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Subject: {ASSM} Dragonseekers, by Net Wolf [5 / 20] (ff, mF, mf, first, inc, rom, solo, teen, voy)
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Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 00:10:01 -0400
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Story is (C) 2006 by Net Wolf

This story will be posted one chapter a day until it is finished.  If you
don't want to wait, or you want to see my other stories, you can visit my
website at 

http://netwolf.wolfpub.org

The Mystic Wolf Pub also has several other good authors.  Check it
out:

http://www.wolfpub.org

Please let me know if you enjoy the story.

Net Wolf

**********

Dragonseekers
Chapter 5 of 20

Genre: Fantasy
codes: first time sex, incest, romantic, solo, teen, non-sexual violence,
	voyeurism
pairings: ff, mF, mf

description:
Don White and his friends are transported to Zemlia Nov through a computer
RPG. Their mission? Find a way home. But that's not the whole story...

**********

                   --===Dragonseekers===--

Chapter 5




   Julie awoke early, when the sun was just beginning to peek into the
bedroom.  She turned over to see her brother, sleeping soundly.  She
studied him for a minute, watching how his chest moved with each breath,
watching his face as it made small reactions to whatever dream he was
having.

   Julie considered sucking him off to wake him up.  She was horny as all
hell, and she really wanted to get laid.  Paul was here, and he was pretty
good looking, but she wasn't sure he was available to her.  It had
certainly seemed that way on their travels here, though she'd not taken
advantage of it because she didn't want to get caught the way Susan had.

   They'd been at the castle for four days, and each night, she'd hoped he
would come in, throw her down on the bed, and fuck her silly.  And each
night, he came in, kissed her good-night, and went to sleep.  She was
frustrated, and hurt, and she didn't know what to do.

   Sighing, Julie slipped out of bed and padded across the floor.  She took
care of her morning activities, and then slipped on her dress.  She liked
the dress; it was much nicer than the one she'd been stuck with on the way
here.  It was lighter, and flowed more easily, but more to the point, it
showed off her body excellently.  She especially liked that part.

   Not that it mattered at the moment; no one was interested in her.  She
stood in the balcony doorway, and turned back to look at her sleeping
brother.  He didn't seem to care whether she was here or not.  What had
changed?  She considered, briefly, the idea of confronting him about it,
but the idea vanished as quickly as it had come.  It was not her place to
question her brother.  But she had needs, too, and who would take care of
*her*?



   ----



   Julie spent over an hour out on the balcony, watching the sun rise and
the animals awaken.  There was a robin in a tree down in the valley, and
there was a doe with her fawn just on the edge of the forest to the south.
It was peaceful, and for a few moments, her mind was quiet, and she didn't
worry about anything.  She'd been full of worry since the day they had
entered Zemlia Nov.  She'd at first blamed Paul and the boys, but those
recriminations died out after the first day.  It was no one's fault, and
they just had to work together to get out of here.

   She turned and went back into the room.  Paul was not in the bed.  She'd
heard him get up earlier, and wondered if he were already at breakfast. 
She checked the bathroom first, to make sure he wasn't there, and then she
went into the hallway.  She nearly bumped into Kate, who was nearly
beaming, hanging off her brother's arm.  Julie couldn't begrudge the girl
her good mood; she only wished she were in a similar one.

   Julie found Paul on the ground floor, waiting for her.  He had a
sheepish grin on his face as he looked at her, but she frowned.  It wasn't
a look of anticipation, or even of regret, just more of an "oops" look.

   Paul, of course, felt a little stupid to have forgotten his sister.  The
truth is, he'd been so intent on starting his day, on seeing *her*, that
all else had slipped his mind, until he'd come down the stairs to see Susan
and Gill together, looking at some artwork on the wall before breakfast. 
Then he'd realized what he'd done, but to go all the way back to the
room... no, he'd wait for her here.

   Julie was not happy, and this was clear to Paul, for she barely said
hello to him as she walked by him into the dining room.  He shrugged and
followed her, sitting down beside her as usual, but they didn't
communicate. Yarice, the cook, brought out their breakfast, and began to
serve it as the others filed in.  When Carysta walked in, Julie noted how
Paul's head turned fully toward her.

   *So, that really is it, isn't it?  He doesn't want me, because he can
have her.  What the fuck is wrong with me?  I'm not exactly chopped liver!
Back home, I could have any boy I wanted!  Why can't I have my own
brother?*

   As Carysta approached, Paul used his telekinetic power to pull out her
chair for her.  She smiled at him politely as she sat down.  Julie glared
at her, but Carysta either did not notice, or chose not to notice. 
Finally, Julie slumped in her chair, returning to her breakfast.  Yarice
noticed Julie's unhappy face.

   "Is breakfast not to your taste, Mistress?" the woman asked.  She called
all of them that; Master, Mistress, Sir, Madam...  so formal.  It bugged
Julie, but she couldn't complain that the lady was too polite.

   "No, it's not the food.  Sorry.  I just have something on my mind."

   "Ah.  Well, good food often helps settle the soul." It was an aphorism
that Yarice obviously believed wholeheartedly, the way she fed them all. 
Julie turned her attention to her meal; at least she would be nutritionally
cared for here.

   The remainder of the group wondered if there had been a fight between
Paul and Julie, but this was not the time or the place to discuss it, and
it was clear that bringing it up would only piss Julie off, so they let it
drop for the time being.  Don, however, made a note that he should talk to
Paul about it.  He couldn't know that Paul would have no clue what was
wrong.



   ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...



   Darnell lunged, and Gill sidestepped, snapping his wrist to smack his
sword against Darnell's.  The blow wasn't strong enough to break Darnell's
grip, but it pushed him off-aim, and that was the opening Gill needed.

   Gill stepped in, caught Darnell's foot, and pushed him backward with his
free hand.  Darnell crumpled backward to the ground, and before he could
get up, the point of Gill's sword was touching the ground, right next to
Darnell's neck.

   Darnell looked up at his student.  "Very good.  You caught me off guard,
and made good use of the opportunity."

   Gill withdrew his sword so that Darnell could get up.  They'd already
been practicing for over an hour, and the two were thoroughly bruised.  The
workouts were growing more intense, and Gill was sore on most days.  Still,
he knew that hard training made combat easier, and that was what he needed.
Gill dropped back into ready stance as Darnell got to his feet.

   Darnell waved him off.  "No, no, I think we've tried to kill each other
enough for one day.  You are progressing well.  The last fighter that came
through here didn't have a clue, and I feared..."

   Darnell's words tailed off as he looked behind Gill.  Gill turned, and
wasn't truly sure what he saw.  There was something on the horizon, that
was sure, but he couldn't tell what it was.

   Darnell looked around for a moment, and then found what it was he was
looking for.  Kate was picking some apricots from a nearby tree.  He called
out to her, and she came over to him.

   "Miss Kate, I was wondering if you would be so kind as to find out who
is approaching?" Darnell pointed in the direction of the approaching lump,
and Kate nodded.  She flew up and forward, until she could clearly see who
was coming.  Her return to the ground was a speedy one.

   "It's the Elves.  The WolfRiders."

   "All the way from Sheridan?  What are they doing here?" Darnell pondered
this for a moment, but then came to a decision.  "Kate, go get Iamor... 
and you might want to bring your brother as well."

   Kate nodded, and flew off, above the castle wall and into the courtyard.
Gill watched her go, then turned to Darnell.

   "Could this be trouble?"

   "Not from the WolfRiders.  But they may be bringing news of trouble. 
Sheridan is a day's journey from here, even for those swift-footed
creatures.  They will have to have traveled through the night to get here
so early."

   "Oh." The two stood, watching as the lump grew into a mass, and then
finally started to separate into individual animals; large gray wolves with
Elves on their backs.  Darnell relaxed a bit as he saw the animals were not
running all-out, but were in an easy lope.  That made him curious, though:
it would take forever to get here at that speed.  What were they doing?

   Iamor and Don joined the other two before the WolfRiders arrived.  Kate
was still flying, to see if there was anything new.  When she came down,
she landed by her brother, and whispered into his ear.

   "It looks like they have a person with them." When Don looked at her
quizzically, she said, "Like us...er, I mean, like you, anyway, you know a
*person*!"

   "You mean a *human*?" he asked with a smile.  She blushed, but nodded.

   "Iamor, Katie says she saw a human with them."

   "What?  The WolfRiders travel alone!  No humans, no!  Nevernevernever!"

   "Whatever." Don wasn't about to set him off on yet another of his
diatribes.  The group waited in silence as the Elves approached.  As the
group got within visual range, Gill and then Darnell made a point of
sheathing their weapons.

   The WolfRiders pulled up to a stop five yards from where Don was
standing.  Iamor said nothing to them, which Don and his friends found
really odd.  Don shrugged, and then stepped forward.  He had to think hard
to remember the greeting, but finally he said, "Haialani!" The Elf before
him was not Koatri, the Elf who had led the WolfRiders before.  Don
wondered if there were several bands of WolfRiders.

   But the other Elf had been part of the group, and so he knew Don and
greeted him in return.  "Haialani, human." It was then that Don saw there
was, indeed, a human girl with them, but that she looked to be unconscious.
She was riding in the middle of the pack, held up by a female Elf who was
almost as pretty as Kate.

   "Where is Koatri?" Gill asked the leader.

   "Koatri was killed by Dan-Gelmer.  Things outside this valley are not
pleasant, human.  My name is Myrtacor.  I lead the WolfRiders now.  While I
live."

   The party was stunned by the revelation of Koatri's death, all the more
so since they didn't actually know him.  What was bugging Don was that
Iamor was not speaking to the Elves, and the Elves were making no attempt
to speak to Iamor.  Don was certainly going to get to the bottom of that,
but not right now.

   "How can we help you?" Don asked.

   Myrtacor snorted, but didn't say what was obviously on his mind. 
*Humans?  Help an Elf?  Get real.* Instead, he said, "We found this girl in
the grasslands.  She's been attacked, and she's exhausted.  We brought her
here because it was closer than Sheridan.  She hasn't spoken since we
picked her up."

   Don walked forward into the group.  He noticed that the wolves did not
seem to react to his presence.  When he stepped up to the animal on which
the girl was riding, he gently put his hand on the back of its neck.

   "The wolves will not bother you," the female Elf said.  "Especially not
Melamuk.  He's very quiet."

   Don looked into the animal's face, and there was intelligence and
curiosity there, but no malice.  Don thought that was a good thing for him.
It turned out that the girl was conscious, but just barely.  She seemed
delirious, and as Don tried to help her off the wolf, she collapsed,
wrapping her arms around his neck for support.  Don hugged her tightly,
holding her up.

   "Thank you for saving her," Don said to the female.  She nodded, but
didn't say anything.

   Myrtacor turned to face Don.  "I hope you will not think us rude, but it
is a very long ride back to Sheridan from here, and we do not want to be
out at night for any longer than necessary.  Dan-Gelmer is wreaking havoc
among the people of the countryside, and I'm sure it won't be long before
he comes here looking for you.  Take care, human."

   The female Elf spoke one last time before they left.  "What is your
name?" She was looking intently at Don.

   "Don White," he answered automatically.

   "Take care of her, Don White.  She needs your help."

   Without another word, the WolfRiders wheeled their mounts around, and
they set off.  This time, they were moving at a full run, rather than the
easy pace they had set before.

   Don realized he was still hugging the girl tightly, but she didn't seem
to have the ability to stand up on her own, so he couldn't let her go.

   "Katie, you want to help me take care of her?"

   "You seem to be taking care of her just fine by yourself, Big Brother."
Katie's voice was light and teasing.

   "Katie," he said with mock-aggravation.  She stuck her tongue out at
him, but together, they helped the nearly-unconscious girl back into the
castle, and up to their bedroom, since they didn't know where else to take
her.  They laid her down on the unused bed.

   "Um...  why don't you undress her, while I go see if I can find
something to clean up some of her wounds with?  And tuck her in, okay?  She
might get cold in here."

   That wasn't the real reason he wanted her covered, and Katie knew it,
but didn't say anything.  She looked at the poor girl with sympathy, and as
Don left the room, she began to undo her tattered clothing.



   ----



   Outside the castle, Gill turned back to Darnell.  "Should we do some
exercises or something now?"

   Darnell still seemed distracted.  Gill's words startled him.  "No, I
think we've done enough for today.  I need to take care of some things,
anyway.  Why don't you take some time off, take it easy, relax?"

   "Okay.  Thank you, Sir Darnell," Gill added the title that Darnell
didn't understand, but it amused both of them.

   "And to you, Sir Gill," he said, returning the joke, still without
really understanding it, though Gill had attempted to explain nobility to
him once.  He walked off, leaving Gill to ponder what to do with his day.



   ----



   Julie was frustrated, but she had a plan.  She had been waiting in her
room since lunch, and she would continue to wait until the time was right.
She thought she heard voices in the hallway.  As they grew closer, she
recognized Don and Kate.  That was no good; Kate would spoil things.  She'd
have to wait.  She had all day; Paul had never made time for her since the
first day they'd arrived, and he didn't appear to be about to start.



   ----



   Some time later, Gill climbed the stairs into the bedroom wing of the
castle.  He figured to wash up, maybe change, before going to find his
sister.  He wandered down the hallway, casually noting things, like the
fact that Paul's bedroom door was open.

   There was a shadow in the crack to that door.

   In the second it took him to register that thought, a face appeared.  It
was Julie.

   She looked relieved about something.  "Gill, am I glad to see you!  Can
you help me with something, please?"

   He heard the plea in her voice, and though he'd never gotten more than
the cold shoulder from her, he was more than happy to do her a favor, if
only for Paul.  He walked toward the door, and Julie opened it, staying
behind the door, so he had ample room to enter.

   Gill looked around as he walked into the room, noting the differences
between this room and his own, which were mainly in the colors chosen.  He
heard Julie close the door behind him.  He didn't hear her lock it.

   When Gill turned to face her, he was about to ask her what she needed
help with.  That question died aborning on his lips.  He was faced with
Julie, in all her glory, without a stitch of clothing on.  His eyes passed
over her oval face with its short black hair and brown eyes, and they
focused on her large, firm tits.  Her areolas were pale and the size of
silver dollars.  Her nipples were erect and inviting.

   Gill's eyes couldn't make it past her tits, and Julie knew then that she
would get what she needed.  She moved closer to him, well within his reach,
and shook her chest slightly.  She watched his eyes follow her movements,
and she smiled to herself.  She reached down and took Gill's hands, placing
them on her tits.  She kept her own hands over them and forced him to
squeeze her breasts, sending tingles through her body.

   Gill's eyes, freed from their trap, since his hands were now covering
the things he'd been staring at, returned to Julie's face, which was now
much closer to him.  He started to ask her what was going on, but as soon
as his mouth opened, she pressed her own to it, her tongue quickly invading
and assaulting his, her lips mashed passionately against his own.

   Gill couldn't concentrate, but his hands could.  His fingers began to
squeeze Julie's tits, massaging them and rolling them in his grasp. 
Knowing that he would continue without her encouragement, Julie reached her
hands down for the belt he wore.  It was wide, with a heavy buckle, and it
was tricky to undo with her tits being groped and her mouth locked against
his, but she managed it.  The belt, with his sword and dagger attached,
fell heavily to the floor.  She ignored it, as she reached to remove his
pants.

   Pants in Zemlia Nov were a strange mix, and Gill's had an old-style snap
fastener on them.  She undid this quickly, and began pushing his pants off
his hips.  She pulled down the Novian version of underwear as well, and her
hand then finally found what it had been searching for.

   Julie's fingers encircled Gill's dick, and stroked it the rest of the
way to hardness.  She longed to just stuff it into her cunt, but she needed
him to last, to fulfill her needs.  She felt Gill groan into her mouth, and
she knew he was close.

   She broke their kiss and he continued to groan out loud.  Julie gently
pulled away from him, not really wanting his fingers to leave her tits, but
she wanted something better.  She knelt, thankful that she had remembered
to drop a throw rug over the hard floor.  Her eyes stared hungrily at the
hard cock before her, and her lips moved toward it almost of their own
accord.

   "Julie, what are we - ungh!" Gill's thought was cut off as Julie's lips
encased the head of his dick in a soft, wet warmth.  Her tongue slithered
around the tip of his cock, focusing on the drops of precum that had oozed
out.  Her mouth very soon started to move farther onto his cock, sending
shivers up Gill's spine.  Her one hand moved down to gently cup his balls,
rolling them softly in her fingers.  Her other hand stroked the portion of
his dick not yet in her mouth.

   Gill was doing his best to hold out; he didn't want this to end, it felt
too good.  After less than a minute, though, he knew his best efforts were
not going to be enough.  Julie's fingers, her lips, her tongue, were
dancing across his privates, and he couldn't resist the urge.  He couldn't
even form the words to warn her.

   Gill's cum blasted into Julie's mouth, where she happily sucked it down,
urging more out of him with a strong sucking and a tickling of his balls.
Julie believed in the adage, "bad girls suck, but good girls swallow." She
loved the taste of cum, and Gill's was no different.  He continued to shoot
into her mouth a few more times, and then his body relaxed.

   Julie did not want him relaxed, however, and so her hands and mouth
continued to work on him, tried to pull his shrinking cock back to life. 
It wasn't long before her deft fingers and her hot, wet tongue were able to
encourage some vigor back into Gill's prick.  In short order, he was hard
again, and she could tell by the way his hands were clenching at her hair
that he was ready for more.  She needed him more than ever now, and she
wasn't taking no for an answer.

   Not that Gill would have said no at this point; he could barely think
straight.  Julie led him over to the bed, and bent herself over it,
presenting her pussy to him with her legs spread lewdly.  She climbed onto
the bed, kneeling, her pussy still wide open for him.

   She turned and, in her best seductress voice, she said, "Come on, stud.
Fuck this bitch."

   Well, Gill wasn't going to turn down *that* offer.  He stepped up behind
her, placing the head of his cock at her entrance.  Her pussy seemed to
grasp at it, as if trying to pull it into her.  Gill grabbed her hips, and
thrust.

   Julie cried out at the sudden fullness of her twat.  Her body convulsed
as it felt the ultimate pleasure of coupling with a man, felt the one thing
that could fulfill her need: a hard cock plunging into her depths.

   Gill did not stop, but immediately set to pounding Julie.  His hands
gripped at her hips, helping him to ram into her repeatedly.  It wasn't
long before Julie's hips were bucking back at him, and the two were
slamming into one another so that the slapping noise filled the room, and
probably the hallway outside the room.  Neither of them cared; they were
lost to the passion of the moment.

   Gill reached forward, his hands seeking and finding Julie's tits.  Julie
groaned as his fingers began to grope her tit flesh again, working their
way to her nipples, and tweaking them.

   "Pinch them, god, pull on them, twist them, c'mon!"

   Gill got the message, and more forcefully pinched and tugged Julie's
nipples.  Her body was on fire, his fingers torturing her sensitive tits,
his hard cock slamming into her cunt, his balls slapping against her with
every motion.  Julie was riding the wave higher and higher.

   When Gill twisted her nipples, the wave broke, and Julie cried out in
orgasm, her body was wracked with spasms, her mind reeling from the
intensity of her pleasure.  She bucked and wriggled against him, but he
held her throughout, trying to continue to pump into her as she twisted
beneath him.

   Julie's climax lasted for some moments, but she wasn't yet sated.  There
was one thing left that she really needed.  As Gill started to slip from
her, she reached back and not-so-gently grasped his cock.  He stopped
immediately, even sliding back into her, which she really enjoyed.

   Looking over her shoulder, she pleaded with him.  "Gill, baby, fuck my
ass!"

   Gill stared at her, dumbfounded.  She continued.  "Oh, it's been more
than three weeks since I've had a good reaming!  C'mon, it's all yours for
the taking, just shove that nice hard dick up inside my butt and fuck it!"

   Gill was harder now than he could ever remember being in his life.  He
gave a few more strokes in her cunt, to make sure he was well-lubed, and
then he pulled out.  Julie lowered herself slightly onto the bed, giving
him a better angle at her ass.  He put the tip of his cock to her rosebud,
and began to push.  He held onto her hips and tried to keep the pace slow,
so as not to hurt her.

   Julie was having none of that, and she shoved her ass back onto him,
hard.  It took mere seconds before she was fully impaled on his dick, and
her body was near to convulsions already at the wonderful sensation of
being filled there.

   "Fuck me!  Fuck my ass!" she screamed.

   Gill's cock was being squeezed tighter than ever, and he had trouble
just pulling himself partway out.  Then he pushed himself back in.  Julie
groaned in bliss.  He repeated the move again and again until she had
loosened.  Soon he was stroking his full length in and out, and was
building up steam.

   Julie was moaning and growling beneath him, lost in her world of
ecstasy. It had been nearly two weeks since she'd last been fucked, and
this was everything she could have hoped for.  For a brief moment, she
wondered how a geek could be this fucking good, but the thought evaporated
as his cock slammed into her again.  She heard his balls slap against her
skin, even above her cries of pleasure.  He pulled out, only to slam home
again, and her eyes saw stars.

   Again and again he rammed into her, and again and again she urged him on
with her screams and shouts of joy.  His own orgasm was building, and he
could feel that it was going to be a big one.  He reached down to pull her
upward, still slamming into her.  He got her onto her hands and knees, and
then he reached under her, his fingers searching for and finding her clit.

   It only took a few strokes of her sensitive bud before Julie's body was
writhing once more in the throes of climax.  Her ass was squeezing the life
out of Gill's cock, but it was such a wonderful sensation, he couldn't hold
back any longer.  With one final, hard thrust, Gill froze, and then he
came. It felt like he was pouring a gallon of jism into her ass, and her
butt just kept asking for more.

   Meanwhile, Julie was lost in a world of pure, pink pleasure.  Her body
was wracked with spasms, her mouth let loose with wails of ecstasy, and her
mind was reeling from the overload of joy.

   Together, the pair grunted and screamed and spasmed for many moments,
before they settled down from their high.  Gill reluctantly pulled out of
her, and then he moved fully onto the bed.  He pulled Julie down beside him
and, spooning, they rested for a while.



   ----



   After nearly a half hour, Gill began to stir.  Julie turned in his arms
to face him.  There was a serene smile on her face, much more pleasant than
any he had seen in recent days from her.

   "Thank you," she said softly.  She seemed to be almost on a high.

   "Julie...  what did we just do?"

   Her face darkened perceptibly.  "Something that I was hoping to do with
Paul, but he's not interested in me." Her face brightened as she looked
back at Gill.  "But that's okay, because you're really fucking good at...
well, fucking."

   Gill blushed as Julie lightly rubbed his chest.  He leaned over and
kissed her, gently, softly, and without pretense of anything further.  When
they broke the kiss, her eyes were moist.

   "Thank you for taking care of me, Gill.  I've got to, um...  go to the
bathroom now." Gill let her loose, and she got up, moving swiftly across
the room to the bath, and closing the door.  He sat up on the bed, still a
little dazed about what had happened, and nearly panicked when he thought
about Paul.  He was standing up and pulling up his pants in a flash, hoping
like hell that Paul didn't come waltzing through the door before Gill could
pick up his weapons belt.  He strode over to the entry, where his sword was
still lying.  He picked up the belt and snapped it in place, just as Julie
came out of the bathroom.

   "Uh, Julie...  um...  what are you going to tell Paul about us?"

   Her look hardened, and then faded just as rapidly.  "Nothing, unless he
asks me a direct question.  Somehow, I don't think he's going to do that."
She walked over to him and put her lips to his again.  He enjoyed the way
she kissed; it was much gentler than Susan's more demanding pleasures.

   "I hope you will take care of me, Gill," she said in a small, weak
voice. He wrapped his arms around her in a tender embrace.  It was all the
answer she needed.  This was good, as Gill was not prepared to answer her
question in any more tangible way.



   ----



   Don was searching for some kind of first aid or medical kit.  He didn't
know what he could use in this world, and he wasn't confident enough in his
magic to try that on the girl.  She was attractive enough, with
shoulder-length auburn hair and that dark, almost Hispanic, complexion.  He
had looked everywhere, and so he wandered downstairs in the hopes of
finding help.

   "You seem to be troubled." The soft voice startled him.  He turned
around to see Gaphnia, in her wheelchair, staring at him.  It was the first
time she'd spoken to any of them.

   "Yes, ma'am.  The Elves brought in a young woman who is hurt, and I'm
trying to find something to treat her wounds with."

   "I see," she said, again in that soft, peaceful voice.  "Most things of
that nature are handled by Iamor, but not if she's been with the Elves. 
There is an old medical kit in that closet." She pointed, and Don went
over, opening the closet, and taking out what looked like a military
medical pack.  He looked quizzically at her.  "One of the game players had
it with him, but he neglected to take it when he left."

   "Other...  game players?"

   "You don't know?  You're not the only ones here.  People have been
drifting through Zemlia Nov for many years."

   "Oh." Don pondered that, but decided he had better get back up to help
the woman.  "Thank you very much for your help."

   She smiled at him somewhat oddly, but didn't say anything.  Don then
turned and went back upstairs, clutching the medical pack.



   ----



   Back inside the room, Don saw that Kate had covered up their guest, and
was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her sleep.  Don set the
medical bag down on the floor next to the bed, and stood behind his sister,
his hand gently on her shoulder.

   "She looks pretty banged up," Kate said.

   "Yeah.  I think she might be another player."

   "Huh?"

   "Someone else stuck here because of the video game.  A player.  I don't
think she belongs here."

   "Oh, god.  Donny, if she came in here alone..."

   Don knew what she was thinking.  "Yeah."



   ----



   Gill was just a little flustered as he changed into more comfortable
clothing for his "lounging period." He needed to talk things out with his
sister...  but would she kill him before or after cutting off his dick for
fooling around on her?  Well, there was only one way to find out.

   He found her, as he'd expected to, on the archery range.  She spent a
lot of time there, improving her skill so that she could be of help to the
group.  He watched the strong muscles of her arms flex, and he noticed how
her breasts pushed against her tunic, how her lips curved softly as she
concentrated.  Gill couldn't help himself, but he was getting hard *again*
just looking at her.

   As soon as she let her arrow fly, he called her name softly.  She
immediately turned to see him, a smile crossing her face as she rested her
bow against a tree and came over to see him.  She wrapped her arms around
his neck and kissed him on the lips.  He felt a deep stab of guilt when she
did that.

   "Suse, we need to talk."

   "Okay...  can we go sit under the trees?  It's hot out here."

   They walked silently to the stand of trees, and settled down against
one. Susan leaned tightly against her brother, and his arm automatically
wrapped around her.

   "Susan, I have a confession to make."

   That got her attention, and she looked up at him, waiting expectantly.

   "Um...  I'm not really sure how this happened, but um...  just now...  I
mean, *really* just now..."

   Susan could tell he was really worried about something, so she put her
hand softly against his chest and smiled her encouragement.

   "Well, Julie and I...  uh, that is we...  um...  *did it.*"

   It took Susan a moment to figure out what he meant, then her face broke
into a huge smile.  "Is that supposed to bother me, Gill?"

   "Uh..." Now Gill was really lost.  He'd expected her to be pissed.  "I
thought it might."

   She laughed softly at her brother.  "Baby, if you want to screw her,
then go ahead!  Just so long as I get some too," she said, more seriously.
"You *are* still sleeping with me, right?"

   "Hell, yes!" he said eagerly, and leaned down to kiss her.  The kiss
turned more passionate, and the two of them fell down onto the grass.

   Making up from a fight that never happened was just as much fun as
making up from one that did.



   ----



   As soon as it appeared that the woman was waking up, Kate left to go get
some clean towels and some warm water.  They hadn't wanted to touch her
while she slept, for fear they would touch something that was badly
injured.

   It was a long process, watching her wake up.  Don sat on the edge of the
bed, near the foot, so as not to panic her when she saw him.  He saw her
eyes flutter, and then they opened.  She turned her head to both sides,
cringed when she felt the pain in her neck, and then finally stared up at
the ceiling.

   "Hi," Don said softly.  Her eyes bolted down to where he was sitting. 
She started to shrink away from him, but to do that she'd have to sit up,
and she was in no shape to do that.

   "You're safe here.  Well, okay, you're as safe as any of the rest of
us..."

   "Where am I?"

   "Um...  this may be kind of a dumb question, but where do you think you
are?"

   "Well, I was playing this video game, and it sent me to a place called
Zemlia Nov...  and then there were all these...  creatures, and one really
evil man, and...  and..." Don could see she was near tears.  Instinctively,
he moved closer to her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

   "Shh.  It's okay now.  You're still stuck in Zemlia Nov.  You're at
Castle Ballor."

   "Where's that?"

   "Uh..." Don floundered for a minute, and then said, "In Zemlia Nov." He
smiled at her and finally got her to grin back.

   "I need to..." she started to get up, but Don stopped her.

   "I'd kind of like you not to get up just now."

   "Why?" she asked with more concern than fear.

   Don took the edges of the covers and, keeping his eyes well averted,
lifted them, for her to see that she was nude.

   "Oh.  So, um...  who undressed me?" She looked coyly at him.

   Just then, Kate popped back in with the bowl of warm water and several
cloths.

   "She did," he said, noting the incredulous look on the woman's face. 
"This is my sister, Kate.  She became an Elfling when we got stuck here. 
My name is Don."

   The woman was having difficulty forming thoughts, but she knew she was
supposed to say something in reply.  "Oh, um...  my name is Annie Carter."

   "Nice to meet you, though I'd rather have met you when you were a little
more conscious."

   Don got that slight grin again, and that was good.  He turned to his
sister and said, "Can you find her a robe?  She needs to...  uh...  you
know."

   Kate had set the bowl of warm water down, and dashed back out the door.
Don turned back to Annie, who was trying to sit up, but was holding the
covers to her slender frame.  Don hesitated to touch her, but reached out
to offer help, which she accepted.

   "How did you end up here?" she asked, indicating the castle, rather than
the world.

   "We walked."

   "You mean you fought through all that?"

   "We must have been in a different spot.  Our trip wasn't really all that
bad.  Oh, a couple of problems, but nothing we couldn't handle." He felt
far more confident about it now that it was behind him than he had at the
time.

   "Who brought me here?"

   "The Elves.  They're called WolfRiders.  They found you and brought you
here to us."

   "Why?"

   "Good question.  I don't know."

   All at once, it was as if a dam had broken.  Tears began to pour out of
Annie's eyes, and she was sobbing in great, heaving breaths.  Again, Don
hesitated to touch her, he didn't want to do anything she would
misinterpret while she was naked.  However, once he touched her shoulder,
she leaned into him and wrapped her arms tightly around his chest.  He
fidgeted for a moment, but finally put his hands on her bare back, trying
to console her from something he didn't understand in the first place.



   ----



   Kate was just coming back from the wardrobe room in the castle, where
all sorts of clothing items were stored, including the new top that Don had
found for her.  She loved her brother more than she could ever say, and she
was glad that he was with her here.

   When she opened the door, she saw her brother holding the woman, who was
obviously weeping.  Kate very quietly shut the door, and waited outside. 
If her brother was interested in this woman, that was fine with Kate... 
she would certainly miss making love to him, as they'd done several times
in the last few days, but she was more interested in her brother being
happy.

   After a few minutes, it sounded as if the crying had at least died down.
Kate went to the door, and peered in.



   ----



   Don held Annie throughout her crying, which lasted for some minutes.  He
rubbed her bare back and rocked slightly, and she clung to him in confusion
and despair.  But tears seem to carry away a small amount of emotion with
each one, and soon there's no emotion left to cause the tears.  Annie's
sobbing diminished to crying, and then to sniffling, and eventually, she
stopped, looking up at the young man who was holding on to her.

   Annie smiled, and then looked down.  She saw his shirt.  "Oh, dear, I
think I've gotten your shirt all wet." She wiped at it a couple of times,
before he took her hand and held it.

   "It's okay."

   She knew he was talking about more than the shirt, but she didn't dare
believe that her world would ever be okay.  Even before Zemlia Nov, her
world hadn't been so great, but this...  this was more than she could take.

   Both of them heard the door open, though neither of them turned to look.
Don knew that Kate had been gone far longer than necessary, and he guessed
that she had waited for Annie to stop crying.  *Why* she had done that, he
wasn't sure, and he would make sure to ask her about it later.  Right now,
there were more important things to consider.

   Kate moved to the bed, and Don reluctantly let Annie go.  Her bed sheets
began to slip, and Don swiftly averted his eyes while standing up.  He
turned to Kate, without looking over at Annie, and said, "Can you...  uh...
get her cleaned up and bandaged and everything?"

   "Julie's better at this than I am."

   "Okay...  um...  I'll see if she's got a minute...  just, help her
however you can, okay?"

   Kate nodded.  She'd never seen her brother so flustered.  At least not
since coming to Zemlia Nov.  Before that, he'd always been a little anxious
around girls, and that was how he was acting now.  It was strange, but he'd
asked her to do something, and she'd do it the best way she could.  She
watched as he strode quickly out of the room, and then she turned back to
her charge.

   "He doesn't like me, I don't think," Annie said.

   "Why would you think that?" Kate asked in confusion.

   "He wouldn't even look at me." Annie's voice held a lot of hurt.

   "That's because he *does* like you," Kate said, holding the robe out. 
"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up and dressed."



   ----



   Don walked down the hall and caught Julie just as she was coming out of
her room.  He noticed the peaceful smile on her face just as she turned
away from him.  He wondered what had changed to remove the slight frown
she'd been wearing of late, but didn't have time to deal with it.

   "Julie?" he asked, to get her attention.

   She turned and smiled at him.  "Hey, Don.  What's up?"

   "The WolfRiders brought a young woman here.  She's pretty banged up. 
Katie's with her now, in our room.  You're the only one with any real
first-aid skills...  could you go and help her please?"

   "Love to!" She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek as she walked past.
That got Don's attention.

   "Her name is Annie, by the way," he managed to spit out.  Julie just
waved as she sauntered down the hall.  *What the fuck has gotten into her?*
The accurateness of his thought was completely lost on Don.



   ----



   Back in the room, Annie didn't bother with the robe.  She padded her way
gingerly into the bathroom.  Kate gave her a minute to handle the less
pleasant portions of cleanliness, and then joined her.

   "They have a tub, but no shower?" Annie asked.

   "Yeah.  It's weird.  But a lot of things in here are weird." Just then,
they heard a knock at the door.

   "Anyone in here?" Julie called out.

   "In the bathroom, Jules!" Kate called back.  "That's Julie.  She's one
of my friends."

   "How many of you are here?"

   "Six.  My brother, me, Julie and her brother Paul, and Susan and Gill."

   When Julie peeked around the corner, Kate smiled at her, but Annie
looked a little concerned.

   "Hey, I'm Julie.  You must be Annie...  are you all right?  You look a
little green."

   "Well, excuse me, I just kind of expected...  well, with what she looks
like, I mean..." Annie knew she was making a fool of herself, and finally
figured out it would be a good idea to shut up.

   Kate giggled at the woman.  "Nope, I'm the only Elfling.  At least, when
Don isn't accidentally turning me into a fairy, I'm an Elfling." Annie
stared at her incredulously, but she didn't notice.  "Julie is normal, if a
little boy-crazy."

   Julie smiled at her friend, but then stuck her tongue out.  Turning back
to Annie she said, "Don told me you might have some bruises that need
bandages."

   "A few, probably.  Mainly it hurts even to move."

   "Well, let's get you looked over, and see what we can see."

   Julie did a careful check of Annie, but couldn't find anything that
really needed bandages except for the cuts on her face.

   "Kate, you can handle those, right?"

   "Sure...  there should be band-aids in that pack Don brought in.  I
hope."

   "Okay.  Then you don't need me here.  I'm gonna go...  do...  something
or other." Julie traipsed out of the room.  Kate thought she might actually
have been skipping.  *What's gotten into her?* she thought, not knowing the
appropriate question was 'who'.

   Turning back to Annie, she said, "Okay, well, if we're not going to
bandage you, I guess you need to get a bath."

   "Yeah.  The sheets on the bed probably need to be burned after I slept
on them." Annie's face was a little down, and Kate didn't know her well
enough to read her moods.  "Kate, about your brother..."

   "He's great, isn't he?" she said immediately.

   "You said he wouldn't look at me because he likes me.  That doesn't make
any sense."

   "Donny is very shy around girls.  Well, except around me, but I'm
family, so that's different."

   "He didn't seem real shy when he was holding me." Her words came out
wistfully, almost as if she wished he still was holding her.

   "Well, that's just my brother.  He saw you needed something, and he did
what he could to help.  Besides, like I said, he likes you."

   "Oh." She thought that over for a moment.  "I guess I need to thank you
both for helping me...  you think he'll be back soon?"

   Kate giggled.  "Not until he's sure you've got clothes on."

   Annie finally smiled at her.  "How long can I stay here?"

   A shrug was her answer.  "I don't know how much longer *we'll* be here."

   "How long have you been here so far?"

   "Four days.  It took us a week to get here.  How long have you been in
this place?"

   "Just three days.  I came in by myself...  I guess that wasn't too
bright."

   "Well, from what Don has told me, he didn't realize it was anything more
than another of his dumb...  oops, I mean one of his computer games."

   "Yeah.  That's what it was like for me.  I'm not really able to handle
myself in this kind of situation, you know?"

   "Hey, look at me!" she unfolded her wings, which was something she
rarely did.  "Do you think I was ready to become a flying Elf?"

   "Wow," Annie said in awe.  Finally, a thought struck her.  "I guess I
got your bed all dirty, huh?"

   Kate just shook her head.  "You mean, you put me in *his* bed?" Another
shake of the head.  "I'm confused."

   "Donny and I sleep together.  You can use that bed if you want, we never
do."

   "You...  sleep...  in the same bed with your brother?  Why?"

   "Why do you think?" Kate said with raised eyebrows.



   ----



   Just before dinner, Don made his way back to his bedroom, hoping the
girls would be through by now.  He knocked lightly on the door before
opening it.

   "Everyone decent?" he asked without peaking his head in.

   "You said I was better than decent!" Katie said with a grumble.

   Don blushed, but didn't enter the room until that died away.  When he
did, he saw that Annie was fully dressed now, in a cream-colored tunic,
dark red vest, and dark green tights.  He thought she looked beautiful, and
tried very hard not to stare.  He hoped she didn't notice how his head
snapped abruptly away from looking at her.

   "Everyone okay?  It'll be dinnertime soon."

   "Everything's fine in here, Big Brother.  I'm gonna go see if Yarice
needs any help."

   Kate didn't give Don a chance to object as she breezed out of the room,
closing the door behind her.  This was the part of life that Don hated;
here he was, in the same room - a bedroom, no less with a beautiful woman,
and he couldn't even make his mouth work.

   "I need to thank you for helping me," she said softly, approaching him.
Her voice was deep, and soft, and warm, and he could lose himself in its
sound if he wasn't careful.  He looked down at his feet, without words.  He
could have looked her in the eye, but that would have simply meant he'd
have this dumb 'deer in the headlights' look on his face, and that would be
devastating to what little ego he had.

   Annie walked right up to him, and then she gave him a hug.  This was a
risk on her part.  She wasn't really sure she believed Katie.  Why would
this boy be interested in her?  He had just turned eighteen, and she was
twenty.  He could have any girl he wanted, including his sister.  What need
would he have with her?

   Don, on the other hand, was surprised at her hug.  He didn't think she
would do that.  Although he had no clue what was going on, he embraced her,
not wanting the moment to end.  She felt very nice against him, his cheek
against her hair.  The moment seemed to stretch into eternity before she
finally let go, and he released her instantly, not wanting to pressure her.
His hands did stay in contact all the way down to her hips, though, until
they finally slipped off her body and fell to his sides.

   Annie looked at him, and smiled.  "That's twice today you've helped me
get my emotions under control." Her voice was still soft, still light, but
there was meaning there.  Unfortunately for Don, he had a complete lack of
experience trying to read women, and so he wasn't sure what she meant by
that.

   "I...  well...  any time," he finally said, blushing fiercely.  Annie
took that as an encouragement.  If he was embarrassed, it meant he was
trying to please her.  He wouldn't do that if he didn't like her, would he?

   "Katie told me about what you guys have been through since you got
here," she said as they walked together out onto the balcony.  The sun was
just beginning to set, and it was a beautiful scene.

   "It's been a very hard two weeks, that's for sure."

   "I've only been here three days.  I wouldn't have lasted two weeks out
there, alone.  What do you plan on doing?"

   "Finding Vernior, and getting the hell out of here."

   Annie looked down on the grounds, seeing a small rabbit in the taller
grass.  "I don't know what to do.  I guess I'm going to be stuck here for
the rest of my life." She held her breath.  She couldn't ask him directly;
this was as close as she could come.

   "Why don't you come with us?" he said, rather eagerly.  He kicked
himself inside for sounding like a schoolboy.

   Annie let out her breath, and allowed her heart to restart.  Still,
perhaps it was just politeness on his part.  "Are you sure?  I don't want
to be any trouble.  I'm not terribly skilled."

   He turned to her, ignoring the fiery sunset before them.  "I'm sure," he
said, before his courage wilted.  "And I'm sure that someone here can help
you with your skills.  What, um...  what character did you come in as?"

   "A psionic sorceress.  It's a mix-breed character, I guess... 
unfortunately, I suck at both of them." She drooped her head, and Don felt
the need to touch her again, which he did, but ever so hesitantly.  He
placed his hand very softly on her hip, and smiled.

   Annie felt her own insides lurch at the touch of his hand.  When she
looked at his smile, his eyes, she knew he cared about her.  Finally he
said.  "I wasn't a very good magician when I got here, either.  I'm sure
there's someone to teach you."

   "Thank you," she said, and her eyes flashed an invitation.

   Don missed that, because he couldn't interpret her signals.  He did,
however, embrace her again, and she accepted that.  It felt good to have
someone just hold on to her for a while, just to feel safe and protected.

   After a few minutes, he broke their hug and stepped just slightly away
from her.  It was then he realized that something was missing.  "You're not
wearing your sword."

   "You mean you have it?  I figured the Elves kept it."

   "No, it's in here." He led her back into the room, to her pile of torn
clothing.  He knelt down, sifting through the garments, and came up with
her leather belt and the sheath attached to it.  He handed it over, and she
immediately put it back on.  Her face took on a somewhat more settled
appearance when it fell into place.

   "I may be shitty at using it, but at least it's a weapon.  The scroll
that the game left for me said it's unbreakable.  I'm not interested in
putting that to the test, but it's a good thing to think."

   "Can I see it?"

   Annie withdrew the sword carefully and then, turning it so the blade
faced away from him, she handed him the handle.  Don grasped it, and then
Annie quickly removed her hands, lest someone slip and get hurt.

   Don thought it was kind of a light sword, but then realized that Annie
was a slight woman, and she probably wasn't all that strong.  The sword
seemed to him as if it had the very faintest of blue glows, but he wasn't
sure he wasn't imagining it.  It was a single-edged sword, like a saber. 
It didn't feel right in his hands, though; Don was not a fighter. 
Carefully, he handed it back to her, and she sheathed it.

   "I *know* we can find someone to teach you how to use that."

   "Thank you."

   "It's almost dinnertime.  Why don't we go down and join the others?"

   As they were walking out of the room, Annie leaned up and kissed him on
the cheek.  This kiss had far more impact than Julie's earlier peck, and he
was sure she could have heard his heart pounding.

   She ignored, intentionally, his fierce blush, and she took his hand
softly as he led her out of the room down to dinner.



   ----



   The tension at dinner was palpable.  Don sat Annie down beside him,
allowing Kate to sit on his other side, next to Iamor.  Over the last few
days, Don had come not to like Iamor very much.  Not only was his speech
next to impossible to understand, but his moods were constantly shifting,
and many times he would lash out at Don for making simple errors.  Kate
didn't like sitting next to him since the day he had threatened to turn her
back into a fairy.  Joke or not, she didn't like people toying with her
life.

   She felt no jealousy toward Annie at all.  On the contrary, she hoped
that Annie and Don would work things out, and she'd help that along if she
could.  Right now, though, it didn't look as if they needed help.  Don
looked over at her and grinned, averting his eyes downward.  She kissed him
on the cheek softly, to let him know things were okay.

   The others in the room, however, were in less of a good mood.  Three of
the siblings knew what was going on, and three of them didn't.  One of them
that didn't really ought to have, but he was too beset with the woman next
to him.  Julie spoke to no one at dinner, from her seat between Paul and
Susan.  Gill tried not to look over at her, because he didn't want to let
Paul know what was going on, though in truth it would probably have taken a
newspaper headline to give Paul any clue.

   Dinner progressed almost silently, after Don had taken the time to
introduce Annie to everyone, and they had all greeted her politely.  She
blushed at the attention and was just as glad it was over.  The food looked
excellent, and she ate, well, rather like a pig.  Yarice saw this and
brought her seconds without her even asking, which embarrassed her even
more.

   "Eat, My Lady.  You'll need your strength."

   Suddenly, Julie got up and said, very quietly, "Excuse me." She quickly
left the room, her back straight, and her body rigid, as if she were
controlling herself very tightly.  Paul, who had been discussing something
with Carysta - mentally, of course - turned and said, "What the fuck was
that about?"

   Gill couldn't keep his peace about that and said, almost under his
breath, "Maybe if you'd been paying attention to her, you'd know."

   Paul glared down the table at him and said, "Why is it any of your
business?"

   Gill retorted, "Maybe I'm *making *it my business!"

   Don looked from one to the other.  He knew that Julie was somehow the
cause of all of this, whether intentionally or not.  He looked to his
sister, but she was no help.  Susan appeared to want to crawl under the
table, and Annie was staring in shock at the two who had risen from their
seats and were shouting at each other from either end of the table.

   Don listened to them for a few more moments, and he started to get
angry.

   "Shut the hell up, both of you!"

   Both boys turned to him, both of them angry at *him* now.

   "Remember the *point* of this little adventure?  To *get home*?  Well,
we're not going to do that with the both of you bickering for the next
God-knows-how-many days, or weeks...  hell, it could be *months* before we
find Vernior!  You should both be ashamed of yourself!  Christ, guys, we've
been through a whole bunch of shit, and you're going to start arguing over
who has a right to say what about somebody's *sister*?  You two are
disgusting!"

   Don stood up from the table, and tossed down his napkin.  He glared at
the other two boys, and then he turned to go.  Just before he left, he
looked to Yarice, the cook.  "Thank you, Yarice, for a very nice meal."
Without another word, he turned and left the room.  He heard the silence
that followed him.



   ----



   Annie finally found Don out on the large communal balcony that faced the
southern side of Castle Ballor.  She could see the tension in his stance,
the anger boiling away into the darkness.  He probably figured he didn't
want to talk about it, but she knew, from experience, that was the time you
really ought to.

   She stepped beside him, and turned to see the scowl on his face.  He was
looking up at the moon, but she knew he wasn't really seeing it.  She put
her hand on his arm, and he barely reacted at all.  She left it there,
because he didn't object.  She really liked him, though she'd only known
him for a brief span of hours.  They had a connection; he was a shy,
self-conscious boy, she was a scared, uncertain girl, and they'd somehow
translated those two things into a sort-of friendship.  She wanted to help
him if she could.

   "I can't believe they're bickering now.  Fighting over this petty shit.
Christ, we've been almost killed more times than I want to think about, and
now they're fighting over *words*!  I'd love to apply a two-by-four spell
to the back of both of their heads." She thought he was joking about that,
but she couldn't be sure.

   "It's important enough to them.  Do you know what it was about?"

   He shook his head, and then looked over at her.  "No.  If Julie wanted
me to know, she'd tell me...  or more likely, she'd tell Kate, who would
tell me.  That's how it has always worked among the six of us."

   Don noticed that Annie was hugging her arms, as if she was cold.  He put
his arm around her, trying to make her warmer.  She melted into him, and
his robe was baggy enough that she could almost hide within its folds. 
That thought reminded him of another cold girl that had used his robe for
warmth.

   *Down boy!  She's not your sister, and she's not likely to want you in
her bed!*

   They stood for a few minutes in silence.  He'd said what he needed to.
He'd had to vent at least a little at someone.  She knew she wouldn't get
more out of him tonight, and she wasn't going to try.  Trust takes a long
time to build.

   After some time, he said, "We should go in, before you get really cold."
He turned and led her back into the lounge area, closing the double-doors,
made of clear crystal, but not glass, that kept the room warm.  They sat
together on a sofa, and watched the fire.  She didn't chance snuggling
against him, but they sat close together, and discussed things "back home",
on Earth.  He was surprised to learn she came from a town not too far from
his own.

   "Don, where do I sleep?" she finally asked.  It was an awkward question,
and it was followed by an awkward pause.

   "Well...  where do you want to sleep?" He figured there *had to be* a
free room in this place somewhere.

   She couldn't possibly give him the answer that sprang to her lips
unbidden, *With you*.  Instead, she said, "The bed you put me in this
afternoon seems to be free...  don't worry, I sleep in pajamas."

   Don blushed again at the thought of seeing her naked.  He nodded,
though, in acceptance of the idea.  "I'm sure Katie won't mind at all."
*Liar.*



   ----



   Gill and Susan had talked about Julie after dinner.  He thought maybe he
should go find her, to see what was the matter, but Susan rightly pointed
out that was Paul's responsibility, and if Julie felt she needed to talk to
Gill, she would come to him.  The boys had skipped their nightly meeting
for the obvious reason, and so no further confrontation with Paul had
happened.

   They were just about to climb into bed when there was a soft knock at
the door.  Gill looked at his sister, who shrugged, and then he put on a
bathrobe as he was walking to the door.

   Standing there, in tears, her eyes red from a lot of crying, was Julie.
She threw herself into Gill's arms, and began to sob.  Gill quickly pulled
her inside, shutting the door, and leading her over to the other bed. 
Susan, without even a look at Gill, grabbed her robe and headed for the
door.  She was out it before he could even ask what she was doing.

   He continued to hold Julie, letting her cry through her anger,
resentment, her fear, betrayal and hurt.  It took a good ten minutes before
she calmed down at all.

   "Gill...  he...  he didn't even ask what was wrong!  He doesn't care
about me!  I could die tomorrow, and he might not even *notice*!"

   "I'd notice," he said softly.  She looked at him with a twinge of hope
in her eyes.  Gill had more confidence now, having discussed everything
with his sister already.  If Julie needed him to be there for her, he'd be
there, every step of the way.

   "You mean that?"

   He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.  She responded immediately,
pressing herself against him.  Neither made any more advances, but they
kissed for a long time.  Then Gill finally broke their kiss and said,
"Let's get some sleep.  Things will look better in the morning." He doubted
that, but it was the sort of thing you said to a weeping girl.

   Julie was suddenly hesitant.  "What about Susan?"

   "Susan knows about us.  And she understands." He helped Julie take off
her dress, which he laid across a chair, and then he lifted the covers so
she could slide in.  He removed his robe to slip into the bed next to her.

   They were both asleep before Susan came back to the room, slipped into
the other bed, alone but at ease with the situation, and then she fell
asleep herself, hoping that things would be okay, and confident that Gill
could make them so.
   

...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...

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