Caleb 31 - Unbound

I shook my head.

"Okay," he said. "The first thing you do any time you pick up a gun is to make sure it is safe. This is a semi-automatic - a Glock 19; you can't see whether there is a round in the chamber or not, so always assume the gun is loaded and ready to use. You can check to see if there's a round in the chamber by pulling the slide back a little. See there? No round..

"Glocks are extremely safe because of the double trigger mechanism. This is as safe as a gun gets while there is a magazine in the pistol." He ejected the magazine and placed it on the table. "This is safer. But just because a gun doesn't have a magazine in doesn't mean it's safe. Always check the chamber. Rack the slide all the way back if you need to. It will eject any round in the chamber, but if you want to make the weapon safe, do that after you have removed the magazine."

We spent all afternoon in the firing range. After he showed me the Glock, which was apparently his pistol of choice, he showed me a small revolver, which was apparently Cheryl's. He showed me the proper way to stand, how to hold the gun to get the highest accuracy, and where to aim for on a target.

"Too many people have died trying to 'wound' an attacker," he said. "I said at the beginning not to point a weapon at someone unless you intend to kill. Aim center mass. Two shots. Shooting people in the legs and arms, shooting guns out of people's hands, and all that bullshit is just that.

"If you are at the point where you need to point your gun at someone, when you decide to take the shot, make it count."

"But wait," I asked, "don't cops break that rule all the time?"

"Yes," he said. "Yes they fucking do. In this day and age cops are more afraid of being on CNN or MSNBC than they are of doing their job correctly - and they end up dead for it. I am showing you the right way so you learn the muscle and sight memory from the start."

At the end he showed me how to strip and clean the Glock, which was the only one we had fired. We had gotten through about five or six magazines of ammunition, and I had had fun. Handguns, he had told me, were short range weapons. Technically, he explained, you could shoot someone with them at longer range, but even before the power of the shot dramatically dropped due to distance, the accuracy of even a pro shooter would plummet to truly disturbing levels. For any kind of real distance, more than 75 feet or so, he said, you needed a long gun. Shotguns are even less effective at distance, he added.

When we went back into the house, I washed my hands, which smelled of gun oil and powder residue. I then helped Ness cook dinner. Ness and I worked well together in the kitchen, and I looked forward to when she would be living with us permanently and we could do it all the time. I must have let that thought slip through the connection, as she looked at me lovingly just after I'd thought it.

"Neither can I," she said. "I just need to keep my grades up. Everything is going well except math. I struggle with that, and although I won't need it much as a chef, I need it to keep my GPA up. Mary says you might be able to help me?"

"Of course," I said. "I was okay at math, but I think Jules has the best head for that. Maybe if we get her to send you the memories of learning math, and then I make sure you don't forget them, we will be able to get you over the line."

She smiled at me. "That would be great. Do you think Jules would mind?"

"Jules would love to help her little sister," said Jules from the door, clearly having heard the tail end of the conversation. She walked up behind Ness, who was standing at the stovetop, and hugged her from behind. I saw Ness stiffen a little, and then relax into the hug.

"Thanks, sis," she said.

After dinner I got Jules to try and pull together all her memories of high school math, which she had loved and been good at. She gave Ness all those memories. I then went in, and, as I had done with Gracie, manually performed what my own brain had already learned to do. It was much less than a two-year accountancy course, although I saw that Jules had lumped some of the college math in also. I tried my best not to look at any other memories from Jules or Ness, although some of Ness's errant thoughts would have made me blush. For all I knew, they still had.

I hadn't finished by bedtime, but, true to form, my subconscious finished the job while we were all asleep. It was done by the time we all got up to go and perform for the dogs once again.

Monday, I went and helped Dean with some work. There was a section of his land that was wooded. When he had bought the land, he had originally thought to remove the wood and make it pasture, but after Cheryl saw it and said how beautiful the trees were, he decided against. He didn't really need the pasture anyway. There were some really old trees in the wood, and one had fallen, partially blocking the track. We needed to move it, and eventually cut it up for logs.

"Let's go take a look at it," he said. "Then we can see what equipment we need to move it."

I grinned at him. "You mean we can see if I can shift it without resorting to heavy equipment?"

"Well," he said, "what's the point of having a Psi in the family if you can't abuse them from time to time?"

I laughed.

The tree itself was a beech, and about sixty feet tall. I tested its weight. I was easily able to lift it clear off the track, which I did.

"Where do you want it?" I asked, holding the tree a few feet in the air while Dean made up his mind. Dean pointed to a clear spot just off the track, and I moved the tree there.

"Perfect. We can carve it up into logs and stack them here ready for collection," he said.

We set to with the chainsaw, and it began to look like a scene from Disney's The Sorcerer's Apprentice. As we cut a section of log, it would take itself off and add itself to the growing stack, apparently all by itself. I was showing off, and Dean was amused.

It took a couple of hours to reduce the tree to its component parts, and by the end we had a couple of neat stacks of logs and a pile of scraps of wood.

"I'll get some of the boys to come up and collect that lot." Dean said.

Just then we heard a motor, and I looked around to see Bobby, the farm manager, coming along the track on a quad bike. He pulled up and killed the engine.

"Jesus, Dean," he said. "You guys are powerhouses. I thought it would take you at least a day to move that tree."

"Nah," said Dean. "It wasn't that big of a tree."

"I've noticed," said Bobby, "that your work rate goes up dramatically whenever your boy here is with you. You need to offer him a job."

"I already did," said Dean. "He turned me down. Something about not wanting to freeload off the in-laws."

"Shame," said Bobby. "There's another tree down about half a mile further on. It's not causing any issues, but since you are here, and that one seems to be ready for collection..."

"We'll see to it after lunch," Dean replied.

We dealt with the other tree that afternoon and did a little more maintenance work on the wood, taking off some branches which looked in danger of falling, and taking down another tree that also looked perilous.

"Go shower," said Cheryl as we arrived back at the house, sweaty and covered in sawdust.

Dinner was ready by the time we finished, and we had a relaxing evening after our 'man time,' which was largely spent in quiet reflection. It felt good just being with Dean, and I felt a pang of guilt that the feelings I had for my own father were fast being overshadowed by those that I had for Dean.

+++++

There was palpable tension in the air the next morning when I woke. Ness was in my arms, gazing up at me as I opened my eyes.

"Good morning," she said, smiling.

"Happy birthday," I said.

"It's my birthday?" she said, eyebrows raised. "How old am I?"

"You're eighteen," I said, "as you well know."

"Oh goodie," she grinned. "Then I can do this."

She slid her hand down the front of my boxers and grabbed hold of my cock, which instantly became as hard as stone.

I yelped. "Ness..."

"That feels so hot," she said, "and hard." She squeezed gently, and I caught a moan in the back of my throat.

"And it's going to get messy if you carry on," said Mary, who was smiling at her from her position across my chest. "He has wanted you for as long as you have wanted him. Don't spoil it for both of you. Be patient and let him give you the first time you deserve."

"Will you be there?" asked Ness, her hand still wrapped around me.

"I think it would be more special for you if it were just the two of you, but if you want us to share, of course we'd be delighted."

"You mean like..."

"No, you mean like," Amanda said. "You're completely in charge. In the room, out of the room, psychic sharing, full sharing, no sharing - anything you want. Trust me, there's nothing you could request that you'd actually want to do that would shock or offend us. We'd do our best to make it happen."

"And that includes making ourselves scarce," reiterated Mary. "That's also why we're not making any concrete suggestions. It should all come from you."

"Psychic sharing, though," echoed Ness. "What's that about?"

"What it sounds like, really," Mary said. "When Caleb and I had our first time together, Amanda was able to feel everything, so it was really her first time with him too, and our first time with any man. Caleb didn't realize it at the time, but he sent some other invitations out too, and his mother and our grandmother accepted. We didn't feel anything from them, but they got to feel everything from us."

"And would I have to do anything?" she asked. I could tell she was nervous, but it was difficult to pinpoint the reason.

"Nothing at all," I said, "except tell us that that's actually what you want. We'll do all the psychic stuff, and you can tell us exactly whom you want to have invitations."

I looked across at Jules, who was blushing furiously. It was the right place and the right time.

"Jules?" Ness said softly. She'd put two and two together - or whatever other combination she was considering. It hadn't been difficult. We'd already been talking about sisters sharing.

Jules looked at her little sister. "Sorry," she said. "You must think I'm some kind of perverted..."

"I would love to share my first time with you," said Ness. "It would be your first time, too, right? I mean, like... all the way... like that?"

Jules nodded vigorously. "Even as horny as I am, I think I'd actually prefer it to be that way. A little... virtual."

"All the better," Ness said with a reassuring smile. She released her hold on me and put her hand on my chest. "Shouldn't we be dancing for the dogs right about now?"

"I thought you might like to sleep in on your birthday," I said.

"Are you kidding?" she said. "I've been awake for ages. Let's go."

We all got up and went out on the deck to train. The girls started working on their kata, and I on mine. Cheryl and Dean came out about an hour later.

"Morning," they said in unison. "Happy birthday!"

Ness smiled at them "Thank you."

"Go get showered and dressed," said Cheryl, "then Caleb and I will make breakfast."

We did as we were told. We finished breakfast quickly, and then everyone but the birthday girl cleaned up.

"Can I get my presents now?" asked Ness, her eyes alight with anticipation.

Dean smiled. He handed her a package, and she tore the paper to shreds. It was the laptop that he had told me that they had bought her. Ness squealed with delight and went and hugged her parents.

Then she looked at me. I brought out the small package and handed it to her. She opened it and took out the necklace. I could see that she was pleased with it, and how it matched up with her ring. She handed it to me and spun around, lifting her long hair out of the way. I put it around her neck and fastened it.

"Thank you," she said, turning again, closing with me, and showing me that all the Steadman girls had some unnatural talent for kissing.

When we broke apart, I was breathless and rigid. Ness smirked at me and sat back down to receive the next package - that one from her sister. The earrings were just as well-received, and Jules got a long hug from her younger sibling after she had put them in.

Mary and Amanda both handed over their package. When she opened it and saw the last piece of the set her face broke out into a wide smile.

"It's beautiful. They're all beautiful. Thank you." She put on the bracelet and then went to thank the twins, each of them getting a long hug.

"I booked us a table at the restaurant for tonight," I said.

Ness looked a little sheepish. "I know," she said. "I called them yesterday and changed the booking. I hope you don't mind."

I must have looked a little confused.

"If it's all right with you, I would like all my family there," she said.

"It's your birthday," I said with a smile. "You can have whatever you want."

"The reservation is for seven," she said. "For seven of us."

Dean looked up. "Seven?"

"I said I wanted all my family there," said Ness. "You and Mom are coming too."

Ness, the girls and I spent the day together. Ness, who had passed her driving test since last we'd been up drove us all to the mall in her car. She was a good driver, although a little free with her opinions on other people's abilities. I did think for a moment that the guy she flipped the bird to in the parking lot was going to come and have words.

We had lunch in the mall, and spent a lot of the afternoon just chilling and looking around. Ness had other relatives who had sent her money for her birthday. I asked her about them.

"Daddy's parents both passed before I was born," she said, "but my grams and gramps are Mom's parents. They live in Florida. They won't travel, even if Daddy sends the jet. We go down to see them sometimes. Then there is Uncle Chris. He is Mom's brother. He's in the Navy. He comes to visit sometimes when he's not at sea. He drives a submarine, so he goes on long tours. It's been over a year since we last saw him. He never forgets occasions though, and always send money, even when he's on a tour."

I felt a sense of shame that I had never asked Jules about her extended family. Jules looked at me and smiled. It was as if she could hear my thoughts.

"You had other things to learn about me," she said.

"You know," said Mary to Ness, "you are inheriting an extra grandmother, and an extra great-great grandmother."

"Dianna, and...?" asked Ness.

"Maggie," I said. "I know Dianna messed up bad the last time you saw her, but we are good now. I know she would really like to get to know you. Maggie, too, has asked to meet with all of you. I apparently have an uncle who is persona non grata in my parents' house - although it looks like he has some deal going on with Maggie and the FBI - and an aunt that lives in New York, although I know nothing more about her. All I really know about them both is that they are power users. I also have a cousin, Gerald, who I met once."

"And Gerald regretted that quite a lot," said Amanda, giggling, and so we had to tell the tale of my meeting with Gerald on that fateful Saturday. Both Ness and Jules giggled all the way back to the car after that.

We arrived back at the farm in time to get ready, and then we all piled into two cars. Dean and Cheryl took Cheryl's car. Amanda went with them, claiming that as beautiful as Ness's car was, it was a bit cramped for five.

Dean and Cheryl both looked a little hot and bothered by the time we got to the restaurant, but having shared a car with Amanda, I didn't doubt that she had been telling them things that they probably ought not to have heard. I shook my head when I saw, but Amanda just grinned at me.

"I do have other powers," she whispered. I knew she wasn't talking about powers-powers, and likewise, I had no doubt.

The meal at the restaurant was wonderful, and they put on a cake and had the entire place sing 'Happy Birthday' to Ness, much to her embarrassment. I had told them that it was her eighteenth, and although she had altered the booking, she hadn't known about it, so hadn't been able to stop it.

All through the singing she stared daggers at me while her face flamed red. I just grinned at her.

Eventually it was over, though, and she had forgiven me by the time we had eaten the cake. About midway through the meal, I excused myself to go to the bathroom, and, while I was up, paid the bill with a generous tip. I wasn't going to let Dean or Cheryl beat me to it.

Halfway through dessert, Dean too went to the bathroom. When he came back to the table he just glared at me. I raised an eyebrow. Cheryl looked at us both. "Caleb's is longer, but yours is much thicker, dear," she said to Dean.

Jules looked at her, puzzled.

"Your daddy and Caleb are having a dick-measuring contest again," she said with a grin. "From the expression on Dean's face, I think Caleb took this round."

Dean snorted. "He cheated," he said. "It's etiquette to wait for the dessert course."

"Which is better?" asked Ness. "Longer or fatter?"

"They both have their ups and downs," said Amanda, and Mary blew some cola out of her nose.

"It's more about who is on the other end of it," said Cheryl.

"Do we have to?" said Dean, looking very uncomfortable. "In public?"

"Hey, you started the contest," said Cheryl, and Dean just 'hmphed' as he sat down and finished his dessert.

I noticed some chatter on the connection, and saw Amanda looking at Ness, who had gone scarlet. I didn't interfere. I just thought Amanda was baiting Ness. It was something that she would have to get used to.

We finished up our meal and headed back to the ranch. Ness pulled up in her parking space and Dean and Cheryl pulled up beside her. We all piled out of the car. Neither Dean nor Cheryl looked in our direction. They just went into the house. I saw the light go on in the den. Amanda, Mary and Jules also seemed to vanish, leaving me all alone, in the front yard, with a young, beautiful girl who was staring at me both anxiously and hungrily.

She held out her hand to me, and I took it. Gently, she led me into the house, and up the stairs. Without speaking, she led me into her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"You made me a promise," she murmured to me, "all those months ago."

"I did?" I asked, knowing full well what she was talking about.

"You made me promise," she said, "when you gave me the first bond, that if I felt one of your 'invitations' I would not accept. In return, you promised, that when it was time..."

"I would show you what the fuss was all about?" I finished for her.

She smiled at me. "Show me," she whispered, "and send it to our girls. All of them."

I raised an eyebrow.

She blushed furiously. "Mom too," she sent silently. She couldn't say it out loud. I reached out with my powers to make sure she really wanted to do that, and I detected distinct traces of Amanda's meddling. Her car ride with the Steadmans made that much more sense. For Ness's part, she was still nervous and embarrassed, but I believed she truly did want her mom to be invited.

My one sin was that I stole a kiss all for myself before inviting Mary, Amanda, Jules, and Cheryl to feel what we felt. I wasn't sorry. I leaned forward, bringing my mouth to hers, and kissed her. Her lips parted, and she allowed me access to her. I explored her mouth gently with my tongue. Then she started to return the kiss. I don't know if it was genetic memory or what, but both Jules and Ness had Cheryl's skill at kissing. They were all remarkable kissers, and for a few moments I lost myself in that experience.

Eventually, though, I broke the kiss and drew back a little. Ness had been wearing a short jacket when we'd been out, but she had taken that off as we had entered her room. Now she was standing wearing a T-shirt and jeans so tight they could have been body paint. She looked amazing.