Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Title: Page Ch.  04
Summary: Whose trouble is this?
Keywords: inc,fic
   Page stares at me in disbelief.  "What do we do now?"
   "I guess we should try and see who is outside?" I say stepping in front
of the panel with the three by three display and touch the one displaying
my car.  It expands to full screen and I ask, "Do those look like our
footprints or are they newer?"
   "There's a lot of snow in them, plus they simply look like our paths to
and from the car; I think they're ours.  Go back to the porch and see if
this thing can zoom."
   I swipe the screen and get a different view of the outside.  I squeeze
my fingers together and see the three by three matrix again.  The function
is somewhat intuitive, but I say, "You drive, you're my technical adviser."
   "Put the gun down, Ryan.  We'll be able to hear if someone is trying to
break into the hatch," she says, as she pulls up the front porch and zooms
in close.
   I put the gun back in the hard case and close it.  I briefly consider
putting on clothes from the bag, but see what Page is looking at and join
her at the monitor.
   "Are those fresh?"
   "I think so, but they look like they go away.  Does it look human?"
   Page swipes the screen and there is a view of the driveway.  There
aren't any prints or tire tracks.  Another swipe and we see the hill behind
the house, nothing again.  The back deck is clear too and snow is piled
high on the side of the hot tub cover that is next to the edge.  The only
tracks are on the front porch and come and go from the same direction. 
Whatever or whoever it was seems to have come and gone over the same path
which just disappears down the hill off the front porch.
   "What do you think?" she asks.
   "I don't know.  The whole thing is making me crazy.  I didn't even know
this bunker was here.  I just reacted to the bed moving and panel opening
on instinct, but I feel like I'm in shock."
   "I think we're safe; why don't we just sleep down here, the whole thing
has me a little spooked and - oh -" she says with a little jump when the
phone LEDs begin flashing again, indicating another call.
   "Hello?" I answer it.
   "Ryan, I think it is just a bear.  I've reviewed the video of the front
porch.  You can do that too, just select the screen and do a counter
clockwise swirl.  Anyway, you should probably put your gun away, I'm sure
you're adrenaline has you pumped."
   "Yeah, it does," I say feeling a little relieved.  "I might sleep down
here, though; it spooked me," I say repeating Page's feelings in my own
voice.
   "Look, you're safe, the hatch only opened because: one - you're there,
two - there was heat motion detected and three - there was weight at one of
the doors."
   "Oh, that makes sense," I reply, feeling even safer now.
   "So, what's going on; taking some time off or what?" Gary asks, as if
none of the previous stuff mattered.
   I think to myself that striking up a conversation at this time of night
seems odd, but I'm in his house hiding in his bunker with my sister.  So, I
just tell him what's going on, or at least the parts I'm comfortable
telling him.
   "Yeah, I was feeling a little bummed about losing the election."
   "Hey, I didn't tell you yet.  I just heard it myself.  The Lieutenant
Governor passed away last week and there's going to be a special election
in February."
   I had actually heard that she'd passed away, but hadn't thought about
running for the spot and it felt a little opportunistic to even think about
it.
   "You think I should run for that; it seems a little premature." I say,
as I see Page looking at me like I'm crazy.
   "Yeah, too bad you didn't come on this hunting trip, we could have
talked about your strategy."
   "Where are you exactly?"
   "Dude, I'm literally in the middle of nowhere.  We had to drive half an
hour into the middle of the swamp to get to the boat that took us another
forty-five minutes to this place."
   "But you've got cell service there?"
   "Well, I've got service, it's a private club.  You're really missing out
though, I've already gotten a dozen birds: couple of Gallinules, half a
dozen Woodcock and four Coots.  Well, I didn't mean to run on; I was just
surprised you were there..."
   "Sorry, I should have called and told you I was coming.  It was a spur
of the moment thing."
   "Hey, no worries, man; I told you to use the place.  Try to get some
sleep.  We'll talk when I get back," he says and hangs up.
   I hang up the phone and look at Page.  "Sorry, I guess everything is
okay."
   "What was he saying?"
   "Well, he ran on a bit about a possible special election and then his
hunting trip, but he thinks it was just a bear wandering onto the porch. 
He told me we can review the video if you do a counter clockwise swirl to
rewind."
   Page does that nearly instantly and we see a large black/brown figure
come onto the porch.  She tries to zoom in, but that doesn't work well or
intuitively in rewind mode.  The brown figure is kind of a blur and it goes
back off the porch quickly.  She replays it again and it still isn't clear
what it is.
   "Does it look like a bear to you?" she asks.  "Aren't they supposed to
be hibernating?"
   "I've never seen one up close; it's kind of a blur.  As for hibernating,
it's been unseasonably warm until this snow storm and the weather service
wasn't even calling for any accumulation."
   "I guess we should go look."
   "So, now, you want to go up instead of staying down here and checking it
out in the morning?" I ask.
   "Yeah; after my long bus trip, I've really grown to appreciate beds. 
Don't you want to sleep in bed?"
   "Yes, of course," I say thinking of us in bed earlier.  "I wonder how we
get back out."
   Page goes to the panel by the rebar ladder and presses a button I hadn't
really seen.  There's a vibration above us and the hatch starts to slowly
open.  When it finally finishes, she grabs up the laptop bag and her duffel
bag and begins her ascent back into the bedroom.  I grab my duffel and
sling it over my shoulder and then one of the gun cases.  Climbing the
ladder with one hand is awkward enough so I make a second trip for the last
case.
   Back in the room, I find Page is fully dressed and heading towards the
front door.
   "Hey, wait a second," I say.  "Before you open that, let me get dressed
and get the gun back out."
   She thinks about it a second and agrees, "Okay."
   I dress quickly, open the wrong case and then open the other one to find
the gun I'd already loaded.  Taking it out I join her in the dim light and
she continues to the front door.  She gingerly turns the deadbolt and
signals me that shes going to open it in three fingers, two, one.  Opening
it, the door swings inward silently along with a cold blast of air and a
swirl of lose snow that looks like dust in the low light.  She peers onto
the porch and looks at the tracks.  I follow her out and look for myself. I
can barely see, since there is almost no light save, what is coming from
the hatch in the guest room.
   I whisper, "Should I turn on the porch light?"
   "Yeah, do."
   When I flip on the light there is a startled noise off in the woods,
which is almost certainly an animal.  On the porch, we look more closely at
the tracks in the blown snow.
   "I think that it was a bear," she says.  "Unless someone went to the
trouble of getting fake bear feet to make the tracks."
   "Yeah, they aren't even very large; it's probably just a cub."
   We both head back inside where I close and lock the door.  "Gary said
the hatch only triggered due to motion, weight at the door and our presence
in the house."
   "This place is crazy high tech.  I wonder what else is in here?"
   "Hey, now; no hacking Gary's house."
   "Maybe just a little?"
   "Now who's incorrigible?  Come on, let's go to bed; I'm exhausted from
the adrenaline rush," I say taking her hand.
   "But..."
   "No buts!  Now, come help me figure out how to close the hatch from up
here."
   "Oooo yeah, let me have a look at that thing...  You think there's
another one in the master?" she says dashing off to the bedroom.
   "You're amazing, crazy, but amazing..." I say breaking into laughter.
   Playing with the hatch like a kid in a candy store, she looks at the
thing from every angle trying to figure out what makes it close and reopen.
I step over her to put the gun on the night table and turn on the light
while she continues to look along the walls and inside the bathroom.
   "I think there's got to be another panel somewhere up here, like the one
down there," she says at length.
   The hunt ends when she finds it in a drawer at the foot of the bed base.
She has a troubled look on her face.  With the drawer out, we can both see
that the panel has a big red 'Close' button, but a keypad that is probably
used for opening it.
   "If I do this, we may not be able to reopen it without a code or another
automatic alarm," she says.
   "Oh, well, I can probably get a code from Gary in the morning.  The
automatic alarm does seem to work."
   "Yeah, I guess.  Maybe I could do just a little hacking?"
   "Paaaage...  "
   "Meany," she says, as she pushes the button and stands up.
   Staring at me in fake anger, she starts stripping back off her quickly
donned clothing while standing clear of the bed as it moves to cover the
closing hatch.  I never seem to know when the game is afoot, but as always,
I follow suit.  As I'm standing there nude, I kept thinking that the hatch
was taking even longer to close than its opening had seemed to take when we
were waiting upon it down in the bunker.  Of course my enthusiasm to exit
the bunker hadn't been nearly as high as my current desire to get back in
bed with Page.
   When it's finally back in position, she pushes me onto the bed,
teasingly saying, "You never let me have any fun."
   "I thought we had fun earlier," I say, as I scoot back across the bed
into my position and lie upon my side awaiting her.
   "Oh, well, yeah, I guess we did," she says pensive and poutily. 
"Alright then, good night!"
   She huffily joins me in bed, pulls up the covers and reaches over to
turn off the light.  I feel dumb as I lie there sadly in the darkened
silence with my thoughts.  Several long moments pass, while I review my
missteps that made me believe sex has been taken off the table.  Just when
I am about to chalk it up to my ineptitude, she sighs and snuggles her bum
up to me; pressing against my still hard erection.  I guess my cock knew
sex was still in the offing even though I thought I might have just messed
it up.  Despite the fact that we'd had engaged frequently over the past
couple of days, our appetite for one another seems to approach bottomless.
   "Ryan?"
   "Yeah?"
   "I thought you were exhausted from the adrenaline rush."
   "Yeah, me too," I say trying to restrain a gleeful giggle.
   "You sure you want to sleep?" she teases me, as she presses back a
little more.  "I'm - um - getting an impression - I mean, I think I'm
getting the impression that maybe you want something else."
   "Just you," I say with some relief, as I place my hand on her hip.
   "Mmm, it feels nice," she says, as she wiggles her moist slit against my
engorging stiffness.
   Slippery moisture contacting my cock entices me to slide closer to her;
her hips tilt slightly anticipating our desire as she presses me further
into her wetness.  I feel a surge rush through me as my increased libido
drives me forward to enter her with some swiftness from behind.  I bury my
face in her hair to take in her scent, which calms my nerves while
exhilarating me further at the same time.  Page repositions my hand from
her waist to her pierced nipple and exhales a soft moan.
   "Oh Ry, this feels so right."
   "You make me so happy."
   I don't know what I've done to deserve the love and pleasure she's
giving me, but the relief I feel at our coupling pushes away all the
previous worries of intruders or trackers.  My hips slowly withdraw from
her until I can feel that I'm nearly out while an irrepressible force
guides me uncontrollably back within her tightness.  Page presses my
fingers harder against her breast as I reenter her.  Her hips continually
tilting and swaying to increase the contact between us.  I repeat the
action only to find myself in a sudden convulsion against her; not a
climax, but a full body shiver that brings us together with forceful
slapping sounds.
   The shape and contour of her hips pressing against me feels so exotic
that I feel a compulsion to clutch them with both hands upon either side.
Gripping them tightly, my arms aid in pulling us together as we
rhythmically stimulate ourselves against one another.  Page is lustily
grabbing behind my upper leg with one hand while rubbing us at her groin
with the other.  Dainty fingers slide along and across my shaft as I
withdraw and massage her clit against me as I enter.
   Fervent guttural moans emanate from her as her breathing becomes ragged
and gasps of air rush to fill her lungs.  These noises add to my desire to
fulfill my lovely little sister's necessary demands.  The darkened room
reminds me of the dreamy state when she'd first come to my bed only a few
days ago.  Now though, I'm fully awake, fully aware and overcome by our
recent mutual acknowledgments of love.  Our love for one another seems to
only feed our passion as we undulate in unison.  Page turns her head to
kiss me deeply; our tongues a flurry within each others mouths.  Her energy
is contagious and fills me with joy.
   I feel thankful to the forces that brought her back into my life. 
Whatever else happens, it will have been worth it to have known how much
she loves me.  It simply amazes me that she'd been in love with me before
and I'd somehow been blind to it.  The unconditional love she has for me,
in and of itself, pushes me to please her.  Pumping away at her I feel Page
begin to jerk as her climax rolls through her.  Her hand rubs at us with
increasing ferocity.  My cock is slick with her lubricant and I increase
the force and frequency of my thrusts.
   Her moans rush me towards my own release and building tension in my
balls tells me I'm close.  "Oh, Page."
   "Ooo, yeah, Ry - umpf - shove it in me.  God, you feel sooo gooood.  Umf
- ah - oh - you make me feel so fucking goooood," she says as she passes
the point and begins to quake silently.
   My cock burying itself inside her repeatedly, I feel the little clit
ring slide along the length of me.  Page's fingers rubbing us cause it to
touch me periodically.  I shiver at the memory of it in my mouth and
lustily I tilt her torso so I can take her left nipple into my mouth again.
Another guttural moan of pleasure ensues when I take the star nipple ring
into my mouth.  Her legs lift as her back is fully on the bed now and I
thrust into her.
   "Page, I'm going to come."
   My words trigger spasms in her along with a repeating string of panting
'yeses' intermixed with her now familiar continuous stream of profanity
laced instructions and playful jabberings.
   "Pound your cock into me - feel me gripping you - fill your sister's
pussy - oh fuck - fuck yeah.  You love it as much as I do, don't you?"
   "Uhh-huh."
   "You like making me cum - you make me cum so hard.  Pump your seed
inside me; let it shoot in your sheath - it's only for you."
   This is the second time she's told me she was just for me and I relished
in it, "Being inside you is just for me; isn't it?"
   "Uhn-huh - fuck me - oh fuck, yesss!" she hisses as she begins to jerk.
   Her contractions grip me as I continue to thrust into her, the increased
tension being caused by her climax drags me over as well.  I don't want to
give in, but I am simply at her mercy as she clamps even more tightly about
me.  Pumping into her now, I finish with several forceful thrusts that
leave me panting and clinging to her.  I bury my cock deep inside and shoot
stream after stream of hot fluid erupting into her.  My climax is just part
of the bargain though, and I commit to memory the unshakable devotion I
know from her because I never want to forget the feeling.  She continues to
quake as I feel a new warmth surrounding me.  I can't see it, but I know
she's emitted her own fluids and I feel them spreading to cool upon the
sheets.
   "I love you so much, Page," I say breathlessly as I hug her tightly.
   "You don't know how happy that makes me," she whispers back.  "I love
you too; there's no place I'd rather be."
   The joy I feel cannot be put into words as we lie there together.  In
our close embrace I am aware I can feel her heart beating as our breathing
subsides.  It's a soothing sound that confirms for me just how real this
is. We stay coupled as sleep drags us down and I dream of a life with Page.
   The morning arrives bright and surprisingly early.  Disappointingly,
Page is no longer in bed with me, so I rouse myself to use the can. 
Standing over it to lift the lid, I notice the telltale sign of blood at
the bottom of the bowl and I feel a twinge of guilt and relief for a
moment. I love her with all my heart, but I'd never want to make her cross
that bridge without discussing it.  Somewhere in the back of my mind, I
wonder if men have clocks or other innate instincts overriding their
sensibilities and pushing them to procreate.
   Back in the bedroom, I pull on my boxers and grab a tee-shirt from my
duffel bag.  In the kitchen, I find Page sitting at the table with her
laptop eating some cereal.  I go to the espresso machine and turn it on and
wait for it to warm up.
   "You okay this morning or did we have another visitor last night?"
   She turns to me and gives me a queer look, "What are you talking about?"
   "Sorry, I - uh - I thought I saw some blood in the toilet."
   "Oh, I had a nose bleed early this morning.  The air here is so dry
compared to back home - well - compared to California."
   "Oh," I say stupidly staring at her tight tee-shirt and the protrusions
there.
   "You thought I was on my period; didn't you?"
   "Yeah."
   "And now you're wondering if I'm on birth control?"
   "Yes - well - I mean, we've been going a little manic -" I cut myself
off worrying about two facts: my words aren't coming out well formed and we
hadn't used protection even once.
   "I have the implant," she says pointing at her left arm.  "It's good for
like three years."
   "Oh, I didn't know they lasted that long," I say feeling relieved and a
little naive.
   The espresso machine is warmed up and I make a cup.  Page is busy on her
laptop but looks up cutely to see if I'm going to ask.  I smile at her
instantly interpreting her gaze to mean my stupidity is forgiven, although
I still feel like a bit of a clod.
   "You want one?"
   "Of course," she says and smiles back demurely.
   I set the first one at her place and ask, "What are you working on this
morning?"
   "Well, I know you said no, but -"
   "Ooohhh," I exhale as I walk back to the counter.  I press the button to
make another espresso and ask, "You just couldn't resist, huh?"
   "Well, I got worried about all of the cameras and the fact that they'd
recorded things."
   "Ohhh sheesh, yeah, that might be - well - bad."
   "See, now you get it.  Anyway, I've deleted the files of us that are
here, but I'm working on determining if they were streamed anywhere.  I
haven't found the physical location of the computer yet, it might be in the
bunker or -"
   "We should cover the camera in our room, I guess."
   "Already taken care of, his tech isn't quite as good as mine," she says
breaking into a broad grin.
   "It recorded us yesterday?"
   "Yeah, it got some really good footage of us having dessert."
   I joined her at the table and say, "Hmm, and you think this place is
wired into the internet?" I find myself wondering about what that footage
might have looked like and if perhaps she'd kept a copy.
   "Yeah, he's got a system in here somewhere and it was accessible from
outside; that's how he took control of the cameras and reviewed the
footage."
   "Oh," I say feeling really foolish.  "So it might be in the cloud
already?"
   "I hope not, but I need to check.  I've already disabled external
network traffic, but I'm thinking maybe I should locate the system here and
physically disconnect the external connectivity altogether, but that might
alert someone.  How well do you know Gary?"
   "Pretty well, I think.  Of course, I thought I knew you too," I say
trailing off.  "What about the hacker, the files and the condo?"
   "Well, from the files I've examined, it looks like bpodq is gathering
basic data on you.  I'm looking for any patterns of out what she's gotten
into now and there's still no activity at the condo."
   "That all sounds good, I guess."
   "Let's get you set up on the new laptop so you can change all of your
online account passwords and stuff," she says.  She gets up and heads to
the bedroom for the other laptop.  "The thing that concerns me is that
she's probably being paid to do it, so your finances probably aren't the
target."
   I sit and stew with that thought until Page returns, "What do you think
they want?"
   While she sets up the laptop in front of me she responds, "Well, I'm not
sure.  Have you been working on anything in the House that might be of
interest to foreign governments?"
   "Not really, I am, or was, on the Education and the Workforce House
Committee.  I guess I had interactions with some foreign corporations
regarding that, but not really governments unless they were behind those
corporations somehow."
   "I keep running up against some serious defenses.  You know, it feels
like I'm getting blocked at every turn and lots of wild goose chases.  I
may need to get some more help."
   "More?"
   "Shit," she mutters.
   "Page?"
   "I keep saying too much," she says self-admonishingly.
   "Too much?  I can't make out most of what you're telling me."
   "We're getting side tracked again; let's focus on the laptop."
   "Okay," I say dejectedly.
   I find myself staring vacantly at her tee-shirt and I can't help feeling
like a kid with his hand being smacked back from the cookie jar.  I want to
know what all of this is about and the technology is beyond me.
   "Hey, come on, pay attention," she says, tilting my head away from the
nipples poking through her tee-shirt and toward the screen.  "This is your
logon information," she says, swiveling her computer around to show me an
open window.
   It's a weird user name I never would have used, but instantly recognize
and remember.  "That's a long password."
   "Yeah, but it's a phrase we both know and few would guess, especially
with the numbers and symbols."
   "I thought you told me not to store or write down my login information
-"
   "This is a special program that encrypts the file, you just need a good
strong password to keep people from getting into it."
   "That's a pretty neat thing, do I get that?"
   "Yes, after you log in." I finish typing the password and press enter.
The system comes up nearly instantly.  "See this icon?  That opens the
program where the password information is stored.  It'll open up your file
so you can enter and keep track of all your accounts."
   "I just use one password."
   "Not any more mister.  This icon is an anonymous web browser and this
one will launch your VM."
   Page continues to show me how to start up the virtual image of my old
system.  She's actually upgraded the operating system, the anti-virus and
somehow maintained my files.  She shows me how to open up programs I need
and how to use them inside the VM.  Everything works just like it was my
old PC; in fact as I worked on this new virtual version, it seems
significantly faster than my old PC.  Additionally, I slowly realize that
I'd probably have made a complete mess of it if I'd tried to upgrade it
myself.
   "It's a lot to take in, Page."
   "You'll get it, you're a smart guy."
   "Not about this stuff," I say with a sinking feeling in my gut.
   "I'll walk you through doing your first account.  Go get your wallet and
let's do your bank account.  I'll also show you how to tether to your
phone."
   Once I'm back with my wallet, she connects up my burner phone to the
computer and shows me how to use it as an internet connection.  Then she
guides me through getting online so I can change the password.  I make the
change and put the new information in the password safe software and feel
slightly better.
   "Does everything here look about right," she asks, as we look at my
balance.
   "Yeah, I've been saving due to my upcoming unemployment."
   "Any other savings or financial accounts we should check?"
   "All I have is a 401K." I knew I should be saving more, but I hadn't
really thought about it much.
   "Do the financial ones first, then update all your e-mail and vendor
accounts.  Okay, you've got this, right?"
   "Yes, you can work on other stuff.  I'll do these and let you know if I
see anything weird or get stuck."
   Page goes back and sits in her chair and turns her laptop back around.
While I spend the better portion of the morning going through all my online
accounts and changing the passwords, Page is working away on her laptop. 
She keeps twirling her long hair in her left hand and running it across her
cute little mouth.  Occasionally, there is a look of concern on her face or
a wrinkle in her nose as she types furiously.
   I do all of my accounts, even the ones that will be expiring at the end
of my term.  When I am finally done, I tell her and then make us a couple
more espressi with cream.  As I deliver hers, I linger to look over her
shoulder, wondering what she's working on.  She has over a dozen windows
open and appears to be playing that game again in the largest window that
is on top.  Although, I notice she isn't really playing, since the window
isn't full screen like it'd been the other day and she's only typing inside
a small window within the game.  Her left hand leaves the keyboard as I
continue to stand beside her.  I realize where it's gone suddenly when I
feel a light brush against my leg followed by her slender fingers grasping
me by my balls firmly.
   "Oh, um - sorry, I just wondered what you are doing."
   She looks up at me with a wicked grin, "You aren't playing fair, Ryan.
This is like looking at my board while playing battleship."
   "Well, you've seen just about everything I have, physically and
virtually," I complain defensively, as she loosens her grip slightly.
   "Hmm, I guess you're right.  Look, I can't tell you everything you want
to know or even show you or allow you to see; it's prohibited."
   Prohibited?  I almost bite my tongue as I nearly spit that word back out
at her.  She sees the question in my eyes, her expression softens and she
strokes my cock softly now.  A chill runs up my spine and down my cock at
the same time as I shudder.
   "Suffice it to say, I'm getting some help." She stares into my eyes and
answers my next unasked question, "Yes, from someone in the game.  We use
it to communicate, sometimes."
   I'm now wondering if she was playing at all when I came home early the
other day.  Of course, I have no idea how to tell what they were really
doing; it looked like a fancy computer game, but there'd been so much going
on when I'd seen it.  They could have been chatting about me and I'd have
never known.
   Impulsively, I ask, "Did you put the game on my computer too?"
   "Actually, I did and I've got an account for you to use," she says as
she opens another window with a user name and password and spins the
computer around.  "Put these in your password file too."
   Obediently, I sit back at my seat, create a game account entry in my
password file and put the information in there, wondering how I get to the
game.  Page seems to anticipate the question again as I look up at her
across the table.
   "There's another VM on your laptop with the game," she says walking
around to me.  "Right click the VM icon and open this menu item." When I do
there's a frozen picture of the game that looks like it's already running.
"Okay, so VMs can be 'paused', and that's what I'd done to that one.  Press
this start icon." After just a couple of seconds the VM appears to be
running and the game screen comes to life.  "Now you just need to log in
with that information."
   When I log in, I see I'm in some type of virtual world.  An odd feeling
rolls over me something akin to 'welcome to the Matrix', because I'm on a
virtual machine in a virtual world.  Page goes back to her seat and some
text pops up on the screen like I'd seen on hers.  Purple text says, "I'm
going to invite you.  Click accept."
   "Is that you doing that?" I ask.
   "Yeah, click accept." I did and it happens just like she's described. 
"There are a couple of character faces in the upper left corner of the
display, see them?  That's you and me, we're on a team together now. 
Anytime you log in you can see me, just click the icon with a shield at the
bottom."
   "Okay."
   "There are some other people on our team.  You can chat with them if I'm
not around.  You should always make sure they are on that list before you
respond to any chat."
   I pull up the list and look, "So you're Shiva?"
   "Yeah, that's my toon's name.  It is a play on a bunch of different
words: the Hindu god, the Jewish time of morning, the Sanskrit 'the
auspicious one', but the real reason is because my character is a rogue and
she uses daggers to shiv people...  so she's a shiv'er or Shiva."
"Oh, I see." I'm wondering why she's given me this long explanation. 
I'm looking around and trying to move my character and randomly pressing
keys when the list pops up again.  There are only three of us in the list,
so I ask, "So this Leda is who you're chatting?"
   "Yes, and you can talk to her too.  We use the game to 'hide in plain
sight' sometimes and we have add-ons to encrypt things we don't want being
seen by anyone."
   "So if I pause the VM, it'll log me out of the game?"
   "Yes, eventually the session will time out on the server."
   I click the pause button for the VM as I mouse over the yellow symbol.
I'm feeling pretty overloaded with all of these details and my breathing
doesn't feel right.  My heart is racing and the room feels like it is
spinning until her words cut through my thoughts like a knife;
sling-shotting me back from my momentary vertigo and near panic attack.
   "Oh, you didn't chat me," Page says, almost disappointed.
   "I'm sorry, I - um - I just - I feel like I'm out of my depth here,
Page. All of this stuff - all of these events - and us and -" I break off,
feeling lost in the vast array of unknowable things that have spun into my
life.
   She gets up and walks around to me again, her warm embrace is
accompanied by kind words and gentle pats on my back, "Ryan, it's going to
be okay."
   "I feel like I'm slowing you down.  I want to know all this stuff, but
-"
   "It's fine.  I got a bunch done, you've gotten your accounts all squared
away and we're getting some help."
   "How do we know who can be trusted?"
   "We can trust Leda."
   "How do you know?"
   "She trained me and you know her."
   "Mom?" I ask, as I wonder what the heck Mom had trained her to do.
   "Close, it's her sister."
   "Reba?  Gosh, I haven't seen her in forever."
   "Her condo is just off campus and it was the one place Dad let me go
after we moved out to Palo Alto."
   "She's still teaching at Stanford?" I ask ponderously.
   I think about the last time I'd seen Mom's identical twin during one of
the earliest visits I'd made out to see Dad and Page.  She had lived much
closer when I'd been young, just a few blocks from us actually.  She'd
babysat me for Mom before Page was born.  I'd even stayed in her home a
couple of summers while Mom and Dad traveled abroad.  She'd taken the job
at Stanford shortly after Page was born, but had come to see us during the
summers.  Since college, I'd been so wrapped up in my life, I had neglected
my family or any real possibility of starting one of my own.
   "Mostly she does research but teaches an advanced comp sci course on
current topics each semester.  Look, we should avoid using her name when
discussing this stuff, just the alias, okay?"
   I sit silently thinking about all this new information she is just kind
of dumping on me.  I'm staring at Page, who now that I notice, looks so
much like both of them.  All three of them have longish auburn hair, hazel
eyes and a petite frame.  She's still standing by me rubbing my shoulder,
trying to relax me.  I can tell she knows she's blowing my mind with every
minuscule piece of information she allows me to have and wonder if this is
part of why she gives it so grudgingly.  Slowly I become aware she's
speaking again.
   "Ryan?"
   "Yeah?"
   "Let's take a break and get outside."
   "You're done?" I ask surprised and maybe a little relieved.
   "We can be done for now.  I've set some things in motion, so we can take
a 'play' break and then maybe get some lunch or dinner."
   I can see the deep concern on her face.  Taking a play break seems a
good idea, so I use every ounce of my resolve to remove her anxiety over my
mental state and say, "Yeah, let's get out in that snow."
   Forcing a smile actually lifts my mood slightly and Page practically
skips to the bedroom.  I follow after swallowing the remaining volume of my
espresso.  In the room, she is putting on new underwear, but is dressing in
yesterdays clothes.  I have no doubt that there will be another snowball or
ten, so I follow suit.  We hadn't brought a bunch of clothes, and after she
had taken me down so easily in our tussle when we arrived yesterday, I
figure I might be spending some more time on the ground.  Of course, I'm
wondering how I might cheat somehow to even things up.
   At the front door, we don our coats, open it slowly and traipse out into
the snow.  The porch is packed with several inches of snow blown in from
last nights storm.  Snow on the driveway is probably about calf deep and
all tracks and footprints are covered over.  It's a very wet snow and Page,
as expected, immediately runs out into the yard.  I barely have the door
closed when the first snowball hits me in the face.
   "Hey, those are heavy," I complain, as I bend on the porch to pack my
own lighter one.  She's off behind the car and my throw misses, skidding
down the rear window and off the trunk.
   Page holds up the new ball it made.  "This stuff packs easily.  We
should build a snowman."
   I lob another quick one at her that hits her arm and ask, "You calling a
truce?"
   "Yes, if you help me."
   My laughter is uncontainable now.  "Okay, I'll help."
   Together, we start rolling snow balls along the gentle slope of the
hill. The previous snow is icier underneath, but the new wet snow rolls up
quickly increasing the size of our snowballs.  I start thinking this might
be the quickest snowman I ever built.  I'd only gone about thirty steps and
the ball was well past my middle thigh.
   "You want the base bigger than this?" I ask her.
   She looks over at me in astonishment.  Her snowball is only about half
the size of mine.  "How'd you do that so quickly?"
   "Come here, I'll show you." Page walks over and I have her roll it. 
"Put your hands like this and twist it a little after every other step or
so."
   She pushes the ball along several steps and it just keeps getting
bigger. At a certain point, it is becoming too large for her to push and
she looks to me for help, so I take back over.  The thing is now nearly as
high as my midsection and nearly even with her chest.
   "This big enough now?" I ask laughing out steam into the cool air.
   "Yeah, I haven't gotten to play in the snow for almost nine years, so I
don't really know what I'm doing."
   "Well, we should get it to a good level spot and pack snow around it's
base."
   I do that and she goes back to make her snowball larger.  By the time
I've got the base ready, she's rolling a nice midsection sized ball to me.
We work to get it into the indentation I'd put into the base.  With the
midsection on, the top of our snowman was now at my eye-level.  She quickly
rolls a proportional sized head and I set it upon the top.
   "This is the kind of snow that may well be gone tomorrow," I say as I
stand back and look at our work.
   "At least you get snow here.  I think Palo Alto had a snow in 1967,
before I was even born, but I haven't seen a single snowfall while I've
lived there."
   I take her hand, "You don't know how much I've missed you.  It wasn't
really within our control, but I wish it'd been different."
   "Yeah, me too.  Let's go explore," she says pulling me along.
   "Well, I've been here before.  I haven't seen the entire property, I
think it's about a hundred acres, but there's a pond over that hill," I say
pointing in the direction we're walking.
   "Neat," she says continuing towards the top of the hill trudging through
the snow drifts.
   We walk and talk.  The hike gives us time and I feel Page finally
loosening up as she fills in some details on her life.  It's odd that we
hadn't had these discussions before, but I'm happy she seems to finally be
opening up.  I learn that Dad's import business is struggling.  She isn't
saying everything she knows and I can tell, but I don't push.
   She tells me a little about her ex-boyfriend, Carl, who was using her as
a beard to gain better access to Dad.  She'd had her suspicions about him,
because all he ever wanted to do was go to movies and eat out, but the
whole thing with Dad had caught her off guard.
   I also learn that she hasn't really been in high school.  She completed
her requirements two years ago.  She's never been challenged by anything
and has been holding off on attending college.  I wonder about the page gig
she'd done and how she'd gotten into that without being in school.
   "Okay, I haven't wanted to push too much, but how did you manage getting
into the page program for the House if you weren't in high school?"
   "A combination of contacts and hacking," she admits with a blush.
   "Contacts?"
   "Aunt Reba, knows some folks and I was 'sort of' enrolled in the summer
high school program at Stanford when I applied.  She's been lobbying me
pretty hard to continue with my education."
   Her phrase, 'sort of', worried me a little and I just couldn't let the
hacking thing go.  "I'm going to go out on a limb and say I hope you hacked
something the staff at the House looked at and not them directly?"
   "Oh, yeah, I've never done anything against our government, Ryan.  I
wouldn't."
   "Well, what about the money then?"
   "I earned it.  People with certain skill-sets can set their price. 
Plus, I've invested a bunch of my earnings too.  That's why I'm in no hurry
to make any big decisions about education.  There's a lot in the world that
I want to see and I've only been a couple of places so far."
   Surprise fills me again as I realize she's got more money than what I'd
seen in that duffel bag.  I guess I can understand her position.  If I were
a genius, and could easily earn a boatload of money, I might rethink
getting further education myself and plus traveling can be quite an
education too.
   I find myself asking, "Did you keep your earnings secret from Dad?"
   "Oh Ryan, that's all part of the mess I left.  When I was here last
fall, I opened an account with Mom.  She has left my money alone and
recently removed herself from the account when I turned eighteen.  But Dad
- well, he's a scoundrel."
   "So, in the past, Dad took some of what you'd earned?"
   "Nearly everything!  And then Carl and he - " she sobbed.
   I feel like shit for pushing too far, but grab her and hug her close. 
"I'm sorry, Page.  I think it's better to get all this out.  I swear, you
can trust me," I offer as I push the wet hair from her face.
   Her sobs turn to anger, "That fucker's gonna pay -"
   It seems like every time Dad comes up, she gets extremely pissed.  "So,
I guess the argument about 'everything', included his taking your money?"
   "Ryan, he used it all on some shady deal right before I became a page.
He told me he was going to get it back to me, but he didn't.  Then to top
it off, right after my birthday, I found them together in flagrante
delicto. I was so angry and I wanted to leave.  I demanded to be paid back
but he refused and told me it was a 'life lesson' for me."
   "So where'd you get money to buy the bus ticket and all that cash?"
   "Reba had been letting me use her safe.  I had to get out of there
before I did something I'd regret.  I only made two stops before the bus
station.  The first was to her house to collect the cash and the second was
to the delivery company to ship my stuff to your place, insured."
   Hardly believing what I've heard, I hug her more tightly.  "I'm so
sorry, I had no idea about Dad.  You know I'd never do anything like that
to you."
   "I know, you're nothing like him.  I have plenty of money now and I
don't even need what he took, so I should just let it go but it makes me so
angry."
   I think about how she'd gotten angry about the people in her game that
cheat and what Dad had done and make a connection.  Page is like some
chaotic good character from a D&D game.  She wanted good outcomes but
sometimes let her methods be clouded by her passion for justice.
   "So that's why he's not coming after you," I say bringing everything
full circle.
   "That and I told him I never wanted to see him again or I might have to
involve law enforcement."
   Now she was pulling me along again toward a line of evergreens.  Gary
had a little tree farm of maybe two-hundred Christmas trees.  I'm pretty
sure it was some type of tax write-off thing.  Anyway, once Page spots
them, I know right where we are heading.  They were mostly covered in snow
although a few had popped out from the wind and increasing temperature of
the day.
   As we reach them she asks, "You think we could cut one?"
   "I'm sure he wouldn't mind, but I don't have any tools."
   She grasps one of the branches to rub the needles and inhale the
evergreen aroma.  "We always had fake ones.  Can we get a real one,
please?"
   I think about the irony of going to buy a tree in town when there are
trees here, but say, "Yes of course we can.  I mean we're probably going to
be here over Christmas, it's just a week away."
   "Ooo, we can stay?"
   "Well, I thought we might need time, we can go back if you think it's
safe."
   "No, I think we should wait a while to see if anyone shows up to 'fix'
your PC."
   I take her hand and we continue walking in eerie echo-less silence of
the snow.  The only sound is the light crunch of it beneath our feet and I
continue to ruminate over the possibility that people might be entering my
house unbeknownst to me.  Arriving at the edge of the pond we find it muddy
and the snow is slightly melted giving it a Swiss cheese appearance in
places.  The temperature is just below freezing and there are a couple of
ducks at the far side who seem to have decided to overwinter due to the
warm start of the season.  The wind is blowing lightly, causing soft
ripples to lap against a rocky out cropping near us.
   "Gary told me the lake is fed by a spring, which is also the source of
his water at the cabin."
   "It's beautiful, especially with the sun crossing that ridge to the
south."
   "Yeah, days are pretty short here in the shadow of the mountain, this
time of year."
   "It's so different from where I've been living.  It makes me want to
crawl in bed."
   "Yeah, me, too," I say and then laugh for a moment.
   "I mean to sleep, silly," she says with a light shove.
   "Hey, let's go into town to eat.  We can look for a tree and decorations
after," I suggest.
   "Okay, let's."
   That really perks Page up and she is nearly dragging me back to the
cabin.  When we finish the ascent to the top of the hill, we can see the
main road, which appears to have been cleared.  The sun is out and we can
see the blacktop glistening from our vantage point.
   "That's good, all we have to do is navigate the road out," I say
pointing at the length of snow covered road that winds in and out of tree
cover.
   "I'll race you," she says taking off down the hill toward the cabin.
   I must not have much sense, because I take off after her.  She is
unreasonably fast and nimble as she scampers across the snow.  My
additional weight and height have my feet sinking in which slows me down. I
watch her reach the porch, punch in the code and go inside.  I am out of
breath as I reach the door, but I punch in the code only to get denied.  I
hadn't given her the code and somehow she's gotten in and changed it.  I
give the barbers knock, hoping she'll let me in out of the cold.
   There is some laughter behind the door followed by, "Who is it?"
   "Please let me in, Page."
   "How do I know it's you?"
   "I think you know what I'm going to do to you when I get inside."
   "Oh, that's sounds threatening..."
   "I promise, you'll like it."
   The handle slowly turns and she pulls it inward quickly.  Suddenly,
she's pinning me on the floor inside and I'm not even sure how she's
managed it.  The door closes with a bang and Page squirms atop me with a
wicked little smile on her face.
   "You were saying?"
   I don't seem to be in any pain and I wonder how she'd done that so
deftly without inflicting any.  Lying beneath her helplessly, I have a
sudden pang of realization that she probably could have really hurt me if
she'd wanted to.  Caught up in this bizarre sexual sparring, I simply stare
up into her twinkling eyes which are full of playful delight.  Her coat is
off and her crotch is right against mine.  My jacket is still on, but
unzipped and I feel the warmth of her on my lap.
   "Well, you seem to have me at a disadvantage," I tell her finally.  "You
may do with me as you will," I say acceding utterly to her.
   "What if I wanted what you promised at the door?"
   "Shouldn't you have just let me in then?"
   "Maybe."
   Her hands loosen from my wrists slightly and she leans forward to kiss
me deeply.  Her hands soon release mine to work her fingers into my hair
and stroke my stubbled face.  The passion of her kiss, the warmth at my
crotch and my own drive are pushing us to engage.  I know she can feel me
pressing against her as we wriggle together on the soft carpet.
   I want to put my arms around her, but when I try, she pushes them back
down and sits up.  Shaking her head 'no' at me she begins unbuttoning the
three buttons of my shirt, starts pulling out the shirttail and then
working on my belt.  Tilting my head forward to watch, she stops what she
was doing and pushes me flat again.
   "You said, I could do with you as I will", she says playfully.
   "Oh, so I am your captive?"
   "You surrendered, fair and square," she teases me.
   "So what do you plan to do with me?  I hope it isn't against the Geneva
Convention."
   "You never know who we might find outside our door or what they might
have stashed upon their bodies.  I think we're going to need a full
inspection," she says as she pulled off my jacket and tossed it aside.
   My shirt was next, but she then removes her own blue shirt from
yesterday.  She's gone braless again and my hands are drawn to her breasts
but she grabs them and suppresses me again.
   "Make no sudden moves 'mister'," she threatens
   Then she lithely flips around to remove my shoes and socks.  Another
quick turn and she is back tugging down my pants and boxers together.
   "You seem to have a weapon tucked in here," she says as she pulls them
over my hardening cock and down to my ankles.
   "No ma'am, that's just -"
   "Don't make me do a cavity search."
   Her choice of words has my cock straining just a little harder as she
removes the pants from me entirely and then removes hers in another quick
maneuver.
   "I'm just going to inspect this weapon to make sure it isn't loaded,"
she says just before she takes me fully and suddenly into her warm and wet
mouth.  We both know the weapon is fully loaded since I'd already
threatened to use it from the other side of the door.
   "Ohhh," comes out of my mouth as she pushes me to the back of her
throat.
   When she's finally satisfied her foe is fully subdued, she swivels her
beautiful bottom and crotch directly over my face and presses her hairless
pussy downward.
   "The prisoner needs to satisfy me that he is no threat," she says
giggling.
   Her tight lips are already wet and I can smell how excited she is as she
hovers teasingly just above my mouth and nose.  My mouth accepts the Y that
they form with her clitoris and I lick at the intersection while she takes
me back into her mouth.  My hands grip her firm butt cheeks and pull her
closer.  My tongue delves within her deeply while she works my cock until I
don't think I'm going to be able to last.  Attempting to distract her, I
begin licking her clit and the little ring there.  Suddenly, Page is
shivering and urgently pressing herself into my mouth.
   In previous sessions, there'd been several times that I'd observed some
fluid come from her.  This afternoon, however, there is a sudden rush that
comes into my mouth as she squeals out in exquisite relief and perhaps a
little shock.  I eagerly slurp her cream out of her and I continue to lick
gently until she stops.
   "What the heck just happened?" she asks.
   "I think you just creamed me."
   She jumps up and runs to the bedroom.  Arising slowly, I follow to see
what she's got in mind next.  I love these games.  Entering the room, she's
on the bed and there are tears in her eyes.
   "Page, what's the matter?"
   "I didn't mean to do that."
   "What?  That was great.  I'd take your cream or juice any time."
   "It was okay?  Sometimes I don't have enough confidence about my body."
   "Page, we're learning one another together.  You're amazing and I love
you."
   "I haven't had the opportunity to experience it before, but I loved it
and I love you."
   I realize in that moment that Page has done all of these things with me
on sheer instinct.  Her experience was limited to me and I shouldn't have
made light of her creaming me.  I snuggle up to her on the bed and take her
in my arms.
   "Hey, maybe I didn't express what I thought about you squirting very
well.  I hadn't expected that, but honestly I loved it.  I've never been
with anyone who could do it.  It really excited me."
   "Really, it did?"
   "Get back on top and I'll show you."
   "Which way?"
   "What do you want?"
   "I want you inside me so bad; it hurts."
   "That's what I want too."
   Narrowly averting the crisis, I assist Page as she climbs on top of me
and I slip right inside her.  Smiling up into her eyes gazing down on me, I
mouth 'I love you' to her and she simply beams with joy.  The blood is
rising in her face and neck and I can tell that she is very excited.  My
hands are drawn to her firm breasts and squeeze them gently as she rocks
back and forth upon me.  Her hips gyrate in an ever increasing speed.
   I lift my head to take her right nipple into my mouth and suckle upon
her as she moves.  Almost at once, I can feel her gripping me more tightly.
My hands move to her hips and aid her with our union.  The confident Page
is back and she pushes me flat again and reverses herself in a fluid
motion. She resumes her riding of me now with her face looking away, but
the most beautiful view of her backside.  Her buttocks are firm and I love
watching her glide up and back down on my cock.  Her perfect pink pucker on
full display as well as her Venusian dimples that accentuate during her
downward undulations.
   Soon Page is climaxing on me with her rapid twerking motions bringing me
to near peak as well.  I resist while she cums and rides to near exhaustion
trying to bring me off with her.  She finally hit a peak that froze her
upon my lap as her velvety vaginal muscles grip and contract along me for
what seems like minutes.
   When she realizes I am still hard she turns to me with a smirk and asks,
"Why haven't you cum yet?"
   "I was just enjoying watching you.  You have the most beautiful ass."
   She blushes at that and then says, "You say the sweetest things."
   "Well it is beautiful.  You prefer bottom, butt, bum or hiney?"
   She climbs off me and moves her head to the pillow and bends down. 
"Okay, come do me from behind so you can see it."
   I don't have to be told twice and am behind her in an instant.  "It
really is a sight, you are beautiful from every angle," I say, as I enter
her slowly.
   She presses her apple shaped bottom backwards to meet me with every
thrust and I can feel myself beginning to cum before I work up much steam.
I grab her hips and pull her to meet me with even more force.
   "Oh, gawd.  You feel so good, that's so good."
   "I'm going to cum, I've been close ever since you twerked me.  Oh,
fuck."
   "Do it, you naughty boy.  Fuck my tight pussy.  You make me so hot!"
   That is it, she's won again.  Dirty words are my weakness and she's
honed right in on it.  "You always talk - so - fucking - dirty - ung - oh -
fuck yeah!  I'm cuming in you now."
   My grip on her hips tightens as I force myself into her a few final
times and then I collapse on her back to grope her breasts and whisper I
love you's in her ear.  There were no words for how much I want this to
continue.  Only exhaustion makes me lie beside her eventually where she
joins me so we were facing.
   "Wow, that was fun," she says playfully.
   "Yeah, you should throw me on the floor more often."
   We giggle at each other and doze for a time.
   I awake from my nap to find Page's naked form still lying beside me
nearly motionless.  Remaining still for a while I wonder if Gary does have
tools for cutting a tree, but then realize that I cannot go outside the
house without getting the door code from her.  Suspecting that she's gotten
up earlier this morning than she'd admitted, I decide to let her continue
sleeping.
   The scent of her on my face reminds me that I should shower before we go
into town for dinner and shopping, so I get up quietly and head around the
end of the bed to the bathroom.  Inside I close the door to the bedroom
softly and turn on the water to warm the single person shower.  You might
be able to get two people in it, but it certainly isn't as big as the
double person shower back at my condo, though it's pretty nice for a cabin.
   There's a linen closet next to the sink and I pull out a couple of
towels and then step into the shower to get cleaned up for my date with
Page.  Admitting to myself that this was in fact a date, although we hadn't
called it as such, is somewhat reassuring to me.  It is going to be
utilitarian since we hadn't had much for breakfast and we'd only had one
another for lunch.  However, in light of everything going on now, it
carries more meaning than just a dinner out and I decide, as I finish
washing, that we should do something nice in town.
   Finishing up in the shower, I get out, dry off and brush my teeth. 
Before I even finish, the dry air has all but cleared the steam from the
mirror and I look at my stubble covered face.  It was essentially a two and
a half days growth but unlike most of my body, my beard has always grown
fast and thick.  Some how it seems unusually fast as it nearly hides my
entire face and must be approaching a quarter of an inch.  I'm wondering if
maybe I should let it grow for the sake of anonymity just as Page opens the
door and comes to hug me around my back.
   "Thanks for letting me sleep," she says hugging me tightly.
   I turn to face her and say, "I figured you might have needed it with all
you've been doing the past couple of days."
   She smiles and rubs the scruff of my beard, "It's nice, are you letting
it grow out?"
   "If you like it, then definitely."
   She stands on tippy-toes and gives me a kiss.  "I'll be ready in just a
few minutes.  I'm excited about getting a tree," she says as she turns on
the water.
   I head back into the bedroom to get dressed in an oxford shirt, jeans
and socks.  As I am retrieving my hiking boots from the front room I
momentarily regret not bringing some dressier shoes for tonight.  After
I've gotten them on, I pause to put my coat up and then I head back into
the bedroom with all of the clothing we'd discarded and put them in a pile
beside the bed.
   Page is entering from the bathroom and says, "We're going to have to do
laundry or get some more clothing if we're staying passed Christmas."
   "We can do both, I guess.  The laundry is in the kitchen in that other
closet."
   "Yeah, I already found it."
   "You've found just about everything; are you going to give me the new
code to get in to the cabin?"
   "Yes, I just thought we should be safe after our little scare and I
changed it."
   "I figured that out when I couldn't get in."
   "It's actually in your password file, but I'll show you it as we leave,"
she teases me as she continues to dress.
   Her beauty simply cannot be denied and I stand there watching her put on
every piece of clothing.  She pulls up her sexy panties then puts on the
matching bra.  She shakes her head and is blushing just a tiny bit, but I
can see the happiness of love in her face.  She then steps into Capris
which hug her tightly and I frown just a little when she finishes pulling
on her cute blouse that goes with it.  She's a lovely woman and I simply
continue to stare.
   "You are such a silly boy."
   "Silly for you."
   After she's gotten her socks and boots on we head for the door.  I get
her coat and help her into it, then put mine on and open the door for her
to go out.
   Outside I pause at the door and ask, "You going to show me that door
code?"
   "Yes, pay attention, I made it the hatch code too," she says as she
punches in the code slowly.
   I watch the numbers she presses and recognize it as part of a phone
number that we used to have and wonder aloud, "Is that secure?"
   "Pretty secure.  I didn't use the first digit since it will only take
six.  Gary's tech could use an upgrade actually.  Maybe he'll just sell us
the place and I can do it for us," she says as she slides her arm into mine
and we follow the path we'd made to the car earlier.
   I note that the sun is heading behind the ridge shortly while I open her
car door and help her into her seat.  As I get around to the driver side, I
inspect the driveway and road out.  I decide it won't be too bad since much
of the snow on the roads have turned to slush in the sunlight and
temperatures above freezing.  Even here at the edge of the mountains snow
doesn't last long in Virginia.  I pull the car around the circular driveway
and get out onto the road down the hill back out to the main road.  There
are a few slick spots, but nothing I can't handle.  Out on the main road,
things are even better, so the drive into town is a breeze.
   We get to a small shopping center with a restaurant where Gary took me a
couple of times.  "I think you're going to like this place," I say as I
park right across from the door.  All the while I was thinking this place
was just right for a secluded romantic dinner.
   Inside, Carol, our lovely hostess escorts us to a private booth with
leather seats and a thick oak table top.  On the antique table is a nice
oil lantern that gives the area a warm romantic glow as the flame dances
gently casting interesting shadows in the quiet enclave.
   Carol places thick leather bound menus on the table, turns to us and
says, "May I take your coats?"
   Page replies quickly, "No, we'll hang on to them, thanks."
   "Your waiter will be right with you.  Enjoy your meal and let me know if
there's anything I can do for you."
   Page and I both remove our jackets and put them on the bench beside us
as we sit.
   "This place is very cool," she says looking across at me.
   "Gary and I came here a few times when he'd had me up to go trout
fishing.  We hadn't caught anything worth keeping and neither of us are
great cooks so he'd wanted to eat out."
   "This place makes me think of some old movie."
   "Yes, it's kind of rustic while having an air of 'old money'.  It isn't
high end, like some of the ones in DC, but the food had been really good
and the ambiance - well you can see for yourself.  It's private, quiet and
a little romantic."
   The last comments get my hands a squeeze and a big smile from her,
"Thanks for bringing me here."
   We both pick up our menus and start looking through them in silence for
a minute or so, when Marcus arrives at our table to deliver a fresh loaf of
pumpernickel bread on a cutting board with butter and tells us about their
specials and takes our drink orders.  We both get tea and want to think
about the main course.
   Once he's gone she asks, "What did you get when you were here before?"
   "Drafted," I say with a laugh.  "This is where Gary convinced me to run.
But to answer your question, we both had almond encrusted fresh caught
trout.  I don't think that's on the menu this time of year, although they
may have frozen.  The steak special sounded good."
   "I wanted something a little lighter, maybe the salmon cooked on a cedar
plank?"
   "Definitely, I've had that too," I say turning to see Marcus just back
at our table.
   "Have you two decided?" he asks, as he placed crystal tea glasses
between us.
   "I think we both want the grilled cedar-plank salmon," Page answers.
   "Did you like the sides that come with that?"
   "Lemon risotto and asparagus sounds good to me," I say.
   Page agrees with a nod of her head and Marcus says, "Any appetizers?"
   "No, we'll save room for dessert though," she says with a little giggle.
   "Okay, I'll have that out for y'all in just a bit," Marcus says and
departs for the kitchen.
   "I can't tell you how hungry I am," I say as I take her hand and give a
wink.
   "You can't still be hungry," she teases back.  "You already had an
appetizer earlier."
   "I know, but -"
   "No buts," she giggles throwing my words back at me from early this
morning.  "I promise I will be making you ask for mercy within the week."
   "A promise like that must be tested."
   "You may have noticed that I've had a lot of pent up -"
   "Yes, yes you have."
   We sit holding hands across the table in silence.  I am drinking in this
glorious woman who looks just radiant in the lamp light.  I notice she's
removed all but one earring from each ear and marvel at the fact I hadn't
noticed before when she was dressing, although there were other things to
distract me.
   "What?"
   "Nothing, Page, you're just beautiful."
   Before she can reply, Marcus is back with a tray.  The smell is
wonderful as he places Page's plate first and then mine.  There is steam
arising from the food, which is as fresh as can be.
   "You let me know if there's anything else I can get you," he says and is
off again.
   I take a sip of my tea and realize we haven't touched the bread or our
tea since he'd brought it out.  Additionally, we are both hungry from the
days 'activities' and we are both enjoying the food.  The salmon is perfect
with a smokey cedar taste which plays off the lemon risotto.  The asparagus
is slightly al dente, just how I like it.
   "This is so, good," she says after having finished about half her salmon
and all of her asparagus.
   "Not bad for a smallish town, right?"
   "I think I'm in love with this place."
   We each finish most of the food on our plates.  Marcus has been visiting
our table periodically but hasn't interrupted us when we were in
conversation or eating as lots of wait staff seem to do.  He's filled our
glasses with tea a couple of times, but didn't speak.  Now that we appear
finished, he is back with a big tray of goodies.
   "You mentioned you might want dessert, so I brought out the sample
tray."
   "Oh, I want that chocolate thing," Page says immediately.
   "I'll just share hers.  Can we get some coffees too?"
   "Absolutely, I'll have that right out."
   He is back in just a moment and what he brings out looks even better
than the sample.  It is a piece of chocolate art, with thick mousse and
cake layered and a thin frosting of dark chocolate with several large
strawberries and liquid chocolate spiraling out around the design.  Two
thin dark chocolate wedges are stuck into the construction with a dab of
whip cream between them and a sprig of mint on top.
   I'm adding cream to my coffee while Page enthusiastically starts into it
and her eyes grow wide as the first taste melts in her mouth.
   "This is sinful."
   I take a small fork full and have to agree.  "Yes and it pairs with the
coffee very well."
   The meal date seems to be a big hit, I am daydreaming about what I might
get her for Christmas.  She has all that money and seems to buy anything
she or I need.  Plus, I worry how I might be able to hide any shopping from
her in the few remaining days before Christmas.  Suddenly, I remember that
I'd gotten some diamond stud earrings earlier this year and I'd actually
stashed them under the foam of one of the gun cases.  I'd totally forgotten
about them after Natalie broke up with me this summer.  It feels a little
odd considering giving them to Page now, but with her sitting here before
me in this light with just two simple earrings in, I can't think of a more
fitting gift.
   "Page to Ryan, come back to earth.  Are you going to eat any more of
this before I kill my self with it?"
   "Oh - um - yes.  I'll have a couple more bites."
   "Where were you just now?"
   "We are going to have Christmas together, just the two of us."
   "It'll be nice," she says.  "Now eat your dessert, or you might not get
any."
   "Yes ma'am," I say and have several quick bites.  It's almost too much
for me, but the promise of dessert later, spurs me on into a near chocolate
coma.
   We finish and I pay the bill and tip Marcus handsomely, all with cash at
Page's insistence.  I help Page into her coat and we are back outside and
it is quite dark.  Inside the car, I note that the clock reads 6:50 PM.  I
exit the parking lot and drive around looking for a Christmas tree lot and
finally find one.  They don't have many left and I hope Page won't be too
disappointed.
   We get out of the car and walk through the entire lot.  There are a
couple that aren't too bad, but she doesn't look very enthused and I'm
determined not to let her down on this.
   Making a command decision, I say, "Page, we should go to a store, get a
stand, decorations and a saw.  I'll just cut one of Gary's trees."
   "You sure he won't mind?" she says with her eyes shining brightly.
   "I'm pretty sure, but we can call and ask before we do it.  If not,
we'll go out again tomorrow and find one somewhere else."
   With that, we get back in the car and head over to the local hardware
store.  Inside we find the decorations fairly picked over as well, but
they've just gotten a fresh batch of LED lights in and there are plenty of
tree stands.  I leave Page to pick out some ornaments while I go to get a
decent saw.  When I come back she's got three dozen clear colored glass
ornaments of varying size and four strands of LED lights that fade from one
color to another.
   As we walk together towards the checkout, I notice a display of pods
next to the appliances and grab a container to do laundry, since I hadn't
seen any at the cabin.  Page has her arm in mine and the lady at the
old-timey cash register gives us an approving smile.
   Page pays for it all in cash again and the lady seems kind of surprised.
"Most folks don't bother with cash these days."
   "We don't want to run up any debt, we're going to buy a house," I offer.
   "Oh, good.  You two look like a great couple.  Hope to see you around.
Y'all have a Merry Christmas."
   "Thanks so much; you too!" Page says cheerfully.
   Outside we pack the items in the trunk of the car, I assist her back
into the passenger seat and then get in myself.  As I start the car to head
back for the cabin, she leans across the console and hugs me tight.
   "You are the best, Ry."
   "What's all this about?"
   "You don't know how happy all of this makes me."
   "I'm glad," I say, thinking it's just a tree.
   We arrive back at the cabin and she's at the trunk waiting for me to let
her get the items out.
   "We don't have the tree yet, we'll have to cut or get one tomorrow."
   "Yeah, I know.  I just like looking at the lights."
   Inside Page first pulls all the boxes out of the bags and looks them
over again.  I swear, Dad must have neglected her more than she's told me.
She leaves the glass ornaments in the boxes, but hooks up two of the LED
lights in a chain and spreads them over the curtains of the front window.
Their color fading effect seems to sooth her.  I go to the kitchen to make
another round of espressi with cream.  When I bring hers back out into the
main room, she's at the desk checking things on her computer.
   "You aren't going to like this," she says, as I place her cup beside
her. "Someone has been in the condo and I'm detecting an array of devices
on your network that weren't there before."
   "I guess that means we're staying a while longer?"
   "I don't know why they would be so blatant about it though, it's like
they want to be discovered."
   "You have some pictures?"
   "Yes take a look," she says scrolling through some.  "They were
careless, although they did wear hooded jackets and they waited until it
was dark."
   "That's why they are black and white?"
   "Yep, that's the infrared."
   "Hey, go back one."
   "You know this face?"
   "I don't know her, but I've seen her.  I'm trying to remember where."
   "She looks Asian.  I wonder if we're dealing with multiple groups?"
   "What the fuck have I gotten into?"
   "We're closing in, Ryan."
   "I felt so good being with you this afternoon and evening.  Now, I feel
like everything is upside down."
   "Here's something good, though.  Our honeypot trap has finally gotten us
full access to bpodq's laptop.  I'm collecting some documents from her now.
We're going to get to whomever is behind her soon, I just need to get this
information to Leda, my Russian isn't very good."
   "I didn't know you knew any," I say, astounded as I watch her paging
through a document.
   "Well, there are a lot of technical words in here that I can make out. I
think it's authorization to spy on you, and there is something in here
about the election too."
   "No way, really; where?" I ask, momentarily thinking I might understand
something.
   "This paragraph here is about the election, see here's the date."
   I see the date, my name, my opponents name and I am at a loss but words
tumble from my mouth, "There should be no reason for them to care about my
reelection.  I'm not on any defense or top secret committees, just the
Education and the Workforce House Committee.  Why would they bother?"
   Then Page's words from a moment ago register with me and I ask, "Wait,
Reba knows Russian?"
   "Fuck, I really suck at this part.  I keep saying things out loud that I
should keep in my head.  Look, we'll get her in an encrypted chat tomorrow
and see how bad things are."
   "I think you're doing great Page, I couldn't do any of that shit.  You
keep amazing me from one moment to the next.  When you arrived, you were my
sister whom I thought needed help.  Instead you've become my lover and
protector.  You're this woman who's got skills I'll probably never
understand: hacking, espionage, languages and some kind of fucking ninja
moves."
   "It's Krav Maga, not nijutsu."
   "Okay, Kav Marga, whatever that is," I say thinking I'm going to have to
start looking up this stuff.
   "Krav Maga," she sighs and then mumbles, "- and I keep freaking saying
too much." She turns back to the laptop and starts typing furiously.  "I've
got to get these off in a secure drop box for Leda to look over, and you've
got to stop calling her by her name."
   "Right, I forgot.  I'll try to remember.  She's Leda and you're Shiva.
What's my name?"
   "You're Quirinus."
   "What kind of character is it?"
   "A warrior, hey get your laptop.  We'll play a little."
   "You're done?"
   "Yes all finished.  I put everything I've gathered in a secure drop."
   I get my laptop from the bedroom and sit next to her at the long desk.
Pressing the on button the thing comes right on, I log in and I launch the
correct VM that has the game.  I'm feeling pretty proud of myself and I
even remember how to log in to the game without looking in the password
file.  Maybe I've got some of that eidetic memory too?  Over the next hour,
she shows me how to move around, get on my mounts, fight with NPCs and duel
one another.  It's kind of fun, I have to admit.
   "I didn't think I was going to like this," I say through a yawn as we
are shutting things down.
   "See, there is some stress relief in it, although we weren't doing
anything hard yet."
   "Yeah, it's an escape from reality.  I could probably get addicted," I
say powering off the laptop.
   "Come here you," she says.  "You can't be getting sleepy, you haven't
had seconds on dessert yet."
   I take her in my arms and hug her tightly.  "Would a gentle love making
suffice?" I ask softly as I nibble her ear.
   "That would be perfect, my handsome rugged warrior," she says, as she
rubs the stubble of my beard.
   With that I pick her up, carry her to the bedroom and place her on the
unmade bed.  We pull each others clothes off and settle into an easy
missionary position.  It is so relaxing and loving that all the worries
melt away.  I repeatedly tell Page how much I love her and adore her.  When
I feel her crescendo, I begin building to my own climax as slowly and
methodically as I can muster.  I furtively wish we were somewhere else away
from these other issues, living our bliss filled lives out together.  I can
see us on a farm or some secluded mountain place like this one, without all
the other baggage we seem to be carrying.  It's all surreal and I just want
her to be happy.  I return to myself as I hear her moaning my name
repeatedly in sheer ecstasy.
   "God, I love you, Page," I whisper in her ear as I cum inside her with a
shivering orgasm like none I've ever felt.
   I hold myself firmly inside her until she settles.  "I can't believe how
they just keep getting better," she sighs at last.
   I want to tell her right now, I just can't figure out how.  Page is the
one, she's everything I ever wanted all wrapped in this gorgeous
intelligent woman that just happens to be my sister.  I slide off and spoon
into her.  I know I should tell her before it is too late.  Maybe she knows
already, but I should say.
   "Maybe we should run away together again?"
   "You always know what I'm thinking and go right for the weakness."
   "We could get away from all this craziness.  I have plenty of money."
   "Get married and have some kids?"
   "Umm, yeah, I'd have you're babies.  They'd be smart and good looking,"
she says, snuggling closer.
   Hugging her tightly, I can see us together in that future.  It's a
realistic possibility that I couldn't have imagined a week ago.  She's made
it all seem possible, attainable and ever so desirable.
   I awake early to the sound of Page cussing in the bathroom.  "Fucking
bitch traced back my phone!"
   "So we need to leave?"
   "No, she didn't really back hack, she just let me know she knew my
number," she says tossing the batteries she'd removed on the bed.  "We'll
just have to get new ones."
   To be continued.
   pics---->> http://bit.ly/1D1q3qp 
  
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