Kelly
=====


Chapter 17
__________


For the first fifteen minutes, Doctor Myers performed the basic
tests on Kelly.  Sinuses, ears, eyes, throat, and nose were all
clear, her heartbeat, and blood pressure textbook perfect.
Kelly peeled off her T-shirt but kept hold of Laura's hand the
entire time.  MaryAnn warmed up her stethoscope and listened to
Kelly's breathing and her lungs.

"I see you're still smoking, Kelly."

Kelly looked up with fear.  "You can tell that from listening
to my chest?"

MaryAnn laughed.  "No, I can smell it in your hair.  Not too
strong but I've got a sensitive nose."  Kelly breathed a sigh of
relief.  MaryAnn tested Kelly's reflexes and checked her
mobility and flexibility, finally sitting down with a perplexed
look.  "Okay," she said, "I don't see anything, not even in your
fingernails, that would give me cause for concern.  How about
telling me how you feel and why you think something might be
wrong?"

Kelly sniffled, "I feel fine, but a friend of mine, she's got
this super intuition... she said I better get in to see you."

"Well, Kelly," said MaryAnn, "I'm not doubting your friend's
intuition, but I don't see a thing that would even give me cause
to call for further testing at the hospital.  Are you still
taking all those vitamins?"

Laura laughed.  "She takes them religiously, even got me
started on them.  This is the first month I've had a period
without bloating!"

MaryAnn smiled and turned to Kelly, "and how was your last
period?"

"It hasn't come yet," said Kelly.

"That's strange," said MaryAnn.  "Are you still taking the pill?"

"No," said Kelly.  "I stopped after I broke up with Mark.
Didn't see a need for it any more."

"Well," said MaryAnn, "seeing how you've switched teams, I
guess you don't.  How late are you?

"Oh... about five weeks," said Kelly.  "I figured it was due to
the stress of the last couple of months.  We've been really
busy..."

Suddenly, it all clicked for Laura.  "Hey, Doc," she said,
sliding off the examination table to stand in front of Kelly,
"Kelly didn't exactly switch teams.  She's become a switch
hitter!"

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Todd picked up the phone, his hand trembling.  "Kelly?"

As Vanetta watched, the blood drained from his face.

"TODD?  What's wrong?!"

He collapsed into the chair and just looked at her in shock.

Behind Vanetta, Cara let out a moan of fright.

"I'm going to be a father!" said Todd.

"WHAT!"

"She's having my baby!"

"Give me that phone!"  Vanetta demanded, snatching it from his
limp hand.

"Kelly?  Todd's gone into meltdown.  What's going on?"  She
listened for a moment.  "Uh huh, yeah, uh huh!"

While she was talking, Cara and Ami came to stand either side
of Todd as he sat staring blankly at Vanetta.  "Congratulations,
Daddy!" said Ami as she kissed his cheek.  'Yeah,
congratulations," added Cara.  "You gave us such a fright!"

Todd looked up at the girls, the color coming back into his
face.  "Yeah, well, I was really worried, and this is totally
out of left field, you know?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Ami, "I forgot to ask, who's pregnant?"

"You goose!  Kelly, of course!" laughed Cara.  "That's why
Vanetta's momma told her to see the doctor!"

"Oh, right," she replied, sharing a puzzled look with Todd.

"I don't know either, Ami.  I suppose some people can see these
things better than others."

"Here," said Vanetta thrusting the phone at him, "talk to her."

"Honey, are you okay?"

"I'm pregnant!" said Kelly, "you know...  with child,
expecting, knocked up!"

Todd rolled his eyes, "But are you okay?"

"Todd...  I'm fine.  I just happen to be carrying our child.  I
knew how worried you were, so I thought I would call you as soon
as I heard.  How are you?"

"I'm okay now, but you could have knocked me over with a
feather when you told me!"

"Yeah," Kelly chuckled, "Vanetta said that!  She thought you
were going to faint, and the girls were starting to panic!"

"How's Laura?"

"She's right here with me, and she's playing with my - Oooh -
She's playing with my nipples - Oooo - I think our Darling has a
thing for pregnant women!"

"Where are you?"  Todd chuckled.

"I'm still at MaryAnn's office, we're just getting ready to
leave."

"Vanetta wants to know if she can call and tell her mother."

"Oh, definitely!  But I suppose it'll just be telling her what
she already knew!"

"Yeah, I guess.  Anyway, you know what this means, don't you?"
asked Todd.

"You're going to be a daddy!"  Kelly sang, finishing with a
giggle.

Todd laughed too.  "Well, yeah, I think with you as the mommy,
I can handle this.  But aside from that, you do know what this
means don't you?"

Kelly had to think hard.  "No, aside from having to quit
smoking for a year."

"It definitely means we're getting married, sooner rather than
later!"

"Laura just said that!  But, Todd, people don't have to get
married now because they're pregnant."

"Remember what I said at Brookhaven?"  Todd asked.

"Yeah, you said you were going to marry both of us, but you
know that isn't legal."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, Kell," he said excitedly,
"It might not be legal here, but it will be where we DO get
married, and I'm going to marry both of you!"

"Let's talk about this when you aren't quite so depressed,"
laughed Kelly.  "Laura and I are going to head off now.  I want
to stop off and see Muriel before we go home, so we'll meet you
there at 5:00."

"I've got a better idea," said Todd, "after you see Muriel, how
about we meet at South Park.  Say at the juice bar at 5:00.  We
can do a bit of shopping, eat out, and celebrate."

Kelly spoke to Laura without covering the phone.  "Honey, Todd
wants to go celebrate."

"Well, of course!  You thought we wouldn't?"  Laura exclaimed.

"You heard that?" asked Kelly into the phone, laughing.  "See
you then Honey.  I love you."

"I love you too.  Kelly?'"

"Yes, Honey?"

"I need a hug."

"Honey, you go hug the girls.  When we get to the mall we'll
give you a real cuddle!"

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Todd hung up the phone and looked around at the girls' beaming
faces.

"I'm going to be a daddy!" he whispered, then "I'm going to be
a DADDY!"

His grin grew but they could see the tears in his eyes and in a
moment he was in the middle of a group hug.

"I guess mom knew more than she let on," Vanetta grinned.

"Why didn't she say that's what it was?" asked Todd.

"She's sneaky like that," she replied.  "She'll give you hints,
but she wants you to figure it out for yourself!"

"Well, you better call her and tell her we finally figured it
out!"

As Vanetta called Gloria, Todd took Cara and Ami to the
dressing room.  "If we're going out to celebrate, let's see if
we can't find something attractive for you girls to add to your
wardrobe," he said.

An hour later and with a half dozen designer outfits each in
semi dress fashion, the girls headed off to shower and change.

Todd invited Vanetta to come along for the celebration, even
suggesting that she bring Robert with her, but she regretfully
declined saying they already had plans that couldn't be
changed.  Vanetta was still not quite ready for the inevitable
meeting between Todd and Robert.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Will you get a load of these clothes?" whispered Cara.

"No kidding!" said Ami.  "I'll bet this Jumper cost more than
my folks paid for me to go to the summer training camp."

"No shit!  Look at the names inside these clothes.  I always
thought I didn't care about fashion, you know, us tough girls
and all, but damn, I want to slip on this dress."

"Shower first, Ami," said Cara with a grin.  "I'm afraid to
sweat in these!"

"Just think cool thoughts," said Ami as she stripped and turned
on the shower.

"Did you notice that Kelly and Laura treat this stuff like we
do chalk?"

"Yeah, and it fits too, you know.  For us, chalk is just part
of sport.  We're so used to it that we don't give it any
thought.  I guess if you model you become that way with clothes -
it's part of the job."

"But I've only seen Todd in T's and those thin baggy pants he
wears.  Doesn't he ever dress up?"

"You saw him in a lot less last night," laughed Ami.  "But
seriously...  he's a bit strange to start with.  So relaxed and
casual, like he doesn't have a care in the world, but when he
talks to you, he can be so intense...  it's got to be something
about his personality.  And by the way, those baggy pants are
scrubs.  It's what doctors and nurses wear."  She gave a wry
grin.  "I should know.  I've seen enough of them this last year."

The girls fooled around a little in the shower, but realized
that Todd would be waiting for them and they wanted time to do
their hair and maybe put on a bit of makeup.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Todd showered and shaved and brushed his teeth till his gums
hurt.

"A father," he said looking into the mirror.  "Who would have
thought?"  But his chest was bursting with pride.  "Kelly the
mother."  He stood there for a moment, thinking that he had
always expected that any children of his would come after love,
and marriage.  And realized that now he had the whole package,
and that he wanted it more than anything in his life.

Since this was a special occasion, Todd slipped on a pair of
dress shorts and a high collared T-shirt (In fact, it looked
like a crewman's shirt from the USS Enterprise).  It was too
warm to bother with socks, so he slipped on a pair of moccasins
and headed downstairs.

Cara and Ami weren't quite done yet, so he sat and talked with
Vanetta for a bit.

"What do you think, Vanetta?  Think I've got what it takes to
be a father?"

Vanetta smiled at him.  "I think you'll be a wonderful father,
Todd.  I've seen the way you are with people.  You've got a big
heart, and Kelly... she's going to be a great mom.  Plus you
have Laura to help out, too!  That baby is going to be so
precious and sweet, and of course spoiled rotten!"

Todd laughed.  "Yeah, I guess the baby won't be wanting for
much, just love and attention."

"And who better to give it to her?"

Todd looked up.  "Why did you say her?"

Vanetta cocked her head to the side.  "I don't know.  It just
came out that way."

"Hmm, a baby girl...  that's a thought.  But whatever it is,
I'm going to love it to pieces."

"I can tell you one thing, Todd, between your looks and
Kelly's, this is going to be one beautiful baby."

Todd smiled and blushed.  "Well maybe from Kelly's side."

"You know Todd...  If Kelly was inclined, I'll bet there are a
lot of women's and parent magazines that would love to sign
Kelly on right now for an exclusive for her entire pregnancy.
Nine months minimum till the birth, probably a few more for
follow up."

Todd looked at Vanetta silently for a few moments, thinking,
and then shook his head.  "I don't think Kelly would be
interested."

Vanetta laughed.  "Sorry, Todd, you encouraged me to take
Business, and I see this as a golden opportunity to build a real
nest egg for the baby.  With you taking the pictures..."

Todd nodded slowly.  "Yeah, and the product sponsors would be
clamoring to get a piece of it.  I'm not sure, but I think I'll
mention it to Kelly.  Since it will be for the baby in the end,
she might consider coming out of retirement."

Vanetta gave Todd a kiss on the cheek as she got up.  "I'm
going to go home, Todd, but if Kelly agrees, don't let the New
York office handle this.  Let me come up with a proposal.  I've
been here studying under Kelly and getting my degree at UNC.
I'll bet I could put together a package worthy of Kelly."

Todd smiled at her.  "I know you could, Vanetta.  You've seen
how Kelly operates.  Let me ask her about it, and then if she's
agreeable, we'll talk about it on Monday when we get back."

She left after another friendly kiss and more congratulations.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Argh!  The perfect haircut and I can't do anything with it!"
said Ami.

Vanetta had been gone only minutes when Cara and Ami came out
of the shower dressed in stunning outfits, and Todd whistled his
approval.  "Come here to the make-up table and let me have a go
at it," he said.

As he had done with Laura way back when, Todd took some colored
mousse and liberally applied it to Ami's hair, running his
fingers through it like a thousand combs, sculpting it by hand.
Then with the array of makeup at his disposal he applied a
little color to Ami's eyes and cheeks, just enough to accentuate
her cheekbones and her naturally deep eyes.

Ami looked in the mirror with total surprise.  "God, I look
older, mature.  You're a miracle worker, Todd!"

Todd laughed.  "No, Kelly's the miracle worker.  I just dabble
with this stuff, and sometimes I get it right."

"My turn!" said Cara.

Todd willingly obliged, and ten minutes later the trio was set
to go.  "I'm sure you girls are going to draw some attention at
the mall and the restaurant," he said.

"I don't mind a bit of attention," said Cara, "but I'm staying
faithful to Ami."

"I'm glad that you girls have found something special between
you," said Todd, "but how are you going to handle this
relationship when you go home?"

"Spoilsport," said Ami as Todd closed the studio door.  "I want
this to last forever."

Cara looked dejected.  "Todd's right, Ami.  We've still got so
many credits to get before we can graduate, we might be stuck
living at home for another year."

As they got into the Tracker, Todd asked how they had managed
to compete and train and still keep up with their schoolwork.

"We've had tutors with us every time we traveled" said Ami.
"And most of our work was on a part time attendance basis, the
rest through correspondence."

"Yeah," said Cara, "to allow athletes to compete and travel,
the schools have what's called a 'Gifted Athlete Program.'  It's
self-paced with tutor monitoring.  We also bring our notes with
us or get assignments by email.  The school year is divided into
24 units per subject, and we take a test for each unit!"  Cara
stopped talking - too much trivial information.

"Well, why can't you continue doing that?" asked Todd with a
smile.

"We need to get another few hundred hours of classroom time in
order to graduate," said Cara.  "We're way ahead of the regular
classes cause we get to focus on the work.  Plus, both Ami and I
have enough practical hours to qualify to coach recreational
gymnastics.  All we have to do is write the exams and get
certified."

"Well then, why don't you get certified and then after you get
the mandatory classroom hours in, you'll be free to travel.  I'm
sure you girls can be discreet for a little while at home."

"Not the way Ami groans and moans," laughed Cara.  "But you're
right, Todd.  We waited this long, we can keep up appearances
for a while longer."

"And don't forget that my new student is going to have to make
several trips back here to show me her growing experience and to
develop her film.  You can always fly up for a weekend or a week
if you like until you're ready to make a move towards higher
education.  If your marks remain good, I'm sure that you'll be
able to get away for more weeks."

"I just want to be a photographer like you, Todd," said Ami.

"I know, Sweetheart, and I think you've got an eye for it, but
I'd still want you to take a bankable course at the same time
while you apprentice.  How about when you graduate you sign up
for the UNC visual arts program?  You can do like Laura and
Vanetta and take most classes on line and practice your
photography at the same time."

"Well," said Cara, "It will take six months to get certified as
level one coaches, so if we start that right away, we'll be all
set for the start of the new competition season in February..."

"Yeah, that's right!" said Ami.  "If we get started now with
the theory, we should be all set and just in time."

"And if I sign up for the paramedic program, and you're still
serious about sports photography we should be in great shape
come next spring!" said Cara.

"Oh, I'm serious," said Ami.  "It just depends on Todd.  If
he's willing to take me on as an apprentice!"

"We've still got a few weeks to see what you want to do," said
Todd.

"Remember we have a shoot of our own to finish.  But the money
from that is good, so you should be able to get an off campus
apartment, if that's what you want, next spring, but you'll be
welcome back for lots of visits in between."

"Yeah," said Cara with a sigh.  "Ami will have something
important to do with you but what can I do?"

Todd smiled.  "Didn't you want to get into sports
physiotherapy?  Ami will be getting paid when she comes down to
help me out, and I'm sure that Kelly will be able to use a hand
keeping in shape as she goes through her pregnancy."

"Really?  You mean that?"

"Let's talk it over with Kelly tonight," said Todd.  "I'm sure
we can come up with something that will let you have your
freedom to live your life and the money to do it with."

Cara beamed with delight.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Kelly pulled into Lakeview Lodge after having stopped to pick
up flowers for Muriel.

"I hope you don't mind, Laura.  I don't get to see Muriel as
often as I would like, and outside of Todd, she's been the
closest thing to family that I've had for a long time."

"Kelly, quit worrying about me.  I'll get around just fine.
Remember?  I used to visit these places all the time when Dad
made us sing for them.  I know how to mingle with the
residents.  You have a good visit."

Kelly kissed Laura passionately.  "You are the greatest, Honey."

Sheila was working at her station and lit up with a smile when
Kelly walked up.

"I'm so glad you came," said Sheila.  "We don't know what to do
with her.  I was almost going to call you and ask you if you
could stop by."

"Why?  What's happened?"  Kelly asked with a worried look.

"It's nothing to be worried about," said Sheila, "It's just
that Muriel's been knitting up a storm!  She says you're about
to make her a Great-Grandmother!  She's even got some of the
other residents knitting everything from booties to blankets!"

Kelly laughed.  "Last time she was worried about me marrying
somebody I love.  But I'll be damned if I can figure out how she
knew before I knew."

"Knew what?" asked Sheila.

"Kelly's pregnant," said Laura.

"Oh God, I'm sorry, Laura.  My manners seem to have left with
my senses.  Sheila, this is Laura Williams, a very close friend
of mine.  And Laura, this is Sheila."

"Williams?" asked Sheila, "One of the Williams Sisters who sing
at the hospitals and nursing homes at Christmas?"

Laura blushed.  "Guilty as charged.  Does that mean I have to
wait in the car?"

Sheila laughed.  "No!  You might not remember this place in
daylight, but you and your sisters have been here a few times.
The last time was about three years ago."

"I'll leave you two to chat," said Kelly.  "I've got to get
these flowers to Muriel."

"Wait a second, young lady," said Sheila.  "This is true?  You
are having a baby?"

"Just found out about an hour ago," said Kelly.

"Well congratulations!" said Sheila.  "Be prepared though for a
large box of hand knitted goods coming your way!"

Kelly smiled and walked down the hall.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Grandma?"

"Kelly!  Come in here and sit next to me."

Kelly held forth the flowers she had picked up on the way.  A
large bouquet of mixed flowers, bright and sweet smelling.

"Now you didn't have to do that, baby girl.  A woman in your
condition should be getting flowers, not giving them away."

"Grandma, how did you know?"

"Oh sweetheart, sometimes being old isn't so bad."  Muriel
dropped her voice to a whisper.  "I know some of the nurses
think I'm batty, but I know things.  My Johnny comes to me late
at night and talks to me.  He tells me all sorts of things.  He
told me that you're going to get married too, not to that man
you were dating but to the one you've loved all along."

Kelly's eyes filled with tears.

"There, there baby...  It's okay for you to be happy," said
Muriel hugging Kelly close to her bosom.  "I know it wasn't easy
for you when you were a little girl, but this man is going to
love you forever.  He's going to treat you like a queen.  And he
better too 'cause otherwise he'll have to answer to me!"

Kelly couldn't help but laugh.  But she didn't doubt for a
minute that Muriel's husband talked to her at night.

"Now put those flowers in a vase and let me show you what I'm
making for your new baby."

Kelly put the flowers in the vase and placed them on the
bedside table.  When she sat down again, Muriel unfolded a small
blanket made of the whitest wool in the finest stitch Kelly had
ever seen.

"I'm not as fast as I used to be," said Muriel, "but I know
I've got time to finish it, and I've got some of my friends here
making booties and such.  This is a Christening blanket.  You
use it when you take the baby to that place by the lake where
you discovered what love is."

Kelly's mouth dropped open in astonishment.

"Now dear, tell me all about the man you're going to marry."

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

An hour later Kelly walked with Muriel to the day room.  Kelly
really wanted to stay longer, but knew that Todd and the girls
were waiting for them at South Park.

Muriel had joked about trading in her walker for something with
an engine and maybe a helmet, but said the nurses had threatened
to put speed bumps in the hallways.

Kelly laughed.  She felt so good being with Muriel.  Of course
she had wanted Todd to be the first to hear the news, but
telling Muriel was like telling her family.

Muriel led her to a corner where a group of six women were busy
at work with needles and hooks and all kinds of contraptions.
Laura was seated with them and was holding a crochet hook, being
coached by one of the seniors.  Spotting Kelly, Laura smiled.

Muriel introduced the women to Kelly and Kelly introduced Laura
to Muriel.

Muriel looked at Laura and then smiled.  "You take good care of
my granddaughter, Laura.  She doesn't always take such good care
of herself."

"I promise I'll take care of her," said Laura.

Muriel sat down and made everyone show what they had been
working on.

Laura beamed and nudged Kelly to pay particular attention to
one woman.

Her name was Greta, and though she was old and used a large
magnifying glass that hung suspended with string from her neck,
she was working with a crochet hook not much thicker than a
needle.  She lifted the fabric to show Kelly a three-foot length
about an inch wide, knitted from single thread baby wool.
"Greta's making the receiving blanket for the baby," said
Muriel.  "Her fingers are still nimble enough to do the tight
weave."

Greta just smiled and her fingers kept moving.

There was a box of booties, socks, bonnets, and other items
already made.  One of the women was working with four needles at
one time, while another was working with what looked like a hoop
needle.  Kelly thanked each one of the women individually and
then returned to Muriel's side.

"I've got to go, Grandma," Kelly said with misty eyes, "but I
promise I'll be back soon."

"That's all right, baby, I know you've got a lot of things to
do."

Kelly gave her a kiss and waved goodbye to the rest at the
table.  Laura laughingly gave up her attempt to crochet, thanked
the woman for trying to teach her and after once again promising
Muriel to take care of Kelly, the two of them headed out.

They stopped at the front desk where Sheila was sitting with a
smug look on her face.  "Told you so!  Good thing you are
pregnant or I might have had a riot on my hands!"

"I wish there was something I could do for them," Kelly said.
"Is there anything they need that I could get for them, Sheila?"

"They don't want for much, Kelly.  The management here makes
sure they are treated well and with respect.  It's a lot better
here than some of the nursing homes."

"That's true, Kelly," said Laura, "I remember crying when I was
younger at some of the places I went with my sisters.  People
strapped into wheelchairs, not enough staff for all the
residents..."

"But, there must be something I can do," said Kelly.

Sheila smiled.  "Well...  If you really wanted to do something
special..."

"Yes?"  Kelly asked.

"You could arrange for a reunion of the Williams Sisters for an
afternoon performance."

Kelly turned and looked at Laura with pleading eyes.  "Honey?"

Laura rolled her eyes and said, "I'll talk to my sisters and
see what they say."

"Would a shopping spree help convince them?"  Kelly asked.

"Oh Kelly, you don't have to do that.  Hell, if you even
suggested this to my father he would just use his powers of
persuasion to get my sisters to cooperate."

"I know," said Kelly.  "Your dad is a sweet man, but I'd want
to do something for the girls.  I don't want them doing it
because your father told them to."

Laura smiled at Sheila.  "Leave it with us, Sheila.  I'll talk
to them when we get back after the weekend and then Kelly can
set up a time with you."

As they pulled out of the parking lot, Kelly looked at the
clock on the dash.  "I guess we better move it," she said.
"Todd and the girls will be wondering what happened to us."

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Todd, with Cara and Ami in tow, arrived at South Park just
after 5:00.

It had been slow going with the rush hour traffic on a Friday
afternoon and normally Todd wouldn't even have ventured out on a
Friday night in Charlotte, but he wanted the ring sizes.
Anyway, this was a really special occasion.

Sitting with a tall frosty glass of freshly squeezed mixed
berry juice, he explained to Cara and Ami his plan to get the
ring sizes, and how they could help.  Both girls were delighted
to take part in his little conspiracy.

"I'll be the one who gets impatient," said Ami, "and then Cara
can say we'll go to the bookstore.  Kelly won't want us walking
around alone, so she and Laura will probably go with us."

Todd laughed.  He enjoyed the energy the girls had and their
enthusiasm.  "Okay, but I'll only need ten minutes so don't get
too involved cause we'll want to eat right afterwards okay?"

"Where are we going to eat?" asked Cara.

"Well, since we do want to do some shopping, we might as well
eat here," said Todd.  "There's a decent steak house, and we'll
want to do a bit of shopping, but more importantly, we've got to
get packed and get to bed on time cause tomorrow morning we
leave early to see the Wheel."

"That's a long drive," said Cara.  "I better bring my book
along."

"Isn't it going to be crowded in the Tracker?" asked Ami.

"We won't be taking the Tracker," said Todd.  "We'll be taking
my Hummer."

"For real?" asked Cara.  "You've got a Hummer?"

"Yep," said Todd, "and she gives the nicest ride ever."

"Where will we be staying once we get there?" asked Ami.

"I don't know," said Todd scratching his head.  "We totally
forgot all about calling JulieAnn today with all the excitement."

"And speaking of the excitement," said Cara, "there's Kelly now."

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Todd rushed up to greet Kelly, lifting her off her feet as he
swung her around.

"Hey, Momma!" he said as he kissed her.  "You never looked so
good."

"You're looking pretty good right now too," Kelly said to him,
noticing his clean-shaven face.

Todd gently put her down, "I guess I can't do much of that any
more," he said with a sigh.

"Jesus, Todd," Kelly laughed.  "I'm not an invalid, just
pregnant!"

Todd put an arm around Laura and gave her a big kiss.  "It's
all your fault, you know," he whispered in her ear.

Laura smiled back at him.  "I am willing to take full
responsibility for my part in bringing you two together," she
replied.

Todd said, "You better.  Now you've made us a family unit.  All
three and a half of us."

Kelly smiled as Todd slipped his other arm over her shoulder,
and he escorted them to the table Cara and Ami were saving for
them.  Kelly and Laura both decided on a pineapple coconut drink
and Cara and Ami volunteered to fetch them.

When they returned, Kelly and Laura told them about their trip
to Lakeview.  Cara and Ami were totally captivated with the
story of how Muriel had known Kelly was pregnant.  Todd took the
information in stride.  When Kelly said that Muriel had named
the location for the christening, Todd smiled.

"And Sheila said there was nothing you could give to the
Lodge?"  Todd asked.

"Nope.  She said that all the residents really want is some
young visitors," Kelly said, smiling at Laura.

After hearing the whole story, Todd grinned and said, "The
Williams Sisters eh?"

Laura blushed again.

"And I offered to give her sisters a shopping spree to help
convince them," said Kelly, "but Laura thinks they might take it
the wrong way.  They've always done this for free."

Todd leaned back in his chair thinking.  "Laura," he finally
said, "you said that before your trip to Chuck's, you had never
left the Carolinas.  Is that the same for your sisters?"

Laura chuckled.  "I love my mom and dad, but four girls was
just too much for them.  They had planned on me and Cathy, but
the third pregnancy was a pleasant surprise for them.  Then it
turned out to be twins, and they've had to work hard to make
ends meet.  There wasn't a lot left over."

"Well," said Kelly, "at least all four of you girls knew you
were loved.  That's more important than anything else isn't it,
Todd?"

Todd nodded and said, "and when we were taking the cruise to
Brookhaven you said you had never seen the home of the rat."

Laura looked at him strangely for a moment and then remembered
what Vanetta had told her.  "Nope, none of us."

"How about giving your folks a nice long weekend and we all go
for a five day tour of the Magic Mushroom?"

Laura laughed.  "They would all freak!"

Todd looked at Kelly, who smiled back at him.  "Okay.  If your
folks agree, then we'll all fly to Orlando for a visit of the
Disenfranchised Kingdom."

Laura beamed with delight.  Cara and Ami looked at Todd
expectantly.

"Yes girls, you too."

Both said "Yay!" at the same time and hugged each other
excitedly.

Kelly was consulting her day planner.  "We could fit that in
the second weekend after the Grand Opening," she said, "I hate
to be a wet blanket, Todd, but we have to get the CrossTrain
pictures done as well, and Laura has to be in New York for the
last two weeks in August."

Todd looked at Cara and Ami.  "Can we do it, ladies?"

"We'll make it happen!" they said.

"Speaking of the Grand Opening, Kell, with all the surprises
today, we didn't call JulieAnn to see about a place to stay.
I've got a feeling it's going to be a crowded place this weekend
and we're arriving late to begin with."

"This should only take a minute, Sweetheart," Kelly said as she
pulled out her cell phone.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Hi, JulieAnn?  It's Kelly."

"Hi Kelly," said Jules.  "I hope you aren't calling to cancel
out.  We'd really like to have you guys here when Celeste
unveils her Wheel."

"We wouldn't dream of missing it," said Kelly, "but we got a
bit tangled up with something important and I never got a chance
to call and see what motels would be available for us to stay
at."

"Wow.  Everything's totally booked now," said Jules.  "I guess
we just never thought of you guys staying at a motel.  How many
beds do you need?"

Kelly laughed.  "It's not how many beds JulieAnn, it's how many
bodies!"  Jules laughed with her.  "Just the three of you?"

Kelly was tempted to say five and a half, but said, "We're
bringing Cara and Ami with us as well."

"Just hang on a sec Kelly," and as Kelly waited she could hear
Jules talking to somebody else before she came back on the
line.  "Anybody not comfortable in a boat?"

Kelly asked Cara and Ami if they minded sleeping in a boat.
When both heads shook no, Kelly said that would be fine.

"Well it just so happens that we have a custom built boat
available to us for a while, and it has staterooms.  Will two
bedrooms suffice?"

"That would be more than enough," said Kelly.

"Then we'll be pleased to have you stay on it," said Jules.
"Don't worry about anything else.  Just bring yourselves down as
early as you can."

"Thanks JulieAnn.  We really appreciate this," said Kelly.

"We're happy to do it for you guys," said Jules.

After Kelly hung up, Laura got out her phone and called home.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Hi Mom," said Laura.  "How are things at home?"

As Laura's mom brought her up to date on the comings and goings
of the Williams clan, Cara and Ami had been in a huddle.
Finally Ami asked Kelly if maybe they could do something for the
seniors.

"Before we left camp, Cara and I had worked out a really great
dance routine all based on gymnastic moves.  Maybe we could
perform it for them?"

Kelly beamed.  "That would be wonderful.  I'm sure that the
residents would love to see you two dance."

"We better get practicing those moves again," said Ami to Cara.

"Mom, I've got a rather unusual request.  Is Cathy there?  I'd
rather ask her myself."

Laura found herself holding for a few minutes as her mother
called Cathy to the phone.

"Kat?  Hey, how are you enjoying having the bedroom to yourself?"

Laura laughed as she listened to her sister go on about the
joys of independence.

"Listen Kat, I doubt you'll remember the place, but you know
how dad hauled us around every Christmas to sing at the
hospitals and nursing homes?  Well, there's one place...  I
didn't even recognize it, but they sure remember us.  We've been
asked to do an afternoon performance.  Since you're the oldest
living at home now, I thought I would swing this by you and if
you're agreeable, I figure you could talk to Sam and Jen."

Cathy thought about it for all of a second.  "Yeah, sure
Laura.  I always thought it was kind of strange we only did it
for a few weeks out of the year.  Leave the twins to me.  I'm
sure I can convince them."

They talked for a few minutes longer and then Cathy, after
obtaining a promise from Laura to fill her in on all the details
of modeling and university life, handed the phone back to their
mother.

"Mom...  I didn't want to say anything to Cathy without getting
asking you, but Kelly and Todd would like to take her and the
twins to Florida to Disney World."

There seemed to be a long pause, and then Mrs. Williams asked
to speak to Kelly.

Kelly took the phone from Laura.  "Hello, Mrs. Williams.  How
are you and Mr. Williams doing?"

"Meg, Kelly, call me Meg."  There was a deep sigh.  "We're
doing fine, Kelly," she said, but her voice seemed to catch in a
sob.

"Meg, are you sure you're all right?" asked Kelly.

"Yes Kelly, it's just...  well, with four girls and a limited
income...  Harry and I had always hoped and planned on taking
the girls, but every time we thought we could afford it,
something else came up that we needed the money for.  This is
just such an unexpected kindness..."

"Not at all, Meg," Kelly insisted.  "Laura happened to mention
that she had never been there, and we had cruised by within
sight of the place, but we were in a bit of a hurry to take care
of another project.  We promised Laura we would take her, and
Todd thought you and Harry might like a few days on your own."

"Thank you, Kelly, and please thank Mr. Ayres for us as well."

"It will be our pleasure," said Kelly.  "Think of it as a bit
of thanks for having raised such a wonderful daughter as Laura."

"God bless you, Kelly," said Mrs. Williams as she said goodbye.

Laura talked to her mother for a few more minutes and then said
she had to get packed for a trip to South Carolina in the
morning and she still had to pick up a few things.

"I love you, Laura.  Take good care of yourself and have fun."

"I will, mom.  I love you too."

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Laura turned to Kelly and said, "that was easier than I
thought, and I didn't have to promise a thing.  Kat said she
could never understand why we only did it at Christmas time."

"Why do you call her Kat?" asked Kelly.

"You know the trouble toddlers have with certain sounds like
L's and R's,"

Kelly looked perplexed.

"Take my word for it, Honey," said Laura.  "You'll find out
soon enough.  I saw and heard it myself when Sam and Jen were
growing up.  It's got to do with learning how to curl the
tongue."

"And you curl your tongue so nicely," said Todd grinning.

"Anyway, I was nearly three and I couldn't say "Cathy," it sort
of sounded like Catty according to mom, and it must have stuck
with me cause that's what I've called her all my life."

"I think I better start doing some reading," said Kelly, "but
right now I am famished.  Where do you want to eat, Todd?"

Laura grinned at Kelly.  "Later, darling, right now I want food!"

Todd snorted, Kelly turned red, and Cara looked at Ami.

"Tell you later," Ami said to her, then a look of comprehension
appeared on Cara's face.  She giggled, and that started Ami
giggling as well.  They both looked at Todd, and it was his turn
to blush.

"Right," said Todd, trying to divert them, "You want to do some
shopping, so we may as well eat here at the steakhouse.  But
first, I want to look in that jewelry store on the way.  I want
to get rings for my brides-to-be."

Todd knew going into a jewelry store to pick out rings would be
awkward since he knew that Kelly would know he would want to get
them something special.  After looking for 20 minutes at the
various diamonds on display, he said to Kelly and Laura, "This
isn't exactly what I had in mind.  But until we can get to
Amsterdam, let's just call this a promise ring, okay?  That's
what they call them, isn't it?"

Laura was looking at the one-carat diamond on her hand.  "A
promise ring?  Yeah, that's what they call the ring before the
engagement ring, but I don't think that people have this size in
mind when promising their love for each other."

"My darling fiancées are worth it," said Todd.

They finally chose a style both girls liked, a solitaire
bracketed by two smaller stones.

The sales girl was brimming with excitement.  Todd could read
commission dollar signs in her eyes.  But for him, it was just a
five thousand dollar decoy.  By next week, their real rings
would arrive.

"This one fits me fine," said Kelly.  "I guess I'm lucky to
have a standard size finger."

"Oh no," said Todd.  "We've got to make sure these rings are
sized perfectly for you."  Turning to the sales girl he said,
"You wouldn't mind measuring their fingers and having these
sized to fit, would you?"

The girl brought out a large hoop containing every ring size in
¼ size increments.  Kelly turned out to be a 6 ½ while Laura
measured out at 7 ¼.  Seeing that both Kelly and Laura had been
sized, Cara cued Ami and both of them started pleading with
Kelly and Laura to help them pick up a couple of movies they
wanted to buy but were not legally old enough to purchase.

Todd smiled and told them to go ahead.  He would finish the
paperwork and pay for the rings and catch up to them in a few
minutes.

Once they were out of the store, Todd turned to the sales
girl.  The look on her face showed she knew she had just lost
her big sale of the night, but Todd smiled at her.

"You're right.  I only wanted their sizes, but don't worry.  I
don't want the rings, but I will take two sets of ½ carat
diamond earrings on 14-karat posts."

The smile reappeared on the girl's face.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"So why didn't you want us to go celebrate with Todd and
Kelly?"  Robert asked Vanetta.

Robert had picked her up at home shortly after 5:00 and they
had gone to listen to a new band playing at their favorite pub.

"Todd didn't know about you till just the other day after we
met Laura at the library," Vanetta said.  "Kelly knew about us,
but Todd didn't."

Robert took her hands and looked her in the eyes.  "You think
he might disapprove?  Because I'm not Jamaican?"

Vanetta laughed.  "Todd?  A racist?" she laughed again.  "No,
not Todd.  He's worse than color blind.  He doesn't even see
gender.  If you don't mention it, I doubt he'd even notice.
He's just different."

"What kind of different?"  Robert asked.

"Well...  He doesn't have any real friends.  He'd fit in better
with the original flower children than with today's society.
He's totally open and says what's on his mind.  He's strong but
doesn't show it.  He walks away from things that piss him off.
He really believes in the utopian future of Star Trek and wants
the whole world to change to that now.  If he owns a suit and
tie, I've never seen it."

"So far, I don't see what the problem is, Netta."

"He's intense, Bobby, sometimes a bit much for people to take.
He's very emotional.  He puts on a good front, but he's really
sensitive.  Last September...  he cried for a week, and he
didn't leave the studio for a month after that."

Robert thought for a minute.  "Well, yeah Netta, I think a lot
of people cried that day.  Those were innocent people who were
killed."

"See...  that's my point exactly!" she exclaimed.  "Maybe this
will finally help to explain.  Todd didn't just cry for the
people that were killed, Bobby, he was crying for the world!  He
couldn't deal with all the anger and the violence.  Kelly
thought he was going to totally lose it.  Did you ever see the
original 'Planet of the Apes,' the one with Charlton Heston?"

Robert nodded.

"Remember the final scene where Heston realized he was on Earth
and his reaction?  About man having gone too far?"

Robert nodded again.

"That's Todd."

"But we are going to the picnic, right?  What difference would
it make if I had met him earlier?"  Robert asked.

"Oh, my dear Bobby...  Todd is really a great person, but I
figured to introduce him to you in small doses.  Kind of like an
immunization shot!"

"Didn't Laura meet him cold turkey?  Without being prepared?
She sure looks happy."

"Ah, now that's a different story," Vanetta said.  "She was
originally supposed to be just a client, and then Todd's
strictly focused on his camera, the consummate professional.  I
don't know what happened that day, but mom believes that it was
destiny.  According to mom, Todd and Kelly could never have gone
farther with their relationship if not for Laura.  And from what
I've seen, I think she's right."

"What about the new girls?  Cara and Ami.  They didn't get
immunized."

Vanetta laughed.  "Oh, Robert.  They're girls.  Understand?
Aside from being models, and a lot younger, he's not socializing
with them.  He's the one immune to models!"

"So you're suggesting limited exposures of Todd to get
acclimated to him.  I must say Vanetta, he sounds fascinating."

"But I didn't want you to get scared off either, Bobby.  Todd
and Kelly mean a lot to me.  And you mean a lot to me.  I love
you!  I want everybody to get along.  I'm sure you'll like him,
and I know that they will like you, but I've seen a lot of
people try to get to know Todd in one go, and they never
return.  I just want you to be yourself around them and let them
open up at their own pace."

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

Todd caught up with the girls in the video store.  He had two
sets of diamond earrings in his pocket and a smile on his face.
He had called Johan from the store with the ring sizes, and was
promised shipment of the rings by the end of the following week.

Cara and Ami had Kelly tied up with music DVDs.  Laura was
looking through a rack of discontinued videos and had a big
smile on her face and a video clutched in her hand.  Seeing
Todd, Cara and Ami picked two R-rated music concerts on DVD that
they passed on to Laura so she could purchase them.  Todd walked
Kelly outside and they sat on one of the benches.

Todd told Kelly about Vanetta's suggestion of Kelly coming out
of retirement and the reasons for it.  "She said that if you
consider it, she wants to try to put together a package deal for
you."

"Damn," said Kelly.  "I sure could use a cigarette right about
now."  She sighed.  "MaryAnn said that if I kept it down to just
a couple a day it wouldn't hurt the baby.  She knows my other
condition and doesn't want me to get stressed out.  She said
that before the big media scare tactics started in the 70's to
justify increases in the cost of cigarettes, that women smoked
all through pregnancy and there is no evidence that our
generation suffered from it.  But I'm going to try to keep it to
a bare minimum."

"But what about Vanetta's idea?"  Todd prompted.

Kelly leaned her head back and thought on it for a minute.
"Well," she finally said, "I'm still at the same weight and
size, so that won't be a problem.  It might be kind of fun
posing for you again for something as big as this, and it sure
would be a great scrapbook for our baby to look back on when he
or she is older."

"You're saying yes?"  Todd asked.

"I'm saying let Vanetta put together a formal proposal along
with who wants to get in on the ride and which magazine wants an
exclusive.  If I like what I see, yeah, I'll go for it."

Todd smiled.

Cara and Ami rushed out of the video store grinning from ear to
ear.  Laura brought up the rear.

"You won't believe what Laura bought us," said Ami.

"It's the 1982 movie 'Personal Best' with Mariel Hemingway!
We've heard other gymnasts talk about it, but we never thought
we'd get to see it, and Laura found a brand new copy in the
discontinued section."

Laura smiled.  "I saw the movie a few years ago when I was
babysitting for a couple that had a satellite dish.  It's a
movie about two female athletes who fall a lot."

"Yeah," said Cara snickering, "for each other!"

Todd laughed.  "Just remember that tonight it's early to bed!
We've got a long drive tomorrow."

Cara and Ami walked ahead of Todd, Kelly, and Laura, drawing
admiring glances from the males in the mall.  Getting a table at
the licensed restaurant proved to be no problem, and soon the
five of them were dining on prime rib and baked potatoes topped
with sour cream and chives.  Todd managed, with a healthy tip,
to get a bottle of wine to the table without the waiter
questioning the age of Cara and Ami.  Their makeup made them
look a bit older, and the clothes suggested big money, but it
was still pretty clear he thought that they were both underage.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

After supper, the girls browsed around the mall for another
hour, leaving Todd to wander at his own pace.  To him it seemed
like a futile exercise.  With the exception of underwear for the
girls, they had enough clothes at the studio, and enough coming
in from New York on a regular basis, to keep them well
supplied.  Shoes he could understand as well, but anything else,
well...  what was the Internet for if not shopping?

Finally Cara and Ami seemed to tire of it as well, much to the
amusement of Kelly and Laura.

"Kell, why don't you go home and get packed.  I'm going to run
the Tracker back to the studio and pick up the Hummer so we can
just drive off tomorrow morning," Todd said.

"Okay Honey," she said giving him a kiss.  "See you in about an
hour?"

"Sooner if the traffic isn't too bad," he said.

Laura gave him a kiss as well and the four girls headed for
Kelly's Elantra.

Traffic was good leaving the city, and Todd soon reached the
studio.  He backed the midnight blue Hummer out of the bay he
reserved for his baby and since they would be gone for a few
days, parked the Tracker inside.

After making sure everything was locked down he picked up the
tube carrying the enlargement of Anna that Chuck had requested
and a few others Todd and Ami had printed up that morning.  He
was about to leave the studio when he remembered the FedEx
package that had arrived from Ray's T-shirts and Collectibles.
Swinging the package under his arm he locked the side door of
the studio, armed the security system and climbed into the
Hummer.  His camera case was already inside.

Todd could feel the power of the massive motor under the hood
as it purred.  Just like a giant jungle cat, he thought, ready
to pounce if he touched the gas.  He eased the big truck out of
the parking lot and headed to the gas station down the block
where TKO had an account.  He had both tanks topped up and even
though he kept the vehicle in pristine condition, had the oil
checked along with the other fluids and the tires.

Satisfied that he was all set for the trip, Todd dropped the
truck into gear and cruised to Kelly's.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

The girls arrived home long before Todd had even left the
studio.  Laura went to the bathroom to change her tampon, while
the others peeled off their day clothes.  Other than panties,
they roamed the house nude.  Laura was the only one wearing a
bra, and with a sigh, she released the clasp and let her breasts
spring free, then rubbing the light red elastic marks, made her
way to the bedroom.  She was very happy to find her period was
nearly finished, and as she said to Kelly, "You were right about
the vitamins.  This has been my easiest period ever, and I
should be finished by tomorrow at the latest."

Kelly, who had been distracted by the sight of Laura rubbing
her breasts, looked up with a smile.

"Told you so, Sweetheart," said Kelly.

"But I don't understand how come you didn't notice yourself
that you were late, Kell?" said Laura.

"I stress out easy," said Kelly.  "As regular as I usually am,
when I'm under pressure, it screws my entire schedule."

"Have you felt a lot of pressure lately, Kell?  You sure didn't
look like it."

Kelly looked at Laura and smiled.  "I've enjoyed myself so
much, Baby...  but there was still the business to take care of,
things that had to be done and be done on time.  In this
business you are only as good as your last job."

"I think I understand," said Laura.  She was about to continue
when two giggling girls entered the room.

"Would you tell this brazen hussy to keep her hands off me so I
can pack?" laughed Ami.

"Oh yeah, right," said Cara.  "She wants to pack everything,
all our new clothes and then some."

Kelly laughed.  She and Todd were very used to packing for the
road.  "Okay, ladies, all you need is some underwear, maybe
three comfortable outfits, two sets of easy walking shoes and
your toothbrushes.  Anything we forget we just pick up along the
way."

"And my camera," said Ami.  "This weekend should give me lots
of practice."

"Yes, most certainly your camera," said Kelly.

As the girls left the room, Kelly went to the closet and pulled
out a huge box of specialty cosmetics.

"What are you looking for, Hon?" asked Laura.

"A couple of years ago, one of our clients sent us a big supply
of skin softening body lotions and creams.  If I remember, one
was specially formulated to prevent stretch marks in expecting
women."

"Better than olive oil?"  Laura laughed remembering that night
at Brookhaven.

Kelly laughed as well.  "Yes, even better than olive oil."

Kelly continued to scrounge around the case until she found the
box she was looking for and extracted a bottle.  "We handled the
campaign for this company to get distributors for it in North
America.  It's an old European company with a five or six
generation family history behind it.  Now you can find this in
every specialty body shop and most massage parlors."

"Then I guess we better try it out.  You don't want to lose
that beautiful girlish figure you have," said Laura.

"Did I hear massage?" asked Cara, as she and Ami walked in,
having finished their packing.

"Yes," said Laura.  "I was about to rub Kelly with this special
lotion to prevent stretch marks."

"Oh, can I help?" asked Cara.  "I'm really good at massages.
Gymnasts are forever pulling muscles, and I used to help out the
coaches.  I guess that's why I want to go into sports
physiotherapy after I finish the last of my high school
mandatory hours.  I like it when I can make people feel better
after an injury."

"Well, I'm not exactly injured," said Kelly, looking at Laura.

Laura shrugged as if to say 'why not.'

"Okay," said Kelly, "I'll let you help and we'll see how it
goes."

"Great!" said Cara.  "I've only worked on body parts and
shoulders that were covered, but hey...  we're all girls, right?"

Laura went to the closet and pulled out a fresh sheet to spread
over the bed, then Kelly slipped out of her panties and laid
down on her stomach.  Cara quickly clambered over and straddled
her so she was kneeling just above Kelly's butt.  Laura smiled
with amusement and after shaking the bottle, filled Cara's hands
with a huge amount of the aerated cream.

Years of lifting and pulling and gripping had provided Cara
with very strong hands, and she started off by working the cream
into Kelly's shoulders.

"I don't think I'll get stretch marks up there," said Kelly.

"You can never be too careful," said Cara.  "Best to do the
entire body so that any weight applied to any part of your body
doesn't transfer to an area that is tight."

Kelly thought on this for a minute as Cara dug her hands into
the muscles of her back.  "She's right, Laura.  What good is it
if my stomach is pliant but not the rest of me?  Maybe Vanetta
is right.  Maybe I should consider doing a one-year project and
get companies like the manufacturers of this stuff to underwrite
all the ads."

Before Laura could answer, Kelly was moaning.  Cara was
applying just the right amount of pressure to her back muscles
to make them relax.  She could feel the stiffness start to ease
and combined with the scented cream it put her into a state of
deep relaxation.

Laura was about to step back when Ami took her arm.  "We can
start on her legs and arms, Laura.  I'll show you how to do it."

Filling their hands with the soft cream, Ami and Laura started
stroking downward on Kelly's legs.  Ami explained how to knead
the muscles gently.  Kelly just moaned and spread her legs
farther.

Cara was working on Kelly's neck and shoulder blades as Ami and
Laura continued to manipulate more cream into Kelly's legs.
Cara's butt was raised invitingly above Kelly's and on an upward
move; Ami gently gave Cara's crotch a grab.  Laura, smiling at
Ami, slipped one of her slippery hands between Kelly's cheeks,
gently pressing on that little rosebud opening.  Kelly responded
both in sound and motion.  Though she was spread-eagled on the
bed, her arms draped over the sides, she managed to raise her
butt a bit to give more access.

Laura gave Kelly's bum a loving playful slap.  "Hey you...
this is supposed to be good for you, not arousing!"

Cara slid down further and worked on Kelly's lower back and
buttocks.  "Now I'm definitely going to have to show you some
exercises to keep your lower spine limber," she said as she
worked not only the cream but also her fingers into the firm
flesh.

Ami and Laura had changed positions and each had taken an arm
and were pulling and kneading the flesh in their hands.

"Mmm, I love the smell of coconut," mumbled Kelly.

"Well, you'll enjoy it more on your front," said Cara.  "Time
to roll over!"

Kelly rolled over, her limbs askew on the bed.

Laura went right to work on the front of Kelly's legs, noting
with satisfaction the partially opened wet labia.  Cara and Ami
had taken an arm apiece, and were slowly moving closer to
Kelly's shoulders and chest.  Both had noticed Kelly's nipples
standing puckered, at attention.

Laura moved higher and higher until she was rubbing the top of
Kelly's thighs, her hands just barely a finger's width away from
sliding right into the inviting cunt.  Abruptly removing her
hands, she filled them with more cream and took a breast in
each, slowly rubbing Kelly's small breasts, feeling the hardness
of the nipples underneath.

Kelly's legs bent at the knees and closed.  She was approaching
a climax and tried to rub her own legs together to take her over
the top.  Cara and Ami had joined Laura's hands on Kelly's upper
torso and as Laura lowered her hands to massage Kelly's belly,
their hands took Laura's place on Kelly's breasts.  Both Cara
and Ami were kneeling on the bed, but were using only one hand
each on Kelly, their other hands occupied with groping each
other as they leaned over Kelly and shared a deep soulful kiss.

Laura was intent now and also kneeling, but between Kelly's
legs, working her hands closer and closer to the light pubic
patch.  The scent of female arousal filled the air.  Laura bent
down closer lowering her mouth to Kelly's lower lips, as Cara
and Ami were pulling each other closer over top of Kelly
pressing their lips together.

FLASH!

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

In the doorway stood a grinning Todd.  "Sorry ladies, but I
couldn't resist.  Not to worry though, no one's face was
showing."

"Oh my God!" said Ami.  She grabbed Cara's hand as they raced
out of the bedroom.

"Oh no.  Don't stop, Laura," Kelly pleaded.

With a smile, Laura went back to the job she had started and
just as Todd was taking the flash unit off Ami's camera, he
could hear Kelly moan and scream as her orgasm overtook her.  He
repacked the camera and returned the case to the bags of luggage
that they would be taking in the morning.

He had arrived five minutes earlier, surprised to find no one
around.  Seeing Kelly's bedroom door open and the sound of
passion from within, he had quickly assembled the Pentax and
attached the flash.  Maybe it had been Ami with her candid shots
that had inspired him.  He had thought it was only Kelly and
Laura in the bedroom and was more than a bit amazed to see four
females on the bed, one prostrate, and three kneeling.  He
watched for a couple of minutes as the passion increased, and
found himself extremely aroused.  His cock made a dent in his
pants and he wanted to join in on the fun.  He knew that Cara
and Ami would probably make a beeline for their bedroom, and
seriously hoped he wouldn't embarrass them too much.  It was
after all one thing to see them nude, but quite another to see
them in the throes of passion.

He closed the door behind him as he reentered the bedroom.  His
clothes came off quickly as he made his way to the bed.  Kelly
was still lying on her back, her wet hot cunt covered in both
her own juices, and Laura's saliva looked so appealing and
inviting.  He stopped just long enough to give Laura a big juicy
kiss, tasting Kelly on her lips, and then mounted the bed and
for the first time in a long time, used the standard missionary
position, letting his stiff cock get guided into that hot tunnel
by Laura's helping hand.

Kelly, still peaked from her first orgasm came almost
immediately as Todd started to pump steadily into her.  With
long, slow, deep strokes he measured his pace to bring Kelly
over the edge another time before feeling his own cum boiling
inside him, felt a hand grasp his scrotum and a tongue on his
ass.  He grunted as he fired burst after burst into Kelly's womb.

Finally, he could take it no longer and with shaking arms
managed to roll off Kelly, lying next to her, panting.

Laura licked his cock clean, but it was obvious that he would
need a bit of time to recover.  Silently she padded out of the
room returning a few minutes later with bottles of ice-cold
Evian.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

The three of them, Kelly, Laura, and Todd, sat on the bed.
Kelly lit her first cigarette since seeing MaryAnn that
afternoon.

"Two a day," she said.  "You can't expect me not to want to
smoke after something that intense!"

Todd and Laura laughed.  "That was pretty intense from what I
saw," said Todd.  "What started that?"

Laura explained that Kelly had started looking for the body
lotion that helped prevent stretch marks, and then Cara, who was
from all appearances one hell of a masseuse, had volunteered to
take care of Kelly.  She explained why Cara had said to really
prevent any stretching that she should do all of her major skin
areas and how things had led from there to what Todd had seen.

"Makes sense to me," said Todd.

"Oh, Honey, if this is the way I'm going to be treated for the
entire pregnancy, I'll keep a journal so the magazine can use
parts of it for copy."

"So you've considered it?  Modeling again?"  Todd asked.

"Why not?" asked Kelly.  "I'm in good shape, I haven't lost my
looks, and there are enough people in the business that remember
me.  Maybe we should make this a package deal.  I'll be
pregnant, you take the pictures, and Laura can transcribe my
notes and write the sidebars!"

"A real family affair," said Todd chuckling.

"Ah, Todd," said Laura.  "I just realized something..."

"What's that, Sweetheart?"

"Well...  With Kell pregnant..."

"Yes?"

"I guess you are now officially a mother fucker!"

Kelly and Todd howled with laughter.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Something must be really funny," said Ami lifting her face
from Cara's crotch.

"We'll find out later," said Cara.  "Just don't stop right now."

Ami and Cara had run to their bedroom after Todd had caught
them molesting each other and Kelly.  Slamming their bedroom
door they had ripped off their panties and within seconds were
in a loving embrace, legs intertwined humping each other to
their first orgasm.  When the immediate need had been taken care
of, Cara had gone down on Ami and quickly brought her to a
second squealing climax.  Still full of energy, Ami wasted no
time in reciprocating.

"We're going to have to get to sleep pretty soon," said Cara
after she had regained her breath and the two of them lay
cuddled.

"Yeah, I know," said Ami, "but I'm hungry!  Besides, we can
probably nap on the drive down."

"And I'm so sweaty now, I really need a shower," said Cara.

"Okay, shower first, then we eat.  I'm famished!"

"And here I thought I was filling enough for you," pouted Cara.

"Tasty and satisfyingly delicious," said Ami, "but I think I
understand now what they mean when they say you can't live on
love!"

Laughing, they grabbed their towels and headed for the shower
wearing nothing but their skins and satisfied grins.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

"Why does sex always make me hungry?"  Todd asked.

"Probably because you burn off so many calories when you fuck!"
said Laura.

"When I what?" said Todd.  "I thought we made love.  Does your
mother know you talk like that?"

Laura laughed.  "Baby, we often make love, but what you did
tonight was pure and simple fucking!"

Kelly laughed as well.  After she had finished her cigarette,
she had sucked Todd's semi flaccid cock into her mouth, bathing
it with her tongue, until he started to swell to full size again.

Laura had gotten on her hands and knees allowing Todd to drive
his hard cock into her from behind while Kelly crawled
underneath her sucking on her nipples and using one of her hands
to strum Laura's clit.  Todd was stiff, but his previous climax
had been very intense and it took him a while to build up to the
point where he was ready to unload again.  This gave Laura
plenty of time to cum three times herself, each successive one
more powerful than the one previous.

"I need a shower," said Laura.  "I smell like sex!"

"Mmm, and how delicious you smell," said Kelly.

"I know dear," responded Laura, "but we have to hit the road in
the morning."

Kelly examined the bottle of massage cream.  "It says I have to
leave this on for an hour."

"Okay," said Todd, "so we eat first."

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

As they passed by the bathroom, they could hear the running
water of the shower.  Kelly stuck her head in and said, "Leave
some hot water for the rest of us!"

Ami and Cara both laughed.  They really enjoyed their showers
together.

Laura told Kelly to relax and proceeded to gather all the
fixings for omelets.  Kelly told her about her "Taco Pete" salsa
sauce secret for a quick Spanish omelet, and Laura was just
beating the eggs when Cara and Ami arrived in the kitchen
wearing nothing but smiles.

Todd had pulled on a pair of shorts out of respect for the
younger girls.

"Why don't you and Todd shower now?" said Kelly.  "I can take
over here and get these two nymphs fed.  If you don't take too
long, I'll get yours started right afterwards."

"Oh Kell, you know it's more fun with the three of us," Laura
said with a playful pout.

"I know, Sweetheart, but I still need to leave this on a bit
longer to get the full benefit.  Besides, Todd's had a hard day,
and I don't think he'll be up for any more fun and games
tonight."

"Okay, come on, soft one," said Laura taking Todd by the hand.
"We'll only be a few minutes."

Cara and Ami wolfed down the delicious omelets, took their
second dose of vitamins for the day, and sat back with bottled
water.

"God, Ami," said Cara.  "I can't even close my legs right now
I'm so sensitive.  You are so good, girl!"

Ami blushed as Kelly smiled.

"Unless you really get lucky and find a considerate lover of
the other gender," Kelly said, "only a woman knows what a woman
needs."

"And are you and Laura that lucky?" asked Ami.

"You mean with Todd?"  Kelly asked absently, not realizing that
Laura and Todd were coming into the room.  "Definitely!  Todd
can lick pussy better than any guy I've ever known.  And he
screws better too."

"Seconded!" shouted Laura.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," said Todd giving Kelly a
hug.

It was Kelly's turn to blush.

"We're off to bed," said Cara.

"To sleep," added Ami.

Kelly gave them both a tender kiss on their cheeks, thanking
them for their help.  "Especially you, Cara.  Ami might be the
next great photographer, but girl, if physiotherapy doesn't cut
it for you, you could make a fortune as a personal masseuse!"

Both girls giggled as they ran off to bed.

Todd, Laura, and Kelly ate quietly, just exchanging loving
glances at each other.

Laura washed the dishes while Kelly had a quick shower, and the
three of them ended up in the living room with a glass of wine.

"Damn," said Todd.  "I keep forgetting about the package."

"Which package is that dear?"  Kelly asked.

"The one from Ray that arrived via FedEx today."  He got up and
retrieved it from the back door.

Kelly and Laura watched as Todd opened it.  Inside was a shiny
black satin windbreaker with the words "Starfleet Command"
embroidered in gold on the left hand breast with a matching Trek
logo right underneath.  Covering most of the back was the
official Federation logo in heavy embroidery.

"Try it on, Babe," said Laura.

It fit like a glove, and Todd beamed.  The side pockets were
partially made of a corduroy like elastic material in a rich
black finish, as was the collar to which Ray had added Captain's
pips.

Kelly looked in the box looking for a letter and asked Todd
what the pieces of cardboard were that was still inside.

Todd looked puzzled until he emptied the box on the table.
"It's an advertising cut out," he said.  "I'll be damned.  I'll
bet that nobody has one of these yet.  It's the new, or rather
the first Enterprise."  As he started to assemble it, Kelly saw
the envelope that had fallen out with the pieces.  She opened
it, laughed, and then read it out loud for the other two to hear.


 "My dear friends,

 How can I begin to thank you for the wonderful picture you
 sent to me.  I had it framed and it now hangs behind my cash
 register.  Some of the regulars recognize Kelly and Laura
 from their impromptu modeling session in my store while
 others remember them from other places on the island.
 All of them want it!  Well, almost all of them.

 The owner of a souvenir photo place here, 'Reliving
 History,' came in and said that he wouldn't ever step foot
 in my store again as long as there was an Ayres portrait
 hanging there."


Todd and Laura howled with laughter.

"It seems that 'Stan the Man' is holding a grudge," said Laura.

"Wait," said Kelly, "there's more."


 "That doesn't worry me though.  Personally I think he's a
 P'tag!  Since I hung the picture, customer traffic has
 increased in the store and sales are brisk and getting
 better.  I hope the jacket fits Todd; I'm going on memory
 here!  Al said you would be coming back to Brookhaven soon
 and I have ordered something special for the ladies.
 Please come by when you return so I may present it to them.
 I've also included a display cutout of the new Enterprise.
 I thought you might enjoy it.

 Thanks again for all the business both personal and what
 you have generated for me.
 Both Kelly and Laura are stunning beauties.

 Your friend,
 Ray"

Todd sat down.  "Now that's the kind of man I like to do
business with," he said.  "Would you girls mind posing sometime
next week for a picture for him wearing the Starfleet issue
underwear?  Something he can hang in the Trek section?"

"Gee Todd, Laura and I get big bucks for posing," Kelly said
with a smile.

Laura laughed.  "But for friends it's different, right?"

"Always, Sweetheart, as long as it's just for his store.  Who
knows?  Maybe the regional sales rep from Paramount might see it
and give us a call."

Todd had finished assembling the cutout.  "What do you think,
Laura, would your dad like this?"

"Are you serious?" she asked.  "He'd love it.  But why would
you give it away?"

"Honey, you've seen my place.  There's not much clutter.  I'm
mostly on the road or working.  Besides, it was your dad who
taught you all about Star Trek, and I owe him so much for you."

Laura could hardly wait to bring Todd home to meet her
parents.  "Will you give it to him, Todd?" she asked.

Todd looked into her eyes, and slowly nodded.  "Although I
can't profess my love for you in front of them, I would be proud
to meet the people who made you who you are."

Kelly smiled.  Laura had brought a lot of changes into their
lives.  She never thought she'd see the day that Todd would be
willing to visit with anyone's parents.

"Well, guys," Kelly said.  "We better hit the hay too if we
want to arrive tomorrow bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!"

Fifteen minutes later the only sound in the house was the
breathing of five very content lovers.

~~~~~ // ~~~~~

The alarm went off at 7:00, and five rested bodies piled the
bags into the back of the Hummer right after a light snack of
'mins and fruit with Todd promising them a more substantial
breakfast along the way.  With the house locked, Cara and Ami
climbed into the truck.  Laura took a look around and then
climbed in as well, but Kelly and Todd just walked to the middle
of the street.  It was an old joke with them, one the other
three were about to learn.  Laura, Cara, and Ami waited a few
minutes and then Ami stuck her head out the window.  "Come on
guys.  You said we had to hit the road!"

Todd looked at Kelly, smiled and both of them dropped to their
hands and knees and started pounding on the road.  Inside the
vehicle the laughter was loud enough to wake the neighbors.

Kelly and Todd finally got settled in, and as Todd maneuvered
his way to the freeway, Kelly asked how long it would take
before the rings were sized.

Todd tried to hide his smile.  "Don't worry about it, girls,
they'll be done before the week is out!"

To be continued.