I am taking my time this morning over my appearance..today my neices and nephews were comming to stay with me ...forever....the sad part of the story is my very much loved sister and her equally esteemed husband had died nearly a year ago in a fatal aircraft accident which occurred in the far north of western australia.......I was overseas at the time on a 12 month mission for the department of defence....this was not unusual and at times these missions could extend out to 18 months so the objective could be realized....because of this I didnt hear about the tragedy that had struck my family for close to 9 months after it happened and that was only 3 weeks ago...my 4 new children were comming to me by way of child protective services where they had been fostered for the last 10 months waiting for me to be found and informed and all the red tape of adoption was cleared up In 3 weeks I had secured an off base married quarters house..which is very nice.. 5 bedrooms, big kitchen and formal dinning room as well as a games room and family room. The double car garage and off street parking as well as access to all the bases amenities such as pool and recreation hall finished the picture .....I had a frantic time getting the house furnished for my soon to be family...I started in the play room..with 2 overstuffed 3 seater lounges and two 2 seater pullout bed/sofas...and bean bags all over the place...next was the largest LCD TV I could buy with a PS3 and an xbox and a Wii with a fully connected dual screen computer system and sound system...the next room was the lounge with another big LCD TV and pay tv setup with a home theatre lounge set with again bean bags everywhere.

Now comes the hard part...the oldest is a boy of 11...terry... he was very attached to his father and loved fishing and camping on the weekend. he was also a racing fanatic...big v8's....ok..double bed in an over and under style with a single bed up top..if he has mates over...corner suite computer desk and office desk with an executive chair......the walls painted ocean blue with posters of all the cars in the competition last year..this boy was the apple of my eye before I joined the forces...now he was about 115 cm's tall with blonde hair and freckles all over his face and apparently he was very toned and lithe as he was training for the last 4 yrs in japanese karate and had won several tournaments.

The next room was the largest bedroom...the twin girls...10 yrs old and identical, except for a mole on the butt cheek of the oldest....by 90 seconds....elouise or lou and katrina or kat.....both girls had sooty blonde hair and green eyes with fine white skin which burnt in the sun quickly....at about 110 cm's tall and with ballet bodies..the last time I saw them they were 2yrs old and didnt interest me much except that they were extremely cute....ok..no pink here I think ..maybe light grey with purple highlights on the windowsills and trimmings....also a yellow and green striped picture wall opposite the beds....furniture was a bit more difficult.....a king size bed that can be broken into 2 king singles as well as 2 rollaways under each....with a computer desk on each corner and a main office desk in the centre as well as executive chairs ..one done in grey leather with purple trim and one done in purple leather with grey trim...the bed clothes matched the rest of the furniture.

The last bedroom as such is small compared to the others and belonged to the youngest...peter... at 8 yrs of age and from the pics...blonde hair and fair skin and at 90 cm's tall and with lanky legs and long hair looked an almost identical twin to his mother at that age...he loves horses and has 2 ponies which are being shipped to our local pony club over the next week...this one wasn't hard...double bed with roll away underneath...and I had lucked out on a full wall covering with spanish horses prancing and showing off in a stadium...and with the obligatory computer desk and office desk with executive chair the room was finally finished.

Last but not least on this floor is the 2 bathrooms with an interconnecting door leading to the fourth bedroom on this floor..which was converted into a dressing room and walk-in closet for all four kids......my room is in the first part of the garage and is isolated from the rest of the house by the other side of the garage where my new ford suburban people mover is parked and the doorway into the laundry and pantry and then into the kitchen.

All the rooms in the house were connected via the computer network and call boxes at shoulder height for each child just inside the doorway..all the bedroom doors were lockable but I had a key to each door in the keysafe inside my room...

I had finished my makeover of the house and was ready for the kids to arrive with 2 days to spare so I caught up on my sleep and checked everything twice to make sure it all worked..

I was leaving the bathroom and doing up the last buttons on my shirt as the doorbell rang..I checked the window and 2 police officers and a priest were there..so I opened the door and invited them inside....mentioning that I was expecting the kids and social services...the officer in charge told me that they had to check the house before the kids got there in case anything needed to be provided or was not right..the priest was there for me to talk to for any issues I might have had about the kids and my sisters passing....after thoroughly checking the house and asking a million questions the officers left and the priest stayed..he made a call on his mobile phone and the kids were on their way from mcdees where they had stopped for breakfast while the police checked the house....

Finally ....I was a nervous wreck after all this and the knock came from the front door; the priest said' I think thats who you have been waiting for all this time.....you had better answer it."

I walked to the door and opened it to show a lady dressed in slacks and blazer with 4 kids in tow dressed comfortably for the overnight flight from Perth...as soon as Terry spotted me in the doorway he barreled through his sisters and hugged me...

"Uncle steve....I missed you and .."

I said "Its ok Terry Im right here," as I hugged him back....

"Cmon Tez lets get inside as I led him and the group into the lounge and made them all comfortable....the twins recognised the priest straight away ..as he had flown with them from Perth and was their parish priest from home so they migrated straight to him and sat either side...they didnt know me like Terry did and so were very shy.....Peter on the other hand I had never met as my work with the forces had kept me away for most of his life....he sat with the nun; I was surprised to find out, giving how she was dressed....on the other sofa as far from me as he could get....Father Nathan introduced everybody and wanted to know if anyone had any questions.....he asked me directly if it was alright for them to stay for the next 2 days to ensure the kids got settled in and still had familiar faces around..

I said "Of course; there are fold out beds in the play room which would be very comfortable and the kids would be upstairs and I would be in my room through the kitchen and garage"...

Father Nathan asked the kids if they would like to have a tour of the house and then looked at me..I said "Sure if everybody wants to follow me we can take the tour so everybody will know where everything is." With that I led them all to the stairs with Terry hanging on my arm and the girls looking worried and Peter just following along....when I got to the top of the stairs I directed them down the hall to Terry's room and opened the door with the key in the lock and then took the key out while holding the door closed...

I said to Terry "This is your room and here is your key...notice it is a security key and cannot open any other door but this one...look after it ".. I handed the key to him and a key chain which is a replica of one of the current v8 supercars.....when he had checked the keyring and shown it to his brother and sisters..I pushed the door open and let him enter the room....to say as much as he liked it would have been a gross understatement....we left him to check everything out and headed down the hall to the twins room...just before we left I said," Join us again when you have checked it all out," he looked at me and just grinned and stuck both thumbs up at me....

I had the keys to the girls room...which were on seperate rings one made of purple crystal and one made of clear crystal...I held both keys out in my hand and asked the girls which colour they liked....lou stepped out and gingerely took the purple one and kat took hers and hid behind the nun again..just peeking out at me..lou opened the lock and pushed the door open and stepped through...she came straight back out and grabbed kat and dragged her into the room along with the Sister Alice and closed the door.

I looked at Father Nathan and then pointed to Peter's door...I knelt down in front of him and said.."This is your room Peter and here is your key," which was dangling from the mouth of a finely carved miniature wooden horse..his eyes lit up and for the first time I saw why everyone in the family said he looks just like his mother..

He was sparkling and was animated and he said "Thankyou Uncle steve, can I open the door myself."

I replied "Yes Peter..just open the lock and have a look and tell me if you like it".

"Ok," he said.....Peter opened the lock and stepped inside, Father Nathan and I followed through the door...Peter just stood there and looked around, then walked to the wall and ran his hands over the print on the wall and then walked to the desk and computer desk...he sat in his chair and spun it to look at the bed ..got up and sat on the bed and just started to cry...

I sat down beside him and asked if everything was alright and he turned to me and said...: "Yes uncle steve..its perfect, you know my mum bought a picture from big w for me that was exactly the same as that whole wall."..he took his backpack off and opened it ..taking out a small framed print of the very same picture which now covered the whole wall of his room.

"Mum would have loved this room and I think its great.."

His hair had fallen across his face and hid his eyes and I could see the smile and the tears...so I just put my arm around him and said.. "Im glad you like it and I think your mum would have loved it as well.."

With that done I stepped out into the hall and found Terry waiting ..soon Father Nathan and Peter joined us and I knocked on the girls door..while Peter and Terry were talking quietly but excited to each other about their rooms....the door opened a crack and Kat looked out and I said.. "Hi are you ready for the rest of the tour"..

She opened the door and walked to me and tugged my arm to get me to lean down..when I did she put her hands behind my neck ..hugging me and kissed my cheek and whispered, "Thankyou for our room," she let me go and went inside to push the other two out.

Lou came out, followed by Sister Alice nun, she said "it's ok..I like the colour ..thank you Uncle Steve."

"Ok," I said.."lets have a look at the rest;"..at the end of the hall I opened the door with a key and stepped inside motioning them all to come inside..."this is the dressing room and through this door is the girls bathroom ...and through this door is the boys....you each have keys to your own bathroom but there is a very strict rule for the dressing room"...

As I paused and pointed around the room.." You will notice that this is a boys and girls dressing room....the key to this room is the same for everyone.....but the rule is to knock ..if you dont get an answer then the room is clear or you get permission from someone inside to enter..at no time do you enter the other bathroom...girls like their privacy as do boys so unless your asked there is no entry....is that clear"..I looked at each of the kids and they all said, "Ok".

We went downstairs, turned left at the bottom of the stairs and through double doors into the play room so I could show Father Nathan and Sister Alice where they were sleeping for the next couple of nights..."there is a fold out wall between the 2 sofa's so you can have some privacy and the bathroom is through the doors to the patio and then into the pool house," I spoke as I moved through the room to the rear glass doors and out onto the patio. "The pool is fenced and the key to the gate is in my room as is the key to the pool house."

We all moved out and to the pool house which I opened and everyone went inside. the mud room and the adjoining bathroom and shower were connected to the pool by a stable door which cant be locked. I handed the key to the pool house to Father Nathan and ensured he would lock it when not in use.

Then we all returned to the playroom and I showed them the dinning room, the lounge and then the kitchen. Kat tugged on my arm and asked in a small voice, "Where do you sleep Uncle Steve."

I pointed to the door to the garage and led the group through to my bedroom and pointed out my bathroom and the security system and the computer monitors and we all walked out through the garage to the driveway where my van and Father Nathans car was parked.

I asked, "Do you guys want to get your luggage from the car and take it inside and get settled in." They all headed to get their stuff and bring it inside. I called out, "I'll make some lunch and when your ready come to the dinning room."

After lunch we went over some basic house rules. The front door was to remain closed and locked, the kitchen was open to anyone as long as they cleaned up after themselves, the pool was out of bounds unless an adult was present, the play room was open to everybody and family evenings were encouraged for movies, games or music, friends and girlfriends or boyfriends had to be cleared by me before comming into the house, a roster for sheet changes and washing was up in the laundry and one was in the kitchen for dinner and dishes.

I finally asked, "Any questions?" They all chorused no but I knew there would be some negotiations for some of the chores. But that was in the future and I was glad to fill the main role for everything while they got used to the house and the new school.

About 3 Pm I asked them if they would like to take a drive to check out the area, I could show them the school and the local playgrounds and the army base rec rooms. After getting everyone in the van...Father Nathan was in the front seat with me and then the 2 girls and then Sister Alice and then the 2 boys, the van still had 3 seats left so everyone fitted ok... We drove through to the main street and I showed them the local shops and then onto the bustop for school and then down to the local Kmart shopping centre and then to the school where we stopped and the principle was waiting for my new family, prearranged so they could get a quick tour, and then onto the army base where I pointed out the rec rooms and my work and then the gymn. We pulled in there and I showed the kids the visitors pass they would have to use to get into the gymn and we went inside. Just inside was a poster advertising everything from ballet to karate classes for army families.. I noticed the girls writing down some info and also Terry. Peter wasnt to impressed so far, until after the army base we visited the pony club and a mate of mine gave him a personal tour of the club and showed him where his ponies would be stabled and where his tac would be stored. It had been a full day and I could see we were all getting tired so we headed home. I handed Terry my mobile and asked him to ring for pizza for dinner.

Once home I said, "Ok, everybody get cleaned up and changed, its nearly dark outside and its past 7 pm, dinner will be here shortly and we could all use a good nights sleep." the kids disappeared and I took Father Nathan and Sister Alice into the dinning room. "Would you like a cold beer or a glass of wine," I asked. Father Nathan took a beer and Sister Alice a glass of chardonay and I got a glass of JD black for myself from the hidden cabinet in the wall, locked of course.

"I think they will settle in pretty quickly, dont you;" I asked. Father Nathan replied," yes, Im impressed with what you have organised in such a short time. But im more interested in how you are feeling about the whole thing."

"I have to admit Im a bit overwhelmed, the only one of them I know is Terry and Im worried they wont feel at home here and even though its been a long time for them since their mum and dad passed away its only been 4 weeks for me so Im a bit raw around the edges, "I said.

"Their mum was my best friend right through our childhood and even until I went to the army and she got married, I havnt seen the girls since they were 2 yrs old and look at them now. But peter could be mistaken for Cheryl anytime..he looks just like her, she was always happy and loved horses as well. I always thought I was the one in danger all the time, I never thought that she could be taken from me and her kids like this and to lose Danny as well. He was a good friend to both of us and even when we were young I thought he liked Cheryl."

I looked up and saw them looking at me and Sister Alice had tears in her eyes. I said, "Ahh its good to talk about it sometimes but I dont want to get all mushy with the kids unless they need to talk about it themselves. Were they treated alright by their foster family, I mean it was only 10 months but thats a long time to a kid."

Father Nathan told me they were treated very well and have received counselling and there were a couple of things I should be aware of.

"Oh, is there a problem?" I asked. Sister Alice took over then and told me that there were some medical anomalies with the kids when they were checked on by the child services doctor in Perth. All 4 of the kids have been sexually active for several years, both with each other and a close knit group of friends from school. Elouise was apparently the ring leader of this little gang of sex fiends.

I asked, "But their just little kids, is that even possible I mean their so small and even Terry is just a little kid."

Sister Alice went on, "They have opened up a little bit to me over the past month and yes it is possible and apparently they enjoyed the experience and didnt see any harm in what they were doing, they havn't been hurt physicly by it and aside from a very adult veiw on the world dont have any side affects from the experience. they are all good students with excellent grades and very healthy after school activities, Terry with his Karate, the girls with ballet and Peter with pony club.

The next few days ran by swiftly, with very little drama and always under the watchful eye of Sister Alice...Friday night came up and Sister Alice was due to return to Perth the next day. After dinner we were all sitting in the play room and Terry and Peter were playing an online game with some friends from Perth; and Kat and Lou were watching a tweenie drama on TV with headphones on.

Alice came in and sat beside me and just looked miserable, I looked at her and asked, "All ready to go tomorrow, I bet youll be glad to be home again finally."

Alice replied, "I will miss them terribly, I think Ive fallen in love with them all. You know we get all sorts of kids through the home in Perth and some of them are really damaged goods... But these four seemed to hold it all together and dealt with everything thrown at them with ease. All I can say is they were taught all the right things from good manners to how to support each other through crisis after crisis."

"Oh there were several days of crying and hugging and just natural greiving after the news of their parents and then when we couldnt find you they went through another couple of days of it because they thought they would be split up from each other. But all in all they just got on with dealing with life. Cheryl and Danny must have been great parents and you have turned out to be an asset to them rather than another nightmare they have to deal with.. But im going miss the midnight hugs when the girls come down and sit with me when they are a bit emo over something..and the boys especially Peter, he has a really compassionate soul and he would tell me late at night when everybody was asleep that he felt deep sorrow for the girls not having mom around and he missed his dad but probably not as much as Terry."

I didnt know about the midnight visits but wasnt surprised because Alice had been there to support the kids through most of the trauma of their very young lives.

"Thankyou for helping them when I couldnt and also for helping me with getting them settled here, youve done so much for them and I think they really like you as well." I said.

"Well," Alice said, "the only thing I will suggest when im gone is some sort of religeous instruction for them..I know it hasnt come up, but they are Roman Catholic and Ive not had the time to talk to them about it but you should. They were in sunday school in Perth and might like to start up again here."

"Ok, Ill talk to them very soon and come up with some sort of plan for them. You know that I'm strictly an athiest and to explain I dont really see any grand plan in action around the world. Ive worked with the military in some really bad places and done some really bad things to some deserving individuals who needed to move on from this world, so im a little prejudiced but my veiws wont come up when I talk to the kids."

All she said was "Ok", then she wished the kids goodnight and went onto bed. The next day there were some tears and lots of hugging and Alice insisted on us not taking her to the airport as she had booked a taxi. So we all stood on the front lawn and watched the taxi carrying her away with wet faces and after the car had dissappeared we still stood for a little while lost in thought.

"Right, lets get inside and cleaned up; Im thinking a disney double feature and hotdogs, what do you lot think." The kids all mumbled ok and we set about repairing broken hearts with disney princesses and junk food for the day.

That night we all decided that early to bed would be the policy and everybody trooped off to their own rooms. I sat in my lounge chair with the foot pad out and was reading a really funny Tery Pratchet novel when a slight knock on my door pulled me out of the book. "Yes,come in," I said.

Kat and Peter were there pushing my door open and comming in, they stood beside my chair just looking at me until I said, "Ok, whats up munchkins."

Before I had finished the sentence they were climbing up onto the chair and had settled themselves down on either side of me. Peter sitting on the arm of the chair and Kat sitting on my lap with her little backside between my legs and her legs tucked in under my blanket. So.. I thought to myself this is the midnight hugs that normally Alice would have been here for. The next hour or so we sat and chatted about stuff and they showed that they were concerned Alice would be ok without them. When they had talked themselves out and were now very sleepy I picked them both up and took them to bed. After settling them into their own beds I thought I would check on the other two.

I opened Terries door and stepped into the room and noticed immediately that the bed was empty, I sat in the computer chair and wondered where he could be. The bathroom was my only bright idea so I just sat there and waited for the next 5 minutes. When 15 minutes had dragged by I rethought and decided to check on Kat and Lou again. Obviously they weren't expecting me to open the door again as I had found Terry and Lou in a rather compromising situation.

They had not seen me and even as I watched them for a short while I saw Kat peek her head out of the covers and grin at me and then duck back under her own blankets. I closed the door and went back to my own room and just sat in my chair and thought about what I had seen and reflected on how many times this same situation had occurred since the kids had been put into Alice's care...The cheeky little shits had kept her busy with their midnight hugs while 1..2 or 3 of the others were engaged in god knows what back in their bedrooms. After a while I decided that I would do nothing about what I knew and went to bed.

The next morning as I was making hash browns for breakfast along with scrambled eggs and toast, Kat strolled into the kitchen and sat up on the counter near where I was working. She was studying my face as I worked with a shit eating grin on her face.

She said, "So you know now, what do you think?"

I replied, "About what Kat, did you think I didnt know before. It doesn't worry me and as long as you dont hurt each other... Who am I to stop you doing what you obviously enjoy doing. I have just one question...did your mom know about it and just how long has it been happening?"

"mom and dad knew, loved us and accepted us as we were, as well as the other kids involved in our little group. As far as for how long its been happening, I was 7 yrs old the first time Peter and I did it and Lou was 6 the first time she did it with Terry and he was involved with another girl and her mom for about a year before that so weve been doing it for a while now."

"Sister Alice told me that you were active but not since your mom and dads accident, but you've been covering for each other, just like last night, all this time."

"yep, she asked us all sorts of questions when the doctor told her Lou and I weren't virgins anymore and we were obviously doing it with someone, but Peter has only just been able to do some stuff."

"how old were the other kids involved and were there adults doing stuff as well?"

"There were 2 other parents that were involved mainly with Lou and Terry, Peter and I stuck to mom and dad mostly....Ohh I didnt mean Ohh nooo." Kat blushed bright red from the top of her head all the way down to her toes. "I wasnt supposed to tell you that...Terry said you might not like mom and dad if you found out."

She started to hunch in on herself and just started to sob into her hands.

"Please dont hate us, or mommy and daddy, they really loved us and we loved them to."

I washed my hands in the sink and slowly dried them before taking the 3 steps over to her, putting my arms around her and gently pulling her into my chest I could feel her hair against the skin of my neck and her wet face on my shoulder, "There is nothing to worry about, I would have been very surprised if I had found out that you mom and dad weren't involved somehow. Your mom was always a naughty girl and your dad would go to great lengths to help her be naughty. They were perfectly matched for each other and they had 4 pretty well matched kids as well, dont you think."

I ran my hands across her back and up under her arms to her face and lifted her head so I could look at her. Peter could have been Cheryls body double but the twins embodied her gutsy spirit and personality. She didnt back down from anybody and Danny was right alongside her backing her play to the hilt.

"Why dont you go and wash up for breakfast and get the others up as well. Just wake Terry first and ask him to come and see me ...ok."

"ok," she said, "your really not mad at us," her wet face just bloomed into a full fledged smile and her eyes sparkled again," I'll tell Terry you need him down here right away."

With that she pushed me away and jumped down from the counter and rushed out the door and I could hear her feet running up the stairs. I should get ready for a command performance so I put a stern look on my face and started banging the knife onto the chopping board quite hard as if I was angry...I stopped and said to myself ...scrooge couldnt have done a better job of it....and went back to hitting the cutting board.

I heard Terry open the kitchen door and he stopped in his tracks when he heard me muttering about military school and a nunnery for the girls.

"Umm ...Uncle Steve, Kat said you needed to see me straight away. Whats up?"

I spun around and pointed the knife right at him and said in a very low voice, "How long Terry, How long have you been molesting your sisters?" I took a menacing step towards him. He looked shaken and the colour drained right out of his face and if he wasnt Cheryl and Dannys kid I think he would have fainted.

"Out with it, you little child molester, how long has it been going on." I watched him rally and he lifted his head and deliberately took up a waiting pose as if asking permission to enter a dojo. His hands balled up into fists and he raised his eyes to look at me in the face. What came out next surprised the hell out of me, but it really shouldnt have.

"I love my sisters and my brother, we dont think its got anything to do with molesting. If you dont like it, I'll take my family and leave and you wont have to ever worry about it again, Ok," He was nearly shouting by the end of the short speech. I turned and put the knife on the bench and faced him with a more casual stance.

"So you consider them your family do you, if you leave what will you eat where will you sleep. Have you considered that if you got caught in your little love affair with your family, especialy after your mom and dad were dead that child services would have spread your little asses all over the country and you would probably never see your family again." I made it sound harsh and dammning but if they had been caught thats exactly what Sister Alice would have done and I would never have even seen them again. "I loved your mom and dad and what do you think I would have found if you had been caught. The authorities would never have allowed you to come together again as a family." Now I was being selfish, "I would never have had the priveledge of looking after you kids and seeing you grow and learn about life and love each other until your hands and lips fell off either. Or felt the joy of seeing you smile and laugh with each other when you are only playing or fighting together. You know I've seen people killing each other and people hating each other but until you and your family came to live here with me, I didnt think I would ever experience love as a pure emotion ever again. I realized very quickly what I had been missing since I joined the military and even though my sister and her husband had to be taken from me I dont ever want to lose it again. Do you understand that. You need to go to your room now and let me think about things for a while....Oh and dont tell your sisters about our little conversation just now ..ok."

After I finished my monologue he looked stunned again. He walked to me and said, "Ok ill see you later then." With that he turned and left the kitchen and went to his room.

A few minutes later the girls came in and I served them up some breakfast and then Peter came in to get his and i served mine out and put Teries into the microwave. We all sat and started eating and although the girls were quiet and Peter was a little subdued the conversation was good. We discussed what to do that day and what football game was on tv this afternoon and the girls were excited about their first trip to ballet the next day. I guess Kat had told Lou and Peter about our conversation this morning and they were taking everything in their stride. After breakfast I lined Peter up for dishwashing and the girls for drying and tidying the kitchen. I zapped Terries breakfast and grabbing a knife, fork and handtowel headed for his room.

When I got there, His suitcase was laying on the desk with nothing in it and he was on his bed looking a little defiant. I walked over and handed him his breakfast which he started eating as if he was having a last meal on death row. I said, "You know, the midnight hugs idea was pretty smart but all you really did was focus Alice on you four more heavily. Never let it be said that she was fooled I think she fell in love with all four of you and used the midnight hugs as an excuse not to bust your asses."

Terry looked at me from the bed and pointed his fork at the suitcase, "So can I put that away now."

"I don't know why you got it out in the first place, you've done nothing wrong. Just made some rookie mistakes," I said. "But remember while your here you can be honest with me and believe me I wont be shocked or disturbed, well maybe a little jealous because your sisters are totally little foxes you know."

The next thing I had Terry wrapped around me crying and saying he was sorry and just generally being a normal 11 yr old. I patted him on the back and put him down on the floor.

"Ok, get yourself sorted, I think we'll spend the day in the pool what do you think?" With that I left his room and went downstaires to inform everybody of the pool day.

It was going to be hot so I went and put the shade sails over the grassed area so we could relax between swims. the girls dissappeared upstairs to change into swim suits and both boys changed in the pool house...I was crouched down by the pool maintenance shed checking that the chemical levels were all ok...there is nothing worse than sore eyes from bad pool water....so when the girls came out the door I had my back to them..I heard Terry whistle and turned to see Kat standing in a classic pose showing off her body to perfection...and Lou behind her looking worried....they both had identical suits on and I was stunned....the suits were cut for racing and had been molded to fit the girls perfectly...the top was one peice to just under the breast line and then cut severely to the side and was joined to the bottoms with barely an inch of material which was high cut and and scoloped in the front with a full bikini around the back....this left their whole back and stomach uncovered.. I nearly fell over ..these 2 girls were beautiful....Terry was clapping in appreciation of the show and Kat preened at the notice he was taking...Lou on the other hand seemed unsure of the reaction....

I stood up and grinned like an idiot saying "Well look at you two ..if I didnt know any better I would have said someone cloned your mother."

Kat said "thanks" and went to Terry for some sunscreen and Lou came to me and asked me... "Do you like our suits...mom had them made for us in Perth..just before the crash..this is the first time weve worn them since then...

I put my hand out and took her hand in mine and gently pulled her to me saying... "Your beautiful and you do look just like your mom ..just like I remember her"...and suddenly I had tears in my eyes and the world sort of misted over for a little while.

I felt those small hands and then the slim little arms circle around my neck and my head being pulled down onto her chest and her fingers went into my very short hair holding my upper body against her slight body...I put my arms loosely around her back and ran my hands from her shoulders down her back and onto the small of her back. Gently lifting my head away from her I said "Thankyou....Im sorry but your parents accident is still new to me and I do miss your mother a lot." I smiled at Lou and stepped back while holding her hands in mine..." Would you like me to put some sunscreen on you..before you go swimming."

"Yes please...both Kat and I burn easily so we need to put a lot on."

I sat down on the pavers and turned Lou around so her back was to me... I grabbed the sunscreen and squirted a generous amount into my hand and rubbed them together...putting both hands on her shoulders I rubbed the cream into her very white skin and and down her back gently massaging the cream into every inch of her bare skin rubbing my finger tips just under the edge of her suit all the way down to her prominent little backside... Lou giggled and wriggled that cute little backside in my face as I covered her skin in the cream...moving down to her legs more cream was spread down her thighs and to the tops of her feet when I ran my hands back up the inside of her thighs stopping just below the line of her suite...she dropped her weight onto her left leg and lifted her right leg slightly spreading her thighs so I could move my hands all the way up to her suite..

She said "Its ok I need it all over so go ahead." Pushing her leg a little higher encouraging me to reach all of her skin right up to the suite edge....having finished the back she turned around and stood with her bare tummy right in front of my face.....more cream and again my fingers were encouraged to move under the edge of her suite from the top under her little boobs and down to the scalloped edge of the suite bottoms....as my fingers slid under her suite bottom she put her hands on my head and pushed her body against my hands and I was suddenly brushing a far more intimate area of her body than I should...I heard her sigh a little and then step away from me...

"Thankyou " she said and went to the pool...stepping into the water and then suddenly diving into the shallow end of the pool and stroking strongly to the deep end and back again ...doing laps now with ease...another small splash and her sister was right beside her matching stroke for stroke back and forward across the pool....the boys had started the spa and were enjoying the cool water and bubbles while watching their sisters swimming.

I joined them in the spa, and we just sat silently while the girls effortlessly spent the next 20 minutes doing laps....Terry finally said.

"Mom had their suites made when they joined the swimming club and were competing against some of the best swimmers in WA." I answered him. "But what about their dancing..."

"The swimming club was held at the school pool and they went straight after class....then onto ballet afterwards. Mom picked them up from the ballet school just before dinner," Terry said.

Peter put his left hand on my shoulder and said, "I love to watch them swim, just like fish flashing through the water."

At that point the girls came to a halt and stood up in the water and we just watched the water sluice from their bodies and they nearly glistened in the bright sunshine. The girls were clearly very aware of the three of us watching them as they dried off in the sun and then lay down on the wooden benches in the shade to rest. I stepped out of the spa and asked them if they would like a cool drink after their swim. Kat looked up and said, "yes please."

The day passed slowly and I was realizing after chatting with the kids throughout the day that I had a lot to learn and the kids were becomming used to me. By late afternoon Lou had finished swimming and when I sat on the grass beside the bench she slid down and sat beside me and leaned against my chest and after a while fell asleep against me. Kat was watching her sister closely and every now and then looked at me then back to her sister...she seemed to come to some conclusion and then lay down beside me and Lou and after a while she to went to sleep. This was new to me and recalled to me many times that their mother had often fallen asleep on my lap when she was a little girl.

I was pretty drowsy myself so just gave in and fell asleep on the grass...just as the sun was dissappearing below the horizon Terry and Paul came over and shook me awake and asked about dinner...I said, "How about we have a BBQ?" The chorused ok was from all four as the girls had woken up as well.