Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Title: Rag Doll Ch.  06 Pt.  02
Summary: Justice for Barbara at last, and her last goodbye to Nicky
Keywords: inc,fic
   I awoke from a complicated and confusing dream, or maybe nightmare; in
my dream, I was in a plush room, with Leon, and a girl whose face I never
saw, and Barbara was there, too.  She was trying to talk to me, to tell me
something, and I was straining to hear what she was saying, but her voice
was being constantly drowned out by the roaring background silence.  I knew
it was important, maybe the most important thing I'd ever hear, but try a I
might, I couldn't make out what she was trying to tell me.  Suddenly Nicky
was there, his furious face covered in terrible scars and cuts, his
habitual grin replaced by a huge scar pulling his mouth down on one side.
He reached out and grabbed my collar, cuffing me on the side of the head,
shouting "How could you do that, why did you let it happen, where the hell
were you?  She needed you!"
   I jerked awake with a shout, to see Shari's eyes full of concern.
   "What is it baby?  That was some nightmare, you've been twisting and
muttering, do you want to tell me about it?"
   I couldn't properly recall the dream; like all dreams, what had seemed
so clear and insightful had faded almost immediately; the only images that
remained clearly were Barbara's anguished face and Nicky's bruised,
bleeding face covered with scars and cuts, hurts put there by my father.
   I lay back, suddenly realising I was covered in sweat, and still too
unsettled to go back to sleep.  I couldn't work out what had brought that
on; I never dreamed, or if I did, I never remembered my dreams, but this
one had reached down into me and pulled all sorts of switches and I didn't
know why.  Shari pulled herself closer to me and looked at me quizzically.
   "Baby, you're trembling!  What frightened you, what did you see?"
   I didn't know, but, for the first time in my life, I felt a deep
melancholy, a sadness so profound I wanted to cry.  I needed to cry, and I
didn't know why, and that unsettled me even more.  I felt like I'd
forgotten something I really needed to know, and the loss was gnawing at
me. Shari sat up and pulled me even closer, cradling my head in her arms,
holding me close and gently rubbing my head, the way you'd calm a small
child.
   "Let it go, baby, whatever it was, just let it go, you're safe now, I've
got you..." she murmured, and for some reason, that picture of Barbara back
home on the mantelpiece flashed into my mind, her smiling face and carefree
expression, and her bracelet glittering in the light from the camera flash.
That jerked me awake again, and now my head was full of that image,
entwined with memories of how we'd treated her, ignored her, closed our
ears to her cries, and pretended that she was fine, that all was well in
our world.  There was no more sleep for me that afternoon.
   *
   We were dressed and ready for dinner with Leon and his girl by 7 p.m.,
Shari in a deceptively modest black cocktail dress that made her look
delicious and my preferred first course at any banquet, the dreams and
memories of earlier temporarily banished by the sight of my beautiful girl.
   "Do you like it?" she smiled, pirouetting to show off her svelte figure
in that figure-hugging dress, and I could only nod, once again lost in
admiration of her long, supple legs, her trim, sexy body, and her gorgeous
hair tumbling down her back in a riotous mass of red-bronze curls.  I was
dressed in a pair of dress slacks and a new white dress shirt, and a
subdued purple silk tie with a "Hermés" label she'd pulled out of one of
the boxes we'd brought back from the shopping mall.
   Shari pronounced me fit to be seen in public, so I knocked on the
interconnecting door, which was opened by Yaz.  Her dress wasn't at all
deceptively modest; on the contrary, it seemed to be competing for the
title of world's shortest dress.  It was a glittering metallic Teal green,
to set off her Titian-red hair, her lips a blaze of almost fluorescent
crimson against her pale olive skin, with her hair cascading carelessly
over her shoulder, and towering matching green stiletto heels making her
already flawless legs look truly endless to finish the look; she looked
breathtaking; my baby sister was stunning, no escaping the fact; but then,
so was my older sister, and they were going to make maximum impact tonight,
I would have bet the farm on it.
   We made our way down to the lobby, to wait for our guests, other guests
and visitors stopping dead in their tracks to stare at the two visions of
loveliness walking through the lobby like they owned the place.  Leon was
already seated there, waiting for us, talking to a girl with her back to
us, with colour-streaked hair cut in a layered shaggy mop.  As we walked up
to the eating area, he glanced up and spotted us, immediately standing up
and smiling.  His girlfriend also stood up, smoothing down her really short
shift dress as she stood, and turned to greet us.  She was a pretty little
thing, petite bordering on tiny, with thick, dark eyebrows framing a
pretty, elfin face, and a gold pendant piercing through her bottom lip. 
She smiled broadly, and then, for a second, her smile faltered and her eyes
widened behind her pink-tinted pixie glasses as she looked intently from
Rick's face to mine and back again.
   "Guys, this is Judy Nixon, my fiancée.  Judy, these are the two guys who
saved my ass today, Rick and Bobby, but I haven't met these two lovely
young ladies yet!"
   I made the introductions, introducing Yaz and Shari as our girlfriends;
it was too complex to explain our real relationship, and they didn't
actually need to know that anyway.  Judy shook hands with all of us, then
looked up at me.
   "So, Bobby...and Rick; am I right in thinking that would be short for
Robert and Richard?"
   I nodded, and she looked appraisingly at me, then flicked her glance
over Rick again, obviously comparing our features, noting the resemblance.
We chatted for a few minutes while we waited for the car we'd booked to
take us to the restaurant, Judy asking about England, what we did, how old
we were, all the little things you talk about when you first meet someone.
The conversation we'd had earlier that day about his boss and the place he
worked came back to me, and so I asked Leon what I thought were a couple of
innocuous enough questions, just politeness regarding his place of work and
his "English" boss.  If I didn't know better, I could have sworn Judy
deliberately jumped-in to change the subject each time.  I let it go; it
didn't seem important, and we'd only just met them, so it seemed impolite
to press him about something so trivial...
   After a short while, Judy excused herself, and still hadn't returned
when our driver arrived, so Leon went to look for her.  I led the way to
the minivan, and happened to look back, to see Judy and Leon partially
concealed behind a potted Weeping Fig tree in the lobby, having some sort
of heated conversation, Judy arguing with Leon while simultaneously
speaking to someone on her cell phone.
   I turned away; it was none of my business, anyway, and they both seemed
fine when they joined us out by the entrance, chatting quite normally and
affably as the minivan threaded its way through the downtown traffic.
   Dinner was very good, an harmonious blend of traditional Malaysian
cooking and American flair, most of the dishes exotic and interesting,
although I drew the line at the Mee Goreng; there were just too many
tentacles in it for me to want to give it a try.  Rick and Leon ribbed me
gently about it, telling me that squid was delicious, I really should try
some, and to just ignore it if it winked at me; somehow, appetising as they
made it sound, I just couldn't bring myself to do it...
   Yaz jabbed Rick with her elbow and squeezed my hand.
   "Ignore him, baby, I can't take him anywhere twice!  Here sweetie, you
can have my Satay instead, I'll take the Mee Goreng!"
   I noticed Judy watching all this carefully, interestedly, almost like
she was evaluating us, Rick and me in particular.  Once we'd got to the
coffee stage, Leon grinned and leaned back in his chair, smiling at all of
us.
   "Guys, you really saved my ass today, I thank you, Judy thanks you, and
most of all, my mom thanks you!  She keeps saying I need to meet new
people; I guess I did, it's just that one set tried to rearrange my face,
and you guys came along and saved my ass!  Somehow I don't think she meant
it in quite the way it happened, but I'm sure glad you guys came along when
you did!"
   After a good dinner, with good wines and some really good beers, we
eventually called it a night, and had the restaurant call us a minivan to
take us back to the hotel.  Once there, Leon and Judy made their farewells.
Leon remarked that he'd be along in the morning to take Rick and me out and
show us around, and Judy wanted to show the girls some of the better-kept
secrets of Albany's shopping experience, so that was how we left it.
   We were in good spirits when we went up to our rooms, although for some
reason the intent, sometimes almost hostile, looks I'd seen occasionally
flit across Judy's face puzzled me.  I shook it from my mind; I was
mistaken, I must be; I didn't really know enough about people to interpret
their body-language that well, and I was probably on completely the wrong
wavelength.
   Morning found us lounging in the lobby, having a coffee and a muffin for
breakfast rather than another of those gargantuan meat-feasts, while we
waited for Leon, and that was where he and Judy found us.  Judy was dressed
in a style she seemed more comfortable with than the more or less
conventional dress of the previous night; now she was dressed in a tiny red
skirt, more a belt than anything else, an off-the-shoulder 'Clash' tour
t-shirt with a picture of Joe Strummer on it, and red patent stilettos. 
Once we'd shaken hands all over again, we said our farewells to the girls
after arranging to meet for lunch, and Leon led Rick and me out to his car,
a massive cherry-red Dodge Nitro.
   For the next three hours Leon, Rick and I chatted and joked as we took
in the sights of Albany; a short cruise in an authentic paddle-steamer, a
wander round the spectacular Empire State Plaza, which was, for me,
absolutely breathtaking, the Museum of Fire-Fighting, which Leon was
especially proud of, as he came from a family of fire-fighters, and the New
York State Capitol.  We tried street food, including the best hot dog I've
ever eaten, had a beer in a genuine sports bar, and promised Leon we'd come
with him one day to the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown.  By now it
was time to meet up with the girls again, so Leon happily cut the tour
short and we hustled back to meet the girls, who'd elected to try the
delights of the UNO Chicago Grill in the Crossgates mall.
   Lunch was fun, the girls managed to put away an astonishing amount of
ribs, and the conversation was light, friendly, and non-intrusive.  Leon
was curious about why we'd come to America, so Rick gave him the story we'd
decided on; we were having one last holiday before we had to get down to
work, as we'd probably have no time for the next couple of years at least.
We'd settled on that story as the simplest to remember, because none of us
really wanted to explain our convoluted family history and circumstances to
casual enquirers, and both Leon and Judy seemed satisfied, as they left it
at that.
   Once we'd gotten to the stage in our lunch where the edge was off our
appetites, Leon invited us to spend a few days with his family; apparently
his mother wanted to thank us in person for getting him out of what could
have been a nasty situation, and had offered us the hospitality of the
family home for a few days as a thank you.  I exchanged glances with Shari,
while Rick and Yaz looked on, obviously prepared to follow my lead.  Shari
nodded imperceptibly, so it was arranged; Leon would pick us up later that
afternoon, and we'd be back at his home in time for dinner.
   "Remember, guys, wrap-up warm, it gets cold out in the backwoods!" he'd
grinned.
   With that, lunch was done, the girls piled all their mass of shopping
bags into the trunk of the big Nitro, and drove back to the hotel with Judy
in her little Toyota Prius.
   Back in our room, I asked Shari why she'd agreed so readily to go off on
a jaunt with people we really hardly knew.  She led me over to the couch
and sat down, pulling me down next to her.  Once we were seated, I posed
the question again; why?
   She looked thoughtful for a second, and a little sad.
   "Baby, I did it because Leon and Judy are the first friends you've ever
made; you've gone your whole life in this kind of bubble of isolation, and
that fucker Robert Davies is to blame for that.  Even while I'm rejoicing
you finally met someone and made friends with them, part of me inside is
crying because you've gone your whole life completely alone, without a
single friend, or knowing how to make one."
   A tear trickled from the corner of her eye, and I wiped it away,
wondering at what she was saying.  She smiled softly at me, and continued.
   "Bobby, you've had to wait twenty-two years to find out what a friend
is, all because of that crazy bastard; he took more than your mother away
from you, he took the world away from you as well, but now, now you've
started to meet real people, and spend time just as friends with them. 
That's why I agreed to go away with them; Leon likes you for you, someone
else has finally seen the real you, not just me, and that makes me very
happy!"
   While we were debating what to take with us, and what to leave in the
room, the cell-phone from the investigation agency beeped.  Shari snatched
it up, listened intently, then:
   "I see, okay, well, in that case, please follow-up all the most
plausible leads, I'm sure you know better than I what to do, so I'll leave
it with you.  We're going out of Albany for a few days, to Oneonta, if
there's no cell service available I'll check in with a land-line number as
soon as I can.  Thank you, goodbye."
   I looked at her, smiling hopefully.
   "Well?"
   She grinned ruefully.
   "No luck so far, baby; quote 'There are currently 189 persons of the
correct approximate age listed under the name Nicholas Davies and variants
in the Albany, Schenectady, Amsterdam, Sarasota Springs, and Springfield
areas.  We will of course investigate all those deemed to be most likely,
but this will take time, and of course, all costs incurred will be in
addition to our agreed scale of fees,' unquote.  So nothing so far,
sweetie, but it's early days yet, baby, nil desperandum!"
   I looked up the places she'd mentioned; it was a huge search area, how
could they ever hope to pin down one Nicholas Davies if there were nearly
200 people with the same name spread out over such a wide and populous
area? I resigned myself to the fact that we might be here for a while.  If
we had to, we had more than enough money to last it out; the sale of
Shari's mother's business, their house, and the properties around London
had netted a staggering amount of money, several million pounds, so we
weren't hurting, nor ever would be, but I was now concerned that we'd be
throwing good money after bad in this quest and end up still no closer to
the truth.
   However, there was nothing I could do about that, so I decided to take a
shower; we still had over an hour before Leon was due, and I'd worked up
quite a sweat trudging around the landmarks of Albany, so I ducked into the
wet room while Shari chose to have a little post-shopping recuperation.  I
was miles away, lathering-up and humming a country and western tune I'd
heard on the car radio, when two small hands crept around my waist, and two
soft lips kissed me between the shoulder-blades.
   "Hello, baby, can I do your back?" she murmured, rubbing her hands in
the suds coating my torso and moving south.  I grinned to myself.
   "Umm, that's not my back, babe..." I said, trying not to laugh, and I
swear I could feel her lips curving into her beautiful smile against my
back.
   "I know Bobby, I know, I'm sort of working my way around you, starting
with the bits I know best..."
   Her flattened hands slowly circled my torso, spreading the shower soap
and pressing slightly as though massaging me, but always moving down, until
her hands rested on my hips, pressing and kneading the muscle there.  I was
enjoying this immensely, if the size and hardness of my erection was
anything to go by, and now her hands began to move inwards, closing-in on
me, until she was clasping my cock with one hand, and cupping my scrotum
with the other.
   "Oooh Bobby, look what I found!" she giggled softly, squeezing my shaft
lightly, making me twitch in her hand.
   "Oooh, it moved, I think it's alive!" she gasped, squeezing harder and
gently, rhythmically squeezing my scrotum in time with the hand slowly
squeezing and pumping my engorged cock.
   I was starting to get more than a little heated with all this fondling
and squeezing; I was feeling the need to do a little of my own, but when I
tried to turn she let go of my scrotum and slapped me warningly on the
backside.
   "Uh-uh, Bobby, I'm not finished!" she breathed, and lightly bit me on
the shoulder, her teeth barely scraping the skin, but sending a delightful
shiver all the way down my spine.  I took the hint and stood there,
enjoying the feeling as she slowly masturbated me, her soapy hands slick
and frictionless as she slid them around my cock and balls.  I couldn't
take much more of this; I was rapidly getting to the point where I wanted
her in my hands, I wanted to play with her and pleasure her like she was
doing to me, but Shari seemed quite happy to stay out of reach and pleasure
me.
   Eventually I'd had enough, and spun round to grab her, making her squeal
in surprise, her protests cut short as I clamped my hands on her bum and
ground our sexes together as I crushed my lips to hers.  Shari moaned and
pushed herself against me, her arms locking tight around my neck as we
kissed, and when I spun around and pushed her back against the wet-room
wall, she grinned and leaped on me, wrapping her legs around my waist as we
kissed so hard I thought we'd split our lips.
   My engorged cock was still trapped between us, but Shari got over that
by lifting up slightly and then dropping down, impaling herself on me.  We
both gasped at the sudden intrusion, the tightness and heat; I'd not
planned to do this with her, but it was welcome, and so hot!  With her back
against slick marble tiles, and her arms around my neck, I began pumping
into her, resting my forehead against the wall to give myself enough
leverage to keep ploughing into her.  My hands slipped from holding her
delectable buttocks to hold her under her thighs as I held her legs apart
so I could ram myself ever harder into her.
   Shari was gasping and mewling, almost incoherent by now, repeating my
name over and over as I hammered into her, her pussy clasping and releasing
me, sucking at me as I powered into her.  A kind of madness overtook us,
all thoughts of the outside world were forgotten, there was only the slap
of wet flesh against flesh, and her soft groans and whispered exclamations
as I pumped into her again and again.
   Shari came with a loud groan, stammering my name as she shuddered and
quivered in release, her orgasm triggering my own.  The feel of me flooding
her over and over with my hot spunk, more than I'd ever done before, made
her orgasm gather pace and roll through her again.
   We hung there, suspended in a perfect moment, gasping, shuddering, and
clasping each other as our release swept through us and became our world.
The bright flare of release slowly dimmed, and the billowing steam, and the
needle-jets of hot water cascading over us finally brought us back to
reality.
   I slipped from her, and sank to my knees, almost no strength left in me
after that volcanic release.  Shari sank down to lean against me, her lips
soft against my shoulder as I cradled her against me.  Her gentle hands
held and caressed my face as I gasped for air, trying to catch my breath
and slow my racing heart.
   "Ohohohoh Bobby, that was incredible!" she quavered softly, "we've so
got to get one of these installed when we get home!"
   I leaned back against the cool wall, letting the spray from the multiple
showerheads massage me and relax me, pulling Shari onto my lap so I could
kiss her properly, not that frenzied "face-sucking" we'd been doing
earlier, Shari kissing me back just as gently and tenderly, then grinned,
and giggled as something occurred to her.  I looked at her quizzically, and
she dimpled.
   "Now that you've done that to me, you just HAVE to marry me, Mr. 
Davies!"
   I pulled her close, and kissed the tip of her nose.
   "Anytime you're ready!  Miss Shereen Amisha Shahida, I would be honoured
if you would consent to be my wife; bedraggled as you currently are, I've
never seen a lovelier or more desirable spinster, and I would have you to
wife!  There, how's that for an 'olde-worlde' proposal?"
   Shari smiled at me and pulled herself closer to me.
   "'Spinster' eh?  You'll pay for that as well.  To get back to your
proposal, and I'm holding you to it, by the way; it was better than a
million roses and a whole orchestra, so yes, Robert Davies, bachelor and
occasional idiot, I think I will marry you!"
   We sat together under the needle sprays, letting the hot water wash the
fatigue away as it washed our bodies, until at last Shari kissed me and
patted my chest, and climbed somewhat shakily off me and made her way to
the entrance of the wet-room; as she made to leave, she paused and softly
called out "Oh, Bobby, darling...?"
   As I looked up she hit the 'Cold' button, drenching me in high-pressure
freezing water from all the spray heads at once.
   "Wakey-Wakey, Baby!" she crowed, finally getting her revenge as I
hooted, gasped and spluttered under the unexpected icy deluge.  Revenge
really is a dish best served cold, or in her case, icy cold!
   We were under the clock now; we had less than an hour before we were
meeting Leon and Judy, so we had to hustle.  We'd already packed all the
warm clothes we'd brought; it was January, and the upstate weather was cold
and unpredictable.  Luckily Shari and Yaz had picked up a pair of vivid
turquoise North Face goose-down jackets for Rick and me, and some
Thinsulate ski gloves and beanies, and a few more pairs of thermal socks,
just in case we decided to do a little exploring.
   Getting dried-off and dressed took minutes; most of our slack time was
taken-up with drying Shari's spectacular mane of red-bronze hair, but with
two driers we were done and waiting for Rick and Yaz in record time.  They
joined us in the lobby, Rick looking as drained as I felt, and Yaz and
Shari sharing a sly, secret little grin, so obviously Yaz and Rick had been
taking the same opportunity Shari and I had...
   Leon was bang on time, but no Judy.  Shari asked him where she was, and
if she was going to be there for our visit.  Leon grinned as he helped us
load our bags into the trunk.
   "She had to deal with something, a family thing, but she'll be along
tomorrow, don't you worry, she's looking forward to this!"
   With that we were off.  The drive wasn't that long, something over an
hour and a half.  As Rick was riding shotgun, Leon chatted mainly with him,
so I took the opportunity to grab a little shut-eye in the back seat, Shari
nudging me if Leon spoke to me.  Otherwise I caught-up a little on my
missed sleep.
   Leon's family lived on Canterbury Lane, just outside Oneonta, in a
beautiful sprawling house backing onto open country.  There was snow on the
ground, and cloaking some of the conifers, evidence that winter was still
very much here in upstate New York.  Leon's mother and sister greeted us
warmly, his mother a redheaded slim lady whom Leon didn't resemble in the
slightest, but a photo on the wall of an older man in a fire-fighter's
outfit looked enough like him to clue me in that it was his father.  I was
curious about the "FDNY" badge and the number 343 incorporated into the
frame, but I thought I'd keep it to myself, as there was a black band
across one corner of the photograph.  His younger sister resembled his
mother, but with his sandy blonde hair, grey eyes, and quick smile.
   Leon's mother ("Please, call me Kathleen!") couldn't do enough for us,
almost falling over herself to hug Rick and me for saving her son.  Leon
looked more than a tad embarrassed by the whole thing, but I suppose if
someone had jumped in and saved my son a beating, or worse, I'd probably be
grateful too.
   "Ma, stop it, you're embarrassing the guys!" he complained, grinning and
nudging Maria, his sister, who promptly jumped on us and started the whole
thing all over again.  I happened to glance up while Maria was trying to
break my neck with a hug, to see Leon, Yaz and Shari all grinning widely at
Rick and me.  My face was burning with all this show of affection, as was
Rick's, something that made everyone else grin even more.
   Dinner was wonderful.  Leon's mother was a great cook, and she kept
piling our plates up with more food.  The crowning glory of the meal was a
huge apple pie, hot and delicious, the smell of cinnamon and spices rich
and tempting.  After dinner, I asked Kathleen if I could go outside; I was
feeling the need for a little alone-time, and it was quiet and peaceful all
the way out here.  She told me to wrap-up warm, the winter chill was still
around, but I was looking forward to it; it was a different kind of cold to
England, dry and crisp, not raw and damp like winter in Carlisle.
   "Don't fall in the stream, honey!" she joked as I let myself out onto
the patio and struck off across the lawn, no real destination in mind,
really just wanting to breathe some of that chill fresh air, hoping it
would clear my head a little.  I sat on an old log stump, watching my
breath steaming in the sharp night air, thinking about what we did next,
where we went next as a family.  I was lost in my thoughts when I heard
someone coming up behind me.  A small hand came to rest on my shoulder,
and, from that shared telepathy couples sometime have, I knew that it was
Shari without needing to turn and look.
   "It's beautiful out here, isn't it, baby?" she murmured.  I stood up and
unzipped my jacket, pulling her cold hands inside and around my waist to
warm her up again.  Shari nuzzled against me as I pulled my thick jacket
around us both, her hands rubbing my back as she looked up at the distant
mountains glowing in the moonlight.  I didn't answer her; I thought she was
much more beautiful, and the feel of her against me was triggering all
kinds of things inside me.  Shari obviously guessed what I was feeling, her
hands coming up to cup my face as she kissed me.  I returned the kiss,
feeling her gently grind herself against me, her movements becoming more
insistent as the kiss dragged on.  Now I was heating-up, and part of me was
wondering why she was doing this to me; we were guests in someone's house
and couldn't do anything about it.
   Shari proved me wrong.  As she kissed me, her hand slipped down to rub
and squeeze my cock, already painfully constricted in my jeans, and what
she was doing wasn't helping any as I kissed her, hard, still wondering how
we were going to do anything about it.  I had just decided to break-off and
take her back indoors when she swung me round so my back was against the
trunk of one of the big conifers on the stream bank and dropped to her
knees to fumble with my belt.  I watched in horny fascination as she undid
my belt, popped my jeans, yanked down the zipper in one smooth move, and
pulled my jeans and shorts down so my aching cock was freed.  She looked up
at me and grinned, her face pale in the moonlight, but with that devilish
smile she did so well, then ducked her head and took me into her mouth. 
The warm, wet succulence of her mouth was almost unbearably wonderful as
she licked and sucked me out there in the open air on a freezing winter
night, one hand slowly squeezing and pumping my cock, while the other
gently squeezed and massaged my balls.
   Ordinarily, I have to be really worked-up for this kind of thing to
bring me on, but for some reason the whole situation was extremely erotic,
and I couldn't last long, not like this, not with her doing so many
wonderful things to me.  The end came quickly, even though I didn't
normally find oral sex that much of a turn-on, but right there and then...
   "Oohh God, Shari, yess, it's...  God, I'm coming, Shari...!" I gasped,
as an avalanche of spunk blasted out of me, filling her mouth as she sucked
me avidly, not spilling a drop as I pulsed and twitched in her mouth,
firing salvo after salvo of hot spunk onto her tongue and against the roof
of her mouth.  I came so hard my ears were ringing with the force of it,
and my knees buckled as I leaned against the tree-trunk.
   Shari sucked me until I began to go soft, sucking every last drop of
sperm out of my cock and polishing the head with her tongue.  When I'd
finished, and she'd cleaned me with her tongue, she zipped me back up and
buckled my belt back on before standing up and kissing me once lightly on
the lips.  I grinned at her.
   "That was wonderful, big sister, but why, and why now?"
   Shari pulled herself against me once again, sliding her cold hands
around inside the back of my jacket to warm up again.
   "No reason, except you're my Bobby, and I wanted to give you something
nice.  That should hold you 'til we get back to the hotel, but then you owe
me one, Robert Davies, and I never forget a debt!" she grinned.
   We both laughed at that, and holding hands, made our way back to the
warmth of the house.
   Leon showed us to our rooms; Rick and I were sharing one guest bedroom,
Shari and Yaz another; we may have been living together as couples in
England, but Leon's family, his mother in particular, were old-fashioned
Catholics with very set ideas about who slept with whom.  It had been a
long day, with a large meal on top, plus that interlude with Shari out in
the moonlight, and I must have flaked-out as soon as my head hit the
pillow, because next thing I knew the sun was shining in my eyes.  The room
had a small bathroom attached, so I had a quick shower and got dressed. 
Rick was just finishing getting dressed when there was a knock on the door,
followed by Leon poking his head round.
   "Breakfast guys, come and get it, we've got a long day ahead!  Judy just
got here and the girls are all up, so come on, di di mao!"
   When we arrived at the table, Judy was already seated with Yaz and Shari
on either side of her, and she smiled at us, but behind it was that
searching, almost hostile glance again, first at Rick, then me.  She was
starting to unnerve me; she couldn't possibly know me or what I was like,
or had been like, and yet she was definitely not as affable or easy with
Rick and me as Leon was.
   With the girls it was another matter; she seemed completely, genuinely
taken with Shari and Yaz, laughing, joking and giggling with them; it just
seemed to be Rick and me she had an issue with, and I couldn't for the life
of me figure out what it was.
   After breakfast, while Yaz and Shari helped Judy clear up, Leon took us
on a quick tour of the property.  The house stood on about three acres, and
had a small stream or brook running through the back garden, with a small
single-span barrel-vault wooden bridge connecting the two halves of the
property.  Off in the distance we could see mountains and snow-capped
hills, blue with distance, with dense forest covering the lower slopes of
the hills.  The air held a sharp, refreshing chill, and smelled fresh and
clean, tinged with pine, and I felt very relaxed.  While we were sitting on
some sawed-off logs and talking about England, with Rick telling Leon about
London, the girls joined us, Shari slipping next to me, and Yaz plumping
down onto Rick's lap.
   Judy remained standing, her expression unreadable, but even I could tell
she had something on her mind; she was too tense, too intent, and once
again that feeling of disquiet brushed the surface of my mind.  She thrust
her hands into the pockets of her snow jacket and turned away, looking up
at the distant hills.
   Eventually she seemed to come to a decision, and turned to face us.
   "Bobby, Rick, if I ask you a direct question, will you answer me
truthfully?"
   I glanced at Shari, and once again she nodded almost imperceptibly, one
eyebrow raised, like she knew something was coming, and had been prepared
for it.  I looked back at Judy and nodded.
   "Ask away, I'll be as truthful as I can."
   Judy looked at me skeptically, and then once again, that strange, half
quizzical-half hostile look flitted across her face.
   "Okay then, answer me this; who are you, and why are you really here in
America, and more specifically, why are you here in Albany?"
   Leon started to protest, but I held up my hand, quieting him as I looked
into Judy's eyes, seeing the suspicion there.  I looked at Shari for
guidance again, and her hand tightened on mine.
   "Tell her, baby, it's okay, I think she already knows, but she needs to
hear it from you.  Go on, it's okay!" she whispered, kissing me lightly on
the cheek.  I nodded, and pulled Shari closer.
   "Judy, I think you know we're not here on holiday, we're not having a
junket before buckling-down to work, we came here for a reason.  I have an
older brother, he's missing, he's been missing for nearly four years now, I
want to find him, we all want to find him.  Rick and me, we have a lot of
things we need to say to our big brother, and Shari and Yaz, they also have
their own reasons for wanting to find my brother.  My family fell apart
because of something that happened, something very bad, and we want to find
our brother so he can know it's over now, and so we can ask him how we can
make it right with him.  We know he came from here a long time ago, and we
know he came back, we just don't know where he is now."
   Judy was watching me closely as I went through the basic reasons for us
being there, her eyes sharp, intent, not missing a thing.
   "And if you find him, what then?" she asked.
   Rick stood up and cleared his throat, Yaz holding his hand as he spoke
to Judy.
   "If we find him, we tell him we're sorry, we were wrong, what we did was
wrong, what happened to him was wrong, that we went to our mother's grave
and we saw what he'd done for her, and that we both wish we'd done it, we
should have done it a long time ago.  My big brother tried to be there for
us, and we pushed him away all our lives; now we need to make things right
with him; we want to ask him to forgive us, and to let him know that his
family finally understands who he is, and what he means to us."
   Judy looked at Yaz, then Shari.
   "Okay, I get what you're saying, but I still don't understand why your
girlfriends need him back as well?"
   Okay, this was it.  I looked at Shari, at Yaz; they both nodded and held
themselves a little closer to us.
   "This is hard to say, and maybe you won't like it, but here goes.  Shari
and Yasmin are sisters, but you already knew that; what you don't know is
that they are also our sisters, or half-sisters; my older brother is their
older brother, too, and they need him as much as we do, maybe more.  Our
father was a vile and evil man, and he did vile and evil things, but one
thing he did I will always be grateful for; he fathered these two lovely
girls.  They're part of our lives in ways you won't understand, that I
don't expect you to understand, or approve of, but that's the way it is. 
Our brother is missing, we all need him, we're all here to try and find
him."
   Judy was looking at me in open-mouthed wonder, as was Leon.
   "So Shari's your...sister?  Really?  You look nothing like each
other..."
   Shari spoke up.
   "Bobby's my half-brother, we have different mothers.  My mother was
Indian, and Bobby's mother was English.  Everything Bobby told you is the
truth; we came here looking for my brother, we know what happened to him to
make him leave, all we want is a chance to tell him his family is there
when he needs us; we know he has a family here, we don't want to drag him
back to England, we don't want him to re-live any of that, we know what
pain and sorrow he went through, is still going through.  All we want is
the chance to tell him that he has us as well, and to let him know that
when he's ready, we're going to be there for him, if he'll let us.  That's
all.  All I want is to meet my big brother...and hug my niece as well!"
   Judy looked thoughtfully from Rick to me, to Shari and back to Rick.
   "And if you find him, what then?  Maybe he has a life here.  Maybe he
won't want to be reminded of the life he left behind, maybe he has all he
needs right here, have you thought of that?"
   Shari wiped her eyes with the back of her glove and squeezed my arm
tightly.
   "I hope he does have a life here, a good, happy life; after what
happened to him, he needs and deserves all the happiness he can find, or
make.  All we want is for him to know that we're here, that he has us too,
and that it's all finally over.  There's only one more thing we need him to
know, and...well, I think that's for him, if it's all the same to you,
Judy."
   Judy looked appraisingly at us, but the flat hostility that had been so
apparent before was gone now.  Now her look was friendly, compassionate.
   "Ok guys, thank you for sharing at last.  I hope you find him, I really
do, it must be hell, knowing part of your family is missing like that!"
   Yaz was hugging Rick closely, her face buried in his chest, obviously
affected by Shari's words, Rick stroking her hair as he hugged her, and
Judy glanced thoughtfully at her.  Leon was looking pretty shell-shocked at
all these revelations, turning to stare back at us as Judy towed him back
to the house.  As we gathered on the back porch, he grinned at us.
   "Whatever you do, don't tell mom you're all brothers and sisters!  I
could give a shit, but she's kinda old-school Catholic; one hint of this
and she'll have you on your knees, so keep a lid on it, guys, and I mean
it!"
   We spent the rest of the morning touring around the town, Leon showing
us the various historical landmarks and sites, obviously proud of his
home-town.  Judy and the girls split away from us, doing some exploring of
their own, leaving the three of us to talk in an excellent coffee-shop.
   "So Bobby, isn't it kind of weird, you and...you know, your sister and
all...?" asked Leon, a puzzled expression on his face, and I struggled to
explain the connection Shari and I shared, plus the fact that three months
earlier I'd never met her or knew she existed, so for me she wasn't my
sister, and that I had no place anywhere in my head that she fitted-in as a
sister, so no, it wasn't weird at all; to me she was only and always a
beautiful, exotic girl who loved me, and I loved her.
   Leon got that, and grinned.
   "I don't blame you, man, she's a real babe!  How 'bout you, Rick?"
   Rick kind of grinned too, all the answer Leon needed.  With that we
headed back to rendezvous with the girls and go back to the house for
lunch. After lunch, Judy excused herself, saying she had to get back to
Albany, urgent family business, but that she'd see us soon, and left us to
sit and talk with the family, Kathleen and Maria filling us in on Leon's
past; we learned he'd grown up wanting to be a fire-fighter, like his
father and grandfather, but after his father was killed in New York, the
family had moved back to Oneonta and Kathleen had made him promise not to
join the Fire Department, so his other great love, cars took over.
   At that point he took Rick and me out to the garage and pulled a tarp
off his pride and joy; a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala he'd first seen in a
TV show called "Supernatural" and had scrimped and saved until he could
finally get a broken-down example, which he'd then spent several years
restoring.  It was a beauty, glossy black paintwork and sparkling chrome,
and to my eyes, used to the compact cars of Britain, it looked big as a
ferryboat and sleek and menacing as a torpedo.
   Dinner was once again a happy, relaxed affair, Kathleen pulling out all
the stops, as we'd be leaving the next day to go back to Albany; we'd
decided we really should be back there in case the private investigator had
any more information.  We were just passing round dessert when the
telephone rang.  Leon took the call, and then called Kathleen out into the
hall for a quick, whispered conversation.  They both came back in, Kathleen
giving us us an odd look, before exchanging glances with Leon and nodding
to him, so he turned his attention to us.
   "Guys, I'll be taking you back to Albany once we're done here; Judy's in
Albany with someone there she thinks you need to talk to, so once we're
done, we'll get your stuff together.  I wish you could have stayed longer,
but Judy says this is real important!"
   Rick, Yaz, Shari and I exchanged puzzled glances; what was going on
here? Leon wasn't saying anything more, so we finished dinner in awkward
silence.  Once we were done, Rick and I went and got the bags while the
ladies hugged and promised return visits as soon as possible.
   Conversation during the drive back was limited, as Leon seemed to have
no wish to discuss where we were going; all he would say was that Judy had
asked him to bring us back to Albany as quickly as possible, and that it
was important.  To be honest, I was feeling a little embarrassed at the
abrupt way we'd finished our visit, eating and running like that, so I was
not entirely comfortable on the 90-minute drive back to Albany.
   Eventually we began hitting the off-ramp signs for down-town Albany, and
we took one, driving through what looked like very nice housing
developments and older neighborhoods, lots of green spaces and lawns,
large, elegant houses set well-back from the road, with large gardens to
the front, and wide, sweeping roadways.
   We eventually pulled into the gravelled drive of a large, red-brick
house with tall, white-framed windows, and a large Weeping Willow in the
centre of the lawn.  As we rolled to a stop, the front door opened, and
Judy came out with a tall girl with striking red-bronze hair, almost the
same titian-red as Shari's, and smoky emerald eyes.  She stared wide-eyed
at Rick and me, and turned back to Judy.
   "Jude, look..they're so much like...it's amazing, look at them!" she
whispered, while we looked on uncomprehendingly.  Judy grinned.
   "I know, told you so.  Guys, this is my sister, Ashley.  Ashley, this is
Bobby, that's Ricky, and these are their girlfriends, Shari and Yaz.  Shall
we go in?"
   Ashley led us into the house and into a large, comfortable family room,
with big couches and a bright fire, where she indicated that we take our
seats.  I was at a complete loss to understand why Judy had brought us
here, and was just about to ask her, when a little girl, maybe no more than
18 months or so, came running down the passage and barged into Judy's legs.
   "Judeejudeejudeejudee!" she crowed, laughing as Judy picked her up and
nibbled her neck, making her laugh and giggle even more, before settling
her on her hip.  She saw the puzzled look on our faces, and grinned.
   "This is my niece, Babs; say hello to the nice people, poppet!"
   The little girl grinned happily, and flapped a pudgy little hand.
   "This is Ashley's baby, her husband will be along shortly, he has some
things he wants to tell you; in fact, here he is now."
   I was just turning to see this "husband" who wanted to talk to us, when
he spoke, freezing me in my tracks.
   "Hello Robert, long time no see!  You too, Richie!  I hear you want to
talk to me!"
   Rick jumped spinning around, his expression probably mirroring mine,
because there, framed in the doorway, looking just as I remembered him, was
Nicky, the same tousled dark blonde hair, the same tawny-brown eyes, the
same lopsided smile, a little taller and somehow more "grown-up", but still
Nicky.
   "Nicky...oh my God, Shari, look, it's...it's Nicky, look!" I whispered,
shock, relief, guilt, and sorrow all battling for control of me.
   Nicky walked into the room and took the little girl from Judy, grinning
fondly as she reached up and pulled his nose, then kissed her and passed
her to Ashley, kissing her as she took the child from him.  He then turned
back to face us, his expression quizzical, but not hostile.
   "Judy tells me you came here looking for me, which was kind of a
surprise, but here I am.  Now you've found me, what can I do for you?"
   I was utterly dumbfounded; I'd resigned myself to weeks, maybe months of
waiting for news, and yet the people we'd bumped into by the sheerest
stroke of luck had led us right here to him.  My mouth worked as I tried to
say something, anything, but I was struck speechless.
   "Speak up, Robert, you never had any problem before!" he grinned, his
expression robbing the words of any sting, although, in truth he had every
reason in the world to be bitter and hostile, and not one reason in hell to
listen to anything we had to say.  Shari looked up at me, her expression
unreadable, realising I was trying to say so many things that nothing could
come out, so she plunged ahead.
   "Nick...Nicky, you don't know me, my name is Shereen Shahida, and my
sister Yasmin and I are the daughters of Robert Davies; we're your sisters,
you're my big brother, and we've been looking for you.  Mummy told us
everything she knew about you, what our...what that man did to you, how he
hurt you.  She didn't know where you were, or what happened to you, but I
promised myself that we'd try and find you, because you're my big brother,
and I need you as much as I need Bobby and Ricky!"
   Nick put his arm around Ashley and squeezed her, smiling at Shari as she
stood looking at him, her face pale and drawn, and her eyes glittering.
   "So you're my little sister?  Hello sis, and hello even younger sis!" he
grinned, smiling at Yaz.
   Yaz stared silently at him, her eyes shining, breathing out in a gusty
sigh that somehow became a sob.  Nicky cocked his head and winked at her,
and suddenly Yaz was hugging him, babbling into his chest.
   "We looked for you, we tried to find you, we all did, oh Nicky, we
didn't know where you were, I heard so much about you, mummy said you were
badly hurt, I'm so sorry, so sorry...!"
   Nick hugged her, grinning at Shari, as she too moved in to share in his
hug.
   "Sshhh, it's okay, it's okay, shh now, is that any way to say hello to
your big brother?  Who knew I had such beautiful little sisters!" He held
them both away a little and studied them, his old grin very much in
evidence, that charming, lopsided smile of his that had always irritated me
so much when I was younger.
   "Judy said you were beautiful, but she was only half-right!  All my
sisters are knock-outs, just look at you!  And now I think you should meet
the rest of your family.  This beautiful girl here is my wife, Ashley, and
this is our daughter, your niece, Barbara."
   My heart lurched as he said her name, wonder, guilt and loss warring in
me all over again.  Nick saw me start at the name, and nodded slightly,
obviously guessing exactly what had jolted through me on hearing my
mother's name again.
   Nick pulled Judy closer and hugged her tightly.
   "You've met Judy, my sister-in-law and my best friend, and Leon, my
soon-to-be brother in law you already know.  My mother and her husband are
waiting for us to get acquainted, you'll meet them later.  So now, talk to
me, Robert, tell me why you needed to see me so badly.  I wrote to you, I
asked you both to meet me in Carlisle last year, I heard nothing back, so I
assumed that was it.  So, why are you here, now?"
   Shari looked up at me again, checking if I was up to this now, and I
nodded, letting her know I was ready for this.  We all sat down as I began
to speak.
   In a low voice I told him what had happened after our father was
arrested and extradited, the way we'd been stripped of everything, how we'd
lived, then Rick's disappearance and re-appearance two years later with two
sisters in-tow, sisters we'd grown-up completely unaware of.
   Rick took up the tale, how he'd pieced together enough hints and clues
to convince him that he'd found something, and how he had indeed found
Shari and her family, and learned what our father had put her mother
through.  He glanced at Shari, who took it up from there.
   "Our mother was beaten and abused, raped and mistreated by our father
for so long, but she couldn't do anything about it, because he threatened
us, Yaz and me.  When we were old enough, he was going to sell us to his
friends!"
   Nicky's look of shock and outrage was echoed and magnified on Ashley and
Judy's faces.  Nicky pulled her close and held her while she trembled, the
remembered fear and terror reverberating through her all over again, and it
felt right to watch her be held and take comfort in the arms of her big
brother.
   "Where's your mother, Shereen, what happened to her?" he asked her
softly.
   "Mummy died, all the beatings, so many injuries...she had a brain
haemorrhage, one day she just...died, peacefully, I think, but he killed
mummy, just as surely as if he'd throttled her with his bare hands...lRicky
found us, mummy took him in, she loved him, we loved him, he was our
brother, and he promised her he'd look after us, and he did.  Bobby and
Ricky have changed, Nicky, I swear, they're different, they're who they
should have been.  Yaz and me are safe at last, with them, at least give
them a chance please!"
   Nicky looked up at us, one arm encircling Yaz, his free hand stroking
Shari's hair as he glanced from Rick to me and back again, his eyes hooded,
distant.
   "I knew that bastard was sick; he's in jail now for the things he did,
and he deserves every second of time he'll serve there, but how about you
two?  What I remember of you isn't good, or happy, and how about Barbara,
what about her, what about her memory?  She was your mother, you know, I
tried to tell you, but you never listened, how do I know you've changed? 
That part of my life only means hurt and pain to me; why should I let you
into any other part of it?"
   Rick stood up and moved next to me, taking Yaz's hand and raising her
up. Yaz held herself close to him as he spoke.
   "Nicky, all our lives we treated you like an outsider; we thought
Barbara was your mother, and neither of you wanted or needed us.  Dad
always told us we didn't need her or you, and we believed him.  I'm sorry I
left my oldest brother out, I was wrong, and stupid, and selfish and all
kinds of other things.  Yaz and Shari, and especially her mother, showed me
how wrong I was, they taught me what family really means, and now all I
want to do is put mine back together again the best way I can.  I'm sorry
Nicky, I was wrong, and I want my big brother back.  We only found your
letter a few days before Christmas, it had been wrongly delivered to an
empty house, but we came here to look for you just as soon as we discovered
where you were!"
   Nicky grinned at me, although there wasn't much humour in his smile.
   "And you, Robert, what do you want?"
   Shari reached out and took my hand, squeezing my fingers gently, telling
me to tell him everything.  I squeezed back just once, agreeing with her.
   "Nick, I came to find you so I could say I'm sorry.  I thought Rick and
I were going to be big-shot businessmen one day, just like dad, and I
learned how to be just like him, and I forgot you were my brother too. 
What I learned from dad was all so wrong, I know that now; my sisters
showed me how wrong I was.  I even tried to kill myself, because I worked
out how bad it was going to be, but Shari saved me, literally.  She made me
see that there was another world out there, and she's showing me how to fit
into it, how I could be so much better than whatever I was before.  I'm
still learning, but I do know one thing; I need my big brother to show me
how as well.  And it's "Bobby" now, I'm not Robert anymore..."
   Nick hugged the two girls again and smiled enigmatically as Shari
slipped her hand in mine and Yaz stayed huddled against Rick.
   "It seems the Davis brothers have a lot more in common than you think!"
he commented cryptically.  "By the way, you should know our family name is
"Davis", not "Davies; that sick bastard's real name is Brian Davis, he
changed his name to hide me from my mother when she tried looking for me
after he abducted me."
   He looked behind me into the passageway, and nodded, and a woman in her
mid-forties popped her head in the door and smiled at everyone.  I could
see immediately her resemblance to Nick; not so much the features, but the
same eyes, the same hair, the same jawline.  This must have been Nick's
mother.  She in turn looked Rick and me up and down, her eyes flicking
between us and Nick, comparing our features.  I had noticed the strong
resemblance between Rick and Nicky before, but now they were standing side
by side, they were almost eerily similar; apart from the hair and eye
colour, they could almost have been twins, even more so than Yaz and Shari.
Nick stood up and took her hand.
   "Mum, these are my brothers, the tall one is Bobby, the handsome one is
Rick, and these two lovely girls are Shari and Yaz, my sisters.  Guys, this
is my mum, Julia Nixon."
   I offered my hand, but instead she hugged me, a warm, inclusive hug. 
She did the same to Rick, and each of the girls, gently hand-combing a
large curl away from Yaz's face so she could look at her properly.  Yaz
smiled at such a motherly gesture, and the ice was broken.  At that point
little Barbara decided to make her presence felt, and with a grin Ashley
handed her to Shari, who sat down with her on her lap, Yaz sitting next to
her, the two of them suddenly completely absorbed with their new-found
niece.
   Julia took my arm and linked her other arm with Rick, speaking so only
the two of us could hear her.
   "Thank you for coming, all of you, I'm so glad you came to find Nicky,
he needs this, he needs all his family too!  Now that you're all here, all
that stuff that happened before is finally over.  Poor Nicky's been wracked
with guilt over what happened, perhaps now he can let some of it go.  Who
knows, maybe his brothers and sisters can help him do that, you never know.
I know how much he loved your mother, I don't blame him; she was all he
had, stranded there with that terrible man, and from what I heard, those
two girls have the same loss as him.  Perhaps all of you can help each
other over this now.  You're here, and Nicky's family is back together
again; before he only had us, now he has you again, or maybe at last. 
Perhaps now he can find some sort of peace.  All of you are going to have
to help each other; you know that, don't you?  You're brothers and sisters,
perhaps now's the perfect time to be just that!" she smiled, letting us
both go with a gentle pat on the arm.
   I was a little overwhelmed by all this; such a lot had happened in the
last hour, and I was still processing where I was, and who was who, and
trying to figure-out what happened next.  I looked across at Yaz and Shari,
bonding with their niece, talking animatedly with Ashley, fitting-in, and
couldn't help but feel that perhaps Julia was right; now was the time to be
family again.
   Judy slipped her arm through mine and grinned up at me, her little pixie
face alight with amusement.
   "Welcome to the Nixon-Davis clan!  Don't worry, Leon's still trying to
get used to this, feel free to feel a little shell-shocked if you need to!"
   I sat down on one of the couches, and Judy sat next to me, which was
good, because I had some questions for her.
   "Judy, when did you put it all together, when did you know or suspect
that we were looking for Nick and all?" I asked her, and she gave me that
grin again.
   "You're serious, right?  Bobby, as soon as I saw you two at the hotel I
knew!  Have you looked in a mirror lately?  You and Rick are so much like
Nicky it's uncanny; I nearly fell over in shock!  He once told me what a
pair of little shits his kid brothers were, and then to see you two in the
flesh, boy was I conflicted!  It was a weird sensation, actually seeing in
the flesh two of the people Nicky felt he had most reason in the world to
hate, looking so much like one of the people I love most in the world! 
Even the hand gestures are the same.  It's still freaking me out, believe
me!"
   I had to grin, and agree with her; we had been a pair of despicable
little shits, but maybe, just maybe, we'd turned that corner and left that
all behind.  Something else was also troubling me.
   "Judy, what is Nicky going to say about...you know, Shari and me, and
Rick and Yaz?"
   Judy twinkled at me.
   "I think he'll congratulate you on your taste!  Tell him, I think you
just might be surprised; the Davis boys are a lot more alike than you
probably think!  Go on, go and ask him!"
   She seemed to be secretly amused about something, but not in a malicious
way, so I followed her advice.  Rick was in the middle of being admired by
Nicky's mother and Ashley, much to his embarrassment and Yaz's amusement,
so I collared Nicky while he was unoccupied.
   "Nicky, can I ask you something?" I began, and he nodded, walking me to
a part of the room not occupied by sisters, wives, mothers and little
girls.
   "Okay...Bobby, what's on your mind?"
   Now for it; the only way to ask him was to ask him, so I jumped straight
in.
   "What would you say if I told you that Shari was more than just a sister
to me, that she and I, and Rick and Yasmin, have a...a closer relationship
than just simply being brothers and sisters?"
   Nick looked at me for a long moment, then slowly grinned.
   "I think I'd say that you have incredibly good taste, both of you,
they're exquisite!"
   I breathed a sigh of relief, but now my curiosity had gotten the better
of me.
   "So you don't think it's wrong...or immoral, or anything like that?"
   Nick looked at me, then glanced over at Ashley, and I was struck how
much she had in common with the girls; tall, slender, beautiful, deep
red-bronze hair, large, expressive eyes, and something began to click
inside me.  Nick saw the direction of my glance and pulled me closer, so he
was almost whispering in my ear.
   "My mother's name before she married David, my stepfather, was Lowry,
Julia Lowry; Ashley's maiden name was also Lowry..."
   I listened uncomprehending for a second, then it clicked into place;
Ashley Lowry, Nick's mother was Julia Lowry, of course; Ashley was his
sister!  Now Judy's offhand remark about the Davis boys being a lot more
alike than we suspected suddenly made sense; that, and Nick's cryptic
comment along the same lines a few minutes ago!
   I gaped at him, and he grinned happily.
   "When I first arrived here, almost the first person I saw was Ashley;
and I couldn't take my eyes off her, or stop thinking about her.  We met on
the first day I arrived here, and we've been together ever since.  I felt
about her, and I still do, the same way you probably feel about Shari;
she's beautiful, she loves me, I love her, the "sister" thing didn't matter
to us then, and it doesn't matter to us now."
   He stopped talking for a second to look at Ashley, happily chatting to
the girls as little Barbara clambered over all of them, then carried on.
   "I think I know why, too, and it's probably the same for you.  Ashley
and I didn't grow-up together; she was born long after I was abducted, and
she was already an adult when we met; I was just a vague story about
something that happened a long time ago, so there was no 'sibling bond' or
anything like that.  Ashley explained it to me once; apart from that one
family relationship through a shared parent, we have no other connection,
no life together as siblings, so it was easy for us, just as it was
probably easy for you, and for the same reason.  Or perhaps we just have a
twisted gene that makes us bunk-up our sisters!"
   He grinned as he said it, and I breathed a sigh of relief, and then
sensed someone standing behind me.  I turned, to see Nick's mother standing
there.  She put her arm through mine again, and reached up to stroke Nick's
cheek.
   "I heard what you both said, and Nicky's right; if Shereen's the girl
for you, then that's who she is.  When Nicky and Ashley first got together
it bothered me, and made me angry, but no-one in the world had ever loved
her like Nicky did, she was his whole world, and he was hers, and I
eventually saw it too.  My husband loves her like a daughter, he thinks of
her as his daughter, just like Judy and our little girl, Rachel, and he
couldn't have wished for a better husband for her than Nicky, so these
things do work out, it just takes a little effort.  Forget about what
happened in the past, that doesn't matter now, but if you're anything like
Nicky, then you've got it in you to make it work too, just let her know
once in a while how you feel about her!"
   She smiled, and piloted me back into the centre of the family to meet
her husband, Nick's stepfather.  Doctor Nixon came across as a good man;
Ashley obviously adored him, as did Judy, his own daughter.  I noticed
Ashley called him "dad" as often as Judy called Julia "Mom", so there was
obviously a lot of love there, and Nick was just as obviously deeply in
love with his little sister, four year-old Rachel, looking sleepy and shy
and just adorable in her little 'Pokémon' nightdress.
   I was sitting quietly for a moment while Nick and Leon went to get
coffee for everyone, when Doctor Nixon sat down next to me.  I'd found him
incredibly easy to talk to, he seemed to be able to draw things out of me
that I had no intention of mentioning, but he did it so well, and so
unobtrusively, that I found myself talking with him like an old family
friend.
   Somehow, I found myself telling him about Barbara, and what Shari's
mother had told Rick about how she'd died, that our father had murdered
her, how he'd boasted to her what he'd done, how he did it, and what he did
to Nick.
   Doctor Nixon looked at me levelly.
   "I saw what Brian Davis did to Nick; I treated him for some of it
myself. When Nick came here his back and shoulders were a mass of cuts and
welts, his clothes were blood-soaked, and he was suffering from
post-traumatic shock, almost like those poor boys coming back from Iraq; he
was a mess, and that man boasted of it, did he?  Well, I'm not surprised,
but you don't know the half of it; he blackmailed his associate here to
rape and beat Julia, as her punishment for leaving him; he didn't get to
her, but poor Ashley walked into the middle of it, and she took what your
father had set in motion."
   My shock at hearing this, at the final knowledge of just how depraved
and evil my father was, must have shown, because Doctor Nixon clasped my
shoulder, a warm, human gesture as I let the shock and horror wash out of
me.  He looked at me sympathetically as I tried to come to terms with what
I was hearing.  Just then, Leon handed me a coffee, so I took a long sip,
letting the rich brew calm me as Doctor Nixon waited.  Eventually I was
braced enough to hear the rest of what he had to say.
   "Please, go on, I know there's more, so please, finish what you were
telling me."
   He looked appraisingly at me for a moment, then continued.
   "Ashley became an outcast at her school after what...happened to her. 
No-one but Judy was there for her, the others called her names, shunned
her, she had no friends, no social life, none of the things a teenage girl
should have.  Her mother had no money for new clothes or the latest
fashions, and that made it worse; the whole school treated her like some
kind of pariah, because of what that man had done to her.  They used to
call her "Rag Doll", and she only had her mother, and Judy, and it was the
two of them against the world."
   He paused, staring reflectively into his coffee cup, before continuing,
his voice soft and far away.
   "Only my Judy was there for her, something I will be proud of until the
day I die; that my girl stepped up and stepped in front of Ashley, and
faced down the bullies and the name-callers for her friend."
   He paused to take another sip of coffee, then continued.
   "It took Ashley a long, long time to get past that, and it was only
because of Nicky that she managed it at all, and is who she is today.  When
I first met her mother, I was filled with admiration for her; she'd managed
to make a life for her daughter and herself out of the shards and splinters
of her old life, and that is just one of the reasons I married her.  Now,
Ashley's my daughter, Judy's her sister, and Nick is my son, and they're
happy, they're a family at last.  Brian Davis has caused a lot of misery
and heartache for his family and the people around them, but now he's
caged-up in a place where he can sit and twiddle his thumbs for the rest of
his life while he thinks about what he's done."
   He paused, and looked penetratingly at me.
   "Nicky, however, still needs help; he's still mourning for his mother,
which is how he thinks of Barbara; he believes he left her to die, that he
somehow caused her death, and he thinks he needs to atone for it.  We've
done all we could, but you, his family, are going to have to help him out
of that, he can't do it himself; will you help him?"
   Of course I agreed; how could I not?  With these final revelations of
the true depth of my father's evil, all those little things inside me, the
parts of him I hadn't yet exorcised now dissipated, and I was finally free
of every molecule of him and his influence.  I noticed the little girl,
Rachel, standing next to me, yawning sleepily and staring shyly at me, so
Doctor Nixon beckoned hr closer, grinning as she climbed on his lap and
twisted round to look at me again.
   "Bobby, this is Nick's littlest sister; Rachel, say hello to Bobby!"
   "Hello Bobby, my name's Rachel.  Why do you look like Nicky?"
   I held out my hand and she took it, clambering from her father's lap to
mine.
   "I look like Nicky because Nicky's my big brother, just like he's your
big brother!" I told her, watching her puzzled look as it slowly cleared
up.
   "Are you my big brother too?" she piped, her head tilted adorably to one
side.  I looked at her father, unsure what to say, and he shrugged and
nodded, so I grinned back at her.
   "Yes, yes I am; and see that man over there?  His name's Ricky and he's
your big brother too!"
   Nicky came over and tousled her hair, grinning his familiar lopsided
grin at her.
   "What are you doing out of bed?  Come on, trouble, before mommy catches
you!"
   Rachel jumped up and hugged Nick as he picked her up.
   "Read to me Nicky, pleeeeaasse!  Read me some more about Pooh and
Pig-uh-let, pleeeeaasse?"
   Nick lifted her up and smiled at her.
   "Alright, but only a few pages, okay?  Say goodnight to Bobby, pumpkin!"
She nodded and dimpled at me.
   "Nicky and Ashley took me to the 100 Acre Wood and showed me where Pooh
and Pig-uh-let live, and the Woozle, and rabbit's house, Nicky knows Pooh
and rabbit, and the Heffalump, and everything!  Goodnight Bobby!"
   I watched them leave, and felt a hand on my shoulder; it was Shari, a
small smile on her lips.
   "Who'd have thought you'd be so good with children, Bobby?  You know, I
really do think you'll be okay!  And now we have to go, but Ashley and
Nicky will be coming to the hotel tomorrow morning, we have things to talk
about, you know what, so let's say goodnight, baby, we'll see them again
tomorrow, don't worry."
   Leon drove us back to the hotel, and walked up to our room with us,
hugging Yaz and Shari goodnight and shaking hands with me and Rick, before
telling us he'd see us again at the house before we left.  He still had a
while left of his unspent vacation time, so he wanted to spend some time
with us, and Judy definitely wanted to spend some time with the girls
again; as she'd pointed out with a grin, Yaz and Shari were kind of, sort
of, something like, her sisters too, and she wanted to get properly
acquainted with her extended family.
   When Leon had left, I flopped back on the bed, the events of the day
crowding together in my head as I tried to make sense of everything that
had happened on such an eventful day.  Twelve hours ago we'd been having
breakfast in a small upstate town, planning on getting back to Albany so we
could quiz the private investigator.  Now suddenly Nicky was back; he had a
wife, a daughter, a mother and father, and yet another little sister.
   My head was running close to overload, I needed to sleep on all this,
because the worst was yet to come; in the morning we had to tell him that
he'd been right, that his beloved Barbara had indeed been murdered, and we
had the proof.  I yawned, the crowded day catching up to me, and Shari
bounced onto the bed next to me, jarring me into wakefulness.
   "Wakey-Wakey, Sleeping Beauty!  I told you, you owe me, time to pay up,
buster, come on, get naked, I want to play!"
   I grinned and pulled her against me, my hand snaking down to grab and
squeeze her taut little bottom.  She grinned back at me, and gently bit my
chin.
   "So you are awake, after all!  Good, my turn Bobby, and tonight I want
something special!"
   I looked questioningly at her hoping for a hint, but she just smiled
minxily and bit her bottom lip, the one gesture I have no defence against.
I struggled to sit back upright as she began to strip-off, popping her
jeans and lying back so I could tug them off her.  Underneath she just wore
small thong panties, and once she pulled off her tank-top she was naked,
except for those panties.  I had managed to get my jeans, sweater and polo
shirt off, and was left in just my shorts, with the evidence of my arousal
plain to see.  Shari smiled as she reached out to grab me, squeezing as she
scooted closer to kiss me firmly.
   "I love you Bobby, and because I love you, I want you to do something
special for me tonight.  Will you do that for me?  You'll like it, I
promise!" she asked, punctuating her words with little kisses.
   Of course I agreed; I loved her, and anything she wanted was okay with
me.  Shari smiled at my acquiescence and slid her hand inside my shorts,
holding and squeezing my cock, then pumping it gently as she rubbed her
thumb gently over the end, spreading the lubricant pouring from me over the
head and along the shaft.  My own hand was just as busy, rubbing and
caressing her damp pussy, teasing the lips apart as we kissed, feeling the
little stiff bud of her clitoris harden and throb against my caressing
fingertips.
   Shari was gasping softly as I frigged her, her own hand pumping and
rhythmically squeezing me as we touched and stroked each other.  I pushed
my shorts down as Shari pulled her thong off, and now we were both
completely naked, a fact Shari took full advantage of by sucking my cock
into the back of her throat.  I lay back and lost myself in the sensation
as she suckled on me, her tongue soft and warm and delightful against the
sensitive flesh of my glans.  I tried to urge her to move over me, so I
could return the favour, but she shook her head and smiled at me around my
cock as it stretched her lips wide open.
   I leaned back again, enjoying what she was giving me so freely.  Then
she released me and slid up next to me, kissing me lightly before throwing
a leg over me, to straddle me.  I like this position, I love to watch her
move, all her muscles moving together in harmony, a sleek wildness about
her, absolute perfection of movement in her blend of smooth coordination
and blazing sensuality.
   Shari grinned and raised-up momentarily, her hand grasping me as she
aimed me, then slid slowly, smoothly down onto me, taking me into herself
in one long, agonisingly sweet moment of heat and wet succulence.  She
rested her hands flat on my chest and began to rock, sliding herself on me
as she squeezed me with her internal muscles, riding me like a slow-motion
rodeo rider as she pleasured herself.  Her breasts danced and bobbed in
front of me, her nipples fat and swollen, thick as my fingertips in her
arousal, and without thinking I reached out to take them, cupping her
beautiful small breasts as I gently pinched and rolled her nipples between
my fingertips.
   Now she began to speed up, working herself against me, grinding her
pussy against me as her breathing quickened.  The end came quickly, her
eyes closing as her breath sobbed in her throat, her pussy tightening
around me and pulsing as her orgasm flared and crashed through her.
   She lay down atop me, her heart racing as she fought for breath, her
pussy still pulsing and twitching around me as the aftershocks thrilled
through her.
   After a while, I became aware of two things; her hand was working away
behind her, and she was biting her lip again, something she only did when
she was up to something.  I hadn't orgasmed, and was still bone-hard inside
her, waiting for what she wanted to do next, this mysterious "special"
thing she wanted to do with me.  Suddenly, she sat upright, and took hold
of me, squeezing me a couple of times to check whether I was still
interested, as if she needed to check that!
   Apparently satisfied, she rose up off me and held me in place, then
slowly lowered herself, but now it was different; I couldn't fit into her,
it was so constricted, it felt like my cock head was being squeezed in a
clamp, and then I suddenly realised what she was doing, where she was
putting me.
   She must have seen the realisation dawn in my eyes, because she grinned
that slow, sly, minxy grin she did so well, her eyes hooded, and squeezed
her nipples with her free hand, while looking me in the eyes.
   "There Bobby, is this naughty enough for you, you're going somewhere
naughty, do you like it, baby, do you like being naughty with me?" she
murmured, slowly slipping down on me until, with an almost audible pop!  I
slipped into her tight anus.  Shari gasped as she slid all the way down my
shaft, my cock feeling like it was being squeezed in a moist velvet fist
along its entire length.  I gasped out loud, Shari echoing me as she ground
herself down against me, my hands automatically reaching for her perfect
little buttocks and pulling them apart as she leaned down to kiss me.
   "This is for you Bobby, I love you, baby!" she whispered as she began to
slowly pump herself up and down, the ring of her anus squeezing and pulsing
around me as she gyrated on top of me.  I'd seen pictures of this, of
course, and fantasised about it; before she'd come into my life my sex-life
consisted of the porn magazines I'd managed to acquire, but I'd never
seriously thought it could ever happen to me for real, and now it was, and
it was the most heart-stoppingly erotic thing in my entire life.  As she
rolled her hips and pumped against me, her muscles squeezed and milked me,
and I knew I couldn't hold out for long, not with her gyrating and milking
me like that, and I was right.
   I came with a sudden build-up of the pressure in my groin, my scrotum,
and deep inside me; something wanted to explode inside this girl, and it
wouldn't be denied.  I cried out in ecstatic agony as I came harder than
ever before in my life, my cock actually burning with the pressure and
force of my ejaculation, long, sweetly agonising bursts of spunk blasting
out of me and deep into her bowels, painting her insides with my seed.
   Shari slumped down against me, her own orgasm triggered by mine, both of
us moaning and shuddering as deep-swelling waves of pleasure crashed and
thundered through us; my ears popped, and all sound disappeared in the
high-pitched singing note that filled my head as I emptied myself into my
beautiful girl in pulsing jets of high-pressure spunk.
   Finally I was done, I was empty, I had no more to give as the aura of
orgasm faded and sanity and senses returned, leaving Shari clasped tightly
against me as my heart and breathing slowed and calmed down again.  After a
long, still silence, I felt myself fading, my cock slowly slipping from her
as it softened.  Shari drew a long, shuddering breath, and raised her head
to nibble my chin.
   "Bloody hell, Bobby, that was incredible, wherever you got that from, I
want some more!  I need a shower now, look what you've done to me!"
   Somehow we both managed to stagger into the wet-room for a much needed
shower, and then back to bed, to sleep; we were both exhausted from that
incredible experience, and we needed clear heads for the morning.  None of
us, Yaz, Rick, Shari, myself, was eager for that meeting, but we owed it to
Nicky, because he needed to know the truth.
   The beeping of Shari's 'phone alarm finally dragged me out of my deep
sleep, confusion once again ruling for a few seconds as I tried to work out
where I was; I'd been dreaming about when we were young, long before all
the bad stuff had happened, and it had been so real, so vivid, that I had
to consciously shift mental gears from dream to reality.  I was rested
though, and as I stretched luxuriously, Shari opened her eyes and yawned,
huddling down under the covers and pushing her warm little bottom into my
lap.  I was tempted to hug her closer while I grabbed another 40 winks, but
I couldn't; Nicky was coming to see us, and we had things to say, things he
needed to know, and something to give him.
   "Come on, up, up, up!" I patted Shari's firm, juicy little rump, "Up and
at 'em, babe, things to do, people to see, let's go!"
   Shari groaned as she pulled the bed-covers even tighter around herself.
   "It's still dark, Bobby, what time is it?" she groaned, and when I told
her it was 6:45 a.m.  she looked at me incredulously.
   "Bobby, it's the middle of the bloody night, go back to sleep!"
   I had to grin; for several years now my day had started at four in the
morning, and for me 6:45 was a late start, but Shari obviously wasn't an
early-morning person.  However, Nicky and Ashley were due at nine o'clock,
so...
   I jumped out of bed and stripped the covers off her, Shari holding on to
them like grim death as soon as she realised what I was doing, but I soon
had them off her.
   "Bobby, it's too early, just a few more minutes, pleeeeaasse!" she
whined, and much as I would have liked to just let her sleep for another
couple of hours, we had this thing with Nicky to finish.
   "Nope, up you get, we need to get showered, dressed, and have some
breakfast before they get here, so come on, Shari, don't you want to see
Nicky and Ashley again?"
   That did the trick.  She sat up and scowled at me.
   "When this is over, I'm getting you for this, just you wait and see!"
   I just grinned, making her even more annoyed, but she slid off the bed
and stood up, stretching, and at the sight of her slim, lithe body, parts
of me stood up as well.  Shari saw that immediately, and grinned happily.
   "Oh look, did I do that?" she smiled, and I nodded, and she undulated
closer, until she could take me in both hands.
   "Shall I take care of this for you, baby?" she murmured, her eyes hooded
and mysterious, and I nodded again, happily waiting for her next move.  Boy
was I in for a rude awakening!
   Shari suddenly pinched the base of my cock between her fingernails,
making me jump.
   "You drag me out of my nice, warm bed at some ungodly hour and then
expect me to thank you by getting wet and wild with you?  I don't fucking
think so, Bobby!" she gritted while my eyes bugged out of my head.
   "Remember one thing, Bobby; if you want a long and peaceful life, Shari
sleeps late, got it?"
   I closed my eyes as I nodded; disagreeing with her right now seemed
foolhardy, seeing what she was holding.  Shari waited for a few more
agonizing seconds, then let go of me.
   "See Bobby, that's what you need to learn; in any negotiation-type
situation, always make sure you negotiate from a position of strength;
mummy taught me that!  Now, let's go and have a nice shower, eh?"
   I couldn't help but grin as she led me to the wet-room; Shari was always
so compliant, always happy to let me take the lead, but, when she really
needed to make her point, she had some pretty persuasive techniques to
enforce her will, and the willingness to use them when needed.  Luckily, by
the time I got around to soaping her back she'd forgiven me for rousting
her out so early, and promised me a treat later to say sorry for
threatening my best friend.
   By the time we were dressed, had made up the bed again, and were ready
to order breakfast, Yaz and Ricky had joined us, so we called down and
ordered a light breakfast, then sat around chatting while we waited for
Room Service.  We also had some things for Nicky, so Shari and I checked
they were to hand, and Shari gave me another long and tender kiss to
apologise for earlier, this time with extra squeezing, which meant I had to
wait before rejoining the others, as I refused to walk around in front of
Yaz with a tent in my trousers...
   We were at the coffee stage when there was a knock at the door.  Rick
answered it, and ushered Nicky and Ashley into the room.  Once the niceties
were dispensed with, we sat around the table, six of us, all family.  Nicky
poured Ashley a coffee, and one for himself, then leaned back in his chair,
that trademark grin and slightly raised eyebrow so much in evidence.
   "So Bobby, I hear tell you guys have something for me, so tell me, I'm
agog here!"
   Shari left the table to pull something out of her case, and came back to
the table, handing Nicky a photograph album.
   "We found this in the house, stashed in one of the attics; I think it
belongs to you, Nicky."
   Nicky opened it, his eyes widening as picture after picture of Barbara
was revealed, each page filled with his memories of his mum.  His face
remained expressionless as he leafed through the album, but his eyes
filled, a tear eventually spilling out and running unheeded down his cheek
to drip from his chin.  Finally, he came to the end, and closed the album,
passing it to Ashley, who looked at me in enquiry.  I nodded, so she opened
it, seeing for the first time images of Nicky's beloved Barbara, and
pictures of Nicky as a toddler, a little boy, a schoolboy.  Her lip
quivered as she looked through the album, her eyes flicking occasionally to
Nicky, who sat impassively until she'd finished leafing through it, finally
passing it back to him.
   "Thank...Thank you for this," he faltered, "it's ..." he broke off,
swallowing several times, his throat clicking dryly.  Yaz passed him a
glass of water, which he accepted gratefully.
   "Thank you, all of you; I never had anything of her, now I have this,
thank you..."
   Ashley pulled his head down into the angle of her neck and shoulder, her
hand stroking his hair while she held him, her own eyes bright with unshed
tears.  Both Yaz and Shari were similarly affected, their eyes also
brimming with tears in sympathy for their big brother's pain and loss. 
Nicky pulled his head away from Ashley and looked at us, all four of us, as
we waited for him.
   "Thank you, I don't know how to thank you, really..." stopping as Shari
held her hand up.
   "Nicky, there's more, and I don't know how to tell you, so I'm going to
let you read it; then you'll know, and maybe you'll know what to do next. I
wish there was another way, something other than this, but it's all we
have. Nicky, mummy wants to talk to you, will you let her?"
   Nicky looked puzzled, uncomprehending, but nodded.  Shari went back to
her case, and pulled out a thick buff envelope, which she brought back to
the table and handed to him.
   "Nicky, this is an affidavit my mother swore out a few days before she
died.  It concerns you; please read it."
   Nicky looked at all of us, then opened the envelope and pulled out the
thick sheaf of documents.  We all watched as he unfolded the papers and
began to read, watching his face alternately pale and darken, his jaw
muscles bunching as he clenched and unclenched his teeth, and the
occasional tremor in his hand as he read page after page.  I knew what was
in that terrible document, I had read it, and it had made me sick, and
outraged, and deeply grateful that Robert Davies (or Brian Davis, or
whoever the hell he really was) was caged up 24 hours a day in a
super-maximum security federal prison, and would stay there forever.  Just
remembering what I had read in that affidavit made the rage churn and roil
in the pit of my stomach all over again, but I knew I must be feeling only
a pale shadow of what poor Nicky must be feeling right now.
   We sat in silence, hardly daring to move, as Nicky read each page,
finally folding the document and pushing it back into the envelope.  He
sighed, a deep, tremulous sigh, then stood up, motioning us down when we
would have stood as well.
   "No, guys, please, I just need some air, I..." he paused; his mouth
worked, then he turned and walked out of the room.  I knew Nicky's
expressions of old, and right now he was furious.  I made to follow him,
but Ashley shook her head.
   "No Bobby, leave him, he'll come back when he's ready; he just needs to
think, he'll be okay, don't worry about him.  Do you mind...?" she asked,
picking up the thick envelope.  I shook my head.
   "No, not at all; you're family, so this concerns you too."
   Ashley began reading through the document, her face paling and her eyes
hardening as she worked her way through it, finally folding it and pushing
it back into the envelope, then drummed her fingers for a moment on the
tabletop, her face pale and angry, before looking at Shari, her eyes once
more bright with tears.
   "Shereen, Yasmin, can we talk?  Somewhere private?"
   Yaz indicated the connecting door into her suite, and led the way, Shari
trailing a hand across my arm before following the other two girls, and
closing the door behind her.  Rick and I sat and looked at each other; no
conversation seemed appropriate, and I had nothing to say; crunch-time was
here, maybe soon we'd find out if we really had Nicky back, or if he was
lost to us forever.
   There was no sound coming from the other suite; with the door closed, it
was effectively soundproof, but we listened-out anyway, to try and maybe
get a hint of what was being said; they probably weren't arguing.  Ashley
had looked like she needed a shoulder, not an argument, as did the girls;
seeing Nicky so affected had obviously reached into them as well, and they
probably needed some girl-time right now.  Rick and me sat and waited,
silent and thoughtful, wondering if we'd see Nicky again today, or any time
soon.
   After what seemed like several eternities, but was probably no more than
15 or 20 minutes, the door to Yaz & Rick's suite opened and the girls came
in, looking like they'd all had a good cry, but also calm, and oddly,
upbeat as well.  Whatever had been said had obviously done all of them some
good.  As they seated themselves, there was a knock on the door, and Yaz
opened it, to find Nicky there, looking pale and drawn, but no longer
furious, no longer expressionless.  Yaz slipped her hand into his, and he
patted her hand and smiled distractedly at her as she led him back to the
table.  He'd obviously been thinking and he began speaking almost before
he'd sat down.
   "Thank you, all of you.  I wish I'd come here better prepared for all
this, but now I know, that's the main thing.  There's just one thing I have
to know, Shereen; why did you show me that thing?  I was starting to get
past all that; going to see her helped me start to let her go; why did you
bring this all back to me?"
   Shari shared a quick glance with Ashley, who nodded.
   "Nicky, we brought you this because I thought you'd know how to get that
fucker to pay for everything he did; the authorities in England didn't do
much, they just handed him over like he wasn't any concern of theirs, and
that's just wrong!  Just like you, Bobby and Ricky need closure too, and
they need justice, so do I, and Yaz, and Ashley, and I thought this was the
place, and you were the one to help.  You helped get that filthy bastard
caged-up in the first place; please help us find a way to make him pay for
everything else; he killed mummy, Nicky, he has to pay, he hurt her, and he
hurt her, and she died!"
   Nicky started at that, his hand going out to take Shari's hand as two
tears ran down her cheeks, pulling her close and holding her against him as
she cried silently, stroking her hair as he soothed her.  When she'd
recovered somewhat, he fished out a handkerchief and dried her eyes, Shari
smiling wanly as he did so.
   "You're right, Shereen, he did, and I forgot that, I'm sorry, I won't
let that happen again!  All my sisters have reason to make that bastard
pay, so let's do just that.  David, Doctor Nixon, has an old friend with
the FBI here in Albany, maybe he can somehow use this to put that bastard
back to trial, this time on murder charges; he killed Barbara, he caused
your mother's death, he did...what he did to Ashley, you're right, he
should pay!"
   Shari wordlessly hugged him, then gently kissed him on the cheek.
   "Thank you Nicky, thank you for being my big brother!  And Nicky, my
family calls me "Shari..."
   Nicky grinned, his face losing some of its pallor, suddenly looking
again like the Nicky I remembered.
   "I'm sorry...Shari, and what should I call you, little-little sister?"
he grinned at Yaz.
   "Everyone calls me Yaz, so should you...bigger Big-Brother!" she
retorted, grinning cheekily.
   Ashley cleared her throat.
   "Actually, Yaz, you'd be little-little-little sister; I'm older than
you, you know!"
   Rick looked puzzled, then understanding flared in his eyes.
   "You mean...?" and Nicky nodded.
   "That's right, Ashley's also my sister, my half-sister actually, which
sort of makes her your sister too, although I'm buggered if I know how; I
think we need a new word in English for 'the wife of my brother who is also
my brother's sister, but is no relation of mine; "sister-in-law" doesn't
quite seem to cover it...!"
   Rick leaned back and grinned.
   "I tell you, when our family sets out to blur the lines, we do a bloody
good job of it!" which brought chuckles from around the table.
   Yaz seemed to have something on her mind.  Nicky noticed and asked her
what was up.
   "Nicky, mummy said you were badly hurt, that our fathe...Robert hurt
you; did he do that?" she indicated the scar above and running the length
of his right eyebrow.
   Nicky grinned.  "No, I got jumped by a tree, but one day my daughter's
going to think I got it when I fought a bear, so keep it to yourselves,
OK?"
   "It was my fault he got that!" said Ashley, her eyes on Nicky as all our
eyes swivelled to her.  "I left him in the forest at night, I got angry
with him when he told me what your father had done to me, and I abandoned
him, and he could have died!"
   Nicky was by her side in a flash, holding her against him.
   "It was a long time ago, baby, let it go, I did, it happened, it's long
over, leave it, please!"
   It felt good to see Nicky, the one who'd always been left out, be so
much in love, to have someone who loved him so much, and to finally be
happy.  He looked into Ashley's eyes, and smiled at her.
   "It's all over baby, it's gone, I promise you." She looked up at him,
her face set and resolute.
   "Show them, Nicky, show them what he did; your family needs to see what
happened to you, what he did to you.  Please Nicky, just show them!"
   "Ashley, please..." he began, but Shari cut him short.
   "Show us what, Nicky?  What happened, what did he do to you?"
   Ashley looked at him and nodded, and he slowly nodded, and pulled off
his jacket and the black "Mark One" polo shirt underneath and turned his
back to us.
   "Ooohh fuck!" exclaimed Rick, with shocked gasps the only sound from
Shari and Yaz.  I turned my head away, sickened by the sight before me;
Nicky's back was a mass of criss-crossing red welts, from his shoulders to
the small of his back, some of them 6 inches long, so many there was
virtually no unmarked skin visible between the welts, mute testimony to the
savagery of the beating he'd taken.
   "Dad...did that?" Rick whispered, "How?"
   Ashley snorted.
   "He used his belt buckle, like he always did, it was his favorite tool;
my mom has some like that on her back as well, but nothing like that.  When
Nicky came to us, he looked like he'd been flayed alive, it took a year for
his back to heal, and he won't admit it, but I know it still hurts him;
that bastard damaged so many nerve-endings it'll never stop hurting.  I
guess this is what he meant by 'a Father's true legacy!'"
   Shari had tears in her eyes as she picked up his shirt and handed it
back to him, and hugged him as he pulled it down over his head.  Nicky held
her tightly, his hand against the back of her head as she buried her face
in his neck, then Yaz and Ashley joined them in a group hug, Nicky suddenly
in the middle of a triple sister-hug, three beautiful girls holding him as
tightly as they could.
   When the girls had let him go, and more or less got their emotions under
control, Nicky called his step-father and explained what we'd shown him. 
They chatted for a few more minutes, then Nicky hung up and smiled at all
of us.
   "Dad's calling his friend at the FBI, hopefully he'll want to see this
right away, and dad and mum will swing by later so we can have a proper
family talk over lunch." He seemed pensive, then cocked an eye at me.
   "The only thing here that I find strange is that you guys come to Albany
to look for me, and the first person you bump into is someone who knows me,
and is engaged to my step-sister; as far as I'm concerned, that's
stretching coincidence just a little too far, but then, it's not the first
time..."
   I looked at him questioningly, so he told us a story about when he'd
come home to see Barbara's grave, they'd left the cemetery and were on the
motorway back to their hotel, Ashley had flicked on the radio, to hear the
DJ play a record request from Barbara to Nick, the Beach Boys' "Little
Saint Nick", Barbara's nickname for Nicky growing up.
   Rick and I exchanged glances, and Rick nodded, so I told them about why
we'd helped Leon in that alleyway; because I'd heard Rick's voice, as clear
as day, shouting "help him!", while Rick asserted he'd heard me tell him to
help Leon, which is why he'd jumped in.  Whoever had called out, though,
the result had been that we'd befriended the one person who could lead us
straight to our missing brother.  Coincidence?  Ashley didn't think so.
   "Bobby, Rick, I think someone wanted you to meet Nicky, I think they
wanted it real bad, because here you are, and here he is.  Maybe this
'Guardian Angel' business has something to it after all, or perhaps it's
just that so much has been set in motion, it was time for all of you to
meet-up again; sometimes fate does take a hand, maybe this is one of those
times!"
   We talked in this vein for a while, gradually moving on to our lives and
what we were doing now.  I was intrigued to hear that Nicky was the boss at
his lace of work, the "Mark One" logo was the emblem of the company he
worked for; in fact, he, Ashley and Judy were co-owners of Mark One Auto
Engineering, with a new auto shop opening soon, a specialist shop where
they were going to build replica and road-race vehicles and
high-performance engines.  Leon and Judy were getting the shop as a wedding
present, when they married after she graduated from medical school, but it
was still a secret, so all Leon knew was that he was going to be lead
mechanic at the new shop.
   Shari and Yaz gave him a little of their background working in the
property business with their mother, and told him about the house we'd
bought to redevelop, which was how we'd found the letter that had brought
us here.  We'd chatted for what only seemed like a few minutes when
Ashley's phone rang.  She answered it and spoke briefly.
   "OK guys, that was mom; they'll meet us in the restaurant in 10
minutes."
   I looked at my watch and was amazed to see we'd been talking for over
three hours, and now it was gone 12:30, lunchtime.  The girls all refreshed
their makeup, although they really didn't need any; we Davis men had
incredibly good taste when it came to our women, because apparently we'd
all picked bronze-haired goddesses.
   We'd just taken our seats in the restaurant when David and Julia joined
us.  Now that I had leisure to see, I was struck by how much Nicky
resembled his mother; sure, he looked like dad, so did Rick and I, but
Nicky's hair and eyes, the way he held his head, and especially his
profile, all pure Julia.
   David was smiling and friendly, once again impressing me with how calm
and urbane he was; Nicky had done amazingly well to snag him for a
step-dad, he gave off the "good-guy" vibe in big loud waves, and Rick and
the girls were obviously feeling it as well.  Julia looked amused that all
of us were responding so well to David; obviously she'd heard stuff about
us from Nicky, all true, and was having trouble reconciling that image with
the new us, but she didn't look like she was holding any grudges.
   After a few pleasantries, and some banter as we ordered lunch, David
asked if he could read the affidavit document.  He read through it while we
waited for our starters, then read through it again, his face becoming set
and drawn, his lips thinning to two bloodless lines, and his jaw muscles
trembling and rippling as he clenched and unclenched his teeth.
   Eventually he put it down and looked at all of us, his eyes hard and
angry, and wiped his forehead with his handkerchief.  Julia stroked his
cheek, her eyes concerned.
   "David, what's wrong, darling, what is it?" she asked, and David leaned
back in his seat, visibly trying to relax his arms and shoulders.
   "I've never in my life...read this, Julia, it's the vilest, most
disgusting...dear God, how can anybody sink so low...the FBI will
definitely need to see this; God, it's like wading through a cess-pit!"
   Julia raised an eyebrow as she took the document from him, her
expression becoming set and drawn as she read through it, to finally drop
it with a deep sigh, her bottom lip trembling as she unconsciously wiped
her hands on her jeans.
   "He really did all this?" she whispered, and Shari nodded.
   "We were there, we saw what he did to mummy, we watched as he beat and
abused her, stole everything from her, and she couldn't do anything; he
threatened Yaz and me, he even tried to rape Yaz, but she managed to get
away.  Everything in there is true; I took an oath when I swore it was a
true account, I stand by it now, so does Yasmin!"
   Julia reached across and cupped her face, her eyes filled with outrage,
but also sympathy and compassion.  She gently brushed a strand of hair out
of Shari's face and smiled gently.
   "He's in jail now, and he will be for the rest of his life; that's
punishment enough, and maybe even justice.  What more can we do?"
   Shari's face set in harsh lines, her anger just below the surface.
   "That's not enough!  Caging him up isn't justice; perhaps now, with
this, we can put a rope around his filthy neck!  Brian Davis has too much
to answer for, he deserves to die for what he did, maybe now we have a way
to make him pay for mummy, and for Barbara!  No hell is too much for him,
he deserves to burn!"
   Julie put both hands on her face, pulling her round to look into her
eyes.
   "No, Shereen, stop that!  Don't think like that!  Revenge is a dead-end
street; the punishment he's living now, a cell deep underground for the
rest of his life, that's enough, that's a death sentence for a man like
Brian Davis.  Don't be like him; if you let him in, you become like him,
and he's won; don't give him that!  He's a killer, and he deserves his
punishment, but don't be so ready to take a life; that's what he did, and
now look where he is.  Let the system punish him, he's earned it!"
   Shari stared defiantly at Julia, her eyes hard and unforgiving, then
suddenly her face crumpled and two big tears ran down her cheeks.  Julia
pulled her close, holding her against her shoulder as she sobbed silently.
I went to take her, but Nicky put his hand on my arm.
   "No Bobby, let mum handle it, she knows what she's doing!"
   David had been on the phone while Julia spoke with Shari; now it was his
turn to smile grimly.
   "I just spoke with Special Agent Mike Walker of the FBI, he's asked me
to bring that document in immediately, and the two witnesses, so Yasmin,
Shereen, when you're ready, if you would please come with me, we're going
to the FBI building.  The rest of you, please carry on with your lunch, the
ladies and I won't be too long."
   Shari was looking apprehensive, so pulled her a little closer and hugged
her.
   "Bobby, it's the FBI, what if they..."
   I cut her off.
   "Just tell them the truth, baby-girl, that everything in that affidavit
is the truth, that you witnessed dad telling your mother about what he'd
done, and you saw him do some of the stuff in there, both of you did.  Dr.
Nixon thinks they'll be able to do something, just trust him...I do."
   Nicky leaned across the table and put his hand over hers.
   "Listen to Bobby, he's telling the truth; we got that bastard once, this
is the way to make him pay for everything else he's done to all of us.  Go
and make your statement, you'll be OK, Mike Walker's a nice guy, he helped
put Brian Davis away before, maybe this time, with his help, we can find a
way to really make him pay for what he did!"
   Yaz stood up and held out her hand to Shari, who leaned down and kissed
me, then squared her shoulders.  Ashley stood up and hugged her, and I
heard her whisper "Just tell him everything, Shari, don't leave anything
out; perhaps this time round they'll make him pay for what he did to all of
us.  Don't be frightened, dad will be there, he'll take care of you!"
   As the three of them walked toward the exit, I saw Doctor Nixon slip his
arms around the girls' shoulders in a comforting gesture, the gesture of a
father reassuring his daughters.  Both girls in return slipped their arms
around his waist, holding themselves against him as they walked out to the
lobby.  Julia grinned as she pointed at the trio with her chin.
   "Look, I think we just acquired a couple more kids!"
   Conversation now moved on to us, to our lives and what we were doing.  I
was still unsure how to deal with Nicky's mother; she had every reason in
the world to despise us for what we'd allowed to happen to her son,
although she was never less than gracious and friendly.  I kept stumbling
over what to call her; "Julia" seemed inappropriately familiar, "Mrs. 
Nixon" seemed cold and formal given her connection to our big brother, and
"Nicky's Mum" just seemed childish.  Julia seemed to understand how I was
floundering a bit when it came to her, so she decided to give me an out.
   "Bobby, it's okay to call me Julia, I don't mind, really!"
   I mumbled something about how it seemed a little rude and too familiar,
making her grin, looking uncannily like Nicky for a split second.
   "Alright, then let's try something else; long ago, Nicky told me all
about you, both of you, and then last night he told me how it's been for
you since he left.  I understand how things can change, and I know from
talking to all of you last night just how much has changed for you;
sometimes, when the scales fall from your eyes, the world you see around
you really is new, and a new world means new opportunities...and sometimes,
second chances."
   She paused to push the hair back from my eyes, something Shari was
perpetually doing.
   "I know how you were brought up, and I don't hold it against you, you
didn't know any better, but there was one thing missing from your life that
Nicky had in abundance; he had Barbara to be his mother, and she kept him
safe and made him who he is, and I will always love her for that.  You and
Rick, you had no-one like that, and my heart breaks for you; Shari and
Yasmin had their mother all their lives, they only lost her a little while
ago, poor things, but you never had anyone, so maybe, if you want to, you
can share me with Nicky?  Your sisters seem to have adopted David, if you
want, you can adopt me; I don't think Nicky and Ashley will mind sharing
me!"
   I was dumbstruck; I'd never heard such a preposterous, lunatic,
unrealistic...and wonderful thing in my life.  I looked at Rick, looking
for some sort of guidance, something to tell me how to respond.  Rick must
have got it immediately, because he was grinning and nodding.
   "Say yes, Bobby, you need this!  I got to share Yaz's mum for two years,
and it was the best time of my life; whatever I am now, she showed me how
to get here, so give yourself a chance, big feller, you might even like
it!"
   Julia took my hand and smiled at my expression.
   "It's alright, Bobby, really, there's no catch.  Maybe you need to call
someone 'mum'; God knows, you never had the chance before.  You gave your
mother to Nicky, I think it's only fair he shares his with you, isn't that
right baby?"
   Nicky leaned over and slapped me on the shoulder.
   "Go with it Bobby; she's won, you know you want to!"
   I drew a deep breath, scared and apprehensive for probably the first
time in my life, but Rick and Nicky both smiled and nodded, as did Ashley,
so I took the plunge.
   "You really don't mind if I...call you mum, even after what I did?"
   Julia (mum!) smiled as she once again swiped that fringe of hair out of
my eyes.
   "Bobby, you're my son's little brother; whatever went on in the past,
you're still his family, so that makes you part of my family too.  Besides,
Rachel's all excited because suddenly she's got two new big brothers; all
she did this morning was talk about Bobby, Bobby, Bobby, you may never get
her to leave you alone!  Judy and Leon had to take her and Barbara to the
play center in Rotterdam otherwise she'd be here climbing all over the pair
of you, so I think I'll go with her instincts!"
   I didn't know what to say, I was still almost in shock, but the good
kind; Nicky's mum was being kind to me, and she'd let me into her family,
Rick and me; this was how the world changed, a little at a time, but a
profound change for me.  I had to say something.
   "Thank you...mum, I won't let you down, I promise!"
   My new mother grinned at me, and squeezed my arm.
   "OK, that's all settled, now let's have some lunch!"
   *
   Doctor Nixon and the girls never made it back for lunch, so the five of
us made our way back up to my suite to wait for them.  Mum (and I was still
trying that word out for size!) looked through the photo album, her eyes
brimming as she looked at pictures of the young Nicky the way she should be
remembering him, anger sizzling in me that his childhood had been stolen
from her.  Her attention switched from the pictures of Nicky to those of
Barbara, and a copy of the framed picture we had at home.  Her eyes flicked
from the photo to Rick and me and back again, comparing our features,
obviously seeing our mother in us.
   "She was beautiful..." she softly observed, and Nicky nodded slowly.
   "Yes, she was, she was so beautiful..." he whispered, and my heart broke
for him at the raw pain and loss still apparent in his eyes, his voice. 
Mum caught the look, the tremor in his voice, and pulled him closer.
   "Don't worry, baby, we'll fix this; all my boys are here, together
they'll fix this once and for all, just have faith, baby, that's what your
dad's always telling you, trust the system, it usually works!"
   Ashley stood behind his chair and hugged him, her lips level with his
ear.
   "Mom's right, baby, let the law take care of that lunatic.  He's already
been kennelled, maybe this time we've got enough to drag him in front of a
judge and drive home that he never got away with anything.  You said it
once, baby; 'the mills of God grind slowly', let them grind him fine and
scatter the pieces, and that will be an end to it.  Last time was payback,
now perhaps we'll see some real justice."
   *
   It was late afternoon before the girls and Nick's step-father arrived
back at the suite.  They were cautiously optimistic, especially since one
of the FBI's legal experts had gone over the document, and taken fresh
statements from both girls.  In his opinion, Barbara's alleged murder was
connected to the crimes my father had already been convicted of, committed
in order to prevent her reporting him to the authorities.  With new
evidence now come to light, and with the Justice Department agreeing that
the affidavit amounted to a "Dying Declaration" made by Shari's mother, the
State Department was considering requesting that the UK Home Office either
provide a complete forensic report of the investigation into her death and
any DNA results obtained from the "suicide" scene, together with the
post-mortem examination report, or turn over all remaining physical
evidence to the Federal Prosecutor's office for them to start their own
investigation.
   That evening, we held a family meeting, to decide our next step.  The
girls wanted to spend a little time with Nicky and his family.  Rick and I
were feeling something similar; I'd never bothered to get close to Nicky;
the most I'd ever felt for him was resentment that he had Barbara, and that
he seemed perfectly happy to have her and not us.  Now, however, I was
feeling a deep and inexplicable need to be near him, to reconnect with him,
almost the way I'd felt when Rick had come home.
   Also, I was enjoying having a mum; I was still feeling the wonder of
saying that word, a word that had never fallen from my mouth my entire life
before this day.  Nicky's mother had made us part of her family, and I
wanted to keep feeling that feeling a little longer.  The girls were
obviously in love with Nicky's step-dad; the only father they'd known had
been a violent psychopath; now they were experiencing what a real father
felt like, and they were understandably reluctant to let that go.
   Nicky had invited us to stay with him and Ashley in their home, so the
family could all be together; his mum (our mum!) lived a few minutes' drive
from his home; we had no pressing business back in Carlisle, no jobs to
return to, and abundant funds, so we'd accepted.
   Once Shari and I were alone, she began to cry, the memory of the
statement she'd had to make rising up and catching her unawares, things
she'd forgotten or deliberately suppressed once again fresh and raw, and I
had a desperate time calming her as the edge of hysteria cut across her
again and again.  Finally I managed to calm her, holding her close as she
slept fitfully, eventually sinking into a deeper sleep.
   I woke with a start; something had snapped me awake, and my hand
automatically felt for Shari, but I was alone in the bed.  I sat up, and
dimly in the glow from the street lights far below, I saw her, wrapped in
her favourite robe, sitting in a chair and looking at the Albany
nightscape.
   "I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to disturb you..." she murmured, and I
climbed out of bed and padded over to her.
   "You didn't, I just missed you, that's all.  What are you looking at?"
   She motioned me down next to her and draped her legs over mine, plumping
up a cushion as she leaned back.
   "It's beautiful, isn't it?  Look at all those lights.  Somewhere down
there, there are people trying their best to get justice for us.  I'm glad
I came, I'm glad the people who matter the most are helping us.  Maybe they
can really make a difference, maybe mummy, and Barbara, and poor Nicky will
finally have some peace.  I hope so.  Take me back to bed, baby."
   She swivelled her long legs off me, and as I stood, she grinned and held
out her arms to me, so I picked her up and carried her back to our bed,
setting her down gently and climbing up next to her.  She smiled gently and
pushed my hair out of my eyes and touched her forehead to mine, her eyes
luminous in the dim glow from outside.
   "Make love to me, Bobby, make babies in me.  Nicky and Ashley are so
happy, they have such a beautiful baby, that's all I want for us; to be
that happy, with your baby growing inside me.  I know Yaz feels the same
way; she and Rick have been ready for a while now, and now coming here and
meeting our family has finally made it all come together for both of us. 
I'm in love with you, I think I have been from the moment I met you, and I
know you love me the same way; all I want is a life and family with you, so
make me happy, Bobby, make a baby with me!"
   My heart leaped as I listened to her, things I hadn't understood, or
didn't know how to express, suddenly becoming clear as day; I wanted so
much to have a family with this beautiful girl.  I loved her so much it was
a deep and abiding ache inside me, but a sweet and infinitely bearable
ache, one I would gladly carry for all the days of my life.  I wanted to
make babies with her; I was ready to begin a family of my own, and to hear
her say it unlocked all those things inside me.
   Shari must have seen my thoughts and my resolution in my eyes, her smile
telling me just how close and in-tune she really was with me.  She sat and
untied the sash of her brief robe, letting it fall away from her beautiful,
lithe body.  As always, the sight of her nakedness primed me as nothing
else could, a fact she took note of as her small hand encircled my suddenly
bone-hard cock.
   "Are you really ready for this baby?" she whispered, and I replied with
a soft barrage of kisses on her lips, her eyes, and her elegant neck.  She
pressed me back slightly as she looked deeply into my eyes.
   "Tell me, baby, because this is my fertile time, and I've been off the
pill for a while now, so you need to tell me now whether you're ready to go
wherever this takes us!"
   I squeezed her delightful little bum as I pulled her closer to me.
   "Shari, all I want is to make babies with you, tonight; you're all I
want, you're all I'll ever want, you, and our babies.  I'm more than ready,
I have been for a while now, I just never realised it until just now.  I
know I asked you before, but now I'm asking formally, the way I should
have; will you marry me?"
   Shari grinned and pecked me lightly on the lips.
   "Of course I will, I've been waiting for you to ask me properly for
ages! Now make me happy, Bobby, make love to me, make a baby in me!"
   All the while we'd been speaking, she'd been gently pumping me, making
my already painfully erect cock throb even more urgently.  As we kissed,
she pulled me over her, her smooth thighs parting as I slid between them
and positioned myself.  Once more, she checked my eyes, then nodded as I
slowly pushed forward, feeling the delicious wet heat and succulence, and
hearing her gasp as I slid all the way into her, her hips coming up to meet
mine as I pumped into her.  Back and forth we went, our hips in perfect
synchronization as we fucked, my cock never feeling so hard and rigid as it
did right now.  Faster and faster we went, faint gasps and soft moans
escaping both of us as we approached our mutual climax, the agony of
holding back as her pussy squeezed and massaged me matched by the love and
intensity of our kisses as we held each other close while we coupled.
   At last, it was too much; Shari gave a loud hissing moan as her pussy
clamped down on me, holding me tight inside her.  The pressure set me off,
and I swear I felt my cock-head swell inside her as what felt like endless
pulses of spunk jetted out of me and deep into her, bathing her womb and
cervix in my seed.  My eyesight dimmed and blurred with the intensity of my
orgasm, and my ears popped, only distantly hearing Shari scream as her
orgasm gathered and roared through her again at the feel of me pumping hot
spunk into her fertile depths.
   We made love three more times that night; I couldn't get enough of
Shari, and she seemed to feel the same, and so we spent the remainder of
the night enfolded and entwined with each other, unable to stop taking our
pleasure of each other, the urge to make our baby overpowering and
all-consuming.  We finally fell asleep, exhausted, in the grey pre-dawn
light, satisfied, sated, and hoping that we'd fulfilled our promise to each
other.
   *
   The progress of the case was agonizingly slow; wheels turned within
wheels as our two governments fought and argued and wrangled over the legal
niceties; in effect, debating over the true meaning of a peach, until
eventually we decided that we'd spent enough time lotus-eating, and it was
time to get our own lives back on track.  David promised to keep us
updated, and Nicky and Ashley promised to come and see us soon, so, with
much crying and hugging, we returned to England to wait for things to
resolve themselves.
   It took almost three months for the British Government to stop
procrastinating and comply with the request made by the FBI.  The Home
Office pathologist's report into the post-mortem was incomprehensible, and,
according to Doctor Nixon, so hopelessly botched that it provided no
credible evidence one way or another.  The photographs taken at the scene
were something else; the bruises and cuts covering her body were apparent
to all, yet had somehow completely failed to be mentioned in the
Post-Mortem report.  According to Mike Walker, the pathologist concerned
had been suspended pending a competency hearing, and an investigation into
his connection, if any, with Brian Davis.
   Other things had also happened.  Shari was pregnant, as was Yaz;
suddenly our family was breaking out in babies, a new generation to teach
about their grandmothers, and bring-up with all the love that had been
missing from our lives.
   Time dragged on, and just as we were beginning to doubt that anything
could be done, the Cumbria Police Forensics Unit sent the evidence gathered
from Barbara's supposed suicide.  After a tense wait of almost two weeks,
we got a call from Nicky, asking us to come home, the case had taken
several turns in our favour, and we needed to be there, especially Yaz and
Shari.  We still had our visas, so it was a simple matter to get flights,
and two days later we were meeting Special Agent Walker at his office in
town.
   When we'd assembled and taken our seats, Mike Walker began to speak.
   "In my official capacity as Special Agent in charge of this case, to
wit, the investigations into the death of Barbara Morrison Davis, I have to
inform you that the Forensic DNA tests, using evidence provided by our
police colleagues in England, have provided a positive and conclusive
result.  The rope that was allegedly used by Mrs.  Davis to commit suicide
has been found to contain epithelial cells of the person who knotted the
rope.  Those cells have been matched 99.9999%, with a sample taken from
Brian Robert Davis.  The laboratory has confirmed there is a probability of
better than 1 billion to one against any other member of the human race
having tied that rope and left those cells.  Other physical evidence also
points to a second party having first immobilised Mrs.  Davis before
knotting the rope in a manner intended to convey to others that she had in
fact done it herself.  We have therefore formally requested that the United
States Department of Justice bring Brian Robert Davis to trial on charges
of murder in the First Degree."
   I realised I'd been holding my breath, only breathing out as I gradually
comprehended what he was saying; they were putting that bastard back on
trial, they were going to try him for murder!
   Special Agent Walker wasn't finished.
   "Ordinarily, a murder committed outside United States jurisdiction is
considered a matter for the local authorities to deal with, but in this
case a Federal judge has ruled that, since your mother was killed by Brian
Davis in furtherance of his crimes against America, it would have formed
part of the original indictment against him if the evidence had been made
available at the time of his original trial.  The British authorities have
raised no objections, other than the usual, to him being tried under a
Federal Indictment for First Degree murder in the commission of crimes
against America.  Without your help, we would never have been able to bring
this about, thank you all for your invaluable help and assistance.  The
trial will be held as speedily as possible, but it won't be soon; the
Federal courts have a long backlog of cases, but I will do my best to keep
you updated as and when anything new comes up."
   As it happens, that bastard never got to trial; a week later, on the
advice of his attorney, he pleaded-out, admitting his guilt for a technical
reduction of his sentence.  We were in court to watch the bastard allocute
to his crimes, listening as he described in sickening detail what he'd done
to our mother, and why.  Part of his plea-bargain was that he give explicit
details, which he did, with no hint of emotion, no signs of remorse,
nothing; he could have been reading a laundry-list for all the expression
in his voice or on his face.  The bastard never once looked at us as we sat
there, all his children in a row, all of us there to watch his final
downfall.
   At the end of his speech, the Federal Prosecutor confirmed to the judge
the terms of the deal that had been struck; that Brian Davis would receive
a sentence of 30 years to life for the murder of Barbara Morrison Davis. 
The judge noted the plea for the court record, and then informed that
...creature that he would serve the term consecutively to his current
sentence, ensuring that there was no possibility of him ever leaving prison
alive.  It was a fit sentence, and a victory for us; at last, justice had
been done, that bastard had admitted in open court what he had done, and
had been convicted and sentenced for his acts.  Now our mother could rest,
her "suicide" wiped from the record, and her last resting place could be
blessed, something she would have wanted.
   We filed out of court in silence; there was no rejoicing, this wasn't
something to celebrate, but it was a day to remember; we had seen justice
done, and I was content.  We had seen and heard that bastard admit his
guilt, and really speaking, I had no issues with the sentence; Brian Davis
was in his late fifties, he still had almost 40 years to serve on his
original sentence, with no possibility of parole, now he had an additional
30 years, sealing his fate, and he'd be doing it from a hole in the ground
far from any contact with the rest of the human race.  Time was going to
drag heavily for him, perhaps he'd take that time and reflect on what he'd
done, although that was probably not very likely; people like my father
don't feel guilt; if they did, they wouldn't do the things they did.  He'd
taken a life, and caused the end of another, he'd ruined lives and almost
destroyed his children, he'd hurt and damaged us, and caused unspeakable
suffering.  Now he'd waste his life away in a hole, a forgotten, pathetic
relic of a time best forgotten too.
   Nicky had been right, and so had Ashley; the mills of God had ground him
fine, and found nothing worth saving; he had bought and paid for the fate
that awaited him, and there was no-one left who could or would mourn him.
I, however, was paradoxically glad that New York had no death penalty; I
didn't want his death on my conscience, or that of any other member of my
family; that his crimes had condemned him to a tiny cubicle 80 feet
underground for the rest of his life was entirely his own doing, and it was
justice enough for me.
   A month later, a Requiem Mass was said for my mother at our local
catholic church in Carlisle, where the stigma of suicide was removed from
her and she was rejoined with the Catholic Church.
   Afterwards, a short, but profoundly moving service was held at her
grave-side, where our mother's grave was formally consecrated in accordance
with her beliefs, and the proper prayers of her faith said over her for the
repose of her soul.  All of the family was there to say goodbye to our
mother, and pray for her to be at peace at last.
   Poor Nicky is still at war with himself over her death, but I think the
service gave him some of that peace and closure he so desperately needed,
and he has Ashley to help him, and mum, and all of us who played their part
in giving our mother peace at last.
   *
   Two years have passed since the events described above, two full,
satisfying years.  Shari and I have a little girl now, Ayesha, named after
her mother, and the spitting image of Shari.  Rick and Yasmin have a little
boy named David.  We also have another one on the way, as does Yaz, only
both girls are having boys this time.
   Nicky and Ashley spend several weeks a year with us, as do Judy and
Leon; Shari and I feel very strongly that maintaining close family links is
the most important thing we can do for our extended family, so every
summer, Nicky, Ashley, little Barbara, and their youngest, Judy, the baby
of the family, try and spend at least a couple of weeks in England, and we
return the favour over Thanksgiving or the Christmas holidays.  The house
is always alive with conversation, and the sound of children playing,
something I think Barbara would have appreciated.
   I know she's still with us, though, and it's not just supposition; I
know, believe me.
   This summer just gone, everyone was here, Nicky and Ashley and their
kids, Judy, mum, step-dad David, and of course, my little sister by
adoption, Rachel.  I was sitting in the family room catching my breath
after chasing kids all over the house, with Rachel sitting on me watching
the Disney channel on the big plasma in there.  Everyone else was in the
kitchen, talking and drinking coffee while they got the things ready for
the barbecue we'd planned.  I was just dropping-off, hoping to catch a
little snooze before the barbecue, when Rachel clambered off me and
disappeared.  In my half-asleep state I heard her laughing and talking in
the dining-room.  I paid it no mind, settling down to try and recapture my
snooze, when she climbed back onto my lap and shook me awake the way she
usually did; by pulling my bottom lip and making my head nod.
   "What?  Don't do that Rachel, please!" I mumbled, so she thumped me on
the chest.
   "Wake up, Bobby, wake up!" she pestered, so I cocked an eye at her.
   "What's the matter, Rachel, I'm tired?" I grumbled, unable to even think
about sleeping while she bounced on my stomach.
   "I got something for you Bobby, look!"
   I opened my eyes, and stared in shock.  She was wearing Barbara's charm
bracelet, dangling it from her wrist.
   "Where...where did you get that, Baby?" I asked her, and she grinned her
gap-toothed smile at me.
   "The nice lady gave it to me!" she giggled, taking it off and dangling
it in front of me, admiring all the tiny charms and medallions depending
from it.
   "What 'nice lady'?" I whispered, and she squirmed around and pointed at
Barbara's picture on the mantelpiece.
   "Her!  She told me to give it to you, and I had to tell you something,
too; she said that she loved you, and Ricky, and Little Saint Nick, and all
the babies, and me too!  She was nice!  Is she your mommy?  She looks like
you!  Who's Little Saint Nick?"
   I asked Rachel to go and get Nicky and Rick, and waited until she came
back in, towing both of them behind her.  Nicky grinned at me as he picked
up his littlest sister.
   "What's up, Bobby?  Rachel said you want to talk to us."
   I held up the bracelet, Nicky's eyes widening as he saw it, as did
Rick's.
   "Rachel, tell Nicky what you just told me." I urged, so she did,
pointing at the photograph when I asked her who the lady was.  Nicky's eyes
filled as he held the bracelet, then he smiled as he picked up and kissed
the little girl.
   "You're so lucky, baby-girl, so, so lucky.  That lady is the loveliest
lady in the world, and she came a long, long way to see you, so you must
always keep that safe, OK?"
   Rachel nodded, reaching out to rub at Nicky's eyes.
   "Don't cry Nicky, you're a big boy!" as she hugged him, then kissed him
on the tip of his nose.
   "The nice lady said I had to give you that!" she giggled, and Nicky
grinned back, hoisting her higher as we made our way into the cool kitchen,
where our family waited for us.
   pics---->> http://bit.ly/1QdQXsD
  
RagDollCh06Pt02