Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 15:52:34 +0000 From: Rachael Babyface King Subject: Holly and Friends 14 - The Finale! As a writer, the hardest thing to put into words is the gratitude we feel when someone gives us feedback. Whether it be praise, criticism or just a thank you, it means the world. I have gained some fabulous new friends thanks to Holly and I dedicate this final chapter to all of my fabulous readers. Love to you all xxx I would also like to thank Mark and Rebecca for their tireless help and Nifty for publishing my stories. Please support them if you can. It is with mixed emotions that I now present you with the final chapter in this series. It has been a pleasure to write and I hope you are satisfied with how it ends. Love to you all Rachael xxx Chapter 14 – The finale It was still early when Holly's phone rang. Sky watched in the darkness as Holly climbed naked from the bed. Sky watched with bleary but lust filled eyes as the early morning light picked out the delicate silhouette of Holly's tiny frame as she searched for her phone on the chair. Holly answered with a croaky voice as her hand went to hold her sore head. "Hello? .... Hi Ash are you OK? ..... Yeah I'm still at Sky's" Then there was a long gap where Sky could hear a raised voice on the other end but could not hear any actual words. She saw Holly nod and a few times she was about to interrupt but clearly stopped herself. Eventually, she spoke again. "OK, I'll be there ....Bye!" Holly stared at her phone for a few moments and sighed heavily as she placed it gently back on the chair. "Is everything OK?" Sky asked softly. Holly jumped, almost forgetting that she wasn't alone, "Ha, are you kidding? Everything OK? Really?" An agitated tone was clearly in her voice. "Hey, hey! Come on babe, it's hardly the time to snap at me is it?" "You didn't hear that call, did you?" Holly asked, still slightly hostile and she began to pace the room. Sky still spoke softly, "What time is Ashleigh coming over?" "That's just it!" Holly replied, "She isn't coming here! She doesn't want to see you either. She wants me to meet her in town, alone!" "No way am I letting you go alone!" Sky said firmly. Holly walked to the bed and sat down, "It's not your call, Sky. I need to try and save my friendship and to be honest, if you are there, it's not going to help. I will go and see if I can calm things down." Sky kissed Holly on the cheek and stroked her arm, "What time do you have to be there?" "I've got an hour, my head is banging and it is still full of dried blood. Do you want to help me?" The girls spent half an hour in the shower with Holly close to tears for the most of the time as Sky gently swabbed her hair to clear the clotted mess that was still there. Sky found some strong painkillers, gave Holly some fresh orange juice and a kiss for good luck, telling her she would be thinking of her and that she must call as soon as she had made things OK. As Holly left the house, she knew it wasn't going to be that simple and she made her way into town with both her head, and her heart, pounding heavily. When Holly arrived at the cafe, Ash was already sat there with an empty coffee cup and an impassive expression on her face. Holly sat opposite her friend and immediately the waitress arrived to take an order. Both girls ordered a large latte. Holly tried to open the conversation with an apology, "Ash, look! I can't begin to say how sorry ..." "Save it Holly!" Ash interrupted, "We have gone so far past the apology time, that's not why I called you." Holly was confused. She was about to ask something but realised that she couldn't find a question so she just waited for Ashleigh to continue. "You fucked me over Holly! You really crossed every line of our friendship and I don't know that I can ever forgive you for that but because I truly loved you before this. I want to be sure of the facts. You are going to help me do that, right?" Holly was still confused and she wasn't sure that the truth, as she knew it, would help their friendship recover, "I'll do anything to show you how sorry I am Ash, I promise! It was stupid and I am truly sorry!" Ash held up a hand, "First thing, stop telling me how sorry you are! Second thing, answer me this question. How did Sky come into our lives?" Holly looked at Ashleigh like it was a stupid question and answered with the obvious answer, "She bumped into you when the ambulance was taking the boys from your ......." Her voice halted mid-sentence as she started to see where Ashleigh was coming from, "You are thinking that wasn't a coincidence?" Ash closed her eyes and nodded, "Sky said she had fancied us, well you, for a long time but if her `client' had requested to fuck his daughter and her friend ......" Holly took over the sentence, " .... she was there to set us up!" Both girls fell silent. Ashleigh had been working on this theory for over an hour but Holly was now trying to process the idea to catch up with the train of thought. "How can you prove that? And what will it prove? I still let you down!" Holly said, thinking selfishly of a way out of her own nightmare. Ashleigh leaned forward to Holly and spoke like someone who had aged ten years in a night, "It will prove to me whether you are a lying deceitful bitch or an innocent blonde bimbo who was manipulated and used like a cheap toy!" Holly said nothing. Neither of Ashleigh's options were very pleasant to her but she couldn't dispute them either. "As for `How?'" Ash continued, sitting back again, "We are going to speak to my dad" Holly's face lost its entire colour and Ashleigh looked closer at her. She had expected some more reaction from Holly and then it dawned on her, "Did you sleep with my dad after the sex shop?" She said slowly and as she saw Holly's eyes look down, she realised she had stumbled upon another truth, "Oh for fuck's sake Holly, what the hell is wrong with you?" Holly was trembling as she spoke, "I'm sorry Ash, it just happened ... I went round there and he worked out the girl he'd had the night before was me and I still had a red see through shirt under my jacket and he .... he got me to do it all again!" Ash composed herself, "Did he have to do much persuading?" Holly just looked down saying nothing. "DID HE?" Ash shouted, causing the waitress to look round at the girls. Holly looked up, "No he didn't!" She hissed, "I enjoyed it! OK Ash, I'm sorry but I enjoyed it, just like you did last night!" Ashleigh wanted to punch Holly in the face, "I swear to God, Holly, I'm sorry you banged your head on the desk last night but I will wrap this fucking table round your head if you say that again!" Holly knew she had hit a raw nerve but she carried on, "OK so tell me I am wrong Ash! Just tell me I am wrong! That is part of the reason why I got you to do it! Your dad begged me to get you to join in and I was on such a high from it, I agreed!" Ash hadn't wanted to do it but she slapped Holly's face, hard. The smaller girl held her smarting cheek immediately and tears rolled involuntarily down her face. She lowered her eyes again and began to sob. Her life was falling apart and her best friend in the world now hated her for being such a slut. "I warned you Holly! You just don't listen. NEVER ask me that again .... please!" The last word was said in desperation rather than the forceful way she had said `Never'. Ash continued, "I want to get to the bottom of this so we can all move forward, do you agree?" Holly kept her head down and she nodded quickly. Silence befell the table but then Holly heard Ashleigh moving her chair and then she felt her friend put an arm round her shoulder. Holly immediately threw both arms around Ashleigh and they stayed there for a few moments before Ashleigh spoke again. "I don't forgive you Holly but I AM giving you a chance to help me find the truth...... And I AM sorry for hitting you again! And for the record, when you went to my house, if I am right, my dad didn't `work out' it was you. He already knew and played you like a fool!" Holly sniffed, "I deserve more than two hits! I deserve a lot more Ash, just for being stupid!" Ashleigh stood up and moved her chair back to the other side of the table, "Time will tell, Holly. Time will tell! Now go inside and clean your face. We are expecting a visitor." Holly lifted her head. "Who and where?" Ashleigh held up her phone to Holly. Her jaw dropped again as she saw the message Ash had sent. `DAD, MEET ME AT FACETIME COFFEE HOUSE AT TEN' "Now go and clean up. He will be here in twenty minutes and we have some preparing to do before he gets here" Ash said firmly. Holly nodded and did as she was asked. Mike James had just endured the best and the worst night of his life. He could not lie to himself, the sex with his incredibly sexy and perfect daughter had been exquisite but her message last night had destroyed him. How could he be so selfish and evil and cruel to his beloved daughter? His mind was in turmoil, he was a disgusting and perverted predator and he would escape luckily if his daughter refused to speak to him for the rest of his sick life. He had spent half of the night and this morning, vomiting and retching every time he looked at the message from last night, and when Ash had sent a message to meet, Mike wanted to just curl up and die. He contemplated whether he should ignore the message but finally decided to finally be a man and face his daughter who he had so eagerly defiled and raped less than a day before. He showered, kissed his wife and headed out of the house. As he walked up the High Street, he saw the two girls who were laid bare before him, such a short time ago, the two girls who used to lighten up his life when they walked in the room, the two girls who he lusted after for so long and now he walked like a condemned man, heading for his execution. He sat down without a word, unable to look either of them in the eye. "Do we not even get a Hello now?" Ash spat across the table, "Or are we wearing too many clothes for your liking? Maybe you'd like to rip these clothes from us?" "Ashleigh!" Her father said, trying to use authority in his voice but realising it was not the time or the place. Mike's voice softened, "Please don't say that Ash. Everything I did to you two was wrong but I never planned it to be like this, it got out of hand ....It got way out of hand!" Ash gave a smile of disbelief, "So, tell me dad .... no, wait .... I'm not sure I should even call you that anymore! Tell me, Mike, what part of this did you plan? Help me understand how you are a victim here because as far as I can remember, it was me and Holly who were tied up and fucked by you last night!" Mike knew that it was still not the place to take the moral high ground but he decided to lead with it anyway, "OK I want you to know the truth and I will tell you everything and maybe after that, we can discuss why you agreed, aged thirteen, to go to a sex shop and sell your bodies!" Ash and Holly both knew he had a point but Ashleigh was not going to let him talk down to her yet, "You first Mike, then we can decide which one will give mum the heart attack quickest!" Mike called the waitress over to the table and asked for a coffee and a large brandy. He had never been a drinker but if he was going to get through this day, he needed a stiff drink. The three sat in silence while they waited for his drink to arrive, Holly staring down at the table, Mike staring into thin air and Ashleigh, glaring at her father. The waitress brought the drinks and sensed the enormous tension between the three so made her escape quickly. Mike took a slug from the spirit glass and set it down. "OK, the truth!" He began, "Your mum and I have not been close, sexually, for a long, long time. This is not something I ever expected to tell you, but now it's important. We used to have a good sex life but since she turned forty, she just stopped being interested in me, no matter what I did. I do still love your mum but I still had needs. Now, before I say any more, and this is not to paint me in a better light, but all those times your mum stays at your Auntie's or is away with work, I am pretty confident that there is someone else. We have spoken about divorce, which breaks my heart, but we have always chosen to stay together for your sake, Ash. Now, I started going to the sex shop occasionally, watching the porn in the booths and that was OK for a while but it stopped having much effect on me. One day, Sky came onto me and I admit that I was flattered and I was weak and we did something in one of the booths" "You said the truth dad!" Ash said coldly. Mike sighed heavily and nodded, "She gave me a blow job!" Mike took another sip of the brandy, "I can't deny that it felt good. I am in my forties and she was this young, pretty girl who showed an interest. I AM human! Well after that, whenever I went down to the shop, which was every two weeks or so, she would do the same thing and I was truly happy to keep it at that. Then she started to talk about the `parties' she had there every now and again and she was talking about fantasies being lived out in them and it sounded fantastic but I was reluctant to go any further than I had already. She didn't pressure me but the next time I was there, she cajoled me into telling her my fantasies and they were of your mum and her friend when we were young. You probably won't believe me now but your mum and her friend were identical to how you and Holly look now and I told Sky that. She took it the wrong way and began to talk about it as you and Holly instead of your mum and her friend. I should have stopped her there but I confess, it was easier to think of you two than the girls from twenty-odd years ago. The fantasy grew and before I knew it, I was booked into a party. Again, I'm not going to lie, it was fun, a lot of fun. Sky was there with another girl and we .... and we had sex in the back room and they pretended to be your mum and her friend. She asked me afterwards if it was everything I wanted it to be and I told her that something was missing. She suggested I should stick to imagining it as my daughter and her mate instead. I should have stopped there!" Holly was watching the impassive face of Ashleigh, soften slightly. She looked over to Mike and he now seemed oblivious to the fact that he was telling his story to two teenagers so she said softly, "How did it come to involve us?" Mike picked up his coffee cup and took a long drink from it. He placed the cup back on the saucer and wiped his mouth with the small serviette. "It was a few weeks later that I received a text message to say that she had something special for me. I had no idea what she meant so I called her later that evening. She said she had a new girl that looked really young and was exactly how I had described my wife's friend from years ago and my daughter's friend from today. As wrong as it was, I couldn't say no and it was set up to happen in a couple of days. When I went in, there was this tiny Irish girl there, well at least I thought she was Irish, and she was gorgeous! I couldn't help myself but when she smiled, I was convinced it was Holly but told myself not to be so stupid as there was no way that Holly would do this. Well, you both know what the truth was there, but when Holly turned up the next day, obviously my mind was back in the sex shop and as I spoke to Holly, two plus two suddenly became four and when I opened her jacket to see that incredible, see through top, I just had to have her again and to be fair, she seemed to want it too!" Holly blushed as Ashleigh looked her in the eye. The blonde girl shrugged, "It's true, I'm sorry!" Ash shook her head and closed her eyes. Mike thought it better to continue, "From that point, I am very guilty. I told Holly that I wanted you. My fantasies had moved to another level and to be actually living out the dream with Holly sent me over the edge. At the time, I confess that I felt no remorse and, not that I am trying to pass ANY blame, Holly's enthusiasm made my crazy mind think that you would enjoy it too!" "Did you not say anything to Sky when you found out it was me?" Asked Holly, who was now seeing a darker side to the girl who she thought, loved her. "Yes I did" Mike answered defensively, "She said she had no idea how close to my fantasy she had stumbled upon. I thought it was a big coincidence but I was still on such a high, I let it go. I should have been more aware that she was playing me when, just a few days later, she called me to say that all of my dreams were going to come true. You asked for honesty Ash, are you sure that's what you want?" Ashleigh felt a tear forming in her eye. She wanted to run away and this whole conversation felt surreal, so she swallowed hard and with a faltering voice she said, "Everything!" Mike folded his hands in his lap and he spoke to the top of the table, he just couldn't look into either of the girls' eyes. "Sky told me straight that you wanted to join Holly. That was the point that I should have swallowed my pride and confronted you about it and confessed to what I had done with Holly but I didn't. I just saw visions of you .... Jesus, this is hard .... I saw visions of you naked .... with me and I just said yes. Ashleigh, I never wanted to hurt you and whether you believe me or not, my initial fantasy was still true and I really was trying to relive the good times of my past but when I saw you in that room, I realised that the fantasy changed in a split second because .... well because your body .... you were just perfection and that was why I used your real names. I was .... shit I was out of control, I am so, so sorry! That is the truth, every bit of it!" Ashleigh sat silently for a moment and she looked Holly in the eye. Holly didn't break contact but she wasn't going to be the one to speak first. She didn't want another smack. Ash moved her gaze to Mike who was now looking very sheepish but Ashleigh certainly wasn't feeling any sympathy. She pondered her next question carefully because she didn't want any ambiguity in either the question or its answer. "Remembering your promise of honesty," she began, "And also that you cannot possibly hurt me any more than you already have .... Do you regret what you have done?" Mike saw the loaded question which was now hanging in the air, more like a loaded gun. He controlled the trigger and it was pointed at his head. "If you are asking me whether I regret hurting you, then the answer is one hundred percent yes. For hurting my princess, I want to die. You mean more to me than anything else in my life and I will spend the rest of my life regretting hurting you! Do I feel guilty about being unfaithful to your mum? Yes I do but I am not the only guilty party in our marriage. Sorry, but that is a fact!" Ash knew there was more, "And .....?" Mike sighed the sigh of a man stepping onto the gallows, "If you ask me if I regretted taking pleasure from it .... that would be a no. You two girls are everything that is wonderful about the female body, perfection, tenderness and beauty which far outweighs anything I have ever seen, smelt and touched in my entire life. That doesn't excuse how wrong I was and I may carry the guilt and shame of hurting you, both of you but I will have those images burnt onto my brain for eternity. I'm sorry again, but you asked for the truth!" Holly looked at Ashleigh, "Can I ask an honest question?" Ash nodded. "I don't want Ashleigh to get annoyed with me now and I know this question isn't really relevant right now but, why did Mrs James stop fuc ...." Holly stopped herself from being coarse, "Why did Mrs James stop making love to you?" Holly should have stopped the question there but `putting her foot in it' was her speciality, "I mean, you are so good at it!" "OH FOR CHRIST'S SAKE HOLLY!" Ashleigh yelled Holly instantly began to defend her question but Mike shushed both of them, "It's probably not the right question for now Holly, Ash is right and I am certainly not deserving of any flattery. My wife just stopped liking sex, or should I say, she stopped liking sex with me. I have no idea what changed and despite it all, I still love her dearly. I know there has been someone else in her life, I don't know if that is still the case but whatever her situation, she doesn't deserve for me to use our daughter, or her friend, for my sordid pleasure." Silence fell again. This time, nobody wanted to break it and they all took a drink from their cups. Holly and Mike both looked over to Ash, this was her meeting, she had suffered the most and it was for her to be the judge, jury and executioner. It was hard for her to be calm at the moment but she knew the whole situation was not as it first seemed. When she spoke, she spoke very slowly and deliberately. "We have a table of three idiots. The blonde who fell for the charm of a manipulative pimp, the man who was partly coerced and partly jumped at the chance of incest and the girl who was conned by all three." Nobody seemed to want to comment or argue with her conclusion so Ashleigh continued, "I'm still not sure if I could ever trust you again Holly because you lied to me. Sky may have engineered it all and tricked you into thinking it was your idea but you still led me to the altar like a sacrificial lamb." Holly nodded, Ash was right. She hung her head and wept. Ashleigh looked at her dad for a moment and then looked into the distance as she made judgement on herself, "I've been the biggest idiot and probably the worst friend in the world!" Both sets of eyes looked at her again, "A true friend would have stopped the other from selling her body to strangers, however thrilling it was. A bad friend would join in with it and yes, I did go along for the thrill but the money was also attractive. At thirteen, that is hardly a good idea is it? Even after going through with it, if I had any sort of common sense, I should have stopped before my own father had a chance to touch me, but I didn't so I accept that I am not an innocent victim here!" Ashleigh then turned in her seat so she was looking at, and facing her father. "And you! Where do we begin? You entered on a dirty cheating path on my mother, you fuck my best friend and go back for seconds and then you knowingly arrange to have me, in every way imaginable. How can I justify any part of that? If we are all being truly honest, I did it, at first, because didn't want to break a promise to Sky, I didn't want to let her down but, being honest, I have to confess my own sordid mind, I did enjoy parts of it." Ashleigh looked away, her eyes welling up with tears. Mike moved his hand to comfort her but she pulled away, "Please don't! Every part of it was wrong Dad, from you even looking at me in that way, to me actually getting some pleasure from any part of it! When it was over I felt sick to the core but I kept getting visions of you being inside me and being thrilled by that. How can I ever be normal after this? How can I ever see you as my caring father again if I look at you and imagine your dick inside me?" Ash's tears took over and she brushed off her dad's hand again. The trio sat in silence for another few minutes before Mike decided it was up to him to fall on his sword, "Ashleigh, there is nothing I can say which will make this any better but I will say that I love you. I love you as my daughter and that will never change. If you want me to tell mum about this, I will. If you want me to leave home, I will. I will do ANYTHING you want me to do if you think I can help YOU! I have fucked up, big time and despite the fact that I was led into this, I didn't stop it when I could have and that meant I let you down and I hurt you. Maybe not now but when you decide, just tell me and I will do it." Holly took over, "Same for me Ash, I love you so much and I can't imagine life without you but I've hurt you so badly, I'll do anything to make it right, anything!" Ash knew she needed to get away. "It's too much for now. I can say that I am happier to know the truth and that Sky was the mastermind who laughed at the three Muppets sat at this table, but I really can't be with you two right now. I will be home later but please don't try to speak to me, Dad" Mike nodded, put a ten pound note on the table to cover the drinks and walked away. Holly sat, unsure as to what she should do and she looked over towards Ash for a clue. She saw a wry smile cross her friend's face and given the last five minutes, it worried Holly. "Why are you smiling?" she asked cautiously. Ash laughed at the stupidity of her next comment, "Only you! Only Holly could tell my dad that he was a good fuck, when I was trying to make him feel guilty!" Holly stifled her laugh, "Well you said we had to be honest!" She was thankful for a break in the tension but she was still nervous around Ashleigh at the moment. "There can be a limit, even to honesty, Holly!" Ashleigh's face lost the smile. Holly took a chance, "You did enjoy it .... didn't you?" Ash put her head down and Holly had no idea whether she was going to snap again. She was about to ask the question again but thought better of it. Ash lifted her head again and tears were streaming down her face, "That's what makes all this so hard, Holly. Every emotion in me is fucked up because I should feel dirty and used and horrible, but I don't, I just don't but I can't tell HIM that, can I?" Holly moved to go and hold her friend but Ash put her hand up, yet again, to stop Holly. "I need to go!" Ash said quietly, "I need time to think and I don't think I'm going to be able to do it with you right now" Holly agreed and kept as calm as she could. She didn't want to cry again now because she knew that she didn't deserve any sympathy from Ashleigh. She did call after Ash as she started to walk away, hopeful of preserving something of their friendship, "Call me if you need anything, anytime, OK?" Ashleigh just raised a hand and waved. Holly was grateful for that. Holly sat alone at the cafe table. There was nobody else sat on the terrace and Holly suddenly felt very alone, a different loneliness to being sat with nobody else, she suddenly felt like she had nowhere to go. The reality had been made clear to her and as she sat with her thoughts, she felt so incredibly stupid, falling for Sky's trickery. She genuinely believed that Sky had real feelings for her but how could she go back there, knowing that it all began as a well orchestrated trick to get her and Ashleigh to sleep with Mike. The young waitress came out and rested her hand, gently on Holly's shoulder. "Are you OK love?" The girl asked. She had seen the slap which Ash had delivered and Holly's cheek was still red. As the girl looked closer, she saw the stitches and angry looking cut through Holly's short hair and she drew breath sharply through her teeth, "Looks like you've been in the wars!" Holly smiled at the girl, she knew she meant well, "Yeah it has been a tough twenty four hours" "Can I get you anything else?" Holly thought about leaving the cafe but realised, she didn't have anywhere to go, no friends to visit, no place to be. It felt like her life was about to become a much quieter one. "I think I need a hot chocolate!" she said, resigned to her fate. The waitress understood fully. Ashleigh walked for the next hour. She wasn't going anywhere, she was just walking. She knew that she had solved the puzzle and the blame could, for the most part, be placed at Sky's door but her own gullibility was driving her mad. Why did she not see what was in front of her face all along? Why did she agree to it all so easily? These thoughts and questions went round and round her mind but even Ashleigh knew they were a smoke screen. These self deprecating thoughts were hiding the bigger question and she scolded herself mentally for putting off her answering it, a question which would eat at her sanity if she didn't face up to the truth. Why, oh why did she enjoy the sex with her dad so much? In reality, she knew that there wasn't an answer which could really settle her mind, it was just good sex with a handsome, fit guy. The obvious problem being that he was in his forties and was her father! An even harder fact was that she would have to find a resolution or closure to this before she could even think about moving on and accepting the offer of a date from Katie. Oh, sweet Katie! Ash managed a little inward smile as she thought about waking up with such a pretty and genuine person but that felt so long ago, despite the fact that it was less than five hours ago. Ash needed a small diversion so she took out her phone and sent Katie a little text. `HI THERE, IT'S ASHLEIGH. THANKS AGAIN FOR LAST NIGHT. I WOKE UP A MUCH HAPPIER PERSON THANKS TO YOU. I HAVE BEGUN TO WORK OUT MY PROBLEMS AND I HOPE TO BE MUCH CLEARER AND SMILEY IN A DAY OR SO. I DO HOPE YOUR OFFER OF A DATE STILL STANDS BECAUSE THAT WOULD MAKE ME EVEN SMILIER, IF THAT IS EVEN A WORD. THANKS AGAIN AND GREAT KISSER BY THE WAY! XXX' As she pressed the send button, Ashleigh felt a warm glow wash over her and for the second time that day, just from thinking about Katie. She began to think much calmer and the answers came much easier. She had been walking around in circles in the city so she took stock of where she was, turned and ran back to the cafe where she had left Holly. She didn't expect to see her still there, but knowing her friend so well, she knew Holly would be feeling pretty lost right now. Ashleigh ran at full belt around the final corner and her relief was immense as she saw Holly, sat in the same seat, watching the world go by. Holly spun round as she heard the fast approaching footsteps and fear gripped her as a red faced Ashleigh came up to her at speed. Ash stopped next to Holly and tried to speak but was completely out of breath. Holly spoke nervously. "Are you OK? .... Has something happened?" Ash threw her arms around a confused Holly, "Yes, something HAS happened, I've forgiven you!" Holly immediately squeezed Ashleigh, like never before. She didn't care how or why, well not right now, but she had thought she may never hear those words and was elated. Ash broke the embrace and held Holly's face in her hands, "Life's too short Holly! I know you would have NEVER hurt me on purpose and this was just a bad call from you! I realised that you are my best friend in the world and if I turned my back on that, my world would be a lot worse for it. As for my dad, well he deserves to be loved and my mum is letting him down on that. He was still wrong, he shouldn't have done it but I can live with WHY he did it, now!" Ashleigh paused and smiled a broad grin at Holly, "And we both found a good benchmark on what a proper fuck feels like now too!" Both girls laughed hard at Ashleigh's last comment but soon settled down again. Holly kissed Ashleigh on the lips, "Thanks Ash! You will never regret this, I promise. I just hope .... I really hope that I've not broken anything between you and your dad. I was stupid for going there again, I just couldn't help myself!" Ash took a deep breath, "I'm glad you did!" Holly looked bemused but Ash continued, "I've been too blind to see that my dad's been unhappy for years but doesn't everyone deserve to be happy? OK, he shouldn't have done it, and we shouldn't have agreed to any sex for money but guess what? It happened! I'm not going to let it eat me up Holly, I can't! We were ALL wrong, but we have all learnt something from it and hopefully we will all be stronger from it!" The confusion was still plastered over Holly's face and it came out in her voice, "Ashleigh, what happened? I mean, you were livid last night, quite rightly, and you were still pissed today but inside an hour, no offense, but you are a different person!" Ash explained about Katie and how she realised that some things are just meant to happen and if none of the events with Sky, the sex shop and her dad had taken place, she wouldn't have met her so why dwell on the bad things when you can live for tomorrow? As she finished talking, she expected Holly to be happy but the smaller teen looked far from being over the moon. "Have I missed something?" Ashleigh asked innocently. "No you haven't Ash, it's just me being silly! It's all my fault. Just a couple of weeks ago I was having great fun with my three best mates. I start to date Jack and I was so happy but then he fucks off with Flic. I then think that Sky is in love with me but she was using me to hurt you and now I have nobody! I guess I'm just getting what I deserve!" Ashleigh held her friend closer. She had forgiven Holly completely and now she felt real sympathy for her and she thought back on her own words and repeated them, "Everyone deserves to be happy, Holly!" "What do you mean by that?" Ash stroked Holly's back as she whispered into her friend's ear, "I know of a really nice guy who really thinks a lot of you, is quite low and lonely at the moment and I know you would get on!" Holly was getting used to being confused at the moment, "Who is tha ...... No, you are kidding me! Please don't joke about that Ash!" Ashleigh looked at Holly, deadly serious, "Who's joking?" Holly couldn't believe her ears. "Are you now TELLING ME to do stuff with your dad?" Ashleigh put her hands in the air, "I'm not TELLING you to do anything! I'm just saying that he is lonely and I know you like him ..... And .... I guess I am giving you my blessing .... that's all!" Holly was stunned but it was too much, too soon for her brain to handle, "Thanks Ash, but let me sleep on it, OK?" The girls linked as they walked away from the cafe, neither had expected a conclusion to come easily but they were both happy to be walking off as friends again. Despite holding a conversation with Ash as they walked, Holly's mind was all over the place. Her life had changed so much over the last few weeks and to say that she was in a state of confusion was putting it mildly. She had teased Ashleigh relentlessly, for years, about her father being a sexy guy and now, Ashleigh had given her blessing to .... to what? To date her dad? To sleep with him? What? Holly was only thirteen, still at an age where Barbie dolls should be important, not relationships with men who were three times her age. More importantly, he was married to Ashleigh's mum! Did Ash not care? Holly decided that it was not the time to go over this with her, it was all still too confusing but she couldn't hide a particular fact from her mind, the idea of being with Mike again, was thrilling to say the least. Holly asked Ash where they were going. The answer hit every emotion in Holly. They were going to see Mike. Mike had got home to an empty house. Ashleigh's mum had gone out to her sister's, again. Mike had learnt to dismiss any thoughts about where his wife was, ever since he found a series of very incriminating messages on her phone. He knew he had lost her love, many years ago but the thought of divorce and splitting up their family, was not an idea he wanted to entertain. Maybe that was different now that he had revealed the truth to Ashleigh. He felt sick again as he thought about the meeting at the cafe, had he lost his daughter forever? When he heard the front door open, Mike prayed that it was his wife but he soon Heard Holly asking to use the bathroom and his heart sank, expecting the worst. He stood from his chair and he paced the carpet in the living room, waiting for Ashleigh to enter the room and deliver his sentence. As the door opened, Mike wiped his sweaty palms on the side of his jeans. Ash appeared and their eyes met, Mike feeling like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck, expecting a decision which would change his life for the worse. Ashleigh paused, seeing the desolation and misery on her dad's face, she knew she had made the right decision. Ash stepped slowly across the room and stood at arm's length from Mike. She looked deep into his sad eyes and spoke softly, "I don't think I will ever understand what really happened. I can't and don't want to get into everyone's heads to know what was going on but I do know that we all made stupid mistakes. I realised that, although part of me wishes it never happened, I also realise that in some way, I don't regret that it DID happen. In short, what I am saying is, I forgive you Daddy!" The father and daughter fell into each other's arms and hugged like they had never hugged before. Mike's speech was incoherent apart from his million thank-yous. When he finally released Ash, she told him that there was something else which she needed to ask of him. Naturally, Mike said he would do anything for her so she sat him down on the settee, worried he may fall over when he heard the next words to come from her lips. "Holly will be downstairs in a minute and she is in a very bad place right now!" Mike glanced over to the empty doorway and then back to Ash and whispered, "What's up and how can I help?" Ash held her dad's hand tightly, "She is feeling very alone and abandoned and she feels like she has nobody but .... but .... Oh God this is difficult for me!" Ash drew breath deeply, "She obviously really liked being with you and I want you to make her happy!" Mike's jaw fell open and was desperately looking for a punch line but none was coming, "After all of this, are you serious?" "Do you not like her?" "Well, yes, of course I do but .... but ...." Mike ran out of words. "I only have one condition!" Ash said and as her dad was obviously unable to speak, she carried on, "As long as you can want her for her, no fantasies, no history and no thoughts of me, you have my blessing to love her and look after her! I have realised that we all need to be happy Dad! I think you can make her happy!" Mike found his voice, "But what about her age? What about your mum?" Ash smiled, "Not my problem Dad, but for the first, be careful and for the second, it's your call but I will support you, whatever you decide to do!" Mike held his daughter close again and kissed her cheek, "Thanks Ash, I love you!" "I love you too, but now I have to go!" As Ashleigh reached the living room door, Holly came down the stairs. Ash kissed Holly fully on the lips and told her she had to leave. Holly turned to follow her but Ash stopped her, "No, I think you two need to talk." Holly's eyes pleaded that she should go with Ash but she just kissed Holly again and whispered, "Go on, it's OK, be happy!" Holly took a step into the living room as Ashleigh left the house and closed the door. Holly looked at the carpet as she spoke, "Do you want to look after me and make me happy? I can always just go!" Mike strode across the room and swept Holly off her feet and into his arms, "Holly, you have no idea of how proud I would be to be allowed to make you happy! Are you SURE that is what you want?" Holly had her arms around Mike's neck and looked all over his rugged, handsome face. His smile covered every single millimetre of it and Holly decided to let her actions speak for her and she pulled his lips closer to her own and melted into him as they met. Mike carried her into the hall, clicked the lock on the front door and walked slowly upstairs. He had no intentions of using Ashleigh's room this time, he wanted Holly to share HIS bed this time, and every other time in the future, of which he saw many! Mike laid the teen on the bed and sat next to her, "Are you sure this is what you want? I don't want to hurt you?" Holly said nothing. She stood up from the bed and began to unbutton her shirt, "As I came over here, I wasn't so sure but now I know three things. I know I don't want to cry anymore, I know how good you can make me feel and I'm pretty damned sure you can look after those things from now on!" As Holly undid the last button, she pulled her shirt open slightly and revealed the soft, milky white skin of her belly and the divine, braless space between her small breasts, the mounds of which were just becoming visible as the material parted. Mike gasped and pulled her closer and kissed her chest softly. Holly purred at his touch and breathlessly asked him to take her to bed and make love to her. Within seconds, both were naked and Mike pulled back the covers on the bed and watched as the tiny bottom of Holly scrambled over to the far side and then she turned to face him. They immediately cuddled closely under the quilt and it already felt different to both of them. Before, they had been naked for nothing other than carnal lust and sex, now it was an air of romance, affection and dare they think, loving? They held and caressed each other slowly, kissed passionately and when Holly pulled Mike on top of her and guided his cock towards her warm, wet hole, she just knew that everything was going to be OK. Mike could not contain his feelings and when he felt the tight, fleshy sheath envelop his cock, he kissed Holly hard. He knew this was still wrong, he knew she was too young, he knew he could still get into such big trouble but that didn't matter. He wanted this moment to never end and he was already working out ways to keep this beautiful girl in his life. He had made so many mistakes but, as he made love to Holly, he was already working on making this his new life. His passion and his thrusting grew, the teen beneath him wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and her little hands pulled his bum even closer as he bottomed out inside her sweet pussy and her excitement was clear as her orgasm began in record time. Mike held her close and rolled over, and Holly immediately sat up and began to bounce harder on his fat, stiff rod, revelling in the throes of ecstasy. Mike's hands moved swiftly to the hard, pale pink nipples and massaged them softly, relishing in the sweet flesh of the girl who was making him feel like a King. She was fully in the grip of a shuddering orgasm and her squeals were at a fever pitch. Mike knew he couldn't hold out for very long and as he felt his balls begin to tighten, he felt Holly lift off him. He cried out for her to get back on but she had other plans. Holly's sweet lips wrapped around the engorged, throbbing head of his manhood, just as the first thick blasts erupted from it. She gulped down his manly seed and slurped on the copious amounts of her juices which covered his prick. The pair moaned loudly as their pleasure had found its peak and Holly continued a slow, sensuous pleasuring of Mike as she drained every last drop of his come, savouring each morsel on her tongue for a few moments before she allowed it to slide down her throat. Eventually, she crawled back up Mike's body and lay on his chest, nose to nose with her best friend's dad. "Are we ever going to get over the weird bit of this?" Holly asked with a little concern. Mike wrapped his arms around the tiny body on top of him and kissed her lips gently, "It's never going to be easy for so many reasons Holly but as long as we both WANT it to happen, we can make it OK! And trust me, I really want it to happen!" Holly ground her pussy against Mike's semi hard cock as she looked seductively into his eyes. There was no humour in her mind as she did so, just an overwhelming horniness, "Oh, it's gonna happen and .... and I hope you don't have any plans for the next few hours!" As Ashleigh walked away from her house, she had expected to feel some regret for allowing her friend to carry on with some sort of relationship with her dad, but nothing. She smiled, realising that her conscience was clear and she hoped they would both be happy with each other. Her mind wandered slightly as she remembered the amazing feelings of her dad making love .... no, not making love .... of her dad fucking her. She quickly shook off the memories. However good it had felt, that was a pool that she could only swim in once, she could never go back. Ashleigh sighed as she let the memories fade and she dug into her jacket pocket for her phone. She hadn't looked at it since she sent the message to Katie and she mentally scolded herself when she saw that there was a message waiting. `HELLO SWEET GIRL! TO SAY I WAS SURPRISED WHEN YOU KISSED ME THIS MORNING IS THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE CENTURY AND WHEN I SAW YOUR INCREDIBLE BODY ... WOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!! THE OFFER OF A DATE STANDS YES YES YES YES YES ANYTIME YOU WANT BUT I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY AND READY. IN THE MEANTIME IF YOU NEED TO TALK, YOU KNOW WHERE I AM AND NO MATTER WHAT YOU PROBLEMS ARE, I WILL BE THERE FOR YOU. I AM A GOOD JUDGE OF CHARACTER AND I KNOW YOU ARE WORTH THE WAIT. XXX' Ashleigh beamed as she read the message. She did feel a little apprehension when she read the bit `No matter what your problems are' because her story was far from normal but she decided there and then that she would tell Katie everything, she didn't want any lies, Katie deserved the truth after her genuine, selfless kindness. Ashleigh thought long and hard about her next, simple message. `YOU ARE VERY KIND! THANK YOU! AND THANKS TO YOU, I THINK I HAVE SORTED THINGS OUT ALREADY. IT IS TOO HARD TO EXPLAIN IN A TEXT BUT IN ONE NIGHT, YOU GAVE ME A WHOLE NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT MY LIFE AND I HAVE CHANGED THINGS IN A WAY I NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE. I DON'T WANT TO SOUND TOO EAGER BUT I AM FREE FOR THE DATE NOW!' As Ashleigh had pressed the send button on her phone, the butterflies in her stomach were threatening to burst out her belly like a scene from the movie Alien. She gripped her phone in her hand as she continued to walk, willing it to beep with a return message. She realised that this would be her first ever date with someone and as much as it was exciting, she would have never thought it would have been a girl to ask her out before a guy. She had no qualms about it though, it just felt so right. BEEP BEEP Ashleigh stopped walking. She held her finger over the button to accept the message, teasing herself with the wait, her heart pounding with the excitement. `WOW, YOU WORK QUICKLY, I AM IMPRESSED! I FINISH WORK IN AN HOUR, MEET ME THERE AND WE CAN GO AND GET SOMETHING TO EAT. AS I ASKED YOU OUT, IT IS MY TREAT! AS LONG AS THAT ISN'T TOO SOON FOR YOU? I REALLY DON'T WANT TO RUSH YOU BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH A LOT. IT IS ENTIRELY UP TO YOU! XXX' Ashleigh wanted to reply quickly this time to make sure that Katie knew exactly how she felt. Her fingers flew across the screen. `AN HOUR IS GOOD. HALF AN HOUR WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER! ENOUGH SAID?' Katie also replied quickly with a winking smiley face and a kiss. Ashleigh felt on top of the world and she set off towards McDonald's. She arrived over half an hour early but she couldn't see Katie behind the counter. Ash went in and ordered a McFlurry and sat over in one corner of the restaurant. She took out her phone and just tried to kill some time but within five minutes, a soft voice behind her made her spin round. "Couldn't wait?" Katie said. As Ash turned around to see the gentle features of her new friend, she automatically strained her neck upwards to accept a soft, yet electrifying kiss. It lasted a few moments too long to be a friendly greeting and it was met with wolf whistles from a table of lads in their twenties. Both girls blushed and Katie's manager called for her immediately. Katie spoke quickly, "Whoops! See you in about twenty minutes, gorgeous girl!" With that she was gone and Ash was left on her own again, with four sets of very jealous eyes watching from two tables away but the smile on her face said how much she was bothered. The audience knew it as well! By the time Katie came back to the table, she had already changed into her normal clothes in the staff changing room. She was wearing black denim jeans and a red t-shirt. To keep out the cold, she had a short leather jacket and Ashleigh suddenly had visions of this girl looking very good on a motorbike. Katie offered Ashleigh her hand and said, "Would Mademoiselle like to join me?" Ash took her hand graciously and when they left the restaurant, the girls linked arms as they walked. "Where are we going?" Ash asked "Well, as we didn't have much warning, I won't take you to a five star restaurant tonight!" Katie said in her poshest voice. "Oh God, I'm sorry!" Ash began, "Do you want to do it another night?" She suddenly felt very awkward, as if she had rushed Katie into the date. Katie laughed, "Don't be silly! I couldn't be happier, honestly! There is a lovely Italian place just down here, I hope you like it!" Ashleigh relaxed a little and decided to be honest from the start, "Sorry! It's just that this is my first ever, real date!" Katie was surprised but realising Ashleigh's age, she knew she shouldn't have been. She brought the girls to a halt and turned Ashleigh to face her and put her arms around the younger girl's shoulders. "In that case, I had better make sure that it is a date to remember!" Katie then pulled Ashleigh closer and their lips met. The need for the kiss was mutual and their tongues met quickly and both girls melted into each other. For each of the girls, the world around them ceased to exist as their tongues and mouths did all of their communications. When they eventually broke from the kiss, both felt light headed and there was a mutual understanding of how right it felt. They linked again in silence as they continued towards the Italian restaurant. The waiter guided the girls to a small, private booth and Katie ordered a bottle of house wine. Ashleigh had often had wine with her dinner when she ate out with her parents but this felt a little more illicit but grown up at the same time. The waiter had seated them opposite each other but on Katie's insistence, Ash moved herself around so they could sit next to each other instead. Both agreed that this was much cosier. The wine arrived while they were still looking through the menu and they clinked glassed and kissed again before they each took a sip of their drink. They ordered their food and then Ashleigh turned to Katie and held her hand before she spoke, "I want to tell you everything, not only because I want to but I think you NEED to know everything so you can decide whether you really want to date me!" Katie looked a little confused but Ashleigh was pleased to see that she didn't sound concerned, "Why would I NOT want to date you, Ashleigh?" Ash squeezed Katie's hand a little tighter, "I don't know, maybe you will think I have had too complicated a time? I don't know!" "If you have, you are not the only one! Trust me!" For two hours, the girls shared their lives and their food with nothing being omitted. Naturally, Ash was not going to go into intimate details of the tree house but she did reveal most of the details and Katie managed to fill in the saucier parts in her mind. When Ashleigh reached the part about Sky and the sex shop, she watched Katie closely, looking for horror and disgust in her eyes but she only saw compassion on her face and that grew as Ashleigh began to cry. Katie comforted her and told her she didn't need to continue but Ashleigh insisted, saying that she wanted to exorcise those demons so she could move forward. Katie listened patiently and was touched when she realised that her own words and actions had led Ashleigh to her answers. Katie just felt even closer as Ash finished her story and she told her as much. Katie then went on to tell her own story of abuse. She had been attacked on a regular basis by an uncle but none of that had been wanted, encouraged or consensual. When she told her parents she wasn't believed and she endured it for six years until someone finally heard her voice and did something about it. Katie had not had any relationships with men since that time and while she wasn't `anti-men' she didn't feel like she wanted to go down that road just yet and she had since found the pleasures of being with a woman to be more than satisfactory. She had just ended a nine month relationship with a woman who was eight years older than her and it had finished because the woman had gone back to her husband. Katie had been devastated by the break-up and had vowed to stay single but when Ashleigh had walked into McDonald's, she had known, God knows how, but she had definitely known that this girl was something special, even though she hadn't known that she was interested in women. After that confession, Katie brought her story to an end. Both girls sipped on the last of their wine and Ashleigh was the first to speak. "So, do you still want me?" She asked softly, knowing the answer but still wanting to hear it from Katie's lips, those sweet, sexy lips. A tear of happiness welled in Katie's eye, "More than ever!" The tear escaped and ran down Katie's cheek, landing at the edge of her broad smile. The girls fell into each other's arms, neither felt like they would ever want to let go. They didn't kiss, they just held each other and sighed. They had both unburdened themselves of their stories and felt even more of a bond because of it, both feeling that they belonged in the arms of the other. As the embrace finally ended, Ash gave Katie a small peck on the lips, "So, where does our date go from here? Would it be bad if I said I wanted it to go back to your place?" Katie answered with three words, "Waiter! Bill please!" The wine had made both girls very giggly and they bundled through Katie's bedsit door twenty minutes later. As the door closed behind them, they fell quickly into another sensual kiss but Katie soon broke it, "You have no idea how much I want to keep kissing you but I do need a shower to wash off eight hours of McDonald's! I'd offer to share a shower but a) it is our first date and b) my neighbours would never let me live it down!" Ash replied quickly, "Well, first date or not, I would have loved to share one with you! Secondly, I could do with one as well and .... does this mean I get to stay with you and .... see the goods now?" Katie pulled Ashleigh close again, "Damned right you can see the goods now! And as for staying, I don't ever want you to leave!" Another quick kiss and Katie grabbed her shower stuff and went down the hallway to the bathroom. She hated having to share a bathroom and already, she was thinking that she needed to find a better place to share with her new friend, and dare she say girlfriend? Katie liked that idea. Katie was back in her room quickly and the girls did a relay race change-over. Ash took the toiletries bag and a Katie gave her a fresh towel. Ashleigh showered quickly, putting her hair up into a bobble to prevent it from getting wet. Her excitement helped her to be quick and she was soon making her way down the corridor, back to Katie's room. As she went to knock on the door, she realised that it was ajar. She pushed the door and saw that the only light in the room was from two candles, over by the television. She entered the room and clicked the door closed behind her and as she looked over to the bed, Katie sat up with the covers held to her chest, "Come on sexy, I've made the bed a little warmer for you!" Ashleigh placed her towel and the toiletries down on the chair and moved over to the bed, "If you are in the bed, it isn't warm, it's smokin' hot!" "Oooh, good answer!" Said Katie, "Now come and join me, if you still want to!" Ash pulled the big, baggy nightshirt over her head and stood naked in the room. Katie wolf-whistled and pulled the covers back, revealing her own naked form to Ashleigh for the first time. Katie had a slightly fuller figure to Ashleigh, not fat, no way was she fat and the sexy curves called to Ash and she slowly clambered onto the bed and lay herself next to Katie. The warmth of her body made Ashleigh purr like a contented cat and their arms and legs became instantly entwined like a complex, creeping vine and their hands began a long, slow and thorough search of every contour. The previous night had been an exercise in care and protection, tonight was caressing and passion and there was lots of it. Both girls were panting harder and harder as they kissed and when they finally broke they just stared at each other's faces in the faint candle light. Ash felt emboldened like never before and she rolled Katie onto her back, "Well, you let me see the goods, which I like a LOT! But now, I need to examine them a little closer!" Katie bit her bottom lip in a smile and when Ash began to move lower, the sensation of the teen breasts sliding down her body and a trail of delicate kisses snaking to her own tits, was too much and she grabbed a pillow to place over her face in a vain attempt to stifle her moans. Ash was in awe of Katie's incredible boobs. Even when she was laid down, they stood proud, firm and at least a full cup larger than Ashleigh's. She massaged, kissed and nibbled on both of them as she inadvertently ground her crotch against Katie's leg. She felt proud of the approving sounds coming from her new lover and when she finally had her fill of the bullet-like nipples, she continued her ultra-delicate kisses down the firm belly in front of her and slowly became aware of the sweet and musk aroma of Katie's juices. Ashleigh's fingers reached their goal first and as soon as they touched the soft, tiny folds of her pussy lips, Ash was instantly aware of how well her ministrations had been received so far. Katie was wetter than she had ever felt before and the anticipation was clearly driving her wild. Ash could wait no longer and pushed her face hard at the prize, her tongue plunging deep, eliciting a scream of joy from Katie. The taste was pure nectar and Ash was hooked. She began a furious tongue lashing all around the whole area, occasionally stopping to torture the nerve endings in the small but deliciously hard clit. She gave Katie a slow finger fucking, first with one finger, then two, then three. Katie was almost sobbing with pleasure and she lost control of her hands, unsure whether to keep hold of the cushion to stop the neighbours complaining or to grip onto the sheets or to pull Ashleigh deeper into her. Katie's excitement had been there since the text messages and she knew she was falling in love with this girl when they were eating dinner, but this was beyond anything she could have ever imagined from a thirteen year old schoolgirl. If dinner had been an opening symphony, this was the ultimate, orchestral finale and the crescendo was building. Every fibre of Katie's body was entering meltdown and when Ash sensed the impending orgasm, she doubled her attention to the pulsing clit, biting, sucking and teasing until Katie's yelps went into overdrive and her whole body began to spasm and convulse as she hit the absolute maximum of pleasure that any mere mortal could take. Ashleigh slowed as the body in front of her shook like aftershocks from an earthquake. The copious juices still flowed and she drank from them like her life depended upon it and the purrs from the owner said she had done her job well. She would have stayed there all night, forever in fact, but Katie pulled her up the bed. "That was amazing!" Katie panted, still shaking like a leaf. She kissed Ash tenderly, tasting herself on the other girl's lips, "I'm not sure I could ever repay that, but I'm happy to die trying!" Ash put her head on Katie's shoulder and pulled her close, "You don't have to repay anything, just don't let me go!" "I'm never going to let go of you! And .... and I know it's too early to be saying it but, I think .... I think ..." Ash put a finger on Katie's lip, "Shhhh ..... I know!" Epilogue – Six years later .... Holly was getting flustered, "Stephen! I thought you loved me! How could you do this to me, today of all days! We are never going to make it to the wedding at this rate!" Holly was dressed in her beautiful, flowing red dress, her make-up done and now, the day seemed to be falling apart. At that moment, Mike walked into the room. "Hey Holly, relax! I'll change his nappy, no problem! Wow! You look amazing baby!" Stephen gurgled as his daddy picked him up and flew him, Superman style, to the changing mat. Mike hadn't really planned on having another child but Holly had wanted one and he wanted to make Holly's life perfect. They had been married for nearly three years now and Stephen was going to be two in a few weeks. Life was pretty damned good. Mike finished changing Stephen and put his jacket on so father and son were wearing matching tuxedos. Mike put Stephen onto the settee where his attention was soon taken by Big Bird and Sesame Street and he began his usual chatter at the television. Mike took his wife's hands and looked at her in her fine clothes. Holly had kept her spiky blonde hair from years ago and pregnancy had given her a slightly larger chest but nothing else had changed in her shape. She was still incredibly pretty and if it was possible, Mike loved her more than ever, "I really am the luckiest man alive!" Holly batted her eyelids, feigning innocence and then broke out into her trademark smile which Mike had loved for much longer than was proper. They kissed, careful not to smudge Holly's make-up and then prepared to leave. As they arrived at the church, they were asked if they were with the bride or groom. Holly chuckled at the usher and he guided them towards the bride's side of the church. There weren't many in the church but Holly knew that the reception would be a lot busier. The happy couple had insisted on having only the closest of friends at the ceremony. As they were about to take their seats, Holly heard someone calling her name. She spun round to see Jack bounding across the church and they met with a huge hug. Jack made a fuss of Stephen as his own son toddled up behind him. Jack had married Kelly just a few weeks after Holly had married Mike, his flirtation with a gay life, long behind him. Flic had moved away with his family a long time ago and Jack had re-evaluated his life and decided that pussy was his preferred option. He had tried to get Holly back but by that time, she had been with Mike for nearly a year and they accepted that there was no going back. It had taken a while to come to terms with that, on both sides, but now they were as good friends as they had ever been. Everyone took their seats as the church organ struck up and all eyes were at the back of the church. Eventually, a resplendent Ashleigh, dressed in the fluffiest, laciest, most beautiful gown, appeared at the back of the church, on the arm of her mother. This had been a bone of contention with Mike, but, given that it was a lesbian wedding, it seemed fair and as a final bargaining tool, Ashleigh had been a little mean to her dad saying, "I gave you my best friend, let my mum have this, OK?" Mike conceded that he had definitely had the better deal but Holly still knew it had stung. Ashleigh and her mum reached the front of the church where they would traditional see the groom waiting, Ashleigh had changed that too. The music continued and Katie appeared at the back of the church in her own tuxedo, made of the same white material as the wedding dress, she looked incredible and as much as Holly had succeeded in controlling her tears when she saw Ash, her eyes began to leak as she saw Katie looking so fantastic. Holly had loved Katie as soon as she met her and even more since she found how happy Ash had become. Katie appeared on her own at the top of the aisle, because her parents had refused to entertain the wedding. Then, as she was about to take her fist steps down towards her bride, Katie's two sisters stepped from the sides in vibrant pink bridesmaid dresses, linked Katie, and the three gorgeous girls walked down to Ash, amid cheers from the guests. Tears flowed freely at the beautiful service and the alcohol flowed just as freely at the reception. Little Stephen caused his usual mayhem and Holly had the chance to reflect on how good life had become. She reached up and kissed her gorgeous husband. Yes, they had faced many questions, criticisms and odd looks but Holly didn't care, she loved her man unquestioningly. Mike had accepted her foibles, acceded to her requests and desires and he made her happy and complete. "What was the kiss for?" Mike asked as he hugged his wife closer. "Just because!" Holly said softly. As the reception came to a close, the happy couple came to Mike and Holly to bid their farewells, a honeymoon in Mauritius was waiting for them. Katie hugged Mike tightly, "Thank you for everything .... Daddy!" Mike accepted his role of being a father and father-in-law to Katie and he held her tightly, knowing that no words were necessary, the happiness of Katie and Ash were all that mattered to him. The four stood talking a little longer and when their car arrived at the front of the building they said their thank-yous and goodbyes but Ashleigh had one more question for the group. "When we get back, shall the four of us have another tree-house night?" Holly looked closely at the other three, all nodded and agreed with Ashleigh's suggestion. Holly felt warm inside, she was so happy that some things didn't change but that is a story for another time. The End ...... For now!