Chapter 19

(Thanks to PapaKilo14 for his editing prowess)

"On one condition." Sally grinned, her eyes bright with mirth.

"And that is... ?"

'That sometimes, in here, where no one else can hear ... I can call you Daddy.'

"What!?" James's eyes shot wide open, his face pale.

'Well?'

'No, no, no, no, no! Why would you ask that?' James's mental voice was sputtering, balking at the idea.

Sally kept her forehead in contact with his, their eyes locked. She smiled softly.

'It doesn't matter why. It is my only condition.'

James just sat there, staring into her eyes, seeing her smile, unable to come up with a cogent argument other than "It's wrong" and knowing that would not be enough to dissuade her.

'I don't know if I can handle that.' he sent, struggling to hold the rage inside every time the thought of her father crept into his mind.

'I can see inside you.' she sent, the smile never altering. 'I can see it, coiled, waiting... '

James broke eye contact, moving his head so that he couldn't see her, and found himself meeting Zoe's gaze instead, as she stood ten feet away, impatiently waiting to find out what was happening.

The hope and anticipation on Zoe's face was ... heart breaking. If he turned Sally down, he would have at least two heart-broken women to deal with.

With a sigh, he felt the tension leave and exhaustion creep it. It was as if he had just finished a marathon. He pulled Sally to him, holding her close and relaxing at the feel of her heartbeat next to his. In her ear, his mouth close enough so that she could feel his breath tickling, he whispered.

"Okay."

It seemed as though Sally had been holding her breath, hiding her own tension, burying her own worries. She collapsed against him, silently weeping and he could feel her hot tears on his neck and shoulder.

Zoe, unable to wait any longer, rushed to the pair and dropped to her knees, her arms around both of them.

'Is it okay now?' she sent softly.

'It's good, sister.' Sally raised up and shifted her head to Zoe's shoulder, pulling her closer. Tears were still running down her cheeks, but her smile was brilliant.

'It's fucking great!' she laughed, kissing Zoe's neck.

James looked up and found Stacy standing over the little group, her own smile lighting up her face.

'Can anyone join this little party?' she sent to the three, 'Or maybe we should take this inside before we give the neighbors even more to gossip about?'

Laughing, James, Zoe and Sally stood and pulled Stacy into the group hug for a long moment. Then, the four of them hand in hand, they turned towards the house.

Conversation was even more chaotic that normal, adding another voice to the growing family, but they gave Sally time to tell her story.

'It was like I was wrapped in bubble wrap. This transparent wall between me and everything. I could almost hear you guys talking, almost feel what you were feeling and it was like an itch I couldn't scratch. I don't really know what made me tell you about ... about my father.' there was a hitch in her mental voice, a pain not quite remembered.

'Then James wanted in my head and I was scared, but I was excited too. I would get to see my guardian angel again. When he started shredding my memories, slashing through and just taking them, pushing me, forcing me, I was terrified. It was him all over again, this time in my brain.' Sally turned to James, pain etched into every line on her face.

'I hated you right then, James.' she admitted, not meeting his eyes. 'But then I realized what you were doing, I realized that you were cutting away the bad parts, and I started to feel different. Every time you destroyed something, I felt better, I felt lighter, I felt more free. You left enough behind so that I can appreciate what you took, and be grateful.'

'I still don't understand how you can send!' Zoe grumped, looking perplexed.

'I think that when we went in the first time, it created a path. Not a link, or not as we are used to seeing it.' James mused. 'It was a very intimate intrusion, after all. This time, when I went in and ... um ... did what I did, the pathway became permanent. In taking so much from her, I had to give back as well. I took from you Stacy, and from you, Zoe. I gave her a piece of each of us.'

'Even if I hadn't already loved each of you, I would have when he was done. James cut out the part that made me hate myself and now, to love myself, I have to love you too. In a very real way, you three are a part of who I am now.' There was a sense of wonder in her tone.

'Sally, this is a very different thing. Zoe asked, begged for me to link with her, show her what I was feeling. That the link was permanent was an accident, before I knew that it was possible. Stacy accepted her link with open eyes, but you were given the link without your consent. In a way, I forced it on you.'

Sally moved from where she was sitting between the two other girls and crossed to where James was sitting in an easy chair. She slid into his lap, curling up like she had been doing ever since she arrived. She sighed contentedly and lay her head on his shoulder.

She sent only to him, her mental voice filled with contentment, answering his concerns and laying his guilt to rest. 'I love you, Daddy.'

That didn't mean, of course, that it was all over. James had to figure out how he was going to explain all of this to his parents and Zoe's parents.

Surprisingly, James's dad David was the hardest to sell on the new situation. Ailene and Stewart, Zoe and Stacy's parents, were easy and, of course, Ada already knew most of it.

Ailene just shook her head, worry in her eyes but a quick conversation with her daughters seemed to settle her down. Stewart also shook his head, but he had a grin on his face.

"James, you get to see what it is like trying to keep the peace with three women in the house." His cryptic comment caused James to look confused, which only seemed to make Stewart's grin even wider as he walked away.

Ada, after her long, late night conversation with James, was already in the loop. While she wasn't thrilled with the idea, the sight of Sally smiling and acting more natural that she had since she arrived was enough to allay her fears.

James's father just buried his face in his hands with a moan, shaking his head when James told him of the new situation.

"James, you cannot keep doing this. Okay, I understand you were helping and yes, Sally looks much happier, much better adjusted. That is fantastic, really. But now you have three girls, women, who depend on you. Three human beings whose life and happiness are linked to yours. I saw you, remember? I was there when you fell apart. What happens if you face a situation in the future where you are just as conflicted? You would destroy four lives, not just one."

"Dad, everything you say is right except for one. I fell apart because I didn't have them. I was alone in my head and I had done this terrible thing. I fell apart because I thought no one knew, no one could know. Now I can share with them, and I can share with you and mom. I can share with Ailene and Stewart. I am not alone anymore."

"Will there be more, son?" the worry in his voice was a knife in James's chest.

"I don't know, Dad. I didn't plan this one. Sally was killing herself and this was part of saving her. Would it be better to let someone go rather than risk adding another member to my family?" James really was conflicted, guilty over the way this had happened and worried about the future. It showed in his voice, in the way he held himself, and his father could see it as well.

"No, son. Look, I am insanely proud of you, but I am your father and I worry. You did the right thing, but I don't share the things you do with them, or even the bit you share with your Mum. I am on the outside looking in. It makes it harder for me. I trust you. I know you will do the right thing, but have some patience with me, okay?"

James and David had always had a good relationship, but had never been really demonstrative to each other. A pat on the back, a handshake, a quick one-armed hug. When David put his arms around James and hugged him tight, he could feel himself relax. There was safety there, even if only for a few minutes.

Life seemed to settle down for a while, slowly sliding into what passed for normality in the dual household. The four of them transferred to Zoe's house for the next week, Sally joining James and Zoe for school with Mrs. Albright while Stacy played chauffeur, taking Sally to her counseling session.

There had been a bit of tension at first though, Sally insisting that she no longer wanted to talk to the psychologists. The other three, firmly but with compassion, convinced her to continue going. She was much better, but she still had a ways to go. She still had to deal with her past and with her new status as a member of their little circle, and a professional could give her the tools to make the transition easier.

One of the issues that reared its head sooner rather than later was that of sleeping arrangements. James, Stacy and Zoe had been sleeping together, all in one bed, for weeks now, but none of the beds were really large enough to add a fourth, not if anyone wanted to actually get comfortable enough to sleep.

The first time they tried, another issue was immediately apparent. Zoe, horny and feeling left out since she and James hadn't made love in days, had immediately climbed on top of him the first night, sucking his cock as deep into her throat as possible with a happy hum.

James, a smile on his face at Zoe's excitement, had snaked one arm around Stacy and one around Sally, then laid back to enjoy Zoe's blowjob. Or that had been the idea anyway.

Sally had tightened up, her whole body stiff, her eyes locked on the ceiling. James could feel her discomfort and even a little fear as the girl lay next to him.

'Zoe, wait.' he sent privately. When Zoe looked up at him, a pout on her face, he mentally nudged her to look at Sally. Zoe's expression turned to one of surprise, and then thoughtfulness. She crawled up James's body until she could give him a kiss, then squirmed down, displacing him, until she was between James and Sally.

Zoe wrapped her arms around the girl, pulling her tight. James listened, pulling Stacy in, as Zoe talked.

'Sally? What's wrong?'

'Nothing.'

'Bullshit.' she sent, then giggled when Sally looked surprised.

'You are as stiff as a board. You know that he would never touch you without your consent, right? He would never force himself on you. It just never occurred to him to not share a snuggle as we made love. He had his arm around Stacy too.'

There was a long silence, Sally still staring at the ceiling, but she was starting to relax a little, some of the stiffness melting away.

'I don't think I can, I mean, I... ' she started, pausing and restarting.

'What about me? Would you let me make love to you?' Zoe raised her head up onto one hand, leaning slightly towards Sally, meeting her gaze and letting her see the desire in her eyes.

'Ummm... ' Sally was blushing a bit, but still looking uncertain.

Zoe grinned and sent her the memory of licking and sucking, of eating her pussy in front of James and Stacy as part of her punishment. She sent her desire, her lust at the thought of burying her face in Sally's pussy again.

As the flush crept up Sally's neck, her nipples hardening through the thin t-shirt she was wearing, Zoe slowly let her hand creep across Sally's stomach. She rubbed soft, small circles there, not moving up or down, just letting Sally get used to being touched. Zoe dipped her head down and started placing little kisses on her shoulder, slowly inching towards Sally's neck, her own excitement growing as Sally's breath came a little faster.

'Can we go into your room?' Sally sent, a hesitant, breathless plea.

Zoe, instead of answering, sent a wave of love to James and Stacy, then slid her body slowly over the top of Sally, letting her breasts and her erect nipples brush against the other girl's nipples as she stood up on the floor beside the bed. She grabbed Sally's hands and pulled her upright, dragging her towards the door to Stacy's room.