Lost and Found Ch. 13

Lost and Found

Chapter 13 - Grand Unification

As dawn broke on a new day, Candy and Daniel were sleeping after enduring one of the most stressful and emotional days of their entire lives. Separated by just a couple of walls made of brick and mortar they each dozed soundly, dreaming of a future together despite the damage that had been done to their relationship. The morning light started to creep in around the edges of their curtains as Daniels' knuckles slowly started the healing process after the beating he had delivered to Steve. He replayed the scene in his slumbering mind as a small, satisfied smile flickered across his lips as he slept.

Candy was the first to awaken, still groggy and tired, but for a few moments, she was oblivious to what had happened the day before. She enjoyed these few moments of blissful ignorance before the memories came flooding back. Her declaring her love to her son, them playing with each other in a way that most would consider disgusting, and then the shock of finding out Daniel had shared their secret. As she climbed from her bed and walked to the bathroom for some water, she glanced towards the door behind which he was resting, resisting the urge in her gut to go to him, climb into the bed with him and wrap her arms around him, instead listening to her head.

She grabbed a glass tumbler from its place on the side of the sink, turning on the tap and half filling it with cool, refreshing water. Taking a few deep gulps, she rubbed her eyes and considered her reflection in the mirror. He had betrayed her trust and that had crushed her, in a way that even Steve's cruel treatment never had. But, she had her own regrets too. Telling him she was glad she left him at that hospital as a baby. Even the thought of her screaming those words at him made her wince with regret and self-hatred.

"What am I going to do?" she asked herself, setting the glass down on the side and starting her morning routine. She washed her face and brushed her teeth as she continued to think. Daniel had only been gone for a little over an hour when suddenly the pounding on her door had started. Her tears hadn't even dried and suddenly she was confronted with the man that had spent months taking advantage of her trying to break her door down. She had curled up into a ball, terrified and alone, not knowing what to do, when like a bolt of lightning in the dark, she knew there was only one person she could call upon, Daniel. After making the call she had waited tearfully on the sofa, clutching a knife from the kitchen to defend herself in case the worst happened and the door broke from the constant barrage it was being put under. When the pounding stopped, she had gone to the curtain, looking outside to see Daniel and Steve grappling on the ground, with her son eventually gaining the advantage and starting to pummel the larger man.

She saw the look in his eyes, the anger, the hatred, the violence, but also something softer. A protective instinct. A desire to keep her safe above all else. She couldn't deny that in that moment, she had felt the spark of love for him bloom in her heart once again. He had put himself in danger, both physically and with the risk of being sent to prison, all for her. Glancing up at the mirror as she spat out the toothpaste, she realized that she was smiling thinking about him. Maybe this could be fixed after all.

Making her way downstairs in her pajamas and gown, she made herself a cup of tea and took her place on the sofa. It was strange how many of the key moments between her and Daniel had happened right here and her mind continued to run through the events of the day before. She tried to read her book, but she just couldn't concentrate. She was too nervous, knowing what was to come and that once he joined her, they would talk and it would determine both of their fates, once and for all.

As she waited, she heard the noise of Daniel getting out of bed upstairs. The time had come. Pulling up her phone camera, she checked how she looked on the screen. After what she went through, she wasn't exactly looking her best, but she looked acceptable at the very least. Acceptable enough for him to see her. Her heart fluttered again as she realized that she still wanted to look good for him, for him to find her attractive.

Knowing that her time was limited, she discarded her gown to look less frumpy, returning to the kitchen to make Daniel his own hot drink and grabbing some painkillers from the cupboard. His hands must be extremely bruised and sore by now and he would be in need of some relief. That look in his eye crossed her mind again and this time it wasn't just her heart that was affected, feeling a flush of arousal spread out from her groin. Before she could think about it too much, she heard his footsteps at the top of the stairs and went back into the living room to greet him.

"Morning Daniel," she said warmly, placing his mug on a coaster on the table, "how did you sleep?"

"Not too badly thanks Candy, but my hands are killing me," he replied as he reached the bottom of the stairs, repeatedly flexing her fingers and grimacing in pain.

"Come and sit down, take some medicine, that'll help," Candy offered, extending her hand to him as he crossed the room to meet her. As she passed him the pill box, their hands met, the skin to skin contact sending a spark through each of their bodies and they exchanged a shy smile. Even after everything they had put each other through, there was no denying that there was still something there. Daniel thanked her, popping a couple of pills out of the blister pack, putting them in his mouth and swallowing them as he tried to get comfortable on the sofa. Neither of them could relax properly, they knew what had to be done, both afraid of the potential outcome.

As they sat in silence, sipping their tea, Daniel decided he should be the first person to speak. He was the one that had caused the pain between them and he needed to fix it, regardless of whether they would continue to be lovers, or even just mother and son moving forwards.

"I owe you an apology Candy. I promised you that I would keep the intimate part of our relationship a secret and I broke that promise. I knew how badly you had been hurt in the past and I was selfish. I was unsure of how I felt and I wanted to talk to someone about it. Louise is very close to me and I knew that I could trust her, but that isn't an excuse for what I did. You don't know her and it was wrong of me to break my word to you." Daniel inhaled deeply as Candy listened to him quietly, watching him intently.

"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, and I don't expect you to forgive me." He reached out, taking her hand in his as he talked, "I wish we could go back to how things were. What I said yesterday, that I loved you? I really meant that. But if you just want to go back to being mother and son, or if you don't want me in your life at all, I will understand completely and I promise to respect your decision."

He looked up at her to see that she was smiling softly at him. He felt relieved having gotten all of that off his chest. He had truly meant every word, he would accept the consequences of his actions, whatever they might be, he just wanted to try and fix what he had done.

"Thank you Daniel," Candy responded, placing her other hand on top of his, "I know this hasn't been easy for you, and I owe you an apology too." A single tear formed in her eye and rolled down her cheek as she spoke, "I was angry and upset yesterday. You hurt me deeply. But what I said was totally wrong. I told you that I had regretted leaving you at the hospital every day of my life since that day and I still feel that way now. I was so shocked I lashed out at you by saying the worst thing I could possibly think of in order to hurt you, like you had hurt me and I really, really regret that. I'm sorry." As she finished speaking, she leant forwards, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a big hug.

Daniel was surprised at first, but returned the embrace, gently inhaling his mum's natural sweet aroma. He had missed it somehow, despite it only having been a matter of a day since they had last held each other like this. As they separated, Mother and Son looked into each other's eyes, both of them flashing the other a quick smile before glancing away, unsure where to go from here.

"So, we've both got everything off our chests and said sorry, so what's next?" Daniel asked. "Do you want me to leave, or do you want me to stay?"

Candy furrowed her brow, deciding how to respond. She knew what her heart wanted, but it was her head that was making her unsure. She couldn't stand to be hurt like this again, could she trust him with herself, body, heart and soul, or was it too much of a risk to take?

"I don't want you to leave, not after everything that's happened, but before I make a decision, there's one thing that I need from you."

"What is it? You name it and I'll do it," Daniel said earnestly, smiling reassuringly at her.

"I want to talk to Louise, privately. If she knows our secret, I think it's only fair."

"Yeah, of course, you're right," Daniel replied, pulling his phone from his pocket eagerly, nearly dropping it in the process, "I can call her right now if you want." Daniel pulled up Louise's number on the screen, passing the handset to Candy. "Do you want me to wait until she answers?"

"Yes please, then you can go and wait up in the spare room, OK?" Daniel nodded in response, clearly nervous, knowing that the future of his relationship with the woman who birthed him was riding on this conversation. As Candy hit the dial button and pressed the phone to her ear, she reached out and took Daniel's hand in hers, squeezing it gently and rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb, which seemed to help relax him a little.

"Hi Daniel!" Louise exclaimed excitedly as she picked up the phone. Candy let go of Daniel's hand and pointed towards the stairs. Daniel did as he was instructed and headed towards the staircase to wait for the verdict. As he made his way upwards, he overheard the start of Candy and Louise's conversation.

"Hi Louise, sorry, it's not Daniel, it's his Mum, Candy. It's nice to meet you too! I'm sorry to surprise you like this, but we need to have a chat, do you mind?"

As Daniel reached the spare room and closed the door behind him, he could no longer hear his mother or his best friend and the anxiety started to set in. He paced the room back and forth repeatedly, unable to stay still, looking out of the window to try and distract himself, but failing to do so. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes like hours and as he waited and waited, he played out all the possible outcomes in his mind. Her asking him to leave and closing the door on him once and for all, reverting back to a traditional mother and son relationship, or possibly the best outcome of them all, the one his heart yearned for, going back to how they were, two lovers, friends and family members, bound together by a bond deeper than most could even begin to comprehend. He had finally managed to settle down a little, laying on the bed, but he had no idea of how much time had passed when he heard footsteps climbing the stairs and a gentle knock on his door.

"Hey baby, I'm going to take a shower and get dressed, meet me downstairs and we can talk, ok?"

Daniel virtually leapt off the bed, stumbling over his words as he replied. "Yeah, ok, sounds good Mum." Candy took one step from the door, before turning back and placing her hand against the wooden frame.

"I love you son."

"I love you too Mum." Daniel replied, barely able to breathe as Candy walked away from the door that separated them and into the bathroom. It was only when he heard the door close behind her that the tension was finally released from his body as he punched the air with joy. He walked around the room, pumping his arms with unabated happiness as he went over the words she had said through the door over and over again. She had said that she loved him, which was a good sign, surely? Even if they weren't going to resume their physical relationship, he couldn't be more relieved at the thought of her staying in his life. He had fought to save her from Steve, fought to keep her safe and fought to keep her in his life and it looked like it was all going to pay off, at least to an extent. When he woke up that morning, if someone had told him that if he apologised he could stay in Candy's life, he would have ripped their arm off to take that deal.

Once he had calmed down a little, he made his way downstairs, checking the clock on the mantelpiece and realizing that over an hour had passed since he had handed over his phone to Candy. She had spoken to Louise for a long time and hopefully that was another good sign. He was still a little on edge, but it was nowhere near as bad as he had been earlier. He found his phone sitting on the table and was tempted to text Louise and ask what had happened, to get some sort of indication of what would happen next and he pulled up his messages, before pausing. She had said she wanted a private conversation. If he asked Louise about it, he would just be breaking her trust again and would risk losing her for good. He cast the phone aside, determined that nothing was going to come between him and Candy ever again. He turned on the TV to help pass the time as he waited for her to return to him and reveal their fate.

Hearing her at the top of the stairs, Daniel grabbed the remote, flicking off the TV and looked in the direction Candy was coming from. As she headed down the stairs she was wrapped in a fluffy dressing gown, her long, slender legs and pretty feet leading the way as time slowed for Daniel. Each step marked a step closer to the conversation that would determine his future, their future. His heart started to pound faster and faster as his eyes moved up her body and to her face. Her eyes met his and they both smiled at each other, Daniel drinking in the face of the woman he had learned to love, more than anyone else in his whole life. Her hair bobbed delicately with each step, her warm, kind eyes looking deep within him, her soft lips that he so desperately longed to feel against his again. His mouth was dry, palms sweaty with anticipation as she took the final few steps across the room and sat next to him, crossing her legs and leaning back against the sofa, sighing contentedly.

"I'm sorry for making you wait so long, but I need you to listen to me, ok?" She asked in a soft, measured tone.

"Of course," Daniel replied, nodding to her to indicate that she could continue.

"I had to do a lot of thinking. About you and me. You really, really hurt me. But then I thought about how I abandoned you all those years ago. How you came looking for me, how you have protected me, worked to make my life better and shown me unconditional love when no-one else has. I was your age once and I know how easy it is to make a mistake, but I needed to talk to Louise and it was only then that I decided what the right thing to do was."

Daniel gulped nervously, hands shaking slightly as he hung on every single word from her mouth.

"She's a lovely girl, I can see why you like her so much. We talked for a good while and now I know two things. That she loves you very deeply and most importantly, that my secret is safe with her. I believe that she will never tell another soul your secret, because doing so would betray you and potentially ruin your life. Call it motherly instinct, but I don't think she could do that to you." Candy adopted a more serious tone as she continued to speak. "You broke a promise to me, you broke my trust. Here and now, I am willing to forgive you, to put this all behind us and to move on, but I need you to understand one thing.

Daniels' gaze had drifted to the floor as he listened to her, but that wouldn't do for Candy. "Look at me Daniel, look into my eyes," she requested and Daniel quickly obeyed. "I'm willing to forgive you for this, but if you ever break my trust again, I won't forgive you and you'll be out of my life forever. Do you understand?"

"I... I do..." Daniel replied, clearing his throat as his mouth had become dry, barely even breathing, frozen in place as he sat next to the woman he loved.

"If you promise me, right now, we can go back to how we were. Not just mother and son, but as friends and more. But you need to understand, this is not a promise you can ever, ever break if you want to keep me around, ok?"

"Yes Mum," Daniel replied with every ounce of sincerity and seriousness he could muster, "I promise, I've learned my lesson and I'll never, ever break your trust again."

Candy smiled as the tension between the two of them lifted, leaning forwards to cup his face with her hand, "good boy," she whispered, before pressing her lips to his. This kiss was unlike any they had ever shared, fuelled by so many emotions, the relief of putting everything behind them and the passion of two lovers that had been separated for a very, very long time. It was soft, gentle but profoundly intimate and special, a kiss and a moment neither of them would ever forget, cementing Daniel's promise and their future together.

When their lips finally parted, their foreheads pressed together, hands intertwined, eyes still closed as they each savored the moment, Candy whispered a single word. "Wow."

"Yeah, wow," Daniel replied as they both enjoyed the quiet moment of intimacy between them, the rest of the world disappearing, each of them only focused on the other.

"There's something else," Candy said, her voice wavering a little, "after what happened yesterday, it made me realize how quickly things can fall apart. How I need to take what I want and not be scared any more. So I'm not going to be scared any more." She pulled herself away from Daniel and stood in front of him, grabbing the piece of fabric tying her dressing gown up and covering her body. She slowly pulled it, letting it fall as it became untied, the center of the gown spreading open to show her cleavage and the strip of flesh running from her breastbone all the way down to her pussy. She was totally naked underneath it and Daniel's eyes hungrily devoured every inch of skin exposed to him.

"I want to become one with you Daniel, connected forever." She shrugged the gown from her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground so she was completely bare before him, naked and vulnerable, but she had never looked so confident and strong, glowing with a feminine beauty that could be neither defined, nor quantified. Daniels trousers were tight within a matter of seconds. He knew exactly what was going to happen next, and she was right, they had both been afraid of taking the next step. Of doing something they couldn't take back. Of crossing that line. He wasn't scared anymore either.

Lifting himself from the sofa and stepping closer to his mother, he pulled off his own clothes and joined her in a state of nudity, reaching out to her, his fingertips meeting her curvaceous hips as he pulled her closer. He couldn't quite believe this was happening, but he wasn't going to take a second of it for granted after coming so close to losing her. Candys hands went to his toned arms, slowly making her way down them and sliding round to his bare ass as they stood before each other, Daniels throbbing cock nestling in the gap between his mothers thighs and gently rubbing against her slit.

They stared deep into each other's eyes, as if seeing each other for the first time before their lips met in a slow, gentle kiss, not rushing, enjoying every second as if this was the first time they had been together in several months. As their lips parted, Candy looked up at her son, the man she had created and grown within her belly, eyes aglow with maternal love, fiery passion and untameable lust. "Are you sure?" Daniel asked softly, causing Candy to smile softly, biting her lip and nodding enthusiastically.