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From: " Dorsai" <dorsai@mail.com>
Subject: {ASSM} (sequel to Next Door Neighbor) Amy and Friends Part 1/2 (MF,    MFF, FF, oral, cons, violence)
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 15:10:05 -0500
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Amy & Friends   (MF, MFF, FF, oral, cons, violence)

by Dorsai

Copyright (c) 2002 - Dorsai


LEGAL DISBLAMER
	ADULT erotica. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery while
reading the story. Do not take internally. Do not fold, staple,
or mutilate. Store in a cool, dry area. Do not stack over 5 high.
Do not read if seal is broken. Sanitized for your protection. If
symptoms persist for more than 5 days, consult a physician.

INFORMATION
	You can get a copy of this story in text and .pdf (Adobe
Acrobat) formats, and my other stories, at the alt.sex.stories
text repository at
		www.asstr-mirror.org
under my Author name of Dorsai. If you do, *PLEASE* make a
donation to them so they can continue to afford to make erotica
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maintain the site (pay for bandwidth [faster downloads!],
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donation, and you can donate anonymously - see their donations
page to learn how.

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

		dorsai@mail.com

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

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

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


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

This is a sequel to my previous story, Next Door Neighbor.
Reading NDN is not `required', but certainly helpful.

-----------

I first met Amy when I was doing some computer work for a next
door neighbor of mine, Lucy. Lucy and I had become something of
an item when Lucy had to help out one of the clients of the
company she worked for. In the process, she found some
questionable financial activity, and asked me to come and help
her out - I was a free-lance programmer and computer jock, and
she trusted me.

As it worked out, I found a *big* chunk of money missing, and
where it had gotten off to. The FBI was brought in, and because
of the people involved, Lucy and I wound up getting FBI
protection. Amy was head of one of the details assigned to us.
Along the way, Amy had gotten to be good friends with us - *very*
good friends. Good enough that I'd helped get Amy over a fear of
physical intimacy with men, while Lucy helped her get past a
question about her sexuality.

I'd worked with the FBI people toward getting the money back
while under contract with Lucy's client. I worked for a
percentage of the 300 million bucks that was missing; my cut left
me with twenty-five million and change. I continued to work as a
programmer, but mostly for something to do with my time. By being
a little more choosey about what jobs I took, it left me with
enough free time to let me expand my knowledge about computers,
and other technology.

After the criminal case was done, I went on to marry Lucy, and
adopt her daughter Robyn - who had actually been the one to get
Lucy and I together. Amy later married one of the other agents
that had been in charge of protecting us. In the couple of years
afterward, Amy and her husband Tom came to visit us, and we
became even closer friends; Tom knew about Amy, Lucy, and I, and
was fine with it - all he cared about was Amy. I felt the same
way about Lucy, and didn't mind when she wanted to spend a little
time with Tom.

Amy had kept in touch with us of the last couple of years, and I
knew that she'd been moved up to head an FBI office when the
former Agent in Charge, Clara Hawkes, was bumped up the chain of
command to Bureau headquarters - due in large part to the results
of the criminal case I'd been involved with, according to Amy.

So it wasn't much of a surprise when I got a call from Amy one
Saturday evening; I just figured that she was calling to see if
she could spend some time with Lucy and I while she was on a trip
or vacation.

Boy, was I was wrong......

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


"Dan, I need your help." I heard Amy say over the phone.

"Sure, Amy - you know you're welcome any time."

"No, Dan, I mean I really need *your help*." The emphasis she
gave to the last couple of words clued me in that something was
going on.

"Okay, you've got my attention. Why do you need *my help*?"

"We've got a problem here, and it's something that's just right
up your alley, especially after the TechoDynamics thing."

By mentioning the case that I'd been involved in, I knew that she
was after me for my technical skills, for a change.

"Okay, tell me about it.", I told her.

"I told you before that we've been having some problems with the
local druggies forming their own mini cartel, right?" she asked.
Strictly speaking I wasn't on the `need to know' list for FBI
operations, but Amy knew I could keep a secret - nobody would
hear about anything she told me from ME.

"Yeah."

"Well, one of them finally slipped up, and we've got him cold.
But it comes with a couple of problems. The first one is that
they somehow got techno-savvy, and all the records on the
computer we seized are encrypted somehow. The second part is that
his former friends have decided that they don't want him talking
- either in person, or through his records. We've got HIM covered
pretty good, but we've lost a couple of technical people just
*trying* to get into their data. I've sent copies of the data to
headquarters, but the people there tell me it's a long shot of
getting anything any time soon. I'm out of official techs, and
the freelancers I can hire don't want anything to do with it -
even with the protection I can give them. I need somebody that
can do computer stuff AND cover their own ass if they need to."

"Lost technicians how?" I asked.

"One dead, one wounded and out of action for at LEAST six
months." was the reply.

I thought it over for a bit, and asked "This is an official
request?"

"Authorized straight from the Directors office official - Clara
listened to what I told her was happening, and picked it up from
there. If it means anything, you'll be a genuine FBI agent, a
Special, with a rank equal to mine, and the pay to go with it,
three month minimum - longer if that's what the job takes.
Please, Dan, I need the help - and you're the best one for the
job."

She knew the pay wouldn't motivate me in the slightest. The
official status convinced me it was serious, but the thing that
really got my attention was that she came right out and asked for
the help - particularly MY help. Amy wasn't the kind of person to
ask for help unless she really _needed_ it.

"My first inclination is to say yes - but let me talk it over
with Lucy first, okay?"

"Absolutely. I know she's got a voice in it, too, and I don't
want you here at THAT cost."

"Thanks, Amy. Let me talk to her, and I'll get back to you as
soon as I can."

"That's fine, Dan. I'll be waiting."

With that, the conversation ended, and I went off to find Lucy. 

I found her out by the pool, cuddled up with Sandra, Robyn's best
friend - the two of them still gasping and sweaty after obviously
having pleased each other tremendously. I knew neither would be
coherent for a few minutes, and went over to get a beer out of
the small fridge we had by the pool. I opened it up and had a
swallow before sitting down on a chaise, to watch them. This
wasn't the first time I'd found them in this condition, and knew
it wouldn't be the last - which was fine with me, since Lucy
didn't mind in the slightest if Sandra and I spent time together
- hell, she was as likely as not to join us.

After a couple of minutes, Lucy had her wits about her again, and
came over to sit on my lap - a big shit-eating grin on her face.
I grinned back, and said "I'd ask if you enjoyed yourself while I
was on the phone, but I can see you did."

She just grinned wider, and asked "So who was it?"

"Amy", I replied.

"She's coming for a visit?" Lucy asked, in anticipation.

"Nope, she was calling to ask for help. MY help."

Lucy got a puzzled look on her face, and asked "Your help? What
for? Or with?"

"Her job", I replied, knowing that Lucy would immediately
understand. 

She did.

"What is it?"

"You know that miniature drug cartel she told us about? They
finally nailed one of them. Got him dead to rights, from what she
says", I replied.

"So why does she need YOUR help, then?"

"A couple things. First, the guy kept all his records on a
computer, encrypted. Good enough that Amy's people can't get into
the data. Even their headquarters techs don't hold any hope of
breaking it any time soon."

"And the other thing?" she asked.

"The couple of FBI techs Amy put on the job got hurt. One of them
died; the other one is out of action for several months. The
druggie's buddies didn't want to take any chances with the
records. Amy needs somebody to try and break the encryption; and
that can watch out for themselves in the process. The local
civilian techs won't touch it, even with the protection Amy can
give them."

Lucy got a serious look on her face, and asked "It's that bad?"

"Yeah. Amy even came right out and *asked* for the help."

"Do it, then."

"You're sure?"

She smiled at me, and said "Yeah, I'm sure. I'll be worried about
you, but this is something *important*, even if it wasn't Amy.
How soon does she need you?"

"She didn't say, but I got the impression sooner is better."

"Then call her back, and get it going."

"It might take a while - if their headquarters people aren't
happy about trying it, it can't be easy."

"I figured. But I know you won't get _too_ lonely with Amy
around, and if I wear out the mailman and the delivery boy from
the grocery store, I can still come to visit, right?"

The last part was a standing joke between us - the mailman had to
be pushing 70, and looked like the next sexual encounter he had
would be his last. The delivery boy from the grocery store was a
pimply-faced nervous type - every time he saw one of the girls in
the skimpy-to-nonexistent bikinis they favored, he'd be hit with
an asthma attack.

With that, she got up off my lap to go back and cuddle with
Sandra while I went in to call Amy. As I'd expected, she wanted
me there as soon as I could make it. I told her I'd be there
Monday morning, and promised to let her know what flight as soon
as I had the details. She made it abundantly clear that I was
expected to stay with her while I was in town - her husband, Tom,
had told her to invite me before leaving on some training
assignment that would have him away from home for the next
several weeks.

-----

Monday morning found me wearing my bulletproof vest under a sport
shirt that also served to conceal the .45 caliber pistol I'd
bought during my first pass at helping the FBI. There wasn't any
fuss at the airport when I showed them my Federal permit and
walked around the security stations.

I saw Amy waiting for me in the terminal after the flight landed.
She spotted me quickly enough, and moved off to the side so that
we'd be out of the flow of traffic when I got to her. The first
thing she did was wrap her arms around me a give me a big hug and
kiss - and when Amy kissed someone, they knew they'd beenkissed!

With that out of the way, Amy led me to a small stand, where she
opened up her briefcase and pulled out a small sheaf of papers.
She handed them to me, saying "I want to make this official as
soon as possible. Read these, then sign and date them where
indicated."

I quickly went through the stack: one was a reactivation of my
security clearance. Another was notification of what my pay was
to be, and outlining my insurance coverage. A third was official
authorization for me to be an armed FBI agent, even though I'd
never been through the FBI academy. Last was a contract, spelling
out my duties as an official FBI agent and the duration of my
contract - it placed more obligations and limitations on the FBI
than it did me. To my surprise, there was extremely little in the
way of weasel-words or limitations expressed in my duties and
authority. When I asked Amy about it, she said "Clara had them
draw this up. She knows you're not going to throw your weight
around, but that you might need to do things we haven't
anticipated. I told you, we - *I* - need your help, in whatever
form we can get it."

I signed and dated everything in the appropriate places. I handed
the papers back to Amy, and after she gave back my copies, she
handed me a small leather folder. When I opened it up, I saw that
it was my official FBI identification. When I looked up at her,
Amy just smiled, and said "I know we could have done all this at
the office, but I wanted to get *that* into your hands as soon as
I could manage. Anything that happens from now on is *official*
FBI business - Special Agent Andrews!"

With that, she gave me another kiss (!!), and the two of us
headed down to rescue my luggage from the airlines. Bags in hand,
we headed out to her car, and on toward the FBI offices. Along
the way, Amy brought me up to date on how things were going, and
what the full situation was. By the time we pulled into her
parking space, I had a pretty good idea of what was needed.

Once inside, Amy said "Dan, if you don't mind, I'd like to
introduce you to the other agents."

I voiced my agreement, and Amy led us down the hall, then through
a door. Inside was obviously a small training room: in front was
a podium facing several tiers of seats, amphitheater-style. All
told, there must have been room for nearly a hundred people in
there - and every seat was filled, with quite a few standing in
the back and along the sides. Amy went directly to the podium,
and the low-level chatter quickly died down.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. I expect that most of you have heard the
rumors to the effect that something is about to happen regarding
the mini-cartel - or as it's come to be called, the Cartelita -
case that we've been working. I've called you here to put an end
to that rumor.

"There is not a some*thing* going to happen, but a someONE -
specifically, the gentleman you see standing to my right. His
name is Dan Andrews, and he's the one that _literally_ handed us
the TechnoDynamics case - you may have heard of it." - here there
was general laughter; they all had, of course.

She went on "He is here with us to help get the Cartelita
situation moving again. Further, he is here in an OFFICIAL
capacity. Official enough that he is carrying FBI credentials, as
authorized by the Director's office."

There was a low murmur at that, and Amy told them "As you know,
that is a *most* extraordinary event. Here is a *declassified*
synopsis of Mr. Andrew's qualifications from the Army, and our
own file on him."

With that, she began to read from a folder on the podium -
apparently, the same one Clara Hawkes, her predecessor, hadused:

"Andrews, Daniel William, U.S. Army. Assigned Special Forces with
all appropriate training; then assigned to Strike Team Alpha, a
prototype for the Delta Force. Qualified with all personal
weapons in the Army inventory. Rated Expert Pistol, Expert Rifle.
His assigned duties were team sniper and explosives expert; with
backup duties including communications and medic. He is fluent in
Russian, German, and Spanish. Received advanced sniper training,
and advanced ordnance training. In both cases, the class
instructors requested he be retained for instructor duty. His
Ordnance instructor is reported as having said `I think he could
blow the Hoover dam with three matches and can of lighter fluid,
if you pushed him. He's that good.'

"He was his unit's instructor for unarmed combat, as well as for
guerilla warfare tactics and strategy. He was sent on multiple
missions, all classified. From them, he received a Silver Star,
two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, other commendations. He was
also recommended for a Medal Of Honor - which was denied for what
appear to be political reasons. Offered Officer school three
times, all refused, last time saying "once through boot camp was
enough". Some of the people he served with describe him as
"Smart", "Nerveless", "Gutsy", "fast-thinker", "integrity out the
wazoo", and "unflappable". His Commanding officers uniformly
praised him in the highest terms.

"He served two tours before being discharged. Upon leaving the
military, he attended M.I.T., majoring in computer science, where
he graduated top one percent of his class. Mr. Andrews then got
his Masters degree in computer science, with a paper on `Data
Recovery Through Forensic Analysis Techniques'. Offered doctorate
program, refused, saying "I've got my schooling, now I need an
education". He has a standing offer from his dean to join their
doctorate program.

"After M.I.T., he attended Princeton, where he graduated with
dual degrees - Philosophy and Mathematics. He was questioned at
Princeton about a surveillance system that was apparently used by
unknown persons to provide information to help bust a chemistry
professor for manufacture and distribution of several drugs - but
no evidence actually linked him to the situation.

"Several jobs followed, each a move up. Supervisors uniformly
disappointed that he left, but not upset. Started his own
business several years ago. File maintained because he is a
contractor and contributor on several Department of Defense
contracts. According to the contractors, his work has been
invaluable - every one of them praised his intelligence and the
innovation of the work he's done."

Amy paused to look over the group before telling them "That,
ladies and gentlemen, is what convinced us to let him help us
last time. Add to that the *significant* contributions he made to
the TechnoDynamics case, and you can understand why he's here."

To the deathly quiet in the room, she added "Yes, boys and girls,
he's *that* good. What you just heard was, as I said, the
DEclassified version. I've read the source, and I promise you,
he's even better. If you need any verification, simply look at
the sequence of the last few records on the combat range. You
know I hold it now; what you'll find is that it took me SEVENTEEN
tries to get it back. From Dan Andrews, who took my OLD record -
which took me thirteen tries to set! - on his *first* run through
the course. And he's smart, too - HE had to show our technical
people where the TechnoDynamics money went, and how it was done;
Dan gave us a laptop computer with the proof we needed to put
them all away - that's why I say he *literally* handed us the
case. He also managed to convince Benny Falcone to leave him
alone; those of you who know about old Benny will understand what
a trick _that_ was.

"On a personal note, I was head of one of the protective details
assigned to him during TechnoDynamics. I, and everyone who dealt
with him, found him to be a patient, understanding, and most of
all, AGREEABLE individual. I expect you'll find that he will be
happy to work _with_ you on the case; he's not pushy or demanding
or anything of the sort. But I must caution you that if he
insists on something, you would be doing well to listen to him.
On the Cartelita case, his authority is equal to MINE; but I am
also giving him permission to offer any suggestions, thoughts,
ideas, or anything else he wants to contribute to the rest of the
staff here. He is *extremely* intelligent and thoughtful; as an
`outsider' he will undoubtedly have a different perspective on
things, and he may well help us get out of any mental ruts we may
be in. People, he's here to help us. Let him.

"In closing, I have one more thing to point out. You know that we
don't always have the best relationship with local law
enforcement. But when we told them that we were bringing Mr.
Andrews in on the Cartelita case, it actually made them *happy* -
they know how effective he was the last time he was here."

That done, Amy thanked them for their time, and led me out of the
room while a hundred-plus pairs of eyes followed my every move.

Back out in the hall, she told me "Sorry if all that embarrassed
you, but I want them to know just who they're dealing with. I
*want* them to come to you - you know things these folks have no
clue about, and I want them to learn anything you have to share
with them, no matter what. Your first priority is the Cartelita
case; after that is for you to provide any assistance to these
folks that you think would help. We're starting to deal with
crooks that are a lot more hard-core than we're used to, and my
agents need to learn to deal with it."

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

"I know, Dan. I just don't want to lose any more people."

I gave her a discrete hug, and she smiled up at me, saying "I do
have a couple of things for you, though. Well, four, I think."

I looked at her quizzically, and she said "Even though you're an
extra-special FBI agent, the Bureau still wants to make *sure*
you're okay to turn loose on the public. So, you've got to pass
the self-defense exam, and qualify on firearms" with a grin.

I grinned back, and said "I think I can do that. Lucy got me to
sign up with a gym, and we've been working out a couple times a
week. In return, I got Lucy interested in shooting, and the two
of us have been hitting the practice range after our gym
workouts."

Amy got a mock-horrified look on her face and said "You've been
_practicing_?!"

I nodded, and she said "Now I KNOW I'll shoot you if you get
anywhere NEAR my range!" - and then blushing when a couple of
passing agents looked at her, not entirely sure if she was joking
or not.

With a sigh, she looked up at me and said "Well, I guess we might
as well get this over with!" before leading the way through a
series of turns, finally showing me the way into their workout
area.

Inside were perhaps a dozen people, one of them a muscular - but
not overly so - man in his mid-20's who was obviously the
instructor. When they saw us, all but the instructor moved off to
the side. He approached us, and extended his hand, introducing
himself.

"Mr. Andrews, I trust. I'm Al Johansen, the fitness and defense
instructor. I understand you have to pass our exam?"

I shook with him, and answered "Glad to meet you, Al. Yeah, she
says that's one of the rules that are part of my being here."

"Don't worry about it, sir. If you were in the military, it
shouldn't be any problem", he responded, looking at Amy when she
snickered. "Do you need or want to change clothes first?"

"No, I don't think so. If things get interesting, I expect I'll
be dressed pretty much like this, so we might as well find out if
it'll work, or not."

He nodded, and led the way out to the middle of a heavy foam mat
that occupied the center of the floor. Once there, he told me
"This exam isn't particularly structured. I just come at you in a
variety of ways, with an assortment of weapons. All I'm looking
for is how you react, and what you do in response."

I voiced my understanding, and he suddenly lunged at me, as
though to punch me in the face.

Looking up at me from the floor, he asked "I'm going to guess
you've had some self-defense training?" with a grin. I admitted
that I'd had some - Amy snickered again, getting a look from him
- and he got to his feet.

Next, he tried to tackle me; as he peeled himself from the wall,
his grin was a little forced when he told me "Yup, you've
definitely had some training."

He nodded to one of the other people, and I saw them toss him a
rubber knife. He hadn't any more than caught it when he lunged at
me, as though trying to stab me. When he was back on his feet
again, I tossed him the knife. When he turned to face me, the
people behind him suddenly gasped. He turned to look at them, and
I saw a bright blue line across the back of his shirt -
apparently, the edge of the knife contained some kind of marker
to show where 'hits' would land. After one of the observers told
him what had happened, he was visibly shaken when he faced me
again. I just stood there, waiting to see what was next.

In short order, he tried a club, a bigger knife, and a paintball
gun held to both my stomach and back. He wound up with a welt
across his left kidney, a blue line across his abdomen, and a
pair of bright yellow splotches - one over his heart, the other
on the back of his head.

He was looking at me with considerable mistrust when he picked
himself up off the floor the last time. Amy interrupted things to
tell him "Forget it, Al. Dan there was Army Special Forces, and
helped start the Delta Force. He *taught* self-defense, military
style. If you got three or four people involved, you *might* have
a chance - but I don't want any of you getting hurt. I trust he
passes?"

Looking at me warily, he answered "Oh, yeah, he passes. Why
didn't you tell me?"

"A couple reasons. First, I had to see it for myself. Second, if
I'd said anything, you might have been tempted to give him
anything BUT the real exam."

He nodded in understanding, and hesitantly reached out to offer
his hand. I shook it, and told him "Thanks, Al."

"Glad to be of help, sir."

 From the workout room, Amy led the way to the firing range.
There was a different range instructor than I'd met the first
time, and he eyed me carefully. Amy didn't bother pulling any
stunts, telling him "Bob, this is Dan Andrews. He's ex-Army
Special Forces. We just need to get him officially qualified."

Bob just nodded, and asked "His weapon or one of ours"? When I
told him "I've got my own", he nodded again, and quickly set a
target into some spring clips, then sent it 25 feet down the
range. That done, he told me "It's an easy process. Starting with
your weapon on the counter, put two mags into the target; one
fast, one slow. Keep them all inside the nine ring, and it's an
automatic pass."

I just told him "Got it. When do I start?"

"Whenever you're ready. You've got thirty seconds from the first
round."

I nodded my understanding, and pulled my pistol from its holster
and set it on the counter in front of me. Next to it, I set a
second magazine. He saw the .45 I carried, and said "Nice weapon"
before stepping back and to the side of where I was standing. At
that point, we all put on our hearing protection and safety
glasses.

I took a few moments to collect myself before picking up my
pistol. I took my time with the first clip, then ejected it and
emptied another in the rapid-fire portion. After I dropped the
second clip, Bob moved next to me and said "Fourteen seconds.
Pretty damn good time. Let's see how the target looks."

He hit a button on a small controller, and the target quickly
moved up to where it was within easy reach of the counter. Bob
gave a low whistle, and looked at me - the 'X' at the center of
the target had been turned into one not-so-large ragged hole.

"I take it he passes?" Amy asked, with a grin.

"Oh, yeah, no problem. Tell me, Mr. Andrews - do you ever
compete?"

Amy laughed, and told him "Bob, that's the Mr. Andrews that I had
to beat to get my record back on the combat range. He's rated
Expert in both rifle AND pistol. Don't bet anything you don't
want to lose."

Bob looked at me with a new sense of respect, and smiled, telling
me "Thought the name sounded familiar. Didn't figure it was YOU
though. No hard feelings?"

"Not on my end. You're doing what you're supposed to be - making
sure the folks with guns around here know which end the bullets
come out of, and how to hit what they're aiming at. Can't fault
you for that." I answered as I reloaded the magazines from a box
of ammo he provided.

At that point, Amy spoke up to tell me "There are still a couple
more things we need to take care of, Dan."

With that, Bob and I shook hands, and I followed Amy to her
office - which she'd apparently inherited from Clara Hawkes, her
predecessor. Inside, I saw two women sitting off to the side of
Amy's desk. One of them I recognized as Abigail O'Malley, a young
lady that had taken charge of Lucy's daughter Robyn and her
friend Sandra while I'd been out with the agents busting the
TechnoDynamics bunch. She seemed pleased when I recognized her,
and greeted her by name. She still looked much like an
out-of-place surfer girl: brown hair slightly longer than I'd
seen before, hazel eyes, slender, and nicely curved. 

The other woman was someone that I'd seen in the workout area,
standing off to the side with the other observers. She was still
dressed in workout clothes - but even baggy sweats couldn't
completely hide the figure underneath, nor the coal-black hair
surrounding an attractive face. Amy introduced her as Erika
Simpson; I could see that she was older than Amy, but I wouldn't
have cared to guess how much.

When we were seated, Amy told me "Dan these two are the other two
surprises I have for you. You obviously recognize Abby O'Malley,
from your last visit. She's going to be your assistant while
you're here - she's better with computers than anybody else here.
Since you were here last, she's been out in the field a bit, so
working as your gofer is actually a little bit of a step down for
her - but she _specifically_ asked for the job. Erika is here
from Headquarters; she's head of training for protective detail
agents there. Don't let her looks fool you: she got the job
*after* working her way up through the ranks, including doing
actual protective and training duty. I'll let her tell you why
she's here."

I turned to look at Erika, and she smiled at me before saying
"You've gotten some *serious* attention at headquarters, Mr.
Andrews. When the decision was made to bring you in on this case,
a special request was made that the Army turn over your entire
service record. Believe me, it made *quite* an impression on
those privileged to see it - myself included. I'm here for two
reasons. First, my primary job is to try and learn from you.

"You see, we're running into the problem of gang activity more
and more; it's not like the old days when even the Mob had *some*
decency. The gangs we're running into today are *vicious*, far
beyond anything organized crime ever did. From your record, you
seem to have a peculiar talent for spotting trouble, and dealing
with it effectively - particularly the kind of trouble that we're
running into with the gangs. Most of your military experience was
dealing with the kind of people that we're having to deal with
now, and we *need* to learn how you do it. So my function, first
and foremost, is to learn that, so that we can share your
knowledge and skills with our agents.

"Second, I'm here to serve as your backup, if you wish. Make no
mistake: I am here for YOU, to follow YOUR instructions, while I
watch your back. The people we're dealing with here are animals,
pure and simple. ANY help you can give us in this case is greatly
appreciated, and one way we want to show that appreciation is by
taking every measure possible to ensure that you aren't hurt or
killed. I already know how good you are with weapons, and in
personal combat; but you've only got one set of eyes and ears. My
function, if you'll have me, is to watch your back. I will not
interfere with whatever actions you find necessary; I am here
SOLELY to observe and protect."

I looked from Abby to Erika and back again for several moments
while I thought things over. I finally told them "If you will
excuse us while I talk this over with Amy?"

Abby looked crestfallen, but Erika was made of sterner stuff.
Both quietly stood, and left the office, closing the door behind
them.

When they were gone, I turned to Amy and asked "Okay, Amy, what's
*really* going on?"

Amy just looked at me, and answered "There's nothing going on,
Dan. Why do you ask?"

"I just find it curious that the people I get for two perfectly
reasonable jobs both happen to be women. Attractive women, at
that."

Amy grinned, saying "That's the luck of the draw. I promise you,
Abby really asked for the job - ahead of six others, only four of
them female. As for Erika, she's telling you the truth - the
Bureau really does need someone to teach us how to deal with
these gangs. She was sent simply because she's the head of the
training department - a job she got on merit, by the way. Even
the man she replaced said she was better qualified for the job
than he was when HE got it. Both are more than qualified to be
here doing this."

"But why would two *women* take these assignments? You said
yourself that Abby is taking a step back to do it; and I don't
doubt for a minute that Erika could come up with someone else to
send, instead of doing this herself" I told her.

"Dan, it's perfectly reasonable to ME, as a woman. I don't think
you appreciate what kind of affect you have on us: you're
ruggedly handsome, strong in so many ways, and smart; things that
affect us deep down in our chromosomes. That you're patient, and
caring and all the rest only hits us in our hearts and minds.
You're the kind of guy that damn near any woman wants to have
around. I hate to admit it this way, but you're simply a shining
example of an Alpha male, and we're attracted to you because of
it, viscerally and intellectually.

"That's also part of the reason that I didn't tell Al about your
military experience. Either he'd have let you off easy, or - as I
would have expected - felt challenged by you and tried to prove
something. Either way, it wouldn't have been appropriate."

I nodded my understanding, and told her "Well, that being the
case, then I don't have any objections to either one of them."

Amy voiced her appreciation, and went to let them back in,
closing the door behind them again.

When they were seated again, I looked at each in turn before
saying "I want you to understand: I do not have any objections to
having either one of you for any personal reasons. I simply had
to make sure that you were here of your own choosing. You're FBI,
I *expect* you to know your jobs, and how to do them.

"Abby, Amy said you'll be my 'gofer'; but what you'll really be
doing is guiding me through the way things work around here. I
generally get my own coffee and such; please understand that if I
ask you to do something, it's because I really do need your help.
I'm Dan, not Mr. Andrews; if we're going to be working together,
I think it's better if we aren't formal with each other. Erika,
the same applies to you: I'm Dan, you're Erika. You've got a
question, ask - I'm sure as hell going to!

"For both of you, I'm going to expect a lot of
question-and-answer as we get to know each other. You know things
I don't, and I know things you don't - the fastest and easiest
way to get around that is communication. If I don't understand
something, I'm going to ask you to explain; and I'll expect the
same from you. If you think something needs my attention and
you're not getting it, don't be afraid to insist. Fair enough?"

Both nodded and voiced their understanding. Then Abby spoke up,
saying "Amy's already assigned you an office. I'll go ahead and
make sure it's supplied and organized for you, if that's okay?"

"That would be great, Abby. Thanks." I replied.

She smiled, and headed out the door, while Erika stayed seated.
When Abby was gone, Erika spoke up, asking "Please forgive me,
but I haven't heard any details about where you'll be staying,
Dan, or what the schedule will be."

Amy spoke up for me, saying "Dan will be staying with me. I have
a second bedroom - I moved to a different place since you were
here last, Dan - and it seemed to simplify the logistics.
Scheduling is whatever Dan thinks it needs to be: he's here
helping us, so we're not going to tie him down with any more
regulation than we absolutely HAVE to."

Erika got a slightly puzzled look on her face when she learned
where I'd be staying, then turned to look at me when I said "I'm
a little jet-lagged, so it'll be a short day, today. Tomorrow, I
figure to get started here about 8:00, or little before. After
that, I can only promise to keep you advised as much ahead of
time as I can."

Amy told her "I was on his protective detail last time, and he
was exceptionally good about letting us know what was going on,
and even asking for advice. I don't think you'll have any
problems, at all. Since you didn't already know, I'll tell you: I
was a bridesmaid at his wedding, and he was best man at mine. It
was because of Dan that Tom and I got together."

That seemed to clear things up for Erika, and Amy told her "If
you want to change clothes, I've got to show Dan where he'll be
working, and his office."

Erika thanked her, and after Amy made a brief call to someone,
the three of us got up and headed out the door. Erika turned one
direction while Amy steered me the other. A few twists and turns
later, I was facing a door with the nameplate "Special Agent
Andrews" next to it. Amy just smiled when I gestured at it, and
led me in to where Abby was industriously organizing things -
making sure the coffee pot was set up, that we had plenty of
office supplies, and so on. Through another door, and Amy showed
me my actual office, telling me "We deliberately put your office
in the middle of the building, or as close as we could get. It
will be swept for bugs daily, and it's rigged to prevent
eavesdropping. We figure if they're savvy about computers, we'd
better play it safe about other electronics, too. This Cartelita
thing is THE case we have now, and we don't want to risk
*anything* jeopardizing it."

That said, she led me out to the hallway again, and pointed out a
door across the hall, saying "In there is the computer we seized.
The room is shielded nine ways from Sunday against ANY kind of
eavesdropping. There's no phone line, no intercom, NOTHING in
there that could be used to gain access to that computer. The
door is cipher-locked, and only 3 people have the combination:
me, Tom, and our Security officer. She'll be here in a bit to set
the new combination to whatever you tell her; at that point only
TWO people will have access to that room - you, and her. We've
got reason to believe that our little group here has been working
with others in other cities; if we can pry open this case, we
think we can use the info to break the others, as well - so you
can see why we're taking this so seriously."

About that time, a female agent appeared - a surprisingly
statuesque platinum blonde - and Amy told me "Dan, this is Agent
Littlejohn; she's our Security Officer. I'm going to go in your
office while you tell her what combination you want on this lock
and she gets it set up."

And she did that very thing - immediately going not just into the
first part of my office, but all the way into the back, taking
Abby with her. One other agent started down the hall, but when he
saw Agent Littlejohn with me, quickly found a different route to
where he was going.

Both Agent Littlejohn and I watched all this, and when I looked
over at her, she had a slight smile on her face. She saw me
looking at her, and said "Mr. Andrews" - "Call me Dan, Agent
Littlejohn" - "Please call me Katherine. As you can see, that
room is something special - as much as we want to bust the
Cartelita, NOBODY wants to do ANYTHING to mess up any chance we
have of doing it. That, and people here have a real healthy
respect for security!"

I laughed, and said "I can see that - and I appreciate it, too;
I've been in situations where security meant a LOT to me."

She laughed, too, and said "I know. Besides Amy, I'm the only
other person here that got to read your Army file. In this job, I
don't get to meet many people that have a higher clearance than
*I* do. Shall we get to it, then?"

I nodded, and she told me "I can set this lock to any combination
of up to six numbers. Numbers may duplicate, but not repeat. The
lock is electronically monitored, so if you enter a bad
combination more than ONCE, it will trip an alarm in my office,
and disable the lock until someone - that is, ME - clears it. ALL
combinations entered into it are logged, so if ANYONE tries to
open this door, even once, we'll know. For the sake of formality,
I want to tell you that combinations involving a birthday,
anniversary, or other similar event is bad security. Do you have
a combination you would like to use, or would you like a little
time to think of something?"

"I've got one in mind." I told her.

She asked me to wait a moment as she opened a small locked box
and took out a serial numbered ledger. Opening it, she carefully
held it so that I couldn't see what was inside. Ready, she asked
me for the combination I wanted to use, then had me repeat it to
make sure that I not only gave her the same numbers, but to
ensure she wrote them down correctly. Satisfied she had the
numbers right, she quickly closed the book and re-secured it in
its box. She moved to the door, and I pointedly turned away from
her, letting her know that I didn't WANT to know what the
previous combination had been. I listened as I heard her working
on the lock from inside the room for a couple of minutes, and
when she was done, she came back outside to find me still
standing in the same place in the same position; she cleared her
throat to let me know it was okay to turn around. When I was
facing her again, she told me "Now, while I'm here, I'd like you
to open the door, if you would. That gives us fi!
nal confirmation that the combination I set is the same one you
gave me."

I agreed, and easily punched in the numbers I'd given her, and
both of us heard the lock emit a solid `thunk' as it released. I
opened the door a bit, and then closed it, making sure that it
latched and locked. She smiled at me again, and stuck her hand
out, saying "Thank you, Dan. You made this a LOT easier than most
people do."

I shook her hand as I assured her it was my pleasure, and as she
headed back down the hall, I went into my office to let Amy and
Abby know we were done. I found the two of them talking about
possible courses of action once I had something for them to go
on. With my arrival, Abby readily started to review what they'd
already talked about; but I stopped her by suggesting that she
wait until Erika joined us, so she'd only have to go over it
once. As though on command, Erika came in; and the four of us
found seats as we went over the different options we had, and
what kind of timeline we were looking at.

It finally got down to the point where we had everything worked
out that we could; but all of us knew that nothing of any real
significance was going to happen until I got inside that
computer.

"Amy, if it's okay, I brought along a laptop with some special
utilities that I'd like to take into The Room if I could." During
the previous discussions, any time we talked about the secure
room where the computer was, everyone had pronounced it in such a
way as to emphasize the capitals, as I just had.

"That's fine, Dan. You've got carte blanche in there. Our
technical people have already duplicated the contents onto
another drive, so we're not worried about losing any data. You'll
probably have to wipe the drive in your computer before you
leave, but I figure you expected that."

"I did. As for duplicating the drive, I don't doubt that your
people did the best they could, but I've got a couple tricks they
probably don't know about. I'm willing to bet that I can come up
with more data than they thought was on there."

"How?"

"After our last little adventure, I got together with Lacy" - he
was someone I knew that could work miracles with hardware; he'd
recovered data from a formatted drive to help the TechnoDynamics
case - "and the two of us managed to work up some new techniques
for data recovery. I don't know how much it will help, but right
now, I think anything we can get would be a step in the right
direction."

"Damn right. New techniques, you said? Who else knows?"

"Right now, just me and Lacy. Before I leave, I'll go through it
with your people, if you want."

"I want, I want! Shucks, if you've got time, I don't have any
problem with you teaching CLASSES in this stuff to them. I've
talked to the lead tech; those guys want to get into that machine
so bad they can taste it, but every last one of them is afraid to
touch it because they're afraid they'll mess something up; it's
not their careers they're worried about, it's losing the *case*.
If you can teach them some of what you know, I'm sure they'd all
appreciate it."

"I'd be glad to. Well, if you'll give me a few minutes, I can get
things started In There."

Amy handed me the keys to her car and said "Go ahead, we'll be
here when you get back."

After I'd retrieved the laptop from her car, I entered The Room,
and got it powered up. Then I got it connected to the desktop
system, and loaded the desktop system with a little program Lacy
and I had developed. In just a few seconds, my laptop was able to
assume complete control over the desktop machine: watching every
byte of data that went through it, controlling the different
parts in ways the manufacturers had never thought of. Getting the
exact hard drive parameters, I had my laptop start copying
*everything* on the desktop's drive - instead of being limited to
just the tracks the manufacturer specified, I was able to guide
the drive heads to read BETWEEN them, as well. And by forcing the
drive to output the raw data from the heads, I could easily go
back and look at data that had supposedly been `erased'. I'd wind
up with several times as much data as the desktop drive
supposedly held, but in that data would be stuff that everyone
else thought was "gone".

I watched for a few minutes as my laptop started sucking every
bit of data it could find from the desktop system's drive, and
storing it. Calling up another utility, I could go through the
`ghost' data, and look at it as though it were still on the
original drive, and compare how and when and where the data had
changed over time. Satisfied that things were going as they were
supposed to, I left the computers to their task, and went back to
my office - carefully making sure the door was latched and locked
behind me.

When I saw Amy, I told her "I'm going to need a hard drive from
your tech people - probably late tomorrow morning. It looks like
we're going to get a little less than twice the data off the hard
drive on that thing, and I expect you'll want to courier it to
Headquarters, right?"

Amy just stared at me for a few moments, then asked "How did
you... oh, never mind, I wouldn't understand the answer. You'll
have the drive as soon as you need it; and yes, I want to have it
couriered to Headquarters." Then she picked up the phone, and
gave somebody a heads up that she'd need a courier the next day.

Erika and Abby were both looking at me as though I were a wizard
on the verge of turning them into toads.

Heeding my own advice, I told the three of them "How I did it was
relatively easy. I told you that Lacy and I came up with a couple
techniques, right? Well, I'm using one of them. A little
background, first. The way a computer stores data on a drive is
with magnetic fields - north-and-south one way for a logical
`one', and the reverse for a logical `zero'." The three of them
indicated their understanding, and I went on "okay, that magnetic
field is _centered_ around a set of pre-defined `tracks' on the
hard drive - kind of like the lanes on a freeway. BUT, the
operative word there is CENTERED: the magnetic fields that are
generated are actually a little bigger than the tracks
themselves, and the tracks are spaced so that the `overflow'
doesn't interfere with adjacent tracks. Now, what happens is that
the magnetic fields aren't always exactly on the center of the
tracks; in reality, they rarely are. So what happens is that
there's almost always magnetic `residue' between the !
tracks, and it's always closest to the track that it was
originally written to. It used to be that if you wanted to read
that residue, you had to disassemble the drive and use some
pretty specialized equipment. What Lacy and I came up with was a
way to get inside the drive electronics - it's `smarts' - and
take over, so that we could read that residue without having to
take the drive apart. It takes a while because we have to read
the residue several times to make sure we're getting real data
and not just noise, but it's still faster and easier than taking
the drive apart. The benefit is that while we're doing that, we
also read the data that the computer already knows it has, so we
can compare the two. With a little software and some applied
theory, we can make some pretty good guesses as to when the data
was changed. In Lacy's lab, we were able to detect, and figure
the sequence of, SEVERAL data changes. Using the freeway analogy
again, we're essentially pulling tire track!
s from near the lane markers, instead of where most people drive.
I'll have a lot better idea of what happened, and when, tomorrow
after I've read more of the data off the source drive; but right
now, it looks like we're going to get roughly double what the
drive says it will hold. I'm guessing that nearly all of the
excess is going to be stuff related to the Cartelita situation."

The three of them looked at each other, then me, then each other
again. Finally, Amy spoke up, telling Abby and Erika "RELATIVELY
easy, he said. The fact that he's doing something our own
technical people - even the ones in Headquarters - can't do just
slips right by him." Then she looked at me, and said "Whatever
else happens here, you've just earned your contract fee. When you
show our tech people how to do what you just described, you'll
have given us a tool we'll be using for YEARS to come." Amy still
looked a little dazed at my explanation, but Erika just nodded
her head in agreement, acknowledging the truth of what Amy had
just said.

A moment later, Amy spoke again, saying "Well, Dan, you've
already performed one miracle, and you've only been here a couple
of hours. You ready to get some rest so you can pull more rabbits
out of the hat tomorrow?"

"I don't know about rabbits and hats, but yeah, I am a little
tired from the flight."

Amy looked at Erika and Abby and told them "I figure to just take
it easy tonight, but I _would_ like to invite the two of you over
tomorrow evening. I'm thinking of it as an informal, kind of
get-to-know-each-other thing. Outside the office, we can all just
relax and get ourselves psyched up for all the work we're looking
at."

Erika and Abby both readily agreed to Amy's idea, and with
nothing else to talk about for the moment, the four of us got up
and headed for home - or a hotel, in Erika's case.

-----

I was surprised when Amy drove us to the same small cluster of
duplexes that she'd lived in when Lucy, Robyn, Sandra and I
stayed with her before.

"I thought you said you moved?" I asked.

She grinned at me, and answered "Yeah, I did. Didn't say where I
moved TO, though, did I?"

"Smart ass."

"With you, I've got to take `em when I can get `em", she laughed,
adding "I - well, Tom and I - just moved to one of the larger
units, a two-bedroom job. We're not *trying* for kids, but want
to be ready if it happens."

She stopped in front of one of a different building than she'd
lived in before, and helped me carry in my little bit of luggage.
Inside, the rooms I could see were pretty close to the size of
her other place; I figured the difference was probably in the
size of the bedrooms, and the bathroom.

Amy led us into the main bedroom, and I could see that I was at
least partially correct - it was a bit smaller than what she'd
had before. We set my luggage down, and she gave me a brief tour
of the rest of the place. The bathroom in this one was still
large, but not as huge as what she'd had previously. She and Tom
had set the second bedroom up as something of a study, but been
careful not to fill it up - I could see that it would still
easily hold a crib and the other furniture that an infant would
need. Back in the living room, we found her cat, J. Edgar, who
deigned to sniff my hand and allow me to give her a little bit of
an ear-rub.

Having seen their new place, I followed Amy into the kitchen,
where she opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer for
each of us. After we'd each taken a swallow, she told me "Dan, I
really do appreciate your help with this Cartelita thing. Hell, I
think the whole Bureau does! If we - you - can peel these
bastards open, it'll do wonders for us. Not just here, but in a
lot of other places, like I told you."

"You know I'm glad to help, Amy. I've got Robyn to worry about,
and even Sandra. If I can help do something that gets these
*things* off the street, I'm more than happy to do it."

"There's one more thing I hope you'll do, too", she said,
mischievously.

"What's that?"

"Me" was the answer, as she moved to stand in front of me.

Her eyes locked on mine, she first unbuttoned and removed the
blouse she was wearing, then her skirt. Those gone, she reached
between her breasts to unfasten her bra, and let it drop to the
floor, where it was soon joined by her panties - leaving me with
quite a view.

I saw that she still had smooth pale skin and a light dusting of
freckles across her shoulders. Her breasts were medium-sized,
with small pink areolas and nipples. A trim, flat belly that
merged into a pair of smooth muscular thighs. Her mons was
covered with a small triangle of dark red, curly pubic hair; her
arousal was obvious from the erect clitoris I could see above the
edges of her vaginal lips.

Without hesitation, she knelt in front of me before unfastening
my belt, then my pants. After unzipping them, she pushed my pants
down to reveal my shorts - then eased them down my legs, as well.
Faced with my semi-erect penis, she reached to cup my testicles
as she leaned forward to take the head of my member in her mouth.
Applying a gentle suction as she let her tongue dance along my
length, it didn't take her long to get me fully erect.

When she was finally satisfied that I was ready for her, she
pulled her lips from around the head of my glistening erection
before standing up long enough to unbutton my shirt - and nodding
in approval when she found me wearing my bulletproof vest.

Stripping me of both shirt and vest, she held me steady as I
slipped off my shoes before stepping out of my pants and shorts
so she could guide me toward the kitchen table. There, she
unhesitatingly moved to lay back on it, her legs hanging off the
edge as she looked at me with lust in her eyes.

It was my turn to kneel, then, as she spread her thighs in
invitation. Looking between them, I saw the blossom of her
womanly flower: thin, straight, delicate labia parted and
glistening with her feminine oils. Rising out from under the hood
of her clitoris, they flowed around her opening to fade into her
perineum. The soft, fine hairs of her incredibly thick bush -
which she apparently kept trimmed - did nothing to conceal her
arousal, particularly where it thinned out at the bottom of her
cleft. Though still not close to her, I could still smell her
musky excitement and anticipation.

Moving closer to her, I slipped my tongue between her labia
before sliding it up between them - dipping slightly into her
opening - to finish with a soft caress of her erect clitoris. She
gasped her pleasure at my first contact, and her hips arched to
keep my tongue in contact with her clitoris for as long as
possible.

Over the next few minutes, I continued my oral ministrations to
her womanhood; only when I had her moaning almost constantly and
her feminine essence all but flowing out of her did I raise up to
stand over her. Her eyes watched my penis sway as I moved forward
to stand between her parted thighs, positioning my erect member
against the opening of her vagina. She pulled her knees up and
apart to open herself to me even more before putting her hands on
my hips to pull me closer. I could see her erect nipples harden
even more as I started to press myself into her while she lifted
her pelvis in welcome.

My first thrust got perhaps a quarter of my length in her,
accompanied by her groan of pleasure. Withdrawing a bit to spread
her lubrication, I pressed in again, sinking nearly two thirds of
my manhood into her. Back out again, and a final arching of my
hips buried my length in her - resulting in Amy's deep moan of
satisfaction.

Reaching forward, I took her breasts in my hands, feeling her
hard nipples pressing into my palms. I gently squeezed her
breasts, my fingers dimpling them as though they were filled with
a warm, firm gel. Amy put her hands on top of mine, then
squeezed, letting me know how much pressure to apply. I followed
her lead, and felt her vagina flutter around my penis in
response.

I leaned over to take one of her nipples in my mouth as I slowly
slid myself out of her, until I felt the ring of muscle at her
entrance gripping me just behind the glans of my member. I paused
a moment, then filled her again in a single long, slow thrust of
my pelvis. I continued to nurse at her breasts for the next
couple of minutes as I repeated my slow-motion lovemaking with
her; with each penetration, I could feel her getting hotter and
wetter inside as she panted her steadily increasing arousal - and
groaned her frustration at my slow pace.

When I had both of her areolas puckered and glistening with my
saliva, I raised my body again and started ratcheting up the pace
at which I was pistoning in and out of her. I felt it as a small
tremor ran through her; an apparent mini-orgasm, judging from the
way her womanhood clamped down on me for a few seconds.

 From the angle that I was entering her, I knew that each time I
slid into her, it was pulling slightly on the entrance to her
vagina - and thus applying a slight pressure to her clitoris.
That added stimulus of her clitoris as I penetrated her each time
resulted in her vagina briefly clenching; the effect was that not
only was she incredibly hot and wet inside, but felt wonderfully
tight around me, too.

As much as I was pleasing her, she was pleasing me, too. It
wasn't but a few minutes before I felt myself heading down the
road to release. Not wanting to leave Amy behind, I moved my
hands to her breasts and started squeezing them and gently
pinching on her nipples. I felt her breasts get firmer and
tighter under my hands, and knew that the added stimulation would
keep her with me.

Looking down between us, I could see that my erection was
thoroughly coated with her feminine oils and that her labia were
so open that they were barely moving as I slid myself in and out
of her.

After a couple more minutes, I felt my balls start to tighten up;
it wasn't going to be much longer before I unloaded her. Still
determined to bring her as much pleasure as she was bringing me,
I started thrusting into her faster and harder, bumping her
clitoris with my pubic bone even as my entry in her was applying
a different pressure on it. Amy's head immediately started
twisting from side to side as my actions brought her even more
stimulation, and moved her even closer to her orgasm.

It couldn't have been another minute before I felt myself tighten
up as I reached my peak. When she felt the first hot jet of my
semen erupt, Amy fell into the chasm of her own release; I felt
her tighten around my length before the rings of her internal
muscles started a rhythmic spasming that ran the length of my
penis, milking it. Our respective climaxes continued like that,
in almost perfect counterpoint to each other: the feeling of
Amy's hot vagina tightening around me would trigger another
eruption from me, which seemed to trigger Amy into another round
of HER release. Back and forth we went, the intensity and
duration of our climaxes prolonged and intensified as a result.

Still, our human limitations finally kicked in, and the power of
our mutual release began to taper off - leaving us both nearly
exhausted.

When we'd both gotten our breath back, Amy suddenly had a fit of
the giggles. When she was nearly over them, I asked "Okay, so
what was THAT all about?"

Grinning, she said "I was just thinking that we didn't even last
fifteen minutes before we were going at it like a couple of
newlyweds, right here on the kitchen table. Then it hit me that
we're both married - and that Lucy and Tom not only wouldn't
mind, but would probably approve!"

I grinned back, and answered "True, it's probably not a situation
that comes up much in the rest of society. As for Tom and Lucy,
they'd probably have been at it, too!"

And with that, BOTH of us started laughing at the situation -
until my penis finally pulled free of Amy to let our mixed juices
start leaking out of her. THAT started her on another fit of the
giggles, even as she gestured she wanted one of the small towels
near the sink. I handed it to her, and she quickly wiped up what
had escaped her already, and then positioned it to stem any
further leakage. Satisfied, she opened her arms in invitation for
me to rest over her again.

I did, and the two of us shared several loving kisses as we held
each other for a few minutes.

After giving me a brief hug, Amy whispered "I think it's time we
got moving. I think you'd like to clean up a little, and I know
*I* do."

I hugged her back, and stood up before helping her to her feet.
To give Amy a little time to herself in the bathroom, I stayed
behind to pick our clothes up from the kitchen floor before
laying them out in the bedroom. When I was done, I knocked at the
bathroom door, and heard Amy's okay. I went in to discover that
the bathroom wasn't much smaller than the one she'd had before -
her shower easily held the two of us as we took a quick shower to
rinse ourselves off.

Dried, dressed, and back in the living room, Amy asked if I had
anything in particular I wanted for supper. I said anything was
fine, and she disappeared for a few minutes before coming back
with a tray of sandwiches and chips, along with a couple of
sodas.

After we'd finished, I took the leftovers into the kitchen and
put them away, returning with a couple more sodas. We spent the
rest of the evening just watching TV as we snuggled on the couch.
When Amy saw me yawn for the second time in five minutes, she
turned the TV off and _told_ me that it was time for bed. On top
of the `exercise' we'd shared, I was feeling a bit jet-lagged,
and didn't offer any argument - particularly when she led me into
the bedroom and started undressing me. When both of us were
naked, she pulled the bed covers down, and guided me between the
sheets, then climbed in next to me. After nudging me onto my
side, she moved to spoon with me, her arm around my chest as her
breasts pressed into my back. I took her hand in mine, holding it
as I fell asleep.

-----

I woke up the next morning to find that Amy and I had reversed
positions during the night - her firm ass was neatly tucked
against my semi-erect penis, and my arm around her ended with my
hand cupped over one of her smooth breasts.

Reluctantly, I released her breast and started to ease myself
back, so that I could get out of bed. When I did, her hand held
mine as I heard her say "It's only six o'clock; you don't have to
get up, yet."

My answer was simple: "Yeah, I do - too much beer and soda last
night!"

I could almost *hear* her smile as she let my hand slip free of
her grasp. When I got back, I found that she hadn't moved; I
didn't hesitate to resume my previous position - including
holding her breast in my hand. She put her hand over mine,
holding me there, before saying "You know, I never get tired of
waking up like this - having somebody I care about next to me."

"Yeah, it *is* nice. Makes it easy to understand what the real
priorities are in life."

She snuggled back against me before answering "That it does."

We lay together like that for a while longer, content to be with
someone we cared about, before the alarm went off at 6:30.
Reluctantly, we parted, each to get up on `our' side of the bed.
As I got dressed, Amy went in to the bathroom to take care of her
morning routine; when she was out, it was my turn as she got
dressed.

Breakfast was light and casual as we each read different parts of
the newspaper; then it was into her car for the trip to the
office.

There, I found Abby and Erika pouring themselves a cup of coffee,
having obviously arrived just ahead of me. Abby poured one for
me, too, then handed it to me. I took it, and reminded her "Like
I said, I generally get my own coffee and such. The moving around
to get it helps me keep my head clear, and kind of forces me to
stop and *think* a little bit about what I'm doing, so I don't
get into any mental ruts."

Erika looked at me skeptically, and said "Somehow, I don't think
that kind of thing is much of a problem for you."

"Well, no, it usually isn't. But it's something I want to avoid
if I can, so I try to do things to keep it from happening", I
admitted.

I invited them into my office, where we chatted for a few minutes
as each of us sipped at our coffee. 

As we got to the bottoms of our cups, Abby wanted to know if I
had anything in particular I wanted her to do. I thought it over
a few moments, and said "Well, since Amy doesn't mind if I talk
to the tech people, you can find out if there's anything in
particular I can do for them. If there is, get it set up. You
know, like if they want classes in something, we'd need a time
and place to hold them, that kind of thing. Anything you can
share with me about the case would probably be good; it'll give
me an idea of who we're after, and what kind of threat they
present. Like I said yesterday, I'll need a hard drive to copy
data to, so it can be couriered to headquarters; I'll need your
help getting that set up. You can find out from the other agents
on the case if there's anything they think I can help with. Amy
told me that she's willing to let me do pretty much anything I
can to help whoever needs it, so let's find out who and what.
It's probably going to be a couple of days bef!
ore we really get organized, here. While that's happening, I'm
open to suggestions and invitations. Abby, you're going to be MY
boss, after a fashion - a lot of what's going to need to happen
In There can be done by computer; so it's going to be up to you
to help me get into a schedule that lets me get the computer
started on the grunt work so I can do the people stuff while it's
busy."

She nodded her understanding, and headed out to get things
started, leaving Erika and I alone.

I looked at Erika, and said "God's honest truth, I don't know
what to say to you. As long as I'm in the building, I don't think
I'm in much danger, so that doesn't leave much for you to do."

She smiled wryly, and answered "Yeah, I thought of that. And I
expect that you're still pretty unsure about how to deal with me,
too."

"There is that", I admitted, adding "You're a senior agent, head
of the training division. I don't feel comfortable asking you to
help Abby, but *I* don't know of anything else. Quite frankly,
I'm open to suggestions."

She smiled and said "I was going to offer to help Abby, anyway,
just for something to do when you're in the building. Dan, I want
to emphasize this: I'm here to learn from you. Anything and
everything you want to share with me. Hell, even if all you want
to do with me is tell me war stories, I'm willing to listen; even
THOSE will give me information I need to train our agents better.
Like I said yesterday, I'm here to help you in any way I can
while I'm learning from you. You leave this building, and I'm
your backup, if you want. If you need something from
headquarters, I'll help Amy get it for you. Need your laundry
done? Fine, I've got a car, and *I'll* take care of it for you,
no problem. Want to hit a bar and get drunk? I'll drive you home.
I meant what I said yesterday: I'm here for YOU, to follow YOUR
instructions. You have a unique combination of knowledge and
skills that we in the FBI need - not just for this case, but for
all of our agents. If it meant saving one of!
 my people from getting killed, I'd HAPPILY spit-shine your shoes
every day you're here, no questions asked. So don't hesitate to
ask me to help you with *anything* on this case."

I looked into her eyes, and saw that what she was telling me was
God's honest truth. That was all I needed to be sure of before I
told her "Fair enough. That's all the salve my conscience needs;
I'll ask for your help when and how it's needed."

She smiled again in acceptance of what I'd just told her, and we
toasted each other with our coffee cups before draining them.
Together, we went in to where Abby was talking on the phone with
someone. Erika and I filled our cups, and as I was putting the
pot back, Abby got off the phone. She looked up to tell me "The
tech people have a drive whenever you want it. When you're ready,
someone from security will bring you an unlocked case to put it
in. When you lock the case, that's IT - nobody outside of
headquarters will have the combination to open it. When you bring
the case out, security will handcuff it to the courier, who will
fly it to headquarters on a commercial flight. Security needs
just five minutes lead time to get it here."

I nodded my understanding, and told them "Well, then I expect I'd
better get in there and make sure things are happening the way
they're supposed to. What do you say about me taking you two to
lunch?"

Both of them smiled before Erika answered "I _never_ turn down
lunch when someone else is buying!" - which prompted Abby to nod
in agreement.

"Twelve, then?" I asked.

Both agreed, and I took my cup of coffee with me as I headed for
The Room.

Inside, I found that my laptop was nearly done sucking data off
the host machine; another hour or so, and I'd be able to transfer
the data to the drive that was going to Headquarters.

While I was waiting for the transfer to complete, I started going
through what had already been collected, looking to see what had
been on the drive. Using the software Lacy and I had developed;
it didn't take long to get it organized. From there, I quickly
filtered out the basic stuff - operating system files, commercial
software that came with the computer, and so on. That still left
me with a lot of ones and zeros - but not as many, and I knew
that what was left had SOME significance. I still had to find out
how MUCH significance, but at least I'd gotten rid of the stuff
that patently didn't apply.

By the time I got to that point, my laptop had finished what it
was doing. I shut it down long enough to add the hardware Lacy
had put together for me, and fired it up again. While it was
booting up and testing itself, I left to get myself some more
coffee, and the hard drive I needed.

As soon as I told Abby I was ready for the drive, she was on the
phone to the tech people; my coffee had barely cooled when one of
them showed up with it. I thanked him, and he assured me he was
glad to help before heading off. I told Abby that I'd need the
courier in about twenty minutes; she was on the phone with them
even before I got out of the office.

Back inside The Room, it didn't take long to get the drive
connected to the hardware Lacy had provided. Essentially, it was
just an additional set of connections for a hard drive - but it
was capable of handling virtually ANY kind of drive, from the
older MFM/RLL drives, to the more common IDE, to SCSI. Between
all the different connector and cable combinations, and being
software configurable, it was about as universal as Lacy could
make it.

Powered up, I found that the tech people had been thoughtful
enough to provide a drive that was already formatted. As the data
was being transferred, I created a text file with the details of
the file structures and filenames for the tech people in
Headquarters, so they would be able to look at it the same way I
did. When the data was copied, I went ahead and made a separate
directory, then copied over the software utilities that I'd come
up with; I knew they wouldn't have any trouble figuring out how
to use them once they'd had a chance to look them over.

It was barely fifteen minutes when everything done. I carefully
powered down the target drive then disconnected it. I went into
my office where I found a couple of agents waiting patiently -
Baker and Michaels, when Abby introduced them. The one with the
courier case - basically an armored briefcase - readily gave it
to me, and I went back into The Room to put the drive in its
well-padded interior. Once the case was closed and locked (I
checked *twice*), it was back to my office.

Back in my office, the case in my hand, I asked them "Okay, who
gets this?"

The larger of the two - Agent Baker - stuck his arm out, saying
"That would be me, sir."

I held the case up, and after both of them checked to make sure
it was locked, Agent Michaels carefully handcuffed it to his
partner. As he did, he told me "Sir, these handcuffs are a
special alloy, and use a special key that is available ONLY to
law enforcement - they have to be ordered on letterhead, and are
shipped ONLY to the published address for an organization. That
means that some kid with a computer and a laser printer can't
pretend to be from the Podunk Police Department, and get a set to
play with. Additionally, given the nature of this case, I will be
traveling with him, but at a distance, to provide additional
protection."

Following their example, I verified that the handcuffs were, in
fact, connected to the case and Agent Baker's wrist - and locked
at both ends. When they were ready, Agent Michaels handed me a
sheet saying "Sir, if you'll sign this, and put the date and time
on it, we'll be on our way."

I did as he asked, and after they left, asked Abby why the time
and date. She told me that was an additional security measure to
make sure that the case traveled directly between source and
destination. I thanked her for the explanation, and she smiled
that she'd been able to help.

I topped off my coffee, and made another foray into The Room,
where I spent the rest of the morning going over the data that
had been collected.

When it got close to noon, I carefully noted where I was and what
I was doing before leaving The Room, making sure it was latched
and locked behind me. In my office, I found Abby and Erika going
through a small mountain of manila folders.

When they saw me enter, Erika looked up and told me "These are
the files on the case - every person we've talked to, every
agent's reports, every bit of information we could come up with.
Abby and I are just going through it to make sure it's allhere."

"Well, I'm ready for some lunch, whenever you are. I'm in no
hurry, though, so go ahead and finish, if you want." I answered.

A few minutes later, when they'd finished going through the
contents of the folders they'd had open when I came in, they
decided that they were hungry, too. Carefully putting the folders
into a secure file cabinet (*heavy* steel and a combination lock,
it was a safe with drawers), they got their things and told me
they were ready to go. Neither Erika nor I had any real idea of
where to go, which left it up to Abby - who drove us to a local
restaurant. They seemed to recognize her, and we were soon shown
to a small booth in the corner. It being lunch time, Erika and I
were both kept busy watching all the other patrons for any signs
of hostility or unusual interest. My problem was that I was
having a hard time deciding if the interest we were shown was
because of ill will, or just the presence of my two lovely
companions.

The food was surprisingly good (particularly for a rushed meal
like lunch), and the service was fast and efficient; we didn't
dawdle over our meals, but didn't feel rushed to hurry through
them, either. All together, it was quite a pleasant experience.
The company I was keeping helped considerably.

I'd paid the quite reasonable check and left a hefty tip for our
waitress, and we were on our way back to Abby's car when
something tripped a circuit in my brain. Abby and Erika were on
either side of me; each got a hard shove to the side, even as I
was taking a step forward and crouching down. A fraction of a
second later, I heard the sound of a shotgun blast, and felt the
air change as the pellets passed over me. Turning as I drew my
.45, I saw the muzzle dropping as the guy holding it tried to
target me again. He was about halfway there when the slug from my
pistol caught him under the chin, lifting him to his toes before
he fell backwards.

I was moving toward him, my pistol still aimed at him, as Erika
and Abby both hurriedly drew their weapons and got to their feet.
Both were looking around to see if there was anyone else
targeting us as I kicked the shotgun further away from my
attempted killer. Looking down, I could see that he wasn't a
threat to anyone else, any more - his eyes stared, unblinking, at
the clouds overhead.

The other people in the parking lot barely had time to react
before it was all over. A few of them started our direction, but
all three of us got our ID out, and asked them to stay back.
Between the guns and the badges, they all decided that whatever
had happened, it wasn't anything that they needed to get involved
with - at least, until a couple of police cars came roaring up a
couple minutes later, lights flashing and sirens going full
blast. The cops were initially pretty nervous, but when they saw
that all three of us were shouting "FBI! FBI!" while waving IDs
and being careful not to point our weapons at them, they calmed
down a little. In the next minute, several more police cars
showed up, and they went about the business of securing the crime
scene. The cop in charge of marking stuff seemed disappointed
that there were only two ammo casings to flag: my spent .45, and
the empty shell from the other guy's shotgun.

As the detective finished his interviews with Abby, Erika, and
me, Amy showed up in her own vehicle, lights flashing. She didn't
have any trouble getting through the police line, and immediately
came over to me to ask what had happened. I told her, and when I
was done, she asked "But what *happened*? What told you he was
going to shoot?"

Erika was listening with considerable interest, as was Abby, when
I told her "Thinking back on it, I figure it must have been the
safety on the shotgun."

Slightly exasperated, Amy said "What?!"

"Only thing I can figure is that I heard it as he flicked the
shotgun's safety off, and I just *reacted*. I didn't even know
why, until I heard the blast when he fired."

Erika was looking at me in amazement when she asked "You did all
of that just because you heard him flip the SAFETY off?"

I shrugged, and said "Yeah. Like I said, I didn't even know
exactly why I was doing it at the time; I was just *reacting*, on
instinct."

"But the SAFETY?"

I shrugged again, and told her "It's a pretty unique noise. I'm
packing a .45 and wearing a vest, so I'm kinda on alert, you
know?"

About that time, the detective that had interviewed the three of
us came over. He recognized Amy, and nodded to her before telling
us "The dead guy is part of the local drug operations. Real
vicious type; killed an entire family, including the kids, when
the old man stiffed them on a deal. We never could pin anything
on him, though - he was always too careful. Not careful enough
this time, though." - that last part with a smile. Somehow, I
doubted that he'd be going to the shooter's funeral.

He went on to tell us "Anyway, it's a clean shoot. The witnesses
are all clear that the shotgun went off before you shot him:
boom, then bang, they said. There's some paperwork that I don't
mind in this case, but nothing else. I'll tell you one thing, Mr.
Andrews: you impressed the hell out of a lot of cops with this,
including me. Ain't many people that escape being ambushed with a
shotgun, then turn around and take out the bad guy with a single
shot."

With that, he started to walk away, then paused before turning
back to say "Mr. Andrews? Thanks." That said, he headed toward
the cluster of uniformed cops around the crime scene. The four of
us watched as the guy's body was bagged and loaded onto a
stretcher for the trip to the morgue.

Amy stayed with us until the scene had cleared enough for us to
have a way out of the parking lot. Only then did we discover that
we hadn't gotten away without _any_ casualties: Abby's car had
lost the rear driver's side window to the blast, and her car
would need some minor bodywork and a new paint job from some of
the other pellets.

Though still shaken from all the excitement, Abby actually
started to laugh when she saw the damage to her car. We all
looked at her as though she'd lost her mind; she saw the reaction
she was getting, and managed to stop long enough to say "I was
just thinking how I was going to explain this to my insurance
agent. What clause in my policy covers damage caused by an
assassination attempt?"

That broke the tension, and got the rest of us laughing, too.
When we'd caught our breath, Amy told her "Don't even bother with
your agent. The Bureau will cover all the repairs. Take it in,
get it fixed, and give me the bill. I'll see that it's paid."

With the back seat full of glass particles, Abby and Erika both
understood when I accepted Amy's offer to ride back to the office
with her.

On the way, she told me "Now you see why I needed YOU. The people
in my protective details are good; but there's no way they could
have stopped something like that. You did. And you probably saved
the lives of two agents in the process. The Bureau owes you. *I*
owe you."

"I'm not keeping score, Amy. You know that." I replied.

"I know", she answered before continuing "I just want to make
sure you know that *I* know what you did."

I was just as happy that she changed to subject to ask me "So,
how's it going In There?"

"I got all the raw data copied, and the drive is on its way to
headquarters, along with a copy of the utilities that I'm using.
I've filtered out the stuff that wouldn't have anything to do
with the files you're interested in - you know, the programs that
came with the computer, and so on. There's still a lot to go
through, though. When I get a handle on what software or whatever
they were using, I should be able to give you some idea of how
long before we have some real answers. Right now, the best I can
tell you is that it's going to be a few days before I can give
you even a vague idea of what kind of time frame we're looking
at."

"That's fine, Dan. I know you're not going to milk this job, and
I'm DAMN sure not going to jiggle your elbow while you're
working. It takes however long it takes. If it can't be done, I
know you'll tell me as soon as YOU know. So don't worry about the
time, okay?"

"Yes, Boss!", I teased.

She gave a mildly reproachful look, then laughed.

Back at the office, I spent what was left of the afternoon going
through the remaining data to get it back to its original
structure. When I was done with that, I wrote a couple of simple
utilities to go through the data and find out what parts of it
were simply data, and what parts of it were actual programs. I
figured my best shot was to try and disassemble it - that is, to
read in the bytes and see if they represented actual computer
code. For each block of data, though, I had to make several
passes through it to make sure that I tested for all possible
combinations of processor instructions. My utilities simply
automated the process: read in a block of data, disassemble it,
look at the results. If they made *some* sense, save them along
with an identifier that told me which block it was, and which
test gave me the results. Repeat for the next block, and so on. I
wasn't going to get the original high-level language that the
programs had been written in; instead, I was goi!
ng to have the machine code that those programs had compiled to.
Not as easy to read, but usable.

I got everything set up and started, then watched as the first
couple of blocks were tested. One of them turned out to possibly
be a program; the other was simply data. Satisfied that things
were working as planned, I was surprised to realize that it was
well after 5:00. I quickly checked to make sure the computers
were properly connected and operating, and then left The Room,
securing it behind me. I wasn't surprised to find that Amy
waiting for me; when I went into my office, she told me "I went
ahead and told Abby and Erika they could leave. They wanted a
chance to clean up and change before they come over at seven."

"That's fine. If I'd noticed the time before, I'd have told them
to leave, anyway." I replied.

Amy didn't bother asking what I'd been doing - she knew that I'd
tell her when anything of significance happened. Together, we
made our way down to her car, then back to the apartment.

Once there, Amy was surprised when I dug into one of my
suitcases, and pulled out a box of ammo for my pistol. She was
even more surprised when I took it into the kitchen, and went
about replacing the ammo I was already carrying with it. She
finally looked a little closer at it, did a double-take, and
looked at it again before asking "What kind of ammo is that? I've
never seen anything like that before!"

I grinned at her, and said "Oh, a little something I came up
with. It's not on the commercial market; I hand-loaded all of
this."

"Yeah, but what IS it?"

"It's a couple of different loads I thought up. One of them is
just bird shot that I poured into a mould and pressed together.
The pellets kind of fuse together - until they actually hit
something, then they all separate again. Kind of a cross between
a regular slug, and a shotgun round: it fires like a regular
pistol round, but when it hits, the pellets scatter like a
shotgun blast. Puts all of the energy into the target, and does
more damage. If I miss the target and hit a building or
something, it breaks up enough not to hurt a bystander."

"And the other one?"

"I came up with that one to defeat a bulletproof vest - at least,
the commercial ones sold to civilians. Police vests stop it just
fine."

She gave me an exasperated look, and I went on to tell her "It's
just a basic hollow point round, except I added the very tip from
a broadhead hunting arrow. The edges stay sharp enough to cut
through most civilian vests, letting the bullet in. Because of
the steel from the arrowhead, if it hits something solid, it
breaks into smaller pieces, too."

"And those are legal loads?" she asked.

"As far as I know. I checked, and nobody said they were
*il*legal."

She gave me a dirty look, but let the subject drop to ask me "And
you're alternating them because...?"

"Because if I have to shoot anyone else, one or the other of them
is going to do what I need done."

She thought that one over for a moment before telling me "If it
was anyone but you, I'd cuff them right now."

I grinned again, and held my arms out before telling her "Sounds
kind of kinky, but I'm game if you are!" - causing her to break
into laughter before she leaned over to give me a kiss that I
happily returned.

She watched as I finished loading all three of the magazines I
had, and then put a loose round into the chamber of my pistol
before loading it with one of the magazines. I cocked it, set the
safety, and carefully holstered it before setting it on the
table. The other two magazines followed the pistol, sliding into
their pouches on the holster.

Finished, I eased my chair back, and Amy didn't hesitate to plant
herself in my lap when I held my arms out to her. After a brief
hug and kiss, we sat there holding each other for several minutes
before Amy said "As nice as this feels, I still have company
coming over. I need to clean up and get supper started."

She stood up, and I gave her a pat on the butt before asking "Is
there anything I can help with?"

She grinned and said "Yeah, you could help with a shower. After
that, just get yourself something to drink and stay out of my
kitchen!"

I stood up, too, and grabbed my pistol and ammo before following
her back into the bedroom - where we `helped' each other undress
before heading in for a mutual shower.

Dried and freshly clothed, I did as I was told: I grabbed a beer
from the fridge and parked myself in the living room to watch the
evening news. I was only mildly surprised to hear that one of the
stories was the death of a drug gang member after an attempted
killing of an FBI agent. When she heard that announcement, Amy
came out of the kitchen long enough to watch the segment with me,
kiss me when it was done, and disappear again.

As it got closer to 7:00, the smells coming out of her kitchen
were enough to make me think about investigating them despite her
warnings to keep out.

A few minutes before the appointed time, Amy and I both heard the
doorbell ring. She immediately headed for the door, but I
gestured for her to wait before I headed for the bedroom - and
she did, until she saw me reappear with my pistol. I stayed in
the doorway, pistol ready, while she answered the door after
looking out through the peephole. She opened it then, to let
Erika and Abby in. Both of them looked over to where I was
standing, Abby slightly confused to see me with my pistol in hand
- but Erika smiled, and nodded in approval. When no one followed
them in, I put my pistol in its holster, then on a small table.

Only then did I take the time to look over the two of them. Abby
had opted for the casual look: faded blue jeans hugged her legs
as they did an excellent job of molding to the curves of her
small, obviously firm, ass. She was wearing a blouse that
revealed an equally firm, but tanned, stomach as it followed the
shape of her small bust. I wasn't quite sure if I was seeing the
darkness of her nipples behind the material, or not - their
location was a certainty, though, since they tented the material
slightly. Over the blouse, she was wearing a long, loose vest;
when she turned, the way it hung told me that she had her
holstered pistol at the small of her back.

For her part, Erika had opted to go _slightly_ more formal.
Instead of jeans, she was wearing slacks, though they did just as
good a job of emphasizing her female shape. Erika's blouse was
more modest, but didn't leave any doubt that her bust was a bit
fuller than Abby's, and apparently, just as firm. What appeared
to be a light sweater served to cover - but didn't really conceal
- the weapon on her hip.

Amy offered them a tour of the place, which both accepted; before
they got too far, though, I asked if they wanted anything to
drink and listed their choices. Both said that beer sounded good,
and I went to get it while Amy showed them around. Back in the
living room, Amy told us that supper was almost ready before
disappearing into the kitchen again.

The three of us sat there chatting until, a few minutes later,
Amy came in to tell us it was ready. We went in to find that
she'd prepared a nice meal of roast beef and all the fixings. All
of us tucked into it, discovering that it tasted as good as it
looked; Amy blushed slightly when all of us complimented her on
it. When we were done, we all helped to clear the table and put
things away, despite Amy's protests.

When we'd all found seats in the living room again, it was Erika
that got conversation started again by telling me "Dan, I've been
thinking about it all afternoon, and I'm still amazed that
something as simple as tripping the safety on that shotgun was
enough to get you moving like that. Remembering that I'm here to
try to learn from you, is there *anything* you can tell about
what happened or what was going on in your mind or whatever?"

As all three of them watched me, I though it over. They waited
patiently as I ran through what had happened in my mind, and got
my thoughts in order.

I started by telling her "The first thing I can think of to tell
you is obvious: I'm _military_ trained. Think about how
differently military and law enforcement operations are: when you
send a G.I. into combat, he doesn't have much in the way of rules
that he has to operate under - there's no Miranda warning in a
combat zone, for example.

"Second, it's a question of *attitude*. When you go into a war
zone, you've got to keep your wits and stay alert. Those that
don't, DIE. Like I told you, I'm wearing a bulletproof vest and
carrying a sidearm - my gut KNOWS I'm in `combat', to some
degree; it's not just intellectual, or some abstract concept. And
that brought up a lot of reflexes and skills and other things
that I spent YEARS learning and developing. When you're in a
combat zone, you don't necessarily have the time or luxury of
calling for backup - something happens, you have to _deal_ with
it."

Erika and Amy were both nodding in understanding; Abby was paying
attention, but only seemed accepting of what I was telling them -
she simply didn't have the experience to understand it.

Erika asked me "Is there anything you can suggest that would help
our agents?"

I thought a moment before telling her "Like I said, a lot of this
is just attitude. If you can, try running your agents through
some kind of combat training. It doesn't have to be with real
weapons, but there have to be real consequences."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

"For example: I went through your combat range - but none of the
targets ever shot back. Change it so that people going through it
run the risk of being shot with something like a paintball gun,
and see what happens. Add some real-life obstacles: dust and
smoke, unsteady or noisy footing, dim lighting, that kind of
thing. Toss in some `trigger' events, like safeties going off or
rounds being chambered. Maybe even fire a few blanks or even live
rounds to keep things interesting. I know you do training for
different situations; don't just stop them when someone makes a
mistake - drive your point home with a sledgehammer, if you have
to: actually SHOOT them with something like a paintball gun. It
hurts, but isn't lethal; you'll be surprised at how fast people
learn to respond!"

I could see the lights going on in Erika's mind, and even Amy's,
as they thought about what I'd just told them.

It was Abby that got me going on something else when she asked
"What about the druggies we're after?"

"'Scuse my language, but fuck `em. They know drugs are illegal.
They're using force and violence to get their way; they shouldn't
be surprised when the same tactics are used against them - not
just by other gangs, but law enforcement, too. If it's going to
be a `war on drugs', then by-god wage WAR. Don't force the
courier planes down and put the pilots in jail; just shoot the
pukes out of the air and go looking for the next one. Don't just
go after the dealers and suppliers, nail the damn USERS, too. As
long as there's demand, someone's going to supply it."

It was Amy that said "It sounds like you aren't much for the war
on drugs."

"I'm not. More because that it isn't really a war, than anything
else. It's a typical government foul-up: come up with a slightly
catchy slogan, throw some money at it, and call it good. As far
as I'm concerned, if they're not really serious about making it a
WAR, then legalize the stuff, and be done with it."

Erika looked at me, surprised, and said "Maybe I'm wrong, but I
get the idea that you aren't necessarily against drugs."

"You're right, I'm not *necessarily* against drugs. I don't care
what people want to shoot, snort, smoke, or rub into their
bellybuttons - as long as they don't do it in a way that puts me
or my family in danger. Up until the 1930's, marijuana and
cocaine usage were legal. Shucks, even Coca-Cola started out as a
cough medicine with a cocaine base. Some used, some didn't, but
there wasn't much in the way of fuss about it, and damn little
crime associated with it. That all changed when it became illegal
- prices went up, and folks went into the business of filling
demand. Same thing as when they declared Prohibition - most of
the big Mafia families got their start running booze, and
expanded from there when Prohibition ended. Now the same thing is
happening with the druggies, except now there's more money in it
- mostly because of the half-assed `war on drugs', which
primarily serves to keep profits up."

"But drugs are ILLEGAL." Abby tried to argue.

"Sure. And so was that beer you're drinking, during Prohibition.
Legality aside, what's the difference between somebody going home
and drinking a beer or martini; and them going home to smoke a
joint, or do a line of coke?"

She looked at me as though I'd just proved myself to be an alien
life form, and I told her "Abby, I can't think of *anything*
against drugs that isn't already a reason not to use alcohol,
either. What consequence of using drugs in a bad way wouldn't be
just as bad if it was alcohol, instead? Suppose some guy driving
a car hits a kid while he's stoned. Would the kid be any less
dead or injured if the guy was `just' drunk?"

Erika looked at me strangely, and asked "Then why are you here,
helping us?"

"Because the maggots we're after have killed people. Because
they're pushing the stuff to kids that are no more mature about
dope and coke than they are about beer or liquor. If you'd called
me about some guy with a pot patch in his back yard that he grew
ONLY for his own use, I'd have told you I was too busy or
something."

Abby tried one more time, telling me "But people ABUSE drugs!"

I just looked at her and asked "Is there any reason to think
there are actually any more people ABUSING drugs than there are
ABUSING alcohol? Or even tobacco? Hell, there are teenage girls
that abuse *laxatives* - do you want to bust them, next?"

Amy asked "So you're not against drug use?"

"No, I said that I'm not *necessarily* against it. I think of
drugs the way I do alcohol: some folks can use a little, and
they're fine. Others get even a taste of it, and it's all over.
I'm sitting here, drinking a beer. If someone else wants to sit
somewhere and take a hit off a joint, that's their business. But
the minute, the SECOND, that either one of us uses too much of
our chosen vice, then we become dangerous, if not to others, then
at least to ourselves. Take a hit of a joint, you're relaxed.
Drink a beer, you're relaxed. Smoke the whole joint at once,
you're stoned. Drink the whole six-pack at once, you're drunk.
It's the same thing, only different."

"You sound pretty open-minded about that kind of stuff." Erika
observed.

"Probably. I drink beer responsibly. If someone else wants to
smoke dope, snort coke, or rub blue mud on themselves, and they
do it responsibly, I'm fine with it. I've got my hands full being
in charge of me; I don't have any interest in telling other folks
what they should do, as long as whatever it is isn't hurting me
or mine. Good sense and morality *can't* be legislated, no matter
how much Congress tries."

"You don't sound too impressed with the government, either!" Amy
laughed.

"I'm not, really", I answered, continuing "I tend toward having
as little government as we can get by with, and keeping it on a
short leash. I'm in favor of term limits - _including_ my own
congresscritters. It was the writer P. J. O'Rourke that said
`Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and
car keys to teenage boys.'; I haven't seen anything yet that
makes a liar out of him."

All three of them smiled at that, and the conversation changed
over to more casual subjects. The three of them took turns
telling each other how they'd gotten to where they were in the
Bureau, and after a little prodding, I let them convince me to
tell them a little about myself, too - stuff that wasn't in my
Army records.

When it got late, Erika and Abby decided that it was time for
them to head home.

----------

Over the next few weeks, I had plenty to do. Most of my time was
spent going through and analyzing the data from the Cartelita
hard drive - but Abby did her share to make sure I didn't get
bored by doing `just' that. I held a few `classes' for the local
tech people, who proved to be pretty sharp - they knew what they
didn't know, and weren't bashful about asking questions, or
having me explain things they didn't understand. Amy approved,
and the head of the tech department readily accepted, my offer to
take some of them - one at a time - into The Room to demonstrate
some of the techniques I'd told them about. I also noticed that
Erika and Abby both seemed to be watching me a lot, and that Abby
seemed even more eager to help than was really necessary; but I
just let it pass, figuring that it was just the novelty of the
situation having an effect on them.

Abby also got me together with the lead agents in the
investigation, where it was MY turn to ask for help in
understanding the how and why of what they were doing. With my
fresh perspective, and a Machiavellian mind, I was able to
suggest a couple of things that they seemed to think were
genuinely good ideas.

It was Erika, though, that had the idea to get me and the lead
FBI investigators together with the local Police Department for a
meeting. When it started, there was a little tension on both
sides, caused by a traditional `rivalry' between police and the
Bureau; I didn't have the time or patience for that kind of
nonsense, and made it clear that the *real* bad guys were the
Cartelita members. By virtue of having actually taken out a
member of the Cartelita, the local P.D. decided that I wasn't "an
effete suit-wearing snob whose shit don't stink" - as one of the
cops described the FBI - and would probably make a good cop. But
by carrying their credentials, the FBI people figured that I
couldn't *possibly* be one of "Mayberry's finest", as they
thought of the local police department.

By the time the meeting was over, both sides had decided that the
other wasn't really all _that_ bad, and were actually starting to
work together. The cops were understanding how the information
they were collecting fit into the investigation the FBI was
running, and the FBI people understood that the cops were doing
locally what the FBI was trying to do nationally. With everyone
working from the same book, and playing nice with each other, the
meeting ended on significantly better terms than it had started.
In the days following the meeting, the two sides started
exchanging information - hesitantly, at first; but as each side
demonstrated their good will, bonds of trust started to develop.

That trust even extended to letting the FBI know, one Monday
morning, when the police managed to capture one of the
lower-level Cartelita members over the previous weekend. Amy
asked if I wanted to go with her and some of the other agents
when they went to interrogate him. I accepted, and stood behind
the mirrored window during the process. The character they'd
caught wasn't all that bright - but street-smart enough to keep
his mouth shut, except for telling them he knew his rights.

In fact, every time someone asked him something, his response was
to say something along the lines of "I know my legal rights - I
don't have to tell you shit." It happened so often, that it gave
me an idea. After I pulled Amy off to the side and told her what
I had in mind; she got together with the police to talk to them
about it. They were agreeable, and they and Amy each called their
respective legal authorities.

It wasn't until the next day that we got approval to try my idea.
Abby called the local Army National Guard unit and managed to
talk to the Commanding Officer - who was agreeable, but needed
authorization. Amy got Erika to help by getting word up the line
in the FBI, which made an official request for assistance from
the Army. The Army was more than willing to approve it, and by
mid-afternoon, I was entering the Guard's Commanding Officer's
office.

"Colonel Richardson? Dan Andrews." I introduced myself.

"A pleasure, Mr. Andrews. Or should that be Sergeant Andrews?" he
answered, with a smile.

"Just `mister', Sir, but Dan would be better" I replied.

He grinned, and said "From the tone and speed of the orders I
got, I don't think for a minute that it's `just' Mister. I've had
a little time to learn something about you, Dan; I've still got
friends in the high places, and they were able to give me a
little background. Just exactly what can I do for you?"

"I just need to borrow some used fatigues, if you have them."

"What's on your mind?"

"We're going to pull a scam on a druggie. Me, the FBI, and the
local police, that is. With your help, of course."

"What do you need with the fatigues, then?" he asked.

"I'll lay it out for you, Colonel. I just need to look military,
but without any rank or other insignia. Kind of `black op'
looking, if you will; my plan is to scare the bejeezus out of a
druggie they caught. You'll get all the gear back, of course."

He nodded, and said "That we can do. We keep our used stuff for
giveaway to local homeless, so we've got plenty of hats, shirts,
pants, and even boots you can use. You won't even have to wash
any of it; it's all clean. C'mon, we'll get you fixed up."

A half hour later, I had a uniform I hadn't thought I'd ever wear
again - slightly faded camouflage uniform, boots, and cap. None
of it had any kind of insignia, but the places where it had been
were visible to anyone that looked. From the spots on the
sleeves, I knew that they'd even found a shirt that had
previously belonged to another Sergeant. As we were getting me
outfitted, I told the Colonel and his supply sergeant what the
plan was - both of them thought it was both terrific, and highly
amusing. The Colonel even went so far as to fix me up with a web
belt, holster, and ammo pouches for my pistol.

I assured them that I'd have the stuff back to them the next day;
the Colonel laughed, and said "A decorated Delta Force Sergeant?
Hell, you've got more right to that uniform than anyone else I
can think of. Keep it, if you like; I'd rather give it to someone
that's earned the right to wear it."

The supply sergeant looked surprised when he heard that I was a
vet, and asked "You were Special Forces?"

I admitted that I was, and the Colonel added "Silver Star, two
Bronze, two Purple Hearts, and a few others. He helped get the
Delta Force off the ground."

The supply sergeant looked me over with a new respect, and said
"Sir? If you'd like, I'd be more than happy to get your uniform
straightened out tonight - so's you look more official, like:
block the hat, shine the boots, and all that." Blocking the hat
was to wash and starch it, so that it held its shape.

"I don't want to trouble anyone, Sarge" I replied.

"No trouble, sir. Be my pleasure, in fact. What you're gonna do
with that doper, and you bein' Special Forces and all, well - I
just want to do my part, too."

I could see that he really was serious about wanting to help, and
I accepted his offer. I didn't bother offering to pay him for it
or anything; I knew if I did, he'd just be insulted. Instead, I
offered what I knew WOULD be acceptable to him.

"Colonel, I don't think anyone would mind if you watched while I
do my act. And I think the Sergeant here would like to know how
it went, too."

Both of them seemed pleased at the idea, and readily accepted.
The Sergeant excused himself to get started on my uniform, and
the Colonel and I went back to his office. Once there, he had an
idea that sounded like icing on the cake for my plan; I called
Amy to let her know how things had gone, and tell her about the
Colonel's suggestion. A few minutes later, she called back to let
me know that his suggestion was approved, and how we should do
it.

-----

The next morning, Amy dropped me off so that I was at the Guard
offices a couple minutes before the time the Colonel and I had
agreed on. I was met by the supply Sergeant, who led me back to
where my uniform was waiting. I changed, and made my way to the
Colonel's office - saluting him as I entered. He didn't even seem
to recognize me for a second, then did a double-take before
saying "Oh, yeah. I think that's going to work just _fine_!" with
a smile.

Together, we went out and got into one of the Guard vehicles -
his suggestion for scamming the Cartelita member I was going to
see. When we got to the police station, we found a uniformed
officer holding a spot for us. The Colonel quickly filled the
space, and the two of us went up to join Amy, a few FBI agents,
and some of the local police outside the interrogation room.

We again went over *exactly* what the limits were about
interrogating prisoners, and then it was show time. The rest of
them watched from behind the one-way glass as I entered the
interrogation room.

The character was sitting in a chair behind a table. He looked up
when I came in, surprised to see a different uniform than he'd
expected.

I studiously made notes on the clipboard I'd borrowed, ignoring
him, for a couple of minutes - letting the curiosity and tension
build in him a little.

I finally spoke, asking him "Your name is Charles Montague?"

"Yeah, that's me, man. Why?"

I ignored the question, and scribbled on the form on the
clipboard before asking him to verify his birth date. He did, and
wanted to know what was going on. I didn't pay any attention as I
wrote some more. Next was his height, then his weight. When he
verified that, I let him hear me mutter "That'll change soon
enough." He asked what I meant, and I just said "Oh, nothing." -
then wrote some more notes.

Speaking as if to myself, I `verified' a few of his more obvious
physical characteristics: eye color, hair color, and so on.
Finally, he was nervous and frustrated enough to ask "Hey, man,
what the fuck is goin' on here?"

I looked up at him in feigned surprise, and told him "I'm just
making sure who you are."

"Why?"

"We can't be taking the wrong guy, now, can we?" I asked, in a
perfectly reasonable voice.

"Takin' who where?"

"You. With us."

"What, you some kinda cop? You ain't scarin' me!"

"Do I *look* like a cop?" I asked. Technically, I had to declare
myself as FBI - if asked for identification. My plan was not to
be asked. The rules said I couldn't outright LIE to him - but
they didn't say anything about not letting him jump to wrong
conclusions. It was a very fine line I planned to walk - thus all
the consultation with authority figures and legal experts.

He thought that one over for a minute as I continued making
notations on my clipboard. He finally interrupted me to ask "So
what's goin' on, man?"

It was the opening I'd been waiting for.

"You've heard about the `war on drugs' haven't you?" I asked.

He snickered, and answered "Yeah, I've *heard* about it. Haven't
seen it, though."

His amusement ended quickly enough when I asked "Ever stop to
think about what would happen if they decided to make it an
actual WAR?" With me standing there in an `obviously' military
uniform, the question didn't strike him as being academic.

He looked at me, doubtfully, and I said "Now, just imagine how
things might change if was an actual WAR. Wars are fought by
soldiers. Soldiers don't have to worry about any of that Miranda
warning stuff. Soldiers just find the bad guys, and DEAL with
`em. If the bad guy wants to give up, that's fine - saves a
bullet. But if he *doesn't* want to give up, then that's fine,
too. Either way, he's not a problem any more."

"You don't look like no soldier. Where's all that stuff that's
supposed to be on your uniform?"

"Technically, I'm not IN the Army any more." I answered. Strictly
speaking, that was true. Absent rank and insignia, what I was
wearing didn't constitute a `uniform' in a military sense. What
it _looked_ like to a druggie civilian wasn't my problem.

"So what're YOU gonna do?" he asked, hesitantly. He was
definitely losing control.

"I'm just making sure you're the right guy. Somebody else would
be taking care of you." Ultimately, the FBI would. But I wasn't
obliged to tell HIM that.

"But you can't DO that!"

"Hey, it's a war on drugs. You're the enemy. The local cops get
first shot at you. If you don't want to talk to them, then
somebody else gets you."

"Whaddya mean?"

"I mean you're going to talk. If it isn't to the cops, then it'll
be to someone else."

"What, you do that brainwashing shit? Or torture, or whatever?"

"I told you - not ME."

"But that's against the law!"

"Yeah, it's against the law for COPS to do it."

He thought that over before asking "I thought there was some
kinda law or convention about doing that kinda shit."

"Oh, you mean the Geneva Convention?" He nodded, and I went on
"As far as I know, that really only applies if you're a citizen
of a country that signed it. Of course, I'm not a lawyer, so I
could be wrong." And probably was. So?

"I'm an American! Didn't we sign that Geneva thing you said?"

"Sure. But the thing is, you're part of a drug gang. I don't
think your gang signed it, did they?"

He was visibly shaken at that idea, and didn't say anything as I
made a few more notes on my clipboard.

He seemed to have some of his old confidence back when he said "I
think you're just bullshitting me!"

I just looked up at him and answered "Okay" before making a few
more notations.

My apparent indifference to his declaration seemed to shake him
up more than anything else. He interrupted me again to
tentatively declare "Nah, this is some scam you're trying to run
on me."

I looked up again, and said "Haven't you heard about anybody just
disappearing? Guys that just aren't around any more?"

He thought that one over for a little bit, and then said "That
happens all the time. Guys get dead, some of `em get busted."

I just grinned, and said "Yeah. Happens all the time, doesn't
it?", then made a couple more notes. I let him hear me say to
myself "Okay, that's got it" before I looked up and said
"Somebody will be here to get you, probably in the next couple of
days. A word of advice: save yourself some trouble and don't
fight it."

He was starting to sweat by then, and asked "Is this it? I mean,
I gotta go with... them?"

I told him "Like I said, cops get first crack at you. You talk to
them, they keep you. They think you're holding out on them, they
give you to us. Look, I gotta go - I've gotta get my jeep before
I get a parking ticket." - and left.

Outside, I joined the others - who were being quietly amused at
the change in his attitude. We waited a couple of minutes, and
watched as he went to the caged window of the interrogation room,
and saw the Colonel's jeep parked on the street outside. A minute
later, one of the cops signaled a uniformed officer to take him
back to his cell.

When he was gone, Amy and the detective in charge of the police
investigation all but laughed as they talked over what they
thought the results of my `visit' would be. Even the Colonel
seemed amused at what had gone on.

It was Amy that asked what I'd been writing. All of them -
including the Colonel - broke out into laughter when I showed
them: I'd filled out a missing person report on him.

-----

The next morning, Amy caught me as I was taking a break from The
Room - telling me that the police had called to let her know that
our little friend seemed to have had a change of heart: he was
telling them anything and everything they wanted to know. Their
biggest problem was getting him to slow down so they could take
good notes. He wasn't high enough on the food chain to provide
them with any critical information, but he _was_ helping fill in
some of the blanks in the organizational structure; that, along
with the information he was providing for his own group, was
going to be enough to give the cops plenty to work with.

In turn, I called the Colonel, and let him know how it had turned
out; he was amused and pleased at the results, and he assured me
that he'd tell the supply sergeant, too.

With the news from Amy, Abby apparently decided that a small
celebration was called for, and invited all of us over to her
place the next evening, Friday, for a small cookout. With all
four of us together, the time was easily settled.

I took the opportunity to ask Amy if there was any problem if I
got some outside assistance. She asked what I wanted to do, and I
explained that I'd finally gotten the disassembled code in the
proper order: I wanted to send some of it to the companies that
sold commercial encryption software, to see if it matched up; if
it did, then I'd know what software was used, and would have
another piece of the puzzle. 

"How will that help?" she asked.

"If they were using commercial software, and I know which
program, then I'll know what possible encryption algorithms they
were using. It might be something as simple as a substitution
cipher, or something as complex as elliptic curve. There are a
lot of choices, and none of them work exactly the same: Vignere,
Caesar, public key, Blowfish, Twofish, DES, Triple-DES, there's
even a new one discovered by some girl in Ireland. Whatever it
is, if I know what the choices are, then I won't have to waste
time trying stuff that doesn't apply."

She nodded her understanding, and after I reassured her that I
wouldn't be sending any of the actual data, she approved it.

Abby and Erika both took their cues from that, and began making
phone calls, starting with the companies that I knew about and
adding others as they learned about them. In short order, they
had a couple dozen companies signed on - eagerly, and at no
charge. It didn't take me long to load up some floppy disks with
some of the disassembled code, and we got everything out to them
by overnight delivery.

By late the next afternoon, we'd heard back from all the
companies that we'd sent the code to. The last calls to come in
were from two of the largest, and they let us know that it was
their software being used. They went on to voluntarily provide us
with a wealth of information: what encryption algorithms they
used, expected ranges of password or key lengths, and so on. Some
of what they gave us was clearly proprietary, but they didn't
hesitate to do it. I took the time to call both companies and
thank them for their help, and the information they'd given us -
and to assure them that their company secrets would be protected.
Both said that it was their pleasure, and that if I had ANY
questions or ANY problems to let them know - they would be more
than happy to assist in any way they could.

Our little get-together at Abby's home that evening was going to
be more than just a morale building event - we all felt like we
actually had something to celebrate.

-----

Amy drove us to Abby's place - the end place in a building of
four two-story units. Even from the street, I could see that
there was an open area between her building and the one behind
it.

After I rang the doorbell, Amy and I were both surprised when it
was Erika that answered the door and invited us in. She responded
to the expressions on our faces by saying "Abby and I got to
talking, and she said if I wanted to get out of the hotel, I was
welcome to stay with her. We get along pretty good, and the hotel
was just too much like a hotel, so I took her up on it. C'mon,
I'll show you the place - it's pretty nice."

Downstairs was the kitchen, living room, a small dining area, and
a half bathroom. The living room sported a sliding glass door out
to a partially covered and screened patio. Upstairs were two
fair-sized bedrooms, separated by a bathroom. Throughout, the
decoration was feminine, but without being `frilly' - light and
airy, the place felt a lot more open and spacious than it really
was.

Erika finally led us out to the patio, where Abby had a grill
fired up and cooking a number of steaks. She welcomed Amy with a
hug, and granted me a kiss on the cheek before turning back to
keep an eye on the steaks. Erika disappeared for a little bit,
reappearing with cold sodas for all of us. She, Amy, and I sat
there chatting with Abby while the steaks were cooking. When they
were done, Erika left us to return with baked potatoes and corn
on the cob. The meal went quickly enough, despite all the talking
we did with each other. Actually, it was mostly Amy and Erika
telling Abby about the mind game I ran on the drug gang member -
causing her to stop and laugh several times as they described the
conversation between us, and his reactions. Even after the meal
was over, the four of us sat around the patio table, chatting
about all manner of things.

After a while, Erika got up to take the dishes into the kitchen;
shortly after she left, Amy excused herself, as well. Abby and I
were sitting there quietly when she suddenly told me "You know,
I'm starting to fall more than a little bit in love with you."

She must have seen the surprise on my face, because she went on
to tell me "It's been a couple of things that made me realize it.
First, when that druggie tried to kill you, the FIRST thing you
did was push me and Erika out of the way. If you hadn't, both of
us would have been caught by the blast - and easy for him to pick
off after he got you. I don't think it's unreasonable to figure
that you almost certainly saved our lives. But since then, you
haven't said a word about it - no bragging, no reminding us about
it, nothing. You just kept doing your job, like nothinghappened.

"Working with you these past few weeks, I understand now just how
*smart* you are; it's really amazing sometimes to listen to you
talking about things. It's like you remember everything you read
or see or hear, and you're always trying to see how all of it
fits together. But even as smart as you are, you're still so
patient with people when you have to explain things to them. And
it still amazes me how friendly you are with people. I know I
made some mistakes at first, but once you knew *I* knew I'd made
them, you let them slide. I know that you TRUST me - and Amy and
Erika, too. Erika told me that you beat Al on your self-defense
exam; I mean that you really beat him *bad*. But she said that
when it was over, YOU thanked _him_, and shook hands with him.

"There's stuff you've said that I don't really agree with - but I
still respect what you said, the same way I respect YOU. I've
seen how much authority and influence you have in our offices,
but you don't throw your weight around like a lot of other people
would. That's something that makes ALL of us regular agents
respect you, and appreciate how much you're doing for us. Erika
told me how you got our people and the P.D. talking, too, by
reminding everyone who the REAL bad guys are; and how you were
the one that got us and them talking, and sharing information.

"But it's not just that stuff - the brave and smart and friendly
and all that. It's the way you bring all of it together; the way
it makes you one person. I've talked to other people about it,
and all of us - men and women - agree about something: you make
us want to be like you. If I thought you would, and that Lucy
wouldn't mind, I'd want to take you to bed with me."

Abby had spoken slowly, and softly; she was only about halfway
through her little speech when Amy, then Erika, showed up in the
doorway behind her. Both of them simply stood there, listening to
her in silence. So it was that both of them heard the last
sentence that she uttered to me.

Amy was in the doorway behind Abby, and Erika was standing behind
Amy; I was the only one to see the surprised expressions on both
of their faces when Amy finally spoke, saying "I expect that he
would, Abby. And I don't doubt for a moment that Lucy would be
fine with it."

Abby whirled around in surprise and shock before saying "You
heard?"

"Yes, I heard."

"Me, too", Erika answered.

Even from behind, I could see Abby's ears turn dark as she
blushed furiously.

Amy didn't seem to notice, or care - she only reiterated her
previous statement "Abby, I don't think you heard me. I think Dan
WOULD be willing. And I have no doubt that Lucy wouldn't mind."

"Wh- Why do you say that?" Abby asked.

"Because she's fine with him making love with me - the same way
Tom is."

I could only think that Abby was looking at her in disbelief; it
was Erika that said "Abby, I think you can believe her. What she
just said explains something I saw at her place."

Abby's head moved slightly, and I heard her ask "What did you
see?"

"I saw Dan's suitcase in Amy's bedroom. At first, I thought it
might just be one that her husband hadn't taken. But when she
showed us the other bedroom, and there wasn't a suitcase in it, I
figured that it was probably Dan's, and he was staying in HER
bedroom. It wasn't any of my business, so I didn't sayanything."

Abby seemed to think that one over as Amy and Erika came out onto
the patio to take a seat with us at the table. She nodded
slightly in acceptance; as though Erika had given her reason to
review a mental recording that had validated what Erika had just
told her.

When all of us were seated and facing each other again, Abby
looked at Amy and asked "You've had sex with him?"

Amy smiled, and answered "No. But I *have* made _love_ with him.
Believe me, it's a world of difference!"

"And Lucy knows?"

Amy laughed, and said "Yeah, she knows. It was her idea!"

"And Tom is okay with it?"

"Sure. It was TOM that told ME he expected Dan to sleep with me
while he was here. His exact words, and I quote, were `There's no
sense in both of you sleeping by yourselves and getting lonely
when there's another perfectly good human being in the next
room.'"

Abby looked from Amy, to me, to Amy, and back again. From the
expression on her face, I knew that she still wasn't quite ready
to believe it.

"Amy, if you want, I can prove to you that what Amy said is true
- at least, the part about me and her and Lucy." I said.

"How?" she asked.

"I want you to listen to a phone conversation."

"What, you recorded one?"

"Nope. I want you to listen to the talk I have when I call Lucy
from here, tonight, now."

Abby didn't move for a moment; Erika surprised all of us by being
the one to get Abby's cordless phone and set it on the table in
front of me.

I dialed the number, and let Abby start listening as it rang. It
was Robyn that answered "Hello. Andrews residence."

"Hi, short stuff. Is mom home?"

Abby heard Robyn's delighted squeal before she answered "Yeah.
She's up taking a bath, though. She had an extra-hard workout at
the gym, and wanted to relax a little after supper. Is everything
okay?"

"Everything's fine. You remember Abby?"

"Sure! She's the really cute one that showed us around their lab
and stuff. Why?"

"I'm at her house now, with Amy. She invited us over for supper,
and there's something I need to talk to mom about. Would you take
a phone to her?"

"Yeah, just a sec."

It was closer to a couple minutes, but we eventually heard Lucy's
voice on the line: "Hello? Dan?"

"Hi, honey."

"Hi, yourself. What's up?"

"You remember Abby? The one that showed the girls around the lab
while I was busy that day?"

"Of course. Why?"

"She invited us over for supper, and I'm at her place with Amy
and the other agent I told you about."

"The good-looking brunette? From their headquarters?"

"That's the one."

"And you're calling me because... ?"

"After supper, Abby told me that she thinks she's in love with
me, and that she'd like to take me to bed."

"So what are you doing on the phone? Or are you calling FROM her
bed?"

"Nope, not there. She's having trouble believing that you
wouldn't mind if I did - even after Amy told her a little about
us."

We heard Lucy sigh, and say "Yeah, I suppose I can understand
that. Do I need to talk to her? Tell her myself that it's okay?"

"I think so - she's here listening as we talk."

There was a slight pause, and Lucy said "Abby, I'm really fine
with it. You can borrow him for a little while, just like Amy
does. Hell, if the other woman - what's her name? Erika? - wants
him, she's welcome to him, too."

It was a very surprised Abby that asked "You really don't mind?"

We heard Lucy laugh before she said "Not even a little bit. He
makes me happier than I thought I ever could be. If you want some
of him, you're welcome to him - he'll still be coming home to me
and Robyn. I *trust* him. I already know that Robyn and I are
more important to him than anyone or anything else in the world;
that's why I say you're only borrowing him. When you two - or
three, or whatever - are done, I know he'll still have more love
for me and Robyn that we'll ever need. So go ahead and enjoy
yourself."

With that, Abby seemed satisfied, and pulled her head away from
the phone. Lucy and I talked another minute or two before we
ended our conversation. Since we'd talked just the night before -
I called home every other night - there wasn't much we needed to
say, other than for us to say that we loved each other.

When I closed the connection, Amy asked "Well?"

Absently, Abby said "She told me straight out that I was welcome
to `borrow' him, if I wanted. She even said she didn't mind if
Erika did, too."

Only after she'd said it did Abby realize that she'd said
something that Erika might not appreciate; when she looked, it
wasn't clear if Erika hadn't heard her, or simply didn't mind the
offer.

Abby was still in her own world when Amy mischievously asked "So,
Dan - Would you?"

"Would I what?"

"Make love with Abby."

That got Abby's attention, of course - causing her to blush
furiously before I answered Amy's question "That depends."

Abby's curiosity got the better of her, and she couldn't help
asking "Depends on what?"

"On why you wanted me to."

Abby looked surprised, and asked "What difference would itmake?"

"If you wanted us to be together just to thank me for that
afternoon, I'd say `no'. You'd be doing it as a kind of payment,
which is nothing more than a form of prostitution, as far as I'm
concerned - and I have no interest in that kind of thing. If you
did it because you liked what kind of person I am, then I'd say
`yes'."

Abby - and even Erika - looked at me in amazement. It was Erika
that asked "You wouldn't have sex just because a woman thought
she owed you something?"

It was Amy that explained to them "Dan doesn't JUST `have sex'.
With him, it's always about making LOVE; and like I said before,
there's a _world_ of difference. That's something he showed me
the first time we were together. He doesn't have sex with a woman
for the purpose of getting his rocks off; he'll only be with a
woman like that if he really *cares* about her, if there's some
kind of love and affection and respect. It's something he taught
me, and that's why you keep hearing us referring to it as `making
love' - because that's what it is, with him; and with me, now."

Abby and Erika were both looking at me speculatively; but it was
Abby that asked "Dan? Would you? Make love with me, that is?"

I looked into her eyes, and saw her sincerity; she'd meant all
the things she'd told me. I could see that her motivation was her
feelings for me, not any sense of duty or obligation for what had
happened before.

"I would be honored", I told her.

With that, Erika excused herself, saying "I'm thinking I'm not
needed here for this. I'm just going to make myself scarce."

Amy and I both thanked her for her company that evening; she just
waved it off as she was leaving.

That seemed to cue Amy, as well, who told us "I expect I'm the
third wheel here, too. Abby, I don't think you're going to be
disappointed. Dan, give me a call when you've worn her out, and
I'll be happy to come get you" - the last part with a wicked
grin.

Abby looked at Amy as though not believing what she'd just said;
Amy saw it, and told her "You're young enough that you *might*
outlast him - but I wouldn't be willing to lay money on it."

Abby seemed somewhat dumfounded by Amy's statement, and sat
quietly as the two of us watched her collect her things and head
for the front door. Once she had the door open, Amy turned to
give us a smile and small wave before closing it as she left.

With the two of us left alone, I could see that Abby didn't seem
quite as sure of herself as she'd been when she told me that she
loved me.

I took her hand in mine, and told her "Its okay, Abby. We've got
all the time you want. You can even change your mind, and I'm not
going to be hurt or offended. We've only really seen each other
at the office; how about if we just sit here for a little while
and talk, and learn a little more about each other?"

She nodded, apparently not trusting herself to speak, and I
started telling her about myself - where I'd grown up, my
childhood, and so on. I kept to `neutral' subjects at first, to
help her relax and get involved. We spent nearly two hours
outside, just having a quiet, pleasant talk with each other
before she finally asked me about Lucy and Robyn and Sandra. I
caught her up on what all had happened since the TechnoDynamics
case, and finished up by asking her "And how about you? Any guy
you're particularly interested in?"

"No, not really. I've got a couple of guy friends, but not a
boyfriend."

"Why not? You're certainly a nice enough young lady -
intelligent, outgoing, and attractive. I'd think you'd have to
fight them off with a stick."

I got a grin out of her with that, before she told me "I think
it's the guys I meet - so many of them seem so... well,
*immature*. When they find out I'm in the FBI, it scares most of
them off. The ones that stay after that either act like I'm some
kind of personal challenge to them, or they're just turned on by
the idea of a girl with a gun. None of them want to stick around
after they figure out that I'm not just some bimbo with a badge
and gun - that I'm really an agent for the *FBI*, and that I like
my job."

I nodded, and told her "I can understand that. Just by virtue of
being an FBI agent, you've shown that you're someone special:
intelligent, brave, honest, dedicated, and whole lot more. The
first thing they see about you is how pretty you are; when they
find out that there's a real person underneath - and particularly
one with more character and substance than they likely have -
it's not something they know how to deal with. If you think about
it, if you were anyone BUT an FBI agent, I'll bet you'd find most
of them acceptable to some degree. But because you set higher
standards for *yourself* to become an agent, you're holding the
guys you meet to a higher standard, too - whether you realize it,
or not."

"So what's the answer? Not be so picky?"

"That's one solution - but I don't think for a minute that you'd
be happy with it. The other choice is to *recognize* that you're
`picky', and understand WHY."

"What do you mean?"

I thought for a moment, and asked her "Have you ever bought
something from one of those super-discount stores? The ones that
always have the lowest price for about anything?"

"Sure."

"Did it break?"

"Of course. That stuff is so cheap!"

"Did you go back and buy another one from the same place, or did
you go find something better?"

"I went and got something better."

"If you aren't willing to settle for flimsy cheap stuff in your
home, why would you be willing to settle for the human equivalent
in your LIFE?"

She sat there for a couple of minutes, blinking at me as she
thought that one through, before she said "Go on."

"The same way you wouldn't keep buying junk in stores, don't keep
spending your time with junk people. I expect you know what kind
of people you like to be around. All you have to do is be just as
`picky' about what kind of people you let into your life. Hold
other people to the same standards you hold yourself to; accept
or reject them on YOUR terms, not theirs. If someone doesn't
respect you for who and what you are, there's no reason to waste
time with them - there are plenty of people in the world that CAN
see what's good about you. Think about this: the kind of people
you like to HAVE around will also be the kind of people that want
to BE around you."

As she was mulling that one over, I got up to take our cold
coffee cups into the kitchen, and return with a couple of sodas.
She thanked me, and asked "How do I know them?"

"I'll bet you can spot a cop, or another FBI agent, or some other
law enforcement officer, can't you? And they can spot you?"

She nodded, and I went on "It's the same thing, only different.
Think back to the first time you met different people, and look
at what it was that you liked or didn't like, and what you first
thought about them. Then think about how your relationship with
them turned out. If you will consciously and consistently apply
your standards to the people you meet, I can promise you that
you'll never again have a difficult relationship with someone. It
might not be what you want or like, but as long as you're honest
about it, it won't be *difficult*."

"What about the people that try to be something they aren't?"

"What about them? They're easy enough to spot. Like I said, the
whole thing is to be conscious and consistent - the fakers can't
do that. They may *talk* a good game, but when it gets right down
to it, they can't DO."

"And what about sex?"

"Sex is what the animals of the field do. If your heart isn't
involved, then all you've got is prostitution - whether it's for
cash, security, status, or whatever. Love can be anything from `I
_like_ you' to affection to `spend my life with you'. People -
with hearts, and minds, and SOULS if you wish - make LOVE. To my
way of thinking, the difference between love and lust isn't a
sharp line; it's more like a gradual transition in the importance
of one or the other. At one end, you've got raw lust - sex for
sex' sake. No love involved, it's just the process of making more
of the species. At the other end, its pure love - physicality is
of no consequence."

"What do you have with Lucy? And Amy?"

"What I have with Amy is strong affection and physical
attraction. Lucy's happiness is the most important thing in the
world to me - whether we make love, or not. Amy knows that - and
she accepts it, because that's how she feels about Tom. That's
why Lucy said that you were only borrowing me: you'll get my body
- and even a piece of my heart, otherwise you wouldn't even get
my body - but she knows that the little bit of my heart that you
get will be insignificant, compared to what she has. And so you
don't have to ask, yes, Tom and Lucy have been together, too."

"And me?"

"What I feel toward you is affection and attraction. The
affection is because of the good things that I told you I know
about you - your honesty, determination, courage, dedication, and
all the rest. The attraction is simply in recognition of a very
pretty young woman."

"I should believe that your affection is because of what's inside
us, and not what we look like?"

"Yes, you *should* - because that's honestly why I find you
attractive. Whether you do, or not, isn't up to me. But consider
this: from a purely physical standpoint, Amy isn't the most
attractive female that was on any of our protective details when
we were here before. But it was Amy that I came into contact
with, more than the rest; and so, I got to know her better - and
learn what kind of person she is, inside. The affection I felt
for her developed AFTER that. Do you think I would have a
conversation like this with you when I first got here? Would you
have made me the offer you did?"

She shook her head, and I went on "The same way your feelings
about me changed as you got to know me, my feelings about Amy,
and you, and even Erika, have changed as I've gotten to know all
of you. The only difference has been that I know how, and why.
And I've told you those things, tonight. How much of it you
understand, how much of it you accept, how much of it you apply -
those are up to you. That's why I told you that you could even
change you mind about us being together: so you could decide *for
yourself* what, if anything, you wanted us to do. I think you
know by now that whatever you decide, I'll accept it without any
kind of muss or fuss."

She smiled at me, and said "Yeah, that I *do* know - I've known
it since the first day you were here. You don't try to force
people. You just lay out for them why you think they should do
something, and let them make up their own minds."

I smiled back, and stood up before collecting our soda cans. I
took them into the kitchen and crumpled them before dropping them
into the aluminum recycling bin Abby had. After a pit stop, I
wandered into the living room, where Erika was sitting in a
chair, reading a book.

Surprised when she saw me walk in, she set it aside and looked up
to ask me "Something wrong?"

"I don't think so", I answered, then continued "We've just been
talking out there, and I think she's got a couple things she
needs to think about. I'm just waiting for her to get them
settled in her mind, is all."

Erika looked up at me, curious, and asked "What kind of things?"

"Oh, the usual. Love. Lust. Life. The Universe."

She grinned, and said "Oh, the *small* stuff. Love and lust, huh?
I think I'd like to hear what you think about them, sometime. And
I KNOW I want to hear what you think about Life. It must be
really something if your wife is okay with you fooling around."

"Except what she knows is that I'm not just `fooling'", I
replied, calmly.

That visibly shocked her, but before she could say anything, Abby
came into the living room and told me "Dan, I've been thinking
about what you said - and I think you're right. Now I *know* I
want to share my bed with you - and why."

It was Erika that spoke next, asking "So you're going to sleep
with him?"

Erika and I were both surprised when Abby calmly looked at her
and answered "Only after I make love with him."

An obviously shaken Erika asked her "What have you two been
talking about? What has he done to you?"

Abby answered "We've been talking about what's important, and
what isn't. I think Amy or Lucy could explain it to you. As for
what he's done to me? Not as much as I hope he will."

With that, Abby took my hand, and turned to lead us toward the
stairs - leaving a silent, VERY surprised Erika to sit watching
us.

Once we'd entered Abby's bedroom, she quietly closed the door
behind us before moving to stand in front of me. As she did, I
removed my holstered pistol from its place at the small of my
back and set it on her dresser.

She looked into my eyes as she told me "Everything you told me
made sense - I understood it even as you were talking to me about
it. But what really convinced me was something simple."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Every time you talked about Amy, or me, or Erika, you started
out by telling me what you liked about us - our character and all
of that. The LAST thing that you mentioned about us was our
looks. I've seen what kind of person you are - and if those were
the things that you mentioned first, then those are the things
that you noticed first; and I know that those are the things that
are most important to you."

"Well, yeah."

"See? That's what I mean - you just confirmed what I said, but
you did it in such a matter-of-fact way that NOBODY could doubt
that's just how you look at things. I was sure that you were
being honest with me before, about what's important to you, and
why you would make love with somebody; but the way you just
answered me - well, it just put the final seal on things. Now,
even more than before, I know I want you to teach me what it's
like to _make love_."

With that said, she reached forward and hesitantly pulled my head
down a little bit so that she could kiss me. I put my hands on
her hips, and kissed her back, with only as much enthusiasm and
desire as she was showing me. My lips parted only when hers did;
our tongues dueled in my mouth before hers. When the kiss finally
broke, she was softly panting in obvious arousal; her face was
slightly flushed from her excitement.

She took a couple of slow, deep breaths before she hesitantly
said "I... I want to look at you... naked." - her voice barely
louder than a whisper.

I smiled at her in reassurance, and reached up to start
unbuttoning my shirt. She quickly put her hands on mine to stop
me, saying "Let me."

She'd only gotten one button undone on my shirt before she
realized that I had my vest on underneath it. She gave me a smile
of approval, and quickly moved on to finish undoing the rest of
the buttons. That accomplished, she let me help her slip it off
my shoulders and down my arms before she carefully hung it on the
back of a chair. With surprising speed and eagerness, she reached
out and pulled the tabs on the hook-and-loop fasteners that kept
the vest in place; she didn't need any help getting it off of me,
and hung it on the back of the chair, too, over my shirt.

Naked from the waist up, I stood there patiently as she looked me
over - her eyes meeting mine as she saw the few scars I had. She
reached out to touch them, letting her fingertips trace their
size and shape as she held her bottom lip between her teeth in
apparent sympathy for the pain she knew I must have felt from the
wounds.

Her hands moved all over my torso as she caressed every part of
my skin she could reach. Only when she was satisfied with what
her hands had told her about me did she let them move to her
sides again.

Without hesitation, she knelt down to untie my shoes, and then
slip them and my socks off my feet to put them next to the chair.
She was still kneeling in front of me as I watched her hands -
shaking slightly - move toward my waist. She held them there for
a few seconds, as though anchoring herself, before moving them to
my belt. She awkwardly unfastened it - her uncertainty telling me
that this was something she hadn't done much before, if at all.
When she reached for my waist again, I discretely pulled my
stomach in a bit; leaving plenty of room for her fingers as she
slowly unfastened my pants. The last obstacle was the zipper of
my fly; I saw her hesitate briefly as she reached for it - but
reach it she did, drawing it down slowly and carefully before she
moved her hands to my waist again to slide my pants down mylegs.

The eroticism of what she was doing had me semi-erect - which had
the front of my shorts tented a bit. Again, her movements were
slow, and again, she hesitated slightly before softly laying her
hand on top of the bulge my genitals were making in my underwear.
Just as I could feel the coolness of her hand, I knew that she
could feel the heat she was bringing to my manhood - I saw her
eyes widen slightly at her first contact.

She left her hand there for several long, wonderful seconds
before she lifted her other arm to use both hands to slide my
briefs off my hips. I heard her gasp slightly as my penis and
balls popped free of the confines of my underwear - her eyes
never left them as her hands guided my shorts to join my pants
around my ankles.

I just stood there patiently as she reached up, one hand going
around my penis as the other moved to cup my testicles. I knew
that I wasn't appreciably longer or larger than average; but
there seemed to be something about MY penis and MY balls that had
her almost worshiping them as she knelt in front of me. It was
fully a couple of minutes before she realized how focused she'd
been on that part of me; I could see it as she gave a small shake
of her head when her `trance' ended. I could see her ears darken
slightly as she blushed before she moved to remove my pants and
shorts when I lifted each foot in turn. She carefully set them on
the chair, where my shirt and vest would keep them company,
before she moved to stand in front of me again.

She looked deep into my eyes, and seemed satisfied with what she
saw in them - she reached up to again pull me into a kiss. As
before, I let my hands rest on her hips; but this time, her hands
were all over me: shoulders, chest, waist, hips, thighs, and back
- all were re-explored by her wandering hands as she quickly led
us to the intensity of our previous kiss, and then beyond.

When it ended, she pulled back from me a little; her face and
what I could see of her shoulders and chest were tinged slightly
with the blush of her arousal.

She reached up to the top button on the blouse she was wearing
before stopping to ask me "Do you want to?"

I smiled, and replied "Go ahead. I never was any good at all
those hooks and things."

She grinned back at me before letting her fingers continued their
work. Calmly, deliberately, she went about the process of undoing
the buttons on her blouse - and when she was done, she just as
deliberately took it off, hanging it on the closet doorknob. When
she turned back to face me, I could see that that she hadn't been
wearing a bra under it - her breasts were each about the size of
half a tangerine, generally cone-shaped, and capped with dark
pink nipples (erect, and about the diameter of a wooden pencil)
and areolas (puckered, about an inch in diameter).

Abby looked up at me, hesitantly - when she did, I could see that
she was uncertain I would find her attractive. I quickly put her
fears to rest, simply telling her "Beautiful"; she visibly
relaxed and brightened with that single word.

Her next action was to slip off the sandals she'd been wearing;
kicking them over to the general vicinity of where she'd hung her
blouse. Satisfied with where they'd landed, she reached for her
waist to unfasten, and then unzip, the denim shorts she was
wearing. They hugged the curve of her hips and the globes of her
ass as she started to slide them off; once they were past those
two obstacles, they easily slid down her smooth, tanned legs to
pool around her feet. She stepped out of them, and again kicked
them in the direction of the other things she'd removed - and in
the process, revealing how firm and muscular her legs were.

She stood still again, letting me look her over as she calmly
waited for my reaction. Wearing only a pair of French-cut
panties, her entire shape was clearly visible to me - and I
delighted in it. Her body smoothly flowed into a trim waist, back
out again to slender - but nicely curved - hips, then on down to
her long, smooth legs. Her belly was smooth and flat, her abdomen
displaying the faint paunch resulting from the extra internal
organs that made her a woman. I could see very faint tan lines on
her breasts; the pale areas caused by the cups of the bikini
suits she obviously favored covered only half of each breast.
Around her hips, I could see another tan line, and from the way
it traced toward her pelvis, I didn't think that the bottom part
of her suit did much more than cover her pubic area. She
voluntarily turned to let me look at the back of her, revealing
that the tan lines I'd seen around her hips met right above the
crack of her delightfully shaped ass, then disa!
ppeared between its cheeks. When she was facing me again, she was
less apprehensive than she'd been when she'd shown me her breasts
- but I could still see a faint concern in her eyes.

I simply smiled at her, and nodded in approval at what I was
seeing. She smiled in return, and with only a moment's
hesitation, moved her hands to her waist to slip her pantiesoff.

When her panties had joined her skirt and Abby had risen up
again, I had a clear view of her pubic patch. Slightly darker
than the hair on her head, it was only a little wider than the
mound it covered, and extended only a couple of inches above her
mons. I couldn't tell from just looking at it if that was the way
it grew naturally, or if she kept it trimmed to allow for an
obvious preference for skimpy bikini swimsuits.

What WAS obvious to me, though, was how thick and dense it was -
unlike most women, with her it was barely possible to see the
skin underneath, even at the edges of it; her cleft was
completely concealed. Between her thighs, I could see where it
parted slightly, revealing her arousal even more.

For her part, Abby could tell that I liked what I saw from the
way my penis had become semi-erect. She smiled at the sight, and
play-coyly asked "Is that for me?"

"If you want it", I teased.

"Oh, I _want_ it, all right!" she declared, before moving to pull
my head down for another kiss. As before, her hands were all over
me while I simply moved mine to her waist again. When I didn't
move them after a bit, she broke our kiss long enough to tell me
"TOUCH me, dammit!" in a hoarse whisper. That was the
encouragement I'd been waiting for, and I eased my hands up to
cover her breasts - and feeling her nipples harden in my palms
when I did. She moved closer, and I could feel her fleece
pressing against me: soft to the touch, yet somehow firm, too.

Her breasts were only a little more than I could hold in my
hands, but they were delightfully warm and firm to my touch.
Using my fingertips, I mapped them, feeling the change in their
texture when I got to her areolas. Hard and crinkled in her
excitement, they led my fingers on to discover the hard pebbles
of her erect nipples.

 From her breasts, I let my hands drift downward to softly caress
her back as I moved them toward the globes of her ass. As she
felt my hands moving across her, I felt her shudder slightly
under my touch. When I finally had her ass cheeks under my hands,
I discovered that they were apparently constructed of a thin
layer of warm, soft sponge rubber, with a foundation of harder
rubber underneath; they were wonderfully soft to the touch, and
delightfully firm when squeezed.

With my hands on her ass, Abby started to rhythmically press her
pelvis against mine, and trying to capture my inflating penis
between her thighs. When that didn't work, she stood on one leg,
putting the calf of the other one against my ass as she tried to
pull herself even closer to me. It also made for a dramatic
increase in the clean, musky smell of her arousal.

Doing that, she opened herself up to me, and I let one hand slide
between her thighs - slowly, to give her time to respond.

And respond she did: with a pleased moan into my mouth - where
our tongues were dueling at the time - she arched her back
slightly to make it easier for me.

My middle finger was the first to make contact with the core of
her femininity: it easily slid between her extended labia to lie
across the entrance to her vagina. I was amazed at the heat
coming from her opening, and surprised at the amount of her
female essence I could feel on my finger. From the response I'd
gotten when I started, I knew she wouldn't mind (!!) when I slid
my finger back and forth between her inner lips, slightly
pressing against her opening. In a matter of only a few seconds,
I could feel that my finger was thoroughly coated with her oils.
When I slightly lengthened the range of my strokes, my fingertip
happened upon her clitoris, too - where it stuck out from under
its hood for what must have been nearly half an inch. Each slow
stroke of my finger between her vaginal lips brought a slight
contact with it, and each of those contacts resulted in a gasp
and shudder from Abby.

After a couple of minutes, though, she finally tired of standing
on one leg. When I felt her start to lower the one she had
wrapped around me, I let the hand between her thighs slide back
up to cup her ass again - accompanied by a disappointed moan as
she arched her back further to try and maintain the contact for
as long as possible.

When she had both feet on the floor again, she surprised me by
softly pulling my arms from around her - only to take the hand
that had been between her thighs and pull it up to her mouth. Her
eyes locked on mine, she didn't hesitate to wrap her lips around
the finger that had brought her pleasure, and then proceed to
lick and suck it clean of her own oils. Only after she'd consumed
every last bit did she let it slide free of her mouth with a
small noise - and a big smile.

She was surprised - but not displeased - when I moved to her
side, picked her up, and moved her the short distance to the bed
before laying her down on it. Then she watched as I moved onto
the bed to lie next to her on my side.

Propping myself up with my elbow, I reached over to lay a hand on
her stomach as we looked into each other's eyes. She took my hand
and started to move it toward her breast, but stopped when I gave
a small shake of my head, saying "There's no hurry. We've
basically got all weekend. I think we'll both" - I said `both',
but she understood that I meant her - "enjoy this more if we just
*ease* into it. Instead of just making good memories, how about
if we make *happy* ones? Not GRAB at pleasure, but ACCEPT it?"

She nodded her understanding, and released my hand - only to
smile when I started softly caressing her body. I touched every
part of her I could reach; but carefully avoided her pelvis and
breasts. She slowly started to relax under my touch, and as I
continued my Braille memorization of her, she even closed her
eyes to help her focus on the way my hand felt on her skin.

As I'd found with her ass, her skin was soft and smooth and
blemish-free - and covered firm muscles. While I was caressing
her, I continued to speak to her, softly, telling her what I
thought of what I found. After several minutes, she was
completely relaxed, and all but purring in pleasure.

She was so accepting of my touch that she didn't even open her
eyes when I finally let my hand find its way to one of her
breasts - a passing touch, at first, but soon followed by
another, and another. Before long, my attention was focused on
both of them; they'd flattened only slightly from her lying on
her back, and both were still capped by her puckered areolas and
erect nipples.

She lay there, calmly and patiently accepting the attention I was
paying them: gently squeezing their firm sponginess, tracing
their size and shape with my fingertips, running my thumb and
fingers across and around their peaks. From the way she'd looked
when she first showed them to me, I knew that she thought they
were `too small'; I wanted to let her know, without words, what
*I* thought of them.

As I was holding one of them in my hand, I let my head drop
slightly, so I could place a kiss on the other - but rather than
her nipple, as it would be for most men, my target was the upper
slope of her breast. It was meant as a first offering of my
affection, and she accepted it as such with a small, gentle
smile.

Over the next few minutes, I gradually shifted my attention; my
hand slowly extended its range as I kissed her breasts more and
more. It was such a slow and gradual process that she didn't
react to it - other than to release a faint sigh of pleasure when
my lips finally fastened over her nipple, even as my hand was
making its first fleeting contact with her pubis.

Again, my hand didn't immediately zero in on my ultimate target;
I continued to softly stroke her lower belly, then her thighs as
I gently and slowly sucked on her breasts and nipples. From knee
to mid-thigh at first, my touch on her thighs shifted to begin
from the middle of the inside of her thighs, and ending when my
hand made contact with her pelvis. Even then, though, my contact
wasn't sexual; instead, I was making it sensual - the apparent
neglect of her labia and clitoris was only serving to emphasize
them.

 From the faint blush on her face and shoulders, I knew that she
was feeling the slowly increasing arousal I intended. But from
her calm acceptance of what I was doing, I also knew that this
was probably the first time in her life that she had really
*focused* on the sensations that her body - not just the
conventional erogenous zones - could give her. And the faint
smile on her face told me that she was feeling the affection that
I had for her. With all of that, I didn't doubt that our time
together WOULD be a happy memory for her.

She'd lain down with her legs slightly parted; there was more
than enough room for me to get my hand between them for what was
next. My first touch to her mons was butterfly light - and still
resulted in a soft sigh of pleasure from her. The increase in my
attention to her womanhood was as slow and deliberate and
indirect as it had been for her breasts. 

The first thing I did was to properly `investigate' the dense
growth I'd seen between her legs. A slow, careful examination
convinced me that what I'd seen was a natural growth - short,
amazingly dense, and delightfully soft. Underneath it, her
pudendum and mons were well-defined, but not `fleshy'. Near the
top of her cleft, her large clitoris had thrown back its hood, to
stand proudly to a height of what I figured was nearly half an
inch. Below, her vaginal lips, short and slightly thick, had
extended; slick with her juices and slightly parted, they allowed
some of the incredible heat from her vagina to escape. When I
drew my finger between them, I found that she was producing a
more than ample supply of her oils, which I shifted to her
clitoris as I softly circled it with the very tip of my finger -
and getting a low moan of pleasure as my reward.

I let my fingertips trace the delicate folds of her vaginal lips,
with frequent side-trips to transfer some of her liquid essence
to her clitoris when I circled and rubbed it EVER so softly. When
I raised my head from her breasts, I could see that the blush
she'd had before had not only darkened, but expanded to the upper
slopes of her breasts. With that, I knew that I could move ahead
again.

Over the next several minutes, I reversed the position of my head
and hands in slow, miniscule movements - as my kisses gradually
moved `south', my hands were moving `north'. When the time came,
I started moving myself between her thighs, too - though `moving'
would have been too abrupt to describe it. Rather, it more like I
_flowed_ between them in infinitely small increments. If anyone
had been there to see it, I doubt they'd have been able to point
out when I'd made even ONE definitive movement.

Finally, the deed was done: without noticeably disturbing Abby, I
was looking at the blossom of her womanly flower from between her
thighs, my hands on her breasts again.

Yet again, I didn't immediately move to take advantage of what
was openly available to me. Instead, the insides of her thighs
were showered with a rain of feather-light kisses and lip-nibbles
that imperceptibly moved toward the center of her womanhood.

By the time I was ready to taste the essence of her for the first
time, she was visibly more aroused than when I'd first looked:
her vaginal lips had grown a little longer, and darkened with her
increased excitement; and there was a small, but visible, trickle
of her juices coming from her opening.

It was that small sample of Liquid Abby that became my first
taste of her - light and thin, but slightly musky to the nose and
tongue. It was wonderful.

I paused a couple of seconds to really savor her taste before I
extended my tongue, and drew it up between her inner lips to
collect enough of her juices to get the full flavor of her. When
I did, she willingly spread her legs even farther for me, moaning
softly in response.

That sampling of her was everything I'd expected - and more. The
essence of her flooded my mouth, teasing and delighting my taste
buds even as I stuck my tongue out to do it again.

Over the next several minutes, I could hear the pace of Abby's
breathing slowly increase as I carefully and deliberately went
about easing her toward an orgasm - as slowly as I could.

I licked at her labia and opening as though they were an ice
cream cone - until she started responding too much. Then I
switched over to circling her clitoris with my tongue in a slow,
soft motion. When that got to her, it was back her vagina - only
this time, penetrating her with my stiffened tongue. As that got
too exciting for her, I went back to her clitoris, only taking it
between my lips and softly sucking on it in a slow, gentle
rhythm. Back to her vaginal lips, pulling on them with my lips
and thoroughly washing them with my tongue. Then on to her
clitoris again, only pressing on it gently in a slow, steady
rhythm. Again to her vagina, trying to leech her oils as I let my
tongue flutter across her opening. Using the very tip of my
tongue to lick her clitoris. Softly `chewing' on her labia with
my lips as I sucked on them. And so on, and so on.

I finally gave her the relief that I knew she was after by
fluttering my tongue across her clitoris in a soft, rapid motion.
In only a few seconds, I felt the tension in her body steadily
increase; until her thighs suddenly slammed over my ears -
thankfully, just ahead of what I suspected was a fairly loud
scream of release.

Under my hands, her body was a single tense, rigid muscle; but
beneath my lips, the entrance to her vagina was going through a
series of spasms as the first wave of her release overwhelmed
her.

After several long seconds, I felt her legs fall away from my
ears. Deciding that she hadn't broken an eardrum, I listened as
she started to draw a deep, ragged breath - only to have it cut
off by a second, smaller, release that left her laying there
gasping.

I waited a little bit, and when it seemed that there wouldn't be
a repeat of the repeat, I moved to hold myself over her on my
knees and elbows. My position also left my erect penis resting on
her mons.

I was close enough to her that I could feel the hard points of
her nipples pressing against my chest - but I was far enough away
that that was ALL I could feel of her: I wasn't doing anything to
prevent her from getting her breath, and senses, back.

I looked into her face, seeing that her eyes were closed and that
she'd developed a fine sheen of perspiration from the physical
effort of her orgasm.

Another minute or so, and she suddenly opened her eyes - and
looking up at me in surprise, managed to gasp out "Dear GOD! I
didn't know it could BE like that!"

I just smiled down at her, waiting patiently as she got her
breathing under control. When she had, she suddenly wrapped her
arms around me, and pulled me down to lie on her as she hugged me
fiercely.

When she finally released me, I propped myself up again before
lowering my head to give her a kiss - which she greedily returned
with deep affection.

After our kiss slowly broke off, she looked up at me again, and
said "I mean it. I really didn't know it could be that *intense*.
I mean, I've had some big orgasms before, but they were nothing
compared to _that_. It was like my whole BODY was in it, not just
my, um..."

"Parts. I think the word you want is `parts'", I teased.

She blushed and grinned, then answered "Yeah, parts. That's the
word I was looking for."

"Your whole body WAS in it. Remember what I said about accepting,
instead of grabbing?"

She brightened, and said "Yeah, I do. And you're right, that WAS
the difference. Before, it was always just my, uh, parts that had
a good time. What you did, you got my whole body involved."

With that, we shared another kiss; softer and more affectionate
than the one before.

We stayed like that for perhaps a couple of minutes before Abby
gave a small start and said "You're... You're hard? You're ready
to make love with me?"

"If you want", I answered, with a smile.

She got a look of absolute delight on her face, and answered
"After that? Oh, yeah, I want!"

She felt me move over her, and felt my erection start to slide
into position; she quickly grabbed my arms and said "No, let me.
You did everything to make ME feel good; now it's my turn. Just
lay down on your back, and I'll take care of it."

I lowered my head to give her a soft kiss on the forehead, and
did as she asked - except that I propped myself against the
headboard of her bed in a `slouching' position.

Satisfied with what I'd done, Abby quickly rolled to her side,
then moved her leg over my hips. Gracefully, she moved the rest
of the way, until she was straddled over me.

I reached to her waist, and she willingly let me pull her down so
that I could lick her nipples a few times before taking each of
them into my mouth and sucking them back to erection. When I was
done, both were hard and fully extended - and glistening with my
saliva. Abby looked pleased with what I'd done, and leaned
forward a little more so the two of us could share a deep kiss,
tongues dancing in her mouth. When it ended, she gave me a
radiant smile, and eased herself backward until she was poised
over my erection.

Taking it in her hand, she stroked me gently several times before
looking into my eyes to say "I want you inside me, now, even more
than before."

My hands had moved to her thighs, and I gave them a soft squeeze
in acceptance of what she'd just told me; with another smile on
her face, she raised herself up and positioned me at her hot, wet
entrance. Flexing her wrist a little, she drew the head of my
penis back and forth between her vaginal lips - thoroughly
coating it with her ample oils.

Assured that I would slide into her as easily as possible, she
held me in place as she started to lower herself onto me.
Apparently, she wasn't quite satisfied with her position, and she
moved herself backwards a little. When she eased herself down
again, the `fit' was apparently what she wanted: holding me
steady, she pressed herself onto me more and more - until the
head finally popped through the tight ring of her opening and
slid into her for a short distance.

She paused for perhaps half a minute, apparently letting herself
adjust to my presence. Once she was satisfied that the adjustment
was complete, she raised herself a bit before pushing herself
down onto me again - and taking more of me inside. There was only
the slightest pause before she did it again, with the same
results. With me firmly in place, she released my penis to put
her hands on my chest to steady herself. Ready to finish what
she'd started, she lifted herself again before filling herself
with more of my manhood. Several more times she repeated her
actions; each downward thrust finished a little lower than the
one before, until a final motion left her with her ass resting on
my thighs. Only then did she make any noise - and that was only
to whisper to herself "Oh, God, that feels so good!"

With her securely wrapped around me, I reached up to start
caressing her breasts and softly pulling on her nipples and
running my thumbs over them. She sat there on me, clearly pleased
to have me inside her. As I waited to see what she wanted to do
next, I took stock of the sensations she was creating on and
around me. As I'd expected, she was incredibly hot and wet
inside; and she was a lot tighter than I'd thought she would be.
She wasn't virgin tight, but she didn't miss it by a whole lot,
either. It was obvious to me that it had been quite some time
since she'd last had a lover, since I'm pretty close to average
length and girth.

After a couple of minutes, she leaned over so the two of us could
share a deep, passionate kiss; when it was over, she raised up
and steadied herself with her arms before lifting herself off of
me a bit. Letting perhaps half my length escape her, she settled
herself back down with a soft moan of pleasure. A few seconds
later, she did it again. Another brief delay, and she lifted
herself until only the glans of my erection was inside. With a
look of intense concentration, she surprised me by moving down
only perhaps an inch, then rising up again, several times. Only
when she impaled herself on me again did I understand what she'd
been doing: she'd apparently been making sure that the end of my
penis was thoroughly coated with her lubrication: as her body
lowered, I slid into her a lot faster and easier.

When she was settled on my `lap' again, she paused a bit to let
me start playing with her breasts again. As I continued to caress
and gently squeeze them, she held her body steady for me as she
started moving her hips in a series of small movements.

That continued for a minute or two before she decided that what
she *really* wanted was to feel me _moving_ in her. She started
by lifting herself up in slow, short movements; but over a period
of just a few minutes, she increased the speed and range of her
motion so that she was taking nearly my entire length in a
steady, continuous rhythm. Her upper body remained relatively
still, so I was able to continue playing with her breasts as she
moved.

After a bit, she changed position slightly, so that she could
slide herself on and off of me by arching her pelvis instead of
lifting herself with her legs. With the change in her position,
her breasts were a little closer to my face, and I lifted my head
to suck on her nipples as I used my hands to caress her. When she
felt me take her nipple in my mouth, she threw her head back and
I heard her release a deep groan of pleasure and arousal. As I
nursed at her breasts, I moved my hands all over her body -
caressing her from shoulders to sides to hips, then down the tops
of her thighs. Back along their sides until I could curve back to
hold her incredibly tight ass cheeks in my hands, then up her
back until I was at her shoulders again.

With her body under my hands that way, I appreciated even more
what a compact bundle of soft skin over firm muscle she was. 

After several minutes, I felt her gradually slow her movement,
then shift it. Instead of just sliding herself up and down my
glistening erection, she was only letting about a third of it
escape before taking it in again - but when it was fully inside
her, she was adding a small arching of her waist that applied a
little extra pressure to her erect and visible clitoris.

A few minutes more, and she was letting even less of me out of
her hot, wet sheath as she continued rubbing her clitoris against
my pubic bone - accompanied by a constant moaning and gasping. As
she got closer and closer to her release, I started sucking on
her nipples a little harder, which seemed to please her
tremendously. It was only a couple more minutes before I heard
her cry out as I felt her try to get as much of me as she could
inside - she'd finally gotten the results she wanted so much.
Even as snug as she'd been around me, I was still surprised at
how tight she became when she suddenly raised her body up and
cried out her release. As her climax started, it was as though my
entire length was suddenly wrapped by something several sizes too
small; on top of that, I felt a series of ripples running from
groin to glans as her already-tight vagina spasmed around me. If
I'd been anywhere NEAR ready, it would have been more than enough
to cause me to unload everything I !
had in her.

I don't know how long her orgasm lasted. I only know that it
lasted too long, and ended too soon: the sensations she was
creating around me were incredible enough to move me along toward
my own climax; but as wonderful as they felt, I was still sorry
when they finally began to taper off.

With the end of her orgasm, Abby let herself relax enough to lay
on me as she got her breath back. Her hard nipples pressed into
my chest as I wrapped my arms around her, holding her as I gave
her a series of small, soft kisses to her head and shoulders.

After a couple of minutes, she'd recovered enough to tilt her
head so the two of us could share a number of soft, gentle
kisses. A bit later, she started to move over me - and suddenly
realized that I was still hard, and still inside her.

I could see the surprise and pleasure on her face when she asked
"You didn't... You're still ready to make love some more?"

"No, I didn't, and yes, I'm ready to make love some more - if you
are."

The look on her face was one of pure delight when she answered
"Oh, I'm ready! That was terrific, but if we can do it some more,
that's even better! Uh, can you do it this time, though? My legs
are kind of tired."

"I'd be glad to. How about if we make things easier on both of
us, and I do you from behind?"

Her answer was a big smile and nod of agreement.

As she pulled herself free of me, I could see the mixture of
reluctance and anticipation on her face - reluctance to let me
go, and anticipation of what we were to do next.

When the head of my penis finally pulled free of her, she gave a
slight shudder before moving to take position next to me. Free to
move again, I moved to my knees, and then behind her. But rather
than immediately bury myself in her again, I chose to stoke the
fires of her arousal. Leaning forward slightly, I leaned over to
start caressing her - starting with the sensitive insides of her
forearms, and working my way toward her shoulders. After brief
massage of her neck and shoulders, I let my hands move along her
ribcage to her stomach; then up between her breasts, half-cupping
them as I circled them before sliding my hands gently down her
sides to her waist. From there, it was to the small of her back,
then on to the delightful globes of her ass - then on down the
backs of her thighs. Once at her knees, my hands circled around
to the front part of the insides of her thighs, and then back up
to finish at her hips again.

The softness of my touch, and the slowness at which I moved, had
the desired effect: by the time I finished, she was breathing
heavily as she quivered under my hands. I took her ass cheeks in
my hands again, and pulled them apart slightly; when she felt me
do that, she moved her knees a little farther apart and lowered
her shoulders, bringing the rosette of her anus into view - along
with the glistening opening of her vagina.

Arching my back a little, I was able to lower the head of my
erect penis and wedge it between her warm, slick vaginal lips.
When she felt me pressing against her slightly, she held still in
eager anticipation of my entry. Knowing that I was in position, I
released the firm moons of her ass to hold her by the hips - and
steadied her as I slowly pressed my hips forward to slide my
still-slick erection between her labia, accompanied by her low
groan of pleasure and satisfaction.

When I felt the tight ring of her opening clenched around the
base of my penis, I paused long enough to reach forward again and
take her breasts in my hands to give them a soft squeeze before
pulling on her nipples a little bit. I knew she appreciated the
attention when she pressed herself back against me, trying to get
even more of me inside her.

Knowing that she was ready for me to continue, I released her
breasts and held her by the hips again as I looked down to where
we were joined; watching as her labia extended, trying to stay
with my penis as I pulled out of her. I stopped when I was about
halfway out of her, and with only the briefest of pauses, moved
to fill her again. My next stroke was longer, and the one after
that even longer. It didn't take me long to get into a rhythm of
pistoning in and out of her in long, steady strokes, accompanied
by the liquid sounds of our joining and her gasps of pleasure.

After a few minutes of making love like that, Abby lowered her
shoulders to the bed. Whether it was because her arms were tired,
or she just wanted a slight change of position, I don't know. All
I'm certain of is that it meant that I was sliding in and out of
her at a different angle. As I penetrated her, the pressure of
her vagina would be around the head of my penis, and along its
top; but as I got farther and farther into her, it would shift
over so that the pressure was against the underside. It also
meant that my entry was pulling on her opening a different way,
increasing the pressure against her clitoris. In only a couple of
minutes, I could feel that she was even hotter and wetter inside.
I could also tell that she was again getting close to an orgasm
from the way she would shudder every so often as her breathing
caught in her throat: even as she was panting faster and faster,
her body was shuddering and convulsing slightly more and more
often.

With each reaction of her body, she would tighten around me for
longer and longer periods. And when the periods got long enough,
I could also feel it as her vaginal muscles would spasm along the
length of me. The feeling of it was incredibly arousing, and with
the steadily increasing frequency of them, it wasn't long before
I felt myself pass the point of no return - I knew that there
wasn't any way for me to put off my own climax. Knowing that what
I was doing to Abby was pleasing her as much as she was pleasing
me, I gave myself over to seeking my own release.

Even as the length of my movements in Abby started decreasing,
their speed was increasing. By the time I was allowing only half
of my manhood to pull free of her, I was moving twice as fast -
and Abby's responses were keeping up with, if not surpassing, me.
I looked down to see that she had both hands full with part of
the bed coverings, her eyes closed in concentration on what she
was feeling. Her head was turned to the side, and I could see how
flushed she was as she gasped and moaned and panted her steadily
increasing arousal and desire.

Even though her spasms were coming almost continuously, I managed
to hold off for another couple of minutes before I felt my balls
tighten up. I all but slammed my pelvis against her as I tried to
bury as much of myself in her as I could before the first hot jet
of my semen flooded her insides. Even as I felt it erupting out
the end of my penis, I heard Abby's loud cry of release as her
own orgasm overtook her.

Even now, I'm amazed that I was able to empty my balls in her. As
tight as she'd been during her first orgasm with me inside, she
got even tighter with this one - looking back on it, I'm not
entirely sure that there was anyplace for my jism to GO, once I'd
unloaded it in her.

My climax ended well ahead of hers - and I couldn't believe the
sensations she was creating around me as her spasms seemed to go
on and on and on. Along with the clenching and fluttering of her
vagina, she was arching her hips, too, as though trying to draw
me even farther inside her. The feeling of it was more than
enough to keep me hard until her orgasm gradually began to taper
off. When the effects of it were finally mild enough for her, I
heard her draw a deep, ragged breath. Knowing that she was
nearing the end, I eased myself out of her with regret before
moving next to her to guide her down onto the bed.

When she was settled, I lay down next to her, and pulled her
close to hold her in my arms as she slowly got her breathing back
to normal. I could see the love and gratitude in her eyes as she
clutched at me feebly - it was obvious that she'd used up a lot
of energy.

When her breathing was finally close to normal, I asked if she
wanted something to drink. She nodded slowly, and I went into the
small bathroom she had and got her a glass of cold tap water.
Back in bed, I held her up and in my arms as I helped her hold
the glass and take a drink from it. By the time she finished it,
she seemed to have improved quite a bit - though she was still
somewhat weak.

I asked if she wanted more, and she shook her head `no'. I took
the glass back to the bathroom, returning with a damp washcloth
and small towel. Over her mild protests, I wiped the sheen of
perspiration from her face before letting her lie down again. A
quick glance showed that our lovemaking had left her soaked from
groin to mid-thigh. She tried to object when I began to gently
clean up the visible signs of our activities - but she simply
didn't have the energy to do anything about it.
 
Back in bed, she didn't hesitate to cuddle up next to me, pulling
my arm around her as she snuggled into my side. We lay like that
for several minutes before she was able to tilt her head back and
look into my face.

She studied me for several seconds before finally saying "I've
had sex before. But I've *never* experienced anything like THAT -
now I know why Amy said there was a difference."

She paused a moment, and I hugged her before she went on "I know
how dedicated you are to Lucy. I don't doubt for a moment that
what she said was right - that she's only letting me borrow you
for a little bit before you go back to her. I'm both grateful and
sorry that she let me have you tonight: I'm grateful for what
I've had with you; and I'm sorry that now I know what it really
means to make love - I'll never be happy with anything less,
again. I'm actually jealous - well, not jealous, but envious - of
what she has with you. I can only hope that I have something
CLOSE to it, some day."

"You will" I told her.

She looked at me in surprise before I went on "Just remember what
I told you before. Don't settle for less than what you already
know you deserve. As long as you do that, the kind of people you
want will be around you - including the kind of guys that you
want. The only `trick' is that you have to be clear in your own
mind what you want, and not accept anything else."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked.

"Doesn't it work already?" I asked in return.

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't most of your friends - your REAL friends - people that
you really like? Aren't the people you respect the same people
that you know respect YOU? All you have to do to make it work
better and more consistently is to be more consistent in how you
think about it, and how you apply it. I'm not going to blow smoke
up your butt; it isn't easy, and it doesn't happen quickly - but
it DOES work."

She looked at me speculatively for a few moments before saying "I
believe you. I've seen how _you_ have to work at it, sometimes.
And I've seen the results - hell, I've experienced the results,
firsthand" - the last part with a grin and shiver.

With that, she put her head on my shoulder and hugged me. The two
of us lay there like that, happy to simply BE there with each
other. After a while, Abby that finally got up to disappear into
the bathroom for a few minutes; when she opened the door again,
it was to ask if I wanted to join her for a quick shower before
bed. I assured her that I'd be delighted, and the two of us
enjoyed a quick - but fun - wash before snuggling together in
bed.

-----

In the small hours of the night, I woke up to find Abby spooning
against my back - with her arm around me as she held my erect
penis in her hand. Feeling the need to unload some fluids, I
managed to get her to turn loose of me before I eased my way out
of bed, accompanied by a small noise of complaint from her. When
I was done, I found that she'd rolled over onto her other side.
When I rejoined her under the covers, she gave a happy sigh as
she wriggled herself even closer to me.

I woke up the next morning with an erection - which was
thoroughly encased by a warm mouth, judging from the tongue
dancing along its underside.

When I opened my eyes and looked down, I could see the delighted
expression on Abby's face when she saw that I was awake. She
lifted her head long enough to tell me "You did me last night, so
I thought this would be a nice way to wake you up this morning!"

"It is that", I admitted, getting a grin in return before she
enveloped me with her mouth again.

She didn't have a lot of technique or talent - but she more than
made up for it in enthusiasm, and willingness to learn when she
got a favorable response to something she did. It wasn't too long
before she had me close to emptying myself into her mouth.

"If you keep that up, you're going to get a surprise" I warned
her.

She just nodded her approval, and kept going.

A couple more minutes, and I let her know "I'm getting close!" -
and felt it as she cupped my balls in her hand before she paused
long enough to tell me "Do it!".

Knowing that I was near my climax, she applied herself even more
to the task at hand - and felt my balls draw up in her hand
shortly before the first jet of my cum filled her mouth. She
didn't hesitate or slow down; if anything, she displayed even
more enthusiasm as she tried to suck every bit of my semen out
through the end of my penis. Only when she felt me start to
soften between her lips did she finally release my balls from her
hand. Then she took my entire penis in her mouth and tightened
her lips around it before sucking on it as she pulled her head
back - effectively using her lips as a squeegee as she suctioned
the last traces of my cum from my penis. Only when she was sure
that she had every drop of it did I see her swallow my entire
load - then lick her lips for any that might have escaped, and
swallow again with a grin on her face.

Satisfied that she had satisfied ME, she got up and went into the
bathroom. A moment later, she reappeared with what I could see
was a damp washcloth which she used to wipe me off, saying "Last
night, you gave to me. This morning, I give back." When she was
done, she took the washcloth back into the bathroom, then climbed
into bed to lie next to me - only to be surprised when I gave her
a big good-morning kiss.

When it ended, she looked at me in curiosity and asked "You don't
mind kissing me after I...?"

"Not at all, why?"

"Most guys don't want to kiss a girl after she did that for
them."

"I'm not most guys."

"I'll vouch for that!" she said, with a laugh.

I explained to her "You didn't mind kissing me after I used my
mouth on you last night. I don't see why I should be any
different."

She grinned, and said "I like the way you taste. Kind of salty,
but nice." She hesitated a moment, then added "I wanted to do
more with you, but I'm a little sore from last night. It's been a
while since I had, uh, overnight company, and you filled me up
pretty good."

With that, she gave me another grin before snuggling up next to
me again. I don't know how long we lay there like that. I only
know that it was Abby's stomach that growled some time later; I
could FEEL how warm her face got when she blushed.

I teased her by saying "I could use a bite to eat, myself. How
about if we head down and get some breakfast?"

I felt her blush again before she said "That sounds pretty good.
How does eggs, toast, and all that sound to you?"

I told her that I thought it sounded just fine, and the two of us
finally managed to get out of bed and head downstairs - Abby
dressed in a cotton bathrobe, and me wearing only my shorts.

Abby parked me in a chair as she went about getting coffee
started, and after she'd brought me a cup, preparing breakfast.
She refused all my offers to help as she went about making lots
of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns. By the time we
finished eating, though, there were only a couple slices of toast
left. Abby got up and cleared the table, again refusing my offers
to help, and refilled our coffee cups before parking herself in
my lap.

She was sitting there, feeding me toast, when Erika came into the
kitchen, dressed only in shorts and a light blouse - her nipples
clearly visible underneath it. Erika didn't even blink at the
sight of Abby sitting astraddle my lap as I rested my hands on
her hips. 

Instead, all she did was to pause and wait for both of us to look
at her before she said "I owe both of you an apology for last
night."

She must have seen the mild confusion on our faces, because she
went on to explain "I was kind of bitchy with both of you, and it
was about something that was none of my business. I've had
problems before with guys cheating on me - like my ex-husband,
for starters - and I know it's a chip I have on my shoulder. What
I said to both of you was out of line; particularly since I
really didn't know the whole story."

Abby was sitting quietly, and I just nodded for Erika to
continue, which she did by saying "While you two were, uh, busy,
I called Amy and talked to her for a while. She set me straight
on just how good an agent you are, Abby; and just what kind of
guy you are, Dan. She also convinced me to call Lucy; but she
only told me what your home town was, so I'd have to get the
number from Information. I guess it was her way of making sure I
knew that I was really talking to Lucy. It took me a while to get
the nerve up to make the call, but when I told Lucy who I was,
she just acted like I was an old friend she hadn't heard from for
a while. She really set me at ease, and we talked for quite a
while. Long enough that Lucy heard it when Abby yelled - not just
the first time, but the second one, too."

Abby blushed as Erika went on "Both times, she just said
something to the effect that it sounded like she was enjoying
herself. The first time, I couldn't understand how she could just
*accept* it like that. But by the second time it happened, I was
starting to. Lucy finally told me that she thought I needed to
change the way I was thinking. When I asked her what she meant,
she told me `You're trying to figure out how bad things could be
done by a good person. Change your perspective. Start from what
you KNOW, and see if what you THINK is the problem.'

"It was getting late by then, so I told her I would, and that
ended the call. But I couldn't get what she said out of my mind;
I spent a couple of hours down here, running it through my mind
before I finally got it."

Abby and I both looked at her expectantly, and she told us "Where
I was going wrong was that I was thinking that what you were
doing was bad, and trying to figure out how you could do it. What
I *should* have been doing - and finally did - was to start from
what I KNEW: that both of you are good people. From there, I had
to look at what *I* thought about it, and WHY I was thinking
about it the way I was. That's when I realized the mistake that
I'd made with both of you - and that I owed you both anapology."

Abby seemed to realize, as I did, that there was more to it. Both
of us waited patiently until Erika told us "Dan, from what I've
read in your files and from my own experience being around you, I
know that you wouldn't `fool around'. And Abby, from what I've
seen of the work you do and the talking we've done, I know that
you wouldn't take just *anyone* into your bed. From that
knowledge, and what Lucy and Amy told me last night, I know that
what you had together last night was something special -
something FAR more than just sex. And I know that it's something
that deserves more respect than I gave the two of you last
night."

Erika finished up by giving us a wry grin and saying "Now that I
understand it a little, I actually envy you, Abby. And Amy. And
Lucy, most of all. I'm actually awed that she's the focus of
Dan's care and love and all that. But I guess knowing that she IS
the center of his universe, she can afford to be generous and
share him with other women - because she knows that she'll
*always* be first with him."

It was Abby that answered, telling her "There's nothing to be
envious ABOUT. Yes, I had an *incredible* time with him last
night - like you said you heard. But I know you're forgetting at
least one thing; and I'll bet you didn't pay attention to
something else."

Erika looked at her curiously, and Abby told her "Last night, I
said that Lucy told me that I was welcome to borrow him - and
that you were, too, if you wanted. And even when you were talking
to Lucy, I'd bet that she said something like that again, but
that you didn't really hear it."

Erika blinked in surprise when Abby reminded her of what Lucy had
told her the night before; and Abby and I both watched as Erika
got a look of concentration on her face as she obviously reviewed
her memory of the conversation she'd had with Lucy.

It wasn't long before Erika got a look of consternation on her
face when she realized that Lucy HAD said something to that
effect to her - as I'd expected.

Erika looked at Abby in curiosity and asked "You wouldn't mind?
Him being with me, so soon after...?"

"Of course not. No more than Amy minded sharing him with me, or
Lucy minds sharing him with any of us. What I learned from him
last night was how powerful a heart and mind can be when they're
working together - and how happy two people can be when they
share the same goal of making each other feel good. He gave me a
little bit of his body, and it was great. But when he gave me
some of his heart, too - well, that made it *wonderful*. If he
can do that for me, why would I mind if he does it for you, too?"
With a glance at me, Abby added "Besides, I think you're a pretty
good person, too. You deserve time with him as much as Amy or
me."

When Abby finished, Erika turned to look at me in a mixture of
concern and speculation. I just sat there, looking back at her
patiently, waiting to see what she would say or do next.

She surprised me by coming right out with it, asking "Dan? Would
you make _love_ with me?"

Abby looked extremely pleased - whether it was with herself or
Erika, I wouldn't have guessed. I simply answered "If that's what
you'd like, I'd be proud and delighted."

Erika's expression changed to one of relief - until Abby got up
and said "I'm going upstairs to shower. You two have fun, and
I'll be in the living room whenever you're done" - and leaving
the two of us alone in the kitchen.

I could see that Erika was in shock at the suddenness of the
situation. I tore the last slice of toast in half, and offered it
to her with the simple query "Toast?"

It was such a low-key, incongruous, out-of-place thing to do that
it did what I wanted: it broke the tension. The expression on
Erika's face went through several changes before she finally
smiled and laughed, saying "Thanks, don't mind if I do" before
taking it and nibbling at the corner.

A minute or so went by before I said "Abby's heart is in the
right place, but I think a little more tact would have been nice.
She acted like she thought we were going to just go at it right
here on the table."

Erika looked at me with a surprisingly shy grin, and asked "Are
we?"

I grinned back, and answered "Only if you want to. Me, I'm kind
of partial to comfort and privacy."

"That's more like what I had in mind, too. It's still kind of
awkward, though."

"Yup. I'll tell you what: how about if we finish our toast and
coffee. Then we'll go upstairs, and I'll head into the bathroom
for a quick cleanup. If you're feeling frisky, you can join me in
the shower. If you're not sure, you can leave the door to your
room open a bit; I'll come in and we can visit for a little
while, while you make up your mind. If you don't think you're
ready just yet, then you leave the door closed and we can get
together some other time, if you like."

My answer was a relieved smile and nod before she told me "That
sounds fine. No hurry, and no expectations."

With that settled, we took our time finishing our toast and
coffee - and chatted a little after Erika complimented me on how
polite and courteous Robyn had been when she answered the phone
the night before.

I finished my coffee first, and put the cup away before telling
Erika "I think I'd better de-fur my fangs before I clean up. I'll
see you later" - the last part to reassure her that our next
meeting would be at a time of HER choosing. She nodded her
understanding, and I headed up to the bathroom between Abby's and
Erika's bedrooms. Inside, I was pleased to see that Abby had left
a disposable razor - new, thankfully - some shaving cream, a new
toothbrush, and a sample-sized tube of toothpaste. It didn't take
me long to take care of those parts of my anatomy; next was the
shower. I got the water started and the temperature adjusted
(just short of scalding) before I got in and closed the shower
curtain. I'd barely had time to work up a good lather with the
soap when I heard the bathroom door open. A few moments later, a
very naked - and very nervous - Erika moved in to keep me
company.

I could see that it had taken every bit of courage she had to
join me like that. I could also see that she was more than a
little concerned that I wouldn't find her attractive enough: she
was holding her hands together with her arms held straight in
front, partially covering her breasts and pubic area.

But she wasn't covering everything. Enough of her breasts were
exposed that I could see they were fuller than Abby's had been,
and more rounded. Capped with dark half-dollar sized areolas,
they also sported nipples that were about the same diameter as a
large crayon. Behind her hands, her bush was a medium-sized wedge
of longish dark hair. Her fairly trim shape showed that she
obviously worked at keeping herself healthy, but her job of
driving a desk most of the time meant that she was softer and
more curved than she probably liked.

I gave a low whistle of approval after I looked her over. When
she heard it, she knew I appreciated what she was revealing to
me; I saw the apprehension drain out of her, though she was still
visibly nervous.

Moving slowly, I reached up to take her shoulders in my hands
before telling her "Its okay, Erika. It only happens as fast as
you want, when you want, and if you want."

"I know. It's just that it's been so LONG since I had a man - and
particularly one that I've only known for a little while. I'm
older than Amy, and even Lucy; and I KNOW that I don't look
_anything_ like Abby. I'm just not SURE."

With that, I could see her eyes start to tear up, and I quickly
moved to take her into my arms. She tried to object for a few
moments, then finally gave in, letting me hold her as she cried
out her fear and frustration. After a little bit, she put her
arms around my waist as she continued to cry into my shoulder.

Her crying spell didn't last long; when it ended, I could see
that she was embarrassed by it. I opened my arms a bit to let her
move away from me slightly, but kept my hands clasped at her
back. When she finally looked up at me, I told her "Erika,
there's nothing to be afraid of, or worried about. You said it's
been a long time since you were with a man?"

She nodded, and I went on "Then that just tells me that you don't
let just *anybody* share your bed - and makes me feel honored
that you would consider letting ME in it with you. And so what if
you're older than Amy and Lucy? That's what happens when you
spend a pretty fair chunk of your life doing something for this
country. I'm older than YOU are - should *I* be embarrassed?"

She managed a grin, and shook her head `no' before I continued
"You don't look like Abby? So? You're NOT Abby, so why should you
look like her? Do you think she's still going to look *exactly*
like that when she's your age? No? Then why worry about it?"

I finished by telling her "And for not being sure, you sure
showed a lot of guts to go skinny-dipping in the shower withme."

She finally smiled at that; when she did, I told her "Good. Now
that we've got that nonsense out of the way, I'm going to have to
frisk you. I'm working on a special case, and I have to make sure
you're not some assassin in drag - for all I know, you're packing
C-4 or something in those things. So assume the position."

She laughed, and turned around to face the showerhead before
putting her hands on the wall above it and spreading her feet. I
frisked her thoroughly, and slowly - a couple of times. Along the
way, I learned that though she was obviously softer and more
curved than Abby, the muscles underneath were almost as firm. I
also discovered that her breasts were a bit larger than I'd
thought - a C-cup wouldn't have been *that* loose on her - and
that her pubic hair was thick and soft. But no explosives.

After I was done, her nipples were visibly erect when she turned
around and archly asked "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"How do I know you're not carrying a stick of dynamite in THAT
thing?"

"Good point. Well, if you must, you must..." I answered, in
feigned regret. She saw right through it, of course, and just
laughed as I mirrored her previous position.

And she checked to make sure *I* was safe. Completely, several
times, and with enthusiasm.

When she was done, I turned back around to face her. She had a
grin on her face when she told me "Okay, I guess you're not
*concealing* any weapons - the only one I found is sticking right
out there in front of you. But I'm still not too sure you're not
going to take advantage of me."

"Ah, but there's the flaw in your thinking. If you want me to, it
isn't really `taking advantage', is it?"

She got thoughtful for a moment, then her grin got even wider
before she answered "No, I guess it isn't. And that being the
case, there's no reason I shouldn't be a more active participant,
is there?"

"Not that I can think of."

She responded by taking me by the arms and reversing our
positions, so that the water from the showerhead was hitting
between my shoulder blades. With that done, she didn't hesitate
to wrap her hand around my penis, stroking it as she got to her
knees. Once there, she lifted my penis before tilting her head
forward and taking my entire length in her mouth. She went on to
start applying a soft suction on me while cupping my balls in her
hand - then rolling them around as though testing their weight
and density.

I started to grow in her mouth, and she let the surplus escape
from between her lips as she began running her tongue along and
around my inflating member. When I was semi-erect, she started
moving her head back and forth, sliding her lips along my
steadily increasing length so far that I could feel the end of it
touch her throat when she took me in. It didn't take her long to
get me completely hard, and glistening with her saliva.

Apparently satisfied that she'd accomplished what she'd set out
to do, Erika finally let the head of my erection slip from
between her lips. As she started to stand again, she turned the
water off before telling me "I... I want you... in me."

"I'd like that, too", I assured her.

 From the expression on her face, I knew that she wanted it to
happen _soon_. So instead of putting it off any longer, I simply
picked her up long enough to move us to the countertop next to
the sink. When she felt her butt on its solid surface, she drew
her feet up, using them to help brace herself on it. She ended up
sitting on the very edge of the countertop, her feet resting next
to her ass, her crotch exposed even though her legs were together
in front of her.

My hands were on her hips when we shared our first real kiss -
but as that kiss heated up, I slid them up her body as her legs
parted. Finally, I was able to cup her breasts as I ran my thumbs
over the hard nubbins of her nipples - and feeling them erect
even more in response.

When our kiss finally ended, both of us were panting; she more
than I. Her eyes were hooded in her lust as she watched me lean
forward to give her a soft kiss on the lips. From there, I
branched out to include her ear lobes - which I also gently bit -
and the line of her jaw. From there, I worked my way generally
south. On reaching her breasts, I found that they sagged slightly
only because of their size; otherwise, they were firm enough to
stand out from her chest quite well, thank you. Her dark areolas
were crinkled in her arousal, and her erect nipples simply begged
for my oral attentions.

Taking one of them between my lips, I nursed at her breast for a
few seconds, teasing it to even greater length and hardness. When
she started her increased excitement, I happily switched over to
the other, which I quickly brought to the same level of arousal.

Satisfied with what I'd accomplished so far, I replaced my lips
with my hands and started kissing my way down her body again.
Shortly after I passed her navel, she realized what my goal was.
I could feel her tense slightly before she told me "You... you
don't have to do that..."

I paused long enough to smile up at her and answer "No, I don't.
But I want to!" before continuing my journey. When she heard my
response, I felt her relax. When I got to her pubis, a quick
glance at her face revealed that she'd closed her eyes in an
apparent effort to let her concentrate on what I was doing to her
- and what she knew I planned to do.

Directly in front of me, though, was her pubic area; and as I'd
seen, her hair there was slightly long. But my closer examination
revealed that it wasn't very thick, and extended only about a
third of the way between her pubic bone and belly button. Her
skin was visible underneath it, as was the cleft of her sex.

As my lips moved farther and farther down the curve of her belly,
her legs spread to make room for me. And that additional room
also opened her up to my gaze, exposing more and more of her
womanhood as the slightly musky scent of her got stronger and
stronger.

What was revealed to me was a pair of vaginal lips of medium
thickness that flowed down from where her clitoris was peeking
out at me from under its hood, around her obviously wet opening,
then fading into her perineum. Her labia were dark with blood
from her arousal, and as I moved in taste the source of her
heavenly aroma I could see that the area between them was
glistening with her liquid arousal.

My tongue dipped between the petals of her female flower, and she
moaned in response even as the musky-sweet flavor of her was
spreading across my delighted taste buds. Another dip, another
moan - and before long, I was licking at her opening as though it
were a lollipop, pausing to dip my tongue into it to draw out
even more of her female taste.

In only a couple of minutes, she was moaning and gasping almost
continuously in response to my ministrations. When I discovered
that her clitoris had finally made an appearance, I moved my
attentions to it: circling it with my tongue several times before
lightly fluttering my tongue across it. Her response to that was
a loud cry as she spasmed in obvious pleasure at what I was
doing.

When it was over for her, I felt her take my head in her hands.
In obvious reluctance, she eased my head away from her to tell me
"That felt great - but what I really want is to have you IN me.
Please... make love to me!"

I smiled back in response, and moved to stand up. When I leaned
forward to give her another kiss, she didn't hesitate to kiss me
back - hard.

After our kiss ended, she looked into my eyes as she said "I'm SO
hot, and SO ready - please, don't make me wait any more!"

My response was to reach down and take my penis in hand, guiding
it between her labia. There, I slid the head up and down between
her vaginal lips a couple of times, wetting it with her intimate
oils. When it was thoroughly covered with her lubrication, I slid
it to her entrance.

When I arched my hips, both of us looked down to watch as my
penis started into her. There was a brief pause, until the force
I was applying was enough to pop through her tight opening. She
wasn't as tight as Abby had been - but she was still more than
tight enough. 

Once past her opening, filling her the rest of the way was
relatively easy - she was wet enough inside that I only had to
`back out' slightly a couple of times before my pubic hair merged
with hers. Every motion I took was accompanied by a deep groan of
arousal and pleasure from her - she was easily as ready as she'd
told me.

She was right about something else, too - she WAS hot. I was both
surprised and pleased at how hot she was inside, in addition to
how tight she was. Buried in her, I paused a few seconds to savor
the delightful sensation of her hot, wet, tight sheath wrapped
around me.

Only when I felt her trying to hunch herself against me did I
start moving in her again - easing myself out of her as I watched
her vaginal lips clasp at my penis as though trying to hold me
in. When perhaps three quarters of my length were free of her, I
paused for only a moment before pressing myself into her; again
accompanied by her sounds of pleasure as her labia all but
disappeared as they guided me back in.

Over the next couple of minutes, the two of us got into a slow,
steady rhythm: as I slowly thrust into her, she would arch
herself toward me in welcome until our pubic thatches met; when I
was inside her, I would continue to press myself against her,
applying a slight pressure against her more exposed clitoris.

A couple more minutes, and our actions were faster and more
enthusiastic. I was moving in and out of her almost constantly,
literally bumping our pelvises when I was fully inside her. For
her part, Erika was gasping and groaning almost constantly as she
ran her hands across my body - and pulled on my hips in
encouragement of what I was doing to her.

With the wakeup call Abby had given me, I didn't feel any
particular need to hurry or seek my own release. That left me
free to devote all my efforts and attention to taking care of
Erika. My hands wandered her body, caressing anything I could
reach: feather-light touches of her breasts, silky strokes of her
thighs and body, gently squeezing her breasts, tweaking her
nipples, and nibbling her shoulders and ears. All of it worked
together to bring her to higher and higher levels of passion and
arousal.

I was still far from my own climax when she suddenly pulled my
hips hard against her - and cried out loudly as I felt her vagina
tighten around me. My hands were on her breasts at the time, and
I gently pinched and pulled on her hard and erect nipples in time
with the spasms I felt around me: with each wave of her orgasm,
her vagina would tighten around my entire length before going
through a fluttering that ran from the base of my erection to the
glans.

As her climax moved toward its end, I slowly slid myself in and
out of her a couple of times. Each time, I savored how the added
stimulation would create more and stronger internal reactions
from her - and felt pleased when she would release a
deep-throated moan of pleasure in response.

When she was left with only small aftershocks, Erika opened her
eyes to look at me and gasp out "Dear God! I've had sex before.
What we just did wasn't it. What the hell was it?"

"Love" I answered, simply.

"Love?" she asked, in disbelief.

"Yup."

"You... love me?"

"To an extent. Not run-off-to-Mexico love; but care about what
happens to you, yeah."

"But how can love make so much difference?"

"If you love someone, you care about them. The more you love, the
more you care. All I did was to care - to love - enough to want
to bring you pleasure before I concerned myself with my own."

With that, she seemed to suddenly realize that not only were we
both still naked, but that I was still inside her - and hard.

Surprised, she asked "Why are you still hard? Didn't youfinish?"

I just smiled, and said "I'm still hard because no, I didn't
finish. I had a nice wakeup call this morning, so I don't feel
any particular need to hurry. You seemed `anxious', so I wanted
to make sure you were okay, first."

Erika looked at me with a lop-sided grin, and said "Yeah, that's
one way of describing how I was feeling: `anxious'. You sure as
hell took care of that! But why did you stop? Why not just keep
going until you got off too?"

"I wanted *both* of us to enjoy our time together. I figured if I
took the edge off for you, you'd find the rest of our time a
little more enjoyable."

"Oh, you took the edge off, all right" she replied. Then a moment
later, she added "You mean that you still want to...?"

"If you do. Or, if you want, we can just cuddle or talk or even
clean up and go on with our lives. Like I told you, it's your
call, not mine."

To the extent that she could, she moved herself back and forth on
the countertop to slide herself along my still-slick penis before
she looked up at me again to say "If you can make me feel that
good just from wanting to `take the edge off' for me, I've *got*
to find out what you can do when you really want to. Yeah, I want
to _make love_ with you some more. But not here. This was fine
for a quickie, but for what I've got in mind, we need something
larger and more comfortable."

"That sounds pretty good to me, too" I answered.

She looked down to where she could see the little bit of my
erection that wasn't inside her, and said "If you'll unplug, I
think we should adjourn to my bedroom."

My response was to back out of her, slowly, as I watched her
watching me slip free of her womanly grasp. When I was about
halfway out of her, I heard her mutter to herself "I didn't know
it could _look_ so sexy..."

As the head of my erection slipped out past the tight ring of her
entrance, I saw her shudder slightly as a look of disappointment
briefly crossed her face. But she got over it quickly enough, and
let me help her down off the countertop to stand in front of me.
I'd softened slightly, so the end of my penis had dropped enough
that it was touching the upper fringes of her pubic hair when she
put her hands behind my head to pull me into a brief - but
passionate - kiss.

We quickly cleaned up the bathroom and collected our things
before Erika opened the door and led us into her bedroom. With
her in the lead, I had plenty of time and opportunity to watch
the firm globes of her ass clench and unclench as she walked
ahead of me. I also had time to look over the rest of her, too:
her curves were softer and smoother than Abby's, but it was still
clear that she was fit and trim.

When we were both in her room, she let me go by her so she could
close the door behind us before making a small pile of her
clothes on the end of a dresser; I followed her example, using a
chair. 

I stepped forward to take her hands in mine, lifting them to my
lips and kissing them. When I was done, she took hold of my hands
in return and led us to the bed. There, she guided me to first
sit then lay down before she moved to lie next to me.

By that time, I'd shrunk to semi-erectness; with her head on my
shoulder, she reached out to take me in her hand and start
stroking me as I caressed her back and sides.

When she felt me stiffening in her hand, she started moving her
body down mine until I felt her warm breath across my pubic hair.
A little longer, and I felt her lift her head before taking my
erect penis into her mouth. As she started a soft sucking of it,
I reached down to put my hand between her thighs to start drawing
a finger between her labia and across her warm, wet opening.

In only a minute or so, she had the entire length of my erection
glistening with her saliva as she softly moaned her pleasure at
the sensations my finger was generating on her womanhood. We went
on like that for a couple more minutes before I couldn't resist
any longer, and gently nudged her hip to get her to move her
pelvis. She didn't understand what I wanted at first, and it took
a little more encouragement before she finally moved to put a
knee on each side of my head - opening herself up so that I could
return the oral favors she was bestowing on me.

With my new and different perspective, I took an even closer look
at the view she was presenting me. Even though she'd already had
a climax, it didn't seem to have affected her arousal any: her
labia were still dark with blood, and had gotten a little longer
and thicker. Between them, her opening all but drooled the
essence of her excitement. At the top of her cleft, her clitoris
had made an appearance, glistening slightly. Surrounding all of
that was the dark wedge of her pubic hair - slightly long, but
straight, as it quickly faded out past her opening; above, I
could see the dark pink rosette of her anus.

Lifting my head, I took turns taking each of her labia between my
lips and softly sucking on them as I `chewed' them with my lips.
As I did that more and more, her moans of arousal became more
frequent, and louder. When I changed over to placing my mouth
over her entire opening and tried to gently suck her womanly oils
from their source, she released a deep groan and arched her hips
to try and press herself even harder against my mouth. I
responded by making a spear of my tongue, and trying to see just
how far I could penetrate her with it before trying to lick her
vagina from the inside out. She squealed her pleasure around my
penis before burying her nose in my pubic hair as she took my
entire penis in her mouth; I could feel the muscles of her throat
flexing around the head as she applied a firm suction to it.

When she lifted her head to start breathing again, I moved my
attentions to her clitoris by sliding my tongue along her cleft
before finishing with a light `flick' across it. I heard her
breath catch when I did it, and repeated my actions several more
times. Finally though, I settled into fluttering my tongue across
its surface with a wide combination of speeds and pressures as I
experimented to find what worked best on her.

As it happened, pretty much anything worked - she didn't respond
any better to any one thing I did more than anything else. What
she DID do was to respond to all of it: by the time my tongue
started to tire, I knew that she was very, very close to having
another orgasm.

I finally gave my tongue a rest by moving my head slightly and
putting my mouth over her clitoris, sucking on it gently as I
pulled on it with my lips. In only a couple of minutes, I felt
her entire body tense before she let my penis pop free of her
lips so she could release another loud cry as her orgasm took her
over.

I could feel the muscles at her opening clenching as each spasm
of her climax washed through her; I prolonged her pleasure by
simply `pinching' her clitoris with my lips, in time with her
spasms. As the waves of her release tapered off, so did my
ministrations to her clitoris. A little longer, and I could hear
the she was breathing almost normally, even though she was still
having the occasional aftershock from her orgasm.

After the last shudder of release passed through her, she
suddenly seemed to realize where she was - and what she'd been
doing before it happened. With a soft growl of lust, she quickly
lowered her head again to take my entire length into her mouth.

Over the next couple of minutes, she continued her oral attack on
my manhood - and it felt great. Between periods of deep-throating
me, she would lick and suck on as much of my penis as she could
get into her mouth while twisting her head back and forth as she
slid her lips up and down my length. Along with that, she was
holding my balls in her hand, rolling them around and *ever* so
gently squeezing them. What she was doing felt so good that all I
could do was to licking at and mouthing her labia and vaginal
opening, collecting as much of her oils as I could.

During a lengthy period of having the end of my penis bouncing
off her tonsils, I felt myself starting down the path toward
climax. When Erika lifted her head again, I managed to reach down
and nudge her high enough to release my hardness from between her
lips.

I heard her take a deep breath before I told her "If you keep
doing that, I'm going to cum."

"Good! I want it!"

"So do I; but I want to be _inside_ you when it happens."

"This is inside!", she declared.

I laughed, and admitted "Yes, it is - but you know what Imeant."

She laughed, too, and said "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to taste
you, too. Particularly after what YOU just did for ME. Or should
that be *to* me?"

"The answer to your question is `yes'" I teased, before
continuing "But wouldn't you like us to finish that way, too?
Shouldn't we save something for next time?"

She moved forward a bit, then turned to look down at me and asked
"Yes, I WOULD like us to finish like that. _Will_ there be a next
time?"

"If you want."

She gave me a wide grin and answered "Oh, I want, all right! Uh,
what do you want to do? Or how?"

"How does the old me on top, us facing each other sound?"

She thought it over a moment, and answered "How about you do me
from behind?"

"Suits me." I answered.

With that, Erika moved from above me to take a position on her
knees beside me. She watched as I got to my knees, too, and when
I got close enough, she pulled us into a kiss that soon had us
taste-testing each other's tonsils.

When the kiss finally ended, she kept her hands on my head long
enough to look into my eyes and tell me "Go ahead and enjoy
yourself. Don't worry about me: what you've already given me this
morning is way more than I could have asked for."

I just smiled and give her a kiss on the forehead before she
turned slightly, and lowered herself to her hands.

She looked back at me from over her shoulder as I moved between
her legs, then forward so my penis was resting in the cleft of
her ass cheeks. I was surprised when she told me "You can have
me... *there* if you want. I've never done it before because I
was afraid it would hurt - but I know that YOU wouldn't hurt me
that way."

"Perhaps next time, if you still want. For now, let's just enjoy
what we have, okay?"

I could see the relief on her face - and mixed with it, a trace
of disappointment, too. I didn't doubt that our next time
together would be `interesting' for *both* of us.

Looking down, I took my saliva-slick penis in hand and angled it
down slightly to where Erika's wet opening was waiting. Wedging
the head between her labia, I pressed forward slightly so that I
was firmly against her opening. Putting my hands on her hips to
hold her steady, I arched my hips forward and felt only a slight
resistance before the head of my erection popped through. Looking
into Erika's face, I could see her eyes close in concentration as
I pressed myself into her even further - burying my length in her
in a single slow stroke.

When she felt my pelvis pressing against hers, she opened her
eyes again before I heard her groan the words "Oh, GOD, that
feels so good!"

As I started to back out of her, I felt her vagina clamp down
around me - as though she was trying to hold me inside. But she
was so wet inside that I didn't have any trouble slipping free of
her. The added pressure and friction felt _wonderful_, though.

With nearly 2/3 of my length free of her, I paused only the
briefest of moments before moving to fill her again. Even though
our previous lovemaking had loosened her, she was still
delightfully snug around me. That, combined with how hot and wet
she was, made sliding into her a form of exquisite torture.

We started out with me moving in and out of her in slow, easy
strokes; but over the next several minutes, the pace steadily
increased. That increase was due in large part to the added
stimulation Erika was giving me: without realizing it, her moans
and gasps and groans of pleasure and arousal were doing as much
for me as the sensation of her already tight vagina clenching
around me with every move she made.

As our enthusiasm increased, so did the volume of fluids that
Erika was creating. With each passing moment, with each thrust
and withdrawal, her liquid essence was forced or drawn out of
her. It wasn't long before I could feel my pubic hair becoming
soaking up her oily overflow as my balls swung forward into the
damp mat of her pubic hair. Of course, as her lubrication
escaped, the scent of her arousal and passion saturated the air.

The sounds and smell of her excitement combined with the
sensations she was creating around my pistoning penis excited me
more and more. Trying to hold off the inevitable, I leaned
forward enough to reach under her to take her full breasts in my
hands. I held her erect nipples between two fingers of each hand
as I felt their warm, spongy weight shift with each thrust of my
hips. With her nipples trapped between my fingers, the shifting
of her breasts resulted in a pulling on her nipples that seemed
to excite her almost as much as my thrusts into her womanhood.

I saw as she shifted her weight to one arm, the other
disappearing underneath her - and a moment later, felt it as her
fingers found her clitoris and began rubbing it in time with my
penetrations. The finger she had on her clitoris was long enough
that it was also touching the underside of my penis, caressing me
each time I slid in and out of her.

The added stimulation was all I needed to start me toward my own
release: try as I might, I simply couldn't put it off any longer.
A dozen steady, hard thrusts, and I could feel my balls tighten
up. A half dozen more, and it was time - pressing myself into her
as far as I could, I could feel it as the first pulse of my semen
erupted in her. Even as I felt it leaving the end of my penis,
she threw her head back and screamed as I felt her get almost
painfully tight around me.

My second wad of jism was literally unable to get through my
penis, she had clamped down on me so tightly. But when her spasm
had passed, and her internal muscles had relaxed a bit, it shot
free with as much force as the first had - and was quickly
followed by a third before she tightened around me again. The
second wave of her orgasm wasn't as strong as the first, and I
was able to pump a couple more shots into her before she relaxed
around me again.

A few more spurts of my semen, and I was done. Tired, sweaty, and
feeling damn good - but *done*. Even the light clenching of her
hot vagina wasn't enough to keep me hard inside her; gasping for
breath, I let my rapidly-deflating penis pull free of her so I
could manage a controlled collapse onto her bed. It was only a
second more before she seemed to do the same thing, managing to
land next to me on her stomach.

With no small effort, I managed to roll onto my side and then put
my arm around her to hold and comfort her as we both tried to get
ourselves back together...

When I woke up, I was flat on my back with Erika kneeling next to
me as she used a damp washcloth to clean up most of the surplus
of our mixed fluids from my crotch. When she saw that I was
awake, she blushed slightly and said "I was feeling kind of icky,
and cleaned up. Then I thought you might like to clean up a
little, too. I didn't want to wake you up, so I just went ahead
and did it."

I smiled, and said "Thank you. `Icky', huh?"

She blushed even more, and said "Yeah, icky. Damn good, and damn
relaxed, but icky. I'll be right back." before heading toward the
bathroom. I heard the water run a few moments, and she was back.

Climbing into the bed, she settled herself so that she was
half-lying on me, with most of her weight on the bed. She put one
of her legs across mine as she propped herself up on an elbow,
then put her other arm on my chest so she could start playing
with my chest hair.

Looking down at me, she said "When I found out you fell asleep, I
started to get upset. Then I remembered that you not only pleased
me three times today, but Abby at least TWICE last night. Then I
wasn't upset any more - only impressed, and grateful."

"Impressed? Grateful?" I asked.

"Yeah, impressed and grateful. Impressed that you could satisfy
two women several times each in so short a time, and grateful
that I was one of them."

"There's no need for either one. That's just what happens when
two people that really care about each other try to make each
other happy. That's why it's called `making _love_'" I replied.

"I thought about that, too. I know that what you did that made me
feel so good wasn't just your technique - though that's
incredible! - but the fact that I knew that you were doing it
because you cared about me, and not just to get your rocks off.
What you were doing felt great, and I would have had orgasms from
it anyway. What made them so strong was that it was YOU doing it,
and that you were doing it to make ME feel good, not just
yourself. And I realized just how much of a *turd* I was last
night."

Wanting to change the subject away from myself, I asked "You said
earlier that you realized why you were thinking about me and Abby
the way you were. What happened that got you going that way?"

She let herself down to lie on her side, still propped up against
me. Settling her head into my shoulder, she said "I was married
before - until my husband started cheating on me. I didn't find
out about it until one of his girlfriends called me because she
was pissed he was cheating on HER. It was a messy divorce that
left me really torn up inside. The only good thing about it was
that we didn't have any kids to get hurt by it. But it was still
several years before I had anything like a regular boyfriend. He
asked me to marry him, and we'd set the date and everything else
when I found out that HE was fooling around on me, too.

She laughed, and went on "I was so pissed; I actually threw him
out of his own apartment. That was almost six years ago, and I
haven't had a boyfriend - at least, nothing steady - since then.
And even the few guys I've been out with, it's been more for
company for an evening out than anything *personal*. Hell, it's
been almost three years since I had a guy in my bed, if you can
believe it."

She rose up to look into my face as she told me "So that's the
story of Erika, and why she was such a catty bitch last night.
Every guy I've loved has cheated on me; and that's why I was so
upset last night when you and Abby seemed so ready to just jump
in the sack. I didn't know it then, really, but I loved you; and
it seemed like you were letting me down by doing what all the
other guys I've loved have done."

I put my arm around her and gave her a hug before she went on
"But then I talked to Amy and Lucy, and got my head on straight.
You're NOT like the other guys I've loved - and I know that I
*do* love you. Like you said, not the run away with each other
kind of love, but the *caring* kind."

Finished, she let herself down to rest her head on my shoulder
again. I gave her another hug, and said "What's past is past. No
blood, no foul - you know better now, so there's nothing for you
to be upset about. You didn't hurt me, and I'd be surprised if
you hurt Abby. By the time you talked to her, she was already
starting to understand what you discovered last night."

"What DID you tell her last night?"

"Knowing your own worth. Not settling for less than you're
willing to accept. Being honest in your heart and mind. Integrity
of the mind and soul. Trusting yourself and your own judgment.
Consistency in how you apply your standards of living."

"And?"

"And that's pretty much it. There was a little more, later, but
most of it was said while we were still outside."

"So tell me."

"Like I said, know your own worth. In your particular case,
you're head of the training division; I doubt that the FBI would
let just any goofus in that job. You don't have to trust anybody
else's opinion of what you do or how you do it - if you're honest
with yourself, you already KNOW if you're doing the best you can,
and doing what needs to be done. If you know your own worth, then
you don't have any reason to settle for anything less than you
know what you deserve."

"Go on."

"From what I've seen, a lot of people's internal conflicts are
because of a contradiction between what their minds and hearts
tell them. If you're honest in both, then there *can't* be a
conflict. If you can get your heart and mind working together,
from the same page, it's amazing how happy and content you can
be. And if you have the integrity to consistently use what's in
your heart and mind, you'll get consistently good results - as
long as you trust your own judgment."

"And?"

"And you learn to trust your own judgment by knowing what your
standards are in life, consistently applying them, and paying
attention to the results."

"Sounds pretty complicated, and like a lot of work."

"Actually, it's not that complicated, but it is something of a
package deal. If you cheat on any one part of it, it pulls the
whole thing down, not just that one little part. As for being a
lot of work, it is, at first. But once you start doing it, it
gets easier and easier as you learn."

"And this making love business?" she asked, with a giggle.

"A physical consequence of abstract ideas. Abstractly, my values
tell me that you're a good person: brave, intelligent, dedicated,
and attractive. Because my heart works WITH my mind, I feel
affection toward you for those reasons. Within my standards,
there's room for me to express that affection physically - with
the amount of physical affection depending on the amount of
emotional affection. Remember what I told Abby last night about
why I would make love with her, and think about it a little."

She did just that for a little while before asking "And how does
Lucy fit into that?"

"Lucy is my wife. Her happiness and well-being matter more to me
than anything else. My commitment to our marriage demands that I
do nothing that would hurt her. But her commitment to me is just
as great, and she both knows and honors the standards I have.
When Amy called, it was Lucy that ultimately decided whether I
would come here, or not. If she'd said `no', then I would have
stayed home - I'd have done everything I could to help anyway,
but I wouldn't be HERE. I would never be together with a woman
like this without Lucy's knowledge and approval. I don't quite
know WHY she's willing to give that approval; you'd have to ask
her."

"Actually, I did ask her. She told me that she knows what kind of
person you are. She told me that she *trusts* your judgment,
completely: if you're willing to give enough of your heart to a
woman to be willing to make love with her, she knows that woman
is a *good* person, and worth your attention - and that she can
trust the woman to know that you're only on `loan'. She also said
that any woman you make love to starts out as a good person, and
they're better when you're done. On that part, I have to agree
with her - seeing Abby this morning, and my own experience, tell
me it's true. I *do* feel like a better person - as much from
what you've talked to me about as from the physical part of it."

"How so?" I asked.

"I was carrying around a lot of baggage from my marriage and
ex-boyfriend, and talking to you like this is helping me get rid
of it. Before I came here, I was feeling a little `down' about my
job - but being out in the field, particularly with you and Amy
and Abby, has helped jump start me again. Talking to Lucy and Amy
has helped me learn a few things about relationships and what's
important in them. And on top of all that, the way you went about
making me feel *so* good while we made _love_; well, that was
just the icing on the cake. I know that having been around you,
I'm a better person. From talking to you and the others, I know
that I can be even better - the way I *want* to be. And after
making *love* with you, I know what it _really_ means to be close
to someone."

With that, she lowered herself to lie on me, her head resting on
my shoulder. I put my arm around her and the two of us just lay
there for a little while, content to be close to each other.

Finally, though, we both felt the need to get up and get moving.
After a quick rinse in the shower - accompanied by a fair amount
of groping and fondling - we `helped' each other get dressed, and
made our way downstairs. There, Abby greeted us with a big grin
and the comment "I don't need to ask if you enjoyed yourselves!".
Erika blushed, and retorted "No more than *I* had to last night!"
before grinning in return.

Abby looked at me and said "When I heard the shower running, I
called Amy, and she's going to bring you a change of clothes. If
the two of you are up for it, I thought it might be fun to do a
little shopping."

I thanked Abby for calling Amy, then Erika and I both admitted
that a little cruise through the mall sounded pretty good.

Several minutes later, Abby got up to answer the knock at the
door - and letting Amy in. Amy came into the living room to find
Erika sitting on my lap as we checked out which stores had what
on sale, the two of us parked at one end of the couch.

Abby went back to the chair she'd been sitting in - dressed only
in panties, the top of her cotton robe open and revealing her
breasts.

Amy set a small bag down, and looking around her, told us "This
is *not* the same group of people that I left last night!", with
a smile.

Erika looked up at her and answered "No, it's the same group.
It's just different people."

Abby followed that by saying "Yeah, _better_ people. At least,
two of us are. The third one was already as good as they get."

Amy just laughed as she took a seat at the other end of the couch
from Erika and me, as we put the newspaper aside.

As she settled into the cushions, Amy asked "I'm going to take it
that everything went well last night, then."

Erika and Abby both looked at me, then each other, before Abby
answered "Everything was *way* better than that last night. Now I
know why you said that there was a world of difference between
sex, and making love. Any you were right about me not being
disappointed. Boy, am I not disappointed!"
Erika and Amy both laughed at the enthusiasm Abby put into the
last sentence before Erika told her "Abby was done with him this
morning - I found her sitting on his lap feeding him toast. After
I talked to you last night - I told them about it - and talking
to Lucy, I knew that I owed both of them an apology. I said I was
sorry, and they surprised the hell out of me by both acting like
it wasn't any big deal. Now I know it wasn't, but then it was
kind of a shock. We talked a little bit, then Abby reminded me
that it was okay for ME to make love with him, too."

She shot Abby a reproachful look, which Abby ignored, and
continued "She wasn't real subtle about it, either, before she
left us alone. I was *so* scared, but Dan just put me at ease. We
talked a little more, and then I had _my_ turn with him. And
you're right - there *is* a world of difference. I didn't even
mind when he fell asleep - AFTER he gave me three incredible
orgasms."

Abby and Amy both laughed, and when they saw the
surprised/curious expression on Erika's face, Abby told her
"Right before she left last night, Amy told me that I *might* be
able to keep up with him - but that she wouldn't put money on it.
I'm glad I didn't take her up on it: it took TWO of us to wear
him out!"

Amy gave both of them a big grin, and said "I wouldn't bet that
he's worn out just yet. Worn down, _maybe_, but not out!"

That earned me an appraising look from both Abby and Erika before
the three of them started discussing what their plans were for
the rest of the day. As they talked, I couldn't help noticing
that Amy and Erika both let their glances at Abby include the
view of her breasts, exposed by her open robe.

After they'd been talking a little, I decided to save a little
time by changing into the clothes that Amy had brought. I made my
way upstairs to Erika's bedroom to change. I was just tying my
shoes afterwards when Erika came in, saying "If we're going out
in public, I'd better change, too" - and doing just that, giving
me a big smile as she stripped to bare skin.

I nodded my head in appreciation of the view before I stood and
moved behind her. I cupped her breasts in my hands - feeling her
nipples erect in my palms - before I kissed her on the nape of
her neck and telling her "Thank you." She turned her head to grin
at me, and said "It's me thanking YOU, Dan. Now, you'd better get
back downstairs before they have to wait for us to clean up
again!"

I gave her nipples a little tweak as I kissed her shoulder, then
released her breasts to make my way back downstairs. There, I
found only Amy - Abby had apparently gone to get ready for our
little outing, as well.

When she saw me, Amy stood up and gestured that she wanted me to
join her outside. We stepped out onto the patio, and Amy closed
the door behind us before telling me "I'm not sure, but I think
Abby would welcome more than just YOUR company in her bed."

"What, just because she was flashing her tits at all of us?", I
teased.

Amy laughed, and said "Yeah, I figured you'd notice that. No, not
just that she was flashing them, but the _looks_ she was giving
me - and even Erika - while she was doing it. And I'm not sure,
but I think Erika might be tempted to take her up on it, like I
am!"

"If you want, I can hint around at the subject, and we can find
out if you're right."

Amy smiled, and answered "Yeah, I think I'd like that. I'm Abby's
supervisor, so I'd have to think about it real carefully before I
let anything like that happen between us - but if Erika's
interested, I wouldn't have any problems like that. And I don't
think Tom would, either!", the last with a laugh.

About that time, we heard the sliding glass door open behind us
before Abby stuck her head out to tell us "We're ready, if you
are."

Amy and I followed her back into the living room, where the three
of them hashed out the details of getting to the mall - finally
settling on Amy and I going in her car, with Abby and Erika in
Erika's rental.

Once at the mall, it didn't take long to decide that the first
order of business was for all of us to grab a bite to eat. With
that out of the way, the next phase was shopping. The little bit
of shopping *I* had in mind took longer than I'd expected - due,
in large part, to the unexpected necessity of getting a consensus
of opinion from the three of them on almost everything I bought;
color, fit, style, all were subject to not just one but THREE
reviews.

Finally, though, I got the things I was after - and the situation
was sort-of reversed when the three of them all sought my opinion
on virtually everything they had an interest in. Of course it DID
have its benefits when they all decided that some lingerie and
sleepwear were needed. The expressions on the different sales
clerk's faces was priceless: having THREE attractive women all
asking the _same guy_ his opinion on their selections didn't seem
to be something they'd ever run into before. Amy, Abby, and Erika
all noticed the appraising looks I was getting from the clerks,
of course - and that only spurred them into trying to do out-do
each other in coming up with the filmiest, almost-nonexistent,
outrageous outfits they could find. It was after they all but
dragged me into a `themed' lingerie store, and proceeded to line
up with French Maid (Amy), Leather Goddess (Erika), and
Cheerleader (Abby) outfits that I called a halt to it: the two
salesgirls were paying more attent!
ion to me than the other customers (who were, in turn, giving me
The Eye).

As the four of us were walking around, checking out the different
stores, I kept noticing several different faces. After a few
casual route changes (at my suggestion), I was sure of it: we
were being followed. I eased us over toward an interior
decoration store that had a few mirrors on display, and while we
were all looking at it, let the others know we were being
followed.

Amy spoke up first, asking "Which ones have you spotted?"

I told her, and she and Erika both used the mirrors we were
ostensibly looking at to locate them. Amy added "Okay, I missed
the one in the blue windbreaker. There's also the kid with the
pony tail and red tie-dye T-shirt."

Erika added "There's also a girl, early twenties, short black
hair, in frayed jeans and a lime green tank-top. I didn't catch
the kid in the tie-dye."

Abby surprised all of us - I think - by telling us "I'm pretty
sure the guy in the black suit, mid-twenties, short pony-tail,
has been following us, too - but he's been staying back farther
than the others."

Once we'd all pooled our identifications of who was following us,
we decided that we needed to find out if there were any others. 
Erika had an idea, and Amy and Abby quickly adapted it to the
particulars of our situation.

We wandered around the shopping mall for a little while longer
before Abby left us to make her way toward the ladies' room of
the store we were in. She returned several minutes later, and
discretely returned Amy's cellular phone. As we passed by the
hallway to the `public' restrooms, Amy separated herself from us
- her goal was the mall security office, just past the restrooms.
The rest of us stood in a small cluster, as though waiting for
her - but generally facing each other so we each had a different
view of the crowd around us.

I wasn't surprised when, perhaps twenty minutes later, one of the
detectives from the local police department - dressed as casually
as anyone else at the mall - started walking a couple feet behind
us. What he had to tell us, though, wasn't as casual as his
attire: the FBI had several cars of agents in the parking lot,
backing up an equal number of local cops. The Deputy Chief of
Police and a senior FBI agent had taken a back way into the mall
security office, and were working out details with the security
force to get, and keep, the shoppers away from wherever they
decided to take down the people following the four of us. When
the details were worked out, Amy would get a call on her cell
phone to let her know where it was all supposed to happen. When
Amy discretely acknowledged what he had to tell us, we stopped to
look in one of the store windows while the detective continued on
past us as though he didn't have an idea in the world who we
were.

It was about ten minutes later that Amy's phone rang. She
answered, giving only short answers as she listened carefully for
about five minutes before the conversation ended. Only then did
she tell us "They've settled on the northeast entrance. Almost
nobody uses it, and there's a bend in the hallway that will let
us out of their sight or force them to close in a little.
Outside, there are several trash dumpsters with police and agents
behind them. Local PD has already gotten officers into the last
couple of stores before the hallway; as soon as our tail gets
past, the cops will fall in behind them. Mall security isn't
armed, so they'll keep any civilians from following us. Once
we're outside, and have some protection, we close the trap on
them."

I thought that over for a few seconds, and suggested "Call them
back. Tell them to keep the outside people as hidden as possible.
There may be a crew outside waiting for us, too. There's too many
following us for them NOT to be up to something, and in a place
like this, I'd leave some of my people outside to act as an anvil
against my hammer. Also, see if mall maintenance can put a few
more of these concrete waste cans in the hallway, and even
outside - us or the cops might need them. Have them give you
another call a couple minutes after they're ready, too. We can
use it as an obvious reason why we're leaving by a different exit
than we came in."

Erika and Amy both nodded, and Amy pulled out her phone to make
the call. It took only a minute before she told the rest of us
"Done. They just asked for five minutes so maintenance could get
the cans in place."

We gave them their five minutes - and a couple extra - before
easing our course around toward the desired part of the mall. We
were perhaps a half-dozen stores from the designated entrance
when Amy got the call. I mentally applauded whoever was
orchestrating this - our departure by this exit would seem
perfectly reasonable. Amy did her part perfectly: her
conversation with whoever had called was clearly serious, as the
rest of us stood there looking at her in `obvious' interest. The
conversation lasted only a minute or so, and after it was over we
just as `obviously' discussed it before Abby gestured toward the
desired entrance. The four of us then made our way toward it -
not rushing, but not dawdling, either.

Only afterwards did we find out that our act had gone off
perfectly: every last one of the people following us thought that
Amy had gotten some kind of official call that needed her
attention, and the rest of us were just going along to keep her
company. Since not one of them was a `professional', they all
decided that this was the _perfect_ opportunity they'd been
looking for, and moved to follow us - making themselves obvious.
Only the guy in the black suit held back - and that only long
enough to radio the car full of people he'd left outside, and
tell them where we were heading.

The four of us were nearing the bend in the hallway when we heard
their footsteps behind us. We shared a smile with each other, and
continued toward the exit. Once there, the area outside looked
like a Monty Python bit on "How Not To Be Seen" - the only thing
moving was a discarded Styrofoam cup as it did lazy circles in a
wind eddy.

The outside walls of the mall veered away from the entrance at
45-degree angles; along both walls, there were a number of trash
dumpsters resting at the bottom of slight inclines (apparently to
keep the wind from blowing the empty ones out into the parking
lot); that put their bottom edges just a little below the level
of the ground behind them - it was all but impossible to tell
that they were serving to conceal a number of local and federal
law enforcement.

The four of us had gotten perhaps fifty yards into the parking
lot - just past a couple of large cement trash bins sitting next
to each other - when a station wagon came screeching to a halt
some twenty feet in front and to the side of us. It had barely
stopped when a half-dozen people poured out of it and started
leveling an assortment of weapons at us.

Behind us, we heard someone shout "Police! Drop your weapons!",
shortly followed by another person shouting "You're surrounded!
Drop the guns!"

In front of us, several police cars came screaming around the
building to take up positions on the other side of the station
wagon in front of us before a panel truck pulled in a little
farther on. The back of the truck opened up, and a number of the
local S.W.A.T. people came pouring out to back up the uniformed
officers.

Even as all this was happening, Amy, Abby, Erika, and I were
taking places behind the concrete trash containers near us. Our
weapons drawn, all of us peeked around the trash cans to see what
was going on in front of us - a look behind showed that the bunch
following us were outnumbered four to one, just counting the law
enforcement we could see on the outside of the mall - and most of
those were between us and our erstwhile tail.

One of the characters in front of us decided to try and keep the
cops busy - apparently so his partners could do what THEY had
come for. Trying to muscle around what looked like an FN-FAL, he
caught a couple of shotgun blasts, firing his rifle only once
into the air before he fell. But that gave his buddies time
enough to find other cover, and start shooting at the four ofus.

We returned fire, of course - but carefully, since we knew that
the cops would be looking to move in on the shooters. Abby was a
little slow getting under cover once, and got a grazing wound
along her forearm. It bled like hell, but didn't stop her from
trying to take out the guy that had done it.

One of them was smart enough to try and move around to get a
better angle on us. Erika forced him down, and when she dropped
to cover, I stayed up - and watched a red fog develop behind him
when I got an aimed shot off.

When he didn't reappear, it seemed to give the others something
to think about, and the shooting slowed considerably - and that
gave the SWAT people the opportunity to move in and get the drop
on them.

As soon as I heard the cops in front of us start yelling
"Clear!", I stood up and yelled for a medic - and it wasn't
thirty seconds before a Fire Department rescue vehicle pulled up
and a couple of EMT people were heading for us. Abby was fired up
on adrenaline and tried to wave them off, but Amy wasn't having
any - "Dammit, O'Malley! You WILL sit down, and you WILL receive
medical treatment, or I'll have you back in the Academy before
dark!"

With that prospect in front of her, Abby sat down again - and
proceeded to have a case of the Shakes. Erika moved to sit with
her, and started talking to her to calm her down while the medics
got her immediate needs taken care of before moving her.

While they were doing that, Amy and I went forward to check on
the bunch in front of us, finding that the one I'd taken aim at
had a half-inch hole in his forehead - and was missing the back
quarter of his skull. The side of the vehicle behind him was an
abstract mess in red and gray.

Back at the mall entrance, the cops had gotten everyone disarmed
and handcuffed. Every last one of our watchers had been scooped
up - including the guy in the black suit. I told Amy "From the
way he was hanging back, I'd bet he was in charge of this bunch.
Probably high enough up the food chain that it would be
worthwhile keeping him separated from the rest of them." Amy
nodded in agreement, and said "I'll make sure they keep him
isolated.", and headed off to talk to one of the supervisors.

By this time, of course, we'd drawn something of a crowd from the
mall - along with a couple of TV news trucks. Some reporter got
past the police lines and stuck a microphone in my face before
asking "Who are you? What happened here?"

I gave her a look that let her know she wasn't welcome, and
answered "Santa Clause. One of my reindeer threw a shoe."

She puffed up and started to get indignant, but before we could
exchange any more words, Amy showed up, telling her "Miss Ross,
this is a crime scene. You have the right to report the news, but
not interfere. Get back behind the police line before I have you
arrested for obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence,
conspiracy, and anything else I can think of."

Miss Ross turned to look at me again, and I just showed her the
empty pistol magazine in my hand. It took her a few seconds, but
she finally got the message: it's probably not a good idea to
piss off people with loaded guns. Especially when those people
have just demonstrated a willingness to USE those guns.

She paled slightly, and didn't object as Amy got a uniformed cop
to `escort' her back to the other side of the police line.

When she was well out of listening distance, Amy told me "The PD
has identified the suit. He's not one of the bosses, but he's
high enough up to know who the bosses are. The rest of them are
just gofers, from a couple of different gangs. Same with the crew
from the car - just hired guns, but from even OTHER groups than
the mall bunch. This was planned, and coordinated across several
gangs. The Cartelita is *definitely* running scared - they heard
about what you did in the jail, and how you got help from the
software companies."

It was when she said that that I got a sudden feeling of dread.

"Amy, there's a leak."

"What? Where?"

"There's a security leak. Somehow, the Cartelita is getting
information about what's going on about this case."

"What? How?"

"I don't know how - but the what is that they're finding out
about the operations against them. How else would they know who
the other agents were that you assigned to try and get the data
off that computer, and get to them? How else would they know
enough to try and ambush ME only a couple days after I got here?
Yeah, they might have heard about the jail thing from some of the
inmates; but how would they know about me asking for help from
the software companies? We only _got_ the help from them in the
last couple of days!"

I could see on Amy's face that what I'd just said made sense to
her - and that she *definitely* didn't like it.

"So what do we do?" she finally asked.

"I'm sure you've got your own resources. Use them. In the mean
time, we've got to cut back on who knows what's going on. You,
me, Abby, and Erika, for starters. Any time we have to talk about
it, we do it someplace we can be sure we're not being bugged."

"Damn right! Dan, you've probably got more experience in this
kind of stuff than I do. What else can we do?"

"I'd think the first thing to do would be to narrow down where
the leak MIGHT be. Right off the top of my head, it's either
inside the FBI, or the PD."

"How do we narrow it down, then?"

"We put out two versions of the same thing, each a little
different than the other. One to the local cops, the other just
within the FBI. Make it something the Cartelita has to act on;
HOW they act tells us which group the leak is in."

"The locals aren't going to like that."

"Tough. If the leak's on their side, they'll understand why. If
it's in the FBI, we apologize. But the important thing is to find
it."

She thought that over for a couple minutes, and said "Okay, how
about if one story is that we've got enough data to start going
after the leaders, and the other is we're on to their suppliers?
They'll either go into hiding if they think they're going to get
busted, or prices will go up if they think their supply will be
hurt."

"I'll take your word for it - I don't know enough about it to
offer anything constructive."

Amy nodded, and said "That's what we'll do, then. I'll get things
started right away."

I nodded my agreement, and she headed off toward where a cluster
of senior cops was talking. I started toward where Abby was still
be tended by the medics. When I got there, I found that they (and
Erika) wanted to get her to the hospital just to be sure there
wasn't anything else wrong. She was insisting that she was fine.
I settled it by telling her to get in the damn ambulance and get
herself checked out - she wouldn't be any good to ANYONE if she
developed an infection or something; if she was okay, then I'd
_personally_ collect her from the hospital. Suitably chastised
and encouraged, she agreed - though insisting that she was by-god
going to WALK to the ambulance under her own power. The medics
had had enough trouble with her that they were past caring *how*
she got there - just as long as she WENT.

When she was gone, Erika turned to me and said "I'm glad you
showed up when you did. I was tired of trying to argue with her,
and was about ready to just shoot her in the leg to get her
moving!", with a smile.

"I expect she'll be all right. This is her first shootout, I
think, and she's just a little jazzed from it, is all. Next time,
she'll be okay."

"IF there's a next time." Erika responded.

"I don't think this is the last one." I told her. When she looked
up at me in surprise, I added "And that's not the least of our
problems."

"What is it?"

I responded by telling her about my suspicion of a leak, and why.
She was quick to accept it, too, and just as readily agreed to
limiting the REAL information to just the four of us until we
found out where the leak was. I went on tell her Amy's idea for
how to find out which side of the fence the leak was on, and
Erika nodded her understanding and agreement.

As we were walking over to where Amy was still in conversation
with the local police, Erika told me "This is the reason that I'm
here, Dan - to LEARN from you. Honestly, it didn't occur to me
that there might be another group besides the ones that were
following us. But when you mentioned it, it made perfect sense;
and I was DAMN glad you thought to have some extra cover put
where we could use it in case there WAS shooting. And that thing
about staying up to get one of the bad guys - I've never seen
anyone do that before, but it obviously works."

"It only works a little while on any particular group - then they
get the idea to use it themselves. It's not something to count
on, past the first couple of times - at least, not unless you're
REAL careful about it."

"Well, it worked this time, that's for sure. I saw the guy you
shot; I didn't know a .45 did that much damage."

"It's not the pistol, it's the loads", I told her.

She looked at me quizzically, and I pulled out the other full
magazine I had, and extracted the top round from it so she could
see both types of loads. She asked, and I explained to her about
what the two rounds were meant to do. She looked up at me in
surprise, and I told her "I hand-loaded all these - and they're a
little `hot', too." She understood that by `hot', I meant that
I'd put in a little more propellant than was normally used. I
followed that by telling her "I changed ammo after that first
attempt - I figured that anyone else that came after me would be
a little tougher to take down."

She turned around to look at the assortment of rifles propped
against the station wagon -  one had been a FAL from Fabrique
National; the others were a mix of AK-47s and M-16s. When she
turned back she said "I can't fault your judgment, or your
thinking, Dan."

"Yeah. Now if we can just get these pukes before anybody really
gets HURT", I answered.

By that time, we were standing next to Amy as she listened to the
Deputy Chief thank her for her assistance. He looked over at me,
and said "And a special thanks to you, Mr. Andrews. Without your
help, I don't think we could have gotten these people without a
LOT more bloodshed, and some innocent civilians getting hurt."

"My pleasure, Chief. Whoever made the last phone call timed it
perfectly."

Amy turned to tell me "That was the Deputy Chief, here, in fact.
And I've also expressed my appreciation to mall security for
keeping people out of the way, too."

I saw a character standing behind and to the side of the Deputy
Chief - his uniform was the same as the rest of mall security, if
a bit flashier. I nodded to him, and gave him a `Good Job.
Thanks!', too.

Amy turned back to the cops and said "If there isn't anything
else right now, Chief, I think we'd like to go home and try to
relax, if we could."

"Go right ahead, Amy. We already know all we need for right now,
and if there's any questions, well, they can wait till Monday.
I'll get a couple of uniforms to escort you."

"We appreciate it. Thanks again, Chief", She answered.

"My pleasure, my pleasure."

With that, the three of us turned and headed in the general
direction of where the cars were parked. As we got close to the
police line, a couple of uniformed officers broke loose to go to
their cars, and then follow us.

As we walked, Amy told us "I kind of let it slip that some of the
information we got off the computer involved the suppliers for
the Cartelita. The Deputy Chief and his bunch lapped it right up
- they think I didn't know I let it slip out. If the leak is on
their side, we should know in a few days as prices start to go
up. If not, I try the other story on OUR people."

Erika and I both nodded, and Amy went on "I really *hate* doing
this kind of crap - but if there IS a leak, and I think there
must be, then we've GOT to know who and where it is."

By then, we'd gotten to where the cars were parked. I told Amy
about my promise to pick up Abby personally, and she just smiled
and nodded her head in understanding. Together, we went over to
let the two cops assigned to escort us what we would be doing.

Amy told me where the hospital was that Abby had been taken to; I
would take Amy's car while Erika drove the two of them to Abby's
place.

Once at the hospital, I started to drive around the parking lot
to find a place to park until the cop escorting me pulled
alongside and let me know that I was welcome to use one of THEIR
spaces. I did, and he quickly moved to park next to me.
Apparently taking `escort' literally, he got out and followed me
into the hospital - though staying a discrete distance away. It
didn't take me long to find out where Abby was, after showing
them my FBI ID (the only use I'd gotten out of it since Amy
handed it to me).

Abby was in one of the exam areas, fussing as the doctors
finished checking her out. She quieted down when I pointed out
that the more she fussed, the longer it would take before they
turned her loose - assuming that they didn't just get aggravated
with her and keep her overnight just on general principles.

On hearing that, one of them turned to give me a grin before
making a few notations on a clipboard. With me standing there
holding her (other) hand, she was a lot more tolerant and patient
as they re-dressed the wound on her arm, gave her a shot of
antibiotics, and prescribed some mild pain-killers and more
antibiotics. She tolerated the lecture to go easy on the pain
meds and take ALL of the antibiotics, and they finally released
her.

As we were heading toward the exit, she asked "Why the uniform?"

"I think he's there as much to make sure we don't get into any
more gunfights, as to keep people away", I answered - and looked
behind me to see him grinning in response.

Amy saw it, too, and laughed.

Back outside, we got into Amy's car, and Abby navigated us to her
place, with the cop keeping position a short distance behind us
until I got the car parked. When I got out, I gave him a small
salute, which he returned with a smile before driving off.

Inside Abby's place, we found that Erika and Amy had found the
liquor, and both had fair-sized glasses of what looked like
pretty strong drinks. Both of them got up to greet us, and check
to make sure Abby was going to be okay. Assured that she was,
Erika left us long enough to make a drinks for Abby and me after
asking our preferences. Amy guided us back to the living room and
got us seated before taking a seat herself.

A few moments later, Erika reappeared with our drinks. On
accepting hers, Abby protested that she really didn't need it.
Amy barely beat me to the punch, telling her "Yes, I think you
do. You just don't know it, yet."

Abby looked at her curiously, but took a sip - quickly followed
by another, much larger one. Only then did I tell her "Abby,
you're going through the same thing that the rest of us have -
the after-effect of your first gun battle. Right after it ended,
you had an attack of the Shakes. That was all the adrenaline in
your system burning off. Then you tried to tell everyone that you
didn't need medical attention - that's the second phase, the
`high' of surviving, when you feel immortal. I think you're
finally starting to hit the third, and final phase: the What-Ifs,
when it finally hits you that you COULD have been killed. You'll
start wondering `What If' this or that, and it'll scare the
bejeezus out of you. It's nothing to be ashamed of - it's
happened to ALL of us, including me. It's perfectly natural, and
there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. And before you ask,
yes, every time you get involved in something like that, it's
going to happen again - not as much, maybe,!
 but it'll be there. That's why you see the REST of us drinking,
too - because we're going through the same thing you are, only
not as bad, since we've been through it before. And that's why
we're here - to help you through it."

Abby took another deep swallow of her drink before setting it
down and turning to me to say "Now I understand what you were
talking about that night - about how the combat range is, and how
it needs to be different. The whole time they were shooting at
us, it was like I was watching myself shooting back - and even as
I was thinking `oh, that's like when the back guy pops out of the
store', I was thinking that the bad guy that pops out of the
store wasn't supposed to shoot BACK. And I could see them
shooting, you know? I mean, the muzzle flashes, and it was so
*pretty*, like fireworks; but then I'd hear the bullets hit the
garbage can, and the way they'd go screaming off hurt my ears.
Then I saw the one guy, that was trying to shoot me, and I tried
to duck down, and I felt this _burning_ on my arm and I thought
"Damn him! He HURT me!", and it made me mad so I tried to shoot
him back to hurt him the way he hurt me...   and...   and...  
And I could have DIED out there!"

The whole time she'd been talking, her speech had gradually sped
up. It only hit her - the What Ifs - as she was talking it out,
admitting to herself just how close she came to death. With that
realization and admission, all three of us saw as she stared into
the face of her own mortality before collapsing into my arms,
great wracking sobs shaking her body. I'd heard that it hit women
harder than men - but I'd also seen a few guys react like this,
too. I hadn't cried, but I hadn't gotten over it easily, either.
And I wasn't about to load her down with the nightmares and guilt
that came from killing another human being - enemy or not. I knew
that I'd have my OWN regrets and bad dreams about what I'd done
that day. The necessity of it wouldn't change in the slightest
the effects from it.

With a scared, crying, Abby in my arms, all I could do was hold
on to her and try to comfort her. Erika and Amy were soon next to
us, doing their part to help her past it, too. All three of us
gently caressed her arms and back as we muttered soft words of
reassurance and comfort to her. It took a while, but she
eventually started to cry herself out. When she did, Erika got up
to get her a small hand towel from the kitchen, so Abby would
have something to dry her eyes and face with.

Eventually, Abby got herself together enough to pull away from
me, and start dabbing at her eyes and face as she snuffled and
sniffed her way toward something approximating normalcy.

Once settled back into her seat on the couch, she picked up her
drink again - and took a couple of big swallows from it to help
settle her nerves before setting it back down again. The rest of
us shared a look - none of us had the courage to tell her that it
wasn't over yet. We all knew that for days to come, she'd wake up
in the middle of the night to seek out the company of other human
beings to reassure herself that she still existed.

We were all surprised when we heard a knock at the door. Amy was
closest, and got up to go answer it - with me behind her, my
pistol drawn. It turned out to be a uniformed cop, bringing us
the bags that we'd left behind at the mall - the bags holding the
stuff we'd bought before realizing we were being followed. One of
the detectives had realized who they'd belonged to, and detailed
someone to get them back to us.

Back in the living room, Abby was staring off into space.
Deciding that a little distraction was called for, I rummaged
around in one of the bags I held until I found something I knew
she'd bought. Pulling it out, I held it up for everyone to see,
and declared "That's weird. I don't _remember_ buying anything
like this. I don't think it would even FIT!"

Erika and Amy both grinned at me as I stood there holding an
almost nonexistent G-string in my hand - until Abby noticed what
I was doing. Blushing furiously, she stood up to snatch it out of
my hands as she exclaimed "That's not yours, it's MINE, you
dummy!" When she realized that I'd been teasing her, she blushed
again, accompanied by laughs from Amy and Erika.

"I don't know why you're so fussy about it now - God knows you
were waving it around enough in the store when you wanted to know
what I thought about it!" I teased, adding "Shucks, the way you
were acting, I thought I was going to get to see you in it!"

That was a challenge that Abby couldn't let pass. Looking me
square in the eye, she said "I'll model MY stuff if they'll model
THEIR stuff!"

With that declaration, she turned around to see Erika and Amy
looking at her - then each other. Erika broke the silence first,
saying "If Amy will, I will!"

That was quickly followed by Amy's declaration "Well, *I'm* not
going to be the chicken, here! Shucks, I'll even go first, just
to get things started!"

And she did just that, taking one of the bags of her stuff into
the downstairs bathroom, and reappearing a couple minutes later
wearing only a pair of French-cut bikini panties and camisole.
Behind the material, her trim bush and erect nipples were clearly
visible. As she walked to a point in front of all of us, we could
see her breasts swaying slightly; as she turned to show us the
back of the outfit, she revealed her nicely-shaped, firm ass to
us.

When she was done, she moved to sit on the arm of the couch, next
to me, before asking "Okay, so who's next?"

"I guess that would be me, since Abby made the challenge", Erika
said as she started toward the bathroom.

She reappeared a bit later to show us the sheer black bustier and
thong she'd picked up. Neither came even close to hiding the
charms she had underneath; and I could see that both Amy AND Abby
had a more than passing interest in both the clothing AND the
wearer.

Erika followed Amy's example, and took up station on the other
side of me; that left Abby with nothing to do but to head off to
make her own change.

She opened the door to reveal that she'd put on the G-string I'd
commented on, along with an incredibly sheer teddy. The G-string
was enough - barely! - to cover her pubis; the teddy did
absolutely nothing to impede the view of her small, firm breasts
- or the erect nipples capping them. The only discordant note was
the bandage on her arm.

As Abby walked toward me, Amy stood up and moved to make her next
change while Abby took her place on the couch arm.

The three of them each went through several such changes - and
each outfit seemed to out-do the one before. It was the damnedest
collection of G-strings, teddies, body stockings, baby-dolls,
negligees, panties, thongs, bustiers, half- and demi-cup bras,
and so forth that I'd ever had the pleasure of seeing. The only
way they didn't show up was naked - and with the things they'd
bought, THAT would have been a let-down.

With the revelation of each outfit, the wearer would draw that
much more attention and interest from the other two. By the time
Amy showed us the last of her purchases - a gossamer baby-doll
outfit apparently made of a *single* spider web - there was a
distinct aura of aroused female in the air; or, more correctly,
the scent of THREE of them.

By the time they finished, it was late afternoon, close to
evening. With the drinks we'd had (we'd each gone through a
couple), and the lateness, all of us were feeling pretty relaxed
when my stomach growled - causing the three of them to start
laughing.

When they'd calmed down again, Abby spoke up, saying "Dan's right
- it IS getting close to supper. Amy, you and Dan are certainly
welcome to stay, if you want."

Here, Erika spoke up to tell us "I don't know about _you_, but
*I'm* not in any mood to cook. How about we just send out for
pizza?"

All of us readily agreed that that sounded like a FINE idea;
after a brief discussion to settle on toppings, Abby got on the
phone to order it. When she hung up, she said "My invitation, so
it's my treat - but I think I'd better change into something a
little more `public' so I don't give the delivery guy a heart
attack!"

Erika and Amy both agreed that they should change, too, so when
Amy started for the bathroom, Erika and Abby went upstairs. Amy
had been sitting next to me on the couch for only a minute or so
when they came back into the living room, taking chairs across
from us.

The four of us chatted about a number of different things until
the pizza arrived. As Abby brought it into the living room, Erika
got us something to drink from the kitchen. Reappearing with four
bottles of beer, she told us "As far as I'm concerned, pizza is
like Mexican food: the only way to eat it is by washing it down
with beer."

All of us agreed, and with the pizza opened up on a table between
us, we all took a slice. When all we had left was the empty box,
Abby took it into the kitchen, then asked if anyone wanted
anything to drink. We all responded that a soda actually sounded
pretty good, and she brought in a can for each of us.

As Abby settled into her seat again, Erika asked me "Well, Dan,
did you see anything you liked?" with a mischievous grin.

"Yup. All of it."

"Anything you liked in particular?" Amy asked.

"Well, that body stocking you showed off looked pretty
interesting", I admitted, before adding "I think I'll get one of
those for Lucy - I think she'd like it, too."

Surprised, Abby asked "Lucy wouldn't mind you getting her
something you saw on another woman?"

"Not at all. Anyway, I read someplace or other that women like
that kind of stuff for a different reason than men do."

"What's that", Erika asked.

"I read that women buy clothes like that to BE SEEN in them -
mostly by other women. Speaking from experience, I know that us
guys usually buy it in the hope of getting the woman OUT of it!",
I answered, making them all laugh.

"Where would Lucy get a chance to show something like that body
stocking off to another woman?" Abby asked.

"Beats me. If she found one she wanted to show it off to, though,
she would. Might even get the same response she'd get from me."

Erika and Abby were both looking at me curiously when Erika asked
"You mean that Lucy might wear it for another woman - and then
take that woman to bed?"

"She might."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Sure, why not? If Lucy's okay with me being with other women -
like she is with you three - why should I mind if she does the
same thing?"

"That doesn't bother you - two women er, making love?" Erika
asked.

"Not in the slightest. Lucy loves me, and I love her. If she can
find happiness and pleasure with another woman, I'm not going to
fuss about it. I'm just going to be happy that SHE'S happy."

"Have you, uh, ever been with another guy?" Abby asked,
hesitantly.

"No, that never interested me. If it's what someone else wants to
do, more power to them - it's just not for ME."

"But you're still okay with Lucy having another woman. You don't
get jealous, or upset, or anything." It came out as a statement,
but I knew that Abby meant it as a question.

"You got it." I answered.

Amy finally spoke up, telling them "I know that what he's telling
you is the truth - because he's been there when Lucy and I have
made love, the same way Tom has. Like Dan says, they're both just
happy that Lucy and I are happy. Sometimes Lucy and I get
together with one or the other of them, and sometimes we're just
with each other. When that happens, Dan and Tom just go someplace
else and find something else to do."

Erika and Abby both looked at Amy with a look of surprised
interest.

Abby spoke up first, asking "You and Lucy have..."

"Plenty of times. Don't get me wrong: Tom's a wonderful lover,
and so is Dan, as you know. But Lucy and I can please each other
in ways that only another woman could."

Erika surprised all of us by admitting "I've never been with
another woman - but I've always wondered what it would be
like..."

For her part, Abby told us "I tried it a couple of times, you
know, in college; but it never really seemed to DO all the much
for me."

Amy laughed, and said "I'll bet sex - making love - wasn't all
that big a deal for you, either, until you met Dan!"

Abby and Erika both got thoughtful looks at THAT idea.

Amy went on to tell them "What Dan did for me about making love
with guys, Lucy did for me about making love with another woman.
I can tell you from my own experience: it doesn't matter if it's
a guy or another woman - if the love and respect are there, then
what happens is *wonderful*."

It was Erika that brought up an obvious question: "But what about
the Bureau's attitude about its agents engaging in homosexual
acts?"

"What about it?", Amy responded, "We're supposed to protect the
rights of others - including homosexual and bisexual people. Why
shouldn't we be free to exercise those same rights? Aren't WE
citizens, too?"

"What will you do if someone finds out?" Abby asked.

"Nothing."

"NOTHING?"

"Nope. If it comes out, it comes out. If the Bureau doesn't like
it, they'll have to decide which is more important: keeping a
good agent - and I know I'm good! - or who I find pleasure with.
Worst thing that can happen is they fire me, and I go to work
someplace where they pay better and don't care who's in my bed."
Amy answered, with a smile. "Please understand: I'm not going to
rub anyone's nose in it, but I'm not going to hide it, either."

Erika spoke up, asking "And how about you, Dan? And Lucy?" 

"I work for myself, so the only ones *I* have to answer to is my
family. Lucy's good enough at what she does that I don't think
they'd *care* what she does with her private time. But even if
they did, we've got enough money that she could tell them to get
stuffed, and we could still be more than comfortable."

After a few false starts, Abby finally managed to ask "Uh, how
much DID you make from the TechnoDynamics case? If you don't
mind?"

"I was working for eight percent of what could be shown I was
personally responsible for recovering. Clara Hawkes put that at
something over three hundred million, so that left me with
twenty-five mil, and change. Uncle Sam took a chunk, of course;
but I've got a pretty good accountant, and I got to keep more
than I expected I would."

Amy had seen my house, of course, and knew that I'd gotten a
pretty good paycheck out of the TechnoDynamics situation. She
didn't know exactly how much, though. All three of them just sat
there looking at me - Amy with only a little less wonder than the
other two.

Erika finally recovered enough to ask "So why are you here, then?
It's obviously not for the money. And from the way you act with
other folks, I know it's not for prestige or status. So why?"

"Like I said the first night: because these characters are
pushing this crap to kids that don't know enough to make informed
decisions. Because they're killing and hurting people to do it.
Because Amy asked for my help, and I CAN."

Abby asked "Isn't Lucy worried about you being here?"

"Of course. But when I told her that Amy had asked for my help,
it was LUCY that told me to go ahead and do it, without me even
having to ask. Sure she's worried about me - but she's also
learned a little bit about what I did in the Army, and she knows
that I can watch out for myself - and that I'm not afraid to ask
for help if I need it. So, yeah, she worries about me - but she
*trusts* me, too."

Just as Abby was about to say something else, Amy's cell phone
rang. She looked surprised when she answered it, listened
intently for a few moments, and handed it to me.

Of course, I immediately recognized Lucy's voice when I heard
"Dan? Something's happened here. Sandra's parents were coming
home from someplace or other, and they were in an accident. Both
of them are dead. The cops say that the car that hit them was
stolen, and they can't find the driver. I need you to comehome."

"Is Sandra okay? Where is she?"

"She's fine, physically; she's here, with us. She's a wreck, of
course."

As I was talking, Amy had quietly let the others know what had
happened; all three were making no pretense of not listening in
to my side of the conversation.

"I'll be home on the first thing pointed that direction. I'll be
heading for the airport right away; I should be there in a few
hours."

I had a sudden thought, and asked Lucy "Are there any cops there
with you?"

"Yes, a couple of detectives."

"Put one of them on."

"Why, what's going on?"

"I'll let you know in a minute. Please, let me talk to one of
them."

"Okay."

I could hear as Lucy got the attention of one of the cops, and
got him to the phone.

"Detective Sergeant di Napoli."

"Detective, this is Dan Andrews. I'm currently working on a drug
case with the FBI, and I'm a little suspicious about the
accident. Could you assign a couple of officers to keep an eye on
my house until I get there - it'll only be a few hours."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Andrews, but I don't have the authority to do
that. A request like that would have to come from my Captain."

"Detective, like I said, I'm working a case for the FBI - its
official enough that I'm packing FBI credentials. Would that make
any difference?"

"No, sir, not over the phone. I think I understand your worry,
but I really don't have the horsepower to do anything likethat."

I sighed, and said "I understand, Detective. I'll go at it from
the other direction. Could you stay there for a little while,
until it becomes official? I *really* don't want to leave my
family exposed, if what I think is really happening."

"Yes, sir, I'll be happy to do *that* - but I can't stay here
more than another hour, even so."

"I think you'll hear something well before then, Detective. Thank
you. Could you put my wife back on, please?"

"Glad to, sir."

"Dan? What's happening?"

"Honey, I might just be seeing things that aren't there, but I
don't like the accident happening while I'm here working this
drug case. I'm going to get some more people to watch out for
you. Until then, the detectives are going to stick around, just
to make sure you and the girls are safe, okay?"

"Okay"

I could tell from her voice that Lucy thought it was anything BUT
`okay', but that she'd do what I asked, and keep herself together
until I got there.

"I'm sorry, honey. I'll be there as soon as I can - a few hours,
tops."

"Hurry, Dan. I don't like this."

"I don't either. But I'll be there soon, and it'll be all right.
Love you."

"Love you, too."

With that, the conversation ended. I looked at Amy and asked "Can
you get in touch with the Bureau office at home, and get them to
make a request for protection for my family?"

Amy's response was to simply take the phone from my hand, and
start dialing. A moment later, we listened as she got the weekend
duty agent, and got patched through to the Bureau Agent in
Charge.

"Sam? Amy Jones here. You know that drug case I've been working
on? Yeah, that one. Well, I've got someone from your area helping
me with it. Dan Andrews. Yeah, him. Listen, his daughter's best
friends' parents were just killed in a suspicious traffic
accident, and he's worried about them. Yeah, we don't like the
coincidence, either. The thing is, the cops can't put anyone
around his place until there's some kind of official request.
Thanks, I knew you'd understand. Listen, he's already made a lot
of progress for us - and they've tried to kill HIM _twice_
already. Yeah. Okay, he's heading back to be with his family for
a while. As soon as I know when he's arriving, I'll call; could
you have someone meet him and get him home? Thanks, Sam. Yeah,
I'll talk to you later."

As she was dialing another number, Amy told me "He's calling the
police right now. You'll have at least two agents at your place
in ten minutes; the cops should be there pretty quick after that.
Whenever you get in, he'll have an agent ready to drive you
home."

She stopped talking to me to tell whoever she'd called "Mike?
Amy. Listen, Dan Andrews needs to get home *now*. Get on the
airline system, and get him the first thing smoking. Better make
it two seats. This is hotter than hot, so make it happen. No, I
don't know when he'll be back; right now, it doesn't matter - we
think our Cartelita players might be up to something. Yeah. Okay,
we'll be at the airport as soon as we can - an hour, tops.
Thanks, Mike."

Amy looked at Erika, and said "I figured it would be a good idea
if you went with him, if you don't mind."

Erika just told her "Of course. I'd have wanted to, any way. Just
give me a couple minutes to grab some clothes" before starting
toward the stairs to her bedroom.

Amy told Abby "Effective immediately, you are staying with me. If
these assholes are going after his family, I want all of us where
we can keep an eye out for each other. Get a couple days worth of
clothes, we'll be going to my place after we get Dan and Erika to
the airport."

Abby didn't argue - she just went upstairs to do her own packing.
A couple minutes later, Erika reappeared in different clothes,
with a small suitcase in her hand. She hadn't any more than set
it on the floor when Abby made her own appearance - changed and
carrying her own small bag.

Outside, Erika and Abby put their suitcases in the trunk of Amy's
car before the four of us piled in. Amy didn't *break* any
traffic laws getting us to the airport, but did manage to bend
the hell out of several.

We'd been moving about ten minutes when she got a call on her
cell phone. The conversation didn't take long, and when she'd put
the phone away, told us "That was Mike. He's got two seats for
you; the airline agreed to hold the plane for you. Airport
security has gotten a heads-up, so you won't have to screw around
with the security checkpoints - someone will be taking you
directly to the plane. You'll be home as soon as we can get you
there, Dan."

I managed to pull myself out of my own thoughts long enough to
tell her "Thanks, Amy."

Even as she'd been talking, Amy had dug out the flashing red
light she had under the dashboard, and stuck it to the roof
before turning it on. With the public at large suitably warned,
she got *serious* about getting us to the airport.

When we got to the terminal, there were two uniformed security
people waiting for us with one of their electric carts. Erika got
her bag out of the trunk, and the two of us took the back seat of
the cart. We hadn't any more than sat down when the driver pushed
the accelerator to the floorboard, and we were off. Five minutes
later, we pulled up in front of the gate for our flight; one of
the gate staff was holding the door open for us as the others
stood well out of the way. As Erika and I hurried down the jet
way, we could hear the engines spooling up as the pilot prepared
to get the plane moving.

They'd barely closed the door behind us when the plane started
backing up; the flight attendants got one look at the expressions
on our faces, and hurried to show us our seats. The other
passengers were obviously wondering who we were that their flight
was held up for us; Erika and I both ignored them. Our seats were
at the back of First Class; the whole time the plane was moving
to takeoff position, the other passengers kept turning around to
stare at us.

We must have had priority clearance; we made the last turn to
line up on the runway, the pilot twisted its tail, and we were
off.

The flight lasted forever, and ended about ten seconds after we
took off. The whole time, Erika had her hand on my arm, trying to
reassure me that everything would be okay.

Our landing and trip to the gate were pretty much the reverse of
our departure; the flight attendants escorted Erika and me to the
door and the ground crew let us head up the jet way before they'd
gotten it properly aligned with the plane. At the gate, the FBI
agent waiting for us simply gestured which way we should go; he
had another electric cart waiting for all of us. As we rode, he
introduced himself as Agent Klein, and told me that there were
four agents and a dozen police watching my house that very
moment. I absently thanked him, and he told me "They're okay, Mr.
Andrews."

I saw him blanch when I looked at him and said "Yeah. But
whoever's after them isn't going to be."

When we cleared the terminal, I saw that there was a car waiting
for us - running, and with someone at the wheel. Agent Klein took
the other front seat, leaving Erika and me to share the back. It
was red lights and sirens all the way to my house - where I saw a
half-dozen cop cars parked, their occupants standing guard.

I'd barely gotten in the door when Lucy, then Robyn and Sandra,
came flying into my arms, crying. I kissed all of them, and
started reassuring them that everything was going to be okay.
Erika simply stood back a little bit while the other FBI agents
looked away to give us SOME semblance of privacy.

When they'd all calmed down again, I got them and Erika
introduced. While the four of them got to know each other, I met
with the man in charge of the agents in my house.

"Mr. Andrews? I'm special agent Garrett Littrick. My orders are
to see to the safety of your family, and assist you in whatever
manner you ask."

"What's the situation?"

"The house is secure. I've got two agents on roaming patrol
inside, and two more doing the same outside. The agents outside
are also acting as liaison with the local PD. Their
Superintendent has promised their full cooperation; you've got
the cops twenty-four hours a day as long as you need them. The
same with the Bureau - we'll be here as long as necessary.
Detectives are trying to run down who the driver of the other car
was, and where he got off to. Eyewitness statements indicate that
he didn't even slow down before the impact. Initially, it was
though to be a drunk driver, hit-and-run; but your involvement
with the Bureau changed that. We can't PROVE that this was a
deliberate action, but none of us likes the coincidence,either."

"Thank you, Agent... Littrick?"

"Yes, sir."

"All of you have my thanks. You can pull the men from inside the
house; anything or anyone gets inside, *I'll* take care of it."

"Yes, sir." The expression on my face must have told him that it
wasn't something open to discussion.

"Help yourselves to whatever's in the kitchen. Make yourselves
some coffee, however much you need or want to keep everyone
alert. If you can limit yourselves to the kitchen, and the
bathroom just off the door to the garage, I'll know that anything
else is hostile. We won't be going outside, so if anything moves
that you can't identify, blow it the hell away."

"Yes, sir."

"And Agent Littrick?"

"Yes, sir?"

"If you find him? I want a piece."

He didn't seem too sure about that idea, but answered "Yes,sir."

As I turned to go back to the others, I saw him pull a radio out,
and heard him give instructions to the other agents to clear the
house. A couple of them passed me on their way, and none of them
seemed particularly reassured by the expression they saw on my
face.

The last one to leave was Agent Littrick, who approached me just
long enough to hand me a radio and say "Just so we can keep in
touch, sir. We'll all be outside, now."

"Thank you, Agent."

When he was gone, Lucy came up to me and said "Dan, we're safe,
now. I think Sandra needs you more than Robyn and me."

I nodded, and went over to where Robyn and Sandra were talking to
Erika; I put on my best `everything's fine' face along the way.

All three of the looked at me, and I asked Robyn "You going to be
okay, short stuff?"

She tried to smile, but couldn't pull it off before she answered
"Yeah, Dad, I will." After Lucy and I were married, Robyn had
decided that me being married to her mother made ME her Dad, not
her biological father. As she'd explained it "You've been more
like a *real* dad to me than HE _ever_ was. I'd rather call YOU
`Dad', than him - YOU deserve it, and he doesn't." Lucy and Robyn
both knew how proud I was at her choice.

I knew that I was going to have to have a talk with Robyn, too -
but I could see that Sandra was the first priority: she was
holding it together by the thinnest of threads.

"Sandra? C'mon, let's go someplace private, okay?"

She nodded, and Erika and Robyn both watched in sympathy as I
walked with her to the family room. Once there, I parked myself
in `my' chair, and pulled her down onto my lap, then against my
chest, my arms wrapped around her.

She tucked her head under my chin, and listened as I told her
"Sandra, I'm sorry. I'm afraid that what happened to your mom and
dad might be because of what I was doing to help Amy. We don't
know for sure yet, but none of us likes the fact that they were
in that accident at the same time I was helping the FBI. If I
could, I'd change what happened to them in an instant. If I'd had
ANY idea that something might happen to them, or you, I would
have done everything I could to protect all of you. Sandra, I'm
afraid they died because of me, and what I was doing, and I'm so
sorry."

I could feel her body shake as she started to cry into my chest.
I could only sit there and hold her until she pulled away from me
a bit. She looked up into my face and told me "I don't blame you,
Dan. I know - THEY know... KNEW - that what you were doing was
important. They... *were*... so proud to know you and Lucy, and
they were so happy that you welcomed me into your house and
family; especially because Mom couldn't have any more kids. I
heard them talking, sometimes, and they were always so glad to
know that I was here with you and Lucy and Robyn - they thought
all of you were a good influence on me. Mom used to worry about
it sometimes, but Daddy was in the Army, too, and he'd tell her
about what kind of people got to be in Special Forces; and then
he'd tell her how much better soldiers had to be - and not just
about the Army stuff - to get into something like what you did.
Both of them were so PROUD of me when Clara Hawkes sent me that
letter, thanking me for helping with t!
hat case you worked on with them."

She went on to tell me "Dan, I know you would have done anything
to keep them from getting hurt, and to protect us. That other
lady - Erika? - told us how much you've already done to help them
break up that drug gang, and I know Mom and Daddy would have
wanted you to do it. Lots of times, I'd hear them say that they
wished people WOULD go after the dealers and suppliers and all of
that. And several times, I heard Daddy say he wished there was
something HE could do, too - both of them were SO worried that
_I'd_ start using drugs. I think that even if they'd known
something might happen, they would have told you to do ahead and
help stop those people. So don't blame yourself, okay? I know you
try, real hard, to keep people from getting hurt when they don't
deserve it, but you can't protect EVERYONE."

That said, she leaned against my chest again, letting me hold her
close. I'd gotten her in there to try and comfort HER - and she'd
just turned it around and put MY mind a little more at ease.
Yeah, she was one hell of a kid.

We sat there for several minutes, Sandra quietly crying into my
chest before I asked her "Sandra, is there anything you need? Do
you have some family that you'd rather be with, or someplace else
you'd rather go?"

I felt her shake her head before she told me "No, I don't need
anything, really - just to be here with you and Robyn and Lucy,
is all. I don't have any other family, except my grandma and
grandpa. They live a couple hundred miles from here; I don't get
to see them very often. This is the only place I want to be."

"If it's okay, then, I'll call them and ask if they mind if you
stay with us for a while. They're your only family, so they'll
probably be the ones appointed as your guardians, until you get
old enough."

"That's okay" she replied - then suddenly sat up and asked "You
mean that I might have to go live with them?"

"Probably. They're your only family, and the court would almost
certainly ask them to be your guardians. Why?"

"Because I don't really *know* them. Like I said, I only saw them
every few years; it's been at least TWO since the last time! And
besides, they're retired, and they really don't have much - how
are they going to take care of themselves AND me? I think they
barely get by, now!"

I pulled her back to my chest and told her "Okay, okay. Don't
worry about something that hasn't happened yet. Maybe something
else will happen so you don't have to go live with them."

"You think so?"

"Maybe. Don't worry about it right now, okay?"

"Okay", she replied, as she snuggled into my chest.

I don't know if it was exhaustion, that it was ME holding her, or
what, but Sandra eventually fell asleep on my lap. As I sat
there, listening to her soft little snores, I thought. Hard.
About a lot of things.

A while later, I heard the phone ring in another room, but
ignored it - I knew someone else would answer it; I was surprised
when Robyn brought it in to me, though. Before I could ask, she
told me who it was: "Muddy". "Muddy" Waters was a guy from my
outfit in the Army. As soon as she handed me the phone, she
disappeared.

"Talk to me, Muddy."

"Boomer, we saw the news tonight, where you and those FBI ladies
got into a shoot-em-up at the mall. You okay?"

"I'm all in one piece. But I'm not okay. Not now."

"What is it?"

"You remember the kids with me and Lucy? Well, somebody decided
to off Sandra's parents. It was supposed to look like a drunk
driver that ran off, but..."

"Yeah." Muddy didn't believe in coincidences any more than I did.
He went on to ask "Is she okay?"

I looked down at her, and told him "About as okay as she can be.
She's not physically hurt."

"That's somethin', Boomer. I got a call from Speedy and Gomer;
both of `em recognized you in the piece the TV lady did. They
wanna know if there's anything they can do."

"Not yet, Muddy; maybe in a couple days. Right now, I've gotta
break up a clusterfuck."

"Roger that. Listen, I know it's late, and you've done had one
bitch of a day. Get some sack time. I'll check back with you
later."

"You've got it, Muddy." - and that ended the call.

I thought about what Muddy had said about hearing from Speedy and
Gomer.

David "Speedy" Gonzalez was simply the best Intelligence guy I'd
ever seen. He had a talent for blending in with whatever group he
was in, in some rather spectacular ways. With my own eyes, I'd
seen him walk down a street in a village - while wearing full
Army gear! - without raising a fuss. In fact, people didn't even
seem to notice that he was there; he'd been able to eyeball the
location of some rather unpleasant people that we'd been sent in
the deal with, and get back out without any problems. The
information he'd brought back from his little stroll was the
difference between our mission being the success it was, and a
complete failure. I was convinced that he could lose himself in
the crowd in a phone booth.

Andy "Gomer" Piles had been our team scout - I was convinced that
he could track a single lizard across the desert, if need be.
More than once, he'd spotted the booby traps, trip wires,
bunkers, and other occupational hazards that had made life
difficult for the rest of us. His skills were all the more
amazing when you learned that he'd grown up in an inner-city
ghetto, instead of the rural environment one would haveexpected.

I was still sitting there, deep in thought, when Lucy came in.
She apparently had to speak my name a couple of times before she
got my attention - I could see the look on her face that she
always got when she re-discovered how intense my concentration
could be.

"Dan, it's getting late."

"I know."

"It's time for bed."

"I know."

"She'll be a lot more comfortable in bed. And Robyn will be there
with her."

"Okay."

Lucy waited a bit longer, then finally moved to take Sandra from
my arms - no small feat, since Sandra (and Robyn, too for that
matter) had both grown significantly in the last couple of years.
Sandra's only reaction was to stop the soft buzzing of her
snores.

When I was standing again, I took Sandra back into my arms, and
with some help from Lucy, got her into position to carry her
upstairs to Robyn's room. Along the way, Erika spotted us, and
fell in behind.

I could see the surprise on Erika's face when we got to Robyn's
room, only to find her standing there naked, waiting to help us
with Sandra. Erika got another shock when Lucy and I both helped
undress Sandra, getting her down to bare skin before laying her
on the bed with Robyn's help, then covering her.

By the time Robyn got into bed, and moved to hold Sandra in her
arms, I think Erika was past being surprised by us. She only
looked on in sympathy with what she knew Sandra must be going
through.

Lucy, Erika, and I stepped out into the hall, closing the door to
Robyn's room behind us. Erika looked at Lucy and me, and it was
Lucy that answered the obvious question, telling her "You might
say we're all closet nudists, if that isn't an oxymoron. Robyn
and Sandra have been best friends since they were toddlers, so
Robyn's the perfect one to stay with her tonight."

Erika just nodded, and I told her "There's another bedroom right
across the hall there. It's got its own bathroom, so you don't
have to worry about bumping in to one of us during the night."
Erika nodded, and I went on to tell her "I don't think anything's
going to happen tonight - but if it does, your job is to watch
out for them. *I'll* take care of anything else."

Erika saw the expression on my face and knew that her best bet
was to do just that: there simply wasn't going to be any
discussion on the subject. She just nodded again, and turned
toward the bedroom door.

Back in our bedroom, I wasn't surprised when Lucy wrapped her
arms around me and started quietly crying into my chest. I didn't
say anything because there wasn't anything TO say - Lucy already
knew what *I* thought about all of what had happened. All I could
do was to put my arms around her and hold her, my cheek resting
on the top of her head. As she cried, I gently rubbed her back as
I softly murmured words of reassurance and comfort - the only
things I _could_ say.

After a bit, she'd calmed down again, and gently pulled herself
away from me. She wiped her eyes and face, then looked up at me -
and saw what *I* thought about everything that had happened: the
pain, the hurt, the sadness, everything that had run through me
from the moment I'd ducked behind the trash containers at the
mall earlier that day.

Just as quickly as she had before, Lucy moved into my arms - only
to be the comfortor instead of the comfortee. Only when she felt
my arms loosen around her did she speak, saying "I didn't know
before, but now I realize that this has been even harder on you
than the rest of us."

She moved away from me again - but only long enough to quickly
take off her own clothes. Naked, she guided me over to stand next
to the bed before starting to undress me. When she removed my
holstered pistol, I saw her pause to sniff at it and give me a
look before she set it on the dresser. After that, it didn't take
her much longer to get me nude, too.

I let her guide me to a laying position on the bed; she quickly
took position next to me, half-laying on me as she held me close.
I put my arm around her, and the two of us stayed like that until
both of us had fallen asleep - quite a while later.

The next morning, I showered, shaved, had breakfast, and even a
second cup of coffee - all as much to delay my next task as to
prepare for the day - before I got Sandra to sit in while I
called her grandparents and had a lengthy, honest talk with them.
They admitted that they were living on a pension, and that having
Sandra come to live with them - which they were quite willing to
do - *would* put something of a dent in their budget. But they
also eventually accepted my offer to take Sandra myself, and even
formally adopt her, after I assured them that I would do
everything I could to make sure that they stayed in her life. As
her grandfather put it "We love her, and would take her in no
questions asked. But we're both getting' up in years, and God's
honest truth, I don't think either one of us has any idea how to
raise a teenager any more. On top of that, we couldn't take care
of her needs the way you could, what with you havin' a proper
income and such. Besides that, every!
thing she's grown up with is there, with you, and I know it'd
break her heart to have to leave all that to live with us. It
hurts me some to admit it, but you can do more for her than we
could, and do it easier. As much as we love her, we both know
that you could do better with her than we could, and that's
what's important - *Sandra's* welfare. She's told us some about
you, and you sound like a right decent fella, Mr. Andrews. If
you're willing to take her in, I think that'd be best for all of
us. We'll get us a lawyer here to do up the paperwork, all
legal-like."

I thanked him for his time and trouble, and said that if they'd
send me the bill for the lawyer, I'd take care of it. He sounded
relieved when he accepted. With the hard part out of the way, I
got Sandra on the phone with them so they could all have a talk -
telling Sandra "Take your time, talk as much as you want. If you
want to go see them, let me know when, and I'll take care ofit."

While Sandra was on the phone, I went to find Lucy - and found
her, Robyn, and Erika sitting around the table in our breakfast
nook. I poured myself a cup of coffee, and joined them.

With a mischievous gleam in her eye, Lucy came right out with it,
asking "So, did you have a nice time at Abby's place the other
night?"

Erika sputtered on her coffee, much to Lucy's (and Robyn's)
amusement. I deadpanned "It had its high points" - deliberately
playing along, and prodding Erika a bit in the process.

"So did you just do Abby? Or did Erika, here, get some, too?"

Erika managed to keep her coffee in her mouth that time, but
turned an interesting shade of red as she tried not to react.

"Judging from the way she's blushing, I'd say that Erika had a
turn, too", Lucy observed, then faced Erika directly and asked
"Right?"

Erika looked at Lucy, then me - and finally realized that Lucy
was pulling her chain. Knowing she'd fallen for it, Erika blushed
a bit, grinned, and finally admitted "Uh, yeah, that's right."

"Did you enjoy it?"

Erika looked surprised for a moment, and after a glance at Robyn,
answered "Damn right!" - with enough enthusiasm that all four of
us started laughing.

Lucy told her "Good! That's what I lent him to you for. While we
were talking, I *heard* Abby tell us she was having a goodtime!"

Erika laughed, and after another glance at Robyn, said "Yeah, she
did."

Lucy had seen both of Erika's looks toward Robyn, and told her
"Erika, its okay. Robyn knows that I share him with other women.
She's one of them. Sandra is another."

That stopped Erika dead in her tracks. She could only stare at
the three of us - from Lucy to Robyn to me, and back again - for
nearly a full minute before she could finally say "Robyn, too?
And Sandra?"

"Yeah, both of them." Lucy answered, as Robyn nodded her head in
confirmation.

"Uh, aren't they a bit young?"

Lucy just smiled as Robyn answered "Not as young as we were when
we gave him our virginity."

Erika just stared again, and Robyn finally told her "I was 13,
and Sandra was 15."

Erika turned to Lucy and asked "And you're okay with this*why*?"

"Because of the kind of person he is. Because Robyn and I were
having our share of mother-daughter problems; and he helped us
find a way through them. Because I remember what it was like for
me when *I* was growing up - and out! Because I wanted Robyn to
be able to find pleasure with men, the way I *wasn't* - until
after I met Dan. Because I knew how mature Robyn and Sandra
*really* were, despite their ages."

Seeing the look on her face, Lucy went on to ask "Erika, do you
*really* think he would have done anything like that unless he
was absolutely sure they were really, truly _ready_ for it?"

Erika thought that question over for a moment, and finally shook
her head, saying "No, I know he wouldn't. And I can see your
point about the other stuff, too. I wish there'd been someone
like him around when *I* was going through all that."

About that time, we saw Sandra in the kitchen; she spotted us,
and brought herself a cup and the rest of the pot of coffee
before taking a seat next to me. Lucy told her "We were just
telling Erika that Dan was the one Robyn and you gave your
virginity to."

Sandra didn't even blink - she just looked at Erika and told her
"What she said is right. Dan *is* the one I _gave_ my virginity
to - but only after he was sure I was ready in my heart and mind
for it."

"He didn't hurt you? You being that young, I mean?" Erika asked.

Robyn and Sandra both just smiled before Sandra told her "Not at
all. My hymen was already gone, so *that* part of it was easy. As
for the rest, well, he was just so gentle with me that not only
didn't it hurt, but I actually had *orgasms*."

Robyn chipped in by telling Erika "The same with me - except that
I still had my cherry. But even when we got to that part, he was
so careful with me that it only hurt for a little bit; then I had
orgasms with him, too."

Robyn and Sandra shared a look before Sandra followed that by
saying "We've heard some of the girls at school talking, and
almost all of them say it hurt them the first time; and NONE of
them had orgasms like we did. When they hear what it was like for
us, they're almost jealous of us." A quick glance at me, and
Sandra continued "I can think of probably a dozen girls that
would be willing to let him have their virginity, if he was as
careful with them as he was with us - even though they don't know
exactly who we were with."

All four of them could see the surprise on my face at THAT bit of
news. Robyn and Sandra both looked a bit guilty at the
revelation; Lucy just looked bemused. Erika wasn't sure *what* to
think.

Lucy and the girls shared a Look before Lucy broke the silence to
say "While we're at it, we might as well tell you the rest of
it."

Erika didn't look all that surprised when she asked "There's
more?"

Lucy just smiled, and told her "They haven't only been withDan."

Erika looked from Robyn to Sandra and back again, and asked "Each
other?"

Both nodded before Lucy said "Yeah. And me, too."

I don't know if it was because she accepted the situation, or
we'd simply burned out her circuits, but Erika didn't have any
visible reaction to that - other than to simply look at me for a
few moments before she got a distant look on her face.

When she came out of it, Erika gave each of us a look before
saying "And I'm thinking that you've all been with Amy, too."

Lucy and the girls looked to me for guidance - they weren't aware
of the conversation that had gone on in Abby's place the day
before.

"Yup. Separately and together." I confirmed.

"Together as in... all four of you? With her?"

"Yup. And all three of THEM with Tom."

Erika just looked at all of us, quizzically, before asking "Okay,
I'll play. Why?"

It was Lucy that answered "Why not? Amy and Tom BOTH helped
protect us when we were there before. We love Amy, and she
married Tom. We love Tom, too. So why not? It's not like we all
just jump on a bed and have at it; sometimes it just one of us
with Amy or Tom or both. Other times, it's a couple of us with
one or both of them. It's whoever's interested AND _willing_."

I told Erika "It's been about any combination you could think of,
except for me and Tom - neither one of us has any interest that
way. When all of THEM get going, Tom and I just find someplace to
talk and drink beer until they're done. As long as they're all
happy, Tom and I are happy."

"And as long as Tom's happy, Amy's happy; the same way WE are
when HE'S happy." Robyn added.

Erika looked at all of us again, and asked "And that's what it's
all about with all of you, isn't it? About loving each other, and
wanting each other to be happy?"

Sandra grinned and told her "You got it. That's the whole
secret."

Lucy told Erika "When you had him in bed with you, I'll be you
asked him about it, didn't you? And he told you pretty much the
same thing that the rest of us have, didn't he?"

Erika didn't even respond to Lucy's comment about me being in her
bed; she just nodded in reply.

Robyn told Erika "That's WHY we do it - because we all love each
other, and want to make each other happy. The HOW we do it just
isn't as important to us, is all."

Sandra spoke up again, saying "Robyn and I both have boyfriends
from school. But because of what we have together, and with Dan
and Lucy, neither one of us felt like we had to `do' anything
with any of they guys we went out with, or they guys we have now.
Because we have more choices to us, we're both a LOT more choosy
about who we go out with, and what we do with them. Neither one
of us feels pressured to do anything we don't want to. Don't you
think that's a _good_ thing?"

Erika slowly nodded in response before telling us "That much I
have to agree with. When I was your age, there was a LOT of
pressure to go out with certain guys - and most of them didn't
deserve the attention. If you two can resist that kind of
pressure, then good for you! But don't the other girls say
anything about you?"

Robyn and Sandra shared a look before Robyn told her "We've heard
a few comments - but we don't much CARE what other people say.
Our friends like us because of who we are, and know that the ones
talking about us are either jealous of us, or are the ones that
would do anything with any guy they went out with. If they don't
respect themselves, why should anyone else respect what they have
to say about other people?"

Erika just blinked at that before turning to Lucy and asking
"Were they that mature when they were younger - when they gave
themselves to Dan?"

Lucy smiled, and said "When it mattered. Do you think he would
have taken them up on it if they weren't?"

Robyn spoke up again to tell Erika "At first, all I wanted was
for Dad to have sex with me - and he wouldn't do it. I know I
pushed him pretty hard a few times, trying to get him to, uh, DO
me; but every time I threw myself at him, he'd just stand me up
and send me on my way. It wasn't until I really *understood* what
it was I was asking him - and could prove to him that I did -
that he finally even CONSIDERED it."

Sandra followed by telling Erika "The same with me. Even when I
was trying to get him to be my first, the MOST he'd do was do
something else to make me feel good - showing me that I didn't
have to do THAT."

Lucy spoke up again, saying "I don't doubt for a minute that he
gave both of them PLENTY of chances to back out without feeling
bad, even AFTER they showed him they were ready. He did the same
thing with me, a grown woman. I had to make myself REAL obvious
to get him started with me."

Erika gave me an appraising look before asking Lucy "And how did
you get started with them?"

Lucy laughed, and said "It's actually pretty funny, looking back
on it. They knew Dan and I were getting intimate, and I knew
about Dan and them, and the two of them together. Dan and I
shared some `pillow talk' one night, and he got me to admit about
my own first time with another girl. But the smart son of a bitch
caught on that there was more than I was willing to face, and
finally got me to admit that I found THEM attractive, too. After
I heard the truth about some of the stuff he did in the Army, I
decided it was time I started being honest, too - and I told the
two of them that I knew they were making love with him. Then I
told them I knew they were making love with each other - and that
I was a little jealous of what they had, and why. THEY told ME
that I was welcome to make love with them. I was *so* scared -
but they calmed me down, and we had a _wonderful_ time."

Erika looked surprised, and said "THEY invited YOU?"

Lucy laughed, and said "They sure did. All the talks I'd had with
Robyn, and the ones they'd BOTH had with Dan, made them
comfortable enough with the idea of making love with another girl
that they simply didn't see any reason _not_ to. They were *that*
relaxed about it!"

Erika turned to Robyn, who just said "We both know we like guys -
at least, ones like Dad - just fine. But sometimes it's nice to
have fun with another girl, too. I just figured if I - we - could
make Mom feel the way we did when Sandra and I are with each
other, why not? I mean, I love her and everything, and I like it
when she's happy."

At that, Lucy just smiled and said "See what I mean? They're both
so at ease with it. It took me a while before I was as relaxed
about it as they are. Different upbringing, of course, but I
finally got past it."

Seeing the look on Erika's face, it was Robyn that finally
dragged it out in the open by asking "Erika? You've never been
with another girl? Not even a little bit?"

"No, never. Not even a little bit."

Robyn and Sandra exchanged a look before Sandra told her "If you
want to... Well, Robyn and I - or just one of us, even - would be
glad to help you find out what you've been missing. You don't
have to be embarrassed or afraid or anything, and if you decide
you don't like it, well, that's okay with us, too. I mean, nobody
HERE is going to care, either way; and I think it would be too
bad if you didn't at least find out if you like it."

As she looked around at all four of us, we could see Erika
thinking about the offer she'd just received. Lucy and I each got
a fair amount of attention from her; but when neither one of us
indicated any concern about it either way, she gradually let
herself focus on Sandra and Robyn. The two of them just sat
there, waiting to hear what she had to say, ready to accept
whatever answer she gave them.

Several minutes went by before Erika finally spoke, telling them
"I... I think I'd like that. I know how happy Dan made me feel,
and I want to find out if I can feel that way with someone else,
too."

Both of them smiled at her answer, and it was Robyn that asked
"Would you like it to be both of us, or just one?"

Erika hesitated a moment before answering "Uh, both, I think. I'd
like to see what you, uh, do, and kind of join in when I'm
ready."

Sandra told her "That's fine. Nobody's going to push you to do
anything you don't want. Whatever you're comfortable with,
whenever you're ready."

Erika gave them a nervous smile and asked "Um, would now be okay?
Before I chicken out?"

Sandra and Robyn both laughed before Robyn told her "I don't
think you'll chicken out. We'll be happy to help you learn
whenever you want; now is fine, but if you want to wait a little
while, that's fine, too. Like Sandra said, whenever you're
ready."

Erika was visibly relieved to hear that the timing was up to her
- she was a little more certain of herself when she told them "I
think I'm ready now."

"If you want, I think I can help you KNOW if you're ready now",
Sandra offered.

Erika just nodded her agreement, and Sandra got up to go around
the table to kneel down next to Erika's chair. Reaching up,
Sandra took Erika's face in her hands, and gently pulled it down
so the two of them could share a kiss. Even from where I was
sitting, I could see that Sandra was making it as soft and
*inviting* as she could.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but when it ended, all of us
could see that Erika's mind was made up. She confirmed that by
telling Sandra "Yes, you DID help me. I *know* I'm ready."

Robyn got up then, and went around to Erika's other side while
Sandra stood up. Together, they guided Erika to a standing
position before Robyn kissed her, too - the same way Sandra had,
and with the same results. None of the three of them took any
notice of Lucy and I as Robyn and Sandra each put an arm around
Erika, and started walking with her toward the stairs that led to
the bedrooms upstairs.

When they were out of sight, Lucy looked at me mischievously, and
said "I think we've got another one!"

I just laughed, and said "Looks like. If she can like girls, too,
those two will sure help her find out!" - and earning a laugh
from Lucy.

When we'd finished our coffee, Lucy suddenly got a serious look
on her face, and told me "Dan, I know *something* happened - I
could smell that you'd fired it when I took it from you last
night. I know you can take care of yourself, and I can see that
you weren't hurt; but, dammit, don't hide stuff like that from
me, okay? I already knew you were in danger when you went there -
YOU told me that Amy lost a couple of her people before she even
called you, remember? You don't have to tell me all the gory
details of what happens, but at least tell me when it DOES
happen, okay? Even if it's just to say that there was some
trouble, but you're not hurt?"

I saw the concern in her eyes, and had to admit to myself that
she DID have the right to know.

"Okay, something happened yesterday, but I'm okay." - that
prompted Lucy to stick her tongue out at me - "There were some
people following us - me, Amy, Abby, and Erika - at the mall. We
got some help, and we managed to catch all of them. Some of them
didn't want to give up, and there was some shooting. Abby got a
little grazing wound on her arm, but she's fine; a couple of the
bad guys got killed."

"Abby's okay? Really?"

"She's fine, other than being shook up about her first shootout.
She got a scratch on her arm; it didn't even need stitches or
anything. They took her to the hospital to make sure she was all
right; the docs just put a bandage on it, gave her some mild
painkillers, and a load of antibiotics to make sure it didn't get
infected. She was well enough to join in the lingerie show they
all gave me after we got back to Abby's place and had something
to drink to calm our nerves."

"Lingerie show?" Lucy asked, amused.

"Yeah. We all went to the mall so I could get some stuff for me;
while we were there, they all decided they needed some new filmy
nothings - and had to know what I thought about everything they
bought."

"And there was a lingerie SHOW because... ?"

"Because Abby was kind of rattled by it all. I thought it might
help get her mind on something else, so I pulled something out of
one of her shopping bags - a g-string, I think - and waved it
around a little while I pretended I couldn't remember buyingit."

Lucy laughed, and said "And then?"

"She snatched it out of my hand, and claimed it was hers. I
teased her by saying that after the way *she'd* waved it around
in the store, I thought she was going to model it for me.
Surprised the hell out of me when she said she WOULD - if Amy and
Erika would, too. They agreed, and damned if they didn't."

"Broke your heart, too, I'll bet." Lucy teased me.

"Broke it something fierce", I teased back.

"See anything you liked?"

"Sure. But nothing as nice as what I knew I had waiting for me at
home."

The smile I got for THAT line was enough to remind me why I loved
her so much.

Lucy came around the table to take a seat on my lap before asking
"So, did you miss me?"

I got a mock-surprised look on my face and asked "You were gone?
When? How long?"

She grinned, and playfully slapped at my chest before saying "No,
you were, silly", followed a few moments later with "I missed
you."

"Me, too."

"Even with Amy to keep you company?"

"ESPECIALLY with Amy to keep me company."

She got a puzzled look on her face, and I told her "Amy's nice -
but she's not YOU."

Lucy got a delighted smile on her face, and stood up. Taking my
hand, she told me "C'mon. I'll show you how much I missed you."

I stood up, too, and answered "And I'll try to show you how much
_I_ missed *you*."

"I was hoping you would!"

As we went down the hall to our bedroom, we heard gasping and
moaning coming from behind Robyn's door. Lucy and I both knew
what Robyn's and Sandra's voices sounded like, of course - and
that wasn't it. Lucy and I just shared a grin as we kept going.

Back in our bedroom, Lucy closed the door behind us before the
two of us embraced long enough to share a kiss as each of us
tried to let the other know how much they'd been missed.

When we finally came up for air, Lucy stepped back from me a bit.
Looking up at me, she told me "One or the other of the girls - or
even both! - kept me company most nights. It helped, some - but
it's just not the same, either. They don't hold me the way you
do, they don't kiss me the way you do, and they *sure* don't feel
the same laying next to me."

I just smiled, and answered "That's what I felt, too. I know we
both love Amy, and I'm sure you'll feel the same way about Abby
and Erika. But *you're* the one I want, not them."

"And I want you, too - _now_."

With that, I could see Lucy's nipples harden under the light
blouse she was wearing - even as she reached up to start
unbuttoning it. In less than a minute, she shrugged it off her
shoulders to let it fall to the floor. As she did, her firm
breasts wobbled slightly on her chest and caused an involuntary
twinge in my inflating penis.

Next to go were the pants she was wearing, revealing the
miniscule and nearly transparent panties she had on underneath.
Only a few seconds later, she stood before me, naked as the day
she'd been born - but certainly much better looking.

 From her short blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes, to her
medium-sized breasts with their small dark pink nipples, to her
firm belly and trim hips, and ending at the neatly-trimmed dark
blonde vee of sparse pubic hair topping her slender, shapely
legs, she was a delightful vision. I could feel my erection
growing in the confines of my pants as I looked at her for a
minute or so before starting to take my own clothes off.

Lucy stood as I had, watching and waiting patiently, as I did;
only when I was as naked as she was did she move forward to let
me put my arms around her again. Just as she knew I could feel
her hard nipples pressing into my chest, I knew she could feel my
semi-erect penis pressing against her belly. As we shared another
kiss, I could feel her nipples get longer - just as my increasing
hardness pressed against her even more.

When our kiss finally broke, both of us were panting slightly in
our desire. Without a word, Lucy took my hand and led me over to
the bed, then on down to lay on my back. Satisfied with my
position, she moved to kneel across my hips so that her soft bush
was tickling my penis. Leaning forward, she put her hands above
my shoulders so that her smooth breasts were hanging down in
invitation. Our eyes locked, and we silently exchanged our vows
of love and commitment to each other. With that reaffirmation, I
lifted my head to take one of her nipples in my mouth.

The taste of her skin on my tongue delighted me all over again as
I felt her areola erect in my mouth. Only when I couldn't get her
nipple any longer or harder did I move my attentions to the other
breast, and start repeating my actions. As I did, I heard her
soft moan of pleasure as her hips started an almost involuntary
rocking. When I moved my hand up to hold and softly squeeze the
firm/soft mound of the breast I'd just abandoned, I felt her
press herself down to start rubbing the outside of her vagina
along the length of my almost fully-erect penis. Even as I was
sucking the end of her breast to the same puckered peak, I felt
her female essence being deposited on the underside of my penis.

Over the next few minutes, I went back and forth between her
breast to suckle at each of them in turn as my hands caressed and
gently squeezed them. In return, Lucy continued to stimulate
herself by rubbing herself against my erection - spreading her
oils along my length and rubbing her clitoris against it.

When she was ready, Lucy raised herself up enough to let my
erection lift free of my belly. With only a little wriggling, she
managed to get the head of it positioned against her opening
without using her hands. With only minimal squirming, she managed
to press herself back against me enough to get me past her slick
opening. Satisfied that I was suitably captured, she raised
herself up so that she was sitting above me. Closing her eyes,
she moaned deeply as she let herself down - taking me into her in
a single, slow motion. She stopped only when she felt her pubis
pressing against mine; and only then did she open her eyes to
look down at me with a gentle, satisfied smile on her face.

Both of us enjoyed the sensation of being joined that way; it was
several long moments before Lucy leaned forward again to put her
hands on my chest to steady herself as she slowly raised her hips
to let me slightly free of her intimate grasp.

As she did that, I reached up again to take her breasts in my
hands. They were far enough away that I couldn't reach them with
my mouth, so I let my hands do what my lips couldn't: hefting
them slightly to refamiliarize myself with their size and weight,
caressing them to marvel at how smooth the skin was, gently
squeezing them to delight at how soft - yet firm - they were, and
tracing their tips with my fingertips to keep her areolas erect
and nipples hard.

In response, Lucy did much the same to me. Her hands traced the
shape of my pectorals, digging her fingers into the muscle, and
letting her fingertips map the scars that I knew both hurt her
because of their existence, and made her proud because of how I
earned them. In addition, she would pause to rest her legs every
so often, using her internal muscles to continue stimulating me.

As time passed, our mutual arousal increased - as did Lucy's
gasps and moans of pleasure. Under my hands, I could feel her
breasts tightening as her pleasure increased; under my
fingertips, I could feel that the ends of her breasts continued
to stand at attention, as well.

With the steady increase in her pleasure and excitement, the
frequency and duration of Lucy's `rest' periods decreased. Along
with the decrease in pauses, there was a steady rise in the
liquid sounds of Lucy's self-impalement on my male sword - and
the musky, heady scent of Lucy's female essence.

After I felt Lucy's vagina clenching around me a few times, I
knew that she was getting close. I wasn't surprised, then, when
she suddenly froze above me for a moment before pressing herself
down onto me as hard as she could. I felt her vagina tighten
around me even as she released a deep moan of pleasure. Having
made love with Abby and Erika so much and so recently, I wasn't
feeling any real need to seek my own climax - at least, not until
I felt Lucy's hot, wet sheath start fluttering around me in a
pattern that ran from the base of my penis to the head, then
start again at the base. By the time her orgasm started to taper
off, I was looking forward to my own release.

When the sensations of Lucy's vagina clenching and fluttering
around my erection began to taper off, I gently pulled her down
into my arms, then carefully rolled both of us over so that I was
resting over her on my hands and knees. Still embedded in her, I
saw her eyes fly open when I eased my hips back to slowly slide
my glistening penis out of her. When only the glans was still
inside her, I hesitated a moment before pressing myself back into
her - and delighting in the way her hot, wet vagina clenched
around me until our pubic hair merged.

As I backed out of her again, I looked down to see her vaginal
lips being pulled away from her opening, only to disappear again
as they guided me into her hot, oily sheath. Her pelvis rose up
in welcome as she spread her legs to let me plumb her depths even
further.

Over the next few minutes, the speed of my strokes in and out of
her tight channel slowly increased. With the increasing tempo of
our love-making, Lucy spread her legs even father apart, then
raised her knees to tilt herself up to me - opening herself to me
completely. With each inward thrust, I could feel our pubic bones
bumping and knew that each such collision was applying pressure
to her erect clitoris. Even as I was looking at her during this,
I could see her face, and then neck and shoulders darken with her
blood as her arousal increased. By the time it spread to include
the upper slopes of her breasts - capped by her puckered areolas
and extended nipples - I was finally getting close to my own
climax. My erect penis was a steel bar, wrapped in flesh and
coated with her oils; her tight, hot, slick sheath - and the
sensations she was creating around me - were incredible. There
finally came the time when I couldn't hold back any longer: I
felt my balls draw up and my pen!
is tighten as I prepared to flood her with my juices.

A few fast, hard thrusts and I buried myself in her as far as I
could - feeling the first fiery hot jet of my semen erupt from my
erection. Even as I tightened to fire another load of my sperm
into her, she all but screamed her pleasure as she clamped down
on me yet again.

Back and forth we alternated, a flood of my hot jism washing over
her cervix followed by the feeling of her vagina milking my penis
to pull even more out of me. Only after she'd gotten every last
drop of semen I had did I feel my balls relax. But Lucy's orgasm
wasn't over yet, and the sensations she was creating around me
kept me erect in her far longer that I would have thought
possible. Finally, though, she lowered her legs to the bed before
looking up at me with an expression of delighted satisfaction on
her face. Without her added stimulation, it didn't take long for
my penis to soften; then finally shrink far enough to pull free
of her. When it did, she only guided me to lie down on the bed
next to her. I moved to lie on my side, and she lifted her legs
in invitation for me to curl them under her - it was one of her
favorite ways for us to cuddle: me curled up on my side while she
`sat' on my `lap', her legs draped across mine. I put my hand on
her belly, and she quickl!
y took hold of it and moved it up to her breast, holding it there
as she let her other hand rest on my thigh as her fingertips drew
soft, lazy patterns on my skin.

I let my thumb softly drift back and forth across her nipple
while I held the firmly spongy mass of her breast in my hand. She
turned her head to look at me, and she won my heart all over
again - I couldn't help but wonder and delight at my good fortune
at having her in my life.

I kissed her on the forehead, and she smiled at me before saying
"Yeah, I guess you DID miss me!"

We lay there like that for quite a while before finally deciding
that we'd better see if Erika needed rescuing from Robyn and
Sandra.

Showered, dressed, and both of us considerably more relaxed, we
left our bedroom, only to find the door to Robyn's room open
slightly. Inside, we could hear Robyn's shower running. We shared
a look, and made our way to the kitchen, where we were surprised
to find Robyn and Sandra engaged in making lunch for all of us -
including the FBI and cops, if the amount of food they were
preparing was any indication.

When they saw us, both girls just grinned at us before turning
back to their cooking. Lucy asked "Where's Erika?"

Sandra paused long enough to tell us "Oh, she's coming."

I couldn't resist the temptation, and with a surprised-sounding
voice, asked "STILL?!"

It took a moment before the two of them got the joke. They just
looked at each other, and then broke into laughter. Even Lucy
thought it was funny, and joined in. By the time the three of
them started to calm down again, Erika had joined us - which only
prompted them to have another fit of laughter when they spotted
her. Erika was left standing there, smiling uncertainly, while
she watched the three of them laughing so hard they cried.

It was Lucy that finally noticed Erika's expression, and took the
time to explain what had first prompted their laughter - earning
me a dirty look - and how her appearance had gotten them going
again, which caused Erika to blush furiously.

With lunch nearly ready, I got on the radio that Agent Littrick
had left with me. The person that answered identified himself as
Agent Williams, and said that he'd be right with us. A couple
minutes later, there was a knock at the back door; Erika kept me
company as I went to let Agent Williams in. He seemed to know who
Erika was, and didn't pay much attention to her as I told him
that we had some food ready for anyone that was so inclined:
fixings for roast beef sandwiches, chips, and their choice of
sodas or coffee.

He thanked us, and I asked him "Any word yet?"

He shook his head and answered "We've got some tips, but nothing
solid yet."

I nodded my understanding, and pointed out where the food was set
up. He thanked me again before Erika and I took seats in the
breakfast nook. While the five of us were having our lunch, we
saw a number of the cops and Bureau people come in to get
something to eat. Each time they saw us, they'd give us a smile
and brief wave of thanks.

Erika turned to me and said "That's a nice touch, feeding
everyone."

I responded by telling her that it hadn't been my idea - that
Robyn and Sandra had done it. She looked surprised, and turned to
ask them "What made you think to make lunch for all of them?"

It was Robyn's and Sandra's turn to be surprised before Robyn
told her "Why shouldn't we?", to which Sandra added "*I'd* sure
want something to eat, if I was them. And besides, it's US
they're watching out for!"

Erika just shook her head, and told Lucy and me "Whatever you
folks are doing to raise these young _ladies_, you should bottle
it, and sell it. I know so-called *adults* that wouldn't think
about the stuff these two do."

Sandra and Robyn both looked pleased at the compliment, and Lucy
just smiled before telling her "It's easy, really. Love them. Be
honest with them. SHOW them how to be the kind of person you want
them to be. Be there for them when they need you. After that, the
rest of it pretty much falls into place."

Erika just gave her a wry grin before turning to me to ask
"Anything going on for this afternoon?"

I thought for a few moments before telling her "Not that I know
of, at the moment. I'm going to check to see how some of my
customers are doing, is all. Lucy already called in, and the
school is fine with Robyn staying out with Sandra", and getting a
nod in return.

With that settled, Robyn and Sandra excused themselves to go up
to Robyn's room. I followed by telling Lucy and Erika that I'd be
in my office; Lucy told Erika that it was the small building next
to the pool. Lucy and Erika seemed content to sit where they
were.

When I stepped outside, I saw Agent Williams and another man
talking. Agent Williams hurried over to see what I needed. I just
told him that I was going to be doing some work in my office.
Then I let him know that none of us had any plans to go anywhere
the rest of the day - but that if we DID have to go someplace,
we'd be sure and give him plenty of warning. Satisfied, he went
back to the other agent so the two of them could continue their
conversation.

Once inside my office, I moved to my computer and checked to see
if any of my customers needed anything. A couple of them had sent
emails telling me that they had some work for me, if I had the
time. I responded to them by telling them that I was involved in
a family emergency, and didn't know when I would be free, but
thanking them for contacting me.

The next order of business was to get myself a soda from the
small fridge I kept in my office, and get comfortable - I had
some *serious* thinking and planning to do.

-----

It was late afternoon when the phone rang. I looked at it and saw
that it was a call on our `home' line, not my business line, so I
was surprised a few moments later when I heard Lucy come on the
intercom to tell me that it was Muddy calling.

I quickly picked up the handset, and answered "Good to hear from
you, Muddy."

"Good to hear you soundin' better, too, Boomer. You doin' better
today?"

"Some better. Lucy and the girls are covered, and we're getting
things straightened out."

"Glad to hear it. But do YOU need anything?" he asked.

"Answers, mostly."

"Any that I got?"

"As a matter of fact, yeah. You said Speedy and Gomer called?"

"That they did. Why?"

"What are they up to these days?"

"Speedy's got his own detective agency. After he got out, he got
his Private Investigator papers, and he spends most of his time
chasing after husbands that done forgot they're married. Gomer's
got his own gig being a private guide for hunters and such. He
ain't gettin' rich, but he's having more fun than's legal, and
he's getting along okay. You got something in mind?"

"Maybe. They busy?"

"Its off-season for Gomer, and Speedy told me that if you wanted
him, he had plenty of worker bees to take his cases. And you damn
sure know you got my help."

"If I needed you, I'd ask, Muddy. No, Speedy and Gomer are just
the guys I need, if they're still willing."

Muddy just snorted before answering "Damn straight they're
willing. We been through too much shit for them not to - we still
gotta watch out for each other, right?"

I sighed, and answered "Yeah, I guess we do at that, Muddy. Okay,
have them give me a call tomorrow morning, would you? Together
would be better, but separately is okay, too. Collect, if it's
easier or better for them."

"You got something planned? What is it?"

"Yeah, I got something in mind - kinda like what we used to do.
Nothing I'd talk about over an open line, though."

I could *hear* Muddy's smile as he said "Gotcha. Sure you can't
use me, too? It's been a while, but I `spect I could still
remember the moves."

I laughed and told him "Hell, I *know* you could! But I'm going
to be headed back that way in a couple days, and I might need
some help there, too. Better you stay where you are."

"You got it. I'll get word to Speedy and Gomer", he answered,
before adding "Check six" as a reminder to watch my back, my six
o'clock position.

"Damn straight!" I answered before we both hung up.

-----

Supper - for us and our protectors - was pizza, after we let the
Bureau agents know to expect the delivery guy. One of the agents
volunteered for the job when Lucy suggested that we should
probably get more sodas for the folks outside.

We spent the evening watching movies on cable TV; Lucy and Sandra
kept me company on one couch while Robyn and Erika snuggled on
the other. Wacko, our cat, decided that Erika's lap was an
acceptable place to nap on, and purred loudly whenever Erika
would rub her ears. When it got late, we all decided that it was
time for bed by mutual accord. As Robyn and Sandra were
straightening up the den, Lucy pulled me aside to tell me "She
hasn't said anything, but I think Sandra would like some private
time with you. Robyn and I will stay with Erika." I nodded my
agreement, and when the five of us headed out of the den, I
casually moved to put my arm around Sandra. When he others moved
ahead of us, Sandra just looked up at me and smiled.

When we got close to the bedrooms, we all wished each other good
night before Robyn, Lucy, and Erika went into mine and Lucy's
bedroom. Sandra and I continued on to Robyn's room, where I
closed the door behind us. We had our own system of signaling
each other as to whether or not company was welcome: an open door
was an invitation, a partially closed door indicated how willing
the occupant was to accept company, and a closed door was better
than a Do Not Disturb sign. Until Sandra or I unlatched the door,
nobody would disturb us for anything short of a fire, no matter
HOW long we were inside.

When I turned back to her after closing the door, I could see
Sandra reach for the buttons on her blouse. She saw me looking at
her, and when I shook my head slightly, she smiled and let her
hands fall to her sides again - ready to let me have the pleasure
of undressing her.

My feelings toward Sandra had started with affectionate lust. But
as I'd gotten to know her and learn her personality and
character, the lust had remained while the affection - and even
respect - for her steadily increased. She was all but unflappable
in any circumstances, and carried herself with a grace and
dignity and even serenity that I seldom saw, even in adults.
Added to that was what I knew to be a fine intellect, a good
heart, and gentle character and disposition.

As I slowly undressed her, I was also granted the privilege of
looking at her unquestionable beauty: straight ash-blonde hair
framed her oval face with its incredibly blue-gray eyes, delicate
nose, and full lips before it fell over her slender shoulders.
Opening her blouse revealed her full - but not overly so - bust,
her breasts capped with areolas barely darker than her skin and
small, pencil-eraser sized nipples standing at attention.
Slipping the blouse off her, I let my hands trace down her smooth
back before tossing the blouse across the back of a chair. She
smiled at me when I put my hands on her sides, even with her
breasts, then closed her eyes to savor the feeling as my hands
glided down her side to rest on her trimly curved waist. I kissed
her softly on the forehead, and she opened her eyes again, using
them to invite me to kiss her again. I did, letting my lips find
hers so the two of us could share a soft, gentle kiss.

Our kiss broke slowly and gently; when our lips were finally
apart, I looked into her eyes and told her "I love you, you
know."

She gave me an absolutely radiant smile, and answered "I know.
And you know that I love you, too."

I could see in her eyes that my answering smile meant as much to
her as hers had meant to me.

She continued to watch me as I slowly started to kneel down,
pausing along the way to kiss each of her nipples, barely
touching them with my lips before continuing on to give her navel
- positively cute - similar treatment.

On one knee in front of her, I let my hands slide down to her
waist, then back to cup her tight, round ass cheeks before giving
them a gentle squeeze.

Easing my hands back to her waist, I moved them around to the
front of the shorts she was wearing so I could unbutton them. As
each button was undone, the fly of her shorts opened up a little
more; only when the last button was free did I see the top of the
pale blue panties she was wearing. With only a slight tug, her
shorts slid past her hips to form a pool of fabric around her
feet. Directly in front of me was her smooth, flat belly - and
below it, the triangle of her panties, drawn tight across the
mound of her pubis. Behind the fabric, I could see the small
wedge of her pubic hair - the same pale color as above. The vee
of fabric was barely enough to cover her pubic area; only thin
strands of fabric running across to her hips indicated that there
was anything holding the material in place.

I slipped my fingers under those threads and gently eased them
off her slim hips. A second later, they, too, were pooled around
her feet - and allowing the spicy/sweet, yet musky, that was
uniquely Sandra waft into my nostrils.

Even as my sense of smell was being caressed, my eyes were in for
their own treat: the unimpeded view of Sandra's womanhood. Over
the last couple of years, her pubic hair hadn't grown beyond the
thin (barely wider than her mons) strip that ran from just over
her pubic bone straight down between her thighs. What had
changed, though, was that it was now somewhat thicker and a
trifle longer - but it was still as soft and silky as the first
time I'd touched it. At the bottom, I could see a slight parting
of her luxurious thatch, revealing to me that her inner lips had
extended and parted.

I leaned forward to kiss her at the very top of her downy pubes
before slowly standing up again.

Again on my feet in front of her, I opened my arms in invitation.
She quickly moved into them, and the two of us hugged each other
tight before letting each other go. She wasn't surprised when I
moved to pick her up in my arms, and didn't object when I carried
her over to Robyn's bed, where I put her down. She watched as I
stepped back and began to take my own clothes off. I didn't
hurry, nor did I delay - I simply undressed the same way I did
every evening before I went to bed.

When I was finally naked, I went over to lie on the bed next to
her, lying on my side so that I could put my arm across her. She
turned her head to face me, and raised her arm to cup my face in
her hand. I tilted my head slightly to kiss her palm, and she
responded by using her other hand to move my arm so that my hand
was cupping her breast.

Looking down, I told her "Sandra, I know you're trying to be
brave about losing your folks. But you don't have to be as brave
as you think you do. We love you, and we're all here for you,
whenever and however you need us."

At that, I saw the dam break - as I knew it must, eventually.

With great, wracking sobs, Sandra started crying. I quickly took
her into my arms and held her close as she finally release *all*
the hurt and pain and fear I knew she was feeling from the loss
of her parents. It went on for quite some time: she'd cry so hard
that I knew it hurt her, physically; then she'd spend a little
time getting over the coughing and hiccups she'd develop - then
it would be back to crying again. She went through several cycles
before she finally got it all out of her system; all I did was
hold her in my arms and try to reassure her that everything was
going to be okay.

She'd been quietly crying into my chest for a few minutes when I
suddenly felt her pull away from me. I readily opened my arms to
let her go, only to be surprised when she moved back only enough
to look up into my face and ask "Dan? Will you promise me
something?"

"Of course I will. What is it?"

"Get them. Find the bastard that killed my mom and dad. Get the
ones that wanted to hurt them. Make them pay. Hurt them the way
they hurt me!"

That was the first time I'd *ever* heard Sandra express such
sentiments, or speak so forcefully. It was several seconds before
I could answer her by saying "I will, Sandra. I will."

She looked at me closely, and saw that I was determined to do
that very thing. Satisfied, she let me gently pull her close and
hold her again.

A while later, I knew that she'd stopped crying; but I was
content to continue holding her next to me as long as she wanted
to stay there.

Only after I'd felt her tears on my chest had dried did I feel
her move in my arms. I relaxed my gentle hold on her even more,
and she asked me "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Of course I will."

Satisfied, she went on to tell me "I think I'd better get up for
a little bit. I must look like a mess, and I have to go to the
bathroom."

My only answer was to open my arms so she could get up. She did,
and quickly headed for the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
A few minutes later, she reappeared, carrying a washcloth in her
hands. When she got close to the bed, she shyly told me "I think
maybe I made a mess on you. I mean, my nose was running and
everything..."

I screwed up my face, and told her "You got SNOT on me?
Eeeewwwwwww!" to try and tease a smile out of her. It worked when
she started to get a mildly indignant expression before realizing
that I WAS teasing - and giving me at least a little smile in
response. She quickly wiped the residue of her tears - and,
probably, a little mucous - before taking the washcloth back into
the bathroom. She was back out a moment later, and quickly
reclaimed her position next to me.

I could sense her hesitancy, but when all I did was put my arms
around her, she relaxed again - I didn't figure that she would
have any interest in anything more.

A few minutes later, she rolled onto her side before looking over
her shoulder to ask me "Cuddle?"

I quickly moved close behind her, spooning with her, before
letting my arm drape across her belly. Again, she took my hand,
and moved it up hold it on her breast.

After a while, I could feel her breathing become slow and steady
- but I knew that she wasn't any closer to sleep than I was. So I
wasn't surprised when I heard her ask "Dan?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Did you really mean it? About wanting to adopt me, like you told
Grampa?"

"If it would make you happy, I'd be proud to."

"I... I think I'd like that."

"I would, too, Sandra."

A few moments later, she spoke up again, asking me "Dan?"

"Yeah?"

"Would it be okay if I... I called you Uncle Dan? Like you really
were my family? And I called Lucy `Aunt'?"

"Sandra, nothing would make either one of us happier. We both
love you as much as we do Robyn, you know."

There was a brief pause before she answered "Yeah, I guess I knew
that. But it's still nice to hear you say it."

A while later, I heard her ask "It isn't going to be easy, is it?
The next little while, I mean."

I knew that she meant the funeral and all the other things that
would have to be taken care of in the coming days and weeks, and
even months.

I'd never lied to her before, and damn well wasn't going to start
now.

"No, it's not going to be easy. But *we* can do it. You're not
alone in this, Sandra. Like I said, every last one of us - me,
Lucy, Robyn, even Amy and Abby and Erika - are here to do
whatever we can to help YOU."

Satisfied, Sandra fell quiet again. But it was still some time
before either of us fell asleep.

-----

I woke up the next morning to discover that Sandra and I had
reversed positions during the night: she was spooning against my
back with her arm draped across my chest. Between enjoying how
nice it felt to have her there, and not wanting to disturb her, I
tried to resist the hydraulic pressure telling me I needed to get
up. The necessity of shedding some fluids finally forced me to
move, carefully, so I didn't wake Sandra.

When I got out of the bathroom, though, I saw her laying there in
bed on her back. She watched as I made my way back to bed, and as
I lay down, she indicated that she wanted me to lie on my back. I
did, and she rolled onto her side to cuddle next to me, her arm
and leg across my body as she nested her head into my shoulder.

We'd been lying like that for several minutes before Sandra
finally spoke.

"Uncle Dan?"

Hearing those words, my heart ached for her all over again, even
as I felt pride at the title.

"Yes, dear?" I responded.

"Thank you."

"Whatever for?"

"Last night. For promising me that you'll get them, and saying
you'll adopt me, and letting me call you `Uncle', and all the
rest."

I just hugged her in response, and she went on "I was afraid,
until you put your arm around me and just HELD me like that. When
you did, I knew that I was safe and that everything was going to
be okay. I know it's going to be hard for a while, but I know
that when everything's over, it's going to be okay, too."

"You've got my promise on that, Sandra."

She tilted her head back to look up at me and say "I know, Uncle
Dan."

I moved my head forward enough to place a soft kiss on her
forehead before giving her a gentle hug. She smiled at me before
tucking her head into my shoulder again.

We stayed like that, lost in our thoughts, for quite a while
before I felt Sandra's hand move down to take hold of my penis.

I couldn't help but respond, and when she felt me getting thicker
and longer in her hand, she started slowly stroking me.

When I was semi-erect, I told her "Sandra, you don't have to do
that, you know."

She tilted her head back to look up at me again before saying "I
know, Uncle Dan. But I *want* to. Even more than before, I want
to make LOVE with you."

I knew that I hadn't done anything to move her toward this kind
of contact; her words told me that she was doing it because she
_wanted_ to and not because she thought she `had' to.

I wasn't in any hurry, and certainly didn't want to `push' her,
so I just laid there and let her move at her own pace. Her touch
was slow and gentle, so it was several more minutes before I was
completely hard in her hand. Only when she was satisfied that I
was fully erect did Sandra lift her head to kiss my chest, and
even briefly suck on my nipple for a few moments before letting
her kisses start moving down my body. Her movements were slow and
deliberate, the path erratic - but she finally did find her way
down to where my engorged penis was encased by her firm grip.

When she got close enough, she released my penis, but kept her
hand on it to steady it as she started tonguing and `nibbling'
the shaft with her lips. There wasn't a square millimeter of it
that didn't receive her attentions, from the base to the head.
Only when she'd left a faint glaze of her saliva over the entire
surface did she raise her head far enough to take the head
between her lips. Even then, it was JUST the head that she held
in her mouth as she used her tongue to stroke and caress me. What
she was doing felt good - easily enough to keep me hard, but not
enough to stimulate me any more than that.

Looking down at her, I could see that her pale areolas had begun
to crinkle as her arousal grew; at their peaks, her nipples stood
proud. I continued to watch her as she started slowly bobbing her
head up and down - at first, the motion was only enough to let
the glans of my erection pass between her lips. But the range of
her motions expanded *ever* so slowly, so that after several
minutes, she was sliding her lips along almost my entire length.
Still, the speed and pressure she was applying wasn't much more
than needed to keep me erect. When I looked down at her again, I
could see that the ends of her breasts had puckered and hardened
even more. Only when I had a glance between her smooth thighs and
saw her extended labia and the wetness between them did I
understand: she was doing what she was to arouse and stimulate
HERSELF - that I was only the means, not the purpose.

But I loved her too much to begrudge her her pleasure, no matter
how or why she sought it that way. After losing her family so
suddenly and so completely, I simply didn't have the heart to
object, even if I'd been so inclined. If that action, done that
way at that time, was what she wanted, then I was damn well going
to do my best to let her find whatever relief or comfort she was
after.

So I simply laid back and let her do with me as she wanted,
saying nothing - until I saw her other hand slip between her
thighs.

When I saw her start caressing herself, I reached out and gently
put my hand on the calf of the leg closest to me. When she looked
at me, I asked "May I?"

She paused only a moment before letting her hand slip free of her
crotch, and pivoting herself around where she had her lips
wrapped around me - letting me guide her leg over my head so that
her exposed pelvis was right above my face, even as the soft
slurping sounds of her mouth around my penis continued to fall on
my ears.

I first placed a gentle kiss to the inside of one of her soft,
smooth thighs, then the other a few moments later. Back and forth
I went, slowly but steadily working my way closer and closer to
the wetly glistening center of her womanhood. When my lips
finally brushed her soft fleece, I paused a moment to reacquaint
myself with the blossom of her femininity.

The pale strands of her luxuriously soft and thick bush quickly
faded as it passed the extended lips of her vaginal opening. Her
labia shined from the oily coating of her liquid arousal;
slightly thick, they were dark with her excitement as they
bracketed her visible entrance. Where they joined at the top of
her cleft, I could see that the nubbin of her clitoris was making
an appearance out from under its hood.

Even if I'd been blind, my nose would have told me that she was
aroused - VERY aroused. The slightly musky scent of her threaded
its way into my nose, pleasing yet another of my senses. Touch
was next when I let my hands drift along her firm and slender
thighs, warm and silky smooth.

Last was taste, when I extended my tongue to let it collect a few
drops of her precious nectar. The sweet and spicy flavor of her
flooded my mouth, a taste like no other.

Lifting my head, I happily took advantage of the gift she was
offering me. I let my tongue dip to graze across her clitoris
before sliding it upward, between the slippery lips of her
vaginal opening - and getting a full sample of the heady liquids
she was producing. With the full taste of her in my mouth, I
started gently `chewing' on one of her labia with my lips as I
gently sucked on it - then releasing it to perform the same
action on the other.

It wasn't but a minute or so before I heard Sandra's soft moan of
pleasure, and felt my lips being wetted with the overflow of her
female essence. I released her from my mouth so that my tongue
would be free to slowly lap up the flavorful oils she was
starting to produce in quantity.

As I continued laving her opening and labia, I could hear and
feel Sandra's arousal steadily increasing - the sound of her soft
moans became more and more frequent; her hungry mouth around my
erection became more demanding as she pressed her pelvis against
my face in small, insistent movements.

When I started dipping my tongue into her opening, it served to
ratchet her arousal a bit higher - so I kept doing it,
penetrating her a little farther each time. By the time I had my
tongue inside her as far as it would go, the sounds of her
excitement and lust were easily heard, and nearly constant.

Rather than simply continue to spear my stiffened tongue in and
out of her, I opted to do something different: with my tongue
inside her as far as I could get it, I started wiggling the end
of it around, as though it were a tentacle - effectively trying
to lick the inside of her hot, wet vagina from the inside. It
didn't take me long to discover that if I moved a certain way,
and hit a certain spot, it had a dramatic effect. In only a
couple of minutes, I had raised her arousal considerably: her
moans were loud and continuous as she pressed herself against my
face, trying to get even more of me inside. The increase in her
excitement also brought a commensurate rise in the amount of her
liquid arousal - which I happily drank in.

Even as I was bringing Sandra closer and closer to orgasm, her
actions on my penis remained surprisingly subdued - she continued
to lick and suck on my erection as she caressed my balls, but it
was clear that she wasn't trying to bring ME to climax as I was
trying to do for her.

And it hit me: it wasn't the sharing of our bodies she was
interested in; what she wanted was the _intimacy_ of it - the
closeness, the bonding of sharing our *hearts*. She'd told me
exactly what she was after, and I hadn't paid attention: "...I
want to make LOVE with you".

With that understanding, I immediately determined to give her
what she wanted.

Over the next few minutes, I deliberately slowed my actions and
reduced my efforts to bring her to orgasm. Then I set about
making things *right* between us.

After getting her attention, I guided Sandra's leg as she moved
it so that she was again on her side next to me. Then I sat up
enough to reach her arm so that I could gently pull her hand from
around my penis before telling her "Sandra, that's not the way."

She paused a moment, looking at me, and I said "I know what you
want. That isn't the way to get it. Let me."

She lifted her head enough to let my saliva-slick erection pop
free of her mouth, with a look of surprised curiosity on her
face. I softly nudged her arm, and she understood that I wanted
her to move - to lie next to me.

When she was on her back next to me, I turned on my side and
lowered my head to kiss her. When our lips parted, I looked down
at her and told her "Sandra, I'm sorry I misunderstood. Will you
let me make LOVE _with_ you?"

She gave me a pleased smile, and answered "Yes, Uncle Dan. Make
*love* with me."

We kissed again, and as I moved over her, she readily moved her
legs apart and lifted her knees to make room for me. When she
felt my still-slick erection against her mons, she reached
between us with her hands. Using one to take hold of me, she used
the other to open herself for me before positioning me at her
opening.

Our eyes locked, and I saw hers widen slightly as she felt me
slowly press myself into her - between the saliva she'd left on
my penis, and her own internal lubrication, I was able to fill
her in with a single, steady push.

Our pubic hair merged, I lowered my head again so the two of us
could share a deep, _loving_ kiss. When it ended, we smiled at
each other for several moments before I lowered my head again to
place a number of soft, gentle kisses on her face and shoulders
and throat.

Only then did I start making LOVE with her. Slowly. Gently. Even
tenderly, we made LOVE.

I don't know how long we made love that way; I vaguely remember
hearing the grandfather clock in the hall strike the half-hour,
and some time later, the hour. It may have sounded again, I don't
know.

What I DO know is that Sandra and I shared our hearts during that
time - as well as our bodies. With each of my patient thrusts
into her, she would lift her hips in welcome, and each withdrawal
was met with a tightening of her vagina as she tried to hold me
in. We would share long kisses - long enough that I would be able
to stroke in and out of her several times before our lips parted.
Her hands would wander across my body, caressing it, when I would
lower my head to put my lips to her shoulders, her breasts, her
throat. She would hold me tight, softly kissing my face and
shoulders when I would lower my body to rest my arms. Our eyes
would meet, and we'd share long, deep looks into each other's
eyes as we both savored our joining.

Of course, our union wasn't without its physical pleasures. They
simply grew at the same slow, steady pace as our lovemaking.

Just as surely, they grew to the point where they were clear and
distinct in each of us.

Beneath me, I could see Sandra's puckered areolas and erect
nipples. Around my pistoning penis, I could feel that she was
hotter and wetter than when we'd started. In her eyes, I could
see that she was feeling the rise of her own passions.

Our eyes had met again; we could see the mix of love, arousal,
and desire in each other's faces even as we felt our own
pleasure.

And somehow, we LOCKED.

Just as it had happened with me and Lucy once, it happened again
- only with Sandra. I saw her eyes widen briefly - as I knew mine
must have - when it did. Somehow, we were both sharing the exact
same time and place in the universe: WE were ONE. Without asking,
without knowing HOW I knew, I knew what she was feeling - from
HER perspective. I *knew* how tight and hard her breasts and
nipples felt; I *knew* how much pleasure she felt from the motion
of my erect penis in her vagina; I *knew* how sensitive her skin
was, how everything that touched it felt to her; I *knew* how her
orgasm was getting closer and closer. And she knew the same
things, from MY point of view.

Without word or gesture, we joined our wills as we'd joined our
bodies. Both of us knew that she was closer to her release than I
was to mine; nothing needed to be said for her to slow her own
arousal as I let mine increase - so that we would each reach our
shared goal at the same time. No words were needed for her to
know my deep sadness at her loss or the greatness of my love for
her. Nor were they needed for me to know her pride in me and her
joy at being accepted as a part of our family.

I don't know how much longer our lovemaking lasted - outside of
the US, nothing existed. All I know is that by unspoken choice
and agreement, we let our climaxes happen: not with the sudden
sharpness of a lightening strike, but the slow, deep, inexorable
push of a tsunami.

I could *feel* the hot, wet sensation as the first jet of my
semen flooded her insides; she could feel the sudden delightful
tightness around me as my eruption triggered her own release.

Back and forth we went, by turns: the tightening of her around me
resulted in another flood of my male juice washing her cervix;
that triggered another round of spasms in her, which prompted
another flood of my jism, and so on.

Again, I don't know how long it lasted - other than to say I was
sorry to see it end, and relieved it was over. From the
expression on Sandra's face, I suspect she felt much the same -
even as our respective climaxes ended, so did the bond between
us. The next time I knew where I was, I was still over Sandra, my
body covered with sweat. I was gasping as though I'd just run ten
miles at top speed, and my entire body felt as though it didn't
have a muscle or bone in it. I was still - barely! - inside
Sandra; a frothy mixture of our combined juices leaking from
where we were joined was silent testimony to what we'd just been
through.

With no small effort, I managed not to collapse on her; falling
instead to lie next to her on my back. Even as we were both
gasping for air, I found the strength to move my arm enough to
locate her hand and hold it. I felt her squeeze it, weakly, in
reply.

Gradually, I got my breath back and felt my heart slow. A few
more minutes, and I was ready to move again; but only enough to
roll onto my side so that I could put my arm around Sandra. If
she felt the same way I did, I was lucky that she found the
energy to put her hand on my arm, holding it in place.

She turned her head to face me, and we looked into each other's
eyes. No words were needed that time, either, for us both to know
how much we loved each other.

Several minutes had gone by when Sandra rolled over to wrap her
arms around me, and start softly crying on my shoulder. I
tightened my arms around her, and just held her - somehow, I knew
*those* were tears of happiness.

When she'd finished crying, we continued to lie together, holding
each other until we both heard the clock in the hall chime the
hour.

On hearing it, Sandra pulled back from me a little, and turned to
look at Robyn's alarm clock. When she was facing me again, Sandra
said "I think maybe it's time we got up, don't you?"

"Only if you want to, Stinker."

I'd taken to calling her that shortly after I first met her. She
knew it was my way of letting her know that I enjoyed being
around her, and that she wasn't being any trouble for me. Using
it then was a way of reassuring her that I was happy to have
spent time with her.

She smiled, and said "I really don't WANT to, but I think we
should."

"If you insist", I answered, with a mock-heavy sigh.

She smiled again, and told me "Uh, if you want to give me a
minute, we can wash up together."

"Deal!" I answered, with my own smile.

She got up and headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind
her. While she was in there, I took the opportunity to change
Robyn's bedding - between the two of us, we'd managed to leave a
considerable wet spot in the middle of Robyn's bed. I was just
finishing up when the bathroom door opened a crack and I heard
Sandra's voice tell me "Come on in..."

The shower was long and luxurious, with plenty of gentle touches
and soft kisses.

After dressing, we held hands as we went downstairs, where we
found Robyn, Erika, and Lucy around the table in the breakfast
nook. All three of them smiled when they saw the change in
Sandra; Robyn got up and told us "You two sit down; breakfast is
omelets, and you'll have them in just a minute."

Sandra smiled her thanks, and both of us accepted a kiss from
Robyn as she passed by on her way into the kitchen proper.

Once seated, Lucy looked at Sandra and asked "Feeling better
now?". Lucy didn't know what had happened since the last time
she'd seen us, nor did she care. All she needed or wanted was for
Sandra to know that we loved her, and were there for her.

Sandra smiled again, and told her "Much better. We talked a
little bit last night, and I'm feeling a LOT better now."

When Sandra and I had poured ourselves a cup of coffee, the four
of us sat there chatting until Robyn reappeared a few minutes
later with our breakfasts. Omelets, as promised; with hash brown
potatoes, English muffins, and tall glasses of orange juice to
wash it all down.

When we'd finished, I got up and took our dishes back into the
kitchen, loading them into the dishwasher. On my way back, I
heard Sandra say "Lucy, Dan told me that since you're going to
adopt me, it was okay if I called him `Uncle' and you `Aunt'. Is
it okay with you, too?"

Lucy and Robyn both knew, of course, that I'd offered to adopt
Sandra - and both wholeheartedly agreed to it. With Sandra's
statement, they knew that she'd accepted.

"Of course it is, dear!" Lucy answered, leaking a few tears - as
was Robyn, and even Erika. All three of them got up to give
Sandra a hug, then sat down again.

We sat there talking for a while longer, when the phone rang.
Robyn got up to answer it, listened a few moments, then held it
out to me saying "It's for you, Dad. Speedy? And Gomer?"

All four of them looked at me curiously when I got up and took
the handset, saying "Guys, can you hold on for a moment while I
get to another phone? Thanks."

I set the handset aside, and asked Robyn "Would you hang that up
in a minute?"

She agreed, and I quickly grabbed my coffee and headed for my
office. Once there, I picked up the phone and said "Okay, Robyn,
you can hang up, now."

I heard the click of the phone, and a moment later, the voices of
Speedy and Gomer.

"Everything clear there, Boomer?"

"Five by, Speedy."

"Boomer said there was something we could help you with", Gomer
offered.

"Roger that. Did he give you the background?"

"Yeah. Fuckin' druggies!" Speedy answered, followed by Gomer's
"Roger that."

 "So what's the deal, Boomer? Muddy said you've got something
like our old line of work." Gomer asked.

"I do, if you're willing."

I heard both of them snort before Speedy said "Like you gotta
ask. What is it?"

"I want the puke. I want him *bad*. The cops have to play by
rules. We don't."

Speedy asked "What's the plan?"

It took me only a few minutes to go over the outline of the plan
I'd come up with the day before. I knew these guys - all they
needed was what I'd given them: a starting point and what the
objective was.

Gomer had their only question: "When do we stop?"

"Whenever you have to, or whenever you think it's enough. What do
you need from me?"

"Just buy the first round, next time you're in town", Speedy
answered.

"You got it. I owe you guys one."

"Like hell" Gomer answered, with Speedy telling me "Boomer, this
ain't something to keep score on. This is just *housekeepin'*."

"Just the same, I won't forget."

Speedy was the one to put an end to it by telling me "Don't sweat
it, Boomer. We'll be there, and we'll handle it. Just take care
of the rest of `em when you get back this way. I don't like those
maggots any more than you do."

"That I'll do."

"Later, then", Gomer told me before the line went dead.

When I got back to the house, the others were still sitting
around the table. When I sat down, Lucy pointedly didn't ask me
about the call; Erika didn't know any better.

"Dan, who was that?" she asked, somewhat suspiciously.

"Just a couple guys I used to work with."

"Anybody I need to know about? Officially, that is?"

"Nope. Nothing official about it."

She didn't like the sound of that, and started to say something
else when Lucy told her "Forget it, Erika. He's not going to tell
you anything, and if you keep asking questions, he'll just shut
up and not say *anything*. Whatever it is - and I know he's up to
_something_ - there's nothing you can do about it until it
happens, if there's anything you can do at all. Just trust that
whatever it is, it'll end up *right*."

Erika looked at me, and I just looked back - levelly, without
saying a word. She finally shook her head, and said "Okay. I'll
trust you, Dan. I only hope I'm doing the right thing."

Lucy reached out to pat Erika's arm and tell her "You are, and so
is he."

Sandra, with her usual flawless timing, chose that moment to ask
"Uncle Dan? Aren't there things I'm going to have to do? About my
stuff, and... Mom and Daddy?"

The change of subject was welcome by all of us, I think. I
answered Sandra by saying "Yes, there is. There's going to be a
lot of paperwork and such that has to be dealt with. Your folks
almost certainly had life insurance and a bunch of other stuff
like that that we'll have to take care of. I can help you will
most of it, but we'll have to get your grandfather in on it, too;
at least, at first. And you're right, we should get your clothes
and such, too, so you can move in here. I guess you'll want to
sell your house?"

She looked at me, surprised, and asked "MY house?"

"It's not that simple, but basically, yeah, it's your house. Your
legal guardian would have to be the one to sell it, but the
decision should be yours, not theirs. The same with the stuff IN
the house - furniture, appliances, that kind of thing. That's not
something you have to deal with any time soon, but you might want
to start thinking about what you want to keep - pictures, and
that kind of stuff."

Her face saddened at that, and I took her hand before telling her
"Don't worry about it, Stinker. If you want, I can handle most of
it; and we'll be there with you for the rest of it."

She nodded, and answered "I know, Uncle Dan."

About that time, the phone rang again. Lucy, Robyn, and Erika
were all holding on to Sandra to comfort her, so I got up to
answer it. It was the police, telling me that the Coroner had
finished the autopsy of the bodies, and wanted to release them to
a mortuary. I said that was fine, and they let me know which one,
and what the phone number was. When the call ended, I promptly
dialed the mortuary, and was soon talking to the funeral
director. It didn't take long to make the preliminary
arrangements, and I told him that I'd be there in a few hours,
which he readily agreed to.

They all looked at me, and I told Sandra "The funeral home will
have your folks early this afternoon. Do you want to go with me
to get something for them to wear, and to decide about the
funeral? You don't have to, if you don't want to."

Sandra shook her head, and told me "It's okay. We can go to my...
the house, and I can pick something out for them. I- I don't want
to have to go there any more than I have to, so can we get some
of my stuff, too?"

"Of course we can."

I caught Lucy's eye, and she got up to come over to where I was
standing. I quietly told her "I need to get the lawyers started
on all the rest of this, too. You think she'll be okay with you
three while I spend some time on the phone?"

Lucy nodded, and gave my hand a small squeeze before going back
to sit next to Sandra. I watched them a few moments before
quietly heading out to my office to get my lawyer started on all
the paperwork.

I got in touch with him easily enough, and it didn't take long to
let him know what the situation was, and what we wanted to do. He
said he'd take care of it, and I gave him the phone number for
Sandra's grandparents, so he could call them and get any
additional information he needed.

The next call was to the mortuary again. I explained to the
funeral director who I was, and that I'd be helping Sandra as
much as I could. He was quite willing to help, and it was
mercifully short work to minimize the number of decisions that
Sandra would have to make.

Another call was to Amy, letting her know how things were going,
and when she could expect me to return. She didn't hesitate to
tell me to take as much time as I needed.

My last call was to Lacy. That conversation didn't last long. I
simply told him that I needed the best security system person he
knew, and I needed them _yesterday_. He assured me that he knew
just the guy, and that I'd hear something no later than the next
day.

That done, I went outside and found Agent Williams, telling him
of our plans for the afternoon. He nodded his understanding, and
told me that everyone watching the place had expressed their
sympathies, and asked me to pass them along. I assured him I
would.

Inside, I found that the others had found something to distract
Sandra from going into a funk - since Sandra was going to be
living with us, they'd decided that she _really_ needed to think
about how she wanted her room to look. They had a wide assortment
of catalogs out, and were swapping ideas and suggestions.

I figured I'd toss in my own two cents' worth, and told Sandra
"If you want the room next to Robyn's, it wouldn't be too much to
re-do the bathrooms. Kind of make one really NICE bathroom, that
you could share. That way, you could go back and forth to visit
each other without having to run out into the hall every time.
Or, we can remodel that side to make one _big_ bedroom for you to
share, if you'd prefer. You two talk it over and let me know."

Sandra just stared at me for a moment before asking "You'd do
that?"

I just gave her a Look, and she smiled in answer. With the
possibility of something completely different opened up to them,
Robyn and Sandra excused themselves to go have a look at the
possibilities. With Sandra gone, I told Lucy and Erika about the
other phone calls - and arrangements - I'd made. Lucy looked sad,
but relieved, at hearing what the lawyer and mortuary had to say;
both of them looked relieved when I told them that I planned to
put in a security system.

A few minutes later, Sandra and Robyn came back discussing what
they thought they might like to do about their bedrooms. Lucy and
Erika both offered to help them decide, and were taken up on it.
I just found a seat off to the side and watched.

About mid-afternoon, I knew that it was time to go - first to
Sandra's, then to the mortuary.

We took my car; Erika rode up front with me so Robyn and Lucy
could ride in back to comfort and reassure Sandra. A police car
and FBI vehicle kept us company, each carrying two people.

Inside the house, I asked Sandra if she knew where her dad and
mom kept all their important papers. She told me that they had a
desk in the corner of the den before she and the others headed
back toward the bedrooms. I asked one of the FBI people with us
to keep me company, he understood that I wanted a witness, and
readily agreed.

It took only a minute to find the spot Sandra had told me about.
I was happy to discover that her parents had been pretty well
organized: the really important stuff was kept in a fireproof
box, with everything else in neatly labeled folders in a small
file cabinet. I found one key to the document box in the desk,
clearly identified; I expected that the other one was on her
dad's key ring. I checked her dad's address book, and was pleased
to see that he had the name of a lawyer that he used for legal
matters. I called the fellow, and told him what had happened; he
readily assured me that he'd be happy to help any way he could,
and that he didn't have any problems with my lawyer handling most
of the paperwork. I gave him my lawyers name and phone number so
the two of them could get together and make whatever arrangements
they needed to. When the call ended, the agent with me watched as
I collected the necessary papers and put them in the lock box
before securing it in the trun!
k of my car.

As I got close to the bedrooms, Erika passed me with a couple of
suitcases as she headed for my car. Inside the room she'd come
from, I found Robyn and Lucy packing more suitcases with as much
of Sandra's clothing as they could. Lucy told me that Sandra had
gone to her parents' bedroom to get something to take to the
mortuary.

I found Sandra sitting on her parents' bed, quietly crying as she
stared into their closet. I sat next to her and put my arm around
her before she told me "Uncle Dan, I miss them so much already!"

"I understand. I know you'll always miss them. But you've got me
and Lucy and Robyn here with you, too, even if it's not the
same."

She turned and looked at me before saying "No, it's not the same
- but it's more than enough."

With that, she wiped her eyes and stood up. She moved to the
closet and didn't hesitate to pull out a black dress and lay it
on the bed, saying "That was always Mom's favorite dress. Any
time she and Daddy went *anywhere* nice, that was the one she'd
wear."

She turned back to the closet and selected a suit next, laying it
on top of the dress as she told me "That was Daddy's best suit -
the one he wore whenever he was going out with Mom. He was always
so proud to show her off!"

That done, she quickly selected the rest of the things that I'd
told her would be needed. We collected the things she'd picked
out and carried them out to the car, where we found the others
waiting for us. Erika took the clothes that Sandra was carrying,
and helped me put them in the trunk - where several suitcases of
Sandra's things were already stowed.

The ride to the mortuary was quiet - but somehow, not sad.
Inside, Sandra kept herself together surprisingly well, handing
over the things we'd brought from the house and answering the
necessary questions with little hesitation. When she'd dealt with
everything that needed HER attention, Lucy and the others quietly
got her back outside while I dealt with the mortician on the last
few details.

Back at our house, I saw that our answering machine was blinking.
When I checked it, I was pleased to discover that it was Lacy's
choice of who to install a security system. I quickly called him
back and made arrangements to meet with him the next morning.

We got the suitcases unloaded from my car. A couple of them went
into Robyn's room; the rest were put in the bedroom next to it.
When it was done, we all breathed a sigh of relief - the hard
part of the day was over.

That evening was a close copy of the night before - except that
Robyn and Sandra cuddled on the couch that Lucy, Erika, and I
weren't occupying, and it was Chinese food instead of pizza for
supper. Halfway through the evening, Erika whispered to Lucy and
me "I feel so sorry for her!", to which Lucy replied "All of us
do. But she knows that she isn't alone - and that's *something*
for her to hold on to."

When time for bed came around, the groupings didn't change -
Sandra stayed with Robyn, and Erika kept company with me and
Lucy.

-----

The next few days went by quickly. My meeting with the security
guy was short, and to the point. I was relieved when he didn't
get dollar signs in his eyes when I told him that I wanted the
best system he could come up with. I was reassured when he didn't
flinch after I told him "If anything happens and it turns out
there was a problem with the system, I'm going to come looking
for you." He just answered "Mr. Lacy told me this was a special
job for a special friend. I've heard about you, Mr. Andrews, and
what happened to the girl's folks. I'll take care of it."

Sandra also got a number of sympathy cards - including several
from Amy's office. One of them, signed by Amy, Abby, and the
other remaining people that had been on our protective detail,
seemed to comfort her more than the others.

And, of course, she spent a lot of time just snuggling with one
or more of us. It wasn't sexual; she just wanted the closeness
and security of another human being next to her.

The funeral was well attended; her parents had been well liked by
the people that knew them. Even Muddy showed up, gently hugging
her before telling her "Missy, you need something - any time, any
where, no matter what - you come see me. I'll take care of it.
Okay?" She smiled at him, and nodded. When she turned away, he
looked at me and I could see it in his eyes - her loss had hurt
him nearly as much as it had me.

Sandra kept it together the whole time. The only time I heard her
start to lose it was when she placed flowers on her parent's
caskets at the burial. She'd just put the bouquet on her father's
casket after doing the same for her mother; I heard her whisper
"Goodbye, Mom and Daddy. I love you, and I'll always miss you."

When the graveside service was over, Lucy tried to convince Muddy
to stay the night with us; he politely declined, saying that he
really did have to get back to his restaurant - he was already
running a bit late for his flight.

Lucy nodded, and went with Erika and Robyn as they kept company
with Sandra.

The two of us were alone, and Muddy told me "It looks like she's
holdin' up okay."

"She is. She knows we love her, and we're there for her."

"Any clues yet?"

"Not yet. I think Speedy and Gomer are in town, but I haven't
heard anything yet. Don't expect to hear from them, of course -
just the results."

Muddy grinned at that, and said "Yeah, that's all you'll hear
about. When you gonna be back my way?"

"Another couple days. I've got a guy I trust putting in a
security system. When that's done, they'll pull the security off
my place, and I can head back. While I'm gone, though, they'll be
keeping a couple cops on Robyn and Sandra, though."

"How `bout Lucy?"

I smiled and told him "She'll be okay. I got her interested in
guns and taught her how to shoot. She can watch out for herself.
Right now, she's packing a nine mil with jacketed hollowpoints."

Muddy just grinned back and answered "You taught her, huh? Yeah,
I reckon she can take care!"

A few moments later, he told me "I'm sorry, Boomer, but I really
do have to get goin'. You're gonna call me when you get back,
right?"

"Yeah. I've been thinking about something, and you'd sure be a
help with it."

"Good enough. Ain't nobody gonna be hurtin' my friends and get
away with it - least, not if I got any say about it."

"You'll have a say, Muddy."

"Fair enough, Boomer. I'll catch you later."

"Later, Muddy."

Our conversation over, he turned and headed for the car he'd
rented.

-----

The day before I was to head back to finish up my job with Amy,
the security guy told me that the system was finished. He wanted
to walk me through it, and then give Lucy and me both a quick
tutorial on controlling it. I raised my eyebrow at the idea of a
quick tutorial, but he hastened to assure me that the system was
easy enough to use that that was all we'd need - he was leaving
us the instruction manuals, but that he was willing to bet we'd
never open them.

What he showed me reminded me that I hadn't spent as much time,
perhaps, as I should have in keeping up with the hardware side of
security.

The wall around our property was topped with pressure sensors -
as was the gate across the driveway. Above the pressure sensors,
he'd installed infrared AND low-power microwave `fences'. Buried
in the ground at the base of the walls were more pressure
sensors, of a different type meant to detect someone jumping from
the wall - even from as low as a couple of feet. The driveway had
a buried metal detector, and additional sound and pressure
detectors. He'd even adjusted all the buried sensors so that our
dog Sunshine - who was useless as a guard dog; she loved
*everybody* - could run and jump and play without setting
anything off.

Under the eaves of the house, he'd put a number of remote-control
low-light cameras. Added to that, he'd included supplemental
infrared lighting - he assured me that even on the rainiest,
foggiest, darkest night, I'd be able to see *anything* in the
back yard. The video fed into a control unit that let us look at
the video cameras either on any TV in the house, or an LCD
display on the master control panel in the master bedroom. The
video system was also capable of detection motion - it was
configured so that movement in a relatively small area (tree
limbs moving in the wind) or below a certain size (birds) were
ignored, but that linear movement (such as a person moving from
one place to another, would.

Every window and door (even the one to the attic) was wired to
detect opening - with not only an obvious `distractor' set of
contacts, but an additional hidden set, as well. Even if a
burglar was able to bypass the visible sensor, the hidden one
would still work. Each room with a window also had a glass
detector that would trip at the sound of the glass being broken
or cut.

Backing up the sensors on the doors were infra-red motion
detectors - again, adjusted to allow Sunshine and Wacko free
movement, but still catch an intruder. Backing THOSE up were
ultrasonic sensors.

Smoke and fire detectors were liberally scattered throughout the
house. We had two different alarm sounds: one loud, obnoxious one
for fire or smoke, another more discrete one for trespassers.

The regular control panels were tucked away inside the kitchen
pantry and the closet by the front door. Every room had a `panic'
button, and he provided all of us with wireless buttons that we
could carry with us. Both control panels had options for sending
a silent `duress' signal. The master panel made it easy to
program access codes, and even limit the times and days those
codes were good for.

The alarm itself was hidden in the attic, and had a both its own
hard-wired telephone line, and a multiple frequency radio link
with his offices. If anything happened, the system had several
different ways of sending the alarm - and would keep sending it
until the equipment in his office acknowledged.

The system was as easy to operate as he'd promised. It had just
three settings: Off, Home, and Away. In `home' mode, it was smart
enough to realize when an occupant moved from one room to
another, and still activate if something happened in a different
part of the house. That meant we could be moving back and forth
between the kitchen and den while watching a movie, and still
have the system let us know if someone got in through a bedroom,
or the garage, for example.

When he was done showing us, he told me "Mr. Andrews, after you
clear the codes I've been using to set the system up, even *I*
can't get in here once you set the alarm." He was ready to look
me in the eye after telling me that, so I figured he was
confident about what he'd done.

When Erika saw it, she was impressed.

I was just satisfied.

-----

That evening, before supper, I got Lucy alone and asked her
"Would you mind if I spent tonight with Robyn?"

Lucy just smiled and answered "Of course not. You've had time
with me and Sandra. I'm your wife, and Sandra really needed you,
and Robyn knows that. I know she wouldn't think of it herself,
but the two of you alone would be good for her." I kissed Lucy,
just to remind her how much I loved her.

After supper, when we all headed into the den to watch TV, I took
Robyn's hand and asked "How would you feel about sitting with me,
tonight?"

Sandra overheard me, and when Robyn looked at her, just nodded
and told Robyn "Go ahead. Erika and Aunt Lucy will keep me
company. You need him, too." At hearing herself referred to that
way, I could see the mix of pride and pain in Lucy's eyes: pride
that Sandra thought enough of her to use it, and sadness at the
necessity of it.

Knowing that Sandra would be okay, Robyn happily led the way to
the couch and let me sit down, before parking herself next to me
and pulling my arm around her. I looked over at her, and could
see the smile on her face as she snuggled into my side.

We'd been watching television for a few hours when I felt her
squeeze my hand before asking "Dad?"

"What is it, short stuff?"

"Um, can we go? Now, I mean?"

"Sure. Do you want to say good night?"

"No, I don't think so. I'll see Erika again in the morning, won't
I?"

Erika and I weren't scheduled to leave until mid-morning, so I
knew Robyn would have plenty of time to say her goodbyes to us
before we left. "Yeah, you'll have plenty of time, Robyn."

Reassured, Robyn stood up, and waited as I got up, too. Holding
hands, we quietly made our way to her bedroom. As we were
leaving, I saw Sandra give Robyn a smile of encouragement.

Once Robyn had closed the door to her room, I took her in my arms
and gave her a hug before telling her "I didn't forget about you,
Robyn."

She looked up at me and answered "I know, Dad. You haven't seen
Mom for *weeks*, and Sandra needed you *so* much; I didn't mind
waiting. Besides, Erika's fun, too!", she added, with a laugh.

I smiled, and told her "Yes, she is. But now it's just you and
me."

She smiled in return before she stepped back out of my arms.
Holding her arms straight over her head, she did a slow pirouette
and asked "See anything you like?"

I put my finger to my lips and pretended to be thinking about it
a few moments before I answered "It looks like maybe. But it's
tough to tell through the wrapping what the present is."

She gave me another smile, and moved her hands to the button at
the top of her blouse. She paused then, and asked "Unless you
want to do it?" - knowing how much I enjoyed undressing her.

I shook my head, and replied "No, you go ahead. I just want to
watch, this time."

As I stood there watching her, she proceeded to get undressed for
me: slowly unbuttoning her blouse, and revealing the
all-but-transparent bra she had underneath, then slipping it off
her shoulders before draping it across the back of a chair. Next,
she reached behind herself and I heard the zipper on her skirt
going down. I watched as she let it slip to the floor, and saw
that she had on a pair of panties made of the same material as
the bra. I could also see the stockings on her legs, staying in
place only through their affection for her soft, smooth skin. She
stooped to pick up the skirt, and lay it across her blouse on the
chair.

Reaching between her breasts, she unhooked the bra. A small shrug
of her shoulders, and it was off, too, to join her other things.
When she faced me again, I could see the small, dark peaks of her
nipples. Each of her breasts was about the size of half a
softball - only a little more conical. They were firm enough that
when she moved, they barely swayed - and NEVER sagged, as I saw
when she slipped her hands inside the band of her panties and
bent over to slide them down her legs. When her panties had
joined her other clothes, she proudly stood in front of me,
naked. I knew what she looked like of course - we'd made love
plenty of times before - but she knew that it always made me
happy to be able to just *look* at her.

Her breasts sat high and firm on her chest. Below them, her flat
belly was graced by a trim waist and nicely curved hips. Farther
down, she sported a small wedge of black pubic hair. Since the
first time I'd been privileged to see it, it had expanded
slightly and gotten thicker - but it was still small and sparse
enough to make out the shape of the mound beneath. And if the
lighting was right - and, thankfully, it was - it was also
possible to make out the line of her cleft, as well. Near the
bottom of the vee, I could faintly discern the hood of her
clitoris; and unless my eyes were deceiving me, some of her
clitoris, itself. Between her thighs, there was a slight part in
the outline of her pubic hair - the result of her vaginal lips
extending in her arousal.

When I looked into her face again, I could see that her arousal
had increased - just as she knew I liked looking at her, *I* knew
that she liked _having_ me look.

With her naked in front of me, the next move was mine - and I
made it. Just as she'd done, slowly and deliberately, I took my
own clothes off; laying them on the seat of the chair where she'd
put her things.

When we were both naked, she moved into my arms again. My
engorged penis was trapped between our bodies, the head tickled
by the upper fringes of her soft bush. She tilted her head back,
and we shared a deep kiss as we hugged - a kiss that started with
chaste affection and ended with passionate love, our tongues
dancing in each other's mouths.

As our kiss grew, so did my penis. As our lips parted, I felt her
body against mine and knew that she was pleased that she still
had that effect on me. She pulled away from me a little - but
only far enough to let one hand slip between us so she could wrap
her cool hand around my hot member. She felt me respond to her
touch, and gave me a few gentle strokes with her hand before
saying "I want you, Dad. For as long as I can, tonight."

"Nothing would make me happier", I answered.

She released my semi-erect penis long enough for us to hug each
other again before she took my hand and led us to her bed. There,
she turned me around so my back was to it, and had me sit on the
edge of it and lean back on my elbows.

Kneeling between my legs, she rested her arms on my thighs as she
took my penis in her hands, stroking it softly. When I'd grown
enough for her, she bent her head forward and took me into her
mouth.

The first sensation I felt was of her tongue snaking its way
along the underside of my penis, slowly moving from side to side,
glans to base. Following that, she simply laid it along the
underside and simply slid it back and forth - stimulating the
entire length of me. As she felt me responding (!!) to that, she
let all but the head of my erection slip from her lips before
starting a soft sucking as she twisted her head back and forth.
As I got closer and closer to complete erection, she let her head
dip to take more and more of me into her mouth.

I'd learned early in our relationship that she actually *liked*
using her mouth on me - and was reminded of that fact again as I
watched her lips dance up and down my length as she softly sucked
and licked me. I knew that she could have easily gotten the
results she was after a lot faster; from the pace she was
setting, I also knew that what Robyn wanted was a far less needy
version of what Sandra had been after. So I literally leaned
back, and enjoyed it.

When I was fully erect, Robyn found other uses for her hands. She
used one to lightly drag her fingernails across my lower belly
and the insides of my thighs, feeling the tightening of my balls
and scrotum where they were cupped in the other as she gently
squeezed and rolled them in her hand.

With that kind of stimulation, it wasn't long before I could hear
myself groaning as I involuntarily arched my hips, trying to bury
myself between her lips - without success. Robyn would only lift
her head each time I did, keeping her deliciously warm mouth
around the same measure of my penis.

Only when she felt my testicles tighten in her hand did the
bobbing of her head increased; and when she felt my erection
between her lips as I prepared to unload my semen into her mouth,
she surprised me by suddenly taking my entire length in her
mouth, my glans firmly wrapped by her throat muscles.

That was the last straw - with a deep groan, I felt spurt after
spurt of my hot jism being deposited directly down her throat. As
she greedily swallowed each wad of my semen, the flexing of her
throat muscles would only trigger me into another spasm - which
she would just as quickly swallow.

Not until the most intense part of my climax was over did she
lift her head again; even then, she kept me in her mouth, using
her tongue and lips to milk me as she drew a deep breath through
her nose.

I began to soften in her mouth; she slowed, then stopped, her
efforts to draw out as much of my cum as she could. Releasing me
from between her lips, I saw her swallow a couple of times before
she went about licking my penis clean of any traces of my seed
that she might have missed.

As I lay there panting slightly with the intensity of what she'd
just done for/to me, I felt her move onto the bed with me. After
a little maneuvering, she was curled up next to me. I managed to
get an arm around her and pull her a little closer as she put her
hand on my chest and rested her head in the crook of my shoulder.
Even after I'd gotten my breath back, we continued to lie there
that way - content to simply have each other's company.

I was the first to move when I gave her a brief hug and kissed
the top of her head. A moment later, I told her "Thank you,
Robyn. That was wonderful."

She giggled, and answered "I enjoyed it, too."

"I'll just bet you did!" I teased.

She giggled again before telling me "I *like* doing that. It
makes me feel good, knowing that I can make YOU feel good that
way. I like the way you taste, so it's fun for me, too."

"And I like the way *you* taste - so now it's MY turn."

She pulled away from me a little so she could look down at me
with a happy smile on her face before she said "I was hoping you
would!"

I pulled her down so we could share a kiss before letting her up
again. When I started to get up, she scooted back a little on the
bed and asked "Where do you want me?"

"How about if we just trade places?" I asked.

She nodded her head in agreement, and quickly matched my previous
position. As she did, I moved to the floor, then between her legs
- which she readily parted for me.

Since I was taller than she was and my target was a bit lower, I
didn't have to kneel; my ass rested on the soft carpet we had in
all the bedrooms. It took only a little adjustment on both our
parts before I had Robyn's smooth, firm legs draped across my
shoulders.

The sight in front of me was one that would delight almost any
man: a young girl, the flower of her womanhood in full bloom, its
delicate scent clean and soft.

Behind the dark cloud of her soft, straight pubic hair, I could
see that her pea-sized clitoris was contemplating making an
appearance. From underneath its hood, her thin vaginal lips
flowed straight and smooth around her opening. Between them, the
entrance to her vagina was barely visible; the entire area
faintly glistening with the liquid arousal that had already
escaped her. Beneath, I could see the dark pink rosebud of her
anus as it clenched slightly in her eager anticipation of what
she knew I was about to do.

I heard her start to moan when I finally extended my tongue, and
let it slip between the folds of her labia; that moan continued
as I slid it upwards through her vaginal lips, then on to softly
stroke across her half-hidden clitoris. When I pulled my tongue
away, her pelvis followed as she tried to maintain contact.

When I looked again, the flesh gates to her female garden had
grown slightly, and parted even farther. The area between them
was visibly wet, and at their peak, her clitoris had decided it
wanted more of my attentions.

The taste I'd gotten from my all-too-brief foray across her
opening was delicious: sweet, tangy, and faintly musky. As
delightful as the view was, I wanted more of the flavor of her. I
didn't delay any longer before placing my mouth over the entrance
to her vagina, and softly sucking on it to draw out more of the
tasty oils of her excitement.

At the feel of my mouth on her, Robyn raised her hips again to
welcome my attentions. When she felt the first hint of the gentle
suction I was applying, she again moaned deep in her throat. A
glance upwards, and I could see the twin peaks of her breasts;
each was capped by the flesh monolith of an erect nipple set on
the small dark volcano of a tightly puckered areola.

 From trying to softly suck the precious nectar from her young
blossom, I moved on to simply licking across her opening; each
pass of my tongue ended with a brief fluttering across her
exposed clitoris. Each such contact brought it out more, until it
was fully exposed, then as erect as her nipples. With it exposed
and available to me, I took it between my lips to begin `milking'
it. In less than a minute, Robyn was writhing on the bed as her
moans of pleasure became more frequent and vocal. I continued my
tender ministrations to it; I could tell that she was rapidly
moving toward orgasm. Not wanting to bring her too far too fast,
I slowed my actions a bit before abandoning them to begin
something else: sliding my stiffened tongue into her, as though
making love to her with _it_, instead of my penis. Each
penetration brought a gasp from her as she lifted her hips and
spread her firm thighs to get me as deep inside her as possible.

When the effort of thrusting into her with my tongue became too
great, I went back to the glistening nubbin of her clitoris -
taking it between my lips to softly suck on it in a gentle rhythm
that slowly cycled from soft suction, to medium to soft again.
After a couple minutes, her moaning was continuous; I reached up
to take her breasts in my hands - and found that hers were
already there. She let my hands displace hers, which went on to
begin caressing the rest of her body.

As I rested my tongue, I let my hands add to her pleasure: softly
squeezing her breasts, tracing my fingertips across their warm
surface, and gently pulling and pinching her nipples.

I knew that what I was doing was moving her toward orgasm again;
I continued until I sensed that she was close, then simply
stopped and moved on to something else: licking her labia and
vaginal entrance as though they were an ice cream cone, and
hearing her groan slightly in frustration. When she was aroused,
Robyn's vagina would get surprisingly wet; it wasn't unusual for
her pubic hair to be soaked and her thighs slick with her oils
almost down to her knees. I helped keep that from happening by
making frequent detours to collect her ample lubrication on my
tongue. After just a few swipes of my tongue across her labia, I
couldn't help smiling to myself when I had the thought: this was
one flavor that I didn't think Baskin-Robbins was going to be
featuring any time soon!

Again, it didn't take long before what I was doing started moving
Robyn toward orgasm. This time, I decided, I'd let it happen.

With my tongue rejuvenated, I began to let my licks of Robyn's
labia slowly extend again - eventually to include running across
her clitoris. Gradually, I shifted the focus of my oral
attentions from simply licking her, to caressing her clitoris.
Then I went on to put my mouth over it so I could flutter my
tongue across it, and gently rub tiny circles around it with just
the very tip of my tongue. Between those two actions, it wasn't
long before Robyn was again trying to press her pelvis up to
increase the pressure I was applying - but I knew that the softer
touches I was using would make for a more intense climax for her,
and simply lifted my head with each of her thrusts, just as she'd
done with me.

Several minutes later, I knew that she was getting close again. I
knew that when it happened, there was a very real risk that she'd
snap her hips up; rather than risk a broken nose or neck, I
carefully shifted my hands down her body, so that they rested
across her lower belly. Even as my hands were leaving her
breasts, her hands were replacing them so she could again start
squeezing her breasts and pulling on her nipples.

I felt her body slowly tensing under my mouth and hands, and knew
that she was on the very edge of her orgasm. I deliberately
slowed my actions on her clitoris, then paused a few moments, and
suddenly gave it a furious (but gentle) tongue-lashing; it all
but threw her into the chasm of her orgasm as she nearly screamed
in pleasure and release.

I felt her body tense, and managed to hold her pelvis down when
she tried to suddenly lift her hips up. Even as I felt the
entrance to her vagina clenching as spasm after spasm of her
orgasm washed through her, I was applying a rhythmic pressure to
her clitoris in time with them.

The pressure I was applying was proportional to the intensity of
Robyn's orgasm; I wasn't making her release last that much
longer, but I could tell that I *was* making it more intense.

Still, the spasms finally slowed, then stopped. When I didn't
feel anything happen to her for several seconds, I lifted her
legs from my shoulders and moved to lie on the bed with her,
where I held her head on my lap. She was panting from the effects
of her orgasm, and as I watched, a couple of small shudders ran
through her - aftershocks, I thought.

Her breathing and heart rate (as reflected in a slight tremor of
her left breast) were soon back to normal - thanks to the youth
and vigor that I envied all too often.

Other than pulling my hand up to hold her breast, Robyn was
content to just lay with her head on my lap for several minutes
before looking up at me and asking "There's more, isn't there?"

I grinned and answered "If you want."

She giggled, and told me "Oh, I want!"

With that, she managed to sit up again, and turned to take my
penis in her hand before saying "First, I think I need to fix
this, though."

"Probably would help", I admitted.

She put her hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me onto my
back as she told me "You just lie back for a while, and let me
take care of things."

I nodded my agreement, and she moved to straddle my hip. Lowering
her body, we kissed as I felt her nipples pressing into my skin
while the firm cushions of her breasts warmed my chest.

After our lips parted, she graced me with one of her `I love you'
smiles, and started kissing her way down my body - much as I'd
done so many times to her. From one shoulder to the other, she
blazed a trail of kisses and soft bites across my body before
reversing direction. The return path was a trifle lower than the
first; the next lower still.

Each horizontal sequence was matched with a slight downward
displacement; after several minutes, she'd zigzagged her way down
my body far enough that her lips were brushing my pubic hair.

Shortly after that, she was again taking my semi-erect penis in
her mouth.

The climax she'd given me before had been phenomenal. But enough
time had passed - and she was motivated enough - that her efforts
soon had me at full attention again.

Satisfied with her handiwork, she gave me one last, long, slow
pass - leaving a fine sheen of her saliva behind - before moving
to kneel over my hips. She leaned forward, using one hand to
steady herself as she raised herself up. With the other, she
reached between her legs to take hold of my glistening penis;
sliding the head between her vaginal lips a couple of times, she
positioned it at the entrance to her vagina.

Holding me steady, she eased herself down to impale herself on my
erect member. I felt it as the head popped through the ring of
muscle at her entrance; soon after that, she had nearly half my
length inside, and released her hold on me. She paused a few
moments, lifted herself up a bit to let a little bit of me slide
free, and pressed herself down again until the firm round globes
of her ass were securely planted against my thighs. Only then did
she make any noise - a whispered "DAMN, I needed that!"

After a few moments to savor my presence in her, Robyn started
moving over me - slowly at first, in small movements apparently
meant to make sure I was properly lubricated inside her. But it
didn't take her much longer to expand her actions; before long,
she was raising and lowering herself far enough that nearly my
entire length was slipping in and out of her.

Several minutes later, she leaned forward again, putting her
hands next to my shoulders on the bed. That brought her body
close enough that I could easily reach her breasts; I happily put
my hands over them, feeling the pressure of her nipples against
my palms varying as she continued to rock back and forth on my
erection. Shifting my hands slightly, I was able to cup her firm
mounds. When I started running my thumbs over her nipples, she
moaned softly in response as I felt her briefly tighten around my
penis with each pass of my fingers.

Looking up at her, I could see that her face and shoulders were
dark with her steadily increasing arousal. As I was looking at
her, she opened her eyes; seeing that I was watching her, she
lowered her head so we could share a kiss that lasted several
iterations of her self-impalement. When the kiss ended, she
started panting with the effort of her exertions; her eyes
focused on a point approximately twelve million miles over my
head - her concentration seemed to be entirely on the sensations
being created in her body.

The youth and vigor I envied so often wasn't limitless; after a
while, I could tell that she was starting to get tired. I moved
my hands from her breasts to her hips, gently applying pressure
to them to get her to slow down, then stop. When she was
motionless over me, I told her "I know you want this - but I know
you're getting tired, too. Let me do it for a while."

She gave me a pleased smile, and after a little adjustment, we
were situated so that we could reverse positions without having
to uncouple. A few moments later, and the deed was done: Robyn
lay on her back, her parted legs wrapped around my waist as I
held myself over her - my penis still firmly buried inside her.

Before I started moving in her, I took the welcome opportunity to
lower my head a bit and kiss her. She eagerly returned it, and it
wasn't long before our tongues were dueling in each other's
mouths as Robyn ran her hands up and down my back.

Our kiss progressed, and I could feel Robyn's hips start lifting
from the bed. With her legs in a different position, she was able
to press against my greater bulk to take a little more of me
inside. It was only a fraction of an inch, but it was enough -
particularly when she discovered that with only a little more
effort, she could press her erect clitoris against my pubicbone.

As her upward thrusts became more frequent and more insistent, I
realized that it was time to fulfill my part of the bargain.
Easing my hips back, I withdrew my entire length from her, only
stopping when the head of my erection was between her vaginal
lips. She started to release a disappointed groan, only to cut it
off when she felt me pressing into her again. When I'd slipped
past the ring of her opening, I paused a moment, then slid myself
back out again. I repeated my actions several times - sliding the
glans of my penis through the snug circle of her entrance only to
withdraw it again.

I could hear her breathing change, and knew that my teasing was
having the desired effect when she finally groaned "Don't tease,
dammit! Fuck me!"

Responding to her first demand was easily accomplished: with a
quick, firm thrust, I buried myself balls-deep in her - an action
that earned me a loud gasp and moan of pleasure.

Her second demand took a bit longer, but I complied with it,too.

After her vagina clenched around me a few times, she relaxed
again and I began to slide my penis out of her again - but only a
third of it before I slowly pressed myself back into her. The
next stroke was a trifle longer; the one after that longerstill.

It was a couple of minutes before my movements in her hot, wet
sheath used the full length of my manhood; by that time, she was
again softly moaning her pleasure as she arched her pelvis up to
welcome my penetrations.

The next several minutes were spent in a mutually joyful joining
of our bodies; the only sounds were those of our breathing, and
the liquid noises of our union. As my penis slowly pistoned in
and out of her tight cavern, Robyn would welcome each filling by
lifting her pelvis and softly moaning her pleasure. Every so
often, I would feel her tighten around me briefly; as those
occasions came more and more often, I gradually increased the
pace of my thrusts. When I saw her start tossing her head from
side to side in her passion, I started including a little `bump'
against her clitoris at the bottom of my inward thrusts. That
added bit of stimulation had the effect I'd desired: it wasn't
much longer before Robyn's hips stayed lifted clear of the bed,
and I was pressing almost straight into her.

A couple minutes more, and it happened for her: with a loud cry
from her, I felt Robyn's entire vagina clamp down around me just
as I was pressing against her clitoris. I held myself steady in
her, feeling her thrusting her pelvis against mine as a series of
spasms ran the length of her vagina. Thankfully, the release
she'd given me earlier meant that I wasn't anywhere near my own
climax; that left me free to delight in the incredible sensations
she was creating around my erection as her orgasm took her over.

After the first wave of her release washed through her, I felt
her hips start to lower to the bed; I followed her, keeping
myself as deep inside her as I could. Her ass had barely touched
the bed when a second series of spasms passed through her - and
_around_ me. A few moments later, I felt her tense for a third -
and decided to intensify it by pressing myself against her
clitoris again. It worked, and she managed to get out a loud
groan of pleasure before her body responded to the increased
stimulation.

The fourth and fifth cycles of her orgasm were each a trifle
weaker than the one before - but I could tell that they were
still powerful. They were followed by a sixth, then seventh; the
last noticeably weaker than its predecessor. Robyn was gasping
and shuddering when an eighth - and much weaker - series of
spasms passed through her. After it ended there were several
seconds when nothing happened, then I saw Robyn shudder again
briefly.

When nothing more happened for several seconds after that, I
lowered myself so that my body was covering hers, supporting
myself on my elbows. I could hear Robyn breathing heavily as she
tried to draw in the oxygen her body had denied her until then.

When her breathing was closer to normal, Robyn suddenly seemed to
realize where she was. With an absolutely luminous expression on
her face, she threw her arms around me and started kissing my
face and shoulders. As she hugged me, I could hear the soft
panting of her breath in my ear before she released me enough to
simply hold her hands at my sides.

She had an ear-to-ear grin when she looked up and told me
"Thanks, Dad! That was *really* great!"

I grinned back, and answered "My pleasure, short stuff."

She started to move, and realized that I was still inside her.
She got a slightly distracted look on her face as she wiggled
around a little bit, then smiled at me and said "You didn't
shoot. Does that mean we can do it some more?"

"Of course it does."

Her smile got wider, and she started to caress my body again.
Realizing that I was covered with a fine sheen of perspiration,
she looked up at me again to say "I think you're a little tired
from last time. How about if we find something a little less
tiring for both of us?"

I voiced my agreement, and Robyn thought for a moment before
suggesting "Hands and knees?"

I knew she was offering to move to that position so that I could
make love to her from behind. I nodded my head and eased myself
backwards, not only to extract my penis from her, but to give her
room to get up; as I pulled free of her, I saw a brief look of
disappointment cross her face. With room to move, Robyn rolled to
her belly before getting to her knees. She turned and moved in
front of me so the two of us could hug again before sharing a
kiss.

After the kiss ended, she dropped to her hands and knees in front
of me, taking my penis into her mouth and licking it clean of her
juices, replacing them with a film of her saliva.

Satisfied with her handiwork, she turned to face away from me,
leaving me with a clear view of the firm, round globes of her
ass. Below and between them, I had an equally clear look at the
lightly-furred mound of her pudendum, and the open and wet cleft
of her sex.

As I moved close behind her, Robyn looked over her shoulder at
me. After a moment's hesitation, she told me "Dad? I... I want to
feel you... in my butt."

She'd given me her anal virginity not long after her 13th
birthday. Since then, we'd had anal sex only a few times - each
of them at _her_ request. As I had the other times as well, I
gave her the chance to change her mind.

"You're sure?" I asked.

She nodded, and told me "There's some baby oil next to the
shower."

I patted her on one warm ass cheek and got up to get the oil -
and a hand towel.

Back on the bed, I poured a little of the oil into the palm of my
hand and let it warm a little before using the other hand to
spread her ass cheeks slightly. With the rosette of her anus
exposed, I tipped the hand with the oil to let it drip between
her cheeks, where it flowed down across her anus. I poured
another small puddle of oil in my hand, let it warm, and slipped
my hand down to apply the oil directly to her pucker. I slowly
and gently worked it around the area; and then added a little
more, which I carefully worked into her opening with my finger.
As I did that, I heard her soft moans, and knew that she really
did want me that way.

With Robyn properly lubricated, the next step was to get myself
oiled up - something that didn't take long at all.

I used the towel I'd brought to clean the surplus baby oil from
my hand, then set it aside so I could reach down to position the
head of my penis against her nether opening. When I was securely
pressed against it, I asked her to hold still a moment, which she
did. Reaching for the oil again, I let a little bit of it drip
down onto the head of my penis, where it flowed down to where
Robyn and I were contacting - I wanted to make sure that there
was more than enough lubrication for what was to come next.

With the bottle of oil sealed and put aside, I asked Robyn if she
was ready; she pressed herself back against me in affirmation.
Holding myself steady with one hand, I put the other on her hip
and started pressing my hips forward. At the end of my penis, I
could feel Robyn deliberately relaxing the ring of her anus; in
only a few seconds, we felt the head of my erection pop through
her opening.

I immediately stopped, just as I had every time I'd had Robyn
that way - both to give her time to let me know if she was having
any problems with my presence in her, and to give her time to
adjust to it, if she wasn't.

That time was no different: it didn't take as much as a minute
before she let me know that it was okay to continue.

With the largest part of me already inside, the ample supply of
oil made it easy for me to slide the rest of my member inside her
- stopping only when I felt the firm globes of her ass snug
against my belly.

Deep inside her, I paused - both to give her time to adjust to my
presence in such an intimate place, and to delight at the feeling
of her hot, tight bowels wrapped around me.

As before, I waited for Robyn to let me know when she was ready -
and she did, by rocking herself forward slightly to let some of
my oiled member slip free of her rectal grasp.

With both hands on her hips, I started to make love to her with
small movements that slowly slid my penis through her most
intimate opening. As I did, I felt her gradually loosen - but
that looseness was relative; her bowels were still tight around
me, and the ring of her anus still felt a half-dozen sizes too
small for what we were doing.

But doing it, we were.

In only a couple of minutes, I was making full strokes in and out
of her - slowly, to be sure. A few more minutes, and I was making
love to her tight pucker as though it were no different than the
opening below it.

I reached down and forward to take her breasts in my hands-
cupping them to feel their weight shift slightly in response to
each of my thrusts into her.

I wasn't surprised when, a minute or so later, I felt Robyn's
hand slip between her thighs as she started playing with her
clitoris - rubbing it, circling it with her finger, and even
gently pinching it. I responded in kind by doing the same things
to her nipples; I heard her gasp in response.

I could feel the wetness of her vaginal opening, and knew that my
balls were being soaked by her female fluids; a bit later, I
could hear as they smacked wetly against her with each of my
thrusts.

Looking down, I watched as the flesh of her anus responded to my
penetrations - flexing inward with each thrust, and pulling out
with each withdrawal. As I was watching that happen, I felt Robyn
slide a finger into her vagina - and felt that same digit along
the bottom of my penis, separated by only the thin shells of her
bowels and vagina. I knew that the sensation for her was easily
twice what I felt: not only did she feel on her finger what I did
on my penis, but she had the added stimulation of having both
orifices occupied.

I could feel myself getting closer and closer to spilling my seed
in her; it was with relief that I realized she was as near her
climax as I was to mine - if not more so.

The feeling of Robyn's finger sliding along the underside of my
penis as she finger-fucked herself soon had me past the point of
no return; from the sensations she was creating around me, and
the noises she was making, I knew that Robyn wasn't far off,
either.

Even as I felt my balls tighten up as I prepared to unload my
semen in her, I heard Robyn cry out her release. The sphincter of
her anus clamped down around me as I continued to thrust myself
through its tight ring, and a few strokes later, I felt the first
hot pulse of my climax erupt from the end of my penis to coat her
warm bowels. She could apparently feel it, and cried out again in
response before her dark passage clenched around me again - only
to be flooded with another jet of my semen as I pressed myself as
deep inside her as I could.

Back and forth we went: a spurt of my jism wetting her insides
triggering a spasm in her, and the resulting tightness of her
around my penis prompting me to unload in her even more.

It was my male limitations that finally let the cycle end: I
simply ran out of `ammunition'. With nothing left to give, I had
to be content to enjoy the feelings she was giving me as her own
orgasmic waves gradually tapered off.

When I heard her draw a deep, gasping breath, I knew she was all
but done. My hands were still on her breasts; I released my hold
on her mammaries so I could support her body. If she felt the way
I did, she would need my help to lie down again without falling.

In less than a minute, my precaution paid off: the arm Robyn was
using to support herself all but gave out. I managed to prop
myself up with one of my arms, and held Robyn next to me as I
carefully lowered us to the bed - my softening penis still
embedded in her ass.

I held myself above her until my penis finally softened enough to
pull free of her. When it did, I felt her give a small start. I
quickly grabbed the towel I'd used to wipe oil off my hand, and
draped it lengthwise on her ass, so that the end of it hung down
across her mons. With that accomplished, it was all I could do to
manage a controlled collapse onto my back, next to her.

A minute or two later, I watched as she gathered the strength to
roll over onto her back, as well - and doing it so the towel
stayed under her to catch the inevitable leakage.

With her head turned toward me, I could see the satiated smile on
her face when she extended her arm far enough to take my hand in
hers. I gave her hand a small squeeze in welcome.

The two of us lay there like that for several minutes - not just
getting our breath and senses back, but resting from the effort
and intensity of our exertions.

It was Robyn's damnable youthful energy that got her moving
first: holding the towel in place in the crease of her ass, she
managed to roll onto her side so that she was propped up against
me. From there, she draped a leg across my hips before laying her
arm on my chest. *I* was still trying to decide of any of my
parts would be in working condition by the time I had to leave
the next day.

After a kiss on my cheek, Robyn nuzzled my neck as she told me
"Thanks, Dad - I feel a *lot* better, now!" with a small giggle.

Somehow, I managed to get an arm around her and hug her - instead
of strangling her as I was tempted. I loved her dearly, and would
do anything in the world for her - but sometimes, she nearly
drove me crazy.

A couple more minutes, and I felt her get up and saw her head
into her bathroom. Inside, I heard the sound of water running,
and realized that she was getting something to drink - as
copiously as she produced vaginal fluids, she was always thirsty
after making love.

A bit later, I heard the water running again. A few moments after
it stopped, she reappeared, minus the towel - apparently haven
taken the time to clean some, if not most, of the oil from her
nether regions. She quickly moved back to the bed, and resumed
her previous positions cuddled into my side.

I think both of us drifted into a nap; I don't know what time it
was that I woke up, but Robyn was softly snoring into my
shoulder. I started to move, and felt her start slightly as she
woke up. She lifted her head from my shoulder, and looked down to
say "I think we fell asleep."

I grinned, and admitted that *I* certainly had. She grinned back
before saying "Well, whatever time it is, *I* need a shower. You
can take one with me, if you want."

"I want", I agreed.

Together, we got up and headed into the bathroom. Our shower
wasn't long, but certainly fun as we cleaned any traces of baby
oil off each other. The near-scalding water helped us relax
again; by the time we'd dried each other off, we were ready for
bed again. I lay on my side, and Robyn didn't hesitate to curl up
in front of me so we could `spoon'. I put my arm around her, and
didn't have to be told to cup her breast in my hand. She put her
hand over mine, and we fell asleep like that.

-----

The next morning, we were awakened by the sound of Robyn's alarm
clock. It was to be the first day that she and Sandra went back
to school after the loss of Sandra's parents.

I joined her for another shower - this one longer and more
happy-making. Dried and dressed, we made our way to the kitchen
where the others were just starting breakfast. They'd left a
quantity of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast for us;
we loaded our plates and joined them.

When breakfast was over, Robyn and Sandra both left to get the
backpacks they used to carry their school supplies. When they
returned, all three of us gave them each a hug and kiss before
walking them outside - where we found a car waiting with two
women in the front seat. When they saw us, both got out and came
over to identify themselves as plain-clothes police. They told us
that they would be the ones escorting Sandra and Robyn at school,
and that at least one of them would be part of any escort.
Another round of kisses (these more subdued) and hugs, and the
girls piled in to head for school.

Back inside, Lucy, Erika, and I sat around the table for a little
longer, sipping coffee as we went over what we thought was likely
to happen over the next few weeks.

When it was time for Erika and I to go to the airport, Lucy gave
BOTH of us hugs and loving kisses - and got one back from Erika,
who didn't even blush when she saw me watching. Lucy watched us
get into the back of the FBI car that was to take us to the
airport before going back inside - to get ready for her first day
back at work.

With our flight back to be a lot less hurried than the one
before, there weren't any special arrangements made for us. We
both had to show our ID to bypass the security checkpoints, and
waited with the other passengers for our flight to be called.

Amy and Abby were waiting for us in the arrival area at the other
end. Both of them gave us a hug and kiss, and both whispered
their sympathies to me during our hugs.

Amy took us to her place first so we could drop off the minimal
luggage we had with us, then we went in to the office. Along the
way, Amy told Erika and me "It looks like the leak is on the PD
side. Prices have been going up the last few days, just like we'd
expect from the story I gave the Deputy Chief and his bunch."

"I'll be they're just gonna LOVE to hear _that_." I replied,
before asking "So how do you - we - tell them?"

"There's nothing to do but invite them in, and tell them. Lay it
all out for them, tell them what we did and why, and hope they
don't get TOO pissed at us." Amy answered.

A few moments later, I asked "What about the honcho type that we
caught?"

Amy answered "He's been kept away from everyone. He isn't saying
squat to anybody; I don't even think he's really saying much to
his lawyer."

"Think you can make arrangements for me to see him?" I asked.

Amy pulled her eyes from the road long enough to give me a look;
when she was watching traffic again, she said "I don't know if
that would be a very good idea, Dan."

"I don't want to question him. I just want to _talk_ to him. No
threats, no intimidation, nothing like that. I just want to say
my piece, and see if it motivates him any."

Amy shared a look with Erika, via the rear-view mirror, before
Amy answered "I'll see what I can do."

Once inside the office, I found a number of sympathy cards on my
desk. Abby told me "I think everybody in the building stopped by
some time or other to say how sorry they were."

I looked up at her and told her "Thanks, Abby. And thank them for
me, would you? The cards they sent to Sandra really helped." She
assured me that she had, and would do so again.

I spent the rest of the day just trying to get my head back into
what I'd been involved with.

-----

-- 


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
... And God said: "  (E/m) = c" -
and there was light.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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