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Subject: {ASSM} STORY: Protective Custody (MF, Mf, MFf, FF, Ff, rom, inc, oral)
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<1st attachment, "Protective_Custody.txt" begin>

Protective Custody (MF, Mf, MFf, FF, Ff, rom, inc, oral)

by Dorsai

Copyright (c) 2002 - Dorsai


LEGAL DISBLAMER
	I wrote it. Whether or not you're allowed to read it is for YOU
to worry about, and most definitely NOT my problem.
 
INFORMATION
	You can get a copy of this story in text and .pdf (Adobe
Acrobat) formats, and my other stories, at the alt.sex.stories
text repository at
		www.asstr-mirror.org
under my Author name of Dorsai. Or, if you prefer, you can read
it as an HTML document on my web page at asstr. If you do,
*PLEASE* make a donation to them so they can continue to afford
to make erotica available on the net. The money they receive is
used ONLY to maintain the site (pay for bandwidth [faster
downloads!], servers, etc.), NOT to pay us authors. They will
accept any donation, and you can donate anonymously - see their
donations page to learn how.

    You can reach me directly at my public email account at:

		dorsai@mail.com

This story is released for FREE public distribution provided the
copyright notice is retained. This story is NOT FOR SALE at any
time, by anyone. This story may NOT be included in any
collections or posted on any site for which ANY type of fee or
other charge is required before the user can read it. I *WILL*
prosecute any violations of my copyright, or the terms of
distribution.

    For those wishing to provide feedback to me, or any other
author, there are a number of anonymous remailers available from
the site:

		http://www.1netcentral.com/anonymous-email.html

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The previous stories in this tale are "Next Door Neighbor" and
"Amy & Friends". Reading those - in that order - would certainly
be helpful, but aren't strictly necessary.

----------


I first met Lucy when she moved into the apartment building I
lived in at the time, becoming my next door neighbor. Not long
after that, I met her daughter Robyn - and a bit later,
deflowered the then-13-year-old at her insistence. Along the way,
I got the two of them to start actually talking to each other to
the point that they were able to get along much better than
either of them had thought possible. That led to Lucy and me
becoming first friends, and then lovers.

It was while Lucy was on a business trip that I was asked to
deflower Robyn's 15-year-old best friend Sandra, again at the
youngster's request. During Lucy's business trip, she found some
irregularities and experienced a few problems with the company
that she and her staff were auditing for a client. She asked me
to help find out what was going on because I was someone she
trusted, and I knew enough about computers to be able to help.

I did the job under contract, and found that the company had been
used for a number of illegal activities, along with being
systematically looted by its upper management. The client wanted
to prosecute as well as see if they could get their money back,
and Lucy and I took the case to the local FBI office because much
of the activity clearly involved a number of out-of-state banks
and other operations. By the time it was all over, I'd earned
myself a nice percentage of the 300+ million dollars that I'd
been able to direct the FBI toward recovering - as well as almost
literally handing them the evidence they'd needed to prosecute by
turning over a laptop with the details of what had happened. As
the case developed, Lucy, Robyn, Sandra, and I `came clean' with
each other about the various permutations of relationships and
bed partners. We also got FBI protection because of involvement
by what the FBI delicately called "an organized crime element".
One of the members of that protective detail became friendly with
us - friendly to the point of joining all four of us in bed.

When the case was over, Lucy and I married, and I adopted Robyn.
With my new wealth, Lucy and I moved into a house closer to where
Robyn's friend Sandra lived, and the two of them spent a
considerable amount of time together - as well as with Lucy and
me.

A couple of years later, I got a call from that agent - Amy -
requesting my technical skills as a computer jock to help them
break up a small drug cartel. Along the way, I had the distinct
pleasure of meeting and becoming intimate with a couple of the
people that were involved with the case - and then bringing them
`into the fold' with Lucy, Robyn, Sandra, and Amy. To my deep
regret, the druggies we'd been after decided to try and scare me
off by hiring a contract killer to eliminate Sandra's parents. In
the aftermath of that tragedy, I wound up adopting Sandra, too -
and took great pride when she asked to call me her Uncle Dan. The
case ultimately ended with a number of massive raids by the FBI
against a number of different dealers across the country.

The friendships we'd all developed continued throughout the
following years; every so often, one or more of them would join
our family for a period of loving time together.


Lucy, Robyn, Sandra, and I were sitting in the living room one
evening watching a movie on TV when the phone rang. Since I had
Sandra on my lap as the two of us casually and affectionately
molested each other, Robyn got up off of Lucy's lap - where the
two of them had been doing much the same thing - to answer the
phone.

I heard Robyn's delighted squeal after answering, followed by a
brief conversation before she brought the phone to me. I looked
at her questioningly, and she simply said "Amy" before handing
over the phone.

"Hi, Amy" I greeted her, before asking "What's up? You get some
time off, and want to visit for a while?"

I heard her gentle laughter before she answered "I wish! No, Dan,
I'm calling about something else."

Something about the way she answered got my attention, and I
stopped teasing Sandra's left nipple before asking "What is it?"

At the tone of my voice, Sandra, Robyn, and Lucy all turned to
listen to me.

"I've got a favor to ask, Dan", Amy responded.

"You know I'll do what I can, Amy."

I heard her deep sigh over the phone before she said "I got a
call from the SAC - Special Agent in Charge - in your town. He's
got a little bit of a situation, and he wanted to know if there
was anything I could do to help. I can't do anything to help him,
but I think you might be able to, if you're willing."

Mildly exasperated, I asked "Amy, when have I not been willing to
help the FBI?" - my words definitely got Lucy and the girls'
attention, as well as giving them warning that Something Was Up.

Amy sighed again, and answered "You haven't - but this situation
isn't like anything you've done for us before."

"So tell me."

"Okay, but I have to give you a little background, first."

"I'm listening..."

"He's been running a case in your area, trying to get a handle on
a relatively small group of, well, thugs. They've been involved
in a lot of different things in a small way - small enough to
pretty much stay under the radar, so to speak, and careful enough
that they haven't left any loose threads for us to latch on to."
Amy had told us once that the FBI - and law enforcement in
general - couldn't do much about any particular crime until and
unless the person or people involved made a mistake, saying
"There's no such thing as the perfect crime. Sooner or later,
EVERY criminal makes a mistake, and it's that certainty that
we're geared for and count on. All we need is a single loose
thread - sometimes literally! - and we can unravel all their
planning and scheming to build a case the puts them away."

I asked "What is it they're up to, and then?"

"Like I said, a lot of different things", she answered, and then
seemed to run down a mental list: "A little gun smuggling. Snuff
films. Blackmail. Turning kids - girls and boys - as young as
middle school into prostitutes. Insurance scams. The list goes
on." 

"So how do I come into this?" I asked.

"Dale Kristofferson - he's Agent in Charge there - got his break
when the wife of one of the upper-level scumbags walked into his
office and offered to tell him anything and everything about the
operation. She said that she could live with him abusing her, but
when he started talking about `breaking in' their fifteen year
old daughter, it was too much."

"Okay, that's the `why' of it - but you still haven't answered
the `how' part" I told her.

Another sigh, and she said "The `how' is that she said she'd only
give up the info if the Bureau would put her someplace he
couldn't find them - she's literally scared spitless of him. Dale
offered witness protection, but she didn't trust it. He offered a
protective detail, and she just laughed, saying that the guy had
enough people in law enforcement working for him that she might
as well stand out on the street corner. Dale got her fixed up
with one of those Winnebago jobs that they're moving every couple
of nights, but he and she both know that can't last too long. So
he's looking for something - anything! -that might bring her
around. Like I said, I can't help him, but thought maybe you
could - by taking her into something like protective custody."

"What do you mean?" I asked, somewhat baffled.

"I mean that if you're willing, she might agree to stay at your
place where you can watch out for her. Between your background
and that alarm system you've got, there's a chance that she might
go for it - particularly with you not being in `law enforcement',
per se. I know it's a lot to ask, and I'll understand if you
decide to say `no'. And I haven't told Dale about this yet - I
just said that I'd see if I couldn't come up with something. So
if you do turn it down, you won't have to worry about any bad
feelings or anything."

I sat there for a bit, thinking about what she'd told me - not
just about what it would mean to me and my family, but to the
woman and her daughter. And the kinds of things that Amy had told
me the woman's husband was involved in.

I finally told Amy "Okay, Amy, I'll think about it - but you know
it's not just my decision."

"I know that, Dan. That's why I'm telling you that if you have to
turn it down, I'll completely understand. To tell you the truth,
I'm not real happy about even asking you about this - but it's
the only thing I could come up with."

"I figured as much, Amy. Can I call you back tomorrow,sometime?"

"Of course, Dan - take whatever time you need."

"Thanks, Amy. Tomorrow, then" I said, and heard her answer
"Tomorrow" before both of us hung up the phone.

I could only sit there, trying to figure out how to even begin
bringing this new `adventure' up with the rest of them.  My
reverie was interrupted by Lucy's quiet "What is it, Dan? Does
Amy need help with something again?" the worry clear in her
voice. My last experience at helping the FBI hadn't gone as
quietly and smoothly as ANY of us would have liked.

I looked up at her, and saw the concern on her face before
looking at Robyn and Sandra, each of them mirroring her
expression.

I released my own heavy sigh, and said "Not Amy, exactly. It's
the local office that needs help, and it's a real gem."

Lucy and the girls waited (mostly) patiently while I got my
thoughts together before I started telling them about Amy's
request - and the who and why of it.

As I talked, filling in the blanks that I knew Amy had left out,
first Lucy, and then the girls, grew paler and paler as I
explained the situation - and particularly, what the woman's
husband and his cohorts were up to.

By the time I was done, all three of them were clearly disgusted,
worried, outraged, and fearful by turns.

I finished up by telling them "Okay, you know who, what, when,
where, and why. I'm going to tell you right now that this isn't
going to happen unless it's by unanimous agreement. I'm not going
to tell you what I think should happen - quite honestly, I don't
even know what I think about it yet. And I don't think any of you
should say out loud what YOU think about it, either. IF this
happens, it's going to affect ALL of us - this woman and her
daughter are going to be in our home, living with us day in and
day out for some unknown period of time. It might be a few days;
it might be a few MONTHS. I think we can safely assume that both
of them would come in here with some emotional and mental
baggage. If they're in our home, I don't think it would be...
prudent to have them find out about us and our relationship with
each other. We would basically have to put on our `public' face
in our own home AND deal with a couple of people that we might
discover we don't like and are probably going to have their own
`issues' - and not only put up with them, but actually try to
protect them however we can in whatever way they might need."

All three of them nodded solemnly, and I went on "I just told
you, I'm not even sure what I think about this. What I want to do
- and what I think all of you should do, too - is find a quiet
spot by myself to really think this through. When I'm done, I'll
come back here. When you've made your decision, you come back,
too. Okay?"

They all nodded, and each got up and left to find their own place
to figure out what they wanted to do. As I expected, Lucy made
her way toward our bedroom; I left her to it, and went out to my
office in the small building near our swimming pool. It was a
good two hours before I made my way back to the living room - and
I was the first one there.

Over the next hour, first Sandra then Robyn joined me. A bit
later, Lucy made her way in, too - carrying the small dish that I
dumped my pocket change into and a small vase. I looked at her in
curiosity, but she just gave me a look that said `wait and see'.

We sat trying not to look at each other for a couple of minutes
before Lucy spoke up, saying "It looks like we've all made our
decision - and I suspect that none of you wants to say anything
because you either don't want to influence anyone else, or
because you're afraid you'll be the `odd' one. So I came up with
a solution: I'm going to put the change disk and the vase over
there on the table. Each of us will go over and take a coin out
of the dish, and drop it in the vase - a penny if we say `no' or
a nickel if we say `yes'. The table is far enough away, and I'll
put the dish and vase close enough together, that none of us will
be able to tell who got which coin. When we're done, we empty the
vase here on the coffee table. If there's even one penny, we
don't do it. Everybody understand?"

We all smiled and nodded - it was a fairly elegant solution of
how to `vote' without being singled out.

Lucy went on to say "I know you girls are old enough to do it
anyway, but I want to make sure we ALL understand that if each of
us isn't absolutely sure that we can do this, and then we should
vote `no' - this isn't something where `I think I can' is good
enough. Okay?"

Another round of nods and Lucy got up to put the dish and vase on
the table - and stepping away from them so we could all see that
the dish was in front of the vase, making it easy for each of us
to use our body to block the view of the rest.

Lucy came back and sat down before saying "Dan, since Amy brought
it up with you, I think you should go ahead and vote first, then
Robyn, and then Sandra. I'll vote last, and bring the vase with
me."

Without a word, I got up and went over to the table. With a
sudden inspiration, I picked out a coin and dropped it in the
vase - then stepped aside so they could watch as I `stirred' the
contents of the change dish, making it impossible for anyone to
even guess which one I'd selected. Lucy smiled and nodded as I
made my way back to my seat. Robyn stood, and went over to make
her decision known before following my example of stirring the
change. When Robyn was seated, Sandra stood and did as we had.
Finally, it was Lucy's turn, and she stirred the change as well
before returning with the vase.

Seated, she looked at each of us before quietly moving to turn
the vase upside down on top of the coffee table, keeping its
contents hidden - then slowly lifting it up to reveal four
nickels face up on the glass. We all looked at each other for a
few moments before breaking into subdued smiles.

"I'll call Amy in the morning and let her know we're willing to
help", I told them quietly.

Lucy spoke up, saying "Now that that's out of the way, I think
we'd all better get to bed - it's late, and tomorrow will be here
all too soon."

Robyn and Sandra stood and came over to give Lucy and me each a
kiss before heading upstairs, hand in hand.

When they were gone, Lucy came over to sit in my lap, playfully
slapping my arm when I released a fake groan of complaint - she
knew full well that I enjoyed having her on my lap, and that I
was teasing her.

"Dan, I already knew this is right, and I figured you'd say
`yes', too. But I have to admit that I'm still a little surprised
that both of them voted to do it, too. As much as they like being
with you, and with me, I half-expected that one or the other
would say `no'. It makes me so proud of them that they'd be
willing to put their wants aside to help someone with as many
troubles as this woman, and her daughter."

I kissed her on the tip of her nose and answered "Yup. I think we
can safely conclude that they've turned into the kind of people
we wanted them to be, no matter what else happens."

Lucy gave me a small hug, and the two of us sat there for several
minutes, each contemplating just how proud and pleased we were
with the way Robyn and Sandra had matured - even more than they'd
already demonstrated to both of us before then.


Ten o'clock the next morning, I called Amy's office - and was
surprised when I was put right through to her.

"Thanks for getting back to me so soon, Dan. I'll call Dale and
let him know that I wasn't able to come up with anything for
him."

"Whoa, Amy! I'm calling to let you know that we decided that we
COULD do it", I told her when I heard her pause to take abreath.

There was dead silence on the phone for several long seconds
before I heard a soft "I'll be damned" before a relieved voice
told me "Thanks, Dan. That's nowhere near enough - again! - but
it's what I have. I'll call Dale, and give him your number so he
can make arrangements to meet with you; and I'll send him a copy
of our file, so he knows exactly who he's got on his side."

"That's fine, Amy", I answered.

A pregnant pause, and she asked "I've got to know - how did you
decide?"

I gave her a quick synopsis, and another few seconds went by
before she said "Every time I forget how grown up those two young
ladies are, they go and do something like this to hammer it home
again. I figured you'd be willing, and that Lucy might go for it
- but I never really thought that Robyn and Sandra would. I know
how much it means to them to be able to come to you and Lucy
whenever they need or want; I honestly didn't expect them to put
that aside for something like this."

I smiled to myself, and told her "Yeah, it kinda surprised Lucy
and me, too."

I heard Amy's soft laugh before she said "I don't know if I
should be pleased or amazed that those two could surprise you and
Lucy!"

"Probably a little of both, just like we are", I answered.

"Well, you make sure and let them know how much this means to me,
Dan."

I released my own laugh, and said "Don't you figure they already
know, Amy?"

"Yeah, I guess they do" she answered with her own laugh, before
saying "I'm sorry, Dan, but I've got to go. I'll get this to Dale
right away, so you should hear from him pretty quick."

"I'll be here" I promised her before putting the phone back in
its cradle.


I wasn't particularly that surprised when I the phone rang barely
an hour later; Amy had said that they were worried about the
woman being `outed'.

I answered it after the second ring, and after answering "Dan
Andrews here", heard a pleasant baritone say "This is Dale
Kristofferson, Mr. Andrews. Amy has told me that you would be
willing to make your home available as a, um, sanctuary for
someone that I would like to see protected. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is" I answered.

"Amy has already filled me in a little on your previous
experience with the Bureau, Mr. Andrews, and is sending me a copy
of the Bureau's file on you that should be here tomorrow morning.
Would it be possible for you to meet with me tomorrow afternoon,
after I've had a chance to look it over? I'll be happy to meet
with you either here in my office, at your home, or anyplace
convenient for you. For reasons I think you understand, sooner
would be better."

His words and tone told me that he really was worried about the
woman. I answered him by saying "Since my home would be the
sanctuary, you might find it reassuring to see for yourself what
I have to offer, Agent Kristofferson. I work from my home, so
feel free to stop in any time you wish tomorrow, morning or
afternoon". I figured that once he'd read my file, he'd be
visiting as soon as he could manage: Amy had let me read it
myself one day; on paper at least, I even impressed myself.

"Any time, Mr. Andrews?" He sounded dubious.

"Yes, any time, Agent Kristofferson", I reassured him.

"Tomorrow, then" he said, by way of ending the call.


I have to admit that I was still surprised when someone rang the
doorbell shortly after nine thirty the next morning, and I saw
what could only be an FBI agent on my doorstep - and thus, must
have been Agent Kristofferson.

I opened the door and invited him in, pretending not to notice
the odd look on his face as he got the chance to actually see the
person he'd only known through a folder full of papers.

I stuck my hand out and said "Agent Kristofferson, I presume. Dan
Andrews; I'm pleased to meet you." As we were sizing each other
up, Sunshine, our family dog came up to greet him - and got the
attention she craved, if only for a few seconds.

He shook with me, and I led him through the house and out to my
office. Along the way, from the corner of my eye, I could see him
looking over our house - and felt mildly pleased. Lucy had seen
to decorating and furnishing it with simple elegance; there
wasn't anything `fancy' like antiques, but all of it was of
simple design and the highest quality. Once in my office, I
showed him a chair, and then took my seat behind my desk. A few
seconds went by and I quietly asked him "Would you be kind enough
to give me a little more information about just who it is that
I'm opening my home to?"

With a guilty start, he said "I'm sorry. Our file on you - the
classified version, much to my surprise - was waiting for me when
I got to the office this morning, and I read it immediately. I
have to admit, Mr. Andrews, I've never heard about, never mind
actually met, anyone quite like you before. I trust you won't be
offended if I say that I took the time to make a couple of phone
calls to verify some of the things I saw in your file. Reading
about you and your background was really.... something."

I grinned and said "I assure you - it was really something from
my perspective, too."

He managed a small smile, and I went on to tell him "Agent
Kristofferson, it might be easier if we ratchet this down a
little. I'm a guy that happened to be in the right place at the
right time with the right training and experience - and a fair
measure of luck. But I'm still just a guy - a wife, a couple
kids, and an interest in doing what I can for people that need a
little help. How about calling me Dan? If this goes through,
it'll make things a bit easier for both of us."

He just looked at me for a few moments, and said "Okay, Dan. I
don't know about the `just a guy' part after reading your file
and knowing what you're willing to do to help, though. I'm Dale,
by the way."

I got up and went to the fridge I kept in the office and pulled
out a couple bottles of beer, handed him one of them, and took my
seat again. He looked at me strangely, and I just said "I'm sure
the sun's over the yardarm somewhere, and I expect we've got a
bit of talking to do. No sense getting thirsty in the process. If
we're going to be working together, we might as well make it as
easy and friendly as possible for both of us, don't you think?"

He gave me a wry smile in answer and lifted the bottle to his
mouth as I did the same.

Over the next hour, he filled me in on the details of what he
needed and why he needed it. When he was done, I was all the more
certain that I wanted to help him as much as I could; even if the
woman turned down the offer to stay with us, I was going to ask
if there was anything else I could do to be of assistance - and
absently toyed with the idea of contacting some of my old Army
buddies before deciding not to. Last time I'd done so, Lucy had
made it more than clear that such things were way down on her
list of Good Things To Do.

"So now you know what's been going on, and who's been doing it"
Dale told me, adding "If you're still willing to take the chance
to help, I'll be more than happy to fill you in on the woman and
her daughter before you meet them."

I drained the last few drops of beer from the bottle and tossed
it into the wastebasket before telling him "I'm still willing.
And even if she doesn't feel safe in my place, I want you to know
that I'll do anything I can to help."

The relief was plain on his face when he said "Thank you, Dan"
before draining his bottle and depositing it next to mine with a
soft clink of glass.

I stood up and said "I think it'll help you convince her if you
know what kind of security system I've got on this place. The
last time I worked for the Bureau, some druggies went after the
parents of my daughter's best friend, killing them. After that, I
put a system on this place - a damn good system."

I saw his eyes flicker as I was talking, and he answered "When I
got this office last year, the man I took over from told me about
that event - but not who you were by name. I'm sorry you, and
she, had to go through something like that. If it's any help, the
Bureau and local cops have infiltrated and busted every gang
that's even thought about doing anything like that since then.
There're still drug gangs out there, but they're small and they
spend a LOT of time looking over their shoulders." With that, he
got up and followed me outside, where I gave him the dime tour of
the place, pointing out and explaining the different security
measures and devices. Then it was inside for another tour of what
wasn't visible to the outside. By the time we finished up in the
kitchen, he was visibly impressed.

I poured each of us some coffee, and after I handed him his cup,
he asked "If you don't mind my asking, what did that system cost
you?"

"I don't mind", I answered, "A touch over fifty grand" - he gave
a silent whistle - "what with labor and materials. The guy that
did it was a friend of a friend; when he heard why I wanted it,
he did it `for cost'; he's also doing the monitoring of it for
free, too - he's got kids of his own, and wanted to show his
appreciation for what I did helping bust up the drug gangs."

He nodded, and let me usher him to the little breakfast nook
where each of us took a seat. I spoke first, saying "Dale, I've
got no problems doing this to help you out. But there are a
couple of things that I'd like to ask, in return."

He nodded and said "If I can".

"First, I'd like my wife to be issued a Federal carry permit."

He looked doubtful, and I explained "She's already got a local
permit. The Federal would just make things a bit easier. If the
woman or her daughter DO have to go out - something I think we
can pretty much count on - then Lucy will be able to keep them
company in places I couldn't."

He nodded at the logic, but still seemed hesitant.

I realized what the problem might be, and told him "Lucy does
know how to shoot. I taught her." I could see that he was still
uncertain, and added "If you want, I'll have her go up against
any firearms qualification you want - yours or the local PD's.
Lucy has been through a couple of Bureau combat ranges, and done
better that more than a few agents - and she practices
regularly."

He nodded, and said "Amy told me that Lucy and your daughters had
gotten a little one-on-one training from the Bureau when you
helped her last time. After seeing your file, I know that if YOU
taught her, she can shoot; my only worry was whether or not she
had any experience OTHER than on paper targets. But if she's been
through Bureau combat ranges, and then I don't see why I
shouldn't give her a Federal permit. You said that was first -
what else is on your mind?"

"Second, the only contact between me and ANY law enforcement is
through you - you told me that this woman is terrified of her
husband, and has said that he has cops on the payroll. I'm not
about to bet my family on a rigged game."

Again, he nodded before saying "I'd have wanted that, too - for
the same reasons. What else?"

"Third, I think there should be some kind of documented agreement
between me and the Bureau. Maybe a contract for services or
something, so that each of us has a little CYA. If some bean
counter insists that money has to change hands, make it a buck,
payable on the Bureau's closure of the case."

"I can do that. Anything else?"

I looked him square in the eyes and said "Me, I can take care of
myself. But if anybody comes after my family then all bets are
off, and I take care of these pricks."

He visibly blanched, and then swallowed before he could reply "I
understand. I know what you COULD do if you wanted to. And Amy
has told me that she suspects that some of your Army friends may
have made their own... contributions to the last case you were
involved with. If there is any attempt to harm your family, I
will NOT actively pursue any resulting activities - and I'll put
that in writing. Anything more than that, I can't make any
promises."

"Fair enough" I answered, adding "This is a very unique
situation, Dale, and I just want to make sure we both understand
where the other stands."

"I agree, Dan. I'd have wanted the documentation anyway, and the
other things are consistent with the nature of the help we're
asking you for."

He held my eyes as he was saying that, and I knew I could trust
him. I nodded my understanding before asking "Now that we're both
on the same page on this, who is it that I'm letting into my
home?"

He reached into his suit and pulled out a photo that he passed
across to me. Looking at it, I saw three people posing for the
camera: a vaguely handsome dark-haired man, a strikingly
beautiful woman, and a pretty young girl that bore a closer
resemblance to the woman than the man.

When I looked up at him, Dale told me "What you have there is a
copy of the ONLY picture we have of the man we're after: George
`Frenchy' de la Roche, a Cajun from way back in the Louisiana
bayou country. With him are his wife Michelle, a Cherokee from
Oklahoma, and their daughter Marie. From all the information we
have on him, we know that he's slippery as an eel and meaner than
two pissed-off rattlesnakes. That photo is about two years old,
taken when Michelle was 33 and Marie was 14. Shortly after it was
taken, Frenchy decided that Michelle wasn't keeping him happy
enough and beat her badly enough that she had to go to the
hospital for stitches - and to have her broken arm set. Marie had
to go with her to get a dislocated shoulder treated - she'd
gotten in the way of Frenchy while he was beating Michelle. While
Michelle was out of commission, Frenchy took his pleasure with a
number of different prostitutes - bringing them home to where
Michelle and Marie were. Along the way, he picked up a dose of
the clap, which he gave to Michelle, and then accused her of
giving it to him before beating her again."

 From the tone of his voice, I knew that Dale's opinion of this
character was pretty close to my own.

He continued by saying "Michelle was pretty much resigned to life
with Frenchy - until he started watching Marie a little too close
and making noises about `breaking her in'. That was the last
straw, and Michelle bailed out on him when she got the chance.
When she left, she had a notebook that she'd used to record a lot
the different deals and people he was involved with: who was
doing what for how much, and when they did it. As you might
imagine, Frenchy was NOT amused, nor is he inclined to forgive
and forget. Word on the street is that anyone that turns up
Michelle or Marie gets a cool twenty-five grand `Finder's fee' -
and that anyone that helps them will be equally UNhappy."

Dale looked at me intently and said "That's where you come in.
Michelle says the notebook is `someplace safe', and won't turn it
over until she thinks she's well out of Frenchy's range. I've had
her in one of those motorhomes almost since she showed up in my
office - she won't stay in a hotel or motel because she's afraid
the staff will recognize her, she won't accept witness protection
because she thinks it's a scam, and she won't take regular
protective custody because she says Frenchy and his bunch have
too many cops and such on their payroll."

He took a deep breath and told me "If - and it's a BIG if - she's
willing to accept your protection in your home, I have no doubt
that she'll turn over Frenchy's notebook to us, and we'll be able
to bust his ass. But until she's sure she and Marie aren't going
to fall into his hands or get killed, I've got nothing - and
Frenchy and his pals get to keep playing their games. There are
exactly TWO things that make me think this even MIGHT work:
first, your background and experience. Second, who you are and
where you live. Frenchy and Michelle have almost always lived
their lives in the, shall we say, less-desirable neighborhoods.
This place, this neighborhood, is about as far removed from that
as possible. When I talk to Michelle, I'm going to be hitting
heavily on both of those points. Right now, it's the only shot
I've got."

With a sigh, he sat back and took a deep breath before emptying
his coffee cup. I refilled it from the carafe I'd brought with us
before asking "Would it help any if Michelle got the chance to
actually see me and my family and where we live and all that?"

He shrugged and said "Couldn't hurt."

"Then you're welcome to talk to her here - with or without me or
any of my family present. I don't see any reason not to stack the
deck in your favor as much as you can."

He sighed again, and asked "You wouldn't mind? My having her
here?"

I just smiled and said "If she goes for it, she'll be staying
here anyway. Might as well let all of us get a chance to see and
meet each other first."

He gave me a wry grin, and said "True enough. When would it be
okay for me to bring her here?"

"I know time is a factor - why not make it tonight, if you can?
That'll give me time to let the family know, and you and Michelle
can come after dark for a little more cover."

He voiced his agreement, and added "You know this isn't going to
be easy, don't you?"

I gave him my own wry smile and answered "Yeah, I know - I'm
pretty much used to getting the hard ones."

He gave me an appraising look and said "I guess you are, aren't
you?"

With that, we both stood up and I escorted him to the door -
where he was obliged to step over our cat, Wacko, who simply
assumed that she owned everything in the house - including the
people. As he was leaving, he told me that he'd call me later to
let me know what time to expect them. I answered that I'd be
waiting, and watched as he went to his car and drove off.

Back inside, I immediately called Lucy at her office and told her
what had gone on - and that we might be having company that
night. She listened carefully, and then assured me that she was
fine with all of it - or at least as fine as she could be until
it was resolved, one way or the other. I told her that I loved
her and said that I'd let the girls know when they got home.
Robyn was in her Junior year at high school; Sandra was in her
Freshman year at a local college, and living at home with us.

I made my way back out to my office where I spent the next few
hours going over the things that I figured I'd have to take care
of if Michelle and Marie did come to stay with us. Still, I was
inside the house, waiting patiently until about 3:30 when Sandra
and Robyn got home. Sandra's schedule was such that she could
drop Robyn off at school before going to her first class of the
day; her last class ended in time for her to bring Robyn home
again.

When they came in, I gave them a little time to change clothes or
do whatever they needed or wanted before heading upstairs to talk
to them. I found them in Sandra's room, listening to music as
they washed down a snack with cold sodas. They both looked at me
as I came into the room, and I sat down on the floor across from
Robyn so I could look at both of them as I told them about what
Dale and I had talked about - including the invitation for Dale
to talk to Michelle at our place, and why. Both of them
understood, and I told them that I'd tell them more when Lucy got
home, so I'd only have to tell it once. They grinned at me,
knowing full well that either one or both of them, or Lucy, could
have as much of my time and attention as needed or wanted - but
that if I could manage to have to explain something only once,
that was what I preferred to do, if only to be sure that I didn't
end up saying it differently in any subsequent telling.

Satisfied that they were okay, I went back downstairs to wait for
Lucy's arrival home. She'd been promoted several times since I
first met her, and was all but guaranteed promotion to the next
vice-president slot that opened up at her company - not just
because of the results of what I'd done for her and the company
she worked for, but because she was a highly organized and
effective boss: she cared about, and took care of, her people and
they responded by functioning like a finely-adjusted watch; only
rarely did ANY of them have to work late, and even then it was
usually because another department forced them to do so. So I
wasn't surprised when I heard Lucy's car pull into our driveway
shortly after 5:30; I met her at the door and gave her a big hug
and kiss to welcome her home, just as I always did. I went
upstairs with her to our bedroom and kept her company as she
changed out of her `work' clothes - teasingly cheering and
applauding as she took things off, and booing and hissing as she
redressed. When she was done, I pulled her into my arms for
another hug and kiss before letting her sit down and tell me
about her day. It was something I made a point of doing for her
after every workday, knowing that it helped her `bleed off' any
stress or tension, and relax after being at work all day.

When she was done, she asked me about the girls, and I told her
that I'd already spoken with them, and told them that we'd all
get together after she got home. She gave me a Look and asked
"And you waited until now to tell me this because... ?"

"Because I love you and wanted you to have a chance to unwind
from work first."

She smiled at me, and moved into my arms to kiss me before saying
"Okay, I'm unwound. Now, let's hear about this Michelle!"

About that time, the phone rang, and Lucy moved out of my arms to
answer it. She listened a moment, and then handed it to me,
saying "Dale?"

I nodded that it was okay, took the phone, and said "Dan here.
What's up, Dale?"

"Michelle agreed to meet me tonight, and come over to your place.
I told her enough about the deal that she's at least willing to
listen; I'm hoping that seeing and hearing about you and your
family will do the trick. Would eight o'clock be too late?"

That time of year, the sun was setting a bit after 7:00; 8:00
would give them the cover of a little darkness while still
getting them to our place relatively early.

"Sure, that's fine. That'll give me time to fill in Lucy and the
girls while we have supper, we'll be all set when you get here."

I heard his sigh of relief before he said "Thanks, Dan. I'll see
you at eight."

"No problem, Dale" I answered, before hanging up the phone.

I turned to Lucy and said "How about pizza for supper? Then we'll
have time to go over all this and still have something to eat."

Lucy agreed, and the two of us left the bedroom - Lucy to go
downstairs and order the pizza (she didn't have to ask what we
wanted, she already knew what we liked) while I went into
Sandra's bedroom - and discovered that she and Robyn had
apparently moved into Robyn's room. I went through the connecting
bathroom between their bedrooms, and found them in essentially
the opposite positions they'd been in before: Robyn lying on her
bed while Sandra sat on the floor as both of them worked on their
homework. I let them know what was for supper, and said that it
was time for us to all get together.

They quickly marked their places in their books, set their things
aside, and followed me downstairs and into the kitchen, where
Lucy was waiting in the breakfast nook for us.

We all sat down, and I spent the next half hour telling them a
condensed version of everything Agent Kristofferson had told me -
leaving out the parts that I knew would only disturb them
unnecessarily. I was just finishing up when the doorbell rang;
Sandra got up to answer it after I gave her money for the pizza
delivery person. She came back in with our dinner, and the four
of us talked about Michelle and Marie as we worked our way
through a couple of large pizzas, washed down with sodas.

We'd pretty much covered everything and were just quietly
chatting with each other when the doorbell rang again. That time,
I was the one to get up to answer it - all of us expected that it
was Dale Kristofferson with his two charges.

It was, and I let them in - only to be stunned when the two women
pulled back the hoods of the sweatshirts they were wearing,
giving me a good look at them.

Michelle was easily far more attractive than her photo had
indicated. In person, I could see that there was a
more-than-passing resemblance to the singer Cher. Next to her,
Marie proved to be a beauty in, and of, her own right: she'd
inherited much of her mother's facial structure, and it was clear
that she was going to be a lovely woman even into her old age.
Then, when the two of them slipped out of the zip-up sweatshirts
they were wearing, I was in for another shock at how nicely each
one was built. Each had long, luxurious, straight black hair;
Michelle's went down to the small of her back, Marie's `only' a
bit past her shoulders. Both had dark, coppery skin, with clear,
smooth complexions, and beautiful dark eyes. Michelle was fairly
slender, with a bust that made her look a bit buxom. Marie was a
little more sturdily built than her mother, more of a
medium-framed young girl: not a waif, but certainly not
`well-padded'; her bust was clearly defined, if smaller than her
mother's.

Each looked at me with a different expression: Michelle with a
mixture of mistrust and worry, Marie with her fear and loneliness
clear upon her face.

Dale spoke up and made the introductions - primarily for the
benefit of Michelle and Marie. I told each of them that I was
happy to meet them; Michelle looked skeptical, Marie, hopeful.

I was surprised when Michelle spoke, asking me straight out "Why
are you doing this? Why would you let us into your house when
Frenchy is after us?"

Despite the directness of her questions, and how soon she asked
them, I took a moment to look at her and realized just how afraid
she was - even though she wasn't letting it show enough to affect
Marie. I decided that if she was willing to be that open with her
questions, and then she deserved for me to be equally as open
with my answer.

Looking directly into her eyes, I said "Because Frenchy is a
scumbag that NEEDS to be taken down. Not just for what he's
involved in, but because of what he's done to you, and threatened
to do to Marie."

Taken aback, Michelle then asked "What makes you think YOU can
protect us? Frenchy's pretty tough - and smart."

I laughed - shocking her - and answered "Frenchy isn't tough.
Tough guys don't have to beat up women and little girls to prove
themselves; only scared little boys do crap like that. Maybe
Frenchy is smart - like a fox?"

Michelle nodded, and I continued "Fine - smart like a fox. But
I'm smart, too - like a hunter" - something that gave her pause
again.

I went on to say "I know you're worried. That's why you're here
tonight - so you can see for yourself that you don't have to be
worried HERE. This man is going to show you around my home, so
you can see for yourself that it's a safe place. When he's done,
he's going to explain to you how I can protect you from Frenchy.
If you want to, you can meet my wife and daughters; if you're
nervous or don't want to, that's fine, too. If you want to stay
here with us, I'll see to it that you're safe and protected - but
I'm not going to tell you what to do or force you into anything.
Frenchy does that kind of bullshit. I don't."

My straight talk and level tone did more to convince her than
anything else I could have said - I could see that she actually
started to relax just a little bit when I was done.

Having said my piece, I told them "Go ahead. Look around, see if
you think you'd feel okay here. When you're done, just tell Dale
whether or not you want to meet my family, and if you want me
there while he talks to you, or not. We'll be in the kitchen, out
of your way."

I nodded to Dale, and made my way back to where Lucy and the
girls were waiting for me expectantly.

I sat down next to Lucy, and let my breath out with a whoosh. All
three of them looked at me, and I explained "Michelle is scared
out of her wits, doesn't trust anybody, and is worried as hell
about what's going to happen - not so much to her, but Marie.
Marie is terrified of what's already happened, and it's pretty
obvious that she's feeling pretty alone in the world. Both of
them have had a pretty tough time up to now, and it shows. On top
of that, they're a couple of knockouts."

Lucy raised her eyebrows, letting me know that the last sentence
needed a bit of clarification - which I provided by describing
both Michelle and Marie to her and the girls.

While we waited for Dale to finish showing Michelle and Marie
around, we made some tentative plans in case Michelle decided to
accept our offer of protection. There was a little
back-and-forth, and a little negotiation, but we finally got
things worked out. We'd been finished for just a couple of
minutes when Dale came into the kitchen, spotted us, and came
over to where we were seated.

He had a hopeful look on his face as he told us "Michelle's
pretty impressed with your security system. She wants her and
Marie to meet all of you and have all of you there while I tell
her why Dan can protect her. I think she's willing to be
convinced."

I stood up, and after a soft comment of "game time" to Lucy and
the girls, they got up and moved with me as we followed Dale back
into the living room where Michelle and Marie were bunched up at
one end of one of the couches.

Dale moved to take a chair next to them, and I made the
introductions. When I was done, Robyn and Sandra took one couch
while Lucy and I sat in another. That left all of us pretty much
facing each other as Dale started telling Michelle and Marie
about my background - carefully leaving out the classified stuff,
but quietly emphasizing the military part. Some of it was stuff
that neither Robyn nor Sandra had heard before; from the corner
of my eye, I could see them trying not to stare at me. Michelle
and Marie made no pretense of NOT staring.

When Dale was done, he simply said "That's why I think Dan will
be able to protect you and Marie, Michelle."

Michelle just continued to look at me for a few moments, and then
said "Okay, he was pretty tough in the Army. But that sounds like
it was a long time ago. What can he do NOW?"

Beside me, I could feel Lucy tense in anger at Michelle's
question and tone; I discretely patted her to let her know that
it was okay - and she started to relax again. For my part, I just
looked at Michelle and said "Yeah, that was a long time ago. But
don't forget that I spent a long time learning how to do those
things. I did them very, VERY well, and I haven't forgottenhow."

Dale spoke up then, saying "Michelle, he's telling you the truth.
You heard about all the drug busts a couple of years ago?" She
released a short laugh, and said "Yeah, I remember. Scared the
crap out of Frenchy; he was terrified someone was going to come
after HIM."

Dale just looked at her and said "Dan is the man that made the
case for us. When one of the dealers tried to kill him and two
FBI agents, Dan not only saved the lives of those two agents, but
killed the guy that tried to ambush them with a shotgun - with a
SINGLE shot from the .45 he carried."

That last bit was something even Lucy hadn't known, and I heard
her draw in a quick breath in surprise. Michelle looked at me
appraisingly.

Michelle's next question surprised all of us, I think: "So what
does HE get out of this? How much are you paying him? This place
isn't cheap."

Dale didn't know how to respond to that, so I did it for him,
telling her "What I get out of this is watching the door slam
behind Frenchy and buddies when they go to prison. What I get out
of this is knowing that you and Marie don't have to put up with
his abuse any more. What they're paying me is exactly ONE dollar
- and I'm accepting that only because there are some kind of
bullshit rules that say if I do something to help the FBI, they
have to pay me. It's just to cover everyone's ass."

Michelle's skepticism was clear on her face; Dale knew how to
handle that one by telling her "Michelle, after Dan helped us
with busting all those dealers, he was offered a reward of
seventeen and a half MILLION dollars by the Director of the FBI
himself. Dan turned it down, saying they should use the money to
train agents."

Michelle was stunned, and could only sit there for nearly a
minute before asking "How rich is he that he can do something
like that?"

Lucy spoke up at that point, telling her "Do you remember a few
years ago when there was a big story about a bunch of executives
stealing their companies' money, and smuggling guns and such?"

Michelle though a moment, and then nodded her head - it had been
something that had made the news all across the country.

Lucy told her "I was the accountant that discovered something
wrong was happening there, and hired Dan to investigate their
computer system. He figured out what was going on, and the
company I was doing the audit for agreed to pay him a percentage
of the money he got back for them. We took the whole thing to the
FBI, and they wound up getting almost all of the three hundred
million dollars that had been stolen. Dan ended up with a
paycheck over TWENTY million dollars. When the FBI offered him
that reward after the drug case, he just told them that he
already had enough money to last the rest of his life, plus some
to leave for the girls. He could have nearly doubled how much
money he has, but he turned it down because he figured other
people needed it MORE."

That last part clearly shocked Michelle; she gave me an
appraising look and said "Why are you willing to help us, and
then? Why do you care what happens to us?"

"For the same reason that I went into the Army: because there are
things out there - not people, but things - like Frenchy that
think it's okay to do anything they want to anybody they want,
and I'm willing to do what I can to STOP them. I care what
happens to you because I don't figure you deserve the kind of
crap that you've had to tolerate with Frenchy. I don't care if
it's you, the guy across the street, or some poor asshole living
in a cardboard shack - when I see people being screwed over
because they're poor or weak or can't fight it for some other
reason, it pisses me off. I want to help make the world a better
place, even if it's just by helping one person at a time. Because
some people need and deserve the help, and I can do it", I
answered.

With that, Michelle sat back on the couch. She pulled Marie
close, and the two of them looked at each other, obviously in
some private communication. After a bit, Michelle turned to face
the rest of us, looking at each of us in turn - paying particular
attention to me and Lucy. Finally, she leaned forward again, and
said "Okay. I'm gonna give you a try, soldier boy. But you
promise me this: push comes to shove, you take care of Marie
before you worry about me. I've known what Frenchy was like for
too long, and maybe some of his guilt rubbed off on me. But
Marie, she doesn't deserve any part of it. Whatever happens to
me, you watch out for her, right?"

I looked squarely into Michelle's eyes and told her "If it gets
to that, I will - you've got my promise. But I'm going to do
everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen."

My eyes and voice seemed to let her know that I meant every word
I said - and when I saw her eyes widen slightly, I knew she
understood that if Frenchy came after her or Marie while I was
around, he was going to have one helluva fight on his hands.

Michelle leaned back again, and looked over to where Dale was
sitting, watching us. She looked at him contemplatively for a
bit, and then said "Okay, Mister FBI. I'm gonna trust you.
Tomorrow, I get that notebook I told you about; I'll hand it over
to you HERE, when I'm sure I'm safe. When this is done, you give
me that witness thing you said so me and Marie can get a new
start. Agreed?"

Dale Kristofferson didn't hesitate a moment, simply telling her
"Agreed. You won't be sorry, Michelle, and that's MY promise."

She turned back to Lucy and me and asked "Okay, so how does all
this happen? Where will me and Marie be staying?"

Lucy spoke up then, telling her "There's another bedroom upstairs
with its own bathroom. Sandra and Robyn each have their own room
and share a bathroom, but they're willing to double up to make
one of the bedrooms available. So it's really up to you if you
and Marie stay in one bedroom, or each have your own. The only
real `rule' we have in our home is that a closed door means `Do
Not Disturb' - period. If it isn't closed, and then how open it
is tells you how willing the people in that room are to have
company: a little bit open means a little bit willing, a lot open
means a lot willing. Beyond that, we'll just have to figure it
out as we go along. It shouldn't be too hard as long as we all
understand that there's going to have to be a little
give-and-take on BOTH sides. Fair enough?"

Michelle nodded, and gave us a small smile before saying "Fair
enough. I reckon this is going to be as hard on you as it is on
us - more, maybe, `cause this is already YOUR house. But you'll
see: we aren't too picky or demanding, not after living with
Frenchy."

Lucy smiled back and said "Good. Do you know if you want to share
a room, or each have your own? I'm asking only so we have a
little time to get things ready."

Michelle and Marie had another silent conversation before
Michelle said "We've both been cooped up together in that motor
home for some time. If it isn't too much trouble, I think a room
each would make both of us feel better."

Robyn spoke up then, saying "That's fine. Sandra and I will stay
in one room, and we'll get the other one ready for Marie."

Lucy picked up the conversation again by saying "You're more than
welcome to come before dark, and have supper with us if you
want."

All of us could see Marie's wistful look at her mother, and
Michelle said "I think we'd like that, having a sit-down meal
with someone besides each other. Would seven o'clock be too
late?"

"Not at all", Lucy assured her.

Michelle looked around at all of us, and said "Well, I think
that's taken care of most everything. Mister Kristofferson, if
you'll get us back, I think it's about time we called it a
night."

We all stood, and when Michelle and Marie turned to make their
way toward the front door, Dale gave me a big smile and a
thumbs-up. I just nodded and smiled - it wasn't his home and
family being asked to make room for a couple of complete
strangers.

Lucy and the girls went with me to say good night to all of them;
Michelle's last words to us were "We'll be seeing you tomorrow
night", and after a moment, she added a quiet "Thank you".

When all of them were gone, the four of us made our way back into
the living room. Sandra opted for my lap, Robyn for Lucy's. Lucy
looked over at me and said "When you told us they were a couple
of knockouts, I thought you were just exaggerating - but when I
saw them, I knew you were right. Is it just me, or does Michelle
look like Cher, only with bigger tits?"

All of us laughed, and I answered "No, I don't think it's just
you. I think her face is a little fuller, but there IS a
resemblance."

Sandra spoke up then, saying "Marie looks awful pretty, too.
Could you believe that hair they have! It's so long, and
straight, and black!"

To the surprise of the rest of us, Robyn noted "When Michelle
first started talking, I thought she was being really rude. But
then I remembered what Dad told us about what they ran away from,
and I realized she was just scared and didn't know what else to
do."

Lucy hugged her, and said "Yeah, I thought that at first, too,
before I understood."

Robyn went on to say "And Marie looked SO lonely - like there
wasn't anyone else in the world for her to talk to." She looked
over at Sandra apologetically and said "I hope you don't mind,
but I think I should spend some extra time with her, so she
doesn't feel so bad."

Sandra just smiled and said "I don't mind - I saw it, and want to
make her feel better, too."

In the silence that followed, we heard the living room clock
chime - 9:30 - and Lucy said "It's getting late, and you two
still have to go to school tomorrow. Since we're going to have
guests starting tomorrow, I think it would be okay if we all
stayed together tonight."

Robyn and Sandra both visibly brightened at that idea, and didn't
make any protest about going to bed so early - knowing that it
would be our last time to be together for a while.

We made our way up to Lucy and my bedroom where all four of us
casually undressed and got into bed. When we bought the place,
Lucy and I had both know that there would be times when one or
both of the girls would be sharing the bed with us; it was an
over-sized custom job large enough to hold all of us comfortably.
Lucy and I were the first to lie down; when the girls joined us a
few moments later, they hesitated about where to go, and Lucy
just smiled and said "Go ahead. I know you both want him."

Robyn and Sandra both grinned and moved to lie on either side of
me. Without hesitation, Robyn and Sandra both reached down to
start caressing my penis and scrotum while Sandra leaned over to
kiss me, her tongue brushing across my lips. When our kiss ended,
she pulled back to make room for Robyn to have a turn kissing me.
I could feel myself responding to their tender ministrations, and
saw that both of them could feel it too, and looked pleased with
the results.

As I became more and more erect, Sandra and Robyn looked at each
other for a moment before Sandra began kissing her way down my
body while Robyn scooted up to make her firm breasts and
hardening nipples available to my eager lips. I had just switched
from one of Robyn's breasts to the other when I felt Sandra's
warm mouth wrap around my erect penis, and then her lips slide
down my length, taking as much of me as she could inside.

It wasn't long before I was completely hard, what with Sandra's
agile tongue dancing along the underside of my manhood. While she
was doing that, my mouth and tongue continued teasing Robyn's
dark nipples, making them longer and harder as her small areolas
puckered. My hands had found something to do, as well - the
fingers of one were gently probing between Sandra's damp and
parted labia as the other hand softly stroked Robyn's mons.

After just a minute or so, Sandra let me slip from her hungrily
sucking mouth; I felt her move away from my hand, and then her
weight shift on the bed - and a moment later, felt her straddling
my hips. With both hands free, I gently pulled Robyn up and
around, guiding her to kneel over my face, her back toward my
feet - which she did with a broad smile on her face. I felt
Sandra take my erection in her hand and position it against her
opening before slowly lowering herself onto it with a soft moan
of pleasure. Above my head, Robyn was starting to pant as my lips
and tongue teased her clitoris and vaginal opening. I moved my
hands up to cup Robyn's breasts, my fingers gently pinching and
pulling on her nipples; she responded by leaning back to make it
easier for me. Farther down, I felt Sandra lean forward, and knew
that the two of them were kissing.

A few moments later, I felt the bed shift again, and then what
could only have been Lucy moving to sit across my legs, behind
Sandra. Even with Robyn's smooth thighs muffling the sound, I
could hear Sandra's pleased groan and knew that Lucy must being
doing her own part to pleasure Sandra - probably by doing to
Sandra's breasts what I was to Robyn's.

As the seconds ticked by and the sounds of pleasure and arousal
increased, I realized that Sandra was moving herself on me at a
pace that was affecting her much more than it did me. With that
realization, I understood that she was deliberately acting in
such a way as to bring herself to orgasm while leaving me able to
continue to make love - and on the heels of that, that she was
doing so in order to leave me in such a state that Robyn could
have her own orgasm while making love with me, too. In a matter
of moments, I went on to recall that I'd never heard the two of
them `fight' - and only rarely disagree; even then, it was a
quiet and polite difference of opinion, with mutual love and
respect on each side. Not ONCE had I heard either one of them
express any degree of jealousy, envy, or anything like that about
each other - or anyone else, for that matter. Somehow, in some
way that I couldn't discern, the two of them worked things out
between them - particularly when it come to making love, when
they always seemed to cooperate in such a way that virtually
assured that both of them got the pleasure and release they
sought. Even as my hands continued to squeeze and caress Robyn's
breasts while my lips and tongue played between her thighs, I was
thinking back to the many times that I'd been with them, and
watched them with Lucy and others - and couldn't see any pattern
to their actions. It was as though each of them knew and
understood the exact level of the other's needs and desires, and
compared those needs and desires against her own before they
reached some unspoken agreement to adjust their actions so as to
cooperate with each other.

I was brought back from my distraction by the feeling of Sandra's
body moving a little more quickly as she continued to impale
herself on me; my lips told me that Robyn was rapidly approaching
her own orgasm: she lubricated herself copiously under normal
conditions, but now she was even wetter than usual. The entire
lower half of my face was liberally coated with her fragrant
oils, despite my enthusiastic efforts to let none of them escape
my mouth and tongue. Under my hands, I could feel that her
breasts had tightened; her nipples were like small pebbles
between my fingertips.

Another minute or so, and Robyn's smooth, firm thighs clamped
around my head - but even with my hearing muffled, her cry of
release was clear as her vagina spasmed around my tongue. Even as
her wet opening clenched and relaxed, my lips and tongue were
eagerly trying to keep up with the overflow of her delicate young
nectar.

Finally, she was through, and only barely managed not to collapse
on top of me; even so, I still had to help guide her to the side.
Once my view was cleared, I could see that I'd been right about
Lucy - she had both of Sandra's breasts cupped in her hands,
softly pulling and pinching her nipples while she kissed and
gently bit Sandra's neck and shoulders. Despite having seen the
two of them together like that before, it still excited me, and
made me marvel at my own good fortune that I had not only such a
loving and sexy wife, but two beautiful young nymphs that were
willing to share themselves with us.

Below Lucy's busy hands, I had a clear view of the area between
Sandra's thighs - and more to the point, could watch our joining
as she continued to move herself on me: with each lift of her
hips, her vaginal lips would stretch out slightly as though
trying to hold on to my glistening penis, only to disappear again
when she lowered herself back onto me.

Her vagina was hot, wet, and tight around me; with Robyn's thighs
no longer impeding my hearing, the liquid sounds of our union
were clear in the air - as were her soft cries of pleasure and
the heady scent of her arousal.

The sights, sounds, and scents of passion stimulated me
tremendously. It was only by remembering my conclusion that
Sandra wanted to leave me in a state capable of satisfying Robyn,
too, that I was able to force myself to draw back from the
pleasure they were all bringing me.

Lying there, I savored the sensations that Sandra's firm young
body were creating as I watched her slide herself up and down my
erect member.

As the next couple of minutes passed, I watched, delighted, as
Sandra got closer and closer to her climax- and then found it.
With a final thrust downward to take me as deeply as she could,
her body frozen over mine as she released a loud cry of pleasure,
reinforced. As her orgasm coursed through her body, I felt her
hot sheath clenching around me as I watched spasm after spasm
overtake her.

Even as I was getting a sudden whiff of aroused female, I heard a
faint noise next to me. When I turned my head, I had a clear and
close up look between Robyn's thighs as she masturbated herself
in response to view she had. She suddenly looked down at me, and
smiled - not embarrassed or ashamed in the slightest to have me
see her pleasuring herself.

I heard another soft cry from Sandra, and turned back to look at
her - and saw that she'd opened her eyes and seen what Robyn was
doing, which apparently triggered her into another, smaller,
orgasm.

Finally, covered with a fine sheen of perspiration, Sandra pulled
herself off my erection and let Lucy guide her to lie down next
to me as she slowly recovered from her climax. When she was
settled, Lucy turned to give me a mischievous smile before
leaning forward to take my erect and Sandra-slickened penis
between her lips. To my immense relief, she bobbed her head up
and down while licking it only a few times before letting it pop
free so she could say "I think you want this, Robyn?"

"You bet!" I heard her declare before quickly moving to first
straddle my waist, and then move to position herself over my
jutting member. Lucy gave me an amused grin at Robyn's
enthusiasm, and then moved to steady the girl as Robyn took hold
of me and held me steady before lowering herself onto me. Once
she was sure I was securely in place, Robyn leaned forward
slightly - still steadied by Lucy - and began pressing herself
downward, taking me farther and farther inside. As aroused and
wet as she was, it took her only a couple of pushes before her
dark pubic hair was enmeshed with mine.

At that point, Lucy moved her hands from Robyn's hips to her
breasts, cupping them just as she had done with Sandra. This
time, though, Lucy also tilted her body slightly, and I felt her
begin to rub her mons and clitoris against my leg as she began
squeezing Robyn's breasts and gently pinching and pulling on her
daughter's erect nipples. It took all of two seconds for Robyn to
begin a soft moaning - the delay caused by her need to draw a
breath first. A few seconds after that, Robyn began her own
movement over me, slowly arching her hips and pelvis so that only
the last couple of inches of my manhood slid in and out of her;
the rest was firmly buried in her hot, wet vagina.

A couple of minutes went by with Robyn slowly impaling herself on
my again-shiny erection as Lucy played with her breasts while
rubbing herself against my leg. Robyn had just settled into a
steady rhythm when I felt Sandra start to move again. Reaching
out, I put my hand on her thigh; she turned to look at me, and I
gestured with my head that I wanted her to move closer. She
smiled, knowing what I wanted to do, and readily let me guide her
to her knees over my head, facing Robyn and Lucy.

Looking up at her opening, I could see that her vaginal lips were
still extended with arousal and dark with her desire; the gap
between them still glistened with her oils. I extended my tongue,
and ran it along the crevice between her labia, but couldn't
quite reach her partially visible clitoris. Without a word,
Sandra solved our mutual problem by leaning forward, which not
only brought the nubbin of her erecting clitoris within range of
my lips and tongue, but let her reach down to begin caressing
Robyn's mons - and clitoris, too, if the sudden increase in the
volume and intensity of Robyn's cries was any indication.

With the nubbin of Sandra's clitoral hood subject to my dubious
mercies, I again ran my tongue from the bottom of her cleft to
the top, where I slowly circled and teased her clitoris out from
under its fleshy cover. As I was doing that, Sandra released her
own moan of pleasure, her body shuddering slightly in response to
my oral assault.

I reached up to begin playing with Sandra's breasts, but found
them already covered by Robyn's hand; so I opted to start
caressing any part of the rest of her body that I could reach,
which turned out to be most of it. For the most part, my touch
was light and gentle, with an occasional squeeze or soft pinch to
stimulate various parts of her delectable anatomy. With Robyn's
hands on her breasts, my head between her thighs, and my hands
wandering the rest of her, it wasn't long before I could hear
Sandra's distinct cries of pleasure and arousal accompanying
Robyn's.

Below my waist, I could feel Robyn steadily increasing the tempo
of her self-impalement on my penis - and behind her, Lucy rubbing
herself harder and faster against my leg as her arousal continued
to be ratcheted upward, too.

As the next few minutes passed, the sounds of Robyn's arousal and
pleasure steadily increased, as did Sandra's as I continued to
lave, suck, kiss, and otherwise stimulate the center of her
womanhood. Finally, Robyn's movements on me reached the point
where she pushed herself over the edge into orgasm. With a
strangled cry, she froze over me, my penis deep inside her as
wave after wave of release coursed through her body as her hot,
tight vagina spasmed around me.

When it was done, Lucy helped Robyn un-spear herself from my
erect member, and guided the youngster to lie on the side. Before
she could turn back, Sandra had leaned forward to take my
throbbing penis between her lips, using her mouth and tongue to
clean Robyn's juices from it. I was a lot closer to my own climax
than I wanted to be, and responded by giving Sandra's clitoris a
furious tongue-lashing, all but throwing her into her own
orgasmic abyss. Her firm thighs clamped down on my head as she
let my penis pull from her lips so she could cry out her release,
her wet vagina leaking her female nectar onto my waiting tongue.

With the passing of her climax, Sandra found the energy to pull
herself off of me, leaving just Lucy and me as the only
participants capable of continuing the action.

With a lusty smile, Lucy moved up to straddle my hips; without
ceremony or delay, she lifted herself up, positioned me at the
entrance to her vagina, and sat back down to take my entire
length in a single motion - and releasing a deep groan of
pleasure in the process. Our pubic hair merged, Lucy leaned
forward to kiss me, getting a clear sampling of both girls'
flavors. As our tongues danced and dueled in each other's mouths,
my hands moved to Lucy's breasts, squeezing them. I again
marveled at how firm and smooth they were before letting my
fingers trace a path to her puckered areolas and erect nipples,
where I began gently pulling and pinching at them as she softly
moaned into my mouth.

After a bit, she sat up again - but not so far that I couldn't
keep my hands on her breasts, feeling their weight shift as she
began hunching herself to slide nearly half my erection between
the fleshy gates bracketing her woman's cavern.

She continued to make love to me for several minutes, until I saw
that her legs were getting tired. Taking her into my arms, I
rolled us over so that she lay beneath me; a few seconds after
that, we'd rearranged our legs to that hers were outside of mine
- parted and pulled up to open herself to me as much as she
could. I happily took advantage of the access she was giving me
to press myself as far inside her as I could. With inward thrust
of my penis, my pubic bone would press against hers, adding a
little extra pressure to her clitoris to increase her pleasure
and arousal even more.

Another couple of minutes, and I was all but pounding into her as
she gasped words of encouragement and fulfilled desire to me; the
liquid sounds of our union filled the room along with our gasps
and moans of arousal.

As the next couple of minutes passed, I knew that Lucy was
rapidly approaching orgasm - and I wasn't far behind. As I felt
myself approaching the point of no return, Lucy suddenly froze
beneath me; her hot, wet sheath began a fluttering and clenching
around my pistoning penis, pushing me into my own climax. With a
loud groan, I thrust into her once again, trying to fuse our
bodies together as jet after jet of hot semen erupted from the
end of my penis to wash even the deepest parts of her.

Finally, when I got my breath and senses back, I managed to pull
my rapidly-deflating penis from her hot sheath; I was surprised
when Robyn quickly moved in to put a small towel between her
mothers' thighs to catch the inevitable leakage. Lucy was still
in something of a daze, and barely acknowledged Robyn's actions.
I made up for Lucy's inability to express the gratitude I knew
she'd feel, and pulled Robyn into my arms for a hug and kiss
before telling her "Thanks, Short Stuff". She fairly beamed at
me, and said "After watching that, I'm glad to be able to help!"
with a smile and a small laugh.

I moved to lie next to Lucy and pulled her close, laying my arm
across her body to `hold' her. Looking across her body, I told
Robyn and Sandra "Thank you - both of you - for this evening.
You're both more than welcome to spend the night here, if you
want."

The two of them looked at each other a moment before Sandra said
"I think both of us would like that, Uncle Dan. It's probably
going to be a while before we can do anything like this again, so
both of us want to get as much time with you as we can before
then."

As I was nodding my understanding, Lucy started moving next to
me. Lifting my arm from her body, she rolled over to `spoon' with
me as she faced the girls, too. I heard her say "Of course you
can. Let me rest up a little, and we'll all grab a quick shower -
we smell like a used brothel - and then go to bed. I think you
two should go ahead and be next to him tonight; while Michelle
and Marie are here, you won't be able to. Is that okay?"

They both nodded enthusiastically before Lucy went on to say "And
thank you, whichever one of you got the towel - I don't think any
of us wanted to sleep in a wet spot tonight!" - making both girls
laugh. It had happened a few times, and none of them liked it,
even though they'd always insisted that they would be the ones to
sleep on it despite my expressed willingness to do so.

With a quiet "Just a minute" to us, Sandra got up and left us -
only to reappear a few minutes later with four glasses of orange
juice. Three of them were small, the fourth half again larger.
All of us laughed when we saw them: as copiously as Robyn
lubricated, she was always left fairly thirsty after making love
- more so than any of the rest of us. Robyn just smiled at Sandra
before taking the large glass and taking a good, long drink from
it - making us all laugh all over again.

By the time we finished our juice, we were all ready for a
shower. Even with the extra-large shower Lucy and I had in our
bathroom, it was a snug fit for all four of us to clean up
together, but I don't think any of us minded in the slightest.

Cleaned and dried and back in the bedroom, Sandra picked up the
tray with all the juice glasses on it and took it back to the
kitchen where I knew she'd go ahead and load them into the
dishwasher. In the meantime, Lucy and I pulled the bedcovers back
while Robyn went to get another pillow each for herself and
Sandra. By the time Sandra got back, I was in bed with Robyn on
one side of me; Lucy was waiting for Sandra to join me, and then
she'd take up station on the other side. Sandra quickly slid
between the sheets and did as Robyn had: put one leg over mine
and an arm across me so she could hold me as close as possible.
Lucy got in then, turned out the light, and moved to `spoon' with
Sandra, wrapping one arm around her. That left me laying there
with each arm holding a delightfully cuddly young woman snuggling
into my side. A short time later, all four of us were sound
asleep.


Before they left for school the next morning, Sandra and Robyn
let me know that they'd be a little late getting home: they were
going to pick up a few things to help decorate a room for Marie
to help her feel more `at home'. Lucy and I both thought it was a
great idea, and thanked them. Both of them blushed slightly, and
I went on to tell them "In a couple of days, when Michelle and
Marie have pretty much settled in, we'll all go out so the two of
them can pick up a few things. I think we'll be able to talk them
into getting some things to `personalize' their rooms."

Lucy and the girls all three nodded their agreement and
understanding before Robyn and Sandra left to collect their
things and head for school.

Lucy and I still had a little time before she needed to leave for
work, and we spent it discussing some of the things that we
thought we were likely to run into, and coming up with a general
approach to getting used to, and dealing with, a couple of added
"outside" people in our home. I also told Lucy about her Federal
gun permit; it took her only a second to realize why I'd arranged
it. The whole thing didn't take very long, which left us plenty
of time for her to sit on my lap for a little kissing and mutual
molestation before she left for work.

When she was gone, I made my way out to my office. Even with the
money I'd gotten from the criminal case Lucy had told Michelle
about, I continued working as a free-lance contract computer
programmer. The only significant changes were that I was a lot
more selective about whom I worked for, and I had a lot more
freedom about just how much work I was willing to do: first on my
list of priorities was my personal life - Lucy and the girls, and
our life together. Working for someone else came in a FAR distant
second.

Even as I was working on some code for one of my clients, my mind
was busy with trying to anticipate - and thus be able to deal
with - the things that might happen while Michelle and Marie were
with us; particularly situations that might come up such as
seeing to Marie's education, their need to `get out of the house'
periodically, shopping, recreation, and so on. As I did so, a
number of things occurred to me, and I made plans and
arrangements to deal with them ahead of time as much as I could.


I'd finished my work for the day and was back in the house when I
heard Sandra's car pull into the drive a bit before five o'clock.
Looking outside, I saw that she and Robyn were loading themselves
up with a number of packages; I went outside and asked if I could
help, and Sandra smiled and said that I certainly could by
carrying the last few bags they had. I collected the indicated
shopping bags and followed the two of them up to Robyn's room,
where we put everything on the bed. Both of them thanked me, and
then politely shooed me out of the room, grinning. I delayed only
long enough to have a quiet conversation with Sandra.

I did as they wanted, heading back downstairs to have a cup of
coffee while waiting for Lucy to get home. When she did, I met
her at the door and walked with her up to our bedroom so she
could change clothes. As she did, I told her about helping the
girls with their purchases; Lucy asked me what they were doing,
and I laughingly admitted that I didn't have a clue - that they'd
chased me out without letting me know. She laughed in reply and
said that she figured we'd find out soon enough. Then it was time
for Lucy to let me know how her day had gone; she came over to
sit on my lap and let me hold her - a sign that it hadn't been a
particularly good day, since she needed a little extra comforting
from me.

When she was done, the two of us made our way downstairs and into
the living room to watch the evening news, and then I caught a
`filler' program afterwards while Lucy got started on supper. The
clock had chimed the 7:00 hour a bit before when we heard a
discrete knock at the front door. I answered it, and found Dale
Kristofferson standing there with Michelle and Marie again
dressed in baggy clothes to hide their shape, with hooded jackets
to cover their heads and faces.

I quickly bid them all in, which they did; the sounds of our
greetings apparently made it up to where Robyn and Sandra were -
they made their own appearances a few moments later, followed by
Lucy.

There were a few moments of awkward silence before Sandra quietly
told Marie "If you want to come with us, we'll show you your
room. We already started decorating it a little bit for you."
Marie looked uncertain at that, but turned to Michelle who nodded
her approval/encouragement. As the girls were heading off, Lucy
said "Michelle, I'll show you to your room, too, if you like."
Michelle agreed, and they were soon following the girls.

Dale and I were left alone, and took the opportunity to go over a
few details about Michelle and Marie's presence. I also told him
about the things that I'd thought about that afternoon, and what
I'd done to prepare for them. He looked grateful about most of
them, but was visibly concerned about a couple of others. I was
able to assure him that his concerns were things that he didn't
really need to worry about. I think the certainty of my attitude
did as much to reassure him as my words did.

When we were done, we headed toward the bedrooms; we were halfway
down the hall when first Marie, and then Michelle, appeared from
their respective bedrooms. Marie was visibly happy, with Robyn
and Sandra standing behind her, looking pleased with themselves.
Michelle's face made it clear that she was not only relieved, but
even a little awed by her own accommodations.

Marie told Michelle that Robyn and Sandra had already started
helping her decorate by putting up some posters of the latest
`boy bands', providing her with a small number of music CDs by
those same bands, and a few other things. Michelle looked at them
in question, and Robyn simply answered "I know how I'd feel if I
suddenly lost everything, so I just got a few things I thought
she'd like." Following that, Sandra added "I don't know if we can
do anything to make you feel like this is your home, too - but we
can at least make it feel home like."

Michelle started to cloud over in anger? frustration? pride? -
but Robyn's open friendliness and Sandra's quiet dignity made it
impossible for her to take offense at what they'd said and done.
Instead, she thought about it for a moment before smiling at them
(much to Marie's relief) and saying "Thank you, both of you.
You're right, and Marie and I appreciate what you've done." She
then turned to Lucy and said "And I'm thanking you, too - it's a
lovely room, and you did a really nice job of decorating it."

I finally spoke up, telling them "I don't know how much stuff you
have to bring in - if you want, we can get it into your rooms
now, or after supper; it's up to you."

Michelle hesitated a second, and said "We don't have much - we
might as well do it now, so Mister Kristofferson here can get to
his own life. I expect he's been neglecting it some while he's
been dealing with us."

Dale started to object, and Michelle just gave him a Look that
shut him up before telling him "Dale, I know you've more than had
your hands full looking after us. Any time we've needed you,
you've been there, any time of day or night. I know you want
Frenchy real bad, but you've still given up a fair chunk of your
own life to watch after us. I know it, and I'm not forgetting it.
We'll get our stuff out of your car, and you can go about taking
care of what matters to YOU for a change."

There was nothing for him to do but say "It isn't necessary - but
thank you."

That settled, all of us made our way back downstairs; at the
bottom of the stairs Dale excused himself so he could move his
car around to the back. After asking Michelle and Marie to stay
inside until he was there, I went out back to take care of the
gate for him. In just a couple of minutes, he was parked close to
the kitchen door, making the task of moving Michelle and Marie's
things fast and easy. Lucy and the girls helped each of them
gather and carry their meager possessions; when they were gone,
Dale moved to get his car back on the street; when he cleared the
gate, I closed it again.

A minute later, I was letting him back in the front door, and we
waited in the living room for the women to join us, which they
did a couple minutes later. When all of us were together, Lucy
told him "Agent Kristofferson, you're more than welcome to stay
and have dinner with us. But if you have other things that need
your attention, I'll understand. If it makes any difference,
supper is roast beef, gravy, potatoes, corn, green beans, and
rolls, with chocolate mousse for dessert."

He licked his lips before answering "As much as I'd like to stay
- it sounds delicious - I really do have to go."

Lucy just smiled and said "Of course. But you have a rain check
for a future time, okay?"

"I'd love it, thank you", he answered.

About that time, Michelle cleared her throat and when he turned
to look at her, she extended her hand, which held a thin
wire-bound notebook of the type used by students all over the
country. His hand trembled slightly as he reached out to accept
it with a quiet "Thank you".

All of us knew that he was anxious to have a look at the
notebook's contents, but was too polite to just rush off; Lucy
solved the dilemma for him by saying "I know you have a lot to
do, Agent Kristofferson, and we have a meal cooling. Would you
mind if we excused ourselves?"

He pulled himself together, shot her a look of gratitude, and
answered "Of course not. You're right; I do have to be on my way.
I'll look forward to seeing all of you again before too long."
With his excuse made for him, he gave us all a quiet "Good
evening", and let me guide him to the front door.

When he was gone, I went back to join Lucy and the others,
getting there just as Lucy said "Supper is ready, if you are..."

Michelle and Marie both gave her a small smile and nodded, and
then let Lucy lead the six of us into the dining room. Along the
way, Robyn and Sandra separated themselves from us - giving the
rest of us time to sit before they started bringing in the supper
Lucy had cooked.

When the dishes were all ready and the girls had taken their
seats, Lucy turned to Michelle and said "We aren't religious
people, but if you want to say a prayer before meals, we'll
certainly respect your wishes."

Michelle gave her a wan smile and answered "Thank you. But
Frenchy had a way of turning God-fearing people into
non-believers. I reckon you know what I'm saying..."

Lucy just nodded her head and said "Of course. But if you change
your mind, don't hesitate to let us know."

With that, they took turns handing their plates to me to put some
of Lucy's roast beef on - I simply started stacking it on until
the person indicated when it was enough. From there, the
individual foods were passed around so that each of us could dish
out our own portions. There was more than plenty, and nobody
hesitated to take as much as they wanted.

The meal went by slowly and casually; Michelle and Marie each
took turns telling us about themselves as we ate - Marie much
more reserved than Michelle was. Every so often, either Robyn or
Sandra would get up to refill our drinks before sitting down
again. I noticed Michelle watching all this, but didn't say
anything, figuring that if it mattered to her somehow, she'd let
us know soon enough.

When we were all done eating, I got up and started clearing the
table. Lucy and the girls started to say something, but I simply
told them "Don't worry about it. I think all you ladies have
plenty to talk about, so go ahead - this isn't something I
haven't done before!"

Lucy and the girls laughed; Michelle and Marie only sat there
looking surprised until Robyn asked Marie what subjects she liked
in school. As Marie answered, Lucy took the chance to start her
own conversation with Michelle. I continued clearing the table
and putting the leftovers away - but I noticed Michelle's eyes
watching me whenever she could. Even Marie threw me a few curious
glances.

When I was done, I went back into the dining room and took a seat
where I wouldn't be likely to intrude on the conversations.
Sitting there, I watched and listened to Michelle and Marie,
trying to see if I couldn't get some idea about the emotional and
mental troubles they were bringing with them. It didn't take long
to realize that there were a number of subjects that they were
reluctant to discuss - and it wasn't hard to figure out why.

After a while, Lucy spoke up, saying "I think all of us would be
a little more comfortable somewhere else, don't you think?"

Robyn and Sandra both spoke up, asking if it would be okay if
they went with Marie to her room - something that made Marie
blush slightly, even as she was looking delighted at the idea.
Neither Lucy nor Michelle had any objections, and the three
youngsters quickly left us to make their way upstairs while
Michelle, Lucy, and I headed for the living room. There, I sat at
one end of a couch before Lucy snuggled into my side; Michelle
took a chair at a slight angle to us. She looked at us for a few
moments before saying "I remember when Frenchy and I used to sit
like that. But that was a long time ago, and it didn't last very
long. How long have you two been married?"

Lucy answered her, and Michelle responded by telling us "I guess
I shouldn't be surprised to hear that it's been that long. I can
see that you two love each other - a lot. Me and Frenchy loved
each other at first, too - but that didn't last too long before
he started in on me. Then, when Marie was born, it started
getting worse and worse. I see how you all treat your girls -
`specially you, Dan. How come Robyn doesn't look like you, Dan?
And is Sandra really your kin?"

I gave her the edited version of how Lucy and I had met, which
seemed to strike a chord within her. It was when I told her how
Sandra had come to live with us that I saw her façade of strength
and courage start to collapse. When I was done, she just sat
there looking at us - particularly me - before saying "You did
that for her? Even without her being related?" I just nodded, and
answered "She's a good kid. I love her. What happened to her
folks was partly - if not mostly - my fault. What else could I
have done?"

At that, Michelle finally lost it - with a sudden cry, she fell
forward, her shoulders shaking as sobs wracked her body. Lucy
didn't hesitate to get up and go over to take a seat on the arm
of the chair and pull Michelle close to comfort her. Michelle
latched onto her like a drowning person would grab at a life
preserver, and cried even harder. Knowing that it was something
that I couldn't really contribute to, I went to get Michelle a
dish towel - something large and absorbent enough to do a fair
job of soaking up her tears without being too big or thick. When
I got back, Lucy smiled up at me, took it, and handed it off to
Michelle, who promptly started dabbing at her eyes as tears
continued to stream down her cheeks.

When the waterworks finally began to taper off, Lucy pulled back
a little and asked Michelle "Do you want to talk about it?", and
getting a small nod in reply.

Lucy patiently and gently got Michelle standing and moved over to
sit on the couch next to the one I was still on. The two of them
sat down again, and Lucy and I waited for Michelle to pull
herself together again so she could tell us what `it' was. I
suspected that I already had a pretty good idea, and was sure
that Lucy (as another woman) already knew, but wanted to hear it
anyway.

After a few false starts, Michelle finally found her voice enough
to tell us "I'm sorry. It's just that I've been holding it all in
for so long, so I didn't worry or scare Marie. Then, when Dan
said he wanted to take care of Sandra in such a damn
matter-of-fact way, I just couldn't stand it any more." With a
baleful look at me, Michelle said "Dan, I don't know if you
really understand just how different you are from a lot of people
- and especially Frenchy. There's been a few times that he's made
widows and orphans, and it didn't bother him a bit - hell, he
even laughed about it. So when you asked what else you could have
done, well, I just remembered Frenchy - and finally realized just
how damn lucky Marie and I are to have gotten away from him, and
stayed away - and alive! - for so long."

Lucy took Michelle's hand and held it as Michelle took a deep,
ragged breath before telling us "I met Frenchy just a couple
months after I graduated high school - seventeenth in a class of
a couple hundred, would you believe? Anyway, Frenchy was the kind
of guy any girl would want: cute, sexy, loving, attentive, all
the rest. Of course, I fell in love - hard. It wasn't six months
before we were married - and I was still a virgin on our wedding
night, would you believe?"

She sighed, and went on "At first, life with him was great. Oh,
sure, we didn't have a lot of money and couldn't afford to do a
whole lot of things, but we were happy together. We lived in this
tiny little apartment - bedroom, living room, and kitchen. We had
our own tiny bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower - no tub.
Most of our furniture was made up out of milk crates. If you ever
need to furnish an apartment real cheap, milk crates are real
versatile, let me tell you! Stack two, and you've got an end
table. Six of them arranged two by three, and you've got a start
on a coffee table. Two high and two wide, you've got a TV stand
AND shelving. You get the idea. Frenchy had a job, but it didn't
pay real good because he never finished high school. Coming from
way back in the bayou the way he did, schooling wasn't a real big
deal to him. Oh, he was smart, all right; but he didn't have much
in the way of schooling, and that was something the folks with
the jobs wanted. Money was tight - real tight. It took a while,
but I finally convinced him to let me get a job, too. Even with
just my high school diploma, it didn't take me long to find work
- and not much longer before my paychecks were as big as his. A
year later, and I was making MORE than he was. That's when he
started getting mean to me. We'd fight - usually about money -
and every so often he'd get so mad he'd slap me. Never more than
once, and he NEVER drew blood. But it was still hitting me, and
he always felt sorry about it afterwards and apologized and swore
he'd never do it again. That'd last an argument or two."

She tuned us out for a few seconds, came back with a slight
start, and continued "I don't know what it was that turned him,
but by our first anniversary, he had a whole new bunch of friends
- people I never DID like. I tolerated them only because I loved
Frenchy. I'd left my job, and was staying at home again. As time
went by, he started finding newer friends, and as he did, he got
meaner and meaner with me. He got together with some of the
people he knew and got involved in something I knew was illegal,
even if I didn't know exactly what it was; just the way he acted
around me and talked with his `friends' told me so. A couple
weeks went by, and he came home with a big wad of cash. I asked
him about it, because I knew he couldn't have made that much on
his job. He got mad and hit me - not slapped, but hit. I fell to
the floor, and he told me that if I ever asked him again where he
got his money, he'd beat the shit out of me. Just from the way he
said it, I knew he would. Right then, I thought about leaving him
and getting a divorce, but I wasn't raised up to believe in
divorce, so I stuck around, thinking I might be able to turn him
back into the man I fell in love with."

She gave a cynical laugh before saying "Pretty stupid, huh? Well,
I didn't think so at the time; I still loved him, and wanted the
man I married back. So I hung in there, for all the good it did
me. By our second anniversary, I knew that there wasn't a chance
in hell he was going back. But by then, he'd beaten me enough
that I was actually afraid of him. One time, I made the mistake
of bringing up divorce - he'd finally worn me down to where I was
willing to do it. He let me know what HE thought about the idea
by leaving me with a black eye, split lip, and bruises all over
my body before he told me that if I ever left him or tried to get
a divorce, he'd hunt me down and kill me. I believed him, and
never said or did anything about it again. A couple months later,
I discovered I was pregnant. Frenchy was happy as could be; me, I
didn't want to bring a kid into a house with Frenchy in it. We
moved into a bigger place, and Frenchy took care of me - well, he
didn't beat me too bad - until I had the baby. When he found out
it was a girl, and not the son he wanted, he really went off on
me. I think if I hadn't been in a bed in the hospital, he'd have
killed me. By the time I was ready to go home, he'd calmed down,
mostly. He still liked to hurt me, though - not just by hitting
me, but by doing stuff that hurt me inside, too. I'd be nursing
Marie, and he'd insist that I... use my mouth on him while I was
doing it. He'd let some of his friends suck the milk from my tits
right before it was time to feed the baby, so I wouldn't be able
to nurse her and have to give her a bottle; he knew how much it
meant to me to breastfeed. When he got drunk or high, he'd make
me take my clothes off and show all his friends how `fat' I'd
gotten during the pregnancy, and even spread my legs so they
could see that my pussy was old and worn out."

After that last sentence, Michelle suddenly looked at both of us
with an apologetic expression. Lucy quietly told her "We both
know the words. Go ahead."

She continued by saying "About that time, we moved into an even
bigger place, and he started bringing girls home - whores, from
the look of them - and screwing them in OUR bed with me right
there in the living room tending to Marie. He'd even leave the
door open and turn off the TV or radio, so I couldn't help but
hear the noises and all the rest. Then, when he was done, he'd
bring the girl out naked, and compare her body to mine." She
paused to take a breath before adding "Later, when Marie was old
enough to be put in a playpen, he'd drag me into whatever room
she was in and screw me, right there in front of her. I tried to
talk him out of it, but he just laughed and said `Don't you think
she should see the only thing her momma's good for?'"

I could see Lucy starting to cry, and wasn't any too happy myself
when Michelle sighed again before telling us "By the time Marie
was able to walk, he'd pretty much given up on me. He was
involved in more and more stuff and had a lot more money - which
he used for drugs, whores, and guns, mostly; I almost had to beg
him for money to buy food for Marie and me. We moved into another
place, out in the country a way, and there were always people
around - `security' he called them, but I knew they were just
hoods. And I knew that if I made any move to get off the place,
they'd either stop me and tell Frenchy what I'd done, or beat the
hell out of me themselves. We lived like that for a long time,
and I kind of got used to it. Frenchy was busy with whatever got
him his money, and pretty much ignored me - until he got mad or
drunk or both. Then he'd hurt me, and tell me hateful things. I
put up with it so that Marie would have somebody to love her and
take proper care of her. Any time Marie or I left the house,
Frenchy had somebody with us - when I took Marie in to the
doctor, when she went to school, when either of us went anywhere,
we had company. I had pretty much given up on ever getting away
from him. Then, when Marie started to... develop, physically, I
started hearing him talking about her. At first, it was just how
pretty she was, and how she was going to have all the boys
chasing after her. But as she got older, and started having
periods, his talk changed from just talking about her, to saying
what the boys would do to her - and then, later, what HE would
like to do. That was when I got so scared for her that I was
ready to die if I had to if it would keep her away from him."

Michelle was starting to cry again, and her body was shaking as
she told us "I knew I couldn't just go - I had to figure out
everything about it. I didn't know how long I had, and I was SO
scared; but I started doing things in a routine: going to the
same places at the same time on the same days. I knew that if I
was going to have any chance of getting away, it was going to
have to be when nobody around me was paying attention; and that I
had to do things in a way that would make them bored so they'd
stop paying attention. While I was doing that, I also started
keeping back some of the money that I was able to get from
Frenchy, and I started writing down some of the things I heard
him say; stuff like what he was doing and who he was doing it
with, and so on. After all he did to me, and what he said he
wanted to do to Marie, I was determined to make him sorry - make
him pay for all he'd done to hurt me and her."

Michelle looked at Lucy, and then me, her face a mask of rage as
she continued "I finally got my chance. A few weeks ago, I was at
the mall. When I left with Marie, Frenchy told me to get
something sexy for her to wear - and I knew I didn't have any
time left. While we were shopping, I said I had to use the ladies
room, and took Marie with me. The men that were with us waited at
the end of the hall where the restrooms were; what they didn't
know was that the hall went on past the restrooms to another door
in the mall. Marie and I didn't even slow down as we passed the
bathrooms - we just kept going right on down the hall. I peeked
out the other door to make sure nobody that knew me was around,
and we made it to another store. The manager there was nice
enough to call us a cab, and let us out the back of her store to
meet it. After we left, I had the cab take us to the federal
building, and we went right up to the FBI offices."

Michelle was still crying, but she managed a wan smile before
telling us "Agent Kristofferson was real happy when he found out
who I was, and that I had information about what Frenchy had
done, and was doing. It took him some time, but he finally came
up with that motor home that we stayed in; you should have seen
the planning he did to make sure nobody knew who we were when he
moved us to it. He had like six different groups of people leave
all at the same time, heading off in different directions. Marie
and I were in one of the cars, all dressed up like we were when
you saw us last night. We drove around for a long time, making
lots of turns and such to make sure nobody was following us
before we got to the motor home. Every couple of days, he'd come
by with another FBI agent and move the motor home to a different
place; always to a parking lot for a mall or big store, and out
away from the buildings. I guess we must have looked like any
other family traveling in one of those things; there were a
couple of times that we got up in the morning to see that there
was another one, or even two of them, parked not far away. He did
all of our shopping for us - even the, uh, personal things we
needed. Whenever the motor home needed gas or propane, he was the
one that did it - Marie and I always hid in the back where no one
could see us. It's been over a month since we first set foot in
that thing, and God's honest truth, I don't want to be in another
one, ever again. They're nice enough, mind you, but they're just
too damn small, no matter how big they look. It seems like
everything's always packed in around you, and you've got no place
to move."

Her smile got a little wider as she told us "Those things are
just too small for living in for any period of time. And with it
being just me and Marie, both of us being female and not being
able to go anywhere for being afraid that somebody Frenchy knew
would see us, you can probably imagine what it was like. That's
why I said what I did about each of us having our own room, last
night. Marie's my daughter, and I love her to death - but I don't
know that I could have spent another month cooped up in that
motor home with her. One or the other of us likely would have
either gone crazy or killed the other."

By the time she finished, I could see that the simple act of
telling us a little bit about what life with Frenchy had been
like had purged a lot of unpleasant emotions and feelings from
Michelle. And from the look Lucy gave me, she knew it, too.

Michelle seemed to suddenly realize that she had the dish towel
in her hand, and that she'd been crying; with an embarrassed
glance at us, she started wiping her face and drying her tears.
When she'd mostly composed herself again, Lucy squeezed her hand
and said "Its okay, now, Michelle. You're safe here, and nobody
is going to treat you that way ever again. And I know that
Frenchy is going to pay for what he's done - not just to other
people, but to you and Marie, too."

Michelle murmured something to Lucy before looking up at me. I
just nodded my agreement with Lucy and told her "Nobody's going
to bother you or Marie while you're in this house. Anybody that
tries is going to go away very unhappy."

My tone of voice was calm and even, so there must have been
something in my face or eyes that caused her to pale slightly
before she said "Now I really believe you, Dan. I know that me
and Marie are going to be safe here. Last night, I couldn't
believe all that stuff Dale said about you. But since then, I've
had some time to think on it, and I know it's true, now." She
quickly held up a hand to silence Lucy before saying "Not that
I'm saying anybody was lying - it's just too easy for things like
that to get stretched a little. Like I said, I got to thinking
about it, and what was said about Dan fits in with some of the
things that I saw. The way he moves, for example - it's real
quiet, and you don't hardly know he's there until he says or does
something. The way he - I don't know, holds himself - it's real
easy to see that there's a MAN inside there; one that knows who
he is, and isn't afraid of much. That only comes from actually
doing. I know he's smart, too - the way he pauses before he
starts talking, as though he's actually thinking about what he
wants to say, instead of just making noise. The way he talks,
it's nice and polite and all that - until he needs to say
something to get someone's attention like he had to do to me last
night, and then he makes it real clear what he means to say. Then
with that business about that company and those dealers - well,
even I know you can't be doing that kind of thing unless you've
got some brains between your ears. What with all of that, I can
believe that he's willing to help us for the reasons he said - I
see how he is with you, Lucy, and those girls. Tonight, after we
ate, he cleaned off the table - something that NEVER would have
entered Frenchy's mind - just so we could all keep talking. The
only fuss that was made about it was by you, Lucy, and Robyn and
Sandra. From what I saw, he knew it needed doing, and was ready
to do it so that you wouldn't have to be bothered by it. You
fixed supper, I expect, and those two girls served it up; it
looked to me like he just 
figured he was doing his part. Then, when he was done, he just
found himself a place to sit where he could listen and watch us -
trying to figure me and Marie out, I expect. But he didn't get in
the way of our talking - he just sat there real polite, not
saying anything. Maybe being married to him as long as you have,
you don't notice it as much. But if you'd spent any time around
Frenchy, you'd see that Dan stands out like a turd in a punch
bowl."

Lucy couldn't help smiling any more than I could at Michelle's
comparison. She seemed to realize that it might not be all that
complimentary, and started to apologize. Lucy just interrupted
her to say "No, that's all right, Michelle. I know what you
meant, just as Dan did. Neither one of us takes offense."

Michelle responded by saying "I'm sorry, anyway. See, that's
something else about living with Frenchy: when I got out of high
school, I spoke nice and proper, like you all do. Now, half of
what I say sounds like I never went to school at all. I think
being around all of you might to do me and Marie some good -
maybe both of us will start speaking like real people again."

That gave me the opening I needed to bring up some of the things
that I'd thought about earlier in the day. I cleared my throat to
get Michelle's attention and told her "I don't know what you've
been doing about Marie's schooling, but there won't be any
problem helping her learn and study here, if you want. We've got
plenty of computers, and I'll be more than happy to help you
figure out some kind of schedule and courses so she doesn't fall
behind."

Michelle looked both hesitant and relieved before she told me "I
don't know anything about computers and such; and Marie only got
to use them a little bit in the school she went to. I wouldn't
want for either one of us to break one and cost you more than
you're already putting out for us. But if you can do anything to
help her with her studies, I'd appreciate it."

I smiled and said "Don't worry about it, Michelle. There's
nothing that either one of you can do to `break' the computer
from the outside. The worst thing you can do is erase something
the computer needs to operate, and that only needs a little time
to fix. If you want, I think any one of us would be more than
happy to help you and Marie learn."

Relief won out over worry on Michelle's face, and she told me
"Thank you. I think both of us would like that."

The next thing I told her was "You said something earlier about
being stuck in the motor home." Michelle nodded, and I went on
"That might be a problem here, too. Not as bad, maybe, but
still...." She smiled her understanding as I continued "There are
a couple of things we can do about that. If you want, I know
somebody that can help `disguise' you and Marie so the two of you
can get out of the house sometimes without having to worry about
being recognized."

Michelle's expression told me what she thought of THAT idea, and
I hastened to assure her "No, I'm not just talking about wigs and
big sunglasses. The guy I know, he's the makeup director for one
of the movie studios; what he doesn't know about making people
look like someone else probably isn't worth knowing. The other
part of it is that even if you or Marie DO go out, one of us will
be with you. If you just want to go out for ice cream or grocery
shopping, I'll be more than happy to keep you company. If you
want to go a store to get some new clothing, and then Lucy will
go - I think I'd stand out a little bit in the ladies changing
room!"

That last bit got me a smile, and I went on "If Marie wants to go
out without me or Lucy, and then Sandra or Robyn - or more
likely, both - will keep her company."

Again, Michelle's expression didn't look too pleased at that
idea, so I told her "Just so you know, Lucy has been given a
Federal permit to carry a gun - and the only reason she got it is
because she's already gone through a couple of different FBI
`combat' gun ranges, and shown that she can shoot. Sandra already
has her own gun, and both her and Robyn are pretty darn good
shots. Sandra's old enough to have a concealed carry permit - I
checked this afternoon - and she's already said that she'd like
to be able to have the gun with her all the time. So in the next
day or so, I'm going to go down with her to the police station,
and we're going to get her the license."

Michelle looked at me strangely and asked "You'd put your wife
and daughter in the way between me and Frenchy?"

I shook my head and said "No, I wouldn't PUT them there. I'm
telling you that they've already said that they are willing to do
these things, and want to do them. When I asked Sandra this
afternoon if she still wanted to carry her pistol with her all
the time, she told me that she certainly did, and in no uncertain
terms. Then she asked me if that meant that she'd be able to have
it with her so she could watch out for Marie if they wanted to go
out someplace."

Her curiosity got the better of her, and Michelle asked "You'd
let them do that? Why?"

"Yes, I'd let them do that - because Sandra and Robyn are both
old enough, and mature enough, to understand what it is they're
offering to do. But I'm still worried about them enough that they
won't be doing that until and unless Lucy or I are available to
watch over them. If they want to go to the mall, that's fine -
but Lucy or I will be nearby, even if we're not actually WITH
them. You might not realize it, but those two girls are more than
capable of handling themselves."

Michelle gave me an appraising glance, looked over at Lucy, who
simply nodded, and then back to me before she said "I guess
they'd have to be. If they've already been through all that other
stuff, and being YOUR girls, I guess I can trust them as much as
you do. Okay, if you think you know somebody that can make it so
me and Marie can get outside now and then, I'm all for it."

Lucy took Michelle's hand again and assured her "I'm not going to
just tell you `trust us', Michelle. Before either one of you goes
outside, you'll know that what Dan and I are telling you is
right."

Michelle studied Lucy's face for a few moments before deciding
she was satisfied with what she saw there. Turning back to me,
she said "You said Sandra has her own gun?" I nodded, and she
went on "And I expect you and Lucy do, too." Lucy and I both
nodded, and Michelle asked "Then what about all these guns in the
house? Do I have to worry about Marie finding one of them? I know
it sounds silly, after all the guns and such Frenchy had around,
but...."

Lucy smiled, and said "No, you don't. We figured to just keep
them out of the way. Sandra keeps hers - unloaded - in a locked
case, anyway; she and Robyn each carry one of the keys on a chain
around their necks. Dan and I have a small gun cabinet in our
bedroom that we lock our guns in when we're not wearing them -
like when we're in bed. It has a pushbutton combination lock on
the door that we can open REAL quick if we have to, and it's VERY
solid. On top of all that, we keep the extra ammunition - each of
us carries several extra magazines - for the guns in a separate
place: a very heavy, very solid locker out in Dan's office. All
of us already know that guns can be dangerous, and we're all VERY
careful."

That seemed to more than satisfy Michelle's worries; she was
visibly relaxed by the time Lucy finished.

About that time, Michelle broke into a yawn that had her jaw
audibly creaking. When she closed her mouth again, she blushed
slightly and said "I'm sorry. It's just that it's been a long,
hard time since I was able to relax even this much. I guess I'm a
little more tired from it than I realized."

Lucy and I both grinned at her before I said "That's fine,
Michelle - I expect that both of us understand. If you want to go
ahead and go to bed, neither one of us will be offended."

"I think I'd like that - to sleep in a real bed, for a change.
Uh, do I need to get up for anything tomorrow?"

Lucy answered "Not unless you want to. Robyn and Sandra head for
school about seven thirty or so, I leave for work about eight. If
you or Marie aren't up to moving around by then, don't worry
about it - Dan's a pretty fair cook, and you're both more than
welcome to fix anything you like for yourselves."

"Oh, I don't think we'll be sleeping that late - but thank you. I
guess we'll see you in the morning."

Lucy and I each wished her a good night, and she got up and
headed for the stairs.

When she was gone, Lucy made a beeline for my lap, pulling my
arms around her as she buried her face in my chest as she started
crying. I knew what the problem was, and just sat there holding
her, and rubbing her back as she wept in pity and sympathy for
Michelle and Marie's lives up to that point.

She'd finished her cry and had dried her tears when Robyn and
Sandra came down to wish us a good night and let us know that
Marie had already gone to bed - but that Michelle had stepped
into her room. They saw Lucy's reddened eyes, but she just shook
her head to let them know that she was okay again. Each of them
gave us a kiss - and not just on the cheek, either, since neither
Michelle nor Marie was around.

Some time later, Lucy and I went up to bed ourselves - where Lucy
made it more than clear that she wanted the reassurance of my
arms around her as we drifted off to sleep.


The next morning, Michelle and Marie came into the kitchen
together as the rest of us were finishing breakfast. Lucy got up
and went into the kitchen to show them where all the different
dishes and things were, and offered to fix them some breakfast.
Michelle politely declined, saying that coffee was fine for her.
Marie had come on over to where the girls and I were sitting, and
hesitantly taken a seat next to them - but away from me. I
carefully didn't notice, or say anything, figuring that she was
probably having an attack of nerves, and wasn't too sure I wasn't
going to suddenly do something Frenchy-like (whatever that might
have been). Even so, she licked her lips as she watched Sandra
and Robyn finishing up their first plates-full of scrambled eggs,
bacon, fried potatoes, and toast. There was more on serving
plates, but Marie didn't seem inclined to either help herself, or
ask for any.

Sandra and Robyn noticed, though. Robyn finished first, took a
little more from the serving plates, and then said "I guess I
cooked more than I should have - I've already had enough, and
there's still some left." Sandra responded by saying "Yeah, I
think so, too - I've already had too much!" With a smile, she
turned to Marie and asked "Would you like some? You'd be doing
Sandra and me a favor if you could finish off most of this; I
really don't want to have to throw it away or anything."

Marie gave her a small nod of agreement, and Robyn answered
"Great! Thanks so much! Here, I'll get a plate for you..." before
getting up and going into the kitchen. Marie watched her, as
Robyn had doubtless expected, to find out where the dishes were
kept; from there, glasses and the rest would be nearby. As if to
make it as easy for Marie as possible, Robyn casually opened up
another cabinet and pulled out two different sizes of glasses, as
she and Sandra had - a small one for juice, a larger one for
milk. Off to the side, I could almost see Marie memorizing where
the items had been, so she'd be able to find them herself later.

Back at the breakfast table, Michelle and Lucy had both seated
themselves - Lucy next to me, Michelle on the other side of her.
When Robyn was seated again, Marie hesitantly dished herself out
some breakfast; when she was done, Sandra and Robyn began
including her in their conversation as though she'd been having
breakfast with them for years. For our part, Lucy and I did much
the same for Michelle. As the meal went on, both of them visibly
relaxed.

Finally, it was time for the girls to head off to school. Both of
them got up and took their dishes to the kitchen and put them in
the dishwasher - giving Marie, and even Michelle, enough time to
see where it was without making it obvious what they were doing.
Sandra told Marie to take her time with breakfast; and that
they'd be right back down.

True to their word, both of them were back as soon as they could
brush their teeth and collect their school things. They came back
to sit with the rest of us as they finished off their juice. When
they were ready to go, they kissed me and Lucy goodbye before
Robyn told Marie "You go ahead and decide what you want to do
with your room, today, okay? When we get back, we can help you
with anything you're not sure about. There's a stack of
decorating magazines in our room, so don't be afraid to look in
them for ideas and stuff."

Marie gave a hesitant shake of her head, and then Robyn and
Sandra both hugged her before leaving for school.

Michelle watched all of this, but didn't say anything.

Some time later, Lucy left to finish getting ready for work, and
stopped off to give me her own kiss before heading out the door.

When they were gone, it was just me, Michelle, and Marie at the
table - and both of them suddenly had an attack of bashful. I
pretended not to notice, asking Marie "Do you miss going to
school, Marie?" She nodded, apparently not trusting herself to
speak, and I told her "If you want, I'll be happy to put together
a kind of study plan for you, so you don't get too far behind. I
know it's kind of a drag not being able to go to school right
now, but that doesn't mean you can't keep learning. Would you
like that?"

She brightened considerably at the idea, and managed to tell me
"Yeah, I would, Mr. Andrews, if it isn't too much trouble."

I just smiled at her and said "Just call me Dan - and no, it
isn't too much trouble. We've got plenty of computers around
here, and it won't be any bother at all to set one up for you to
use. It won't be the same as having a teacher and class in the
room with you, but you won't have to raise your hand to go to the
bathroom, either!" - tossing in that last part just to see if I
couldn't get a smile from her. I did even better than that,
earning myself a soft laugh from her, and a smile from Michelle.

Standing up, I told them "I'm going to go ahead and get started
for the day. Feel free to look around, fix yourselves anything
you want to eat or drink, watch TV or a movie, or anything else.
I'll be out in my office most of the time, so if you need
anything, you can either come out there, or pick up one of the
phones; all of them have a button with my name on it, so all you
have to do is push it, and I'll answer. Okay?"

They both smiled and nodded their understanding, and I put my
empty coffee cup in the dishwasher before going out to my office.
There, I took a laptop and quickly got it configured for Robyn to
use and transferred her files and configuration settings from the
computer in her room (where Marie was staying) to it. Then I
carefully deleted her personal files from the desktop machine and
set it up for Marie to use. That done, I made calls to a couple
of my clients - companies that wrote educational software. In
both cases, they were more than happy to make copies of programs
suitable for Marie's age available for me to download -
particularly after I gave them a brief, and censored, 
explanation of why I needed it. Getting the software itself took
only a few minutes, since I had a high-bandwidth connection. From
there, it was a simple matter to get the software installed and
configured. While I was at it, I set up another laptop for
Michelle to use, carefully installing some tutorials and other
software geared toward the beginning and novice user, as well as
some basic programs.

By the time I was done, it was getting close to 11:00; perfect, I
thought - by the time I get things set up, and have them started
on the computers, it'll be time for lunch.

Carrying Michelle's laptop with me, I went back inside the house
- finding both of them in the living room watching TV. I got
Michelle's attention, and said "If you don't mind, I'd like to go
into your room so I can set this computer up for you."

She looked at me as if I'd lost my mind before saying "Why should
I mind? It's your house!"

I smiled and answered "Yeah - but it's YOUR room."

Obviously surprised at my response, she answered "Uh, sure - if
you really think I can get anything out of it, go ahead."

I laughed and told her "I think you can get something out of it.
I'll get it set up, and when you're ready, I'll show you how to
get started with it. From there, I don't think you'll have any
trouble."

Her expression made it clear what she thought of THAT.

Excusing myself, I went upstairs and into her room - and saw that
she hadn't done a thing to `personalize' it. I went ahead and got
the computer tied into our intranet - wiring the place for data
had been one of the first changes I'd had made - and verified
that everything worked.

I went back to the living room, and both of them turned to look
at me. I told them "Okay, you've each got a computer to yourself.
Marie, I can show you the programs you can use to keep learning
now, if you don't mind. Then, after lunch, I can work with you,
Michelle."

I could see on Marie's face that she was eager to get on the
computer; Michelle wasn't so sure. Marie turned to look at her
mother; after a moment, Michelle got up with her to keep us
company.

When we got to the door to her bedroom, I stopped and simply
waited - it took Marie a second to realize that I wasn't going to
simply walk into `her' room. Shyly, she opened it up and led her
mother and me inside. I saw that Robyn and Sandra had indeed
gotten a pretty good start on decorating it for Marie - and that
there was still plenty left for Marie to do, if she wanted.
Inside the room, I gestured for Marie to take the chair while I
kneeled down next to her while Michelle stood behind us. It only
took a few minutes to get Marie familiarized with the computer
and software. A couple more minutes, and she was feeling fairly
comfortable, and was happily running a science program. I stood
up and backed away a little, leaving Marie to her own devices.
After a bit, I told Michelle "She's got it, now. She won't have
any trouble from here on."

Michelle looked at me strangely, and followed when I gestured
with my head that we should leave Marie alone. Out in the hall, I
carefully pulled the door to her room almost all the way closed
before turning to Michelle and saying "She might not have gotten
to do much with whatever computers she had access to before, but
she definitely remembers how to use them. It just took her a few
moments to remember a couple things, and she was fine."

Michelle asked me "What was that she was doing? When we left, I
mean?"

"She was starting a middle-school level physics program. It will
walk her through some basic physics, testing her along the way,
and going back over the things she has trouble with."

"What about other classes? Like writing, and arithmetic, and
such?"

"It's all part of the program. It'll let her do the physics -
science - only for a little while, and then she'll have to go on
to something else. The program was written for parents that
home-school their kids, so it won't let them study just a few
things; they have to go through ALL the subjects before they can
start another class in any one of them. When she's done with the
science, she'll have to do something else - then something else
after that. Until she's gone through the whole list, she can't go
back to anything she's already been through. There are two
different programs she can use, and both of them do pretty much
the same thing in the same way; the only real difference between
them is how they go about the actual teaching. One of them is
like having an actual teacher, the other is more like studying
with a friend."

"You already had that... software?"

"Oh, no! I called a couple of the companies that I've done work
for, and they were glad to let me have a free copy."

"You can do that? Get free computer stuff from folks you've
worked for?" she asked.

"From these companies, yes. The work I did saved them a lot more
than what one copy of the program cost."

"What do you do with computers, exactly?"

"I'm a programmer" I answered, and then seeing the confusion on
her face, added "I tell the computer what to do, and how to do
it, so other people can use it."

That seemed to clear things up enough for her, and the look she
gave me pretty much let me know that she thought I was some kind
of Smart Guy. She gave herself a little shake, and said "Well,
whatever it is you do, it sure looks like you're pretty good at
it. I know Marie was a little scared of being around you, and I
think she was worried about doing something to your computer. But
you were real patient and gentle with her, and that made her feel
a lot better. After being around Frenchy all her life, she's a
bit jumpy around men" - the last part apologetically.

"That's okay - I expect I'd be jumpy if it'd happened to me, too.
Maybe here she'll learn that she doesn't have to be jumpy any
more."

Michelle gave me an appraising look and answered "Maybe so."

Just then, we heard the clock strike the half-hour; Michelle
looked at it and said "Eleven thirty. It's getting toward lunch
time. Would you mind if I fixed it?"

"Not at all" I answered, adding "I usually just fix myself a
sandwich."

She gave a small snort and said "Sandwiches are fine... for a
picnic. For a meal, you should be having something with a little
more to it."

I laughed and answered "I'll leave that up to you, and then. I'm
going to go on back to my office for a bit; what time should I
come in for a proper lunch?" - earning myself a smile from her
before she answered "Oh, a little after Noon would be fine."

"And you and Marie will be eating with me, right?"

She looked a bit uncertain at that, but said "If that's what you
want, I guess we will."

I looked into her eyes and said "Michelle, it's not about what I
want - except for the fact that what I want is for you and Marie
to realize that you're WELCOME here. If you don't want to have
lunch with me, and that's YOUR decision, and then that's fine.
What I need you to understand is that both of you are more than
welcome to eat with me, or not. I'd like the company, but I'm not
going to force you to do anything you don't want to do - I'm not
Frenchy."

She gave me a faint smile and answered "No, you're not Frenchy.
That's something I think Marie and me'll have to get used to.
It's just that it's been so long, it might take us a while, is
all."

"That's fine. Honestly, Michelle - you and Marie are both a part
of our home, now. That's why I asked you if it was okay for me to
go into YOUR room, and why I waited for Marie to open the door to
HER room: so that both of you know that all of us here are going
to respect you and your privacy. As long as you're with us, those
are YOUR rooms, to do with whatever you like, short of tearing
them up. If you or Marie want a different color on the walls, let
me know and we - you and I - will take care of it. If you or
Marie want to hang pictures or something, go ahead and have fun.
Anything you want to do that doesn't need a hammer and nails to
fix is fine with me. Understand?"

Michelle looked at me with such gratitude in her eyes that it got
me pissed at Frenchy all over again - that he would treat
Michelle and Marie so badly that they'd stopped seeing basic
courtesy as their right.

"Another thing I want you to know is that you don't have to be
afraid or embarrassed or ashamed to ask us for anything you need
that we might forget. Both of us know that there are going to be
things that you'll need or want that we won't think of, and that
you'll want to go places so you can do things for yourselves
sometimes. That's why I have somebody coming to help you learn
how to keep people from recognizing you - so you CAN go out.
You'll still have me or Lucy, or both, watching out for you, but
you'll be OUT. The last thing is that you and Marie should
understand that all of us would be delighted if the two of you
wanted to become part of our family life. If everyone wants to
watch a movie, don't be afraid to tell us what YOU like. If
there's some particular food or drink that you really like or
don't like, let us know, and we'll be happy to take that into
account when we go grocery shopping. Don't feel like you have to
keep the same hours as us - if you want to go to bed later, or
get up earlier, go ahead; just don't be surprised or upset if the
rest of us don't join you. If you want a cup of coffee, and there
isn't any made or it's too old, don't be afraid to make some
more. If Marie wants a snack or something to drink, she should
help herself to whatever she wants. If we run out of anything,
we'll just get more. You're in our home, and we're willing to
treat you like family - if you'll let us. Okay?"

She started to tear up a little, but managed to answer "Okay,
Dan. I'll... we'll try."

"That's all I ask, Michelle. I'll go out to my office, now -
watching a woman cry turns me into a big marshmallow" - the last
part meant to tease her out of her tears.

She gave me a half-smile, swatted her hand at me, and said "Oh,
go on!"

I looked at her, and she nodded that she was going to be okay. I
smiled, and did as I'd said - went back out to my office.

Shortly after Noon, I went back inside again - and found Michelle
and Marie both sitting in the breakfast nook, apparently waiting
for me. I sat down across from them - I figured both were nervous
- and looked over what Michelle (I presumed) had made: she'd
taken last night's leftovers and turned them into hot roast beef
sandwiches, complete with mashed potatoes and gravy. It was a lot
more that I usually made for myself, and I thanked both of them
for joining me for such a fine lunch - making Michelle beam
slightly at the compliment, and Marie blush slightly at being the
focus of my attention, if only briefly.

The next order of business was to get myself wrapped around the
food - and enjoying every bite of it: Michelle had clearly done
something to it to freshen up the flavor. When I asked her about
it, she looked down at her plate and said "I, uh, went ahead and
found your spices, and added a couple of them to make it a little
different than last night."

"You did fine - thank you" I told/reassured her.

As we were eating, I made a point of including Marie in the
conversation by asking her a few innocuous questions, and paying
careful attention to the answers. One thing that caught my
attention was her reply when I asked her age - that she'd be
sixteen in just a couple of weeks. I didn't ask what day - for
what I had in mind, it really didn't matter. I also asked her
what kinds of things she was interested in - and listened to the
answers.

By the time lunch was finished, both of them were visibly more
relaxed - not just in our home, but around me, too.

When I was done, I got up and started to reach for the dishes;
Marie jumped up and all but snatched them away from me, with a
hurried "That's my job" - and blushing furiously when I quietly
told her "Then thank you, Marie."

As she took the plates over to the dishwasher, I asked Michelle
"Are you ready to start learning how to become a computer
genius?"

She snorted and said "I'll be happy if I can just learn how to
turn the darn things on!"

I laughed and answered "Oh, I think you'll do a little better
than that."

Her eyes told me she wasn't entirely sure I wasn't lying to her,
but she got up and led the way up to her room anyway. She didn't
hesitate to open her door and lead the way to the computer I'd
set up for her. I had her sit in the chair while I knelt next to
her. I talked her through turning it on - applauding her when the
screen lit up, making her laugh - and getting logged on to it.
From there, we went on to opening up the first of the tutorials
I'd installed, and getting her started on that. After the first
few screens, she was starting to relax a bit, so I discretely
shut up and moved back a little, letting her go at her own pace.

By the time she was done, she was easily moving around, clicking
and double-clicking, dragging and dropping, and so on. When the
program ended, she suddenly looked around and saw that I was
sitting back from her and the computer. Blushing, she said "I
guess it isn't so hard, after all, is it?"

I grinned and answered "No, not if you want to learn. You're
doing great. There are some more lessons like that, to help you
learn about the computer and how to use it. All of them work the
same way - they'll let you practice something until you're
comfortable you know it; then they'll take you to the next part.
Take as much time as you need or want; it's a computer, so it
won't get impatient or yell at you. I've set up the lessons in an
order that should make it easier for you, and make more sense. If
you have any problems or questions, don't be afraid to ask: this
stuff was all new to me, one time, too. When you're comfortable
you know how to use the computer, let me know, and I can get you
started on a few other things that I'll bet you'll think are
pretty fun. Okay?"

She nodded happily, and turned back to the computer, starting up
the next in the tutorials I'd installed. I stood up and made my
way out to the hall - turning back, I could see that she was
already engrossed in learning. I smiled to myself as I pulled her
door about three-quarters closed. On my way back to my office, I
met Marie, who was putting the dishes away from the dishwasher. I
thanked her - embarrassing her slightly - and asked if she was
doing okay with her studies. She gave me a happy nod, and I told
her that if she had any problems with anything, she could ask any
of us and we'd be glad to help. She nodded again, and with a
slight blush, turned back to her self-appointed task.


When it got close to time for the girls to be getting home from
school, I got myself a beer out of the fridge in my office and
went out to sit next to the pool, where I'd be able to see them
when they parked.

A few minutes later, I saw the door open, and Michelle looking
out at me. I told her "Come on out, if you want - nobody can see
this part from the street." She looked a bit hesitant, but came
out anyway - then smiling when she felt the warm sun on herback.

She came over to where I was, and took a seat nearby. She
hesitated a few moments, and then asked "Do you think Lucy would
mind if I cooked tonight?"

I laughed and said "Actually, it's my turn to cook - and no, I
don't mind!"

Michelle looked surprised, and asked "You really cook?"

I grinned at her and said "Yeah, after a fashion. Not as well at
most things as Lucy or the girls, but better at some. I don't
have as much variety as they do, either. But I haven't poisoned
any of us yet, and it gives Lucy and the girls a break, so I do
my share. My specialty is Burnt Offering" - making her laugh.

Michelle was about to say something else when Sandra's car
appeared in the drive. Both of us watched as she carefully pulled
into `her' parking space and shut the engine off. She and Robyn
got out, and both came over to where I was to give me a kiss on
the cheek.

I picked up my bottle of beer and had a swallow; Sandra took it
from me, had a sip, and handed it to Robyn who had one, too,
before handing it back. Michelle saw all of this, and I saw more
than a trace of fear in her eyes. Robyn and Sandra must have seen
it, too, and they both realized what the problem must be: that
Michelle was afraid that I wasn't going to stop with the one
beer, and from there, become a problem for her the way Frenchy
had.

Sandra spoke up first, talking to Michelle, and getting right to
the point: "Michelle, you don't have to worry. I have never seen
Uncle Dan get anywhere even close to drunk. Remember, he's not
Frenchy - you don't have to be afraid of him, for ANY reason."

Michelle seemed to realize that she'd reacted in a way that
wasn't entirely appropriate - but it was also clear that she
wasn't entirely sure that it wasn't INappropriate, either.

Robyn had her turn next, saying "Michelle, look at him, and
remember what just happened. Think about what was going on BEFORE
we got here. You're out here with him, so you must have come
outside after he was here - I don't think you would have come
outside unless you were sure you wouldn't be seen. So, you were
probably watching for him, so you could talk to him, right?"

Michelle nodded, not sure where Robyn was going.

"If you were watching for him, and then you know when he came out
here - you probably saw him go from his office to the chair. Now,
think about it: did he stagger? Did he do anything to make you
think that he'd been drinking before he came outside?"

Michelle shook her head, and Robyn went on "So he looked okay
then. You know how long you've been out here - probably not long,
since the beer bottle is still pretty cold. So you can be pretty
sure he's had just the one beer - and hasn't had much to drink
from it. Do you think you have any reason to think that he's
going to have more than that one beer? Or that even if he does,
that he'll have enough to get drunk? Think about what you know
about him, and decide if you think he's really the kind of man
that would get drunk - never mind do anything like Frenchy
would."

Michelle DID think about it. And after a few seconds, we could
all see it as she visibly relaxed - and on the heels of that,
blushed before she opened her mouth to say "I'm sorry, Dan. I saw
the beer, and I just... went back to all the times that Frenchy
got drunk, and then beat me. God's honest truth, I didn't even
think about it being you - I just saw the beer, and lost it. I'm
sorry."

I leaned forward and gently patted her hand before saying "Its
okay, Michelle. I understand. I think ALL of us do. All of us
knew that after being with Frenchy the way you were, there were
going to be `issues' that all of us would have to deal with. I'm
sorry that one of them came up so fast - but then again, this is
one less issue for later, right?"

She managed a brief smile before asking "You... you let them
drink, too?"

I turned as Sandra answered "Yes, he lets us drink, too. Not
often, and not much, as you saw - Robyn and I each had only a
small sip. Uncle Dan figures that letting us learn how beer and
such affect us here at home, there's a lot less chance that we'll
do anything stupid when we're out by ourselves. It works, too -
I've been to a couple of parties where people brought beer, and
even liquor. Other kids, that don't have parents that think like
him, drink too much and get stupid. I know what it does to me,
and I have only a little bit - just enough to be polite. There
are a few girls at school that aren't virgins any more because of
how much they drank at some of these parties. A couple of them
have even gotten pregnant. That hasn't happened to me."

"Or me, either. Both of us HAVE been drunk - but only once, and
at home. That's how we know how it affects us; and how much we
can drink. Dad lets us make little mistakes at home, so we don't
make big ones other places." Robyn offered.

What neither of them was telling her was that they'd already
given their virginity to someone - namely, me. Robyn had been
thirteen, Sandra fifteen, when it happened. But that wasn't
exactly pertinent to the situation, just then, and would only
distract her from the point they were trying to make.

And making successfully, if the expression on Michelle's face was
any indication.

I don't think she was entirely convinced - but she'd heard enough
that she had a different perspective, and something to think
about.

I ended that particular conversation by telling her "Anyway, as I
was saying, I'm not the best cook in the house - but I can get
the job done. If you want to cook tonight, and then you'll be
sparing the rest of them from one of my creations. I just ask
that the next time you offer, it's on one of their nights, so I
don't get accused of bribing you or anything."

Robyn and Sandra both grinned before Sandra told her "He's just
pulling your leg. He's actually a pretty good cook. Not as good
as Aunt Lucy, but better than us - at least, a little bit. But
we're learning. If you're going to cook tonight, I think both of
us would like to be there, so we can learn from you, too."

Michelle looked amused at their evaluation of my kitchen talents,
and a trifle proud that they would want to learn something from
her. She hesitated a moment, and then told them "Okay, if you
want to learn, you're welcome. But only one, I think - otherwise,
it might be too crowded. Next time, the other one, okay?"

Both girls nodded, and Robyn said "We'll figure it out. Is Marie
busy? We'd like to see her, if she isn't."

Michelle assured them that Marie had been laying on the bed,
reading, shortly before she'd come outside. Robyn and Sandra
excused themselves, and went inside.

I took another sip from my beer, and Michelle waited until I set
the bottle down before she said "I really am sorry, Dan. When
Robyn reminded me about it, I realized that you weren't the kind
of guy that I've gotten used to."

"No problem, Michelle. Like I said, I think all of us know there
are going to be rough spots along the way. You and Marie
shouldn't be afraid to let the rest of us know when you're
uncomfortable about something - we'll be glad to listen, and do
what we can to help."

"Thank you, Dan. We will - or won't, I guess I should say", she
replied with a smile before going back inside.

I was still sitting outside, my beer long gone, when Lucy got
home. I met her at her car and kissed her, and then carried her
briefcase for her as we walked up to the bedroom. Along the way,
I told her about Michelle's offer to cook supper - and that the
next time, it would be for her or the girls.

Michelle called us all - except for Robyn, who had won the
assistant cook lottery - in to supper about six thirty. Once we
were seated, she and Robyn brought in the results of their
efforts: Cajun food. It was definitely something new for us, and
we were all looking forward to trying it out. Michelle told us "I
learned to cook Cajun for Frenchy, when we were first married. He
was from the bayou, and missed his home cooking - so I learned
how, and he helped me get it just right. I haven't done it for a
while, but this turned out pretty good. I hope you like it."

The meal started with stuffed artichokes, which were delicious.
From there, it was on to jambalaya, followed by stuffed pork
chops with caramelized onions, cornbread, and a sweet potato
casserole. Dessert - which none of us was sure we had room for -
turned out to be bread pudding with bourbon in it. When I
commented on it, Michelle hesitantly told me that she'd had Robyn
get it from the liquor cabinet. I assured her that was fine,
saying that I was just surprised that bourbon could be used to
such good effect in food - making her smile.

When it was clear that we'd all had our fill, Sandra got up to
start clearing the dishes - followed, a moment later, by Marie. I
started to get up to help, but Michelle just gestured me to sit
down again, saying "As much as you helped me and Marie today, you
just sit there."

Michelle saw Lucy looking at me questioningly, and told her "He
got Marie and me both set up with computers this morning. Marie
spent the better part of the afternoon on schoolwork while I was
learning how to operate mine. He was real polite and patient with
both of us, and helped us a lot."

That reminded me to tell Robyn that I'd moved her files over to a
laptop, and that I'd get it for her after supper. She told me
that was fine; she knew that I would make sure everything she
might be interested in or want would have been moved over without
my prying into what might be in her files. Both she and Sandra
knew that I trusted them implicitly.

When Sandra and Marie came out the next time, they had cups of
coffee for Lucy, me, and Michelle; all of us thanked them -
causing a slight blush on Marie - and they continued clearing the
table. When they were done, Robyn excused herself and the three
of them left us alone.

I told Michelle that I'd spoken with the man that would be
showing them - and me, I admitted - how to change their
appearance so they wouldn't be recognized. She looked interested,
and I went on to tell her that he'd be there the following
Saturday - just a couple days away. She laughed when I said "If
you can hold out until then, I think we can get you someplace
where you can do some shopping." She answered by telling me that
compared to the confines of the motor home, she felt our house
was like being in a shopping mall - making Lucy and I bothsmile.

When we'd finished our coffee, we decided to adjourn to the
living room - me after making a detour to get the laptop for
Robyn and giving it to her.

Once all of us were seated, Lucy told Michelle "I've noticed that
Marie seems to be, well, pretty shy. It seems like any time Dan
or I compliment her, or say something nice to her, she blushes
and gets embarrassed."

Michelle answered the implied question by saying "I know. You
see, pretty much the whole time she was growing up, the only one
she had around that showed her any kindness at all was me -
everyone else either didn't pay her any attention, or paid her
the wrong KIND of attention. She doesn't really know how to act
when somebody besides me gives her a kind word."

The look on Lucy's face was a mixture of horror, disgust, and
sympathy. Michelle saw it, and said "Yeah, that's pretty much how
I feel about it, too - only more, since she's my daughter. Around
you, Lucy, she's not so bad, what with you being another woman,
and all - she's still shy and all that, just not as much. Around
Dan, it's another story. All she knows from grown men is that
they're loud, mean, hurtful, and not to be trusted about
anything. I wish it was different, but it isn't. What you did
today, Dan, helped some - but not much. There's still too much of
the other in her for what you do to wash it away any time soon."

Lucy looked at Michelle in curiosity, and Michelle explained how
I'd waited for Marie to open the door, and hadn't `crowded' her
when working with her on the computer. Lucy nodded, and told her
"That's just the way he is - polite and all that, whenever people
will let him. He seems to know when somebody needs some kind of
special attention or handling, and he does what he has to, to
help them out."

"That's what he did with me, too, getting me started learning
about computers. He didn't crowd me any, and was as patient as
anybody I ever knew. And once I started to get the hang of it, he
just kind of eased back and let me have at it. I didn't even know
he did it until afterwards."

Michelle went on "You said he's polite and everything when people
will let him?" Lucy nodded, and Michelle went on "What do you
mean by that?"

Lucy laughed, and told her "Have you ever been in a store, and
gotten bad service?" Michelle assured her that she had, and Lucy
continued "What Dan does is wait nice and patiently until he gets
someone's attention. Then he asks for their manager. He's still
real polite, and real calm, so they try to ask him what he needs
a manager for. He says he needs to tell them something; he's
still polite, but from the way he talks, they know they'd better
do what he says. When the manager shows up, Dan calmly and
politely chews them out for how bad the service was. He never
raises his voice, and he never uses profanity - and that just
seems to make it even worse for them. If the service was bad
enough, he'll even tell them that they've lost whatever chance
they had to sell something to him; he'll hand everything he's
carrying to the manager, and tell them that their bad service
cost them the sale, and walk out. Other times, if the people he's
dealing with are rude or anything like that, he'll be just as
rude - usually more! - as they are, until they settle down. He's
got a stubborn streak in him that's truly amazing: once he sets
his mind to something, that's it - unless you've got a truly
exceptional reason he should, he's not going to change his mind.
He'll just stand there and look at you, waiting for you to run
out of steam, and then he'll go do what he was going to in the
first place."

Michelle looked at me for a moment, and then said to Lucy "It
sounds like he's not too easy to live with."

Lucy laughed again, and said "On the contrary - he's VERY easy to
live with. He treats everyone with courtesy and respect, as long
as they do the same toward him. He's so patient with people that
don't know to deal with him that way, too - until he decides, as
a last choice, that they aren't GOING to treat him the way he
does them. Then it's over for them - they won't get another thing
out of him, ever. He's willing to learn from anyone - and expects
them to be willing to learn from him. When he comes across
someone that can't or won't learn, he just ignores them."

"You two ever fight?" Michelle asked.

Lucy smiled before answering "No, never fought. We've had just a
couple of disagreements about things, and we managed to work
those out. I've gotten upset with him a few times, but it usually
turned out that he was being perfectly reasonable, and that I'd
made assumptions or some other mistake and didn't know or
understand why he was doing what he was. He's never hurt me, or
even raised a hand toward me - or the girls, for that matter. He
won't even spank them. He just tells them why he thinks something
they did was wrong, and why he's disappointed in them. They know
how much he loves them, so when he talks to them like that, it
just makes them feel that much worse."

Lucy looked at me, and I could see how much she loved me - and
Michelle must have seen it, too, because she got a wistful look
on her face before Lucy turned back and told her "Every day I'm
alive, I thank God, the Universe, or whoever, that I met him.
He's as tender and gentle with me and the girls as any of us
could ever want. We all know that he loves us with everything
he's got, and all of us know how far he would go to protect us
from being hurt - or to get anyone that DID hurt us."

"What do you mean?"

Lucy looked at me, and I nodded that she should go ahead. She
did, telling Michelle about all that had happened during the two
previous times that I'd helped the FBI - including how she knew,
but couldn't prove, that I'd had a couple of my Army friends come
into town and scare the man that had killed Sandra's parents into
confessing to the police. She finished by telling Michelle "The
only time that I've been genuinely angry with him was when he
came home to help Sandra after her folks were killed. I knew from
the smell that he'd been firing his gun; when I got a chance to
look, I saw that he'd used up two of the three magazines of
ammunition he carries - so I knew that it wasn't just a `small'
situation. What upset me wasn't that he'd been in some kind of
gunfight, but that he hadn't said anything to me about it. I knew
that he didn't want to worry me, but not knowing made me feel
like he was leaving me out of part of his life - and I love him
too much to want that to happen. I got a little mad, and told him
what I was mad about. He understood, damn him, and apologized
before I could even say anything to him!"

Michelle smiled in sympathy and understanding before Lucy turned
to look at me again, her eyes telling me how much I meant to her
- and reminding me (as if I needed it) how much I loved her, and
why.

Michelle saw how we were looking at each other, and I saw a deep
sadness cross her face before she got control of herself. By the
time Lucy and I were looking at her again, she was the model of
composure.

Michelle looked at me and said "If you're the kind of man that
can make a woman like Lucy love you, and have those girls adore
you the way they do, and then I expect that me and Marie'll be
safe enough around you. I've got to admit that I was a little
nervous, what with you being the only man here, and having this
pretty woman and those girls around. But I've had a chance to
watch you some, and seen how you treat all of them. I know I
don't have to worry about you doin' anything that would make us
uncomfortable, never mind comin' after us. I know if you were
doin' anything bad to them, they wouldn't behave the way they do
around you."

Lucy smiled at her, and said "I told you last night that I
wouldn't just say `trust us'; I said that before either one of
you went outside, you'd know for yourselves that you could. It
sounds like you know it, now."

Michelle gave her a grin, and said "When you told me that, I
wasn't any too sure you were right to be that confident. But it
sure looks to me like you had good reason. Yeah, I trust you -
both of you. Marie, she'll be a little longer - if she ever
trusts you, Dan."

"Whether she trusts me or not doesn't matter, really" I answered,
to Michelle's surprise. "What matters is that before long, she'll
know that she doesn't have to be afraid of me - and that's
enough."

Michelle thought that over for a moment before nodding and saying
"I reckon so - for now. If she can learn that not all men are
like Frenchy from you, and then that's gonna be a good start on
learning to trust them; at least, the decent ones."

I changed the subject to something else by telling her a little
more about the upcoming `disguise' school - who the man was, and
what he did, as well as letting her know that he'd suggested a
few things that we might want to have handy to help things along.
She looked curious, and I said "I think it'll be pretty clear
when you see them, and after you listen to what he has to say. He
told me a little bit about what he's going to do, but not much.
I've told Lucy about some of the things he suggested, and she'll
be asking you for some information."

Michelle got a look of curiosity on her face and asked "What kind
of information would Lucy ask me that you couldn't?"

"Some of your clothing sizes", I answered.

She still didn't understand, and Lucy offered "What he's not
saying is that one of the things Mike told him was to get bra
sizes - yours and Marie's."

Michelle looked mildly concerned, and I hastened to reassure her
"No, there isn't going to be anything like that happening. I'm
going to have to ask you to just wait until you hear what he has
to say; THEN it will all make sense."

Michelle still wasn't too sure, and Lucy told her "That's why
it's ME asking for that information - so I can take care of
getting you some things."

Michelle looked back and forth between us before seeming to come
to a decision. She looked at Lucy, but I knew she was talking to
me, too when she said "I figured I could trust you two, and I'm
going to. You said the stuff you're going to get will help, and
I'll take you at your word. After what Frenchy's done with me,
I'm not going to worry about whether or not Dan knows what bra
size Marie and me wear. For her, it's a thirty-two `B'; mine is
thirty-four `C'. Is there anything else you need to know?"

Lucy patted her hand and answered "No, that's fine, Marie. Any
other clothing you need, you'll be able to buy for yourselves."

That reminded me about something else, and I told Michelle "I got
a call from Dale Kristofferson today. He's going to be stopping
by tomorrow or the next day with some money for you. He said he
doesn't know how much you managed to get away with, or how much
of it you have left; he wants to make sure that you can get
anything you and Marie need in the way of clothes, soap and
shampoo, and such."

Michelle managed a smile before telling us "While Marie and me
were hiding out, he took care of buying anything we needed. When
either of us was having our period, he was buying THAT stuff, too
- and I think it embarrassed him some."

Lucy laughed, and said "The first time I went shopping with Dan,
and asked him to get me a package of tampons while we were on
that aisle in the store. He didn't hesitate at all - went right
to the brand I told him, picked up a large package, and then
threw it down the aisle and into the shopping basket. I knew
right then that he wasn't bothered AT ALL about such things."

Michelle laughed, too, and turned to face me. I just shrugged and
said "It's not like none of us knows the how and why of it, or
it's any big secret. It's a woman's body preparing to let her get
pregnant, is all - so why worry about it?"

Lucy laughed again, and said "See?"

That got Michelle curious, and she started asking questions about
how Lucy and I met, and so on. The rest of the evening was spent
with Lucy telling her about it, and from there, about her job.
Lucy was just finishing up telling Michelle how business
accounting really worked when all three of the youngsters came
into the living room. Marie went over to sit next to Michelle
while Robyn and Sandra stood next to me. Lucy and I looked up at
them, and Robyn told us "We're getting tired, so we're going to
go ahead and go to bed."

Lucy told them "Okay, we'll see you in the morning", and both
girls leaned over to give Lucy and I each a kiss good night, and
then left. When they were gone, Lucy asked Marie "You're not
sleepy, yet?"

Nervously, Marie answered that she wasn't. Lucy smiled and told
her "That's okay, Marie. I expect this is still kind of new to
you, so maybe you're having a little trouble adjusting. I
promise, you'll be just fine. Are you having fun with Robyn and
Sandra?"

Marie graced us with a shy smile and nodded her head before
answering "Yeah, a lot. I didn't get to spend much time with
other girls before, and it's really fun to be around them."

I smiled in reply, and she fixed her eyes on me as she said "They
also told me how nice you are, Mister Andrews. They said that you
would never do anything to hurt me or make me afraid. I told them
that I was still a little scared, but they said that it was okay
- I'd see for myself that they were telling me the truth."

I leaned forward to slowly and gently take her hand before I told
her "You can call me Dan, Marie, just like you can call her Lucy;
both of us would like that very much. Sandra and Robyn should
have told you that I'm also mean to them sometimes."

She got a nervous expression on her face, and I went on "I do
things like make them clean their rooms, and turn down their
music, and do their homework, and all kinds of terrible things."

It took her a second to realize I was teasing a little; then she
smiled and managed to tell me "I don't think that's so mean. I
think you're more like the way they said you are - like when you
were talking to me about the computer this morning: real patient
and gentle and everything. I was kind of afraid, but you didn't
get mad or yell or anything, so I felt better after a while."

I patted her hand gently and told her "I'm glad you felt better,
Marie. I want you to know that you don't have to be afraid here -
and all of us would like to be your friend, if you'll let us.
Okay?"

She gave me a shy smile and answered "I think I'd like that...
Dan."

I released her hand, and she turned to look at Michelle to ask "I
think I'd better go to bed, now, Mom. I want to get up early
tomorrow so I can study on the computer some more. Is thatokay?"

Michelle's eyes misted up, and she answered "Of course it is,
honey. You go ahead; I'll be up in a little bit myself."

Marie got up and kissed her mother on the cheek, blushed a little
when she saw us watching, the quickly made her way upstairs. 
When she was out of earshot, Michelle told me "Thank you, Dan,
for talking to her like that. I know she's still a little afraid
- but it's nowhere near what she was like around Frenchy, or
while we were hiding from him. I think it was worse on her than
it was on me. As bad as Frenchy was, she pretty much knew how to
deal with him; on our own, she doesn't know WHAT to do anymore."

"I figured as much" I answered. "A few more days, a week maybe,
and I'll bet she's fine again."

"I hope you're right. In the mean time, I think I'm due for some
sleep, myself."

"Go ahead - we won't be far behind you" Lucy assured her.

When she was gone, Lucy told me "Every time I see Marie acting
like she's afraid someone's going to jump on her for something,
it just pisses me off all over again - that an asshole like
Frenchy could DO something like that to an innocent little girl
like that."

Lucy's vehemence - and choice of words - surprised me. I looked
over at her, and she blushed slightly before saying "I'm sorry,
Dan - but it really galls me!"

I sighed and pulled her close for a hug before answering "I know.
It makes me mad, too - but now she's away from him, and she can
learn how to be a normal fifteen-year-old."

Lucy sighed into my side, and said "I hope so. She's already had
to deal with too much crap in her life."

Lucy and I sat there for a few more minutes before going upstairs
ourselves. After we were in bed, she snuggled into my back,
spooning with me, before saying "I'm always happy to be married
to you, Dan. But when I hear Michelle talk, and watch Marie, it
makes me realize just how damn lucky I am that we met each
other."

I squeezed her arm - her hand was cupping my penis - and answered
"I know. It's guys like Frenchy that make me ashamed to be the
same sex as them - they do stuff like Michelle and Marie have had
to put up with, and it leaves them thinking ALL men are like
that."

Lucy gave my penis a little squeeze - felt it twitch in response
- and said "That's okay. Being around you, they'll learnbetter."

Still holding each other, the two of us fell asleep.


The next morning, after cleaning up and getting dressed, Lucy and
I started for the kitchen - only to be greeted halfway there by
the smell of fresh coffee. We looked at each other, since the
girls were usually running a little later than we did. It took a
moment before Lucy said "Michelle"; I knew then that Michelle had
undoubtedly gotten up early enough to at least get a pot of
coffee going.

When we got into the kitchen, it was clear that she'd done more
that start the coffee: the aroma of food greeted us along with
her cheery "Good morning!"

First on the priority list was to get ourselves some coffee;
after a couple of sips, we drifted over to where the stove
appeared to be entirely covered with various dishes. Once we got
closer, though, we could see that it was actually just a few
things: a number of various-sized omelets, hash browns, oatmeal,
and stacks of toast.

Lucy and I looked over the food arrayed in front of us before
looking up at Michelle - who suddenly seemed a trifle anxious.
She hesitantly told us "I thought I'd get up and fix breakfast
for everyone..."

That jarred Lucy, who quickly told her "That's fine, thank you. I
think we were just surprised by it, is all."

"I didn't make too much, did I?"

"Oh, no" I told her, "this'll be just fine. Might be a little
short, but I don't think anyone will complain about starving."

Michelle looked at me as though she thought I was joking. I just
smiled and said "You'll see."

Lucy and I each got a plate and started putting food on it; each
of us left the two largest omelets, taking smaller ones instead.
After adding a ration of everything else, we went over to the
breakfast nook and sat down, where there were glasses of orange
juice at each place, and milk at three of them. We'd just taken
our first mouthful of omelet when Robyn and Sandra appeared,
closely followed by Marie. My two expressed their delight at
finding food ready, and quickly got plates: Robyn loading hers
with the largest omelet, Sandra with the next. Marie took what I
suspected was the smallest. After that, all three loaded
themselves with side dishes, and came over to join Lucy and me.
Michelle then made her own plate with the remaining omelet, added
the rest, and sat with us too.

A brief glance let me know that I'd been right - Marie had taken
the smallest omelet; I saw Michelle give her a brief Look that
made Marie look guilty. Meanwhile, all the rest of us were making
happy noises about the choice of fillers Michelle had opted for:
crisp bacon and American cheese, with a little sharp cheddar
added for a little extra `something'. I cleaned my plate first,
and went to retrieve the plate of toast still in the kitchen,
along with the rest of the hash browns and oatmeal. Lucy and I
each took another slice of toast while Robyn and Sandra topped
off their oatmeal.

It didn't take long before all the plates were clean and the food
dishes empty. Sandra and Robyn finished off their milk, and then
asked to be excused. When they stood up, Robyn said "Come on,
Marie - we'll show you those magazines I told you about, so you
can see if there's anything you want to do to your room."

Marie looked at her mother, got a small nod of approval, and
quickly moved to join them - each of them carrying her dishes to
the dishwasher and putting them in.

When they were gone, Michelle gave us a smile and said "I thought
you were pulling my leg about having enough to feed everyone."

Lucy laughed and answered "Just looking at them, you wouldn't
think they'd eat enough to feed a puppy; if you just watched them
eat, you'd wonder how they stay so damn slender! Sometimes, it
makes me jealous."

Michelle laughed too, and said "I know - I wish I could eat like
that, and still look like they do!"

I told Michelle "Just so you know, the omelets could have been,
oh, a quarter again the size they were, and that would have been
about right." Michelle nodded sagely, knowing that I was just
giving her a better idea of how much to make next time, not
griping about that meal.

A bit later, all three girls came back downstairs - Robyn and
Sandra clearly ready for school, Marie with a handful of
magazines held close. My two put their knapsacks next to the back
door, and all three sat back down with us. Robyn and Sandra each
had a cup of coffee while Marie went through another glass of
orange juice, all three of them talking with each other. When the
time came, Sandra and Robyn wished us all a good day, kissed me
and Lucy on the cheek, and went out the door with a promise
they'd see Marie later. Marie was visibly sad to see them go, but
not overly so. A few minutes later, she excused herself, saying
that she wanted to get her `schoolwork' done.

We watched her leave, and when she was out of sight, Michelle
told us "That's the happiest I've seen her in months, when she
was with your two. With them being older and all, I don't know
how long they can stand having her around, though. I remember
when I was that age - it made a WORLD of difference if another
girl was even one year older, never mind two or even four."

I answered by telling her "They can't `stand' having her around,
now."

Michelle looked both horrified and angry, until I added "They
like being with her. Both of them have an idea of what she'd been
through, remember? They already know how they'd feel, and what
they'd think, if it had happened to them - so they're actually
happy to be able to spend time with her: they want to help her
get out of whatever kind of emotional and mental dungeon Frenchy
might have put her in. Marie has what used to be Robyn's room;
when I asked them about it, they told me that it was Robyn that
got to give up her room, because she's closer in age to Marie
than Sandra is. Do you understand? They BOTH wanted to give up
their room to help Marie; Robyn won the prize of being able to do
so. It was THEIR idea to start decorating the room for Marie, so
it would be special for her when the two of you got here. And you
just heard them - they WANT Marie to decorate it to suit
herself."

Michelle didn't seem convinced, and Lucy told her "Before we told
the FBI that we were willing to let you stay here, we had a
little family meeting - then all of us went off by ourselves to
think about what it would mean, having you here. When we got back
together HOURS later, we voted - and it was unanimous. If it
hadn't been, we would have tried to find some other way to help,
but you wouldn't have been HERE. You and Marie are here because
all of us want you here."

We watched as Michelle kind of went off into her own place in her
mind. A bit later, she came out of it with a little shake, and
then looked at each of us. Her face held gratitude and awe in
equal measures as she told us "I didn't know that. I mean, I knew
that you were letting us stay here because you were willing to
help the FBI; I didn't know about the other. And I guess I'm just
not used to giving credit where credit is due: I've seen how your
two are with Marie; it simply didn't cross my mind that they
might actually be grown enough to understand about her, and give
up what they have so willingly to help her. I expect that I owe
them, and you, an apology."

Lucy reached over to pat Michelle's arm and say "No apology
necessary, Michelle. Remember, I told you last night how Dan is
when he's dealing with somebody new? That's exactly how all of us
are acting, now: there are a lot of things that you don't know
about us yet, so we're willing to SHOW you what we're like so you
can treat us the same way. And you've been doing that - I don't
think any of us has any cause to say that you haven't been
friendly and polite with us. Now you know a little more about us,
Michelle - and you can, if you want, reassure Marie if she comes
to you with any worries or fears; either about Robyn and Sandra,
or me, or Dan. I'm sure our two have already told her that if she
wants to talk, she can come to them any time - and I'm going to
tell you the same thing. Any time you or Marie want to talk to
any of us about anything, we'll be glad to sit down with you and
listen, no matter what it's about or how long it takes. Both of
you have had a rough time, and if there's anything any of us can
do to help smooth it out, we'll do it. Okay?"

Michelle's eyes started to mist over, and Lucy patted her arm
again, saying "No, don't start crying. You'll get ME started, and
then I'll be late for work because I had to do my makeup again!"

Michelle pulled herself together with a visible effort, and
quietly told Lucy "Thank you".

Lucy just answered "Don't worry about it. When - not if, but WHEN
- the time comes that you can do something to help someone else,
pass it along. That's what Dan tells the people that he's helped
along the way, so that's what I'll say to you."

"I'll do it, too!" Michelle declared.

Lucy just smiled and said "I know."

Lucy looked at the clock and told us "I'd better get going if I
don't want to be late. I'm the boss, so I have to set a good
example." She got up and went upstairs to brush her teeth and
give her hair one last combing before leaving. When she came back
down, she gave me a kiss, patted Michelle on the shoulder, and
went out to her car.

After she was gone, Michelle looked at me and said "That's some
kind of lady you've got there, Dan Andrews. I sure hope you
appreciate her the way you should."

"I do" I replied, "every time I look at her."

Michelle gave me an appraising look, and said "Yeah, I expect you
do, at that. You're some kind of guy, yourself."

To save either of us from any embarrassment, I got up and reached
for my plate. Michelle gently slapped my hand away, telling me
"No, you get on about your business - you've got things that need
your attention, and I've got more than enough time to take care
of something as simple as dirty dishes. Go on, scoot!"

I laughed, and did as she told me - getting a smile from her as I
filled up my coffee cup before leaving for my office.

I had enough to keep me busy for the whole morning; I didn't even
notice what time it was until the phone rang. I looked and saw
that it was our inside line, and knew that it must be Michelle or
Marie. I answered, and Michelle's voice told me "It's lunchtime,
Dan. You'd best get in here, if you want any!"

"Yes, Mother!" I joked, hearing her answering laugh as I hung the
phone up.

Back in the house, I saw that she'd apparently taken the last of
the roast beef to make roast beef hash. That, with the rest of
the corn and green beans on the side, made for a fine meal for
all three of us. Marie even responded to some of my gentle
teasing with smiles and a couple of small laughs.

After lunch, I got up and made a big show of reaching for a plate
- in exaggerated fear of Michelle. Marie thought it was funny,
even if I was clearly crazy; Michelle smiled and said "Go on,
then, if it means that much to you!"

I'd put my things in the dishwasher and had just opened the door
to go back to my office when Marie hesitantly got my attention:
"Uh, Dan?"

I closed the door, and turned to her, asking "What is it,Marie?"

"Would... would it be okay if... if I wanted to put a different
color in Robyn's, I mean my, room?"

I smiled and said "Of course it would. Didn't they tell you
that?"

"Yeah, they did, but I just wanted to make sure."

"What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Would light blue be okay?"

"No, I don't mean color - that's all up to you. What I meant was
what did you have in mind for HOW to change the color. Painting?
Wallpaper? A little of each? Do you want to look at some
different colors and designs so you can pick something special
out?"

Marie seemed a bit overwhelmed at the idea of actually having
options; I told her "I've already told your mom that there's no
problem if you want to change the room around a little bit, as
long as I don't need a hammer and nails to change it afterwards.
Okay?"

She nodded, unsure, until I smiled at her. With that, she seemed
to realize that I really meant that there wasn't any problem with
what she was asking. Still, I could detect a hint of trepidation
in her voice when she asked "Uh, could it be paint? With maybe
some wallpaper to trim along the top?"

"Sure it can. Do you have something in mind already?"

She nodded, and I said "Okay. Just let one of us know what the
pattern or color is, and we'll take it from there. Anything
else?"

She gave me a shy smile, and shook her head. I opened the door
again, and went out to my office. A little while later, there was
a small knock at the door; when I opened it, I saw Michelle
standing there. I invited her in, and showed her to a seat. She
made no effort not to look around and see where it was I worked.
When she looked at me again, she blushed a little, but only said
"Thank you, Dan."

"What for?"

"For letting Marie change that room around to suit herself."

"I said she could, so why are you thanking me for doing what I
already said I was willing to do?"

Michelle gave me an exasperated sigh, and said "Exactly BECAUSE
you're doing what you said you would. I know, it doesn't mean
anything special to you, but it sure means a lot to me - and
especially to Marie. While I was fixing lunch, she came in with
one of the magazines the girls had given her, and showed me how
this one room looked. I told her it looked nice, and she had
tears in her eyes when she asked me if I thought you'd really let
her do anything like that. I know you said you would, but I have
to admit that I still wasn't sure you were willing to go that
far. I didn't want to tell her you would if you had changed your
mind, so I said that since it was her room, it was up to her to
ask you. It still surprised me some when you agreed."

"But it's just a little paint and some wallpaper. When the two of
you leave, it's easy enough to change back - if Robyn decides she
doesn't like it. She may well decide to keep it - then you'll
have done me a favor. Either way, it's no big deal."

"Maybe it's no big deal to you - but it is to Marie. The whole
time she was growing up, she hardly ever got to pick anything out
for herself ; at least, nothing like this. When I went shopping
with her, we picked out her clothes together, but as for the
decision being all hers, well, this is the first time she's
gotten to choose about something this big. It's just a bucket of
paint and a couple rolls of wallpaper to you. To her, it's a
whole room - HER room! - and she gets to pick out the colors for
it. If you'd said `no', it wouldn't have broken her heart or
anything; but by saying `yes', you've made her a lot happier than
I think I've ever seen her. Even now, she's up there measuring
all the walls so she can tell you exactly how much surface there
is, so you won't have to buy any more paint than you have to. And
she's also adding up how much wallpaper trim it will take, so you
don't have to buy any more of that than you have to, either."

"Measuring the walls? She has a tape measure?"

"No, she doesn't have a tape measure. She's doing it with an
ordinary old foot-long ruler."

I started to get up, saying "Oh, hell, I've got a twenty-five
foot tape measure; she's more than welcome to use it."

Michelle said "No, you sit down, Dan. If you go up there with a
tape measure, and then you'll be taking a little bit of this away
from her - and I don't think either one of us wants that."

I sat down again, the confusion clear on my face. Michelle told
me "She's up there measuring with that ruler - and having the
time of her life. Every time she lays it down, that room becomes
a little more hers. Both her and me, we know that it isn't really
`hers' to keep forever; but if she's allowed to paint it and put
up that trim, and then it becomes hers in a way that's way more
important to her. If you go up there and give her a tape measure,
and then you're taking some of that ownership away from her. Oh,
she'll still be happy as a clam - and she'll never forget you.
But if you leave her to do it her way, well, that makes it even
more special. She'll not only remember you, but she'll remember
how she was able to do something herself - and she hasn't had all
that many chances like that. And like I said, none of them have
been anything this important - small as it is to you."

When she explained it that way, I could easily understand what
she was telling me - and knew that no, I didn't want to take that
away from Marie.

I sat back in my chair and said "You're right. Okay, it's her
room, and her project. I'll leave her to do it however she wants.
And if I'm right about something I suspect, and then I'll even be
able to add something to it to make it even MORE hers. Would that
be okay?"

Michelle fairly beamed at me as she answered "I think it would be
more than just `okay', Dan. Thank you."

I grinned and told her "No, it's my turn to say that - if you
hadn't come out here and said something, I might have ruined this
for her."

Michelle told me "No, you wouldn't have `ruined' it. She wouldn't
be having as much fun, and she wouldn't have gotten as much out
of it, but she'd still have been happy."

We sat there looking at each other for a few moments before
Michelle said "Well, that was all I had to say. I'll go back to
the house now, so you can get back to whatever it is that you do
on that computer."

I asked her "How are you doing on YOUR computer?"

She gave me a big grin and said "I think I'm doing pretty good.
I'm learning how to touch-type again. Making mistakes, but
learning from them."

I grinned back and said "That's the secret: everybody makes
mistakes. The trick is to learn from them."

She stood up, gave me another smile, and left.

The rest of the day and evening went by pretty much as they had
the day before. The only real differences were that Lucy,
Michelle, and I could hear the girls - all of them - laughing and
giggling upstairs for most of the evening. I don't think any one
of us gave any thought to asking them to quiet down - none of us
wanted to do anything to disturb Marie's happy times.

Once bedtime rolled around, Robyn and Sandra came down to give
Lucy and me our goodnight kiss; I was surprised when Marie
managed to tell me "Goodnight, Dan". I wished her a good night in
return, which gave her an attack of shyness, but she managed a
smile before following the other girls upstairs. Michelle just
watched it all with pleased surprise.

When Lucy and I were alone in our bedroom, I asked her when she'd
be going to get the things for Michelle and Marie. She told me
she planned on doing it after work the next day. I added
something else to her list, and when I explained why, she smiled
and gave me a fierce hug.


The next day was a close match to the one before: Michelle made
breakfast - more of it - and I spent most of the day working on
some code for a client.

Dale stopped by with some money for Michelle and Marie. They came
down to talk to him for a bit, and I left them alone. When he was
ready to go, I let him out and re-set the security system.

The girls got home on time, and I got to spend a little time with
them before they went up to Marie. Lucy got home late, as she'd
said - and when I met her at her car, she gave me a
conspiratorial wink and said "Mission accomplished, Dan. It'll be
ready Tuesday." I hugged her, and then helped her carry the
packages she'd brought home upstairs. There, Michelle and Marie
each took possession of what was theirs - both of them clearly
confused by what Lucy had bought, but willing to go along with it
for a little while.

The evening passed with all of us watching a movie on cable
television; it being a Friday, all the girls were allowed to stay
up later.

When bedtime did come around, there wasn't any of the usual
playful fussing or complaining - particularly after I reminded
them that we'd be having a visitor the next day, and that
Michelle and Marie would probably be able to go shopping, if they
wanted.


Eleven o'clock the next morning, there was a knock at the front
door. Everyone but me had been waiting anxiously for our visitor,
so when he finally showed up, there was considerable excitement.
I opened the door and let him in - and when I turned around from
closing the door behind him, found myself wrapped in a bear hug.
He finally released me, clapped me on the shoulder, and said
"It's been too damn long, Boomer. I thought you'd forgotten about
me."

"Not a chance, Mutt. Things just kind of happened, you know?"

He gave me a grin and said "Yeah, I know - they kind of happened
to me, too."

He turned around to see the women and girls standing behind him,
and quietly whistled - making all of them (except Marie) grin. I
led him forward, and made all the introductions. When he met
Lucy, he said "So you're the one that managed to catch him, huh?"
She smiled and said "I'm not sure which one of us caught the
other", making him laugh before he told her "Well, you take good
care of him. There's a lot of folks that owe this guy, and I'm
one of them."

She gave me a Look, but didn't say anything. When the
introductions were done, all of us went into the living room,
where Lucy had set out coffee and some pastries. Mutt accepted
coffee, but passed on the food - something the girls were more
than willing to compensate for.

When we'd all had a sip of our coffee, Lucy asked him "So, Mutt,
how is it you know Dan? And why do they call you `Mutt'?"

He laughed and said "My real name is Christopher Heinz." Lucy
didn't get it, and he added "When you hear `Heinz', what do you
think of first?"

"Steak sauce", Lucy replied.

"And what is the full name of that sauce?"

"Heinz 57."

"And what else is called Heinz 57?"

She thought a moment, grinned, and he answered for her "A dog -
specifically, a mutt", grinning back at her.

"As for how I met him, well, that's something else. If you're
married to him, you probably know some of what he used to do in
the Army, right?"

Lucy nodded, and he went on "There were a bunch of us intel -
that's intelligence, as in spying - types that were assigned the
job of getting some information about this fella and some friends
of his. Boomer and his crew were assigned to watch out for us -
we weren't anywhere near being able to do it ourselves, not in
the conditions we were being sent into. It was supposed to be a
two-week mission - pretty damn long, all things considered. It
went along okay the first week. The second week, things started
getting `interesting'. It was a couple days before we were
supposed to be extracted that it hit the proverbial fan. One of
the other intel guys got popped - caught, I mean, not killed.
They hauled him down into their camp, and started trying to find
out who he was and what he was doing there. On top of that, the
sent out a bunch of patrols to see if there was anyone else they
might have missed."

"All of us were laying around doggo - not moving, and hardly
breathing, so nobody would find us. But damned if one of the
patrols didn't come by where I was hanging with Boomer, here. One
of the guys in the patrol steps on me - my leg actually, and
broke my ankle. I let out a holler, and all hell breaks loose.
Boomer pops up and takes out the patrol, and then helps me get
back to where we were camped. Not all of us in one place, of
course, but not spread out too far, either. He turns me over to a
guy named Muddy - huge Black guy, carried a thirty cal machine
gun like it was a water pistol - who starts taking care of me.
Boomer, he gets a couple more guys, Speedy and some other fella,
and the three of them head off. I didn't know it, but they were
going down into the camp to rescue the guy that got caught. The
rest of the guys, they're keeping an eye on things to make sure
no more patrols get too close."

"A while later, we start hearing all kinds of racket from the
camp: explosions out the wazoo, gunfire, screams, the whole
thing. Some time after that, Boomer and the other guys, they come
walking into camp, carrying the fella they rescued. He's some
kinda screwed up; he'd been beat, tortured, all kinds of crap -
but he was alive enough to let them know where he was. They had
to blow the door off his cell and get a manacle off his leg
before they could get him out. He told me later that Boomer had
used a pinch of C-4 - that's plastic explosive - to blow the
manacle off his leg; said all he felt was a little hot flash when
it went off."

"They turn my buddy over to this Muddy guy, and a bunch of them
take off again. They're back maybe an hour later, and Boomer says
it's time to go home. One of the guys gets on this satellite
radio they've got and makes the deal. Eight hours later, I'm
laying in a hospital bed on some Navy aircraft carrier. Next to
me is my buddy that got caught. Boomer and his guys, they're
pretty much doing whatever they want - and the swabbies and
Marines aren't giving them any crap, when you'd usually expect a
few comments, anyway. Just looking at them, you can see you don't
want to be pissing them off, you know? Even the Navy officers are
giving them breathing room."

"Any way, a couple days later, they load us all onto this big-ass
airplane, throw the damn thing off the boat, and we land
Stateside a few hours later. There's regular Army to meet us, and
the rest of it goes along like you might expect."

Lucy had a lot better idea of what I'd done in the Army than the
rest of them, so she wasn't staring at me the way the rest were -
particularly Michelle and Marie.

Lucy told him "We've had the chance to meet Muddy - several
times, in fact. You're right, he is big - he liked to have scared
the pee out me the first time I saw him! How did you go from
being in Intelligence to doing makeup work?"

Mutt laughed and said "The way that little adventure turned out,
they weren't going to send any of us out into the bush again. We
got the intel we were after, but it didn't happen as quiet as the
folks upstairs wanted. After my ankle healed, I got transferred
to a different base. There, I got involved in working with
agents, and from that, into disguises. When I got out, it seemed
pretty natural to just keep doing that kind of work. Hollywood
figured I was gay, at first - you know, a guy doing makeup and
such. But when word got out about my Army days, well, let's just
say things changed."

"A few days ago, I got a call - my secretary tells me it's a guy
calling himself Boomer. It takes me a second to remember - it's
been a while, right? I answer, and it's him. He asks me if I know
anybody that can do him a favor by coming out for a day or two. I
tell him that of course I do - me. He says I don't have to do
that, and I tell him to go to hell, I'm doing it. I ask him when
and where. He tells me, and I ask what the job is. He tells me a
little bit about it, and asks if there's anything he can do. I
told him a few things, and as soon as we're off the phone, I'm
making airplane reservations. Tonight night, they're having the
`wrap' party for the movie I was on; Boomer saved my life, so I'm
here, not there. Simple as that."

"Wrap party?" Lucy asked.

He grinned and said "Yeah. Whenever they get done shooting a
movie - like `it's a wrap' - they have a big party for everybody
that was involved. The stars, the crew, everybody. It's usually a
pretty big deal, and everybody has a lot of fun."

"And you're here to help us, instead of going to a big party like
that?" Michelle asked.

He looked at her and said "Like I told you: he saved my life. He
was there when I needed help - big time! - and I'm damn well
gonna do the same for him. I've been to a couple dozen wrap
parties, always had a blast. But being able to help Boomer, well,
that's something special."

Mutt looked around at all of them and finally settled in on
Michelle and Marie. He looked at them carefully for a few
moments, and then said "I'm guessing you and the girl are the
ones he called me about?"

Michelle nodded, and when he saw the expression on her face he
explained "Dan said he needed help for a woman and her daughter.
The other girls, they look like they're part of his family - and
I don't think he'd need help with anyone that messed with his
family. That leaves you two. So what is it you need me to do,
exactly?"

Michelle looked over at me, and I told him "Without going into
too many details" - "That's cool" he offered - "we'd like to be
able for Michelle and Marie to be able to go out in public; it
doesn't have to be often, or for very long. The problem is, there
are a bunch of unhappy folks that don't want them walking around.
So I'm hoping that you can help us."

He smiled at all of us and said "Sure, that's no problem."

He saw skepticism in Michelle's face and told her "No, really, it
isn't. I've done this very thing a BUNCH of times - not just in
Hollywood, but in the Army, too. Learned from some of the best,
in fact."

He went on "Here's the thing: it's not about wigs and big
sunglasses. All that does is actually DRAW attention to you. The
thing you're after is to make anybody looking for you to think
that you're not you. You don't do any ONE thing; you do a little
bit of several things. The deal is that if you only change a
couple of things, and then it's still you - just in a disguise.
If you change several things even a little bit, you're not you
any more. You'll still look kinda like you, but not enough -
there'll be too many little differences. Understand?"

Michelle did, though it was still a bit much for Marie. Lucy got
it, too, as did Robyn and Sandra.

"What can we do, then?" Michelle asked.

He smiled again and said "That's easy, too. What I'll do is show
you a few things, and explain to you how they work. When you get
the idea, you'll be able to do it yourself any time you want.
Let's get started, okay?"

Michelle nodded, and he said "Stand up for me, if you would."

She did, and he looked her over - directing her to turn around a
few times, and even walk a little distance away and back again.
Then he had Marie do the same things; she was visibly afraid, but
followed his gentle instructions. He sat looking at them for a
few minutes - heightening the tension considerably - before
saying "Okay, I'm ready to go."

He looked from Michelle to Marie and back before asking "What
I've got to tell you, it might be kinda personal. Understand, I'm
not going to be saying anything to you as a guy to a girl; it'll
be makeup guy to client, okay? Do you want me to talk to you
around these other people, or in private? Like I said, some of it
is going to be... direct."

Michelle shared a look with Marie, and then told him "The others
can be here, too - we don't mind. As for what you say to us...
well, let's just say that you won't be saying anything to
surprise us."

I saw an unhappy expression cross his face, but he covered it
quickly and told her "Okay, that's fine. What I'm going to do
first is tell you what you look like - again, it's like a makeup
director, not me personally, okay?"

Michelle nodded and he said "Here goes. You're beautiful. You
look like Cher, but you've probably heard that a million times
already. You've got beautiful bone structure, you're trim without
being skinny; I don't think your breasts are as big as they look
on you, but they're still nice. Your skin is probably your most
valuable feature - clear, smooth, and a very lovely color. That
hair - I know a dozen women, easy, that would KILL to have hair
like that: long, straight, black, rich and full. And even as long
as it is, I can see that you don't have the split ends and other
problems women usually have with hair that long. You've got nice
curves, and you move well. All in all, you're a very lovely, very
memorable woman. That's actually a GOOD thing for what we're
going to do. Plain women, there isn't much that can be done,
really. With the really good looking ones, and the really ugly
ones, it's easier - just move them to that middle area."

He looked at Marie next, and said "You're a lot like your mom.
Beautiful complexion and hair, nice body, great legs. You're cute
as you could be, and I KNOW that you're going to be good-looking
for a long, long time. You're not as trim as your mom; you're a
little more `compact', I'd say. But on you, it looks great. You
move well, too. You're going to be only a little harder to work
with than your mom."

He turned to talk to both of them as he said "Neither one of you
is going to be particularly tough to change. Like I told you,
once you get the idea about what I'm going to show and tell you,
you'll be able to do this yourselves, any time you like."

He pulled a bag he'd brought in over and rummaged around inside
for a moment before pulling out an instant camera. With a smile,
he said "What I'd like to do is take a picture of each of you.
Boomer told me that there's folks looking for you, so that's why
I'm using the instant camera - so you'll be able to keep the
pictures. This first picture is what we'll call `before'. When
we're done, we'll take another one we'll call `after'. You'll be
able to look at them side by side and see for yourselves just how
effective what you're going to learn is. Okay?"

Michelle nodded, as did Marie - though Marie's was a bit more
tentative.

Under Mutt's patient guidance, both Michelle and Marie had their
photos taken: both full-length and portraits. In each case, he
handed the picture to them without even looking at it first. When
he was done, he turned to face Lucy and the girls and said "What
I teach them, you can do it, too. Just change the stuff that's
appropriate to YOU - and you'll know what that is by the time I'm
done."

For the next couple of hours, he carefully and patiently went
over the different things that Michelle and Marie could do to
alter their appearance. In addition, he explained that it wasn't
just looks; it was how they moved, their gestures and mannerisms,
and so on.

When he was done, he asked "Okay, which one of you wants to try
putting it into practice first? I'll be there to help, if you
want it."

Michelle didn't hesitate to say she would - I think all of us
could see that Marie was simply too worried to do it.

Michelle led him upstairs, and when they were gone, Lucy and the
girls - including Marie -started talking about all they'd heard
him say, and all he'd shown them. Marie wasn't as active a
participant as the others, but she did join in.

It was maybe twenty minutes later when Mutt rejoined us - minus
Michelle. He saw the expressions on our faces and smiled, saying
"She'll be here in a moment; she just wanted to do one last
thing."

He sat down, and a minute or so later, she came in. I say `she'
because the woman that came into the living room bore only the
vaguest resemblance to Michelle - at least, at first glance. Even
when we looked closely, it was hard to be sure that it really was
her. As he'd said, it wasn't any one thing; there were simply a
lot of subtle differences that were tough to put a finger on.
Even Marie didn't seem entirely sure that it was her mother
standing there.

When all of us had gotten the baffled looks off our faces, Mutt
stood up with a smile and went about telling us the things that
had been done: an under-sized bra that reduced the appearance of
her bust. When asked, she admitted that it was uncomfortable, but
not painful. Next was the removal of a little bit of one shoe
heel - again, a small difference, but it subtly changed the way
she walked and stood. Oversized stockings - the wrinkles served
to hide the general shape of her legs, and made her look vaguely
older. An adjustment in the straps of her bra that caused a
slight change in her posture. A slight excess of makeup that made
her not only look different, but older. The addition of a little
padding that subtly - but effectively - changed the shape of her
hips. There were a few other things, and when he pointed them
out, it was clear that none of them made any significant change
in her appearance - but the cumulative effect was MORE than
sufficient.

When he was done, he went on to tell us about the other choices
that could have been made - a larger (padded and stuffed) bra;
putting a coin in one shoe to change the gait of a person's walk.
Putting on extra clothing - preferably lightweight and seamless -
to simulate added bulk or weight. Wearing different styles and
colors of clothing than people would expect. He talked about a
few more things, and I could tell that everyone else was
listening as closely as I was - it was actually rather
fascinating.

He finished up by saying "As a general rule, it's easier to look
older than it is to look younger. Not that it can't be done; it's
just a little harder, and takes a little more time and effort."

He looked over at Marie and said "If you want to go upstairs with
your mother, I think she can show you how you can do this, too. I
told her a couple things to help her get started." Marie nodded -
a trace of eagerness on her face - and followed Michelle out of
the room.

When they were out of earshot, he looked at me and asked "Okay,
what's the deal, Boomer? It's been a while, but I can still smell
a mission."

I looked at Lucy - who was a pretty fair judge of character in
her own right - and she nodded that it was okay. I looked back at
Mutt and began to explain it to him - minus any details that
weren't pertinent. He knew I was leaving things out, but also
knew that they were things that he didn't need to know. By the
time I was finished, he was clearly outraged, telling us "Some
schmuck actually did that kind of crap? To her, and that little
girl?"

I nodded, and he said "Jee-zus Christ! You sure you don't want to
take care of this yourself, Boomer? Even if it's too much for
just you, I'll bet a couple of the other guys would be happy to
come along - `specially after you told them about these two.
Shit!" - the last followed by a slightly guilty look at Robyn and
Sandra. Neither one showed any indication that she'd heard it.

A few minutes later, Michelle reappeared with Marie next to her.
Again, the change was startling: Marie looked to be about twelve
- and a young twelve, at that. Even having some idea of what to
look for, it was still tough figuring out the changes that had
been made. A couple were obvious - but only from having seen
Marie before the changeover: her bust had all but disappeared,
and the curve of waist to hips had been reduced as well. Robyn
asked if the too-small bra hurt; Marie gave me an embarrassed
look, but answered that it didn't - that it was just
uncomfortable.

Both of them were a lot more agreeable when Mutt asked to take
the `after' pictures - and both gasped when they had the chance
to put the before and after images side-by-side.

They were still a little awed when I asked "Okay, do you two
think you're ready to go out and do a little shopping?"

Michelle indicated that she was; Marie was still feeling a little
bashful, but agreed. I looked over at Mutt and asked "Do you
carry?"

He laughed and said "It wouldn't do much good laying home on the
dresser!"

A brief discussion followed while we worked out how all of us
could get to a nearby shopping mall. Michelle excused herself to
make a quick trip upstairs; I figured it was to get some or all
of the money Dale had brought her. It had been in an envelope, so
I had no idea how much it was - and since it wasn't MY money, I
wasn't going to ask. 

The mall in question wasn't large, but still had a variety of
stores that I figured would be more than sufficient for Michelle
and Marie's first time out. It finally worked out that I would
drive my car with Lucy, Michelle, and Marie; Mutt would drive his
rental with Robyn and Sandra keeping him company. With everything
settled, we got going. On the way, I told Michelle and Marie that
the rest of us would stay in the general vicinity, but not
actually WITH them, so they could talk or do whatever they
wanted. Both of them gave me a grateful smile via the rear-view
mirror.

At the mall, I let Michelle and Marie out at one entrance, along
with Lucy to keep a discrete watch over them until I got the car
parked, and joined her - along with Mutt and the girls.

In short order, Michelle and Marie had found a store they wanted
to go in. Mutt and the girls discretely followed - never getting
very close, but always keeping them in sight. Lucy and I `window
shopped' nearby. Again, both of us kept a discrete and long-range
eye on them.

Over the next couple of hours, Michelle and Marie must have been
having themselves a grand time - they were in and out of almost
every store, and seldom left one without at least one package
added to their collection. Watching them as they moved around the
mall, I was amazed yet again at the change in their appearance -
and even how they moved. Neither one of them was readily
recognizable as who they were without the disguises.

Finally, the two of them stopped; I saw Michelle gesture
discretely that Lucy and I should go on by her. We did, and heard
her softly tell us "I think we're done here - let's go home."

Mutt saw what happened, and casually led Robyn and Sandra in a
direction that would intersect with Lucy and me. As we passed, I
relayed Michelle's message and saw Mutt's eyes signal his
understanding.

Lucy and I wandered back around to a door near where I'd parked
the car, and split up - me to obviously pull it around for her.
Behind us, Michelle and Marie casually made their way toward the
same exit - and paralleling them were Mutt and the girls.

I got Lucy in the car, and then made a loop around one aisle of
cars, coming back to the mall entrance just as Michelle and Marie
were coming out. They saw the car, and veered off so that they
were out of sight of anyone inside the mall; I pulled up next to
them, they got in, and I was on my way again in just a few
seconds. I'd seen where Mutt had parked, and slowly guided the
car that direction - and passing him just as he and the girls
were getting inside. They saw us, and Sandra nodded. After that,
it was just a matter of getting home again.

Back inside the house, Michelle and Marie were both ecstatic at
having been able to go out shopping. When Mutt and the girls
joined us, both of them hugged him - though Marie's was a bit
more restrained than her mother's. Mutt just laughed and told
them how happy he was for them.

Lucy asked him if he wanted to stay for dinner, announcing that
steak was on the menu in celebration of Michelle's and Marie's
`outing' - causing a small riot of laughter at the phrase.

Mutt accepted, and Michelle and Marie both excused themselves to
change back into `real' clothes. When they reappeared together,
it just made their previous appearance all that much more
amazing.

As supper was cooking - with Marie and Michelle helping Lucy -
Mutt and I sat in chairs out by the pool, Robyn and Sandra
keeping us company. Both of them listened quietly as Mutt and I
caught up on some of the people that we'd both known.

They were so quiet, in fact, that Mutt seemed to completely
forget about them when he told me "This is some kinda family
you've got here, Boomer. That wife of yours is a babe, and those
girls are a couple of beauties. You said both are adopted?"

I said they were, and he asked "Why do they look so different?"

I explained to him about Robyn being Lucy's natural child, and
how I'd come to adopt Sandra after her parents were killed.
Hearing about it, Mutt's face clouded over, and I heard him
mutter "Sonzabitches!" before he said "So that was you on that
drug bust, huh? Good deal. I heard about that other thing, that
company that the crooks got into. Didn't think it was you, at
first, until they had that press conference. Twenty mil paycheck,
huh? Well, if there's anybody deserves it, it's you. There's a
lot of people that owe you a hell of a lot - some of them without
even knowing it. I gotta tell you, Boomer, I'm real happy to see
you again. I never did thank you proper for what you did for me
and my bunch."

I told him it wasn't necessary, and he answered "Maybe not to
you, but it is for me. You and your guys pulled our chestnuts out
of the fire on that one, and there wasn't a one of us that didn't
know it. You've got a helluva family here, Boomer. Lucy's about
the nicest lady I've ever met, and you've got every reason to be
proud of those girls of yours. While we were in the mall, we had
plenty of time to talk, and they've got their heads on straighter
than most so-called grown-ups I know do. On top of that, they're
smart, and a couple of damn nice people. I'm glad to see that
things worked out for you, Boomer. You've got it coming, if
anybody does."

Before he could say anything else, Lucy announced that supper was
ready. Mutt seemed genuinely surprised when Robyn and Sandra
stood up not far away. He looked at them and asked "You heard?"
Sandra just nodded, and he said "That's okay. I don't figure
you're the kind of girls to get big-headed about a compliment -
and every word I said about you and your mom is true."

Sandra just smiled and said "Thank you."

After that, supper went pretty much as expected - with the
possible exception of Mutt telling some fairly unbelievable
stories about some of the figures in Hollywood, much to the
amusement and surprise of Lucy and the others.

As the evening finally wore down, Mutt stood up and announced
that he really did have to go - that his flight home was early
the next morning. All of the women expressed their regret that he
had to leave so soon - and thanked him for coming. Michelle and
Marie were particularly emphatic about their thanks; he just
collected a kiss on the cheek from each of them (making Marie
blush) and said that was all the thanks he needed. As he was
leaving, he told Lucy and the girls "If you ever get tired of
this character, you give me a call - I'd be happy to have you
anywhere around me."

All three of them laughed before Lucy told him "IF that ever
happens, I will - but do yourself a favor and don't plan on it!"

He put an exaggerated expression of heartbreak on his face,
getting a laugh from them, and then wished us all a good night -
after telling me not to forget him again. I assured him I
wouldn't.

When the door closed behind him, Michelle came over and wrapped
her arms around me, giving me a solid hug before pulling back and
saying "Thank you, Dan. What he did for us, well, it's amazing.
But he wouldn't have been here except for you. You've given us a
little bit of our lives back, and BOTH of us appreciate it."

"You're more than welcome - both of you", I replied, before Lucy,
Michelle, and I all sat down again.

Still standing, Robyn and Sandra said that they thought it was
late enough that they wanted to go to bed; a moment later, Marie
said she thought so, too. Robyn and Sandra came over to kiss Lucy
and me good night while Marie did the same with Michelle. I think
all of us were surprised when Marie came over and gave me a quick
peck on the cheek before saying "Good night, Dan. Thank you for
today."

"I was happy to do it, Marie", I assured her.

Satisfied - and a little embarrassed, I suspected - she turned to
go with the others as they got ready and went to bed.

When they were gone, Michelle told us "I can only guess that you
were as surprised by that as much as I was. I knew she was
starting to settle down a little around you, Dan, but I didn't
know she'd gotten to THAT point."

I smiled and told her "I don't think she has, really. I think
tonight was a special occasion, just like today was. I doubt that
it'll happen again any time soon." Next to me, Lucy nodded her
agreement.

Michelle looked at both of us and said "Well, whether she does it
again or not, I don't have any problem with it. I know you
wouldn't do anything to hurt her, and I'm glad to see her able to
give ANY guy a kiss on the cheek - never mind YOU. And Lucy, I
hope you didn't mind that I hugged Dan earlier - but it was such
a relief to be able to go out again."

Lucy laughed and said "No, I didn't mind - I understood as soon
as you did it."

The three of us chatted for another hour or so before deciding it
was time for bed, ourselves. Lucy and I cautioned Michelle that
Sunday mornings around our house were decidedly more casual than
the rest of the time - that she shouldn't be surprised if she saw
all of us having breakfast in our robes, and wearing slippers.
She gave a little laugh and said that it would be nice change to
unwind like that.


It was eight o'clock before Lucy and I made our way downstairs
for some coffee. We'd actually awakened at six, but spent the
intervening time having a little fun together. Both of us were
suitably relaxed - and cleaned up - before we left our bedroom.

In the kitchen, we found Michelle and Marie reading the Sunday
paper - neither of them any more dressed than Lucy or I. Marie
looked a little shy, but when nobody said anything, she quickly
went back to the comics she was reading.

Lucy and I had gotten through about half of our cup of coffee
when Michelle told us that she'd started some home-made breakfast
rolls - and that they'd be ready in another fifteen minutes, or
so. She smiled at the anticipation on our faces, and said "You
gave me and Marie a treat yesterday, so I thought I'd give you
one in return this morning."

Neither Lucy nor I tried to make any protest; we just thanked her
and let it go at that.

A bit later, Michelle got up to check the oven, and with a noise
of approval, got a pot holder to take the pan of rolls out. As
soon as the cleared the oven door, all of us could smell how
delicious they'd be. Without a word, Marie got up and brought us
the coffee carafe, and then went back and started another pot of
coffee. When she sat down again, Lucy and I both thanked her; she
gave us a shy smile, but didn't say anything.

Michelle let the rolls cool, and then broke them apart and
stacked them on a tray. She was carrying them over to the table
when Robyn and Sandra made their appearance - drawing a laugh
from Marie when she saw the monster (Robyn) and bunny (Sandra)
furry slippers they wore. Both of them smiled back at her before
pouring themselves a cup of coffee - then following their noses
to the source of the delightful aroma that pervaded the kitchen.
In short order, each of us had a breakfast roll in some stage of
consumption. Michelle had clearly made plenty, so there wasn't
any need for any of us to `hold back' - and we didn't. I
accounted for three of them, myself, as did Robyn and Sandra.
Lucy and Michelle each went through two, with Marie having only
one. There were still several of them left, even after all that.

Along the way, each of us had a turn at the different sections of
the paper. It started when I got the comics from Marie, who went
on to the magazine section. Robyn and Sandra took Lifestyles and
Sports, respectively. Lucy went after the front page, and
Michelle busied herself with Arts.

It was closing in on ten o'clock when we all decided that it was
time to get dressed. The youngsters left first, so they could
each take a shower; Michelle went next after Lucy told her we'd
already had one. Lucy and I simply had to get dressed, so we were
back downstairs well ahead of the others.

The rest of the day went by quietly. Robyn and Sandra snuggled
next to me on the couch as we watched sports on TV. Michelle had
found a book we had that she wanted to read, and was holding down
a chair in the corner. Marie was on another couch, surrounded by
more of the decorating magazines from Sandra's room.

Lucy claimed to have some errands to run; only Michelle and Marie
were unaware of what those errands were.

It was mid-afternoon when Lucy got back. I casually asked her how
everything went, and she just as casually let me know that they'd
gone fine. Robyn and Sandra kept straight faces, but couldn't
help nudging me in the side.

Lucy joined the rest of us with a couple of trade magazines that
her company provided her.

Supper was a bit early, but not excessively so. I did the honors
by preparing cheeseburgers, fries, and sodas. Lucy and the girls
teased me about taxing my cooking skills while Michelle and Marie
looked on with amusement. Dessert was another of Michelle's
breakfast rolls, reheated - and still delicious.


The next couple of days were pretty routine. Monday, Marie shyly
gave me the list of things she wanted to do to her room - the
paint color, the trim pattern, and even a scaled drawing showing
the wall dimensions. I thanked her and said I'd have the things
for her the next Saturday - visibly pleasing her.

Tuesday, Lucy was home a bit late, bringing in a couple of
packages.

Wednesday, Robyn and Sandra did the same. Michelle and Marie
didn't seem to notice.

So when we hit Marie with the surprise birthday party, it really
was a surprise - not just for her, but Michelle, too. Michelle
tried to protest that it was too much, but it was obvious that
her heart just wasn't in it, and she soon gave in.

Marie was embarrassed terribly - and equally as delighted. Robyn
gave her a portable radio and CD player, while Sandra had come up
with a poster of another of the boy bands - signed, no less. Lucy
had a book on astronomy for her - she'd told me that she was
fascinated by the stars and constellations. Michelle didn't know
it beforehand, but Lucy had gotten Marie a fairly decent
beginner's telescope in her name. When she found out about it,
Michelle tried to give Lucy and me a Look - but was simply too
happy and grateful to manage it.

Marie was looking at me somewhat expectantly when I handed her
the last gift. She opened it up to reveal that it was a pair of
coveralls. She looked a bit confused, but held them out,
revealing that her name was embroidered over the breast pocket,
while the back held the logo "Andrews Construction - if it ain't
broke, it will be!"

When they saw it, Robyn and Sandra both broke into laughter.
Marie didn't understand, so I explained it to her.

"Those are your coveralls."

"What are they for?"

"To cover you of course, silly."

"But what do I need to be covered for?"

"You don't think I'm going to be doing the painting and such in
your room, do you? It's your room, YOU do the work."

"But I don't know how!"

"Then I guess you'd better learn, don't you?"

The expression on her face was priceless - Robyn finally told her
"It's okay, Marie. We'll help you. When Dad told us we could
change things around when Sandra moved in, he did the same thing
to us. After all the workmen were done, the only thing left was
to paint and do the other decorating stuff. He told us that since
they were our rooms, it was up to us to fix them up. He helped a
little bit, showing us how to paint and such, but we're the ones
that really did most of the work. So we know how to do it, and
we'll teach you. We have coveralls just like those, so we'll all
be dressed up like a real construction crew."

Marie finally understood then. With tears in her eyes, she put
the coveralls down and came around to give me a hug, not
hesitating in the slightest. When she turned loose of me, she
stepped back and said "Thank you, Dan. It's the best thing I ever
got!" - then, with a small blush, she leaned over and kissed me
on the cheek before going back to where she had been sitting.
There, she promptly got into a huddle with Robyn and Sandra as
they started explaining to her what they were going to be doing,
and how and when.

Michelle eased her way over to where I was sitting with Lucy next
to me, and leaned over to whisper to us "That's the damnedest
thing I've ever seen. You just made my daughter happier than I've
ever seen her - without a doubt. It looks like I owe you one,
too, Dan!"

Lucy and I turned to look up at her, and saw the tears of
happiness in her eyes as she watched an animated Marie eagerly
talking with Sandra and Robyn. Lucy and I looked at each other,
and knew that we'd done a Good Thing.

As it turned out, the next day was actually Marie's birthday -
but nobody minded in the least.


Friday afternoon, after we'd had lunch, I went up to Marie's room
and knocked on the door. She told me to come in, and I did - then
pointedly looked at her and asked "Aren't you ready yet?"

Confused, she asked "Ready for what?"

I released a theatrical sigh, and answered "Ready to go get the
stuff so you can do your room tomorrow. I'm not going to carry
all that stuff - I mean"

"It's my room!" she finished for me, laughing.

"Exactly right. If you're not ready in fifteen minutes, I'm going
to assume you've changed your mind."

With a smile, she ran out of the room to find Michelle - who was
actually standing out in the hall, listening in. Michelle gave me
a big grin when I walked by, and then went into Marie's room to
help her get ready to go `out', closing the door behind her.

Ten minutes later, Marie presented herself as ready to go. Again,
she and her mother had implemented a number of the minor changes
that Mutt had suggested; though dressed in jeans and a shirt, she
bore only a vague resemblance to her `previous' self. As we
started toward my car, she even dared to take my hand, holding
her `plans' in the other.

I drove us to the home improvement store, and we got a shopping
cart before starting down the different aisles. Along the way, I
told her about the different things that she was going to need;
she paid careful attention, asking plenty of questions. When we
got to the paint department, she was ready - she handed the
salesperson the sheet, and he easily got the paint mixed and
wallpaper trim gathered. As we were waiting, I asked her "Okay,
you've got the walls and decoration taken care of - but what
about the trim?"

She looked confused, and I explained it to her. She admitted that
she hadn't given it any thought - and I just asked "Better take
care of it now, don't you think?" She nodded, and I stood off to
the side, waiting patiently while she got together with another
salesperson - a female - to go over choices for what color to
paint the trim in her room. When she had one picked out, it was
mixed up for her, and added to the cans and rolls in our basket.
From there, it was down the painting supplies aisle. Again, I
explained to her the good and bad points of the different items,
and made a few suggestions - which she accepted without question.
Once loaded up with everything she (and the girls) needed to do
the job, we made our way to the checkout - where I had her stand
far enough away that she couldn't see or hear how much it all
added up to; I didn't want the price of it to frighten or worry
her.

We got everything loaded into my car, and it was back to the
house - where she insisted on unloading everything without my
saying a word. From looking at her, I knew she was taking
possession of the project: it was her room, and her
responsibility to see it done - and that included unloading the
materials into the garage until the next morning.

Only then did she go back up to her room and change clothes. By
the time Sandra and Robyn got home, she was fairly vibrating in
her seat in anticipation of showing them everything. Michelle saw
it, and could only laugh quietly.

When they got home, and Marie showed them everything, Robyn and
Sandra were suitably impressed - and quietly amused. While Marie
was discussing how long the job would take with Robyn, Sandra
came over and asked "Do you have any idea how happy you're making
her with this?" I just smiled, and nodded.

The next morning, when I went downstairs for breakfast, I was a
bit ahead of the others - but still found Marie sitting in the
breakfast nook, waiting. The coffee had already been started, so
I got a cup and went over to sit with her. She smiled at me, and
I could see that she was both excited and nervous about what the
day had in store for her. I asked her if she wanted to talk, and
she first shook her head - and after a moment's thought, nodded
it. I smiled and asked which it was; she managed to smile back
before saying "I guess I do."

"So what's on your mind, Marie?"

She looked at me and asked "What if I make a mistake today? What
if something goes wrong?"

I just smiled and answered "If you make a mistake, we correct it.
If something goes wrong, we fix it."

"But you already paid for everything. What if it's so bad we have
to do it over again? You made me move away so I wouldn't know how
much all this cost, but I still know it was expensive, and I
don't want to waste your money - you've already been so nice to
us!"

"Marie, I want you to listen to me very carefully, okay?"

She nodded solemnly, and I went on "Whatever happens today, its
okay. If you spill paint, we'll just get more. If you paint
something wrong, we'll just paint it over. What I paid for this
doesn't matter - what matters is that you get to make it into
YOUR room. I told your mom that ALL of us would like to think of
you as family, if you'll let us. And people in a family don't
worry too much about things like this. You're careful and do the
best you can. If you're happy with the way it turns out, and then
there's nothing for the rest of us to say about it. Robyn and
Sandra have both done this before, so they can help you - but
they're working for YOU, not the other way around. It's up to you
to decide what you want, and how to make it happen. All of us are
perfectly willing to help you - but it's still YOUR room. Okay?"

She smiled and nodded, and I could see that she had settled down
considerably. I asked if she had made the coffee, and when she
said she had, I thanked her - which pleased her.

A little later, Lucy showed up, and then Michelle, and finally
the girls. We all had a nice breakfast prepared by Robyn and
Sandra; Michelle said she'd clean up so Marie and the girls could
get started on painting. A little later, I went upstairs to see
how things were going; I was looking through the doorway and
listened as Robyn told Marie "Don't worry about getting paint on
your coveralls. You might think that you're messing them up, but
that's not what's really happening."

"It isn't?" I heard Marie ask.

Sandra spoke up, telling her "Not at all. When you get paint on
them, you're making a memory. Each time you put them on, you can
look at the different colors of paint, and remember the whole
thing - and it's a nice feeling, I promise. See this green here?
That's when I accidentally bumped into Robyn as she was painting
the trim in my room, and her brush hit me. This yellow is from
the ceiling in this room - I remember how it seemed like I was
getting more paint on ME than on the ceiling. You see what I'm
saying?"

I heard Marie's quiet "Yeah, I do."

I made a little noise, and then walked into the room - and saw
that Robyn and Sandra hadn't forgotten anything from when they'd
done it. The furniture was all pushed to the center of the room,
and covered with drop cloths. The floor was covered, too, with
the edges of the drop cloths securely taped to make sure any
spills were kept off the hardwood floors. All three of them were
dressed in their coveralls, and looked cute as could be. They had
the paint cans open, and each held a painting weapon of one kind
or another. It looked like Sandra, the tallest, was going to do
the ceiling; Robyn had a trim brush, so I figured she was going
to follow Marie and do the detail work. Marie had a roller with
an extension handle; I could see that it was plenty long enough
to let her reach the wall all the way up to the ceiling.

All three of them grinned at me, and I said "Looks like you're
all set. Have fun!"

Robyn laughed and said "Oh, we will, Dad!" - followed by similar
comments from Sandra, and then Marie.

I waved to them, and then left them to go to it. I figured they'd
be done by late afternoon, at the latest. By bedtime, everything
would be dry enough that Marie would be able to sleep in the room
that night; the paint was all latex, and didn't have any odor or
dangerous fumes.

During the rest of the day, I went up to see how they were
progressing a few times. Each time, I was pleased at how well
things were going. As expected, there were a couple of minor
paint spills - but nothing serious. All three of them had an
assortment of splatters, smudges, and paint spots on their
coveralls - and were having a great time.

Around mid-afternoon, Michelle found me lying on the couch as I
read a book. She sat in the chair next to it and told me "I was
just up there, and all three of them were painting and laughing
to beat the band. I haven't seen Marie that happy since she was a
little girl. Thank you, Dan."

I just grinned and told her "You'll want to be there when they
show me the place after they're done. I think you'll like it."

She got the idea that I was Up To Something, but let it go -
Marie was happy, and Michelle knew that I wasn't going to do
anything to mess that up.

It was almost 4:30 when a disheveled but happy Marie came in to
tell me that they were done, and ask me to come up and have a
look. I followed her, and we picked up Lucy and Michelle along
the way.

When we got to the doorway, I saw that the three of them had done
a fine job - and I told them so, as did Lucy and Michelle. Robyn
and Sandra just smiled; Marie beamed at us.

I stood there for a few moments, obviously looking at everything.
Marie started to get a little nervous, and I finally told her
"There's only one problem, that I can see."

Worried, Marie looked around before asking "What is it?"

"It's ugly."

Looking crestfallen, Marie asked "What do we need to do?"

I pretended to think about it for a few moments before telling
her "I guess there's only one thing TO do - take it out and do it
over."

"Paint the room again?" Marie asked.

"No, silly. Get rid of that bedding and these rugs. Take them out
and get something that matches the room - those things are
hideous. You might be able to get Lucy to take you to the store
in a couple days to get new stuff; so you'd better think about
what you want to put in here."

Only then did Marie realize that I'd been pulling a prank on her
- the mix of relief and happiness that crossed her face was
priceless. Next to me, Michelle couldn't help but start laughing
- which got me, Lucy, and the girls started, and finally Marie
herself joined in.

When we'd all calmed down again, I told Marie "You did a fine job
in here, Marie. You should be proud of yourself."

She gave me an embarrassed grin, but managed to nod, too.

I finished up by telling her and the girls "If you can get this
mess - including yourselves! - cleaned up in time, I could
probably be talked into pizza for supper."

That seemed to be all the motivation the three of them needed;
they were gathering things up even before Lucy, Michelle, and I
could turn away from the door. As we were making our way back
downstairs, Michelle softly laughed again before telling me "That
was a terrible thing to do, Dan - and I'm glad I was there to see
it!"

As expected, all three girls had things cleaned up - including
themselves - in short order. I let them cajole me into springing
for pizza without too much trouble. We all ate in the living room
while watching a videotaped movie. When we were done eating,
Wacko, our cat, lay down in Marie's lap and started purring -
loud and hard. Marie had been a little afraid of Wacko and our
dog Sunshine at first, but both animals were so affectionate that
she soon got over it.

By bedtime, the paint in Marie's room was almost completely dry;
still she was careful not to do anything to disturb it.


Monday morning, after everyone else had left after breakfast, I
asked Michelle if she wanted to go to the store for anything. She
gave me a grin and admitted that they'd forgotten a few things
the last time. I told her I'd figured that was probably the case,
and asked if that morning would be too soon. She said it
wouldn't, and asked if Marie was going. I said that she could if
she wanted, but that the more times the two of them were
together, the more likely it was that someone would recognize
them - pointing out that Frenchy and crew were looking for a
mother and daughter, not just one of them. She immediately
understood, and said that she figured Marie would understand. The
youngster did - even to the point of telling Michelle that since
she (Marie) had gotten to go out `alone', it was only fair that
Michelle got to do so, too.

After grave assurances from Marie that she would NOT be answering
the door for anybody, and would not answer the phone, no matter
how much it rang, a disguised Michelle and I went to a larger
department store. I stayed with her, letting everyone assume that
I was her husband/boyfriend; she added to the illusion by asking
me how I thought she looked in a few of the things she lookedat.

We were gone for over an hour; on the way back home, she had me
stop in at a chain store, where she went in to get `a few other
things' as she called them. I accompanied her, of course, but
gave her some `breathing room' - she took the opportunity to pick
up a few non-feminine-specific items, as well.

When we got back home, I left her and Marie to themselves for a
while, and then asked if I could speak to both of them together.
Both were curious, but not concerned when we all sat down in the
living room. I started out by telling Marie why I'd just taken
her mother out, which she understood readily enough. Then I gave
the two of them a slightly longer and more detailed explanation
than I'd given Michelle: that the disguises were good, and would
hide who they were - but that they weren't perfect, like a
surgery or anything. That the people that were looking for them
were looking for a mother and daughter, so the more often they
were together, the greater the chance that someone would
recognize them - or at least, be suspicious enough to pay too
much attention. That spreading the shopping trips around a number
of stores - as opposed to just a few - reduced the chance that
anyone would have multiple chances to recognize them. I said that
either one of them, with any one of the rest of us, was pretty
safe from being recognized, but that together, the chances went
up - a lot.

I finished up by saying "That doesn't mean that you can't go
shopping together - only that you can't do it all the time. Mutt
told both of you that your single most memorable feature is your
hair - its length and style. NOBODY is going to ask you to cut it
if you don't want to, and I'll remind you that Mutt said you
still had other options - changing its color or style. I'm just
letting you know that as long as you choose to keep it the way it
is, it's going to reduce the number of times that we can take you
out. You understand?" Both nodded, and I went on "You both know
that the rest of us are trying to watch out for you, but we're
trying to let you keep as much of your freedom as we can. It's a
tough balancing act. That's why I told you about all the things
we have to consider when one or both of you want to go out
shopping. Now you know what our perspective is on things, and you
have enough information to make your own decision about how much
of your appearance you want to keep, versus how often you want to
go `outside'. It's not an all-or-nothing proposition, either: the
more your appearance changes, the more often we can risk taking
you out in public. All the rest of us are going to accept
whatever decision you make - we all figure that both of you are
old enough to make your own choices and live with the
consequences. You don't have to decide together, or all at once,
any more than you have to verbally tell us what your choice is.
You know what our limits are, so we'll just let you do what you
feel is right for you within those limits. Fair enough?"

Both of them assured me they understood perfectly. I smiled, and
said "Thank you. Now, did either one of you get anything you want
to show off?"

Marie grinned, and said that Michelle had gotten her a new
blouse, but that she wanted to wait until supper to show it off.
I said that was fine, and excused myself to go out to my office.

I heard Robyn and Sandra get home, and after a while, finished up
my work so that I could have a cup of coffee in the breakfast
nook while I waited for Lucy.

I was there when she got home, and I went upstairs with her as
usual. When she was changed and de-stressed, we went back
downstairs to catch the news. It would have been Lucy's night to
cook, but Michelle had said she'd do it. Sandra was to be her
understudy.

During commercials, I told Lucy about taking Michelle shopping,
and the talk I'd had with them when we got back. She nodded her
understanding, and snuggled into my side, holding my arm as my
hand rested on her warm leg, softly caressing it.

We were sitting just like that when Michelle came in to tell us
supper was ready - and both of us could see the mixture of
happiness and sorrow in her eyes when she saw how we'd been
sitting.

The rest of the evening went as usual; Lucy and the girls all
ooh-ed and ahh-ed over Marie's new blouse, making her blush even
as she grinned happily.


Agent Kristofferson stayed away as much as he could, simply so
that he didn't draw any more attention to my place than
absolutely necessary. Still he did call to let us know how things
were progressing, and to give me warning when he wanted to drop
off money or anything else for Michelle and Marie.

The first time he came by after Mutt's visit, we played a trick
on him. Both Michelle and Marie got `disguised', and were waiting
with me for his arrival. When we heard his knock on the door,
Marie got up and answered it, letting him in and telling him
where I was. He got as far as the living room, saw Michelle, and
was asking "Dan, who was that, and what are these people doing
here?" when he stopped dead in his tracks. Everything going on in
his mind was visible on his face as he just stood there:
confusion, curiosity, worry, amazement, and finally,
understanding.

With a soft "I'll be damned", he turned to have another look at
Marie, and then back to look at Michelle, before saying "I
wouldn't have believed it was possible. This is Marie and
Michelle, right?"

All three of us laughed, and I assured him that they were,
indeed, the people he'd left in my home. Staring from one to the
other, he made his way to a chair and sat down. He finally
managed to pull his eyes away from them and looked at me to say
"I don't know who that guy is that you called, but I want his
name and telephone number. The Bureau needs him!"

All three of us laughed again, and I told him Mutt's name, and
phone number. Dale quickly wrote them down, looked from Michelle
to Marie again, and carefully tucked the note away.

Shaking his head as he continued to look back and forth between
the two of them, he reached into a pocket and pulled out an
envelope, handing it to Michelle and saying "Here's some more
pocket money. If you run short, don't be afraid to let me know -
we want to take good care of you, okay?"

She smiled and nodded, and discretely tucked the envelope into a
pocket as Dale turned to me. He looked at me and asked "They've
been out?"

I said that they had, and went on to tell him about Mutt, how the
transformation had gone, and the visit to the mall afterwards.
Dale looked a little concerned, but I assured him that all of us
had been there, watching out for them - and that they'd come home
not only safe and sound, but considerably happier.

Marie wanted to show him her room - he didn't know why of course,
but went along with it. Michelle and I kept them company as Marie
led him upstairs and showed him the changes she'd made. He was
impressed, and let Marie know it. She smiled and thanked him for
his compliments before Michelle told her "Come on, Marie. I think
these two need to talk, and I expect they'd both be happier doing
it alone."

When they were out of earshot, Dale told me "Dan, what you've
done here has gone way beyond anything I could - or would - have
asked. I know that redecoration job in there cost you some money;
the Bureau will cover it as part of their expenses."

I looked at him and said "If I get a check from the Bureau for
anything other than the contract fee, I won't cash it. I'll sign
it, and send it back - so don't bother."

He tried to protest, and I finally told him "Look, Dale, I saw
what kind of condition those two were in when they got here. If I
can make them - and particularly Marie - feel better and happier,
and then I'm going to do it. All this cost me was a little money,
and the way she's been so happy and cheerful since then is all
the payment I need or want. So stop bitching at me."

The look he gave me let me know he wasn't happy about it - and
that he understood that I wasn't going to accept any kind of
payment from the Bureau, either.

We walked back toward the living room slowly as we got caught up
on the status of his case against Frenchy, and Michelle and
Marie's situation in the house. By the time we got to the living
room, we'd each gotten the other fully up to date.

Michelle and Marie were standing there waiting for us, and Dale
looked at them again before saying "I still can't believe it. I
know it's you, but you don't look like you!" - making all three
of us laugh, with Dale joining us a moment later. A bit later, he
told us he had to get going, and left - and he'd barely pulled
away from the curb before Marie and Michelle were in
near-hysterics at the way he'd reacted to seeing them. Their
laughter was infectious, and I was soon laughing along with them.
When they'd gotten themselves back together, Michelle came over
and gave me a hug, saying "Thank you, Dan" - followed by Marie
who hugged me, too, before the two of them went upstairs to
change.

That night, over supper, they described the event to Lucy and the
girls, and had all three of them laughing so hard they cried as
they went into detail about the looks on Dale's face, and what
he'd done and said.


Over the next couple of weeks, Marie and Michelle finally came to
treat us as though they were part of our family. Each of them got
to go `out' every so often, once together. Marie got to the point
where compliments didn't make her blush, and she was able to talk
to me as easily as anyone else did. After a timid start, she was
soon comfortable giving me a kiss on the cheek, just as Robyn and
Sandra did, before going to bed each night. The first time I
swatted her on the butt she was surprised - until she realized
that I was doing to her the same thing I did to Sandra and Robyn,
and for the same reasons. She gave me a happy grin, and went on
about her business. Michelle saw it, and just gave me an amused
smile when I looked at her.

Another week, and things had changed again - and not for the
better.


It was Sunday morning, and Lucy and I turned out to be the first
ones downstairs. I dug out the box of doughnuts Lucy had brought
home from the store the evening before while she got the coffee
started.

When it was ready, each of us took a couple of doughnuts, got our
coffee, and went over to sit in the breakfast nook. We were
reading the paper - Lucy the business section, me the comics -
when Michelle came into the kitchen.

To our surprise, she didn't stop to get some coffee or anything
to eat; she saw us and came straight over to where we were.
Looking down at us, we could see that she was upset about
something, and waited to hear what she had to say.

She made a couple of false starts, but finally managed to tell us
"I think that me and Marie need to find someplace else to stay
until they get Frenchy."

To say that Lucy and I were surprised would have been an
understatement - neither one of us had any idea of how or why
Michelle had come to saying anything like that to us.

I asked her "Would you like to talk to us about it?"

Her lips tightened and she shook her head, before she answered "I
don't see any point to it. My mind's made up, and that's it."

Lucy asked her "Michelle, we really don't understand this.
Yesterday, everything was fine. Now, this morning, all of a
sudden you want to leave. Would you at least show us the courtesy
of telling us why?"

Michelle's expression softened - marginally - and she said "I
reckon I owe you at least that much."

Lucy quickly asked "And would you sit down to do it? It's kind of
awkward to be looking up at you like this."

Michelle hesitated a moment, and then took a seat - well away
from where Lucy and I were. Not a good sign.

She took a deep breath, and then said "It was late last night,
and I was already asleep when Marie knocked on my door. I
answered it and told her to come in. She was some kind of upset,
and it took me a few minutes to get the story out of her."

"What happened?" I asked.

Michelle gave me a Look and said "She told me that she got up to
use the bathroom, and while she was in there, she heard noises
coming from the other bedroom. I asked her, and she said they
weren't like anybody was getting hurt or anything, just different
than she's ever heard before. She opened the bathroom door a
little and peeked in - and saw that Robyn and Sandra were both
naked and laying on top of the bed. Marie didn't know what they
were doing, but when she described it to me, I reckon they
were... using their mouths on each other. She watched them for a
bit, until both of them kind of cried out, and Robyn - she was on
top - kind of fell over and laid down on the bed. That's when
Marie closed the door again and came over to me, scared out of
her wits. She didn't know what they were doing, and didn't want
to sleep in her room last night, so she stayed with me. I kept
her company while she got some clothes this morning, and now
she's all dressed and waiting in my room for me to get back, so
we can pack up and leave."

On hearing that, Lucy and I both knew what had happened: Marie
had heard them making love, and had watched as they brought each
other an orgasm.

I thought about what Marie had said for a few moments, and had a
few questions.

"Michelle, you said Marie heard noises from their bedroom?"

She nodded, and I asked "And she opened the bathroom door to see
what was causing them?"

She nodded again, and I asked "Wasn't the door closed and
latched, and then?"

I could see that she hadn't thought to find that one out.

"I don't know", she grudgingly admitted.

"Well, you know that's the one rule we have here - that a closed
door is as good as locked. If Marie opened a closed door, and
then she did something she knows she shouldn't have; I've seen
her knock on one and wait for an answer often enough."

Michelle just looked at me, and I said "It might be worthwhile to
find out if that's what happened."

She slowly nodded, and I went on to say "Marie said she saw
Sandra and Robyn in bed and naked, and watched them. From the
sound of it, that's where they stayed - on the bed. Marie said
that when Robyn lay down, she closed the door and went to your
room, right?"

"That's right."

"So neither one of them said anything to Marie, or did anything
to let her know they knew she was watching? Neither one of them
said or did anything to try to get her to come into the room, or
do anything?"

"No, they didn't."

"Then what's the problem?"

Michelle flared up and said "The problem is what they were doing!
It isn't right, those two girls... doing that! Specially not with
Marie sleeping in the next bedroom!"

"But Marie wasn't in the next bedroom - she was watching them
through a door that she opened."

"It ain't the same thing - you know what I mean!"

"You're right - it isn't the same thing. Between the time you
moved in here, and now, you don't have any idea if Sandra and
Robyn have done that before, or if they have, how many times. I
know Sandra and Robyn, and I don't think that's the first time
they've been together like that since you got here - have you
noticed anything different about them BEFORE last night? Did you
think there was anything wrong with them BEFORE you found out
they like to give each other pleasure?"

I watched as Michelle thought that one over, and could tell that
I'd put a hole in her balloon. But she wasn't going down without
a fight, exclaiming "But it ain't right for two girls to... do
that to each other!"

I just looked at her levelly and asked "Why?"

"It ain't I tell you!"

"Yes, I heard you - but I want to know WHY you say so. What are
your reasons?"

She sputtered for a few moments, and then got thoughtful, hemmed
and hawed a bit, and finally said "That's just what folks say. It
means they're lesbians, and no man'd want `em!"

"That's what folks say, is it?" I asked. Michelle nodded, and I
asked "Are those same folks right about the things they say about
you, being married to Frenchy and all?"

I'd nailed her square between the eyes with that one - she only
sat there stunned as I went on "You think they're lesbians, and
no good for a man? Aren't you forgetting that both of them have
been out with guys from school - several times each? And that
you've seen them kissing those same boys, and looking like they
really meant it?"

She grudgingly admitted she remembered exactly that.

"Now, if they were lesbians, they wouldn't be kissing guys and
meaning it, now, would they? So maybe what's going on is that
they like boys AND girls. For all you know, they like boys
better, but want to keep themselves safe until marriage, so they
take care of their `feelings' with each other. If that's the
case, is that really a bad thing?"

She had to think that one over, too - and I watched as her
balloon deflated even more.

"But what about Marie?" she demanded.

"What about her? Don't you think that if either one of them had
done anything bad with her, she'd have come to you and said so?
She hasn't, so you can pretty much figure that THEY haven't. Have
you seen them treat her with anything BUT affection, and care,
and friendship? No? They won't, either. Have you ever seen any of
us do ANYTHING to trick or force someone else into doing
something bad, or that they didn't want to do? Of course not -
and you won't either. That's not how we are in this house. If
Robyn and Sandra have found love and comfort and happiness with
each other, who the hell are YOU to tell them it's wrong? They
haven't said or done anything to rub it in your face, ask you to
approve of it, or anything else. If anything, it sounds like
they've been careful to avoid doing anything when or where you
and Marie might be offended."

I went on to say "You know that the only rule in this house is
that a closed door is as good as locked. The same way, the only
code we live our lives by here is that each of us makes our own
decisions, and accepts the consequences - good or bad. We don't
force anyone else to do ANYTHING; and just the reverse is true,
too: we don't let anyone else force US, either. Last night, Robyn
and Sandra were behind closed doors, doing what they wanted to
because both of them wanted to do it, in the privacy of their own
room. You'd never have known anything happened between them if
Marie hadn't opened that bathroom door and seen them. And Marie
wouldn't have been frightened of what she saw if YOU had taken
care to teach her about sex - and not just for married people to
have babies. YOU don't think its right for two people of the same
sex to have pleasure with each other - but it's not YOUR decision
to make for them. If YOU don't like the fact that Robyn and
Sandra are willing to find love and happiness with each other,
and then that's YOUR problem - not theirs, and I'm not going to
let you try to make them feel bad, or say or do hateful things to
them. And that's what it would be if you said or did anything:
hateful; hateful because you hated the idea that two women could
be happy with each other when you aren't happy at all, hateful
because you hated the idea that they could find physical pleasure
- and you know that's what they felt - without a man when you
haven't had that kind of pleasure with anyone for a long time,
hateful because you hated the idea that they could find love and
comfort in each others arms when you don't have anyone's arms
around you."

Michelle sat there, frozen, as I took a breath and finished by
telling her "Marie broke the rules of our home by opening a
closed door when she knew she shouldn't. Now you're angry that
Marie saw something that she didn't understand, and scared her.
Now you're upset because two people that aren't responsible to
you found happiness and pleasure with each other. Now you're
worried that maybe they're going to `do' something to `bother'
Marie - when you obviously haven't said or done anything to let
Marie know that there's anything TO be done. Tell me, Michelle -
which one of us do you really think is doing wrong here?"

Michelle turned to look at Lucy - whose face made it clear what
SHE thought. Michelle flinched slightly, and turned back to me. I
sat there watching her for a moment, and then said "Not sure,
Michelle? I'll tell you what - you go and think about it some.
After you do, if you still want to leave, and then I'll call
Dale, and he'll find you another place to stay."

She had enough of her wits about her to realize that I was -
politely - telling her to get lost. She slowly stood, and made
her way out of the kitchen without a backward glance. When she
was gone, Lucy and I looked at each other before she told me "I'm
sorry it came to this, Dan."

"I am, too. I didn't figure Robyn and Sandra were playing at
being vestal virgins, so I expected it to come out sooner or
later. I just didn't think it would happen the way it did - with
Marie seeing them."

"What you said to Michelle was right, though. I'm going to be
sorry if she decides they have to leave - I like her, and just
love Marie. But I won't have her in this house hurting our kids,
either."

I sighed, finished off my coffee, poured myself another cup and
tried to go back to the comics - which weren't so funny, any
more.

A while later, Sandra and Robyn turned up - surprised that
Michelle and Marie weren't there. Both of them grabbed a cup of
coffee and a couple doughnuts before coming over to sit with Lucy
and me. When they were seated, we told them about the whole thing
with Michelle. The only expression either one showed was sadness
- and regret when Sandra told us "I'm sorry, Uncle Dan. I don't
think either one of had any idea she was there; that's why we
always waited until way late, so that she'd be asleep and not
hear us."

I patted her hand and said "No, you two didn't do anything wrong
- at all. Marie shouldn't have opened the door, and both of them
know it. After that happened, any problems are from what Michelle
has or hasn't done."

I handed the comics off to Robyn, and got up. In the kitchen, I
put together a plate of a few doughnuts, a carafe of coffee, and
another of milk. Putting it all on a tray, I took it upstairs and
set it in front of Michelle's door, told her "There's breakfast,
coffee, and milk on a tray here, if you want them", and left.

After the rest of us had eaten, Lucy and I went back upstairs to
get dressed - and saw that the tray wasn't in the hallway. Lucy
gave me a half-smile, and we went on into our room.

It was a little after three that afternoon, and Lucy and I were
cuddled up on a couch listening to music in the living room when
Michelle appeared in the doorway. She came in, and we could see
that her eyes were red and her face a little puffy - she'd
clearly been crying. We started to sit up, and she just waved us
back down, saying "No, there's no need for you to get up. What
I've got to say won't take long, hard as it is to say."

We watched as she sat down, and were listening closely when she
finally told us "What you said to me this morning, Dan, wasn't
something I wanted to hear. But it was something I needed to hear
- and hear good and plain, just like you said it. I asked Marie,
and she said that the door was closed; she had to turn the handle
to open it, so I'm apologizing to you for what she did."

She gave me a baleful look and went on to say "What you told me
this morning about two people finding love and comfort and all
that... Well, I thought on it. A lot. And I had to admit that you
had a good point. I didn't like it much, and I thought on that
some, too - and finally had to confess to myself that you were
right about the other things; not exactly right, but sure close
enough to count. I finally understood that I would have said and
done things to those girls, and I knew that they would be hateful
- and why I'd say them. It hurt me some, but I finally got honest
with myself, and saw what I was like, and how what I was thinking
wasn't good - not for me, and not for Marie."

"I also thought about what you said about not telling Marie
things - and knew that I should have been talking to her a long
time before we ever got here. And that I should have been talking
to her about a lot more than what I would have before you said
anything to me. So me and Marie, we had us a nice sit-down talk,
and I explained things to her - a lot of things. I was scared,
and ashamed, and embarrassed, and about anything else you could
think of - but I done it. I was right surprised when she just sat
there listening to me, nodding her head every now and then, like
what I was saying was just as normal as could be - and then I
realized that what I was saying should be right and normal. A man
and woman, they get together to make each other happy; there's no
reason that talking about it should be anything to be ashamed
about. When I was done, I told Marie the other stuff, too - like
about Sandra and Robyn. And I told her that what they were doing
was their decision, and it wasn't for us to judge the right or
wrong of it, any more than it'd be right for them to judge us.
She told me that when she saw them, she didn't think it was right
or wrong; that it just scared her because she'd never seen or
heard about anything like that before - and I knew right then
that I'd done her wrong by not talking to her sooner, just like
you said."

Michelle blushed mightily as she continued "When I was done,
Marie started asking me questions, and for the life of me, I
didn't know the answers to any of it. We didn't have much in the
way of schooling on this stuff where I went to school - a few
films the gym teacher showed, and that was about it. Even my own
momma didn't talk to me about it, except to tell me about having
periods and not to be layin' with boys until I was married."

Michelle lowered her head to stare at her lap as she told us "So
what I have now is a fifteen year old daughter upstairs that's
got questions and is a little scared, and her momma down here who
doesn't know the answers and is a LOT scared."

She lifted her head again to look directly at Lucy, and then me,
before she said "Lucy, Dan - I'm telling you that I'm sorry about
coming at you like that. What I did was wrong. If you can forgive
me, I'd like for me and Marie to keep stayin' here - you and your
girls are good people, and I think we could still learn a lot
from all of you."

Lucy knew what I would say, so I just waited for her to make up
her mind about where she thought it should go, and tellMichelle.

A few moments went by, and Lucy finally spoke up, saying "We
accept your apology, Michelle, and we forgive you. I know that
all of us would like for you to stay here, too - after you left
this morning, I told Dan that I liked you, and loved Marie; and
that's still true. Sandra and Robyn came down to breakfast and
asked where you were, so we told them that Marie had seen them
last night, and that you were upstairs deciding if you wanted to
stay or go. Both of them were sorry that Marie had to find out
about them that way - not because they thought it was wrong, but
because they understood how it could surprise and even frighten
her, which is something that neither one of them would ever do
willingly. If you and Marie want to stay here, both of you are
still more than welcome. But you're going to have to understand
that we aren't going to change our lives to make you happy - any
more than we would expect you to do it for us. Remember the first
time you sat down to dinner with us? And how we told you that we
weren't religious people, but that if you wanted to pray, we'd
respect it? That's what we want from you: to respect OUR ways,
too. If you can do that, and then I think everything's going to
be fine."

Michelle started to get misty around the eyes, and answered "We
can do that - that's one of the things that I thought hard about,
that you and Dan and those girls have done nothing but show us
respect. Honestly, I don't know if what goes on between Robyn and
Sandra is right, or not - but I DO know that it's not for me to
decide for them. As long as we're here, I won't say or do
anything to either one of them about what they do amongst
themselves." After a deep breath, she went on "And I know that
after seeing them, Marie's gonna be some curious about it. I
don't think she's gonna want to run in there and join them, but I
don't doubt for a minute that she's going to have a passel of
questions. I hope she comes to me with `em, but I know that some
of `em are going to be things that only Robyn or Sandra can
explain - and I'll be okay with that. Not happy about it, not
because of Robyn or Sandra, but because of my own not knowing the
answers. I thought about it hard, and I know what kind of girls
those two are, and I'm not worried about them doin' anything with
Marie. It's my own not knowing that gets on me."

Lucy looked at me, and I just nodded before she told Michelle
"Michelle, you don't have to `not know' if you don't want to. I
know you're not ignorant; you just don't have much schooling -
and that's something that's easy to change. You've heard about
the internet?"

Michelle said she did, and Lucy continued "That's where we can go
to help you learn. Yes, I said `we' - I'll be more than happy to
help you, if you want. Or I can just get you started, and let you
alone from there; either way, it's up to you."

Michelle looked at her and asked "You'd do that? Even after how I
talked to you this morning?"

Lucy smiled and said "Yes, I'd do that - because of how you
talked to us this morning. I think you said a lot of what you did
because you didn't know better. If it will help you learn, and
then yes, I'd be glad to do it."

"How can you do this? Be so nice to me, and be so willing to help
me and Marie after the way I talked to you this morning?"

I spoke up then by asking Michelle "Have you ever seen somebody
on the street asking for money? Somebody that obviously wasn't a
bum or a drunk, but just down on his luck?"

"I have."

"Ever give him money?"

"I did."

"Why?"

"Cause it wasn't much to me, and a lot to him - and he looked
like he deserved it."

I just smiled at her. She looked perplexed for a moment, and then
understood. She opened her mouth and said "But that's different.
I'm just giving him a little money; you're opening your house to
us, and even putting yourselves between us and Frenchy."

"Is it something entirely different, or just a difference of
doing more or less of the same thing?" I asked.

She thought that one over, and finally answered "Just more or
less, I think. But still..."

"But still, it's the same thing. You did what YOU could with
those folks. Lucy and I and the girls are doing what WE can with
you. You gave what you could afford and were willing; we're just
doing the same thing - except that we have more, so we can afford
more."

She tried again, saying "But it's not just the money - and I know
you've spent a fair chunk of that. It's giving us so much of your
lives, too. That's different, isn't it?"

That time, it was Lucy that smiled, and asked "Is it? Think about
what you KNOW about us, and tell me how different it is,really."

Michelle just sat there blinking slowly for nearly a full minute.
She finally came back with a small start and said "It isn't
different - not really. I can see that all of you love each other
so much, and how much each of you trusts and respects the others.
So I guess any love and trust and like that that you give us is
just a little bit of what you've already got - just like the
money you spent on letting Marie decorate that room is a little
bit of what you've got in the bank. As much as it seems to Marie
and me, it's really just a little bit of what you already have -
and you can afford to let us have it because you've got so much
more where that came from that what you give us won't hardly be
missed."

Lucy smiled and said "That's it, exactly."

Michelle just sat there, stunned, as she thought about all she'd
just heard meant - not just to us, but to her, and Marie.

After a bit, her eyes got huge, and she stared at each of us in
turn before saying "Dear lord! What kind of people you must be,
that you can DO things like that!"

Lucy and I grinned at her, making her realize how she must look;
she quickly got herself composed again, but was still somewhat
awe-struck as she heard me say "I think maybe now you can really
understand why we're willing to have you and Marie in our home,
and do what we can to protect you from Frenchy."

She nodded, and managed to answer "I do. And with what you know,
Dan, and what Lucy and those girls have learned, he doesn't have
a chance, does he?"

"Not even a little one", Lucy told her, amused.

Michelle suddenly laughed before telling us "And the poor dumb
bastard doesn't even know it! He is in such deep shit!" - then
looking slightly guilty at her choice of words.

Lucy and I laughed with her, and Lucy said "Yeah, he is, isn't
he?" - making Michelle laugh again.

With everything said and done, Michelle stood up and told us
"Thank you, both of you - more than I could ever tell you. I'm
going to go upstairs now, and finish my talk with Marie - at
least, what I can of it." With a sudden inspiration, she asked
Lucy "Do you think it would be okay if Marie learned this other
stuff with me? So that it's the two of us learning together?"

"Of course its okay with me - whether or not to do it is up to
YOU."

Michelle grinned, and said "My daughter, my decision. Yeah, I
understand that" before turning to go back upstairs to where
Marie was waiting.

When she was gone, there really wasn't anything that needed to be
said between Lucy and me; she just snuggled a little closer, I
hugged her a little tighter, and we went back to listening to the
music.

Supper that night could have been a lot more awkward than it was.
I think it was only Robyn's friendliness and Sandra's innate
dignity that saved the evening. Michelle and Marie, of course,
couldn't help looking at them, and watching them. Both girls
noticed it, just as certainly - and promptly proceeded to ignore
it. Robyn cheerfully drew Marie and Michelle into conversations
about Marie's schoolwork, and what she'd been seeing through her
telescope. Sandra did her part by asking them how they were doing
on their computers, and if they'd found anything interesting on
the Internet. By the time supper was over, Michelle and Marie had
both gone back to treating Sandra and Robyn as they always had -
almost. There was still a trace of hesitancy on Michelle's part,
and Marie was again being a touch shy, but it was infinitely
better than when the meal had started.


Over the course of the following week, Lucy had her hands full
showing Michelle and Marie around on the Internet, finding sites
for them to learn more about not only matters sexual, but even
their own bodies - as Lucy lamented to me "Both of them are
absolutely ignorant of what goes on in their bodies; particularly
their reproductive system. Neither one knows diddly about
nutrition and pregnancy - even though Michelle's been pregnant,
she really didn't understand it from a medical point of view -
and it's tough getting them up to speed. The only good part is
that Marie is too innocent to know how ignorant she is, and
Michelle's bound and determined not to inflict her own ignorance
on Marie."

I knew when they got to the part about the male anatomy because
Marie suddenly started focusing her attention on the area
immediately below my belt buckle. I carefully didn't notice while
she got past that stage.

That was soon followed by what could only have been her education
about the mechanics of sex; every time she saw me looking at her,
she'd get wide-eyed and blush furiously. That, too, went by
apparently unnoticed - though it amused Robyn and Sandra to no
end, neither said or did anything to let Marie know they'd seen
anything different about her.

Finally, it got to the subject of human sexuality - and
particularly FEMALE sexuality. Lucy grumped at me that neither
one of them would admit to any kind of desires - never mind
actually doing anything about them. She claimed she couldn't do
anything to educate them until they `got over it'. She finally
got to the point that she must have read them the riot act; I
wasn't privy to listening to what she said, but I knew she'd said
something by the way the two of them walked around for a day
looking as if they'd been pole-axed.

The day after that, Lucy was back at it again - and even without
saying anything to me, I knew that she'd gotten through to them,
and was making progress again.


It was several days later that Michelle caught me, Lucy, and the
girls together while Marie was off doing something else. She
didn't pull any punches about what she wanted to talk to us
about, either.

"I need some help from all of you about something Marie asked me
about last night."

"What's that?" Lucy asked.

"She wants to know what it felt like when I lost my virginity,
and what it feels like to make love. Considering who I've been
married to, I don't think I'm such a good person to be answering
that last question. Maybe if she hears about some good
experiences, she won't be afraid as I was when it's her time."

Then, much to my surprised, Michelle turned to me and said "You
might as well be there, too, Dan. Maybe you can add something
from a man's view that none of the rest of us would think of."

Lucy and the girls all looked at each other - Michelle was asking
something big of them. She knew it, too, and waited for them to
let her know what they'd do. The three of them did their silent
conversation thing, and after a bit Lucy turned back to Michelle
and said "We'll do it."

Michelle breathed a sigh of relief and told them - and me -
"Thank you. I know it's a lot to ask, but I think it's important;
and I guess you do, too."

All three of them nodded, and Michelle thanked them again before
leaving us.

When she was gone, all three were looking at me. I raised an
eyebrow in question, and Sandra asked the question: "Do we tell
her about you, Uncle Dan?"

"I don't see why you can't tell them about what you felt, without
saying who you felt it with. I know they're LIKE family, but it's
not like they ARE family." I replied.

Robyn opened her mouth to ask "And if she asked us what it's like
to make love with another girl?"

"Tell her the truth. You don't have to go into details, of
course, but you can let her know what your feelings are."

"And me?" Lucy asked.

I grinned at her and said "You're old enough to decide what to
say for yourself. I'm not even going to BEGIN to try and tell you
what you can and can't talk about!"

She grinned back and said "Good choice" - making Sandra and Robyn
both laugh.


At supper the next night, Michelle waited for a lull in the
conversation to tell Marie "Marie, honey? You know that talk we
were having the other night?"

Marie thought a moment and nodded; Michelle continued "We're
going to finish it up tonight after supper. Lucy and Robyn and
Sandra are going to talk to you, too. And Dan's going to be there
if there are any questions that only a guy can answer. Okay?"

Marie looked around at all of us, thought it over, and said
"Yeah, that's okay, momma."

 From there, the rest of the meal went as usual. When it was
over, Michelle took Marie into the living room for a little
pre-talk talk while the rest of us got the table cleared and
everything put away. In the living room, Lucy and the girls all
took seats generally around Michelle and Marie; I selected mine
to put me off to the side a bit - out of Marie's direct sight,
but still within `conversation distance'.

When everyone was seated, Michelle told Lucy and the others
"While you all were taking care of the dishes - thank you - I was
telling Marie that I might not be the best person for her to ask
those questions. I explained to her about me and Frenchy, and she
understood - she saw enough of him that she knew what I was
talking about, even if she was never actually there. I told her
that I asked you three to help, and that you agreed. I'm only
asking you to realize that she's still only fifteen, and that you
don't have to go into detail about who did what, and how - you
know what I mean. Otherwise, I'm not going to interrupt or get in
the way; Marie's asking the questions, and you're all being kind
enough to answer them the best you can - and both of us are
grateful. If there's anything you don't want to answer just yet,
we'll both understand."

That said, Michelle sat back and waited for Marie to start. After
a moment's hesitation - and a brief glance my direction - she
asked "What does it feel like when a guy is inside you for the
first time?"

Lucy spoke first, saying "For my first time, it hurt a little.
Both of us were young, and didn't really know what we were doing.
We didn't have enough time to do it right, and it was in the
wrong place - the back seat of his dad's car. Because of all
that, it wasn't very nice for me: it was over before the pain
stopped."

Robyn spoke up next - I saw Michelle's eyes widen in surprise,
but she didn't say or do anything else - and told Marie "The
first time I was with a guy, it was wonderful. He was real
careful with me, and went real slow, so that I had plenty of time
to get used to what he was doing. He was patient with me, and as
gentle as anybody could want. There was a little bit of pain when
he broke my hymen - my `cherry' - but it wasn't much, and it
didn't last long because he was so considerate with me. Before it
was over, I'd  had a climax - you know, and orgasm - from making
love with him. I couldn't have asked for a better first time."

Sandra spoke up next - no reaction from Michelle - and said "My
first time was a lot like Robyn's. The guy was SO patient with
me, and SO gentle - I knew that I didn't have to be afraid that
he was going to do anything to hurt me. My hymen was already gone
from and accident when I was younger, so that part of it wasn't
any problem. Still, he was so kind to me - he went slow, making
sure that I was ready for him - you know, wet enough inside. When
he was all the way inside me, it felt so good - and before he
finished, I'd had orgasms with him. Like Robyn said, I couldn't
have dreamed for better."

Marie looked at all of them and asked "How old were you when that
happened?"

Sandra spoke first, telling her "Fifteen."

Lucy was next, with "Sixteen."

Robyn closed it out with her quiet "Thirteen" - followed by a
soft gasp from Michelle.

Lucy pretended not to hear it, but she knew Michelle was
listening when she told Marie "There's no one `right age' for
every girl. It depends on when she'd old enough to understand the
choice she's making. It's when she knows in her heart and mind
that she's ready. It's when she finds a guy that she loves and
trusts enough not to hurt her, and do right by her. Honestly, I
wish I had waited longer - but I didn't, and it took a long time
before I got to where I could enjoy making love. Sandra was about
your age, and from what she'd told me, she did exactly like what
I just said a girl should do. Robyn was younger - but she's
always been more grown up than her calendar age. I was sorry that
it happened for her so young - until I learned how it had gone
for her; then I was happy that she had had such a good first
time. Honestly, I was even a little jealous of her, for having an
orgasm her first time - it was years before that started
happening for me."

Marie thought that one over for a bit before she asked "What's it
like to make love? I mean, what does it feel like?"

Robyn spoke first, answering her by saying "I've only been with
one guy, so I don't know how it is with another one - but I like
it, a lot. When he's inside me, it's like there's been a part of
me that was missing, and then I have it again."

Sandra went next, telling Marie "It's kind of like that for me,
too. When my guy is inside me, it's like I know exactly why I'm a
woman, and what I was put on earth for; making love just makes me
feel so complete."

Lucy closed that round with "I haven't been with very many men.
But with each one of them - except for one - it was pretty much
the same: it felt nice, and sometimes I even had orgasms while
they were in me, but it really wasn't anything special. I used to
think that having sex and making love were the same thing, but
now I know they aren't. It was that one exceptional guy that
taught me that making love is something SO much better than just
having sex. With him, every time we're together he makes me so
happy, and feel so good, that I fall in love with him all over
again. And in case you didn't figure it out, the guy I'm talking
about is Dan."

I just sat off to the side, patently not noticing that Marie AND
Michelle were giving me the once-over.

Marie's next question came as something of a surprise to all of
us - including Michelle.

"What do you feel when you're with a guy? I mean physically", she
asked.

Sandra spoke first, telling her "I feel my breasts start to get
tight, and my nipples getting hard. I start to get wet between my
legs, and it feels like there are butterflies inside me. As I get
more excited, my nipples actually start to hurt a little - but
it's a GOOD hurt; and my vagina opens up so that I feel like
there's an empty place in me that needs to be filled up. My
clitoris comes out, and it's real sensitive - almost any kind of
contact with it makes me even wetter, and more excited."

Robyn told her "What Sandra said - except that I get SO wet
between my legs; after I make love, I'm always thirsty because of
it."

Lucy closed again with "It's pretty much the same for me, too."

A brief silence followed that before Marie asked "What's it like
when you... orgasm?"

Lucy went first by saying "I don't know that any woman can really
describe it to anyone else - and once you've had one, it doesn't
NEED description. I guess the only thing I can say is that it's a
really, really, REALLY intense pleasure that seems to take over
your whole body. The French call it `the little death', and
that's about as close to putting it into words and I can get."

For their parts, Sandra and Robyn simply nodded their agreement
with Lucy.

A longer pause, and Marie asked "Uh... what kinds of stuff do you
think about when you're with a guy? I mean, what do you like him
to do?"

Robyn smiled and answered "Kissing is always good. Having him
touch me; not just on my breasts and between my legs, but all
over. Feeling his warm body next to mine. Feeling his hard penis,
and knowing that I did that to him - that he finds me exciting.
Having him lick my breasts, and kiss and bite - softly! - my
nipples. Sucking on my breasts and nipples. Using his mouth on
me, between my legs. Feeling how strong he his when we're
together, and knowing how gentle he is with me."

Lucy went next, saying "What Robyn said. And when he touches my
butt - holding it and squeezing it. Having him slide his hands up
and down my legs SO softly and gently it's like his fingers are
feathers. When he softly bites my earlobes, and kisses my
throat."

Sandra added her bit with "All of that, and when he kisses my
shoulders. The way his hands touch my skin - softly, like he's
afraid he's going to break me. His lips on my skin. My breasts
pressing into his chest."

When they finished, all three of them were clearly aroused - as
were Marie and Michelle, if their breathing was any indication.

Marie took a deep breath and pulled herself back together before
asking "What, uh, do you like to do for him?"

Lucy grinned and said "Pretty much everything he does for me.
With Dan, he actually likes to cuddle with me, holding me close,
after we make love - and I'm always happy to!"

Sandra had her own smile as she told Marie "Like Aunt Lucy said,
what he does to me, I like to do back. When he's done, I like to
hold him inside me, trying to see how long I can keep him there
before... it's too late." I saw Michelle's relief when Sandra
didn't go into the gory details.

Robyn's happy expression only emphasized her words: "Anything and
everything I can. I love him, and anything I can do to make him
happy and feel good, I'm glad to do it."

Marie's next question was hardly unexpected, and obviously
directed to Robyn and Sandra: "What's it like to be with another
girl?"

They shared a look, and Sandra answered the question.

"It's different than being with a guy. Not better or worse, just
different. Robyn's softer and smoother than... my guy. But she
isn't as strong, either. Robyn knows what I feel like because
she's another girl - but the same way, she can't DO things the
way a guy does. Her and my guy, they're two different ways of
sharing love and happiness - neither one is better than the
other; they're just different. It's like one of them is chocolate
mousse, and the other is a chocolate bar - both are good, just in
different ways."

The comparison seemed to be something Marie could relate to, and
she nodded her head in understanding.

She finally turned to me, and with only a faint blush asked "Dan,
what is it that guys think about all this?"

"I don't know - I'm not all guys. I'm not even the same guy I was
ten years ago, never mind when I was your age. All I can tell you
is that it depends on the guy - some are going to be mature and
considerate, and do what they can to make their girl happy.
Others are going to be like little kids, and only want to make
themselves happy. Most are somewhere in between: not grown up
enough to put the girls happiness first, but more grown up than
to just want to get their own pleasure. You want to know what I
think?"

She nodded, and I answered "I think you don't want a guy that's
too worried about whether or not you're a virgin. Chances are,
he's not, and his wanting you to be one only means that he's
insecure enough to not want you to know whether or not he's a
good lover. On the other hand, you probably don't want a guy that
seems too interested in the details about any other men you've
been with - he's probably going to use that as an excuse to leave
when he gets tired of you. A guy that doesn't trust you can't be
trusted himself - either he's feeling guilty about what he's up
to, and projecting it on you, or he's got an emotional problem
that you don't want any part of. A guy with a temper will
probably wear you out with it; the same for a guy that keeps
making `suggestions' about how you'd be better if you did this
thing or that one. A guy that's only interested in your body
isn't going to be happy, either - everybody grows old, and our
bodies change along the way; the firm tits you've got now may be
sagging a little in ten years, and that won't be what he wants.
You get the idea?"

She said she did, and I finished up by telling her "I heard a
saying once that seems to pretty much sum it up: women marry so
they can change the guy into what they want; guys marry what they
want, and don't expect her to change. What you want is a guy that
you love enough that you don't want to change him, and he loves
you enough to accept that you ARE going to change. Both of you
have to work at making it work. Then it'll last a long time, with
each of you happy with the other one. A real marriage isn't `him
and her', it's `them'."

Marie was sitting there watching me, and I asked "Is there
anything else you wanted to ask me?" She shook her head `no', and
I asked "Anything else for Lucy or the girls?" Another head
shake, and I said "Well, it looks like class is over. I'm going
to get myself a beer" - and did just that. When I got back, I was
surprised to see that not one of them had left - or even seemed
to have moved, for that matter.

I sat down again, and Michelle asked me "You really believe that?
About a guy accepting that his wife is going to change? And that
a wife shouldn't try to change her husband?"

"Pretty much", I answered, adding "I mean, if she's changing in
an unhealthy way - physically or mentally or emotionally - then
he shouldn't accept it; but he shouldn't drop her, either, if
that's the case. They should go together to a professional to get
whatever help is needed. By the same token, if he's got things
that make him a social or professional outcast, and then it's her
duty to help him correct the problem. Otherwise, what I said
applies."

She looked doubtful, and I asked Lucy "Since we've been married,
has your weight changed? Don't answer with which way, or how
much, just whether it has, or not."

Lucy levelly told me "It has."

My next question for her was "Do you think I love you any more or
any less because of it?"

She just laughed - and said "And so you don't have to ask, no,
there's nothing I'd change about you, either."

Michelle got the point.

The next question was from Marie - though I actually expected it
from Michelle.

"You already knew that Robyn and Sandra aren't virgins?"

"Yes, I knew."

"And you don't mind?"

"It wasn't my decision to make. I know that both of them are very
mature, and that they would know and understand the consequences
of losing their virginity. The who and when and how had to be
THEIR choice. I respect that choice, just as I respect the choice
they've made to share their bodies with each other in love and
happiness."

Michelle asked "Do you know who they're having sex with?"

"I know they're not just `having sex' - what they're doing is
making love. Yes, I know who with, but I won't say any more about
it - if they want you to know, they'll tell you. It's..."

"Not your decision. I know." Michelle finished for me, smiling.

Marie again: "You said that they aren't `just' having sex, that
they're making love. Lucy and the other kept saying `making
love', too. Isn't it the same?"

Lucy jumped in at that point, telling her "No, Marie, it isn't -
not by a LONG shot. Sex is what two people do with their bodies.
When they include their hearts, it's making love. Sex can make
your body feel good, but making love makes your heart and mind
feel good, too."

Michelle stuck a nickel in the meter then by telling Marie "There
is a difference, Marie. When Frenchy and I were first married, we
made love. Later, it was just sex for him - and no love at all,
for me."

Marie turned to Robyn and Sandra and asked "What you two do... is
it sex or love?"

Both of them smiled before Robyn answered "Yes", and a moment
later, Sandra explained "Both of us feel desires. We aren't
always able to satisfy those desires the way we want to, so we
help each other out. We share physical pleasure with each other,
so it's part sexual. But we do it BECAUSE we love each other - so
it's part love-making, too." They shared a look, and Sandra added
"Actually, it's mostly love-making."

Michelle looked at Lucy and asked "And you're okay with this,
too?"

Lucy simply told her "Of course. Dan already told you that
they're both mature enough to know what they're doing - you know
it, too, if you'll think about it. Beyond that, what they do and
how they do it isn't really any of my business - I love them, and
all that matters is that they're happy. They are. Don't you think
I have better things to worry about?"

Michelle thought it over for a moment, and admitted "I see your
point."

At that point, Robyn chipped in by saying "Michelle? Neither one
of us is involved with drugs. Neither one of us is in a gang, or
has ever gotten into trouble with the police or at school.
Neither one of us has gotten pregnant, even though we go out with
boys. WE had a vote on whether or not to let you come here or
not, too - and you're here. Both of us get good grades at school.
We don't have to dye our hair green, or get all kinds of body
parts pierced. Sandra not only has her own gun, but a police
permit to carry it wherever she wants. Doesn't all of that sound
pretty mature to you? And considering all that, do you really
think that either one of us would have given our virginity - and
that's what both of us did, GIVE it to someone; it wasn't taken
from us - without knowing the consequences? Do you really think
it matters whether or not we find pleasure in each other's bodies
when BOTH of us want to do so, and do it in private?"

Michelle paused again before answering "Looking at it that way, I
guess you're right."

Sandra demanded "How else should we look at it?" Sandra was
generally the most patient and tolerant of all of us; Michelle
knew that she'd stepped in it in a BIG way.

With a tone of contrition, Michelle answered "I'm sorry - I
shouldn't have said it that way. What I meant was that I just
hadn't though about it any way but my own; and when Robyn pointed
out the facts of it, I saw she was right."

Mollified, Sandra didn't say anything else.

Michelle looked at Marie and said "I think you've all given both
of us more than enough to think about. I expect we'd better be
going on to bed, now."

Marie didn't offer any protest - but did come over to give me a
kiss on the cheek before joining her mother at the doorway.


A few days later, I got a call from Dale, letting me know the
status on the case against Frenchy. He didn't sound happy when he
called, and when he hung up, I knew why.

That night, at supper, I relayed the information to Michelle and
Marie - and then NONE of us were particularly happy: Dale had
said that they had most of the people in Frenchy's group staked
out and ready to scoop up - but that there were still too many of
them running around without cover for him to be able to risk
arrests. He was afraid that anybody that got away would just end
up causing even MORE trouble - not just in general, but against
Michelle and Marie, particularly.

The following Saturday, Sandra and I were keeping Michelle
company while she did some shopping at the mall. Lucy, Michelle,
and the other girls had opted to stay home and watch cartoons
while eating doughnuts and laughing themselves silly.

We'd taken care of everything we were after, and had decided that
we were ready to go home. The previous couple of days had been
rainy and cloudy, so we decided to leave the mall via a
seldom-used entrance and go ahead walk around to where the car
was parked - it was a nice day, and none of us felt like fighting
the crowds to get to a closer exit. We were halfway to the door
when we heard someone behind us call out "Excuse me! Excuse me!
Can I talk to you for a minute?"

We stopped and turned around, and I saw a couple of people coming
toward us. When they got close enough, I could see that they
weren't what could be called society's `upper crust'. But we'd
already stopped and seen them, so it wouldn't have been polite to
turn around and walk off.

When they got close, one of them stepped forward and said "I'm
sorry to bother you folks, but I saw this lady with you, and she
looks like someone I know, and I just wanted to see if it was
her."

When I heard that, I knew I'd fucked up.

Behind me, I heard Sandra unsnap her purse - then the sound of
her rummaging around in it. I knew she knew where everything was
in it, and realized that she was covering the fact that she now
had ready access to her pistol. To help her, I turned to the guy
that had spoken and said "Who is it you're looking for, and
then?"

He said "A lady by the name of Michelle del la Roche - knowher?"

Michelle kept her cool, and didn't say a word - I just looked at
the guy like I was trying to remember, and then answered "No,
can't say that I do. What does she look like?"

"A little like this lady with you - smaller tits, but nice long
hair like she has."

"Well, I suppose there's lots of women with long hair. And like
you said, this one has a larger bust than this... Michelle?"

"C'mon, man, quit shitting around. I just wanna talk to her, and
that'll be the end of it."

"Then talk - nobody's stopping you."

"I don't wanna talk to her here, dumbass. I want her to come with
me."

"Oh, well, that' going to be a problem, and then. You see, she's
with me, and I don't think she wants to go with you." I toldhim.

"Too bad, buddy. She's going anyway."

"I wouldn't try to force her, if I were you."

He laughed, reached into his jacket, and pulled out a hunting
knife before asking me "And why not, asshole?"

Next to him, the other guy opened his jacket, showing me a
revolver in a shoulder holster.

"Because it might prove painful, stupid" I replied.

With a snarl, he started to swing the knife at me.

He didn't make it.

I stepped between him and Michelle, continued the motion his arm
was making, and when he relaxed after realizing he'd missed,
changed the direction of his hand so that I firmly stuck the
knife in his chest, between his ribs, and straight into his
heart. The surprise on his face was almost comical. Almost.

His partner was pulling his revolver out; I slid over in front of
him, and grabbed his hand and pushed up - the muzzle of the
pistol resting under his chin. A finger into the trigger guard, a
pull, and the top of his head exploded into a pink mist. I felt
some of it settle on my face and arms as the sound of the shot
reverberated down the empty hallway. Looking over my shoulder, I
could see that Sandra had drawn her pistol and had it ready, but
wisely decided not to shoot while I was `mixed in' with the two
stupids.

Without turning around I said "Sandra! Get Michelle out of here.
Take her home now. Then tell Lucy to come back and find a place
to watch me so she's not noticed. If the cops take me in, she
should call Ira." - Ira Weintraub was my lawyer; he was the guy
other lawyers went to when THEY needed help - "Otherwise, wait
for me to make a call on my phone. When she sees that, wait ten
minutes, and then come up like she just got here. Now, GO!"

All Sandra said was "Got it", and a moment later, "Come ON,
Michelle - we've got to get out of here". I looked over my
shoulder again and saw that she was all but dragging Michelle
down the hall. They'd gotten outside and just disappeared around
the corner when one of the mall's security people peeked around
the corner. I stood there with my hands in plain sight and told
him "I think you'd better call the cops. These guys just tried to
rob me."

Five minutes later, the hall was approaching its occupancy
limits, what with the cops, mall security, various Officials, and
mall denizens that wanted to see what was going on. A couple
minutes later, and one of the senior cops took charge and things
quickly settled down. The crowd was pushed back far enough to
keep them out of everyone's hair, I'd been assigned two cops to
watch me while a more senior one asked me what the hell happened.
A few more were guarding the bodies until a forensics unit showed
up to do pictures and collect evidence.

The story I told the cops was that I'd been leaving the mall when
the two characters called out to me; I'd done as they asked, and
when they got close, the one had pulled the knife and threatened
me with it if I didn't hand over my money and jewelry. I
explained that I was ex-Army, and Special Forces, so I wasn't too
worried about the knife - until the guy decided I was taking too
long and tried to stab me. I claimed my Special Forces training
kicked in, and I got the better of the guy with the knife; when
he hit the floor, I saw the other one pulling a gun. I got to
him, and we struggled over the gun until it went off -
unfortunately under his chin and pointing toward the top of his
head.

The cops asking the questions didn't look too certain, so I told
him that he could verify who I was, easy enough. He asked how,
and I told him that I'd done a couple of computer jobs for the
FBI, and that the local office would be able to verify my
identity and military background. The cop asked "You saying this
was part of an FBI case?"

I hastened to tell him that it wasn't - that the only involvement
the FBI would have would be to verify who I was for him.

He got on a cell phone and made a few calls. As he was doing
that, I looked around - and saw Lucy watching everything from the
very edge of one of the glass panels at the mall entrance. There
were a couple of mall security types keeping a small crowd from
coming in, so Lucy would seem to be just one of the
rubber-neckers to anyone that didn't know who she was. I reached
around to scratch my back, and discretely gave her a thumbs-up in
the process.

A few minutes later, the cop came back over and told me "Okay,
the local Feebie in charge said he knew who you were, and was
able to describe you pretty good. I asked him how he knew you,
and he told me that their office gave you some security a couple
years ago. That's when I remembered that big drug bust, and how
somebody here in town got some extra protection after the Bureau
requested it. Would that have been you?"

"It was."

"Okay, Mister Andrews. You're sure these guys aren't part of that
operation?"

"Quite sure. Like I said, these guys were trying to rob me."

The cop was standing there looking at me like he wasn't sure if
he wanted to believe me or not when a uniformed cop came over and
told him "Okay, Detective, we've got ID on these two. Both of `em
have sheets long as your arm - strong arm, robbery, assault, ADW,
that kind of shit."

That seemed to settle it for the detective, and he told me "Okay,
sounds like it's just what you said - a robbery gone bad; bad for
the crooks, for a change. I won't be filing any charges, Mister
Andrews - it looks like you did us a favor, here."

"Thank you, detective. Would it be okay if I called my wife to
come and get me? I don't think I'd better drive myself just yet;
I'll come back later for my car."

"Sure, go ahead."

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Lucy's number; when she
answered, I went through the dialog that I figured the detective
was waiting to hear, and finished up by asking the detective
which entrance she should use so that she could get through the
police lines. He told me, I relayed the information, and that
ended the call. As I was putting my phone away, he asked me what
she looked like. I gave him a description, and he pulled a
uniform over, told him who to watch for, and sent him off to the
entrance he'd told me to use.

Fifteen minutes later, the uniformed officer came back with Lucy
at his side. She rushed over to where I was, and did a fine job
of pretending she'd just gotten there - asking what happened, was
I okay, the whole thing. I did my part, telling her I'd explain
in the car, that yes, I was fine, and so on. The detective
watched us for a moment, and then had the uniform escort us back
to where he'd let Lucy through the lines.

Once we were outside, in the car, and on the way home, Lucy asked
me if there were any problems. I told her that I didn't think so,
and asked how things were at home. She gave me a Look, and said
that Michelle was in shock, Marie was terrified, and that Robyn
and Sandra were both worried, but taking care of the other two.

When we got home, Lucy ran interference for me, so I could go
upstairs and clean up - neither of us wanted the rest of them to
see me with the guy's blood all over me and my clothes. Once
presentable again, I went back downstairs to where I could hear
the rest of them gathered in the living room. As I went in, I
could see that Michelle had what looked like a pretty stiff drink
- and that it had enough condensation on it that it must have
been made before I got home. I figured she needed it from the
look of her, and didn't worry about who'd made it for her.
Sitting on the floor next to her, clearly scared out of her wits,
was Marie - holding tightly to Michelle's leg. Robyn and Sandra
had the ends of the couches on either side of Michelle; Lucy was
at the end of the couch from Robyn.

When they realized that I was in the room with them, their
reactions varied considerably. Robyn and Sandra both simply
looked relieved. Marie looked like the sight of me lifted the
weight of the world off her shoulders. It took Michelle a few
seconds, but she finally jumped up (Sandra neatly caught the
drink before it spilled onto the floor; she'd make somebody a
FINE infielder) and ran over to wrap her arms around me and start
crying into my chest. Lucy stayed seated, and looked on
indulgently as I tried to soothe the crying Michelle.

It was a good ten minutes before Michelle would let go of me, and
another ten before the waterworks slowed to a trickle. Five more
were spent blowing her nose and trying to dry eyes that continued
to leak tears. Finally, I was able to guide Michelle back to the
seat she'd been in; Marie promptly wrapped her arms around
Michelle's leg again. I took a seat between Lucy and Robyn - both
of whom immediately moved to sit next to me and pull my arms
around them.

That left the all-but-implacable Sandra to ask "So what happened,
Uncle Dan?"

I started to tell Robyn and the others, but only got as far as
the two guys coming up to us before Michelle declared "He jumped
in between me and a guy with a knife, is what happened. He got
into a fight with the other guy who had a GUN, and shot him. He
saved my life, and then told Sandra to get me out of there so I
wouldn't be in any trouble! THAT'S what happened!" - then
proceeded to start crying and blubbering again. While she was
going on, I told the rest of them what had happened - minus any
inappropriate details.

Sandra looked concerned, but pleased - as did Robyn, when I
looked down at her. Marie's expression could best be described as
something just short of hero-worship. Every time Michelle looked
at me, she just shuddered and started crying again.

A while later, the phone rang; since Sandra was the only one not
grafted to anyone else, she got up to answer it - then brought it
in to me, saying "Dale". I took it and heard him ask "Okay, what
the hell happened today, Dan? I got a call from some detective
about you killing a couple of guys at the mall. He said all he
needed was for me to tell him whether or not I knew who you were,
and to describe you. I said that I did, and did, and that seemed
to be all he needed. But I still want to know what really
happened."

So I ended up having to go through it again for him - again
leaving out inappropriate details for the benefit of Robyn, and
particularly Marie. He seemed to know what I was leaving out, and
why, and didn't say anything about it. When I was done, he was
quiet for a long time before he said "I don't know what to say,
to tell you the truth. You did a damn fine job of protecting
Michelle, and on top of that, managed to keep both Michelle and
the Bureau out of it. It wasn't strictly legal, but that's okay;
and if there's any crap about it, I'll take the blame. The thing
I can't get over, though, is that she was out there. Yeah, I know
she had a damn good disguise, but now I'm wondering if she should
have been there in the first place."

"Dale, you know that if she and Marie had to stay in the house
all the time, they'd both go bugshit. Yeah, it's a nice house,
and there's plenty of room, and all that. But they'd still be
stuck in one place, not allowed to do much of anything - and I
expect you've seen how that affects other people. It was a
calculated risk that we rarely took; this time, Lady Luck just
spit on us, instead of smiling. We could turn around and take
either one of them out another thousand times, and nobody would
give them a second look. You know it, and I know it: shit
happens."

I heard him sigh, and he said "Yeah, I know it. But I want you to
promise me that neither one of them goes out until there's a
serious change in their appearance, so nobody else tries to make
the connection!"

"I promise, Dale. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"All right, later."

I turned off the phone and gave it back to Sandra; she went to
put it back, returning with a cold beer for me - as well as one
for Lucy, and another for her and Robyn to share. Robyn lifted my
arm up and moved to the other couch to make it easier for her and
Sandra to pass the bottle back and forth. Lucy scooted back over
so she could sit up - and make it easier for her to drink her own
beer. Sandra handed the drink to Michelle, who only then seemed
to realize what it was - and quickly took a long pull from it.

She came up gasping; it must have been even stronger than I
thought it was. Her eyes watered, and she coughed a little bit,
but she finally got herself back under control - and looked a
little more at ease by the time she was done.

All of us were about halfway through our drinks when Lucy
announced "There isn't a chance in hell that I'm going to cook
tonight. If somebody else wants to, that's fine. If not, and then
somebody better get on the phone and order something - I'm
getting hungry."

That simple, defiant statement was all that was needed to break
the mood - first Robyn, and then Sandra, and then me, and finally
Michelle and Marie started laughing; a moment later, Lucy joined
us.

Robyn took another pull from `her' beer, told Sandra "Share with
Marie, if it's okay", and left. A minute later, we heard her
talking to someone on the phone. Sandra took a swallow, and then
looked at Michelle in question. Michelle didn't even hesitate -
she just reached out for it, and passed it to Marie. Marie took a
tentative sip, made a face, and then took a longer pull from it
before turning it back over to her mom, who handed it back to
Sandra. A moment later, Robyn reappeared, saying "Chinese. Half
an hour, fifty-two and change."

I didn't even put up a token fight; I just pulled my wallet out,
dug out three twenties, and handed them to her. The delivery
person would get the change for their tip.

With Robyn back in the room Sandra gave the beer back to her;
Robyn took a swallow, and then held it up toward Marie. Marie
thought a moment, and then turned loose of Michelle's leg in
favor of going over to join Robyn and Sandra on the couch. There,
the three of them took small swallows of beer as they passed the
bottle around. Michelle looked on benignly, taking an occasional,
smaller, sip of her own drink.

The food arrived on schedule. Robyn, Sandra, and Marie went to
take care of it; I heard Robyn talking with the delivery person
as I saw Sandra and Marie carrying the cartons into the kitchen,
where they were joined by Robyn. A few minutes later, all three
came out, each carrying two plates with cartons on them. When
they got in the living room, the cartons of food went on the
coffee table and the plates were distributed. We all took a
little bit of pretty much everything, and chowed down - AFTER
Sandra showed Michelle, and Robyn showed Marie, how to eat with
chopsticks. The conversation was quiet and insignificant
throughout the meal.

When we were all done eating, the youngsters all went about
cleaning things up, without prompting from anyone. When they came
back, they had more cold beer for the rest of us; Michelle was
still nursing her drink.

As we were sitting there, quietly just enjoying each other's
company, Michelle spoke up, telling me "Dan, if I had any doubt
about how serious you were about protecting me and Marie, its
long gone, now. And if I had any worry that you might not be able
to do it, that's gone, too. You settled the first part by
standing there and telling that guy that he wasn't going to get
me - period. You took care of the second part by... doing what
you did. I don't even remember seeing you move - it was like one
second, you're standing there; the next, it was over. Whatever
else happens, you've got my trust, and my confidence."

She looked at Sandra next, and said "And don't think I didn't
notice what you did, either. When it was over, I saw you had your
gun out, and were ready to use it if you had to. I saw your face,
too - and you weren't going to let them have me any more than Dan
was. I... I'm sorry I froze up like that; before, any time there
was anything physical like that going to happen, I learned to
just hold still so I didn't draw attention to myself. That, and
I've never seen anything like... that happen before, and it just
scared me so bad."

Lucy told her "Don't worry about it. It's over, and done with.
They're not going to bother you or anyone else any more. As for
Dan" - Lucy looked up at me with pride in her eyes - "well, he's
just who he is. He made you a promise, and he'll do everything in
his power to keep it. And now you know why I love him and trust
him so much - there isn't a thing in the world that would get him
to hurt me or these girls for ANY reason.

Michelle laughed quietly to herself, causing Lucy to ask "What is
it?"

Michelle just smiled and said "If Frenchy had any idea who was
watching out for me, he'd just walk into some police station and
turn himself in!"

Lucy smiled back, and we went back to just sitting there and
relaxing.

It finally got late enough that the youngsters decided they were
ready to go to bed. Lucy and I both got our usual kisses from
Robyn and Sandra - but that night, Marie decided that I needed
more than the quick peck she usually gave me; instead, the kiss
she put on my cheek let me know how grateful she was that I'd
protected her mother.

Some time later, the rest of us started yawning, too. By mutual
consent we all got up and headed upstairs for some seriously
needed sleep.

Lucy and I had undressed and gotten into bed when we heard a soft
knock at the door. I turned the light on my side of the bed on,
and told whoever it was to come in. The door opened, and Lucy and
I were both surprised to see that it was Michelle.

She moved to stand at the foot of the bed, her robe wrapped tight
around her body. She looked at Lucy, and then me, before she said
"What you did today, Dan - I don't have words for it, and I don't
know how else I can thank you or make it right with you except
this:" - and with that, her hand pulled the belt of her robe
free, letting it first open, and then with a shrug of her
shoulders, fall to the floor.

In the dim light, I could see that she was as beautiful as I'd
thought she would be: her breasts were full, standing out firmly
with only enough sag to prove that they were hers, and hers
alone. Each was tipped with a small, dark areola and nipple -
visibly erect. Below, her belly was smooth and flat; between her
thighs, there was a small, dense thicket of dark black hair. She
made no move to cover herself, inviting examination.

Lucy and I could only lay there looking at her as she calmly said
"I don't have anything else that I think you might want, so all I
can offer you is me. If you want me, I'll lay down with you and
do everything I can to make you glad you did. I expect that Lucy
keeps you more than happy, but I want you to know that I'll do
anything you want - anything - to make sure you know that I'm
properly thankful for what you done today. And I'm doing this in
front of you, Lucy, so that you know I'm not sneakin' around
behind you trying to steal your man; I don't think Dan COULD be
stole, but I just want to make sure you know that all I'm tryin'
to do is show him how grateful I am about him savin' my life -
and keeping my little girl from being an orphan. If you're not
agreeable, and then I reckon I can try to find some other way of
showin' y'all how I feel."

 From the way she stood there, the tone of her voice, and the
words she used, I knew that even a simple "yes" would have her in
my bed before I could even blink - and that she was absolutely
serious about being willing to do anything I asked of her,
without hesitation or complaint. Lucy and I looked at each other,
and I could tell that Lucy knew it, too.

I looked back to Michelle, and saw that she was patiently waiting
for either Lucy or me to give her an answer - and that she'd
accept it without question.

"Michelle, you don't have to do this. What I did today - what
Sandra did today - was done because we care about you, and Marie.
We didn't do it so that you would come in here like this; we did
it because it was the RIGHT thing to do. Nothing more, nothing
less. You're a beautiful woman, and I'm truly flattered that you
would offer yourself to me - but I can't accept. If you came in
here and said that you wanted to share my bed because you liked
the kind of man I am, I would be happy to have you join me. But
to have you here because you think you owe me something because
of what I did... well, that's just not reason enough for me. If I
took you into my bed now, I wouldn't be the kind of man I want to
be - I wouldn't be keeping the promises that I've made to myself
about how I want to be with other people. I'm sorry if I've hurt
your feelings, or done anything to upset you - but I have to be
true to myself before I can be true to anyone else. Do you
understand?"

She gave a small laugh, tinged with bitterness, before she said
"I do understand. I guess if you weren't the kind of man you are,
I wouldn't be here to offer myself to you this way. I thought you
were so different from Frenchy that I could do this and make it
right. But I forgot just how different you are from Frenchy - and
you've just reminded me. I'm sorry if my coming in here has
troubled you, or caused you any problems. I'll put my robe on,
and be leaving you alone now."

She started to bend over to retrieve her robe, but was stopped by
Lucy softly telling her "Don't be ashamed or embarrassed,
Michelle. What you want to do is fine - it's WHY you want to do
it that Dan doesn't agree with. Think about that, and when you're
ready, I'll be glad to let you borrow him - because you'll be
getting him for the right reasons."

With the end of Lucy's words, Michelle continued her motion to
pick up her robe. Standing upright again, she casually put it
around herself, and then closed it and drew the belt tight to
hold it. Looking at us, she calmly said "I'll be thanking you for
not saying anything about this where Marie might hear of it. She
might not understand, and think the wrong things about it."

I told her "You have our promise on that."

Michelle looked at Lucy and said "I'll be thinking about what he
said - and what you said, too. Good night."

Something clicked in my mind, and I threw the covers back and
stood up - naked - to walk over to where Michelle was starting
for the door. She saw me come toward her, and stopped, waiting to
see what I was going to do. I cupped her face in my hands and
tilted it up, so I could softly kiss her on the lips. When I
pulled back, I could see the surprise and hurt on her face. Still
holding her face in my hands, I looked into her eyes and told her
"I do love you, Michelle. I love you enough to NOT let this
happen now because the reason you want to do it isn't right."

With that, the tears started to silently flow down her face. I
released my hold on her, and she turned and quietly made her way
out the door. I closed it behind her, and slowly went back to lie
next to Lucy. I turned the light out again, and pulled my wife
close, holding her as both of us felt sorrow for the woman who'd
just left. Sleep did not come easily for either of us.

The next morning, Michelle was up and going when Lucy and I got
to the kitchen. She was a little `distant' from us when she let
us know that she'd make fresh cinnamon rolls, but we pretended
not to notice. By the end of the day, she was back to normal, as
far as we could tell.


A bit over a week later, Sandra and Robyn came into my office
when they got home from school. They did that every so often, so
it wasn't anything particularly unusual. What they had to tell
me, though, was.

"Dad, there's something we need to talk to you about" Robyn
informed me.

I quickly finished up the little bit of code I was working on,
saved it, and turned to look at the two of them. The words, and
tone of voice she used, made it clear that whatever it was, it
was Class A-1 Priority.

Sandra picked it up then, telling me "The last couple of weeks -
pretty much since that uh, `class' where she was asking us all
about sex and stuff, she's been asking Robyn and me questions."

"Questions about what it's like to be with another girl. Specific
questions" Robyn added.

"And they're coming more and more often. And she's started
touching us" Sandra said.

I raised and eyebrow, and she quickly explained "Oh, not, not
like that. It's just that before, she'd touch our hand or
something, but it was just for a moment, and that was it. Now,
she's touching our arms and legs - nothing sexual, yet - and
doing it longer. Then, last night, when we were going to bed, she
kissed me. Not on the cheek, like usual, but on the lips. She did
it to Robyn, too. No tongues or anything, but still..."

"We think... we think she wants to be with us - you know,
physically. She's smart, and cute, and we both love her to death;
but we're not sure what to do about it. If she really wants to,
we'd both be happy to help make her happy, and help her feel good
- but we're worried about what Michelle might say or do" Robyn
said, her concern clear on her face.

With it out in the open like that, both girls waited to hear what
I had to say, and whether there was any advice I could give them.
Honestly, I really hadn't thought that any `experimentation'
Marie got involved in would happen anytime soon, so I was nearly
as surprised by what Robyn and Sandra had told me as they
probably were to have experienced it.

I sat there and thought about it for a while, and finally came to
the conclusion that there was really only one thing that COULD be
done - and that anything else would have to come out of that.

I looked from Robyn to Sandra, and both of them perked up a bit,
clearly paying attention to what I was about to say.

"The only thing I can tell you now - until something happens,
that is - is to keep going like you are. I know that neither one
of you is doing anything to induce her into doing any of this;
but I still want to remind you that she's still pretty vulnerable
and kind of naïve. Please remember how I was with you, and try to
be the same way with her: it's up to her to make it clear what
she wants, and it's up to you two to make sure that SHE'S sure
about it. If you have to, remind her that she how scared she was
when she saw you that time, and that her mom might be worried
about her - so if she really wants to do anything with you, she
should make sure her mom knows whose idea it is, and why."

Both of them nodded their understanding, and I went on "It's good
that you came in here to talk to me and tell me about it - now I,
and Lucy, will have some time to think about it some more and
decide how we want to deal with it if Michelle says anything to
us about it. Honestly, I don't know how she's going to react. But
you two are doing the right thing: trying to keep it low-profile,
and handling the situation on as low a level as you can while you
keep it private. Until you were pretty sure what Marie was doing,
you played it cool and didn't say anything to anyone; now that
you think there's more to it, you asked for advice - quietly and
privately, and that's exactly what you should be doing. Now, it's
up to Marie - and if what you're concerned about is correct,
Michelle. Until or unless she makes an issue of it, just keep
doing what you're doing, and leave it up to Marie to make her own
decision. Okay?"

Both of them looked relieved and a bit more confident when they
thanked me, and got out of their chairs. Both came around my desk
to give me a kiss - not on the cheek, either, since no one was
around - and left. AFTER I'd given each a soft pat, and squeeze,
on the butt which earned me a happy smile.

When Lucy got home, we went through the usual `decompression'
routine. After she'd told me how her day had gone, I told her
about my conversation with Robyn and Sandra. Lucy looked
concerned, but not worried - she knew as well as I did that the
girls were easily as mature and thoughtful as anyone half again
their ages.


A few more days went by and I figured things had either evened
out, or maybe even eased off, between Marie and the girls. I
found out differently when Michelle knocked on my office door one
morning.

I invited her in, and she thoughtfully handed me a large mug of
coffee to match the one she was carrying. Then she sat down
across from me, took a sip, and said "There's something I have to
get straight with you."

 From the tone of her voice, I figured I knew what it was about -
and resigned myself to the fact that I'd been busted.

"Go ahead" I told her.

"After breakfast this morning, Marie came to me and told me that
there was something she needed to do. I asked her what it was,
and she said that she needed to find out for herself what it was
like to make love. Well, you can image what went through my mind.
She must have seen it, too, because real quick like, she told me
that she wasn't looking to be with a guy. That threw me for a
bit, until I realized that she was talking about Robyn and
Sandra. I'll be honest with you, it upset me some, at first. But
sitting there looking at Marie, I realized that she was probably
gonna do what she wanted anyway, and that I might as well let her
do it honest instead of trying to sneak around and do it behind
my back."

Each of us took a sip of coffee before she continued "I also
started to wonder whose idea it was, her wanting that. But before
I said anything, I thought it through, and realized that your two
wouldn't be doing anything to try and force her, or trick her:
she saw them that time only because she didn't follow your house
rule about doors; they'd taken some care not to be pushing it
onto anybody. I asked her about it, and she said that it had been
her idea - that she'd had to talk to Robyn and Sandra and explain
herself to them before they'd even think about letting her be
with them. That settled my mind some considerable."

"The last thing I thought about was whether or not they were
going to hurt her, or that she might decide that she didn't like
men. I thought about your girls again, and figured that since
both of them have already said they've been with a man, and
enjoyed being with him, that they weren't likely to be saying
anything to Marie to make her shy away from boys, either. Then I
thought that Marie might decide that way anyway, for herself, and
it worried me some - until I decided that if that was gonna
happen, it was best it happen now, before she tried to do
something against her nature, and get hurt by it. If it turns out
that way, I'll be sorry for her - but only because there's folks
out there that'll want to hurt her because of it. Me, she's my
daughter, and I'll always love her, no matter what elsehappens."

I took another sip of coffee and Michelle told me "The reason I
came out here is to get something straight with you, like I said.
If it hadn't been for you and Lucy and those two young ladies of
yours, I don't think I'd have been anywhere near able to handle
this as calm as I am. Maybe it wouldn't have happened if we
weren't here - but then again, maybe it would. Either way, you
and the rest, you've gotten me to thinking about things
different, and it's made me realize that there's a lot more about
being with Frenchy that I need to get myself clean of. And you've
also got me thinking that the world isn't like I thought it was,
and I need to be looking at a lot of things in a different way,
and thinking about them. What I'm telling you is that I came out
here to thank you - again. On top of keeping us safe and
protecting us and all the rest, you and your family have done me,
and especially Marie, a good turn by showing us what it's like to
be good, friendly, honest, open people. I know Marie has changed
a lot since we've been here, and it's all been for the better. I
hope I've changed some, too - and I know I'll be changing more."

With that, Michelle took a long drink from her coffee and waited
to hear what I had to say.

I thought about it a moment, and answered "You and Marie were
good people to start with - you just didn't have a chance to show
it because of living with Frenchy. I knew it, Lucy knew it, and
the girls knew it. That's why we were willing to have you here:
because we figured you were good people that had been dealt a bad
hand from a marked deck; and that staying with us and getting rid
of Frenchy would be a new deal with honest cards for you.
Anything good you say you got from us was already there; we just
maybe helped you find it a little sooner. As for anything that
happens between Marie and Robyn and Sandra, as far as I'm
concerned that's up to them. I don't ask my two what they do when
they're alone, and they don't volunteer anything. It's not that I
don't have a pretty good idea, it's just that it's their private
business. I'll only suggest that you do the same: don't ask what
Marie is or isn't doing with them; that way, you don't back her
into a corner where she either has to lie to you or tell you
something you might not want to hear. If you really think you
want to know what happens between two women, you might want to
talk to Lucy."

The surprise was clear on Michelle's face when she asked "Lucy?"

I grinned, and said "Lucy. If I'm okay with Robyn and Sandra, do
think I'd be any less so with Lucy?"

Michelle sat there a moment before asking "Since you've been
married, even?"

"Plenty of times. I knew about all of them - at least, who it was
and that they were together. Sometimes, Lucy and the other person
want to be alone; other times, they want me with them. It's their
choice."

The added shock was plain, too, as Michelle asked "You've been
with other women, too? And Lucy knows?"

"Of course. Do you really think I'd do anything like that without
her knowing about it?"

Curiosity got the better of her, and Michelle couldn't help
asking "Why does she do it?"

"I don't think I know ALL the reasons; but she's told me that she
loves me and trusts me enough to let other women `borrow' me for
a little bit; she knows that I love her more than anything else
in the world - which I do - and that she knows I wouldn't want to
be with anyone like that for the `wrong' reasons."

"Wrong reasons?"

"Wrong reasons. Reasons like doing it just for sex. Doing it
because the woman thinks she has to for some reason. Doing it
without having at least a little bit of love for her."

"You... you love the women you're with? And Lucy, too?"

"Sure. I don't love them as much - which Lucy knows - but there's
love there. Lucy knows that, too, and I think that's part of why
she approves of it: because she knows that I wouldn't give my
love to just anybody; they'd have to show that they were pretty
good people first. The people it's happened with, they've been
friends first, lovers second."

She looked at me curiously, and said "And you've let Lucy be with
other men."

"Yes - for the same reasons. I don't know how or why, but it
seems that I wind up with more women than she does men - but both
of us are okay with how it works out. You have to understand that
I love her - without question, without doubt, without fear or
jealousy. And she loves me the same way. Remember when I told
Marie about the reasons men and women marry, and how it should
work?" She nodded, and I went on "That's how Lucy and I got
married: she accepted me the way I am, and I accepted that she
was going to change. By accepting each other on those terms, it's
actually worked out the other way around: I've changed - for the
better, I'll admit - and she's hardly changed at all. Curious,
isn't it?" I finished, with a smile.

"How do you figure that happened?"

I laughed, and answered "I don't know HOW; I just know what we
did. We accepted each other - I did my best, and Lucy accepted
that. She did her best, and I accepted her. Both of us knew what
the other was doing, and that made it easier for each of us to do
things that would make the other happy. What we're doing, after a
fashion, is trading in love."

I saw the disbelief on her face and explained "Really, we are. I
offer Lucy the best I can give her, and she loves me for it. In
return, she gives me the best she can - and I love her for that.
Because both of us know that how and why the other one loves us,
both of us know that as long as we keep doing what we're doing,
the love will be there - each of us knows exactly why the other
one loves us, so neither one of us is afraid that that love is
going to go away for some reason we don't know. I love her, she
accepts it, and gives her love back - which just makes me love
her even more because she's accepting the love I'm offering. That
makes her love ME even more, and it just keeps going back and
forth and around and around, building on itself. Both of us know
how and why our love is there; and knowing that, both of us know
and trust each other completely. I KNOW that whatever Lucy does,
it's because she loves me; and she knows the same thing about me.
So when she lets me be with another woman, Lucy knows that I love
that woman at least a little bit. And because she knows how and
WHY I love, she knows that I wouldn't love that woman unless she
was a good person - just as Lucy knows SHE'S a good person. So,
if I love that woman, she's a good person. If she's a good
person, and then Lucy is willing to let me be with her because
she knows that sooner or later, she's going to meet the woman -
and like her. And she knows she'll like the woman because she
knows the woman is a good person - which she knows because I
loved the woman enough to be willing to be with her. The same
way, I know that if Lucy is willing to be with another man, HE'S
a good person - the same way, and for the same reasons.
Understand?"

Michelle just sat there, blinking at me for a full minute. I
finally heard her draw in a breath before she softly said "Dear,
sweet, Jesus! How much you must love and trust each other to do
that!"

A moment later, she looked at me intently and asked "What if one
or the other of you finds someone you can love like that, only
more?"

I gently laughed, and answered "How can that be? The love and
trust we have is already total and complete. Do you think she
would be able to share me with other women - sight unseen - if
her love and trust weren't absolute; a TOTAL love and trust? Yes,
there are other women that I love almost as much as I love Lucy -
she knows it, and accepts it because she knows that no matter how
close it might be, she's still first with me - and always will
be. She knows that because it was her that I married. She knows
me, remember - and knows that I wouldn't make a promise or
commitment to someone without standing ready to back it up - and
that the more serious the promise, the more I'm committed to
keeping it. And what promise is bigger than to swear to spend the
rest of your LIFE with someone?"

Michelle was listening closely, and hanging on every word; when I
was done, the full implications of what I'd just told her sank in
- and on the heels of that, understanding. Her face went blank
for a few seconds as her mind explored the potential of what I'd
just told her; then she got positively radiant as she said "I'll
be go-to-hell. That love and trust and all the rest of it -
that's how you're able to give so much of yourselves for other
people. You've got the whole universe to draw on, and no matter
how much of yourselves you give away, it's just a drop in the
ocean! And these good people you and Lucy meet - they get some of
this, too, don't they?"

"We try to show them it's there. If they start to see it a little
bit, we explain it to them. Almost all of them have gotten it, so
far. When that happens, they always turn out to be even better
people than they were when we met them - and they were pretty
good to start with."

Her eyes got big before she told me "Holy shit. If folks you told
this to were good anyway, I can only imagine what they must be
like now! How in the world do you find them?"

I smiled and said "Lucy and I just live our lives. People see
what we're like - and some of them respond in a way that tells us
they're good people. Because we're honest with each other - and
ourselves - we can figure out how much those people want to get
to being like us, and we get them started toward it. A couple of
them, they've gotten as close as they wanted to, started to see
the rest of it, and wanted more. The rest, they were happy with
what they found, and didn't look any farther. Either way, they're
happier with themselves and their lives than they were to start
with."

Michelle sat there for a couple of minutes before giving a small
shake and saying "I came out here to tell you that I wasn't going
to make any fuss about Marie being with your two. Now, I've got
something else to think about when I go back to the house!"

I smiled and said "Sorry."

She quickly looked at me and said "No, you don't have to be. What
you said, it's something that I'd have wanted to hear, anyway.
Still, I'll be going inside now - you've got work to do, and I
don't want to be taking up too much of your time."

When Lucy got home, I relayed the whole conversation to her, and
she just smiled.

After supper, all three girls cleared the table. When they were
done, Marie came over to where Michelle was while Sandra and
Robyn waited in the doorway.

Marie got her mother's attention, and said "I'll be upstairs in
Sandra's room, momma."

Marie looked at her closely and said "You going to be allright?"

Marie smiled and said "I'm nervous - but I'm not afraid."

Michelle hugged Marie and said "Okay. You go along now, and I'll
see you in the morning."

Marie hugged her mother back, and then went over to where Sandra
and Robyn were waiting. The three of them turned to go upstairs,
and the three of us watched as Marie reached out to hold hands
with Robyn and Sandra.

When they were out of sight, Lucy and I looked at Michelle - who
saw it, and simply said "It's all right. I know she'll be okay
with them."

There didn't seem to be anything else to be said, so I just
picked up the conversation we'd been having where we'd left off.


The next morning, Michelle was sitting with Lucy and I having
breakfast when all three girls came in to eat. There didn't seem
to be any change visible in Marie - until she got close, and we
could see the sheer joy on her face.

Michelle asked her "Are you okay, honey?"

Marie just answered "I'm fine, momma."

Looking at her, I figured she bore the same resemblance to `fine'
as a bakery did to a breadbox - but let it go without comment.
Robyn and Sandra, on the other hand, didn't look any different
than usual - something that Michelle clearly noticed, too.

When it was time for the girls to head off for school, Marie got
up to go to the door with them, and didn't make any pretense of
not kissing them - full on the lips - before they left. When they
were gone, she saw us looking at her, blushed only slightly, and
told us "I'm going upstairs to study, now" before putting her
words into action.

When she was gone, Lucy and I were looking at Michelle again -
and again, she noticed it. She smiled and said "I reckon she
found out what real loving and happiness are, last night. That
being the case, I'm not going to worry myself about it: she's
happy, and knows there's other folks that love her, too. That
ain't a bad thing, in anybody's life."

Lucy reached over to give Michelle's arm a squeeze, and we went
back to our previous conversation.


By the time a week had passed, Marie had settled down again -
mostly. The expression of sheer joy was replaced by one of
continual happiness. Her previous timidity was replaced with a
reasonable level of self-assurance. Her bashfulness was traded
out for confidence. Her gentle disposition was supplemented with
a measure of courage. She was always careful to avoid any overtly
sexual contact with Sandra or Robyn outside their room - but she
wasn't afraid to hold hands with them, or kiss them, either. In
fact, she wasn't afraid to kiss anybody in the house. It became
routine for her to kiss me on the cheek before bed AND on seeing
me at breakfast in the morning. Even the occasional hug from her
stopped being surprising.

Michelle watched all this with varying degrees and permutations
of amazement, concern, pride, worry, respect, and fear.
Throughout, though, she loved Marie - unhesitatingly, and without
question.


One morning, Robyn and Sandra joined us for breakfast before
Marie made her appearance. Neither of them said anything, though
I noticed them sharing Significant Looks. I knew something was
up.

Then Marie came into the kitchen, and I knew what it was: she'd
not only cut her hair shorter, but colored it blonde and styled
it. I about fell off my chair.

Lucy and Michelle both gasped - then Lucy looked at me, and both
of us turned to watch Michelle. As Marie came over with her
breakfast to sit at the table with us, we saw Michelle start to
cloud up, as though going to blast Marie for what she'd done. But
as the girl got closer, Michelle's predicted intentions seemed to
dissolve; by the time Marie sat down, Michelle looked much as she
usually did. A glance around told me that Sandra and Robyn - the
stylists, no doubt - were waiting for an explosion.

It didn't come.

Instead, Michelle waited a while, and then casually said "I see
you did something different with your hair, honey."

You had to be looking close to see the brief flicker in Marie's
eyes before she said "Yeah - do you like it?"

I inwardly cringed, but Michelle just said "Yes, it looks like
whoever did it did a fine job on it for you." It did, in fact.
And I didn't doubt for a minute that Michelle knew full well
whose handiwork it was. "Any reason in particular for doing it?"

Marie screwed up her courage and looked at Michelle before
answering "Well, it was a couple of things, actually. Part of it
was I just wanted to see how I'd look blonde. The other part was
thinking that it makes for a good disguise. Remember, Mutt said
that our hair was pretty memorable, so I thought if I cut it
shorter and colored it, I'd be able to start going out again -
with Dan or Lucy, or course."

Ah.

Michelle considered that for a second, and said "Yeah, I can
understand both of those. You look nice - is this something you
think you'll want to keep?"

"Oh, no. It's nice - for something different - but I think I like
my hair better the other way. When this is over, I'll probably
let it change back."

With that, she turned to me and said "Dan, when Mutt was here, he
said that if we cut our hair, he knew of a place that could use
it to make wigs for kids with cancer. Do you know where he was
talking about?"

"Not right this moment, but I can find out. Why?"

"Because I saved the hair that got cut, and I want the kids to
have it. It's not fair that they don't have any, so they should
get it."

To cover for Michelle's rapidly misting eyes, I answered "Okay,
Marie - I'll find out right after breakfast, and let you know,
okay?"

She smiled and said "Thanks, Dan" before returning to her
breakfast.

When the youngsters were gone, Lucy and I looked over at
Michelle, and saw the tears streaming down her face. I grabbed a
dishtowel and handed it to her; she smiled her thanks and started
drying the tears as she told us "When I first saw what she did, I
was ready to get all over her. But then I thought about how she's
changing, and figured I should find out WHY she did it, first.
When she told me, it made perfect sense, and I couldn't be mad at
her. It's nothing personal, but I'm starting to get a little
stir-crazy, myself. Then when she said she wanted to give her
hair to that place so they could make wigs for those kids...
well, I damn near lost it."

I got up to get us some more coffee - Lucy wasn't going in until
later, for a meeting - and heard the two of them whispering back
and forth. Not A Good Sign, for you guys out there - when two
women start whispering behind your back, it's a pretty safe bet
that whatever it is they're doing, you're in for a Surprise.
Probably a big one.

By the time I got back, they'd quieted down - but both had Who?
Me? expressions on their faces. I knew that all I could do was
hope to get a little warning before the 20-Ton Weight fell onme.

When it came time, Lucy got up and left for work - AFTER she and
Michelle shared a Look. I just went out to my office, called
Mutt, and got the name and address of the place he'd mentioned,
telling him that I'd be sending them some hair soon. He said he
was both sorry and glad to hear it - sorry because it looked so
beautiful on whoever had been wearing it, and glad that it meant
some kids would get it. I told him I felt the same way about it.

After the call was over, I went back inside and up to Marie's
room - her door was mostly open, but I still knocked first. She
told me to come in, and I saw that she was busy doing schoolwork
on the computer. I gave her the slip of paper with the name and
address of the place that did the wigs, along with the
instructions for sending it that Mutt had given me. She smiled at
me prettily, and thanked me. I assured her that it wasn't any
problem and went back to my office.

That evening, after supper, Marie asked if I could take her
shopping the next afternoon. I said  that I would. She asked
Sandra and Robyn if they would go with her; Sandra claimed too
much work for school, but Robyn agreed, saying that as soon as
they got home from school would be best. I said that was fine
with me - and noticed Lucy and Michelle share a smile.


As planned, the next afternoon had me escorting Marie and Robyn
around a shopping mall - a small one, and different than the one
where I'd had problems before; no sense going someplace where I
was likely to be remembered when the idea was to not be noticed.

Robyn and Marie had a great time - in and out of stores, going
through clothes, window-shopping, the works. Along the way, they
bought things - Marie more than Robyn - and I somehow got talked
into carrying most of the bags. It was pushing six o'clock when I
finally told them that we needed to get home for supper. Neither
fussed - at least, no more than a token effort - and we were soon
pulling into the driveway at home. I got the car parked, and the
two girls went racing into the house to show Sandra what they'd
bought. I lagged behind, and had just gotten through the door
when Lucy handed me a paper bag, saying "Here's some more hair
for the kids."

Okay, sometimes I'm kinda slow. I stood there a good five
seconds, trying to figure out where this bag of hair had come
from before looking at Lucy for the answer. She just laughed at
the expression on my face, and said "Come on out!"

Behind, her I saw someone step into the kitchen. I didn't know
who it was for a second, and then the bag of hair in my hand
tripped my memory switch. It was Michelle - minus about three
feet of luxurious black hair. In its place was a short -
shoulder-length, at most - head of auburn hair with what looked
like reddish highlights. It was simply styled, and actually
looked quite attractive on her. I looked from her to Lucy and
back again - then both of them broke into laughter, which brought
the girls in to see what was so funny. In turn, THEY were amazed
at the transformation in Michelle - and commented on how nice the
style and color looked on her.

I turned to Lucy, who just grinned at me before saying "I'm
sorry, Dan, but we just HAD to do it this way. Yesterday morning,
Michelle said that she wanted to get out of the house, too - and
that she was willing to cut her hair to do it. After I got to
work, I made an appointment for her with my hairdresser for this
afternoon. I was on my way home today even before you got the
girls to the mall; we went straight from here to the hairdresser.
They cut it - they were glad to save it after I told them about
the wig thing - colored it, and styled it, all in a little over
an hour. They rushed the job a little, but it still looks
fabulous, don't you think? Anyway, we made a quick detour to a
department store, and came back in time to get back before you
did - we only arrived about five minutes ahead of you, and
Michelle barely had time to get out of sight before the girls
came in. We had to hurry because I knew the girls would only keep
you out of the house for a couple of hours. They weren't in on
it; I just figured that they'd keep you at the mall until you
decided you all had to get back for supper."

"Well, it worked - obviously - on both counts: changing her
appearance, and surprising me with it."

Lucy laughed and answered "Yeah, I saw that."

I grinned back and said "That's okay. You've still got birthdays,
and anniversaries, and...."

I had a tendency (okay, I did it whenever I could) to come up
with `creative' ways of giving her presents, or surprising her
with an affectionate message. It invariably surprised her.
Pleased her immensely, but surprised her. One anniversary, she
had a constant stream of florists coming into her office
throughout the day, each delivering a single rose. For her
birthday, a large box was delivered with dire warnings and
instructions that only SHE was allowed to open it. She did, and a
bouquet of balloons floated out, lifting a small package that
contained the diamond earrings I'd bought for her. The Christmas
where my `under the tree' gift to her was a new bathrobe - and in
her jewelry case, unwrapped and unclaimed, a shiny new gold
necklace. The Valentine's day that I gave her a gift that was
canned - literally. I'd taken her gift to a place that could seal
it inside a tin can - along with a small bell and a couple of
pennies, so it would make `interesting' noises when shaken. Only
when she opened it did she discover the matching silk camisole
and panties.

So when I commented on the special days ahead of her, she knew
that she'd only challenged me to come up with even MORE creative
ways to surprise her. She laughed, and said "I started a fight
I'm not going to win, didn't I?"

"All things considered, is losing really so bad?"

She laughed again, hugged me, and said "Not even a little bit!"

The next evening, Lucy and I took Michelle shopping again - and
had a blast.


The following Saturday, we dared make a mass-visit to a mall -
Lucy, me, Michelle, Marie, Robyn, and Sandra. For some reason,
Lucy and Michelle took no small delight in hanging on each of my
arms, and nuzzling my ears - drawing the attention of almost
everybody above the age of puberty. We even went so far as to
have lunch at the food court - the youngsters sat at another
table, so they could pretend they weren't with the two women that
took turns hand-feeding the one guy sitting between them, and
just generally pampering him to within millimeters of his life.
Lucy, I could understand after a fashion - every so often she'd
get into some kind of `pamper Dan mercilessly' mood; she usually
exorcised them at home, not a shopping mall. Michelle's
participation, I just couldn't figure out - except that maybe she
was just having her own fun, having gotten carried away by all of
us being out together. Whatever it was, there wasn't anything to
do but let them do whatever they wanted: with Lucy, I knew if I
protested too much, she'd just go at it even more. So I gently
took the bites of food they held out for me, took sips from the
proffered drink, and tried to be as blasé about it as I could
while ignoring the looks of envy (from guys) and hatred (from
women) I got.

They finally had mercy on me and declared that they were done
shopping - mostly because I didn't have any more arms to carry
stuff, I think. We made our way back to the cars - me, Lucy, and
Michelle in one, Sandra driving the other), filled them up with
all the shopping bags, and headed home. There, I was able
(willing) to make a stand without worrying about making a scene:
I simply stated that since the stuff wasn't mine, I wasn't
carrying it any farther. Teasing and cajolery were tried, but
without effect. Michelle and Lucy were both still laughing,
though, as they carried their purchase up to their respective
rooms. The girls didn't even bother - they were to anxious to get
their stuff upstairs and start trying it on.

Supper was something of an Event: all of them had bought
something fluffy/foamy/revealing, and they all wore it to supper
- which I was obliged to cook, it being my turn. As it turned
out, the spaghetti and fixings I'd prepared seemed to somehow fit
the atmosphere of the meal.

As we ate, I carefully looked around at all of them - and
couldn't fault a one of them for their choice or taste. Lucy,
Robyn, and Sandra were familiar to me; I appreciated how good
they looked, but it was Michelle and Marie that I couldn't help
looking at the most.

Marie was wearing a little number that wasn't particularly
revealing - but it definitely made it clear that there was a
real, live girl underneath, and that she most definitely had a
very pleasant shape to her. The cut of it was such that she could
have been wearing a bra underneath it - but the small
irregularities on the front of it, about where her nipples would
be, seemed to proclaim that she wasn't.

Michelle, on the other hand, was wearing some kind of
sleeveless/strapless something or other that made her look sexy
as hell - displaying a nice measure of cleavage, and molding so
close to her skin that there was absolutely no doubt that she
wasn't wearing a bra. If the way it followed the rest of her
curves was any indication, she was without panties, as well -
there wasn't a line to be seen on her anywhere.

I made sure to compliment all of them on their outfits - drawing
happy smiles, and a couple of sultry looks, in the process.

When we'd finished eating, Robyn and Marie started to get up,
with the obvious intention of clearing the dishes. I simply told
them "Don't even think about it. You're not getting anywhere near
the kitchen or these dirty dishes in those outfits. Just sit down
and enjoy yourselves; I'll take care of it." Each of them gave me
a Look, but did as they were told.

I got the table cleared, the dishwasher loaded and started, and
the leftovers put away before I went back into the dining room
with a fresh bottle of wine. Everybody had their glass topped
off, and the conversations continued.

After a while, it was decided to adjourn to the living room - I
had a fine time watching all of them walking ahead of me. I'd
heard a radio talk show host once say that he liked the women's
movement best when it was walking ahead of him; right about then,
I had to agree with him.

The rest of the evening the six of us sat in the living room
enjoying quiet, pleasant conversation with each other as we
finished off the bottle of wine. There were enough of us, and the
evening lasted long enough, that none of felt any effects from it
- other than to enjoy its pleasant taste.

Still, it finally got late enough that we all felt the need for
some sleep. Again, the movement to upstairs and our respective
bedrooms was a group operation. Once in the hallway outside our
rooms, Sandra asked "Uncle Dan, would you unzip my dress,
please?" I agreed, and she turned around and pulled her hair to
the side to give me unencumbered access as I wondered why she
didn't just have one of the others do it, since they'd doubtless
helped each other do the zippers in the first place.

I'd no more than released the tab on Sandra's dress than Robyn
made the same request with a "Me, too?", followed,
unsurprisingly, by Marie asking for help, as well. When I'd
finished with Marie's dress, it parted slightly, and I was given
the chance to see that there was, in fact, no bra under it: from
shoulders to hips, the smooth expanse of her back was unmarred by
anything so mundane as cloth.

All three girls held their dresses to their bodies as the moved
close to give me a good-night kiss, and then disappeared into
their respective rooms.

That left me, Lucy, and Michelle standing in the hall. I wasn't
surprised when Michelle said "Since you're here anyway, Dan,
would you?" - and turned away from me in a gesture that she
wanted me to unzip her dress, as well. I looked at Lucy - whose
contribution consisted of shrugging at me - figured "what the
hell..." and did as I was asked. Michelle, too, held her dress
against her body and turned back around - where she promptly
kissed me softly on the lips, said "Thank you, Dan. Good night",
and went into her room.

Back in our own room, I happily helped Lucy with her dress - and
didn't hesitate to slip my hands inside it, and around to cup her
breasts in my hands. She leaned back against me and said "That
was nice, tonight - just sitting there and talking."

I agreed, and began softly caressing her nipples, feeling them
erect under my fingertips. She moaned softly then said "Keep that
thought - I have to get out of this dress, first" before easing
herself away (my hands were between her skin and the material,
remember). We moved apart, and started slowly undressing, each of
us watching the other. Lucy, with less on in the first place, was
naked before I was - and casually went over and pulled the
bedcovers down before slipping between the sheets. She lay there
on her side with her head propped up as she watched me finish
taking my clothes off. When I was naked, too, she gave me a
come-hither look and said "Hmmmm. I think I know what I want to
do next, tonight...."

I grinned, and made my way around to my side of the bed, and then
slipped in to lie next to her. We were kissing as she was gently
stroking my penis; I had my hand on her breast, softly stroking
it when we heard a soft knock at the door. I looked at her, and
she at me, and both of us wanted to ignore it - but it came
again, and we decided to deal with whoever it was, first, so we
wouldn't be disturbed again. Separating, I called out for whoever
it was to come in - and when the door opened, saw that it was a
very naked Michelle.

She stepped into the room, closed the door behind her, and moved
to stand at the foot of our bed, facing us. Déjà vu all over
again, I thought to myself, with a silent tip of a nonexistent
hat to Yogi Berra. Without the intermediate step of taking off a
robe, it was a pretty close match for how she'd appeared before
us the last time.

Both bedside lights were on, and we had no trouble making out the
details of her nude body as she calmly stood there looking at us
for several seconds before speaking.

"The last time I came into this room, it was to offer myself to
you for saving my life. You refused, Dan, telling me that you
couldn't do it because I was doing it for reasons that you
couldn't accept. I left here ashamed, angry, and deeply, deeply
hurt. But before I went to sleep that night, I thought about what
you'd said to me. And I realized that offering myself to you that
way, I was doing two things wrong. First, I was offering myself
to you as payment for something - in other words, exchanging sex
for another kind of service; or prostituting myself, to put it
bluntly. Viewed that way, I couldn't blame you for not wanting
me."

"The other thing I realized was that you did care for me - enough
that you were refusing something that you knew would actually
hurt me in the end: you were keeping me from having sex with you
for what I know - now - were the wrong reasons. What I wanted
then was not just to repay you for what you did for me in the
mall, I was also trying to find what I thought were the love and
companionship of a man - the kind of gentle, caring man that I
haven't been with for entirely too long."

She took a breath and said "I didn't understand, and then, how or
why you would want to protect me from myself that way when it
would have been so easy - so I thought - for you to use me and
then throw me away when you were done. But then we had that talk,
out in your office, the day I came out to tell you that I was
okay with Marie and your girls. You didn't talk to me all that
much, really; but what you said meant a lot. I've been thinking
about all you said to me that morning since then - and I've
started to understand a lot of what you told me. But the most
important thing that's happened is that I've realizedsomething."

"I've realized that you, and Lucy, and Robyn, and Sandra have all
been doing what you told me you do to people: find good ones,
show them how they can make their lives better, and help them
along. I'll admit, it took me a while; I knew you were helping
us, and I knew you were showing us how we could make our lives
better. The thing that it took a while for me to understand was
that you thought you had found good ones - that is, that you
thought Marie and I were good. Sure, you told us that plenty of
times - but I always thought that you were saying it to make us
feel better; I honestly didn't think that you meant it. You know
what made me realize that you DID mean it?" I shook my head, and
she said "A couple weeks ago, Robyn kissed you goodbye before she
left for school. You swatted her on the butt and said `You be
good, today'. She answered `I will', and went out the door. I
thought `Why is he telling her to be good? She is already!'. Then
I thought about Marie, and wondered if I needed to tell her
anything like that. Suddenly, I realized that I didn't - that she
was good, just like Robyn. When that hit me, I started wondering
if maybe, just maybe you meant it when YOU told her you thought
she was good. Remembering that talk we had, I figured you did.
That's when I knew - knew - that you meant it when you said the
same thing to ME. All of a sudden, I understood that you and Lucy
and Sandra and Robyn were telling us we were good people because
we ARE good people, and that because we were good people, the
help you were offering, and the showing us how to make our lives
better was all of you doing for us what you do for each other -
and that all of you loved us, just the way you said you told me
you love each other, Dan. And the moment I understood that, I
knew that I loved YOU - all of you - for the same reasons, and in
the same way. And that Marie was doing it, too, even if she
didn't have the words or understanding of it, she was doing it in
her heart."

She looked at us in a kind of awe before she said "Since then,
I've been paying close attention to how all of you act toward me
and Marie - and all I can see is love and trust and respect in
everything you do. You, Dan - when you talk to her about the
stars she likes so much, you listen close, and actually talk TO
her, and not AT her. It's like your whole focus is on her, and
what you and her are talking about. Lucy, when you were talking
to me about your job the other day, you were doing the same thing
with me: you explained to me about what you do and how you do it,
but you did it like you thought I would actually understand it,
not like I was some little kid where you had to use small words.
I had questions, a lot of `em, and you answered every one so that
I could understand what you were telling me. By the time you were
done, I felt like I knew what it is you do - didn't figure I
could do it, but knew what it was. The other night, I heard Marie
ask Sandra and Robyn what love was. You can damn sure bet I hung
around to listen to how they explained THAT one! And damned if
they didn't - they pretty much told her the same things you told
me that day, Dan. Different words, and they took a little longer
to explain it, using a bunch of examples, but they did it. Marie
asked them some questions, and they were able to answer her. When
they were done, she says `Oh, okay. I understand that.' I heard
her asking some questions, kind of like she was trying to see how
what they said worked, and they didn't hesitate to answer her,
telling her when they KNEW something, and when they only THOUGHT
something - like they were making sure she understood between
what was fact, and what was their opinion."

"I thought about a lot of other things, too - like how you all
left it up to Marie and me to decide whether or not we wanted to
cut our hair so we could go out again after... the mall. You
reminded us that Mutt said changing our hair was the one thing
that would change how we look, and that whether or not we did it
was going to have to be up to us. You reminded us what needed to
be done before something else could happen, and left the decision
up to us - trusting us to decide for ourselves." She laughed, and
said "Marie made her decision a little earlier than I did, and
kinda forgot to let me know, but she did what was right. All
along the way, all of you have told us what you thought the good
and bad of something was, left us to decide for ourselves, and
accepted whatever decision we made. The only time you didn't do
that was when we were trying to decide something without knowing
all the facts about it; even then, all you'd do was show us that
there were things we weren't paying enough attention to, so we
could decide better."

She took another deep breath and stood a little straighter before
she told us "So I'm here tonight to tell you that I love you -
all of you - and that if you'll let me, Lucy, I'd like to show
your man how much. And seeing how happy Marie is with Robyn and
Sandra, I reckon I'd like to find out if I can be happy like that
with another woman, too."

Lucy and I turned to look at each other, communicating without
saying a thing. Then, still without a sound, both of us got out
of bed went to stand in front of Michelle, who had backed up a
bit.

Each of us took one of her hands and Lucy told her "Now you want
to be with us for the right reason; and both of us would be happy
to have you join us." Then Lucy leaned forward, plainly intending
to kiss Michelle. Michelle didn't hesitate, and moved to meet
Lucy's lips with her own. Nor did Michelle flinch when Lucy
raised a hand to cup her breast. Their lips parted, and Lucy's
hand returned to her side. Michelle turned to face me, and I told
her "Yes, we love you. Not because of this" - gesturing to her
nude body - "but because of this" - a touch to her chest above
her heart - "and this" - my fingertip to her forehead - as I
finished "A body will eventually grow old, and wither. But a good
heart and working mind - those are things that will last a
lifetime."

Michelle nodded, and Lucy asked her "What would you like to do?
There are two of us, and just the one of you - would you like to
be with him, first, or me? Or would you like both of us to
welcome you to our family together? Remember, there is no
jealousy between us, so neither of us will be hurt or offended if
you choose just one."

Michelle looked from Lucy to me, and back again, and realized
that what Lucy was telling her was true: that whatever her
decision, both of us would accept it without question or feeling
slighted.

Finally Michelle said "Both of you, I think. I know what to do
with a man, and I think that will help keep me... steady with
you, Lucy."

Both of us smiled at her, and she smiled back as Lucy said
"That's fine, Michelle. Since you're more comfortable with a man
to start, and then why don't you go with Dan, and then."

I reached out, and Michelle confidently put her hand in mine. She
hesitated a moment, and quietly asked "Can... can I look at you,
first?" I nodded, and she let her eyes wander my body - pausing
to examine the scars before letting her eyes drop to my manhood.
Her eyes looked me over carefully before looking into my face
again - starting to blush when she realized that I knew where
she'd been looking, before realizing that it didn't matter tome.

Next, she turned to look at Lucy - and I heard her breath catch
in her throat when she did. I knew how lovely Lucy was to me; my
wife apparently had the same effect on our guest, and newfriend.

When Michelle looked at me again, I smiled, and she let me lead
her around the bed, and then guide her to lay down on it. Lucy
and I slowly got in with her, on opposite sides so that she was
between us. Each of us put a hand on one of her breasts, softly
squeezing it and letting our fingertips caress its surface as we
took turns kissing her. Soon, both nipples were hard and long,
her dark areolas puckered and begging for a mouth to consume them
as she softly panted her growing arousal.

I moved first, leaving a trail of kisses behind as my mouth
blazed a trail across her smooth flesh on the way to the breast
in my hand. My mouth finally crested the firm mound, and my lips
captured the flag of her erect nipple. My hand, displaced,
wandered across her body, teasing and caressing her soft, supple
skin, gradually making its way lower and lower, finally coming
upon the dark forest of her pubic thatch. There, it carefully
explored the soft, dense mass as my lips and mouth continued to
dance and play on the peak of her mammary.

When my fingers had mapped the range of the small dark wedge of
her pelvic thicket, they went on to do a detailed survey of what
lay beneath; drifting between her thighs, they discovered the
hot, damp cavern of her womanhood, and the fleshy gates around
it. Above my head, Michelle was softly moaning her passion -
between kisses from Lucy.

My fingertips began to detail their discoveries, including the
sensitive nubbin at the top of her cleft - and how it got hard,
casting off its cloak to show itself in response to gentle
touches and soft caresses. Between my lips and hand, her body
undulated with her increasing desires; under my tender
ministrations, the petals of her labia got longer and thicker,
the area between becoming slick with the overflow of warm oils
escaping her hot female channel.

My lips left her breast to lay claim to that which my hand had
discovered. My head moved lower on her body, my lips softly
biting at her warm skin as they traced a circuitous route along
her belly - delaying briefly to let my tongue delve into the soft
indentation that was her navel before continuing on their
journey. Above, her noises were less vocal; my ears told me that
her mouth and lips were busy with other things - such as
introducing themselves to Lucy's.

My mouth finally came across the edge of her pubic fleece, and
skirted the edge of it, tracing it's outline lower and lower. As
I got closer and closer to the steamy entrance to her vagina, her
legs parted to make room for me, and her pelvis lifted in
welcome. With such a greeting, there was nothing to do but open
my mouth and dip my tongue between the fleshy folds of her labia;
as I did, she released a deep groan of pleasure as her thighs
snapped open. My taste buds found her oils to be as delightful as
the scent of her had been to my nose. I moved to place my open
mouth over her opening, softly sucking her delectable fluids out
as my tongue wormed its way inside her as far as it could reach;
she responded with a cry of "Oh, God!" before being silenced by
Lucy's lips again.

The flavor of her was heady and full, but there was more yet to
do. I softly sucked each of her labia into my mouth, where I
gently `chewed' them with my lips. When both were full and thick
with her desire, I returned to licking at her opening, drawing
more of her juices out before lifting my head to tend to the
erect nubbin of her clitoris.

Fastening my lips around it, I began to flutter my tongue across
its surface - and felt Michelle lift her hips in response. When I
had it standing as proud and tall as I could, I changed over to
circling it with the tip of my tongue, applying varying amounts
of pressure. Michelle softly squealed her pleasure, arching her
back to make herself as available to me as she could.

With my mouth busy, my fingers elected to renew their
explorations - by going spelunking in the damp cave between her
firm thighs. First one finger made a tentative probe into the
tight confines; when that was welcomed, it went further - then
further still, until it was buried in her as far as it could go.
Michelle's response was a deep groan of pleasure, so the first
finger was joined by a second; together, they probed her depths
time and again.

It wasn't long before Michelle's increasing arousal found a peak;
with a loud cry of release, her thighs tried to clamp together as
pleasure overwhelmed her body. Her vagina clenched around my
fingers, holding them tightly in place; beneath my lips and
tongue, her clitoris suddenly got shy, and disappeared under its
hood. When her vagina relaxed a bit, I rotated my hand and curled
my fingers - applying pressure to the sensitive area at the front
of her vagina, just behind the entrance. She nearly screamed in
response as she clamped down on me even harder. When she finally
relaxed again, I straightened my fingers, and began slowly
thrusting them in and out of her in time with the spasms I could
feel going through her body. She reacted by lifting her hips and
spreading her legs again, moaning her pleasure.

When she was reduced to mild aftershocks, I gently slid my
fingers from her vagina; she shuddered slightly when they finally
pulled free. From there, I began kissing my way back up her body.
When I got as far as her bellybutton, Lucy started kissing her
way toward me; we met at Michelle's breasts, where we shared a
kiss - Lucy getting a good sample of what waited for her between
Michelle's thighs - before both of us began licking and kissing
the twin peaks of Michelle's bust. A bit later, each of us
resumed our journey - me toward Michelle's head, Lucy's target
laying the other direction.

When my lips found Michelle's she eagerly parted them so our
tongues could introduce themselves to each other. I knew that she
must be able to taste herself on my lips, but she didn't seem to
have any reaction to it. As our tongues were dancing, Michelle
released a long, deep groan of pleasure that told me Lucy had
reached her goal.

Lucy and others had told me that the way one woman pleases
another is much different than how a man does it. I resolved to
let Michelle focus on what Lucy was doing by simply contributing
to the stimulation she was receiving without getting in the way
of the sensations Lucy was generating.

When Michelle started moaning again, almost continuously, I went
about doing my part toward letting her enjoy her first experience
of having another woman pleasure her. Lifting my head, I saw that
Michelle's face and shoulders were flushed with her arousal - and
that gave me the inspiration for what I wanted to do. Lowering my
head again, I began kissing Michelle - but not on the lips.
Rather, I started at one shoulder, softly kissing and biting her
as I slowly worked my way toward her neck - detouring to her ears
for a bit, and then back down to her throat. Across that - a
longer side trip to her breasts - then on to the other ear, and
finally across the other shoulder. The entire time, Michelle's
cries of pleasure and arousal steadily increased - both in
frequency and intensity.

When I lifted my head again, I saw that the flush had not only
deepened, but expanded to include the upper slopes of her breasts
- which I quickly fastened on as my next target. I let my head
drop to her chest, where I began licking my way across her
breasts, from one nipple to the other, and then back again.
Taking as much of her nipple and breast into my mouth as I could,
and gently sucking on it in time with the slow thrusts of her
pelvis. Taking only her areola and nipple in my mouth, and
sucking on them like a newborn child. Gently biting her areolas.
Planting my mouth on random locations on her breasts, and gently
`chewing' with my lips.

The entire time I was doing that, my hand was wandering her body,
again caressing and stroking any part of her that I could reach.

I'd just raised my head to figure out what to do to her next when
she cried out her release, her eyes flying open to focus on a
point approximately three light years over my left shoulder. She
cried out again, and I turned to look down to where Lucy's face
was buried between Michelle's thighs, her eyes closed as she
focused on bringing Michelle as much pleasure as possible.

Finally, with a deep sigh, Michelle collapsed on the bed, her
eyes closed and breathing rapid and shallow. I watched as Lucy's
eyes opened. She saw me, and pulled her head from between
Michelle's legs, the lower half of her face coated with what
could only have been Michelle's juices. Lucy grinned at me
mischievously, and moved up so the two of us could kiss - and
giving me a fresh sample of Essence of Michelle in the process. I
ostentatiously smacked my lips and said "Hmmm. I think I could
learn to like that!"

Lucy laughed softly, and said "Me, too - in about a heartbeat!"

I got out of bed and went into our bathroom, returning a minute
later with a damp washcloth and hand towel. I handed the
washcloth to Lucy, who used it to wipe the rest of Michelle off
her face before handing it back in exchange for the hand towel.
While she was drying her face, I moved to begin cleaning the
overflow of juices from Michelle; the few times that I had to go
across her mons, she softly moaned and lifted her hips - amusing
Lucy and I tremendously. Next, I dried her off; when I was done,
Lucy took the cleaning supplies and put them in the laundry
hamper in the bathroom. When she returned, we went back to lying
next to Michelle, each of us with an arm across her, holding her.
After a couple minutes, her eyes opened again, and she looked
around in confusion for a bit before seeing Lucy and me. She
looked at both of us, and then broke into a big smile before
stretching hard enough that we heard joints creak. Relaxed again,
she said "God! I thought that was all a dream - that I'd died on
gone to a really sexy heaven!"

Lucy smiled and said "We're glad you liked it. Feeling better
now?"

Michelle grinned in reply and answered "WAY better!"

She looked at each of us again, and hesitantly told us "When you
first kissed me, and started touching me, I was kind of nervous.
But both of you were so gentle that I realized that I didn't have
to worry about anything. Then, when you started playing with
my..."

"Tits", I offered, "They're called tits. Boobs. Knockers.
Knobs.Your `rack'. Your..."

I was interrupted by Lucy's hand over my mouth as she and
Michelle both grinned at me.

Michelle laughed, and said "Okay, my tits; it felt good. And when
Dan started kissing one, and sucking on it... it was great. I
felt his hand, you know, between my legs, and I started to worry
a little bit - but again, he was so gentle and patient and
careful, and it started feeling so good."

She turned her head to look at me and said "When you started
kissing my belly, I liked it - until I realized where you were
going. Frenchy never did anything like that to me, and I didn't
know what you were going to do. But when you touched me with your
tongue the first time, it was so sexy, how soft you were about
it. Then, when you did it again... well, I knew I was inheaven."

She turned back to Lucy and said "I was kind of nervous with you,
too - about kissing, I mean."

Lucy smiled and said "I know."

Michelle smiled back and said "I thought so. But you kept doing
it, and I realized that I liked how you kiss. The way you kiss is
different than how Dan kisses. Not better or worse, just
different. I like how you kiss!"

Michelle suddenly turned back to me and exclaimed "That doesn't
mean I don't like how you kiss - I do!", concern on her face. I
grinned and said "I'm glad to hear that - because I want to kiss
you again." She grinned back, and I did that very thing. When we
were done, she smiled at me and said "I like that, too!" - making
Lucy laugh.

She looked at both of us before saying "After I had my..."

"Orgasm. Climax. Big `O'..." I got out before Lucy put a finger
across my lips with a smile.

"orgasm", Michelle finished with a grin "you started kissing my
belly again. Then you both started kissing my body, and met at my
tits. I knew you kissed, and wondered if you could taste me on
him, Lucy. But then both of you started sucking on my tits, and I
forgot about it - until Dan kissed me again. I could taste
something, and it took me a second to realize that it was ME. But
it didn't taste bad or anything - actually, it was kind of...
nice. I think I can understand why some guys like to do that - I
tasted kind of spicy and sweet at the same time. Anyway, I just
kept kissing him until you started using your mouth on me, Lucy.
When you did that, he started kissing my shoulders and nibbling
on my ears, and nipping at my throat, and sucking and biting my
tits and nipples and it just kept getting better and better -
until I had another orgasm. Then I guess I kind of lost it,
because I don't remember anything until I woke up just now."

Lucy grinned and told her "You did kind of lose it. While you
were gone, Dan got some things and cleaned you up" - Michelle's
hand flew between her thighs, and she blushed - "and we decided
to hold you until you were ready to come back to us."

Michelle looked at each of us and said "I had two orgasms with
you; before, all I ever had was just one, sometimes, with
Frenchy. And I had them just from you using your mouths on me."
She tilted her head to focus on me and asked "Is... is it going
to feel that good when we actually start to make love?"

Lucy reached over to tilt Michelle's head back toward her and
said "Michelle, dear, we were making love. Making love isn't just
about body parts; it's about your heart, too. But to answer the
question I think you were asking: yes, I think you'll feel just
as good when Dan's inside you. You said that sometimes you had an
orgasm when Frenchy was inside?"

Michelle nodded, and said "Back before he started getting mean to
me, yeah, sometimes. Not every time, though." She looked at me a
little shyly and said "He wasn't as big as Dan, I think; I... I
don't know if that makes any difference."

Lucy spoke up again, telling her "It doesn't really make that
much difference how big or small the man's penis is, Michelle.
What makes the difference is how interested he is in making you
happy with it." With an impish grin, Lucy added "It isn't the
size of the tool, it's the skill of the craftsman. And Dan is a
very good craftsman! Would you like to find out for yourself?"

Michelle blushed faintly, and said "I... I think I'd like that."

"I think you'll like it, too!" Lucy teased, and then added "He
isn't ready yet, though. Do you want to get him started, or
should I?"

Michelle looked a bit uncertain, and Lucy smoothed it over by
saying "Why don't I go ahead and start, and then you can take
over when you're ready."

Michelle nodded, and watched as Lucy gently nudged me onto my
back, and then leaned across Michelle's legs to take my flaccid
penis into her mouth as she cupped my balls in her hand. In just
a couple of minutes, I was nearly fully erect, my penis shiny
with Lucy's saliva. She pulled her head back so that only the
crown was past her lips, gave me a little lick, and with a soft
pop, let me pull free of her mouth.

Michelle had watched all this, and looked surprised that Lucy had
done what she had. Lucy turned to look at her, and saw the
expression on Michelle's face. Concern in her voice, Lucy asked
"What is it, Michelle? Is something wrong?"

Michelle hesitantly told us "I... I never done anything like that
to Frenchy - except after he started getting mean to me, that is.
Even then, the only thing I had to do was open my mouth, and he'd
use it like it was my... between my legs."

Hearing that, I couldn't help but start to soften again - that
Frenchy had a talent for screwing things up even when he wasn't
around!

I could see the hurt in Lucy's eyes as she told Michelle "I
understand, dear - I wouldn't be too happy if something like that
happened to me, either. But you just saw that Dan didn't do
anything like that; it was me doing things to him. If you don't
want to, or don't think you can, and then that's fine - with both
of us. But I'll bet you that it would be a lot different for you
if it YOU were the one in control, like I was. It's actually kind
of sexy for me, knowing that I can make him excited like that,
just using my mouth, and nothing else."

"Is... is he going to... squirt his stuff in my mouth? Frenchy
never did that, but he'd pull out and squirt it on my face when
he was finished."

"He won't do either one of those things if you don't want him
too, Michelle. And I'll be here to help you learn how you can
tell when he's going to squirt, so you can take your mouth off,
first. Would that be okay?"

Michelle nodded, still hesitant, and Lucy told her "Michelle,
don't do this if you don't want to. Dan and I neither one wants
you to do anything you aren't happy or comfortable with. That's
Frenchy's way, not ours."

Michelle looked at her and managed a smile before saying "I know.
I think that's why I want to try."

And that's how it came about that I became the practice dummy (no
comments, please!) while Lucy gave Michelle blowjob lessons. It
was rough going at first (at least, from my perspective - teeth
can hurt!), but Lucy's patient tutelage and my lack of response
except to the most extreme provocations (see previous comment)
had her gradually shift from hesitant to willing - and then on to
eager. By the time I was ready to blow my load, she was
enthusiastically using lips, mouth, and tongue all at the same
time, her eyes smiling. Lucy was watching me, and saw that I was
getting close; she took Michelle's hand and cupped it under my
scrotum, telling her "After you've been doing that for a bit,
you'll want to hold him like this. When you feel his balls pull
up close to his body, he's getting ready to squirt. It's up to
you if you want to take your mouth off and finish him with your
hand, or let him cum in your mouth. If you keep your mouth on
him, it feels better for him, and you can still choose whether
you want to spit it out after, or swallow it."

Michelle's eyes told Lucy and me what she thought of that last
idea, but she managed to nod to let Lucy know she'd heard.

A minute later, I knew it was going to happen. Michelle felt my
balls pull up, and quickly pulled her mouth off, but continued
sliding her hand up and down my saliva-slick erection. She hadn't
stroked me but a few times when the first shot of cum burst out
the end of my penis, landing near my chest; the following spurts
were successively milder, leaving a trail of puddles of cum that
got closer and closer to where Michelle was softly pumping my
slowly-softening member.

When all that was left was a small trickle of semen, she released
her hold on me and turned to Lucy with a big smile on her face,
saying "I did it!", her joy clear in her voice.

Lucy laughed, and answered "Yes, you sure did!"

Only then did Michelle seem to realize that there had been an
actual man associated with all of it; blushing, she turned to
look at me and gave me a shy smile as she asked "Did I do okay,
Dan?"

I grinned and said "You did fine, Michelle - didn't you get the
results you wanted?"

She blushed even darker, gave me a happy smile, and answered
"Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I?"

Then, amazed, Michelle watched as Lucy reached out to collect a
small puddle of my semen on her fingers and put it in her mouth,
smiling. Fingers clean, Lucy took them out and told her "Me, I
like the way Dan tastes. When I can, I like to keep him in my
mouth so I can have all of his juice - it makes me feel SO sexy
to know that I can make him climax like that, and that his juice
is just for me."

Michelle's expression made it clear that she wasn't convinced.
Lucy just told her "Didn't you ever get any of Frenchy's juice in
your mouth? You said that he squirted on your face."

Michelle hesitantly nodded, and said "I did, sometimes - but I
didn't like it."

Lucy asked "You didn't think you'd like using your mouth on Dan
because of how Frenchy used you; do you think maybe it would be
the same way about his cum?"

Michelle considered that for a few seconds, and then tentatively
reached out to dip a finger in a larger puddle of my semen. She
lifted it to her lips, sniffed, and then delicately touched her
tongue to it. Another second went by, and she stuck her finger in
her mouth, drawing it out a moment later, cleaned of my juices.
She collected another, larger, sample, and did it again - but
when she pulled her finger out the second time, she gave us a
half-smile and said "I guess getting to choose DOES make a
difference. Dan's stuff is kinda like custard, only a little
thinner, and a little salty. I... I guess it would be okay if he
was to squirt in my mouth, next time" - then after realizing what
she'd just said, Michelle got a worried look on her face and
asked "Is... is there gonna be a next time?"

Lucy laughed and answered "Yes, there's going to be a next time -
if you want" - and laughing again when Michelle nodded her head.

Lucy got up and went into the bathroom, reappearing a few moments
later with a damp washcloth. She started to clean me off when
Michelle said "Here, let me do it..."

Lucy smiled at me and turned the job over to Michelle - who
methodically and thoroughly cleaned me from where the first
spatter of cum was pooled, all the way down to making sure she
got all traces of semen out of my pubic hair. When she was done,
she quickly disposed of the washcloth and got back into bed with
us, taking her place between us with a broad smile on her face.

Lucy and I were both surprised when the smile left Michelle's
face, only to be replaced with a look of worry. Lucy asked "What
is it, Michelle?"

She answered with a question: "Is... is Dan done? I mean, for the
night? Or can he... you know..."

Lucy smiled in reassurance and answered "No, Dan isn't done for
the night, and yes, he'll be able to have another climax - or
even two, if we help."

Michelle looked relieved - making Lucy and I grin at each other -
and said "When me and Frenchy was first married, we'd do it two
or three or even sometimes four times in one night. But after a
while, it was just once, every couple of days. Then it was a
week, maybe, and then a couple of weeks. Finally, he didn't want
me hardly at all. I didn't know if it was me, or Frenchy, or
something else."

Lucy told her "I don't know what it was, either. I think maybe it
was just Frenchy; I know that Dan has surprised me a LOT of times
with how... enthusiastic he can be. I remember one time he gave
me and two other girls several orgasms each before he finished."

Michelle looked at her doubtfully, and Lucy just smiled and
nodded, saying "Really, he did. We were on top of him so he
didn't have to do too much of the work, and it was a special
occasion - a really special occasion! - but he did it."

Michelle turned to look at me with a mixture of awe and
anticipation on her face.

I smiled and raised an eyebrow; Michelle got the deepest blush
I'd seen in a LONG time, making Lucy laugh.

The three of us lay there in the bed as the two of them waited
for enough time to pass that I'd be able to `respond' to them
again. As we did, Lucy and I took turns telling Michelle about
some of the more intimate friends we'd made, using just first
names. Michelle was somewhat amazed that so many people were
willing to not only make love with us, but each other, as well.
As we were talking, the three of us were also casually stroking
and caressing each other; Michelle had finally reached down to
take my flaccid penis in her hand and had been gently squeezing
it; Lucy started talking about Abby, and Michelle felt me twitch
in her hand. Her head snapped around to look at me, and then she
looked back at Lucy, who asked "What?"

Michelle answered "While you were talking about Abby, I felt him.
In my hand. He..."

"He moved?" Lucy asked.

Michelle nodded, uncertain whether she was getting me in trouble
or not. Lucy smiled and said "It's okay - I know he thinks she's
special. She's one of the ones that Dan did something special
for, and that always makes men a little more possessive. She's
smart and friendly and really cute and sexy; I like her, too."

Michelle had continued her gentle, rhythmic squeezing, and felt
me slowly getting larger in her hand. She looked down as Lucy
asked "He's getting harder?"

Without even thinking about it, Michelle nodded her head, her
attention still on where her hand was wrapped around me.

Lucy quietly said "When he's hard, he'll be able to last a lot
longer this time. Go ahead and help him, if you want to."

Her focus still on my steadily growing penis, Michelle slowly
shifted around to bring her head closer to where I was filling
her hand. Without hesitation, she slowly lowered her head and
wrapped her lips around the head of my penis, softly sucking on
me as her hand began to slowly stroke my increasing length.

When I was almost completely erect, Michelle looked up at me, her
eyes twinkling in satisfaction at what she'd done for me. I
smiled back, and nodded my head to let her know that she was
doing just FINE.

Next to us, Lucy started moving as well; in a few moments, she'd
turned around so that she was lying next to Michelle, her head
even with Michelle's ass. From there, Lucy moved closer, reaching
out to nudge Michelle's legs apart to make room for her head.
Seconds later, Lucy had her face neatly tucked between Michelle's
thighs, her mouth starting to go to work on Michelle'swomanhood.

When Lucy started, Michelle softly moaned her pleasure -
something that sent a decidedly pleasant vibration through my
penis, and into my balls.

A couple more minutes went by, and I was fully erect between
Michelle's lips; the sounds of Lucy's mouth between her thighs
and the aroma of her arousal were clear in the air.

I knew that Michelle was ready - indeed, MORE than ready - by the
soft moans she was making around my penis. I reached out and
gently guided her head up until her lips pulled free of me. She
looked at me in question, and I simply told her "That's enough.
Now it's time for more."

In a split second, her expression changed from one of concern and
curiosity to eager desire. Lucy must have heard me, because she
carefully extracted her head from between Michelle's slowly
clenching thighs. Michelle let us guide her back around and up
the bed, so that she was laying parallel to where I was. I leaned
over and took a nipple between my lips and softly sucked at it
for a few moments as my hand dipped between her thighs. She
readily spread her legs for me, and my fingers found her labia
parted, and the area between them all but dripping.

I lifted my head from her breast, and looked into her face as I
slowly moved myself between her legs, holding my body over hers.
A little adjustment, and then I gently lifted her legs and draped
them over my own, which left my erect penis resting against her
mons.

Her desire was clear on her face, but there was also a trace of
fear, too - and that fear came through in her voice as she asked
me "You're going to make love to me now?"

I smiled and shook my head, answering her by saying "No,
Michelle. I'm not going to make love TO you now. Now, we're going
to make love together."

She visibly relaxed at my words, and smiled as she nodded her
head in understanding. I eased my hips back and the head of my
penis slid down the crease of her womanhood; when it brushed
across the hood of her clitoris, her eyes closed and she sucked
in a quick breath of arousal before opening her eyes to look at
me again.

The head of my penis was resting between her labia, the end of it
softly pressing against her hot, wet opening. Our eyes locked,
and I slowly began to press myself into her. Beneath me, I felt
her start to tense up, and I immediately stopped, easing back
again so that I wasn't applying any significant pressure against
her.

She was looking up at me, and I could see that there was still a
trace of fear in her eyes. I smiled down at her and said "I'm not
going to hurt you, Michelle. I want to make love with you. If I
force myself inside, that isn't love; and love is what I want to
give you. Will you trust me, and accept it?"

Hesitantly, she nodded. I leaned over far enough to be able to
kiss her on the forehead before saying "Thank you."

She managed a smile, and I raised myself up again. With another
gentle push of my hips, I pressed myself against her opening
again. I felt her tense up slightly, and stopped, waiting. A
couple seconds went by, and she realized that I wasn't going to
just bull my way into her - probably as Frenchy had done all too
many times. She relaxed, and I pressed myself forward still
again. She stayed relaxed until the head of my penis popped
through the tight ring of her opening; I felt her clamp down
again, and stopped to wait for her to calm down again - which she
did a little faster. I began to press myself into her, and as I
slowly got deeper, I felt her body begin to tighten up again. I
quickly slowed, and then stopped, what I was doing, and felt her
immediately relax. I gave it a couple of seconds, and then began
to withdraw from her. She got a look of surprise on her face when
I did; but it quickly changed into pleasure when I stopped with
just the head of my penis inside and slid forward again. That
time, I was able to get nearly half my length in her before
having to stop for her. Another slow withdrawal, and then back in
again - ending when three quarters of my manhood was inside. Back
out, and I was able to gradually bury myself in her on the last
push.

I held myself steady over her, giving her time to adjust to my
presence; from the things she'd said, I had the impression that
it had been a long time since she'd had anyone inside her like
that.

Looking down at her, I could see that she was somewhat
distracted, so I waited patiently for her to let me know when she
was ready for me to continue.

After a bit, she did - looking up, at me she said "It's been a
long time... too long, I think. And you're bigger than... him.
But I'm ready, now. Please, Dan - make love with me."

So I did.

As I slowly eased myself out of her, Michelle's eyes closed and
she moaned softly. Then, when I started to push back in again,
her eyes opened and she lifted her hips in welcome, groaning her
pleasure.

Over the next couple of minutes, I slowly increased the tempo at
which I was moving in and out of her; she responded by grabbing
my forearms and squeezing them with each penetration.

Around me, she got wetter and wetter, and her vagina gradually
relaxed around me - but she was still deliciously tight inside,
and amazingly hot. Lucy made her own contribution to things by
coming over to begin licking and sucking on Michelle's breasts,
and pulling and pinching her erect nipples - between bouts of the
two of them kissing deep and long.

Sitting as I was, on my heels, I didn't have to put forth much
effort to make love with Michelle. But the position did mean that
I was eventually subjected to a little muscle tension in the
backs of my thighs, and in my calves. As nice as it felt to
making love with Michelle, there was still some discomfort, and I
was starting to think about changing positions when she suddenly
tightened around me, crying out as she was overtaken by an
orgasm. It had come as something of a surprise to me, but I was
still able to enjoy the sight, sound, and feeling of her body
experiencing what must have been a considerable sexual release:
looking at her, saw that her head was thrown back, the tendons of
her neck drawn tight, her eyes rolled back into her head. She was
releasing a long, deep, drawn-out groan; her fingers pressed into
my forearms as her vagina repeatedly clenched around my stilled
penis. A couple of seconds went by, and she all but collapsed,
drawing a deep, shuddering breath before stiffening underneath me
again. The second period was a trifle shorter, and didn't appear
to be as strong, but it was soon followed by a third - then
fourth. She was laying there gasping when a fifth struck, and
again when the sixth overtook her. She was looking up at me,
covered with a fine sheen of sweat, panting when another shudder
ran through her - I wasn't sure if it was the final wave of her
orgasm, or `merely' an aftershock. Either way, she was clearly
too wrung out for me to continue right then. So I leaned forward
and lowered my head to kiss her, her tongue brushed my lips and
when I opened my mouth, came in to re-introduce itself to mine.

I was both happy and disappointed that it didn't take her long to
get herself back together - disappointed because kissing her and
feeling the hard pebbles of her nipples pressing into my chest
was quite pleasant; happy because it meant that I could shift my
position to relieve the first mild cramps in my legs.

I shifted my weight, and Michelle suddenly realized that I was
still inside her - and still hard. The look of amazement on her
face was priceless; next to us, I could see the amusement on
Lucy's face.

"You're... you didn't... you can..." Michelle began to say a
number of things, but wasn't able to finish any of them. Lucy,
though, understood, telling her "Yes, he's still hard - as you
can tell. No, he didn't climax. Yes, he can still make love with
you."

Michelle looked toward Lucy, who smiled and nodded her head in
affirmation. Michelle turned back to me, and I smiled before
saying "I'll be happy to keep making love with you - if we can
move to a different position. I'm about to start getting cramps
in my legs."

Michelle silently nodded - then closed her eyes and moaned softly
when I slowly eased my penis out of her. When I slipped free, she
released a disappointed groan, but quickly opened her eyes to
look at me - first my penis, and then on to my face - before
asking "What... what do I have to do?"

I grinned, and told her "You don't have to do anything. But if
you want to move to a different position, we can make love some
more."

She'd recovered enough that she was able to stick her tongue out
at me - I mimed kissing it, making her smile - before saying "No,
I mean - what should I do so we can... All I know about is like
this", the last apologetically.

I didn't notice the tone of her last statement, and replied
"That's up to you. We can stay like this, and I'll stretch my
legs out; that's called the missionary position. You can be on
top, if you want, facing either direction. If you want to turn
over, you can either lay down, or be on your hands and knees, and
I'll be behind you. Whatever you want to do that makes your part
A line up with my part B" - the last making her smile.

She thought for a moment and shyly said "I think I want to be on
my hands and knees. That's how dogs do it, and I always thought
it looked kind of... sexy."

"Doggy style, it is!" I declared.

She quickly moved to get her legs from around me, and rolled over
onto her stomach. There, she moved forward a bit, slid a leg to
my other side, and then backed up so that she was reasonably
close to me again. Looking over her shoulder at me, she grinned
in anticipation - and I could see the smoky lust in her eyes, as
well. Getting up on my knees - a relief, I admit - I paused a few
moments to look at the view she was giving me: at the vee of her
thighs, the dark cloud of her pubic thatch was split down the
middle; in the center, the pink flesh of her vagina winked at me,
around it, her soft, thick labia were well-parted, the inside
surface of each glistening with her oils.

She looked back at me in concern, and I smiled as I told her "I
was just looking at you" - and when she looked concerned, added
"You're beautiful, there." She looked doubtful, and I explained
"It's like an exotic flower, blooming just for me" - and she
smiled before wiggling her hips a little to remind me what I was
there for - as if I'd forget!

Moving close to her, my penis came to rest in the cleft of her
ass, making her gasp. I arched my hips back slightly, and pushed
myself down so that the head was wedged against her opening.
Putting a hand on one of her hips, I held myself steady as I
pushed my hips forward again - slowly pressing myself into her
hot, tight channel. With a single slow stroke, I found myself
buried in her; I could feel the deepest part of her faintly
nudging the very tip of my penis. I know that I'm only slightly
above average, so to be that far inside her, I knew that either
she was unusually small inside, or Frenchy - God curse him - was
hung like a field mouse.

Either way, it was a delightful experience to be so totally
encased by hot, wet female flesh. So I held myself inside her for
a bit, savoring the sensations being inside her were creating -
until she decided that enough savoring was enough, and began
pressing herself back against me.

Taking the hint, I put my other hand on her other hip and held
her steady as I began slowly pistoning in and out of her
wonderfully wet, tantalizingly tight vagina.

It wasn't long before I was sawing into her even more quickly
than I'd been able to before; she expressed her appreciation by
pushing back at me with every thrust, grunting in pleasure when I
bottomed out in her.

After a couple of minutes, I felt Lucy moving next to us again -
then watched as she moved to in front of Michelle, got onto her
back, and wormed her way underneath until she was able to lift
her head and start sucking on Michelle's wobbling breasts.

Michelle threw her head back and groaned, enjoying the added
stimulus for several seconds before letting her head drop to
reciprocate on Lucy's breasts. Around me, Michelle got even
wetter, telling me that she was enjoying Lucy's attentions - and
probably what she, herself, was doing, as well.

A few more minutes went by, and I felt Lucy start moving again -
and after a few seconds, knew that she was sliding herself even
farther under us. I knew when she stopped because I suddenly felt
a tongue sliding along the underside of my scrotum as it swung
back and forth in response to my thrusts into Michelle. A few
moments later, that same tongue (a reasonable assumption, I
think) began gently probing at where Michelle and I were joined.
At the touch of it, Michelle again threw her head back, crying
out in pleasure - before dropping her head again. Looking around
her body, I could see that she'd buried her face between Lucy's
thighs, and was enthusiastically tonguing Lucy's visibly wet
cleft.

It was that sight that shifted me from `this is nice' to `gonna
get off'. I continued to watch Michelle's inexperienced but
frantic licking of Lucy's labia while I felt Lucy's tongue
sliding along the underside of my penis as she (apparently)
licked Michelle's clitoris. All the while, I was sliding myself
into Michelle's tight pussy, feeling myself hit the very end of
her vagina with each inward thrust.

As I was watching and experiencing all of this, I continued
steadily pumping in and out of Michelle - and that pumping was
happening faster and faster, and I was pressing into her even
harder and harder. That seemed to suit Michelle just fine: she
started pushing back at me even harder and making even more
noises between slurps at Lucy's pussy.

Finally, there was nothing left but to take a couple of slow
strokes, and bury myself as deep as I can into Michelle's hot
twat as my nuts tried to blow out the end of my dick.

With the first shot of my jism, Michelle's head flew back again,
and she almost screamed as I felt her clamp down around me - the
entire length of her vagina was clenched around my penis, feeling
like I was on the inside of one of those Chinese finger-traps.
Only it was a hot, wet, oh-so-tight female.

At long last, there was nothing left for me to squirt into
Michelle's full-to-overflowing pussy - the mixture of our juices
had turned into a white froth that had soaked all the pubic hair
on both of us, and continued on to the insides of her thighs -
where Lucy eagerly licked them up.

Michelle started to collapse; I managed to get my arms around her
enough to support her until Lucy can get clear; then with Lucy's
help, I let her down onto the bed slowly - but I kept a hold on
her hips, lifting them to try and keep any more juices from
draining onto the bed. Along the way, my penis pulled out of her
vagina; she shuddered and made a noise of disappointment when it
happened.

I continued to hold Michelle while Lucy made a quick dash into
the bathroom, returning with a towel that she quickly tucks under
the two of us. I'm finally able to let the rest of Michelle's
weight down on the bed, and carefully move to lie next to her.
Lucy makes another trip into the bathroom, coming back with not
one but TWO damp washcloths, and a hand towel.

I reach for one of the washcloths; Lucy just shook her head `no',
and proceeded to clean my entire pelvis and groin of my and
Michelle's juices. When she was done, she quickly dried me off,
and then started on Michelle. As before, contact with Michelle's
pubic area resulted in some involuntary responses - something
that Lucy and I still found amusing. Lucy got as much as she
could with Michelle lying on her stomach; I carefully turned her
over, and Lucy went about finishing the job, and then carefully
patting the affected area (about half her body, it seemed) dry.

By the time she was done, Michelle's eyelids were starting to
flutter; Lucy quickly tossed the cloths in the hamper and came
back to slide in next to Michelle.

A minute later, Michelle's eyes opened, and just as she had the
first time, she had a little trouble making out where she was.
When she did, though, the smile and look that hit her face were
beatific - she fairly glowed in happiness and pleasure.

"Feel better?" Lucy asked, teasing.

"I... I didn't know it could be so..." Michele tried, unable to
find the words.

"Yeah", Lucy said, smiling.

"All the time I was with Frenchy, I never had anything like that
happen to me. I mean, I had orgasms, sometimes, but never
anything like THOSE. Is that what making love is supposed to feel
like?"

Lucy held Michelle's face in her hands and answered "Yes, dear -
that's what making love is supposed to feel like. Every time."

"That's nothing like what me and Frenchy used to have together.
Does actually loving someone really make that much difference?"

I tilted her head my direction, and looked into her eyes as I
asked "Don't you think so? You and me, we love each other - and
you know what happened. If you didn't have anything like that
with Frenchy, what do you think was missing?"

She looked at me and said "But I DID love him!"

I just raised an eyebrow in question; she looked at me for a few
seconds before her eyes got wide and she said "But he didn't love
me, did he? Not even in the beginning; not really."

I saw her start to get misty-eyed, and quickly told her "I think
he did love you, Michelle - as much as he could, anyway. But I
don't think that he could love you completely. Remember our talk
in my office? And what I said about how Lucy and I love and trust
each other?"

She thought a moment, and nodded. I saw her eyes start to clear
up a little, and told her "Maybe that's why Frenchy got mean with
you: he realized that he couldn't love you as much as you loved
him, and it made him bitter and scared inside. He didn't know
what else to do, so he started hurting you to try and make
himself bigger. Except that it didn't work - he still knew that
you had more on the inside than he did. He kept hurting you more
and more trying to make himself big, and it never worked -
because he always knew that you were a better person inside than
he was; he knew that YOU knew how to love, with all your heart,
and he didn't."

Michelle looked at me for a moment, and then at Lucy, who nodded
agreement with what I'd just said. Michelle looked contemplative
for a bit, and then told us "I never thought about it that way
before. At first, I thought it was something wrong about me, and
I tried so hard to figure out what it was so I could fix it.
Then, later, I just figured that it was the people he was hanging
out with that changed him - they were mean, and figured he just
kinda `caught it' from them, that it wasn't really his fault. I
finally just gave up on it - until he started talking about
Marie. Then I knew I had to do something. And what you're saying
is that it was him, and just him, all along? Why didn't I see it,
and then?"

Lucy got her attention and said "You loved him. You loved what
you saw in him. There were probably little signs, but you didn't
pay any attention to them. I'll bet if you think back, you'll see
them for what they are, now."

Both of us watched as Michelle sifted through her memories of her
life with Frenchy. After a bit, we saw her frown before she
looked at us again. Sadly, she told us "You're right. There were
signs, and I didn't pay attention. Things like he never told me
he loved me; he'd only say `me too' when I told him that I loved
him. Whenever we wanted to do different things, it was always me
givin' in to him. Him always wantin' to lay with me, even after I
told him I wanted to wait until I was married. How he didn't
hardly want to spend any time at our house, where my folks were,
but wanted us to be alone all the time."

I lifted my head to look down into Michelle's eyes, and told her
"Don't feel bad, Michelle. You were only 18, and you didn't know.
You loved him, and that was all that mattered to you; you didn't
want to let your mind get in the way of what your heart had.
There's something that almost nobody understands - or even
suspects, really."

"What's that?"

"That if your heart and your mind are both going to be happy, and
then you've got to get them working together. You can't turn your
heart loose and your mind off - you'll end up living with
Frenchy. And if you turn you mind loose, and close off your
heart, you don't have anybody. The trick, the hard part, is to
use both your heart AND your mind."

"How?"

"You know that Lucy and I love each other, and how much, right?"

She got a wistful look and answered "Of course."

"Do you know WHY we love each other that much?"

"You just DO, I guess."

"Nope. Think back to the talk we had in my office. Remember what
I said about me and Lucy trading love?"

A moment later she nodded, and I went on "That's how you use your
heart and mind at the same time. You figure out what things about
someone that you like - and what things about YOURSELF that you
like. You like them because they're honest or caring or smart or
whatever, and you like yourself because you're sincere,
affectionate, caring, or whatever. You've got to be honest with
yourself, otherwise it won't work. So once you know about
yourself, and about the other person, you can start seeing what
it is that you have that they like, and what they have that you
like - and you start giving it to each other. What you're doing
is trading with each other: you're caring, and they like that;
they're honest, and you like that. You're happy and they're
happy. Now, figure out what would happen if there was even more
to it - the better person they were, the more there was for you
to like; and the better person you were, the more there was for
THEM to like. Now, there's a whole lot of liking going on here -
and depending on what it is that each of you likes about the
other, and how much, maybe it turns into love. Oh, boy!"

She grinned at me, and I continued "Hot damn, you're in love -
and you know exactly why: remember, you kind of took inventory of
yourself and that other person. You're getting so much of this,
and so much of that, and a little bit of the other thing from
them; they're getting about this much of this, that, and the
other from you. Both of you know whether or not you're getting
enough from the other person in exchange for what you're giving
to them. Now, what do you suppose happens if one or the other of
you figures that it isn't exactly an even trade. All of a sudden,
one of you is maybe losing a little bit in the deal - so what do
you do? You try to talk it out, and see if you can't get things
evened up again. If that doesn't work, what else can you do?
Maybe you try holding back a little on some of what you've got,
to try and balance it out. That doesn't do any good, either. Now
what? The only thing left to do is not to trade with them -
because if it isn't an EVEN trade, and then somebody's going to
be happy, and someone isn't. Sounds like a lot of trouble,
doesn't it?"

She nodded, and I went on to say "Now, suppose that instead of
going through all that after the fact, you decided to be more
careful in the beginning of the process. You meet somebody, and
the two of you start swapping values back and forth - remember,
you're getting something of value to YOU from them, and they're
getting something of value to them from you. Okay, you're going
along then, and you notice that there's things they don't want to
give you - but things of yours that they want. What do you do?
Trade anyway? Hell, no! You don't want to get into all that other
mess, so what you do is let them know, nice and polite, that it
wouldn't be an even swap; and you don't want to see anybody's
feelings hurt, so you don't want to trade with them like that.
Sure, they're likely to get upset and call you names - but that's
still a whole lot better than the other, right?"

Michelle grinned, and agreed.

"Okay, there're only a couple of tricky things about this. One of
them's kinda tough; the other one's actually pretty easy. The
easy one is the trading will only last as long as the value of
what it is. By that, I mean that if all you're after is how
handsome a guy is, you're only going to love him for as long as
he IS handsome; if he gets into a car wreck or gets old and ugly,
the love goes, too. On the other hand, if you love someone for
something about their character, like how honest they are, or how
brave they are, and then the love lasts as long as they're honest
or brave."

"The tough one is this: you've got to be absolutely honest about
what it is you're trading, and you have to be absolutely
consistent about how you trade. You can't lie to yourself or
someone else and you can't just do it part time. It's everything,
all the time, or you're better off not doing it. If you're honest
and consistent about it, and then the person you're trading with
will always know where they stand with you - so if you love them
for their honesty and courage, and then they know that as long as
they're honest and courageous, you'll love them. Once you've got
that with each other, and then giving a hundred percent of
yourself gets pretty easy: you know that as long as you've got
what it is that they love about you, you've got their love. And
you know that if you start to change in a way that they wouldn't
love, and then you'll lose it, too - and that makes a powerful
reason to stay a good person; particularly if you really like
what it is they have."

Michelle lay there, blinking at me, for several long seconds.
Then she turned to look at Lucy, who just smiled at her. A bit
later, she opened her mouth to speak, closed it, waited a bit,
and then opened it again to tell us "It's not that hard of an
idea, is it?"

"As an idea, no, it's not." Lucy told her.

"But actually doing it, that's something else, isn't it?"

Lucy answered "At first, yes. But once you get started, and get a
little practice at it, it actually gets easier the more you do
it."

"And it works."

Lucy laughed, and simply gestured between herself and me before
saying "And for Robyn and Sandra, too, of course."

"Them? How? They understood what you were talking about?"

My turn to laugh before I told her "It wasn't necessary to
explain it to them. They're already living it. Lucy and I got
together when Robyn was still young enough that something like
this was a perfectly reasonable way to live - better, in fact,
because it made her life more consistent: she knew that we loved
her, and why. She didn't have to worry that we were suddenly
going to stop loving her for some reason she couldn't understand,
and she knew what kinds of behavior on her part were going to get
what results and reactions on OUR part. Her `universe' was neat
and orderly and predictable. Sandra picked it up from being with
Robyn so much; but she already had a pretty good idea of it to
begin with."

"How in the world do they handle trying to work and live with
people that aren't like you?"

"The same way we do: on our own terms. For the most part, we
don't have to spend that much time with people that don't
understand what we do. But we still watch out for those that are
close, and we try to `bring them along' when we can - kind of
leading them into being better people by setting an example for
them. For a lot of the people that we know, it works - better for
some than others, but it works. There are a couple of families
that we know that we think will understand before too long; they
were having problems and asked us how we managed to not do what
they were doing. We told them, in general terms, and let them SEE
how we do it. They saw it worked, and started doing it. They had
a little trouble at first, getting their hearts and minds tied
together, but they got the hang of it. Now they're just learning
how to do it ALL the time; and like I said, I don't think it's
going to be much longer before they do" was Lucy's reply.

"On top of that, each of them has a few friends that are learning
from them, too. Remember, there ARE people out there that are
good, and just don't know it yet - kind of like you and Marie,
when you first got here" I added.

Michelle grinned and said "And when these other people `get it',
are you going to take THEM to bed, too?"

Lucy and I both smiled before Lucy said "If they want. Remember,
it's about loving - not just the sex. The physical part of it is
a concrete example of an otherwise abstract idea."

Michelle said "You sound like you're some kind of philosopher, or
something."

"No, that's him, remember? Degree from Princeton."

Michelle said "All of this makes for an interesting conversation
- but we ARE in bed, and I DID ask you two to make love with me.
Dan and I have had a turn, so I guess it's you and me, Lucy",
grinning.

Lucy grinned back and said "That's fine with me. I've got to
admit, I was kind of surprised when you started licking me while
Dan was inside you."

Michelle blushed slightly and said "What you were doing felt good
- real good. I didn't even think about it; I just wanted to make
you feel good, too. It kinda surprised me, too. I didn't exactly
know what else to do, so I just licked you, kind of like you were
licking me."

Lucy laughed and said "You did just fine - I had a small orgasm
while you were doing it."

"A small one?"

"Yes, why?"

"After you and Dan have given me so many tonight, and they've all
been so good... I feel like you're being left out, orsomething."

Lucy smiled and said "No, I'm not being left out. You're still
here, aren't you?"

Michelle smiled in response, and moved to begin kissing my wife.
After two fairly powerful climaxes, I wasn't in any shape to
start responding to the sight of them, erotic and stimulating as
it was.

They started out by kissing each other - lip to lip. But it was
only seconds before each had their lips apart, and I knew that
their tongues were dueling in each other's mouths. It wasn't a
minute later that each had a hand on the other's breast, testing
its firmness, hefting its weight, caressing it, and rubbing a
thumb or finger across its peak.

A couple minutes more, and both sets of nipples were hard and
erect as each of them began a soft moaning, and they became more
active with each other.

It was Michelle that pulled back first, her eyes smoky with
desire as she looked at the softly panting Lucy. Softly, Michelle
said "I... I didn't know that being with another woman could be
so sexy..."

Lucy answered "We haven't even started, yet!" - and Michelle
responded by lowering her head and leaning forward to suck one of
Lucy's nipples into her mouth. Lucy put her hands on Michelle's
head while tilting her own head back in pleasure. A bit later,
Michelle switched over to the other breast, leaving the first
with an erect nipple glistening with saliva. As she tended to
Lucy's other breast, I saw Michelle's hand begin a slow journey
down Lucy's body; Lucy felt it, too, because I saw her spread her
legs in invitation to Michelle's touch - which came soon enough.

Michelle continued to switch back and forth between Lucy's
breasts as her hand repeatedly delved between Lucy's parted
thighs - and each time her fingers made an appearance, they
glistened with Lucy's juices.

Lucy's moans and exclamations steadily increased; eventually,
Michelle had mercy on her and began kissing her way down Lucy's
body. Lucy responded by spreading her legs even more, to make
room for her new lover.

Eventually, Michelle was lying between Lucy's legs, the core of
Lucy's womanhood open and exposed to her. I watched as Michelle
slowly caressed Lucy's labia, examining Lucy's vaginal entrance
closely. Finally, she lifted her head and looked at Lucy, and
then me, before saying "It does look like a flower! I never
realized!"

Having announced her discovery, Michelle quickly returned to
tending that flower, and a bit later, lowering her head and
extending her tongue to sample its nectar. I saw Lucy stiffen,
and then heard her soft groan of pleasure at what Michelle was
doing. I watched Michelle's head start moving slightly as she
tried to bring Lucy the kind of pleasure that she'd been the
recipient of; and I was privileged to listen as one woman softly
and patiently taught another the art of oral pleasure.

"Yes, like that... Oh, God... It's good when you use your lips on
my clitoris - yes, that... Oooooh... tease my lips... that's
it... it's okay, you can suck a little harder... Oh, yes... oh,
that's good, do that some more... yes, that's a good place,
too... use your tongue there - yes, like that..."

Lucy was a good and patient teacher; Michelle an enthusiastic
pupil. It wasn't long before Lucy didn't need to give directions
to Michelle - and not much longer before she couldn't have, even
if she'd wanted to.

I knew Lucy, and knew that she was getting closer and closer to
her orgasm - and watched as Michelle reached around Lucy's waist
to take hold of Lucy's breasts, and start squeezing them and
pinching her nipples.

It didn't take much of that to push Lucy over the edge; with a
deep, shuddering groan, she came - hard. I saw Michelle's eyes
widen as she was suddenly presented with a goodly amount of
Lucy's vaginal fluids - and watched as she happily licked them up
as fast as Lucy presented them.

As Lucy's climax began to taper off, Michelle responded by
slowing her actions between Lucy's thighs - but not stopping
them. After a bit, Lucy was once again a willing subject of
Michelle's wanton attentions. This time, though, Lucy wanted to
be a participant, too. She looked down at Michelle and said "Get
up on your knees, and turn around so your feet are up here."

Michelle did as she was asked - careful not to leave Lucy's mons
unattended for too long - and quickly realized what Lucy wanted;
Lucy gently guided Michelle's leg over her head, leaving
Michelle's mons and opening as exposed as her own. Michelle again
dipped her head between Lucy's thighs, even as Lucy was lifting
her head between Michelle's.

My position left me with a view of where Lucy was engaged in a
furious tongue-lashing of Michelle's clitoris and labia; that was
followed by extending her tongue and trying to see how hard she
could fuck Michelle with it. From the sound of it, though,
Michelle was matching her, lick for lick - so to speak. It was
only a couple of minutes before I heard each of them cry out as
they found their release - Michelle only slightly ahead of Lucy.
As I watched, one of them would experience a wave of pleasure,
and then catch her breath as the other was peaking. Back and
forth they went, leaving me to watch tandem orgasms. It was a
truly spectacular sight.

Lucy was first to recover enough to begin a new oral assault on
her partner's womanhood; the stimulation seemed to bring Michelle
out of her post-orgasmic fog, because she quickly began to return
the favor.

The sight of the two of them eagerly lapping at each other's
pussies - and the dense fog of pheromones and eau de femme - were
having an effect on me; I found that I was nearly fully erect,
even as a simple observer. I got to my knees and looked at them,
trying to decide which one I wanted more: my wife, or our
new-found lover. The problem - if it could be called such - was
solved for me by Michelle. She must have seen me from the corner
of her eye, because she lifted her head long enough to say "Do
Lucy... I've never seen it before, and I want to watch!"

That was all I needed, and carefully knee-walked my way between
Lucy's legs, facing Michelle. She lifted her head, and with a
happy twinkle in her eye, opened her mouth and quickly sucked
over half my length inside. Using a tongue that seemed to have
learned a LOT of tricks since the last time she'd used it on me,
coupled with a gentle suction and twisting, bobbing head movement
that almost brought tears to my eyes, she soon had me hard as a
rock.

Satisfied that I was ready (!!), she let me pop free of her lips
- then reached out to take me in her hand and guide my penis to
Lucy's open and glistening pussy as I got myself steadied.
Positioning the end of my penis between Lucy's glistening labia,
Michelle quietly told me "Do it - I want to see it!"

She continued to hold and guide me as I pressed my hips forward,
slowly loading Lucy's wet channel with my manhood. When about
half of me was inside, Michelle licked her lips and muttered
"That is so sexy! I never thought it would LOOK like that!" - her
eyes locked on where Lucy and I were joined.

In just a few moments, I was sawing in and out of Lucy's pussy as
Michelle offered a softly spoken color commentary on the action -
occasionally interrupted by her need to release some sound of
arousal or pleasure in response to Lucy's continued efforts.

Lifting my hands, I cupped Michelle's breasts, feeling their
spongy mass shift slightly as she moved in response to the
stimulus of Lucy's talented tongue. Carefully, I took her nipples
between my fingers, and began to pull at them - gently at first,
and then harder and harder as she eagerly responded to my touch.

I was surprised as hell when she suddenly lowered her head
slightly, and fastened her lips around one of MY nipples. When
she began sucking on it, it was like there was a fiery electrical
connection between my nipple and my penis; the harder and longer
she sucked, the harder and longer I became. Then, when she began
biting at it, too - well, that was entirely too much. I felt
myself rapidly approaching the point where I was going to spray
Lucy's hot pussy with my jism; even as I felt my balls begin to
tighten, Michelle released my nipple from her lips to again cry
out her release. The sensations she'd created in my nipple
continued long enough that I felt my penis swelling before the
first thick wad of my semen erupted from the end.

Even as I was washing Lucy's womb with my hot seed, I heard her
shout as she, too, fell into the abyss of climax. There we were:
the three of us all climaxing in, on, and around each other.

Michelle was the first of us to fall from the summit; only
because my hands were still filled with her delightful mammaries
was I able to support her long enough to guide her to the side so
she wouldn't cause any problems for Lucy. I wasn't far behind
her, though. Three climaxes in - I checked the clock: two hours -
was a bit much for me. Still, I managed to slide my rapidly
shrinking penis from between Lucy's labia, and scoot backward far
enough that I could get out of bed without having to worry about
collapsing on one of them.

Pulling myself together, I managed to half-stagger into the
bathroom, where I supported myself on the sink as I collected a
small stack of hand towels and several washcloths - then wetting
the latter in the sink before carefully wringing the excess water
out of them. Prepared for the aftermath, I managed to carry my
burden back to the bed and set them on the nightstand. From that
point, it was a barely-controlled collapse next to Michelle.

Some time later, I watched as Lucy was able to sit up. She looked
around and saw that I'd brought back cleaning supplies; she
crawled over us - somehow managing not to knee anyone - and
grabbed a still-damp washcloth. With it, she first wiped her face
- as much to help her get her wits back as to remove any of
Michelle's fluids, I figured - then her pelvis, where a goodly
amount of my semen was running down the inside of one thigh. With
that taken care of, she grabbed a towel and dried herself before
setting it aside in favor of another washcloth - which she
proceeded to use on me, again starting by wiping my face with it
before moving on to clean my penis. The cool water did serve to
refresh me more than I'd have expected, and I found enough energy
to sit up, using the headboard as a backrest. Lucy smiled at me,
and collected another washcloth, which she handed to me with the
question "Do you think you can clean her up a little while I get
us something to eat and drink?"

I nodded, and turned to begin wiping Michelle off as Lucy crawled
to the edge of the bed, stood up, and went out the door - leaving
it almost entirely closed behind her. As I was cleaning Michelle,
I heard Sandra's voice asking "Is everything okay in there, Uncle
Dan?"

I assured her that it was, and I heard the smile in her voice as
she said "I just thought I'd better check." I heard her softly
padding across the hall, and then the door to her room close.

I had finished cleaning Michelle, and had started drying her off
when Lucy reappeared, carrying a tray with several bottles of
club soda, one of those lemon-shaped plastic bottles full of
lemon juice, and a small stack of the granola bars the girls
favored.

She set the tray on the nightstand on her side of the bed and got
back into bed on the other side of Michelle from me. By then, I'd
finished what I was doing and had set the towel aside. Together,
Lucy and I got Michelle turned over and around - she'd been
`facing' the foot of the bed - and propped up against the
headboard.

As Lucy tried to get some fluids into Michelle, I picked up
another damp washcloth and finished the job of cleaning her off,
and then dried her. By the time I was done, she'd started to come
around.

Lucy had squirted a healthy dollop of the lemon juice into the
bottle of club soda she was trying to get Michelle to drink; we
knew Michelle was on her way back when she made a face at the
taste of the lemon.

Gradually, with Lucy and me helping each other, and both of us
helping Michelle, we got to the point where we were all generally
alive and alert. I say `generally' because Michelle seemed to
have decided that her function in life was to sit there owl-eyed,
watching Lucy and me, her head turning achingly slowly when it
moved at all. Lucy said later that Michelle most closely
resembled an infant who's just learned to sit up: everything's a
surprise, and there isn't a lot of fine motor control over the
muscles.

Whatever the problem, Lucy and I both began trying to bring life,
if not mobility, back to Michelle. Through patient instruction
and gentle cajolery, we managed to get a granola bar and bottle
of water into her, and then each of us had something to eat and
drink while we waited for Michelle to catch up with us - at
least, part of the way, anyway.

Eventually, she did. With a soft noise, she tried to reach for
another bottle of water. Lucy opened it and handed it to me; I
carefully helped Michelle drink from it while Lucy unwrapped
another granola bar. Between the two of us, we got more nutrition
and fluids into her, which seemed to help tremendously.

As we waited for the food and drink to kick in, Lucy asked me "Do
you think she's always going to be like this after making love?"

I considered the question, and finally answered "No, I don't
think so. I mean, it HAS been a long time for her, and it's not
like she's getting a lot of exercise or anything. I think it's
just a question of building her stamina up again."

Lucy thought that over, and said "You're probably right. I mean,
she's starting to come around okay, now that she's got some food
and water in her." She laughed then, and said "I wonder if
anybody has ever thought about making an after-sex nutritional
drink, like they have for athletes?"

I grinned and said "I don't know - but whoever gets it on the
market first is gonna make a bundle!"

Both of us laughed softly, until Michelle managed to speak up,
telling us "You two are entirely too alive."

I looked at Lucy and mimicked Peter Lorre by saying "The monster
lives!"

Lucy slapped at me, and leaned over to look at Michelle and ask
"Are you okay now?"

Michelle made a face and answered "'Okay' is a relative term.
Relative to being run over by a particularly large bus, yes, I'm
okay. Any more than that, no, I don't think so. What the hell did
you two DO to me?"

I looked at Lucy and observed "Her speech is better. Not so
bayou-ish."

Michelle turned to look at me and said "What we just did was good
for cleaning the cobwebs out. I expect it cleaned a LOT of things
out. But you haven't answered the question yet."

Lucy laughed and said "We just made love, is all. Why?"

"You do this to people you LOVE? What do you do to folks you
DON'T like?"

Lucy grinned and answered "Ignore them, mostly. What, don't you
feel better after that?"

Michelle managed a grin and said "Oh, I feel a WHOLE lot
different. I'm not sure `better' is the word, but definitely
different. Wore out is more what comes to mind."

I laughed and told her "We were talking about that. I figure it's
just that you haven't made love for while, and that you haven't
been getting enough exercise; you just don't have the stamina,
yet. It'll come, though."

Michelle looked at me and said "Before tonight, I NEVER made
love, EVER. Had sex, but never made love. You're probably right
about the exercise, too. Question is - will I live long enough to
get the stamina?"

Lucy and I both laughed before I answered "Oh, I think you'll
live. Look at it this way: until you do, you'll sleep like a baby
all night after making love!"

Michelle gave me a Look, which amused Lucy, who told her "You'll
be fine, I promise. Tonight was just kind of a special occasion -
your first time with us and everything. Next time, it won't be so
much - you'll see."

"You want me with you again?"

"Of course - if you want it, too" I answered.

Michelle's eyes got wet and she told us "I... I thought it was
just the one time. I didn't think that you'd want to be with me
more than the once, what with all the friends and such youhave."

Lucy told her "Oh, pooh. Don't be silly. Of course we'd want to
make love with you more than once. After all, we love you, don't
we? And if you want to, I think the rest of our friends would
like to be with you, too. They all like each other, so I'd bet
they'd like you, too."

Michelle was openly crying as she told us "I... I think I'd like
that. Being with you two again, I mean. I'm not sure yet about
the rest - this is still kinda new to me."

"Of course. Whenever you're ready, and want to" Lucy assuredher.

Michelle suddenly started and said "What about the girls? I know
I yelled kinda loud. Do you think they heard?"

Lucy and I shared a look before I told Michelle "I don't know.
Does it matter, really? You know what they've been doing, so why
should you be worried whether or not they know you've found some
happiness and pleasure too? Don't you think they'd understand?"

Michelle looked at me for a second, and then smiled and said "No,
I guess it doesn't matter - I guess they would understand about
it."

Following that, she yawned so hard we heard her jaw creak. When
she was done, she shyly grinned at us and said "I guess I'm kinda
wore out from tonight."

Lucy and I just smiled and said "That's okay. It's getting late,
and we really should be getting to sleep anyway."

Michelle started to move and said "Okay. I'll go on back to my
room now."

I put a hand on her leg to stop her and asked "Why? Don't you
want to stay here with us?"

She looked at me in amazement and answered "Yes, I do - I just
didn't figure I could, was all."

I gave her a mock-stern look and said "Anybody we make love with
is MORE than welcome to sleep in our bed. That's House Rule
number Two."

She smiled at me and said "I don't want to violate any house
rules, so I guess I'm staying here tonight." She looked around,
and asked "Where in the world did you get this bed, anyway? It's
got to be big enough to sleep six people!"

Lucy laughed and told her "It's custom-made. With all the friends
we have, we figured a big bed was a good idea. And it held eight,
once. Well, several times, but it was one occasion. Now, would
you like to take a shower with us before we go to sleep?"

Michelle suddenly realized that there wasn't any of the sticky
residue usually associated with intimate contact, and looked at
us accusingly. I just told her "Yes, we cleaned you up a little.
We love you. Now, do you want to shower with us, or not?"

She broke into a smile and told me "Yes, I'd like to shower with
you. And I love you, too."

"Good. You wash my back, and I'll wash yours."

Michelle played at giving me the Fish Eye, but couldn't keep it
up - she dissolved into laughter after telling me "I'd think you
were up to something, if you hadn't already done it!"

Lucy and I both helped her get out of bed, and kept her company -
still chuckling - into the bathroom where we shared a friendly
shower, without too much groping and fondling. Not that there
wasn't any, mind you, just that there wasn't TOO much of it.
Afterward, we all got into bed, Lucy and I bracketing Michelle.
It wasn't long before all three of us were sound asleep.


The next morning, Lucy and I both tried to get Michelle moving,
but left her alone after our efforts resulted in repeated
unintelligible complaint noises.

We were in the kitchen having breakfast with all three of the
youngsters when a disheveled and robe-clad Michelle wobbled into
the kitchen. She managed to pour herself a cup of coffee and
carry it all the way to the breakfast nook - all without spilling
any. On sitting down with us, she gave Lucy and me an Evil Look,
asking "Why didn't you wake me this morning?"

"We tried, really. But you kept making noises that sound like
complaints - and not very polite complaints, at that" Lucy
answered with a grin.

Michelle relented from glaring at us long enough to take a sip of
her coffee - quickly followed by another.

Only then did Marie ask "Are you okay, momma?"

Michelle answered "I'm fine, honey. I was just up too late last
night, and I need some more rest."

"Were you with Dan and Lucy?"

Michelle perked up a bit at that, and answered "Yes, I was, dear.
How did you know?"

"I heard you yell, and when I went to your room, you weren't
there - so I figured you might be with them, instead, so I didn't
worry about it."

"You weren't worried about me being with Lucy and Dan? Why not?"

"Because I figured if you were with them, and then they were
making you feel good, like Robyn and Sandra do with me - except
different because of Dan, of course."

"And you don't mind?"

"Of course not, momma. I know you weren't very happy when we were
with Daddy, so if being with Lucy and Dan makes you feel good,
and you want to be with them, why would it bother me? You deserve
to be happy, too!"

"Thank you, dear. Yes, I was with Dan and Lucy, and they made me
feel very good, and I was very happy."

On hearing that, Robyn and Sandra shared a smile and a Look that
Michelle didn't see - though Lucy and I did.

Marie replied "I'm glad, momma. I hope you're with them some
more, so you're happy, too."

"I'm glad you're glad, dear. And I think I will be with them
again."

"Okay."

That seemed to settle things for Marie, and Michelle just turned
to look at Lucy and me, clearly surprised at how easily her
daughter had accepted her time in our bed.

Lucy just smiled and quietly told her "See? When you live it, you
don't HAVE to explain things to them."

Michelle just nodded, and went back to her coffee - which she
seemed to need very badly.

After a while, Robyn and Sandra got up and went upstairs so they
could finish getting ready for school. When they came back
downstairs, kisses were passed around and they left for school,
with Marie going upstairs to start her own `school day'. That
left us three adults sitting in the breakfast nook. Michelle was
looking like she might have a pulse by that time, and with a
mischievous gleam in her eye, Lucy got up and moved to stand next
to her. Without a word, Lucy eased Michelle upright, guided her
over to where I was - and then went about getting her seated on
my lap, straddling my legs and facing me.

"Good morning" I told her, smiling.

She looked a bit uncertain, but answered "Good morning to you,
too."

"Did you sleep well last night?"

She gave me a Look and answered "You know damn well I did!"

"Any regrets?"

Without hesitation, she smiled and said "Not a one."

"Good" I told her, before leaning forward to give her a
good-morning kiss. She accepted it, and then began to return it.
In just a couple of seconds, we were touching tongues again; and
she didn't flinch when I slipped my hands inside her robe and up
to cup her breasts, my thumbs brushing across her nipples,
feeling them erect in response.

When our lips finally parted, Michelle pulled back slightly and
looked at me for a moment before saying "Now that's the way to
wake up in the morning - but I think we better stop in case Marie
has to come down for anything. She's okay with my being in your
bed in another room; I don't know how she'd react to see you
playing with my tits at the breakfast table!"

I grinned, and slid my hands down to her hips; she started to
stand up again, but I held her for a moment so I could lean
forward and softly suck on each of her nipples for a few seconds
- making her gasp in pleasure. When both stood out, I released my
hold on her, and she got to her feet.

With a feigned Angry Look, she made a show of pulling her robe
closed and re-tying the belt to hold it in place. I responded by
pretending to be heartbroken, and on the verge of tears. She
couldn't help but start laughing, and gently slapped my arm
before saying "You!"

I enthusiastically nodded my head, and agreed "Me!", as if
verifying who I was in response to her declaration. She laughed
again, shook her head, and went back to where she was sitting -
after pausing to give Lucy a kiss, and getting another quick
fondle in return.

When she was seated again, she suddenly seemed to realize that
there was still food on the table - and promptly went about
correcting that small oversight. Lucy and I watched in amusement
as she demolished the rest of the toast, all but inhaled several
strips of bacon, tore through a small pile of hash browns, and
washed the whole thing down with another couple cups of coffee.
Only when she was done did she seem to realize that all she'd
done for the last few minutes was eat - and with an embarrassed
note to her voice told us "I was hungry..."

Lucy responded by saying "I kinda noticed" before the two of us
started laughing - and after a moment, Michelle joined in with
us. In short order, all three of us had tears streaming down our
faces.

We'd barely managed to get ourselves under control when Lucy
glanced at the clock and regretfully told us "I have got to get
going - by the time I get my makeup fixed, I'm going to be late
anyway!"

She got up, kissed both of us, and hurried upstairs; she returned
a few minutes later, issued another round of kisses, and rushed
out the door.

Michelle and I sat there for a few minutes drinking our coffee
before she looked at me and said "Now that I know how to look, I
can see just how much you two love each other - and those girls
of yours. And I know how lucky Marie and I were that we took you
up on your offer to let us stay here: she's SO much happier and
all that than I ever saw her while we were with Frenchy; and I
can look back and see how much I'VE changed, too. I guess God or
whoever put us here so as to try and make up for all the time
Frenchy had us. I can only hope that Marie and me, we find
ourselves a guy that's willing to love us the way you love Lucy,
and let us love him back the same way."

"I think you will, both of you. You, Michelle - you know what you
want, and as long as you don't settle for anything less, you'll
get it. It might take a while, but the good things never happen
quick. As for Marie, by the time she gets to marrying age, I
think she'll have been living like this long enough that she
won't even have to think about it - she'll just know what the
guys are like, and only accept one that'll treat her right."

"You think so?" Michelle's voice held no small measure of hope.

"Yeah, I do. In fact, I'd be willing to bet on it happening just
that way."

Michelle looked visibly relieved, and a couple minutes later said
"Well, it's getting to be late, and I think I'd better get
dressed and get moving."

"You don't have to do that on my account", I told her, adding "In
fact, if you wanted to just lay around naked, that would suit me
just fine!"

She laughed and asked "And what would Lucy say if I did that?"

"Tell me to save her some, probably" I responded, making Michelle
laugh even harder.

Michelle finished her coffee, deposited the cup in the
dishwasher, and went upstairs. I cleaned the table off and got
the dishwasher started before going out to my office.


Over the next couple of weeks, Michelle found herself sharing a
bed with Lucy and/or me several times - usually every two or
three days. As we figured, she did develop more stamina, and was
able to recover from some fairly powerful orgasms much sooner
than she had that first night with us. She also relaxed enough
that she was willing to `play' with us - pressing her butt back
at me when I patted it, giving one of Lucy's tits a gentle
squeeze in passing, and so on. The change in her, from the day
she arrived until then, was simply amazing. Even Dale commented
on it during one of his brief visits. I simply attributed it to
her finally feeling safe and secure. He didn't seem entirely
sure, but accepted my explanation.

He also let us know that he and the rest of the people on the
Frenchy `squad' had almost gotten everything into place - almost
all the players were covered, and they were close to having
something like a schedule and pattern to everyone's movements. He
tried to apologize to Michelle for how long it was taking; she
just looked at him and said "You take the time you need.
Frenchy's a mean and slippery one; if you don't get him the first
time, you won't get a second try."

 From the updates we (I) got from Dale over the phone, we knew he
was just a short time from making his move against Frenchy when
Sandra and Robyn came into my office after getting home from
school one afternoon.

I quickly gave them my full attention, and Robyn started things
off by telling me "Dad, I think Marie wants to ask you and Mom
and Michelle something."

"What's that?"

Sandra answered "We don't know, but we think it's something about
her virginity."

I raised an eyebrow, and Robyn said "The last couple of weeks, it
seems like she's asked us about what it was like for us a lot,
and saying things like she wished it could be like that for her,
too."

Sandra added "She hasn't come right out and said anything,
but..."

I nodded and asked "So why are you telling me this now?"

"Because we think she wants to talk to you and Mom and Michelle"
Robyn answered, adding "Soon, we think, and we wanted you to know
first, so you could all talk to each other before."

"Thank you for telling me. I'll get together with her mom and
Lucy, and we'll see what we can figure out."

Both girls got up then, and gave me a kiss - and not the kind we
usually reserved for when company was around, either. I knew that
both of them missed being able to spend time with me and Lucy -
and truth be told, Lucy and I missed them, too.

When they were gone, I started thinking about how to bring this
up with Michelle; Lucy would be able to understand both sides of
it, and would probably be able to help me - a LOT, I figured.

When Lucy got home, I went up with her for our usual
`decompression' time; when it was over, I let her know about my
talk with Robyn and Sandra. Lucy seemed to understand, as I'd
thought she would, and said that we should probably talk to
Michelle that night, after everyone went to bed - assuming that
Marie didn't make her move first.

Fortunately, she didn't, and Lucy and I were able to let Michelle
know that we expected her to join us that night. When bedtime
came around, she casually came into our bedroom with us, just as
Marie did with Robyn and Sandra.

With all of us naked, and Lucy and I bracketing Michelle, I
finally got up the nerve to let Michelle know that we needed to
talk - and that it was about Marie. That got her attention, and
we spent the next half hour telling her about what we thought
Marie might have on her mind, and why. To say that Michelle was
surprised would have been an understatement; stunned would have
been closer, but still insufficient.

Michelle finally got her mind around the idea that Michelle was
consciously thinking about changing her virginal status, and
started talking to Lucy and me - mostly Lucy, for obvious reasons
- about what she could do, and what the possible options were. It
finally got down to the point where we figured that there really
wasn't much that could BE done; all we could do was wait to see
if that was really what she had in mind, and if so, who she was
looking at - and try to make sure that she'd really thought it
through, and was really ready for it.

After that conversation, none of us really felt like making love;
by mutual consensus, we all just spooned together and turned out
the lights - and pretended we were going to fall asleep any time
soon.


The next few days, all three of us discretely watched Marie like
group of hawks eyeballing a particularly tasty mouse. If she
noticed, she didn't say or do anything to indicate it.

Finally, at supper one night, she calmly asked if she could talk
to the three of us after supper - alone, she said apologetically
to Robyn and Sandra. They both nodded and smiled to let her know
that they weren't offended.

When we'd finished eating, Robyn and Sandra got the table cleared
and made a quick but controlled exit to their room.

As the four of us sat there in the dining room, the tension was
thick enough you could have sliced it, wrapped it, and sold it
off.

Finally, Michelle took the bull by the horns and asked "What was
it you wanted to talk to us about, honey?"

After a bit of hesitation, Marie told us "There's something that
I've been thinking about for a couple of weeks, now - almost a
month, actually."

"What's that, dear?"

"I've been thinking about how nice it is to be with Sandra and
Robyn, and I've asked them if being with a guy is as nice as
being with them. They both said that they were two different
things - that being with a girl was like having cake, and that
being with a guy was like having ice cream: they're both nice and
fun, just different. I thought about that for a long time, and I
really like being with them. But I think maybe I want to try
being with a guy, too."

Lucy asked "You think maybe?"

Marie blushed slightly and said "I mean I know I do. Like I said,
I thought about it a long time. I know that I'm a virgin, and
that if I'm with a guy I won't be afterwards. And I know that if
I do... that, and then I can't go back to being a virgin when
it's over, either. I know that you might think I'm still too
young, but I found out on the Internet that I'm about the same
age that most girls are when they do that the first time."

"So why are you telling me this, Marie?" Michelle asked.

"Because I want you to know that I don't want to do this without
knowing about it first, and there's something I need your help
with."

"Okay, I'll accept that you really thought this through, and
you're sure you want it to happen. But what could you need MY
help with?" Michelle asked.

"Because I want it to happen with someone that I know will be
nice to me, and not hurt me. I know I'll be nervous, and even a
little scared, and I want him to be somebody that I can trust not
to hurt me or make it happen too fast. I know who I want to do
it, but I don't know if he would or not, so I need you to help me
convince him that this is really what I want, and that I'm ready
for it."

Michelle asked "Who is you want, honey?"

"Dan."

Hearing her say my name, my heart dropped. Even though I'd been
the one to deflower both Robyn and Sandra, I'd still made sure
that both of them were ready and understood the consequences. The
thing was, with them, it had still been done privately and
quietly; Marie had just announced to the whole world what she
wanted to do, and who she wanted to do it WITH. All three of us
adults sat there looking at her for several long seconds.

It was Lucy that got things rolling again by telling Marie "This
is something pretty important, you know. Would you let us talk
about it first, before we give you an answer?"

"I know it is, Lucy - that's why I wanted all of you together
when I asked. And I know that you'll want to figure out whether
or not you'll agree to it, so I don't mind waiting."

The three of us excused ourselves and made our way up to Lucy's
and my bedroom. Once inside, and with the door closed, I
emphatically told them "I'll tell you right now - I'm not going
to express ANY opinion about this; it's for Michelle to work out,
not me."

Michelle stared at me and asked "Why won't you say anything?"

"Because if I say I'm willing, you might think I'm just trying to
jump her bones. If I say I'm not, you might think that I don't
love her and care for her. So I'm just going to shut up and
listen and let YOU decide; she's your daughter, so you've got the
biggest say in this."

Lucy gave a wry laugh and said "You're dead wrong, Dan. If she's
anything like I was at that age, SHE'S got the biggest say in it.
All anybody else gets to decide is HOW she says it."

Michelle looked at Lucy in question, and Lucy explained "If she's
told `yes', and then you've got some influence over who and when.
If you say `no', and then she may well do it anyway, without your
guidance. Either way, I think it's a safe bet that it's going to
happen, sooner or later."

Michelle nodded her understanding, and sat on the edge of the
bed, obviously considering what to do. Lucy sat next to her and
took Michelle's hand, saying "It's your decision, Michelle - but
I'll be happy to answer any questions or let you know what I
think, if that's what you want."

Michelle nodded, and continued to think about what to do. I took
a seat on a chair, and waited. Over the next half hour, Michelle
did ask Lucy a few questions, and solicited Lucy's opinion on
some things. Finally, better than 45 minutes after we sat down,
Michelle looked at Lucy and me and said "I've thought it through,
and decided what to tell her."

Lucy and I both looked at her expectantly, and she said "This is
probably the hardest decision I've ever made - except for leaving
Frenchy. Like Lucy said, if I tell her no, she might up and do it
anyway with somebody I wouldn't like. But if I tell her yes, and
then she might understand it as something I wouldn't say."

She sighed and told us "There's a few things that I'm sure about.
I'm sure that she really did think about this, long and hard,
before coming to us with it. I'm sure that she really understands
what it is she's asking, and knows what's going to happen after.
I'm sure that I want it to go right for her, so she doesn't have
the kinds of fear and not knowing I had at her age - and after.
I'm sure that I'm going to be worried about her, whatever happens
with her." With a look at me, Michelle added "I'm sure that if
she was with Dan, that he'd be as gentle and patient and
understanding with her as she'd ever need or want."

To both of us she said "God's honest truth, I wish she'd waited -
like till after I was dead. But that ain't gonna happen; she's
ready and wanting it to happen NOW. I know that if Dan said yes,
it wouldn't be because he just wanted to lay with her; he's
nowhere near being like Frenchy. And I know that if Dan said no,
it wouldn't be because he didn't love her and care for her; I
just have to watch him with her to know he does. I know she's had
a fair chunk of lovin' from those girls of yours, and I know how
happy it's made her; and I think that if she was to be with
someone like Dan for the first time, she'd be able to find that
kind of happiness with men, too - a lot more and a lot sooner
than I ever did."

Taking a deep breath, she said "What I'm saying is that I've
thought on it hard, and know what I want to tell her. I want to
tell her it's fine by me, and that I'm proud of her and love her.
But I can't do that until something else is settled, first."

Michelle looked right at me and asked "Dan, would you kindly be
the one to show my daughter what it's like to make love with a
man for the first time? She wants it, and I'm telling you that
I'd be right happy about it if you'd do that for her."

I looked to Lucy, sitting next to her, and saw that Lucy was
looking at me with love and trust and compassion in her eyes.
With only the most minute nod of her head, she let me know that
she thought it would be the right thing to do for Marie.

Even with the approval - even encouragement - from both of them,
I still had to make the final decision; a decision that I'd have
been just as happy had been made by someone else. When I'd
deflowered Robyn, and then Sandra, I'd been in love with them in
a way that was still more physical than emotional and
intellectual. I wasn't particularly happy about it, but that was
the way it had been. I'd changed since then, though - living with
Lucy and the two of them as I did, I'd come to realize that what
I'd done with them had been not entirely proper. Sure, I'd made
both of them think it over, and given each of them multiple
chances to change their minds; but in the end, it had been an
older man taking some small advantage of a couple of much
younger, very inexperienced girls.

What Marie - and Michelle - were asking was something entirely
different: they were asking me to consciously, deliberately go
about the task of separating a fifteen-year-old girl from her
virginity. And not only that, but do so in a way that would leave
her at least satisfied - if not pleased - enough with the event
so as to leave her capable of enjoying further sexual encounters
with men.

As much as I loved Marie, and wanted to see to it that she was
taken care of and had a happy and joyous life, what I was being
asked to do was still a major request. What if I screwed up? What
if I did or said something that frightened or hurt her? Thinking
about it, I realized that the penalties for failure - and the
rewards of success - were equally great.

Looking into Michelle's eyes, I told her "I just don't know. I'm
afraid that I'll do something to hurt or scare her."

Michelle gave me a confident smile and answered "Nobody's asking
you to make it perfect Dan. And I think - no, I know - that me
and Marie both know you'll make it as easy and good for her as it
can be. Me and her, we both know you love her, and how much.
Neither one of us doubts for a minute, a second, that if anybody
can make it right for her, it's you. Both of us TRUST you, Dan.
And if not you, and then who?"

And that last question was what decided it for me. Indeed - if
not me, who? I knew that if I was `it', that I'd be as patient
and gentle as she needed. Did I dare trust that anyone else would
be, too?

Finally, I gave Michelle my answer: "I'll do it."

She and Lucy both looked relieved - and pleased.

Michelle told me "Thank you, Dan - for BOTH of us. I think we'd
better go down and tell her; she's probably getting pretty
nervous by now."

All three of us stood up and went back to the dining room - where
it didn't look as though Marie had moved so much as a muscle.
Still, looking close, it was possible to see that she was, as
Michelle had predicted, getting pretty nervous.

We all sat down and Marie turned to her mother, who told her "We
talked about it some, but Lucy and Dan both told me that since
you're my daughter, it was really up to me. I thought about it
hard, honey. I love you - you're my little girl, and you always
will be."

I could see in Marie's face that she was expecting an unhappy
answer.

Michelle must have seen it, too, because she quickly said "But I
also know that you're growing up. Faster than I like sometimes,
but that's what being a mother is all about. I talked to Lucy and
Dan, and he agreed that he was willing to do that for you."

Marie's face went from despair to delight in about zero seconds
flat. She quickly turned to face me, and I smiled and nodded to
her, making her light up even more.

Michelle got her attention back by asking "Marie, honey. Have you
thought about how? I mean, do you need or want anybody else there
to kind of help you out?"

Marie smiled and said "I thought about that, momma. At first, I
thought that I might be too afraid and would need somebody to
kind of hold my hand. But then I thought about Dan, and I
realized that I didn't have to be afraid - I know that he
wouldn't do anything to hurt me on purpose, and that if it did
hurt, and then it would be a lot less with him than anyone else.
So I decided that I wanted it to be extra special - just me and
him."

Michelle smiled and told her "That's fine, honey. Me and Lucy, we
know he'd be like that, too. Did you have anything else in mind?
A time or a place?"

Marie blushed slightly and said "I was kinda hoping... that it
could be just me and him, like for a whole day, so we didn't have
to hurry or anything. And I was thinking that my room would be
good - that way, nobody else has to move out or anything."

Michelle just patted Marie's hand and said "Then that's how
you'll do it, honey. What time were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that maybe Friday night" - two days hence -
"would be a good. Then when our time was up, we would still have
Saturday night and all of Sunday to kind of celebrate."

I could see that Michelle was a little surprised at the idea of
celebrating the defloration of her daughter, but she quickly
realized that that was exactly how Marie thought of it: as a good
thing worth celebrating, not a bad one to be lamented.

Michelle told her "That sounds just perfect - and that's how
we'll do it."

Marie looked inordinately pleased, and Lucy told her "Now that
that's all settled, how about if you go on upstairs so we can get
this all worked out?"

Marie nodded happily, and all but floated out of the room.

When she was gone, Michelle looked at us and said "Did I just
hear my daughter ask to spend an entire day making love with
Dan?"

I grinned and said "Sounds like she takes after her mother!" -
making Michelle blush. Since the first time with us, she'd
demonstrated a healthy appetite for making love.

We spent a little time working out the logistics of the
situation; it didn't take long, since all of us were dedicated to
making things as special for Marie as we could.


The next two days, Marie had to be pried off the ceiling. Robyn
and Sandra had learned what was up, of course, and proceeded to
get Marie as primed and prepared as they could: hair done,
manicure, pedicure, primping and preening - Marie was the willing
target of all manner of help and assistance from them.

Lucy watched all of this with clear delight; even Michelle seemed
to find it amusing - even if it WAS her daughter that was the
target of all the madness.

Finally, it was time.

Friday, Lucy and Michelle teamed up to make supper - beef
stroganoff and the rest. It was filling, but not heavy -
something I think they planned, so as to keep Marie and I from
feeling logy later.

After supper, Robyn and Sandra quickly got the table cleared and
brought in a bottle of wine, which they gave to me to open. I
knew that all of them were trying to make it as special as they
could for Marie, and I willingly went along with it. The wine was
poured, and I was surprised slightly when Michelle made the toast
"To Marie!" - both pleasing and embarrassing her.

We all lifted our glasses and had a sip. Lucy got Marie's
attention, and told her "Marie, tonight's a special night for
you, and there's something special I want you to know."

Marie looked at her expectantly, and Lucy told her "Remember that
night you asked all of us questions? And I told you what it was
like for me the first time?" Marie nodded, and Lucy continued
"What I didn't tell you then was that ever since Dan and I have
been making love, I've wished that HE could have been my first.
He's so gentle, so patient, so caring that you don't have to
worry about anything, okay?"

Marie nodded, and then Michelle spoke up.

"Marie, honey, I want to tell you something, too. You know that
me and Lucy and Dan have been making love together. What I want
to tell you is something that you already know, but I want to
remind you of: Dan isn't Frenchy. Dan is kind and loving and
understanding. You shouldn't be afraid that he's going to hurt
you - because he won't. You shouldn't be afraid that anything you
do will bother him - he loves you, and it won't. You shouldn't be
afraid to talk to him and tell him what you're feeling - because
he'll understand. Marie, I want you to know that if I could do it
over again, I'd want my first time to be with Dan. So when you're
with him, you tell him what you feel, and what you need - and
he'll make it as special as you could ever want."

Marie solemnly nodded her understanding, and Michelle just smiled
back at her.

Sandra broke the serious mood by announcing "Well, if Marie is
going to get to start making love with Uncle Dan, I guess that
means that Robyn and I are going to have to start making other
plans." Then she turned to Robyn and asked "You want to go out on
a date tomorrow night?"

Marie blushed slightly as Lucy and Michelle and I all laughed.

We'd all gone through about half the wine in our glasses when
Marie quietly got up and came around to where I was sitting. I
turned to look at her and asked "You want to go now, dumpling?"

She smiled and nodded, and after I stood up, she took my hand.
The rest of them saw, of course, but didn't pay any special
attention; they seemed to know that to do so would only embarrass
her unnecessarily.

Together, the two of us went upstairs. Outside her bedroom, we
stopped and waited. After a moment, she realized that I was
waiting for her to open the door to her room. She gave me a shy
smile, and did - then the two of us walked into her room. I
looked around and saw that she'd continued the decorating that
Sandra and Robyn had started - there were a few more posters of
guys, and some of various space photos. I also noticed that there
was a small stack of hand towels on her dresser, ready for
whatever use someone may have had for them. Her bed was made, but
the bedcovers were turned down.

The rest of her room was immaculate - knowing how Robyn's and
Sandra's rooms usually looked, I suspected that its current
condition was as special as the occasion.

I sat down in the chair in her room and gently guided her onto my
lap. Putting my arms around her loosely, I looked into her eyes
and told her "Marie, I'm here because you asked for me. It's up
to YOU to decide what we do, and when we do it. If you want, I'll
be happy to stay up here with you until tomorrow night, and not
have us do anything - you can tell them anything you want, and I
won't talk against it. Anything that happens between us is
private - it's just for you and me; I will NEVER tell anyone
about what happens here."

She nodded, and I went on "We're here because you want to learn
how to make love with a man. You're a virgin, and you don't want
to be one any more. That's your choice, and I respect it. But
because you've never been with a man, that means that there are
things you don't know, or aren't sure about. I want you to know
that you don't have to be ashamed or embarrassed or anything like
that; I know that you don't know, and I'm not going to think
anything bad about you if you have a question, or want to say
something to me. The only `silly' question is the one you don't
ask, okay?"

She smiled, and I told her "I'm here for YOU. Don't worry about
me - the whole reason I'm here is because I want YOU to be happy,
and feel good. There are a lot of things that a man and woman can
do while making love; and if YOU want to, I can help you learn
some of them. Maybe there are things that you've heard of, and
you want to find out about them. That's fine, I'll be happy to do
that with you. But the same way, if I start to do something you
DON'T like, you have to tell me that, too. We can take as much
time as we need, so don't feel like you have to hurry about
anything. The door is closed, so nobody will bother us until YOU
open it again. You understand?"

She nodded her head and told me "Yes, Dan, I understand."

I smiled back and asked "Good. Now, what do you want to do?"

She grinned, and said "I want us to be naked."

Though surprised, I simply asked her "Okay. How do you want to do
that?"

She didn't hesitate before telling me "I want to take your
clothes off, and let you take mine off."

Apparently, she'd thought this a LOT farther through than any of
us had guessed. Either that, or she'd gotten a lot more input
from Sandra and Robyn than I'd have expected.

I smiled and nodded in response to her remark, and she slid off
my lap and took a step back, waiting for me to stand up.

I did, and after I slipped the holster with my pistol and spare
magazines off my pants at the small of my back and set them on
the top of the computer desk. Marie watched carefully, since
she'd gotten instructions from everyone in the house that she
wasn't to even touch any pistol she might see. When my hands were
at my side again, she carefully stepped forward and began
unfastening the buttons on my shirt. When she got to the bottom,
she carefully pulled it out of my pants and got the rest of them
undone, too. That accomplished, she slowly opened it, revealing
my chest and stomach - and when she had a full, unimpeded view, I
heard her moan softly. Apparently without realizing it, she
released her hold on my shirt and moved her hands to my chest -
slowly running her hands across it, feeling the muscle and bone
beneath; then it was on to my belly. I worked out regularly, so I
was in fairly decent shape. I didn't have the `six-pack abs' some
of the younger guys at the gym did; but then, I was in my late
40's and carried some scars that they'd never earn, so I figured
it worked out okay.

When she'd had her fill of checking me out, she gave a little
shudder, and reached up to pull my shirt off my shoulders. When
it was free, she carefully laid it across the back of the chair
I'd been sitting on. Next, she reached for the buckle on my
pants, her hands trembling slightly. She fumbled with the clasp
for a moment, paused to take a deep breath, and got it on her
second try. Then it was time for the button at the waist of my
pants; I pulled my belly in a little bit - she looked up at me
and smiled - and she had that undone in short order. She
hesitated slightly when she reached for the tab of my zipper, but
got hold of it and pulled it down in a single, sure motion.

With another deep breath, she put her hands at my waist and slid
her fingers under the waistband of my pants. A moment's
hesitation and she began to kneel down, sliding my pants down my
legs as she did. When they cleared my shorts, I heard a soft gasp
as she got her first look at the bulge in my shorts.

She kept enough presence of mind, though, to continue sliding my
pants down my legs - only then realizing that I still had my
shoes on: something that would make it difficult to get my pants
off. She covered it well, releasing my pants long enough to untie
my shoes and slip them off, and then my pants legs, as I lifted
each foot in turn.

My pants soon found themselves keeping my shirt company on the
chair - leaving me standing there in just my under shorts as she
knelt before me.

She reached up to slide her hands underneath the waistband of my
shorts and slowly lowered them - lowering her head, as well. When
they were pooled around my ankles, she carefully slipped them
free, as she'd done with my pants. Then, almost reverently, she
lifted her head to look at what it was that she'd claimed to
want: my manhood - and softly sucked in a breath at seeing it.

She started to reach up to touch me, hesitated, started to move
again, and stopped. I saw her look up at me, uncertainty on her
face. I smiled and gently asked "You want to touch?"

She nodded, slowly, and I told her "Go ahead, and then, if you
want."

Her eyes lowered again as her hands rose up, not stopping until
she had laid them on my thighs, alongside my penis and scrotum.
Then she slowly turned her hands, sliding them underneath me
until she held my balls and penis in her cupped hands.

She tilted her head forward slightly, to give herself a little
closer look at what it was that she had asked for. She tilted her
head a few times to either side, and gently moved her hands as
though hefting me.

Finally, she gently let my slip between her hands and come to
rest at my normal position.

She looked up into my eyes and saw only acceptance of her.
Smiling, she slowly stood up as our eyes remained locked.

When she was again standing tall in front of me, she quietly told
me "Now it's your turn, Dan."

I stepped toward her and cupped her face in my hands before
leaning forward to place a small, soft kiss on her forehead. When
I straightened again, I could see in her eyes how happy that
small gesture had made her, and how deeply it had moved her.

I slowly slid my hands from her face to her shoulders, where I
paused a moment before letting them slide down and together so
that they met at the collar of the blouse she was wearing.
Gently, I began to unfasten buttons, slowly working my way down
the front of her blouse. As she'd done, I carefully pulled it
loose from the skirt she was wearing to finish the job.

I put my hands on the sides of her neck and softly stroked her
jaw line with my thumbs before moving my hands down to take the
edges of her blouse in them. I carefully peeled her blouse from
her shoulders, and then down her arms and off her body -
revealing that she was wearing a very sheer, very sexy black bra.
Her blouse was left to keep company with my shirt and pants.

I stepped behind her and rested my hands on her shoulders before
leaning over to give her a soft kiss on her ear, and getting a
soft sigh in response. I slid my hands down her bare arms, and
then around to where the clasp on her bra was. Many years of
practice paid of then, because I was able to unfasten it quickly
and easily. To my mild surprise and great delight, her bra didn't
immediately fall forward; her breasts were large and firm enough
that they easily held it in place. I slid my hands up her back so
my thumbs could gently push the straps off her shoulders, and
then back down again so that my hands ran the span of her back
and around to her sides. I let the tension build for a moment,
and then carefully slid my hands under the material of her bra
and moved them around her body so that I was cupping her breasts
from behind while the lacy cups of the bra covered my hands. At
the first touch of my hands on her firm young breasts, Marie
gasped and tilted her head back to rest against my chest. Then,
when I ran my thumbs across her small, hard nipples, she moaned
softly and tried to press her chest forward to increase the
contact.

My fingers mapped the surface of her smooth mammaries, tracing
their curves, memorizing their heft and texture, softly testing
their soft surface. Only when I was sure that I would never
forget the feel of her did I let my hands release the warm mounds
of her bust to slide her bra down, and then off, her arms -
leaving her torso bare, delighting my eyes; the lacy material of
the bra was left piled on the seat of the chair where her blouse
and my clothes lay.

Next, I slid my hands to her waist, holding her softly as I
kissed a path from the point of one shoulder to the other,
delaying at the back of her neck to allow my nose the chance to
take in the pleasant scent of her hair. With a final kiss to the
top of her head, I let my hands glide to where the snap of her
skirt awaited. It resisted only momentarily; then my fingers took
hold of the tab that would release her skirt from the graceful
curve of her hips. I lowered the zipper of her skirt slowly,
letting the rasping of it add to the delicious tension I was
creating between us. Too soon, it was at the lower limit of its
range; shortly after that, there was a puddle of material at her
feet.

Looking down, I saw that she had on a pair of panties that were a
clear match for the absent bra - and wore nothing else from the
hips down. I carefully kneeled behind her, kissing the vertebra
of her back along the way, causing her to tremble slightly under
my touch.

Once on my knees, I gently cupped the lovely orbs of her ass
cheeks through the thin material of her panties, and marveled at
how soft they were to the touch, and how firm they were
underneath.

My hands traced the soft curve of her hips around to the front of
her body; she gasped slightly when my fingers dipped below the
top of her panties. I slid my hands back around to her sides, and
then carefully eased the thin material of her panties down her
legs - kissing the top of the cleft between her ass cheeks when
it was revealed to me. When her panties were bunched around her
ankles, I put one hand on her waist to steady her as she
gracefully stepped out of her clothes, and her shoes when I held
them for her. Her skirt was tossed over to join her blouse, the
panties went with her bra.

Standing with her back to me, she was a sight to behold: smooth,
tawny flesh without a blemish or mark flawing it anywhere. From
the tips of her toes to the bottom of her ass, her legs were
gracefully curved, smooth, and muscular. Above them, her
heart-shaped ass was a treasure to behold; above that, the curve
of her hips flowed smoothly into her waist, and then back out
again to frame a smooth, graceful back that turned into delicate
shoulder. Set on those was a graceful, slender neck that simply
begged to be kissed - and if the truth be told, gently bitten.

My hands slid back up the outsides of her legs until they were
again resting on her hips. A gentle pressure[s1], and she easily
turned to face me, the dark wedge of her pubic hair falling under
my gaze. Again, I leaned forward - and placed my lips at the very
edge of that dark mass of hair. At the touch of my lips on her
belly, Marie again drew in a sharp breath, releasing it slowly as
I began to kiss my way back up her body.

When I got to her belly-button - an unconscionably cute `innie' -
I paused long enough to dip my tongue into it, and felt her
shudder slightly in response before continuing my journey up her
body.

On reaching the level of her breasts, I was faced with a
difficult choice: Left? Or Right?

I found my own solution: Both.

With an erratic - and erotic! - figure-8 pattern, I managed to
kiss almost every square inch of her marvelous breasts; what I
didn't get then was simply left for later. Under my lips, her
dark nipples grew even longer and harder; the areolas, only
slightly larger than the nipples themselves, puckered in
sympathy. With the peaks of both breasts faintly glistening with
my saliva, it was time to finish the journey.

Up her chest to her throat. Along that to her ear, whose lobe was
subjected to a brief but gentle nibbling. Then it was back around
to her face, where I softly put my lips to hers.

When I stepped back from her, I saw that her eyes were closed,
and listened to her soft panting.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes to look at me - and in
them I could see a trace of nervousness. But more than that, I
saw love, and trust, and most of all - desire.

Stepping forward, Marie took me by the hand and led me over to
the bed, where she indicated that I should sit down. I did, and
she unashamedly moved to sit on my lap, straddling my legs as she
faced me. She scooted close and pulled my arms around her waist.
With her warm firm ass on my legs and the softness of her pubic
hair gently brushing against my lower belly, I felt myself begin
to get hard - hard enough that I could feel myself slightly
pressing against her lower mons.

I knew she could feel it, too - she wiggled her cute little butt
in my lap and smiled at me before telling me "There are a lot of
things that I want to know about guys, and making love. I learned
a lot when momma was looking things up on the internet with me,
but seeing drawings and pictures and such isn't like real life.
And when I talked to Robyn and Sandra, each of them told me how
much she liked being with her guy, and now nice it felt for her
to be with him, and make love... and I knew that I wanted that
feeling, too. So when I started thinking about it, I decided that
I wanted it to happen with somebody that I knew I could trust,
and that would be nice to me - and the best person I could think
of for that was you. I didn't think that we were going to be here
very much longer, so that was when I decided that I had to say
something about what I wanted. And I wanted it to be tonight - or
tomorrow - because I don't start my period again until Tuesday,
and I didn't want you to have to worry about getting me pregnant,
or using a condom. You understand, don't you?"

Put to me that way, and under those conditions, there wasn't
anything for me to do but tell her "Of course I do, Marie."

She gave me a beatific smile and said "I'm glad. As long as momma
and I have been here, I've gotten to watch you and Lucy and Robyn
and Sandra, and I can see that all of you love each other very
much." She paused to give me a shy grin before saying "At first,
I was really kind of afraid of you - you're bigger than daddy,
and you always have your gun with you. But when I saw you were
always so nice to us... I decided that you were a lot nicer than
I thought. I think momma got mad at you a couple of times, but
you never got mad back at her. You just stayed so calm and
patient with us, and it made me feel SO much better. Momma
doesn't know, but sometimes, I used to hear daddy yelling at her,
and calling her names and things. And I saw him hurt her a lot of
times; he even hurt me once when I tried to help her. She never
said anything, but I know momma was really afraid of him, and I
think maybe she was even afraid of all men. So when she wasn't
afraid to be with you - and Lucy - I knew that you must be a nice
man. And that's why I want to be with you, too, so I can learn
about making love with a man - a gentle man."

I pulled her close and gave her a hug, which she happily returned
- hearing about life with Frenchy from her perspective just made
me despise him all the more.

We slowly released each other, and Marie looked up at me and
asked "Are we going to start, now?"

I smiled and said "If that's what you want."

She nodded, and I asked "What do you want to do first, then?"

She grinned and said "All I ever got to see on the internet was
drawings of what men have. So I want to find out what you're
really like."

I grinned back and said "That's fine with me. What do you want me
to do?"

She hesitated a moment before asking "Can you... can you just lay
down, on your back, so I can look?"

"Of course I can."

"And can I... touch you?"

"It's up to you, Marie. You look and touch as much as you want;
if you do anything to hurt me" - I saw the expression on her face
at that idea - "by accident, then I'll let you know, okay? As
long as you're even a LITTLE bit careful, chances are that that's
not going to happen; I'm just letting you know so you don't have
to worry."

She nodded solemnly; then grinned at me again when my penis
twitched against her mons at the idea of having her playing with
it. She scooted back - the muscles of her ass felt great - and
finally stood up so that I could move. I pivoted and lay down on
her bed, then scooted myself to the side a bit so that I was more
in the center. When she saw that I was ready, she casually
climbed up onto the bed, and made straight for my pelvis.

The first few minutes, she just looked at me - from the top, the
bottom, the sides, even end-on. Eventually, she carefully reached
her hand out and delicately grasped my penis just behind the
glans. She looked up at me hesitantly, and I smiled to let her
know that she wasn't hurting me. She smiled back, and started
gently exploring my manhood - how firm it was (not very, just
then), how flexible (quite), how big around, how long, and so on.
For some reason, that I was circumcised seemed to fascinate and
trouble her at the same time - something that didn't prevent her
from taking some small delight in my foreskin, however.

The feeling of her soft, warm hand was starting to have a little
bit of an impact on me: I could feel myself starting to get a
little firmer in her hand when she abandoned my penis in favor of
my scrotum and testicles. Again, she was very careful, and I
spoke only to tell her that they were particularly sensitive to
pressure; she nodded her understanding, and continued her exam.

Finally, her exploration of the male anatomy was done, and she
moved toward my head a bit before laying down next to me on her
side, so she could hold her head up with one arm and look down at
me.

The first words out of her mouth did wonders for my ego: "Are all
men as big as you?"

I smiled and said "Pretty much - I'm only a little bit above
averages size; there are some that are smaller, and some that are
bigger." The idea that there was a penis larger than mine seemed
to amaze her.

"Is... is it like that when you make love?"

"No, dear. Before a man can put it inside a woman, it has to be
harder than that. When it gets hard, it also gets bigger." THAT
idea left her speechless for a few moments.

"It... it really fits? Inside a woman, I mean? I checked, and I'm
small inside; if I try to put two fingers inside, it hurts a
little." On the heels of that statement, she realized what she'd
just told me and blushed slightly. I smiled and told her "Its
okay, Marie. Everybody touches themselves like that when they're
young - and even when they're older. It's called masturbation, or
playing with yourself, and it's nothing to be ashamed of; like I
said, everyone does it. I'd be surprised if you didn't try to
find out how big you are inside."

Reassured that she wasn't any different than anyone else, she
asked "So it fits?"

"Yes, dear. A woman can stretch inside so that any man can fit
inside her. After all, a baby comes out that way, and it's a LOT
larger than a penis. Besides, if they go nice and easy - like
we're going to do! - then she has plenty of time to adjust to it,
so it doesn't hurt her."

She considered that for a few moments, and nodded heracceptance.

"So how does the man's sperm get inside? All the stuff I read
says that he puts it there, but they didn't say HOW - just that
he had to be inside her. Is it like you pee or something?"

"'Or something'", I replied, and continued "I told you that a man
has to be hard to be inside the woman. Well, when he's inside, he
has to move in her to kind of tickle his penis. When he's tickled
it enough, he squirts his sperm in her. It comes out the same
hole, but it's not pee."

"Does a man HAVE to be inside a woman for that to happen?"

"No, he doesn't. If he's hard and his penis is tickled anyway,
then he'll squirt his sperm anyway."

She thought that over for a moment, then looked at me and asked
"Can... can I make you do that? I... I want to make your penis
hard, and see what it looks like when you squirt like that."

Hmmm. Should I let a naked, cute, nubile young sixteen-year-old
give me a hand-job..... decisions, decisions....

"Yes, Marie, you can do that, if you want to. That's why I'm
here, so you can learn about making love."

Delighted, she quickly got into a sitting position and reached
out to take my flaccid penis in her hand. Holding it, she looked
at me and asked "How... how do I do it?"

Surprised at the question, I had one of my own: "Didn't Robyn and
Sandra talk to you about this?"

She gave me a shy smile and said "They said they would, but I
told them I wanted to hear it from you, instead."

Ah. This is already too easy, why not add a little more pressure
and raise the expectations to make it a little more
`challenging'?

"How do you do it when you're with Robyn or Sandra?"

She started to get upset before she realized that I wasn't asking
for any gory technical details; after a moment, she said "I use
my hands, and my mouth. That works on guys, too?"

I smiled and answered "Yes, it works on guys, too - maybe even
better than it does on girls, since we usually get sexually
excited faster and easier than you do." She thought that over for
a few moments before turning to look at my penis as she gave it a
small, experimental stroke.

It wasn't much, but it was a start. In a few sentences, I gave
her a brief tutorial on how to use her hand to get a guy hard;
she easily caught on, and was soon sliding her hand up and down
my penis as it got harder and harder - something that seemed to
both delight and amuse her.

I was at full hardness and enjoying my role as tutor when she
asked "If I used my mouth, would it happen sooner? Like it does
with Sandra and Robyn?" She didn't seem to have even realized
what she'd just told me - either that, or she simply didn'tcare.

"Yes, it would, dear."

"How do I... You're not the same as them."

Obviously.

"You can just lick it, or if you want to, you can put it in your
mouth." She made a face at that idea, and I told her "Before you
decide that's gross, remember that when you and the others are
together, your mouths go where you have your periods, too."

 From her expression, I could see that she was thinking that one
over. Finally, she asked "What if it's in my mouth when you
squirt?"

"I'll tell you before that happens. Then you can decide if you
want to let that happen or not. Some women like the taste of it,
and some don't. You'll have to decide for yourself."

She considered it, and apparently decided she could trust me:
lowering her head, she opened her mouth and wrapped her lips
around my penis, just behind the glans. She looked at me, and I
said "That's fine, Marie", encouraging her, then added "Now there
are different things you can do: you can suck on it - gently! -
or you can take more of it into your mouth. You can use your
tongue to kind of lick and tickle the underside of it, and you
can kind of twist your head while you use your mouth like you
were using your hand. If you want to, you can even use your hand
like you were before AND your mouth, or use your hand to play
with my testicles. If you want, you can do a little bit of all
those things at different times and in different ways. It's all
up to you, and how much pleasure you want to give the man. The
only other thing I can tell you is that it helps make it easier
for both of you if you use a little bit of your saliva to kind of
lubricate things."

She nodded and tried to smile around my penis; I smiled back and
watched as she started trying to learn how to do the different
things I'd just told her about. Only once did I have to caution
her about teeth; after that, I was more than happy to be the
learning tool (pun intended!) for her education on fellatio. It
didn't take her long to get the hang of the different things she
could do, so most of her time was spent learning how to mix them
together in different ways - and repeating them when she got a
positive response from me. She didn't have much in the way of
technique, of course, but she MORE than made up for it in
enthusiasm and willingness to experiment.

Between the sensations of her eager mouth as it was wrapped
around my penis, and the sight of her head slowly bobbing up and
down on it, I found myself moving closer and closer to my
release. At great personal sacrifice, I tried to put it off so
that she could have more time to practice her new lessons, but
there was only so much I could do. Finally, there came the point
where I knew the inevitable was going to happen, and I told her
"Marie! I'm going to do it!"

She bobbed her head again, and then let me slip from her lips.
She gave me a couple more strokes with her hand, and it was time:
the first wad of cum erupted from the end of my penis to fly
nearly straight up into the air, only to come down just above my
navel. Marie tilted my penis slightly, and the second shot arced
to land a little higher on my body than the first. The third hit
below my belly-button, the rest traveled progressively shorter
distances, until the last bit of it simply erupted from the end
to begin coating Marie's hand where it was still wrapped around
me.

With the first shot, her eyes had widened in amazement, and she
continued to watch, fascinated, as the rest of my climax
occurred. Only when she realized it was over did she give my
penis a couple of slow strokes - as much to get a feel for how
slippery my cum was as to finish me off, I suspect. When she felt
me beginning to shrink in her hand, she released me and lifted
her hand to her face to examine the deposit I'd made on it. She
looked closely, slid her thumb and forefinger together to test
its texture, and then lifted her hand up so she could test to see
if there was any aroma.

Looking at me, she hesitantly stuck her tongue out to find out
what the taste of it might be like. When she pulled her tongue
back in, she crinkled her nose, thought a moment, and went about
cleaning my juices off her hand.

Only then did she seem to remember that there were puddles of
semen on my belly, too. She quickly moved to grab a small towel
off the dresser - her breasts moving quite fetchingly - and came
back to wipe it up. When she was done, she carefully set the
towel aside and moved to lie on her side and snuggle up to me
again, asking "I did it okay?"

I gave her a small hug and answered "You did just fine, Marie.
That was very nice - thank you."

She smiled shyly and snuggled a little closer before extending a
hand to start playing with the hairs on my chest. After a couple
minutes, she hesitantly asked "When... when can we do somemore?"

I gently laughed and said "I can't do any more with that for a
little while - maybe a half hour. But that doesn't mean that I
can't do something for you, though!"

I could FEEL her smiling into my side, and said "You've heard
Sandra and Robyn say that it's different, the way a man and a
woman do things. Would you like to find out how it's different
when I use my mouth on you?"

She tilted her head to look up at me and asked "You... you'd do
that?"

I smiled and told her "Yes, I would. I like to do it!"

She grinned, and nodded her head to let me know that she was
agreeable to my offer.

"Here, lets change over - you lay on your back, and I'll rest on
my arm next to you, and we can talk a little bit, too, okay?"

Without hesitation, she did just as I suggested; a moment later,
I was propped up on one elbow, my hand resting on her belly as I
looked down at her. She saw me looking at her, and gave me a shy
smile that went straight to my heart.

I asked her "We've got a whole day together; do you want to just
talk about sex and making love, or is there anything else you
want to discuss?"

She smiled again, and said "I've wanted to talk to you about a
lot of things while we've been here, but I never really felt like
it was the right time or something. Until now, I guess."

I grinned and agreed "Sure, now is good!"

Her first question was what I thought would happen to her and
Michelle once Frenchy was taken care of. I told her that I
couldn't be certain because I wasn't in the FBI, but then told
her what I thought would happen. Over the next little while, we
chatted with each other about a number of different subjects -
and as we did, I slowly began moving my hand on her body: softly
caressing her skin with my fingertips, sliding my hand along her
side, gently cupping her breast with my hand, tracing the outline
of her throat and jaw, and a number of other subtle actions. She
didn't even seem to realize what I was doing, but I was watching
her, and saw her breathing quicken slightly - and watched as the
first faint blush of arousal started to tinge her ears and face.

At my request, she'd just finished telling me what she wanted to
do with her life - namely, be an astronomer; the stars and
galaxies and all that fascinated her. She was good in math and
science, and didn't care so much for Social Studies. She was
looking up at me when I leaned over slightly and softly kissed
her on the forehead. She smiled, and I moved in to kiss her again
- on the lips.

She met my kiss hesitantly, at first - but soon responded by
kissing back. Then I felt her lips part slightly, and her tongue
faintly touch my lips. I let my lips separate, and a moment
later, her tongue was back, and began to introduce itself to
mine. A few seconds later, our tongues where dancing and playing
in each other's mouths; I moved my hand to her breast again, and
heard/felt her soft moan as her nipple re-erected in my palm.

Our mouths separated after a bit, and I looked down at her to see
that the faint blush I'd seen on her before had noticeably
darkened, and that there was desire and arousal in her eyes. I
leaned back in for another kiss, which she eagerly welcomed, and
even more eagerly participated in. A minute or two later, I
pulled back from her a little and began kissing her face: lips,
nose, eyelids, and so on. When I got to her jaw, I followed her
jaw back to the vicinity of her ear - and nuzzled it for a few
seconds before softly nibbling on her earlobe, something that had
her arching her back in a matter of seconds.

 From her ear, I began leaving a trail of butterfly-soft
`lip-bites' down her neck and across to the point of her
shoulder. Then it was down a little and back across, following
her collar bone to her neck, which I happily showered with kisses
as I traced a path across to the other side of her neck. Back
along her collar bone to her shoulder, and across her shoulder to
the other ear, which got the same treatment as the first as she
started an almost continuous soft moaning.

I followed her jaw line back to her chin, and then it was back to
her lips - which she used to shower my face with kisses before I
could even pucker up. She finally relented and let me kiss her
again: mine were soft and loving, hers were eager andpassionate.

I finally pulled my head back again and smiled down at her,
clearly seeing the desire and passion on her face as she looked
back up at me with hooded eyes. I kissed her softly on the chin,
then on down her throat - and still farther down, ending in the
valley between her delightful breasts. I did a slow figure-8
around her breasts, leaving a trail of damp kisses where they
flowed into the rest of her body. I continued to repeat that
slow, tantalizing pattern on her beautiful breasts, gradually
shrinking it so that each circle around a breast brought me a
trifle closer to the nipple that eagerly awaited my hungry lips.

Then it was time: with the closing of the circle, I wrapped my
lips around the peak of her breast, feeling her dark areola
tightening between my lips and her nipple hardening in response
to my gentle sucking. Marie groaned softly, lifting her chest to
try and get more of her breast in my mouth as she put her hands
in my hair to hold my head in place.

When I had her nipple as long and hard as I could get it, I
released it from my mouth, and started to move my head. Marie
held me in place briefly, before realizing that I wanted to do
the same to the other; only then did her hold on me loosen enough
for me to kiss my way across her body to the other, which got the
same treatment - and brought the same results.

Back and forth I went, breast to breast, until I had both of her
nipples standing proud and tall, faintly glistening with my
saliva. I made one last trip down the breast I'd just finished
with before curving away to start kissing my way down her body;
in a series of curly-Q's and flourishes, I moved lower and lower,
steadily working my way toward the source of the heady aroma I
could clearly detect. When she finally realized what my target
was, the scent of her became even stronger, and she began a small
writhing underneath me as she parted her legs to make room for my
legs, then body.

When I got to her navel, I toyed with it for a little bit:
kissing around it, softly sucking on it, and delicately washing
it with the tip of my tongue; Marie responded by clenching her
fingers in my hair and panting her increasing desire.

But there were still better things ahead, and I eventually turned
away from the cute dimple of her bellybutton to continue my
expedition of discovery.

It wasn't much longer before my mouth reached the narrow wedge of
her pubic hair; my lips found it to be delightfully dense and
surprisingly soft. I kissed a zig-zag pattern down and through
it: a kiss to the left edge of it, another to the middle, and a
last to the right edge, then back again; each path across the
luxurious carpet of her pelvic carpet taking me a little lower -
and bringing me a little closer to my goal.

My lips came in contact with her hooded clitoris; she gasped, and
her legs opened even farther as she tilted her pelvis up -
revealing the damp cleft that was clearly visible among the short
straight hair surrounding it.

Finally, my lips brushed hers.

Lifting my head a bit, I welcomed the chance to finally look at
what I'd been working my way toward from the time we'd first lay
down on the bed, and the source of the delicate aroma I'd
detected some time earlier.

Her labia were short and thin, but easily seen; between them, the
entrance to her vagina was faintly visible - and not just damp,
but clearly wet. Above, the fleshy bump that I knew hid her
clitoris was also within sight; and unless my eyes deceived me,
starting to pull back from that small pellet of pleasure.

She saw me looking at her, and I caught a trace of nervousness in
her eyes; I smiled at her before saying "I just wanted to look at
you for a moment. I was right: you're as pretty here as the rest
of you is."

Those words not only allayed any nervousness she felt, they also
reassured her; she smiled at me in a way that told me I'd said
something to her she would happily remember for a long, long
time.

Looking at her again, I knew what I wanted to do first - and did
it. Extending my tongue, I dipped it into the bottom of her
opening and drew it upwards, flooding my taste buds with her
nectar. The flavor of her was the liquid concentrate of her
scent: light and delicate, and slightly musky with a hint of
sweetness. Once I had sampled the taste of her, I wanted more;
and began gently lapping at her labia and the area between them,
relishing the delectable flavor of her as she begin a soft
moaning in response to my actions.

When I'd consumed the readily available supply of her feminine
oil, I expanded my efforts to include softly licking the folds of
her labia and gently sucking on them, placing my mouth over her
opening and pressing the stiffened rod of my tongue into her hot
sheath, and using the tip of my tongue to tickle and caress her
erect clitoris.

In just a few minutes, she was writhing under my tender
ministrations, moaning and gasping in pleasure and arousal, her
smooth thighs clenching against my head. I reached up to take her
breasts in my hands, and began squeezing and caressing them, and
softly pulling and pinching her nipples. I continued my labor of
love, moving to eager lap up her virginal juices whenever they
were available to me, and stimulating her into producing more of
them when they weren't.

A few more minutes, and I could tell that she was getting close
to an orgasm. I brought her to the edge a couple of times and let
her slowly slide back; then I brought her to the peak and held
her there for a few agonizing seconds before adding the last bit
of stimulation that would put her over the edge - loudly crying
out as her orgasm hit her full force.

Her clitoris disappeared under its hood, and I moved my mouth
down to begin laving the entrance to her womanhood, preventing
the overflow of her fluids from getting any farther from her
labia than my lips and tongue.

When she was again able to express herself, I heard her shakily
tell me "Don't.... don't do that again, please - I don't think I
could stand it if you did..."

I lifted my head to look at her - saw how flushed she was with
continued arousal - and answered "Okay, Marie, I won't - I
promise", and saw the relief in her eyes before her head fell
back. Reapplying myself to the happy task of getting her highly
aroused again, I began kissing the insides of her thighs, from
knee to just short of her vaginal opening; the next time I did
it, I started marginally higher on her thighs, the time after
that a little higher still. It ended when all I had to do was
move from the crease of one thigh to the other; at that point, I
again began using my tongue to probe at her wet opening.

When I did, she started arching her hips up, as though trying to
get my tongue farther inside - and that was the point that I'd
been trying to get her to. Carefully wetting my finger, I touched
it to the tight ring of her entrance. Then, carefully and gently,
I began to worm it inside her - and listened to her groans of
pleasure as my digit moved farther and farther inside her. It was
when I felt the tissue of her hymen against the end of my finger
that I stopped - I had no desire to cause her any pain; my
primary purpose of getting my finger into her was so that I could
first try to see if I could determine what condition her
maidenhead was in: thick or thin, tough or delicate? I had a
secondary purpose, as well, and that was to see if I couldn't
`loosen' her up a bit, so that it would be easier for her later
when it came time to slip something more substantial than just a
finger between her delicate vaginal lips.

As I used my tongue to tease and tantalize her clitoris, I was
using my finger to carefully test the nature of her virginity.
She responded well to my presence inside her as I used my mouth
on her clitoris; she didn't seem to notice the small movements I
was making with it as I made my examination. I finally decided
that her hymen wasn't particularly thick or tough, and gently
eased my finger out of her - accompanied by her mild complaint at
its absence. Encouraged, I got the finger next to it wetted, and
slide that one inside her, to her distinct pleasure. When it was
thoroughly coated with her oils, I slid it back out, gently put
the first back in to get it covered as well. With both fingers
well-lubricated by her natural oils, I slowly and gently began
trying to ease them into her. She made a small initial complaint,
but when I eased of slightly, she didn't repeat it. Moving even
more carefully, I finally managed to slip both fingers through
the tight ring of her opening; from that point, it was relatively
easy to slowly slide them farther inside and begin gently
stretching her vagina before it reached her maidenhead.

While I was doing that, I continued to use my lips and tongue to
manipulate her clitoris; even putting my mouth over it and
applying a soft, rhythmic suction that soon had her crying out as
she climaxed again. Her vagina clamped down around my fingers,
all but cutting off any blood flow to them - but their presence
didn't seem to impede the power of her release; if anything, it
seemed that her second was even stronger than the first.

When her vagina stopped clenching at my fingers, I carefully
eased them out of her - pausing to lick them clean - and moved to
lie next to her again. I could see that she was still in
something of a post-orgasmic thrall, and reached out to hold her
close to me, felling minor shudders course through her body ever
so often.

After a minute or so, she looked up into my face and gave me a
smile that would have captured my heart, if it hadn't already
been claimed by Lucy.

It took her a couple of tries, but Marie finally managed to tell
me "Robyn and Sandra were right - it is different when a man does
it that when a girl does. It's not better or worse, just
different. I like how it's not the same!"

I grinned at her and said "I'm glad that I was able to make you
feel good, honey."

She looked at me mischievously and said "Oh, it was a LOT better
than just `good'!" - which got both of us laughing.

When we'd both calmed down again, she moved to lay on her side so
that she could put one leg over mine and snuggle into my side;
her hand rested on my chest and she let her fingertips map out
random designs in my chest hair. I had an arm around her, and I
began to caress the graceful curve of her hip and waist.

A couple minutes later, she casually let her hand move down my
body and wrap itself around my penis and start gently squeezing
me. I felt her nipples harden slightly in my side, and my penis
began to swell in her hand in response. She looked up into my
face in surprise and asked "You can get hard again, now?" - her
voice eager.

I smiled and answered "It sure seems that way, doesn't it?" - and
got a happy nod in reply.

She quickly sat up again - her firm breasts wobbling EVER so
slightly, and in such a delightful way - and looked down at me to
ask "Does that mean you can... that we..."

"That I can be inside you now?" I asked for her.

She blushed slightly and answered "Um, yeah", before looking at
me expectantly.

"We can if that's what you want to do", I assured her.

"That's what I want to do" she calmly informed me, her voice
steady and certain.

I asked her "How would you like it to happen?"

She didn't flinch or hesitate, telling me "I looked it up on the
internet, and almost everyplace said that it would be easier for
me if I was on top of you - so that's what I want to do."

I smiled and told her `Then that's how we do it." - then both of
us realized the double entendre of what I'd just said, and
laughed.

When we'd both settled down again, I told her "It would probably
be easier if I sat up and rested against the headboard. Then you
can kind of sit in my lap and I can help hold you steady."

She said she understood, and asked "But aren't you going to have
to be harder than this, first?"

I smiled and said that I would; she responded by moving to
position herself between my legs, leaning over, and taking me
into her mouth without any hesitation at all. Looking up at me
with my penis between her lips, her eyes were sparkling in
delight and anticipation as she smiled around my stiffening
member.

She quickly equaled the successes of her earlier experience, and
went on to surpass them. In just a few minutes, she had me fully
erect as she slowly bobbed her head up and down while running her
tongue along the underside of my penis. When she was satisfied
that I wasn't going to get any harder (I don't think I could
have, anyway), she slowly pulled her mouth off of me, leaving me
coated with a fine sheen of her saliva. She got to her knees and
let me sit up and scoot back so that I was resting against the
headboard of the bed. When I was ready, she knee-walked her way
up my legs until she was bridging my waist. At that point, she
cautiously lowered herself so that her mons was resting along the
underside of my penis. I reached out and cupped her breasts in my
hands and began caressing them, and playing with her nipples as
she began a slow rocking motion that rubbed her cleft - and her
clitoris at the end of one direction - against me. In just a few
moments, I could feel a slight decrease in the friction she was
generating against me, and knew that the oils she was again
producing were being smeared along my shaft by her movements.

She seemed to know it, too, and her breathing began to increase
as she became more and more aroused. After a bit, I leaned
forward slightly and took one of her nipples into my mouth and
began sucking on it - which served to fan the flames of her
desire.

I was starting to wonder if she wasn't going to keep moving on me
like that until she orgasmed when she slowed, and then stopped
her movements on me. She looked into my face, and I could see the
desire and arousal in her eyes; her face and shoulders were
blushing darkly.

She managed to gasp out "I... I want you... inside me."

I put my hands on her hips, and helped steady her as she got to
her knees. There, she reached down to take my penis in her hand
and hold it upright before lowering herself again. She discovered
that we weren't quite lined up the way she wanted and moved
herself back slightly, then looked down to watch as she tried
again - and found that the alignment was perfect. She slid the
head of my penis back and forth between her labia a couple of
times, softly moaning at the contact, before positioning me at
her opening and lowering herself a trifle to help hold me in
place.

She lifted her head again, and I looked into her eyes as I told
her "Marie, there's no hurry on this - any of it. Don't rush
things - take your time and don't hurt yourself. That's the only
important thing to me: that you aren't hurt by this. Only go as
fast as you're comfortable with - if it starts to hurt, then stop
or slow down. Okay?"

The sincerity of what I was saying got through to her, and she
smiled and nodded to me before saying "I will, Dan, I promise.
But I want to do this, too."

"That's fine, Marie - just remember that if you hurt yourself,
you'll be hurting me, too."

She nodded again, and I felt her begin to let some of her weight
down so that my penis was pressing more firmly against the
entrance to her vagina. I could only hope that the little bit
that I'd been able to stretch her before was still working and
that it would be enough.

Marie slowly let more and more of her weight come to rest at the
point where the head of my manhood was splitting her labia. At
first, I thought that it simply wasn't going to happen, but as
the pressure steadily increased, I could feel her tight opening
begin to spread. It wasn't much, and it was slow, but it was
progress for her.

My hands were on her hips, and all I was doing was helping to
steady here - I was being most careful not to apply any downward
pressure: I expected that unless she knew she was in full
control, the effort to get me inside her would only make her
nervous and fearful. The only thing I thought of that might help
her was to lean forward again and use my mouth and lips and
tongue to tease her breasts, in the hope that the added
stimulation would increase her arousal enough to make it possible
for her to get me inside.

After a minute or so, she eased up in her efforts to fit herself
onto my penis; then, after taking a few deep breaths, she tried
again. Whether it was the added lubrication of her earlier
effort, that she relaxed a little more, or my efforts at her
breasts, I don't know - but she did make more progress: to me, it
felt like I was on the cusp of slipping inside her when she
backed off again. A few more deep breaths, and she was back at it
once more.

That time, I could feel that she quickly got as far as her most
recent attempt. A few seconds more, a little more weight lowered,
and I suddenly slipped through the tight ring of her opening. She
gave a small squeak and immediately froze over me. When heard
her, I immediately took hold of her small waist and tried to
support her as best I could; she managed to look up at me, and
gave me a small smile of appreciation.

I asked her "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

The look on her face in response to that was one of pride and
satisfaction as she told me "I'm fine, Dan. No, it doesn't hurt -
it just kind of surprised me when it just kind of popped in like
that, is all."

"You're sure you don't want to stop, of get off?"

Her initial response was an emphatic "No way!"; then seeing the
concern on my face, she hastened to assure me "Really, Dan. It's
okay. Now that I've got you inside me, I'm not going to stop
until it's over!"

After a few moments, she carefully lifted herself up a trifle,
then settled back down - and gained another tiny fraction of an
inch more progress. A second later, she did it again, with the
same results.

Over the next couple of minutes, she slowly impaled herself on my
further and further that way: lifting up a bit, then lowering
herself again to get a little more of my erect penis inside her.
As nice as it felt to have her incredibly tight and wet sheath
slowly enveloping my penis, I was worried about her enough that
the sensations she was creating around me were nowhere near
moving me toward my release. If anything, they were only
sufficient to keep me hard enough for her to continue her
efforts.

Finally she was sliding up and down the end of my penis fairly
freely when we both felt the head of my penis come up against the
obstruction of her hymen. When that happened, I heard her release
another small noise - but understood it to be one of surprise,
not pain or discomfort.

She settled herself down so that her maidenhead was resting
firmly against my glans before looking into my face and asking
"Is this the part that's going to hurt?"

I tried to give her a reassuring smile (how reassuring could I be
when I wasn't the one being deflowered?), and answered "That's up
to you, dear. I think if you take your time and go slow, you can
find out how easy we can get past this point. I can only offer
just this one bit of advice."

She looked at me expectantly, and I told her "If something hurts,
don't do that."

She gave me a look of exasperation, then smiled and said "Okay,
Dan, I'll do that. I mean, I won't. Whatever."

With a look of deep concentration, she started sliding herself up
and down as much of my penis as she had inside her; I continued
to steady her so she could focus on what SHE was doing.

After a couple of `warm-up' moves, she began pressing herself
against me with each downward movement; I could feel myself
bumping against her hymen, but it didn't seem to hurt her any, so
I could only trust her to act intelligently on her own behalf.

It was perhaps a minute later when I felt myself bump against her
maidenhead, a brief resistance, then on past it a bit before she
stopped. I was watching her face closely and saw her wince
briefly, but nothing more - no noise, no tears.

She looked up at me again, the delight clear on her face as she
told me "I did it! You're inside me! I'm not a virgin any more!"

She saw the worry on my face, and sobered (slightly) before I
asked "It looked like it hurt you a little. Are you all right?"

Her smile added weight to her words when she told me "No, it
didn't hurt. It kind of felt like something pulled on me inside,
and it was uncomfortable for a second, but no, no pain."

I looked at her closely, and she nodded as she said "Really, Dan.
It feels good!" - the last part with a lusty grin.

What else could I do or say? Nothing but smile, reach down to
give her a gentle pat on the butt, and say "I'm glad for you,
Marie" - and get a big smile in return.

With The Deed taken care of, the rest was relatively easy for her
- it was just a matter of gradually working herself farther and
farther onto my erection, being careful to stretch her insides no
more or faster than she was comfortable with. With one last
downward push, her cute butt settled into my lap as the tight
ring of her entrance closed around the base of my member; the
head of it was firmly resting against the furthest wall of her
hot, wet, oh-so-tight vagina.

Firmly impaled on me, she took a little time to kind of `go
inside' herself, familiarizing herself with how it felt to have
someone inside her in way she'd never experienced before as she
tried a few small tentative motions to see what effect they had
on her.

After a while, she `came back' and looked into my face with a
happy smile as she said "Being with Robyn and Sandra was nice -
really nice - but this feels way better! I think I'll like being
with girls, but guys are going to be a LOT more fun!"

I smiled back, and she began moving herself on me - small
movements at first, but as her comfort and confidence grew, so
did the range and enthusiasm of her activity. When she was taking
nearly my entire length easily, I had a look at where I was
sliding into her; I saw a few faint traces of blood, but nothing
more. Apparently, it had been a lot easier and less painful for
her than either one of us could have reasonably hoped for.

Even so, I was still amazed when, several minutes later, I felt
her action on my penis noticeably speed up for a minute or so
before she suddenly settled onto my lap again and gasped out in
what could only have been an orgasm. A small one, granted - but
an orgasm none the less. I had no doubt about what it was because
I could feel her already-tight vagina begin clenching around me
so tightly that it was almost painful, and as I watched her, I
could see her body going through a series of spasms that matched
the tightness she was creating around my member.

It was a small orgasm, though, and didn't last very long - but
when it was over, she looked at me in clear delight as she said
"That felt so good! It wasn't as hard as what I have when you or
Robyn or Sandra use your mouth on me, but it felt so much deeper
than the other ones I've had."

With that, she started raising and lowering her body again:
lifting up until the ring of her opening was just behind the
crown of my penis, then dropping back down again until we both
felt the end of my dick bumping against the deepest part of her.

I could only envy the energy and enthusiasm of her youth - and be
grateful that I was being included in it.

Still, her youth did have its limitations - a little longer, and
I could tell that she was starting to get tired. I managed to
capture her hips again, and held her down until she opened her
eyes to look at me.

"You're getting tired" - it was a statement, not a question, I
directed to her.

"A little bit - but I don't want to stop; it feels too good!"

I gave a little laugh - I knew she was sure to keep her husband
happy, whoever that lucky guy might be - and said "We don't have
to stop; you can just let ME do some of the work, instead."

She considered that for a moment, then smiled and said "Yeah,
that would be good, too."

"You know that there are different ways that we can make love?"

"You mean positions? Sure."

"Which one would you like to try next?" I asked with a grin.

She grinned back and said "Anything that's easy for you - I just
want to keep going!"

"Me behind you?" I offered.

She nodded her head in agreement, and I released my hold on her
hips so that she could slide herself off of me. She lifted up,
and when the head of my penis pulled out of her, she released a
small moan of disappointment. Still, she quickly moved to get on
her hands and knees, watching me in anticipation, a "What are you
waiting for?" look on her face.

As I moved to get behind her, I had to reflect on the changes she
and Michelle had gone through since they'd come to stay with us.
For Marie, the transition from the fearful, shy, quiet little
girl I'd first seen to the confident, bawdy, extrovert I was
sharing a bed with was amazing.

As I moved in behind her, the sight of her nearly took my breath
away: the firm globes of her ass pointed right at me, below them
the dark smudge of her pubic hair was neatly divided by her
glistening extended labia, the dark pink entrance to her vagina
visible between them.

I positioned myself close, then eased my hips back and pressed my
erection down so that it was wedged against her opening. Holding
myself steady with one hand, I barely had time to put the other
on her waist before she was pressing herself back against me -
and watched as her efforts caused her wet sheath to wrap itself
around the head of my erection.

I quickly put the other hand on her waist and held her steady as
I pushed my hips forward, slowly burying myself in her hot, tight
channel - accompanied by her low groan of pleasure at being
filled again.

In less than a minute, I was pistoning in and out of her in a
slow, steady motion that seemed to please her tremendously. After
a bit, I leaned forward and took her breasts in my hands, feeling
their firm spongy mass shift slightly in response to my thrusts.
I began rolling her erect nipples between my fingers and gently
pulling and pinching them; she responded with an increase in the
intensity and frequency of her aroused moans.

The pace I set for my thrusts into her was such that it was more
than enough to keep me fully erect in her, but not so stimulating
that I was at any risk of climaxing too soon. She'd said that she
wanted to make love more, and that was what I was going to do for
her. This was her first time to be with a man, and I was
determined to make it as pleasant and memorable for her as I
could manage.

Over the course of the next twenty minutes or so, she had three
more orgasms - each a little more powerful than the one before.
Any man she blessed by taking to bed was going to be left feeling
like a king from the way she responded to making love.

By the time she recovered from the third, I could see that she
was getting tired again - small wonder - and held myself still in
her until she managed to look back at me over her shoulder. When
she did, I told her "You look kind of tired again - how about we
change around so you can rest, too?"

She didn't argue; she just nodded her head with a lusty grin.

I pulled back until my penis slid out of her - another moan of
disappointment from her - and she asked "What now?"

"How about the old standby: you on the bottom, me on top?"

She smiled her agreement, and moved to lie on her back, spreading
her thighs in open invitation (as if I had any doubt!). As I
moved between her thighs, she looked up at me and said "I... I
want to see. You know, while we..."

I grinned and said "We can do that."

I reached down and slid each arm under her legs, so that they
were `draped' across my elbows - she was still small enough that
she didn't weigh enough for it to be uncomfortable, and it put
enough of an arch in her back that by lifting her head, she could
clearly see where her vaginal lips were parting her pubic hair. I
heard her softly say "I didn't know I looked like that..." before
I eased myself forward enough to get the head of my glistening
erection wedged against her mons.

Helpfully, she reached down between us and guided me so that I
slid down between her labia and held me there while I adjusted my
position a bit. She felt me begin to press into her and guided me
until she was sure I wasn't going to veer off in a different
direction than she wanted. When her hand was out of the way, both
of us watched as my penis slowly disappeared between the folds of
her vaginal lips - she with a long, low groan of pleasure and
arousal as it happened. Only after I was fully inside her did she
tell me "I... I didn't think it would look so sexy..."

I just grinned and told her "Keep watching. It gets better."

She looked at me as though such a thing weren't possible, but did
as I said; and gasped when I began to pull back out of her, and
she saw her labia pulling out, too, as though they were trying to
hold my penis inside her. She uttered a throaty "Oh, God!" at the
sight, and watched, mesmerized, as I reversed direction and eased
myself back into her.

When I was embedded in her again, she let her head fall back and
quietly announced "I can watch it happen while I'm feeling it,
and it's so sexy..."

With those words, I began pumping in and out of her again. With
the position we were in, and the angle I was entering her, I
couldn't enter her far enough to touch the deepest part of her
vagina; instead I was impacting it more toward the `front'. Being
a guy, I obviously don't know if there is such a thing as a `G'
spot - but I will vouch for the fact that Marie got an inordinate
degree of pleasure each time I thrust myself into her. In just a
few minutes, she had another orgasm - by far her strongest.
Several minutes later, another, stronger still.

As I continued my steady pistoning in and out of her she
continued having orgasms, ever growing in intensity, several
minutes apart. Between the sight of my penis disappearing into
her tight sheath, the liquid sounds of our union and her cries of
pleasure, and the feeling of her hot, tight vagina spasming
around me with each of her climaxes, it wasn't too long before I
felt myself getting closer and closer to my own release.

As the pace of my thrusts increased, the time between Marie's
orgasms decreased; when I reached the point that I was all but
jack hammering into her, she was having what seemed like a
single, continuous climax. Finally, it was too much for me, and
with a deep groan, I pressed myself into her as far as I could,
feeling the first hot jet of my cum racing toward the head of my
penis. Even as I was washing her cervix with that first spray of
semen, Marie's eyes flew open and she all but screamed as her
body froze beneath me. Though her body was still, her vagina
wasn't: it clamped down on me again before it started a rhythmic
spasming that ran from the base of my penis toward the head
before starting over again. The feeling of it was incredible, and
I felt myself squirting my cum into her even more powerfully
under the added stimulation she was giving me.

It was with a mixture of relief and regret that I finally stopped
unloading my hot jism in her - relief that the amazing intensity
of it was over, and regret for that same reason. Beneath me,
Marie was going through the final throes of her release, her body
shuddering as spasms continued to wash through her.

I carefully eased my arms from behind her legs and eased them
down onto the bed, scooting myself back a bit so that she could
straighten out a bit, too. But I was careful to keep my
still-erect penis from pulling out of her; after how enthusiastic
as she'd been about having me make love to her, I thought she'd
want me inside as long as possible.

I was supporting my weight on my elbows and knees as she
gradually got her breath and senses back. I was watching her when
she opened her eyes and looked up at me, a big smile creasing her
face. She started to move, and realized that I'd let her legs
down - and that I was still inside her. Her eyes got big as
saucers as she asked me "You're still hard? Inside me?"

I grinned and said "No, not hard all the way, but mostly. And you
can tell that I'm still inside you."

She grinned back and said "We can make love some more?"

It was at that point that I wished I'd had a little warning or
something about how enthusiastic and/or insatiable she'd be - I
could have started on a special high-energy diet or something.

I sighed and smiled before telling her "No, dear, I'm sorry - we
can't make love any more for a while. You see, I'm old and worn
out, so I just don't have enough youth and energy to keep up with
you."

She made a face at me and answered "Oh, pooh. You're not old and
worn out; you're mature and experienced - plenty experienced
enough to take care of me!" - the last with a lusty grin. I
couldn't help but grin back at her.

She looked into my face and asked "Why are you still in me? I
mean, I felt you squirt in me. It was so hot, and I could feel it
every time you squirted, and it just hit me so hard."

"I'm still in you because I thought you might like to have me
there. But if you don't, I'll just pull out now."

"Don't you dare!" she exclaimed, before realizing that I'd been
teasing her.

I grinned at her, and she gave me a surprisingly shy grin back
before telling me "I like having you inside me, and I want you to
stay there as long as you can. It feels really, really nice."

So I stayed there, as long as I could, while she happily told me
how it had felt for her when I was making love to her - something
that delayed the shrinking process considerably. But there was no
stopping it completely, and it got to the point where I knew that
there wasn't anything else to do but uncork from her. She seemed
to realize it to, and calmly accepted the inevitable. I had her
draw her knees up and tilt her pelvis up before I did, though,
explaining to her that it would give me a little time to grab a
towel for her. She understood what the towel was for, and
surprised me by blushing slightly. On the count of three, I
pulled back from her and quickly moved to grab one of the
conveniently located towels, and positioning it under her. She
let her hips lower then, and made a face as the combination of
our fluids began to flow out of her.

I told her "Hold on a minute", and quickly went into the bathroom
she shared with Robyn and Sandra, got a couple of washcloths,
dampened them with some warm water, and went back to her. I used
one of them to begin cleaning her up, and she started to protest.
I just told her "Hush up. I did it, and I'm going to clean it
up." She stuck her tongue out at me, but did as she was told -
gasping slightly when she saw the faint tinge of pink on the
washcloth. By the time I was done, pretty she'd pretty much
emptied out, and she sat up, insisting that since I got to clean
her off, it was her duty to do the same for me. I conceded the
point, and as she was doing so, we heard a discrete knock at the
door, followed by Lucy's voice telling us "There's water and
something to eat on a tray out here. When you're done with it,
just set it back outside and we'll take care of it."

We heard a little more noise, then silence.

When Marie had me cleaned off to her satisfaction - I was clean
sooner than she stopped wiping at me; I think she just wanted to
play with my penis - she took the washcloth I still had hold of.
Putting both of them in her hand, she reached down to tuck the
towel close and got to her knees, telling me "You can get the
tray while I'm in the bathroom."

I laughed and gave her a salute - making her smile - and did as
she said.

When she came out, she looked as fresh and clean as she had when
I first undressed her; she quickly came over to where I was
propped up against the headboard and collected a bottle of club
soda and a sandwich. We quietly chatted with each other as we
replenished our energy and fluid reserves.

By the time we were done, the food was all gone, and there were
still a couple bottles of water unopened. Marie waited in bed as
I collected the empty bottles and set them on the tray with the
empty plates, then set the whole thing out in the hall. When I
was back in bed with her, she guided me to lie on my back, and
then lay down so she could cuddle up to my side, one leg over
mine and an arm across my chest.

I glanced at the clock, and saw that only a little over two hours
had gone by since we'd entered her bedroom; I could only hope
that I'd survive the rest of the time. As we lay there, both of
us drifted off for a short nap...


I did survive - though barely. The rest of the time Marie and I
were together, we made love several more times, and in a variety
of places and positions. When we took a shower together after our
nap, she happily dropped to her knees and proceeded to use her
mouth to get me hard again - then had me make love to her from
behind as both of us stood under the shower spray. Only after her
third orgasm did she have mercy on me and let us stop so that we
could actually clean up.

Later, we got into a session of `69' that left both of us
exhausted, and her temporarily satiated; she'd taken no small
delight in teasing me while I brought her to some number of
orgasms - she was barely able to hold herself over me as she
finally brought me to release, eagerly swallowing my cum as I
fired jet after jet of it into her greedy mouth.

I woke up from one nap to discover that she was sleeping on top
of me, my erect penis buried inside her. When she woke up a
minute later, she gave me a lecherous grin and said that she'd
rolled me onto my back, used her mouth to get me hard, and
climbed aboard.

We made love on the bed. We made love in the shower. We made love
on the chair. We made love on the floor. She was on top. I was on
top. I was behind her. We were laying down, standing up, and
kneeling. Anything and everything she could think of that would
get our parts lined up was in the play book.

The only thing that I think saved me was the frequent discrete
knock on the door that let us know refreshment was available. No
small number of snacks showed up that way, as did breakfast, and
even lunch.

By the time Marie was willing to call an end to it, she'd brought
me to climax no less than seven times in a twenty-four hour
period. I lost track of her orgasms somewhere around sixteen or
seventeen.

Both of us were on the bed recovering from out last go-around
(Marie sitting on my erect penis while playing with her clitoris
through several orgasms; I couldn't have climaxed again if my
life had depended on it) when I asked her "Okay, dumpling, you
think you've had enough for your first time with a man?"

She gave me a lusty grin, and answered "I guess so."

"You guess so?"

"Well, it's been a LOT of fun, and you made me feel really,
really good, but I'm starting to get a little tired."

A little tired. Dear God in heaven, take me now!

We rested for a little while longer, and then had another shower
together. Much to my surprise, she didn't try to get me `fired
up' again; if anything, she was quite solicitous of me. After we
were dried and dressed again, I put my pistol back on and she
opened the door so we could go downstairs. When she did, the
draft of fresh air from the hall made it obvious that her room
would probably have to be fumigated to get the smell of aroused
female out of the walls.

Hand in hand, we made our way downstairs to where Lucy and
Michelle were having coffee in the breakfast nook. I sat down
next to Lucy, who looked at me in sympathy while Michelle's
expression clearly stated that she didn't expect me to survive
the night. Marie stood there a few moments before Michelle asked
her "Did everything go okay, honey?"

Marie gave her a radiant smile and answered "Oh, yes, momma - it
didn't hurt at all."

"And you think you like making love?"

"Oh, yes - it was wonderful" Marie answered, her face lighting up
like one of those big spotlights they use for special events.

"I'm glad, honey", Michelle told her.

"Is it okay if I go to Sandra and Robyn?"

"Of course, dear."

We all knew what she was going to talk to them about, of course.
When she was gone, Lucy announced to nobody in particular "I
don't think 'Marvelous' even comes close to what she felt."

Lucy turned to me then and sympathetically asked "How are you?
Are YOU going to survive?"

"I'm not sure. With luck, no."

Lucy laughed and said "We heard the two of you a couple of times,
early on. Michelle was worried that Marie was hurt the first
time, but I stopped her and asked if that really sounded like
anybody was in pain."

Michelle blushed and said "Well, I really didn't expect her to
holler out like that. But when Lucy asked me, I realized that if
anything, she was having a better time than I ever did!"

Lucy looked at me mischievously and asked "So what was the final
score?"

I gave her a baleful look and answered "Seven for me, lot's more
than that for her. I lost track around seventeen or so - but that
was real early this morning."

I could see the shock and surprise on both their faces as
Michelle asked "You're sure it was that many? She's only fifteen,
and I figured she'd be sore and such! I sure was!"

I mentally tallied up to where I lost count, and verified "Yup,
seventeen. That was about four this morning; there were a bunch
more since then. I don't know about sore or anything - she barely
bled at all, and claimed that it didn't even hurt; just a kind of
pulling or tug inside. Judging from the way she acted, I'm going
to have to believe her. She's real enthusiastic, she is."

Lucy gave a small laugh and said "I guess so!"

Michelle stood up and went to get a cup and brought it over to me
before filling it with coffee. Looking at me in sympathy, she
said "I reckon you need this, if that's how it was. And Dan, I'm
thanking you for making it so good for her - it's pretty obvious
she isn't going to be having any troubles about men."

"The only trouble she's going to have with men is the ones that
are afraid of her after she wears them out!" I answered, making
both of them laugh.

Lucy told me "We waited on supper, since we figured you'd be out
about this time. What do you want to eat?"

"Pretty much anything. Killing and cooking it are optional."

Lucy gave me a sympathetic smile and said "How about pizza? Your
favorite: pepperoni and sausage, extra cheese?"

"Deal. But the next time somebody wants me to deflower a sixteen
year old, I want at LEAST a couple months warning, so I can work
up to it."

Michelle and Lucy both laughed until tears streaked their faces.
I just drank my coffee, hoping that it would jump-start myheart.

Lucy got up and ordered the pizza; when it arrived, all of us
gathered in the living room to eat it. Lucy sat next to me,
indulgently, while Marie sat on my lap. Marie carefully fed me
slices of MY pizza as she ate some of the other two we got,
holding my bottle of beer to my lips when I indicated I needed a
drink. I think I surprised everyone by eating even more than
Robyn did - there wasn't a bit left of my medium, while there
were still a couple slices of the other two.

When we were done eating, Lucy surprised me by bringing out a
bottle of champagne and glasses. After getting it opened and
distributed among us, she announced "This to help Marie celebrate
her change from virginal maid to experienced woman - Cheers!"

Marie surprised me by blushing furiously, but all of us lifted
our glasses in toast.

Later that night, when Lucy and I were alone in bed, she asked me
"Really, Dan - how many orgasms did she have?"

"I'm serious - it was seventeen when I lost count."

She looked at me doubtfully, and I raised a hand as though taking
an oath and said "Really. Surprised the hell out of me, too. I
mean, they weren't your pass-out-afterward kind, but there wasn't
any doubt that they were orgasms. She liked to have killed me."

Lucy grinned and said "Oh, I don't think it was all that bad, was
it?"

"There were parts of it that were right nice, I'll admit. But she
was like the Energizer Bunny with his batteries in backwards:
instead of going and going, she just kept coming and coming and
coming and..."

That got Lucy laughing, and after a bit, I couldn't help but join
in with her. When both of us had settled down, she looked at me
in sympathy again and said "If it was really that bad, I think
Michelle and I can give you a couple days to recuperate before
one of us comes looking for some loving."

I gave her my best moon-eyed look and solemnly answered "Thank
you, thank you, thank you!" - getting her laughing all over
again.

When she was done, she turned onto her side and wriggled back at
me, spooning with my front before pulling my arm around to cup
her breast. With a deep sigh, I dropped right off to sleep...

At breakfast the next morning, Robyn and Sandra were looking at
me with something akin to awe. Michelle and Lucy both noticed it,
and shared an amused smile. I was still too damn tired to care.


During the following week, I found myself making love not only
with my wife, but both of our guests as well.

It was one night when Michelle was with us that our `family
secret' came out.

The three of us had finished making love and were resting against
the headboard when there was a knock at the bedroom door. Without
even thinking about it, Lucy called out "Come in!" - and when the
door opened, it was a very sleepy, very naked Sandra that came
into our room. She was rubbing her eyes and didn't see Michelle
as she announced "I had a really bad dream - can I go ahead and
sleep with you tonight?"

Michelle could only sit there stunned as Lucy and I gave each
other an "Oh, crap, now what do we do?" look.

Sandra turned as was facing us from the foot of the bed - leaving
all of us with a very clear view of her - before she quit rubbing
her eyes and saw who all was present. The look on her face made
it clear that she knew she'd just opened up a BIG can of worms.

Michelle just sat there, looking at her for several long seconds
before turning to look at Lucy, then me. Both of us just looked
back at her, saying nothing.

A few more seconds went by before Michelle quietly asked us "I'm
guessing this isn't the first time?"

Lucy answered "No, not the first time."

A couple seconds, then "Robyn, too?"

"Yes" from Lucy.

Several seconds more, and Michelle asked "Both of them... with
both of you?"

"Yes" Lucy confirmed.

"How? Why?" Michelle asked, scooting around to face Lucy, leaving
a gap behind.

Lucy took a deep breath, and began to explain how she and I had
met in more detail than she'd offered before. As she was talking,
I mouthed "Robyn" to Sandra, and gestured with my head; Sandra
nodded and left us, reappearing a minute later with a very
nervous Robyn. I gestured to both of them, and they quietly
climbed up onto the bed with us, electing to sit next to me and
pull my arms around them.

Michelle was listening intently to Lucy, and didn't seem to
notice the addition - until Lucy had explained how it had all
come out that I had been involved with Robyn and Sandra with her
knowledge, and how she and the girls had come to share their love
with each other.

Only then did Michelle look over toward me, and see that the
girls were on either side of me - my arms around them as they
held my hands, their faces making it clear that they were afraid
of what she would do or say. Looking intensely at each of them,
she asked "That night you were talking about the man that you
gave your virginity to, and the man that you love so much. Him?"

Both of them nodded slowly, and I saw Michelle give me an
unfathomable look before turning back to Lucy and saying "This is
some kind of surprise, learnin' about all this, this way. I'm
gonna have to think on it some. I'll be goin' to my own bed, now
- seems you've got enough company for tonight already."

With that, she calmly scooted to the edge of the bed, got up, and
quietly walked out of our bedroom.

There wasn't anything for the rest of us to say, except for
Sandra who hesitantly told us "I'm sorry, Uncle Dan and Aunt
Lucy."

I gave her a hug and reassured her "Its okay, Sandra. We know you
didn't do it on purpose."

Robyn looked up at me and asked "What's she going to do, Dad?"

I sighed and said "I don't know, Short Stuff. I guess we'll find
out when she's ready."

Lucy gestured for the two of them to come to her, and they did -
and all three of them started to quietly cry as they hugged each
other for reassurance. I went over and put my arms around all of
them, to give and seek solace with them.

When the tears were gone, and they'd dried their faces, we shared
a round of kisses and went to bed - Robyn and Sandra in the
middle, Lucy and I bracketing them.


The next couple of days were tense for all of us. Though nobody
said anything to her, Marie seemed to know that something had
changed, but didn't outright ask about it - even after seeing
Robyn and Sandra each on my lap at different times.

In the meantime, Lucy, the girls, and I didn't treat Michelle or
Marie any differently than we had before - Marie was still
comfortable with spending a night with Sandra and Robyn. Michelle
just watched all of us, even as she was putting up a front that
everything was fine for Marie.

It was the third morning after Michelle learned about us that she
stayed downstairs with Lucy and I after the girls had all gone
off to their studies - Robyn and Sandra to their schools, Marie
to her computer.

She looked from one to the other of us for a few moments before
saying "That was some kind of surprise, learning that you two
have been layin' with those two girls of yours. What surprised me
most was learnin' about it after you two - hell, all of you -
have done so much for me and Marie. I've got to tell you that it
bothered me - bothered me something fierce. I've been thinking on
it, these last couple of days - what you told me, Lucy, and what
I've seen about all of you since me and Marie have been here.
God's honest truth, there was a couple times thought I should be
callin' somebody to take them away from you - like maybe the
police or some such."

Lucy took my hand at that, and I could feel how cold her fingers
were - and knew that she was absolutely terrified at the thought
of losing Robyn and Sandra; never mind the possibility of going
to jail.

I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze just as Michelle started
talking to us again.

"But I don't reckon I can do that. Whatever else is going on, I
know that you two aren't doing anything to hurt those girls. What
I finally figured out was that what you're doing isn't for
everybody, not by a long shot - but its right for you."

Michelle looked at me and said "I remembered what you told me out
in your office that day, Dan - and what it meant. I couldn't see
how somebody that could love another person the way you love Lucy
and those youngsters could do anything to hurt them, in any way.
And I thought about how you were about helping Marie out when she
said she didn't want to be a virgin any more - and I figured that
anybody that had that much of a time with her wouldn't have done
any less with Robyn and Sandra. From what I've seen of those two,
if they weren't willing to be layin' with you, they'd be more
than able to tell someone - if they didn't take care of it
themselves."

Looking at each of us again, Marie went on to tell us "More than
anything else, though, was what I knew, knew mind you, about all
of you: that you all love each other, a whole lot more than I
ever even thought people could love someone else. I know that if
I was to bring the law in here, I wouldn't be RIGHTING a wrong,
I'd be DOING one to someone else: all of you good people."

Next to me, I felt the tension drain out of Lucy, and she turned
to give me a relieved smile before Marie said "What you all have,
well, it's something special. Way too special for the likes of me
to be messing it up - not after where I've been and who I've been
with. Like I just told you, I ain't saying that what you all do
is right for everyone. But it's right for YOU - all of you. What
you've give me and Marie, it ain't but a fart in a hurricane
compared to what you have with each other. And after all you've
done for us - not just lettin' us stay here, but what you've
taught both of us about what it means to be good people, and
showin' us how we could do it[s2], too - I know that what I
started out thinking about you and those girls couldn't have been
right. For that, I'm apologizing to you - even if I didn't come
out as say anything, or do anything to cause offense, I know it
wasn't right. You know what finally made me realize that I was
thinking wrong about you?"

Lucy and I both shook our heads, and Michelle smiled before
saying "Watching all of you these last couple of days. I knew
that all of you were worried about what I might say or do - but I
could see that all of you loved each other too much to let ME get
in the way of it. You just kept loving each other, without
fussin' or fightin' - and you were the same way with Marie; and
as much as I'd let you, me. I knew that any group of people with
that much love and caring for each other deserved better than to
be broke up for any reason."

With a deep breath, Michelle went on to tell us "The thing of it
is, is that Marie loves all of you - the way that you love each
other and her, I think - and I know that I love you, too. I
couldn't love either one of those girls of yours any more if they
were mine; and you've treated Marie as good as if she was YOUR
own. I don't know if I can do it, but I want to try to show you
two, and those two young un's, that I love you and them, too."

With that, Lucy started to quietly cry as she reached out to take
Michelle's hand - and I saw Michelle start crying herself. After
a few moments, the two of them got up and moved close, hugging
each other. I got up, too, and joined them; Michelle readily
opened an arm to make room for me.

After a bit, Michelle asked "You're not vexed at me?", her
concern clear in her voice. Lucy managed to stop sniffling long
enough to say "No, not vexed. I think Dan and I both understand
that you had to think about it - because WE did, too, before any
of this happened."

Michelle looked at each of us again before saying "Yeah, I reckon
you did, at that" before hugging us again.

A few minutes later, we broke up, taking our seats again at the
table in the breakfast nook. Lucy's makeup was a wreck, and she
started dabbing at it before realizing that she'd basically just
have to clean it all off and start over. Finally, she announced
"Oh, hell with it. I'm just going to go upstairs and take another
shower; after all this, I need it!"

Hesitantly, Michelle offered "If you don't mind, I'd be willing
to come along and scrub your back. Seeing as how it was me that
caused all this, anyway."

Lucy smiled and answered "I think I'd like that" before reaching
over to pat Michelle's hand.

Together, the two of them stood up and made their way out of the
kitchen. I watched them go, and sat there a while longer,
drinking my coffee.
	
When I went upstairs some time later, I saw that they had
apparently gotten each other's motors going: both were lying on
the bed, shining faintly with perspiration as they held hands. I
looked down at them and smiled; after a couple seconds, they
seemed to realize they weren't alone any longer and looked at me
in return before Lucy smiled and said "We decided that we still
love each other."

"So I see. Is there any reason that I can't show Michelle that I
still love her, too?"

Lucy grinned - as did Michelle - before she answered "Not a one -
except that I'm already late for work, so it'll be just youtwo."

I grinned back and told her "No, you're not late for work. You're
home, sick - I called in for you."

Surprised, Lucy looked at me as I told her "I kinda figured that
today would be a good day to love."

She smiled widely and nodded before saying "Yes, I think it
would. Thanks for calling in for me."

With that, she and Michelle shared a Look, and then started
moving toward me. When they were close enough to touch me,
Michelle said "It looks like you're overdressed for this shindig,
Dan."

I looked down and smiled; somehow, I didn't think that it was
going to be a problem much longer.


When the girls got home from school that afternoon, they would
have seen that Lucy's car was still in it's parking spot; they
came right up to see if she was okay - and discovered that she
was a bit more than just `okay': she was being supported by me
and Michelle, who had brought her to a thundering orgasm just a
few minutes before.

They could only stand there, somewhat stunned to see that
Michelle had apparently not only decided against causing any
trouble for us, but opted to return to sharing our love.

When Michelle saw them, she smiled and said "I expect that this
is pretty much of a surprise to you. But I finally decided that
you all loved each other, and Marie and I loved you, too much to
get in the way of that love. Dan and Lucy both understood that it
was something I had to work out for myself. Now that I have,
would you let ME love you, too?"

Robyn and Sandra shared a look with each other that clearly said
"Damned if I know what happened..." before both moved to where
Michelle gestured. When they were close enough, she leaned over
and kissed them - not just on the cheek, but on the mouth. And
from the way their eyes opened, I expect that it was a more
enthusiastic kiss than either of them expected - but both
responded in kind.

When they were done, Michelle tilted her head and asked "Now, why
don't you two shuck those clothes and join us? I reckon the bed's
plenty big enough for us..."

Both girls looked at me, and I smiled to let them know it was
okay - and after only the briefest hesitation, both did just as
Michelle asked. When they were naked and in bed with us, Michelle
first kissed Robyn, then Sandra - and in both cases, the kiss
went on for no small time, ending only after the two kissing had
reached up to cup the other's breast.

By that time, Lucy had recovered enough that she was able to look
on, an expression of bemusement on her face.

Perhaps a half hour later, Sandra was sitting on my lap as Robyn
was in a three-way molestation with Lucy and Michelle when we
heard Marie's voice asking "Has anyone seen Robyn or Sandra? They
should be home from school by now and...." - her voice trailing
off as she came into the bedroom to see all of us naked on the
bed.

She just stood there a few seconds watching all of us, when
Michelle caught sight of her. Michelle released Robyn's left
breast, and Lucy's right one, and turned to Marie to say "Honey,
I found out a couple days ago that Dan has been making love with
Robyn and Sandra, too, before we got here. It surprised me, and
it took me a couple of days to remember how much they love each
other, and that I love them, too."

Without even blinking, Marie asked "What took you so long,
momma?"

Michelle answered "Well, sometimes it just takes me a little
while, is all. Does it bother you that Dan makes love with Robyn
and Sandra?"

"Of course not, momma. I know he loves them, even more than he
loves you and me. And I know they love him, too - so why
shouldn't they make love with each other?"

With that response, Michelle just sat there, just blinking for a
few seconds before turning to me and asking "Does everyone but me
understand this love thing you have going on?"

I smiled and said "No, you understand it, too - you just let
something distract you from it for a little while, is all."

Michelle nodded in understanding, and then turned back to Marie
to say "You might as well join us, too, honey - God knows, the
bed's big enough!"

Without hesitation or concern, Marie did just that: took her
clothes off as if it was perfectly normal to disrobe in front of
five other people, and climbed in to join us. When she did, Robyn
unobtrusively eased over to be with Lucy, leaving Michelle and
Marie to themselves. Without appearing to do so, I think all of
us watched the two of them.

Marie moved into her mother's arms, saying "I love you, momma.
I'm glad we got to come here and stay."

Michelle hugged her, and answered "I love you, too, honey. And
I'm glad we did, too."

With that, Marie tilted her head back and, without a qualm, moved
to kiss Michelle - square on the lips. Michelle was surprised,
but quickly got over it, and kissed her daughter back; in less
than a minute, each of them was cupping the other's breast.

When their lips finally parted, Marie looked up at Michelle and
asked "Momma, if it's okay for Dan and Lucy to make love with
Robyn and Sandra, does that mean its okay for us to make love,
too?"

Startled, Michelle hesitated only moment before answering "I
guess it does, honey."

"Good. Because I know how lonely you got sometimes when we still
lived with Daddy, and how afraid I was there. Now we can make
love with each other, so both of us can be happy again."

Michelle's eyes misted a bit at that, and there was a definite
catch in her throat when she said "Yes, honey, it does" before
tilting her head down to kiss Marie again.

When their lips parted again, Michelle asked "Marie, would it be
okay if I made you happy now?"

Marie just smiled and said "Of course, momma", and moved to lie
down, looking at her mother lovingly. Michelle sat up, and then
turned around so that she was kneeling next to Marie, facing her.
Looking down, Michelle softly said "You're so beautiful, Marie. I
never realized just how pretty[s3] you are until just now."

Marie beamed and responded by telling her mother "And you're
pretty[s4], too, momma. I love you so much, and I'm glad you want
to make love with me."

Michelle smiled again, and leaned over to kiss Marie - a kiss
that ended only after both of them had put both hands on the
other's breasts, and teased the nipples to erection. When they
came up for air, the love was clear in both sets of eyes - along
with no small measure of desire.

Michelle leaned forward again, but her new target was Marie's
breast; taking it's nipple into her mouth, Michelle soon had her
daughter panting softly in desire before moving to give the
youngster's other breast the same treatment. Even as she was
doing so, her hand came to rest on Marie's belly - and began
traveling south, soon coming in contact with the soft, dark mass
that covered her own daughter's pubic mound. A few seconds more,
and her hand dipped between Marie's thighs - causing Marie to
groan at her mother's intimate contact with the core of her
femininity.

In return, Marie reached out to softly place her hand on the
inside of Michelle's thigh - then slowly caress her way upwards,
until her hand was cupping her mother's sex. At the touch of her
daughter's hand on her mons, Michelle shuddered slightly - from
the way her nipples erected, we knew that it was arousal, and not
aversion.

Over the next several minutes, Michelle continued to nurse at
Marie's breasts and let her fingers toy with the youngster's most
intimate places; in return, Marie kept her hand between her
mother's thighs, returning the favor.

It wasn't long before Michelle's hand was displaced in favor of
her mouth: turning around, Michelle leaned forward again to
slowly place her head between Marie's well-spread smooth, firm
thighs - and a moment later, we heard Marie's groan softly in
response to her mother's actions. With the two of them obviously
focused on each other, the rest of us began to openly watchthem.

Marie just lay back on the bed, writhing slightly in response to
her mother's tender ministrations, for several minutes before
pulling herself together enough to reach out for one of
Michelle's legs - guiding it back, and over her head so that she
could return the oral favors Michelle was bestowing on her.

Next to me, I heard Robyn say "That looks so hot. I wonder if we
look anything like that when WE make love, mom."

Before Lucy could respond, I told her `Yes, it does - and so do
you two. Better, even."

Lucy and Robyn both turned to look at me, pleased smiles on their
faces, before going back to watching Michelle and Marie.

As we continued to watch them, we also detected the unique scents
that were Michelle and Marie, as well - along with the sounds of
eager tongues lapping at wet openings, and soft moans and groans
of pleasure and arousal. A few more minutes, and we saw as Marie
went through a small orgasm, followed a couple minutes later by
Michelle having her own release - but both of them continued to
tend to the other's desires. It wasn't long before Marie had
another orgasm, then a third in sync with Michelle's second. A
bit later, as Marie cried out her fourth release, Lucy turned to
me and said "After seeing this, now I really believe she had that
many orgasms while she was with you! It's like it's non-stop with
her!"

Robyn and Sandra looked at her, and Lucy explained "Dan told us
that when she was with him, she had seventeen orgasms before he
lost track at four o'clock in the morning. Michelle and I didn't
want to believe him - but now I do!"

Both girls turned to look at Michelle and Marie again, somewhat
stunned to learn just how much passion and pleasure was inside
their young friend[s5].

Michelle and Marie continued to give each other orgasms for the
better part of an hour - with Marie having roughly three smaller
climaxes for each of her mother's larger ones. Finally, Michelle
lifted her head - the lower half of her face shiny with Marie's
oils - and all but fell over onto her back with a BIG smile on
her face. When we could see Marie's face, it was as shiny as
Michelle's - and bore an equally happy expression.

When it became clear that neither one of them was in any
condition to move, Sandra and Robyn got up to get warm washcloths
and begin cleaning them up - and both were amused to discover
that the process of cleaning Michelle's mons resulted in an
involuntary lifting of her hips.

While they were doing that, Lucy and I went downstairs to load a
couple of trays with assorted munchies and drinks - we'd agreed
that it looked to be a long afternoon and evening. By the time we
got back upstairs, Marie and Michelle were both semi-alert; with
the addition of some food and liquid refreshment, both began
recovering nicely - though they tended to make cow-eyes at each
other for a little while.

It was well after midnight before we all decided to call it quits
- mostly because Robyn and Sandra ganged up on Michelle, leaving
her as little more than a single quivering mass of flesh that
probably would have orgasmed at the slightest touch. For our
part, Lucy and I tag-teamed on Marie, finally exhausting her -
but leaving us in only marginally better shape.

The next morning, I woke up to discover that it was just Lucy,
Michelle, and me in the bed. I sat up to see if perhaps they were
in the bathroom; when I moved, Lucy woke up. When she saw me, she
gave me a big smile from where she was spooning with Michelle.
After a moment, she asked "What are you looking for?"

"The girls."

"Where are they?"

"I don't know - that's why I'm looking for them."

Lucy stuck her tongue out at me, and I leaned over to give her a
kiss on the tip of her nose - and getting a whiff of Marie in the
process - and waking Michelle. As she blinked at me, I gave her a
kiss, too - getting Eau de Sandra - before edging to the side of
the bed and standing up. I was about to walk to the bathroom when
all three girls came into the bedroom, bearing trays - Robyn with
cups and lots of coffee, Sandra with a small pile of cinnamon
rolls, and Marie with orange juice. I quickly took care of my
bathroom needs and made my way back to the bed. There, the
youngsters were patiently doling out breakfast, clearly amused at
the condition of the rest of us.

Michelle, Lucy, and I had all gotten a couple cups of coffee and
a roll into ourselves when Michelle asked "Where in the world do
they get the energy?" nodding at the girls. Lucy just laughed and
said "I don't know - but if we could figure out how to tap into
it, we'd never have to import another barrel of oil!"

For their part, the girls just grinned at us before Robyn told us
"We woke up a little while ago, and saw what time it was; we
figured you'd be getting up soon anyway, so we went ahead and
made breakfast. When you're ready, it's downstairs, keeping warm
in the oven."

Lucy raised an eyebrow and asked "This isn't breakfast?"

Marie laughed and answered "Oh, no! This was just something to
help get you going; all of you looked like you'd need something
just so you'd be able to get out of bed!"

Michelle and Lucy both laughed when I muttered "Damn kids." -
Robyn, Sandra, and Marie all just grinned, knowing that I wasn't
really upset.

When we three elderly folks were able to move again, each of the
girls took one of us into the bathroom and helped us get cleaned
up. Robyn teamed up with Michelle, Sandra with Lucy, and I got
Marie. I don't know about the other two, but I finally decided
that there were worse ways of getting going in the morning than
being pampered by a naked, slippery, conciliatory young girl.

Downstairs in the breakfast nook, all three girls continued their
self-appointed mission of taking care of us by bringing us our
breakfast after they'd gotten us seated. Bacon and cheese
omelets, hash browns, loaves of toast, gallons of coffee, and
orange juice by the quart were made available to us - and all
three of us gladly dug in, having nearly exhausted ourselves the
previous evening.

By the time we were done, I think all three of us were feeling
approximately human again - but it was still depressing to watch
the girls scampering around, laughing and smiling, and generally
cheering us up.

I have to admit to being somewhat relieved when Robyn and Sandra
finally left for school; Michelle, Lucy, and I all shared a look
of "Thank God it's over!" - but smiling, none the less.

For the life of me, I don't know how Lucy made it through work
that day - Michelle and I cuddled up for a brief nap right after
lunch.

That night, the evening was a LOT more subdued; when bedtime came
around (early), we casually broke into two groups: me, Robyn, and
Marie in one; Lucy, Michelle, and Sandra in the other. Since Lucy
actually had to go someplace the next day, she got our bedroom; I
joined Robyn in Marie's room.


That pretty much set the tone for the next few weeks -
weeknights, various permutations of people would gather for a
little mutual fun and frolicking after an evening of casual
fondling and friendly kissing. At various times, Lucy, Michelle,
and I all had one or more of the girls either on our lap or
cuddling with us.

Weekends were something else, entirely - all of us tended to
gather in Lucy's and my bed for mass-molestation exercises and
general debauchery.


It was a Thursday night and all of us were sitting in the living
room watching a movie on cable when the phone rang. Since Marie
was parked on Lucy's lap and Robyn and Sandra were cuddling with
Michelle, I got up to answer it.

"Andrews residence" I said.

"Dan? It's Dale Kristofferson. We've made our move against
Frenchy, and we got damn near everybody."

"That's good to hear!"

"There's just one problem - Frenchy and some of his boys got away
from us; damned if I know how. The thing is, he knows who you
are, and where you live - and I'm afraid he's on his way there
now.[s6]"

At those words, my blood ran cold. I pulled the phone away and
told Lucy "Lucy! Dale made his move, but Frenchy got by him, and
he may be on his way here."

All of them paled, but Lucy managed to ask "What do you want us
to do?"

"Get everybody upstairs. Lucy, find a spot where you can watch
the top of the stairs; if you see anybody but me, shoot them.
Sandra, get your weapon and you and Robyn get into one of the
closets in our bedroom; if anybody but me or Lucy opens it, shoot
them in the lips." Our closets were large, walk-in jobs that
would hold all four of them easily.

Sandra paled even more, but nodded; all of them got up and
started to move as Lucy asked me "What about you, Dan?"

She went white when she heard me say "I'll be down here, waiting
for them" - the tone of my voice telling her that it wouldn't be
with a bouquet and box of chocolates.

As they started toward the stairs, I put the phone back to my ear
and Dale told me "I heard that, Dan, and I've got cops on the way
already; they'll be there in just a few minutes."

"Fine - but you tell them they'd better stay outside. Anybody
that comes inside is mine."

I could hear the mix of regret and trepidation in his voice as he
said "I'll tell them. We'll be there as soon as we can, Dan."

"I just hope it's in time." I replied before hanging up the
phone.

I quickly went upstairs and saw that Lucy had found herself a
spot in the doorway to Robyn's bedroom, where she was almost
entirely concealed by a potted plant when she kneeled down - but
that she had a clear view of the top of the stairs. Next was the
bedroom, where the rest were waiting in the closet, the door
open. I had all of them but Sandra lay down; she remained sitting
upright - I figured if bullets started flying, they'd be at or
above waist level. I gave Sandra a kiss, assured her that
everything would be okay, and closed the closet door.

Back out in the hallway, I turned out some of the upstairs
lights, so that anyone coming up the stairs would be looking into
the light, but Lucy would have a nice, well-lit target against a
darker background.

Downstairs, I disabled the alarm system so it wouldn't make any
noise: I didn't want any distractions; I knew all the doors and
windows were locked, so having it off meant that I'd be able to
hear anyone trying to break in. That done, the next step was to
turn off all the lights so that I'd have the advantage of
dark-adapted vision in my own home - I knew where all the
furniture and things were, so I'd be able to move as freely and
noiselessly as possible while anyone coming in would still be a
little light-blinded and on unfamiliar ground.

As I waited where the living room, dining room, and stairs pretty
much came together, I closed my eyes to help speed the adjustment
to night vision. I heard a couple of cars go by, but neither one
stopped.

I was still standing there when I heard something outside the
dining room. I quietly made my way inside, and was standing next
to the window when the glass brok[s7]e in; a moment later, a head
appeared - then went back outside with an additional half-inch
hole in its forehead.

Even as the echoes of my shot died out, I heard more glass break
- in the living room, and in the kitchen. Figuring the living
room had more stuff for whoever it was to trip over, I headed for
the kitchen, slipping diagonally through the doorway so that I
had my back to the wall. Looking around carefully, I saw a shadow
rise up in the breakfast nook. Whoever it was must have seen me,
and started to raise a gun a moment later - but it was a moment
too late, because I put a double-tap right into his chest. He
fell backwards with only a grunt at the impact of the slugs[s8].

I was about to head for the living room when I heard Lucy scream;
I quickly went to the stairs, where I could see someone just
reaching the top of them. I recognized him, and yelled"Frenchy!"

As he turned toward me, I heard two shots ring out, and watched
as Frenchy started to fall back down the stairs, dropping the
small automatic pistol he had in his hand. When he hit the floor
at the bottom of the stairs, I was right on top of him - and saw
that he'd ended up on his back, and that he was still alive.
Across the side of his shirt, there were two grooves that were
already starting to leak blood; a half-dollar would have spanned
both of them easily - Lucy's shots had both been in the X-ring,
and either would have killed him if he hadn't turned just as she
fired.

When Frenchy got his senses back, the first thing he saw was the
muzzle of my .45 resting on the bridge of his nose. After
uncrossing his eyes, he next looked up at me - and promptly wet
himself.

In a very calm, very sincere voice, I told him "If you so much as
breathe funny, I'll cap you. You understand me?"

He very carefully nodded, and I said "Now, raise up your waist
and tuck your hands under your back - very carefully and very
slowly if you don't want your brains splattered all over my
floor."

After he'd done exactly as I'd told him, I moved to kneel on his
belly - not a pleasant thing for him, but it made sure he didn't
try anything stupid.

When she saw that I had control over things, Lucy came down the
stairs, her pistol in her hands, looking around. When she got
close, I told her "It's okay - only three tried to get in, and I
got the other two. Just keep everybody out of the kitchen,okay?"

Lucy knew what I was saying to her, and answered "I will. What
now?"

That question was answered for me by the arrival of what seemed
like every cop car in town. A minute later, there was a frantic
knocking at the door along with shouts of "Police!"

Lucy went over to the door and checked that it was, in fact, the
cops outside[s9]; satisfied, she carefully safed her weapon and
opened the door for them.

The first couple of cops inside didn't seem to know how to handle
the sight of her standing there with a pistol in her hand, never
mind me kneeling on someone else with my gun in his face. Their
quandary was solved by the appearance of Agent Kristofferson, who
told them "She's okay - so is he. The bad guy is the one on the
floor; cuff him and read him his Miranda."

With things coming under control again, I saw Lucy almost
collapse in on herself in relief.  The cops soon had Frenchy
cuffed and standing; only when he was secured was I able to go to
her and take her in my arms. I'd barely hugged her when she said
"Upstairs!" - and both of us hurried to our bedroom, where I
called out to Sandra that it was us - and watched the closet door
open to reveal Sandra sitting there with her pistol cocked,
apparently ready to do just as I'd told her. Seeing us, she
started to cry, but kept enough control to carefully let the
hammer down on her pistol before standing up.

A few moments later, all four of them were huddled around Lucy
and me, crying in relief.

That was how Dale found us a minute or two later. He delicately
cleared his throat, and when all of us were looking at him said
"We got one more, in a car down the alley; he didn't give us any
trouble. With the ones Dan took care of, that accounts for
everybody we were after."

He hesitated a moment, then apologetically told me "I'm sorry,
Dan."

I looked at him and asked "How did they know?"

He got a mildly outraged look on his face before telling me
"There was a police detective that told them - the guy that took
your statement at the mall, of all people. He recognized
Frenchy's boys, but didn't put it together until a couple days
ago."

"You've got him?"

"Oh, yeah - and he already knows he's in deep shit."

I just nodded, and turned back to Lucy and the others. A moment
later, Dale turned and left us alone again.

When everyone had mostly gotten over the shock, we made our way
back downstairs: Robyn and Sandra holding hands with Lucy and me
while Michelle had an arm around Marie. When we got to the bottom
of the stairs, we saw that they still hadn't hauled Frenchy off
yet. The cops watched closely as Michelle took her arm from
around Marie and walked over to him. She looked at him for
several long seconds, and then simply spat in his face before
turning around and walking away again.

She was again holding Marie when Frenchy angrily told her "I
never should have married you, bitch!"

I think all of us were surprised when Michelle just laughed -
then told him "Where you're going, you're going to be the bitch,
tough guy!"

With that, the cops apparently decided it was time for Frenchy to
go - he tried to resist a little, but it didn't accomplish
anything.

I saw Sandra start for the kitchen, and quickly told her "Don't
go in there!"

She stopped and looked at me in curiosity for a moment - then
understood that there was undoubtedly a good reason I didn't want
her in there. Shortly on the heels of that, she seemed to
understand what that reason probably was, and paled - but kept
herself together and came back to where Lucy and I each had an
arm around Robyn. She moved close to us, and Robyn and Lucy made
room for her between them.

Dale looked at me, and said "If you'll keep everybody here or in
the living room for a little while, we'll take care of the, uh,
mess. Both of them."

I nodded, and gently herded the rest of them into the living
room. There, I went about making stiff drinks for Michelle, Lucy,
and me - and milder ones for the girls. There wasn't any ice for
them, but all things considered, I didn't feel like stepping over
the dead guy in the kitchen was worth getting any.

As we sat there, Lucy suddenly had an attack of the shakes - it
was only by holding onto it tightly with both hands that she was
able to set her drink on the table before all but collapsing in
my arms.

I knew what was happening, of course - the same thing that had
happened to me after I'd had to shoot at someone the first time.
I just held her close and did what I could to comfort her; the
rest seemed to have a little appreciation for what she was going
through, and left both of us alone while they tried to reassure
each other.

When she'd calmed down again, Lucy looked up into my face and
said "I tried to kill someone tonight", her voice shaking,
clearly anguished.

"Only because HE came into our home, trying to kill us" I
reminded her, adding "Maybe you didn't see it, but he had a
machine pistol. If you hadn't shot, there was a pretty damn good
chance that he would have used it - or tried to."

About that time, Dale stuck his head in to see how we were doing;
I made sure Lucy could hear me as I asked him "What was Frenchy
carrying?"

Dale raised an eyebrow and answered "MAC-10, with an extended
clip. The one outside had an Uzi, and the guy in the kitchen had
a Thompson[s10], of all things." I knew he was referring to the
old WW-II era Thompson .45 caliber submachine gun.

Lucy listened to that, and I could see her thinking about what
might have happened if she hadn't been there, and ready toshoot.

Dale seemed to realize what was happening, and came over, saying
"Lucy? If you hadn't been there, and shot when you did, he would
have been able to kill all of you several times over; that
extended magazine he had holds over FORTY-FIVE rounds. You only
did what you had to do, and only because he forced you into it.
Shooting somebody is a long way from anything to be happy about -
but the reason you had to shoot was RIGHT, if that helps you
any."

Lucy looked up at him and nodded; reassured that she'd heard him,
Dale looked at me in sympathy and left us again.

After while, Lucy moved off my lap and saw that Robyn - and
particularly Sandra - were pretty shaken up. She quickly gestured
for them to come over to us; Robyn headed right for Lucy, and
Sandra for me. Each of us did what we could to settle them down
again - me by quietly telling Sandra how much I loved her, and
how proud I was of her. I could feel that she had calmed down
considerably when she looked into my face and said "Uncle Dan?
Now I understand why having Michelle and Marie here was right. I
mean, I knew it was right before, hiding them from him; but I
didn't really understand WHY. But now I do, and I'm glad that we
were able to keep them safe. I was really scared, because I was
afraid that you or Aunt Lucy would get hurt - but I knew that I
had to help protect Michelle - and especially Marie. I... I
didn't want to, but I knew that if he got to where we were, I was
going to do just like you told me: put my gun in his face and
pull the trigger."[s11]

I hugged her and said "I'm glad it didn't come to that, dear."

Sandra was ready to get off my lap before Lucy was done with
Robyn; when she got up to move, I went over to where Michelle and
Marie were, taking them into my arms and doing what I could to
let them know that it was finally over, and that everything was
going to be okay.

I was still holding them when Dale showed up again. I looked at
him and he quietly told me "We, uh, got everything taken care of,
so you can move around again if you want to. There was only a
little bit of, um, mess in the kitchen, but we got it cleaned up.
There's still a little outside the dining room, so you might want
to take care of it, Dan, before anyone goes out there."

I thanked him, and assured him that I'd do just that. Relieved,
he looked at us again before clearing his throat and telling all
of us "If it helps any, we got all the rest of them; from a quick
look at their records, there are a couple dozen kids - some even
younger than you three - that are going to be able to get some
therapy for what they've been through, and go back to their homes
and families. And we've got the evidence we need to put several
people away for murder - they're the ones that produced the snuff
movies. All told, we - the Bureau, the local cops, and YOU - are
going to put a BIG hole in the crime element around here."

I nodded in acknowledgement of what he'd just told us; he didn't
get much of a response from anyone else - but didn't seem to
expect one, just then. He excused himself after a moment, and
left us alone.

At my side, I felt Michelle move, and pulled my arm back so she
could get up if she wanted. She didn't, and quickly pulled it
back around her waist before telling me "I'm sorry that you and
yours got mixed up in all this, Dan - especially with it going
this far. I don't reckon I have to say it, but I will: me and
Marie, we'll never forget all you've done for us. Not just
tonight, but before, too. I'm just sorry you had to learn what
Frenchy's like for yourselves; I wish there was some way I could
take the hurtin' of that away from you."

Lucy heard what she said, and answered for me by saying "Don't,
Michelle. What you did was right - getting yourself and Marie
away from him, and doing what you could to see him pay for what
he's done to others. I wish it hadn't come to this, too - but it
did, and that was Frenchy's choosing, not ours. Now he's going to
pay for what he's done. I think maybe you're right about what he
can expect when he gets to prison; he's going to be as afraid and
abused in there as you were with him - maybe even more. We - all
of us - have learned what kind of people you and Marie are, and
if we were able to help you, then I'm glad of it."

Michelle looked at her, then Robyn and Sandra, who both silently
nodded their agreement with what Lucy had just said. Then she
looked at me, and I simply told her "There's a quote from a guy
by the name of Edmund Burke: `The only thing necessary for the
triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing'. We couldn't just
`do nothing' for you, any more than you could for Marie - and for
the same reasons: because Frenchy is an evil man, and it simply
wouldn't be right to let him hurt you that way."

Comforted, Michelle leaned against me again, letting me hold her
close.

Some time later, Dale came in and told us that everything was
done, and that everybody was leaving. He asked if I needed or
wanted anybody to stay behind; I just told him that if a patrol
car could swing by a little more often, that would be fine. He
assured me that he'd see to it. I eased myself from between
Michelle and Marie, and escorted him to the door. There, he told
me again how sorry he was that Frenchy had gotten to us. I told
him that we'd talk about it later, that the rest of us needed to
pull ourselves together, and see if we couldn't get some rest. He
said he understood, and left. As he was leaving, I saw a cop car
go by, the officer driving it paying close attention to our
house.

I went and reset the alarm system, and when it complained about
the broken windows, told it to ignore those particular sensors -
but to continue to watch everything else. Then I went out to the
garage and got a piece of the foam backing board that Robyn had
needed for a school project; it was large enough that I could cut
and trim it down a little and use it to block off the missing
windows, keeping the bugs and such out. I fastened it in place
with duct tape (the handyman's secret weapon), and detoured
through the kitchen to make sure it was presentable for the
others. It was, relieving me considerably. I got all of us
something cold to drink, and went back to the living room.
Everyone was glad to see what I'd brought with me; Lucy,
Michelle, and I went over to fortify ours with a little alcohol
while the youngsters used theirs to chill down the weak drinks
they still held.

When we were all seated again, Lucy happened to look at the clock
and exclaimed "It's only eleven o'clock!" - clearly amazed that
it was still that early. Subjectively, I think all of us figured
it to be much, much later.

After we'd all pretty much finished our drinks, Lucy stood up and
said "I don't know about anyone else, but I think I'm ready for
bed. This has been one hell of a night!"

The understatement brought smiles to everyone's faces, and we all
agreed that it had, indeed. We slowly got up, and holding each
other close, the whole troop of us moved upstairs to Lucy's and
my bedroom where we gently undressed each other and got intobed.

None of us felt like doing anything more than simply holding each
other - and it was a long time before any of us fell asleep.


The next day, I had workmen come out and start dealing with the
aftermath of the night before - replacing the missing windows,
patching the holes where Lucy's bullets had hit after grazing
Frenchy, and so on. I personally went out and dealt with the mess
resulting from the guy I'd shot in the forehead; as I turned the
soil in the flowerbed to conceal the bits of brain and bone the
others had missed, and carefully hosed the blood off the plants
and grass, I could only wonder if something I'd heard was true:
that plants seemed to grow better where blood had been spilled -
and decided that I'd find out soon enough.

That night, Lucy and I were sleeping alone - Robyn and Sandra
were keeping Michelle and Marie company in Marie's room - when I
woke up to the sound of Lucy having a nightmare. It take much to
figure out what it was about, and I gently woke her up, then held
her close as she cried into my chest. Off and on, her nightmares
continued for the better part of a month - and it was the hardest
thing in my life to have to wait for them, knowing that there
wasn't a damn thing I could do to help but be there for her after
the fact.

Robyn had a little bit of a haunted look about her for a few
days, but gradually found her equilibrium again, becoming the
friendly, dignified young lady that all of us loved. Robyn - to
no one's surprise, I think - bounced back the fastest; she was
simply too friendly and happy to let it get her down for too
long.

Michelle and Marie were probably the worst hit by it - and when I
talked to Michelle about it, she admitted that it wasn't just
Frenchy that bothered her, but guilt over the fact that he'd come
into our home to try and get at her and Marie. It was all I could
do to convince her that there wasn't anything for her to feel
guilty about. Marie was a little bit easier; she was more
frightened than guilty - but as things settled back into
something resembling a routine, she began to recover, as well.

Dale offered to move Michelle and Marie to someplace else; after
Lucy and I assured them that they were welcome to stay, neither
one of them wanted anything to do with it, thank you very much:
they both told him that they felt safer and more secure in my
house than they figured they could anywhere else.

It didn't take long to deal with Frenchy and his buddies; the
evidence against them was so overwhelming that every last one of
them copped a plea rather than risk a jury trial. Even so, they
were all sentenced to lots and lots of time in various prisons.
After they were all taken to their various new homes, we were
able to relax the security around Michelle - but she still felt
better when Lucy or I would accompany her or Marie when they went
out.

Dale had made the arrangements for Michelle and Marie to go into
Witness Protection; they were a few days from making that move
when I got a call from him telling me that he'd just gotten word
that Frenchy had been gang-raped in prison. I thanked him for
letting me know, and got Michelle off by herself to tell her what
had happened. Her only reaction was to tell me "I reckon' he's
finally reaping some of what he sowed."

The time that Michelle and Marie left us was a sad one for
everybody - Lucy, me, and the girls all loved them, and knew that
they loved us. But we also knew that it was for the best; that
Michelle and Marie would have new identities and be able to get a
fresh start in life without the dark cloud of Frenchy hanging
over them.


It was nearly a year later when we got a letter in the mail; the
return address was for a Melissa Rockford someplace in Wyoming.
Not recognizing the name or place, I opened it up and began to
read - and soon realized that it was from Michelle, even though
it was written so that it appeared to be meant for someone else.

It seemed that she had been able to go back to school, and gotten
some kind of certification or something that let her be a legal
aide - and that she was working in a small office that helped
people that couldn't afford a regular lawyer. She wasn't making a
lot of money at it, but felt so good about what she was doing
that it didn't matter: she had more than enough to take care of
her and `Martha', and it made her feel like she was giving back
some of what she'd gotten from `some very close, very special
friends'.

She went on to say that Martha was in school, and doing better
than anyone had hoped or expected - she was a full grade ahead of
where she should have been, something that Melissa credited her
`most special man friend' with making possible. Martha was making
lots of new friends - good ones - and that she was generally
behaving the way she should - she had a few very close friends,
was very selective about making new ones of either gender, and
discrete about any other activities.

She also wrote that she'd met a few guys, and thought she'd found
a nice one. He loved her, and doted on Martha; he didn't pressure
her to do anything she wasn't comfortable with, and had made it
clear that he cared for her for what was in her heart and mind,
not her looks. She thought he might be going to ask her to marry
him, and she said that she figured she'd say `yes' - though the
one she really wanted was already taken, this one was gentle and
loving and patient.

Finally, she said she wanted to express her love and gratitude to
the friends she'd made, and who had helped her so much and so
willingly, even when it had made things extra-difficult for them.
She wrote that she'd never forget all of them, and would love
them always - just as she knew they loved her.

When Robyn and Sandra got home, I let them read the letter, which
made them sad (a little) and happy (mostly) - as it did for Lucy,
later.
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