Morning showed a light snow had fallen after the rain. Hitch had pulled back the heavy blankets to see his breath make cloudy trails in the cold air. His skin was chilled wherever it was not against Kieu-Linh's body, and he felt stiff and achy as he tried to move from where she was laying with her head on his chest. She stirred and shivered, then tried to ball up against him tighter to get warm.

“We should get inside and warm up by the fire.”

Kieu-Linh resisted, groaning her disapproval. Hitch smiled in spite of himself, trying to pull out from under the sleepy teen. She used her arms to grab him. He managed to get a leg onto the porch, and she held on as he slowly stepped out. Kieu-Linh raised her head with a smile, stubbornly refusing to let him go. “Ok,” Hitch said, “I'll drag you if I have to...”

“Uhh-uhh...” she countered, “I'm not going to let you.”

“Next step and you'll go tumbling...”

He tried to move and felt the girl's hand quickly move to grasp his balls through his pants. He froze, saw the delight in her eyes. “Hey,” he said, “you're not playing fair...”

She giggled, replied, “just like you taught me. 'Playing fair is the first rule you discard,' you told me. I believe I've got you by the balls, James.”

He laughed and tickled her sides, causing her to laugh and draw back her grasping hand. “Okay, okay,” she squeaked between uncontrolled laughs, “I give... You're gonna make me pee myself.”

“I'll be inside, getting warm,” Hitch replied, kissing her lips.

She was behind him quickly, the cold air convincing her that, without his warmth, she'd be more uncomfortable. The cabin was roasting by comparison. Even with the fire dwindled in the night, it still provided a radiant heat throughout. Miller and Kim-Ly had not arisen despite the dawn, and Diego and Catalina were sleeping soundly on the rug.

The blanket had fallen off to the side a bit, leaving Catalina's bare leg visible up to her mid-thigh. It seemed she had removed her pants at some point and was either nude or wearing panties. He saw Kieu-Linh glance there as well, and he turned and went to start a pot for coffee.

“She is very pretty,” Kieu-Linh said in a whisper.

“Yes.”

“Are you attracted to her?” the teen asked.

Hitch wondered if this was the old discussion surfacing, the one where she'd worried about him cheating on her with other women. “Linh...”

“I'm not asking if you're going to make love with her, I'm just... curious if you find her attractive.”

“I said that I did.”

“Me too.”

He turned and looked at her, Kieu-Linh still looking back at where the young couple lay near the fire. “Care to tell me what you're thinking?”

Kieu-Linh turned away a moment, then looked at Hitch. “Oh, nothing... I just... Nothing...”

He watched her a few seconds, and when she didn't continue, he let it drop. He had coffee ready as Kieu-Linh put on another pot and gathered oats and butter and honey. Catalina started to stir, and for a moment, her body shifted in a way which made it clear she was naked beneath the covering. The teen's dark bush rose thick and lovely from her mound. Kieu-Linh saw his eyes and followed them, staring at where Catalina was stretching, further pushing the blankets from her naked flesh.

Hitch saw Kieu-Linh smile quickly then look away, back at Hitch. Her eyes danced with amusement as she pressed a hand against where his penis had stirred automatically at the sight of Catalina's bared body. “You do think she's pretty. No touching... promise me...”

“Kieu-Linh, you know I would never--”

“I know, I'm just teasing you.” The girl looked back at Catalina, “can't blame you, I guess. She is very pretty...”

“Kieu-Linh--”

“Kidding, James.” He knew that whatever she was thinking, she wasn't just teasing him. Kieu-Linh went back to stirring oats into the boiling water and Hitch saw Catalina's hurried movements as the mocha-skinned teen realized she'd been uncovered. Catalina's head flew back as she pulled the blanket over her lower half and her eyes looked at Hitch with embarrassment.

He nodded to her, said, “good morning,” then he turned his back to the girl so that she might have some privacy to find her pants.

After a few minutes, Catalina and Diego were seated at the table, looking sheepish and sleepy. Hitch didn't mention the girl's exposure, instead offering them coffee while Kieu-Linh ladled out steaming bowls of oatmeal, honey, butter, and a few dried blueberries. “Sleep alright?” Kieu-Linh asked them.

Catalina nodded, “yeah. It's... really warm next to the fire, even more than in the bed...” Her brown skin showed hints of being flushed. She shoveled a heaping spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth. “This is really good,” she managed to say after swallowing.

Kieu-Linh was glancing back towards the bedroom, a small, concerned look on her face. Hitch watched as she walked back and peered inside. He saw her stand there a moment before she came back to the table, a smile on her face. He looked at her questioningly. “They need a bit...”

Hitch laughed quietly, assuming that Miller and Kim-Ly were being intimate. “What say we all bundle up and see about getting some things done. Do you two feel up to joining us today?”

Diego nodded emphatically, “yes, I want to help.”

Catalina agreed, using her finger to get the last of the oatmeal out of the bowl. “I'll do whatever I can.”

Hitch led them out of the cabin after wrapping himself in his field jacket and grabbing his field pack and two rifles. “I'd like to hunt before the day gets much brighter, this snow will make game easier to track. Diego, would you like to join me?”

“Sure... I've... I've never hunted before... like... with a gun?”

“Yep, rifles.”

“O-okay... I've never used one...”

“This is a good time to learn.” He looked at the boy's lover. “I'd offer you the same, Catalina, but I worry about you being pregnant and being around gunfire. Don't want you becoming stressed. It can be very loud and, if you're not used to it, a bit agitating.”

She stared back at him a few seconds, “I remember when they shot my parents. It was... frightening... but I want to learn. But maybe you're right.”

“I'll teach you, but let's wait for now. Plus, it will be easier to teach you one at a time.”

“I'll take Catalina down to check on the cows,” Kieu-Linh suggested.

Hitch kissed his lover and, as was his constant habit, ensured his sidearm was in place at his hip. He nodded towards Diego, and led them off to the west where Miller had shown him a small creek down the ridge which often attracted the deer.

- - -

“I just want you to watch and listen, Diego. Your rifle's not even loaded. I want you to get a feel of it in your hands, and pay attention to what I tell you.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Hitch showed him first how to move quietly, how to position each step, to scout the ground in order to avoid the most noisy spots, those covered in twigs or crunchy leaves. In the snow, it was made easier since deliberate steps on the coating of frozen ground tended to have an even, predictable noise level.

He led by example as they descended through the pines, elms, and hickory growing tall overhead, blocking out most of the clouded light above. Hitch always loved being deep in the woods like that. It was almost an orgasmic feeling to slip slowly into the twilight under canopy. Each of his senses came alive, every motion, every sound drawing his notice. Even when he'd hunted men instead of beasts, he'd experienced that immersion in his surroundings. He much preferred hunting beasts. They didn't shoot back.

They crept and stopped, listening, then moved again before pausing once more. The woods were a steady, low hiss of clicks and pops and the occasional scattering of little feet moving across frozen ground or through the foliage. Bird calls were largely crows and jays. It was almost an hour before Hitch spotted tracks, but as he told Diego, “raccoons. Not our prey today, but they can be eaten in a pinch. Gamey.”

They moved on to the west and found the creek running strongly from the night's precipitation. There were still parts of the surface frozen in ragged sheets. Hitch knelt down along the wet shore just above where the creek had washed through over the years to create a steep bank the height of a grown man. He moved upstream in order to keep the wind, what little made it through the foliage, blowing against his frontside. Deer could be skittish, and they smelled men who were careless in their body odors, fragrances, and the direction the wind moved.

The creek came from the north before flowing from the west above. The banks were uneven in places, sometimes low as if a natural ramp had formed there. Hitch found deer tracks near one such spot, and he followed it back to the east, fresh scat a few hundred meters along.

They crested a lesser ridge settled down a hundred meters from the larger one, a shallow saddle in between. Hitch crouched as he stopped Diego, pointing silently to where two does had stopped beside a big patch of short grasses which had marble-sized balls of purple flowers somehow poking through the thin snow cover. The deer were nibbling hungrily.

Hitch whispered very carefully, “the shot you make depends on how the deer is facing. From the side, like this, I can't get to the spot I know works best for me when they are looking away, high up on the neck. With their sides to us, that's a tough shot. So, watch where I shoot the one to the left.”

Hitch drew his eye to the scope and waited until the doe raised its head, listening. He fired and before his target was dead on the ground, the second deer had burst through the foliage and out of sight.

“It's a small target, and one I only try with a scope, but if you have it, it's a kill shot if you hit your mark.” They walked up to the deer and Hitch had to admire the deadly accuracy of his aim which sent the bullet through the brain, killing it instantly. “Without a scope, from the side, you aim here,” he said, crouching down to point along the rib cage. “Heart and lungs will kill, too, but sometimes you have to follow them a while before it happens.”

Hitch looked up to see that Diego looked agitated. He was staring at the carcass with his mouth open, eyes wide. Hitch couldn't be sure if excitement or the cold had the youth trembling. “You okay?”

“Y-yeah, yeah... I've just... never been that close to a gun before. Kinda scared me. Made me think of...”

“I'm sorry,” Hitch said, understanding Diego's mindset, “you're thinking of your parents...”

“Yes...”

“Listen,” he said, putting his hand on the young man's shoulder, “you'll never forget that. Accept that fact. It will always be with you, and it's always going to hurt. I won't tell you to get over it because that's not how it works. But I will say that you have a young woman to support, a child on the way, and it's going to be difficult to remember those horrible memories, but you have to be able to put the present ahead of the past. We'll need to hunt to survive, and there might be times when the rest of us aren't able. You need to find a way to compartmentalize your pain. Don't forget it, don't be ashamed for what it brings out, but don't let it control you. You're a good man, Diego, and I can see you care for Catalina like a good man should. Stay focused on what it takes to keep her safe and well-fed.”

Diego swallowed and Hitch saw him straighten slightly. “I understand. I'll do anything for Catalina...”

“I can see that. Now,” Hitch said, looking back at the deer, “I'll show you how to field dress one of these beauties.”

- - -

“Mexico,” Diego replied, answering Hitch's question about Catalina's heritage while trailing a bit behind. “Both her parents were born in Texas, but all her grandparents were Mexican.”

“Was just curious. She's a beautiful young woman. I see how she loves you.”

“Sometimes I can't believe it, really,” Diego said quietly, “like... how'd I get to have her? She's all I've got that's worth anything... Her and our child...”

“What about you, where were your parents from?”

“Arizona, but I only really knew Mobile. My mom's family is Dominican, my dad's is from Atlanta.” Hitch had already assumed the young man had mixed heritage. “Don't really know much beyond that. What about you?”

“My parents were from Wyoming and Oklahoma. My mom's mom was from South Africa, other than that, probably just a typical mutt heritage of European ancestors.”

“What about Kieu-Linh and her mom?”

“Kim-Ly's parents are from Vietnam,” Hitch replied, shifting the deer higher onto his shoulders.

Diego was quiet a while, then asked, “you really don't believe in God...” He said it as more of a statement than a question.

“I don't.”

“And you don't believe in sin?”

“Not in the religious sense, no.”

“In what sense, then?” Diego asked.

“Well,” Hitch said, taking a swallow of water from his canteen, “in the sense that something's wrong as civilization defines it, as humanity defines harm or greed. I suppose you could say someone sins when they commit a harm against others, but I don't believe they go to hell as a result. I don't believe there's a hell to go to.”

“So, if there's no God, no sin, why be good?”

Hitch turned back to him a moment, and replied, “if there was no God... if you didn't believe in God... would you hurt Catalina?”

“No, of course not!” The young man nearly shouted.

“So, are you kind to her and treat her well because you fear what God would do if you did not?”

“No...” Diego said more carefully, “I... love her.”

“So you made a good moral decision, and it didn't take the fear or possible judgement of a deity to do it.”

Diego shook his head, “no, but God is the one who created all things, including my ability to love. It is His direction that I follow to act as I do. How could it not be a moral decision He has made for me.”

“So you had no free will to do otherwise?”

“I... what do you mean?”

“Could you have chosen to ignore God's will and harm Catalina? To not love her?”

Diego thought a moment. “I don't know.”

“If you had no choice, then there is no moral action you can take, you are a puppet acting on behalf of another, without a say. If you had a choice, then it was you alone who holds credit for it. The choice is where it rests. If you made it, if you could have chosen otherwise, you don't need to invoke God for it.”

“But is His inspiration that drives men to do good things.”

“And ill...”

Diego didn't respond immediately. “So... you're saying that... if I have a choice... then God isn't causing my actions, even if He is the inspiration...”

“Essentially.”

“Hmm...”

“Try to envision a scenario where you are placed in a bubble, one which God doesn't know exists. Would you have treated Catalina any differently? Would you love her still?”

“I don't know... I hope so.”

“I do, as well. Love only means something if it comes unbidden and from within. No one else, not even a God, can make it meaningful by forcing you to feel it. Don't disrespect your feelings for Catalina by giving responsibility and credit to God. Own those emotions, and I think you'll find that the result is something more powerful than you realize now.”

- - -

Hitch demonstrated how to cut the deer and ready it for aging or smoking. He knew it would take a lot of patience and practice, but he had Diego do a few simple cuts before he was done, and the young man looked proud of himself.

The others were working on collecting manure from the lower field, so Hitch and Diego washed up and started getting an evening meal ready. Hitch got some dough ready to bake, and had Diego putting together a pot to boil slowly over a low fire for a few hours.

Kieu-Linh and Catalina came back to the cabin filthy, waving from outside. Hitch walked to the porch and grinned. Kieu-Linh was covered in brown muck, though Catalina much less so. “Going to clean up,” his young lover proclaimed, “will you bring towels and soap?”

“Of course. Your parents on the way back up?”

“In a bit.”

“I'll be down shortly.”

The girls headed towards the spring, and Hitch went in to get towels. Diego was staring longingly out the window, watching his lover disappear through the trees. Hitch said, “hey, what say we finish up here and let the stew boil a while, head down to be with our women?”

“I'd like that.”

- - -

The young women were already in the water, close to the passing creek, scrubbing their arms. Hitch tossed Kieu-Linh the soap and without a thought, removed his clothing. It was much lighter than when they'd bathed together before, and he saw Catalina's eyes dart towards his genitals before she looked away, pretending she'd seen nothing. Hitch climbed into the water and smiled at Kieu-Linh.

Diego hesitated a moment before undressing beside the spring and quickly stepping in. Hitch saw that the young man's penis was somewhat hard, and he seemed to have a long, dark shaft.

The girls shared the soap until they were satisfied they were finally clean, then Hitch and Diego used it quickly to remove the soil from the day's hunt. Kieu-Linh came up to offer her assistance, and Hitch grinned as she 'accidentally' brushed his groin several times, giggling.

She whispered in Hitch's ear, “I want to make love...”

Hitch cautioned her, “maybe when we're alone, we don't want to make them uncomfortable. They're rather shy, you know...”

“I know... I just... I want to touch you all over... I want to be touched right now...”

Hitch let her body convince him to give in. They moved away from the others to the far side of the spring and began to kiss. He closed his eyes and sank into his lover, her knee moving us along his side, her fur brushing his hard cock. “Mmm...” she purred into his mouth.

He brought her other leg up, and like they had done several times before, Kieu-Linh's young, tight vagina slipped over his penis under the water. She started to ride him, moaning quietly, her arms wrapped around his neck, her nipples hard over her no-longer puffy breasts. Hitch opened his eyes and glanced past where Kieu-Linh's wet hair brushed over her shoulder.

Two sets of eyes were turned their way, the young couple side-by-side, arms moving under the water. “They're watching us,” he whispered.

Kieu-Linh shuddered and moaned louder, clearly turned on by being watched. Her body moved faster, rose higher, riding him now, grinding her clit against his groin. She started to cum, crying out, his arms straining to hold her against him.

He was nearing release and could see that Catalina was shuddering. He couldn't tell if Diego was touching her or if she touched herself. At the last second, he pulled Kieu-Linh off of his cock and stood, on the edge, resisting his pending ejaculation. She breathed heavily a moment, then said, “put it in my butt...”

Hitch's cock found her tight anus quickly as he lowered her, his dick swollen and leaking freely. The slippery spring water made it easy to push inside her ass. Kieu-Linh cried out in slight discomfort, but didn't pull off, moving down steadily, her butthole opening just enough to let him inside.

Hitch groaned as her hot, velvety insides burned into his flesh. “Gonna cum...” he whispered. Semen surged from him as his stomach tightened and his balls drew up, sperm splashing into Kieu-Linh's rectum, the sixteen-year old flinching slightly with each pulse up his shaft. He emptied his seed into her bowels and felt raw and sore when she slowly pulled away and sank down, his penis slipping free under the water. Kieu-Linh squatted and washed away the sticky cream he'd left in her ass.

Hitch saw that Catalina and Diego were still again, looking slightly away, no longer staring at them. Kieu-Linh slid out of the water and walked along the edge back to their clothing. Hitch followed behind after wiping away the slickness on his dick from Kieu-Linh's bowels.

“Stew should be about ready,” Kieu-Linh said as if nothing had happened, “coming up soon?”

Catalina said, “y-yes... we'll be up in a few minutes, I need.. uh... some more soap... in my hair...”

Hitch smiled at Kieu-Linh and dressed. He knew the couple would probably make love as soon as they were out of sight.

- - -

They had passed Miller and Kim-Ly as Kieu-Linh's parents headed towards the spring. Kieu-Linh let them know the newcomers might be having an intimate moment. Kim-Ly grinned and said they'd give them privacy if so.

Hitch and Kieu-Linh ate and had already cleaned their dishes by the time Catalina and Diego came in, famished. They looked sheepish and didn't glance up to Hitch's eyes. They ate in silence while Kieu-Linh sat behind Hitch and massaged his neck. Her hands were rough but firm, working through knots which had formed while he ate. It felt very relaxing to have the young woman's fingers working away the day's aches.

When she was done, he pulled her to sit in front of him and returned the favor. Even though it made his own muscles sore again, he didn't care, wanting only to show Kieu-Linh once more that it mattered more to him that she was comfortable.

Miller and Kim-Ly returned not long after and settled around the table, discussing some plans for the cows in the weeks ahead. Once that was through, Hitch said, “I'd like to see if we can rework the plans for the addition to include that extra room.” It was clear that Diego and Catalina were going to stay. They had nowhere else to go. They'd need room for them to have some space, especially once a baby came around.

Hitch worked with Kieu-Linh, Kim-Ly, and Miller on making adjustments while the newcomers cuddled on the rug. Even though they tried to be subtle, they were having a difficult time not touching each other.

Adjustments made, Miller felt confident they could make the seasoned logs stretch enough to make it work. It meant that the one good-sized room became two smaller rooms taking up a bit more space overall. They found a way to make the fireplace accessible from all three rooms so that they didn't have to build separate chimneys and could use less wood to heat the home.

“I think we should start as soon as Linh and I return, rather than wait for the Summer.”

“Going back to the bunker?” Kim-Ly asked.

“We need to make one more trip.” There were, realistically, about two more trips needed to bring back everything he'd like to have, but one would get most of what was actually needed. “I'd like to go if the snow doesn't come in two days.”

Miller nodded, “alright. I thin' we can get thin's prepared fer when ya get back.”

“We won't be gone long, hopefully there and back in no more than five nights. Four if we have solid ground to walk.”

Miller stood and excused himself to the bedroom. Hitch heard the hand-crank turning on the radio set, soon followed by the soft crackle of static. While he helped clean up from dinner, he kept one ear on the sounds coming from the device.

A man's broken voice ran in monotone, too light to make out from the kitchen. Hitch joined Miller and sat on the bed, listening as the man on the radio announced that Free American forces had managed to form a salient south through the edge of the Rockies. He claimed one hundred thousand troops were backed by armor and bombers, pushing back Empire forces overwhelmed and on the run. He signed off quickly and the station faded back to static.

“Heard that sort of thing before, Miller.”

“Canna' trus' it. I know. Dunna' change anythin' fer us, anyway. Might as well be tha Russians fightin' in China.”

Hitch nodded his head. Miller continued to twist the dial, working down one band, then switching to another. There were faint, spotty signals on the AM wavelengths, but nothing much clear, and nothing of interest. The set died as its temporary power drained.

“Whelp, had ta see if anythin's talkin'. No' much of a signal up 'ere.”

“Aye...”

Hitch returned to the kitchen to see that Diego and Catalina were already settled under blankets by the fire. He looked out into the darkness, could see snow falling again, heavy and wet. “Gonna be a cold night out there,” he said to Kieu-Linh.

“I'll keep you warm,” she said with a smile, “like you do me...”

“Here,” Catalina's voice said from the floor, “please... we'll sleep outside. You've given us so much already, we can't take your warmth, too...”

“Why don't we just move around a few things,” Kim-Ly suggested, “might be a bit tight, but we can fit all four of you on the floor in here, just need to stack these chairs up.” She moved the furniture and while it wasn't a lot of space, there was room for Hitch and Kieu-Linh to squeeze in along the wall. “There,” she said, “no one need be cold tonight.”

Hitch thanked her and kissed her cheek as she turned towards bed where Miller was settling in. Kieu-Linh brought the pillows and blankets and laid them out to form a softer space in which to lay. She drew down next to Catalina, the girls inches apart, and Hitch got in against the wall. “Cozy,” Kieu-Linh said.

Hitch curled his arm over the teen and kissed her a moment. He felt Catalina's eyes watching, but when he looked up, she turned her head away. Kieu-Linh smiled at him and closed her eyes, tucking a leg between his and huddling against him for warmth.

- - -

Movement brought Hitch awake in the night. He listened, then saw Catalina rising from the rug and standing slowly. She saw him looking and gave him a tight smile, moving to the door, looking through the small window. Hitch watched a moment, then slid out from under his blanket, trying not to disturb Kieu-Linh.

He stood next to Catalina, whispering, “you okay?”

“Yeah, just... need to go to the outhouse...”

“You'll want your shoes,” Hitch said, “still snowing out there.”

“Oh... yeah, I know... just dreading the cold.”

Hitch grabbed his field jacket for her as she slid on her sneakers, then placed it around her shoulders, adding a spare blanket to add another layer over her body. She thanked him, and quietly slipped out the door.

He found he was awake and not likely to fall asleep again for a while, though he thought about returning to wrap himself around Kieu-Linh's sleeping form. Instead, he made a cup of tea and sat in the kitchen, sipping it quietly.

Catalina returned after a few minutes and peered through the window, her eyes silently asking him to come outside.

He rose and went out on the porch where Catalina was settled, huddling on a rocker. “What is it?” he asked.

“Oh... nothing, I just can't sleep right now.”

“Finally caught up?”

“Not really, just... sometimes I feel a bit sick... you know... with the baby. Keeps me up often.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Hitch offered.

“Just talk to me a while, keep me company, if you don't mind. I don't want to wake Diego. He's so peaceful when he sleeps.”

“Sure. Would like some hot tea?”

“Yes, please.”

He returned a moment later with a steaming mug for her. The snow pattered wetly, growing in depth on the ground and the lower steps. The wind was calm, thankfully, but it was still cold. Hitch tucked himself into a ball and pulled over a small blanket.

Catalina said quietly, “this feels weird...”

“What does?”

“Being in one place too long. I'm so used to us moving every day. I'm not used to this...”

“It takes time.”

“I know... I'm not complaining, just... part of me... you know...”

“You feel restless, like you need to get away soon, before the bad things start again.”

“Yeah,” Catalina replied, “that's pretty much what I feel right now.”

“Hang in there. It gets better.” Hitch sipped his tea and said, “I know what that feels like, though in a different context. When I was fighting along the Colorado years ago, we were sleeping in a new line, a new foxhole, every night for weeks, and even after, we were on the move for weeks more before we managed to stay put, mostly, while west of Tulsa. I know it gets uncomfortable to stop moving when your survival depends on it for so long.”

Catalina didn't answer, instead asking quietly, “how did you end up with Kieu-Linh... isn't she... my age?”

“Yeah, she's sixteen. We... it's kind of a long story...” He gave her a very thin overview of how the teen had come to stay with him and how they'd bonded the Winter at the bunker. “And now, I can't imagine being without her.”

“It doesn't bother you... that she's... you know... kinda young...”

“Or, you mean, I'm kinda old for her?”

“No! No, I just...”

“It's okay,” Hitch said softly, “I had my doubts, but I can't argue with what we have found together. I love her. Her age is just a number.”

“I guess so... Diego and I... I don't remember when we first said it, but I think I loved him when we first met. I remember wanting to meet him, to talk to him. It was only a year ago that we were... together... for the first time. By then, I knew I loved him.”

“That's a very special thing you had when everything else was very difficult.”

“Yeah... he's a good guy... I just wish...” she trailed off.

“What?”

“I dunno... that he... spoke up more. He's kinda quiet and shy. He's really smart and I think he should say more... during conversations, and... you know... with me...”

“You want him to tell you he loves you?”

“Yes. I mean... he's said it, but... not often...”

“Catalina, it's easy, sometimes, to miss the other ways someone shows their love. It's easy to say it, much easier than showing it. I've seen the way that young man looks at you, how he holds you, how he rubs your feet when they're sore.”

She smiled, “yeah, I like it when he does that.”

“He may not always be able to say it, but I've seen him show you a hundred ways that he feels it. Try to take comfort in that and see him as a man so taken with you that he'll massage away your aches even when his own arms and shoulders are sore and painful.”

Catalina looked at him then said, “you know... you're right... he's always carrying my things or rubbing my shoulders or feet... going without food so I could have some, even before I got pregnant... I don't know how I missed it...”

“Because you've been stressed, and you're pregnant, and the world is confusing and dangerous.”

“Thanks for pointing that out... thank you...”

“Anytime...”

She paused, then said, “earlier... when you were with Kieu-Linh... in the spring... you knew we were there, too...” She sounded a bit timid.

“Yes... I'm sorry if we embarrassed you, we just... being there makes us want to be together... I'm sorry...”

“No... it's okay... just... I've never seen anyone else like that before... I didn't know what to think...”

“We'll use more discretion next time,” Hitch said.

“I don't mind, really, just... confused, I guess.”

“You watched us, I believe.”

“Yes,” Catalina admitted. “I was curious...”

“You don't have to hide that around us. It's really okay. I mean... there's something very enjoyable about watching others experience pleasure... God knows we've both seen enough people being harmed.”

“I like that idea, yeah. I guess I just was raised to think about... sex... as dirty and sinful. Not something anyone saw, never before marriage, not really for... pleasure...”

“I'm saddened that you were taught to be ashamed of your body and the things which you might enjoy. Sex is something that can be extremely pleasurable, and even better, when it is with someone you love.”

“Yeah, I know that... When Diego and I are together...” she trailed off, smiling. “Anyway... I guess... thanks for showing me something new... It was really nice to see you and Kieu-Linh making love... it was sweet...”

She said nothing further and Hitch sipped his tea. He finally said, “I'm getting rather cold, think I'll head back in and try to sleep.”

“Me too,” Catalina said, rising to her feet. “Hitch... thanks for talking with me.”

“Any time.”

- - -

“Looks like the plans for your trek and for the addition will be put on hold a while,” Kim-Ly said over breakfast. “Still snowing hard.”

“Yeah,” Hitch replied, “not much we can do in this. Can't even hunt with so much on the ground.”

“Well, we'll sit tight and stay warm in here. Nothing wrong with a quiet day or two until things clear up.”

“Yeah.” He rubbed Kieu-Linh's shoulders slowly. She'd had a stiff neck when she woke, and Hitch tried to work out the knots in her muscles. Miller was in the outhouse while Catalina and Diego were leaning against the counter nearby. The young girl smiled at him, Diego working his fingers along her neck, as well.

“How's his back?” Hitch asked.

“Better,” Kim-Ly replied, “much better. You know, we could work on sewing up some mattress covers. We should have some old curtains stashed in the attic which we never use, we need some real beds for you all to sleep on. Doubt we have any batting, but the straw can be soft enough to do the trick.”

Catalina offered, “I can sew, if you show me what you want. It's about the only thing I know how to do.”

“Sure,” Kim-Ly said, “I'll get the gear out in a bit.”

Kim-Ly had told Kieu-Linh and Hitch earlier that morning that Diego and Catalina had been making love on the edge of the spring when they'd come down the night before. She and her husband had watched a few moments and waited until they were through. Kim-Ly had seemed quite turned on to talk about it. Hitch had a stray thought, wondering whether Kim-Ly's vagina grew wet as she remembered seeing them having sex. He pushed it aside and tried not to think too much on his lover's mother's genitals.

It wasn't really hard to do. Hitch had had such a low sex drive, and since Julia, no other partners before Kim-Ly and then Kieu-Linh that he had long ago suppressed more than a passing notice of such things. Sure, he'd had a fantasy or two, thought maybe it might be enjoyable to find out if a woman was turned on or even interested in him, but it was nothing more.

And he was wholly sated by Kieu-Linh. They made love often and her desire for him burned away any thoughts of anyone else, except in passing. He'd never been one to sleep around or pursue flings or one-night-stands, which made what he'd had with Kim-Ly the year before an aberration. It kept him from even measuring the thoughts which Kieu-Linh was worried he might have.

Kim-Ly was beautiful, sensual, and his two times with her had been arousing and pleasant, but those were moments which felt well in his past. And Catalina was a youthful beauty, her pregnant body perhaps more attractive than she would have been otherwise. But those were observations, not urgent desires. He didn't even entertain fantasies of being with either, and if such ideas entered his thoughts, they quickly turned to wanting to hold and touch Kieu-Linh.

Not that Hitch was opposed to being open in his relationship, if that's what worked best, but it wasn't something he desired, and he knew Kieu-Linh had expressed worries that he'd stray, even in his thoughts. He hoped he could show her every day how much he wanted her, and only her.

He couldn't deny, though, that his cock had hardened listening to Kim-Ly's description of the young couple's love making while he noticed the woman's face flushing and warming as she talked.

“I wanted to talk to you all, while my husband is away a moment,” Kim-Ly said firmly. “You know that, for a while, the six of us will be in here together, and it's too small for secrets or shame. There are times when... my husband and I... wish to be intimate... and I know that each of you understands that feeling.”

Catalina blushed despite her mocha skin, and Diego's dark skin took on an almost pale quality. Kieu-Linh, on the other hand, just looked up at Hitch with a grin which he couldn't help mirroring.

“And so... while we'll do our best not to bother you when we do that... I just want you to be aware of it and try not to let it make you uncomfortable, understood?”

“Yes, Ma'am—Kim,” Catalina replied, also starting to smile. “It's ok...” Hitch wondered if their conversation in the night had made the girl feel more at ease about sexuality.

Diego looked at Catalina a moment but didn't respond. He looked troubled.

“Diego, you haven't said much,” Kim-Ly probed.

“I know... just... not used to all this...”

“Which part?”

“It makes me uncomfortable... I can't help feeling it's wrong...”

“What do you feel is wrong?” Kim-Ly asked, “that you might hear my husband and me making love?”

He hesitated, finally said weakly, “no... I feel guilty because... because... I just feel guilty...”

“Because you might like it... watching, or listening?”

Diego shrugged. “I worry that it's a sin... to know you and your husband like that...”

Kim-Ly leaned across the table and pulled him by the hand to sit beside her. “Diego, what you think of as sin is a burden placed on you by others which you should not bear. It isn't a sin to be curious, or to be interested, or even... to be aroused... That's not a sin... you can't control it, and you'll drive yourself crazy trying... believe me... I've been down that road and it is painful and troubling. Sin isn't seeing other people enjoying pleasure, especially with the love my husband and I share. Sin is harming other people. Sin is taking from those who have too little. Sin is... wasting yourself worrying about things which you never could have controlled and which you shouldn't feel ashamed to experience.”

Diego looked up at her a moment, then said, “so... you don't believe in God, either?”

Kim-Ly sat back. “I didn't say that. I just said I don't define sin the same way you do. I have my doubts that there is anything like sin beyond what causes harm to others, the rest is just about control and subjugation. I think there is a God, maybe even the same one you believe in, but I'm not trusting vague scriptures to tell me what to think, or what is right and wrong. You have to decide that for yourself. No one else is going to judge what you do unless you cause harm. I don't know what else there may be, but that I do know.”

He looked back at his fingers, thinking. “Maybe you're right. Maybe you're right... Okay... I'll try not to feel uncomfortable,” he looked up at Catalina. “Maybe... you won't mind if Catalina and I... want to be together... maybe you won't judge us...”

“Trust me,” Kim-Ly said gently, “we won't.”

“Okay...”

James "Hitch" Hitchens, Male, 50

	- US Marine Corps and Turtletown Patriot officer, veteran of The War

	- 6'0, 180lbs, tanned beige skin, cropped brown hair

Kieu-Linh Miller, Female, 16

	- Daughter of Miller and Kim-Ly

	- 5'10, 145lbs, cinnamon skin, shoulder-length silky black hair

Jefferson Miller, Male, early-60s

	- US Marine Corp Sergeant, veteran of The War, Father of Kieu-Linh, husband of Kim-Ly

	- 6'2, 195lbs, tanned pale skin, white unkempt hair

Kim-Ly Miller, Female, mid-30s

	- Mother of Kieu-Linh, wife of Miller, veteran of The War

	- 5'9, 150lbs, cinnamon skin, shoulder-length black hair

Diego, Male, 14

	- Boyfriend of Catalina

	- 5'8, 130lbs, rich brown skin, unkempt dark-brown hair with bangs

Catalina, Female, 14

	- Girlfriend of Diego, pregnant

	- 5'7, 125lbs, mocha-brown skin, long straight dark-brown hair