		“The Catalyst” Series Book 6
		“Building a Legacy”
		Crumbly Writer All rights reserved © 2013


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09: Touching Base with the Source of One’s Inspiration

Diane Kennedy greeted Alex and Winona when they arrived for Winona’s first practice session. “I’m glad to see you made it OK.” She motioned at the confusing mass of bustling people surrounding them. “As you can see, things are a bit crazy here this morning.” This was the nicest Alex had ever seen her behave, and he wondered just how much of it was due to the pressure on her to reverse the downward slide of her tour since Patricia left.

The place was indeed quite chaotic. They were in an older auditorium currently undergoing renovations and therefore closed to the public. However, that also meant there was an odd mix of people and activities filling it. The parking lot outside was a good indication of what they found inside. There were the expensive limousines of producers, the ratty vans of musicians, the cheap cars and motorcycles of the support people and the beat up pickup trucks of the construction workers.

The main stage was filled with people who didn’t seem to belong together. There were musicians tuning their instruments, business people in suits, technical people adjusting equipment, people with clipboards making notes and construction people working around them as if this was an everyday part of their work environment. What’s more, the place was a mess. There were plastic tarps covering much of the walls and extensive scaffolding providing access to wall repairs, the overhead rafters, and hidden access panels. Many of the auditorium seats had been removed, but a few rows remained and these were filled with people waiting their turn at something or other, even though Alex couldn’t figure out what they were waiting for.

The open areas had been hastily partitioned with drop cloths to restrict dust, and the construction areas were clearly separated, but it didn’t diminish the sense of general pandemonium. What made it all worse was the cacophony of noise all the activity produced. With people talking, musicians strumming, nails being hammered and sanders buzzing, it was hard to hear much of anything. Alex wondered how the musicians would be able to hear themselves rehearse.

“Are you sure this is legal?” Alex asked, glancing doubtfully at the construction going on around them.

“Hell, they allow it, so it’s legal, for now at least,” Diane answered with a wave of her hand. “This kind of access to a space at the last minute doesn’t come cheap, but it was either this or put the entire concert on hold for months until a suitable space could be reserved. Someone apparently paid off the politicians to look the other way so no one would complain. But,” she added, waving towards the area with the construction workers working at the back of the deep stage, “you’ll also notice the actual construction is well away from where everyone is working, so there’s no real danger to anyone. The problem is the confusion, high traffic and noise.”

Alex spun in place, carefully examining the actual construction and had to agree; as chaotic as it looked, the confusion was actually very segregated and restricted.

“Come on, I want you to meet someone,” Diane said, dragging Alex and Winona over to another group of people where a bald man in an out of place suit was talking to a group of people. Of course, that left the others with nothing to do, so they made their way off the stage to find seats they could actually sit in on the floor of the auditorium.

“This is Reggie Fitzpatrick, the show’s new producer,” she said, introducing a balding older man in a sports jacket and an open neck shirt with a white beard and dark sunglasses, which looked out of place inside the theater.

“I’m so excited to be working with you, Winona. I’ve heard so many good things about you,” he gushed, despite no one other than Diane ever having heard her sing before. “I hope we can get you settled so you can get started, you've got a lot of work ahead of you this week,” he said, although his attention seemed to be focused on Alex. Alex frowned at the unanticipated attention. He was only there to provide moral support, as he had no real role in the proceedings.

“You must be the mysterious Alex everyone keeps talking about,” he said, turning to address Alex and extending his hand for Alex to shake. “I got a call yesterday saying this was suddenly a big priority, and when they explained what was happening, they casually mentioned I was to give you whatever you wanted.” He gave Alex an appraising glance before continuing. “Somehow you’re supposed to be the key to the whole operation, even though you don’t sing, promote, support or even work here.”

“Hey, I’m just here to support Winona,” Alex said, trying to melt into the background. Something which was difficult to do as Reggie examined him while they shook hands.

“Patricia kept saying this new girl, who’s never sung professionally, was going to turn the entire tour around, but she also kept saying you were ‘instrumental’ in changing things. So tell me, exactly what is it you’re bringing to the table?”

“He’s Winona’s inspiration,” Diane explained, coming to Alex’s rescue. “He was responsible for energizing Patty’s career and for the success she’s had recently. What’s more, he seems to bring in more people, though I haven’t quite worked out how he does that, since no one ever mentions him.”

Alex blushed, unsure how to address the issue. “Hey, I’m just a pretty boy who inspired Patricia to write some fun songs.”

Reggie and Diane both laughed heartily at that, though whether they found the idea of Alex being a ‘pretty boy’ so outrageous or they didn’t believe his downplaying his role, Alex wasn’t sure.

“Well, pretty boy, you just keep on inspiring away. Winona has a lot of work ahead of her for the next week, and she’s going to need all the help she can get.”

“We’ve brought in a bunch of potential band members,” Diane explained, turning to Winona, to Alex’s relief. “Since they’ll be your band, the final choice is up to you, so you’ll need to talk to and play with them to see if you can get along, but we’ve managed to find some of the best people available,” she assured them, although Alex found that idea doubtful, seeing as they’d only been looking for the last couple days, hardly enough time for them to put out calls, not to mention talking to managers, working out schedules or resolving conflicts. But Alex figured he was in the background here, so he let Winona make her own stand.

“Well, let’s start. I’m anxious to get a group together and start practicing,” Winona told her.

“We’ve also got a voice coach here,” Diane offered, “in case you have any problem areas you want help with. The acoustics aren’t great in here at the moment, so you may not be able to tell how your voice carries, but you should be able to tell how well you work with the musicians.”

“Good, I’ll focus on the guitarists first, since I’m more familiar with them. I don’t really know much about drummers, so I’ll just talk to whoever we decide is best to see if we get along. The backup singers, though, I’ll want to sing with before I decide,” Winona said, showing she was ready for the work ahead of her.

Winona actually took the bull by the horns and appeared prepared, decisive and confident and things progressed quickly. Alex tried to stay in the background but still be there in a supportive role, but a couple of times, someone would wander into the auditorium from outside, and each time Alex and Cate would move aside to speak to them for a little while before Alex would return.

“Do you want me to close the set?” Reggie asked. Diane, rather than responding herself, turned to Alex, who was the only one being affected by these outside interruptions.

“Don’t worry, it’s not affecting anyone else, but it’s what I do,” he tried to explain. “People seek me out, looking for advice. It generally doesn’t take long to set them straight, but it’s not something I can easily avoid.”

“So you’re a spiritual adviser, a new age holistic healer?” Reggie asked, still trying to figure out Alex’s role. He knew Alex was held in high regard by everyone involved, but he couldn’t understand why.

“Hardly, I eat the same crap everyone else does. I’m not likely to live long enough for animal fat or refined sugar to do me any harm. Instead, these people seek me out, looking for answers. When they show up I can hardly turn them away, and what I tell them isn’t about how to live, but about who they are and how to deal with life. I tell them things which are not only important for their own lives, but also for their kids and their kids’ kids.”

Reggie just shrugged, still not able to figure this kid out as he walked away shaking his head. Yet the one who didn’t respond like that, but who’d always done so in the past, was Diane. She’d noticed the women seeking him out, coming in from off the street—not an easy thing seeing as how they weren’t close to anything.

She saw parallels to what she’d only peripherally noticed during her previous concerts. It wasn’t just Patty and Winona who saw Alex as an inspirational figure. He pulled people into the concerts from off the street, people who might not be attracted purely because of the music. What’s more, each one responded just like Patty and Winona. They weren’t just curious, they were excited to be near him, and that enthusiasm was contagious. Even if it was only a few people involved each time, it translated into a sense of excitement which electrified the concerts. That feeling of excitement spread as people talked to one another, and more people had sought out her concerts to see what was occurring under her own nose. Diane promised herself she’d keep an eye on this strange kid. There was clearly more going on here than she’d given him credit for. She didn’t know exactly what, but if she could, she wanted to capitalize on it.

By the time they were ready to break for the day, Winona had picked several musicians. Since she hadn’t handpicked people she’d already known, like Patricia had done, none of them had any affiliation with Alex beforehand, but she’d still picked more women than men. They were: Guy Peters, the lead guitarist, an intense young man who appeared to take his music and his job very seriously; Mary Watson, a bright and bubbly blonde backup singer; Steve Blanco, the drummer, a no-nonsense guy who also didn’t appear to fit the traditional image of the high living musician; Susan Simons, a dark haired soulful backup singer and finally Taylor Moore, their female backup guitarist, also with dark hair but with a decidedly sunnier disposition.

“I’m so glad this is all turning out so well,” Winona gushed, eager to discuss the day's proceedings.

“Well, I’ve got to say, you seem suited to this,” Alex replied with a reassuring smile. “You’re confident and self-assured. You seem a natural at this.”

“Hardly,” she scoffed, though she smiled nevertheless. “I’ve never done anything like this before. But I just keep telling myself that the same spirits who guide you will do the same for me. I could never have done it if it weren’t for you. As for my confidence, it’s all a front. I realized if I act like an indecisive wallflower they’ll walk all over me, so I’m simply playing a role. I’m making snap decisions, assuming if I go too far off someone will pull me back, but I’d rather be wrong than have other people dictating who I should work with or what I should do. After all, this isn’t about me, or even about the music. This is about you and your message, and I don’t want anyone who’ll get in the way of that, so I’ve been picking mostly non-prima donna types.”

“I’ve noticed,” Alex reflected. “There’s not a long-haired, wild party animal in the bunch.”

“No, I’ve gone with the studio musicians, the people more interested in the job than in the lifestyle. I figure they’ll be a better influence and more focused. I can’t have a bunch of people more interested in getting high than getting the right message across.”

“Still, don’t you think that might limit the potential talent pool you’re drawing from?” Alex asked, quickly glancing at Cate to make sure she didn't take the attention he was paying Winona badly. She was watching the two of them like a hawk, but she seemed to be taking it all in stride. She may not be OK with it, but he'd only find out later when they were alone.

“Alex, take a look around you,” Winona suggested. “They managed to pull all the non-flamboyant people they could find. All the people who are struggling. All the high flying stars are either not returning calls, or are still passed out from last night. But it’s these struggling types who will work harder and be more focused on what we’re trying to achieve. True, they might not shine as much as the others, but I think they’ll be more appreciative of the chance they’ve been given and will rise to the occasion as a result. After all, they know better than to get blitzed one night and risk losing their one chance at fame and fortune.”

“Well, you’re doing a great job in either case and your lack of experience isn’t apparent. I’m proud of you and I can see you’re going to do well.” Alex was trying to encourage her, but he was sincere. She did seem to be quite serious, something that Cate, sitting down in the seating below the stage, didn’t seem to appreciate. But Alex saw her expanding her talents and spreading herself beyond her simple fascination with him. Hopefully the one would counter the other.

Reggie must have been thinking about what Alex had said earlier, because he returned later while Winona was practicing with the new musicians.

“So just what kind of crap do you tell these women to impress them so much?”

“Are you sure you really want to know?” Alex asked, cocking his head.

“Yeah, I’m really curious. I mean, you seem like a nice kid, and I don’t want to work off incorrect assumptions, but….” He said, not wanting to openly say what he was afraid of.

“Could you stand up for a second and turn around?”

Reggie shrugged, standing up and turning around slowly for Alex’s benefit. When he finally sat down Alex turned and yelled over Reggie’s shoulder.

“Gini?”

“I haven’t seen it before,” she called back, “so I had to check with Liv and Caity, but it looks like he’s got a kidney stone and is about to develop a case of Shingles.”

Reggie spun around, glancing at the woman who’d just passed judgment on his health, wondering what she was talking about.

“She’s right,” Alex told him. “If you haven’t noticed it before, you'll have proof soon enough. While you don’t have to believe us, chances are if you don’t, you’ll be incapacitated with incredible pain for several days. You’ll either have to delay everyone, or they’ll find someone to replace you. I’d suggest you get those things treated. I’m told the kidney stones can be treated by changing your eating habits, that is if it’s not already too late. Otherwise they can use sound waves, even if it’s not obvious you have them yet. As for the shingles, there’s not much you can do, as most doctors won’t prescribe powerful painkillers until they confirm the diagnosis, which requires you to show symptoms, which you aren’t yet. It may be fine, as many people don’t suffer that much pain, but some people do.”

“You’re obviously not used to medicine around here,” Reggie laughed. “It’s not hard to get codeine if you really want it, but unfortunately I’m a recovering addict, so I can’t take it.”

“Then you may be in for a rough ride, as I’m told it can be incredibly painful. I’m not sure there’s anything you can do to head it off, though.”

“Well, thanks for the warning, but I suspect I can last till the end of the week, considering I haven’t had any symptoms yet,” Reggie suggested, taking the warning lightly.

“My people say you only have a couple of days left, at the maximum.”

“Your people?” Reggie asked, examining Alex closely. However, Alex merely shrugged with a ‘what can I say’ expression. Reggie finally got up and wandered off, not sure what to make of this outlandish advice. Nothing more was said, but Reggie took off early after talking on his cellphone, so it looked like he was more worried than he’d let on.

When the day finally wound down, Winona was decidedly enthused.

“Man, I can’t believe everything that happened,” she said, tossing her bag on the table in the central entranceway. “I’m excited at the idea of getting together tomorrow to play with the new band.”

Cate was smart enough not to say anything, but Alex could see her rolling her eyes behind Winona. He decided not to say anything and call attention to it.

“You’ve got a pretty exciting week ahead of you, as well as a lot of work,” Alex cautioned her.

“Yeah, I know, but still, this is all new and I want to make sure we get it right. By the way, I’d like to have you meet the band to try to explain what we’re trying to achieve.”

“You mean; tell all those dedicated musicians their music is only of secondary importance?” Alex asked with a laugh. “I’m sure that’ll go over well.”

“Well, maybe you don’t phrase it quite like that,” Winona offered, frowning as she considered how one would go about explaining the situation.

“So did anyone notice how the producer took off in such a hurry before the day was done?” Cate asked, smiling at the memory.

“I may have helped with that,” Gini suggested with a lopsided grin.

“Pray tell, what does that mean?” Alex asked.

“When he excused himself to go to the restroom, I figured it was my best chance to get him alone. I followed him in, and when he saw me he backed up against the sinks. I advanced, pointed out his tonsillectomy, his missing gall bladder, and damage to his liver from his earlier partying, and then suggested he should pay attention to what you told him since you know much more than you let on. At that point I left him alone to do his business. I saw him on his phone shortly afterwards, and then he disappeared a little later.”

“You’re mean,” Alex teased.

“He’d never have paid attention to you until he was incapacitated otherwise,” she replied. “This way, he’ll either get it taken care of, or he can step aside and find us another producer.”

“Normally I’d vote for another producer, but I hate to have to do that again with a new guy,” Alex laughed.

“You don’t think you revealed too much?” Kitty asked skeptically.

Alex grinned. “No, these Hollywood types are all into alternative religions and health anyway. If he thinks we’ve got the newest thing, he’ll do whatever he can to help us out. I may have to fend him off if he gets too crazy about it, but if we play it right, it may help.”

“Well just be careful,” Kitty warned. “There’s no telling what an out of control believer who doesn’t understand what he believes might do.”

“Yeah, I have to wrestle with that whenever I tell anyone about me. Each represents a distinct risk. But still, this guy has no direct evidence of anything, all he could do is make some unbelievable claims.”

“Or sink the tour,” Winona pointed out.

“I doubt that,” Alex replied. “It would hurt his career and cost him whatever he’s investing in it. I’d hope that would count for more than anything else.”

“Well, here’s to hoping. I’ve always hoped I’d be a multi-millionaire,” Chalise laughed. “I’m still waiting.”

“Not me. I never dreamed I’d ever be a big-time singer,” Winona replied. “I’m not sure I’m ready for it, even now that it’s happening.”

Alex approached Chalise and Kitty, wrapping his arms around them. “Well, I hate to break this up, but I need to take these two back to Los Angeles so they can make their flight out in the morning. We can’t make the drive in the morning, due to the heavy traffic, but we shouldn’t run into much this time of night.”

“You know, it would have been easy enough having them fly out of here,” Winona pointed out.

Alex sighed, knowing what she was implying. “I decided not to reschedule their flight simply because it gives me time away from all these distractions to dedicate to them, well away from business executives, producers and other distractions.” Winona simply shrugged, but the others didn’t have an issue with it.

Robin rose from her seat, where she'd been quietly watching the discussion, as usual. “Well, since you’re taking off, now’s probably a good time to tell you Kuubba and I will be leaving as well. Kuubba doesn’t feel comfortable here and has to finish moving. Even though I’m more used to cities and have had a great time, I really need to get back to tend to my people and to check on your people who are struggling to fit in,” she smiled, insinuating the displaced Utah tribe was now Alex’s personal responsibility.

“Well, I’m glad you could make it here and I’ll miss you,” Alex said, giving her a big hug. “But, yeah, this certainly isn’t Kuubba’s cup of tea; especially since I can’t dedicate much time to you.”

“You not at fault,” Kuubba told him. “It fascinating seeing you deal with different groups. I was proud to watch you work,” she said, coming forward to give him a kiss.

Alex gave her a big hug, wishing the two of them luck. Finally Winona closed in on him.

“Once you drop off your girlfriends, lose your sister and we can get to know each other again,” she suggested, whispering in his ear so no one else could hear.

Alex rolled his eyes, though the display was lost since no one could see it. He could picture the trouble that would cause with Cate, but he also had to admit she had a point. He really needed to reinforce his relationship with this potential mother of his heir. After all, she’d be the one telling his child what kind of man he was, and it wouldn’t help if she painted him as someone eager to avoid them both.

‘Cate is right to worry about Winona,’ Robin told him telepathically when he broke his hug with Winona. ‘Although you need her, I’d be careful.’

‘I thought you were all on the same team?’ Alex asked, intrigued by this latest partisanship.

‘We trust you,’ she reminded him. ‘We don’t have to trust your followers, especially those who can’t understand the source of your abilities. We’re concerned with your success. If she threatens that, then we’re decidedly with you,’ she pointed out.

“I’ll stay here so I can get to the session tomorrow,” Winona said, smiling innocently.

“Are you sure that’s such a good idea? Wouldn’t you do better in a room of your own?” Cate asked, trying her hardest not to sound overly harsh.

“Cate has a good point,” Alex suggested, trying to be diplomatic. “Although you’ll have the place to yourself tonight, you could probably benefit from having your own room. I’m sure the show’s producers would cover your room, and they’d probably feel better if you weren’t quite so intricately tied to me.”

“That does make sense,” Winona reflected after considering it for only a moment. Alex could tell she’d interpreted his suggestion differently than he’d intended, seeing it as a handy excuse to get together with her without Cate being privy to what they did. “I’ll call Reggie and get his authorization and then I’ll see what I can arrange. Hopefully I can get something on the same floor.”

“That might be a bit difficult,” Gini suggested, hoping to let Cate off the hook of having to play the bad guy once again. “Ahmed Asghar paid for this suite as a way to impress Alex. Chances are Reggie would question paying that much before you’ve proven you’re capable of generating any extra income.”

“You have a point,” Winona answered, frowning in thought. “Damn, I hate to be separated from you when there’s so much at stake over the next week. I’ll need to discuss how you want to approach things throughout the day and into the evening, and it would help if I could meet people in the evenings with you there as well.

“Oh well, it is what it is,” she sighed. “If I have to move to another floor, I will. After all, you’ll know where to find me and I can always reach you if I need to,” she said, flashing Alex a big smile and winking at him with her right eye so Cate couldn’t see it where she was standing. Cate, though, was more than happy Winona wouldn’t be sleeping in the same suite, where she could ‘accidentally’ climb into his bed, stumble into his shower, or even worse, prevent her from sleeping with her brother.

“OK, we’d better get a move on,” Alex announced, dreading what he faced when he returned. “Girls, get your stuff ready, we’re heading out.”

Kitty and Chalise talked excitedly the entire trip back to Los Angeles, recounting everything they’d experienced and discussing what it would mean and where the events would likely lead. While Cate was attentive and free in her comments, she decidedly avoided addressing the major issue between her and Alex, namely her reaction to Winona.

Alex drove along the famous route 1/101, which took them along the Ventura Freeway, which the girls loved. Gini appreciated it as well as she’d take off around the winding curves, and then wait for Alex to catch up further on. It was fun and a nice distraction from what everyone was thinking but weren’t willing to discuss. He knew Cate didn’t trust him around Winona and Kitty and Chalise were worried about whether they’d ever see him again, and if they did, what shape he’d be in when they did. After all, they’d witnessed his ‘aura flares’ which showed just how quickly he could become too sick to stand.

When they reached LA they drove to Emily McDonald’s apartment. Alex hadn’t wanted to risk charging a room on his credit card and Debra had warned him not to come to her place. She’d told him the San Diego police had called, looking for him, and she was afraid they may have someone watching the apartment to see if he showed up.

“Why would they contact you if they’re interested in reaching me?” he asked in frustration. “I told them they had to contact my lawyer and they clearly haven’t done that. They’re fishing for information, hoping to shake either me or my friends up.”

“That seems to be the case, but since they wouldn’t discuss any details with me, I don’t know any more than you at the moment,” she advised.

“Get my lawyer on the phone,” Alex instructed his sister.

“Wouldn’t it be better to wait until we’re safely at Emily’s place?” she asked, worried about his getting too upset to drive safely with so many people in the car.

“I’m not going to get into an argument, I simply want to apprise her about what’s going on,” Alex replied.

“Do you even know who your lawyer is?” Cate pressed, knowing full well he didn’t. “You let Molly Bishop recommend someone in San Diego, but as far as I know, you’ve never even spoken to him.”

“You know what I mean,” Alex complained. “Call Molly. I’d rather talk to her. She knows our situation, so she’ll understand what we’re facing. She provides a better go between. Besides, the police would have a harder time tapping her phone than they would my lawyer’s in San Diego”

“You realize you can speak to her directly, without anyone ‘listening in’,” Kitty reminded him as Cate made the phone call.

“Yeah, I know, but it can be unnerving for me to do that to people who aren’t used to it,” Alex told her. “This way, she has time to prepare herself. But I’ll discuss anything I don’t want to be overheard telepathically.”

“Yeah? Alex? Is that you?” Molly asked after several rings. It was clear Alex hadn’t considered the two-hour time difference between their cities. “What’s up? Why the heck are you calling me? I’m guessing from the late hour that this isn’t a check-in to see what’s progressed in San Diego?”

“Nope, the San Diego detectives are calling my number, getting a friend I left my phone with specifically so they couldn’t track my movements.”

“Something, I’m sure they took as an admission of guilt, even though they’ve got nothing to pin on you yet. But when you pull something like that, you’re just asking them to investigate that much more enthusiastically,” she replied over the speaker.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve got obligations in other cities and I couldn’t sit around waiting for them to get around to concluding their investigation. I would have talked to them, telling them whatever they wanted, but they were clearly on a fishing trip, trying to get me to implicate myself. That’s why they’re supposed to be going through you.”

“Well, as you’ve guessed, they haven’t asked me much, other than where you are and when you’ll return.”

“If they need to, we can arrange a conference call, but I’m not going back, and I’m not speaking to them unless you’re there so you can keep them in check.”

“You realize, if they have cause to issue a warrant, you’ll be in a world of trouble by purposely avoiding them,” she cautioned.

“Again, I’m not avoiding them. I’m simply busy with other things, which I’m not in the mood to detail for them. If they’d ask politely, I’d be more forthcoming, but if they’re only interested in attacking me, then I’m not going to continue to play ball with them. By the way, how’s the ‘investigation’ going?”

“It hasn’t really gone anywhere. They’re still waiting for lab results. Are you sure they won’t turn up any evidence? No, wait, don’t answer that. If I know, it’ll put me in a difficult position.”

“Don’t worry, they won’t turn up anything. They may not like the situation, but as the videos and eyewitness accounts clearly show, I never did anything to those guys. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, in more ways than one.”

“Well, I hope so, because I’d be upset if your assumptions were proven wrong,” Molly replied, never actually coming out and questioning Alex’s claims.

“Are you sure they won’t find any evidence of what you’ve done?” Kitty asked after he’d hung up.

“It’s always possible,” Alex shrugged, “but it’s highly unlikely. They wouldn’t consider it a possibility, no matter what they might hear on the streets, and even if they did a brain scan on the body for some reason, the region I attacked is fairly remote. It’s hidden behind the face, where it would be difficult to spot in a brain scan. I’m not even sure which scans it would show up on. Liv tells me a frozen brain might show up as misshapen and shrunken brain tissue, but only if you knew what to look for and were looking for something unusual. But even if that were the case, there’s no cause and effect. I never threatened them, I took no actions against them and I didn’t physically attack them in any way.”

“Still, I don’t like the fact you’re taking such big risks, especially since it could compromise everything else you’re trying to do,” Kitty said, voicing Cate’s initial position, now that she was no longer voicing them herself anymore.

“I stepped in to save Angelica and again when they threatened me. I’d do it again, even if it did implicate me. I’d do that for any of my people, and I hope they all realize and respect it. I’m in a position where I have to make difficult decisions on the spur of the moment. I try to make the best decisions I can based on the information I have available, but I’m not going to avoid taking an action simply because I’m afraid of the repercussions. After all, if I avoid doing something because of my personal fears, I could very well drop dead the next day anyway. And even if I didn’t, I couldn’t live with myself if I let one of my people down like that. Besides, in case you don’t remember, they were threatening to kill both me and Cate.”

Neither Kitty nor Chalise responded, as they’d been over this ground before, but they still worried about it. There were so many things for them to be concerned with when they left Alex behind the next day, and they couldn’t really count on anyone to protect him from himself. Sure, he made some very intelligent choices, choices which had largely panned out in the past. But he also made some serious mistakes and he had a lot of enemies, probably many more than he was even aware of.

In the end, there really wasn’t anything any of them could do about it. He had to do what he felt necessary. After all, this was his movement and only he really understood what was involved and the potential implications. As the incident with the gang members showed, he clearly knew more than he’d been willing to admit to anyone for some time, and they simply had to assume he had other, similar information behind his actions. But it didn’t resolve their unease with the situation or alleviate their fears for his future.

“Alex, we need to talk…, about tonight,” Kitty told him as both she and Chalise cornered him in the bathroom after Emily had gotten them situated and before they joined Cate in their bed. Emily had wisely chosen to take the couch, since this was Alex’s last night with his two girlfriends, and it was clear five to a bed was a bit much, even for Alex.

“Yeah?” he responded, not bothering to look up as he finished brushing his teeth. He had a feeling he knew where this was going and he already had at least a partial response for it.

“We … we wanted you to make tonight about Cate, not us,” Chalise tried to explain, repeating much of what Kitty had already said the previous night. “We can’t explain why, but we really want you to focus on her tonight.”

He turned to regard her, finishing brushing and spitting out his mouthful of toothpaste and rinsing his mouth before responding.

“OK, let me get this straight; you want me to ignore the two of you, when you’re leaving tomorrow and there’s no telling when I may see you again, to pay attention to my sister, who’s with me every single night. Girls, whatever you’re trying to tell me, you’re going to have to come out and tell me because otherwise this just doesn’t make any sense. If Cate’s having issues with me, or with my uncertain future, then I really need to know about it so I can address it. It doesn’t do much good to make me guess about what her problem is.”

They both looked at each other in nervous uncertainty, before Kitty took the lead.

“No, it’s nothing like that. Cate isn’t getting squeamish or nervous about what you’re doing. It’s just … it’s just once we leave we have no way of knowing how you’re doing. Although you have plenty of people to worry about you, Cate’s the only one who can really watch out for you. Gini can protect you from physical harm, but she doesn’t know you like Cate does, and no one else is around you enough to see you when you falter.”

“Yeah,” Chalise said, jumping on the bandwagon now it had started rolling, “we want to ensure the two of you are getting along. After all, we’re relying on Cate to keep you safe, and if the two of you can’t rely on each other, or if there are other issues, then we’ll be left to worry about it.”

Alex looked at each of them, trying to measure the truth of their words. “Are you sure there’s nothing I need to be concerned with?” They both returned his gaze, but first Chalise, then Kitty’s eye’s flinched and they had to look away.

“Look, if there’s something bothering Cate and she swore you to secrecy, I’m sure she’d forgive you if you told me. After all, if her objective opinion is compromised, I need to know. As you’ve pointed out, we all rely on her to keep me on the straight and narrow.”

“Oh, no,” Chalise replied, suddenly smiling, despite her recent responses to the contrary. “There are no issues with Cate. It’s just us. We want to make sure the two of you are fine, and you will be … OK once we leave.”

Alex smiled at that, glad they’d finally opened up to him instead of beating around the bush. “OK, in that case. I’ve got no problems being nice to my sister. But I’ll expect some help. After all, she’s going to expect the two of you to be involved, and it’ll be hard to explain why I’m focusing on her rather than the two of you.”

“Oh, don’t worry. We’ll shower her with affection as well,” Kitty offered. “In fact, we’ll initiate it. We’ll start her off, and then move aside and let you take over. It’ll appear seamless and she’ll never question what’s happening.”

“It sounds like you’ve got this planned out. Who am I to argue with my best counsel? Lead on, fair and wise maidens, we have a lady to seduce,” Alex responded, making a bold sweeping gesture, directing them out of the bathroom, turning off the light as they left.

With that the three entered the bedroom, where they found Cate, once again lighting candles for effect, giving the room a romantic flicker. Seeing them, she stood up, leaving the last two candles unlit. She was wearing a negligee which both hid and tantalized what lie underneath.

“Thought I’d make it a little extra special,” she said, smiling sweetly.

“What? You discover a discount candle shop and you decided to invest in a bulk purchase?” Alex teased as Kitty and Chalise took her by the hands, leading her to the bed.

“If you want to know, no, we managed to find a nice little lesbian owned candle shop,” she replied in all honesty. “And we did in fact get a great price. By the way, I wouldn’t recommend you go there, as the owners gave us a great discount, but they may revoke it if they find out we were shopping for you,” Cate said, sticking her tongue out at him to emphasize the point.

“It’s beautiful, Cate, as are you. As are each of you,” he added, watching his girlfriends lower his sister to the bed.

Kitty and Chalise did just as they’d suggested, kissing and disrobing her while Alex watched and removed his own clothing. Needless to say, Cate’s delightful negligee didn’t last long, ending up discarded on the floor shortly after the three girls ended up on the bed together. Both girls started working over Cate, starting with a three-way kiss, proceeding to them each attacking her breasts, to finally Kitty settling at her breasts while Chalise moved between her thighs.

Wanting to be prepared for his opportunity, Alex climbed on the bed behind Chalise, and with nothing better to do began gently massaging her slit while she ate his sister out. It didn’t take a great amount of manipulating though, as it was already weeping in pleasure.

Since neither girl moved aside yet, and with nothing else to keep him occupied, he began running his cock up and down Chalise’s slit, causing her to shimmy her ass against him while she concentrated on pleasing Cate. Cate, however, wasn’t even aware of him yet, as she had her head thrown back, eyes closed, moaning in pleasure at what the two girlfriends were dishing out.

Of course, Alex couldn’t keep teasing Chalise for long, and soon he was slipping his cock between her lips, sinking into her soft embrace, causing her to moan around the clit she was currently tonguing. That caused Cate to open her eyes, and seeing Alex towering over Chalise, she smiled, winking at him encouraging him to proceed.

Assuming the two girls had their own timetable and he wasn’t needed for some time, he did just that, making easy stokes into his darker skinned girlfriend. Glancing back at him, Kitty merely shook her head before refocusing her attention on Cate’s tiny tits. But seeing how she was paying too much attention to what Alex was doing, she shifted up and started kissing Cate while still manipulating her breasts.

Not wanting to get too carried away and lose his focus on Cate, Alex reluctantly pulled free from Chalise. She moaned into Cate’s snatch at the loss as his dick slipped out with a wet smack as it struck his stomach leaving a tell-tale slime trail. Moving over, he started playing with Kitty, who responded similarly to Chalise. For as much as they both insisted he pay attention to his sister, they were both primed and ready for him to betray that sentiment. Just as Chalise had moaned into Cate’s crotch, Kitty moaned her approval into Cate’s mouth, encouraging Alex to continue.

Running his hand along her slit, he fingered her a couple of times, then pulled back, positioned himself and slowly thrust into her, an action which pressed her into her kiss with Cate, something Cate noticed right away. Breaking their kiss, she looked past her lover and observed Alex’s actions, smiling at him encouraging him to continue what he was doing to her two best friends.

Again, Alex didn’t detect any change in either Kitty’s or Chalise’s plans, so he continued fucking Kitty with a slow paced rhythm, causing her to gyrate into Cate as they resumed their kiss. As an extra enticement, Cate reached back, past her friend, pulling her ass apart so Alex could better observe what he was doing.

Hoping they hadn’t forgotten what they were doing, Alex began picking up the pace, shifting from gradual deep thrusts to more rapid shorter ones. But Chalise continued slurping on Cate’s delights, while Kitty continued kissing and playing with her tits, her nipples really, since she had such little breasts.

As Alex continued, getting more involved with fucking Kitty, he noticed Cate getting more worked up as well. Figuring if he didn’t stop now he’d be unable to when they wanted him to, he again reluctantly pulled free from his velvet vise. Knee walking back to Chalise, he slipped into her once again. He distracted her by doing so, but it only took her a few seconds to recover and she continued to push Cate ever higher.

Despite trying to maintain a slow pace, Alex found himself hunching over Chalise, playing with her tits while biting her ear, smelling his sister’s scent as he did. She growled at him, warning him not to distract her too much—only just the right amount—as she continued working Cate over, now finger-fucking her while she continued eating her out.

Alex was making a series of short thrusts into Chalise when Cate started moaning out a series of gasps, shaking her head back and forth. Kitty, unable to continue their kiss, leaned back, still playing with her lover’s breasts, and motioned Alex forward.

Groaning to himself, Alex shoved home one last time, resting there for a few moments before reluctantly withdrawing one more time. As he pulled free, Chalise released her lock on Cate’s pussy, moving up beside her.

It appeared Cate hadn’t quite reached her peak yet, or at least if she had, she hadn’t hit a big one, as Cate glanced at Chalise with a look of mild disappointment, but Chalise kissed her, giving her a taste of her own flavors, then motioning Alex forward, she pulled back, caressing Cate’s stomach as she did.

His cock bouncing in the warm air, the candles’ light reflecting off his shimmering cock, Alex moved forward, lowering himself on top of his sister as his two girlfriends shifted to the side.

“Hello, Beautiful, fancy meeting you here?” he teased, kissing her gently using just a little tongue.

“Yeah, imagine. I thought for sure you’d be dumping your load in one of these two beauties by now, but as long as you’re here, why don’t you keep that little thermometer of yours warm?”

“I think I can manage that,” he replied, drawing back, preparing to enter her, but Kitty beat him to it, grasping his throbbing cock and guiding it to his sister’s pussy. He pressed forward, again kissing her, and Cate gave up any pretext of this being about Kitty and Chalise as she sighed heavily into Alex’s mouth.

“Oh, that feels so good,” she said, even as Kitty and Chalise both pressed forward, kissing her on either side of her face.

Kitty slapped Alex loudly on the ass, causing him to flinch, shoving hard into Cate as he did.

“Time to roll over, you can’t keep the party girl all to yourself. After all, this is a night to remember for all of us.”

Grinning at her response, Alex grabbed Cate and rolled them both over as Chalise made room for them. Cate struggled up into a cowgirl position, sitting on top of Alex as the two girls started sucking on her breasts as they played with her, one working on her ass while the other began frigging her clit.

“Hmm,” Cate moaned, closing her eyes at the sensations.

“Cate,” Alex said, shocking her out of her absorption of her experiences, “have I mentioned today just how much I love you?”

“No, I don’t think you did,” she replied with a smile, reaching forward past her two friends to cup his face with her palm.

“That goes for us as well,” Chalise told her, rubbing her pussy from behind, even as Kitty did so with the top end of it.

“We each love you and this is our way of saying thanks for everything you’ve done for each of us, but especially for taking care of Alex,” Kitty told her, kissing her to pace her response. “For keeping him out of trouble, keeping him safe, and looking after him even when he’s not smart enough to know he’s in trouble.”

“Hmm, he’s in trouble right now. I plan on riding him hard and putting him away wet and worn,” she answered, her eyes twinkling as she regarded her brother.

Cate started bouncing a bit more energetically, which did magical things to her tiny breasts which because of their size never really shifted, but her nipples seemed to dance around forcing Kitty and Chalise to chase them, trying to capture and hold them with their tongues.

Alex, meanwhile, finding himself being marginalized by everyone else, pushed Kitty’s hand away from Cate’s pussy and took over manipulating her clit. Noticing the difference in pressure immediately, Cate smiled, twisting a bit more on her downstroke, causing Alex to thrust up a bit more forcefully.

“Fuck, I can’t manage all three of you at the same time,” Cate announced. “Especially not when all I want to do is smother Alex with my love.” She punctuated her words by sinking down on him, causing both girls to give up their hold on her.

“Damn girl, it looks like they’re set, let’s say the two of us do what we do best?” Chalise offered, and Kitty readily agreed, maneuvering past Cate to settle into a 69 with her more frequent lover, Chalise’s face and Kitty’s glistening crotch only inches from Alex and Cate’s kissing faces. But the two lovers barely noticed as they were too busy kissing each other, even as Alex thrust into Cate. She proceeded to ride him as if this was the last stop on the merry-go-round. Pulling Cate tightly against him, forcing her hard nipples to bite into his naked chest, Alex hugged her tightly, as if afraid to let her go.

Cate shivered around his cock as another in a series of small orgasms rocked her body and as her cunt clutched Alex’s cock, effectively freezing it in place, allowing Alex to regain some composure. When she released her lock on him, he began thrusting that much harder, intending to bring her off with a big finish.

Cate was all for that, especially with the encouraging accompaniment of Kitty and Chalise’s moans and slurps beside them.

“I think … we’re … encouraging the … children,” Cate gasped out.

“Don’t worry…,” Alex responded, “they’re … incorruptible, as they’ve already … been thoroughly … corrupted.”

Sensing that Cate was getting close to her final release, Alex again rolled them both over, getting a better purchase so he could drive into her more efficiently. Cate, for her part, surrendered herself to his assault, wrapping her legs around him, pulling him into her as he proceeded to assault her pussy.

Cate began thrashing her head from side to side, as she began a keening wail. Alex stepped up the pace, no longer making love but actively fucking her, both of them making the bed squeak and shake as it proceeded to bang against the wall. Kitty couldn’t help it, breaking into a giggle, but Chalise was unable to respond in kind as she’d begun her own orgasm, vibrating against Kitty’s kiss.

Finally Alex had enough, crying out he buried himself fully into Cate, even as she commenced quivering around him and he unleashed a series of blasts inside her as he emptied his balls into her welcoming uterus.

Alex continued pressing into Cate, only now that he was no longer restraining himself, he shoved her—and the bed—that much harder forward. Finally, when he’d finished, Alex collapsed on top of her, even as Cate continued to thrash in orgasmic bliss, and their two mutual girlfriends cried out beside them.

As they tried to recover and Cate waited for her slowly fading orgasms to subside, a voice from the other room called out.

“If you don’t stop in the next twenty or thirty minutes, I’m getting some Viagra so Alex can do me after he finishes with the rest of you. Don’t make me come in there!” Emily called, only somewhat teasingly.

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