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Siblings - The Series

Episode Five

© 2016 Carlos Penguin

Preface

You'll have to excuse blinding mistakes and awkward sentences. My dear editor, Victoria Fox, is caught up in real life at the moment :-(

We wish her the best!

--

"Good morning!" Cerise said cheerfully as Elise strolled in to the store.

"Is my father back there?" Elise snapped angrily as she pointed to the warehouse door. She didn't wait for an answer before storming through the door.

"Oh dear." Cerise said to herself. "One of those days eet ees going to be." She sighed and sat down.

Elise looked around and only saw Terrance leaning against the lift truck, thumbing through papers on a clipboard.

"Where's my dad?" She shouted at him, making him jump.

"Uhhhh, I don't know. He hasn't been in yet." Terrance responded with a somewhat intimidated expression. "Neither has Ethan."

"Well, I know where he is. He's not up to coming in today. And when daddy gets here, he won't be either!" She growled and went back in to the front.

Elise slammed her purse down on her desk and yanked her coat off. She hung it on the rack so forcefully, it almost toppled. She placed her scarf on it just as angrily. She returned to her desk and sat down and got straight to it.

Cerise cleared her throat and cautiously said, "Dare I say something, or you kills me like ze coat?"

"AUGH!" Elise said, putting her face in her palms. "I'm sorry Cerise. I'm not upset with you. Matter of fact, I greatly appreciate last night. I've just got so much on my mind right now. Apparently, my dad has gone missing to boot."

"Zat ees terrible!" Cerise said with a gasp. "Have you calls ze police?"

"Mom has." Elise explained. "They can't do anything for 48 hours before declaring him a missing person. But they have the van's plate and will pull him over and check on him if they see him, they said."

"How ees Ethan? He nots comes in today?"

Elise shook her head. "When I'm calmer, I'll explain."

Cerise went back to her duties for a few minutes. "You know, roster for today ees slow. You can go home, too."

Elise smiled. "Thank you. But I think work will help me focus and not worry."

Cerise nodded in understanding.

Alice had fallen asleep on the sofa with the phone on the table. It began to beep, which woke her up.

She gasped, being shocked out of an uneasy and short sleep and picked up the phone. The beep was a low battery.

"Oh dear God, what if I missed his call?" She said and fumbling with it, put it on the cradle to charge and went to go upstairs to get the one from beside her husband's spot on the bed.

When she saw the bed had not been slept in, her mind filled with all sorts of imagined horrors as to what could have happened to him. She sat on the bed and began to cry with helplessness for the situation.

As if that weren't enough, she heard the front door open so hard, it slammed against the wall. Was there a break-in in progress on top of it all? Her heart stopped.

"Get in there and be a man!" She heard Rick shout angrily. Alice rushed down stairs.

Rick was just pushing Mark down on his chair. Mark had a mashed nose and a black eye.

Rick's angry face turned into a smiling one as he looked up at Alice, "Found him."

She rushed and fell leaning over his lap, holding him and crying. "Thank God, oh thank God you're OK."

Rick rubbed and looked at his knuckles, which had a gouge on them. "T'wernt God." He went into the kitchen and cleaned himself up.

"I'll drive back with Eugenia an' get the van, Alice." Rick shouted from the kitchen.

He came out from the other room, wiping his hands in paper towel, as he was still bleeding a bit. "Keep an eye on him. Be back in a couple hours with yer van."

"What happened?" Alice shrieked, knowing they had been in a fight.

"Will explain when I get back. Give this jerk a chance to explain himself honestly, first." Rick said and left.

"What's he talking about, honey?" Alice asked, stroking his hair.

"I.... I did something terrible." He said. "I just needed time to clear my mind, that's all."

He saw his blood on the shoulder of her dress where he had his chin. "I better clean up." He said in a daze, as if in shock. He couldn't remember his brother being able to hit so hard.

"Daddy's home." Elise said flatly and tucked her cell back in her purse after talking to her mom.

"You do nots sound ze happy?" Cerise observed.

"After what he did to Ethan yesterday, I'm not." She said flatly.

Cerise was dying to ask what happened, but knew that Elise would tell in her own time.

After a few moments, Elise asked her, "Cerise, I know we've only been here a short time. Do you think you could give me and Ethan a good reference? We're likely to be needing a job elsewhere than here."

"Ah-ha!" Cerise said jumping up and taking a chair beside Elise's desk. "You have asked me for something to do with ze beesness and affects beesness. Now I can ask what happened."

Elise smiled and held up her hands. "Okay! I'll explain. But not here. Can you come over after work? I'll cook you dinner. Won't be anywhere near the quality last night, though."

"Eet ees a date!" Cerise said.

She went back to her desk and pulled out her cell from a drawer. "Hello sweetie." She said in a sultry voice. "Some beesness come up and I will be ze late. See you later, lover."

"So, the romance it's going well with Al I take it? Keeping warm for the winter?" Elise giggled.

Cerise placed her hands on her heart and gave an exaggerated smile as she spun around in her chair, "Eet is just like being home in France. Ze young man romance. Ze older lady pamper. So Les Europe!"

She leaned over and winked, "He has ze open mind, too." She gave an excited squeal.

Elise's heart warmed to see Cerise happy. Since becoming lovers with Ethan's best friend, she was much less bossy and ill tempered at work.

--

Alice heard Rick's truck pull up in front of the house. She looked out the window and Eugenia was parking the van in the driveway. She opened the door as they came up the walkway.

"Mark's asleep, so be quiet." She let them in. "I'll make some coffee."

Eugenia looked at Rick sadly and he just nodded. "We hafta, hun."

They sat down in the kitchen, as at least there was a wall between the table and the opening to the base of the stairs.

"What did Mark tell ya?" Rick began.

"He said he had it coming and that I was not to call the police on you for hitting him." She said angrily.

"Did he say that was the only thing I could think of to keep him alive?" Rick said defensively.

Alice glared at him. "He also said he takes those nitroglycerine pills for angina and he wasn't trying to kill himself."

"Huh?" Rick said flabbergasted. "Mark don't have angina!"

"He does. He thought no one knew about it, but I did. He had chest pains and I took him to the doctor. The doctor explained when Mark was out of the room that he had run out of pills and didn't want to take time off to get more."

Rick face-palmed. "Ah, geez!"

"But where was he? Was he at your place all night?" Alice asked as the coffee maker finished and she got up to pour them all coffee.

"Nope! As luck would have it, he drove past me when I was gassin' up. I followed him out of town to a motel. Thought for a minute he was havin' an affair on ya, but turned out he was too ashamed to return home. He did something really stupid. Did he tell ya that?" Rick said.

"He mumbled as he was falling asleep that he shouldn't have done it, but I don't know what." Alice replied as she returned the coffee pot to the maker and sat down again.

"Well, he so much as disowned Ethan."

"WHAT?" Alice shouted in disbelief. "No, there's no way...."

"Alice dear, listen to him." Eugenia interrupted.

"Who did Elise say was the father of her child?" Rick asked.

Alice's face was blank. "She didn't."

"Well, there's a good reason why she didn't." Rick said and looked at Eugenia, who gave him an encouraging, strengthening smile and put her hand on his. Rick looked back at Alice, "The child is Ethan's."

Alice just stared at Rick for a moment. "How... how could you ever even suggest such a thing."

"We know it's hard to hear Alice, but..." Eugenia said and was cut off.

"Get out, get out, both of you!" Alice snapped.

Rick and Eugenia looked at each other and frowned.

"GET... OUT!" Alice stood and shouted.

Without further word, Rick and Eugenia left. As they got in the truck and snapped their seat belts on, Rick sighed, "Looks like we're all the kids have right now."

"Sad thing is, I thought this might happen." Eugenia said, looking out the window at some dead leaves swirling in the wind. "Seasons change. People sure can too."

--

Cerise and Elise entered the apartment after work to find Ethan had cleaned the place up totally. "It took my mind off things." He shrugged.

"Oh honey, it looks wonderful. Thank you." Elise kissed him.

"Maybe get him ze French maid outfit?" Cerise whispered to Elise as she giggled.

With a loud smack, Ethan swatted Elise's butt, making her give a "YIP!"

"Sexy outfits are her department." Ethan winked.

Cerise gave a chuckle. Elise's mouth was open in shock, rubbing her stinging ass. "Somebody's feeling better."

He put his arms around her, "Honey, if it's going to be you and me against the world, so be it."

"Zat ees ze proper thinking!" Cerise said as she hung up her coat.

"That long talk with Eugenia yesterday helped?" She said, holding him in return.

"Yep! Thought about it all day. Those who love us, will stand by us. As hard as it is to believe, or shocking, we just have to move on from those who for one prejudice or another, won't be there for us. All three of us."

She kissed him lovingly. "Or four of us." She whispered.

"Or four... FOUR?" Ethan's voice went up an octave. "Did the doctor say that? What do you know?"

"No more than you!" She chuckled. "Vixens have a fifty-fifty chance of having two kits."

"And ze sometime three. Maybe four?" Cerise added.

Ethan looked as if he needed a drink. "Can we sell the extras online?" He said to troll his sister right back.

It worked. Her mouth opened in shock as her eyebrows furrowed. She swung her purse at him, he just narrowly avoiding it and laughing.

As promised, Elise made dinner. Her and Ethan caught her up on all the drama as well as the support their aunt had been giving them.

"And you haves ze support of me. I will be so happy to sit ze kit and help you two." Cerise offered.

"We thank you. We're new to this and will need all the help we can get." Ethan said appreciatively.

"You are welcome." Cerise said and looked at her phone, which was vibrating.

Al: Waiting for you <3

"But I must go!" Cerise said. "I have to shower and ze lover awaits."

She gave Ethan and Elise hugs and left.

Elise looked at the pile of dishes. "Since you cleaned the apartment, I'll let you off the hook for helping me with dishes."

"Aren't you sweet." Ethan said. "Why not use the hot water on a shower instead." He nuzzled and kissed her.

"Oh, so you want sex AND get out of dishes?" She giggled.

"If I just wanted sex, I'd take you right now. I want to lick you silly." He nipped at her ear and licked.

Elise felt a pleasant shudder through her body. She pulled his arms around her, "Don't start without me."

He heard the shower start and went and took off his clothes. Laying down on the bed, he waited.

Eight minutes later, the shower stopped. He smiled with anticipation. But five minutes after the fur drier stopped, he heard the sink tap go on and off. On and off. Getting impatient, he got up and walked into the washroom. She gave a muffled squeal of surprise.

"Yer shupposhed to wait fer be." She said with a mouth full of toothpaste.

"Enough wait. MAUL!" He said in a cave-man way. Reaching around, he cupped her breasts and kneaded them gently, not knowing if they were sensitive today.

"Mmmm, feeling firmer and fuller. Getting milky momma jugs." He said, making her giggle. Her nipples were twice as large as usual and her areolas were beginning to swell all puffy through her fur.

He gently fingered them, making her laugh and squirm. "That tickles, you brat!"

"Fine, I'll get to business, then." He chuckled.

Kneeling down, he shoved his head under her tail and began nibbling her ass. "That's much nicer." She said and leaned over the counter and lifted her tail. She giggled as she felt his nose poke at her crotch from behind. His tongue gave a long lap up straight her crack.

"Eeee!" She jumped. "Mmmm, you've never done that before." She said as he did it again. She brought he leg up, letting have better access. She snickered and giggled as his whiskers danced across her pussy.

He sank his tongue deep into her sweet spot. For her, the first time from behind and the position let him touch places inside her that he hadn't before. "UNGH!" She uttered and her hips jerked as he felt a splash of warm, salty spray across his chin.

She dug her claws harmlessly into the melamine counter top. "Oh God, Ethan. You hit the... UMMMPH!" Her legs gave way in pure release of pleasure as she came hard again, soaking her brother for a second time. Had he not been holding her hips, she would have ended up sitting on his face, not that either would have minded.

He stood up. As he did, his erection effortlessly slid inside her. He lifted her off the floor by her hips and she spread her legs, wrapping her feet behind his and leaned fully over the counter as he rammed her from behind.

Just like that night when her fires were full bore, she felt him slapping audibly against her rear. He moaned in the manner that he was close to cumming. She reached back between her legs, her fingers ticking at his swinging balls slapping against her. This new sensation for him brought him to a new level of heaven as he grunted loudly and with a sharp thrust, filled her with warm, pulsing love.

They both panted heavily, the now dry mirror from her shower fogging up again. He leaned over her as she watched his reflected expression go from intense passion, to relief, to satisfaction. He rested his chin on the back of her head, her hair still damp. Calming and breathing normally, he sniffed at her hair, "You smell nice."

"Thank you." She said, feeling very sexy. Turning her head back as far as she could, they kissed.

--

Mark woke from his nap and found his wife cuddled beside him, still asleep. Quietly he got up and had a shower. He went downstairs and pulled out a bottle of scotch from the cupboard and a glass. He opened it and went to pour, but stopped. "Problem is, I need this rather than want it." He muttered and just left the bottle open on the counter and sat down at the dining table and ran his hands through his hair.

"Mark?" Alice said looking in from the base of the stairs, dressed in a housecoat.

He looked up at her through his fingers, then motioned to a chair. "Sit."

She came in and sat down. "Can I get you something?"

He shook his head. "The only thing I want is to relive the past 24 hours and not be so.... stupid."

"What in God's name has you so upset?" She asked, putting her hand on his arm.

"Me." He said. "I should practise what I preach. But no, I didn't."

"What on earth are you talking about?" She asked, getting frustrated.

He sighed. "I was so angry with Ethan, that I tore him out of the picture I carry of them. Here I was telling you that it's our duty to support our kids and then I go and basically disown our son."

"So, Rick and Eugenia were right? The child Elise is carrying, is our son's?" Alice said with shock and disgust.

"I'm afraid so." He said sadly. "Apparently they....." He began to explain, but his wife got up and left the table, going upstairs.

He sat there alone, with too much to think about.

--

Ethan was up early, scouring the online job listings. He was feeling better after the sympathetic talk from his aunt, but still couldn't face his dad. His phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Ethan could you please come in to work?" Elise said, having gone in herself. She wanted to confront their dad if nothing else.

"You know I can't face dad..." He began to say.

"Well he isn't here and dad was right, Terrance is a good worker, but he isn't independent. Orders are getting screwed up all over the place and customers are getting angry." She explained.

"All right." Ethan said with a sigh of acquiescence. "I'll be there in an hour."

"Thank you." Elise said. "And honey, remember that I love you, no matter what."

He smiled and felt reassured. "And I love you, too. Bye."

Ethan arrived and looked at the orders. What was filled and how.

"Terrance, how is it you can't simply put a hundred boxes of tiles and twenty meters of linoleum on a truck along with a bag of 500 spacers?" Ethan scratched his head.

"Your dad didn't tell you about me, did he?" Terrance, a coyote in his late twenties who looked very rough but sounded decidedly feminine asked.

"To be honest, dad said you couldn't count. I thought he was kidding." Ethan replied.

"I have something called dyscalculia." Terrance explained. "So your father basically tells me what to do and I do it. I just keep loading until he says "stop". He points to the bin that needs loading."

Ethan had never heard of that particular disability before. "Not to sound insensitive, but how did you get a job here being unable to do exactly what this job is intensive at?"

"A government program pays half my wages for your dad. That's why I make $30 an hour because he's only paying $15." He shrugged and added, "And I think he felt sorry for me."

Ethan was surprised and now he understood why the man was there. $15 was what he and Elise made an hour.

"So, where is your dad, anyway? In all the years I've been here, I've never seen him take a sick day, let alone two." Terrance asked.

Ethan hesitated. "Well, big family issues. I'd rather not go into it."

"Believe me, I totally understand." He waved his hand with his other on his hips in a comically stereotypical homosexual way. "So, tell me what to do to fix the mess."

Ethan for the rest of the day showed him what to take and how many to keep the ball rolling. Over lunch, he talked to Elise and Cerise about getting the already messed up orders fixed after retail closing, if the customers would just show up with their trucks. That way the next day would be starting anew.

By eight in the evening, everyone had what they ordered and just complained about the down time. But they thanked the team for the prompt service. "Your dad would have waited until the next day. Thanks for staying open late. Now I don't have to pay my men to stand around in the morning while I'm here." They heard from more than one customer.

It was 9:30 before Cerise and Elise sorted the paperwork and were done for the day.

"I'm sure Al ees not happy." Cerise said. "But I cannot leaves ze friend, how you say, high and stuck?"

"High and dry." Ethan corrected, half asleep.

"We missed the last bus." Elise said. "Can we trade a ride home for some leftovers? You must be hungry." She asked and Cerise nodded.

"I am zat. But I have ze munchie and go to bed. Tomorrow ees the other day here, non?"

The next day came extremely fast for them all. Feeling like she had messed something up the night before, Elise couldn't sleep past six in the morning and came in an hour early. Cerise wasn't far behind and came in fifteen minutes later.

"Good... *yawn* morning." Cerise said, eyes half shut, making her way to the coffee maker. "You do nots have ze coffee when you comes in?" She asked, curious.

"No, then all I do is pee." Elise said, going through papers.

"Soon ze kit will grow and you will pee, pee, pee, anyway." Cerise chuckled. "May as well stay awake while you are at eet."

"Will I stop throwing everything up every ten minutes in the morning by then?" Elise grumbled.

"Possibly." Cerise said. "That should end by ze second trimester." She looked at Elise. "So, how far along are you?"

Elise shrugged. "Too much happening. Haven't seen the doctor."

"Sacre bleu!" Cerise said and sat down beside Elise's desk. "Zat ees not good."

Elise threw down her pencil. "I don't need a lecture!"

"Non! You need ze friend who care for you. I am ze friend." Cerise said adamantly. "You go tomorrow. I will cover."

Elise bit her tongue to keep her swinging mood temper in check. But her eyes drilled a hole through Cerise.

"Eet ees about ze kit. Remember this." Cerise said calmer.

For whatever reason the bus was late that morning. Ethan arrived ten minutes after they opened and Terrance looked so happy to see him, Ethan cringed thinking he was going to be hugged by him.

"Ready for the day, boss?" Terrance asked in his feminine voice.

Ethan smiled, amused. Boss? He liked that. "Let's attack the world, Terrance!" Ethan said and grabbed the clipboard of orders requiring sorting that morning.

"How are things Cerise?" Mark asked having called the office, feeling confident in her ability to have kept the place running in his absence, as she would during his annual holidays.

"On ze schedule." She replied simply.

"Good!" Mark said. "Keeping Terrance informed are ya?"

She paused before answering, "Actually, Ethan takes ze charge in back. He feexes ze screw ups Terrance did and got us running as if you were here."

Mark took some time before responding. He was impressed that Ethan came back and not only that, seemed to have a grasp of the business enough, probably under Cerise's guidance, to keep things going. "I may take time off. Are things OK to do that, or should I come in?"

"Un moment....." Cerise said and he could hear her get up and move around. He heard his daughter's voice in the background helping a customer. He heard the door open and background noise increase as she went outside. Even though she was outside, Cerise whispered. "If you comes een, Elise will tears you apart."

Mark scoffed and said indignant, "That's not your concern."

"This beesnees ees my concern!" She snapped back. "And disruption for whatever ees not good for anyone. Not you, not Elise, not Ethan and especially not ze kit! She ees your daughter!"

"Remind me again why I keep you and your smart mouth employed?" Mark growled.

"Because I no lie to you like ze last bitch. Because I no cheat you like bitch before her. Because I do halfs your job so you not getting angina attack and leave his family to soon." Cerise said in a manner that Mark imagined her stamping her foot with each point she made.

He hung up on her.

He so many times could have easily fired her for her snippy attitude, but she was second to none with the customers, fixing problems, accounting, management, supply and so many things that he knew he'd have to hire three people to replace her if he did.

"She knows about my angina?" He said to himself. "How the.... bah!" He returned the phone to the cradle and thinking his 'best kept' secret may as well have been printed in a newspaper.

He sat down with a newspaper and it hit him that his daughter, his baby girl, was probably as angry with him as Ethan was hurt by his actions. His wife didn't want to discuss the situation. She had not even mentioned the kids since the revelation.

"Dammit." He said and put down the newspaper, the anxiety giving him chest pains. "This one isn't going to just blow over like the other arguments we've had." He admitted to himself. But where was his someone to talk to?

He decided to swallow some pride and go visit his brother.

He pulled up to Rick's house on the outskirts of town. It was a typical redneck property full of leaves and fallen branches from the fall storms. An old car that had been on blocks for decades. His motor home with a tattered tarp over top. The outside of the house needed desperate attention, yet the inside was clean and comfortable.

He sighed and went to knock. He hesitated. It was not in Mark's nature to admit he had a problem, but he always knew where he could go if he had one.

He didn't have to knock as Eugenia opened the door.

"Mark?" She asked with compassion in her face. "Come in. You look like you could use a drink."

Mark stepped in. "Matter of fact, I do. But I won't. This is something I need to keep my head clear for."

"Oh, my..." She said. "You want to talk to Rick?"

He nodded with a destitute expression.

Eugenia went out the back door and rang a large triangle once, then twice. After a pause she rang once, then twice again. When Rick was out on the property, it was their signal that he had a visitor.

"He's cutting fallen trees along the creek today, so they don't dam it up and flood us out like our first year here." She said. "He'll be about ten minutes."

She asked him to sit on the guest chair in the living room. It was the only one not all patched up and stained, so they left it for guests to feel comfortable. Chloe, their pure white oriental short hair cat jumped up on his lap and gave a purr and headbutt to his chin.

"Hey Chloe." Mark said and gave the kitty a scratch behind the ears.

Unlike most rednecks, his brother and his wife, didn't care for dogs. They have always preferred the company of a cat. "Smarter and meaner than a dog." Rick said, often telling the story at how the cat used to watch a cougar when it prowled. That was until the cougar decided to help herself to Chloe's food dish. The fight was on and Chloe chased the cougar off, which never returned.

"Chloe knows you need a friend." Eugenia said.

"She always did know..." Mark said with a smile, feeling better already as Chloe purred and nuzzled him. A rarity given most cats didn't care for canine companions, even the sentient ones. Mephits like Eugenia however, went paw-in-hand with them.

"Can I get you anything? Coffee?" Eugenia offered.

"My mouth feels like sandpaper from so much coffee today, but thanks." He began petting Chloe again. "Maybe some tea?"

"Wonderful. I could do with some as well." Eugenia said and went to make some.

Eugenia had just served Mark and herself the tea when Rick arrived through the back door. After taking off his hip waders and coat, he came in through the kitchen. "You rang for me? Someone's here?" He called out to Eugenia.

He entered the living room and saw his brother. He nodded. "Ready to talk about it?"

"Yeah, that I am." Mark said.

--

It was lunch time at the store and being slower for business as winter came on, the team could relax a bit. Terrance and Ethan had finished their plates and were up front talking with the girls.

A well dressed gentleman came in with a younger, highly attractive skunkette with long hair, long tail and goth dress. She caught Ethan's eye immediately, which earned him a scowl from Elise, who got up to help them.

They looked around casually and came to the counter. "Can I help you?" Elise said cheerfully.

"Maybe you can. Is their an Ethan Redd working here?" The fellow asked.

"Uh, I'm Ethan Redd." Ethan replied.

"Nice to finally meet you!" The gent whose markings could have made him either a polecat or mephit said with a smile and extended his hand as Ethan took it and shook firmly.

"I'm Larry, a friend of your Uncle Rick." He introduced himself. "And this is my daughter, Tonya."

"Hey." She said with a smile and shook Ethan's hand so delicately, he could barely feel it.

"We were to meet up, but something happened and Rick said you worked at a floor supply place." Larry said. "We're in town only for two more days, so we thought we'd at least meet you before heading home."

"Well, I'm glad you stopped by." Ethan said. "I'm doing better now, so if you two still wanted to meet for that dinner, I'm free tonight."

"That would be great!" Larry said, happily. "My treat."

"Same restaurant? Seven?" Ethan said hopeful.

"We'll be there." Larry said and the pair left.

As the door was closing behind them, Elise let out a long, low, feral growl in their direction.

"Shh, you're coming with me." Ethan whispered to her.

She raised an eyebrow, "Don't trust yourself?" She said sarcastic.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "To show you I have no interest."

"That's not what your face said when she walked in."

"A flower can be admired without being plucked." He sighed. "Why is it so hard for girls to understand that?"

"Anglo ones, anyway." Cerise said in Ethan's defence and earning a scowl as well from Elise.

"What's with the heat from missy sissy?" Terrance asked Ethan as they went back into the warehouse.

"It's... complicated." Ethan said as he put his work gloves back on.

"If she wasn't your sister, I'd say she likes you." Terrance giggled and hopped back on the lift truck, starting it.

Ethan sighed, "Well, at least ONE person in this town doesn't know about us."

After work, the siblings returned to their apartment and got changed for their dinner date with Larry and Tonya. Ethan grabbed a wiener from the fridge and chowed it down. He took another.

"You're going to ruin your appetite." Elsie scolded him.

"So? Less for Larry to pay for." He said annoyed.

"Speaking of appetite...." She said and pulled him by the arm toward the bedroom as he was still munching his second wiener.

"Ooooo, do we have time for this and showering before we go?" He smiled.

"We aren't going to need a shower." She said as she unbuttoned his dress pants, fiddling with the zipper. "I'm just going to make sure your 'powder isn't dry' around that hotsie little fluffball."

"You are so ridiculously jealous!" He laughed as he felt his pants being pulled down and she knelt. He felt her warm, soft tongue cross his balls, making him instantly hard. "But... I'm not going to complain." He sighed and lay down on his back as his sister sucked and slurped her way to a mouthful.

When they were dome, Ethan still lay there, grin on his face basking in the glow. Elise patted his leg, "C'mon, we'll be late."

"Oh, let me have my five minutes to appreciate that which you do so well." He said.

She lay beside him and nuzzled him lovingly. "You're getting spoiled."

"You love the taste, admit it." He put his arm around her.

She gave an exaggeratedly shocked look at him. "I do not!"

He began tickling her. "EEEEEE! Ethan! Stop that! EEEEEEE!"

"Little tickle-tums is a fibber!" He said like he did when they were children and stopped.

Elise, still giggling, laid on her back with her head on his stomach. "If I say I do, you might never cum in my pussy again."

"Trust me, you are gravely mistaken." He scoffed.

"Just enjoy your treats without analyzing, oh bratty brother of mine." Elise said and stuck her tongue out at him. She got up to tidy her clothes.

Due to the timing of the bus, they arrived fifteen minutes early and got a table for four.

They ordered soft drinks and against Elise's wishes, Ethan got some nachos, insisting he was going to starve to death before Larry and his daughter arrived.

Larry arrived looking more casual, making Ethan in his suit feel overdressed. But Tonya was wearing a bright, low cut red dress and high heels and a satin choker necklace. Elise gave a low growl again, getting a light slap on her knee from Ethan. "Stop that!" He whispered.

Tonya's long, white with black stripe mephit hair flowed down her back looking more like strands of light, fluffy feathers than hair. Her lavender perfume filled the area, causing Ethan's nose to twitch as he subconsciously sniffed in her direction. Tonya saw this and smiled. He got a kick from Elise.

As they sat down, Tonya who was slightly taller than Elise, but larger breasted, swayed and bounced noticeably as she leaned over and sat.

"Uhhh..." Ethan said audibly as his mouth hung open like an idiot. Tonya giggled, Elise face-palmed and Larry didn't seem to notice.

"How are you young folks doing tonight?" Larry asked.

"We're doing fine, Sir." Elise said. "How about yourself?"

"I'm doing great. But cut the Sir stuff. We aren't in your store as customers. Call me Larry." He said with a smile. "I see someone is famished?" He said noticing Ethan's empty, crumb-filled nacho tray. "Have whatever you want, it's on me."

Ethan and Larry ordered steaks. Elise a cheese burger and Tonya a vegetarian pasta.

"Those look and smell so good, but I just can't eat them." Elise lamented at the picture of the vegetarian pasta.

"They're an acquired taste for carnivores." Tonya said. "I want to watch what I eat in the winter. Too easy to dive in and bulk up."

Ethan rolled his eyes.

"Women, eh?" Larry said with a chuckle.

Elise felt a pang of emotional pain. She knew she was a pretty, delicate vixen and here she was pregnant. Her mom said her body was never the same.

"Why do you always say that, dad?" Tonya asked annoyed.

Ethan answered, "Because there's nothing most guys like more than something soft."

"You got that right, boy!" Larry agreed with a smile. He nudged his daughter, "See princess, I told you those fashion magazines were full of garbage."

Tonya rolled her eyes. It was obvious they had this conversation several times before.

Eager to change the subject, Elise asked Tonya what she did.

"I'm a student with the goal of a PhD in psychology." She replied.

"Pretty smart, this one." Larry said. "She had her BSc in social science at 17!"

"That's amazing!" Elise said. "Are you going to UBC?"

Tonya shook her head. "I'm headed to Princeton next year."

"Whoa, Ivy League!" Ethan's eyes went wide. "You must be rich."

"Honey.." Elise whispered admonishingly.

Larry laughed, "No, I am."

Tonya looked embarrassed.

"But far from being a rich kid, she's just got a loan from the 'Bank of Dad', not a free pass." Larry kissed his daughter on the cheek. "Proud of you."

Tonya face-palmed and gave a frustrated growl.

"Uh, heh." Larry said embarrassed. "Looks like dad did it again."

The waitress came with their order.

"Can I get my steak to go?" He said to the waitress. "Old dad is just in the way here."

The waitress nodded in understanding.

Larry put his rental car keys on the table beside Tonya. "You and your new friends don't stay out to late. My first appointment is at six." He got up.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" Ethan asked, uncomfortable.

Larry winked. "Our hotel is just down the block. When you have a child of your own, you'll understand." He turned to walk away, then turned back. "I'll leave my card info with the waitress. You kids have dessert and stay as long as you want, munching and talking." He then went to the cashier station.

"Sorry about my dad." Tonya said. as she ate her pasta with chopsticks far more gracefully than most people do with a fork. "He overcompensates after mom left."

"It must be hard on him." Elise said annoyed. "He's doing you such a wonderful service."

"Oh believe me, I appreciate it. But totally TMI for an introductory meeting, right?"

"I guess." Elise said quietly, still annoyed with the girl.

"So, why did you come down here with your dad? Uncle Rick said he was on business. Are you just taking a breather from your education?" Ethan asked.

She bobbed her head from side to side, thinking how to answer. "I was asked to come to meet his friend Rick's handsome, young nephew."

"I guess that's me." Ethan blushed.

Elsie shot him a 'well, tell her!' look.

"As lovely as I think you are, I'm kind of already in a relationship." Ethan said. "Sorry for the wasted trip."

"Yeah, I kind of see that you are." Her eyes moved from him to Elise and back again.

Ethan looked surprised. "How... did you know?"

"I'm a BSc Soc Sci, I'm trained to read people and you two may as well have a neon sign above you that you're a couple. Especially when your sister is calling you 'Honey' in public."

Elise turned away and blushed. Ethan fidgeted most uncomfortably.

"I personally find that fascinating. I'd love to interview you two for a thesis. But I wish my dad would stop trying to set me up with guys." Tonya said.

"So you can focus on your studies?" Ethan said, still feeling uncomfortable.

She shook her head. "Nope. His pretty little princess is as dyke as they come."

A huge wave of relief fell over Elise. "So, you're not attracted to my brother?"

"He's attractive, hell yeah." She replied as Ethan's ego ballooned. "But attracted to? Sorry, not interested." She finished the last of her pasta. "Actually when I walked in, I was hoping you were available."

Elise's eyes went wide. "I... well... don't swing that way, even if I was free."

Ethan had a grin that beamed from ear to ear. "Don't let me stand in the way of you trying new things." He said to Elise, who gasped and threatened to slap his arm, making him jerk away and giggle.

"Oh Goddess, MEN!" Tonya said, shaking her head. "If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I could pay my dad back already for my schooling."

Ethan put on a French accent and spoke in a high, girlish voice, "Anglo have so many hangup!"

This time, Elise did slap him and gave him a crooked mouth expression.

"I... don't get it." Tonya said with a clueless grin.

"Inside joke." Elise said with a chuckle. "A French co-worker of ours has that as one of her favourite expressions."

"On a serious note, why does your dad not get that you're gay? Are you still in the closet or something?" Ethan asked.

Tonya laughed. "Hell, no! I've even had girlfriends spend the night. I think dad is just being the 'river of de-nile', if you get what I mean."

Elise sipped the last of her soft drink and gave a puzzled expression. "But, if you aren't attracted to Ethan, why were you giving him eyes and giggling as he ogled you this afternoon and tonight." She had her eyebrow raised.

"Orientation aside, it still makes me feel pretty." Tonya smiled.

"Ah-ha! Like I said, admiring a flower and all that..." Ethan said emphatic.

"Okay, okay, I give on that point." After hearing that from both Tonya and Cerise, had to accept that it was the truth.

Ethan had a 'eureka' of an idea. "So, psychology student. How often would you visit our area, if your dad bought whatever it is that he was looking at down here."

Tonya thought for a moment, "Probably yearly if I had a reason to, why?"

Ethan looked at his sister. "Friend for Kiana?"

"I don't think Kiana is interested in her. Or anyone, remember?" Elise whispered, but Tonya could hear.

"No, no, no." Ethan said to both of them. "We have a friend who has had a very, very traumatic experience. She's responded to our friendship on the issue more so than councillors. She wants help. Now I realize you aren't a doctor, but a young lady her age with better insight into the psyche of... of.... sorry, damaged people for lack of a better term."

"I really don't think discussing this is appropriate?" Elise said thinking of Kiana's propriety, but on the inside agreed that the idea was valid.

Tonya tapped the table with her long, red polished claw. "I'm intrigued." She said and rubbed her chin. "I'm not good at making female friends." She shrugged with a hopeless expression, "Of course, just MY luck. Too analytical, too problem solving. They always call me 'one of the guys'." She paused thoughtfully. "What kind of personality is she?"

"Well... she says she wants to meet more people. She's easy to get along with. She talks as openly to Ethan as me." Elise pulled out her phone, "Would it be OK if I just call her and ask her to join us?" Elise offered.

"Well, daddy said for us to have a good time and have what we want. Why not invite a friend?" Tonya smiled.

Ethan felt for her dad.

--

Mark, Rick and Eugenia covered a lot of ground that afternoon and evening. From Mark's absolute shock, to disgust and temper, to steps toward acceptance of the situation, even though he still hated it.

Eugenia decided to take a risk and go on her mystical tangent. Something that annoyed Rick, but he did respect her beliefs and always heard her out, even when he rolled his eyes.

"I believe every person has their soul mate, Mark. Yours is Alice. Mine is Rick. I believe they are Karmic and the bond remains between soul mates through the ages. It just may happen that Ethan's soul mate in this life, happened to be born in the body of his sister."

Mark noticed his brother was listening to her input without an eye roll this time.

"If this is true Mark, Ethan and Elise may not have had a choice... the choice was made for them before they were even born." Eugenia concluded.

Mark just sat, pondering the words that actually made sense to him.

"Y'know woman, I think I agree with you this time." Rick said as Eugenia gasped and Mark looked shocked.

"Well, wha' I see is two young kids in unabashed love. It's just shit luck they happened to be related. Sure, they started out on the QT, but it didn't work. When they said, 'let's go live together', it all came together for them." Rick said. "You hafta admit Mark, Ethan went from a gaming loaf to a responsible member of your team. Ya think he did this for himself? Or us? He's doing it for her! Now the baby, too! If he was jus' a horny young fool thinkin' with his dick, would he be able ta do that?"

Mark cringed at the crude way his brother put that.

"Remember yourself at that age, huh? Between us, you had all the looks. 'Don Juan de Marko', remember?" Rick leaned over and smiled, also bringing a memory and smile to his brother's face. "Would you have worked like Ethan for any of them gals?" He sat back in his chair. "Don't think so."

Mark shook his head. "Hell, no. Life was a party back then."

"But..." Mark sighed, "How the hell am I going to get Alice to understand?"

"You haven't even fully understood it yourself yet, Mark." Eugenia said. "It'll take time."

"Hey! How long since you two had a vacation?" Rick asked.

"A real one? Probably three years." Mark admitted.

"Maybe it's time to get Alice and yourself away from the situation. Just the two of you on some island with palm trees and fruity drinks with umbrellas in them." Rick suggested.

"Well, she is renewing her training and teacher certification for the next school year. But maybe I can get her to take some time off?" Mark thought out loud. "Thanks you two. I think this is what I really needed.

"Any time!" Eugenia said lovingly and hugged Mark.

Mark went to shake Ricks hand, but he pulled him into a hug. "That's the brother I know. You and the sister-in-law take care, huh?"

"I will, Rick." Mark said grateful for the support when he needed it. "Look out for the kids while we're gone?"

"They will always have our love and guidance, Mark." Eugenia said as they parted company for the evening.

It was nine at night when Mark returned home. He was emotionally exhausted, but feeling very positive.

"Where the hell have you been?" Alice scolded as he walked in. "We need to talk about your drinking."

He gave her an annoyed glance, but recovered and said unperturbed, "Haven't had a drop today." He smiled at her. "I think I might not for a while, anyway."

She just looked at him.

"I was at Rick's place. Had a lot on my mind and needed to talk." He tossed the van keys in a bowl on a table near the door.

"You used to talk to me." She replied, hurt.

"I wanted to, you weren't ready for it." He said, a tinge of frustration in his voice.

"Oh. You talked about that son of yours." Alice snipped.

He wanted to feel anger toward her, but remembered quickly how he acted and felt shame. "He's still our son, honey. And Elise is still our little girl." He smiled again at her, "And whether we like it or not, we are going to be grandparents."

"It just makes me sick!" Alice shouted angrily, waving her arms and circled around the coffee table. "We raised them better than this!" She stopped and crossed an arm and bit her nails anxiously.

Mark didn't answer right away. He thought of his conversation tonight, especially near the end. How hard working Ethan was, despite being at the place where the highest possibility of running into the person that hurt him probably more than he ever had been in his life, would be. He thought of Elise, who rather than running away from confrontation, was willing to stand up for herself and face him head-on.

"I'm pretty sure we raised then in the best possible manner we could." He answered her.

She continued to bite her nails, as she always did when faced with a situation she didn't know how to face. It was her way of thinking, while letting her emotions chew until her hand bled. In all the years Mark knew her, he knew this as a positive sign, as it was always her first step to working a complex problem to resolution.

"How about a vacation?" He asked. "A real one."

She looked up, intrigued. "I'm taking classes, though?"

"When's your next break?"

"Christmas." She said softly. "Three weeks."

"Then I'll book two of those for someplace that has no concept of winter." He said cheerfully.

"But..." She protested, "We've never been apart as a family at Christmas."

He went over and put his arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Honey, I think it's time we give them some space and we definitely need some of our own now, right?"

She smiled up at him, "I knew you'd think of something. You always do, my husband."

--

"Excuse me, we've been closed for a half hour and the cleaning crew would like to get started." The waitress said apologetically to the four young people at the table. "Your bill is covered."

Tonya, Kiana, Elise and Ethan had spent the full evening happily getting along with their new friend.

"Geez, we have to go to work tomorrow and we're walking back, now." Ethan complained.

Tonya held up the keys to her dad's rental. "Car, remember? Just tell me where to turn and I'll drop you all off."

They were grateful for the lift.

After dropping Elise and Ethan off, Kiana directed Tonya to her apartment. It was in an obviously lousy area of town. "Are you going to be OK?" Tonya asked, noticing a passed-out drunk beside the stairs that led to the entry way.

Kiana looked around. "I only see Wally passed out again. He's harmless. He used to be a phys-ed teacher until he got into the bottle."

"How do you know that?" Tonya said with a scrunched nose.

Kiana looked remorseful for the fellows situation. "He was my phys-ed teacher. Mom will probably make him a sandwich for breakfast when she comes home at 6 AM."

"You're alone in there? Here?" Tonya said with shock.

Kiana looked annoyed, "Not everyone lives in a house with a tennis court. We've had to make do."

Tonya felt shamed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to judge."

"Hey, you're out of your comfort zone." Kiana smiled reassuringly making Tonya realize for all her education and self confidence, she is still learning.

"Want to come up? It's not as grungy inside as outside, I promise."

"Sure." Tonya accepted. She made sure to set the car's alarm before going in.

True to Kiana's word, the apartment while small, had a warm, homey feeling in the vintage building. Tonya loved it. It reminded her of the studios and offices in Brooklyn she toured on spring break while the rest of her University friends got drunk in Tampa.

She picked up a notebook that had been drawn all over as Kiana poured them each a glass of sherry before calling it an evening. "Did you draw these?" Tonya asked.

Kiana came out with the glasses and handed her new friend one. "Yeah, that's me, the great artist." She chuckled. "Art and writing is an outlet for me." She admitted, "Sometimes words don't work, so I draw."

Tonya was impressed. She had seen lesser works coming out of the University art classes. "They're lovely. Passionate in their impact."

Kiana blushed. "You can look through the book. Not all are nice. Some are very, very angry."

They sat together and went through many booklets into the wee hours of the morning.

Quarter past six in the morning, Kiana's mom arrived home from her overnight stocking shift at the local supermarket. She expected to find Wally sleeping beside the stairs, but he had moved on by the time she arrived.

She entered the apartment quietly. Her daughter would usually wake when she went to bed.

She noticed a different purse lying on the small couch and her daughters booklets scattered about. Very unusual given how tidy she normally was. She thought Kiana got a new handbag and took it to hang on the coat pegs by the door. She noticed a pair of red high heels beside her daughter's sneakers.

"Oh, Kiana has a friend over!" She said quietly to herself. Normally her friends when they sleep over, are curled up on the couch when she gets home. But her booklets were all over that and she hadn't put the empty glasses in the sink.

She sighed, "Her friend better not be in my bed, again." She thought of her friend Marie, who whined about muscle spasms sleeping on anything other than a mattress. But when she was over, Kiana usually let her sleep in her bed and her daughter took the couch.

She made herself dinner, which also served as Kiana's breakfast and put her share in the fridge. She also put a smaller amount in a plate with a note, "For your guest."

She tidied up a spot on the couch and turned on the TV quietly to watch a morning talk program while she ate. A loud snoring sound came from the bedrooms down the short hallway.

Her daughter always slept with her door closed, so she assumed the guest was in her bed. She put her plate on the coffee table and got up to close the door to her bedroom so she could watch the program without turning the volume up too loud. She would deal with Kiana's friend in her bed after her dinner.

As she went to the bedrooms, she saw her door wide open and no one in her bed. Kiana's door was partially open with a dim light still on. Curiosity got the best of her and she peeked in to see who the friend was that snored so loud.

She saw that her daughter's bed had the blankets and pillow removed. She opened the door a little more to see on the floor, a red dress, her daughter's clothes and her daughter on her side with her arm around a young, busty skunkette lying on her back, mouth open, snoring loudly. The blanket was only across the legs of their naked bodies.

He mother gave a gasp, then quietly closed the door. She could feel herself blushing profusely as she went back to the living room and picked up her plate.

She went to take a bite, but put the fork down. She began to cry. But these were not tears of sadness, or even shock. She looked up and said, "Thank you. Thank you for opening my daughter's heart." She wept tears of happiness that her daughter was finally, after all these years, beginning to heal.