Fabula, sed vera Ch. 02

His eyes flickered towards the money and back to me again, shaking his head. "I need more money."

I studied him for a moment. My gut instinct screamed to me that there was no way that guy would leave the shop without doing something stupid, like shooting somebody or taking a hostage and I could feel that he was confused and needed someone to tell him what to do.

I reached out with my mind and connected with his confused thoughts, before firmly saying. "Be smart and get out!" while impressing the need to escape in his mind.

Fortunately, the telepathy worked this time. He took the money with his free hand and dashed to the door and outside to freedom.

Sawat let out his breath as he looked at me with respect in his eyes. "Thank you, Jimmy. "

I leaned against the counter, shaking a bit from the energy drain of the mental exercise. "You're welcome, Sawat. I had to say something before he did something stupid."

Sawat nodded. "He was that type."

I noticed Nu Tian looking at us from behind a shelf and waved her over. "It's okay now."

She was pale as she walked over to us. "Is it always like this here?"

I shook my head. If I thought that I had a bad week, Nu Tian's week had surely been worse. "No, usually it's pretty quiet around here."

"Yes." Added Sawat. "That is the first gun I have seen in years." He reached down behind the counter, took a bottle of whiskey, and poured some into three small cups, before handing one to each of us. "Here... For medical reasons. It will calm the nerves."

Nu Tian didn't hesitate but drank her cup at once.

Sawat winked at me and then followed suit a moment before I downed mine too.

"Ah. That helped." He said and held up the bottle. "One more?"

Nu Tian had gotten some colour into her face again and shook her head. "No thanks. This has already helped a lot."

I nodded in agreement. "For me too, but you better take one more, Sawat. After all it was you, he pointed the gun at most of the time." I smiled back. "That is a medical opinion."

"Bless you." He said in Arabian and poured one more. As all Muslims, Sawat only drank alcohol for medical reasons. At least that is what he told me once.

The second whiskey went down with the same speed as the first. Then he looked at me and switched back to English as he said "Do you mind if I do not call the police on this? The idiot only got away with a hundred pounds and that is a lot less than the raise my insurance will get if I call the police on this."

That was more than fine with me, so I smiled and nodded to him. "No problem. It's your shop."

Nu Tian nodded in agreement, which made him smile even more.

"Excellent!" he exclaimed and clapped his hands together. "So, did you find everything that you need?

"Ehh Not yet, but I will do it now." Said Tian and walked back to the shelves, picking up the cans that she had dropped on the way.

Again, we both looked at her as she walked.

"That is one hot woman you got there." Sawat said in a low voice and in Arabic. "And she doesn't lose her head easily."

"Yes, she is quite remarkable. " I agreed as I took the coffee cup and drank the rest of the coffee. "And don't let the good looks fool you, there's a good brain hidden behind those lovely eyes."

"Those are the best women." He said with a slow smile. "Just like my wife."

I nodded. Sawat's wife was a lovely woman, and it was her who did the accounting. "How is she by the way?"

"Pretty much the same as always." He said with a smile. "Worried about the kids and their future, even though all of them are doing quite well."

I laughed. "That's how mothers are."

"That is true, but sometimes I wish that she could ease up a little bit, because..." He was interrupted by Nu Tian, who came to the counter.

"Now I got everything." She declared as she started to pile the goods on the desk, but then added. "Or at least everything that I could remember."

"Good." I said, switching to English. "I think that we will need a couple of bags for that."

"No problem." Said Sawat, found some bags from behind the counter and placed the goods in them. As an afterthought I added a box of chocolate bars to the bags.

I paid, Nu Tian took the bags and then we were on our way back, after having said goodbye.

"The owner is a nice man." Remarked Nu Tian when we came outside again.

I nodded. "Yes, he is, but he's rarely there at this time a day. He and his wife have another shop and that is where he spends most of his time, but when he is there, he's always good for some talk and a cup of coffee." I glanced at the bags as I felt a slight dissatisfaction from her. "Did you get everything you needed, or did you just get everything that you could find?"

She looked at me in surprise and then laughed softly. "You are not easily fooled, are you?"

"Not really." I said with a grin. "What didn't you get that you needed?"

"He didn't have any chopsticks." She answered. "We will need them tonight."

"Oh... that's okay. I've got some in the cupboard in the kitchen."

"You do?"

"Yes." I grinned at her expression "Actually they are from the Chinese take-away two blocks away and are not of good quality, but they will do."

She smiled. "Do you eat a lot of Chinese food?"

"Hmm, I don't know. I take it with me on the way home from work from time to time, so no it's not a lot. Once every second week or so." I shrugged.

"Then perhaps what I make tonight will not be as new and exciting as I thought it would be." She thought out loud.

"No need to worry about that." I said with a grin. "What they call Chinese food here is quite different from the real thing. I have been to Hong Kong and the two kinds of food do not compare." I suddenly noticed that we were outside the building where the apartment was and stopped. "Oh, could I have the Chocolate bars, please? I'll put them into my car."

She smiled, placed the bags on the ground and found the four chocolate bars. "Here you go."

"Good." I took them, walked over to the Audi, and placed the bars in the glove compartment and then walked back.

Nu Tian looked at the car and then at me and said with certainty. "That isn't the same car we drove in yesterday."

"That is correct. " I said with a slight smile. "Somebody stole my Toyota last night, so I bought another car when I went shopping today."

"Are you sure that it will not turn up again?"

My smile turned into a grin. "Somehow I doubt that and if it does, I'm quite certain that it is in no condition to drive."

She looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I drove it to the harbour and set it on fire last night while you two were sleeping." I explained quietly as we walked to the front door of the building. "Somebody might have seen it, so I got rid of it."

"Oh!" She looked at me with wide eyes, and then she sighed. "I'm sorry for all the trouble we give you."

"I'll live and besides it's not exactly like you forced me to do it." I said with a chuckle and opened the door for her.

When we entered the apartment, the TV was switched on to some music channel that played dance music and Fei Mei was part walking, part dancing around in the living room, while she piloted the vacuum cleaner expertly between the furniture.

We stood still and watched the scene for a moment before she saw us, which immediately caused her to blush and switch off the vacuum cleaner. "Oh, I'm sorry. There's just so much good music that I couldn't help myself."

Smiling, I waved her concerns away. "It's okay. Don't be ashamed about being in a good mood."

She exchanged a glance with Nu Tian that I did not understand and then said. "Is it okay if I finish cleaning?"

"Yeah sure. I won't be here anyway. I really need a bath now."

"Oh, okay." She said with a little smile and started the Vacuum cleaner again.

I looked at Nu Tian who in turn was watching Fei with a smile, and then I walked into the bathroom.

Taking a shower was a bliss and I had just changed into some new clothes when the doorbell rang, so I walked over to see who it was, while Fei Mei disappeared into the guestroom and Nu Tian retreated to the kitchen.

A stunningly beautiful woman was standing outside. Tall and dark-haired with an olive complexion, she had sparkling blue eyes, full lips, and an hourglass figure that was enhanced by the business suit she was wearing. It was my cousin Paula Scipio.

Smiling widely, I opened the door. "Hey, Paula!"

"Hey Jimmy." She replied and gave me a hug. "Good to see you again."

"Likewise." I gestured for her to enter. "Please come in."

With a smile, she did as I asked but stopped just inside the door. "Oh! What a beautiful apartment!"

"Thank you." I closed the door behind her. "And yes, I knew I had to have it the moment I laid eyes on it."

She nodded as she looked around, but then said. "I got your text. What's the problem?"

Since we were talking Latin as always, I wasn't worried that Nu Tian and Fei Mei would overhear us, but I took her out on the terrace anyway, before I quickly explained the situation to her, while we admired the view.

"Oh, those poor girls." Paula sighed. "Unfortunately, wiping their memory of what has happened won't help. At least not with the rape situation."

"What?"

She shrugged. "It's almost impossible to wipe everything related to that big a trauma." She reached up and patted my cheek. "Lighten up, cousin. I didn't say I couldn't help, just that a Mind Wipe won't work. There're other ways."

Relieved, I nodded. "Good."

Her blue eyes studied me, as she asked. "What's your interest in them?"

"I just want to help them." I answered with a shrug. "Nobody deserves to be treated like that."

She nodded slowly. "So new passports and a new life here in England?"

"It doesn't have to be in England. I'll ask Leo where it's easiest to get a passport legally as a refugee, but that's not my greatest concern right now."

"Wise." She said with a smile. "All right, you can tell me the whole story later, but for now let's go talk with them."

"Okay... Oh, their English is not that good. How's your Cantonese?"

"Non-existent." Paula answered drily. "But if there are any problems, you can translate."

To my amusement, Nu Tian and Fei Mei initially thought that Paula was my wife since we had the same last name and were somewhat embarrassed when I explained to them that Paula was my cousin. However, that she was family seemed to put them a little at ease and it didn't take long for Paula to get them to talk about their life and what had brought them to England.

Since I had already heard it, I walked to the kitchen and made some tea, while getting a bite to eat.

When I came back again with the tea, both Nu Tian and Fei Mei were laying on the sofa with their eyes closed, while Paula was sitting in a chair with her eyes closed, looking like she was in deep concentration.

Quietly, I placed the tray on the table and sat down in a chair to wait.

--------------------------------

I must have fallen asleep while waiting, because the next thing I remember is a soft voice saying, "Wake up, Jimmy."

Opening my eyes, I looked at Paula's face. Somewhat to my surprise, her olive complexion was pale. A testament to the amount of power she had used.

"You need food." I blurted out in Latin, causing her to nod. "Yes, and Nu Tian is cooking as we speak."

I blinked a few times. "Done already?"

She nodded. "Yes. It took a few hours, but they should be fine within a week or so." She tilted her head. "Did you notice something special about Nu Tian?"

"Yes, her mind felt very familiar. I think she has some kind of power."

She nodded slowly. "That's a good way of explaining it, since I couldn't determine anything either... Except that she doesn't know it herself and that it's nothing we have ever encountered before." She grimaced. "In any event, while I could help her with the rape memories, she resisted every attempt to remove or even change the memory of you taking down those assholes in the alley."

"Shit." I thought for a moment. "Hold up. How could you help her with one and not the other?"

Paula shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I think it depends on what she wants, and she certainly doesn't want to forget you saving her... and Jimmy... " She leaned forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I get her. I know you think that your powers are the least useful in the family, but damn... After seeing them in action in her memory, I think that you might have the strongest powers of us all! Nobody else can throw containers around like they were toys. It was quite a show."

"Stronger doesn't mean useful." I protested.

"Well, in this case, I have to disagree. None of the telepaths could pull off that rescue."

I opened my mouth to disagree again, but then closed it as I realized that she might be right.

Paula chuckled at my facial expression, but then turned serious. "Anyway, I have an important question for you: Why in the name of Hades hasn't anyone healed your back lately?"

The word 'lately' caught my attention. "Well, they tried right after the accident, but without much luck."

Paula snorted. "They should have tried later as well. I healed you while you were sleeping and while it's far from perfect, it should be a lot better than before."

Stunned I looked at her for a moment and then sat up to carefully test my back. As she had said, it wasn't back to what it once was, but it was a lot better than before.

Unable to speak, I reached out and dragged her into a hug, finally managing to whisper, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." into her ear.

Paula hugged me back until I let go of her. Then she smiled and said, "That's what family are for."

"Excuse me, but dinner is ready." Said Nu Tian from the direction of the kitchen.

Paula looked at her with a smile. "Thank you."

There was something about her that made me say. "You planned that."

She stood with a grin. "Yes. I know the men of our family. They come off as tough guys, but deep within they're softies and I can only take so much thanks for one day."

With a snort, I stood as well. "Let's eat then."

It turned out to be a very good Sunday evening as the four of us ate Chinese food, talked and in general had a good time.

London, Friday, 7th of July 2000

Somewhat to my surprise I discovered that I was smiling when I got into my car and drove home for the weekend four hours earlier than usual. Normally I don't look forward to the weekend in the same way as most other people do. Not that I'm a workaholic but having nobody to get home to, meant that I might as well stay late at work and until recently, I had done exactly that, but now, I looked forward to spending time with Fei Mei and Nu Tian instead.

In the two weeks that had gone I had discovered that it is awfully easy to fall into habits:

When I got up in the morning, Nu Tian had made breakfast and coffee, so all three of us ate it together while we talked a bit. After breakfast I drove to work and was there until three o'clock, or by lunchtime if it was Friday, before I went to the gym, worked out for an hour, and then drove home.

When I came home, the house was clean and either Nu Tian or Fei Mei had made dinner, so we sat down and ate and would then spend the rest of the evening talking, watching something on the TV, going for a walk or whatever we felt like.

I had also connected my stationary computer to the net so they could surf the internet or use the English language training program that I had bought for them.

I usually use my laptop for just about everything, so there was no loss for me.

So far none of them had ventured outside alone and even together they hadn't been farther away than Sawat's 7-11, but I guessed that it would come in time. Even the doctor Paula had arranged for had to come to the house, where he checked the two girls for just about anything and everything, finding nothing.

One thing that had resolved itself without fuss was the car situation. The police simply called and told me that they had found my car at the harbour and that it was burned. I even got a statement from them and forwarded that to my insurance company.

I had watched the news closely all week, but there had been no news about dead people found in containers, so I assumed that they had been burnt along with the rest of the garbage.

The car radio suddenly beeped and got my attention. It was a traffic report that said that there had been an accident and that the police expected that the road was blocked for several hours. The road they talked about was the one that I use to get to the gym, which meant that I could either get stuck in traffic for more than an hour before I could get to do my work out, or I could drive home and relax and do my work out tomorrow instead.

I smiled and changed lanes. That was an easy choice to make.

Twenty minutes later I parked the car outside the building, walked up the stairs and into the elevator to the apartment.

As always, I hung my jacket in the hall and then went into the living room.

The surprising sight that met me, made me stop rather suddenly.

From where I stood at the door, I had an excellent view of the room and Nu Tian and Fei Mei were laying naked on the sofa with their heads between each other's legs, moaning in pleasure as they enjoyed each other.

It was an extremely erotic sight, and I enjoyed their well-shaped forms for a moment. Paula had said that the mental healing would take about a week and that was twelve days ago, so what I was seeing was most like the two girls acting like they used to do in the past.

I chuckled silently for myself.

It wasn't a complete surprise, since I had noticed the way the two of them looked at each other as well as the feeling of lust that came from them from time to time, but it most certainly was a pleasant sight to come home to.

Seeing that they hadn't noticed me, I levitated slightly and 'walked' silently into the office, closing the door quietly behind me. I needed to read about some new medical equipment anyway and that would give them time to finish what they had started.

I was halfway through it, when I heard the shower start, so I finished the passage and walked out to get some coffee.

To my surprise they weren't both in the bathroom, which meant that when I came out of the office, a naked and equally surprised Fei Mei looked at me from the sofa. The satisfied and relaxed expression in her face was immediately replaced with one of near panic. I also noticed that her breasts were full and round and topped with smooth, puffy dark-pink nipples.

I reached out with my mind, connected with hers and projected a feeling of calmness towards her. "Hey there. I'm going to get some coffee. Do you want some as well?"

She looked and felt more relaxed, but she still blushed from chest to hairline as she stuttered "N-no thanks."

"Okay." I said with a smile and continued into the kitchen.

Behind me I could hear the sound of running bare feet on the floor, followed by the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing.

Laughing to myself, I started to make coffee. I hoped the girls weren't embarrassed about having sex.

The coffee was almost done when the door to the bathroom was slowly opened and both girls walked in... or rather sneaked in with their eyes anywhere else than at my face. They were both in bathrobes.

Before they could say anything, I switched to Cantonese, which lessened the chance to be misunderstood, and said with a smile. "Did you change your mind about having some coffee?"

Looking a bit relieved, Fei Mei nodded. "Yes, I could use a cup."

"Good." I took a cup from the holder and poured coffee into it. "I hope that you aren't about to apologize for having sex, because there is no need for that." I handed the cup to her with a smile. "Here you go."