Unity and Destiny Pt. 04

He smiled at her as well, and it didn't seem too uncomfortable. Maybe they were past the fallout from their time with the Chosen. Back to friends. He hoped so.

Dinner was venison stew, and it was delicious. "Skis are so fast and quiet," said Mark happily. "Much better than snowshoes. I can move farther in a day than during summer. And I could pull the carcass on a plastic sled. It was so efficient."

High praise from Mark, though Javier didn't want to think so hard about where the meat had come from, or the way Mark would have killed the deer with his hands. It would have been quick and humane, of course.

Conversation turned more serious after dinner.

"The prime minister of Pakistan," said Selena unhappily. "And now the civil war in Zaire, or, I guess it's Congo now. What a mess. I feel guilty enjoying myself so much up here. Like a vacation from it all. You all getting by? Any news?"

Esther nodded. "Raj's parents moved back to India. It was getting so bad for them in the UK, though they were almost citizens. He tried to get them to come here, and at least his sister did. She's in Atlanta and he's out for a few days helping her get settled. But he's so scared about Bhutto's assassination, and what it means. Islamic militants, they're saying, and the new government looks even more hostile to India. But to me it just seems like one more of the countless problems going on in the world. Getting worse than usual, but it was always bad. I just wasn't paying attention. It's still so hard to pinpoint which events might have the Chosen's fingerprints on them."

And there was still no hint of Lukas or his group. They'd gone over everything Geoff knew, and there were too many possibilities. But that reminded Javier.

"Esther and Raj might be onto something with their encryption project," he said. "Another insight snatched from otherspace."

"It might turn into nothing," said Esther. "Nothing useful for us, anyway. Raj thought it was of great mathematical interest whatever its practical value. And conversely, the work I've done with him and Anatoly is helping me make sense of otherspace. But it's a slow process. A lifetime of work, I expect."

She would have the time, though. Abuela had been born before 1820. When Javier tried to think that far ahead, his imagination utterly failed. More than a lifetime.

* * *

"I moved my things out of your cabin," said Selena. "I can get by fine just in the lean-to. I have a winter sleeping bag."

"Oh," said Esther. "That wasn't necessary."

Selena gave her an odd look, and she realized Selena thought Esther was suggesting she sleep with them in the cabin, while of course Esther's mind had been wandering in a different direction. Luckily Selena decided not to say anything.

Mark and Nicola were doing well. It was clear in the way they stood together, in the relaxed ease that Mark had regained, in the occasional look she saw Nicola giving him. That made it a terrible idea to suggest anything disruptive. But Esther kept thinking about that wild, abortive evening with Kat and Grace. They'd only been watching, and she didn't imagine Grace had even fantasized about doing any more. Watching was what Kat had whispered about, in any case.

Javier probably fantasized about doing more with both of those women, but so did Esther in some moments, so she couldn't hold it against him. And she'd certainly fantasized about sex with both Nicola and Mark. And Javier as well, of course. One penis in her mouth and another—well, enough of that. The point was, they didn't have to do anything but watch. Maybe that was too much, though.

She sighed and pulled Javier into a kiss when they entered their cabin. He was surprised at her eagerness, which left her faintly sad, but he caught right up with her enthusiasm.

"Later," she said softly. "I want to talk some more with Mark and Nicola before they start having sex."

Javier laughed, guessing only belatedly that she was speaking literally. The other pair were walking back to their cabin holding hands, and Nicola had already rubbed Mark's penis playfully through his pants.

This wasn't just about Esther, though.

"Javier," she said. "Would you want to have sex in the same room as Nicola and Mark? As two couples, just watching?"

Javier's eyebrows shot up.

"Jesus, Esther, of course I'd like that. Is that what you're—"

"Quick, then, let's catch them."

Nicola had already gotten Mark's shirt off by the time they knocked on the door. Esther could see her vaguely annoyed look, and no wonder.

"What is it, Esther? We're kind of busy."

"Could we talk? It won't take long, I promise."

Nicola gestured resignation, and so they hurried in. It was getting chilly outside.

It was none too warm in here, either, as they hadn't gotten the stove going. The chill gave Esther a faint sense of anticipation. She always liked sex in the cold. Working to heat herself always felt like an extra muscle she was clenching, one that made everything sweeter.

"Could we have sex in here too?" she blurted. "On the other bed. Just watching."

Nicola barked a surprised laugh, and then quickly looked at Mark.

He seemed nervous, but nothing like those few days after Nicola was back from Oregon. She watched him think, and then look at Nicola. Something passed between them, and Nicola smiled.

"Yeah, that sounds fantastic. You'd just be spying on us anyway, and it's not fair, because you usually do that privacy thing too well."

"No I wouldn't," Esther insisted. "I'm so careful now. I don't spy." Mostly.

But Nicola was laughing, pulling off her sweater and gesturing at Esther's old bunk. So Esther sat, and Javier sat next to her, and her heart was hammering in her chest, her body warming against the chill.

* * *

It was freezing in here. But Esther liked that, and Javier figured it would be all right once they got going. Especially with four of them. He couldn't believe what was happening. Nicola was undressing as quickly as she could, and surely that was as much for Javier's sake as anything. And he realized Esther was watching, too, even as she snaked her hand down his pants, finding is hardening dick. She'd remembered to warm her hand first. He was so used to her forgetting that he was almost disappointed.

But of course, Esther had seen Nicola in the lake as well. A figure of inhuman grace, rainbow and mist swirling around her. Mark was kissing her hungrily, his lips working down her stomach towards her bush, and Javier decided he had the right idea.

He knelt on the floor, grateful for the rug. It was even more freezing down here. Esther knew what he wanted to do, and she helped him with her clothes. His tongue found her sensitive blue vaginal ring, and his hands stroked her carefully on her back. She was already moist with her peculiar, sweet lubrication.

Esther sighed, and Nicola groaned happily, and he wished he could see both of them. But the two women could see each other, and he knew they both wanted that. They both wanted more, of course, but this was the right way. Two couples, with their complicated histories and fantasies.

Nicola gasped suddenly, coming to her orgasm much faster than she ever had with Javier. But of course, Mark knew her better than anyone. And the whole time with her it had been a desperate sort of act, he supposed like the one time he'd been with Kat.

Nicola kept grunting, and soon Javier recognized another noise. He glanced up, and saw Esther staring at the other couple, her hand brushing at the freckles between her nipples. Javier sped up his tongue slightly and inserted a wet finger gently into her asshole.

"Oh, Javier!" Esther cried, and then she was coming, his beautiful, brilliant Esther. He would never tire of this feeling.

* * *

When Esther finally finished, she lay back breathing hard. Javier grunted and got up, sitting on the bed next to her and stroking her thigh. His erection curved beautifully against his thigh, hardening even further when he realized Nicola was masturbating now, her fingers moving steadily through her bush while Mark kissed her lower on her inside thigh, near where the sensitive freckles began.

Esther sat up and opened her legs, and then she wrapped her fingers around Javier's shaft. Nicola let out a little cough or moan, and finally she gripped Mark's shoulders, pulling him up.

As usual he worked out what she wanted without words. Mark sat on the bed, presenting his own erection for Nicola, and Nicola stood up, positioning herself in front of him before sitting down, so slowly, savoring ever inch of his penis until she came to rest on his thighs. And Nicola was looking right into her eyes the whole time.

She'd done this once, just days after Esther first arrived at the camp, two years ago. That time, though, it had been Nicola's insecure way of trying to intimidate Esther. A strange, beautiful path they'd traveled together. Esther could remember every detail of her friends' bodies, enough to see the subtle changes. Mark had more hair, on his upper chest and shoulders. Nicola's arms showed some extra muscle now. And her breasts had grown, just a fraction.

They both had new freckles, of course. The ones between Nicola's breasts were more boldly colored now, and the splash across her thigh extended lower, with more variation. A hint of purple in the green and blue. Mark stroked her thigh, those powerful hands always so gentle. Nicola grunted in satisfaction with every stroke, grinding hard against Mark's thighs, as though trying to push him even deeper, even though Mark was already bumping the back of her vagina. She'd told Esther how sensitive her whole passage was, but now Esther could almost feel it for herself —

"Oh, God," Javier grunted, his dick twitching, and she realized she'd forgotten him, letting her hand work on auto-pilot. Maybe he hadn't even noticed. His penis swelled, and for a moment she tried to feel only that. The pulse of his heartbeat, the swelling of his lungs, the tightening of his hamstrings, his calves, every beautiful muscle down to his toes. That moment of relaxation, as the inevitable washed over, the orgasm pouring from every bit of his body, the warmth gathering in his groin, and the first magnificent pulse of semen, arcing right out onto the floor between the couples. Nicola was laughing with joy, and even as his climax subsided, Javier was still watching her, because of course their friend was gorgeous. Esther leaned over to meet his lips, he took it the wrong way, hastily looking back at her. But that was all right. This moment was nearly perfect.

Nicola was grunting loudly now, and Esther got up to straddle Javier's lap. With her senses she hardly needed to look that direction, after all. Javier immediately started rubbing the sensitive spots on her back, and she whispered in his ear. The others would hear, but that was good anyway.

"Don't be embarrassed. You should watch her all you want. I love you, Javier."

He gripped her tighter, and she realized he was still hard. She shifted, tilted her hips back. And then she was sliding along his length, the sticky semen mixing with her own lubrication. She wished they had a little more, but she'd been stupid and left it in their cabin. Nicola and Mark didn't have any, and for that matter they never needed it. She pushed aside that little annoyance, and let her mind open further, feeling the rustling trees outside, the stars in the sky, the whole world with the four of them huddled in its center. Nicola was driving herself onto Mark with a fury now, and Esther's body was responding faster and faster. She could almost imagine the feeling. Wonderful, ordinary sex, with a perfect body like Nicola's, her clitoris erect and rubbing against her fingers, and that amazing sense of being filled, of Mark's penis driving into her again and again--

She felt Nicola's orgasm coming even before her friend did, and then she rode it with Nicola, her own body racing to keep up, Javier's surprise and excitement at her sudden frenzy, as though there was nothing between her and Nicola, nothing but beautifully glowing connections and folds, thicker and thicker—

"No," Nicola moaned softly.

It hit Esther like a brick, and she pulled away, wrapping her awareness into a tiny ball. Just her and Javier. She'd been so selfish. Esther turned, starting to cry, but Nicola was shaking her head, stroking Mark's black hair as he finished his own orgasm. Mark must have felt that, too. Only Javier was in the dark. He held her tight, knowing something was wrong, his penis slowly softening.

"I didn't mean to," she said miserably, when Nicola finally looked up. "It just happened."

"I know," Nicola said. "I know. And I wanted it, too. But it's too much. Too—"

She shook her head, but Esther knew all too well. Nicola couldn't share senses with her without thinking of Unity. Maybe they'd never get past that. Probably they should leave it alone. Because it also reminded Esther of things that would be better forgotten.

"This wasn't a mistake," Javier said suddenly. His words hung in the silence for a few seconds. "This was beautiful. I won't forget it."

"Beautiful," Nicola agreed, and Mark nodded hesitantly.

And just like that, it was something new again: the four of them. They were awkward as they separated, and Esther smiled when she unthinkingly put her foot in a sticky spot. She'd explain to Javier what had happened, but he probably understood already. He'd known exactly what he needed to say, just as he always did.

* * *

Esther took in the chattering crowd, the decorations they'd spent the last two days assembling. The roaring fire. It was utterly different from the camp in the Sierras, but the farmhouse finally felt like home.

The winter rains had come in force to rattle against the windows, and she felt bad for the new guests currently hurrying under a shared umbrella. An unexpected pair, all the better. She walked to the door, opening it and ushering them inside before they rang the bell.

Anatoly Kuznetsov stood there looking slightly uncomfortable. He was the senior professor she collaborated with, and he was accompanied by his wife, whom he introduced as Yelena.

"You're the one?" Yelena said, grasping both her hands. "Oh, Anatoly is so proud of you. Thank you for inviting us, Esther."

"Thank you for coming," she said nervously. Professor Kuznetsov was as brilliant as Raj was, but she never felt as comfortable with him as with his younger colleague. That stood to reason, of course, with all the secrets they kept from him. Raj insisted it was better this way, to avoid troubling Anatoly and his family.

"Of course we came," said Yelena. "It gave an excellent excuse to avoid the Chernovs' party. Last year Sergei got drunk and made a pass at me, something he doesn't remember, thank God. But don't let me be rude. I see spiced punch and I'll occupy myself with it, and with annoying Raj."

Anatoly smiled after his wife and gave Esther a nod.

"Truly, it is good to see you somewhere other than my office. And I promised Yelena not to speak about math tonight, but I have made great progress on that paper. I put your name in the authors' list this time, so don't try to squirm out of it."

Esther smiled. She supposed it was inevitable, and anyway Lukas had already figured it out. She liked being a mathematician. She liked being among all these friendly people. She was moving away from the idea of living as Abuela had, hiding away and forever cautious.

Javier was still catching up with his Mamá, of course. Mrs. Sanchez had come to stay for a few days over the Christmas holiday, and it had been such a joy to greet her earlier this afternoon. The only one missing now was Selena, who had warned that the weather was bad and traffic might be slow getting there. Geoff was visiting his sister in Las Vegas, but he probably wouldn't have come anyway. And Nicola and Mark would have their own private party. She thought again about the couple and smiled more broadly.

"It's nice to see you so happy," said Grace. "This is already a good party. And I love the tree."

She and Javier had decorated it lovingly yesterday, topping it with a strand of colored lights.

"We never had one growing up," said Esther. "My parents thought it represented the wrong parts of Christmas. But her last year, my mother finally relented, and we had this beautiful little one. Just some snowflake ornaments I cut. And the next Christmas—"

The next Christmas, Father had been dead as well, and she'd been separated from Javier, in the Sierra camp with people she didn't understand yet. She couldn't have known how she'd grow to love them.

Grace gave her a hug. "Merry Christmas, Esther. I'm going to get some punch before Mrs. Kuznetsov drinks it all. It is non-alcoholic, right?"

Esther giggled, and for a moment Grace looked embarrassed, before she started laughing as well.

"Merry Christmas, Grace."

It was just two days before Christmas. The holiday itself would be quiet, with Javier's Mamá and way too many cookies. Esther drifted among the guests, listening more than talking, letting herself be surrounded by the warmth of her friends and loved ones. Eventually the rain let up and the sky cleared, leaving only that wonderful fresh damp smell and the brightly twinkling winter stars. She sensed Selena, still stuck in traffic across the Bay, but she'd arrive eventually. Jacob was having a quiet night at home, preparing all of his sermons.

Javier found her just outside the door and encircled her in his arms. "We're going to sing some Christmas carols, probably very badly. But you're welcome to help."

Sure enough, they were pretty bad at it. Esther began thinking about Nicola's beautiful voice, and her mind stretched, listening for Nicola, for other singers near and far.

And amid all the voices raised in joy, she heard a scream, so distant it was barely audible. Rage, fear, horror.

Her blood ran cold. The scream cut off suddenly, and she heard the chatter, at the very edge of her perception. Louder than it had ever been, agitated, reacting somehow to whatever had happened.

"Javier," she said too loudly. "Something's happened. Something terrible. Go, find out. The TV, the computer."

She sat on a chair, stretching her senses as hard as she could. Vaguely she felt Kat come to her side, Raj asking if she needed anything, all the others noticing her distress and wondering, but she was soon lost into otherspace, trying to understand—

— STOP —

The voice of God rang in her head, and then the blast of hot air caught her and threw her like a rag doll, until she struck the side of a house. She was blinded, burning, and there were screams, but her clothes were on fire, her skin was on fire, everything engulfed in a pain beyond endurance. She screamed until her throat gave out and the pain kept growing. She smelled burnt flesh, hers, others, tasted the ash of incinerated buildings and humans, coating her tongue. Filling her lungs.

Vaguely she knew this wasn't real, that this was another's senses. Desperately she groped for her Watch, her way back, but everything was flame. She heard faint voices in the real world, worried but not panicked. She sought for them but they were so far, and the flames—

* * *

Javier was just about to turn on the television when he was stopped dead by the worst sound he'd ever heard: Esther, screaming in pain at the top of her lungs. He ran back to the living room, shoving others away, but before he reached her all the lights went out.

For a moment there was nothing except Esther's horrible wailing, already dropping as she went hoarse. He groped his way to her, found Kat already there, and knelt to hold Esther. She was senseless, flailing against whatever unspeakable thing she felt in otherspace.