Chapter 56

Holy Shit was right! My mind was reeling. No wonder Dad didn't want me to know about this. I had a nasty feeling that I hadn't heard everything yet.

"Excuse me? What did you say?" I asked, just in case I had misunderstood. After all, I had it on good authority from Lisa, the Historian that knew everything, that I was really, really old. My hearing might be going. Of course, she had included herself in that also.

"You heard me," Lisa said, a little testily. "Bandor and Elizabeth were twin bother and sister. Obviously not identical. They were married. You know, husband and wife? Conjugal partners? Incestuous lovers? Bed partners..."

"All right, Lisa! I get the message! What the hell have you been watching on TV? A six year old is not supposed to know all those things!" Everyone else was too shocked to pay attention to us. Lisa looked at me, disbelief on her face.

"You don't really think I'm six years old, do you?" She asked incredulously. I hadn't really thought about it, but I supposed not.

"Why are you six years old, Lisa?" I asked. I was avoiding the issue just dumped on the table.

"I... I just wanted to see what it was like to grow up in a real family, with a mother and everything. I never had that." She had tears in her eyes.

"You said a mother. Did you know your father?" I asked. She looked up at me and her smile lit up the room.

"Oh yeah! I had the greatest Daddy in the world!" She said excitedly, almost squealing in delight. The way she looked at me, the sparkle in her eyes, I just knew who he was. I filed that away to ask about later.

"Excuse me, but did you say Elizabeth and Bandor were married?" Amy asked, looking scared. Lisa nodded. "Please tell me I am not in any way his offspring!" Amy whispered, looking devastated. Cindi put her arm around her and held her close. Amy's hand found Cindi's and she held it tight.

"No, not at all. All six of you are Patrick's daughters. As far as we know, they had no children," Lisa answered. Amy sagged against Cindi, holding on tight. Cindi tried to make her feel better.

"Yeah, Amy, any bitchiness or evilness you have you got legitimately from Daddy!"

Her laughter was cut short when Amy leaned over and whispered to her, "Not funny, Cindi, really not funny at all."

"That reminds me — can anyone explain to us the whole birth, father and mother issue? You said before that all children of our kind have Patrick as the father and Megan as the mother. Yet that is obviously physically impossible, since we were all born on the same day, most of us in the same year. And we know, of the six of us, we had three different mothers. How does this work?" Amy asked. Dad fielded that question.

"It's a difference in terminology between the Ancients and humans. Humans consider the father and mother as the ones who conceived them, or alternately, who raised them if they were adopted. To us, the father and mother are the ones that provide the energy spark that began as soon as you were born. That is when your color is assigned that you have for the rest of your life. That is where your powers come from. The body you live in can have anyone as the father and mother and it doesn't matter as much. You will find, however, that Patrick is the biological father in most cases. Here, let me show you what I mean."

He walked over to the compartments that we all had on the far wall. He motioned for me and Megan to follow him. The kids ambled along behind us. All our chambers glowed as we approached. Dad asked me to put my hand on the handprint by my name. When I did so, the chamber glowed very brightly. Two additional handprints appeared, glowing. At the same time, my Mom and Dad took on a corresponding glow. When they laid their hands on the glowing handprints, the computer chirped happily and printed a message. Lisa told us it was a welcome message. Then a lineage chart appeared, showing that Mom and Dad were my parents.

The same thing happened with Megan and Victoria. The computer was confused, however, when Eric touched his chamber that was glowing. Nothing happened for a moment, and then a small ball of lighted energy floated out of the chamber and hovered near him, scanning his whole body. The glass of the chamber didn't seem to affect the ball at all. After scanning him, it floated back into the chamber. Four handprints now showed up on the plate. It was happy when Mom, Dad, Sammi and I touched the screen. I assumed this was because Eric was originally Mom and Dad's son, then reborn as Sammi's and my son.

We had to go through the scanning procedure for Sammi and Julie also, as it seemed confused about them also, although it quickly recognized Sammi from Eric's scan. It did add a little something to Sammi's plate, though. There was a black spot on the screen, with a red circle and a line through it, with the word Bandor written in the circle. The computer, after printing a welcome and the lineage, highlighted the black square and made what sounded like a 'raspberry' noise! Then the black square exploded in a tiny 'movie' of a bomb blast and the black square disappeared. I was sure I heard the computer giggle then. It sounded just like Lisa!

It wasn't as if it didn't know who they were, as they had chambers of the right colors. It seemed confused as to the lineage. When Kim and Heather touched the screen, two palm prints showed up and Megan and I glowed. Kim and Heather were all choked up and were almost in tears with joy, as they jumped up and down, screaming their brains out. They hugged us practically to death. I understood how important it was to have a family, and particularly since they had not had one for a long time, if ever, it was very emotional for them. Kim held my hand tightly and Heather held Megan's. I could see Megan was kind of emotional also. She loved being a mom.

Each time one of the girls touched the panel, with their parents, their bodies glowed almost incandescently in their color and almost all of their ball of energy left their chamber and entered the girl's body. The girl glowed for a few seconds and then returned to normal, but the ball never returned to the chamber. When Jessica and Sarah approached the chambers, only one chamber glowed, and it glowed both silver and gold. I had noticed when we first came in, before we fought Bandor, that they had a common chamber. Now I noticed that it was silver and gold, but there was another light in there, of an unspecified color. If I had to guess, I would have said it was gray, but I wasn't sure about that. The silver and gold ball came up to them and separated, the silver going to Sarah and the gold going to Jessica. Some of the gray went into Sarah. Then some silver and gold exchanged places between the two girls. Their colors seemed to be having a good time playing. The gray seemed confused, like it didn't know how to play.

Nothing is ever simple in our family. When Lisa and Lori put their hands on their chambers, two handprints formed, but I was the only person that glowed. Megan didn't glow. I saw that piqued her scientific curiosity. I was relieved to see that she was not upset. No one else in the room glowed either. The plate seemed to know right away that the other parent was not in the room and showed an error message. Then a lineage chart showed up, with a name listed where the mother should be. It was a name in the Ancient language, with no English translation, and what looked like a question mark behind the name. It was a name that no one in the room seemed to know. I saw Lisa turn around and walk away. She went over to the computer and seemed to be fiddling, passing time; she seemed to be singing to herself. I didn't recognize the song, but it was stunningly beautiful. I just stood there, unnoticed by her, and listened for awhile; then I went over to talk to her.

"No," she said as I walked up. I raised my eyebrows and looked at her.

"I said no," she repeated.

"No what, Lisa?" I asked. She rolled her eyes at me.

"You know what I'm talking about. I will not tell you. Not the name, who it is, what happened, why, where, when, what I know about it, how it relates to you or me, nothing. I won't even acknowledge whether or not they exist. You can disown me, spank me, dip me in boiling oil, or threaten not to ever make love to me when I'm old enough to activate my powers and I will still not tell you. Of course, if you do the last one, I will never talk to you again anyway, so it will be a moot point! Like I said, no." I put my arm around her and held her tight. She sagged against me and wrapped her arms around me.

"Not make love to you when you're old enough? You really mean it, huh? It's that important to you?" I asked, smiling at her. I knew how important that dream was to her. I knew Lisa was completely naïve and innocent about the subject of sex. She had no idea what it was that she wanted me to do when she was older to activate her powers; she just knew she wanted it, because the other girls wanted it and loved it so. Had she been older and more mature, I would have said she was... horny. As it was, I classified it as needy for attention and love; the innocent, little girl type of love. She nodded her head and looked up at me with a smile.

"I'm so glad you're my Daddy," she whispered softly. I picked her up and squeezed the stuffings out of her and kissed her cheek. "I wish Megan were my Mommy," she whispered again.

"Lisa..." I started.

"I said no!" She said, smiling at me. I tickled her until she almost fell out of my arms.

"What I was about to say when I was so rudely interrupted... Lisa, honey, obviously you're not a six year old child. I'm going to have to rely on you to decide if there is something about this that I need to know. You'll tell me anything important, won't you?" I asked. She shook her head no.

"Daddy, there is nothing you need to know about this. It's not important right now, and it could do unspeakable damage. Maybe someday I will tell you. There is only one time when it would be important, and believe me, you will know if that happens. It is highly unlikely. Let me down, please. I need to talk to my baby."

I set her down and she walked over to the computer. She spent a few minutes, both typing into it and talking to it. At least, I called it 'talking'. It was in a 'language' I had never heard before. It was beautiful, lovely. It sounded more like singing than talking. It was what she had been doing when I walked up and listened to her. Then she bent over and kissed the computer.

"I love you," she whispered to the computer and walked over to me.

"Come with me," she asked, holding my hand. We walked over to the chambers again. Lisa took Megan's hand and led her over to her (Lisa's) chamber. Lisa put her hand on the plate. My hand appeared, as did the unknown one, and a third one, glowing purple appeared. Lisa smiled at Megan and indicated that she should put her hand on it. Megan looked at her intently, and the air almost glowed with the non-verbal conversation that occurred. The only think I could catch was Megan asking, 'Are you sure?'. Lisa's answer was a hug and kiss. Megan put her hand on the plate and it chirped and showed the lineage. The mystery name was still there, but so was Megan's. We then did the same thing with Lori. Just as the others, most of the ball left the chamber and entered their bodies.

"Now do you understand? Patrick and Megan are your parents. You have now finished the birthing ceremony. You are all truly one of us now. When you heal or call on the ceremony now, you will no longer see lightning coming from the corners of the room. That was from the ball of energy in your chamber providing the energy for you. Now it is inside you. Only in very unusual circumstances will you need to call upon the chamber. The ball in there will have regained its size and strength by tomorrow." Dad finished talking and went around the room, hugging and kissing everyone.

We decided it was time to leave, to go back to the house. On a whim, I went over to the chamber that I knew was Elizabeth's. It was now dark, and the 'no longer in use' sign was there again. I understood why it had no defined color now. Although he didn't say it, I assumed the gray bolt she had used when she made Bandor promise not to use his powers had been my Dad's. I suspected that it might be the same as when I had brought Amy back; she now had a little of my white energy in her. Maybe Elizabeth had had access to my Dad's energy through the same process. I still had some questions to ask about Bandor and Elizabeth, but we could do it at the house.

We walked out of the back room, into the computer room. As we walked past the computer, Megan noticed a small package on a table, with Amy's name on it. She pointed it out to Amy. Amy went over to look at it, and her face turned pale, her hand trembling. I didn't have to be a handwriting expert to recognize Elizabeth's handwriting. Amy turned to me, panic in her eyes.

"Dad! What do I do?" She was uncertain and frightened. I understood; it was hard to lose your mother, or wife, twice.

"Open it, sweetheart. Mom obviously left it for you. Whatever it is, she wanted you to have it." I saw her hand shaking as she picked it up and opened it.

Had Elizabeth been there right then, I would have kissed her. Repeatedly. Ok, I would have anyway, but what she did for Amy was so sweet I almost cried. At least for Amy, it made up for all the times Elizabeth wasn't there when she was needed. I didn't know then that she had included most of us.

Inside the nicely wrapped package was a little jeweler's box. Inside that was Elizabeth's engagement and wedding ring that I had gotten her 23 years ago! They had not been on the body in Iraq when she had been found, and we had just assumed they had been stolen. There was a letter inside. Amy looked at me, her eyes huge in her face, trembling all over. She read the note, burst into tears, and handed it to me to read.

My Dearest Amy,

I hope this will do what I could never do and show you how much I truly love you. You were always a much better wife to my Patrick than I ever was. I think it is only fitting that you should have the rings that go with the other duties you filled in for that I wasn't there to do. I know you can't really marry him, sweet Amy, but I also know that you are already married to him in every way except legally. If he is half the man I know he is, he will put these rings on your finger very soon, with all the promises and ceremony that go with it. Knowing my 'romantic' Patrick, he will want to do it right here in the cave! Don't let him, sweetheart; make him do it in a romantic situation like he did for Megan. I don't think Megan will mind in the slightest when he gives you this ring and asks you to be his, along with her.

I hope this doesn't upset Cindi. We have all known that you and Patrick have always had a special bond. I left something special for Cindi too. I left her my sword. She won't be able to keep it forever, or really use all its powers, as it belongs to another, but what she will gain when she gives it to him will be as precious as this ring is to you. Also, in the bottom of this box is something special for Cindi that she will be able to keep forever.

Cindi, my love, you and I share something very special. The necklace in the bottom of this box is a symbol of that. I knew your secret the day you were born, so many years ago. This necklace appeared on that day, for me to pass down to you when the time was right. Take care of it, my dear, the necklace and your special secret, and always use it only for good. Amy's special calling has always been to protect Patrick. Yours is to protect her and Patrick in a way she can't. There will come a day when you will be the only one that can protect them all. If you do that, sweetheart, you will always be number one in my heart.

In that day, Cindi, when only you can save them, I will be by your side, I promise. It will be my honor to defend the ones I love next to my special little girl. I will not leave you alone in that time of need. I can't ever promise that I will stay, Amy and Cindi, but when you need me, when you really need me, wish for it. 'All you have to do is ask'. It also won't hurt, if you really need me, to tell your Grampa!

Patrick, Amy, Cindi — there are many things I would do differently if I had my life to live over, but in a way, I'm glad I can't. I have enjoyed what I was in life, the things I was able to do that I could never have done if I had been a housewife. Someday you will know how many times I have saved my precious family, an honor I share with you, Cindi. If I had it to do over, I would give you, Patrick, to Megan and let her make you happy, as I failed to do, but then I would never have had my precious girls. My refusal to let two who should have been together, who were made for each other, live their lives together has caused untold harm and sadness. It did, however, give me two of the most wonderful, precious, beautiful girls in the universe. Maybe that makes up for the harm I have done.

If you are reading this, then I know that I am dead and you have done what I failed to do — defeat Bandor. Thank you! I am sorry I cannot be there with you, but I am just so tired, and so... tired. Tired of life. Tired of the pain. Even you three, as wonderful as you are, couldn't take away the pain of my previous years. Maybe now that he is dead, maybe... maybe it will be different. I don't know. I think I will see you all again; I hope so! I likely will not stay; it would just hurt you all if I did, but I would so like to see you again. I plan to see and talk to Patrick again before I die here; that will be a thrill. I wish I could talk to you girls too.

I have to go. The time is short, and I must finish the mission. I must save all of you. I especially look forward to saving Patrick and Megan again. Then I must die. I look forward to being able to rest, but my heart is heavy, only because I will miss all of you.

Megan, my dear, I hope you will never know, never find out just how much I really loved you. Some things are better left alone and not known. Please forgive me for taking, for being selfish with the only thing you ever wanted and keeping it from you. Listen to me: you have one more trial to go through, dear sweet Megan, that will seem to consume you and overcome you, but you will triumph in the end. Try to always remember, my dear, what is most important to you, and you will make it through to happiness. However, you will forget, dear Megan, one more time you will forget what is important to you, and you will suffer for it, although it will not be your fault. Hang on, precious one. Just when it will appear completely hopeless and beyond repair, a young girl whom you have never met, whom you do not know, who has suffered as greatly and in many the same ways as you have in the last month, whom you will meet because of another young girl you know, will show you the way, will show you the obvious thing you have missed, and will remind you of what is important. If you listen, she will save your life and finally, irrevocably give you what you have always wanted, have always needed. You will listen, Megan, and you will make it. Remember me when you do. I love you, precious one. Please forgive me for what I have done to you, and what I failed to protect you from.

Finally, Sandor, Peter... My Master. My Brother. The Ancient Prophecy. Yes, I knew about that. I have never told you. I'm sure you knew. I could never tell you, because I would embarrass myself and embarrass you too. That I could not abide. Now that I will die shortly, I need not worry about that and can tell you what I have always wanted you to know. I love you, Master. Most women never find the love of their lives. I have found three; Patrick, Robert, and My Master. If you only remember me in some small way, my life and death have been a success. I am envious of you especially, Patrick. Outside of me, who made you miserable, you have a wonderful sister and had a wonderful wife who made you so happy, and now you are about to have two more wives to love you and make you happy again. I was so envious of you on Planet #3. If only I could have had that, maybe things would have been different...

I love you all,

Elizabeth (Mom)

P.S. I don't deserve the right to say what I put in parentheses, but I wanted to say it just this once. Forgive me, Megan, that title should be yours, and now will be.

Since the letter addressed almost everyone, they insisted I read it out loud, to save time. There was not a dry eye in the room when I was finished.

I looked at Cindi and Megan and they both smiled happily and nodded. I couldn't leave it at that, however. I linked in my mind to Megan.

'Megan, honey, are you sure about this? You know you will be my wife. Are you all right with Amy being there too? I don't have to do this, if it will upset you.'

'Patrick, dear, I'm not only all right with it, but this is how it should be, how it must be. I've always known that Amy is special to you, that she is your wife in deed if not in name. I would be proud to share that honor with her. Both of us have known for some time that we are both yours, forever and forever. It is more than fine with me!' Megan smiled at me. I was not done yet, though.

'Cindi, do you have any problems with this?' I asked in her mind.

'None, Daddy. I have been comfortable for years that Amy has a special relationship with you. So do I; it is just different. Make my sister, my twin, my Amy happy and everything you do will always be all right with me!' Cindi smiled at me also.

I walked over to Amy and took the ring from her suddenly nerveless fingers. She looked up at me, tears in her eyes. She looked so scared and vulnerable. She knew what she wanted more than anything in the world, but she had always known she could never have it. Making love to me had become her way of getting as close to me, as close to her dream as she ever could. Now her mother had told her that she could have her dream. She trembled with excitement and fear that it might not happen. She looked at Megan, looked into her eyes, and suddenly knew what demons Megan fought with everyday. I watched as the bond formed between the woman and the girl, never to be broken. Oh, I was sure they would have disagreements and fights again. I was sure that Amy still didn't understand what Megan had done and why. But I could tell by the look in her eyes that she now understood that it was something horrible, unspeakable that had made Megan act as she did, for she now understood the intense love Megan had for me, the impossibility of her ever betraying me in anyway humanly possible. She understood that there was more to the story than she knew. She understood the life-long compulsion Megan had to make her dream come true. She understood how shattered and hopeless Megan must feel, knowing what she had done. I saw the sympathy and sorrow in Amy's eyes. She knew.

I put the box with the necklace and ring still in it in my pocket. I would be giving them to my special girls later in a special ceremony. Cindi watched the necklace go in my pocket, a fake, pouty look of disappointment on her face. Then she gave me a megawatt smile, letting me know she knew what I had planned, letting me know how deep her love for me ran.

I picked Amy up, cradling her in my arms as I carried her out of the cave. She squealed and demanded I put her down, asking me what was wrong with me as she laughed and giggled. Finally, she just buried her head in my neck and turned twenty shades of red, closing her eyes and treasuring the closeness as I carried her outside. She sat in my lap, cuddled as close as she could get all the way home. She had one arm around my neck and the other held Cindi's hand tight as we drove home. She was so relaxed and happy I think she fell asleep. That was ok; there is nothing I like better than kissing a girl awake.

As we neared home, I started gently kissing her. It didn't take long before I slowly teased her lips apart and slipped my tongue inside her mouth. I heard her soft moan and whimper as I teased her. When I kissed her neck and slid my hand slowly up her thigh, she woke up suddenly. The look of surprise on her face as her eyes locked on mine when they opened was priceless. It made me wonder who she was dreaming about and what she was expecting. Her nervous, quick glance towards Eric, Sammi's giggle and both hers and Eric's quick look away, and Amy's nervous little giggle answered the first question! It also made we wonder what all of them were up to! Surprisingly, it didn't make me jealous. Amy's guilty look and blush as she realized I had noticed and her little wiggle on my lap as she tried to distract me worked; I saw her cute little smile as she realized I had gotten even harder.

"I heard that thought in your mind before about fooling around with him. Do you really want to, Amy?" I asked her gently. Her looked at me with a shocked, scared look on her face and blushed.

"Oh God, Daddy! I... I'm sorry... I love you... I didn't mean it that way..." I couldn't let her worry like that so I shut her up with a kiss. She kissed me frantically, trying to make up for it.

"We can talk about it later, sweetheart," I told her. She looked at me with big, scared eyes until she saw I was smiling and not upset, and then she calmed down.

We finally made it home and settled in the living room. I wanted everyone there because I felt we still had things to talk about; it was just more comfortable at home than in a cave.

"So," I continued, "tell me why Bandor and Elizabeth stepped down as king and queen and why Elizabeth requested to have her powers taken away?" Lisa looked uncomfortable again but decided to answer.

"Bandor had done something that Elizabeth and the Council of Tarqa considered extremely inappropriate; criminal even. Actually, Bandor was required to step down when it happened. He was not given a choice. That was part of his punishment." She looked like she was worried that I was going to ask further questions. She was right.

"I didn't even know there was a Council of Tarqa. Do they still exist?" Lisa shook her head 'no'. "So, what did he do that so upset his wife and the Council that he had to step down?" I saw the seriousness in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, sir, I am not allowed to give you that information," she squeaked. I glared at her, good-naturedly.

"Lisa, Lisa, Lisa... I thought we were past that... and you were doing so well!" She grinned nervously at me. "You said stepping down was part of his punishment. What was the other part?" I asked. Lisa frowned at me.

"You don't miss much, do you?" She asked. I smiled. She thought for a while, then decided it didn't violate her orders.

"The Council used the same protocol that Elizabeth asked them to use on her and stripped him of all his powers." Everyone looked at her in shock.

"But... he had plenty of power! What happened?" Megan asked. Lisa sighed.

"No one had ever stripped powers before Elizabeth had it done. They didn't realize that it only removed the energy that was there and the ability to refill it naturally, but retained the 'sink' so to speak for it to fill up again if a source became available. Also, a mistake was made, and it was not realized that Bandor had discovered the absorbing and neutralizing patches that were used for some medical procedures. He began to sequester his own power," Lisa explained.

"But... that eventually kills us. Wasn't that noticed?" Victoria asked, appalled.

"Well, no one knew what was happening. We were in a great turmoil at that time, and it was shortly afterwards that we had to leave for earth. Elizabeth dropped out of sight, Bandor disappeared, Aman... er... Everything went to hell, and no one noticed." Lisa looked upset.

"So, how many of our people have been killed down through the years by Bandor?" I asked. Lisa looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"I don't know," she whispered softly. "Probably a lot." I saw the tears in her eyes and let it go. I knew some of those had been her mother, and probably her mother and father too here on the earth. Kim and Heather were looking uncomfortable also. I'm sure they had suffered the same loss.

"What did Bandor do that his powers were stripped, Elizabeth divorced him, and he was forced to step down?" I asked. Lisa still had tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I cannot give you that information," Lisa whispered, a little sob in her voice. I didn't tease her this time.

"Why, Lisa?" I asked. She looked at me with big sad eyes.

"Because it involves information about someone else that you have ordered me not to divulge," she explained.

"Again? Who this time?" I asked.

"Please, sir! You don't understand! You don't want this released! Please! I love you and I don't want to see you, or others hurt. Please?" Lisa was crying. I pulled her over on my lap.

"I don't want that either, Lisa, but I really think I need to know this information." Her eyes begged me, but she didn't respond.

"Can you tell me who it's about, who else it would hurt?" I asked her gently. She sobbed quietly.

"Do I have to?"