by Bella Knight
“Don’t you want the dresses?” asked Ms. Turtin.
“Give them to the next girl, please,” said Chance.
Xenia took the paper back, and they went into the sheriff’s vehicle. “Won’t you stay for dinner?” asked Ms. Turtin.
“No thank you,” said Sheriff Xenia. “We have another stop.” They were off before Ms. Turtin could object.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” said Chance. “You my new mama, or is it the Freya person Sheriff Bob told me about?”
“Freya. She’s picking up your sister Rhodes.”
“Do I get my own room?” asked Chance.
“Yes, I’ve seen it,” said Xenia. “All your black clothes are hanging up in the closet.”
“Are you a Goth?” asked Wraith.
“Yes,” said Chance.
“Ooh, I can see a session in Hot Topic,” said Xenia, a store in the mall that catered to Goth girls.
Chance bounced up and down within the confines of the seat belt. “Way awesome.”
“Text Freya,” said Wraith, handing over her phone. “I’m sure Rhodes will want some stuff too.”
Bob and Rhodes were having a bit more trouble. Mrs. Filchrist wasn’t having any of Bob’s banter, or the paper he showed her giving him the right to transport Rhodes to her new home. He had to call, and get on the phone, Carolyn Quest. Carolyn explained to Mrs. Filchrist that Rhodes’ caseworker was dead, and that she was being transferred to a new home.
Mrs. Filchrist handed back the phone. “Why didn’t you just say so? I’ve had enough of that little terror.” She looked around. “Hey, where’s that black woman you brought with you?”
“That’s her new foster mother. And, I assume they’re packing.”
Mrs. Filchrist threw up her hands. “Great,” she said. “Just great.” A baby squalled, and Mrs. Filchrist ran to see what was up.
They managed to get Rhodes, whose brown hair now sported Valkyrie side braids done with Rhodes’ tiny fingers, into the vehicle. One box was entirely of books. The suitcase held clothes, a few shorts, shirts, and sandals.
“Got a text,” said Freya. Rhodes held her breath. “Wraith wants to meet us at the mall. Your sister Chance is a Goth who apparently needs Hot Topic more than life itself.”
Bob brayed a laugh. “My wife hates the mall. We’d better meet them, so she can go back and look after the baby.”
“You’ve got a damn cute baby,” said Freya.
Chance, who’d seen pictures, said, “Fuckin’ A.”
They met at the mall. The sisters sized each other up and did a fist-bump. Bob went to help Xenia unload her company car, put the things in his car, and go home. Wraith and Freya let the girls pick out what they liked. Now dressed head to toe in black, from a black T-shirt with a bunny on it, to black cargo shorts. Then, black sandals to black bracelets, Rhodes was truly happy.
Both girls got their ears pierced, something their foster parents over the years had condemned. Rhodes got black studs, and Chance got silver. They ate at the food court, and Bob took the females back to Freya’s place and unloaded the truck with Wraith’s help. Bob went back to work. The girls thundered to their rooms, unloaded their booty, and started pounding heavy metal.
“Someone found their iPod in the dock,” said Freya. Wraith hugged her and stayed for a very expletive-laden discussion on military tactics when the girls came out to grab sodas. They were both grinning from ear to ear. Wraith took a picture of the grinning family and sent it on to Bob.
They all had dinner together at a barbecue joint, after Freya ascertained that neither girl was a vegetarian. “That’ll change next week,” she texted Bob.
The barbecued chicken and fries were a huge hit. The girls got to meet most of the Valkyries; the Soldier Pack came along. Skuld and Rota introduced their daughter, Alvitr, to Rhodes and Chance. Chance admired Alvitr’s muscles, and her all-black T-shirt and jeans ensemble, and her silver jewelry, including silver feathers in her ears. Alvitr had been to Harley school in Colorado, and was now back home to take a much-needed break in between classes. The girls loved the idea of working on Harleys.
Herja narrowed her eyes. “Freya, you give and take at the same time. Giving me two baby Valkyries to raise, train in weapons and Harleys, at this time!”
“We’re learning fighting and Harleys?” Chance stage-whispered to Rhodes.
“Cool!” said Rhodes.
“Got enough trouble keeping the Soldier Pack from running off on me, setting up shop everywhere across the high desert. Got a new quad coming in on Sunday,” said Herja.
“Anyone we can pick up?” asked Skuld. “Kind of on a break, doing the daughter thing here.” Alvitr grinned and shook her side braids. The beads rang slightly, being made of real silver. She’d bought some of Triesta’s work when back home with her mothers.
“Got one in Idaho being picked up by a Gearhead, believe it or not. They’re threatening to get soldiers off the list,” said Freya.
“What is going on?” asked Rhodes.
“The Soldier Pack are ex-soldiers looking to learn a new trade. Some love the Harleys. Some end up in Vegas working for Bannon and Gregory. They’re both Nighthawks. One ended up on Henry’s hydroponics wing of his horse farm,” said Alvitr.
“Who’s Henry, and where’s the farm?” asked Rhodes, stealing a fry.
“Grandfather has a farm just outside Vegas that does what your mother is doing for you, and what my mothers did for me,” said Alvitr. “He and David —David’s the medicine man, they raise up some native kids from all over the western US. My mothers adopted me,” she said, pointing to Skuld, then Rota. “My cousins —I have so many now, Chayton and Nantan adopted four boys. Little Nico, Tam, Josh, and Nick. My aunts Inola and Bella have Ryder, and my aunts Ivy and Callie have Aiden and Kiya, the babies, and Grace and Hu. Hu spends half her time with Grace and half with her mom Bao, oh, and her new husband, Big Nico.”
Rhodes stared at her, then looked at her new mom. “I’m going to need a chart.” Everyone laughed.
Bob got Diana back, who had been sleeping in Wraith’s arms. Xenia seemed ready to fall over, and wanted to go home, nurse Diana, and go to sleep. He said goodbye to everyone, and then followed his wife home with the company car.
Everyone else said goodbye after ordering a dessert tray of apple pie, key lime pie, and a flourless, chocolate melting cake. Freya wisely ordered takeout for the next day, and brought two trays home, one of barbecued chicken and rosemary potatoes, and one of the apple pie the girls loved. They received another round of congratulations, and Freya and the girls piled into Freya’s non-descript silver car to head for home.
“Feel like a night ride?” asked Alvitr. Everyone else nodded and rode out. They went into the desert, pitched tents, and started a fire in a fire pit. They sat in front of the fire and sang the old songs.
In the tent, Skuld took her time with Rota. Rota loved the desert, and would be hiking come morning, on trails only she could see, while Skuld, the metal-band member, and studio mixer, would sleep in. They lived at different times, in different parts of the day, but the nights were theirs. Rota was greedy for touch, and Skuld gave that to her, from the beads in her hair, right down to her toes.
Skuld stroked, kissed, nibbled, licked, until even the greedy Rota was ready for release. She slipped her fingers in, and Rota writhed, sliding on the sleeping bag. She came gustily, but Skuld wasn’t finished. She went deeper with her fingers, and she used her tongue to flick Rota into another wild frenzy. She came, bowed her back, and juddered back and forth. She let go absolutely, and Skuld loved the ride to find her wife’s release.
“Skuld,” said Rota, stroking the side of Skuld’s left breast. “I want to… take some classes.”
“Parenting classes,” said Skuld. “I think the exact same conversation is happening in another tent.” She grinned. “I wanna little rock climber I can teach to rock out.” She played drums in the air.
“We can try,” said Rota. “I think I know just the plac
e to look.”
Due to Wraith’s soreness, Sigrun took it slowly, with gentle caresses and kisses. She tied a scarf over Wraith’s eyes, and took her time going over every inch of Wraith’s body, with Wraith not allowed to move. She used her breath, her kisses, and the tips of her fingers to stroke Wraith all over. Wraith arched her back, then welcomed her fingers.
Finally, when she was hot enough, straining for more, Saber slipped into the tent. He touched Wraith first, using his fingers, calloused from neglect, and then sucking each breast, licking her. He slipped on a condom and slid into her, making her claw his back. He came inside her, barely able to control himself long enough to give her the pleasure of thrusting inside her for very long. She ripped off her improvised blindfold and gave him hungry kisses as he came and came again. Spent, he rolled off of her, laying still, gasping. Then, both Saber and Wraith loved Sigrun, until she came so many times she actually told them to stop. They laid gasping. Finally, Wraith cleaned them all up with wet wipes and put them into a plastic bag.
“Sorry I was late,” Saber said to Sigrun. “I had to bathe off the mountain-man stench, then I had to get past the sentries.” He grinned into her hair.
“You have to go back,” said Wraith.
“Not long now,” said Saber. “Just a hair more evidence, and these useless racist pricks go down.” He sighed. “I hate being Thai-American and being the lowly slave to these numbnuts. Running drugs, guns, and stolen girls.”
“Can we help?” asked Wraith.
“Nope, the girls never quite got where they were supposed to go. Nailed a county commissioner there, and his wife. Not pretty. They’re in a safe place until this blows over, and their families have been notified to act as if their daughters are still missing.”
They laid there, breathing in each other’s scents. “We need a baby,” said Sigrun.
“Yes,” said Wraith.
“Why the hell did I just use a condom, then?” Both women kissed Saber thoroughly, and then they all slipped into sleep.
Somewhere, in the middle of the night, both of them made love to him one more time. And, Saber didn’t use a condom.
Homecoming
The daddies got the pixies, and Henry and David took them horseback riding. They loved it. Chayton and Nantan rode another trail that crisscrossed. They met back at the Big House for tacos and sodas, then a movie marathon with popcorn. The daddies pretended to be Disney princesses, making the girls laugh and groan over having such lame men around. Robert took Damia upstairs when things got loud to paint by numbers, with a noise-canceling headset on. He brought the men up, one by one, to see her beatific smile. Henry and David stood in the doorway the longest, and they snapped pictures for Ivy and Callie. They had dinner; or breakfast for dinner, in the form of chocolate chip or strawberry pancakes. The smaller ones pooped out, and they turned to superhero flicks. They all imitated their favorite superheroes and kept up a lively dialogue as to which superhero was the best.
That morning, Ace helped Lily with Rose and Colin, then he kissed his wife, and vanished to go work the bar with Cougar. Ivy arrived with Aiden and Kiya and installed them into high chairs. “Quick, I want to talk jealously about Katya before she shows up,” said Lily. “Love the woman, she had our baby for us, but she makes being the mother of twins, plus mother of Elena, look so fu —freaking easy.”
“Agreed,” said Ivy.
“I mean, I’ve got Jake, the most loving wonder pug ever, and Maude, Eater of Shoes, best Yorkshire terrier in the world. Plus Ace, who adores us, and a small army of Wolfpack helping me, and delivering the food, and I still don’t sleep. She actually sleeps?”
“How did you get Maude to stop eating shoes?” asked Ivy.
“Doggy training, and she hates the smell of vanilla. A touch on the shoes, and no biting.”
“Wow,” said Ivy. “And, I sleep. Callie and I just keep trading off until we drop.” She stared down at her water glass. “I am still getting used to Damia going to live over the barn, and Hu going to live with her mom. Hu’s over all the time, and I see Damia every day. Getting really good at currying horses, too. And mucking out stalls. And filling feed bags. But, even with two babies and one very talkative Grace, the house still feels so quiet.”
“And, how’s Grace doing with Hu withdrawing from the Nighthawks school?” The server showed up, and they both ordered iced teas.
“She was really angry, sad, and upset,” said Ivy. “Kind of kicked her in the teeth that her behavior has consequences. Not stickers, not losing TV time, but real consequences. Losing friendships, or sisters. Driving people away from you who matter. Now, she is thriving at school without constantly competing with Hu for attention, and to be the ‘best.’ She’s started learning 3D printing. She’s more relaxed, smiles more. She actually pays attention to her Pomodoro timer and gets a lot more work done. She asks more questions. Callie says the other kids like her more, play with her more. Hu invites her over all the time to her house, giving us the same breaks we had before, bless Bao and Nico.”
The server brought rosemary bread and dipping oil. Ivy cracked black pepper on the oil, and dug in. “How is Nico handling being an instant dad?” asked Lily, in between bites.
“He’s fantastic,” said Ivy. “He’s teaching them to cook Italian and is the most perfect gentleman around them.” Ivy sighed. “If I weren’t married to Callie…”
Callie swung in, sat down. “Hey!” she said. “You planning an affair?”
Ivy laughed and kissed her. “No, love. I was explaining how Nico is with the girls.”
“And the babies!” said Callie, handing Aiden more Cheerios. “He keeps coming over and stealing them. He covers them with sunscreen, takes them out into the yard, and plays with them in the shade. He rolls a ball to them.”
“Ba,” said Aiden. All three women stared at him, and Callie teared up. “Mabba ba,” he said.
Callie sighed. “Not the first word. Good, because I wanted it to be Mama or Mom.”
Lily laid back her head and pretended to snore. “Methinks someone needs a Daddy Day,” said Ivy.
“Had one last week,” said Lily. “Slept all damn day. Wanted a massage, foot rub, nails done, but never got there.”
Callie laughed. “I’ve done the same thing.”
Katya showed up, the babies with cute koala backpacks on. The ladies helped strap them into high chairs. The babies each had snacks, diced soft fruit and tiny cheese crackers. Luka stared at everyone, and Ivan had eyes only for his food.
“She definitely slept,” said Callie. She looked at Katya. “And how are you sleeping?”
Katya waved her hand. “Gregory takes boys. He is excellent father. Am pregnant again, so he is very attentive. And, the Wolfpack are there many times. Clean house, feed me soup. They took my recipes for pierogis, and they gave me borscht.”
“Beet soup is not my thing,” said Callie.
“Very good in winter,” said Katya. “And good when pregnant.”
“Are the parents really excited?” asked Ivy.
“One or the other come to the doctor visits,” said Katya. “See baby, hear heartbeat. Go home crying. Very happy.”
Bella and Inola came with Ryder. Bella looked good, but tired. Ryder loved staring at the other babies and kept up a steady stream of speech that made the other babies talk as well. “Chatty bunch,” said Bella.
“Almost had a first word, but false alarm,” said Ivy. “Callie almost cried.”
“I cry at dog commercials,” said Callie. “Pass the bread. Hungry woman here.” The server came back, and they all ordered soup and salad. “Love the mushroom soup here,” said Callie.
“Half blue corn, half clam chowder,” said Inola.
Bella put her hand over her mouth. “No c-word,” said Bella. “The blue corn tortilla soup rocks, but no bivalves, please.”
“How is pregnancy going?” asked Katya.
“Fine,” said Bella.
“Liar,” said Inola. “She has morning si
ckness all day long.”
“Gee, thanks for telling everyone,” said Bella.
“And she’s cranky, too,” said Inola.
Bella stared lasers at Inola. “You are so loving and supportive… not.”
Inola grinned. “I am. I get up at oh-god-thirty, spend the morning with our lovely. You get up later.”
“Like us!” said Callie. “Ivy and I love being on swing in the summer. Things cool off at night.”
“Yeah, but you’re on the same schedule. We’re not,” complained Bella.
“You want to work part-time?” asked Ivy. “I already have you off closing.”
“Nope,” said Bella. “Love swing shift, and horses need someone up in the damn morning. But, now Robert and Damia do the morning chores. You can sleep in, love.” She snagged some bread and inhaled it in two bites.
“Hard to sleep in when you’ve been up at dawn since you were six,” said Inola. “I get your point, but I’m a morning person.”
“Fight! Fight! Fight!” said Ivy and Callie. Bella threw a paper straw cover at them. They laughed.
“We’re not fighting, we’re discussing,” said Bella, primly. “It is what it is. Two women, different schedules.”
Katya said, “My husband is very busy. But, I know it is good for us. I will go back to school online.”
“Whoa,” said Callie. “I’m not going back for a while,” she said. “Will survive getting my master’s, but it’s freaking difficult doing that with twenty-seven kids.”
Inola laughed. “We kind of do. Dog and lots of pretty horses and ponies. And, they’re all dependent on you. I am beyond happy that Damia and Richard are helping out, though. Leaves me a lot more time with our little one.”
“I think I need to exercise more,” said Callie.
“Carrying babies around IS exercise,” said Ivy.
“Lift some weights. If I weren’t worried about Grace deciding she wants to lift too, I would get them.”
Lily grinned. “Or just lift the babies and wander everywhere.”
“I would drop weights on my foot,” said Bella. “Be a bar back or bartender. That’s a lot of exercise, all of it standing up.” She laughed. “Or, be Ivy. She dances, sings, goes behind the bar, delivers drinks, talks with anyone. I’m surprised you’re not a stick.”