Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Title: Page Ch.  05
Summary: Sister snatched.
Keywords: inc,fic
   A pale orange tinge of light appears along Page's shoulders and passes
through her long hair sending an array of auburn hues shimmering into my
eyes where I lie in bed staring up at her nude form.  She's standing nearly
motionless, toward the end of the bed with her hands upon her hips,
regarding me as if I should speak but her previous words weigh upon me as I
wonder how to respond.  Glancing down at the pair of batteries lying on the
bed between us, I realize that I don't know the difference between her two
phrases: 'trace back' and 'back hack'.
"So, is my phone compromised, too?" I ask, trying to make the
connection.
   "I didn't do any hacking from your phone, but I don't want to take any
chances.  I bought them at the same store and though they don't have
sequential numbers, yours might be traceable if they are from the same
lot."
   "But - she might know where we are now?" I ask, dreading another tense
trip and really wishing she'd join me in bed.
   "The closest location she could have gotten is somewhere in Virginia
from the IP Address of the data provider.  bpodq wasn't able to take over
my phone, and even if she had, I have the GPS physically disabled."
   "IP Address?"
   "It's how computers know how to talk to one another, it's like their
street address."
   "So, are we still safe here?"
   "Yeah, but I was hoping we could get more information from Leda.  We're
cut off for now."
   "Could you use the house phone?"
   "I don't want to do that, because it could link this place to her phone
and it won't be secure."
   "Well, I guess that we'll have to go back into town to get new ones," I
offer.
   "Yeah, darn; I guess we'll have to eat lunch at our new place," she says
with an evil grin.
   "Hmm, that's starting to sound spendy," I say trying to play off her
facetious pretense.
   I know instantly that my jape is awry, I'd only bought her dinner one
time, at the diner across from my condo, since she's arrived.  I accept the
outcome of my mistake when I see her beautiful acrobatic form become
airborne through the space separating us.  Her playful retaliation is swift
and merciless as her body is suddenly perching atop mine while I twitch
slightly unnerved beneath her.  Her eyes twinkle her mirth and her broad
smile belies the apparent ferocity of the initial attack; it is very
reminiscent of our encounter at the front door yesterday.
   "I took a stack of fifties and twenties from my cache before I stashed
it," she breathes in my ear before softly nibbling it.
   I know the majority of the money isn't in her duffel bag anymore, it's
what she'd used to pack her clothes.  Momentarily, I wonder where she put
the rest of it, but I can't focus on that thought as she continues to kiss
me about my face, neck and ears.
   "Sorry, it wasn't funny - I haven't gotten used to being a kept man," I
reply, as I feel the heat of her skin against mine.
   "Oh - I'm going to keep you, alright," she says mischievously, as she
grinds her moist slit over my straining erection.
   "You always go after my weaknesses," I feebly protest.
   "It's the training - you want your little sister to teach you some
moves?" she asks as she deftly slips me inside with a sudden downward
tilting thrust.
   "Uh huh," is all I can say as I watch her smiling face transform into
ecstasy.
   The robustness of her initial aerial attack continues now unabated and I
repeat 'Uh huh' and 'Please' a few times while she continues her onslaught.
She seems to be rushing a bit this morning as she rides us both quickly
towards climax.  I anticipate that neither of us will last very long
through this morning's romp since her fluid is already wetting my lap as
she repeatedly slams down upon my pubic mound.  Within a very short time, I
find that I am cumming into her tumultuously as she shivers atop me with a
death gripping clinch on my cock.  She slows her pace and continues riding
me with languid rhythms that keep me hard inside her for a while longer.
   "I know you're thinking we could go again," she says leaning forward to
lie upon my chest while twitching her pelvis gently.
   "Yeah, maybe," I exhale and pull her hips lightly forward against me. 
"It was very nice of you to attack me like that."
   "You had it coming," she says beaming.
   "Well, I very much hope that the love making becomes a permanent part of
our morning ritual."
   "It better," she plays along.  "I do think I prefer when we go slower
and make it last longer, but we've got work to do today."
   "Yeah, I know," I say.
   I'm thankful that she wanted a quickie before we had to get up.  I hug
her tightly hoping we can lie together a while.  She gives me a deep kiss,
tussles my hair and gets up promptly.  Our after sex cuddle today is brief
because she is on a mission.  I sense it's about a tree out there that has
our name on it.  Her intensity tells me that she's going to find it.
   "We should wear our clothes from yesterday," she says, quickly pulling
on hers.
   Thinking about how dealing with the tree might get us dirty, I agree,
"Yeah, we can start a load of laundry before we go into town." Crawling
from the bed behind her, I say, "I'm going to call Gary about the tree,
okay?"
   She takes only a moment to decide, "Yeah, I'm sure there are already
links between his phone and this place, even if they are spying on him
too."
   I ponder that particular idea as I pick up the house phone and watch
Page head into the bathroom.  A feeling of Who can we trust?  meanders
through my thoughts as I dial Gary's cell.  I'm only slightly surprised to
get his voice mail, so I leave a message telling him I'm going to cut one
of his trees and I'll buy him a replacement when he gets back.  After I
hang up I slowly proceed to pull on my clothes.  Page is now brushing her
teeth and I join her but find all the while I'm distracted by these
thoughts from the little seed she planted.  I finish brushing just as Page
drops her pants to sit on the toilet.  She shakes her head and smiles as I
regard her longingly for a moment and then head to the kitchen as a new
thought pops into my head.
   I pass from the bedroom into the front room to the kitchen and then open
the back door onto the covered porch on the north side of the cabin.  My
thought had been to check on the hot tub, which Gary usually drained and
cleaned when he wasn't going to be here for a while.  If we are going to
use it, it will need to be filled and given a treatment.  Stepping out onto
the chilly porch, I walk to the hot tub and lift the lid to find that it is
indeed empty.  Passing to the far side, I brush the snow off of the lid
that is next to the rail into the untouched snow on the sloping hill
beneath the porch.
   Looking for the insulated pipe that comes from inside the house, I find
it beneath a weatherproof tarp.  Removing that, I locate the inline
auto-fill switch, flip it on and hear the sound of water rushing into the
tub.  Back around the other side of the steps that lead up to enter it, I
open the built-in compartment that has treatment tablets and shock
solution. Taking a tablet, I notice that Gary is nearly out and make a
mental note to get him some more while we're in town.  I close the small
door and toss the tab into the hot tub, turn on the heater, return the lid,
head back inside, close the door and lock the deadbolt.
   Once inside, I go back to find Page.  As I emerge from the kitchen, I
realize I'm delaying us heading out into the snow again, since Page is at
the front door.  She's already in her coat awaiting me with the tree stand
in hand shifting her weight restlessly from one foot to the other.  I
quickly don my coat, grab the saw, open the door and follow her onto the
porch, where she deposits the stand.  The orange sunrise has become a
bright early winter morn and we find the snow diminished some.  A crunchy
ice sheet has formed over top of the snow during the night and she plays at
stomping through it as she begins her ascend of the hill.
   I traipse along behind her watching her go.  Her stomping assault of the
hill accentuates the swaying of her hips and has me wishing we'd taken
longer this morning.  However, as I watch her continue, I simply find
myself thinking about the next time, maybe before we go to town or after.
We will still have to have our chat with Leda to see what she's found out,
if they'll actually include me.
   Page turns to look at me watching her and says, "Come on, you're like a
sad little puppy that's had his play toy taken away."
   I want to protest, but I realize she's right and quicken my pace to
catch up.  She's not unhappy with me, her face is beaming as she takes my
hand and continues onward, only pulling me along lightly.  When we reach
the evergreens she lets it drop and sets to strolling amongst the small
grove.  Most of the trees have shed their snow blankets, retaking their
blue-green resplendent selves and are glistening in the early morning sun.
   The ice crunches beneath her feet as she moves from one to the next to
find that specific tree meeting with her satisfaction.  I follow her,
combing through the branches while trying not to hover or influence her
choice as I watch her appraise each tree.  Noting that there are actually
several stumps in the grove, I feel a little better about cutting one
without actual permission from Gary.  They all appear to be about the same
age, but they are all a little different.
   Page's time spent searching for THE ONE seems a little obsessive, but I
gather it means a great deal to her.  We proceed through row after row
until she comes upon one that is a bit taller than my reach.  She circles
it a couple times, inspecting it from every angle and then looks over at
me.
   "What do you think?" she asks excitedly.
   "It'll be perfect; not too tall for the ceiling and we won't need a
ladder to decorate it."
   "Okay, this is it."
   We take our places on either side of the bow saw, kneeling in the snow,
and begin to cut through the sparsely limbed area at the base.  The scent
of pine quickly fills the air.
   "Mmm, I love that smell," she says.
   The saw makes short work of the tree and once it's done, Page carries
from the top of the tree while I get the base.  There isn't a lot of sap,
but I carry it so it doesn't get on my jacket as I lead the way back up the
hill.  We take a short break at the top of the hill to enjoy the view from
this finger of the mountain that separates the cabin from the grove.
   "I love this mountain top view with the rustic cabin and pastoral valley
below," I say.
   "Seriously, do you think Gary would sell this place?"
   "I guess it's possible, he has a large place in DC and several smaller
places like this.  But even if he won't, I'm sure we could find something
in the area."
   "Yeah, that's true or maybe we could even build something to our
specifications," she says thoughtfully.
   I can see that her last statement has her thinking deeply.  The amount
of money she has would easily cover any such undertaking.  The thought of
us living up here away from it all gives me a warm feeling inside.  Ever
since this cloak and dagger stuff started, I can't help but feel like
she'll leave at any moment.  However, this conversation reveals her intense
desire to stay.  Not just to live in the area, but to remain with me.  I'm
kind of stunned to discover how eagerly I would give up just about anything
to have her make that choice.
   Picking up the tree, we continue down to the cabin.  At the front porch,
I trim off a few branches with the saw and make the first attempt at
putting on the tree stand.  Removing a couple more branches, I'm able to
get the stand to grab into the bottom of the tree.
   I punch in our code and we head inside to set it in front of the large
window.  We both kick off our shoes and Page sets about unplugging the LED
lights and pulling them down from the window.  Then she begins wrapping
them up the tree from the bottom as high as she can.  I only help with the
last strand which I start at the top.  When I finish, she is quickly about
putting the clear colored glass ornaments on the tree.  I head off to get
some water for the base and when I get back she's gotten a chair to put the
last ornaments on the top section.
   "You be careful up there," I say, as I kneel to put the water in the
base.
   "Almost done."
   "You had us out so early I didn't get any coffee, you want some?" I ask,
as I stand to watch her, ready to catch her as she balances to place
ornaments at the tip top.
   "Of course," she says hopping down.  "You make those and I'll start
laundry; give me your clothes."
   "Well, if I give them to you, we might get delayed before going out for
phones and our lunch."
   "Yeah, I'm okay with that.  Hand them over," she says with a wink.
   "As long as we know where our priorities are," I tease.
   "We've got plenty of time, getting the tree went way faster than I
expected.  It's only nine."
   I relinquish my clothes to her and she goes to the bedroom to gather the
rest.  We meet back in the kitchen where I'm preparing her an espresso with
cream.  I watch her anxiously as she plops the laundry into the machine in
the closet, tosses in a pod and starts the wash.
   When she turns, she sees me observing her, "I promised you'd be asking
for mercy."
   "No need for mercy yet," I reply.
   "I can see that; and I still have a lot of pent up frustrations to
unleash upon you.  But first, coffee..."
   "Unfortunately, I agree.  It is the elixir of life," I say handing her
the now full cup, and then start the machine to make mine.
   She takes a deep sip and exhales, "Ahhh."
   I can't help but smile at her, but I notice she's not looking at my
face. There is a cute little smile and her gaze is locked on my throbbing
cock.  It had sprung up as soon as she'd entered the room.
   I'm about to say, I can't control it.  when she takes it softly into her
hand.  Her initial contact makes me that much harder.  I watch her take
another big sip, set the cup upon the counter and drop to her knees to take
me into her mouth.  The additional warmth from the coffee feels nice and my
eyes close as she bobs me into and out of her sensuous lips.  Then she
stops and stands to have another swallow.
   The machine finishes my coffee, I take a big swig of mine, swish it in
my mouth and place my cup on the counter.  Kneeling in front of her, I lap
eagerly between her perfectly shaped pink lips and take the thickening buds
of her womanhood into my mouth to suck them softly.  She trembles gently as
my hands steady her hips.  I gather, from her reaction, that the additional
warmth of my tongue was working well for her as her warmed mouth had for
me.
   "Mmm, that's nice.  You know, your nectar pairs nicely with espresso?"
   "Ya big goof."
   "I'm goofy for you," I reply burying my head back between her legs.
   "Mmmm, I'm only going to give you about an hour to stop doing that," she
says at length.
   I can hardly restrain a laugh, but I love her taste and her response to
my tongue flitting in and out of her.  The trembling in her legs
intensifies bit by bit and soon, she is gripping my hair encouraging me. 
Lapping at her, my tongue flicks across the clit ring until she climaxes,
letting me have a little squirt of liquid as she lets out a soft moan and
comes quickly, "Oh, yeah, fuck that was nice."
   Standing up, I lean beside her at the counter and take a sip of my
espresso.  I feel pretty silly because I want to comment again on how well
she pairs with coffee.
   Before I can swallow, Page says, "Talk about going for someone's
weaknesses."
   Her commentary on our temporary swap in roles strikes me funny and the
juxtaposition has me laughing so abruptly that liquid comes out my nose. 
"Cough, cough - ugh - ahhh.  That - wasn't - very - fair," I just manage to
say.
   I notice through teary eyes that she's bending down.  Just as I think
I'm going to complain, she takes my cock deeply into her mouth which still
has warm coffee inside.  The sensation is very pleasant and I relax almost
at once against the cabinets.  "Ohh, faack yessss."
   Before I climax she backs off and stands to have more espresso.  I can
tell she's thinking about doing it again, but then says, "What should we
play?"
   "How about 'Delay'?"
   "A teasing game?"
   "Yes, if you think you can stand it," I goad her just a bit.
   "How do you win?"
   "The winner cums last."
   "So we take turns or go at it until someone loses it?"
   "You can choose, we have time.  We should get the clothes in the dryer
before we leave."
   "Such a romantic."
   "That's funny coming from the one that wants sex games," I blurt out
stupidly.
   "You're going to pay for that," she says with a wink.  "I'm going to
make you cum so hard and fast it hurts."
   "Not if I make you come first."
   "Oh, you're so gonna -"
   "Nah-huh," I say prancing off to the bedroom like she had that second
morning in DC.
   In the bed, I quickly pull the covers up over my midriff and then inch
them higher as she comes into the room.  At the end of the bed, she begins
crawling up like a cat stalking its prey and I inch the covers higher.  She
can't help but smile now that the roles have been truly reversed.
   "Are you being shy?" she asks, pulling the covers down slightly.
   I shake my head 'no', but cover myself with my hands as she continues to
lower the covers.  Her smile turns into a broad toothy grin and I suspect
that she's about to cheat, so I beat her to it.  As I make my move, she is
making hers and we come together in a natural sixty-nine position that
takes both of us by surprise momentarily.  However, I react quickly and
pull her down upon my face and begin working my tongue inside her.
   "You little cheater," she proclaims before engulfing me.
   The feeling that accompanies the sudden wet warmth on my cock nearly
makes me pause what I'm doing to her, but I maintain focus and try another
cheat as I tongue her pink pucker.  I can tell it's having an effect, but
she is staying focused as well.  We're both breathing deeply through our
noses and the only sounds are licking and slurping.  Neither of us is
willing to give the other a moan to divulge our present level of pleasure.
   When I switch back to working on her clit and the ring there, Page
begins throating me and I know if I don't get her there quickly I'm going
to lose.  The 'gluck' sounds she's making are pushing me over the edge so,
I gently insert two fingers inside her while licking and sucking beneath
them.  After just a moment, I've found that slightly spongier area and
begin massaging it with the tips of my fingers.  I'm thinking I'm going to
win when I feel her pressing a finger inside me.  Somehow she's wet her
middle finger with saliva, pressed it inside and found my prostate.  I
never really believed that it was a real thing until that moment.
   In an instant, Page changes her sucking to focus on my cock head and
works her other hand around me at the base.  I know I'm losing and I want
to moan and shout as I can feel my orgasm building.  Suddenly, I can no
longer withstand the pleasure and begin to shoot.  A moan escapes me but I
keep rubbing and licking her.  I know the vibration of my moan is having an
effect as I feel her swallow the first volley and she begins grinding
herself on me as she lets out a moan of her own.
   I get a similar vibration engulfing my cock and it is lovely.  I happily
take the yummy cream she is feeding me and stop rubbing, when she raises up
a bit, so I don't overstimulate her.  There was a gush at first so I didn't
catch all of it, but I keep sucking until there isn't any more.  All the
while, she is still milking me and swallowing my semen.  I can't believe
how much is coming from me and how different but good it feels.
   "Oh, God, you win!  Ooooh fuck, that feels so good."
   I know instantly she's smiling as she presses back down on me and I
flick my tongue over her clit repeatedly until she raises back up and lets
my softening cock slip out of her mouth.
   "You thought you'd win by cheating," she says victoriously.
   "I think you need to come up here and tell me where you learned that."
   "There are places to read about this stuff," she says cuddling in beside
me.
   "It was incredible."
   "Every single time with you has been incredible, Ry.  I wanted to give
you something like you give me.  I love you so much."
   "I love you too and don't want to lose you."
   "Don't worry about that, I told you I'm keeping you."
   "Okay."
   We stay in bed together and doze since there is no rush.  Eventually,
Page gets me up so we can go, but stays in bed while she has me shower
first.  When I finish, she hops in the shower and I get dressed.  While I'm
waiting on her, I go to the kitchen and move the laundry to the dryer and
then go back on the porch to check the hot tub.  It's nearly full and the
water is warm.  I add a container of oxidizing shock and head back inside
with the filter.  It's looking worn out and Gary has a stash of them in the
laundry closet on the storage shelves above.  I toss the old one and go
back out to replace it with a fresh one.
   When I finish, I notice that the temperature outside is now well above
freezing and the snow is in full melt.  Even the snow on the back roof is
shedding water down the drain spout.  Back inside, I look for Page.  I find
her primping a little in front of the mirror, dressed in her tight jeans
and a warm shirt.  She's putting on just a hint of eye liner and some
lipstick
   "It feels like it's fifty degrees outside," I say.
   "Guess we don't really need our winter jackets," she says and then
presses her lips together, to spread the red color evenly.
   "Not unless you plan on walking around outside a bunch."
   "Nah, we'll just get the phones and eat lunch," she says and then smiles
at me in the mirror.
   "Lunch there isn't as spectacular as their dinner," I tell her, worrying
that she'll be disappointed.
   "I'm just being silly, I like the atmosphere there regardless."
   "You ready?"
   "Yep, let's go."
   On the way into town, Page keeps glancing back in her mirror to observe
a car that is following us closely.  The two lane road is a little twisty
and I might be going under the speed limit, but they don't try to pass me
when there is an opening and I seem to pick up her apprehension about
vehicles or people following us.  When we pull into the turn lane, the old
Ford passes us and heads on down the main drag.
   I park in the grocery store parking lot and Page gets out, leaving me to
watch.  Her hips wiggle in her tight jeans as she walks to the automated
doors and disappears inside.  I watch people come and go doing their normal
shopping while I wait for her to return.  The phones were right near the
front of the store on an end cap, so it isn't surprising to see her emerge
in less than five minutes.  She's carrying a small plastic bag, walks
briskly to the car, opens the door and hops back in beside me.
   "I only bought one here.  We should buy them at different stores and I
think we should also get a spare, so we aren't caught in the lurch like
this again," she says turning her attention to the phone she's already
removed from its plastic.
   "Okay, they might have phones at that drug store we passed and I'm
certain I saw some in the hardware store the other night."
   "I need to get this activated and setup a little before we leave.  I
don't want to do it at the cabin with the GPS active."
   Remaining in the parking lot, I wait for her to finish getting it turned
on and set up.  I watch her and occasionally look around to observe anyone
that is near us.  There is a small indefinite amount of paranoia creeping
in upon my mind and I watch people suspiciously when they approach: an
oddly dressed woman, an older gentleman pushing a shopping cart, a couple
of teenagers on winter break and someone bundled up that hurriedly passes
between cars and bumps lightly against my trunk as they maneuver between a
person with a cart and our car.
   "Ry, you need to calm down.  You're going to raise suspicions with your
nervous stares," she says glancing over at me.
   "I don't like that someone touched the car."
   She glances at the individual who's brushed against the car and says,
"Okay, let's go on to the hardware store and I'll double check when I get
out."
   I start the car and maneuver guardedly through the lot and out onto the
road.  My eyes are glancing at my mirrors and looking all around to see if
we've been followed as we head toward the hardware store.  It's a short
distance down the street, we don't appear to be followed, but my mind is
racing as I pull into the parking lot.  I recall the elderly woman behind
the old-timey cash register paying so much attention to Page and worry that
she'll remember her even more clearly if she's there buying only a phone.
   "Don't you think we should mix it up and have me purchase one along with
some other items?"
   "Okay.  Make sure and get one that includes data and I'll check the
car," she says.
   She retrieves several bills from her purse, hands them to me, gets out
and walks toward the trunk.  Following suit, I join her briefly as I walk
behind the car towards the front door.  She's on her knees looking around
when I go inside.  Somewhat relieved, I find there's a gentleman working
the register today.  I get a cart and head over to the phones but find
there is someone else looking at them.  I try not to hover or crowd them
and cruse the aisles looking at other stuff hoping they'll move along soon.
I grab a container of oxidizing cleaner for the hot tub and then stroll
around the store looking at various things that attract my attention while
occasionally checking to see if the person has left.
   I'm surprised that the store carries a bunch of survivalist type stuff
in the section I've wandered into and my mind strays as I imagine using
some of the gear there.  On the spur of the moment, I decide I should
actually get some items that stand out as must haves.  I pile pairs of
several items that would easily be worn or carried in a pocket into the
cart.  The two best items are a small knife key chain and an adventure
bracelet that includes: a fire starter bar, fishing line, fish hooks,
weights, a whistle, a long paracord, and a wire saw.  I also get a couple
of filtration water bottles that come wrapped in paracord.  Then I notice a
solar phone charger and a weatherproof carry bag which I think might be a
handy item to have, too.
   After several minutes of impulse shopping I head to the end of the row
and notice the dark haired man has departed from the phone section.  I
casually stroll back, look over the selection and pick one that has data
included.  Reading the package, I find it's actually from a different
provider from the one Page had gotten.  Feeling pretty happy with all my
selections, I head to the counter.  As I'm putting the items on the
counter, I notice that the man that'd been in the area of the phones is
getting into a black car outside.  The middle aged gentleman behind the
counter rings my things up and puts them into a paper bag.
   After paying him, I take the bag, wish him a happy holiday and leave the
store.  Back out at the car, I open the door, hand Page the bag and look
about to see if the black car is around.  Not seeing it, I get in and close
the door.  She puts the bag in the back seat and I watch her work on the
new phone she's already taken out of the plastic.  I go ahead and start the
car and head to the drugstore, keeping my eyes peeled for the black car. 
We reach the next store in just a few moments and Page seems to have
finished with the phone as I park.
   "You want to get this one too?" she asks.
   "I just thought we should mix it up.  I presume you didn't find anything
on the car?"
   "No, there wasn't and I'm sorry Ryan.  I seem to have made you
paranoid," she says, caressing my knee.
   "I don't know, Page, it felt like you were worried that we might be
followed even when we set out from DC.  You didn't do that the other night
when we came into town, but coming down the mountain today, you kept
checking your mirrors and stuff when I was driving.  And just a few moments
ago, there was a man in the hardware store that I thought might be watching
me."
   "Well, on the trip from DC I was just taking some simple precautions. 
Then today, that brown Ford was following kind of close and it felt weird,
so I kept an eye on it.  What did the man in the store look like?"
   "He had dark hair and might have been a little shorter than me.  I don't
think it was anything, because he was there before me and he left before I
finished."
   "Yeah, it's kind of hard to follow someone and then end up where they're
going first.  Okay, you go inside, I'll keep watch," she says with a smile.
   "I guess my surveillance techniques make me look too suspicious..."
   "Then we can go eat, get back home - um - back to the cabin and get to
the bottom of this."
   "You mean, if Leda includes me."
   "Yes, but she told me some things that you don't know, before we left
DC. We'll see if she's willing to share once we get back to the cabin with
these."
   Inside the store I find the phones right next to the gift cards and
wrapping paper.  There's some small folded Christmas paper packs that I
pick up along with some tape and hang on to, while I look for the phone. 
They have a couple of different ones and I wonder about purchasing a third
one that is different.  That should eliminate any issues with them coming
from the same lot, so I make a decision and head up to the front.  I pay
for these and have to use some of my own cash.  As I pull it from my
wallet, I think it's like the first time I've contributed to this.  I did
buy Page dinner at the diner, her second night with me, but other than
that, she hasn't let me help at all.
   At the car, I hand her the phone from the bag and put the bag in the
back seat.  I know she might see the paper inside, but hope that she'll
just think I was padding the purchase.  She sets to work opening the more
complicated packaging and I wait for her to finish.  It seems like this
phone is taking longer to get activated.
   "Is it being difficult?"
   "Just trying to figure out if everything is turned off.  This is a
fancier phone than the other two."
   "Yeah, it cost more, but it was different, and I thought having three
different ones would help keep them separated."
   "Oh, yeah, you did good on that.  You spent some of your own money on
this one didn't you?"
   "I can't get away with anything around you."
   "What else is in the bag?" she asks reaching for it.
   "Are you spying on me?"
   "I think you've got me confused with our adversary bpodq!  Besides, you
had some interesting items in the last one.  I like to keep track of - oh -
what's this?" she smiles, as she pulls the bag into her lap.  "Hmm, someone
has a secret gift."
   I suddenly wonder if she's already discovered it.  "Did you already find
it?"
   "You mean them?"
   "Awe, I was hoping they'd be a surprise."
   "Hey, I'm sorry.  The night of our midnight bunker trip, I got back up
after we - um - made love," she paused and shook her head.
   "The words sound odd to me when I say them as well, but I know they're
true," I encourage her.
   "Anyway, I was too worked up to sleep.  So, I was doing an inventory of
everything we had, and was counting rounds -"
   "You were what?"
   "I was counting how many rounds of ammo you had in those boxes.  I was
just doing a situational analysis and I came across the lump in the foam. I
didn't mean to find them.  The earrings are beautiful and I didn't know
they were for me.  I just didn't want any surprises."
   "Ha, you've given me one after another, I thought it'd only be fair to
return the favor."
   "Oh, I do love you.  You really are the sweetest thing," she says
leaning over to hug me.  "I don't know if I could have trusted you, as much
as you have me, if our roles were reversed," she whispers sadly.
   "I told you I'd never do what Dad or your ex-boyfriend did to you."
   "I know and I trust you more and more," she says softly and sits back in
her seat.  "It's been over a year since we were living together."
   "Yeah, I missed our late night talks.  The condo has felt a little empty
ever since you left."
   "I missed that too, but what I was trying to say is; a lot of stuff
happened in that year we were apart."
   I hear the words and the depth of meaning that they seem to carry.  It
is all I can do to restrain hearing what she is offering to tell me, but
decide to delay that conversation until we are truly alone saying,
   "This probably isn't the place to talk about any of that.  Let's go eat
so we can head back."
   "To our new 'place' it is then," she smiles, sits back in her seat and
buckles in.
   I start the car and begin the drive back through town towards the cabin.
We stop at our restaurant a little after 1:00 PM and there are only a
couple cars in the parking lot.  The place looks a little different on the
outside during the daytime.  Its old weather-worn unsophisticated exterior
gives little indication of the more aristocratic feel the interior affords.
Parking right across from the front door, I hop out and hurry around to
open Page's door.  She's still fumbling with the newest phone and stuffs
all three of them in the glove compartment.  When she's out and the door is
closed, I click the lock and we go inside.  I notice that the wait staff is
different than the other night and we opt to sit at the bar in seats that
have a view of the car.
   We both get a nice grilled steak sandwich, chips and tea.  We eat in
silence while watching the news channel which is muted but has the closed
captioning turned on so we can read.  The weather graphic seems to be the
main story since there is apparently another low pressure storm coming in
from the north and some moisture heading up from the gulf that's going to
hit the east coast.  We're probably only going to get a small amount of
snow or mixed precipitation over the next few days according to the
prediction map color key.  Looking over, I notice that Page is eating her
food rapidly again today.
   "I thought you liked the ambiance; why are you rushing?"
   "I don't know, I feel - exposed or something," she whispers.
   "You think there was something to the cars we saw?"
   "No, maybe it's the weather."
   "Oh, well, we have supplies.  We should be okay."
   She agrees, slows down and leans into me on my stool.  I wonder what has
her on edge and don't know what to think.  Maybe she's just anxious about
what Reba may have to tell us, but it feels deeper and mysterious.  I run
my fingers through her long auburn hair and feel her sigh as her tension
seems to diminish.  This last week has been rough on us both, but she's
left everything she knows behind to come to me.  It makes me feel all the
more responsible for her safety and well being.
   We each finish our lunches, I pay with cash and we head back out to the
car.  In the car, she pulls out the phones and begins working on the last
one again.  I wait a little longer until she gives me the go ahead and then
start back up into the hills.  It is only around 2:30 PM but the sky is
full of clouds and feels like the overcast setting will turn to
precipitation.  Luckily there are no cars behind us as we head up the
mountain, and Page seems much more relaxed as my A6 climbs the drive to the
cabin.
   Page is out of the car quickly carrying all three phones.  I join her
with the other bags at the door, where she punches in the code so we can go
inside.  While she sets about connecting the cheapest new phone to her
laptop, I go back to the bedroom with all the items I've gotten.  I take
the ear ring box from the gun case and wrap it with the wrapping paper and
tape it closed.  I put one of the survival bracelets on my right hand.  It
feels weird because I've never worn much in the way of jewelery or watches.
I goof around with some of the other items and then place the lot of it
into the canvas carry bag I bought to hold everything.  The solar charger
is the last item and I place it on top, zip up the bag and head to check
the laundry.  On my way back from the dryer, my arms full of clothes, I
notice that she's on the internet and has a member window open in the game
to see if Leda is on.
   "Hmm, she's not on right now.  Why don't you get your laptop and we'll
play some until she is."
   "Okay," I say and head back into the bedroom to get it.
   I feel slightly guilty as I dump the clean clothes on the bed, because
with the exception of these, we seem to be ready to go at a moments notice.
Pulling my laptop from the backpack, I join her at the long table and get
mine hooked up and going too.  I'm actually getting the hang of this, I
guess she's a good teacher.  We play for about a couple hours, do some
dungeons for beginners like me.  Playing a warrior seems to be mostly about
charging and hacking everything in my path.  As we finish selling off the
loot we've gotten, Leda comes online.
   "She's messaged me," Page says and joins me on my computer.  "Let me
drive a minute, cause I didn't show you this part yet."
   I move over and she opens a different window with an icon in the game
that I hadn't noticed before now.  The window appears similar to the chat
window, but it has different icons inside.  She clicks one that pops up
what looks like a password entry.  She types in a very lengthy series of
characters that included a myriad of symbols, numbers and text.  Then she
waits.
   "What's happening?"
   "We're getting our encryption keys synchronized with this add-on.  Your
key is in your password file."
   "So, you remembered that long jumble of letters, numbers and - oh -
never mind, you remember everything," I say, letting my voice trail off.
   As if that were the signal for things to start working, there is a sound
and some text in a window with a heading of Quirnious - Leda:
   Quirnious: This is Shiva, I'm on his account.  What have you been able
to determine?
Quirnious is my warrior, but Page aka Shiva is typing for me.  The reply
comes back and initially it's random numbers and letters, but the
characters are slowly replaced by readable text.
   Leda: Okay, there was a concerted effort from the Russians to keep him
from being elected.  It appears to be a part of a larger scheme.  It's not
directly referenced in the documents you sent, but is referred to
tangentially and we have corroborating information from other sources.
As I read this over Page's shoulder watching the text become readable
again, I start to feel angry.  "Ask her if it says why?" I say as Page is
typing away before I finish.
Quirnious: Do they provide the motive?
Leda: No, there are references to funding the other candidate's PAC
which ran all the negative ads, and there's mention of some efforts to
collect data directly.
   Page types quickly back to her.
   Quirnious: Why would they still be pursuing him if they've already
succeeded in defeating him in the election?
Leda: These documents are a real treasure trove of information, but they
don't give us that detail either.  They bugged his phone and put one of the
malware components on his computer, as you already deduced.
Quirnious: What about the Asian woman in his condo?  she types my
question nearly verbatim.
Leda: There are at least two different groups tracking Quirinus'
activities.
Leda: We've just discovered another group is looking for Shiva and they
know she's in Virginia.
Quirnious: Do you know how they determined that?  Page types rapidly.
Leda: Surveillance camera at the bank.
"That means, whoever is after me is looking through old data and most
likely hasn't figured out we're here," Page says.  Then she types another
question.
Quirnious: Have we gotten anything else out of the documents I captured?
Leda: There's a bunch of highly classified stuff in those - I'll contact
you again soon, please be patient.
With that the special window closes and the messaging says 'Secure
session terminated'.  It feels very incomplete.
   "What?  That's it?  That's all she's giving us?!" I ask angrily.
   "Ry, there are things going on that aren't cleared for us.  She's -
we've probably said too much even admitting there's top secret information.
She gave us quite a bit."
   Deflatedly I respond, "I guess, but she didn't even say who the woman in
my condo was or why she was there or what she - just fuck -"
   "It's another group; maybe the committee you're on -"
   "No.  Why would that matter?  It doesn't make any sense.  I'm not going
to be on that committee in a couple weeks; January is almost here."
   The whole thing has me much more upset than I expect.  Page is looking
at me sorrowfully and strokes my cheek; it's not her fault and I feel bad
for yelling.  Then she leans in for a kiss and my anger seems to melt away.
I want to continue to be angry but simply can't as the kiss is soothing and
her hands on my back are relieving the tension that'd built up during the
chat.
   When she breaks the kiss, she says, "Let's go get in the hot tub."
   Anger and surprise flash over me again, "You knew about that, too?"
   "Sorry, I try to know about my surroundings and the tape on the door was
askew."
   "Tape?"
   "I put clear tape on all the doors and windows to make sure -"
   "Talk about straight up 'old school spy shit'!"
   "Well, we don't want any surprises, I'm just watching out for us.  Come
on you need to calm down," she said pulling me from my seat.
   "I love you.  One day though, I'm going to surprise you; I swear."
   "You do - every time we -"
   My reluctance to follow her lessens with her alluded compliment, so I
follow her to the bedroom where we both strip down.  I grab a couple of big
towels from the linen closet, hand her one and we head to the back porch.
Opening the kitchen door, I glimpse the tape she'd mentioned, shake my head
and simply close the solid metal door behind us.  The door clicks causing
me to turn and observe a light on the lock blinking, indicating it is
secured.  We lay our towels over the railing and remove the top from the
tub together.  Warm steam rises up into the cool air of the darkening dusk
as late afternoon becomes evening and she climbs the steps to settle
herself gently into the water.
   "Wow - this is nice.  Come on and get in here with me."
   I'm still a little uptight about all the secrets and mystery but her
nudity and soothing voice call me like a siren song.  Only a small amount
of light is visible from the kitchen window but my eyes adjust enough to
see the controls.  After pressing the buttons to start the jets and turn on
the soft lights, I join her in the warm frothing water.  The soft jets
shoot tingling bubbles against my back inducing a deeply relaxed state and
we sit wordlessly for a while as the night settles in quickly.
   I can literally feel the temperature dropping as a fog settles over the
cabin secluding in the darkening cloud that's enveloping us.  A little
shiver runs down my spine and I slump lower in the warm water to ward off
the chill.  Page follows my example and emits a shivering 'burr' as she
moves next to me.  Cuddling together I can tell that she's thinking about
my earlier outburst and presume that she's considering how and what to tell
me about the things she hasn't told me during our year apart.
   Trying to break the ice I ask, "So, the piercings -"
   "That's a funny place to start, but I guess they are the biggest visual
change."
   "I like them for the most part.  You've stopped wearing the extra ones
in your ears."
   "Here's the thing, I'd gotten several extra earring holes and the birth
control implant with Dad's permission.  Then I had a training accident that
gave me a small scar below my navel.  So another hole and a dangly bit of
flash to cover it.  Of course the scar is nearly invisible now."
   "Was it that self defense thing you do?"
   "Yes, Krav Maga, requires practicing contact combat and I went a little
too hard.  So, while I was at the parlor getting the navel dangle, there
was another woman there getting her clit pierced.  I didn't do it right
then, but I went home and read about it.  After a month, I decided I was
going to do it as a surprise for Carl.  It was dumb, I know, but I thought
I loved him and he had a bunch of piercings and tattoos."
   The image of Dad being a bottom for some guy with piercings and tattoos
flashes through my mind and sends a shiver down my spine.  I reflexively
say, "Whatever floats your boat, I guess."
   "Sorry, I know what you were thinking.  Anyway, that's what started it
and I got the nipple pierced on the same day since the guy threw it in for
a reduced amount."
   "Your clit and nipple rings are my favorite, it's hard to say which I
prefer."
   "Same."
   "What about all the hacking you did over the past year, it was legal
right?"
   "Much of it was sanctioned.  Legal is determined by those that write the
laws."
   "And the money you made hacking?"
   "I did a ton of freelance stuff before I really got involved with what
Leda was doing.  I'm easily bored and don't always sleep."
   "You were in Stanford's high school program two years ago; so, haven't
you been involved with Leda for a while now?"
   "Yeah, I was in that before I got into the page thing for the House.  I
took one of her white hat security classes.  But I wasn't involved in what
she was doing until I came back."
   "You could have probably taught the course," I tease.
   "That's what she said."
   "So you stopped freelancing then?"
   "I didn't right away, but have now.  I think I have enough money,
between the cash, market investments, securities and BitCoin; I'm probably
worth around five or six million."
   "WoW."
   "That's why I'm holding off on making any decision about school or
working for anyone.  I know my skills are desired."
   Her last words exciting me, I pull her onto my lap facing me and say, "I
desire you for you."
   "I know, I feel the same way.  We could just run away together," she
replies as she wiggles my stiffening member insider her and bends to kiss
me openly on the lips.
   The warm water is soothing and I love having her atop me in the water.
It places her face even with mine and we continue kissing as she slowly
works herself against me.  The cool breeze raises goosebumps on both of us,
but it doesn't cause her to rush tonight.  Slowly her hips slide backward
and forward as I glide within her velvety entrance.  The water in the hot
tub sloshes gently from side to side and the bubbles fizz up onto us,
coating us in a fine warm mist.  The colored lights cast us with ever
changing glowing hues and our shadows dance in them upon the exterior stone
walls of the cabin.
   Page sees me watching them and says, "I love it!  It's like having
liquid Christmas lights bathe us."
   I know I'd give just about anything to keep seeing the joy I see in her
face.  An observer might believe I have trusted her too easily or too much,
but I know in my heart that she loves me and is doing everything she can to
protect us.  I hold her about her waist tightly as we continue our gentle
love making.  The warm water is so relaxing, I can feel all of my tension
disappearing.  There is only love here for me now.  I lean down to suck
upon her nipples which have contracted in the cool air.  Alternating
between them, I find myself reflexively raising my hips to meet her forward
motion.
   "Page, I'm going to come soon, are you almost there?"
   "I've had a couple little ones, I'm waiting for you to have my big one."
   Her words seem to delay my orgasm as I push her harder towards her
summit.  I can feel her gripping me in response as her excitement rises. 
We're sloshing water over the edges of the tub as we climax in a tumult of
grunts and guttural vocalization.  Our breath sends steam into the cold
night air.
   Relaxing in our afterglow, we remain coupled in the water, but I move us
off the seat so we can immerse ourselves in the warm bubbling water up to
our necks.  We hover in the water like that for the longest time and she
pouts a little when my cock softens and comes out.
   "There is no place on earth I'd rather be right now," I tell her softly.
   She hugs me tightly and we remain an entangled floating jumble of limbs
until well passed the point of our fingers becoming prunes.  We only stir
from this relaxing embrace when the wind picks up again.  I retrieve our
towels and toss them next to the door so they won't get wet and we
reposition ourselves to sit on the seats closest to the cabin, slumping
down to watch more weather roll in around us.
   After another half hour or so, sleet and freezing rain begins to fall as
the worsening weather of the night draws in upon us more completely.  A
bone chilling wind accompanies the rain, blowing droplets in from the north
so that some begin landing upon us.  After a few minutes we both reach the
conclusion that it isn't letting up, so we decide that we are done and
arise to climb out of the tub at nearly the same moment.  I put the system
into standby mode which circulates the water and turn off the lights. 
After we get the lid back on, she punches in the code to open the heavy
door and we traipse back into the kitchen with our slightly dampened towels
wrapped tightly around our bodies.  The cabin is warm and the heat kicks on
as we close the door behind us.
   We agree we both just want a light dinner, so I cook a couple chicken
breasts on the stove while she throws together a nice salad with the mixed
greens and vegetables we have.  While we eat sitting across from one
another at the table, I can feel her obsessing about the information we
don't have.  There is some tension in her jaw that remains even when she
isn't chewing, but I don't know what if anything I can do for her.  We
finish eating and inertia seems to hold me in my seat as I feel my eyes
getting heavy.  The heat of the hot tub and our activities in it have tired
and relaxed me to the point I'm nearly falling asleep in the chair.
   Page looks over at me, "You should go to bed; I'll clean this up and
come to bed in a while."
   "Huh?  Oh, yeah okay.  I'm sorry I'm being so sleepy." I say yawning at
her suggestion.  "But don't think that I don't know you're going to do some
more snooping on your computer."
   "Yeah, of course.  I have to keep us prepared."
   Rising from my seat, I hug her tightly and head off to the bedroom.  All
of the day's stress is gone, but it's worn me out physically.  I hang my
towel in the bathroom to dry, fold up most of the clothing that I'd left on
the bed and crawl into the bed where sleep finds me in moments.  What feels
like a very short time later, Page joins me in bed and I roll toward her.
She kisses me lightly and then snuggles into me and I drift back off with
my arm around her.
   Stirring slightly from my slumber, I roll over toward Page only to find
her space empty.  My mind is a fog of confused thoughts as dreams mix with
waking.  A kind of vague longing to hold her flits through my mind as I try
to remember a feeling I was having inside a wonderful dream I want to
resume.  There's a soft distant voice somewhere, words are being spoken in
a whisper.  My eyes want to stay closed but involuntarily open ever so
slightly to see light peering through a small crack in the door to the main
room.
   Hmm, she's probably just playing the computer game; everything is okay,
I resolve to drift back off but her voice raises just a bit at that moment.
What's making her tense?  I wonder as I find myself reflexively paying
closer attention.
   "No, he's asleep," she says.
   There's a long silence as she paces around the main room of the cabin. I
feel her presence close by the door and sense the light dimming.
   "I have told him some but I want to read him in completely."
   Who's she talking to?  I wonder vaguely, as soft footfalls pace and
stop.
   "I'm not trained for this and keep saying things I shouldn't.  He really
needs to know as much as we do and he -"
   I'm not really trying to eavesdrop, but they seem to be discussing me
and it makes me want to rush out and ask a hundred questions.
   "I understand," she says followed by a long pause.  "I know."
   As the conversation continues, it seems that passively laying here
silently, I will actually have a better chance of achieving my goal than
getting up to do direct interrogation.
   "You know this isn't what I signed up for -" she says in a nearly
bellicose tone.
   Did she sign up for something?  And does it involve me?
   "Look, there's something I haven't told you."
   Now I worry, She's not going to tell someone about us, is she?
   "No, not over the phone."
   The long silence is broken by her sitting at the desk and tapping her
fingers.  It might be keystrokes, but she's on the phone.
   "I know it's secure, but they're probably recording it.  We need to
meet."
   Meet?  What?  Where's she going?  I wonder as I hear more tapping or
typing.  Maybe she's using the one phone for the computer connection while
talking on another.
   "I don't know; it might change everything."
   What's changed?  I worry.
   "Okay, I'll meet you there around seven."
   I wonder where they are going to meet as I hear quick footfalls
approaching the room, the light is flicked off and she rejoins me in the
bed.  She spoons into me and I snake my arm around her to accommodate her
repositioning the covers.  Her skin is cool to the touch and I can feel the
goose bumps along her midriff.  She repositions my hand up to her breast
and pulls the covers even higher.  Without thinking about it I
involuntarily tweak her nipple.
   "Ryan?" she whispers.
   I know I'm busted, "Uh-huh?"
   "Did you overhear?"
   "I didn't mean to, but -"
   "It's fine, I really want to tell you everything.  I'm going to meet her
in the morning."
   "You mean Reba - sorry - Leda?"
   "Yes."
   "You're going to leave me?" my worries tumble from my lips.
   "Nooo," she says, turning to me and hugging me close.
   "But Leda's in -"
   "No, she's in DC for the winter break.  I just need to talk to her face
to face without anyone overhearing or recording us."
   "So you're going to tell her?"
   "Sweetie, that's just it.  I don't know what else to do.  I don't want
to."
   "I hear a 'but' in there."
   "Well, I'm open to suggestions."
   "Did you come here for the reasons you've stated or was there another
agenda?"
   "I've been honest with you about that, completely."
   I think about it for a moment and then mount the elephant in the room,
"It just feels like we're wrapped up in this vast conspiracy.  It's about
the election and me and I don't understand why or how but somehow you are
involved too."
   "I've been thinking about that too, Ry.  There probably is a connection,
but I don't want to speculate without talking to her first."
   "When are you going?"
   "Right after sun up."
   Glancing over at the clock, I can see that daybreak isn't that far away.
I hold her tightly, not wanting her to go.  I worry that she might not come
back or that if she tells Reba about us that there will be some huge fall
out.  I don't want anyone to know, but I want everyone to know.  There is
nothing clearer in my mind as we lie together, our nude bodies pressing
against one another.  I want to be with her, have her with me and keep her
safe.  This week has bound me to her in ways I couldn't imagine were
possible.  When 6:00 AM comes, she gets up and dresses to go.
   "Go back to sleep; I'll be back before you know it," she says kissing my
forehead.
   "I don't know if I can.  How long do you expect to be gone?"
   "Probably a few hours, I need to approach this as diplomatically as
possible.  Are your keys in your jacket?"
   "Yes, please be careful."
   "Come on, I'm not going to hurt your car."
   "That's not what I meant.  You can burn the car for all I care, but I
want you back here alive and safe.  I feel like I should go with you."
   "I'll be fine, I can handle myself."
   "I love you; don't you dare get hurt."
   "I love you too.  I'll be careful, I promise," she says and squeezes me
tightly.
   After she leaves the bedroom, I hear her gather the keys from my jacket
in the front room, the door opens, closes and a few moments later my car
starts up.  I get up and rush to the front window thinking about the
freezing rain.  Looking outside, I see the headlights heading down the
drive.  There's no ice outside, I guess the temperature warmed.  Sadly, I
walk back to the bedroom and lie in bed restlessly for fifteen minutes or
so.
   With Page gone, I worry about all the different things I've heard over
the past several days and simply cannot stay in bed.  So, I get up, make an
espresso with cream, set it on the desk with our laptops and turn on the
Christmas tree lights and the desk lamp.  After I log on, I start the
virtual machine and piddle around for a while: check my e-mail, look at
some real-estate sites to see what kind of land is available in the area,
check some news websites and get bored with the whole mess.  I pause the VM
and close the laptop so it'll sleep.  Looking out the front window again, I
see that it's getting fairly light.
   Getting up, I pace around the room anxiously.  She's been gone over an
hour now, but I need to trust that she's okay and look for something to
distract my mind from my worries.  I drink some more of my espresso and
pace and pace some more.  I shouldn't have let her go alone.  Pausing to
look at the tree, I think it looks fairly nice for having only a few dozen
ornaments and twinkling LED lights.
   An odd reflection from one of the ornaments has me looking at an
inverted image of the master bedroom door.  Something there sends me into
that room for the first time during our stay.  Inside I find the
arrangement pretty much mirrors that of the guest room.  Only the sheer is
covering the window and the light from outside paints the room with an odd
dreary gloom.
   When I'd stayed as Gary's guest, I'd assumed there were other
differences between the bedrooms, so as I look around I try to make note of
what they might be.  The bed is on a platform just like the one in our room
and the bottom drawer has the same panel for opening a panic room.  There
is a door that opens into a bathroom with a simple shower just like ours.
There's just the one window over the bed and a similar closet arrangement.
   I'm about to give up when I notice that the built-in travel rack book
shelf in the master bedroom has a few pictures on it.  There is one of Gary
with his girlfriend, one of his parents and some I presume are his brothers
and sisters.  As I examine them, the diffuse light that is coming in hits
just the right angle to show the tiniest amount of wear on the floor.  If
I'd been there at a different time of day or weather conditions, I probably
wouldn't have seen it, but in this light I can make out an arc in the low
pile carpet.
   I know immediately that the built-in must swing out on a hinge somehow,
so I begin looking for a mechanism to make it open.  I move all of the
pictures around and find nothing.  I try pressing various places and
pulling to see if it'll open, but have no luck.  Then I have the thought
that perhaps it is opened from the other panel and I return to the foot of
the bed to open the drawer.  I punch in the code and instead of the bed
moving, the panel opens.  A thick steal door behind the panel slides into a
pocket revealing a large interior room and a set of stairs leading downward
with another door at the bottom with another access panel.
   The room is fairly narrow, has no windows and I conclude it must be in
the center of the house somehow.  Looking at the door at the bottom of the
stairs, I conclude that it must lead to a room directly beneath this one.
The security layout of this room has the LED window and door indicators
like the other one, but it has a larger nine panel display that's lit up
with several camera feeds.  One is gray and I presume that is the one in
our bedroom that Page disconnected.  There's also a couple of cots that
fold down from the wall, a gun rack with what I presume is a
thirty-ought-six, a couple of shot guns, four different handguns and ammo
cases for each.  I open a big wall cabinet and find it's filled with MREs,
some water jugs and a couple of bottles of wine.  I wonder about Gary's
idiosyncrasies sometimes, I guess he didn't want to go out without a final
drink.
   Heading down the stairs, I step gingerly down the steep steps and punch
in the code on the pad at the bottom.  However, the door doesn't open.  I
try the previous code but still have no luck.  I presume that this is where
the server and backup power for the whole place are, but will have to wait
until Page gets back to show her.  Of course she may already know.  I head
back up the stairs and press the close button in the drawer.  It all slides
back like nothing was ever askew.
   Feeling pretty proud of myself I feel like exploring more, so I get back
on the laptop and get logged into the game.  Playing by myself I find I'm
learning more about things than I might have with Page guiding me.  Her
initial assistance was of course invaluable, but as I go out into parts of
the virtual world that I hadn't seen with her, I am amazed at how big the
place is.  The graphics are beautifully mesmerizing and I wander the
vastness of this created world losing all track of time.
   Even my worries about page seem to drift away as I settle in a place
that is on the edge of the water to work at my fishing skills.  The
mindless activity seems to calm me despite the interruption of having to
kill off several mobs that keep spawning near me.  One time that they
spawn, I actually get a cool ring instead of just virtual money.  I'm in
the process of cooking some of the fish I've gotten to level my cooking
skills when I get a message from someone.
Siddhartha: Is it okay for me to contact you on this character?
I try to ignore the message as I continue to cook.  When the stack of
fish are all cooked, I check the roster to see if the person is in our
list. They aren't and I wonder if I should just continue to ignore them.  I
know Page had done some initial work on this character, so I am not
surprised she's made a friend, but she told me not to reply to anyone that
isn't in our list.
Siddhartha: I really need your help IRL.
Quirnious: What's the problem?
Siddhartha: Shit is going sideways.
Outside the window, I hear my car pull up and I return to the window. 
Page gets out and has a sack of groceries as she heads to the door.  I rush
to open the door and eagerly await her.
   When she's inside and the door is closed, I hug her tightly and say,
"I'm so happy you're back safely, I was so worried."
   "Everything's fine," she says, hugging me back.
   "I think I messed up."
   "How so?"
   "I answered someone in the game."
   "Were they in our group?"
   "No, but they said they needed help, it just happened and the message is
still up over here," I say, pointing to the laptop.
   She walks over, sits down and scrolls back to read the exchange.  "Oh,
he's harmless.  It's a kid I play with sometimes, at least I think he's a
kid - you never really know in the game.  He's always telling me stuff
about his family." She types back quickly.
Quirnious: Your mom again?
Siddhartha: Yeah.
Quirnious: She's almost always right, you know.  Sorry, I gotta go dude,
check me on Shiva later.
Then she logs out and says, "Lots of times people chat me up about
problems in their life and I answer them.  You can talk to people in the
game, just don't disclose much to them; you know don't give out personal
information like where you are."
   "Okay, well I hadn't played when you weren't here before."
   "Yeah, I see you've been exploring, fishing and cooking.  Kind of
industrious, for someone who's still naked," she comments looking at my
semi-stiff cock.
   "Didn't seem to be any reason to dress.  Hey, I found this other room."
   "The one down the stairs?"
   "Dang it!  You didn't tell me you'd found it; did you get in?"
   "I'm watching out for us and yes.  That's part of why I called Reba.  I
found the video of us was uploaded to his phone.  She's going to do
background on Gary."
   I wonder why she's broken her own rule of calling Reba by her name
instead of her alias.  Then I process what she's said.  There's a sinking
feeling in my gut; I'm on camera with her and he's seen it.  Now they're
checking into him because of it.  If he recognizes her, I wonder what kind
of trouble that can bring.
   "So you told her what was on the video?"
   "Yes, I didn't have much choice.  When I got on the cloud server from
the computer down there, I erased that video.  Then I hacked into his phone
and found that he'd deleted the local copy, but I couldn't tell if he'd
saved it of on another device.  If that gets out there, it could make
things difficult for both of us."
   I think about the skill it must have taken to do what she's just told
me. I don't even know what would be involved.
   "What else did you discuss with her?"
   "Well, our relationship might change the track I'm on.  She's making
progress on these three groups, the two involved with you and the one that
is after me."
   "Is it related to hacking you've done?"
   "They think an unhappy competitor has tipped another agency off about my
work.  They will resolve it."
   "Can you tell me who they is yet?"
   "You know it's government, right?"
   "It's ours though right, not a foreign one?"
   "Yes, mostly.  She's going to work on how to include you.  Especially
now that she knows -"
   "Okay, well that's something at least.  Was she upset or surprised?"
   "She's hard to read on personal stuff; I get the sense that she had some
kind of weird relationship in her past.  I need to get this stuff in the
fridge," she says grabbing up the bag and heading to the kitchen.
   I follow her and watch her put away some more fresh fruit and
vegetables. Then we prepare a big lupper.  Christmas is tomorrow, but
fixing a turkey and all the works for two people is a bit much.  So this
afternoon, I put a turkey breast in the oven for a couple hours.  We play
the game until the timer goes off and then we make some green beans and
mashed potatoes to go along with it.  Page cuts up strawberries to have
later over ice-cream with a little whipped cream on top for a dessert.  As
we sit eating silently at the table, it feels like the stress of her
meeting Reba has us both in a somber mood.
   After we finish eating, we wash and dry the dishes together.  We play
some more of the game, where there are all kinds of winter activities
occurring.  One quest has us searching for ingredients to make eggnog and I
realize we don't have any of the real stuff for us to drink.  The
strawberries and ice-cream will be good, but I wonder about something to
lighten things up.
   After we complete that quest, I ask, "Hey, I know your just eighteen,
but tonight is Christmas Eve, would you like some champagne with our
dessert?"
   "Yeah, that sounds good.  You're not going to get me drunk and take
advantage of me are you?"
   "Only if that's what you want."
   We shut off the computers and put them away.  Page serves up the
ice-cream with strawberries and whipped cream on top, while I pop the top
on a nice bottle of bubbly that Gary has left in the fridge and replace it
with a duplicate from his wine rack.  I let her have the first sip from a
flute I've filled for her.
   She sips it and says, "I could definitely learn to like that."
   "Don't like it too much, it can have a kick and some residual effects
you won't like."
   "Okay, daddy," she teases.
   After we finish, we refill our glasses, take the bottle into the front
room together where we sit on the sofa looking at the tree.  I can see Page
is thinking back on Christmases past as her eyes appear glassy and distant.
Clearly things changed a great deal after our family split and she moved to
Palo Alto with Dad.
   "You are thinking about that last Christmas we had together as a family
aren't you."
   "Yes, it was a happy time and there was no hint of anything wrong."
   "I don't know if you remember, but Mom was gone a lot of the time.  Once
she was staying home, things got a little rough."
   "I remember everything, but that doesn't stand out for some reason.  I
guess you were always there to take care of me."
   "I'm sorry there aren't a bunch of gifts under the tree or freshly baked
cookies or -"
   "Don't - Ryan, this is the best Christmas Eve I've had since you visited
almost three years ago.  Actually, this one is even better," she says
snuggling closer.
   I hug her tightly as she gulps down her glass.  When she's done, she
reaches down to get the bottle and refills her glass.  I guess it's
probably okay, but worry about her so I finish off my glass and refill mine
with the last of the bottle.
   "Do you think I will make a good mother?" she asks out of the blue.
   "Yes.  You have all the right instincts and you're a good teacher.  You
explain things in terms even I can understand."
   "You're smart.  And you're cute," she says tipping up the rest of her
glass.
   "I think you're getting tipsy,"
   "No, I'm fine.  I'm just thinking about having your babies."
   Not really sure how to respond, I say, "Um-hum."
   She sets her glass on the floor and wraps her arms around my midsection
and puts her head in my lap.  I can't tell right away, but I think she's
going to sleep.  After about ten minutes, I bend forward a little and see
that her eyes are closed.  Carefully, I put my glass beside the sofa, move
hers and the bottle out of the way.  Then I extract myself without awaking
her, pick her up and gently carry her to the bedroom.  I have to lift her
head carefully as I go through the doorway, but I lay her on the bed and
strip her down.  I'm a little sad, but wonder if she might not need the
sleep, she's been up late multiple nights.
   I brush my teeth, strip down, use the facilities and go clean up from
the dessert and drinks.  I turn off all the lights, retrieve the little
gift and finally join her in the bed.  Snuggling against her, I pull up the
covers and kiss her on her cheek.  Thinking of her words about babies, I
fall fast asleep with images of the children we might have dancing in my
head.
   Christmas morning arrives with a bang when Page jumps in the bed next to
me shaking me awake.  In her hand she has a small box that is covered in
the same wrapping paper I'd bought at the drugstore.
   "I guess you want me to open this now?"
   "Yes, silly and where'd you hide mine?  It's not in the case."
   "I put it under my pillow," I answer as I reach under to retrieve it. 
"I wish it were more, sweetie," I say handing it to her.
   We each open our little wrapped box at the same time.  She of course
knew what hers was ahead of time, but when I open mine, I am pleasantly
surprised to find a handsome looking watch.  I observe her as she puts the
diamond studs in her lowest holes, they are the only ones in as all of the
others are empty.  Then she takes the watch from me and puts it on my
wrist.
   "It's a Kinetic smart watch.  I already charged it and got some programs
loaded on it."
   "Cool, so what's it do?"
   "All kinds of stuff: count your steps, monitor your heart rate, track
exercise times and it's linked to your phone.  You can answer calls and
it's got voice recognition so you can answer texts."
   "Huh, it doesn't tell time then?" I say with mock sadness.
   That got me a tickle and when I let out a laugh there was even more
tickling.  In my attempt to escape her lovely torture, my flailing sent the
boxes and papers flying from the bed as she continues to wrestle with me.
She of course has one more gift for me today, our morning tussle is simply
a prelude to a steamy session of sex.  I kind of expect that this is the
case, but what surprises me is her suddenly putting a chilly bow on my
cock. Not a real bow, but one made of whipped cream sprayed from a can that
appears from beside the bed.  Its coldness gives me quite a shock, but her
warm mouth sucking it off made it instantly better.
   "That's for knocking me out last night."
   "I did no such thing," I say defensively.
   "Did you have sex with your unconscious sister?" she asks aiming the
bottle at my armpit.
   "I would never -"
   "Good boy," she says and squirts more on my cock only to suck it back
off.
   "That's so naughty, let me have a turn."
   "Okay, I guess you have been a good boy this year," she says handing me
the can of whipped cream.
   She lays spread eagle on the bed and says, "Do your worst."
   I spray some between her legs and proceed to lick her thoroughly clean.
Then I give each of her nipples the same slow treatment.  We spend the
better part of a half hour playing at whip creaming one another in various
places before we commence sex.  She likes riding me the best and I guess
that's her second gift from me as I last and last while she has one climax
after another.  When I finally can't take her twerking me any longer I
begin shooting inside her and am rewarded with a mouth full of whipped
cream as I open my mouth.  It's a lovely and exhausting way to start the
day and we both fall back asleep in one anothers arms when we finally
separate to lie beside each other.
   Christmas day and some days after seem to run together.  She really does
have a lot of pent up frustrations that she unleashes upon me multiple
times a day.  They are often unexpected but I always accept them willingly
as we behave like two wild teens that have just discovered sex.  I guess
she has just discovered 'actual' sex recently.  The hot tub sees several
more uses as we seem to remain nude throughout the days.  We prepare light
meals, play the game and ignore the looming decision of my inclusion into
what is happening.  I know in the back of my mind we'll have to return to
DC, but I hope that things will be resolved before we do.
   One late evening while we are playing, Leda messages me directly.
Leda: Your friend checks out.
Quirnious: Thanks, I'm really glad.
   "Did she tell you too?" I ask.
   "Yeah, I told her to tell you.  Feel better?"
   "You don't know how much.  You want to fool around before bed?" I ask,
my cock hardening as I say the words.
   "Always."
   On the morning of the 28th we are cuddling post climactic glow of our
now ritual morning routine, when we are startled by the house phone ringing
on the bedside table.  Quickly climbing over Page, I pick it up on the
third ring and sit beside her on the edge of the bed.  Her hand idly traces
along my hip and side.
   "Hello?" I ask not knowing who it might be.
   "Hey, Ryan.  Glad you're still there; I can't seem to reach your cell
phone."
   "Oh, uh - yeah.  Sorry, Garry, I should have mentioned it was stolen."
   "That's a bummer.  Anyway, sorry I didn't return your call the other
day, we were on a flight out."
   "Well, I already cut down one of your Christmas trees, so just let me
know what I owe you."
   "Dude, don't worry about that.  I'll probably get them all cut or balled
next year and start over.  I've been a little preoccupied with other stuff
and didn't get around to it like I'd planned."
   "Preoccupied?"
   "Look, the reason I called.  I um - well I've been thinking.  Being
alone for that hunting trip allowed me to clear my mind and think things
through."
   "Now I feel really guilty for not taking you up on it."
   "No, that's not it buddy.  I came back the day after we spoke and I took
another trip with Xiao."
   "Ohhhh, so when are you two going to tie the knot?" I ask, as I think
about how long I've been expecting this.
   "Hey, that's exactly why I'm calling; I was wondering if you could meet
us back in DC for New Year's Eve."
   "So, it's a New Year's Eve engagement party?" I ask, as I watch Page's
eyes widen.
   "Yes.  She actually accepted my proposal."
   "Did you have any doubt?"
   "I'm a very lucky man and I'd like you to join us for our Vort.  It'll
just be a small group of family and our closest friends."
   "Sure, can I bring someone?" Page is shaking her head 'no' vigorously.
   "Absolutely!" he says and laughs.  "Ryan, there was just one other thing
- um - would you mind if I ask you for a big favor?"
   "Anything for you."
   "I'm hoping you'll be my best man?"
   "Best man is a big responsibility.  You sure you trust me?" I ask
laughing.
   "Yes, I really do.  We're thinking spring time when the cherry blossoms
are out."
   "I'm there for you, when ever you need me."
   "Alright dude, the party is going to be at my place in DC.  I'll e-mail
you an invite with the time but probably around seven or so, and semi
formal no tux, okay?"
   "Okay, we'll be there.  Bye."
   "We'll be there?" Page asks incredulously.
   "He's my best friend in the world; what was I going to say?" I ask, as I
think about the truth of my admission.  "I guess you're my best friend
now."
   "I just don't know if it's a good idea," she sighs, shaking her head.
   "I have lots of acquaintances, but only a handful are true friends and
Gary's as good as they come."
   "What if he recognizes me or my name?"
   "He was in China the entire time you were in DC, although he may have
seen a picture of you when he came back," I say as I think about that video
that was on his phone.  "I don't think I talked about you to him; I was a
little sad after you left."
   "You think he might recognize my face?"
   "You've changed a lot since that picture but I didn't see the video."
   "It wasn't great, I could recognize myself, but there weren't very many
good shots of my face."
   "Well, I trust him and don't think he'd freak even if he made the
connection.  This Vort thing is a fairly big deal for him; I just can't let
him down."
   Page gets a puzzled look on her face.  "Oh, so he's Jewish?"
   "Sort of, I don't think he's devout or anything; I think his family
simply follows many of the traditions; like this engagement party."
   "But he's got this Christmas tree farm."
   "Yeah and we celebrate Christmas, but I can't remember the last time I
went to a church service; what about you?"
   Her eyes tilt upward in thought, "Me neither."
   "Exactly, and to be honest I think the trees were on the land when he
bought it to build his cabin.  I think he left them as an investment and a
tax write off for the vacation house.  He's never had any qualms about
supporting me, a nonpracticing Christian."
   "You know Rubin is a Jewish name, right?"
   "Yeah I guess," I say wondering why she's brought up Mom's maiden name.
"What's that got to do with this?"
   "Nothing, it's just an odd coincidence," she says with her voice
trailing off and waving her hand.
   I lean forward to kiss her.  When I sit back, I'm suddenly blurting out,
"This news has me wishing we could get married."
   "Hmm, we'll see.  So what do I need to wear to this party?" she asks
hugging me around the neck, evidently eager to attend now.
   "Well, he said semi formal, but you'd look gorgeous in anything - and
better in nothing at all," I say, as I playfully push her backward onto the
bed.  Climbing back up with her I support myself over her to kiss her more
deeply.
   When we release from the kiss, she stares adoringly into my eyes and
singsongs to me, "So, you think I'm gorgeous, want to kiss me, need to do
me and you're going to marry me."
   "You sure are a funny one Mrs.  Levik," I say, as I slip inside her. 
"But I like you."
   "Oooo, yeah and I like that.  Say it again," she pleads.
   "You - like - being - called - Mrs.  - Levik - while - I'm - pounding -
you - like - this?" I say each word with a thrust.
   "Uh-hun - I do - I do - I do," she taunts back.  "I can - tell - you -
like - it - too."
   "Nah-unh, you're - so - wrong - I - love - it!  Say you're mine, again."
   "You're mine!"
   "Yes - yes - I am!" I admit freely.
   Welcoming my thrusts, she anticipates each stroke, raising herself
slightly each time our bodies slap together.  I am hers and she
demonstrates that she is mine by widening her legs into a near split to
accept me.  I love her and adore making love with her; she's so free with
the love she gives.  In my heart we belong together as much as any couple
ever has.  We share so much pleasure, joy and unabiding love; I simply
cannot imagine my life without her.
   "And I'm only for you," she pants as her hands wrap around my waist to
aid our coupling.  "It's only ever going to be you, Ry.  I don't want
anyone else."
   "God I love hearing that; it'll never get old.  I'm only for you."
   "You better be."
   "Oh - I - am - I - can - assure - you," I say as I increase the force of
my thrusting and press her legs a bit further back.
   "Ooo, yeah, just like that," she whimpers.  "Shoot it inside me.  Do it
and make me cum."
   I can feel her beginning to quiver beneath me but resist her
encouragement to cum just yet.  I want her to climax fully and continue
pumping away at her.  She looks down between us to watch me disappear and
reappear.  Lusty mischief is in her eyes and I know instantly she's going
for my weakness again.  Her nipples are like two pebbles and the star
shaped ring beckons me to suckle at her teat, but I am determined and
maintain my thrusts.
   "Fill your little sister, Ry.  Squirt it inside me," she taunts.
   Releasing her legs, I grab her waist to pull her onto me as we meet. 
The angle changes again slightly and my cock rubs along her clit ring to
exquisite effect.  I have to smile while I watch her begin to cum as she
rushes over the edge.  Her quaking climax has her gripping me tightly.
   "Oh faa, oo fuck - please - yeah - oh yeah - rub it too," she moaned as
my thumb finds her clit.
   Rubbing her in time as I continued to pump, the mixture of her
vocalizations and the intense gripping she's delivering pushes me ever
closer to my own release.  Without warning, a sudden gush of warm liquid is
accompanied by a long string of unintelligible utterings.  I'm sure she is
telling me to fuck her harder or more or deeper, but not a word of it comes
out the way I'm sure she intends it to.  The result is the same, however,
and merely seconds tick pass before I erupt uncontrollably within her as if
we hadn't had sex in days.  The amount of liquid the two of us generate
seems to overflow.  I continue pumping her as her eyes squeeze shut.
   My cock isn't softening this afternoon and Page says, "I want it in my
mouth; I want to taste us."
   I pull out of her and lie back on the bed with my cock still straining
for the ceiling.  She moves quickly to kneel beside me to suck and lick our
juices from me.  Without even thinking about it I pull her hips toward me
and position my mouth to sample the mixture from her.  She doesn't hesitate
a moment and moves herself atop me.  Her beautiful hairless pussy is on
display and allows me full access to her dripping wet lips.  Most of our
fluids are on the sheets, but I slurp at her only to discover that what is
left in her doesn't taste bad, in fact the combined juices excite me.
   My erection only gets harder as she continues her sucking and slurping.
It's like a challenge that she'll conquer through sheer endurance.  I
conclude our juices must be some kind of an aphrodisiac, because we go at
it again for quite a while with oral and then couple for another round of
sex with her astride me.  We're both a little exhausted and sweaty from the
exertion, but I believe it was worth it.
   After we take turns in the shower, we spend the better part of the
morning getting the cabin back in order.  I put the sheets and mattress pad
in the wash.  We remove the decorations from the tree and take it out to a
yard waste pile around the back.  We clean the perishable food from the
refrigerator, dump the grounds from the espresso machine and place them on
the compost pile as well.  The remainder of the garbage is tied up in a
large bag which I put in the trunk of the car.  While Page reconnects the
internet and resets the keypad entries, I start draining the hot tub and
replace the cleaned sheets upon the bed.
   Working as a team, we have the car loaded and start our trip back to DC
shortly after noon.  It should give us plenty of time to drop things off at
the condo and fit in a shopping trip for Page's party attire.  We arrive
back in the DC area shortly before rush hour, but traffic is relatively
clear, probably since people are on holidays.
   We arrive at the condo around dusk, and I park in my assigned spot. 
Hopping out, we gather our bags from the trunk and head to the door.  Page
is carrying her duffel bag and one of the gun cases.  I have my bag and the
back pack with the laptops.
   At the door, she reminds me, "We need to guard what we say in here.  We
know someone's been inside."
   "Okay, and we don't want them to know we know, right?"
   "Exactly."
   Opening the door, I'm hit with the faint smell of rotting garbage.  "Oh,
man, I forgot to take that out.  I probably need to clean some items from
the refrigerator too, we've been gone over a week."
   We go inside, close the door and head to my room.  It's a little funny
that we both assume she'll just take up occupancy in my room.  I can feel
how happy it makes me, despite the feeling of invasion and spying.
   "Where do you keep this?" she asks, referring to the gun case.  "Did you
leave the other one in the car?" she asks looking around.
   "I keep it on the shelf in the closet, but we can keep it under the bed
if you like.  The other one is in the car.  We can get it later or leave it
there."
   She slides it beneath the bed and plops her bag on top.  I do the same
and set the laptop backpack at the foot of the bed.
   "I'll go get the garbage bag from the car and deal with the one stinking
up the kitchen.  You want to change before we go shopping?" I ask heading
for the door.
   "Don't I look okay?"
   "You look fine, I'm going to change because it's been a long day."
   "Oh, yeah, I guess it has - maybe I should change, too," she says
heading to the guest room where the remainder of her new clothes are.
   I go back to the car, open the trunk retrieve the bag and head back
inside.  Passing the guest room, I see Page is almost finished changing
into the cute skirt, another turtle neck shirt and some matching black
tights.  I can't help myself and say, "Nice."
   In the kitchen I seal up the trash and get out a bag to toss some
produce from the refrigerator.  There aren't as many things as I thought
there might be.  I dumped the soup and another dish I'd made a few nights
before she'd arrived.  It had been near the end of my fresh produce and
only a handful of other items had to be thrown out, chiefly my fresh
spinach and mixed salad greens.  I took both bags out the side door to the
big garbage bin the city picks up.  Back inside I wash up at the sink, run
the disposal for the item's I'd dumped out and start the dish washer
running.
   The disposal is still running when Page joins me in the kitchen with the
refrigerator door open, "There's not much left in there.  We're going to
need a grocery store visit."
   "We can go after we get you a nice outfit for the party," I offer as I
turn off the disposal and running water.
   "Maybe we can get dinner too, we've been neglecting regular meals."
   I have to laugh because she's the one that's been keeping us so busy. 
Her drive is nearly outpacing mine, although I'm not going to admit it or
ask for mercy.  "We can do all three, there's plenty of time.  Are you
ready to go?"
   "Yep."
   We gather our coats and go back out to the car.  There's an upscale
clothing store just down the street from my apartment and I head straight
there.  Inside the store we head directly to the petite section in search
of an elegant dress.  She peruses several different mannequins with an
array of dress styles.  The breasts on them are fuller than Page's and I
can tell that she isn't being very impressed.  I follow her as she heads
toward the back of the section and begins looking at dresses that are
hanging but not displayed.  She pulls out a navy one and drapes it over her
front and looks at me.  She doesn't ask, but I feel her questioning me and
I shake my head 'no'.  I see a smirk as she puts it back and begins looking
again.  After sorting through a couple of racks, she pulls out a unique
dark black dress that has subtle undertones of dark blue.  She holds it up
to herself and looks in the full length mirror.
   "What do you think of this one?"
   "You should try it on; I think it's lovely."
   A little smile and wrinkle of her nose tell me I've passed another of
her tests.  She heads off toward the changing room and I await her
anxiously.  When she returns, she's made the dress look even better than
I'd expected.  She's got a pair of high heel shoes that make her look a
little taller.  The dress is knee length with mid-length sleeves and it
shows an attractive but respectable amount of her cleavage.  I can feel my
eyes opening wider as she does a spin for me.  Her tight calf muscles are
accentuated by the shoes and I feel myself stiffening slightly.
   "Did you get some matching hose for the shoes you've picked?"
   "Not yet; is this the one?"
   "It suits you very well.  I like it a lot, but you look good in
everything to me."
   She blushes lightly and says, "Okay, I guess this is it then."
   She grabs a couple pair of hose, changes back into her clothes and meets
me at the register to settle up with cash from her purse.  I'm wondering
how much more she has on hand as we head back out to the car.
   When we are outside I whisper, "Aren't you running low yet?"
   "On cash?  No I've still got nearly five grand.  Of course, I left the
majority of it at the condo, I just brought enough to get a nice outfit."
   "That dress was more expensive than most of the suits I own."
   "What can I say?  I have better taste."
   "Yes, in every sense of the word."
   She punches me as we keep walking through the parking lot.  I play hurt,
but I know she's not buying it.  When we reach my A6, I click open the
trunk and lay the garment bag flat.  I finish setting the accessories bag
inside when Page grabs my shoulder and points to the wet pavement and
presses a finger to my lips.  I observe a faint blinking blue light and
instinctively bend back to the trunk to retrieve the Glock from its case. A
weird feeling washes over me has I tuck it in the special interior left
jacket pocket while Page kneels down to inspect where the blink of light is
originating.  In a moment, she's plucked a small device from beneath the
car and holds it in the dim light for inspection.  A faint blue LED flashes
periodically until she pops it open and removes the battery.
   She stands back up and whispers, "I don't think we should take your
car."
   "Okay - should I call a cab?" I whisper back.
   "No, I'll get us a ride - "
   Her words are cut short by a man jumping from the shadows of an SUV to
attempt taking the device from her.  Before I can even move, I watch in
stunned horror as she reacts with lightning reflexes to both deflect his
attack and counter with a combination of a stiff hand into the soft areas
of his throat and crushing knee to his groin.  The attacker slumps to the
ground gasping for a breath and she deals him a swift heavy kick to his
nose.  The man goes limp as the undeniable sound of cartilage cracking
resounds between the vehicles.
   "Let's go!" she screams as she takes off running.
   Slamming the trunk, I take off after her, but I simply cannot match her
speed.  In front of me I see her take out her phone and start working the
screen while periodically turning her head to watch me, but her feet don't
delay in carrying her further away from me.  My lungs begin to burn with
the exertion I haven't felt in many years as I try to keep up with her. 
I'm running as fast as I can, when a sudden loud noise thunders behind me
and startles me.
   I slowly turn my head to watch another darkly clad individual begin to
emerge from the now open car door.  Resuming my original pace I hear loud
footsteps follow me in pursuit and then stop short.
   "Stop or I shoot you!" bellows a deep booming and heavily accented
eastern European voice.
   Several muffled shots are fired somewhere behind me and impact the
ground near my feet.  I stop and raise my arms as I watch Page reach the
halfway point across the parking lot on her way toward the mall.
   "Alright, stop shooting," I say.  "I give up, just don't shoot her."
   Everything seems to be happening at once.  A dark van in the parking lot
is approaching us and to my dismay, it abruptly races into Page's path and
screeches to a halt, catty-corner to us, blocking her.  The side door is
open and two people are just visible inside.  A woman reaches out toward
Page, almost as if to offer her a hand, but she steps back in fear.  There
is something that looks like recognition in her eyes, but she hesitates for
a split second as she gazes upon me with a troubled look of sadness and
regret on her face.  In the blink of an eye, an armed figure is beside the
woman and they each grab one of her arms and pull her backwards inside.
   At the same moment, she screams, "Noooo!" as her eyes lock with mine for
the briefest of moments and I watch the door slide closed.
   The sound of approaching steps behind me pause again and more muffled
shots ring out from somewhere closer behind me in the cool night air.  My
Hollywood expectations of sparks flying off are met with the stark reality
of the situation as the bullets simply impact the van, its tires squall and
then it speeds away.  Seconds later, my hands are being forced lower behind
my back by a mountain of a man.
   "Stop resisting or I shoot you," the voice booms again with stern
authority.
   Desperation over my sister's abduction momentarily heightens my thought
processes into overdrive.  I realize his left hand has me very forcefully,
but his right has a gun in it making his grip upon me tenuous at best. 
Foolishly, I wrestle my right hand free, reach inside the left jacket
holster pocket, slide my fingers around the grip and curl my index finger
against the cool metal of the trigger.  A loud noise emanates from under my
arm that is accompanied by an intense burning sensation along my ribcage
and a nearly simultaneous sudden sharp pain on the back of my head To be
continued.
   pics---->> http://bit.ly/1D1q3qp
  
PageCh05