Greg and Allie 01: The Beginning

We were there for about an hour when it happened. I excused myself to visit the men's room and when I came back, she was gone. I looked around and saw her on the dance floor with a guy who looked to be somewhat younger than me. I watched them dance for a while, then I saw them head out the back door.

I followed them outside and saw them in a dark corner. She had her arms around his neck and was kissing him vigorously as his hands crept up her short skirt. As I watched, he lifted her skirt up around her waist and put his hands on her nearly naked ass. As they kissed, he ground her into his crotch. I could hear her moan from where I stood and knew where it would finally lead. When they broke apart, I stepped back inside and waited for them by the door.

"Hello, Sue," I said when they came inside. "I didn't see you when I came back from the men's room, but I see you've managed to occupy yourself." She looked embarrassed for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Greg," she said. "This is Richard, my fiance. We had a fight and broke up before you asked me out but we've gotten back together. If you don't mind, I'd like to stay with him for the evening."

"Well, I hope you have a nice life, Sue," I said. "Good luck, both of you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving. Good night." I turned and left the club, more humiliated than I had ever been in my life. I got in my car and headed out.

On the way, I realized that Allie's condo was close by. I felt like I needed to talk to someone, and figured she was the best choice, so I went. I buzzed her condo from the gate and entered the grounds. When I got to her door, she was waiting for me, wearing a short robe.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "I thought you had a big date with Sue. What happened?"

"Well, Sue met up with her fiance and decided to finish the night with him," I said. "I'm sorry if I'm imposing. If you'd rather, I can leave and go back home. I just needed someone to talk to."

"It's no imposition," she said. "You've been drinking and I'd rather you stay here tonight. Let me grab your pajamas and you go get changed." I nodded my head and went into her bathroom. She handed me a folded set of pajamas that I had left from a previous visit and I changed. When I came back out of the bathroom, she handed me a cup of chamomile tea and guided me to the bed she had pulled out in her living room.

I sat down and drank the tea, then laid back on the bed. To my surprise, she climbed on with me and put her arm around me. I told her what happened that night and what led me to come visit her.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. And I'm glad you felt like you could come to me," she said. "You want me to go scratch her eyes out and call her a whore and a bitch?" I chuckled at that, but the truth was, I could see her actually doing it.

"She probably is a whore and a bitch," I said. "But I'm glad I found out now instead of later. I've never been so humiliated in my entire life."

"She doesn't deserve you," Allie said. "And yes, it's good you found out now. Try to get some sleep and things will be better in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," I said. "Thanks for putting up with me."

"Any time," she said. Allie put her head on my shoulder and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. She was still there when I woke up the next morning. I went into the bathroom and did my usual morning routine and put my clothes back on. She was in the kitchen making coffee when I came back out.

"Good morning," she said when she turned around.

"Good morning," I answered. "Thanks for giving me a shoulder to cry on last night."

"Anytime," she said. "Here, have some breakfast. What's on your plate today?"

"I'll be working in the loft," I said. "I have some servers I need to finish setting up. What about you?"

"I have to go to work today," she said. We sat and ate our breakfast and talked about what happened the previous night.

"You know, you're going to make some lucky man very happy one of these days," I said when I finished.

"I hope so," she said with a slight smile. "Listen, you know you're welcome to bunk here any time you want, got it?" I nodded my head.

"Got it," I said. "Thanks again."

I buried myself in my studies from that point on, not wanting to experience another episode like that again. I continued to visit Allie and we spent time talking, eating, watching movies or playing cards. After about six months, I had completed my degree and graduated. Mom and Allie were both there and we celebrated the event with a steak and lobster dinner at an expensive restaurant.

A week later, I was offered the contract job in Iraq. I spoke with Mom after I accepted and told her about it.

"Well, it would certainly give you a lot of experience and the money would help get you started," she said. "When do you leave?"

"In three days," I said. "I've already got my passport and I just need to get a few things updated, but other than that, I'm good to go."

"Have you talked to Allie yet?"

"Not yet," I said. "I was planning on talking to her about it tonight."

"You know, she had a very difficult time when you were gone before," Mom said.

"No, I didn't know that," I said. "This is different, though. I won't be in a combat situation."

"Still, that's a very dangerous part of the world right now," Mom said. "She's going to be very worried about you. So am I, for that matter, but I know you can handle yourself."

"Will you be okay with me gone?" I asked.

"I'll be fine," she said. "I've managed to get along just fine since your dad passed away. And if I need anything, Allie will help." As promised, I told Allie about the job that night.

"And you'll be gone for another year?" she asked. I nodded my head.

"Yeah," I said. "But this time will be different. I won't be in a combat situation."

"But you could still get hurt," she said.

"They have security people over there. I'll be okay," I said.

"I hope so," she said. "I couldn't handle it if something ever happened to you." I put my arms around her as she began to tear up. "Promise me you'll come back to me."

"I promise," I said. "I'll be just fine. You'll see." We spent the rest of the night watching television as we laid on her pull-out bed. As usual, I was in my pajamas and she had donned a long t-shirt. I didn't know if she had anything on under it, but I could see her hard nipples threatening to pop through the shirt. Allie wrapped her arm around me and nuzzled close.

"I'm going to miss this," she said quietly.

"Yeah, me too," I said.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" she asked.

"Sure," I said. "Anything."

"Do you think I'm pretty?" she asked. I thought that was an odd question, but answered anyway.

"Of course," I said. "I've always thought you were pretty."

"You're not just saying that because you're my brother?" she asked.

"No," I said. "Have you ever known me to do something like that?"

"No," she said. "Would you be attracted to me if we weren't brother and sister?" she asked nervously. Where is this going, I asked myself.

"Yeah, I could see that happening," I said. "I've told you before that I think you'd make some lucky man very happy and I mean it."

"But what if you were that lucky man?" she asked. I looked at her confused. "Pretend you don't know me for a minute, okay? What if you saw me out somewhere by myself. Would you be tempted to ask me out?"

"Truthfully, yes," I told her.

"Would you be tempted to kiss me?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"If we weren't brother and sister, yes," I said truthfully.

"Would you take me in your arms and make mad passionate love to me?" she asked. I could sense that she was getting excited by this little game and wondered where she has heading with it. Looking down, I she had placed a hand at her crotch with one finger under her t-shirt and wondered if she was actually masturbating in front of me. I found my body responding to this and quickly adjusted myself -- the last thing I wanted was for her to see me excited.

"I'm not sure this is appropriate," I said. She laughed before replying.

"I'm just playing pretend, okay?" she said. "We've played pretend before."

"Yeah, but never like this," I said. "What's this all about, anyway?"

"I'm just curious," she said. "You want to know the real reason I don't go out on dates?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Because, I always end up comparing the guys who ask me out to you," she said. "And they just don't cut it."

"I'm flattered," I said.

"I have a confession to make to you," she said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"I was jealous when you told me about your date with Sue," she said. "A part of me hoped it wouldn't go well. I'm sorry. I don't ever want to see you hurt by anyone, but a part of me hurt when you went out with her."

"Wow," I said. "I didn't see that coming."

"I hope you're not angry with me," she said.

"No, I'm not," I told her. "I just never expected anything like this."

"That night when you were here with me, holding me in your arms, I dreamed about you making love to me," she said. "Please don't be angry, but I haven't been able to get that out of my head."

"I'm not angry," I said. "But I'm not into incest. That's just wrong. On so many levels."

"I know," she said. "And I agree. But in my dream, we weren't related."

"Tell me more about this dream," I said.

"Well, it's pretty straightforward. You and I were naked, in bed," she said. "And we were making love to each other. You even brought me off with your tongue and I did the same to you." We had talked about sex before, but those discussions were always about dates we'd had with other people or things we had seen or read online.

"Wow," I said. "That must've been some dream."

"But you wanna know the best part of the dream?" she asked.

"What?" I responded.

"Afterward, you held me in your arms, told me you loved me, then kissed me," she said. "That's when I saw it."

"Saw what?" I asked.

"A wedding ring on your finger," she said. "And in my dream, I knew it was the ring I put on your finger." It would be an understatement to say I was shocked.

"And you've had this on your mind ever since?" I asked. She nodded her head.

"Yeah," she said. "I've even brought myself off a few times thinking about it since then."

"You masturbated to that dream?" I asked, even more shocked. The last thing I could ever imagine was my sister masturbating. She smiled and nodded her head.

"Yeah," she said. "I sometimes lay in bed naked and fuck myself silly thinking about it. I've even had to change my sheets a time or two."

"Now that's just TMI -- too much information," I said. She laughed.

"I can't help it," she said. "I'm a normal adult woman, so yeah, I have fantasies and sometimes I use them to, you know, help relieve myself. I even have a few dildos I use as well. You want me to show you?" I held up my hand.

"Thanks, but no thanks," I said.

"I hope you're not upset with me, or think bad of me," she said.

"No, I'm not upset and I could never think ill of you," I said. "I just never imagined we would ever have a discussion like this."

"To be honest, neither did I," she said. "But I just wondered how close my dream was to reality."

"Well, since we are related, I don't ever see us getting married or having sex," I said. "But if we weren't related, well, that might be a different story." She smiled and planted a soft kiss on my lips.

"Since you're going to leave in a couple days, would you mind if I slept here with you tonight?" she asked. "I'm going to miss you so much and I just want to have something to remember you by. I promise I'll be good."

"Okay," I said after giving it a bit of thought. We climbed under the covers and I held her in my arms as she put one bare leg over my pajamas. Strangely enough, I felt quite comfortable with her like this.

"Goodnight, Greg," she said, giving me another kiss.

"Goodnight, Allie," I said, returning her kiss.

The day I left for Iraq, Mom and Allie drove me to the airport and went with me as I checked in. When it was time for me to go through security, we said our goodbyes. Mom hugged me and kissed me on the cheek, wishing me well, then Allie hugged me tight and kissed on the cheek. Then she leaned into my ear.

"I love you, Greg Smith," she whispered. "Please come home to me."

"I love you too, Allie," I whispered back, giving her one last hug.

...

I woke with a start as the plane began its descent. Following the flight attendant's directions, I brought my seat into the upright position and double-checked my seat belt. When the plane came to a full stop, I got up and deplaned with everyone else.

After going through all the security and customs checkpoints, I headed for the baggage claim. I grabbed my bags and made my way to the terminal where Allie was waiting for me. I spotted her in the terminal before she saw me and I couldn't help but think that she had gotten even more beautiful over the last year.

Her face lit up as she saw me, and she ran to me, her arms spread wide. She wrapped her arms around me and smothered my face with kisses. Anyone watching would think we were long lost lovers.

"Thank God you came back to me, Greg," she cried. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too," I said, returning her hug.

"Come on, let's get home," she said, grabbing my hand. I followed her to the car and put my bags in the back seat. She was already in the driver's seat and was starting the car when I got inside.

"How are you holding up?" I asked.

"It's been miserable," she said. "Fortunately, Mom got all of her affairs in order. The funeral is tomorrow afternoon at 1:00, so we need to get you a suit. I hope you don't mind, but I put you down as a pall bearer."

"No, of course not," I said. "The funeral is tomorrow afternoon? That's pretty fast, isn't it?" She nodded her head.

"Yeah, but thanks to her planning, the funeral home was prepared for it," Allie said. "You know how Mom liked to plan everything out."

"Tell me about it," I said.

"We also have an appointment to see her attorney on Monday," she said.

"Were you able to get time off for all this?" I asked. She nodded her head.

"Yeah, I'm on bereavement leave, so I'm off until Wednesday," she said. The next two days were a blur. After we got home, I put my things away and Allie took me down to buy a new suit, since all the suits I had were too small and out of style.

There wasn't time to get it tailored, so we bought one off the rack that seemed to fit the best. Fortunately, Allie was there, and helped me select something suitable. Then we went to the funeral home where the viewing was taking place.

As we walked in, a number of people expressed their condolences, which we graciously accepted. I finally made my way to Mom's casket and looked down at her. She seemed so peaceful laying there. The funeral home did an excellent job on her, dressing her in a classy black dress, her hands folded neatly on her chest.

Tears began falling down my cheeks, and I fought to make them stop. I didn't want anyone here to see me cry. That would come later. Allie came to me and put her arm around me.

"It's okay," she said. I nodded my head, saying nothing. Finally, everyone left and we went home.

"I've got some meatloaf in the fridge if that's okay," she said.

"Yeah, that's fine," I told her. We ate at the dinner table in silence, each of us immersed in our own memories of our mother. When we finished, we went downstairs and tried to relax in the theater, but to no avail.

"Thank you for all of your help," I told Allie. "I know it wasn't easy for you, and I appreciate it more than you know."

"You're welcome," she said. "I was happy to do it. You have no idea how much she and Dad meant to me."

"You know, I never got a chance to say goodbye," I said. I couldn't help it. The tears poured out of my eyes as I sobbed on the couch. Allie wrapped her arms around me and kissed my face.

"It's alright, sweetie," she said. "Mom knows how much you love her. She was so proud of you. Believe me, she understood that you had to finish your contract. You know how she felt about that kind of thing." I nodded my head.

"I know, believe me," I said. "The last time I talked to her, she told me in no uncertain terms not to break my contract. I just wish I could've been here to see her one last time. Now, I'll never get to talk to her again."

"Neither will I," she said. "I learned a lot from her as well." We hugged each other as we both mourned Mom's passing. After we calmed down, I looked at Allie and remembered something Dad told me after I finished boot camp.

"You know, Dad was right," I said.

"What's that?" she asked.

"He once told me the day would come when it would just be the two of us," I said. "We're all that's left of our family. Do you realize that?" She nodded her head.

"I know," she said. "That means we need to stick together more than ever. And no more trips overseas. You got that? I can't go through that again."

"I got it," I said. "I promise, no more trips overseas. From now on, I'll be right here."

"You'd better be," she said.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked.

"We move on, one day at a time," she said. "We get some sleep tonight, do the funeral tomorrow, then go see the lawyer on Monday."

"Place isn't going to be the same without her here," I said.

"No, it's not," she said. "I guess we'll just have to make some new memories, won't we?" I nodded my head and looked around the place. We spent the next hour or so, talking about old times and the fun we all had here as a family. That caused both of us to start crying again. After we settled down again, I looked at the time.

"I don't know about you, but I'm wiped," I said. "It's been a long day, and tomorrow's going to be even longer."

"I'm wiped as well," she said. We headed upstairs to our respective rooms and went to bed. The next day, we woke up fairly late, grabbed some breakfast and began preparing for Mom's funeral. The funeral home asked us to be there an hour early, which meant we had to leave the house at 11:30.

We got there on time to find that some people had already started showing up. We greeted everyone as they came in, and graciously accepted all the cards, flowers and condolences. I had no idea Mom was so well liked, but I wasn't surprised. She had made a number of friends through her business over the years and most of them had stayed in touch with her.

The service was quite nice, and we enjoyed the pastor's short message of love and forgiveness. The funeral director asked if I wanted to say a few words, and I accepted after giving it some thought. I got up, not knowing exactly what I would say, but as I looked at her face in the casket, it came to me. I looked at the crowd and was a bit nervous.

"Mom," I began. "I wasn't able to be here to tell you goodbye and I never got a chance to express how much I love and appreciate you. You taught me what it is to be a man. You encouraged me to be the best I can be and you supported everything I ever did, offering to help when and where you could. You respected me enough to let me make my own mistakes and loved me enough to help pick me up and point me in the direction I needed to go. I want you to know I love you with all my heart, and I miss you so very much. I promise you I will do everything in my power to be the man you raised me to be. Thank you, Mom. I love you."

With that, I sat down, tears falling down my face. Allie was crying as well, and I noticed a few others wiping tears from their face.

After the service, we loaded her casket into the hearse and headed to the cemetery. The ceremony there was short and sweet, just the way Mom would have wanted it. Her casket was lowered into the ground, in a space next to Dad. When the ceremony was over, everyone came by and wished us well. We thanked them for coming.