The Aftermath

[Maid of Marvels]

Janice Fleming

Janice had been pleased and relieved when she felt Jack climb into bed with her during the night. He hadn't been due home for two more days, but something had happened with one of the loads he had contracted for, cutting this run short.

She wondered if he knew what the governments were asking women to do. He hadn't said a word, but there hadn't been much conversation between them. Janice smiled at the memory of their love-making. It was the first thing they did when he came home and the last before he went over the road again. There was plenty of time for talk in between.

The twins had already been fed, dressed and were on their way to school. It was Pat Kelly's day to drive and she had picked them up ten minutes ago. That left her with her oldest child and waiting for Jack to come down after taking his shower.

Janice knew that she would have to speak to Mark about what was going on sooner or later. She and Jack would do it together once they discussed it themselves. But how was she going to broach it if he didn't know? Truth be told, the mere thought of it sickened her and she was nervous as all get out about what Jack would have to say. Well... what could he say? What could any of them say?

"Morning, sport!"

"Morning, dad."

Janice turned, smiling at the exchange between her husband and their son. Setting her husband's breakfast down in front of him, she kissed the top of his head. He, in turn, grabbed a handful of her plump bottom and nuzzled playfully in her cleavage. "She's smothering me, Mark. Help!"

"Right, dad. She hasn't killed you yet. That line's getting pretty old now." Janice grinned at Mark and winked. She couldn't help wondering if they would stay as close after...

 

[Tibxo]

Mark

"She's smothering me, Mark. Help!"

The boy grins as he watches his father sink into his mother's large chest.

"Right, Dad. She hasn't killed you yet. That line's getting pretty old now." He says, catching his mother's wink before going back to his breakfast.

He is lucky he guess. He has parents that don't give him the grief like he hears from the other guys. Even the little brats are not that bad. Yeah, he hasn't got it bad at all.

Then he remembers what Sunil was saying. Yeah, right. As if the government wants him to do it with his mom so that she could have babies? For a moment, he finds himself looking at her. Sure, she is a bit on the plump size but her boobs...

Suddenly realising what he is doing, he looks away, his face flushing.

What the fuck am I doing? That's mom! Gross!!!

Besides if it was true, his mom would tell him, wouldn't she?

"Okay, sport!" His dad is speaking to him. "I'll give you a lift to school."

"Thanks, Dad." And a few minutes later, he is at the front door, in time to see his mother and father in another passionate clinch.

"Gross, guys! You two are worst than the kids at school." He says with a smile. They are always like this when his dad comes home from a trip.

"Hey!!!" Retorts his mom, "We are not that old. We are entitled to have fun."

"Get the sandwiches done, hon. I will be back soon." His dad says, following the boy out.

"What are you guys up to?" Mark asks his father as they start off.

"Well it's a nice day and I thought your mother and I could spend some quality time together. I'm taking her up to the cove for a picnic."

"Why rub it in why dontcha? I got boring school." The boy says humourously. He and his father are more like friends then father and son.

Laughing, his father ruffles his hair...

 

[Yoc]

Sunil

"Sunil, you are okay with this, right?" It is after 9.30am, and Sunil is sitting with Raji on the sofa.

Is he okay with all this? Frankly, the boy's mind is still trying to adjust to what has happened in the last 24 hours. First his sister lets him fuck her. Then Raji joins in and the three of them had spent most of the night having an orgy. It had been a bit weird seeing his brother-in-law naked, but once he realised that all he was interested in was his sister, the boy had been cool about it. And for the first time ever has, he woken up without a major hardon.

Still, Devi is still Raji's wife. Surely, he can't be happy with it.

"Yeah." He replies. "I guess." His tone showing his hesitancy.

Raji picks up on it.

"You don't have to worry about me, kid." He smiles. "To be frank, your sister can be too much even for me. Besides, from what I saw last night, I can see why Devi likes the idea. She was always into big."

Sunil blushes as the reference. He now knows he is thicker than his brother-in-law.

"Okay, boys. Are you ready for more?"

Both looking up, they see Devi come in wearing a sheer robe which does nothing to hide her plump body.

"Already?" Groans her husband as she poses in front of them. Both Sunil and Raji are taking a "sicky" so that the three of them can explore their new relationship.

"Well, you may not want to but I think Sunil does." She points at the boy's developing tent.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Janice

Janice busied herself preparing a lunch for herself and Jack before going upstairs to shower and dress. Picnics together were something they had been doing since they were teens and had found a pine grove that was quite secluded even after all these years.

She smiled at her reflection as she brushed her hair and tied it up in a ponytail. The years hadn't been unkind to her, she thought. Sure, her full breasts weren't perky (as if they ever were) and her hips had spread, but she could still excite Jack -- and that was all that mattered.

"Jan, I'm back! You ready?"

"On my way!" she called back, smoothing down the sun dress she'd decided to wear. Easy access, as Jack would say. Grabbing a blanket from the linen closet, she hurried downstairs.

He was standing with his back to her when she walked into the kitchen. Slipping her arms around his waist, she nuzzled his neck, whispering. "Hiya, big boy. Looking for a good time?"

Jack turned to face her, his face pasty white. Alarmed, Janice quickly asked if he was all right. He didn't answer at first. Just held up the letter.

The letter! Janice's stomach lurched as her husband began to speak.

"I heard it on the news. I mean how could I not have? It's been all over the place. I just thought... I hoped... Don't take this the wrong way, baby. I hoped you were too old to be selected."

Janice stood where she was, feeling kind of funny about the age comment. She knew he didn't mean it badly, but it stung all the same. He seemed to forget that it was the plague and his subsequent infertility that had halted them from having a larger family, not her inability to bear more children.

There was no denying the fact that she, along with her friend Devi and women all over the world, would basically be whored out to their sons and brothers. Forced to reproduce for the good of humanity. Her stomach began to churn, but she fought back the bile that rose in her throat.

"Some joke, isn't it?"

There was no mistaking the irony in her voice as Jack stared helplessly into his wife's tear-filled eyes. She'd never been with any man except him and now... Now...

Taking her in his arms, he kissed her forehead. "Everything is going to be all right, Jan. You'll see. The tests are when? Day after tomorrow? Maybe they'll find something wrong. Maybe you won't have to... "

The thought of his wife with another man... let alone their son revolted him, and for a moment Jack Fleming wasn't sure if he felt sorrier for himself or his wife as a mixture of emotions ran through him.

 

[Tibxo]

Mark

The day at school goes by as usual, except that Sunil isn't there. Mark wonders what has happened to him since he looked okay yesterday.

Getting the twins he heads home, stopping at Sunil's on the way. It is Raji, Sunil's brother-in-law, who answers the door and he tells the boy that Sunil is in bed asleep though he will alright and should be in school in a day or so.

Mark carries on home.

"Hi, guys!" He shouts cheerfully as he enters the house...

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Janice

Janice and Jack had gone on their picnic after all, though much of their usual eagerness at going to their own 'secret spot' was missing. They talked quietly while they walked hand-in-hand in the woods, returning to eat and talk some more.

Their lovemaking had been more bittersweet than passionate. If nothing else before tested their devotion to each other, this seemingly insurmountable issue that they had been presented almost certainly would. If they let it.

Janice was adamantly opposed to the idea. It sickened her to even consider it. Jack was more understanding of the need, but he saw it as being between a rock and a hard place. Damned if she did, damned if she didn't.

On the other hand, he knew he would have a problem reconciling the fact that his wife -- his only love -- would be having sex with another man. The fact that it would be their own son didn't help. Truth, Jack would almost rather it was a complete stranger. At least then he wouldn't have to face the man who shared his wife's body on a daily basis.

Both were concerned that it would change the way they both interacted with Mark. Possibly destroying the framework of their family in the long run.

"Hi, guys! I'm home!" and the twins' chorus of "Daddeeee!" heralded the arrival of their children. Janice and Jack looked at each other, knowing that he was going to have to speak to their son tonight and try to explain. They had agreed that Jack would have a father/son talk with Mark first and that she would join them afterwards to discuss the full implications of what the government expected them to do.

Janice hugged her children tightly and excused herself to start making dinner. "Don't dawdle you two," she called out to Emily and Matthew. "Get those school clothes off and come get your snack and tell me about your day before you go outside to play."

 

[Yoc]

Sunil

Sunil is not even aware that his brother-in-law had left the bedroom, so intent on his task as he pounds in between his sister's legs with a vengence, his engorged tool plunging urgently into the wet softness while underneath him, Devi writhes and moans.

 

[Messalina]

Devi

If ever there was a sexual heaven, this was it -- and Devi was loving every moment of it. What Raji lacked in stamina, Sunil more than made up for and it seemed as though her brother had a perpetual hard on.

"Gods, Sunil... You feel so good" she murmured against the young boy's neck as the walls of her vagina spread almost painfully to accommodate his girth as he pounded into her relentlessly, tirelessly -- oh, the joys of youth!

Devi wrapped her legs around her brother's slim waist, pulling him closer. Deeper. She needed to cum. Again. And again and again. What Sunil lacked in experience he more than made up for in enthusiasm. The rest would come in time. And she had plenty of time.

Sooner than she expected, Devi could feel the beginnings of that wondrous sensation she sought starting to overtake her. Sunil was close as well. Giving him a nudge to let him know what she wanted, they rolled over without separating.

Placing his hands on the plump mounds of her breasts, Devi rode his thick lund -- taking every inch and wanting more. She clasped him hard as the first wave of her orgasm hit and her pussy began to convulse around him.

"Cum with me, Sunil... " she cried out, longing for the pulsing eruption of his hot fertile seed into her womb.

He didn't disappoint. Sunil stiffened and slowed before giving a loud groan of satisfied release as he filled his sister with his sperm. Devi smiled as she lowered her mouth to his, already thinking of another way to take her pleasure.

 

[Tibxo]

Mark

Having homework to do, Mark goes straight upstairs to his bedroom to work. He has never like Mathematics but the work has to be done. Unlike most of his peers, the boy did have a sensible attitude when it comes to his schoolwork which often brings a barrage of complaints from Sunil.

He still cannot figure out what has happened to his friend today or why Raji had acted so strangely. He also wonders what Sunil had told him is true too? No one at school had talked about it though that is not saying much. Because of his size and introvert nature, Mark has always been a loner with Sunil being his only real friend and contact (he has never told his mom this in case she would worry). Again, this will not have been the first time his friend has pulled his leg about something.

What a perv!

After a few hours, just in time for dinner, he has broken the back of his work. He has only another half hour to do and he has finished. He really does hates algebra.

Stopping to rub his eyes, he hears a knock on the door...

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Jack Fleming

"Got a minute for your old dad?" Jack asked as he stuck his head in his son's door.

"Sure, dad. What's up?"

"I thought we could talk a bit. You know. Man to man."

"Umm... sure. Dad? Is this gonna be "the birds and the bees talk"? I'm not exactly a kid, you know. Or did you want me to explain some things?"

Jack chuckled, feeling a little awkward. He and Janice had always been open about sex and sexuality with their son, so he was fairly certain Mark had a good understanding of what was involved. But this was going to be different. Very different.

"You have some tips for me on how to pick up wimmin, do you?"

"Yeah... right. I don't even have my own girl, dad. Besides, I think you're taken. Maybe she has a rich younger sister? We could double date." Mark grinned and winked at his father. "You know, dad. Come to think of it. I might just steal your girl and leave you to fend for yourself if you don't watch... "

The look on his father's face made Mark stop mid-sentence. Something was wrong. Really wrong. "Dad? Is it mom? Is she all right?"

Jack sat down on his son's bed. Leaning forward, he clasped his hands between his knees. This was going to be harder than he thought, but it was better that he be the one to tell their son what the government was going to require of him. Damn those fools who played with chemicals and created the plague! As it that wasn't bad enough. Now this!

"Come here and sit, Mark." Jack nodded toward a spot on the bed beside him. "We really have to talk."

"Umm... sure, dad. This isn't good, is it?"

"Well. Not really. But it's not the end of the world either." Jack sighed. He couldn't believe he'd just said that. Of course it was the end of the world! That was the whole point of this travesty, wasn't it?

"Have you ever had sex?" Jack just blurted it out. If he didn't start somewhere none of it would ever come out.

"Daddddddd... " The macho part of Mark wanted to tell his father that he had, but he knew that there had to be a reason for his dad to ask in the first place. Maybe Sunil hadn't been pulling his leg? Oh, yeuk! Mark suddenly had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I'll take that as a 'no'." Jack sat up and looked at his son's face. "You do understand the mechanics of it though, right?"

"Geez!" Mark was really beginning to feel awkward. What in the world was going on with his father? He really wished he'd get to the point already. "The penis goes in the vagina. Is that what you mean?"

"Erm... yes. And you know that when you... ejaculate... " Jack didn't want to play down the pleasures of sex, but this was not going to be for fun. Fuck! This was going to be sex with his wife -- their son's mother for gods sake!

"Yeah yeah. The sperm finds and egg and fertilizes it. I know all that, dad. What the hell is this all about?"

Just say it, dammit! Jack stood up and began to pace the room. "It's like this, Mark. When the plague broke out, all the men who were sexually mature at the time were made infertile. We shoot blanks. Get it?" He turned to look at his son.

"Thing is, with no fertile men there won't be any new babies. See? And without new babies... no more people."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"No. Don't say anything til I'm finished. Please." Jack rubbed his hands over his balding pate and continued on. "If something isn't done to... Well, the point is that the worlds' population keeps decreasing and if we don't find a way to start reproducing... Look. There's no easy way to put this. Artificial insemination doesn't seem to work, so they are saying that only connately related people can produce a child. Fuck! They want you to have sex with your mother and make her pregnant!"

 

[Tibxo]

Mark

"They want you to have sex with your mother and make her pregnant!"

His father's word cut into him, leaving the boy numb, his mind reeling. He is not sure what he is more shocked about. That his dad is talking about him 'doing it with his mom or that he had sworn.

Feeling suddenly awkward being in his dad's presence, the two of them sit on his bed, completely silent. Both lost in their thoughts.

To be honest, he has never thought of his mother in that way. Even when he found out about girls, his mom was always...well...'Mom'. Someone who always, when he was younger, made sure he ate his greens, always complained about him being dirty and especially made sure that she embarrassed him in front of whatever his friends he had. Even now, she is constantly telling him to tidy up his room and not to be home too late.

He smiles to himself. She is just as bad with Dad.

But the idea that his parents could still be 'doing it' makes him shiver in not a nice way. Until now, he had always figured that they were too old for that kind of thing. But obviously not, if they want him to have sex with his mom and make her pregnant???

"You all right, son?" His dad finally asks, breaking the silence. But the awkness is still there.

The boy simply nods, unable to look up at his father...

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Jack Fleming

Unsure of what else he could say, Jack moved toward the door and paused. Anything he said at this point was going to be half-hearted at best. He couldn't exactly cheer his son on by saying something like: It won't be so bad, your mom's a great fuck!

Jack Fleming groaned inwardly and walked back over to his son. Giving him a great bear hug, he ruffled the boy's hair and then held him at arm's length. "There's an appointment tomorrow morning at Central State Hospital. Both you and your mother have to go. Devi and Sunil as well."

When Mark didn't say anything, Jack turned away pausing at the door again. "Mark?"

"Yes, dad?"

"Your mother and I love you very much."

"I know, dad. I love you, too."

Sighing, Jack left his son to ponder the realities of what he'd told him. Now he had to tell Janice that the deed was done -- at least this part.

 

[Tibxo]

Mark

The boy sits there long after his father has gone, still trying to understand what has just happened.

Slowly, it sinks in, his face becoming paler by the moment.

I am supposed do 'it' to Mom so she becomes pregnant!

He is physically shaking now.

He tries to visually picture them actually 'doing it' but he can't. He remembers how he had reacted when Sunil remarked how big his mom's boobs were. He almost knocked his friend's block off.

"It's Mom!" He says to himself. "I can't think of her 'like that'. She's my mom. You don't 'do it' with your own mom."

He takes a gulp from his pepsi that he had already opened but it does not make him feel better. He can still feel the butterflies in his stomach.

There is no way he can do this.

But what about Mom and Dad? Will they get into trouble?

Dejectedly, he looks at the floor. The boy doesn't know what to do.

He is still like that when his mother calls him for dinner an hour later...

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Janice Fleming

Dinner seemed to last for ages. After several failed attempts at making conversation, Janice finally gave up. Mark kept his head lowered and rarely raised it, Jack only spoke in response to Matthew and Emily who seemed to rattle on incessantly. The innocence of youth.

Relieved that the ordeal was finally over, Janice bathed and put the little ones to bed. Mark had dashed for his room as soon as he was finished and Jack was watching the news on the television when she came back downstairs.

Switching it off, he looked up and patted his lap. "C'mere and give us a cuddle."

Janice climbed onto what had been her favorite perch for as long as she could remember, nestling her face against her husband's neck. Even so, she couldn't help wondering if simple pleasures like this would end once she and Mark... began.

Still fighting back the bile that rose in her throat at the very thought of it, Janice feigned weariness and the need to take a shower. Jack promised to join her soon, though she was never sure if he did.

Maybe she wasn't fertile. Perhaps there was a chance that and she and Mark were incompatible on a genetic level. She could always hope... and pray. Janice Fleming lay in her marriage bed alone until sleep finally claimed her just before dawn.

 

[Tibxo]

Mark

The next morning...

In the large waiting hall of Central State Hospital's fertility clinic, Mark sits silently as he waits for his number to be called. His apprehension has grown since last night, after having a restless night and now he is feeling its affects.

He looks around the crowded hall, looking to see if Sunil and his sister are there (as his father had told him) but there are no sign of them.

Maybe they have already been.

"You sure you are alright?" His mother asks him what appears to be the umpteenth time.

"Yeah." He replies solemnly, looking up at her.

"You look a little peaky, dear." She says to him, her eyes scrunitizing his face.

"Just a bit tired is all." He tells her.

She gives him a nod and a loving smile, before pulling up her reading glasses (she is allergic to contact lens) and returns to her book.

For a moment he looks at her and then his eyes dip and to his horror he finds he is looking at her full chest.

Fucking pervert!

Disgusted with himself, his face flushing, he quickly turns away.

"Calling Number 759! Will Janice and Mark Fleming report to Examination Room 109! Calling Number 759! Will Janice and Mark Fleming report to Examination Room 109! Thank you."...

 

[Yoc]

Sunil

No sooner are they back from the hospital, the eager boy is grabbing at his sister.

"Sunil!" She protests before her mouth is swamped by his.

His hands are all over her as he quickly pulls her coat off.

"Sunil! The doctors said that I won't be fertile for another week." She gasps as she manages to break mouth contact.

But the horny boy's response is to mesh his mouth on hers again.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Janice

"Calling Number 759! Will Janice and Mark Fleming report to Examination Room 109! Calling Number 759! Will Janice and Mark Fleming report to Examination Room 109! Thank you."

Janice rose hesitantly, though Mark practically jumped from his chair when they were called. Taking his hand, she squeezed it gently to reassure him but he didn't respond, pulling free of her instead.

"Come on then" she said quietly, nudging her son to follow the nurse who had called their name. It hadn't even begun and her family was falling apart. There was always that chance...

"This way, Mrs. Fleming. You must be Mark?" The nurse tried to sound cheery, but it had been a long few days dealing with more than reluctant patients sent to be examined for compatibility. Sometimes it was the older of the two, sometimes the younger. Sometimes... well there had been that Indian couple who had seemed more than eager. It took all kinds.

As they entered the examination room, she directed them to get undressed. Both the boy and his mother looked at her in alarm. "No, no. There is a curtain to separate you. See?" As if to prove the fact, she pulled a divider between the two examination tables. "There. Now you'll find gowns to put on. The doctor will be in as soon as he looks over the forms you filled out when you arrived this morning. In the meantime, I will take your vital signs. Just give me a holler when you're ready."

Janice undressed slowly, stopping to fold each item of clothing neatly as she removed it. She knew she didn't have a choice in this -- then again, neither did Mark. Putting on the gown they had provided, she sat up on the edge of the table and called out to the nurse.

**************

Three hours later, mother and son began to feel as though they were human pincushions. They'd been stuck, poked, prodded, scanned and submitted to a variety of tests including a DNA sample. Just to be sure you are who you say you are, you understand is what they were told when she asked. Evidently some people had already tried to substitute a non-relative for the connately related partner.

After being told to dress and return to the waiting room until their results were finalized, Mark appeared even more jittery than he had earlier. Janice tried to make small talk but found it difficult enough to staunch her growing nausea, so she sat silently. Waiting. And waiting some more.

Mark fidgeted and paced for a while before returning to his seat where he eventually dozed off. When they were recalled, she touched her son's arm gently to wake him, nearly startling him out of his skin. "It's our turn again, love" Janice said quietly as she stood.

"Doctor Sanchez will see you in here. Your results are all in." The forced smile on the nurse's face indicated what she already knew.

"Hello again, Mrs. Fleming. Mark. Have a seat will you?" The doctor's face was completely devoid of expression.

Maybe? Maybe we aren't compatible after all? Her hopes were short-lived however as the doctor began to speak. She only half-listened, catching one or two words, but their meaning was clear.

"99.97% compatible... one of our highest results... definitely fertile... next five days... as much as possible... " He went on and on. Would the man never shut up? She wanted to get out of there. Go for a drive. She had to think. About anything. Anything but this

"Do you have any questions, Mrs. Fleming? Mark?" Janice looked up at Dr. Sanchez and shook her head -- almost afraid to speak. "Here is a folder with further instructions and a FAQ that should answer any further questions you may have. Now go home and procreate!"

Janice knew that it was a feeble attempt at humor to relieve the tension, but it was the final straw in a losing battle against the bile that had hovered dangerously in her throat. Looking around desperately for somewhere to vomit, she seized the wastepaper basket and was violently sick.

 

[Tibxo]

Mark

It takes half an hour before his mother stops vomiting and another half an hour after that before the doctor tells him to take her home. Luckily, since the hospital is only local, they have only a short distance to walk.

Back at the house, his mother excuses herself, telling him that she was going to lie down for a while. That 'while' becomes the rest of the morning and afternoon, with him going upstairs to check on her.

His mother is still in bed when the twins come home from school.
Doing his best, the boy makes some jam sandwiches for the twins and then wait for his father to come home...

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Jack

"I'm home! Where is everyone?" Hanging his jacket in the hall closet, Jack walked into the living room.

"I'm here, dad. The little ones are in bed and mom... " Mark seemed a little reluctant to mention his mother, a fact not lost on Jack.

He walked over to his son and hugged him. "Thanks, Champ. I owe you one for today. How bout a ball game on the weekend? Just us guys."

"Okay, dad. Whatever."

"Whatever?" Jack gave an inward sigh. There was a time not so long ago that Mark would have been enthusiastic about getting away from the "girls". He couldn't help wondering if those days were lost forever.

"Sorry, dad. Was just concentrating on this movie," Mark offered as a quick excuse that didn't fool either of them.

"Okay then. I need to get a shower and check on our girl." The words our girl caught in Jack Fleming's craw. They had taken on a different meaning in the truest sense of the word and he would have given anything to take them back when he saw the look on Mark's face. Embarrassed, Jack cleared his throat and went upstairs to check on Janice.

The bedroom was dark as he entered, just a glimmer of light from the streetlamp outside creeping through a chink in the curtains. "Honey?" he whispered just in case. "Are you awake?"

"Uh huh."

Jack moved to his wife's side of the bed and sat down, rubbing her arm. "You okay?"

Janice hesitated, loath to bring up the unasked question that hung unspoken between them. "Ohh... Jack... " She melted into her husband's arms as he scooped her up, her body wracked by sobs. "They... I... we... "

"There there, love. It will be okay. It's not like we didn't expect this -- even if it isn't what we would have liked. I love you, Janice. With all of my heart. Nothing and no one will ever change that." Jack tried to sound braver than he was, knowing that she needed soothing and reassurance. They didn't have any other choice.

 

[Tibxo]

Mark

The rest of the evening, Mark is left alone to watch the telly. The twins in bed and his father staying upstairs with his mother.

Taking a sip from his pepsi, the boy is hardly aware of what he is watching as his mind goes over what has happened today. He is still feeling sore after what they did to him at the hospital.

He shivers at the memory. He wouldn't want to go through that again.

Not only that, he still remembers the look on the nurse's face when she first saw his dick. Though she didn't say anything to him, he did catch her opening her mouth in surprise. It had made him feel funny.

Finally, the events of the day overtakes him and he drifts off to sleep in the chair...

 

[Tibxo]

Mark

Wake up, sleepy head!"

"Huh?" Drowsely, Mark finds himself being shaken by his father.

"Time for bed. It's almost midnight." His father tells him.

Still half asleep, he looks over at the television and finds it has already been switched off.

Must be late!

"OKay, Dad. Goodnight." He says as he gets up to go to bed.

"You okay, Mark?" His father asks him.

Okay? He thinks to himself, his mind still sluggish.

"About what you and your mom will have to do?"

Oh! He had almost forgotten.

"I guess." He says, pausing. He is not sure how he feels nor does he really want to talk about it. Not now. Not with his dad.

"You know that your mother and I really love you, don't you?"

The boy nods.

"I know this is tough for you. Hell. It is tough for all of us." He hears the small chuckle but somehow he doesn't think his dad finds it funny. He doesn't.

"But it has to be done." His father continues. "We have no choice."

"Yeah. I understand, Dad." Though he is not sure if he does.

"Anyway, Mark." There is a pause. "Your mother and I feel that the two of you should get...erm...started tomorrow. So you won't be going to school."

Tomorrow?

"Erm...okay, Dad." He says.

For a few minutes, they just stand there, quiet, not saying anything. In the end, his father says 'goodnight'

The boy goes upstairs to bed and a sleepless night...

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Janice

As her crying abated, Jack suggested she go wash her face while he made her a cup of tea. Janice dragged herself from the bed with effort and walked the few steps to the master bath.

She barely recognized the face that stared back at her from the mirror. Swollen, blotchy and tear-streaked, it was a grotesque parody of the Janice Fleming who had stood here a few days ago. There was no sparkle in her eyes, no roses in her cheeks -- her hair was dull and lackluster, reminding her of the time when she had let her family down before. When Jack had been ill with the plague.

"No!" Furious with herself, she turned the water on and began to scrub. Finally brushing her hair, she winced as it caught in the tangles. But that was all right -- pain was good right now. It made her alert and forced her to do what she needed to do. Janice might not like the situation, but it was up to her to make it successful and to keep her family from falling apart because of it.

"Janice?"

"In the bathroom, Jack. Be right out." She looked in the mirror again. Her reflection wasn't the best, but it was certainly better than a few minutes ago. Appearance was everything at this point -- no matter how she felt.

Jack looked up as she came back into the bedroom. "You look a lot better, Jan. The kids are in bed. Mark, too." He added the last as an afterthought, separating Mark from the twins in a way he had never done before. Mark was eighteen after all. A man for all intents and purposes, especially with the task set before him now.

He struggled to keep the thought from his mind, but it was impossible. Janice had picked up a folder from the dresser and handed it to him silently before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "What's this?" Jack asked as he opened it up. "Oh."

Janice nodded in agreement as her husband riffled through the sheets inside. It was basically an instruction manual dealing with what could and might and probably would go wrong and what to do to remedy all of those things.

"As you can see, Mark and I were deemed... compatible." Janice said quietly. "I suppose we should have... today... you know... but I just couldn't, Jack. I just couldn't, dammit!"

Jack slipped his arm around his wife. "Let me take a look at this for a sec, Jan. I'll make sense of it and we'll work it all out. Everything is going to be okay. It's your duty. Our duty. Like it or not, we don't have any choice here. The decision was made for us."

She smiled at her husband, though it didn't extend to her eyes. How easy it was for him to say our when it really had nothing to do with him. Just her. And Mark. Their son. No, that wasn't fair either. It did affect Jack as well.

Please God, let everything be all right, she prayed silently. It would be all over as soon as she was pregnant. And they said she was especially fertile right now. All it would take would be one time, maybe two. She had gotten pregnant quickly with Jack. Okay, maybe three times at most. It was the best she could hope for.

 

[Yoc]

Sunil

Sunil is looking forward to a sleepless night as he lays in his bed. Soon his sister will be coming to say 'goodnight'.

He grins to himself as his hand plays with his stiffened tool.

 

[Maid of Marvels]

Janice

She watched Jack riffle through the pages in the folder, his silence was almost alarming in its intensity. Jan realized that she had been selfish in thinking this wouldn't affect him and reached out to caress her husband's face causing him to flinch.

"I'm... Gods, Jan. I was... concentrating," Jack stammered to cover his embarrassment, but it didn't fool her at all. He hated what was about to happen. Maybe even more than she did.

"It's okay, Jack. I understand," she replied, giving him a peck on the cheek as she picked up the folder from the bed where he had dropped it. "I suppose I really should be the one looking at this, huh? We can talk about it when I'm finished if you like."

Opening it for the first time on her own, she glanced down the index to see what it covered. The first mini chapters dealt with the plague and it's aftermath, followed by the need for procreation and a lot of other scientific mumbo jumbo that was moot in her opinion. Then, of course, there was the obligatory "how-to". Janice sighed. Of course it was more than possible that some of the couples had never been sexual with anyone.

"Insert Tab A into Slot B," she laughed ironically. Janice had never had sex that didn't involve love-making. This made it all sound so 'clinical'. Maybe that's what she needed to do. Look at it from a clinical standpoint rather than a personal one.

"I know, Jan. I saw that part, too" Jack said resignedly. "Maybe it's the next part that you need... "

His voice trailed off as he saw that his wife was already there -- Getting Your Partner Aroused. "If it's any consolation... Mark knows... the basics."

Seeing the look on Jan's face, Jack regretted the words as soon as they came out. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her, but she was as rigid as a flag pole. Jack couldn't remember a time in their lives when she had not responded to a hug. There would be a lot more changes in their lives. A lot more.

It was almost dawn by the time Janice finished reading. Jack had dozed off hours ago. She closed the folder and set it on the nightstand before turning off the lamp.

How simple this would all be depended on Mark and his willingness -- or not, she realized as she read. There were a few things that she had noted in the final chapters and planned to have Jack pick them up for her in the morning -- just in case. Praying for strength to get them all through this, sleep finally claimed her moments before the alarm went off.

"Sleep a bit, Jan" Jack murmured as he stretched and sat up. "I'll get the twins ready and fed and off to school."

Janice nodded groggily and murmured, "Thanks, love. There's a list to get by the lamp."

"Sure. What are... " Jack started to ask but Janice had already fallen back to sleep.

 

[Tibxo]

Mark

Off school again, Mark spends the next morning running errands before his father suggests he should take the dog out for a walk. Puzzled, the boy obeys, happy to have another reason to get out of the house.

"Take your time. Just be back for lunch, okay sport?" His father calls out.

Going to the nearby woods, he soon finds himself lost in thought as he strolls along.

He is confused. He thought that he is taking time off school so that he can 'do it' with his mom and get her pregnant. (Again, he feels that strange shiver at the thought.) But how come they are giving him all these things to do to get him out of the house?

Having no idea and not wishing to dwell on the subject, he tries his best to enjoy his walk but time and time again, his mind comes back to the subject.

Eventually, the time reaches 12.30 and slowly he heads for home. Even so, he reaches the front door before 1...