A Tale of Two Kitties

Moments later she stuck her head in the room.

I tossed her my keys. "In my glovebox is a small metal box with a combination lock on the front. Would you bring it to me please?"

Shasta nodded and scampered off, returning in a few minutes with the box I requested. I opened it and removed the thumb drive from it, plugging it into the computer's USB port. The hard drive whirred and buzzed for a few minutes, then the command screen appeared.

Viruses detected: 1

Type: Class III, subderivative a4bb.

Origin: unknown.

Name: unknown.

Closest known relative: cLuStErFuCk 69.

"Ouch, that's a nasty one." I hissed. "I doubt the local 'nerd herd' would know how to deal with this little bugger. It takes a careful hand or it will irreversibly corrupt the hard drive."

Dan looked like he was about to faint. "So I'm screwed, is that what you're saying?"

"Not at all." I informed him. "Easy to defeat once you know how. I'll have you up and running very shortly. Just out of curiosity, are there any more computers in the house? This little bastard is notorious for infecting any PC on the same network."

"Sammy has one in his room." Dan stated. "I don't think Shasta brought hers home."

"OK." I instructed. "Once I clean this one, I need you to leave it off until I inspect Sam's system, otherwise they'll just reinfect each other. Almost there... done. Should be as good as new. Where will I find Sam?"

"Out the door, back through the living room, down the hall, second door on the left." Dan directed.

"Great." I grinned. "Give me ten minutes to clean his and you should be good to go. I'll inform you when I'm done."

"Thanks Darrin." He sighed. "I really thought I was screwed.

I handed him a blank thumb drive from my box.

"What's this for?" He asked.

"Backup." I answered. "Every time, just before you shut it down."

I knocked on Sam's door a few moments later. "Sam, I'm Darrin, Shasta's friend. I need to see your computer for a moment if that's OK?"

The door opened and Sam quickly ushered me inside, closing the door behind me. "Am I in trouble?"

"Not that I'm aware of, why?" I asked.

"My computer died last night." He explained. "Then today Dad's. It's my fault, I just know it."

"Well, let's fix the problem first, then we can talk about blame, OK?" I offered.

"Sure." He nodded.

It didn't take long to fix Sam's PC as I already knew what the problem was. Now I just needed to cut off the source. "Sam, I've loaded a security program on your system. If it ever alerts you and asks if you want to download a program, the answer is always, and I can't stress this enough, always no. Got it.?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Good." I praised, then handed him a thumb drive.

"What's this?" He asked.

"An alphabetical and cross linked list of certain, shall we say, unconventional sites that won't give you a nasty virus." I smiled. "I won't tell your father unless I have to do this again. You got me?"

"Absolutely." He groaned. "I figured I was in deep shit... I mean stuff. Thanks Darrin."

I left a very relieved and eternally grateful young man behind his bedroom door and returned to the office.

"Sam's was infected as well." I stated. "They're both clean, so you're good to go."

Dan fired up his PC and within a minute or two, it was up and running perfectly. Dan leaned back in his chair and exhaled loudly. "Oh thank God. Thank you Darrin, you saved my ass bigtime."

"Happy to help." I grinned. "Just remember."

"Backup." We both said at the same time.

Now that the crisis had passed, Shasta showed me to the guest room and closed the door behind her after we had entered. She pushed me onto the bed and nearly attacked me, kissing me passionately.

"Oh how I've missed this, missed you." She panted.

Between kisses I responded. "No more than I did."

"By the way, good first impression." She giggled. "Dad thinks you're the second coming of Jesus."

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you set this up." I chuckled.

"I wish." She shook her head. "I don't know enough about computers to pull off something like this. Sam's pretty good, but I think he spends more time looking at porn than... Wait, was this his fault?"

"Not on purpose if that's what you're insinuating." I clarified. "He got careless. He got a lecture and a threat that if it happened again, I would tell his father. I think he'll be good from here on."

"You put your program on his PC?" She asked.

"I did." I answered.

"Chances of this happening again?" She inquired.

"As long as he does what I told him. zero." I assured.

"That little shit." She hissed.

"Give him a break Shasta." I chided. "He's sixteen and that's not an age that's known for solid decisions. He made a mistake, he learned from it and unless he's monumentally stupid, which is unlikely since you both have the same parents and I find you very intelligent, he won't do it again."

"Nice compliment there Mr. Smooth." She grinned. "I'm certain you have a friend for life in Sam, he's very loyal to those that he deems worthy. You sir, are his newest hero."

"Seems I've conquered all the males in the family. How am I doing with the female element?" I teased.

"Oh, you're OK, I guess." She smirked.

I had a snappy retort ready, but never got to use it. She ambushed me again and spent most of the next ten minutes trying to suck my tongue out of my mouth.

"OK is good." I gasped, once she allowed me to breathe again.

"Damned right it is." She beamed. "Oh, don't lock your door tonight."

"What is this 'lock' you speak of." I kidded. "I am not familiar with such a device, though I fear you may have unseemly plans against my virtue you wanton hussy."

"I'll show you a hussy." She mock pouted. "Keep it up buster and you'll be sleeping alone."

In case anyone cares, I did not sleep alone.

When I awoke, Shasta was gone. She told me she planned to return to her room at some point in case her Dad came looking for her. It was a good plan, on paper at least. I was about to find out it didn't work so well in practice.

Entering the dining room, Shasta and her father were already seated and eating breakfast. Mine was already there waiting for me. Sam was apparently still sleeping. Not much was said as we ate and when finished, I helped Shasta clear the table.

She took me by the hand and lead me back to the table a look of fear in her eyes. "He knows."

"Sit." Dan commanded. "We need to talk."

"Sir, I..." Dan cut me off.

"Just tell me exactly what is going on here?" He demanded. "You first." He glared at Shasta.

"Daddy, I..." Shasta started, but was overcome and just sat sobbing.

I leaned forward and jumped in. "If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me." I stated with a bit more force than I intended. "I should have sent Shasta away when she came to me last night. This is your home and I betrayed your trust by disregarding your rules. I apologize for my lack of self control. It will not happen again."

Dan sat quietly as I continued.

"I will not lie to you, sir. I love your daughter. This last academic year we found each other and plan on seeing where it leads." I confessed. "I'm not some college Lothario looking to lead her astray, truth be told I am virgin and Shasta is the first girlfriend I've ever had. We have not been intimate nor do we plan to be any time soon. We need to be together, learn more about each other before we take that step. We have spent a great deal of time together as friends and have alot in common. This feels like the next logical step for us." I looked over at Shasta and she nodded.

"And why should I believe this?" Dan asked.

"Because it's true, Daddy." Shasta interjected. "Every word of it. I know this is hard for you. You want to protect me. I love him Daddy and I want to be with him."

"For God's sake Shasta, you're only nineteen." Dan stated. "You're way too young to be this serious."

"So I should spend a few years screwing around, get some experience, before I settle down?" Shasta hissed. "Is that what you want?"

Dan looked like he was ready to explode. "That's not what I said and you know it."

"We don't get to choose when we fall in love, Daddy." Shasta soothed. "It's happened. I'm more than aware of the consequences of my actions. We may fail, but we may not. I don't want to spend the rest of my life regretting walking away from what could have been my forever."

"I... you... Shit!" Dan sputtered. "Feels like I'm arguing with your mother. Never could win against her either. You're just like her when you get riled, focused and relentless. She'd be so proud of you right now."

"Oh Daddy!" Shasta cried, rising and crashing into her father as he rose from his seat.

Father and daughter shared a tear filled moment or two.

"I'm sorry. I have a hard time seeing you as anything more than my little warrior girl." Dan confessed. "You have grown up and I'm going to have to learn to deal with it. I may not like the decisions you have made, but I will respect them. We raised you to be independent, to think for yourself. I'm going to have to trust that you learned all that. It's times like this that I really miss your Mom, she'd know just what to say, God I miss her!"

"Me too, Daddy." Shasta hugged her father again.

Just then, Sam stumbled in, bleary eyed and half asleep. "What'd I miss?"

Dan pulled him in and they shared a group hug. "Just talking about your Mom."

I let them have their moment and retreated to my bedroom.

Shasta appeared a short time later, looking relieved and happy. "That went better than I expected."

I hugged her. "I'm still alive, so I'll agree."

"He wouldn't kill you, silly." She giggled.

"Yeah, but you'd be surprised what you can live through." I teased.

Shasta and I returned to the dining room, arm in arm. Dan looked up at me as we entered.

"I'll understand if you want me to leave." I said honestly.

"I want to break your legs." He sighed. "But my wife would be very disappointed in me if I did that. Shasta is very much like her, logical, calculating, annoying as all Hell." He chuckled. "That's what made her so good at what she did. She could see through all the pain and bullshit and get down to what really mattered. I've been hearing her voice alot today, lucky for you."

"I need to hit the little girls room." Shasta smiled. "Try not to kill him while I'm gone, please." She brushed a quick kiss on her father's cheek.

"Shasta doesn't talk about her much." I admitted. "She has told me what she did and that it's why she wants to follow in her footsteps, but she won't talk about what happened."

"No big secret really." Dan shrugged. "One moments inattention. She had left her office and was going to meet a colleague for lunch. Her phone rang just as she reached the curb and it distracted her. She stepped in front of a delivery truck."

I sat dumbstruck. No wonder Shasta wouldn't talk about it. Christ what a tragedy!

"For a long time, Shasta was very angry." Dan continued. "She had a really hard time understanding how her mother could have been so stupid. In time, she saw it for what it was. Even really smart people can do dumb things. Her mother just chose a really bad time to do it. Her wanting to emulate her mother. I don't know if it's really out of love or guilt?"

"From what I've seen, I think she has a natural gift for it." I admitted.

"You'll never win an argument with her, I'll warn you now." He chuckled. "Even her mother said Shasta would be way better than she ever was."

"I hope to never find out, though I know it will happen at some point." I said. "She did mention her mother's belief in her innate ability."

"I hear her Mom every time we argue." He smiled. "I love it and hate it at the same time. I miss her so much, but Shasta makes me feel like I didn't lose all of her. She carries that fire, that drive her mother had. That girl won't back down from anything."

"I've seen that first hand." I grinned. "She took down a 250 pound linebacker like he was a ragdoll."

"Must have pissed her off pretty badly to get that." He observed.

"She was protecting me." I admitted.

"There's so much I don't know about the two of you." He said. "Shasta was never one to date or be 'boy crazy' like so many of her friends. The few dates she did have were generally disasters."

"Tommy Werner." I said.

"Yeah, he was the worst." Dan admitted. "The rest got the hint alot sooner. She still never had a second date. I was starting to worry she would be alone forever. She was always so damned mature, even when she was young. I think that's why she didn't date. Teenage boys and maturity are mutually exclusive, although college guys generally aren't much better. At least from what I remember of college."

"I'd have at agree with you there." I said.

"Did I miss anything?" Shasta beamed as she plopped into the chair next to mine. "No blood, no broken furniture. Seems things went well."

We spent the rest of the day talking. Dan was trying desperately to understand what his daughter saw in me. We brought him up to speed on my past, how we met, and where we thought we were going. We answered his questions openly and honestly. We owed him that. We still needed to tell him we were living together, but maybe that was a discussion for another time.

"Look, I know school just ended, but we need to think about where you want to live in the fall." Dan stated. "You had to live on campus the first year and I know you hated it. If we're going to find you an apartment, we need to start sooner than later. It's a finite market and the longer we wait the fewer choices we'll have."

Or maybe not.

Shasta looked at me, panic stricken and took my hand under the table. "You want me too?" I asked.

She nodded.

"She's already found a place she likes and a roommate she gets along with really well." I said.

Dan looked at his daughter. "I didn't know you had any 'other' close friends at school."

"Oh yes." I hammed it up a bit. "Her name is Eris. She and Shasta are nearly inseparable, damn near joined at the hip."

"We do get along well." Shasta giggled. "She has a nice place and has agreed to let me live there."

"Is this where your things are stored?" Dan interrogated.

"Yep." Shasta chirped. "Her idea."

"And what will this cost?" Dan continued the inquisition.

"A little less than the dorm fee, but I will have to buy food." Shasta assured, trying to stifle a giggle. "Still well within our budget."

"Sounds too good to be true if you ask me." Dan growled. "Tell me about her. What's her major. How..."

Shasta lost it. She just couldn't go on. She was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

"What's so goddamned funny?" Dan spat.

I looked at Shasta and she nodded.

"Eris is my cat." I deadpanned, awaiting my slow painful death.

Dan sat for a moment, thinking, then spoke. "Will you at least have your own room?"

Shasta shook her head, holding up her hand to stop her father from talking as she regained her composure.

"I've been spending weekends there almost from the beginning of the year." She explained. "Sleeping on the couch, you didn't raise a slut. My roommate at the dorm however turned into one and so I wouldn't be subjected to a never ending carousel of the latest 'dick-of-the-day', Darrin offered me a place to stay. Somewhere I could study in peace. Without his generosity, I probably would have flunked out of school. It was only after we found we loved each other that I moved into his bed."

"So you're sleeping with him?" Dan frowned.

"And that's ALL we're doing." She emphasized. "I wasn't lying about that. We have not had sex."

"But you plan too." He groaned.

"Whether you like it or not, your little warrior girl is going to have sex." She locked eyes with her father. "I've kept my virginity this long, I get to choose who I give it to. Will it be Darrin? Right at this moment, the chances are good, but we are still learning about each other and have decided to put that off until we are sure about it. If it's the right decision, it will still be the right decision in a week, a month, whenever. If it's the wrong decision, it's forever. We are both VERY aware of the stakes."

"I'm not happy about this." He stated honestly.

"I know, Daddy." She took his hand. "Things are changing and much faster than you were prepared for. I get it. This is what I want, what we both want. It wasn't a snap decision. We have talked about it for quite a while now. It all comes down to one final question."

"And?" Dan asked.

"Do you trust me?" She answered. "This is a yes or no question. No 'buts' no explanations. If you need time to think about it, I will wait. If you want I can send Darrin home and we can discuss this, but ultimately, I want your answer."

"Jesus Christ girl." Dan gasped. "It's like sitting here with your mother. You sound just like her. You think just like her and you plow me under just like she did. I didn't stand a chance with her and I sure as Hell don't stand one with you. No amount of arguing or discussing is going to change your mind. Just like her. Once the decision has been made there can be no other outcome. Mind you it's no less infuriating that even though I'm on the losing end of this argument, I see your logic, and just like your mother's, it's flawless. That only leaves me one answer."

Shasta looked at her father, tears streaming down her face at her father's comparison of her to her mother. He couldn't know just how much those words meant to her. His next words would light a fire in her soul for all eternity.

"I trust you." He sighed. "I will always trust you just like I did your mother."

Shasta's nerves, barely contained til now, snapped and she collapsed into her father's arms sobbing and shaking. She had always had his love, now she had his trust. He finally saw her as her own person, an adult. She would always be his little warrior girl, but today she became so much more. They shared smiles, tears, hugs and fond memories of Shasta's mother, inviting me to share as well.

Some time later, Shasta excused herself to go clean up. She kissed me tenderly on the way by and smiled. Dan rose and stuck out his hand. I rose and shook it.

"Take care of her, please." He implored. "She means more to me than you'll ever know. At least until you have kids of your own."

"I will sir, er Dan." I assured.

"Tell Shasta I went to lie down for a bit." Dan said. "I need some time to think."

Shasta returned shortly. "Dad?"

"Needed some time to himself." I answered.

"He's talking to Mom." She smiled. "It's what he always does when he's stressed. He swears she answers and for all I know she might."

"He told me what happened." I admitted. I hugged her. "I'm sorry. It had to have been hard, especially the suddenness, the..."

"Say it. The stupidity." Shasta said. "I was so mad at her for longer than I want to admit. Here she was busting my ass for doing dumb things and she walks in front of a fucking truck. Guess I'm still a little mad, but it won't change anything. She'll still be dead and I'll still miss her."

"It's OK to be angry, just don't let it poison your past or ruin your future." I said.

"Hey, that's my line. I'm the wannbe shrink here." She teased.

"Kenji." I stated. "He taught me that the past can only hurt us if we let it. We can't change it, but it's up to us whether we set it down and walk away or carry it with us. I think you know which of those is the better option."

"I do." She smiled and kissed me tenderly.

The rest of the weekend went rather well, other than sleeping alone, but we did promise her Dad. Before I left Sunday evening, I had one last talk with Sam about appropriate use of the internet, one last short conversation with Dan and a short walk around the neighborhood with Shasta. Oh, and just so you know, her room was just as overstuffed as mine. Maybe a bit less R-rated, but still rather racy.