Protective Custody by Dorsai

Copyright (c) 2003 - Dorsai


LEGAL DISBLAMER This is a dirty, nasty, *filthy* story – or some people
would have you believe. If you’re old enough to read it in your area,
make up your own mind. If you’re not ‘of age’, then you’re not
_supposed_ to be reading this stuff. Don’t get caught – I won’t accept
the blame.

INFORMATION You can get a copy of this story in text and .pdf (Adobe
Acrobat) formats, and my other stories, at the alt.sex.stories text
repository at www.asstr.org under my Author name of Dorsai. Or, if you
prefer, you can read it as an HTML document on my web page at asstr. If
you do, *PLEASE* make a donation to them so they can continue to afford
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and you can donate anonymously - see their donations page to learn how.

You can reach me directly at my public email account at:

dorsai@mail.com

This story is released for FREE public distribution provided the
copyright notice is retained. This story is NOT FOR SALE at any time, by
anyone. This story may NOT be included in any collections or posted on
any site for which ANY type of fee or other charge is required before
the user can read it. I *WILL* prosecute any violations of my copyright,
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I first met Lucy when she moved into the apartment building I lived in
at the time, becoming my next door neighbor. Not long after that, I met
her daughter Robyn - and a bit later, deflowered the then-13-year-old at
her insistence. Along the way, I got the two of them to start actually
talking to each other to the point that they were able to get along much
better than either of them had thought possible. That led to Lucy and me
becoming first friends, and then lovers.

It was while Lucy was on a business trip that I was asked to deflower
Robyn's 15-year-old best friend Sandra, again at the youngster's
request. During Lucy's business trip, she found some irregularities and
experienced a few problems with the company that she and her staff were
auditing for a client. She asked me to help find out what was going on
because I was someone she trusted, and I knew enough about computers to
be able to help.

I did the job under contract, and found that the company had been used
for a number of illegal activities, along with being systematically
looted by its upper management. The client wanted to prosecute as well
as see if they could get their money back, and Lucy and I took the case
to the local FBI office because much of the activity clearly involved a
number of out-of-state banks and other operations. By the time it was
all over, I'd earned myself a nice percentage of the 300+ million
dollars that I'd been able to direct the FBI toward recovering - as well
as almost literally handing them the evidence they'd needed to prosecute
by turning over a laptop with the details of what had happened. As the
case developed, Lucy, Robyn, Sandra, and I 'came clean' with each other
about the various permutations of relationships and bed partners. We
also got FBI protection because of involvement by what the FBI
delicately called "an organized crime element". One of the members of
that protective detail became friendly with us - friendly to the point
of joining all four of us in bed.

When the case was over, Lucy and I married, and I adopted Robyn. With my
new wealth, Lucy and I moved into a house closer to where Robyn's friend
Sandra lived, and the two of them spent a considerable amount of time
together - as well as with Lucy and me.

A couple of years later, I got a call from that agent - Amy - requesting
my technical skills as a computer jock to help them break up a small
drug cartel. Along the way, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and
becoming intimate with a couple of the people that were involved with
the case - and then bringing them 'into the fold' with Lucy, Robyn,
Sandra, and Amy. To my deep regret, the druggies we'd been after decided
to try and scare me off by hiring a contract killer to eliminate
Sandra's parents. In the aftermath of that tragedy, I wound up adopting
Sandra, too - and took great pride when she asked to call me her Uncle
Dan. The case ultimately ended with a number of massive raids by the FBI
against a number of different dealers across the country.

The friendships we'd all developed continued throughout the following
years; every so often, one or more of them would join our family for a
period of loving time together.

Lucy, Robyn, Sandra, and I were sitting in the living room one evening
watching a movie on TV when the phone rang. Since I had Sandra on my lap
as the two of us casually and affectionately molested each other, Robyn
got up off of Lucy's lap - where the two of them had been doing much the
same thing - to answer the phone.

I heard Robyn's delighted squeal after answering, followed by a brief
conversation before she brought the phone to me. I looked at her
questioningly, and she simply said "Amy" before handing over the phone.

"Hi, Amy" I greeted her, before asking "What's up? You get some time
off, and want to visit for a while?"

I heard her gentle laughter before she answered "I wish! No, Dan, I'm
calling about something else."

Something about the way she answered got my attention, and I stopped
teasing Sandra's left nipple before asking "What is it?"

At the tone of my voice, Sandra, Robyn, and Lucy all turned to listen to
me.

"I've got a favor to ask, Dan", Amy responded.

"You know I'll do what I can, Amy."

I heard her deep sigh over the phone before she said "I got a call from
the SAC - Special Agent in Charge - in your town. He's got a little bit
of a situation, and he wanted to know if there was anything I could do
to help. I can't do anything to help him, but I think you might be able
to, if you're willing."

Mildly exasperated, I asked "Amy, when have I not been willing to help
the FBI?" - my words definitely got Lucy and the girls' attention, as
well as giving them warning that Something Was Up.

Amy sighed again, and answered "You haven't - but this situation isn't
like anything you've done for us before."

"So tell me."

"Okay, but I have to give you a little background, first."

"I'm listening..."

"He's been running a case in your area, trying to get a handle on a
relatively small group of, well, thugs. They've been involved in a lot
of different things in a small way - small enough to pretty much stay
under the radar, so to speak, and careful enough that they haven't left
any loose threads for us to latch on to." Amy had told us once that the
FBI - and law enforcement in general - couldn't do much about any
particular crime until and unless the person or people involved made a
mistake, saying "There's no such thing as the perfect crime. Sooner or
later, EVERY criminal makes a mistake, and it's that certainty that
we're geared for and count on. All we need is a single loose thread -
sometimes literally! - and we can unravel all their planning and
scheming to build a case the puts them away."

I asked "What is it they're up to, and then?"

"Like I said, a lot of different things", she answered, and then seemed
to run down a mental list: "A little gun smuggling. Snuff films.
Blackmail. Turning kids - girls and boys - as young as middle school
into prostitutes. Insurance scams. The list goes on."

"So how do I come into this?" I asked.

"Dale Kristofferson - he's Agent in Charge there - got his break when
the wife of one of the upper-level scumbags walked into his office and
offered to tell him anything and everything about the operation. She
said that she could live with him abusing her, but when he started
talking about 'breaking in' their fifteen year old daughter, it was too
much."

"Okay, that's the 'why' of it - but you still haven't answered the 'how'
part" I told her.

Another sigh, and she said "The 'how' is that she said she'd only give
up the info if the Bureau would put her someplace he couldn't find them
- she's literally scared spitless of him. Dale offered witness
protection, but she didn't trust it. He offered a protective detail, and
she just laughed, saying that the guy had enough people in law
enforcement working for him that she might as well stand out on the
street corner. Dale got her fixed up with one of those Winnebago jobs
that they're moving every couple of nights, but he and she both know
that can't last too long. So he's looking for something - anything! -
that might bring her around. Like I said, I can't help him, but thought
maybe you could - by taking her into something like protective custody."

"What do you mean?" I asked, somewhat baffled.

"I mean that if you're willing, she might agree to stay at your place
where you can watch out for her. Between your background and that alarm
system you've got, there's a chance that she might go for it -
particularly with you not being in 'law enforcement', per se. I know
it's a lot to ask, and I'll understand if you decide to say 'no'. And I
haven't told Dale about this yet - I just said that I'd see if I
couldn't come up with something. So if you do turn it down, you won't
have to worry about any bad feelings or anything."

I sat there for a bit, thinking about what she'd told me - not just
about what it would mean to me and my family, but to the woman and her
daughter. And the kinds of things that Amy had told me the woman's
husband was involved in.

I finally told Amy "Okay, Amy, I'll think about it - but you know it's
not just my decision."

"I know that, Dan. That's why I'm telling you that if you have to turn
it down, I'll completely understand. To tell you the truth, I'm not real
happy about even asking you about this - but it's the only thing I could
come up with."

"I figured as much, Amy. Can I call you back tomorrow, sometime?"

"Of course, Dan - take whatever time you need."

"Thanks, Amy. Tomorrow, then" I said, and heard her answer "Tomorrow"
before both of us hung up the phone.

I could only sit there, trying to figure out how to even begin bringing
this new 'adventure' up with the rest of them.? My reverie was
interrupted by Lucy's quiet "What is it, Dan? Does Amy need help with
something again?" the worry clear in her voice. My last experience at
helping the FBI hadn't gone as quietly and smoothly as ANY of us would
have liked.

I looked up at her, and saw the concern on her face before looking at
Robyn and Sandra, each of them mirroring her expression.

I released my own heavy sigh, and said "Not Amy, exactly. It's the local
office that needs help, and it's a real gem."

Lucy and the girls waited (mostly) patiently while I got my thoughts
together before I started telling them about Amy's request - and the who
and why of it.

As I talked, filling in the blanks that I knew Amy had left out, first
Lucy, and then the girls, grew paler and paler as I explained the
situation - and particularly, what the woman's husband and his cohorts
were up to.

By the time I was done, all three of them were clearly disgusted,
worried, outraged, and fearful by turns.

I finished up by telling them "Okay, you know who, what, when, where,
and why. I'm going to tell you right now that this isn't going to happen
unless it's by unanimous agreement. I'm not going to tell you what I
think should happen - quite honestly, I don't even know what I think
about it yet. And I don't think any of you should say out loud what YOU
think about it, either. IF this happens, it's going to affect ALL of us
- this woman and her daughter are going to be in our home, living with
us day in and day out for some unknown period of time. It might be a few
days; it might be a few MONTHS. I think we can safely assume that both
of them would come in here with some emotional and mental baggage. If
they're in our home, I don't think it would be... prudent to have them
find out about us and our relationship with each other. We would
basically have to put on our 'public' face in our own home AND deal with
a couple of people that we might discover we don't like and are probably
going to have their own 'issues' - and not only put up with them, but
actually try to protect them however we can in whatever way they might
need."

All three of them nodded solemnly, and I went on "I just told you, I'm
not even sure what I think about this. What I want to do - and what I
think all of you should do, too - is find a quiet spot by myself to
really think this through. When I'm done, I'll come back here. When
you've made your decision, you come back, too. Okay?"

They all nodded, and each got up and left to find their own place to
figure out what they wanted to do. As I expected, Lucy made her way
toward our bedroom; I left her to it, and went out to my office in the
small building near our swimming pool. It was a good two hours before I
made my way back to the living room - and I was the first one there.

Over the next hour, first Sandra then Robyn joined me. A bit later, Lucy
made her way in, too - carrying the small dish that I dumped my pocket
change into and a small vase. I looked at her in curiosity, but she just
gave me a look that said 'wait and see'.

We sat trying not to look at each other for a couple of minutes before
Lucy spoke up, saying "It looks like we've all made our decision - and I
suspect that none of you wants to say anything because you either don't
want to influence anyone else, or because you're afraid you'll be the
'odd' one. So I came up with a solution: I'm going to put the change
dish and the vase over there on the table. Each of us will go over and
take a coin out of the dish, and drop it in the vase - a penny if we say
'no' or a nickel if we say 'yes'. The table is far enough away, and I'll
put the dish and vase close enough together, that none of us will be
able to tell who got which coin. When we're done, we empty the vase here
on the coffee table. If there's even one penny, we don't do it.
Everybody understand?"

We all smiled and nodded - it was a fairly elegant solution of how to
'vote' without being singled out.

Lucy went on to say "I know you girls are old enough to do it anyway,
but I want to make sure we ALL understand that if each of us isn't
absolutely sure that we can do this, and then we should vote 'no' - this
isn't something where 'I think I can' is good enough. Okay?"

Another round of nods and Lucy got up to put the dish and vase on the
table - and stepping away from them so we could all see that the dish
was in front of the vase, making it easy for each of us to use our body
to block the view of the rest.

Lucy came back and sat down before saying "Dan, since Amy brought it up
with you, I think you should go ahead and vote first, then Robyn, and
then Sandra. I'll vote last, and bring the vase with me."

Without a word, I got up and went over to the table. With a sudden
inspiration, I picked out a coin and dropped it in the vase - then
stepped aside so they could watch as I 'stirred' the contents of the
change dish, making it impossible for anyone to even guess which one I'd
selected. Lucy smiled and nodded as I made my way back to my seat. Robyn
stood, and went over to make her decision known before following my
example of stirring the change. When Robyn was seated, Sandra stood and
did as we had. Finally, it was Lucy's turn, and she stirred the change
as well before returning with the vase.

Seated, she looked at each of us before quietly moving to turn the vase
upside down on top of the coffee table, keeping its contents hidden -
then slowly lifting it up to reveal four nickels face up on the glass.
We all looked at each other for a few moments before breaking into
subdued smiles.

"I'll call Amy in the morning and let her know we're willing to help", I
told them quietly.

Lucy spoke up, saying "Now that that's out of the way, I think we'd all
better get to bed - it's late, and tomorrow will be here all too soon."

Robyn and Sandra stood and came over to give Lucy and me each a kiss
before heading upstairs, hand in hand.

When they were gone, Lucy came over to sit in my lap, playfully slapping
my arm when I released a fake groan of complaint - she knew full well
that I enjoyed having her on my lap, and that I was teasing her.

"Dan, I already knew this is right, and I figured you'd say 'yes', too.
But I have to admit that I'm still a little surprised that both of them
voted to do it, too. As much as they like being with you, and with me, I
half-expected that one or the other would say 'no'. It makes me so proud
of them that they'd be willing to put their wants aside to help someone
with as many troubles as this woman, and her daughter."

I kissed her on the tip of her nose and answered "Yup. I think we can
safely conclude that they've turned into the kind of people we wanted
them to be, no matter what else happens."

Lucy gave me a small hug, and the two of us sat there for several
minutes, each contemplating just how proud and pleased we were with the
way Robyn and Sandra had matured - even more than they'd already
demonstrated to both of us before then.

Ten o'clock the next morning, I called Amy's office - and was surprised
when I was put right through to her.

"Thanks for getting back to me so soon, Dan. I'll call Dale and let him
know that I wasn't able to come up with anything for him."

"Whoa, Amy! I'm calling to let you know that we decided that we COULD do
it", I told her when I heard her pause to take a breath.

There was dead silence on the phone for several long seconds before I
heard a soft "I'll be damned" before a relieved voice told me "Thanks,
Dan. That's nowhere near enough - again! - but it's what I have. I'll
call Dale, and give him your number so he can make arrangements to meet
with you; and I'll send him a copy of our file, so he knows exactly who
he's got on his side."

"That's fine, Amy", I answered.

A pregnant pause, and she asked "I've got to know - how did you decide?"

I gave her a quick synopsis, and another few seconds went by before she
said "Every time I forget how grown up those two young ladies are, they
go and do something like this to hammer it home again. I figured you'd
be willing, and that Lucy might go for it - but I never really thought
that Robyn and Sandra would. I know how much it means to them to be able
to come to you and Lucy whenever they need or want; I honestly didn't
expect them to put that aside for something like this."

I smiled to myself, and told her "Yeah, it kinda surprised Lucy and me,
too."

I heard Amy's soft laugh before she said "I don't know if I should be
pleased or amazed that those two could surprise you and Lucy!"

"Probably a little of both, just like we are", I answered.

"Well, you make sure and let them know how much this means to me, Dan."

I released my own laugh, and said "Don't you figure they already know,
Amy?"

"Yeah, I guess they do" she answered with her own laugh, before saying
"I'm sorry, Dan, but I've got to go. I'll get this to Dale right away,
so you should hear from him pretty quick."

"I'll be here" I promised her before putting the phone back in its
cradle.

I wasn't particularly that surprised when I the phone rang barely an
hour later; Amy had said that they were worried about the woman being
'outed'.

I answered it after the second ring, and after answering "Dan Andrews
here", heard a pleasant baritone say "This is Dale Kristofferson, Mr.
Andrews. Amy has told me that you would be willing to make your home
available as a, um, sanctuary for someone that I would like to see
protected. Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is" I answered.

"Amy has already filled me in a little on your previous experience with
the Bureau, Mr. Andrews, and is sending me a copy of the Bureau's file
on you that should be here tomorrow morning. Would it be possible for
you to meet with me tomorrow afternoon, after I've had a chance to look
it over? I'll be happy to meet with you either here in my office, at
your home, or anyplace convenient for you. For reasons I think you
understand, sooner would be better."

His words and tone told me that he really was worried about the woman. I
answered him by saying "Since my home would be the sanctuary, you might
find it reassuring to see for yourself what I have to offer, Agent
Kristofferson. I work from my home, so feel free to stop in any time you
wish tomorrow, morning or afternoon". I figured that once he'd read my
file, he'd be visiting as soon as he could manage: Amy had let me read
it myself one day; on paper at least, I even impressed myself.

"Any time, Mr. Andrews?" He sounded dubious.

"Yes, any time, Agent Kristofferson", I reassured him.

"Tomorrow, then" he said, by way of ending the call.

I have to admit that I was still surprised when someone rang the
doorbell shortly after nine thirty the next morning, and I saw what
could only be an FBI agent on my doorstep - and thus, must have been
Agent Kristofferson.

I opened the door and invited him in, pretending not to notice the odd
look on his face as he got the chance to actually see the person he'd
only known through a folder full of papers.

I stuck my hand out and said "Agent Kristofferson, I presume. Dan
Andrews; I'm pleased to meet you." As we were sizing each other up,
Sunshine, our family dog came up to greet him - and got the attention
she craved, if only for a few seconds.

He shook with me, and I led him through the house and out to my office.
Along the way, from the corner of my eye, I could see him looking over
our house - and felt mildly pleased. Lucy had seen to decorating and
furnishing it with simple elegance; there wasn't anything 'fancy' like
antiques, but all of it was of simple design and the highest quality.
Once in my office, I showed him a chair, and then took my seat behind my
desk. A few seconds went by and I quietly asked him "Would you be kind
enough to give me a little more information about just who it is that
I'm opening my home to?"

With a guilty start, he said "I'm sorry. Our file on you - the
classified version, much to my surprise - was waiting for me when I got
to the office this morning, and I read it immediately. I have to admit,
Mr. Andrews, I've never heard about, never mind actually met, anyone
quite like you before. I trust you won't be offended if I say that I
took the time to make a couple of phone calls to verify some of the
things I saw in your file. Reading about you and your background was
really.... something."

I grinned and said "I assure you - it was really something from my
perspective, too."

He managed a small smile, and I went on to tell him "Agent
Kristofferson, it might be easier if we ratchet this down a little. I'm
a guy that happened to be in the right place at the right time with the
right training and experience - and a fair measure of luck. But I'm
still just a guy - a wife, a couple kids, and an interest in doing what
I can for people that need a little help. How about calling me Dan? If
this goes through, it'll make things a bit easier for both of us."

He just looked at me for a few moments, and said "Okay, Dan. I don't
know about the 'just a guy' part after reading your file and knowing
what you're willing to do to help, though. I'm Dale, by the way."

I got up and went to the fridge I kept in the office and pulled out a
couple bottles of beer, handed him one of them, and took my seat again.
He looked at me strangely, and I just said "I'm sure the sun's over the
yardarm somewhere, and I expect we've got a bit of talking to do. No
sense getting thirsty in the process. If we're going to be working
together, we might as well make it as easy and friendly as possible for
both of us, don't you think?"

He gave me a wry smile in answer and lifted the bottle to his mouth as I
did the same.

Over the next hour, he filled me in on the details of what he needed and
why he needed it. When he was done, I was all the more certain that I
wanted to help him as much as I could; even if the woman turned down the
offer to stay with us, I was going to ask if there was anything else I
could do to be of assistance - and absently toyed with the idea of
contacting some of my old Army buddies before deciding not to. Last time
I'd done so, Lucy had made it more than clear that such things were way
down on her list of Good Things To Do.

"So now you know what's been going on, and who's been doing it" Dale
told me, adding "If you're still willing to take the chance to help,
I'll be more than happy to fill you in on the woman and her daughter
before you meet them."

I drained the last few drops of beer from the bottle and tossed it into
the wastebasket before telling him "I'm still willing. And even if she
doesn't feel safe in my place, I want you to know that I'll do anything
I can to help."

The relief was plain on his face when he said "Thank you, Dan" before
draining his bottle and depositing it next to mine with a soft clink of
glass.

I stood up and said "I think it'll help you convince her if you know
what kind of security system I've got on this place. The last time I
worked for the Bureau, some druggies went after the parents of my
daughter's best friend, killing them. After that, I put a system on this
place - a damn good system."

I saw his eyes flicker as I was talking, and he answered "When I got
this office last year, the man I took over from told me about that event
- but not who you were by name. I'm sorry you, and she, had to go
through something like that. If it's any help, the Bureau and local cops
have infiltrated and busted every gang that's even thought about doing
anything like that since then. There're still drug gangs out there, but
they're small and they spend a LOT of time looking over their
shoulders." With that, he got up and followed me outside, where I gave
him the dime tour of the place, pointing out and explaining the
different security measures and devices. Then it was inside for another
tour of what wasn't visible to the outside. By the time we finished up
in the kitchen, he was visibly impressed.

I poured each of us some coffee, and after I handed him his cup, he
asked "If you don't mind my asking, what did that system cost you?"

"I don't mind", I answered, "A touch over fifty grand" - he gave a
silent whistle - "what with labor and materials. The guy that did it was
a friend of a friend; when he heard why I wanted it, he did it 'for
cost'; he's also doing the monitoring of it for free, too - he's got
kids of his own, and wanted to show his appreciation for what I did
helping bust up the drug gangs."

He nodded, and let me usher him to the little breakfast nook where each
of us took a seat. I spoke first, saying "Dale, I've got no problems
doing this to help you out. But there are a couple of things that I'd
like to ask, in return."

He nodded and said "If I can".

"First, I'd like my wife to be issued a Federal carry permit."

He looked doubtful, and I explained "She's already got a local permit.
The Federal would just make things a bit easier. If the woman or her
daughter DO have to go out - something I think we can pretty much count
on - then Lucy will be able to keep them company in places I couldn't."

He nodded at the logic, but still seemed hesitant.

I realized what the problem might be, and told him "Lucy does know how
to shoot. I taught her." I could see that he was still uncertain, and
added "If you want, I'll have her go up against any firearms
qualification you want - yours or the local PD's. Lucy has been through
a couple of Bureau combat ranges, and done better that more than a few
agents - and she practices regularly."

He nodded, and said "Amy told me that Lucy and your daughters had gotten
a little one-on-one training from the Bureau when you helped her last
time. After seeing your file, I know that if YOU taught her, she can
shoot; my only worry was whether or not she had any experience OTHER
than on paper targets. But if she's been through Bureau combat ranges,
and then I don't see why I shouldn't give her a Federal permit. You said
that was first - what else is on your mind?"

"Second, the only contact between me and ANY law enforcement is through
you - you told me that this woman is terrified of her husband, and has
said that he has cops on the payroll. I'm not about to bet my family on
a rigged game."

Again, he nodded before saying "I'd have wanted that, too - for the same
reasons. What else?"

"Third, I think there should be some kind of documented agreement
between me and the Bureau. Maybe a contract for services or something,
so that each of us has a little CYA. If some bean counter insists that
money has to change hands, make it a buck, payable on the Bureau's
closure of the case."

"I can do that. Anything else?"

I looked him square in the eyes and said "Me, I can take care of myself.
But if anybody comes after my family then all bets are off, and I take
care of these pricks."

He visibly blanched, and then swallowed before he could reply "I
understand. I know what you COULD do if you wanted to. And Amy has told
me that she suspects that some of your Army friends may have made their
own... contributions to the last case you were involved with. If there
is any attempt to harm your family, I will NOT actively pursue any
resulting activities - and I'll put that in writing. Anything more than
that, I can't make any promises."

"Fair enough" I answered, adding "This is a very unique situation, Dale,
and I just want to make sure we both understand where the other stands."

"I agree, Dan. I'd have wanted the documentation anyway, and the other
things are consistent with the nature of the help we're asking you for."

He held my eyes as he was saying that, and I knew I could trust him. I
nodded my understanding before asking "Now that we're both on the same
page on this, who is it that I'm letting into my home?"

He reached into his suit and pulled out a photo that he passed across to
me. Looking at it, I saw three people posing for the camera: a vaguely
handsome dark-haired man, a strikingly beautiful woman, and a pretty
young girl that bore a closer resemblance to the woman than the man.

When I looked up at him, Dale told me "What you have there is a copy of
the ONLY picture we have of the man we're after: George 'Frenchy' de la
Roche, a Cajun from way back in the Louisiana bayou country. With him
are his wife Michelle, a Cherokee from Oklahoma, and their daughter
Marie. From all the information we have on him, we know that he's
slippery as an eel and meaner than two pissed-off rattlesnakes. That
photo is about two years old, taken when Michelle was 33 and Marie was
14. Shortly after it was taken, Frenchy decided that Michelle wasn't
keeping him happy enough and beat her badly enough that she had to go to
the hospital for stitches - and to have her broken arm set. Marie had to
go with her to get a dislocated shoulder treated - she'd gotten in the
way of Frenchy while he was beating Michelle. While Michelle was out of
commission, Frenchy took his pleasure with a number of different
prostitutes - bringing them home to where Michelle and Marie were. Along
the way, he picked up a dose of the clap, which he gave to Michelle, and
then accused her of giving it to him before beating her again."

From the tone of his voice, I knew that Dale's opinion of this character
was pretty close to my own.

He continued by saying "Michelle was pretty much resigned to life with
Frenchy - until he started watching Marie a little too close and making
noises about 'breaking her in'. That was the last straw, and Michelle
bailed out on him when she got the chance. When she left, she had a
notebook that she'd used to record a lot the different deals and people
he was involved with: who was doing what for how much, and when they did
it. As you might imagine, Frenchy was NOT amused, nor is he inclined to
forgive and forget. Word on the street is that anyone that turns up
Michelle or Marie gets a cool twenty-five grand 'Finder's fee' - and
that anyone that helps them will be equally UNhappy."

Dale looked at me intently and said "That's where you come in. Michelle
says the notebook is 'someplace safe', and won't turn it over until she
thinks she's well out of Frenchy's range. I've had her in one of those
motorhomes almost since she showed up in my office - she won't stay in a
hotel or motel because she's afraid the staff will recognize her, she
won't accept witness protection because she thinks it's a scam, and she
won't take regular protective custody because she says Frenchy and his
bunch have too many cops and such on their payroll."

He took a deep breath and told me "If - and it's a BIG if - she's
willing to accept your protection in your home, I have no doubt that
she'll turn over Frenchy's notebook to us, and we'll be able to bust his
ass. But until she's sure she and Marie aren't going to fall into his
hands or get killed, I've got nothing - and Frenchy and his pals get to
keep playing their games. There are exactly TWO things that make me
think this even MIGHT work: first, your background and experience.
Second, who you are and where you live. Frenchy and Michelle have almost
always lived their lives in the, shall we say, less-desirable
neighborhoods. This place, this neighborhood, is about as far removed
from that as possible. When I talk to Michelle, I'm going to be hitting
heavily on both of those points. Right now, it's the only shot I've
got."

With a sigh, he sat back and took a deep breath before emptying his
coffee cup. I refilled it from the carafe I'd brought with us before
asking "Would it help any if Michelle got the chance to actually see me
and my family and where we live and all that?"

He shrugged and said "Couldn't hurt."

"Then you're welcome to talk to her here - with or without me or any of
my family present. I don't see any reason not to stack the deck in your
favor as much as you can."

He sighed again, and asked "You wouldn't mind? My having her here?"

I just smiled and said "If she goes for it, she'll be staying here
anyway. Might as well let all of us get a chance to see and meet each
other first."

He gave me a wry grin, and said "True enough. When would it be okay for
me to bring her here?"

"I know time is a factor - why not make it tonight, if you can? That'll
give me time to let the family know, and you and Michelle can come after
dark for a little more cover."

He voiced his agreement, and added "You know this isn't going to be
easy, don't you?"

I gave him my own wry smile and answered "Yeah, I know - I'm pretty much
used to getting the hard ones."

He gave me an appraising look and said "I guess you are, aren't you?"

With that, we both stood up and I escorted him to the door - where he
was obliged to step over our cat, Wacko, who simply assumed that she
owned everything in the house - including the people. As he was leaving,
he told me that he'd call me later to let me know what time to expect
them. I answered that I'd be waiting, and watched as he went to his car
and drove off.

Back inside, I immediately called Lucy at her office and told her what
had gone on - and that we might be having company that night. She
listened carefully, and then assured me that she was fine with all of it
- or at least as fine as she could be until it was resolved, one way or
the other. I told her that I loved her and said that I'd let the girls
know when they got home. Robyn was in her Junior year at high school;
Sandra was in her Freshman year at a local college, and living at home
with us.

I made my way back out to my office where I spent the next few hours
going over the things that I figured I'd have to take care of if
Michelle and Marie did come to stay with us. Still, I was inside the
house, waiting patiently until about 3:30 when Sandra and Robyn got
home. Sandra's schedule was such that she could drop Robyn off at school
before going to her first class of the day; her last class ended in time
for her to bring Robyn home again.

When they came in, I gave them a little time to change clothes or do
whatever they needed or wanted before heading upstairs to talk to them.
I found them in Sandra's room, listening to music as they washed down a
snack with cold sodas. They both looked at me as I came into the room,
and I sat down on the floor across from Robyn so I could look at both of
them as I told them about what Dale and I had talked about - including
the invitation for Dale to talk to Michelle at our place, and why. Both
of them understood, and I told them that I'd tell them more when Lucy
got home, so I'd only have to tell it once. They grinned at me, knowing
full well that either one or both of them, or Lucy, could have as much
of my time and attention as needed or wanted - but that if I could
manage to have to explain something only once, that was what I preferred
to do, if only to be sure that I didn't end up saying it differently in
any subsequent telling.

Satisfied that they were okay, I went back downstairs to wait for Lucy's
arrival home. She'd been promoted several times since I first met her,
and was all but guaranteed promotion to the next vice-president slot
that opened up at her company - not just because of the results of what
I'd done for her and the company she worked for, but because she was a
highly organized and effective boss: she cared about, and took care of,
her people and they responded by functioning like a finely-adjusted
watch; only rarely did ANY of them have to work late, and even then it
was usually because another department forced them to do so. So I wasn't
surprised when I heard Lucy's car pull into our driveway shortly after
5:30; I met her at the door and gave her a big hug and kiss to welcome
her home, just as I always did. I went upstairs with her to our bedroom
and kept her company as she changed out of her 'work' clothes -
teasingly cheering and applauding as she took things off, and booing and
hissing as she redressed. When she was done, I pulled her into my arms
for another hug and kiss before letting her sit down and tell me about
her day. It was something I made a point of doing for her after every
workday, knowing that it helped her 'bleed off' any stress or tension,
and relax after being at work all day.

When she was done, she asked me about the girls, and I told her that I'd
already spoken with them, and told them that we'd all get together after
she got home. She gave me a Look and asked "And you waited until now to
tell me this because... ?"

"Because I love you and wanted you to have a chance to unwind from work
first."

She smiled at me, and moved into my arms to kiss me before saying "Okay,
I'm unwound. Now, let's hear about this Michelle!"

About that time, the phone rang, and Lucy moved out of my arms to answer
it. She listened a moment, and then handed it to me, saying "Dale?"

I nodded that it was okay, took the phone, and said "Dan here. What's
up, Dale?"

"Michelle agreed to meet me tonight, and come over to your place. I told
her enough about the deal that she's at least willing to listen; I'm
hoping that seeing and hearing about you and your family will do the
trick. Would eight o'clock be too late?"

That time of year, the sun was setting a bit after 7:00; 8:00 would give
them the cover of a little darkness while still getting them to our
place relatively early.

"Sure, that's fine. That'll give me time to fill in Lucy and the girls
while we have supper, we'll be all set when you get here."

I heard his sigh of relief before he said "Thanks, Dan. I'll see you at
eight."

"No problem, Dale" I answered, before hanging up the phone.

I turned to Lucy and said "How about pizza for supper? Then we'll have
time to go over all this and still have something to eat."

Lucy agreed, and the two of us left the bedroom - Lucy to go downstairs
and order the pizza (she didn't have to ask what we wanted, she already
knew what we liked) while I went into Sandra's bedroom - and discovered
that she and Robyn had apparently moved into Robyn's room. I went
through the connecting bathroom between their bedrooms, and found them
in essentially the opposite positions they'd been in before: Robyn lying
on her bed while Sandra sat on the floor as both of them worked on their
homework. I let them know what was for supper, and said that it was time
for us to all get together.

They quickly marked their places in their books, set their things aside,
and followed me downstairs and into the kitchen, where Lucy was waiting
in the breakfast nook for us.

We all sat down, and I spent the next half hour telling them a condensed
version of everything Agent Kristofferson had told me - leaving out the
parts that I knew would only disturb them unnecessarily. I was just
finishing up when the doorbell rang; Sandra got up to answer it after I
gave her money for the pizza delivery person. She came back in with our
dinner, and the four of us talked about Michelle and Marie as we worked
our way through a couple of large pizzas, washed down with sodas.

We'd pretty much covered everything and were just quietly chatting with
each other when the doorbell rang again. That time, I was the one to get
up to answer it - all of us expected that it was Dale Kristofferson with
his two charges.

It was, and I let them in - only to be stunned when the two women pulled
back the hoods of the sweatshirts they were wearing, giving me a good
look at them.

Michelle was easily far more attractive than her photo had indicated. In
person, I could see that there was a more-than-passing resemblance to
the singer Cher. Next to her, Marie proved to be a beauty in, and of,
her own right: she'd inherited much of her mother's facial structure,
and it was clear that she was going to be a lovely woman even into her
old age. Then, when the two of them slipped out of the zip-up
sweatshirts they were wearing, I was in for another shock at how nicely
each one was built. Each had long, luxurious, straight black hair;
Michelle's went down to the small of her back, Marie's 'only' a bit past
her shoulders. Both had dark, coppery skin, with clear, smooth
complexions, and beautiful dark eyes. Michelle was fairly slender, with
a bust that made her look a bit buxom. Marie was a little more sturdily
built than her mother, more of a medium-framed young girl: not a waif,
but certainly not 'well-padded'; her bust was clearly defined, if
smaller than her mother's.

Each looked at me with a different expression: Michelle with a mixture
of mistrust and worry, Marie with her fear and loneliness clear upon her
face.

Dale spoke up and made the introductions - primarily for the benefit of
Michelle and Marie. I told each of them that I was happy to meet them;
Michelle looked skeptical, Marie, hopeful.

I was surprised when Michelle spoke, asking me straight out "Why are you
doing this? Why would you let us into your house when Frenchy is after
us?"

Despite the directness of her questions, and how soon she asked them, I
took a moment to look at her and realized just how afraid she was - even
though she wasn't letting it show enough to affect Marie. I decided that
if she was willing to be that open with her questions, and then she
deserved for me to be equally as open with my answer.

Looking directly into her eyes, I said "Because Frenchy is a scumbag
that NEEDS to be taken down. Not just for what he's involved in, but
because of what he's done to you, and threatened to do to Marie."

Taken aback, Michelle then asked "What makes you think YOU can protect
us? Frenchy's pretty tough - and smart."

I laughed - shocking her - and answered "Frenchy isn't tough. Tough guys
don't have to beat up women and little girls to prove themselves; only
scared little boys do crap like that. Maybe Frenchy is smart - like a
fox?"

Michelle nodded, and I continued "Fine - smart like a fox. But I'm
smart, too - like a hunter" - something that gave her pause again.

I went on to say "I know you're worried. That's why you're here tonight
- so you can see for yourself that you don't have to be worried HERE.
This man is going to show you around my home, so you can see for
yourself that it's a safe place. When he's done, he's going to explain
to you how I can protect you from Frenchy. If you want to, you can meet
my wife and daughters; if you're nervous or don't want to, that's fine,
too. If you want to stay here with us, I'll see to it that you're safe
and protected - but I'm not going to tell you what to do or force you
into anything. Frenchy does that kind of bullshit. I don't."

My straight talk and level tone did more to convince her than anything
else I could have said - I could see that she actually started to relax
just a little bit when I was done.

Having said my piece, I told them "Go ahead. Look around, see if you
think you'd feel okay here. When you're done, just tell Dale whether or
not you want to meet my family, and if you want me there while he talks
to you, or not. We'll be in the kitchen, out of your way."

I nodded to Dale, and made my way back to where Lucy and the girls were
waiting for me expectantly.

I sat down next to Lucy, and let my breath out with a whoosh. All three
of them looked at me, and I explained "Michelle is scared out of her
wits, doesn't trust anybody, and is worried as hell about what's going
to happen - not so much to her, but Marie. Marie is terrified of what's
already happened, and it's pretty obvious that she's feeling pretty
alone in the world. Both of them have had a pretty tough time up to now,
and it shows. On top of that, they're a couple of knockouts."

Lucy raised her eyebrows, letting me know that the last sentence needed
a bit of clarification - which I provided by describing both Michelle
and Marie to her and the girls.

While we waited for Dale to finish showing Michelle and Marie around, we
made some tentative plans in case Michelle decided to accept our offer
of protection. There was a little back-and-forth, and a little
negotiation, but we finally got things worked out. We'd been finished
for just a couple of minutes when Dale came into the kitchen, spotted
us, and came over to where we were seated.

He had a hopeful look on his face as he told us "Michelle's pretty
impressed with your security system. She wants her and Marie to meet all
of you and have all of you there while I tell her why Dan can protect
her. I think she's willing to be convinced."

I stood up, and after a soft comment of "game time" to Lucy and the
girls, they got up and moved with me as we followed Dale back into the
living room where Michelle and Marie were bunched up at one end of one
of the couches.

Dale moved to take a chair next to them, and I made the introductions.
When I was done, Robyn and Sandra took one couch while Lucy and I sat in
another. That left all of us pretty much facing each other as Dale
started telling Michelle and Marie about my background - carefully
leaving out the classified stuff, but quietly emphasizing the military
part. Some of it was stuff that neither Robyn nor Sandra had heard
before; from the corner of my eye, I could see them trying not to stare
at me. Michelle and Marie made no pretense of NOT staring.

When Dale was done, he simply said "That's why I think Dan will be able
to protect you and Marie, Michelle."

Michelle just continued to look at me for a few moments, and then said
"Okay, he was pretty tough in the Army. But that sounds like it was a
long time ago. What can he do NOW?"

Beside me, I could feel Lucy tense in anger at Michelle's question and
tone; I discretely patted her to let her know that it was okay - and she
started to relax again. For my part, I just looked at Michelle and said
"Yeah, that was a long time ago. But don't forget that I spent a long
time learning how to do those things. I did them very, VERY well, and I
haven't forgotten how."

Dale spoke up then, saying "Michelle, he's telling you the truth. You
heard about all the drug busts a couple of years ago?" She released a
short laugh, and said "Yeah, I remember. Scared the crap out of Frenchy;
he was terrified someone was going to come after HIM."

Dale just looked at her and said "Dan is the man that made the case for
us. When one of the dealers tried to kill him and two FBI agents, Dan
not only saved the lives of those two agents, but killed the guy that
tried to ambush them with a shotgun - with a SINGLE shot from the .45 he
carried."

That last bit was something even Lucy hadn't known, and I heard her draw
in a quick breath in surprise. Michelle looked at me appraisingly.

Michelle's next question surprised all of us, I think: "So what does HE
get out of this? How much are you paying him? This place isn't cheap."

Dale didn't know how to respond to that, so I did it for him, telling
her "What I get out of this is watching the door slam behind Frenchy and
buddies when they go to prison. What I get out of this is knowing that
you and Marie don't have to put up with his abuse any more. What they're
paying me is exactly ONE dollar - and I'm accepting that only because
there are some kind of bullshit rules that say if I do something to help
the FBI, they have to pay me. It's just to cover everyone's ass."

Michelle's skepticism was clear on her face; Dale knew how to handle
that one by telling her "Michelle, after Dan helped us with busting all
those dealers, he was offered a reward of seventeen and a half MILLION
dollars by the Director of the FBI himself. Dan turned it down, saying
they should use the money to train agents."

Michelle was stunned, and could only sit there for nearly a minute
before asking "How rich is he that he can do something like that?"

Lucy spoke up at that point, telling her "Do you remember a few years
ago when there was a big story about a bunch of executives stealing
their companies' money, and smuggling guns and such?"

Michelle though a moment, and then nodded her head - it had been
something that had made the news all across the country.

Lucy told her "I was the accountant that discovered something wrong was
happening there, and hired Dan to investigate their computer system. He
figured out what was going on, and the company I was doing the audit for
agreed to pay him a percentage of the money he got back for them. We
took the whole thing to the FBI, and they wound up getting almost all of
the three hundred million dollars that had been stolen. Dan ended up
with a paycheck over TWENTY million dollars. When the FBI offered him
that reward after the drug case, he just told them that he already had
enough money to last the rest of his life, plus some to leave for the
girls. He could have nearly doubled how much money he has, but he turned
it down because he figured other people needed it MORE."

That last part clearly shocked Michelle; she gave me an appraising look
and said "Why are you willing to help us, and then? Why do you care what
happens to us?"

"For the same reason that I went into the Army: because there are things
out there - not people, but things - like Frenchy that think it's okay
to do anything they want to anybody they want, and I'm willing to do
what I can to STOP them. I care what happens to you because I don't
figure you deserve the kind of crap that you've had to tolerate with
Frenchy. I don't care if it's you, the guy across the street, or some
poor asshole living in a cardboard shack - when I see people being
screwed over because they're poor or weak or can't fight it for some
other reason, it pisses me off. I want to help make the world a better
place, even if it's just by helping one person at a time. Because some
people need and deserve the help, and I can do it", I answered.

With that, Michelle sat back on the couch. She pulled Marie close, and
the two of them looked at each other, obviously in some private
communication. After a bit, Michelle turned to face the rest of us,
looking at each of us in turn - paying particular attention to me and
Lucy. Finally, she leaned forward again, and said "Okay. I'm gonna give
you a try, soldier boy. But you promise me this: push comes to shove,
you take care of Marie before you worry about me. I've known what
Frenchy was like for too long, and maybe some of his guilt rubbed off on
me. But Marie, she doesn't deserve any part of it. Whatever happens to
me, you watch out for her, right?"

I looked squarely into Michelle's eyes and told her "If it gets to that,
I will - you've got my promise. But I'm going to do everything I can to
make sure that doesn't happen."

My eyes and voice seemed to let her know that I meant every word I said
- and when I saw her eyes widen slightly, I knew she understood that if
Frenchy came after her or Marie while I was around, he was going to have
one helluva fight on his hands.

Michelle leaned back again, and looked over to where Dale was sitting,
watching us. She looked at him contemplatively for a bit, and then said
"Okay, Mister FBI. I'm gonna trust you. Tomorrow, I get that notebook I
told you about; I'll hand it over to you HERE, when I'm sure I'm safe.
When this is done, you give me that witness thing you said so me and
Marie can get a new start. Agreed?"

Dale Kristofferson didn't hesitate a moment, simply telling her "Agreed.
You won't be sorry, Michelle, and that's MY promise."

She turned back to Lucy and me and asked "Okay, so how does all this
happen? Where will me and Marie be staying?"

Lucy spoke up then, telling her "There's another bedroom upstairs with
its own bathroom. Sandra and Robyn each have their own room and share a
bathroom, but they're willing to double up to make one of the bedrooms
available. So it's really up to you if you and Marie stay in one
bedroom, or each have your own. The only real 'rule' we have in our home
is that a closed door means 'Do Not Disturb' - period. If it isn't
closed, and then how open it is tells you how willing the people in that
room are to have company: a little bit open means a little bit willing,
a lot open means a lot willing. Beyond that, we'll just have to figure
it out as we go along. It shouldn't be too hard as long as we all
understand that there's going to have to be a little give-and-take on
BOTH sides. Fair enough?"

Michelle nodded, and gave us a small smile before saying "Fair enough. I
reckon this is going to be as hard on you as it is on us - more, maybe,
'cause this is already YOUR house. But you'll see: we aren't too picky
or demanding, not after living with Frenchy."

Lucy smiled back and said "Good. Do you know if you want to share a
room, or each have your own? I'm asking only so we have a little time to
get things ready."

Michelle and Marie had another silent conversation before Michelle said
"We've both been cooped up together in that motor home for some time. If
it isn't too much trouble, I think a room each would make both of us
feel better."

Robyn spoke up then, saying "That's fine. Sandra and I will stay in one
room, and we'll get the other one ready for Marie."

Lucy picked up the conversation again by saying "You're more than
welcome to come before dark, and have supper with us if you want."

All of us could see Marie's wistful look at her mother, and Michelle
said "I think we'd like that, having a sit-down meal with someone
besides each other. Would seven o'clock be too late?"

"Not at all", Lucy assured her.

Michelle looked around at all of us, and said "Well, I think that's
taken care of most everything. Mister Kristofferson, if you'll get us
back, I think it's about time we called it a night."

We all stood, and when Michelle and Marie turned to make their way
toward the front door, Dale gave me a big smile and a thumbs-up. I just
nodded and smiled - it wasn't his home and family being asked to make
room for a couple of complete strangers.

Lucy and the girls went with me to say good night to all of them;
Michelle's last words to us were "We'll be seeing you tomorrow night",
and after a moment, she added a quiet "Thank you".

When all of them were gone, the four of us made our way back into the
living room. Sandra opted for my lap, Robyn for Lucy's. Lucy looked over
at me and said "When you told us they were a couple of knockouts, I
thought you were just exaggerating - but when I saw them, I knew you
were right. Is it just me, or does Michelle look like Cher, only with
bigger tits?"

All of us laughed, and I answered "No, I don't think it's just you. I
think her face is a little fuller, but there IS a resemblance."

Sandra spoke up then, saying "Marie looks awful pretty, too. Could you
believe that hair they have! It's so long, and straight, and black!"

To the surprise of the rest of us, Robyn noted "When Michelle first
started talking, I thought she was being really rude. But then I
remembered what Dad told us about what they ran away from, and I
realized she was just scared and didn't know what else to do."

Lucy hugged her, and said "Yeah, I thought that at first, too, before I
understood."

Robyn went on to say "And Marie looked SO lonely - like there wasn't
anyone else in the world for her to talk to." She looked over at Sandra
apologetically and said "I hope you don't mind, but I think I should
spend some extra time with her, so she doesn't feel so bad."

Sandra just smiled and said "I don't mind - I saw it, and want to make
her feel better, too."

In the silence that followed, we heard the living room clock chime -
9:30 - and Lucy said "It's getting late, and you two still have to go to
school tomorrow. Since we're going to have guests starting tomorrow, I
think it would be okay if we all stayed together tonight."

Robyn and Sandra both visibly brightened at that idea, and didn't make
any protest about going to bed so early - knowing that it would be our
last time to be together for a while.

We made our way up to Lucy and my bedroom where all four of us casually
undressed and got into bed. When we bought the place, Lucy and I had
both know that there would be times when one or both of the girls would
be sharing the bed with us; it was an over-sized custom job large enough
to hold all of us comfortably. Lucy and I were the first to lie down;
when the girls joined us a few moments later, they hesitated about where
to go, and Lucy just smiled and said "Go ahead. I know you both want
him."

Robyn and Sandra both grinned and moved to lie on either side of me.
Without hesitation, Robyn and Sandra both reached down to start
caressing my penis and scrotum while Sandra leaned over to kiss me, her
tongue brushing across my lips. When our kiss ended, she pulled back to
make room for Robyn to have a turn kissing me. I could feel myself
responding to their tender ministrations, and saw that both of them
could feel it too, and looked pleased with the results.

As I became more and more erect, Sandra and Robyn looked at each other
for a moment before Sandra began kissing her way down my body while
Robyn scooted up to make her firm breasts and hardening nipples
available to my eager lips. I had just switched from one of Robyn's
breasts to the other when I felt Sandra's warm mouth wrap around my
erect penis, and then her lips slide down my length, taking as much of
me as she could inside.

It wasn't long before I was completely hard, what with Sandra's agile
tongue dancing along the underside of my manhood. While she was doing
that, my mouth and tongue continued teasing Robyn's dark nipples, making
them longer and harder as her small areolas puckered. My hands had found
something to do, as well - the fingers of one were gently probing
between Sandra's damp and parted labia as the other hand softly stroked
Robyn's mons.

After just a minute or so, Sandra let me slip from her hungrily sucking
mouth; I felt her move away from my hand, and then her weight shift on
the bed - and a moment later, felt her straddling my hips. With both
hands free, I gently pulled Robyn up and around, guiding her to kneel
over my face, her back toward my feet - which she did with a broad smile
on her face. I felt Sandra take my erection in her hand and position it
against her opening before slowly lowering herself onto it with a soft
moan of pleasure. Above my head, Robyn was starting to pant as my lips
and tongue teased her clitoris and vaginal opening. I moved my hands up
to cup Robyn's breasts, my fingers gently pinching and pulling on her
nipples; she responded by leaning back to make it easier for me. Farther
down, I felt Sandra lean forward, and knew that the two of them were
kissing.

A few moments later, I felt the bed shift again, and then what could
only have been Lucy moving to sit across my legs, behind Sandra. Even
with Robyn's smooth thighs muffling the sound, I could hear Sandra's
pleased groan and knew that Lucy must being doing her own part to
pleasure Sandra - probably by doing to Sandra's breasts what I was to
Robyn's.

As the seconds ticked by and the sounds of pleasure and arousal
increased, I realized that Sandra was moving herself on me at a pace
that was affecting her much more than it did me. With that realization,
I understood that she was deliberately acting in such a way as to bring
herself to orgasm while leaving me able to continue to make love - and
on the heels of that, that she was doing so in order to leave me in such
a state that Robyn could have her own orgasm while making love with me,
too. In a matter of moments, I went on to recall that I'd never heard
the two of them 'fight' - and only rarely disagree; even then, it was a
quiet and polite difference of opinion, with mutual love and respect on
each side. Not ONCE had I heard either one of them express any degree of
jealousy, envy, or anything like that about each other - or anyone else,
for that matter. Somehow, in some way that I couldn't discern, the two
of them worked things out between them - particularly when it come to
making love, when they always seemed to cooperate in such a way that
virtually assured that both of them got the pleasure and release they
sought. Even as my hands continued to squeeze and caress Robyn's breasts
while my lips and tongue played between her thighs, I was thinking back
to the many times that I'd been with them, and watched them with Lucy
and others - and couldn't see any pattern to their actions. It was as
though each of them knew and understood the exact level of the other's
needs and desires, and compared those needs and desires against her own
before they reached some unspoken agreement to adjust their actions so
as to cooperate with each other.

I was brought back from my distraction by the feeling of Sandra's body
moving a little more quickly as she continued to impale herself on me;
my lips told me that Robyn was rapidly approaching her own orgasm: she
lubricated herself copiously under normal conditions, but now she was
even wetter than usual. The entire lower half of my face was liberally
coated with her fragrant oils, despite my enthusiastic efforts to let
none of them escape my mouth and tongue. Under my hands, I could feel
that her breasts had tightened; her nipples were like small pebbles
between my fingertips.

Another minute or so, and Robyn's smooth, firm thighs clamped around my
head - but even with my hearing muffled, her cry of release was clear as
her vagina spasmed around my tongue. Even as her wet opening clenched
and relaxed, my lips and tongue were eagerly trying to keep up with the
overflow of her delicate young nectar.

Finally, she was through, and only barely managed not to collapse on top
of me; even so, I still had to help guide her to the side. Once my view
was cleared, I could see that I'd been right about Lucy - she had both
of Sandra's breasts cupped in her hands, softly pulling and pinching her
nipples while she kissed and gently bit Sandra's neck and shoulders.
Despite having seen the two of them together like that before, it still
excited me, and made me marvel at my own good fortune that I had not
only such a loving and sexy wife, but two beautiful young nymphs that
were willing to share themselves with us.

Below Lucy's busy hands, I had a clear view of the area between Sandra's
thighs - and more to the point, could watch our joining as she continued
to move herself on me: with each lift of her hips, her vaginal lips
would stretch out slightly as though trying to hold on to my glistening
penis, only to disappear again when she lowered herself back onto me.

Her vagina was hot, wet, and tight around me; with Robyn's thighs no
longer impeding my hearing, the liquid sounds of our union were clear in
the air - as were her soft cries of pleasure and the heady scent of her
arousal.

The sights, sounds, and scents of passion stimulated me tremendously. It
was only by remembering my conclusion that Sandra wanted to leave me in
a state capable of satisfying Robyn, too, that I was able to force
myself to draw back from the pleasure they were all bringing me.

Lying there, I savored the sensations that Sandra's firm young body were
creating as I watched her slide herself up and down my erect member.

As the next couple of minutes passed, I watched, delighted, as Sandra
got closer and closer to her climax- and then found it. With a final
thrust downward to take me as deeply as she could, her body frozen over
mine as she released a loud cry of pleasure, reinforced. As her orgasm
coursed through her body, I felt her hot sheath clenching around me as I
watched spasm after spasm overtake her.

Even as I was getting a sudden whiff of aroused female, I heard a faint
noise next to me. When I turned my head, I had a clear and close up look
between Robyn's thighs as she masturbated herself in response to view
she had. She suddenly looked down at me, and smiled - not embarrassed or
ashamed in the slightest to have me see her pleasuring herself.

I heard another soft cry from Sandra, and turned back to look at her -
and saw that she'd opened her eyes and seen what Robyn was doing, which
apparently triggered her into another, smaller, orgasm.

Finally, covered with a fine sheen of perspiration, Sandra pulled
herself off my erection and let Lucy guide her to lie down next to me as
she slowly recovered from her climax. When she was settled, Lucy turned
to give me a mischievous smile before leaning forward to take my erect
and Sandra-slickened penis between her lips. To my immense relief, she
bobbed her head up and down while licking it only a few times before
letting it pop free so she could say "I think you want this, Robyn?"

"You bet!" I heard her declare before quickly moving to first straddle
my waist, and then move to position herself over my jutting member. Lucy
gave me an amused grin at Robyn's enthusiasm, and then moved to steady
the girl as Robyn took hold of me and held me steady before lowering
herself onto me. Once she was sure I was securely in place, Robyn leaned
forward slightly - still steadied by Lucy - and began pressing herself
downward, taking me farther and farther inside. As aroused and wet as
she was, it took her only a couple of pushes before her dark pubic hair
was enmeshed with mine.

At that point, Lucy moved her hands from Robyn's hips to her breasts,
cupping them just as she had done with Sandra. This time, though, Lucy
also tilted her body slightly, and I felt her begin to rub her mons and
clitoris against my leg as she began squeezing Robyn's breasts and
gently pinching and pulling on her daughter's erect nipples. It took all
of two seconds for Robyn to begin a soft moaning - the delay caused by
her need to draw a breath first. A few seconds after that, Robyn began
her own movement over me, slowly arching her hips and pelvis so that
only the last couple of inches of my manhood slid in and out of her; the
rest was firmly buried in her hot, wet vagina.

A couple of minutes went by with Robyn slowly impaling herself on my
again-shiny erection as Lucy played with her breasts while rubbing
herself against my leg. Robyn had just settled into a steady rhythm when
I felt Sandra start to move again. Reaching out, I put my hand on her
thigh; she turned to look at me, and I gestured with my head that I
wanted her to move closer. She smiled, knowing what I wanted to do, and
readily let me guide her to her knees over my head, facing Robyn and
Lucy.

Looking up at her opening, I could see that her vaginal lips were still
extended with arousal and dark with her desire; the gap between them
still glistened with her oils. I extended my tongue, and ran it along
the crevice between her labia, but couldn't quite reach her partially
visible clitoris. Without a word, Sandra solved our mutual problem by
leaning forward, which not only brought the nubbin of her erecting
clitoris within range of my lips and tongue, but let her reach down to
begin caressing Robyn's mons - and clitoris, too, if the sudden increase
in the volume and intensity of Robyn's cries was any indication.

With the nubbin of Sandra's clitoral hood subject to my dubious mercies,
I again ran my tongue from the bottom of her cleft to the top, where I
slowly circled and teased her clitoris out from under its fleshy cover.
As I was doing that, Sandra released her own moan of pleasure, her body
shuddering slightly in response to my oral assault.

I reached up to begin playing with Sandra's breasts, but found them
already covered by Robyn's hand; so I opted to start caressing any part
of the rest of her body that I could reach, which turned out to be most
of it. For the most part, my touch was light and gentle, with an
occasional squeeze or soft pinch to stimulate various parts of her
delectable anatomy. With Robyn's hands on her breasts, my head between
her thighs, and my hands wandering the rest of her, it wasn't long
before I could hear Sandra's distinct cries of pleasure and arousal
accompanying Robyn's.

Below my waist, I could feel Robyn steadily increasing the tempo of her
self-impalement on my penis - and behind her, Lucy rubbing herself
harder and faster against my leg as her arousal continued to be
ratcheted upward, too.

As the next few minutes passed, the sounds of Robyn's arousal and
pleasure steadily increased, as did Sandra's as I continued to lave,
suck, kiss, and otherwise stimulate the center of her womanhood.
Finally, Robyn's movements on me reached the point where she pushed
herself over the edge into orgasm. With a strangled cry, she froze over
me, my penis deep inside her as wave after wave of release coursed
through her body as her hot, tight vagina spasmed around me.

When it was done, Lucy helped Robyn un-spear herself from my erect
member, and guided the youngster to lie on the side. Before she could
turn back, Sandra had leaned forward to take my throbbing penis between
her lips, using her mouth and tongue to clean Robyn's juices from it. I
was a lot closer to my own climax than I wanted to be, and responded by
giving Sandra's clitoris a furious tongue-lashing, all but throwing her
into her own orgasmic abyss. Her firm thighs clamped down on my head as
she let my penis pull from her lips so she could cry out her release,
her wet vagina leaking her female nectar onto my waiting tongue.

With the passing of her climax, Sandra found the energy to pull herself
off of me, leaving just Lucy and me as the only participants capable of
continuing the action.

With a lusty smile, Lucy moved up to straddle my hips; without ceremony
or delay, she lifted herself up, positioned me at the entrance to her
vagina, and sat back down to take my entire length in a single motion -
and releasing a deep groan of pleasure in the process. Our pubic hair
merged, Lucy leaned forward to kiss me, getting a clear sampling of both
girls' flavors. As our tongues danced and dueled in each other's mouths,
my hands moved to Lucy's breasts, squeezing them. I again marveled at
how firm and smooth they were before letting my fingers trace a path to
her puckered areolas and erect nipples, where I began gently pulling and
pinching at them as she softly moaned into my mouth.

After a bit, she sat up again - but not so far that I couldn't keep my
hands on her breasts, feeling their weight shift as she began hunching
herself to slide nearly half my erection between the fleshy gates
bracketing her woman's cavern.

She continued to make love to me for several minutes, until I saw that
her legs were getting tired. Taking her into my arms, I rolled us over
so that she lay beneath me; a few seconds after that, we'd rearranged
our legs to that hers were outside of mine - parted and pulled up to
open herself to me as much as she could. I happily took advantage of the
access she was giving me to press myself as far inside her as I could.
With inward thrust of my penis, my pubic bone would press against hers,
adding a little extra pressure to her clitoris to increase her pleasure
and arousal even more.

Another couple of minutes, and I was all but pounding into her as she
gasped words of encouragement and fulfilled desire to me; the liquid
sounds of our union filled the room along with our gasps and moans of
arousal.

As the next couple of minutes passed, I knew that Lucy was rapidly
approaching orgasm - and I wasn't far behind. As I felt myself
approaching the point of no return, Lucy suddenly froze beneath me; her
hot, wet sheath began a fluttering and clenching around my pistoning
penis, pushing me into my own climax. With a loud groan, I thrust into
her once again, trying to fuse our bodies together as jet after jet of
hot semen erupted from the end of my penis to wash even the deepest
parts of her.

Finally, when I got my breath and senses back, I managed to pull my
rapidly-deflating penis from her hot sheath; I was surprised when Robyn
quickly moved in to put a small towel between her mothers' thighs to
catch the inevitable leakage. Lucy was still in something of a daze, and
barely acknowledged Robyn's actions. I made up for Lucy's inability to
express the gratitude I knew she'd feel, and pulled Robyn into my arms
for a hug and kiss before telling her "Thanks, Short Stuff". She fairly
beamed at me, and said "After watching that, I'm glad to be able to
help!" with a smile and a small laugh.

I moved to lie next to Lucy and pulled her close, laying my arm across
her body to 'hold' her. Looking across her body, I told Robyn and Sandra
"Thank you - both of you - for this evening. You're both more than
welcome to spend the night here, if you want."

The two of them looked at each other a moment before Sandra said "I
think both of us would like that, Uncle Dan. It's probably going to be a
while before we can do anything like this again, so both of us want to
get as much time with you as we can before then."

As I was nodding my understanding, Lucy started moving next to me.
Lifting my arm from her body, she rolled over to 'spoon' with me as she
faced the girls, too. I heard her say "Of course you can. Let me rest up
a little, and we'll all grab a quick shower - we smell like a used
brothel - and then go to bed. I think you two should go ahead and be
next to him tonight; while Michelle and Marie are here, you won't be
able to. Is that okay?"

They both nodded enthusiastically before Lucy went on to say "And thank
you, whichever one of you got the towel - I don't think any of us wanted
to sleep in a wet spot tonight!" - making both girls laugh. It had
happened a few times, and none of them liked it, even though they'd
always insisted that they would be the ones to sleep on it despite my
expressed willingness to do so.

With a quiet "Just a minute" to us, Sandra got up and left us - only to
reappear a few minutes later with four glasses of orange juice. Three of
them were small, the fourth half again larger. All of us laughed when we
saw them: as copiously as Robyn lubricated, she was always left fairly
thirsty after making love - more so than any of the rest of us. Robyn
just smiled at Sandra before taking the large glass and taking a good,
long drink from it - making us all laugh all over again.

By the time we finished our juice, we were all ready for a shower. Even
with the extra-large shower Lucy and I had in our bathroom, it was a
snug fit for all four of us to clean up together, but I don't think any
of us minded in the slightest.

Cleaned and dried and back in the bedroom, Sandra picked up the tray
with all the juice glasses on it and took it back to the kitchen where I
knew she'd go ahead and load them into the dishwasher. In the meantime,
Lucy and I pulled the bedcovers back while Robyn went to get another
pillow each for herself and Sandra. By the time Sandra got back, I was
in bed with Robyn on one side of me; Lucy was waiting for Sandra to join
me, and then she'd take up station on the other side. Sandra quickly
slid between the sheets and did as Robyn had: put one leg over mine and
an arm across me so she could hold me as close as possible. Lucy got in
then, turned out the light, and moved to 'spoon' with Sandra, wrapping
one arm around her. That left me laying there with each arm holding a
delightfully cuddly young woman snuggling into my side. A short time
later, all four of us were sound asleep.

Before they left for school the next morning, Sandra and Robyn let me
know that they'd be a little late getting home: they were going to pick
up a few things to help decorate a room for Marie to help her feel more
'at home'. Lucy and I both thought it was a great idea, and thanked
them. Both of them blushed slightly, and I went on to tell them "In a
couple of days, when Michelle and Marie have pretty much settled in,
we'll all go out so the two of them can pick up a few things. I think
we'll be able to talk them into getting some things to 'personalize'
their rooms."

Lucy and the girls all three nodded their agreement and understanding
before Robyn and Sandra left to collect their things and head for
school.

Lucy and I still had a little time before she needed to leave for work,
and we spent it discussing some of the things that we thought we were
likely to run into, and coming up with a general approach to getting
used to, and dealing with, a couple of added "outside" people in our
home. I also told Lucy about her Federal gun permit; it took her only a
second to realize why I'd arranged it. The whole thing didn't take very
long, which left us plenty of time for her to sit on my lap for a little
kissing and mutual molestation before she left for work.

When she was gone, I made my way out to my office. Even with the money
I'd gotten from the criminal case Lucy had told Michelle about, I
continued working as a free-lance contract computer programmer. The only
significant changes were that I was a lot more selective about whom I
worked for, and I had a lot more freedom about just how much work I was
willing to do: first on my list of priorities was my personal life -
Lucy and the girls, and our life together. Working for someone else came
in a FAR distant second.

Even as I was working on some code for one of my clients, my mind was
busy with trying to anticipate - and thus be able to deal with - the
things that might happen while Michelle and Marie were with us;
particularly situations that might come up such as seeing to Marie's
education, their need to 'get out of the house' periodically, shopping,
recreation, and so on. As I did so, a number of things occurred to me,
and I made plans and arrangements to deal with them ahead of time as
much as I could.

I'd finished my work for the day and was back in the house when I heard
Sandra's car pull into the drive a bit before five o'clock. Looking
outside, I saw that she and Robyn were loading themselves up with a
number of packages; I went outside and asked if I could help, and Sandra
smiled and said that I certainly could by carrying the last few bags
they had. I collected the indicated shopping bags and followed the two
of them up to Robyn's room, where we put everything on the bed. Both of
them thanked me, and then politely shooed me out of the room, grinning.
I delayed only long enough to have a quiet conversation with Sandra.

I did as they wanted, heading back downstairs to have a cup of coffee
while waiting for Lucy to get home. When she did, I met her at the door
and walked with her up to our bedroom so she could change clothes. As
she did, I told her about helping the girls with their purchases; Lucy
asked me what they were doing, and I laughingly admitted that I didn't
have a clue - that they'd chased me out without letting me know. She
laughed in reply and said that she figured we'd find out soon enough.
Then it was time for Lucy to let me know how her day had gone; she came
over to sit on my lap and let me hold her - a sign that it hadn't been a
particularly good day, since she needed a little extra comforting from
me.

When she was done, the two of us made our way downstairs and into the
living room to watch the evening news, and then I caught a 'filler'
program afterwards while Lucy got started on supper. The clock had
chimed the 7:00 hour a bit before when we heard a discrete knock at the
front door. I answered it, and found Dale Kristofferson standing there
with Michelle and Marie again dressed in baggy clothes to hide their
shape, with hooded jackets to cover their heads and faces.

I quickly bid them all in, which they did; the sounds of our greetings
apparently made it up to where Robyn and Sandra were - they made their
own appearances a few moments later, followed by Lucy.

There were a few moments of awkward silence before Sandra quietly told
Marie "If you want to come with us, we'll show you your room. We already
started decorating it a little bit for you." Marie looked uncertain at
that, but turned to Michelle who nodded her approval/encouragement. As
the girls were heading off, Lucy said "Michelle, I'll show you to your
room, too, if you like." Michelle agreed, and they were soon following
the girls.

Dale and I were left alone, and took the opportunity to go over a few
details about Michelle and Marie's presence. I also told him about the
things that I'd thought about that afternoon, and what I'd done to
prepare for them. He looked grateful about most of them, but was visibly
concerned about a couple of others. I was able to assure him that his
concerns were things that he didn't really need to worry about. I think
the certainty of my attitude did as much to reassure him as my words
did.

When we were done, we headed toward the bedrooms; we were halfway down
the hall when first Marie, and then Michelle, appeared from their
respective bedrooms. Marie was visibly happy, with Robyn and Sandra
standing behind her, looking pleased with themselves. Michelle's face
made it clear that she was not only relieved, but even a little awed by
her own accommodations.

Marie told Michelle that Robyn and Sandra had already started helping
her decorate by putting up some posters of the latest 'boy bands',
providing her with a small number of music CDs by those same bands, and
a few other things. Michelle looked at them in question, and Robyn
simply answered "I know how I'd feel if I suddenly lost everything, so I
just got a few things I thought she'd like." Following that, Sandra
added "I don't know if we can do anything to make you feel like this is
your home, too - but we can at least make it feel home like."

Michelle started to cloud over in anger? frustration? pride? - but
Robyn's open friendliness and Sandra's quiet dignity made it impossible
for her to take offense at what they'd said and done. Instead, she
thought about it for a moment before smiling at them (much to Marie's
relief) and saying "Thank you, both of you. You're right, and Marie and
I appreciate what you've done." She then turned to Lucy and said "And
I'm thanking you, too - it's a lovely room, and you did a really nice
job of decorating it."

I finally spoke up, telling them "I don't know how much stuff you have
to bring in - if you want, we can get it into your rooms now, or after
supper; it's up to you."

Michelle hesitated a second, and said "We don't have much - we might as
well do it now, so Mister Kristofferson here can get to his own life. I
expect he's been neglecting it some while he's been dealing with us."

Dale started to object, and Michelle just gave him a Look that shut him
up before telling him "Dale, I know you've more than had your hands full
looking after us. Any time we've needed you, you've been there, any time
of day or night. I know you want Frenchy real bad, but you've still
given up a fair chunk of your own life to watch after us. I know it, and
I'm not forgetting it. We'll get our stuff out of your car, and you can
go about taking care of what matters to YOU for a change."

There was nothing for him to do but say "It isn't necessary - but thank
you."

That settled, all of us made our way back downstairs; at the bottom of
the stairs Dale excused himself so he could move his car around to the
back. After asking Michelle and Marie to stay inside until he was there,
I went out back to take care of the gate for him. In just a couple of
minutes, he was parked close to the kitchen door, making the task of
moving Michelle and Marie's things fast and easy. Lucy and the girls
helped each of them gather and carry their meager possessions; when they
were gone, Dale moved to get his car back on the street; when he cleared
the gate, I closed it again.

A minute later, I was letting him back in the front door, and we waited
in the living room for the women to join us, which they did a couple
minutes later. When all of us were together, Lucy told him "Agent
Kristofferson, you're more than welcome to stay and have dinner with us.
But if you have other things that need your attention, I'll understand.
If it makes any difference, supper is roast beef, gravy, potatoes, corn,
green beans, and rolls, with chocolate mousse for dessert."

He licked his lips before answering "As much as I'd like to stay - it
sounds delicious - I really do have to go."

Lucy just smiled and said "Of course. But you have a rain check for a
future time, okay?"

"I'd love it, thank you", he answered.

About that time, Michelle cleared her throat and when he turned to look
at her, she extended her hand, which held a thin wire-bound notebook of
the type used by students all over the country. His hand trembled
slightly as he reached out to accept it with a quiet "Thank you".

All of us knew that he was anxious to have a look at the notebook's
contents, but was too polite to just rush off; Lucy solved the dilemma
for him by saying "I know you have a lot to do, Agent Kristofferson, and
we have a meal cooling. Would you mind if we excused ourselves?"

He pulled himself together, shot her a look of gratitude, and answered
"Of course not. You're right; I do have to be on my way. I'll look
forward to seeing all of you again before too long." With his excuse
made for him, he gave us all a quiet "Good evening", and let me guide
him to the front door.

When he was gone, I went back to join Lucy and the others, getting there
just as Lucy said "Supper is ready, if you are..."

Michelle and Marie both gave her a small smile and nodded, and then let
Lucy lead the six of us into the dining room. Along the way, Robyn and
Sandra separated themselves from us - giving the rest of us time to sit
before they started bringing in the supper Lucy had cooked.

When the dishes were all ready and the girls had taken their seats, Lucy
turned to Michelle and said "We aren't religious people, but if you want
to say a prayer before meals, we'll certainly respect your wishes."

Michelle gave her a wan smile and answered "Thank you. But Frenchy had a
way of turning God-fearing people into non-believers. I reckon you know
what I'm saying..."

Lucy just nodded her head and said "Of course. But if you change your
mind, don't hesitate to let us know."

With that, they took turns handing their plates to me to put some of
Lucy's roast beef on - I simply started stacking it on until the person
indicated when it was enough. From there, the individual foods were
passed around so that each of us could dish out our own portions. There
was more than plenty, and nobody hesitated to take as much as they
wanted.

The meal went by slowly and casually; Michelle and Marie each took turns
telling us about themselves as we ate - Marie much more reserved than
Michelle was. Every so often, either Robyn or Sandra would get up to
refill our drinks before sitting down again. I noticed Michelle watching
all this, but didn't say anything, figuring that if it mattered to her
somehow, she'd let us know soon enough.

When we were all done eating, I got up and started clearing the table.
Lucy and the girls started to say something, but I simply told them
"Don't worry about it. I think all you ladies have plenty to talk about,
so go ahead - this isn't something I haven't done before!"

Lucy and the girls laughed; Michelle and Marie only sat there looking
surprised until Robyn asked Marie what subjects she liked in school. As
Marie answered, Lucy took the chance to start her own conversation with
Michelle. I continued clearing the table and putting the leftovers away
- but I noticed Michelle's eyes watching me whenever she could. Even
Marie threw me a few curious glances.

When I was done, I went back into the dining room and took a seat where
I wouldn't be likely to intrude on the conversations. Sitting there, I
watched and listened to Michelle and Marie, trying to see if I couldn't
get some idea about the emotional and mental troubles they were bringing
with them. It didn't take long to realize that there were a number of
subjects that they were reluctant to discuss - and it wasn't hard to
figure out why.

After a while, Lucy spoke up, saying "I think all of us would be a
little more comfortable somewhere else, don't you think?"

Robyn and Sandra both spoke up, asking if it would be okay if they went
with Marie to her room - something that made Marie blush slightly, even
as she was looking delighted at the idea. Neither Lucy nor Michelle had
any objections, and the three youngsters quickly left us to make their
way upstairs while Michelle, Lucy, and I headed for the living room.
There, I sat at one end of a couch before Lucy snuggled into my side;
Michelle took a chair at a slight angle to us. She looked at us for a
few moments before saying "I remember when Frenchy and I used to sit
like that. But that was a long time ago, and it didn't last very long.
How long have you two been married?"

Lucy answered her, and Michelle responded by telling us "I guess I
shouldn't be surprised to hear that it's been that long. I can see that
you two love each other - a lot. Me and Frenchy loved each other at
first, too - but that didn't last too long before he started in on me.
Then, when Marie was born, it started getting worse and worse. I see how
you all treat your girls - 'specially you, Dan. How come Robyn doesn't
look like you, Dan? And is Sandra really your kin?"

I gave her the edited version of how Lucy and I had met, which seemed to
strike a chord within her. It was when I told her how Sandra had come to
live with us that I saw her façade of strength and courage start to
collapse. When I was done, she just sat there looking at us -
particularly me - before saying "You did that for her? Even without her
being related?" I just nodded, and answered "She's a good kid. I love
her. What happened to her folks was partly - if not mostly - my fault.
What else could I have done?"

At that, Michelle finally lost it - with a sudden cry, she fell forward,
her shoulders shaking as sobs wracked her body. Lucy didn't hesitate to
get up and go over to take a seat on the arm of the chair and pull
Michelle close to comfort her. Michelle latched onto her like a drowning
person would grab at a life preserver, and cried even harder. Knowing
that it was something that I couldn't really contribute to, I went to
get Michelle a dish towel - something large and absorbent enough to do a
fair job of soaking up her tears without being too big or thick. When I
got back, Lucy smiled up at me, took it, and handed it off to Michelle,
who promptly started dabbing at her eyes as tears continued to stream
down her cheeks.

When the waterworks finally began to taper off, Lucy pulled back a
little and asked Michelle "Do you want to talk about it?", and getting a
small nod in reply.

Lucy patiently and gently got Michelle standing and moved over to sit on
the couch next to the one I was still on. The two of them sat down
again, and Lucy and I waited for Michelle to pull herself together again
so she could tell us what 'it' was. I suspected that I already had a
pretty good idea, and was sure that Lucy (as another woman) already
knew, but wanted to hear it anyway.

After a few false starts, Michelle finally found her voice enough to
tell us "I'm sorry. It's just that I've been holding it all in for so
long, so I didn't worry or scare Marie. Then, when Dan said he wanted to
take care of Sandra in such a damn matter-of-fact way, I just couldn't
stand it any more." With a baleful look at me, Michelle said "Dan, I
don't know if you really understand just how different you are from a
lot of people - and especially Frenchy. There's been a few times that
he's made widows and orphans, and it didn't bother him a bit - hell, he
even laughed about it. So when you asked what else you could have done,
well, I just remembered Frenchy - and finally realized just how damn
lucky Marie and I are to have gotten away from him, and stayed away -
and alive! - for so long."

Lucy took Michelle's hand and held it as Michelle took a deep, ragged
breath before telling us "I met Frenchy just a couple months after I
graduated high school - seventeenth in a class of a couple hundred,
would you believe? Anyway, Frenchy was the kind of guy any girl would
want: cute, sexy, loving, attentive, all the rest. Of course, I fell in
love - hard. It wasn't six months before we were married - and I was
still a virgin on our wedding night, would you believe?"

She sighed, and went on "At first, life with him was great. Oh, sure, we
didn't have a lot of money and couldn't afford to do a whole lot of
things, but we were happy together. We lived in this tiny little
apartment - bedroom, living room, and kitchen. We had our own tiny
bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower - no tub. Most of our furniture
was made up out of milk crates. If you ever need to furnish an apartment
real cheap, milk crates are real versatile, let me tell you! Stack two,
and you've got an end table. Six of them arranged two by three, and
you've got a start on a coffee table. Two high and two wide, you've got
a TV stand AND shelving. You get the idea. Frenchy had a job, but it
didn't pay real good because he never finished high school. Coming from
way back in the bayou the way he did, schooling wasn't a real big deal
to him. Oh, he was smart, all right; but he didn't have much in the way
of schooling, and that was something the folks with the jobs wanted.
Money was tight - real tight. It took a while, but I finally convinced
him to let me get a job, too. Even with just my high school diploma, it
didn't take me long to find work - and not much longer before my
paychecks were as big as his. A year later, and I was making MORE than
he was. That's when he started getting mean to me. We'd fight - usually
about money - and every so often he'd get so mad he'd slap me. Never
more than once, and he NEVER drew blood. But it was still hitting me,
and he always felt sorry about it afterwards and apologized and swore
he'd never do it again. That'd last an argument or two."

She tuned us out for a few seconds, came back with a slight start, and
continued "I don't know what it was that turned him, but by our first
anniversary, he had a whole new bunch of friends - people I never DID
like. I tolerated them only because I loved Frenchy. I'd left my job,
and was staying at home again. As time went by, he started finding newer
friends, and as he did, he got meaner and meaner with me. He got
together with some of the people he knew and got involved in something I
knew was illegal, even if I didn't know exactly what it was; just the
way he acted around me and talked with his 'friends' told me so. A
couple weeks went by, and he came home with a big wad of cash. I asked
him about it, because I knew he couldn't have made that much on his job.
He got mad and hit me - not slapped, but hit. I fell to the floor, and
he told me that if I ever asked him again where he got his money, he'd
beat the shit out of me. Just from the way he said it, I knew he would.
Right then, I thought about leaving him and getting a divorce, but I
wasn't raised up to believe in divorce, so I stuck around, thinking I
might be able to turn him back into the man I fell in love with."

She gave a cynical laugh before saying "Pretty stupid, huh? Well, I
didn't think so at the time; I still loved him, and wanted the man I
married back. So I hung in there, for all the good it did me. By our
second anniversary, I knew that there wasn't a chance in hell he was
going back. But by then, he'd beaten me enough that I was actually
afraid of him. One time, I made the mistake of bringing up divorce -
he'd finally worn me down to where I was willing to do it. He let me
know what HE thought about the idea by leaving me with a black eye,
split lip, and bruises all over my body before he told me that if I ever
left him or tried to get a divorce, he'd hunt me down and kill me. I
believed him, and never said or did anything about it again. A couple
months later, I discovered I was pregnant. Frenchy was happy as could
be; me, I didn't want to bring a kid into a house with Frenchy in it. We
moved into a bigger place, and Frenchy took care of me - well, he didn't
beat me too bad - until I had the baby. When he found out it was a girl,
and not the son he wanted, he really went off on me. I think if I hadn't
been in a bed in the hospital, he'd have killed me. By the time I was
ready to go home, he'd calmed down, mostly. He still liked to hurt me,
though - not just by hitting me, but by doing stuff that hurt me inside,
too. I'd be nursing Marie, and he'd insist that I... use my mouth on him
while I was doing it. He'd let some of his friends suck the milk from my
tits right before it was time to feed the baby, so I wouldn't be able to
nurse her and have to give her a bottle; he knew how much it meant to me
to breastfeed. When he got drunk or high, he'd make me take my clothes
off and show all his friends how 'fat' I'd gotten during the pregnancy,
and even spread my legs so they could see that my pussy was old and worn
out."

After that last sentence, Michelle suddenly looked at both of us with an
apologetic expression. Lucy quietly told her "We both know the words. Go
ahead."

She continued by saying "About that time, we moved into an even bigger
place, and he started bringing girls home - whores, from the look of
them - and screwing them in OUR bed with me right there in the living
room tending to Marie. He'd even leave the door open and turn off the TV
or radio, so I couldn't help but hear the noises and all the rest. Then,
when he was done, he'd bring the girl out naked, and compare her body to
mine." She paused to take a breath before adding "Later, when Marie was
old enough to be put in a playpen, he'd drag me into whatever room she
was in and screw me, right there in front of her. I tried to talk him
out of it, but he just laughed and said 'Don't you think she should see
the only thing her momma's good for?'"

I could see Lucy starting to cry, and wasn't any too happy myself when
Michelle sighed again before telling us "By the time Marie was able to
walk, he'd pretty much given up on me. He was involved in more and more
stuff and had a lot more money - which he used for drugs, whores, and
guns, mostly; I almost had to beg him for money to buy food for Marie
and me. We moved into another place, out in the country a way, and there
were always people around - 'security' he called them, but I knew they
were just hoods. And I knew that if I made any move to get off the
place, they'd either stop me and tell Frenchy what I'd done, or beat the
hell out of me themselves. We lived like that for a long time, and I
kind of got used to it. Frenchy was busy with whatever got him his
money, and pretty much ignored me - until he got mad or drunk or both.
Then he'd hurt me, and tell me hateful things. I put up with it so that
Marie would have somebody to love her and take proper care of her. Any
time Marie or I left the house, Frenchy had somebody with us - when I
took Marie in to the doctor, when she went to school, when either of us
went anywhere, we had company. I had pretty much given up on ever
getting away from him. Then, when Marie started to... develop,
physically, I started hearing him talking about her. At first, it was
just how pretty she was, and how she was going to have all the boys
chasing after her. But as she got older, and started having periods, his
talk changed from just talking about her, to saying what the boys would
do to her - and then, later, what HE would like to do. That was when I
got so scared for her that I was ready to die if I had to if it would
keep her away from him."

Michelle was starting to cry again, and her body was shaking as she told
us "I knew I couldn't just go - I had to figure out everything about it.
I didn't know how long I had, and I was SO scared; but I started doing
things in a routine: going to the same places at the same time on the
same days. I knew that if I was going to have any chance of getting
away, it was going to have to be when nobody around me was paying
attention; and that I had to do things in a way that would make them
bored so they'd stop paying attention. While I was doing that, I also
started keeping back some of the money that I was able to get from
Frenchy, and I started writing down some of the things I heard him say;
stuff like what he was doing and who he was doing it with, and so on.
After all he did to me, and what he said he wanted to do to Marie, I was
determined to make him sorry - make him pay for all he'd done to hurt me
and her."

Michelle looked at Lucy, and then me, her face a mask of rage as she
continued "I finally got my chance. A few weeks ago, I was at the mall.
When I left with Marie, Frenchy told me to get something sexy for her to
wear - and I knew I didn't have any time left. While we were shopping, I
said I had to use the ladies room, and took Marie with me. The men that
were with us waited at the end of the hall where the restrooms were;
what they didn't know was that the hall went on past the restrooms to
another door in the mall. Marie and I didn't even slow down as we passed
the bathrooms - we just kept going right on down the hall. I peeked out
the other door to make sure nobody that knew me was around, and we made
it to another store. The manager there was nice enough to call us a cab,
and let us out the back of her store to meet it. After we left, I had
the cab take us to the federal building, and we went right up to the FBI
offices."

Michelle was still crying, but she managed a wan smile before telling us
"Agent Kristofferson was real happy when he found out who I was, and
that I had information about what Frenchy had done, and was doing. It
took him some time, but he finally came up with that motor home that we
stayed in; you should have seen the planning he did to make sure nobody
knew who we were when he moved us to it. He had like six different
groups of people leave all at the same time, heading off in different
directions. Marie and I were in one of the cars, all dressed up like we
were when you saw us last night. We drove around for a long time, making
lots of turns and such to make sure nobody was following us before we
got to the motor home. Every couple of days, he'd come by with another
FBI agent and move the motor home to a different place; always to a
parking lot for a mall or big store, and out away from the buildings. I
guess we must have looked like any other family traveling in one of
those things; there were a couple of times that we got up in the morning
to see that there was another one, or even two of them, parked not far
away. He did all of our shopping for us - even the, uh, personal things
we needed. Whenever the motor home needed gas or propane, he was the one
that did it - Marie and I always hid in the back where no one could see
us. It's been over a month since we first set foot in that thing, and
God's honest truth, I don't want to be in another one, ever again.
They're nice enough, mind you, but they're just too damn small, no
matter how big they look. It seems like everything's always packed in
around you, and you've got no place to move."

Her smile got a little wider as she told us "Those things are just too
small for living in for any period of time. And with it being just me
and Marie, both of us being female and not being able to go anywhere for
being afraid that somebody Frenchy knew would see us, you can probably
imagine what it was like. That's why I said what I did about each of us
having our own room, last night. Marie's my daughter, and I love her to
death - but I don't know that I could have spent another month cooped up
in that motor home with her. One or the other of us likely would have
either gone crazy or killed the other."

By the time she finished, I could see that the simple act of telling us
a little bit about what life with Frenchy had been like had purged a lot
of unpleasant emotions and feelings from Michelle. And from the look
Lucy gave me, she knew it, too.

Michelle seemed to suddenly realize that she had the dish towel in her
hand, and that she'd been crying; with an embarrassed glance at us, she
started wiping her face and drying her tears. When she'd mostly composed
herself again, Lucy squeezed her hand and said "Its okay, now, Michelle.
You're safe here, and nobody is going to treat you that way ever again.
And I know that Frenchy is going to pay for what he's done - not just to
other people, but to you and Marie, too."

Michelle murmured something to Lucy before looking up at me. I just
nodded my agreement with Lucy and told her "Nobody's going to bother you
or Marie while you're in this house. Anybody that tries is going to go
away very unhappy."

My tone of voice was calm and even, so there must have been something in
my face or eyes that caused her to pale slightly before she said "Now I
really believe you, Dan. I know that me and Marie are going to be safe
here. Last night, I couldn't believe all that stuff Dale said about you.
But since then, I've had some time to think on it, and I know it's true,
now." She quickly held up a hand to silence Lucy before saying "Not that
I'm saying anybody was lying - it's just too easy for things like that
to get stretched a little. Like I said, I got to thinking about it, and
what was said about Dan fits in with some of the things that I saw. The
way he moves, for example - it's real quiet, and you don't hardly know
he's there until he says or does something. The way he - I don't know,
holds himself - it's real easy to see that there's a MAN inside there;
one that knows who he is, and isn't afraid of much. That only comes from
actually doing. I know he's smart, too - the way he pauses before he
starts talking, as though he's actually thinking about what he wants to
say, instead of just making noise. The way he talks, it's nice and
polite and all that - until he needs to say something to get someone's
attention like he had to do to me last night, and then he makes it real
clear what he means to say. Then with that business about that company
and those dealers - well, even I know you can't be doing that kind of
thing unless you've got some brains between your ears. What with all of
that, I can believe that he's willing to help us for the reasons he said
- I see how he is with you, Lucy, and those girls. Tonight, after we
ate, he cleaned off the table - something that NEVER would have entered
Frenchy's mind - just so we could all keep talking. The only fuss that
was made about it was by you, Lucy, and Robyn and Sandra. From what I
saw, he knew it needed doing, and was ready to do it so that you
wouldn't have to be bothered by it. You fixed supper, I expect, and
those two girls served it up; it looked to me like he just figured he
was doing his part. Then, when he was done, he just found himself a
place to sit where he could listen and watch us - trying to figure me
and Marie out, I expect. But he didn't get in the way of our talking -
he just sat there real polite, not saying anything. Maybe being married
to him as long as you have, you don't notice it as much. But if you'd
spent any time around Frenchy, you'd see that Dan stands out like a turd
in a punch bowl."

Lucy couldn't help smiling any more than I could at Michelle's
comparison. She seemed to realize that it might not be all that
complimentary, and started to apologize. Lucy just interrupted her to
say "No, that's all right, Michelle. I know what you meant, just as Dan
did. Neither one of us takes offense."

Michelle responded by saying "I'm sorry, anyway. See, that's something
else about living with Frenchy: when I got out of high school, I spoke
nice and proper, like you all do. Now, half of what I say sounds like I
never went to school at all. I think being around all of you might to do
me and Marie some good - maybe both of us will start speaking like real
people again."

That gave me the opening I needed to bring up some of the things that
I'd thought about earlier in the day. I cleared my throat to get
Michelle's attention and told her "I don't know what you've been doing
about Marie's schooling, but there won't be any problem helping her
learn and study here, if you want. We've got plenty of computers, and
I'll be more than happy to help you figure out some kind of schedule and
courses so she doesn't fall behind."

Michelle looked both hesitant and relieved before she told me "I don't
know anything about computers and such; and Marie only got to use them a
little bit in the school she went to. I wouldn't want for either one of
us to break one and cost you more than you're already putting out for
us. But if you can do anything to help her with her studies, I'd
appreciate it."

I smiled and said "Don't worry about it, Michelle. There's nothing that
either one of you can do to 'break' the computer from the outside. The
worst thing you can do is erase something the computer needs to operate,
and that only needs a little time to fix. If you want, I think any one
of us would be more than happy to help you and Marie learn."

Relief won out over worry on Michelle's face, and she told me "Thank
you. I think both of us would like that."

The next thing I told her was "You said something earlier about being
stuck in the motor home." Michelle nodded, and I went on "That might be
a problem here, too. Not as bad, maybe, but still...." She smiled her
understanding as I continued "There are a couple of things we can do
about that. If you want, I know somebody that can help 'disguise' you
and Marie so the two of you can get out of the house sometimes without
having to worry about being recognized."

Michelle's expression told me what she thought of THAT idea, and I
hastened to assure her "No, I'm not just talking about wigs and big
sunglasses. The guy I know, he's the makeup director for one of the
movie studios; what he doesn't know about making people look like
someone else probably isn't worth knowing. The other part of it is that
even if you or Marie DO go out, one of us will be with you. If you just
want to go out for ice cream or grocery shopping, I'll be more than
happy to keep you company. If you want to go a store to get some new
clothing, and then Lucy will go - I think I'd stand out a little bit in
the ladies changing room!"

That last bit got me a smile, and I went on "If Marie wants to go out
without me or Lucy, and then Sandra or Robyn - or more likely, both -
will keep her company."

Again, Michelle's expression didn't look too pleased at that idea, so I
told her "Just so you know, Lucy has been given a Federal permit to
carry a gun - and the only reason she got it is because she's already
gone through a couple of different FBI 'combat' gun ranges, and shown
that she can shoot. Sandra already has her own gun, and both her and
Robyn are pretty darn good shots. Sandra's old enough to have a
concealed carry permit - I checked this afternoon - and she's already
said that she'd like to be able to have the gun with her all the time.
So in the next day or so, I'm going to go down with her to the police
station, and we're going to get her the license."

Michelle looked at me strangely and asked "You'd put your wife and
daughter in the way between me and Frenchy?"

I shook my head and said "No, I wouldn't PUT them there. I'm telling you
that they've already said that they are willing to do these things, and
want to do them. When I asked Sandra this afternoon if she still wanted
to carry her pistol with her all the time, she told me that she
certainly did, and in no uncertain terms. Then she asked me if that
meant that she'd be able to have it with her so she could watch out for
Marie if they wanted to go out someplace."

Her curiosity got the better of her, and Michelle asked "You'd let them
do that? Why?"

"Yes, I'd let them do that - because Sandra and Robyn are both old
enough, and mature enough, to understand what it is they're offering to
do. But I'm still worried about them enough that they won't be doing
that until and unless Lucy or I are available to watch over them. If
they want to go to the mall, that's fine - but Lucy or I will be nearby,
even if we're not actually WITH them. You might not realize it, but
those two girls are more than capable of handling themselves."

Michelle gave me an appraising glance, looked over at Lucy, who simply
nodded, and then back to me before she said "I guess they'd have to be.
If they've already been through all that other stuff, and being YOUR
girls, I guess I can trust them as much as you do. Okay, if you think
you know somebody that can make it so me and Marie can get outside now
and then, I'm all for it."

Lucy took Michelle's hand again and assured her "I'm not going to just
tell you 'trust us', Michelle. Before either one of you goes outside,
you'll know that what Dan and I are telling you is right."

Michelle studied Lucy's face for a few moments before deciding she was
satisfied with what she saw there. Turning back to me, she said "You
said Sandra has her own gun?" I nodded, and she went on "And I expect
you and Lucy do, too." Lucy and I both nodded, and Michelle asked "Then
what about all these guns in the house? Do I have to worry about Marie
finding one of them? I know it sounds silly, after all the guns and such
Frenchy had around, but...."

Lucy smiled, and said "No, you don't. We figured to just keep them out
of the way. Sandra keeps hers - unloaded - in a locked case, anyway; she
and Robyn each carry one of the keys on a chain around their necks. Dan
and I have a small gun cabinet in our bedroom that we lock our guns in
when we're not wearing them - like when we're in bed. It has a
pushbutton combination lock on the door that we can open REAL quick if
we have to, and it's VERY solid. On top of all that, we keep the extra
ammunition - each of us carries several extra magazines - for the guns
in a separate place: a very heavy, very solid locker out in Dan's
office. All of us already know that guns can be dangerous, and we're all
VERY careful."

That seemed to more than satisfy Michelle's worries; she was visibly
relaxed by the time Lucy finished.

About that time, Michelle broke into a yawn that had her jaw audibly
creaking. When she closed her mouth again, she blushed slightly and said
"I'm sorry. It's just that it's been a long, hard time since I was able
to relax even this much. I guess I'm a little more tired from it than I
realized."

Lucy and I both grinned at her before I said "That's fine, Michelle - I
expect that both of us understand. If you want to go ahead and go to
bed, neither one of us will be offended."

"I think I'd like that - to sleep in a real bed, for a change. Uh, do I
need to get up for anything tomorrow?"

Lucy answered "Not unless you want to. Robyn and Sandra head for school
about seven thirty or so, I leave for work about eight. If you or Marie
aren't up to moving around by then, don't worry about it - Dan's a
pretty fair cook, and you're both more than welcome to fix anything you
like for yourselves."

"Oh, I don't think we'll be sleeping that late - but thank you. I guess
we'll see you in the morning."

Lucy and I each wished her a good night, and she got up and headed for
the stairs.

When she was gone, Lucy made a beeline for my lap, pulling my arms
around her as she buried her face in my chest as she started crying. I
knew what the problem was, and just sat there holding her, and rubbing
her back as she wept in pity and sympathy for Michelle and Marie's lives
up to that point.

She'd finished her cry and had dried her tears when Robyn and Sandra
came down to wish us a good night and let us know that Marie had already
gone to bed - but that Michelle had stepped into her room. They saw
Lucy's reddened eyes, but she just shook her head to let them know that
she was okay again. Each of them gave us a kiss - and not just on the
cheek, either, since neither Michelle nor Marie was around.

Some time later, Lucy and I went up to bed ourselves - where Lucy made
it more than clear that she wanted the reassurance of my arms around her
as we drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Michelle and Marie came into the kitchen together as
the rest of us were finishing breakfast. Lucy got up and went into the
kitchen to show them where all the different dishes and things were, and
offered to fix them some breakfast. Michelle politely declined, saying
that coffee was fine for her. Marie had come on over to where the girls
and I were sitting, and hesitantly taken a seat next to them - but away
from me. I carefully didn't notice, or say anything, figuring that she
was probably having an attack of nerves, and wasn't too sure I wasn't
going to suddenly do something Frenchy-like (whatever that might have
been). Even so, she licked her lips as she watched Sandra and Robyn
finishing up their first plates-full of scrambled eggs, bacon, fried
potatoes, and toast. There was more on serving plates, but Marie didn't
seem inclined to either help herself, or ask for any.

Sandra and Robyn noticed, though. Robyn finished first, took a little
more from the serving plates, and then said "I guess I cooked more than
I should have - I've already had enough, and there's still some left."
Sandra responded by saying "Yeah, I think so, too - I've already had too
much!" With a smile, she turned to Marie and asked "Would you like some?
You'd be doing Sandra and me a favor if you could finish off most of
this; I really don't want to have to throw it away or anything."

Marie gave her a small nod of agreement, and Robyn answered "Great!
Thanks so much! Here, I'll get a plate for you..." before getting up and
going into the kitchen. Marie watched her, as Robyn had doubtless
expected, to find out where the dishes were kept; from there, glasses
and the rest would be nearby. As if to make it as easy for Marie as
possible, Robyn casually opened up another cabinet and pulled out two
different sizes of glasses, as she and Sandra had - a small one for
juice, a larger one for milk. Off to the side, I could almost see Marie
memorizing where the items had been, so she'd be able to find them
herself later.

Back at the breakfast table, Michelle and Lucy had both seated
themselves - Lucy next to me, Michelle on the other side of her. When
Robyn was seated again, Marie hesitantly dished herself out some
breakfast; when she was done, Sandra and Robyn began including her in
their conversation as though she'd been having breakfast with them for
years. For our part, Lucy and I did much the same for Michelle. As the
meal went on, both of them visibly relaxed.

Finally, it was time for the girls to head off to school. Both of them
got up and took their dishes to the kitchen and put them in the
dishwasher - giving Marie, and even Michelle, enough time to see where
it was without making it obvious what they were doing. Sandra told Marie
to take her time with breakfast; and that they'd be right back down.

True to their word, both of them were back as soon as they could brush
their teeth and collect their school things. They came back to sit with
the rest of us as they finished off their juice. When they were ready to
go, they kissed me and Lucy goodbye before Robyn told Marie "You go
ahead and decide what you want to do with your room, today, okay? When
we get back, we can help you with anything you're not sure about.
There's a stack of decorating magazines in our room, so don't be afraid
to look in them for ideas and stuff."

Marie gave a hesitant shake of her head, and then Robyn and Sandra both
hugged her before leaving for school.

Michelle watched all of this, but didn't say anything.

Some time later, Lucy left to finish getting ready for work, and stopped
off to give me her own kiss before heading out the door.

When they were gone, it was just me, Michelle, and Marie at the table -
and both of them suddenly had an attack of bashful. I pretended not to
notice, asking Marie "Do you miss going to school, Marie?" She nodded,
apparently not trusting herself to speak, and I told her "If you want,
I'll be happy to put together a kind of study plan for you, so you don't
get too far behind. I know it's kind of a drag not being able to go to
school right now, but that doesn't mean you can't keep learning. Would
you like that?"

She brightened considerably at the idea, and managed to tell me "Yeah, I
would, Mr. Andrews, if it isn't too much trouble."

I just smiled at her and said "Just call me Dan - and no, it isn't too
much trouble. We've got plenty of computers around here, and it won't be
any bother at all to set one up for you to use. It won't be the same as
having a teacher and class in the room with you, but you won't have to
raise your hand to go to the bathroom, either!" - tossing in that last
part just to see if I couldn't get a smile from her. I did even better
than that, earning myself a soft laugh from her, and a smile from
Michelle.

Standing up, I told them "I'm going to go ahead and get started for the
day. Feel free to look around, fix yourselves anything you want to eat
or drink, watch TV or a movie, or anything else. I'll be out in my
office most of the time, so if you need anything, you can either come
out there, or pick up one of the phones; all of them have a button with
my name on it, so all you have to do is push it, and I'll answer. Okay?"

They both smiled and nodded their understanding, and I put my empty
coffee cup in the dishwasher before going out to my office. There, I
took a laptop and quickly got it configured for Robyn to use and
transferred her files and configuration settings from the computer in
her room (where Marie was staying) to it. Then I carefully deleted her
personal files from the desktop machine and set it up for Marie to use.
That done, I made calls to a couple of my clients - companies that wrote
educational software. In both cases, they were more than happy to make
copies of programs suitable for Marie's age available for me to download
- particularly after I gave them a brief, and censored, explanation of
why I needed it. Getting the software itself took only a few minutes,
since I had a high-bandwidth connection. From there, it was a simple
matter to get the software installed and configured. While I was at it,
I set up another laptop for Michelle to use, carefully installing some
tutorials and other software geared toward the beginning and novice
user, as well as some basic programs.

By the time I was done, it was getting close to 11:00; perfect, I
thought - by the time I get things set up, and have them started on the
computers, it'll be time for lunch.

Carrying Michelle's laptop with me, I went back inside the house -
finding both of them in the living room watching TV. I got Michelle's
attention, and said "If you don't mind, I'd like to go into your room so
I can set this computer up for you."

She looked at me as if I'd lost my mind before saying "Why should I
mind? It's your house!"

I smiled and answered "Yeah - but it's YOUR room."

Obviously surprised at my response, she answered "Uh, sure - if you
really think I can get anything out of it, go ahead."

I laughed and told her "I think you can get something out of it. I'll
get it set up, and when you're ready, I'll show you how to get started
with it. From there, I don't think you'll have any trouble."

Her expression made it clear what she thought of THAT.

Excusing myself, I went upstairs and into her room - and saw that she
hadn't done a thing to 'personalize' it. I went ahead and got the
computer tied into our intranet - wiring the place for data had been one
of the first changes I'd had made - and verified that everything worked.

I went back to the living room, and both of them turned to look at me. I
told them "Okay, you've each got a computer to yourself. Marie, I can
show you the programs you can use to keep learning now, if you don't
mind. Then, after lunch, I can work with you, Michelle."

I could see on Marie's face that she was eager to get on the computer;
Michelle wasn't so sure. Marie turned to look at her mother; after a
moment, Michelle got up with her to keep us company.

When we got to the door to her bedroom, I stopped and simply waited - it
took Marie a second to realize that I wasn't going to simply walk into
'her' room. Shyly, she opened it up and led her mother and me inside. I
saw that Robyn and Sandra had indeed gotten a pretty good start on
decorating it for Marie - and that there was still plenty left for Marie
to do, if she wanted. Inside the room, I gestured for Marie to take the
chair while I kneeled down next to her while Michelle stood behind us.
It only took a few minutes to get Marie familiarized with the computer
and software. A couple more minutes, and she was feeling fairly
comfortable, and was happily running a science program. I stood up and
backed away a little, leaving Marie to her own devices. After a bit, I
told Michelle "She's got it, now. She won't have any trouble from here
on."

Michelle looked at me strangely, and followed when I gestured with my
head that we should leave Marie alone. Out in the hall, I carefully
pulled the door to her room almost all the way closed before turning to
Michelle and saying "She might not have gotten to do much with whatever
computers she had access to before, but she definitely remembers how to
use them. It just took her a few moments to remember a couple things,
and she was fine."

Michelle asked me "What was that she was doing? When we left, I mean?"

"She was starting a middle-school level physics program. It will walk
her through some basic physics, testing her along the way, and going
back over the things she has trouble with."

"What about other classes? Like writing, and arithmetic, and such?"

"It's all part of the program. It'll let her do the physics - science -
only for a little while, and then she'll have to go on to something
else. The program was written for parents that home-school their kids,
so it won't let them study just a few things; they have to go through
ALL the subjects before they can start another class in any one of them.
When she's done with the science, she'll have to do something else -
then something else after that. Until she's gone through the whole list,
she can't go back to anything she's already been through. There are two
different programs she can use, and both of them do pretty much the same
thing in the same way; the only real difference between them is how they
go about the actual teaching. One of them is like having an actual
teacher, the other is more like studying with a friend."

"You already had that... software?"

"Oh, no! I called a couple of the companies that I've done work for, and
they were glad to let me have a free copy."

"You can do that? Get free computer stuff from folks you've worked for?"
she asked.

"From these companies, yes. The work I did saved them a lot more than
what one copy of the program cost."

"What do you do with computers, exactly?"

"I'm a programmer" I answered, and then seeing the confusion on her
face, added "I tell the computer what to do, and how to do it, so other
people can use it."

That seemed to clear things up enough for her, and the look she gave me
pretty much let me know that she thought I was some kind of Smart Guy.
She gave herself a little shake, and said "Well, whatever it is you do,
it sure looks like you're pretty good at it. I know Marie was a little
scared of being around you, and I think she was worried about doing
something to your computer. But you were real patient and gentle with
her, and that made her feel a lot better. After being around Frenchy all
her life, she's a bit jumpy around men" - the last part apologetically.

"That's okay - I expect I'd be jumpy if it'd happened to me, too. Maybe
here she'll learn that she doesn't have to be jumpy any more."

Michelle gave me an appraising look and answered "Maybe so."

Just then, we heard the clock strike the half-hour; Michelle looked at
it and said "Eleven thirty. It's getting toward lunch time. Would you
mind if I fixed it?"

"Not at all" I answered, adding "I usually just fix myself a sandwich."

She gave a small snort and said "Sandwiches are fine... for a picnic.
For a meal, you should be having something with a little more to it."

I laughed and answered "I'll leave that up to you, and then. I'm going
to go on back to my office for a bit; what time should I come in for a
proper lunch?" - earning myself a smile from her before she answered
"Oh, a little after Noon would be fine."

"And you and Marie will be eating with me, right?"

She looked a bit uncertain at that, but said "If that's what you want, I
guess we will."

I looked into her eyes and said "Michelle, it's not about what I want -
except for the fact that what I want is for you and Marie to realize
that you're WELCOME here. If you don't want to have lunch with me, and
that's YOUR decision, and then that's fine. What I need you to
understand is that both of you are more than welcome to eat with me, or
not. I'd like the company, but I'm not going to force you to do anything
you don't want to do - I'm not Frenchy."

She gave me a faint smile and answered "No, you're not Frenchy. That's
something I think Marie and me'll have to get used to. It's just that
it's been so long, it might take us a while, is all."

"That's fine. Honestly, Michelle - you and Marie are both a part of our
home, now. That's why I asked you if it was okay for me to go into YOUR
room, and why I waited for Marie to open the door to HER room: so that
both of you know that all of us here are going to respect you and your
privacy. As long as you're with us, those are YOUR rooms, to do with
whatever you like, short of tearing them up. If you or Marie want a
different color on the walls, let me know and we - you and I - will take
care of it. If you or Marie want to hang pictures or something, go ahead
and have fun. Anything you want to do that doesn't need a hammer and
nails to fix is fine with me. Understand?"

Michelle looked at me with such gratitude in her eyes that it got me
pissed at Frenchy all over again - that he would treat Michelle and
Marie so badly that they'd stopped seeing basic courtesy as their right.

"Another thing I want you to know is that you don't have to be afraid or
embarrassed or ashamed to ask us for anything you need that we might
forget. Both of us know that there are going to be things that you'll
need or want that we won't think of, and that you'll want to go places
so you can do things for yourselves sometimes. That's why I have
somebody coming to help you learn how to keep people from recognizing
you - so you CAN go out. You'll still have me or Lucy, or both, watching
out for you, but you'll be OUT. The last thing is that you and Marie
should understand that all of us would be delighted if the two of you
wanted to become part of our family life. If everyone wants to watch a
movie, don't be afraid to tell us what YOU like. If there's some
particular food or drink that you really like or don't like, let us
know, and we'll be happy to take that into account when we go grocery
shopping. Don't feel like you have to keep the same hours as us - if you
want to go to bed later, or get up earlier, go ahead; just don't be
surprised or upset if the rest of us don't join you. If you want a cup
of coffee, and there isn't any made or it's too old, don't be afraid to
make some more. If Marie wants a snack or something to drink, she should
help herself to whatever she wants. If we run out of anything, we'll
just get more. You're in our home, and we're willing to treat you like
family - if you'll let us. Okay?"

She started to tear up a little, but managed to answer "Okay, Dan.
I'll... we'll try."

"That's all I ask, Michelle. I'll go out to my office, now - watching a
woman cry turns me into a big marshmallow" - the last part meant to
tease her out of her tears.

She gave me a half-smile, swatted her hand at me, and said "Oh, go on!"

I looked at her, and she nodded that she was going to be okay. I smiled,
and did as I'd said - went back out to my office.

Shortly after Noon, I went back inside again - and found Michelle and
Marie both sitting in the breakfast nook, apparently waiting for me. I
sat down across from them - I figured both were nervous - and looked
over what Michelle (I presumed) had made: she'd taken last night's
leftovers and turned them into hot roast beef sandwiches, complete with
mashed potatoes and gravy. It was a lot more that I usually made for
myself, and I thanked both of them for joining me for such a fine lunch
- making Michelle beam slightly at the compliment, and Marie blush
slightly at being the focus of my attention, if only briefly.

The next order of business was to get myself wrapped around the food -
and enjoying every bite of it: Michelle had clearly done something to it
to freshen up the flavor. When I asked her about it, she looked down at
her plate and said "I, uh, went ahead and found your spices, and added a
couple of them to make it a little different than last night."

"You did fine - thank you" I told/reassured her.

As we were eating, I made a point of including Marie in the conversation
by asking her a few innocuous questions, and paying careful attention to
the answers. One thing that caught my attention was her reply when I
asked her age - that she'd be sixteen in just a couple of weeks. I
didn't ask what day - for what I had in mind, it really didn't matter. I
also asked her what kinds of things she was interested in - and listened
to the answers.

By the time lunch was finished, both of them were visibly more relaxed -
not just in our home, but around me, too.

When I was done, I got up and started to reach for the dishes; Marie
jumped up and all but snatched them away from me, with a hurried "That's
my job" - and blushing furiously when I quietly told her "Then thank
you, Marie."

As she took the plates over to the dishwasher, I asked Michelle "Are you
ready to start learning how to become a computer genius?"

She snorted and said "I'll be happy if I can just learn how to turn the
darn things on!"

I laughed and answered "Oh, I think you'll do a little better than
that."

Her eyes told me she wasn't entirely sure I wasn't lying to her, but she
got up and led the way up to her room anyway. She didn't hesitate to
open her door and lead the way to the computer I'd set up for her. I had
her sit in the chair while I knelt next to her. I talked her through
turning it on - applauding her when the screen lit up, making her laugh
- and getting logged on to it. From there, we went on to opening up the
first of the tutorials I'd installed, and getting her started on that.
After the first few screens, she was starting to relax a bit, so I
discretely shut up and moved back a little, letting her go at her own
pace.

By the time she was done, she was easily moving around, clicking and
double-clicking, dragging and dropping, and so on. When the program
ended, she suddenly looked around and saw that I was sitting back from
her and the computer. Blushing, she said "I guess it isn't so hard,
after all, is it?"

I grinned and answered "No, not if you want to learn. You're doing
great. There are some more lessons like that, to help you learn about
the computer and how to use it. All of them work the same way - they'll
let you practice something until you're comfortable you know it; then
they'll take you to the next part. Take as much time as you need or
want; it's a computer, so it won't get impatient or yell at you. I've
set up the lessons in an order that should make it easier for you, and
make more sense. If you have any problems or questions, don't be afraid
to ask: this stuff was all new to me, one time, too. When you're
comfortable you know how to use the computer, let me know, and I can get
you started on a few other things that I'll bet you'll think are pretty
fun. Okay?"

She nodded happily, and turned back to the computer, starting up the
next in the tutorials I'd installed. I stood up and made my way out to
the hall - turning back, I could see that she was already engrossed in
learning. I smiled to myself as I pulled her door about three-quarters
closed. On my way back to my office, I met Marie, who was putting the
dishes away from the dishwasher. I thanked her - embarrassing her
slightly - and asked if she was doing okay with her studies. She gave me
a happy nod, and I told her that if she had any problems with anything,
she could ask any of us and we'd be glad to help. She nodded again, and
with a slight blush, turned back to her self-appointed task.

When it got close to time for the girls to be getting home from school,
I got myself a beer out of the fridge in my office and went out to sit
next to the pool, where I'd be able to see them when they parked.

A few minutes later, I saw the door open, and Michelle looking out at
me. I told her "Come on out, if you want - nobody can see this part from
the street." She looked a bit hesitant, but came out anyway - then
smiling when she felt the warm sun on her back.

She came over to where I was, and took a seat nearby. She hesitated a
few moments, and then asked "Do you think Lucy would mind if I cooked
tonight?"

I laughed and said "Actually, it's my turn to cook - and no, I don't
mind!"

Michelle looked surprised, and asked "You really cook?"

I grinned at her and said "Yeah, after a fashion. Not as well at most
things as Lucy or the girls, but better at some. I don't have as much
variety as they do, either. But I haven't poisoned any of us yet, and it
gives Lucy and the girls a break, so I do my share. My specialty is
Burnt Offering" - making her laugh.

Michelle was about to say something else when Sandra's car appeared in
the drive. Both of us watched as she carefully pulled into 'her' parking
space and shut the engine off. She and Robyn got out, and both came over
to where I was to give me a kiss on the cheek.

I picked up my bottle of beer and had a swallow; Sandra took it from me,
had a sip, and handed it to Robyn who had one, too, before handing it
back. Michelle saw all of this, and I saw more than a trace of fear in
her eyes. Robyn and Sandra must have seen it, too, and they both
realized what the problem must be: that Michelle was afraid that I
wasn't going to stop with the one beer, and from there, become a problem
for her the way Frenchy had.

Sandra spoke up first, talking to Michelle, and getting right to the
point: "Michelle, you don't have to worry. I have never seen Uncle Dan
get anywhere even close to drunk. Remember, he's not Frenchy - you don't
have to be afraid of him, for ANY reason."

Michelle seemed to realize that she'd reacted in a way that wasn't
entirely appropriate - but it was also clear that she wasn't entirely
sure that it wasn't INappropriate, either.

Robyn had her turn next, saying "Michelle, look at him, and remember
what just happened. Think about what was going on BEFORE we got here.
You're out here with him, so you must have come outside after he was
here - I don't think you would have come outside unless you were sure
you wouldn't be seen. So, you were probably watching for him, so you
could talk to him, right?"

Michelle nodded, not sure where Robyn was going.

"If you were watching for him, and then you know when he came out here -
you probably saw him go from his office to the chair. Now, think about
it: did he stagger? Did he do anything to make you think that he'd been
drinking before he came outside?"

Michelle shook her head, and Robyn went on "So he looked okay then. You
know how long you've been out here - probably not long, since the beer
bottle is still pretty cold. So you can be pretty sure he's had just the
one beer - and hasn't had much to drink from it. Do you think you have
any reason to think that he's going to have more than that one beer? Or
that even if he does, that he'll have enough to get drunk? Think about
what you know about him, and decide if you think he's really the kind of
man that would get drunk - never mind do anything like Frenchy would."

Michelle DID think about it. And after a few seconds, we could all see
it as she visibly relaxed - and on the heels of that, blushed before she
opened her mouth to say "I'm sorry, Dan. I saw the beer, and I just...
went back to all the times that Frenchy got drunk, and then beat me.
God's honest truth, I didn't even think about it being you - I just saw
the beer, and lost it. I'm sorry."

I leaned forward and gently patted her hand before saying "Its okay,
Michelle. I understand. I think ALL of us do. All of us knew that after
being with Frenchy the way you were, there were going to be 'issues'
that all of us would have to deal with. I'm sorry that one of them came
up so fast - but then again, this is one less issue for later, right?"

She managed a brief smile before asking "You... you let them drink,
too?"

I turned as Sandra answered "Yes, he lets us drink, too. Not often, and
not much, as you saw - Robyn and I each had only a small sip. Uncle Dan
figures that letting us learn how beer and such affect us here at home,
there's a lot less chance that we'll do anything stupid when we're out
by ourselves. It works, too - I've been to a couple of parties where
people brought beer, and even liquor. Other kids, that don't have
parents that think like him, drink too much and get stupid. I know what
it does to me, and I have only a little bit - just enough to be polite.
There are a few girls at school that aren't virgins any more because of
how much they drank at some of these parties. A couple of them have even
gotten pregnant. That hasn't happened to me."

"Or me, either. Both of us HAVE been drunk - but only once, and at home.
That's how we know how it affects us; and how much we can drink. Dad
lets us make little mistakes at home, so we don't make big ones other
places." Robyn offered.

What neither of them was telling her was that they'd already given their
virginity to someone - namely, me. Robyn had been thirteen, Sandra
fifteen, when it happened. But that wasn't exactly pertinent to the
situation, just then, and would only distract her from the point they
were trying to make.

And making successfully, if the expression on Michelle's face was any
indication.

I don't think she was entirely convinced - but she'd heard enough that
she had a different perspective, and something to think about.

I ended that particular conversation by telling her "Anyway, as I was
saying, I'm not the best cook in the house - but I can get the job done.
If you want to cook tonight, and then you'll be sparing the rest of them
from one of my creations. I just ask that the next time you offer, it's
on one of their nights, so I don't get accused of bribing you or
anything."

Robyn and Sandra both grinned before Sandra told her "He's just pulling
your leg. He's actually a pretty good cook. Not as good as Aunt Lucy,
but better than us - at least, a little bit. But we're learning. If
you're going to cook tonight, I think both of us would like to be there,
so we can learn from you, too."

Michelle looked amused at their evaluation of my kitchen talents, and a
trifle proud that they would want to learn something from her. She
hesitated a moment, and then told them "Okay, if you want to learn,
you're welcome. But only one, I think - otherwise, it might be too
crowded. Next time, the other one, okay?"

Both girls nodded, and Robyn said "We'll figure it out. Is Marie busy?
We'd like to see her, if she isn't."

Michelle assured them that Marie had been laying on the bed, reading,
shortly before she'd come outside. Robyn and Sandra excused themselves,
and went inside.

I took another sip from my beer, and Michelle waited until I set the
bottle down before she said "I really am sorry, Dan. When Robyn reminded
me about it, I realized that you weren't the kind of guy that I've
gotten used to."

"No problem, Michelle. Like I said, I think all of us know there are
going to be rough spots along the way. You and Marie shouldn't be afraid
to let the rest of us know when you're uncomfortable about something -
we'll be glad to listen, and do what we can to help."

"Thank you, Dan. We will - or won't, I guess I should say", she replied
with a smile before going back inside.

I was still sitting outside, my beer long gone, when Lucy got home. I
met her at her car and kissed her, and then carried her briefcase for
her as we walked up to the bedroom. Along the way, I told her about
Michelle's offer to cook supper - and that the next time, it would be
for her or the girls.

Michelle called us all - except for Robyn, who had won the assistant
cook lottery - in to supper about six thirty. Once we were seated, she
and Robyn brought in the results of their efforts: Cajun food. It was
definitely something new for us, and we were all looking forward to
trying it out. Michelle told us "I learned to cook Cajun for Frenchy,
when we were first married. He was from the bayou, and missed his home
cooking - so I learned how, and he helped me get it just right. I
haven't done it for a while, but this turned out pretty good. I hope you
like it."

The meal started with stuffed artichokes, which were delicious. From
there, it was on to jambalaya, followed by stuffed pork chops with
caramelized onions, cornbread, and a sweet potato casserole. Dessert -
which none of us was sure we had room for - turned out to be bread
pudding with bourbon in it. When I commented on it, Michelle hesitantly
told me that she'd had Robyn get it from the liquor cabinet. I assured
her that was fine, saying that I was just surprised that bourbon could
be used to such good effect in food - making her smile.

When it was clear that we'd all had our fill, Sandra got up to start
clearing the dishes - followed, a moment later, by Marie. I started to
get up to help, but Michelle just gestured me to sit down again, saying
"As much as you helped me and Marie today, you just sit there."

Michelle saw Lucy looking at me questioningly, and told her "He got
Marie and me both set up with computers this morning. Marie spent the
better part of the afternoon on schoolwork while I was learning how to
operate mine. He was real polite and patient with both of us, and helped
us a lot."

That reminded me to tell Robyn that I'd moved her files over to a
laptop, and that I'd get it for her after supper. She told me that was
fine; she knew that I would make sure everything she might be interested
in or want would have been moved over without my prying into what might
be in her files. Both she and Sandra knew that I trusted them
implicitly.

When Sandra and Marie came out the next time, they had cups of coffee
for Lucy, me, and Michelle; all of us thanked them - causing a slight
blush on Marie - and they continued clearing the table. When they were
done, Robyn excused herself and the three of them left us alone.

I told Michelle that I'd spoken with the man that would be showing them
- and me, I admitted - how to change their appearance so they wouldn't
be recognized. She looked interested, and I went on to tell her that
he'd be there the following Saturday - just a couple days away. She
laughed when I said "If you can hold out until then, I think we can get
you someplace where you can do some shopping." She answered by telling
me that compared to the confines of the motor home, she felt our house
was like being in a shopping mall - making Lucy and I both smile.

When we'd finished our coffee, we decided to adjourn to the living room
- me after making a detour to get the laptop for Robyn and giving it to
her.

Once all of us were seated, Lucy told Michelle "I've noticed that Marie
seems to be, well, pretty shy. It seems like any time Dan or I
compliment her, or say something nice to her, she blushes and gets
embarrassed."

Michelle answered the implied question by saying "I know. You see,
pretty much the whole time she was growing up, the only one she had
around that showed her any kindness at all was me - everyone else either
didn't pay her any attention, or paid her the wrong KIND of attention.
She doesn't really know how to act when somebody besides me gives her a
kind word."

The look on Lucy's face was a mixture of horror, disgust, and sympathy.
Michelle saw it, and said "Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel about it,
too - only more, since she's my daughter. Around you, Lucy, she's not so
bad, what with you being another woman, and all - she's still shy and
all that, just not as much. Around Dan, it's another story. All she
knows from grown men is that they're loud, mean, hurtful, and not to be
trusted about anything. I wish it was different, but it isn't. What you
did today, Dan, helped some - but not much. There's still too much of
the other in her for what you do to wash it away any time soon."

Lucy looked at Michelle in curiosity, and Michelle explained how I'd
waited for Marie to open the door, and hadn't 'crowded' her when working
with her on the computer. Lucy nodded, and told her "That's just the way
he is - polite and all that, whenever people will let him. He seems to
know when somebody needs some kind of special attention or handling, and
he does what he has to, to help them out."

"That's what he did with me, too, getting me started learning about
computers. He didn't crowd me any, and was as patient as anybody I ever
knew. And once I started to get the hang of it, he just kind of eased
back and let me have at it. I didn't even know he did it until
afterwards."

Michelle went on "You said he's polite and everything when people will
let him?" Lucy nodded, and Michelle went on "What do you mean by that?"

Lucy laughed, and told her "Have you ever been in a store, and gotten
bad service?" Michelle assured her that she had, and Lucy continued
"What Dan does is wait nice and patiently until he gets someone's
attention. Then he asks for their manager. He's still real polite, and
real calm, so they try to ask him what he needs a manager for. He says
he needs to tell them something; he's still polite, but from the way he
talks, they know they'd better do what he says. When the manager shows
up, Dan calmly and politely chews them out for how bad the service was.
He never raises his voice, and he never uses profanity - and that just
seems to make it even worse for them. If the service was bad enough,
he'll even tell them that they've lost whatever chance they had to sell
something to him; he'll hand everything he's carrying to the manager,
and tell them that their bad service cost them the sale, and walk out.
Other times, if the people he's dealing with are rude or anything like
that, he'll be just as rude - usually more! - as they are, until they
settle down. He's got a stubborn streak in him that's truly amazing:
once he sets his mind to something, that's it - unless you've got a
truly exceptional reason he should, he's not going to change his mind.
He'll just stand there and look at you, waiting for you to run out of
steam, and then he'll go do what he was going to in the first place."

Michelle looked at me for a moment, and then said to Lucy "It sounds
like he's not too easy to live with."

Lucy laughed again, and said "On the contrary - he's VERY easy to live
with. He treats everyone with courtesy and respect, as long as they do
the same toward him. He's so patient with people that don't know to deal
with him that way, too - until he decides, as a last choice, that they
aren't GOING to treat him the way he does them. Then it's over for them
- they won't get another thing out of him, ever. He's willing to learn
from anyone - and expects them to be willing to learn from him. When he
comes across someone that can't or won't learn, he just ignores them."

"You two ever fight?" Michelle asked.

Lucy smiled before answering "No, never fought. We've had just a couple
of disagreements about things, and we managed to work those out. I've
gotten upset with him a few times, but it usually turned out that he was
being perfectly reasonable, and that I'd made assumptions or some other
mistake and didn't know or understand why he was doing what he was. He's
never hurt me, or even raised a hand toward me - or the girls, for that
matter. He won't even spank them. He just tells them why he thinks
something they did was wrong, and why he's disappointed in them. They
know how much he loves them, so when he talks to them like that, it just
makes them feel that much worse."

Lucy looked at me, and I could see how much she loved me - and Michelle
must have seen it, too, because she got a wistful look on her face
before Lucy turned back and told her "Every day I'm alive, I thank God,
the Universe, or whoever, that I met him. He's as tender and gentle with
me and the girls as any of us could ever want. We all know that he loves
us with everything he's got, and all of us know how far he would go to
protect us from being hurt - or to get anyone that DID hurt us."

"What do you mean?"

Lucy looked at me, and I nodded that she should go ahead. She did,
telling Michelle about all that had happened during the two previous
times that I'd helped the FBI - including how she knew, but couldn't
prove, that I'd had a couple of my Army friends come into town and scare
the man that had killed Sandra's parents into confessing to the police.
She finished by telling Michelle "The only time that I've been genuinely
angry with him was when he came home to help Sandra after her folks were
killed. I knew from the smell that he'd been firing his gun; wh