up and lay beside us. She held Amy, whispering in her ear how much she was going to love it, and that it was ok. She stroked her hair, and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Becky," she whispered. "I love you too, Cindi," Amy whispered back. I got a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes at the sweetness of that. They were the last coherent words Amy said for quite some time. I took my time with her, making it last, making sure she enjoyed it fully. When I finally came inside her, she had her head buried in my shoulder, trying to keep from screaming her brains out again. We came together, with Katie holding us both. I felt like we were all together in one mind; I could feel them with me. It is hard to explain, but it was an incredible feeling. We didn't get much sleep that night. Amy had dreamed about this so much, so long, that she didn't want to stop. Every time she woke up, she wanted to do it again. She rode me while Katie sat on my face, the opposite positions as the first time. Katie showed her how to suck cock. She is really good at that! When I woke up the next morning, I had two cute little nymphs draped all over me. I held them and kissed them, making them smile and whimper in their sleep, as I looked at how pretty they were, and thought how much I loved them. When Amy woke up, she wanted to start all over. She stuck her tongue out at me and pouted when I stopped her. I convinced them that we should just cancel the rest of the float trip and go to a motel where we could get cleaned up. Their clothes were dry, but they kind of stunk (the clothes, not the girls. I liked the girls' smell!) When we walked into the room, Amy and Katie immediately started arguing over who got the shower first. I settled that argument. "Why don't we just all take a bath together?" I asked. Katie immediately started jumping up and down, clapping her hands. Amy looked horrified. "We can't do that! You're my Daddy!" I rolled my eyes at Katie. She couldn't be serious! I wasn't even going to get into how many times I had seen her in the tub, or everything we had done last night. I just picked her up and carried her, squealing, into the bathroom. I held her over my shoulder, with her beating her little fists on my back, as Katie ran the water. We were having fun. If Amy really wanted loose, I would be on the floor by now, probably bleeding. While the tub was filling, Katie helped me strip Amy's clothes off, while I still held her. After making her promise to be a good girl, I let her down. Apparently, her idea of being a good girl was to strip Katie's and my clothes off. Guess I can't argue with that. I got into the tub. Amy followed, her back to my front, between my legs, and snuggled as close as she could. Then Katie got between Amy's legs, and we all lay back and relaxed for a while. It didn't take too long before I started playing with Amy's cute little body. She sighed happily and snuggled into me, closing her eyes. They popped back open briefly, however, when I started rubbing her little nipples gently. Then I slid a hand down her stomach. I could feel it quivering. She screeched softly when I put my hand in between her legs and started rubbing her. It didn't take too long before she shuddered in another orgasm. Katie had turned around to watch. I lifted Amy up, slid her onto my lap, and slipped myself inside her. "Again? Don't you ever get tired?" she said with mock resignation. "I can stop if you want," I teased. "No, please don't. I love you inside me. Why did I wait so long for this?" Then Katie surprised me. She had been watching Amy and me. She had a dreamy look on her face. She leaned forward, and kissed Amy on the lips, and put her tongue in her mouth. Amy's eyes flew open. She had a scared and confused look on her face. "No, Katie. Please don't." Katie kissed her again. Amy sighed, closed her eyes, and hesitatingly kissed her back. All the while I was stroking slowly in and out of Amy. Amy cried out softly when Katie moved down and sucked a nipple in her mouth. "Katie? What are you doing?" Amy really freaked when Katie moved down even farther and sucked her clit into her mouth. She shrieked, and started to tremble. "Please, Katie, don't do this. Please. Oh, God, it feels so good. Katie? Please?" She finally had to stop talking. I put my hand over her mouth as she screamed out her orgasm. I didn't want the neighbors to think someone was being killed. Katie continued licking and sucking her until she finally collapsed in my arms, unable to move. Katie moved back and started behaving herself again, while I gently stroked her hair and kissed her neck. "Why did you do that, Katie?" Amy asked when she rejoined the living. "I don't know. I've never done that before. I guess I just wanted to all of a sudden." She looked as confused as Amy did. "So, how was it, Katie?" I asked. I was really curious. I'm not a big fan of girl-girl action, but I had to admit that was hot. "It was ok. I like guys better," she said, leering at me. "It was fun watching Amy get off from what I was doing to her, but" she turned to look at Amy, "I don't think you have to worry about it." Amy relaxed visibly. After a little while, we exchanged positions. I put Katie on my lap, and pushed myself up into her. She whimpered softly as I stroked slowly in and out. Amy gave me an impish grin, then she leaned forward and kissed Katie. Katie just melted into me. When Amy moved down and sucked Katie's clit, Katie came immediately, screeching softly. Amy kept sucking on her until she seemed to pass out. We all lay there together, resting. Finally, Katie looked at Amy. "That wasn't nice! You're a bad girl, Amy!" She didn't look too displeased. "So, what did you think, Amy?" I asked. She had really surprised me when she did that. "I agree with Katie. Fun to watch her go crazy, but I prefer you. Kind of like ... I don't know, licking myself sort of. Kind of like EWWWW. I'm sorry Katie." Katie laughed. "It's ok. You're right; it was kind of like licking myself. EWWWW! I love you, Amy, but I don't want to have sex with you." They both giggled and hugged each other. We spent the rest of the day in the bed, wearing each other out. Katie asked me to take her in the ass. Not my favorite, but I like Katie any way I can get her. She tried to talk Amy into doing anal too, but Amy had had enough new things for the weekend. She did hold Katie and kiss her while we were doing it. They repeated the touching little scene from before. "I love you, Becky." "I love you too, Cindi." It brought tears to my eyes. I wished I had known Becky. We finally made it home late Sunday night. Victoria was home when we came in. We unloaded the car and collapsed on the couch in the living room. Victoria watched us for a minute, then her eyes opened a little wider as she continued looking at us. She gave me a smile that would have lit up New York for a day. She took me by the hand, pulled me up, and started walking towards the bedroom. "Come on. I want to hear all about your ... float trip!" She giggled, then smiled lovingly at Amy and me. Amy blushed. I gulped. It was going to be a long night. How does she always know these things? The next few days were uneventful. Tuesday Victoria left again. Wednesday and Thursday were normal days. It had been some time since I started looking into Cindi's death and Amy's attempted murder. So far, nothing had turned up, but I knew these things sometimes took a while. It was just a matter of time. Thursday evening all hell broke loose. ------- Chapter 20 Thursday evening, all hell broke loose. I was at home entertaining myself, as both the girls were out at some cheerleader thing. Victoria was in San Francisco (I think). I was dozing on the couch when my cell phone rang. My regular one, not the special one. My cell phone never rings. It's just an ornament in my pocket. I fished it out, and saw on the caller ID that it was Victoria. I knew immediately that something was wrong and immediately answered it. Her voice was frantic, panicky even, and she sounded as though she was crying. "Oh, thank God I got you! Oh, Patrick, I am so sorry! I love you and Amy so much, and I have screwed up so bad. I've lied to you so much, and now I am going to die and never see you two again!" She was openly sobbing now. "I want to see you again so badly, I love you two so much! And I can't, because they're coming to kill me and I can't stop them. I'm so sorry! Please forgive me and take good care of Amy and Katie!" She dissolved into sobs. I was terrified. Victoria doesn't panic, and doesn't cry. I couldn't imagine what could be happening that she couldn't handle. I did two things at once. First, I screamed in my mind. 'KATIE! AMY!' If they were listening with their ears, they would have been deafened. 'Daddy?' Amy. 'What is it, Daddy?' Katie. Thank God! I wasn't sure this would work. Meanwhile, I was trying to talk to Victoria. "Victoria, tell me what's the matter? Where are you, honey?" "Oh, God! I ... I'm locked in an abandoned warehouse. I can't get out, and they're going to burn it down around me. Oh, God, I love you so much! I wanted for so long to die when I was younger, but now I have you, Amy and Katie, and I don't want to die anymore! Now I'm going to die because I'm stupid! I'm so sorry! They've hurt me so bad, done so much to me, and now they are going to kill me! Tell Amy I'm sorry! 'Katie! Can you hook up with Victoria? She's in trouble!' I yelled in my mind. 'Already got her, sir. What do you need? All you have to do is ask, sir.' 'Can you tell where she is?' '635 Wharf Street, San Francisco, sir. She's in an abandoned warehouse. The warehouse is filled with gas fumes and gas is soaked everywhere. They have done really bad things to her, ' Katie responded sadly. I wondered what was going on with the 'sir' stuff, but I would worry about it later. Meanwhile, I was trying to calm Victoria down. She was full blown hysterical. Something was seriously wrong to get her like this. "Victoria, honey, calm down for me, ok? Is anyone there with you now? Exactly where are you?" I tried to sound calm and reassuring, even though I was dying inside. "I'm locked in a room in the warehouse. There's gas everywhere. They said they were coming back to burn me alive. Please don't let Amy know how I died!" she begged. "Oh, God, I don't deserve to live with what I've done!" I was talking to the girls in my mind at the same time. 'Katie. I don't have time for the phones. Can you hook into Captain Jensen's mind?' 'I don't know him. I have no frame of reference to find him, sir," Katie replied. 'I know him!' Amy yelled. 'Katie, hook me in to him. Your connections are stronger. Daddy, you take care of Mommy. I'll handle this.' 'I have to let you know what instructions to give him, Amy, ' I reminded her. 'If I need your help, I'll holler, ' she assured me. Meanwhile, I had to calm Victoria down. I decided to try shock treatment. "VICKIE! CALM DOWN AND LISTEN TO ME!" Miraculously, it worked. She was quiet for a second, and then said calmly, with only a trace of hysteria in her voice, "Ok, talk to me." "Sweetheart, I'm going to get the police there, just hang on." "It's too late," she half sobbed. "I'm going to die!" "Ok, so you're going to die. I don't want my last conversation with you to be this way. Tell me how much you love Amy. Tell me how much you love me. What do you want to do tonight? Tell me what you have always wanted to do that we haven't done yet. Talk to me, sweetheart." It worked! She began to calmly talk to me. 'Daddy! I have Captain Jensen. You can hear both of us, but he will not be able to hear you, ' Amy notified me. 'Captain Jensen, sir. This is Amy Phillips. This is an emergency. Victoria is in critical trouble. Please do not waste time asking me how I am talking to you. I am in contact with my Dad. Do I need to give you authorization codes, sir?' 'No, Amy. Tell me what you need.' Apparently, he remembered her. 'Ok, Amy, tell him... 'I stopped and listened as I heard Amy begin to talk to Captain Jensen without even waiting for my instructions. 'Sir, I need you to scramble Angels 1 and Angels 2 immediately with full air-to-air capability. Twenty miles north and south of 635 Wharf Street, at 10,000 feet.' I heard her talk on the side to Katie. 'Katie, the airlines! Take down the air traffic control computers. Ground everything. All flights already in the air reroute to Los Angeles immediately! Send the reroute commands directly to their onboard computers. It's faster that way. We'll clean up the mess later. Get them out of there! Clear out at least 20 miles in all directions!' Then she continued with Captain Jensen. 'Scramble Extraction 1 and Support 1 immediately to that address. Be advised that there are massive explosive fumes and liquids in the area. Use no flash weapons only. Get Angels 3 up as soon as possible with a full load of air-to-surface missiles. Scramble Firebird 1 and Firebird 2 for close in support to the same location. Nothing except Victoria Phillips and your men come out of that warehouse alive, sir. As soon as she is out of the area, I want that warehouse to be a hole in the ground. You have less than five minutes to extract her.' I heard Katie give her an airlines report. 'As of now, Captain, you have total control of the skies over San Francisco. If anything approaches closer than 10 miles to that warehouse, shoot it down. You have authorization for all weapons short of nuclear. Do you need me to shut up so you can get all this done, sir?' I listened to her, stunned. How did she know all of this? Captain Jensen chuckled. 'No, Amy, all those units except Angels 3 were already scrambled. When our tail on Victoria lost contact, we scrambled them as a precaution. Extraction 1 is less than two minutes from the building now. We'll have her in a few minutes.' As all this was going on, I was continuing to keep Victoria occupied. She was calm now, probably because she knew she was going to die. "Victoria, the police will be there in five minutes or less. Can you hold out that long, sweetheart?" I was so scared for her. "I'll try, Patrick. The fumes are getting really bad. They will be back any minute. Once they light this building, there will be no chance. I'm sorry, Patrick. I wanted to grow old with you. Oh, shit. Someone is here! Goodbye, sweetheart, I love you." I listened in shock as her cell phone went dead. There was just silence. I sat there stunned. My mind couldn't even grasp the concept of losing Victoria. I understood perfectly Amy's wail now when she knew Cindi was dead. "Oh god, Daddy, what am I going to do now?" Then I heard Captain Jensen. 'We have her, Amy. She's alive. She has some injuries, and I don't know all they've done to her, but she'll live. Tell your Dad.' I don't know if he said anything else or not. Between Amy and Katie's screaming for joy in my head, and my own dizziness, I couldn't hear. Then he continued. 'Amy, the warehouse is gone. It's a spectacular fire. We're moving out of the area before the police show up. We killed ten of the enemy, and captured one alive. I thought that maybe Patrick might want to say hi to him. Where do you want him and Victoria?' I finally found my 'voice'. 'Amy, have him get Victoria here on the fastest jet he can get. I want a fully armed fighter escort for her jet. I want her here yesterday. Get that scumbag here on a different jet, fast, well guarded. I do indeed want to pay him my respects.' Amy passed that on. Then I heard her final conversation with Captain Jensen. 'It was a pleasure talking to you again, sir. Please accept my apology for my behavior last time we talked. You are a good man, Paul.' He laughed. 'I would be delighted to work with you anytime, sweetheart. You are a delightful young lady. Don't you think Paul is a little informal, though?' he teased her. 'Normally, yes, I would. But in this case, no, since I know who you really are.' Amy giggled. There was a long silence. 'Let's just save that conversation for another time, shall we, young lady, ' he stated sternly. 'Yes, sir! Anything you say, sir!' I could picture Amy saluting to him. I heard him chuckle. I smiled. Smart-ass teenager genius. How I loved them! By this time, Amy and Katie were walking in the door. They had arranged for Rebecca's mother to bring them home. They ran up to me and hugged me fiercely. I couldn't tell which one of them was crying, but my shirt was wet. Hell, it could have been me. I don't know what Captain Jensen got for a plane, but Victoria arrived 70 minutes later at our house, in a fully equipped ambulance, with an entire medical crew taking care of her. We set them up in our bedroom. Victoria was unconscious. I went out to talk to the doctors. "How is she?" I asked. "Patrick Phillips? I am so delighted to finally meet you, sir. She will live. She has some relatively minor internal injuries, and a few bruises and scrapes. Two broken ribs. Some minor temporary lung problems from the fumes. I have her sedated right now to give her a chance to rest and heal. Frankly, sir, I am more concerned with her mental condition. She ... well, sir, it seems she was used rather extensively ... shall we say sexually?" I closed my eyes for a second. Amy was standing next to me. When I opened them again, I saw her face had turned white. Then I saw her eyes. Flat, devoid of expression, empty. She looked into my eyes, and nodded slightly. I'm sure mine looked the same. Amy turned to Captain Jensen. "Where is our guest?" she asked sweetly. Captain Jensen led her to the room where he was being held, as I followed. She turned to me. "Let me try interrogating him first, sir. Sometimes a pretty girl with a soft touch can get much further than a man." I should have been suspicious, with the eyes and calling me sir, but I was worried about Victoria, disgusted with what they may have done, and frankly didn't care what happened to him as long as I got the information I needed. Amy walked towards the suspect, smiling sweetly. I wondered what a soft touch entailed. Then I found out. As she was looking at me, smiling and talking, she suddenly moved faster than I had ever seen anybody move. Faster than Victoria at the Fair. Before anyone could react, she reached out and took Captain Jensen's gun out of his holster. She nonchalantly pulled back the slide, cocked the hammer, and took off the safety all in one smooth motion. Without even looking at the man in the chair, looking at me and talking to me, she fired two shots almost simultaneously. I heard the prisoner scream, and he grabbed both of his knees. Before he could fall to the floor, she moved smoothly to his side. My little 108 lb Amy then picked him up out of the chair by the front of his shirt, held him about a foot off the ground, and slammed him against the wall, hard, holding him there. She held the gun under his chin and smiled sweetly at him again. "You have ten seconds to start talking about what happened today. After that, I am going to turn you over to that man over there." She gestured at me. "He's not nice like I am. He's mean." She leaned forward and smiled encouragingly at him. "And I don't think he likes you very much," she whispered in his ear. She was right. The soft touch from a pretty girl indeed worked very well. He started talking immediately. Amy dropped him to the floor and fired a shot into the wall, nicking his ear, and then looked at him, encouraging him to go on. He could hardly get the words out fast enough. We had names, addresses, locations of the main people responsible. He was even able to provide us with floor plan layouts and the number of guards. I left the room when he started to talk about what had happened with Victoria. I felt sick. I didn't want to know. The girls could fill me in on anything I needed to know. Then I saw Katie run out of the room, sobbing, face green, and heard her throwing up in the bathroom. I went in and held her head, stroking her hair as she dissolved into a puddle of sobs. While he was talking, Amy walked over to Captain Jensen and handed his gun back. She smiled prettily and said 'thank you'. He stared down at the gun as if he thought it would bite him. He looked up at her with unabashed admiration, and maybe a little fear. Later, we all gathered in the living room. Everyone was introduced to each other. It seems the doctor was so glad to meet me because he worked for me. When I introduced Amy to Captain Jensen, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him an affectionate kiss. He didn't seem displeased. "Thank you, sweetheart. Be careful, though, you could give an old man a heart attack." Her merry giggle lightened the mood considerably. "Kind of intimate for an old Captain you've never met before, though, isn't it?" "For an old captain, yes. But not for you." She whispered the next word so that only he and I could hear. "Grandfather." He looked at her in shock. Then he looked at me. I was just as shocked. "Don't look at me! I didn't tell her!" I protested. Amy laughed at us. Between her and Katie, I didn't know which way was up anymore. I had a feeling these two cute little girls were much more than we ever suspected; I was almost afraid to find out what they could really do. Little did I know I would find out sooner than I thought. I also suspected they knew much more about what was going on than they let on. I had a private conference with Captain Jensen about what support I would need. Well, as private as it could be. Amy and Katie just followed me into the room and refused to leave. I needed to have a talk with them. 'Me Dad, you bratty teenage daughter, I make decisions, you obey'. Yeah. Right. I told him to order a fast jet for tomorrow morning to take me to San Francisco. Amy said to make sure it would carry two. It took me a few seconds to realize what she was saying. "You are not going, young lady!" I snapped. I was scared and mad. "Cut the crap, Dad. You need me, and I can take care of myself. If I were you, I'd also talk to Captain Jensen about how well calling me young lady works!" "Amy! You are a 13-year-old girl. A very unusual one, but still, I'm not taking you into a situation like this." When did I lose control over this little ... whatever she was? That was unfair. She was Amy, my precious little daughter. "Oh, Daddy. Do you really think you can stop me? You can either enjoy my company on the trip there, or I will just have Katie ground your plane and I will beat you there and do it all myself." I looked across at Katie; she looked guilty, then giggled and nodded her head. "But, tell you what. Let's make it fair. Hand to hand combat or target practice at a range. If you can beat me at either one, I won't go." My way out. I tend to downplay my abilities. It is wise when you are supposed to be a medical professional. The truth is, I am one of the best in the world at both hand to hand combat and shooting a gun. There was no way little Amy could beat me at either one of those. Although, her performance with the gun in the prisoner room was impressive. Katie interrupted in my mind before I could embarrass myself. 'It's a sucker bet, Daddy. Might as well let her go. If anyone could beat her, it would be you. But you'll lose. It will be close, but you will lose.' I was offended. 'You don't know what I can do, Little One, ' I said. I tried to keep my hurt feelings out of my thoughts. She noticed it though, and smiled apologetically. 'I'm sorry, Daddy. Don't be offended. Actually, I know exactly what you can do, and exactly how good you are at it. But you don't know what she can do. I do. I've seen her in action. Trust me. Besides, you really do need her for this.' 'Do you know what it would do to Victoria and me if she gets hurt?' I pleaded my case. 'Do you know what it would do to Victoria, Amy, and me if you get killed?' she countered. 'You said you trusted me with your life. Trust me now. Let her go. Do you want me to completely destroy your ego and show you in your mind what she can do?' 'It would help if I knew I didn't have to worry about her being able to take care of herself." Katie sighed. 'One of these days you are going to learn just to take my word. Remember, you asked for it.' I watched two 'videos' run through my mind. 'Katie, can I see that again? I can't have seen that right.' I was startled. No one could do that! 'You saw it right. Here you go again.' She snickered at me as I watched it again. 'Look any different this time? Sorry, Daddy, I shouldn't tease you. It was just as hard for me to see the first time. I didn't show you the really interesting one. You've had enough shocks for the day.' 'Ok, she can go. But we're going to sit down and have a long talk when I get back. I am going to get some answers, or you two are going to have some really sore little butts!' I suddenly thought of something. 'Did Amy see what you just showed me?' 'Oooh! Do we get a vote as to which one? Answers or spankings?' she giggled. 'No, Dad. Amy knows nothing about what I just showed you. She has no memory of it. We should keep it that way. At least as long as we can. She deserves to be a normal little girl.' I turned back to Amy. "Ok, Amy, Katie has convinced me that you are going." Amy smiled gratefully at Katie. I could see it in her eyes — 'thank you, I didn't want to have to hurt him'. "But you get yourself killed and I will never talk to you again!" We talked about exactly what was going to happen. Amy wanted to make sure I knew where she was coming from on this. "Dad, as far as I am concerned, this is the same as someone messing with Mommy's babies. I am going in there to kill them. Period. If that is a problem with you, tell me now so we can work something out. We won't have time to discuss this when things start happening." I felt like crying. My poor little baby. I couldn't forget those 'videos' I had seen in my mind. And Katie said she didn't show me the worst one. What had they done to my little girl? When this was all over, that issue was going to be addressed too. Right now, I was glad she was the way she was — I was going to need her. "Amy, we're on the same page. The only conflict we're going to have is who gets to kill more of them." I was very cold and clinical about this. They had fucked with Victoria, maybe literally as well as figuratively. They would die. The best they could hope for was a quick death. Depending on what shape Victoria was in when she woke up, they might not get that. I arranged with Captain Jensen for everything we would need on sight. We were going in hot and the only thing that would be left would be a smoking hole. He would take care of notifying the various authorities that something would be happening in the area and to stay out of the way. He finally convinced me to let him have a support group nearby on standby in case we ran into big trouble. I let him only because, as I remembered again those 'videos' in my mind, I knew we would never need them. This was personal; we would do it ourselves. Just before we were ready to go to bed, Katie came in. She was disheveled and looked really bad. She looked like she had a bad headache. Both Amy and I went to her, and sat her down on the couch between us. "Katie! What's wrong, Little One?" I was shocked at how she looked. "I don't know. I have an awful headache. I have so much interference in my mind. I think someone or something is trying to contact me. I can't think." She sounded desperate. "I can't block them." We hugged her. Amy tried to patch in with her to try to help block them, but it didn't help. I decided to try something to help. I had no idea what I was doing. I blanked my mind, then thought of Katie as hard as I could. I blocked everything else out. I felt her confusion, her pain, her distraction. Then I saw some orange tendrils flowing in from the side. When I focused on them, I heard static, confusion. I somehow knew this was what was causing her problem. I also somehow knew it was not trying to hurt her. It was as if the tendrils were lost, looking for the right place to go. But I had to stop it. I focused on it as hard as I could, then commanded "STOP" as 'loud' as I could. I could sense surprise; it was startled. Then, I swear, the tendrils formed into the shape of words. It spelled out "yes sir." This was too freaky for words. The tendrils turned a softer orange, and just swirled around, still in her mind, but not focusing anymore. Katie visibly relaxed and started to look better immediately. Both Amy and Katie looked at me in amazement. "It went away! What did you do?" they asked in unison. They both were staring at me. "I don't know. Did it work?" I had no idea what I was doing, but Katie looked better. "I think so. It's still there, but it's behaving. I feel I should know what this is, but I can't place it." Katie seemed truly puzzled. Then she bit her lower lip. I knew what that meant. Confession time. "Daddy, I think we had better have that talk now, before you go. I have a really bad feeling about this. Something is wrong, terribly wrong. There's something I've missed, or that I'm not seeing. It doesn't add up; it doesn't make sense. I can't send you out there without you knowing everything I know." She turned to Amy, tears in her eyes. "Amy, you know I love you more than I can tell you, don't you?" She seemed really concerned. Amy nodded. "Do you trust me, Amy? Really, really trust me?" Amy looked concerned, but nodded her head again. "I'm so sorry, Amy, but you cannot hear what I have to say to Patrick." Patrick, not Daddy. This was going to be serious. Especially to cut Amy out. "Please, Amy, please, don't be mad at me. Don't hate me. You know I don't keep secrets from you. But you can't know this. Not yet. Please?" She was crying now. Amy is such a sweetheart. She will do anything, especially for Katie. I know it cost her dearly, being a genius and as curious as she is, but she smiled tenderly at Katie. "It's ok. If you say it's necessary, I believe you. You've saved my life, Katie. At least I can give you this. Mmm, why don't I ever get to save someone's life? I seem to always be the one that needs saving!" She smiled teasingly. "As long as you're not pulling another scam on me, like when you blocked me from your mind while I was asleep when you were seducing my Daddy in the basement!" She smiled to show her she was not really mad. Katie blushed and gasped. I gulped. "You two think you are so smart, don't you? What really hurts is that you would think I would be fooled by such an amateur ploy." She laughed to show us she really wasn't offended. "You knew?" Katie whispered. "Amy, I am so sorry!" Amy grinned at her. She always gets you back! Katie turned to me. "In five minutes, an icon will appear on your computer desktop. It will remain there for one hour, and then will disappear forever. As soon as you open it, the icon will disappear forever. The file can only be opened once. Once it is opened, it will remain for one hour. Then it will disappear forever. It cannot be recovered. If anyone else but you tries to open it, it will disappear forever. If anyone is in the room with you when you open it, it will disappear forever. When you click on the icon, a password will appear in your mind. Type it in. That password will never work again. Do not type it in wrong. Are you getting the impression that I want only you to read this file?" She giggled, then she turned serious again. "Please, Daddy, please, keep loving us after you read it. Please? Remember, we want nothing more than to be your little girls. Remember that Victoria loves you so much it hurts. We didn't ask for this. Remember, tell no one what you read. I shouldn't even be sharing this with you. I have no idea what ramifications this might have. But I am afraid of what is out there, and I can't let you go without knowing about all of us." "Are you sure I don't need this information to be prepared too?" Amy asked. Katie smiled at her. "Nice try, Amy. The last thing I am concerned about is you being prepared." I kissed the two girls, and went into my office. It was exactly as Katie said it would be. I opened the file, and started to read. Katie's File: My name is Katie Thompson. I am 13 years old. I, like Amy and Victoria (Mommy) ran across this file while Patrick (Daddy) was unconscious. I didn't write in it then, as I figured two was enough. Besides, they were being computer pigs! However, Daddy is out of town for a few days at a medical conference, so I have access to this now. No, they did not leave us here alone. We are staying at Rebecca's house, three doors down, but we have access to the house. Although I consider myself a good, moral and trustworthy person, I guess I must be a little lower in moral fiber than Amy and Victoria, because, unlike Amy and Victoria, I could not resist reading this file. And their additions. I did, however, tell Daddy that I had read it when I talked to him on the phone yesterday. He laughed and said he wondered who would find it and read it first. He had already seen the stuff Amy and Victoria had written. It seems that Victoria was planning to erase much of her writings, but she must have forgotten. I have Daddy's permission to write this account of our family. It was necessary to get his permission because of some of the things that will be revealed here that pertain to all the members of my family (you don't know how good that feels to say — my family!). We had a big long fight about this. I think this story has to be written in case anything happens to us. Daddy thinks it is dangerous, and he also just hates to be the object of attention, as he will be in this story. He doesn't know what is in here until he reads it; he just knows enough to know he is not going to like it. We compromised; I am writing the story, but it will be password encrypted with a code that is unbreakable. The code to open that encryption is buried in the minds of Patrick, Amy and Victoria. They do not know it is there. I will explain as we go along how I can do that. The code will become available to their memory at any time that any one of them is the only surviving member left of our family. I have access to the code at all times, and can change it at will. That change will automatically update to everyone's mind. There are safeguards in my mind that will deactivate the current code, change it to another code, and transfer that code to Patrick's mind and erase it from my mind if a serious attempt that I can't handle is made to access it in my mind by anyone other than me. Patrick can also change the code, but he doesn't know that. Under certain conditions, this knowledge will become available to him. So, if you reading this file it means a) I am dead (that will really ruin my day!), b) I am captured and incommunicado, or c) I have released it or transferred it to Patrick's mind for some reason. I really hope it is c). I guess I have your attention now! Let me begin again. My name is Katie Marie Thompson. I am 13 years old. I am 5' nothing, 90 lbs, long blond hair, and eyes that used to be blue but now are blue with yellow flecks in them. Let me say right off the bat, as I am sure you are wondering; I do not know what Amy, Victoria, Patrick, Cindi, Becky or I am (or were, in Becky and Cindi's case). I do not think we are aliens (I hope not; I want to be human), but I do not know that for sure. I think we are, shall I say, governmentally manipulated humans. I have some reasons for believing that which I will share as I go along. I cannot prove it, however. I also want to reiterate that I am a normal 13-year-old kid. I am going to tell you many things here that will make it seem like I am much older, that I know what is going to happen, that I know why things happen. Some of that is true. But, I giggle like all teenagers, I panic when my Daddy is hurt. I cry every night in my bed because I miss my twin sister Becky. At least two nights a week, Amy crawls into bed with me and I hold her as she cries about missing Cindi. And I cry with her. Do you know what it does to you to watch and listen to someone who never cries, one of the toughest, strongest people you know, as they cry? I know Cindi had to die, but I still cry for her. I still wish she had not. I would still give up my life to bring her back. I am still a mixed up kid, even though part of me knows things no one else knows. If you have read Patrick's file, you know most of my story. My lousy family life. My father raping me for six months when I was 11 years old. How he raped Becky. Her death in the fire. My guilt in deserting her and my responsibility for her death. Cindi's death. My connection mentally with Amy. My love for Patrick and our relationship. It is all there. Read it if you haven't already. It tells everything about me. Everything worth knowing. Which isn't much. I wish I were as interesting as Amy is or Cindi was. If I could be anyone in the world, I would want to be Amy. I envy her. She is my hero, along with Patrick. Patrick because he saved my life. He doesn't realize that. He is so clueless sometimes! Victoria knows. Amy is the smartest person I know. She was correct in what she wrote — Cindi was smarter, although at the level both of them are / were it is a moot point. Amy is able to use that intelligence better than anyone I know, except possibly Patrick. She is beautiful. She can do anything. She is sweet. But the real reason I envy her is that she is the only person in our family that has led a somewhat normal life. Cindi is dead. I would not wish on my worst enemy the life that Victoria and I have led. Well, maybe on those that killed Cindi. They have no idea the mistake they made there. They will. If they had just left her alone, we might all be dead now and they would be safe. I'm so glad they are ignorant fools. Patrick's life has been better than Victoria's or mine, but still not wonderful. Amy is so lucky. I guess I should explain how I know all of this. All of us kids have a power that is special and peculiar to them. Mine (and Becky's) is /was the power of the mind. I think there were two of those in case something happened to one of us. Or maybe because we were identical twins. So, identical powers. Get it? Sorry. I'm a tutor at school and I'm used to explaining things to those boobs. I lied when I told Patrick I did not know how I inserted myself into Amy's mind to replace Cindi. I know exactly how I did it. The tricky part was to find who could replace Becky in my mind. It appears that could only be Amy. I had no problems inserting the codes for this file in each of their minds. I know more about this family than anyone else does. That is because their minds are open to me. I am a mind reader. Before you decide that is neat, know that I only recently have learned how to somewhat decide when and with whom I want to do it. I have also learned to a certain extent to ignore it to keep myself from going crazy, but that control is tenuous at best. If this discourse seems somewhat disjointed, that is likely the reason. It is sometimes hard to concentrate with the constant interruptions. I am getting better, however. I am the only person, besides Captain Jensen, that knows what Patrick really does. Even his enemies are in for a rude surprise; they don't know the half of it. I will explain later. I can also patch into and manipulate computers. I can to a limited extent implant things into minds. I cannot force things they would not have there. Cindi's ability was to heal, and to manipulate events. Cindi might have been able to change the outcome of that car accident had it been anybody else that was in it. She could never change events that directly affected only her. That is why our enemies had to kill her. Unbeknownst to the other members of the family, except me, including Cindi herself, she had already saved us several times. The act of manipulating events erases the memory of the old event from everyone's mind. Except ... yep, you guessed it ... mine. Lucky me. NOT! Little did anyone know that Cindi's death, as sad as it was, had to happen, and started a chain of events that are very necessary and cannot be stopped. If Cindi didn't die, our family wouldn't continue to live. I think that at some level she knew that. She didn't know how or when, but she knew it would happen. I don't know how her death saves us, but I know it will. Don't ask me how I know this. I don't know. I know without a doubt that it is true, however. I think we will know it when it happens. I suspected that Cindi had some of Amy's abilities in a lighter dose, but I never saw any proof of that. Amy's ability is physical ability. Her control of her body and ability to use it is unbelievable. I have seen the replay in Patrick's mind of Victoria's actions at the Fair. I know what she can do. It is truly an experience to see Victoria and Amy spar and watch Amy kick Victoria's ass 10 out of 10 times without even breaking a sweat. Victoria finally fully understood on the day that Amy did it blindfolded. To her credit, Victoria laughed and thought it was neat. Then she was really, really nice to Amy the rest of the day! I have seen Amy blindfolded, spun around until she is dizzy, then watched her put a bullet in the center of six different targets spread around the room in 3.5 seconds. While still blindfolded. With either hand. She has no problems fighting hand to hand and shooting at the same time. I doubt there is anything she cannot do. Do not fuck with that girl (figuratively, not literally! With her body control, I'm sure she will be really fun literally!). You will be dead before you realize you are in trouble. You might say it might be different if it was real combat. I once watched them give Victoria a mind control drug and then order her to kill Amy. She had no idea what she was doing. Amy had no idea what was going on. It made no difference. Amy still kicked Victoria's butt. What kind of low life makes a mother try to kill her own daughter just to see what would happen? We never saw the doctor running that experiment, and the one with the ten armed men, again. I think the handlers realized how stupid that was too. All of us have special duties. Some of us don't realize what we are to do yet. Amy has known her reason for existence since she was a little girl. It is to protect her Daddy, Patrick. Ever seen a small thermonuclear explosion on TV? That is almost as bad as what you will see if anyone ever tries to harm Patrick when Amy is around. I saw it once, at the camp. They gave her a mind-controlling drug, put her, unarmed, in a room with ten armed men, and convinced her that Patrick was there and in danger of being killed. It was the most terrible thing I have ever seen. In three minutes, she was the only one left standing in that room. The men had guns, and they used them. They could not hit her. She dodged their bullets. Yes, dodged them! She had one small bullet crease on her arm because four of them fired at her at once from different directions and she just couldn't avoid all of them. Only two of the men survived. Afterwards, Amy found me, took my hand, and led me to the cafeteria to eat lunch, as if nothing happened. She scared the hell out of our handlers at the camp that day. They never again tested Amy on anything physical. They had seen as much as they ever wanted to see. She didn't fool me, however. I held her, cuddled her, whispered to her for the next four nights, trying to undo what those assholes had done to her, as she sobbed her little heart out all night long for what she did to those men. She is so sweet and they made her into a killing machine. There are times when it is a good thing that they wipe our memories when we leave camp. I fervently wish I did not have that memory anymore. Victoria and Patrick's special talents, if they have them, have not manifested themselves yet. Since they have the same lineage as I do, I think they will. Patrick's power may be a lesser combination of all our powers, plus the power of command. I think command will be his main power. Victoria's power, at least one of them, seems to be similar to Amy's only a little less. Therefore, I think she should have some other powers. Especially after all the power that was slamming around the room when Patrick was brought out of his coma. There are already some effects of that release of power that are showing up in some of us, although we are not all aware of it just yet. This is partially my fault, if fault is the right word. I was not supposed to enter into the power stream. Actually, I didn't know I could do that. But it appeared Amy was having trouble and Patrick had to be saved. Your first question will be: how do I know all this stuff? I have seen it during our periodic visits to "the camps." If each of us, except Patrick and me, were to examine their memories carefully, they would find gaps in them periodically where they have no memory. These are the camp visits. Their memory of them is wiped out before they are brought back home. That wipe does not work on me. I don't think the people who run the camps know that. I think they have no idea of my access to all this data. My mind cannot be wiped — I cannot forget anything. Don't ever think that is not a curse! If I could have any wish granted in the world, other than to be Amy, it would be to be able to forget or change my past life. The only exception to this memory wipe for the others is some memory of Amy's. For some reason she remembers one of the sparring episodes with Victoria. Not the blindfolded one. Victoria does not remember them. Amy has some idea what she can do physically, but she has no idea to what extent. Often, our powers only reveal themselves when needed. Cindi had no idea how to cure Amy until it was needed. Amy had no idea she could take out those kids at school until it happened. I had no idea I could add my power stream to Amy's. I didn't even know I had a power stream. I have no idea who the people at the camps are. Is this making any sense? I have been especially distracted lately. It is almost as if something, or someone, is trying to contact me. Victoria has already stated in her write up what she does. She has no idea that some of the trips she takes are not to where she thinks they are. They are to the camps. The job she does for the government is not part of the plan of the camp people, but they have not interfered with it. They cannot change her need to do it without seriously damaging her. She also understates the danger of what she does. She is uniquely suited to do what she does. I will not state here why she does what she does. It is an intensely personal reason that has to come from her. I have been to that part of her mind once. That is enough. I will never go back there again if I have a choice. I was afraid I would not survive. How she deals with that is beyond me. Somehow, her relationship with Patrick has helped her deal with it; wall it off into a black area. It occasionally breaks out, when someone tries to hurt her babies. She actually was rather controlled at the Fair. Let's just say if you have her, Amy and Patrick together, you don't need an army. All those guys would just get in the way. Do you get the idea I just adore Amy? Giggle! Patrick is unique. He is the only one that does not go to the camps, at least since he was a little boy. They are not pleased with him. They cannot do anything with him. He only survives because of the necessity of his breeding stock for the lineage. They have made a huge mistake in leaving him alive. Now they cannot kill him. Would you want to try that with Amy around? They know what she is capable of; they dare not incur her wrath. Patrick belongs to an international organization known simply as "24". He refers to it in his mind more often as 'two- four'. Actually, he is the founder and leader of the organization. It is a conglomerate of ex-intelligence, ex-law enforcement, and ex-military personnel. It is the most elite private investigation firm in existence today, if PI is the right term. Although most law enforcement firms, intelligence organizations, and military leaders have heard of "24", they know little about it. They have the full cooperation of all governments. It wouldn't matter if they didn't, as most of the time, they don't involve the governments anyway, but act at a much lower level. There is nothing that Patrick could request that he would not have immediately. Having the cooperation of the governments only makes it easier to clean up later. "24" is the most nonpolitical, incorruptible entity in existence. They only accept jobs that help people or organizations that are in trouble. That and anything that protects Patrick's loved ones. They only work for good. Patrick will not let them do anything else. No job is too little or too big if it will help a person or organization that is being taken advantage of or unfairly hurt. Although most everyone that has dealings with "24" knows that Patrick is associated with it, I don't believe anyone knows his true involvement in it. The organization grew out of a disastrous experience Patrick had as a young teen with a young girl named Julie that he was extremely close to. It was not a sexual relationship of any kind; she was only six years old. Her life ended one day very badly. He swore that no one would ever hurt one of his loved ones again if he could help it. Once he was old enough, he set up "24" to accomplish that purpose. In some way that I don't understand, Victoria was also impacted by that same situation, even though Patrick and Victoria did not know each other then. I strongly suspect the memory of that experience resides in that black area of her brain. It is responsible for her response when someone tries to mess with her babies. Somehow, the experience of the young girl is connected with her relationship with the older man that taught her about love and saved her life when she was in her early teens. Patrick stepped away from "24" a number of years ago after an operation that somehow went wrong and resulted in the death of his high school sweetheart. After he personally killed everyone that caused her death, he left the business. He felt he did not like what he had become, that he wanted to save lives, not take them. The organization stipulated that he was able to assume command anytime on a moment's notice. He occasionally used their organization, like when he arranged Victoria's flight home when Amy was sick. As I stated earlier, I have no idea who the camp people are. Our association with them has always been as teacher and student. I would assume since they periodically bring us to the camps that they still have some plans for us. It should be interesting to see how that will change if Patrick reads this and finds out that some of the cheerleader camps his girls went to were not that at all. I guess it is obvious here that some of what I have told my new family was not exactly true. Like not knowing them until I moved to town last year. I have known them most of my life. From the camps. They just don't remember me. Although Amy and Cindi might have had some indistinct memories — that would explain why they were always rather distant with me. Like pretending I didn't know how I saved Amy. Most everything else is true. I am Patrick and Victoria's sister. My twin sister, Becky, did die in a fire. All of that is true. There is a big fight coming. I don't know with whom. Someone killed Cindi, and tried to kill Amy and Victoria. Patrick has stepped on their toes big time in protecting his family. I almost hope they go after him. That will end it really quickly when they run into Amy. I think that is going to happen anyway. Several pieces of this whole puzzle just don't make sense to me, though. I can't put my finger on it. I wonder why they have never gone after me. Surely, they must know about me. Surely, someone must know how much of this I have figured out. Why do they think they don't have to worry about me? I wish I knew who is trying to contact me. Their color is orange. It is getting increasingly annoying and distracting. It is distorted somehow. I hope the enemy doesn't have others like us. I really don't want to see two Amy's fight. Our family is driven by love. That is the source of all our power. That is why we seem to be normal people until something or someone threatens someone we love. That, and self-defense, activates everything. Amy could not walk into a bar and start a fight. It wouldn't work. She would get her butt kicked. If someone attacks her, or even insults someone she loves, such as the kids at school making disparaging remarks about Cindi, their world can change very quickly. She controls it pretty well though. We have discovered we each have an aura connected with us. It is often connected with eye color. I am yellow — that was not connected with my eye color, but my eyes are changing to that color. Amy is bright, deep green. Cindi was bright, deep blue. Both of those match the eye color. Becky died before we started exhibiting auras, so we don't know what hers would have been. Patrick and Victoria have not exhibited an aura yet, but both their eye colors are the same as Amy's, bright, deep green. Our family has some unusual ideas about love and sex. It is difficult to form a relationship with someone that does not know or understand what you are or what you can do. Keeping a huge secret like that from your partner can really affect a relationship. Somehow, Patrick and Victoria have managed with their secrets, maybe because it is the same secret. We tend to form our relationships within our own family and fellow manipulated beings. It seems that is our own brothers and sisters, parents and children. Incest means nothing to us. It is as if we are a different species with a very small gene pool to pick from. That may be why Amy and Cindi had so much power — Patrick and Victoria being twin brother and sister, they got a double dose of the genes that control these powers. There are no feelings of taboo with any of us. Well, maybe Patrick, but that is more concern about causing harm, not a taboo per se. I feel like I am really rambling here. I just cannot concentrate well with all the interference in my mind. I am writing this so that someday someone will know what they have done to us. Amy, Cindi, myself, Becky; we are / were just kids, damn it! Amy should be enjoying herself, learning about life and love from boys, going to dances. She shouldn't be a well-polished killing machine. She is the sweetest person you would ever want to meet, yet she has to live with the guilt of killing people. No one should have to live through what has been done to Victoria. I have never experienced so much pain, sadness and suffering in one person. She shouldn't have to live with the guilt of what she has done to survive. It is not fair! This must never happen again. I will update this account as we come across more information as to who is responsible for all this. I hope I am still alive if you are reading this. I wanted to die so badly after Becky died. I even tried to kill myself. But after I have met Amy, Victoria, Patrick I want to live. I hope I'm not dead. If you are reading this, Patrick, please don't think your little girls are monsters. If you could see into Amy's mind as I can, you would see how wonderful she is. Of course, I see how you look at her, so you already know. Who wouldn't love her? Please keep loving us. We love you, and always will. Patrick: Tears were flowing down my cheeks as I finished reading the file. It only made me love my girls more. They really were special! I walked out into the room where Amy and Katie were waiting for me. They both had nervous looks on their faces. They looked so pretty, so vulnerable, so helpless standing there, afraid I would condemn them. They just looked like scared little girls. There must be some mistake. That pretty little girl called Amy that I saw standing in front of me, biting her lower lip, could not be the same girl I saw in the 'video'. But I knew it was. My heart just melted. I still had tears on my face. I hugged and kissed both of them. Then I took them by the hand and led them into the bedroom where we were staying. ------- Chapter 21 I led Amy and Katie into the bedroom by the hand and closed the door. They stood there, serious eyed, lower lips trembling. They were scared little girls. Amy didn't know what was in that file, but she knew that if Katie was nervous, there must be a reason. I thought for a second about prolonging my silence, to pay Amy back for all her teasing, but I couldn't do that. This was their life they were worried about. I reached over with a serious look on my face and started unbuttoning the top button on each of their blouses. "I have always found that making love is much more fun with your clothes off," I stated solemnly. I still did not smile. I waited to see how long it would take the little genius to comprehend what I had just said. I knew they got it when the room lit up green and yellow with their smiles and they launched themselves at me. Whoa! That's the first time I had seen their auras shine through like that! "Oh Daddy!" they bubbled. They were both trying to hug me and kiss me at the same time. That doesn't work very well when you only have one mouth. I pushed them both away and made them stand still. "Close your eyes. Hands at your side. Don't move unless I tell you to. Turn your sensors on fully." They looked nervous, but excited too. They could sense this was going to be good. I didn't really have to tell them to turn their senses on. They had been pinging me ever since I had walked out of the computer room. I continued slowly unbuttoning Katie's blouse. When she felt my hands touch her, she moaned softly and trembled all over. As I undid each button, I spread the blouse apart and kissed her, from her throat all the way down to the top of the next button. She cried out softly each time I kissed her. When I got to the last button and spread her blouse apart, I proceeded to lick and kiss her all the way from her throat to her navel, sticking my tongue into her belly button. She squealed, and I felt her knees start to buckle. I slipped my tongue as far into the waistband of her shorts as I could and licked from right to left across her stomach. She whimpered, then cried out, and a burst of yellow joy leapt from her mind to mine. I felt it wander softly and happily around my mind. I noticed there was a little of the orange glow with it, separate but intermingled. I reached out and touched it with some of my green. It was definitely not harmful. It seemed cautious, but liked my green. However, it still preferred the yellow and flowed back over to it. I called it back again. The orange flowed back over and wrapped itself around my green. I felt my senses change. It was not alarming, but I knew that my outgoing senses to Amy and Katie were in a loop, just sending the same thing repeatedly, but I was not sending them real time anymore. It was then that the orange wrapped around me and I would have fainted from the shock of the realization of what this was, if the orange had not sustained me. I saw and faintly heard the words in my head, so faint that I could not recognize the voice. '"This is our secret, just for us. Even Amy doesn't know. Tell no one."' Oh my God! Oh my God! How could this be? Cindi? Cindi? But Cindi had never been orange. The words formed again, but no voice this time. I felt that the voice transmission was too hard for it to sustain. 'I'm sorry, no. Not Cindi. Those were never her words. They were mine, just delivered by her. Do not be afraid. I have isolated you from Amy and Katie so your thoughts do not give away our secret. They have not noticed you are not there.' I saw an image of me continuing to lick and suck Katie's pretty little belly, holding her up as her knees tried to give out. 'I will not harm you. I would die first. Think again. I will help you.' A flood of unrecognized images entered my mind. It coalesced into a realization. Oh. My. God. Oh my God! How could this be? This was not possible! The orange words interrupted before I cried out the name that appeared in my mind. 'Remember, this is our secret, just for us. Even Amy doesn't know. Tell no one. They mustn't know my name. Not until the time is right. I have hidden all these thoughts behind a wall in your mind. You can access them anytime you want.' I felt a shy little smile. 'I hope you will think of me often, just as I do you. But the thoughts will be protected from their sensing. When the time is right, the thoughts will be released. 'Some things you need to know. Your wonderful wife is not ok. Her mind has been seriously hurt by what they did to her, the guilt she carries for what they made her do. Ask Katie. She knows what they did. It will be painful for you to hear, but you must know. Do not have Katie show you the images. It will be more than you can bear. I can help you with her, with Katie's help. But you must go avenge her first. When you get back, you must ask for Katie's and my help with your wife. Neither Katie nor I can ever help you at anything unless you ask.' Ah, the reason for the statements "all you have to do is ask." 'Do not delay your trip, no matter what happens. Take care of your girls tonight. They need you. But go tomorrow. Do not indiscriminately destroy the building. You must search it well before you destroy it. There is something there, something very valuable, that you must find. You will recognize it when you see it.' Then I heard a merry little giggle, and the orange tendrils danced enticingly in front of me. 'I have to go now. This takes so much energy. I have saved up a long time to break out for you like this. I must go before they notice. Don't forget me. You are my only hope.' I felt the orange tendrils give me a 'kiss', and then they flowed back out of my mind with Katie's yellow. Except for a tiny bit of orange that remained, encircling a small area of my mind. I returned to Katie as if I had never left. I slipped my finger just inside the waistband of her shorts and slid it slowly from side to side. She whimpered and cried out each time I moved it. Then I heard Amy. "Please. Can I at least watch? I'm going crazy over here listening to all this and not being touched," she whispered, her voice husky with desire. I kissed Katie on her cute little bellybutton and told her I would be right back. She gave a little whimper of frustration. I moved over to Amy and started doing the same thing I had done to Katie. Being new to these feelings, and not having the control Katie had, she was soon breathing heavily and raggedly, crying out almost continuously as I touched her pretty little body all over. It was so hot listening to her cry out like that. I undid her shorts and started to slowly slip them down over her hips. Then her panties. She was gasping she was so turned on. I slowly stood up, running my hands over her body, and kissed her neck, whispering in her ear. "Move over and take the rest of Katie's clothes off," I whispered. Amy shivered. "Do you like to see Katie and me play with each other?" she whispered back. "We talked about it, Daddy. We can't lick or ... do each other down there. But we can snuggle, kiss, play with each other's breasts, stroke, and rub each other if you like that. Just not ... down there. Would you like to see that?" She giggled. I kissed her. "If you want to. I would never ask you to do what you don't feel comfortable with." Amy moved over and started sliding Katie's blouse off her shoulders, then kissed her neck. Finally she kissed her on the mouth. Startled, Katie reacted started to open her eyes in surprise. But she was dealing with probably the fastest human on the earth. Before she could fully open them, Amy laid her fingers over Katie's eyes. "Eyes closed, Little One," she said in an almost perfect imitation of my voice. I looked shocked. She gave me an "oops!" look, as if she didn't mean to let me know that, and just shrugged her shoulders. She proceeded to play with Katie. She licked her neck, kissed her. When she sucked a nipple into her mouth, Katie screeched softly and trembled all over. I could tell she was so confused. The voice was mine, but it didn't feel like me. She and Amy haven't done enough to recognize her feel. Finally, I took both their hands and led them over to the bed. I knew I had to do Katie first. She was so turned on she couldn't stand it. Her aura was leaking slightly she was so turned on. It seemed like the girls had changed again, with their auras showing now and then. I was so turned on I didn't want to delay, either. Amy lay down next to Katie and slid one arm under her head, holding her close. She put her other arm around her and softly rubbed her chest, whispering in her ear how much she loved her little Katie. I dropped my head down between Katie's legs, and before she even knew I was there, I sucked her clit hard into my mouth and ran my tongue very quickly over it, back and forth. Just then Amy kissed her, and Katie screamed her lungs out into Amy's mouth. We kept this up, with the addition of me sliding a finger up into Katie and running my thumb over her other little hole until she finally collapsed, dead to the world. Amy looked at me and giggled. I just lay there, looking at the two prettiest girls I have ever seen. Amy blushed under my stare. "What?" She was getting embarrassed, self-conscious. And shy. Amy? "Just thinking how beautiful you are. I love you so much. How do you move so fast? And when did you learn to imitate my voice?" She looked embarrassed. "I don't know. It just happens. Sorry about the voice. If I had realized I could do that, I would have thought before doing it in front of you." She looked at me, serious concern in her eyes. "Can we talk while Katie sleeps?" She slipped her clothes on and I followed her out to the other room. I sat down on the couch and she curled up on my lap. She had tears in her eyes. "Daddy, how come I am crying so much these days? I never cry. Sometimes I feel like such a freak. How do I know how to use a gun? How can I shoot someone without even looking at him? How can I shoot someone ... period? I'm Amy, the nicest girl in the world, and tomorrow I am going to go with you to kill people. "I am insisting on going, I forced you to let me go. Who am I? I do so many weird things. How can I talk in your voice? How did I know what to tell Captain Jensen? What the hell is an Angels 2, anyway? And why are there orange tendrils in your mind that you are trying to hide from me? I know they won't hurt us, but why are they there? What are they? Why are Katie and I not supposed to know about them? Why were you sending a fake endless loop before? What was in that file, Daddy? It's even worse than I think, isn't it? What other freaky things can I do? It must be bad or Katie wouldn't keep it from me." She was sobbing now. "Daddy, I just want to be a normal little girl. I'm only 13 years old. I want to sit on my Daddy's lap and tell him about my day at school. I want to be a cheerleader. I want to tease boys. I want to go shopping with Mommy. Is she going to be all right? Will I ever be normal again? Oh God, I WANT MY CINDI BACK!" I was crying too, watching my little girl go to pieces in front of me. I didn't know what to do. I hugged her. I wished I could console her, make her feel better. I saw the little orange tendrils in my mind. They formed little figures that jumped up and down and clapped their 'hands'. Then the words spelled out "All you had to do is ask". What did that mean? You are weird, little orange person. I distinctly heard a little teenage giggle in my mind. I saw the words "Wow. She is a genius, isn't she? I didn't expect her see through my camouflage that fast." I recognized the giggle as little orange person, but I didn't recognize it as anyone I knew. I hugged Amy, and then kissed her. She clung to me desperately, sobbing almost hysterically. I picked her up and carried her back into the bedroom. I started to take her clothes off as she clung to me, sobbing. She tried to stop me, and stamped her little foot in frustration as I continued to strip her. I laid her on the bed. By this time, Katie was awake and was looking at Amy in alarm. I whispered to her to help me love Amy. She wrapped her arms around her and kissed her, trying to comfort her. I was worried. Amy looked like she was slipping back into a relapse. Then I noticed that my control over the orange tendrils in Katie's mind stopped, and Katie was suddenly in intense pain from a tremendous headache. I watched her and Amy both go "off line", Katie from pain, Amy from hysteria. Oh no, all my girls were going to pieces at once! Then I saw little orange tendrils reach out to Amy. They wrapped themselves lovingly around her mind and soothed her. It held her agitated green aura and calmed it down. Then it fled back to my mind, locking itself up again. I knew it had taken them off line so they wouldn't detect it. My control over the orange pieces in Katie's mind returned and I suddenly had two calm girls on my hands. I kissed Amy passionately, and she kissed me back. She pulled me over on top of her, wrapping her arms and legs around me, holding me tight. "Sorry, Daddy. Even geniuses go to pieces occasionally. I'm ok now. Those little orange ... pills really work wonders, don't they? It's ok, I know you don't want anyone to know you take them sometimes. I won't tell anyone their name." She grinned at the shocked look on my face, gave me an Amy 'just how stupid do you think I am' look, rolled her eyes, and then laughed at me. A delightful, happy laugh. I could understand that. I was pretty ecstatic also, since I 'met' Little Orange Person. She looked at me in mock disgust. "What is with all this clothes on stuff? Are you going to take them off, or are we going to watch the 'Orange Bowl' all night?" She giggled helplessly. Very funny, Amy smart-ass. I gave her a warning glance and looked at Katie. I felt Amy in my mind. 'Oops! Sorry. I will behave if you make love to me. Deal? Hi Little Orange Person! Thank you! Love you! Bye.' She giggled hysterically as she started taking my clothes off. Katie looked confused, wondering what the joke was. Then she decided she would just kiss Amy instead. I sucked Amy to three orgasms while Katie kissed her to keep from waking up the whole house with her screams. Then I went inside her and we both climaxed together. I rolled over on my back and held her as she fell asleep with me still inside her. Katie nudged me. "Hey! That's supposed to be my sleeping position! What happened to her? She hasn't been that bad in a long time. Maybe we should all have those orange pills for emergencies." Poor Katie! She was so gullible sometimes. Codes worked so well with her, because to Katie everything was up front. It never occurred to her that anyone would hide something from her. That was why she was so upset that she couldn't let Amy read the file. "She was upset because she thinks she's a freak. She keeps doing these things that she doesn't know she can do. She just wants to be a normal little girl. I'm really glad she didn't see the file or the 'videos'. Katie, what about the 'video' you didn't show me? If we are going in together tomorrow, I need to know everything about what she can do." I wasn't sure I wanted to see it, though. "I will show it to you if you want. It's not pretty. You may regret this." It was the one where she was locked, unarmed, in a room with ten armed men. I watched in horror but fascinated as she took them all out. Katie miscalculated. It wasn't even three minutes. Then I noticed something odd. I asked Katie to run it again. Then again. Then I sat back and thought about what I had seen. "What is it, Daddy? You've seen something I missed. Tell me." Katie was poking me impatiently. "Two things. Amy didn't kill anyone in that scene. Only one of those men was real. He was one of the survivors. The others were computer-generated holograms. She wouldn't even notice the difference on the drugs she was on. It actually makes it even more impressive, as those holograms are even faster and better than most humans are. It may help you to know that little Amy is not a killer. Thanks to her Daddy, she will be by tomorrow night, but she is not yet," I stated bitterly. Katie hugged me and told me to stop being an ass. "The second thing is that I know the doctor that ran that test. He didn't disappear because they didn't like the test. They didn't care, as it was holograms. Amy was never in real danger. That doesn't lessen what she did — they never touched her, hologram or not. She really dodged all those bullets, computer generated or not. That doctor ran afoul of one of my agents on a child abuse case "24" was working on. The agent was the one that walked away; the doctor didn't. In light of what I know now about you kids, it may not have been child abuse. They may have been working on more subjects." Katie looked at me in horror. We finally went to sleep. Katie relented and let Amy continue to sleep on top of me. We had never done that before. It felt really good, being that close to her. She smiles in her sleep when you kiss her forehead. When I woke up the next morning, Katie had reclaimed her place. Spoiled little brat! For once, I didn't have a hard time getting the girls up. Amy was ready to go. She came into the living room dressed in a black jump suit, her hair in a ponytail. I didn't see any guns, but she assured me she had two. There were various bulges in various other pockets that I didn't even want to ask what they were. Man, she looked sexy! I'm good at all this, but I know when the student has surpassed the teacher. If she didn't know what to do, if she couldn't handle herself, we were both dead anyway. I left her to get ready and went in to check on Victoria. She was still asleep, or unconscious. I asked the doctor how she was. "I am keeping her sedated until you get back. I want you here and not about to go anywhere when she comes out of it. I don't know what we are going to find when she does wake up. She may be an emotional wreck. She will need you full time to come out of it." "When I get back, I will be here for her. First, I have to make sure she is safe." I kissed her on the forehead and left. I stopped to talk to Captain Jensen on the way out. We reviewed the plans for the security of the house while I was gone. "The FAA and all the military branches have been advised to keep all planes out of this area. They have been warned that anything that flies within 20 miles of here will be warned once and then shot down. We have a perimeter around the area. No one gets in unless you, Amy or Katie, personally advise me of his or her arrival. I have two fighters in the air at all times, one with Phoenix missiles with an effective range of 150 miles. We should be ok until you get back," Captain Jensen tried to reassure me. "I have two fighters escorting you to the air field near your location. They will await your departure there. I have two AH-64 Apache Longbows escorting you in to the target zone. They will stay out of sight but will available on 15 seconds notice. There is an extraction group 2 minutes away if you need help. Don't be shy — holler if you get lonely. I don't care about you - I want to see that pretty little girl again." We hugged, and I went to pick up Amy. Amy and Katie were standing side by side, holding hands and talking. Katie saw me and started crying. She ran over to me and literally leaped up into my arms. I hugged her and kissed her as she clung to me. "Hey, Little One. That's a lot of tears for a no brainer cleansing mission. Do you know something I don't?" "Patrick, you get your ass back here to us in one piece, you hear me? Don't you take any chances. Don't play tough guy. Let Amy take care of you. Unless they have the USS Missouri, they aren't going to hurt her. You bring my Daddy and my Sister back to me in one piece, or I'm going to kick your ass." "I'm never going to get out of here if you don't quit soaking my shirt so I have to keep changing it," I teased her. "I will be back. I wouldn't want to miss a night of you sleeping on top of me. Take care of your Mom." We finally got out of there, about an hour before dawn. We flew there almost without incident. There was one plane that approached us, but apparently he didn't like F-15's because he veered off when they challenged him. It was comforting to see two F-15's on our wing all the way in. Then we helicoptered into the target area. Someone was not taking chances. Apache's are uglier than hell and fly like a brick, but they sure are comforting as an escort. Anyone tries anything with those around, they had better be perfect in their execution. You make one little mistake and they will ruin your whole day. We rested for a few hours just a couple of miles from the target. I figured Amy was tired, and needed some rest. Nope ... she wanted to fool around for a while before we went to kill bad guys, as she put it. Teenagers! We finally approached the complex about 4 PM. Our information was that would be right after guard change, when things would be somewhat confused. There would be about 10 guards in the facility, with the big guys being in the underground complex part. As we walked up to the front door, we talked casually to each other, trying to sound innocent and to calm our nerves. "I think we should try the pretty young girl soft touch approach again this time, to disarm them. That seemed to work well last time," Amy giggled. Was she enjoying this? "Yeah, I like that approach — just shoot everything and make me the bad guy. Real subtle, genius girl. But you took way too long and moved too slow last time. Can you maybe not take so long this time picking out where you want to hit them in the knee and just do it, huh? Good help is so hard to find these days," I complained. "Too slow? You hadn't even closed your mouth yet when I was done! What a jerk! I should have left you at home and let Katie soak all your shirts. I don't know why she was so worried about getting you home again anyway. I'm her sister; two cute girls can always find another washed out old guy for a Daddy!" She giggled hysterically. And so it went, back and forth, keeping each other loose. Finally, we walked in the front door. There were four bodyguard types sitting at a table playing cards when we walked in. Shoulder holsters. Suspenders. Bottles of whiskey on the table. Poker chips scattered about. Good grief! Did we wander into a bad detective western movie? These guys weren't even subtle. One of them looked up as we approached, and then they all looked at us. Then one of them whistled. "Hey babe, want to join us? Lose the old man and we'll show you a good time!" I saw Amy's eyes flash. Well, there wasn't any doubt now as to whether or not they would live. Amy hates macho assholes. I was betting he got the first bullet. Amy batted her eyes and gave them her best southern drawl, acting like a dumb lost blond ... er, brunette. "Can you-all tell me where I can find the boss? I have a delivery for him," she drawled, batting her eyes again. I rolled my eyes at her. I hoped she didn't have aspirations as an actress. "You have to have an appointment to see the boss. He don't see nobody without an appointment, little lady." Yep. He's definitely getting the first bullet. Little lady? "Sure is a good thing I got an appointment then," she drawled. Her hand moved so fast it was almost a blur. She drew her gun and shot all four of them before they even started to move. I don't know why I even came along on this trip. We checked each body for useful info, keys etc. "Damn, girl, could I at least get to do something once in awhile!" I joked. Inwardly, I was amazed. Seeing it on a replay in your mind and seeing it in person are two entirely different things. "Can't help it if you're so slow. Here, you can reload my gun if you want!" She laughed at me. Without even turning, or looking, she pointed her gun behind and to the left and shot the guy entering the door on that wall. She smiled at me and gave me that Amy 'what! You mean you can't do that?' look. "I'm going to paddle your butt when I get you home!" I warned her. She grinned and blew the smoke out of the barrel of her gun. I laughed at her. "Amy, honey, you have been watching way too much bad TV!" We opened the next door. This was a room with a closed patio sliding glass door on one wall. They were waiting for us here. I actually shot two while Amy shot three. Then I saw Amy make what will probably be one of the few mistakes she ever makes. Unfortunately, it was when I was making the same one. She relaxed before she checked behind the door. The man behind the door shoved the door closed and chopped his hand across her wrist, knocking her gun out of her hand. He brought the submachine gun he was holding up in an arc and pulled the trigger on full automatic. I was turning my gun towards him to blow him away when he fired. I saw Amy diving to the right of him, but there was no way he was going to miss her with the first several bullets. And he didn't miss. I saw, as in slow motion, the first six bullets heading for Amy. I saw her diving. As fast as she was, I knew she couldn't make it. As the bullets reached a point six inches from her, they shattered into little pieces as sparkly deep, bright blue energy flashed all over in a vertical sheet. Kind of looked like hitting a Star Trek shield with a phaser. One extra chance is all Amy would ever need. She rolled as she hit the floor, bounced up, and chopped him across the larynx with the edge of her open hand, crushing it. As he started choking, she grabbed him and threw him through the glass patio doors. I hate being left out, so I shot him as he went though the glass. Amy looked around carefully this time, to be sure no one was around, then closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. She walked over to me, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed me. "I don't know how you did that sparkly pretty blue thing, but thank you. I owe you one." She gave me a shaky little smile. I think it just lost some of the fun for her. "Sorry, Amy, but you can't blame that one on me. That wasn't my shield." She looked at me, confused, but I was no help; I was confused too. So, now that we had our screw up, everything was ok, right? Nope. We went into the next room, and as we entered, we realized that we were well and truly screwed. There were at least 20 guys in this room, a large ballroom, and they were all waiting for us. They knew we were coming. The only good thing I could think of all this was that I would die too and I wouldn't have to tell Victoria or Katie that I had gotten Amy killed. That advantage was not worth watching my darling little girl die in front of me though. But we were not going down easy. Amy had a gun in each hand, firing as fast as she could. She wasn't even looking at her targets, but she wasn't missing, either. I grabbed an Uzi from one of the dead guy's hands and was firing it with one hand and my pistol with the other. Between the two of us we dropped 10 guys in the first 5 seconds or so. But it wasn't enough. We weren't going to make it. Besides, another five or six guys entered the room from the side door. Amy looked at me with a huge grin on her face. How the hell could she find humor in this? Then she pulled two grenades out of one of the pockets of that natty little suit of hers, pulled the pins, and threw them into the room. Great idea Amy! Except ... we were in the fucking room too, genius girl! Well, if we were going to die, we might as well take them with us. "Fire in the hole!" Amy whispered to me, giggling, as she grabbed me and pulled me in close to her. This girl was nuts! Then the fun started. Amy and I were surrounded in a bright, deep green glow. We and the perimeter of the room were surrounded in a bright orange glow. Finally, Amy and I were suddenly surrounded with a bright, deep blue glow. We looked like a bloody Christmas tree. As the grenades exploded, the room near where we were standing exploded into shimmers and sparkles of orange, blue and green light, as the energy was deflected by the glowing shields or whatever they were. It was hard to see, there were so many colored fuzzies floating around. As it cleared, we saw dead bodies lying all over the place. The room was empty of all life except Amy and me. We closed and locked all the doors in the room. We needed a break. Amy laid her head against my chest and gave a tiny little sob. Then she looked up at me, her eyes bright. "Someone really likes us," she whispered in a tiny voice. "Thank you, Little Orange Person!" she said fervently. "I really do love you now!" 'You're welcome, ' appeared in words in my mind. 'I love you two also. Now would you get your asses in gear and come rescue me?' Then it printed the word 'giggle!' You are too cute for words, Little Orange Person! I told Amy what Little Orange Person said. She looked at me as if I was nuts. I don't know that I had ever told her we were talking back and forth. I also told her, a little belatedly, not to just blow everything up, as there was something very valuable to find here. Should be easy from here. Find the big boss, kill his guards, kill him, rescue Little Orange Person, and leave. Wonder what we were going to find for Amy to do to keep from being bored? After checking all the doors and verifying this level was now clear, we opened the door that led downstairs. We went down several steps, turned a corner, and stopped at a big, thick, steel door. We tried the keys we had picked up off the bodies. Course not. That would be too easy. I stood there, wondering what we were going to do. I hadn't brought my bazooka. Amy smiled, waiting patiently. "Any good ideas, big guy? I don't want you whining that you don't get to do anything again. I've done all the work so far while you sat back eating bonbons. Time for you to earn that overly inflated salary of yours!" She smiled to show me she was just kidding. I shrugged my shoulders. "Ok, you had your chance." She pulled a glob of plastic explosives out of another pocket, and a detonator out of a third one. Good grief! I hoped she had lunch in there too; I was getting hungry. She grinned. "I have lunch all planned out. You'll like it!" I bet I would! She rigged the charge, we stepped around the corner, and she blew the door. What a disappointment. Almost no bang; it just fell in. The disappointment continued as we stepped in the door. Twelve men dressed in black pajamas were standing there, each holding a gun on us. Even Amy was going to have a problem here. Then one of them stepped forward. "Amy. Nice to see you again." She looked confused. "Oh, that's right, you don't remember me. What a shame. You were the best fuck I ever had. Well, maybe next to your Mom. I really enjoyed her yesterday. She really enjoyed it too. Kept begging for more." Bad move, asshole. Amy's eyes went flat, devoid of expression, empty. I noticed my vision changed slightly. So, that's what it felt like when my eyes did the same thing. I suddenly was cold, emotionless. This was going to be fun. "Tell you what. Make you a deal," he continued. "We drop all the guns, and do this the fun way. You win, you get to go on. We win, you're mine again. I might let you keep the old man to clean out your cage." He sure had an evil grin. Was this guy stupid? Or was he just that good and wanted a challenge? I was sensing Amy. He couldn't have done a better job at preparing her for combat if he had tried. She smiled at me as she flipped her gun over into the corner. 'You were my first, ' she assured me. I smiled at her in reassurance. "Since he is only good for cleaning cages, you won't mind if the old man helps me. Sometimes my back itches when I fight and he's an excellent back scratcher," she giggled. I tossed my guns over in the corner also. They tossed theirs into the other corner. "This is going to be fun! Are you ready, old man?" Amy giggled, grinning at me. "Shall we dance?" Suddenly, there were bodies moving everywhere. The first man that approached Amy tried to jump kick her. She stepped aside and flung him into the nearest wall, snapping his neck. She spun around, grabbed the arm of the next man as he tried to hit her, broke his arm, and flung him back to me. I punched him in the chest, stopping his heart, and broke his neck as he went past. Then I moved up next to her. She smiled at me, and was so confident, she reached over and squeezed my hand briefly as the next several men approached. I saw loudmouthed man notice the action so far and the hand squeeze and he started to look like he had made a mistake. He started to back away. The next several attacked all at once. Amy spun kicked the first one, while chopping two more with open hand strikes at the same time. What a wimp. Couldn't you get the other foot in there too? I had never seen anyone do three hits simultaneously before. 'Are you going to help or just stand back and admire me?' She giggled in her mind. 'I can give you something better to admire later!' She giggled again. It was as if our minds were on a completely different plane than our bodies. Our bodies were just reacting on their own. I suddenly realized that, much as I hated what they had done to my little girl, she was in her element. She was made for this. She was enjoying it. These were not people, they were scum. Who cared if they died? I decided to leave the rest of the philosophy lesson for later. Amy grabbed the one she had kicked, slammed his head down onto her knee, and smacked both open hands across his ears. Ouch! He went down like a sack of potatoes. The one she had chopped on her right I kicked on the knee, and as he went down, I chopped him across the back of his neck. I thought I felt something break as I hit him. I saw Amy run and take a leap in the air, twisting as she soared, legs spread wide apart. What was she doing? As she spun in the air, she kicked one man in the head with one leg, and a second one in the head with the other leg. As she began to come down, twisting again to face them, she shoved her stiffened fingers into each of their solar plexus' (plexi?), doubling them over. She slid over to the side, recovering her balance while I leaped into the air, kicking both of them in the head. They both went down. 'Are you satisfied now?' she quipped. 'Not bad for an old man!' The third man that she had chopped, now behind her, was reaching out to grab her. As he came close to her, she turned and he punched her in the stomach. What? Someone hit Amy? I had never seen that before. Mark it on your calendar. As I moved to help her, she doubled over, and I realized what I had seen. He had never reached her through the deep, bright green glow that covered her stomach. I realized she was faking it. Apparently, the keepers of the orange and blue glow knew it too, as they didn't even bother to help. He moved closer to her doubled over form, reaching out to grab or hit her. She stood up, arms together, and spread her arms out quickly, separating his arms. She punched him in the chest and kicked him in the head simultaneously. Usually in a double shot like that, the hand goes higher than the leg, as it is higher on the body. I had never seen a cross like that. She grinned at me. I think she was showing off! There were only five left, including loudmouth. They didn't look quite as confident as before. I really didn't like the way they seemed to be thinking. Sure enough, I saw them run towards their guns. I dived towards ours as I saw Amy flying through the air towards me. As I got to our guns, I grabbed Amy's two and hurled them towards her. I grabbed mine and turned, just in time to see Amy put on the show of the day. As she soared through the air, she reached out and grabbed the guns flying towards her. She deftly caught each one by the grip, sliding her finger onto the trigger, twisted in mid air, and started firing with both hands. About the same time, I started firing also. Loudmouth got one shot off before they all fell to the ground. Unfortunately, that one shot hit me. Damn it! I'm fighting alongside a 13-year-old cheerleader that had never even seen a gun in her life before as far as I knew and I get shot? I'm too old for this shit. I knew it was bad. I could feel the energy sliding out of me. Amy was kneeling beside me, and even if I didn't feel it, I could tell from the way Amy looked. She was crying and holding me. "Oh God, Daddy, I'm so sorry! I tried to get him before he fired. I even tried to get in the way and take the bullet. Please, Daddy, don't leave me!" she sobbed. "Amy, if you had taken that bullet I would have kicked you butt. You take care of your Mom, hear? She's going to need a lot of help and love," I whispered, and coughed. God, I loved this girl. I couldn't stand the thought of the pain I was going to bring her. I will never know why I did what I did at that moment. It made no sense. With what I knew had to be my dying breath, I whispered, "Cindi. Little Orange Person. Help her." It made no sense. I mean, Cindi was dead. And I didn't even know who Little Orange Person was. Then I was above, looking down at the scene, watching Amy cry. A very sexy shaped orange energy form hugged me, holding me close. 'All you had to do is ask, ' it said. Have you ever been kissed by pure energy? I never thought I would say this, but it is better than Amy's kisses. Don't tell her I said that! I watched Amy's head tilt slightly to the side. Then she leaned down to 'me', and whispered. "Daddy. Do you love me?" "I love you, Amy," I whispered back. "Do you trust me, Daddy?" she whispered again, tears streaming down her face. "Amy, I love you and trust you so much I will gladly die here if it will keep you safe and happy," I whispered back. "Hold my hand, Daddy. Love me. Trust me." She took my hand and closed her eyes, putting her other hand over the wound in my chest. Too bad, she missed it. Three things happened simultaneously. First, an orange and bright, deep blue glow filled the whole room. Then, a bright, deep blue lightning bolt came from the ceiling and at the same time, an orange bolt came from the room next door. Finally, a golden yellow bolt shot in from the ceiling. All three joined together, then slammed into my body, right in my chest in the middle of the green glow where her hand was, with enough force that I lost consciousness. The last thing I heard was Amy whispering, "I love you, Daddy." I don't know how long I had been out when I woke up. Long enough that Amy had called in the support group that we would never need. They were cleaning up the area. I could hear isolated shots periodically. My head was lying in Amy's lap, and she was stroking my hair, holding me. She was crying her eyes out, but was looking at me with a beautiful smile on her face. She gave me a wonderful kiss. "Hey sleepyhead. Some people will do anything for a nap. Do you feel up to getting up and doing some work for a change?" Her smile was the sweetest thing I had ever seen. "Can't you guys do anything without me?" I asked grumpily, and then kissed her nose. She giggled. "It seems there is someone who says her name is Little Orange Person who won't talk to anyone but you. She refuses to come out of her room until she sees you. Do you have girls everywhere? I thought you said you loved me. And Katie? And Victoria? And Cindi? And... " She laughed. She helped me up and let me lean on her on the way into the next room. "Good grief, you're heavy! I'm just a little girl, you know!" She reached over and kissed my cheek. "Yeah. Right. A little girl that throws grown men around the room. Katie told me to lean on you. I am. She gets mad when I don't do what she says. Ever seen a mad Katie?" "Yeah. Once. Here, lean on me some more," she said, giving me a look of mock horror. When we got to the room in question, I went in alone, asking Amy to stay outside. I don't get the chance to get back at her often, and I wanted to fully savor this moment. I walked into the dark room. As soon as I entered, a pretty young thing wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. We held each other tightly, basking in all the good feelings that we had missed from each other for so long. She asked me if I loved her. Always and forever, I told her, as I had so many times before. She giggled happily and kissed me again. Then I asked her to stay behind for a minute while I talked to Amy. I asked Little Orange Person if she was blocking all of our senses to the others. She said Amy and I were on an infinite loop. She giggled merrily and said nobody would be paying attention anyway, as the loop she was sending out was of Amy and me making love. I laughed and told her she was a bad, bad girl. She giggled again. I walked out to talk to Amy. "Daddy, why are we on playback loop again? Not that I'm not enjoying watching what we're supposedly doing, but..." "Because, Amy honey, I wanted privacy when you get to meet Little Orange Person. Are you ready?" I smiled real big at her. "I'm ready, Daddy. I don't know why you guys are being so mysterious about this. You know we will accept anybody into our family that you want there." I grinned real big at her. She watched as a young girl walked out of the room. As she walked closer, Amy appeared more and more confused. She turned to me. "Is this a joke on me, Daddy? How did Katie get here ahead of us? I don't understand..." Then I could hear the click all the way over here as it registered. All the blood drained from her face. She looked at me with her mouth open, hand over her mouth in shock, and her eyes were as big as saucers. I finally pulled one over on the teenage genius! Daddy 4,937,422, Amy 0! I walked over to her. "Close your mouth dear, bugs will fly in. Amy, allow me to introduce you to ... Becky Thompson, Katie's twin sister. Identical twin sister, I might add." Poor Amy. I'm so mean to her. I felt bad for ... oh, 0.27 seconds. Then Becky walked up to Amy and put her arms around her, and hugged her. Amy hugged her back. "My goodness, you are beautiful. And so sweet," Becky told her. "And, so dangerous, too," she whispered. Amy blushed but said nothing. "I'm so glad to meet you. Although Katie doesn't know it, she has told me so much about you the last few days." Amy still hadn't said anything; she just stared. Becky turned to me. "She can talk, can't she?" she teased gently. 'Shh," I whispered loudly. "You don't know what a blessing this is; Amy speechless. You'll soon wish you had more of these days!" That snapped her out of it. She glared at me with fire in her eyes. "I do not talk too much! And you're mean! How could you do this to me?" Oops. I think she was really mad. Becky put her arms around her and hugged her. "Don't be mad at him. It was my doing. I asked him to keep it a secret. In fact," she looked at me guiltily, "he would not have been able to tell you if he tried. I'm sorry, Amy, but I know Katie can read you and I couldn't take the chance of her finding out through your mind. This is going to be a real shock to her. It has to be done in person. I'm sorry," she repeated. They both came over to hug me. "You're not off the hook yet, buster! Just wait and see how long it is before I let you..." She stopped, embarrassed, realizing what she had almost said in front of Becky. Becky smiled at her. "It's ok, Amy. I know about that. I felt it the other day. After seeing him, I understand completely," she giggled. "There's so much I have to catch up on, being out of contact for so long. There is one thing I am really confused about, though. When I finally was able to get free a little from here, I tried to insert myself into Katie's mind where I always was, but I couldn't. There seemed to be someone there. I know she thought I was dead, but who did she find to replace me?" Uh oh, I thought I knew what was coming, and this was not going to be pleasant. I moved over and put my arms around Amy from behind, and held her close, kissing her neck and whispering in her ear that I loved her. Amy seemed confused too. "I'm there. We found each other," Amy explained. I could tell by the quivering of her lower lip that she knew what was coming, too. "But ... What does Cindi think of that? What does she do? Where..." Becky was beginning to realize that there was something she didn't know. Amy turned to me, hid her face in my chest, and started crying. Becky looked really confused. "I'm sorry. What have I done to make her cry? What did I say? I'm sorry." Becky looked like she was going to cry, too. "Becky, Cindi is dead." I explained to her what happened. She and Amy cried together for quite awhile, Becky apologizing profusely. We were interrupted by the leader of the extraction force. "I'm sorry, sir, but we need to get going. The police are likely to be showing up soon. We also have some unidentified blips showing up on radar that I don't like. It could be reinforcements." I convinced Amy to withhold questions to Becky until we got back home, so she didn't have to tell it multiple times. We ran out to the helicopter and got back into the air. Something must have been happening, because one of the Apache's peeled off and disappeared. We heard explosions shortly after. I didn't pay much attention, as I had a very cute petite blond girl cuddled up to me in my lap. We got to the plane, without incident, and took off. Again, one of the escorts left us and shortly after, the sky lit up a few miles away. Amy sat next to me on the plane, holding my hand and sleeping with her head on my shoulder. Becky slept in my lap, arms around my neck. If they weren't both so pretty, I would have been bored. We finally arrived back at the house. I asked Becky to give me 30 seconds or so before she came in, I needed to get into position so that Katie didn't hurt herself when what I knew was going to happen happened. Everyone hugged and kissed us. Katie was standing at the bar getting me a drink, wisecracking all the way. I stood behind her, arms around her waist. "What? Daddy, you're losing your touch. We send you out somewhere almost alone and you come back with no more beautiful girls that you left with?" She giggled. Amy giggled too as she saw Becky walk up behind us. "Hi Katie," Becky said softly. I felt all of Katie's muscles stiffen. She turned very slowly in my arms, looking past my shoulder, eyes big as saucers, big tears suddenly running down her face. Her mouth was open in shock. "B ... Becky?" she whispered softly, disbelief on her face. It was a good thing I was holding her, because that's when she fainted. ------- Chapter 22 I had pretty much figured Katie might faint; that was why I was behind her, with my arms around her. Between Becky's sudden appearance, a perfect image of Katie except for the orange flecks in her eyes, and Katie's fainting, things were pretty chaotic. I laid Katie on the nearest bed and sat next to her, stroking her hair, waiting for her to recover. Everyone crowded into the bedroom to find out what was going on. "Everyone, let me introduce Becky Thompson, Katie's sister. She also goes by the name of 'Little Orange Person'." Becky laughed at that, while everyone else looked puzzled. "Inside joke," I explained. I introduced her to everyone. With her sweet personality, lovely looks, and the fact that she was Katie's sister, she was instantly a big hit. I could see that my little teenage genius was just dying to start asking questions. I didn't think it fair that we should hear the story before Katie. When I gave Amy my 'shut your mouth or I am going to paddle your pretty little butt' look, she pouted and stuck her tongue out at me. While we were waiting for Katie to wake up, Becky sat next to me and gave me a shy little look, smiling nervously. I recognized that look from Katie. She wanted to ask me something. So I beat her to the punch. "What is it, Becky? You know, I kind of like the name 'Little Orange Person'. I might just keep calling you that." "I kind of like it too. That would be ok. Um ... I don't know if you noticed or not, but when I released the block in your mind I ... kind of ... left some of that orange stuff behind. I can remove it if you want," she went on hurriedly. "I like it there. It doesn't bother me. It makes me feel close to you." She beamed like a million suns. "I like it there, too! Um ... because I don't have anyone's mind to share right now ... since Amy is in Katie's and I might be able to put two in one but I don't know yet ... you could ... um ... be in mine too if you wanted," she whispered in a tiny voice. She looked at me nervously. I realized how much it cost her to say that. For her, the fear of rejection for something so intense and personal must be great. I was stunned at the ... enormity of what she was offering me. "Becky, I would be so honored! I'm not worthy of such an offer. Are you sure, honey? What would Katie think? Could you do it?" I could see her heave a sigh of great relief. "I think I could do it. You might have to learn to use it. I don't think Katie would mind. I don't think we could undo what she did with Amy anyway. And I might be able to be in yours and Katie's too. With nothing to do for a year but think, I have a lot of ideas. Oh, yeah, I would love to do it! I love you, you know," she proclaimed seriously. "I love you too, sweetheart. I've always wanted to meet you. You can go ahead and try, but first, I think you need to spend some time with Katie." Katie was beginning to stir. I sent everyone out of the room except Becky and me, and I had Becky sit over on the other side of the room, out of sight, until Katie had recovered. Katie opened her eyes, saw me and, crying, threw her arms around me in a death grip. I held her, rubbed her back, whispered sweet nothings in her ear. She finally looked at me with big, scared eyes. "Daddy? Is Becky really back? How can that be? I felt her die. I saw them carry out her body. Did I have a dream? Am I going crazy, Daddy?" She sounded almost hysterical. Becky couldn't take it anymore. She ran over, knelt down by her side, and threw herself into Katie's arms. They hugged and cried for quite awhile. Then Katie pulled away, a puzzled look on her face. "I can't feel you. Why can't I feel you in my mind?" Katie looked worried and a little scared. "I know. They blocked me from sending to you. That's partly how they were able to make you think I died. I need your help to reverse that. I can't do it, but I can tell you how." Becky hugged Katie again. I felt like an intruder. "I'm going to leave you two alone for a few minutes. Take all the time you need to get reacquainted. I'll talk to you later, Becky." I don't think they even heard me. I left the room, closing the door softly behind me, and told everyone to leave them alone until they came out. Then I went to my room to check on Victoria. I talked to the doctor. He was ready to reverse the drug-induced unconsciousness she was in. I told him to wait a bit, there were some things I needed to do first. I talked to Captain Jensen. I told him I wanted all evidence that I was anything but a medical professional removed immediately. Victoria didn't know about this part of my life, and I did not want another shock to greet her. Naturally, he protested, not wanting to leave us unguarded, but finally agreed that it would be done straight away. I had no doubts that he would figure out a way to satisfy both requirements. Besides, with Amy around, how much danger could we be in, anyway? I wondered how much of Amy's ability the others might possess in an emergency. I went back to my room to find the doctor administering the antidote to the medicine he had her on. He said it would take only a few minutes. I asked him to leave so it was just Victoria and me. He didn't like that idea. I guess I was making everyone unhappy today. Except Becky. My one success. Being the boss, I got my way. RHIP. Sometimes. Just not often enough with teenage girls! I saw Victoria's eyes flutter open. That's when I began to realize that maybe I should have listened to the doctor. I was sitting on the bed, holding her hand, when she screamed. "No! Leave me alone! No more!" she cried. I just started to react, to assure her she was ok, when she jerked her hand back, and the next thing I knew I had hit the wall and was sliding down to the floor. Wow, that hurt! I saw Victoria advancing towards me. I could tell by the look in her eyes she had no idea who I was. I remained very calm and still. I would not defend myself; I would not hurt her. If I was going to die, I could think of worse ways than at Victoria's hands. I watched in fascination as she raised her hand to hit me again. There was a blur of movement, and her hand was held fast by a smaller hand. I hadn't seen that kind of strength since ... Amy! She had grabbed Victoria's hand, then she stepped between us. "Let me go! I'll kill them!" Victoria screamed. She tried to pull her hand back, but it might as well have been set in concrete. Amy answered her calmly. "No, Mom. I'll not let you hit Dad again. Don't make me hurt you." Amy might have been discussing the weather, she was so quiet and calm. I found that even scarier than if she had yelled. I heard her call out to Katie in her mind to get the doctor, but to keep everyone else out. About that time, Victoria's eyes cleared. She looked at Amy in amazement, then looked at me on the floor in horror. "Oh Patrick, I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you! Oh God, what have I done?" She dissolved into a puddle of tears as Amy gently led her back over to the bed. I thought about helping her, but the pain in my chest when I started to move convinced me that was not a good idea. When the doctor came in, he moved towards Victoria, but Amy curtly told him to check me out first. There was not that much wrong with me, just a couple of bruised ribs and some aggravation of the gunshot wound that had not completely healed from before. I had always known that living with my girls was interesting, but lately, it was getting dangerous. I went over and sat next to Victoria. Amy had been holding her as she cried. I reached out to put my arm around her, to comfort her. I was surprised when she flinched and drew away from me. Amy's eyes widened a little in surprise. Victoria had never done that before. We talked for a while, just the three of us. Victoria seemed her old self mostly, but she showed no interest in talking about what had happened to her. I figured she didn't want to talk in front of Amy. Later that day, we all got together to hear Becky's story. We were all interested in knowing how a dead person was standing in front of us. "Well, most of what Katie told you is what happened. After our father attacked me, I lost consciousness. When I awoke, the house was on fire. That's when I contacted Katie and she called the fire department. I lost consciousness again. Later, I woke up in the room where you found me. By overhearing conversations, I deduced that the fire was set deliberately and after I lost consciousness, another body was substituted for mine and I was removed from the scene. "The interruption of contact between Katie and me was from a combination of loss of consciousness and something they did to interrupt the connection from my end. That's why I was out of contact for so long — I was unable to establish contact. That's all I know. "I don't know why I was taken. I think it might have something to do with trying to get a particular someone to come and rescue me, by things I overheard. But they seemed to be waiting for something else to happen first. I don't know what." Of course, we all had a million questions, most of which she could not answer. I noticed after a while that Amy had disappeared and I went looking for her. The door to her room was closed, so I knocked. When I didn't hear an answer, and I couldn't find her anywhere else, I opened the door, to find her lying on her bed, crying. I sat beside her and asked her what was the matter. "I'm glad Becky is back, I really am. But what's going to happen to me now? Katie doesn't need me anymore, she has her Becky back. I'm going to be alone again. I don't think I can take it again, Daddy. I've begun to love Katie so much, and I really do want what makes her happy, but I don't want to be alone ever again!" Amy started crying again. "Amy, there's no way Katie is going to just dump you. You know better than that. She loves you as much as you love her. I don't believe Becky would let her do it, either. Calm down, sweetheart. I'll talk to them, but you know Katie better than that." "I know, Daddy. I suppose I'm just being stupid. I guess just too much is going on at the same time. I can't be superwoman all the time. I just get terrified when I think of being alone, like I was before." I kissed her, gave her a hug, and then tickled her until she was giggling hysterically and begging me to stop. I returned to Katie's room, to find Katie and Becky snuggling together, talking quietly. "Hi girls. We have a small problem I need your help with," I greeted them. Becky was ecstatic. It made her feel like family to be asked to help. "It seems we have a hysterical young lady on our hands. Amy is convinced that with Becky back she is going to be out of the picture with you, Katie, and is going to be all alone again." Katie looked at me in horror. Becky looked shocked. "I'd never do that!" Katie gasped. "I love Amy. Why would I ditch her? Besides, I don't think I can remove her, but I wouldn't want to anyway. I know what it's like to be alone that way. I don't know how Becky has survived." "I'd never allow that to happen, Mr. Phillips," Becky stated flatly. "Even if Katie wanted to do that, which she never would, I would leave first. As for surviving, I'm working on alternatives. Maybe three hooking in at once. Or another interesting alternative that I won't mention until I know it might work." She beamed at me. "Would you two talk to Amy, please? She gets frantic every time she thinks she might be alone again. Reassure her," I asked them. Later that night, Becky found me downstairs alone, and explained what would be involved with hooking in with me. We decided to try it. After a few minutes of her concentrating, I suddenly felt my mind overflowing with warm, loving feelings. I was filled with orange tendrils everywhere. "Oops!" Becky giggled. "Got a little carried away there! Let me take some back and build a set spot for them in your mind so they're not just running around everywhere being a nuisance. "There. How's that?" she asked. I didn't know what it was supposed to be like, but it was fine with me. She had a sweet, wonderful little mind that I just fell in love with right away. No wonder Katie was so distressed when Becky 'died'! That night, when we went to bed, Victoria wore clothes to bed for the first time ever. She crawled into bed on the opposite side. When I tried to cuddle, she said she was sorry, but she just didn't feel like it. I asked her what was the matter. She started crying, but wouldn't let me hold her. "I guess there just isn't any way I can talk my way out of this one. You're not going to believe this was a car accident, are you?" She smiled faintly as she peered at me with moist eyes. "Victoria, it's ok. You don't have to lie. I've known what you do for a living for over two years. I've known exactly whom you work for, and exactly what your job is, for over a year. You don't have to lie. "I know you can't talk about it, but I am concerned about what happened to you this time. I'm concerned about why you don't want me to touch you. Have I done something wrong?" "Oh, no, Patrick, you have always been great to me! I love you so much. But they did a lot of awfully bad things to me, and forced me to do some terrible things. I don't deserve you. "I ... I just need some time. I just can't tell you about it." She started crying again, but she wouldn't let me hold her. She seemed so uncomfortable with me in the bed that I went into the basement and slept on the couch. Over the next month things really got bad between the two of us. Victoria used every excuse she could to go on trips, even when she didn't have to. I figured something was up the second time her boss called to send her on a trip and she wasn't home. She was supposedly already on one. When she was home, she moved into the spare bedroom and started sleeping there. There was an underlying tension between Amy and her. No fights, just not as warm and friendly as they had always been. She refused to talk to me about anything important. She started picking fights with me on stupid little things. The similarities between the way she was acting and the way Cindi had acted after her rape was not lost on me. I refused to be sucked into the fights. I tried to be as sweet as I could, and told her every chance I could that I loved her. A few nights when she was home, I could swear she came home late at night drunk. I started having nightmares. They didn't have anything to do with her, but it was just another thing piled on top of me. I started dreaming about Julie, a six-year-old girl I had known when I was fourteen. She had been killed one night when I had failed to protect her as I told her I always would. I hadn't thought about her for years. Victoria had gotten me over that. But now, I was having very realistic nightmares where Julie was begging me to help her ... except she wasn't six years old, but twenty-nine years old, the age she currently would be. It was exhausting, as I was getting very little sleep. It all came to a head one night about six weeks after Victoria's rescue. The girls were gone on a sleepover at Rebecca's house. I think it was a plan to give Victoria and me the house alone together to patch things up. Teenagers can be so naïve sometimes. They had seen things were going downhill fast and were concerned. They didn't want to be children of divorced parents like so many of their friends. About ten o'clock that night, Victoria came up to me and said she wanted to talk. I was hoping she was finally going to open up to me. She did. Both barrels. "Patrick, I think it's time I left," she said, without preamble. Stupid me, I didn't understand. "Ok. When's your flight, and when do you think you'll be back?" She sighed. "No, I mean I'm moving out. I've arranged to stay with a girl at work. She's picking me up in a little while." At least I can say she looked really upset about it. I was shocked. I felt cold all over, and a little dizzy. I closed my eyes. I felt like I was going to faint. I must have looked pretty bad, because Victoria looked concerned. "Are you ok?" she asked. "Oh, sure, Vickie, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? Just because the love of my life is shit-canning our marriage and walking out on me? Shit, who wouldn't be fine with that?" I said bitterly. I could honestly say it was the first time I had ever really been mad at her. Added to that, I was scared to death. I knew I was reacting inappropriately, but I didn't know what to do. I felt like I had been kicked in the chest. I didn't know how to deal with this. The one constant I had always had was that Victoria loved me, that she would always be there in our marriage. "What marriage?" she asked softly. "We haven't been married for 6 weeks now. I'm no good to you. I can't let you touch me. All I do is hurt you. I hear you crying at night. Why do you think I moved into the spare bedroom? I couldn't stand lying next to you, knowing you were dying to touch me and I couldn't stand the thought. It's not you; it's me. I don't deserve you. I've destroyed our marriage with my lies and the awful things I've done, and I just can't stay around and watch you suffer. I'm sorry," she finished softly. "You'd rather just walk out and end the whole thing than talk to me and work it out? What sense does that make? You know there's nothing you could've done that's so bad that I would stop loving you. Why can't you talk to me?" I asked desperately. I knew if she walked out, it would be over. I had to try to stop it. Separating to work it out never worked. "I can't! Can't you understand that? I know you love me and you always will, no matter what. But I don't love me anymore. I want you to just remember me and what we had together as it was, not as it will be if I talk to you, if I stay around hurting you all the time. Things could never be the same again for us, no matter what you think. I'm not the same person. I've let you down and betrayed you and I could never forget or forgive myself for that, even if you could. I deserve to be miserable and miss you for the rest of my life, and you deserve to be free to find someone better." How could she be so calm about this when I was dying? "What about the girls?" "They should stay with you. I can't give them the life they need. I'll see them as often as I can." "Victoria ... is there someone else? Because if there is, we could work something out ... you're gone so much anyway, I could ... share..." My heart was in my throat, waiting for her answer. I finally broke through to her, as she started crying. "Oh, God, no, there could never be anyone else, Patrick! This is about me not being good enough for you, not me finding someone better than you. There will never be anyone else. I'm leaving here to spend the rest of my life alone. It's what I deserve." I didn't know what to say. She walked out of the room, picked up the suitcase she had packed, and walked out the door. I went into the den, got out a bottle of some type of alcohol; I didn't even look to see what it was, and started drinking. The girls found me, passed out on the couch, at 2:00 AM when they came home. Becky had been concerned because she couldn't feel me in her mind anymore. No one knew that happened when you got drunk enough. The next thing I knew, I was in the shower with Amy. Déjà vu. This was about as much fun as the last time, but in reverse. She was not in a very good mood. She woke me up with a cold shower, threw me out of the bathroom, and told me to be dried off and in the kitchen in five minutes, or she was coming to get me. She warned that I really didn't want her to come and get me. When I got into the kitchen, she gave me a big cup of coffee to drink. I told her I didn't like coffee, she told me to drink it or wear it. She wasn't kidding. I took the cup and went into the basement, where I poured the coffee down the sink. Then, to show how mature I really was, I threw the cup against the wall. I was tired of pushy females running my life, and then walking out whenever they decided. Yeah, I know. Shows what type of mood I was in that I would even consider taking on Amy like that. I didn't even wonder if I would survive. I didn't really care. She looked so much like Victoria, and I hated her right then just for that. Amy came looking for me a few minutes later. I saw her stare at the coffee cup in pieces on the floor, then she came over and sat next to me. "What happened? Did you drop the cup? I can get you some more," she said softly. "Go ahead. And drink it yourself. I'm not drinking that shit. If you don't like it, then you can just fuck off. Get the hell out of here and leave me alone. When I want your help, I'll ask for it. Don't hold your breath. And don't send those other two down here to sweet talk me either. Go back to your sleepover. I'd like some peace and quiet for a change," I snarled. Amy's eyes opened wide in shock for a minute. I don't think anyone had ever talked to her like that. Then she tilted her head to the side and looked at me, a look of understanding and sadness in her eyes. "Where's Mom?" she asked softly. "Who gives a fuck? I don't. You want her, go find her." "Are you ok?" Amy asked, voice full of concern. "Am I ok? Let's see. My oldest daughter is dead, murdered. My youngest daughter should be dead, twice over. But that's ok, she's alive. I've turned her into a killer, but she's alive. But for a miracle, I should be dead. My wife is almost killed, raped repeatedly, won't talk to me or even let me touch her, but what the hell, isn't that the way marriages are supposed to be, after 15 years? Especially after you risk your life and the life of your favorite daughter just to rescue her? I'm having nightmares every night about a person who has been dead for years, and I can't sleep. Oh, I forgot, about the marriage, it isn't a marriage anymore, because she left me tonight. Why the FUCK wouldn't I be ok, Amy?" I knew I was being a sniveling ass, but I just didn't care. I guess I knew Amy would love me, no matter what I said to her. "Mom left you?" she asked quietly. She was suddenly very still and quiet. I had the fleeting thought that it was a good thing Victoria wasn't here. "I'm so sorry, Daddy." Just then, Katie and Becky walked into the room. Probably calling for reinforcements with their freaky mind thing. I got even madder. "Get the hell out of here, all of you! Get out! And stay out of my mind, too!" My warm and cuddly nature was showing through. They just stood there, looking at me, sad and hurt looks on their faces. I threw a couch pillow at them. I was really being mature. Then I just couldn't take it anymore. I was drunk, too emotional, and I started crying. They all ran over to me and started hugging me. I didn't care anymore. I just sobbed. They half carried me to bed, undressed me, and tucked me in. By the time I hit the bed, I was asleep. Either none of them slept with me that night, or they were already up when I woke up the next day. I know I wouldn't have wanted to sleep with me that night, if I were them. As soon as I woke up, I knew something was seriously wrong. Then, it dawned on me. I felt it. I was such a fool. I had hurt somebody sweet very seriously, just because I was so wrapped up in my own misery. I dressed as fast as I could and ran downstairs. Amy was in the kitchen, making breakfast. I rushed into the room. She looked at me, concern and sadness in her eyes. "Where's Becky?" I asked, devastated at what I had done to her. The orange tendrils were no longer in my mind. I had to fix this now. "She's down in the basement. She seems really upset about something. Is that because of you? You're treading on thin ice with all of us if you hurt Becky, mister!" Amy said it half jokingly, but her eyes said she was concerned and she was only half joking. I ran downstairs. Becky was sitting on the couch, knees up to her chin, arms wrapped around her legs, crying. I felt like crap. As if this sweet little girl had not gone through enough already, I had to heap more on her. There was no excuse, even if I was upset. I knelt in front of her and lifted her head. I wiped her tears away, and held her close. She would have had every right to pull away from me, but she hugged me fiercely, as if I was going to disappear. "Becky," I said softly, pain and embarrassment in my voice. "Becky, I am so sorry! I was upset and drunk last night. That's no excuse. Please forgive me. Please put your orange pieces back in my mind. I did not mean it that way. I would never be upset about you being there. Please." She sobbed on my shoulder. "You said you wanted me there, and you wanted to be with me. You said! Why did you yell at me to stay out of your mind? That wasn't nice! I don't have to be there. It was just an idea. If you didn't want me to be there, all you had to do was tell me. I don't even have to live here. I can go away. I've been by myself for over a year; I can do it some more. You said you loved me. Why do you hate me now?" She stopped and sobbed uncontrollably. I saw Katie look in and give me a really dirty look for making her sister cry. She looked like she was going to come in, but Amy grabbed her and yanked her back out of the room. I felt awful. If I kept this up, I wasn't going to have any family left that wanted to talk to me. "Becky, I don't know what to say. I did not mean it that way. I didn't know what I was saying. I love you. You're my 'Little Orange Person'. You saved my life. How could I hate you? Men are stupid that way; sometimes we say things that we have no idea how they are going to be taken. Please forgive me, sweetheart. Please come back into my mind." I kissed her, as passionately as I could. I had never really given her a real kiss before. Her eyes opened in surprise, then she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back. She was inexperienced, but man, did she make up for it with desire! "Do you really want me back in there?" she whispered haltingly. "You don't have to. I know it's difficult for someone who hasn't been used to it all their life. I don't want to invade your privacy. Course, that's assuming I can do it. The little orange things are really mad at me for pulling them out. They haven't talked to me all morning!" She giggled at that. Was she serious? "I really do, sweetheart. I miss you already." Since she had already done it once, it took only a short time to do it again. I felt the now familiar wash of love, as the tendrils scampered happily to their now appointed place. I felt at peace again. Well, almost. I sat down and lifted Becky up on my lap. Then I kissed her. Really kissed her. Poor little virginal Becky (rape doesn't count). Never been kissed before, except by me a few minutes ago. By the time I was done kissing her, she could hardly breathe. She held me tight, trembling all over. Then she whispered in my ear. "Are you going to make love to me?" "Someday soon, Pretty Orange Person. Do you want me to?" I asked. "Oh please! Don't tease me. Please!" "Teasing is half the fun, silly." I started tickling her. Pretty soon, her shrieks had the other two peeking around the corner. When they saw that all was well and we were having fun, they all ran in and piled on. For a little while, all three of them made me forget my sadness. That night, I went to bed by myself. Two nights in a row. I could understand last night, but I was starting to get lonely. It was odd. Victoria was seldom around. She hadn't even been gone as long as usual yet, but I missed her so much. I guess it was just knowing that she wasn't going to be around anymore that hurt. I was having a good cry when I felt the bed move. I wondered which one was coming to me. I turned around and got a surprise. All three had climbed into the bed! "Are you girls planning on killing me tonight, or what?" I asked, teasing them. They were serious when they replied. "Daddy," Amy whispered, "tonight is for you and Becky. We're here for moral support. And ... maybe a few crumbs afterwards," she giggled. I looked at Becky. She looked scared and excited. Her only other experience at this had not been good. "Do you want to do this, Becky?" I asked. "This is your decision. Don't let anyone else decide for you. I love you, sweetie, I have you up here," I tapped my head, "and I don't need you anywhere else if you don't want to." I stroked her cheek softly as I spoke to her, and shivered as she softly rubbed her cheek against me. "I want you, Da ... Patrick, so much. I love you. The girls have told me how wonderful you are. I need that special feeling. I want to know what it feels like to be loved. Besides, no one here has made love to someone they are linked with. I want to see what it's like." Amy and Katie looked surprised. I don't think they knew we were linked. They grinned, and giggled, whispering to themselves. I couldn't hear all of it, but it sounded like bets on the odds of me surviving! As I snuggled with Becky, I reflected on the last few months. As little as six months ago, the idea of being in bed with teenage girls for anything other than father-daughter snuggling was unknown to me. Now, I was snuggling with my daughters, but it was often so much more. The funny thing was, it was still father-daughter snuggling. Just with benefits. If they had decided tomorrow it would be nothing more, I don't think I would even protest. Sex with them was just a way to snuggle even closer. It was a result of love, not a reason for love. The girls had all come in still dressed. Amy and Katie still remembered how much fun the undressing was. I kissed Becky, long and passionately, starting to slowly unbutton her blouse at the same time. Each time I undid a button, she gasped in my mouth and shivered all over. This was one excited little girl! When I finally undid the last button and pulled her blouse all the way opened, she shuddered all over and gave a little cry in my mouth. Had pretty, innocent little Becky just had her first little orgasm? I didn't doubt it. She was Katie's sister, after all, and I knew how hot Katie was. I started kissing her neck, her throat. She ran her fingers through my hair, then held my head close to her. She gasped and cried out as I sucked her nipple into my mouth. I licked it, sucked it, while playing and squeezing the other one. She was flushed all the way down to her chest. I couldn't help teasing her a little. I stopped and moved up, holding her close. I heard her whimper softly in frustration. I whispered in her ear. "Do you want me to go on, sweetheart?" I whispered in her ear. "I wouldn't want to do anything you didn't want me to." She was suddenly kissing me everywhere, my lips, face, neck, everywhere she could reach. "Please! Please take me! Help me forget what it was like. Please make it good for me. Please love me! Help me, and let me help you forget your pain." The love and sympathy washed over me. I couldn't believe it. Little Becky was worried about me, wanted to make it good for me! Everyone was right she was so sweet. I decided right then that everything really would be all for her tonight. She had already given me everything I needed. Amy and Katie were lying on either side of Becky. They were holding her, kissing her cheeks softly, whispering in her ear. There was nothing sexual about their cuddling or kissing, just the signs of affection I had seen my little angels do everyday, but I had seldom seen anything so hot. Amy and Katie looked at me and smiled sweetly, their eyes filled with desire, and with thanks for what I was doing for their sister. I ran my hands down her sides softly, tickling her in the process. She shivered as I softly touched her, caught between being tickled and being aroused. Being aroused won out. I ran my hands softly, gently, slowly over her flat little stomach, caressing it and feeling it tremble each time I touched it. She was whimpering and crying out almost constantly now. When I slipped my hand inside her shorts, inside her panties, I could feel her, Amy and Katie all jerk at once. They remembered how hot that was. Becky couldn't take it anymore, and she reached down to undo her shorts. I took her cute little hand and moved it up to my mouth, kissing it. I smiled at Amy and Katie, and they both reached down and started unbuttoning her shorts. Becky's eyes opened real wide in surprise and confusion, as they lifted her little butt and slipped her shorts and panties off. She looked at me, confused and scared. I whispered in her ear to comfort her. "It's ok, Becky, they won't hurt you. They don't get into girls. They just want to help a little, make it good for you, and relive their first time. They won't touch you down there." She relaxed visible and kissed me, a hot, smoldering kiss. I started kissing my way down her body. She was trembling all over now. When I spread her legs apart and moved my head between her legs, she put her hands on my head and held me. "What are you doing?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "That's dirty and gross. You can't like that!" Before I could answer, Amy and Katie jumped in. "Let him do it. You'll love it. We promise!" they both assured her. They gently removed her hands from my head and lovingly held them, caressing and kissing them. I tried something new. I let my green surround her orange, and caressed her. Her eyes flew open in surprise and amazement, then she smiled softly at me and spread her legs more for me. I could feel her nervousness still. "If you don't like it, I promise I'll stop," I reassured her. She smiled trustingly at me. Knowing what would happen, Katie kissed her just as I licked her little pussy and clit for the first time. She screamed into Katie's mouth. As I sucked her clit into my mouth for the first time, she screamed again. Her body started thrashing all over, shaking violently. Then she stiffened, cried out again, and passed out. I was stunned at her reaction. I felt her completely short circuit in her mind. She had cried out my name in her mind just before she fainted. If this was her reaction this early, this was going to be a very interesting night! Amy and Katie held her, looking at me in shock, as I gently licked her thighs and pussy, slowly and softly, feeling her jerk each time I touched her. It took her quite a while to revive. When she finally came to, she threw her arms around my neck and dissolved into tears, holding me close. I could feel these were happy tears, but I could also feel something else. She had sampled my mind, and felt how much I wished this was Victoria, how much I missed her. She was crying out of intense emotion, but also in sympathy for me. I had tried to hide that emotion, but I couldn't hide from my Little Orange Person. I knew she understood completely, and loved me for always keeping Victoria first. She kissed away tears, tears I didn't even know I had been crying, and whispered to me that it was all right. Then she guided my cock to her pussy, guided me right in, raising her hips to help me penetrate when I tried to go slow for her. She wrapped her arms and legs around me, and then did something I didn't expect, something I would never forget. All the time I stroked slowly in and out of her, she played scenes of my most intimate, wonderful sex with Victoria in my mind. How did she do that? Oh, how I loved this girl! It was always for someone else, never for herself. When I came inside her, as she came with me, I passed out. When I finally revived, I had three of the prettiest girls in the world cuddling with me. Becky was lying on top of me, with Amy and Katie snuggled as close as they could get. All three were kissing me everywhere they could reach. Amy and Katie had stunned looks on their faces. Amy expressed it for all of us. "That was the hottest thing I have ever seen, Dad." She looked at Becky, her eyes filled with love. "Thank you!" she said. Becky smiled sweetly, blushing all over. We all fell asleep, snuggled together. I slept the whole night through, the first good night of sleep I'd had in six weeks. Thanks to Tajod for his editing. ------- Chapter 23 The first week that Victoria was gone was hell. The girls tried their best to keep me occupied and distracted, but most of the time it didn't work. Besides, Amy had her own demons to fight. She was very upset about Victoria leaving. Had she been there when Victoria left, I think it might have gotten very ugly. That was probably why Victoria did it the way she did. I will say one thing for Victoria, however; she did her best to stay in contact with the girls. She called them several times each week. I overheard one conversation between Amy and her that started out mainly as monosyllabic answers from Amy. There is nothing in the world Amy loves to do more than talk, so that in itself said volumes. Victoria noticed it and must have commented on it. "What do you want me to say, mother? You want me to agree with you on this? I don't. You walked out on him. You ripped his heart out, and I'm left here trying to hold the pieces together, trying to keep him from just lying down and dying. There is no reason good enough to do this to him, mother. I love you, but don't expect me to be all warm and cuddly over this. He doesn't have a wife and I don't have a mom and neither of us is very happy over that." Apparently, Victoria decided that talking to Amy wasn't going to be a pleasant experience, so she asked to talk to me. Amy rolled her eyes, stuck out her tongue at the phone, handed it to me, and left the room. "Hello?" I answered. "Hi. How are you?" I have to admit, she did sound like she really wanted to know. "Just fine. Haven't had this much fun in years. How are you?" I'm not sure I sounded like I really wanted to know. It still hurt, bad. I was glad to hear her voice. It just made it hurt worse, though. "Amy is really mad at me. I guess that's not surprising. I know how she feels about you. I wish I could tell her how sorry I am." "Victoria, she feels the same way about you. You are her hero. She doesn't understand how you can say you love me and then walk out. I can't say I blame her. It's a little confusing to me, too." "You're not going to make this easy, are you?" Victoria asked. I thought I heard her stifle a small sob. "Victoria, this doesn't have to be hard. It's easy; just come home. Whatever is bothering you, we can work it out. How bad can it be? Before I knew what you did for a living, do you know what crossed my mind that your job was? I considered you might be a prostitute, with all the lies about where you went, the unscheduled night trips. I still loved you. Honey, I have seen you kill three men. I've seen two others I know you killed. I still loved you, not even a question about it. What can be worse than all that?" "You've never seen me do this," she whispered, tears in her voice. "Look, Victoria, you say you left me so you wouldn't hurt me anymore. But you hurt me every day, and Amy too, by leaving. And you will continue hurting me for the rest of my life. I am not going anywhere. I am not looking for anyone new. Ever. I love you, and I will always love you. I will spend the rest of my life loving you, only you. That will not change. Whenever you get this figured out, no matter when it is, no matter where you are, I will be waiting for you. You are always welcome to come home, no matter when. There is nothing you can do about that, nothing you can do to stop it. Do you think not having you here, spending the rest of my life alone is going to hurt less than what you would tell me? Do you really think I can forget you, that I can find someone to take your place?" I was being brutally honest, but she needed to know how I felt if she was going through with this. "God, I am going to miss you! I love you so much! Maybe someday..." She was sobbing as she hung up. I stared at the wall for several minutes, and then I got up and went to talk to Amy. She was lying on her back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I sat on the bed and shifted her head onto my lap. I stroked her hair and reached down to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulled my head down, and kissed me eagerly. When we broke from kissing, I played with her pretty hair, and started to talk to her. "Amy, you know I just love you to pieces, don't you?" She nodded. "Honey, you told your Mom what you thought tonight. That's good; she needed to know how you feel. Now you need to let it lie, and let her be a mother to you. If we keep bugging her, she'll never come back. She's going through some hard times, similar to what you went through when Cindi died. We just have to be there for her, love her, help her any way we can." "I know, Dad, but she just makes me so mad. How can she just walk away like that? I know she loves us. I just don't understand." "I don't either. But hassling her isn't going to help. Just be nice to her, ok?" "Ok. I really miss her, though. I miss you, too," she whispered hungrily. I slipped into bed with her and cuddled up to her. We kissed for a while, while slowly undressing each other. "We've never made love in my bed before," she whispered. She was excited. Then I kissed her and touched her, and she got really excited. We didn't talk for quite awhile after that. We slept all night in her bed. The next day I called Captain Jensen. I had to do something about these nightmares. I was no longer convinced they were just nightmares. They were way too vivid and realistic. I asked him to find out everything he could about a Julie Anderson. When he asked for specifics, I described her face as I saw it in my nightmares. When he asked her last known residence and occupation, I told him the place and told him she had died 23 years ago. He was way too much of a professional to tell me I was crazy, but I'm sure he thought I was. Hell, I thought I was too, but it was the only place I knew to start. We had experience with people who were supposed to be dead that turned up mysteriously alive. There was one bright spot over the last two weeks. One day, the girls came home from school, with Amy towing behind her one of the strays she was wont to pick up periodically. If it was homeless or lonely, be it human or animal, Amy was drawn to it. This 'stray' was human. She was a pretty little girl, about 14 years old, maybe 5' 3'' tall, 100-105 lbs, and the most beautiful curly red hair down past her shoulders I had ever seen. I said Amy was towing her and that was about right; the poor girl was obviously very shy, and was in the grasps of the hurricane we call Amy. Amy introduced her as Megan and said she was hanging around school, waiting for her mom to pick her up. She asked if it was ok if she waited at our house. Why not? One more pretty little girl around wasn't going to hurt any. Megan gave me a tiny 'hello' and a shy little smile and they disappeared into Amy's room. About 5:00, a car pulled into the driveway, beeped, and Megan was out the door, saying it was her Mom. Megan showed up with Amy again the next day. This time, Amy pulled me aside to talk to me. "Dad, she's stuck at school everyday until 5:00 when her Mom picks her up. I don't know about her Dad, but he apparently isn't around. Can she just come here every day? She's new in town and doesn't know anywhere else to go. She just hangs around school. Please, Daddy? She's really nice." Amy looked at me with those big begging eyes that she knew I couldn't resist. I told her sure, no problem. Megan started showing up everyday. She was a sweet little girl, very polite, very quiet and shy. She seemed really smart and friendly once you got through the shyness. After a while, she got over the shyness a little, and started saying hi without looking at the floor and blushing. I even got her to start calling me by my first name. One day towards the end of the week, Amy and I were horsing around, tickling and wrestling on the floor, when Amy reached out and grabbed Megan by the ankle, pulling her down with us. Of course, we both started tickling her. She was giggling hysterically and begging us to stop. Suddenly, she put her arms around my neck and kissed my neck. "Stop, Daddy!" She whispered, and then kissed me on the lips. Then she suddenly realized what she had done. She turned red, and tried to get up and run out of the room as she started crying. I held her and kissed her on the forehead. "It's ok, sweetheart. You can call me Daddy. I don't mind. Lots of Amy's friends do" "But... I don't want to make Amy jealous. She won't like it!" She was still crying. "Amy, do you mind if Megan calls me Daddy?" I asked her. "No, I wish you were her daddy," Amy replied. I put my arms around Megan and pulled her over on my lap. She sighed and laid her head against my chest, closing her eyes. I stroked her pretty red hair and kissed her cheek. She threw her arms around my neck again and kissed me again. It was definitely not a kiss normally given to a daddy. "Do you kiss your Daddy that way too?" I asked softly, hoping I wouldn't embarrass her. It didn't work; she turned red again. "I did," she said in a tiny voice, and started crying again. "Honey, is your daddy still around?" I wasn't sure how to ask this. She shook her head no. "Do you ever see him?" I asked. She shook her head again and started crying again. "He's dead. I miss him so much!" She sobbed. I just held on to her and let her cry. I didn't know what to say. I hate it when pretty little girls are sad. It's even worse when they cry. Later, we sat on the couch, Amy on one side, and Megan on the other, cuddling together, watching TV. As we were kidding around, Amy leaned over and kissed me. Not the way a daughter should kiss her Dad when others are watching. "Amy!" I hissed, rolling my eyes over at Megan. Amy looked embarrassed that she had forgotten. Then I felt a little hand on my cheek, turning my head towards Megan. As I turned, Megan kissed me, full on the lips, and slipped her tongue into my mouth. I was stunned for a few seconds, and then I kissed her back. She moved over to kiss my ear and neck and whispered in my ear. "My Daddy and I did other things, too. Would you like to do those with me, too? I really miss doing things with him and I really, really like you!" She giggled. Then, in a move I never would have expected from such a shy little girl, she took my hand and slipped it up inside her skirt, laying it on the front of her panties. She held it there as she kissed me again. I could feel she was wet already. I was shocked. I turned my head towards Amy, pleading for help with my eyes. Amy was a big help. She took my other hand, slipped it up inside her skirt, and laid it on her panties. Thanks a lot, Amy. She grinned at me, not sorry at all. I rubbed both of their panties softly, listening to them gasp as I rubbed their little clits. I slipped my finger inside their panties, and continued to stroke them softly. It didn't take long for Amy to cry out softly as she had an orgasm. Megan, being not as experienced and a little nervous, had not gotten there yet. After Amy recovered, she moved over and snuggled up to Megan, holding her and whispering in her ear. Then she whispered to me. "Eat her out, Daddy! She'll really love that!" Megan just looked at us, eyes half closed, as she whimpered and cried out softly, obviously enjoying herself immensely. "I don't know, Amy. I don't feel right doing this, with the problems Victoria and I are having. I know she wouldn't mind if I did all your cheerleader friends, but it almost seems like cheating after she moved out," I whispered. I didn't want Megan to hear us and get her feelings hurt. "Daddy, you know Mommy won't mind. The poor girl is hurting, missing her Daddy. You know Mommy will probably yell at you if you don't help her out. Do you want me to call and ask her?" She giggled. I swatted her little butt for being a smart aleck. I know I wanted to believe that Victoria wouldn't mind. Megan was so pretty and her tears and sadness about missing her Daddy really upset me. Amy decided to help and slipped Megan's panties off for her. Megan looked at me, pleading with her eyes. She took the decision out of my hands, as she gently pulled my head down between her legs. She cried softly, tears running down her face. "Please? I won't tell anyone. I promise. Mommy wouldn't be upset even if she knew. She knew about Daddy and me," Megan whispered. I slowly, softly licked the insides of her thighs, moving upwards towards her pussy. She whimpered softly and wiggled, trying to get me there faster. I licked her slit, from her asshole all the way up to her clit. She trembled all over and put her fist in her mouth to keep from crying out. I guess that was habit from when she used to play with her Daddy at night. I sucked her clit into my mouth and licked and sucked it, watching her close her eyes and gasp for breath. I very slowly licked and sucked her, until finally she was trembling all over, moving very slowly towards an orgasm. I didn't speed up, determined to make her come with my slow licks. Finally, she bit her fist and screamed into it, trying to muffle her sounds as much as possible. I kept licking and sucking her until she collapsed on the couch, gasping for breath, eyes closed. I moved up and held her close to me. She wrapped her arms around me and trembled, calling out for her Daddy over and over, quietly. I told her I was here, and she sighed and seemed to go to sleep. Amy was beside herself with excitement. She cuddled up close to both of us and moaned. "Are you going to make love to her, Daddy?" She asked breathlessly. "No, not tonight, honey. Except for Cindi, I have never made love to anyone without you Mom knowing I was going to do it with that person. Just because she is gone, I am not going to change that. I probably shouldn't have gone as far as I did, but she looked like she needed it so bad. When she wakes up, why don't you take her into the bathroom and help her shower? Give her a pair of your panties to wear; hers needs to be cleaned. Then we can snuggle for awhile." Amy looked at me with wide eyes. Then she hugged me tightly. "I love you, Daddy. Mom must be crazy. She better get this figured out soon, or I am going to talk to her!" "Remember what I said. Don't hassle her," I warned her. She helped Megan up, stuck out her tongue at me, and they went off to the bathroom. I decided to join them, and between the two of us, we made sure Megan was clean. She just held on to us weakly, eyes closed. She shrieked when I couldn't stand looking at her pretty body that close anymore, and made her come again with my fingers. Later, we cuddled on the couch together, watching a movie. She told me that when her mom picked her up today, she would come to the door, as she didn't know what time she would be here. About 5:30, I heard a car pull into the driveway. A minute later, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to let Megan's mother in, and my mouth fell open with shock. There, standing in the doorway was my college roommate's girlfriend and later wife, Samantha! I recognized her right away, even though I had not seen her in 14 years or so. My mind flashed back to the weekend we had spent together, in each other's arms, naked, all weekend long. She looked as good as she did then. I felt myself blush as I stood there, looking at her. Then I remembered how she had gotten engaged less than two months after that, because she was pregnant. I looked back at Megan. Could she be... ? I saw Samantha laughing at me. "Aren't you going to invite me in? Or are you going to make me stand out here all night while you gawk?" I blushed again, this time from embarrassment, and stepped aside to let her in. We sat and chatted for a while, catching up on old times. I was really upset to hear that Robert had died. We had lost contact with each other shortly after both our marriages, when they had moved out of the country. While we were talking, Katie and Becky came home, so shortly after we were inundated with teenage giggles, laughs and squeals as the four of them had fun. Before I could get details on the things I wanted to hear about, the phone rang. Since it didn't look like the giggle corps was going to answer it, I picked it up. It was Victoria. "Hi, what's going on there? It sounds like you are having a party!" I could hear the smile in her voice. That was so good to hear! "There is someone here you will want to talk to, but you have to guess who. One of your oldest and best friends. And her daughter." I couldn't resist the temptation to tease her. I knew she would guess it right away with that clue. "Samantha?!? Oh, I have to talk to her!" Then she got more subdued and serious. "Did you know Robert died? I just found out today, that's why I was calling you. Other than just to talk. How does she appear to be doing? How is her daughter? Is she cute? She must be 14 years old now, right? What's her name again?" Victoria hadn't talked this much, with this much interest, in weeks. I felt butterflies in my stomach. "I don't know how she is doing yet. The giggle corps kicked into full throttle before we could actually talk much. Her daughter's name is Megan. She is really cute. She has actually been coming over here after school for a couple of weeks, but I didn't have any idea who she was. She's really nice. We get along really well. She calls me Daddy!" I was so thrilled that Victoria was being human that I was babbling. "The poor kid! It must be tough to not have her Dad. I know she really loved him. So did Samantha. You better be especially nice to Megan," she giggled. I hadn't heard that sound in a long time! "I'm always nice to the girls that come over here! You know that. That's why I'm the favorite Dad in the group." "Patrick John Phillips, you know what I am talking about! She and her father were really close, in a special way. I expect you to be especially nice to her, in a special way also. You know what I am talking about. Just because you and I are having problems and I'm not there, don't you start changing and getting all noble on me. I expect you to act just as you always have. And don't forget Samantha. She may need some extra attention, too." She giggled again. "Are you saying... ?" "You know what I am saying! Samantha has always been special to you. She may need help coping. And I know how you are with teary eyed teenage girls. Relax, dear. I'm not trying to pawn you off on them or trying to get rid of you to make my decision easier. How you help those two cope with Robert's death is not going to affect our relationship, whatever it is right now, one bit. In fact, if you don't act as you normally would, I am going to very upset with you. And Patrick... I do still love you. That has never been the issue. Now, let me talk to Samantha!" I called Samantha into the other room so she could hear above the din, and gave her the phone. She said hi, then started squealing like the teenagers in the other room, and started crying. I left the room to give her some privacy. As I walked into the living room, Amy looked up, right into my eyes, and mouthed, "Told you!" Damn! Certifiable genius. Was there no privacy from this kid? After Samantha and Victoria were done talking, she walked in and gave the phone to Megan, while giving me a funny little smile. Megan wasn't sure who Victoria was at first, so she got all shy for a while, but Victoria can get a deaf mute to talk. Once she understood who she was, she looked at me with a guilty look on her face, remembering what we had done earlier, and what she had wanted to do. I winked at her and mouthed that it was ok. She smiled and relaxed. Amy grinned at me. Go away, little mind reader! Just about the time we hung up, after all the girls had talked to Victoria for a while, the doorbell rang again. I let in Victoria's parents. I had forgotten that they were taking the girls for the night. As they were getting ready to go, Megan was standing there looking like her favorite puppy had died. My girls are pretty perceptive, so it didn't take long for them to figure it out. "Daddy," Katie asked, "Can Megan go with us and spend the night?" You would have thought that someone had just proclaimed Megan homecoming queen or something, the way her whole face lit up. She looked at her mother with a pleading look in her eyes. "Well, honey, you will have to ask her mother and your grandparents about that," I said, passing the buck. Well, of course, they said yes, and of course then the girls had to all hold on to each other and jump up and down and squeal in the middle of the room. "So, Megan, do you like coming over here after school everyday?" Samantha asked. By way of an answer, Megan ran over to me and leaped into my arms, wrapping her arms and legs around me. "I love it, Mommy! Patrick is so cool, and Amy and Katie and Becky are really nice. Can I keep coming here?" She hugged me and kissed me. I was turning red. Everyone else was laughing. Samantha came over and tickled Megan in the sides, making her shriek and let go of me. "Give the poor guy a break, will you? You're strangling him. Not to mention embarrassing the heck out of him," Samantha laughed. Soon, everyone was gone except Samantha and me. We looked at each other, trying to get our hearing back, then she walked over, put her arms around my neck, and kissed me. Really kissed me. Her hug and kiss said she really missed me. Then she whispered in my ear. "Victoria said I am to take very special care of you tonight. She said it had been awhile since you two had been... together. What did she mean? What's going on?" She looked really concerned when my eyes got misty. I didn't want to go into details about things that were no one's business, so I just told her Victoria was going through a rough time and we had separated for a while. She looked at me with big sad eyes. "She told me it was all her, not you." She bit her lower lip. "Patrick, Victoria told me to stay with you tonight, to sleep with you, to make love to you. She assured me it was perfectly ok with her, just like last time. Please don't worry; I'm not going to try to take you away from her or tie you down. I know you and Victoria were made for each other and you will get it worked out eventually. But, I've got to tell you, I really want to spend the night with you. Especially you. I would just like a really friendly, soft shoulder to cry on, and a nice body to wake up to every now and then." I laughed. "She told me the same thing, to take extra special care of you tonight. You and I have known each other too well in the past to lie to you. You have always turned me on. I want to make you happy tonight. But you have to know that I am in love with Victoria and it can only be a friendly thing. I don't want to mislead you." "So, stop your talking and carry me into the bedroom, already!" She laughed. I did. Once we got into the bedroom and I put her down, Samantha took over. I have always liked her aggressiveness. We kissed for a long time. Every time I pulled away, she pulled me back in close and renewed kissing me. I had forgotten how great a kisser she was. I had also forgotten how she loved to strip me, slowly, kissing every inch of my body. As she pulled my pants and underwear down over my hips, she sucked my cock into her mouth and gently sucked and licked me as she continued to take my clothes off. I almost came right there, but she slowed down to prolong it. When I was naked, she quickly stripped, and then gently pushed me down onto the bed on my back. She pushed my legs up as far as she could, spreading them out, and proceeded to lick be exposed asshole. She could tell by my moans and my body trembling that I really loved that. She softly stroked my balls and cock at the same time. I told her I was going to come. She moved her mouth up, and swallowed my cock, slipping her finger into my abandoned asshole, and rubbing my balls. She looked up at me with twinkling eyes as I exploded into her mouth. When I became aware of my surroundings again, she was lying next to me, cuddling and rubbing my body all over. She slid over, and lowered her pussy onto my mouth as she took my cock in her mouth again, in a wonderful 69. It didn't take long before she exploded in a powerful orgasm. I kept licking her, prolonging her orgasm until she finally lifted herself up, turned around, and lowered herself slowly down on my cock. She slowly rode me until I shot deep up inside her. Then she lie down on top of me and put her arms around me. She hugged me close, and started to cry. I held her close too. "I miss him so much," she sobbed. I just kissed her, held her, and tried to comfort her. Soon, she relaxed. Then she comforted me, almost as if she knew what I was thinking. "It's ok. She gave her permission. She insisted. She knew how much we both needed it. It's not cheating if she knows and approves." She kissed me softly. We cuddled for a while, and then the phone rang. You have to be kidding me! I picked up the phone, to the chorus of four cute little teenage voices giggling. "Hi Daddy! Did we interrupt anything?" I swear I could hear Megan laughing too. I felt embarrassed, talking to her on the phone while I was naked with her mother. "Did you make love to her yet, Daddy?" Amy whispered. "Mommy is going to beat you if you don't!" "Put your little nose where it belongs, little Miss Nosey. My sex life is none of your business!" She giggled. "Does that mean mine is none of your business either?" Amy always has to push it. "Let me remind you again. Me dad, you bratty teenage daughter. Everything you do is my business." I heard her giving me the raspberries over the phone, as the others laughed. "Is she good, Daddy?" Amy whispered, and giggled again. "None of your business, little snot! Let me talk to someone nice!" I snapped, pretending to be angry. "Megan wants to talk to her Mom," she told me. I handed the phone to Samantha, watched as she spoke a little, and then listened a lot, blushing periodically. Then she said goodbye, and hung up. "What could your daughter say that would make you blush like that?" I asked, curiously. Maybe Megan was bolder than I thought. "Amy lied to you. That wasn't Megan. It was Amy and Katie, talking to me." Uh oh. "What about?" I asked, dreading the answer. She was hesitant to tell me at first, but I persisted. "Well, they were telling me all the things I can do to drive you out of your mind in bed!" She smiled at me softly. I was going to kill those two! "So, how long have you been making love to your daughter?" She asked softly, with an understanding and loving smile. She saw me freeze and panic. "It's ok. It doesn't bother me. Robert and Megan had that type of relationship too. It's not for everyone, but with the love that exudes between you and Amy, I'm not surprised. You should know that Megan is probably going to approach you about that too. From the way she acted tonight, she probably already has, hasn't she? Have you made love to her yet?" She asked, smiling. I shook my head. "It's ok if you do. She loves you, you know. She needs someone to replace Robert. I think it would be fitting if that someone was her real father." I stared at her. "Are you telling me that Megan is my daughter?" I asked incredulously. "Yes, she is. I don't know if ever Robert knew or not. I never told him." Samantha and I spent the whole night together. We didn't get any sleep. Victoria called about 1:00 am. We had a nice chat. She assured me I had nothing to feel guilty about. She told me this had nothing to do with her and me. It was all about helping Samantha and me. I believed her. At least until the next day. Samantha left the following morning. Neither of us wanted the girls to find us there together. Adults are so much touchier about that than kids are. When I got home from work the next day, Amy met me at the door. She handed me a large brown envelope. By the look on her face, I knew it wasn't good news. I opened it up, and looked over the divorce petition papers from Victoria. I really wasn't surprised, although I thought the timing was a little strange. Amy moved over next to me, and gently took them from my hand, reading them. I don't think she really believed that was what they were until she read them herself. I looked at her, feeling sorry for her, and me. Then her face went white as she realized what she was reading. I looked at her eyes. I could almost see fire coming out of them. Uh oh! My little girl was mad, mad, mad! She walked over and picked up the phone. "Amy..." I started. She waved me off, effectively telling me to shut up. "Hi, Mother. It's Amy. Where are you right now?... Ok, get the next flight home. Be here by 7:00 pm tomorrow. I want to talk to you... I don't really care about your job. Get someone else to do it. Just be here at 7:00 pm tomorrow... Let me make myself perfectly clear, Mother. Be here at 7:00 pm tomorrow, or you will not have a daughter anymore. I will walk out of this house and you will never see or talk to me again... Are you willing to gamble on that? Don't push me, Mother. I love you, Mother, but be here, or so help me God, you will never see or talk to me again. In case I don't get the chance to say it, if you don't show up tomorrow, goodbye Mom." She hung up the phone, and started walking to her bedroom. "Amy..." I started again. She turned and gave me a fiery look. She had never looked at me like that before. "Don't start, Father. You be here at 7:00 tomorrow also. I am sick of this shit. Obviously, you two are not grown up enough to solve your own problems, so I guess I will do it for you. Don't you two fuck this up tomorrow night. This is the only chance you are going to get. You better both be here." She walked over to her room, walked in, and slammed the door so hard the whole house shook. I looked up and saw Katie, Becky, and Megan standing there, pressed up against the wall where they moved to get out of Amy's way. They looked shocked. And scared. Really scared. I guess they had never seen this side of Amy before, either. About then, Megan's mom beeped outside. She was out of the door like a shot. Holy shit! I had always wondered what Amy would be like mad. I always knew there were depths there I had never seen. I didn't know what to do. At first, I felt like going into her room and paddling her snotty little butt. But I knew I probably would lose my daughter if I did that. Not to mention she could easily kick my ass. Amy was never one to make empty threats. Besides, I had to admit she was right. We were not solving our problems. Maybe we did need someone to kick our asses. Figuratively, of course. The house was like a tomb the rest of the night. Amy never came back out of her room. Katie and Becky cuddled with me on the couch. They were both trembling. I wondered what kind of vibes Amy was putting out from her mind. I seemed to be blocked from her. Amy got up early the next morning, and left the house before we got up. She left a short note saying she was walking to school. When she got home from school, she went directly to her room. Victoria showed up at 6:30. I let her in. Megan hadn't come home with Amy that day. I didn't know where Katie or Becky were, but they were gone, nowhere to be seen. "What's going on?" Victoria asked. She looked shaken. I could understand that. I felt pretty shaky myself. "I don't know. I would say it has something to do with the divorce papers that showed up in the mail yesterday. She called you right after she saw those. I guess we will find out in a few minutes." At exactly 7:00 pm., Amy came out of her room. Victoria and I were sitting on the couch, a couple of feet away from each other. Amy pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of the coffee table. We looked at each other for a few seconds. Then Amy broke the silence. "Ok, you two. Start talking. I want this resolved before we leave tonight." She looked very serious. Victoria doesn't often make major mistakes. Not when she is in her right mind, which she was not lately. She sure didn't approach this right, though. She stood up as if to leave. "Your Father's and my relationship is our business. I don't appreciate..." That was as far as she got. Amy did one of her patented fast moving tricks to where she was standing in front of Victoria before I even knew she was moving. "Mother, sit down." Victoria ignored her. "Sit down, or so help me God, I will knock you down! SIT DOWN!" She yelled. "Please." She said softly, giving Victoria a face saving way out. Victoria slowly sat, looking stunned. "Amy... ," I started again. She certainly was not in the mood to let me finish sentences the last day or two. She interrupted me again. "Don't you even start, Father. This is at least as much your fault as it is hers. Maybe more. She's probably suffering from PTSD. What's your excuse? God damn it, Dad, Becky told you to talk to Katie about what had happened to Mom. She told you it would help you deal with it. She told you they could help, but you had to talk to Katie first and ask for their help. You didn't do any of that, did you? Did you forget, or are you just too stubborn to think that some teenage girls could help? Don't answer that. I want to be able to still love you when this is over." Her eyes were full of unshed tears, but she was determined she was not going to cry. "You left her out there all alone, Dad. You were the only one that could help her and you didn't. You just let it work out by itself. How's that working out for you, Dad? Do you enjoy not having a wife? You did a good job of showing her she was loved, but you didn't help her. She's drowning, Dad, and you didn't even throw her a life raft. What the fuck is wrong with you? Were you just going to wait around until she killed herself?" I looked over at Victoria. I saw the look of shock on her face. Amy turned to look at Victoria. "Didn't know I knew about that, did you? Just how fucking dumb do you think I am? I've been there, Mom. I know what the signs are. How could you even think of doing that to Dad? Or to me, if you don't care about him? And little Katie? She loves us so much she wants to be adopted. She's lost two sets of parents already, and you were going to rob her of her mother again? Are you really that selfish? Were you really going to rob me of my mom? Were you going to let Katie and I feel guilty for the rest of our lives, that we might have been responsible for it? That we had done something wrong? That you didn't love us anymore? Katie and I have both come within minutes of killing ourselves at one time. Do you really think we would survive if you did that? How long do you think Dad would have lived?" Amy's voice became soft, pleading. "Mom. You have to talk to him about it. Please. I will leave the room if you want, but you have to. Now." Victoria and I both had our heads in our hands. Victoria for guilt for what she was planning to do. Me for guilt at what I had not done. "I can't, Amy. I just can't. I'm sorry," Victoria whispered. Amy's face turned sad, but determined. "Fine. You can't. But I sure as hell can. Fine. Then I will tell him what happened." Amy turned to talk to me. "No! Amy, no! You can't! Please!" Victoria looked terrified. "Sorry, Mom. You have had two months to tell him, in any way you wanted. You refused to do it. Well, you've lost your chance now. I will not let you two piss away one of the finest marriages and relationships I have ever seen. I will leave first. I will not watch it. You will not turn me into a child of a broken home while I watch. But before I leave, I think it's fair that Dad know what this is all about. You have kept silent all this time. Now shut up some more." "Mom was in San Francisco. One of those jobs that is not really computer troubleshooting, but we are supposed to be stupid enough to think it was." She gave me a dirty look that was not hard to interpret. 'When are you going to tell her?' "Somehow, she was overpowered and drugged, probably chloroformed. When she woke up, she was tied up, naked, to a chair in a deserted warehouse. They told her they were going to make her beg to have sex with them. Mom laughed at them, which infuriated them. Apparently the idea was to break her spirit, then make a movie of her being a slut. They wanted to show it to you after they killed her. I guess someone from your old law enforcement days, wanting revenge." She gave me a look, letting me know she knew full well that was not the reason. "It didn't work. They did everything they could to turn her on, but she just laughed at them. She loved you so much, was so faithful to you, that they could not turn her body against herself. How am I doing so far, Mom?" "Fine, so far. Please, Amy, don't go on. Please." Victoria begged in a tiny, frightened voice. Amy ignored her. "They put her out again, Dad. When she came to again, she did exactly what they wanted her to do. She sucked them, she fucked them, and she begged them to fuck her. They untied her and she didn't even try to get away. She did it every way she could think of, and then begged them for more. For hours. They taped every last minute of it. She even got on top and rode them when they wouldn't do her anymore." Amy looked like she hated herself as she looked at Victoria, who was hiding her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. "Why did you do all that, Mom?" Amy asked gently. "Because I'm a slut!" Victoria screamed. "I don't deserve to have Patrick. I betrayed him. I disgust myself, how can he not be disgusted? Oh, God, I want to die!" Amy was quickly by her side, holding her hands. "Mom. Listen to me." She waited patiently for Victoria to calm down. "Listen to me." Victoria looked at her. Let me see if I have this straight. You were a wild girl from about 10 years old to 16 years old, weren't you? Did you have a lot of sex during that period?" She nodded. "Did you ever have group sex, or even date two different guys at the same time?" Victoria shook her head. "Have you ever had sex with anyone but Dad after you married him?" She shook her head violently no. "And when you awoke tied up the first time, did you even so much as get wet or interested when they were assaulting you?" Victoria shook her head again. "Yet, the next time you woke up, you were a total slut - your words, not mine — and couldn't control yourself with men you didn't even know and had every reason to hate. Do you see a pattern here? Do you see anything wrong with this picture?" Amy pulled out a picture and tossed it in Victoria's lap. "What is that a picture of?" Amy asked. She was being very gentle now. The time for shock was over. Victoria looked confused. "Let me tell you. When you were brought home, no one had any idea what was wrong with you. The doctors Dad hired took pictures of about every inch of your body, in case they were needed later to figure out what had happened. That is a picture of your arm. Dad, what is that little spot there, on the inside of her elbow?" "That is a needle track mark, Amy. It is from either drawing blood, or injecting something. From the irritation around the site, it looks like something was injected, certainly within 24 hours or less from when the picture was taken." I sounded very clinical. "Exactly." Amy tossed a piece of paper in my lap, with a word written on it. "Do you know what that is?" "That is a drug. One that has been illegal for years, due to its potent effects." I really didn't like where this was going. "What are the effects of that drug, Dad?" Amy was watching Victoria closely, making sure she understood what was being said. "The sexual desire is increased 10-100 fold. Inhibitions are destroyed. Having sex is the most important thing to the recipient. Any desire or mental capability to resist those heightened sexual desires are destroyed while under the influence of this drug. The pope himself would be begging for sex with this drug. We're not sure, but we think it even affects eunuchs. No one has ever been able to resist its effects." "And the long term side effects?" Amy asked. "Feeling of self loathing. Despair, depression. Sexual aversion. Avoidance of even being touched by members of the opposite sex. Guilt. The feeling that you are a slut. Suicidal thoughts. Destruction of interpersonal relationships. Those are the main ones." I wished I hadn't already killed these bastards, so I could do it much slower this time. "Sound familiar?" Amy asked Victoria. Victoria mouth was open in shock, her hand over it. Her eyes were huge. "Mom. All this time, you were thinking you had betrayed Dad. That you were a slut that didn't deserve to live. You were drugged, Mom, by a drug that no one in the history of medicine has ever been able to resist. That is what you were afraid that Dad could never forgive you for." Amy stood up. "I am going to leave this room now. You two had better talk this out and get it resolved. I am real close to getting irritated about this. When I get irritated, I get pissed off. You really don't want to see me pissed off." Then, finally, Amy started crying. "Please, you two, don't make me be an orphan. Don't make me be the child of divorced parents like so many of my friends. Don't make poor little Katie be without a home again. Don't make us choose between the two of you." She sobbed. "Please don't make me walk out of here tonight, never to return to the home and the parents I love," she said in a tiny little voice. Then she turned and ran out of the room, sobbing. Victoria and I looked at each other in shock. "Who was that person, and what did they do with our Amy?" I quipped, trying to lighten the mood a little. "I don't know, but if that was not irritated and pissed off, I don't think I want to see it." Victoria shuddered at the thought. "I've seen it once or twice. You don't want to." Actually, most of what I had seen was not at the pissed off stage yet. Victoria hesitantly reached over, and took the divorce papers that were lying on the table. She looked at them, and then tore them up. I felt a lump in my throat. "I'm willing to try if you are, if you still want me after everything I have put you through," she said. I could see the fear in her eyes. It was nowhere near the fear in my heart. I knew of no antidote to the side effects of that drug. They were often permanent. I sincerely hoped something had been found in the last few years. Victoria leaned over and hugged me. I could feel the hesitation, the shudder as she touched me. I wondered how long it would take for that to go away. But there was hope. Becky had said she and Katie could help. I would be asking this time. We talked for a while. About an hour later, Amy came back into the room. She took a look at us, holding hands, although nervously on Victoria's part, the torn up divorce papers, and smiled a smile that should have blinded us all. The room actually turned green for a moment. She came over and knelt down before us. "Mom. Dad. Please forgive me. I did not treat you with the respect that you deserve. I will accept gladly any punishment you deem necessary for the way I treated you. I'm sorry." She started crying again. Victoria and I looked at each other and smiled. "Well, I should think so! I would never have believed you would be so rude. Guess this blows your reputation of never saying, or even even knowing bad words!" I answered in mock severity. "I think a very harsh punishment is in order. Do you think this deserves the ultimate, honey?" I asked Victoria. "I certainly do. Amy, for your rudeness, you are confined to the house every day for the next six months... to be released each day only after you have given your father and me three hugs and kisses each!" We waited to see when she would get it. Suddenly, she squealed and leaped into our arms. Immediately Katie and Becky came running in, like little roaches from their holes. Little chickens! We all hugged and kissed. Victoria even managed to give me a hug and a little kiss without flinching. Later that night, we figured out a compromise for sleeping. At least one of the girls would always sleep with Victoria and me, between us. That way we could all snuggle without Victoria getting physically distressed. And yes, that did mean she was moving back in. I knew that somehow we would beat these side effects. Victoria and I had proved once again that we loved each other too much to not overcome obstacles like this. ------- Chapter 24 We decided that Amy would be the one to sleep with us that first night. Victoria and I decided partially because Amy was nervous about the whole situation and we thought it would be fun to mess with her head a little. She knew she had stepped way out of bounds on what she did. It was for a good cause and the results were good, but she was still nervous about it. I would talk to her later about it, but now was not the time. She was convinced that there was still going to be some type of punishment, and, smiling, we let her believe that. It was nice, snuggling up to Amy as she snuggled up to Victoria. It would be nicer next to Victoria, but she needed time, and as long as she was back with us, I would give her that time. Besides, Amy was almost as nice, and a whole lot more wiggly! I was dozing lightly when I felt Victoria get out of bed and heard her go into the bathroom. When she came back, I was surprised that she came to my side of the bed and sat down next to me. I could feel the nervousness and tension emanating off her, so I didn't try to touch her. Finally, after looking at me for a few moments, she reached out hesitantly and touched my arm gently. I felt a shiver run through her and she almost pulled her hand back, but she kept it there. I felt a joy flow through me. Bless her heart; she was trying! That's all I needed. She leaned over and started whispering to me. "You know I love you as much, or more, than I ever have, don't you?" She looked at me with a desperate, pleading look in her eyes. I nodded. "You know this has nothing to do with you, right?" Again, her eyes pleaded for me to understand. I nodded again. I was afraid to touch her, afraid that I would dispel her bravery in touching me. "I know I have no right to ask you anything, the way I have treated you, but would you do me a big favor?" She smiled nervously at me. My heart sank. I envisioned her asking me to sleep in the other room, or something. "You know I would do anything for you, Victoria. Do you want me to go in the other room? I know this will take time, honey. I'm not asking for the moon in one night." I know I tried very hard to keep the sad look off my face, but I probably didn't succeed. I started to sit up, to get out of bed. She looked at me in confusion, then with sadness as she realized I had misunderstood. Out of habit, she put her hand on my chest and pushed me back down in the bed, then jerked her hand away as if it was hot, and looked guilty. "I'm sorry!" She gave a quiet little sob. I wondered if she was sorry because I had misunderstood, or sorry about how she reacted when she touched me. I decided both. This had to be as hard on her as it was on me; she had always been a touchy-feely, sexy type of woman. Poor little thing. As I said that to myself, I realized that was the same expression I used when I felt bad for the girls. I realized that the feelings I had for all of them were quite similar. I didn't have time to decide whether I considered Victoria as one of my girls, or if I considered the girls as on par with my wife, as Victoria started talking again. "No! Please! Stay. I didn't mean that. I'm ok with this setup. We have to start somewhere. I was wondering if... well, if you wouldn't mind... I mean..." She sobbed again in frustration, not knowing how to ask for what she wanted. I realized that Victoria was embarrassed! Now I had seen everything! "It's ok, Katie, just spit it out," I teased her. She swatted me on the arm, crossed her eyes, and stuck her tongue out at me. I guess she decided if I were going to call her Katie, she would act like her. "Would you... make love to Amy while I watch?" she blurted out quickly. "You don't have to," she hurried on. "It's just that, being this way, doesn't remove my... horniness," she giggled. "Please? I would love to watch!" She giggled again. Holy cow! Now there was a fantasy I didn't even know I had! Obviously I did, by the instant hardness of my cock. I couldn't resist teasing her a little. If we couldn't maintain our sense of humor with all this, we were lost anyway. "I don't know. That's a big favor, such a difficult task. Well, I guess if someone has to do it, I will sacrifice myself!" I sighed theatrically. She smacked me on my arm again, harder. Four touches in the last minute. We might as well be making love. Maybe I should fight with her; she didn't seem to worry about hitting me! I reached over and kissed Amy softly on the mouth. She smiled prettily in her sleep. Victoria ran over to her side of the bed, giggling happily, like a little girl on Christmas, worried she was going to miss something. I kissed Amy again, this time teasing her mouth open and sliding my tongue in. At the same time, I slipped my hand down her chest, rubbing her little nipple softly. She whimpered softly, still asleep, and turned over on her back. I rubbed her flat little tummy, and moved down to suck her nipple in my mouth. She whimpered some more. "Oh, Bill, that feels so good! Don't stop!" She panted, apparently still asleep. Then she giggled in her 'sleep'. Little snot. Once I got my heart pumping again, I smacked her little butt. Hard. "Ow! That hurt! Do it again!" She giggled. I watched Victoria as she moved up on the bed, and sat down against the headboard. Then she reached down and pulled Amy up to her. I could see the confusion in Amy's eyes as she tried to figure out what was going on. I saw her eyes open wide as Victoria sat her down between her legs, facing away from her, and then pulled her back to rest against her. "It's ok, honey, I won't hurt you. I just want to hold you and feel your reaction as Daddy makes love to you," Victoria whispered softly. I could see the fear in Amy's eyes, afraid she was being pulled into something she didn't normally care for. Then she relaxed, and I saw the fear replaced by trust. She snuggled up to her Mom, naked, and reached back and kissed her on the cheek. Now there was a sight. Two beautiful females, one woman, one naked girl, that looked almost alike, waiting for me. I ran my hands softly, slowly down Amy's sides, tickling her, watching her wiggle and giggle. That stopped when I touched her nipple again. No giggling now! As I slid one hand down slowly to rub her pussy gently, I sucked a nipple into my mouth. She cried out softly, panting, as her mom held her, her arms around her waist. Amy rested her head against Victoria's shoulder and closed her eyes in pleasure. As I sucked and rubbed, she whimpered. Victoria whispered softly in her ear, and then Amy's eyes opened in surprise as Victoria kissed her neck softly. Then she snuggled closer and closed her eyes again. As I kissed and sucked my way down Amy's stomach, I could feel her belly quivering and trembling. She squealed as I stuck my tongue in her bellybutton, and tried to pull away. She is very ticklish there. Victoria held her tight and laughed at her as I teased her, until she begged me to stop, laughing so hard she could hardly talk. I moved my head down quickly, and without warning sucked her clit right into my mouth, sucking and licking it fast and hard. At the same time, Victoria tilted Amy's head toward her, and kissed her on the mouth, just in time to muffle the ear-splitting scream Amy let out. I kept it up as Amy tried to get away; the sensation was so intense. Victoria held her close, holding her tight against her as she moved her hands up to Amy's chest and started gently rubbing her nipples. I don't think Amy even realized it was Victoria rubbing her nipples. The extra sensation sent Amy ballistic, as her whole body convulsed in ecstasy. She stiffened and froze, screaming soundlessly, and then collapsed in a heap, moaning softly. She pulled her mouth away from Victoria. "Please! Mom, Dad. No more. I can't take any more," she panted. Victoria and I smiled, as we had the same mean thought together. "Sorry, sweetie, this is your punishment for being so bad tonight. We keep it up until you come four times or faint, whichever comes last!" I teased. "Oh, God, no, Mom, Dad, you're going to kill me!" She begged, but her body disagreed, as she spread her legs farther apart. As she begged us to stop, she pulled my head back down to her pussy, and put her other hand on Victoria's neck, pulling her down for another kiss. I was surprised. I knew that Amy didn't care for sex with other girls, but she seemed to like just about anything tonight. I sucked her to another orgasm as she kissed her Mom, then I moved up and placed my cock at the opening of her pussy. Her eyes opened wide as she felt it there, and she pulled her mouth away from her mom again. 'Daddy... I don't know if I can stand anymore," she whimpered. I slowly pushed my cock all the way inside, and held it there, letting her catch her breath. I waited until she started to move her hips, sliding me in and out, and then I started stroking her slowly, coming all the way out, then back in all the way. It was so intense that she started crying. I stroked her cheek and whispered to her, concerned because Amy had never cried during sex before. "Are you ok, honey? Am I hurting you? I can stop," I whispered softly. She threw her arms around my neck and held me close, sobbing into my neck as Victoria continued rubbing her little nipples. "Please! NO! Don't stop. I love you so much, Daddy. I am so in love with you!" She gasped loudly as Victoria moved her hand down and started rubbing Amy's clit slowly. Amy tried to move Victoria's hand away, but she held it there tight, rubbing her gently until Amy let her hand drop weakly to her side. "Oh, God Mom! What are you doing? I love you so much! I never thought I would like that, but it feels so good." That was the last thing she said for a while, as I turned her head and I kissed her this time, and she launched into the most shattering orgasm I had ever seen. I could feel Victoria touching my cock occasionally as she rubbed Amy, and that was enough to send me over too. When Amy passed out, I checked her breathing to make sure she was still alive! I eased her back into her mother's arms and kissed her gently. I looked over at the door and saw two little faces, looking up at us in awe. "I think she liked that," Victoria giggled. She was almost glowing herself. "How about you?" I asked quietly. She looked at me affectionately. "I want you so bad! It doesn't seem so bad when I am holding Amy. I almost didn't freak at all when I was touching your cock." She blushed bright red. I loved her so much! "How long are you going to be here? Katie and Becky think they can help with that." "I have to go tomorrow, but I will come back as soon as I can. I know Amy said that, but what can two teenage girls do? I know Cindi and Amy did some strange things, but..." "These are not ordinary girls, Victoria. They are very special. When you get back, we need to sit down and have a talk about them." "And about you, too?" She asked softly. She looked at me expectantly. I looked at her closely. I guess the time was coming for no more secrets. "And about me, too. As soon as we have you well again. I promise. One thing at a time. You have enough shocks going on in your life, mine can wait awhile." "Ok. But don't wait too long. I'm not stupid, you know. I know the police couldn't have gotten to that warehouse that fast. I know it was not police officers that rescued me. I know a missile when I see it, and I know police officers don't destroy warehouses with Maverick missiles. I know you saved my life somehow, and I am going to properly thank you when I am able." She smiled at me lovingly. Without thinking, I moved my hand and stroked her cheek lovingly. She flinched slightly, but before I could pull my hand away, she snuggled her cheek closer to it, and kissed it quickly. Then she moved away, as if that was too much, and smiled at me. When Amy woke up, we teased her some more. This was getting fun. "Are you ready for round two, sleepyhead?" I asked. She looked at me in alarm. "Please, Daddy. No more. I really couldn't take it. Seriously. I love you more than anything, but I can't take anymore tonight." She was so far gone she had lost her sense of humor; she thought I was serious. I kissed her and told her I was kidding. She turned her head and looked at her Mom, a funny look on her face. Victoria hugged her close. "I'm sorry, Amy. That was a one-time thing. I just wanted to feel your Dad through you. I would never go farther than we did tonight. I just got carried away tonight." She was getting upset, thinking she had upset Amy. "God, I keep hurting the ones I love! Soon you guys are just going to be tired of me and leave me! Please forgive me, Amy!" She sobbed. Amy looked at me in alarm. Drug reaction. We had to expect this occasionally. I motioned to Amy to help her Mom. She turned around and hugged Victoria tight, holding her close. "Mom! It's ok. It was really nice. I loved you holding me. Even the other things. I don't mind so much being touched. It's harder for me to touch another girl. I really enjoyed it, Mom. It's ok, really." Amy kissed her, just to show her it was ok. Victoria sighed, calming down. We settled in for the night, and went to sleep. The next morning I woke up early, to find two pretty, dark haired women, cuddled up close to me. I knew that wouldn't last, as soon as Victoria woke up. I took advantage of the time I had, kissing her forehead and stroking her hair, cuddling with her. After I had snuggled with her for a while, I pretended to be asleep, to avoid her being upset when she awoke up against me. A little while later, Victoria woke up. I was laying with my eyes open just a slit, watching. I saw the look of almost terror on her face, as she realized she was lying against me. I watched her gulp, then put her arm around me for a second, kissing my cheek. Then she was out of the bed like a shot. I looked over at Amy and realized she was awake. She grinned real big at her Mom's actions, but I could see the sadness in her eyes too. Before she left that day, Victoria talked to me at length. She wanted to fly Amy out to San Diego with her for the weekend. Monday was Amy's birthday, so she figured she could have her Friday and Saturday, and then fly her back Sunday so I could have her Monday for her actual birthday. I was a little hesitant, as I was not all that sure how safe it would be, but I didn't want to upset Victoria, as fragile as she was right now. We talked about sitting down with Katie and Becky when she got back, to see what they could do to help. She promised that we would do that as soon as she got back. Then I asked her about what scared me the most. "Victoria, please promise me something. The drugs are still affecting you. Please promise me that if you feel very bad, depressed, and suicidal, that you will call me before you do anything. I don't know what I would do if I lost you." I was worried about her state of mind. "I promise, sweetheart," she assured me. That was the first time she had called me sweetheart in a while. "I love you and the girls and I am not going to do something stupid." "I know you won't want to, honey, but it can sneak up on you before you know it. Call me every day, or even if you just start to feel bad. Don't wait until you feel you can't handle it, because by then you really can't." She left mid morning. She held my hand briefly before she left. As soon as she was gone, I contacted Captain Jensen. I wanted double coverage on her, and when Amy left for San Diego, I didn't want either of them to take two steps without being covered. I authorized him to pull out all the stops and cover the city so heavily that no one could breathe without me knowing all about it. I wanted 30-second response from anywhere. Nothing was going to happen to my girls. That evening, Katie, Amy, Becky and I sat down to dinner together. Megan also joined us, as Samantha was working late. We discussed how we could help Victoria. Katie took over the conversation. The others apparently looked at her as the expert. "We can readjust her mind, and get rid of most if not all of the drug effects. There is a problem, however." She looked at me. "Most of our power and abilities stem from love and intense emotions in general, and sex and orgasms in particular. That's a problem with Mom, because she won't let you near enough and can't relax enough to let that happen. We are still trying to find a way around that." Katie was looking a little worried. "I think I know of a way," Amy said. "But it will take absolute trust by her towards Katie and me for it to work, and absolute love and sacrifice on out part." Katie looked interested. "How?" "Well, remember Daddy, last night how she got into the... fun we had?" Amy giggled, embarrassed as the others teased her. "Well, if she has to have an orgasm for us to help her, and she can't let dad or any man touch her, and doing herself won't work, it seems to me there is one option left to do it." Amy giggled nervously. Katie's eyes and mouth both opened wide as she realized what Amy was suggesting. Of course, with my dirty mind, I had already thought of this. Sometimes I beat the little genius. "Can you two do that? I know you don't like it. Will it work?" I was skeptical. "Daddy," Katie explained, "we don't really get into sex with other females. But it's not as if it grosses us out or makes us sick, or anything. Ok, it's a little EWWWW, but if it will help Mom, we can surely do it. Ands it's ok sometimes, just not very often. You will have to be there, though, because when she reaches the right point, you have to take over." Such dreadful duty! Megan was looking at us all as if we were crazy. She was especially looking at me, smiling every time I looked her way. I think she was getting turned on! Katie and Becky were going to the mall, to go shopping with Rebecca and her mother. Amy and Megan decided to stay home. I wondered what was going on; my little girls never passed up the opportunity to go shopping. We sat on the couch and watched a movie, the three of us cuddling up together. As the three of us cuddled and horsed around, Amy leaned over and kissed me, then looked guilty. Ah! Now I knew what was going on. We were pretending it was the other night when this happened the first time. "Amy!" I hissed, playing along with the game. Then Megan turned my head around to her and kissed me, and slid my hand into her panties again. Except, this time she had no panties on. I lifted her up and set her down on my lap, facing me. She put her arms around my neck and kissed me. Amy helped her unbutton my shirt, as I slipped Megan's shirt over her head. She snuggled up to me, her pretty little breasts against mine, rubbing them gently together. Megan got off as she and Amy slipped my shorts off. Then she hopped back up on my lap, and kissed me again. She had tears in her eyes. "Please? This time, please? Don't make me wait any longer." She ran her hands down my chest and kissed my nipples. I lifted her up, and set her down on my cock. I guided it up slowly, right up into her, until I was all the way inside. There was no resistance. I looked at her in surprise. "You've done this before!" She nodded her head. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. I just hadn't considered that she and her dad had gone as far as intercourse. As she started to ride me slowly, eyes closed, I softly rubbed her clit. She whimpered softly. Then I felt Amy's hot little tongue licking my balls. I almost lost it right there. Megan rode me, nice and slow. She resisted any effort by me to speed up. Amy alternated between licking my balls and rubbing them slowly. Finally, I held Megan tight as I came inside her. She had already come twice. She looked up at me and smiled beautifully. She looked so happy. "I love you, Daddy," she whispered. After she relaxed, she got off my lap and Amy got on. Megan pushed me down on the couch, and lowered herself down on my face as Amy rode me. After we all came, we lay on the couch together, Amy on top of me and Megan next to me. We were dozing when we heard someone clear their throat and then heard giggles. Katie and Becky were standing there watching, as they took their clothes off. We all went into the bed together. All four of them made sure I had no problems getting to sleep that night. First, they teased me endlessly, though. One would suck my cock, while another licked my balls, the third sat on my face and the fourth would lick my nipples. They kept trading off and wouldn't let me come for quite awhile, giggling all the while at my desperation. Finally, they let me come and we all lie together in a pile to go to sleep. The next evening we all ate together again, including Megan. I had noticed that Amy seemed somewhat antsy, but I just figured it was teenage jitters about something. Finally, Megan noticed too. "Amy, what's wrong? You seem really nervous," she said softly. Megan always talked softly. She was one of the quietest, most soft-spoken girls I knew. Amy looked embarrassed that she had been found out about such a little thing. "I just miss my workouts. The girl I spar with has been out of town, and I just need to practice and get rid of some energy. It's no big deal." "I could help you," Megan offered. Amy smiled sweetly. "Thanks, Megan, but I've been doing this for a long time. My friend is pretty advanced." Amy was trying to be nice. I was worried that Megan would get hurt. I knew what Amy could do, and though I knew she wouldn't try to hurt her friend, still, accidents could happen. "Well, you could teach me. Once I learn, I could help you then. I'm sure you would go easy on me." Megan smiled at her gently. Amy could think of no nice way to get out of it, and she really did want to practice. We all went down into the basement where we had a little training area set up for Victoria to work out in. They changed into shorts and a tee shirt, and met together in the middle of the room. Katie, Becky and I were there out of fear for Megan, to help her if things went wrong. And, in the case of Katie and Becky, to see what Amy could really do. "Now, you just try to hit or kick me and do as much as you can. You won't hurt me, and I promise I won't hurt you," Amy assured her. Megan looked a little nervous, as if she almost regretted this. Amy surrounded the walls in the area with her green shield, protecting them if they hit the walls. "That's really pretty!" Megan exclaimed. "How did you do that?" She was fascinated by the color. Amy smiled indulgently. They smiled at each other, and Amy said go. Suddenly, Amy moved in her customary fast motion, almost blurred. She executed a perfect, incredibly fast spin kick at Megan, planning to pull it at the last moment. However, Megan was no longer there. Moving at least as fast as Amy, she had moved off to the side, grabbed Amy's foot, pushed it straight up as she swept her leg into Amy's other leg, knocking her off balance. Then, so fast it was hard to see, she grabbed Amy's arm, spun about, lifted her off the ground slightly, and flung her into the nearest wall. Everyone stood perfectly still, eyes open wide in amazement, as Amy slammed into the protective shield, and slid down to the floor. You could have heard a pin drop. No one moved as Amy lay on the floor, eyes closed, and her whole body shaking. I reacted first, running over to see if she was ok. "Oh my God! Amy, are you ok? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" No one had ever heard Megan talk so loud. She had tears in her huge eyes as she ran over with me. When we got to Amy, we found out why she was shaking all over. Amy was laughing! She was lying on the floor, eyes closed, laughing her ass off so hard she couldn't get up. She had tears coming out of her eyes, she was laughing so hard. We helped her up and she leaned against the wall weakly, trying to get control of herself. "Whoa, girl! Where did you learn that? That was really good!" She looked at me, still giggling. "I just got my butt kicked by one of the sweetest, quietest, meekest girls I have ever known! How did that happen?" She was still laughing. I was glad she was taking it so well. I was freaked out. Hardly anyone had ever even touched Amy before, much less knocked her on her ass. "I... don't know!" Megan answered. "It just happened. It just seemed like the right thing to do. Did I do wrong?" She seemed upset and as stunned as we were. "Oh, no, Megan, that was totally right. Let's try this again. And Megan... this time I'm going to try a little harder. This is really gonna be fun!" Amy giggled. Megan grinned nervously. They squared off again. This time, Amy moved in and threw an open hand chop at Megan's neck. I cringed. The last time I had seen that move, it was not pretty. Megan moved her hand in a blur, grabbed Amy's hand, twisted her body while putting her other hand on her shoulder, and flipped Amy over her back. As Amy went over, she grabbed Megan's hand in return, held on tight, and twisted her body in the air. As she came down on her back, Amy pulled her feet up, pushing them into Megan's stomach, and while pushing, yanked her arm and flipped her right over her and flat on the floor. Still holding onto each other's hands, they jumped up, and each chopped the other hand at each other. As they arrived at the same place at the same time with their hands, they grabbed each other's hands. They were standing facing each other, each holding onto each other's hands. They stared at each other for a minute, then they both let go and collapsed onto the floor, giggling hysterically. Katie, Becky and I just stood there, stunned. Then they faced off again. This time, Amy reversed what Megan had pulled on her, but as she threw her towards the wall, Megan twisted in mid air, hit the wall with her feet, and sprang back out again, doing a somersault and landing on her feet in front of Amy. Amy looked stunned, then grabbed her and hugged her, both of them laughing. And so it went. They kept it up for half an hour. At the end of that time, it was a dead draw. Amy had slammed Megan into the wall four times; Megan had slammed Amy three times. However, Megan had flung Amy to the floor five times, to Amy's four. What was really disgusting is that, at the end of the half hour, neither one was even breathing hard. Amy was laughing almost continuously. It didn't hurt her concentration any. Megan was smiling slightly, eyes almost closed, moving almost effortlessly. I finally stopped it because I was tired! I called both of them over to me as I sat on the couch. I pulled Megan onto my lap, and Amy snuggled up to my side. "You want to tell me what that was all about, sweetheart?" I asked Megan gently. Her eyes immediately filled with tears. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it! It just happened. Please don't be mad at me! I'm sorry Amy!" She hid her face in my chest. "It's ok, sweetie. We just didn't know you could do that. It surprised us, is all. You didn't hurt Amy. Look, she's still laughing!" And she was. I had not seen Amy this ecstatic in a long time. I guess it made her feel good that she wasn't alone in the world. "You're surprised?!? I didn't know I could do that either! What's going on?" She whispered. For the next hour, we filled Megan in on our family. She seemed a little relieved that she was not a freak, or at least, she was in good company. I had an idea by the look in her eye that she knew a little more than she was letting on, maybe about herself. It quickly became apparent that I was right. As she sat on my lap, she bit her lower lip. This was a sure sign to me with the girls that she was considering telling me something. "Daddy, Victoria is going to be home Wednesday." She said it as a fact. I knew she was coming home sometime this week, before the weekend. "I don't know, honey. She will be back sometime before the weekend." "She will be home on Wednesday, Daddy. She will have to go out Thursday night, and she will be in trouble. You must stop her from going out, or be prepared to protect her, Daddy." Megan looked very serious, and very concerned. She also looked scared as she glanced at all of us. Amy, Becky and Katie looked at her with eyes as big as saucers. I was stunned. "How can you know that, Megan?" I asked. "I... sometimes... can see things that are going to happen. Not all the time. But when I do see them, they are real." She looked at us in panic, tears in her eyes. "Please, don't tell anyone! I've been through this before. I swore I would never do it again. It gets really nasty. But I had to help her." She was crying now. Amy and Becky looked scared. Katie looked at Megan closely. "Who are you?" Katie tilted her head to the side and looked closely at Megan. Katie's face turned white. "Who are you?" She repeated. "There is only one person I know of that can do that." Katie looked at her almost in awe. The other two backed away. Katie looked at Megan again, in that way that I have always assumed was communication. "No. There must be more than one, because I am not that person," Megan said. "At least, I don't think I am. Please don't hate me! I couldn't let Victoria get into trouble!" She was crying again. I hugged her to me and told her it was ok. "We don't hate you. Just the opposite. This power you have is only active in a very few, special people." Katie looked very uncomfortable. "I hate to ask this of someone as important as you, but can we look... inside you? The appearance of someone such as you that is not the one we know could be critical." "I am not important! Stop treating me like that. I'm a teenage girl. I'm your friend!" Megan was not happy. "You can look inside me, or whatever you call it, if it will help you treat me like your friend again." Katie, Amy and Becky came up to her and they all held hands. They tilted their heads to the side and concentrated. Then they let go of her hands, smiled and hugged her. "You are indeed our friend!" They dropped the whole subject and became giggly teenage girls again. Later that evening, I had the opportunity of being alone with Katie. I asked her what they had found out about Megan. It seemed they dropped it awfully fast. "She's a very special girl, Daddy. You must protect her at all costs. If anything happens to her, Cindi's death will have been in vain." She would tell me no more. Victoria came home Wednesday, as predicted. She arrived mid-morning. She seemed surprised that we were expecting her. Once she was home, she had to take care of the important things. She and the girls had to go shopping. Clothes for Amy for San Diego, or at least that was a good excuse. That night, Amy, Katie and I sat down with Victoria to talk about helping her with her problem. Victoria wanted to know how two teenage girls, albeit very gifted, could help when modern medicine couldn't. I think she already knew, after the experience in the hospital with Amy and Cindi, but she wanted to see what was said and what new she could learn. I was delighted that the girls told her everything I knew. Which, I was sure, wasn't everything. "So, you can cure me of the side effects of the drug?" Victoria asked. She seemed to be trying to keep her excitement down, in case she was disappointed. "How would you do that?" "It would be similar to what Amy did for Daddy when he was unconscious, with a little change," Katie answered. "The thing is, Mom, that you have to trust us absolutely in everything we do and ask you to do. We will not hurt you. But you must be absolutely willing. Any mistrust on your part and it may not work, and we may not have another chance. Can you do that with two bratty teenagers?" Katie giggled, teasing her to try to lighten the mood. "With what you have told me, and Patrick's endorsement, which means a lot, yes I think I can. I know I want to get rid of this stuff." Victoria smiled and squeezed Katie's hand. "Be absolutely sure, Mom. If it fails due to lack of trust, the end result could be worse," Katie said. She didn't look very worried, though. 'Wait a minute, ' I asked them in their minds. 'You never said anything about getting worse on failure, ' I protested. 'I'm sorry, daddy, but we cannot do anything about the suicidal tendencies this way. We have to find another way for that. However, it is better to do what we can, before this gets worse. If we fail, the suicidal tendencies could get worse. But we will not fail as long as she trusts us.' I could feel the orange tendrils soothing me. Apparently, Becky was listening, wherever she was. "You say an adaptation of what Amy did with Patrick. What would be the change?" Victoria asked softly. I could see in her eyes she already knew. "Well..." Katie looked uncomfortable. "Since you can't let Patrick touch you, we will have to provide the... conditioning, shall we say, that Amy provided for Patrick. Can you do that?" "Yes, I can," Victoria stated emphatically. 'I can do anything to fix this. Besides, you two are really, really cute!" She laughed. "I've always wondered what you would be like in bed," she teased. At least, I think she was teasing. Katie and Amy blushed. "Got'cha!" Victoria teased. We went into the bedroom. I was not sure where Becky was, but I could feel her, and she was close. Victoria stood near the bed, looking uncertain. "What do I do first? How do we start this?" She seemed excited and anxious to go, just uncertain about how to proceed. "Leave it to us. We do everything unless we ask you to do something. You can close your eyes if you wish. We can also give you some Valium or something if you want it. There may be times when we may need interaction with Daddy. He will not touch you, but only us. Can you deal with that?" Katie was trying to reassure her. Amy hugged her Mom close and whispered in her ear. Victoria calmed down completely after that. "It' ok. I don't need the drugs. Do your thing, girls!" She closed her eyes. "Mom, Dad, do you love us?" Katie asked solemnly. Victoria and I looked at each other. We had figured out by now that this was a necessary part of activating their powers, like opening the door. It was a formal ceremony that they had to go through each time. We knew what to do by now. We answered together. "We love you both, completely." "Mom, Dad, do you trust us?" Amy asked formally. "We trust you more than we do ourselves," Victoria and I answered together. I was not sure how we knew to answer the same thing together each time. Amy put her arms around her Mom's neck and kissed her gently on the lips. Victoria kissed her back, and blushed. Amy kissed her neck softly, lingering in each place for a few seconds. As she was doing that, Katie began unbuttoning Victoria's blouse. I was surprised to hear Victoria whimper softly and tremble all over. Maybe this would not be so bad after all. After they took her blouse off, Katie started to unbutton Victoria's skirt, while Amy continued to kiss her neck and started to rub her nipples. Victoria sighed and kissed the top of Amy's head. Amy smiled and stroked her hair softly. Victoria moaned and leaned her head against Amy's head. Once they had her completely undressed, they addressed her again. "Mom. Take our clothes off. Please." Amy asked solemnly. I wished I knew what was going on in Victoria's head, so I would know how it was going. Suddenly, I was seeing into a bright blue-green place, with a very black spot in the corner, and a few orange tendrils. 'Is that better?' Becky asked. I love that girl! Thank you! Victoria began to take Katie's clothes off. She slowly, sensuously unbuttoned her blouse, kissing her skin and touching her as she proceeded. Apparently she decided if she was going to do this, she was going to do it right. Then I looked closely at what was going on in her mind. She was fantasizing about undressing me as she undressed Katie! Bless her little heart! I asked Becky in my mind if she were allowed to do that and still have it work. Becky answered that there were no rules on what she could think about, just that she be willing and not resist. Once she had Katie's clothes off, she kissed her. Katie's eyes opened wide, and she kissed her back, stroking her hair. Then, Victoria moved over to undress Amy. Victoria's thoughts as she undressed Amy were different. She was fantasizing about preparing her little girl for the prom, undressing her to put on her special dress. She kissed and touched her body as she did Katie, softly, as a mother would touch a little baby, or her little girl. It was so touching I felt like crying. I felt the love of LOP in my mind, wishing she had had that growing up. I soothed Becky this time, shocking her that I could do that. I felt the smile and thanks in my mind. Once they were all naked, the girls helped Victoria lie down on the bed. They lie down one on each side of her, alternating kissing her and stroking her body. They slowly raised her excitement level, avoiding any areas for the moment that might cause her stress. They proceeded to give her a whole body massage, relaxing her and turning her on at the same time. Finally, Katie moved up and sucked Victoria's nipple into her mouth softly, gently sucking and licking it. Victoria whimpered softly and rubbed her back. I saw a brief flash in Victoria's mind of Katie sucking her nipple, and then the fantasy shifted over again to me. I was getting excited just seeing in her mind what she wanted to do with me. When she was thoroughly aroused, Amy reached down and slowly, gently began rubbing her pussy and clit. Victoria cried out softly and spread her legs, giving her more room. Amy inserted a finger inside her Mom. I saw the fantasy in Victoria's mind now involved Amy and me together with her. Apparently, Victoria had some fantasies we had never talked about! Then Amy and Katie switched places. I could detect some disappointment in Victoria's mind, but that quickly disappeared when Katie started sucking her clit. I could feel the fantasy again, that I was sucking her off. Then I noticed another part that really surprised me; the fantasy also involved Victoria sucking Amy. Soon, Victoria pulled Amy up to her mouth to kiss her, and I saw her whisper in Amy's ear. Amy turned bright red, gulped, and then slowly nodded yes. Victoria helped Amy get into place over her head then pulled her down on top of her. I watched Amy's eyes open wide, then shut in total pleasure as Victoria began to suck and lick her. All three of them were getting really excited. Then Becky spoke to me in her mind. 'Take your clothes off. You will be needed soon.' I removed them quickly. I didn't need any other preparation; I was so excited by what was happening. I saw Amy and Victoria start to come at the same time. Katie quickly motioned to me. "Now! Go inside her. She must have the orgasm with you inside. Hurry!" Katie moved up to suck on Victoria's nipples, while I quickly entered Victoria. I felt her pussy clamp down on me immediately as she soared into never-never land. I saw orange tendrils shoot into Katie, and she immediately exploded into an orgasm, for no apparent reason. Amy followed closely behind us in her orgasm. Then I felt Becky come too as our senses overpowered her. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the bed with just Victoria and me. She was cuddled close to me, rubbing my body all over, kissing me passionately everywhere she could reach. When she noticed I was awake, she kissed me on the lips, melting into me. I can't remember ever having such a passionate kiss. I think we both had small orgasms just from the kiss. "I guess it worked, huh?" I asked. "Oh, yeah! I hope you don't plan on sleeping much for the next week!" Victoria warned me as she assaulted my body again. Poor me! We did get some sleep that night. I had talked to Captain Jensen earlier about what to do about Thursday evening. Megan was able to tell us where the problem would occur. It was in a sparsely populated city park in a rough neighborhood. We had come up with a plan that was suitable to all of us. Too bad Victoria was not going to like it. She was going to be mightily pissed off, but I was not taking chances with her again. It would involve leaving her at home, involuntarily (thank you, Demerol!) and Amy taking her place. Becky and Katie thought there was a chance they could fix it so she would not remember what we had done. When everything was in place, we headed for the park, Amy, Megan and I. Once Amy and Megan knew what Megan could do, there was no chance that she was going to be left behind, as I wanted. I made Amy and her promise that they would always stick together. It was a simple plan. The entire park was surrounded by '24' personnel. Extraction teams were ready to take the bad guys out of the park as soon as they were down. We were taking these alive. Amy walked through the park, chatting and giggling with Megan. Soon, a man appeared and approached her. He asked what Megan was doing there. "She's my cover stupid! Don't blow it!" 'Victoria' hissed at him. He immediately started to draw his gun. As soon as it came out of his jacket, Amy kicked it out of his hand while Megan kicked him in the head. As he went down, Amy slapped a chloroform cloth on his face and Megan attached a location transmitter to his body. After a suitable time, Amy removed the cloth, they high fived each other, giggling, and moved on. Amy told me in my mind that the first one was down. I notified Captain Jensen and he sent the teams in to extract them. They did this five times. The fifth time there were two of them and Megan, being inexperienced, was hurried a little in her support of Amy. That one didn't survive. I never told Megan that; I didn't want her feeling guilty about killing him. Captain Jensen took them all to a safe house to interrogate. I did not let Amy go this time. I had seen her soft, pretty girl touch! We would only use that if we had to. When we got home, Victoria was partially awake, but groggy. "Oh! I fell asleep. I had an appointment. I have to go." She was struggling to get out of bed, but she wasn't trying very hard, as I was kissing her. "It's ok. Robert called and cancelled your meeting. He will call you later." "Which Robert? Oh, who the hell cares! There are so many of them," she giggled. I carried her into bed, took her clothes off, and lie down next to her. We had only been hugging a few minutes when Amy and Megan crawled in with us. Amy kissed me and whispered in my ear. "I am soooo horny! Action always does that to me. Megan is too, although she doesn't know why. I know you guys are just together again, but could we crash the party tonight? Please?" I love it when Amy begs. Especially about sex. Victoria was surprised to see Megan there. She pulled her over and gave her a little kiss. "Hello, pretty one! I haven't seen you in this bed yet. What's your name, honey?" Victoria smiled at her, trying to reassure her. Megan turned bright red and turned shy, getting tongue tied, so I introduced them. Within minutes, she and Victoria were talking like old friends. It kept Megan from seeing me kissing Amy's brains out. "Have you met my husband yet, sweetie?" Victoria asked, just making conversation. She knew who Megan was and that we had met. She even knew how thoroughly we had met! "He's my Daddy!" Megan proclaimed proudly. "I love him!" She smiled beautifully. She is such a sweetheart. "But, have you really met him yet?" Victoria asked, with a twinkle in her eye. Then she reached over and took Megan's hand, laying it on my hard cock, holding it there as she moved it up and down. Megan turned bright red and her eyes and mouth opened wide in shock. Victoria kissed her softly. "It's ok, sweetheart." "Oh, God, I can't do this! I am sooo embarrassed!" Megan whimpered. Victoria took my hand and laid it on Megan's hot, wet little pussy. Megan forgot about being embarrassed. I took care of both of the girls most of the night. We discovered that Megan, once she was comfortable, had a hair trigger for orgasms and was multi-orgasmic. She had a really good time. Other than a few special looks and a couple of kisses, Amy and Victoria did not return to their ardor of a few days ago. After Megan and Amy left, I took care of Victoria. That took more doing; she was still trying to recover for lost time. Not that I was complaining. Captain Jensen called early the next morning. He had not slept last night either, presumably for a different reason. He asked me to come see him. No one else was up, so I left. When we met, he got right to the point. "I know who murdered Cindi, and tried to murder Amy. The same people took Victoria in San Francisco. Here is the name," he said as he passed me a sheet of paper. I was elated by the news. Then I looked at the piece of paper. I don't think I have ever been so pissed in all my life. I went home and went into my office, closing the door. I called a number on a card I had been given months ago. "I want a meeting at the usual place in half an hour," I curtly told the voice that answered. There was a pause. "I don't know if I can get a meeting that soon," the voice answered. Wrong day to fuck with me; I was pissed. "Tell him to be there or the next meeting he will have with me will be at the wrong end of a gun just before I blow up his fucking building!" I snarled and hung up. I had no doubts he would be there. When I went into the kitchen, everyone was up. Amy and Victoria were excitedly talking about their flight in a few hours. Becky and Megan were staying at Rebecca's house for the weekend. Katie was staying with me. I thought the arrangements were a little odd, but everyone just smiled at me as if they knew something I didn't. They usually did. I told them I had to go out for a while. They all kissed me goodbye. I told Amy and Victoria I would be back before they left. I was deliberately late getting to the bar. I wanted him to sweat. When I walked in, the original Robert was sitting in the back. I sat down and looked at him for a few minutes. "Why is your organization trying to kill my wife and children?" I finally asked. He looked startled. I am good at reading expressions and could tell he was serious. Of course, my questions irritated him a little. "We're not. Where did you get a crazy idea like that? Not that it is any of your business, as we don't discuss internal business with outsiders." He sounded cautious. I flipped a card out on the table. It said '24' and a telephone number. He nodded slightly. "You can talk here, or in several other venues that I guarantee will be less desirable." I was acting calmer now, that I was sure he was not involved. "Ok. What is this about trying to kill your family?" I explained everything to him about Cindi, Amy, Victoria twice. He was shocked. The pain was easy to see in his eyes. No sense in pounding on this one; he was one of the good guys. "I figured San Francisco was '24'. Nobody else could pull that off. I didn't know why. What makes you think we were involved in any of this?" He was confused. I laid a piece of paper on the table with six names on it. "Unless I am terrible mistaken, these are all operatives of yours. They are all in my custody, except one who is dead, after they tried to kill my wife again last night. Someone is lying to you and withholding information from you and you best find out who," I cautioned him. I laid another piece of paper on the table. "They also gave me this name of who they worked for." Finally, I got a reaction out of him. His eyes opened wide for a second, and his face paled a little. For a professional like him, that was like screaming. "We will check this out. If it is true, we will deal with it." Ah, the professional was back. "No. You check it out all you want. I will deal with it. Stay out of the way if you don't want to get hurt." "I cannot authorize that. My boss will not allow that." He was really disturbed now. I flipped another paper with another name on it on the table. "That is the name of the leader of your organization. He has my personal cell phone number. Tell him to call me. I know him well; I do not believe he is involved in this. I am sure he will authorize anything I want. Unless, of course, he is involved," I threatened darkly. It was a safe bet. I already knew he was not. "Someone will get back to you on this." I'm sure they would. It was a question of whether it would be with a telephone or a gun. I got back home in time to see Amy and Victoria off. They each gave me very long, passionate kisses, as the rest of the girls applauded, whistled and giggled. We ignored them. Megan and Becky left for Rebecca's house at the same time. The car was barely out of the driveway when Katie grabbed my hand and dragged me into the bedroom. ------- Chapter 25 Katie threw her arms around my neck as soon as we got into the bedroom and gave me a smoldering kiss. Wow! That girl was always a great kisser, but today she seemed to be into it in a special manner. Then she began to take my clothes off in a hurry. She did take the time to rub and kiss me everywhere as she removed my clothes, but she obviously had something specific in mind, and it apparently just wasn't going to happen with my clothes on. After I was naked, she quickly stripped herself, pushed me back on the bed and took my cock all the way into her mouth in one gulp. She then proceeded to suck and lick me with abandon, bringing me to the point of orgasm in a very short time. This was something new for Katie. She was usually very romantic and loved to go slow. It was an interesting changeup, certainly not unpleasant. After she made me explode, she stayed on top of me, rubbing and kissing. It wasn't long before I was hard again, and she straddled me, riding me hard until I exploded again deep inside her. As she lay next to me, she continued to rub and kiss, trying to get me hard again. I finally grabbed her hand, held it, and kissed her. "Whoa, slow down, Little One! From the knowing smiles everyone was sporting, I imagine we have all weekend. We don't have to do it all in one hour. Why the hurry?" Not that I was really complaining. Sex with Katie was always an adventure, one I would take anyway I could. She looked at me with big, intense eyes, an expression in them I couldn't quite read. "I just wanted you to know how much I love you. I want this weekend to be all about you, nothing except your pleasure. We all love you a lot, Daddy!" She seemed to think she really needed to get that message across. "Sweetheart, I know that. You-all let me know that every day. What's got you spooked, Little One?" Something was going on. She didn't seem upset or worried, but still, something was on her mind. "I... just have never had you all alone for a long time before. I want to get to know you and you to get to know me. I've dreamed about having you all to myself for a long time. Now I have it and I just want you to enjoy it so you won't forget it... or me." She seemed sad but happy at the same time, if that makes any sense. She wasn't telling me the whole truth. I could see it and sense it. Why would she think I would ever forget her? I also knew instinctively that I was not going to get any more information out of her. Katie was the leader of these girls; it was apparent that they all looked to her for guidance. I had a feeling something was going to happen soon and only she knew it. I wondered if Megan had seen it yet. I felt it would involve my Katie. A shiver ran through me. Don't leave me, Little One! I just held her close, smelling her clean hair, the smell of apples or whatever her shampoo was. She was also wearing just a tiny bit of perfume, I realized! Katie never did that. This was special. I also enjoyed just her clean, fresh, young teenage smell. Didn't have anything to do with sex. Just a fresh, special smell that young girls have. Hard to define, but there, and special. And Katie's was always different from the others. I hugged her tight. She started to talk. We talked for hours. Katie told me all about her life. I tried to stop her at times, especially when she went into detail about her repeated rapes. For some reason it was important to her that I know it all, every detail. I gritted my teeth and listened. She was such a special little girl; if it was important to her, then I could take it to make her feel better. She covered every part of her life. I could just feel the loneliness, the wish to be loved, the desire to have a family, the desperation. I could feel something else, too. "Katie... I don't know how to ask this. Considering the way they wiped the memories of everyone when they left the camps... is it possible that your memories of your home life, with your family, are not real; that they are fabricated? If they can wipe memories, can they create memories too? That your parents were not as bad as you remember? Since the whole death of Becky after the rape scene was a setup, did any of it really happen?" I thought I could detect an underlying, deeply buried love Katie had for her parents, and it just didn't seem that would be there if they were so terrible long term like she remembered. I saw a surprised look on her face, and then she seemed to think about it for quite awhile. "I suppose it is possible. I never thought of that before. Although I am not sure how they would do that with me, since my mind does not get wiped. How could they manipulate me like that?" She was pensive. "Can your mind not be wiped? Or do they choose not to wipe it? Is there a reason they want you to remember everything?" I asked. Now she really looked shocked. That question had shaken her world. She clung to me as I kissed her, trying to comfort her for the thoughts I had introduced that had affected her in a way I hadn't expected. I started kissing her, stroking her body, turning her on, getting her mind off unpleasant thoughts. When I started licking her, she forgot all about unpleasant thoughts. It is hard to think unpleasant or disturbing thoughts when you can't think! I just love the noises she makes when she has an orgasm. The way her mind just shuts down, and she becomes almost comatose. Then the way her eyes snap open, and she wakes suddenly from the dead as I enter her. Her eyes get real big and almost... startled, as she can't believe I am taking her to even new heights. I vary the speed and depth of my penetration of her, keeping her from settling into a rhythm, keeping her off balance. She gets an almost wild look in her eyes as her mind tries to handle all the varied stimulation. Finally, she just wraps her arms and legs around me, holds me tight, closes her eyes, and when we are alone and not trying to be quiet, screams her brains out as her whole body and mind shuts down and she pretty much passes out. Then I roll over and let her rest on top of me as I keep slowly stroking in and out of her, finally coming myself while she is out. She has told me she just loves to feel me come inside her when she is pretty much out of it and can't move. It makes her have another, silent orgasm where she can't make any noise or move. She says that is the most intense feeling in the world. I am glad to do it for her. We spent the whole weekend together, just Katie and me, cuddling, talking, and making love. She seemed so happy she almost glowed. Late Friday evening, Victoria and Amy called. They were both bubbling over, having such a great time. Amy especially wanted to know how Katie and I were getting along. She couldn't even get the question out without giggling. Little imp. Did everyone know about Katie's and my special weekend except me? Victoria told me how much she missed me. We kind of got misty eyed and told each other what we would do when she got home. Katie and Amy talked for a while. It seemed to consist mainly of giggling and blushing. Later, after Victoria and Katie were asleep, Amy called me on my cell phone as I was downstairs watching TV, getting away for a while from the non-stop sex machine! We talked for a long time. It sounded like she was getting herself off over the phone, so I talked dirty to her for a while until I heard a contented little sigh. "How was it, sweetie?" I teased. I wondered if it was her first experience with phone sex. "Yes! It was my first time with phone sex. It was nice, but not as good as being there," she pouted. Nosey little mind reader. "I am not!" "Well, honey, you get me anytime. You have to take your Mom whenever you get the chance," I consoled her. "Hmm. Take my Mom. What a good idea. Maybe I should go wake her up and we can practice what we would do to you!" I could hear the laughter in her voice. My heart jumped. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I guess it really was none of my business. "I'm just kidding, Daddy," she said when she heard the silence. "You know I don't get into that. It was fun though, not so much because of the sex, but because of feeling so close to Mommy. Maybe sometime the three of us..." "Hmm. We can think about that. Not sure how your Mom would feel about it." "I better get to bed, and let you get some sleep. I can't tire you out for Katie!" She giggled. "I love you, Daddy, so very, very much!" She was very serious now. That reminded me of something. "Amy, before you go... Katie seems to be... I don't know, almost telling me goodbye this weekend. As if she is afraid she is not going to see me anymore. Is there something going on I should know about?" I held my breath, waiting for an answer. "Nothing you should know about, no. It will be ok, Daddy. We love you." She was being evasive too. "Ok, so you are not reassuring me here, honey. Is there anything you can tell me?" Please don't let me lose someone else! I don't think I could take it. "Daddy... I don't know how to explain. Some things just have to happen. It is all for the good. She does not always know those things, and even when she does, she cannot talk about them. Trust her, Daddy. She won't hurt you, none of us will. Even Cindi's death, Daddy, had to happen. It was for the good." Oh, God! Cindi! I had not thought about her for a while. Now I felt guilty that I had forgotten about her. "Don't feel guilty, Daddy. She understands. She wouldn't want you to feel bad. She loves you. Her death will save us all. She can protect us more in death than she could in life. She knew Katie could take her place." I understood less than before she started talking. "What is Megan's place in all this?" I knew I wouldn't get an answer, but on the other hand, this was more than anyone had ever talked to me about this and I was going to give it a try. "I don't know, Daddy. I know she is very important. Cindi died to protect Megan and me, you and Mommy. I don't know when. We will know it when we see it. Soon, I think." "But how can she protect us if she is dead?" My heart was breaking for poor Cindi. I couldn't stand the thought that she was dead because of me, even in part. Parents were supposed to protect their children. I had not only not done that, but I had killed her too? "Don't go off the deep end again, Daddy!" Amy said sharply. "I did not say you killed her! And she did not choose death; she did not kill herself. She knew, and was comfortable with the fact that, if she died, it would save us. It was not a given. However, if things went a particular way, she knew it might happen. She always thought she couldn't do the big things right. She was glad she could help us. Trust us, Daddy. It will be ok. Someday, you will understand. Especially you. However, it has to happen as it is supposed to happen. There are things we can change, keep from happening, like Victoria in the park or in San Francisco or me in the hospital, but there are other things that have to happen. The sorrow for Cindi will be more than compensated for by the joy of what she has done, or will do, for us. No, I don't know what, and I would not tell you if I did." She seemed to come to a decision. "Dad, do you love me?" Her voice was very solemn. I knew what this was! "Yes, Amy, I love you." "Dad, do you trust me?" She said in a formal voice. "I trust you with my life, sweetheart." I had tears in my eyes. "You are too sweet. Close you eyes, Daddy. Relax. Enjoy. You know we love you." I closed my eyes. I was bathed in blue and green light. Cindi and Amy were with me, in bed. We snuggled together. They took turns taking care of me, repeatedly. They each whispered in my ear how much they loved me. Amy laid a yellow orchid on my chest in the dream. Cindi kissed me sweetly. Then they helped me gently go to sleep, soothing my fears. Sometime in the middle of the night, Katie woke me up, kissing me gently. She was smiling sweetly. 'Did you have some visitors last night?" She asked softly. I looked at her quizzically. She pointed to my chest. There was a yellow orchid lying on my chest. I felt a lump in my throat. "Amy?" Katie asked. I nodded. "She's so sweet. She loves her Daddy." "How did she do that, Katie?" I asked. I didn't understand. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I can't do it." We went back upstairs to bed. I put the orchid in my drawer, next to the red rose from before. The red rose that was still as fresh as the day I found it; it had never wilted. I climbed back into bed, Katie snuggled up to me again and we tried something really new for us. We went to sleep! Victoria called the next day. She was all excited. She had a brilliant idea. "Why don't all of us, or as many as can, go to the cabin next weekend?" There was a cabin way out in some secluded woods that we had the option to use when we wanted. "It would be so much fun! It would be nice to just get away for awhile with everything that is going on." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Besides, I don't want the neighbors to call the cops when I make you scream as I ravish your body. Amy and I have been discussing some fun things to do to you. She is such an imaginative little girl!" She laughed at the way she knew my face turned red. "I would love to go. I have always had this fantasy of chasing naked beautiful women through the woods. Hmmm. I have so many choices. Maybe we should draw straws or something," I teased back. "Oh, you! You had better be nice or we will all ignore you. We females stick together, you know." I was so glad to hear her joking around again. It reminded me again, not that I needed it, just how much I loved her. "One other thing," Victoria said. "Amy has a very special birthday present she has arranged for you to give her. She has talked to me and I approve wholeheartedly. Don't you go ruining her fun. Just go with it. She's really excited about it." Victoria sounded pretty excited herself. I decided I was probably in big trouble. "Isn't it customary for me to pick out my own present to give her? When did these traditions change? How come I never know what is going on around here?" I protested, acting mad. "We just try to keep you from hurting yourself, dear. Besides, this way we get what we want instead of those ties we always give you!" She laughed. She knew that wasn't true. We talked about when Amy would be back. I would pick her up at the airport on Sunday. "By the way, she is planning on having a sleepover with some of her friends Monday night. Did she tell you that?" "Heck no. Since when do you girls ever tell me anything? I'm going to wait until they all show up and then kick them all out because she didn't clear it with me." I was getting good at acting mad. Yeah, right, like I fooled anyone. "Oh, yeah, such a mean man! You're such a fake. Besides, you do that and you are going to be horny for a long, long time!" We were both making threats we couldn't keep! All in fun, of course. By Sunday, I was ready to pick Amy up. I was exhausted. Katie was determined that I was going to get all the love I could ever want that weekend. By the time we got to the airport, I was hardly able to keep my eyes open. Poor me! We met Amy at the gate. She came out, looking stunningly beautiful. She got into the front seat with me while Katie was sitting in the back. I had my head leaning against the headrest, with my eyes closed. Amy looked at me for a minute, after kissing my cheek (we were in public), then looked at Katie accusingly. "What did you do to him? He looks half dead!" She tried to look mad, but ruined it when she giggled. "I showed him that I loved him!" Katie said smugly. "He never looks like that when I love him!" Amy protested. "You never do to him what I did to him!" Katie giggled. "Show me how," Amy begged. "Heck, no! I have to have some advantage over his beautiful daughter!" Katie was gloating. "All right, you two, knock it off. I am not a piece of meat!" I just wanted to sleep. "Yes you are!" They chorused together, laughing. When we got home, we unpacked Amy. Katie decided to go over to Rebecca's with Becky and Megan, to let them know Amy was home, and give us some privacy. We got reacquainted, and then Amy went to her room to sleep. She said she needed a good night's sleep in her own bed. The other girls stayed at Rebecca's house all night. Strange. The next morning I found out why. Katie called me about 6:00 am on my cell phone. I was barely awake. "I called you in sick to work and Amy off school," she announced. "That was nice," I told her sleepily. Katie sighed like I was stupid. I was. "Today is Amy's birthday," she announced. "I know. You-all are having a sleepover tonight. I am going to pick her up at school for lunch and give her the afternoon off; we are going shopping." I was so proud of myself. Katie pricked that bubble fast. "Are you always this stupid?" She asked, irritated. "What?!?" I was not getting it. "Dad, if today is Amy's birthday, then today is also... Cindi's birthday." Oh, shit! How stupid could I be? "Oh, God, I am so stupid! Thanks, Katie." I hung up just as I heard the running little feet in the hallway. "Daaaddy!" Amy wailed, as she catapulted into bed with me, pulling the covers over her head and curling up in a ball. I heard her sobbing uncontrollably. I did the only thing a dumb dad could do, I cuddled with her, stroking her hair and telling her how much I loved her. After a while, she calmed down. I wiped most of the tears away and kissed the rest away. She sighed and snuggled up closer. "I miss her so much, Daddy," she said in a tiny little girl voice. She got to me. Except for that one time when I regained consciousness, I had avoided thinking about Cindi's death. I had not finished grieving. Now, seeing my little girl so heartbroken, I lost it. I started sobbing myself. It was the best thing I could have done. I could not have planned it better. Amy looked up, shocked, and then 'Amy the protector of the lonely and sad' kicked in. "Oh, Daddy! I'm so sorry. I know you loved her too! It's ok, Daddy." She hugged me to her and we cried and sobbed together. After we were done mourning, we snuggled together. Amy stroked me slowly, affectionately. She was not in the mood for anything more, but she wanted me to know it was not because of me, that she still desired me. Just not now, in that way. She just wanted affection. That's all I wanted too. We talked quietly. "You know what I wish most of all?" Amy asked softly, lazily rubbing my chest as she kissed my neck. I looked at her questioningly. "I wish Cindi could have known how wonderful it is to make love to you." I don't know if it was a look on my face or if she picked up my emotions, or if she just plain read my mind, but I heard her breath catch in her throat and her eyes opened wide. She looked deep into my eyes, and then looked at me with a stunned look on her face. "But she did know, didn't she? You made love to Cindi, didn't you? Tell me about it." Busted! I thought she knew. When she wanted me to do Megan the first time, I had slipped and said that Cindi was the only one I had ever done without asking Victoria first. I had wondered at the time why she didn't react to that. I was looking at her face, trying to decide what she thought about it. "You don't really want to talk about that right now, honey. She's gone." "Yes, I do. I want to hear all about it. How did it get started? Were you still doing it at the end? I'm kind of mad at her. How could she not tell me that? How did she hide it?" She was enjoying my discomfort. Finally, she grinned at me. "Don't worry, Daddy, I think it is cool. I'm glad she knew how neat it was. I can't believe she kept secrets from me, though." We talked for quite awhile. I told her everything about Cindi and me. She freaked out a little when I told her about Victoria walking in on us. She gasped and put her hand to her mouth, looking at me with big eyes. Yep, that was kind of my reaction, too. She giggled at Victoria's reaction. We moved on to other subjects. "So, when were you going to tell me about the sleepover tonight?" I thought I would see how well I could play mad with her. She looked startled. "I'm sorry, I forgot. Mom said she told you though. She said it was ok." She looked at me nervously. "Well, Mom's not here. What if I don't want a bunch of screaming females around here tonight?" Amy looked like she was going to cry. "What if I wanted to spend the evening and night making love to my favorite girl?" I waited to see when she was going to get it. Then she giggled. "You can still do that. I'm sure they won't mind. They will probably want to watch. Some might even want to help!" She giggled at the look of horror on my face, and at my erection. I thought I would change subjects. "Who all is going to be here?" "Well, there will be Katie, Becky, Megan, Emily, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Laura, Danielle and Stephanie. Before you ask, yes they are all really cute. Emily and Elizabeth don't even know what the word sex means. Danielle and Laura are not much farther along. Rebecca and Stephanie know a little more, but are still pretty inexperienced." She giggled when I gave her a dirty look. "Amy! I did not ask if they were cute or knew about sex! What do you think I am, a dirty old man?" I was offended. "Yep! We all do. And we all love it. All of them would go to bed with you if you asked. They all are madly in love with you. Well, you would have to explain what going to bed meant to Elizabeth and Emily, but I am sure they would like it once they got the idea." Amy was really enjoying this! I was shocked. "Sure. And all their Moms would have me arrested and you wouldn't have a Dad anymore." "Actually, you might be surprised. All of their Moms know the girls are crazy about you and would jump your bones if they had a chance and they don't seem to mind. Course, that's because most of the moms would beat them to it if they didn't like Mom so much!" Amy was really giggling now. I was appalled. Was she serious? "I am so glad we had this conversation, young lady! Excuse me while I go find a key to lock you in the garage until you turn 21. Where did you learn all this stuff? My innocent little girl?" I groaned. Amy choked. "Um... Dad... care to remember what your innocent little girl was doing a few hours ago? You think these girls are any less interested in sex, and you, than I am? At least six of those nine I know, or strongly suspect, have either had sex or fooled around with their Dads or brothers also. A couple of them were forced, most were willingly. It's a different world, Daddy. Girls today have sex with the ones they want, and many of us really don't care if that is our dad or not. And we don't wait until we are 18 or married to do it. And we are not sluts either. Even the ones you adults would call the nice ones don't wait that long. Get used to it." She grinned as I put my head in my hands. "Come on, Dad, are you really going to tell me you would resist any of those girls, much less the four of us you are already sleeping with, if they seduced you? I know you love them all to pieces. Especially Emily and Elizabeth. If they ever figure out what seduction means or how to do it, they could have you in bed in minutes. They are just way too sexy, without even knowing it, and way too sweet and innocent for you to resist. I know what rings your bell. Rebecca has been flirting with you for a year; why do you think she always volunteers her mom for things involving us and comes over or invites us over there all the time. Laura would jump your bones in a minute and Danielle and Stephanie think you are hot and would gladly help. Poor Daddy! Should I shut up now?" She was giggling again, enjoying this way too much! "Amy... can we talk about something else? I don't think I am ready to know this yet. I also think I am going to cancel your sleepover. I don't feel safe with all those girls around." Amy glared at me. "You do that and I will call Mom and tell her. She will fly out here and kick you butt, and I'll help! I bet I can get Megan to help too. Want to take all three of us on? Drink cyanide; it's an easier way to die! You big chicken! What's the worst that could happen? We could all jump your bones and make you our plaything for the night? That is a problem, why? Face it, Daddy, if your track record so far is an indication of your ability to say no, you are going to be sleeping with most if not all of these girls sooner or later anyway. Don't feel bad about it. It doesn't bother them, it doesn't bother me, it doesn't bother Mom, and they can all keep a secret. It probably doesn't bother their Moms either. They all know their precious little girls are going to be having sex in the next year or two, if they are not already, and they figure you are a better choice for their little darling's first time than the teenage idiots those girls date. At least you won't hurt them and will give them a good first time. I know this, because I have heard their moms talking about it when they didn't know I could hear. You know how adults are — we teenagers are not only deaf and invisible but are too stupid to understand what they are saying when they talk right in front of us. By the way, did you want to keep discussing this? Are you having fun yet?" Amy was laughing at me again. "I don't think I want to talk to you ever again. Go away and leave me alone!" I groaned as I grinned at her. She grinned, kissed me, and rubbed my cock. "How come you are hard then?" She giggled, shrieked and ran away as I smacked her little butt. Hard. I chased her around the house for a while, listening to her squealing, until I caught her and tickled her until she could hardly breathe. Then we just lay there cuddling. For some reason she didn't want to make love. That's ok; she is really fun just to snuggle with. The girls started to arrive about 3:00 pm. I was glad to see them. They are all really sweet girls. I have to admit I looked at them a little differently now than I did months ago. Especially after Amy's talk today. Of course, they all arrived in official attire — shorts and tee shirts, no bras. I wondered how long before the shorts came off. Each one had to give me a close hug and a big kiss as they came in. I had agreed to grill for the girls for dinner. I went outside and got started. Emily and Elizabeth came out to help me. They stayed one on each side of me, standing close to me all the while I worked. I began to wonder if Amy was right. I put my arm around each of them, and was pleased to feel them melt in against me. I was shocked when Emily put her hand on my cheek, turned my head towards her, and gave me a soft, gentle but incredibly sexy kiss. She ran her tongue across my lips and then slipped it into my surprised mouth. She played with my tongue slowly, driving me crazy. Her sweet, sparkling, innocent eyes drove me crazy. She traced her fingers softly over my neck and hair, and then kissed my neck. She moved her head away, smiling innocently, eagerly. Then I felt a hand moving my head the other way and Elizabeth pulled my head towards me, and kissed me. Her kiss was as sweet and soft as Emily's, but was a little more innocent and inexperienced. I wondered at that thought. Where had Emily learned to kiss? There was a story there. Elizabeth slid her hand inside my shirt as she kissed me, rubbing my chest. She played with my tongue also, licking my lips. Her little hand rubbed my nipples softly, making me moan. The look of innocent delight on her face at giving me that pleasure was almost too much to bear. She kissed my neck softly and licked my ear before moving away. I sat down on the lawn chair, before I fell down, looking at them with a stunned expression on my face. They laughed at me gently. "Where did you two learn that?" I gasped. They giggled and blushed. "Amy said you would like that!" They smiled. Then, seeing the worried look on my face, they both came over to me. Emily sat on my lap while Elizabeth stood behind me, rubbing my shoulders and sliding a hand down my chest under my shirt. I could feel her hand trembling slightly. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with us. We would never do anything to hurt you or Amy. Amy didn't tell. We just figured it out. We think it's neat. She is so lucky." Just then, Amy walked out on the patio to join us. She grinned as Elizabeth continued to rub my chest. Elizabeth blushed, but kept her hand there when Amy nodded to her. Emily kissed me softly, and then laid her head on my chest, sighed, and ran her hand up and down my thigh. She was trembling slightly also. I was worried about what Amy would think. "I see you have found the first part of my birthday present," she laughed. I stared at her. She sat down next to me. "Here are the rules for tonight. For one night only, as a one time thing, everything goes. All of the girls here want to make love to you. They, and you, are free to do anything you want, with no strings attached. All of the girls here that have already had you are off limits. Nothing goes beyond these grounds. Tomorrow, everyone is just friends again, unless, by mutual consent, it is wished otherwise. The girls all understand there are no hurt feelings if you never touch them again. You understand that this is a one-time thing unless they offer more. Those who are off limits are free to watch and advise. All of the girls here are safe from pregnancy and disease. My birthday present from you is for you to fulfill every fantasy, wish and desire you have with these girls. There will be no repercussions from their parents. Mom knows about this and has no problems either. She says have a good time." She leaned over to whisper in my ear. "These two are very special to me, and very innocent. Treat them gently, but show them what love is all about. They are crazy about you, but not obsessive. I will be very upset with you if they leave here tomorrow unfulfilled! They will be upset too!" She giggled in my ear, and then growled at me to tell me she was serious. She took Emily's hand, moved it down to my lap, laid it in my crotch, and got up and walked into the house. I looked at Emily; she was every color of red in the book, but she didn't remove her hand, either. Elizabeth leaned over from the back and kissed me on the lips, passionately. I ran my hand slowly up Emily's leg and slipped it inside the leg band of her shorts, rubbing the front of her panties. She gasped, and then buried her head in my chest. I think she was turned on and embarrassed at the same time. These two were so sexy. I stood up and pulled them to me, hugging them. They almost broke my ribs they hugged me so tight. "Do you agree with everything she said?" I asked quietly. They nodded their heads vigorously. "Please," Elizabeth whispered. "Even if it is just this once. We love you." Emily nodded, unable to speak. "Just relax. We have plenty of time. Have a good time. Don't worry." I calmed them down, and then sent Elizabeth in to get me something to drink. As soon as she was out of sight, Emily plastered herself to my body and kissed me frantically. Then she slipped her hand down into my shorts and laid her hand on my cock. I felt her gasp as she touched it with her trembling hand. I gasped too. She rubbed it slowly, then pulled her hand out and moved away as she saw Elizabeth coming back. I wasn't sure I was going to survive tonight! Elizabeth handed me my drink, then wrapped her arms around me from the back and snuggled close, as Emily hugged me from the front. They both kissed my neck softly. I was in heaven. I looked up and saw Amy smiling at me. 'I'm going to kill you!' I mouthed to her. She laughed at me. We ate out on the patio. I made the mistake of sitting down on a lawn chair instead of at the table. Immediately, Emily and Elizabeth cuddled up to me. They make it hard to eat... food! Amy, Katie, Becky and Megan were sitting on the other side of the patio laughing their asses off at me and my consternation. Becky and Megan did look a little sympathetic. After a while, they called E & E over to talk to them. I thought that was to give me a break. Wrong! Laura and Danielle came over to sit with me. I didn't know these two as well, but man, were they cute! They were worse that E & E because they had a little experience in making out. They had me hard in no time. After they left, before the two E's could return, Rebecca and Stephanie had me to themselves for a while. I didn't know what to think of Rebecca. I knew her better than all the other girls, so I was more comfortable about that. However, I was also nervous about having a girl make out with me whose mother I knew well. I was really going to get Amy for this! After we were done eating and we had moved indoors, Amy suggested we continue with our sex talks we had the last time we were together. This time, however, we would have some rules changes. Anything could be asked. Demonstrations were allowed. Anyone that asked a question that needed, or if everyone wanted, a demonstration, had to be the model for the demonstration. I saw several gulps at that. Surprisingly, Elizabeth asked the first question. "Um... I read somewhere that guys think it is sexier if girls have clothes on than if they are naked and that taking the clothes off is half the fun. Why?" "Where did you read that?" She looked embarrassed. "Never mind. That is true. Have you ever been undressed by a guy, Elizabeth?" She blushed and shook her head. "That's why you don't understand. When it happens the first time, you will." I prepared to move on to the next question. Amy jumped in. "Would you like to know what it is like to be undressed by a guy, Liz?" Amy grinned impishly at me as I shot her a dirty look. Elizabeth nodded her head vigorously. "If you ask my Daddy real sweetly, and give him a really nice kiss, I bet he would do it for you." Damn. She knew how much Elizabeth turned me on. Elizabeth was 5' 6'', 115 lbs, long dirty blond hair, sweet, innocent, pretty face. Elizabeth blushed, got up slowly, came over to me, wrapped her arms around my neck, and looked at me. "Mr. Phillips... Patrick, will you undress me like you would if you were going to make love to me?" Then she kissed me. It was an even better kiss than the last time. Longer, too. She laid her hand on my chest and just held it there lightly as she kissed me. She put her other hand on the back of my neck and softly rubbed my neck and hair. I thought Amy said she didn't even know what the word seduction meant. This girl was pushing every button I had. I put my arms around her and kissed her back. She closed her eyes and I heard her sigh softly. Then she gasped as I slipped my tongue inside her mouth. I slipped my hands slowly down her sides, and pulled her tee shirt out of her shorts. Then, just as slowly, I slid my hands gently up her sides, while still kissing her. She whimpered softly in my mouth as I ran my thumbs lightly over her nipples, and I felt her shiver. I saw her eyes open wide as she looked at me, an unbelieving look in her eyes. She moaned softly in frustration as I took her arms from around my neck, until I held them above her head and she realized what I was doing. She gave a little squeal of delight as I slowly slipped her tee shirt over her head and off her arms. I looked around quickly and saw that I had everyone's undivided attention. Danielle and Laura were watching with their eyes wide open, mouths open in awe. Stephanie was watching with smoky eyes. That one was going to be trouble. Elizabeth cried out softly each time I moved my lips as I kissed my way down her body. She especially liked to have her neck kissed softly, so I spent a lot of time there, until I felt her legs starting to buckle and turn to jelly. I held her up and supported her. She cried out loudly when I sucked one of her nipples into my mouth, and she shook all over. Surely not? Not already? I ran one of my hands down her flat stomach, stroking it lightly, and slipped a finger about an inch or two inside the waistband of her shorts. She laid her head on my shoulder, her eyes closed, breathing heavily. "Oh God, please!" she whimpered in my ear as I slid my finger slowly back and forth inside the waistband of her shorts. She reached down, started to unbutton her shorts, and hissed at me as I moved her hands back up to my chest. "Hurry up, then!" she whispered fiercely in my ear. I chuckled. "Slowly is half the fun, honey. Relax and enjoy it." She was so cute, panting in desperation. "How the hell can I relax with what you are doing to me?" She moaned. I laughed, and then decided to distract her a little. I moved her hand down to my shorts, laying it over my cock. Her eyes flew open again and she gasped, and then rubbed it slowly. I moved my hands down again and unbuttoned her shorts, and slowly slipped them down her lovely legs. I knelt down in front of her to slip them down, kissing every inch of her legs as I passed them. She giggled, playing with my hair. "That tickles!" she giggled. She stopped giggling when I slipped a finger inside the leg hole of her panties and moved it quickly across her soaked pussy. She cried out sharply and shook all over. I slipped her panties off, moved up, and ran my tongue quickly across her pussy and clit. She shrieked and her legs started to fold up. I stood up quickly and hugged her, holding her close and supporting her. She clung to me and kissed my neck softly. I turned to the others as I talked to Elizabeth. "There. Now do you understand?" I kissed the tip of her nose. "Oh God, please! You can't stop now! Please, make love to me. Please. Don't stop. I'll do anything you want, just keep going," Elizabeth begged me. I looked at the others as they looked at us, mouths open and eyes open wide in shock. Sweet, innocent, virginal Elizabeth, who hadn't a clue, begging to make love? "Later. I promise," I whispered softly in her ear, as I led her over to her place and helped her sit down again. She didn't seem to notice or care that she was still naked. After she sat down, she leaned over and laid her head on Emily's shoulder, eyes closed, and whimpered softly. Emily put her arm around her and pulled her close against her, taking her other hand and holding it in her hand, whispering to her. Elizabeth blushed. I walked back as steadily as I could to my place. Amy, Megan, Katie and Becky looked at me, a look of love on their faces. Amy mouthed 'Thank you!' to me. "Who has the next question?" I asked. Rebecca, Stephanie, Laura, and Danielle's hands all shot up immediately. Amy giggled. "Let me guess," she laughed. "You all want to be undressed too!" A chorus of "Oh, yeah's" greeted her. I gave her a 'see what you started' look. 'Poor you!' her look said back. So, I undressed them all, just as I did Elizabeth. They were each different. Like, Stephanie made no sound. She was so turned on, I could see and feel it, but she was quiet. I wondered if she would be quiet during an orgasm. When I got to Rebecca, the last of the girls other than Amy, Becky, Megan and Katie, she surprised me. When I was done undressing her, she lightly ran her fingers across my cock and balls, smiling gently when I jumped. Then she turned me towards my girls. "They need to be undressed, also!" Rebecca pushed me towards them. As I started to undress Katie, I think it was obvious to everyone that this was different. These were my special girls. They were expecting this with Katie and Becky. The other girls were a little surprised with this intimacy with Megan. I guess they hadn't known how close we were together. Megan blushed, but enjoyed every bit of it. Finally, it was just Amy. I didn't know how to deal with Amy in this situation. She was so special to me and I didn't want to hurt her by appearing different. However, she was my daughter, and I didn't know how the other girls would feel about that. Yes, Megan was my daughter also, but not everyone knew that. As usual, my little genius had an answer for everything. Looking at me with undisguised love in her eyes, she addressed all of the girls. "What do you think, girls? Should he be undressed also?" The chorus of "Yes!" was deafening. Before anyone could volunteer, Amy slipped her arms around my neck and kissed me. Not a daughterly kiss, but not as passionate as we have shared before either. Then she started unbuttoning my shirt. She did what I had done to Elizabeth and the other girls, touching and kissing every part of my body. She felt my nervousness. 'It's ok, Daddy, ' she told me in my mind. 'They know. As close as I am to them, they would have to be blind not to. I could never hide my love for you from them. It's ok with them. Relax, because you have to undress me after I am through with you!' She giggled in her mind. Little snot. Some days I wondered why I loved her so much. 'Because I am so god awful cute! And sexy. And a genius. And... ' I shut her up with another kiss. Yes, I know, she can still think while kissing. But not with a kiss like this. I heard the other girls gasp behind me. Then Amy started slipping my underwear down and, as I did with Elizabeth, she knelt down and took them all the way off, kissing my body as she did so. Then she stood up and presented herself to be undressed. I did her exactly as I did Elizabeth. She reacted the same, maybe more so due to experience. If there was anyone left in the room that didn't know what my relationship was with Amy, they must have been dead. Katie, Megan and Becky looked at us with astonishment, and respect on their faces. The other girls looked excited and... happy, I think, that they didn't have to pretend to not know the secret anymore. They all had huge smiles on their faces. "Are there any other questions?" I asked. After a pause, Rebecca spoke. "Can we ask questions of other people besides you?" I looked at Amy. "Of course," she stated. "Amy, it is obvious you have a special relationship with your Dad. Do you two make love? If that is too personal, I apologize and don't answer. However, it seems to me that you are offering us a share, at least tonight, of this relationship. At least, I hope you are!" Giggles everywhere. "Why? Why would you share with us?" I looked at Amy. Good question, I thought. I was nervous about the first question. It was one thing to make it obvious about our relationship. It was another to come right out and admit it. However, these were her friends; she knew them better than I did. "You know that there are many things happening here tonight that my dad could be in big trouble for," Amy stated unnecessarily. They all nodded. "I don't think I have to remind you how we must keep this secret. The consequences could be devastating for many of us if the wrong people found out." All of them again affirmed their secrecy pledge. "My family has some... unusual ideas about sexuality, for reasons I won't go into. Dad is the most conservative of us." Giggles. "You are all my friends, I love you dearly, and more importantly, my Dad loves you all. This is mainly for him. He has been so good to me through the years that I wanted to do something for him, give him something he would never have otherwise. If you get pleasure out of it also, so much the better." Rebecca nodded. Stephanie had the next question. "How do you give a blow job? What is it? What does it feel like?" She then turned red and covered her face with her hands. Everyone laughed. "You know the rules, Stephanie. You asked the question, so you get to demonstrate. I will help you." Stephanie had forgotten. She gave a little "eeek" of surprise and hid her face again. Then the girls looked at each other and Rebecca spoke up. "We would like an exemption from the rules. We would like... you to do it, Amy." Someone finally got to Amy. She gasped and blushed. "Please, Amy... Patrick? It would be so special to watch you two." I looked at them carefully. They were not making fun. They really wanted this. "How about we save that until the end. That might effectively end the question and answer session!" My response was met with giggles from everyone. Emily had the next question. "Both Amy and Patrick: Amy, what is it like to be... eaten out? Patrick, isn't it yucky to do that? EWWWW! How can you like it?" Emily looked like she was grossed out. Amy and I both laughed. Emily had forgotten the rules too. Amy couldn't resist. "The rules say that you get to find out, Emily!" Amy laughed again. "Oh no! I forgot. You wouldn't make me do that, would you? Can we have another exception and you two do it? Please?" Emily was horrified. Poor girl. She didn't know what she was missing. "Sure. We can. I will do it to Amy, and then she will do me!" I laughed at the horrified look on Amy's face. 'Are you out of your mind?' She asked in my head. 'I can't do that in front of them!' I gave her an innocent look. 'What?' I asked. 'You started this. You didn't have any problem with me getting a blowjob in public. You'll love it! Happy birthday, sweetheart!' She gave me an 'I can't believe you would do this to me!' look. Poor Amy! So I showed the girls what oral sex was all about. Amy loved it, as usual, although she blushed through the whole thing. She bit her hand to keep from screaming. Apparently screaming in front of her friends was embarrassing. I kept going when she came the first time and made her come two more times. The other girls looked on as if in a trance. The atmosphere was electric as they watched, getting excited themselves. Then it was my turn. Amy paid me back by stopping several times just before I came. Finally, she finished it. Then Elizabeth showed how brilliant she was. She raised her hand for a question. 'Amy, what is it like to actually have intercourse? To have a guy come inside you?" She blushed after asking the question. I could see in her eyes, she knew exactly what she was doing. I laughed. Everyone looked at me, confused. "Elizabeth, you are a sneak! I was wondering how you were going to arrange it!" Amy caught on, and laughed, as the others still looked confused. "According to the rules, Elizabeth, you get to be the subject!" Amy announced. "Very clever. Enjoy yourself, dear!" Elizabeth jumped up, ran over to me, and gave me a big hug and kiss. She grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the bedroom. I whispered in Amy's ear to give her some privacy, but maybe they could peek in through the door. She gave me an impish grin. "This will be in private, everyone. Let's go in the other room," Amy announced. This was greeted with groans and protests as Elizabeth and I went into the bedroom. I shut the door, then quietly opened it a fraction. She was so excited she didn't even notice. Making love to Elizabeth was every bit as exciting as I thought it would be. It was almost as incredible as the first time with my girls. She was so innocent, so excited, and so horny. I had to show her how to do everything, but she was an eager student. She had almost no pain; as with all of these girls, their active, athletic lives had taken care of their hymens long ago. That, and the dildos and hairbrushes some of them had used (that's what they said; honest. Hairbrushes! The handle, of course!). She was so tight and wet and cried out every time I moved inside her. When she came as I came inside her (the third time for her; the first one when I ate her out), she buried her face in my neck, kissing me to keep from screaming. And yes, they were all watching. I don't know how I survived that night. I made love to Elizabeth, Emily, Danielle and Laura that night. And yes, I ate out Emily; she was nervous about it until the first lick. And yes, she loved it! Stephanie decided not to do anything, but I woke up snuggled up to her the next morning, and she reversed her decision then. And yes, she was practically silent when she came; just a little quiet whimper, in addition to a lot of kissing and hugging. Rebecca stayed over the following night, and had me all to herself. A week layer when I picked the girls up at her house one evening, Rebecca's mother pulled me aside and whispered a big "Thank you" in my ear for whatever I had done for her daughter. She had been giving her mother a lot of trouble and was heading towards being a problem child. In the last week, though, Rebecca had gone back to the sweet girl she had always been. Her mother's eyes twinkled as she thanked me. I think she knew. The girls were true to their words; I never heard a whisper from any of the parents about that night. Captain Jensen called Wednesday morning. He had tracked down the person that the ones trying to kill my family worked for. Just as we already knew, he was high up in the chain of command for Victoria's company. He was out of the country for another three weeks, so we had time to plan. The big boss for her company also called that morning. Without actually saying it in a way that could be tracked down to him, he ok'd me "correcting the problem". They would call me when the "expected shipment" was in an "optimal location and condition"! Captain Jensen also had a couple of other surprising pieces of information for me. Julie Anderson, the woman I had asked him to find, was indeed alive. Apparently, she had not been killed that night as I had thought. When I had entered the room that night, a cursory examination of her had indicated she was dead already. There had been another female there, about my age that had been badly beaten, apparently trying to save Julie. Since Julie appeared to be beyond help, I had picked this other girl up and carried her to the nearest hospital, leaving her in the emergency room before walking away unidentified. The bad news was that Julie was also working for the same company that Victoria worked for. I told him not to contact her yet, until we knew whether she was one of the bad guys or not. The final bit of news was two-fold. Robert, Samantha's husband and my college roommate, had worked for Victoria's company also. I wondered if she knew that. Although we did not have absolute proof yet, it seemed like the same group as had tried to kill my family probably killed him. These same people were probably also responsible for the 'death' of Julie also. I thought it interesting that she would end up working for the same people that had tried to kill her. Of course, they may not be aware of it, since she now went by the name of Rachel Thomas. It seemed that this group of people had had a very profound effect on my family and me for almost our whole lives. I looked forward to effecting them profoundly, too. Maybe I should just turn Victoria, Amy and Megan loose on them. The more thought of that, the better I liked the idea. I would, of course, be there too. Victoria came home Wednesday also. We spent all day in bed, after I told her about the birthday party. She was as excited as Amy had been. I wasn't sure how long I was going to be able to keep up with the sex drives of these girls. Much less their lack of respect for society's norms. I also found out that we would have to delay our cabin trip for a week, to the following weekend. The cabin was not available during the time we wanted. That was ok, but there was a possibility that Katie and Becky would have to stay home, because of prior commitments at school. I suggested moving it again, but they asked me not to. They felt that with the things that had happened in the last month or so, that Amy, Victoria and I needed some time alone, and that Megan was so new to our group that she should have time with us too. Victoria and I reluctantly agreed, after Rebecca's mom enthusiastically agreed to take them while we were gone. I asked Victoria if she knew a co-worker named Rachel Thomas. It turns out that she knew her somewhat. They had worked together on occasion. Victoria said she always liked her and felt really comfortable around her and was sure Rachel felt the same, but for some reason they had never gotten close. She said she always felt that Rachel reminded her of someone. Then she got misty-eyed and seemed sad and would not say anything more. Things went smoothly until the end of the week, when the next crisis occurred. The last thing I ever expected was trouble between Amy and Katie. I guess you just never know. ------- Chapter 26 Thursday after work, everyone was home for dinner except Amy. Megan said she told her she had something to do after school, so she had come over alone. After Samantha picked Megan up, I began to wonder what was going on. Finally, about 7:30, I called Amy on her cell phone. She said she was on her way home and would be there in a few minutes. A short time later, she came in. She said hi, kissed me on the cheek, and headed for her room. "Hold on, Amy. Where have you been? Megan just said you had something to do after school. Anything wrong?" She looked distracted. And embarrassed. And nervous. All non-Amy qualities. "Oh, I just had to stay after school for a while. I messed up a test and had to talk to the teacher, go over the material, and she let me take the test again. No big deal. Sorry." She spit all this out in a hurry, and then headed for her room again. I let her go, but I was worried. I was worried because I knew Amy well enough to know she had just lied to me for the first time in her life. I'm not sure how I knew that, but I was positive of it. I hoped she had not gotten into trouble. Knowing my previous habit of unsuccessfully letting things solve themselves, I resolved that I would let it go until tomorrow evening, and then I would talk to her about it. As it turned out, Katie unintentionally made sure I kept that promise. Breakfast the next morning was a somewhat tense affair. Usually, everyone was happy when Victoria was in town. But, strange as it might seem, there seemed to be something brewing between Amy and Katie. Amy looked sad and upset, worried about something, and, yes, even guilty. Katie looked mad and upset, seemingly at Amy. The two hardly spoke to each other all breakfast. Katie, in fact, didn't even seem to acknowledge Amy's existence. Victoria looked at me questioningly; I just shrugged my shoulders. Don't ask me to explain teenagers, especially female ones. I got home early from work Friday and things seemed even worse. Amy and Megan were silent as they came into the house. One constant in the universe is Amy talking. Katie and Becky came in a little later, and Katie ignored Amy completely. Becky looked very uncomfortable with the whole situation and looked at me with big sad eyes. Megan looked just as uncomfortable. It seemed they were being caught in the middle of something. Amy went to her room, and Katie went to hers. Megan and Becky stayed out in the living room, reading and watching TV. That in itself was unusual. Megan and Becky got along fine, but they didn't often spend time alone together. Megan just naturally gravitated towards Amy and the same with Becky to Katie. Katie and Amy spent a lot of time together also, due to their mental connection, but when that happened, usually Megan and / or Becky spent time with me. This was weird altogether. I decided I would not ruin dinner by interfering, but after dinner, I was going to find out what was going on. Dinner was a painful affair. Conversation was almost non-existent. Amy looked so unhappy she was ready to cry. Katie looked mad and disgusted. Megan and Becky just looked at me with pleading eyes, begging me to do something. Before I could get them together after dinner, Katie came in and said she was going shopping with Rebecca. Becky was tagging along uncertainly. Megan seemed torn, but made it clear she was not going. "Is Amy going with you?" I asked. Katie gave me a look. "Not likely! I'll be back in a while," she stated. "Katie, wait. What's going on?" I wanted to get this settled. "Can we talk when I get back? Rebecca is waiting. Thanks." She breezed out the door without waiting for my answer. Becky cringed and followed her out. Megan got up off the couch, kissed me on the cheek, and headed for the front door. I asked her where she was going. "Outside on the porch. Amy is going to come to talk to you in a few minutes. I think it would be better if I were not here. She loves you, Daddy. Remember that." She smiled sweetly, but sadly at me and left. I sighed. Everyone was leaving me. I had a feeling I really didn't want to talk to Amy. Amy came in about five minutes later. She looked terrible, like she had been crying. She stood in front of me, looking so pitiful, lonely, sad and guilty that I couldn't help but hold my arms out to her. She crawled into my lap and put her arms around me, snuggling into my chest. I knew from experience that Amy would start talking when she was ready. It would be before she got off my lap, however; I was determined about that. Then I noticed she was trembling and shaking. I pulled her head up and saw that she was crying. When I looked at her, she started sobbing, big heartrending sobs, and buried her face in my chest again. I held her and sighed inside. For someone who never cried, she sure was making up for that the last few months. I hoped this wasn't serious. She had suffered enough. When she seemed cried out, I gently pulled her head up to look her in the eyes. The anguish in her eyes was unmistakable. This girl was hurting. This was what Daddies were made for, to fix it. I looked at her questioningly. She looked down at the floor. Amy was ashamed! What was going on? "Tell me about it, Amy. It can't be that bad." I kissed her nose, getting a tiny smile. She spoke so softly I could barely hear her. "I'm so sorry, Daddy. I have hurt you so much, and betrayed you, and you are going to hate me now. Katie already hates me. I've screwed up so badly, Daddy, there just isn't any way out of this one. Things will never be the same again. I'm so sorry! I just want to die!" She sobbed. Now I was worried. "Tell me what you've done, sweetie. We can work it out. This is what I'm here for." I tried to reassure her. She was so smart and so good about working things out. What could be so serious that my little genius couldn't find a way out? "I'm sorry, Daddy. I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted to... I wondered what it would be like... I was just curious... I never meant to... Oh, God, Daddy, please don't hate me!" She sobbed again. I was confused. "Amy, honey, you are not making any sense. Start over and just tell me what you did. I promise I won't hate you. Just tell me, honey." I kissed her and she kissed me back for a minute, and then pulled away. "Daddy..." she seemed to gather her strength, like the condemned before the firing squad. "I... had sex with someone else." She spoke so quietly I wasn't even sure I heard her right, and then she dived back into my chest and started sobbing again. I was so glad she hid her face, because she didn't see the brief look of pain that raced across my face. I couldn't help it. I knew this day was coming, but I thought I would have some warning, and not this early. Then I thought what an idiot I was. If she was old enough for me, why not someone else. I didn't even have the right to be upset in that way. I quickly shoved those thoughts aside, and held her close and tight until she stopped crying again. I pulled her head up again to look at her. She started talking again before I could. "I'm so sorry, Daddy. I love you so much! I can't believe I did this to you. I can go live with Rebecca if you hate me and don't want me around anymore. I understand; I can't stand to be around me either, and even Katie doesn't want me around." I couldn't help it; I laughed. She looked at me as if I was crazy. "Is that all this is about? Amy, I could never hate you. Why on earth would I want you to leave and live somewhere else? I couldn't, wouldn't want to live without you. Now, tell me what happened. What is this all about? And why is Katie mad at you?" "Well, I got to know this guy Bill at school. He's a little older. He's really nice and he really likes me. I like him too, but not that way. But I got to wondering... what sex would be like with someone my own age." I tried to stop it, but I knew she felt me recoil as if I was slapped. She seemed confused by my reaction, and then looked at me with horror. "Oh, no Daddy, I didn't mean it that way. I meant the opposite. It feels so good with you that I wanted to know if it was just you or if it would feel that good with someone else, like Bill. I know; it was stupid. Of course, it was just you. But I had to find that out the hard way, and now I've lost you too because I'm stupid." She sobbed again. "I told Bill I just wanted to try it and it would just be sex among friends and would only happen once. I didn't lead him on." She stopped. "So... how was it?" I was curious. Besides, the only way I could get her to realize this was nothing big was to treat it as nothing big. Amy looked at me as if she couldn't believe I asked that. "It was... ok. Not at all like with you. Not even close. Halfway through I wished I had never even started. Poor Bill. He really tried, but I am just not in love with him, like I am with you. I found out that's important to me to make it work right. But now I've ruined that!" she wailed. "And Bill probably hates me now too and I've lost a friend too." Ok, it was time to put an end to this and find out what the real problem was, because this wasn't it. "Amy. I have never, and will never have exclusive rights to you. You are always free to be with someone else. Someday, it will be exclusively with someone else. But it should be with someone you love. You were curious; I understand. Sweetheart, I haven't been exclusive to you either. But don't let the curiosity get out of hand. I love you, Amy, I always will, and I don't think of you any less for this. If it was a mistake, that is what being a teenager is all about. Learning through mistakes. Now, suppose you tell me what Katie has to do with all this and why you are so upset about something that you are smart enough to know is no big deal." She looked at me in surprise, and then looked down again. "Hey. You had to get your genius somewhere. I'm not stupid, you know." I smiled and tweaked her nose. Finally, a smile. Then she looked really sad. "Katie found out about it. She is really mad at me for betraying you and being unfaithful to you. Daddy... she pulled herself out of my mind!" she wailed. "Oh, God, Daddy, I am so miserable. I just want to die! I don't want to be like that again. I couldn't stand it!" She started sobbing again. "She WHAT?!?" I yelled. Amy recoiled in fear. "You mean you can't feel her anymore?" She shook her head no. "She blocked me or walled me off or something. I can't feel her. She's gone. Oh God, Daddy, what am I going to do? I can't live like this!" "VICTORIA!" I yelled. "Come here, please! I need you right now!" I hugged Amy close. "You stay right here with your Mom, honey, I will be right back." Victoria came running into the room. I don't think she had ever heard me yell like that before. I met her before she got to Amy. "Victoria, honey, I need you to stay with Amy. I have to go find Katie. Do not let her out of your sight for anything. If she goes to the bathroom, go with her. And, honey, I know you still have some issues with the drugs. She may be suicidal. Don't let her get you going too. Don't feed on each other. Be careful; I will be back shortly." Victoria looked scared. "What's going on with her and Katie?" She asked fearfully. She remembered the dark days before Katie. "Katie withdrew from her mind. I'm not sure why. Amy has some issues you probably need to talk to her about too, about sex." "What are you going to do with Katie?" Victoria asked nervously. "I am going to spank the little b..." Victoria shut me up by kissing me. She didn't stop until she felt me relax a little. "Calm down, honey. You love her. Teenagers make mistakes; that's what they are really good at. Ours have not made many. Are you going to lose it with the first one? Calm down." She smiled sweetly at me. What would I do without her? "Thank you. Take Amy into the bedroom. Talk to her. Calm her down. Tell her I will fix it; just hold on until I do. And be careful, honey." She nodded seriously. I walked out the front door. Megan was sitting on the front step. She had tears in her eyes. She jumped up and hugged me. "They both love you and each other. Watch for signs that Katie is not thinking and acting on her own. She may not understand what she is doing." "Damn it Megan, she should know better! She knows what it is to be cut off. She saved Amy from that. Why would she do this?" It never even occurred to me that Megan was not in there for the conversation and might not know what I was talking about. Never fear; Megan knew about this before it happened, apparently. "Exactly. Someone else may be controlling this. Be careful with her. She may not even be doing this," Megan cautioned. She turned and went into the house. I took out my cell phone and called Katie. I got her voice mail. I called Rebecca's house. Her mother answered. They had not left yet. I asked to talk to Katie. She came on a second later. "Katie. First, turn on your cell phone. Secondly, wait there. I am picking you up in a minute." "But Daddy, I'm going shopping. We were going to talk after I got back. I will talk to you then." She tried to brush me off like she did earlier at the house. I was having none of it this time. "I'm sorry, Katie, but something has come up that is a lot more important than shopping. We need to talk now. I will pick you up in a few minutes. I will try to get you back in time to go shopping." Two minutes later, I got to Rebecca's house. I rang the doorbell. I assured Rebecca and her mother that this had nothing to do with them, that I just needed Katie for a while. Katie was nervous all the way home, wondering if she was in trouble. I did not want to talk about it until I got her home. I was trying hard to be calm about this, but I just didn't understand how she could do something like this. Then, Megan's words popped into my mind again: "Watch for signs that Katie is not thinking and acting on her own. She may not understand what she is doing. She may not even be doing this." I had to be careful not to say something I might regret later. I looked over at her on the way home and gave her a little smile, trying to make her a little less nervous. I don't think it helped any. When we got home, I took her straight to the back room to talk to her. I did not want her and Amy meeting until I knew what was going on. I sat Katie down on the couch and sat next her, putting my arm around her and giving her a big hug. I was so grateful to Victoria for talking to me; I would not have been acting this well on my own. Katie looked at me, worry in her eyes, and gave me a tentative little smile. "What's going on between you and Amy, sweetheart? She is very upset." I tried to be very calm about it. I was calm; Katie got upset. "She should be, Dad! Do you know what she did?" She was trying her best not to be mad. I would say she was more sad than anything. "I know what she told me, honey. Now I want to hear what you have to say." I smiled at her encouragingly. "Good grief, Dad! What's to tell? She slept with someone else! How could she do that? I thought she loved you; we all do. She's the last person I would have thought would do that. What was she thinking? We all had an agreement that we would not..." Katie gulped and shut up abruptly. I realized she had started to say something I was not supposed to know. I let it slide for the moment. "Honey, maybe she made a mistake. You, of all people, should realize about mistakes and sex." I realized as soon as that came out that it sounded wrong. Luckily, Katie knew how I meant it and took it that way. "I know, Dad, and I did try to understand in light of that. But, I had no one in my life when I did that stuff. I was desperate for love. Does she really think that what's his name is going to be better than you? She insulted you, Dad. She threw what you two have in your face and basically said she didn't care and didn't want it any more. How could she do that to you?" Katie was crying. I was touched. She really was concerned about me, that I was going to be hurt. I was astounded that she would love me that much that she would be this upset, worrying about my feelings. Something was seriously wrong here. This was not the actions of a girl that would cut Amy out of her mind. But I saw how upset Amy was also. Even though she was initially lying to me about her activities that night, I knew she was not lying about this. "Katie, I am very touched by how strongly you feel about this for my sake. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your concern. But, honey, this is really between Amy and I. Just as you and Amy straightening out your disagreement on this is between you two. Unless it goes on too long and I have to get involved. Amy and I have talked about it at length and we are ok with each other. But I am more concerned about something else. Is this really a strong enough reason to withdraw yourself from Amy's mind? Isn't that a little drastic?" I knew at this point that it was unlikely that Katie had done that; there had to be some other explanation. But I wanted to see how she would react to my question. I was not surprised at her reaction; Katie looked shocked. "I don't know what you are talking about, Daddy! I would never do that to Amy! Why is she lying about me? I thought she loved me! But then, I thought she loved you too," she said sadly. "Katie, Amy is not lying. I knew right away when I talked to her about the evening she came home late that she was lying. I also knew without a doubt when I talked to her today that she was not lying about you being gone out of her mind. Katie, she was desperate like she was after Cindi died. She says she doesn't even want to live anymore. If you are not shutting her out, we need to find out who is, how and why, because she is not making it up. Do you have a way of checking to see if you have been shut out of her mind?" I had to get to the bottom of this, and quickly. It was getting more complicated by the moment. "Of course. I will check right now. But I would have felt it, I would have known it. I would have had to do it. I can tell you for sure..." Katie's eyes opened wide in shock, and her face drained of all color. "Oh my God! Daddy! I am shut out of her mind! I didn't do this, Daddy, I swear I didn't. I would never do this. Daddy! Is she... AMY! Oh God, AMY! Daddy, she didn't... did she? Please tell me she is ok!" Katie was hysterical. She jumped up and tried to run out of the room, to see if Amy was ok. I grabbed her and held her tight, trying to calm her down. I didn't want a scene with Amy until I could get this straightened out. 'Katie! Stop!' I focused all my energy in my mind on her, sending out the command. This had worked before with LOP; I hoped it would work now or I was going to be forced to slap her to calm her down. She stopped struggling and quieted down immediately. She stood before me, trembling, afraid for Amy. "Katie, Amy is ok. Her Mom is with her now, keeping her calm. We have to get you connected as soon as possible. Can you reconnect with her?" I was desperately hoping someone hadn't severed the connection permanently. Katie took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "I'm sure I can reconnect with her, Daddy. But I don't dare yet. If someone has done this, I will muddy the trail when I reconnect. I can't do anything until we look for the trace. I shouldn't do that myself; if I have somehow done this myself accidentally, I might miss the trace. Maybe it happened because I was so mad at her. None of us family members has ever been mad at each other like this. I need Becky, Daddy, to sort this out. Maybe Megan too, although she is not as experienced. Daddy, I swear, I did not do this! At least I did not mean to if I did! Honest, Daddy, I swear to you! I would never do that!" She was starting to get hysterical again. I hugged her and tried to calm her down again. "Katie, honey, I know. I believe you. We just have to straighten it out. This is new territory for all of us." I grabbed my cell phone and called Becky. I asked her to come home immediately. Then I asked Katie to stay there. I went outside and asked Megan, still on the front porch, to go in and sit with Katie. She looked at me with big eyes. She looked worried. Then I went to check on Amy. When I went into the bedroom, Amy was sitting on the bed, holding on to Victoria as if her life depended on it. I guess it did. Victoria was trying to comfort her, but it was not going well. Amy was sobbing broken-heartedly. I sat on the bed and held out my arms. She leapt into my arms and hugged me fiercely. I heard Victoria whisper to her that Daddy was here, everything was going to be ok. Amy didn't seem to be capable of listening very well, so I tried it again. I focused my entire mind on her, and directed the command. 'Amy, sweetheart, calm down and listen to me.' I tried to be soft and gentle, to not traumatize her even more. She instantly lifted her head up and looked at me, eyes wide in surprise. She stopped crying and just looked into my eyes. I knew she was going to have a lot of questions for me about this when things were calmer. "Amy, honey, Katie did not withdraw out of her mind. She didn't, honey. She's not lying. She panicked and was hysterical when she realized you were not connected anymore. The thing is, we have to find out how that happened. We cannot reconnect you two until we know; otherwise, Katie says it will muddy the trace. Becky is on her way home now to find out what happened, and we will have Megan help too. You can even help if you feel like it. Just hang on, Amy; we will have you reconnected soon. I promise, honey, you won't be all alone." Amy clung to me, trembling. In her case, the fear of the known was so much greater than the fear of the unknown. She knew what being unconnected was like, and she feared it more than anything. Already she was falling apart and it had not been long. It broke my heart to see this girl, one of the toughest people I knew, eager to take on 10-20 men in a fight, reduced to this. We all had our weaknesses. I gave her back to her Mom and went out to meet Becky as she came in. I won't even pretend to know what Becky did when she was with Katie. They seemed locked in silent conversation for some time. Megan joined in periodically. Becky gave me periodic updates. "Katie didn't do this. Accidentally or otherwise. The footprint is very faint, but it is there. Whoever did this was very good. I am going to have to look at Amy's mind too." "Can you tell who it was that did it?" I wanted to know whom I was dealing with. "I will check that in a minute," Becky said. "I just need to tidy up here. There. Now, to look for the source..." Suddenly, Becky's face drained of all color. She gasped, her eyes opened wide in shock, and she sat down abruptly on the couch. Then it was gone, and she looked normal again. Katie tilted her head to the side briefly, and then looked at me with a sad, sorrowful look. It was all so quick that, other than Becky sitting down, I would have thought I imagined it. I asked Becky what she saw. "Nothing," Becky said hesitantly. "The trace is too faint. I can't tell anything." She turned to Katie. "It is ok to reconnect. I would suggest you wait until Patrick gets back in with Amy. It could be a slight shock for her." I sighed. It seemed to be a week of firsts. And so far, all those firsts seem to involve my girls lying to me for the first time. I left and went back to the bedroom. I sat on the bed and lifted Amy onto my lap. She was trembling still and seemed to be just holding on. I kissed her and she clung to my lips like glue. Finally, I pulled away and she cried softly, as if she had lost her best friend. "Amy, they are going to reconnect again in a few minutes. Becky needs to look inside you first." I was unprepared for her response. "No, Daddy, please! I don't want her inside me. I don't want anyone to see what I've done. I am so ashamed." "Amy, she has to. She loves you, just as I do. She's a mind reader, Amy. She already knows what you have done, and has already forgiven you. Please, honey? We need to be sure you are ok." I continue trying to convince her, and she finally agreed. The results were the same. Someone had been in Amy's mind. There was a block there too, so removing the one in Katie's mind would have done no good. I sighed in relief. I didn't even want to imagine the effect of telling Amy we were reconnecting her and it didn't work. Once again, Becky told me she couldn't identify who it was. I knew she was lying again. I was going to have to have a talk with her. Then, she called me out into the hall. The shocks were not over yet. "Patrick, Amy's... romp with Bill was not an innocent tryst. The same person I think induced it. She had no choice in what she did. That was why she felt so guilty afterwards, even during. Someone is deliberately trying to destroy the harmony of this family," Becky explained. "Ok, Becky, end of bullshit time. It's just you and me now. I know you are not telling me the truth when you say you don't know who this is. Please tell me the truth, Little Orange Person." I deliberately, shamelessly, tried to appeal to her emotions, calling her by my pet name for her. I would do anything to protect my family. Becky smiled softly at me, reached up and kissed me sweetly, then spoke again. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I can't tell you. I am not sure, anyway. But there are things I cannot tell you. I have to follow certain rules that are much older than either of us. Daddy, you know I love you more than anyone in the world. You know I would tell you if I could. But I can't. Please don't make this harder on me than it has to be. Some things just must follow their course and happen. I cannot interfere or change those things. To do so would be disastrous. It is all for the good. Please trust me." There were tears in Becky's eyes. "Becky. I trust all of you, implicitly. But I am not sure I trust this whole situation. My daughter is dead. I don't understand how that is for the good. How it can be for the good. Someone has messed with my two other daughter's minds, and this is for the good? My wife has been abused, and this is for the good? I am wondering if I want to be a part of this good. Tell me something I can believe in, sweetheart. It is hard to have faith when I can't see anything." I was near tears myself. I have always gotten frustrated to the point of tears when I couldn't take the pain away for my girls. "Daddy... Daddy. Hold on. It will be ok. Amy told you that Cindi's death saves you and Victoria, Megan and Amy. Wait for it to happen. After that happens, the gloves can come off. You can fight back anyway you want. But that must not be interfered with; it must happen. It is the turning point. After that, nothing has ever hap..." She stopped, as if she realized she could not go farther. "Let me fix Amy, then I will see what I can tell you." She looked at me sadly. She could see it was not going to be enough. She turned and walked slowly into the bedroom. The look on Amy's face when Katie was reconnected was priceless. They hugged tightly, apologizing repeatedly and profusely to each other. There was non-verbal communication going on also. Becky told everyone the things she had found. The look on Amy's face was even more priceless when she realized she had not 'betrayed' me as she thought. She looked at me with a smile that was as bright as the sun. Then, Becky asked Amy, Katie, Megan, and Victoria to join herself in standing in a circle around me. Victoria being included intrigued me. They all held hands. Then, Becky looked at Victoria. "Patrick, do you love us?" Victoria asked solemnly. I looked at her in surprise. I didn't expect this. She apparently didn't expect it either, but she looked truly happy for once. "Victoria, I love all of you more than life itself." It was easy to say. "Daddy, do you trust us?" Megan asked formally. This was new too, Megan participating. I had the feeling something momentous was coming. "Megan, I trust all of you more than I trust myself." As soon as I finish speaking, the whole room was filled with a purple glow. If I had not been watching carefully, I would have missed what happened next. Becky looked at Megan and Megan gave a tiny nod. Then Becky spoke in a loud voice. "I invoke Protocol 12!" She spoke it loudly, speaking to the ceiling. Amy and Katie gasped, looking shocked. Megan looked scared. Victoria looked confused. I certainly understood that. Amy and Katie spoke together softly. "You can't do that! It is not allowed!" They looked like they were afraid a lightning bolt would come down and kill us all. From what I had seen of these girls, that seemed a valid fear! "Yes, she can," Megan said softly. "She is the only one that can." All of us looked at her in astonishment, but she did not enlighten us further. A voice, faintly familiar, but impossible to place, answered her. "Becky, my dear. Nice to hear from you again. Megan. It lightens my heart to see you again, my dear. Becky, do you have the proper approval for invoking Protocol 12?" He spoke the last question very formally. "I do, Father. I know the rules, and what I must explain to them. I know the boundaries, and will abide by them. I know they must be told that they will have no memory of what they will learn here. But, Sir, we must do this. It is too much. He is losing hope, losing faith. He must have something to hold on to; even if he can't remember what it is later. You, of all people, know we cannot lose him, Sir. He must go through. Please Sir, if you love us, give him this." "Becky, my dear, you always were a problem child! Megan, I fear you are being corrupted by her. Don't spend too much time with her, my dear." We could hear the laughter in his voice, as his chuckle echoed throughout the room. I was shocked to hear Becky and Megan giggle and to see them stick out their tongues at him, or at least in the general direction of where he might be. He laughed aloud. "Still no manners, I see. Patrick, you must teach them some manners and respect for their superiors before we meet again." His laughter boomed through the room again. "Amy, I think you are the only one that there is any hope for. I love you, dear. I love all of you." Amy seemed ready to cry, she was so overcome by the personal attention he paid her. "Victoria, my dear, hang in there. It will get better, my dear. How is my lovely Cindi doing? I don't see her here." Megan, being the least choked up by the question, never having known Cindi, answered. "Cindi was killed, Sir. In a traffic accident, several months ago. Please forgive my impertinence for answering, Sir, but it is painful for the others to talk about. It is slightly easier for me to talk about it. "Megan, you may always address me anytime you wish. You are one of the apples of my eye. So, that is the path it takes, and it is that far along, is it? Good. That is the best path possible. Patrick, Victoria, Amy, please accept my sincerest condolences for your loss. She was a wonderful little girl. I know she cannot be replaced. But I promise you another to take her place. Wait for it." His voice became formal again. "Becky, Protocol 12 is approved. I also give you approval for Protocol 35, as you see fit, to protect their minds from the attacks the last few days. Thank you all for visiting." The voice disappeared, as did the purple cloud. Becky addressed Victoria and me. "You will be shown what is coming, what will happen. It is not sure; it depends on how well we do the things we must do. But, if we are faithful and true, this will be the end result. You will not remember any of this afterwards. You cannot know this information, as it could affect your actions and the outcomes. But you will remember the peace of mind seeing this will give you. Treasure it always." "Mom, Dad, do you love me?" Becky asked solemnly. "We do love you, Becky," we repeated as one. "Mom, Dad, do you trust me?" Megan asked formally. "We do trust you, Megan," we repeated as one again. A white bolt came form the ceiling, passed through Victoria, and struck me. At the same time, another white bolt hit Becky, then spread out to touch all of us. Then the bolts disappeared. A look of wonder settled onto Victoria's face. I am sure I looked the same. We hugged each other tightly, and reveled in the scenes that were revealed to us. We both broke into happy tears at one particular scene we witnessed. Then it was over. A shaft of white light came from the ceiling, passing through me and struck Victoria. We were left holding each other, trying to remember why we were so happy. All four girls were looking at us, huge smiles on their faces. ------- Chapter 27 We talked for hours that night. Katie and Amy apologized to each other several more times. Amy tried to apologize to me again, but I would not hear of it. I told her that, even had she known what she was doing and was doing it willingly, there was no apologizing necessary. Love in our family always allowed the possibility of others. I referred her to Victoria to understand that. Victoria was perfectly comfortable and even encouraged me with others. Our love was not based on sex. It was merely a way to express it. Victoria allowed, even demanded, that I express it the same with those others that I loved. I told Amy that, if she needed to apologize, it should be to Bill. She nodded seriously. I asked her if she was going to continue with sex in that relationship. She said absolutely not, and that Bill understood that. Then she asked me the question I had been waiting for. "Daddy... what if Mom wanted to have sex with another guy? Could she? How would you feel about that?" I hate geniuses! "Amy, the rules apply to your Mother as well. As far as I know, she has never elected to apply those rules. Maybe she doesn't feel the need to express her love for others as I do. Maybe she has not had the opportunity yet. Maybe she doesn't have any bratty teenage children of the opposite sex, not to mention equally bratty friends, to tempt and seduce her as I do! If she did, and if she loved them as much as I do, maybe she would." Amy had started to smack me with the brat remark, but ended up kissing me instead after I saved myself. When we decided to go to bed, it was decided unanimously that Amy would sleep with me that night. We felt I needed to reassure her of my love and my desire to continue our relationship as before. She agreed only if Katie stayed with her; she was not willing to part with her for a minute. I told her that could be interesting if one of them needed to go to the bathroom. That got me five punches and a chorus of EWWW's. It was fun. We quickly learned that it is difficult to make love in the missionary position when Amy wouldn't let go of Katie. Finally, we decided I would enter Amy from behind, while she snuggled with Katie. I had never done it with her from behind. As I slipped in, I heard a startled "Oh!" I guess that meant she liked it. Amy buried her head in Katie's neck and whimpered as she shook all over. Katie just held her and stroked her hair, kissed her occasionally, and told her how much she loved her. Then, she showed her impish side, talking dirty to Amy. Asking her if she wanted her to suck her clit. Amy begged her no, please don't, but she suddenly got a lot wetter and had an orgasm very quickly while Katie was talking to her. I think both of them might want to occasionally do things with the other, but they are so afraid that would make them gay or bi that they avoid it at all costs. We finally fell asleep after Amy exhausted me, proving she still wanted and loved me. Guess who was sleeping on top of me the next morning when I woke up? Give you a clue; small and blond. The next day, Victoria went out to lunch with Samantha. Samantha had been working a lot of hours lately, trying to make ends meet, and Megan had been spending a lot of time at our house, sometimes sleeping over. Although I was delighted to have her with us any time she wanted, I wondered what kind of life they had, seeing each other so seldom. When she got back from lunch, Victoria said she wanted to talk to me. The girls were all out doing whatever it is that teenage cheerleaders do that parents are not invited to, so we had the house to ourselves. "Honey, I have a question to ask you. Please be completely honest. This is only between you and me at this point, so it needn't go any further if you don't want it to." Victoria looked a little nervous. "O-kay. You've got my attention now. What is it?" I was intrigued. Maybe a little worried. "Well, Samantha is really having a hard time making it, and she and Megan seldom see each other because she works so much. I was thinking... what would you think about them moving in here with us?" She looked at me, waiting to see how I would respond. I hated to even bring up what I was going to say first, but I wanted it out in the open right away. "How would you feel about it, Victoria? Specifically, you know Samantha and I have always been attracted to each other. How would you feel about us being in the same house together? Would it bother you thinking something might happen between us like a few weeks ago?" Victoria was my life; I was not going to take a chance on messing that up. "Dear, your memory is getting bad in your old age." She grinned to take away any offense. "I was the one that brought that about, remember. Do we have to go through this every time this comes up?" She grinned at me good-naturedly. "Yes, Victoria, we probably do. This is just not as natural to me as it is to you and the girls. You are the most important person in my life, Victoria. I am not going to take a chance on messing that up just due to my sex drive." "Patrick... Patrick... Patrick. When will you get it... sexual exclusivity is just not as important to me as it is to you. I know you love me; there is not a doubt in my mind on that. As long as you are there when I am home, it doesn't bother me that you... spend time with someone else when I am gone. Just don't leave me for her." I started to answer her and she kissed me to shut me up. "That was a joke, dear. Besides, Amy will always watch over my interests. I know you are afraid of her! Seriously, dear, I would like you to consider it. She and Megan need help, and Megan is your child. Does Megan know that yet?" "I don't know. Ask Samantha next time you see her. Do you think we should look for a bigger house, with all the people that are living here and hanging around all the time?" I had been thinking of that for a while. Victoria gave me a huge smile. "We really do think a lot alike, don't we? I don't want to move very far away, though. I know the girls like living close to Rebecca. I did see a house for sale a couple of blocks down. Several acres, nice wooded lot, huge house, very nice. We should look at it." It sounded like she had really been thinking about this. "Let's see what they want for it. See what we can arrange with financing." I wasn't really worried, but we had never really discussed money on a continuing basis. "Money won't be any problem, dear. We can manage it. Shall we have Samantha over tonight and discuss it with her and the kids?" "I would love it, but let's discuss it with Amy first. We made an assumption last time that didn't turn out so well short term with Katie." We called Amy in and presented the idea to her. No surprises this time; she jumped in my lap and squealed her approval. She was so excited she couldn't sit still. I told her not to mention anything to Megan until we were sure. Victoria called Samantha and invited her to dinner. Megan would already be here from school. That evening was memorable. We had a fun time at dinner itself. We all got along so well, it was really fun. Victoria asked Samantha and Megan to stay for a while and we all went into the living room. As usual, Megan sat on my lap while all the others spread around the room. Amy had obviously told the other girls, as everyone had big smiles on their faces. Victoria took the lead. "Samantha, Patrick and I know how hard it has been for you the last few months, both financially and emotionally. It must be hard to be working such long hours and be away from Megan so much. Patrick and I would like to help." She was leading into this slow. Megan snuggled closer and smiled at me. Samantha grinned at Victoria's statement about working so much. "You two are helping, a lot. I can't tell you how much it means to me and what a relief it is to me that you take care of Megan after school, and that she always has a place to stay when I am not there. I can't imagine how you could be an even bigger help than that." The gratitude just shone out of her eyes. Megan gave me a big hug. Victoria looked at me for one last ok. I smiled and nodded. "Well... it would probably be a lot easier if you and Megan just moved in here. You would see each other a lot more and it would certainly help with the financial aspect of things." Samantha looked stunned. Megan wrapped her arms around me so tight I was afraid she would choke me, and looked up at me, not believing what she was hearing. "I... we... we couldn't do that. I couldn't impose on you like that!" It was clear she really wanted to say YES! "Don't be silly," I cut her off. "We wouldn't be offering if it was a problem. We would love to have you here. Look at the girl's faces. Say yes. We will discuss the details later." Samantha looked at us, and started crying. We all hugged for a while. Samantha never said yes; it just became yes without her input. Megan held on to me as if she were afraid I would disappear. We were talking quietly when she suddenly turned to me and hugged me close. "I wish you were my Daddy," she sighed. Samantha looked at me, and nodded. "Are you sure, Samantha?" I asked. "It is fine to me the way it is." I was lying, but I would never tell her that. I would love for Megan to know I was her Dad, but I didn't want to upset her or change her memory of Robert. "It's ok. She deserves to know." All the girls, including Megan, looked at us. They knew something big was going on here, but didn't know what. I hugged Megan close, and kissed her, then looked into her eyes. "Megan, honey... I am your Daddy." She looked at me, assuming I was talking about just how close we were. "Well, yeah, kind of, but you have Victoria and can't marry my Mommy and I wish you were my real Daddy." She hugged me again. "No, sweetheart, I mean I really am your Daddy." Megan looked at her Mom, and Samantha nodded. Then she looked at me, tears in her eyes, and squealed, hugging me so tight I couldn't breathe. None of us knew Megan's vocal chords could make a sound that loud. Then she started kissing me; mouth, neck, cheeks. But of course, no good news is complete with teenage girls without a celebration. Megan jumped off my lap, and they proceeded to hug and jump around in the middle of the floor for a while. Not quietly. We finally gave them the room out of self-protection and moved out to the patio to talk over the details. Victoria was completely frank with Samantha. They had known each other for years. She told her how we were looking at a bigger house. She also told her that, as far as she was concerned, she was a full partner in the house, and that anything we wanted to do while she was away was fine with her. Samantha and I looked at her in shock at her bluntness. "Well? What do you want me to do? Have you two walk around each other on eggshells being miserable until you end up doing something unintentionally and then feeling guilty about it? Patrick, guilt can ruin our marriage; making love to someone you love who loves you, who is not your wife, although she essentially will be once she moves in, will not, if I don't have a problem with it. Have a good time, guys, enjoy yourself. You are mine when I get home," she explained, meaning me. "As long as I am not neglected when I am home and do not have to fight for your attentions, why should you be lonely while I am away? I don't mean you can never have him when I am home, or that we might not have him together, but I get first choice. Is that fair?" She was asking us if it was fair? Have I told you how much I love that woman? We spent the rest of the week preparing for the weekend at the cabin in the woods. As expected, Katie and Becky couldn't go. As Becky was new on the cheerleader squad (replacing Cindi), she had to stay for camp for beginners. Katie elected to stay with her. Now that Samantha was planning to move in, we were more comfortable with it. In fact, we arranged for Samantha to spend the weekend at the house, and told the girls they could invite Rebecca to spend the weekend if they wanted. I suggested to Amy that she could invite Elizabeth too, but she just rolled her eyes and giggled, saying she probably wouldn't be interested if I wasn't going to be there! So, it would be Amy, Megan, Victoria and I at the cabin. We were looking forward to it. The main objection to the weekend was from Captain Jensen. The cabin was so remote that he was concerned he would not be able to protect us adequately. It was difficult to get people in and out and to adequately patrol the grounds. He was concerned that a sniper crew or somebody like that could get in and he would never know. I understood his point and was concerned about it too, but this was something my family really wanted to do and we were not going to become hermits just to be safe. I suggested he increase air and helicopter patrols to try to compensate. I really was not worried very much about intruders on the ground; with Amy, Megan and Victoria, there was no way I could ever be better defended. If someone could take those three out, they could take any protection we could provide out too. He wasn't happy, but when I offered him the option to discuss it with Amy, he decided he would go along with our plans! Finally, the day arrived and it was time to go. Katie and Becky went out to the car to tell us goodbye. Katie was suddenly very emotional. She gave me a very long, passionate kiss and tearfully told me to be careful. Then she whispered in my ear. "Goodbye, Daddy. I love you so very much. Remember that always. Take care of my family. Goodbye." She sniffled and kissed me again, then went over to Amy. She and Amy kissed, almost passionately, and I heard her tell Amy goodbye. Then she hugged and kissed Victoria and we were off. It was a long trip, but it was worth it. The scenery was spectacular. The cabin was such a nice place to be. I did indeed run through the woods chasing beautiful women. They didn't try very hard to get away. It was the most wonderful time I had in a long time. Megan, especially, was a joy to be around. She had relaxed enough to be really fun. She seemed to have inherited the family's lack of problems with sex, even with family members. That made her really fun to be with. A night with Amy and Megan was one to remember. Indeed, more than one. What those two girls could do with their bodies should be outlawed. Oh, wait, it was for me! I didn't care. She seemed especially affectionate now that she knew I was really her Dad. Victoria and I were sitting in the living room, reading, talking and kissing one night, when Amy and Megan came into the room. They sat on either side of us. Amy reached over and kissed me gently. "Daddy. Do you love me?" What was going to happen now? "I love you, Amy," I replied. "And I trust you too, Amy!" I was wondering if I could change the order of the ceremony. "Daddy. Do you trust me?" Apparently, I could not change the process. "Yes, Amy I trust you." "Daddy. It is time for Mommy to know. It is time." Amy spoke definitively. "Know what, sweetheart?" I figured I knew what she was talking about. "Know about you, Daddy. All about you. It is time you told her." She waited expectantly. Then, she tilted her head and looked surprised. She smiled, and she and Megan stood up together. Megan didn't look as calm or relaxed. "Mom! Dad! We have to get out of here, now! We are in danger!" Megan said excitedly as she grabbed both our hands and started pulling us off the couch. I looked at Amy. "She's right. We have to go now." She said it in that voice, and that look on her face, that I never argue with. Victoria looked confused. "I will explain later. If Amy says we are in trouble and have to go, we have to go. She is never wrong. Leave everything and let's go!" As we ran out of the house, heading for the car, two men came out of the trees, raising what looked like RPG's to their shoulders to fire. I saw Victoria dive towards Amy to knock her to the ground, while I dove towards Megan to do likewise. Actions that were totally unnecessary, because before we even reached them, Amy and Megan each fired two shots from guns that almost magically appeared in their hands. Both men fell before they could fire. I saw the look of unbelief on Victoria's face; both girls had fired without even looking at their targets. Old hat for me, but Victoria had never seen this before. We jumped into the car as I pulled my pen gizmo out of my pocket. More shocks coming for Victoria. Before I could begin to give instructions to Captain Jensen, Amy interrupted. "Dad, tell Paul to send Angels One twenty-five miles north of where he is going to place it. There is a hill about three miles north of here, on the left side of the road. Have him put Firebird One behind that hill, hovering as close to the ground as possible. Leave Angels Two and Firebird Two where he would normally put them. Trust me, Dad." She smiled happily at me. We were being shot at and she was happy. What a strange girl! I stared at her for a second, and then went back to my walkie-talkie. "One to Two. We are under fire. Heading out from the cabin east on access road. Deploy Angels Two and Firebird Two according to standard deployment. Send Angels One twenty-five miles north of standard deployment. Hover Firebird One behind the hill three miles to the East of the cabin, on the left side of the road. Execute protection plan Alpha immediately." "Two to One. Understood. Units already near deployment, will be in position in 30 seconds. Advise against requested deployment of Angels One and Firebird One. Those deployments will leave a serious hole in coverage." As usual, I was making Captain Jensen unhappy. "Paul, those deployment instructions are from Amy. Do you want to discuss them with her?" I already knew the answer to that. "No, sir! Units are on their way!" Amy giggled. What did she know that we didn't that made this whole thing fun? As we were speeding down the road, I looked over at Victoria. She was looking at Amy and me as if we were crazy. "Someone want to tell me what the hell is going on here?" She looked at Amy and Megan as if they had two heads. "When and how did you two learn to shoot like that? Nobody can do that!" Amy and Megan giggled and just gave her a thumbs up sign. "Yeah, that's what I thought the first time I saw it too. Get used to it, honey. That is one of the more conventional things they do! I promise I will explain all this as soon as we are safe. Please, no questions now." I smiled encouragingly at her. I knew I was in big trouble later. Right now, I had to save three very precious lives. Victoria gave me a look that promised much pain later and shut up. As we neared the three-mile mark, I noticed the road was blocked ahead by a very large tree. Damn! Whoever planned this did a good job. I just hoped we were better. It didn't look like it right now, though. "Daddy, pull over to the side of the road. We need to get out of the car," Amy instructed me. Victoria gave her a look. Both Victoria and I knew standard doctrine said we were safer in the car. I pulled over and told everyone to get out. Amy had never been wrong yet. Megan was nodding her head, verifying the instructions. I told Captain Jensen what we were doing. He hated it even more than Victoria. As we were standing there, I saw two men stand up from the tall grass and put RPG's to their shoulders. Well, I thought, here we go. Earn your pay, Amy. She looked at me and smiled. I spoke over the walkie-talkie. "Paul, we have two contacts with RPG's on the north side of the road at the three mile mark. Terminate, repeat terminate!" Firebird One responded that he was moving into position. I hoped they would get there in time, but I knew they wouldn't. Victoria's eyes were calm, flat and devoid of all expression as she started to move towards the men. Amy laid her hand on Victoria's arm to stop her, and held my arm too. They were too far away for effective pistol fire. Amy spoke calmly. "Stand still and watch. Enjoy it." She laughed out of pure delight. The two men fired simultaneously. I could see, almost in slow motion, the rockets spinning as they headed for us. I saw Amy's green shield go up between the rockets and us, about 500 feet away. I saw the rockets blow right through her shield. I looked at her, shocked and scared, but she looked at me and laughed. Victoria moved in front of the girls, preparing to knock them to the ground before impact to provide what protection she could. "Wait for it!" Amy giggled. Megan looked nervous, but looked at Amy, trust in her eyes. The rockets reached 250 feet away, and exploded in a flash of bright, deep blue light, sparkles showering everywhere. I had seen this before, but I never got tired of the scene. Victoria looked on in disbelief and awe. Then I heard the voice of Firebird One over my radio. I had it on speakerphone so everyone could hear. Amy and Megan were holding hands, smiling at each other and us. "What the hell? Holy shit! This is Firebird One; I have lost control of my aircraft!" "Firebird One, are you declaring a Mayday? Firebird Two, proceed at maximum speed to Firebird One's location!" Captain Jensen was barking orders like the captain he was. "Number Two, this is Firebird One. Negative on the mayday. I don't appear to be in danger of crashing." "Firebird One, describe your problem." Captain Jensen sounded a little upset that he had to ask for the details. "Sir, my navigation control panel and fire control panel are glowing bright, deep blue. Uh, sir... a young girl's voice is announcing target acquisition by fire control for four missiles. But if they fire now, they will just hit the hill — they are not guidable missiles. Sir, she has just announced the firing of the missiles." There was a pause. "Captain, the missiles are climbing and turning over the hill. What the hell? That's not possible! There is no guidance chip in them. The exhaust of the missiles is bright blue, sir. I have lost sight of them over the hill. I have regained control of the aircraft, sir. The girl's voice has also given me a message to deliver only in person to number one, sir." We watched as four missiles streaked over the hill, trailing bright blue exhaust trails. As the two men saw them coming, they split up and ran in opposite directions. Firebird One had told the truth; the missiles split up and changed course to follow the men. A second later, the woods exploded as the missiles found their targets. We stood there watching, stunned but relieved. Amy laughed again, this time Megan joining in. Megan tilted her head and looked at Amy. Then her eyes sparkled and she and Amy jumped up and down in delight, giggling and hugging each other. My relief was short lived, however. "This is Angels One, I have a large number of targets, at least eight, on radar entering my field from the north. IFF transponders are off. Attempts to hail are unreturned." So, Amy had been right so far in her placements. "Angels One, take them down. Angels Two, intercept at maximum speed to assist Angels One. Angels Three, scramble immediately." I heard the frustration in his voice. Angels One only had four missiles. Angels Two probably wouldn't get there in time and Angels Three was a non-factor. None of us had planned on this large an assault. This had to have high-level cooperation. "This is Angels One. I have lost control of my aircraft. I am not declaring a mayday. My flight controls and fire controls are glowing bright, deep blue. I have gone to afterburners, passing... mach 3? That's not possible! I am trailing blue exhaust. Sir, a young female voice has announced target acquisition and lock on all eight targets. My fire control radar should only acquire and lock on six at a time. There are eight target tracks on my screen, sir. She has just announced the firing of eight missiles. I only have four missiles on board, but there are eight bright blue missile exhaust tracks heading north, sir. I have regained control of flight operations. Sir, radar and electronic surveillance data indicate that antimissile chaff and flares are off line and inoperative on the enemy planes. They are making no attempt to evade. Sir, one has fired an air to surface missile. Holy cow! They all just exploded. I have one parachute in sight. The ASM is heading for your location, number one." By this time, I was willing to believe anything. I wasn't worried about the incoming missile. I knew it would not hit us. I instructed Captain Jensen to send a helicopter to pick up the enemy pilot. Sure enough, as the missile came in sight, it exploded, sending blue fuzzies everywhere. Victoria was still enthralled. I turned to face Amy, as she and Megan were still jumping up and down and laughing happily. "Ok, Amy, I've seen you do some interesting things, but it is time to explain this one. How did you know to leave the cabin and change the locations of the plane and helicopter? And what stopped those missiles? Your shield is green." I had a feeling I was not going to like the explanation. Victoria looked at me strangely when I talked about Amy's shield. Amy came up to me and hugged me, quivering with excitement. "It was easy, Daddy. Are you sure you don't want to sit down?" I gave her a dirty look. "Ok, I warned you. I knew because... Cindi told me! The blue shields were Cindi's!" She and Megan squealed in delight together, again. "How could Cindi have known that six months ago to tell you? And who is controlling her shields?' I was confused. "Cindi told me tonight, Daddy! She is controlling her shields!" Amy laughed at the look on my face. Poor Amy! She was regressing again. Would she never get over Cindi's death? I saw the sad look on Victoria's face. Amy was watching us, grinning. I put my arms around her and hugged her. She looked so happy; I hated to break her bubble. "Amy, honey, I love you. I loved Cindi too. I know it is hard for you to accept sometimes, but Amy, honey, Cindi is dead." I waited with a heavy heart to watch her collapse in tears. She laughed happily again. "Poor Daddy. Cindi told me you would say that. She told me what to say to you. I don't know what this means, but she said you would understand." She paused for dramatic effect. "Cindi said to ask you how you liked the beautiful red rose she left on your chest." She looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. I took Amy's advice, finally, and sat down. I had told no one about that rose. No one had seen it. I was alone when I woke up. The only two people, other than me, that could have known about that rose were Katie and... Cindi! And Katie wasn't here. Oh God, Cindi was alive! She had to be, somehow, in some form. This could only come from her. In conjunction with the blue everywhere and Amy and Katie's 'prophecies', there was no other answer. Victoria looked at me in concern. "Honey, what is the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost. What is this about a rose?" "Honey, did you ever leave a rose on my chest before you left for work in the morning, while I was still asleep?" I described the morning. She replied no. Just then, the pilot for Firebird One walked up. "I have a message to be delivered to you in person, sir!" He had probably never met the big boss before. He looked nervous. "You may give it in front of these people, Lieutenant Morgan." I had read his name off his uniform. "The young girl's voice said to tell you, sir... and I quote... 'No one messes with Mommy's babies!' He looked embarrassed. Amy and Megan laughed in sheer delight. I shook my head, grinning. Victoria looked shocked. Then we all heard it in our heads, clear as a bell, in that lovely voice we had not heard in so long. "Nobody, but nobody messes with Mommy's babies!" It was Cindi's voice! She giggled, and then was gone. I suddenly remembered what Amy and Becky had said, that Cindi had to die to save Amy, Megan, Victoria's and my lives. That she could only do it if she died. That we would know it when we saw it. And then the gloves would be off. This was it. Oh, shit! Amy looked at me, suddenly sober, as the same thing occurred to her. "Dad!" She said softly. "I know Amy! Damn it, I should have seen it! She told me goodbye twice, told me to take care of her family, told me she loved me no matter what. Damn it! She was saying goodbye, because she knew she wouldn't be there when we got back! She did everything but come out and tell me." I grabbed my radio. "Patrick, what is wrong?" Victoria looked scared. "I'm sorry, honey, Katie is gone." I saw her panicked look. "No, she is not dead. But she will not be there when we get home." "She is ok," Megan said. "They will not hurt her. It is not her they want. And they do not realize she would have gone there anyway." We all looked at her, as she smiled gently at us. Then she turned around, tears running down her face. ------- Chapter 28 Oh, shit! Amy looked at me, suddenly sober, as the same thing occurred to her. "Dad!" She said softly. "I know Amy! Damn it, I should have seen it! She told me goodbye twice, told me to take care of her family, told me she loved me no matter what. Damn it! She was saying goodbye, because she knew she wouldn't be there when we got back! She did everything but come out and tell me." I grabbed my radio. "Patrick, what's wrong?" Victoria looked scared. "I'm sorry, honey, Katie is gone." I saw her panicked look. "No, she's not dead. But she won't be there when we get home." "She's ok," Megan said. "They won't hurt her. It's not her they want. And they don't realize she would have gone there anyway." We all looked at her, as she smiled gently at us. Then she turned around, tears running down her face. I spoke into the radio. "Paul, it's Patrick. I need the fastest helicopter you can find that can carry at least the four of us here as fast as you can, with the Angels and Firebirds for escort." If anyone wanted to take on an F-15, an F-14 and two Apaches, let them. Not to mention that Angels One and Firebird One were reporting lasting effects to Cindi's takeover of their aircraft. Their capabilities remained greatly enhanced. We didn't even know how much so far. "File no flight plan, but we're going back to the house. Get the house surrounded immediately; no one or nothing goes in or out without my permission. Get someone in there to verify that Becky is all right. See if Katie is there; she probably isn't. Protect Becky at all costs. Find Katie. Keep the police out of it, but if they get involved, tell them Katie is sick and needs medication. She is not to be harmed. Anyone that harms her will deal directly with me and they will not survive intact. Contact immigration and have them seal the borders looking for her. Tell them she is a child of a divorced couple, one of them not a US citizen, and has been kidnapped to be taken out of the country by one of them." I looked at Victoria, Amy and Megan. "Please forgive me for what you're about to hear," I looked at them, pleading. "Paul, track Katie with the DNA signature embedded in her cell phone. Don't bother to go to the office to get the signature. Use Becky's, they're identical." If looks could kill, I was dead from Victoria and Amy. They knew what implications I had just made. Megan smiled at me softly and nodded; she apparently already knew all of our cell phones were embedded with DNA tracking. "Pick up the agent that was following her. Find out where she went and why he didn't report any disappearance. Check airlines, buses and trains. She's a distinctive looking girl; someone has to have seen her. Paul, when you find her, if she is with someone, kill to get her back if you need to." Victoria watched me with a look of confusion, shock and something, possibly admiration on her face. Victoria never complained about me; she took me and loved me as I was. However, I had long known, and we had talked about her one desire that I would be more forceful, strong, more of a take-charge person. I was at the hospital, but that was all. She was seeing a side of me that she had wished for but never seen. "Secondary objectives: Get protection around Rebecca, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Emily, Danielle, Laura, Samantha and their families. I don't think they are in danger, but I'm not taking a chance. Also, find Rachel Thomas and get her over to the house. We have to take a chance with her. I think she may be in danger. Kidnap her if you have to, if she refuses to come." Victoria gave me an unbelieving look and started to say something, but I waved her to silence. She was starting to get mad. Amy hugged her and whispered to her, taking her mind off her anger and frustration. "Contact Joe Adams in IS. He has a way to turn a cell phone into a microphone. Have him send the maintenance signal to Katie's phone to do that and route it to Victoria's, Amy's Megan's, Becky's and my cell phones." Amy interrupted me, telling me she could do that. I looked at her inquiringly. Was there anything she couldn't do? "Never mind, Paul, Amy can do that. Hard to believe, isn't it? I guess she isn't just the useless hunk of teenage flesh I thought she was, huh?" Ow! That hurt! "Contact Chief Haskin. Ask him how a young girl that all investigations showed was killed in a car accident is alive and well. Have him exhume the body if he has to." At this, Victoria did interrupt, a look of horror on her face. "No, Patrick! Leave her be. I don't care about that; don't disturb my little girl's rest. Investigate all you want, but don't dig up her grave!" "Ignore the exhumation request, Paul. But find out what is going on. Did she really die? I want answers, and I want them before I confront whoever has her. And Paul... be careful. Katie might have disappeared on her own. No, she's not under suspicion. But if she did disappear voluntarily, there's a compelling reason." I called Becky's cell phone. She answered on the first ring. "Becky, honey, are you all right? How are things there? We're on our way back. May I speak to Katie, please?" "Katie's not here. Did you guys have a good time? I missed all of you!" Things sounded ok. "Did Katie say where she was going, or when she'd be back?" I didn't want to alarm her. "No, she said she had some things to take care of. Is everything ok?" Becky didn't sound worried. "Some men are going to be there soon, to check on you and watch the house. It's ok; I sent them. If you have any questions, call me before you do anything. Don't leave the house until I get back, sweetie." There was a pause. "Daddy, come on home. Katie will be ok. She's not in danger. She would've gone with them voluntarily, but they didn't know that." Seems this wasn't a surprise to either Becky or Megan. "Do you know where she went, Becky?" "No. She'll contact us when we're to follow." "I'm not waiting for that, Becky. I will find her." I was determined. "That's ok, Daddy. Cindi has saved you now. There are no other things that have to happen now. You can take any actions you want. From now on, none of this has ever... come on home, Daddy." I contacted Paul again. "Where is that helicopter?" Five seconds later, I heard and saw it coming over the hill. We piled in and headed for home. We did little talking on the way home. It's very noisy in a helicopter. Amy and Megan took turns sitting on my lap, cuddling. Victoria held my hand all the way home, her head on my shoulder, giving me strange looks periodically. Maybe she wouldn't kill me after all. Once we got home, we unpacked everything and everyone gravitated to the living room. Samantha was at work and there was no sign of Rachel Thomas, although Paul told me she was there. We all sat around, listening to the update of what he had found out. "It seems Katie has just disappeared into thin air," Paul informed us. "No one has seen her. Her tail was found walking on the street, convinced he was still following her. I had Becky check him out. His mind had been manipulated and he still saw her shopping. Becky says it was Katie that did the manipulating. Other than one report of seeing her with three men, walking with them, apparently not being forced, there is no sign of her. It seems she left voluntarily. We have no idea where she is." Megan looked surprised at that. She looked like she was going to say something, but Victoria interrupted. "I think it's time I found out what's going on here. It seems everyone knows who you are except me. Let's talk. I think it's time we both told the truth." I knew that tone of voice from her. 'No' was not an option. She did smile warmly at me though. Captain Jensen, the big chicken, excused himself and left the room. Everyone else settled back to watch the show. I didn't know where to begin. Where do you start to correct years of cover-up? I'm sure Victoria realized the problem, having the same one herself, and that's why she was being reasonably nice about it. I decided it was easiest just to go all at once. I opened my wallet and took out a '24' card and handed it to her. She looked at it carefully, and then looked up at me questioningly. "Are you telling me you work for '24'?" She asked. There was something in her voice, the look on her face that I could not read. "How long have you been employed by them?" Amy laughed; Victoria looked over at her, confused. "He doesn't work for '24', Mom; he is '24'. He started it, owns it, and runs it." I had known for a while that Amy was very proud of this part of my life. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to express that. I watched Victoria closely. Victoria blinked twice, and then seemed to come to a decision. "I would love to hear the story of how that came about! But first, nature calls." She smiled at me sweetly. "I will be right back." She got up and left the room. Amy had been leaning negligently against the wall, opposite the door. I had noticed over the last couple of months that this was second nature to her. She always faced the door, back to a wall. She seldom did anything that occupied both her hands. I noticed now that she straightened up slightly, hands free at her sides. She looked at me and shrugged slightly. I noticed her eyes had brightened considerably, and she seemed very alert. Something had tripped her alarm. Megan had left the room shortly before to take care of something. Becky slowly, unobtrusively moved to the other side of the room, away from me. I saw her and Amy looking at each other. I was pretty good at recognizing non-verbal communication between them now, and it was occurring big time. For some reason, they were not including me. Then I saw Victoria walk back into the room, stop, and level a gun at my chest. She looked at me with big, sad, moist eyes. "I'm really sorry, Patrick, but I am going to kill you now," she said in a flat, monotone voice. She looked like she meant it, too. I think she was the only one in the room that was surprised when she heard the soft click of a gun safety being taken off. She turned her head slowly to her left, and looked into the barrel of a gun, pointed at her head, held steadily in Amy's more than competent hands. "No Mom, you're not," Amy said softly. Victoria's eyes opened wide for a minute, then she smiled slightly. "I was impressed with your marksmanship before, Amy. However, do you have the mental toughness to shoot me in the head? It's different when you watch them die. Can you shoot your mother?" Amy turned and looked at Becky. "Show her." Becky looked confused. "Show her what I can do." Becky looked pale. "How do you know about that? Your mind was wiped!" "Come on, Becky! Do you really think I am that clueless? I know all about it. Show her the sparring and the target practice. Then show her the room with ten men. Come on, Becky; don't make me kill my own mother!" Amy was begging Becky, trying a find a way out. I saw Becky's head tilt slightly. Victoria's eyes defocused slightly, but not enough to affect her concentration. Then, after a few moments, I saw her look at Amy, a look of horror on her face. Her reaction wasn't what Amy expected. "Oh God, Amy, what have they done to you! I'm so sorry, sweetie, but please, put down your gun. Don't let them ruin your life like they have mine!" "They've done the same thing to me they did to you, Mom, only they've gotten much better at it. And I should let you ruin my life as I watch you kill my father? Not likely, Mom. I will kill you, Mom. I will cry myself to sleep every night for the rest of my life, but I swear, if you put so much as a fraction of an ounce of pressure on that trigger, I will kill you. Believe me, Mom." I surely did. "Why are you doing this, Mom? He's the man you love." "He's '24', Amy. They're evil. They must be destroyed. Don't you understand? You know nothing about them!" Victoria was getting upset. "Who told you '24' was evil, Mom? What do you know about them? I've known who Dad was ever since shortly after the Fair incident." That caused me to raise my eyebrows. Certifiable genius. "I found out everything I could on them. Mom, they're not evil. They only accept cases that are for good. The list of people they have helped is huge. Who do you think saved you in San Francisco? Who do you think avenged that? Dad and I personally took out that cell. Except for the intervention of Becky, Cindi, and Katie, he would've died avenging what they did to you. Why do you think he knew where you were to react so fast? He has had us all followed for months, after Cindi's death, to protect us. You have a strange idea of evil, Mom. He's the best, the most loving man I have ever known. The best you have ever known. I've felt your love for him. Can you live with yourself if you kill him? Moot point, because I won't allow it. Put down the gun!" "But '24' killed Julie!" Victoria wailed. "How can they be so good if they killed a six year old girl? One of the sweetest little girls I've ever known. She never hurt anyone. She was my life! They murdered her! How can he be good?" She was really upset now, tears running down her face. I spoke for the first time. "Is that who you think killed Julie? Who told you that? I didn't start '24' until four years after Julie's death. It didn't even exist then!" I was trying to restore some semblance of sanity here. Victoria ignored me, concentrating on Amy. This was quickly becoming a nasty situation. I reached out to Becky. 'What's going on, Becky?' 'Amy has been programmed to defend you at all costs. She will shoot if Victoria tries to fire. I don't know about Victoria, but her actions seem to emanate from that black area in her brain. I believe Victoria will shoot you.' Unflappable Becky sounded terrified. Obviously, this was not one of those things they knew about that was supposed to happen. 'Who programmed Amy? Can you reverse it? I can take care of Victoria; she won't shoot me. But we have to do something about Amy.' 'Cindi programmed her. It would take me too long to reverse, if I could. Katie might have been able to do it. I'm scared, Daddy. This never... ' Damn. The two people that could help us weren't here. Well, they were mind readers, so let's give them something to read. Supposedly, distance made no difference. 'Cindi! Katie! Help us!' It wasn't until much later that I realized I should've been much more specific. I heard the two voices answer in my head. 'All you had to do is ask.' I expected something dramatic to happen. What happened was that Megan walked back into the room. Much later, I realized that Victoria started what happened next. The actions that followed changed all our lives forever. Somehow, Katie and Cindi knew that, and knew this was the best thing to do. It was hard to accept that, however, as the events unfolded at lightning speed, one after another. Megan walking into the room distracted Victoria. I think she thought Megan was threatening her. She had seen her handle a gun and assumed her training was the same or better than what she'd seen in her mind of Amy's training. As she turned to look at Megan, her finger, accidentally, I believe, applied pressure to the trigger of her gun. Amy saw it, fired, and started crying; the realization that Amy had fired caused Victoria to fire at the same time. Megan was not standing still, doing nothing, however. I believe Cindi and Katie sent her in response to my request. I saw four bolts of purple energy erupt from her with amazing speed. Sometimes, events are shaped by little actions from before that seem to have no importance at the time. The cleaning crew had been in, and had moved the furniture to vacuum. They hadn't put the chair near where Victoria was standing back exactly where it had been, exactly where Megan knew it had always been. The first bolt hit Victoria squarely, and, I believe, was intended to throw her against the wall, to get her out of the way. However, it threw her against the chair instead, stopping her from going as far as intended. The second bolt hit the bullet fired by Amy, knocking it out of the intended path. I think the energy required to fire four bolts at once was what kept Megan from disintegrating the bullet. I watched in horror as the bullet hit Victoria in the stomach, being deflected enough to avoid her head. The third bolt hit the bullet from Victoria, deflecting it into the wall inches from my head. The fourth bolt slammed Amy against the wall, encasing her in purple energy and holding her there. I saw Victoria slide to the ground. I realized that Amy had not had time to change the bullets loaded in her gun from our action before in the woods. Paranoia from being out in the wilds so far from help had caused all of us to load Predator bullets in our guns. The effect on the wall from the bullet hitting it confirmed that was what everyone was still firing. Seldom did anyone survive a Predator. There was blood everywhere; Victoria was losing a lot, and fast. I raced over to help her, but Megan was already there, tears pouring down her cheeks as she realized what she'd done. It wasn't her fault, but that didn't make it easier on her. She looked at the wound, then raised her head and shouted loudly. "Cindi! Save her, please!" Cindi answered immediately, this time not in our heads, but aloud. "I can't save her, Megan. Only you can. I'll help you, but I can't do it. You know the rules. You knew this was coming someday. You must do it!" Cindi was calm, but forceful. "I can't do this! It's too hard! I swore I would never do it again! Do you know what it will do to me if I start doing this again! Please, Cindi, save her. I can't!" Megan sobbed. "It's too hard? Harder than watching your Daddy's face every day for the rest of his life every time he looks at you, knowing you let his wife die? Harder than letting Amy live the rest of her life with the knowledge that she killed her mother? How long do you think they will survive that, Megan? Being a Helper isn't about doing the easy things. It's about helping, when it's needed, regardless of the price. You have a decision to make, soon. She's dying, Megan; she won't last much longer. Not making a decision is making a decision." Cindi's voice dripped with emotion. "Please, Megan, save my Mommy!" I saw movement in Amy's direction. I looked over in time to see Amy concentrate, then the purple force holding her shattered in a million little fuzzies. She ran over, knelt beside her Mom, and looked at Megan, eyes wild and tear-filled. "Please, Megan, save my Mommy! I'll do anything you ask, just save her! Please don't let me have killed her!" She grabbed Megan's shoulders, begging her. "I can't! I can't do it! You don't know what you are asking!" Megan was hysterical. Amy looked determined, and sad. "Then I will," she said quietly. Amy laid her hands on the wound in Victoria's belly, and applied pressure. She concentrated, and a green glow surrounded her and Victoria. Becky screamed. "NO! AMY, NO!" She looked at me, panic in her eyes and voice. "Stop her! She can't save her that way! She will only transfer her energy to Victoria and they'll both die! Megan, please!" In her excitement and distress, she ejected a stream of orange energy that struck Megan, jolting her from her hysteria. Megan looked at what was happening, realized what Amy was doing, and moved to intercept her. She gently removed Amy's hands from her Mom, kissed Amy gently, and gently pushed her away. "I'll save her, Amy," she whispered softly. "But you'll have to save me, then, someday, because I know where this leads to. Help me, Cindi!" she cried, then laid her hands on Victoria and concentrated. The effects were amazing. The entire room filled with purple light. Bolts of purple energy flashed from all corners of the room, too many to count, to fast to even see them all, every one of them striking Megan squarely. She and Victoria began to glow purple, until they were too bright to be seen anymore. The entire room exploded in purple fuzzies, causing all of us to close our eyes in pain. I felt a terrible pain in my head, worse than I'd ever felt before, and everything went black. When I awoke, I was lying on a bed in one of the bedrooms. Megan and Amy were on the bed with me, snuggled close. Victoria was lying on a bed in the same room. I wondered at that, since she had just tried to kill me, but then I noticed her hands were tied to the bed. Becky and Captain Jensen were also in the room, watching over us. Amy looked tired and weak, and Megan looked little better. When they saw that I was awake, they both sat up in bed next to me. Amy stroked my hair, touching my forehead and cheek softly. Megan held my hand, but seemed to have problems looking at me. Let's take care of that right away. "Thank you, Megan, for helping her. I'll never forget it. I love you." Megan finally looked at me, crying softly. "I almost let her die," she whispered. "I don't deserve to be your daughter." "But you didn't. You saved her, knowing what it will cost you in the future. I'll be there when you need me, Megan. I promise. So will Amy and Victoria. You are one special little lady. Thank you." I kissed her softly, and she smiled so big she almost glowed. "How is she?" I asked. Victoria looked like she was sleeping. "Actually, very good," Becky answered. "It seems all the power your special little girl was throwing around, along with Cindi helping, has had some unusual side effects. She's actually better than she was before she was shot." I saw Megan blush from the attention. I squeezed her hand, and felt her squeeze back in appreciation. "Seems we have had a lot of those side effects lately. What now?" I was almost afraid to hear. "Well, first, the energy from the healing destroyed the black wall secluding part of her brain. What was hidden there is free now. You need to talk to her about that as soon as she wakes up. It's going to be very traumatic for her." "Julie?" I asked. I figured that was what was behind that area. Somehow, she blamed me, or rather '24', for Julie's death. I had to correct that idea. Becky nodded. "Also, you fainted because the destruction of the black wall, freeing that area of her brain, plus all the power being thrown around, and the fact that you two are twins, has forged a mental connection between you and Victoria. It's a real one, just as Amy's and Cindi's were and Becky's and Katie's were. It will not likely become active until either of you use it the first time. You may want to do that right away, as the combination of the desire to be connected that comes with a connection, which she will not recognize, and the destruction of the black wall is likely to be hard on her. The black wall gave her some satisfaction, like being connected, even though its overall effects were not good. It did allow her to function, though. The power has awakened some other abilities in her, too. We can detect their presence, but don't know what they are yet. Good thing; life was getting boring around here." It wasn't often that Becky made a joke; mark it down. I told them to untie Victoria and wake her up. Captain Jensen strenuously protested her being untied, but Amy just rolled her eyes at him. I asked them all to leave the room; this was going to be very traumatic for Victoria and I didn't want to embarrass her. This time, Captain Jensen won the argument and it was decided that Amy would stay. After they left, I went over to Victoria's bed and woke her up. When Victoria woke up, she was very disoriented. The last thing she remembered was trying to kill me and then knowing she was dying herself. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she was aware very quickly that she was tied to the bed. She didn't have time to even begin struggling when I walked over and untied her hands. She looked at me with surprise, that I would trust her still, and a little fear. I think it was fear of what she would do, not fear of me. I decided now was a fine time to awaken the link. 'It's ok, sweetheart. I love you and trust you. We need to talk.' I tried to make it sound like a request, but one that I would not take no as an answer to. She was much more interested in how I was talking to her in her mind. "How are you doing that?" She was stunned. 'Answer me in your mind, dear. You can do it. Just think what you want to say and send it out.' I remember Amy and Katie teaching me this. 'Like this? How is this possible?' She was getting excited. 'We are twins, dear. Apparently, Megan has awoken something in you. That and the destruction of a wall you had built in your mind. We need to talk about that, as you won't be able to hide those feelings there anymore.' I tried to get her back on the subject of talking, but she wasn't finished here yet. 'Oh, Patrick, this is wonderful! We are connected? I've wanted this for so long, never understood why we couldn't. I'll have to thank Megan.' I saw in her how badly she had wanted this. I never knew that. It had made her sad for quite awhile that we couldn't be close like this. I thought she would use talking about this to avoid talking about Julie for quite awhile, so I decided to broach the subject myself. We could talk about being connected the rest of our lives. I went back to speech, so Amy could hear. Yes, I know she could hear our thoughts, and she would eavesdrop if she had to, but I also knew she would feel bad about it. "Honey, we need to talk about Julie. You're not going to be able to just hide those thoughts anymore. Talk to me." "Why did you kill Julie? She was so sweet, she never hurt anyone. She was the only thing I had left of John. She was his daughter. Amy is right; you're the best man I've ever known. Why did you do that?" She was sobbing, and put her head in her hands. I pulled her head up and dried her eyes. "Tell me what you remember of the night that Julie died. I promise you, Victoria, I didn't kill her. Tell me what you remember." "I was concerned about Julie. She was the daughter of the older man, John, that I'd been living with for almost a year. He had died a couple of weeks before, of cancer. Julie felt there were people following her. Six year olds that have just lost their father imagine all kinds of things, but I became convinced that she was right. She didn't worry about it. She said her brother would protect her. I knew what she meant. She didn't have a brother, but she had another friend, a teenage boy that protected her. I'd never met him." "The night they took her, she unwittingly messed up their plans. They had sent a message, supposedly from me, to meet her at a warehouse we often went to. She called and left a message that she was so excited, because her brother was coming too and I could meet him. Of course, I knew from the message what was happening, as I hadn't asked her to meet me there. By the time I got there, they were already torturing her, trying to get information that I don't think she knew. I tried to stop them, but there were too many. The last thing I remember was the door being broken down as they killed Julie. I woke up later in the hospital. I never knew how I got there." "Later, when I went to work for the people I work for now, I did it on the condition that they would help me find who did this to her and that I would be allowed to avenge Julie's death. Every investigation came back as '24' being responsible. Now I find you're '24'. Please, Patrick, convince me I'm wrong," she sobbed. I listened to her story with growing amazement. I didn't see how this could be. How was I going to convince her? "What was that girl's name?" I asked. I held my breath, waiting for her answer. "Julie Anderson. Why?" The pieces all fell into place. "Victoria, please listen to my entire story before you react. I swear to you, every word of what I say is true. You can search my mind; you can have Becky search it, to verify what I say. Please hear me out." "I never knew I had any brothers or sisters. The people that adopted me were wonderful people, but I so wanted a sister. Someone to protect. I befriended a little six-year-old girl, and she became my sister. I became her brother. I was one of two friends she had. She talked often about her older 'sister', but I never met her." "After Julie's father died, we began to spend more time together. I became her brother and father. I told her I would always take care of her; always protect her. I meant it. She was my life." "One day I came home to find a message on the answering machine from Julie. She was so excited that we were going to meet at the warehouse she often took me to, and her sister was going to be there too, so I could meet her. Alarm bells went off everywhere in my head. I didn't know what she was talking about. I suddenly had a very bad feeling. I raced to the warehouse as fast as I could. The door was locked when I got there. I could hear screaming coming from the inside, little girl screams of pain and other screams of rage. When I finally got the door open, there were five men lying on the floor and four men standing over Julie and another girl. I knew from looking at her that Julie was dead, and I was pretty sure the other girl was too or soon would be." "I flew into a rage. I don't know to this day what I did, but when my rage cleared, the four men were dead. I checked Julie; she was dead. The other girl looked to be about my age, but it was difficult to tell, as her face was beaten so badly, but she was still alive. I picked her up and carried her to the hospital, where I left her in the emergency room and walked out unidentified." "Part of what your employer's investigation showed was right. I was there that night. However, I didn't kill Julie. I tried to save her. '24' didn't kill her; I didn't start '24' until four years later, when I turned 18. I started it as a direct consequence of what happened to Julie. I swore I would never let another person I loved be harmed if I could help it. I have failed a few times at that promise, but I have succeeded many more times. I always wondered what happened to the girl I took to the emergency room. I swear to you, Victoria, I didn't kill Julie. If you can find evidence in my mind that I did, I will give you the bullet and gun and stand still while you kill me!" I couldn't tell yet if she believed me or not. It was important to me that she believe me before I could go on to the next part of what I had to tell her. Victoria looked at me for several moments. Then she wrapped her arms around me and hugged the stuffings out of me. She cried softly as she kissed my neck, then she whispered in my ear. "You wondered what happened to the girl you carried to the emergency room? You married her, you dope! I'm sure you've figured that out by now. When did you actually know?" "I knew we had a connection through a girl named Julie a few weeks ago. I suspected it might be the same one, but I was not sure until you told me her name. I didn't know you were the other girl until just now when you told me the story. Do you believe me, about my part in this, that I didn't kill or have Julie killed?" I waited for her answer. "Yes, I do. I guess I always did, even when I found out who you were. I don't know why I still tried to kill you. Can you ever forgive me?" She wept silently. "There is nothing to forgive, honey. You were programmed to kill me, and they twisted the story of Julie just enough to give you a reason. I will explain more later. However, there's one more piece of the Julie story that you have to know. Amy, could you please ask Captain Jensen to send out guest in? It's ok, sweetie, she isn't going to harm me." I received a patented Amy 'just how fucking dumb do you think I am' look and eye roll before she left the room. Victoria looked at me with a question in her eyes. I smiled at her. She looked even more confused when everyone came back into the room, including Rachel Thomas. Rachel walked over and sat down on the bed between us. "Victoria, meet Rachel Thomas. Rachel, meet Victoria Phillips, formerly Victoria Simmons." I saw Rachel's eyes open wider for a second, and then a slight, knowing smile played around her lips. She suddenly looked really excited, but was trying her best to hold it in. Victoria looked at me as if I was nuts. "I know who Rachel is. We have worked together. No offense, Rachel, you are welcome in our house anytime, but why is she here?" Victoria was getting more confused by the minute. She looked at me with arched eyebrows and a curious look on her face as I put my arm around Rachel and gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. She kissed me back on the mouth, her eyes plainly saying a kiss on the cheek was just not going to cut it. She put her arm around me also. I looked at the others in the room. Captain Jensen was grinning, as he knew the story. I suddenly saw the light go on in Amy's eyes and she was trying to keep from jumping up and down for joy. Megan looked at me with impatience, wondering when I was going to get on with it. She probably knew the story long before I did. Poor Becky looked confused. "Rachel, why don't you tell Victoria what your real name is?" I asked her, then got up and walked a few feet away. Self-protection. If I stayed there, it would be a race as to whether I died from Victoria's anger for stretching this out, or was trampled to death in the hugs. Rachel was a very soft-spoken woman; she reminded me a lot of Megan. "Hi Victoria. My real name is... Julie Anderson. I love you, Bicky!" Victoria's face registered disbelief when Rachel told her what her real name was. But when she said the name 'Bicky', Victoria screamed and grabbed her, hugging her so tight I was worried for Julie's health. From the huge smile on her face, however, Julie wasn't worried. Apparently, 'Bicky' must've been a nickname Julie had for Victoria when she was little that she decided to use to prove her authenticity. It worked. I motioned everyone out of the room to give them some privacy. Amy's sensitivity had given way to her curiosity, and she gave me a dirty look and stuck out her tongue before she left. One of these days, I'm going to cut that tongue off. Well, maybe not... she uses it really well! I started to leave also, but Victoria motioned me to stay. "Stay, Patrick. You knew her too." We spent the rest of the night getting acquainted again. Victoria and I took to Julie like old friends, which we were. After awhile, I noticed Victoria giving me sideways looks and smiling at me. I knew what she was up to. I decided to nip this in the bud. I used our new link to talk to her. 'Yes, she's beautiful. Yes, I love her. No, I won't go to bed with her. Get it out of your mind. I don't need any more females in my "harem"! She's still a 6 year old girl in my mind and that would be just plain wrong!' I sent the message as forceful as possible. Victoria laughed at me in her mind. 'I don't know if I like this mind thing or not! Now you know what I'm thinking and planning. She doesn't look like a 6-year-old girl to me! Are you under the misconception that you have any choice about who you sleep with? We girls decide that! Live with it, bub!' She laughed again. 'I'll bug you about this more later!' 'Pay attention to your guest and leave me alone. You're being rude!' Somehow, the tough guy approach just didn't work with her. I just could never have her quivering in her boots in fear as I did the other girls. Yeah, right! We returned to talking with Julie. Julie worked for the same firm that Victoria did. She was an administrative secretary. I asked Julie about a certain person, the name I had given Robert on a piece of paper. Her face immediately clouded over. "He's an asshole! He's also my boss. Do you know him? He's into some strange stuff right now; I'm not sure whose side he's on." She dropped her voice real low. "He seems to be into kidnapping teenage girls right now. I saw one he was setting up to be taken the other day..." She looked around the room, to see if anyone was listening. When she looked at Becky, her face dropped and her eyes opened wide in shock. "That's her! He's planning to kidnap that girl! Oh please, you have to hide her! Please! She's not the first one he has made plans to kidnap!" She looked truly frightened. Victoria hugged her close as I explained. "That is actually her twin sister, Becky. Katie disappeared a few days ago. We're trying to find her. I hate to ask this, Julie, but would you help us find her?" I usually didn't recruit until I knew the person better, but I was desperate to find Katie. "That depends. Who do you work for?" She didn't sound suspicious or untrusting, just curious. "I work for '24'," I responded quickly, before someone else spilled the beans. Julie started laughing. "I would love to work for you, but you're too late. I've been on the payroll of '24', feeding information to Captain Jensen, for about 3 years now. Do you want to hire me again? I could use double the money!" She laughed again. "Julie, you help us find Katie and I'll see that your salary from '24' is doubled," I said seriously. She laughed, then stopped as she saw my face and realized I was serious. "I love that little girl. We are in the process of adopting Becky and her." I saw Becky's eyes open wide in delight. Apparently, we'd neglected to tell her we had included her in the deal. "There's no cost too much to get her back." I decided the time was right to tell Victoria and Julie about what I had found out about their boss. By the time I was finished, they were both ready to go take him out now. I told them we would be told when the right time was, and besides, I wanted to give Julie some time to see what she could find out about Katie. Since it was getting towards bedtime, we offered Julie the option of staying the night, since we'd already ruined her whole evening. She gladly accepted. There were some things we felt she needed to know, first. "Julie," Victoria started nervously. This was a first; Victoria embarrassed? "There are some unusual things about our family that you should know." Julie laughed. "I wondered if you were going to tell me about that, or if you were just going to tell the girls to behave themselves when I was here! That probably wouldn't have worked, you know. I know what you are going to say. I 'm blessed with excellent hearing and overheard the girls talking earlier. It wasn't too hard to put two and two together. Don't worry; they weren't being indiscreet. I just have really good hearing. It's ok. I was only six when I knew Patrick, but you would be surprised at the things a six year old thinks about while listening to her father make love with his thirteen year old live in girlfriend every night!" Victoria blushed bright red! Score one for Julie! I really liked this woman! "I was madly in love with Patrick and thought many times about seducing him. I would have, too, if I'd known what seduction was! I understand completely; although we never did anything, because I was too young, I was in love with my father too. I would have given him anything he wanted if I had been old enough." It was my turn to blush. Julie patted my cheek softly. "Don't worry, honey, you are safe, since you are married to Victoria. Unless, of course, she..." Julie giggled hysterically and ran out of the room. Victoria gave me a triumphant look. I headed for bed. ------- Chapter 29 Victoria and I were ready to go to bed when I saw her eyes narrow and a thoughtful look cross her face. She grabbed her robe and put it on. "Come on, we have to go talk to Julie again," she said as she headed to the door. "What? Why? Let the poor girl get some sleep. Hell, let poor me get some sleep. We've had a long day, honey. I'm tired. Can't it wait until tomorrow?" I knew I was wasting my time. "She's not telling us everything. She's hiding something. We need to talk to her now." I followed her down to the guest room. Victoria knocked on the door. "Come on in, guys. I knew you would be back!" Julie sighed. "Why did you know we would be back?" I asked. How come I was always the last to know things? "Because of the questions you didn't ask. You two are slipping in your old age. I expected better from our top field agent." I saw Victoria's eyes widen in surprise. I grinned at her. "But I am really disappointed in the head of '24'." She sighed dramatically, and then grinned at us, enjoying my discomfort now. "Go ahead, ask your questions." "Well... why are you here?" I asked. "I mean, I saw you dead. I know a 14 year old boy can make mistakes about things like that, but did you die or not?" "I will answer your questions if you promise not to laugh at me or think I'm crazy. I sometimes think I'm crazy myself and that's enough." We nodded and she started to talk. "I was sure I was dying. They had done such horrible things to me, I didn't care if I lived or died. I blacked out, knowing I was dying. I don't know how long I was out, but I woke up in a room that was all white. I will call it a hospital room, for lack of a better term. There was an older man in there. He was taking care of me. He didn't use any instruments of any kind; he just touched me, and sparks of white light or energy would touch me. I would feel better. For the first two days, I was asleep most of the time. When I was awake, I was too weak to talk. Bear in mind my condition, and my age at the time. I have no idea how much of this was dreams, hallucinations, or whatever. But it seemed very real. When I could talk, he asked me my name. I told him my name was Julie Anderson. He said no, from now on, I was Rachel Thomas. He made me memorize the name. I asked him his name. His eyes twinkled, and he said I could call him Sir, or Father, but he would really like me to call him Daddy. That is what I called him all the time I was there. He would hold me on his lap, cuddle me, and tell me stories about teenage girl superheroes that would save the world. At night, he would let me snuggle up to him, and we would go to sleep. In the morning, I always woke up sleeping on top of him. He never touched me all the time I was there in any way that would be considered inappropriate. After a couple of weeks, he told me I was ready to leave. I cried, and begged him to let me stay; he was my Daddy, the only one I had left. He said I couldn't stay, that I had to go back. He said I had to meet those superhero girls, and help them save the world. Then he laughed. I cried, telling him he was my family, and I didn't want to leave him. I still remember the words he told me. "Oh, no, Little One, you have a family back where you came from. There is a man there that will be your husband. He will not be a normal husband. He will do things that other wives would be heartbroken over, but it will not bother you. You will also meet a wonderful woman and some amazing teenage girls there, his daughters. They will glow and have energy just like me. Theirs will be green, and blue, and orange, and yellow, and purple." He lowered his voice, like he was telling me a secret. "There are many other colors, too, but don't tell him that; he doesn't know that yet." Then he laughed. "These people will be your family. Wait for them, they will find you one day. Be a good little girl, and they will find you. Remember, you are Rachel Thomas. You must not be Julie Anderson again until they find you." I could see the tears in her eyes now. "I have tried, Victoria!" She cried out, sobbing. "I have tried so hard to be good. I have done everything I know how to be as good as I can be. But I must not be good enough, because they have never come to find me. I have spent 23 years waiting, and looking, and they never come. What if I dreamed it all? What if there is no family for me? How long do I wait, until I know either I dreamed it or I am just not good enough? What do I do if they never come? I am so lonely, I want to be loved and needed so badly. I want to meet those girls; they sounded so wonderful, and so good at everything. I want to meet that sweet woman, and that wonderful man. He has daughters; I don't care if he is already married. I won't be heartbroken as other wives would be; I'll gladly share him!" She broke down completely and sobbed, as Victoria held her. She looked over at me, eyes pleading, but I shook my head no, not yet. Victoria had that look like she was going to ignore me. She held Julie, comforting her, wiping away her tears. After awhile, Julie looked at us ruefully. "I'm sorry. I just get so lonely and emotional. When we talk, Victoria, you always tell me how wonderful Patrick is and I just want that someday for myself. Do you know how lucky you are?" I could tell by the look on Victoria's face that she was about to embarrass me. "Yes, Julie, I know how lucky I am. I also know how lucky you are going to be tonight. We are going back to our room now. Patrick is going to come back here in a few minutes to be with you. If I see either of you come out of this room except to go to the bathroom before tomorrow morning, there will be hell to pay. Julie, if you don't let him show you what real love is like tonight, I will never speak to you again. Patrick, if you don't show her tonight what love is I will never let you touch me again!" She smiled at both of us, but I could tell by the look on Julie's face she was not sure whether Victoria was serious or not with her threats. "Are you two going to cooperate, or do I have to have Amy come in here and straighten you out?" I raised my hands in mock terror. Well, maybe not mock. "Victoria... I... I can't do that. He is your husband. Just casual sex would never work for me with him." She turned red as she realized what she had just said, what she had just admitted, and looked down at the floor. "Did you not hear what I said? I said see what love is about. I did not say sex. I know how you two feel about each other. I've watched it all night long. I'm not giving him to you to marry and run away to Albuquerque, Julie. Just have a night of love. You deserve it, and he is the best. You will not upset me. This is not the first time I asked him to do this. I told you we were an unusual family. And if the man you are to meet has daughters and may already be married, you better get used to sharing. Now, I am going to take Patrick back with me to our room for a few minutes; you just get ready for the time of your life." Victoria grabbed me by the hand and dragged me to our room. "Are you crazy, Victoria? What are you doing?" I asked her. Sometimes I just wanted to smack her! "Did you not hear the description of the family she gave? Whom do you think that man was describing? When are we going to tell her?" Victoria seemed excited. "We are not going to tell her. We are going to let her find out about it herself; if indeed it is our family he was talking about. And have you forgotten that you just signed me up for another wife the other day, in the person of Samantha?" "Patrick, I talked to Samantha after that. She is grateful for my offer, but she is not in love with you. She loves you dearly; she would love to sleep with you and make mind-blowing, wonderful, sweet love with you sometimes, but she is not looking for a replacement for Robert. She wants exactly what she said that first time; a soft shoulder to cry on and a warm, friendly body to sleep with sometimes. That's all you want from her, too, isn't it?" I had to admit she was right. "Please, honey, I know I embarrass you sometimes like this, but please, love her tonight. It doesn't ever have to go farther if neither of you want it to, but if that story of hers is right, we are going to have a very unusual marriage and family. But don't worry about that tonight. Just help her to know there are people that love her and she is not hopeless. For me? Please?" I sighed heavily. There were times when she just drove me crazy. She always thought she could cure every love sick and lonely person in the world. If it was someone I loved, she just didn't have any problems with me sleeping with them. At the same time, if I ever slept with someone I didn't love, just for the sake of sex, I knew without a doubt I would not live long. The thing she just would never understand was that I felt guilty about it sometimes. Hell, I still felt guilty sometimes about our daughters and her friends. I would be perfectly happy with just her. I was worried about this with Julie. She had always been special to me. I knew I was special to her too. I wasn't sure she could handle sleeping together just as a sometimes thing. But spending a night just cuddling with Julie was something I could really enjoy, and what Victoria didn't know about what went on wouldn't hurt me! I really did love Victoria, and I greatly respected her for her attempts to help those who needed love, but sometimes it was hard on me. I guess it would have just been easier if I were the stereotypical male that would sleep with any good looking girl anytime. In that aspect, my view point was more similar to a woman's; I had no interest in sex if I didn't love the woman, and I was much more comfortable with a physical relationship like that with just one person. I knew I had the ability to love more than one person at a time, I just didn't feel the need to, or the desire to. I knew it sounded hypocritical considering the life I was leading, but real life and what we were comfortable with was not always the same thing. All that sounded good, but I was also aware that it was partially my fault too. I was the one that couldn't, or didn't, say no to Cindi and Katie, that started all this. Victoria gave me a smoldering kiss before I left, beaming a brilliant smile at me. She truly was a special woman. When I walked back into the guest room, it was dimly lit. I guess Julie wanted to spare both of us embarrassment and had gotten in bed already. She turned to me as I got into bed next to her. I could see she was blushing already. "Patrick, I'm so sorry! This is so embarrassing. We don't have to do anything tonight; we can just snuggle if you want. Victoria can be so forceful sometimes!" She was apologizing to me for Victoria? "Victoria, forceful? You think? Are you sure we are talking about the same woman?" We both had a good laugh at my wife's expense. "Julie, this is kind of awkward for me, too. I have just met you again after 23 years. I loved you when we knew each other before. There was no possibility it could be a physical love because of your age, but you were a wonderful little girl that I thought the world of. I have to admit that had you been older, maybe, probably, something would have happened between us. I am just not into casual sex, without truly caring about the person, and although I still think you are wonderful, it has only been one day. Victoria decides things really quickly, and thinks everyone else does too. I just don't want you hurt, honey." I felt like I was rambling, and I hoped I had not made assumptions or hurt her feelings. Julie looked at me with big moist eyes. "I love you, Patrick. I did when I was six years old, too. It is wonderful being here with you and Victoria again. I think it is so neat that you two are married. But I am just not into casual sex either. I could easily have sex with you, but I'm not sure it could just be a one time thing. And I love you and Victoria to death and would never get in between you two." "What if I were the husband that man told you about? What if Victoria was the wonderful woman? What if our girls were the superheroes? What would you feel then?" I wanted to know where she stood on the subject; I had a feeling Victoria was not going to let this go. Julie gave me a nervous little smile. "You are being honest with me, so I owe you the same. Honestly? I would take it in a moment. I don't know why. I have always been very conservative with relationships. But you and Victoria are so special to me, always have been, I really would leap at the chance to have a relationship with this family. It would not bother me in the least to share you with Victoria... or with the girls or their friends." She blushed bright red. "I really don't know why I am saying this, why it wouldn't bother me; I just am sure it would not. I only wish it were true. I have never felt closer to a group of people as I have you guys in the last day. I even cried for Cindi and Katie and I don't even know them!" Since it was late, as we talked, we eventually ended up lying on the bed, facing each other. It wasn't long before we had our arms around each other. Finally, at the end of the sentence about Cindi and Katie, I reached over and kissed Julie on the lips. She gave a little cry and hugged me tight, plastering her lips and body against mine. She was the one that first inserted her tongue into my mouth, and I did the same. We kissed for quite a while, and then I ran my hand slowly down her side. She gasped and kissed me harder. Both of us were beginning to breathe hard. It was about that time I heard a timid little knock on the door. Julie jumped, and started to pull away, but I continued to hold her close. "Come on in, Amy," I called out softly. There was pause, then the door opened slowly and a red-faced Amy walked in timidly. "How did you know... Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude!" Yeah, right! Like she didn't know we were in here together and what we were doing. Sometimes she treats me as if she thinks I'm an idiot! She started to turn and walk out when Julie spoke up. "Come on in, Amy. It's ok. Your Dad and I are just getting reacquainted. I would love to get to know you better, too. Come on up here with us." Amy looked surprised, but walked over to the bed and jumped in next to me. She looked at us and our increased breathing and giggled. "So, that's why Mom is so happy, singing and whistling to herself in her room. She's kind of pushy, isn't she? Not laid back like me!" Even she couldn't say that without giggling. "Julie, I'm so glad you are here! I like you already. I hope Mom hasn't embarrassed you too much. I hope you'll come back often. I can already see what my Dad thinks about you!" Amy reached over and gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek. Julie laughed at her. "You can give him a better kiss that that, sweetheart! I know how close you all are in this family. You don't have to pretend around me. Would you like to help me make love to him tonight, since your Mom has ordered us to?" Julie laughed as Amy turned bright red and looked like a deer in the headlights. She looked like she was going to cry. "Please! Don't tell anyone! How did you find out? I didn't blow it again, did I? I'm sorry, Daddy." Amy was upset, thinking she had spilled the beans. Julie grabbed her and hugged her tight. "It's ok, sweetie, I won't tell. I love your Daddy too. You didn't blow it. Do you want to sleep with us tonight?" I was amazed that Julie and Amy were getting along this well so soon. Amy didn't seem jealous at all. "I would love to, but I better not. Mom would kill me! However, maybe we can talk later and I can tell you what to do to him that really drives him wild! I think I know a thing or two that Mom hasn't even discovered yet. And if you really want some advice, ask Katie. She can tire him out faster than anyone I've seen." She suddenly looked scared, afraid she had given away too much again. "Yes, she knows about Katie too. And she probably doesn't need your help, little twerp! Now get out of here, before you get us both in trouble with your Mom!" Amy leaned over, gave me a sizzling kiss, laughed, and ran her hand gently over my erection. Then she giggled and scooted out the door before I could smack her. "Now, where were we?" Julie asked, giggling, as she started kissing me again. Soon, we were hot and breathing hard again. I shivered as she reached up and started unbuttoning my pajama tops, opening them up all the way and rubbing my chest. She was blushing as she did it. "Hot in here, isn't it?" she whispered. She took my shirt off, and then looked at me, still blushing. Apparently she wasn't gutsy enough to go for my pants. What the hell, I thought. I took all my clothes off, and then watched her look nervous as I started to take her clothes off. She gulped, but made no move to stop me. When I saw her body, I was stunned at how beautiful she looked. I stared at her. "What's wrong?" She asked nervously. "You are so beautiful!" I blurted out. She looked embarrassed, and if possible, blushed even more. We hugged each other close. I slid my hand down her side, running it gently first across her breast, then softly, briefly over her pubic hair. She cried out and trembled, holding me close. I put my arms around her and hugged her close again, kissing her. "Julie, honey, I don't want to embarrass you or anything, but... um... you've never done anything like this before, have you?" She looked down and shook her head, and started to cry. "I'm sorry! I just... always wanted you. After you weren't around anymore, there just wasn't anyone else I wanted to do it with. I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that. I don't want to pressure you!" I kissed her tears away, and held her. I could feel her trembling. Wow! A 29-year-old virgin, with absolutely no experience. No wonder she didn't get into casual sex! "Julie, honey... let's just snuggle and sleep together tonight. I don't think either of us is ready to go any farther tonight." I gave her a long kiss, just to let her know it wasn't because I wasn't interested. "Thank you!" She gasped, out of breath. "I do want you; I just am not sure about this whole deal with Victoria. What if she changes her mind? My, Amy looks just like her, doesn't she? What a precious young lady! Is she always that... bold?" Julie seemed to really be impressed by the little imp. "Actually, she was behaving tonight. Normally, she would have just come out and asked if she could stay and watch! She does tend to embarrass the others a lot." "Is Megan all right? She seemed very quiet and... I don't know, something, tonight." Julie seemed genuinely concerned. I didn't know what to tell her without getting into things I didn't want to talk about tonight. "Megan had what would be to a teenage girl a life-altering experience today. She's all right. She is always quiet. She is very sweet, very quiet, but in her case, still waters run deep." I was impressed with Julie so far. What a delightful young lady. We stayed up most of the night, talking, kissing, snuggling. We weren't completely able to keep to our decision; I did stroke her pussy and clit softly for a few minuets, listening and watching in delight as she gasped, whimpered, and closed her eyes. When I stopped, she cried softly, and then gave me the hottest kiss of the night. We lay naked against each other all night long. When I woke up the next morning, I was spooned up against her. We kissed and made out some more before we got up. We were the talk of the party when we got up. Everyone looked at us and grinned real big. Julie blushed almost constantly, which didn't help the rumor mill. Of course, Amy had to tell everyone what we were doing when she came in. I thought Victoria was going to kill her when she heard she went into our room. I was being quiet, not really speaking much. Several times Julie beamed a high voltage smile at me, and I smiled right back. The girls thought it was so funny. They were all convinced we had been rabbits all night long. Later, Victoria dragged me into the bedroom to talk. "So, how was she? How many times did you make her come? Is she good? Don't keep me in suspense, tell me!" Her eyes were twinkling. "I don't know how she is. All we did was kiss and make out some. We did a lot of that, though. We talked a lot. We didn't make love," I explained. Victoria looked at me, trying to act irritated. "What?!? I give you one little job to do and I can't even depend on you..." She was trying to keep from laughing, but I could also see the question in her eyes, as she reached over and rumpled my hair. "Victoria, please. Give me a break, will you? Please don't tease me. We need to talk about this, honey." I was not in the mood to play. I was worried. I could tell she was worried too, that she had noticed how quiet I was this morning. She sobered up quickly. "What's the matter, honey? Let's talk." She pulled me over to the bed, and we sat down. "You two didn't have a fight or something, did you?" "No, just the opposite. We got along fine. But... Victoria, did you know she is a virgin? She has no experience whatsoever." I was finding this difficult to talk about. "So? I'm surprised, but not shocked. She's very shy. All the better for you to be the first. You were so good with Amy. What's the problem?" Victoria was confused. "Honey, she is inexperienced because she wanted me to be her first years ago, and she's never found anyone that she wanted more." Was she deliberately being obtuse? "Okay. So, her first time would be with someone she really loves, that turns her on, that she has wanted for years. I'm still not seeing the problem here, sweetheart. That's the way your first time is supposed to be." She looked at me, confused, then the light came on and she hugged me close, holding me gently. She kissed my lips, then kissed me on the neck and whispered into my ear. "But the problem's not her, is it? The problem is with you, isn't it? It's ok, sweetie, tell me about it." She was being very gentle now, knowing I was really upset. "Victoria, I don't even know how to begin to talk about this. I was shaken to my very core last night with Julie. I don't even know how to describe what happened. I'm embarrassed and upset and I feel... guilty, like I have betrayed you." I was shaking, near tears. She continued to hold me close and kissed me again. She was smiling at me, a smile filled with love. "Ah! So that's it. You men are so silly and clueless sometimes... ok, all the time!" She smiled to keep from giving offense. "So you're in love with Julie Anderson. That's wonderful! I'm still having a hard time seeing the problem here." I looked at her, stunned. How could she know that? Was I that obvious? Oh, God, what would the girls think of me? "Damn it, Victoria! I'm in love with you! That's who I'm supposed to be in love with. I'm not supposed to be in love with Julie or anyone else." I looked at her in irritation as she laughed gently at me. "This isn't funny!" I was devastated, and she was laughing! Women! "I'm sorry, honey! You are just too cute! Ok, let's talk this out. Do you still love me? Do you want to divorce me and marry Julie? Do you love Julie more than me? Has your love for me diminished now that you have met Julie?" She smiled sweetly at me. I didn't understand. She was asking questions that could have answers devastating to her and me, and she was smiling! "Victoria! How could you even ask those questions? Of course I still love you! You are my life. I could never divorce you; I couldn't even think about it, and no, I don't want to. No, I don't love Julie more than you. I love her the same way; that's what upsets me, but not as much or more. And my love for you could never diminish. This is new love I never knew I had, not some taken away from you. I will always be in love with you, honey; you know that, don't you?" I wondered where she was going with all this. She smiled again, holding my hand. "Of course I know that. I already knew the answers to all those questions. I was trying to get you to realize the answers too. So, you love Cindi, Amy, Katie, Megan, Elizabeth, Emily, Rebecca, Stephanie, Laura, Danielle and Becky. So how are those different from Julie? Why don't you feel this upset with them?" She looked at me expectantly, as if she already knew the answer. She probably did. "Because I am not IN love with them. They are wonderful girls, I love them, and I really enjoy making love to them, but I am not in love with them. None of them could ever take your place." "Okay. So, if you had never met me, and you met Julie again tomorrow, would you marry her?" I think she was laughing at me; she was having a good time. "In a heartbeat. That's why I feel guilty. I am betraying you." She wasn't making me less upset, if that was her goal. "Nonsense. You are not betraying me because I am here, and you are married to me, and you are not leaving me to marry her. Patrick, we cannot help whom we fall in love with. We can only control what we do about it. Julie was in your life before I was. Had she not been six years old, you would have been in love with her before you were with me. Now she is back in your life, and you are supposed to just ignore how you feel about her? And what about her? She loves you, Patrick. A blind person could see that. Almost as much as all of us can see that you love her. Why do you think Amy went into your room last night? She thinks you two are so cute! She hasn't had this much fun since you and Katie were walking around pretending you didn't want to fuck each other's brains out! I am still having difficulty seeing the problem here, sweetheart." "So what do we do?" I whispered. "How can I be in love with two people at once? How do we deal with this? I love you, Victoria. I don't want to lose you over this!" I was scared silly. I couldn't live without Victoria. Even Julie couldn't replace her. "You're not going to lose me over this, silly man, or over anything else. I was stupid enough to leave you once, even though I was not in control of my own mind, and I will never do that again. We've been over this before. As long as you don't ignore me when I am home, as long as you love me, as long as you are not tired of me, I think it is wonderful that you have someone you really care about to keep you company while I am gone. Whatever form keeping you company takes. I know you are not the type to sleep with anyone you don't really care about. I'm excited that you and Julie think that much of each other. I know you care a lot about the girls, but I also know you sometimes crave grown-up attention. Go for it, dear. You don't have a problem with me. We can invite her to live with us. She can be your wife too if you two want. I would love it. Honey, I love Julie as much as you do. Obviously, not quite the same results, since we are both females, but I would be delighted to have her around all the time. It's up to you, dear. Can you get over these silly hang-ups you've got?" Victoria was laughing at me again. "What do you think the reaction of the girls would be? I don't want to hurt them, either." I could find all kind of things to worry about! "I think the girls would be excited. They have never claimed exclusive rights to you. They take you any way they can get you. Their feelings on these things are much more in line with mine than with yours. All of us want you happy, dear. If that means Julie in the mix, well, we all like her and have no problems with that. Do you have any idea how much it blows my mind to be having this conversation with a male? I don't know how many men would be having a problem with this!" Have I told you how much I love this woman? "Victoria, are you sure about this? Absolutely sure? Julie has reservations about this, about you changing your mind, so she would not be upset if you changed your mind. As for me, much as I think I love Julie, I love you more, honey. Please don't do something that is going to affect us. I can have plutonic friends, dear!" "I am sure you can, dear. I love Julie as much as I can love another female; in my mind, she is the female equivalent to you. I always wished I could give back what John and she did for me. Now is my chance. However, it is not just gratitude. She is special, and I can't think of anything neater than the two most special people in my life enjoying each other," Victoria assured me. "What about you, Victoria? Have you ever had a desire to be with someone else? Loved someone so much you wanted to make love to them?" She looked at me, surprise written all over her face. She hadn't expected that question! "No... not really. Oh, I have seen guys that I thought were good looking, but I never even dreamed of doing anything. I can't think of anyone giving me something you can't." She smiled sexily at me. "But I can't imagine anyone giving me something you can't either. That isn't the reason. Maybe it is just that sex is the primary way we men have of expressing love, but that is not the case with you women." Patrick, the philosopher! "But, what if you did? Or what if you knew I didn't mind, just like you? Would you? Amy asked me that question the other day, and I realized I didn't know the answer. What if you found out that John hadn't died, just like Julie?" From the look on her face, I could see I had asked a question she hadn't thought about. Her face turned white. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, either. "Oh God, Patrick, don't even talk about that! I can't even think about that! I don't know, I really don't. I know I wouldn't leave you for him, but I don't know that I could walk away from him, either. I guess he would be my Julie." That statement of hers did more than anything else in helping me see what she had been saying. Suddenly, the light was turned on in my mind and I understood what she had been trying to explain to me. "Thank you, dear. Now I understand. I will let things go and see how they develop with Julie." I still wasn't quite seeing her point. "Remember, though, it is not just you. Julie has been waiting for you for 23 years. I suspect there could never be another for her. I'm not saying to have a relationship with her just for her if you don't feel it too, but remember her in the equation. It's not just you that is involved; whatever decision you make involves her whole life also. Make sure it's the right one and one you can live with. Of course, none of us may have a choice if the old man was right." Victoria smiled gently at me, and kissed me. Then I heard Cindi's voice in my head. 'There's always a choice. That's why we are doing this. The alternative may not be a good choice, but it is always there. Let your heart lead.' Then she was gone. Victoria looked at me, eyes wide open in shock. I knew she had heard it too. Victoria and I spent the next hour or so kissing, making slow gentle love. I think we both wanted the other to understand fully, to not misunderstand what was happening. I know I was fully aware of how much she loved me when I left the room. As soon as I left the room, I heard a lot of noise, laughing, shrieking, coming from the living room. As I walked in, I was almost hit in the face with a pillow. I had three teenage girls, and a 29-year-old teenage girl racing around the room, playing one of the silly games the girls like to play. As far as I could see, it involved running around the room swatting each other while giggling. There are some complicated rules that seem to change by the moment. Julie seemed to understand it all. I sighed and turned around to leave the room. Big mistake. I forgot that the one rule that never changed was 'tackle Daddy if he comes in the room'. Soon I was being tickled and kissed everywhere. Then suddenly there was only Julie lying on top of me, kissing me and holding my head. She sighed as I kissed her back. Then Amy was kissing me as Julie giggled. They finally let me up, as they all ran out of the room, giggling. All except Amy. I took her hand and led her outside. "Let's go for a walk," I suggested. She held my hand and walked with me out into the trees. I loved it out here. The birds were beautiful, the songs sweet, and the deer seemed to know we would not hurt them. Amy led me over to a log, pushed me down to sit on it, and sat in my lap. After she thoroughly kissed me for about five minutes, she left her arms around my neck and looked deep into my eyes. "So... what do you want to talk to me about?" She asked, smiling at me. "What makes you think I want to talk to you?" I asked. Suddenly I was nervous. "Oh... how about you have never asked me to take a walk with you before? Or you look like you are afraid your favorite puppy is going to die? Or maybe because you just kissed me like you will never get the opportunity to kiss me again? Talk to me, Daddy. Or should I play mind reader and tell you what you want to talk to me about." She giggled as she kissed me again. "That might be easier, sweetie, since I don't know what to say or how to say it." I was getting more depressed by the moment. "Ok... you love Mom, unequivocally. However, you love Julie also. You love all of us, too, but that is a different type of love. You are upset because the love you feel for Mom and Julie is the same kind. You feel guilty. How am I doing so far?" I had the feeling she was laughing at me too. And maybe listening earlier as I talked to Victoria. "Pretty good, sweetie. Tell me where I am wrong." "Whoever said that you could or should only be in love with one person at a time? I bet it was the same person who said you shouldn't make love to your daughters. They were wrong on that and they are wrong on this. Do any of us look worse the wear for the joy you have given us? Does Julie look unhappy being here? If you can adapt and love Mom year after year when she is never here, why can you not adapt to loving someone else along with her when she is not here? Daddy, Mommy doesn't lie. If she says it is ok, then it is ok." "What about you girls?" I asked. "How will you feel about it?" "Daddy, we love Julie to pieces. Just in one day, we know she was meant to be with us. We are all sharing you now; what is one more? I hope you will still find time occasionally for all of us at night, but if not, we will understand. All of us know that what we have with you physically can't last forever. And as happy as you two seem to make each other, why would anyone care? Do you know how rare it is to have two precious women like that love you? I love them both, so you had better not screw it up, buddy. Remember the last time you almost made me mad?" She laughed at the pained look on my face. "Seriously, Daddy, just go with what your heart tells you. The only way you are going to make any of us upset at you is if you don't do what you know will make you happy. Enjoy it while you can; who knows, tomorrow we may all turn into monogamous shrews!" She giggled hysterically. "Not! Well, maybe shrews!" We had a family meeting that night, to decide what to do next. Julie was going to see what she could find out about Katie. I implored her to be careful. The fact that her boss was back in the country left us with the need to decide to go after him first or after Katie first. I said that was a moot point, as we didn't know where Katie was. That is when Megan surprised us all. "You don't know where Katie is?" She seemed stunned by the revelation. "No we don't. Unless..." I started to be a smart aleck and say unless she knew when I saw the look on her face and realized whom I was talking to. I hugged her and spoke gently to her. "You know where she is, don't you, Megan?" I asked softly. She looked at me, scared, trying not to cry. "Of course I do. I thought all of you knew." She looked at us sadly. "It is so hard, trying to know what you know and what only I know. It is so clear to me sometimes that I just am sure you all know these things too. I'm sorry; it never occurred to me that you didn't know!" She looked terrified that we were going to be mad at her. "It's ok, sweetie. We understand. Where is she?" "She's with Cindi, of course. But we can't go get her yet." She seemed adamant about that. "Why not, dear? If she is in trouble, we have to go get her." I was ready to leave tonight. "She's not in trouble. I already told you that!" This was the first time I had ever seen Megan look irritated. "She is there of her own free will. She will let us know when to come get her. She is helping Cindi. We can't go get them yet. It is not time. There are things that both Cindi and Katie must do yet before we go get them. They will be in trouble eventually; then we must go get them, but not yet. If we go get Cindi now, she will die again and this time she will be dead forever. Please, please believe me! We will hurt Cindi badly if we go now. The time is not right!" There were large tears pouring down her face as she pleaded with us. I picked her up in my lap and hugged her. "It's ok, Megan, we believe you. We will wait until the time is right. How will we know?" I was trying to placate her. "We will know because she will tell us. You will know when it happens. Also, we can't get her out from where she is now. We would never make it in, much less out again with her. They will move both of them in a week or so, then we can move. That will be before Katie tells us to come, but we may have to move before she tells us." I had the impression that the things Megan was telling us were no clearer to her than they were to us. She seemed to have difficulty putting it in words that we would understand. We decided that we would take care of Julie's boss first. We would wait for the head of Victoria's firm to call me; he had promised to let us know when it was right to move. I would give him a little while, and then we would act on our own if he didn't come through. We spent the next week, while we were waiting, moving into our new house. Since it was already vacant, and we were paying for it cash, we were able to close in record time and start moving in. There was a smaller house, like a servant's quarters, in back, and we all agreed that would be perfect for Samantha and Megan. They would have their own place, but Megan, or Samantha, or both, could sleep over as often as they wanted and still be close. Samantha was overjoyed, as it resolved the problem of her feeling she was intruding. She could be around as often, or as little as she wanted, and still feel she was giving us privacy. The house we bought was an old mansion, but in excellent shape, having been completely renovated. Between all the rooms in the house that could be used as such, we could have as many as nine bedrooms. That meant one for Megan, Samantha, and Julie when they slept over. We invited Julie to be a permanent sleepover if she wished. The house was wonderful, and the grounds were even more so. Captain Jensen was ecstatic, as it was a dream defensively. It was like living in a botanical gardens, or a national forest. Victoria saw to it that Julie and I spent a lot of time together, especially at night. Julie and I took it slowly, experimenting and driving each other crazy as we learned what we liked. At least for now, however, we drew the line at intercourse. She wasn't ready and I did not intend to push her. Often Victoria would sleep with us. She would often hold Julie, calming her fears as I drove her higher each time. She was with us when Julie experienced her first orgasm with me. We started out kissing as usual, and then I played with her nipples and sucked them. She was whimpering and crying out softly all the time I was doing it. Victoria could tell she was a little worried about her being there, so she held her and stroked her hair, whispering to her that it was ok, that it was fine. That seemed to calm Julie down a lot. As I sucked on her nipples, I slid my hand slowly down her flat, tight stomach, feeling it quiver as I touched it. When I ran my hand softly through her pubic hair, she moaned, as she did every time I had done it before. This time was different, however, as I slid my finger into her slit, running it up and down, rubbing her pussy and then sliding up to softly rub her clit. She instantly lifted her hips up to meet my hand, trying to push it harder up against her. She was crying out softly, almost continuously, as I softly, slowly rubbed her up and down her slit. She almost came right then when Victoria kissed her softly for a few seconds. Then she kissed her neck, whispering in her ear. I could only guess what she whispered, but Julie blushed almost down to her toes. "Oh, God! That feels so good. What are you doing to me? Oh please, don't stop! I love you so much! Oh, God!" Julie's hips were moving around, trying to get closer and trying to get away at the same time. Finally, her eyes opened real wide and she got a shocked look on her face, then she exploded into what was obviously the first non-self induced orgasm she had ever had. Her whole body stiffened and she seemed to quit breathing as she cried out softly, quietly, with a little breathless shriek. Then she collapsed, and lay still. I continued to rub her slowly, and her eyes opened with a start, as she realized she wasn't done yet. "Oh, God, not again! I don't think I can take it again!" I didn't want to overload her, so I started to remove my hand, but she grabbed it and held it there. I slowly rubbed her some more, until she gave her little quiet shriek again and had her second orgasm. I cuddled up to her after that, with Victoria on the other side of her, as her whole body shook almost continuously for several minutes. She finally got the strength to put her arms around me and held me tight, whimpering softly into my neck. "Oh. My. God! Is it always like that? I don't think I will survive the real thing!" She looked at me with amazement and love in her eyes. Victoria and I laughed at her, and her eyes bugged out when we told her there were things to do that were even better than that. She said she wasn't ready for that yet and then lay back and watched, eyes wide open, as Victoria and I proceeded to make love. We all cuddled together afterwards. Breakfast the next morning was filled with giggly teenage girls. The girls had obviously heard us last night, although they would have had to be listening at the door to hear Julie's orgasms, she was so quiet. I was amazed that none of them seemed jealous. They all acted like they thought it was so cute, especially when Julie sat on my lap as we ate breakfast. Victoria just looked at us with a gentle little smile. I finally had to chase everyone out to get them to school on time. Over the next few days, Julie accumulated a lot of information on Katie and her whereabouts. We agreed, after seeing where she was held, that Megan was right; we would have to wait until they moved her. Since we knew they would, it would take the pressure off trying to invade an impossible target. One interesting piece of knowledge was that there was at least one other girl there, who looked a lot like Katie. Our speculation was that this was Cindi. That news made it hard not to go in right away, but Megan's warning held us back. Thursday afternoon, about 4:00, Julie called, saying she was staying at work late that night, as she had a chance to get some more information. I told her to be careful, and she said she would. She sounded funny, as if she was being careful, as if someone was listening. It felt strange; especially as it was the first time we talked that she didn't tell me she loved me. I felt odd enough about it that I called Captain Jensen and put our extraction forces on alert. I hoped I was wrong, but she sounded strange. I received a phone call on my cell phone about 8:00 that night. The caller ID said "private", which told me it was probably the head of Victoria's firm. I was right. "Patrick, we have a little problem here. The man you are interested in has become suspicious and has taken over our building, taking several hostages. We have gotten all of our trusted people out, except one hostage. We are obviously concerned about taking him out ourselves, exposing our people to further risk. Since you wanted him anyway, he is yours tonight. However, you must do all you can to free the hostage safely." He seemed very concerned about the whole situation. "Of course. We would do our best anyway to successfully free any hostages. I need a name and description of the hostage, and a picture of the person, to prevent any accidents." "She is 5' 5" tall, 114 lbs, black curly hair, and her name is Rachel Thomas..." I didn't hear anymore of what he said, as I interrupted him. "We will be leaving immediately. I will let you know when you can re-enter your building." I hung up, picked up my pen phone, and pushed the emergency on call button, alerting the whole organization for emergency action, as tears filled my eyes. I cried softly for Julie for a few minutes, and then tried to control my rage as I went in to talk to Victoria and the girls. ------- Chapter 30 Before I left the room to talk to the girls, I called Captain Jensen and explained everything to him. He said he would have everything ready in less than 30 minutes. We had been expecting the call, so everyone had been on alert and ready anyway. We just didn't expect the complication of Julie being taken hostage. I told him Amy, Megan, Victoria and I would go in. He didn't like that, of course, but he knew better than to argue by now. I knew he would have a force right behind us in case it got messy. I was fine with that; this time we were going against people almost as well trained and almost as good as we were. Who knew what we might find. Besides, there was always the possibility this was a setup. We had to be ready for anything. When I walked into the family room where the girls and Victoria were talking, the first person I noticed was Megan. She was looking at me with big, sad eyes, crying silently. Nobody else had noticed her yet. Dear, sweet Megan — she almost always knew ahead of time what was happening. I couldn't even imagine the heartbreak and emotional trauma, the horror that that sweet girl must go through every day, knowing what was going to happen and not being able to talk about it or do anything about it. She was so empathetic — I realized the way she was looking at me that she was crying because of the pain I was feeling, not because she knew an awful result of Julie's capture. She smiled slightly through her tears, thereby telling me that the end was not necessarily tragic. I told the girls and Victoria to get ready, that we were on in less than an hour. Over the years, I had spent the most time with Amy, so she probably knew me better than the others did. She was the first to pick up by my demeanor that something was not quite right. She came over and took my hands in hers, looking deep into my eyes, worry in her eyes. "What's wrong, Daddy? Something is not right." Can't fool the little genius. "He has taken Julie hostage. We have to rescue her, too." I tried to keep my voice from breaking, but I don't think I succeeded completely. Two heads turned towards me; three sets of eyes, flat and devoid of all expression, looked at me. In the few days that Julie had been with us, all the girls had learned to love her deeply. I almost felt sorry for the guy that had taken her, and what he was going to experience tonight. Almost. It was bad enough up to this point with everything he had done to our family, to Mommy's babies. Now, I didn't know what might happen. My girls were well and truly pissed. The only thing worse than messing with Mommy's babies was to mess with Mommy at the same time. Amy and Megan turned and walked out of the room without saying anything. They would do their talking when they got there, and the sooner the better. Victoria stayed behind to talk to me. "Did I hear you right? Are you taking Amy and Megan with us on this?" She didn't look or sound pleased. "You bet I am. I wouldn't go into a situation like this without them — or you." Nice save, Patrick! "Are you out of your mind? We are going into an area probably filled with trained agents, and we are going to have to baby sit a couple of teenage girls? I don't want my daughters hurt!" She was trying to be nice, knowing I was upset already, but she was not pleased. As upset as I was, I laughed at her. I shouldn't have, but I was letting off steam. From her point of view, she was correct. Of course, she had never seen them in real action before. "Victoria, if there is going to be any babysitting going on, it is likely to be those two looking after us." She looked at me, not understanding what I was telling her. "Believe me, honey. I have seen them in action before; I have been in action with Amy before. You are very good, honey, but Amy is better that you and I combined, and Megan is as good as or better than Amy is. They are much more likely to save our butts." I could tell she didn't believe me, but she also knew in the present mood I was in she was not going to win. She gave a fatalistic shrug and left the room to get ready. Amy was the first one to return, in about ten minutes. Yep, you guessed it; she had on the natty black jumpsuit again, soft black moccasins, hair in a ponytail. I didn't even want to know what she had in those pockets, but I was sure it would be interesting, as well as entertaining. It was amazing how they could hide things in those pockets without bulges showing. I didn't insult her this time by asking her how many guns she had. Her eyes were still flat. She scared the hell out of me just looking at her, and she was on my side. Megan was the next one in. Blue jump suit, black boots, hair in a ponytail also. She came in so quietly I didn't even notice she was there until she reached up and kissed my cheek. How she moved with absolutely no noise in boots was beyond me, but she did. Like I ever understood anything about these girls. She had no expression on her face, and was very quiet, fatally quiet. I think she scared me more than Amy, just because such intensity and feeling of deadliness was so unexpected in such a sweet, quiet, pretty little girl. They both looked good enough to eat — I was going to have to take them out some night wearing those things. Maybe not — I would be fighting off the boys, or they would be beating them up! Victoria came in next. I always wondered what she wore when she was 'working'. She had on a black sweatshirt, black jeans, black slippers, hair in a ponytail (was the hair in a ponytail significant with these girls when they went into action?) and — I kid you not — a black beret on her head. I saw the girls eyes open wide when they saw that, and then they both bolted out of the room. They came back two minutes later, Megan with a dark blue beret and Amy with a black one. I wondered what kind of weapons they had in the berets. Victoria looked casual, relaxed, and almost ready for a nap. If it wasn't for her eyes, she could be a Mom taking her girls to soccer practice. She would be kicking balls tonight, all right. I had never seen her ready to work before. Something was different, something... indefinable. I wasn't sure what it was; a type of reserve I had never seen before. Victoria was normally reserved anyway. She was boisterous sometimes and could be a lot of fun, but usually she was more like Cindi was; classy, quiet, reserved, cultured, and sexy as hell. Tonight, she just looked quiet and deadly. I left the room and came back wearing a bright orange hunting hat. All the girls looked at me as if I was crazy. I told them I wanted to make sure they knew it was me when they saw me, as I didn't want to tangle with any of them tonight. They all gave me a cold little smile, but it did break the tension a little. They each put on a double holster, one gun on each hip. I guess they decided we weren't hiding anything tonight. Amy and Megan, not being as experienced as Victoria, and maybe a little nervous, working with Mom the pro for the first time, started practicing drawing their weapons as we waited to go. It was the first time they had used pistols with the short mini-silencers on them, and I guess they wanted to see how it would affect drawing them. I saw the interested look on Victoria's face as she watched them, as they speeded up faster and faster, drawing with both hands, until finally it was almost a blur. She glanced at me with an impressed look on her face, apparently settling the argument of whether the girls were going or not. While we were waiting, we spent the time with Victoria, going over the layout of the building. We were all surprised when Captain Jensen walked in, instead of just calling us from the car as we expected. He was dressed in a similar outfit as Victoria. Amy and Victoria looked at him in astonishment; apparently, it had never occurred to them that he might go too. I didn't expect it either. He explained that he had shown Becky how to run the phones and radios and how to coordinate everything. He said he was pleased at how quickly she learned, and the spunk she showed. One unit had asked her authorization number to give him commands. He smiled in remembrance of the man's voice and eagerness to follow orders after Becky was done with him. Oh, and she did give him her authorization number. We stared at him, wondering if he was talking about the same Becky we knew. Megan just smiled and nodded slightly to him once, as if she knew all along that he was coming. She also looked like she knew his capabilities. He had grown just as fond of Megan as he was of Amy, and I guess he decided his little granddaughters were not going into danger without him there to watch over and protect them. I knew just how he felt. I didn't bother to tell Amy and Victoria that he could shoot the eye out of a snake at 50 yards. We were almost ready to go when Victoria suddenly ran back into the other room, and emerged a minute later with a silenced Uzi machine pistol. I hoped we wouldn't need that, but if it made her feel better, I was all for it. Once outside, we all piled into a black suburban, with another one behind us, presumably with our backup. I was beginning to feel like 'Men and Women in Black'. I just hoped it wasn't dark in that building, or we might not see the three women again until it was all over. On second thought, the bad guys wouldn't see them either, and it didn't matter whether I did or not. From the looks in their eyes, I doubted Captain Jensen or I would even be firing our guns. As we drove to the headquarters, I talked to him about the plans and preparations. The police had been notified that something would be going down in their area and to respond very slowly to any reports of shots fired. As usual, we had air support up, in case someone besides us decided to get cute. We had been promised clear airspace in the area. Of course, we realized that all this preparation just meant that the word would probably leak out to the bad guys before we got there. Just in case, we had some men on the other side of the building, to draw their fire if they tried to prevent us from getting out of the cars. The cars were bulletproof, so I wasn't worried about that. We usually picked them up cheaply, every time the Secret Service replaced theirs. The ride to the target was uneventful. The real pro at this, Victoria, fell asleep on the way, catching a catnap. This was just another walk in the park for her. She was so cool and I was so impressed; I loved her even more that ever. Amy and Megan sat in the back, cuddled together, whispering and giggling the whole way there. Me, I was a bundle of nerves. I was getting way too old for this. If these jackasses would ever stop messing with my family, maybe I could retire from the field work and let the young ones take over. Yeah, right — like I'd ever let any of my babies go on something like this without going along to give the bad guys someone to shoot at. The more bullets aimed at me, the less that could hit my girls. Amazingly enough, when we got there, it seemed we were not expected. At least, no one shot at us as we got out of the car. I tried to get Victoria to let the girls take the lead, but she just looked at me as if I was nuts and went up there with them. You almost couldn't see the three of them as they glided effortlessly up to the entrance, flattening themselves against the wall. I watched Victoria, the unspoken leader of the group, giving hand signals to the group. I wondered why they didn't just talk in their minds, but then I realized Victoria was very new at that and probably couldn't do it as well as she would want. I realized I didn't know if she even had a connection with anyone other than me. Besides, this was second nature to her. Amy was to go in first and break right, Megan next and break left, and Victoria would scoot up the middle. I was impressed how she gave herself the most dangerous part. They worked together smoothly, as if they had been doing this for years. It was clear from the start that the two girls were so impressed with the opportunity to work with Mom in her environment that they just made her leader, whether she wanted it or not. She took to it like a duck to water; this was what she did. Then they were gone. I had blinked and missed them going in. Paul (Captain Jensen) and I moved up next, and just as we were about to enter, we heard four quiet coughs from silenced weapons. Apparently, it had begun! We hurried in, to find the two sentries that had been guarding the front lobby now guarding the floor. Very closely. We checked to make sure we would not have to deal with them later from behind us. Nope. My girls never miss. I looked around, trying to find them. It was indeed dark in the building. I wondered if that meant the other guys would have night vision scopes. If so, Victoria knew enough to know that flash-bangs made that advantage a huge disadvantage. I didn't even bother to wonder if we had any with us. I couldn't see the girls anywhere. Then I saw a small movement at the end of the foyer. Yep, there was one. I saw the door open, but never did see anyone go through. I heard a double cough, then sensed more than saw two shapes glide through the door. Damn! These girls were good! I began to feel sorry for the other guys. Paul and I played water boys, bringing up the rear to offer a drink to those that really did the work. I had learned long ago, and remembered it again last time I worked with Amy, to lead with your strength. Let the good ones do their thing, and give them any support they needed. When we got to the doorway, and went through, we were once again alone. I saw a couple brief flashes of movement, and then saw a body slowly sinking to the floor, flanked by two small forms. Apparently, Amy and Megan were getting tired of guns, or maybe they just wanted to show off all their skills to Mom. Then I saw the glow of a cigarette on the opposite side of the room and realized why they didn't want even the cough of a silenced gun. As they lowered him to the floor, they dropped him the last couple of feet, making a relatively loud noise as he hit. I couldn't believe those two could be that clumsy! Then I smiled, as I saw the cigarette turn towards them. I saw another shape behind him (how the hell did Victoria get there, without him seeing, and that fast?) and I saw Victoria's hand all but take his head off. Then she lowered him to the ground also. The dark, mysterious shapes wandered around the room, flashing into visibility every now and then. They were holding something in their hands, quartering the room. I realized they were looking for alarms, traps, cameras, anything to announce our presence. I saw Amy (?) lift Megan (?) up and watched as she slipped something over the front of what must have been a camera. Then I heard a slight coughing noise and the tinkle of glass and metal as Victoria took care of something on the other side of the room. Amy stepped into a beam of light, fiddled with something for a minute, then grinned at me and held her cell phone up to her ear. I opened mine and pressed the button under the new icon that appeared on my display. Suddenly, I could hear Julie speaking to someone. She sounded scared, but not panicky. Amy had used the microphone trick. I didn't think she would try it again, after it didn't work with Katie's phone, but it worked just fine here. I couldn't hear what Julie was saying, but my heart rejoiced just to know she was ok. Amy grinned again, then put her cell phone away and headed to the door. Megan and Victoria flattened themselves against each side of the door while Amy seemed to be fiddling with something, some kind of panel, next to the door. I realized she was disabling an alarm of some kind. The fact that the other two were trying to be out of sight made me nervous that maybe disabling this alarm was not a sure thing, and so Paul and I ducked out of sight also. I saw the little light on the panel turn green as Amy disabled the alarm. I had just sighed a big sigh of relief when the door opened and one of the guards walked out. Fortunately, Paul and I were out of sight, and the girls were pressed up against the wall, so he didn't see anyone before he closed the door. That's when I noticed that he indeed had night vision glasses on. So much for the element of surprise. I'll say one thing for Amy; the little twerp has a sense of humor. I'm not sure if it is a good one, but it's there. Before the guard had a chance to see anyone, she reached out with her halogen flashlight in her hand, pointed it directly at his eyes at a distance of about six inches, and turned it on. The effect was roughly the same as sticking a red-hot ice pick in his eyes. He would have screamed in pain if he had time, but three different hands hit him at the same time — face, neck and chest. The sound that came out of his mouth as he hit the floor would not have been heard ten feet away, and definitely not through the closed door. Paul and I came up just in time to hear Megan scolding Amy. "Amy, that was mean!" She whispered quietly. I could see she was not really offended; she just wanted to give Amy some shit. I had detected an occasional ornery streak in Megan; it didn't show often, but it was sooooo funny when it did. Usually people took her seriously, because it was so unexpected from her. Amy fell into the trap. "It was not! He was looking right at where Daddy and Paul were! I couldn't take the chance he would see them! You know I would never do something mean like that without a good reason!" Amy acted indignant. We all looked at her for a second, then we all burst out laughing quietly, Amy included. Even she couldn't buy that. "Oooh! Paul, is it? And just what have you two got going together, huh? I don't get to call him Paul! Just how well do you two know each other, anyway? Is there something you want to tell us, Amy?" Megan was really on a roll. Even I was floored by this demonstration of humor and teasing from her. Maybe we shouldn't take her on any more of these jobs. Then again, maybe we should take her on more of them. The girl was becoming positively human. Amy was so unsure of this side of Megan that she bit on the hook again. "Wha... But... I never... Just because I once... Daddy knows I would never do that again! Megan!" Oops. Megan was so inexperienced at teasing she didn't realize she had crossed the line and hit a sore point. Amy looked like she was about to cry. With Megan's empathy, she immediately realized she had screwed up somehow and was getting upset too. I figured I needed to get this stopped right now; we had a job to do, and although this teasing was healthy for a while to let off tension, it was getting out of hand. "Amy! Megan was kidding. Megan! Don't tease Amy about that subject; she's still a little sensitive about it. You two hug each other and knock it off; I'm sure Julie is not enjoying herself right now. Let's go!" Sergeant Daddy, to the rescue. The mention of Julie sobered them quickly. Well, in Amy's case, for at least three seconds or so. They hugged and apologized to each other, and then Amy turned on me for fun. "You want to go first now, Daddy? You and Mommy could work together. We'll back you up." Amy smirked at me. I had no doubt she would back me up, but she would probably let me make a fool of myself first. Two can play this teasing game. "Hell, no! I'm too old for that crap. What do you think I brought you teenagers for? Lose one, what the hell, it's fun making another one! Fish bait. Cut the shit and get your asses moving, girls!" The 'fish bait' and 'making another one' remarks got me slaps from all three women. We were ready to go. Amy moved up to the alarm panel again, as it had reset after a certain time. She spent quite a while punching in an endless series of numbers. Finally, the light turned green again, and she looked back at us with an impish grin on her face. "I reset the code! Only we can get in and out now. It won't work for them!" She giggled at her own ingenuity. I have to make sure I never get this girl mad at me! I also made a mental note to change the code on the safe and other things more often! The door opened, and my girls slid in effortlessly. It was a pleasure to see them move. They slid along each wall, guns held in front of them, pointing at the ceiling. We were in an open hallway, with several rooms off to each side. Then we received a surprise. Victoria halted, and called us together. "There are three men in the room to the right, two in the room to the left. They are all armed with pistols except the third man in the room to the right; he has an Uzi. They are not aware we are here yet. Be careful." Victoria talked as if she were reciting the weather. I saw the girls eyes widen briefly, and then smile at each other. I was confused. "How do you know that?" Then, on impulse, being a smart aleck I asked, "What kind of pistols are they carrying?" Victoria looked at me funny, and then rolled her eyes at me. "Glock 50's. Anything else you want to know?" Nope. That was enough for me. I heard Amy in my mind. 'We knew she had some new powers awakened by the healing. Guess we know one of them now, huh?' She giggled. Victoria decided we would go right and take the three men, since she had an Uzi too, and the girls would go left. Victoria and Amy pulled out what looked like flash-bangs out of their pockets. Well, there goes the element of surprise, I thought. Oh well, it was going to happen eventually. I underestimated them again. Amy and Victoria slid along the wall to their respective doorways, pulled the pins, and threw the grenades into both rooms. We closed our eyes and I put my hands over my ears. I wondered why I was the only one covering my ears. Surprise! Not flash-bangs. Flash-nothings. These were special ones without the sound component. The two rooms were suddenly bathed in brilliant white light for about one second, then the darkness returned, blacker than before. We could see as well as before, having closed our eyes, but the other guys were effectively blinded and disoriented. Not as disoriented as they would have been with the bang also, but it didn't take much to be an advantage for my girls. We ran into our respective rooms, firing at anything that moved. I heard four silenced coughs from the other room, and six from ours, two of them actually mine. Damn! Now I was going to have to clean my pistol. Then it was silence again. I picked up a radio from one of the bodies, thinking it would be useful later. Even though we had not used the bangs, I suspected the flashes of light might have given us away. The next room was just to the right, none to the left. Amy and Megan moved towards it, after hearing there were three men in there. Victoria said they seemed a little confused but not alarmed yet. Amy and Megan slid silently, almost invisibly into the room. I heard four rapid coughs, and then I heard Megan speak. "Shit! Missed that one!" Megan, cussing? Victoria and I were instantly alert, ready to help if needed. Then we heard two loud noises, flesh on flesh, and a body flew out of the room, impacting head first against the wall in the hallway. Upon seeing instantly that the body was not Megan or Amy, Victoria nonchalantly shot him twice as he slid down to the floor. Megan came out of the room, red-faced and embarrassed. Amy was laughing at her. "Sorry! I miscalculated. It won't happen again. Did I really say 'shit'?" she asked, covering her mouth in embarrassment. We laughed at her, as Amy, having some fun with her to pay her back for earlier, seriously assured her that we knew what the word meant, and did she need it explained to her. Megan shot her a mildly dirty look, the equivalent of a knock out punch to the jaw from Megan, and let it go. We next came to a room on the left, the last one before the door at the end. Victoria stopped us just before we got there. "Well, the surprise ends here. There are ten men in here, and they know we are coming. Amy, go in to the right, along the wall, and dive to the floor. Megan, same on the left. Get down fast or you will be sitting duck targets." Victoria had been a little busy when she had tried to kill me a week or so ago, and had not really seen that the girls had shields. "Your Dad and I will head down the middle as a distraction. Beware; I will be using the Uzi, so don't get too close to them and stay out of the line of fire." We all nodded; even me, but I had my own plan, in case things did not go according to plan. If it didn't get me killed, I was sure Victoria would be glad to finish the job when we were done! At her signal, we all ran into the room, Amy and Megan diving to their positions as Victoria and I ran up the middle. All of us were firing and taking return fire. Victoria dived to the ground, everything going according to plan, all the girls firing, until Victoria's Uzi jammed. Uh-oh. Not according to plan. She was a sitting duck, in the middle of the room, until she got her other weapon out. That was when I activated plan B, stayed on my feet, and advanced towards the enemy while standing up, firing as I went. I heard Megan's "Daddy!", Amy's "Oh, no!", and Victoria's "Oh, shit!", as I advanced and drew their fire. I was not as crazy as I looked. I knew the girls had shields they could throw around me. There was no way I was going to leave Victoria or any of the girls unprotected if I could help it. In the original plan, my job was to provide a distraction and draw fire while the girls took them out. That's what I was doing. I certainly motivated my girls! The other guys were falling like flies as they emptied their clips in an effort to save me. I was firing too. It was a good plan, right up to the time when I saw the last guy draw a bead on Victoria and my clip was empty. I launched myself at him, knocking his aim off. Unfortunately, he was very well trained and grabbed me as I was going by, twisted me in front of him, and put his gun to my head. Suddenly, everything was very still. "Drop your guns or I kill him right now!" he growled. I knew what was going to happen. I don't even remember being scared. I saw Victoria and the girls start to lower their weapons. I felt him relax his hold on me ever the slightest bit, and that was when I raised my right hand as fast as I could, knocking his gun hand straight up, away from my head. I heard the gun go off and felt a searing pain as the bullet just grazed my head as it went by. Then I heard six silenced coughs and his head just wasn't there anymore as he fell slowly to the ground. I heard a chorus of "Daddy!" as I slumped to the ground. I knew I was not badly injured; it was just a crease, but it still hurt like hell and made me dizzy for a minute. Then, it was time to pay the price. Victoria reached me, checked me carefully to make sure I was all right, and then looked at me, eyes ablaze, and exploded. "What the FUCK did you think you were doing?!?" she hissed angrily, trying to keep the noise down. "Are you out of your fucking mind? If that is all the better you can do, you can just go back to the car right now and wait for the rest of us that have brains bigger than the size of a peanut to finish this! You ever pull something crazy like that again and I swear I will leave you, you dumb ass!" The girls were looking at her, trembling, scared to death. Not only because they had pictures in their mind of me dead, but they had never seen Victoria really mad before. Hell, I hadn't either. Then, she suddenly deflated, hugging me with tears in her eyes. "You crazy idiot! What would we do if you were killed? If you don't think of me, think of the girls. Think of Julie. None of us would want to live without you. Please, Patrick, don't ever do that again. We can't afford to lose you!" As Victoria whispered to me, the girls hugged me close, trembling. "I'm sorry, honey, girls. I couldn't just leave you there, unprotected. We were counting on that Uzi to even the odds. I'm sorry, girls, but if it is a choice of one of you getting shot or me, there is no question in my mind which way it goes. Let's get going. We still have a scared little lady to rescue." I spoke softly, and they all looked at me as if I was nuts, but recognized that what I was saying was true. "And a stupid little fucker to disembowel!" Amy muttered quietly. She would have been embarrassed by her language had she known anyone heard her. I don't think she realized she spoke aloud. We took time for a quick conference before moving on. Victoria told us that the head honcho, plus Julie, would likely be in the next room, or the conference room off to the side. She stated the obvious; there was no surprise now, as this last group was the first ones we had run into that had had a chance to fire their weapons, and they were not silenced. We opened the door and followed the same pattern as we did entering the previous room. Before anyone could hit the floor, however, a grenade rolled out in between us. Checkmate; we were dead. Except, the other guys never counted on us having Megan with us. She was a blur as she raced to the grenade, kicked it out the door, and grabbed the door, slamming it shut. We all hit the floor and proceeded to rake the room with a murderous volley of fire, waiting for the grenade to explode. In my case, the fire was unaimed and random, but I had already seen that the girls did not have to look at their targets to hit them. I didn't know about Victoria. After it exploded, we looked around the room to find everyone except us dead. No Julie, thank God. She must be in the conference room. There didn't seem to be any reason for stealth or caution now. He knew we wouldn't come into the room guns a blazing with the possibility of Julie being there. Still, we had Victoria go in first. He knew her, and presumably didn't know she was associated with '24', so he was less likely to shoot her out of hand. She walked in, and looked around. I heard a little gasp, and then she gave us a cold little smile and motioned us in. Her eyes were flat and devoid of all expression again. We walked in and saw Julie standing near the wall, hands tied behind her back, looking scared. At the same time, she looked shocked, stunned, surprised to see us. She knew about Victoria and I, but couldn't understand why Megan and Amy were there. Her kidnapper was standing about four feet away from her, gun outstretched and pointed at her head. He was well trained, all right. Most untrained people thing that you put a hostage in front of you, as a human shield, holding them tight and looking from behind, with just your eye visible. Although that does protect you from someone shooting you out of hand, it also gives the hostage numerous opportunities to hit or kick you, distracting you to enable them to get away. There is no need to protect yourself with the hostage's body from a well-placed shot, as no one is crazy enough to take that shot with a gun aimed at the hostage's head. Of course, all of that theory was designed before Victoria and my girls entered the picture. "Victoria. I am surprised to see you here. Hanging out with '24' scum? I am disappointed. Do what you need to do!" It was obvious he was trying to activate a code word. She smiled at him coldly. "That won't work anymore, Richard. That command has been deactivated." She was talking to him calmly. Look at her eyes, Richard, look at her eyes. He was clueless. "So you have given up your quest to avenge Julie's death? You have joined the enemy? Are you going to help them kill your children also?" He asked, sneering. Was he really this stupid? I got busy with something else. 'Julie, honey. Please don't react to hearing me in your mind. I will explain later. You must not let him know you are Julie, that you did not die. When I tell you, drop to the floor instantly.' I could feel her fear. 'It's ok, sweetheart. We will not let him hurt you. Just drop when I say "now". We will save you. Trust me.' When I first started talking to her, I saw her eyes open wide briefly, but then she recovered quickly. Richard was not watching her anyway. She was just a dumb secretary. He was more interested in recovering his advantage with Victoria. Dweeb! "Can it, Richard. The game is over. I know you had Julie killed. I know '24' didn't even exist then. I know you killed Cindi and tried to kill Amy. I also know you tried to kill me three times. Why, Richard?" Careful, Richard. She is getting mad. You really do not want to see Victoria mad. "Who convinced you of that nonsense? I thought you were smarter than that." He didn't know when to hold them, or when to fold them. "Well, for starters, your men, that tried to kill me in the park a few weeks ago. You didn't think it odd they never returned? Oh, that's right; you paid them to take a long vacation in Barbados. Wasted your money; they never got there." He looked like he didn't believe her, so she rattled off their names. "They had your private cell phone number. You know, the one you only give to your special agents. I know it well." She was still speaking calmly, but I knew she was on a hair trigger. "So, where have you got Katie? And what do you have in mind for her?" He laughed nastily. "She's such a stupid, naïve little kid. She thinks she can withstand our mental reconditioning. She is half way there and she doesn't even know what we are doing to her. Both of them will be ours shortly. They will make good little double agents inside '24'. Too bad none of you will be there to know it." I could tell from Megan's reaction that she had picked up from his mind where Katie was. Not that she didn't know already but it was nice to have it confirmed. She also confirmed where they were moving her to, and in a surprise piece of information, that they would move her this weekend if they didn't hear from him. He made a motion with his gun. "Drop the guns or I will kill your little friend right now." He meant it, too. He had nothing to lose. The girls started to lower their weapons. They knew he was serious; he had nothing to lose. Let me give you some advice. If you are ever around my girls and they start to lower their weapons when someone tells them to, run for the hills. Fast. Right then. You don't have long to live. 'Now!' I yelled into Julie's mind, projecting it to Victoria, Megan and Amy as well. Several things happened simultaneously. Julie dropped to the ground immediately like a sack of potatoes. That was really window dressing, just to give her something to do, to take her mind off what was happening, because immediately a green and purple shimmering curtain of light surrounded her. Knowing he had lost, Richard fired at her. The bullet shattered into a dozen pieces as it hit the shimmers. A purple bolt of light hit him in the chest like a spear, stunning him and knocking him backward. I was surprised. To my knowledge, that was the first time I seen any of the girls use their powers as an offensive weapon. Megan was full of surprises. I don't know if her bolt messed up the other's aim, or if they never meant to kill him, but I heard several coughs and several bullets hit him in the knees and shoulder. He gasped and leaned against the wall, sliding down to a sitting position, his eyes glassy and unfocused. Julie was sitting on the floor, looking at us. The look on her face showed she was shocked, stunned. She kept looking at all of us in amazement, and the beginnings of excitement. After things calmed down a little, we began to discuss what we were going to do with Richard. There were numerous ideas. Turn him over to the big boss of Victoria's firm. Hand him to the police. Leave him here and let the agents returning deal with him. Victoria just looked at us, a cold little smile on her face. Eyes flat and devoid of all expression. Finally, she'd had enough. "Here. Let me solve the problem for you. I have the perfect solution." I knew from the expressionless tone of her voice what she was probably going to do, but she moved too fast for me to even voice an opinion. She moved over to where he was sitting, pulled out her gun, and shot him in the head twice. Everyone looked at her in shock, mouths open, and eyes wide. Victoria holstered her gun, and turned to walk out of the room. "Can we go home now? I'm hungry," she announced. Getting out of the place was interesting. The reason Richard had said we would not see Katie and Cindi again was because reinforcements had arrived. My girls were in no mood to play, however. We just walked out, laying down a withering barrage of gunfire, clearing a path. The girls tossed a grenade, a real one, not a flash-bang, into every room we passed and closed the door, just in case. I don't even know how many they took out as we left. I had the impression Victoria was leaving her letter of resignation. Victoria slept all the way home, her head on my shoulder, holding my hand. I could see tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. Amy and Megan cuddled, not speaking much. Julie just sat in the back, watching us all the way home, an indefinable look on her face. When we got home, she was the first one to speak as we relaxed in the living room. "You came. You finally came for me. You finally found me." She had a look of wonder on her face. "You are my family. The green and purple glow he told me about. Amy is green. Megan is purple. Cindi and Katie are yellow and blue; I don't know which is which. My God! You are finally here! I love you all!" She cried softly, happy tears as we hugged her. Amy looked at Victoria, anger, fear, disgust on her face. Victoria looked back calmly, not backing down a bit. "What?!? I should maybe have fixed him a drink, asked about his family, and fed him bon-bons? I gave him a break. I didn't torture him. He should have died slowly for everything he did. Don't get all high and mighty with me. You would have done differently?" She spoke calmly, but I could see the sadness in her eyes. For what she had become. For Amy's reaction. "Hell, Mom, I don't care what you did to him. I'm just mad you took it upon himself to do it, and so fast. Do you know how long I had practiced the various things I was going to do to prolong his suffering? You ruined a perfectly good plan!" Suddenly, Amy grinned. She was messing with her Mom. I reevaluated her abilities as an actress. Everyone relaxed a little. We were all really tired, so we went to bed soon after. Surprisingly, after action like that, no one was in the mood for any bedroom action. Victoria, Julie, and I just cuddled all night long. When I woke up the next morning, Amy, Becky and Megan were all wrapped around us in bed. It looked like a den of snakes. One of these days they are going to get all of their long hairs tangled up. We decided to go out that night to celebrate. We were all ready, dressed to go, when we noticed that Megan was just sitting in the living room, not dressed to go. We all just looked at her, a look of dread on all our faces as we realized something was up. "We can't go out tonight," she stated softly, as if it was a fact. I sat down next to her and lifted her onto my lap. "Why not, pretty one? What do you know that we don't?" I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer, but I knew it was coming anyway. She was never wrong. Sometimes I wished she would be. "Katie is coming home tonight. She has Cindi with her. Kind of. They need out help. We must be here for them." Her eyes were big and round, sad looking. Not scared, just resigned. She would say no more. We just looked at her, stunned. After a few minutes, I sat back, pulled her close to me, and she laid her head against my chest. The others sat down, waiting. After a little while, I felt Megan stiffen slightly in my arms. "Answer the door, Daddy," she said softly. Thirty seconds later, the doorbell rang. I slid her over on the couch, got up, and went to the door. As I answered it, Katie stepped in the door and fell into my arms. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her up. "Daddy!" She cried out softly, just before she lost consciousness. ------- Chapter 31 I picked Katie up and carried her into the bedroom, laying her on the bed. Everyone followed me in. As I carried her, I looked at her closely. She had a few bruises, a few cuts, probably consistent with having escaped from where she was held. I doubt they just let her go. She had also lost a little weight. That was more serious; she was a small girl to start with. I wondered what she was doing here. According to Megan, she was supposed to tell us when to join her. Obviously, something had happened to change that. I wondered where Cindi was; she was supposed to be with her. "She's not outside; I checked," Amy answered me before I asked. I looked at Megan. "Katie was not supposed to be in any danger. Do you know what happened?" I had never known Megan to be wrong before. I guess there was a first time for everything. She gave me a little smile. "That has never happened before. She wasn't in danger until Cindi made her leave. They didn't like that." "Where is Cindi, sweetie?" I asked kindly. I didn't want to upset her; she had never been wrong before; now twice in one day? Megan rolled her eyes at me. "Not wrong now, either. Cindi is here. Just have to find her." Oh goody! A game, I thought sourly. Megan smiled brilliantly at me. She was sweet, but sometimes she seemed to get a perverse pleasure out of irritating me. She shook her head no at me. "Not trying to irritate you, although that is fun!" she giggled. "Just trying to teach you to be patient. She's here. Just have patience and wait for it." She smiled warmly at me. I did love her dearly, although right now I wanted to spank her cute little butt. She grinned impishly at me and stuck her butt out to be spanked. Where did I loose control over these girls. "When we were born!" They all chimed in together. I decided to quit this game, fun as it was (NOT!) and turned to Becky. "Can you check her over, Becky, doing that weird mind thing you do? See if she is ok?" Becky gave me a nasty look and stuck out her tongue at me about the 'weird mind thing' remark. She could see I was worried, though, so she forgave me. Becky moved forward, and put her hand on Katie's forehead. She tilted her head to the side and looked like she was concentrating. Suddenly, she jerked her hand off Katie's head as if it was hot, and looked around the room, a frightened look on her face, to see if everyone was ok. "I think it would be best if everyone except me left the room." She left little doubt that, as little a hierarchy as the girls seemed to have, she was issuing a directive as the leader of the girls. There was little doubt, either, that for the first time I had ever witnessed, they were rejecting her 'orders'. "Sorry, no way!" The chorus of refusals came from everyone, including me. Becky looked at us, a sad, worried look on her face, then shrugged her shoulders and sat down on the bed. I waited for her to continue checking Katie out, but she just sat there, looking at us. "What's the problem, Becky? What did you see?" I stroked her hair, trying to relax her. "Nothing." Becky was such a lousy liar. I had a brainstorm, for me. "The same nothing you found when you tried to detect the trace of who broke the connection between Amy and Katie?" I asked gently. Becky whipped her head around to look at me, shock on her face. Ok, so I guessed right. She looked scared, and then she started crying. I sat down next to her and held her. "Becky. It's time you stopped lying to me. You are really lousy at it, anyway. What are you seeing? Are you telling me that Katie did break that connection? Or is this not Katie? Talk to me sweetheart; I think the time for secrets is fast disappearing." I held her close until she stopped crying. Megan spoke before she did. "The time for secrets is not over yet. But the time has come for this one, Becky." Becky looked at her, and nodded. I was confused. Who was the leader here? This was the second time I had seen Becky defer to Megan. Obviously, there was much more to Megan that I realized, even having seen some of the things she could do. Who was she, anyway? Megan looked right at me, and smiled sadly. 'Your best friend. Your closest confidant. Your better half. The answer to all your dreams. I love you, dear!' I was shocked to hear Megan's answer in my head. No one else seemed to hear. Becky seemed to come to a decision, and started talking to me. "Cindi interrupted the connection between Amy and Katie. I don't know why, but the trace was unmistakable... but... weird." She smiled apologetically at my look. "I'm sorry; weird is the only word I have for it. I can't be more specific." She shrugged again. "Katie's mind is a mess. It seems Richard was right. They were reprogramming her, using a technique she was unfam... she didn't know what they were doing. They were almost successful, but they didn't realize you can't reprogram her that way. She's a mess. It is probably a large reason why she is unconscious. If Cindi hadn't taken her out when she did, we would have lost her." The tears started flowing again. I had experience in knowing how severe the loss of one of theirs affected these girls. "Can you fix her?" I held my breath, waiting for her answer. "I can. But there is another problem. You better sit down for this one, Daddy." She smiled faintly at me, but I could see she was shaken also. She ignored the fact that I was sitting right next to her. I saw the light go on in Amy's eyes. Megan showed no reaction; I'm sure she knew all this a long time ago. I had the feeling she hadn't been wrong today; we just didn't understand her right. Something she said a few minutes ago was niggling at the back of my mind, but I didn't have time for it right now. "I am sitting down, Little Orange Person. Tell me." I gave her a brief hug and a kiss to try to calm her down. "O-kay. I don't know an easy way to say this, so... this is Katie, messed up as her mind is. It is also Cindi. Cindi is in there with her. Two minds in one body. I don't know how that is done. I didn't think it could be done. What I don't know is why Cindi interrupted that connection. Has she been reprogrammed? Are we in danger? I can't do anything for Katie until she wakes up. I will need her help in some areas to know what is Cindi and what is her. We could ask Cindi, but I am not sure I trust her at this point." I could see Becky was concerned and confused. Megan shook her head, no, just as Katie opened her eyes. Well, kind of Katie. Except, they were deep, dark blue eyes, not yellow, like Katie's 'cat eyes'. She started to speak. "No, I have not been reprogrammed," Cindi answered. Cindi! "Those Neanderthals couldn't reprogram me. That's why they tried with Katie. I had to get her out of there. Becky, relax. It was not me that interrupted the connection between Amy and Katie." It was so good to hear Cindi's voice again. I spontaneously reached over and gave her a hug. She held on to me tightly. "I missed you so much, Daddy!" She whispered, her voice breaking. I could see Becky wasn't convinced yet. I was though. You know why? Amy was leaning against the wall, arms folded across her chest. Not down at her side, expecting action. She was relaxed. No alarm bells were ringing in her head. She knew Cindi better than anyone. All her actions said this was Cindi, and nothing was wrong. I had learned long time ago to trust Amy. "Forgive me, Cindi, for the inquisition, but if not you, then who? I felt you on the trace." Becky wanted to believe her, but she had some questions to be answered first. "You felt me... but... weird. Your words. Becky, had anyone other than you done that trace, they would have believed it was me and the damage would have been done to our family. You are the only one that would have detected that weirdness. So you didn't tell anyone. You ruined their plan. Then Father allowed Protocol 35, so they could not try again." It was a good thing Katie and Cindi looked so much alike; otherwise, it would have been weird, hearing Cindi's voice come out of Katie. "So, who was it, then?" I asked. "How were they able to simulate you so closely?" All I ever wanted was a wonderful wife and two sweet girls to raise and love. Victoria, Amy, Cindi and Megan all turned and smiled at me. Megan? "Better sit down, Daddy. You are not going to like this one." She giggled, as she was mocking Becky, knowing I was already sitting. Becky crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at Cindi / Katie, then giggled herself. "I really did die, Daddy. Rather, my body did. As you may have figured out from what has happened with Becky, Julie and me, our minds don't really die. At least, not from the same things as our bodies do. My mind is in danger of dying relatively soon, but not for the same reason my body did." We all gasped and looked at her, frightened for her. "Don't worry. The Neanderthals have screwed up every step of the way, and they did here too. Daddy, even though I am here with Katie, you still need to go rescue me when they move me next Saturday to the new place. Otherwise, I will die." She looked at me, expectantly, waiting for me to get it. Amy already had, I could see. Megan had known it for years, probably. I felt dumb. Then, I got it. "They are going to move your body Saturday?" I felt like a genius. Amy grinned at me. "They are going to move my new body. The one they 'cloned' for me. 'Cloned' is not the right word, as that would have required 14 years to get to where I am now, but I don't know the word for what they did. Somehow they got a few cells from my body before I was buried, then they... 'cloned'... them to make a new body, 14 years old, within a few weeks. They planned on putting my mind in it, then reprogramming me. Of course, the Neanderthals can't do anything right. They 'cloned' the brain and mind too. So there is already a brain and a mind in there. Like me, except not nearly as nice. They programmed the new mind to make sure of that. She is me, only much more evil." She gave a cute little grin. Almost anyone in the world would be much more evil than Cindi. "Idiots. As if they could reprogram me, anyway. Then they decided to give up on me and try to do Katie instead. They sent word to her that I was alive and needed help and she figured if she went to me, that it would lead you-all there to rescue me. They figured out that even if they were to insert me in the body, I could overcome the mind there. They figured Katie could not, and that they could reprogram Katie. They were finally right on both accounts." Becky looked at her sharply, shocked. "Yes, Becky, they did discover a way to make their reprogramming work on Katie. I convinced her to leave just in time. She had no idea what they were doing." "Here is the problem, though. I need that body. I cannot last forever with no body, and I cannot stay in here with Katie for very long. A few weeks, probably. Once they move that body, we have to go get it. The downside is that they know we will do that. They will be expecting us. We have no choice, though. Otherwise, I will die." Becky decided to see what she could do for Katie before she woke up, now that the trust issue with Cindi was resolved. It took quite awhile, but with Cindi's help, she was pronounced good as new. Then, Cindi faded into the background and woke Katie up. Katie was disoriented when she woke up, and came awake fighting to get out of the bed and run. She was finally convinced she was safe when she saw me and launched herself into my arms, sobbing. I let her cry it out. I hoped her body was in good shape for making tears, with the two crybabies, Cindi and Katie both living in it. Of course, we also had the two hottest, sexiest, horniest young teenagers I had ever met residing in the same body, too. Cindi / Katie stuck like glue to me all night long. I didn't have any doubts who I was going to be sleeping with that night. They spent a while with Julie, getting to know her. Like the rest of us, they fell in love with her right away. Julie was still in a daze from the night before, overjoyed that she had finally found her 'family'. I had no doubts that I was going to be dealing with the sex / husband issue with Julie soon. She really believed what the man in white had said. I wasn't sure I did, but I had an open mind. Swallowing that tale was minor compared to some of the things I had seen in the last few months. Thinking of the man in white reminded me of what was bugging me about what Megan had said earlier. I decided to bring it up. "Megan... you said something earlier that has me thinking. When I asked you what happened, as Katie was not supposed to be in danger, and I was thinking you had been wrong for the first time since I had known you, you said 'That has never happened before.' I thought you meant you had never been wrong before, but you meant something else, didn't you? What were you referring to? And Becky, you referred to a reprogramming procedure that Katie was not... then you stopped. I think you were about to say 'not familiar with.' Several times in the past you girls have stopped yourself from saying something that sounded like it was referring to 'things that have never happened before'. What are you girls not telling me?" You could have heard a pin drop in the room after I stopped talking. Four girls, five if you counted Cindi too, looked at me with the old, by now, familiar 'deer in the headlights' look. What surprised me was that Victoria looked at me like that too. I had thought all along that she was in the dark about all this, just like I had been. Seems like not so much. All of them looked at Megan, seeming to take the lead from her. Waiting for her to speak. Who was this shy, unassuming little girl? "So, how long have you been sitting on that question, Patrick?" Megan asked. Not Daddy, Patrick. I had an idea that address was significant, although I didn't know why. In for a penny, in for a pound. Why not? "Patrick? So, am I not your Daddy any more? Was I ever? What are you hiding from me?" I knew I was pushing it, but I was tired of being the only one that didn't know what was going on here. Megan's eyes instantly filled with tears. "Of course you are! How could you doubt that? You will always be my Daddy! It's just... sometimes you have been much more than that." Becky looked at Megan sharply, her eyes warning her to be careful. I saw signs of a flurry of mental communication going on between all of them. Then, I had a flash of brilliance on what was going on here. It all made sense... didn't it? The pieces seemed to fit. But... could it be? It was too bizarre to believe. This was 2006, Earth, not some bizarre science fiction story on a far away planet. We were bound by the physical laws I learned in physics in high school... weren't we? There was no space travel, other than the space shuttle. No Star Trek, or ST-TNG, exploring the universe, finding weird races and strange things. No aliens had ever landed, at least as far as we knew. Well, I had gone this far. Might as well jump all the way in. "This has all happened before, hasn't it?" I whispered, stunned by what I suddenly was sure was going on. "When you said 'that has never happened before', you meant Katie had never been in trouble before, didn't you? How many times? Is it always the same cast of players? In the same roles? I think not, right, Megan? But it is different this time, isn't it?" I could hardly speak, I was so shocked. Apparently, the girls were just as shocked. It was obvious they never expected me to figure it out. The stunned look on all their faces would have been a sight to behold under other circumstances. Now it scared the hell out of me. My first thought was for Victoria. What happened if this was true? Would she still be my wife if this all happened again? I didn't want to go through it again if the answer to that was no. Why didn't I know about any of this, or remember it? Did it just recycle forever, for no apparent reason, or was there a reason, and an end in sight? I felt Little Orange Person in my mind, her little orange tendrils calming me. Megan had tears in her eyes. "Daddy... I love you so much! You cannot even imagine how much, what you mean to me, what you have been to me. Please believe me, if I could answer your questions, I would. I can't. For all of our sakes, I can't." She looked upset, like she was refusing me something precious. But she, and the rest of these girls, were geniuses for a reason. I immediately became aware that she did not deny what I said. She didn't admit it, but she didn't deny it either. To me, it was a clear answer, likely the only one I was going to get. As soon as that thought finished traipsing its way through my mind, they all suddenly looked up. I saw the same look come over each of their faces; a mixture of concern, excitement, love, admiration. I knew something was happening. Then, a white flash of light filled the room, and standing in front of me was an older man, dressed all in white. "Patrick. So nice to see you again. Or, for your sake, I should say so nice to finally meet you. Forgive me for not shaking hands with you; I am not being impolite. I don't know what would happen if we touched. The consequences could be devastating." He had a well modulated voice that sounded vaguely familiar, but I could not place it. I had the impression I had seen him before. Then, I remembered the white light in the room at home, when Becky invoked Protocol 12. Same light, same voice. I could not remember anything else that happened in that room, however. He gave a big sigh. "I warned the girls we might have this situation eventually. They didn't think you would be smart enough to figure it out." He laughed as they all gave him a dirty look. He held up his hand before they could protest. "Forgive me; I have a strange sense of humor. They didn't say that; I made it up. I love to tease them." He laughed again, setting them at ease. "If this were a science fiction story, I would now explain everything to you, and we would all live happily ever after." He smiled gently. "But this is real life. I am not going to explain everything to you. I am not going to explain anything to you. Obviously, you are smart enough to realize I would not be here if you were hopelessly off the mark on your guesses. You cannot be told everything, or even much of anything, yet; the effects would be... not good." I got the impression 'not good' was the understatement of the year. It sounded more like 'devastating' to me. "I am here just to reassure you that the girls cannot tell you anything. It is not allowed. And although we sometimes break the rules in extreme cases," he looked pointedly at Megan, causing her to blush, "this is not one of those cases. You must act without interference from us, by your own free will. The girls will guide you as they can, as they have already, and will protect you, as they have. Please do not be mad at them; I will not allow them to tell you anything. They would, and indeed, have done so before. The results were... not good. Be assured that at some time in the future, not too distant, you will know all; you will know everything I do. However, now your job is to keep my precious Cindi from dying. That would be a disaster. Having gone through it a few months ago, I am sure you agree, although for different reasons. Take good care of all my girls; you will never receive a more precious gift than their love." He turned to look at Megan, a look of love in his eyes. "Megan, sweetheart, do not believe for a minute that I don't know, understand, and appreciate the sadness, sorrow, and loss you are going through. Your sacrifice will be remembered for all time. I will make it up to you, sweetheart, I promise." The look of joy and pleasure, of love, lit up her face, making it almost too bright to look at. Her eyes opened wide as he approached her, wrapped his arms around her, whispered something in her ear, and gave her a kiss usually only shared by lovers and spouses. I saw her eyes turn up in her head, only the whites showing, as she fainted. Amy stepped forward to take Megan in her arms as he let her go. He softly stroked Megan's cheek, then stroked Amy's hair, and turned to Becky and Katie. "Becky, my dear. It is not your fault, you didn't know, but you missed one small programming fragment in Katie. May I, Little One?" He asked Katie. Katie seemed so excited she couldn't speak, so she nodded her head vigorously. I was afraid she would nod it off her shoulders! He touched her on the forehead and concentrated briefly. When he removed his hand, he looked startled. "Cindi! What are you doing here? I am impressed, my dear. I owe you an apology for my doubts about all the time you spent researching two minds in one body. I look forward to hearing the story of this. And yes, I remember our wager, and will make it good, although I daresay you may have already collected on it!" He turned to look at Victoria. "I have not forgotten you, my dear. You are just so perfect that you need nothing from me. As is your beautiful daughter, Amy." He smiled as they blushed prettily. Finally, he turned back to me. "Take care of my girls, Patrick. They are beyond precious to me, as I see they are to you, also. Especially little Rachel. I see you are Julie again, sweetheart. Good; they have found you. I miss you. Goodbye, all, till we meet again." The white light flashed again, and he was gone. I stood there, stunned. I wasn't sure what had just happened. I was sure that it happened, however. My memory was intact this time. All my theories about high school physics and laws of nature had just vanished with that white light. Hard as it was to believe, I was in the presence of, and living, something that to my knowledge had never been known to happen before. The girls seemed to be in a state of euphoria. I didn't know who this guy was, but he seemed to mean a lot to them. They were bouncing around like a bunch of crazy teenagers (imagine that!). Julie and Megan seemed especially excited to have seen him. Megan seemed to still be dazed hours later by his hug and kiss. She was especially attentive to me. I had my hands full that evening, with Cindi / Katie and Megan stuck to me like glue. Not that I was complaining, mind you. Julie and the others seemed to understand, willing to wait their turn. It seemed like a foregone conclusion, arrived at in that mysterious way that the girls had, that tonight was Cindi / Katie's night with me. The others each gave me a delightful kiss, then wandered off to bed. I was not sure where Victoria slept, but she never showed up in my bed that night. Finally, it was just Cindi / Katie and Megan left. When Megan left the room to get something to drink, Cindi / Katie took the opportunity to talk to me. "Daddy, can Megan spend the night with us too? She really needs you tonight." Katie was speaking. That's what I really liked about my girls; they were always looking out after each other. "Of course she can. I just assumed you two, one, whatever you are, would want the night to yourself." "That would be nice. But she is hurting so bad. Everything was brought up again in her memory tonight. She has sacrificed so much, given so much up, that she can hardly stand it sometimes. Tonight is one of those times. It would mean so much to her if you gave her some special attention tonight." Cindi was answering this time. They seemed really sad for her. "Do you know what she has sacrificed? What she has given up? And why? Maybe I could help more if I knew what I was dealing with." I admit it; I was being nosy. I didn't think it would work, but it was worth a try. The look I got from Cindi / Katie said 'nice try!' "We don't know. You would have to hear that from her. I doubt she will tell you yet. It probably involves information she cannot tell you yet. But suffice it to say that you are probably the only person that can help her forget, help her deal with it. Help her tonight, Daddy, even if you have to forego our night to do it." I'm not sure how they did it, but it seemed that both of them answered this time. No wonder I loved these two so much. Megan came back into the room, chatted for a little more, then yawned and said she was going to bed. I said that was a good idea. I got up and walked over to her. She put her arms around me for a hug and kiss. She shrieked and giggled hysterically as I picked her up, holding her in my arms as I started to walk towards the bedroom. She buried her head in my shoulder, blushing and hanging on tight with her arms around my neck. "What are you doing, Daddy? Put me down! This is Cindi and Katie's night." She didn't seem eager to let go, however. "It's your night too," I whispered. "Cindi and Katie agreed. We're tired of you being sad and... lonely. I want to help you forget for a little while what you lost, what you gave up. Can I do that, please? I love you so much, Megan, it breaks my heart to see you sad," I whispered to her as I walked, and lay her down on the bed as I finished. Cindi / Katie had disappeared somewhere. I expected Megan to respond boisterously, kissing me. I was not expecting the response I got. Megan broke down completely. She curled up in a ball and great wracking sobs came from her body. I froze in panic. I didn't expect to cause her such hurt as this. In my panic, I started to leave the room to get someone to help. I didn't think I qualified for this. Cindi / Katie suddenly appeared and steered me back to Megan. They kissed me and whispered to me to take care of her; they would have their night another time. They kissed me and left. I felt so bad. Megan was such a wonderful little girl. She was at least as much my favorite as Amy was. She touched my heart as few had. She was so quiet, yet so deep. I was so impressed with her ability to tell the future; it was a talent I had always dreamed of having. Maybe not so much now; I had seen the acute pain it caused her so often. She was so sweet, so pretty, yet so deadly. In many ways, she was a mixture of all the girls. I often wondered how she got her talents, having only one of us, whatever 'us' was, as a parent, and not being a twin. As I thought about her, I suddenly realized I had a pretty young girl in meltdown here and I needed to do something. I sat on the bed, and pulled her towards me; intending to put her head on my lap. She resisted; sweet Megan, never wanting to be a bother to anyone. I whispered in her ear that it was ok, I loved her. When she realized it was me, she immediately stopped resisting and quickly put her head on my lap. I stroked her hair and her cheek, bending down to kiss her neck softly and whisper in her ear. I was surprised, but pleased, when she reached up and fastened her lips to mine in a desperate kiss. We kissed for a long time, as I stroked and played with her beautiful red hair. Her hair was red, curly, and very unruly. It was always all over the place. Sometimes she had to fight with it in the morning to even get it to behave. As I played with her hair, kissing her, she kissed me passionately, exploring my mouth in every conceivable way. It was almost like she was renewing an old acquaintance. A bizarre thought crossed my mind, but I pushed it away as I kissed her back. It is hard to sob while you are kissing, so she stopped. We kissed for a long time; one of the best I had ever had. It got even hotter when I slid my hand down her cute little body, caressing her side. When I slid my hand up to her breast and caressed it, pinching the nipple slightly, she trembled and cried out in my mouth. She shook all over. I remembered, Megan the hair trigger. I planned on giving her as many orgasms tonight as I possibly could. She whimpered as I stopped kissing her and took my hand off her breast, until she realized I was taking her clothes off. She gave a little cry of delight and ripped them off faster than I ever could have. She pulled me down on the bed and pressed herself as close to me as she possibly could, seeming to want to become one with me. I slid my hand all the way down her body, feeling her tremble at every touch. She giggled as I stroked her feet. I decided to try something new with her. I moved down, and took her big toe into my mouth, sucking on it gently. Usually, this causes them to giggle and try to pull away; it feels good, but it tickles also. Megan responded by going completely still, almost not breathing. When I took all five toes in my mouth, licking the tops and bottoms of her toes, she buried her head in the pillow and screamed! I was amazed; I had never known anyone to have an orgasm from toe-sucking before. She seemed to almost go comatose from that one. I sucked a little more, and then started kissing my way up her pretty legs, licking, kissing, and sucking all the way up. I could feel the muscles twitch as I touched her, even though she acted like she was still out. When I started licking the insides of her thighs, she opened her eyes, looking at me with a smoldering look. For the first time, I noticed that her eyes were almost black, they were such a dark blue. Then I realized; they were very dark purple! What a lovely color! Then, I forgot all about her eyes as I started licking and sucking the center of her being. Megan went crazy. She pulled the pillow over her head as she started to cry out. I grabbed it and pulled it away; I wanted to see her orgasm. That was half the turn-on for me. She gave me a dirty look, then stuck her fist in her mouth and bit down on it. She cried out as I licked her, then her orgasm started as I licked and sucked her clit. If possible, it increased when I stuck two fingers inside her and found her G-spot. I must have played with her and sucked her for probably fifteen minutes, and I swear she was in a constant state of orgasm that entire time. Finally, she just collapsed and passed out. I continued to suck until she woke up again, and we started all over again. I stopped briefly and moved up to kiss her, asking her how she was doing. The only response I got was a quiet little whimper. I grinned and told her I was going to keep eating her out until she begged me to stop. "Never happen!" She moaned. "I'll die first!" Never one to pass up a challenge, I started kissing my way down her body again, as she whimpered softly with each kiss. When I sucked her into my mouth again, and replaced my fingers on her G-spot, she cried out, biting her fist again. And so we continued. After another what must have been half an hour of almost continuous orgasms by her, I finally stopped and moved up to lie next to her. I was afraid she would die. She was hardly able to breathe and just twitched and spasmed constantly. I held her close. She tried to get even closer, wrapping her arms around me and melting into me as close as she could. She softly rubbed my back in little circles with what seemed to be the last of her energy, as I kissed her neck and ear softly. She quivered slightly, as I looked at her in wonder; how could she have an orgasm, even a small one, from kissing her neck? Whatever other benefits there were from our play together, she stopped crying. She held on to me tightly, kissing me softly everywhere around my head, whispering words of endearment in my ears, often too faint to be understood. She trembled and whimpered whenever I stroked her hair and softly rubbed her neck. For the first time since I had known her, she seemed truly content. I thought I knew why. I could tell from my own feelings. I had only ever felt this way with one other person while making love. I hoped I was not going to hurt her more with what I said. "Megan... Can I ask you a question?" I whispered softly. She opened her eyes, almost a painful process, and looked at me. Then she rolled her eyes at me. "You want to talk... at a time like this? I can't breathe and you want to talk? Are you sure you're not a woman?" She giggled softly. "Can it wait? I just want to hold you and fall asleep in your arms, and wake up to you in the morning. It means a lot to me. Please don't take a chance at ruining that." Her eyes begged me. I understood; she knew what I was going to ask. She knew it would break the moment. She knew it would do no good, because she couldn't answer the question. Oh, how I loved this girl! I kissed her nose. "Yes, it can wait." I slipped my hand down in between her legs and softly stroked her. "Do you want some more?" I grinned at her, knowing she was exhausted. She surprised me. "Yes, I do. I told you, I will die first before I will say no to you. I meant it." She flipped me over on my back, and mounted me, taking me all the way up into her tight pussy with one stroke. She answered my unspoken question. "No, even though I am tired, I want to be on top. That way I can control us, keeping you from coming as long as possible. Maybe I can get three or four more orgasms out of this." She cried out, them whimpered as she started moving against me. "I love you so much," she whispered. She did indeed get four more before she just couldn't hold me back anymore. She did, however, have a fifth as I blasted up inside her. She lay on top of me and dozed for a while, as I slept contentedly underneath her. We didn't get much sleep that night. She was insatiable. She kept waking up and then waking me up in the most delightful ways. I quickly figured out that her energy was inexhaustible, so all I had to do was give her pleasure, without having an orgasm myself, and we could go forever, almost. Since watching her enjoying herself, and watching her explode, was as good, and sometimes better than having as orgasm myself, I enjoyed doing it. She paid the price the next day. I slept until 9:00 and she wasn't even stirring yet. I got up, showered, dressed, and went into the living room, to find everyone else waiting for me there. For once, even Amy didn't tease me by clapping or some such nonsense, as she loved to do. All I saw in their eyes was respect, admiration, and love. Katie / Cindi came over and sat on my lap and kissed me. I spoke first, to Victoria, getting off my mind what was bothering me. "I'm sorry, dear. Our agreement was that you came first when you were home and I would not ignore you. I'm afraid I violated that agreement last night. I apologize." I smiled at her, trying to put all the love I felt for her into my eyes. She smiled back, her eyes dancing merrily. "We were just talking. You need to do that with Megan at least twice a week. We are all willing to give up time with you to make that possible. It is so important to her; you have no idea what it means to her. She needs it; we just want it. Need outweighs want. Someday, you will understand why." I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was serious. I didn't tell them that I did know why it was so important to her. If I didn't know before, their willingness to give up time for her told me I was right. I needed to talk to Megan about it first, though. I finally went in to wake up Megan about 3:00 in the afternoon. Lazy bum! I stroked her hair, which was everywhere, like an angry red... something, kissed her neck, and rubbed her back until her eyes opened, painfully. "Hi. Why are you disturbing me this early in the morning? I just got to sleep. I thought you loved me," she teased, smiling at me as much as she could, just having waken up. "It's 3:00 in the afternoon! Time to get up, sleepyhead. I've been up for hours. I couldn't sleep, because some little red-headed bed piggy took up the whole bed and kicked me out!" I put on a sad face, teasing her. "I'm sorry... Oh, you! You're teasing me! I did not! I'm too little to take up the whole bed anyway. I love you!" She whispered the last part, wondering how I would respond the next day. "I love you, too! Ready for more?" I teased her, as I rubbed my hand between her legs. She closed her legs to me. "I know I said I would never tell you no, but I am smelly and disgusting right now. EWWW! I wouldn't let you anywhere near me right now, until I get a shower. Better not ask me after my shower if you're not ready to do something about it! But first, I think you have a question to ask me." I could see the resignation in her eyes; she knew I would never let it go until I had asked it. But she underestimated how much I loved her. "I don't need to ask it if it is going to make you sad again. I wouldn't want that. We both know you can't answer it anyway." I didn't want to cause this precious little girl anymore pain. "Nothing could make me sad today; not after last night. Now is your best time to ask it. Get it out of your system, let me say I can't answer it, and then we can be done with it." Her eyes twinkled, teasing me. I geared up my courage; I was shaking with nervousness. "Ok. So... how long were we married? Was it in the last cycle? That's why Katie / Cindi said I am the only one that can help you over your sadness, isn't it? For some reason, you had to give that up in this cycle, didn't you? And for some reason, you remember it all, whereas the rest of us don't." I kissed her, not expecting an answer. She stared at me, surprised that I had guessed that closely, kissed me back, and then buried her head in my neck. "Fifteen years," she whispered softly, so softly I almost didn't hear her. The same amount of time Victoria and I have been married. It renewed my worry that we might not have much time left before... whatever happens, happens. If it happens again. They did think things were different this time. Then she pulled away from me. "Come on, it is time to get up; I have to take a shower. I can't stand myself; I smell!" I pulled her close again. "I'm so sorry, Megan. I didn't know. I would have treated you differently had I known. I'm sorry. I promise, though, I will make it up to you. I promise." I had tears in my eyes. "I know," she whispered to me. "You are. You did. You will. Now, get your ass out of this bed before you make me say more that I am not supposed to say." She pushed me towards the edge of the bed. "It's ok, dear. The man in white already chewed you out last night for your indiscretion today." She headed for the shower, as I headed to the living room to see what today would bring. ------- Chapter 32 We had a week and a half before we had to go rescue Cindi's new body. I spent much of that time working with Paul to get things ready. This would be by far the most difficult thing we had ever done. Not only would these be trained agents we would be going against, but they knew this time we were coming. There was only one way that I could see to make the odds a little better. To keep the transport from becoming too obvious, they would put the body in a stasis condition, and then transport it to an out of the way cave, which had an underground entrance to the facility where they were moving her to. If we were to hit them in the cave, just as they took the body out of stasis, we stood a good chance of taking them by surprise. I was certain they didn't know we knew about the cave. Katie and Cindi had gleaned that information from a careless mind when they were with them. All of us were nervous. I know I was. I didn't know the details of the cycles we went through; you know, the ones that no one admitted existed. Yeah, those cycles. I was afraid another one of these non-existent cycles might be coming. I don't think the girls knew a lot more, or at least they were not talking. The problem was, I didn't have any idea what it meant. I thought it was obvious that the cycles occurred because of a desire or necessity to change some final event that was not to our benefit. But what did it cycle to? Did it always go back to the original place and situation? It seemed that things were different this time, at least the girls thought so. How did they know that if they didn't know more about this than they let on? Unproductive questions; they were not going to tell me. So, if we got the desired final event this time, would we just stay here, or would we cycle back to the original place and situation? You know, through those non-existent cycles that I imagined. I didn't know. It scared me. I knew I had been married in a previous cycle to someone other than Victoria at least once. Was that the only time? I liked being married to Victoria; I didn't want that to change. I found myself spending as much time with Victoria and Julie as I could. I knew the girls would survive any cycle. Would Julie? Would Victoria? Had I originally been married to my twin sister, or was that new for this cycle? Did Julie survive each time, or was her living this time one of the changes? I was driving myself nuts. I knew I really shouldn't worry; I obviously wouldn't remember any of it anyway. And sure as hell no one was going to tell me. Pissed? You betcha! My life was being screwed with and no one would tell me anything. They wouldn't even admit it existed. I did get to spend the reunion night with Katie and Cindi. It was nice. I don't believe there is anything in this world more wonderful than making love with two wonderful girls you dearly love, at the same time, in the same body, with the three minds linked. Too bad I didn't do that. I knew I was probably being an ass, but I was pretty irritated at the girls and the man in white. I was so scared for Victoria and me and no one would say a thing. When I was being rational, I admitted to myself that this was probably exactly why they didn't want to tell me. But I was in no mood to confuse the issue with facts and logic. I also couldn't deny the fact that I had missed Cindi so much for so long, and Katie had been away for a while too. They were having fun in the same body, working out things. They had developed a way to merge their thoughts and ways of talking to a combination of the two. It often had me practically rolling on the floor laughing, despite my nasty mood, as they looked on with an amused smile on their face(s). The funniest one was when they shared eyes, so that one eye was deep blue and the other one was gold. I just couldn't stay mad at my girls for very long. The relationship between Julie and I was on hold for the moment. We spent a lot of time together, and slept (yes, slept) together often, but we both agreed we wanted to wait for awhile until we had a better idea of what was going to happen. I assumed we would know more after the rescue. We just didn't see the need to form more relationships if they would not last through a cycle and we would not remember them anyway. I already caused Megan grief from memories; I didn't want to do that in whatever time we had left with Julie. I left it up to her; if she wanted to pursue our relationship, before we knew any details, I would be glad to do so, but I did not want to cause her unnecessary grief. The ones I felt the most sorry for were Julie, Victoria, Megan and I. We were pawns in an... occurrence that no matter what, would change our lives. No one ever said you had to like something that was for the best for you. Needless to say, I was in a foul mood. That is impossible to hide in a whole family setting of empaths and mind readers. I would have to admit that the girls handled it well. They handled me with kid gloves, avoiding me when I was in a particularly nasty mood, but generally trying to be sweet to me. I appreciated it, I really did. I just needed someone to take my worry, frustration, and anger on and, unfortunately, they were the closest. And the ones that would love me anyway. My idiocy went on for a couple of days, with everyone trying to work around me. Finally, Victoria took me into our room for a talk. She kissed me thoroughly, and then sat down next to me, holding my hand. "Patrick," she started. Uh-oh, talks with Victoria that started with Patrick were seldom good. "You know I love you more than anyone else in the world, don't you?" "Yeah, I know," I grumbled. "That has never been an issue." "Keeping that love in mind, and the nice kiss I just gave you, why are you being so mean to the girls? These are the nicest girls in the whole world and you are treating them like... I don't know what. But it is not good. Talk to me." She was being nice, but I knew I was not walking out of that door until we talked. I hung my head. "I just don't like being manipulated. I don't like having my life played with by someone who is doing it just because he wants a certain outcome. It's not fair. Look what has happened to Megan, as far as we know. She is so sweet, and she is hurting so badly some days she can hardly stand it. I don't like it." I was getting mad again, even talking about it. Victoria looked at me, sadness in her eyes. "Is that what you think is going on here? That someone is just playing around with us for his own gain? That we are just pawns in a chess game where no one cares about the pieces?" "That's just the point, Victoria. I don't know what is going on here. It could be the most important thing in the world. It could be some idiot trying to drive up the price of Cumquats. I just don't know, and I don't like it." I was trying not to yell; she didn't deserve that. "Would it make you feel better if you knew some of what was going on?" She whispered quietly. "Even if that knowledge was dangerous to all of us? Even if knowing it had brought about disaster before? Is it really that important to you?" Poor Victoria. I was catching her between a rock and a hard place. She didn't deserve that either. "I'm trying not to be an ass here, Victoria. I know I am not succeeding very well at all, but I am trying." She smiled faintly at me. "I understand that I have to make decisions without being influenced by things I should not know. But I just need some assurance that what we are doing is important. That it means something to me, to us, not just some person we have never met." I was trying to calm down. Victoria chewed on her lower lip for a minute, and then made a decision. "I really don't know much about what is going on here. The girls know more than me. I can solve your problem of wondering how important this is. That much I know, and it probably won't affect the outcome any. I learned this from overhearing the girls talking." Victoria's took a deep breath, and then her eyes filled with tears. "Patrick, the cycles started because every single member of our family was killed." She sobbed. "Every single one. Amy, Katie, Cindi, Becky, Megan. All of them died, killed, because of the actions of someone, or something. They won't tell me, but from the way they stop talking when I am around, and won't answer the question, I'm sure I died too. The cycles are a continuing attempt to find a pattern, a combination, something, that will prevent that from happening. Maybe something that we can do to change it. So far, nothing has worked. But this time is different. Many different things have happened this time. They are hopeful that this will be the time, the combination that will work. We have apparently never gotten this far before." She buried her face in my chest and sobbed. "My babies. They killed my babies. All of them. Over and over." Then, Victoria made the only mean remark I can ever remember her making. She looked at me, eyes filled with pain. "Is that important enough for you?" I felt like dirt. I was making a big deal about not being kept informed, and my girls and Victoria were walking around carrying the knowledge that they might die at any moment. I held her, trying to comfort her as she cried. Well, that cured my acting like a baby for the rest of the week. If there was a chance that I was never going to see my girls again, I certainly wasn't going to have the last memory, for them, or for me, be a bad one. I saw them giving me looks the next day, wondering why all of a sudden I was in a good mood again. I saw the looks of gratitude they gave Victoria. I made up for it with Cindi and Katie. The next night after Victoria talked to me, they didn't sleep all night long. I finally succeeded in wearing them out. It was wonderful. The girls also made good on their promise to give Megan and I two days a week. I didn't know if Victoria knew the reason for that or not; that Megan had been married to me in a previous cycle. I had no plans to tell her. As we got closer to the targeted Saturday, we all got more affectionate and desperate in our relationships with each other. We all cried a lot. We just loved each other so much; we just couldn't imagine anything different. I could feel the anger coming out too. I didn't know whom we would find when we went to save Cindi Saturday, but whoever it was, they were going to wish they had never been born. Friday night, we went to bed early, planning on starting out at 2:00 AM. The girls all agreed that Victoria and I would spend the night together. I knew, from what Megan had told, me that it was possible that I would not be married to Victoria if we cycled again. I wanted every last bit of time I could get from her. We spent the night alternating between making love and just cuddling, often with tears. We just had to believe that our love would survive this, somehow. We all met in the living room at 1:45 AM. The girls were all dressed in their normal getup for this type of thing. This time all the girls were going. We all hugged and kissed passionately, knowing this might be the last time we were ever together in this way again. Tears flowed freely, confessions of never ending love repeatedly given. Cindi cried most of all, believing that she was to blame for all of this. She offered to just let her mind die to save us all from what might happen. She begged us to let her go; that she could not stand to live if it cost us that dearly. We shushed her up, telling her not to be silly, and gave her extra hugs and kisses. The drive to the cave was uneventful. Although we didn't talk about it, I knew that all of us felt something was not quite right. None of us were expecting a smooth operation this time. I had a sinking feeling we were being set up. We were right in that assessment. Things went wrong from the beginning. When we got to the cave, we found that the body, which I dubbed 'Sandi', had already been awakened and moved. There was a token force there to oppose us. We easily took them out. Too easily, I thought. Plus, the door to the compound was mysteriously left open. I knew it was a trap, but we had no choice. We walk into the trap, or Cindi dies. We walk into the trap, and we all die. Fool's gambit. Checkmate. We walked into the trap. Once again, maybe for the last time, I watched my girls with admiration as they smoothly moved throughout the complex. Not a shot was fired. No one was there in the first several rooms we checked. I was really getting nervous. We knew from Cindi and Katie where 'Sandi' would be for the final programming. All of the rooms up to that point were empty. Finally, we entered into the last room. Well, at least this one was not empty. I saw 'Sandi' standing quietly next to a whole bank of machines. There were two men in the room. One was obviously a techie type, standing next to 'Sandi", making adjustments to the machines. The other was obviously expecting us, as he had a machine gun pointed at us as we walked in. He started talking to us as soon as we entered. "I can't believe it was this easy. I have you all here together. You walked into my trap blindly, all for an empty body? And you are supposed to be the elite of our race? No wonder you all were so easy to kill every time! Stupid!" He was laughing at us. I felt Victoria's eyes go flat, and I put my hand on her arm, to keep her from reacting. "Just give us the body, and we will let you live." I knew I sounded like a bad action movie, but I had to try anyway. "I got a better idea. Put down all you weapons and I might let you live, and I won't kill the body. Maybe you can cycle again and try it again." He was really enjoying this. I was trying to figure out what he was up to. He had to know we would not agree to any of those conditions. "Sorry. Not going to happen. You know what we can do. You don't stand a chance." I was still trying to figure his angle. "But I hold all the cards. Put down the weapons now, or I kill her." He swung the gun over to cover 'Sandi'. We just watched him. "Well, you were warned," he stated, and pulled the trigger, firing a bullet at 'Sandi's' head. Shit! Now I knew what he was doing. I could see in her eyes that Victoria got it too. There was no time to warn the others, and it didn't matter anyway. He did hold all the cards. Either way we went, we lost somebody we could not lose. The girls reacted just as I knew they would, just as he knew they would. Green, blue, orange, purple and yellow curtains of light instantaneously went up around 'Sandi', stopping the bullet before it hit her. The man laughed, whipped his gun around, and fired the whole clip straight at Megan. Just as I knew he was going to do. I just didn't know who he was going to choose. Victoria and I made a mistake. Our reasoning was sound, derived from our years of experience, but we just weren't used to working with the girls yet. Victoria had never dealt with their shields before, and their use was not second nature to me yet either. Thus, when the action began, when your reactions are due to instinct and training, too fast to allow time for thought, we both reacted, based on years of experience. Someone had just fired at our baby. We both dived in front of her, trying to save her. Had we had time to think, we would have realized that he couldn't hurt her. Megan was probably the fastest human on the planet. Even so, as she saw him turn and fire, she barely had time to pull her shield back to protect herself. She never even thought that she needed to protect us also. Victoria and I did our job well. We crossed in front of Megan just in time to catch all the bullets. I had deliberately crossed in front of Victoria, to take as many as I could, to protect her and Megan. I got most of them. Neither of us were as crazy as it sounds. After the last action, we had both put on bullet proof vests. The bulletproof vest we had on absorbed much of the impact, but it did not stop all the bullets. He was using the Teflon coated armor piercing rounds. As I finished falling to the ground, I knew instinctively that I had been mortally wounded. I heard Victoria gasp, felt her hand reach over and grab mine, holding it tight, and I knew she was dying also. I felt sad, but I looked up and saw Megan uninjured, and I was glad that we had saved her. As soon as he fired, Megan, Amy, Becky and Cindi / Katie all fired at him. He was hit by a hail of bullets, just as he disappeared right before our eyes. Becky and Cindi / Katie fired? I didn't even know they had guns. I noticed with pride that they knew how to use them though. The techie man immediately raised his hands in surrender. He wasn't going to do anything, with Amy watching him like a hawk. Megan ran over to us, kneeling down to help us. I had been shot before; I knew what a fatal wound was supposed to feel like. This was it. Her face confirmed it. Tears were running down her face as she looked us over. "Oh God, Becky! I can't do anything! I don't have the power to put Cindi in her body and save these two at the same time! There isn't time to do it separately." She was sobbing, trying to stop the bleeding. "Cindi and I can help," Katie said, but I could tell from her voice it was not enough. We must really be hurt, if Megan didn't have enough power. Then I heard Becky. "You know what you must do. We knew all along we would have to let her die. It is the way it must be. We have no choice." She didn't sound happy. Oh God, were they talking about letting my Victoria die? Not while I lived! "No! Save her. Let me die," I whispered to Megan. She smiled through her tears. "Neither one of you are going to die," Megan whispered to me. Then to Becky, "No! That is unacceptable! I will not allow it. I will not let her die!" "You don't have a choice, Megan. It has to be this way." Becky was crying also, bless her heart. She didn't want this either. "There is always a choice, Becky. It is just a matter of whether we are willing to pay the price." Megan seemed resigned to what was going to happen, but I didn't think we knew what that was yet. "Megan..." Becky warned. Megan raised her eyes up to the ceiling, a look I was familiar with now. "I invoke Protocol 14!" This time she whispered it, as if she were afraid also. I heard all the girls gasp. Immediately, the room was filled with white light and the man in white appeared. He did not look happy this time. "Megan, you know very well you cannot do that," he answered sternly. "Protocol 14 can only be approved by three members of the council. I am the only member we know about. We don't know who the other members are." "Could you approve it if you had two members?" Megan asked quietly. "It is possible. It probably wouldn't work. Besides, we don't have two members." "Actually, sir, we do," Megan answered softly. "I am the second member of the council. I would give you my authorization codes, but we have three people who will die while I do that." Did I detect sarcasm in Megan's voice? His expression softened. "I believe you, Megan. I know you would never lie to me. But I still can't approve it. We would need a third member to assure success. We don't have it." He looked sad. "Actually, sir, we do have a third member." Everyone looked at Cindi in surprise. "I am the third member." "That, Cindi, I find hard to believe. I am not surprised by Megan being a member. However, I have never seen anything to support you as a member. And, you cannot stand as a member of the council in your current state. There is not time to get you into that body to qualify as a council member for these purposes." He looked confused. "You never saw the evidence of my being a member of the council because you were looking for the wrong thing, in the wrong place. The third member of the council is not a specific person. Every other protocol only requires one or two members to approve. This is the only one that requires three. It was designed specifically for this very type of event. The third member of the council is the first one of us that dies but does not stay dead. That, sir, describes me and only me." She smiled at him sweetly. "Now, you have no reason to disallow protocol 14." "Actually, yes I do. Do any of you know the consequences of this? Megan, you of all people should know the possible effects of this. I cannot allow it." He sounded like he was being a jerk, but I saw the tears in his eyes. This was not easy for him to do. "Yes, sir, I do know. I know it could possibly, in the future, undo everything we have accomplished during this cycle. I also know that most of the suffering caused by Protocol 14 will be mine. I accept it." Megan was adamant. "I'm sorry, Megan, I cannot allow it. It has to be allowed to play out as it is supposed to." He was just as adamant. "I can't believe you, of all people, would do that to her, of all people! How are we any different from them if we just allow her to die?" Megan pointed to the techie as she said 'them'. I couldn't believe she was talking to him that way. Her voice was almost venomous. The other girls were cringing in fear. "Goddamn it, Megan, don't you think I understand what... fuck, Megan, I hate this decision I am making. I have always hated it and I always will hate it. Every time I have to do it. How dare you, of all people, talk to me like that?" He was trembling, he was so mad, and hurt. The other girls looked like they knew we were all going to die any minute. They were right with some of us. I was getting weaker by the minute. Victoria was still holding onto my hand tightly. Megan's eyes looked sad, begging forgiveness. "I'm sorry! That was not right. But you have to save her. Please... Sir... Father... Daddy? Please? I cannot let her die." Megan was begging now. "I'm afraid you have no choice, Megan. It must be." He was almost crying himself. "Yes, sir, I do have a choice. It is you that will have no choice." Megan spoke softly, quietly. She sounded dangerous. "Megan... no! Don't! You can't!" Becky was almost screaming. Everyone looked at her in surprise. "What are you going to do, Megan?" The man in white asked, concern written all over his face. "I can and will save them all. I will put myself into feedback overload mode. I will have enough power to save them." Megan spoke so softly I almost didn't hear her. "And then you will die, Megan. You cannot do that!" He looked scared, for the first time I had ever seen. "I can and I will. I cannot let her die. A wise young woman told me, a little while ago, that being a helper meant helping, regardless of the consequences, not only when it was convenient, but anytime you could. I cannot and will not let her die. I could not, would not want to live if I did that." Megan spoke calmly, quietly; no one had any doubt she would do it. "Oh God, Megan, you know I didn't mean that! I didn't mean you were to kill yourself to help others. You know I didn't mean that!" Becky was almost hysterical. I was trying to get Megan's attention. I wasn't worth her dying, and all this conflict. I wanted to tell her to save Victoria and Cindi. "I know you didn't, Becky, but it is true nonetheless. You have fifteen seconds, sir, to approve Protocol 14 or I will do it. You know I will." She smiled lovingly at him. "I'm sorry, Megan, I can't. Please..." He couldn't go on speaking. "I'm sorry too. I love you. I love you all." Megan walked over to me, knelt down, put her hands on me, and concentrated. The room turned purple. As before, purple bolts began shooting in from all corners, hitting her. They absorbed into her, and then emerged to simultaneously hit Victoria, 'Sandi' and me all at the same time. I could see Cindi / Katie and Becky helping, but they were all sobbing as they tried to help, knowing it was not enough to save Megan. Knowing that Megan would die. Help often comes from the most unlikely sources. The techie started to move over towards Cindi / Katie. Amy caught the movement. "Stay there or I will shoot you." Amy was not in the mood to screw around, as her Mom, Dad, and best friend lay dying. "Go ahead. Shoot me. Then your friend will die. I just want to talk to Cindi. I can save everyone," the techie said. Amy scanned him, and then motioned to him to go ahead. He hurried over to Cindi. "Cindi... please. Let me insert you in the body now. We can save them all if you will just trust me." Cindi looked at him as if he had two heads. "You can't save Megan. A feedback overload circuit cannot be interrupted, once it is initiated. And if you think I am turning over control of my mind to you, after what you guys tried to do to Katie and me, you are nuts." Cindi was mad as hell. "Please. Scan me. Do whatever you want. But we are out of time. You must get into that body faster than she is doing it for you, so we can save her. I can interrupt a feedback overload circuit. I know how. Please!" For some reason that none of us could understand, he was frantic about this. Cindi scanned him, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Why would you want to help us? Besides, even if you stop Megan, he refuses to activate Protocol 14 and Victoria will die." She was clearly confused. "Because, all my life I have been told all of you were evil, that we needed to destroy you. But, I saw them walk into a trap to save you. I saw Katie come here to save you. I saw your parents take bullets to save Megan. I see Megan killing herself to save them. You are not evil, any of you. I have been lied to. I cannot let her die because of a lie. Please, let me help. I am her only chance, their only chance. And he will activate Protocol 14. He has been waiting for me to do this. He doesn't know that, but he will activate it." Cindi took one look at Megan and took his proffered hand, walking over to 'Sandi' with him. He talked fast, in a hurry. "You guys will have to clean this up later, but it will work for now. I have programmed her to always submit to you in any decision or action that is life or death, or very important. You have a keyword to force that if you need to. Do not use it frivolously. I don't know how many times it is good for. Outside of important actions, she will probably cause you trouble, although you can handle her. I'm sorry; I just didn't have time to program complete submission." He concentrated for a very short time, then 'Sandi', now Cindi, started to walk over to Megan. The techie continued to talk to her. "Can you let me talk to the man in white? I need to give him some instructions." "Sir, this man needs to talk to you." Cindi interrupted his thoughts. "What is it, young man?" He looked distracted. "Sir, I am going to interrupt Megan's feedback overload. Do not activate Protocol 14 until she has been stopped, otherwise, you will kill her." As he was speaking, the techie was setting things in motion. He put his hands on Megan's head, over her ears. He told Cindi to put her hands on her chest, over Megan's heart. He had Becky put her hands over Megan's hands. "Did you not hear me, young man? I am not activating that protocol." He sounded very irritated. "I heard you. Yes, you are. Shut up and get ready. We are running out of time. From this point on, if any of them die, you and only you are responsible. Get ready. Amy, stand over there by that wall. Cover the wall and floor with your shield. Becky, as soon as she is free, she will need healing, fast. Get over there right away." Techie gave orders as if he did this every day. I wished they would hurry up and do something. I was having problems keeping my eyes open. Victoria seemed in better shape than me. "How will we know when she is free?" Becky asked. He gave a short little laugh. "Don't worry; everyone in this room will know when she is free." He concentrated, hard, head tilted to one side. I saw Megan fighting him. Then, she flew twenty feet across the room, to slam into Amy's shield right where he had told her to put it. Amy quickly wrapped Megan up, to keep her from getting hurt, and Becky ran over to administer to her. I saw the techie look at the man in white, a small smile on his lips. Then we were all stunned to hear the man in white speak. "Activate Protocol 14! Now!" The fourth of July is nothing compared to what happened next. First, the expected orange, blue, and yellow bolts slammed into the man in white. Green and purple followed. Purple? But Megan was out of commission. He absorbed them all, emitting white bolts to Victoria, Cindi and me. It didn't seem to be helping any. Then, a pink bolt shot out of the ceiling, to hit him. Then, a brown bolt. Teal was next, then magenta, followed by silver and red. Copper came next. The bolts and colors kept coming. I lost track after twenty different colors hit him. I felt Victoria's hand start to hold me tighter. I was gaining strength. After a few minutes, the bolts stopped. The man in white looked at the techie, surprise on his face. "Who are you?" he asked, confusion on his face. The techie smiled at him, touched his forehead with his hand. "You know who I am," he said softly. I saw the shocked, then happy look cross the face of the man in white, just before they disappeared together. Then, everything turned black and I lost consciousness. When I came to, I was lying in bed in my room at the house. Victoria was lying with me, cuddled up as close as she could get, sleeping. Megan was on the other side, lying there, watching me. She looked happy and sad at the same time. "How does it feel, cuddling with both of your wives at the same time?" She laughed softly. "Wonderful. I hope I get to do this a lot more." I smiled at her, kissed her forehead, and then kissed Victoria on the neck. She mumbled and cuddled closer. I kissed her again, and she smiled and opened her eyes. Once she saw Victoria was awake, Megan started to speak. "I need to tell you two something, before anyone else comes in. I said that the pain of Protocol 14 would be born by me. That is true. But, you two will suffer greatly from activating it also. You each will have a major traumatic event, a personal disaster, occur because of what I did." Megan broke down and sobbed. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know what to do! I couldn't let you die. But now I have, or will, hurt you so badly. Please forgive me! Please!" We hugged her, assuring her we understood. She took a long time to calm down. Whatever was going to happen to us really had her spooked. It must really be serious. I hoped it wasn't the girls. It sounded like it couldn't be Victoria or me, as it would affect us both. Megan wouldn't, or couldn't tell us what it was. Wouldn't; she knew everything. The girls refused to let us out of bed for three days. Both Victoria and I hate to be inactive. We suffered through it though. We both agreed there were benefits to being stuck in bed together! The evening of the third day, as we were all sitting in the bedroom, talking, the room was suddenly bathed in white light. The man in white stood at the end of the bed. He looked first at me as I stared at him, and smiled gently. "I know. You want to kill me for almost letting Victoria die. It doesn't matter. After this conversation, I will effectively cease to exist anyway. First, though, I promised that shortly you would know everything I knew. I think it is time to tell you what this is all about." ------- Chapter 33 The evening of the third day, as we were all sitting in the bedroom, talking, the room was suddenly bathed in white light. The man in white stood at the end of the bed. He looked first at me as I stared at him, and smiled gently. "I know. You want to kill me for almost letting Victoria die. It doesn't matter. After this conversation, I will effectively cease to exist anyway. First, though, I promised that shortly you would know everything I knew. I think it is time to tell you what this is all about." He walked over to stand in front of Victoria, took her hand, and kissed it. "I cannot tell you how delighted I am that you survived, my dear. I have spent many a sleepless night regretting the decision I made. I am glad Megan forced me to reconsider." Victoria smiled sweetly at him, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him. His eyes opened wide in surprise as she looked at him, smiling. He nodded to her, smiling. "I see you are as smart as they say you are." He walked over to Megan next and he and Megan flowed into each other's arms and kissed as passionately as any two individuals I had ever seen. He softly caressed her hair and cheek, as they looked into each other's eyes lovingly. "Megan, my dear, I will always be indebted to you for pushing me to make that decision. You are a wonderful little girl and will make the right man a wonderful wife. Wait for him, dear; he will be there for you." They smiled at each other, sharing a private thought between them. Then he walked over to the chair and sat down. "First, let me congratulate all of you. We were successful this time. I will explain what we were doing in a minute." He looked at me. "And no, we were not trying to drive up the price of Cumquats!" He laughed as I looked embarrassed. "But first, let me give you some background on what has been going on. Most of this will be new to the girls also." "The most obvious question is 'who are we'? Unfortunately, I cannot answer that, because I don't know. As each of you has experienced, I first knew I was different at a very early age, when I realized that I shared a mental connection with my sister. I grew up, married a very lovely young lady, and had wonderful, beautiful twin girls, not unlike some of the special girls in this room. As has happened with you, I found a few others that had the same ability, and even more abilities. Then, when I was thirty-five, I discovered that there was a group of beings that watched over us, not interfering in any way. "At some point, a branch of the government became interested in us. These are the people you met at the 'camps'. They were not evil, per se. They just wanted to figure out a way to use our abilities for their own use. However, a splinter group led by Victoria's now ex-boss Richard attempted to take control over us. When that failed, he decided that if he couldn't control us, no one would. In a sweeping move over a period of two days, he had all of you killed. Some looked like accidents, others were obviously murders. It was more far reaching than you may have guessed. He killed Amy, Cindi, Katie, Becky, Julie, Rebecca, Danielle, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Emily, Laura and Victoria. He probably killed Julie, Rebecca, Danielle, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Laura and Emily because we suspected they might have been part of us also, but latent, not showing abilities yet. He was taking no chances. We still don't know if they are like us." "For some reason, I was the only one left alive. We still don't know why. We speculated that they wanted to start a whole new breeding program. Or, possibly, they were not able to kill me, although I don't remember them trying. However, I was not aware what was going on until it was too late, so I may not have noticed. For whatever reason, I was left alive. Maybe to make me suffer." "Amy, Katie, those of you who have lost your twins, you know what I went through at that point." Amy and Katie gave him a sad, loving smile of sympathy. "I was devastated. I had lost my wife, sister, children, and friends of my children. I had lost my mental connection with my sister. I did not want to live anymore. I lasted about the same two weeks that Amy and Katie lasted. Two weeks seems to be about the time when you just can't take it anymore. Incidentally, Katie, it was my voice that stopped you from killing yourself, so you could save Amy." "The night I had determined to end my suffering, I received two visitors. I say visitors, because I do not know what they were. One was a white energy, the other one purple. I spent the entire night talking to them. I learned that the white energy was the current leader of the group we came from. The purple energy was the scribe, or historian. They explained what had happened to us, why all my girls had died. If they were trying to cheer me up, or convince me to not kill myself, they were miserable failures." "Then, they told me it did not have to end this way. They asked me if I wanted to change what had happened. Of course, they already knew my answer. They explained about all of the powers that we had, the things we could do. The ones you have seen in the last year or so are not all of them. They explained how the powers were activated. They explained that intense emotions, like love, activated those powers. They told me that the actual activation occurred during actions associated with those feelings, such as sex with love. They also explained that the same things could occur with other powerful emotions, such as hate. These were dangerous, though. Victoria, your overwhelming desire to avenge Julie's death in this cycle was an example of that. You were able to control it. Many cannot. They explained that there were possibly others like us, and maybe others like the two energies that were talking to me, that lived and acted off these powerful negative emotions. They then gave me all the powers associated with the good emotions. They told me that many would be activated when needed. I asked them how all of this would get my family back." "That is when they offered me the greatest gift. The white and purple energies only existed until they were needed to readjust the balance of our family as opposed to the evil ones. The energies were set up by our ancestors, knowing full well that the current situation would happen. Once the energies would be needed, the purple energy would pass into the body of the one most suited for the position of scribe or historian. It would never again exist normally as energy. At the death of the scribe, outside of the deaths associated with the cycles that I will tell you about in a minute, the purple energy would enter into the next choice for scribe. We don't know how that works, since it has never happened. The white energy would exist as a guardian and guide until the stability of the family was restored. Then, it would pass into the body of the father of the family after victory, never to exist as energy again." "The final gift they offered was the ability to reverse the actions that had happened, back to a common starting point. The white energy could then start the whole scene over again, making any changes that he thought might increase the possibilities of successfully navigating past the time when the family was killed. The power reversing the situation could also make changes itself. Whether these were random or due to some intelligence or algorithm I never understood. The people that started over would have no memory of the previous time. They would never know that they had gone through this before. This 'forgetfulness' circuit was not perfect, and as time went on, after so many cycles, most of the girls developed at least a simplistic idea that the cycles existed, what they were for, and some of the things that happened. The one exception to the forgetting was the scribe or historian, the one with the purple energy. That person always remembered everything, down to the smallest detail, that had happened in all the cycles. That person also had the gift of precognition under certain circumstances. This gift also sometimes existed in others. Amy has shown that ability at times. The cycling was set so it happened anytime there was only one member of the family left. That one, as far as they knew, would always be Patrick." "Finally, I was given the power of the white energy, as he passed into my existence. I watched the purple energy descend into one of the bodies. I no longer had a body, and I watched my former body and mind continue to function as normal. That body would also have no recollection of the previous cycles. Certain protocols were set up in the event of the need to share certain knowledge from the past, or in certain cases when interference by the white energy was allowed. Those protocols were invoked by the scribe, or, in certain instances, by the special scribe that existed within each cycle. That special cycle scribe remembered everything of the current cycle, but her memory was lost in a new cycle just like everyone else's." "Now, for specifics. As you have probably already guessed, Megan is the scribe. She remembers everything, from the original family before the catastrophe, to now, and will continue on as long as she lives. Once she dies, in a death not associated with the cycles, the purple energy with all its accumulated knowledge, moves on to the next choice. We don't know how that choice is made, since it has never happened. It may be to a child of the original scribe. Katie is the scribe within the cycle." "Again, as you have all probably already guessed, my name is... Patrick John Phillips. I have chosen to appear to you each time as a body, rather than a white energy. When this conversation is over, I will merge back into the Patrick John Phillips you know, and we will become one and whole again. He will then know everything I know. That, I am afraid, is all we know. There are several important points we do not know." "We do not know what happens now. It has never happened before, and the energies did not impart that knowledge to me. Now that we are successful, do we just continue on from here? In that case, Patrick, you will remember everything, as will all of you. However, it is possible that we will recycle back to where this all started, or possibly back to the beginning of this cycle. If that happens, Patrick, then I have set it so you will not retain the memory of this conversation and cycle, nor any other information given by me, just like everyone except Megan. However, I have programmed the failsafe that total memory may be regained by you if activated by Megan. There are no rules for her to follow as to when or if this should occur. She will determine when you are ready for this information, when you can handle it, and when it is needed. Once she activates this knowledge, however, it is all activated. It is all or nothing." "I don't know how many cycles we have gone through. I lost count some time ago. I am sure Megan knows, but it is probably irrelevant. Each one failed, as we struggled to find the right combination. I was certain such a combination must exist; otherwise our ancestors would not have set this whole thing up. It was Megan that had the brilliant idea, towards the end of the last cycle, as it became obvious that it would fail, to set Patrick and Victoria, twin siblings, as husband and wife, parents of Amy and Cindi. We also set it that Katie and Becky would be their sisters, and Megan would be his child also. We made most of you adopted and unaware that you were related to prevent difficulties with societal norms." "It was obvious almost from the start that this cycle was different. Julie was killed when she was 6 years old. That had never happened before. It was done in an attempt to influence Victoria to kill Patrick years later, if that became necessary for them. Since Julie was not clearly known as one of us, I could 'interfere' to keep her from dying. I felt we would need her later. Then, Becky was 'killed'. That was different also. In all the previous cycles, the family deaths had all occurred during a two day period towards the end of the cycle. The fact that Becky's death was faked was beside the point. Then, an attempt was made on Victoria and Amy's life at the Fair. This had not happened before either. I was seeing a pattern. Then the attempt on Amy's life, that Cindi thwarted. Finally, the telling point; Cindi's death. That was the fatal error on the opposition's part. All of these deaths and attempted murders were done by Richard's group." He looked at Victoria, noticing the sad, guilty look on her face. "There was no way you could have known, Victoria. He was a master at hiding these things. Please don't feel responsible." She gave him a weak little smile. "In every cycle so far, there had been a cataclysmic battle towards the end that our powers could not stop or win. One way I knew that it could be won was if one of us, besides me, since I could not interfere, could devote all of their energy to it. That could only be done, as far as I could tell, if they did not have a body to devote energy to maintaining. When Cindi was killed, I realized that exact scenario was now possible. Although I grieved at your sadness at her loss, I knew this was the turning point we were waiting for." "As the attempts to kill all of you mounted, the certainty grew in my mind that this was truly different; that this could be the right cycle. I still could not see success in the final battle, however. Once again, Megan solved that problem by invoking Protocol 14. Although there is still danger from having done that, and a high price to be paid in the near future, it was exactly what needed to happen. I had lost sight of the fact that that situation was exactly why Protocol 14 was developed. Fortunately, Megan did not." "That is about all I have to tell you. Each cycle has a definite time limit, if it does not activate from only one family member left alive. That time is in ten days. At that time, you will find out if you remain here, or if one final cycle will occur. I want to thank all of you for your help in saving our family. Since I am Patrick, I will partake in the joy of being with you to a very old age, however that occurs." "If you don't mind my asking, who was the young man that was so instrumental in saving us all? I would just like to know who I am indebted to for my life," Victoria asked. I saw the man in white wince. "I was hoping no one would remember that and ask that question," he said sadly. "That man was my 'son', I guess would be the closest term in your language. I am embarrassed to say that he was part of the reason for the deaths originally, as he defected to the splinter government side in the original cycle. He is the one that informed the government of our existence, and provided them the information for the moves they made later. I am glad that he finally saw the error of his ways and provided the final actions that he did. Due to the changes made during this cycle, he will not survive the final cycle, as he did not have another permanent body to move into. The body he occupied was a temporary construct by the other side that will not survive the cycle deadline in ten days." "There is one final side effect of all the power that was used in Protocol 14. You are all now connected mentally with Patrick, and he is connected with all of you. It is unknown whether that connection will survive a final cycle, if it happens." The man in white then proceeded to go around the room, hugging and kissing each of the girls. There were some he spent more time with than others that had obvious significance to him, like Megan, Victoria and Julie. Finally, he came to me last. After giving me some last minute advice and instructions for my ears only, he shook my hand. As he touched me, the entire room was bathed in white light. The girls told me later that they could see tendrils of white energy flow into me as he slowly disappeared. I remembered nothing of this. Finally, I was 'conscious' again. I looked around, to see all of my girls looking at me, watching what happened. The next ten days were spent basking in the love we had for each other. We spent as much time with each other as we could, not knowing what the future held for each other and our relationships with each other. I spent as much time as I could with Victoria. It was a bittersweet time for us. We both considered it likely that if we cycled one last time that we would not be married to each other when we awoke again. It seemed obvious that our being married was an adaptation for the last cycle only. We were both sad about that. We were happy that it saved our family, but we would miss each other as man and wife. Actually, we wouldn't, as we wouldn't remember it, but you know what I mean. Victoria and I spent the whole first night holding each other, talking and crying and making love. Not the frantic love you might think from two people about to be separated, but gentle love, similar to the spring showers I had enjoyed with Cindi. It was a wonderful time. We knew that we would still have each other; just maybe not as husband and wife. Sandi turned out to be kind of a pain in the butt for the first few days. She could sometimes be nice but often was rude and obnoxious. There seemed to be a tug of war going on frequently between Cindi and her. When Sandi was dominant, things were never boring, but they were often not nice either. I knew she was going to run afoul of the girls eventually, but they were trying to be nice to her, and ignoring her when they couldn't be nice. It came to a head sooner than I thought, and from a most unexpected source. We were in the kitchen one day, and Sandi was being her usual obnoxious self. I guess Cindi was off resting somewhere. The girls talked like normal around her, ignoring her for the most part. We were all being maudlin and saying how much we cared about each other. Sandi seemed to have it in for Amy especially most of the time, for some reason. Amy had stated how much they all loved me and would really miss that if we were not together in the new cycle. That was the time that Sandi picked to be a jerk, in a most unfortunate manner. "Yeah, yeah, you must really love him, that you would go fuck some other guy at school on a whim. Patrick must really be good. What a little slut! I bet Patrick really thinks you're special now, doesn't he?" She gave an evil little laugh. Shit! Sandi! Are you stupid? I started to get up out of my chair, knowing she had gone way too far this time. I saw the hurt, shocked look on Amy's face. She looked at me, despair in her eyes, her eyes begging me to tell her Sandi was wrong. I looked at Megan, saw the fire in her eyes, and knew I would never get to Sandi in time. Megan stood up, slipped over to Sandi, quiet, smooth, fast as usual, as deadly looking as I'd ever seen her, and nonchalantly grabbed Sandi by the front of her blouse. Before she could even react, Megan gently lifted her up, and held her up against the wall. You could have heard a pin drop as Megan talked softly to her. "Listen carefully to me, you little snot, because I will not say this again. That is my best friend you just insulted, not to mention your obnoxious comment about Patrick. All of these people are special to me. You will treat them with the respect they deserve or I will rip you out of that mind, stomp you into a hundred pieces, and flush you down the toilet." She talked softly, with a sweet, gentle smile on her face. I had never seen her look so dangerous. "Do you understand me?" She whispered, looking deep into Sandi's eyes. Sand stared at her with a belligerent look in her eyes. Whoever cloned her sure gave her a lot of guts. Too bad they missed on the common sense. She laughed at Megan. "Put me down, you little creep! Your slutty little friend can't even defend herself? I don't take orders from a freak like..." Suddenly, Sandi's eyes opened wide in shock as Megan looked deep into her eyes. "Oh God, no, Megan, please don't! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, please don't; don't kill me! Please! I'm sorry!" Then her voice dropped to a soft whisper. She sounded resigned to her fate now. "Please. Let me at least apologize to her first. I shouldn't have said that. It was mean. I didn't mean to hurt her. I just can't help it sometimes. Please." Her eyes had a sad look in them. It looked like she was really sorry. She didn't even look scared anymore. Megan's face softened, and she gently lowered Sandi back down to her chair, carefully sitting her down. She touched her cheek, and then spoke. "I'm sorry, Cindi, if I hurt you. I love you. Keep this little snot out of my way." Megan turned and walked into her bedroom. The only indication she was upset was when she slammed the door as hard as she could, shaking the whole house. I was close enough that I was the only one that heard her sob as the door slammed shut. Everyone was sitting there, a stunned look on their faces. Megan? As I looked at each one, I got the same message in their eyes. 'Don't ask me, I'm not going in to talk to her!' I sighed and headed towards her room. I guess that was why Daddies got the big money! I knocked softly on Megan's door. "Megan, honey? Can I come in?" I wasn't sure I wanted to, but I had to do something for her. I had never seen her like this before. I couldn't tell what she mumbled in reply, so I guess that made it a 'yes', right? I opened the door, prepared to duck and run for my life if necessary. Megan was lying on her back, on her bed, staring at the ceiling. I felt sorry for her, tears streaming down her face as she cried silently. I walked over, sat on her bed, and pulled her head onto my lap. I stroked her hair as she cried. I kissed her softly, and she grabbed me, kissing me fiercely as the tears continued to flow. "Want to tell me about it, sweetie?" I asked her. She shook her head, no. I kissed her again. "You sure? I'm a really good listener. Maybe I can make it all better." I knew better than that, but I thought it would help if she talked to me. She apparently disagreed, because she rolled her eyes at me and shook her head again. So, I resorted to my last defense; tickling. At first, she seemed to be mad, looking at me with the same fire in her eyes that Sandi had seen. I kept it up until she started laughing. Finally, she threw her arms around my neck. "I love you so much Daddy! I just can't take this anymore. I don't want to be the scribe anymore. I just can't stand it! I remember everything!" She looked at me, sadness deep in her eyes. "I remember being married to you," she whispered. "Fifteen years, I had you all to myself. Everyday you came home to me. Every night I slept with you. I remember every single time we made love. We went everywhere together. We had two beautiful children. I was so happy I could burst. Now I have nothing. I'm a little girl, for God's sake! A little girl that remembers every time I made love to you before. I love Victoria to pieces, but you were mine! I look at how happy she is with you and it just breaks my heart. And now, even worse, I have hurt you and Victoria so badly, you are going to hate me every time you look at me when it happens. I just want to die!" She was becoming hysterical. I had to help her somehow. I searched in my mind for the things the man in white had shown me, given me. I saw the one that would help her. I lifted her up onto my lap. She lay her head on my shoulder, arms around my neck, sobbing. I let her cry it out, and then I put my hand under her chin, raising her head. I dried her tears and kissed her. "Look at me. Look into my eyes, Megan. Look at me!" She looked into my eyes, as I reached out and touched her cheek. I heard her gasp as the connection was made. Then I poured all the happy memories, all the joy of our previous time together into her. Because of the merge with the man in white, I had those memories. At least until the final cycle. I watched her eyes soften as she relaxed, basking in the feelings and memories of another time. I laid her down on the bed, and kissed her softly as she dozed off. When I left her room, she was sleeping peacefully, a smile on her face. Everyone looked at me nervously as I came out of Megan's room. I told them she was ok, that she was asleep now. Sandi was sitting in her chair, looking scared and nervous. I walked over to her, put my hand under her chin, and lifted her head up to look her in the eye. "Don't hurt my girls again. Ever. We'll get along just fine if you remember that." Sandi looked at me, with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. Really. I just can't always help it. It's the way they made me. Please, just bear with me. With Cindi helping me, I'll get better." She did look really upset; I just wasn't sure I believed her. Hurting Amy and Megan was not the way to instill confidence with me. Amy came over and gave Sandi a hug. "It's ok. We'll help you. Just try; that's all we ask," Amy said as she hugged her again. I found myself wondering where Cindi was in all this; did she just set Sandi up for a nice educational lesson? Not dear, sweet Cindi. Right. The next night was especially sweet. Julie decided that she wanted to make love to me at least once before everything happened. I knew something was up when most of the girls mysteriously disappeared and Julie, Victoria and Amy came into the bedroom with me. Julie needed some support, I guess. Julie and I spent a long time just kissing. She was getting hotter with every kiss. Victoria and Amy played the parts of handmaidens, slowly, sensuously undressing both of us. Amy undressed me, kissing me all the time, as Victoria undressed Julie, whispering in her ear as she did so. Whatever she whispered, Julie blushed bright red. Once we were undressed, I sat on the bed, and Julie sat in my lap, facing me. We gazed into each other's eyes for a long time, lost in the moment. We kissed leisurely, deeply, arms around each other, holding on to each other tightly. She shivered as I ran my hands down her sides, softly, slowly. When I kissed my way down her neck, finally taking one of her nipples in my mouth, she cried out softly. As my other hand wandered down her stomach, I felt her sucking in her breath, giving me room to slide my hand between us. When I played softly with her pubic hair, she cried out again. Finally, she held me tight, arms around my neck, and whispered in my ear. "Make love to me Patrick, please. I want you, at least once, before we go." She was trembling, partly from desire, partly because she was a little scared. Victoria and Amy helped me to lay her down on the bed. They lay on either side of her. Victoria held her close, stroking her hair, while Amy rubbed her belly softly, relaxing her. I kissed her, sucked on her nipples for awhile, and then slowly spread her legs. As I licked her and sucked on her clit, I heard her gasp loudly and felt her shake all over. As I continued to suck and lick, it was not long before she exploded in her first orgasm. As she was coming down, I moved up and put my cock at the opening of her pussy. She gasped again as I first touched her. I kissed her deeply as I slowly started to push inside her. She trembled all over as she spread her legs wide for me. As I slowed down, to let her get used to me, she put her hands on my ass and pulled me deep inside. She wrapped her legs around me and pulled me all the way in. I guess she didn't want to wait. She moaned as I settled all the way inside, my groin pressed against her clit. I slowly stroked in and out of her, as she cried softly, eyes open and looking deeply into mine. As I would periodically hit the right spot, she would close her eyes, enjoying it. Finally, she snuggled into me shoulder and neck, hiding her face as she screamed softly. I kept stroking into her slowly as she continued to orgasm. Finally, when she seemed to be able to take no more, I came inside her and we collapsed together. She was so exhausted; she barely had energy to tell me she loved me before she fell asleep. Sometime during the night, Amy and Victoria left, leaving us to spend the night together. It was nice waking up to Julie the next morning. She slept peacefully, not unlike the little girl I knew originally. There were two other nights of special note during the ten days. Well, that's not fair. All the nights with all my girls were special. But the last time with Megan and the last night before the cycle with Victoria were... something. The next time I was with Megan, she was already in bed when I came into the room. She was pretending to be asleep. That wasn't going to fly. I flipped her over on her back and started kissing her. Giving a very special girl a kiss is not supposed to make her cry. It distresses the guy when they do. She did. I was. I hugged her close. "Hey Megan. You're starting to give me a complex here. Every time I am with you, you cry. Did I do something wrong?" I thought I knew what this was, but better for her to tell me. "I'm so sorry, Patrick! It's not you. I'm happy to be with you. I'm just so sorry about last time. I was such a jerk. I was... am so selfish, wanting you for myself. And I almost killed Sandi. I really would have, you know, if she hadn't been really sorry. I was out of my mind. And then I dumped on you. I'm sorry! This being a little girl stuff is even harder the second time around. Especially when you remember when you weren't a little girl. It was hard enough growing up the first time. Confused? So am I! Do you hate me?" "Megan, sweetheart, I am in bed with you, naked, with a hard on of epic proportions, trying to kiss your brains out, and that is not the only way tonight your brains are going to come out. Do you really think I am mad at you? Megan, I remember our time together. I didn't, until I merged with him. I doubt I will if we recycle. But I do now. I loved you too, sweetheart. As much as I do Victoria. It was a special time. I understand how hard this must be for you. I wish I could help. I don't know what to do." It was harder everyday to think of Megan as a 13 year old. She looked like one, but that was it. She didn't act like one very often. Except when she was being silly and insecure, like now. "Just make love to me," she whispered. "I'll be alright. I have had more of you than anyone else. I need to not be selfish. Besides, he... you said you would make it up to me. I will hold you to it! Now hold me!" I did. At least until, she broke away and moved down to take me into her mouth. All the way in. Where did she learn that? Ok, silly question. I lasted at least a minute or two, with her sucking me, looking up into my eyes with that innocent little school girl look, before I filled up her mouth. But I got her back. Megan is really quiet, even when making love, but I discovered I can make her scream if I try hard enough, and do the right things. Boy, can she scream. Apparently, it was a surprise to the other girls also, because they showed up at the door to see if she was alright. Boy, were they embarrassed! Not Megan — they could have showed up with a marching band and she wouldn't have noticed. Megan got me back, though. Once she recovered, she crawled on top of me and slipped me up inside of her in one stroke. She was that wet. Then she rode me slowly for what seemed like an hour, but was probably not more than three hours! Every time I was ready to come, she stopped and teased me, laughing at me. It was fun for her for another reason, too — she came several times during that time. Afterwards, we both cuddled together, touching each other softly. She was such a special little girl... woman... whatever she was. How many people could I love at once? I kissed her softly and held her close. "Megan, I promise, I will make this up to you. I promised that before, and I promise again. I will make you happy, whatever I have to do to do it. You have given so much for us; you will get happiness in return. Somehow, I will do it." "I know. You do. But, you better wait before you promise anything. You have no idea how badly what I did is going to hurt you. You may never speak to me again. Saving you and Victoria were the only things that made it worth it. I hope you can forgive me." She hugged me close. We connected, and shared our love like speaking never could. Then the most amazing thing happened. We both had orgasms, simultaneously, just from sharing our love while linked! I had to careful with that. I don't know how many of those I would survive. Megan and I knew we would probably not have another night before the cycling. We only had one night left, and everyone knew that belonged to Victoria. We just cuddled all night, happy with what we had. I swore that when I ended up where I was going to be, I would find her, no matter what it took. The last night was for Victoria. I was surprised when I came into the bedroom and Amy was in bed also. I looked at Victoria questioningly. She shrugged her shoulders, then grinned and nodded her head. I crawled into bed between them, and kissed them both deeply. "I don't know how to say what I feel tonight," I said, my voice breaking. "I don't know if I will be able to do this with either of you after we cycle. You two have made this all worth while. I love you both so much it hurts, and it hurts more to know I will not remember it." I stopped speaking, partially because I couldn't go on. It wouldn't have made any difference, because I had two squealing, 108 lb almost identical looking girls on top of me, kissing me passionately. Apparently, I had said the right thing. Well, I guess it depends on your point of view, as I got hardly any sleep at all that night. I still think it was the right thing to say. We ended up with me on my back, Victoria riding me, and Amy sitting on my face. Once again, Victoria rubbed Amy's nipples. Amy looked scared again, but forgot about it when I attacked her clit. After we all came, and Victoria went to the bathroom to clean up, I lay there watching Victoria and Amy cuddle together. They were so cute. Victoria whispered in Amy's ear, and Amy turned red all the way down to her toes. I perked up. This was interesting. Victoria whispered again, and Amy blushed some more, if possible, then nodded her head slowly. She looked at me with that 'deer in the headlights' look. Then I about came right there when I saw them move over into a 69 position! I have never been a big fan of girl-girl action. This was the second time for these two, however, and it turned me on even more than the last time. They seemed to be enjoying it too. I knew Amy would be embarrassed later, but right now she was involved. I had to be too. I grabbed the Vaseline from the nightstand drawer, using it on myself and on Amy's cute little butt. She stopped what she was doing and looked back at me, a scared look on her face. Victoria stopped what she was doing and spoke gently to her. "It's ok, Amy, you know he would never hurt you. He'll stop if you say so." Amy looked at me, her expression changing to one of trust and love, as she turned back to what she was doing. I went very slowly with her. It actually didn't seem to hurt her at all. There are advantages for us guys that are not real big! Eventually, I stroked in and out of her cute little behind while she and Victoria had fun. We all came at about the same time and relaxed together. Eventually, Amy left us so we could spend some time together before the projected time. We figured it would be about 2:30 AM when it would happen, one way or another. We had all decided we would be in our separate beds, by ourselves. We had no idea where we would end up, or with whom, and did not want to take the chance of me appearing in bed with a 13 year old girl or with my sister in front of someone else. We all got together for a group hug about 2:00 AM and then went to our rooms about 2:20 AM. At 2:25 AM, I linked with everyone, so we could at least support each other. At exactly 2:30 AM, everything started to fade. I started to feel like I was falling, even though I was lying on my bed. I knew from their remarks that the others were feeling the same. We all told each other we loved each other one last time. It was almost like it was waiting for us to finish our goodbyes, then, suddenly, I was falling down through a black hole and I lost consciousness, as I heard a faint chorus of 'goodbyes' and 'I love you's'. ------- This is the end of Book One. Don't worry — I am not going to leave you hanging. The first chapter of Book Two is already written. Well, maybe I will leave you hanging for a day or two, just to be mean, but not long. Remember, if this works the way I assume it will, Book Two will appear in 'New Stories', since it is not an update. Look for it in the next day or two. Please pay attention to the cast of characters at the beginning of Book Two. The last cycle has changed a lot of things. Almost all the names are the same, but the relationships in the families have changed and sometimes the physical descriptions of the characters have changed. Remember, much of that was changed in the last cycle, to bring about the changes needed. Also, please bear with the first chapter or two — at times it may seem very similar to chapter one and two of Book One, as it is necessary to set the new background. There will be major differences though. The story codes for Book Two will be updated as they occur. Thank you all for your faithful reading of this story. I never imagined I would get as many responses and as high a scores as I did. I hope you like Book Two as well. ------- The End ------- Posted: 2006-04-15 Last Modified: 2008-11-30 / 09:10:35 am ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------