Caleb 31 - Unbound

I sent all of the girls the memory of the 'ready' position - of how it felt and how they needed to be standing. They practiced getting into that position. Each of them were able to assume it with very little guidance. After about ten minutes they were all ready to move on.

I sent them the memory of the first kata I had learned, Taikyoku Shodan, and set them practicing it. I watched them for a while, occasionally correcting a slight misplacement of an arm or a leg. Once I was satisfied that they were doing okay, I started a kata I had learned from Kevin, and enjoyed the time, flowing through the movements.

By the time I had finished, the girls were progressing really well with their kata, and Pops and Cheryl were standing at the kitchen door watching.

"You could always join in," I said to them. "Good for the mind and body."

"I'm good," said Pops. "It's much more entertaining to watch."

"You just like leering at the twins," Cheryl said, "you lech."

Pops snorted. "Says you, ogling Caleb whenever his back is turned. He's not the only 'ass' person around, is he?"

Cheryl blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, and darted inside the house.

We all went and showered - me and Jules in our room, the twins in the family bathroom, and Ness in her room. Then Ness and I made breakfast.

As we ate, Cheryl spoke. "What's the plan for this morning?"

"We have some talking to do before Ness finally commits," I said.

"We can make ourselves scarce," said Pops. "Give you some privacy."

"No," I said. "I don't want to chase you from your home. Besides, Ness might need to come and talk to one of you about what we say to her. There is quite a lot for her to think about - and perhaps something for you guys to think about, too, but we'll maybe talk about that later."

Cheryl and Dean looked at each other, trying to figure out what shoe I was going to drop on them. As far as I could tell from their expressions, they weren't able to. After breakfast we cleared up, and all four girls and I went into the den.

It was a room I had hardly been in before. It was quite spacious, and had a large television on the wall; a long sofa, big enough to seat six; and a couple of comfortable chairs.

I went and sat on the sofa, and Jules sat beside me. I knew she really wanted to take up her normal position in my lap, but had left it clear for Ness. Amanda sat on the other side of Jules and Mary sat to my other side. Ness had a choice. She could take up the offered seat on my lap, or sit in one of the comfortable chairs. I was surprised when she chose the chair. So was Jules, but she didn't complain as she moved into her preferred position.

"I figured it would be easier to talk "if I were over here," she said. She was taking it seriously, and I was glad of that.

I smiled at her. "Ness," I said, "I'm going to start by stating the obvious: I love you, and I want you to be part of our family." I stopped talking and looked across at Mary.

"Ness," she said, "our relationship has been often described as Caleb with three girlfriends. But that's not the case. I love Caleb, but I also love Jules, and I love Amanda. As power users, we grew up with a very different set of rules than you did. Our rules may seem strange, hedonistic, and even downright immoral to most Norms. We'll talk about that later. But for now, I want you to know that I, too, love you, and I want you to be a part of our family."

"You know that I love you just as much as I love Caleb, Mary, and Jules," Amanda said. "You are a beautiful, wonderful girl, and will be a beautiful, wonderful woman. I very much want you to be a part of our family."

Jules lifted her head and looked at her sister. "When I was standing on the top of the science building, looking down at the road below, my biggest regret was the hurt I would cause my family - cause you. We had our differences growing up, as sisters do, but I never doubted that you loved me, and even when you were a complete brat, I still loved you. When I accepted the invitation to join with Caleb, Mary and Amanda, I didn't really understand what I was getting into. All I knew was that there were three people who knew me for who I was, and who loved me anyway. I felt loved, I felt safe, and I felt I belonged. I so want that for you. I love you so much Ness, and I cannot think of a better, safer, more loving place for you to be than with us."

"So," I said, "now that you know that we really do want you with us, you need to know exactly what you would be signing up for."

"Can I interrupt?" asked Ness.

"Sure," I said, a little surprised.

"How about I tell you what I think I'm letting myself in for?" she said. "And you can let me know how close I am?"

I nodded to her, spreading my hands to indicate for her to continue.

Ness told us. It was an amalgamation of what she had learned from Jules, what she had observed from our behavior, what she had concluded from conversations, and what she'd 'overheard' through the bond, which included both physical and emotional sensations. I took her at her word that she didn't accept any errant invitations we may have sent out; I knew we could get 'loud' fairly often.

"Okay," I said, a little stunned at how comprehensive her knowledge was. I shouldn't have been. Ness was an incredibly astute girl, and I sometimes forgot how much time her and Jules spent talking. "So... how do you feel about all that?"

"Well obviously it sucks that I'm going to get old quicker than you guys and die sooner," she said, "but that happens with other couples too. Nobody knows what's going to happen. I could get trampled by a herd of cows tomorrow and the whole thing becomes moot. I can't say I'm not nervous about the sex thing - not about you having sex with others, but about me having sex with girls and maybe other people too. I don't know if I will be able to do that."

"Nobody is going to make you do anything you don't want to," Jules said quickly.

"I know," said Ness, "and that's why it's not a problem. I could feel the love before through the bond. This new connection is something else. It's like I'm wrapped in cotton wool and then bubble-wrap. I feel safe, and loved, by all of you."

She looked at Jules then. "And Jules... you know I love you, but I'm not sure if I could..." she trailed off, but Jules just smiled at her.

"We will take it one day at a time," I said, "and discover together what you are happy with. You seem to have a pretty good grasp of what we are about. Is there anything that you would like to ask us? Anything you're not sure of?"

"What about pregnancy?" she said. "If you are having that much sex, aren't you worried about getting pregnant by one of your other partners? Or getting someone else pregnant?"

"Not any more," said Amanda. "We used to take the pill, but now Caleb's friend made us all unable to have children until we want them. He effectively switched our reproductive system off. Caleb will be able to turn it back on when we are ready. He did the same for Jules, and for Caleb. Something else you need to know is that Caleb has sworn not to have children until they guarantee that they will not be forced to wear an amulet. We can explain about that later."

"What about disease?" followed up Ness. "Aren't you scared of STIs or HIV?"

"As power users," I said, "we are pretty much immune to all diseases. As a Healer, I could recognize and kill most viruses or bugs in your system."

Mary interjected then. "As Empaths we can feel when someone has something wrong with them. Often, we don't know what, but if someone has a disease such as HIV that is affecting their body, it affects their aura too. We only share with those who we sense are healthy."

"It seems that you have a pretty good idea of who we are," I said. "It's up to you now. Unless you have any more questions?"

Ness shook her head.

"I think you should take some time," said Jules. "Talk to Mom. This is a big decision. You know that once we have you in our evil clutches, we're never letting you go." She gave her little sister a grin to match the threat. Ness chuckled, but nodded.

Jules stood, and we all followed suit.

"Can I get a hug?" I asked.

Ness stood and put her arms around me.

"Whatever you decide," I said quietly to her, "I'll always be there for you."

I kissed the top of her head and then released her. Each of the other girls hugged her, including Jules, and then we filed out of the den. Cheryl was in the kitchen talking to Dean. She looked up as we entered.

"I think Ness needs someone to talk to," I said to Cheryl, who nodded, stood, and hurried into the den.

"Is she okay?" asked Dean, a worried look on his face.

"She's fine," I said. "She is one bright young lady."

"Sometimes too bright," he agreed.

I made coffee and we sat around the kitchen table, drinking it and talking about nothing of consequence. About an hour later Cheryl came out of the den.

"We have some questions."

"Why don't you come out and ask?" I offered. "Unless Dean doesn't want to know."

"I think I'd rather not," he said, looking a little queasy. "There are some things about a daughter's life a father shouldn't know."

I nodded, and we all went back into the den. Ness was still in the chair she had occupied before. We took up our positions, Jules once more in my lap. Cheryl sat on the arm of Ness's chair, her arm protectively around her daughter.

I looked at Ness. She looked up at Cheryl.

"You mentioned not having children and something about an amulet?" Cheryl asked.

"When Stott children are born," I explained, "the rule is that they have their powers disabled by means of an amulet. It blocks their power. They are also kept ignorant of the entire situation. As you can imagine, when my amulet failed, I got the shock of a lifetime and had a whole new set of rules to learn.

"I don't believe that that is the right thing to do. All other children with power grow up knowing about powers, and learning how to use and control them. Only the Stotts, because their primary power is Compulsion, are abused in such a way.

"Not only does the amulet block the child's power, but it reduces their mental acuity and memory, crippling them. I have so much to make up for now that mine is off. I also wouldn't have half of the angst I have now had I been brought up knowing about powers and power users. I will not do that to a child, or allow any child of mine to go through that. I have told the matriarch of the Stott line that until I get a cast-iron guarantee that they will not try to abuse a child of mine in that way, I will not have any children. They don't want to lose the bloodline, so I think they will acquiesce."

"But what about Ness's choice?" Cheryl asked. "What if she wants children?"

"I want children," I said, "but I won't have my children abused."

"And if they don't change their minds?" she asked.

"Then we have some options," I said. "We could leave the U.S. and go somewhere that these archaic rules don't apply, or Ness, or any of the girls, could have a child with someone else."

"You would allow that?" asked Cheryl.

"Allow?" I asked. "I don't own them. It is not for me to allow or disallow anything. I'll admit I wouldn't like it. I struggled for a long time with the idea of any of the girls 'sharing' with another man. The thought of another man impregnating one of them is still very difficult for me to think about. But worse would be seeing a child of mine mentally and emotionally crippled because of an outdated, outmoded, discriminatory tradition that should have died out generations ago."

"That kind of brings me to my second question," said Cheryl. "You say that you need to share and you will be having sex with other people. But what if Ness decides she wants to do that?"

"You mean as part of our sharing or on her own?" I asked.

"On her own," said Cheryl. "Let's say she takes a fancy to a guy she meets, and hey, what's sauce for the goose, right?"

"Absolutely," I said. "If Ness wants to play with someone, then that's her choice. We would ask to meet the person first, to make sure he - or she - isn't carrying anything nasty that she could catch, and also to make sure that Ness will be safe. I would rather she brought them home and played there where we could ensure her safety, but like I said before, we do not own her. She can do whatever makes her happy. As long as she comes home safe and happy, we'll be happy that she had fun."

"And what if Ness just wants to be with you?" she asked.

"If what you're asking is would it be possible for me and Ness to be in an exclusive relationship, then I think you already know the answer to that. But Ness knew about my relationship with the other girls from the very beginning. If you mean that Ness wants her only sexual partner to be me, then that is up to her. We can share a bed, as we have been doing, and when I'm with Ness then it can be just us. Ness is totally in control of who she allows to touch her, and all four of us would defend her to our deaths to prevent her suffering any harm.

"You have to remember that I am a Telepath. I have no doubt that someone will try and persuade Ness to do things that are outside her comfort zone. It happens to us all, all the time. It's how we learn, how we grow, and how we expand our horizons. But I will know the difference between persuasion and coercion. I will know whether it's something Ness wants to try, or is doing because pressure has been brought to bear. I will not allow that to happen."

Cheryl thought about that for a minute, and then asked her final question. "Is that it then? Is your family complete?"

"That's an excellent question," I said. "I had thought that my 'family' was complete when it was just me, Mary, and Amanda, and then we met Jules. Amanda and I agreed that that was it, the four of us, and then boom, along came Ness. We're not actively recruiting, but nobody knows when someone will come along that one or more of us falls for.

"There are a couple that currently live with us, Josh and Louise. They are 'playmates,' but are not, and will never be, part of our family, although they are very close. I personally think there are enough people in our family. But it's not just my decision.

"If any one of us meets someone that they really feel they want to join the family, then they can bring them home, and we will decide between us all."

"And does that person have to be a female?"

"Not necessarily," I said. "And even if they are not pan or bi, if there are genuine feelings there for more than just the person inviting them in, then that's fine."

"And if there aren't genuine feelings?" She was pushing.

"Then the person who wants them would need to make a choice as to which relationship they wanted more," I said.

"But..."

"Mom," said Ness.

Cheryl looked at her, then nodded. "Sorry, Caleb," she said, looking back at me. "It's a rabbit hole that once you start down, is difficult to stop. Your relationship is so alien to everything I have ever experienced and been brought up with, that I guess I am looking for problems where there may never be any. Hell, 'normal' relationships have just as many problems and pitfalls. Maybe yours is the right way after all."

"Don't apologize," I said. "The reason we had this discussion with Ness, and now with you, is so that Ness understands, and can make a choice, knowing fully what she is choosing. She needs to choose with her head and her heart, not with her loins. I'm hoping that you can help her with that."

Cheryl nodded.

"Are there any other questions?" I asked. I looked at Cheryl, then Ness.

Cheryl looked at Ness then back at me. "No," she said. "Thank you for your candor."

Once again, we all trooped back out into the kitchen. Dean was not there. I had no idea where he'd gone.

"Well, that went well," said Jules with a small smile.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. "This must be incredibly strange for you."

"I'm fine," she said. "I'll be sad if she decides against, but it's her life and she knows her own mind."

"That's true," said Ness from the kitchen door. "It is my life, and I do know my own mind. I wondered about the need for this conversation this morning, but I realized it wasn't just about me. You needed to be reassured that I wasn't just a horny teen, looking to live a fantasy, and that I understood exactly what I was agreeing to. It's just more proof - as if I needed it - of how much love you have for me.

"Outside of my family, I have never known love like it. I had a few 'boyfriends' growing up, but none of them made me feel anything like the way I feel when I'm with you guys. At first it was just Caleb. But how can you be loved as much as this by someone, and not feel something in return? I've always loved my sister, even when she was being a bitch, but Mary, Amanda, the love I feel from you is so intense it almost hurts. I can't help but love you back. And you, Caleb, you are my knight in shining armor. You saved me - from the pain, from those men, from hundreds of miles away. I was scared and alone, and you were there.

"I have dreams occasionally about that night. The school counselor told me I might, and that she would give me something if they upset me too much. The thing is that they don't upset me at all. My overriding memory of that night is feeling safe - hearing you promise that you had me, and would keep me safe until Daddy got there. And you did.

"I love you, Caleb Stott, and if you still want me, then I really want to join your family."

I stood up and walked toward her. She met me halfway and fell into my arms, and I held her close. Another set of arms enclosed us both, and then another, and another. Our new family was together, finally.

I heard Jules' mutter. "I was never a bitch, brat."

Ness just giggled. I looked up and saw Cheryl standing at the den door. She had tears on her face, but she was smiling.

"Congratulations." The voice came from behind me, and I looked over to see Dean standing by the door to the yard. "I guess she made up her mind?"

"I guess so," I said.

"What did your mom say?" I asked Ness through the connection.

"She told me to grab hold and never let go," she returned.

I made lunch while Ness and the girls chatted together. After lunch, I was excused from cleanup duty since I had cooked, and Dean indicated for me to follow him.

We went out to the barn, and then through another door at the back that I had never noticed before. Suddenly we were in a gun range. It only had two lanes, but it was about twenty yards long. There was a table upon which sat a couple of sets of ear protectors and glasses, and on the wall was a gun safe. Downrange there was a wire and pulley system that could, at the push of a button, bring the paper targets to the table. At the opposite end there was an eight foot tall dirt mound that was a backstop to stop fired ammunition. The whole range was enclosed in an aluminum cylinder reminiscent of an old metal airplane hangar.

Dean opened the gun safe and pulled out a pistol.

"Everyone has their own preference when it comes to guns," he began. "Some like semi-automatics because they give you more rounds per loadout; others like revolvers because they're simpler and very seldom jam. You will find your own preference.

"The saying that guns don't kill people, people kill people, trite as it is, is true. There are rules when handling firearms. Break the rules and someone will end up hurt or dead. Rule one: never point a gun at a person unless you intend to kill that person. I hate toy guns, cap guns, water pistols, Nerf guns and everything else. Guns are not toys. Think about it. What we are teaching kids with these toys is to pick up a weapon, point it at someone, and pull the trigger.

"Then they get their hands on the real deal and people wonder why someone is dead. It's stupid. Have you handled a gun before?"