Chapter 2

I knew Tabby couldn't stay angry with me for long. She loved me as devotedly as I loved her, but I would have to have a heart to heart talk with her about the nature of our relationship soon. When I pulled on my pants and came out of the bathroom I saw it would have to be sooner, rather than later. She was still naked, lying prone on our bed and crying into a pillow. I pounced on her, pinning her to our bed and wrapping her in my arms. "I love you, Princess Tabitha Jackie Moore! Who has dared to upset my beautiful Princess? Your faithful knight will hand you their head!"

Tabby got down to basics rather quick, and far too openly for my own liking. "I was good enough for four rapists and murderers but not good enough for you, Jack? Am I someone else's used trash now or what?" I could tell this little genius had been formulating her arguments, and I dreaded their effects on me. I rolled off her, thrust my arms toward the ceiling, and pleaded, "Lord, please take me now!"

Tabby wasn't buying that line of crap, she knows I'm not the religious type, and I was only stalling for time to think. She straddled me, and got right in my face with hers. "Okay, so I'm not a virgin anymore. Yes, I'm still a kid in years, but not in experience. I've been forced to do things career prostitutes refuse to do. I am a snuff rape CD that needs overwriting, Jack. I was introduced to sex in the most horrible way anyone could ever imagine, and I desperately need the one man I have been in love with all my life to overwrite those horrid memories with good ones! You are my Godfather, and I was named in your honor. Do you love me enough to make love to me as I'm asking you to do and protect me from my own memories and nightmares?"

What could I say to that? I gave it my best shot. "Darling, as I've always told you, you are dearer to me than life itself, and I will kill for you or die for you without hesitation or thought, but you don't understand what you're asking of me! I'm twenty years older than you, and I'm a physical and mental wreck. You may be in love with several boys your own age before you reach an age I could legally touch you. Your parents named me your Godfather because they trusted me to always protect you with my life!"

The brat snickered and looked down. My hands were holding her hips and she was sitting naked on my bare belly. I was doing my best to ignore the mind blowing heat from her little pussy and the sight of her delicious looking little breasts and puffy pink nipples. Damn it, I had changed the diapers on this baby girl more times than even I could remember!

She leaned forward onto me and kissed me passionately for a moment, while she purposely rubbed her erect nipples into my chest. "Now tell me you didn't like that, Jack! Things have changed since my parents named you my Godfather, you've been teaching your military tenets to me for thirteen years and one of them is 'adapt, adjust and overcome' and I'm asking you to protect me the way I need you to now!" I think I've already mentioned Tabby is a strong willed child, haven't I?

Yes, I'd liked feeling her body on mine, I loved it, but I didn't dare admit that to her! Instead I told her, "Be careful with those pointy things you have on your chest, Love, you could poke someone's eye out." She laughed, kissed me again, then she bounced off me. She rummaged through my bag and came up with another extra large T-shirt. She wiggled into it, doing much more wiggling than seemed necessary, so I knew it was done for my benefit. "Take me and feed me something, Sir Jack," she said, "while you think about what I told you your princess needs you to do for her."

I was beginning to wonder which of us was running this gang. I finished dressing, including a shoulder holster and pistol, then loaded the weapons back into the truck. Tabby stayed within arm's reach of me the entire time. We got into the truck and I asked her, "What are you hungry for, Tabby?" She thought that over for a minute, then asked, "Could we do breakfast? I'd love some pancakes with lots of butter and syrup." I knew where there was a good place, but I cautioned her we'd have to rush right in and sit down before anyone noticed she wore only one of my shirts and was barefooted. This put her into Bonnie Parker mode again, because she answered me, "Let's do it, Clyde!"

I parked near the entrance to the place and we went in fast. Tabby cased the scene quickly and darted into a corner booth with me right behind her. We had gotten away with it, because a girl came to take our orders. Tabby spoke right up to her and ordered pancakes, bacon, and milk. My preference wasn't on the menu, so I pulled a ten from my billfold and told the girl she'd earn a ten dollar tip if she could bring me two grilled cheese sandwiches, with fried egg, bacon, and tomato on them and coffee. She grabbed the ten, winked at me and headed to the kitchen.

Tabby pinched my arm hard. I asked her, "Hey, what was that for, Shrimp?" She told me, "Doh! That was for flirting, dummy. You already have a woman with you, me!" I couldn't argue that point, after what the darling had survived that week. Tabby remarked, this seat is cold, Jack!" I had to laugh at that. I told her, "Don't worry, Doll, your hot little body will have it smoldering within minutes! Pull my T-shirt down under your bottom, and try not to burn a hole in it." I would have given her my light jacket to sit on, but it was concealing my shoulder holster and pistol. Our orders came and Tabby devoured the three pancakes and bacon while I was eating one sandwich.

"Wow, I guess you were hungry! Would you like more of those or something else?" I had noticed she had been admiring my sandwich, so I picked up one of the remaining two halves and then slid the plate to her. "Here, Love, I'll share with Miss Bonnie Parker any day." She thanked me for the half sandwich, and then declared herself full when she'd finished it. Our check arrived and it was close enough I gave the girl a twenty. I was lucky my gun moll cut me some slack and I didn't get pinched again.

Our next stop was a clothing store. Tabby was familiar with this one and headed for the right area as I pushed a shopping cart behind her. She rushed back to my side and hugged me as one man passed by. "You're doing fine, Sweetheart, you're a brave girl." I reassured her. "Maybe you think so, Jack," she said, "but I nearly peed on the floor when he got too close!"

I held her close to me for a minute and bent to kiss her. She made sure it was on her lips instead of the cheek I had been aiming for. We made our way to the clothing racks, and timid Tabby became a practiced shopper, pulling items out and scanning them for prices and sizes with her eyes. She approved several dresses, blouses, skirts, and pants and put them into the cart. She turned to me and asked, "Do we have a money limit on our shopping, Jack?"

I laughed and told her, "Not for you, Darling, you get everything you need or want from me." My namesake looked at me with fire in her eyes and I knew she was thinking of our earlier conversation.

She bought underwear, socks, and several pair of shoes. The one thing I did suggest was a beret. She looked so stunning with it on, and I knew it would help with her self-image and self esteem. I urged her to buy several colors of them, which she took me up on. She told me she thought she had enough clothes for now, and we checked out and loaded her loot into the truck. My brazen girl pulled my shirt off her and changed into one of her new outfits as I pulled out onto the road.

Our next stop was the shooting range. I gave her a basic safety lecture, and I had ear protectors and adjusted them for her before we ever began firing. I showed her how to load ammunition into a .22 semi-automatic rifle and let her punch holes with it for a while, while I explained to her about squeezing the trigger and not jerking it. She asked me, "Can I write something with it?" I told her, "Sure you can, if you're good enough with it." That kept her attention for quite a while. She wrote "Tabby Loves Jack" on one target and her doing so brought tears to my eyes. When I noticed her concentration seeming to fade I asked if she'd like to try a .22 pistol and revolver and she was all for that, too.

I showed her the grip to use and a combat stance. Tabby liked the pistol best because I had two extra clips for it and I reloaded them as she fired. She went rapid fire at one point and still held the group on the target! "You're a natural, Tabby!" She had an explanation for that, too. She smiled at me, "It's the beret you bought for me, Jack. Take that you bastards!" She fired off another clip rapid fire and I knew she was shooting murderers and rapists in her mind. She proved that to me when she said, "This is great therapy, Jack, thank you!"

"At the rate you're learning I'll start you on the .9 millimeter semi-automatic and the .38 Special revolver tomorrow," I told her. "If you do as well as I think you will we'll have you double tapping the man shaped silhouette targets with a .357 Magnum within days." She asked curiously, "What's double tapping, Jack?" I told her, "That's what you do to the likes of those sorry bastards who hurt you and your family. You fire two shots quickly, a bullet into their chest or back, another into their head as your barrel and point of aim comes back down from the recoil. Tap, tap!" Tabby squeezed off two rounds at her target quickly, then she turned her angelic face to me, her sweet lips parted in a precious smile. "I could do that!" I had to kiss her, she was too damned beautiful and brave a little warrior for me to resist!

Where Tabby learned to kiss I was afraid to ask, but she'd learned it well. She must have been a natural at that, too. When we broke the kiss we were both breathing hard. She looked at me hopefully and asked, "Does that mean you'll do what I asked and make love to me?" I didn't know yet. I told her, "What it means is I'm stark raving madly in love with a beautiful girl who is young enough to be my own daughter, and I'm going straight to hell for it." She grinned happily, and told me, "I'll follow you straight to hell and back, Jack! I'm just as madly in love with you!" She kissed me again, and I let her do it, and I kissed her right back. "Girl, you do know how to kiss!" She sheepishly admitted to me, "Marcie and I have been practicing, but it's much more fun kissing you!"