Chapter 45: Reunion

I stared at the two men, currently hugging like a pair of long-lost lovers. Shocked at both their reactions.

Cheryl who had followed after Dean looked at me, a question on her face. I shrugged.

She put her hand on her husband’s arm and he eventually broke the embrace with Kevin. Stepping back, he looked at his wife.

“Cheryl,” he said. “This is Kevin,” she still didn’t seem to understand. “Mr. Miyagi.”

“I thought you said...” she began, and Dean nodded.

“That’s what they told me,” he said. He looked at Kevin, his eyes still wet. “They told me you were dead.”

Kevin grimaced. “After the op,” he began, “they took me back to camp for debrief. I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone, they didn’t let me see anyone. Then they brought me stateside. I spent three months in isolation with more debriefing. Again, they wouldn’t let me see or talk to anyone.

“By the time they released me, I was out of the service. They told everyone I’d died. They told me that if I contacted anyone from the unit, I’d be arrested and tried for treason. I was told to go away and disappear. I got the feeling that it was a close call that they let me out at all.

“I got a new identity, picked up my daughter and tried to rebuild my life. By the time I got out, my wife had left and all I had was Carys.”

“How come you’re here?” asked Dean.

“I had a dojo over in Iowa.” Kevin said. “It didn’t do so well. When it closed, I managed to scrape enough together to move, and open up, here. It was my last throw of the dice. Caleb here, was my very first student. He convinced his girls to take lessons. Eventually, people started coming in. They came from PSU and, as things got busier, they started coming from other places too.

“Finally, we’re making money, we’re surviving.”

“Two of those girls,” said Dean, “are my daughters.”

“I recognised the name,” said Kevin. “I did wonder, but since your place is so far away, I thought it might just be coincidence.”

“Why didn’t you come find me,” asked Dean. “You know I would have helped you, given you anything you needed.”

Kevin looked down. “Because it was my fault,” he said. “I was, am, ashamed.”

“It was nobody’s fault,” said Dean. “At least not anyone on the op. They knew we were coming, and they were ready for us. You couldn’t possibly have known. That wasn’t on you. Tell me you haven’t been carrying those guys deaths around with you all these years?”

Kevin’s eyes were bleak.

“Dad?” Carys had come back to find out why her father hadn’t come out into the yard.

“What is it?” she asked on seeing his face.

“Carys,” he said. “there’s someone I want you to meet.”

He took her hand and pulled her to face Dean.

“You remember I talked about Dean Steadman?”

“Dean ... You mean Stubby, Stubby Steadman?”

I couldn’t fully suppress the bark of laughter that broke from me. Dean looked at me, a little red in the face but smiled wryly.

“Yeah,” he said, “laugh it up.”

Carys blushed and put her hand to her mouth. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you. Dad’s told me a lot about you.”

“Apparently,” I said grinning. “Why don’t you guys go into the living room and get reacquainted and we’ll bring you some food and drink.”

Dean, Cheryl, Kevin, and Carys went into the living room. We went into the yard. I was starting to collect a couple of plates when my girls came over.

“We’ll see to that,” she said. “Go spend some time with your guests.”

Nana Babi shouted me over.

“Caleb,” she said. “Come sit with me a while. Claire is off doing something, and I don’t know where Louise is.”

I smiled.

She was sitting at the end of one of the trestle tables, but to the side. She indicated a seat at the head. I sat.

“I wanted to talk to you,” she said in a quiet voice. I could just about hear her, so I scooted my chair in closer.

“What about?” I asked.

She beckoned me closer still, taking both my hands where they lay on the table.

It was at that point, I felt the hand on my flies, undoing them and pulling my cock out, under the table.

My eyes widened. Nana Babi grinned at me. “Happy birthday.” She said, standing up and moving away.

By the time she had moved, whoever was under the table, had my cock in their mouth and was playing it like a saxophone. I sat stunned.

There were paper cloths on the tables which hung down. I had thought that they were there to hide more food and drinks out of sight, but they apparently had a dual purpose, of which I was only just learning.

Josh came and sat down in the chair that Nana Babi had vacated. He had brought me a beer. He placed it on the table in front of me.

“Having a good day?” he asked.

I grunted, as whoever it was, spit shined my cockhead, lapping at me and sucking in a way that I knew that I would not be able to resist for long. Despite the circumstances, my balls were already rising, the tingling in my belly a sure sign that someone was not too far away from getting a mouthful.

“I wonder if Pricktard got his car back yet,” said Josh trying to maintain a one-sided conversation. I glanced at him and I could see, in his eyes, that he knew what was going on. He was both covering for, and laughing at me, at the same time. I would have to figure out some kind of revenge.

“I,” I said, feeling my climax approaching. I had just about reached my peak when Dana came over.

“Having a good day?” she, too, asked. I was certain that she didn’t know what was going on, but I was incapable of answering her, as at that moment it was all I could do to maintain a brittle façade as I emptied my balls for the fourth time that day. Even over the music and conversation I could hear the slurps coming from under the table as my anonymous fellatrix accepted my gift.

Dana looked at me, waiting for my response, and then must have realised what was happening. She grinned.

“Oh,” she said. “Looks like you are having a good day.”

My anonymous benefactor took a few minutes to clean me up with their mouth and then tucked me away back in my pants before zipping me up and patting my cock gently.

Josh looked around, and seeing that nobody was looking in our direction at that time, lifted the tablecloth. Louise quickly scooted out and then moved up to sit on his lap. I didn’t think anyone but Dana noticed.

She grinned at Louise.

“Tasty?” she asked.

Louise leaned across the table, in a clear invitation. Dana, after a moment’s hesitation, also leaned forward. Were it not for the fact that I had just come, I would have creamed my shorts. Louise had held some of my cum in her mouth, presumably to share with Josh, but Dana’s question had changed her mind. They kissed for a while, their tongues stirring up and sharing the bounty that Louise had collected. I saw both their throats working as they each swallowed their share.

Dana sat back, flushed and breathless.

“Tasty,” she affirmed looking at me. “Maybe one day soon, you’ll let me sample from the source?” she cocked an eyebrow at me, before leaning forward, giving me a little peck on the lips, standing up and moving off.

“Well,” Louise said. “Things ARE getting interesting with that one.”

I looked at Louise. “You recruited Nana Babi to help you?” I asked, a little scandalized.

“If you heard some of the stories Nana Babi told,” said Josh, “You wouldn’t be surprised. Next time you sit at the head of one of these tables, it could easily be her underneath.”

I snorted with laughter, then finally took a drink of the beer that Josh had brought for me.

About an hour later, just as it was starting to go dark, someone switched the music off. I looked around and saw Jules walking out of the kitchen, a birthday cake on a tray in her arms, complete with burning candles.

Ness, grinned at me, as she started to sing “Happy Birthday.” Revenge, apparently, comes with birthday cake.

After the singing was over, I saw Dean, Cheryl and Kevin turn to go back into the house, and noticed that Gerry was there also. I was initially surprised but then realized that Dean must have called him to come over. If he had served with Kevin, then so too must have Gerry. I thought back to that image I had had of Dean when we first met.

When he had spoken to Jules about going to dark places, I had caught a glimpse of him in his own dark place. He had been sitting on a cot, a picture of some men in one hand and a gun in the other. I could see the picture, and I examined it. There were eight people on the picture, I recognized three of them.

I wondered how many others hadn’t come back from that mission.

Another hour passed, in which I opened all the gifts that people brought, getting a variety of smelly things, alcohol, a teddy bear(?), several boxes of condoms - some people thought they were so funny - and gift cards. I found the gift from Dana to be a little intriguing. It was a Kershaw Link spring assisted pocket knife. I looked at her.

“Gibbs rule number 9,” she said. “Never go anywhere without a knife.”

I cocked my head to the side for a moment, before making the connection. NCIS. I’d seen a couple of the shows, not being a great television watcher, but Amanda liked it. Her panties practically melted every time Leroy Jethro Gibbs came on the screen. Personally, from the few episodes I had seen, Ziva was my favourite character. She had a great ass, although Abby was cute, too, in a goth sort of way.

I grinned at her, “Thanks,” I said, slipping the knife in my pocket.

It wasn’t too much longer before people began to drift away. Typically Sue and George were first to go, climbing all over each other in their haste to be alone again. I pitied Brenda if she was still sharing a dorm with Sue; she must get sick of them. Since they were her ride, Dana went with them.

Over the course of the next half hour, pretty much everyone else had drifted off. Nana Bibi had apparently rented a room in town and would be driving back in the morning. We did suggest that she drop in for breakfast, but she declined. I hugged her once again.

“You are a wicked old woman,” I whispered in her ear as we hugged, and she cackled.

“If it hadn’t been for my knees,” she said, “it might have been me under there.”

“I’ll have to see what I can do about those for you then,” I said, staring her in the eye. She looked startled for a moment before laughing again.

“And you say I’m wicked,” she said. She patted me on the arm, before moving away to say goodnight to Josh and Louise.

Claire came to hug me. “Thank you, Caleb,” she said. “I wasn’t ready to lose her yet.”

“You look after the both of you,” I said. “And be cautious around Keenan. He is not as benign as you think. I wouldn’t put it past him to think of bumping the old girl off for her money.”

Claire’s eyes widened. “You think he would?”

“I don’t know him very well,” I said, “but he’s shown what he’s capable of, especially when money is involved.”

“I’ll watch him,” she said. “Although I think Nana Babi has a plan.”

I smiled. “I hope so. Drive carefully, and you know where we are if you need anything.”

She nodded and then hurried off when Nana Babi called for her.

Soon enough there was only my girls, Gracie, Josh and Louise, and my parents left in the yard. Even Alan and Anne had gone home.

Dean, Cheryl, Kevin, and Gerry were still in the living room, Carys having left with her boyfriend a little while ago.

I was sitting in one of the lawn chairs, with both Ness and Jules on my lap. I was quietly using TK to support them, so they didn’t slip off. The twins were seated on chairs either side of me.

“Did you have a good birthday?” Jules asked me.

“I had the best birthday I could possibly have wished for,” I said. “There were certainly some moments that I could have done without, but the rest of it more than made up for those. Being surrounded by my family was fantastic.”

My mother looked across at me when I said that. I held her eyes for a moment, and she gave a weak smile.

I looked around at the plane wreck that had once been my yard.

“I can’t face this tonight,” I said. “We’ll clear up in the morning.”

I displaced Ness and Jules and stood. “Goodnight,” I said.

I looked into the living room, Dean Kevin and Gerry were still deep in conversation. Cheryl had apparently already gone to bed. I bade them goodnight and took myself to my room.

I half expected to find someone waiting in bed, and it was a bit of a relief when I saw the bed was empty. I took a quick shower. And climbed in.

I went out into the yard the next morning and surveyed the damage.

It was extensive. Moving back into the kitchen I grabbed some trash bags and began the job of clearing up. It wasn’t difficult – my TK made it very simple. The bags opened themselves and stayed open while all the trash simply jumped inside. I had already sealed the gloryhole with TK just in case next door decided to peek

In less than half an hour I had the yard back to its former glory, with all of the trash stacked in the bed of my truck, and the trestle tables standing against the wall ready to be dealt with. I then moved into the kitchen.

This was slightly trickier, but I continued to use TK. It was interesting using it under fine control as opposed to just lifting heavy weights with it. It probably took a little longer than it would have had I not used TK, but pretty soon I had the kitchen back to its normal state. Again, the trash was stashed in the bed of my truck. I’d make a trip to the city dump later and get rid of it all.

By the time I had finished. It was after five thirty and I was hungry.

I was making myself some breakfast when Dean and Cheryl came into the kitchen. Cheryl looked around.

“Wow,” she said. “You have been busy. I thought the girls were going to do this?”

“They set it all up,” I said. “I needed to work in here and I couldn’t do that with all the mess.”

Thirty minutes later Ness entered, looking peeved.

“We were going to do that.” she said. “I promised you you’d have your kitchen back pristine.”

“And it is,” I said, “so, you didn’t break your promise.”

She looked at me sideways.

“Okay,” she said resignedly. “But we’re doing the yard.”

“Okay,” I said amiably. “Do you want breakfast first or after?”

“After,” she said. “Let’s get it done.” She walked out of the kitchen door and then turned around and walked back in.

“You’re not funny, you know,” she said grumpily.

“I think I am,” I said grinning at her. I placed a plate in front of her. I’d made blueberry pancakes for a change. It seemed that we had bacon every day and I wanted something different.

She hmphed at me and started to eat.

Jules and the twins soon joined us, closely followed by my parents and Gracie. Ness, having finished her breakfast came and took over from me so I could eat. I copped a quick feel of her ass as she walked past me, and she looked up at me and smiled.

After breakfast, I took my truck to the city dump. Nobody seemed anxious to accompany me to that particular tourist attraction, so I went on my own. When I got back, there was a strange car parked outside the house.

Jules met me at the door. “You have a visitor.”

I went into the living room, to find Matilda Bree sitting on the sofa, a coffee cup in hand. She was dressed in jeans and a blouse and looked, at first glance, like someone’s grandmother.

My father was sitting in the room with her. They both looked up as I entered. I quickly scanned his mind, checking for interference, and confirming that the bond hadn’t been reapplied.

“I haven’t interfered with him in any way,” she said seeing what I was doing.

I sat down in the chair opposite and regarded her.

“I wanted to talk to you,” she said. “Off the record.”

I waited.

“You may not know this,” she said, “but I am one hundred and forty-five years old. I am now the youngest member of the Everson council. Ezra is one hundred sixty-four and Zacharia is one hundred and eighty.

“All of us grew up on tales of how Compulsion users used to treat both norms and members of our families. You were right in what you said to Dianna. All powers are capable of being abused. We Telepaths, or even Empaths, could do to a norm anything that someone with Compulsion could. They have no defense.

“Those with Compulsion, though, could do those things to us. This meant that we had no means to look after those that we had sworn to protect. We had to find a way of controlling the uncontrollable. Believe it or not, it was a Stott who came up with the binding oath. He knew that without it, there would be no stopping your line. Even now, with the technology available, and knowledge of powers, it takes an immense amount of resources to simply stop one wild user. Someone with your power, if you were cunning, could potentially be unstoppable.

“It was decided that the safest course, was to ensure that those with Compulsion were brought up ignorant of their powers and with their powers blocked. Then, when they were released at majority - and that age has changed through the years - they would swear the oath before they learned how to use and control their powers.

“That way, we could ensure that we maintained control and could continue to protect our charges. The system worked. There hasn’t been a single instance in ten generations where a Norm has been abused by a member of your line. All the abusers now are wilders - genetic anomalies who develop powers unexpectedly or their progeny. Just like that child that you found.

“Nobody thought to even consider what we were doing to those people who were being controlled. They were potentially dangerous power users and they had to be contained. We forgot that they were also human beings, with rights, and feelings, and dignity. We were doing to them exactly what we were supposedly preventing them from doing to others.

“Even now, we are divided. Some on the council wish to battle with you, to re-establish dominance, to force you to take the oath, and bind you to us. Perhaps that may be an option for someone who had committed some kind of crime, who has proved that they cannot be trusted with their powers, and would use them recklessly.

“But you have done none of these things. Even your retribution against those who tried to kill your friend was measured and controlled. We would like you to reverse it, though, after some time has elapsed – perhaps a year or two? I saw you in that court room. I was there, although you were so focused on the perpetrators that you didn’t notice me.

“I saw your rage from your aura. I saw exactly what you wanted to do to those men, and saw that you not only didn’t do it, you COULDN’T do it. I have no doubt that in the heat of combat you might have but, in the cold light of day, it was beyond you to perpetrate such an atrocity. Your forebears would have crushed both those men to paste and not blinked.

“Each time you were tested we expected you to fail, but you surprised us. We tested you further. You may think that we actually WANTED you to fail and, if I am honest, there are some on the council that probably did. Each time you confounded us. You proved to be better than we could have expected. Better than we could have hoped.”

I waited for her to say more, but she was obviously waiting for me to speak.

“I was,” I said, “no, I AM angry, that I grew up being lied to. I was crippled by a device that not only stopped my powers, but affected me in other ways too. I could have been so much more, had I had access to my full capacity. For the last year I blamed my parents. My relationship with them was almost destroyed because I thought that they had put your edicts over and above the needs of their own child.

“You tested me over and over, nearly destroying my relationship with all of my girls, and forcing me to lock myself in an emotionless state. The final straw was finding out that not only were you draconian in your rules but you were also hypocrites, using the very power you decried to control us. You forced generations of us into slavery.

“Make no mistake, I could have gone to war. It would have been easy for me to strip the power from all three of you. I had you in the palm of my hand. It would have taken no more than a thought to turn you into a norm. Maggie told me not to, but I think you know that I had no intention of doing so. I merely wanted you to appreciate that I could, if I needed to.

“Notice I said ‘needed’ to and not ‘wanted’ to. I would never WANT to do that, not even to someone who has done to me and my family what you have. What I wanted, and still want, is for us to be able to work together, to continue the work that we have been doing so well, but as free people and not slaves.

“You know that all the other families, with powers, be it TK, Telepathy, Healing, all self-govern, and all manage their own. If any go rogue, there are mechanisms for dealing with them. Our problem is not members of my line, nor of yours, but wilds and their offspring. A wild with Compulsion rapes a dozen women that we never hear about. All of a sudden, we have a dozen potential offspring. From that dozen we end up with a gross, and the further increase of wilders becomes exponential.

“If we spend our time fighting each other, who is going to protect the norms? Who is going to find and nurture those offspring into adults who will not abuse their power? Who is going to carry on the work that you started if we spend our time destroying each other? Because, if we go to war, that is what will happen.”

She nodded. “Your father told me that you were prepared to swear an oath to the Stott council,” she said.

“I said” I responded, “that I might. I would have to be satisfied with the wording, but moreover that I would not be bound. It would be an honor-based oath only.”

She nodded again.

“I am going to propose,” she said, “to what is left of our council, that they accept the formation of yours. I am going to ask Maggie to rescind her resignation from our council. In that way we will have both liaison and complete transparency between our two councils, with the Everson Matriarch serving on yours, and the Stott Matriarch on ours.”

“Will there not be a conflict of interests?” I said. “Since Maggie will be leading our council?”

“I am sure that she will be able to manage it,” she said. “After all, the point of the exercise is transparency. Besides, we’re supposed to be on the same side, not in competition.”

“Do you think they will accept?” I asked.

“I am hopeful that I can convince them,” she said. “I have already discussed the issue with Judge Roder. She is of the opinion that it would be best, although we would be asking for a stipulation from you not to pursue any action against us for what may be considered abuse of powers. Judge Roder opines that the case has merit, but it would be eminently defendable too. It would be a circus, cost both sides a fortune, and achieve very little.”

“One question?” I asked.

“Please,” she said.

“Why are you talking to me?” I asked. “Surely you should be discussing this with our council, with Maggie, Garrard, Dianna, and my father here.”

She smiled.

“You are not so naïve,” she said, “to really need an answer to that question. If it were not for the amount of power you hold, we would not be in this position. No matter who sits on the council, the real power in the Stott family is you. They could make deals all day long, but if you say no, then they couldn’t enforce them on you.

“From the moment you discovered your power, you have proven to be a reasonable, thoughtful, and honorable man. I am hoping that will continue and that we can come to an accommodation that will benefit both us, and the people we care for.”

“So, if this is all ‘off the record,’” I said. “how do we go about making it official?”

“I will meet with the council,” she said. “I am going to ask Maggie to attend and be involved in that meeting. If I can get her back on board, then convincing them that it is the best way forward should be eminently possible.

“Assuming they agree, we will call for a meeting with your council to flesh out the terms of our working relationship, jurisdiction, and other details.”

“And if you can’t convince them?”

She shuddered. “Please don’t,” she said. “That is not a scenario I care to contemplate.”

Then she gave a little smile.

“As a small token of good faith,” she said, “I got you this.”

She gave me a packet of documents.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“It’s the articles of incorporation of the HOA on your street,” she said. “I looked into them since they seemed to be pestering you. I did actually enjoy the way you reversed Mr. Pritchard’s attempt with the parking company by the way.”

“Are you spying on me?” I asked.

“Constantly,” she said. “Get used to it. Anyway, it appears that the paperwork was filed incorrectly. I had Judge Roder check it over. She has ruled that in the absence of correctly filed paperwork the HOA no longer exists and, if they want to continue each household will have to re-apply for membership. There are nine copies of the ruling in that envelope along with an application for an HOA, should you wish to start one anew.

“The ruling will be mailed to all the members over the next week or so, but I thought you might like a little advanced notice.” She smirked at me.

“You know,” I said, “when you’re not being a bitch, I actually quite like you.”

My father’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to remonstrate with me, but she beat him to it.

“When you’re not being a brat,” she returned, “you’re not so bad yourself.”

I grinned at her then stood up. I held my hand out to her, and she stood, shaking it. She actually knew how to shake hands – remarkable.

I walked her to the door and watched as she made her way to her car. I saw Pricktard watching through his window. I grinned and waved to him. He just scowled. I did notice his car was in his drive.

I turned round, closed the front door, and leaned my back on it.

“Well FUCK ME!” I yelled.

“CALEB!!!” my mother shouted at me from the deck. “Language.”

My father laughed from the living room.

I shared the memory of the conversation with everyone in the yard, while my father started a conference call with the rest of the council and brought them up to speed.

“What did Maggie say?” I asked my father when he came out after his call.

“Exact words?” he asked. I nodded. “Well fuck me!” he said grinning at my mother. She sighed in exasperation as we all laughed.

He looked at me. “You did it,” he said.

“Not yet,” I said. “They still have to accept.”

“Maggie thinks they will,” he said. “She said that Ezra and Matilda were moderates. It was Zacharia that was the extremist. He would browbeat the others down. She is certain that with Maggie’s help she will be able to convince Ezra to accept it. Then, at two votes to one, Zacharia will have no choice.”

I grinned and got up.

“Where are you going?” asked Amanda.

“To say good morning to my neighbours,” I said waving my envelope at her.

I started with Alan and Anne. Not for any reason but I thought that they would enjoy the joke.

Alan literally cried with laughter when I showed him the ruling. Anne just sat grinning at his reaction.

I then went to my other neighbour. The one who had offered me his driveway.

I knocked on the door. He answered, looking sour. He grunted when he saw it was me. “You were right,” he said. “I should have minded my own business.”

“Why,” I asked. “What happened?”

“I got hit with a five hundred dollar fine. The paint is peeling on my weatherboard. I also have twenty eight days to put it right, or I get another fine.”

“Take a look at this,” I said pulling the ruling out of the envelope and handing it to him. He looked at it, his eyes getting wider as he read.

“Does this mean?”

“It means that the HOA is no more,” I said. “If you want one, you’ll have to create one fresh. You’ll be getting notification via mail in the next few days, but my friend got me an advance copy. As you see its all signed and sealed with the court seal.”

He scowled at me.

“Does this mean I have to say good morning to you if I see you in the street?” he asked.

“Only if you want to,” I said grinning at him. He grinned back.

“I don’t know how you did it,” he said, “but boy, you are a genius. Have you told Pricktard yet?”

I shook my head. “I wasn’t planning on it. He’ll get the notification in the mail. I am going to tell everyone else though.”