Chapter 7

I saw Elizabeth leave the bathroom after her shower out of the corner of my eye. I wasn't really paying attention to her. I was too busy lightly stroking my fingers over every inch of Megan's body. Although she seemed to like it a lot, she especially seemed to enjoy it when I ran my fingers lightly between her legs. I can't imagine why.

Elizabeth came out in a terrycloth bathrobe that was tied tightly at the waist. I couldn't see what she had underneath, and in the circumstances, I didn't think I wanted to know. She saw me playing with Megan and squealed with delight, running over and jumping on the bed like a little kid. She scared the hell out of Megan, who was lying there with her eyes closed, enjoying herself. She shrieked and for a moment, I thought I had a whole room of teenagers. Well, I guess it was close, with Elizabeth and Megan!

Elizabeth sat down next to Megan and slipped Megan's head onto her lap, holding her and caressing her hair gently. Megan looked at her strangely, then decided to ask anyway.

"What are you doing, Liz?" she asked quietly. Elizabeth kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Making sure you have a good time. Just because I'm not going to do anything myself doesn't mean I can't make sure you have a night to remember."

Megan started to answer her, then gasped loudly as I reached her most tender spot with my hand and mouth. She soon forgot all about Elizabeth.

Want to really piss Elizabeth off? Forget all about her; she can't stand that. The next time Megan gasped, her lips open, Elizabeth kissed her and slipped her tongue right into Megan's mouth! Megan's eyes flew open as she remembered all about Elizabeth again.

"Liz?" she asked, her voice trembling when she was able to talk again.

"Shh. Just be quiet and enjoy," Elizabeth whispered to her.

Megan's eyes closed and she just relaxed completely, between being licked by me and kissed by Elizabeth.

"Oh God, Liz... I wish... I wish I could..." Megan whispered, seeming to be upset. Elizabeth stroked her hair softly again.

"Shh, honey, it's ok. I'm not asking you to do anything. You're so special, Megan; I wouldn't have given you my powers if I didn't love you dearly. Relax, dear; I'm not Victoria. Just relax and enjoy. I owe you so much for what I've done to you."

"But... but I feel so bad. This should be your time with him!" Megan whimpered, quickly becoming overcome to where she was having trouble talking.

"It's ok, Megan. I had my chance, for 23 years, and I blew it. He's yours now, and I'm glad for you and for him. Make him happy, and be happy yourself; that's all I need."

Megan didn't say a lot more; she was too busy. She's usually very quiet during sex, hardly making any noise at all. Not this time. The combination of me licking, sucking, and finally gently biting her clit, at the same time that Elizabeth bit one of her nipples, caused her to scream both our names as she collapsed into a shattering orgasm. I'm sure she woke up the whole house; at least, those that weren't already listening and peaking around the doorjamb! No, I didn't see them there, but I know my girls!

Elizabeth and I were so mean to Megan that night. She didn't get any sleep. As soon as she would recover, we would start on her again. She wouldn't say 'uncle' or stop, so we didn't. Stop, I mean. She finally passed out for good about 5:00 am. Elizabeth and I cuddled together, laughing quietly at her.

It was enjoyable, being able to hold Elizabeth close and talk to her. I would have loved to do more, but I respected her wishes. We did share a few nice kisses, but she wouldn't let it go further than that, and I didn't really try. I just let her know I was available if she changed her mind.

We finally fell asleep ourselves, holding each other in a tight hug as we passed out. Megan snuggled up behind me in her sleep, pressing as close as she could. I fell asleep close to completely happy.

I awoke even happier, even if it was hard to breathe. I guess some of the girls were feeling left out. Young Megan was cuddled up as close as she could get to Megan. Megan had turned in her sleep and they were so tightly wound together, holding each other so closely that they already looked like one. I wondered briefly what it was like to sleep cuddled up to yourself, but my mind couldn't grasp the concept that early in the morning.

I realized at the same time why I was having trouble breathing. Amy was sleeping on top of me, with Cindi on top of Elizabeth. Everyone looked so content and peaceful that I just closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep.

When I woke up the next time, I looked directly into the eyes of young Megan as she woke up. I saw her smile sweetly at me, then watched her face as she realized where she was. I think it was being cuddled with herself, albeit the older version, that got to her, and her face turned red with embarrassment. She started to pull away just about the time Megan wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"It's ok, honey, stay there. We're going to be a lot closer than this in a little while," Megan giggled. Young Megan relaxed and settled back against her as they whispered softly to each other. They looked so cute together.

Amy slipped off me, pulled Cindi off Elizabeth, and they cuddled as Elizabeth and I migrated together again. It was a really close fit in the bed, but hey, there wasn't any daylight between us anyway.

I finally got up and dragged Elizabeth and Megan, moaning and complaining, into the shower with me. Sweet girls, but they stunk, just like me. We had a good time washing each other. Megan and I refrained from our normal shower activities out of respect for Elizabeth. She frowned and called us wimps.

Once we made it to the kitchen, we found breakfast waiting for us, courtesy of Sarah and Jessica. It was amazing to watch them work in the kitchen together. They seemed to know what the other was thinking without even considering it. Duh! Somehow, they managed to cook a whole breakfast without getting more than a foot away from each other at any time. I was betting there was at least one bed that hadn't been slept in last night. I thought I wouldn't mind being that close to either of them. They both turned in unison and smiled impishly at me, making me blush. They laughed as I remembered once again that my thoughts were not secure. Megan swatted me on the arm, grinning at me. Elizabeth looked as confused as I did. Lisa and Lori sat on the stools at the counter, swinging their feet, acting innocent. Maybe they were.

"Where are Amy and Cindi?" I asked after a few minutes, noticing they were not around. Lisa snorted.

"They coerced Victoria, Rhonda, John, and Robert to take them somewhere a little while ago. Big secret, all hush-hush. Amy wanted to buy something." Lisa rolled her eyes, astonished that they thought they could keep a secret from her. She refused to spill the beans, however.

I realized there were several people missing, and looked around for them.

Eric, Sammi, and Julie were sitting by themselves in a corner of the living room. Sammi looked pale, tired, and upset. Eric looked confused. Julie was holding Sammi's hands, talking to her intently. Sammi looked like she was going to cry any minute. I hadn't seen her look that bad since I had rescued her. I wondered what was up. I thought I would let Julie handle it, but it wasn't going to take me very long to get involved if Sammi didn't improve pretty darn fast.

Lisa sat on my lap, snuggling up to me.

"We're going to have to have a serious talk with Sammi soon," she murmured to me.

"Why?" I asked.

"She... doesn't quite understand what we are all about. She's going to hurt herself very seriously if we don't explain some 'facts of life' to her, so to speak," Lisa assured me. I looked at her sharply.

"What do you mean 'we'? I don't even know what you're talking about, so how am I supposed to know what to tell her? What's she doing?" I asked, confused.

"She'll have to tell you herself. It's better that way. Don't worry, I'll be there too, and will help you if you need it. Poor girl, she understands even less than all of you. She hasn't been around all that long. She'll get the hang of it, if she lives long enough," Lisa answered.

I looked at Lisa sharply. She'd better be kidding! I didn't think she was, though.

"Lisa, is Sammi in danger? I need to know if she is; I won't let anyone hurt her. I promised!" I pulled Lisa's head over to look her in the eyes.

"She's not in any danger as you imagine it. Her main danger is from herself. She's got a lot to learn in a short time, and she has a lot farther to go than most of us. She has more responsibility, too. She may have a tough time," Lisa said, her eyes sad.

"Can we help her? How about Eric? Can he help her?"

"Eric can help her more than anyone, but right now she's pushing him away. He doesn't know why, and it's killing him. Their love knows no bounds, like you and Megan, and you and Amy. He's confused. He wants to be with her and help her, but she won't let him."

"What about Julie?" I asked.

"Julie knows what the problem is, but she can't talk about it and she really can't help her with it, except maybe to calm her down. I'm afraid this one is all you, Eric, Sammi and me. In case you are wondering, you are not going to have a good time with this one. Just don't get too mad at her. Remember, Sammi is really just a little girl at heart. She's really only a few months old. Have patience with her," Lisa pleaded, almost begging me.

"Lisa! I wouldn't get mad at Sammi or yell at her!" I protested.

"Yes you will!" Lisa assured me. "Just don't forget to show her you love her too. She couldn't stand it if she thought she lost you."

"I would never let her think she would lose me, even for a second," I protested again. Lisa gave me a look that definitely said 'yes you will!'.

"Too late. She already knows she's lost you, that you don't love her anymore." Lisa put her finger on my lips. "She's as wrong as she can be, but she's sure of it. Try to be nice to her. It'll be hard for a minute or so, but you can do it. She loves you too, you know."

Well, as usual, I didn't have the slightest idea what Lisa was talking about. She always looked at me with this hopeful expression on her face, as if it was as plain and easy to see as anything in this world, and that surely this would be the time I would see it. I always disappointed her, just as I did this time. She hugged me close, a pretty, little girl smile on her face.

"You never disappoint me. Exasperate me sometimes, frustrate me sometimes, but never disappoint me!" she grinned patiently. I tousled her hair.

"Didn't your mommy ever teach you it was rude to be in other people's minds without asking them first?' I asked, teasing her. She looked at me sadly, tears suddenly filling her eyes.

"She never got a chance to teach me that," she whispered softly, her voice trembling with emotion.

I hugged her, sorry as all hell now that I had brought it up. She kissed my cheek.

"I know," she whispered again, looking at me with big sad eyes. I had the distinct feeling that the sadness in them was for me now. I wasn't ready for that yet, so I lifted her down, got up, and walked downstairs to see what big secret Amy and Cindi had.

I followed the strange noise into the training area in the back of the basement, and came up on an amazing sight.

It became obvious what Amy had to buy so urgently. She and Cindi were facing each other, each with a sword in their hands!

Cindi was holding the striking looking sword her mother had used in the fight with Bandor. Amy was holding a rather plain looking, simple sword that she had obviously, from the tentative way she was holding it, just purchased today. That wasn't the amazing part.

The amazing part was, for the first time since the last cycle, Amy was getting her butt kicked, from one end of the basement to the other.

The first thing that entered my mind was where Cindi had learned to wield a sword like that. She handled it like a pro. I could see Amy's tongue hanging out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated, trying with all her might to give her sister a run for her money, but she wasn't even close. Besides, good sword fighting was more instinctive than learned. Cindi was good; Amy was not. I felt a little obnoxious thrill of joy. So there was something that Amy couldn't do! It revived my sense of justice.

As I watched, unnoticed by the girls, Amy called for a halt. Cindi watched as Amy moved the sword around, getting used to it. I saw her practicing little things, getting more comfortable as she moved around. Finally, with a fatalistic 'Here I go, about to get my ass kicked again!' look, they started again.

They had been sparring again for about 10 seconds when I saw the light go on in Amy's eyes. Her face broke out in a big grin, matched only by Cindi's big grin as she saw the look in her twin's eyes. I could almost hear the click in Amy's mind as it all suddenly came together, and she became grace in motion as she fought Cindi back to the opposite wall. By some mutual but unseen agreement, they stopped and moved back to the center of the room.

What followed was the most incredible display of swordsmanship I had ever seen. I didn't know at that time that I hadn't seen anything yet. When the two finally finished, they were both hot and sweaty, and breathing hard.

"Ewww! Gross! Amy!" Cindi screeched as she realized that she was sweaty, and ran for the nearest shower. Amy laughed at her.

"Ewww, gross, Cin! You're sweaty. Man, does it stink in here! Skunk alert, skunk alert! Everyone get out of stinky Cindi's way!" The peals of laughter rolled through the house as Cindi flipped her sister off and ran into the bathroom. The poor water heater!

Amy saw me and ran over, jumping into my arms, wrapping her arms and legs around me as I held her.

"Do I smell bad?" she whispered in my ear. "Wanna fuck?" she breathed softly. My heart jumped.

"I'd love to, Amy, but I need to go see what's wrong with Sammi. She's upset about something."

Amy made a face.

"Blowing me off for another girl already, huh? Ok, now I see what being married to you will be like!" she said, giggling. She jumped down. "It's ok; this is Mom's day anyway. You're in trouble when she's gone, though!" she giggled, then looked serious as she remembered her Mom would be gone. I kissed her and hugged her and she ran off, winking at me as she headed into the same shower as Cindi had gone into. Fifteen seconds later I heard it.

"AMY!" Cindi screeched. Amy giggled. I smiled and headed upstairs. I loved those two!

Julie and Sammi were gone when I got back upstairs. Eric stopped me though.

"Mr. Phillips, can I talk to you, sir?" he asked politely. Eric was nothing if not polite. How did a fourteen year old boy get that way? If I could bottle it and sell it, I would be a millionaire. Oh wait... I was.

"Nope. If you want to talk to Mr. Phillips, you'll have to go over to my Dad's house. I'm Patrick, and I don't talk to anyone that calls me 'sir'." Not quite true; the girls called me 'sir' sometimes, but he got the point.

"Oh. Can I talk to you, Sir Patrick?" he asked. I looked at him and saw the twinkle in his eye. Nice kid, good sense of humor. I let him get away with it this time.

"What's on your mind, Eric?" I asked as I led him into him living room and sat down.

"Samantha," he said succinctly.

"Me too. What have you noticed?" I asked.

"Well, you have to understand, Samantha and I love each other deeply," he started. I smiled. Blind people could see that! "I can tell she still loves me; I can feel it. She wouldn't have fallen out of love with me in one day, anyway. But she's pushing me away, as if she wants to break up with me, as if she doesn't love me anymore. As if there was someone else. But I know there's not. I wouldn't normally worry about it and just wait a few days to see what happens, but this feels serious," he explained.

"So, what happened last night? Did you guys do anything? Did you ever think it might have to do with you calling her Samantha? How are you still alive, anyway?" I asked, teasing him on the last part. I knew that Eric and Sammi hadn't had sex yet; Sammi wanted Amy to break him in for her. She hated first times. I wondered briefly how many first times she had been involved with, other than her own. But I wasn't sure if Eric knew that I knew. I thought it best to play dumb.

He blushed, which told me I had followed the best route.

"She likes me to call her Samantha. We haven't actually done much yet," he said, looking at his feet as if embarrassed. Hey, what fourteen year old boy wanted to admit he was a virgin? "I mean, we have kissed and kinda... fooled around, but we haven't... you know... done it yet," he stammered.

"Nothing wrong with that. Can I ask why not?" So far I only had Sammi's side of the story, second hand through Amy; I thought it might not hurt to have Eric's side. Yeah, incurably. Nosey I mean.

"Well, neither one of us wants to be the other's first time," he explained. I looked at him quickly, to see if he was really naïve enough to think he would be Sammi's first. The grin on his face and the twinkle in his eyes told me he knew better and was just fooling with me. He turned serious.

"Samantha wants Amy to show me what to do. I can't do that, though," he whispered quietly, blushing furiously. This was interesting!

"Why not? You should know that I don't have a problem with Amy teaching you if that is what you two decide," I said, truly interested now. This would be news to Amy, that he couldn't do it!

"I don't think I should tell you," he said, looking at the floor again, embarrassed and nervous.

"Go ahead; I won't bite, I promise," I laughed. He didn't see the humor in it, but I guess he decided he was going to have to tell me anyway.

"Because I love Amy," he said quietly.

"Of course you do. Everyone loves Amy," I said, not sure what he meant.

"I guess I should say I'm in love with Amy. Not nearly as much as Samantha, but I don't think I could just casually have sex with her once and walk away, like Amy would want. I mean, I would really enjoy it, but she's special and... it just wouldn't work that way. She's yours and I have Samantha. It could cause problems."

I was surprised. I didn't think anyone knew how he felt about Amy; I hadn't heard anything about it. I didn't think either Sammi or Amy would have even considered it if they knew. I hadn't had a chance to answer yet when he spoke again.

"I hope I haven't offended you, sir. I have never done anything to imply to Amy how I feel, and I never will. I can't help how I feel, but I can help what I do about it. I'm sorry if I have offended you." He looked at me nervously.

"I'm not offended, Eric. Hell, half the world is in love with Amy. Could that be why Sammi is upset at you?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No. I really don't think it would bother her if she knew. Samantha knows how I feel about her and she knows it's unlikely I'm going to go through life without being attracted to someone else. Besides, she knows I like Amy a lot; that's one of the reasons why she picked her. No, I get the impression Samantha is more upset at herself than with me. It's almost like... she doesn't think she deserves me or something, like she's done something wrong... or something! I don't know what though, and it wouldn't make a difference anyway. I know she's not perfect."

Oh shit! This sounded too much like the Sammi of old. I hoped she wasn't relapsing. What could have happened to cause this?

"Eric... I don't know how to ask this, but... do you know about Sammi and me?" I asked.

Eric grinned and didn't answer for a minute. I think he was enjoying watching me feel uncomfortable.

"Of course. I suggested she go see you. Maybe she just needs some... affection that I can't give her yet. I have no problems with that." He grinned again as I sighed in relief.

"I would never ask or expect her to give that up," he said seriously. "It's important to her and really doesn't have anything to do with her feelings for me. That may be part of the problem; she's terminally horny right now, but I don't think that's all of it. Can you talk to her, please, and see what the problem is? I think she would talk to you," Eric pleaded.

How did I get into these messes? I guess it was a few kids too late to decide I didn't want to be a Dad. I changed the subject.

"So, if you're not comfortable with Amy, what are you going to do?" I asked innocently. As if I didn't already have an idea!

"I don't know. Samantha isn't really comfortable with anyone else. Maybe I'll just be a monk. You think Samantha could deal with celibacy for the rest of her life?" he asked. We looked at each other and both broke out laughing at the same time. Guess that answered that question!

"Actually, I have what I think is a terrific idea," I said. I spent several minutes explaining it to him. He was practically jumping up and down with excitement when I finished.

"That would be so cool! I would love it! Do you think it would work?" he asked, trying to keep from being too excited yet.

"You tell me," I said.

"Well, maybe if you did it just right..." he said slowly.

I explained to him how I planned on doing it. He looked stunned.

"Are you kidding? Would that really work? Would she really like that?" he asked, shocked. Poor Eric. He knew nothing about sex and even less about the secret desires of my girls. He had no idea what he was getting into with Sammi! He would never regret it a day of his life, however.

"I'm pretty sure it would. Let me take the lead on it; that way, I would be the one she would be mad at if I'm wrong. Would you like to be involved?" I asked, knowing the answer. He held his left arm out to me.

"I'd give my left arm to be involved in it," he said excitedly. For a minute I saw the predatory look in his eyes that I had seen so often in Cire the cat. I had always thought that was the cat!

"When could we get started? I am so excited!" he bubbled. Yeah, I know, but bubbled was about the only word that fit, even though guys usually don't 'bubble'.

"Well, it will have to wait a few days. My time is kind of spoken for until Elizabeth... leaves... and the two Megans merge. After that, I'll let you know."

I left Eric in high spirits and wandered around upstairs looking for Sammi. I had barely made it half way down the hall when I heard shrieking and giggling and Cindi and Amy raced by me, both stark naked and dripping wet, chasing each other around the house. I smiled to myself and shook my head in wonder, being careful not to interfere with watching two of the finest butts I would ever see. If it weren't for Sammi, I would have followed them into their bedroom.

After I searched the whole upstairs, I discovered no Sammi to be seen. Rumor had it that she and Julie had gone for a walk in the woods. The same rumor stated pretty emphatically that Sammi had been close to falling apart completely. Since the rumors came from Katie and Becky, I believed it. Those two were smarter than I could ever hope to be and missed nothing. I stretched out on the couch to wait for Sammi to return.