Several hours later, at the urging of the children, Shelby called Carrie. The ministers realized they may had been too harsh with the penalty of a long banishment. Shelby said the posse would drop the suspension to just six months, but Carrie would have to cough up a lot more money - ten million.
"We've forfeited twenty million to the IRS, no thanks to you!" Shelby said pointedly. "We're entitled to at least some of it back!"
"Deal," said Carrie. "E-mail me the transit information, and the money will be wired into your church's bank account at noon tomorrow. And Shelby? Thank you for your and your brothers' and sisters' tolerance. I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I'll accept it."
"Good luck with the trial - and please watch yourself till then. And that goes for your family, too." The call ended.
About a week later, Heather and James took their siblings to Rod and Shelby's home to be with their kids. This was the first time all the children were together since the births, and it gave time for the speaking kids to exchange notes on babysitting. Meanwhile, Peter, Felicity and Ruthie were having dinner together at their home, and talking church and family business alone for the first time since Peter and Felicity had gotten married. The meal ended and the women went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Felicity then turned to Ruthie.
"Ruthie," said Felicity, "I honestly don't know how, still, you can be so tolerant of what Peter and I did. Nor do I understand how you forgave me so quickly. I can't believe we're friends, in spite of everything."
"Felicity," said Ruthie, "my parents taught me if you don't forgive the sins of others, God won't forgive you for the stuff you've done. Lucy kept reminding me about that too. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, trust me. But since I cheated on Peter, too, I knew I would be a hypocrite if I asked him to forgive me for having sex with Lisa, and then I not forgive you in turn. Besides, in the last year, we've become very close as mothers and I couldn't ask for a better friend than you!"
"I appreciate that. I feel the same way about you! That said, there's been something on my mind. I know for a fact you've ... well ... you've thought about having sex with me."
"Yes I have, and I still do, but you're a married woman and that means you're off limits. That's partly why I had sex with Hope, not you." Ruthie still hadn't revealed that she and Hope were still having a very intense relationship in bed.
"Actually, Ruthie," said Felicity, "Peter and I have been talking for some time. He tells me that in many ways he still misses you and he hates how your and his marriage ended even if it had to eventually. After he and I had a long discussion ... well, I have to say that I've had fantasies about you too. It may be wrong to say that, but it's true. So, um ..."
"Are you ... suggesting what I think you are?"
"Yes. We would like to have a threesome with you. We've even agreed on some ground rules that we can follow, but we want to discuss them with you first."
"Whoa. If you and Peter were living common-law, it might be different. But here ... we're talking about adultery, Felicity! We're all ministers. We can't do that ... not at a time like this, and especially after Hope and I were caught!"
"I've done a lot of thinking and praying about it," said Felicity, "really praying to God, and I've come to the conclusion that adultery is only if I have sex with another man without my husband's consent, which of course I would never get or do. But if I have sex with a woman, then it's not really cheating. After all, two women can't make babies."
"That's real hair splitting, sister," said Ruthie in dismay. "Okay, presuming we do this, what are the ground rules?"
"I've told Peter that under no circumstances I would allow him to penetrate you," replied Felicity. "Fingering you and going down on you, yes, I am okay with. And he can kiss and suck your breasts all he wants. You can go down on him, too, but your getting his middle leg inside you is also off limits. But Peter will let you have your way with me, and I with you, in any way we like. And we'll let you watch him and I make love for as long as you like. And while any two of us are doing something, the third can fondle the first two any way he or she pleases. If it ends up with, say, Peter and I being one while he licks your private parts, while you lick my breasts or where Peter and I meet down there, well all that's within the rules. And so on."
"That's a lot to take in."
"You don't have to decide right now."
"No, I'll do it!" said Ruthie, replacing her previous disgust with a huge grin on her face. She jumped in the arms of the much taller Felicity, pulled her face towards hers and gave her a French kiss that lasted twenty seconds.
After Ruthie let go and landed back on the floor, Felicity said, "Wow! You really do feel that way about me. You weren't joking at all last year!"
"No, of course not! You've known I've wanted to lick you up the moment we met face-to-face. You're the hottest woman in the entire evangelical movement. Even hotter than a certain pastor in Houston that we both follow on Facebook! Why wouldn't I want to do you? But ... how long have you felt that way about me?"
"Since we found out you were pregnant. We've got ... well, wait a minute. I'm doing the math here ... right. The doctor told both of us we're safe to have sex again. When do you want to do this? And how often?"
"Let's do it for the first time tonight, and every couple of weeks after that, if you guys like," Ruthie replied. "But when I find a boyfriend and it becomes a committed relationship, then it ends."
"All right, sister. Let's tell Peter and get this on the road. Now!" said Felicity with glee. "But ... what if the kids find out?"
"They admitted they've watched porn. What do I care what they think about this?"
The women ran out, grabbed Peter's arm, and headed straight for his and Felicity's bedroom. For the next three hours, they made love with each other in every way imaginable. It was Ruthie and Felicity that spend the majority of the time together - an hour and forty five minutes - kissing each other all over and winding up with nearly twenty-five minutes of grinding, while Peter was kissing and stroking every part of both women's bodies including their private parts while they were cross-legged. When it was all over, the three kissed other so hard that they ran out of breath, and finally the three collapsed next to each other, the women the bread in a man sandwich.
What they did not realize or remember was that, earlier in the day, Felicity had chatted with Shelby on Skype since both were breastfeeding their respective twins - and both had forgotten to end the "call". The connection was still live. So when Maighread opened up the laptop to chat with one of her friends and saw instead via webcam what was in motion about twenty minutes in, she screamed. The other children ran in, along with Shelby and Rod.
For some reason, the Parkers did not tell the children to leave. There was something really compelling about this. The six really enjoyed themselves for the next two and a half hours, and both Rod and Shelby felt tempted to touch themselves - and they even gently felt up each other up, standing behind their daughters to make sure the children didn't see that. As it finally ended, Heather got up and ran to the bathroom. She was in there for more than ten minutes. Finally James, truly worried for his sister, walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door. No answer. James knocked again, harder.
"Sis, is everything okay?"
Another minute passed. Finally, Heather opened the door. She was sweating from head to toe.
"Too much for you, Heather?" asked James.
"What, what we saw our Dad and our two Moms do tonight? That was beautiful - and fantastic!" said Heather with glee. "I can't wait until we confront them in the morning and make their faces turn red. No, it's not that, brother. You see ... I just became a woman! Just now. That's why I was inside for so long. I was just waiting for the blood to stop."
"Already?"
"Already!"
"Incredible. I became a man last night!"
"You mean ..."
"Yeah, I woke up in the middle of the night in pain and I was a mess, just like never before - but then it felt great, like nothing before. We've made it to the big time, sis! And we're just eight!"
The twins shrieked with joy and hugged each other. Maighread and Rhiannon ran to them and made it a group hug. The four then started jumping up and down and shrieking at the top of their lungs, all still holding on to each other, much like teammates on a professional team celebrating a championship.
"Congratulations!" said Shelby, hugging James and Heather, once the celebration died down. "That's so wonderful, and I know your parents will be so proud of both of you! And you know what? We are, too!
"You should know, since they were going to tell you anyway, my daughters are developing too - started to six months ago a few days apart. But it is scary, that it's happening at a younger and younger age. I didn't have my period until I was fourteen - which was pretty late for me, most of my friends had theirs at eleven or twelve - and it freaked me out, but Rod can tell you I filled in very quickly after that ... and luckily, that finished the day I lost my braces. You all know what happened later the same day!"
Everyone laughed, while Shelby kissed Rod.
She then said, "You'll need to tell your parents - all three of them - as soon as you can. We're here for you too. If you have any questions about what's happening to you, and you're too embarrassed to ask them, ask either of us."
"Thanks, Aunt Shelby," said Heather, "and we probably will; but I don't want to end up like Felicity - going full in in just two years from ages nine to eleven. You know the problems it caused her. Not just her back - guys wanted her for all the wrong reasons. They felt her up all the time, at school, totally unwanted. I don't want that happening to me."
"Nor should you, Heather. No really does mean no. and you have the right to say that!"
"But ... you were different because you were ready to have a full chest. You and Uncle Rod were already dating, thanks to Aunt Lucy matchmaking you two. So when the time came, you were ready to give all of yourself because it was all there! Me ... I want my bosom to grow in over a longer period - uh, no pun intended. I don't want to share it with anyone until I'm ready, too."
"Only God can decide when you totally fill in, honey," replied Rod, "but it won't hurt asking Him to take things slow! And James, now that your sister is a woman, you are really going to have to watch out for her, and not just because she'll start growing below the neckline any time soon. Don't smother her, but if you think there's anything wrong with any boy or girl she's dating, tell her! You know her better than anyone, even your parents. I know your sister will also keep an eye out for you too, now that you're a man. Girls will be all over you, and you have the same rights as Heather does."
"I will, Uncle Rod," said James. "I'd always stand up for her, even if we never did have this happen to us. Just promise that you and Aunt Shelby will be there if we do hit a wall."
"Of course," Rod and Shelby said together.
James went home with Heather, pushing their siblings in two double carriages. After putting away the babies to bed, they headed for the basement, and toasted each other with two glasses each of wine. They knew that their parents wouldn't mind.
"It's kind of weird, Heather," said James, sipping on a glass of Chardonnay. "Now that we're adults, physically at least, we won't be able to do some stuff anymore. We sure can't play doctor now. And your running into my bed when you have nightmares and vice versa - we can't do that either."
"Doesn't mean we can't pull up a sleeping bag next to the bed and talk, James," said Heather, imbibing some Merlot. "And it doesn't mean we can't talk to each other about anything anymore. Maybe if we do talk about this as it's happening to us, it might make us ready for when we do each find someone to have sex with. We'll know the other side so we'll be better prepared. This is a great thing that's happened to us - both of us. Let's make the most of it as it continues happening to us. At least our grandparents didn't keep their kids in the dark. Let's not let our parents - or ourselves - do the same."
"Yeah," her brother said. "I love you sis, now more than ever!"
"Me too!" They clinked their glasses, and hugged.
Meanwhile, Rod and Shelby spoke to their daughters. It was both a gentle talk and a stern lecture at the same time. They told them that, while normally they wouldn't allow them to watch even soft erotica, they made an exception this one time because they needed to know what a man was like and how he functioned, and that what they had seen was an example of three adults respecting each other while having sex - something many other adults didn't do in bed. The parents also told the girls not even to think about having sex until they were at least sixteen, and even then to be very careful.
"You Dad and I won't care if you each end up with a man or a woman," said Shelby, "but make sure he or she respects you for your mind, not your body. And always remember, sex is a privilege and not a right. Your love has to earn his or her way to your body. Please promise that to us. Especially since you're going to be ministers. Even if they've gone astray, your Aunts and Uncle at least still respect sex as a gift from God. I hope you never forget that it is a gift from God and that it should never be abused, by you or anyone you're with. Whenever you girls want, even now, we'll get you The Pill. When you're ready to have sex, we'll get you condoms. Oh ... and for what it's worth, no more porn until you're both sixteen, too!"
"We promise," said Maighread and Rhiannon together. They hugged their parents. They then asked them to get birth control pills, and Rod and Shelby said their would book an appointment with their pediatrician the next day.
"Now girls, now we've agreed to that ... and I'll teach you both how to use them, please keep an eye on Danielle and Theodore. Actually, you may want to make a lot of hot chocolate, even if it is the middle of summer. You can raid the fridge all you want too. It's going to be an all nighter for both of you. You have the bottles ready. I won't have time to do breast feeds tonight!"
"We get it, Mom. It's going to be a long night for you and Dad, too. After what we just saw, I don't blame you! Just keep it quiet, guys!" The Parkers laughed and the family hugged again.
The next morning, James and Heather told the adults in their family about their entry into adulthood, messy as it was for each of them. The parents and Felicity beamed and hugged the children, and said how proud they all were. They promised Heather that they would get her on the Pill within the next week. The twins then said they saw what the adults had done, by video link.
"Well, at least you know the three of us love each other very much, just as much as we all love you! Uh ... just not in that way, of course!" said Felicity.
"Are you going to do it again?" asked James.
"We are, probably a lot, but we're going to make sure you're in your bedrooms next time - under lock and key!" laughed Ruthie.
"Let's hope we all didn't get hacked in on this one," said Heather. For the first time since she and her brother became unwitting voyeurs, the girl was worried.
"At this point, darling, I don't think the congregation is going to care anymore, about anything any of us have done," said Peter. "And ... I think it's time to tell them about the investigation. We're this close to wrapping it up and if any of our parishioners know anything else that could help us, we need to bring them in."
"You think Rod and Shelby are going to agree, honey?" asked Felicity.
"I think they will have to now," Peter told his wife. "We're stranded between third and home. We need some way to duck the ball and make it safe. We need all the help we can get."
The phone rang. Ruthie answered. It was Shana.
"Lisa and Brigitte are safe!" she said. "It's taken us weeks, but we finally found them!"
Ruthie could hear the clinking of champagne glasses on the other end of the line. Clearly, Matt's exes were celebrating.
"Where were they?"
"Gdansk, Poland ... of all places. Walesa's hometown. The idiot kidnappers never turned off the ladies' cell phones. It was just a matter of us calling their phone provider, after getting that info from their kids, and then using GPS to locate. The bad guys have just been extradited back to Belgium, and your friends are on a corporate jet back to Luxembourg. I guess they're getting married after all!"
"Is the motive what we think it was?"
"God knows ... but they lawyered up."
"Were Lisa and Brigitte raped?"
"Not as far as I know. They didn't ask to go to the hospital or get any medicine, but they're being debriefed just to be sure."
"Thank God!" said Ruthie. "Shana, you and your partners are welcome to their wedding next week. Please come, it would mean a lot to this church and to us as ministers. After all, you helped save four of our lives, too!"
"I think we'd be delighted! Where?" asked Shana.
"An Indian reservation just outside of Jefferson City. The reservations are the only places where gay marriages can be done in this state, for now. I'll give you the address and time by e-mail. And I'll wire the money I owe you as soon as I can."
"Looking forward to it - and take all the time you need!"
After the call ended, James raised his hand to his parents.
"You don't have to do that, son," said Ruthie. "This isn't school or work."
"But Mom," James said, "don't you guys think it's weird we haven't heard anything new about Whirry? In months? We've gone over the same stuff with him over and over. Heather and I, as well as Ree and Maggie, we've been wracking our brains like crazy the last four weeks. Where does he fit into this, really? It sounds like Harry is planning to attack the Middle East all by himself. Has the bastard from Moore been cut out - and if so, why?"
Felicity gasped. She and Hope both had been investigating the preacher for years, including Whirry's designs on committing terrorist acts. Neither ever contemplated this possibility. But they agreed that he would never act alone.
The phone then rang with three short pulses, meaning someone was at the church waiting for them.
"Who is it that wants to see us?" asked Peter.
"Cyril Jackson Whirry," said the head secretary. "He wants to meet with all of you. Says he wants to make a deal."
"A deal with the devil?!" said Heather, hearing the earpiece. "Uh-uh. We don't talk with racists."
"From what he briefly told me, this is something you may all want to hear."
"Anything specific?" asked James.
"He says Harry Anderson 'ratfucked' him. His words."
"We'll be right over ... all of us," said Ruthie. "Kids, get the babies. Felicity, honey, call Rod and Shelby and get them and their kids over to the church, too. Peter, call Hope and Patrick, right away! I can't believe that Whirry is turning on their Mom and Dad, but if he is we need to reel him in, now! Devil or no devil, he may be the answer to our prayers."
Ruthie then winked at Felicity, a thank you for the wild night previous. Felicity winked back - twice. Once for Ruthie and what they shared, and once for the literal pretzel they and Peter wound up in at the end of the session. The women then managed a laugh - a cautious one. A lot was riding on what was to happen next.