Lost and Found Spouses

This story is about the loss of partners and their return again from the dead.

I tossed up between posting this story in Romance or Loving Wives categories, so you get the drift of the story's theme. There is little sex in this story so don't bother reading if that is not what you want.

The story is a complete work of fiction and not based on any real persons, events or organisations.

Prologue

One lazy Sunday morning with my family I answered a phone call.

Astonishingly it was from our Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. I couldn't believe what they told me and I was in shock. No this just wasn't possible.

After ending the call, I yelled for my husband to come to the study. He took one look at my ashen face and knew something was really wrong. He took both my hands and looked at me questioningly, but it took what seemed like a whole minute for any words out.

All I could do then was blurt out, "Allan, they are both alive!"

"WHAT!"

"They just told me they are both still alive."

"Who did?"

"Our Embassy in Seoul."

"That's not possible, they died four years ago."

"I know."

"There must be a big mistake."

"Someone from the embassy in South Korea just told me two people crossed the border with the North last night. They claim they are our Matt and Julie."

"Maybe they are impostors?"

"I can't believe it is true, but what if it is?"

"No, this must be some kind of scam or horrid trick."

"Allan, they told me to call a person in Government back here to check.

A call confirmed the information was correct, as they knew it. They said they would need to do DNA testing in South Korea to confirm their identities before they were returned home.

Matt and Julie had been our spouses. They were both teachers working at the same school and had gone on a study tour to North Korea four years ago as part of a Government sponsored attempt to thaw diplomatic relations. During the trip, their minibus had crashed down a ravine and caught fire. Everyone on board was killed: Driver, guide and six teachers.

The North Korean Government had repatriated their ashes to us with great ceremony. We held memorial services for them both, had grieved terribly for a long time but had since moved on in life.

Chapter 1 -- Losing Them

Julie and I (Susan or Sue) had been best friends since being at high school together. We had both met and fell in love with a couple of guys while at university. Me with Matt and Julie with Allan. Luckily our two guys liked each other instantly and quickly became best mates.

Matt and Julie both became high school teachers and taught at the same school nearby. I worked as a nurse and Allan was an engineer.

We became two couples who were very close friends. We had both married about the same time and had two children each. Matt and I had two daughters Rachael and Ellie, now aged 16 and 14. Julie and Allan had two boys James and Paul, now aged 15 and 13. We were god-parents to each other's children and had practically raised them together. As we both had different gender children, their boys were like the sons we didn't have, and the same for our girls with them. We even had a legal agreement drawn up so if something catastrophic happened, like both parents being killed in a car crash, the other couple would adopt their children.

We frequently hung out together at each other's places, went on family holidays together, and generally helped each other out. In short we couldn't be closer.

Often we would swap partners taking kids to various sporting events, school concerts, outings etc. for convenience. At other times we would swap partners to go to things our spouses didn't like. For example, Allan and I loved opera and the other two hated it; Matt and Julie love watching football which we hated; so we swapped partners to go with and everyone was happy. We were so close and so fond of each other that other friends jokingly referred to Allan as my No. 2 husband, and Julie as Matt's No. 2 wife. Actual full partner swapping had never been mentioned or even joked about.

Though I was very fond of Allan, and if I admit it to myself was very attracted to him, we never let anything go on between us except some nice hugs.

All went really well until that fateful trip to North Korea. Relations with the West appeared to be thawing a little and someone in the Government had decided it would be a good idea to have a fairly benign goodwill visit by teachers to some of their schools to assist this process. Matt had spotted the advertisement seeking interested teachers. He had talked it up with Julie and they both wanted to apply. Allan and I were not keen at all, but they were so excited at the prospect we didn't try to stop them. We figured, privately, there would be so many applicants they would never be picked. We were amazed when both of them were selected to go - Damm. We discovered later that it was, in part, because they had led a few of overseas school student excursion together and were regarded as an established and experienced team. Of the six going, Julie was also the only woman.

Despite our misgivings, by that stage there was nothing we could do.

We were all aware though that this was a bit different to their previous trips away together. This time the two travellers would be sharing a hotel room. Allan had insisted on this as a protective measure for Julie. We trusted them completely, but Allan and I were still a little nervous.

We all went out to the airport to farewell them for 2 weeks. Meanwhile, Allan and I would look after all four kids ranging, then, from 12 to 9 years old. To make things easier, it was decided that Allan and the boys would move into our place while the other two were away, thus sharing the parenting load.

We didn't have any communication with them while we were away. Mobile phones didn't work and international calls from a hotel were impossible outside Pyongyang.

We were looking forward to their return in a few days when we got the devastating news of the mini-bus crash and their deaths.

For a quite a while we were all inconsolable. Somehow we made it through the memorial services, but when they was over, there was just a great emptiness. The kids were in a real mess, so Allan and I supported each other and did our best together to help them through their grieving process, and ours. There was never any conscious decision made, but Allan and the boys just stayed at my place and never moved back home.

For the first few months we continued on the same arrangements as before. The boys slept in the guest bedroom and Allan slept in a makeshift bedroom set up in the study.

One night Allan and I were having our usual soothing good-night hug together before heading to our separate rooms to sleep. When we broke our hug, I looked deeply into his eyes and he smiled back at me. It was his first smile in a long time. Without a word between us, I took his hand and led him to my bedroom.

The night was a wonderful cathartic experience which wiped away much of our sorrow. Afterwards, spooning together cuddled up, with his arms around me going to sleep, I whispered to him, "I think we are going to survive this."

He hugged me tight then slipped gently back inside me again and fucked me gently to sleep. It was the first time I slept through the night and without nightmares.

Allan never moved back to the study. My previous No. 2 hubby became my No. 1.

Funnily enough, that was the turning point for the kid's recovery too. I guess seeing us as a couple must have given them a renewed sense of stability and purpose, and slowly but surely they started to thrive again. It wasn't long before they were all calling us mum and dad and we were a family. Allan and I were also falling in love.

Chapter 2 - Found

Back to our present dilemma. When we recovered from the shock we decided we were not going to wait weeks for DNA testing. There was only one certain way to find out the truth. One of us would go to Seoul to face them, or whoever it was claiming to be them. If it was truly them, then they would need to be looked after and brought home.

As I was a nurse, we decided I should go.

We told the children what had happened, and they were as shocked as us.

I was on an overnight plane to Seoul that same evening, despite advice from the government to stay home.

The next morning I arrived at Seoul airport very early and was met by an embassy staff member who drove me to a hotel in the city where they had been accommodated. I asked the woman to stay in the lobby while I went up to their room. It was about 8:30 am when I knocked on the door, only 24 hours since that first call.

After a little while the door opened with the safety chain still on and a concerned face peered out. "Matt is that you? It's Susan."

The door opened and their stood Matt in a gown. I was momentarily shocked. I had half expected it to be all a hoax. It WAS really him, but he looked terribly thin and pale. I just hugged him too me and sobbed. I then pushed past Matt into the room and Julie was in bed, obviously naked, where Matt had also obviously recently just been. After feeling a little pang of jealousy, I ran over and hugged Julie as well, still sobbing. I looked at them both, "Matt, Julie, until yesterday we all thought you were both dead."

Matt and Julie looked to be in shock as well at my sudden arrival and almost couldn't speak. I couldn't imagine what they had been through these past four years, but from the look of them, it must have been very harsh. They also looked quite embarrassed having been caught in bed together, not that I really cared less about that at the moment.

Pulling myself together I said, "Hey you two, I can see this is all a lot for you to take in. Tell you what, I just flew all night to get here. I am going to find somewhere to have a shower and change. How about you both do the same then we can meet in the Lobby at 10:00 and have breakfast."

They just nodded.

"It's really so good to see you. I will see you soon downstairs."

I went downstairs and talked with the embassy staffer, telling her it was indeed them and I wanted to get them both home ASAP. She told me they had said only a little of what happened. The minibus had indeed crashed but they had survived with only minor injuries. The others had been killed. They had then been kept captive in North Korea ever since. For some reason they had suddenly been set free at the economic partnership border crossing and just walked across into the South. They did not know why. The staffer said there were rumours of an internal power struggle up there and maybe they were just pawns in a power play.

I got myself a room at the same hotel. After showering and changing I called Allan and gave him and the children the news that it was indeed them.

"What are you going to tell them Susan?"

"Fucked if I know!"

I met them later in a quiet area of the restaurant. They still looked quite rattled.

They started profusely apologising for their obvious affair.

"There is no need for any apologies you two, honestly. I can't imagine what you have been through. I am just happy you both looked after each other all that time. I know Allan will feel the same way.

I'm sorry Susan, but we couldn't help it. It just happened," said Matt.

Julie nodded and said, "We are so worried you will hate us."

"Look I am just happy you are alive."

"How is Allan and my boys," said Julie?

"Allan is still Allan, and your boys and our girls are much grown since you last saw them. It has been four years now."

"Are they all OK?"

"It took a while after we were told you had died, but they are all great now."

Julie said, "oh god, they let us write to you once a month and told us they would mail the letters to you. We had no idea you thought we were dead."

"They sent us your supposed ashes after your supposed deaths. We had a rough time at first but we all managed to survive and move on. It has been quite a while since then and a lot has changed in the meantime."

They both broke down crying. It was clear they were dealing with a lot, and more was to come.

After letting them recover I said, "tell me Matt, what happened to you?"

"We were at the back of the bus and we just managed to get out of the emergency exit after it crashed, before it fell over the edge of a cliff. We ended up in hospital after the crash with a few injuries."

"So why didn't you just come home?"

"We think on the trip our driver took a wrong turn and we saw something we were not supposed to see, a military site. I suspect the minibus crash was a set up and intended to kill us all, but be seen as an accident."

"They kept us isolated in a hospital at first, then locked us up after we got out. We got accused of being spies against the regime, subverting children, and all sorts of other stupid stuff. Their questioning went on for weeks. They knew we did nothing wrong, so it was just all a farce. They refused us any diplomatic assistance or lawyers. In the end we were sentenced by a court to 10 years jail for espionage, but they told us if we voluntarily agreed to work for them they would let us go in 3 years. So we agreed as we didn't have any choice."

"What sort of work?"

"They sent us to a special school and made us to teach English the teenage children of high ranking officials, and also teach western customs and thinking. We had to work very long hours and could not ask any questions or otherwise talk to the children or other staff. We were constantly watched. We were not treated so badly there, but we never got out of the compound and spent most of the time indoors in our small apartment. We were so isolated we completely lost track of time. We guessed only about two or possibly three years had passed when they released us."

"That is so bizarre. It must have been a shock to find out it was four years. The whole experience must have been horrible for you."

Matt continued, "all of a sudden, one morning instead of going to class, they put us in the back of a windowless van. We were terrified as no-one would talk to us. The van drove for many hours and suddenly stopped and the doors opened. They led us out to a place where a lot of other Koreans were walking through a big gate. One guard just told us to follow them, so we did. On the other side there were other guards in different uniforms with South Korean flag shoulder patches. We thought it was a trap or trick of some kind at first. One English speaking officer approached us and started asking questions. We told him what had happened and they brought us to Seoul. We didn't believe it was real until we met someone from our Embassy. We still have no idea why they let us go."

"That's an incredible story. What I can't figure out is why they lied to us and pretended you had been killed. Why not just say they arrested you for espionage or something. Maybe they never intended to ever release you."

We took a break for breakfast. Even though they looked half-starved they didn't eat that much.

After breakfast, Julie asked me what had happened to us since they left. It was a moment I was dreading.

"Well after you two died, we held services for you both. They were both very moving by the way and a lot of people said nice things about you. Since then, Allan and I have just been busy raising all the kids, together."

"Together?"

"Well, you have to remember that we thought you were dead. So, to cut a long story short, about 18 months after you 'died' we got married."

They looked quite shocked.

"As for the kids, Allan and I legally adopted each other's children. We also sold both the houses and bought a bigger one to fit us all in."

They both were getting teary.

"I know it is a lot to take in. The other big news is, our family has grown. We now have a new daughter in the family, Emma, who is two now."

At that, both of them broke down and sobbed, hugging each other. I wasn't sure what to do or say, so I walked around to their side of the table and put my arms around them both.

"I know it's all crazy, but we will make it work. I promise. The important thing is you are both alive and well.

After a while, when they had calmed down, I said, "Allan and the children are waiting to do a video call with you, so let's go up to my room and do it. Then I will get onto getting you home."

The video call was quite awkward, everyone was emotionally overwhelmed and didn't know what to say. Still it was a start on the long road back. Matt and Julie also got to see our new family addition.

Later, alone, I reflected what a weird reunion it was this morning: Meeting your husband and your best friend who had 'arisen from the dead' and were now lovers. Life was definitely not going to be simple from now on. I had left out telling them my other big news that I was very early in pregnancy again. That would wait until they were mentally stronger.

I thought it would take forever to get through the huge mass of bureaucratic red tape and get them home. In the end Allan and I threatened to go to the press with story critical of government. Someone higher up intervened and they had new passports and were on a plane home in three days.

In the intervening period while we waited in Seoul, it was a bit strange. We 'tip-toed' around all the big issues with an unspoken decision that it should all wait until we got home.

Matt and Julie were unsure what to do about the 'sleeping arrangements' in Seoul. I could see that Matt was wondering if I expected him to move into my room at the hotel. I said to them, "you two are both pretty fragile at the moment, so why don't we just leave things as they are for now. You guys stay together in your room and support each other." They looked surprised when I said it.

I thought that this is only just the start of huge complications to come. For one, Allan had reminded me that our marriage will be ruled invalid, now that our original spouses were known to be alive. Were we going to go back to our original spouses or stay together? Then there was the additional family member and another baby on the way. What a mess.

Chapter 3 - Homecoming

When we arrived at the airport back home, Matt and Julie were taken via a back entrance to avoid the waiting press, straight to hospital for a full health check. They were given the all clear, then taken to a specialist facility to allow them to decompress from the trauma and to treat any PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) which was very likely to emerge to some degree. On professional advice, we were to take their re-integration with us very slowly.

First, Allan and I went to visit them for a reunion with Allan and a general chat. We kept to safe topics for the visit like work and the children.

The next visit, all the children except Emily came to visit them. They were amazed at how much the children had grown in four years. When they left they were all still just kids, and now Rachel and James were young adults and Ellie and Paul were on the cusp of young adulthood.

Later, we also took just Emma to introduce her as well. They did ask how she happened along and I replied that her family nickname was 'our gorgeous little mistake'. I then, as delicately as possible, dropped the bombshell that I was pregnant again, this time planned.

They didn't show much of a reaction to this news which had surprised me. I guessed they were still in shock.

After a few weeks all had been going well. They were getting stronger and getting ready to be discharged, but then we received a call from their psychologist that they were having a bit of a meltdown. Up to then they had been holding in a lot of emotions, but now it was all being suddenly released.