Forever and Always

Michael and MacKenzie stood there in the driveway of their house and waved to their parents as the cab took off. They were headed off to enjoy a month long cruise together for their twenty fifth anniversary that they had saved up for over the years. Eventually the car made a turn onto another street and a cool fall breeze carried the scents of an oncoming rain storm.

MacKenzie looked over at her brother and swatted his butt. "Race ya!"

Michael was surprised at the swat and suddenly sprinted off after her sister who was already bounding up the porch and back into the house. He stopped quickly when he saw her standing there with a huge grin on her face with her hands up in celebration. "Whatever."

"Oh don't be a sore loser Mouse," she said using the childhood nickname she had given him. She had heard one of her friends call him Mickey instead of Michael and since then it was the name that only she used with him. She threw her arms around him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Next time I'll give you a fair start, how's that?"

"Deal," he said as his brown eyes looked into her own. He reached up and rubbed the top of her head, tousling her long brown hair.

"Hey I just brushed it! Now I have to brush it again you goof!"

"That's what you get," he said with a mischievous grin.

MacKenzie looked over at the clock on the wall, "Shit, I have to hurry. Travis will be here soon to pick me up. He said he's going to take me to a nice restaurant tonight!"

"Hmpf."

"I know you don't like him."

"Never have Big Mac," he said using her nickname. They had gone to McDonald's one day and he wanted a Big Mac. McKenzie thought he was trying to get his attention and had only heard "Mac" and ever since the name stuck, but he was the only one who could call her that.

She kissed him on the cheek once more before she ran up the stairs to her room to finish getting ready. As she reached the landing she looked over her shoulders and down at her brother, "Don't wait up for me!"

"Movie marathon for me," he grunted. Despite them being nearly the same height he always looked at her as his little kid sister. He stood a couple of inches over six feet tall while she was just under six feet. He knew that she had always been teased about her height all through out school. Most of the boys hadn't even paid her any attention until junior year when she began to fill out and then they still called her hurtful names. He guessed he had just gotten so used to coming to her rescue after one of them would exclaim that they had just felt up the giant that he just naturally assumed the worst. He had gotten into many fights and over the course of the years he had developed a lean muscular body.

Michael walked into the kitchen and began to make himself a sandwich and grabbed a beer from the fridge before going into the living room and turning on the TV. He figured he would watch a movie or two, deciding against turning on the Playstation. MacKenzie had grown up to be just as competitive as he was and they spent a lot of time together trying to one up each other. He grabbed the remote and started looking through the Netflix library when he heard footsteps behind him, his nostrils suddenly smelling with the scent of peaches. He loved the smell of her body spray and had often bought it for her from "Bath & Body Works." He was secretly jealous that she was wearing it for him.

"What do you think?"

As he turned around he wasn't prepared for the image that he saw. MacKenzie was dressed in a skin tight dress that had black and white horizontal strips and stopped just above mid-thigh. Her long wavy hair fell over shoulders which were covered by the dress' short cap sleeves and she had on a pair black high heels that accentuated her long lean legs.

"Are you going to say something or are you just going to gawk at me?"

"Uhm, wow," he stammered. He had watched her grow up into a woman over the years but had never seen her so dressed up and he realized just how hot his sister was.

"Is that a good wow or?"

"If it wasn't for the fact that I was you're brother I'd be jealous right now. He better get ready for the Big Mac attack!"

MacKenzie giggled softly at the use her brother's nickname for her before she twirled and showed off her figure, "You really think so?"

He knew she wasn't fishing for compliments and that she genuinely was looking for reassurance. All those years of teasing and she was still fairly self conscious. "Absolutely. You're beautiful Mac."

"Aww thank you Mouse," she said as she walked up to him and leaned down over the back of the couch and planted a kiss on his cheek.

It was at that moment that Michael saw just how much cleavage her dress actually showed off and he felt his gaze linger longer than he should have. He felt his face go flush and hoped that MacKenzie hadn't noticed and was thankful when he heard a car honking outside.

"Alright, I'm off, I'll see you later. Love you!" she said as she turned back and walked out the door.

"Love you!" Michael watched her walk out and couldn't help but stare at her behind sashay as she walked out. He turned back to face the TV and it was in that moment that he realized the tightness in his shorts. He wondered to himself, when did she become so hot? More like why hadn't he admitted it to himself? Michael had watched her grow up over the years from a bean pole of a figure into the curvaceous beautiful woman she was now. He shook his head and tried to push the thought out of his mind. That's your kid sister you sicko, he thought and grabbed the beer off the table and took a long swig of it, bad idea. All he could think about was the deep cleavage he had come face to face with and her round heart shaped rear. He put the beer back on the table and tried to concentrate on the movie list that was on the screen. Eventually he found an action movie he liked and put that on, his mind eventually being distracted enough to stop thinking about MacKenzie.

***

As his eyes opened slowly Michael realized the sound he was hearing wasn't a dream, but his phone ringing. He had apparently fallen asleep on the couch and saw that there was a different movie playing and knew that he had been out for over an hour. He grabbed his phone and saw that it was his sister and answered it in a nearly inaudible grunt.

"Michael I need you."

His hand reached up and rubbed his eyes and he wasn't sure he had heard her correctly. "Huh?"

"I need you to pick me up Michael."

Michael's brain finally cleared the sleepiness from itself and he realized she was crying. He sat up suddenly and he was fully awake in an instant. "What's wrong? Where are you?"

"I'm at the mall, please come get me."

"I'll be right there. Are you okay?"

"Yea, I just need you to pick me up."

"K, I'm leaving now." He threw the phone in his pocket and made sure to grab his wallet and keys before running out the door. He jumped into his black four door Jeep and started it, barely letting it warm up before he stomped on the throttle and headed off to the mall. He realized he wasn't sure which entrance she would be at but decided to go to the one entrance that he always used and he would start from there. It only took him about fifteen minutes to drive there but to him it seemed like ages. It had been awhile since he had heard his sister crying and the rage he felt was causing him to shake. As he pulled into the parking lot he could barely make her out at the doorway and cursed the slow moving cars in front of him. His teeth gritted as he forced himself to slow down as he went down one of the lanes so that he could turn around. As he saw that it was clear he yanked the wheel hard and stomped on the gas, causing the Jeep to lurch and chirping it's tires. He pulled up to the passenger loading area and slammed on the brakes, stopping just in front of MacKenzie. The clouds were dark and gloomy and seemed to match her mood at the moment.

MacKenzie opened the door and slid into the seat. She didn't say anything but just stared at her lap.

"What happened Mac?"

"Travis was cheating on me and before I could do anything he started yelling at me and dumped me. I should have listened to you Michael, I'm so stupid."

Michael put a finger under her chin and made her look at him. For once in his life he felt awful at being right. He looked into her big brown eyes and said softly, "Listen to me, you're not stupid okay?"

MacKenzie merely nodded. "I'm sorry you had to come rescue me again."

"You're my sister, I'll be there every time you need me."

A weak smile crossed her lips. Movement caught her eye and she saw Travis walking out of the mall and saw that he was holding hands with a blond woman. "Oh my god."

Michael looked in the direction that his sister was and saw what had caught her attention. He threw the Jeep into gear and took his foot off of the brakes, letting the Jeep creep forward as he watched where they were walking to. He peered ahead and saw a set of lights on a car flash as Travis had remotely unlocked it and he stomped on the gas before slamming on the brakes behind the car. He threw the Jeep into "park" and jumped out.

MacKenzie watched as her brother got out without warning and was afraid that he would get into a fight. Unlike school he could get arrested and so she got out to try and calm him and pull him away but he was already several steps ahead of her.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Travis had thrown his arms out, trying to intimidate Michael.

Michael gritted his teeth as she flexed his muscles. There was something primal in his gaze, like a wolf sizing up it's prey. His fists were clenched tightly as he approached Travis. "The fuck is wrong with me? I'm not the asshole here."

Travis looked over Michael's shoulder and saw MacKenzie approaching from behind and saw that she had grabbed his hand and was beginning to pull her brother back. "Yea that's right, go home with the crybaby. You're such a pussy Michael."

Michael tore free of his sister's grasp, causing her to yelp from the sudden movement and launched a fist at Travis' face. The impact never came though as he had stopped from hitting him by a mere inch. A smile crossed his lips as he saw just how much Travis had flinched and noted the look of horror that was on the blond's face. He moved in close and whispered in Travis' ear, "Pussy."

Michael spun around and put his hand on the small of his sister's back and lead her to the Jeep, helping her in and closing the door behind her before he got in himself. He threw the Jeep into gear and stomped on the gas once more and smirked as he glanced in the rear view. Travis and his blond friend were screaming at each other and he could only imagine why.

"Always my savior," MacKenzie whispered before she punched Michael in the arm.

"Ow, what was that for?"

She knew she didn't hurt him as he had been in quite a number of fights and always been able to take a punch without flinching. A soft smiled crossed her lips still that he would entertain the notion that she could hurt him though. "That was for making think you were actually going to hit him and get yourself into trouble."

"I'm sorry."

Even though it had only been two words, she could feel the genuine heartfelt feelings behind them. She had only meant to razz him but he took the words to heart. She looked at her brother as he drove and could see his eyes scanning the road ahead. He was tall, lean and muscular. His hair was short with a slight curl to it and was the same shade of brown as hers. As she looked at him she no longer saw him as her big brother, but a grown man, and a rather handsome one at that. MacKenzie squeezed his hand softly, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For always having to come to my rescue. I wish more guys-." She stopped mid-sentence and let her voice trail off as she took her hand from his.

"What do you wish?"

She sighed heavily, "I wish more guys were like you Mouse."

"Tall and brutish?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Honest and caring."

Michael looked at her and smiled. Her voice sounded earnest and sad and he wanted to cheer her up.

"You've always been there for me like no one else ever has and I can't thank you enough. I love you Mouse."

"Love you Mac, and you don't ever need to thank me. Ever."

MacKenzie smiled as they pulled into the driveway. "How about a pizza and movie tonight? My treat?"

"That sounds good to me sis. I'll even let you pick the movie."

"Such a gentleman."

It was the a soft smile and Michael saw just how beautiful she was even though her eyes were red and puffy from having been crying not long ago. As they got out of the Jeep he was surprised to see her run up to him and throw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Maybe it had been the surge of emotions from earlier but this hug felt different. Whatever it was, he was a little sad when it ended.

They went into the house and he watched her run upstairs to change as he threw his keys and wallet on the kitchen counter. He went to the fridge and grabbed two cold beers and took them out to the living room where he sat on the couch and waited for her. After a few moments he heard her bare feet bounding down the steps and he turned around to see her running down the stairs. She was dressed in a pair of heather gray varsity shorts that showed her legs and a tight fitting pink baby tee with the word "Angel" on it. He noted how the shirt wasn't long enough to cover her stomach all the way and he saw the glint of jewelery that adorned her belly button. Once again the smell of peaches filled his nostrils and he felt his head begin to swirl. He thrust a cold beer into her hand and clinked the bottles together before he took a long swig of his.

MacKenzie sat on the couch opposite to him and propped her feet up and placed them on his lap and took the remote from his hand. A thought crossed her mind that she should be sad and locked in her room crying, but instead she found herself happy as she was spending time with her big brother. She took a drink of her beer and scrolled through the movies before settling on an action movie and hit play.

"John Wick?" he said in a surprised tone. It was one of his favorite movies.

"Why not? Nothing but the best for my knight in shining armor." She flashed a silly smile at him before she grabbed her phone and opened up the app for the local pizza place. "Same as always?"

"Sure."

MacKenzie's fingers scrolled and tapped the app numerous times and placed their order before setting the phone down. They sat together on the couch and began watching the movie as they waited for their order to be delivered. After some time they both heard the doorbell and she paused the movie before she jumped up off of the couch.

Michael could just barely see the delivery guy and caught him checking his sister out as she turned to put the food on the nearby table before signing the receipt. He noted how his eyes had lingered on her round rear end just as he had himself earlier. He saw the guy tip his cap and smiled broadly as he was handed the receipt and figured MacKenzie had given him a large tip. He watched her spin around with an arm full of food and that's when he realized she wasn't wearing a bra under her shirt. The brushing of the fabric mixed with a cool breeze had caused her nipples to harden and he had a hard time tearing his eyes away. "No wonder he was so happy," he muttered, not thinking MacKenzie could hear him.

"What was that?"

"I just uh, well, the delivery guy. He seemed happy with his tip."

"I was feeling generous so I gave him a good tip, why?"

Michael darted his eyes down to her nipples which were poking at the thin fabric of her shirt.

Her eyes looked down and she realized what he was referring to and laughed. "What is it with you boys and staring at boobs and hard nipples?" She placed the pizza and a couple of other smaller boxes on the coffee table before plopping down on the couch next to him.

Michael merely shrugged as he really didn't have an answer.

"My Mouse is a boob guy!"

Michael nearly spit out his beer when he heard her utter those words and he felt his face turn bright red.

"I knew it. I caught you looking earlier, it's alright."

He wasn't sure if it was the beer on an empty stomach that was causing him to become light headed or the conversation. His kid sister was telling him that she knew he checked her out and that she wasn't mad. He really had nothing to say, not because he couldn't think of anything to say, but because he couldn't get his lips to cooperate.

"What's the matter Mouse? Don't go all shy on me. You're a guy and I get it. I think I'd be offended if you weren't checking me out. I don't know, guess it made me feel good to have a guy look at me and not think that I was some kind of over sized giant." Her tone had become serious as she had memories of the kids making fun of her height. The guys who used to try and feel her up just so they could say they know what a giant feels like. It wasn't until junior year in high school when her curves began to fill out and she began to become comfortable with herself.

Michael noted the change and looked at her, his brown eyes staring deeply into hers. "I meant what I said before Mac, you're a very beautiful woman."

MacKenzie blushed as her eyes darted away. "Thank you Mouse, and I know you mean it." She leaned over and touched her nose to his, giving him an eskimo kiss. She leaned back and hit play on the remote and relaxed into the soft couch.

They watched a couple of movies while they ate pizza and wings while talking about passed relationships, noting how neither of them had ever had a long term relationship. As the night wore on they began joke more and tease each other as they often did. Something that they had done all their lives, but both knowing they didn't mean anything by the words.

After some time MacKenzie was sitting on the couch sideways and she was leaning up against her big brother's shoulder. She had a blanket wrapped around her as she was watching some show that she couldn't remember the title of. She felt her eyes begin to close before giving in and let herself drift off to sleep against a man who had always taken care of her. She had never known a safer place to be than next him and felt a calmness that lulled her off to dreamland.

"Want to watch something else?"

"Hmm."

"Oh," Michael said softly as he realized she had fallen asleep next to him. "Come on sleepyhead, let's get you upstairs."

MacKenzie begrudgingly got up and she allowed herself to be helped up the stairs, slowly taking each step towards her room. By the time she had reached it she had woken up a bit that she no longer needed any help and stood in her doorway looking at her big brother. "Michael?"

He looked at her in concern, she never called him by his name.

She pulled him in close and hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. She rested her chin on his shoulder as she held her embrace and whispered, "I love you Michael."

The words and her breathe on his ear caused him to get goosebumps as he held her. The warmth of her body radiated through her sheer clothes. "I love you too sis. Forever and always."

"Forever and always." It was a phrase that they said to each other since childhood. She had said it to him first all those years ago and it was one thing they shared. A promise to keep each other safe and to always be there for each other, and they had never broken that promise.

"Goodnight Mac," he said softly as he let go of her before turning back down the stairs. He decided to stay up a little bit longer and clean up the living room. After clearing the boxes and all of the napkins he decided to watch another episode of the show he had randomly come across so he sat back on the couch and hit play on the remote. It wasn't long before his eyes began to close and he drifted off to sleep himself.