by Amelia June
Michael had taught her the true ways of God and she believed him. She was a Christian before she met him, but he taught her how to be truly devout. She was proud to be among the true believers now, and prouder still to be First Lady. If her parents could see her...Nina smiled through her tears. She may not have a child, not yet, but she was First Lady of the United States, and as such had a duty to set a good example for women and girls in her country. She nodded to herself, resolved, then looked down into her husband's eyes.
"I'm truly sorry, my husband. I will never speak of the research restrictions again. I erred in my pride, sinned against God. Let me go and pray forgiveness. I think I can help. Let me hold a press conference where I encourage all women to remain faithful and positive in this difficult time. I know I can set a good example for others in my position. I will tell them to maintain their homes and marriages, and that God will reward them with children."
"What a wonderful idea. Go now and pray for deliverance from your sins of pride and covetry. I will arrange your press conference. I love you, Nina."
"I love you, too." Nina rose from the bed, her long skirt hitting the floor. Modesty before God was one of Michael's lessons for her. Gets a bit hot and stuffy in these high necks and long sleeves Michael chooses. Still, she was a Godly woman, and that meant sacrifice for Him.
* * * *
November 10th, 2007
Jordan and Abby were exhausted. They had spent days driving and knocking on doors, conducting surveys of women in the area. Abby had even recruited people in other clinics to conduct the same research elsewhere in the country. The questionnaire was very personal, but so far every woman talked to had been willing to participate. Everyone is on edge. After all, what is more basic than the desire to reproduce?
They had run across all sorts of women, including pregnant women, in their travels. So far they had amassed a huge amount of data, but couldn't draw any conclusions from it until they ran the numbers in the lab. However, they had anecdotally seen over and over that women who had multiple partners were far more likely to be getting pregnant than women who were married or monogamous. So far, no other variable stood out.
Pulling up the car at the bed and breakfast, Jordan looked over at Abby.
"Babe, I'm beat. Do you mind if we skip dinner and head for bed?"
"Not at all."
Neither of them wanted to expend the energy to unpack, and they fell together onto the king-sized bed. They lay side by side, neither of them speaking. Abby reveled in the comfortable silence between them. I've never experienced such a fulfilling and peaceful relationship with a man. She mused happily for a moment, then raised up on an elbow to look into Jordan's eyes.
"Hey, beautiful," he said, smiling. "You know, I was just sitting here thinking that I've never been able to just 'be' with someone like I am with you. Being with you is like coming home at the end of a hard day. I've had other fulfilling relationships but I've never been so content before."
"How do you do that?" Abby asked. "I was just about to say the same thing to you. I swear we're on a wavelength."
"Maybe," said Jordan. "Let me ask you something. Have you ever considered having children?"
"Of course," replied Abby. "I've always wanted a family. I've spent my career helping other people have children, and I've seen the joy a baby brings to a couple. I'd love to have babies someday."
"Me too. I'd really love to have them with you. Course, we'd probably be better off if we were married first. What do you say?"
"Why Jordan Prince, are you proposing to me? I thought you didn't believe in the outdated institution of marriage."
"I never said that. Well maybe I did. But what I meant was that I don't believe in monogamy. I'm not committing to be with only you, I'm committing to love you, cherish you and adore you for the rest of our lives, to father our children and be your partner and lover, as long as you'll have me."
"Ah," said Abby, tearing up. She smiled at her own girly foolishness. When Jordan reached in a pocket and pulled out a ring, she could do nothing but stare at him. "You're serious about this," she said, awed.
"Hells yes, I'm serious. Abby, will you commit to me and be my partner in life?"
"What does that mean, exactly?"
"It means that I am yours and you are mine, and that anyone else who wants to apply would have to be pretty damn special to both of us."
Go figure. I really don't have to think about this at all. "Then yes," Abby said, "I will commit to you. I will love you, cherish you and adore you for the rest of our lives." He slid the ring on her finger, and she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the lips. After a few moments of passion, he broke the embrace.
"Hey, I went to some trouble picking out that ring. Aren't you even going to look at it?" Abby sniffed and admired the band he had placed on her hand, in the traditional place. It was white gold, entwined strands of metal in a Celtic pattern. Within the knots were tiny diamonds, encircling the band.
"It's beautiful, perfect to symbolize our lives knotted together in love," she said. With that, Jordan started to tear up too, and they laughed and cried together.
Jordan reached over and pushed a strand of hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He cupped her face in both of his strong hands and lifted it to his, kissing her deeply. His joy gave over to passion and they kissed with a ferocious intensity. Jordan's arms moved around her and removed her shirt and bra with ease. Her nipples hardened with cold and anticipation, and he delivered, lowering his face into her cleavage. He moved over one breast, than the other, kissing and gently nipping the tender flesh until she was trembling
"Abby, I want you, I want to be inside you but I want you wet first. Show me what you want, girl." Abby shuddered at his words, then looked him in the eye and said, "Watch me, I'll show you."
Jordan moved back and Abby leaned against the headboard and spread her legs open, knees up so he could get a good view of her. She slipped her panties off so that only her skirt remained. Abby liked this feeling of taboo, almost like Jordan was spying on her. He removed his clothing quickly, without taking his eyes off her. She smiled and slid her hands over her chest, lingering over her sensitive nipples for a few moments before moving south to her waiting pussy. She enjoyed this exhibitionism, enjoyed knowing her body excited him. By the size of his erection, she had little doubt it did. He sat on his haunches at the foot of the bed and slowly stroked his cock, keeping his eyes on her.
Abby moved her hands into her already moist folds and began to lightly stroke her clit. She started out very slowly, circling her clit in soft movements that sent chills up her spine. She slid a finger inside herself for a moment, stroking her G-spot, then removed it to focus on her clit. She was wet, and used her finger to lubricate her slit thoroughly. A hint of her scent drifted on a current, sweet and fruity; a scent that only grew headier with arousal. The sight of Jordan moving his hand up and down his cock excited her further and she began to touch herself in earnest. Her middle finger made tight, light strokes over the hood of her clit and as she got closer to orgasm her pace increased. Her breath began to quicken and her breasts heaved. She hung her head back a bit, her mouth parted in pleasure. Her eyes closed to slits as she drank in the sensations she was producing in her body. Jordan watched her bring herself to the brink of orgasm, then stepped in and stopped her. Abby opened her eyes with a start, and fought to catch her breath.
"That," said Jordan, "was amazing. But it's my turn now." He pulled her skirt off and moved between her legs. She felt him open her, then begin to lick her exactly the way she had been touching herself moments before. She sighed, and reached down to take his hand in hers. He continued to lick and suck her clit as her breath once again became ragged and uneven, and he knew she was close to orgasm.
"Cum for me," he said, his voice deep and broken with lust. A second later she did, with a shout, and Jordan continued to lick her gently.
"You taste so good," he said. "Sweet like the
richest cream."
"Jordan," said Abby, "I want you to fuck me. Hard." He smiled, lips curled in a catlike way.
"My pleasure," he replied, and flipped her on her stomach. She mewed with anticipation, then got up on her hands and knees. He ran his nails over her back, scratching lightly and she arched back against him in response. His erection was insistent and for a moment he simply moved it against the soft skin of her ass. She sighed and pushed back against him, wanting more. After a few moments, he put on a condom and touched his cock to her pussy. He slid it in the wetness there, not entering her yet but brushing himself across her clit with each stroke. He moved back and forth across her and she thrust back at him until they found a rhythm that suited them both.
He entered her, gently at first. He pushed inside her, then pulled all the way back out to touch her clit one more time. She moaned with impatience and he responded, smacking her ass once. "Impatient girl." Then he rammed inside her with full force and she yelped with surprise. He began to fuck her at once, slamming his cock in her. For a time there was little sound in the room outside the smacking of flesh on flesh, then as one they began to make noises. Little grunts, animal noises and the occasional word of encouragement, "Fuck me," escaped them both until they were lost in the throes of lust and came together, violently, loudly. Abby pushed her ass into Jordan's hips once more, then went limp on the bed.
"Oh no," said Jordan, "you're not done yet, pretty girl." He reached inside his backpack and pulled out their shared toy, an eight inch purple dildo. She looked at him with arched eyebrows but said nothing, and he flipped her back over on her back. He slid the toy inside her and she gasped at the cold after Jordan's heat. He moved it back and forth a bit, then began to fuck her again, even harder than before. She lifted her hips off the bed for more, and he used his free hand to stroke her clit, bringing her hard and fast to her third orgasm of the night.
Collapsing on the bed in sheer exhaustion, Abby laid still. Jordan let himself down next to her, pulling her close with a free arm.
"More?" he asked her, eyes twinkling.
"Geeze, Jordan, let me rest a bit." Abby could barely talk. Her legs felt limp and weak and her pussy felt bruised and battered, just the way she liked.
"You wanted me to fuck you hard. Did you get enough?"
"Never enough of you, but enough for now," she said, turning on her side to face him. She put her arms around him and rested his head on her chest. She could hear her heart, still beating fast as she came down from the endorphin high.
"I love you," he said, as she drifted off to sleep.
* * * *
November 11th, 2007
Back in the cramped rental car, Jordan looked at Abby next to him. She was staring off into space, deep in thought. He glanced at the ring on her finger and felt pride puff up in his chest. At last, he had found a person he wanted to spend his life with, who returned the feelings and loved him unconditionally. He had never been happier.
"What's bugging you," he asked her. She seemed lost in her mind.
"It's the data, Jordan. I can't figure out what we're missing. Why would having more than one partner make a difference for conception? I feel like I'm on the cusp of something, but I can't quite understand it."
"And here I thought you were fantasizing about last night. Or tonight." He gave her a wicked grin and she nodded distractedly.
"Sorry, I love being here with you, I'm just...something isn't fitting and it's bugging the crap out of me. I mean, if we can't figure this out, you and I won't be able to conceive either. It's personal now."
"I understand." He thought for a moment, then said, "Could it be that women with multiple partners are just more likely to have sperm present during ovulation? Maybe The Reaper had some kind of weakening effect on gametes that make it harder to achieve conception." Abby suddenly sat up straight, her eyes wild with knowledge.
"That's it, Jordan. That's got to be it."
"Well, who knew I was such an expert?"
"No, no, not what you said. We already know that timing isn't a factor, or at least I'm fairly sure the data will bear that out. But what if The Reaper did change something in us, in all of us?"
"What? Not all of us got The Reaper."
"But Jordan, what if we did? What if we all contracted the virus, and it did something strange. What if it only manifested flu-like symptoms in some of us? In fact, some of us may have been protected from the symptoms, thanks to antivirals. But what if the virus did something to our DNA, something that alters the gametes we have. Well, it would have to affect men because women already have all the eggs we're going to make at birth."
"But geneticists all over the country have performed genetic analyses on thousands of samples. No one has noticed anything amiss. How would they have missed it?"
Abby sat back, a bit defeated. "I don't know."
She resumed staring out the window, watching the trees whiz by.
"Look, we know that species can change, genetically, after undergoing a major crisis like a virus or weather event. Frogs sometimes change genders in the event of a population dip. I don't think it is too outlandish to consider a change in human DNA as a result of The Reaper."
"Sure. If everyone in the country contracted the virus, maybe our genetic code shifted in some way. Like a slight mutation to help us survive."
"Wrap your mind around that, would you? An entire country, slightly different now from other humans all over the world, unable to reproduce by normal means."
"Is there any way to know just how things have changed--assuming they have?"
"No problem," Abby's tone was sarcastic, "just lift the research restrictions and I'll at least have the chance to discover the solution."
"Right, the restrictions. At least we have this data, though. Let's get to work, shall we?"
Abby nodded, lost in thought.
Chapter 6
November 19th, 2007
Cal Franklin, White House Chief of Staff, sat in the President's office and marveled at what he was hearing. He has got to be out of his mind. I can't believe what he wants me to do. The President of the United States was telling him to lie to the American public, which in and of itself was not an unusual request. Under President Whitaker he had lied many times about many things to the press and ultimately to Americans. But Whitaker had never required him to lie about something so fundamental to the nation, something that touched the hearts of every person in the country. Not only that, but the reasoning behind the lie was outrageous. At least when Whitaker was in office I never felt like I was compromising my own values. Now...I just can't do this.
"Mr. President," Franklin interrupted the raving Jones. "I am truly sorry but I cannot continue as your Chief of Staff. I will not do the things you are asking me to do. I cannot conceal this information from the public willingly. My own sister has been trying to have a baby for months with no success. If you could see the pain in her eyes..."
"But Cal, you know as much as anyone how important it is for this country to remain firm, to stand tall in the face of Satan and repent its sins. Do you truly believe that science can outthink God Himself? I know the scientific evidence points to a way for us to begin producing children again, but the way goes against the Bible, the very Word of God. I refuse to disseminate this heretical information to the country. What if people started following the advice in this report? Chaos! Damnation! No, Cal, I will not allow this. I was brought here by God to save our country, not damn it to Hell. My own wife is barren now, and I will not resort to the temptation of the devil to give her a child."
"Then I must resign my position, Mr. President." I fear for America, with this insane man at the helm. No one has any idea how crazy Jones really is. He would rather die than go against God--his version of God, anyway. Only trouble can follow a fanatic like this. I am really afraid for the nation.
"Very well, Cal. I accept your resignation. Effective immediately. I will have you escorted from the building, but first I must remind y
ou of your sworn duty to uphold the confidentiality of this office, even upon your resignation."
"Yes, Mr. President, I remember." Franklin could not share his information with anyone without facing severe legal battles, even treason charges. However, I intend to get my sister alone on Thanksgiving and give her the information she needs to have a baby, bugger the risks. I will not let her suffer because of the leadership of a madman.
* * * *
Jones sat back in his big black chair after his former Chief of Staff had been escorted out by the Secret Service. He sighed. I am so blessed to be in a position to prevent the dissemination of the information from the Department of Health and Human Services. Researchers there believed they found the reason that Americans were not reproducing, based on a tiny change in a part of the genetic code someone happened to stumble across. Using that information, and data they collected from obstetricians, they had made a report Jones could not stomach. Their conclusions must be flawed somehow. I cannot imagine how they could possibly be correct, and be so immoral. Besides, their ideas were merely theories, as they had been barred from attempting any fertilization processes in the lab. I will not share information like this with the public; people will see it as permission to fornicate and sin at will. God entrusted me to protect His people from that fate. If I just pray and do God's will, surely God would bless me and others with children again.
* * * *
"Mr. Van Sant, can you tell us why Cal Franklin resigned today?" The press room at the White House was full of eager reporters wanting a lead story.
"No," said the new Chief of Staff, "I can't. Mr. Franklin's resignation came as a shock to the President. We wish him and his family well at this time, and that is all the comment I have on this issue."