Chapter 14: A Few Theories, a Few Potential Explanations

"Alright, where do we start?" David asked.

He'd been debating that very question while everyone had been getting ready for the past half hour. While it seemed a simple thing to gather in the other room for a quiet discussion, somehow it never seemed to work out that way. As a friend of theirs had said years before, when you have a large family, you have to add an extra half an hour onto anything you want to do, or anywhere you go, for every extra person, because that's how long it'll take to get everyone organized.

"I've got a lot of ideas, myself," Ellen admitted, "but I'm not sure you want me usurping your position. So I'll trust your judgment. You've got a good head on you, if you don't know off the bat, I'm sure we'll figure it out along the way."

"I deserved that," he admitted. "And I apologize for being such an ... a buggerhead before," he said, having decided to switch to a kid-friendly response.

"Please, Dad, if we're talking about you sleeping with everyone in the house, then surely you can admit to your being an ass in front of us," Alice replied, sticking her tongue out at him. He couldn't help it, he laughed.

"Yeah, you're right. All of you have had to grow up a lot in the past week. I think you can handle a little more adult language than we've been willing to use in the past. Yeah, I was being an ass, although I still think I had a good point about people forcing me into situations that I was uncomfortable with."

"Agreed, on both points," Ellen replied. "I should have been upfront about things, just as all of us should have tackled the tough underlying issue. But if it took an out and out fight to bring the issue to the fore, then I can't really complain. As I said, I think worry about what's happening, and the fact that none of us have directly addressed it, have been stressing each of us out. I think I was trying to address the symptoms and not the underlying condition."

"All right, I can see that, giving it a little distance. I can also see how everyone has needed more attention, more comforting, a more welcoming and accepting attitude, and the need for some serious distractions, but can I just ask that anyone wanting such distractions and comforting come to me first, rather than going through Ellen?"

Each of the girls, except for Alice, of course, raised their hands at that. David groaned, but he was grinning as he did, so it was clear he wasn't serious, and that neither were they.

"I still think it makes sense to go through Ellen," Linda objected. "After all, she's taken over the role of organizing things, and it is her position that we're potentially threatening. However, she really needs to talk things over with you before anyone tries anything."

"Would it help if you set up a routine, a schedule?" Caitlyn suggested. "I mean, from what I've read, that's how they handled harems of old. Each night the sultan, or whomever, would sleep with someone different so no one would feel slighted."

"I really don't think ... well... ," David hedged, considering the idea. He didn't even jump on the fact that a girl as young as she would be suggesting such a thing. They were well past that argument. "No, I don't think so. Ellen is my girlfriend, so she gets her rightful place sleeping with me each night. However, if she wants to decide who shares our bed, I won't object. Just as long as I'm told ahead of time so I know what to expect, and as long as no one surprises me in the shower anymore."

"OK, we'll save the surprises for when we're working outside," Sara joked, which produced the expected giggling response.

"Let's just save the surprises altogether. If someone is feeling the need for a hug, or something more, like Linda did when we rescued Flora, then I can understand it. But let's not continue jumping someone against their will. And let's follow Ellen's model in trying to avoid hard feelings by just grabbing me whenever you want. I'll try to be more receptive to outright teasing, and if I don't, either you or Ellen can whack me over the head. How's that?"

Everyone nodded they could accept that stipulation, so David continued.

"OK, now how about you girls? I know we've been exposing you to a lot more than you'd normally be expo—"

"Please, David," Sara replied, unintentionally demonstrating in how she responded that the girls all felt they were equal participants here. "I think we've been doing this for long enough now you can skip pretending we don't know what's been going on."

"OK, I stand corrected. I concede that you've all grown up a lot in the past week. So where does that leave us? Are you comfortable with the situation?"

"Let's just establish what we're discussing here," Maggie suggested. "We're talking about the fact that David is going to be sleeping with each of the adults here, at least the women, that is," she corrected herself, acknowledging Bob's presence. "What's more, that also means that you girls, while you're free to talk about it openly with us, are not to try to take part yourselves."

"What about if we wanted to do something ... uh, with each other?" Amy asked. However, as soon as she finished she blushed heavily, adding, "Sorry, I'm just asking. I'm not planning on anything with any of you."

"Don't be so quick to say that," Caitlyn said with a smile. "You may be cutting yourself out of some interesting experiences."

David groaned again, but took the question seriously. "Well, as long as you did it in private, like we were attempting to do, both parties are OK with it, and you didn't impinge on anyone else, I guess it would be OK. However, that said, I'd like to qualify that by saying that if I hear of anyone trying anything with Alice, they are going to have to talk to me, either before or after."

The girls laughed while Alice huffed, getting offended by her father's attitude, but not from any desire of hers to fool around with anyone.

"Seriously, David, you'd want to know if someone was sleeping with your daughter?" Ellen asked.

"Well, not really. OK, if you're going to experiment, then it's OK to keep it secret. But if you're going to be 'dating', or getting serious, then I'm going to want to discuss your 'intentions concerning my daughter'," he said, glancing at each of the girls.

"How about if we all agree we're in a committed relationship with each other, even if some of us aren't interested in the others sexually?" Erica asked, suddenly sounding like one of the more mature girls.

David lay back on the couch, not actively sighing in frustration, but trying to keep his reactions in check.

"OK, if everyone is serious, and you're actually concerned with each other's feelings, then I'd have to concede," he responded.

"Can we please get the conversation back on track?" Linda asked. "I mean, it looks like you're doing what we've been doing for the last week, trying to avoid talking about what's really bothering us. If you're really interested in these questions, it'd be better if we took this discussion off-line."

"In that case, I don't think any of us object to the limitations," Caitlyn answered for the rest of the girls. "We know you have an issue with the age thing, and I think most of us aren't quite ready to get sexually involved with anyone yet."

"Alice, what about you?" Linda asked. "Are you really OK with everyone sleeping with your dad?"

"Hell, no," she answered quickly. "I still think he and Ellen should be an exclusive couple, but it seems to be a largely done deal at this point. So it's not going to do me any good belaboring the point. But just remember, if you screw this up between Ellen and my dad, and that goes for any of you, you'll have to answer to me about it."

"Well, we were trying to keep it under wraps," David tried to apologize. "That is, until someone started inviting everyone else in the neighborhood into my shower."

"Actually, she only invited me in once," Flora responded. "The first time was strictly my own initiative."

"OK, let's skip over the incidentals," Ellen suggested. "No one needs to hear the details."

"Especially since Flora already told us them all," Caitlyn added with a sly smile.

"OK, enough with the sex discussions. Let's move onto the main topic," David suggested. "What does everyone think about what's been happening? Does everyone agree it's worse than we've been letting on?"

"Definitely," Amy said immediately. "I was wondering why no one said anything the first night we arrived, especially since it was the second night of the storm and we'd almost been killed driving here. But it quickly became clear that everyone was more involved in teasing each other than in discussing the situation. So I just went along with it."

"Yeah, I figured it was more fun playing along rather than addressing a topic that no one wanted to talk about," Julie replied.

"I figured if my mother was going along with it, that it was OK for the rest of us," Sara said. "I just assumed discussing what was really happening, or mentioning how scared we were, wasn't something we were supposed to do."

"I guess that's my fault," David admitted. "I've always been a bit of a guy, meaning that I tend to hold everything in. I don't cry at movies, I don't gush over puppies, and I try not to show my emotions. I prefer to solve problems rather than stressing over things I can't control."

"He's got that right," Alice offered. "You should see him whenever a romantic comedy comes on TV."

"Actually, she's got a point," Linda echoed her sentiment. "He never talks about how he's feeling. He phrases everything as a problem. It's never 'I feel sorry you're having a problem', it's always 'Let's try to work on something'."

"You've got to admit, though," Bobby replied, "he is efficient about what he does. At least this way, everyone survives long enough to work everything out afterwards."

"Look, we're getting distracted again," David argued. "What's the consensus? Is this the end of humanity, or just a little setback to the economy for the next couple of years?"

No one was willing to answer outright, glancing nervously at each other.

"Well I hope it's not the end of humanity," Erica announced, "'cause I haven't been kissed yet, and I'm not planning on missing out on that."

"Hey, you should be able to kiss David," Caitlyn teased. "After all, it wouldn't require you to have sex with him, and it would get that item off your bucket list so you can put more important things in there, like getting laid."

"Hey, enough of that," David said, trying to keep the teasing from getting personal. "Let's just leave it that Erica's not in favor of the end of the world idea. What about the rest of you?" David asked.

Again no one responded for a couple of moments.

"Well, the 'end of the world' is a bit drastic, but things are certainly not going to be the same after this," Ellen said out of frustration.

"But the fact that no one said anything says the exact opposite," David pointed out. "Clearly you've been thinking that very thing."

"Look, the world didn't physically end," Maggie jumping in, "but the world's been set back a good twenty or thirty years, it may take even longer than that for the world to recover, and now we're talking about some kind of biblical plague."

"A Biblical plague is either frogs or the death of every first born son, this doesn't apply on either count," David countered.

"Yeah, but we have no idea how bad this thing is, and I'm guessing from your request that we all stay inside that you don't think it's a simple case of the flu," she argued.

"Hey, the 'simple' flu killed between 20 and 40 million in 1918 alone. A plague might not mean the apocalypse, but it doesn't mean I want to take any chances," David replied.

"Still, I'm not sure we're talking about a 'simple' meteor shower either," Flora said, finally speaking up for the first time. "This was devastating, and we'll all be telling our great-great-grandchildren what happened to the world and why they're in the situation they're in."

"Hey, speak for yourself. My only daughter just told me there's a fair chance she might be a lesbian, so I may not have any great-great-grandchildren," David laughed, but no one else seemed to think it was very funny.

"The fact of the matter, though, is that our lives will never be the same after this is over, and right now it's not over," Bob pointed out. "Sure, the meteors have stopped, but we seem to be the only people who haven't been directly affected, the government hasn't recovered, there are no organized recovery efforts, and chances are people are going to get nasty if things don't improve before long."

"Is that it?" David asked. "You think people are going to become animalistic and turn on each other?"

"I don't think it'll happen soon," Maggie said, "but I think if things get bad and don't improve, people will eventually take their frustrations out on each other."

"Unless they're all dying from the flu," Sara suggested.

"Even so, those that are left will be exhausted, frustrated and angry about everything they've lost. Those aren't a good combination."

"So what, are you suggesting we start stockpiling guns?" Caitlyn asked.

"Maybe not, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared," Maggie concluded.

"Well, I wouldn't go off 'half cocked' just yet," David tried to joke. "After all, you and I might do OK with a weapon, but the others aren't trained, and they'd likely be more dangerous with a gun than without."

"We could learn," Amy suggested. "I'd love to learn how to shoot. Especially if I we could learn to hunt as well."

"I can teach you," Alice offered. "I haven't shot much, but I went with Dad when he went hunting twice, so I know what's involved."

"David? Is that true?" Linda asked archly.

"Hey, it was hunting season and she wanted to go. I didn't think it would hurt her, and it would at least teach her to understand the shooting culture. I never intended for her to take it up."

"Well it sounds like she is now," Linda countered.

"Look, let's not get into that now," Ellen warned them both. "You can discuss the proper way to raise young girls some other time, but let's try to keep focused."

"Do you really think we'll need to learn how to shoot?" Erica asked with a mixture of fascination and dread.

"No, I don't," David answered. "As I said, I think we should keep the guns to those who know how to shoot them. But I may be willing to teach those inclined to learn."

"David!" Linda cautioned him.

"Hey, it's always a good thing to know how to handle weapons safely. If there's any chance we'll need to know how to use them, I'd rather they learn now then when we're all under the gun."

Linda harrumphed, but didn't say any more, simply crossing her arms under her breasts.

"Please, Mom? I'd really like to learn," Alice said.

"It sounds like you already know," her mother countered.

"Not really. Dad showed me what's involved and let me fire twice, but I never had enough practice to be any good, and if we're likely to have trouble, we'll need to be prepared."

"Why are you even interested, for heaven's sake?"

"Like Dad said, it's necessary, it's an outdoor event, I like everything else in the outdoors, and I'll feel safer if I can defend myself," she said, sounding suspiciously as if she'd practiced her arguments ahead of time.

"I don't care what her arguments are," Amy said, "I want to learn just because it's neat." She looked nervous after Linda scowled at her. "I'll be careful, though, I promise."

"David, if you... ," Linda said, although she couldn't bring herself to finish the threat.

"Hey, we're all treating these girls as if they're adults," David said. "It seems to me if we do that we should treat them like that. Girls, are you serious about learning how to shoot?"

"Hell, yeah," Amy said. Alice merely nodded seriously.

"Hey, what about me?" Bobby asked. "I'm serious about it. By the way, could you teach me to drive as well?"

Everyone laughed, though David thought it might be fun to actually give him a chance to shoot just for the experience sometime, though he didn't think he'd suggest that in front of Linda. She didn't seem to like guns much.

"Well, what does everyone think about the death and destruction we've experienced?" Ellen asked, hoping to get off the current discussion.

"Well, we're not exactly fond of it," Caitlyn answered, "but I'm not sure there's much you can do about it."

"That wasn't the question," Ellen responded. "We're trying to clear the air here, and if you have problems with it, and any unresolved issues caused by it, it's better to get it out in the open. That way we can work through it."

"Frankly I like Dad's approach better," Alice grumbled under her breath. Both Linda and Ellen glared at her, and she looked embarrassed, but she didn't back down.

"I'm holding you responsible for this," Linda warned her ex. But David merely held his hands up, signaling he wasn't responsible.

"I'm just not sure what good it does to talk about how scared everyone is," Alice told them. "When everyone was ignoring it, we were being treated like adults. As soon as we started talking about our 'feelings', suddenly we aren't old enough to decide anything for ourselves."

"Look, young lady, you aren't that old. We may have been giving you latitude because of what you've been through, but... ," Linda said, leaving the sentence unfinished as she realized what she was saying.

"But as soon as things return to normal?" Alice finished for her. Her mother merely nodded, acknowledging she was well aware of the internal contradictions.

"We haven't merely been humoring them," David said. "We've been giving them more latitude because they've had to grow up a lot in the past two weeks. They've proven that they can act like adults, so we've been treating them like they are. As such, it's hardly fair to pull the carpet out from under them just because you don't like what they suggest. If they think they can do this, there's a need for them to do it, and they can do so responsibly, then I don't see why we should refuse their request."

"So, is that settled then?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," Linda sighed. Amy and Alice high fived each other, grinning wildly.

"OK, so am I to assume that everyone is tired of talking about this now?" Ellen asked.

"I think I've said what I needed to say," Maggie answered. "I'd suggest that if anyone has any issues, they discuss it in private with one of the adults."

"If we have problems, they haven't surfaced yet," Julie said. "So far, our evenings with you have been enough to keep our fears at bay. I'm not saying we won't have problems, but right now they seem to be manageable."

"OK, if all of you can agree with that, I'm willing to let it go," Ellen said, glancing at Linda to make sure she agreed. When she nodded her acceptance, Ellen went on. "OK, if we're finished, it seems to me we have some breakfast to reheat. We've been so busy, you forgot about it. Now, what's on the agenda for the day, since we're not allowed to go anywhere?"

"Frankly, I was going to call a free period. I thought that maybe Alice would want to take the other girls out to explore the woods around the house, maybe familiarize them with the terrain."

"Oh, good, maybe I'll pal around with them. I'm anxious to learn my way around as well," Maggie replied, winking at David.

"Good, you can tell Amy and me all about shooting," Alice responded.

David moved slowly through the sun dappled forest in the early morning light. He scanned his surroundings, trying to identify anything out of place near him, in particular trying to detect how the other wildlife was responding. The birds were still chirping, so he took that to mean there weren't any large animals around them at the moment. He moved a little further, noticed some movement in the distance, and quietly knelt on the ground, trying to hide himself behind a nearby bush. He waited patiently for it to approach.

He'd gotten up early that morning, trying to get underway before the sun approached the horizon. Both Alice and Amy were so excited they'd been waiting for him when he finally made it downstairs. He looked questioningly at them, but it was obvious what they wanted, and it was also clear they wouldn't be easily dissuaded.

"You know I've got to do this alone. You aren't trained in how to walk silently through the underbrush."

"I'll have you know—" Amy started to respond before Alice poked her in the side with her elbow. She shut up and wordlessly nodded her head, so David continued.

"As I'm sure Alice is trying to tell you, I'm not refusing to take you. I'm just telling you that you'll have to wait by the car until I manage to take it down. You can help after that, but as I said, you'll need more experience sneaking through the woods before you can try this on your own."

"We've been practicing handling a gun with Maggie," Amy said, hoping it would buy her some leverage.

"There's a lot more to this than knowing how to handle a gun. Anyway, you can help me carry it back. Normally I'd do it myself, but that's always tough, and if I can avoid it I'd prefer it. I suggest you get some gloves. I see you already have your boots and reasonable outdoor clothes, so we should be set. But if this goes well, I'll take you with me in the future. For now I just want to ensure I can do it as quickly and as unobtrusively as possible."

"I've got the gloves," Alice assured him. "We got the camouflage from the closet. We had to pin my pants and Amy's jacket, but I think they'll stay in place."

"We'll have to see about getting you both some outfits of your own."

After that they'd climbed into his SUV and he explained what they could expect on the drive in.

Maggie had wanted to try the woods near the house, but David had put his foot down.

"You'll scare the animals away from the house. As long as there are plenty of other places I can access nearby, I'd prefer to shelter the animals near the property. After all, if things get bad, we'll have to rely on them, so there's no sense driving them away now when we don't need to."

She acknowledged that he had a point, so she backed down, agreeing to let him do this on his own.

David detected further movement and thought he saw something coming towards him, but he remained still and waited. Soon he heard some bushes being brushed aside and soon a decent sized deer appeared, nibbling at some leaves of a nearby bush. It seemed to be on its own, or at least if there were others they weren't in sight. But in either case, David wasn't going to wait for any others to appear.

He lifted his rifle, sighted on the animal. It was a doe, a smaller female. He didn't particularly care. Males are generally preferred since they're bigger, have more meat, carry the impressive racks, and don't endanger the survival of any offspring. However he didn't see any fawns around, so he wasn't worried. If this one had any, they'd be pretty close by this time of year.

Shifting his rifle slightly, he saw he had a clear shot and squeezed the trigger as he let his breath out. He wasn't an overly experienced hunter, since he didn't do this that much, but he'd done it enough to know what to do. His father had taught him all he knew when he was young, and he'd hunted enough to keep up on his skills. Plus he'd learned other tricks of the trade from reading over the years.