Caleb 36 – Truth and Lies.

We all trooped across to number five for lunch. I knocked on the door at almost exactly one o’clock. Alan answered immediately.

“Hi guys,” he said, smiling. “Come on in.”

We took our shoes off, leaving them on the porch, before entering. I handed Alan the wine I had bought and he took it into the kitchen. “Lunch will be about thirty minutes,” he said, emerging a moment later. “Caleb, Anne asked if you wouldn’t mind giving her a hand?”

I went into the kitchen. Anne smiled at me as I walked in. She had a muffin tray and was about to pour the batter into it to make Yorkshire pudding.

“You need to heat the oil first,” I said. “Otherwise, they won’t rise properly. It needs to be smoking hot.”

She put the muffin tray into the oven and put the batter back onto the side. Alan had returned to the living room. Anne looked at me. “When did you find it?” she asked. I realised that she had figured out we had found the glory hole.

“Find what?” I queried.

She snorted at me. “You almost got away with it, but one of the twins turned you slightly so we could see better. I didn’t figure it out it at the time, but I was thinking about it later and realized the significance of her doing that.”

“Does your brother know?” I asked. I figured if she was going to call us out, then I would return the favor.

She went white. “How?”

“You’re not the only one that thinks stuff over later,” I said. “It was just a suspicion until now, but your reaction confirmed it. Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. Like I said to Alan: we alternative lifestyle people need to stick together.”

“He told me about that,” she said with a half-smile. “You were testing him, teasing him, weren’t you?”

“You should have seen his face,” I said, with a wicked grin. “He nearly crushed your cable box.”

“You are a bad man,” she scolded. The relief blazed in her aura. She had, for so long, wanted to be able to relax around someone.

Alan returned to the kitchen to get drinks for everyone.

“Alan,” said Anne. He stopped what he was doing and looked at her. “They know.”

“Know what?” he asked, looking worried.

“Everything,” she said. “About the hole, about us…”

He looked at me with real fear in his eyes.

“It’s okay,” I reassured him. “We know, and we don’t care. What you guys do - who you are - is not our business. I’m flattered to find out that watching us feeds your fantasies. We’re not going to tell anyone. Your secrets are completely safe with us.”

Alan sat down at the kitchen table.

“I…” he said. “I don’t know what to say. How long have you known?”

“Since lunch last week,” I said. “You said that you’d seen me training, I couldn’t figure out how. At first, I thought you might be tapping into our CCTV, but then I realized it was something a little lower-tech. I checked the fence for knotholes and found a rather large one. Your comments about how long you’ve been together also made me think. But most of all, you have the same eyes. Your being siblings was a guess, but every time I poked you, your reaction was pretty extreme. If it makes you feel any better, Anne’s poker face isn’t great either. Runs in the family?”

“So, what happens now?” asked Anne.

“Something very important,” I said. She looked a little unnerved. “You pull out the muffin tray with the smoking oil, and quickly pour the batter into each cup and then pop them back in the oven. Then, in about twenty minutes, you should have perfect Yorkshire puddings.”

The Yorkshire puddings turned out really well, and the rest of the meal was just as tasty. After the initial shock of my revelation, Alan and Anne relaxed, and we enjoyed a nice lunch.

I sensed from them that they didn’t really want to discuss the glory hole, and, while they would be content to deal with anything that came through it, they didn’t want to engage any more directly. Peeping and ‘anonymous’ sex were their fantasies. Swapping and orgies, not so much - at least not yet. I kept the girls in the loop, so they’d know not to press the issue. For once, I felt that Amanda was on my side. Keeping a fantasy alive was something she respected, apparently. I had a feeling she’d still push them a little on joining us if the opportunity presented itself.

Alan opened the wine with lunch. Not being a huge fan of wine, I declined, and then accepted the beer offered in its stead. Josh took the same offer, but everyone else had a glass – and that was only the beginning.  Between the six of them, they managed to make their way through the two bottles that I’d brought, and another one that Alan had had in the house. By the time lunch was over, all the girls were a little tipsy.

We stayed and helped to clear up after lunch, despite the protests from the hosts, and then for a short while longer while the girls settled down; it ended up we had been there all afternoon. We called it an early night, though; I wanted to finish up some stuff for school and get ready for the week ahead.

That night, Louise was making not-so-subtle advances yet again, but I wasn’t really in the mood. I deflected her back to Josh and went to bed.

Amanda followed me into the bedroom. “What’s going on between you and Louise?” she asked as soon as the bedroom door closed.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You know what I mean,” she said. “Twice now she has come on to you, and each time you have rejected her. Why?”

“Do you think that after what they have just been through,” I asked, “that Josh needs to see his girlfriend having sex with another man?”

“You’re not ‘another man,’” she said. “You’re you.”

“I’m not having any kind of sex with Louise,” I said firmly, “until I’m sure that Josh is over what happened with Keenan.”

“But that’s Josh’s problem,” said Amanda. “Why should Louise be punished?”

“I’m not punishing her,” I returned. “I’m trying to prevent them splitting up. And if her libido is more important to her than Josh’s feelings right now, then maybe he should have asked to see her memories of Saturday.”

“You think she…?” Amanda asked, wide-eyed.

“I know she lied,” I said. I sent the memory I’d taken from Louise. When she’d been separated from Josh at the party, Keenan had cornered her and practically raped her. Given Louise’s proclivities, however, she had found it incredibly exciting. After Josh had left, and she had been stopped from going after him, she’d ended up with Keenan in her bed again - that time semi-willingly. Despite what she had said to Josh, Keenan had made her cum several times on both occasions. Louise disliked Keenan - even hated him - but had loved his cock.

I felt Amanda sharing that with Mary and Jules. I was glad that she didn’t send it to Ness. I knew it wasn’t fair, but I still didn’t want her involved in household drama unless and until she had to be. Mary and Jules came into the bedroom shortly after.

“You looked?” asked Mary.

I nodded. “I knew that we were going to get drawn into their drama, and I wanted to know the truth.”

“Fuck it?” asked Jules, half-smiling at me.

“Fuck it!” I agreed.

Mary and Amanda looked from Jules to me, and I saw Jules share the memory of our discussion with them. Mary sighed. “What are you going to do?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I like Louise; I really do. I think her and Josh are great together. She loves him with all her heart; that is something else I saw. But Louise is not a one-man woman. I don’t think it’s possible for her to get everything she needs in a single package – well, from a Norm, anyway. She wants all the normal, healthy things that a guy like Josh brings to the relationship, but she also has that dark side, and I don’t think role playing with the man she loves and wants to marry is ever going to satisfy it. Without my powers, I wouldn’t be able to either. It’d be too consensual.”

“Is that due to our influence?” asked Amanda. “Like Jules said?”

“I don’t think it helped,” I said, “but she seems to have always had a very high sex drive. She lost her virginity three days after her eighteenth birthday. It was at a gangbang with six of her school’s football players, which she helped organize.”

“Poor Josh,” said Amanda. “He’ll be devastated if he finds out.”

“Maybe not,” I said. “He’ll be pissed that she lied, but I don’t think her having sex with Keenan is the big deal it was made out to be. It wasn’t the sex; it was the disrespect and trying to steal Louise away that bothered him. I guess it’s possible that Josh is seriously turned off by preppies or trust-fund kids, but I wonder if the three of them might’ve gotten together if they’d met up under more normal circumstances – you know, back home, old stomping grounds, ex is there; why not?”

“Hell, just a threesome might’ve been too boring for Louise to go for,” Jules said sardonically.

I cocked my head, conceding the point. “I think this needs to come out,” I said. “I also think we’re in the best position to manage the situation, so that nobody says or does anything they can’t take back.”

“Easier said than done,” said Mary. “Do you have a plan?”

“I don’t,” I admitted. “Sooner is better, though.”

“Well, I don’t have any brilliant ideas right now,” said Amanda, “but I definitely vote for meddling.”

Jules raised an eyebrow. “Interesting choice of words.”

“What?” Amanda asked. “Meddling is fun. We’re like the Scooby gang for sex.”

“Just don’t call me Velma,” said Jules. “Bad memories.”

I cleared my throat a bit theatrically. The connection let me forget sometimes that having three – soon to be four – girlfriends all living under the same roof meant a lot of extra chatter about anything and everything. The looks I got from all three of them were priceless, but they quietly gave me back the floor.

“It needs to be driven by Louise,” I said. “If any of you have any bright ideas about how to get her on board, have at it.”

“I do, actually,” said Jules, “but I’m not a hundred percent sure that Louise will go for it.” She went on to explain her idea in detail.

“That might work,” I said.

“Would you be willing to do it?” she asked me.

“If she asked me to, then yes,” I replied.

“When?” asked Mary.

“On that, Caleb’s right,” said Jules. “Josh is already starting to get suspicious that Caleb won’t have anything to do with Louise.”

“Let me go talk to Louise,” said Amanda. “If she’s up for it, then I’ll bring them both in here.”

“Now?” I asked, a little dismayed.

“Hey, you said,” she replied cheekily.

I sighed. It was – or had been – one of my few easy nights during the week. “Fine,” I grumped.

Amanda left the room and I got into bed, sitting up against the headboard. About fifteen minutes later, Amanda returned, followed by Josh and Louise. Louise looked nervous; Josh looked a little confused, but he also looked scared. I think he had an inkling that he might be in for some bad news, but I doubted that he had any idea what Jules had in mind for him.

I looked at Louise, sending a message directly to her mind. She nodded and agreed the same way.

I immediately took control of her, imagining that she would sit in the chair, facing the bed. I backed it up with a verbal order, to let Josh know that I had taken control.

“Louise,” I said. “We are going to ask you some questions. You will answer completely, and truthfully, no matter what. Do you understand?” Josh knew it was a performance for his benefit. It threw him off a little. He didn’t understand why I was playing the role of a stage hypnotist.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Caleb?” Josh asked nervously. “What are you doing?”

“Since Saturday,” I said, “you have been tying yourself up in knots about what happened at Louise’s parents’ house. There are things that you want to know, and there are things that you need to know. You are about to get those answers.”

“But I said…” he began.

“You said it,” I countered, “but I know the truth. Since I’m in charge, me and the girls will ask our questions and get our answers first. Then it’ll be your turn. Think about what really matters to you.

“Now, I am not going to Compel you to participate in this exercise, but I think you should. You’re already suspicious; it’s already eating away at you. Let’s get it all out in the open and deal with it. I told you months ago that I liked you, and I liked Louise, but I loved ‘Josh and Louise.’ That’s why we’re doing this. We’re doing it for ‘Josh and Louise.’”

Josh’s eyes were already wet. “She slept with him, didn’t she?” He was starting to get angry and upset. I felt Amanda’s power flare, but I quashed it. Amanda looked at me, puzzled.

“It’s fine for you to be angry,” I said to Josh, “but before you act on it, please, let’s find out the truth - not just that truth, but the whole truth.”

Josh took a shuddering breath and nodded. I patted the bed, and he came and sat beside me. Mary took his other side and held his hand.

“Ready?” I asked Josh, and he nodded again.

“Louise,” I said, “I have changed my mind about you. I want you to leave Josh and join me and my girls. Will you do that?”

Josh looked at me. I saw shock, horror, and a sense of betrayal on his face. I wasn’t surprised.

“No!” Louise shouted.

Josh’s attention snapped back to his girlfriend.

“Why not?” I asked.

“I like you, Caleb,” she said, “maybe even love you, and the girls. You are a really nice guy, and amazing in bed, but I love Josh more than I can even find words for. There is nobody in the world I would rather be with than him - not even you. I’m sorry.”

“If that’s the case, then why did you sleep with Keenan?” asked Mary.

Josh’s head spun to look at Mary, and just as quickly looked back at Louise.

“I don’t know,” said Louise. “The first time, he kind of forced himself on me.”

“What happened?” asked Mary.

“I got sent up to one of the bedrooms by my mother, “Louise began, “supposedly to get something. When I got there, he was waiting for me.

“As soon as I opened the door to the bedroom, he grabbed me, kicking the door closed behind us. He had one hand over my mouth, the other arm around my throat, and he dragged me across the room and threw me onto the bed. By the time I realized what was going on he had pulled off my top and was on top of me, kissing me. I felt so helpless; he is much bigger, stronger and heavier than I am, and I was not able to get him off of me.

“He kept on forcing his tongue into my mouth as he undid my jeans, and then he got his hand down the front of them, and into my panties. My pussy was already soaking. You all know my fantasies about being forced, and so did he. He played on it.

“He shoved two fingers inside of me and began to fuck me with them. My head was completely wrecked. I’d already had a lot to drink; he and my parents had been feeding me alcohol all night, and now he had me pinned to the bed and was forcefully masturbating me. It took me less than a minute to orgasm.

“By the time I had come back to my senses, he had completely removed my jeans and panties. He was on top of me, my hands pinned above my head as he slid into me. He pushed in slowly, grinning like a maniac at me all the time, telling me that I belonged to him and that he was going to fuck me over and over again, filling me up with his cum. He started talking about Josh, telling me that if I was a good girl he would let Josh watch, and maybe let him suck out the creampie he was about to blow in me.”

I looked at Josh. He had tears on his cheeks, but I could see that his face was flushed, and already his trousers were tented. Jules had been spot-on with her assessment.

Louise went on. “He fucked me, hard. There was no finesse; he made no attempt to make it good for me; he just rammed his nine inches into me over and over again, claiming me, marking me as his. Despite his lack of attention to me, I came again. Being used like that just pushed my buttons. I came twice more before he finally stiffened and shot a huge load of cum inside of me.

“I lay there, stunned. Then I realized what had happened. Technically I had been raped, but I’d loved every second of it. It was almost as intense as the fantasy that you, Caleb, made for us, although the one thing missing was my Josh. I remember thinking that the only thing that would have made that scene better would have been for Josh to have been there.

“After he rolled off me, I turned on my side to face him. I knew what would happen if I did, and it did. He, too, turned on his side to face me. He started to say something about how good I had found it, but he didn’t get to finish; I kneed him as hard as I could in the balls.

“He actually rolled off the bed onto the floor, curled up in a ball, and I used the time to get my clothes and get out of the room. He caught up to me just before Josh found us. When Josh came up, Keenan was whispering in my ear that he was going to tell Josh that I had dragged him upstairs for sex - that Josh wouldn’t believe that I hadn’t wanted to fuck him, especially as my parents would back his story.

“Then Josh got his stuff and left. I begged him not to go, literally on my knees on the floor, but he wouldn’t stop. Keenan and my parents prevented me from following him. I went up to my bedroom and locked myself in, intending to stay as far away from all of them as I could.”

I looked at Josh again. His aura was awash with rage, but I could tell it wasn’t directed at Louise. He wanted to go and hurt Keenan, hurt him badly. I also saw love and a massive amount of arousal.

“You said that was the first time,” Mary said. “What else happened?”

“Later that night, Keenan somehow managed to open the door.” Louise picked up her tale. “I was asleep. I’d had so much to drink, and the first time I knew he was in my bed was when I felt him enter me. I knew immediately who it was, but he felt so good inside me that I let him have me once more. This time he took his time. He had originally entered me from behind and he fucked me like that for some time, making me cum a couple of times, before he turned me over and climbed on top. I don’t know if it was because he had cum earlier, or because of the knee to the balls, but he seemed to go on forever. I came again and again, feeling him thrusting in and out of me, until finally he came. He pushed himself deep inside me and then groaned as he spurted his cum into me. Then he rolled off me and fell asleep.

“The next morning, I got up before anyone else was awake. I tried to call Josh, but his phone was off. I snuck out of the house and drove to the bus stop to see if Josh was there, and then came home.”

“You said that Keenan was no good in bed,” said Jules. “Was that a lie?”

“Not at all,” said Louise. “I did lie when I said he never made me cum, but, as you all know, I cum very easily. The first time, Keenan made me come three, maybe four times. Josh would have had me at least a dozen times in the same session. Despite the fact that Keenan is bigger than Josh, even when we’re role playing, Josh takes care to make it good for me. The reality of being taken was more responsible for making me cum than Keenan.  He was a boring lover. All the time we were together, it was the same. Never once did he try something different or even bother to ask what I wanted. It was always all about him. We fucked a lot, and yes, I did cum, but never, in all the time we were together, did we ever make love. Josh is a hundred times the lover and a thousand times the man than Keenan could ever hope to be.”

Josh looked at Amanda, waiting for her to ask her question.

“Why did you lie?” asked Amanda. I was surprised by her accusatory tone until I looked at Josh. He was bristling at the question, wanting to defend his love. Amanda was sometimes cleverer than people gave her credit for.

“I was terrified that if Josh found out,” said Louise, “he would leave me. I was so happy when he first told me that he loved me. I’d known from the moment I’d laid eyes on him that he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I was so scared that I had destroyed that. Josh and I have an unusual sex life - what with you guys, and we talk all the time about including others. The thought of him sticking his cock through the fence for Anne or Alan to suck him off makes me so horny.

“I didn’t instigate sex with Keenan – either time – but I didn’t stop him either. I might not have been able to stop him the first time, but I know I could have probably stopped him the second. I didn’t, and I don’t really know why. I do know that I never ever want to see him again, and that all I really want is for the man that I love, Josh, to hold me in his arms and tell me that he loves me, and that everything is going to be alright again.”

I looked at Josh. His erection had subsided, and his tears had dried. He was staring at Louise, his mind in so much turmoil that I couldn’t get a clear read of what he was going to say or do next.

“Josh?” I said quietly. He looked at me. “Do you have a question for Louise?” I asked him.

Josh pulled his hand carefully from Mary’s, who had held it all through the questioning. Then he slid down the bed, climbing to his feet at the foot, before walking the two yards to where Louise was sat. As he approached, she looked up at him, her eyes still wet with tears.

“Louise,” he said. “Will you marry me?”

The quartet of gasps from the girls and I was still not enough to drown out the sobbed “YES!!” that burst from Louise as she launched herself out of her chair and wrapped her arms around her lover. She clung to him, sobbing into his shoulder, and I quietly released her from the Compulsion. I felt both Mary and Amanda flowing love over the pair, and that time I did not quash it, letting them bask in the emotions as they held one another.

Finally, they separated, and then both looked at me.

“It was Jules’ idea,” I said quickly before either of them could get a word out. Josh released Louise and walked over to Jules, pulling her to her feet and into a hug, which Louise joined mere seconds later. They clung to the smaller girl for several minutes. Jules just relaxed into the hug and held onto the pair for as long as they needed.

“Thank you,” they said together, finally releasing her. “Thank you all.” Their gazes swept the room, finding each of us in turn.

Not long after that, Josh and Louise retired to their room to go and ‘discuss’ their engagement. Jules and the girls all joined me in bed and were settling down to sleep. As usual, Mary was on one side, Jules the other, with Amanda curled up behind Jules.

“You are a genius,” I said to Jules.

“That’s not quite the way I expected it to go,” she said.

“Me neither,” said Amanda. “I thought he would get so horny from her description of her ‘rape’ that he would jump her then and there.”

“I think he almost did,” I said. “Your question was masterful, too, Amanda. Did you see how he went into protection mode against you?”

She grinned. “I did. All in all, I think it worked out very well. Did you see his face when you offered her to join us?”

“That was mean,” said Mary. “What would you have done if she had said yes?”

“She was never going to,” I said. “I was one hundred percent sure of that. Otherwise, I would never have asked.”

“You’re all feeling particularly pleased with yourselves,” sent Ness. “What gives?”

I sent her the memories of everything that had gone on. There was a short pause as she assimilated it all.

“Jules – you schemer!” she returned, eventually. “Nice Job. Caleb, don’t forget it’s Fiona’s birthday on Wednesday. I can tell that she has already lost loads. She has had to get smaller pants for school.”

“You haven’t told her about the incentive?” I asked.

“Nope. She’s got no idea. Although tonight was a close call.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I was over there,” she explained. “Fi, her mom, and I were all chatting in the living room. We kind of lost track of time. Fortunately, Fi had gone to the bathroom when ten o’clock hit.”

I laughed out loud.

“I’ll bet she was mortified,” sent Jules.

“At first,” Ness sent, “but she had to get over it quick before Fi returned. We just pretended nothing happened. She went to bed as soon as Fi came back. Then I came home.”

“Well, at least it’s good to know she’s still off the cigarettes,” I sent.

I felt Ness’s amusement. “I’m going to sleep now,” she sent. “I love you guys. Night!”

We all sent our love, and likewise, aided by Amanda’s power, drifted off to sleep.

My Monday night Healing training was going to be different that week. When I pulled into the parking lot of the hospital I had been asked to meet him at, I spotted Jeevan standing beside his car, and pulled into the space next to him. He handed me a janitor’s uniform.

“There is a bathroom just through the main entrance on the left,” he told me. “Go change.”

I followed his directions and then went back into the parking lot to throw my clothes into my truck. Then he led me in through another door and up a set of stairs.

“People here recognise me as a janitor,” he said. “They will think the same of you.”

We continued to climb the stairs.

“Are janitors not allowed to use elevators in this hospital?” I grumbled, and he laughed.

“Come, bhaiya,” he exclaimed, “surely a young fit man like yourself can handle a few flights of stairs?”

I looked at him. He was far too happy. “You shared again today, didn’t you?” I asked.

He grinned.

“And Meena?”

“Meena is finding the journey an interesting one,” he said.

“I’m happy for you, my brother,” I said, “and for my older sister too.”

He placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Thank you bhaiya,” he said. “Without you, we would still be struggling with this.” He turned and continued up the stairs. We climbed to the fifteenth floor.

“This is the children’s ward,” he said as we came out of the stairwell and onto the corridor. “There is a young lady here I would like you to meet.”

We walked onto the ward as if we were meant to be there. Everyone just ignored us. A couple of nurses who had been standing in the middle of the corridor stepped aside to let us pass. We walked into a room where a young girl, aged about six, was sitting on a bed, playing on a handheld video game. She looked up as we entered.

“Mister Jay,” she said happily as she saw Jeevan.

“Hey pretty girl,” Jeevan said, waving to her. “We’re here to fix the bathroom. This is my friend, Mister Kay.”

She looked up at me and smiled shyly. “Hello,” she said. “I’m Christina.”

“Hi Christina,” I said. “What are you playing?”

“Minecraft,” she said, “but my battery is low. Will you plug it in for me? The nurses are too busy, and I can’t reach.”

“Surely,” I said, and plugged the charger into the device. It was just about long enough for her to continue to play.

“Christina has a tumor in her brain,” sent Jeevan. “They are not able to remove it because it is too deeply embedded and wrapped around her brainstem. She would die immediately. They are about to start another round of chemotherapy, which, with your help, is going to be a complete cure.”

“What?” I sent. “I don’t know how to cure a brain tumor.”

“I’ll guide you,” he reassured me. “I don’t have the power, and she doesn’t have the time. Without our intervention, Christina will not see the end of the month.”

“Where’s your mommy?” asked Jeevan.

“She just went to get coffee,” said Christina. “She’ll be back in a minute.”

“Okay,” said Jeevan. “Mr. Kay and I are going to fix the toilet in your bathroom.”

“Okay,” said Christina going back to her game. We moved into the ensuite bathroom and closed the door.

“Now,” he said softly. “Feel for her.”

I reached out and found her mind with mine. She was such a bright presence - a cheerful and loving soul who had been tormented for months. Her memories and pain brought tears to my eyes. She didn’t want this next round of chemo; it made her feel sick and horrible. She had heard the doctors telling her mother that it was unlikely to work, and that she probably only had weeks to live. They didn’t think she had heard, let alone understood, the conversation. Strangely, she wasn’t frightened of dying, but she was upset to be leaving her mommy. She knew that her mommy would be sad when she died, and she didn’t like to think of that.

I felt Jeevan’s hand on my shoulder.

“I know, bhaiya,” he said quietly, “but you and I are going to save her. Don’t cry for her; she is not yet lost.”

I wiped my eyes and pulled myself together.

For the next thirty minutes, Jeevan carefully guided me through the process of destroying the tumor that was sapping the life out of that beautiful little girl. Since she was only a child, we had to be even more careful about protecting her other organs - especially since she had already been weakened by the poisons that had been pumped into her in previous rounds of chemotherapy.

Jeevan estimated it would take about two weeks for her to be completely cancer free, but he told me that the tumor would start shrinking within a few hours. By the next morning it would be almost ten percent smaller. By the time we were finished, I was sweating and breathing hard. My energy bar was down to about five percent and was glowing an ominous red colour.

“It is done,” said Jeevan. “Sit and rest for a moment.”

I was perched on the closed toilet seat. It took about ten minutes before my breathing settled. I washed my face in the sink and dried off on paper towels.

“Can we persuade the doctors to delay the chemo and scan her instead?” I asked. “If they see the tumour shrinking, she might avoid the misery of another round.”

“I did that while you were recovering,” he said, smiling at me. “Her doctors and her mother are in the room with her just now. We will leave just after the doctors do.”

We left the bathroom a few minutes later. Christina and her mother were sitting reading together when we emerged. Christina looked up and smiled. Her mother nodded at Jeevan.

“Did you fix the toilet?” she asked, and Jeevan nodded.

“Good as new,” He said.

“They’re not giving me medicine tomorrow,” said Christina. She sounded happy.

“Really?” asked Jeevan.

“The doctors want another scan first,” said her mother. She sounded bone weary.

“Maybe that’s good news,” said Jeevan. “Who knows?”

The mother smiled a hopeless smile, tears in her eyes.

“We’d better get back to work,” said Jeevan. “Bye, Christina.” He nodded to her mother, and we turned to leave her room.

“Mr. Kay?” said Christine suddenly.

I stopped and turned. “Yes?” I said.

“Thank you,” she said solemnly.

I smiled at her. “It was nice to meet you,” I said.

Jeevan allowed me to ride the elevator. When we exited, he led me into the hospital cafeteria.

“Dinner is on me,” he said, grabbing a tray and piling food onto it.

As we sat, and I ate, that little girl’s face hung in front of my vision.

“Are you sure we…” I began.

“I’m certain,” Jeevan interrupted me. “By this time next week, all her symptoms will be gone, and by the week after, it will be as if the tumor never existed. You did a perfect job, bhaiya.”

I looked at him for a moment. At first, I couldn’t understand why his face was blurry, but then I realized that tears were streaming from my eyes. I didn’t even understand why I was crying. I should have been happy. I had just saved the life of a little girl. But I couldn’t help it. I covered my face with my hands, and I broke down.

I felt his arm around me, and he held me while I sobbed.

“It is okay,” he said. “She will be fine. We will come back next week to see her. They will want her to stay for a while to monitor the tumour shrinking, so we will see her again.”

I finally got myself under control. “I don’t even know why I was crying,” I finally managed.

“Relief, mostly,” Jeevan replied. “When you first entered Christina’s mind, you saw her suffering. She is an incredibly brave little girl. I saw your reaction to her thoughts on her own death – how she wasn’t afraid but was sad for her mother. That brought tears to my eyes too. But then you took on the responsibility to save her, and there was a small part of you – a tiny part that you probably didn’t even feel – that didn’t think you could do it. You thought that you wouldn’t be able to save her. But you did, bhaiya. You saved that little girl, and she will now be able to stay with her mother, and Mommy won’t be sad anymore.

A thought occurred to me. –Why did she thank me?” I asked.

“Because she felt it,” he said. “Sometimes that happens – particularly with children. She knows that you healed her. She may or may not tell anyone, but nobody will believe her.

I looked around the cafeteria. Nobody had noticed me bawling. I presumed that Jeevan had diverted attention from me. Then again, we were also in a hospital – a place where grief is even lonelier for being experienced amongst others.

“Eat,” said Jeevan. “Another reason for your emotional state is that you are exhausted. You need to replenish.”

We spent another half an hour in the cafeteria while I consumed the tray of food that Jeevan had selected for me. Then he walked me back to my truck.

“Keep the uniform,” he said. “Next week we will go see Christina again. There may be someone else we can help too.”

When I arrived home, Jules was sitting in the living room, absently watching the television, and doing something on her laptop.

“Where is everyone?” I asked.

“Your room,” she said. She looked up at me. “Are you okay? You look like you have been crying.”

She dumped her laptop on the seat beside her and stood, coming over and putting her arms around me.

I smiled at her. “I have had a rather emotional evening,” I said, “but yes, I am fine. Better than fine.”

She looked up into my eyes. “Show me?”

I gave her the memory of my evening, from meeting Jeevan to arriving home. Her eyes glazed for a moment and then filled with tears. She pulled me tight against her.

“That is amazing,” she said. “I’m so proud of you.”

I heard a noise behind me, and looked around to find Louise standing in the doorway, naked.

Jules released me. “Go show them,” she said.

Louise walked over to me and took my hand. She turned and led me from the living room, down the hall and into my bedroom.

Josh and the twins were in there, unsurprisingly all naked. I guessed that he and Louise had been thanking the twins for their part in the reconciliation. Judging by the state of the bed – and the smell of the room – the ‘thanking’ had been going on for some time.

It was my turn.

I wasn’t really in the mood for a wild orgy just then. Mary caught my eye. She had heard my thought, and at first was worried that I was angry that they had been playing while I had been out. Then she realized that it was something else.

“Louise,” she said. “Stop a moment.”

Louise looked surprised, but did as she was asked. I sensed what they had planned, and it had been a no-holes-barred extravaganza. They had pretty much worn Josh out, but he still had lingering thoughts of at least showing his gratitude.

I felt a conversation between Jules and Mary flash by. Then I saw Mary and Amanda’s eyes first glaze, and then fill with tears. Then I saw the same happen in both Louise and Josh’s eyes as the twins passed the memory on.

“Louise,” said Amanda. “Change of plan.”

Louise looked at Amanda, a questioning look on her face.

“Don’t fuck him,” said Amanda. “Love him.”

Louise turned back to me and stepped close, her green eyes, still damp with unshed tears from the memory, gazing up into mine. “Would that be okay?” she asked. “Can I make love to you?”

I glanced across at Josh to see his reaction to that question. One of the things Louise had said the previous night was that she had never made love to Keenan, how would he react to her wanting to make love to me.

“We both love you,” he said. “Let her show you.”

Louise drew me down for a kiss, capturing my lips with hers and holding me close. The kiss was soft and gentle, and I felt a depth of emotion I had never felt from her before. I felt other hands on me as the twins closed in and began to remove my clothing. By the time Louise released me from the kiss, I was as naked as she.

I felt fingers on my chin and my head was turned away from Louise. Mary captured my mouth with hers. She, too, kissed me softly and slowly, holding me gently to her. She wasn’t using her powers, and yet I could feel the love pouring from her. Mary released me from the kiss and led me toward the bed, encouraging me to lie down on it.

Once again, my head was turned, and I received an identical kiss from Amanda. She couldn’t quite suppress her need, but it was still full of love, and I felt it without her using her powers. That made it even more special.

I felt someone climbing onto the bed, from the foot, and moving over me. By the time Amanda had broken our kiss, Louise was on top of me, her hands on the bed on either side of my head, her face over mine.

She sat astride me, her breasts pressed against my chest and her pussy lips caressing my very-erect manhood.

She kissed me again, keeping her eyes open and gazing into mine as she slowly rubbed herself against me, her pussy lips sliding up and down my shaft, coating it with her fluids. My own precum was leaking out and lubricating the head as it rubbed between her and I.

She continued to softly rub against me while we kissed. There was no urgency in her movement, and I was in no hurry to move on either. It felt both incredibly intimate and loving. Louise didn’t have power, but I could feel her love for me - almost as much as I had felt from the twins. I was amazed at the amount of love she must have held for Josh, knowing that it far surpassed what she felt for me.

Finally, she broke the kiss and slid her body up mine. I felt a hand on my cock, and, as she moved down again, I was guided into her.

Louise moved slowly, taking me all the way inside her. After a moment’s pause, she slid off me until I was almost all the way out before moving back down to engulf me once again. Each time she pulled off, she clenched her pussy, gripping me in a velvet vice. I could feel every ridge and bump of her clenched channel as it slid against my sensitive head. All the time she was doing that, she was gazing at me, projecting her love and mesmerizing me with her beautiful green eyes.,

She captured my lips in another soft kiss as she continued the slow movement. It’s difficult to describe what she was doing to me. I might’ve called it teasing, except  I was slowly starting to build toward my climax. It was the most unselfish I had ever seen her during sex. It was all about me – not my climax, but me. Her entire focus was on making me feel how much she loved me. The sex, whilst amazing, was almost incidental. We could have been just kissing or even just holding hands; it wouldn’t have mattered.

Once again, I marvelled at the amount of love she must have felt for Josh. I was not jealous that she had more love for him than for me; I was simply amazed at the amount of love she was capable of.

Then I started to feel the twins flexing their power. I felt both love and pride. It stole over me as Louise continued to build me toward my release. Again and again she slid up and down on my shaft, not changing the movement at all, squeezing me tightly on the outstroke before surrounding me in liquid heat once more.

I could feel that she, too, was succumbing to the constant motion. She was soaked; her juices were drooling from her. They coated my rigid manhood over and over, and the surfeit ran down over my balls and thighs.

She started to moan into my mouth as her own orgasm built, and I could feel that she wanted to speed up - to smash herself down onto me, grind her button into me - but she held off.

I, too, was getting close, but it was such a slow build that it had become almost painful. My cock was so hard that I could feel the veins standing out on it - could feel the rubbing against her slick channel and her lower lips as she moved me in and out of her. It felt like someone had placed a tight band around it, and I knew that I wasn’t going to hold out for much longer.

“Louise,” I groaned breaking the kiss. “You’re going to make me…”
She placed her face beside mine, so her lips were by my ear. “Do it,” she whispered. “Cum in me. Show me that you love me.”

That tipped me over the edge. I clutched her to me as I erupted inside her, my cock pulsating as I shot thick wads of creamy spunk deep into her pussy.

When she felt me start to cum, she pressed herself hard down against me, grinding her clit against my pubic bone, and hit her own orgasm. Her pussy clenched and twitched, milking me of my cum as I continued to shoot.

My orgasm seemed to be going on and on, my cock twitching and throbbing. I felt like I was shooting gallons of cum into her. She moaned and sighed as she wriggled and twitched on top of me.

As we both reached the end of our climaxes, she held my face in her hands and kissed me tenderly one last time. As she released me from the kiss, she once again placed her lips by my ear.

“I love you,” she said. She moved away slightly, and I brought my hand up to cup her cheek.

“I love you,” I replied.

We both knew that neither of us was the primary love in the other’s life. I had four others whom I would always love above her, and she had Josh, to whom I would always be second, but in that moment that didn’t matter. We had shared an incredibly intimate experience, and, for the very first time, we had made love.

It was only then that I realised that I had, almost unconsciously, shared the experience with all my girls, Ness included.

I looked across at the twins, and both were beaming, filled with love and pride.

“That was wonderful,” they said together.

I was surprised to see that Jules had accepted the invite too, given that she was in her ‘off’ state.

As Louise moved off me and into the arms of Josh, I looked to where Jules was standing by the door. She, too, was smiling. She came over, and, heedless of the sweat and sticky mess of our coupling, enveloped me in a hug.

Josh, I saw, was gazing at Louise, his eyes filled with love. She was returning his gaze with equal intensity.

“That was beautiful,” sent Ness. “I can’t believe how much love I could feel. How can you two love each other so much and not be together?”

“Because as much love as I have for her,” I returned, “I still love you, Jules, Mary and Amanda more. And as much love as she has for me, Josh is still her number one.”

I felt Josh and Louise begin to stir. They weren’t done with each other.

I put my hand out, it happened to land on Josh’s arm. They both looked at me.

“Stay?” I asked, not wanting them to leave just yet. They understood I wasn’t asking for more sex - just for them to be with us. They both smiled and nodded. They put on quite the show, whether they meant to or not. I was so exhausted that I missed most of it. Jules retreated to her room. I vaguely sensed Mary and Amanda lazily pleasuring each other while watching Josh and Louise conclude their evening; it came through the bond as almost a dream.

I woke up the next morning with Jules in my arms; I’d slept so soundly that I hadn’t sensed her return at all. Amanda was on her other side, facing me. Josh was curled up at my back, and Mary and Louise were on his other side. I lay for a moment just ‘experiencing’ the sensations of waking up in another man’s arms for a change. It wasn’t too strange, but there were subtle differences. Josh’s body was firm and muscular behind me, whereas all of my girls - although none of them had an ounce of excess fat - were much softer.

There was also his autonomic nervous system, which was currently nestled between the cheeks of my ass. It felt hot and hard there. For a moment, I relished the sensation.

Sighing, I extricated myself from between the bodies, realizing that I was leaving Jules face-to-face with Josh and his morning wood. I hoped it wouldn’t be too much of a shock for her, but I was certain that by then she could deal with it without issues.

I showered, and got ready to start my day.

Louise came into the kitchen as I was making breakfast, having returned from the dojo and showered again. She walked up and put her arms around my neck, drawing me down for a kiss.

“Good morning,” she said. “Last night was wonderful; thank you.”

“I should be thanking you - and Josh,” I replied. “Outside of my girls I have never felt as much love as I did last night. I also remembered how much I love you, both of you!”

“That’s good,” said Louise, who still had her arms around my neck, “because we both love you.” She kissed me again before releasing me and moving to the cupboard to get some plates out.

Josh surprised me, then, by coming over and kissing me too.

“She’s right,” he said as he went and sat at the table.

Josh and I had kissed a few times before - mostly on the occasions when we’d been ‘playing’ together. I could think of only one other occasion when he had kissed me outside of that. I sensed that there had been a significant change in his and Louise’s relationship, and that had allowed him to feel more secure with feelings - feelings that Louise had for me, and the feelings that he, himself, had for me. He had long since come to terms with the fact he was bisexual. At first, he had thought it was only me he was attracted to, but since the break-in, and then the fantasy rape, he had realized that his tastes were more diverse than he had previously thought. I did wonder how much influence the triple whammy of the twins and my powers had had on that too.

It had been a process for him, and I appreciated that. He seemed to be far more comfortable with just about everything, and he was no longer afraid to express his feelings - no matter who they were for.

The twins arrived, and got kisses from both Josh and Louise before I received a steaming kiss from each of them.

Jules came in and looked around the kitchen. She laughed, and then went around and gave everyone, including Josh, one of her Jules kisses. I raised my eyebrow at that. I didn’t remember her ever getting that close to him before.

“Well,” she said, “since I woke up this morning with his cock in my hand, I guessed we’d been officially introduced.”

Josh blushed. “It wasn’t exactly in your hand,” he said with a self-conscious grin.

“Maybe,” said Louise to Jules, “sometime when your window is open, you’ll let Josh and me help you ‘scratch your itch?”

“Maybe,” she said with a small smile.

I was in for another surprise that night when my class lined up on the mat and there were two new students.

“Class,” I said, “welcome our two newcomers: Josh and Louise.” The entire class turned to them and bowed.

Later, I heard Louise and Carys talking.

“So, you live with them too?” Carys was saying. “Doesn’t that get a little awkward?”

“Not at all,” said Louise. “You should come over one evening. Caleb is also a really good cook.”

“Also?” asked Carys. Louise just smiled.

Next morning, I was in the kitchen making breakfast when my phone buzzed. It was a text from Fiona.

­_OMFG what did you do to me?

_Happy birthday. I Gave you an incentive to keep going. Call it an eighteenth birthday present.

­_Is that going to happen every time I weigh myself?

­_Depends. ;-)

_I lost twenty pounds in three weeks so seven pounds per week?

I remembered, then, that I had some responsibility for the girl’s health, separate and apart from helping her dump the excess weight.

 _That would be too much. Target is four pounds per week. Eat healthily and exercise. You will continue to lose weight. I’m glad it’s working for you.

“What are you grinning at?” asked Jules as she entered the kitchen. I showed her the texts from Fiona.

“It’s a great start,” I said. “She only has another one hundred and sixty pounds or so to go.”

“That’s about forty weeks,” calculated Jules.

“Probably longer,” I said. “I just need to keep an eye on her. If we go up to your parents’ in the summer, I’ll take another look at her then. Perhaps do some readjusting. The other thing to consider is the excess skin that is going to be a problem.  I’m having trouble visualizing how I’d help with that. I’ll have to speak to Jeevan.”

After breakfast, we all headed to campus. I was heading for what had become the highlight of my academic week: my ethics class. I was surprised and intrigued by the topic that we were going to begin to address: the ethics of being a superhero.

“Let’s imagine,” said the professor after we had settled down, “that there is someone among us who has superpowers. What rights or responsibilities does this person have? Do they have the right to interfere with people who are going about their daily lives, even if they are breaking the law? They are not, after all, duly trained and authorized law enforcement officers.

“What if they interfered with the actions of a nation, or in geopolitics more generally? What if this superhero were to remove and destroy the entire nuclear arsenal of all nuclear powers? What if they were to interfere with the industrialization of a developing nation to prevent further climate damage? What rights and-or responsibilities would such a being have?”

The topic was popular; I’d never seen so many hands shoot up so quickly. Primed as the class had been by the professor’s introductory comments, the arguments against vigilantism came out first, only to be followed by a reactionary wave of pro-crime-fighting spirit. That wave was, among other things, a broadside against the inefficiency and corruption of state-based law enforcement.

Then the two positions dovetailed with arguments about what might happen if the government had either the cooperation, or outright control, of the superpowered individual.  Such power, it was suggested, would be bound to corrupt such weak people as mere politicians. The professor asked if nuclear weapons were the same, and if the same solution – mutually assured destruction – would emerge or be viable. The sudden shift from ground-level crime fighting to geopolitics threw many students off guard, even though the professor had given them fair warning. He smiled knowingly.

Later on, one student suggested that a superpowered individual’s ethical compass would be truer – or at least have the potential to be truer, as he amended when challenged - due to simply not needing as much from regular society in the first place. Another rejoined that power seemed to corrupt even more at the highest levels of luxury and excess.

“Mmmm,” the professor mused, “Plato versus Acton. That is a classic.”

Meanwhile, I was thinking to myself, “If only they knew.” I wasn’t even sure to what, specifically, I was referring.

“You were very quiet in there,” said Dana as we walked out of the classroom together after the class was over. The professor had declared that the debates were to be continued, which was rare. There was only so much time in the semester.

“It was an interesting question,” I said. “I just don’t think that you can generalize.”

“Oh?” she asked. “You think supes are wholly exempt from psychohistory? I mean, Asimov himself kinda-sorta agreed with that, I suppose. I guess it would depend on how many people in a given population had them, and how much precedent there already was.”

I cheated, and stole the info from her. As a compromise, I didn’t pretend to know exactly what she’d referenced. I made a note to either read the Foundation trilogy or steal the experience from somebody who already had. I wondered if Jules had.

“Well,” I said, “what are the specific powers? Take Wolverine, for instance. He’s a fighter. The things that make him superhuman are all about taking punishment and doling it out, right there on the ground floor. Aren’t his ethical dilemmas going to be different than, say, Professor Xavier’s?”

She thought about that for a second. “Yes and no,” she said. “The broad question is whether you impose your will on those who are less powerful than you. Any superpower, from instant healing and adamantium bones, to mind reading, will give you superiority to us norms.”

My breath caught when she said that, but I quickly realized that it had just been coincidental.

“It’s more about abusing power,” she continued, “rather than what that power is.”

We were walking toward the cafeteria for lunch as we talked.

“But what’s ‘abuse’ and what isn’t? I asked.  “What you might consider an abuse of power, someone else might consider a perfectly reasonable act.”

“Such as?” she said, frowning a little.

“Let’s say you had the power to heal someone,” I suggested, “and you did so, saving their life. But in order to maintain your secret identity, you weren’t able to ask for consent. Would that be an abuse of power?”

She considered that for a moment. “I would have to say yes,” she said. “We would condemn any medical professional who operated on someone without their consent.”

“But doctors do it all the time,” I said. “Emergency trauma cases go to the OR without consent in the name of lifesaving surgery if the patient themselves is unable to consent, and there is nobody else around.”

“But in your example,” she asserted, “the patient is awake, aware, and fully able to consent – and, more importantly, to withhold consent. It is an unwillingness to be ‘unmasked’ that is barring the healer from seeking consent, not the fact that the patient is not physically able.

“Don’t you think it’s telling that you’re jumping straight to emergency situations where normal society is concerned? Sounds to me like your supe is doing exactly what the government does: trying to frame everything as an emergency or a special case so that they get to do whatever they think is right, without having to consult with the lowly peons.”

It was at that moment that the twins sat down. Amanda’s eyes were wide, and Mary was frowning.

“What have you told her?” asked Mary in a panicked thought.

“Nothing,” I sent, and then offered up the memory of our ethics lecture and the conversation since the class. Both the twins sighed in relief. I spotted Jules heading our way, and sent her the memories as well, just so she wouldn’t panic if we were still discussing superpowers when she sat down.

“Don’t you think,” asked Mary, “that the whole ethical standpoint of someone with superpowers would be different?”

Dana raised an eyebrow. “In what way?” she asked.

“Well,” said Mary, “human ethics have largely been developed based on their abilities. If a being had powers extra to those, surely their ethical standpoint would have evolved to take those abilities into account.

“For instance,” she went on, “let’s say someone could read minds, and that those people who couldn’t read minds weren’t aware that, all the time, their immediate thoughts were audible to the mind reader. As the person with the power, because you hear people’s surface thoughts all the time, you might not think it’s a problem. It’s just like overhearing a conversation in a bar. You don’t actively listen, but you can’t help overhearing some things.

“However, the person whose mind is being read might think that they are being violated because their thoughts are being overheard in such a way.”

“What do you think, Jules?” asked Dana.

Jules got settled with her tray before replying. “I think that, in that instance, it would depend on what you did with the information you gained in that manner. If, for instance, you heard that someone was about to commit a serious crime, you should report it – just like if you’d overheard it in a bar.  However, if you discovered a secret that was personal to the ‘thinker’ but not a risk to anyone else, then you would have a responsibility to keep that secret. I hate gossips.”

“Would you tell that person you knew their secret?” asked Amanda, looking at Jules.

“God no!” exclaimed Jules. “How creepy would that be?”

“Which contextualizes Mary’s argument,” Dana said. “We can assume for argument’s sake that superpowered people are rare, because if they weren’t, then we probably wouldn’t call them ‘super’ powers to begin with. So, then they know all about how normal society and normal people operate. They know they have special advantages. Them having their own ethical sensibilities isn’t outright unreasonable, but I think it’s misguided to let them totally off the hook for any obligation to ‘read the room’ - you know, ‘the room’ being ‘almost all of human society as we know it.’”

“But what if it was something that they wanted people to know,” Amanda pressed, “but were just too scared to tell?”

“You’re lucky she’s such a nerd about this stuff,” I sent. “That was a pretty obvious redirect.” She sent me back the equivalent of a tongue sticking out.

“Depends on my relationship with the person,” said Jules. “If it were a complete stranger, then I’d just mind my own business and get on with my life. If it were someone that I were friends with, then I would just be the best friend I could be to that person until they felt ready to confide in me.”

“Geez, did you guys literally rehearse this?” I sent playfully.

“No, we’re just good at improv,” sent Mary. “You’re… okay at it.”

I noticed Dana gazing at Jules, her sandwich halfway to her mouth.

We finished up our lunches and went our separate ways. I went to my ‘office’ by the library, as I had three hypnotherapy appointments booked for that afternoon.

I had seen my first one, and was heading into the library to see if my second had arrived yet, when I saw Dana sitting at one of the desks, staring at her computer. She looked about ready to cry.

“Dana?” I asked. “Are you okay?”

She looked up at me. “My laptop died,” she said. “I just switched it on- or rather, tried to - and nothing happened.”

“Maybe the battery is dead?” I suggested, but she shook her head.

“It’s plugged in, and the light on the charger came on. It should work even if the battery is completely dead. I don’t know what I’m going to do. I can’t afford a new one, and it’s got all my coursework on it.”

“Do you not back it up to the cloud?” I asked, being that guy. The one with the totally non helpful question designed to make you feel worse in any given situation.

She shook her head. “It was always something I was going to get around to, but never did,” she said, tears starting to well in her eyes.

“Jules,” I sent, “Dana’s laptop crapped out. Can you take a look at it?”

“Sure,” she replied. “Get her to bring it over tonight.”

“I’m sure Jules would be able to take a look at it for you,” I said. “Even if she can’t fix it, she can probably get all your work off of it.”

“You think she could?” she asked hopefully.

“I think so,” I said. “I tell you what: why not come back with us after you finish with your classes tonight? Jules can take a look and you could have some dinner with us. I promise not to let Josh get you drunk again.”

She half smiled at that. “Poor Josh,” she said. “He gets the blame for everything.”

“That’s because it’s usually his fault,” I said, grinning at her. “So, is that a yes?”

She nodded. “If you’re sure it will be okay.”

Just then I saw my next hypnotherapy ‘patient’ arrive.

“It will,” I assured her. “Listen – my next consult is here, so I have to go. What time is your last class?”

“I finish at four thirty,” she said.

“Perfect,” I replied. “Meet me in the parking lot after?” She nodded. I smiled at her again and then went to get my next client.

Dana was waiting by my truck when I arrived there just after four thirty. Being the gentleman I am, I held the door for her as she climbed in before going around to the driver’s side and getting in.

We were first to arrive home. Since it was quite a nice day, we sat out on the deck, with a soda each while we waited for the rest of the girls. Dana saw the hot tub.

“Wow,” she said. “I didn’t know you had a hot tub.”

“Yep,” I said. “It’s a really nice way to de-stress. Feel free to bring a suit with you next time you’re over and try it out.”

She blushed, but didn’t respond. Jules and the girls came out onto the deck and greeted us both.

Dana looked at Jules. “Caleb said you might be able to look at my laptop for me,” she said. “It won’t boot.” She held out the offending device.

“Sure,” said Jules, smiling at her and taking the machine. She headed into the house, taking the laptop with her.

“Dinner at six thirty,” I yelled after her as she went. I knew that once she had gotten her nose into something, she would stay in her workshop all night.

Josh and Louise arrived home. Louise was delighted to see Dana, and for a while we all sat around, chatting. I then left them to it and went inside to make dinner.

Jules emerged to eat, and but immediately returned to her room once she had finished.

“How’s it going?” I’d asked as she’d sat down at the table.

“There was some liquid damage,” she’d replied. “Some corrosion on the board. I’ve cleaned it up, and there are a couple of small components I need to replace. Once that’s done, I’ll see if it powers up. Fortunately, none of the proprietary chips are corroded. That would be a problem, because you can’t buy them. The only way to repair it then would be to buy either a donor board, or another machine that is broken. In both cases you have to hope that the problem with the donor machine isn’t the same problem that you have on yours. I was close to being done with the board work. Another couple of caps to go on, and then I’ll test it.”

An hour and a half after dinner, Jules emerged, Dana’s laptop in hand.

“It powers up,” Jules said, “but I can’t test it because I don’t have your password. Do you want to power it up and log in? Then you can see if everything is okay. If you want, I can show you how to set up a cloud account so that all your work is backed up automatically. That way, if something happens to the machine, at least you won’t lose all your work.”

We were sitting in the living room, and Jules placed the machine onto the coffee table in front of Dana. Dana powered the machine up, and when it came to the login screen she typed in her password. The machine went straight to the desktop.

Dana squealed happily and threw her arms around Jules, who smiled and embraced the excited girl. Dana then realized what she had just done and pulled back guiltily.

“Sorry,” she said. “I…”

Jules laughed. “It’s fine,” she said. “I’m glad I could fix it. Did you want me to help you set up a cloud account, to protect you work?”

Dana nodded.

Jules sat by her and helped her to set up the account, and then showed her how to make sure that all the files were kept on her local drive, but duplicated to the cloud whenever there was an internet connection.

“Put all your class work up there,” said Jules, “and any other documents that you want to keep.”

As she said that, Dana clicked on a documents folder. A window opened on the computer, and a number of files were shown, with their associated thumbnails. Dana squeaked in panic and went to try and delete a file, but instead of deleting it, she opened it.

It was a scan of her university ID - or at least the one that had been issued to her before she had managed to speak to the counsellor and make her preferences known. Staring at all of us from the screen was a picture of Dana. The hair was shorter, and she wasn’t wearing makeup, but there could be no doubt that it was her - except, of course, that ‘her’ was ‘him’: David Reed.