Challenge me...

[bumpnrun]

Ok, this might be a little over the top but I'm throwing it out there anyway. Back in the days of old, that would be the fifties into the eighties, people have hooked up in one night stands, or so I've heard. I would like a story of romance, where a man and woman meet, knowing nothing of each other, and over the passage of time it is revealed that they are actually half brother and sister. How would this play out? This is pretty vague, giving plenty of latitude to make it go anywhere you wish.

 

. 

 

[IsabellaRose]

@bumpnrun - Seeking clarification: So they meet, have a one night stand that turns into something more, and then discover that they are half-brother/sister? Taking place somewhen during he 1950s-1980s timeframe? I wasn't sure how the one night stand figured in, because the rest sounded like they meet, slowly get to know each other, become romantically entangled, and then discover they are related. 

[bumpnrun]

Reference to the fifties through the eighties is mostly to show how long this type of behavior had gone on. This is about two people meeting and one is the product of a one night stand with an unknown parent which turns out to be a shared parent. I should have worded that differently, I hope this makes it more clear.

[IsabellaRose]

Ah, ok. So they meet, get to know each other and find out they're related. I guess I just assumed a sexual and/or romantic entanglement because, well... *shrugs, looks around* this  site, you know?

Did you want them to be romantically and/or sexually interested in each other, or is this just about two people meeting and figuring stuff out?

[bumpnrun]

Oh, I think they should be deep into their relationship, perhaps to the point of marriage when this bombshell explodes in their lives.

[IsabellaRose]

I. A THURSDAY NIGHT

Roxanne Hammond was on her second drink when she realized she'd probably been stood up. She looked up toward the door, didn't see anyone new, and then stared back at the drink on the table in front of her. She shook her head slowly. She felt stupid. She'd put on her red dress and high heels. She was dressed like she was looking to hook up, not go on a date. Three dates in a row had been absolutely terrible. Naturally the fourth would stand her up. She raised her eyes from the tabletop and looked around the small dining area filled with couples and groups of friends at tables, and over toward the bar where people paired up or leaned against the bar in small groups. One guy sat alone at the end of the bar, his eyes flashing between the door and his phone. At least she wasn't the only one who'd been stood up.

She'd finish her drink, or maybe not. Was it even worth it? Why did she keep putting herself out there over and over? She glanced back up at the guy at the end of the bar as he looked back to the door. Was he in the same situation, constantly trying, constantly being disappointed? She should go talk to him, turn the night into something instead of another stupid waste of time thanks to some idiot. But no, that was a bad idea, too. She stared into her drink and imagined how badly the night would go, how he'd promise to call and then ghost her. It would just be another waste of...

"Excuse me." The voice came from right beside her. "Is this seat taken?"

Smartass responses scrolled through her head as she slowly looked up into the eyes of the guy from the end of the bar. She should tell him that yes, it was taken, and make him leave. Instead she said, "no, but you'll have to pay rent." 

He smiled at her response. "How much is rent?"

"One drink," she said even though she already had one. She felt herself smile, enjoying that he was playing along.

"That rent is worth it for the view alone," he said, sliding the chair out and sitting down.

She liked that. A little flirty, a little witty. He had a nice smile, a little confidence. He was attractive. Thick, dark hair, clean shaven, piercing blue eyes... yeah, he was good looking. He was dressed well, jacket and tie, tie tack, pocket square, no ring. 

"I'm Robert."

"Roxanne."

"I noticed you were watching the door," he said, making eye contact. She liked his eyes. "Were you waiting for someone?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding, looking away. "Believe it or not a blind date that apparently decided to ghost me."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I was," she said, and looked at him again. She liked the way he stared right into her eyes. It made her feel seen without being uncomfortable. "What about you?"

"Coincidentally, exact same scenario." 

"This feels like the setup for a bad joke." She looked back toward the door, then down at the table. She was smiling now though, enjoying the banter. It felt pretty good. 

"This guy and this girl each get stood up from separate blind dates and meet at a bar," he said, then took a sip of his drink, something amber with ice in a short glass. "I have no idea where it goes from there."

"Only one way to find out," she said, looking up at him, both of them smiling. Maybe tonight wasn't a waste after all.

Edited March 7, 2023 by IsabellaRose

[IsabellaRose]

II. THE NEXT TUESDAY

"I'm glad you called," Roxanne said as she climbed the steps up to her apartment. "I was just going to get Chinese and watch Netflix."

Robert walked up to the door beside her. His easy smile was so damned charming as they stopped on the stoop in front of the door. "I don't want the night to end."

"It's a Tuesday," she said, grinning. "I have to be in early tomorrow."

"No, I know," he said, nodding. "I just wanted to tell you. I really like spending time with you. You make me smile like no one else has in a long time."

"You, Sir," she said, tapping his chest, "are a shameless flatterer."

"Guilty as charged," he said.

Silence stretched out for a moment, then another as they stared into each other's eyes. She felt it then. Electricity. She saw the look in his eyes. He wanted to kiss her. God, she had wanted to kiss him the night they met, but she wasn't that kind of girl. Eye contact, silence, eternity.

Had he moved closer? She could only see his eyes, his lips. She looked from one eye to the other, felt herself fall into those eyes, that depth. Her heart was beating faster. It was pounding in her chest. It was all she could hear, her own heartbeat thudding in her chest like a marching band drumline.

"Roxanne?" His voice was quiet. He was right in front of her, almost invading her space. "Would it be okay if I kissed you?"

She felt her heart skip a beat and felt herself make three quick nods, inhaled a shaky breath.

He moved closer. She could get lost in those eyes forever. Closer. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Closer. She could feel his breath on her lips. Closer. Her eyes closed slowly.

His lips pressed softly against hers, gentle, light. She leaned in, felt their lips press together more firmly, angled her head to her right as he did the same, moving together, her arms coming up around him, his hands moving to touch her face. Her lips parted and she felt his mouth move against hers. Their tongues met. He tasted of mint and something sweet, and she liked the slow, patient way his lips and tongue moved. 

When they moved apart, he smiled and she laughed. 

"I wanted to do that the first night we met," he said. 

She felt her cheeks flush, and wasn't sure if she should admit the same thing or not, but she did. "Me, too."

He took one of her hands in his, took a step back, their arms stretched toward each other. "I'm going to go," he said, "before I overstay my welcome."

"It's not that, it's just..." she wanted him to come up. She wanted to pull that tie off of him and rip those buttons off his shirt. "I have to be out the door by five."

"Get some sleep," he said, letting her hand go. "I'll call you tomorrow."

She stood in front of the door and waved when he turned at the bottom of the stairs.

He grinned that lopsided grin that she found so disarming, waved once, turned, and walked down the sidewalk.

She touched her lips with the fingertips of one hand and watched him go. Her heart was still racing. He'd kissed her!

[IsabellaRose]

III. SUNDAY, FIVE DAYS LATER

Roxanne collapsed onto the bed, a thin sheen of sweat covering her naked body as she rolled onto her back beside Robert.

"Holy. Shit." she stared at the ceiling fan, breasts heaving as she tried to catch her breath. "That was... I've never..."

Robert lay beside her, his erection fading, the reservoir tip of the condom full as it slowly leaned to one side. He panted and turned to look at her, his expression a mix of wonder and . "Me either," he said. "You really... I mean we... together?"

She looked at him and grinned, then giggled as she nodded, eyebrows up, eyes wide. They'd cum together, a simultaneous orgasm. She'd orgasmed before, but never like that, never at the same time, never staring into the eyes of a man who made her feel more like a woman than any other ever had. 

"That was amazing." He still looked surprised as he shifted his gaze to stare up at the ceiling, then looked back at her. "You're amazing."

She smiled and felt her face flush. "That was... Robert, I've never felt like that before."

"Me either," he said, her smile infectious, making him smile, too.

"Are you up for another round?"

His smile widened as he pulled the condom off and got a new one.

- - - - - -

Hours later they lay together, naked, exhausted, limbs entwined. Robert was asleep as Roxanne stared up at the ceiling. He was amazing. Everything was amazing. She'd never met anyone who made her feel like he did, and it was more than just physical. There was a connection that went beyond amazing sex, beyond the way she got pulled deep into his eyes, how completely at ease he made her feel. This felt real. She never slept with a guy this fast, and maybe it was too soon, maybe he'd leave like the others did after they got what they wanted, but she didn't think so. She was certain this was something special.

Was he the one?

[IsabellaRose]

IV. NINE MONTHS LATER

There were still boxes stacked in every room, but the important items had mostly been unpacked. Clothes were in the dressers and closets, toiletries arrayed across the bathroom, and the silverware and kitchen utensils were in their drawers. Roxanne stood at the sink in her bra and panties, the sheer nightgown Robert had bought her hung down off one shoulder and was barley tied closed. Warm water ran into the sink as she rinsed dish soap off first one mug and then the other. She placed the mugs on a towel to one side of the sink and turned off the water. The kettle would boil soon and she'd make tea, but while she waited she stared out the window, lost in thought.

It had been a whirlwind romance between her and Robert. They both said it was love at first sight, and nine months later they both still believed it. Right from the start there had been something about him that had made her feel safe, made her feel seen in a way that no one else had ever seen her, made her feel complete, as cliched as that sounded, as if a piece of her life that had been missing just clicked into place. She smiled as her eyes gazed at nothing. She was so happy. No, that wasn't even it. She was content in a way she'd never been before, as if she knew this was where she belonged, but also literally delighted every single day, filled with joy when she woke and elated when she went to bed. Nothing really seemed to bother her when she knew she would come home to Robert, when she would feel his arms around her, gaze into those eyes, just have him there.

Robert's arms came around her from behind and he pressed his body against hers, his chin leaning into the crook of her neck, stubble prickly on her skin. She leaned back into him, let out a little sigh of contentment. If this was what it was like to live together, she thought they should have moved in much sooner. 

"Morning, Love," he said, lips teasing her earlobe, hands moving upward from her taut stomach to cup her breasts. His fingers flickered over her nipples and she felt that surge of arousal, the electric connection that sent sensation directly from her nipples straight between her legs.

She turned her head towards his, looked sideways into his eyes, and managed to get out a breathy, "good morning," before his lips were upon hers. His kiss was hungry as he claimed her mouth, his hands moved over her curves down to her hips, tugging her panties downward.

"Every room," he said as he broke the kiss for a moment, one hand guiding her panties down past her hips, the other between her legs, touching her exactly the way she liked as his lips teased the sensitive skin at the side of her neck. "You promised every room our first full day."

She felt his arousal grow where it pressed against the top of her butt and the small of her back. She reached back, pushed the front of his boxers down, wrapped slender fingers around his shaft and stroked him softly. "You think you got that many in you?" she teased as she lifted herself up on tippy toes, leaned forward some, and guided his head to her entrance. She slid his tip along her lips, already wet with desire, and then eased him inside.

His hands fell on her hips as he adjusted his stance, sliding deeper inside of her, getting into position for maximum thrust, and then he was buried to the hilt inside of her body and she gasped out a surprised little sound. Somehow it still surprised her how fully and completely he filled her, how those deep thrusts touched something inside her that felt like a tiny star of pleasure exploding for the briefest microsecond. She leaned forward, gripping the edge of the sink as he started pumping into her. 

He was slow and methodical, long, deep strokes that she loved, and they both made animal sounds, her long and low mmmm contrasting his quick grunts as he bottomed out inside of her. She loved when he took her from behind, loved the feel of his hands on her body, the way he took control, how helpless she felt knowing she could never escape even if she wanted to, but knowing that she would willingly surrender to him time and again. He cock was like a magic wand, drawing pleasure from her body as he pushed it inside of her so wonderfully slowly.

His hands left her hips, sliding up her sides, cupping her breasts and pulling her torso back against him. She arched her back, breasts thrust out and he pinched one nipple, his other hand coming up to her neck. She leaned her head back against him and he squeezed her neck, choking her, thrusting harder as he squeezed. God, he knew every single one of her buttons. She gripped the edge of the sink as he started to hammer into her, pinning her against the sink, choking her, pinching her nipple. Holy shit, he was going to make her cum already.

"Yes," she said, her voice throaty past the soft choking. "Fuck me."

He did. In every room. Twice in the kitchen. Three times in the bedroom. All weekend long they slept and ate and fucked, and every time he brought her to orgasm.

The sex wasn't even the best part of the relationship. It was all the little things, how well he knew her, how perfectly they seemed to fit together. Every day was filled with happiness. She knew, had known for months. This as the man she would marry. 

[IsabellaRose]

V. THREE YEARS LATER

Robert felt like his insides were turning into jelly as he took the proffered glass from Mrs. Hammond. His nerves were on edge in a way they'd never been before. Why did he feel this weird need to perform this old fashioned gesture, some ancient ritual that had no bearing on modern society? Because Roxanne liked certain traditions, and when it came to their discussion about marriage, she seemed to be very traditional. Despite wanting a beach or camping wedding, she said she wanted to be married in a church. Despite how independent she was, she followed every tradition when it came to life milestones. He wasn't sure if she'd find this patronizing and sexist or sweet and charming, but he decided he was going to err on the side of tradition when it came to these things.

"Thank you," he said, and sipped the water. His mouth was so dry. His heart was thudding in his chest. He took another sip and then set the glass down on a coaster on the expensive looking coffee table. Everything in here looked expensive. 

"So, Robert," said Mrs. Hammond, he smile and voice equally pleasant, "you said you had something to ask us?" She held her teacup by the tiny handle between her thumb and forefinger, her pinky up, saucer held in the other hand directly under the cup. 

Mr. Hammond quirked an eyebrow, staring hard at Robert. "Get on with it, young man."

He was so damned intimidating. Robert tried to smile, but it didn't seem to want to stick. Every time he looked at Mr. Hammond he felt so small, so inadequate. No one intimidated him like this man did. But he was here for a reason, and he wasn't going to let Roxanne's asshole father care him away.

"I came here to," he began, then cleared his throat. " I came here to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage."

Mrs. Hammond's face lit up, a smile spreading across her meticulously crafted features. She seemed genuinely happy, and that set Robert's mind at ease. But as soon as he looked at Mr. Hammond, his relief faded.

Mr. Hammond's stare was flat and emotionless and when he spoke, his voice was filled with disdain. "What makes you think you're good enough for my Roxanne?"

"I love your daughter, Sir, and she loves me. All I want to do is make her happy."

Mr. Hammond made a sound like a horse snorting. "Love isn't what makes a marriage work, Robert. This isn't a fairytale."

"Richard!" Mrs. Hammond looked at her husband as if he were a villain, but Robert quickly continued.

"I can provide for Roxanne," Robert said quickly. "I have a great job with a great company and I'm on track for another promotion. I've bought her a ring worth more than three months of my salary. I have enough saved to put a down payment on our first home." Robert heard himself spewing out the words that answered the financial part of the question, even though that wasn't why he wanted to marry Roxanne.

Mr. Hammond shook his head as if dismissing Robert. "Robert, my daughter hasn't cared about my opinion since she was thirteen. I have no idea what made you think this would be a good idea."

"I'm just..." Robert tried to think, but the situation was out of control. "I wanted to..."

"Quit wasting my time," said Mr. Hammond.

"Richard!" Mrs. Hammond set down her teacup and saucer, then turned to Robert. "Of course we approve, Robert. We've seen how good you are to Roxanne over the years. We know the two of you will be very happy together." The sideways glance she gave Mr. Hammond seemed to add "unlike us" to her sentence, but she refrained from saying it out loud. 

Mr. Hammond blew his breath out loudly as if in disagreement, but didn't say a word in contradiction to his wife. Instead he stood, looked down at Robert, and said, "You have your answer. I hope the drive was worth it." Then he turned and walked out of the room.

When he was gone, Robert was still staring at the doorway behind him.

"Don't worry, Dear," Mrs. Hammond said, placing her hand on Robert's forearm. "Richard doesn't approve of anyone or anything. No one is good enough for him."

When he glanced at Mrs. Hammond, Robert thought her eyes said, "even me" but he had no intention of asking along those lines. He simply nodded and said "Thank you."

She looked up at him as he stood. "I'm sorry to have bothered you," he said, still trying to understand Richard Hammond's reaction.

"You're not a bother, Robert," Mrs. Hammond said. "And I'm sure you and Roxanne will be very happy together.

"Thank you." He met her eyes as she stood and saw a sort of resigned acceptance there. "I guess I should get going. I still have a six hour drive ahead of me." 

[IsabellaRose]

VI TWENTY SEVEN DAYS LATER

Roxanne and Robert had just returned from a whirlwind two week vacation in Europe - four days in Paris, then tours of castles and renaissance culture in the Loire Valley, Mont Saint Michel, and the Normandy Coast. A quick flight to Rome and then to Florence and finally, Venice. It had been gorgeous, relaxing, amazing, and they had taken so many pictures. After taking a day in bed, Robert was casting his photos to the flat screen in the living room while they ate a late lunch.

Roxanne looked up to see a photo of the bar they met in flash onto the screen. She tapped Robert on the arm. "Babe, you've hit the end. It's rolling into old stuff."

Robert didn't seem to react. His phone was on the coffee table beside his plate, and he was looking up at the television. "Remember that place?" His voice sounded odd.

"Of course, "she said, holding her glass. "The best time I ever got stood up."

The next picture flashed up was her in that red dress, the same one she'd worn the night they met.

"You wore that red dress. I remember wondering who was so special that you'd wear that dress for them." He was still staring at the screen, his voice far away. "I didn't think I had a snowball's chance in a blast furnace, but something in you called to me."

Roxanne tilted her head to one side and set down her drink.

"You were living in that brownstone on Park Ave," he said, and a picture of the front door of her old apartment appeared. "That's where we kissed for the first time."

What was going on? She almost asked, but he started talking again over a series of photos. Selfies of them out on dates, all their dates, it looked like. Bars, ball games, restaurants, theaters, sidewalks, parks, hotel rooms, concerts... it was like he had a slideshow of every date, every wonderful memory they'd made together. The two of them smiling on that dinner cruise out on the lake, him singing karaoke to her in front of the whole bar after that comedy show... who had they seen, again? The two of them kissing on the pier. Susan had taken that picture; it was one of Roxanne's favorites of them. The two of them in their camping chairs wearing those silly fishing hats. The two of them ruling the beer pong table at Dan's party, their undefeated night of beer pong.

"In the past almost four years, we've made some great memories," he said, and he turned to look at her. He was acting funny, his movements jerky, his expression nervous as he took her hand and guided her to her feet. As she stood, she looked back at the television. The pictures went back to their most recent cruise, but it was only the pictures of them that they'd had locals and other tourists take. "I thought about doing this in Europe, someplace memorable, but then I realized that all our best memories are just the two of us, and this moment... this is just for us."

"As amazing as Europe was, as amazing as everything together has been since the first time I laid eyes on you, I'd like to think it's only the prologue." 

He dropped to one knee and held up an open box. Roxanne felt her heart leap into her throat. He pulled out the ring, a beautiful, gracefully designed housing for a rather large diamond. She hadn't dared to dream.

"Will you write the real story of us together with me? Will you marry me?"

Tears came to her eyes and she felt herself gasp and laugh all at once. Her hands had come up to cover her mouth. Her head was nodding, but she couldn't make her voice work.  She reached for the ring, pulled back, her heart bursting with all the emotions she was feeling. She tried to talk but only a weird laugh came out. Finally she answered.

"Yes," she said. "Oh, Robert. Yes!"

He placed the ring on her finger and stood to face her. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too."

They kissed. They embraced. The cameras he'd placed around the room got everything. 

Edited March 13, 2023 by IsabellaRose
typos

[IsabellaRose]

VII NINE MONTHS LATER

"But now we have to bump Carolyn, and we can't put her at the same table as my cousin Tony, they dated and it ended ugly."

Robert shook his head as Roxanne and her best friend Susan moved little pieces of cardboard around a map of their reception. It was like some kind of miniature wargame where the goal was stalemate, a complete deadlock and inability to move anything else one step further. He wanted to help, but he didn't have a lot of say in the matter. His guests were his best man and two groomsmen, his mother and grandmother, and a couple of cousins that agreed to show up. 

"Carolyn can sit with my mother," Robert said. "They hit it off at Thanksgiving. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Your mom's table is full, babe," Roxanne said.

"Inaccurate." He placed his finger on the little square that said 'Robert's Father'. "You're wasting a seat holding one for this guy. He won't be there."

Roxanne looked sideways at him and felt that familiar sadness overcome Robert whenever he thought about his absent father. "Babe, I..."

"He's never been there, Roxanne." He picked up the little cardboard square and studied it, then flicked it away from the table toward the kitchen. "And I wouldn't want him there."

"Did you talk to your mother?" She put her hand on his arm, reassuring, comforting.

Susan was up and walked into the kitchen. They obviously needed a moment.

"Honey, I know you want me to reach out, to find him, to try to make a connection." He looked her in the eyes then. "I don't want to. He's been nothing to me my entire life. He was just a sperm donor and a one time deposit to a bank account."

"Maybe he's changed. Maybe he has regrets. Maybe..."

"Maybe he's just a selfish piece of shit." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you. It's just... I did talk to my mother."

"Does she know who he is?" She was excited, but tried to keep her voice level. She really thought finding out who his father was, making a connection, meeting him, might help Robert in the long run. At the very least it might help when they finally had kids, medical history if nothing else.

"I got the whole story," he said at last. He raised his voice and looked toward the kitchen. "Susan, you might as well come in and hear it straight from me."

Susan poked her head in from the kitchen. "I don't want to intrude."

"Roxanne trusts you, so I trust you." He motioned toward the chair where she'd been sitting. "Please, have a seat."

She did, and looked at Roxanne, taking her other hand. 

"I asked my mom about my father, who he was, what she knew, how I... came to be." He shook his head like he didn't want to think about it, but continued on. "It was a one night stand. She was a sophomore in college, he was an older, distinguished guy. He paid for her and all her friends all night. It was the seventies. Free love and everything, I guess. She said she didn't really do that, free love or whatever, sleep around, but this one guy must have turned on the charm. She said he just... she went back to his hotel room and they made me. Not on purpose, obviously but that's what happened. Next morning she wanted to know when she'd see him again, he said never, he was married, get the fuck out."

Roxanne tried to imagine how it would feel to be dismissed so casually. It made her want to cry.  Guys could be such assholes. 

"She has a single picture of him, a polaroid from that night. They took a bunch of polaroids and he burned them in an ashtray. She said her friends made a joke about how he was a spy or something, but one of her friends kept one, and later gave it to my mom. She said she'll bring it when she flies in so I can see, but honestly, I don't know if I want to."

Roxanne sat silent, waiting to see if there was more. 

"When she found out she was pregnant, she thought about getting an abortion. She had no idea who he was, only that he was married, she'd have to drop out of college... I fucked up her life."

"Babe, you didn't..."

"I know, I just... it's hard not to feel that way, you know? But she said the same thing. She said I just changed the path of her life from where she thought she wanted to go, to where she needed to be. She said that if she could do it differently the only thing she'd change would be to pick a better father for me, one who would have stayed around, so I didn't have these conflicted feelings. but she'd never change having me, being my mom, you know, things moms say."

"Things moms mean," said Susan. She had two little boys of her own. If anyone would know, it would be her.

Robert nodded. "I know she means it. I know."

Roxanne shook her head. "But you said he gave her a pile of money. How did that happen?"

"Random chance." He shook his head like he couldn't believe it himself. "She was in line at the bank. She was showing, big pregnant stomach, and guess who was in line in front of her? The guy, my dad."

"That's..."

"Unbelievable? Yeah, that's what I said. So she asks if he remembers her, and he says no, all dismissive, barely even looks at her. She shows him the polaroid, the one her friend saved and says, how about now? and all of a sudden he's pulled her out of line and outside, gripping her arm like he wants to pull it off and demanding to know what she wants. She told him he got her pregnant, and he said no. She said it again, and he said how much? He offered her ten thousand dollars to walk away. Sign a paper with his lawyer saying this is the only thing she'll ever ask for, take the money, and never see him again. So that's what she did. She said the document was taped over so she couldn't see his name, but she saw his first name, Richard, but that was all. She signed, took the money, and that was that. My father basically paid my mother to disappear, paid for me to disappear."

"Robert, I'm... so sorry," Roxanne felt tears welling in her eyes. "I'm sorry I made you ask."

He shook his head, "You didn't make me. I decided you were right. But now I know that no matter what, he just doesn't matter. He didn't want me or anything to do with me, and I'll never have to see him again. He may have hurt me my whole life by not being there, and now by finding out he just didn't care, but he can't hurt me any more. I can just put the thought of him away and be done with him forever."

[IsabellaRose]

@bumpnrun - I think from here there's only 1 part left... how are you enjoying it so far?

[bumpnrun]

Oh my gosh, this is awesome! When I finished the first chapter my first thought was that this is so well written that it has to be the voice of experience. As I read the next chapters I had to remind myself that this is fiction, the work of an orderly and dedicated mind. When the conclusion is posted I intend to read it over from the beginning. 

Well done...very well done.

[IsabellaRose]

I have to re-read all of this and get the final part posted. This was going so well, then I lost creative steam.