Jersey Love: Apple Dreams & Release

Logan sat back on the swing and shook his head at the revelations.

"You mean I really was your first kiss?" Coral asked him.

"Wait, I thought you were my first kiss," Mark challenged.

"Um, uh you were both my first kisses. Oh crap." Coral hid behind her Dad seeing the hurt look in each boy's eye.

"Nevermind. This isn't about Coral's flirtation or first kisses, it's about Alyssa," Jennifer spoke up.

"Alyssa is giggling. She's taking the blame for the flirtation. She said she might have slightly influenced Coral with the kissing. She's sorry. She knows that, wait I'm not saying that, Alyssa." Raina paused. "That will just start a war between them." She huffed. "Fine. Um, so while she knows that Mark's kiss was better for Coral, she wants to let Ryan know that she was the one kissing him and it was perfect."

"Oh boy," Steven muttered. "This is going to get interesting.

"Can they do that? Can spirits influence like that?" Logan asked.

"They can. I don't think they do often, but Alyssa has very strong, determined energy and because she's transitioning now, she has more energy to expend," Jennifer answered. She looked over at Mark who was blushing and staring at Coral. Coral found a pebble by her foot suddenly fascinating and avoided everyone's eyes.

"I-I kissed a ghost," Ryan stumbled over his words. "I kissed a ghost." He shook his head in denial. "I kissed...."

"Yes, you kissed a ghost. Okay, enough of that Ryan. You can get creeped out later, Lys says. She might even come visit and give you another kiss," Raina said. Ryan looked so terrified and Alyssa was giggling hysterically. "She's kidding! She's just messing with you guys. Okay, she's ready to dance."

"How can a ghost dance?" Mark wondered.

"Like this." A soft, giggly voice said, as the air looked like waves of heat, wavering a moment before Alyssa materialized. "Hi guys." She smiled at everyone. "I'm ready for that dance."

"But yo-your dead," Ryan started shaking.

"Well yeah. I died five years ago today, this very moment. I guess there's truth to that Halloween stuff and the thinning of the veil and all. I don't know how long I'll have to be here like this with all of you so I don't want to talk, I just want to dance." Alyssa held her hand out to her brother. Amy Lee's haunting lyrics and vocal filled the air as she sang 'My Immortal'.

Alyssa sang with the song "When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears. When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears. And I held your hand through all of these years. But you still have all of me."

Logan gently held his little sister in his arms as they danced slowly to the song. She was smiling an angelic smile and the tears flowed down his face. "You will always have me," she whispered in his ear as she rose on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Right here," she touched his chest above his heart. "Don't let them forget me, please Logan."

"I won't. I'll make them remember you, no matter what I have to do." Everyone watched on in wonder as the spirit girl danced with her living brother. She had form, she had substance, she was not some ethereal being, but a real solid body. The only difference was the pale glow surrounding her. As Logan spun her out, Ryan stepped in and caught her.

"Ghost or no, if we're doing that night over, you deserve the kiss I promised you." Ryan touched his lips to hers as she became translucent.

"Thank you for listening to me. Thank you for helping me. I'm only the first. There are more to come Raina. Your Mom will help you." She turned to address Raina's Mom.

"Jennifer, thank you for not sending me away. I know it was hard for you not to. I'm sorry I didn't help matters with Raina."

Then she looked over at Steven, "You left the video camera on from cake. You might find a surprise when you play it back."

"Ryan and Mark, please help Logan convince my parents that I'm still around."

"Raina and Logan, be happy and trust each other. I love you all. The Light is calling me Home. I'll come back and visit again when I can, I promise. Thank you a thousand times. Oh and Raina, enjoy my wardrobe." Evanescent as the twinkling lights around them, she was gone.

***

"Come on kids, let's give Raina and Logan some space," Jennifer told the teens. But the three just stood, unmoving.

"We can play the video back and see what Alyssa meant by her cryptic message," Steven suggested.

"I love a mystery," Coral finally said. "Ryan, are you okay?"

"I don't know. I just kissed...."

"Yeah, we know. You just kissed a ghost. We just saw a ghost and not just any ghost, our own Alyssa. We get it. But seriously Dude, it's Halloween. What did you expect? Weren't we just saying this summer that it would be awesome if something exciting and spooky happened?" Mark asked him.

"You were saying that, not me. She's just like I remember her," Ryan said in wonder.

"Me too, Ry. Me too. I can't believe you kissed Coral. You know I like her." Mark punched his arm.

"Technically I kissed a ghost." Ryan shook himself and grinned. "A beautiful, warm, giggly ghost."

"You're lucky that's all you did with that ghost or Logan would have kicked your ass," Mark warned.

"I think Logan, Raina, and Coral's parents would kick your scrawny ass if you did anything more than kiss Coral," Ryan pointed out.

"Touché. I wanna see that video, come on." The boys followed Steven and Jennifer inside. Coral lingered.

"I don't think you're a freak," Coral said to her sister. "That was awesome. I'm the luckiest girl ever. My Mom and sister talk to the dead and my Dad is a ghost hunter. I hope I get to have some cool ability too, one day." Coral hugged her sister and Logan and hurried away.

Logan chuckled at Coral and then held his hand out to Raina. "May I have this dance, fair faerie maiden?"

"You may. But I warn you, I'm an awful dancer."

"Even if your feet don't have to touch the ground?" So saying, Logan swept Raina up in his arms and swayed with her. She giggled and clung to his neck as he tilted her chin up, gazed deeply into her eyes and, pressed his lips to hers, giving her a dizzying kiss. "Thank you for tonight."

"Thank you for tonight," Raina sighed against him. "It will go down in history as the most memorable birthday party ever."

***

Epilogue:

"Raina, don't fall." Logan was holding her hand. She was jumping from bench to bench on the boardwalk, giggling. She had gradually gotten back onto her medications and slowly began to feel better. They both knew that she would still have bad days and good days with her Fibromyalgia and fatigue, but she was taking advantage of every moment that she felt half-decent.

"Why? If I fall, I know you'll be there to catch me," She grinned and leaped into his arms.

"Feeling okay?" he asked, setting her down, and taking her hand in his as they watched the waves crash against the shore. The twilight reflection on the water's surface put Raina in mind of an oil painting with the bold Autumn colors, burnished orange on an almost violet sky.

"I feel fantastic! My energy is back, which may or may not have had to do with Alyssa. My pain is under control, and I feel stronger than before. I'm on the right combination of medications and the doctor worked with me to get me down to taking less each day. My professors have been very understanding and while I had to drop out of one class, the rest are working with me. And I have the best boyfriend in the world." She stood on tiptoe and hugged him. "Not to mention the sexiest."

She hopped up onto a bench and stood at his eye level, reaching for him and pulling him in. "Come here." Logan stood grinning at her. She climbed up and wrapped her legs around him, nipping his lip. "So the last time we had sex on the beach I was too touch sensitive to enjoy it and you didn't get to finish. Think it'd be safe to try again?"

Logan moaned at the implications. "I'd risk getting arrested for you and I did happen to bring a comfy blanket just in case we had the same idea." He carried Raina to his bike and strapped on her helmet.

"So thoughtful," she remarked.

"But I have a better idea."

"What could be better than sex on the beach?" Raina quirked her eyebrow, climbing onto the bike behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and when he revved the engine she jumped a bit.

"Ooh, do it again."

"Just hold on and I'll show you," he laughed as he pulled the bike out of the parking spot and gunned the engine, causing Raina to grind against his back.

***

They were stopped at a red light on a tree lined street. Logan was able to look at the Autumn splendor of trees now without that pit in his stomach. He probably would never be able to look at Alyssa's tree without anything but pain, but at least he'd gotten to the point of enjoying his favorite season again with Raina's help.

Rainna, Raina, Raina. He still couldn't believe how amazing his girlfriend and her family was. They had give him the greatest gift he could ever ask for, brought his sister back to life in his heart, and validated not only her existence, but also her presence, which remained a big one in his life. And Alyssa had given them all a gift.

On the disk from the birthday video, there was a spectacular light show of glowing balls and feathery wisps, that Steven had told Logan were moving orbs. They represented Alyssa's energy. If that hadn't been proof enough, towards the very end, when Alyssa had appeared, a fully-manifested apparition, the camera had caught the translucent form of her for a split second and a clear giggle.

He had been able to take the DVD home and convince his family to watch it. With great reservations and reluctance, because he wouldn't take no for an answer, they did watch. And what they saw, they had no explanation for. This was the proof they had needed. Slowly, they began to speak of Alyssa again and were on the long road to healing.

The light turned green and Raina clutched him. He turned back to look at her. Her eyes were closed and head tilted up in a picture of sheer joy. Logan turned down the road for the park he discovered on one of his trips out. He wasn't sure if Raina had ever been there before, but the few time she had been there, he'd had the place to himself.

"Raina, we're here." He turned the bike off.

She opened her eyes. "Where? Oh the park!" Her eyes lit up. Logan had pulled up along side a gigantic pile of brown leaves. "Woah, look at that pile!" She exclaimed. "We don't have leaves in my yard to make a leaf pile. I miss them," she pouted.

"Why do you think I brought you here?" Logan asked her taking her helmet and placing it next to his on the handlebars.

"Really? This is what you planned?"

"I noticed the serious lack of them in your yard. You had mentioned you hate that people bag them up. So yeah, this was my plan. Do you like?"

Raina climbed off the bike, surveyed the huge pile of crisp, brown leaves, gave a joyous Whoop! And launched herself into the middle of it.

"I love! Take a picture with my camera, then come play with me. It just doesn't feel like Fall without a leaf pile romp." Logan chuckled and took the picture then jumped into the pile with her, throwing leaves into her hair.

"Are you going to pick through and remove all of these from my hair?" She asked, shaking her head like a dog. She lunged for Logan, attacked him and started laughing when he tickled her. "No fair!" she screeched.

"Maybe not." His hands slide beneath her sweater and he tickled her ribs.

"No, no stop. Stop," she said breathlessly.

"No stopping." He slid her shirt up and pinned her legs to stop her from flailing. "I'm not stopping til we finish this," he vowed. When Raina realized what he meant by those words and that the tickling had a reason, she reached behind to help him unbuckle her bra. Her breasts filled his hands. And she quickly worked at the button of his jeans.

"We better keep our clothes on out here." Raina's nimble fingers unzipped his fly and he sprang free. He quickly rolled a condom down the tip of his cock and flopped her onto her back. Wrestling her jeans and panties half-way down her legs, he lay on top of her and nudged his cock against her heat. He could feel that she was already wet.

"Do leaves get you in the mood? Geez Raina, you're soaked." He dipped the head of his cock in and pulled out.

"You get me in the mood. Take me and don't be gentle. I can handle it. I'm not going to break." Raina demanded, opening her legs as far as the jeans would allow her.

The leaf pile gave him just enough leverage to plunge deeply. Logan held himself still until Raina's body began to respond then began pounding in and out of her. She bucked her hips up to meet him, squeezing down on him. She gasped and clawed at his shoulders as he picked up speed.

"Yes. God, I've missed you Logan. Harder!" she screamed. The crunching of leaves and their panting and moans were the only sound in the silent park.

"I don't want to hurt you." Logan was still aware that she was recovering from her ordeal.

"You're not hurting me. Harder, faster, now! Damn, you feel so good. Pound me, take me, make me yours," she pleaded.

"Raina," he pumped faster and harder, drawing screams and moans from her. He grunted and thrust, leaning his head down to capture her lips in his, sucking her lower lip.

"So close. I'm so close baby."

"Come for me Logan. Come inside." Raina flexed her muscles around him, coaxing him to release himself. Logan squeezed his eyes shunt and growled in her ear, slowing the pace, and then picking it up as he felt his balls tighten. He was sweating beneath his clothes and pushed her shirt up so he could slid his chest across her breasts. Raina whimpered when he dipped his head and seized her nipple between his teeth, giving a tug.

"Oh, oh Logan, I'm coming!" she shouted.

"Me too!" He plunged to the hilt, swelled and pulsated inside her. Her muscles clenched him and demanded more of him. He let go with a scream. "Fuck!" He yelled as he felt his seed hit the back of the condom. The strongest orgasm he'd had in months.

"That was crazy!" Raina said raising her hands above her head and gazing into his eyes.

"It was insane," he agreed as he carefully pulled out and slid his pants back up. He'd wait until they go back to discard the condom. He helped her sit up and pull her clothes back on and pulled her into his lap.

"Do you think we'll ever make it into a house?" Raina asked, blushing.

He smirked and kissed her. "Maybe one day. Does it bother you that we've become outdoor lovers?"

"Not in the least. Logan?"

"Yeah?" He helped her to her feet.

"I love you." Raina didn't hesitate on the words, but turned and walked to the bike.

"Say it again." He whipped her around and pressed her against the bike.

"I love you Logan."

"I love you too. Hearing those words. In the past few weeks, with all that you've given me, you've managed to make me the happiest man alive." Logan slipped an apple into Raina's hand.

"This might sound corny, but you're the Apple of my Heart." Their arms entwined and they held each other as the last light of day gave way to night.

~~~~~~

Final Note:

If anyone who reads this story recognizes "Alyssa" and wishes to acknowledge her, please send me a private message. Thank you!

Be open to the signs and messages from your Loved Ones. It really is true - the veil between our world and the Spirit world does thin - and as such, this is one of the busiest times of year for spirit activity. :)