Entanglement

by Max Ellendale

  "Well, I thought this part of the conversation would be a little more unnerving for the two of you." I laughed out my words and Eleanor let out a giggle.

  "It's not that big a deal," she said.

  "Yeah, I mean, it could work. It already works. I'm not sure about the rent though, Beej." Robert, practical Robert, leaned his elbows on the table as his nerves seemed to kick in now.

  "You don't have to worry about that." I reached across the table and patted his hand. "Everything stays exactly how it is financially until everyone is done with school and has full-time jobs."

  "But that's not fair. Are you paying rent at Mira's?" Robert looked to Mira now, pulling her into the conversation.

  "Nope. I own my place outright," she answered. Her honesty seemed to calm Robert.

  "But what about other bills?" he asked, glancing between us.

  "Mira and I have already worked that out, Rob," I said, drawing his attention back to me. "You pay your portion of the rent here as you have been, and take over groceries for you and Daniel. Everything else is taken care of."

  "It still doesn't seem fair to you…" he said.

  "Robert, listen to me." I placed my hands on top of his now. "You and Daniel make enough money to support yourselves, but I want you to live above the basics and be able to save. I was able to and so should you. Let me do this for you, okay?"

  "I'm worried you're giving up too much for us, Beej. I've always been worried about that forever. Then Mira comes along and you start having a life again and it made you so happy." Robert patted my hand and finally, all of his worries splattered out on the table. "You do too much for us. And who's paying for Eleanor's school?"

  "Duh." Eleanor knocked on the table to get his attention. "The school. I'm an emancipated teenager. I got scholarships and grants, Robbie. I told you that. I didn't even need a student loan. And I have a job, too. And a work study if I want."

  That seemed to settle him and he looked back to me. "For real?"

  "She's telling the truth, bud." I took a deep breath as I held on to the sudden surge of emotions that caught me. My brother worrying about me wasn't something normal, or at least something we talked about. Mira's hand fell to the small of my back in a gesture of support. I reveled in it and it gave me the courage to say what I needed to. "Robert, let me do this. It's what family does."

  "It's what parents do," he said, his cool blue-gray eyes shimmering with his own sentiment.

  "Yeah." I gripped his hand then reached for Eleanor's. She took it and returned my gesture. "It is. Just let me be the…the parent for a minute, okay?"

  He let out the faintest sniffle. "When I get a job in my field, I'm paying you back."

  "Honey, you're going into a public service field. You're not going to have any money." I laughed and it launched everyone else into it.

  "Oh my God, Billie," said Mira, perpetuating the hysterics.

  "I'm gonna be a teacher. We're all going to be poor as shit," Eleanor said, dropping her hands on the table. "Wait, we can all move in with Mira!"

  "No way!" I cracked up, wrapping my arms around Mira's neck. "She's all mine and I like when she walks around the house naked, so you two, mind your own."

  "Billie!" Eleanor squealed, her face red with laughter as she pretended to melt off the chair.

  Robert dropped his forehead on the table and pretended to die. Mira's cheeks burned bright red and she covered her face while swatting my arm half a dozen times.

  "So!" I clapped my hands while still laughing. "Do we agree to this plan?"

  "I'm in!" Eleanor said, rubbing her hands together. "Does that mean Riley can move in when he's eighteen?"

  "Er…"

  Mira patted my shoulder, grinning at me. "Yes, parent, does it mean that?"

  "Ha!" Robert pointed at me, grinning when he came back to life. "Does it?"

  "We'll have some conversations about it when the time comes. For now, you're both in the dorms. Yeah?" I cocked a brow at Eleanor and she nodded.

  "Okay! Understood. We'll talk about it near summer time," she said, clapping her hands once.

  "Deal." I smiled at her and looked to Robert. "Do we agree?"

  "Yes, Beej. I want you to be happy, too. Moving in with Mira seems right," he said, glancing between the two of us. "I think you're a good match."

  "I think so, too," said Mira with a smile.

  "There's a more serious thing that we need to talk about though. Moving was one, but this one is different…" I took a deep breath, hoping to keep myself in check while I delivered the next round of news. "This time, it's about work."

  "Did you get promoted again?" asked Robert, glancing to Eleanor.

  "Not exactly. You know that article you read in the paper?" I asked, and they both nodded.

  "What article?" asked Mira, her brow furrowed.

  "You didn't show her?" Eleanor bolted from the table, and scurried into the kitchen where she hung a copy of it on the fridge. She handed it to Mira, whose eyes nearly bugged out.

  "'The Legend of Billie Jean.'" She grinned, and nudged me with her elbow. "Get out."

  I grumbled and scowled at Ellie. "I want to bury that headline."

  "Nope. You did a cool thing," Eleanor said. "Be happy about it."

  "Okay, focus. About that article." I gestured to it. "Remember when that FBI agent came here looking for me, El?"

  "Yeah." She nodded and glanced to Robert who mirrored her affirmation.

  "Well, she was looking for me to recruit me to the FBI…" I leaned back in my chair, bracing myself for their reaction.

  "What!" Robert flew out of his seat, standing straight up with his hands on his head. "The FBI!"

  "Oh my God, Billie! Like on Criminal Minds?" Eleanor hopped up just the same.

  "No! Not like Criminal—" I turned to Mira. "Did you tell her to watch that?'

  "No." Mira laughed, holding her hands up in surrender. "Not me."

  "Wait, are you going to be a Special Agent? Holy shit." Robert's excitement widened his eyes and he walked a full circle around the table. "My sister is an FBI agent."

  "You'll catch serial killers every day!"

  "No, it's not like—"

  "And serial arsonists—"

  "Those creepy online pedophile traffickers—"

  "What about aliens?"

  I waved my hands to try and get their attention. "There are no aliens—"

  "Like Mulder and Scully!" Eleanor clapped her hands a few times. "Oh my God."

  "There's no Mulder and— Everyone calm down a second!" Their overwhelming reaction made my heart slam in my chest. Mira covered her face with the article and tried so hard not to crack up. It earned her a shove which only made her worse. "Unhelpful!" I laughed finally. "Guys, slow down. I haven't accepted it yet."

  "What do you mean?" Robert dropped back into his chair, his elbows clunking on the table. "Beej, it's an opportunity of a lifetime." I smirked when he used my description of what I told Dax.

  "Maybe you'll get so famous they'll make a crime drama called The Legend of Billie Jean," said Eleanor, beaming at me.

  "That's already a movie," offered Mira.

  "It is?" Eleanor's eyebrows nearly touched her bangs.

  "Yup. I showed it to Billie on our first date." Mira smiled at me and I chuckled, resigning to the fact I'd lost control over this conversation long ago.

  "Did it have aliens?"

  "There's no aliens," Robert and I said at the same time. It only made Eleanor giggle.

  "No aliens. A lot of eighties amazingness though," answered Mira, snickering through it.

  "Uck. The eighties. None of us were even born." Eleanor waved off the notion.

  "The classics are timeless, girlie. Don't forget that." Mira flicked Eleanor's hand and she giggle-snorted.

  "Hey! Can we get back to the story here? Recruited to the FBI. Have not accepted it. It's not as fun as it sounds. I'm worried about how it will affect everyone and I have to go to Quantico for training for five months," I
spewed everything out before another conversation about aliens started up. "In Virginia."

  "Five months?" Robert scrunched up his face. "But you'll come back pretty ready, I'm sure."

  "That's a long time. When do you go?" asked Ellie, glancing between me and Mira.

  "I'm not sure yet. I haven't accepted the offer. I wanted to talk to everyone about it. Mira and I talked this weekend, and now I'm talking to you guys. Be honest…"

  "I think it's really awesome, Beej. It's like a dream job," said Robert.

  "It is. I mean, I'll miss you a lot, but you'll come back, right?" asked Eleanor.

  I nodded, reaching over to caress her cheek. "Yes. The position is out of the Seattle field office. So generally local."

  "Will Mira look after us?" asked Ellie, her gaze flickering to Mira.

  I wanted to say yes. I wanted to say that Mira would stay here and be their safe person looking in on them, to give them security and me. Mira's expression softened, and I imagined that she had a similar feeling.

  "We'll look after ourselves, Ellie," said Robert, reaching over and grabbing Eleanor in a rough hug. "We can. And you'll be at school."

  "That's true. I probably will hardly notice," she said, tapping her lip. It made us laugh and I shook my head. "But you'll be alone in Virginia with all of us here?"

  "Not quite." I looked to Mira and nodded for her to add in her portion of this.

  "I'm going to go with her. I had planned a sabbatical for research and writing, so I can work remotely." Mira looked between my siblings. "What do you think of that?"

  "It makes me feel better," said Eleanor, dropping her gaze for a minute. "Billie was always alone…" She looked to Mira again and smiled. "But not now."

  "No. Not now. She has all of us, doesn't she?" Mira smiled, leaning her chin on her hand.

  "Yeah."

  "Beej, I think you should accept the offer. You always do all this stuff for us. Saving us from practically a cult. Raising us into better adults than our parents. Getting us in college. Giving us a place to live and food and clothes. You help us to be happy and to think for ourselves. We're good now." Robert looked between me and Eleanor. "We're good."

  "Yeah, Beej. We're good." Eleanor's smile brightened. "Can I have your car?"

  "Yes." I laughed as a wave of tears struck me, sending them tumbling down my cheeks. "I love you both so much."

  "We love you, too," said Robert, his shimmery eyes growing misty as well.

  "We love you." Eleanor giggled softly before hurrying around the table to hug me. I wrapped her in my arms and breathed in the sweet fragrance of her body spray. "You go be an FBI agent. It'll be cool to brag about."

  I met Mira's gaze from over Ellie's shoulder. Tears salted her bright, happy smile. She offered me a nod, and I took her hand when she offered it. Robert joined us, hugging me and our sister together.

  They were good now. I believed them. I believed that they would be okay, that they could take care of themselves. They would always need me, but differently than before. I would need them, too.

  Maybe it was the right time to do something for myself. A few somethings, in fact. I didn't know what it meant to make decisions solely for myself, for my growth and pleasure, but today was a different day. Today I had support, not just from an amazing girlfriend, but from the siblings who were now in a position to support me, too. Everything changed so quickly, and in less than a year, we all grew up together. Most importantly, we all discovered a little more about ourselves, and our entanglement, quantum or otherwise, would never be the same. Today, I had hope. Real hope grounded in love and honesty, not just on whims of something better, because today was better. For the first time, I had everything I could ever want, and together, we could hope for even more.

  Epilogue

  Donovan dropped me off in front of Mira's—our—apartment, and I grabbed my bags from the back of her SUV. She picked me up from the airport and escorted me off to the field office to complete orientation paperwork. After a long flight and an even longer day, all I wanted to do was rush home to Mira and check on my siblings.

  "You look good, Agent Olsen," she said, leaning over the center console while we chatted through the open passenger window. "In case I didn't mention it."

  "Thanks. See you next Monday, Boss?" I smirked while tossing my duffle bag over my shoulder.

  "Yup." Donovan laughed. "Enjoy your time off."

  "Thanks." I waved to her before hurrying upstairs.

  For four months, Mira stayed with me in Virginia while I agonized through training, especially in the first month. Eventually, it got easier and by the time month four rolled around, I had the hang of it. Pressure from her soccer team, however, interrupted her flow and I watched as she was torn between staying with me and returning to play. Together, we decided that she would return home when the competitive season began, and get things situated for my return. We would enjoy the rest of her sabbatical at home.

  I bustled through the front door, my uranium keychain clasped in my palm, and dropped my bag.

  "Babe?" I called out, and Mira's hurried feet scuttled into the hallway. Her eyes welled up the minute she saw me, and I rushed her, capturing her in a heated kiss.

  Her hands wandered all over me, down my back and around to my stomach before ending the kiss. "My God, you're rock hard."

  I laughed and grabbed her into the kiss again, nearly tearing off her T-shirt. She let me, and I threw it before lifting her clear off the floor. She squealed, holding on to my shoulders when I toted her to the bedroom.

  "You're a little beast now, are you?" Mira's laughter rang out and I dropped her into the pillows with a bounce.

  "Oh, I am. And I'm about to ravage you until you scream." I pretended to bite her neck and she laughed so hard her face turned red. Her fingers gripped handfuls of my hair before I wriggled her out of her pants and panties.

  I missed her more than I could express in words, so I let my fingers and tongue do the talking for me. Just a few weeks away from her had me craving the heat of her, her comfort, and our closeness. I had her shouting my name in less than five minutes from walking in the door, and that alone warmed my cold parts.

  When I crawled up her naked, writhing body as she shuddered from her rapid releases, she hugged me and I buried my face in her hair, kissing her neck. Her hands stroked up and down my back, and I calmed down after satiating my need for her. She managed to wriggle me out of my shirt and bra, but my pants hadn't found their way to the floor yet. Mira gripped my rear, then paused before tugging my wallet from my pocket.

  "What's this?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

  "New things," I said, smiling while I lay my chin against her chest. "Just got it."

  She opened it to reveal my new badge and I.D. "Special Agent Billie Olsen. Look at that." Her smile broadened and she thumbed over the gold badge. "I'm dating an FBI agent."

  I laughed and kissed her breasts while I watched her ogle my federal goods. "Still hasn't sunk in yet."

  "It probably won't for a while," she said, setting the wallet down on the pillow beside us. "Have I told you how proud of you I am?"

  "A few times." I smiled while nipping her chin. "Thank you."

  "You deserve it."

  "I read your published paper last night. I didn't understand any of it, but read every word knowing you wrote it. You're amazing and I wish I could spend half an hour in your brain to revel in what you know," I confessed, and she cupped my face before rolling me over onto my back.

  "Know what I know for sure?"

  "What?" I grinned when I fell into the pillows while she unfastened my pants. She had me naked in barely a heartbeat.

  "How much I love you," she said, leaning down to kiss my stomach. "Damn, honey. Your abs."

  I laughed and pretended to crush her with my thighs. "I may have gotten slightly ripped in the almost-half year I've been gone. And I love you, too, Mira. So much."

  She kissed my navel, her hands exploring the curves of my bod
y foreign to her until today. "I hope you love this just as much."

  "What?" I asked, then a gasp left me when she disappeared between my thighs.

  ***

  "I didn't expect to go to Ainsley and Jordan's tonight, baby. Robert and Eleanor haven't answered me all day," I told Mira as we pulled into the driveway of the residential neighborhood. "I'm worried."

  "Don't be. I talked to them while you were on the plane." She linked her arm with mine as we headed into the house.

  "Where is everyone else? There's like three cars."

  "Maybe they're late. Alice and Stella are here," she said, pointing to Stella's car. "And I think that's Vee's."

  "Okay…"

  As always, the front door to Ainsley's remained unlocked. We headed inside, only to be greeted by silence. I looked up at Mira and she shrugged.

  "It's nice out. Probably in the yard," she suggested.

  "You're up to something." I narrowed my eyes at her and she laughed at me.

  "How? Your friends are having a dinner party like they always do, and we're going since they haven't seen you in a while," she said, convincingly enough.

  "Oh." Jordan's perky voice startled me as she bounded in from the back door. "You're here!"

  "We are here." I laughed as she hurried over and grabbed me in a hug.

  "Hi, pretty. Oh God, that hair…" She leaned me back, gripping my shoulders. "I mean it this time."

  "Jordan!" I swatted her arms, but laughed. "I kind of agree though."

  "We'll get you in tomorrow." She grinned then turned to Mira to greet her with an embrace. "Hi, doll. Glad you're both here."

  "Hi." Mira chuckled and handed her the box of pastries we picked up. "For the lovely hostesses."

  "Awesome. The more confections the better. Come on outside. Vee and Alice are here," she said, nodding toward the doors. "I'll put these in the kitchen."

  "Only Vee and Alice? Did we break up your family trio?"

  "Nah. They always come early and the kids are out there, too." Jordan beamed. "And the newest addition."

  "I almost forgot," I said, perking up at the idea of meeting Alice and Stella's infant daughter. "C'mon." I held my hand to Mira, and she took it while I led her to the back door.