Reformation Ch. 03

After the funeral and graveside service the reception followed, with even more people offering their condolences to the Thompson's. Each time someone said something kind about Richard, or what a shame it was that he was gone, all Owen heard was, "Why did you have to kill him?" The strain was evident to most people but everyone thought it was just a son, grieving his beloved Father. Nobody could have guessed the real reason for Owen's worsening mood.

Richard's words in the letter stuck with him and kept rolling through his mind that day. The words that hit him the most were Richard saying that he hoped that Taryn and Rosina would not follow the same fate as him. Owen's guilt over Richard's death started to make him wonder if he was not indeed using up Taryn and Rosina for his own benefit? Was he causing some irreparable damage to his mother and sister by being their Master? Owen knew that by society and conventional wisdom it was not right, but it seemed to work for the three of them. Owen was haunted by the fact that he thought that Richard was happy but the opposite was in fact true. Were they lying to him? Were they permanently twisted and tormented by his oppression of them?

While Owen might have wanted to crawl away and get some space, there was one more person that wanted to talk to the three of them. As Tony approached Owen, Taryn, and Rosina he motioned for them to go into a quiet table in the far corner of the reception hall. The four of them sat down and smiled weakly at each other, not quite sure of what this talk was about.

"I know this is a hard time for all of you but there is a bit of business to take care of," Tony said as he glanced around them to ensure their privacy. "I have some news on our efforts to retrieve Richard's money," Tony said glanced around once more.

"Go on," Taryn said to Tony in a soothing manner.

"We tried everything we could but we were unable to recover anything," Tony said with a regretful sigh.

"We had already expected as much," Taryn added in a consoling manner.

"We spent a considerable amount of time and resources on this and had hoped to recover a little something to help you, in your time of need," Tony said in an embarrassed manner.

"That's sweet, but we'll be okay as long as we have each other," Taryn said as she glanced at Owen and Rosina.

"That's a lovely sentiment, and I'm sure you'll do fine, but still we wanted to help you out in a real way," Tony said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope and placed it on the table. "The partners all chipped in something, and after the funeral expenses there is still a fair bit left. It's not a huge amount, but it should at least get you back on your feet again," he added with a week smile as he pushed the envelope over to Taryn.

"Thank you, Tony for all you've done," Taryn said with a grateful smile as she leaned over and kissed Tony on the cheek.

"I just wish I could have done something to prevent this terrible tragedy, good day." Tony said as he stood up from the table and walked away, shaking his head.

Funerals are a public time of grieving, a chance for anyone and everyone to pay their last respects to the recently deceased. Anyone can attend without an invitation, slipping in and slipping out just as easily. One person did just that, needing to attend the funeral of a man for whom she allowed herself to care for, more than she should have. Heather Lee, Richards Mistress and lover for ten years did attend his funeral. She really didn't know why she was there, she just felt a compulsion to be there that day.

Now that the funeral was over, Heather wanted to leave, finally putting the experience behind her. Finally the large man walked away, giving her an opening to do the polite thing before she could leave. She put her glass down and strode confidently over to the grieving family to offer her condolences. As she approached she was not seen by the family but could hear them speak, thinking themselves to be in private. Heather was about to make her presence known, and introduce herself when she overheard part of their conversation.

"That was nice of them, don't you think, Master?" Rosina said cheerily as she rubbed Owen's hand, hoping to brighten his mood.

Upon hearing Rosina call her brother, Owen, "Master", Heather stopped in mid-stride and ducked in behind a nearby pillar, and leaned up against it. She looked like she was casually waiting for someone, but really she was listening intently to the private discussion the Thompson's were having. She put her sunglasses on quickly in order to look more inconspicuous and conceal her sideways glances at the Thompson's.

"Don't call him that in public!" Taryn angrily hissed as quietly as she could.

"Nobody's listening! I don't get what the big deal about other people hearing us calling him Master is anyway!" Rosina snapped back in a defiant yet hushed tone of voice.

"Other people will not understand the unique nature of our family, that's why!" Taryn snarled and stared at Rosina with a stern expression.

"It's been four years! I don't care who knows that Owen is our Master, I'm proud to serve him, but you're embarrassed!" Rosina scoffed.

"I am not embarrassed! Other people will not understand, and it could create a lot of problems for us! I wish that everyone could know about us, I really do. If we weren't related, than maybe we could be more open, but we are related and we have to be careful who we let know about us. That's why we need to be careful what we say in public," Taryn said in a hushed yet confident tone of voice.

"You're right, I know," Rosina said in a drained tone of voice.

"It was nice of the firm to give us this, don't you think, Moe? Here you go," Taryn said as she slid the envelope over to Owen.

"What you giving it to me for, Mom, it's your cheque!" Owen retorted as he slid the envelope back to Taryn.

"I know it is made out to me, but it is your place to decide what we do with it. This is symbolic of that," Taryn replied, a in a hushed but slightly stern tone of voice.

"It's your cheque, you're the parent, you figure it out," Owen huffed as he shoved the envelope back to Taryn.

Heather glanced over to the trio on the table and saw Owen sitting on one side of the table and Taryn and Rosina sitting beside each other on the other side of the table. Rosina wore a slightly perplexed look on her face as she glanced back and forth between Owen and Taryn. Taryn was sitting upright, with her face red with increasing anger but she tried hard to keep her composure and not make a scene. Owen sat there slouched over, looking sullen as he stared at the table, not looking at Taryn when he spoke.

"But you are our, Master, it is your place to lead us and take care of these things," Taryn replied in a hushed tone of voice as she pushed the envelope back towards Owen.

"I thought we weren't supp . . ." Rosina started out in a mocking tone of voice but Taryn cut her off.

"Shut up!" Taryn hissed as she snapped at Rosina.

"I can't do this," Owen said regrettably as he pulled his hands off the table and sat upright.

"I know you can't cash the cheque, it is in my name, I know that. You hold onto it for now and when you've decided what we're doing with it, I'll sign it and we'll do whatever you decide, Moe," Taryn replied in a shaky tone of voice, fear entering into her voice as she pushed the cheque further towards Owen.

"No, this, us, I can't do 'us' anymore, I won't be responsible for killing you two like I did Dad!" Owen said as he got up from the table.

Heather's eyes snapped back to the table and she looked intently at Owen, now wanting answers. What did Owen mean when he said that he had killed Richard? While she was curious about how Owen became the Master to his Mother and Sister that was not as important to her as knowing what really happened to Richard. She watched the Thompson's intently as she hoped they would shed more light on this.

"I release you, I release both of you! I just can't do this, anymore!" Owen said with a shaky voice as he started to walk away from the table.

"NO!" Taryn shrieked as she bolted up from the table. She rushed over and grasped Owen's arm and stopped him from walking away from her. "Let's talk about this! You didn't kill him!" Taryn urged as passionately as she could while trying to keep her voice down.

"I just can't do this anymore!" Owen said with teary eyes as he looked intently into Taryn's eyes. "I just can't do this anymore, not after what happened to Dad," Owen said as he pulled gently out of Taryn's grasp and walked swiftly out of the building.

As Owen walked away, Taryn's head bowed as she fought hard not to cry. Her fight was futile and she was only able to keep her tears inside until Owen was out of the reception hall, then the tears flowed and she almost collapsed where she stood. Rosina rushed to Taryn's side, to comfort her as well as understand what just happened, for she refused to believe that Owen was really gone. As soon as she could Rosina wrapped her arms around Taryn and held her mother tightly. When Taryn felt Rosina's arms encircle her she clutched the young woman tightly.

"Where is Moe going?" Rosina asks with her voice trembling with fear as she stares at the closed door to the reception hall. "He's coming back, right?" Rosina asks with a fearful tone of voice.

"I don't know," Taryn cries out as she clutches Rosina tightly, "Let's hope he just needs some time," she added as she strained to keep her voice straight and comfort Rosina. "We have each other, though," she added before she broke down crying uncontrollably, Rosina with her. Karen and Veronica rush over to them and also hugged both women in an effort to comfort the two sobbing women. Both Karen and Veronica, like most people in the hall simply thought that the strain of the day had gotten the better of them. The four-woman hug continued for some time yet in the futile effort to quell the tears that freely flowed at the moment.

Heather looked at the women hugging and then at the door where Owen departed through and wondered what to do. It was not her place or typical behaviour to get involved in other people's lives as she hated it when other people stuck their nose into her business. This however merited looking into, there were too many unanswered questions concerning Richard's death, for her to let the matter drop.

Heather had broken things off with Richard four years ago after she found her feelings for him developing too strong for her to maintain the strictly business relationship. Richard was a "one-on-one" client of hers, a client who came to her for the purpose of being dominated by a woman. She was paid well for each session and usually a client only stayed with her for a few years before finding a cheaper way to get the domination they needed. Richard was the longest client to stay with her and near the end she had even considered starting a personal relationship with him. That was the end, when she started thinking of him when he wasn't around and missing him, she knew it had to end before she got personally involved with a client.

The business side of Heather was telling her to go home and leave this family to their own problems. Yet the part of her that still cared for Richard needed to know what happened to him before it could put the matter to rest. Heather sighed as she knew she was not going to get the answers from Taryn or Rosina, at least not while the other two women were around. No, the answers she sought were within the troubled mind of the man who strode out of the reception hall. The question was, how far would she go to find out what she needed to know? How far into the personal matters of the Thompson family was she willing to involve herself in order to find out Richard's final fate? Heather huffed, silently cursing herself for getting involved as she strode confidently towards the door.

* * *

Owen kicked a rock as he walked down the road, not sure where he was going or where he was going to sleep that night. All Owen knew was that he needed out of there and away from Taryn and Rosina. The weight of his father's death rested on his shoulders and he couldn't crush another person like he had his father. Owen told himself that it was the domination that he allowed to consume his life that killed his father. He wanted to live a normal life and put the dark chapter of dominating his family behind him. The thoughts of that time only brought back pain despite the fact that he already started missing Taryn and Rosina in ways a man shouldn't miss his Mother and Sister. He didn't notice the car pull up beside him or the passenger window roll down.

"We need to talk," Heather said confidently as she drove her car in pace with Owen's walking.

"No we don't," Owen said without even looking at Heather.

"Yes we do, it's about your family," Heather said and at that, Owen stopped.

Owen looked at the woman who was speaking at him from the late-model black Mercedes and found that he was looking at an attractive, middle-aged Chinese woman. She was dressed in a cream coloured business suit and wearing sunglasses. Her black hair fell straight but only reached her shoulders, framing her oval face. Her narrow nose pointed to her puffy lips that were pressed together as she tried to keep her cool. Her body was long, slender and lean, and her breasts were in line with what one would expect with her athletic build.

"What business is it of yours what goes on in my family?" Owen defiantly spoke as he leaned in slightly towards Heather.

"I knew your father for ten years," Heather said calmly and confidently.

"So!" Owen snorted.

"We were involved for ten years," Heather said calmly and confidently.

"Who are you?" Owen asked, his mind reeling, curious and scared as to who she might be.

"Heather," Heather replied calmly and confidently, with a smirk on her face. Owen's eyes went wide at the mention of her name. "Yes, I'm THAT Heather. I was your father's Dominatrix for ten years, now get in, we need to talk," she added as she pressed the electronic unlock button.

"What about?" Owen asked in shaky confidence.

"About your Slaves," Heather said calmly and confidently.

"What?" Owen replied in shock as his eyes bugged out of his head in fear.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble, nor am I trying to pick you up, Dominants don't do anything for me. Now get in, I just want to talk," Heather said in something similar to a compassionate tone of voice.

Owen said nothing as he slowly got into Heather's car. He was still buckling himself in when she sped away from the curb. Owen was not sure if this was a good move or not, but it felt like the right thing to do and he had nowhere else to go and nothing better to do. He was just wondering if he was going to regret it before long.

* * *

Later that night, once Taryn, Rosina, Karen and Veronica had returned home, the four of them were sitting around the kitchen table, sipping on tea. They were unwinding and relaxing from the emotional day. Taryn and Rosina had red, puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks, making evident the fact that they had done a lot of crying since Owen had stormed off. For now, they were all cried out, and simply felt a little depressed, and somewhat lost without him.

"I can't believe he's gone," Rosina said in a mournful tone of voice as she put her cup of tea down and rested her head on her hands.

"Neither can I," Taryn said in a sympathetic tone as she rubbed Rosina's back.

"What will become of us?" Rosina said with a waver in her voice as she looked at Taryn with fearful eyes.

Taryn moved her chair beside Rosina and embraced her from the side. Rosina leaned in to the embrace from her Mother and Mistress seeking comfort in the arms of the one woman who knew how she felt. Taryn stroked Rosina's shoulder and both women seemed marginally happier, due to the embrace.

"I'm sure he just needs some time on his own to sort things out," Karen said in a compassionate tone of voice as she reached across the table and held Rosina's hand.

"He'll be home in no time," Veronica said in an understanding tone as she patted Taryn's shoulder.

"I hope so, I don't think I could bear to lose him," Taryn said with a sigh of pain and regret. After glancing at Karen she quickly yet nervously added, "so soon after Richard . . . losing Richard was hard enough . . . despite what he did."

"We all expect our children to leave home, but not quite like that," Karen said in an understanding tone as she looked into Taryn's eyes where a spark of anger momentarily lived.

Taryn wanted to correct Karen and inform her that she was not an overprotective mother but a heartbroken woman whose husband had just left her. In her heartache and pain she wanted to let someone know the ache in her heart, and almost opened up to Karen and Veronica. Taryn knew that Karen would never understand the bond and unusual relationship she had with her children, though in truth she didn't see them as her children any more.

"Yes, exactly," was all that Taryn said with just the hint of anger in her voice.

"Well, everything will seem better in the morning. We should get some rest," Karen said as she stood up and gathered up the mugs at the table.

"Well, we do need some rest," Taryn conceded as Karen walked into the kitchen and put the cups in the sink.

"Goodnight, Taryn," Karen said as Taryn stood up and started to yawn and stretch.

Karen walked up to Taryn and gave her what she now considered a normal greeting. Karen wrapped her arms around Taryn, pulled their bodies tightly together and gave her a peck on the lips. Taryn seemed a little surprised at so friendly a greeting, and was pondering whether or not to say something, as Karen released her grip on Taryn.

"Goodnight, Karen," Taryn managed to say as Karen turned her attention to Rosina.

"Goodnight, Rosie," Karen said as she gave Rosina the same intimate hug and kiss.

"Goodnight, Karen," Rosina said as she flashed a raised eyebrow look to Taryn.

Veronica was tickled pink at the way that Karen was now greeting Taryn and Rosina. Veronica quickly deduced that Karen saw Taryn and Rosina as family now and was simply greeting them in the way that she now normally greeted other family members. Veronica now knew that she had successfully altered the way her mother acted around family members. The wheels started turning in Veronica's mind as to just how far she could push her mother's affectionate behaviour. For now, Veronica saw a golden opportunity and was not going to pass it up.

"Goodnight, Taryn," Veronica said as she walked up to Taryn with her arms outstretched.

"Goodnight, Ronnie," Taryn said as she opened her arms and welcomed the goodnight embrace.

Veronica's greeting was just like Karen's and Veronica was delighted to finally get this close to Taryn. She had been admiring Taryn from afar for some time now and loved feeling the warmth of Taryn's body pressed right up against hers. Leaning in for the kiss, she was happy that Taryn did not refuse her this ultimate stolen pleasure that night. It was hard for Veronica to keep her kiss to just a peck on the lips. As quick as the embrace started, it was over as Veronica released her grip on Taryn and turned her attention to Rosina.

"Goodnight Rosie," Veronica said pleasantly as she opened her arms and hugged, Rosina.

"Goodnight, Ronnie," Rosina said as she opened her arms and stepped towards Veronica.

Veronica and Rosina embraced each other at the same time and hugged each other just as tightly. The kiss was supposed to be just a peck on the lips but it seems that one of the ladies was just a little too worked up for that to be all. As Rosina pulled back to break the kiss, Veronica quickly and unconsciously extended the kiss with another peck on the lips. When the kiss was finally over, Veronica looked at Rosina with fear and embarrassment but Rosina just winked at her to ease Veronica's spirit. Relieved, Veronica released Rosina and walked with her arm around her mother's waist towards their bedrooms. Taryn and Rosina walked towards the living room, with their arms around each other's waist.