JC: Ed Biggers
Part 5: Stasis
Chapter 2
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

Ed was seated in the dining room of the first year dorm eating 
lunch with Kelly when Albert Mandel and Cindy Carpenter 
entered the room. Waving an arm, he caught their attention and 
they headed over to their table. Kelly was puzzled by the 
appearance of the two individuals as they were wearing outfits 
unlike anything she had seen before. Wearing dark green clothes 
with soft leather boots that laced up their legs, they looked like 
something out of a Robin Hood movie. Noticing her puzzlement, 
Ed said, "They are Rangers."

Kelly replied, "They seem to know their way around here."

The comment surprised Ed until he remembered the only time the 
two rangers had been in the school. He explained, "The last time 
they were here was when you were shot and died."

"That was almost three years ago," countered Kelly.

"They are Rangers and have a memory for places."

The Rangers finally reached the table and sat down across from 
Ed. Albert extended a hand to Ed as he said, "It's good to see you 
again."

Ed shook his hand as he replied, "It's good to see you too. What 
brings you to this part of the country again?"

"Checking out the wildlife. Since Cindy is going to start teaching 
here in a couple of months, we thought we would stop by and see 
what accommodations were available for her," replied Albert with 
a gesture to Cindy.

 A slight nudge in his side reminded Ed of his manners and he said, 
"Kelly, this is Albert and Cindy. Albert, Cindy, this is Kelly."

After appropriate exchanges had been made, Albert looked 
thoughtful for a moment and then asked, "You were the one that 
was shot last time we were here?"

That day, the one where she had died, was one that would live 
forever in her memory. It was a gift from the Goddess and one that 
she had decided was the greatest gift she had been given. Smiling, 
she answered, "Yes. Shot and killed."

Cindy didn't say a word; she was busy examining her surroundings 
and comparing them to the last time that she was here. Her first trip 
had been filled with embarrassment at all of the naked people 
walking around. Three years later, the sight didn't bother her nearly 
as much. Her attention was brought back to the conversation when 
Kelly asked her, "would you like me to show you the quarters you 
will have when you come here?"

She replied, "yes, please."

After Kelly and Cindy had left, Albert turned to Ed and asked, "do 
the Druids own the property down the road? The one with the 
stable and house?"

"Not really. I own it."

"Oh, I wondered. I was surprised to see all of the delicate plant 
species protected by cages."

Smiling, Ed said, "Yes. I had Al Turner go over the property to 
protect what ever might be growing there. I ride my horse and 
camp there occasionally."

"You take very good care of the land. The wildlife in the area has 
done more damage to the plants you are protecting than your horse. 
The deer out here are amazingly aggressive," remarked Albert.

"I try. So did you spot anything interesting while you were out 
there on my place?"

"Well, I did a cursory survey and didn't turn up anything 
extraordinary."

Ed smiled and asked, "Would you like to see a slightly more 
detailed survey of the property?"

"You have done one?"

"I did a geological survey. Little John did a bio-survey. Even Al 
says that it is pretty extensive."

"Little John? He's your son isn't he?"

"Yes, he is," replied Ed. He glanced up at the clock and saw that 
the kids were due back anytime. Little John was taking an algebra 
course and Beth was busy with her civics class. He added, "He's 
studied all of the wildlife in the area."

"How old is he?"

"Six going on seven."

"Sounds like he's a little advanced for his age," replied Albert not 
sure if he was going to accept a bio-survey from a six year old boy. 
Smiling at the idea that even Druids were susceptible to the normal 
self-delusions about the intelligence of their children, he said, "I'll 
check out his work and maybe I can give him some pointers."

Taking a sip of the lemonade, Ed smiled at the slightly 
condescending tone taken by the Ranger. The truth would become 
clear soon enough. William entered the room and headed to the 
table where his father sat. Looking around, he pointed to the empty 
chair as if to ask about his mother.

Ed smiled and answered the implied question. "She's showing 
Cindy the apartment she'll be staying in while she's teaching here."

William smiled and sat down while giving a nod of 
acknowledgement to Albert. Taken aback by the boy, Albert 
nodded in return. 

Ed said, "Albert, this is William. He's our youngest. William, this 
is Mr. Mandel."

Albert said, "It is nice to meet you William."

William nodded in reply. At the withering glance from Ed, he said, 
"It is nice to meet you, Mr. Mandel."

Ed explained, "Please excuse the rudeness of my son. He doesn't 
talk unless absolutely forced to it."

"I'm sorry I ever said a word," William muttered with a certain 
amount of bitterness.

"Young man, if you don't act nicely we'll have to send you to the 
corner for five minutes," lectured Ed. Standing in the corner was 
the worst punishment that the family used on the children. They 
felt it gave the child time to think about what they had done wrong, 
yet didn't harm the child in any significant manner.

William shrugged and, after a look from his father, stood up. 
Marching to the corner, he stood facing it with a relaxed posture 
that suggested he would be happy to stand there all day. Ed 
watched him with sadness at his lack of social engagement with 
the people around him. Albert interrupted his musings when he 
said, "What an extraordinary child!"

"Pardon? He was quite rude to you," replied Ed.

"He doesn't like to waste his breath with trivial exchanges. I bet 
when he's interested in something, he asks questions."

"No, he looks it up himself. He communicates very little with 
others."

"Interesting," replied Albert as he watched the young man stand in 
the corner. 

Little John and Beth sat down at the table and looked over at 
William standing in the corner. Beth asked, "Let me guess, he 
wouldn't exchange small talk again?"

Her question startled Ed as he had been watching William. Turning 
to face his children, he answered, "Yes."

Little John said, "I'm John and this is my sister Beth."

Beth looked over at the Ranger and said, "I remember you. You 
were here when Mommy Kelly was shot."

Albert smiled and said, "You have a very good memory, Beth. 
That was almost three years ago."

Ed sat back and watched the exchange between his kids and the 
Ranger. Little John was studying Albert very carefully and then 
said, "You are a Ranger, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." The intensity with which the child had studied him 
was rather unnerving. Never before had he encountered a child that 
took such obvious deliberation in assessing an adult. With a quick 
glance at Ed, he wondered if the parent hadn't been mistaken about 
the abilities of his son.

"Would you like to see my survey of the flora and fauna on Daddy 
Ed's place?"

"Yes, I would," replied Albert interested in seeing what this child 
had done. As soon as the answer was out of his mouth, Little John 
left the table without another word. Albert watched Little John 
walk off to get the survey. 

The waitress, seeing that most of the party was present, came over 
to the table and asked, "What can I get you?"

Smiling, Ed said, "Three small chocolate milkshakes for the kids. 
A Strawberry Smoothie for Kelly."

Beth looked at her father in surprise at the order. She clapped her 
hands together in excitement. When Ed pointed to William, she 
nodded and went to fetch her brother. 

Albert said, "I'll take iced teas for me and Cindy."

The waitress asked, "That's three shakes, a smoothie, and two teas. 
Anything else?"

"No thank you," replied Albert.

The drinks had arrived before Little John returned with his survey. 
Seeing the chocolate milkshake on the table, his eyes grew big at 
the unexpected surprise. Seeing William and Beth drinking the 
thick shake through the straw, he joined them and dug in. Albert 
laughed at how Little John had forgotten all about the survey in 
light of the milkshake. He was surprised when Little John finished 
his first sip and then opened the map and laid it on the table. "I've 
marked every location where I've seen a unique plant on this 
particular map. I've been computerizing this data so that we can 
map all of the plant species on it."

Albert looked over the map impressed with the level of detail 
captured within it. All of the rare plants that he had observed 
earlier were clearly marked on the map. Other plants, which 
weren't rare but uncommon on the property, were also shown. As 
he examined the map, Little John opened a photo album that 
contained pictures of each species of plant on the property. Albert 
noticed the album and went through it a page at a time, examining 
each picture with a trained eye. The pictures were remarkable, 
showing details of each plant that would allow easy identification. 
Looking up, he said, "This is very impressive. I hope that you will 
show this to Cindy. I'm sure that she'll be glad to help you when 
you put all of this on computer."

"Thanks," replied Little John. He opened another map and spread it 
out on the table atop the first map. This map identified locations in 
which animals had been spotted as well as all breeding sites.

Albert examined the map, noticing how each sighting was marked 
with a date and time. There was almost a year's worth of data 
present on the map. Looking up, he asked, "What about the 
nocturnal animals?"

Little John looked at his father with an accusatory look and said, 
"My parents won't let me stay up all night."

Ed smiled at the implication that he was to let his son tramp around 
the woods in the dark of the night. He replied, "You don't want to 
run into a bear in the dark."

"I know," replied Little John resigned to this limitation placed on 
him by his parents. 

Albert said, "I'm sure that Cindy would be more than happy to 
pursue that part of the survey for you."

"That would be nice," replied Little John thoughtfully. He was 
more interested in having a complete survey than in doing it all 
himself. After all, others had already helped him with parts of it. 
After a moment, he asked, "Isn't she concerned about being in the 
dark?"

Albert answered, "She was my student and I taught her how to 
move through the woods without being surprised."

"Perhaps she can teach me," suggested Little John.

Albert glanced at Ed for a second before answering, "When the 
time is right, I'm sure she'll be more than happy to teach you 
woodcraft."

Ed nodded his agreement with the answer. Albert was examining 
the pictures that Little John had taken of the wildlife when Kelly 
and Cindy returned from the tour of the apartment. Kelly noticed 
the milkshakes and looked at Ed with a question in her eyes, but he 
just winked in return. Cindy sat down and exclaimed, "You have 
wonderful facilities for the faculty."

"It was John that designed them. He felt that the faculty needed to 
have a place that was conducive to thinking great thoughts," 
replied Ed.

Beth snickered as she added, "And lots of space for sex."

In the meantime, Little John had opened the map on which he had 
marked sightings of various insects. He set that one on the table for 
Albert to inspect. The Ranger was clearly impressed with the level 
of detail about the insect life on the property. More than four 
hundred species were identified. Looking over at the photo album 
that Little John was opening, he could tell that the young man had 
taken pictures of each species. 

Cindy noticed the detailed examination that Albert was giving the 
map and looked down at it. Both eyebrows raised as she took in the 
detailed notes presented. She looked over at Little John and asked, 
"You did all of this work?"

"Not all of it. I had some help from others."

Albert sat back and examined the boy. With his short pants, button 
shirts, and sneakers, he looked like any other boy his age.  
However, the mind inside that body was remarkable. One had to 
wonder if it was genetics, environment, or a blessing of the Gods 
and Goddesses. 

The conversation around the table was lively and covered a huge 
number of topics. It slowed when Ed turned to William and asked, 
"So what classes did you observe today?"

The question was one that required a verbal answer. William 
looked over at him and answered, "Algebra, Intro to Biology, and 
Sociology."

"Yes, I noticed that you didn't attend my class this morning," 
remarked Ed.

"Nothing new."

Beth moved to expand on his answer, "You've been reading that 
same material to us ever since we were little."

Little John nodded his agreement and added, "It is a little boring 
for us."

Kelly had never believed that the kids had understood the material 
that the fathers read to them, but they had proved her wrong more 
times than she would admit. It surprised her when Ed didn't 
approach the topic concerned with how bored the children were in 
his class. Instead, he asked, "What do you think of the rule 
protecting the weak from the strong?"

Little John looked up at Ed in surprise and answered, "It is very 
important. It is the cornerstone of the service to the Gods and 
Goddesses."

Beth asserted, "It is the foundation of all law."

William didn't answer, but watched Ed very carefully. Ed asked, 
"So how can one help the weak if one doesn't go out and talk with 
them?"

In a very matter of fact voice, Beth answered, "You observe them 
being taken advantage of by someone else." 

"That is very rare. The strong tend to take advantage of the weak 
behind closed doors," replied Kelly. 

Little John speculated, "You ask people."

Smiling as the direction of the conversation was going in the 
direction that he desired, Ed replied, "So someone that is being 
taken advantage of by someone stronger is going to just answer yes 
out of the blue? You don't think they need to trust you first before 
they let you know about a vulnerability?"

William sat back and looked at Ed with narrowed eyes. He started 
to say something, but caught himself. Beth answered, "You have to 
talk to people long enough to get their trust."

Unable to resist, William leaned forward and asked, "Are you 
saying that small talk is necessary in order to help protect the weak 
from the strong?"

"It is the first step in gaining trust," replied Kelly as she looked at 
Ed in amazement. This was the first question that she had heard 
William ever ask. 

"I shall have to think about that," replied William as he stood and 
left the table. There were many ways in which he was just like 
John and this was one. As soon as he was presented with a problem 
that required a solution, he dropped everything else to attack it 
with single-minded focus. 

Cindy had watched the exchange with confusion and turned to ask 
a question. Before she had a chance to say a word, Beth said, "You 
realize that we are never going to be able to get him to shut up 
after this."

Ed and Kelly burst out laughing. Ed replied, "We will take care of 
that if it should ever become a problem."

Amazed at how Ed had manipulated the conversation to get 
through to William the importance of the inane chatter that often 
precedes the important, Albert sat back and considered the lean 
man sitting across from him. There was a lot of depth hidden 
within the man. He smiled and said, "That was an interesting 
approach to take in order to get your son to talk more."

Ed shrugged as he replied, "It's the best that I could come up with 
at the moment."

Linda and John came over to the table talking quietly among 
themselves. As they sat down, Linda asked, "What's wrong with 
William?"

"Why?"

"He walked past us without even noticing us."

Little John said, "Daddy Ed gave him something to think about."

John noticed the presence of Albert and Cindy. Smiling at the pair, 
he said, "Hello. How are you two doing?"

Albert smiled and said, "I'm doing fine. Cindy will start teaching 
here next semester and we thought we'd come by and see where 
she would be living."

"That's great. I'm sure that Little John will be glad to show you 
around the fourth year facility," replied John.

Blushing, Cindy said, "I've been working myself up to where I can 
lecture a room full of naked people."

Laughing, Ed replied, "Sorry to disappoint you, but there aren't any 
naked students in your classes. They are all fourth years."

"Oh," replied Cindy with a trace of relief tinged with 
disappointment in her voice. 

Linda grinned and said, "You can ask them and they'll probably 
undress for you."

"Of course, you might have to strip too," added Kelly with a large 
smile and a wink. She understood the subtle attraction of 
fantasizing about being a dressed woman in front of a class of 
naked students. She had often had a similar fantasy. 

The three men left the table while the women were talking and the 
kids were ordering their dinner. When they exited the dining room, 
Albert said, "There's another reason that I stopped by."

Without surprise, John asked, "What is the matter?"

Albert stopped and turned to face the two other men. With a grave 
expression, he said, "We had a Ranger killed up in Wisconsin 
under very mysterious circumstances. I know your husband is up 
in that same area doing some fieldwork and I thought you should 
know."

Exchanging looks, Ed and John both nodded as they processed the 
news. Ed asked, "Why haven't we heard about this?"

Clearing his throat, Albert answered, "The news services described 
the Ranger as a hiker that had been killed. We didn't bother to 
correct the story."

Knowing full well the reason why the Rangers didn't correct the 
news story, John said, "You really do need to start getting property 
owner permission before you go on other people's land."

"I know, but the problem is that the ones that are the worst in 
preserving nature are the ones that won't give permission," replied 
Albert.

"Your government grants give you certain rights in that area. 
Particularly since you are working with the game and wildlife 
departments of various states," countered John.

"Those grants don't require us to inform the owners."

"Still, it would be better if you did that," remarked John. It was 
often very dangerous going on someone's land without talking to 
the landowner first. Depending on where you were, they tended to 
shoot first and ask questions later. 

"What happened to your guy?" asked Ed wondering why Albert 
had said that it occurred under mysterious circumstances. 

"He had been killed execution style with a single bullet in the back 
of the head at close range. The body was found almost a hundred 
miles from where he was supposed to be working. He knows 
everyone in the area where he was supposed to be working and 
basically has carte blanche to travel the land there," replied Albert. 

John and Ed looked at each other for a full minute. Ed finally said, 
"I'll go with Albert."

As John nodded, Albert asked, "How did you know that I was 
going there?"

That was an easy question to answer and John did the honors. 
"You came here to drop off Cindy in case there was danger where 
you were going. You told us for two reasons. First, so that we 
could warn Leroy. Second, so that if something bad happened to 
you that we would have an idea of where to begin investigating."

Ed was busy thinking about what he would need to do over the 
next day. There was a lie to discover and he was ready to go after 
it, but he had to cancel classes and get his intern out of his classes. 
The school had several staff members that were to take care of all 
travel arrangements for faculty in cases where they were called to 
service. Turning to the business at hand, Ed said, "I'll make the 
arrangements. We can leave tomorrow afternoon and get there 
early in the evening. For now, I have to hunt down my intern."

The other two men watched as Ed marched away toward the fourth 
year dorm. Ed didn't notice the expressions of amusement on their 
faces since his mind was already working on what needed to be 
done. The first thing they would have to do is locate Leroy and 
Ling. 

Howard was in the fourth year dining room enjoying an early 
dinner with Kristi. They were making plans for a walk through the 
woods over the weekend. When Ed entered the dining room, 
Howard got a sinking feeling in his stomach that the date wasn't 
going to happen. As Ed sat down at the table, Howard asked, 
"What can I do for you?"

Looking at Howard with an intensity that the young man had never 
experienced, Ed answered, "I need you to find out where Leroy 
and Ling are. To do that, you'll have to get in contact with a Druid 
by the name of Tom Hardy. We'll need flight arrangements to 
leave tomorrow afternoon for Wisconsin. Let the travel folks know 
that we'll go by private jet. You'll need to pack up a couple of 
robes since you'll be going there with me."

Howard tried to remember everything that he had been told and 
repeated the instructions, "I'm to get in contact with Tom Hardy 
and find out where Leroy and Wing are. Then make flight 
arrangements on a private jet to Wisconsin for tomorrow 
afternoon."

"The name is Ling, not Wing," corrected Ed without irritation at 
having his wife's name mangled. 

"Yes sir, Leroy and Ling," echoed Howard as he considered what 
else he would have to do before leaving tomorrow. He had to tell 
all of his instructors that he would be absent for an indeterminate 
amount of time.

It was late before Ed returned to the apartments. He had just 
finished going over his teaching plan with Dr. Doud, the other 
instructor of Geology. The man wasn't a Druid and didn't 
understand the need for Ed to leave for an unknown amount of 
time. In a way, he felt put out by having to work double time 
because Ed was leaving without much warning or details. 

Turning on the light in his room, he was surprised to find out that 
Linda was waiting for him on the bed. The light woke her and she 
said, "I meant to stay awake and send you off properly."

Ed stripped out of his robe and turned off the light. Moving over to 
the bed he climbed under the sheets beside Linda and said, "I didn't 
mean to be gone so long." 

"I know."

Ed spooned against Linda and kissed her back. Sighing, he said, 
"This is so wonderful. We don't get to lie together like this very 
often. Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"All the time," replied Linda feeling safe and secure in his arms. 
She whispered, "You show it to me more than you tell me."

"I love you very much. Sometimes, I just don't know how to say 
how much I love you."

Linda didn't need his words. She knew how much he loved her. 
Months spent by her bedside while she was struggling to keep the 
baby during her pregnancy demonstrated the depth of his love for 
her. If she could have another child, she would definitely want Ed 
to be the father. Voice trembling with emotion, Linda replied, 
"You don't have to say a word. I know how much you love me. I 
feel bad that I can't convey how deeply I feel for you."

"No need. I know," replied Ed. 

Linda suddenly turned around and slid under the sheet. When she 
reached his limp cock, she slipped it into her mouth taking him by 
surprise. As her tongue worked the sensitive organ, it slowly 
erected filling her mouth and inching down her throat. She backed 
off and began to really get to work on it. With a free hand, she 
used it to tickle his balls with her long hair. 

Groaning at the sensations that she was producing in him, Ed 
started bucking his hips. It was normal for her to try and get him to 
come as quickly as possible. This time, she took her time bringing 
him to a climax. When he started to get close, she eased off and 
teased him with the soft touch of her hair. 

Ed was panting and thrusting his hips upwards trying to get enough 
friction on his cock to come, but she kept him just on the verge. 
Taking a finger, she slowly traced it over his asshole, exciting him 
further with the attention given to thousands of nerve endings. He 
groaned, "Please, let me come."

She started to lick the head of his cock with languid swipes of her 
tongue as if it were an ice cream cone. The desire to grab her head 
and shove it down on his cock was almost overwhelming, but he 
grabbed sheets instead and arched his body in the hope of thrusting 
into her mouth. 

Linda, knowing that he was close to losing it sucked his cock into 
her mouth and deep throated him in one smooth move. The 
surprise was enough to drive him over the edge. He cried out, "I'm 
coming."

Backing off his cock, Linda tried to get as much of his come in her 
mouth as possible. As far as she was concerned, it was a waste for 
it to slide down her throat without having a chance to savor the 
flavor for a bit. When her mouth filled up with his come, she 
swallowed to accept the rest of it. 

Ed groaned as she sucked his cock dry and then worked it over to 
clean off all traces of come. Never had he heard of a woman that 
loved the taste of come as much as Linda did. Even as he lay there 
recovering, he knew that he was lucky to have such a woman in his 
life. 

Coming out from under the sheet, Linda said, "I hope that will hold 
you until morning."

In the dark, it was easy to see her white teeth as she smiled at him. 
Ed whispered, "It will hold me until morning and then some."

"We will see about that," teased Linda. 

They cuddled for ten minutes before Ed fell asleep for the night. 
Linda, refreshed after her short nap, lay there beside him tracing 
little lines on his chest until she became sleepy. Leaning over, she 
kissed his nipple, and then snuggled beside him. 
