Myka's Tail Ch. 07

"So, now that you both know, what do you think?"

"My first thought was wondering when you became interested in women," I giggled. "You and Kelli's mom really put on a show."

"Damnit. I really wish you could have found out differently," she added with a very deep blush. "Though the cat is out of the bag now, no pun intended."

We both paused for a moment at her last comment, and when I flicked my ears and swished my tail it caused us to burst out in uncontrollable laughter. More than a few minutes passed before we calmed down and managed some semblance of control. We would still be giggling about the joke for a long time.

"Little girl," mom continued once we had finished laughing. "Amanda and I have been talking about this for the last few months, though the questions really started when you and Kelli told us about your relationship."

"Really," I asked in surprise. "You've had questions about whether you were into women since that Valentine's Day? Why didn't you say something about it?"

"No, Myka. My questions were more general after you both told us about your new relationship. I wondered why the two of you, who both had dated boys and had boyfriends, suddenly realized that you were in love, and that you were ok enough to act on it. It was something that confused me."

"It confused us for a while too, mom. Though we had the added issue of my transformation along with the questions that we had about our feelings. It was tough to deal with sometimes. The bond between us really helped, but there was a lot to figure out."

"That's pretty much what we all figured, so we didn't press the issue with you both. Then after Dan died," mom said, and had to pause for a moment to collect herself. "After he died and I moved in with Amanda and Steve, Amanda and I spent a lot of nights just talking, or with her holding me as I cried myself to sleep. I put on a brave face, so they were the only two who saw that side of me. We knew that you probably were aware of how torn up I was, and you probably weren't much better, but I didn't want you to have to deal with my hurt on top of your own so we kept it quiet."

"Oh mom," I whispered as I jumped off the counter and pulled her into a hug.

I just held her as she shook once more with silent sobbing, and sent her all of the love that I could over the emotional connection that we had. It was still a challenge to control, though when I used the ability on those that I had a close relationship with it was much easier. Kelli had been pushing me to practice using my connections to others, but I had let it slip to the back of my priority list with all that I had going on. Now I knew that it was something that I needed to truly learn how to use, like the earth and water abilities that I had honed.

After just a few minutes, mom had managed to weather another moment that had triggered her feelings for my dad, and she kissed me on the cheek as she grabbed one of the muffins that I had brought over. I allowed her as much time as she needed, and I sat at the counter in silence as she enjoyed a cup of coffee as well. A few minutes later, I could feel that she had regained the control that she felt she needed, and almost immediately she turned back to me.

"Thank you, little girl," she sighed, with a weak smile on her face. "I just needed a minute."

"I know mom. I could feel it, and you take all the time you need."

"I should be fine now, and Myka," she said to me while her sharp eyes stared straight into mine. "You follow your instincts no matter what. Something about what you are, what you have become, is a gift that has been given to this world, and I don't want you to ever lose that."

"I will mom, and it's funny," I replied. "But sometimes the instincts I have are so strong that I really have no choice but to follow them."

"Good. That makes me happy, more than you will ever know. Well, you probably do know, but..."

We both hugged each other once more as we laughed at another joke, and then she sighed, but the look on her face this time held a hint of mischief.

"So, back to Amanda and I," mom continued finally. "We spent weeks talking and holding each other, and sometimes it ended up being both her and Steve who would lay above the covers as I went to sleep so that I wasn't alone. But my mind kept going back to you and Kelli, most often out of concern for how you were both holding up, but I also thought a lot about how you both realized that you loved each other like you do."

"And you still didn't feel like you could talk to us about it," I asked.

"I told you, little girl, I was having a hard enough time dealing with my own feelings and I didn't want to add to both yours and Kelli's. Anyway, as the weeks went by, I thought about things more and more, and had a major emotional shift. I realized that deep in my heart, there was no way that I could do without Amanda, and to a lesser extent Steve, and I resigned myself to never falling in love again."

"What changed your mind?"

"Well, a few weeks back, Amanda and I were up late talking again and she asked me what I thought about moving on and dating again. I was shocked, and for a moment I really felt hurt, but she realized very fast that it was the wrong time to bring it up. She assured me that she was not trying to push me, but she actually did wonder if it was something that I had thought about."

"How did you deal with it, though," I asked as I took a muffin for myself.

"Well, after she quit talking, I just sat there and thought over everything. I really started to think about why I felt so hurt, and why I felt as if she was trying to push me back out into the world before I wanted to go. When my mind finally put all of the pieces into place, I understood a small bit of what you and Kelli must have felt. Amanda asked me what was wrong, because I was staring at her with an open mouth, in full realization that I had fallen in love with my best friend."

The smile that split my face was infectious, because within a moment mom had the same ear to ear grin that I did. I could sense the wonder and the turmoil she still felt, and I took her hand as we put our heads together and giggled.

"Anyway, I passed it off as remembering something or other, and I left as soon as I could. It was another week before I had the courage to tell her how I felt and what had changed. After I spilled everything to her she was too surprised to respond, and since I had already come this far, I decided to jump into the water with both feet. I wasn't sure how she'd react, but before I lost my nerve I leaned in and kissed her."

"Holy shit, mom! That's pretty damned bold of you. So, how was it, and what did she say?"

"Well, like I said, I had completely surprised her, and when my lips touched hers, she didn't close her mouth in time so I went for the total package. I can't even describe the heat that rolled over us, and rather than push me away Amanda let her tongue play with mine for a little bit. In a way I felt a bit guilty for not staying true to your dad, but I nearly came right there just from tasting her mouth, and I squirted a little when she moaned rather than yelled at me."

Mom bit her lip as she paused, looking at me, trying to gauge my reaction. All I did was smile and wave at her to continue.

"So, once we had both recovered from our shock, we spent the rest of the night just talking. And after a couple more weeks that's all we had done. Just talking. We included Steve in some of our talks so that nothing was secret, and after a while we all decided to try and date each other for a while."

"Wait," I interrupted, because I was a little bit confused. "What do you mean you dated for a while?"

"Exactly that, Myka," she replied with just a hint of mocking. "The three of us started to go to dinner together on weekends. Occasionally we would go dancing, or bowling, or whatever. After a while our dates included good night kisses and hugs, and not just from Amanda. I wasn't fully in love with Steve like I was with her, but I knew it could eventually go that way. And what you saw last night was just the result of three really good friends that have grown to love each other."

"Wow! I mean... I never would have thought this would have happened in a million years, and I am really bummed that I missed it. I should have seen something, or felt something."

"Well, remember that I've avoided you and Kelli for various reasons, and I am sorry that I did. I thought it would help me to get over things, and I was wrong. And also remember, that changing our relationship with each other to be more physical and more sharing was something that we all had talked about before, including your father. For whatever reason, we were never ready then so we never acted on it, but the idea was there."

"Ok. So, where do you all go from here," I asked and then blushed when my mom gave me her look that said I was asking too much. "I don't want details, mom! Just... Is this something that could be long term, or even permanent?"

"I don't think we know yet," mom said and gave a slight shake of her head. "It's all so new and fresh and exciting, but if that burns out and there is nothing left? I'm not sure what I would do at that point."

"Coming from your daughter might make this the last thing you want to hear at the moment, but I can see the cords that bind you all together, and that bind you to Kelli and me. They are bright and strong, and if anyone had a more solid foundation for a permanent relationship than the three of you, I doubt that I would believe it. You have nothing to worry about, other than whether your daughters can see what naughty things you are up to in the "privacy" of your own yard."

I laughed out loud as mom's jaw hit the floor in amazement, and before she could move I stepped forward and placed my right hand on her chest. I used my left hand to shush her when she tried to speak, and then I closed my eyes and reached deep into the center of who she was and took ahold of the emotional strands that had tied her to Kelli's mom and dad.

Kelli had been bugging me to practice more, so I figured that I would start right here. Using my mind like I had so long ago that first Valentine's Day, I strummed and plucked at the cords I had taken ahold of like they were a musical instrument. After a few moments, I pulled away and observed the resonance that I had created in the ties that I manipulated and listened to the beauty of the melody that they were singing. Then I opened my eyes and gave my mom a wicked grin.

"What did you do little girl," she asked as I pulled my hand away.

"Look mom, I have to get going," I replied, still grinning as I backed slowly out of the kitchen. "I still have a lot to do before we meet with Paul and Kass, so..."

"Myka Ann, you stop right there and fess up! What did you just do?"

"Mom, I really, really have to go. In about four or five minutes the three of you are not going to want me around. The problem is that even if I didn't leave, I've nudged you enough that you wouldn't care until after you were done, and then shit would hit the fan. Just don't forget to eat afterwards, because you're all going to need the energy."

The shout that she aimed at my back as I bolted out the door and ran for our house, rang in my ears and mixed with my own laughter. I really wondered if I had stepped over a line, but just as I shut the door in our own kitchen, Kelli and I felt a pulse of passion surge over the connections we had with our parents, and it was strong enough that we had to concentrate for a moment to block it out.

"Myka, sweetie," Kelli asked me with a lopsided grin on her face. "Would you like to explain what the hell that was just now?"

"Oh, I might have overdone it a bit. I decided to practice my ability to feel and influence emotions," I giggled, which sent the both of us into a fit of laughter.

"Ok, so tell me what happened," she demanded after we regained control of ourselves.

"Well, apparently our moms and our dad have been talking for a while, trying to get mom through the worst of her grief. Did you have any idea that our parents had considered, and even discussed swapping? All four of them!"

"Oh goddess, no," Kelli gasped in surprise. "I had no idea that they had even thought about that."

"Well, guess what? They did, though mom told me that it never went beyond discussion, which meant the idea was there. A few weeks ago mom realized she had fallen in love with your mom because of their friendship and the help she has given her over the last year, and after another few weeks the three of them realized that they wanted to give this a chance."

"I guess then we will have to be really careful when we come over to visit," and we broke out into laughter once again.

"We certainly will, but that will have to wait. We have a lot left to finish before we head to the apartment."

"Yeah. You are right about that. Time to get on it so we don't keep Kass and Paul waiting."

Once we got going, we realized that there actually wasn't much to do. We showered together, and kept our hands mostly to ourselves, and we got a rhythm going in the kitchen that had our lunch ready in record time. When that was all done and we finally got dressed, Kelli, Kita, and I all set out for our clearing and the stone circle that we had established. It took us only minutes to lay out the blankets and the food, and I made sure that the soda and wine that we would have to drink were chilling in our pond.

After all of the final preparations had been made, Kelli made her way around the circle, whispering words of power and touching some of the standing stones. She had explained to me earlier that this would create a wide perimeter around the circle and our clearing that would encourage any people who came near to take the long way around. We were planning on transporting Paul and Kass here to demonstrate what Kelli could do, therefore we didn't want to inadvertently expose one of the students or other researchers here to the existence of magic.

I decided on one final precaution, and called Kita to my side. I knelt down and looked her in the eye before speaking to her.

"Listen Kita. I need you to run around and keep all the other critters here away from the picnic, ok? And don't you go eating any of it either. You'll get a nice treat when we get back, and it won't be that long. I also want you to run around and make sure no other people come near here, just in case Kelli's spell doesn't completely work, ok?"

Over the few years that she had been with us, Kita had grown ever more understanding of what I would say to her. While she didn't always get the specifics, as long as Kelli and I kept a firm idea of what we wanted in our minds, she could understand enough to do several complex tasks. I had a similar ability when communicating with the other wolves in the pack, but that connection was not nearly as strong as my bond with Kita was.

Kita shook her head and then licked the side of my face, and finally put her head on my shoulder, letting me know that she understood and she would take care of things. It was her way of telling me not to worry, and to get on with it. I stood up after giving her a last scratch and turned to Kelli who had just finished casting her magic. Kita took off into the trees while the two of us made our way to the center of the innermost ring, and within seconds we appeared in our spare room in the back of the apartment.

We spent some time cleaning a few things up, and making sure that we had the place looking like we lived in it part of the time, but I realized that for Paul and Kass keeping up this deception would not be necessary after today. Our bond let me know that Kelli was just as nervous about this as I was, and we kept ourselves busy so that we could keep it under control. We had timed things just right, though, so it wasn't very long before there was a knock at the door.

When I opened it, I was nearly bowled over by a full body hug from Kass that was more like a flying tackle. It had been a couple of weeks since we had seen them last, and things had been very busy, but she acted like it had been months since we had even spoken to each other. Paul, on the other hand was more measured in his greeting, but was still happy to see us.

"Where have you guys been," Kass cried out after we had become untangled from each other. "We've been getting together like clockwork for ages, and suddenly two weeks of nothing!"

"Hey, I sent some emails and called you both," I countered, my hands on my hips in mock irritation. "But things have been busy lately. I have to keep up with my research, and I have three grant proposals in the works for the refuge. I was swamped."

"I told you, Kass," Paul chuckled as he flopped down into one of our armchairs. "Summer is still a busy time for professors and doctoral candidates. No students doesn't mean vacation, it means time to get caught up on all you let slip by and all that you procrastinated."

"Still, you should have let us know," she grumped in a halfhearted way. "I was kinda' bummed out."

"Well, we will make sure to keep you better informed in the future," Kelli replied with a smile.

"You better," Kass said with a frown, right before she and Paul burst out laughing. "Listen, I actually know that things have probably been nuts for you, but we did miss you both."

"We missed you too," I replied with a grin. "Even if it was only for a couple weeks. Anyway, have a seat. Can we get you something to drink?"

"I'm good. How about you," Paul asked Kass as they both flopped down into our loveseat.

"I don't need anything to drink yet," she answered and gave Kelli and me a pointed look. "But I am starving. Where are we going, and when are we eating?"

"Wow. You don't waste any time," I chuckled, and sat in one of our armchairs and Kelli settled herself on the arm next to me. "We will eat really soon, and we are going to the same clearing and circle of stones where we had our wedding for the picnic."

I could feel the spike of nervousness that Kelli felt come over our bond, because we were about to reveal something that a lot of people, including us, had been keeping secret for a long time. We had talked about it a lot, and both of us felt that Kass and Paul would be understanding of our deception, but we weren't sure how they would deal with the new reality that we were going to force them into. I was damned nervous too, but I had committed us, and I could see the surprise that they both felt change into looks of curiosity and confusion.

"Umm, Myka? If you wanted to get together at your other place, why did you want to meet us here," Paul asked, and Kass was nodding her head in agreement. "It's what? Three hours away by car? It sounds fun, but you need to work on your planning."

"Guys, we're all going to leave for the circle here in about ten minutes," I told them, and they both looked more confused than ever. "But first, there are some things that Kelli and I need to talk to you about, and we hope you keep an open mind."

"I don't know what this is about," Kass replied with concern. "But you both seem like you are expecting us to go nuts or get really pissed. It can't be that bad, can it?"

"It is not that bad," Kelli added with a wan smile. "However, what we have to say will... It will challenge a lot of what you have believed up to this point."

We paused for a moment, and I could see the gears grinding as they thought about what we might have to say that could cause such problems. A short moment after that, Paul gestured to us, letting us know that it was our show and that we should continue.

"First thing," I started after taking a deep breath to calm myself. "You both know that I am a Neko, and that I have abilities that normal people don't"

"Yes, you have talked with us about that on a few occasions," Kass nodded. "You are stronger, faster, and more agile than a normal person. And you can sense emotions in those around you, right?"