The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Parker yawned and stretched, groaning softly as the sunlight poking through the window finally overcame his urge to sleep. Still, it was a close contest. After having their bond of love restored, he and Veronica had spent most of the night getting ‘reacquainted’ with each other. After so many weeks apart, it was almost like being together for the first time, learning each other’s bodies all over again. They’d figuratively fucked like bunnies for hours on end until they were literally too tired to continue.

Beside him, Veronica sighed and stretched, lifting a lithely muscled leg towards the ceiling, pointing her toes. She felt glorious, completely satisfied and sated. She’d expected to wake up at least a little sore, yet she felt ready to go again if Parker so much as smirked at her. It was a bit strange in a way... feeling so good, so hot, so... mmm. Really. I haven’t felt like this since I was in my twenties, back at my peak!

In my twenties...

“Parker!” she yelped, sitting up suddenly. “Do I look... younger to you?”

“Huh? Younger?” Parker asked, sitting up as well. Frowning, he peered at his wife, blinking in surprise. Veronica’s Asian heritage naturally gave her a kind of ‘timeless’ beauty. Despite the fact that she was, in fact, a few years older than he physically, she’d always had the body, poise, and demeanor of a much younger woman. But looking at her now, he couldn’t help but notice the few tiny laugh lines time had placed on her lovely face had disappeared. Her hair seemed especially vibrant and shiny, and... was it just his imagination, or did her breasts seem... perkier?

Suddenly, a loud high pitched scream rang out from upstairs. “Parker!” Veronica growled, leaping to her feet, adopting a fighting stance as a reflex. “Upstairs! Lucy! It must be the Clan!”

Rather than comment, Parker streaked across the room in a blink, then back, covering his naked wife in her silk wrap, before grabbing her around the waist and streaking them swiftly back upstairs to their daughter’s room. Setting her down gently, he took a second to charge up and focus his sonic abilities, preparing for whatever could be behind the door. Nodding to Roni, she dropped low into a squat, reaching for the doorknob, her hand glowing as she brought out her psychic blade. Opening the door, they surged forward, moving as one, stepping inside to find—

Venus and Lucy, alone... sitting cross legged on Lucy’s bed, looking at them in confusion. Lucy was dressed in her usual pink ‘Monster High’ pajamas, and Venus wore a pair of racy red satin panties and one of Parker’s larger t-shirts to cover her top side. A box of Lucky Charms and two empty bowls sat on the small table to the side, signaling that the two had been up and awake now for some time. “Um... Mommy? Daddy?” Lucy asked, frowning. “Whatcha doin’? Is something wrong?”

Both parents blushed slightly, standing down. “We, um... thought we heard a scream,” Veronica said, glancing down at her feet.

“Oh. That.” Venus said with a shrug. “Sorry, That was us. We were watching something a really scary part of the show. No biggie. Why?”

Parker scowled. “You DO recall that we’re on high alert here, right? That some person or persons tried to kidnap Lucy a few days ago?”

“Yeah, but that’s okay!” Lucy said proudly. “Auntie Venus said that if any more bad guys come after me, she’d beat ’em up real good, just like she did the other ones!” Venus, still staring at the cartoon on the TV, merely nodded.

“Auntie...” Veronica repeated, stunned.

“Venus...” Parker finished, likewise dumbfounded. Lucy had always been a precocious young girl, very friendly, and outgoing, but it usually took her a while to warm up to a person that much. It had taken her a while before she’d finally started calling Evangeline ‘Aunt Eva’ and Lacie Anne ‘Aunt Lacie’. And now, after only two days, she was ‘Auntie Venus’?!?

Growling in frustration, Parker walked over and grabbed Venus by the arm. “Hey! I was watching that!” she protested as he dragged her from the bed to the doorway.

“We need to talk to you for a bit,” Parker managed through gritted teeth. “The DVR is recording it, you can rewind and watch it later, And anyway, it’s a rerun!” With that, the three adults left the room, closing the door behind them. Alone again, Venus pulled her arm free of his grasp.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she snapped, irritated. “Everything was fine! We were watching cartoons, for Pete’s sake! Not to mention your house is on security lockdown,” she added, gesturing to the FrasierTech Security logo on the wall above the alarm monitor reading ‘Active’. “If anyone HAD managed to sneak in, you would have heard the alarm squealing long before WE started screaming.”

“I have super sensitive hearing, Satore,” he grumbled, “how did you EXPECT me to act when I heard you guys screaming upstairs?” He sighed. “That said... you... do have a point. We... er, I... might have overreacted. A little,” he conceded grudgingly.

Venus chuckled. “Not the best apology I’ve ever received, but I’ll take it.” She sighed softly, glancing at Parker, eyebrow raised. Saying nothing, she walked around him slowly, nodding to herself, then did the same to Veronica, giving her the once-over. “Hmmm... not bad. You two are looking none the worse for wear considering last night’s activities,” she said with a smirk.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Roni said, gaining her attention. “I wanted to ask you... did you do something special to us when you restored our bond? Because I could swear that I’ve gotten... younger.”

“Yeah,” Parker added in. “And me too. I mean... I’m no marathon man or anything. I do pretty well for a man in my fifties, and Roni’s never complained. But last night... it was like I was a horny twenty-one-year-old kid again.”

“Um, yes,” Satore murmured softly, turning away for a moment, before sighing. “Well, to be frank, you’re partially correct. You’ve both been... rejuvenated, is probably the best way of describing it,” she said with a shrug. “You haven’t actually been made younger—only those accursed Nornir have the means to truly turn back time—but I was, in essence, able to breathe new life and vitality into the both of you with our coupling.”

“So... rejuvenation,” Parker mused aloud. “Kind of like giving us an extensive spa makeover then, the way you did with Rose and Chloe?”

“Similar, yes.” she nodded. “And for all intents and purposes, it’s about the same effect as drinking from the fabled Fountain of Youth. You both have the physical strength and stamina and flexibility of your youth. And your life spans have likewise been lengthened as if your age had been lowered. The main difference is that that vitality comes from me, not from Undrbrunnr’s waters. As such, that infused vitality is linked to me, personally. So long as I retain my youth and vigor, so shall the both of you.”

Roni and Park glance at each other, stunned. “Ooookay,” he said after a moment. “Not that we don’t appreciate the bonus gift and all that, but... why would you do that?”

“It wasn’t intentional,” she grunted, shaking her head. “Believe me, the LAST thing I wanted to do was share my life essence with the both of you.” She sighed. “I don’t know... maybe I was enjoying myself a little too much in bonding you two together and I temporarily lost control of my powers. And it’s not as if I have full control over them yet, after your friend Lacie altered them—I have to put in so much more effort to do things that used to come naturally. At any rate, you’re young again. Enjoy it.”

Roni frowned. “Okay. But what aren’t you telling us about all of this? What aren’t you saying? What’s the downside?”

Venus smirked. “Downside? Well, I suppose being bound to my spiritual essence, and owning your restored youth to an enemy might be a downside for you,” she quipped. “For me... well imbuing you with my life force naturally has slightly… shortened my own life span. Even if I am immortal, this particular body has only a normal human lifespan.” She shrugged. “With my life thus shortened, I will likely pass on in another... twenty years.”

Parker gasped. “V-venus... twenty years? That’s... not a lot of time,” he murmured, feeling a strange sense of sadness overtake him. ”Isn’t there some way to, undo it? Take your vitality and life essence back? We never asked for this—”

“What’s done is done,” she replied simply with a shrug. “And anyway, what does it matter? As I said, I’m immortal. When my time in this form ends, I’ll simply assume another one. Besides, it’s not as if you truly care what happens to me, anyway? I’m your enemy after all,” she pointed out. “We might have a temporary truce, but you-mmmmpph!!”

Her eyes widened, nearly bulging as Parker kissed her, deeply, hotly, silencing her. Despite herself, she felt herself relaxing, melting against him a bit, leaving her breathless when he finally pulled away. “You’re not my enemy,” he told her, quietly. “And I don’t want you to die. I never have.” He sighed softly. “I know what I said earlier. I’m stubborn and pig-headed. When someone hurts me, I tend to lash out and keep the hurt buried inside, like an old wound, never quite healing. But, well... as I learned with Patty, that’s not a good thing. The truth is... what you did... it wouldn’t have hurt so much if I hadn’t felt something for you.”

Venus turned away, blushing heatedly. This was... something was happening here. Her heart was pounding loud in her ears, and her breathing was hot and heavy. His words had stirred something deep within her... something she’d never felt before, something she had never expected to feel. She was a goddess, THE goddess of love. She could invoke and control lust in a person like no one else. And she knew her own body as well, her own passions and lusts and craving, like the back of her hand. She was all too familiar with the red hot burning flame of lust. But... what she was feeling NOW... standing so close to Parker, the overwhelming heat beginning to flood her being was a far cry from that red hot flame... it was a stronger, deeper, more primal burning, one that threatened to melt her away like metal, only to forge her anew.

“Venus,” Veronica said softly, voicing her own concerns, “I... we, don’t want this for you. Having your life cut short like this? You deserve to spend the rest of this life in peace. I know you’ve done things in your past. Bad things. Terrible things. But you’re not the only one.” She hung her head. “For all the lives you’ve hurt, at least you never took any lives... never killed anyone. Reiko was the clan’s top assassin for ten years before she defected... before she became me.” She forced a small smile onto her face. “I certainly have no right to judge you for your misdeeds. But, I have to say that if someone like ME can find redemption and devote their life to doing good, then you certainly can.”

Tears actually began to run down Venus’s cheeks, as the feeling she’d been experiencing, doubled, tripled, quadrupled. It was... humbling. Overwhelming. And even though she knew what she was feeling was artificial, that it was caused by her mistake, she couldn’t deny the very real feelings she was feeling. Goddess Bless... what do I do? I can’t tell them what happened... but how do I hide this? And... what do I do if they figure it out? What do I do if Parker and Veronica don’t share these feelings? What do I do if they do?

“Venus?” Parker prompted her, breaking into her thoughts.

“Oh, sorry... was just, uh... thinking,” she said after a moment, shaking her head briskly. “We need to decide on a plan of action soon,” she said briskly, her usual arrogant smirk sliding back into place. “By now, the other members of the Yakuza have to know that their minions failed to grab Lucy. Given that they’d likely wait to hear from Oyabun on how to proceed next, I expect they’ll most likely regroup and come back sometimes tonight or tomorrow at the latest.”

“That soon, huh?” Veronica replied with a scowl. “I’d hoped we might have a bit more time to prepare.”

“First we need more Intel,” Venus stated. “It would help knowing for sure they are actually here, and what kind of numbers we’ll be facing. I’d suggest letting the little one sleep over at your friend Patricia Grimalde’s house for the night. If nothing else, it will keep her out of harm’s way and give us time to prepare for their eventual arrival.”

Parker and Roni nodded. “I’ll give Patty a call. I’m sure she’ll agree once she knows what is happening.” He smirked. “And I’m very sure Lucy won’t make a fuss at getting to hang out with Robbie for a while longer.”

I groaned softly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I left the bathroom, still a bit sleepy but awake enough to be ready for the road once more. Devon stood just outside the doorway, a pout evident on her lovely face at the thought of me leaving, but resigned, knowing that we couldn’t stay here at her parents’ home forever. Standing up on her tiptoes, she kissed me, hard, before pulling back again.

“A little something for the road?” I asked, teasing.

“Oh, that was just a good morning kiss,” she replied, teasing back. “I’d definitely prefer something a bit more substantial to tide me over before letting you leave.”

Lana chuckled softly, which turned into a deep yawn, as she walked by. “Adorable. You two are just adorable,” she managed, pulling her slightly open shift closed. “I suppose it’s a good thing that I’m not diabetic—this much sweetness this early in the morning would no doubt put me in a diabetic coma.”

“Har de har har,” I grumbled as she stepped into the now vacant bathroom. “Maybe she really IS a thousand years old. It’s hard to imagine a LaSilvas with no sense of romance, or at least out and out lust...”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Devon replied, smirking. “I did share the bedroom with the woman last night after all. She’s a shameless flirt, and really, if I wasn’t so hopelessly head over heels in love with you, I might have taken her up on a few of her offers!” I blinked, then sighed, rolling my eyes. Heh. Guess she has more in common with my cousins than I thought.

“Well, for future reference, love,” I said, pulling her close, staring into her deep dark brown eyes, “I don’t care if you choose to... ‘partake’,” I said, giving her sweet sexy ass a light squeeze, “as long as you let me know about it first. And, um... after. In intricate and embellished detail,” I added, getting another giggle from her.

“Hehee. You’re so silly sometimes, Jimmy. But, since you opened the subject, the same goes for you. You’re more than welcome to... ‘partake’ as well... as long as we both agree on the partner. And that you share with me afterward as well.” She chuckled, darkly, her eyes flashing. “I mean, it’s not as if I’d actively go after the person who DARED to try and seduce my man or anything?” she said playfully, despite the obvious and sudden chill in the air. “I’m not THAT jealous, after all. I’m a lot more confident in myself, and in us, these days.”

“Uh huh,” I replied with a nod, turning my gaze away from the wall behind her, and the slight scorch marks to the plaster that had formed as she spoke. “Riiiiiight. Not a jealous bone in your body, sweetie.” I laughed softly. “You know, of the two of us, I should be the jealous one. You’re the beauty here, Devon,” I said sincerely. “I’m basically your run of the mill guy, kinda stocky, like a linebacker. Yeah, I have my powers, but really there’s nothing that special about me. I’m just a guy. But you,” I said, leaning forward to kiss her lovingly, teasingly, “are an actual goddess. No other woman in the world could possibly compare to you.” I shook my head ruefully. “If I were smart, I’d lock Lana in that bathroom, take you and run back home to Portland, and keep you all to myself!”

“I guess we’re really a perfect pair, then, ’cause I only have eyes for you,” she replied with a laugh, before sighing softly, melting her body against mine. I was fully dressed, ready for the long drive, but Dev was clad only in a soft thin white robe, a fact I was reminded of as I felt her hardened nipples pressing lightly into my chest through the fabric. “Jimmy... I may be a Nornir, a goddess, but to me, you are a god,” she said softly. “As hot as you are, physically, your mind is even more amazing. And, you’re kind and loving... and passionate... it’s not just one thing about you that I love. It’s everything! And any woman with halfway decent eyesight would know that... would see what I see, and want you just as much.”

We just held each other there for a long moment, enjoying each other’s presence. I halfway wished Devon could have traded places with my mom—and not in the creepy Oedipus Rex kind of way, you sickos, I meant with her Nornir powers—that she could stop time and just hold us in this moment forever. Sigh It’s amazing that you could miss a person so much after only a few days...

Apparently, however, my sweet Devon’s needs were running a bit ahead of my own and went beyond simply basking in each other’s presence. “You know, I slept really well last night having you here,” she whispered softly, a sly smile creasing her lips. “I also have a hard time getting to sleep when we’re apart. This is the first time in days that I was able to just drift off to sleep.”

“Ha! I don’t see why. We WERE still apart, remember?” I grumbled slightly, only somewhat mollified as one of her hand moved down to cup my crotch, rubbing lightly. “Your mom refused to let us sleep in the same room. You were stuck in with Lana, and I had to bed down with your brother Dave.” I grunted slightly, trying to ignore what she was doing, knowing we wouldn’t be able to finish anyway. “Nice kid, but a little shortsighted for anything beyond video games.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Devon said easily, shifting position slightly, parking one leg between mine, effectively pinning MY leg between hers, as she slowly, deftly, began grinding herself against me. “You were here. In the same house. And even if you weren’t physically with me, you were in my dreams.” She sighed softly, her free hand moving up to grope a heavy full breast. “Mmmm... and what dreams... OH! Speaking of which... there was something special I wanted to show you...”

She closed her eyes briefly, tapping into her powers. Before I could ask what she meant, I felt her connect to me, and I blinked my vision blurring...

I found myself sitting on the bed... our bed, back home in Portland, in our bedroom. I was holding a small riding crop, and I was naked save for a pair of boxers. Directly across from me, stood Devon, dressed in simply the most erotic clothing I had ever seen. If it could even be called clothing. She was ‘clothed’ in a sheer nearly transparent pastel pink harem girl outfit straight out of A Thousand and One Arabian Nights! And as soft Mediterranean music began to play, Devon, my Devon, began to dance.

She wore golden bands and bangles on her wrists and ankles that clicked with every movement. A soft red jewel, like a ruby, sat nestled in her belly button, which definitely drew the eye as she shifted and moved. Her face, what was visible behind the sheer pink veil anyway, was lightly made up and rouged, adding to the exotic middle eastern feel. And her long dark hair was tied up neatly into a ponytail, which snapped out randomly like a while whenever she made a sharp twist or twirl. Her soft bare feet moved and turned, and she danced with a passion and skill that I’d never even guessed she had. All the while, her eyes were glued to me, her Keeper, her Owner, as she danced her need, her desire, telling me with her body how badly she’d missed me, and how much she desired, wanted, needed me to take her, claim her, make her mine forever! As the dance reached its climax, she spun and whirled, faster and faster, until finally, at the end, she dropped down gracefully into a bow at my feet, kneeling in supplication, as I knelt down to pull her up into my arms...

And blinked again, finding myself holding Devon, in the hallway of her parents’ home, both of us panting with need and desire. “Did you enjoy that, Master?” she asked, her voice deep and raspy. “That little glimpse of the future? Deidre and I went out shopping the other day and found the loveliest little shop on the Boulevard. When I saw that outfit, I knew I had to have it.” She sighed softly, closing her eyes again as her back arched lightly. “That’s our future, once we get back home. Your loving slave girl will dance for you, showing you without words how much I love and need you.” She opened her eyes again, and I blinked, nearly taken aback by the raw unfiltered need in them. “Did that please you, Master?” she husked, eyes half-lidded, her wetness starting to soak through my pants now as she continued to grind. “Did your slave please her Mas—oooh!” she gasped as I spanked her ass again, mostly for the need to derail her current train of thought and give myself a breather before I lost it completely and ripped her clothes off and ravished her right here and now in the damned hallway.

Rather than be put out, however, that slap on the ass had merely poured gasoline on the fire. “Ooohh... it seems I’ve been naughty,” she whispered, sliding her hand back to my crotch, finding and gripping the telltale bulge before sliding her hand up underneath the waistband. “Perhaps I need to be punished instead,” she suggested, stepping back slightly, looking up to stare me directly in the eyes. “Would that please you instead, Master? Punishing your naughty little slave slut for failing to properly please her Master—”

Suddenly the door to the bathroom opened, and Devon and I slid apart seamlessly as if we’d just been innocently chatting the whole time. A moment later, Lana stepped out, fully dressed, her makeup and hair done immaculately, a far cry from the sleepy bedraggled mess that had entered moments ago. Huh. She looks freaking perfect, I mused to myself. Almost as if by magic, which, all things considered, is very likely true. She walked past us, taking a sip from a mug of coffee... which I was relatively sure she hadn’t brought into the bathroom with her!

“So. James, are we ready to depart?” she asked briskly. “I can’t say that I’m looking forward to spending the next several hours nestled up close and cozy with you in that box you call a car, but we do have a rather long way to go. And I’d prefer to get on with it sooner than later.”

“It’s Jimmy for the hundredth time,” I said wearily, “and yes, we should go.” I turned back to Devon, giving her a relatively chaste kiss. “I’m so going to use that crop on you when we get back home for this,” I whispered with a slight edge, knowing I was heading for a six to seven-hour drive with blue balls. She merely giggled in response, as if daring me to do my worst. Still, all things considered, it could have been worse. At least Lana had missed that whole exchange while she was getting cleaned up in the bathroom—

“Come along now, chop chop,” Lana said with a smirk, heading towards the front door. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to punish your ‘naughty little slave slut’ later on, once you’re both back home.” Devon’s face competed with mine for title of most embarrassed...

“It’s somewhere around this area,” Emerald stated as she, Diamond, and Pearl all drove along the road on their color matched motorcycles. “We’re close now. Really close.”

“Do you sense anything from them yet, Pearl?” Diamond asked the white haired psychic.

“No, not yet,” she said with a frown. “We’re still quite a bit away, and if they’re all unconscious, it would naturally be harder to sense them. But yes... I am concerned. It’s been several hours now. If they were able, surely they would have contacted us by now.”

Diane nodded grimly, saying nothing. She was just as worried as the others about their friends and teammates. The information they’d obtained from Iconix had not been altogether helpful, but it was rather telling about the person they were facing. His co-workers had described him as ‘brilliant, a very smart man, but with an ego problem and a short temper’. The accident that had prompted his supervisor to fire him was merely another example of her personality. “It was all because he was impatient,” the man had told them. “He was so sure his calculations were correct and so eager to prove his superiority over everyone else that he turned on the power without making sure all the safety clamps were in place. One was misaligned, and the device wrenched itself free... and well, we’re just lucky no one was badly hurt...”

Even more telling, afterward, rather than admit any wrongdoing, he’d blatantly accused his fellow technicians of sabotaging the test run just to make him look bad. And when he’d been told he was fired, he’d completely lost it, having to be forced, kicking and screaming, off the premises by the security guards. He’d vowed that he would get revenge against all of them, that he’d make them all pay for his humiliation. And now, it seemed that he had the ability to make good on his threat.

And that’s the kind of person I sent the others to investigate, she thought dimly, guilt rising up within her. I know they’re heroines, and that they can all take care of themselves... but when that explosion rocked the city a while back, down here, in the same area where Mullins was supposed to be hiding out, I knew it couldn’t be a coincidence. She revved the throttle on her bike, pulling a little ahead of the others. Come on, girls. You’ve got to be all right!

“We’re almost there,” Emily called out as they neared the edge of the slums. “I can see the flash of the police lights...” As they turned the corner, however, she gasped aloud, easing off the accelerator, dropping back, pulling to a stop to just gape in astonished horror. Police and rescue workers were gathered around the site of a massive debris filled crater, with small fires still smoldering along the edges. The explosion seemed to have taken out several of the small ramshackle buildings, which had collapsed in on themselves, leaving behind a huge mound of splintered and scorched wood, metal and stone. “God... no...” Emily whispered as Pearl and Diamond moved up to join her. “If Amber... if she was in there when that blew...”

“Emerald, wait!” Pearl said, frowning, eyes closed, brow furrowed in concentration. The other two waited silently as their psychic stretched out with her talent. “Yes! They are here,” she said after a moment, pointing towards the center of the mound. “They’re buried underneath the debris... but they are alive! Amber managed to put up a shield before the blast!”

“Great!” Emerald said, pointing her hands out towards the mound, powering up. “Stand back. I’m blasting them out of there—”

“No!” Diamond replied, placing a hand over Emily’s. “We need to scout the area first and see what we’re dealing with. You don’t want to accidentally blast our people in the process.” Walking past the perimeter, she activated her powers, going intangible. “Pearl link up with me,” she called out as she began to sink into the ground. “Once I know the situation, relay to Emerald where to blast.” The Asian psychic nodded, and Diamond slid below the surface.

Shit... what a mess, she mused as she drifted through the mishmash of materials and dirt, following Pearl’s psychic guidance towards where she sensed the other Gems. A few steps further and her vision went yellow as she came into contact with Amber’s. shield. The translucent yellow dome’s outer surface appeared cracked and weathered, no doubt from the impact, but past the first several layers it seemed to be still intact. Inside, she could just barely make out the three girls, frozen in place, held in stasis by the effect of Amber’s power. Amber herself seemed to be unconscious, however, a slight bit of red marring the yellow glow around her head. Damn. Not good. Must have hit her head from the impact before she fully formed the shield around herself. Still, she was able to protect everyone despite it. Good job Ambs, she thought to herself, signaling Pearl on where to have Emerald aim. Just hang tight. We’ll get you out of there.

Several well-placed energy blasts later, and help from the rescue workers on scene, the three heroines were dug out and released from their protective shell. As suspected, Amber had sustained a slight concussion but was otherwise unscathed. Ruby and Sapphire both were unharmed, which, Diane pointed out, was entirely due to Amber’s quick thinking.

“Huh... I wouldn’t call it that,” she said sullenly as the EMT adjusted the bandage around her temples. “We got played, boss. I got played. I should have suspected that the whole thing was a trap. Worse, Mullins knows we’re on to him, and he managed to destroy all the evidence we found on him at the site. It’s all gone... blow to smithereens.”

“Um, not ALL of it,” Stephanie piped up, causing the others to turn. Smirking, she tugged at the zipper of her unitard, causing the others to gape, and the rescue workers to glance aside awkwardly as her breasts came into view. “I managed to snag this while Freeze Frame was monologuing about his great plan,” she announced, pulling out a small rolled up tube of papers. “I couldn’t grab everything, but I figured these schematics and papers looked pretty important.”

“Whoa! Good job, kid!” Ruby gushed, mussing Sapphire’s hair. “That was quick thinking!” She sighed, sheepishly. “Seriously. Between you and Amber, I’m definitely the weak link for our team.”

“Hey, you were the one who found all this stuff in the first place,” Sapphire pointed out. “I just grabbed it while you and Ambs kept the guy talking.“

“It was a good job for all of you,” Diane replied with a smile. “Most importantly, you’re all alive and well. That’s what counts the most.” She sighed softly. “As for Grady Mullins... he dealt us a pretty heavy blow. But we’re not beaten yet. This fight’s just getting started.”

“Thanks for agreeing to do this, Patty,” Parker said softly, standing next to his friend, watching idly as their two children played in Robbie’s bedroom a few feet away. “I really appreciate it. Really. You have no idea how much.”

“Don’t even worry about it,” Patricia Grimalde replied easily, nodding. “Lucy is a sweet girl, and she’s always welcome. Robbie loves their little playdates, and it’s nice having someone around his own age for him to play with.”

“Even if that someone is a girl?” Parker asked eyebrow raised.

“He’s too young to be concerned about that stuff right now,” Patty replied, dismissively. “And, well, hopefully by the time he IS, they’ll be such good friends that it won’t be too weird for them to hang out.”

Parker merely nodded. Plus, well, the poor kid is pretty much surrounded by females twenty-four seven anyway. Poor guy... he’ll either grow up supremely confident with himself or with one hell of a complex towards women.

“Parker...” Parker glanced over at Patty to find him staring at him, concern on her lovely youthful face. “I just have to ask. Are you... are you SURE about this?” she asked, trying hard not to assume the worst about her friend now that the air between them had finally cleared. “I mean... she’s the same evil manipulative BITCH that ruined both of our lives! Taking her into your home, and trusting her alone with your wife like this? Is that safe?”

Parker scowled, feeling a surge of irrational anger and protectiveness at Patricia’s accusations towards Venus. Huh. That’s... different. I mean, Patty has a definite point. Satore DID ruin our lives. Hell... if it wasn’t for her, Lucy might be in there playing with her brother instead of just her friend from school. Still... I’ve come to understand Venus a lot more over the past few days than I’d ever thought I would. She’s not evil... not really. She’s selfish and arrogant... and a total narcissist... but not evil.

Aloud, he shook his head. “The situation with Satore is... complicated. Very complicated. But in this at least, we’re on the same page. She has intricate knowledge about the Clan from her very very long lived life. And say what you want about her, but if Venus Satore has a weakness, it’s for children.” Patricia scowled, expression darkening. “Patty, please, I don’t mean to bring up the past. And yeah, I know all too well how old you were back then.” He sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I meant that Lucy is the same age she was back when her mother was killed.”

Patricia blinked at that, turning to face him again. “Killed? Her mother was killed?”

Parker nodded. “Yeah. When she was six years old. She saw it happen, too—the killer stabbed her mom in front of her eyes, then set fire to their house with her trapped inside.”

“My... my god!”

“Yeah,” Parker agreed softly. “It doesn’t excuse her being such a royal bitch... but all things considered, it does explain at least a little while she’s got so much angst about everything and everyone.” He sighed deeply. “That’s ALSO why she’s had such a bug up her ass about Nigel all this time as well.”

“Why? What’s my husband got to do with any of this?” she demanded.

So Parker told her, explaining in detail the tragic and complicated past of Venus Satore, and the threads that bound them all together. “So, long story short, she’s willing to do this to make sure Lucy grows up safe and sound with her parents,” he finished after a moment. “And yeah, she was very specific about it. ‘It’s not for YOU, Albinn’,” he said, perfectly mimicking her voice with his sonic powers, “‘nor your slut wife. This is for that sweet young girl in there. I know what it’s like to grow up without a mother and father to love and care for you. And I’ll be damned if I’ll sit by and watch it happen to someone else if I can help it!’.”

Patricia nodded softly, turning away. It was strange and very disconcerting to find something noble about the devil woman that had so long ago haunted her dreams. And yet, she had to admit to agreeing with the sentiment. I was lucky enough to have someone with that same sense of compassion in Angela, she mused to herself. I know what it’s like to have no one, to struggle and scrape just to survive. Part of my anger issues stem from feeling abandoned by my own birth parents. I don’t know where I’d be if Angela hadn’t taken me in all those years ago...

“Anyway, between her and Veronica,” Parker continued, “they’re pretty confident that they can come up with a way to sabotage and destroy the Clan once and for all. Once that’s done, I imagine we’ll both sleep better at night.”

“Oh, right,” Patricia replied with a soft nod, turning back to stare in the bedroom at the kids playing. “There haven’t been any more attempts on any of our lives after that last failed attempt, but according to your wife, they have a habit of biding their time and striking just when you’ve forgotten about them.”

“Well, they did wait more than twenty years to come after her, again, for the dishonor of turning her back on the Clan,” he pointed out.

Inside the room, Lucy sighed softly. “So, anyway, now she’s staying at my house, but she and my momma are going to find the bad guys and beat them up so they won’t come after me no more.”

“Wow! That’s cool!” Robbie replied, handing Lucy his joystick as he died, and her turn to play the game came up. “I wish cool stuff like that happened to me! I mean, there was that one time that ninjas came and tried to get my mommy and daddy, but Miss Katie and S’ban and Tawnya beat them all up. I didn’t get to see it, tho’,” he said with a scowl. “They made me an’ Justine stay in our rooms.” He harrumphed. “I always miss out on everything.”

“That’s okay!” Lucy said with a nod. “I still think yer cool. And those ninjas weren’t so scary anyway. If I’d had Mr. Snuggles with me, I would have fought them off myself!”

“Huh,” Robbie said with a pout. “It’s not fair. I wish I had powers, too! All the cool people get special super powers! You, Tawnya, ‘S’ban, and Miss Katie...” He frowned again. “I really like her too. She was always the bestest babysitter.”

“Yeah!” Lucy nodded, then sighed as her player died. “Here, your turn,” she said, handing him the controller. “Katie is really cool.”

“She took me and Justine flying a couple times,” Robbie said with a smirk. Lucy’s eyes went wide.

“REALLY?!?”

“Uh huh! Sure did! She covered us in that glowing light stuff and zoom! Off we went up into the air! Zoom! Zoom! Just like an airplane!”

“Aw man!” Lucy pouted. “I wanna do that too! That sounds like it would have been awesome!” She paused, thinking. “Oh! Robbie?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know what a ‘secks slabe’ is?”

Outside in the hallway, Parker trailed off, frozen in mid-sentence, eyes nearly bulging out of his head. “Um, no,” Robbie replied, oblivious. “What’s that?”

“I dunno,” Lucy said with a shrug. “But Katie told my mommy and daddy one time that she wanted to be your daddy’s ‘secks slabe’. Does your daddy have a ‘secks slabe’?”

“Um, I dunno,” Robbie answered, scratching his head, “but I’ll ask him later when he gets home from the office.”

“And on that note, I think I’d best leave,” Parker said suddenly, causing Patricia to pause in her conversation, frowning. “Sorry to cut you off, Patty,” he said, blushing crimson, “but, um, I just remembered an errand I need to run before it gets too late.” He leaned forward, kissing her on the cheek. “I’ll be back by tomorrow to pick up Lucy. Do me a solid and tell Nigel I said ‘Hi’.”

“Um, okay?” Patricia replied, somewhat confused by his quick departure. “See you later.” With a shrug, she turned back to watch the two kids at play...