Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2001 20:24:56 +0100
From: Beverly Taff
Subject: Spacetran 5

Relieved at last I returned to my cottage for a well-earned rest.  It was
my old family home and had been in Denby possession almost since the War of
Independence.  I now only visited my office for three days per week and
spent most of my spare time at the cottage wondering if Beverly had finally
killed herself.  It played on my mind especially when I received more
unwelcome visits from the 'rocket scientists' begging me to get in touch
with her.  They just would not seem to accept that there was no way I could
reach her.  Unable to help them with their gravity conundrums I started to
sink into depression.  As the years passed I was missing the stimulation of
Beverly and I was accused of having become a recluse by the press.  It was
during one of my black introspective periods that she reappeared.
	Late one frozen winter's night I was sitting reading some notes
about a new bio-growth process my company was developing.  My brain was
simply too tired to digest the information and I dropped the pages sleepily
on the floor then shuffled to my bedroom.  I still lived alone and had now
bought much of the land surrounding my cottage so I lived in a sort of
splendid isolation.  Once in bed I switched off the light to savour the
absolute silence of the still winter's night.  Even the trees seemed to be
stunned by the bitter cold and the snow lay like glowing pewter in the
brilliant moonlight.  It was a full moon and I couldn't help but wonder if
Beverly was lurking behind it.  Suddenly there was a soft tapping on my
window and I shivered with fear.  My primordial fear of rape surfaced and I
reached for the automatic machine pistol that I always kept beside the bed.
I set the bolt with a comforting, almost deafening 'clack' and crouched
down into the darkest corner of the bedroom to await the intrusion.
Fortunately my bottle green robe was also dark and I was virtually
invisible to any intruder.
	The soft tapping was repeated but I was not to be tricked.  As a
multibillionaire I was vulnerable to kidnap and my friend the local sheriff
had begged me to get better protected.  The machine pistol was my
concession to his beseechment.  I crouched tighter into the corner and
waited as the tapping became louder and more urgent.  Then there was a
sharp scratching noise and I wondered if some sort of animal was trying to
get in.  Cautiously I crawled along the floor and slithered up the wall
like a cobra preparing to strike.  The scratching continued and I suddenly
realised it sounded like a diamond on glass.  Somebody was trying to cut
through the window.  This puzzled me.  The sound of broken glass would not
have been heard beyond the boundaries of my estate so why would a burglar
take such pains to be silent.  The scratching suddenly stopped and a
tinkling of glass followed the last urgent tap.  I froze before an
admonishing voice rang on the freezing air.
	"Ruby!  Why aren't you bloody answering?  It's me Beverly!"

	I recognised the urgent feminine voice immediately and almost fired
the pistol in my excitement.
	"Beverly!"  I shrieked ecstatically.  "Go round to the front."
	I heard her heels clicking on the boardwalk around the house and I
almost broke my toe as I stumbled blindly for the switch.  Then I had the
sense to leave it off and keep the house in darkness.  'If Beverly had
arrived in the small hours she obviously wanted to keep her visit secret.'
I gathered an extra robe around me before opening the door to a freezing
wave of bitter air.  I could not fail to recognise her.  She was standing
in her inevitable winter attire a mini dress, a short fur trimmed coat,
seventy-denier glossy tights and thigh length heeled boots.  A picture of
femininity and apparently she still didn't feel the cold.
	Flinging my arms around her I tried to drag her inside but she
resisted my efforts and turned to indicate with her hand.
	"We've got company."
	For a moment I froze but Beverly had lowered her fur-lined hood and
revealed her calming smile.  The cold moonlight glinted off her hair.
	"It's OK.  You're quite safe.  They're our children, yours and
mine."
	For a second I didn't understand her.  I didn't have any children.
Then my stomach churned.
	"The amphib-."  I gasped.
	Beverly sensed my nervousness and gently hugged me to her.
	"Don't be frightened.  They're not freaks.  D'you want to meet
them?"
	"Are they in the Albatross?"
	"Where else dear?  D'you want to meet them there or shall I invite
them here?"
	I swallowed nervously.  This was a real gem!  The first proper
known alien visit to Earth and some of the aliens were my own children!  I
decided to invite them into my house.  I felt it was their right as my
children.
	"How many are there?"
	"Twenty."  Replied Beverly.  "Eighteen girls and two boys.  We've
each got nine daughters and a son.
	"What do they look like?"  I asked feeling guilty that a mother
should not be able to recognise her own children.
	"Much like you and I.  Their amphibian features are essentially
internal.  They would 'pass' on the street.  They enchant Thlom and his
colleagues and I think you'll be pleased as well.  They're also like us in
that they can stand the cold better than amphs.  Thlom has come as well and
they've got a female amph chaperone."
	I gasped at this piece of news and Beverly grinned as she expanded.
	"The chaperone is Thlom's sister but then he's got hundreds of
sisters."
	I remembered their amphibian breeding cycle and dressed hurriedly
before stepping out into the freezing night.  I didn't recognise the much
larger spaceship and Beverly turned before I could ask.
	"Cold Albatross 3; it's more like a bus than a car.  The family's
growing."  She grinned.
	The new craft was much bigger and the only recognisable feature was
the larger radius warp ring.  I wondered what had happened to 'Albatross 2'
and I asked Beverly.
	"She's in Stasis off-world.  She's parked behind Pluto to avoid
vandalism in case someone has cracked the gravity drive, although we didn't
see any ships as we came in.  We're a 'two-car' family now."
	"Who drives Albatross 2 then?"
	"Only me and Thlom.  She fits inside the hold of Cold Albatross 3."
	Albatross 3 was not hovering like Albatross 2 had done.  She was
sitting firmly on a set of stout extended legs.  Beverly courteously helped
me up the steps but it seemed a bit incongruous that a smaller, weaker,
more feminine person should be somehow offering me help.  Nevertheless I
accepted it graciously and we joined the children inside.
	Beverly had been right.  To outward appearances the children
resemble humans, indeed I could even see my likeness in each of my own.
The only difference outwardly being that they had slightly sallow
complexions.  A doctor might have thought them slightly jaundiced.
Beverly's were all fair-haired whilst mine varied from fair to dark brown
with even one redhead.  The children gathered round me eager to see their
genetic mother and I was overwhelmed with emotion as I tried to hug each
and all together.  Then I turned to Thlom and their chaperone.
	"How do your people take to them."
	"We muddle through and it isn't easy."  He confessed.
	I felt my stomach tighten slightly.
	"They don't suffer any discrimination do they?"
	Thlom frowned and spoke softly.
	"We see them as our future Ruby, not as a threat.  Inside they're
mostly amphs and our people recognise that.  We chose the mammalian human
skin type because they can better survive the cold for space travel and
colonising our other worlds.  The hair followed naturally."
	"Will they be able to have babies?"  I asked curiously.
	"They'll lay eggs just as we do but only one or two at a time, just
as you do."
	"What about mothering?"  I wondered aloud.
	"We expect their children to hatch as partially limbed tadpoles
then they'll be fed with the nourishment that secrets from those glands you
have on your upper abdomen."
	I squirmed inwardly at his reference to my breasts and I noticed
Beverly give a self-conscious twitch.  Thlom, ever sensitive, noticed our
reactions and smiled.
	"What would you prefer me to call them?"
	"Breasts Thlom."  I whispered embarrasedly.  "We call them
breasts."
	"They're quite important to you aren't they?"  He smiled.
	"Yes."  Interrupted Beverly.  "Feeding from the breasts is an
important part of parent child bonding.  They are also very important
socially.  Like your amphibian neck frill."
	At this stage the chaperone spoke.  She was a leading geneticist
and had been a major influence in engineering the children.
	"It's strange Ruby, but the birth and rearing process is akin to
your birds.  It seems as if our biological 'halfway house' development is
parallel to the historic development of life on your Earth.  Birds lay eggs
and yet bond to their young and care for them.  We studied Earth's birds
from wildlife videos that Beverly supplied.  It seemed the most practical
way to go."
	"So what sort of 'nest' will you adopt?"
	"Each family will need a small swimming pool.  It'll be as much a
part of our houses as a nursery is for you."
	I smiled then suddenly had a strange thought.
	"Wait a minute.  With birds, both parents share the rearing
equally.  How will the father's bond to their children?"
	"Same as the mothers.  They will also have glands-, I mean um,
breasts to nourish the young."
	I glanced significantly towards Beverly and raised a suspicious
eyebrow.  She shrugged and raised her hands in innocence.
	"Don't look at me.  I had nothing to do with it.  They reckoned it
was the easiest way to go genetically.  An easy way to bond the fathers."
	"But why do they have to bond the fathers.  If they come from
amphibian herbivorous stock and they've never bonded before why start now?"
	"We think it's important if we're going to colonise our other
planets."  Replied Thlom.  "There's lots of dangers on those planets and
bonding creates a more efficient unit, the family unit.  You have a
long-standing religious basis stemming from your anthropological roots
don't you.  What was it again? 'Honour your father and mother.'
	I caught Beverly staring tensely at the floor and finally realised
her claims of innocence must be true.  Beverly understood nothing about
families and family values except painand rejection.  It was quite obvious
that all the genetic anatomical decisions had been based on anthropological
and generic factors based on deep studies of both species' histories.  So
the males would have breasts then.  I grinned at Beverly and wagged my
head.
	"Your transvestite wishes have come true then."
	"How so?"  She snapped.
	"The boys will be able to wear bras and stuff."
	"You don't get it do you."
	"What d'you mean?"
	"They won't be 'cross-dressers' will they.  They'll need to wear
bras just like the girls.  There'll be virtually no sexual dimorphism.
Just look at the children now.  Can you tell which two are the boys?"
	Stupidly I gaped at the children and realised there were virtually
no telltale signs.  Again Thlom seemed to read my thoughts and expanded
further.
	"There won't be much sexual dimorphism when they're adults either.
It would take an intimate investigation of their internal primary sex
organs to exactly determine their gender."
	"What about their behaviour patterns?"  I asked.  "Human children
often demonstrate their gender by their behaviour."
	"We're not wholly certain about that.  We expect them to be as
unassertive and passive as we are but there's no absolute certainty that
they won't have some human other behavioural characteristics. After all we
have striven for human parenting and bonding.  Other genetic traits might
have spilled over into the test tubes."
	"I hope you haven't sprung a race of 'killer bees' upon the rest of
the universe." I whispered as I studied my children and still wondered
which one was the boy.  They certainly all seemed to be quite gentle and
sociable at the moment.  Eventually the one with the red hair squirmed onto
my lap and admitted to being the boy.  I wondered if the hair might be a
gender factor and asked Thlom's sister.
	"We don't think so.  It was just a happy accident.  Does red hair
run in your family?"
	I was forced to confess that I had bright red hair but I dyed it a
darker russet colour regularly.  Genetic engineering could be such a
complex subject and it was possible that other factors might have activated
a sexual trigger.  His hair was certainly a rich dark red and beautifully
groomed.  Thousands of earth-women would have died for it.  He slid happily
off my knee and Beverly's blond haired son occupied the vacant space
without a single spark of envy or animosity. He was the last one and after
cuddling him I stood up to let my damp eyes wander affectionately over
Beverly's clan and mine.
	It seemed there was a behavioural factor for the boys had chosen to
be last to share their affections with me and obviously treated their
sisters with a gentlemanly concern.  I smiled with gratitude for being
allowed to have my own family without all the heartache and stress of
motherhood.  As a lesbian I knew I would have suffered ostracism if I'd had
children on earth.  Grateful for the fulfilment of a fundamental female
urge I invited them into my cottage.  Thlom and his chaperone sister agreed
and the children chattered excitedly as they scampered into the ship's
dormitory and donned their anoraks.
	As I studied them, they looked like a junior school party on their
first school skiing trip.
	Thlom and Dumia his sister dressed as they had at the breeding
ponds and this emphasised the human differences between the amphs and their
chosen successors.  I felt for the amphs and wondered just how the human
race would have reacted to having to alter their whole genetic makeup and
interbreed with an alien species.  The children shrieked and played in the
moonlit snow while Thlom watched them enviously as he huddled from the cold
and scuttled with his sister to the warmth of the cottage.  Once there we
four adults shared a hot drink as the children arrived in dribs and drabs
until my overflowing cottage rang to the sound of laughter.
	"So Bev."  I asked. "What brings you back to earth?"
	"Your children wanted to see their mother; the other genetic half
of their origins."
	"Will you be staying long?"
	"As long as we dare."
	"But Thlom and Dumia won't be able to wander about will they?"  I
remarked feeling guilty for not being able to reciprocate the generosity
they had shown me on their world.
	"They'll take the Albatross 3 back to Pluto because it's too big to
hide then they'll return with Albatross 2 and hide it in your barn.
Thlom's a good pilot.  This cottage is pretty remote so when they return
they'll be pretty safe here."
	The plan sounded sensible.  I did not encourage callers to my
private hideaway and even the executives of my bio-company avoided
contacting me when I was 'up country'.  I had cultivated my reputation as a
recluse.
	The plan was for the children to appear as a school party whilst
being driven around and shown the sights.  I joined in enthusiastically and
within two days we were driving a pair of mini-buses towards New York.  The
trip passed without incident and we returned back to my cottage cock-a-hoop
at our success.  It was then that I pleaded with Beverly to explain how the
anti-gravity drive worked on the model.  She explained it and then
downloaded the details from her computer.
	"That's everything.  It's the formula for the ceramic compound, the
atomic frequencies and how the power source is harmonised.  There's
everything you'll need and it's all you're going to get.  All I ask is that
once again you make sure that it goes international."
	I gave her my promise and she went to bed early leaving Thlom,
Dumia and me to organise sleeping arrangements.  My cottage was really
misnamed for it had several large bedrooms and the children had come well
equipped for camping and outdoor activity.  They sorted themselves out
quickly and before midnight the cottage was silent.  Only Thlom, Dumia and
I sat up quietly talking genetics and space travel into the small hours.
	"D'you think Beverly will ever share her time warp secrets with
anybody. It would be nice if our two races could meet and get acquainted."
I asked Thlom.
	"She's said she'll leave a time-locked capsule to reveal it all
after she's dead."
	"Where does she store all her secrets?"  I asked curiously.
	"In her head Ruby.  It's all in her head."
	"I'll bet she's got a secret information stash hidden away on some
remote planet."
	"Well if she has, none of us are going to find it are we.  We amphs
are not interested anyway.  It puzzles us that the children were so keen to
find their mother and even more intriguing that Beverly's children should
want to tag along.  They have obviously got a human curiosityabout parents
and origins.  We are only here to act as chaperones.  We're not at all
interested in space warping and anyway, there are countless millions of
planets, orbiting countless billions of stars so the chances of any
Earthmen ever finding Beverly's secret information stash are virtually nil.
That is even if she had one." Finished Dumia.
	She was right of course.  Beverly's secret would remain safe unless
she was good and ready to reveal it.  Defeated I crept up to bed and left
Thlom and Dumia sleeping in the old granny bedroom downstairs by the old
fashioned pot-bellied stove.  Once again I heard Beverly whimpering in her
room.  This time I did not disturb her but left the landing light on and my
bedroom door ajar anticipating a nocturnal visit.  I was not disappointed.
She awoke in the morning startled to find herself in my bed.  I felt her
tense as she suddenly realised she was curled up inside the curve of my
body.
	"H- how did I get here?"  She squeaked nervously."
	"You sleep walk Bev.  You entered my room last night and curled up
exactly where you are now.  As I spoke I remained perfectly still leaving
it for her to decide the next move.  She remained tense for nearly a minute
before slowly uncurling as our nighties whispered and slithered invitingly
against each other.  Her soft curves stiffened again as she sensed the
tension.
	"What's happening?"  She gulped.
	"Nothing Bev.  Nothing at all."
	"What d'you mean nothing.  I meant what's happening to me?  Why am
I here?"
	I was silently puzzled.  I had no idea what was happening to
Beverly.  My lower arm had become stiff under her pillow and I dragged it
towards me to relieve the aching.  Beverly grabbed it like a kitten seizing
a piece of string.
	"What're you doing?"  She whispered hoarsely.  "Leave that hand
where I can see it!"
	"I'm getting a cramp in my elbow.  I was just easing the muscles."
	She released my hand and a slowly withdrew it until the aching
eased and I was able to rub my arm.  As I sighed with relief I stretched my
legs and yawned then lay on my back looking at my ceiling.  Slowly Beverly
uncurled and turned to study me.  As she lay resting on one elbow I felt
her curious eye's boring into me.
	"You're quite pretty.  Why have you never married?"  She whispered.
	I turned to face her; afraid to admit my sexuality so I shrugged.
	"Dunno.  I was too busy making my way as a science correspondent
when I was younger.  Brainy girls frighten men off.  Then when this
bio-company started I never had time for courting."  I was too terrified to
confess I was gay.
	She settled with her head deep into the pillow but continued
staring at me with the one visible eye.  I turned to ask her.
	"Now what are you looking at?"
	"You.  That colour nightie suites you."
	I glanced down at the bottle green nightie and shrugged.  I had
never thought about it before.  I had become so preoccupied with science
and my bio-company that I had turned into something of a sartorial
bombsite.
	'Maybe it was a way of giving out clear signals to men.'  I
thought.  I turned to face her and studied her pretty features framed in
the soft blond hair.  It was an image that any man would have loved to find
on his pillow in the morning.  She slowly extended a nervous hand and
searched for mine before insinuating her delicate fingers.  I sensed she
was worried about something but I had not an inkling of what it was.  I
felt at once, both like a mother with a frightened child and a lover with
her beau.
	"What's worrying you?"  I ventured cautiously.
	"Why d'you think I sleep walk?"  She asked.
	"I don't know.  D'you do it when you're alone?"
	"I've no idea.  I always wake up in my own bed."
	"What about when you're with the amphs?"
	"No.  Same thing.  I wake up in my own bed."
	"So it's only around me that you crawl into other people's beds."
	"It's only the once."  She objected.
	"I beg your pardon Beverly.  You did it while we were travelling on
the Albatross."
	"What!"
	"I said you crawled into my bed when we were space warping.  I
carried you back to your own bed in the morning so that you wouldn't be
shocked."
	Beverly stared at me with a stunned expression.
	"Why didn't you tell me?"  She demanded.
	"I was in a pretty tricky situation.  I didn't know what to do.
Now you're on my patch and you seemed like a frightened child so I left you
to sleep.  Anyway it's nice sharing a bed and I haven't done it for years."
	"Nice?"  Queried Beverly.
	"Yes nice.  It's nice to just cuddle up and feel another's close
company."
	"D'you think that is what I was trying to do."
	"I'm not a psychiatrist Bev.  With your background there's no
knowing what you were trying to do.  You're definitely distressed during
the dark hours and I must say I'm not surprised.  Maybe your subconscious
was seeking some sort of comfort, - motherly love or something.  As I say,
I'm not a shrink."
	"If I squeeze up to you, you won't try anything will you?"  She
whined softly.
	"I'm not stupid Bev.  You'd probably bolt out of my embrace like a
frightened fawn."
	I felt her hips gently squeeze up to mine then her soft breasts
followed suite and after a minute her whole body was insinuated in a tight
embrace that left me roused, puzzled and embarrassed.
	To find such a beautiful soft feminine companion in my bed was one
of my wildest dreams come true.  As a lesbian I could not have wished for
more.  Then I remembered Beverly was actually a man, what was more there
was definitely some activity where it mattered.  I froze nervously and she
released her embrace.
	"What's wrong?"
	I nudged her erect organ with my hip and croaked nervously.
	"That's what's wrong."
	She separated and turned out of bed to stare guiltily out of the
window.
	I'm sorry.  I got carried away.  I'll go to my own bedroom."
	I gaped greedily at the beautiful feminine form framed in the
window and swallowed nervously.  The temptation was just too much.
Gathering courage I whispered hoarsely.
	"Don't do that.  Come back to bed.  It was just so unexpected."
	"I didn't expect that to happen either.  I'd better go."
	"No.  Please stay.  It's lovely having someone to cuddle up to."  I
pleaded.
	The recent years of being a virtual recluse had had their toll and
I had found the pleasure of sharing a bed overwhelming.  Even if that other
woman was in fact a man.  Beverly's nervous eyes followed my gaze to her
groin and she selfconciously lowered her hands like a naked girl.
Silhouetted in the window her beautiful body was clearly outlined through
the sheer nightie, what's more the bulge in her panties was painfully
apparent.  I felt a strange rush of anticipation sweep through my body and
reached eagerly across the bed to drag her back under the duvet.  She
squeaked with fear and struggled briefly before my superior strength
overwhelmed her and I pinned her to the bed.
	Under her nightie her stiffening nipples were like organ stops and
I gently brushed them through the flimsy diaphanous fold.  She let out a
low moan and squirmed lasciviously as I manoeuvred my dampening groin over
the rock hard lump jammed uncomfortably into the crotch of her panties.
	"Wait!"  She groaned softly as she wriggled her hips until the lump
unfolded and straightened up to peep bravely out of the top of her panty
waistband.
	I realised she was all man in that department and savoured the
exciting novelty of a session with the sort of beautiful woman that a
lesbian could only dream of yet sporting a superb erection.
	Once again she winced as I positioned myself and I hesitated
uncertainly.
	"You're too heavy.  Can I go on top."  She whimpered.
	I did a double take for a moment.  Normally it was the greedy
selfish man that was 'too heavy', and who usually took his pleasure without
any consideration for the bruised and crumpled woman beneath him.  Now I
realised I had reversed the roles exactly.  I was being the 'selfish
brute'.  Apologetically I rolled off her and invited her to reverse the
rolls.  For a moment Beverly caught her breath then slowly reached across
and gently investigated my urgency.  I suddenly realised that despite
Beverly's horrendous carnal childhood I was dealing with a novice in the
art of lovemaking.  Rape, yes- lovemaking; no!  This girl knew nothing
about affection, care or compassion.  Gently I took her inquisitive fingers
and guided them to the proper places as I slowly tugged her head down and
crushed her lips to mine.  With softly whispered instructions I led her up
the path to my nirvana.  As my back arched and I squealed with delight
Beverly gaped nervously and cautiously withdrew her fingers like some child
who had just been caught with its hand in the honey pot.  I gently took her
hand again and guided it under my nightie for her to rest it lightly on my
breast and feel the thundering heartbeat beneath.  For several minutes it
lay there as my years of frustration evaporated and my heart eventually
subsided to a normal rhythm.
	"Now it's your turn love."  I whispered.
	Beverly knew what an orgasm was but she had never actually
witnessed the full-blown explosive passion of a woman's climax before.  She
burrowed nervously under my nightie and cautiously rested her head on my
breasts as I gently massaged her back and shoulders.  Once more it was the
frightened child syndrome.  Incongruantly her penis was still as stiff as
iron and, more importantly, well sized.  I had anticipated that it might be
somehow shrunk in parallel with all the other atrophied male features that
her body had long ago shed.  Gratefully I gently ran my appreciative
fingers down its entire length and she squirmed nervously.
	"Don't hurt him."  She whispered.
	"Hurt him?  Hurt him?"  I giggled kittenishly.  "Why he's the most
delicious dessert I could have wished for.  I'm desperate for you to try
him and I'd never ever hurt him.  He's mine, all mine."
	Possessively I ran my hand down its hard length and carefully
insinuated my leg under Beverly's hips to lever her into the expectant
'vee' of my parted thighs.  Her tiny frame rolled easily over my leg and
her breasts gently brushed against mine.  I felt her rigid nipples scrape
gently against mine as we let out mutual gasps of ecstasy as I felt the
waves of delight go fluttering to my core.  Simultaneously Beverly's penis
twitched and she gave a little squeak of nervous delight.
	I felt her rigid incongruouncy making fruitless attempts to
pleasure me so I gently grasped its satisfactory girth and carefully guided
it in.  I was in complete control and carefully allowed it's rippled length
to only enter me bit by tantalising bit.  Beverly started to squeak and
whimper with delight.
	For me it was the ultimate satisfaction of securing a proper guilt
free pleasuring with a real penis whilst simultaneously savouring the
lesbian delights of another woman's body.  Strangely Beverly took a long
time to climax and I was able to relish several orgasms before she finally
exploded into action.  Her unexpected screech of delight caused me to tense
suddenly in anticipation of a worried thumping on the door.
	It was not long coming and Beverly buried herself in a fit of
terror as the banging persisted.  It was Thlom's nervous concerned call.
	"Ruby!  Are you all right?"
	"Yes.  Go away!"
	"Beverly's gone!"
	"What d'you mean gone?"  I cursed as Beverly's terrified fingers
dug nervously into my breast.  "Stoppit!  You're hurting."  I whispered
hoarsely.
	"She's not in her room!"  Yelled Thlom.
	"It's OK!"  I snapped angrily.  "She's in here with me.  She's
alright."
	"What happened?"
	"She got frightened last night and came to me for comfort."
	"Is she OK now?"  Pressed Thlom.
	"Yes she's fine."  I replied as I caressed the soft blond hair and
winced as I gently levered the terrified fingers off my agonised breast.
	"It's OK love.  They've gone.  Nobody is coming through that door."
	I had realised what Beverly's problem was.  Throughout her
childhood time in care the sight or sound of a bedroom door being opened
was a sure sign that some form of night-time abuse was imminent.  This was
her hangover from the childhood horrors.  It was OK for her to instigate a
visit to another bedroom but all through the care years her own bed and
room had been nothing less than a torture chamber.  Even a soft knock on
the bedroom door was enough to send her over the edge.
	Gently I squeezed her tight to me and was surprised to find a soft
pair of lips investigating my nipple.  She apparently had a suckling
complex when she was afraid.  It was hardly surprising considering she had
never had a mother.
	Eventually she 'uncoiled' and appeared from under the duvet.  I
smiled into her tearstained eyes and gently hugged her to me.
	"It's OK.  You're safe.  There's nobody on the other side of that
door."
	Beverly stared at the door with terror in her eyes so I tried some
therapy.
	"D'you want me to open it and leave it open?"
	"Don't touch it!"  She squealed.  "I'll open it when I'm ready."
	I shrugged and clambered back into bed.  She immediately snuggled
up to me and buried her face into my breasts.  I let her indulge her fear
and she stayed embedded between my breasts until the smell of cooking
wafted through the house. Her head suddenly popped up and she sniffed
appreciatively.
	"That smells like breakfast."
	"It is, and we should be down there helping."
	With no more ado Beverly slipped out of bed, flung on a dressing
gown and ran helter-skelter down stairs to lend a hand.  I was left
floundering and puzzled by her volte-face then I realised that perhaps the
smell of breakfast was some sort of olfactory 'all-clear' signal.  When she
was in care it would have been the first definite sign that the safety of
morning and daylight had arrived.  I crawled downstairs to find her setting
out the cereals on the sideboard as the children started appearing.  The
two boys were dressed but all the girls were still in their nighties and I
cast a curious glance towards Dumia.  She shrugged and smiled before
commenting on it.
	"The boy's simply rise earlier.  It's a gender thing.  The girls
take much longer to appear.  The boys have already been playing out in the
snow while the girls are still dopey with sleep.  We couldn't predict
everything.  It's a harmless enough behavioural dimorphism.  I expect we'll
discover some more as they grow."
	I shrugged and sat next to Beverly as the boys promptly joined us
and started asking questions.  The breakfast then quickly developed into a
lively question and answer session and my chance to talk to Beverly was
lost.  I would have plenty of chances however in the nights ahead.  With
the Albatross 2 safely hidden in the barn we planned a long motoring tour
of the U.S.