Grief, Lust, and Consequences Ch. 01

Note from the Author:

This story probably won't be for everyone. I personally had a difficult time with it and struggled over it for many months. Fair warning, it will be a long and slow burn compared to other works. I've got a lot more material for this particular story, but wanted to start with this. If there's interest I will continue on to the second chapter. I'm pleased it's finally finished and I hope you enjoy the finished product!

Cheers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katy braced herself in the backseat of her brother's truck as he piloted up a very bumpy mountain road in the middle of winter. The sun had dipped below the horizon and the only remaining illumination beyond the headlights of the vehicle was the eerie blue glow of the snow reflecting the last light of day. She planted one hand on the door and the other on the driver's seat in front of her as she dared to peer out the window toward the steep embankment that lined the mountain pass. She had been on this road before and knew to expect a bumpy ride, but this time was different.

Katy, her brother Jeff, and his wife Bethany were making their way to their father's mountain lake cabin. To call it merely a cabin might lead someone to believe that it was some rough, spartan getaway in the middle of the wilderness, but her brother and her father had spent many years building it up into a very cozy place to spend downtime. The cabin itself was a classic timber frame structure but has been renovated to include a hot tub on the back porch, a home theater room, and a more nicely appointed kitchen then what you would typically find in a family home. The family had spent several Christmas seasons in the place as well as some summer getaways. The cabin held some very fond and poignant memories for both siblings. This particular trip was very different because it would be their first visit without their father

Katy's brother had planned this getaway as an opportunity to spend time with his sister over the winter break after the tragic passing of their father. Just four months prior, the siblings had lost their dad to a traffic accident on his way back home from dropping off Katy for her first term at university. Katy had taken it especially hard. That is not to say that the tragedy didn't have a big impact on her brother, but Katy was much younger than her brother and the fact that the accident occurred during the trip to take her to her classes weighed heavily on her. In the following months, Jeff had made every effort to be supportive and caring of his little sister, often having her over to spend nights reminiscing and crying at his flat when she didn't want to be in their family home alone. He also arranged frequent dinners and outings to shop or go to the cinema to try and take her mind off things. In reality, he had been Katy's emotional rock for as long as she could remember.

Jeff was twenty-six years old to Katy's eighteen, and had always been a protective and caring older brother. When Katy was still a young child, their mother abandoned the family to run off with her affair partner and neither of the siblings had any contact with her for years. Katy was too young to remember or understand many of the details of the ordeal but Jeff remembered it all too well. Their father, understandably, took some time to emotionally recover and Jeff stepped more into the role of co-guardian for his little sister. As she got older, his role organically transformed into something more akin to friend and confidant. As a result, the pair grew very close and tight-knit by the time Katy had grown into a young woman. She always knew she could count on her big brother to be a judgment-free sounding board, a well of honest advice, and a dependable source of help in any situation.

The pair's father had made sure that his affairs were taken care of in the way of arrangements and insurance should something happen to him. This resulted in Katy finding herself the sole inhabitant of their family home when not at university. She was in quite a unique situation as an eighteen-year-old living in a home with no debt, but her advantage was little consolation to her in light of her loss. For this reason she often found herself staying on the sofa at her brother's flat when the solitude in their home full of memories proved to be too much for her. She found it easier to keep composed by staying at the university dorms than at home by herself. Jeff was not unaware of what she was going through which is why he had arranged for them to spend a winter weekend together at the cabin.

Katy could hear the sound of Jeff's truck crossing the small wooden bridge over a stream that fed into the mountain lake, though her view was obstructed by the pile of luggage. She knew this meant they were getting close to the conclusion of their two-hour drive, but she also knew there was a large bump just after the bridge and braced herself again in the cramped quarters. There would have been plenty of room in the cab had the balance of the rear bench seat not been piled full of luggage. She planted one hand on the back of the driver's seat behind Jeff, and the other kept the tower of luggage from toppling into her lap when the truck climbed over the bump on the trail.

"I don't remember this drive being so brutal when dad was taking us!" she said, half in jest toward her older brother.

She had meant it as a joke, but as soon as the words left her mouth she realised how it could have come across to her brother who was also grieving. Before Jeff could respond, she reached her hand over the seat and placed it on his shoulder to reassure him that she meant nothing by it. Jeff patted his hand over hers and leaned his head against it momentarily before returning his focus on the road ahead.

The siblings were no strangers to physical affection in the form of hugs and even the occasional cuddling. After all, their upbringing had forced them to be closer than the average brother and sister. Katy did, however, spy Bethany shooting a less than sympathetic look toward her husband when he leaned his head against Katy's hand. She had noticed similar looks when she had spent nights at their flat and leaned against her brother for comfort. Katy scoffed at the notion that Bethany should feel any certain way about their touching, especially considering the ordeal that she and her brother had just been through. In the tumultuous months since her father's passing, Katy had found herself becoming increasingly annoyed at her sister-in-law's cross looks.

Shortly after crossing the frozen stream, they had finally arrived at their destination. Katy slipped her mittens over her hands before extricating herself from the back seat and tumbling out into the winter landscape. Jeff had exited before her and was taking in the scenery. There was an allure to the scene of the cabin at the edge of the woods leading up the lake in the winter time that could not be matched, especially as the last of the sunlight dimmed to a glow over the peaks just above them. Katy could tell by the way Jeff had stopped and silently stared toward the lake that he was awash with memories of being there with her father. She walked up behind him, slipped her arm around his waist and hugged him from the side.

"It will be okay," she said softly, her breath turning to steam in the dry, frigid air.

Jeff leaned his tall frame against her and returned her embrace. "I should be the one telling you that" he said somberly before cracking a grin at his little sister. His gaze returned from far off visions of the past and met hers as she looked up at him. "I'm glad we're here though."

The emotional moment between the two was interrupted by the shrill call of Bethany back at the truck.

"It's freezing! Let's get the luggage inside and make a fire!"

Jeff released Katy and trudged back toward the truck through the snow as Katy rolled her eyes toward the lake before following him.

Katy's annoyance with her sister-in-law only increased as she watched her brother, laden with Bethany's luggage, walk through the snow while Bethany herself carried only a purse and immediately entered the cabin and disappeared into the living room leaving him to handle their combined packed belongings.

"Let me help you..." Katy started reaching for a couple of the bags slung over her brother's back. "She's obviously got no intention of helping," she added with a low sneer.

Jeff looked down at Katy with a thankful look but muttered out a response of, "Play nice, now."

To say that Katy had always held a level of disdain for Bethany would be an overstatement, but in her honest thoughts, she believed her brother could have done much better. When Jeff and Bethany started dating, the two girls got along just fine. Katy was not yet a teenager at the time and looked at Bethany like the big sister she never had. The first time Katy could remember feeling any less than friendly feelings from her sister-in-law was at her brother's wedding when she, as a bubbly teen girl, dragged her older brother onto the dance floor during the reception. That was the first of the leering looks she would spot from Bethany, but after the passing of the siblings' father they were becoming more frequent as Katy and Jeff spent more time together.

Katy helped her brother haul in the rest of the luggage and set it in the house and tried to hide her disgusted look when she found Bethany seated on the sofa going through her phone while the siblings carried everything in from the outdoors.

"You want to start the fire, hun?" Bethany said without raising her eyes.

Jeff dropped the bags at the entryway and kicked off the snow from his boots on the mat before looking up and catching Katy's gaze. Katy could almost make out the exasperation that he was trying to hide behind his eyes.

Katy shot an annoyed glare at him before mocking Bethany out of her earshot, "Yeah hun, can you please start the fire??"

She could tell that Jeff was trying to suppress a laugh and saw him sport a sly grin before she carried the bags toward the bedroom.

The cabin itself was quite spacious though it only sported a few rooms. The doorway opened between the living room on the left which was open to the kitchen on the right. The front and back porch were covered under-roof, and the hot tub was situated on the rear porch faced the forest behind the cabin. A large stone fireplace stood proudly along the wall in the living room. Next to the fireplace was a short corridor that led to the home theater that could seat four on two plush loveseats. The door opposite the corridor from the theater led to a nicely appointed bathroom with a large walk-in shower and soaking tub. Going over the top of the bathroom was a staircase that started at the kitchen and led up to the loft bedroom. The loft overlooked the rest of the cabin and exposed timber beams jutted outward over the living room. The sleeping area was mostly open to the cabin through a railing and pickets except for where the stone chimney towered upward through the roof.

Katy was old enough to remember the state of the place when her father had bought it and was always impressed with how lovely everything eventually became. She briefly reminisced about playing around the property as a young girl while her father and brother toiled away at renovating it from the run-down old cabin into the beautiful getaway that it now was. She climbed the stairs and looked down toward the fireplace where her brother was hunched and working at starting the fire. Above the mantel she saw the slab of wood her father had cut from the forest and ornately carved the initials of the three family members before finishing it into a nicely done wall-piece and mounted it above the fireplace. She felt her eyes moisten with tears and then quickly kept ascending the stairs before anyone noticed.

Katy dropped Bethany's bags upstairs and composed herself before going back down to get dinner started. By the time she arrived back on the ground floor, Jeff had the fire started well enough and he hung his coat and joined Katy in the kitchen. Cooking together was something the pair had done since they were both young. Jeff had taught her all the basics of the kitchen when she was a girl, but even he admitted that she had since become a far better cook than he ever was. The act of cooking together in this cabin under these circumstances was comforting to Katy and reminded her of what a calming presence her brother was in her life. She nearly teared up again as Jeff pulled on his apron and gave her shoulder a soft squeeze before they unpacked the food and set about to meal preparations.

To Katy's chagrin, Bethany remained in the living room for the duration of the cooking and only came to the table when Jeff announced it was time to eat. They all ate in relative silence, being hungry from the journey and the cold. At the meal's conclusion, Jeff gathered the dishes and set about washing them.

"I'm going to change and probably lounge by the fire for a bit," Katy said as she got up from the table. "Don't drink any of my wine!" she added with a smirk. The comment was more toward Bethany as she knew her brother preferred rum or scotch whisky.

Bethany feigned a smile and replied, "Oh I've brought my own don't worry."

Even the sound of her voice was beginning to irk Katy. She always had found Bethany's voice to be a bit patronising and disingenuous and had just let it roll off her in the past. But now it screeched to her like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Katy stood and snatched up her bag from the sofa before heading into the bathroom to change. She had planned on sleeping on the sofa since the cabin only had a single bedroom. When Katy was young, she and her brother would roll out their sleeping bags in front of the fireplace and pretend to camp out, sometimes even roasting marshmallows and making s'mores in the fire. As comforting as that would be in the current situation, she knew that likely was not an option with Bethany around.

Jeff met Bethany at university and they were married directly after graduation. Katy had only been fourteen when they were married but as the years progressed she got the distinct impression that Bethany was a bit of a frigid, but jealous wife. Jeff and Katy were very open with each other about most things, and though her brother would never divulge any of the exact details, she inferred that he was beginning to think he had made a mistake. But she also knew her brother to be one to put up with things for the greater good and make sacrifices for causes he deemed noble. In that way, the same characteristics that made him the best brother she could ask for seemed to set him up for neglect as a husband as the events of the evening seemed to illustrate.

Katy shut the bathroom door and began to strip off her clothes and rummage in her bag for her lounge trousers and fleece-lined sweater. Winter nights in the cabin were chilly even with the fire going as the dimples poking through her beige bra indicated. She removed the bra and immediately felt the cold air on her skin which brought her nipples to full standing height. She wrapped her arms around herself as she turned toward her bag to snatch up her t-shirt to give her some insulation from the chilly air. As she turned, she caught her reflection in the vanity mirror. Katy was a curvy girl whose voluptuous frame had gotten her many compliments, with varying degrees of sincerity and lewdness even at her age. According to her father, she had inherited those traits from her mother. Her wide hips sloped upward into her torso and her b-cup breasts hung down while she was bent over pulling out her clothes. Her round backside pointed toward the mirror and was wrapped in a grey pair of cheeky panties. Katy felt an odd sense of arousal well up inside her, warming her body ever so slightly against the cold of the winter mountain air. She pulled down her t-shirt over her head and the fleece sweater quickly thereafter, then worked on a thick pair of wool socks over her dainty feet and stepped into the pyjama trousers. The static from the fleece outerwear had her shoulder-length brunette hair going wayward in all directions. She gave a sigh while she pulled it into a ponytail. She hated having her hair up but couldn't be bothered to do anything about it at the moment. Katy then turned to flick off the light before exiting the bathroom.

The seemingly ill-timed arousal was something she had grown to expect in recent months. Her brother had convinced her to join him for counseling sessions after the passing of their father. She suspected that he was just trying to look out for her, as he always had, noticing the difficult time she was having where most might miss it. At first she was hesitant and skeptical about how effective it would prove to be. It wasn't until after their second joint session where she began to see just how the ordeal had weighed on her brother. She had always pictured Jeff as an unmovable rock of emotional strength just as she perceived him to be throughout her childhood. But hearing her older brother articulate his grief and concern in that setting revealed that perhaps he needed her as much as she needed him. After the first month of weekly sessions, she took initiative to schedule personal sessions, seeing some of the benefits for both her and her brother, while Jeff also continued his own individual appointments.

In her subsequent personal sessions, she learned about survivor's guilt and the myriad of ways people attempt to cope with it. She learned how the mind can search for reprieve from feelings of loss. Even though any guilt on her part was unfounded, it weighed on her all the same. For her, one of those coping mechanisms was sex. It gave her a momentary escape from the helpless feelings she was dealing with, and she had begun to use it as an outlet and a momentary reprieve from her grief. Her term at university had given her no shortage of opportunities for such liaisons, but the relief was always temporary. She was always careful and never made any attachments, not that she was in any emotional state to make such attachments in the first place. In the past months her body had begun to expect release in the face of feelings of grief and loss and those feelings were sweeping over her now that she and Jeff were visiting the cabin for the first time without their father. The downside to being in such a remote location with family was that physical release was not going to be much of an option until they returned to civilization.

She steeled herself against the wave of untimely hornyness that was sweeping through her like an ocean storm surge and walked determinedly into the living room. Upon entering, she was greeted by the waves of warmth that radiated from the fireplace, which was now burning warm and bright, and let them soothe and relax her body and mind. She made a line to the armchair that was next to the hearth and found a glass of wine waiting for her on the table next to it. A quick look up and she found Jeff and Bethany seated on the sofa directly across from the fireplace arranged perpendicularly from her own chair. Jeff raised up his own glass in a "cheers" motion toward his sister and she silently mouthed "thank you" to him in return.

She plopped down into the armchair and pulled down the blanket that was draped over the back of it to cover her legs. She quickly found herself trying to ignore Bethany drone on about wanting new furniture in the flat while scrolling through her phone. Katy pulled up a book from the lower shelf of the end table to lose herself in reading to try and block out Bethany's chatter which she found increasingly irritating. In any case, she would need to wait for her brother and Bethany to go up to bed before she could lie down for the night herself. The sofa was currently occupied and the only bed had already been claimed by the married couple..