Hillside Epiphany

Adult fiction. All sexually active participants are over 18. Doesn't portray any person, living or dead. Slow burn, then the conflagration.

I didn't really know my sister. Despite living together for ten years, I didn't know her then or now. Hardily even thought of her.

Our parents got divorced when I was 12 and Sandy was 10. Sandy went with our mother to live in Oregon and I, Lewis, went with our dad to the Northeast. The divorce wasn't very hostile but neither was it amiable. There wasn't a lot of effort for Sandy and me to stay in contact. Not from us or our parents.

Sandy and I weren't close before the separation. We existed in our own circles. She was a very good student but not much of an athlete. She had plenty of interests and she butterflied among them on a rapid basis. She never stuck to anything long enough to get good at it or get a lot of benefit from it. I had two interests: track and West Point.

For as long as I could remember, I wanted to go to the US Military Academy at West Point. It existed for me like a star shining in the east. Meanwhile, I was a runner.

I started out in the sprints, but at puberty, my legs lost their rapid turnover - so necessary for sprinting. The half mile and mile became my forte. I was good enough to make the state finals at the end of my junior year of high school. I was 5'11" with a runner's lean body. Maybe 150-160 pounds. Light brown hair, eyes and a rather unremarkable face.

No trouble getting dates. Trouble keeping girlfriends because of my training schedule and dedication to my goal. Running more than 100 miles per week and working out in the gym. Guess I wasn't big, but what there was of me was all muscle. Plus, I didn't have any interest in a long-term relationship. You can't be married if you want to go to any of the service academies.

At the start of my senior year, I applied to both my senators, the local congressman and the vice president asking for a nomination to West Point. My SAT scores weren't spectacular but still above average. My GPA good, likewise, not honor society quality, though. I thought that my athletic skills would be a plus.

What I hadn't counted on, though, was politics. My dad was a lawyer and heavily involved in republican state affairs. Both senators and the congressman were democrats. I crossed my fingers that it wouldn't matter because I was apolitical. Unfortunately, I didn't end up high on the VP's list, either. Alas, I suffered the same fate as Sam Damon in "Once an Eagle": No Go!

It was barely a month before graduation before all the dust settled and the world completely crashed my dreams. I would have quit then, but I was only 17 so Dad wouldn't let me or sign for me to join the army. He promised that after I graduated, he'd sign.

I smothered my disappointment by attacking the track. I won the state title in the mile and was third in the half mile. Guess if I'd been thinking ahead, I might have wrangled an athletic scholarship to some school. Too focused on West Point and decided I'd accept no lesser trophy.

I got a card from Mom congratulating me for graduating. It was the first time I had any communication from her in three years. Nothing from Sandy, although Mom signed the card for both.

As I walked from the stage after getting my diploma, I shook hands with Dad. He said, "You've graduated. Now what?"

"I have the papers for you to sign. I'll be on my way to basic training by the end of the week."

"Are you sure I can't convince you to go to college instead?"

"No."

I should point out that Dad never served nor was he a strong supporter of the military, despite being a republican. Both grandfathers, great grandfathers, some great uncles and aunts served - some with great distinction. Dad and Mom were both only children. My older ancestors lit a fire within me that was unquenched by my failing to make West Point.

On Wednesday, I was standing in the recruit depot, my hand raised, swearing to defend the Constitution 'against all enemies, foreign and domestic'.

I had enlisted with a special forces contract. So, it was basic training, infantry advanced individual training (AIT), then jump school. My future was mapped out for me the minute I swore the oath.

Despite being only 17, I thrived. I was the honor graduate of both basic and infantry AIT. Barely missed being that in jump school. Then to Ft. Bragg for special forces. Because of my accomplishments, I was already an E-4 at the start. I transformed from a runner's body to more like Rambo. Exaggerated a little. More muscles but not a weightlifter's body. I filled out, zooming to about 180 pounds.

I won't shit you. The SF training was long and tough. It demanded everything from me, unlike basic and AIT that were geared to middle ability. The only thing that came as close was Ranger School. It was tough and cost me some weight, but it wasn't as long as SF training.

I kept running whenever I could find the time. Think that impressed some of the instructors. Especially when I beat the TAC officer, a college track athlete, in a mile race.

All of the training, including some specialized course, took well over a year and a half. I was assigned as a weapons sergeant in an Operational Detachment Alpha (A Team). The lowest man on the totem pole in rank and time of service.

I won't talk much about what we did. Most of it is still classified anyway. Let's just say I had a significant amount of experience with bullets in both directions. That leads to my epiphany, where I start my story.

I had been in the army for more than five years. We were deployed to some place in Africa, helping the government fight insurgents. (That doesn't narrow it down much.) I was on a recon patrol with five loyalist troops. Just them and me. The rules of engagement were I couldn't shoot unless I was fired upon or threatened with capture.

We reached a position where we could hide before we spread out into observation posts (OP) on the side of hill rising out of the savanna. We needed to wait until it was dark before going to our positions as they were too open to observation during daylight. We had NODs (night vision).

The senior loyalist was a 40-something sergeant who had spent his entire life fighting. He spoke excellent English and had an engaging smile in his wrinkled face that he liked to use. He was short (almost tiny), scarred, wiry and smart. I liked him for his personality and competence as soon as I met him. His name translated to Samuel. We spent the few hours before we deployed into the OP positions quietly talking.

I asked him, "How long have you been in the army?"

"About 30 years."

"You must really believe in your country."

"It is not my country that I fight for. It is my family."

"Your family?"

"This set of terrorists and previous ones are only concerned with themselves, despite telling us it is 'For the People'. It is not. They would gladly kill everyone to achieve their goal, which is power."

"Yeah, I guess that's a good description of them."

"My family is my life. I protect them."

"You're married, then? Kids?"

"No. I am not married. No time. They murdered my parents when I was 14. Left us eight children to try to survive. I was the oldest, so it fell to me to care for them. Everything I do, even now, is directed to that end."

"I'm sorry for your parents. Mine got divorced and I haven't seen my mother and sister for more than 10 years. Lived with my father before joining the army. He's since passed away."

"I am happy that my brothers and sisters are doing well. They and their children. Uncle Samuel to 26 nieces and nephews."

"That's a big responsibility."

"I undertake it with joy."

I didn't say anything for a few moments. He then asked, "How is it that you don't see your sister?"

"My mother took her to the other side of the country. She and Dad were not friendly, so there was little communication."

"Why didn't you contact your sister directly? Ignore your mother?"

I thought about it. "I guess that when my sister, who's two years younger, and I lived together we weren't all that close. Just didn't seem important."

"I do not understand you. How can your sister not be important? She should be the most important thing in your life unless you are married."

I just shrugged. I didn't have an answer.

When it got dark, we moved to our OP positions. There were three of them. I had one together with Samuel on a hillside, about 30 meters above flat land. The flat area was high grass and slim trees between me and line of jungle about 150 meters away. I knew there was a track along the edge of the jungle that I wanted to watch.

I violated splitting up of the senior people by teaming with Samuel. The other two teams were a pair of brothers and cousins, so they wanted to be together. They were competent, so I acquiesced.

Samuel and I traded one-hour shifts. As I sat there on that hillside, alone in my thoughts, I considered Samuel's words about family. For some reason, they struck home. I don't really remember Sandy as a person. Just somebody who lived with us until she didn't. Was she as alone as me?

I sat on that hillside, letting my mind drift even as my eyes kept watch on the track. What did I have in my life? Samuel had his siblings and their kids. He said their smiles made his life worth living. Did I have anyone who would smile at me if I walked in the door? Would anyone care if I was alive - other than my friends in SF?

That lonely hillside with the wind stirring my hair was all I had.

Just before dawn, I detected movement down the track. I carefully woke Samuel and we watched about 30 insurgents walk casually down the track. We, of course, couldn't engage them.

They disappeared just as it was getting daylight. What we didn't see was the straggler a couple of hundred meters behind them. Unfortunately, he saw us. Before we realized he was there, I heard the crack of a high-velocity round go past my head. I heard the second crack of that round and then another. I also heard the sound of a fist striking a side of meat.

Samuel took a round in the center of his chest. I only took this in my peripheral vision as I put a half dozen bullets into the insurgent.

This would quickly attract a lot of unwanted attention. Samuel was dead. He died instantly. I couldn't leave him. I had to return him to his brothers and sisters. Fortunately, he wasn't very big. I moved him so he was across my shoulder and stood up. I found out that a dead body weighed lots more than a live one.

I headed to our rendezvous point. Although it wasn't far and it was daylight, it took too long. When I got there the other teams were very anxious to leave. I paused only long enough to contact control and arrange for extraction. We had 1.5 km to get to the extraction point.

How did I make it with Samuel on my back? I don't know but I managed it. The pickup chopper was accompanied by a support ship that kept the insurgent at bay while we were extracted.

I was never so tired in my life. They thought I was wounded because the entire back of my jacket was covered in Samuel's blood.

I demanded that they let me take care of Samuel. I took Samuel home. His siblings and their families were beyond grief. So was I. They swarmed me. Thanking me, kissing my hand, touching me. Touching the tears running down my face. Almost none of them spoke English but I understood everything.

We had lost team members before. That hurt but nothing like this. For a man I barely knew. For his wisdom.

Shortly, we rotated home. When I had less than two months left on my enlistment, so for the first time, I was uncertain. I took 14 days leave.

I wanted to find my sister.

The last contact with Mom and her was five years ago. They lived in Oregon at that time. I had almost nothing of Dad's things. I was overseas when he died and I had them put his papers in storage. Guess that was a good place to start.

His papers were in a controlled environment storage unit. I flew up from Bragg after talking with Dad's attorney. He said, "Mr. Wagoner, I glad you called. I have some things to give you. Can you come talk with me?"

"I'll be up there tomorrow. Give me the contact info."

So, I met with him the next day. He showed me into his office. On his desk was a box full of documents. "These belong to you. Besides that, I have two other items. The first is your father's will. In it, he leaves everything to you. He does have a request that if your sister is in need, he wanted you to help her."

I interrupted him. "Actually, that why I'm here. I wanted to contact my sister and thought there might be some help in the storage vault."

He smiled, "There isn't much in storage except books and many files related to his career and job. You will find the most useful material in this box.

I don't have your sister's or mother's contact information. When he passed, I tried to let them know when the funeral was but was unable to contact them. The last address he had didn't produce any results. Sorry."

"Thanks for trying."

The last thing I have for you is the proceeding from the disposal of his estate. His will specified everything was to be sold and you given the full amount. So, I have a check for $743,585 for you. If you have a bank account, I can arrange to have it deposited directly."

I was stunned by the amount. I gave him my account information, thanked him and took the box. I had already gotten Dad's life insurance, $250k, but thought that was it.

The box had things like birth certificates, divorce papers, etc. The only really useful information was my mother's maiden name, Duchene. Figured she might use that and Sandy might not be a Wagoner.

Dad had kept the last congratulations letter to me. It had a Bend, OR address. I started my online search there. The Bend phone directory didn't have any appropriate Wagoners or Duchenes. USSEARCH didn't have a lot of potential prospects.

While I wasn't an expert on social media, I looked with nothing to show for it.

Guess I need to do it in the old fashion way: shoe leather.

I flew to Portland, rented a car and drove to Bend. My first stop was at the address on the old letter. No luck, as it was now a furniture store.

I found the high school where Sandy probably gone to. I went through more security than we have at the SF compound. I explained I was looking for my sister. They took me to a counselor. "Hi, I'm Lewis Wagoner. I'm looking for my sister. Our parents were divorced when I was 12 and I haven't seen her since. I got a letter from my mother five years ago from an address that would be in your school district. Can you help me?"

"Do you have any identification, Mr. Wagoner?"

I gave him my military ID card. He raised his eyebrows, "You're still on active duty?"

"Yes."

"I served six years. Eleven bravo."

"SF. I'm stationed at Bragg."

He was a whole lot friendlier. "OK, let's see."

He pulled a couple of yearbooks from behind him. "What grade was she in? Or how old?"

"Not sure about the grade. She would have been 15."

"Sophomore or junior, most likely."

He looked through a couple of books. "Sorry, no Wagoners."

"Try my mother's name: Duchene."

"Ah, here we go: Sandra Duchene. This is the sophomore class, going into the junior year. Is this her?"

He showed me her picture. "Yes, that her."

He looked at the next year's book and the one after, on the chance she came back or was just missing on the day the photos were taken. "Not here. Sorry."

I was obviously disappointed.

He said, "Let me do one thing. She might have moved to another district."

He turned around and got on his computer. "I'll see if she was ever enrolled elsewhere."

After a few minutes of typing, he turned to me, "She was enrolled as a junior in Summer High School. She left before the end of the school year. Nothing further."

"I don't suppose you could give me her address?"

"I'm not allowed to give it to you. However, I do need to use the restroom."

He got up, leaving his screen on. "Be right back." I copied the address. When he returned, I thanked him. He responded, "Good luck."

The address was a small house that was obviously currently inhabited. There was a woman out front working in the flower bed. I approached her, "Ma'am, could I interrupt you for a moment?"

She looked up at me, "Sure. You lost?"

"No. I'm looking for somebody. My sister. She and my mother used to live here about five years ago. I was hoping that you might have an idea of the former owner."

She looked at me. I pulled out my military ID. "I'm in the army and haven't seen her in over ten years. I'd like to get in touch."

She visibly softened. "Not sure if I can help. We rent. As far as I know, it's been a rental for a long time."

"Can you tell me who rents it out? Maybe they have records."

I thanked her after she gave me the name of the rental company.

I managed to get in to talk with the VP. It was a reasonably large operation with a couple of dozen properties. I explained what I was looking for.

He looked up his records. "Nobody named Duchene rented it during that time. The occupants were a mister and missus Moore."

A light bulb went off: Mom got remarried. "By any chance, do you have a forwarding address? Where any refund might be sent?"

He paused a bit and shrugged his shoulders, "It's been five years, so I guess there's no harm."

He gave me a Seattle address.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

I quickly returned to my motel room to get on my laptop. I quickly found a Seattle obit for a Mary Duchene Moore, dated a year ago.

I guess I didn't feel much. She had left my life a long time ago. I was more concerned with Sandy.

More searching yielded a Facebook page for Sandy Moore. I was hesitant to reply. I wanted it to be in person. She was at the University of Washington, in Seattle. She was also in a sorority.

I flew up to Seattle the next day. Easily found the address of the sorority. Now, how was I going to approach her? Knock on the door and say I'm your brother? Meet her casually and get to know her? I hadn't seen her in ten years. I was sure I'd recognize her from her yearbook pictures. Doubt she'd recognize me.

Knocking on the door looked easiest. It was Friday, so I decided to go there after five when classes should be done.

When I got there, women were going in and out. It was a fairly large house. My knock was answered by a tall, pretty woman about my height with the deepest blue eyes I'd ever seen. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Sandy Moore. Is she here?"

She gave me a thorough look over before replying, "She's here. Who should I say is calling?"

"Lewis Wagoner."

She went off and returned with a woman, brunette, about 5'3" with a nice figure. Her hair framed her beautiful face that bore a puzzled look. Her brown eyes looked into mine in uncertainty. "Lewis?"

I had no problem recognizing her. "Sandy."

I didn't know whether I should hug her or shake her hand. She solved it by hugging me. "Lewis. Lewis. It's really you? It's been ten years."

I strongly returned her embrace. "Seems like forever."

"Come in. Come in."

There were at least three other women clustered around the entrance, looking me over. She glanced behind her, "On second thought, let's find a quiet spot to talk. Wait here."

She ran up the stairs to get her purse. "It's too noisy here. And too many nosy people."

"OK with me. I've got a car, so we can go wherever you want."

"Let's just walk over to the HUB - Husky Union Building. There're plenty of quiet places there. It's only a few minutes' walk."

She took my arm as we went down the steps. "I can't believe I'm seeing you after all these years. Why didn't you get in touch before?"

"I didn't know where you were, other than Bend. Also, I'm in the army and my time isn't my own."

She turned to me with a smile and squeezed my arm. "You got into West Point? I remember it was your dream."

"Unfortunately, no. Couldn't get an appointment. I just joined after high school graduation."

"You're still in?"

"Five years plus. Coming up for reenlistment."

She was quiet for a minute. "You know Mom died about a year ago."

I nodded. "I saw the obit when I was searching for you."

"How did you find me? Name changes and moves?"

"Took a while. I almost gave up hope till I found out that Mom had remarried, so I now had your last name."

"Stepdad adopted me. Mom kicked him out a couple of years ago when he came home drunk and punched her."

"I'm sorry for your loss. We were so disconnected that there wasn't much emotion. Dad died 2-3 years ago. I was overseas and it took a while for me to find out. I'd guess you probably feel the same detachment."

She thought about it as we walked onto campus. "Think you're right. Too many years, no contact and too much happened."

We walked quietly for a few minutes. "I guess I'm also to blame. I could have tried to find you."

"Not baby sister's responsibility." I laughed. "And I doubt you would have been successful. Almost everything about me is classified."

"Still, why now and not a couple of years ago?"

I stopped us and turned her towards me. I swallowed hard. "I'm in Special Forces. On one assignment, we were in Africa. The afternoon before he was killed, one of the local soldiers, Samuel, told me about having to raise his seven siblings after his parents were murdered by insurgents. He said he was in the army to protect them. I returned him to family. It was a family wracked by grief, but they rejoiced in his life. I asked myself: 'If I was killed would anyone mourn me?' My teammates would, but it would be tempered by their feelings that it could have been them.

Maybe I'm selfish, but his life with his brothers and sisters was so fulfilling... I wanted to see you, even if you didn't give a rat's ass. And told me to fuck off."

She looked into my face. There were tears in the corners of her eyes. "I would never tell you that! I'm really happy you found me. Don't ever be so distant again. OK? OK? Don't drop off the face of the Earth!"

"I promise we'll stay in touch."

"No, not just stay in touch! Visit me."

"I promise. The army has first call, so it may be intermittent and at irregular time. Likewise phone calls."

"Are you going to stay in?" A question she had to work her way to.

"I don't know. I like what I'm doing and am very good at it. But, truthfully, something is missing. Not sure what."

"Maybe you're missing a girlfriend. You can't have had much opportunity."

"Guess they figure we don't need them. Very few Special Forces people are married. Or stay married."

We had reached the HUB. We quickly found an out-of-the-way place to continue.

I asked her if she was hungry, as we left before dinner. She shook her head no.

She did get up to go to the bathroom. I couldn't help but notice that her ass was perfect. She was beautiful - way above my pay grade.

She was intercepted on the way back by a guy in letterman's jacket that she seemed to know. She was polite but showed no interest. He quickly left. "I hope I'm not interfering with your social life."

"No. I went out with him once but all he talked about was football."

"I'd guess that as beautiful as you are, that you've got guys following you around in a long queue."

"You think I'm beautiful?"

"Of course. You're a solid 10 in anyone's book."

She turned a little red. "Not really but thanks for saying it. Besides, you're my brother and have to say that."

"I hope you didn't have a date tonight."

"No, but I do for tomorrow. I'll cancel."

"I don't want to interfere with your life. We can meet some other time."

"Not on your life! It's just a date. I don't have a boyfriend, and this was just a casual thing, so it's easy to break. Just one of my classmates wanting to shoot the bull over coffee."

"What are you majoring in, anyway?"

"Geology."

"Wouldn't have expected that. You seem more like premed."

"Sexist are you? Girls in a man's domain?" She laughed.

"No. you're so bright and personable. You'd make a great doctor."

"I prefer rocks to people. My sorority sisters accuse me of being in geology because there aren't many women in it. Kinda like a guy studying ballet."

"Getting hungry? We can grab something downstairs. I saw a sign for a cafeteria."

We went one floor down to get something. Didn't interrupt our reunion much. I had a lot of trouble keeping from just staring at her. She was so beautiful. So alive. I could feel myself falling for her. Love at first sight? My sister? Maybe there was something to the 'genetic sexual attraction' theory.

"How are you doing without Mom? I know we don't have any uncles or aunts."

"I'm on a full scholarship. I was already here when Mom died. She had a major heart attack and died instantly. Her life insurance is enough for my living expenses till after I graduate."

"Dad left me money. His will said that if you needed help for me to do what I can. So, can I help?"

"No. I'm fine. I don't have a car but there's no need here at UW. Maybe a graduation present, big brother? A nice BMW?" With a smile.

"What color?"

We both laughed.

We talked till about 10. Mostly about her. I answered questions about my army service as briefly as possible. Except for my running. She was a casual runner. Doing 5Ks and such.

"Where are staying?"

"Residence Inn. Not too far." A pause. "Maybe we can go for a run together?"

"I'd like that. You'll have to take it easy on me... How long are you staying?

"I have to go back a week from Sunday."

"YES! I have you for a whole week."

We walked back to her house. She wanted me to meet her in the morning to go for a run. "If you don't mind driving, we can run around Green Lake."

"I'll pick you up at 8."

The same woman who met me at the door met us again. I hugged Sandy good night and she went upstairs. The door-greeter said, "When she dumps you in a month or two, give me a call, stud."

Not sure why, but I didn't say anything about being her brother. If Sandy wanted to tell them, that was OK, but it was up to her. Besides, it was an ego boost for them to think that somebody that beautiful was dating me.

I picked her up, as scheduled. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Too excited. We drove to Green Lake. The path was busy on a nice Saturday morning (no rain). I let her set the pace, slow enough that we could talk. We did two laps of the almost three-mile loop.

Since we weren't very sweaty (walked most of the last loop), we followed that up with breakfast. There, I could see she had been thinking about me. The questions started. "How long did you say you had left on your enlistment?"

"Under two months."

Then the question she really wanted answered and I didn't. "Are you going to reenlist?"

I could see the answer she wanted in the brightness of her eyes. Her soul seemed on display. I answered as honestly as I could. "I don't know. I like what I'm doing and don't have any idea what I'd do if I got out."

She took my hand. "I'll be honest with you, too. Everything on campus is very liberal. I can't help getting infected to some extent. So, I'm not particularly fond of the military. Except you, but I think you know what I mean. I could never marry a guy and become a camp follower, for example. So, I don't want you to stay in the army.

But the real reason is that we've found each other and I want to stay close to you. I can't do that if you're off in some God-forsaken place getting shot at. I'm too selfish and don't want you gone."

Shaking my head, "I'm only your brother. You won't be my camp follower. You'll find somebody and get married. You won't want me hanging around."

"I'm not planning on getting married anytime soon. I have a hard time thinking of you as only a brother."

"That's only part of the equation. What would I do as a civilian?"

"You could go to school."

"Sorry, not going to happen. Absolutely no desire."

"Well, what are you good at?"

"Killing people but I don't think that would work for very long."

"Well, maybe you could become a cop. Seattle is always looking for recruits."

"There's a reason why they're always looking. So, no."

"How about security? Not a mall cop, but providing protection for people and events? I'm pretty sure there are several companies here in the Seattle area. When I graduate, you'd have mobility."

I laughed. "Now I'm the camp follower?"

She turned red. "I didn't mean it that way."

So low, she could barely hear me, "Why not?"

She stared at me and didn't say anything for several minutes. At least she didn't let go of my hand. "Do you mean that you'd be happy to stay around your sister?"

"Yes. You're the only family I've got. Why wouldn't I want to be around you?"

She seemed to think about it. Her face relaxed before she replied, "I guess based on your experience, you want the connection."

"Yes."

I couldn't tell her there was more. I looked up genetic sexual attraction. Sexual attraction between separated siblings. Some say it's pseudoscience. Maybe. That didn't subtract from the feelings I was having about Sandy. I suppressed those feelings as much as possible. I've just met her and don't want to step on a seedling.

I couldn't read her face. All I could do was look into her eyes. Not sure what I saw there because my lying eyes only saw what I wanted.

"I'm happy with that. I really do want you in my life. I feel a real closeness that I've never felt before."

We had been in each other's company for less than a day. It was the culmination of weeks of thought on my part, so my decision wasn't as sudden as she might believe.

"All right. You've got me. I won't reenlist."

She jumped up from the table to hug me. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"I'll be gone for about a month. Back in June." I replied as she returned to her chair.

"I'll have finished my junior year then. I want to go to summer quarter so I can graduate next spring. That gives me a head start finding a job."

The smile on her face washed away any doubts.

She hesitated. "I have a strange request. Can we not tell anyone were siblings?"

"Huh? Why not?" My internal thermometer just overflowed.

"I've never had a long-term boyfriend. Guess I was scared of commitment or maybe afraid of losing him. Mom, Dad and you gone. I couldn't stand the thought. I dated a lot but never for long. Now, with you here I'm reluctant to continue dating..."

"But I'm your brother. We're not supposed to act like we're dating. Don't you want some kind of physical relationship?" This took a lot of effort. Hope or fear?

She blushed. "I think I can manage. Can you? If you're my boyfriend can you be faithful? I mean, it would look bad if we were cheating on each other."

"I promise I'll never give even the appearance of cheating on you. You can discretely go out with other guys. Probably not while you're in school, as it'll be quickly discovered."

"I don't plan on cheating on you."

I let that sink in before, "You know this sounds like we really are planning on being a couple."

"I guess so." She looked directly into my eyes, "Would you object?"

"Never."

"I'm not sure how far I want this to go. At this moment. We'll obviously need to show affection - kisses and touches - or it'll never be believed. Your face is open and I blush easily, so you'll need to be OK with this."

I completely lost my voice and could only nod yes.

"Do you think we can live together once I find a job away from Seattle?"

"Does a bear shit in the woods?"

"I kinda wish we could start immediately but I also want to continue living in the sorority."

"No problem. We're just dating, right?"

We went out that night. Like a regular date. Movie. Dinner. She was almost 21, so no bars.

Took her home, my hands were sweaty. I'm not sure how to act when we get back. We've held hands. It seemed natural. I took her to the door. She wrapped her arms around my neck and I kissed her. My whole being as well as my tongue went into her mouth. I would have stood there forever. I had girlfriends in high school, but they were no more than a shadow. She was a blinding light.

Not sure how I managed to break the kiss. She certainly wasn't trying to end it. "I'll pick you up in the morning."

"OK. I've really enjoyed our day."

A quick peck and she disappeared behind the door. Really not sure how I got back to the hotel.

When I showed up in the morning, I asked her what she wanted to do and if she had homework. "Finished my homework already this morning. So, let's explore the area a little. Park at the light rail station." I followed her directions.

We ran down the stairs and jumped on the light rail just as it was leaving, not busy at this time on a Sunday morning. We got off at the Pioneer Square stop and walked to the ferry terminal. The first ferry leaving was for Bainbridge, so we took that. It was warm enough that we could ride outside and have some privacy. She started, "This is so sudden. Friday morning, I was alone. Today I have a brother. I feel like I could never be alone again. A missing piece of me - found. I need you. You understand?"

"Yes. It's not as sudden for me. I sat on that hillside thinking about my sister. How I needed to see her. Now, like you, I never want to be away from you."

"What are we getting ourselves into? I feel like we're stepping over some cliff. But I want it more than you can imagine."

"I'm not sure you can imagine how much I want it, too. I only know that I want you in so many different ways. I love you as a sister, but it doesn't stop there. That kiss last night was the most exciting thing that ever happened to me."

She reached for me to pull me into a kiss. It wasn't any different than last night except it lasted longer.

When I pulled back, I asked, "How can I already be in love with you?"

"The same way that I'm in love with you."

We didn't say anything for the rest of the trip. I just had my arm around her.

We exited the ferry and walked around town. The art museum was open, and we went through it before getting lunch. I don't remember much as I was so focused on Sandy. Holding her hand, touching her arm, my hand on her leg. All those are lucid images. My feelings for her clarified with each footstep.

However, I could feel that Sandy had some uncertainties. There wasn't any doubt that she loved me, more than a sister should love a brother. Maybe it was the turmoil over what we were going to do and when.

I'd gladly drag her into the bushes, blackberry thorns and all, and do all the things a brother shouldn't do with his sister. I was pretty sure she wouldn't resist, but almost certainly there'd be regrets and doubts. She was still young, not quite 21 and had never really been on her own. At U Dub, she was wrapped in the blanket that was her sorority.

I was much more straight-forward. Evaluate a problem and act on it. I might fuck up but then I'd live with the results. So, let her set the pace. I was sure where we would end up but not how we would get there.

We sat inside on the trip back. Talking and remembering. We didn't have many common memories. Only Mom and Dad fighting all the time. I had tried to shield her from it but failed miserably.

She filled me in on her time in Bend and her stepfather. Apparently, he was good to her but distant. She said he made an effort to be a father, adopting her, but even as young as she was, she sensed something was missing.

I told her how I missed out on West Point because of Dad's political actions. She asked, "I thought that you could get an appointment while you were already in the army?"

"Yeah, it's possible. Somehow, by the time I felt ready to apply, I decided that I didn't want to spend four years studying to be a soldier when I already was one. If I wanted to be an officer, I could go to OCS. Think if I stayed in, that would have been my next task."

I think she was relieved that I wouldn't be doing that because that would almost certainly lock me in for my twenty.

When I took her home that evening, there were still issues. "I'm here for another week. When can we get together without disrupting your classes and your sorority things?"

"Day to day, we'll just have to improvise. One thing: Friday we're having a party at the house. You'll come?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

"My class schedule is kind of taxing but not difficult. I have labs on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. You can meet me after and we can go out. Tuesday and Friday, I'm free after lunch. Saturday, you're all mine all day. Sound OK?"

"Yes, of course. Just call me when and where, any time. How about I meet you after your last class on Tuesday? We can do lunch and then you can do homework if you need it."

"I don't have a lot of homework. It's getting towards the end of the quarter and I'm way ahead. It's gonna be studying for finals soon, though."

I took her into my arms and poured my soul into a goodbye kiss. It was so hard to let her go. I could see the same loss in her eyes as she went in. The deep blue-eyed door greeter again met me. "Still here?"

I just laughed, "For a while longer."

It was desolate ride back to the hotel. When I got there, a text beeped on my phone. *Pick me up tomorrow at about 6? We can go out to eat. *

I sent back *YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

Amazing what one text can do.

I spent Monday morning looking up security companies in the Seattle area. There were several. I picked one mid-sized one and gave them a call. The receptionist asked how she could direct my call. I said I was interested in working security.

She obviously functioned as a filter. "Do you have any experience in security?"

"Not directly. I'm finishing up a six-year enlistment in the army and am looking for something I'm qualified for."

"What is you MOS or what are you presently doing?"

"Special Forces."

"Please hold on while I transfer you to Mr. Oliver."

He quickly came on the line. I explained that my ETS was in June and that I was interested in the Seattle area. I was airborne, ranger and special forces qualified. I was presently the weapons sergeant in a team. I had several deployments, but they were all classified.

He asked if I could come in to talk and to bring my DD-214.

"Well, I can come in to talk but won't have a DD-214 till after 10 June."

"Do you have anything to show you're in special forces? Like an ID card?"

"Mr. Oliver, you've asked me two dumb questions that show you don't know shit about SF or the army. I don't think I'll bother you further." I hung up.

My phone rang immediately. "My name is George Fain. You just got off the phone to our Mr. Oliver. I apologize for his questions. We get plenty of phonies, so he's kind of a quick test.

Would you be interested in talking to me over lunch?"

I agreed and he gave me his address.

As soon as I walked into their office, George walked out to greet me. "Mr. Wagoner? Pleased to meet you. I'm George Fain."

"Lewis, please."

Lewis, it is. I'm George. My car OK?"

We went to a nice seafood place on the water where the interview continued. Not supposed to be an interview but we both understood. He started, "I'm the assistant director for King County operations. 75th Ranger Regiment. All of our team members are former military. Most from special ops."

I gave him a brief history. "My DD-214 will provide some evidence once I get discharged. As you know, there'll be a lot missing."

"That's fine. We have a well-established process in vetting people whose jobs were classified."

"I suspect that you do. You probably already know more than I've told you."

He smiled. "Why do you want to be in security? SF provides a lot of training that could get you jobs any number of places."

"Personal ties to U Dub."

"How long before she graduates?"

"Another year... I understand you have several other locations."

"True. If we hire you, we'd obviously want you long-term but transfers within the company are normally permitted."

At the end, I promised to call him after my ETS.

I picked up Sandy at 6. Again, greeter girl was there with a smile. I got a greeting kiss from Sandy that made smoke pour out of my ears. We enjoyed a good steak dinner.

I told her about my interview with the security company. She was excited, as it was another clear indication that I wanted to stay with her. "Would you like to come back to my room for a while?"

She readily agreed. "Lewis, I don't know how far I want to go. This is too sudden and I don't feel in control. Don't expect too much."

"I'm happy to just sit on the sofa and hold you."

"Well, we can certainly do better. Probably no sex, although I desperately want you. Don't let me get carried away, please."

"OK."

We sat on the sofa, arms around each other, like two teens in the backseat of a car. Her soft lips opened instantly to admit my tongue. Her breast pressed into my chest as if seeking admittance. I could feel her heart racing, just as she could feel mine. My hands were in constant motion on her back and arms.

She was soon moaning into my mouth. Her hands started to explore. She was wearing shorts, so my hand could cup her pretty ass. Her shirt separated from the waistline of her shorts. I took a chance to put my hand on warm skin. No objection. Her back was smooth and burned my fingers.

She broke off to push me back. "I'm so fucking in love with you that I'd do anything with you, for you. It scares me just as much. I shouldn't love somebody I've only known for a weekend. I don't give a shit that you're my brother. I really love you. It's too much. I feel like I'm exploding."

"I don't think you can love me more than I love you. It scares me less because I've been looking for you, thinking about you. I jumped back into your world as a complete surprise. We have plenty of time. I'm not going to leave you, except for the necessary few weeks back at Bragg."

"Too rational. I want to yank off your clothes and fuck you senseless. I'm scared of myself. Afraid I'll throw away everything I've worked for just to be with you."

"No, you won't. You're too smart for that. Guess that's why you're scare instead of naked."

"My pussy is so wet I need a diaper. It's going to be embarrassing going home."

"Who cares?"

"Lewis, I'm not a virgin. I've gone out a lot and had many boyfriends, but I've only slept with two guys. I hope you aren't Victorian and only want a virgin."

"You could have been working a street corner downtown and I wouldn't love you any less."

We spent a couple more hours kissing and touching before I brought her back to the house at midnight.

The rest of the week was lost in her. Somehow, I managed to make it to her house party on Friday. The blue-eyed greeter met me at the door. "Go on in. She's helping in the kitchen."

Her eyes lit up when she saw me. She put a plate of cheese down and ran to me. The world disappeared.

"Every time I come here, that same girl greets me at the door."

"Desiree. She's kind of my big sister - and everyone else's. She knows everything. Well almost. She thinks you're only my latest boyfriend. She's sweet but would gobble you up in a heartbeat if I wasn't here. You're allowed exactly one dance with her."

"Only want to dance with you."

"As much as you'll suffer, please dance with her. She really helped me when Mom died and I want to remain friends. She's a really nice person."

As I should have expected, most people there were sorority and fraternity. I was probably one of the oldest at 23. It got pretty lively. Sandy had some sorority responsibilities and wanted me to mingle. They didn't give a shit who drank, despite a sign over the keg that said only 21+. I tried to be with Sandy as much as possible and keep an eye on her when I couldn't be with her.

Not that I didn't trust her, but my only knowledge of sorority and fraternity parties came from movies like 'Animal House' so I imagined it might be wild. It really wasn't. No nude dancing or wild shit. Couples would disappear up the stairs...

We still managed to be together most of the evening. Guys were all over her when I wasn't with her. She didn't have a problem with getting rid of them. At least early, until some had a few beers too many. I didn't need to do anything, though. The sorority had trouble shooters who quickly removed any overly persistent guys. Or in one case, a female who wouldn't stop putting her hands on Sandy.

I danced with Desiree. She was fun and kept telling me to look her up when Sandy dumped me. "I don't think she's going to dump me."

"That what they all said. Most didn't last a month." She pulled her head back and looked deeply into my eyes. "I take it back. You feel different and she acts differently with you. She might have a winner."

"I'm the winner."

"Just be good to her. Please."

"I guarantee it with my life."

She kissed me quickly and pushed me away. "I could get to like you very easily."

Sandy was having a ball. She didn't drink but that didn't stop her from having fun. We danced and she dragged me away a couple of time to make out. It was going to be difficult to leave on Sunday.

When things were wrapping up about 0200, she took my hand. "Only seniors are allowed to have overnight guests, but I don't think anybody will object."

We started up the stairs and ran into Desiree. She just smiled and moved aside.

As soon as we stepped into her room and closed the door, she had her arms around my neck. I never wanted to come up for air as she smothered me. She finally relented, tears streaming down her face, "I'm torn. I want you so desperately that I can hardly see straight. I can't think of anything except you when you're close. How am I going to survive till you come back?"

"I think the suddenness is overwhelming. Me being gone for a few weeks should let you settle down. We'll still call and text, so it won't seem like I've disappeared."

She just hugged me harder. "I'm both the happiest I've ever been and the saddest that you have to leave."

"The happy part is trouncing the sad part for me. I know we'll be back together soon."

She looked into my eyes, "That doesn't resolve that I want to throw you onto my bed and fuck your ass off."

I laughed. "That would suit me fine."

I moved her backwards till her legs encountered the bed. She fell back, pulling me on top of her. Her kisses had a desperation that couldn't be matched by somebody drowning. I was sure all her reservations had been forgotten.

Her hands pull on my ass, pushing me into her. She was grinding against my hard cock. Her lips smashed so hard into mine that I was sure I could taste blood and tears. She gave a giant heave, rolling me onto my side. She pulled her arm out from under me, rolled me further onto my back, and started grabbing my shirt buttons.

The tears were preventing her from seeing the buttons, so she just started pulling. Buttons popped everywhere as she yanked my shirt open. Like a cobra, her head darted forward to land on my left nipple. It was immediately swept into her lips, as her tongue pushed on it.

I moaned at the erotism. My hand latched onto her ass, squeezing and pulling. Her shorts didn't offer much protection. Especially when I didn't feel any underwear, unless she wore a thong. I stopped squeezing. My right hand went under her waistband directly onto her ass cheeks, confirming no panties. God, what an ass! My left hand went up her back, riding up her backbone, till it encountered her bra strap. One-handed removal worked like a charm.

Now it was her turn to moan into my chest. I exerted pressure from my left hand, pushing her down onto me. I started kissing her again. She hunched herself up to start unbuttoning her shirt, balancing her arch between her groin and my face.

She sat up, pulled her shirt and bra off in a single motion. Her beautiful tits were riding high on her chest. They weren't large, say a B-cup, but firm. Her small pink nipples were pointed pyramids as lovely as those in Egypt. Her areolae were small, light brown and crinkled in excitement.

I pushed her back with my left hand and rose to meet her tits with my mouth. We met halfway. At first, I tasted her body wash. Then it gave way to her body flavor. I sucked one nipple, then the other one.

My right hand still caressed her ass. With her sitting up, I found that I could get my finger in her crack. I could almost touch her little star, feeling the crinkled flesh leading to it. She moved slightly, enough for me to touch her star. She closed her eyes and moaned.

Still kissing and sucking on her nipples I could only see the underside of her chin. I used my uncommitted hand to pull her tit away far enough so I could see her face. Her light brown hair formed an aureola around her face. Her eyes were shut and she was gently biting her lower lip. She pushed my head back into her chest, compressing her tits.

I moved my hands to her armpits and lifted her up. She had a hard time standing on wobbly legs. I let go of her to pull down her shorts. I was face-to-face with her pussy. She had a small landing strip of dark hair above her clit-pit. Her scent avalanched my nose. Her inner labia were completely encased in her outers. There was just enough separation to see a pink interior. Fluid was spread across her labia, and a thin rivulet began to trickle down her right leg.

I looked up at her, remembering her saying to stop her from going too far. "Are you sure you want this? You told me to stop."

She screamed, "If you even think of stopping, I get my sisters to tie your ass down in the fucking bed!!!!"

Guess that answers the question.

My tongue, sua sponte, thrust forward to lick the stream. Instant addiction! She thrust out her groin and pulled my head into her pussy before I had time to enjoy the journey. She spread her legs more and urged me on. "Oh, yes! Oh, just like that. That feels so good!"

I reached around her ass to help her maintain lips-to-lips contact. I couldn't reach everything I wanted, so lifted her by her butt cheeks and dumped us on the bed. I ended up exactly where I wanted to be: on my knees between her knees.

Her legs went up as I went down. My tongue explored every square inch of her. Her labia were wet and soft, even though they were engorged in excitement. The pink was expanding from inside. My tongue touched each labium in turn. They seemed hot, searing the tip, regardless of the moisture pouring out between them. The inner slickness merged with the soft outer cover, covered in the liquid I tried to extract.

Initially, my nose was pressed into her mound, at the base of her hair. The scent was overpowering. As I lapped, my nose lowered to nudge her clit before moving back enough to give my tongue free rein.

Her clit was a rigid pea, peeking out from its protective hood. I engaged it in a shoving match with the tip of my tongue. My tongue lost as she exploded in a shower of hot fluid! "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, my God! Oh, God! Oh, fuck -fuck-fuck!"

I didn't know drowning could be so much fun.

She stopped moving. Her hands pressed my face into her, so I couldn't move. Stopped licking because I was pretty sure she was too sensitive.

Nothing but heavy breathing for several minutes before she relented from holding me in place. "Oh, Lewis, that was the most intense thing that's ever happened to me! I love you so much."

I removed my dripping face from her Y. "I love you, too."

She used her finger to wipe some of the liquid from my brow. I grabbed it and sucked the fluid off. She pulled me up beside her. "I need to rest a little. OK?"

She put her face into my neck and ran her hand down my body only to discover that I still had my jeans on! "Gett'um off. Now!"

My jeans came off easily, but my underwear was stuck to the smear of pre-cum on the end of my very hard cock. That was quickly disposed of, and my cock was rubbing against her side. She wrapped her hand around it, almost reverently. Almost like holding a sacred object.

She stroked me leisurely. At least leisurely for her. For me it was as if she was squeezing my heart, pulsing with every beat. She looked down my body, studying it. "Are you going to cum?"

"Oh, fuck, yes!"

She increased her pace and aimed it at her abdomen. "I'm cumming!"

I fired several pulses across her. The first two sailed over her to land on the bed. The next couple landed on her and the last dribbles ended on her hand. She quickly licked her hand, then scooped up the product on her stomach to join its fellows inside her stomach.

My cock didn't get soft, not while her hand was on it. She used that as a handle to pull me on top of her. Her spread legs welcomed me. She moaned when the crown touched her swollen labia. I wanted to go slow to savor every part of the journey. She had other ideas.

Her hands went to my ass, while she bucked up, driving me inches deep into her tight pussy. I would have gone all the way, but she was so constricting, I had to stop and retreat.

She squirmed in an effort to get me deeper. I slowly slid further till her cervix stopped me. We didn't move. Both of us savored the sensations from our joined bodies. I withdrew an inch. She tried to follow. I reclaimed the inch, then retreated two inches. She followed.

I pulled as far back as her hands on my ass would allow and slammed forward. She let out an "Umph".

Her constriction wasn't as tight because she was so wet and I moved easier. I picked up a rhythm and she followed. Each time my hips hit hers, she was on an upward trajectory. Now my rhythm was our rhythm. Neither thought about it. It just happened. She was moaning louder and louder.

I allowed my weight to fall on her so I could reach under her to grab her magnificent ass. I grabbed as much as I could and pulled her up hard. So moaned and tried to thrust her butt up into me.

I captured her mouth with mine. Exchanged breaths and moans. Her face and neck were red. Sweat was pouring off me and running off her. Our abdomens were slick and glided over each other.

My cock was so hard it felt like it was going to split like an overcooked bockwurst. My balls tightened and I was in the final stages. I tried to hold off till she came but no force in the physical universe could restrain my orgasm. I slammed forward and started spraying. "OOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck!!!!"

She felt the streams inside her. That put her over the bar and she came also. She just kissed me hard enough for my lips to bleed and screamed into my mouth. I thought my lungs were going to explode, too!

I stopped moving but her hips continued to make small circles, water circling down the drain. My hands slowly relaxed the death grip I had on her ass. Hope I didn't bruise it.

When she stopped, I rolled off. Think we were asleep as soon as my head made contact with the pillow.

I was rousted once during the night by her stroking my revived hardness. She rolled onto her side, faced away, lifted her leg and pulled me into her. This was a comfort fuck. Almost leisurely. We just tried to make each other feel good. I squeezed her tits, one at a time, as she thrust her ass back to ensure maximum penetration.

I traced my finger down past her bellybutton to reach her clit. Rubbed small circles on it until she was pushing forward as hard as backwards. She came quickly. It took me a while longer, given the number of times I had already cum. We didn't care. She came once more before I emptied what remained in my balls.

We woke up just before noon. Her head was resting on my shoulder and one arm across my stomach. My hand was on her thigh, where it took comfort. When she looked at me, I almost fell into her eyes.

Because the showers weren't private, we dressed in our dirty clothes and went to my hotel. I had to hold my shirt together because there weren't any buttons remaining. Nobody said anything when we left. She brought clean clothes.

Didn't need to say anything. We took a shower together. She was so beautiful that I had to concentrate on washing her. Lingered on her tits, pussy and ass. The tiny landing strip didn't allow much suds-making but neither minded. Her ass was so nice. After washing it, I dropped to my knees to lick and kiss it.

I kissed the cheeks, then spread her crack so I could taste her pit. I licked around and around, spiraling in till I plunged the tip in. She moaned and pushed her ass back. I pushed my tongue into her as deep as I could get. I put my right hand on her pussy, pressing on her little clit with my forefinger. "Oh, nobody's ever done that before. OH!"

She bit her hand and came hard. All the liquid running down her leg wasn't shower water.

She turned around and pulled me to my feet. She dropped to her knees to confront my erect cock. She immediately covered the head with her lips. Then she pushed further till she felt she had enough to enjoy.

Fingers from both hands stroked me in time with her oral ministrations. I didn't last long. My hands on her wet hair only guided her to determine how excited I was. Simply, a lot.

I exploded, filled every crevice in her mouth. Her fingers stroked to get every drop before she released my softening cock.

"Lewis, my brother, my love, I have no regrets about what we've done. I feel wonderful. We're going to do this again and again for the rest of our lives. I hope you'll let me go off the pill sometime."

It was a sentiment that I endorsed many times over. "My sister, my love, I am yours."

We drove over to West Seattle and down onto Harbor Avenue, then to Alki Avenue. We drove down to the city beach, and with difficulty, found a place to park. We had a late lunch in one of the little places. Don't remember which one.

We went for a walk on the white sand. Hand in hand, keeping out of the deceptively cold water. We shuffled, kicking sand. Cloudless sky. No more perfect day was possible; except we knew I had to leave tomorrow.

Thoughts of leaving were pushed away. I reflected on how I came here to find a sister and found my life's mate.

After dinner, I returned her to the house. I had an early flight out of SeaTac, so staying with me wasn't a good option. Tearing myself from her arms was as difficult as anything I had ever done in the military. Desiree opened the door. She gave me a sad smile before she took Sandy by the arm to lead her in.

I doubt I slept more than an hour.

Don't know how to describe my thoughts in my half-awaken state on the flight home to North Carolina. Starting my search, two weeks ago, I only had the concept of a sister who I couldn't picture very well. Now I had s sister that I was desperately in love with and who loved me the same way.

Was it a dream? A dream too good to be real? How can one be so happy unless you're dreaming? Am I really on a plane from Seattle or dying on that hillside, gut-shot, beside Samuel? Dying, trying to hold my life's blood from pouring out between the fingers holding my abdomen? One thing for sure, that if I'm dying, I'm dying happy. Whether an afterlife exists, I've had my slice of heaven.

The cabin attendant woke me for the drink order.

By the time I exited the plane in Charlotte, my phone had 32 text messages and 5 voice mails. Basically, every one said 'I love you. I miss you. Call me when you get to Charlotte."

I had a two-hour layover before my flight to Bragg. I called. She answered before the first ring (?). "I miss you so much."

We talked until I boarded the plane, then texted till they shut the boarding door.

I'd never been a teenager in love. I concentrated on West Point, then in the army. Never had somebody so focused on me that I had to be with her in mind or body every minute. It was actually a little scary. What would happen to her if I was injured or killed? Even with only a few weeks left in service, SF wasn't without danger. Had to put that out of my mind.

I called her when I got to Bragg and signed in. She seemed to have calmed down some.

The next several days were increasing command levels trying to get me to re-enlist. The bonuses kept getting larger. I had to admit that it was difficult to turn down. SF had been my life for the last five years. I had many good friends and enjoyed what I was doing. My love for Sandy bulldozed over everything they could offer, though. I also had that commitment I gave Samuel's family to be with my family, to put my family above all else.

The remaining few weeks passed with painful slowness. Of course, Sandy and I lived together electronically.

I even got a text message from Desiree to the effect that I had better get my ass back ASAP.

I finally reduced everything I owned into one duffle bag and a backpack. Everything else, including my car, was sold. I put my class A uniform on for the last time and picked up my DD-214 and other discharge papers and headed for the airport. I turned one last time to salute the post as I climbed into the taxi.

It was uneventful but boring returning to Seattle. I had a three-hour layover in Charlotte. I got lucky and was upgraded to first class on the Seattle flight. No matter how hard I tried, images of Samuel still whispered to me that this was a dream produced from a dying brain.

Thoughts, all thoughts, evaporated when Sandy rushed me as I stepped from the secure area in SeaTac. I wanted to throw her on the luggage carousel and take her for a wild ride! She threw her entire body into my arms, legs around my waist, arms around my neck. She kissed me with utter abandonment as if nobody was within miles.

We finally had to move as we were obstructing the exit.

Still, the lyrics of "Summer Song" flowed through my mind: "All good things must end someday..." My next thought was if it does end, I'd rather be dead on that hillside than lose her.

We had to wait for my duffle bag. She talked a mile a minute. "I've got you booked into the same hotel for a week. I found a few places near campus for you to look at. Lots of vacancies now that classes are over. Got a rental car reserved. We'll need to go to the desk and pick it up. Then we're going to get you checked in, go to the room and fuck our brains out."

This came out like a waterfall. I could only stare at her.

I could smell her excitement in the car. She was rubbing her legs together like a katydid. It was all I could do to keep it under 90 before hitting the 45th street exit off of I-5.

We did everything on her menu except look for an apartment. Closing the door to my room was pulling the pin on a grenade. She exploded into a hard kiss, then jerked backwards, clothes flying in every direction. "Hurry! Hurry! I need you!"

I threw my uniform at the foot of the bed. It was made of tough material otherwise she'd have torn it to pieces. We stood a second, looking at each other's naked bodies before I pulled her savagely into me.

My momentary picture was a wet stream running down her left leg. My hands went to her ass, pulling it to meet my hard cock. The glans slid up her pussy to her stomach. One finger touched her pore. That was enough to set her off! "OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH FUCK!!!!!!"

I had to hold her up. She wiggled, in annoyance, wanting to fall to her knees. I let loose and she dropped down. I think she had my cock in her mouth before she landed.

She didn't get to enjoy it very long, as I erupted several weeks' worth of cum into her mouth. I could only hold her head and throw my own back in ecstasy. She swallowed as fast as she could, but some spilled out the corners of her mouth. She quickly recovered the lost fragments.

After a brief recovery, she started moving up my body, kissing and licking until she reached my nipples. There, she sucked lightly. Then we kissed. It was as if we had never done it before. The touch of her tongue to my lips caused my cock to instantly harden. Her nipples were so hard, they were abrading my chest.

I picked her up and threw her onto the bed. "I have to taste you! I need you to cover my face in your cum."

Her eyes smoldered with need. I dropped to my knees. The stream of fluid on her leg had almost reached her knee. My tongue started there and lapped its way up till it made contact with her labia. The labia were wet and swollen with desire. She groaned at the contact.

I continued to lick upward, along the labia, splitting them slightly. As soon as I arrived at her clit, she came hard and a pulse of fluid shot from her pussy to cover my face. "Oh, yesssss. Oh, yesss yesss yesss. Oh, God!"

I tried to continue but she pulled me up. "Now! Now! Now!"

I lifted her further up the bed and got between her legs. She was so wet that I sank to the bottom as soon as I entered her. "Oh my God!!!"

She was tight but so slick that motion was easy. Until she wrapped her legs around my waist. Then it took effort to move. She started to cum immediately and never quit. The sounds coming from her were not meant to be understood.

My hands pulled her ass, bringing tighter contact. My pointer finger touched the slick pit of her asshole and slid all the way in, to the second knuckle without any effort. She clenched her ass, further squeezing my cock.

The intensity was overwhelming. She was a pit of boiling fluid that would put Yellowstone to shame. My cock rode waves of tissue up and down. Pulling back was difficult because she didn't want anything less than my full length in her. Her vagina seemed to rejoice when the glans hit her cervix.

Even though I had unloaded into her mouth moments ago, I was quickly reaching the vinegar strokes. I kissed her, pushing my tongue into her mouth as far as it would go and shot streams of cum directly into her womb. She responded by using every limb to strangle me and ejecting a flood of fluid onto our joined stomachs.

We took an enjoyable shower before going to get something to eat. Since college was between quarters, she didn't have any classes to worry about. She said she aced her classes last quarter. We drove to her sorority so she could get a couple of changes of clothes.

Desiree met us at the door (does she ever leave her post?) "Welcome back, Lewis. Good to see you again." Unstated was her relief that I had returned. I stayed to talk with her while Sandy went upstairs to get her stuff.

"I hope you're going to let her keep living here after you get your apartment."

"Of course, she's happy here and needs the experience."

"It'll change a little since she's now a senior. Her turn to take care of the pledges."

"She's looking forward to it."

She looked into my face, "Wish we could pledge you."

I laughed. "Sorry, wrong sex. I've already been in several fraternities, though."

"Ah, but ours are only for fun."

"If only..."

Sandy came down then. Desiree told her, "Can you be back Saturday at 2 for a chapter meeting?" All the while looking at me.

She said she would.

We returned to my hotel room and she opened her laptop. "Here are a few possible apartments. All close. Some reasonable, some not so."

"Where's the closest to you and not in the student slums?"

She pulled up two places. I gave them a call and arranged visits. One this evening and one tomorrow morning. The first place was about two thirds the way from here to her house. It was a nice day, no rain, so we walked over.

Good neighborhood. Two bedrooms. Assigned parking. A little pricy. I said I'd let them know tomorrow.

We walked by the second place. Parking a major problem, noisy street. We walked back to the first place and I signed the lease. I could move in at the end of the week. I cancelled the second visit.

We returned to my hotel. Sandy said, "I'll move a few things to your place, so I can sleep over... I'm torn about just moving in, but I still want to stay in the house."

"Not a problem. It's good for you to stay in the sorority. We'll have plenty of time together. I need to get a job, so I will be working anyway. From what I understand, it'll sometimes involve late and overnight work, so I'll worry less if you're in the sorority."

She got this grin on her face. "Aren't you worried I'll go cock-crazy?" This was accompanied by her stroking my cock.

It took about two second to pop a tent. Without a word, she dropped to her knees and unzipped me. Her tongue slithered around the glans, leaving it glistening as if one of Seattle's ubiquitous slugs had crawled over it. When she was happy with the results, she enveloped the crown and continued till she had half the length buried in her hot mouth. She didn't move for a moment, only using her tongue on the underside.

I swear that her mouth gets hotter every time she sucks me. I know my temperature skyrockets every time. I unbuckled my belt and opened the top button of my jeans. She pushed them down without interrupting her effort so she could snake a hand under the material to cup my balls. It felt like she was weighing them to determine how much cum I can give her. The palm of her hand felt like a heating pad.

She doesn't just suck my cock; she makes love to it. She told me before that she didn't like to do oral on her previous boyfriends, but she loved to do it for me. Probably because she wanted to do everything for me. I wanted to do everything for her, as well.

She used both hands. One played with my balls, while the other stroked in time with her head-motions. She would pull back so that only the very end remained in her mouth. She would then push the tip of her tongue into the meatus, only to be quickly defeated by the narrowness. She increased the radius of her tongue to encompass the whole glans. When she was satisfied she had licked all of the pre-cum, she slid down the shaft. I could only groan from the exquisite feelings.

She was too good at it. I couldn't hold out for long and came in a gusher. She ingested every drop, pulling a vacuum to try for more. I thought she was going to end up with my balls sucked into her mouth.

We spent the next two days in bed, only getting up for the necessities. One necessity was a break for my cock. It was starting to get raw. I had to transfer its duties to my mouth. I tried to lick her pussy until she was as raw as me but that was a spectacular failure. The look on her face was worth the effort. Had to make her drink fluid to make up for her losses, though.

I turned my attention to her crinkled star. Had her on her stomach with my face in her ass. At first, I just licked up and down the valley, before zeroing in on her hole. I licked around the perimeter for a while before diving in. She was moaning and had her fists clenched. It took effort to get my tongue to penetrate, she was so tight.

Using just my tongue and fingers on her ass, I couldn't get her off. I had to reach under her to rub her clit for her to climax. She was still very excited and poured liquid onto the bed.

On Friday, I went into the security company for a formal interview. She went back to the sorority house.

George Fain once again had me come into his office. I gave him my DD-214, and he gave me an employment application. It didn't take me long to finish, as a lot of it was already filled in by my responses from our previous time. They had already checked my references. Well, there really weren't any outside of the military, since I joined out of high school. Not sure how much they got from Bragg because most of what I'd done in the last few years was classified.

He gave me a dollar number. I asked for 10 percent more. "Deal. When do you want to start?"

"I need next week to get settled. So, how about Monday the week after?"

"That works for us. Are you willing to perform armed security?"

"Sure."

"OK. There are several steps we'll need to take. The first is the state firearms training course. Kind of stupid since that's what you've been doing for the last six years, but you can't tell politicians anything. You'll initially just be in licensed unarmed security, till we get everything done. Of course, we'll pay for everything and pay you, as well."

Things were almost a dream. I had a job, an apartment and a sister that I loved above everything. The only cloud was my irrational fear of being on that hillside. Sandy says it's likely PTDS and that I should see the VA.

We celebrated Sandy's twenty-first birthday at the sorority. They threw a party for her and insisted she have some champagne. She took to it like a duck to water. She had drunk beer before but said she didn't like the taste. She quickly drank several glasses - twice my input.

Desiree was with us when we went into the kitchen for another bottle. Sandy's face was pink and she didn't look too steady. I told her, "Think you might need to ease off for a bit."

She swatted me on the arm. "I'm having fun. Stop being my big brother."

Her eyes went wide when she realized what she said. "I mean stop acting like a big brother." That didn't erase it.

Desiree looked at us, a strange expression on her face. I thought, 'Oh, fuck. The cat's out of the bag'.

She asked Sandy, "Is he really your brother?"

She thought about it for a second and decided she didn't want to lie to Desiree. "Yes... We were separated when I was 10. We hadn't seen each other in ten years. When he found me, I was overwhelmed. I fell so hard. He's the only thing I want in life. Please don't judge us or say anything to anybody."

"That explains why you haven't dumped him like you did all the others. When I look at the two of you, I can see some resemblance. Probably only because I'm looking for it."

I remained silent, thinking I couldn't say anything to help.

"I won't tell anyone. I can easily see how it happened. I think I could fall for him, too, if you weren't here. You're still my little sister."

Sandy's face collapsed in relief. She hugged her, "Thank you. Thank you."

Desiree turned to me, "I guess that makes you my big brother, too. I expect to be treated like a sister. Hahahaha... Well, maybe not like this sister... On second thought..."

I hugged her before she could step deeper, "OK, little sister."

Desiree gave her a full bottle of champagne, "I think you guys should wait till you get home before drinking this."

We dodged a bullet.

Sandy's summer quarter was fairly easy. She was taking three distribution requirements. Not very demanding. We spent a lot of time together. My job, initially, was just security for events in the King County area. A few late nights but nothing demanding - nothing like being in special forces.

We tried to make Friday evening our night. We would go out for dinner, and one of our favorites, ice skating. We enjoyed it, bruised rear ends, notwithstanding. We got home and she complained that her butt hurt from a particularly hard fall. "Want me to massage it?"

"Oh, yes!"

"Drop your drawers."

She shed her pants and underwear and flopped on the sofa face down. I stared at her beautiful ass before it started wiggling at me. A sign to get to work. I got some baby oil and spread it on my hands before touching her ass. She moaned as I started to rub. Not sure you'd call it a massage. I called it playing with her astonishing ass.

At first, I just rubbed her cheeks, grabbing handfuls, before dipping into her crack. This resulted in a deep moan - from both of us. I started spending more time in her crack instead of her cheeks. I ran the edge of my right hand down the crack, over her dimple and into the bottom of her pussy. "Oh, shit! That feels good!"

I turned the hand, so my first two fingers went into her pussy, and my thumb was touching her star. A slight pressure and my slick thumb slid into her asshole. She bucked up in response and emitted a long "OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!"

Her pussy was wet as hell, and it made squishing sounds as I pushed in and out. Her ass grabbed my thumb, tried to suck it deeper. I kept playing with her till the sofa was awash in girl-fluid and she came. She yelled into the pillow so we wouldn't have more noise complaints from the people downstairs.

When her hips stopped moving, I continued to finger fuck her ass. She turned her head. "Do you want to try putting your cock in there?"

"You're sure? I don't want to hurt you."

She got on her knees on the sofa and rotated so her ass was sticking out. "Go slow, please."

I poured more baby oil on her butt and covered my cock in it. Although there probably was enough pre-cum to lube a dozen women, I still made sure everything was slippery in baby oil.

I slid one slick finger into her to spread the oil. Then two fingers. She threw her head back and moaned loudly. "Oh, yes. That feels good." I repeated the deep oiling several times, to increasingly louder moans.

The glans looked impossibly larger than her anus when I introduced the two together. I pushed, was repulsed, pushed harder. Half of the glans was embedded in her, the tissue hugging it. She hadn't said anything more. I dropped more lotion on the exposed glans and tried once more.

Success! The head popped in. She stiffened but didn't show any other discomfort. I didn't move my cock. Instead, I reached under her to rub her clit. That elicited another deep moan and a slight move on her part to push backwards.

"You OK?"

"Oh, yes! Oh, fuck, yes! More than OK. It feels strange but really, really good. Go deeper."

In response, I pushed two inches into her. I had never done anal before. It felt different than her pussy. There was lots of pressure where her muscular ring gripped my cock, but no flood of fluid surrounding the glans. Her tunnel was hot like it had an internal fire blazing just outside the tube.

I pushed forward until I was pressed hard against her cheeks. There was something so intimate about being in her ass. She gave me everything she owned, holding nothing back. I don't think I'd try anal from a woman I didn't love with my whole heart. It was the ultimate gift, other than her life. By accepting it, I, too, was giving her my life.

Whatever our emotions were, the act was extremely exciting. There wasn't going to be any holding back on either of our parts. I continued to rub her clit as I moved within her. We couldn't keep going very long as both the emotional and physical commitment were overwhelming. Way sooner that I wanted, my cock got a bit harder and I filled her bowels with a river of cum. She felt the increase in girth and came, filling my hand. "OH! OH! OH! Yesss! Yesssssss!"

I grabbed her around the waist, lifted her onto my lap as I sat down on the sofa. It was soaking wet, but I didn't care. She didn't move, savoring my deflating cock slowly sliding out of her ass.

We didn't repeat it very often. It was a deep emotional and committing act for those occasions where we felt we needed additional connection. Now, I frequently licked her ass and stuck a finger or fingers in it, but that was just play.

When classes started for the fall, she was busy as a senior in the sorority. She tried to keep the pledges on the straight and narrow. Plus, her classes were more difficult. This resulted in us being together less. Add that, often I was on security details on Fridays or Saturdays.

She still slept at my apartment at least a couple of times a week. We continued in much the same, except for vacations and holidays when she lived full-time in the apartment. Until shortly before the winter quarter ended and she would be graduating.

She had been applying for jobs and had several good prospects. The best one was in the Denver area. They flew her out for an interview. It went well and they had a proposal for her: They would hire her but since there was still a quarter before the summer, and before it was easier to work in the mountains, they wanted her to take some business courses. They'd pay for it.

She accepted. My company was happy that I'd be there a little longer. The university was happy it would get some additional tuition money.

She came over one Thursday evening, planning on staying till Sunday. I wasn't feeling very chipper, blaming it on three consecutive late-night details.

My stomach ached as I got ready to go into the main office on Friday afternoon for the next assignment. We were going as security, unarmed, to a concert by somebody I'd never heard of. My stomach continued to hurt. When I got home about 11, it was a constant ache. Sandy felt my head. "You have a slight fever. Take a couple of aspirins." I did but I wasn't sleepy, just tired.

She gave me a book from some literature course she had finished. It was a collection of short stories by Ambrose Briece. Published after his death in 1926. I opened the book at random, and it lit on "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". I started reading.

When Peyton Farquhar reaches for his wife, he finds that it's just a dream as his neck is snapped. My blood froze in my veins. I immediately threw up, waking Sandy. I was shivering so hard that I couldn't stand. I gripped my stomach, sure that blood would be pouring out. I tried to hold it back. I was on the ground next to Samuel, a bullet in my stomach.

"Not a dream! Not a dream! Please, not a dream!" I gasped.

She immediately grabbed me and dragged me out to our car. I don't remember the ride to the ER. I was soaked in sweat by the time we got there. They took my temperature and pressed around my abdomen. "Acute appendicitis." Into surgery I went. I told Sandy, "I love you. Forgive me."

She looked puzzled, "I love you, too." Then I was through the door. I was sure that I was dying on that hillside. Darkness.

Slowly, light came into my eyes and noise reached some threshold. I looked up into the face of a nurse. "Oh, you're awake. How do you feel? Let's get you to a room."

Her face was immediately replaced with Sandy's. Tears but a smile. "You're back."

She took my hand as they wheeled me to the elevator and up to the ward. They had changed the tube down my throat for a nasal cannula so I could talk. No talk, though. Sandy leaned over me to kiss me.

I had a drip in my left arm and a tube coming out of my stomach. "Your appendix ruptured as they opened you up. They want that drain in place for a couple of days." The nurse explained.

Well, now I know why my abdomen hurt so much.

The nurse fussed around for a few minutes and left. Sandy still had tears, "I thought I'd lost you forever. I was so scared. I love you more than life."

"I love you, too."

She put her head on my chest and finally stopped crying. "What did you mean when you asked me to forgive you?"

"I thought I was dying and I would leave you alone. I didn't mind dying, only leaving you."

"You've told me before about your feelings that this is a dream conjured by your dying mind. It isn't and never will be. We're alive and you're here with me."

I had to stay in the hospital for two more days before they pulled the drain. She got Desiree to come help her get me home.

We got back to my apartment, and they installed me on the sofa. Desiree and Sandy were looking at a box of documents that was sitting on the table. The ones I got from my dad's lawyer. It was on the table when I went to the hospital.

Desiree casually asked Sandy why she was Sandy Moore and I was Lewis Wagoner. Sandy answered, "Mom got remarried and my stepfather adopted me."

She picked up my birth certificate, "Lewis Wagoner: Mother Mary Wagoner, Father George Wagoner."

She turned to Sandy, "Do you have your birth certificate? Your amended one?"

"Amended one?"

"Most states replace your original birth certificate with your adopted parents, and you get a new name."

Sandy got up and looked through her own document folder. She pulled one out, "Here it is."

Desiree looked at it. "It says Sandra Moore, daughter of Mary Moore and Mason Moore."

It hit me like a runaway truck. "Will you marry me?"

"I'd give the world to, but we're brother and sister. Nobody will let us get married."

I shook my head. "She just showed you that we're not related. That should be sufficient for any clerk."

"Will tomorrow be soon enough?"

FIN