Talk to Me (The Winner, Part II)

Cricket visibly steeled herself before she leaned into the bedroom again. The knuckles of the fingers she clamped on the door jam whitened but she kept looking, her eyes switching between Sin and Nicky's faces and then running down Sin's body, which was completely visible because she'd tossed off the sheet I'd covered them with.

As Cricket watched she also glanced at me a few times but I just waited for her to keep looking long enough to actually observe everything that was happening. In a few moments, her fingers loosened on the door jam.

"What's she saying?" She whispered to me as she kept her eyes on the twins. "And how come Nicky never answers?"

I gestured for her to follow me and headed back toward the living room.

"I don't know. I've never asked because what they're doing is private. About as private as private can get." I stopped whispering once I sat back down in the chair I'd been sitting in earlier. "I give them the courtesy of not trying to intrude where I'm not invited."

"Huh." She sat, one foot curled underneath again.

"Do you understand now why we don't talk about what happens here to anyone? That we can't act in any way that someone would suspect something like what you first thought is going on?"

Cricket looked down the hall toward the bedrooms for a few moments before looking back at me.

"Yeah. I can see how letting people know about what they do in there would be a mistake. It's too easy to come up with . . . the wrong answer." She fidgeted and opened her mouth once more before closing it again without speaking.

"You can ask me anything. No rules, no limits. I won't get upset or angry no matter what you say. I won't repeat it to anyone else either. I promise."

She squirmed a bit more.

"Ask me." I prompted her. I knew what she wanted but she had to ask, I wouldn't volunteer any information.

"Is it? The wrong answer? Do you know if they ever . . . you know . . . together?"

"No. Sin has never had sex with Nicky. They sleep together sometimes, like they're doing right now, but it's just sleeping not sex."

"You're sure about that?"

I nodded. "I'm positive. Sin has never had sex with any man, including Nicky."

"So she's a virgin?"

"I didn't say that."

Cricket paused for over a minute while she thought about what I'd said. "So, are you saying she's lez like Tami?"

"I didn't say that either."

She just looked at me for a long instant. Then her expression changed and she glanced at my stomach before squirming once again. I waited but she just dropped her face to look at her hands in her lap.

"Ask." I said it softly before repeating what I'd told her once already. "No rules, no limits. I won't get upset or angry no matter what you say. I promise."

She just shook her head, she didn't want to know.

"Cricket, they are inseparable twins. Inseparable. Think about that for a minute. Think about what that means in the context of them having sex. Remember what I told you in the beginning? That this was a two-for-one deal?"

She nodded.

"I meant every word of it. It's both of them at once or nothing. There is no middle ground. No compromise. No work around. It's all, and I mean all, or nothing."

She glanced at my stomach again.

"Ask."

"Is it . . .?"

"I don't know."

"But you . . .?"

"Yes."

"But that's . . ."

"No it isn't. I'm not their biological mother. I'm closer to their age than I am to their father and if I wasn't their stepmother no one would think anything odd about us being together."

That made her think for a bit. I could see the stress easing as she also realized that I hadn't lied or tried to make excuses or cover anything up. I'd told her the truth and it was up to her to see it for what it was. She leaned toward me and whispered the next question.

"Does their dad know?"

I nodded yes and didn't lower my voice, I had nothing to be ashamed of.

"He knows. He accepts that the twins have some very unique needs which don't follow what we think of as social norms. He also knows he doesn't own me and that if I choose to sleep with someone else he has no say in the matter. I am not property or a sex toy."

"But why would you? I mean, you're married to their dad so why?"

"I told you, this is a two-for-one deal. I also told you that there was a big step that you had to take if you really wanted to love them and that not everyone could take that step. I could. I did. I love them. They know I love them unequivocally. There are no rules and nothing is held back when you love someone as much as I do them and their father."

She looked at me.

"I took that step with my eyes wide open. What I got in return was more than anything I ever imagined possible."

"What did you get?"

I didn't answer. Instead I pointed my finger down the hall. "They've been together for almost two hours now. That's about the usual amount of time they normally take when they're bonding so they'll probably wake up soon. Why don't you go wait for them and ask them to talk to you."

"They won't mind if I see them together?"

"Not as long as you don't accuse them of doing something they aren't. Just find a spot on the bed and wait for them to wake up. Ask them to talk to you."

"That's it? Just ask them to talk to me?"

"They've been waiting for you to ask. That's why they keep telling you they want to sleep with you and doing nothing beyond that. They're waiting for you to ask them."

"They are?"

I nodded. "If you think you can love both of them then ask them. This isn't just about friendship, it's about love; yours and theirs. If you really want both of them to love you, your best shot is right now. Find a way. Take the step. Ask them to talk to you."

Slowly she stood up as if she wasn't sure. I made a fluttering motion with my hands to push her down the hall. She kept looking back at me from the bedroom doorway as she watched the twins inside. I shooed her onward by flicking my fingers. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the opening and disappeared.

There were quiet voices at first after the twins woke and found Cricket in the room with them. Then there was a period of silence followed by a soft rhythmic ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh . . . ending in a high pitched whine right before Nicky's low grunt and Sin's squeal of ecstacy.

I waited in the living room for them to show up, Cricket's ears turned pink when she saw me. I kissed the twins first then held out my arms to her.

"So, was it worth taking that step?" I asked after Cricket finally kissed me on the mouth.

The duck of her head and even deeper blush that followed my question was all the answer I needed.

"And Andrew . . .? I left the end of the question open. Cricket knew her brother better than any of the rest of us. She knew whether he'd be likely to accept the uniqueness of a relationship with the twins or not.

Cricket looked at Sin and nodded once sharply. "We will find a way."

Sin squealed and grabbed Cricket, lifting her off her feet in a huge hug followed by kisses everywhere lips could land. Cricket grabbed Sin's hair to hold her still and looked directly into her eyes.

"We will! But first, do you still have the number to the laser place? I need to do some serious weed whacking in the ol' carrot patch and my hedge trimmer isn't going to cut it."

I couldn't help it, I had to laugh.

Cricket kept coming over in the mornings and most days they did her workout routine since that was her focus. Not every day, some rainy days and cold mornings they spent in bed together, but most of the time they followed her training program. The day for try outs for the volleyball team came and went without her going. I asked about it one day before they left for their morning workout, Cricket grabbed Nicky's hand and told me she was already on the team she wanted to be on.

Cricket got leaner while her spandex outfit got baggy, looking more like sweats than compression wear. She'd show up in the mornings and then go off with the twins for an hour or so, coming back looking exhausted and dragging her feet before showering, changing into street clothes, and heading off for her afternoon classes.

"They're animals!" She told me one day when she got done cleaning up after her workout. "Sin's strong but Nicky's powerful. And fast."

I nodded my agreement, the twins were both very fit. "Sin's quicker than Nicky on her feet. If you think Nicky's faster then she's holding back on you."

Cricket's eyes squinched and she glanced at the bathroom where the twins were showering.

"You think so?"

I nodded again. "Sin's a lot faster than Nicky. He's heavier so he has more mass to move. She can also strike quicker with her hands. When they challenge each other on Leap Days, they do things that combine all of their skills and abilities so neither of them has an advantage."

"Leap Days?"

"Ask them to explain it to you. Be prepared to be both awed and frustrated at the same time."

She got a determined look on her face, kissed me goodbye and went to class. From the fact that she didn't wait until the twins were done showering before she left told me something was up. Cricket wasn't only hot tempered, she held a grudge. The twins were so in for it if, or more likely when, she finally unloaded on them.

Cricket showed up right on time the next morning, dropped the bag holding her street clothes, and immediately tore into them for taking it easy on her. She was pointing her finger, ripping them to shreds verbally, and generally telling them she wasn't happy about what they'd done. They'd lied to her. They'd cheated!

"And I want my money back!" She ended her tirade with one of her signature outrageous comments, put her hands on her hips and huffed at them.

It took nearly five seconds of them looking at each other in rotation before three heads huddled together, arms around shoulders and strange words and phrases started coming from them. Words like business plan and corporation. Nicky broke the huddle, grabbed a tablet of paper, and they sat at the table making diagrams and lists. Ten minutes later Nicky dropped the pencil.

"But, how do we get people to sign up? We can't just walk up and ask them, can we?"

"Advertising." Cricket told him.

"Advertising?" Sin looked at her.

She nodded "Specifically me. Right now I'm the best advertisement you have. I've dropped fifteen pounds, lost four inches from my waist and seven inches from my hips in eleven weeks. I'm thinner yet I'm stronger and have more muscle than I had three months ago. My little sister is complaining that I'm wearing all her clothes before she does. Think about it; three months and all that has happened already. I can even almost wear a bikini without looking like a beached whale. I might still look like a Great White Shark, but the whale blubber is history."

Sin looked at me.

"What?" Cricket caught the glance.

"Nothing." I waved any idea of a bikini away. I was carrying a soccer ball in my middle, I'd look ridiculous in a bikini and they all knew it.

"Mom looks hot in a bikini." Sin said it anyway.

"Yeah?" Cricket gave me the once over again. "I can see that. Or, I wish I could see it. Meow."

Sin licked her lips with just the tip of her tongue. "You will."

"No bikinis!" I shook my head no while waggling a finger. "I'm too old, too fat and have a baby on the way."

"We'll see." Sin bent over the table again. Both Cricket and Nicky nodded their agreement with her.

There was no workout that day. Instead they spend the time at the table revising their lists and making more diagrams, Cricket leading the discussion but letting the twins tell her what they could do. I had no idea what they were talking about so I just left them alone. Eventually Cricket looked at the clock, squeaked and dashed out the door without saying goodbye; she was late for class.

The next morning she rang the doorbell instead of just coming in. Opening the door I saw her standing on the doormat with another woman who was probably a bit older than Tom and leaning on a cane. From the freckles, and kinky red hair which resembled Tami's, this had to be her mother. I opened the door wide for them to come in.

"Good morning Cricket." I closed the door. "I don't think there will be a workout today."

"Why not?" Cricket glanced apprehensively down the hall. I knew what she was thinking and put her fears to rest.

"It's Leap Day."

"Oh." She looked disappointed and relieved at the same time.

"You can watch. But like I said, be prepared to be amazed and frustrated. You'll see what they can really do, it's awesome. The frustration is because you can't join in and sometimes they make a mess and leave you to clean it up by yourself."

"Oh."

I could see she didn't even consider the clean-up-the-mess part. Well, she'd learn, just like I did, about the twins' strange Leap Day blind spots.

"What's the game plan? Do you know?"

"Something about tennis. They were talking about blindfolds too."

"You can't play tennis wearing a blindfold."

I raised my hands, I didn't know what they'd meant either. At that point Cricket looked at the other woman and then to me and blushed. She'd forgotten about her mother being there.

"The parent." She indicated her mother in her usual irreverent style. "Mom, meet mom."

"Christine." I held out my hand.

"Amelia."

We shook hands just as the twins showed up, both of them wearing serious athletic gear and carrying tennis rackets. Cricket looked at her mom and then to me.

"Bye mom. Bye mom," she chirped to both of us then snarked about there being a nasty echo in the house. She joined Nicky and Sin as they headed out the door. Amelia shook her head as the door thumped closed behind the three of them.

"Cricket is a fantastic friend." I gestured toward the table. "I have some home-made

pastry and coffee if that's ok."

We talked about generalities, Amelia just trying to get to know one of the people her daughter was spending so much time with and whom she talked about all the time. I, in return, wanted to know more about the woman who'd raised Nicky and Sin's new friend. I did have to be careful in how I talked about Cricket and her relationship with the twins, I had no idea if she'd said anything to her mother about that or not. We got around to talking about Cricket's fitness program and Amelia mentioned that Cricket was so much more vibrant and active around the house now she couldn't keep up.

At my interested look, Amelia held up her cane and explained she'd broken her ankle right about the time Sin and Nicky had met Tami. She was actually the Head Librarian and Donnie was her assistant, the broken ankle was why she hadn't been there for us to meet at the time. Donnie was taking care of the library and she relied on the other kids to take care of the house and do the things she couldn't. At first Cricket had been cranky about the additional responsibilities, but once she'd started working out with the twins, she'd changed. It had been that change which had prompted her mother to want to meet us.

"She's still doing ok in school I hope?" I wondered if Cricket's time with the twins had affected her grades.

Amelia nodded yes. "She goes to her college classes and studies after school. More than she used to in fact and I think her grades will probably improve. She's as smart as Tami, all my kids are above average in school, but Cricket's always been a little rebellious so she doesn't try as hard academically." A sigh. "I worry so much about her."

I sympathized with her. "I feel the same way about the twins and they were already adults when I met them. Being their stepmother changes how I look at things when it comes to them."

She nodded back and looked at my stomach. "So, is it a boy or a girl? And when are you due?"

"I'm in my second trimester, so probably sometime in late August or early September. I asked my obstetrician not to tell me if it was a boy or girl. It's not like I won't find out eventually anyway but I don't need everyone going overboard worse than they are already." I made a face and rubbed my stomach. "I'll be glad to be finally done with this part though."

She smiled and touched my arm lightly. "You won't be done for the rest of your life. Take it from me, I know."

Before I could respond the front door opened and the trio returned, Cricket looked angry while the twins had the usual post Leap Day contest expression on their faces that told me they'd be doing their usual twin thing again soon. Concerned by the look on Cricket's face I got up from my chair.

"Everything ok? You guys didn't fight or anything did you?"

Nicky and Sin shook their heads no but Cricket instantly started raging.

"Some bitch called Sin a whore. Can you believe that?"

"Cricket," her mother also got to her feet. "You know better."

She looked at her mom and ducked her head. "Sorry. I'm just mad. She had no right to call Sin that. They were playing tennis, ok not really they were using the single player wall and Sin was wearing a blindfold, but they were playing. Nicky was right behind Sin and mirroring every move she made. It was really cool! They were dancing and playing tennis at the same time. He was calling Fault, two, three, and so on whenever Sin made a mistake and hit the ball out of bounds or below the net line. It was awesome. She didn't mess up very much either, she kept hitting the ball and returning it while dancing with Nicky and wearing a blindfold at the same time! And then some woman came over and called Sin a whore. Right out of the blue for no reason at all. And then she said I must be one too because whores always stand with each other on street corners."

She clenched her fists.

"I got mad. I told her she could take her perverted mind and lies and stick them up her, uhh, where the sun don't shine. Everyone there stopped playing and just watched and listened as I told her off. I said Sin and Nicky are my personal trainers. Because of them I've lost a ton of weight, dropped two sizes, and gained a level of fitness I've never had before. In just three months too! I also told her I'm eating more now than I was before I started working with them, not less, so it's not a diet that's taking the weight off. Sin and Nicky are good at what they do, all anyone has to do is look at Sin playing tennis blindfolded to see how good they are."

She huffed when she was done, mumbling under her breath. "Bitch."

"Then what happened? What did the twins do?" I asked before her mother could scold her again.

"They didn't do or say anything, it's like they didn't hear us even though I was yelling. When Sin finished Nicky put on his blindfold and started playing while Sin shadow danced with him. They weren't lobbing the ball either, they went at it hard. Sin called a lot more faults against Nicky than he did against her. The bitch left after I stepped on her foot accidentally and knocked her down when she got in the way of me warming up. I yelled at her, called her stupid and a few other nasty names, then told her to get the hell off my court while I was practicing my back swing or she was gonna get whacked by a tennis racket." Cricket made air quotes with her fingers each time she emphasized words.

"Once she was gone some people came over to watch Sin go at it again. They were scoring best of three games each and not pulling their swing either. A couple of the people who came over asked me about them being my trainers and if what I said was true. I told them it was and gave out your phone number. I hope that was ok, they seemed like they were interested and might turn out to be customers."