The Hunt Ch. 03

Thanks to markf52 for the editing help.

All characters in sexual encounters are eighteen years of age or older.

Characters:

James Ashton: MC, genetically designed from a DARPA embryo and enhanced by nanotechnology.

Timothy Long (Gpop): James's deceased grandfather can interact with James through nanites he created and placed in James's body.

Lanore Olivia Long (Liv): Abducted wife of Timothy, grandmother, and lover to James.

AIMS/Amee: Aims is the neural essence of James's mother and the security manager of James and his Shield Maidens. Her essence was saved by James's grandfather the day she died, in a neural storage device. Amee is the clone of his mother, one of his Shield Maidens.

James Ashton Sr.: Worked with James's grandfather at DARPA as head of security for Timothy's research area and died in an "accident" at another DARPA location.

Melissa, Molly, Toni Jean (TJ), and Tabitha (Tabi): all clones of James's mother. Melissa and Molly are ten years older than TJ and Tabi, who are the same age as James and are his first four Shield Maidens.

Trevor: James's closest friend growing up.

Matt: Trevor's older brother and a friend.

Danny: Trevor and Matt's father and a friend. Runs Patriot Construction for James.

Richard (Dick): Piece of shit, worked at DARPA with James's Gpop and Father.

Justin: Same as Dick.

Jerome: A large gay Black man that was a facilitator for James's grandfather at DARPA and current possessor of Dick, Justin, Big Tony, Grady, and Gerald.

Michael James: former sergeant, now captain of the police department, friend.

Daughters: Angelica, Bailey, Beonka, Braylynn, Jerilynn, Melody. All were aged to be the same age as James by their nanites, Shield Maidens.

Martha: Cecelia's aunt.

American Shield Maidens:

Mae Ling: Neighbor and former Chinese spy.

Maria: Mother of Rosa.

Sandi: Mother of Cally.

Rosa: Classmate.

Charu: Classmate.

Calista: Classmate.

Cally: Classmate.

Heather: Classmate.

Daisy: Classmate.

Mary: Classmate.

Casey: Teacher.

Lanette: Teacher.

Tyra: Teacher, genetically enhanced by DARPA, and was sent to spy on James.

Hallie: Met her while at DARPA, made James equal by the nanites.

Jasiri: a celestial being set free from her DARPA prison by James.

Juno: Jasiri's mother, also set free by James.

Mothers of James's Daughters:

Deborah: Mother of Bailey, Beonka, and Braylynn. Former school secretary to the principal.

Margerete: Mother of Melody.

Cecilia (Cece): Mother of Angelica.

Joni: Mother of Jerilynn.

And two hundred fifty unnamed Shield Maidens.

Australian Shield Maidens:

Maggie: Former customs agent.

Layla: Aboriginal friend of Maggie, former customs agent.

Makayla: friend of Maggie, former customs agent.

Makenzie: friend of Maggie, former customs agent.

Ilsa: Friend of Layla, former Customs agent.

Chastity (Tink), Rachael, and Bobi: All added from winning a beach weightlifting bet on Bondi Beach.

Mobambi (Bambi): Beautiful Nubian woman James met on Bondi Beach.

Eira and Freya: Twin sisters, met by James when he was looking for Property and Planes, embryos stolen from DARPA, which is why they look just like Tyra.

And two hundred fifty unnamed Shield Maidens.

Erik Himler: Bad guy, brought over after World War Two as part of "Project Paperclip" and helped charter DARPA. Kidnapped James's grandmother, Liv, and stole embryos from DARPA that would later be Eira and Freya. He placed clones of himself around the world to continue his evil research.

Devon Hughs: Nephew to the former superintendent of the high school, Grady Hughs, and all-around dickhead.

AI characters:

Midnight Breeze, Midnight Sky, Midnight Illusion.

Midnight Reality: Controlled by Gpop.

Midnight Solstice: Controlled by Juno.

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On the third day of the raging storm, we decided to go ahead and head home. The fact we were submerged helped a lot. The nanites had been busy while we were away; they had tripled the size of the underground portion of the property so that all the boats could easily fit into the new docks. All I knew was that I wanted to shower and go back to bed, and more than one of the Maidens had the same thought.

You would think that being the 'de facto' leader of a group meant you had a little pull, but no, it doesn't. Our underground house was bigger and had a bigger closet. The closet may have been bigger, but my portion of the closet stayed the same. I swear, they only gave me a hanger and a shoebox amount of room, even though the closet was as big as a normal house. I guess, with the number of women using it, that was why it needed to be big, but the least they could do is give me a little bigger portion of it.

The shower had been super-sized as well, but we still had to shower in four groups. None of us were all that hungry after our showers, so we opted to just have chips and sandwiches for dinner. It's a choreographed dance of chaos for everyone to be in the kitchen at the same time making their own sandwiches. I wanted to run after eating, for some ungodly reason, so Angelica, Bailey, Beonka, Braylynn, Jerilynn, and Melody, all joined me.

When we passed the back gate, we could hear scurrying in the brush and bramble next to the fence. Being who they are, the girls went to go and see what it was. They came out of the thicket with what I thought were cats, but no, they were baby bobcats. I knew by the looks on the girls' faces they were going to keep them, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do or say to suade them otherwise.

"You're taking care of them," I told them.

"We know," they all said at once.

"Names?" I asked.

"Stitch," Bailey said.

"Grumpy," Melody chimed.

"Sleepy," Angelica said next.

"Gizmo," Braylynn said.

"Simba," Beonka said, holding hers above her head.

We all stood there waiting for Jerrilynn to say her bobkitten's name.

"I don't know what I want to call mine," she said with exasperation and exhaled sharply.

Her kitten reached up with its paw, patted her on her cheek, and "meowed" at her.

"Lev, it means 'heart' in Hebrew and 'lion' in Russian," she told us with a broad smile on her face.

When we got back, the bobkittens were passed around and loved on by all the ladies in the house. To my surprise, the kittens didn't seem to mind being held; in fact, they would cry when they were put down. "I don't think you can take the animal-loving little girl out of a woman no matter what her age," I thought, watching how the ladies were acting over the furry additions to our family. We have horses and now bobcats. I wondered what animal would be next.

At bedtime the kittens were put on an impromptu mat at the foot of the bed where they curled up next to each other without a single complaint. I had hoped they would do that, because if I had refused to let them sleep in bed with us, I would have been the one on the mat at the foot of the bed instead of the kittens. I awoke to the sounds of purring in my ears and what I thought was a flash of light. The kittens had made their way from their mat to my pillow and were now all around my head. It was only three am, but I needed to pee, so I got up, did my business, and got ready for the day.

When I came out of the bathroom, the kittens had moved to their humans and were now wrapped up in each girl's arms for 'safe keeping.' The purrs from the kittens were so loud it was like having put a playing card in the spokes of a bicycle and you riding it at top speed. None of the ladies even moved when I asked, "Who wants to join me on a run this morning?" It was as I expected it to be. For shits and giggles, I ran by the back gate again, there was some activity, not the rustling type, but the type where flashlights were being used.

Aims alerted the Maidens, and before long there was a small army of women standing with me.

"Aims, we own that land, correct?" I asked.

"Yes, we own all fifteen hundred acres that surround us."

We made our way into the wooded area without making a sound or being seen, due to our adaptive camouflage. I was shocked to see who one of the trespassers was; it was Devon Hughs. He was the leader of the boys who had assaulted Calista, Mary, and Heather at our prom. Devon is also the nephew of Deborah and a man I gave to Jerome, Grady Hughs. Before the trespassers knew what was going on, the Maidens had them down on their knees, with their hands behind their heads.

"May I ask what the fuck you are doing on my property?" I asked.

"Fuck off," one of the men said.

"I think not. No one wants to talk? Okay, I'll get one of you to answer my question, one way or another."

"How do you suppose you're going to do that?" The same guy asked.

"Oh, I have my ways," I told him.

"Yeah, right, you're not going to do shit but wait for the cops to show up. You only got us on trespassing, fucker."

"Who said the cops were coming, because I didn't call them, did you?"

"Whatever, ain't none of us saying shit until the cops get here."

"One of you will talk, I'll guarantee that," I said, walking over to and behind the mouthpiece of the group.

I got a handful of his hair and pulled his head back so he could look at me. "One last time, what are you doing on my property?"

"Fuck you."

I had Melissa bring me her knife and put it to his head, just below the hairline, and began to scalp him. The screams he let out caused the rest of his group, including Devon, to piss themselves. I stopped halfway into scalping him and asked, "Are you ready to talk now?" I knew the nanites would keep him alive and fix any damage I did to him, but he, nor the others, needed to know that right now. The mouthpiece was in shock and couldn't speak, so I finished scalping him for effect.

"Who's next?" I said, as I held up the scalp dripping with blood for the others to see.

No one answered, so I moved to the guy to the right of the man I had just scalped and pulled his head back and put the knife to his forehead. The blade was nano-sharp, and the slightest pressure made him start bleeding. I held the knife there for effect, so the others could see, and he could feel just how much blood was running down his face.

Devon cried out, "I'll talk, I'll talk, just stop it, okay?"

"We came out here to try and see if we could get into the house and get some good stuff."

"Good stuff?" I asked.

"Yeah, TVs, jewelry, the like," Devon said.

"Nope, not buying it," I said as I began to cut.

"We were coming out here to see if we could get into the house and rape a few of your women," the guy I was scalping screamed.

"That I believe," I said and stopped cutting.

I pulled the knife away, with his head looking as if nothing had happened. The first guy was reaching up to feel his head, only to find a full head of hair. Melissa walked over to me and said in my ear, "I think these guys need to be introduced to Jerome." I turned to look at her, and her expression said she was deadly serious.

"Make the call," I told her.

"My wife is going to call the cops if I'm not home in the next hour," Devon blurted out.

Out of all the guys, Devon was the only one that had a wife, so I told him, "I'll take you home so you can say goodbye to her."

Hallie, Melissa, and Charu all insisted they go with us. Melissa drove while I rode in the back with Devon, because he had not only pissed himself, but he had also shit himself, causing the ladies to not want him to be in the truck with them, so we rode in the back to his house. As we were getting out of the truck, the front door opened and out stepped a person I hadn't seen since high school, Claire Bissette. I sure as hell wouldn't have thought she'd end up with Devon's ass. She was the quiet and shy type, and there's no way she deliberately had anything to do with him. Melissa beat us all to the door and introduced herself to Claire with a handshake.

When I got to the door, I almost lost my cool in front of the whole neighborhood. Claire had the yellowing around her eyes and on her face of what would have been some very bad bruising and the blood spots on the white of her left eye. I was fighting the urge to beat Devon to death on the stoop of the house. Claire invited us in and asked, "What's going on?" She was looking from Devon to me and then to Melissa, Hallie, and Charu in a worried look.

"We're not here to hurt you," I said, which seemed to ease her a little.

"Then what's going on?" she asked.

"I got this," Melissa said to me and took Claire into the next room.

I took Mr. 'Poopy Pants,' who was beyond ripe by now, to the bathroom to clean himself up while the ladies had their talk. While Devon was in the shower, I got a message from Deborah: "Jerome has collected Devon's buddies, and they are on their way to your location." When Devon was done, I took him back to the living room butt naked. He was to be that way until Jerome decided what he was to wear. Melissa came over to me and said, "She's primed and ready for you."

"I had no intention of adding another to 'Us,'" I told her.

"I know, but we all agreed that she would make a great addition to our team," she told me.

"We all?" I asked.

She reached down and cupped my crotch with her right hand and said, "We all seem to be in agreement," then gave me a devious smirk.

She was right, my dick was hard, and I couldn't think of a reason not to add Claire, other than I had enough women already, but I hadn't been the one to choose her; the Maidens had, so who was I to rock the boat? Claire came over to me, pulled my face to hers, and kissed me gently on the lips. I could see that the nanites had removed all the bruising and fixed her nose, which had been broken sometime in the past. Her eyes sparkled when I looked at them.

"I have had a crush on you since my sophomore year," she told me, slightly louder than a whisper, and then kissed me again.

Devon yelled, "What the fuck!" causing Claire to jump, like she had been caught doing something wrong.

Hallie and Charu walked up to either side of Devon, grabbed a handful of his hair, and kicked him in the bends of his knees, causing him to fall to the floor with a thud. I pulled Claire close to me and told her, "Everything is going to be alright; where he's going, he'll never be able to hurt you again."

"And just where the fuck am I going?" He screamed.

"Somewhere you'll be treated like the 'bitch' you are," Charu told him.

The front door opened, and in walked Deborah, Jerome, and, to all our surprise, Grady. Grady was dressed in hoochie denim shorts that showed his ass, a black leather vest, and a black leather collar, with Jerome holding the chain that was attached to it.

"Aunt Deb! Uncle Grady? What's going on?" Devon asked with the shock evident in his voice.

Deborah came over to me and kissed me like the lovers we were.

"What the fuck, Aunt Deb? Why are you kissing that motherfucker?" Devon asked with a shocked look on his face.

Deborah broke our kiss and walked over to Devon and said, "He fucks me quite well, and I can kiss who I like in my house, and what's mine is his," as she gently rubbed from her stomach to her breast. As she turned to walk back to me, Deborah thumped Devon right in the center of his forehead, leaving a rather large knot forming. Jerome walked over and gave me a hug and asked, "Like what I've done with him?" Then pulled Grady by the chain to the forefront and had him do a few spins to show himself off.

"Not my cup of tea, Jerome," I said as I pulled Deborah and Melissa closer to me.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Devon yelled out.

The ensuing slap to Devon's face from Jerome's meaty paw was as loud as slamming two-by-fours together. "You are to speak only when I tell you to speak," Jerome growled at Devon.

"He'll learn, just as this one did," Jerome said, while pulling on Grady's chain a few times.

We stood and talked for a while, but Devon never once interrupted us again. Claire was champing at the bit to go and get away from this place, where she had suffered so much misery and pain. Claire looked up at me with fear in her eyes and asked, "Would it be ok for my mom, Carrie, and older sister, Samantha, or Sam as we call her, to move in here?" she asked in a timid voice.

I pulled her into a hug and could see the faces of my other ladies light up. I sent a resounding, "No" to them. Little did I know at the time it was a decision I would be revisiting. "Of course they can move in, and you don't need to be afraid any longer. I will never treat you the way you've been treated, nor will I allow anyone to ever hurt you in any way ever again," I told her.

Her smile lit up the room. "Can I borrow a phone to call them?" she asked.

"Here, use mine," Melissa said, handing Claire her phone.

"Now that this family reunion of sorts is over, I'll take my new toy and leave you to take care of what you need to take care of," Jerome said as he hugged me once again. He then reached over and pulled Devon to his feet by the hair of his head and said, "Come, bitch, it's time for you to start your training."

I didn't know how much time I had to be with Claire, so we made it fast. She led me to her room, which was more a closet than a bedroom. She quickly undressed and stood before me bashfully, with her hands in front of her crotch. I pulled her hands away and stood there for a moment admiring her now flawless body. As I stripped, I watched her eyes, and as my dick came into view, I watched them grow even bigger.

She leapt into my arms, kissing me feverishly. I let her go at the pace she wanted to go at, which was warp ten. She grabbed my dick, lined it up with her very wet slit, and pushed herself down onto it. With urgency, she rose and fell, as her vaginal muscles had a death grip on my dick, and so did her hands on my shoulders. When I reached her cervix, she let out a scream to wake the dead, squirted all over the both of us, and I filled her with my seed.

I watched as the Maiden symbol appeared on her chest; she rested her head on my shoulder and caught her breath. I carried her to the shower where we cleaned each other off, then redressed, and went back to the others. Fifteen minutes later, I heard a female voice calling for help from outside. I opened the door to see a woman bent over, trying to get a girl in a motorized wheelchair unstuck from an uneven part of the walkway that led from the sidewalk to the house.

"Mom," Claire called out as we walked towards them.

The woman turned around and said, "Hi, Honey, can you get your friend to help me get Sam unstuck?"

I was already bending down to try and pull the chair free of its obstacle when I looked into Sam's blue eyes and lost myself for a second. She leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek, and with that kiss, she melted my heart. I finished getting her unstuck, and we all went inside.

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In my stories my characters have all been fictional; now, in this story, I have placed one that I very much knew in real life, Samatha, or Sam, who had cerebral palsy and was a very special person to me, one that gave me a great deal of joy in the time we spent together and a great deal of sadness when she passed. I met her in a way very similar to how the MC met her in this story. I was sitting at my work desk finishing some paperwork when I looked out the window and noticed traffic backing up at the signal light.

I walked across the grassy area at the front of my job to see that Sam had become stuck at the crossing. She had high centered on some ill-placed asphalt and couldn't get off. Sam was crying and feeling ashamed that she had caused such a "stink," as she called it. I managed to get her unstuck with not too much effort and told her she didn't cause a stink, but whoever put the asphalt there had.

She got me to lean down close to her face by telling me that she needed to tell me something, and when I got close enough, that's when she kissed me on my cheek, melting my heart. She had the deepest blue eyes I have ever seen, even to this day. I let her go on her way after she thanked me a dozen times, or more. That day was my Friday, so I was ready to go home and didn't think much more of it.

On my days off I couldn't help but think of Sam and wonder if she was okay and how not one motorist, or any other person, had stopped to help her. People can be so shitty sometimes. When I got back to work, I had visitors come to see me: Sam and her mom, who had made me some of the best fudge and chocolate chip cookies I had ever eaten, and yes, I shared with those at the office. Over the next year, Sam and her mom would often make me lunch and bring it to me at work. They, in a sense, became a surrogate family to me.

When Sam passed, it left a great big hole in my soul and physically made my heart hurt. I hadn't intended to put anyone resembling her in one of my stories, but I was having a difficult time thinking of stuff for this story, and well, she popped into my head. I think she would like the story, because she could tell some of the dirtiest jokes, jokes that would make a biker blush. I wanted to tell a small bit about her so you, the reader, could understand why the MC does what he does in the rest of the chapter.

For You, Sams

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I sat down on the end of the couch, not saying a word to anyone. Sam rolled over and took my hand in hers, further adding to the difficulties facing me from my previous decision about not adding her or her mom. Can I fix her, or should I? Do I want to play God and make her normal? Would she be the same person if I did fix what was wrong with her? My mind was racing a million miles a second, thinking of Sam and what I should do or not do. Whatever the decision, it wasn't going to be an easy one for me to make.

The ladies chatted and showed Carrie around. Sam never let go of my hand, so if I didn't go, she didn't go. My nanites informed me that they had fixed Sam's lungs, heart, and anything else that would have taken her life, and the way the nanites had put things, that hadn't been too far off. The more time I spent with Sam, the more I didn't want to leave her side. I knew I had fallen in love with her, and so did the others. It was the love that wormed into your heart and took root, not for anything other than the pureness of it.

It came time to go, and Carrie had made the comment, "It needs some work for it to be ready for Sam to live here without any obstacles." It beats where we live now, though; at least I won't have to worry about Sam falling through the shower floor."

That did it; they were coming with us. I... we had the room and money to give them whatever it was that they wanted.

Melissa spoke up and said, "Why don't you two come out to our house while we get this place ready for Sam to live here?"

"I like that idea," I said, looking down at Sam, whose smile was as big as Texas.

I made a call to Patriot Construction and got Danny. I told him the address and what we wanted done. He told me that he would have someone out bright and early to get the measurement and cost of the upgrades. We caught up with each other for a few minutes before Danny got another call. With that done, we went out to the vehicles to go, and I saw that Carrie and Sam's van was on its last leg. I knew what needed to happen and had the nanites start the process of making them a new and improved van.

The ride home was quiet, with the only sound being the hum of the motor. When we parked, we were met by my girls and their bobkittens. They, of course, absconded with Sam and went to the stables. It was nice to hear Sam chatting like she was one of the girls, without any care in the world.

Of course, the girls had their new fur babies with them. I watched as the baker's dozen walked away, knowing that Carrie and Sam were now permanent residents. I smiled and walked into the house, where we would take Carrie around and show her the rest of the property. I'm sure Sam was getting her very own five-star tour at this very moment. The nanites were letting me have it out with myself over whether to add or not to add Carrie and Sam, but they had already started to make changes.

Before, Carrie had looked like she was in her fifties from the stress and constant care she had to give Sam, and now, she looked like she was in her early thirties. I hadn't been paying attention, but I had been cut off from all communications with the Maidens, which meant they were plotting something, and I'm pretty sure what it is. I sneaked away from our group to go look in on Sam and see what she and my girls were up to. When I found them, the girls were sitting on the floor of one of the stables laughing their asses off, listening to Sam tell jokes, the kind of jokes you can't tell in public.

Sam didn't miss a beat; she had an audience, and it was growing, as more and more Maidens joined the group on the floor of the stable. Before too long, it was standing room only, and the atmosphere was that of a comedy show. As I was standing there watching, Liv and Martha came up and joined me. They had come out to tell me that dinner would be ready shortly, but they too had gotten caught up in watching the master class in comedy and didn't want to leave either.

"Sorry, ladies, it's dinnertime," I said when I walked up to the side of Sam's chair.

Everyone there gave Sam a hug before we left the stables. I didn't think her smile could get any bigger, but it sure seemed to get brighter with each hug she got. She spun her chair around and grabbed my hand. "I don't know where I'm going; I'll hold your hand, so I don't get lost," she said, looking up at me.

"Okay, I don't see a problem with that," I told her.

We were in no hurry to get back to the house, so we went at the speed Sam set for us. When we got next to her van, she said to me, "If you let me show you the inside of my van, I'll buy all the candy you want."

The others with us burst out laughing, and I turned ten shades of red. Sam started back to the house with an enormous smile on her face, pulling me with her. When we walked into the kitchen, Carrie greeted us; she looked even younger and more rested. She had been sitting around the table, talking with Margaret, Joni, and Cece, and drinking wine. I had to say that Carrie looked at ease and relaxed, knowing Sam was in good hands.

When we sat down to eat, naturally Sam sat by me, and everyone else sat accordingly. Sam raised her glass of wine (grape juice) and said, "I would like to thank all of you for making this the best day of my life and for making me feel like I am one of you."

I reached up, took her hand in mine, and told her, "You are one of us."

I don't think there was a dry eye at the table, and once we composed ourselves, we had a wonderful meal with stories and jokes from Sam. One thing I did notice was that Sam had hardly eaten anything and was looking tired. Carrie had picked up on it too and asked if there was a place for them to get ready for bed. Melissa showed them up to the main bedroom and showed her how to use the shower. I was called up a short time later to find Sam in the bed, with a white cotton nightgown on, and smiling at me.

She was smiling and patted the bed next to her as best she could and said, "Come join me, unless you think I'm too much of a woman for you."

"I'll be right out," I told her and went to do my business in the bathroom.

When I came out, her smile was just as big as it was before, and I couldn't help but smile as well. I got into bed next to her, pulled her close to me, and for the first time kissed her on the lips; that got a girly giggle from her. I pulled her close, and she rested her head on my chest; I knew I was going to do what I could to make her better. We drifted off to sleep, both content being in each other's arms. I must have slept like a log, because I woke up to the sun coming through the window.

"Miss Bissette passed away this morning at four thirty this morning," my nanites informed me.

"What?" I groggily asked.

"As per her wishes, we did not inform you until you woke up, so no "stink" would be made so early in the morning," the nanites told me.

I looked at Sam, and she still had the same smile on her face as she did when I had last looked at her as I fell asleep. She looked so peaceful and happy, like a sleeping angel. I called for Carrie and Claire to be brought to the room, then I leaned down and kissed Sam and waited for the others. I was holding Sam when Claire and Carrie came into the bedroom. I was fighting back tears, but I couldn't help it when they started crying.

The two of them joined me on the bed, holding Sam. After a while, I got off the bed and let Carrie and Claire have their time with Sam. Calls had to be made, so I called Captain James and told him what was going on and that I didn't want a bunch of people I didn't know at my house causing a "stink," as Sam would have put it.

"If you don't know them personally, I don't want them here," I told him.

"Understood," he said.

I went back to the bedroom to find Carrie and Claire sitting next to Sam, holding her hands in theirs. "I've called the authorities, and they will be here in a few minutes."

When Captain James arrived, true to his word, he only let three people onto the property: a doctor, a Justice of the Peace, and himself.

"Why didn't we save her?" I asked Gpop.

"It's not what she wanted," he replied.

"Did you explain everything to her?" I asked.

"Yes, and this is what she wanted," he told me.

While we were waiting for the funeral home to get to the house, Carrie and Claire dressed Sam in a beautiful sundress, given to them by Bailey. When the funeral home arrived, they had me carry her down, and she smelled of baby powder and roses. I placed her on the gurney and kissed her one last time before the workers loaded her into the hearse.

Claire walked over to me and said, "I'm going to stay with Mom."

I knew what that meant and pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask; you will always be a part of us."

"I know," she said as she put my hand on her Maiden symbol and kissed me. We walked over to Carrie and pulled her into a three-way hug. They got into another car that was with the hearse and drove away. Before they left, Carrie told me, "We're going to take Sam to Texas and bury her next to her grandparents."

Love and miss you, Sams.