Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Title: Lost & Found Ch.  02
Summary: Casey faces the music, with Robbie's help.
Keywords: fic,inc
   Part 2: Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment; Psalms 60:3
   Robbie looked out of the window at the taxi dropping-off Joey and Karen.
   "OK Case, last chance, you can still duck out now, you don't have to do
this just yet, not for me!"
   Casey took his hand, squeezed it for moment, and smiled.  "It's OK
Robbie; I need to do this, for you as well as for me.  I'll be fine, OK?"
   The knock on the door announced they were there.  "It's open!" called
Robbie, and then Joey and Karen were in the hallway, calling out to him.
   "In here, guys!" he called back, and they walked on in, long familiarity
and family ease evident in their casual dumping of coats and flight bags
   Joey, slightly shorter and stockier than Robbie, with young,
conventionally handsome features, tousled dark blonde hair like Sarah's,
came all the way into the living room, his face splitting into a wide grin
on seeing a cute girl with coppery-bronze hair standing with Robbie, not
recognising her right away.  He took a step forward to introduce himself,
and suddenly realised who he was looking at, his mouth dropping open in
shock.
   Karen, a tall, quietly beautiful girl with a tumbled mass of midnight
black curls framing her piquant features, came forward to hug Robbie, a
wide, happy smile on her face.
   "Robbie, sweetheart, it's been too long since..." and stopped, shocked
recognition making her gasp as she realised who was standing there with
him. Anger flashed in her blue eyes as she spat out one word, a curse and a
threat all in one.  "YOU!"
   She started forward, towards Casey, eyes narrowed in fury, stopping
short as Robbie stepped in front of her, pushing Casey slightly behind him.
   "Karen, Joey, please, calm down.  There's a reason Casey's here, take it
easy, please, guys, come on!"
   Karen backed off, staring daggers at Casey, Joey still standing with his
mouth hanging open like a boated cod, his eyes narrowing as shock gave way
to anger.
   "Robbie, what the hell is this...this...creature doing here!?" hissed
Karen, sparks spitting in her eyes, glaring at Casey, who quailed at that
glare and the sheer concentrated fury in her voice.
   "Yeah Bro, just what the hell's going on?  What the fuck is she doing
here?" gritted Joey, his shocked expression gone, face immobile but his
eyes still narrowed to two angry slits.
   "Guys, please, for me, just lay off her for one second, please?  I said
I had a surprise.  Casey and I, we kind of found each other; actually,
she's been looking for me all this time, I listened to what she had to say,
and I believed her.  All that stuff in the past, that's all gone now, none
of it matters anymore.  I finally let it go, only because Casey showed me
the way.  I have a family that loves me, you guys, and I want you to hear
her out, for my sake.  Will you do that?  At least just listen?  Please?"
   "For you, Robbie, I'll listen," said Karen, "But if I don't like what
I'm hearing...!" she trailed off meaningfully, eyes still fixed
distrustfully on Casey.  "That goes for me too!" spat Joey,"this had better
be fucking amazingly good!  Why you let her..." his voice trailed off into
angry muttering, his slitted eyes still fixed intently on her face as he
shook his head in disgust.
   Robbie squeezed Casey's hand, smoothed back her hair, and looked her in
the eyes.
   "Say your piece, Case.  Don't hold anything back, there're no secrets
between any of us, just tell Joey and Karen what you told me, don't be
afraid, I'm here." His sweet smile was all the encouragement she needed.
   Casey swallowed nervously, and began to speak.
   "Joey, Karen, you both know how I behaved, what I did to Robbie.  I have
no excuses that mean anything, I did what I did because no-one told me I
couldn't, and I paid for it, with shame and loss, more than I can ever
describe.  I took everything, and left nothing for him, ever, not a scrap
of my time or a thought for him, and I only realised what I'd done when it
was too late to make it right."
   "I understood then that I should have been there for him.  He'd always
needed me, and I was too wrapped-up in myself to know that I needed him
until he was gone, and it was too late.  I looked for him because I wanted
my big brother, I wanted him back, and I would have made any bargain, paid
any price, just to get him back, to say sorry, to beg his forgiveness, and
to tell him I loved and needed him.  We gave him nothing, and we cast him
away for no reason, left him alone when he needed us the most, and I cried
for him night after night, knowing he was lost and alone when he needed me,
and I needed him so badly.  When Joey told me he didn't know where Robbie
was, it felt like the bottom had dropped out of my world: If the one person
Robbie loved and trusted most in this world didn't know where he was, then
he truly was lost to me, he really was gone forever, I could never make it
right with him, and it was all my fault.  When Karen confronted me, what
she did was no more than I deserved."
   "When I found him again, all he had to do was tell me to go and slam the
door on me forever.  He didn't, because, thank God, he's not like me, nor
ever could be.  I left him out of my life, but he pulled me back into his,
because that's who he is, and I can never forgive myself for letting him go
so easily.
   I did the most terrible thing in the world; I only had one chance to
have a big brother, and I blew it; I threw him away, I nearly destroyed
him, and I laughed when I did it, and it will weigh on my heart forever. 
Now I know how it feels to lose the most precious thing in the whole world,
and I'm never letting him go again!"
   She was crying openly now, hot tears pouring down her cheeks as her
shame and guilt bloomed large inside her again.  Karen looked at her, her
expression flinty, but tears glimmered in her eyes, wringing Joey's hand
between hers, mute evidence she was feeling the powerful emotional charge
in the room.  Joey was still in shock; this was a side to Casey he'd never
expected to see, the confident, arrogant, cheerleader babe-about-town
reduced to this emotional shambles, all her defenses down, and his heart
went out to her as he felt the emotional impact of her deep sorrow and even
deeper sincerity.
   Robbie took her in his arms, holding her against him as she sobbed,
smoothing her hair, murmuring gently to her, clumsily trying to calm her as
he held her close.  Casey wrapped her arms around him and held him tight,
letting Robbie rock her gently against his chest, her hands holding and
caressing him.  Karen's expression slowly softened as she watched,
realisation of the true nature of Robbie and Casey's relationship gradually
dawning.
   At last, Robbie let her go, dabbing her eyes as she rested her head
against his chest and brushing her hair gently with his lips, silence in
the room as all of them sat motionless, mulling-over what had just
unfolded.
   Joey stirred, breaking the spell, to hunker-down in front of Casey,
wonder stirring in him as he finally got what was going on between Robbie
and Casey, and reached out to gently touch her arm, take her hand.  Casey
looked at him through her tears, gradually seeing the look on his face, all
his anger gone, only concern for her there.
   "Hi Casey, I'm Joey, Robbie's brother, it's nice to finally meet you at
last!" he smiled, flashing a quick look of concern and enquiry at Robbie,
getting a quick nod and smile back, all the affirmation he needed.  Casey
smiled through her tears, grateful for the love and support Robbie had been
given when he'd needed it, stricken that it wasn't her who'd done that for
him.
   "Hi Joey, I've heard so much about you; Robbie's told me all about his
family, and how much he loves you all, I'm glad I finally met you!" she
quavered, smiling tremulously, her eyes still bright with unshed tears.
   Joey reached behind him, Karen's hand slipping into his as she moved up
behind him, smiling at Casey when she looked up at her.  "Casey, this is my
fiancée, Karen.  Karen, I'd like you to meet Casey, she's with Robbie!"
   Karen held out her hand, Casey's slipping into it, the two of them
holding hands as the family reunion unfolded around them, Karen also
feeling the depth of Casey's sorrow and regret, and feeling and hearing her
sincerity.
   "Casey, come with me, let's get you cleaned up." said Karen gently,
Robbie rising and handing up Casey from the couch, the two girls making for
the bathroom to fix Casey's tear-ravaged makeup.
   While they were gone, Joey and Robbie sat silently for a moment or two,
Joey finally breaking the silence.
   "Mom's gonna have a haemorrhage, you do know that don't you!" he
grinned. "So, are the two of you really...uh...?"
   Robbie grinned back at him.  "Yeah, we're - significant pause - 'uh'! 
Is that a problem, meat-head?"
   Joey grinned even wider.  "Hell no, Casey always was a babe, even if I
hated her with depth and conviction, but this whole ...relationship thing
you two seem to have begun, it's gonna open a huge can of worms, you do
know that, don't you?  You got the stones to keep a lid on it, Rob?"
   Robbie expression became sober, thoughtful.  "Joey, I really think we
can do this right, if you guys are willing to help us.  How 'bout it?  You
gonna help out a friend in need?"
   "Always and forever, Bro, even if you are a butthead geek, that's what
family does, we help each other out, and then we never mention it again
while somehow constantly reminding each other about it, and then we mind
each other's business, so if you can get Mom on-side, expect a whole lot of
her minding your business!" grinned Joey, walking into the kitchen to the
refrigerator, rummaging around inside for a beer and tossing a cold one
over to Robbie while he popped his own.
   Joey suddenly grinned.
   "Mom's gonna get 'that look', you know the one I mean?  And that little
vein, right in the middle of her forehead!  It'll be like when we did that
thing with the telescope and Jodie Hollister, man she shredded us good! 
And somehow, once again, this will be my fault; you do know that, don't
you? You were always her fair-haired little golden boy, and I'm gonna catch
heat for this one, I can feel it in my bones, so you are gonna owe me
big-time!  I shall demand payment when I figure out what you've got that I
want most, so be prepared!  Come to think of it, I just love that car of
yours; I would look sooo good sitting behind the wheel of it all the time!"
   Robbie grinned at him.
   "Yeah, right, blow it out your butt, meathead!" he said as he motioned
Joey to take a seat.
   He sat down, took a long slow swallow of his beer, his eyes closed in
enjoyment, then suddenly began coughing as he nearly choked.
   Robbie jumped up, looking at him in consternation."You OK, man? 
Chrissake, Joey, take it easy, you don't earn enough to pay me to give you
the kiss of life!"
   Joey coughed and wheezed for a few seconds, giving him the finger before
he caught his breath and looked Robbie straight in the face.  "Jeez,
Robbie, I forgot; Uncle Frank, and Aunt Caitlin!  You know how they feel
about your family; the pair of them and the girls are gonna skin Casey when
they find out about this, she's top of their 'shred-before-recycling'
list!"
   Robbie grinned.  "I think that's where you guys come in; when the time's
right, I'm going to need you two to corral Aunt Caitlin so I can get Uncle
Frank alone and tell him what's happened, then we can all kind of gang-up
on Aunt Caitlin to calm her down before she goes ground-zero on us.  Leave
the twins to me, I know how their devious, mercenary little minds work, I
can get them on-side.  The hard one is going to be Mom, and the only thing
that's going to work is total honesty -- anything else and we'll both be on
that shred-list!"
   Joey thought about it, and slowly nodded agreement.  "Better call Mom
later, make sure she knows about this before Uncle Frank or you'll be
sorry. I'm just glad it's you making that call; she is most definitely not
gonna like this!"
   The girls came back then, so discussion ended, but at least tentative
plans were now in place.  Casey looked better, the earlier emotional storm
of earlier had calmed; now she looked fresh, happier, back on an even keel.
   Robbie and Joey stood up, letting the girls sit before sitting down
themselves; some of Sarah's lessons in manners at least seemed to have
taken firm hold.
   Casey flashed Joey a tentative smile, her smile broadening when Joey
smiled back, and leaned into the circle of Robbie's arm, pulling in close
when his arm closed around her, resting her head against him.
   "We all good now, Case?" he murmured, Casey squeezing his hand in the
affirmative.  "Good, let's go to dinner, I feel like taking my family out,
who likes Szechuan?  There's a new place in Serramonte, I feel the need for
something sweet and hot, unless anyone else has got a preference?"
   No-one had, so they piled into the car, Joey driving because Robbie knew
how much he enjoyed driving the GT, but mainly because he wanted to sit in
the back and huddle with Casey.
   Dinner was everything they could have wanted, and they eventually headed
back late to Daly City.  Joey and Karen had to be back in Springfield in 2
days, so there was no rush for flights or anything.  In the normal course
of events, Joey and Robbie would spend a day with Frank, and a couple of
days just hanging, but now they had things to do, people to see, and news
to break.  When they got back to the apartment, Robbie insisted Joey and
Karen take the master bedroom, the cable was hooked through there and he
knew how Joey like to watch late night movies, he and Casey camping out in
the spare bedroom.
   After they'd changed for bed, Karen and Joey discussed the day's
revelations.  Karen was still astonished at the changes in Casey; in school
she'd been brash, self-assured, arrogant and uber-confident, at 16 already
main contender for the school Alpha-Female crown, star of the cheer-leading
squad, undisputed Prom Queen in waiting.  Karen had despised her, suspected
what she was like even then.  When she'd discovered what Casey had stood-by
and allowed to happen to Robbie, she'd been appalled and disgusted at just
what kind of person Casey had really been.  Now that old Casey was gone;
Karen recognised the fundamental changes in her, a shift from focussing on
herself to Robbie, and her obvious and profound remorse for the life she'd
stood by and had let happen to him, and the reality of the relationship she
and Robbie had struck-up.  Karen was unconcerned that Casey was his sister;
for most of her life she'd been anything but.  To her own wonder, she
recognised the paradigm shift she'd undergone in her own views and opinions
of Casey; now she saw the girl underneath all that had gone before, and how
much that girl wanted, and was wanted by, Robbie.
   No, Karen was concerned for Robbie.  He was a big, sweet kid, almost
Joey's age but so much younger than him in every way that mattered, and
emotional entanglements, with anyone, not just Casey, were going to be a
minefield for him; he had no prior experience to help him negotiate that
minefield, no history of dating or girls or anything that involved the
opposite sex; like Sarah, she'd long been concerned that Robbie had
consistently shown no interest or curiosity about girls, sex, dating, the
things a young man should have been engaging in with headlong enthusiasm;
instead, he'd seemed almost asexual in his lack of curiosity about the
opposite sex.  It was as if his sex drive, and everything that implied, had
been completely sublimated, suppressed by so many layers of trauma for so
long that it had ceased to become available to him, an almost autistic
inability to connect with himself in this way.  Age and maturity had not
assisted him greatly; puberty for him had just meant he got taller and
started shaving.
   When she and Joey hugged and kissed in front of him, he'd always shown
no reaction, no hint that he was curious about what they were doing, and
that had always worried her deeply; it was like a piece of him was missing,
like a door into himself that had been closed and was so well papered-over
that he hadn't known it was there.  It was both ironic and gratifying that
Casey, of all people, had finally been able to drill down into that
untapped part of him, and unlock the things that he needed to express so he
could be complete.  He'd needed someone that could help him re-engage with
that part of his psyche, and unbelievably, Casey had been the one to get
through the layers of defensive shrouding and unlock those parts of him
that had lain forgotten there.
   She just hoped Casey could bring him into his true adulthood in a way
that matured him into who he should have been.  Karen resolved to keep a
close eye on her, not because she distrusted her, but because she might
move too fast, damaging him in ways that none of them would be able to fix.
Like Casey, Karen felt almost over-protective of Robbie, a deep sense of
responsibility for him, as one would for any younger sibling; he may be
almost Joey's age, but in almost every way he was still the baby of the
family, a wide-eyed, almost pre-pubescent, innocent, and hurting him would
be all too easy.  It was all too possible to kill with kindness as easily
as with malice.
   In their room, Robbie and Casey were not discussing motives or maturity
or emotional minefields; Robbie was still resonating with the way Casey had
broken down again, pouring out her apologies in a heartfelt stream of
regret and remorse, and all he wanted to do was hold her, feel her against
him and protect her, to keep her safe in his family, his real family, Joey
and Karen and everyone else, not that travesty back home.  She was still
very fragile; the emotional toll on her was high, and even Robbie,
emotional juvenile that he was, recognised that these confrontations were
costing her a heavy price; she couldn't do this over and over again, much
as she believed she had to, it was going to break her, and he wouldn't
allow that.
   He got ready for bed, unselfconsciously stripping down to his shorts,
Casey's eyes on him.  He really was a beautiful specimen, she mused, like
an anatomy exhibit of how the perfect male form should look, well muscled
but not brooding or heavy, rippling without being over-developed, perfectly
classically proportioned; Praxiteles would have sculpted him in an instant,
she thought, smiling at the thought of Robbie being the model for the
famous 'Hermes and Dionysus' at Olympia.  Casey had never been particularly
attracted to muscle-men; the line in 'Twins' where Danny DeVito asks Arnold
Schwarzenegger if there's something wrong with him, he's all swelled-up,
had always seemed apt, but now, when she looked at Robbie's sculpted form,
she could understand the beauty of, and the attraction to, the
well-developed, healthy male body.
   "It's not right, and it shouldn't happen, but I love him" she thought,
her heart filling again with regret for the years she'd lost with him.  She
moved up against him, hugging him around the waist, laying her head against
his chest to listen to his heartbeat, strong and steady and slow, the pulse
of the true athlete.  Robbie smiled at her actions, folding his arms about
her, holding her to him.
   "Something on your mind, Case?" he inquired, Casey hearing the smile in
his voice.
   "I just wanted to be close to you, baby, just for a minute; do you
mind?" she whispered.
   "Never, Case, take as long as you want, it's kind of nice for me too!"
said Robbie, stroking her hair
   She grinned, kissed his chest, and pulled back, to look up at him.  He
looked back at her, complete trust, and something else, in his clear gaze.
   "What is it, baby?" she asked, feeling a sense of foreboding.
   Robbie sighed.  "Tomorrow, Case, I have to tell Mom about you, about us.
She's gonna be mad, I know, but I've got Joey and Karen to back us up, and
she'll listen to me, but you're also going to have to do this all over
again.  I just don't know how many times you can do this without going out
of your mind -- I can see what this is doing to you; say the word and we'll
leave it be for now, let you get some of your balance back before you walk
out there into the arena.  How do you want to play this, Maximus?"
   Casey grinned at the 'Gladiator' reference, and hugged him close again.
   "It's OK, Robbie, if you're there with me, I can do it.  Sarah's not
like mom, and if she's angry, she has just cause, but she's not going to
claw and maul me, I have that to be grateful for, and she adores you, so
I'll be OK.  Are you really sure we can do this by 'phone?  I know if it
were my son, I'd want to see him face to face when he tells me something
like this!"
   He looked thoughtful.  "Good point, let me think about this tonight,
maybe we can do it another way, let's talk in the morning, OK?" Casey
nodded agreement, slipping in close for another hug, her hands around his
waist, sliding down to grasp and squeeze his solid buttocks.
   He grinned and began unbuttoning her shirt, pulling it out of her jeans
and off her shoulders, admiring her slim shapely torso, her small but
beautifully formed breasts confined inside her lacy white bra.  He popped
the button her of her jeans, sliding down the zipper, Casey wriggling to
let them drop to the floor and daintily stepping out of them to stand
before him in her skimpy, wispy, almost-there underwear.
   Robbie gently pulled her closer, his head dipping down to kiss her,
Casey responding, sliding her arms around his neck to hold him closer as
she kissed him back passionately.
   His hands slid up and fumbled with the clasp of her bra, unsnapping it,
Casey pulling away for a second to undrape it from her and toss it aside.
Still kissing her, his hands roamed down, cupping her shapely buttocks,
pulling her in closer and sliding inside her panties to caress her naked
skin.
   She broke off their kiss to hook her thumbs in the waistband of her
panties, sliding them down and wriggling slightly to let them drop to the
floor, standing naked in front of her sweet man.
   Robbie admired her frankly, enjoying the lines of her body, lithe and
sleek like a dancer, but also soft, properly curved, entirely feminine.  He
held out his hand to her and she came to him, kissing him once more, his
hands roaming over her as he 'saw' her with his other senses, feeling her
silky warmth, her soft perfume and the smell of her hair dancing in his
nostrils, subtle, alive and tempting.
   Casey held him close, feeling him grow against her, needing to feel his
warmth, wanting him to know how much she wanted him.  She ground herself
lightly against him, the contact between her mound and his stiffening cock
delightful, promising, making him groan softly and kiss her even more
passionately and hold her more tightly against him.  Casey rubbed her hand
along the line of his erect cock, feeling it's solidity through his shorts,
wanting to hold it.  She broke off their kiss to kneel, sliding his shorts
down, his rigid cock springing into view in front of her face.  Taking hold
of it and sliding her mouth over the end, she sucked gently as her tongue
roamed over the velvety crown.  Robbie groaned, steadying himself against
her as her head bobbed over his manhood, her tongue rubbing and licking
over the large, bell-shaped end as her cheeks hollowed with her suctioning,
lowering the pressure, making him harder as he engorged even further.
   "No Case..not...like...this!" he gasped out, Casey looked up in
surprise, the sight of her looking up at him with her big gray-hazel eyes
and long lashes as she fellated him nearly making him come there and then.
He backed out of her mouth, handing her up and backing toward the bed.
   "It's kind of a special day today, let's celebrate properly!" he
explained, in response to her questioning look.  Casey understood, smiling,
letting him pilot her to the bed, to lie down and wait for him.  He slid on
the bed next to her, gathering her to him and kissing her again, gently,
softly, making her feel wanted, and wanting him in return.  Now Casey took
the initiative, leaning over him to push him down, kissing him lightly,
teasingly, soft feather-like kisses on his lips, his face, dodging his
hands and smiling as she weaved around above him, delighting in his smile
as she continued to gently tease him.
   She kissed him down his chest, gently catching his nipples between her
teeth, making him gasp with the sensation, kissing him on further down, to
take hold of his straining penis, gently kissing and licking the shaft,
licking around the bulbous purple head, tasting his lubricant as his need
grew.  Her lips slipped over the swollen head, closing and sealing over the
shaft, and her head began a long, slow bobbing motion, cheeks hollowing as
she sucked, the sensation delighting and stimulating him.  Her tongue slid
in and through the furrow in the end of his cock, jolts of pleasure
blasting through him every time she did this, her hand pumping and
squeezing in time to her movements.  Robbie couldn't last long like this;
the build-up of stimulating sensations, the sight of her beautiful face
concentrating on sucking his cock, all were too much for him, and he could
feel his sperm rising, that prickling, tensing sensation in back of his
scrotum and at the juncture of his thighs warning him what was about to
happen.
   "Case, I...now...Oh God...!" he gasped, and Casey nodded, smiling and
sucking harder, pumping him harder.  With a deep, heartfelt groan as he
lost control, Robbie felt his cock swell, jetting his sperm into the back
of her throat.  Casey kept sucking as jet after jet of hot spunk slammed
into her mouth, swallowing as fast as he could ejaculate, pumping him to
milk every last drop into her hungry mouth, until the flood subsided, her
tongue swirling around the head of his cock, licking him clean.
   Robbie lay back, heart thudding and his chest rising and falling
rapidly, Casey sliding up to lie next to him to gently stroke his face and
brush his hair back from his forehead, kissing him lightly, before pulling
herself tight into him, cuddling as close as she could get.  Robbie turned
to smile lazily at her.  "How about you, Case, you got nothing out of that,
let me..." Casey hushed him with a slim finger against his lips.
   "Oh no, Robbie, I got a great deal from that!  I got to kiss and hold
and pleasure a very beautiful man indeed!"
   "Even so...!" he said, turning to her, pulling her gently in to kiss her
properly.  As he did so, Casey felt his semi-flaccid cock twitch against
her, a solid muscular twitch indicating that he wasn't finished just yet.
She grinned happily -- just what kind of a monster had she created here?
   As he kissed her, his hands roamed over her, caressing, squeezing,
touching, holding, making her sigh and moan in expectation, his cock
growing hard and solid against her.  She reached out and took hold of his
erect cock, feeling its muscular solidity, hot and smooth to the touch,
throbbing with his pulse, Robbie sighing as her warm hands enfolded him. 
As she slowly pumped him, his finger slipped into her, gently caressing,
exciting her, making her gasp out loud as he slid over her clitoris,
warming her up, making her want him.  She moved against him, her pumping
hands matching the rhythm of his stroking, her thighs parting as she gave
herself up completely.
   Robbie moved over her, positioning himself, Casey guiding him until he
was in position, then slowly sinking into her pussy as she pulled him into
herself, her hiss of satisfaction loud in his ears, echoing his groan as
the wet heat of her vulva enclosed him, beckoning him on, drawing him
further into her.  They moved slowly, almost languidly against each other,
Casey meeting him stroke for stroke, lovers making love, not the excited
coupling of attraction and lust, then stopping abruptly, Casey smiling at
his look of concern.  "It's all right sweetie, I'm OK, I just want you to
do something else for me -- it'll be good, you'll like it, I promise!"
   Robbie disengaged from her, kneeling up at her urging, and Casey turned
around, getting on all fours in front of him, her open vulva in full view.
   "Robbie, please, now..." she urged him, and now, instincts he didn't
know he possessed coming to the fore, Robbie knelt up, aiming his penis at
her and shuffling forward, Casey reaching behind to help him into her,
until, with one thrust, he was able to slide into her again.  Rhythm
returned as he pumped, something making him reach forward to slide his
hands around her ribcage to find her breasts and cup them, rubbing and
lightly pinching her nipples, pulling them into hard, rubbery little points
as he pumped his cock into her.
   Casey was gasping and sighing; from this angle she felt filled, his cock
fit inside her like a hand in a glove, the dragging friction as he slid in
and out of her completely out of this world.  She rubbed her clitoris as he
pumped her, speeding up until he was pounding into her, her gasps giving
way to squeals and groans of excitement.  At last, thrilled and stimulated
beyond endurance, she climaxed, her vagina quivering and squeezing
rhythmically along the length of his rigid cock, her muscles spasming and
giving way so she dropped her shoulders and face onto the pillow.  This
position, and the sucking and squeezing of her convulsing vagina, made the
constriction around his cock delightfully unbearable, and he came with a
deep, guttural groan, sperm pumping deep into her, his orgasm setting off
Casey again, her loud exclamation of fulfillment ringing in his ears as she
came powerfully in an extended series of waves crashing through her body,
her muscles spasming uncontrollably against him.
   At last he finished emptying himself into her, and, finally sated, he
collapsed next to her, looking at her to see her satisfied smile and touch
her beautiful face with his fingertip, smiling all the while at her.
   As Robbie and Casey slid their arms about each other, in desperate need
of sleep as the afterglow took them, Joey and Karen lay together in the
master bedroom with smiles on their faces.
   "Now that was fucking hot!" murmured Joey, grinning as his hands roamed
over Karen's slim, tight body, cupping her breasts as she ground against
him.  "Sister or not, Casey sure knows how to keep Robbie satisfied!"
   "I know, I heard!" smiled Karen, arousal burning in her from the erotic
soundtrack they'd just had played for them.  "Now you come here, I've got
something for you, too!"
   She turned to him, her hands also working as she caressed and squeezed
him, feeling him respond as she kissed and nibbled her way down his torso,
working her way towards his steel-hard erection.
   "Just lie back and enjoy this, baby, I'm gonna to rock your world!" she
grinned, and Joey could only smile happily, and as he did, a sudden thought
flashed through his conscious mind; whatever else he was, Robbie was
obviously a quick learner...
   +++
   Casey woke early, alert and apprehensive at the thought of meeting
Robbie's family.  He remained still sound asleep, his slow, even breathing
the only sound as she slid gently out of bed and rummaged quietly through
the dresser drawer he'd given her, looking for some clean underwear.  As
she rooted around she found a flat wooden case tucked away at the back of
the drawer.  Intrigued, she pulled it out and flicked the catch.  She
looked inside and gasped, tears instantly gathering in her eyes, brimming
over to spill down her cheeks, unable to tear her eyes away.  Inside the
case, padded with cotton balls, were a handful of battered and chewed cheap
plastic toy soldiers, preserved as carefully as though they were priceless,
fragile treasures, his babyhood toys, the only things he'd ever owned and
could call his own.  Seeing them brought crashing home again to Casey how
little they'd ever given, or done or felt for their son and brother, how
paltry was the existence they'd allowed him to lead that this was all he
had to show for a lifetime among them.  She leaned against the wall, and
slid down to huddle against the wall, crying silently and bitterly for
everything they'd done to him, and for giving him nothing, ever, and
finally forcing him out without even a passing concern for his life and
future.  He really had been nothing to them; here was the proof...
   "Casey, what's wrong, what happened?" came the soft, anxious query from
Robbie as he climbed out of bed, kneeling down next to her as she lifted
her tear-streaked face to him.  Wordlessly she showed him the open case,
the toy soldiers inside, and Robbie understood immediately, moving to hold
her close as she cried with the guilt still echoing inside her, now
refreshed by this poignant reminder of the burden of shame she bore.
   "I'm sorry, Case, I don't know why I kept them, I meant to throw them
away, I will if you want me to..." he began, and she jerked her head up to
stare piercingly at him.
   "NO, never let these go!" she gritted, "these are the only things we
ever allowed you to have, you should keep them so you never forget how we
treated you!  This was unforgivable, and it always will be, so don't ever
let these go, promise me!"
   He looked at her, concern washing over him as he realised that she still
had much to forgive herself for, that her emotional state was still fragile
and only tenuously maintained, and that the planned trip to Morgan Hill may
not be such a good idea.
   "I...promise, Case, I'll keep them safe until you tell me it's OK to get
rid of them.  OK?"
   She pulled him in close, still jarred by her discovery, and he gently
took the case away from her and slid it under the bed, to put it somewhere
more secure later on.
   Robbie stood up and helped her stand, urging her back to bed, to lie
next to him so he could hold her and make the tears go away, his presence
eventually calming her.  Casey lay in silence, wondering how she could ever
make it up to him; give him back what he should have had as his right.  She
lay silently, listening to Robbie breathe next to her, taking comfort in
his nearness.  At last, she decided that sleep wasn't going to come, so she
grabbed a quick shower and started breakfast.
   When Joey and Karen came in for breakfast, Casey had already made
pancakes, bacon, eggs and sausage patties, and there was a pot of coffee
on. Joey smiled in happy anticipation.  "Ah, the food of the Gods, thank
you, Casey, thank you!  This one's definitely a keeper, bro; Karen only
lets me have muesli, Switzerland's Revenge -- it's like licking the floor
of a parrot's cage, and she says it's good for me!"
   Robbie grinned.  "That's what you get for taking up with a health-freak;
I tried to warn yoOOWW!"
   "Serves you right, Robert Anderson, you asked for it, and there's more
where that came from!" grinned Karen, one eyebrow raised in challenge as
she dared him to say anything more.
   "But that hurt!" protested Robbie, holding his shoulder.
   Karen swatted him with a magazine.
   "Oh stop crying, for such a big man you are such a little girl! 
Honestly, Robbie, I'm ashamed of you!" she grinned, watching his sweet
smile as he held up his hands in surrender.
   OK, OK, you're the boss!" he grinned.
   Karen swatted him once more.  "And don't you forget it!  This is the way
to treat him, Casey, let him know who's boss, It works on all the Anderson
men...!" she trailed off with a meaningful nod at Joey, who tried to look
innocent, loading his plate with forbidden sausage and bacon while he had
the chance, following the Man Credo that's been true since the dawn of
time; food eaten outside the home has no calories, and is always good for
you...
   Casey watched this by-play wistfully; she'd never had anyone to
horseplay with, had never dreamed of doing it with Robbie, and she wished
she knew how to join in, to play with Robbie and his family, realising how
much she'd really missed-out on.  Robbie saw her expression, and pulled her
close to include her, tipping her nose to see her smile and be happy.
   At last, everything was ready, and everyone sat down to breakfast,
chatting about the plans for the day.  Robbie had some news.
   "Guys, we'll come home with you tomorrow, Casey and I want to tell Mom
in person; it's the right thing to do.  This means we'll have to tell Uncle
Frank today, so we need to head Aunt Kat off before she detonates, then
tell Mom tomorrow.  It's not ideal, and it's not the way I wanted to do it,
but it's the only way we can all be in the same place at the same time. 
Any objections?"
   Nobody had, so after their meal they cleared up and headed out for
Frank's place in Morgan Hill, near San Jose, Robbie putting a couple of
packages in the trunk.
   "For the twins..." he explained, cryptically
   Joey had called ahead, letting his uncle know they were on the way,
Sarah having already told him that Joey and Karen were in town and would
stop by to see them, so he was expecting them at some point during the day.
He was pleased that Robbie was also with them; the boy was usually working,
and only managed to see Frank and his family at widely spaced intervals,
although they talked all the time, so it would be a treat for the twins as
well.
   Robbie was also relieved to hear that Caitlin was out with her friends,
shopping in Oakland, and not expected back until late afternoon, which made
things a little less complicated just then.
   When they arrived, Frank Novak was waiting in the yard for them with the
twins, Moira and Morag, who immediately mobbed Robbie, two puppies
attacking a mastiff, squealing and giggling as he hugged them in a crushing
bear hug.  Casey could see he adored them, and they him, while Frank
watched with amused tolerance.  Casey couldn't help but note his strong
resemblance to Joey and Sarah, and the look of affection he gave Robbie as
he greeted him.
   Robbie introduced Casey quickly, informally, glossing-over her identity,
something Frank noted but didn't pry into, and they all went in out of the
sun.
   After the usual inquiries about work and health, Robbie asked Frank if
he could speak with him in private.  Frank looked puzzled but acquiesced,
and called him into the den, Casey hand in hand with Robbie.
   "Sit down, please both of you" said Frank, sitting in an armchair and
waiting for Robbie to speak.
   "Uncle Frank, you know about what happened with my...family, my
parents....and my sister.  This is Casey, my sister.  She's been looking
for me all these years, and we found each other a couple of days ago, in
Sacramento.  She told me how it had been for her, and apologised for what
she'd done.  She's really been through the mill these last couple of days,
so please, go easy on her, or at least give her a chance; Joey and Karen
both accept her.  They understand how it's been for her, what she's been
through looking for me, and I'd like you and Aunt Kat, the girls, to accept
her as well, for my sake..." Robbie trailed off, looking at Frank almost
pleadingly.
   Frank said nothing, merely looked in Robbie's eyes.  One of the things
he found so attractive about the boy was that he had no idea how to lie, he
always told the truth, he was painfully honest, sometimes embarrassingly
so, and if he believed this girl was the real deal, then Frank was prepared
to go with him on that.  However...
   "Son, what are you not telling me, about Casey and you, I mean?  He
asked, softly.  "I get the feeling I'm missing out on something here,
something important, and it's about you and your sister..."
   "Mr.  Novak, may I say something please?" interjected Casey, Frank
replying "Please do, Casey, and it's Frank, OK?"
   Casey smiled gratefully at him.  "Thank you...Frank.  You probably know
what I did, Sarah must have given you all the nasty details.  I was such a
poor excuse for a sister I made my big brother leave, I drove him away, and
I lost the most precious thing I had.  I only realised what a gift I'd been
given after I'd thrown it away.  I tried and tried to find him, and all the
time I was trying to find him I was terrified that he was alone, and
frightened and someone so much worse than me was hurting him more, that all
the evil that people can do was being done to him.  I was so frightened for
him, the way I should always have been, the way he deserved."
   "I searched for him because I needed to say I was sorry for all the
terrible, hurtful, spiteful things we'd done to him.  I know that I'll pay
for what I did, I should; some sins can't be wiped away with words or
tears, but I found him, and I found I loved him more than anything in this
world.  All I want is for Robbie to be safe, and protected, and I swear to
God I will be the one to do that for him -- I'll never let him go again,
for as long as I live!"
   Frank looked long and searchingly at her, at the tears standing in her
eyes, at her hand holding Robbie's and his arm around her, gentle and
protective, and suddenly he knew what had happened between them.  He looked
at them in wonder, moved by the sincerity in her voice, but also
understanding what kind of obstacles they were going to face, and feeling a
sudden rush of deep sympathy for what was heading their way.
   "Casey, I believe you, and I'm glad that you and Robbie found each other
at last, and I can only wish you luck, you're going to need it.  However,
Robbie has three very vocal champions in my home, my wife Caitlin, and
Moira and Morag, good luck convincing them, really!  You're going to have
to be as honest and sincere with them as you just were with me, because
they're going to take a great deal of convincing.  I love Robbie like a
son, I'd be proud to call him son, but the girls all adore him in a very
special way, and they're not going to let you off easy.  The twins aren't
going to be particularly happy with anyone taking Robbie away from them,
and when they find out who you really are, well, just be prepared for
fireworks when you tell them.  For what it's worth, I'm on your side;
Robbie's happy so I'm happy, and I'm pleased he's finally found a girl
who'll care for him as much as you obviously do."
   "Caitlin, however, is going to be something else.  Robbie lived with us
for a couple of years, and Caitlin took him in and made him hers, just like
the twins.  When she thinks of her kids, Robbie sits in there as naturally
as Moira and Morag; he's one of hers, and she's going to do or say anything
she thinks fit to protect her boy; if she thinks she needs to, she'll stand
over him and maul anyone who gets too near, make no mistake.  Think of
getting between momma bear and her cubs, and you'll have an idea of what
she can be like when it comes to Robbie and the girls!  Convince her, and
you're home free, so make sure you're completely honest with her."
   Frank stood up, smiled, and gently patted her shoulder.  "It's nearly
time for lunch, kids, so we'll leave this alone until Caitlin gets back; as
far as the girls are concerned, for now you're just Robbie's girlfriend,
OK?"
   Casey and Robbie nodded, and Frank left to go and order pizza.
   Lunch was noisy fun, the twins Moira and Morag, loud, brash, leggy 14
year old identical green-eyed red-heads, arguing with everyone and each
other, disagreeing with the pizza choices, generally causing trouble, by
turns fractious, adorable and just plain annoying; in every respect, a
typical boisterous Sunday afternoon in the Novak household.  The girls were
ecstatic Joey had brought Robbie, they loved to pester him to take them
cruising in the Bentley so the neighbourhood kids could see them being
driven around in such a hot car, tugging and pulling him every which way,
giving him no peace, trying to hit him up for new games and game handsets,
and coercing him into digging into his wallet and passing them a few bucks
that Mom didn't need to know about.  And he loved it, this was his family,
this was how it should be.  The girls were curious about Casey, and Robbie
introduced her as "my new girlfriend, Case", waiting on tenterhooks to see
if they'd make the connection; they didn't; as usual, they weren't really
paying attention to what was going on around them, deeply involved as they
were in one of their own interminable cryptic squabbles.
   At last, Caitlin arrived home, seeing Robbie's car in the drive and
calling out for him as she came in, hugging him tightly, then Joey and
Karen, and looking curiously at Casey, huddled in Robbie's arm.  She was an
older, taller version of the twins, slender and motherly, Casey noting how
she linked arms with Robbie and held him close, protectively, obviously
unaware she was doing so.
   "Aunt Kat, we need to talk, all of us," said Robbie, his face sombre and
serious.  Caitlin pricked up her ears; she'd never seen Robbie like this
before; something was up.
   "OK, in the den.  Girls, we need to talk for a while, grown-up stuff,
we'll tell you about it later," shooing the two teens outside, ignoring
their protests that they were grown-up's too.
   Once they'd all filed in and sat down, Caitlin looked at Robbie and
Casey.
   "OK, baby, what's this about, and who's this young lady?"
   Robbie braced himself, began speaking.
   "Aunt Kat, you know all about what went on before, my...family.  This is
Casey, my sister, she came looking for me, she's been looking for me since
I left, and we found each other by chance a couple of days ago in
Sacramento." He waited apprehensively for the explosion, but, apart from a
slight hardening of her eyes and a faint line appearing between her
eyebrows, she just nodded, saying "Go on."
   Robbie continued.  "We spent a long time talking about what happened,
and she told me about how she felt about me, about what she'd done, and how
she was trying to make it right; I don't blame her, she was only a kid and
did what she saw everyone else around her doing.  She apologised to me, and
to Joey and Karen, she's made it right with me, and now we want to make it
right with the rest of my family, finally put this whole thing away
forever. Aunt Kat, I finally found my little sister, and she found me, and
we discovered something about us both.  I love Casey, and she loves me,
like brother and sister, but also the...other way.  For me, that wipes out
the past.  Can you understand that?"
   Caitlin was thunderstruck.  Here was Robbie telling her that his sister,
the girl who'd cost him so much, had come looking for him, had found him,
and now he was in love with her!
   She looked searchingly at Casey, noting the way she sat as he spoke, not
defensively, leaning into him, passively accepting him as her protector,
her eyes on his face as he spoke, her hands showing no flinching or drawing
away when he took one of them, all her body language confirming what he was
saying.
   Caitlin finally spoke.  "And you....Casey, just what have you got to say
for yourself?" Her tone took away any sting her words might have had, and
Casey lifted her eyes to look at her.
   "Mrs.  Novak, everything Robbie, Joey and Sarah have told you was true.
I made poor Robbie's whole life unbearable, I cost him his big chance and
took away the future he should have had.  I have no excuses, I was old
enough to say 'no, no more' and I didn't, it was just easier to keep on
hurting him.  We ground him into nothing, and threw him away.  When he
left, that was when I realised what I'd really lost, what I should have
held onto.  Robbie is my big brother, and I should have looked up to him,
let him be my hero; instead, I drove him away, and that will always weigh
on my heart; that I made him leave, alone and with no-one to care for him;
it took strangers to be the family he needed, his own family weren't worthy
of him.  Now that we've found each other, I won't let him go again; I found
him, and he let me back in, and I found a part of him that I need more than
I can ever say.  I love Robbie, in a way that you probably won't approve
of, nor understand, but seems so simple to me.  I couldn't be his sister
when he needed me, but now I can be more than that for him, and he feels
the same way, and wants that same thing from me."
   Caitlin watched the tears roll down Casey's cheeks, saw Karen hold and
squeeze her hand, and watched Robbie brush her hair with his lips as he
smoothed it back from her forehead, noting the tears glimmering in Joey's
eyes, and sighed.
   "Casey, for years now I've wanted to give you a piece of my mind, and
then the flat of my hand, and now I've got you here, I find I can't!  Are
you sure this is what you want, both of you?  Because Robbie is an
important part of this family, I love him like he was my own son, as does
Sarah, and we look after our own, always.  Will you promise me, with all of
your heart, never to hurt him, to never do anything to make the hurt come
back?  Because if you can't swear that absolutely, you should leave, now!"
   Casey looked directly at Caitlin, noted her pale, fixed features, her
flared nostrils as her emotions got the better of her for a moment, all her
protective instincts crowding together to defend one of her own, and said
"Mrs.  Novak, Robbie means the world to me; I will never hurt him again,
ever.  I've done enough of that, and I would die before I ever hurt him
again.  Now I just want to keep him close to me!"
   Caitlin nodded, satisfied.
   "And Joey, what's your part in all this?"
   Joey looked nonplussed.  "Aunt Kat, until last night I knew nothing of
this; when we walked into Robbie's place last night and saw Casey, you
could have knocked me down with a feather!  But I believed her then, and I
believe her now, and Robbie's happy, so we worked it out.  Yeah, I welcomed
her in, so did Karen, and you know what happened last time they met in a
confined space!"
   Caitlin grinned, knowing what Joey meant, and smiled at Casey.  "Casey,
Robbie obviously loves you, and you love him.  I take it you've already
talked to Frank?" They nodded, so she continued.  "So I guess he's pointed
out how hard this is going to be for you, the problems that you're both
going to face?  Robbie is special, and he's one of us, which I suppose
makes you one of us now, and families hang together; otherwise, they'll
hang us separately, so welcome to the family!  We won't tell the girls
exactly who you are; they can find that out when they're a little older. 
And by the way, I'm Aunt Kat or Caitlin; Mrs.  Novak's what the paperboy
calls me!"
   As Joey and Karen left, Caitlin closed the door, obviously wanting a
private word with the two of them.
   "Robbie, Casey, you do know what you're doing here, don't you?  This is
a one-way street, there's no turning back, no do-over, no running for the
border.  Am I making myself clear?" They both nodded silently.
   "Good, because you've chosen a hard row to hoe.  People have a way of
labelling, and they'll have some nasty names for what you're doing, and
even worse names for the two of you.  Are you going to be strong enough
together to get past all that?  Get through without giving-up on each other
because of outside pressure?  I sincerely hope so.  We can help you some of
the way, but you're going to have to do the lion's share by yourselves,
with no magic solutions, no god-in-a-box from on-high to come down and make
it right.  My best advice to you is: keep your secrets, and keep them well
guarded, it's the only way you'll survive!"
   Her eyes were brimming, and Casey had a sudden flash of insight into
why, but Caitlin said nothing further.
   "And Robbie, don't ever tell the girls, they get an unhallowed thrill
from spilling secrets, and this is too important to trust to them.  They
love you fiercely, but they've got mouths like jackrabbits, always running
off at full speed, and they'll spill it eventually, by accident if nothing
else."
   They filed out of the den, the twins suddenly looking innocent, trying
to look like they hadn't been eavesdropping, trying to pump any and
everyone for information, agog to know what the adults had been discussing.
Eventually Caitlin gave in, and told the girls that Robbie was getting
engaged, Casey and Robbie grinning at her over their heads, immediately
setting-off a barrage of questions about when, was there going to be a
party, when were they getting married, could they be bridesmaids,
squabbling about the bridesmaids' dresses and so on, eventually lapsing
into 'twin-speak', gibberish comprehensible only to them.
   Robbie and Joey left them to it, wandering off to find Frank in the
garden, lying in a lounger under a spreading olive tree, drinking a beer
and idly flicking through 'Sports Illustrated'.  He looked at them closely.
"No marks, still got all your teeth, either she's slowing down or she took
it well!"
   Robbie and Joey sat on the adjacent lounger and smiled.  "She was OK,
Uncle Frank, she accepted Casey.  I'm worried about Casey, though; she's
been through a lot these last few years, but these last few days have been
really rough on her, and now this endless round of apologizing, dragging up
the past.  I'm worried about her; she can't keep beating herself up like
this without paying for it.  I was going to take her back home tomorrow,
she wants Mom to know, make her peace there as well, but I've changed my
mind, I think she needs to stay with me, just the two of us, get some
stability back, before she turns into a basket-case.  What do you think?"
   Frank paused, took a slow, thoughtful swallow, and looked up at the sky
for a moment.  "There's a lot to what you say, and ordinarily I'd agree
with you, but I think Casey needs to face this one last hurdle and get this
off her chest once and for all; the longer she delays, the harder it's
gonna get; Sarah needs to know, so they can both be at peace with this.  I
hear what you're saying, and I feel for her; she's a lovely girl, and she
seems genuinely sorry for what happened, but I really think she needs to be
square with your Mom right now; if you delay, it'll look like you're trying
to hide something, and the longer you delay, the worse it will get.  I
really think you should take her home now, see Sarah, and close this all
down for good.  Trust your Mom, she may surprise you; you know she only
ever wants what's best for you.  Plus, if you drag this out and she finds
out I knew long before she did, my life will suddenly become very
complicated!" Frank gave a wry grin, and Robbie smiled in quick sympathy.
   Joey stood up and stretched.
   "So, are we all heading home tomorrow or not?  Robbie?"
   "I guess so bro."
   Robbie and Casey quietly told Caitlin what they were planning, and she
broadly agreed with Frank, so they made their farewells.  Before they left,
however, Robbie had a quick whispered conversation with Caitlin, earning
him a raised eyebrow and a reluctant nod, and went out to the car.  He came
back in with the two packages from the trunk.
   "Moira, Morag, come here, babies, I've got something for you!" he
called, and waited until they came clattering in.  "Girls, these are from
Case and me, early birthday presents, OK?" the twins opened their packages
and squealed; inside were the latest IPad's.
   "Remember, these are for your birthday, so no begging phone calls on the
day, OK?" he grinned.  "Happy early-Birthday from Case and me!" The twins
danced around hugging Robbie and Casey, swearing undying love for both of
them, then hustled off to their room to get acquainted with their new toys
and boast to their friends.
   Once they'd all left, and the girls were locked way in their own world
with their new toys, Caitlin went looking for Frank, finding him still
lounging in the shade.  She sat on his lap, locking her arms around his
neck, burying her head in his shoulder.  Frank slipped his arm around her
waist, pulling her closer to him.
   "You're thinking about what happened before, aren't you?" he asked,
making it more of a statement than a question.
   Caitlin murmured into his neck.  "I'm scared, honey.  I'm scared for
those poor kids.  It's happening again; dear God, I thought it was over,
instead it's all happening again; how is Sarah going do it this time,
really?  After the last time, can she go through this again, even for
Robbie?  I know he's not her biological son, but he may as well be, he's
family, and this is a family can of worms everyone thought was safely
buried and forgotten.  Robbie and Casey have got some big problems coming
their way, is Sarah going to be able help them deal with all of it this
time round?  And there's Joey to consider as well.  Whether he knows it or
not, he's a part of this, a big part, supposing it all comes out while
she's trying to get Robbie through this?  It could tear his world apart,
how can anything justify doing that to that poor kid?  He doesn't deserve
that!"
   Frank stared thoughtfully into the canopy of the olive tree, gathering
his thoughts.
   "Sarah believes in Robbie, and the one person that Joey cares for more
in the whole world than Sarah, or Karen, I suppose, is Robbie.  If Joey
finds out, I doubt he'll care one way or the other; I think you give him
too little credit for being the kid that he is; there's more of Sarah in
him than anyone else, so I don't think we should concern ourselves too much
on that front.  And Sarah, before, she was alone, flying blind, and yet she
got it right; now, for Robbie, there's all of us there to help carry the
load and make a difference.  Sarah will get them both through this, with
our help.  Don't worry, baby, it'll work out fine, it'll be OK; Robbie's
lucky, he's got two mom's to fight his corner, can you really see anyone
getting past you and Sarah?  Relax, they'll be fine, it will all work
itself out!"
   On the drive back, Joey noted the gifts.  "Smart move bro, now, when
they find out who Casey is, all they'll focus on is the fact she gave them
IPad's!"
   Robbie grinned.  "That was kind of the plan; I told you I know what
makes those two little mercenaries tick!" He didn't mention the
conversation he'd had with Caitlin, but privately he knew, someday the
girls would have to find out; they were family too, and Robbie loved them
equally; they deserved to know, so he and Casey would have to work on that.
   They arrived back in Daly City just about an hour after leaving Morgan
Hill, and dropped Joey and Karen off to do some browsing in Westlake
Shopping Center, the two of them asserting they 'knew how to find a taxi,
it's OK, go home, see you later'.  As Joey had pointed out, Robbie needed
to call Sarah, and they wanted to shop.
   Robbie called Sarah as soon as they got in; it was almost an hour later
there, and she was enjoying a post lunch nap when he called.
   "Hi, Mom?  It's me.  I was just calling to say I'm coming home to see
you, coming back with Joey and Karen, and I've got a surprise for you. 
What?  No, you'll find out tomorrow.  I told, you it's a surprise!  Yeah, I
know, see you tomorrow lunchtime, I love you too, Mom!"
   Robbie grimaced.  "OK Casey, now comes the hard part; are you sure
you're up to this?"
   Casey smiled gently at him.
   "Baby, I've made my peace with everyone in your family except the most
important one, so yes, I think I'm ready for one last showdown!  If I'm to
have any chance of succeeding with your family and become a part of it, I
have to do this, I have to clear this all out of the way now.  I told you,
I'll be fine, Sarah's not like my mom & dad, she's only looking out for
you, like we should have, so if she wants to unload on me, well, she's
earned the right, I guess.  As long as you're there I'll be fine."
   Robbie looked unconvinced, but Casey wanted to do this, and he could see
why she needed to get this all out of her system, cleanse herself of all
that had gone before, so she could finally move on.
   "And Robbie, while we have some time alone, I need you to hold me tight,
help me get ready for tomorrow, please!" she begged him, looking drawn and
a little scared, and his heart went out to her.
   He gathered her into him, hugging her as tight as he could without
crushing her, Casey clinging to him, her head pressed to his chest,
listening to his breath sounds, his heartbeat, sounds she found restful and
reassuring, signs of life.  She began lightly kissing his neck, his throat,
little feather-light nibbles, letting him know she wanted him to do more
than just hug her.  Robbie looked down at her, smiling, pulling her closer
so he could lean down and kiss her lips, her nose, and her eyelids, stroke
her soft cheek and smooth her hair back from her forehead.  For someone
whose sex-life only kicked-off a couple days ago, he was really getting
quite proficient at reading the signs!
   Casey grinned and pushed herself away, standing up so she could undo the
button on her jeans, to slide them down and step out of the puddle of
denim, tugging her top over her head in one casual movement, flinging it
over into the corner of the room, and standing before him in just her
skimpy underwear.  Robbie had meanwhile squirmed out of his jeans and
loafers, yanked off his polo shirt and leaned back against the headboard
clad in just his shorts.  Casey climbed onto the bed, kneeling next to him
to kiss him, giving him the opportunity to unhook her wispy bra and hook
his fingers into the waistband of her panties, sliding them down enough for
him to reach down and clasp her buttocks.  Casey smiled and shrugged off
her bra, kneeling up so he could slide her panties down to her knees,
leaving her completely exposed to his gaze.
   He gently urged her closer, holding her by her buttocks and kissing her
lips, her neck, grazing on her smooth pale shoulder, licking and nibbling
her ear, Casey alternately sighing and giggling.  She gently shrugged him
off, still smiling, and hooked her hands in the waistband of his shorts,
making him lift his hips as she tugged them down.  His erect cock
immediately swung up, thick, hard and shiny, the bell-shaped tip an angry
purplish-red.  Her head dipped down to slide her lips over his cock-head,
Robbie sighing in pleasure at the sensation.  Casey's talented tongue
swirled and massaged the sensitive tip, causing jolts of pleasure to blast
into his groin, making his erection even harder, strain even further. 
Without thinking, he rubbed gently at her vulva, sliding his finger in the
crease between her labia, making her gasp and wriggle as he teased her lips
apart, and clamp her lips tightly over his cock, her cheeks hollowing as
she sucked, the lowered pressure making the head of his penis swell as it
engorged even further.
   Robbie groaned, rubbing and stroking her lips slightly harder, slipping
one then another finger inside her as she flowered open for him, and
pumping gently, rhythmically in time with the bobbing motion of her head.
His thumb unintentionally brushed the little pink pucker of her anus, and
she jumped, grinning at him around her mouthful of cock and he grinned
back, lightly stroked it again, and was rewarded with another wide-eyed
grin.  Filing that away for future reference, he concentrated on sliding
his fingers in and out of her moist pussy, her juices running as her
arousal rose.  He slid her panties all the way off and pulled her onto him,
her pussy facing him and level with his face as she bobbed on his cock, and
gently pulled her closer, to lap his tongue along her rapidly swelling
labia, her rising scent warm and rich and enticing.  He dipped his tongue
further between her lips, swirling around between them, teasing her inner
lips, and exploring her inner recesses.
   Casey sighed, and licked and sucked even harder, making him pull her
closer into him, to rasp his tongue over her unhooded clitoris, the little
nub standing out stiff and hard, like a pale nipple, inviting him to suck
on it.  Robbie slowly pulled her clitoris between his lips, twirling his
tongue over it, making her gasp out loud, momentarily letting go of his
cock in the extremity of her stimulation, her juices pouring over her open
vulva, bathing his face in her essences.  Casey began to come with a loud,
guttural groan, her pussy spasming as the waves of pleasure rolled and
billowed through her, building to a crescendo as Robbie kept sucking and
licking her pussy, each stroke of his tongue sending another, higher wave
rolling through her, until, at last, she reached that peak, screaming out
in release as a gigantic swell of pleasure blasted through her, her muscles
and tendons thrumming like violin strings as she shuddered and trembled,
eyesight whiting-out and ears popping with the force of it.
   At last, her shuddering subsided, and she lay quiet, chest heaving as
she fought for breath, rolling off him and reaching out to take his hand.
   "What about you, baby, what do you want?" she murmured smiling sleepily.
   For answer, Robbie moved down between her parted thighs, waiting above
her, smiling down at her.
   "Oh, that!" she grinned, taking hold of him and directing him to her
entrance.  When he was in position, he slowly pushed into her, sliding
himself into her in one long slow glide, making her gasp with the sensation
as he filled her up.  As she sighed under him, he began slowly pumping into
her, supporting his weight on his hands, so he could see and memorize her
features as he made love to her.  He began to speed up, Casey pumping back
against him, raising her hips up to meet him, her own arousal climbing
again as she watched this handsome man watch her adoringly as he made love
to her, his passion for her unmistakeable, his eyes full of his need for
her, and she felt her whole being rushing out of her to join with him,
losing herself in his eyes.
   Robbie sped up even more, primal instincts pushing him to the final
outcome of what they did here, ramping-up his need to mate with his woman
and fill her with his seed.  Casey began to gasp and rake his shoulders,
his sides and back, digging in her fingernails as she tried to pull him
further into her as her excitement mounted, until, at last, with a loud
groan, she orgasmed, waves of pleasure rippling up and down her vaginal
tube as her vagina fluttered and convulsed, sucking and clenching at his
cock.  His control evaporated at the sensations he was feeling, and he
echoed her own cry of release, pumping jet after jet of hot sperm deep into
the heart of her, filling her with his seed.  Casey pulled him down to her,
to press her lips to his, feeling him kiss her back with equal fervor and
need, holding her tight against him as his cock twitched and convulsed,
emptying himself inside her.
   Robbie disengaged, moved off her to lie next to her so she could slide
up close against him, into the circle of his arm and burrow down against
him as he kissed her forehead.  He noted that she seemed to have gotten
over her stage-fright of earlier, and was now more relaxed at the thought
of meeting Sarah again, especially since she had support from him, Joey,
and Karen.  As far as he was concerned, his whole family needed to be
together, and this was the way to do it.
   By the time Joey and Karen came back in, Casey and Robbie had their
travel plans sorted, flights booked, and were fully braced for the storm.
To ease themselves into it, they decided to have a quiet night out, so
Robbie and Joey took the girls to a good Filipino restaurant they'd
discovered down in Burlingame, off El Camino.  After a pleasant evening,
they made their way back to the apartment, preoccupied with what the next
day would bring.
   +++
   Their flight was at 7:30, due into Springfield at 11:00 local, so Robbie
called ahead to let Sarah know they were at San Francisco Airport domestic
terminal, their flight called on time, so they'd see her in a few hours.
   "This is it Case, crunch-time.  If you say the word, we can get back in
that taxi, do this another day!" said Robbie, looking carefully at Casey's
set, immobile face.  In just the short time they'd been together he'd
learned to read her moods; Casey was scared, controlling her trembling by
willpower alone, but scared like she'd never been before.  His heart went
out to her, and he hugged her close, comforting her with his presence, her
close contact with him.  Karen took her hand.  "We'll all be there, don't
worry, Sarah's not a dragon, she won't bite you, so calm down, OK?"
   Joey touched her arm, grinned at her when she looked up, tweaked her
nose, making her grin in spite of herself.
   "There you go, that's more like it!" he grinned back."It's going to be
OK, Casey, really, I promise you, mom's bark is worse that her bite, and
her bark ain't all that!"
   The flight was uneventful, the short drive back to the Anderson
household more so, Casey sitting in the back of the rental car with her
hands locked in a death grip with Robbie's.
   They arrived at the Anderson house and Joey pulled into the driveway,
where they piled out, Joey going ahead with Karen to greet Sarah while
Robbie and Casey grabbed the bags from the trunk.
   Sarah was excited to see Robbie again; while she'd seen him several
times in the last four years, it had always been her visiting him in
California, and she was intrigued at what could be so important to bring
him back to the one place he hated more than anything on the planet.  She
hugged Joey and Karen as they came in, always delighted to see her future
daughter-in-law, and waited for Robbie, curious to see the surprise he'd
mentioned.
   At last, Robbie came through the door, and Sarah hugged him fiercely,
surprised at how much she'd missed him, before realising someone else had
come in with him.  Sarah glanced at her, and did a double-take as she
realised who was standing with him, holding his hand!
   "You!" she gasped, stepping back as Casey shrank against Robbie, Sarah
noting their linked hands, their interlaced fingers.
   "Robbie, what's going on here, why's she here?" demanded Sarah, and
Casey quailed at the sheer anger and venom in that one word: 'she'.
   Robbie unlaced his fingers from Casey's, slid his arm around her
shoulder as she shrank even closer against him.
   "Mom, we need to talk, you, me, Casey, we have a lot to talk about...and
something to tell you."
   Sarah stared at the pair of them, then turned to sweep Joey and Karen
with her gaze.  "And you two, what have you got to say about this?"
   Joey held up a placating hand.  "Ma, let Robbie say his piece, OK, just
give him five minutes, then you can ask me anything, but hear him out
first. OK?
   Sarah stared at him for an uncomfortably long moment, then nodded.
   "Alright, Robbie, please, by all means, talk, honey, this I have got to
hear!"
   He sat down, pulling Casey down next to him and motioning for Sarah to
be seated.
   "Mom, I met Casey in Sacramento a few days ago, by chance, she was
working in the hotel I was staying at.  We talked, we fought, we talked
some more, we said everything that had to be said.  Mom, Casey's been
looking for me for four years, trying to find me so she could apologise, to
try and make things right and find a way to be what she should have been. I
think she did, I accept her and I've let go of all that stuff from before.
I couldn't hate her; even with all that happened in the past, she's still a
part of me, and hating her would be futile and wrong; you taught me that. I
forgave her, and I want to ask you to forgive her, let her in the way you
let me in.  Please, Mom."
   Sarah's face worked as various emotions battled for supremacy, finally
settling into a neutral mask, her eyes hard and uncompromising.
   "So Casey, the last time I saw you I threw you off my property.  Why
should I let you stay this time?"
   Casey's eyes widened as she realised this was crunch time, now, and that
Sarah was not going to take any prisoners.
   "Mrs.  Anderson, the last time I was here I was a selfish, spoiled,
thoughtless bitch.  I took everything from Robbie, I never gave a thought
to him, not one moment of affection, never once bothered to notice he was
hurting, or that I was taking his future, the life he should have had. 
That will always weigh on my heart, that I left him nothing, and laughed
when I did it.  He should have been my hero, and I made him into nobody, I
helped drive him away, and let strangers be his family because his own
family didn't care for him in any way.  I paid for that every day, I cried
for him, I searched for him, I spent my nights terrified that he was being
hurt again and it was my fault.  I left him out, and he let me back in,
because he's who he is, and I should have seen that all along; I was so
busy looking at myself, I never once looked at him.  If I had, I would have
seen the man that he is, what he would become in spite of what we did to
him.  Robbie is better than I could ever be, I know; I've seen what I am.
He saved me, and I want him back, I need him back to be complete again, to
love me the way I love him.  I let him go once, I won't ever make that
mistake again!"
   Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she finished, Robbie sliding his
arm around her, and brushing her hair away from her forehead as he
whispered to her.  Sarah's eyes widened as she took in the sight of Robbie
caressing her; all she could think was 'Oh no, not again, please, not that,
anything but that, don't make me go through that again, not again...'
   Casey turned and buried her face in Robbie's shoulder, sobbing now as
her sorrow finally vented, her heart finally unburdened.  Sarah's eyes
softened, her face losing its immobility as she watched them, listened to
the truth in Casey's voice, her suspicions confirmed.  But she had to know
for certain, hear it from both of them; there were things to be done, to
set in motion if she was right.
   "Robbie, honey, what going on here, really?" she asked, her voice soft
and concerned.
   Robbie looked uncomfortable, which alerted Sarah that there was indeed
more to come; Robbie had never been anything but completely open with her.
"Mom, Casey and I, we have something else to tell you.  When we...found
each other, we found more than just a missing piece of each other.  We knew
that we were meant to be, the two of us.  I love her, and she loves me, and
we want to be together."
   Sarah nodded.  Bingo!
   "And you, Casey, is this how you feel?" she asked, just as gently,
sensing how fragile Casey's emotional balance was right now.  Casey nodded,
unable to speak, her hands twisting in her lap.  Joey handed her a glass of
water and she drank deeply, calming herself.
   "Mrs Anderson," she began, voice barely audible, "I know you'll think
this is wrong, but I love him, and he loves me.  I need Robbie, he's the
missing part of me, and I can't, I won't walk away from him.  I won't live
my life without him.  I'm his, forever, and he's mine, it's as simple as
that."
   Sarah sighed.  "Robbie, Casey, have you thought, I mean really, really
thought about what you're doing here?  This is a dangerous place for you
both to be, can't you see that?  It's not just the law, and God knows,
that's tough enough on people who do what you two are contemplating, but
other people, 2,000 years and more of history, saying you're wrong to want
this, that there must be something wrong with you, the anger, the
hostility, the bigotry, you're courting all of that; can you survive that,
and keep going?  Can you live with the secrets you'll have to keep and not
come apart at the seams, survive the guilt?  There'll be plenty of that,
make no mistake!"
   Joey looked at Sarah curiously.  "Mom, how do you know so much about
this, what makes you so sure this is what's in store for them?"
   Sarah drew a deep breath.  "I've been here before, Joey, it hurt then,
and it's going to hurt now, I can feel it!" she responded flatly.
   Joey looked astonished.  "When, Ma, who?"
   Sarah looked squarely at him.  "When your Uncle Frank came to me and
first told he was getting married, I was over the moon.  I was so happy for
my kid brother.  I asked him who he was marrying, and he told me, and I had
hysterics, screaming fits, I was so angry and disgusted!"
   Joey looked perplexed.  "Why Ma, what was so wrong with Aunt Kat, I
mean...OH!"
   "That's right, Joey; your aunt Kat is my baby sister, Caitlin!  Even if
she's only my half-sister, she's still my sister, and I was horrified, my
brother was committing incest, and he wanted my blessing and my help!"
   Joey looked thunderstruck as Sarah continued..
   "He wanted me to help him get through it, to find a way to make it all
come out right, and I had to try, they were my family, all I had left after
your father died.  It was such a hard thing to do; did you never wonder why
Frank moved to California when his family, all his friends, everything he
ever knew, were right here in Springfield?  It was the only way I could
think of to let them be together, get them to a place where no-one knew
them, where they could stand up without looking over their shoulders to see
who's watching them.  I didn't want them to go, they were my kid brother
and sister, my family, but they wanted to be together, so I had to let them
go, go to somewhere they'd be safe from prying eyes and wagging tongues. 
Getting them there was easy; letting them go was the hardest thing I ever
had to do, it hurt, and it still hurts, breaking up my family for the good
of the family cost me everyone except you."
   Joey slumped back in his seat.  He looked shocked, dazed and confused.
He swallowed a couple of times, then leaned forward to look at Sarah again.
"Ma, this is turning into quite a day for revelations.  Is there anything
else you want to tell me, that you think I should know?  Maybe it's time
for the family skeletons to join the party!" he grinned mirthlessly.
   Sarah looked at him, lips pursed, said nothing.  "What, Ma, there's
more?" he exclaimed.  "Please, do tell, I'm all ears!"
   "Not now, honey, we have bigger problems." said Sarah softly, a warning
note in her voice, Robbie, Casey and Karen all looking at each other in
embarrassment as Joey and Sarah squared-off.
   "No Mom, what else are you not telling me, what could be worse than what
you just told us?  I'm waiting!"
   "Joey, please, not now!" Her words lashed out, real anger evident in her
tone.  Joey leaned forward, eyes narrowed.  "Ma, what are you not telling
me, what could be so shameful that you can't say anything, even after what
you just told us.  The secrets and lies have to stop, now!"
   Sarah looked up, and Joey and Robbie were shocked to see tears in her
eyes.  "Please baby, not now, this can wait, we need to sort out Robbie and
Casey, later, I promise!"
   Joey looked at her, and slowly shook his head.  "No Ma, Robbie and Casey
came here to tell you, because he loves you, and he won't keep secrets from
you.  You owe him that much, you owe all of us that much.  There's been
enough hiding and avoiding the truth, so tell me, please, what's so
shameful I have to drag it out of you?"
   Sarah looked near tears.  "Please Joey, don't, can't you just accept I
have my reasons and just let it go, can't you give me that much?"
   Joey wavered, then set his jaw.  "No Ma, let's clear all this stuff away
once and for all.  Robbie and Casey, Karen and I, we need a new start, we
can't leave old garbage until it starts to stink, so now we clear it out
once and for all; then we can go on.  That's how it has to be, Mom, I'm
sorry!"
   Sarah looked at her son, impressed at his reasoning, seeing the
resolution in him, so like Frank in so many ways.  She began in a low
voice.
   "Sweetheart, it's about something that happened when I was in college. I
met Joe Anderson my junior year, when his family moved here from
Albuquerque, and when we first saw each other, there was just no-one else.
He had the loveliest golden-brown eyes, and he was so good-looking I
couldn't believe he would be interested in me, but he never took his eyes
off me.  We dated for almost a year, and we were in love.
   Then, towards the end of my junior year, we started having a rough time
of it, family pressure on both sides, pressure at school, everything, and
we began arguing, fighting, really, and things were said, stupid things,
just said to hurt, and it all blew up at a party at a friend's house.  This
girl, I hardly knew her, I just used to see her around the campus, told me
she'd slept with Joe the week before, that he was her guy now, and she was
leaving there now to go and be with him again that night, and I was so
hurt, angry, furious with him for doing some tramp and letting her talk
about it, I did something stupid; I decided what was good for him was
equally good for me, so I picked up a guy at the party and went for a drive
with him up to the bluffs, and we made out in his car, although we did more
than make out.
   A few weeks later, I found out I was pregnant.  My mom was heartbroken;
obviously I couldn't finish college.  I was 20 and pregnant, no husband, no
career waiting in the wings, the disgrace.  My step-dad was more helpful,
he asked the right questions, found out who the boy was from me, went to
talk to him and got blown off by his family; they denied that he was the
father, and refused to accept any responsibility for their son's actions.
   The only person who stood by me was Joe; I told him what I'd done, and
he refused to leave me floundering.  He proposed to me, asked to be the
father of my baby, and I said yes.  Your father was the best man in the
world; Joey, it's a cliché, I know, but truly, they broke the mould when
they made him, and I loved him more than anything; he claimed you for his
own, gave you his name; he brought you up without ever once thinking you
were ever anything other than his son; he may not have been your father,
but he was your daddy, and I will always love him for that."
   "When he found out he had pancreatic cancer, that he was dying, his only
thought was who was going to look after us, look after you, when he was
gone, and his only regret and deepest sorrow was that he'd never get to
play touch-football with you, or teach you how to throw a proper
curve-ball, or teach you how to drive and fix cars, or watch the Cubs with
him, or buy you a car as a graduation present.  He died thinking he'd let
you down, that he'd somehow abandoned you."
   Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she stopped talking, Joey coming
to kneel by her, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
   "Mom, that's not so shameful.  OK; it's something I needed to be told,
but hardly earth-shattering.  Why all the secrecy?"
   Sarah lowered her voice even further.  "It's about who your father is,
Joey, the man who refused to acknowledge or accept any responsibility for
his actions...."
   Joey waited, eyes burning into her, suddenly not sure he wanted to know.
   "Who was it Mom?" he whispered
   "Oh Joey, I'm so sorry, you deserved so much better!" she said, tears
pouring down her cheeks again, "It was Steven Dolan!"
   Joey reared back in shock, falling backwards and scuttling crabwise away
from his mother.  "WHAT?  That sack of shit, you...and him...Oh my Christ,
I'm..!" He backed away as far as he could, fetching up with his back
against the love-seat, his face twisted in shocked disgust.
   "Joey, I'm sorry, I was never going to tell you, please, he was just
there because I was angry with your father, and I did something stupid. 
There was never anything there, ever, I only ever loved your father!"
   Joey suddenly thought of something, his head swivelling around to look
at Robbie and Casey.  "You mean, Robbie really IS my brother, and Casey is
...my sister?"
   Sarah nodded miserably, Robbie and Casey staring in shock, mouths open
as they processed what they'd just heard.  Robbie was the first to recover.
   "Joey, nothing's...changed between us, we're still bro's...right?" he
whispered.
   Joey looked puzzled for a second.  "What...No, no, don't be ridiculous!"
he said, "Nothing's changed between us, you're still a dopey butthead
geek!"
   Robbie grinned "and you're still a meathead jock!"
   Casey slid onto the floor next to Joey, and took his hand in hers.  "I
have another big brother!" she said in wonder, tears welling up in her
eyes, "Joey, you're my big brother too!"
   He gathered her against him and grinned at her.  "I guess I am, Case,
yeah, I guess I am!" he said, holding her as her tears spilled over.
   Sarah watched them all re-connect, hope uncoiling in her as Joey
unhesitatingly accepted the biological reality of the role he'd filled
emotionally for Robbie for years.  Another thought occurred to Joey, and he
looked up at Sarah, a lopsided grin on his face.
   "So this is why you always made sure I looked out for Robbie, even when
we were kids?"
   Sarah nodded.  "I heard, from everybody who knew, just how poorly the
Dolan's treated Robbie, but no-one ever did anything about it; that's one
of the things about small towns; even open secrets get brushed under the
carpet if you've got enough money.  I decided that if his father wasn't
going to look out for him, maybe his big brother should.  I had to do it; I
couldn't leave that little boy alone and defenseless like that."
   "I never thought you two would connect so deeply, but it did my heart
good to see you take such good care of him, protecting him when he needed
you most; you always were his big brother, in the best possible sense; what
you just found out is just a little bit extra.  I'm sorry I never told you
before, I should have, and then when you two became such good friends, I
thought I'd just let sleeping dogs lie.  And now you have Casey, too; now
at least she has someone to give her away when she and Robbie get married!"
   All four heads snapped round at that.  "Mom..." began Robbie, looking a
little glassy-eyed, and Joey looked sandbagged.  Karen spoke up.  "Sarah,
does this mean that you're ...OK with this, with Robbie and
Casey's...relationship?  That you're going to help them?"
   Sarah snorted.  "Of course I'm going to help them!  My son's little
brother and sister need help, what kind of a parent would I be if I left
them out in the cold?"
   Casey reached out to Sarah, took her hand.  "Thank you Sarah, for being
the best parent Robbie ever had; because of you I have him now, thank you
for that!"
   Sarah patted her hand.  "It's OK Casey.  After the last time, it took
guts and backbone to walk back in here.  I admire you for that, and for
what you're giving up for my boy, so yes, I think you've redeemed yourself,
I know Robbie thinks so, and Joey and Karen, so I think it's about time you
started forgiving yourself too."
   Casey's eyes sparkled with unshed tears as she hugged Sarah, finally
letting-go of the nightmare of the last four years.
   Sarah grinned.  It looked like both her boys were getting married; she
had some planning to do!
   Joey stood up, indicated the kitchen with his chin, and Robbie got up,
following him out.  Casey made to go with him, but Karen put her hand on
her arm.  "No, Case, let them go, they probably have a few things to
discuss, it's been a big day for Joey, and Robbie, too, they need to unbend
a little."
   ++++
   Robbie rummaged through the refrigerator, found two beers, and tossed
one over to Joey, who popped it and swallowed gratefully.
   "That was some scene in there, man!" grinned Robbie, Joey tipping his
beer back at him.
   "I heard that, bro; that was just so fucked-up, I mean, fucking Steve
Dolan, Christ, I'll never live it down!"
   Robbie grinned even wider.  "I know, sucks, yeah?  I mean, imagine
having that shit-head for a parent as long as I did?  You've only known for
a couple of minutes and you're ready to retch!  Makes your blood run cold,
don't it!"
   Joey grinned agreement.  "Mom coming down on Casey's side like that was
unexpected, I expected at least a few fireworks, but she just...slipped it
in.  She's like a...a genius.  To Mom!"
   "To Mom!" agreed Robbie, clinking cans with him, killing it and popping
open another one.
   "We'll rejoin the girls after this one" he observed, tossing another
cold one to Joey.  "Nah, let's wait awhile," said Joey, "they think we're
in here cementing our new-found brotherly togetherness, why disappoint
them? Dude, the beers are in here, they're cold, siddown!"
   Robbie looked at Joey over the top of his glasses.  "So bro, level with
me, really, how freaked are you by this whole thing, this 'brother'
business?"
   Joey looked pensive.  "On the How Fucked-Up Is That scale, this rates no
more than 3/10; I was more freaked when Elvis Hood, the best goddamned
defensive tackle in the history of Ellenbrook High tried to kiss me in the
locker room; that was a fucking 8, believe me!  Even now, I'm more freaked
by what you're doing to my kid sister, you fucking sicko pervert, wait
there while I find my shotgun!"
   "Screw you, I saw her first!" grinned Robbie, "You're just jealous
'cause she makes me pancakes and sausage for breakfast, the Food of The
Gods, and you just get muesli, The Food of The Goats!"
   Joey looked back at Robbie.  "Seriously dude, finding out you really are
my brother was no big deal, Mom kind of defused that one over the years, so
no biggie.  Casey was more affected, if you want my opinion, so perhaps you
should go easy on the 'I hate dad' thing for a while; she knew he was no
prince, but this was just another slap she didn't need.  Just saying.  And
with that, I think we should rejoin them, they probably think we're getting
naked by now, so a good time to end this."
   Robbie acquiesced, draining his beer and getting up.  "One thing, Joey,
I've been kicking around an idea, I want to talk about it with you tonight,
show you some stuff, can you spare me an hour?  I think it might be worth
your while."
   "Sure thing butthead; is 7 o'clock OK with you?  "
   "7 o'clock it is then, and we'll take mom and the girls to dinner at 8,
make a night of it, OK?"
   Joey grinned and nodded, as they trailed back into the sitting room,
Casey and Karen looking at them expectantly.  Joey burped reflectively, and
Karen grinned.
   "Nice beer, Joey?"
   Joey looked guilty.  "What beer?  Robbie and I were discussing the
bone-chilling horror of actually being related, but then we realised we
love each other, in a very special, Man-Love way, so the engagement's off;
however, now that you're both single, if you and Casey want to make
out...?" He leered suggestively."
   "You're disgusting; Sarah, tell him he's disgusting!" grinned Karen as
she threw a cushion at him, Joey sidestepping it neatly to watch it smack
into Robbie's surprised face.
   Joey grinned "See, I warned you, long-term relationships can be so
destructive!" he preached at Robbie, in his saddest and most sententious
voice, "the first thing to go is any respect they might have had for you!"
   He ducked as Karen picked up another cushion to lob at him, grinning
that grin, the one that always made her grin back, no matter how mad she
was.
   Sarah was relieved to see that the revelations earlier hadn't rocked
them; they were still like a pair of 12 year-olds when they got in the same
room together, next thing they'd be digging out Joey's old telescope and
looking up the street to see if the Hollister tramp still undressed with
her shades up.
   She smiled as she remembered the strip she'd torn off them when she
found out about that, while laughing her ass off inside; it was such a
very...boy thing to do, and they were nothing if not normal boys.
   Lunch was a revelation to Casey.  Joey and Robbie set the table and
brought the dishes in like table staff in the best restaurants, every move
telling of long practice under Sarah's watchful eye, but at the same time
it was obvious they enjoyed doing it, that this really was their home, and
the unconscious precision of their actions spoke volumes about the ease
they felt when they were here.  Casey hoped that one day she and Robbie
would dance around each other like that, in their own home.
   When the food was served, Casey couldn't help but notice the serious
attention Robbie paid to it; again, it was obvious he missed having his mom
cook for him (how strange now, that she could think of Sarah as Robbie's
mom, not Angie!) and that coming back here was more than just a trip to
tell Sarah about them, it was his chance to reconnect with his home, here.
He'd left, but he'd never left it behind, and that was a good thing, Casey
realised; this house, this family, these were his roots, and would always
be an important part of him and his identity.  Sarah had moulded the boy,
and the man she had made was here now, and Casey was reminded of the old
maxim; 'as the twig is bent, so grows the tree'.
   Sarah watched Casey as she watched Robbie, understanding the insights
Casey was having into his character, into what and who he really was, and
Sarah noted with pleasure and reflected how much Casey had changed as she
embraced his world and looked out through his eyes, seeing his family as he
saw them.  Sarah was pleased; now the old Casey really was gone forever,
and the real Casey was left in her place.
   Lunch over, Joey and Robbie washed up, their chore since boyhood, while
the women talked about weddings and plans and life with their men.  Once
Robbie came back in, he took Casey to show her around his home, the little
gym he and Joey had built-up over the years, finally lounging together on
the porch to soak up some of the late afternoon sun.  It was there that
Sarah found them, Robbie stretched out on the lounger, Casey on his lap,
her arms around his waist and her head on his chest as he absently toyed
with a lock of her hair, the pair of them the picture of carefree
relaxation.
   Sarah sat down and cleared her throat.
   "Casey, I wanted to ask you earlier; are you planning on seeing your
parents while you're here?  I'm guessing you've not been home for a while
now, so are you planning on seeing them at all?
   Casey blinked as she thought about it, then slowly shook her head.
   "No Sarah, I don't think I want to see them again.  I don't feel a part
of them at all, and I can't find any real feelings for them except anger
and contempt, for what they did to Robbie, and for what they turned me
into. I've learned more in the last few days than a lifetime with them, and
I don't think seeing them will do anything for me except remind me what
they did.  I guess I love them, and I'll always owe them for everything
they did for me, but it was really for them, you know what I mean?  Robbie
didn't fit into that plan, so they did nothing for him at all, ever, just
left him in free-fall, and that is the most contemptible thing, the one
thing they should never be forgiven for.  They warped me into some weird
spin-off edition of them, and I can't forgive them for that.  My reality is
right here."
   She slid her hand inside Robbie's shirt, to pat his muscular stomach and
feel his warmth, her hand coming to rest against his side, her arm inside
his shirt, wrapped around his midriff.  Robbie stirred and kissed her
forehead lightly.
   "Are you sure, baby?" he murmured, "whatever their motives, everything
they did was for you, which kind of lays a big obligation on you.  Would it
really be so traumatic to at least go see them, even if just to say
goodbye? Be the bigger man, Case, go say your goodbyes, at least; you'll
probably always regret it if you don't."
   Sarah looked at him in astonishment.  There really was no bitterness in
his voice when he mentioned his parents, when he had every reason in the
world to hate them like poison.
   Casey also looked at him in surprise, indecision wavering in her eyes.
   "Maybe you're right, but it feels...disloyal, walking back into that
place where so much was done to you for so little reason.  Let me think
about it for a little, I need to give this some thought..."
   She stood up , stretching and yawning luxuriously, Robbie watching her
lithe form and grinning appreciatively.
   At that moment, Angie Dolan, on her drive past the Anderson residence on
her way back from doing the receipts, as she did every day at 4 pm, never
once acknowledging, even in the privacy of her own head, that she came home
this way every day hoping to see her son again one day, rationalising it
instead as the better route home, looked on in stunned disbelief as a girl
she could have sworn was Casey stretched out and yawned on Sarah Anderson's
porch.  Angie's first instinct was to dismiss the image.  It couldn't be
her daughter; she was in California, half a continent away, not standing
and stretching on Sarah Anderson's porch!
   She slowed to look again at this girl who'd reminded her so vividly of
her daughter, and at that moment, a tall, boyishly handsome young man who
looked somehow familiar, stood up from where he'd been sitting on a lounger
and hugged her, the girl smiling and kissing him on the lips, like lovers
would.  As the girl pulled back from the kiss and turned her head to say
something to Sarah, Angie looked directly into the face of her daughter,
here, in Springfield, on Sarah Anderson's porch!  Her head whirled with
unanswerable questions; why was she here, and not at home; what was she
doing here; how long had she been here, and why the Anderson residence, of
all places?  And just as troubling, who was that tall young man with her,
where was he from, and what did he have to do with this, with Casey?
   Her head spinning in shock, Angie drove on past, trying to find an
explanation that fitted what she'd seen, her mind turning the image of
Casey hugging that boy so closely, standing there so completely at ease
with Sarah, over and over in her mind, trying to tell herself there was a
simple explanation but unable to believe it for one second.  She decided
that she had to tell Steve; he was at home today, it was Monday, golf day,
so he should be back by now.  They had to go over there, find out what the
hell was going on.
   Angie drove through downtown (such as it was) remembering the look of
happy relaxation on Casey's face, a look she'd almost forgotten, it was as
though whatever had been troubling her these last few years had finally
dropped away.  Then the image of that young man dropped into place,
overlaid with memory and recognition, and she gasped in horror as she
screeched to a halt, earning her an angry blare from the beat-up F150
behind as he swerved to avoid her.
   Robbie!  Oh my God, she'd been kissing Robbie!  In public, like two
lovers!  What the hell was she doing kissing Robbie, and where had he been
all these years?  Her eyes blurred as she thought of her son and daughter
being ...like that...with each other.  Steve had to know about this, she
had to tell him, get him up here and get some answers; this was just wrong,
so utterly, disgustingly wrong!
   pics---->> http://bit.ly/1D1q3qp 
  
LostnFoundCh02