Niece's Passion

by Lubrican

Chapters : 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Epilogue |

Epilogue

For the next two years everyone involved in the story kept living their lives, operating in what, for them, was a normal way. Bob and Julie raised Richard. Erica completed her advanced EMT and paramedic training. She got a job with an air ambulance service in Lincoln and was paired with a doctor. They responded to the most critical patients and within her first year Erica was a hardened expert at helping save people's lives. The job was 70% waiting for something to happen and 30% madness as twelve things needed to be done at the same time.

Veronica got posted to Troop A, which covered five counties and Omaha. Her duties were normal 80% of the time. The rest was spent either in training with the SWAT team, or actually deployed for some emergency in which SWAT was a resource for the supervisors.

The boys continued their studies and both graduated in roughly the middle of their classes. Robby got a job offer from a company that installed and maintained power distribution equipment. He was able to live anywhere in a four state area, but was on the road most of the time.

He was the first to move in with Ronnie.

Randy specialized in emergency medicine and found a job at Methodist Hospital in Omaha, where he worked 12 hour shifts in the ER.

He also moved in with Veronica, who had rented a two bedroom apartment.

Randy had an advantage, of sorts, because he was in the apartment on a more regular basis. Robby's advantage was that, when he wasn't out on a job, he was there twenty-four hours a day.

Veronica's advantage was that, during a normal fourteen day cycle, she had a man she loved to sleep with about half the time.

She still couldn't decide which one to marry.

She figured it didn't matter until she decided to have a child.

Of them all, Erica was the only one who languished alone in bed most nights.

Her mother and uncle were about an hour and a half away. She had to work every other weekend, but on her free weekends Bob would arrive on Friday night and stay until Sunday around noon.

Much of that time, of course, was spent in bed, with his incestuous, spurting penis firmly ensconced in his niece's young, snug pussy.

Everything took on a routine feel that the average person experiences. Work took up a lot of time.

And in their off time, they loved each other.

The routine broke, if that's the right term for it, when there was a really bad chain link accident on I-80 one day. The driver of an eighteen wheeler fell asleep at the wheel and his truck went across the median. He woke, but couldn't control the truck and it went into the lanes of opposing traffic. He hit two cars head on and six other cars then ran into the mess. Two drivers went into the median to avoid that, and ended up crossing it and hitting cars on the other side.

Eight ambulances responded to the scene, along with three fire departments and four troopers. Veronica was one of the troopers and Erica's helicopter landed in a field next to the carnage. Erica made three trips to various hospitals that day and Veronica was on scene for almost twelve hours straight. The interstate was closed completely in one direction and only one lane of traffic was open on the other side.

In the excitement, both women missed a pill.

Veronica noticed and caught up the next day, but Erica worked double shifts for two more days, ferrying patients to different locations and performing the normal things that still had to be done.

She had missed three pills by the time all was back to normal.

She'd taken four more pills before Bob showed up for a weekend.

She thought she was fine.

But her body had "burped" and an egg had descended into one fallopian tube.

That egg was bathed in Bob's sperm before it even got to her womb.

And by the time he left, he was going to be a daddy again.

Erica didn't notice anything was wrong until she realized she was fifteen days overdue for a period.

She had been there when her mother had this problem, so she knew what to do.

She sat, staring at the indicator window of the home pregnancy test she'd obtained.

"Not yet," she whispered as she waited. "Please ... not yet."

But it was positive.

Erica and Veronica lived about an hour and ten minutes from each other. They didn't get to spend much time together, because their schedules rarely cooperated. Roughly every other month they had a few days they could get together. If Erica went to Ronnie's place she might get to see one or both of the twins, but in this case she didn't want to see them. She asked Veronica to come to her apartment, instead.

"What's wrong?" asked Ronnie.

"I'll tell you when you get here," said Erica. "I don't want to talk about it on the phone."

"I have two days off starting Thursday," said Ronnie.

"That's fine. It can wait until then," said Erica.

"You sound strange."

"I'm just distracted. That's all," said Erica.

"Okay!" said Veronica. "I'm here. What's the big secret?"

"I'm pregnant," sighed Erica.

"Uh oh," said Ronnie, softly. "Bob?"

"Who else would it be?"

"Sorry. I don't know what to say."

"What do I do, Ronnie? I didn't want this to happen for another couple of years."

"I know how you feel," said her friend. "Will this cause problems at work?"

"No. I've been there long enough to get maternity leave, but I'll have to find child care and with my schedule that may be difficult, if not impossible. This is going to screw things up."

"I'm sorry. Have you talked to Bob and your mom yet?"

Erica shook her head.

"Surely they'll be supportive," said Ronnie.

"Oh, I'm sure they will, but that won't solve the childcare problem."

Erica sat down at the dining room table across from her mother. She got right to the point.

"I did what you did," said Erica. "I missed some pills and then let Uncle Bob make love to me."

"Oh no," sighed Julie. "Do you mean …?"

"A home pregnancy test says I'm pregnant," said Erica. "I didn't intend for this to happen yet."

"Yet?"

"I wanted to wait two more years."

"So you're not actively dating other men?"

"Of course not, Mother. You know I love him."

"We hoped you'd ... grow out of that."

"Not so much," said Erica.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll have to change jobs. My schedule with my current employer is too fluid. We're flying two or three times a day. I'll never be able to find childcare."

"Oh, Honey," sighed Julie. She knew Erica loved flying and her job.

"I'd love to be able to stay home like you got to do," said Erica, "but even if I change jobs I can't work from home."

"We'll think of something," said Julie.

"I can't imagine what it could be," sighed Erica.

"Well, we've got nine months to figure it out."

Erica's job situation wouldn't be affected until she was seven months along. At that point company policy forbade her to fly. It was deemed too dangerous because of the stress she'd be under. Until then, she'd continue as she had been doing.

As for Bob, his role was similar in some ways to the role males had played since humans descended from the trees. He had mounted the female and impregnated her. Now he went about his manly duties, unintentionally disconnected from the problems his seed had caused.

This is not to say he didn't care about Erica's pregnancy. Far from it. He still visited, like he had in the past. The first couple of times all he did was spend time with her, talking and listening as she worried about her future. They slept together, but it was just for the comfort of being close.

The second time he visited, though, she was horny, and it never took her long to get him stiff.

"You got me pregnant doing this," she said, looking up at him as he labored above her.

He went in deep and rubbed.

"Guilty as charged," he said. "Are you mad at me?"

"If I was mad at you, you'd have known it long before now," she said. "Let me get on top."

They switched positions and she sank down on him. She leaned forward to dangle her breasts in his face.

"My boobs will make milk in about six months," she said.

"I love the taste of your mother's milk," he said.

"Ewww," she sighed. "My milk will be for my baby." She rubbed. "Our baby," she sighed.

"Sometimes the baby won't empty both breasts," said Bob. "That can get painful if you don't have someone to help out."

"That's what you call it? Helping out? Hah!"

"You'll see," he predicted.

When Erica was six months along Veronica arrived for a visit with both twins in tow.

"They wanted to see what you look like," said Ronnie.

"I look fat," grumped Erica.

"Actually, you look pretty good," said Robby.

"This is weird," said Randy. "I never thought I'd see you this way."

"You never thought I'd have a baby?"

"I guess not."

"You're staring," Erica said.

"I'm just trying to imagine Ronnie this way," he said. "Can I feel it?"

"You want to feel my baby bump?"

"Yeah. Can I? I get to see lots of pregnant women, but I don't get to grope their bumps."

"You'll get kicked," she said. "The little bugger plays soccer in there or something."

Randy moved to her and knelt. He cupped her swollen belly gently. Almost immediately her T shirt showed the travel of a heel across her distended abdomen.

"Wow," said Randy. "That is so cool!" He looked at Veronica. "I can't wait to feel this on you."

"Rein it in, cowboy," said Ronnie. "Two more years."

"You always say two more years. You said that a year ago."

Veronica took a breath but he cut her off, still fondling his sister's pregnant belly.

"Don't say it. I know what you're going to say. We have to get married first. And you still can't choose which one of us to marry."

Veronica looked at Erica, who said, "They know you too well."

"Well? I just can't decide, that's all."

"You'd look so good like that," sighed Robby.

"I would not," asserted Veronica.

"Yes you would," said Randy.

He got up and kissed his dark-skinned lover. She pushed at him, but only halfheartedly. Soon they were locked in a passionate embrace.

"How about you don't get her pregnant at my house," grumbled Erica.

Robby just shrugged and grinned.

At seven months Erica got transferred to the dispatch office, where she fielded calls. It was actually a benefit to the company in one sense, because she could dispense advice over the phone to caregivers in the field. She also worked shorter shifts, and her schedule was regular. If she stayed in that position she'd be able to schedule child care when she went back to work after her maternity leave.

But she knew she'd be unhappy. She loved her regular job and she was way overqualified on the dispatch desk.

A month before her due date, Erica was once again visiting her mother. She went there to see if Julie would coach her delivery. Both twins had offered to do that, but she didn't want either of them looking between her legs.

"I can't believe you put me in this situation," groaned Julie.

"What situation? I'm the one who's pregnant!"

"Yes, and I'll be the grandmother who will worry about you and the baby constantly," snorted her mother. "The solution is obvious!"

"What's obvious? I'll be okay. I'll figure something out. There are thousands of single mothers out there and they all figure it out."

"Sweetheart, you have fabulous experience. You could get a job anywhere you want to."

"Okay. Maybe that's true. I'd love to stay where I am, but if I do, to make the childcare situation work it would have to be in dispatch and I know I'd be miserable. But that's on me. I still don't see how that affects you."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this," said Julie. "Bob will never let me live it down."

"What are you talking about?!" yipped Erica.

"The solution is for you to have the baby here," sighed Julie. "I'll be your child care."

"First, I can't ask you to do that," said Erica. "Second, what if I can't find a job here?"

"You will. Holden has grown. They just built a new fire station on the north side of town. They've built apartment buildings galore up that way. People are commuting to Lincoln because the cost of living is so much lower here. There's a new strip mall and everything. With your experience you can get a job here easily."

"Not if I'm pregnant when I apply, Mom. Nobody's going to hire a paramedic who'll go on maternity leave right away. I have benefits where I am. I just don't have a childcare solution."

"So have the baby there, and then move here. You can stay with us until you get a new job and a place to live. That's what Bob will give me hell about. I told him there was no way you'd live with us after you went to college, and here I am inviting you back."

"You're sweet," said Erica, "but I'm not sure that's the best solution."

"Do you have a better one? You have the baby and draw on your benefits, but live with us. Then I can take care of the baby for a month or so until you can resign and move here permanently. I'm sure you can get a job here and we'll help you find somewhere to live. Then, I'll be your childcare solution and everything will be fine."

"You want to be my child care provider?" Erica looked skeptical. "I'd think you've had your fill of diapers and crying babies."

"Actually, I'm pretty happy. My job was going nowhere anyway and I'd forgotten how wonderful it is to care for a little one. Caring for two won't be a problem. I've been there and done that. Bob helps out. You know he's trying to get me to go off the pill again, right?"

"No, and I'd think you'd tell him where to shove it," said Erica. "I don't mind having his baby. I wanted to some day. Not this soon, but that ship has sailed. So I've come to terms with that. But you've put in your time. Get him a board with a knothole in it and tell him to impregnate that!"

"We'll see. So ... what do you say? I can solve your problem. I'm willing to solve your problem. All you have to do is relocate here."

Erica sat, mute, while she thought about her mother's offer. She had enjoyed the separation and her job. She'd finally been able to do what she wanted, when she wanted, at least when she wasn't working. And she'd still had Uncle Bob as her lover. She knew, deep in her heart, that no other man would measure up to him. She'd always want him, even when she was in her thirties and forties. As long as he got stiff for her, she'd avail herself of his love.

The thought of not flying was like a rock in her stomach. But she also knew what paramedics in ambulances did. They got to the scene first and their efforts were what made the air evac ambulances work. Patients had to be stable before they could fly and it was EMTs and paramedics on the ground who got them stable.

If she lived in her own place there would still be separation. And she'd still have Uncle Bob. And childcare that would work for whatever situation she ended up in.

"Okay," she said, softly.

"Oh, good!" gushed Julie. "Don't you dare tell Bob I'm happy about this. I'm going to moan and groan to him, but you'll know it's all an act."

"I still need to find a job," warned Erica.

"I'll make some inquiries," said Julie.

"I need a nap," sighed Erica. "I can't believe how tired I get."

"You're carrying a twenty-five pound dumbbell around with you everywhere you go," said Julie.

"Oh? How do you know it's going to be a boy?"

Erica grinned.

Instead of looking for job openings in official releases, Julie went straight to the source of paramedic jobs. She visited both ambulance garages in town, as well as the fire stations. She didn't speak to HR personnel, but rather to the supervisors of such employees. Her pitch was the same at all.

"I know an experienced paramedic who will be moving to town in a few months to have her baby and be closer to family. She's worked for an air ambulance service in Lincoln for two years. Will there be any possible job openings in the next four or so months that she could apply for?"

Her intent was not to bypass official channels, but she knew that sometimes, co-workers know about potential openings long before HR hears about it. At the Eighth Street fire station, the lieutenant she first spoke with called his captain over and asked how their request to have a paramedic assigned to their station was going.

"It looks like the city council will approve it, but the red tape will take another three or four months."

"How soon after that will they actually hire somebody?"

"It will depend on finding a qualified person and I can't estimate how long that will take. Why? Who is this woman?"

Julie repeated her mantra and the captain took her to his office for a longer chat.

"Have her come see me next time she's in town," he said in the end. "Nothing is official, yet, so I can't make any promises, but I don't want to pass up a qualified candidate who's interested. She might not be interested once she finds out what her working conditions will be. We're still an all male station and the men can be rough sometimes. They're professional, but boys will be boys, if you know what I mean."

"She was raised with three older brothers," said Julie. "I doubt your men could surprise her."

"Perhaps we'll see," said the man.

Roughly 60% of law enforcement officers go an entire career without ever drawing their weapon to defend themselves or make an arrest. Being on the SWAT team reduces that percentage significantly. A year and five months into her career as a state trooper there was a SWAT alert. The primary sniper couldn't get there in time and Veronica got called out for a SWAT mission.

A man had been fired from his job for being drunk during working hours. He went home and drank even more. His wife expressed her unhappiness with him and used some poor choices of words in doing so. Words like "useless", "asshole", and "fucking moron" got her bloodied and left for dead in their dump of a home. He then gathered up two pistols and a rifle and went back to work to get his revenge. Thankfully he was as poor at planning an assault on his former co-workers as he had been at doing his original job and most employees escaped from the place, which built trailers of various kinds. He fired four shots when he entered the shop, aiming at nothing in particular. The welders and (new) forklift driver scattered, finding exits. Three of them called 911. The office personnel, which consisted of two girls and the supervisor who had fired him, might have gotten away, too, except the office was well insulated and all they heard were bangs from the shop, which wasn't unusual at all.

As happens in many such situations, the man had no clear plan. He just went there to "make them pay." Even "them" was fairly vague. There were two men who his alcohol-fogged mind insisted had wronged him in the past. He spent ten minutes wandering in the shop looking for them. Then he went to the office, where he found the supervisor who had fired him. The two women were there, too. He'd made a pass at one of them in the past and she had reminded him, frostily, that he was married and so was she.

Alcohol is sometimes called liquid courage and, in this case, that's how it worked. He bragged about how much people would be sorry they'd abused him and how much respect he'd get in the future. Meanwhile, the 911 operator dispatched the only law enforcement unit in the area, a deputy sheriff.

The deputy arrived to find an employee hiding outside and was apprised of the situation. His radio report of "shots fired" generated a standard protocol for situations in semi-rural locations like this one. The state patrol was notified and asked for assistance.

The deputy tried to negotiate, at which time more shots were fired, again at nothing in particular, other than in the basic direction of the deputy.

SWAT was sent. Veronica set up on top of an open-sided storage shed fifty yards from the shop. A negotiator began trying to talk the barricaded man out.

Along with his guns, the man had brought a full fifth of cheap whiskey. He'd drunk about half of it before the law got there, as he berated the supervisor for ruining his life. Now, as he demanded a million dollars and a helicopter, he finished the bottle. He'd have been lucky if he'd passed out, but he didn't. Instead, he proved how serious his demands were by firing off a few random shots inside the office. He was reeling drunk by this time. One woman made a break for it and managed to get out of the door. She ran toward her car, which was parked across the lot from the office.

The law enforcement officers outside, of course, had no idea where those inside shots had gone. They were galvanized to action and, when someone burst out of the door and started running, things went a little out of round. It is in situations like this where decisions are made within split seconds and training comes into play. When a man appeared in the door with a pistol in his hand and began firing toward the running woman, a voice in Ronnie's ear said, "Take him." It was a laughably simple shot and the 147 grain .30 caliber bullet she fired hit him directly on his sternum. He went down instantly and was dead by the time anyone got to him.

It was "over" in the sense that the situation was contained and nobody was in any danger anymore. But incidents like that aren't really over until the evidence has been collected and interviews have been done. The weapon Veronica used was deemed evidence and packed away. She was told where to report to make her own official statement. Counseling was offered to her, as it is offered to any trooper who has to take a life. Had the counselor actually been there, Ronnie might have talked to him or her, but she was told someone would be in touch to set up an appointment.

When she was released and told to go home, she went, instead, to talk to her father.

There are inherent meanings in phrases that contain the words "what you did" and "what I did." Those phrases carry a kind of ownership for a person's actions. They put the onus on the person performing the action. When a law enforcement officer is required to take a life to save himself or others, though, it is in response to something another person has done. Survivors of the person killed usually say, "Why did you kill my son?" The question that should actually be asked is, "Why did your son require me to kill him?"

Ronnie's dad knew his daughter was having a tough time dealing with the fact that she'd taken a man's life. He knew this could break her if it wasn't handled properly. He got her to go through everything that had happened, from the moment she got briefed to the moment she squeezed the trigger. She ended with, "I killed him, Daddy."

"You didn't decide to do that," said Terry. "He made you do that. His actions required you to do that. He's the one at fault, here, not you. He's the one who pulled the trigger of that rifle. He made a series of decisions and they had ramifications. Nobody made him make those decisions. He chose to do what got him shot."

"Thanks," she sighed, leaning in for a hug.

She processed it well, but it illuminated to her how quickly things can happen and how tenuous one's life can be. For the first time she thought about her own mortality. All this had been discussed during her training, but now it came home to her on a personal, visceral level. It made her think about her own life and her own future.

Robby was the first of the twins to be with her after she talked to her father. She'd left them a note saying she was off, on administrative leave, and was going to talk to her father, but she didn't say why. By the time she returned to their home, he'd already connected the dots that the media laid out in their reporting of the incident.

He had no idea of what to say to her, so he just hugged her and asked, "What can I do?"

"Just love me," she said.

"No problem there," he quipped.

"Do you really want to have a baby with me?" she asked, suddenly.

He was taken off guard at what seemed to him to be a radical shift in subject, but he simply answered her question.

"Of course I do ... when the time is right."

"I think the time might be right," she said.

"Really?"

"Yeah," she sighed.

"Okay. Want to start right now?"

His attitude might seem callous or even intemperate, but it was actually just what Ronnie needed.  Robby was just being Robby, and what she needed right then was normalcy.

It was in the sharing of that kind of intimacy, as Robby thrust and rocked and kissed her, that she finally relaxed.

"This is just practice, you know," she panted as she felt an orgasm approaching. "I'm going to stop taking my pills but I won't be fertile for a while."

"Practice makes perfect," he groaned as he spurted in her. "Don't tell Randy."

"What? Why not?"

"Because I want your first baby to be mine," he said. He kissed her.

"And how am I supposed to keep him from doing what you just did?"

"I don't know. Tell him you have a headache or something."

"You're a terrible brother," she accused.

"I also want you to marry me," he said. He kissed her again.

"So does your brother," she said.

"Have you decided which one of us you'll do that with, yet?"

"I should probably wait until a DNA test tells us which one of you got to me," she teased.

"DNA won't work. We're identical twins," he said. "That's why it's so important that you only let me do this."

"I didn't think you guys ever competed over a woman. I would have thought you wouldn't care which one of you donates the little wiggler that will overcome my poor, defenseless egg."

"In the past we never did compete. This is different, though. We never tried to get a girl pregnant before. Give me ten more minutes and I might be able to go again," he said.

"You don't have to be in a hurry, silly," she said. "You'll get your chance to be a daddy."

"I love you," he sighed.

"I love you, too," she replied.

"I don't know what to do," said Veronica. She was braiding Erica's hair. Erica felt like she'd pop any minute and she wanted her hair to be tidy when it happened.

"Marry them both," said Erica.

"Don't joke," moaned Ronnie. "If I'm going to get pregnant I need to be married first. My mother would have fits if I wasn't."

"What I mean is, marry one of them officially, but perform the service with both of them. They'll be happy with that. Marriage is really just a contract between two people. Yes, the government wants to stick its fingers into it, but what you do in private is your business. Isn't that how it's always been with you and my errant brothers?"

"I suppose so."

"Well, then, have them flip a coin or draw for high card or whatever and then you marry the winner publicly and marry the other one, too, in private."

"Hmmm," said Ronnie, as her fingers wove and tugged.

"I can't believe one of the twins is going to get lucky with you," said Erica. "Do you really think either of them would make a decent father?"

"Don't be mean. They've come a long way since high school."

"I'll be an aunt," said Erica. "Wow! I'll actually be somebody's aunt!"

"And I'll be your sister-in-law," said Veronica.

"I have to be your maid of honor," said Erica, sitting up straighter. "Please? You have to let me stand up there with you."

"Of course," said Ronnie. "I wouldn't think of asking anybody else."

"Okay, good."

"You'll have to stand with me twice, you know."

"No problem. We can use our dresses twice."

"Now my only problem is finding a minister who'll help me commit bigamy," sighed Ronnie.

"It isn't bigamy if one of your husbands is unofficial," said Erica.

Erica did stand with Veronica at her wedding, but it was after she gave birth to Bob's daughter, who they named Jasmine. Jasmine was Veronica's middle name.

The clergy problem was bypassed by Robby getting licensed online to officiate at weddings. A proper minister performed the public wedding between Veronica Jasmine Green and Robby Paul Carpenter. After the reception, and all the guests had left, Robby performed an identical service wedding Randy to Veronica.

Robby and Ronnie went on a four day honeymoon to the Great Wolf Lodge and water park, in Kansas City, waving goodbye to a small gaggle of well-wishers that consisted of her parents, Bob, Julie, and Erica. Randy had said he had something to do and was gone.

Where he went was five blocks away, where he was picked up by his brother and wife.

It was a great honeymoon. The water park was fun and they spent a third of their time getting wet.

They spent another third of their time being tourists in Kansas City, which had a plethora of attractions to see.

And, of course, the last third of the time was spent on the king size bed in their suite, as both men got Veronica's insides wet as they tried their best to breed her.

Erica's informal interview with Captain Josh Perkins, at Fire Station number 3, went well. He'd already asked around in the informal pipeline that first responders often used. He'd found out she was a great paramedic and that her previous employer would take her back in a heartbeat.  The city council had passed a resolution establishing the position, but funding was still in question. Basically, by the time Jasmine was three months old, the job was officially opened. The time off had been good for Erica. Living with her mother and Bob had let her concentrate on learning how to be a mommy. Now she could go back to work and find her own place for Jasmine and her to live.

Three people applied for the job. One was an EMT from another service in town. One was an Advanced EMT from a company in Omaha. Erica's certification and experience as a paramedic trumped them and she got the job.

The rest, as they say, is history. Veronica was virtually soaked in sperm during her honeymoon, but it didn't end there. Each twin was practically frantic to be the one who fertilized her egg, and any time she was off work, she was pestered into bed. Not that she minded. Both of her husbands were good lovers. She didn't care which one impregnated her. Whoever lost out would get his chance later, in a few years.

Erica settled into the fire station where the men slept in an open barracks while they were on duty. They procured lumber and drywall to provide her with her own private bedroom, but she left the door open most of the time. Several of the guys came onto her but she gently reminded them that she already had a man and a baby. Nobody ever saw this mysterious man, but it wasn't long before they all knew nobody was getting in their new paramedic's panties.

Veronica's ovaries burped when she went off the pill, and dropped two eggs. The twins she had were fraternal, meaning both eggs were fertilized by different sperm cells. Since her womb was routinely soaked in the sperm cells of both of her husbands, it was convenient to believe that Robby had fertilized one egg and Randy the other. The babies, one boy and one girl, were under seven pounds at birth, which may explain why carrying them didn't cause Ronnie any more grief than carrying and delivering one child would have. The girl was born first and was practically chased out of Ronnie's vaginal canal by her brother.

True to Ronnie's prediction, her mother's attitude softened as soon as she had a baby cradled in each arm.

Twins were enough for the husbands of a single wife. Raising them seemed to take the efforts of all three parents.

Meanwhile, Julie happily nannied her own and Erica's babies. She didn't find it a chore at all.

And while Bob couldn't talk Julie into having another, his niece's passion played out when she had a second child by her uncle.

Erica's passion never waned, not even when Chad, home unannounced on leave, caught her naked, on the couch under an equally naked Uncle Bob as he grunted and gasped while he came in her. His reaction to catching them was unexpected.

"Oops, sorry," he said, calmly as two startled faces turned to him. "Carry on," he said, and backed out of the living room.

Erica found him soon after in the kitchen, making a sandwich. Her nakedness was covered by a light, flowered robe.

"I can explain," she said.

"Okay," he said, sitting down and taking a bite.

She didn't try to hide anything from him. He listened as he was brought up to date on how Bob had two wives, for all intents and purposes, and her best friend had two husbands ... the twins.

"You can't tell anybody," she said, urgently, when she was finished.

"Why would I?" he asked, taking another bite.

"I don't know. I figured you'd be freaked out."

"Not so much," he said. "Everybody's happy, aren't they?"

"Yes … very," said Erica.

"Okay. No harm, no foul. There's plenty of grief in the world without manufacturing more. I've learned not to sweat the small shit."

"I don't think of this as small shit," she said.

"Poor choice of words. Let's just say I've seen worse ... much worse."

"I'm sorry you've seen that," said Erica. "But thanks for understanding. We've missed you."

"I've missed you guys, too. I never thought I would, but I do."

"How long are you home for?"

"Thirty days," he said.

"Mom will be delighted."

"Me, too. I'm ready for some home cooked meals."

Chad didn't let on that he knew what was going on. Not to his mother, anyway. He'd heard the passion in his sister's voice when she told him they were all happy.

He could see that happiness and passion in the very mundane way they carried on living each day. Erica wasn't there all the time, but whenever she came to pick up her children she hung around, sometimes for hours. He soaked in the everyday passion that permeated the house.

He did sidle up to his uncle one time and lean in to say, "Doesn't everybody notice all these kids look just like you?" He grinned, to show it was a rhetorical question.

He was put up in the twins' old room, which was still crowded.

The walls were still thin, too.

He experienced, through sound, the passions of both his mother and sister. He remembered that kind of passion with a former girlfriend he'd hoped would marry him. But those hopes had been dashed when she said she couldn't take worrying about him constantly any more and had broken up with him. After the breakup he'd been disillusioned about women and hadn't looked for another one to try to forge a serious relationship with. Now the emotions tugging at his own heart strings made him think about looking for a woman who might be interested in hooking up with a lifer in the Marines.

It would be nice to come home to ... home. It would be nice to come home to a woman who was elated to see him, who was passionate about being with him.

Erica's passion was infectious, in that sense.

As he lay there, listening to the muffled moans and groans in the bedroom next door, he thought about his brothers, over in Omaha, living with and banging the same woman. He remembered Veronica. She'd been at the house dozens of times for sleepovers with his sister. He hadn't paid any attention to her back then, except to note that she was cute. And now, little Veronica was a bad ass state trooper.

He decided he'd have to go visit them while he was on leave.

Women in her line of work might understand the cares and concerns of a soldier. Women in her line of work knew how to deal with the stress danger produced.

Maybe she had a friend at work who was single.

And maybe she'd be just as passionate as his sister.

The End

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