Double Helix Ch. 21

Thinking about it, I found it a little odd that they even thought to come to me for permission in the first place, and I almost said that. But then, the lab was a limited resource, and one of my jobs was to ensure that we were utilizing our resources efficiently.

"Yes," I said at last. "Let's go ahead with her treatment."

"Yes!" Wendy said in her lowest register, pumping her arm. "You rock, Norm. This is going to be awesome!" She actually hugged herself in glee, then ran off, yelling, "Woohoo!" down the hall. A moment later, I heard her yelling from downstairs. "Guys, guess what? I'm getting boobs!"

We laughed together as I imagined my housemates' reaction to the exclamation. I winced as my head started pounding, which killed my merriment pretty quickly.

"So, almost done being bedridden?" Nissi asked.

I remembered not to shake my head. "Oh, you have no idea how done I am. I really don't see why getting my brains bashed in was such a big deal."

"Good," she said, with a little smile. "You know, technically, tonight will make it three weeks since you were injured. Do you think that's what Mike meant about your recovery time?"

I chuckled. "Well, now that you said that, that's the way I'm going to interpret it. I guess I'll see you all tonight at dinner."

"Great, I'll let everyone know to expect you." She lingered for a moment longer, watching me, then blinked as if realizing that she needed to be elsewhere. "Okay, see you later," she said, stepping toward the door. "Get some more rest."

"Yeah, more rest," I grumbled. "Just what the sadistic doctor ordered."

I did come down that night for dinner, and it felt great to be back among the people that I thought of as my family. My long bed rest had given me plenty of time to think, and in some cases, rethink some things. Our dining room table wasn't big enough to seat all of us anymore, so Sharon and Nock sat together on the sofa. Gena I reminded myself. She had chosen to stick with her model name, and I was going to respect that unless she told me differently.

The food wasn't quite ready yet, so I decided it was time to deal with an issue that had been on my mind for some time. They saw me coming, and I read the fear that flashed on Gena's face even as Nock's expression hardened.

"Mind if I sit?" I asked, gesturing to the chair.

"You can sit," Nock said in a neutral tone. I saw that he had his arm around my sister and she pressed subtly tighter against him.

I gathered my words carefully together, laying them out in my head. "Gena," I said, tasting the new name. Not long ago, I had expected I might never see or speak to her again. "When I saw you standing there in my driveway, all I could think about was how you had ruined my life, how you'd ruined the lives of many other people."

"Norm-" Nock began, but Gena patted his arm, forestalling whatever else he had been about to say.

"No, let him speak," she said.

I nodded. "My next thought was for the safety of the people here. I thought they would be in danger if I let you stay. You have done wrong. You destroyed lives. But compounding that wrong wouldn't fix that. Keeping the people here safe is my top priority, and that now includes you. It started the moment you arrived. Nock made me realize that I had to accept this risk, that this was part of the responsibility I had shouldered. My only other option was to do something monstrous."

A tear trickled down Gena's face as I spoke. "I would take it back, if I could, you know. If I could go back there now, and do it all differently, I would. Even if I had to let that awful man beat me, or rape me..." She swallowed, and Nock pulled her into his arms.

"What is she talking about?" I asked Nock.

"A loan shark. Real piece of work," he said. "He'd been threatening to assault her."

"I didn't know," I said, shaking my head ruefully. "But I want to tell you the real reason I came to talk to you. Seattle showed me what you are capable of. You have courage and tenacity. You stood by your friends when they needed you, even when it meant going into danger. I'm proud of you. You aren't the same person you were two years ago. I'm just sorry it took me this long to realize it. So, even if it's a little belated, I wanted to welcome you here to our home."

"You're proud of me?" she asked, with a sniffle, then laughed. "Before I came here, I had no idea that you were the same Norm that I kept reading about on the darknet. And what I've learned since? How you helped Tilly when she was suicidal, and led all these people to safety? What sister wouldn't be proud of you for what you've accomplished?"

Her words brought an unexpected surge of emotion, though it felt like something I had been waiting for my whole life. All those years in my sister's shadow, never feeling good enough, watching her collect accolades effortlessly while I worked hard for my grades, and even harder for my degrees. If she had just been given a few more years, she might have changed the world. And I had resented that she possessed something I could never have.

"I appreciate that," I said, a little hoarse. "And I forgive you." I smiled and added. "Little sister."

Her eyes went wide at that, and she all but flung herself at me. Her arms went around my neck and she buried her head on my shoulder, sobbing openly now. I gathered her up into my lap, cradling her.

"It's okay," I said, rubbing her back.

She had changed in many ways from the precocious teenager I had known growing up. Strange as it sounds, I thought that all of the negative experiences had allowed the whole human being beneath that vast intellect to come to the surface. After a minute, she extracted herself from my embrace and took her place next to Nock once more.

"There's something else that we need to talk about," I said. "You said that there was nothing you could do to make up for what you did to those people, but I figure that there is. The names of the genemods who were taken from that safe house in LA are public record. They are all registered as reverts. I want you to contact them. Stan can show you how we do it, but you need to get word to them about the danger they are in. I will even arrange with the agency to bring them here, if that is what they want."

Gena looked concerned, no doubt about the prospect of facing and being held accountable by more of the people that she had hurt, but she nodded. "I think I can do that."

"One last thing," I said, and waved my hand at the two of them. "What is this thing you two have going?" I fixed Nock with a stare. "Who told you that you could date my little sister?"

"You going to fight for her honor?" Nock asked, laughing. "You know I'd win with both hands tied behind my back."

I laughed in turn. "Seriously, though. You're my friend and she's family. You'd better both be sure about this before you take it too far. If things don't work out, it puts me in a really awkward place."

"We're taking things slow," Gena said, interlacing the fingers of her left hand with Nock's right. She gave him an adoring look. "But I think he's the one."

"And I'm sure the fact that he was a multimillionaire on the outside has nothing to do with it?" I asked.

The scandalized looks that both of them turned on me told me that he hadn't revealed to her that part of his past. "You're rich?" she asked. "You never mentioned that."

"Was," he corrected. "It doesn't mean a whole lot now."

"Like hell it doesn't," I said. "He's quite the catch, sis'. Really, I hope it works out for the two of you. After all of this blows over and you get married, I can be the annoying brother-in-law who comes around to mooch off of you."

Gena rolled her eyes and Nock said. "Damn, you're right. I don't know if I can handle having Norm for a brother-in-law. Maybe we should rethink this whole thing."

"You better not," she said, putting up her fists. "I'll fight you."

I left them to their banter, and Tilly came up to me. "I've got something to show you," she said. She took my hand and led me outside. Our footsteps crunched in the gravel as we crossed the driveway.

"We're heading to the barn?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm," she said. "No questions. It's a surprise."

"I hate surprises," I said.

She frowned at me. "No you don't. Now stop complaining and be a good sport. I think you're going to like this."

We went through the barn, past the vehicles inside and into the stall area that I had partially renovated. There was a light on in what was supposed to be Nissi's studio, and we came to a stop in the doorway. Nissi was there, at the Steinway piano I had bought for her the previous year. She was seated on the bench, partially turned so that she could watch the door. She wore an elegant red silk gown that nearly touched the floor and clung to her slim body, accentuating every curve.

"Thanks, babe," Nissi said to Tilly. "Norm, come in, sit down." She gestured at the office chair that was supposed to go along with the mixing equipment I had originally planned to purchase.

I stepped inside but didn't sit. "What is this about?"

"You'll see."

"I'll just leave you two alone," Tilly said. Her steps creaked on the wood flooring as she walked out. I watched her go, feeling like I was the target of a conspiracy. I just didn't know what the point of it was yet.

"Norm," Nissi said, brows raised. "Please?"

I sighed and sat on the chair. Nissi ran her hands over the keys in what I could only describe as a caress. I knew that the piano was horribly out of tune, and Nissi had shown no interest in music since she took up her study of genetics.

She curled the tips of her fingers and pressed down with both hands, and instead of a discordant noise, a beautiful set of tones emerged from the piano. Nissi's hands moved over the keys, turning the sound into a lovely, slow melody. There was no sheet music in front of her. She played from memory, improvising flourishes for a song that originally was performed by a five-piece band.

She began to sing. "Wise men say only fools rush in."

Her voice was pitched low and quiet, but easily filled the little space of the studio. I sat back, feeling the passion of her voice permeating the music, commanding my attention.

"But I can't help falling in love with you." She turned to look at me. Her eyes glistened, but her voice was warm and strong. "Shall I stay? Would it be a sin? If I can't help falling in love with you?"

My gaze locked with hers, and old, familiar sensation flooded back. My stomach fluttered and my head seemed to float. Every muscle in my body seemed to quiver with it. It was intimate and profound, elation melded with desire. It connected us, even across time, distance, and the heartache of betrayal and loss.

"Like a river flows surely to the sea. Darling so it goes. Some things were meant to be."

She went on, singing the words of the love song for me alone. She poured herself into the keys and the unearthly beauty of her voice, laying bare her heart, and it moved me to tears.

As she brought the song toward its close, I stood and closed the distance between us, sitting backwards on the bench so that I faced her.

"For I can't help falling in love with you." Her hands fell away from the piano and she leaned into me, her voice lowered to just above a whisper. "For I can't help falling in love with you."

I kissed her as the last word left her throat, just a tentative touch of the lips, as though anything more might break this strange spell we were under.

"Amanda," I said, feeling her warm breath on my lips, "is this a dream?"

She touched my cheek with the back of one slender hand. "If it is, Martin, then it is my dream. I've been a fool. A stubborn, self-absorbed little brat who threw away a good man out of pride. Could you truly want me after what I did to you?"

I kissed her again, and this time I drank deeply of her lips. I loved her, had never stopped loving her, long after it seemed hopeless, long past when I should have moved on and been satisfied with the amazing woman I had in Tilly. I pulled back sharply, suddenly afraid of being lost in her.

"Why now?" I said, and some of the hurt I felt came through in my voice. "Why did you wait so long?"

She looked down. "As I said, pride. It hurt me that you had lied, and I told myself that I was better off without you. But when I found out what you had gone through to come back for me in Seattle, I had to face the fact that I have been the one lying for the last year. I love you, Martin. I didn't stop loving you just because you made one stupid mistake."

"I would have done the same for any of them," I said quietly. "Nock, Stansy, even the newbies."

She smiled wanly. "I know that. And I love you all the more because of it." She kissed me, and her touch felt like sweetness and light.

"And you're willing to share me?" I asked. "You won't be jealous of Tilly?"

She laughed. "You've been sharing her with me all this time. Do you really think I could ask less of myself?" Her eyes twinkled. "Besides, Tilly and I have been talking. You know, we've been planning and preparing for this evening since pretty much the moment we got back from Seattle. She helped me figure out how to tune the piano. While we worked we had some, shall we say, interesting ideas about what sharing you might entail."

My imagination immediately started to go wild with that, but I quickly reined it in. I didn't want to get ahead of myself. "So we just...we pick up where we left off? Like nothing changed?"

Nissi smiled. "Of course not. Nothing is ever the same. But I love you, and I love Tilly, and I want to make both of you happy. I think we can start there and see where things go."

"You've thought a lot about this, haven't you?"

She smiled wryly. "Except there's one thing I didn't think through very well."

"What's that?" I asked.

She hugged herself with her arms. "I'm freezing to death out here. Let's get inside."

We walked through the front door holding hands, which drew more than a few stares from our housemates. "We've, uh, kind of made up," I explained lamely.

"But what about you and Tilly?" Stanley asked.

"Um, that's still a thing," I said.

"Wait," Nock said, still cuddled with Gena on the sofa. "You mean to tell me you and Tilly and then Tilly and Nissi...and now you and Nissi too?"

"Oh. My. God!" My sister exclaimed, more amused than angry. "Norm, really? Two girlfriends? What would mom think?"

"It's more of a triad arrangement," Nissi said smoothly. "Now if you all will excuse me, I need to take my boyfriend to bed." She circled my wrist with her fingers and pulled me towards the stairs

Nock grinned, giving me two thumbs up, which made Gena stare at him, open-mouthed. "Hey," he said, "you at least gotta admire the man's bravery. He could use some moral support." She looked at me, clearly thinking it over, and then gave me two thumbs up herself. Apparently she could be a real smartass when she wanted to.

Nissi practically dragged me up the stairs and down the hall. She turned the handle on the last door on the left and I followed her inside. As she moved to close the door, though, I rounded on her, grabbing her wrists, spinning her halfway around and shoving her back. She gave a little "Oh!" as her ass hit the door, slamming it closed, and I shoved her against it, pinning her wrists above her head and pressing hard against her with my body as I kissed her deeply and sensuously.

Her eyes burned bright with lust as I held her there. "You are mine," I said, "always, Amanda. I will never, ever let you go."

"Yes. Yes, Martin," she panted.

I savaged her neck and her shoulders, kissing, tonguing, and nibbling her into a frenzy of need. "Please, sir," she said, her eyes closed, cheeks flushed. "Please, I need you inside me." For answer, I ground my hard cock against her thigh.

It was odd. As we mounted the stairs, I had imagined making sweet, gentle love to her. That had been my intention, but in the moment, I had known what she needed. There would be time for soft kisses and caresses later. Right now, she wanted to be tamed and taken. She wanted to feel the power of her man dominating her.

I grabbed her hair and pushed her head down to mine for a kiss. Still holding her by the hair, I forced her to her knees, unzipped my fly and took out my turgid cock. Her eyes widened and she fell upon it immediately, bobbing her head up and down its length. I felt the head bump against the back of her throat each time, and she moaned and hummed happily when I said, "Good girl."

I wasn't ready to finish yet, so I pulled her off, and she blinked up at me with wide, adoring eyes. I put a hand at the back of her neck and guided her, still moving on hands and knees, over to the bed. I made her climb up onto the bed on all fours and pushed her down so that she lay cheek against the bed, ass in the air, feet hanging off the edge. I worked the lovely gown up her thighs and over her rump, then pulled her little lacy red panties, soaking wet nearly over their entire length, down to her knees. I knelt behind her, drew in a deep, heady breath of her sweet scent, and pushed my tongue into her.

"Oh, God, Martin!" she cried out, as I stroked in and out, up and down. "Oh, fuck!" she gasped, when I lathed her clit.

I gave her a few hard taps on the ass, and then rose to stand behind her next to the bed. I took a moment to position myself and then shoved, burying my cock inside her in one hard thrust. A sound that was half-moan, half-scream tore from her throat. "Oh, yes, sir!" she cried. I grabbed hold of her hips and began to hammer her in earnest.

She rose quickly, her hands beneath her body pulling and pinching at her nipples. "Fuck me, fuck me," she said in time to my thrusts, and then her voice rose in a sharp cry as she came.

I continued to shove hard into her, beads of sweat forming on my brow as I grunted, both in pleasure and exertion. It seemed to lengthen and deepen her orgasm, so that when she finally finished a minute later, she went mostly limp, though still giving sweet little feminine grunts each time I bottomed out inside her. I thrust harder, once, twice, three times, hitting the back of her thighs with a firm slap of flesh against flesh, and then pleasure shot through me as my cock jetted my seed into her. I stayed inside her for a long moment, panting, and then withdrew and lay on the bed next to her. She draped her body over mine.

As we lay there, warm and happy in each other's arms, the door softly opened and closed, and Tilly came to the side of the bed. She sat, the contented smile on her face reflective of the warm, satiated glow that I felt. "Nissi asked me to give you two some time alone," she said. "It looks like things are going rather well."

Nissi laughed weakly and patted my chest. Tilly looked down at both of us, her eyes roving over our half-naked bodies, and I could practically feel her arousal building. Nissi and I watched as she slowly removed her clothes, starting with her shoes and socks, then pulling the pink blouse over her head. She unzipped her skirt and worked it down past her hips to drop to the floor, and unsnapped her bra to let it fall away. Finally came her panties, which she pulled slowly down, revealing teasing glimpses of her ass, and then her pussy peeking between her legs, as she bent at the waist facing away from us.

Nissi moved slowly and sensually to take off her gown, obviously wound up again from the little show that Tilly had put on for us. I was already back at full hardness myself. Tilly helped her to remove the expensive garment, then planted kisses on her shoulders as she removed her bra. Her panties came off last, freeing her to move her legs, and she moved aside to make room for Tilly, who straddled me, and then set my cock against the lips of her pussy before slowly sinking down. I closed my eyes and moaned in bliss.