Message-ID: <19319eli$9901240428@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Archived-At: From: "EAW" Subject: watching 1 of 3 Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d Path: qz!not-for-mail Organization: The Committee To Thwart Spam Approved: X-Moderator-Contact: Eli the Bearded X-Story-Submission: X-Original-Message-ID: <02dd01be476b$81eb3220$b543cf8f@mh347a.resmeier.andrews.edu> "Watching" By Alan Mathews (alanmath@hotmail.com) The Watching Trilogy Timeline ------------------------------ (January 1995) Book One: The Meeting begins Chapter One ----------- I heard someone crying quietly toward the back of the bus as the cold January wind seeped in through the loose panes of the school bus windows. ÿ The trip home from school had taken a turn for the worse when the engine of the old bus had finally ground to a halt. We were stuck on a dark back road as night fell.ÿ Our bus driver had left thirty minutes before to see if he could find a phone to call for help. Our small, poor school district wasn't even able to afford proper maintenance of their busses, much less pay to put CB radios in them. No help had come, and I was beginning to fear that he may have gotten lost in the swirling snow and encroaching darkness. The temperature had dropped rapidly after the sun had disappeared behind the dense foliage of the surrounding forest. Now even the children in jackets were beginning to shiver. I had a heavy winter coat and was quite comfortable thanks to the foresight of my grandmother, who had given it to me as a Christmas present. (One of the few presents from her that I had ever found a use for.) I heard teeth chattering from the seat in front of me. Leaning forward, I peered over the back of the seat. One of the younger girls was shivering in front of me in a light jacket that wouldn't keep out spring weather, much less the deep freeze of January. I had noticed her before. Hell, I had been watching her on the bus for well over a year, sneaking glances at her when I could get away with it, appreciating her long dark brown hair and slim form. ÿ There are a lot of pretty girls wandering around, but something about her was special, unique; I seemed to be drawn to her. Something about her made me want to hold her close, to be near to her. I had never felt that way about anyone before. Frankly, it frightened me a little. I had never spoken to her, although I'm certain she had caught me looking at her once or twice. I'm not all that talkative to anyone, much less girls. I suffer from the classic problem of stuttering, cold sweats, and that blushing most "shy" people face when around the opposite sex. Mustering up my courage, I spoke. "Are you cold?" I asked. "Just a little." she replied, looking up at me. She was huddled in a ball with her legs curled up beneath her, body shaking visibly from the cold. I caught her eyes for a moment and made up my mind. "Just a second." I said. I unzipped my coat and pulled it off my shoulders. "Put this on." I said, holding it out to her.ÿ "I...I can't." she said shyly. "Then you'll be cold, and it's your coat."ÿ "Well, I can handle the cold better than you can. If you don't get warm soon you'll start getting hypothermic. Then we'd need an ambulance to get you out of here, and I'd end up giving the coat to you anyway once you slipped into delirium." ÿ She grinned, and reached for the coat.ÿ "Ok, I'll take it," she said while slipping the coat on. "But won't you get hypothermic too, although I'm not entirely certain what that means?"ÿ "Not for a while. After all, I'm male. Males are stronger than females." I joked.ÿ "Oooooh! Sexist pig!" She flashed me a smile and huddled up under my coat, her teeth no longer chattering and her shivering fading slowly as she warmed up. I slouched back in my seat, enjoying the afterglow of that smile. But after a few minutes I started to feel the cold, my body beginning to shiver as the temperature continued to drop. I managed to keep my teeth from chattering for a few minutes, but soon I could no longer contain it, no matter how hard I gritted my teeth.ÿ Her head popped over the top of the seat back. She looked at me.ÿ "Are you Ok?" she asked, a concerned look on her face.ÿ "Fine, fine." I said, making a superhuman effort to stop my shivering. I failed. She looked unconvinced. "Well...maybe we can share it, that way we'd both be warm. It's big enough I think." she said, looking nervously at me.ÿ "Are you sure?" I asked, uncertain. It certainly was big enough. It was slightly to big for me, even on my 6'2", 210 pound frame. While it reached slightly above my knees it looked like a long dress on her, as she was barely over five feet in height.ÿ "Yes." she said and got up, moving to my seat. She took off the coat, and all business, told me to get up.ÿ "Now, if you put it on and leave the zipper open..." I followed her instructions and we ended up comfortably situated, me with my arms in the sleeves of the coat, her huddled up against my side with the excess material wrapped around her. She moved a little closer to me, sharing body heat.ÿ "What's your name?" I asked.ÿ "Jenny. What's yours?"ÿ "Alex." I replied.ÿ "Hmmm, Alex. You're a comfortable pillow." she said, resting her head against my shoulder.ÿ I laughed, and the conversation continued from there. We talked about school, and people we knew. Well, actually, she talked, I listened. I didn't know anyone at our school, despite my going to the same school district from kindergarten up to my current grade. "What are you going to do after you graduate?" she asked.ÿ "I was thinking about going to college...there's a pretty good school down in New Mexico I was planning on going to. After that, hopefully a good job. I really just want to get out of this town. What are you thinking about doing after high school?" "I have no idea what I'm going to do tomorrow, much less three or four years from now." she sighed. ÿ "You have plenty of time. Don't worry about it. Don't push yourself into anything. Pick something you like."ÿ I suggested. "Maybe."ÿ The conversation continued, until it finally died out into a comfortable silence.ÿ "Boy, I'm tired." she yawned.ÿ "Go ahead and sleep." I said.ÿ "Thanks, but then I couldn't keep the coat closed." She paused and considered. "Hold still." she said, moving herself until she was sitting on my lap leaning against my chest. She grabbed my arms and wrapped them around her again. I was surprised at her forwardness, but it felt surprisingly good, feeling her warm body pressed against mine. She managed to zip the coat up somewhat, keeping us pressed closely together whether we wanted to or not. "There. Now it'll stay closed." She rested her head on my shoulder again, her soft hair brushing my cheek. She sighed, and a few minutes later her breathing evened out to the whisper of her even breathing.ÿ I watched her sleep, the ghostly light from the bus window illuminating her face. I knew that I had a crush on this girl whom I barely knew, I had for months. And here I was, holding her as if I had known her for years. Frankly, I was in shock. I decided not to overanalyze the situation, to just enjoy it, while it lasted. I hugged her tighter against me, relishing the heat of her body contrasting to the freezing air of the bus. Then I drifted off into sleep as well.ÿ ÿ End Chapter One Chapter Two -----------ÿ ÿ I awoke to the glare of headlights shining through the grime covered windows and the creak of tires rolling through fresh snow. The driver had managed to get through, evidently. I found myself almost wishing that he hadn't.ÿ I gently shook Jenny, and she slowly came awake and looked up at me.ÿ "Good morning." she said with a lazy smile, and stretched as much as she could in the confines of my coat.ÿ "Hardly morning. The new bus just pulled up, finally."ÿ "To bad, I was just getting comfortable."ÿ I chuckled, and she slowly got up. I thought I had never seen anything so beautiful as her standing in the dim light of the bus shivering in the cold, hair slightly out of place from her hour or so of sleep in my arms.ÿ "We'd better go." I said, noticing that the bus was now nearly empty, everyone else having boarded the other bus. She nodded, and we walked over to the new bus together.ÿ We boarded the bus, the powdery snow already having left a thin coat of snow on our heads. We took separate seats again, her in front of me, as always. We rode until her stop in silence.ÿ When she got up to leave, she paused for a moment and leaned toward me.ÿ "Thanks for letting me share your jacket." she whispered.ÿ "You're welcome. You kept it at just the right temperature." I grinned. She grinned back, and suddenly leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the cheek.ÿ "Bye." she whispered again, and climbed off the bus.ÿ ÿ ****ÿ ÿ I spent the couple of weeks thinking about what had happened, trying to figure out how I had somehow fallen in love with a thirteen year old girl. She was five years younger than I was, for god sake! Five years might not make much difference to someone in their twenties, but a senior dating an eighth grader was considered criminal by many, dubious at best. My father was among the first category, despite the six year age difference between my mother and father when they were married. I was sure that Jenny's were as well. Morals seem to run in the same directions in a small town, and the one we lived in (or rather, near) was no exception. I still saw her every day on the bus, but now when she saw me she would smile at me and say hello. I began to watch her more, and she caught me more often, each time greeted with a smile. I started to recognize her moods, when she was happy, when she had had a bad day...it was driving me crazy thinking about her all the time. I couldn't go on the way I was going. I knew I had to do something about it, but was stopped by the fears of her or my parents, the public reaction. Hell, I was just scared that she didn't feel the same way I did and only saw me as a friend, or possibly just the nice guy who shared a coat with her once.ÿ I was buried in a book one day when Jenny boarded the bus. I didn't notice her until I happened to glance in her direction.ÿ The look on her face tugged at me. She was curled up in one of the seats across from me, looking alone and forlorn. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, head resting on her arms, eyes hidden from view. I could tell she was very close to crying just by looking at her.ÿ Knowing what it would look like but finally not giving a damn one way or another, I stepped through the aisle and slid into the seat beside her. I gently placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, "Jenny? Are you all right?" I could feel her body shaking under my hand. The shaking grew worse as my words registered and she fell apart completely, loud sobs wracking her body. I slid closer with concern. She wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my chest, her tears soaking through my thin cotton shirt. I was surprised, but relfexes kicked in and I picked her up and wrapped my arms around her, trying to comfort her.ÿ "What am I going to do?" she sobbed. "I can't go home, not now...not now that she knows."ÿ "Don't worry, it'll be fine. We'll work something out." I said, not knowing what she was talking about, but being more concerned about getting her calmed down than dealing with what her problem was at the moment.ÿ "But how? What will I do?"ÿ "What will _we_ do." I said firmly. "I'm not leaving you like this." I definitely wasn't. I wouldn't leave anyone in the state she was in, much less someone that I felt as strongly for as I did her.ÿ "Why? You don't even know me...if you knew, you wouldn't even want to be near me, much less help."ÿ "I've helped you before, haven't I? Trust me. We'll deal with whatever is wrong."ÿ(Taking on a lot for someone I barely knew? Sure, but I've always been a soft one for someone in tears. It's gotten me in a lot of trouble over the years. But usually it ends up being worth it. In this case, it certainly was.) She didn't reply, but her sobs began to slow some, and soon faded to an occasional gasping shudder. She stayed huddled in my arms as if trying to avoid the world. ÿ We rode the rest of the way to my house like that. When we approached her stop I waved the bus driver on, thankful that Jenny's younger sister wasn't on.ÿ Within a few minutes the bus slowed to a stop in front of the driveway to my house, and I helped Jenny up. She got shakily to her feet, gripping my arm for both physical and mental support. Ignoring the odd looks from the driver and other passengers, we climbed down the steps of the bus, and walked slowly to the front door. I unlocked it and stepped into the warm living room from the cold January air.ÿ I led her to the overstuffed couch that sat near the large fireplace, and she slumped into it, staring blankly out of the bay window and into the woods beyond. I quickly piled a few logs onto the few embers left of the morning fire and soon the room was filled with warm flickering light. Night was beginning to fall in the early January fashion, making the shadows of the furniture grow slowly longer.ÿ "Just a second, I'm going to make us a little hot chocolate." I said. She didn't respond and just kept looking out the window. I looked at her worriedly, and hurried to the nearby kitchen. I was a bit nervous about having her in my house, so few people had been there before, but at the moment I was more worried about her than about how I felt. I quickly microwaved some water and added the instant cocoa mix. Not as good as homemade, but I was in a hurry.ÿ When I walked back into the living room I saw that her gaze had shifted from the window to the fire. I sunk slowly on to the couch beside her, balancing the nearly full mugs in my hands. I offered one to her, but she didn't seem to notice, so I took her hands and wrapped them around the mug. Her fingers were cold. She made no move to drink.ÿ "Just drink a little, please? You might feel better." she turned towards me, and I felt a tearing in my chest as I saw the look in her eyes, wondering what could make someone feel so alone. But she took a sip, then a long drink as it warmed her insides. "Look, I meant it when I said 'we', Jenny. Whatever's wrong, I'll help you through it."ÿ "Help me? If you knew what this was about, you'd hate me...everyone else who knows does. My Mom won't let me come back because of it..." 'Ahh,' I thought. 'No wonder she can't go home, her parents are angry with her.' "I doubt that. I've heard and read a lot of weird things in my time, and I've never hated anyone for it. Just tell me and see."ÿ "NO!" she almost yelled. "You're the only person who...has been nice to me. No one at school...and especially not her..." she trailed off. I was wondering who "she" was, but I obviously couldn't ask her now, not while she was in this state of near panic.ÿ "Ok, ok," I said soothingly. "You don't have to tell me anything." She relaxed somewhat. "Well, since you say you can't go home, you'll just have to stay here for a while." I said matter of factly.ÿ "You'd let me stay?" she said hopefully, a glimmer of hope shining in her eyes. "What about your parents?"ÿ "Well, Mom...left...years ago, and my Dad's out of town for a few weeks. Even if you need to stay longer than that, I can arrange it. My Dad pretty much leaves me alone, and since he's only here about a month total a year..."ÿ Her immediate problem solved, Jenny seemed to liven up a little.ÿ "Thank you so much, Alex." she said and hugged me. I basked in the glow of her hug. "Ok, now that that's taken care of!" I said cheerfully, that simple contact with her raising my spirits considerably, "Let's get something to eat and turn in early. I think we both need it." I stated as she yawned widely. "Yeah, sure." she said sleepily, the warm cocoa having it's effect. "I'll go dig out some leftovers or something, then."ÿ "Let me help, I'm okay at using a microwave." she smiled, and I was glad to see she was cheering up.ÿ "I'm not sure about this microwave. My Dad bought a new one after he blew up the old one, and it's pretty complicated."ÿ "Blew up the old one?" she said, wide eyed.ÿ "Yeah, he wanted hot apple pie, and forgot that the tin was made of aluminum. Walked away to read in his study, and left it until he was reminded when the smoke alarm went off." I was trying to keep a straight face, but her expression was to much. I burst out laughing.ÿ "You're joking!" she yelled, and punched me lightly in the shoulder. I continued to laugh as I held my shoulder, and she started laughing as well. She jumped on me and it turned into a free-for-all, my six foot two frame easily holding her off. We ended up a giggling, laughing tangle on the couch, her on top of me, my hands gripping her wrists. We locked eyes, and froze. We were stuck like that for a few seconds. Then I cleared my throat and sat up.ÿ "Yes, well, let's get dinner. I'm sure you can operate the microwave without blowing anything up." I grinned, trying to cover up how flustered I actually was, and the trembling I felt inside at being so near to her.ÿ "We'll see." she said, giving me another playful punch in the arm.ÿ I tried to help her, but she insisted on figuring out the microwave herself. My Dad had destroyed the old one, but not by blowing it up. He managed to somehow spill a milkshake into the innards of the microwave. It was an old one, and rather than have it repaired, we replaced it. The new one, as I said, was complex. When she figured it out within ten minutes, I was impressed. I had played with it for half an hour, and still had to look in the manual in the end. She heated up some leftover spaghetti while I hunted around for the silverware. With one person in the house most of the dishes tend to go unwashed, and silverware disappears over time. I managed to hunt down two chipped plates and a couple of forks by the time she had finished, and we sat down to eat.ÿ "How can you handle living way out here, alone so often?" she asked between bites. "You get used to it. Been doing it since I was ten. It's nice, you don't have any parents telling you what to do, when to clean up your room, or what to wear."ÿ "Don't you get lonely? I mean, it can't be easy to be away from your friends, and have no one to talk to."ÿ "I don't have many friends." Friends? Me? Ha. But I wasn't going to tell her that. "If you haven't noticed, I don't talk much." I took another bite of spaghetti and smiled.ÿ "Yeah, I noticed, but I figured that you just didn't want to talk to a bunch of kids years younger than you. Besides, you're talking now, aren't you?"ÿ "Yes, well, I know you better now. It's easier to talk to someone you know. Otherwise, I just don't say anything. It's easier that way."ÿ "Easier, yes, but it sure makes it hard to make friends, especially girlfriends." She said, spearing a meatball. "Well, that would probably explain why I've never had a girlfriend, wouldn't it?" I forced myself to say lightly as I looked down at my plate, swirling the strands of spaghetti around my fork.ÿ "You've never had a girlfriend?" she said, incredulously. "How old are you anyway?"ÿ "Eighteen."ÿ "You need to get out more."ÿ I shrugged. "I'm happy the way I am."ÿ "Every lonely minute of it?"ÿ "I'm not lonely...just alone." I said defensively. She sighed, and continued to eat.ÿ I finished quickly, and sat watching her eat. She would wind the spaghetti around the fork like a little kid, and then scoop it into her mouth. After each bite she would wipe her mouth daintily on a paper towel. She looked up at me.ÿ "What's wrong?" she asked innocently, giving me a questioning look. "Nothing." I said quickly. "I was just thinking about how long it's been since anyone besides myself or my father had been in this house."ÿ "How long has it been?"ÿ "Oh, I'd say seven, eight years." I leaned back in my chair.ÿ "That long?" ÿ I nodded, and noticed that her plate was empty.ÿ "Want a refill?" I asked.ÿ "No thanks, I'm full." she said, patting her stomach. I got up and grabbed the plates.ÿ "Wait a sec, and I'll grab you some towels so you can take a shower before you go to bed." I said. "That'd be great." she smiled, looking as haggard, at least as haggard as a thirteen year old can look.ÿ ÿ I quickly tossed the dishes in the sink and walked back to the dining room where she was sitting with her head on her arms resting on the table. I paused for a moment, enjoying the scene and the contrast of the scarred surface of the light pine table against her dark hair and fair, pale skin. I moved over to her and touched her on the shoulder. She gasped in surprise and almost jumped out of the chair.ÿ "Easy! It's just me." She relaxed. "Come on, I'll show you where everything is."ÿ She nodded and followed me.ÿ I climbed the stairs with her close behind me. Stopping at the cupboards where I kept the clean towels, I pulled out a couple for her. Then I headed for my Dad's room.ÿ "You can sleep here. It's my Dads room, but he won't be around for a while. We have a guest room too, but it hasn't been used in a long time. What I don't use, I don't clean." I grinned. "Besides, this bed is a lot more comfortable."ÿ "It'll be fine." she said, looking around the room. I walked over to the chest of drawers and pulled out one of my Dad's T-shirts.ÿ "This should work for something to sleep in." I handed it to her, and she held it up against her chest.ÿ "I see your Dad is as big as you are." she said, as it drooped to well below her knees. ÿ "Actually, he's a couple inches taller." I said as I led her across the room to the master bath and opened the door.ÿ "Take a shower, bath, whatever you like. My Dad always hated running out of hot water, so we have five times as much as we've ever needed. Don't worry about running out. Oh, and toss your clothes out, I'll put them in the washer so you have something clean to wear tomorrow. We'll worry about getting you more clothes later." "Thanks."ÿ "You're welcome." I smiled. "I'll be in my room if you need anything. It's just down the hall, first door on the left." She nodded and walked in, shutting the door.ÿ I was tempted to wait around for her to toss out her clothes so I could maybe sneak a peak, but decided that that wouldn't be 'gentlemanly' and went to my room to read instead. Five minutes later I walked back into the room and grabbed her clothes, which were lying on the floor just outside the bathroom door. As I tossed them in the washer, I couldn't help but notice the pair of high cut pink panties. I resisted the urge to pick them up, and quickly slammed the lid and started the machine, returning to my book.ÿ I lost track of time, and it was nearly eight thirty when I heard Jenny walk in. I looked up and immediately my mind went numb.ÿ Jenny was, in a word, beautiful. Her long, freshly brushed dark hair was glistening from the shower, and I caught a whiff of the soft lavender soap that my mother used to use. The long white T-shirt billowed around her, her small, early teen breasts held the shirt out an inch or so from her slim torso and tiny waist, her small nipples erect, poking through the fabric in the cold draft. It fell from there to a few inches above her knees where it revealed the rest of her long, lovely legs. I felt a stirring in my pants, and I blushed while trying to keep it down.ÿ "Something wrong?" she asked. "Oh, nothing, nothing." I stammered. "What can I do for you?"ÿ "How do you work the heater?" she said. "It's a little cold in there, and I wanted to turn up the heat a little."ÿ "Oh, it's on full. My Dad might have planned ahead for hot water, but he underestimated how cold it could get around here. I'll get you an electric blanket."ÿ "Ok, that'll work." Walking past her to the hall closet, I tried to shake the image of her from my mind. I grabbed the blanket, and she followed me back to her room. It was amazing how quickly I had come to think of it as 'her' room.ÿ "I can put it on, no problem."ÿ "Yeah, but you'd never find the outlet. It's a little tricky." She shrugged an motioned me towards the bed. I pulled back the comforter and spread the blanket out on top of the top sheet, and then pulled the comforter back. I grabbed the control box and the plug and got down on my hands and knees, fishing under the bed for the outlet that was built into the wall behind the headboard. As I found it, my eyes looked up to where Jenny was standing. My eyes followed her legs, and stopped at the hem line of the T-shirt. Then I remembered. Her panties were in the washer, meaning she had nothing but skin beneath that shirt! My cock shot up, and I turned quickly so that I was resting on my side to keep her from sighting it. I managed to plug in the blanket but pretended to keep fishing for it, waiting for my erection to go down to the point where I could stand up without having to run from the room in embarrassment. "See, I told you it was hard to find." I smiled weakly up at her, as I slowly shrank to a less noticeable size.ÿ I got up slowly, making sure it wasn't going to spring back up. Turning on the blanket I pulled back the covers.ÿ "Climb in, and I'll tuck you in." I said. She smiled at me and climbed into bed slowly, giving me a flash of leg that dazzled my eyes and almost made me loose what little composure I had left. I pulled the blankets up over her and tucked her in. "Comfortable?" I asked.ÿ "Very." she said sleepily, and yawned.ÿ "OK, I'll see you in the morning then." I walked to the door and turned out the lights, drawing the door closed until it was open just enough to let a little light from the hall in.ÿ I walked slowly back to my room, and decided to skip the shower. I was drained from the day's events, and I nearly fell asleep while stepping out of my clothes. I opted to wear the bottoms of an old pair of pajamas, considering the company in the house. I turned out the light, climbed into bed, and fell asleep almost immediately.ÿ ***** ÿ "Alex, can I sleep in here?"ÿ "Huh?" I sat up groggily, blinded by the bedroom light. "What did you say?" I could see her blush even through the blinding light.ÿ "Well, I was wondering if, well...I don't really want to be alone..." her voice seemed to choke off. She seemed near tears.ÿ "Bad dream huh?" She nodded. "Sure, sure." I said, still not quite thinking straight, still shaking my sleepiness. Looking back, I don't know what I would have done if I was fully awake when she asked me that. But I wasn't, so I said, "Climb on in."ÿ "You...don't mind?" she said nervously, taking a step towards the bed.ÿ "No, I don't mind. It's cold, come on. Turn out the light first, though." I added, still squinting against the light. She turned off the light, and I was blinded again as my semi-adjusted eyes had to adjust to full darkness again. I heard her padding towards me, and then a squeak of bedsprings as she sat down. She leaned back to lie down, and discovered a quirk of my bed.ÿ "Woah!" she squealed as she rolled toward me, then bumped against me, the front of her body pressed against my side. "Interesting bed." she said, breathing hard.ÿ "Yeah, fascinating what happens to a mattress when you sleep in the same spot every night for fifteen years." I chuckled.ÿ "I like the result, though." she said, laying her head on my chest and draping her arm across my stomach. "I don't know how I'm going to sleep with that heart of your beating all night long, though." she giggled.ÿ "I sure hope so."ÿ "Don't bet on it." I could almost see her grin even in the dark. "Maybe I made a mistake here!" I said in mock terror.ÿ "Don't worry, I won't kill you in your sleep...but I might do something else."ÿ "Like what?" I asked, interested.ÿ "Like THIS!" she cried, and tickled me in the stomach. I rolled over in uncontrolled laughter, and she followed. Once again, I don't know what I would have done if I had been fully awake, but... I grabbed her arm, and quickly but gently pulled her hand away, quickly twisting myself to face her, counterattacking with a tickle to her side. She rolled away laughing, then fought back. We wrestled for a while as I enjoyed brief touches of more interesting parts of her anatomy. She ended up on top again, both of us breathing heavily.ÿ "We seem to end up in this position a lot." I said.ÿ "Probably because I always win." she said triumphantly. ÿ "Ok, so what did you win?"ÿ ÿ She kissed me. ÿ ÿ I was caught by surprise, but quickly responded with equal intensity. A few seconds later she broke the kiss, both of us breathing hard, but this time not just from physical activity.ÿ "What was that?" I gasped.ÿ "My prize."ÿ "Really?" I said, considering. "I think you're forgetting something."ÿ "What?"ÿ "I came in second place." I kissed her. Her tongue came into play, pushing between my lips and dancing across the roof of my mouth, then entwined with my mine. She started to subtly grind her body against mine. My hands slid down to her waist, feeling the developing curves beneath my fingertips. Her T-shirt had ridden up during our struggle, and I pushed it higher, letting my hands play over the soft skin of her ass, and then between her legs, feeling her wetness on my fingers. She moved faster, moaning, her breath surging through her nostrils. I felt her erect little nipples gouging into my chest through the fabric of her shirt. Experimentally, I brushed a fingertip across the tip of her clit. She broke our kiss and yelped, then kissed me again more ferociously than before, telling me in no uncertain terms that she liked what I was doing. ÿ I stroked the length of my middle finger slowly across her clit, causing her to emit a long, high pitched whine of delight into my mouth as we kissed. Leaving my thumb at her clit, I sent my middle finger in search of her opening. Finding it, I pushed it gently inside of her tight entrance, eliciting a groan from Jenny. She broke the kiss again, this time due to lack of air. She began to grunt in time to my finger slipping in and out of her, pushing back to meet the instroke. Her eyes were tightly closed, mouth slightly open, reaching for orgasm. Suddenly she let out a long wail, bucking against my fingers. Her body went rigid as I felt her muscles tense, her body arching against me. Then she went limp and collapsed on my chest, breathing hard in the cool air of the room. I hugged her against me, feeling the rapid in-out of her breath slow as she recovered. We lay there for a few minutes, resting, while I slowly ran my hands up and down her back.ÿ "How are you feeling?" I asked gently, pulling damp strands of her hair from her forehead.ÿ "Sleepy, limp, exhausted, sticky and happy." she murmured.ÿ "Quite a list. I don't know what I can do about the other four, but I can definitely fix one of them." I slowly rolled over, gently depositing her limp form on the bed. She moaned in protest as I moved away, but I quieted her by telling her I would be back soon.ÿ I walked quickly down the hall to the bathroom, and started the water into the big cast iron tub. I tested the water and satisfied that it was the correct temperature went to get Jenny ready.ÿ She was in the same position as before, exhausted from the stress (and the pleasures) of the day that had brought her to my bed. I gently shook her and she woke up, at least enough to help some as I slipped the T-shirt smelling of sweat and sex over her head. This was my first chance to see her nude. She looked tiny compared to the king sized bed, her arms and legs splayed at her sides, eyes closed. Her small breasts topped by pink nipples were held flat against her chest by gravity. Her flat stomach and tiny waist drew your eyes lower. The only hair on her body besides that on her head was a slight tuft of dark hair above her vaginal lips. Her slim legs fell slightly open. I couldn'y help but stare in admiration. ÿ When she was nude I slipped my hands under her and gently lifted her, marveling at how light she was.ÿ "Where are you taking me?" she said sleepily.ÿ "You'll see." I said. Cradling her in my arms I walked to the bathroom.ÿ The tub was half full by that time, so I lowered her gently into the hot water. She relaxed and sighed as the warmth of the water surrounded her.ÿ I slipped out of the few clothes that I had on and stepped into the water. Jenny looked up in surprise, her eyes tracing down my front to my still semi-erect cock. A look of curiosity crossed her face, and she reached up and ran a finger over the crown. My cock lurched and I gasped. She giggled.ÿ "Sensitive, isn't it?" she grinned at me.ÿ "Yes." I said, lowering myself into the tub. "Is this sensitive?" I slid my finger over her pink slit, and she squealed and jerked upward. "I guess so." I chuckled. She elbowed me in the ribs as she turned and lay back against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, enjoying her water slick skin against mine. ÿ "Do it again." she purred as she nuzzled my neck.ÿ "Later." I whispered into her ear as I nipped it. She groaned in frustration, wriggling sensuously against me. "Just relax." I whispered again, gently massaging her shoulders. She obeyed, and I reached for the sponge, wetting it. ÿ I ran the sponge slowly over her collarbone and shoulders, then let it trail down her side and over her breast, paying special attention to the pink nipple. She sighed, and I felt her muscles relax as her body molded itself to mine. Her eyes drooped and fell closed. ÿ I let the sponge trail slowly down her chest and across the pale white expanse of her stomach and carefully cleaned her navel, making her giggle. I let the sponge slip lower, and veered right at the last second, missing her lower lips completely. She moaned in frustration again as I gently cleaned the skin of her inner thigh, inches away from where she really wanted to be 'cleaned'.ÿ I pushed down slowly on her shoulders, indicating that I wanted her to move down slightly. She complied, and I had to suppress a moan as the slick skin of her back slipped across the underside of my erection. I stopped her when only her head was above water, and tilted her head back, letting her long hair trail in the water. Leaving only her nose, eyes and mouth above the surface. I kissed her lightly on the lips as I ran my fingers through her hair. I reached for a soft washcloth and dipped it in the water, using it to wipe the dried sweat from her brow and the fine details of her face. I gently pulled her up until just her had and neck were above the water line. I spent the next few minutes carefully running the washcloth all over her until her skin fairly glowed under the water. Her breath slowed, and then fell into the steady rhythm of sleep. I stopped my caresses and hugged her against me, listening to the lapping of the water against the porcelain of the tub. I reflected on all that had happened that day, and the weeks before. I still hadn't figured out how I had managed to come from longing for her to sitting nude in my bathtub with her in only a few hours, but who was I to question my good fortune? It was about time that I had some type of good luck. Then I started to worry. What would happen if her parents came looking for her, or called the police when she didn't show up at home? I was significantly older than she was...could what we had just done...what we were DOING, be illegal? After all, I was eighteen, and stuatory rape laws being what they were... My heartbeat quickened in panic. What if she woke up in the morning and regretted what had happened? I was actually considering getting up and calling her parents and having her come pick her up. And then she wriggled in my arms, awakening.ÿ "Alex, is there something wrong?" she asked, concerned, feeling how tense my muscles were beneath her. ÿ "Nothing." I responded. "Just thinking."ÿ "About what?"ÿ "What's going to happen when your parents call the police and have me arrested for statutory rape."ÿ "What!" she pulled out of my arms and turned to face me, eyes wide. "What do you mean, 'statutory rape'?"ÿ "It's just that I think that it's slightly illegal for someone my age to well, do...this with someone your age."ÿ "I don't _care_ what the idiots who made up that law think. I know I like what happened, and I intend to do it again..." her eyes flashed angrily, and then faded. "If you want to." she added softly, looking into my eyes.ÿ "Want to? Of course I want to...I'm just worried."ÿ "How can they arrest you if they don't know what happened? I'm not going to tell them."ÿ "Okay, I trust you. But can you do one thing for me? Call your parents and tell them that you're ok and staying with a friend?"ÿ A look of fear washed over her face, her eyes brimming with tears. "I can't do that! They'd...they'd..."ÿ "Easy." I said, not wanting to get her any more upset. "Can you just call an aunt, or something? Then they can pass on the word."ÿ "But what if they trace the call?" she said. I thought that was a little paranoid, but hey, you can never be to careful.ÿ "Don't worry. I know a few tricks from some...earlier activities I was involved in a few years ago. They won't be able to trace it."ÿ "Okay. I'll do it, if you want me to." she hugged me. I lurched involuntarily as the skin of her belly slid across the head of my by now very erect cock. "Ooops." she giggled, and wriggled against me. I gasped.ÿ "You sure know how to change the subject, don't you?"ÿ "Do I?" she asked innocently and sliding up to give me a quick peck on the chin, rubbing herself against me again in the process. I sighed.ÿ "We'd better get out of the tub. You're getting even more wrinkly than usual." I teased, holding up one of her water wrinkled hands as proof.ÿ "More wrinkly?" she screamed in mock rage, then grabbed me around the neck pulling me under water. I came up sputtering and laughing. ÿ "Truce!" I yelled when I saw her heading for me again. "You win. Again."ÿ "Good." she pouted. "Now we can get out." She hopped out, giving me a view that left my mouth watering. I don't know where she got the energy. I had to haul my 'old bones' out of the tub.ÿ I grabbed an oversized towel and wrapped it around Jenny. It fell almost to her ankles, like a long robe. I started to dry her off, paying special attention to the more interesting areas. Her hair was a little more difficult. Long hair may be pretty, but it certainly does take some effort to take care of. By the time we were finished her energy had worn down again and she was leaning against me for support as her eyes drooped. Picking her up, we completed the trek to my room. The air outside the bathroom was ice cold against our still slightly damp bodies. I moved quickly, but we were both shivering by the time we made it back to the bed. I deposited her softly onto the bed, and she almost jumped off again when the cold sheets hit her back. Turning off the light, I climbed in next to her. She snuggled up against my chest as I pulled the covers over us and sighed. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her tighter against me. She tilted her head up towards me and I kissed her slowly, passionately. She let her head drop when the kiss ended, resting it against my arm. I felt her breath disturbing the hairs on my chest. She fell asleep quickly, her exhaustion catching up to her. I raised myself up on one arm and looked down at her, lying peacefully in my arms. ÿ You don't know loneliness until you've been close to someone after all you've ever known is being alone. Jenny and I were closer than I had ever been to anyone, despite our small amount of time together, and now I could see how lonely a life I had led before she had stumbled into it. I didn't know how I would deal with it after she left. ÿ I loved her. I came to that conclusion and accepted it. She was part of my life, the only person that had been in it for a long time. I sighed and brushed her hair back from her forehead and ran my hand across skin of her cheek, tracing the graceful arc of her jaw. I lay my head next to hers and fell asleep.ÿ ÿ End Chapter Two Chapter Three -------------ÿ ÿ I awoke the next morning to the sun shining though the blinds on the window beside my bed. It was one of those crystal clear but freezing cold days, the type only the northwestern states can provide. It was cold enough in the room for me to see my breath, but I was lucky enough to have a delightfully soft bed warmer cuddled up next to me. Lying there, I appreciated her warmth. I ran my hand over her shoulder and down her torso until my hand rested on her chest. I felt her breath move in and out, the subtle thumping of her heart against her rib cage. She fascinated me like no one I had ever known. ÿ Her lips were slightly parted; I kissed her lightly. She kissed me back, slowly coming out of sleep. By the time we separated she was blinking sleepily, smiling up at me. I smiled back.ÿ "Good morning." she said and stretched, breathing deeply in the cold air.ÿ "Definitely good, I think."ÿ "I think so, too." she agreed, moving closer to me and rested her head on my chest. She started to play with my sparse chest hair, roughing it up and then smoothing it out again. "Let's just stay here all day."ÿ "I like that idea." I smiled. "But we'll have to get up sometime."ÿ "As long as it's not right now." she sighed, closing her eyes. We lay there for a few minutes, enjoying one another's company. My mind wandered to the question that had been constantly bothering me me since she kissed me the night before. ÿ "Jenny, you don't have to answer this, but I need to ask you." "What?" she asked. I felt her muscles tense.ÿ "Why are you here? I mean, why did you stay? You could have left..." I sighed. "What it boils down to is this; why did you kiss me last night?"ÿ She was silent for a moment, staring at the half closed blinds on the window. ÿ "I kissed you because you're the only one who has ever seemed to care about me, or what happened to me. You gave me your coat, you comforted me; if that wasn't enough, you gave me a place to stay...You're just so kind and I just felt I had to repay you for all you had done." ÿ Then I realized the meaning of her words.ÿ "You mean last night...all of it, was just payment?" I said slowly, anger rising in my chest. "Here I was, thinking you actually felt something for me, and all it was..." I couldn't think about it anymore. I jumped out of bed, only pausing long enough to grab my robe, then walked swiftly out of the room and down the stairs. Sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace, I stared at the cold ashes of the fire, shivering in the freezing air. All I could think about was her, my mind buzzing with thoughts of last night, not being able to believe that all of what had happened had no real feeling in it. Something I had cherished, even for just that short time. Now it was gone, taking her with it.ÿ I heard the bed squeak upstairs, and a few seconds later, the pad of her feet on the hardwood of the stairs. I closed my eyes and put my head in my hands as she approached the couch. She stopped a few feet behind me and stood there silently hunting for the right words to say. I didn't let her.ÿ "Why?" I asked her. "Why must everyone who ever gets close to me have some other reason for being there?" I raised my head to stare at the wall as tears blurred my eyes. "No one really cares. My Dad doesn't, we barely speak to each other even when he is here. My Mom didn't. My relatives? They don't even like having me around. You don't care either. I let someone in and they leave, or hurt me in one way or another. People wonder why I don't have friends. This is why. It's just not worth the pain." ÿ I heard a sniff behind me. I turned to see her standing behind me in my father's old robe, tears running down her face.ÿ "I didn't mean it the way it came out!" she sobbed. "I do like you...a lot. I've had a, I guess you could call it a crush on you for a long time, and then all this happened...and it just seemed so right. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'll get my things and leave." she turned and ran back up the stairs.ÿ I was numb for a few moments as her words sank in. I considered what she had said. If she really meant what she said...I had been a total ass. I got up and climbed the stairs. I could hear her crying and followed the sound to my room. I couldn't see her when I walked in the door and looked around. I found her huddled in a corner, the robe pulled tightly around her. I walked over to her.ÿ "Jenny?" I said gently. She didn't respond. "I'm sorry for what I said, and did. I misunderstood. Please don't leave."ÿ She looked up at me in surprise, her eyes red from crying. "You want me to stay?"ÿ "Yes. You're...very special to me." I said with difficulty. "You are the only one who's ever actually wanted to touch me, or be near to me for as long as I can remember. I hadn't even had so much as a pat on the shoulder in over a year before you shared my coat. When you've been alone as long as I have, you become afraid of letting anyone near you. I let you in against my better judgment. I've been attracted to you since the first day you climbed aboard that bus almost two years ago, but was afraid of what would happen if anything happened, what others would think. What I'm trying to say Jenny is that I think I love you."ÿ "You what?" she said in shock, looking up at me with her face streaked with tears. I collapsed against the wall and slid down until I was sitting a few feet away from her.ÿ "I...love you." I said, afraid to look at her. Afraid of rejection.ÿ "Really?" she got up and sat down next to me. "You love me?"ÿ "Yes." I sighed, finally looking at her. She started to cry again, but wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you." she sobbed. I hugged her to me. I stroked her back, tears dripping out of my eyes and soaking into her hair.ÿ "So you'll stay?" I asked.ÿ "Stay? I couldn't have left if I wanted to. I don't know where you put my clothes." she said through the tears. I tried to keep my face straight, but I couldn't help myself and burst out laughing. She joined me and soon we were a laughing, crying heap in the corner of the room. I never wanted it to end.ÿ ÿ *****ÿ ÿ She ended up cuddled in my arms, still sitting in that same corner. It was cold and uncomfortable, but neither of us wanted to move and break the warmth flowing through our embrace. When we both began to shiver despite our shared body warmth, I decided it was time to move.ÿ "What do you say we get up and catch a quick shower, and then eat breakfast?" I asked her.ÿ "Sounds good to me." She hopped up. I followed. ÿ "You get the shower water hot. I need to toss your clothes into the dryer so you have something more to wear than just that ratty old robe."ÿ "What, don't you think I look beautiful?" she said, posing provocatively.ÿ "Well, when you wear it that way..."ÿ "If I wore it like this in public I'd be arrested for indecent exposure." she cut me off and grinned.ÿ "I'd visit you in prison." I said, hugging her against me. We kissed. I held the embrace for a few seconds.ÿ "I love you too." she whispered into my ear, then ran off in the direction of the master bathroom, her hair flying out behind her.ÿ I stood there, stunned. I knew she meant it. I could sense that she did. I almost danced my the way to the basement. Tossing her clothes into the dryer, I ran back upstairs. I could hear the water running as I approached the bathroom, steam billowing out the partially open door. Pushing it open, I was instantly surrounded by clouds of steam. I walked in. Jenny walked out of the shadows, goddess like in her appearance. She was nude, having shed the robe. She had taken the time to straighten out her hair, and her eyes seemed to glimmer in the diffused light. She was breathtaking.ÿ "Your shower awaits." she said seductively. I took her in my arms and kissed her deeply.ÿ "You're beautiful." I said, running my hands down the soft skin of her back. She shivered.ÿ "Brrr, your hands are cold! Let's get in the shower and I'll see if I can warm them up a little." She grinned with a glimmer in her eye that I was coming to recognize as arousal. "I can't wait." I said, returning the grin. She pulled the robe off my shoulders, and we stepped into the shower together. The temperature was perfect. Jenny stepped under the shower nozzle, the water slicking back her hair and cascading over her body. She motioned for me to join her. I slid under the shower nozzle and pulled her tightly against me. The water filled the few gaps between our skins, making each of us feel immersed in each other. We ran our hands over each other, wanting to know every detail of the person we loved. My cock pressed into the soft skin of her belly. She moved back slightly and grasped it.ÿ "You've done so much for me, but I've done nothing for you." she said, running the palm of her hand over the head.ÿ "You've done a lot more than you think."ÿ "Maybe. But show me, I want to make you feel as good as you made me feel."ÿ I nodded. "You're doing pretty well as it is. Just move your hand up and down slowly. The tip is the most sensitive." I moaned as she followed my instructions. "That's great." I could feel the previous night's activities catching up with me, it felt better than I had imagined. My breathing speed up. I grunted as I climaxed. The first jet hit her in the stomach. She gasped and stopped pumping as the second stream covered her hand. The next weaker streams dripped onto the floor of the shower and ran down the drain. I leaned against the wall in exhaustion.ÿ "Wow. I didn't know that much would come out." Jenny said in amazement.ÿ "There usually isn't." I said, still panting. "It's just been building up for a while." She moved closer to me, and I hugged her. "Let me soap you up." I said, grabbing a bar of soap.ÿ "I think I can do that myself." she giggled.ÿ "Not the way I'm going to do it." I grinned at her.ÿ "If it's the same way I'm thinking about I could manage it. But I think I'll enjoy the result more if you do it." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me on the chin, moving toward the center of the shower.ÿ "One of these days you're going to have to show me how you would manage it." I said with a glint in my eye as I pointed the shower head away from us. ÿ "Maybe next time." she said seductively.ÿ "I'll look forward to it." I ran the soap between my hands, spreading the lather over her shoulders and back. I massaged her shoulders, rubbing out the tension of the last few days. My hands slid lower as I traced the gentle curves of her waist until they blossomed out slightly at her hips. Her small firm ass cheeks neatly filled the palms of my hands. She ground her hips back against me, coaxing me onward. I soaped my hands again. Starting again at her shoulders, I let my hands move over her front, cupping her small, half-apple sized breasts. I rolled the erect pink nipple between thumb and forefinger. She moaned, pushing against my hands. She twisted her head back and kissed me, our tongues sliding deeply into each others mouths. Releasing her breasts, I let my hands glide down over her stomach until I reached the thin patch up pubic hair.ÿ "Do you want me to go lower?" I teased.ÿ "Pleeeese." she moaned. I cooperated and delved between her thighs, slipping gently between the swollen lips of her labia. She grunted as I ran a finger over her erect clit, her body arching out to meet my hand. She squealed in pleasure as I pushed first one then two fingers into the tight pink confines of her vaginal walls, stopping only at her virginity. Her hips moved with my hands as I started to pump my fingers in and out of her, her grunts becoming louder as she moved towards orgasm. The wet sounds of my fingers in the pussy and her grunts of pleasure filled the shower stall.ÿ She cried out as she reached her plateau, her body straining rigidly outwards. Her pussy contracted rhythmically around my fingers. A few seconds later she collapsed in my arms, gasping for air.ÿ "That was incredible." she gasped.ÿ "Must have been from what I saw. In fact I'm going to have to catch it on film one of these days." I said innocently.ÿ "Pervert." she laughed.ÿ "Yes, but I'm your pervert." I said, reaching for the shower head and turning back on us. I rinsed both of our bodies while she leaned limply against me. She sighed resignedly and let me rinse the sweat and soap off of her. A few minutes later we stepped out of the shower. We dried each other off, and I tossed the towels in the customary corner of the bathroom to be picked up whenever I got around to doing a load of laundry.ÿ "I see I'm going to have to house train you." she said, eyeing the sizable stack of mildew covered towels. I shrugged and walked out the door and turning into my room and began to get dressed while she stood watching me.ÿ "Where are my clothes? I can't just walk around nude all day." she said impatiently.ÿ "Why not? I prefer my women to be nude and barefoot. Makes them easier to manage." I said, stepping into a pair of jeans. I could almost hear her teeth grinding from across the room. ÿ I guffawed as I turned and saw the expression on her face.ÿ "That's twice I got you." I laughed. I stumbled as I tried to pull up my pants and fell backwards onto the bed, still laughing. ÿ Up until then she had just stood there glowering at me, but when I fell over her face melted into a grin. She walked over and lay down beside me.ÿ "You may be a clumsy sexist pig, but I still love you." She laughed and kissed my cheek. She rested her head on her arm and looked at me. I gazed back, memorizing every detail of her face. My eyes drifted into hers and stopped. We stared at each other, enjoying the closeness and the quiet of the moment. Then my stomach rumbled, breaking the silence.ÿ "I guess we'd better go get something to eat." she said.ÿ "And get your clothes." I reminded her.ÿ "Yes. I have to admit that this is pretty comfortable, but damn cold." She rolled onto her back and stretched. Her back arched, forcing her hips off of the mattress. She relaxed with her hands resting above her head.ÿ "How do I look?" she asked and gave me a sexy look.ÿ "Just wait a second while I roll my tongue back in." She laughed and rolled off the bed, standing above me.ÿ "Let me get my pants up." I stood up and almost fell over again. Jenny giggled. I managed to get my pants on but had some trouble with the zipper. ÿ "Now look at what you did." I complained, pointing to the large bulge in the front of my jeans.ÿ "Poor Alex." she walked over and hugged me, rubbing her body against me.ÿ "You aren't helping any." I said weakly. She giggled again and backed away.ÿ "You're no fun."ÿ "Yeah, yeah, I know. Come on." I headed for the basement and Jenny followed.ÿ ÿ End Chapter Three ÿ Chapter Four ------------ÿ ÿ A few minutes later I was thumbing through a cookbook looking for the pancakes recipe. Jenny was fishing through the fridge searching for eggs.ÿ "You know that the expiration date on your milk was two months ago?"ÿ "Really?" I said. "I don't drink much milk. Does it smell sour?" She grimaced at me. I grinned. "Don't worry, I don't get much of a chance to shop around here, so I buy in bulk. There's a freezer out in the garage that I keep it in until I need it. I took that gallon out a few days ago." I dumped the needed ingredients into a bowl and turned on the mixer. I leaned against the counter.ÿ "Ahh. So when do you go shopping?" She grabbed a carton of eggs from where it had been hiding behind an empty jar of pickles.ÿ "Every couple of months. I eat a lot of canned stuff. Meat and other stuff that goes bad goes in the freezer."ÿ "So how old are these eggs?" she asked as she opened the carton.ÿ "Not to old. A farmer down the road a ways drops off a dozen or so every couple of weeks."ÿ "Nice setup you got here. No wonder you don't see many people. You never get out."ÿ "Just the way I like it. The wonders of mail order. Toss me a couple of those eggs." She did and I cracked them into the mixing bowl. She broke a couple into a frying pan and turned on the burner.ÿ "So, you've been pretty much alone out here for almost ten years. You have no friends. You don't have any family you care for. How can you love me? I'm surprised you know what love is."ÿ "A person knows. At least I know. I've been loved before, just not for a long time." I turned off the mixer and plugged in the waffle iron.ÿ "Your father doesn't love you?" she asked.ÿ "How can he love someone he hasn't seen for more than two days at a time in eighteen years? Besides, I don't love him."ÿ "What about your mother?" she asked gently. My hands gripped the counter edge tightly and it became hard to talk.ÿ "My mother...left...when I was ten. She couldn't take having him around so rarely. She left one night when my father was away. I woke up the next morning and she was...gone."ÿI managed to choke out. I couldn't manage to admit the truth to myself, much less to her. "She just left you there, when you were ten?" she said, horrified.ÿ "It didn't matter much to me. I had been taking care of myself since I was eight, anyway. All she was interested in was her soap operas and talk shows. My Dad found me a couple weeks later, sitting in the living room reading a book." I stopped and sighed, releasing the counter. "It doesn't matter. It's all in the past now."ÿ She turned off the burner and hugged me. "I'm sorry."ÿ "Don't be. It's pain so old it's little more than an ache now."ÿ "It's still there, though."ÿ "Pain like that never goes away entirely. You just learn to live with it." I let her go and turned to the waffle iron. "Let's get this finished, I'm starving."ÿ ÿ We sat down to breakfast a half hour later. It was more of a brunch than anything else, since it was well after 11am. The sun was shining through open curtains on the window beside the table. The sun reflected off Jenny's hair, making it shine as her head moved in rhythm to her bites.ÿ "You know a lot about me Jenny, and I know next to nothing about you." I said in between bites.ÿ "There's nothing much to say. I have a younger sister. My parents are pretty religious, but I never cared much for it. I guess I saw my parents blindly following an old book and a myth and decided it wasn't for me. They're pretty strict. I'm kinda the black sheep of the family, to tell you the truth. I'm always off in a corner doing my own thing, with friends my parents don't approve of because they aren't religious."ÿ "I'm sure they'd be thrilled with me." I said wryly. "My grandparents tried to get me to go to church with a them a few years back. Let's just say that the other church members and I didn't get along to well. I ended up taking a swing at one of them, and that was that."ÿ "If I did something like that, my parents would disown me. With what happened, I wish I had slugged a few." she grinned at me.ÿ "So what did happen?" I asked casually. Her face fell immediately and she set down her fork as if she was no longer hungry. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that, I shouldn't have asked."ÿ "No, no. I think you have a right to know, with all that has happened. I just hope you understand. No one else has. But if anyone can understand, it will have to be you." She leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling as if avoiding my eyes.ÿ "I was staying the night over at a friends house last weekend. We were ready for bed, and we were both wearing long T-shirts and panties to sleep in. We were laying in bed talking and watching the TV she has in her room. Well, we started talking about some boys at school, and we got a little...turned on. She started touching herself, and pretty soon I was too. We ended up taking off our clothes and watching each other. She put a hand on my stomach, and when I didn't stop her, she let it slide down between my legs. It felt really good, and I started touching her too. We were really getting into it when one of her little brothers walked in without knocking. He stared at us for a second, and then turned around and walked out without a word. We panicked for a few minutes, but when her parents didn't come barging in yelling and screaming, we figured it was ok. "Then a few days later rumors about me and her being lesbians started floating around school. We of course denied it, but rumors get around. Then yesterday morning at school my Mom called the school and demanded to talk to me. So they called me up. "When I got on the phone she started screaming at me..." She choked up and couldn't go on, tears were dripping down her face. I got up and hugged her. ÿ "There was nothing wrong with what you did Jenny, no matter what your parents may think. I don't think what you did was wrong. It was perfectly natural. If anyone needs to be yelled at, it should be your parents and the others for making you feel this way."ÿ "You don't think I'm sick, or need help, or anything like that?" she gasped through her tears.ÿ "Just because a lot of people think something is wrong doesn't mean that it is." I told her. "Besides, if you're looking for proof that you aren't a lesbian, remember last night, or this morning."ÿ "Tell that to my parents." she sniffed.ÿ "I doubt it would help. Your parents don't seem to trust you very much, considering they took a rumor like that at face value."ÿ "You wouldn't believe the names she called me. I didn't even think she knew those words." she shivered.ÿ "Hate or fear of someone or something different is a failing of our species, especially in the religious and the uneducated. It brings out the worst in people."ÿ "So what am I going to do?"ÿ "Stay here, I'm not going to throw you out. Wait for your parents to cool down, if they do. I doubt there is a way to get through to them, though. If they care more about you than their religion or moral beliefs, they will accept you as you are. Or at least what they think you are. If not you're better off without them, at least if they continue to be as abusive as your mother has."ÿ "But I can't stay here forever. Your Dad will come back eventually."ÿ "Don't worry about my father. I can deal with him, I have before. We'll work something out. I'm not turning you over to child protective services, especially not in this town. You'd be tossed in a foster home until you're eighteen, and I couldn't bear that." She wrapped her arms around me.ÿ "One more thing I want to know." she looked up at me. ÿ "What's that?"ÿ "How did I get lucky enough to end up with you?"ÿ "I don't know. Not many guys are as intelligent, witty, or as handsome as I am." I joked.ÿ "Oh, and you're not self-absorbed in the least." she giggled, laying her head against my chest. I slowly started to stoke her hair.ÿ "I see you're feeling better." I said. ÿ "A little. Just hold me a while longer."ÿ It was the least I could do.ÿ ÿ End Chapter Four ÿ Chapter Five ------------ÿ ÿ By the time we separated the food was long cold. Neither of us were hungry anymore, so we cleaned up. When I started to dump the dishes into the sink, she stopped me.ÿ "There's a dishwasher there, why don't you use it?" she asked.ÿ "Out of soap. Besides, if we need dishes we can just wash some of the ones over there." I said, waving my hand in the direction of the molding stack of dishes on the counter.ÿ "You are a true bachelor." she said, wrinkling her nose at the smell of rotting food emanating from the dishes.ÿ "You look cute when you wrinkle your nose like that." I said, taking her up in my arms and kissing her.ÿ "No way, you're not getting out of it that easy." she smiled up at me. "But I enjoyed your attempt." I let her go in defeat and began loading the dishwasher.ÿ "From freedom to marriage in less than 24 hours." I groaned dramatically.ÿ "I wish I'd brought my whip." she said thoughtfully. "I guess I can make do with a belt." she grinned at me.ÿ "No thanks, I'm not into bondage. I don't mind water sports though." I grinned back at her.ÿ "Water sports? What are... Oh!" realization dawned on her. "Don't even think about it." she warned. I just snickered.ÿ "Don't worry Jenny. Your naivet‚ is one of your best features."ÿ "Oh, and you aren't naive? You probably read all you know about sex in your Dad's old Penthouse magazines or something."ÿ "No fair peeking under my mattress." I said, scraping what looked like semi-alive fried chicken off of a plate.ÿ "You do have some?" she said in surprise.ÿ "Here and there." In a flash she was headed for the stairs. "Hey, what's under a man's mattress is private!" I yelled and took off after her. Her light frame easily outran mine, despite my leg length advantage. I took the stairs two at a time and arrived just in time to see her pull a magazine out from between the box spring and mattress on my bed. "Little girls shouldn't be looking at that kind of stuff." I said, grabbing for the magazine. She dodged me and jumped onto the bed.ÿ "Just let me see, I haven't seen one before." she said trying to hold it out of my reach. "And I'm not a little girl." she added. I gave up.ÿ "Fine, if you want to rot your mind and end up just like me, go ahead." I plopped down on the bed beside her, the dishes forgotten (thankfully) for the time being.ÿ She flipped through the pages slowly, exclaiming over the size of the women's breasts and the amount of hair between their legs.ÿ "Why do guys like women with huge breasts?" she asked.ÿ "I don't know. I personally like them small and pert. But most guys don't care what they look like, as long as they're as big as possible."ÿ "That's dumb."ÿ I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know many of them, but that's how it seems to be." She continued to flip through the pages until she came across one of the lesbian pictorials.ÿ "Why is her head between the other woman's legs?" she asked curiously. I scooted up the bed and sat down beside her.ÿ "Err...well, it's known by several names. The technical term is 'cunnilingus' I think."ÿ "That doesn't tell me what she's doing." she said pointedly.ÿ "Well, I think it should be obvious what she's doing. She's probably not getting a closer look at it. What does that leave?" I teased. "I'll give you a hint. Slang terms include 'going down on her', 'eating her out' or most common, 'licking her pussy'.ÿ "She's *licking* her?" She continued to stare at the page. I could tell her imagination was kicking in, her nipples erect beneath her light T-shirt. Her breath deepened somewhat, and she leaned against me. I put my arm around her slim waist. I let my hand trail down her flat stomach and rest just above her pussy mound.ÿ "Guys can do it to girls too, you know. I've been thinking about it, but didn't know what your reaction would be."ÿ "You wouldn't mind?" she asked timidly. I tipped her chin up and kissed her. Sliding my hand down further, I pressed my fingers against her pussy through her jeans. She moaned and pushed her hips up against my hand. I unbuttoned her jeans and pulled the zipper down, slipping a hand inside. Her panties were damp, she was definitely excited. She kissed me harder as I slipped a finger inside her panties and felt her erect clit. Wasting no time I tugged her jeans and panties down. She raised her hips off the bed to help me. My hands traced the soft skin of her ass. She broke the kiss to pull the T-shirt over her head, leaving her naked beside me.ÿ "I feel a little under dressed." she said sexily.ÿ "Then why don't you help me remedy that problem?" I replied. She smiled and ran her hand over the bulge in my pants. "I'd be glad to." She got onto her knees, grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it up. I raised my arms and let her pull it over my head. Her warm hand caressed my chest. She kissed me, pressing her nude body against mine, then reached down and undid the button on my pants. The zipper followed. Hunching up, I skimmed my pants and boxers off and tossed them into a corner. Fully skin to skin, we lay back on my bed. We ran out hands over each other for a few minutes, enjoying the warmth and smoothness of each others bodies.ÿ I pushed her gently back until she was lying flat on her back. I moved until I was between her slightly spread legs.ÿ "Spread your legs a little." I instructed. "Wider." She complied. I looked at her and she nodded. ÿ She watched closely as I lowered my head to her pussy. Her smell was intoxicating, causing me to become more aroused, if possible. She was tense, waiting for my first move.ÿ I ran my tongue over the skin of her inner thigh, her musky scent growing stronger as my nose came closer to her slightly spread pussy lips. The salty taste of her sweat filled my mouth, with a slight tinge of something I had never tasted before. I licked slowly upwards. She tensed as I moved closer to her outer lips, then paused briefly at the soft band of skin where her leg met the rest of her body. I spread the glistening lips of her pussy, and slowly licked up the middle of her slit, lingering for a second at her clit.ÿ "Oooohhhhhh!" she moaned, bucking upwards against my tongue. Taking that for a sign that she liked it I did it again, running my tongue around her clit. She sighed in pleasure, her hips beginning to move in slight circles, grinding her pussy into my face. I continued to lick around her clit, dipping into the entrance to her vagina occasionally. I pushed a finger into her, causing her to grunt and push her hips into the air. She approached orgasm quickly, her clit standing prominently from its hood. Then with a wail she came. Her back arched off the bed and her thighs slammed shut trapping my head. I continued to lick, driving her higher. Finally she collapsed onto the bed. Her body glistened with sweat in the afternoon sun streaming through the window. I climbed up the bed and lay next to her. She had her eyes closed and seemed to still be out of it. I wiped the sweat off her brow, and her eyes slowly opened.ÿ "I reeeaally liked that." she purred.ÿ "So did I." I said. I could still smell her juices clinging to my chin. "You have a nice taste. I've always wanted to try that."ÿ "You'll have plenty of chance to try it again, I promise." she smiled sleepily. She moved closer to me and hugged me. I held her close and ran my hands up and down her back, enjoying the feel of her against me. She nestled her head under my chin and closed her eyes. I breathed in deeply, the clean smell of her hair filling my nose.ÿ "We sure seem to end up in this bed a lot, don't we?" she said.ÿ "The lack of morality on our part is stunning." I chuckled.ÿ "Especially on this part." she giggled, running a finger along the length my cock.ÿ "And this part has nothing to do with it?" I asked, stroking her pussy. "Or how about these two?" My other hand ran over a pink nipple.ÿ "Ok, so we're both guilty. What do we do about it?"ÿ "Try to do it in other parts of the house?" I suggested.ÿ "You're hopeless." she laughed.ÿ "Or horny."ÿ "I think it's both."ÿ I pretended to think for a moment. "You're probably right."ÿ "Who cares? We both enjoy it, no one is getting hurt, so who's to say it's wrong?"ÿ "The Pope, my Dad, your parents, my grandparents, most of the community of this state, as well as the most vocal lobbyists in Washington D.C.?"ÿ "I think we're out numbered."ÿ "Very. Sad, isn't it?"ÿ "Yes. But it's not going to stop me."ÿ "Or me." I said and hugged her.ÿ ÿ *****ÿ ÿ "We should get up again." Jenny said a few minutes later.ÿ "Why?" I asked.ÿ "Well, for one thing we need to finish those dishes."ÿ "Why?" I groaned.ÿ "Because if we don't that pile of dishes is going to spawn a new strain of bacteria that will wipe out half the people in Oregon."ÿ "Sounds good to me." I yawned.ÿ "Oh, come on." she said, sitting up. "I'll help you. Then I want to get all the dirty clothes and things and put them in the washer."ÿ "Why?"ÿ "Because I grew up in a clean house and this one is driving me nuts!" she growled in frustration.ÿ "Why didn't you just say so?" I said, climbing out of bed and reaching for my pants.ÿ "Men!" she sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed and putting her face in her hands. I sat down beside her.ÿ "Listen Jenny, this is different for me. I've never had to worry about anyone else. Be patient and put up with my quirks. I'll try to adjust, but I won't put up with someone controlling my life."ÿ "I'm not! I'm just trying to...straighten you out a little."ÿ "Ok, ok. I admit that I'm not the cleanest person in the world. I'll try to change that. Besides, I can't have you go nuts on me. If you did, I'd have a lot more leftovers of my cooking again. I don't think I'd be able to stand it."ÿ She snickered. "I don't want to put you through that torture again."ÿ "Neither do I. Let's get the dishes, and I'll see if I can figure out a way to get some soap for the damn dishwasher." ÿ ÿ We headed downstairs. It took only a few minutes to load the dishwasher. I figured I was low on more than just dishwasher detergent. I had two people to feed now, and my supplies were already somewhat low since my last shopping trip had been a month and a half before.ÿ "How about a shopping trip?" I asked as we loaded the last of the dishes into the washer.ÿ "Great. But how do we get there? Do you have a car? Never mind that, do you even have a license?"ÿ "Who needs a license? I just borrow the neighbor's car every few months to pick some things up. I think I can handle a twenty mile round trip on back roads."ÿ "This car has seat belts, right?" she asked nervously.ÿ "Your confidence in me is reasurring."ÿ "My confidence in you as a person is strong. My confidence in you as a driver is a little limited."ÿ "Don't worry, I rarely top a speed of 120." I grinned.ÿ "I think I'll stay here." she said. "Aw, come on. You can't wear those clothes forever, as much as I like to take them off." She rolled her eyes at me. I went to call Mr. Walker, the farmer a half mile down the road. We weren't the best of friends, but we got along. His wife felt sorry for me and was always dropping off things, a casserole, a pie, things like that. The eggs were partly because of this, although I always paid her. They were willing to loan me the car as long as I didn't wreck it and filled up the tank before returning it.ÿ He said it was fine for me to borrow the car, he and his wife weren't planning to use it until that Sunday for church. I thanked him and told Jenny I'd be back in fifteen minutes with the car. I don't know what they would have thought if I had shown up with her, but I didn't want to find out.ÿ ÿ When I arrived at the Walker's house, I was greeted warmly as usual by the elderly couple. I turned down a piece of pie, saying I had to get into town and get everything I needed before sundown, as I didn't want to have to drive in the dark. I hopped in the clunky old 1970's era Ford sedan and drove back to pick up Jenny. She walked out after I honked, looking unsure in her jeans and jacket. She had pulled her hair back in a ponytail, making her look even younger than she was. She opened the door and climbed in, moving an old candy wrapper from the passenger seat.ÿ "Are you sure this thing will make it there and back?" she said, eyeing the cracked windshield and 8-track stereo.ÿ "Made it before. Of course, we can't go into town. If we're seen together your parents will hear about it within hours, and I think it's a little too soon to let them know where you are."ÿ "So where are we going?"ÿ "It's not much further to Sandfield. I go there when I don't feel like being eyeballed by half the people in town." Jenny nodded and fastened her seat belt, pulling it tight around her waist.ÿ "I'm guessing this car doesn't have airbags?" she asked.ÿ "Only when Mr. Walker gives Mayor Jackson a ride to church." I said, pulling out of the driveway onto the main road. She laughed. "If you think he's bad, you should see Judge Williams."ÿ "I've never seen him. I only saw the Mayor last 4th of July during one of his speeches. My Dad dragged me out for one of his 'I'm guilty for being away so much' father and son outings."ÿ We spent the rest of the thirty minute drive swapping family stories. I had relatively few to tell, but she easily filled in the gap. I was almost in tears by the time we crossed the Sandfield city limits after she told one particular story about how her Grandmother had chewed out the Mayor in the middle of a speech for using the word 'hell' in front of 'the impressionable children'. We slipped into a comfortable silence as we drove down the streets of downtown Sandfield. With over 100,000 people, Sandfield was the largest city or town within a two hundred mile radius. This also meant it was the only place within two hundred miles that you could see one of the big chain retail stores. I pulled into the parking lot of one of the larger shopping centers and quickly found a space to park.ÿ "First up, getting you some new clothes." I said, opening the door.ÿ "Are you sure? What about the money?" she asked worriedly.ÿ "Don't worry. Joint bank account. I balance the checkbook as well. My Dad keeps his credit cards and check book, I take care of the bills when his paycheck arrives. Besides, I haven't used any of my allowance in the last two months. I think I can afford it." She looked uncertain.ÿ "Come on, I don't know of any better way to spend it. If you don't, you'll end up naked, and I'll end up with a matress stuffed with money. Not that I don't mind you naked, but it'd be a little embarrassing for you to go out in public." I grinned.ÿ "Ok." she sighed resignedly, climbing out of the car. I walked over and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. ÿ "Come on, it'll be fun." I said, walking toward one of the clothing stores. "Besides, I need new clothes too. We'll both suffer."ÿ ÿ We spent the next few hours wandering the stores. Jenny picked out a few pairs of jeans, blouses, and skirts. She's the only female I've ever heard of that doesn't like looking through clothes. Of course, it might be one of my misconceptions of the female side of our race. But I doubt it. I went to look for some slacks for myself. (I hate jeans.) She was leaning against one of the displays with her eyes closed, waiting for me outside one of the dressing rooms.ÿ "How are you doing?" I asked, concerned.ÿ "I'm fine." she said, opening her eyes. "I was just thinking about things. People. The future. The past."ÿ "Few people seem to these days. I'm glad you're not one of them. Most people seem content to watch the world pass by and never think about anything."ÿ "I've noticed. People just don't care anymore."ÿ "I don't know if it's so much people not caring anymore. It's more about people not seeing things for what they are. People see a sitcom on television and think that's how life is, or should be. They forget that life is more than some zany plot some writer thought up at two in the morning. Simpler things like 'will I have my job tomorrow' or 'how am I going to pay the next rent check' are foremost on most people's minds."ÿ She sighed. ÿ "We're not like everyone else, are we?" she asked quietly, staring blankly ahead at the lime green wall.ÿ "No, we're not."ÿ "It's lonely."ÿ "It is. Alone in a crowd. Watching people walk past, all with their own friends and family."ÿ "This is depressing."ÿ "Yeah, it is. I've got what I need. Let's go get something to eat."ÿ ÿ Twenty minutes later we were sitting at a small diner in downtown Sandfield. After ordering we relaxed for a moment, the smell of French fries and car exhaust filling our noses. ÿ "Boy am I tired." she said, stretching against the cracked vinyl seat of the booth.ÿ "Well, we've just been running around for the last three hours looking for clothes. We still need to stop for the food supplies. Oh, and your dishwasher soap." I smiled lazily, ignoring her playful kick to my shin.ÿ Our food arrived and we dug hungrily into the greasy fries and greasier hamburgers.ÿ "What's your idea of a perfect woman?" she asked, biting into her burger. I almost choked on a gulp of my soda.ÿ "Where'd that come from?" I started, my eyes watering from carbonation going up my nose from my coke.ÿ "I was just curious, that's all."ÿ "Well..." I said, thinking. "She would be around five feet tall, a slim athletic build, with long dark hair and soft white skin. She would have deep brown eyes that I would loose myself in whenever I looked at her. She'd be intelligent, and think about things few people think about. She wouldn't be afraid to say what she thought about me or anyone else. And when she would smile, there would no one else in the room but her." ÿ I was treated to one of those smiles as she reached out across the table and grabbed my hand. Her small fingers blended with mine.ÿ "How can you bee so sweet?" she asked. I was about to reply when the waitress coughed.ÿ "Are you ready for your bill?" she asked gruffly, glaring at us. Our hands quickly drew back to their proper sides of the table.ÿ "Sure. I'm almost done. How about you?" I asked Jenny.ÿ "I'm full." she said, looking nervously up at the waitress.ÿ The waitress slapped down the check and walked away.ÿ "We need to be more careful." I said, pulling out my checkbook.ÿ "I wish we didn't have to be." she said.ÿ "So do I. Come on, let's go. I want to get back before it gets too dark."ÿ ÿ We drove home in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. We unloaded our purchases and I went to drop off the car. I jogged back to the house. I had never enjoyed being in the woods after dark, even on the road. Too many horror novels I suppose.ÿ I was greeted with a blast of warm air as I walked in. Jenny had already built up the fire. From sounds coming from the kitchen, was now putting away the groceries we had picked up on our way out of Sandfield.ÿ "How's it going?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen.ÿ "About as well as it can be, especially since I don't know where anything goes."ÿ "Nothing goes in any particular place. Shove the non-perishables into the cupboards. I'll work on putting the meat into the freezer." Pulling out one of the ten pound shrink wrapped slabs of hamburger, I went to work spitting it into meal sized chunks. A few minutes later I washed my hands and turned to watch Jenny as she stacked cans of tuna into one of the cupboards. I watched her stretch to reach the top shelf, her T-shirt riding up just enough for me to see an inch or so of her midriff, her jeans pulling tighter against her firm little behind. I crept up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She lowered the can onto the counter and turned to face me. ÿ "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, putting a hand on my chest.ÿ "Kissing you." I said, and pressed my lips against hers. We kissed hotly for a few seconds then broke for air.ÿ "You've been in the candy bars we bought." she said, eyes twinkling.ÿ "Uh oh, she's caught me with my hand in the cookie jar again."ÿ "I'm not complaining, I just want another taste."ÿ "Oh certainly, madam. Only the finest for you." I kissed her again. ÿ "We'd better stop before we end up rolling around on the floor of the kitchen. I don't recommend it, I haven't swept in several years. Let's get this done. Then we can sit in front of the fire and...enjoy ourselves."ÿ "Just make sure you eat more candy before then." she smiled impishly at me.ÿ ÿ *****ÿ ÿ The fire licked at the logs as Jenny and I cuddled on the couch, enjoying the warmth. She relaxed against me while I traced the length of her arm idly, feeling the fine hairs brush against my fingertips.ÿ "I don't think I've ever felt this relaxed around someone." Jenny said, bringing her arms up and wrapping them around mine.ÿ "I've never been around anyone long enough to find out what it's like to be comfortable around someone." I chuckled. We slipped into silence for a few moments.ÿ "I feel like some hot chocolate, how about you?" I asked.ÿ "Sounds good to me."ÿ ÿ I walked from the kitchen a few minutes later to find her standing in front of the big bay window. The snow covered the trees in a coat of snow, causing their branches to droop towards the ground. It was a cold night, no clouds in sight with a partial moon shining brightly.ÿ "Beautiful how the moonlight reflects off the snow like that, isn't it?" Jenny said absently as I walked up behind her. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I handed her a mug. She wrapped her fingers around the warm ceramic. I sat mine on the sill and hugged her against me. Kissing her on the top her head, I breathed deep the musky scent of her hair. I watched her in the reflection of the firelight off the plate glass window. She had a look in her eyes, far off and haunted. "What are you thinking about?" I asked her softly.ÿ "Us. How long this will last. I know I'll have to talk to them eventually. I just don't want this to end, and it scares me."ÿ "Everyone has something to fear. Yours is just a little more real than most."ÿ "Why is mine more real than someone else's? Do I deserve this? Not being able to go home, having to be afraid of my parents for what they might do or say." A spark of anger and defiance flared into her eyes, then was dampened again by fear.ÿ "I don't know. Sometimes I wish I believed in god, so that I could deal off things that happen as 'gods will'. But I don't. So I don't have the answers, as much as I wish I did."ÿ She sighed heavily and turned away from the window. I turned her towards me. I knelt so I could look into her eyes without her looking up at me. "Jenny, I have come to know you as well as a person can know another in two short days. You are more than just a pretty face, as pretty as your face may be." I took a deep breath and went on. "I've come to appreciate you for your intelligence and insight into things I never knew anyone besides myself ever thought about. I've never met anyone like you, and I love you very, very much." I kissed her gently on the lips, and she hugged me.ÿ "Thank you." she whispered. I felt a tear jump from her face to my neck, running down and soaking into the cotton of my shirt. ÿ I held her until she drooped limply in my arms. I picked her up and lay her on the couch. She whimpered as I lay down next to her, then rolled over and snuggled herself up against me. Reaching down, I grabbed the worn quilt draped over the couch arm. Her hair fluttered in the gust of air, the ends flipping up to tickle me on the nose as I drew it over us. Her warmth soaked through my clothing, washing over me. As I slipped slowly into sleep, I wondered how I was ever going to handle sleeping alone again.ÿ ÿ End Chapter Five ÿ Chapter Six -----------ÿ ÿ The next morning I woke up to the sound of a door slamming. I figured Jenny had gotten up early, and groggily sank back into the couch, figuring on getting a few more minutes sleep. Then a few things registered in my mind. One, the fire was out. Two, there was a warm and very cuddly something laying next to me, and I didn't have a dog.ÿ "What the hell is going on here!" a voice screamed.ÿ ÿ I recognized that voice.ÿ "Dad!" I said in shock and fairly leapt from the couch, turning to where he stood in the doorway of the kitchen. His face was glowing bright red, and I swore that I could see wisps of smoke coming out his ears.ÿ "I leave for a few days, and I come home to find you, on the couch, with a girl! Is this what you do every time I'm gone? Answer me!"ÿ "Dad, I..."ÿ "Shut up! I want this whore out of this house RIGHT NOW!" He roared.ÿ A cool wash of rage filled me. My hands trembled with the intensity, balling into tight fists. Years of anger and frustration flooded me, building up behind that wall of rage. Jenny was still lying on the couch, looking too afraid to move, much less speak. My father waited for me to make a move. When I didn't, he took a step toward Jenny as if to throw her out himself. I stepped in front of him.ÿ "Don't you dare touch her." I said icily.ÿ "If you're not going to throw this bitch out, I will!" He pushed me out of the way and went for Jenny again. ÿ The wall snapped. ÿ The anger and frustration vented through my fists, as I launched a punch into my father's face. He stumbled backwards and took a feeble swing at me. I ducked it, but his fist skimmed the side of my face. I landed a punch in his stomach, causing him to double up and fall against the wall. He slid into a sitting position, a dazed look in his eyes and blood trickling from his nose. I stood over him panting, fists still clenched at my sides. Jenny stood behind us, looking from my Father to me, eyes wide, wondering what would happen next.ÿ "Jenny, go grab a washcloth from the kitchen, and soak it in cold water." I panted, trying to keep my voice from wavering. She nodded ran for the kitchen. I knelt in front of where my Dad lay, dripping blood on the floor.ÿ "Are you ok?" I asked, regaining my composure. He nodded, looking at me warily.ÿ "Good, because if I ever hear you so much as say a bad word about her, I will do it again, only next time you won't be conscious. If you ever hurt her in any way, I will kill you in the most painful way I know how." I said emotionlessly, my eyes rock hard. Jenny walked back in. I took the washcloth from her and tossed it to him. "Clean yourself up. Jenny and I are going upstairs. I'll come back down in a few hours, when we've both had time to cool off." He didn't respond. "Let's go." I told Jenny, and wrapped an arm around her.ÿ ÿ Once we were in my room with the door securely locked, I slumped against a wall and closed my eyes. My fists ached as if I had just punched them through a plate glass window. ÿ "Are you ok?" she asked.ÿ "Yeah, I'm fine." I said, shaking all over as the adrenaline wore off. "You don't look like it." She stepped toward me and ran her hands over my face, stopping at my left cheek. "I don't think you felt it, but he managed to hit you once before he fell." She stood on her toes and kissed the developing bruise lightly. "All better?" she asked. I chuckled and hugged her against me. I couldn't tell who was shaking more, her or me.ÿ "I'm sorry that that happened. I didn't expect him home so soon. He didn't catch us in the best position, either."ÿ "No, he didn't." she paused. "I should thank you, really. He might have hurt me, even if only by accident."ÿ "Blind rage can come in handy sometimes."ÿ "Hmmm. Why am I so tired? I just barely got up."ÿ I glanced at the clock on the dresser. "Well, it is only six thirty in the morning."ÿ "That could be it. We seem to have gotten into the habit of sleeping in until ten or eleven."ÿ "Well, let's get a few more hours sleep. He's probably down there in his den getting drunk as we speak. He'll be passed out within an hour. He'll sleep longer than we will."ÿ She agreed, and we quickly stripped off our clothes and tumbled into bed.ÿ End Chapter Five ÿ Chapter Six -----------ÿ ÿ I opened my eyes slowly, feeling warm breath blowing over my face, rustling my hair. Jenny was lying a few inches away, smiling as I opened my eyes. She didn't say anything, but smiled as my eyes focused on hers.ÿ She lifted a hand and stroked my cheek. It drifted slowly down to my neck, across my shoulder and down my side, her gentle touch sending sparks across my skin. Stopping at my thigh she reversed direction and traced the lines of my back. She continued to stare into my eyes, her slight smile staying on her lips, then stopped.ÿ Taking her cue, I touched her cheek and traced along her lithe body. From there on, it was a free for all. We each caressed other, our breathing becoming deeper, the flush of arousal rising on our cheeks. Neither of us had made a move for the more erotic zones, building the sexual tension growing slowly, agonizingly. Her lips parted, small pants of pleasure whispering through them, her eyes wide and dusky with lust and pleasure. Able to take it no more, our will broke and we grabbed each other desperately, locking our arms around the other person and searching out each others lips, tongues entwining as we each hunted our pleasure. I dared the first intimate touch. Her body tensed as I stroked a breast, arcing against me, pressing the soft flesh harder into my palm. She moaned loudly into my mouth.ÿ She reciprocated, reaching for me, grasping me, rubbing it against her soft belly. She rolled on top of me, her slight weight pushing me deeper into the soft confines of the mattress. We both gasped as I felt my cock slide against her wet pussy lips. She adjusted herself so the thickness of my erection fit neatly between her pussy lips, then began to rub against me, her clit rubbing the length of my cock as she moved her hips rapidly against mine. Her juices were coating my stomach and hips as well as my cock. She was more aroused than I had ever seen her.ÿ She look down at me, lust filled eyes communicating what she wanted to do. I nodded. Sliding once more over my cock, she brought it it to her entrance. Continueing to look into my eyes, she pushed back with her hips. She strained against me, her pussy lips stretching to allow me entrance. A warm ring snapped around my cock, and I felt the head of my cock push into her channel. A look of discomfort crossed her eyes, soon to be overwhelmed by one of pleasure and surprise. We rested as well as we could for a moment, her body suspended over mine, her hands pressing my shoulders into the pillow. After a moment she let herself sink slightly, the look of slight pain crossing her face. I reached up and stroked her face, eyes questioning if she was sure she wanted to go further, to risk the certain pain of further entry. Her face became determined. She was going to go through with it, no matter how much it hurt. My heart ached, knowing what pain I was going to cause her. The pain I was causing her now, even if she did want it. She pushed me deeper inside her, a fine sheen of sweat covering her body and wetting her brow. Finally we came against the thin wall of her hymen. Taking a deep breath, she pushed back hard with her hips. A cry of pain escaped her lips as the thin membrane parted with a tearing sensation. A look of intense pain flashed across her face, and then of relief as I slowly sank all the way into her.ÿ Jenny collapsed on top of me, arms laying limp at her side. I hugged her against me and gently stroked her back and buttocks as her body slowly accepted part of me being inside of it. I could feel her heart beating hard against my chest.ÿ "How do you feel?" I asked, the first words spoken since I had awoken nearly forty five minutes earlier.ÿ "Very...strange." she said breathlessly. "It's starting to feel better, though." As if to illustrate, she moved her hips in a slow circle, a low moan escaping her lips.ÿ Curiously, I had not felt the urge to come during my first penetration. Now the nerves in my cock seemed to come alive with the intense feeling of being inside this girl that I loved so dearly. The feeling only increased as she raised her hips a fraction of an inch and then settled down. I resisted the urge to grab her hips and jackhammer her up and down on my cock.ÿ She slowly built momentum, and five minutes later she was sliding a full three inches up and down my cock, groaning in pleasure as every deep penetration caused the tip of my cock to brush her cervix. I looked down to where my body intersected hers, watching in fascination as I disappeared and reappeared from her depths with a slight squelching sound. Jenny's breathing was becoming ragged; I could tell she was close. I was still a ways off, but her tightness was quickly bringing me closer. Her moans increased in volume and pitch. I shifted slightly so that the entry angle caused me to rub harder against the roof of her canal, hitting her g-spot. Her moans turned to loud gasps as she reached the mountain top, then crashed down the other side. Her pussy contracted in spasms around me, she cried out, pushing her hips hard against mine, grinding her clit between our pubic bones. She stayed that way for a good twenty seconds, and then to my amazement, continued to thrust wildly against me, reaching for another orgasm. ÿ I was getting close. I increased the pace, thrusting up to meet her down strokes, each of us grunting as our bodies slapped loudly together. Climax approached quickly for both of us, our moans becoming loud animalistic grunts, then cries. I felt the come rising from my balls. I looked up at her face, scrunched up in pleasure and concentration as the brink washed over us.ÿ With a cry I spurted deep inside her, my come spraying on the walls of her vagina. Jenny felt it as the first wave hit her, driving her second orgasm higher. She shrieked and went rigid, muscles straining on her thighs and stomach, the intense pleasure rocking her mind and mine. She slowly relaxed as the waves slowly faded in intensity, finally laying limply on top of my equally limp form. I hugged her against me, feeling the squeezing aftershocks of her orgasm around my cock as it slowly softened inside her, held in place by the tightness of her walls. I felt a tear drip onto my chest, then a muffled sniffle.ÿ "How are you doing?" I asked, stroking her sweat dampened hair.ÿ "So...intense." she whispered.ÿ "You liked it?" I grinned.ÿ "What do you think?" she said, sounding amused, even through her tears. Shifting upward, she kissed me and settled back, nestling her head under my chin.ÿ "You tired me out." I said.ÿ "How? I did most of the work!"ÿ "Well, not toward the end."ÿ She smiled. "Well, it was...an effort by both of us. I just happened to do a little more than you did."ÿ "Either way, I'm exhausted." I conceded and glanced at the clock. "By now my Dad will be nursing a hangover and wondering where we are."ÿ "Then we'd better get up."ÿ "You first. You're the one on top."ÿ She groaned and separated from me, tumbling limply onto the bed.ÿ "I think I'm still a little trembly." she giggled.ÿ "Better than me. I can hardly move." I glanced at her, then looked down at myself. "One thing is for sure, we both need a shower. We reek of sex, and I think you'd ruin anything you wear, at least on your lower half."ÿ She glanced down at herself, and the milky liquid of our lovemaking oozing from her pussy lips. "That's mostly your fault, not mine." she pointed out.ÿ "Guilty." I confessed. I groaned as I got up and stumbled heavily across the room to where my robe hung on the wall. I pulled it on as Jenny stretched and climbed slowly out of bed, walking slightly bowlegged.ÿ "Sore?" I observed.ÿ "A little." she admitted. I grabbed my father's borrowed robe and wrapped it around her. She squealed as I picked her up. "What are you doing?" she demanded.ÿ "Taking you to the shower."ÿ "That's sweet, but I can walk."ÿ "Ahh, but it's so much more fun to carry you." I answered as I managed to open the door, despite having to fumble with the lock. The tub in the bathroom thankfully doubled as a shower. I didn't really want to risk running into my Dad if he had decided to use his room to pass out in.ÿ Jenny took off the robe and waited patiently as I got the hot water running, then climbed in with me. We playfully cleaned each other, washing the grime from the morning's activities. By the time we left the bathroom Jenny could walk somewhat normally. We dressed when we got back to my room, her putting on a light cotton blouse and a knee length skirt that she had bought the day before.ÿ "No panties?" I commented.ÿ "You try wearing them when you're sore down there."ÿ "Thanks, but cross dressing ranks up there with bondage in the list of things I don't want to try."ÿ "You know what I meant!" she laughed.ÿ "I did?" I said innocently.ÿ "Yes, I you did." she walked over and hugged me tightly.ÿ "Ready to go and see if my Dad is any more cooperative?"ÿ She nodded, giving me one last squeeze before letting go. "Let's go." she said quietly.ÿ ÿ We didn't say anything as we walked out of my room and down the stairs. The smell of coffee reached my nose. My father was sitting at the kitchen table, a newspaper spread out in front of him. He looked up as we walked in eyes flicking from me to Jenny, and back again. His eyes were slightly bloodshot. He was definitely nursing a hangover. ÿ "Morning." he said, wincing at the volume of his own voice.ÿ "Morning." I answered, not sure what to say. Jenny stood slightly behind me and didn't say anything.ÿ "There's coffee in the pot if you like." he said uneasily. I nodded, and walked toward the counter. I pulled a mug from the cupboard and poured a cup for myself. I didn't usually drink coffee, but I did so in the interests of diplomacy. Jenny took a mug and went about making herself a hot chocolate. A few minutes later we were all sitting uncomfortably at the table. Unable to keep up the tense silence, my Dad spoke first.ÿ "I'm not sure what's going on here, but I do know I over reacted this morning. I said some things I shouldn't have. Especially to you." he said, looking at Jenny. She continued to stare down at her mug.ÿ "I shouldn't have hit you like I did. You made a move towards her that I could have dealt with a bit better." I admitted. "I care a lot for Jenny. You weren't the only one who over reacted this morning." I looked up at him. "But I meant every word I said."ÿ He nodded thoughtfully. "I can tell you care for her. I have the bruises to prove it." He grinned wryly. "You're not the little kid I left here all those years ago, are you?"ÿ "No, I'm not."ÿ "Fine. I'll abide by what you said. And you, Jenny; you're welcome to stay as long as you need to."ÿ "Thank you." she replied softly. My Father smiled briefly at her and stood up, the chair legs scraping against the linoleum floor.ÿ "I need to get some work done, so if you'll excuse me." He walked to the kitchen door and paused. "Alex, can I see you for a minute in the den?"ÿ I nodded and got up. Jenny looked at me questioningly. I gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, and followed my Dad into the den. A half empty bottle of scotch sat on the heavy oak desk. He sat down in his chair and poured himself a glass, and leaning back in the chair, looked at me.ÿ "Her first name is Jenny, I've figured that out. What's her last name? How do you know her? Why is she here?" He shot off the questions in rapid succession. I took a moment to think my answers through. He waited patiently, nursing the glass of scotch. He was always patient -- when it suited his needs.ÿ "Her last name isn't important. I met her on the bus to school, and she's here because she has no place else to go."ÿ "What about her parents?"ÿ "Her parents...aren't to fond of her at the moment."ÿ "Why?"ÿ "Why doesn't matter. She's here."ÿ "It matters to me. A runaway? She steal something from her parents?" He paused then said, almost fearfully, "Or is she pregnant?"ÿ I stared at him in shock. My teeth grated. I was having a hard time trying to keep from hitting him again. "Pregnant? Dad, what do you think..."ÿ "I don't think, I know." he broke in. "It was a little hard not to know, considering the sounds that were coming from your bedroom just an hour or so ago."ÿ "What, were you spying on us?" I said angerly.ÿ "Spying? Only if you consider not having earplugs in spying. I could hear you all the way down here, with the door closed!"ÿ I glowered at the floor, my toe digging at a knot in the rough wood of the floorboards. "It's none of your business what goes on between us." I said stubbornly.ÿ "Alex, do you know you could go to jail for what you two are doing? Just looking at her I can tell she's no where near the legal age of consent!"ÿ "Yes, I know. I think it's idiotic that two people that care for each other can't be together, whatever their age. But she's not going to tell anyone." I looked up sharply at him. "Are you?"ÿ "You haven't answered my question yet. Is she pregnant?"ÿ "No." I sighed. "This morning was the first..." I trailed off. "Well, that's none of your business either."ÿ "Then why is she here?"ÿ "I still say that's no concern of yours. I'd be betraying her trust if I told you. And frankly, I don't think you'd understand. But she didn't steal anything, and she isn't a runaway, she was pretty much kicked out. For the time being at least. I couldn't just leave her to live on the streets. We've only really gotten to know each other in the last couple of days." I took a deep breath. "I love her, Dad. She feels the same way. Otherwise, what happened this morning never would have happened."ÿ "How do you know you love her? As far as I know, you've never even gone out on a date with another girl. You sure don't have the base of experience you need to be able to know."ÿ 'I would have had some part of that base if you had actually been home more than you were. Or at least showed that you gave a damn every once in a while.' I thought bitterly to myself, but didn't voice my thoughts. I turned toward the wall, staring, thinking. Thoughts blurred in my head. My eyes focused on a picture hanging on the wall. It was an old picture of my family, before it fell apart so many years before. It had been taken during one of the few times when my father was home and my mother was in a good enough mood to move from the couch. We had gone fishing on one of the local lakes, and a blurry memory came into focus. Memories of happiness rolled across the surface of my mind, then faded as it quivered and sank below the surface again. 'So brief a moment.' I thought.ÿ I turned toward him again, where he had again been patiently waiting.ÿ "There have been few times in my life where I have been truly happy. One or two of them even involved you, or Mother. I loved you once, and I loved Mom. Despite the fact that you were home no more then three or four weeks a year, despite Mom seeing me as no more than a person to change the channel on the TV for her when the batteries in the remote went dead. I've found over the last few years that I don't love either of you anymore.ÿ "I can't remember a time in my life when I was more happy than I've been these last few days with Jenny. When I look into her eyes, I see someone who loves me, for who I am. Not for what I look like, or who I seem to be. For who I am. "When I look at you, when I look into your eyes, I see nothing more than a flicker, a flicker of what once was. Something that I don't think can never be again." I turned and walked toward the door. He didn't stop me.ÿ As I slid the door closed, I felt the emotional chasm between us widen. The door thumped against the doorjamb, the signaling of a final parting between two people. A parting long overdue.ÿ ÿ End Chapter Six Chapter Seven -------------ÿ ÿ I walked slowly back to the kitchen where Jenny was still sitting, staring out the small window above the kitchen sink. It was lightly snowing, the flakes falling from gray overcast skies. 'Peaceful outside, tormented within.' I thought to myself. Jenny looked at me as I plopped tiredly into the chair next to her. "What did you talk about?" she asked.ÿ "Me. You. He asked why you couldn't go home." I took a deep breath. "He asked me if you were pregnant. He knows about us, Jenny. Seems we were louder than we had thought this morning." She looked panicked. "Don't worry. I don't think he's going to tell anyone." I reassured her. "At least I hope not. It depends on how he deals with the last few words I said."ÿ "You told him how you felt about him? What happened after that?" she asked, wide eyed. "He didn't say anything. He just sat there, looking stunned."ÿ "I'm sorry I caused all these problems for you." she said sadly, swirling the lukewarm hot chocolate around the mug, watching the milky froth swirl around the rim.ÿ "It wasn't you. All this has been a long time building up. I'm a little relieved that it's over."ÿ "What's this 'pregnant' business?" she asked.ÿ I snorted. "It was the only way he could figure out why I would let you stay here. I told you he doesn't know me very well."ÿ "Obviously not. He doesn't know how sweet you are."ÿ "Yeah, well I don't let it get out much. Might ruin my reputation." I grinned weakly.ÿ Jenny got up and slid onto my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. She kissed me softly on the lips. "Wouldn't want that to happen. Some other pretty girl might come along and steal you from me."ÿ I hugged her and kissed her back. "To late for anyone else, my heart is already snagged by a dark haired girl who's just a little too smart for her own good."ÿ She smiled and lay her head on my shoulder, her warm breath tickling the fine hairs on my neck. I heard the door to the den slide open. Jenny looked up at me with a questioning look. I held finger to my lips. She relaxed, eyes falling to half mast, then closed. Footsteps paused outside the door. I felt my father's gaze roll over us. I thought I heard a faint sigh, and then the sound of heavy feet on the creaky stairs. A few seconds later I heard the door to his bedroom close.ÿ "I think that's a good sign." I said. Jenny didn't answer, but tightened her grip on me. I felt as if I was a balloon, held by a thin string tied around a little girl's wrist. The wind was rising, and god help me if that string broke, or worse, if she let go. The last thread to my family had been broken. No matter how much she needed me, I needed her more; if anything, just to keep my sanity.ÿ *****ÿ ÿ The next few days were awkward between Jenny, my Father, and myself. He said little to either of us but was always very polite, especially to Jenny. He left two days after the initial confrontation, off on another business trip. Or so he said. I thought it was more likely that he couldn't take the tension anymore, and decided to move on to greener pastures. I figured it was just as well. ÿ We returned to school the next day. We were afraid that if we stayed out any longer that the principal would start asking uncomfortable questions. I wrote Jenny a note excusing her absences, forging her father's signature. I didn't have to worry about myself. Most of the staff knew about my living arrangements and also partly because I was considered rather strange, I was left alone on the few occasions I was absent. I nurtured this freedom and tried to avoid skipping school, just in case someday I had a reason to stay home without being sick. I was sure I wouldn't be questioned. ÿ Jenny and I boarded the bus together, much to the amazement of Jenny's little sister. Her eyes went wide as saucers as she saw me climb the steps into the school bus, followed closely by Jenny. Jenny sat down beside her sister Amanda, who immediately began talking a mile a minute. I took my usual spot and stared out the window, trying to ignore the few whispers spreading through the moist, overheated interior of the bus. A few minutes later Jenny left her sister's seat and moved over to mine, bringing a fresh round of whispers.ÿ She had a blank look on her face, obviously trying to keep her emotions in check. She turned and whispered in my ear.ÿ "She said that my parents didn't seem to care that I was gone. When she asked them where I was, they ignored her. She said they act as if I never even existed."ÿ I glanced up at her little sister, who was staring at me, eyes still wide. Figuring that I had best be on good terms with Jenny's little sister, I smiled and winked at her. I got the expected reaction as she blushed and turned away from me. ÿ "Well, at least they didn't call the police and report you missing. If they had, it wouldn't be long before they got around to picking you and most likely me up after the word gets around that we're back in school. How much did you tell her?"ÿ "Just that I was staying with a friend."ÿ "Do you think she's guessed who that 'friend' is yet?"ÿ "She's not dumb, of course she's guessed. She won't tell my parents though, even if they would listen. I have a little dirt on her. She'd rather keep quiet and let me be the only one in trouble."ÿ I chuckled. "Then everything is fine for right now?"ÿ "I guess so." She grimaced. "But I'm not sure about the future." ÿ "We'll worry about the future when it gets closer." She agreed, and we sat back for the rest of the bus ride.ÿ Our school was a combination of the seventh through twelfth grades, the population of our small town not warranting a junior high. The school was named after the town founder, Jesse P. Clark. No one ever called it that, though. Most just referred to it simply as 'the high school'. It housed no more than five hundred or so students. Having been built back in the 1930's it was, although clean, seemed to be perpetually too hot or too cold, depending of course on the weather at the time. There was no air conditioning and in the spring and summer months it was stifling. In the winter it occasionally got cold enough to see your breath. Sports were nearly nonexistent. Academics were almost as bad as the sports. Most of the children were of the offspring of fifth generation loggers and would most likely follow in the footsteps of their mothers and fathers, marrying out of high school and having the children that would make up the seventh generation of loggers and their wives.ÿ ÿ We walked into the old building together, drawing a few curious looks. 'More fodder for the school rumors.' I thought to myself. Jenny followed me to my locker, then I followed her to hers. Before we parted to go to our different homerooms, I glanced around quickly to make sure the coast was clear, and gave her a quick peck on the lips. We smiled at each other, communicating our desire for more than just a quick kiss, but we both knew that under the circumstances it was impossible.ÿ "See you at lunch?" I asked.ÿ "Of course." she said cheerily. It seemed forced. I gave her one final hug and we jogged off for homeroom, both of us looking wistfully over our shoulders until the other could no longer be seen.ÿ ÿ That day of school was hell for both of us. The first hour was the longest amount of time we had been apart since Thursday of the previous week. My mind wandered constantly to her and how she was handling the rumors. I was in all the 'gifted' classes, but gifted in this school just meant you could read better than average, and the average was pretty bad. The teachers didn't notice how distracted I was. I usually just stared out the window, so that wasn't too surprising. They pretty much left me alone, as they had learned was prudent over time. I was famous among the teachers; I was adept at making them look stupid. As if it was that difficult to do. The most recent science books in the building were from 1976. The history books were even worse; they had been published five years before the Vietnam war. Most of the teachers hadn't bothered to keep up on current events, either. Faces tended to turn red when I started discussing the climate of Venus, or the composition of a neutron star. Forget Darwin and the theory of evolution. Creationism ruled supreme. 'If you believe that anyone but god almighty created this universe, you may as well get outta my classroom right now, boy.' as one "science teacher" had told me once. Genetics was referred to as "Those ungodly experiments" and sex ed was blasphemy reserved for the "big city" schools. Consequently, I found that it was easier to stare out the window and do nothing. That suited the teachers just fine. We had an unwritten understanding. I gave them no trouble and they gave me an A, whether or not I turned in any work or not.ÿ(Years later I would list myself amoung the "home schooled". In effect I was, despite spending six hours a day in classrooms for most of my childhood.) ÿ When lunch period finally rolled around I grabbed my sack lunch from my locker and headed for the cafeteria. I found Jenny sitting at a table near the rear of the room, some distance from the main mass of kids. Sitting beside her was another eighth grade girl. They were talking quietly between themselves, but stopped as I pulled out a chair next to Jenny and sat down, resisting the urge to kiss her. I could tell that she was resisting the same urge. If I hadn't it would have caused quite a stir among the student population and even more of a stir among the teachers in charge of supervising lunch that day. I said hello to Jenny, and she introduced me to the other girl, Kallie. Kallie was of medium build, with white-blonde hair cut to shoulder length. She was pretty, and would have been beautiful if it wasn't for her sharp, slightly oversized nose and the cool, calculating look in her green eyes. She was a sharp contrast to Jenny, with her dark walnut colored, nearly waist length hair and eyes of equal color. Where Jenny was somewhat short, slim and athletic, best described as petite, Kallie was tall, almost six foot, with slightly overdeveloped breasts and wide hips. Jenny was dressed in a pleated navy blue skirt that fell just short of her knees and a forest green blouse. Kallie was dressed in worn jeans and a flannel shirt, giving her a tomboyish look. "Nice to meet you, Kallie." I said politely.ÿ "So you're the guy Jenny's been sleeping with the last few days, eh?" she said bluntly. Jenny and I both blushed in embarrasment.ÿ "I'm guessing you told her most, if not all about us?" I stammered to Jenny.ÿ She nodded. "I trust her. She was the other person involved in the...incident that brought up the rumors that started all of this."ÿ I nodded. "If you can trust her, I can trust her." I turned to Kallie. "So how did your parents deal with the rumor?"ÿ "They haven't heard it yet. They're to busy with keeping my four younger brothers in line."ÿ I whistled. "No wonder you two got walked in on." Now it was her turn to blush.ÿ "It's hard to have any privacy when you're the oldest of five kids."ÿ "I've never had a problem with privacy."ÿ "I'll bet. That house all to yourself. You don't know how lucky you are."ÿKallie said, looking at me jealously. "I see Jenny has told you quite a bit about me. Nothing to embarrassing I hope."ÿ "Yup. I haven't been able to get a description of what you look like naked, but now that I've seen you I can make a pretty good guess." she said, looking me up and down appraisingly. "You're very straight forward, aren't you?" I said, face flaming red again.ÿ "You have to be to live in a three bedroom house with six other people." she retorted. "Otherwise you'd never get anything done."ÿ "Ahh." I nodded understandingly and turned to Jenny. "So how's the day been so far?"ÿ "I missed you." she said, smiling longingly at me.ÿ "I missed you too." I reached out and held her hand, running my thumb over the skin on the back of her hand. ÿ "Sheesh, cool off you two before I hafta go get a bucket of ice water." Kallie grinned. We just looked defiantly at her, and continued to hold hands under the table.ÿ "So when you going to go home?" Kallie asked Jenny curiously.ÿ "I don't know. Alex says I can stay as long as I need too, and his Dad agrees." She grimaced. "My parent's aren't exactly thrilled with me, and once the word gets around that I've been staying with a guy who's five years older than I am, it won't get any better."ÿ Kallie turned to look at me speculatively. "You're *five years* older than she is? That would make you eighteen! You don't look a day over sixteen to me."ÿ "Want to see my ID?" I challenged.ÿ "Maybe later. I love the deer in the headlights look people get when they have their pictures taken for that kinda thing. Speaking of deer, what're you going to do when her Dad finds out and starts after you with a shotgun?" "I can handle myself." I said defensively. "If I were you, I'd worry more about your parents finding out your part in these lesbian rumors." ÿ "It wouldn't matter much to my parents one way or another. I would be more worried if I were you. If anyone in this town found out an eighteen year old guy was screwing a thirteen year old girl, you'd be lucky to make it to the county limits without having a few shotgun pellets stinging your hide."ÿ "Can you say it any louder? I don't think cooks in the kitchen heard you." I said sarcastically. I knew I should have been controlling myself better. After all, she was only afraid of losing what was most likely her best and possibly only friend to me. No wonder she was a little hostile. 'Any more hostile and she'd be pulling a gun on me.' I grumbled to myself.ÿ "Just settle down you two." Jenny cut in, glaring at both of us. "Now both of you are important to me. I'd rather have you two friends than enemies."ÿ Kallie and I looked guiltily at each other. "Truce?" Kallie asked.ÿ "Truce. Now we'd better eat before lunch period runs out. I'm starving."ÿ "Doesn't look like it to..." Kallie's voice died off as she was nailed by a glare from Jenny. She dropped her eyes to her sandwich. We ate the rest of the meal in silence. When the bell rang, Kallie ran off for fourth period. Jenny and I lagged behind, waiting for the cafeteria to clear out enough for us to be alone.ÿ "Sorry about Kallie. She's pretty...standoffish to other people."ÿ "I can understand that. But she sure knows how to get under your skin, doesn't she?"ÿ "You should see her when she's at home."ÿ "I don't think I want to." I grinned, slipping an arm around her as the last of the students hurried out of the room. The cooks had already slid down the stainless steel doors that separated the kitchen from the cafeteria. "We'd better get going. A kiss before we go?"ÿ "Always." She kissed me gently on the lips. We parted slowly. I waved to her as she jogged off. I went in the opposite direction to suffer through history.ÿ ÿ *****ÿ ÿ I met Jenny out in front of the building when school let out. Kallie had already boarded her bus. As usual, our bus was five minutes late.ÿ "How was your day?" I asked.ÿ "Boring. One of these days Mr. Greene is going to figure out that the demonstration of what happens when you mix vinegar and baking soda gets a little old after you've seen it twenty or thirty times."ÿ I groaned in sympathy in remembrance of eighth grade chemistry as our bus finally pulled up. The semi-frozen children slowly climbed aboard the rickety bus. The heater seemed to be on the fritz again, so Jenny cuddled up against me for warmth. I didn't dare put my arm around her. We were drawing enough stares as it was.ÿ ÿ It was nearly dark when we arrived home. I started the customary fire, and went into the kitchen. Jenny took off her jacket and stood in front of the fire for a moment, thawing out.ÿ "Sit down for a while, do whatever homework you need to, or just relax. I'm fixing dinner tonight." I called.ÿ "Let me help. I'll just feel useless out here if I don't."ÿ I heard her walking towards the kitchen. I quickly dropped what I was doing and blocked her entry into the kitchen. "It's a surprise." I told her. "Don't ruin it. Let me do this, eh?"ÿ "Okay." she said suspiciously. "But I'm going to find out in a little while, right?"ÿ "Of course. It wouldn't be any fun to prepare a surprise and then never surprise you, now would it?" I raised an eyebrow in my semi-famous 'Spock' impression.ÿ She laughed. "All right, I'll wait. It better be good, though."ÿ "It will be." I kissed her on the forehead and pushed her back toward the living room. I heard the springs on the couch squeak as she sat down, and I returned to preparing my surprise.ÿ ÿ End Chapter Seven ÿ ÿ Chapter Eight -------------ÿ ÿ ÿ Jenny was staring at the fire when I walked in an hour later.ÿ "You're ready?" she asked.ÿ "Yes. Just put this on." I gave her a towel I had folded to make a blindfold.ÿ "Why?" she asked curiously.ÿ "Because if you didn't, it wouldn't be as much of a surprise. Come on, humor me." I pleaded.ÿ "Oh, fine." she sighed. I helped her put the blindfold on, tying it tightly enough so that she couldn't see anything. I turned off all the lights, and led her into the dining room. I took off the blindfold. She gasped.ÿ "This is wonderful!" she exclaimed. I had laid out a dinner for two, complete with candles and champagne glasses. "What's it all for?" she asked, looking over the food spread across the table. "Don't you remember our one week anniversary?"ÿ "Oh, you're so sweet, I'd forgotten!" ÿ "No, the desert is sweet." I joked. "I'm just a guy that has a little less on my mind than you do."ÿ "Still, thank you." ÿ I kissed her and sat down across from her. "Now, for the main dish." I lifted the lid of a large bowl in the center of the table.ÿ "Spaghetti! You even remembered that!" she cried.ÿ "It's my cooking, but it should be edible. I talked Mrs. Walker into making the French bread though. That's edible for sure. The woman nearly broke into tears when she pressured me into telling her I wanted it for a special dinner with a girl. She wanted to come over and help, but I told her I wanted to do it myself, but didn't think I could manage the bread."ÿ "It's wonderful. I can't believe you did all this!"ÿ I just smiled across the table at her. "It was worth it." I lifted my champagne glass. "To us, and another week." We clinked glasses, and took a sip. "Be careful with that, it's real champagne. I could drink a few glasses before I got drunk, but for you it'll be quite a bit less, considering your age and weight."ÿ ÿ We ate dinner, idle chatter about the day passing between us. Before long, the champagne started to get to both of us, and the glimmer of her eyes in the flickering candlelight began to draw more and more of my attention. I stood up and walked over to her. "Now for the second part of the evening." I announced.ÿ "There's more?" she asked, surprised.ÿ "Of course!" I took her hand and led her into the living room. "What romantic evening would be complete without dancing?" I walked to the old stereo system in the corner and put on some soft music. Taking her into my arms, I held her gently against me. "Now, I don't know how to dance, so I apologize if I step on your toes once in a while." I said with a smile.ÿ Jenny laughed softly, and we began to sway gently to the music. She moved closer to me, and rested her head on my chest. We said nothing for a few minutes, enjoying the feeling of being close to one another, the music weaving on slowly in the background.ÿ "Jenny, I have something for you."ÿ "Really?" she raised her head off my chest and looked up at me. I fumbled in my pocket, and finally found it, drawing the small gold locket and chain from my pocket. It glimmered in the dim firelight. Jenny breathed in deeply. "For me? But where did you get it?"ÿ "It was my mother's." I fastened it around her neck for her as she pulled her long hair out of the way. She fingered it, clicking it open to reveal two empty picture sockets. "It was the only thing she left behind. I found it on the kitchen table the morning after she left. She had taken the picture of my father out of it. Her way of telling my father that it was over, I suppose. I gave it to him when he came back. He told me to keep it, as a memory of my mother. I did. Now I want to give it to you, and maybe put a little happiness into it. When we next go to Sandville I'll have our pictures put into it."ÿ "Thank you." she said tearfully, embracing me tightly. I hugged her back.ÿ "Hey, I didn't mean to make you cry." I said, pushing back her hair a wiping a tear off her cheek.ÿ "No, I'm sorry. It's just the nicest, most beautiful thing anyone's ever given me."ÿ "I love you, Jenny." I said seriously.ÿ "I love you too. Always. I'll keep it forever. I'm just sorry that I don't have anything to give you."ÿ "You've given me more than you know. Someone to talk to, someone to love. Someone I can depend on, and be depended on by. That's much more valuable than any little trinket that I could ever give you." I kissed her. Her body molded itself to mine, in that perfect embrace that all lovers seem to share. The seconds stretched on, and we fell onto the couch, our hands running over each other, causing pleasing sensations to flood through us. Breathing hard, I slid a hand up to caress her soft, firm breasts, teasing the nipple between thumb and forefinger. She gasped into my mouth as pleasure surged through her. Our shirts quickly disappeared, the skin of our chests rubbing together. ÿ She unzipped my pants, finding me already hard. To my surprise, she pulled my cock through the fly and took it into her mouth. I moaned in pleasure. She had never done anything like that before. ÿ 'Must have been looking through my magazines again.' I chuckled to myself. At first she just sucked on the head, and then began to move it slowly in and out, running her tongue along the bottom. I let her continue for a few minutes, until I felt myself getting close. I put my hand on her shoulder, and she stopped, looking up at me. ÿ I stood, pulling her up with me. Kissing her again briefly, I pulled her skirt off her hips, leaving her in her thin nylon panties. I noticed a wet spot in the crotch, and smiled as I pushed my pants and underwear off in one smooth stroke, then knelt in front of her. Running my tongue over the soft material of the crotch of her panties, I tasted the fabric and her sweet pussy juices. She gasped as I ran my tongue over the small bump of her clit, grabbing my head and tensing, stroking my hair.ÿ Wanting better access to her pussy, I pulled her panties down and off, and attacked her again with my tongue. She moaned loudly as I tried to force my tongue into her tight hole. She grabbed my head, pressing me harder into her crotch. Then I had an idea. I pulled away from her, smiling as she looked at me questioningly. Standing, I pulled the quilt from the couch, spreading it out on the rug in front of the fire. I paused for a moment, enjoying how the silhouette of her body looked in the flickering orange and yellow light of the fireplace. Putting my hands on her slim waist, I guided her to the quilt. I lay down on my back.ÿ "Straddle my face, facing my feet." I told her. She looked puzzled, but did as I said. When she was in position over my mouth I had her lay down on top of me, she quickly got the idea. She began to suck me in earnest as I began to flick her clit with my tongue, enjoying the taste of her now wide spread pussy above me. She had some difficulty with keeping her action going on my cock, stopping to moan every few seconds as I hit a particularly sensitive spot. Soon she gave up entirely and lay limply on top of me, letting my tongue do its magic on her swollen clit and pussy lips as she worked toward orgasm. A high keening rose from her throat as the tension built, becoming a wail as she came. I felt as if I was drowning as she stiffened on top of me as her orgasm roared through her mind and body, flooding my mouth with her pussy juices.ÿ When she had finished, she lay limply on top of me, my cock still at full length, bobbing with my heartbeat. I rolled her off of me, and turned until we were face to face. Her eyes were open, a dreamy look filling them as she enjoyed the afterglow. Kissing her, I let her taste her musky pussy on my lips,and caressed her sweaty body. She quickly recovered under my loving touch and was soon as aroused if not more aroused than she had been before. Jenny pressed her body against mine. We slid sensuously against each other in a mix of sweat and her pussy nectar. Pushing me onto my back, she straddled my hips and looking straight into my eyes, slowly lowered herself onto my cock, a look of abandon crossing her face as it suck inch by inch into her tightness. ÿ We had made love what seemed like too many times to count over the last few days, and this had quickly become her favorite position, since she had the most control over the depth and speed of penetration. I liked it simply because I could easily see my cock sliding in and out of her, covered with glistening pussy juice.ÿ She moaned as I hit bottom, grinding her clit between our intimately connected bodies. She began to ride me slowly, trying to make me last as long as possible to enjoy the sensations of our coupling. She would shift the angle of penetration slightly on each thrust, making each stroke slightly different.ÿ Seeking to increase the sensation, she leaned forward, placing the palms of her hands on my chest. This caused the upper surface of my cock to rub lightly against her clit. She gasped as each downstroke sent a needle of pleasure through her.ÿ I decided to spice things up a bit. Putting my hands on her hips so she wouldn't fall over, I sat up. She looked surprised for a moment, wrapping her arms and legs around my torso for support. I pushed her hips back slightly and drew her back again, moving an inch or so in and out of her. She caught on, and began rolling her hips in a thrusting motion. She looked up, and I caught her eyes. We stared at each other, each looking into the fire of lust and pleasure in the other's eyes. The feeling of being wrapped up in each other was worth the sacrifice in freedom of movement, our intimate position driving us higher into pleasure. The rolling of her hips and thrusting sped up as we came closer to the pinnacle of our lovemaking. I rolled us forward, putting myself on top of her. Our eyes locked again as I began thrusting into her quickly, the pleasurable feeling in my groin spreading slowly up my body. She began to gasp as each deep stoke bumped softly against her cervix. Her eyes betrayed that she was on the edge, I knew my eyes told her that I was equally as close as she.ÿ "Don't come yet." I whispered to her.ÿ "What?" she gasped as I thrust into her again.ÿ "Don't come yet. Trust me. Hold back." Her eyes were on fire now, her face contorted in the effort of holding back her orgasm, a cross between intense pleasure and pain. I struggled to contain my own. Jenny bucked against me, her eyes begging me to let her come. I held my resolve, the torture blending with the pleasure, driving us to a point higher than we had ever been before. The pressure in my balls built until they felt like cherry bombs, the fuse burning the last millimeter before the explosion.ÿ "Now!" I whispered in her ear, thrusting one final time before I could contain myself no longer. I heard her cry out my name in the distance as I fell into the pit of orgasm, only to be shot out again by a fiery white flash of pleasure.ÿ Slowly, I came down from my orgasm. Jenny was still shaking on top of me limply in a mixture of pleasure and exhaustion, sweat and our sexual secretions running in rivulets between us. I rolled onto my side, taking her with me. She liked to keep me inside her as long as possible, and I loved to be inside her. We exchanged gentle caresses in the aftermath, kissing each other softly, sharing our love in the most intimate way possible. We both drifted off to sleep a few minutes later, the fire dying slowly in the hearth.ÿ ÿ I woke up a few hours later, my back freezing. The fire had died to dull coals, letting the cold air encroach on where we lay. Jenny was cuddled up against me, shivering violently. Untangling myself from her, I lifted her into my arms. She barely stirred as I cradled her small body against mine, her long hair tumbling over my arm, swishing back and forth across my stomach as I stumbled my way up to our room.ÿ 'Funny.' I thought. 'I wonder when it became "our" room?' I decided that it had become our room that first night, when I held her in my arms as she fell asleep.ÿ Lying her down gently on the bed, I watched as she lay there, like an oversized doll, arms and legs limp. Kneeling on the bed, I kissed her softly on the cheek. Pulling the blankets over us, I held her against me, rubbing her skin where it had been exposed to the cold air of the living room. I reminisced about what had happened seven days ago; what seemed like a lifetime to me. It seemed like I had never lived before I met Jenny. Life before her seemed infinitely distant in the past, and I found myself wanting to forget those days of isolation and distrust.ÿ 'The here and now is all that matters.' I thought as Jenny squirmed against me, unconsciously pressing her body tighter against my warmth in her sleep. Still, as I fell asleep, I worried about what tomorrow and the next day might bring.ÿ I dreamt of the ghosts of people I had known in the past chasing me. My mother, my father, my grandparents, and every bully, teacher, or adult that had ever threatened or hurt me. Off in the distance I could hear Jenny screaming, crying out my name. As I ran in slow motion from my pursuers the screams grew louder, until I could see Jenny off in the distance. Two figures were standing over her. They laughed horribly, an awful screeching, grating laugh, like wrenching metal or fingernails being drawn across a blackboard. They pulled on her arms, legs, hair, anything they could get their hands to grip, pulling her away from me. I tried to scream for them to stop, to let her go, but no words escaped my mouth. ÿ I looked around quickly for a weapon, anything to beat their thin, stick like arms and claw like hands from Jenny. I found nothing. As I watched, they started to move away, dragging her with them. She kicked, ripped, tore at the grip of her captors, screaming my name, begging me to help her. I ran harder, my heart pounding in my throat. As I came within an arms distance to them I leapt, grasping at anything that would hold her to me, save her from the ghouls that were taking her from me. I felt cool metal touch my palm. Grabbing it, I pulled. For a moment it strained against my hand, then with a jerk fell loosely into my palm. As suddenly as they had appeared, they vanished, taking Jenny with them, her screams fading into the distance as if she had fallen into a deep well. Stopping, I fell to my knees, the sharp rocks that covered the dust-shrewn ground digging painfully into my knees.ÿ Her final cry echoed in my mind, the desperate plea falling onto my helpless ears. I opened my hand. Gold glittered in the dim light. A sob escaped my throat as I realized it was her locket, the thin chain broken, the final link between us broken with it. ÿ End Chapter Eight ÿ Chapter Nine ------------ÿ ÿ A hand shook me violently. The dreamscape faded to darkness. I opened my eyes, the light of early morning spilling in the bedroom window.ÿ "Wake up, Alex, wake up!"ÿ "Wha...?" The nightmare fading, but the image of the dream still violently fresh in my mind. "Jenny!" I cried, sitting up and hugging her tightly. "Oh god, I'd thought I'd lost you!" I sobbed, holding her in a death grip, never wanting to let go. Her arms wriggled free of my grasp. She hugged me back, reaching up to stroke my neck.ÿ "Alex, it was just a nightmare, a bad dream. I'm not going anywhere." she soothed.ÿ I slowly relaxed under her soft words and touch, enough to finally lie down again. I didn't let go, but she lay down with me. As my breathing returned to normal she pulled herself up until she was looking directly down at my face. She brushed my hair off my forehead then let her small hands cradle my chin, her slim fingers massaging my temples. I closed my eyes again as the clenched muscles of my arms relaxed around her. The small gold locket dangled from her neck, it's small weight pressing into my breastbone, the chain intact. I let out a deep shuddering sigh as I told myself that it was all just a dream, a random firing of synapses during REM sleep. The logical side of me believed it. The emotional side didn't.ÿ I opened my eyes and looked into her concern filled eyes.ÿ "Sorry." I mumbled.ÿ "For what?"ÿ "For waking you up."ÿ She smiled, and leaned down and kissed me lightly. "Let's go back to sleep. We don't have to get up for another two hours."ÿ "All right." I said as she relaxed, laying her head on my chest and stroking my stomach, a now familiar position for us. She closed her eyes and her hand slowed then stopped. Soon her breathing evened out, but I still couldn't fall asleep. The image of the shadowed figures still hovered on the edge of my mind. But soon the relaxing feeling of her soft body pressing warmly against mine took it's toll, and I fell into a fitfull sleep.ÿ *****ÿ ÿ I groaned when the alarm went off two hours later. I felt like I'd hardly slept. I kissed Jenny good morning, and we climbed slowly out of bed. My back popped as I stood upright. We stumbled toward the shower, rubbing the sleep out of our eyes. I grumbled about having to get up so early. Jenny just smiled brightly and forced me to eat another piece of toast. I harumphed in response, mumbling about how annoying morning people are to the people who aren't.ÿ The school day went by slowly, as it seemed to every day. I slept, read, or stared out the window during classes. I lived for the evenings and weekends, when I was able to get to know Jenny better. I introduced her to classical music, and she introduced me to the pleasures of conversation with another intelligent person. We would spend many an evening sitting in our favorite spot in front of the fire, talking. I think I said more words to her in the weeks we were together than I had in my entire life up to that point. Things that I had previously believed only I thought about popped up frequently in our discussions of anything and everything. We found out more about each others pasts, and what we wanted in the future. ÿ We also discovered something that I've never seen anyone duplicate, even in the closest of couples. We had virtually the same reading speeds. Sometimes we'd just sit down, pop a Bach of Handel CD into the stereo, and read a good book together. It was a little eerie finishing a page in a book, only to have someone else turn the page at just the right moment. Jenny would usually lay back against my chest, with either her or I holding the book. The only time we would loose synch would be when one or the other fell asleep, which seemed very easy to do with some of the books we read.ÿ The nights in bed were never boring, either. Jenny would wear me out, which surprised me. I've been known to get myself off three or four times a day. She could keep going and going. I loved to lick and suck her to orgasm after orgasm. There's nothing quite like feeling a girl's legs clamp around your head as you push her over the edge into orgasm, or hearing the lusty cries spring from her throat, or smelling the intoxicating musky scent of her pussy.ÿ We made love in most every room of the house. I had to throw away the blotter on my Father's desk, and the quilt on the couch began to look like it needed a good washing, too. It wasn't definitely wasn't dull. New positions seemed to come out of the blue, usually in the heat of the moment. I'll never forget the time we were going at it in the basement. I had her perched on the edge of the washer when it kicked into the spin cycle. Quite a bumpy but very pleasurable ride.ÿ Kallie and I developed a tenuous friendship over time. we would most certainly have never of been friends if it hadn't been for Jenny. We were just too different. She was loud, brash, and would say anything at any time. I was quiet, reserved, and would only say something with careful consideration, if at all. Jenny was middle of the road, quiet but straight forward, outgoing when in the mood. In other words, we both clicked with her, but clashed with each other.ÿ Jenny's parents didn't seem to be loosening up much, if at all. According to Jenny's sister they still said nothing about her. I didn't really want them to. We were both happy the way it was, despite the constant hovering of our problems outside the protective wall of our relationship.ÿ Rumors started getting around about Jenny and I, though. I began getting dirty looks from teachers and other students at school. I pointedly ignored them, as did Jenny. Someone had apparently seen Jenny and I kissing in the hallway, and spread it around school. Considering how much attention we paid to our surroundings when we kissed, it wasn't really surprising. At least the rumor that had started the whole affair between Jenny and I had been forgotten, except by Jenny's parents. ÿ The house was looking better than it had in years, thanks to Jenny's insistence that I no longer leave dirty dishes to rot, or soiled clothing to lay around on the floor until I felt like doing a load of laundry. We shared the housework, each of us participating in making the meals, and cleaning up afterward. Having another person there that cared about you to help made it almost enjoyable. Almost. Then, when all was quiet, we'd cuddle up together under the blankets and fall asleep in each other's arms. I had never been so utterly satisfied with the way my life was going. I had someone outlet my thoughts to, someone to share my interests, and most importantly, someone to love more than anything for the first time in my life. Then life changed on both of us, and our time together at that point in out lives came to an end.ÿ *****ÿ ÿ One Saturday morning I awoke to someone rapping on the door. I stumbled out of bed. Jenny and I had been up late the night before. We never got up much before noon on weekends. Pulling on my robe, I stumbled down the stairs, wondering blearily who it was. Jenny never stirred as I got out of bed. She could sleep through almost anything, and I didn't have the heart to wake her.ÿ I pulled open the door, shivering as the February wind cut through the thin material. Standing at the door was a man and a woman. The man was slightly shorter than myself, somewhat of a fine build. The woman was a little over 5'4", her head even with the man's shoulders. Both wore heavy winter coats and jeans. Both also looked a little uncertain.ÿ "Can I help you?" I asked, holding the robe closed with one hand, the door with the other. The man spoke first.ÿ "Sorry to bother you, but we were told that our daughter, Jenny, might be staying here. Is she?"ÿ I paused, shocked for a moment. I had thought that we would have to go to them, yet here they were, looking for her. I figured that if they were willing to come out here to a stranger's house to find her, they would most likely be willing to talk reasonably to Jenny and I.ÿ "Yes, she is."ÿ "Could we...speak to her?" the woman asked in a whisper-soft voice. I made a decision.ÿ "I don't know. That's up to her. Come in, and I'll go see if I can wake her up." I held the door open for them to open. I motioned them toward the couch and jogged up the stairs.ÿ ÿ Jenny was still sleeping, her back to me. The thought that this might be the last time I'd see her sleeping like this. I looked at her for a moment, memorizing the way she looked, her long hair spread over the pillow, her face relaxed, eyes closed. The covers had slipped down when I had climbed out of bed revealing one pale shoulder, her slim arm reaching under the quilt, the contour of her body showing through the heavy comforter. For a moment I considered turning around and telling her parents that she didn't want to talk to them. But I told myself that it was selfish to think that way. Resigning myself, I walked over and sat on the bed. I gently shook her bare shoulder, memorizing the feel of her skin as my fingers trailed over the smooth surface.ÿ Jenny turned over and smiled at me sleepily.ÿ "Good morning." she said. The smile faded as she saw the look on my face. "What's wrong?" She sat up on one elbow, causing the comforter to slide down to her hip. I looked at her longingly, wishing for more time together.ÿ "Your parents are downstairs in the living room. They want to talk to you. It's up to you, if you want to talk to them, do. If not, I'll show them the door."ÿ Shock registered on her face. "They came here?" She fell limply back on the bed. Thinking quickly, she made her decision. "No, I'll talk to them. We always knew that I would have to face them eventually. I guess now's the time." She slowly got out of bed. "I'd better get dressed."ÿ "Me too." I said.ÿ "You don't have to go down there. It's between me and my parents. You don't have to get involved."ÿ "I already am. I told you in the beginning that I'd be there for you, and that includes now." I said firmly.ÿ She nodded and smiled at me gratefully. "I hoped you'd say that."ÿ ÿ We dressed quickly and walked into the living room a few minutes later. Jenny's parents were sitting patiently on the couch. When they heard us come down the stairs they stood up and turned toward us.ÿ "Hello Jenny." her mother said.ÿ "Hello, Mom, Dad. What are you doing here?"ÿ Jenny's mother spoke us. "We heard that you were staying here, and were wondering when you were going to come home."ÿ "Come home? You made it pretty clear that I wasn't wanted when she called me at school a month ago."ÿ "Your mother heard some rumors that we should have known better than to believe." Jenny father said. "Then we heard that you were staying here, and that you were...close to this young man over here." He nodded in my direction. "We finally figured out that the rumors were just rumors. We want you to come home, and your mother is sorry for what she said over the phone." Jenny's mother bowed her head guiltily.ÿ "So will you come home?" her mother said.ÿ Jenny looked uncertain. "Let me talk to Alex in private for a minute." Her parents nodded, and Jenny took my hand, leading me into the kitchen. "What do you think?" Jenny asked anxiously.ÿ "I don't trust them. But the main question is, do you want to go with them? Do you trust them? You would be the one living there, not me. But don't go because you think you're a burden on me. You aren't, and I meant it when you could stay as long as you liked."ÿ "But what about when you go to college? What then? You'll be struggling for money, even without an extra mouth to feed."ÿ "We'll work something out." I said stubbornly.ÿ "Alex, I'd love to stay, but I can't. I've over stayed my welcome as it is. Your Dad still isn't thrilled with me."ÿ I sighed. "But I'm afraid that they're going to not let me see you, or even hurt you."ÿ "They won't hurt me. And I'll see you no matter what, they can't keep us separated all the time."ÿ "Are you sure?" I said, unconvinced.ÿ "Yes, I'm sure."ÿ "I guess I'm just afraid that I'm going to lose you." I sighed.ÿ "You aren't going to lose me. I love you Alex, and nothing is going to change that."ÿ I hugged her tight against me. "God, I love you too. I wish you weren't going, but I know you think you have to." I took her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I want you to come to me if anything happens. You mean more to me than anything else in the world. I want you to remember that. You'll always be welcome with me. I'd rather you stayed here, but it's your life, and your decision. I've never told you what you should do, and I'm not going to start now."ÿ "I know, and I will." she said, eyes bright with tears. Mine were the same way. Holding hands, we walked back into the living room.ÿ "I'll come home with you." Jenny told them. They smiled.ÿ "Do you have anything you need to take with you?" her mother asked.ÿ Jenny reached up and felt the gold chain that held the locket I had given her around her neck. "No. I have everything I need. At least the ones I can take with me." she said, looking at me.ÿ Jenny's father nodded. "Then you're ready to go?"ÿ "Yeah, I guess so."ÿ I didn't say anything, but led them to the door.ÿ "Thank you for letting Jenny stay with you." Jenny's mother said as I opened the door to let them leave.ÿ "It was my pleasure." I smiled, and they walked out the door. Jenny paused and turned to me. She stood on her toes and kissed me on my cheek. "Now don't let this place go down the tubes without me here." she joked.ÿ "I won't." I said, my throat constricting. She smiled and walked to where her parents were waiting beside a beat up sedan. I watched as they got in and drove away, Jenny waving at me from the back seat. When they disappeared from view, I turned to go back to the house. It seemed empty, silent now that she was gone. Usually there was some sound of her activity in the house, whether it was the sound of her breathing as I held her, or her happy humming emanating from where ever she was. Now all I could hear was the sound of the wind beating at the house, and the sound of my heartbeat. I felt hollow and numb as the person who had become part of me, and myself part of her, drove away from me. My eyes stung with tears as I sat and stared at the cold fireplace for a long time.ÿ ÿ End Chapter Nine ÿ Chapter Ten -----------ÿ ÿ I didn't sleep well that night, my thoughts constantly turning to Jenny, wondering how she was, if she was getting along with her parents. I missed her warmth pressing against my side, the comfort and relaxation of holding her in my arms, hearing her even breathing as she slept, her sweet scent of her hair teasing my nose. It took three hours for me to fall asleep, and only then because I took a pillow and hugged it against me, trying to pretend that it was Jenny. It let me sleep, but it was no substitute for her.ÿ I woke up the next morning dead tired. The only reason I even bothered to get up was so I would be able to see Jenny on the bus and at school.ÿ The morning seemed drearier than usual, but then everything had seemed dreary to me since Jenny had left. The bus pulled up and I climbed aboard. I spotted Jenny sitting alone three seats back, and the day seemed to brighten as I saw her smiling face looking at me, those dark eyes connecting with mine. I almost ran down the isle and took her into my arms, not caring what anyone thought, just wanting to feel her against me again, to feel loved. "I missed you too." Jenny laughed, and hugged me back. I held her at arms length and looked her over, running my hands over her as if looking for broken bones.ÿ "You're ok? They didn't do anything to you?" I said worriedly, then hugged her against me again.ÿ "I'm fine, Alex. I told you I would be."ÿ "Nothing happened?"ÿ "Nothing much. I'll tell you when we can talk in private." She motioned toward the other people looking on. I relaxed against the seat. Jenny repositioned herself so she was leaning against me, my back to the wall of the bus. The bus driver kept looking up at us in his mirror, most of the other kids watching us as well. We rode the rest of the way to school, almost oblivious to the people around us, locked in our own ball of warmth. We skipped first period and headed for one of the store rooms I knew of. You learn the hiding places when you're bullied as a kid. I hadn't been bullied in years, ever since I had suffered through my growth spurt. Bullies don't bug you much when they know you can hit harder than they can.ÿ Once we were safely locked in the storage room we cuddled up on a pile of old gym mats stacked in the corner. One dim forty watt bulb illuminated the ten foot square room, most of it claimed by fifty years of discarded junk.ÿ "You look exhausted." she told me.ÿ "You don't look too wide awake yourself." I told her. "You have bags under your eyes at least as big as mine, and you're a lot smaller than I am." I teased. "Well, I couldn't sleep. I'm to used to feeling your bear of a body holding me. Plus my parents made me sleep on the couch. Apparently they aren't entirely sure that the rumors weren't true. My sister and I usually share a room. It's like they don't want to risk 'infecting' their only other daughter." ÿ "That's dumb. Of course, knowing them it's not so surprising. Anything else happen?"ÿ "Nothing much else. They treated me pretty nicely, except for making me sleep on the couch. I don't know if my back will ever recover. I never realized how lumpy a couch could be until I slept on that thing. Should be thrown in the dump."ÿ I laughed. "Turn over and I'll see if I can work the kinks out of your back."ÿ She rolled over gratefully. I pulled her shirt up and started working on her back, hoping some janitor wouldn't walk in on us. She let out little groans and sighs of contentment, her tense muscles loosening under my touch. Soon she stopped making noise, indicating that she had fallen asleep. I pulled her shirt back down and lay next to her, watching her sleep. At some point I must have fallen asleep as well.ÿ We didn't wake up until halfway through lunch period. We cursed as we hurriedly straightened out our clothes and hair, and snuck out of the closet. Kallie was sitting at our usual table. We hurriedly told her what had happened, finishing right before the bell rang. Jenny and I parted reluctantly, each heading for our separate classes. ÿ ÿ The next few months progressed rapidly. Jenny's parents loosened up more as word of our romance spread through town. I got more dirty looks than ever, but I was happy if it made Jenny's life easier at home. Her parents made no move to stop us from seeing each other, apparently glad to have her seeing someone five years older than she was rather than another girl. I became disgusted more and more with school, as the teachers and administrators got it into their heads to punish the 'cradle robber'. I finally just took the test for the GED and quit high school. A month later I left for college. Jenny saw me off in a tearful good bye. I flew down to New Mexico, having my few possessions sent down after me.ÿ Jenny and I wrote every day without fail. College was tough, but I struggled through it, flourishing in a school that finally challenged my intelligence. For a while it was school, study, write, and work.ÿ Things at home degraded for Jenny, as her parents apparently came to the conclusion that she had no where to run to now that I was gone. More than one letter had tear stains on it as she wrote about her latest fight with her parents. They had her sleeping in her room again, but now her sister was sleeping on the couch instead. Her sister and Kallie were the only ones she could talk to or depend on, except through our letters.ÿ Then one day the letters stopped. One moment we were going full bore, a five to ten page letter every day; the next, my mailbox was empty. I prayed that it was just a disruption in the mail system, that one day I'd get a load of letters in the mail. I sent letter after letter back to her, begging her to write back. I never got an answer.ÿ I worried that she had met someone else, that she had forgotten about me. I tried to dismiss that, thinking she would have still told me or that there would have been some hint in her letters. I read our old letters over and over. My mind dwelled on her. My school work began to decline, and one night I was almost fired from my job. A week passed where I drug my feet through the day. The teachers asked me what was bothering me. One day I was one of their brightest students, the next I was in a nose dive and failing miserably.ÿ The dreams returned, lasting longer and seeming more clear than ever before. I would wake up screaming, twisted in my sheets, dripping with sweat. The dark faces of Jenny's captors haunted me, blurred in my mind, but now I knew them. They were the faces of Jenny's parents. Twisted and distorted with a horrific quality, but their faces just the same.ÿ Two more weeks passed. I pulled myself up and threw myself into my work. I stayed up all night, took a second job when school let out for the summer, and began to drive myself toward exhaustion and eventually breakdown. My eyes were constantly bloodshot. Bags perpetually hung under my eyes, and I began to consider flying up to see her, just to have some closure. ÿ Then one night when I was studying, the doorbell rang. I stood up wearily from the chair and trudged toward the door. Pulling it open, I stared, open mouthed.ÿ Jenny stood there in the doorway, looking more haggard than I had ever seen her. Her hair was in tangles, her grimy clothing torn. She stooped, leaning against the door frame. She looked up at me, the look in her eyes tearing at my heart, the look of someone who has had had her soul ripped out and stepped on.ÿ "Alex?" her voice quavered.ÿ "Jenny?" I gasped. She stepped toward me and stumbled on the door frame. Rushing forward I grabbed her before she could fall to the floor. I picked her up, feeling how light she was, much lighter than I had remembered her to be. I carried her to the couch and sat down, cradling her in my arms. She began to cry, clinging to me like I was the last strand in a fraying rope. I held her and cried with her.ÿ She kept saying Alex, Alex, over and over, sobbing, tears running down her face. I held her for a long time, gently rubbing her back, brushing away her tears. She eventually calmed down enough to tell me how and why she had come to me. She told me the story, breaking into tears at the more difficult parts.ÿ "I stopped writing because my parents wouldn't let me. It got so bad that I was a prisoner in my own home, not allowed her to leave except for school, and eventually, they didn't even let me go to that. I fought with them, but when I did, they would stop feeding me. When they thought I had been really bad, they locked me in the shed out back, sometimes for only an hour or two, sometimes longer. Once they locked me in there in the dark for three days, with only a little water and bread.ÿ "My little sister slipped me some things but she couldn't do much, because if she told she probably wouldn't have been believed. They might have done the same thing to her. Then one night my Dad caught me looking at the locket you gave me. He demanded that I give it to him. It was the last thing I had to remember you by, the only thing that kept me sane. And he wanted to take it away from me!ÿ "I said no, and he started to threaten me. I still said no. Then he grabbed me, and tried to tear it from around my neck. I still have the marks. ÿ "I fought back, kicking and screaming. I scratched his face, then he started cursing. He hit me hard, in the chest. I fell to my knees, and he slapped me. I fell down onto the floor, crying. He kicked me in the stomach, and I threw up. I stayed on the floor, crying. He reached down and pulled the locket off my neck, and went into his room. I managed to get up, and ran out the door."ÿ She was crying so hard at this point that I had her stop until she calmed down. Then she continued.ÿ "I ran down the road, crying. A woman in a car saw me running and pulled over. She got me into the car and wanted to take me to a doctor. But I said no, and convinced her to take me to Kallie's instead. "I didn't want her family to see me like I was, so I climbed in her bedroom window, and waited for her to come in. She was surprised to see me, since she hadn't seen me in weeks. I told her what had happened, and she started to cry, too. She got me cleaned up some, but couldn't loan me any clothes that fit, so I had to wear these.ÿ "She got me to the bus station and onto a bus to you, since she couldn't hide me. She can barely change clothes without being walked in on. I was scared to death that my parents would come after me, anyway. It took her life savings, but she did it for me, to get me safe. I rode the bus for three days, sleeping either on the bus or in the station. The police almost got me once, but I hid until they gave up. Finally I got here, and managed to find your apartment. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't had your address memorized."ÿ I sat in shocked silence for a few seconds after she finished her story. I hated myself for letting this happen to her. I told myself that I should have flown up these as soon as I stopped getting her letters. But who I was especially mad at was her parents, particularly her father. Any parents who could treat their child this way deserved anything that came to them.ÿ "God, I'm so sorry Jenny. I should never have left you with them, never. I should have known something like this would happen after I left."ÿ "No, Alex, don't blame yourself. I was the one that went back with them. I could have stayed with you, but I didn't. It's my fault."ÿshe said miserably. "Jenny, don't ever blame yourself for this." I said vehemently. "No one deserves to be treated the way you were treated by those people. I shouldn't even call them people, they don't deserve it. I promise you that I will never let them hurt you again, no matter what."ÿ "How? They'll be looking for me. They have the letters, they know where you live."ÿ "Well, I'll just have to get to them first. I'll think of something. But right now we need to get you something to eat, and then get you to a doctor."ÿ "I don't need a doctor, Alex. All it is are a few bruises."ÿ "Still, I'll feel better once we get you checked out, if anything just for evidence against your parents."ÿ She sighed. "Okay, as long as I get something to eat first. I haven't eaten in three days."ÿ "Three days? No wonder you're so weak! Just a minute, I hope I have something in the fridge."ÿ I got up and walked to the kitchen, leaving her to rest on the couch. I whipped up some sandwiches for starters, and started a big pot of soup. I watched her demolish the plate of sandwiches while I called my doctor. I knew him from the few times I had seen him, and hoped I could convince him to see us on such short notice. I also hoped to get him to not say anything about it to anyone. I couldn't take her to the hospital, child protective services would get their hooks into her and I'd lose her to the system. A plan had begun to form in my mind, and I'd have to be careful to carry it off correctly. If I did, Jenny and I never needed to be separated again.ÿ *****ÿ ÿ Jenny finished the sandwiches and three bowls of soup before she sat back, full. I let her rest for a few minutes, and then helped her to the used car I had bought to get to and from work and school. Jenny fell asleep in the passenger seat during the thirty minute ride. I let her sleep, figuring she needed it. ÿ ÿ Doctor Sampson met us at the door, and we both helped her into an examination room and onto the table. He appeared as shocked at her condition as I had been. I left the room, telling Jenny that I'd be right out in the waiting room if she needed me. She protested, but Dr. Sampson and I managed to put her at ease. I waited nervously in the waiting room as the doctor examined her.ÿ A few minutes later he walked out of the examination room looking grim. He sat next to me in the empty room.ÿ "How is she?" I asked anxiously.ÿ "She's malnourished and has numerous bruises all over her body. She hasn't slept well in weeks, and she shies away from anyone who tries to touch her. There's nothing seriously wrong with her, but psychologically it's going to take a long time to recover. Who did that to her? Where is she from? What's her name? How do you know her? God help me, if you did that to her..." he said angerly. "I didn't. I could never do that to anyone, much less her. It was her parents. The bruises came from her father. He beat her when she refused to give something to him. They kept her locked up for weeks, feeding her little, or not at all if they felt like it. "We're close friends, and her name and where she's from is no concern, at least until I'm sure you're not going to tell anyone until I've had time to make sure that she won't be put back with her parents, or taken away and put in a home."ÿ He sighed. "Tell me what you're planning on doing. If I agree with your plan, I won't tell anyone. At least not yet. I've seen kids go through foster care. Some of the homes they put them in would be almost as bad as the one she came from."ÿ I nodded. "I was planning on using what I know against them, to get them to turn over guardianship of her to me."ÿ He leaned back in his chair. "That's risky, you know. They might not give in, or worse, they could say you did that to her. She's young, and her court testimony could be considered questionable."ÿ "Still, I have to try. If I can scare them enough, I'm sure they'll do it. Do I have your cooperation if it falls though? Would you testify on my behalf?"ÿ "I think you're telling the truth, yes. I've seen how she clings to you. I don't think she would do that if you had done that to her. I'd testify to that."ÿ I let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks Doctor."ÿ "I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for that little girl in there who's been through a hell of a lot. I want you to take her home, clean her up, make sure she's well fed, and put her to bed. I don't want her moving anywhere until she's strong enough and has gained some weight back."ÿ "I understand." We stood up, and walked back to where Jenny was sitting on the examination table, staring idly at the wall. She brightened as I walked into the room. She tried to jump off the table, and almost fell as her weakened knees buckled under her weight until the Doctor and I held her up.ÿ "Can we go now?" she asked.ÿ "Yes, you can go. But listen to me, young lady. You're to stay in bed the next few days, and let Alex here take care of you. You're to eat when he tells you to, sleep when he tells you to, and pretty much do anything else he says. Then you need to come back and see me in a week."ÿ "Yes, sir." she said, taking my arm in her hands and holding it against her.ÿ "Fine, then. Go home and get some rest."ÿ We helped Jenny out to the car, and I drove her home. She fell asleep again, and I carried her into my apartment. I undressed her, amazed at how thin she had become. Where once had been a smooth, sleek body with a trace of baby fat was now so thin that I could count her ribs plainly. Her pubic bone stood out, and I winced at the purple and black bruises on her arms, chest, and stomach.ÿ I undressed myself, and filled the tub. We soaked for half an hour, her dozing and me cleaning her gently and washing her hair, working out the dirt and tangles in her long tresses.ÿ I woke her when it was time to get out, and rubbed her softly with a fresh towel until she looked almost like she had when we were living together. Hopefully she would begin to look like that again, as long as I could keep her out of her parents' grasp.ÿ Pulling back the covers on my bed, I lay her nude body on the clean sheets, the first bed that she had likely been on in months. Climbing in after her, I pulled the covers over us. She cuddled against me, sighing happily as she sank into my protective embrace. She fell into a deep sleep as I held her, a small smile gracing her face as she slept on, contented. I swore again to protect her against anything that might try to hurt her ever again. Then I too fell into a deep sleep.ÿ ÿ End Chapter Ten ÿ ÿ Chapter Eleven --------------ÿ ÿ Jenny woke up screaming many times that first night, her experiences of the last few months coming back to haunt her. She would shake like a leaf for a few minutes until I reassured her that she was safe, and then drift off, only to wake up screaming an hour or so later. She finally settled down around four a.m. I woke a little before two in the afternoon, Jenny still sleeping beside me. I slipped out of bed and prepared a big brunch for the two of us. Loading a tray, I carried it into the bedroom. Setting it on the night stand, I sat on the bed next to her and gently shook her shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes and looked into my face hovering over hers.ÿ "Please let this be real." she whispered. She reached up and touched my face, her hand sweeping from my ear to cradle my chin. "It is real!" she sighed, and kissed me passionately.ÿ "Feeling better?" I asked, smiling down at her.ÿ "Yes, a lot better. I'm starving, though."ÿ "Ah. I've already thought of that." I reached behind me and set the tray on her lap. Her face brightened and she dug in, almost as ravenously as the night before.ÿ "Slowly, Jenny. There's more where that came from. We need to fatten you up."ÿ "If you keep feeding me like this, I'll have to roll out of bed just to get up!"ÿ I laughed. "Better to have you over nourished than undernourished." I settled back to watch her eat. I wasn't particularly hungry, and she was eating enough food for the both of us. A few minutes later she began to slow. I coaxed her to eat a few more bites. Finally she just fell back against the pillow, groaning.ÿ "Full?" I questioned, rubbing her stomach.ÿ "Very. I haven't felt this good in a long time."ÿ "Neither have I." I paused. "Do you know how much I missed you, Jenny?"ÿ "No, but I know how much I missed you, and I'm sure you missed me just as much." she smiled. "I dreamt about you every night. When your letters stopped coming, I just, well, fell apart. I couldn't work, I couldn't concentrate at school. My mind just kept drifting to you. I was worried sick, but I didn't come to see you. I was worried that you had found someone else, someone closer to your own age, and didn't want to hurt me any more than you had to." I took a deep breath. "I guess I just want to say that I'm sorry. Sorry for letting them hurt you, and sorry for doubting you."ÿ "Why?" she asked gently. "This is the second time you've taken me in, both times when I felt things couldn't get any worse. "You've fed me, taken me to a doctor, and cared for me when no one else was able to. You couldn't have stopped my parents from doing what they did, and it wasn't your fault that I went back there when I knew what they were capable of."ÿ "But I should have shown up earlier, stopped them before your father could hit you, before they could abuse you like they did..." I trailed off as Jenny sat up took my head between her hands, staring urgently into my eyes.ÿ "Alex, I love you but you can be so thick headed sometimes! Listen to me. IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT. They did it to me, not you. There wasn't a single thing you could do about it, you were thousands of miles away at the time."ÿ "I still feel guilty."ÿ "I don't know what I'm going to do with you." she sighed.ÿ "Keep me?"ÿ "I wouldn't sell you for anything, much less give you up."ÿ "That's good to know."ÿ She rested her head on my chest and listened to my heartbeat, as if she was still on some level unsure of whether or not I really existed. I played with her hair as I thought.ÿ "If I told you that I had an idea that might let you stay with me perminantly, if it worked out, what you say?"ÿ "I'd say that would be perfect. I can't remember a time that I've been happier than I was for that month living with you."ÿ "Well I think I might know how."ÿ She sat up and looked at me in surprise. "Really? How?"ÿ "We have enough evidence to convict them on child abuse charges, assault, child neglect, and whatever else a lawyer and I can dream up. I was thinking about blackmailing them into signing custody of you over to me. I'm over eighteen years old. I could be your legal guardian, and you could live with me until you're eighteen. Or longer." I added shyly.ÿ "Oh Alex, I'd love to! It would be perfect, I'd never have to leave you again!" She hugged me tightly and kissed me.ÿ "Wait, wait. We don't know if it will work yet or not. Your parents might refuse. But I'm going to make it damn difficult for them to do so, and if they don't...well, I'll deal with that if it happens. Legally or not, I'm not letting them take you back there again, ever." ÿ "Whatever you want to do, you have my consent, as long as I don't have to see them."ÿ "You won't. I promise."ÿ Jenny cuddled up next to me again, closing her eyes sleepily. Dr. Sampson had said that she'd be sleeping a lot over the next few days, as her body healed itself. I stroked her hair, my fingers tracing down her back. The hard knobs of her vertebrae were easily felt with my fingertips through her skin. Anger over what they had done to her, the only person I had ever truly loved, filled me again. How someone could treat someone the way they had treated her amazed me. It amazed me even more that they had done it to their own daughter, someone that they were supposed to protect and love, not starve and beat. She fell asleep under my loving touch. I held her and stared at the ceiling, wondering about the future of humanity. If we couldn't even care properly for our children, how were we ever going to get along without wiping ourselves off the planet, like some bacteria being wiped off the surface of a dirty petrii dish by a high school biology student?ÿ I wondered why people fell in love. Was it some instinct, driven by the chemical reactions in the brain we call emotions? Why did we get so much pleasure from another's touch? Simple hormones, or something more, something deep in the consciousness of every human, even in the minds of the most horrific people in human history? Hitler had children, a wife. He likely loved them, despite his atrocities. ÿ Then why couldn't two people in a remote town in the western United States simply love their daughter, the way that I loved her? Why did they have to do such horrible things, even though they claimed to follow "The teachings of God"? Why did the Crusades happen? Why the holy wars in the middle east, over something as simple as a few square miles of territory that was said to be "Holy"? Why did people desire power over other people, at any cost, even the lives or the happiness of those you love? Strive for what you think is right, no matter if it's right or not or interferes with what others think is right. Opinions are everything, and yours are always the best for you, your family, and all of humanity. "The grand future awaits us, just follow me, and all will be saved." they say. They, as in the politicians, the religious leaders, the dictators, and the leaders of the large and small nations of the world. The smart over the stupid, the powerful over the weak. Then we look back, and try to see the whole picture, beyond this tiny speck in the universe we call home, to the great beyond. Then you look back and see nothing but two people in love, two people that care for each other more than anything else in that big black void we call a universe. More than anything in the universe, you say? How could anything be more important than the universe? What binds together life? Proteins, amino acids? What use is the universe if no one is able to observe it, happenings great and small? What's the point if we destroy ourselves in the process of worrying about what will happen the next day, over mere tiny fractions of a micron of mass in comparison to the universe, mass we happen to live on, which we call "land"? Or power, which is simply another name for control over our fellow beings?ÿ When it's all simplified, all we have are a few minute chemical reactions in an organic mass that we call our bodies, the thoughts, the emotions, the ideas. That is what we need to guard, not land, not happiness, not freedom. Certainly, freedom and happiness are important to life. But what use is happiness when your mind is empty? You might as well be a house cat. What's the use of freedom if you have nothing more to do than swim in circles until you die, like the salmon?ÿ Thoughts and ideas are the fabric of consciousness. Those seemingly random electrical impulses racing along nerve paths, the hormones flooding the brain in response to a simple touch. When two people connect, share consciousness in however rudimentary way, ideas grow exponentially. Consciousness is enhanced.ÿ Our greatest assets are not the national forests, the mineral reserves, or glittering metals and chemical compounds. Our greatest asset is each other. No one person can put together the most complex space mission, no one person can save wildlife from being destroyed, no one person can stop the violence. No one person can save humanity.ÿ Jenny and I had connected all those months before, during the cold winter months in northern Oregon. Even if humanity wiped itself out sometime in the future, we would have shared those thoughts, those ideas, those feelings. Chemical reactions, yes. But have they made a difference in the long run, those few billionths of a second in comparison to the eons of time? ÿ ÿ I hope so.ÿ ÿ End Chapter Eleven ÿ Chapter Twelve --------------ÿ ÿ Jenny spent the next week in bed, being fed the most fattening foods I could find. She enjoyed everything from chocolate cake and ice cream to strawberries and whipped cream. She had gained several pounds by the end of the week, her ribs receding under a healthy layer of body fat. Her dreams seemed to fade some. She began to sleep better, only waking once or twice a night. The only time I left the apartment was for groceries. I had taken time off work, wanting to be sure to be there to take care of her through the first few weeks.ÿ We visited Dr. Sampson the following week, and he announced Jenny to be progressing satisfactorily. He told her to get out and get a little exercise so that the gained weight wouldn't turn into fat with no muscle to back it up. Jenny and I laughed about the later, her days in bed were a combination of rest, food, and periods of intense activity. I'm sure you can guess what was going on during those periods of intense activity. Our pasion for each other hadn't declined in the least since we had last been together. We started to take morning walks, morning being the only suitable time to do any sort of exercise outdoors, at least until Jenny had adjusted better to the climate. We used the time to talk, discussing any of a million topics. It still amazed me how much information she had managed to jam into her head in the short span of thirteen years. She did well in history and english, while I excelled in science. She enjoyed poetry and Shakespeare, I enjoyed philosophy and science fiction.ÿ We had a lot to learn from each other, and about each other, mentally and physically. We had thought we had known each other's bodies well before. But one of us had never been stuck in bed for a couple of weeks, either. Interesting ideas tend to spring into people's heads when they get tired of reading, sleeping and eating. Especially when two people are as insatiable as we were. Jenny might have lost weight, but she had lost none of her enthusiasm or her ability to experiment. ÿ I talked to a few lawyers, and found one willing to write up the papers for what little money I had. At then end of the second week I was certain that Jenny was well enough for me to leave for a few days. I talked to Dr. Sampson, and he agreed to let Jenny stay with his wife and himself for the few days that I was gone. I didn't want to leave Jenny alone, especially if someone showed up at our apartment.ÿ Jenny protested, saying she could take care of herself, but I didn't budge. She was a little huffy when a couple of days later I dropped her off at the Sampson's house, but I knew she understood my reasons.ÿ I caught an early flight to Portland, and then caught a smaller plane to Sandville. I renting a car, I drove to the house and picked up the clothes Jenny had left behind there when she went home with her parents. Jenny had been forced to wear some of my clothes during the few times she had been dressed over the last couple of weeks. The last of my money had gone to the lawyer and the plane tickets so we couldn't afford new ones, especially when we had some already, provided we wait until I could get back from Oregon.ÿ Signs that my Father had come and gone a few times since I had left remained in a small stack of moldy dishes next to the sink. The house had taken on the musty smell a building gets when it hasn't been lived in for a while. It was summer now, and a family of robins had nested in the chimney judging from the constant chirping emanating hollowly from the fireplace. I didn't stop to rest, fearing I might loose my nerve completely. I piled the clothes into a few boxes and tossed them in the back seat of the car. I stopped by the Walker's place for a moment to say hello. Mrs. Walker tried to get me to stay for lunch, but I refused saying I had business that I had to attend to before anything else. "Maybe dinner." I told her, since my plane didn't leave until the next day. I hoped that dealing with Jenny's parents would take a small portion of the time I had until then. Mrs. Walker pushed a fresh cinnamon roll into my hand as I said good bye and climbed into the car.ÿ My nervousness increased with every foot the car traveled closer to my confrontation with Mr. and Mrs. Baker. I had the documents securely in a manila envelope on the passenger seat.ÿ As I drove up the driveway, I composed myself and put a professional, take-no-crap look on my face.ÿ I got out of the car as Mr. Baker came out the front door of the small house. When he saw who it was, he got a surprised look on his face and called back inside for his wife. She came out, wiping her hands on her apron. I walked up to them, manila envelope under my arm.ÿ "I need to talk to you about a few legal matters, Mr. and Mrs. Baker." I said coldly. "Can I please come inside so we can talk this over more privately?"ÿ "What do ya want to talk to us about exactly?" Mr. Baker asked, a suspicious look on his face.ÿ "Let's just say it includes one of your daughters that no longer lives with you." I let a little of the hatred I felt for both of them leak into the look. Mr. Baker's face hardened and Mrs. Baker paled slightly.ÿ Mr. Baker thought it over for a second, and then nodded. We walked inside through the dark front hallway and into the slightly brighter living room. It smelled of stale cigar smoke. Most of the furniture looked as if it had been sitting there since the early 70's, and was about as clean. They sat, and I took a chair across from them.ÿ "So where's our daughter?" he asked.ÿ "Where she is is of no consequence to you. I'm here to let you know that you are never seeing your daughter again. You will also sign over legal guardianship of Jenny to me."ÿ "And why would we want to do that?" Mr. Baker scoffed. Mrs. Baker just sat, her fingers gripping the arm of the sofa so tightly it looked as if the bright orange material was about to tear off in her hands.ÿ "I think you know why. I have evidence against you and Mrs. Baker that would convict you both of various forms of child abuse, ranging from simple neglect to physical and psychological abuse."ÿ Mr. Baker laughed. "What do you have, boy? The word of a thirteen year old against her parents? I doubt that would stand up in court."ÿ "Oh, I have more than that, Mr. Baker."ÿ I reached into the envelope and pulled the pictures that had taken of the bruises on Jenny's neck and torso the day after she had arrived, as well as the clear malnurishment. I handed them to Mrs. Baker, who looked at them and turned white as a sheet. Still silent, she handed them to Mr. Baker, who looked at them momentarily before tossing them on the coffee table.ÿ "You still have nothing to prove that either of us caused those bruises. You could have made them yourself." He said, and edge of uncertainty slipping into his voice.ÿ "I also have the testimony of a doctor who will testify that the bruises were caused days before she ever arrived at my home. I can also get the testimony of her friend who helped her onto the bus to my home, as well as the testimony of the woman who gave her a ride to that friend's house, only a few thousand feet from here, minutes after she was beaten by you, Mr. Baker. "That, on top of Jenny's testimony will be more than enough to put you and Mrs. Baker behind bars for years. You will lose everything, including your one remaining daughter, most likely your house to legal bills, and the little respect you now have in this community. "If you do not sign these papers, I will turn all evidence I have as well as the names, addresses, and phone numbers of all witnesses over to the police and child protective services. Jenny and I will disappear. Either way, Mr. and Mrs. Baker, you lose. You just lose less if you do it my way."ÿ They sat in silence for a few seconds, each knowing they were pinned.ÿ "I'll sign the papers." Mrs. Baker said slowly.ÿ "Samantha!" Mr. Baker said sharply.ÿ "Shut up, Bryan! We can't do anything about it, and I'm not going to jail for your idiotic pride!"ÿ Mr. Baker sat back, defeated. I pulled the papers out of the envelope, and handed Mrs. Baker a pen. She signed the papers, and handed them to Mr. Baker. He also signed. I took the papers and stuffed them and the pictures back in the envelope.ÿ "One more thing, Mr. Baker. I want the locket you took from Jenny the night she ran away."ÿ He nodded wearily and walked into another room, returning a few minutes later with the locket.ÿ "Thank you." I said, standing up and taking the locket. Then I hit him, putting as much power behind my fist as I possibly could. It landed on his jaw, snapping his head back. I followed it with a punch to the stomach, causing him to double over. He fell to the ground, moaning. "Next time, don't hit your children." I growled. ÿ I turned to where Mrs. Baker was still sitting, gaping at her husband who was still curled in a ball on the worn green shag carpeting.ÿ "I'll be in touch with my contacts here in town. I will be watching. If you mistreat your youngest daughter in any way, I will make sure your lives become a living hell. I'll show myself out." With that, I marched through the door and out the car, Mrs. Baker moving over to help her husband as I left. I continued to hold the bottled up rage and fear in until I was down the road a mile, and then pulled over and allowed myself to relax, my body shaking in repressed emotion. When I felt well enough to drive, I headed for Kallie's house. It was only four in the afternoon, but it felt like hours had passed while I was sitting in that grungy living room.ÿ ÿ *****ÿ ÿ Kallie's house was one of the bigger houses in town, for good reason. Her father was the manager of the only bank in town. Five kids couldn't fit into a two bedroom house very well, especially when one of those five was female and the eldest child to boot.ÿ When I pulled into the driveway, I was greeted by all four of Kallie's screaming little brothers, ranging from the youngest who appeared to be around five, to the eldest at eleven. I was bombarded with questions. When they found out that I was there to see Kallie, they all squealed and ran inside, whooping and chanting "Kallie's got a boyfriend, Kallie's got a boyfriend!" in classic sibling style. 'God I hope I have all girls when I have kids.' I thought to myself.ÿ A few minutes later a red faced Kallie appeared at the front door. She looked surprised to see me there, leaning against the white rental car with my arms folded.ÿ "Annoying, aren't they?" I said, smiling slightly.ÿ "Try living with them."ÿ "Want to go for a quick drive? I need to talk to you about a few things."ÿ "That will only make it worse, but what the hell."ÿ I nodded and walked around to the drivers side. She took the passenger side. A few minutes later I was driving aimlessly.ÿ "I'm guessing Jenny got to you okay?" Kallie said.ÿ "It depends on what you define as 'okay'. I took her to a doctor. She was malnourished. The bruises are still there. Faint, but you can see the faint traces of where they were."ÿ Kallie took a deep shuddering breath. "I know. I was surprised to see her. If I had known what they were doing to her..." she blinked back the tears that were flooding her eyes.ÿ "I know how you feel. I'm still kicking myself for not coming up when I stopped getting her letters. But I was scared that she had found someone else, and didn't want to have to break it to me."ÿ "That's nuts. She's dedicated to you, Alex. After you left, you were all that she talked about. Half the time I was with her she was off in her head, daydreaming about you."ÿ "I know that now. But at the time, we hadn't seen each other in months...it gets to you."ÿ She nodded. "So she's staying with you? And why did you come back? I figured the last place you'd want to see again would be this hole in the ground."ÿ "I came back to talk to Jenny's parents."ÿ "What? Are you crazy? They'll call the cops on you, or worse! He might just shoot you on sight!"ÿ "I've already been there." I handed her the manila envelope. "Look at the documents. I don't know if you want to see the pictures."ÿ She opened it up and dumped the contents on her lap. She gasped when she saw the pictures of Jenny. "I didn't know that it was this bad!" she exclaimed. "I should have just called the cops!"ÿ "It was better this way. Read the documents. They're in legalese, but you should be able to get the gist of them."ÿ Kallie pulled the papers from under the pictures, and scanned them quickly. She gasped as she realized what they were, and who's signatures were on them. "You got them to let you take custody of her? How the hell did you get them to sign them?"ÿ "Blackmail. That's what the pictures were for. I told them that I had the eye witnesses of the woman who picked her up and you, as well as the testimony of the doctor who saw her. You should have seen their faces when I threatened to call the cops and CPS if they didn't sign them."ÿ Kallie giggled. "I can guess. Wish I could have been there to see the bastards faces."ÿ "It was nothing compared to when I belted Jenny's father."ÿ "You hit him?" she said, wide eyed.ÿ "Well, he deserved it."ÿI said defensively. "Yeah, he sure did, hitting her like that. Her mother could use a smack or two herself."ÿ "I don't hit women."ÿ "Yeah, I suppose not. Jenny always said you were to much of a gentleman. So what are you two going to do now?"ÿ "Well, I figured that I'd finish college, and Jenny would get enrolled in the local school. Maybe learn something for once in a classroom. After that, I don't know. Just play it by ear. I just know we're happy. Jenny's been scarfing down food for the last two weeks, and has gained a lot of weight back. The bruises have faded, and she seems happy."ÿ "Good. I might have kept her at my house, but I don't know how my parents would have handled it. It's crowded as it is. And I figured that she'd be happier with you, anyway."ÿ "Thanks for sending her to me, Kallie. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't helped her when she needed it."ÿ "We're best friends. She's really my only friend. I wanted what was best for her, even if it meant that I wouldn't be able to see her much anymore."ÿ "Well, you can always write, call each other." We had come back full circle, and were now back on her street. I pulled into the driveway, ignoring her little brothers who were making faces at me through the windshield and reached for a piece of paper, writing Jenny's and my address and phone number on it. "Call in a couple of days, collect. I'm sure Jenny will be glad to talk to you." I reached for my wallet and pulled out what had amounted to her life's savings before she had used it to get Jenny to me. "Here's your life savings back. Thanks." I tried to hand it to her.ÿ "No, tell her I wanted to help. It seems like if I took it back it wouldn't mean as much. She's helped me a lot, too. I consider it kinda a payback."ÿ I nodded, and stuffed the money back in my wallet. "You're smarter than you look, Kallie."ÿ "Tell that to my parents." Kallie laughed. "That's my Mom glaring at is from the front door. I'd better go."ÿ "Good talking to you. I'm leaving tommorrow morning at nine. I'll tell Jenny that you said hello. If she'll talk to me when I get back." I grimaced. "She didn't appreciate it much when I left her at her doctor's house while I was gone. Said that she could take care of herself, but I didn't want to leave her alone."ÿ "Sounds like Jenny to me. Don't worry, she'll come around." Kallie kissed me on the cheek. I looked at her in surprise. "Well, if I'm gonna get teased, I may as well give it a little substance." she grinned at me. I grinned back.ÿ "Take care." I called as she got out. She slammed the door and waved as I backed out of the driveway. I headed for the Walker's house, figuring I'd be just in time for dinner.ÿ ÿ End Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen ---------------- I had dinner with the Walkers that night. They managed to drag the fact that I was living with someone out of me, and I spent the next hour trying to describe her without telling them who she was or her age. I went back to the house, went up stairs and collapsed on the familiar bed. It was a little dusty, but by then I didn't really care. I just wanted to sleep. I got up early the next morning and took a quick shower. My plane left at nine that morning, and I still had to drive to Sandfield. The plane trip was hell. The standard screaming kid was sitting behind me and the in-flight movie from Portland to Sacramento was a corny G-rated movie with talking animals. By the time I landed I was in a thoroughly bad mood. I picked up my car and noticed it had a new dent in the rear bumper. 'Just one more of many.' I grumbled to myself as I tossed the boxes of clothes into the back seat. The clasp on Jenny's locket was broken, so I stopped by a few jewelers before I could find one that would fix it while I waited. It wasn't cheap, but I figured it was worth it to see Jenny's face when I gave it to her. I was looking forward to seeing her again, this trip was the first time I had been apart from her for more than an hour at a time since she had moved in. Jenny ran out to meet me when she heard the rattle of my car pulling into Dr. Sampson's driveway. She jumped up and hugged me around the neck when I climbed out of the car. She smelled clean, and I noticed that her hair was slightly damp. I wanted to kiss her, but was curtailed when Dr. Sampson walked out the front door, smiling. "So, how'd it go? Did they sign the papers?" Jenny asked excitedly. "Wait a minute. Dr. Sampson's has a right to know, too." I said, letting Jenny down as he walked up to us. "Welcome back. I'm guessing it went well." Dr. Sampson smiled and shook my hand. I smiled and reached into the car and pulled out the manila envelope and pulled the papers out, handing them to him. He scanned them quickly, and smiled. "Well, Jenny, looks like you have yourself a permanent place to stay from now on." he announced. Jenny squealed and hugged me again, this time forgetting about being careful around Dr. Sampson. She kissed me full on the lips, and started crying. I held her as she let out the tension that had been building up over the past few weeks as she waited to find out what would happen. I looked up, praying that he hadn't seen Jenny kiss me the way that she had. From the look of surprise on his face, I could tell he had. I could almost hear the gears turning as he sorted out what had been going on for the last few weeks. "I'm sorry." Jenny said a few minutes later, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "I didn't mean to start crying, I'm just happy, that's all." Dr. Sampson nodded. I could see what was coming. He looked me straight in the eye and dropped the bomb. "You two are more than just good friends, aren't you?" he said evenly. Jenny gasped and looked at Dr. Sampson as she realized what she had done to bring that question on. "Yes, Dr. Sampson. We are." I replied, looking defiantly at him. "I should have guessed from the beginning. If I had known when you brought her in...well, let's not discuss that. But I know you and Jenny, now. I can look at you and see that you care for each other. Jenny has been recovering nicely, and I don't think that it could have happened as quickly as it did if it hadn't been for you, Alex. I can't say I approve, but I can't condemn you, either." "You're a bit more open minded than other people, Dr. Sampson. Thank you for your help with Jenny and I." "My pleasure. I hope that the two of you will be as happy living together in a permanent arrangement as you seem to have been in the last couple of weeks." "I know I've been happy the last few weeks, and I think Alex has been, too." Jenny said with a smile. "Well then, good luck. Remember you have another appointment with me in two weeks, Jenny. I'll see you then. I'm sure you two want to get home, and Alex here looks like he could use a few hours of sleep." "I sure could." I said. Thanking him again, Jenny and I climbed into the car. We waved as I backed out of the driveway, and headed for the place I could now truly call home. ***** I pulled Jenny into a deep embrace as soon as the door to our apartment was closed. "I missed you." I murmured into her ear. "I missed you too. But I've barely had any sleep in the last two days. The dreams kept waking me up, but I didn't have you to hold me." "Well, I should be around now. You don't have to wake up alone again. Eventually the dreams will go away." We moved to the couch and sat in the dim light leaking from around the curtains on the windows. "I hope the dreams will go away. They aren't as bad as the were when I came here." "They won't disappear overnight. They have to fade over time, as the memories of what happened fade." Jenny sighed and lay down, her head on my lap. I began to idly trace her face, feeling the familiar lines under my fingertips. "So they just signed the papers? It doesn't sound like them to me." "They argued a little bit. Your father growled, but your mother made him sign. That reminds me, I got something else from them." I reached into my shirt pocket and pulled the locket out, the chain jingling. "You got it back! How? I thought I'd never see it again." Jenny took it from my hand and held it in front of her face, watching it glimmer in the dim light. "I can be very persuasive. I had the chain fixed before I picked you up. I figured you would want it back." "Yes! You don't know how important it is to me. I haven't felt right without feeling it hanging around my neck." "I know. That's why I got it back." "I seem to be saying thank you a lot these days, but thanks." She fastened the chain around her neck and lay down again, opening the locket to display our images. "What do you think will happen in the next few years? Now that I'm legally supposed to live with you until I'm eighteen? Somehow I don't think that it would last that long if the 'authorities' knew that we were sleeping in the same bed." I laughed. "We'll deal with it as it comes, Jenny. That's really all you can do in life, anyway. I'll finish college, you'll finish high school and go on to college if you like, and we'll see where we end up." "Will we end up together?" I looked down at her face, seeing the love in them, the trust. "I think we will, yes. I can't think of anything that would separate us, as long as we're careful and keep loving each other." "Good." she said, sitting up and wrapping her arms around my neck. "I can't think of anyone I'd rather be with than you." I kissed her and said, "I can't think of anyone I'd rather be with than you, either. So I think we'll be together for at least a little while longer." "Do I really need to go back to school?" she groaned. "Yes, I think so. Schools down here aren't like the schools back home. Maybe you'll actually learn something here. You can't just sit around here all day. You might get addicted to bon bons, and then when you're twenty, where will you be? Sitting on a couch unable to move, that's what." "Why would I not be able to move?" she asked, puzzled. "You wouldn't be able to move because they cute behind you have on you now will stick out half a foot, and your belly will have swelled to such proportions that you'll have to have your clothes custom made." I wasn't quite fast enough to dodge the pillow headed for my face. "What was that for?" I complained, rubbing my nose. "I think you know." she giggled. "Really? Well, I think I know what you need, little girl." "Little girl? I'm not a..." I put my hand over her mouth, muffling her protests. "Yes, I know exactly what you need. A good tickling lesson!" Jenny let out a muffled squeal and began to struggle, shaking her head against my palm. "Yes. Where shall I tickle her first? Ahh, this looks like a good place!" I tickled her in her stomach. She thrashed and pulled her mouth free of my hand, laughing. "Stop! Stop!" she cried, trying to catch her breath. "Do you apologize for hitting me with a pillow?" "Yes! Just stop!" she laughed, trying to pull my hand away from her stomach. I thought for a moment, continuing to tickle her. "Apology accepted." I said, letting her go. Mistake. With strength I kept forgetting she had, she wriggled up and managed to get her fingers into my sides, tickling mercilessly. "Nyaaagh!" I laughed, trying to pull her arms away. I got away by rolling onto the floor, only to have Jenny jump on top of me, pinning me to the floor. "Conniving wench!" I laughed, resisting weakly as she pinned my arms above my head. "Wench? Who's on top again, tickle-man?" she grinned down at me. I grinned back up at her. "You are. But who says I don't like you being there? Or even let you be on top?" She laughed. "Let's see you get free then." "You sure?" "Stop stalling and do it if you can. Otherwise, I'm going to have to take advantage of your position." She smiled saucily at me. She shrieked in surprise when I lifted my arms and grabbed her wrists, pulling them back against her body. I rolled over and pinned her in the same position she had just had me in a few seconds before. "Do I get to take advantage of your position now?" "How do you know I didn't let you get free so that you could take advantage of me?" "Try to get free now." I challenged. "I don't want to." "You don't want to, or you can't?" She lifted her head and kissed me, pushing her tongue deep in my mouth, nipping at my tongue. My grip weakened and suddenly she was on top again, still kissing me. "Can." she said, breaking the kiss. "No fair! Taking advantage of a man's weaknesses that way!" "Brains always outdo braun." "Really? I could roll us over and end up on top again, you know." "Not really. You see, I can feel you know what growing underneath me." She rolled her hips causing me to groan. "I have a little more control over you than just my strength." "I could just roll you over and take what I wanted, you know." "No, you can't." she purred seductively, burying her head against my neck, licking and sucking erotically. "Why not?" I said, breathing harder. "You're not that kind of person, and I know you would never do something like that to me." "You think you know me pretty well, don't you?" "Yes, I do." she said, pausing to look down at me, lusty fire gleaming in her dark eyes, her hair rolling over her left shoulder, tickling my face. "I also know that you won't resist when I let your arms go." She lifted her hands that were holding my wrists to the floor, and began to unbutton my shirt. "You're right again." I said, reaching down and running my hands down her back, pulling her blouse over her head. She stopped her work on my shirt to toss it off into a corner. Soon she had my shirt off and was rubbing her now erect nipples into my rough chest chair. She stopped to kiss me again, increasing the heat between us. I reached between us and undid the button of her jeans, pulling the zipper down. I could feel the heat of her pussy even through the thick material. Her scent wafted up to my nose as I slipped a hand inside and under the band of her panties. She gasped as my fingers came in contact with the damp lips of her pussy, pushing her hips toward my pleasure causing fingers, groaning as they found her clit. I quit after a few seconds, pulling my hand free to help my other hand pull her jeans down. Jenny wriggled the pants the rest of the way down her legs and kicked them off. Jenny was rolling her hips hard against me now, feeling the rough cloth of my pants rubbing her pussy through her now soaked through panties. She stopped and reached for my pants, almost ripping the button off and forcing the zipper down. I shucked them off, along with my boxers. Jenny pulled her panties off, and we were skin to skin. She rubbed her pussy over the length of my now rock hard cock, groaning. She lifted her hips, positioning herself over me, and sank down slowly onto my rod. A wanton look filled her eyes as she hit bottom, her pussy lips stretched tightly around my member. We froze for a few seconds, enjoying the feeling of our intimate connection. Then she began to move slowly up and down my rod, her pussy making quiet sucking noises as she pulled up and sank down. I watched in fascination as her pussy lips flipped outward on the upstroke, only to be pushed back inside as she lowered herself onto me again. She came with a load moan less than a minute after I entered her, the walls of her pussy rippling tightly around me. She recovered almost immediately, moving for another orgasm. She came again and again within only a few minutes, each stronger than the last, her cries of orgasm getting louder with each successive wave of pleasure. She was hotter than I had ever seen her. She had come twice or even three times during one round before, but she had come five times in a span of minutes! Each time she same, she only seemed to get tighter around me, moving faster, grinding her clit against my pubic bone on each stroke. Sweat dripped off her forehead onto my chest as she tossed her head from side to side, the damp ends of her hair swishing through the drops, spreading the film and mixing her sweat with mine. She looked into my eyes, a pleasure so intense it was almost pain shining from them. I moved with her, feeling her slick walls squelching around me, smelling the sweet pungent odor of sex fill the room. "It's so good!" she moaned. "God, it feels so good!" She pushed herself harder against me, sensing my being close, driving herself and me harder toward orgasm. We were smashing against each other, only caring about the impending orgasm welling up in each of us, a growing roar in our ears. Then it washed over us. "Unnnaaaaggghhhh!" Jenny screamed as she came, bucking hard one last time against me. I cried out as I felt her contract around me, fairly sucking the come from my balls. I groaned and let loose, a steam of semen shooting from the tip of my cock, filling her tight pussy, flooding her womb. Jenny was taught as a bowstring above me, her eyes clenched shut as her orgasm washed through her and slowly faded. She suddenly went limp, flopping on top of me. I could feel the combination of her juices and my come dripping down around my balls. I brushed her sweat dampened hair out of her eyes and kissed her, tasting the salty sweat on her sweet lips. "I love you Alex." she whispered in my ear, relaxing in the afterglow. "I love you too, Jenny." I whispered back. I slowly caressed her sweaty skin on the rug of the dark living room, relishing in the joys of life. Our life. End Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen ---------------- Jenny called Kallie the next day. They talked for over a half hour, much to my dismay when I saw the phone bill for that month. I went back to work to get enough money to pay for it and the rent. Jenny leveled out at a little under her old weight and seemed to have twice as much energy as when we first met. Or maybe I was just getting older. Jenny enrolled in the local public school, which wasn't too bad as far as pubic schools went. She struggled for the first few weeks, unaccustomed to actually having to work at getting good grades. I helped her out, and she soon climbed to the top of her class. She turned fourteen that September, and I nineteen when December rolled around. No one seemed to question us living together, or the fact that I was her legal guardian. Kallie kept us updated on Jenny's little sister Amanda. So far everything seemed fine. No one from our old home town seemed to miss us except for Kallie and Amanda. I hadn't heard from my father since he had left after our last confrontation, and Jenny's parents certainly weren't about to call us just to say hello, either. An occasional letter managed to slip through from Amanda, who gave the letters to Kallie to send. Not wanting to risk getting Amanda in trouble, Jenny had Kallie also forward the letters to Amanda for her. Three, then six months passed. We slipped into routine, myself attending college from seven A.M. until noon. I'd work for six or seven hours, then come home to Jenny. We'd make dinner and do our homework together then relax and read a good book or listen to music, as we had always enjoyed doing together. It never seemed to get dull or boring. We became closer if possible, and only separated during school hours. Jenny and I had made a few friends who jokingly referred to us as the Siamese twins, joined at the hip. We celebrated our first anniversary that January. This time Jenny cooked and I was pampered. The spaghetti was definitely of higher quality, the French bread store bought. Our last attempt at bread making during our weekly "try something new night" had failed miserably, resulting in some very flat overcooked bread and two people covered in flour and dough. The best part of it was the very through scrubbing we enjoyed together later in the shower. We still had very little money, but managed to scrape together small gifts for each other. I gave her a pair of earrings, she gave me a new watch to replace the one I had lost to a wad of bread dough, another of the causes for the demise of our bread experiments. We talked of old times, old friends, and old problems now solved. The one year hump had passed, and we were more in love than we had been in that first rush of emotion a year before. We toasted ourselves, hoping for another year together, and longer. We made love that night, two candles replacing the fireplace we had lain in front of so many times in the past. We slowed down to soft caresses afterwards, watching the flames lick at the wax of the candles, slowly burning down their wicks. Our eyes closed before the flames petered out, holding each other and dreaming of our future. ***** "Alex, can you come down to my office as soon as possible?" Dr. Sampson asked. "Why? Is Jenny all right?" I asked, fear freezing my heart. Jenny had gone to see him earlier that day. She hadn't been feeling well all week. "Oh, she's fine. More than fine, actually. I just need to discuss something important with the two of you." I glanced at my watch. "Well, my lunch break is in thirty minutes. I'll see if I can't get my boss to let me out a little early." "Good, I'll see you in a few minutes then." He hung up. I set the phone back on it's hook slowly, my mind whirling with worry despite the doctor's reassuring me that everything was fine. I went talk to my boss, who let me out when I explained to him why I needed to go early. I think the look of fear on my face was his main motivator. I had to force myself to drive slowly to Dr. Sampson's office. He met me in waiting room and led me back to where Jenny was sitting on one of the examination tables. "Are you all right?" I asked, rushing over to her and giving her a hug. "I'm fine. At least that's what Dr. Sampson said. I don't know why he called you down here. He just said it was important that we both hear this at the same time." I wrapped my arms around her waist and turned to where Dr. Sampson was standing in the corner, looking a little uncomfortable. "So, what did you need to talk to us about?" I asked. "Well, I don't really know how to say this. You could take this as a good or a bad thing." He took a deep breath. "Jenny, the bouts of nausea you've been having aren't the stomach flu, it's morning sickness. You're a month pregnant." I could feel the blood drain from my face. Jenny let out a little gasp and suddenly fainted, going limp and nearly rolling off the table before I caught her. Frankly, I felt like joining her. I lifted her back up onto the examination table, and sat beside her still unconscious body. I looked over at Dr. Sampson. "You're sure? It's not a mistake?" He nodded. "I ran the test three times. She's absolutely pregnant. Here, let's see if we can bring her around. We need to discuss this." He reached into one of the cupboards and brought out some smelling salts. I took them from him, wanting her to see me when she woke up. I held it under her nose, and she woke up with a start. Pressing her back down into the cushioning of the table, I told her to relax. "Oh god Alex, what are we going to do? I'm not ready for this..." "Ssshh." I said, putting a finger to her lips. "We'll deal with it. It's our responsibility. I should have realized this would happen sooner or later." Dr. Sampson coughed. "So, I'm guessing that you're the father?" I nodded slowly, the words almost overloading my mind. 'Father? Me, a Father? I don't think I'm ready for this, either.' I thought. "I figured that you were. That's the main reason why I called you down here. Now, you two have some choices to make. You don't have to make them right away, but as time goes on, it'll be tougher to make them." I said I understood and Jenny agreed. "Well, you have three decisions. Abortion..." "No!" Jenny and I said simultaneously. "Okay. Abortion is out. That leaves adoption and of course, keeping the baby. I'll give you some papers, and some literature for you to both read. Call me when you make a decision. I suggest that you both go home and have a long talk about this." We nodded numbly, and took the stack of papers on the way out of the office. We drove home in silence, each lost in our own thoughts, still in shock. I called my boss and told him I wouldn't back in that day due to a family emergency. Then we sat on the couch. We held each other, then Jenny began to cry. I stroked her hair and rocked her, trying to calm her down. I felt a few of my own tears mix with hers. "I'm scared Alex." she sobbed. "I'm scared too, Jenny. But we'll work it out. We always have in the past, and we can deal with this." "But I'm, we're not ready for this! We talked about it, but never this soon. Maybe a few years down the road, but not when I'm only fourteen!" "Yes, I know. But it's happened now, and the question is, what are we going to decide?" I already knew what I wanted. But I wasn't going to force my opinion on Jenny, no matter how important the issue was to me. It was an important decision for both of us. If she chose to give up our child then I would go along, and never tell her how I felt. But I knew that I wanted this baby. I wanted to know the child I had fathered, whether it be a boy or a girl. But she had to carry it for nine months, she had to suffer through delivery. "I don't know. I just don't know." She placed a hand on her belly, as if trying to feel the child growing inside her. "It's okay, Jenny. Don't decide now. I think we both need to sleep on this. It's too difficult to make a decision now. But I want you to know that I'll go with what you feel is right. I'll support you as I always have, but I think this has to be your decision. I'll be ready to be a father if you decide to keep the baby, or not to be if you decide you want to give it up." "I'm just so confused...I can't even think straight. All that keeps swirling through my head is 'I'm pregnant. Oh my god, I'm pregnant'." "I can understand that. I'm not much better. Let's just go to bed. Maybe it won't be so hazy tomorrow." Jenny agreed and we went to bed, even though it was only a little after eight. We were both exhausted, the shock draining us. We barely managed to strip off our clothes and flop onto the bed. We curled up together and passed out. I slept soundly for the first few hours, dreams of babies of all shapes and sizes floating around my head. Babies with rattles, babies in diapers, babies smiling, crying, cooing, smelling of talcum powder. The I was woken by Jenny shaking my shoulder violently, the determined look I knew so well in her eyes. "Alex! Wake up! I had this dream...she was talking to me! Telling me, telling me..." She stopped, confusion settling on her face like a mask, covering the excitement of a few seconds before. "Jenny, it was just a dream! Relax." Light fired up in her eyes again, and the determined look surfaced again. "No, it wasn't just a dream. Our baby, Alex, our baby told me in my dream that we should keep her...and Alex, I agree." I sat up. "Jenny, what are you saying?" "I'm saying I think we should keep the baby." "Jenny, I don't know if you should base your decision on a dream." I said seriously, trying to keep my feelings bottled up. "Alex, I knew that I wanted to keep the baby. I just didn't want to admit it to myself. I was worried about what would happen if I decided to keep it, and you really didn't. I was scared about being a mother, but now I know that I need to do it. Not only for the baby, but for us, too." "You're sure?" I asked. She took a deep breath. "Yes, I am." I smiled and hugged her. "Good, because I want to keep the baby too." "You do? Really? I was afraid that you didn't want to be a father yet. You never seemed too sure about it when we talked about it." "I wasn't, until I was sitting in Dr. Sampson's office with you. Somehow I knew I wanted to be a father as soon as the news was out of his mouth." I looked at Jenny. "I love you more than anything, Jenny. I'll love this baby just as much as I love you." Jenny smiled. "I'm glad that you want to keep her as much as I do." "So am I. Now, what's all this business about 'she'? We don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet." "It's a girl." Jenny said, certainty in her voice. "But how do you know?" I insisted. "I just do. Trust me." "Okay. If you say it's a girl, it's a girl." I said, giving in. Jenny curled up against me. "What do you think it will be like when my belly starts getting big?" she asked. "Well, I'm guessing you'll get the standard 'pregnant woman' courtesy from anyone you run across. Your feet will start to hurt. Your bladder will fill to capacity every couple of minutes. And you'll be more beautiful to me than you've ever been." "You always did know how to sweet talk me." Jenny laughed. "Well, I have to practice dealing with those mood swings." Jenny groaned and swatted me in the shoulder playfully. Then we looked into each other's eyes, seeing our excitement and fear reflected in them. She grabbed my hand and rested it on her stomach. "Feel anything?" she asked. I shook my head no, but kept my hand where it was. It still amazed me to know that our child, our daughter if Jenny was correct, was growing inside her. And somehow, lying there with my hand on her belly, I knew she was. End Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen --------------- Dr. Sampson looked surprised the next day when we stopped by his office and told him that we were keeping the baby. He didn't say anything, but I knew he had expected us to decide to give the baby up. We had thrown off his assumptions about us again, and I think he was beginning to see how deep the relationship was between Jenny and I. He sat us down and talk to us about what would be going on over the next few months, and the legal problems we might have to face. He told us it was best if Jenny didn't say who the father was, since it could mean quite a bit of trouble for us if the more conservative members of the community found out. It's not every day that a fourteen year old girl gets pregnant by her 19 year old legal guardian. We already knew this, and planned to keep the fact that she was pregnant secret as long as possible. Rumors can get ugly, and we had no doubts that people would be suspicious of us, especially our friends. He also went over nutrition changes she would need to have a healthy baby and gave us the approximate due date, September twelveth. Almost a week before Jenny's fifteenth birthday. That put the date of conception pretty much right where we figured it would be, our first anniversary. Dr. Sampson ended his lecture, telling Jenny to come see him at least every two weeks, if not more often if she felt the need. Jenny and I did feverous research, learning all we could about pregnancy and raising a child. More than once we fell asleep on the couch while reading a particularly boring book, but kept at it. We resisted the urge to go out and start buying baby items, knowing that if we did it would be likely to blow the secret wide open. But when Jenny's belly began to swell noticeably, it became difficult. Her or my friends started commenting on Jenny's sudden weight gain, joking with her or I about 'weight watchers' or 'Better start buying that low fat ice cream'. Jenny and I just took it all in fun. Kallie was the only one we told. She kept quiet when we asked, but I knew it was a strain on her. When we called her and told her she was going to be a godmother, she laughed as if we were joking. When we told her we weren't there was a long pause, something quite unusual when you were talking to Kallie. Then there was a classic Kallie remark. "Haven't you two ever heard of something called a rubber?" When we didn't reply, she just said "I thought so. Next time, think of it." Then she laughed and said congratulations, and to send her plenty of pictures. Jenny had Kallie tell Amanda and swore her to secrecy. I could imagine the look on Amanda's face when she found out. Dr. Sampson viewed our belief that the baby was female with skepticism until he confirmed it after Jenny's first ultrasound three months into her pregnancy. He jokingly asked us if we knew anything else about the baby that he as the doctor should know. We told him we'd get back to him if anything popped up. About four months in one of Jenny's friends commented that Jenny looked more pregnant than overweight and started laughing. At least until she noticed that Jenny hadn't joined in, and who in fact turning bright red and looking more than a little scared. Then our secret was out. Still, we managed to keep it in our small circle of friends, who were surprisingly supportive. More than one guessed that I was the father. They knew that Jenny and I were inseparable. They also knew she hadn't been seeing anyone in the last few months, and had repeatedly turned down date offers. It was only logical, and they told us. We didn't say anything to confirm it, but that proved it to them almost as much as if we had come straight out and said it. But there comes a point where you just can't hide it anymore. We thought we were doing pretty well, and the one evening Jenny met me at the door, pale as a sheet. She fell into my arms and started to cry. I hugged her and wondered if this was just another mood swing or something serious. But she didn't usually fall apart like this, unless something bad had happened. I led her to the couch and sat down, taking her with me. I finally got the story out of her after she had calmed down some. "I got called down to the counselor's office today. I was scared, since you know how I look now, it's pretty noticeable. Mr. Simmons took me into his office and sat me down. From the grim look on his face I knew that he had figured out that I was pregnant. "He said I knew I knew why I was down there, and told me he wanted to know the father's name, when I became pregnant, and if I had seen a doctor yet. I told him it was none of his business. Then he got a little angry, and demanded to know, or he said he would put me in detention 'until I had the baby on the floor' if he needed too. I told him to go to hell and ran out of his office. I left school, came home and waited for you to get back from work." I had listened to her story patiently, holding in my anger so I wouldn't upset Jenny. "You're not going to school tomorrow." I said, in what I hoped was a calm voice. "I'm going to have a visit with Mr. Simmons." "What are you going to do?" she asked, almost fearfully. "I'm just going to have a talk with him, that's all." I said grimly. "Alex, please don't hit him like you hit my father. He might press charges, and I don't want to take the chance of losing you." "Who told you that I hit your father?" I asked, surprised. I had 'left out' the part about my punching him when I had told her what had happened after my visit to Oregon. "Kallie did. What did you think? That you could hide it from me?" She giggled, obviously feeling better. "Well, yes." I stammered. "If you didn't want me to know, you shouldn't have told Kallie. She tells me everything." I grunted. "One of these days I'll figure that out." "But then I'll never find out any of your secrets." she laughed. "I think that's the point." She just smiled and mumbled something about being tired. I glanced at the clock, which read a little after nine. Over the last few months Jenny had been going to bed progressively earlier. She seemed to tire easily and I attributed it to her pregnancy. Helping her up, I led her into the bedroom. We stripped and got into bed, me leaning against the headboard with Jenny reclining against me. I traced the curve of her stomach. What had been the flat surface of a firm fourteen year old belly now bulged gently outward a few inches. The date four short months away seemed to loom in front of us. We had known sooner or later that the word would get out about Jenny's being pregnant, and it seemed that it had finally happened. In a way I was glad. But the people at Hawkins Junior High School, in particular Mr. Simmons, would find out it wasn't a good idea to upset Jenny. If they upset Jenny, they upset me, and when I'm upset, you had better watch out. ***** I drove up to Hawkins Junior High around nine AM the next morning. I was dressed to intimidate. I looked every bit the banker, from the expensive tie down to the shiny black leather shoes. I marched in the door to the front office, staring down the secretary that sat behind the waist high counter blocking the rest of the office from visitors. "I'd like to see Mr. Simmons." I said, looking down at her with an expression as condescending as I could manage. "Yes sir. What is the reason for your visit?" she asked politely. "Just tell him I'm here to talk about Jenny Baker." She nodded and picked up the phone. Talking rapidly for a few seconds, she set the receiver down on the hook. "He'll see you in his office. It's just down the..." I cut her off. "I know where it is. Thank you." I walked stiffly down the hall, keeping my face expressionless as a few children walked by me. The counselor's office was a small room, split into four offices for each of the guidance counselors. I picked the one with Mr. Simmon's name on it and knocked. Someone yelled 'come in' from the other side of the door. I opened it, revealing a tiny office, a desk situated so that the window back lit it, emphasizing the shiny bald spot on top of Mr. Simmon's pudgy head. When he heard me walk in he spun around slowly in his chair from where he had been looking out the window and looked at me, almost as if he was a king looking down on a lowly peasant. "Ahh." he said. "I'm guessing you're the one who has come to see me. Please, sit down." "I'd rather stand, thank you. I won't be long." He nodded. "Fine, then. Let's get to why you came to see me. The secretary told me you came to talk about Jenny Baker. How do you know her?" "I'm Mr. Braxton, Jenny's guardian. I understand you called her down here yesterday. When I came home I found her there, very upset about what you had said to her." "I see. What did she tell you that I said?" he said carefully. "That you had asked her about her pregnancy. When she refused to answer your questions, you threatened her with, what was it...'Detention until she had her baby on the floor'?" He snorted. "I said nothing of the sort. I mearly asked her who the father was, and if she had seen a doctor yet." "Are you saying, Mr. Simmons, that Jenny is lying?" I glared at him with barely concealed hatred. "Oh, I wouldn't say that. Just a small untruth. Children tell them sometimes." he said soothingly. I felt greasy just talking to him. "Mr. Simmons, I don't think Jenny is lying, I think you are." His nostrils flared and he lurched forward, rolls of fat rasping against the leather upholstered arms of his chair. "Are you calling me a liar?" he sputtered in rage. "Yes, I am." I said coolly. Suddenly I dropped forward. I stared at him, slowly lowering my hands to the desk in front of me until my face was no more than six inches away from his. "Jenny is pregnant, yes. But it is none of your business. I have no faith in you so called 'guidance counselors'. I have a firm belief that you often do more harm than good. Now, you upset Jenny. I want you to know something very important. If you upset Jenny, you upset me. And trust me when I say this, Mr. Simmons. I'm not a good person to be around when I'm upset. Especially when that person near me is the cause of my being upset. Don't touch her, don't talk to her. Leave her alone. If you don't, you and this school will find itself at the wrong end of some extensive litigation, where your record here would be thoroughly investigated. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Simmons?" He nodded slowly. "Good. That was the only purpose of my visit here. Good day." With that, I turned on my heal and walked out, his gaze drilling into my back. ***** Jenny never asked me what I said to Mr. Simmons. But I could tell she wanted to when I came home that night and told her that she could go back to school and not have to worry about being bothered. We were both glad when the school year ended. Word had of course gotten out about Jenny being pregnant, and she was soon the center of school gossip once again. Jenny and I kept up on our morning walks, the distances becoming less and less as the baby grew within her. Her choice of meals got a little odd; I had heard of this in various books. But I had never thought that lime Jell-O with olives suspended in it would appeal to even a pregnant woman, but Jenny loved it, eating huge bowls of it at a time. She couldn't tell me why, and she never ate it again after the baby was born. June rolled into July and then into August, and Jenny became very obviously pregnant. As time went on she rarely left the apartment unless I was driving, preferring to stay inside by the air conditioner with a good book. There is no one more miserable than a girl almost eight months pregnant sitting out in the sun, the thermometer topping off at a hundred and five degrees. I did what I could to make her comfortable and to support her, but it wasn't easy. I rubbed her feet, massaged her back, and made her Jell-O. The mood swings were disorienting for both of us. One minute she would be telling jokes, the next she'd be crying on my shoulder. But we worked through it. Then our daughter arrived a bit earlier than we had planned. End Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen --------------- It was early morning in late August when Jenny woke me. "Alex, think it's time." she panted, holding her stomach. "Time?" I asked groggily. "Time!" I said, as realization of what she had just said hit me. "But she's not due for another couple of weeks!" "I don't think she cares!" she groaned in pain as a contraction rolled over her. "Okay, okay!" I said, jumping out of bed and running back and forth at it's foot aimlessly, starting to panic. "How far apart are the contractions?" I asked, frantically searching for the suitcase Jenny had packed. "About five minutes." "Five minutes? How long have you been having them?" I asked, shocked that they were already that close. "Half an hour. But I thought it was just cramps. But now I'm pretty sure it isn't." She gasped as the next contraction started. "Well, remember to breathe! I'll call the hospital and Dr. Sampson, you...well, just stay here and yell if you need me." "Okay." she gasped. I ran out of the bedroom, wondering at how calm she seemed to be. I wasn't as I hit the speed dial button for Dr. Sampson. Jenny had put it there, along with the hospital's number. 'She always thinks of these things, thank god.' I thought as I listened to the line ring. Dr. Sampson picked up. "Hello?" he said groggily. "Dr. Sampson! This is Alex...I think Jenny's gone into labor!" I almost yelled into the receiver. "Calm down, Alex. Let's make sure it's for real. How far apart are the contractions?" "Jenny said five minutes. She just woke me up a couple minutes ago." "All right. What did she eat for dinner? Are you sure it's not just stomach pains?" "Uhh, I don't know...." Then Jenny cried out from the bedroom. I dropped the phone on the floor and rushed into the bedroom. "Oh my god!" I said, seeing the wet spot spreading across the bed where Jenny was laying. "I think my water just broke." Jenny said, fear clear in her eyes as she looked at me, as she realized that this was really happening. I ran out of the room, only to screech to a stop and rush back in. "Are you all right?" I asked her, eyes wide. "Besides the fact that I'm having a baby, I'm fine!" she growled as another contraction started. I nodded and ran back out to the living room, grabbing up the receiver again. "Her water just broke!" I cried, dancing from foot to foot like a little kid who needed to use the bathroom. "Well, that generally means that it's for real. Get her to the hospital, and I'll head out now." "Yeah, yeah. I'll do that. See you there!" I slammed down the phone, then ran for the bedroom. I took another millimeter or so of rubber off the soles of my shoes as I stopped and ran back to the phone to call the hospital, thankful again for the speed dialing. After that was done, I raced in and told Jenny we were going to the hospital. "About time!" she groaned. I helped her out of bed and down to the car, glad that I had parked so close. I had climbed into the drivers seat and inserted the key into the ignition before I realized that I had forgotten the suitcase. I leapt out of the car and ran back into the apartment, remembering to lock the door this time on my way out. My tires squealed as I drove out of the parking lot. Jenny screamed for me to slow down, telling me we still had time. I kept it at ten over the limit, thankful for the light traffic of early morning. The sun was just peaking over the horizon as we pulled into the parking lot. I ran in and got a nurse with a wheelchair to help Jenny inside. A moment later Dr. Sampson drove up. He smiled at us as he walked in. "Well, it seems that she decided to come out a couple of weeks early, eh?" he said, the usual twinkle in his eye. "Will she be all right?" Jenny asked, worried. "Oh, a couple weeks early shouldn't be a problem. We'll get you checked in, and take a look." We got Jenny into her room, the contractions now two minutes apart. Dr. Sampson was surprised that it was going so quickly, especially on a first birth. I stayed by Jenny, the contractions being painful to the point that she was sweating profusely, screaming every time one came on. I held her best I could, wiping her brow and looking into her fear and pain filled eyes. The time finally came, and Dr. Sampson lifted Jenny's legs into the stirrups. When the next contraction started, he told her to push. I encouraged her as she strained, pushing hard. I watched in amazement as our daughter's head started to emerge. He told her to push again, and out popped her head, then her shoulder. One more push, and she was out. A few seconds later, I heard the scream of a newborn baby girl crying for the first time. The nurses cleared the baby's nose and mouth and cleaned her off, then wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to me, smiling as I gazed proudly down at my baby daughter. I carried her over to a tired, sore but happy Jenny and handed the baby to her. She cradled her in her arms, seeming to smile brighter than I had ever seen her smile before. Tears began to roll down her face. "She's beautiful." I whispered to her. As I looked at out daughter's face, her eyes slowly opened. I looked into the deepest blue eyes that I have ever seen. ***** Jenny and the baby stayed at the hospital for the next few days. There were no complications. The baby was healthy, weighing in at seven pounds, three ounces. Five toes on each foot, four fingers and a thumb on each perfect little hand. Jenny and I couldn't figure out where she had gotten her blue eyes from, until I remembered that my mother had had blue eyes. But that, it seemed, was the only thing that seemed to come from my side of the family. She looked very much like her mother, from the dark brown of her sparse hair to her pale white skin. We decided on a name only a few hours after her birth. We named her Skyla, a name from a book we had both read. With her sky blue eyes, it seemed to fit her well. Her birth certificate read "Father unknown". That stung me. Over the last few months and particularly the last few days, I had come to love Jenny more than I had ever thought possible. And now I had my daughter to love as well. But legally she wasn't my daughter. Her father was 'unknown', and that hurt more than I had thought it would. I set up Skyla's crib next to Jenny's and my bed. The only other place to put it would be the living room, and we figured it would be easier if she was in the same room as we were. The room was small enough that you could practically reach her by just sitting up in bed and reaching over the crib bars. We planned to get a two bedroom apartment in the future, but for now it was perfect. Jenny and Skyla came home a few days later. We put her to bed in her new crib, then watched her sleep. I wrapped my arms around Jenny and hugged her. "Can we procreate or what?" I joked. Jenny smiled. "We sure can. We're very lucky." I kissed her on the head. "Jenny, let's go into the living room. I need to talk to you about something." "What?" she asked, curious. "You'll see. Just come on." I walked toward the living room, pulling her with me away from the crib. She looked back once more and followed me into the living room. Motioning for her to sit on the couch, I sat down facing her. "Over the last few months, I've been thinking a lot about us. Pretty soon we'll have been together for two years. We've been living together for more than one, and now we have a daughter. I saw her birth certificate, and noticed where it said the fathers name. It didn't have mine, but instead said 'unknown'. I knew that it wouldn't, but it bothered me. It bothered me a lot." "What are you saying, Alex?" she asked, looking a little curious. I took a deep breath, feeling a little shaky. "I need to ask you something." "You know you can ask me anything. So go on." "All right." I reached into my pocket, holding my hands together so she couldn't see what I had pulled out. "This is the most important question I've ever asked you, Jenny. I've loved you I think since the day I first saw you shivering in the cold on that bus. I think I'll always love you. And that's why I'm asking you this now." I opened my hands, revealing a black velvet covered case. I pulled it open, reveling the glittering ring inside. "Jenny, will you marry me?" She gasped, her jaw dropping open in shock. For a few seconds she just stared at me, and at the ring. My heart stopped for those few seconds, more scared in that moment that she would say no than I had ever been at any other time in my life. "Oh Alex!" she whispered. "You mean it? I didn't expect you to..." she stopped, at a loss of words. "I mean it, Jenny. All you have to do is say yes or no. But I hope with all my heart you'll say yes." "Yes." she whispered. "Yes. You know I love you and Skyla more than anything. I would have said yes two weeks ago, six months ago, a year ago. I'll marry you." We sat in silence for a couple of seconds, letting what we had just said sink in. Then we leapt into each other's arms. I hugged her tightly against me. She began to cry, and I could feel my own tears dripping off my cheeks and soaking into her hair. I took her hand and pulled the ring from the case. Then I took her hand and slid the ring over her finger. I kissed her and she settled into my arms. I looked at her, the girl I was going to marry. If you had told me before I met Jenny that I would be engaged to a beautiful girl by the time I was nineteen, I would never have believed you. Now I was engaged to be married, and I had a child. A shocking turn of events for less than two years. But, finally, we would be together, with no one able to separate us. Finally, we would both have a real family. Just Jenny, Skyla, and Me. ***** A few seconds later we heard Skyla crying from the bedroom. Jenny and I got up and went into the bedroom to check on her. "She's hungry." Jenny said, beginning to unbutton her blouse. "How can you tell?" I asked, confused. "I just can, that's all." She pulled the blouse off, letting her milk swollen breasts bounce free. I stared. She picked up Skyla and sat down on the bed. I put a couple of pillows behind her back, propping her up against the headboard. She tickled Skyla's cheek with her nipple, then led it to her mouth, letting her suckle. I watched with interest through the entire, obviously practiced, routine. Somehow I had managed to never see Jenny nurse Skyla in all the times I had seem them at the hospital. I sat next to her on the bed so I could watch. Jenny shifted position until she was leaning comfortably against me. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I helped her support Skyla. "Why does this fascinate me so much?" I said, taking Skyla's hand in mine, running my thumb over the skin on the back of her tiny wrinkled hand. "Because she's your baby daughter. I think you'll be fascinated by most everything she does for a while." "I can't believe how small she is. What if I hurt her by accident? I have no experience with babies, only what I've read in books." "Dr. Sampson said to do what comes naturally. He also said he had faith that we'd be good parents to her. You're a gentle person, and I think that you'll be as gentle as you can possibly be with her. Don't worry so much about it." "I'm a father. I'm supposed to worry." "It's going to be interesting to see how you react when she goes out on her first date." Jenny laughed. "First date? She's less than a month old, and you're talking about first dates? My god, and here I was worried about changing my first diaper!" I said, shaking my head. "Alex, relax. Her first date won't happen until she's at least six." She started laughing again when she saw the look on my face. Skyla was having a hard time keeping her mouth on Jenny's breast. "Okay, okay. You can stop laughing now. I realize you were just joking." I grumbled. Jenny just laughed harder, until it stopped abruptly when I leaned over suddenly and kissed her. She pulled back a few seconds later, still smiling. "The nurses were right when they said new fathers are the most gullible people on the planet when it comes to their children." "Conniving women. Can't trust any of them." I grumbled. Jenny laughed some more. "Conniving? Us? We're just innocents, here for you strong men to manipulate and take care of us, and to raise the children," she snickered. "Hey, if you keep laughing like this, we're going to have to start bottle feeding Skyla." I said, ignoring her last remark and pointed down to where Skyla was still struggling to keep Jenny's nipple from escaping her mouth. "Oops, sorry Skyla. I think she's almost full anyway." Still, she managed to keep from laughing until Skyla finished a few minutes later. "Do you want to hold her?" She asked. "I've love to." So far I'd only been able to hold her for a few minutes until the nurses came and stole her away from me. Sklya whined a bit when Jenny handed her to me, but relaxed again when she settled into my arms. I leaned back against the headboard. Jenny lay down, head propped up on one arm. "You look so proud you could burst." she said, watching me look adoringly down at Skyla, who had fallen asleep in my arms, much to my delight. "I am. I've never helped create anything so perfect in my life." She smiled, understanding how I felt. "You wanted to keep her from the moment you found out I was pregnant, didn't you?" she asked. "Yes." I said absently, not really paying attention to what she was saying. I was too busy watching Skyla's chest rising and falling rhythmically. "And if I had told you I wanted to give her up for adoption, you would never have told me that you wanted to keep her, would you? You would have let yourself be miserable, never knowing who your child was, just to give me that choice?" I sighed, letting my head fall back and thump against the wall. "Jenny, I told you that it was your choice, one I felt you had to make for yourself. If I protested and insisted that we kept the baby, I might have pushed you into something you weren't ready for. I might have alienated you, and you might have left, no matter what you say you would have done now. I would rather have lost the baby to adoption than to run the risk of loosing you and the baby. Losing the baby would have hurt, but losing you and the baby would have destroyed me." Jenny considered this, and slid up next to me resting her head on my shoulder and looking down at where Skyla slept in my arms. "I'm glad I decided to keep her." "So am I. More than you'll ever know." Jenny looked up into my eyes. "I think I know, Alex. Just by looking at you when you're near her, or even when you're just thinking about her. I also know that you'll never hurt her, just as you've never hurt me. You will be a wonderful father." "And you will be a wonderful mother." I said, kissing her. The dry southwestern wind billowed out the curtains on the open window as two new parents watching their newborn daughter sleep in their arms, the soft sound of her breathing filling their ears. End Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen ----------------- The first month Skyla was home was a blur of crying, sleeping, wedding preparations, phone calls, and visits from friends. Most of which asked me why it took me so long to ask Jenny 'the big question'. Kallie, of course, was the first one to hear. Jenny called her the same night I asked her to marry me. "About time." she said, voice crackling hollowly over the speakerphone. "You two have been all over each other for almost two years now. 'Bout time you actually got married, especially with a kid around." "You could be a little more ecstatic about this, you know." I said sarcastically. "The better to get under your skin, Alex dear." she said sweetly. Jenny snickered. "So are you going to come down here for the wedding, and see Skyla while you're at it? I know you've been drooling over those pictures we sent you for the last few days. Don't bother denying it." "I wasn't going to. She's beautiful, you two. You do good work, even if it was accidental. When's the wedding so I can start planning my escape?" "Well, we haven't talked about a date yet..." Jenny said, looking at me. "Let's set one then. Your birthday's coming up here in less than a month. What better way to celebrate your fifteenth birthday?" "What a great idea! But how will we manage to get it all set up in less than a month? Especially when we have to take care of Skyla, too?" Jenny said. "We'll figure something out." I told her, and kissed her for what seemed the hundredth time in five minutes. It was just as sweet as if it was the first time. "All right, all right, you two. You gonna go for a second kid while paying long distance just so I can hear?" "No, Kallie." I said. "I think she's just jealous." I whispered loudly into Jenny's ear. She barely stifled a giggle. "I heard that, Alex!" "Well, I can't keep anything from you, Kallie. Ears so big they can pick up a whisper thousands of miles away." I grinned. "You're going to earn yourself a fat lip on your wedding day if you keep saying things like that." Kallie growled. "Sheesh. One baby in the bedroom, one in the living room, and one two thousand miles away." Jenny sighed. "Baby? Me? I'm thwee yeaws owld, not a baby." I pouted commically. Jenny nearly fell over laughing. "Just as long as you're potty trained. We've got enough dirty diapers to go around now, without you adding to the load." I couldn't help but grin. Then Kallie broke in again. "If you two loons would stop laughing, we could get around to planning this. Also, you need to send me another set of pictures. I made the mistake of showing Amanda the pictures of her niece. I was barely able to tear them away from her, and now whenever she sees me she begs for another look." "We didn't think about that. We'll send you some more tomorrow." Jenny said. "Also, don't you think she'll want to come down with me when I tell her you two are getting married?" "We didn't think of that, either." I sighed. "We'll work something out there, too." "Good. Well, it's getting late, I'd better go. Keep me updated." Kallie said. We both said good bye, and Kallie hung up. Then we went to bed. Skyla woke up crying in the middle of the night three times, once she was hungry, once it seemed she was just lonely, and the third time with a dirty diaper. I got my first lesson in diaper changing that night. There's nothing like changing a smelly diaper at four A.M. Jenny and I were living off micro-sleep. We fell asleep reading, I fell asleep at work. Once or twice I even fell asleep on the toilet. It wasn't so much the waking up that was draining us, it was getting Skyla back to sleep. Then one night I was walking around the bedroom, trying to get Skyla to stop crying. Jenny was passed out in bed, it being it was my turn to get her to go back to sleep. I lay down on the bed, resting her on my chest. I was bare chested, dressed in my normal sleeping attire, nothing. Skyla only had on her diaper. She stopped crying, and within a few minutes, was fast asleep. Apparently the sound of my heart beating and the warmth of my chest made her relax to the point that she would fall fast asleep. Having her lying on my chest seemed to have the same effect on me. I woke up the next morning, Jenny looking at us in amusement. "You slept like that all night? How did you keep from moving?" she asked, stroking the back of a still sleeping Skyla. "I have no idea. But I haven't slept that well in weeks." "Well, it looks like I'll just have to share your chest with Skyla, then. Like mother like daughter." she said, referring to the fact that her favorite position to fall asleep was cuddled up next to me, her head resting on my chest. "Well, you could always put your head on my stomach." I joked. "What? With your stomach gurgling all night against my ear? I'd dream that I was being chased by the blob!" she laughed. From then until Skyla started sleeping through the night I would wake up with Skyla sleeping on my chest, whether I put her there while I was awake or if Jenny put her there after her two A.M. feeding. I was scared to death of rolling over and crushing her, but I never seemed to move much while sleeping, at least when Sklya was asleep on my chest. Jenny bounced back quickly after she had Skyla. You could never tell that she had ever had a baby. Even in bed, as I found out a few weeks later, after Dr. Sampson told her it was all right to 'engage in all your old activities'. Jenny went on birth control. Skyla was wonderful, but we didn't think that we wanted to take the chance of Jenny getting pregnant again. At least not for a few years. Jenny took the first semester of school off, wanting to stay home with the baby. I tutored her every night after work so she wouldn't fall too far behind. I had advanced in my studies far enough to be able to get a better job at a local software company, working as a programmer. I was also able to talk my boss into letting me telecommute so I could stay home with Skyla during the day. It paid only slightly more for longer hours, but I was happy to be able to stay home with Skyla. I switched to night school so I could handle it. It would take longer for me to graduate, but I felt the new job and the baby required it. We planned a small wedding, only inviting a few of our friends. And Kallie and Amanda, of course. At the last minute we managed to get Amanda to come down for the wedding by her telling her parents that she was going on a school trip for a few days. There were a few legal hoops to jump through due to Jenny's age. It took a couple of lawyers and a loan from Dr. Sampson to do it, but we managed. He was shocked that we were going to get married, but was all for it once he recovered. He was shocked again when Jenny and I asked him to walk Jenny down the isle, since we obviously couldn't ask her father to do so. He accepted after he recovered. Kallie and Amanda arrived two days before the wedding. They spent the entire trip from the bus station teasing me with questions like 'Are you nervous?' and 'You aren't getting cold feet, are you?' I got Amanda to shut up when I started calling her 'little sister to-be'. Kallie was unstoppable, as always. I was glad to get home, where their attention was immediately riveted to Skyla. They spent the next hour cooing over her. Jenny and I just sat back and watched amusedly as they made faces and talked baby talk. Finally Skyla decided that she had had enough and started crying. They both watched wide eyed as Jenny unbuttoned her blouse and started nursing Skyla. I started to crack a joke, but stopped myself, realizing that I must have looked the same way when I had first seen Jenny do it. The next few days were exhausting, what with the wedding plans, Skyla, and especially Kallie and Amanda. Whenever they heard Skyla starting to cry they rushed in to see what was wrong. Not only did Jenny and I never get any privacy, but it made it harder to get Skyla back to sleep. Jenny and I had wisely chosen to wear pajamas to bed while Amanda and Kallie were staying with us, making both of us uncomfortable. (Try sleeping in the nude for ten years, and then switch back to wearing pajamas. Then move to New Mexico. See how comfortable you are.) I was also reluctant to pull off my trick of letting Skyla sleep on my chest. I didn't want to deal with the comments. But after Skyla wouldn't fall asleep after thirty minutes of crying, I gave in and pulled my pajama top off. I blushed bright red when Kallie whistled and said "Oh yeah, take it off!" and started laughing. Jenny and Amanda started to laugh until I glared at them. I could still hear them giggling as I took Skyla from Kallie and lay down with her on my chest. I blushed again when the inevitable "Oh, how sweet!" came from Kallie and Amanda. Living with four girls, for any period of time, can be destructive to a man's macho image. I could feel it crumbling as I heard the click of Kallie's camera. "I just had to get that on film." she grinned. I grumbled and gave her the finger when Jenny wasn't looking. "You should have taken it when he's wearing his normal pajamas." Jenny giggled. "Jenny, please don't." I pleaded. "What does he normally wear?" Amanda asked curiously. "Nothing." Jenny said and grinned. I groaned and covered my eyes as the room filled with high pitched female laughter and whistles again. Skyla started to cry again. 'Thank god.' I thought. "Everyone out!" I growled. "I want to get some sleep, and all of you squawking in here isn't helping me or Skyla get any!" "Aww, spoil sport!" Jenny laughed. But Kallie and Amanda obeyed and filed out of the room, one more whistle trailing after them. "Did you have to tell them that?" I asked Jenny after they had left, shutting off the lights and closing the door after them. "No, but I wanted to show off my sexy fianc‚." She smiled and cuddled up next to me, giving my cheek a quick peck. "Well, I guess I can forgive you then." I chuckled. "Good." she mumbled, then fell asleep. Skyla was already asleep, her small body rising and falling with my breath. I trailed a finger down her back. She made a little noise and shifted herself a little. I kissed her on the top of her head, the soft fuzz of her hair tickling my nose. 'I never imagined my life could be so wonderful.' I thought to myself. 'Now if I could just get those two out of my living room...' I smiled to myself. 'The next few days are going to be very interesting.' ***** I woke up the next morning to Skyla's weight being lifted off my chest. I opened my eyes sleepily, Jenny hovering over me. "She was awake, so I thought I'd give her breakfast." she whispered, leaning over a short kiss on the lips. "Go back to sleep, we don't have to get up for another couple of hours." I stretched and yawned. "No, I'll never get back to sleep now. I think I'm more addicted to Skyla sleeping on my chest than Skyla is." Jenny smiled at me and shrugged off the straps of her nightgown and started to feeding Skyla. "Tomorrow's the big day. Got cold feet yet?" she teased. "Cold feet? Me? As long as I'm marrying you, I could never get cold feet." I scooted up on the bed next to Jenny and wrapped my arm around her waist. "How do you feel?" "Good. Nervous, though. But I'll be fine." She leaned her head on my shoulder and kissed my neck. "I'll bet you look good in a tux." "I look even better out of a tux." I said suggestively. Jenny laughed. "From what I see, you do. But I'm too busy at the moment to get a closer look." I raised an eyebrow. "Who says you have to move?" I slid my hand up from her waist and ran a finger around her one unoccupied nipple, then squeezed it. A drop of milk leaked out. I lifted it to my tongue and licked my finger clean. "Sweet." Jenny slapped my hand and giggled. "That's for Skyla, not you." "Oh, and we can't share? If I remember correctly, I was tasting these a long time before Skyla came along." "We can't have you jealous of your daughter, can we? But I still don't want to do anything with her looking." "Who said anything about her looking? I can do things that she'll never see." My hand left her breast and slid down her abdomen, disappearing beneath the nightgown folds. She moaned as I ran a finger over her labia, then delved between them to run up her already damp pussy to her clit. I gently ran a finger around it, feeling it harden under my touch. Jenny was having a hard time keeping a hold of Skyla, so I brought my other arm around to cradle her. I kissed Jenny, pushing my tongue into her mouth. She responded in kind, her tongue reaching as far as it could into my mouth. Jenny gasped and moaned when I pushed one, then two fingers into her tightness, bucking a little to push them deeper. The hot walls contracted around my intruding fingers. I found her g-spot and pushed gently against it. Jenny moaned again and raised her hips slightly, trying to increase the pressure of my index finger against the sensitive ball of nerves. I continued to kiss her, our tongues never stopping in their passionate movements. I felt Jenny's hand move over to the bulge in the front of my pajama bottoms, pulling the elastic waistband up and over my hardness, freeing it. She began a gentle but sporadic stroking, seeming to forget about it whenever I hit a particularly pleasurable spot. Her walls began to contract in the beginning waves of orgasm. I pressed hard against her g-spot, rubbing her clit frantically with my thumb. Jenny squealed into my mouth, her eyes snapping closed. The muscles in her neck stood out plainly as she came, trying to move as little as possible as to not disturb Skyla. She slowly relaxed, her mouth unlocking itself from mine in exhaustion. At that moment, Amanda knocked and walked in. "Time to wake up you two..." she stopped in mid-sentence, her eyes bulging from her head at a sight which few twelve year olds ever see. Jenny's hand was still wrapped around my erect cock, with my fingers still idly stroking beneath Jenny's nightgown. "S-s-sorry." she stuttered, backing out of the bedroom, her eyes glued to Jenny's hand and especially what it was wrapped around. She turned and ran, the door clicking shut after her. "We have to get a lock for that door." Jenny said. I stifled a laugh, then we both cracked up, trying to keep out laughter low enough that the other two in the living room couldn't hear it. Skyla had fallen asleep sometime during the time frame we had been 'busy', so Jenny lay her in her crib. "Now, let's finish you off, shall we?" Jenny game me a lecherous grin and let the nightgown slip off, leaving her nude. She climbed over the bed and on top of me, rubbing her body sensuously over my still erect cock. She raised herself up and lowered herself onto it, moaning as it slid past her labia and into her. I groaned as she slid down to the base of my cock, the muscles of her pussy walls squeezing me delightfully. We began moving together, buckling up to meet each other's thrusts. I caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye. The door opened a crack, and two pair of eyes peered through it. 'What the hell,' I thought. 'May as well give them a good show.' I doubled my efforts, driving myself up into Jenny so that our bodies slapped together on each thrust. Jenny gasped in surprise at my increased pace, but kept up with me. Within a few seconds, we were both on the edge, pounding into each other, or moans mixing with the soft squelch of my cock sliding in and out of her, forming the sweet sounds of sex. Jenny cried out, her pussy contracting rhythmically in the throes of orgasm. I followed her, grunting and shooting my load into her. The two pair of eyes widened as they watched us come, and I heard a small gasp as I felt some of my semen leak out of Jenny's pussy as she pushed hard against me one last time. Jenny collapsed on top of me. I stroked her sweaty back for a few minutes. I hard the door click closed again and knew we were no longer being watched. "Jenny, I think Kallie and Amanda just got an eyeful." I chuckled a few minutes later. "What?" Jenny said in shock, looking up at me from where her head rested on my chest. "I saw the door open a little, and saw a couple of pair of eyes peeking through the crack." "Why, those two peeping toms! I'll...I'll..." she paused, thinking. "I don't know what I'll do to them, but they won't like it." I grinned at her. "Just follow my lead." I got up and pulled on my robe, walking to the door and waited while Jenny pulled hers on. I pointed to the wet spots that showed up on her thin robe as the juices of our lovemaking soaked through. "Like it matters. They've seen too much for me to worry about it." Jenny grinned at me. "So what do you have planned?" "You'll see." I grinned. I opened the door and walked into the living room. Kallie and Amanda were sitting on the couch whispering. When they heard the door open they turned and looked at us guiltily. "Good morning." I said jovially. "Get a good look, you two?" I grinned at them. Jenny just leaned against the wall and smirked at them. "You saw us?" Amanda gasped. "Jenny didn't, but I saw you both. You didn't wonder why we sped up right after you started peeking?" Kallie and Amanda both blushed and looked at the floor. "We don't really care if you two peek." I held a finger up to silence Jenny before she could say anything. "But I think turnabout if fair play. Now, if we catch you watching us again, we consider that an agreement to some new house rules." "What rules?" Kallie said suspiciously. "They're simple. Actually, there's only one. If you watch us, we get to watch you two...how shall I say it? 'Get it on'?" I watched in amusement as shock spread over the faces of all three girls. The looks on Kallie and Amanda's faces confirmed what I had already suspected. "Yes, I've guessed that you two are 'involved', so to speak. So, think about it. Jenny and I are going to go take a shower." With that, I turned and walked toward the bathroom. Jenny followed me, obviously deep in thought. As soon as the bathroom door closed, the expected questions came from Jenny. "How did you know?" she asked. "I didn't. I guessed by the way they acted around each other. Plus I thought I heard a moan coming from behind the door while they were peeping. Just logic." "Logic, huh? Male logic, I think." "Maybe. I'm just naturally suspicious." I kissed her, and dropped my robe. "So you ready for our shower? If they peek in on us while we're in here, they've accepted the rule. If not, we'll be left alone." "If they accept it, what will we do?" Jenny said worriedly. "I don't think they will." "More male logic?" "No, just knowledge of how shy Amanda is." We climbed into the shower and soaped each other up. The door never opened, and we were left alone for the rest of Amanda and Kallie's visit. At least as far as we could tell. But we heard more than one moan come from the living room that night. End Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen ---------------- Our wedding was a small affair. No more than fifteen people came, including the justice of the peace and his wife. The cake was small and simple, one of Jenny's friends had made it for us. Still, when she came down the isle, it was like I had seen her for the first time all over again. She had gone out with Kallie and Amanda the day before to buy a dress. They made me sit out in the car for over an hour before they came out, and then refused to let me see it, saying it was 'bad luck'. She looked more beautiful than I had ever seen her, the long white dress flowing around her ankles and she was led down the isle by Dr. Sampson. He looked as proud as if she had been his own daughter. The dress fit her perfectly, emphasizing her tiny waist, her dark hair contrasting to the white of the material. Her hair was pulled back in a simple French braid which ran halfway down her back. She looked every bit the bride, and I felt a little underdressed as she stepped up next to me, smiling brightly. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Finally the justice of the peace decided I was too mesmerized to move, and began the service. I managed to pull my eyes away from Jenny, but still watched her out of the corner of my eye. "Do you, Alex Braxton take Jenny Baker to be your lawfully wedded wife, till death do you part?" I turned to Jenny. "I do." "And do you, Jenny Baker, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?" "I do." Jenny whispered, looking up at me, her eyes shining. "Well then, I pronounce you man, and wife. You may kiss the bride." I bent over, and kissed Jenny tenderly. When we parted we hugged each other, not wanting to let go of the moment. Then people surrounded us, giving us their congratulations, the men of the group slapping me on the back and shaking my hand. In the mass of people Jenny and I were separated, her surrounded by the women of the group. We didn't see each other again until everyone piled into the cars for the trip back to our apartment for the reception. I met her at the door, and we walked out to the car, Jenny leaning against me, looking more happy than I had ever seen her. Kallie, who had been holding Skyla, had handed her over to Jenny sometime during the flurry of activity. "You look incredible." I said, wrapping an arm around her waist and hugging her against my side. "Thanks. Now you know the secret purpose of the wedding dress." "What's that?" I asked. "To stun the groom into going along with the ceremony, no matter what." she grinned. "Really? I would have gone though with it if you had been wearing a pair of cutoffs and a torn T-shirt." "I know. But some girls aren't as lucky as I am." She stood on her toes and kissed me once more before we got into the car. "Remember that when I forget our first anniversary." I joked, opening the passenger side door for her. "I don't think you'll forget. I'll give you plenty of hints before hand." she giggled as she got in. I closed the door and climbed into the driver side, after I put Skyla in the child's seat. She was sleeping, as she had thankfully done during the entire ceremony. "What if I become one of those dense husbands that you always see on sitcoms?" "I don't think you will." she said, looking back to check on Skyla. When she was satisfied that her car seat was properly fastened, she turned back around and leaned against my shoulder as I started the car. As I pulled out of the parking lot of the small hall we had rented for the wedding, I noticed a clinking, clanging sound coming from the back of the car. "Sounds like Kallie and Amanda's handiwork to me." I chuckled, realizing what it was. Jenny and I had decided to stay home for our honeymoon. We couldn't think of anyplace we wanted to go, and we had to take care of Skyla anyway. Neither of us wanted to leave her with anyone. She was barely a month old, and we felt that we shouldn't leave her, however much we trusted the person we left her with. We both agreed that a honeymoon is a honeymoon, anywhere it might be. When we got home our apartment was packed with people, all talking, joking and laughing. Everyone had brought something for everyone else to eat. There was roast beef, chicken, and casseroles of every type imaginable. We were greeted with cheers and clapping. We both blushed. Jenny broke away to put Skyla in her crib, so we wouldn't have to worry about where she was. By now she was wide awake, looking around crankily, probably wondering what everyone was yelling about. She came back a few minutes later, shutting the bedroom door until just a crack remained so that we could hear if she started crying. After that, the party picked up. Someone had brought champagne, so we poured it in the odd assortment of glasses we dug out of the cabinets in the kitchen. Kallie pushed through the crowd, her loud voice topping everyone by a few decibels. "I want to toast this young couple." Everyone silenced, looking at Kallie. "I've known Jenny since we were in first grade together. I can tell you I've never seen her happier than she is with Alex, and their new baby daughter, Skyla. I've only known Alex for less than two years, but I know he's a good man. Jenny's lucky to have him, and he's lucky to have someone as sweet as Jenny. So, I toast them, to a long and happy marriage." With that, everyone clinked glasses and took a sip of their champagne. After that, someone turned on the stereo. Everyone danced, trading off after every song. Jenny and I danced as best we could, but we had found out early on we were mediocre at best when it came to dancing. Jenny disappeared into the bedroom once to check on and feed Skyla. I couldn't get away, and a few minutes later I saw her come back into the living room, only to be asked to dance by one of my friends before I could get to her. Every guy in the place seemed to want to dance with Jenny, and I really couldn't blame them. I danced once with Amanda, and then with Kallie, who surprisingly wasn't half bad at it. Soon it was getting late, and we began the last dance of the night. I hunted around and found Jenny, pulling her into the circle that had been cleared of furniture. A slow song was put in the stereo, and we began to dance slowly, holding each other close, Jenny's head against my chest. Other couples joined in soon after, everyone watching us as we closed our eyes and ignored everything but the music and our gentle swaying. The song ended, and we parted slowly with a kiss. People began to leave, each one leaving with a handshake to me and a hug to Jenny. Kallie and Amanda had gone home with one of our friends, saying they wanted to leave us alone on our wedding night. When everyone had left we found the couch pushed off in a corner and sat down, cuddling in the afterglow of a day neither of us would ever forget. "So how does it feel to be Mrs. Alex Braxton?" I asked her. "Different, but good. I've waited a long time for today." "So have I. I never imagined that I'd be married this early. I always expected to be a bachelor until at least my thirties, if I ever got married. Of course that all changed when you entered my life. It changed for the better, I can tell you that." "I certainly never imagined I'd be married at fifteen. But I'm glad I am." We kissed. "Want to go to bed?" I asked. "Yes. I've wanted to all day." she said with a sparkle in her eyes. I chuckled and stood up, pulling her with me. Leading her into the bedroom, I closed the door. Taking her into my arms, I kissed her, playing with her soft tongue, tasting the inside of her mouth. She responded, molding her body against mine. We kissed for a moment, then I reached behind her, finding the zipper to her form fitting dress. I unzipped it slowly, letting my free hand slip inside to caress the bare skin. The zipper trailed down the length of her back, stopping just above the curves of her ass. I felt the zipper reach the end of it's track, and I let both hands explore freely beneath the dress, finding to my delight that she hadn't bothered to wear panties in anticipation of our first night of our honeymoon. Jenny stopped kissing me and pushed me away slightly, pushing my jacket over my shoulders and onto the floor. Then she began to unbutton my shirt, stopping to kiss or lick any skin she uncovered. My hands trailed up her back, pushing the thin straps of her dress over her smooth shoulders. Released, it fell to the floor alongside my jacket, leaving her open to my eyes and wandering hands. Jenny succeeded in unbuttoning my shirt. I helped her get me out of it, then embraced her, flattening her breasts against my chest, her hard nipples dragging across my skin. After a moment Jenny pushed me away again. "I think you're a little overdressed." she said with a smile and began to work on my belt. I reached behind her and loosened her braid, letting her hair flow freely over her shoulders. Pulling it back, I leaned forward and kissed her behind her left ear, nipping her earlobe as I went. I kissed my way down her neck and over the slight indentation above her collarbone. Jenny was still struggling with my belt, so I stopped and helped her unfasten it. She undid the button of my pants and yanked the zipper down, her left hand slipping inside to feel the tent in my boxers. My pants fell in a heap around my ankles. Jenny pulled my boxers down to join my pants. Leading her to the bed, I lay her back gently, returning my tongue to it's journey down her body. She closed her eyes and pushed her arms up over her head and sighed as she let my tongue do it's work. Moving my head down, I kissed my way up the slope of her breast, circing her nipple with the tip of my tongue. She moaned when I took it into my mouth, sucking until a stream of milk squirted into my mouth. I stopped for a second, rolling the sweet milk over my tongue. "Hmmmm..." I said thoughtfully. I moved to her other breast, repeating what I had done with her other nipple. I repeated this for a few minutes, until Jenny was squirming impatiently beneath me. "What are you doing?" she asked me breathlessly. "I just can't decide." I said, taking one of her nipples into my mouth again. "Can't decide what?" "Which one tastes better." Jenny giggled. "You can figure that out later. Go lower. Please?" "Whatever you say ma'am." I grinned and kissed my way down the lower slope of the breast I had been working on and down over her sternum. I worked my way leisurely down her flat belly, stopping to flick my tongue over her cute outie bellybutton, making her laugh and squirm as it always did. The musky scent of her aroused pussy was getting stronger as my nose moved further down her body. Her legs spread to accommodate me, the scent of her pussy strengthening as more of it was exposed to the air. Then I was hovering above her pussy. I decided to let her wait a bit longer -- with a hint of things to come. With that in mind, I blew a little air on the wet lips of her pussy. She gasped with shock as her pussy rapidly cooled. Then I flicked my tongue over her erect clit, making her yelp in pleasure. Then I moved to her inner thigh, moving slowly in the direction of her knee. Jenny squirmed and moaned in frustration. I just chuckled as I moved down over her knee, down her calf, and over her foot. I took each toe in my mouth and sucked, making her giggle again. I licked my way back up her leg, stopping to flick her clit, only to head down her other leg. "Alex, please!" she begged, squirming her hips from side to side as if trying to ease the itching in her pussy. "Patience, patience. I'll get there...eventually." She growled in frustration, gritting her teeth as a made my leisurely way down her legs, over her foot, and back up again. She tensed as I neared her pussy, but I just skimmed over it again, heading back up her belly. "Alex, if you don't get down there and lick me right now, I'm going to go out and find Kallie and Amanda. Maybe they'll do it for me!" she threatened. I laughed and obeyed, thrusting my face between her legs, finding her clit, taking it into my mouth and flicking it with the rough tip of my tongue. She came almost immediately, crying out and bucking against my tongue. I didn't even slow down, eating her through another orgasm. I started on the third, but just as she was about to come, I stopped, my tongue sliding leisurely down her inner labia, tasting her juices. Her excitement died slightly, her hips starting to squirm, the tension building. Then I moved up and took her clit into my mouth again, bringing her to the verge again. Then I stopped, moving down to her labia again, pushing my tongue as far as it would go into her tight hole. I kept it up for the next fifteen minutes, until she was begging to let her come. "Now what's this about going to Kallie and Amanda?" I laughed, teasing her with my tongue and my voice. "I'm soorrryy..." she moaned, lost in a state of near orgasmic bliss. "I won't say anything like that again. Just please, let me come!" I chuckled again and sucked her clit into my mouth again. She gasped, sure that this time she was going to come. I disappointed her, leaving her clit again to trail my tongue through her pussy, lapping up the huge amount of pussy juices that were flowing out of her pussy. I did this twice more. By then her moans were so loud there were almost screams. Afraid that they might wake Skyla, I decided to let her come. I brought her to the edge again, then started to move away. She started to groan in frustration again, but this time I returned to her clit a fraction of a second after leaving it. She was coming before she even knew what hit her. A start of a scream escaped her mouth, only to be cut off by violently contracting muscles. She screamed silently, her back arching off the bed, nearly bruising my lip. I kept with her, licking her clit as furiously as before. It drove her higher, her body shaking like a bowstring about to snap. I'd never seen her come so hard, and after fifteen seconds, she there was no sign of her letting up. I started to worry that she wasn't getting enough air. Then she suddenly went limp, flopping back to the bed. Her body shivered in the aftershocks of her orgasm. I moved quickly up the bed, checking to make sure she was breathing. 'She must have passed out.' I thought. She was breathing heavily, and a few seconds later her eyes flicked open. She saw my concerned face hovering over hers, and wrapped her arms around my neck, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks, sobs wracking her throat. "I'm sorry Jenny, I didn't mean for you to pass out! Are you all right?" I asked worriedly. "I'm, I'm fine. Just...scared me, that's all. I couldn't move, or talk, or even scream. It was like I didn't have control of my body, it just stayed there, incredible pleasure..." she broke off, swallowing hard. "Just let me rest for a minute." "Fine, fine. Just relax. There's no hurry to do anything." I took her into my arms. She went limp in my arms, closing her eyes and leaning her head against my chest. It seemed that I was the one who needed the most recovery time, as I fell asleep, exhausted from the day's activities. I woke up to the feeling of a warm mouth sliding up and down my now very erect cock. I moaned, opened my eyes and looked down. I wasn't surprised to see Jenny there. She stopped when she saw that I was awake. "Well, you're finally awake. I said I needed a rest. I didn't mean that you could join me!" I chuckled and pulled her up onto me, then kissed her. "That make up for it?" I asked. "Not quite. You see, I have this very hard...thing poking me in my stomach. Can you think of some place to put it so it doesn't hurt quite so much?" she smiled, and kissed my lips again, sucking my tongue into her mouth and playing with it. "Oh, I can think of many places to put it my dear. The question is, would you like all of them, and in what position?" "Knowing you and your dirty mind, I think I'll choose." she grinned. "But that's not fair. You chose yesterday morning, and last night, and this morning. When do I get to pick?" "When I'm sure you aren't going to try to stick it in my ear." she giggled. "Your ear? No, to waxy. The squeaking noise would wake up Skyla. I'm surprised she's not awake now, the way you screeched earlier." "Squeak? I'll let you know I use a q-tip every morning. And she did wake up. You've been asleep for over an hour." "An hour? Where does the time go?" I sighed. "I don't know. You were snoring so loudly that the bed was shaking." "I don't..." "I know. You don't snore. You don't do it very often, but when you do, it sounds like a plane is about to crash into the apartment building. You talk in your sleep, too. But I don't mind that. You say many interesting things in your sleep. You never told me you'd like to go to bed with my little sister." "Go to bed with...I never said any such thing, even in my sleep!" I sputtered. "Well, you did last night. I was feeding Skyla, and you distinctly yelled 'Amanda, oh yes! Yes!' very passionately in your sleep!" "I didn't say anything of the sort! She might be developing very nicely, but I didn't say anything like that!" "Ah ha! Gotcha! So you admit it, you're attracted to my little sister!" she rolled off me laughing. "I am...wait a minute. I didn't say that at all, did I? You tricked me! Is this what I have to look forward to in the next few years of marriage? Trickery and deceit?" I said in mock anger. But I couldn't help but grin after I said it. "Trick you, yes. But I got you to admit that you think my little sister is sexy!" "I did not say she was sexy. I said she was developing nicely." "In male talk, that means sexy. Or should I say 'hot'?" she laughed again and rolled onto her stomach, burying her face in a pillow to muffle her laughs so Skyla wouldn't wake. I leaned over her and kissed the nape of her neck, brushing her hair back. "And what if..." I paused to kiss her between the shoulder blades -- "I said that I was attracted, just a little bit, to your sister?" Jenny was sighing softly as I kissed my way slowly further down her back, teasing the knobs of her vertebrae with my tongue. "I'd say that that was fine. She's turning into an attractive young woman. But I don't think I have to worry to much about her stealing you away from me." "Really? And why is that?" "Because I know you love me and Skyla, and would never leave us. Even if it was to my pretty little sister. Besides, I'm not exactly ugly myself." she said, gasping as my tongue found the slight split at the upper reaches of her ass cheeks. "I'd say you know me pretty well. And yes, you are very attractive. Otherwise, I wouldn't be doing this, would I?" "No, you wouldn't. But I think we need to deal with what's hanging between your legs." "And yours, I would think. Knowing how insatiable you are. Just another thing I love about you." She rolled over slowly. I kissed my way up her body again, stopping briefly at her breasts, until I kissed her lightly, by tongue flicking briefly against hers, only to sink into a more passionate kiss. I moved up, aiming the head of my cock for her pussy. I felt the head slip between her pussy lips and pressed slowly forward, the width of my member spreading her walls deliciously around me. Jenny pushed her hips up to meet mine, letting out a low moan. I moved in her slowly for a few minutes, each of us sighing on each deep penetration, enjoying the feeling of being intimately connected. The soft skin of her belly rubbed against mine, sweat forming between us. When I pulled out our skins parted slightly, making a sound like someone's legs pulling off a vinyl car seat in August. I looked down at Jenny. Her eyes were closed with ecstasy, breathing heavily through her mouth. When a particularly strong wave of pleasure coursed through her, she'd moan and bite her lip sexily. I kissed her slightly open mouth, then buried my face in her neck, kissing and licking my way to her ear. I sucked gently on her earlobe as I picked up the pace, feeling my orgasm approaching. Jenny responded, bucking harder against me and rolling her hips, varying the angle of penetration slightly with every thrust. Our moans grew louder as our speed increased to the point that our bodies were slapping together, Jenny grinding her clit between our pubic bones. I felt the familiar tingling in my groin, the pleasure spreading from my balls into my legs, my stomach, and finally into my head. I cried out in pleasure as my balls contracted, shooting my semen into the sucking tightness of Jenny's pussy. I thrust deeply, the second shot squirting against her cervix. She cried out as well as she felt me come inside her, her own orgasm roaring through her body. Her hips bucked up against mine, raising both of us a few inches off the bed. She cried out as the pleasure washed through her mind, sending it wheeling off into places unknown. I fell limp on top of her, and realizing she couldn't breathe very well with me squashing her, rolled over until she was resting in her favorite after love making position, laying limply on top of me with her head resting on my chest. Jenny came down to earth slowly, rolling her hips against my shrinking cock, relishing the afterglow. She kissed my chest, too tired to move enough to kiss me on the lips. "It's better when you're married." she murmured contentedly. "It sure seems like it. Should have done it sooner." I chuckled. "Mmmmhmmm." she mumbled, her breath evening out quickly into sleep. I glanced over to make sure Skyla was still asleep. 'Good thing she's a sound sleeper.' I thought to myself, and fell off into sleep, the light of early morning streaming through the curtains on the bedroom window. End Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen ---------------- The next day we saw Kallie and Amanda off at the bus stop. The three of them all hugged and cried, as women always seem to do on occasions where someone is leaving for a long time. Amanda came up to me first, and gave me a hug with a quick kiss on the cheek. "See you, Sis." I joked. "You can call me that, now that you and Jenny are married." she said, smiling. Then it was Kallie's turn. "You take good care of her, you lousy bum." Kallie said, a few tears dripping from the corners of her eyes as she hugged me. "I always have, and always will. Don't worry, we'll do great. Just keep calling every once and a while to keep up with us, eh?" "You bet. I'll keep annoying you if it's the last thing I do." "That's good to know." I said dryly. "You're always so serious." she laughed, sniffing and wiping her eyes. "Smile once and a while." "But that might crack my face." I said straight faced. Kallie just laughed and waved as she and Amanda climbed aboard the bus for the long trip back to Oregon. Jenny and I watched the bus pull out, Jenny leaning heavily on my arm, still wiping tears out of her eyes. I put my arm around her shoulder and waved as the bus pulled out of the station. "Are you okay?" I asked as Jenny and I walked back to the car. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just going to miss them both. At least I get to talk to Kallie, but I never get anything but letters from Amanda. You've seen how much she's changed in the last year. What's going to happen in the next couple of years?" "Well, get her to send pictures. I'm sure Kallie can get Amanda over to talk on the phone once and a while. It won't be the same as seeing both of them in person, but it will help." "Yes, but what if my parents find out about what's going on between Kallie and Amanda?" "Well, then we'll just have to get a bigger apartment." I grinned. Jenny laughed. "Well, that would solve a few problems. But we'll have to do that in a year or so anyway. Skyla can't sleep in our room until she's eighteen." "Yeah. But I'm pretty happy the way it is now." "So am I. But she's not going to be a baby forever, Alex." "Maybe not. But she'll always be a baby in the back of my head, even when I'm eighty and she's sixty one." ***** The rest of our honeymoon was pure relaxation. I hadn't really had a vacation since Jenny had moved in. I was too busy working to support us while we both went to school. But we enjoyed the time that we had, and were disappointed when I had to continue with school and work. But we still saw as much of each other as before. It was just that for eight hours a day I was busy working on the computer, and couldn't really stop for fear of falling behind, in either work of school. Skyla grew rapidly over the next few months. It seemed like no time before she was sitting up, then crawling. She was a very curious baby, always touching whatever was in reach. Jenny and I quickly learned to keep the few valuables we had higher up. But she had inherited my crazy imagination, and almost always managed to get at what she wanted to see, wherever we put it. She seemed to be a very happy baby as well. Jenny and I had no TV set to sit her in front of, so we actually had to pay attention to her. Jenny's time was spent keeping Skyla busy, or out of things she wasn't supposed to be in. But it seemed that more often than not she was over by my chair. She learned early on that a tug on my pant leg would get her my attention. I learned to type around her while she sat on my lap, watching everything I was doing with interest. It became much more common to see her perched on my lap when Jenny went back to school in January. But I didn't mind, and she usually feel asleep after a bit, bored with the symbols flashing across the computer screen. Jenny was reluctant to go back to school and leave Skyla, but I convinced her that it was best. But she would come home as quickly as possible every day to see her, and to let me get ready to leave for school. Skyla, once she started crawling, would wait for her by the door when she knew it was time for her mother to come home. It seemed that my tutoring had helped Jenny more than we had thought. When she took the placement tests to see how far she was behind, we found out that Jenny was actually ahead of schedule, as much as a full year in English. She was ahead a full semester for everything else but math. She managed to almost skip a year entirely, but gym and math classes held her back. But she was happy since she'd be able to graduate that much sooner. ***** It was a shock to me when one day Skyla crawled over to me, pulled herself to her feet on my chair as she had been doing for months, and said very clearly, "Up." I just stared down at her, my mouth gaping open. It was a slurred "Up" but a definite one. "Up!" she said more insistently, holding up her arms. So I picked her up, still stunned. She hugged me the best she could with her short arms. "Daddy." she gurgled happily. I hugged her back. After a few seconds I recovered slightly. It's not every day that your daughter, at ten months, says her first word before she even starts walking. "So, you can talk now, eh? Bet you think you're pretty smart, huh?" I said, looking down to where she sat happily playing with the buttons on my shirt. She just smiled up at me. "Well guess what, you are smart." I ran my hand over her head, feeling the fine dark hairs, so similar to her mothers, run through my fingers. I let Jenny find out for herself that Skyla was talking. I wish I had had a camera when she came home after school that day. The look on her face when Skyla crawled up to her and said "Mommy!" would have thrown Kallie and Amanda into convulsions of laughter. As it was, I could barely control myself. Jenny picked Skyla up and received her welcome home hug. I just stood a few feet away from her, grinning. "She talked!" Jenny said in amazement. "Sure did. She said "up" this morning, and then "Daddy" when I picked her up. That's her third word, and I think she has more in store for us, too." "This is great! I have to call Kallie!" she said, rushing to the phone. I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise, since Skyla had heard Kallie, Jenny and I talking over the speakerphone quite a few times over the last few months. But it shocked Kallie even more than us when we put her on speaker phone. Apparently Skyla recognized the voice, or possibly even thought that the phone was Kallie, but when Kallie's voice came from the phone, she shouted "Kallie!" into the phone. "Who's this?" Kallie said, confused. "It's Jenny, Kallie." Jenny said, grinning as widely as I was, trying not to snicker. "Hi, Jenny! Who's there with you? I didn't recognize that voice." "It's just me, Jenny and Skyla." I said, winking at Jenny. "Then who said...wait, that couldn't have been Skyla! Are you two trying to pull another prank on me?" "Nope. She just started talking today. Jenny just found out. So far she's said 'up', 'Daddy', 'Mommy' and now your name." I said proudly. "But she's only ten months old! Babies don't start talking at ten months!" "Apparently Skyla didn't hear about that rule." Jenny said. "I guess not. But I don't think I'll quite believe you until I see it myself." "What, you want us to rent a video camera and send a tape to you?" I asked. "Well, I wasn't thinking about that, but that would be great. I haven't seen her except in pictures in ten months. Maybe put Jenny in it, too. Alex, you hold the camera. I don't want to see your ugly mug on my TV." "I love you too, Kallie." I snickered. "Humph. Well, next thing you know she'll be doing quadratic equations on the kitchen floor in crayon." "I doubt it. Alex isn't very good at math, and I'm not much better." Jenny said. ***** Skyla picked up new words quickly, and was talking with reasonable clarity a month later when she began taking her first unsteady steps. We had no idea why she began talking so early, much less why she did so before she began walking. It was very difficult to keep her out of things now that she was walking. She could get across the apartment many times faster than she had when she was crawling, and once she began running it was hard to keep up with her. While Jenny was at school I did my programming on the fly, getting a few lines in between chasing her around the apartment. I kissed quite a few minor injuries the first few days after she began running. She had figured out how to get going fast, but hadn't quite mastered stopping and avoiding objects in her path. I'd be typing away, and all of a sudden I'd hear a thump, and then her crying. Finally I just cleared a path for her, told her to run at me as fast as she could, then try to stop before she hit me. She would manage one time out of five. The other four times she would hit me full speed. I'd wrap my arms around her and let myself fall backwards, absorbing the extra motion, bringing her to a stop without hurting either of us. Each time she hit me she would squeal as we fell over backwards, giggle, and go for another run. By the time both her and I were exhausted, she had improved her stopping ability to being able to stop one time in three. Soon we had her able to stop almost every time she ran. Which meant we went through a lot fewer Band-Aids. She would dance to anything I put on the stereo, from Bach to rock. Her favorite was Handel's Allegro Moderato. She would twirl around the floor like she was in a ballet while it was on the stereo, her eyes closed as she moved to the music. She wouldn't fall asleep at night unless she heard it first. Skyla was a loving child, always giving hugs to everyone she met, which was a little embarrassing when we went shopping. Once she began talking, she was unstoppable, always asking questions about this or that, so many questions that there were many I didn't know the answers to. As a result we both learned when I looked it up in an encyclopedia. With all these questions, we figured it was a good idea to move her crib out into the living room for the time being, until we could find a two bedroom apartment. Luckily for us, one opened up in the same building we were in, so moving was as simple as making a few hundred trips up and down the stairs since the new apartment was a level above our current one. It was no surprise that both Jenny and I were exhausted at the end of the day. Lucky for us, Skyla's energy seemed to peter out around eight. It became routine for Jenny and I to read or tell Skyla a story every night. Jenny and I would take turns reading, each of us making the voices to match the characters in the book. Skyla insisted that we do this, she said it made the story better. But I think it was only so she could laugh when her father tried to mimic how Mama Bear in the 'Three Bears' would sound. Skyla's smile would light up a room the size of a small football stadium, and her laugh could make even the most cranky of people smile when they heard it. She had me wrapped around her little finger, and she knew it. All she had to do was look up at me with those big blue eyes and say "Please Daddy?" in a pleading voice she had been working on perfecting since she had begun talking. She would put out her lower lip, and I would melt. Jenny quickly learned to take Skyla out to the car while I went through the checkout stand at stores for that very reason. I could shoot the person who came up with the idea of putting candy on shelves, just the right height for little kids to get at, right where they would be standing to wait in line, bored. I loved playing with her. It may sound odd for a man, now in his twenties, to want to play games with his year and a half old daughter. At least not for hours at a time. But she and I would spend hours (usually when I was supposed to be working) playing games of some sort, whether it was a game on the computer, or just something Skyla had dreamed up on the spur of the moment. These were usually the most fun. More than once I found myself trying to make the scariest face, or having her riding on my shoulders singing the theme song of 'The Lone Ranger' while Skyla laughed and urged me to go faster. By nap time after lunch, we were both exhausted. I'd try to drag myself to the computer to get some work done, but more often than not we both collapsed for an hour on the couch. Jenny would come home from school and find Skyla cuddled up next to me. Often she would join us. There's nothing quite like waking up sandwiched between the two people you love more than anything in the world. I'd recommend it to anyone. End Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty -------------- One day someone totally unexpected showed up at our door. I was in the bedroom working on debugging a program that was giving me fits. Jenny was in the kitchen, fixing us lunch, while Skyla played in the living room. I could hear her happily humming and coloring with her box of crayons when someone rang the bell. "I'll get it!" Skyla yelled, and ran for the door. "Skyla, what did I tell you..." Jenny called. To late. The door creaked open. "Hello." came Skyla's voice. "Hello, little girl. I'm sorry, think I have the wrong apartment." the person at the door said. Jenny ran out of the kitchen, ready to scold Skyla for opening the door when someone rang the bell, something we had told her not to do a hundred times. "Skyla..." her voice trailed off as she recognized who was at the door. "Jenny?" the voice said incredulously. A voice from more than three years in our past. "Alex, I think you should get out here." Jenny called weakly. I got up and walked out the bedroom door, rubbing my eyes as I recovered from staring at the computer screen for the last three hours. I stopped in my tracks as I realized that the man who was standing at the door was my Father. "Son?" my Dad said, a look of shock still registering on his face. "Hi Dad." I said, not able to think of anything else to say. I walked forward and picked up Skyla. She wrapped her arms around my neck, steadying herself. "Who's that, Daddy?" she asked, looking at her grandfather. "Daddy?" my father gaped. "I think this will take a little explanation." I said nervously. "Come in and sit down. Jen, could you grab something to drink?" Jenny nodded, and turned back to the kitchen. My Dad came in the door. I shut it behind him and moved to the couch and sat down with Skyla on my lap. He sat down in a recliner across from us. Skyla looked at him curiously, knowing that I would eventually get around to answering her question, as I most always did. A few seconds later Jenny emerged form the kitchen, holding cans of cola for the three of us and a glass of milk in a special mug for Skyla. She sat down next to Skyla and I, setting the drinks on the coffee table. My father took one and opened it, drinking deeply. His color improved slightly. I took a deep breath. "I guess I need to explain what's happened over the last few years. Jenny and I have been living together for nearly three years. She came to me one night, having traveled by bus for three days to get here. She had escaped from her parents, who had abused her, and came close to starving her to death. I of course took her in. We lived together for a year, and then she got pregnant with Skyla. Yes, Dad, you're a grandfather." My Dad shook his head, obviously trying to take it all in. "He's my Grandpa?" Skyla said questioningly, figuring out at least in part what was going on. "Yes honey." I said. Before I could stop her she slipped off my lap and ran to my father. She climbed up onto his lap. He was too surprised to react. "Now I have two grandpas!" she said, giving him a big kiss and hugging him tightly around the neck. To Jenny and my surprise, he hugged her back. Skyla settled down into his lap and began to play with his tie, liking the way the silk slid between her fingers. He took it pretty well. "Two grandpas?" he asked me, raising an eyebrow. "Our doctor, Dr. Sampson, is sort of a godfather to her." Jenny explained. "Ah. So you two are still living together, even after three years? I didn't think it would last a month." "It's a bit more than that, Dad. Let me continue with the story." I said. "Well, then, get on with it. So far it's been quite...informative." I continued. "We decided to keep the baby, which is obvious. We're glad we did." I wrapped my arm around Jenny. "I proposed to her a couple of weeks after Skyla was born. We were married a month later. So, you not only have a granddaughter that you didn't know you had, but you also have a daughter-in-law." "Married? But she's so young...you're both so young!" he said in shock. "I'm almost twenty one, Dad. Jenny will be seventeen on our next anniversary in September." "When did I get so old?" he sighed, looking down at his granddaughter. "You're not old, Mr. Braxton." Jenny said softly. "It's just that a lot can happen in three years." "Call me Dad, Jenny. You may as well, you're my daughter-in-law, and I won't have family calling me 'Mr. Braxton'. And why didn't you two invite me to the wedding? Or even tell me about any of this? I'm hard to get a hold of, but it's not impossible." "We didn't think you cared. You haven't exactly contacted us a lot over the last few years either, Dad." I said. "Well, it looks like both of us are to blame. Sheesh, I come down here to see the son I haven't seen in three years. First it seems like he's moved without telling me. Then I've found out he's moved into a different apartment in the same building for some reason. Then I find out I've got a lot more family in New Mexico than I thought I had." "You're taking it very well." Jenny smiled. "It seems that I'm going to have to stop by more often. Get to know my Granddaughter. And my daughter in law." he said, looking at Jenny. "If he sees enough in you to stay married to you for two years, I think I can find something." He stood up, taking Skyla into his arms as he did so. "I don't know about you two, but I'm starving. How about lunch? I'll buy." "Well, we were going to eat here, but I guess we could go out for once. If that's all right with you, Jenny." I said, looking to my wife. "That's fine with me." "So where should we eat?" my Dad asked. "Well, there's only one restaurant you can really go to when you have a toddler with you." "Where's that?" my father asked. "McDonalds." Jenny said. "The finest food in the general area of their parking lot." My father shrugged. "McDonalds it is, then." ***** McDonalds was busy as was usually was around lunch time. We ordered and then found a booth near the back. "So how's school going?" my father asked me. "Pretty well. I've gotten a better job that lets me stay home and watch Skyla while Jenny goes to school. Another year and a half of night school and I should be finished." "Good, good." my father said lamely. The conversation puttered along that was for a few minutes, one of us asking one question or another. Then Skyla finished her happymeal and begged us to take her out to the playground. My grandfather caved and said he'd take her. Skyla cheered and ran for the door, my father in tow. "Do you trust him with her?" Jenny asked quietly. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have let them go. I don't think he'd dream of hurting her. In fact, I think he's still in shock. Somehow I don't think he expected what he got when he came to visit." "I didn't get what I expected either." Jenny giggled. "No, but I think it turned out for the best." I said, hugging her against me and watching Skyla and her "new" grandfather play. Skyla was climbing up onto the slide, and my father was catching her when she hit the bottom. "I think he'll make a good grandfather. Grandparents are good at stopping by once or twice every few months." "Maybe. Just as long as my parents don't decide to come for a visit." "I somewhat doubt that. If they did, I'd just slam the door in their faces. I still remember what happened last time I let them in the door. I really don't want that to happen again." "They couldn't convince me to, either. I'm perfectly happy where I am. Very happy, in fact." she said, snuggling up to me as well as she could in the hard plastic of the booth. "That's good to hear. I haven't seen you as much as I would have liked to over the last few months. School is time consuming. I would hate to end up like those couples with workaholic fathers who neglect their wives and children." "I don't think you're anywhere near to neglecting Skyla. If anything, I feel like I'm doing that, being gone all day, only to spend a few hours with her on weekends and before she goes to bed. As for me, well, let's just make sure we spend a lot of time together over the next week and this summer." "Don't worry. I'm taking summer quarter off. I have the credits to spare, and I really want to spend some time with you and Skyla without school getting in the way. I still have to work, but we have all that time between when I stop working and when Skyla goes to bed. And then, after she goes to bed, we have a little more private time, with neither of us having any homework." "I have a different kind of homework in mind." Jenny murmured in my ear, and kissed me. I kissed her back, pulling her closer to me. "Mommy! Daddy! Stop kissing, it's embarrassing!" Skyla scolded, seeming to appear out of nowhere with my father still firmly in hand. "You two sure you've been married as long as you told me? You act more like newlyweds than a couple that have been together for almost two years." he grinned. "Well, it keeps it interesting. Especially since Jenny is so creative in..." I let out an oomph as Jenny elbowed me in the stomach. "In her...cooking." I stammered. Jenny smiled sweetly up at me. "That's it Jenny, get him trained while he's still young." my father grinned. "Thanks for the support Dad." I grumbled, rubbing my stomach. ***** My father took Skyla, Jenny and I around to see everything from the zoo to a great little Italian restaurant that we hadn't heard of, even though we lived only a few miles away from it. Apparently he came down here a lot in his work, but had only gotten up the courage to stop by this trip. After the first couple of days, he began to notice the way we hung back, holding hands and looking at each other longingly. The next day he came by to take Skyla to a children's concert he had heard about in the city. Jenny and I sighed, since we were hoping to get a little time together to talk like we used to without Skyla interrupting. We loved her, but she could talk for hours. Which surprised us, since neither of us ever really talked very much, always being the shy type. "Why don't you two stay here, and let Skyla and I go? I don't think you'd enjoy it very much, and you both look like you need some...sleep anyway." he chuckled. "That would be great. We've needed a little time alone for quite a while." Jenny said, smiling gratefully. "No problem." he said, then took Skyla out to his car, a little two seat sports car that she loved since it was bright red, her favorite color. The remaining three days of spring break were wonderful, thanks to my Dad taking Skyla out for three or four hours every day. It was almost a replay of our honeymoon, except we didn't have Skyla's crying to interrupt us. By the time my Dad had to leave, we were grateful beyond words. I walked him out to his car the night he had to leave for Phoenix. He was driving the distance, since his expense account at the company he worked for had been cut. Skyla had given him a tearful good bye. She had grown attached to him over the week he had been in town. Small wonder, since she was pretty much spoiled rotten whenever he was with her. After all, that's what grandparents are for. "You have a great family there, Alex. I'm proud of you." he said as we walked into the parking lot outside the building. "Thanks. I've been very lucky to get Jenny and Skyla like I have." "I'm sorry that I could never give you a family like you've given Skyla. Over the last couple of years I've come to realize how much I must have hurt you, to be away as much as I was. I drove your mother away because of it, and was to stubborn and set in my ways to realize I was losing you in the same way I lost her. Then it was to late. You met Jenny, and left for college. "I should have stopped by the many times I've been in town. Then I could have seen you get married, and Skyla be born. I've missed a lot. Not just the things since you left, but almost everything that has happened in your life since you were born. "Now I'm in my late forties, and I realize that I've never really had a family. But you, you have one. Cherish them, Alex. It will never be like this again after Skyla goes on to college, or even after she goes to her first day of school. "But what am I saying? It's obvious that Jenny loves you, and so does Skyla. You two have something very special. Something that few married couples seem to have these days. I can see it in your eyes when you look at her, or when she looks at you. It's a special bond, more than love, more than family. You're best friends, and you can tell each other anything. That's what makes a marriage last. Your mother and I had it, but even that couldn't hold us together, as much as I was gone. "Don't ever get distracted from what's really important. A career can be destroyed, as can possessions. But a family will always be there, as long as you keep up the maintenance on it." We had reached the car, despite our slow shuffling. "Thanks Dad, for everything." "Hey, no problem. Just learn from my mistakes, would you? God knows I'm just starting to." I put out my hand and he took it, pulling me into a hug. The first hug I had gotten from my father in a long time. "Drive carefully, would you?" I sniffed, blinking back the unmanly tears I felt flooding my eyes. "I will, son. I will." he pulled back and climbed into his car. I watched him drive away with one last wave out the window. As I walked back to my apartment, I thought about what had just happened, what had happened over the last few days. Then I had to stop, the tears blurring my eyesight to the point I could no longer see. I stood there for moment, composing myself. Then I went in to see my family. But I couldn't get the image of my father's face as he had climbed into his car. An image of him with a single tear trickling down the side of his face. End Chapter Twenty End Watching, Book One -- +----------------' Story submission `-+-' Moderator contact `--------------+ | | | | Archive site +----------------------+--------------------+ Newsgroup FAQ | ----