Quaranteam: SE - Team Davies Ch. 02

Quaranteam: Southeast – Team Davies

By 2charlie

This is a spinoff from the Quaranteam Universe created by CorruptingPower. Reading his work, as well as stories from many other excellent authors such as BreakTheBar, Agathon, Ronan, OtterlyMinBlowing, The_Licentious_Laureate, SilverRyden, BronanTheLibrarian, and others inspired me to start my own story. Thank you CorruptingPower for letting me join in the fun, and to all of rest for their help and support as I wrote this story. Please check out their work! This work is written with the consent of CorruptingPower. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

All Characters depicted in sexual situations in this story are over the age of 18.

***Gainesville, FL – 0700, Monday, July 27, 2020***

When his alarm went off at 7:00 am, Miles struggled to shut it off. Two hours of sleep – not a lot to go on, but he’d try to grab a nap, here and there. Physically, aside from being fatigued, Miles had not felt this good in more than a decade. His fever had cleared while he was sleeping. His breathing difficulties and cough were subsiding. He definitely felt like he was on the mend.

Emotionally, Miles felt like he was midway through a wild roller-coaster ride. He briefly catalogued all that he had endured in recent days; his eldest son had passed away, as had his brother-in-law Raul, and his eldest niece Mary Beth. Pandemic lockdowns had prevented funerals or wakes, so there was no telling what they would eventually be able to do to find closure, let alone when.

He looked to his left – oh yeah, and his sister-in-law was now his wife, at least in practical terms. Not legally, of course. He wondered how that would even work in what was bound to become the new cultural reality.

Miles grimaced at the thought of what might come next. He might be getting out over his skis here. Would Penny want to go back to her house and arrange regular hook-ups for dosing, or would she bring Ellie and move in with him and Sean? And what was going to happen to the broader world around them? A major outbreak seemed to be unfolding in Gainesville. The Air Force had mobilized in response and was likely going to begin implementing some sort of emergency containment protocol soon, if they hadn’t already done so. Meanwhile, here at Casa Davies, everyone had some major life events to process.

Stretching while trying to stifle a yawn, Miles got out of bed and went to get the shower water running. Shit. Shave. Brush Teeth. Shower. The usual routine. Fifteen minutes later, he came out of the shower to get some clothes on and check on the kids. And he ought to check in with work – he should still be on bereavement leave, but he was going to extend it by a few days, due to Raul and Mary Beth’s passing. Oh yeah, and he needed to dry Penny’s clothes. Or maybe he’d take Ellie over to her house to pick up some things… shit, should he tell Ellie her mom was in his bed? That sounded bad. It would look bad, too. He just didn’t feel bad about it. Not now. Maybe later. Fuck it.

He got busy working through his tasks. He confirmed via Workday that he was still on bereavement leave, so he left it at that – he’d take care of work later. He put Penny’s clothes in the dryer. Even if he ended up going to her house to get more clothes for her, he reasoned, it still needed to be done. The kids were still asleep, but he doubted that they would stay that way for long. He definitely didn’t want to update either of them about Raul or Mary Beth – not until Penny was awake. He decided that a Star Wars movie marathon was a great way to keep them occupied while he tended to things that needed to be done.

He made his world famous (or at least locally infamous) breakfast casserole and woke the kids up about 20 minutes before it was done. He instructed them both to make their beds, brush their teeth and shower, get dressed, and report for breakfast in twenty mikes. The kids thought it was funny when Miles used military jargon, so they grinned and got busy. Just before the oven timer went off, his niece came into the kitchen. “Uncle Miles,” she asked, with her big fucking Disney eyes, “have you heard from my mom?”

Miles had considered his options while cooking – it had been his experience in life that, when confronted with an idea he wasn’t prepared to address, he’d put it on the back burner until he had an epiphany, referring to this process as ‘putting it in the rock tumbler’ – he knelt down to look into her eyes, and told her a half-truth. “Your mother was dropped off here earlier this morning,” he explained to the girl. “She’s doing better, but was exhausted, so the doctor gave her some sleeping pills. She should be awake by about dinner time. We’re going to let her sleep until then. And I don’t have any updates on your father or Mary Beth,” he fibbed, “I think maybe you and Sean, and I will drop by your house later today to grab you and your mom some spare clothes. Sound good?”

Ellie looked unhappy but nodded her head. “Do you need any help, Uncle Miles?”

“If you could set the table, that would be great,” he said. “Plates and forks should be fine – nothing fancy.”

Ellie got out three plates and forks and put them in front of three places at the kitchen table. When Sean came in, Miles tasked him with putting a pitcher of orange juice on the table, along with three glasses. When the timer on the oven went off, he pulled the casserole out, sprinkled a cup of shredded sharp cheddar on the top, then put it back in for another five minutes. “Could one of you please put a trivet on the table for me?” he requested.

A few minutes later, Miles placed the casserole on the table and began to serve out big heaping squares of breakfast. The three of them ate heartily – his casserole being a family favorite, in both families.

Later, once the dishes were cleaned up, he had them both get ready to take a ride. He’d placed an order at the supermarket for some extra grocery items and wanted to go to Penny’s house to grab some clothes, and then back by the market to pick up the food order. He made one last online order, for a dozen boxes and packing tape at the hardware store. He could do curbside pickup there as well. No way he was taking the kids inside any public place – that would be criminal, at this point.

He saddled the kids up in the Beast – so named, because it could hold at least six full grown adults with full camping kit in its belly, but got shit for gas mileage – and headed out to complete the errands. First stop – Penny’s house. He found the extra key right where they usually left it, and let himself and the kids inside, placing the key on his keyring. He asked Sean to do a quick check to make sure all doors and windows were properly shut and locked, and all window blinds closed. He went into Raul and Penny’s room to grab a duffel bag out of their closet, then put several pairs of things, bras, tops, and bottoms into the bag. He checked the medicine cabinet for any prescription drugs – nothing with Penny’s name on it – just Lisinopril for Raul – no idea he had blood pressure issues. Grabbing her hair care products, deodorant, and perfume, he headed back out to check on the kids. Ellie had just about finished packing her things – Miles told her to grab her laptop or any books she’d like to bring, as he suspected she’d be staying with him for a bit. She paused to look at him with struck eyes but did as she was told.

Doing one last check, Miles made sure all the lights were off, and locked the door behind them as they exited, loading the bags into the middle row of the Beast, along with Ellie. Pulling out of the drive, Miles turned back towards the hardware store, deciding to go there next, saving the market for last. Two uneventful stops later, they were headed for home. He saw a white government van parked out front when he turned into his private lane. He waved at the van occupants as he backed the Beast into the garage, reminding the kids to Mask up for him. They grabbed the bags from the market while Miles brought in the duffel bags, leaving the boxes and packing tape for later.

Once inside, he asked the kids to put away any perishables and head upstairs for now. He then went to the front door, to find his two favorite ladies from the 144th Medical Airwing waiting outside, once again in their bubble suits. “Spaceman Spiff, and her trusty sidekick!’ he playfully said, “Welcome to planet Davies!”

“Get a sailor laid, and he’s all kinds of happy,” he heard the Staff Sergeant mutter.

“Please tell me you didn’t take those kids anywhere public,” Lt. Jansen hissed at him, a look of concern mixed with angst apparent in her eyes. “That would be a huge fucking nightmare!”

“No, of course not. You ladies want to come in?” he offered. They stepped in, moving once more to the dining room table. SSgt Mitchel was already opening the case as Jansen squared off in front of Miles.

“Why did you leave the house with the children?” she wanted to know. “You do understand that they could spread this shit, don’t you? Shit, you could probably be charged with attempted murder, or worse. I am serious, Davies. You must not take them anywhere again, anytime soon!”

Miles grimaced. “Yes, I understood the risk. I made sure not to take them anywhere public. I needed to pick up spare clothes for Ellie and Penny. And I needed some packing supplies – gonna box up Marcus’ stuff today. And I needed some groceries,” he explained. “So, for the last two stops, it was all curbside delivery. No public contact. I don’t see another partner, so I’m guessing you’re here to test me?”

“Test you both, yes. Let’s start with you. Have a seat in front of Mitchel and get swabbing,” she said with a rueful grin at her poke at the navy man. “We’ll get to Penny next. Oh, and today we’ll do a blood draw on both of you, in addition to the swab.”

Miles took the swab from Mitchel, ran it around the inside of his cheek, then handed It back. Putting the swab into the test kit, she handed him another. “Care to go grab a sample from Penny for me?” she asked, giving him an exaggerated batting of her eyelashes. Chuckling at her cheekiness, he took the second swab into the bedroom. Returning a moment later, he handed the swab to her, and she inserted it into the test machine, next to his sample.

“Any orifice will work, right?” he asked innocently? Jansen shot him a warning look that screamed ‘you didn’t!’ while Mitchel just made a ‘yuck’ face inside her helmet. He chuckled to himself, making an air finger motion as if adding a point to his score.

“Make sure you miss the vein a few times,” Jansen suggested to the staff sergeant. Turning to Miles, she took a good look at him. “You sure do seem pretty chipper today, compared to the last time I saw you.”

“I’m probably a little loopy,” he posited. “I only got about two hours of sleep after… you know, so I am running on fumes right now. Let’s get these tests done, though. I feel a strong urge to nap soon!” he said while stifling a yawn. Miles was exhausted, truth be told. Not physically, it was more like he was emotionally wrung out. He’d passed through a crucible earlier with Penny, and was feeling an almost giddy sense of relief, like a free diver who’d struggled to reach the surface, almost blacking out, finally drawing in that lungful of fresh air upon breaking the surface. He realized he was probably putting up a front to the wing commandos, here, so as to avoid thinking about dark things at all.

“Don’t worry, Commander,” the lieutenant soothed him. “This won’t take too long.”

Miles narrowed his eyes slightly at her use of his rank. He made a show of looking down at himself, then looked back up at her. “I’m not in uniform, Lieutenant. Why address me by rank? Heck, I’m in the last year or so of my naval reserves’ commitment, so I’m almost not even a commander anymore.”

“Well, that might not be quite true,” she replied with a sly grin. “I heard a rumor that you are about to be recalled to active duty. Just a rumor, mind you.”

He guffawed at that. “Now why in all that is great and good would Uncle Sugar want to go and do something that fuckin’ stupid?”

“Again, sir, just a rumor,” she replied, “but it’s being suggested that we’re running low on senior command personnel, and you possess certain knowledge and skills that offer specific advantages to a certain program that is about to be spun up. Or so I’ve heard.”

Mitchel finished drawing his blood, popped the tube out of the syringe, disposing of the latter in a medical waste bag while labelling the former, then grabbed another syringe and tube before heading for the bedroom.

Miles grew sober. He looked at Jansen with an earnest, no bullshit expression. “Okay, lieutenant, in all seriousness, when will this change in my status likely occur?” he inquired.

“I’m told the paperwork is already being routed, sir. Your employer should be notified no later than tomorrow, and you should also be receiving your new orders hand delivered before the close of the day tomorrow at the latest. Oh, and you’ll likely be getting another partner, probably later today, tomorrow morning at the latest, depending on how your tests turn out. Speak of the devil,” she said.

Miles looked to his right to see the lights on the test machine glowing green. “What about the kids? Is there an available treatment, or will they forever be carriers of the virus?” he asked.

“The science is out on that,” Jansen responded, “but we’re hopeful that, since they never got sick, they won’t become symptomatic when they hit… age 11 and up.” She winced for a moment, seeming to choose her words with care. “As for being carriers, we think that they are only carriers during the initial two weeks post-infection, but we’re not sure about that. There’s also been word of a variant strain. It’s quite possible that the infection-carrier cycle would repeat with exposure to a new strain – hopefully we won’t see too many kids experiencing that. In the meantime, it’s probably best to keep them either isolated, or wearing masks and social distancing until the Quaranteam program goes mainstream here locally, just to avoid your kids potentially initiating another spreader event.”

Miles frowned for a moment, considering what he’d just heard. The kids would have to continue to endure the same conditions as before they’d all gotten sick. Wait a second… “Speaking of masks and social distancing, we all have to continue to do all that as well, right? Even though we’re vaccinated - whatever you’re calling it – to keep up appearances, yes?” he asked, trying not to sound annoyed.

The Air Force officer nodded grimly. “That was part of the NDA you all signed. You cannot communicate, by any means, information alluding to the existence of the Quaranteam program. Imagine the shitstorm that would happen if word of this leaked out before we have enough stockpiled – we’d probably see a huge uptick in civil unrest, which equals spreader events.”

“When does the Air Force plan to go public with this?” he asked.

“Not our call – that decision rests solely with the POTUS. But ultimately it will depend on the availability of the vaccine for mass distribution,” she responded, shaking her head. “But for this trip, looks like we’re all done,” she said, as she saw her companion coming out of the bedroom flashing her a thumbs-up. “As I said, we’ll likely be back with your next partner later today or tomorrow. No more middle of the night shit if we can help it. See you soon, Commander!” she said, this time with a shit-eating grin.

“Okay, but next time, lose the spacesuits – they creep me out!” he responded, her grin infectious. He saw the Air Force’s ladies out and shut the door behind them with a sigh.

He debated whether or not to grab a quick nap. It was a short debate. The nap would have to wait. Wanting to get some tasks done while he waited for Penny to wake up, Miles decided to tackle squaring away the bedroom situation, beginning with packing away Marcus’ room. He avoided the melancholy thoughts this threatened, choosing instead to look forward to using this as private time to say ‘goodbye’ to his son. Gathering boxes and packing materials, he went upstairs, checked on the kids for a moment, and then got to work.

It took him right up to just about lunch time. He’d started by going through Marcus’ clothing – everything deemed in good condition was set aside – the rest went into large black garbage bags. He would add them into the garbage run to the city dump he planned for the next few days. The saved items could either become ‘hand-me-downs’ for Sean, or donated to charity, depending on how Sean felt about the matter. Bed clothes were piled into a basket for laundering. Some items were set aside to be donated to the local Good Will collection center. He took down the posters – the boy loved Marvel! – and carefully packed away the few toys the boy had held onto – he’d go through those with Sean on another occasion – some might be kept as remembrances, but he didn’t want to make such choices today.

Miles grimly reflected that these same tasks had awaited him following Beth’s death, but he’d gotten through the pain then, and he would survive it now. He swallowed the momentary surge of anguish and focused on completing the room.

Once all personal items were dealt with, he took a break to consider what to do with the room. There would be more partners joining the team, and the possibility existed that more children would come along with the partners. It was a good thing that Miles’ home had a few extra rooms, but they might eventually need to consider long-term options for how situations might evolve. In the end, he remade the bed with clean sheets and a comforter, cleaned out the drawers with Lysol wipes, and generally left the room ready for some yet-to-be-determined occupant.

After finishing Marcus’ old room, he took a break to grab lunch with the kids. Sean and Ellie were getting along well, all things considered, which was a tremendous boon, and PBJ’s and Fritos make everything seem better! Miles watched with a grin as Sean and Ellie traded good natured ribbing or talked about their new online school classes that would start soon. He didn’t want to think about the emotional bomb that would be dropped on them later.

After lunch, the other upstairs bedroom was targeted – working quickly, he got the room sorted, removing all unnecessary items, emptying the closet, and setting up the guest bed to a serviceable status, much as he had with Marcus’ old room, and for the same reason.

The final step was to restore the upstairs bathroom to a state of cleanliness. Marcus had not been a fastidious cleaner, and Miles had not forced the issue in the past. About an hour of elbow grease was needed to clean the room to his satisfaction. The home theater and adjoining bathroom were hardly used anymore, so both just needed light dusting.

Miles was done with the upstairs – save for the game room – by about 4:00 pm, and decided to go check on Penny. He grabbed a bottle of water on his way to the bedroom – thinking she’d likely wake up thirsty. When he entered the room, she was still asleep – it didn’t look like she’d moved much, if at all. He put the water bottle next to her on the nightstand, cleaned up what clutter there was in the room, and went into the closet. The ‘her’ side of the his-n-her walk-in closet was mostly empty. He’d cleared out all of Beth’s things shortly after her death, donating it all to Goodwill. There were still about two dozen empty hangers there – no doubt he’d need to order more from Amazon, or possibly get them from Penny’s house. Along with other items, he thought wryly to himself. It took him very little time to square away the closet – the biggest issue would be the gun safe, but that was mostly taking up space on his side anyway, and he wasn’t about to move that any time soon.

He was just starting to clean the master bathroom when he felt two arms wrap around him from behind. “Mmmmmm, nothing so sexy as a man cleaning my bathroom!” he heard Penny say.

“Yeah, let me get the shower clean for you really quick – you kinda need it,” he said to her with a smile as he turned to pull her close. After a brief hug, he stepped away from her and moved into the shower bay, gathering up a few of the near-empty bottles that had been left to gather over time, and quickly clearing the area of debris. He looked around and concluded that a deeper cleaning would have to be done later, then exited the basin and dropped the trash into the waste basket. Hearing the toilet flush in the separate crapper closet, he reached back into the shower and turned on the water, pre-heating it for Penny.

Pausing for a moment, Penny seemed to hesitate, then walked into the shower, adjusting the water temperature to her liking, then began to soak under the cascading beads of water.

Trying not to stare at her through the glass half-wall separating him from her, Miles picked up a toothbrush, still in its packaging, and raised his voice so she could hear him over the water, saying, “I wasn’t sure which one was yours, so here’s a new one.”

She wiped water from her eyes, looking up in confusion… “which one was… oh! You must have gone to my house.”

“This morning. Ellie needed fresh clothes, and so did you, so I ran a few errands with the kids, and picked up some of your things while I was at it,” he told her, gesturing to the hair care products and other items on her side of the counter. “Now, I need to decide what to do about dinner – I was considering grabbing food from Grub Hub – you like wings?”

“Wings, legs, I can eat the whole damned bird right now,” she responded dryly. “I’m famished!”

“Okay, well, why don’t you finish your shower and get dressed while I get dinner ordered,” he suggested, briefly weighing joining her in the shower, “and I can get you caught up on what you missed during your long nap.” He reached into the linen closet, pulled out a fresh bath sheet for her, hung it on the hook just outside the shower, and retreated before he changed his mind.

****

The atmosphere at dinner was mixed. The kids were both happy that Penny was awake and healthy, but Ellie was obviously concerned at the continued radio silence on Raul and Mary Beth. Miles noted that Sean’s expression was guarded but hinted at sadness – he definitely suspected the worst – while Ellie looked a bit more openly scared.

Finally, unable to stand the suspense, Ellie cleared away her plate, then stood in front of her mother, a sad little look in her eyes. “Dad’s gone, isn’t he?’ she asked, “Mary Beth, too.”

Penny shifted in her seat, unsure how she wanted to respond. Miles looked on in silence, unwilling to speak.

“She was the same age as Marcus,” Ellie continued. “This has something to do with summer camp, doesn’t it? None of the other scouts will tell me on Discord, but I know something’s wrong. None of the older scouts have been online at all. A few of the cubs from my den had been online Saturday, but none since, and most of my school friends haven’t been online for weeks” Tears were openly running down her cheeks, and Miles felt desperately helpless at that moment.

Penny closed her eyes for a moment, deciding that this conversation could be delayed no longer. She steeled herself, opening her eyes, and opened her arms to hug Ellie. The little girl crashed into her mother’s arms, sobbing openly.

Penny held her close for a few minutes. “Y-your father a-and sister passed away,” she confessed, beginning to cry herself. “At your summer camp, you-you all were exposed to something we’d not heard of before. It’s a new virus, that is very deadly, especially to men, and totally lethal to teenagers when they first encounter it. You and Sean are lucky. Kids your age and younger don’t get sick from it. But today, right now, this is spreading throughout our troop and pack, kids and parents. So, we need to keep folks in our prayers, and hope that they can survive.” She held Ellie until her crying subsided.

Sean had come over to Miles to embrace his father, unclear whether he needed support or was offering it. Miles’ heart swelled with pride – his little boy was maturing quickly, he thought bittersweetly. He realized the boy had suspected but hadn’t said anything to Ellie so she wouldn’t be scared. Good boy!

Penny relaxed her hold on Ellie and held her out a bit, looking into her eyes, trying to measure her reaction to this next part. “The doctors from the Air Force and the ones at Shands tried to save your father. They gave me a serum to save me, but it was too late for your daddy! He was too sick!” she sobbed… wracked for a moment with the guilt of the memory.

Miles got up and brought them both some facial tissues. Both accepted them gratefully, He sat back down at the table and resumed eating quietly while keeping an eye on Penny and Ellie, silently evaluating the emotional roller-coaster that each was experiencing. There was no more conversation as Ellie processed the news of her father and sister. Eventually, dinner was finished, and Miles began to clear away the mess.

Penny cleared her throat, deciding there was more to be told. “After your father died,” she began softly, “I learned that what they had injected into me would require that I become a permanent partner with someone. A male partner was necessary. Originally, it was intended that I pair with your daddy, and if I’d been able to do so, he would have lived.” She paused, as the pain made talking difficult, before eventually continuing. “Unfortunately, your father was too far gone. The messed up part of it all is, the vaccine only works when a woman is partnered with a man. When we lost your father, they told me that I would have to choose another partner, or I would die. I couldn’t allow that, even if I wanted to, because I still had you to care for. So, I was told that I had to choose a partner, or that I would be assigned to one by a computer program.”

Ellie looked scared at this. “No, mama! No! I don’t want to go live with somebody else! Can’t we do something else? I don’t want to have to move in with someone we don’t know!” she cried, her voice rising in fear, distraught at the prospect of living with strangers.

“Now, Ellie, I’ve known you your whole life,” Miles said to her in a soothing voice and a gentle smile in his eyes. “I wouldn’t say we were strangers, would you?”

Ellie turned to him, her eyes growing wide. “Uncle Miles! What… what are you saying?” She turned back to her mother, tears still there, but not as bad. “Momma, what does Uncle Miles mean by that?”

“He means, welcome to the family, El!” Sean turned to hug her from behind, laughing and crying at the same time.

The little girl seemed amazed and confused, and didn’t know how to react. She turned her clearly puzzled eyes to Sean, then Miles, and finally back to her mother. “Does that mean you are partners with Uncle Miles, now? That we don’t have to go live with some stranger?” she dared to ask, the slightest hope in her quivering voice.

Now Miles moved over to her, joining in on the hug, with Sean and Penny all wrapping their arms around Ellie. Penny just nodded speechlessly for a moment, too choked with emotion to speak. The four of them held onto each other for several minutes, sniffling and crying, until they felt the pain and shock subside.

Penny didn’t fully let go. There was still a bit more to tell. “When they told me that your sister had already died, I was heartbroken, and terrified. Like Marcus, she was in the age range most affected by this horror – teens older than 11, but under 18, give or take, don’t make it. I was really scared that this would mean that, as you got older, you’d have the same fate. But the doctors explained to me that your bodies will have developed a natural resistance to this virus. Even if you are exposed to another strain, you might have some symptoms, like a mild cold or flu, but shouldn’t be in any serious danger. The only other thing to worry about is that – once exposed – you are capable of passing this along to others. So, until everyone has received the serum and partners, we’re going to have to be careful if you leave this house, or others come to visit.”

She looked thoughtful for a moment, then plunged on. “Oh, and that reminds me of one more thing – because of how women share the serum with men, men don’t get as much protection. It’s not an equal share. So, men need to partner with more than one woman to be safe. This means, we will soon have more women, and maybe other kids joining our family. What’s your scouting motto?”

“Be Prepared,” both kids said in unison.

“Exactly – be prepared. So, that gets you all up to date…” she started.

“Almost,” interrupted Miles. “There’s one more thing. I am being recalled to active duty. Looks like Uncle Sam is running low on talent and wants to bring me off the bench.”

Penny looked concerned as she turned to face Miles. He held up a hand to let her know they would discuss this more at another time. “For now, though, why don’t you two go upstairs and play a video game or watch a movie or more ‘Stranger Things’. Penny and I still have a few matters to discuss.” The kids gave them each a big hug, each getting kisses on the forehead from both adults and then went up the stairs, their footsteps slow, as they had a lot on their minds.

****

Miles and Penny had sat back down at the table with fresh drinks, but neither felt much like talking. Explaining their situation to the kids had left them both feeling wrung out. As he was beginning to tell her the details of his last conversation with Jansen, Miles felt his phone vibrate on his hip. He checked the message – it was from Jansen, and simply read, ‘Tomorrow morning. 0800. New Partner.’ He showed the message to Penny. She read it twice, then sighed and leaned back in her chair.

“Fuck, this is really happening,” she almost whispered, a curious look on her face.

Miles just nodded, not seeing her expression. “About the active-duty thing,” he started, getting her attention, “I don’t think it will be like back when I was on active duty before. That wouldn’t make sense. I think instead I’m going to get pulled into some sort of joint services venture, trying to help out somehow in the aftermath of this DuoHalo shit. Given the way Teams seem to need to be near each other, it wouldn’t make sense for them to set me up with a team if they were planning to deploy me.”

“Beth always spoke about your mind, how you used to be such a challenge for her, because you were playing 3D chess while most folks were playing checkers,” she said, leaning in to brush a stray strand of hair from his eyes.  Penny looked at Miles – really looked at him – appraising him as if from a new perspective. “I’m beginning to see what she was talking about. And she was right. It’s pretty fucking hot!” she said to him as she leaned in, wrapping her arms around him, and gave him a soul sucking kiss.

“So, let’s clear the air,” Miles suggested, head reeling a bit from her kiss, “just so I know we’re on the same page. You’re still processing Raul and Mary Beth, just as I am still processing Marcus, but you are okay being with me, right? Because, aside from Sean and Ellie both being healthy, you becoming my partner is, like, the best thing to come out of all of this.”

Her eyes moistened at this, and she looked at him with an ‘aww, how sweet!’ expression. Miles couldn’t help himself – he opted to poke the bear. “So far, at least.” He was grinning a bit at the last, and she got an ‘I’m going to get you!’ look in her eyes as she socked him in the arm.

“I don’t know,” she lied, a funny-evil look in her eyes. “I’m beginning to think I should have thought a bit more carefully about my options… woops!” she giggled as he picked her up, put her over his shoulder, caveman style, and carried her away, back to the master suite.

Kicking the door closed behind him, he tossed her on the bed. “That kind of sass talk,” he warned her jokingly, “will get you a good spanking!”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time!” she shot back, rolling over and hiking her butt up at him.

Miles began making a show removing his belt. “Okay, but you asked for it!” Walking up next to her alongside the bed, he made a show of pushing the ends of his belt together, then jerking them apart really quickly, making it snap loudly. He couldn’t help but notice the look of excitement in Penny’s eyes, as she gave him a lust-filled smile and wiggled her backside enticingly. Wondering if he was getting in over his head, or taking things too far, he resigned himself to see this through. Drawing his arm back, he swung it moderately hard, bringing the belt across her cheeks with a c-r-a-c-k!

Penny lowered her head slightly, closing her eyes and moaned loudly, then wiggled her ass again. “Please sir, may I have another?” she begged, lust in her voice.

Goaded on, Miles reached back and swung again, this time just a little bit harder, and was rewarded with another loud crack, as well as a loader moan.

Penny lowered her head for just a moment longer than before, then wiggled her ass and looked at him, “Please sir, one more? Just a little harder? Please?”

‘Oh my God!’  Miles thought to himself, ‘how did I never know how hot this woman was? Fuck me!’ Drawing his arm back one more time, a little higher than before, Miles brought it down with a bit more force, delivering a satisfying crack across her ass for a third time, and was rewarded with a much louder, more throaty moan.

At this point, Miles wanted more. Dropping his belt, he reached over, rubbing her ass with his hand, patted her backside and ordered her to strip.

As he watched her peeling down to just skin, Miles leaned forward to kiss her, inhaling her scent while he re-appraised her features. Penny was very similar to her sister Beth, reminding him of her in many ways. The similarities were eerie; Penny was a tall woman, standing slightly taller than Beth had at 5’8”, but had the same wavy blonde hair, sea-blue eyes, and shapely, womanly curves he had missed so desperately. The parallels continued; wide hips without being fat, ass with just the right combination of bubble and bounce. Penny’s breasts seemed slightly larger - teardrop shaped breasts that had the slightest sag in them, betraying her 35 years of age, at least C cups – borderline D - with large pink areolas and plump nipples that made his mouth water – but the biggest differentiator separating her from his memory of Beth were the sexy nipple piercings that unexpectedly excited him.

In her turn, Penny decided she was pleased with Miles. At nearly forty years of age, his military service and self-discipline had kept him in good shape. He had allowed himself a neatly trimmed beard while keeping his mostly brown hair trimmed to military regulation length. She guessed that he must use his own trimmers. Lean while not overly muscled, standing at 6’ tall, Miles had worked hard to stay fit, was handsome in his own way, and sported a circumcised cock that she believed was the perfect fit for her! She smiled to herself, finding it cute the way he shed his clothes as quickly as he could. She’d obviously goaded him into a lust-filled hunger for her. Thinking briefly on the heavy emotions from just a short while ago, she recalled having heard that more people fuck after funerals than weddings. Now she understood why. To heal.

Miles surprised her when he grabbed her legs and flipped her onto her back, climbing onto the bed and licking his way up to her molten pussy, inhaling deeply before he plunged his tongue as deep into her as he could. She shrieked in surprise, giggling as she exclaimed, “oh my! Someone’s worked up!”

“You’ve no idea!” he growled from her groin region, determined to devour her. He licked slowly but firmly around the labia, delighting in her taste. Having worked around the edges, he began to delve deeper into her folds, swiping his tongue deeply inside her, attempting to scoop out her tangy nectar. When he had her squirming and wriggling beneath him, he changed gears, bending lower to lick around her rosebud, running his tongue around her rim, and stabbing it into her as deeply as he could, drawing a loud “O-ooooh myyyy gaawd!” from her. He then flattened his tongue and gave her a long, slow swipe all the way from her anus to her clitoral hood, making her shriek and squirm beneath him. Reaching up with his left hand, he inserted a finger into her warm, slick snatch and began probing for the spongy area just behind her clit, trying to stimulate her G-spot.

Focusing his oral attention on her clit while curling his finger in a ‘come hither’ gesture was driving Penny to a new level of excitement. Her breathing was getting heavier and louder, and she reached down to run her fingers through his hair and grip his head. Tightening her thighs, she humped her pussy up into his face and let out a long moan as she came, her juices flowing freely out of her pussy, bathing his hand and face. Miles slowed down his efforts, withdrawing his hand from inside her and moving it up to rub on her upper pelvic region. He paused his efforts for a moment, letting her come down from her orgasmic high, then raising his head and slowly making his way up her body. Entranced by the nipple rings, he couldn’t resist pausing to lick and suckle her breasts, fascinated with and curious about her piercings. As he nipped at her nipples, he looked up to make sure he wasn’t hurting her. Her eyes were watching his every move, filled with lust and anticipation.

Smiling to himself for bringing her pleasure so soon after all of their mutual pain, he moved further up to her mouth, locking lips with her in a deep, long, searing kiss, filled with lust and passion. He noted she didn’t pull away from her taste, seeming to actually relish it. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, pulling him to her, clinging to him as their tongues wrestled against one another. Sliding her bare pussy against his cock, she humped up against him, rubbing her clit against his hardness, eager for more.

Miles adjusted his hips slightly, angling his cock down, rubbing it against her sopping wet hole before gently inserting himself in. Pausing briefly to ensure he was at the right angle, and slick enough to not hurt her, he began ploughing her deeply. It felt wonderful to him, stroking into her over and over, thrusting firmly, smacking his pelvis against hers, enjoying the feel of her solid warmth. In turn, she was humping her hips up at him, encouraging him to fuck her harder, desperate for release. He pushed into her, moving her whole body with each impact, their sexual collision building in tempo and force, both of them exerting their cores with each thrust, climbing to the inevitable crescendo. Miles mashed his lips against hers again, spearing his tongue into her mouth as he moaned through his orgasm. As he came, he felt her clutching his prick with incredibly tight pussy muscles, moaning back against him as she enjoyed a serum-induced climax.

But Miles was not done. He slowed for a long series of strokes, luxuriating in her warm, sticky cunt, and then began to pick up speed, slowly, building up steam, his cock returned to full hardness. Penny could only hang on for dear life as he once again began stroking deeply into her, harder, faster; their previously spent juices sloshing and foaming at her entrance. His onslaught continued unabated, once again pushing them both to their peak. With a mighty thrust deep enough to hit her cervix, Miles came for a second time, joined immediately by Penny, screaming voicelessly in her amazed agony. This time, he slowed down, and finally stopped, still impaled deep within her, but softening. He lay atop her, gasping for breath, as she panted wordlessly beneath him, unable to form a coherent thought.

Eventually, he slipped out of her, allowing their combined fluids to flow down her ass crack and onto the bed. As he rolled off of her, each still catching their breath, she gave him a hard, accusing look. “Joshua Miles Davies!” she growled, almost in her mommy voice, “what the actual fuck was that?”

He glanced up at her, but relaxed, seeing the teasing in her eyes. He laughed, a bit embarrassed, and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I can do that sometimes. It’s been a long time, but when I can, I will, if you don’t mind,” he replied sheepishly.

“Mind? Me, mind? Mind what, you nearly fucking me unconscious again?” she said to him sarcastically. “Why would anyone mind that! Jee-zus Christ! I’ve never been fucked like that before. I think I’ve won the lottery!” She fell into a fit of giggles, fuck-drunk, so he just reached over and held her, hugging her. Being there for her.

****

Having cleaned up and gotten dressed, they made their way back out to the kitchen, calling the kids downstairs. Pulling them into a big, group hug seemed to make the kids happy. At least there were no more tears this time. Penny told them both that nine o’clock was their bedtime. They started to fuss, but Miles just raised his eyebrows and gave them a look. They both rethought their position and responded with a quiet ‘yes ma’am’ and hustled to brush their teeth and get ready for bed.

Miles and Penny went to the living room to relax. Penny looked around for a minute, taking in the room, and turned to Miles. “You said we get our next partner tomorrow morning, right?” He nodded. “I’d like a good walkthrough, so maybe, if she isn’t in a hurry to imprint, you could walk us both around your property. Not just the house – all of it. You’ve got a pretty good-sized spread here, and I need to get more familiar with it. We’ll definitely need to optimize it, given that more will be joining us”

Miles smiled, not at the compliment, per se, but at the thought that Penny was already making plans for his place. “I was actually planning an entire conversation around this, wanting to talk to you about whether or not you and Ellie would like to live here with me and Sean. I mean, we live close, so we could make it work if you don’t, but...”

“Don’t be silly, Miles," she said to him, a gentle smile in her eyes. “We’re in this together. On the same team, as it happens. It makes sense that we should live together. If I’ d had to pick another partner, say someone down in Tampa, Ellie and I wouldn’t even consider living in our old house – unless, of course, the partner was in a smaller house. But that’s not the case. Your house is bigger than my old one. We’ve got two whole households of stuff to go through, pick and choose what to keep, and my guess is we’ll need nearly all of it and then some, by the time we grow to our eventual size. You’re stuck with us, Mister! Count on it.”

Miles felt himself fading – it had been a busy day, and he was operating on two hours of sleep. Stifling a yawn, he looked into Penny’s eyes, a sad smile on his features, and said, “I wasn’t certain I’d ever care for someone else again after I lost your sister. I expect that, if not for the vaccine’s complications – the whole partner thing - you’d feel the same way after losing Raul. I mean, you’d be in no shape emotionally to embrace another relationship any time soon. But DuoHalo and the vax has changed things in crazy ways. If I seem to be too comfortable so soon with this, I’m really not. Just as I know that you’re struggling as well. But I can’t see dragging-ass around all day, moping – there’s too much to be done - and it seems there’s much more at stake than just our personal losses. I just want you to know that I understand that you’re hurting – I am, too – and I am here for you.”

Penny thought silently for a moment, tears beginning to well up into her eyes. “You’re right, I know I should be hurting, but I feel disconnected – like maybe I haven’t really had time to process through all the sorrow and pain, or maybe it just hasn’t hit me yet. But I know that we both need to be comforted, and being with you helps me in that regard. I’ve lost half of my family, and just as suddenly gained an all-new one, which I’m sure will continue to grow as we gain new partners, and perhaps more children. This would normally be very overwhelming, but I need you, Miles. I need you to hold me. I need you to be my rock, to steady me. I certainly need your cum – the vax has seen to that - but more importantly, I need the comfort that comes with the partnership, if you understand me. I do miss Raul fiercely, as well as my Mary Beth, but the pain I’d normally expect to accompany those feelings seems less present, less in ‘the now’ that I would have expected. I suppose I could be in shock – it’s hard to tell. I don’t know how else to describe it. I feel their loss, but I’m also aware of new things taking their place. I’m sorry if this doesn’t make sense” she said, with a slight catch at the end.

He held her close in silence for a while, just listening to her breathing. Eventually, he let go to lean back slightly so he could look at her. “I hate to say it,” he said, this time not trying to cover his yawn, “but I am bushed. You may not be ready for bed yet, so feel free to stay up if you want. Tomorrow is going to be an early start, with a new partner arriving at 8:00 am.”

Penny considered things for a moment, then shook her head. “No,” she said, “I think I’ll try to sleep now. I need to get back onto a normal cycle. If I wake up early, I may go into your den and surf the internet on my cell phone, or maybe row on your machine out on the patio.”

The two of them got up, and Miles went to check that the doors were locked while Penny made sure the kids had gone to bed. A few minutes later, they met back in the bedroom, each making a stop through the bathroom to pee and brush their teeth, then stripping to get ready for sleep. Tossing their clothes into the hamper, they both climbed into bed as if they’d been doing so for years, Penny getting in on the side closest to the bathroom, and Miles taking the side closest to the patio doors as he had for years. They met in the middle, snuggling close to one another, holding each other for comfort, but content to not engage in sex. Miles turned off the lights and pressed a button to play a thunderstorm on his sound machine.

As they lay there, staring into each other’s eyes, Miles recalled wanting to ask her about something he’d thought of earlier. “Pen, I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but are you on any sort of birth control? We’ve had unprotected sex several times now, and I think perhaps we need to address this matter. I’m pretty sure condoms are a strict No-No, given that protection requires fluid exchange, but I also want to make sure we’re not going to have any other issues to add to our already stressful situation – at least, not before we’ve adjusted and talked things through. Anyway, I’d like to know your situation, your feelings on this, as well as whether or not we need to take better precautions in the future.”

Penny eyed him, carefully considering his words, and choosing her response with equal care before speaking. “It’s been a few years now, so I don’t think about it very much, but I had a birth control implant put into my arm a few years after Ellie was born. I’d been using an IUD but decided to try the implant to see if it regulated my cycle as promised. So far, I've been pleased with the results, but we will need to refresh it in the next six months or remove it altogether if we choose to try for more children.”

Miles gently stroked a lock of her hair out of her eyes and smiled at her. “We can cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, we’ll leave well enough alone and see how events in the near future shape our decisions.”

Content to leave it at that, Miles wrapped her into a closer embrace, hugging her close and placing his forehead against hers, gently brushing her eyelashes with his own in Eskimo kisses. Giggling slightly at his gentle silliness, Penny leaned into his embrace and kissed him long and deep. When she finally pulled away, she closed her eyes and remained in his arms, content to rest there for as long as she could. Sleep overcame them both quickly, and they rested soundly in each other’s arms.

***Gainesville, FL – 0600, Tuesday, July 28, 2020***

The next morning, they both wanted to shower; the shower in the en-suite was a large custom walk-in with two entries, quad shower heads and a bench, big enough to hold several occupants. Miles had turned on the water to let it warm up, and as he stepped in, Penny slipped in behind and wrapped her arms around his waist. He turned to face her, feeling very relaxed in her arms.

Penny sighed, looking into Miles’ eyes. “I’m feeling a bit off. Not having second thoughts or anything like that. I just feel a bit odd – not conflicted, not anymore – just off-center somehow, more up-beat than I had expected to be feeling right now. I had expected to be a mess, frankly – good lord, I’ve just lost a husband and a child, but I find myself thinking about things that I need to do, or to take care of for us, for Ellie and Sean. It’s like my subconsciousness is telling me to focus on the here and now, as I cannot do anything about what has already happened.” She looked distracted at this, pausing for a moment, then shaking her head before continuing, “I don’t want you to think less of me for falling into bed with you so quickly after everything. I promise I don’t think less of you – you certainly weren’t taking advantage of me or anything like that – quite the opposite, really. I think I’m still working my way through all of this, but I also need you, and I need this,” she reached down and took ahold of his cock and began stroking it to hardness.

Miles leaned forward to kiss her, inhaling her scent. He understood what she was feeling, and had to admit, he was dealing with probably the same inner thoughts. However, after a good night’s rest, he was feeling more on an even keel this morning – not as strung-out as he’d felt yesterday – and decided to accept things as they were, stop second-guessing all that had happened, and do his best to be what this woman, the children, and any others that joined them, needed. “It’s okay,” he reassured her with a steady smile, stroking her hair. “I’m feeling the same mix of emotions, but we’re in this together, and I’ve got your back.”

She smiled back at him, stroked his cock a few times, then dropped to her knees and began to lick around the shaft, teasing him then sucking the head into her mouth. Maintaining eye contact with Miles, Penny began to slowly bob her head forward and back, taking more of his cock into her mouth each time, until he felt the back of her throat. She paused, withdrew slightly to inhale deeply through her nose, then slowly, steadily plunged her head down until her nose was in his pubes, making swallowing motions with her throat while her eyes watered slightly. She then slowly withdrew enough to be able to breathe again, then did it again, and again.

Miles was stunned – Beth had never deep throated him like this, but her sister was showing some mad skills that rocked his world. Breathing deeply, he enjoyed her blowjob for several minutes before he warned her, “if you keep this up, I’m gonna cum!” She just looked unblinkingly into his eyes, slid her head back, drew another breath through her nose, and went all the way to the base again, swallowing his cock as she had before, humming to herself, with a slight smile stretching her lips around his cock. The stimulation was too much for Miles, and he tilted his head back and growled aloud as he sent rope after rope of his cum down her throat, inducing a powerful orgasm for Penny in the process. She held him in her mouth until he had finished, then slowly drew back, never letting so much as a drop of his cum escape her lips, making a big show of swallowing it all and showing him her empty mouth. After she kissed his spent cock on the tip, she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning forward to bite at his ear and neck, purring with happiness that she had pleased her new lover.

He just wrapped her in a hug, then reached for the shampoo and started to wash her hair. He carefully massaged the suds into her scalp, then rinsed her hair with the hand-held adapter. Afterwards, he applied conditioner to her hair and gently worked it in, making sure to cover every follicle. Leaving her hair for the moment, Miles grabbed the soap and began to lather her up, working his way down from her shoulders, spending a bit more time than necessary lathering her magnificent tits, then moving down her tummy, passing too quickly over her mound to soap her legs. When he got to her feet, he turned her around and worked his way back up, again spending a good amount of time soaping her ass cheeks, then massaging her back as he rose up to her shoulders and neck. Putting the soap back in its tray, Miles took the hand-held shower head and slowly, carefully rinsed her entire body, head to toe, front to back, before finally rinsing the conditioner out of her hair.

As soon as he finished, Penny grabbed the shampoo and began to reciprocate, lathering then rinsing his hair and beard, then applying conditioner, and moving on to soap his body, top to bottom – spending a bit longer soaping and rinsing his cock, then as he had done, turning him around to soap his backside.

Finally, after rinsing off completely, Miles turned the water off and reached for a towel, taking the time to slowly and thoroughly dry Penny off before wrapping her wavy blond tresses in a towel. She in turn dried him off, and afterward he placed both towels on hooks to dry. Putting on his watch, he checked the time. “Oh shit,” he said, “it’s almost seven thirty. We’ve got to get the kids fed and get ready for visitors!”

While Penny was still getting dressed, Miles went into the kitchen and called out to the kids, asking them to get ready for breakfast. Pushed for time, he settled on cereal for them. He placed a couple of bowls and spoons at their places at the table and set out the boxes of cereal for them to choose from, as well as the carton of milk. He then set about cooking up a quick serving of bacon and eggs for himself and penny, while dropping a few slices of bread into the toaster.

****

After finishing their breakfast, Penny gave the kids a big hug, then sent them upstairs to play. She and Miles set about cleaning up the dishes and loading them into the dish washer. Just as they were finishing the cleanup, the doorbell rang. Drying her hands with a towel, Penny playfully slapped Miles on the ass as she walked past him out of the kitchen, going to check the door. Miles chuckled to himself as he finished loading the washer, catching only a brief piece of the conversation from the front door.

When he walked out of the kitchen to see what was happening, his eyes widened slightly when he saw two N-95 masked visitors wearing Air Force OCP working uniforms standing within the door as Penny signed a tablet and returned it to SSgt Mitchel, who was accompanied by Lt. Jansen.

Jansen waved in his direction briefly, calling out a “S’up, Squid!” to him, then turned and departed with the sergeant as Penny closed the door. Miles chuckled at her informality, then looked at what, no, whom she had delivered.

Standing next to a pair of suitcases, looking at Miles expectantly stood his Pack Committee Chair, Jan Seward, and her eight-year-old son, Trent.

****