This is a story. It never happened and never will. The General Disclaimer is incorporated herein by reference.

Chapter 5b: Understanding

They scampered into the bathroom and Tammy stood at the edge of the tub, pulling their swim suits and towels off the curtain rod where they had been hung to dry. They quickly pulled on the little bikinis, reaching down inside to push the material out of their pussies. My erection had gone down somewhat, and Terri should have been less agitated sexually, but her hand still lingered in place after straightening out the bikini.

We went to my house and the girls curiously followed me into my bathroom to watch me change. I guess it was only fair; I had watched them change. Their eyes widened in appreciation as I stood there naked before them, pulling on my trunks, my penis semi-erect. I was only average in size, but big to their young eyes. I grabbed a bottle of suntan lotion and quickly put some on their fading sunburns, not wanting them to burn again.

We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and frolicking in the water, until starvation forced us to seek supper. Susan wouldn't be back until later in the evening, so it fell upon me to feed the hungry nine-year-olds.

I suggested an expedition to McDonald's, for convenience's sake, and they readily agreed.

"Why don't we clean up first?" I asked, feeling the need for a shower. "You girls go home and take a quick bath and I'll come get you in about a half hour, okay?" They were old enough to be left alone for a short while, and I was right next door if they needed me. They ran off without any argument, since they were hungry and wanted to eat as soon as possible.

I went home and quickly showered, putting on clean shorts and a shirt, arriving at their place about 25 minutes later. I knocked and opened the door, only to find the girls still wearing their swim suits, sitting on the living room floor. "What's the matter?" I asked, wondering why they weren't ready. "I thought you were going to take a bath?"

Both girls were silent, looking at me rather nervously. Tammy elbowed her sister in the ribs, prompting her. "We want you to give us our baths," she said hesitantly, sounding like a much younger girl.

"I thought you were hungry," I said, wondering what was going on. Not that I didn't want to bathe them, but I was hungry too.

"Please?" said Tammy, her eyes almost pleading. I don't know why, but for some reason it seemed very important to them. I shrugged and nodded, giving in, and they quickly ran into the bathroom, leaving me to follow behind.

They both stood next to the tub, waiting anxiously and looking almost helpless; they hadn't even turned the water on. I started filling the tub, making sure the water was comfortably hot and closing the drain. Noticing a box of 'Mr. Bubble' on the side, I dumped in a generous amount of bubble bath, watching as the tub slowly filled with water and bubbles. Terri and Tammy just stood there waiting, apparently wanting me to undress them, also. They were acting almost like toddlers, and it was very unlike them to want to be babied like this. I didn't mind doing it, of course, if it was what they wanted. As I mentioned before, I had always dreamed of the things I would do if I were a father, and this was certainly one of them.

I sat on the edge of the tub and pulled Terri to me, and she balanced herself with a hand on my shoulder as I pulled down her swim suit bottom, her little girl slit already glistening with moisture as she stepped out of it. She quickly pulled off her top and smiled thankfully at me and climbed into the tub, splashing a little to make more bubbles as I stripped off Tammy's suit. The girl hugged me before joining her twin in the tub, and I was filled once again with love for them.

I pulled off my shirt, expecting a bit of splashing from the two imps, and grabbed a bar of soap in one hand and a wash cloth in the other. I started with Terri, having her stand up to make it easier as I washed her face and neck, then down her body, using both the cloth and my hand as I soaped her up. My hands slid over her delightful little girl chest, soaping up her nipples. Lovingly, I lathered her chest and tickled her small nipples with my fingertips. I loved how they felt: the tiny, sensitive tips poking out as my hand slid across her soapy skin. I knew she was getting turned on now, as was I, and her thighs clenched together around my hand when I soaped between her legs. I continued with this task that they so much seemed to want, and followed the gentle curve of her belly down to her thighs and past her delightful pussy. I felt that she wanted me to wash between her legs, but I was hesitant at first.

I rinsed her down and turned the water off. I glanced at Tammy and saw her playing with herself beneath the frothy layer of bubbles, watching us intently. I felt Terri tremble slightly as if she were cold, but noticed sweat beading on her forehead. "Are you okay?" I asked. Neither one had said a word this whole time, and it seemed as if they were worried and very tense.

Terri nodded, but she was still shaking. "Your penis is hard," she whispered in an almost babyish voice, the 's' softly lisped. Her eyes were closed, so she must have been sensing my body's reaction to washing her.

"You want to touch her cunny," said Tammy in a flat, emotionless voice. I didn't know why they were acting so strangely, and it was making me nervous, unsure of what to do. I felt as if I were acting in a play, but no one had told me what my lines were.

'Go ahead,' Tammy thought at me. 'She needs you to touch her.' Still confused, I soaked the wash cloth and held it to Terri's chest, rinsing her off a little as the water ran down her front. Her eyes were filled with longing as I rubbed the bar of soap over her belly, raising a lather of suds. Placing one hand on her back to hold her steady, I ran the other in circles over her stomach, getting it nice and slick. Gently, I slid my soapy fingers into the virgin crease, making her jerk when I lightly brushed her tiny, sensitive clit. She whimpered once, a barely audible whine, and I quickly removed my hand, looking at her worriedly.

'Don't stop!' Tammy thought sharply at me, once again projecting her thoughts. Still unsure of what was happening, I continued soaping the young girl's slit, lovingly caressing her smooth mound with my fingers as Terri nudged her hips forward, pushing herself against my hand. Sensing her need, I used my middle finger to concentrate the strokes in her crack, gently stroking to increase the friction and further excite her sensitive clit through the slippery suds. I could feel her tense up as I stroked and Terri began slowly but firmly thrusting her hips back and forth against my finger, grunting with an almost desperate desire, her hands clenched at her sides. She cried out "Daddy!" as her too-soon orgasm overtook her, but I didn't think she was referring to me. I felt Terri's entire body shudder as the pleasure wave went through her, her moans of ecstasy seemingly mingled with cries of deep suffering that had waited long for release. She was actually sobbing when it was over, tears streaming down her cheeks as she threw her arms around my neck in grief, crying on my shoulder.

Wondering what I had done to cause all this I looked a question at Tammy, as I held her trembling, soaking wet sister against me. 'She's okay now,' I heard her say silently, a solemn tear of sympathy running down her own cheek. 'Just love her.'

I did my best to comfort the crying girl, holding her in my arms as I softly stroked her wet skin and said helpless, meaningless words like "Shhh" and "It's okay." I didn't know if it was okay or not, but it seemed to soothe her as she cried herself out, her heaving sobs becoming little whimpers until her tears finally tapered off to sniffles. Still she clung to me, and I gave her a tight hug before gently pushing her off of my shoulder, holding her at arm's length. "Are you alright now?" I asked her, my voice filled with concern. She wouldn't look at me, and I could tell she was embarrassed by her outburst. "It's okay to cry," I told her. "The girls in my books cry sometimes, too." She nodded, and I knew that made her feel a little better. I wanted to ask her what all this had been about, but I didn't think she'd want to talk about it. If she wanted me to know, she could tell me when she was ready. Instead, I pulled her back in my arms and said, simply, "I love you, Terri."

"I love you too," she said in her soft voice, hugging me back. Quietly, she sank down in the water and rinsed herself off.

"Now wash me!" Tammy demanded in a cheery voice, breaking the somber mood that was hanging over us. Smiling gratefully at her, I gestured for her to stand up and took soap and washcloth in hand once again. I could tell she wasn't going to repeat her sister's performance as she giggled and wiggled beneath my soapy, tickling hands. She said to hurry because she was hungry, and I was leery about fondling her anyway after seeing how her sister had reacted, so I quickly soaped her body, moving quickly through her private parts and told her to rinse off, leaving it at that.

They climbed out of the tub and quickly dried themselves off, no longer feeling the need for me to baby them and acting like nothing unusual had happened. They ran to their bedroom and pulled on clean panties, shorts, T-shirts and sneakers, then ran back to the bathroom mirror and primped a bit, combed their hair and yelled, "Let's go!"

I dried off my chest where Terri had gotten me wet and put my shirt back on. Terri pointed out apologetically that my shorts were all wet too, so we all headed to my place so I could change before going out to eat.

At McDonald's they wanted 'Happy meals', which I gladly bought for them. Terri and Tammy were always polite, saying please and thank you quite sincerely, but I think they knew they could have had their way with me even if they were discourteous. It was nicer to spoil girls that had manners, though.

It was almost dark when we got back home and their mother hadn't returned from work yet, so we settled down on their couch and watched old reruns on 'Nickelodeon', the cable TV channel. They enjoyed the old shows as much as I did, laughing as we watched 'Get Smart', 'Mister Ed', 'The Dick Van Dyke Show'; all the old programs from my own youth. By the time Susan came home the three of us had fallen asleep on the couch. Tammy was sprawled on her stomach on top of me, Terri snuggled against my side, my arms around both of them. She gently shook me awake and said, "You and the girls look pretty comfortable." My hands were still beneath the young girls' tops and I quickly removed them. I had drifted off into a blissful doze while stroking Tammy's back and Terri's side, but I wasn't sure what their mother would think of my intimacy.

The twins came groggily awake when they heard their mother's voice, and we disentangled ourselves. "Sorry I had to work so late, Tom," said Susan, as Terri and Tammy hugged her hello with sleepy yawns. I waved off her apology, letting her know I didn't mind. "The girls give you any trouble?" she asked.

The girls in question looked at me expectantly, remembering all that had happened today and wondering what I would say. I was wondering, myself. "Well, Terri fell out of a tree," I told her, and when her eyes widened in concern I quickly added, "but she didn't get hurt any." Terri looked guiltily at her mother, wondering if she'd get reprimanded. "I should have been watching her closer," I went on, apologizing for my lax attention to her daughters.

She sighed ruefully with a small laugh. "They're girls, Tom, which means they're young. You can't possibly watch them every second, and I honestly wouldn't want you to anyway." She lovingly ruffled the girls' hair, and they smiled up at her. "They're going to get scrapes and cuts once in a while, and nothing you or I can do will prevent it. We can worry about it, though," she added with an exasperated smile.

I laughed, filled with admiration for this single mother as she ordered the twins to bed. Terri and Tammy hugged me and kissed me good night, and her eyebrows raised slightly as she watched them. She didn't seem to disapprove though. Before I left I invited her over for some coffee after she put the girls to bed, and she accepted. I wanted to tell her that I had found out about her daughters' abilities, and to find out more about them.

She knocked on my door about a half hour later, and her expression seemed relieved as we sat down at the kitchen table. "Tammy and Terri told me what happened today," she began, taking a sip of coffee. "I appreciate how well you handled everything. I don't think either one of them could have coped with another rejection, especially from you."

I hoped she didn't know everything that I had 'handled' today. I didn't know if the girls had told of the bath time incident or not. "I was bound to find out about them eventually," I told her. "I'm an expert on girls, remember? You said so yourself."

Susan didn't laugh at my small joke. I could see she was hesitating, thinking about what she wanted to say. "I think you're more than an 'expert', Tom," she said carefully, watching my reaction. "Would you care to tell me about it?"

Oh crap, I thought to myself, feeling my face go pale in panic. The mother of two nine-year-old girls knows what I am. Should I deny it? Self-preservation was my first instinct. I could see the headline: 'Popular children's author denounced as a pedophile!'

She was watching me intently as my thoughts churned. She obviously already had her suspicions; anything less than the truth would not be believed. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath, preparing, for the first time in my life, to admit to another adult my deepest secret.

"I like young girls," I said. Looking her in the eye as I said it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I cocked an ear, listening for sirens to announce my arrest.

She nodded, once. No accusations, no hysteria, no cries of 'pervert'. Just a nod. "I know that was hard for you, Tom. But I want you to know that I appreciate your honesty. If you had lied I would have thought less of you. And no," she added, "I'm not going to call the police or tell anyone else."

I breathed a sigh of relief when she said this. "I suppose you'll be looking for another babysitter now," I said regretfully, figuring my relationship with Terri and Tammy was over. "I'll stay away from them, if you say so."

"No, no Tom, you're misunderstanding," she said earnestly. "I'm trying to tell you that it's okay. I know you love them both, and they love you too." I was looking at her with amazement, convinced I must have been dreaming. "You gave them a bath, Tom," she went on. "That's something they haven't let anyone do since they were four years old. Not even me!"

I got some more coffee as Susan began filling me in on their past. She explained how she and her husband had known the girls were 'different' since infancy. Terri would be very sensitive to their moods, while Tammy could always make her mother understand what she needed, even before she could talk. When the twins did learn to speak, their talents became even more apparent. Susan's husband loved their special girls as much as she did. But one time, when Susan had to work late, he was giving the little girls a bath and his love crossed into taboo territory (to his thinking): he had been washing four-year-old Terri when the little girl had giggled at her daddy and told him that what he was doing between her legs felt good. That was understandable for kids so young. The problem began when it started feeling good to him, as well, as he looked at his young daughter's happy face. Terri could sense this, and told him so.

I immediately realized the whole bath scene this afternoon had been a re-enactment of this. Tammy picked up her father's desire to touch their soft smooth little pubes, and also told him. Instead of caressing them for a moment, as Terri wanted him to do (because she loved her daddy and she could feel that even her daddy's body loved her back), the man was filled with self-loathing and guilt at his sexual reaction to the little girl, made all the worse because the girls knew about it. He slapped the four-year-old, the first time he had ever struck one of his girls, and called them both sex freaks, when it was he himself who thought he was perverted.

When Susan came home and the distraught twins told her what had happened, she tried explaining to the man that any good psychologist could tell him that his erection had been completely normal. The damage had been done, though. Every time he looked at the girls he knew they were aware that he had been sexually attracted to their very young bodies, and, his guilt overpowering him, he couldn't live with it. A few days later he simply left, telling Susan to file for a divorce and that she could have whatever she wanted. He still provided child support, but that was little comfort to the fatherless, hurt young girls. From then on, Terri and Tammy insisted on bathing themselves, fearing their mother might leave also.

Susan finished the story by saying that Terri had taken on the role of protective older sister, hating her father but never mourning him, until today. "You showed her that what her father felt wasn't bad, that it wasn't her fault, that you love her for what she is and don't feel guilty or self-conscious about it. They both desperately needed to know that someone besides myself could love them, someone who knew they were telepathic and wasn't afraid of them. I think only a man like you could have done it."

Susan went on to tell me more: how the girls had been aware of other people's sexual feelings since they were out of diapers, sleeping together and experimenting with their own bodies. She said (and I blushed) that if they were going to fool around with someone else she would rather it be with someone she knew, and who loved them both, than with a stranger off the street. She even said she was a bit jealous of them!

We talked past midnight until both of us were yawning, and finally said our goodnights. We hugged, chastely, like brother and sister, drawn together by our mutual love for her daughters. My love also had a sexual element to it though. It was good not to have any secrets, I thought, as I drifted off to sleep a little later, visions of two identical girls dancing naked through my head.