Shining Girl Ch. 04

"Jack, your mum told me what happened! How are you, any after-effects?"

I had to grin; this was Harry, my best friend since I was an eight year-old prep at Kingsland, looking as handsome and friendly as ever. Subjectively, I'd only seen him a couple of days ago, when we'd arranged to have him and Sai Fong over for dinner; it was weird to think that had been six months ago, at Midsummer, and now it was a couple of days shy of Christmas. The strangeness and sudden disorientation was a little disconcerting, but I guessed I was going to have to try and get used to that. A small sound behind me, someone shifting in their chair, and I remembered I'd heard Grandad's voice, so I turned, and there was the old man, looking suddenly, shockingly older, his face lined and worried, his eyes rimmed with tears.

"Hello son, I...I...!" he faltered, the tears spilling over, shocking me even more; I'd never seen him give more than a wry grin, and now...

Wordlessly, I held my arms out, and he embraced me, pulling me to him strongly, still no hint of frailty in his tough old frame.

"It's good to see you son, I thought I'd...I never...I was so...oh Jacko, I thought we'd lost you...!" he faltered, his voice thick with emotion, and for once I didn't object when he called me the same name as his foul old dog, caught up in his emotion as I was. He continued to hug me, wordlessly pounding me on the back, and I was immensely glad, and immensely comforted, to have my Grandad here, along with my mum, the only constant in my life as I grew up. I glanced up, to see mum and Harry slipping out of the kitchen, giving me some time alone with him.

At last he let go of me, turning his back to mop his eyes, and then turning back to me to take me by the shoulders.

"Let me see you, Jacko, let me look at you!"

He looked long and hard at me before sitting back down at the kitchen table, motioning me to take a seat, his gaze flicking over me, subjecting me to the closest scrutiny, his sharp old eyes not missing a thing. He poured me a coffee, and handed me the toast-rack and the butter-dish.

"Your mother will do you a cooked breakfast in a minute, you and Harry both; he deserves another one, he's a good lad; he came with me this morning after breakfast to Ludlow to help me cut and load the tree, the two of you can put it up later. How are you feeling, lad? Honestly?"

I was so glad he wasn't fussing around, that he was just being himself, a little more talkative than his wont, but not intrusive, just friendly and concerned.

"I feel fine, Grandad, just weird; six months have just vanished, and suddenly I look like something out of 'Nosferatu'; I've had better awakenings, believe me!"

He grinned at that, and passed me the marmalade pot.

"A couple of weeks of your mother's cooking should take care of that, don't you worry! There's no rush to head back down to London, Harry has to go back just before Christmas, give him your keys and he'll check on the flat for you, and pick-up any bits and pieces you want; he'll bring them up when he comes back to spend Christmas with that lovely little girl of his. In the meantime, rest, eat, sleep, get your strength back. If the weather's still acting-up after New Year, take the Trooper back down to London; I've still got the Land-Rover to cope with whatever the weather throws at us up here. Otherwise, your mother will take the pair of you back down when you're ready to go."

He poured himself another coffee.

"Thing is, though, why do you need to go back any time soon? You're on the binnacle list, and will be for a while yet, Teruko's already deferred university until March, you could stay here a while and let us look after you; Harry is going to be spending a lot of time at Woolwich over the next few weeks, so he'll keep an eye on your place, actually, it was his idea, so you can rest, relax, and recuperate here at home, and you don't have to worry about anything except getting back to normal. More importantly, Teruko needs to stay here, near her mother; she needs some serious care too; I look at that little girl and all I can see is exhaustion and fear; she needs her home, and she needs her family. Think about it, son."

I already was; that was probably the longest speech I'd ever heard him make, and he was making all sorts of sense; I'd talk to Teruko when she came back from this mysterious shopping trip to Telford.

At that point, mum came in, with Harry in tow, asking what I wanted for breakfast. I plumped for the full English, Harry's eyes lighting up at that, so we adjourned to the sitting room to sit in front of the fire and enjoy the smell of fresh pine needles from the wrapped Christmas tree leaning against the wall while mum set about making my favourite breakfast.

To occupy ourselves, we set up the tree in a corner, Harry and I lifting the tree, an eight-footer, while Grandad slid the tree-jack into place and tightened the clamps. Mum and the girls had already brought down the lights and decorations, so Harry, Grandad and I whiled away the time untangling and testing the lights while we waited for breakfast.

Mum called us in to eat, and it was as good as the best of all the breakfasts she'd ever cooked; sweet-cured bacon, butcher sausages, none of your supermarket rubbish, fried eggs, grilled Irish White Pudding, mushrooms, crisp fried bread, and a jug of coffee, the food of the Gods!

Once we'd finished breakfast (my first and Harry's second, but he'd earned it...) Harry and I cleared the table, loaded the dishwasher, and joined mum and Grandad in the sitting room to start decorating the tree, just as the girls returned.

I was quite surprised they were back so early; Sai Fong is a well-known shopaholic, and Teruko can't resist trying on every single garment in a store; Harry had speculated that we might have to send in a search and rescue team and sniffer-dogs, as he was all too aware of what our girls were like when they were out shopping, collectively or individually; he'd stayed behind this morning expressly to avoid subjecting himself to that particular form of Chinese Water-Torture. He was also of the opinion that Shopping Malls were actually huge predatory creatures that sucked you in, turned your brain into pancake batter by a combination of sensory overload and brain-softening background music, sucked all the money out of your bank account, then kicked you out into the street penniless and brain-dead, clutching shopping bags full of cheaply-made expensive crap. It was a theory, I suppose, but it certainly fitted a lot of the known facts...

Once the girls had shown us all the purchases they were prepared to, with a few they said would have to wait until Christmas morning, we set about trimming the tree. The very act of doing so sending me back to my childhood, mum and Grandad putting the tree ornaments in the places I pointed out but couldn't reach, and a set of ornaments for me to put anywhere I liked. Once they'd finished the tree, Teruko and Sai Fong began putting up the Christmas decorations around the room, the Holly wreath made with Holly from mum's garden, and twining the green and gold glittery stuff around the stairs and along the picture rails.

Mum hadn't put any decorations up this year; with me in hospital and Teruko refusing to leave my side, she'd had no inclination to celebrate Christmas; now she was back in the swing, especially with Harry and Sai to help.

The last thing they hung was the Mistletoe, a large bunch clipped from the apple tree in the garden, and I was the first lucky one, as Teruko pulled me under the bunch to give me my Christmas Kiss.

"Welcome back, Onii-san!" she whispered, her face wreathed in smiles while everyone else clapped and cheered.

Harry and Sai Fong declined lunch as they had a lunch planned with their father, so we walked them out to their car. As they were leaving, Teruko called them back, reaching up to kiss Harry on the cheek and turn to hug Sai Fong.

"Thank you for all you do, thank you for be best friends of Onii-san!" she murmured, reaching behind her neck to unclasp her jade pendant and place it around Sai Fong's neck.

"This is present from Jakku san and me, and from mummy, too. This is symbol of good things happening, it is good luck and bring good fortune. Wear it always, it bring you much luck and happiness!"

Sai graciously tried to decline it, saying it was a family piece, but Teruko was adamant.

"I already have my happiness, and all my wishes, now it time to pass the luck on. Please to wear it and enjoy!"

Sai Fong smiled, her eyes sparkling as they filled with tears, giving Teruko and me a big hug each before climbing into the car, wiping her eyes and smiling at us.

Harry reached into his jacket pocket handed me an envelope.

"Almost forgot, this is for you!"

When I opened it, there were two tickets inside for the school Old Boys Association New Year's Eve dance at a hotel just outside town.

"You be there, Jack, everyone's asked if you're coming, all our friends will be there, and it's time to have a little fun! If I don't see you before, have a fun Christmas, and we'll see you Boxing Day before we head back down to London!"

*

Christmas was the quiet family affair I'd always enjoyed, just mum, Grandad, Teruko and me. I was a little sad that I hadn't bought any gifts for anyone, but Teruko had been well ahead of me there; that mysterious shopping trip to Telford. She had gifts for Grandad and mum, from both of us, but I still had nothing for her.

"Not need Kurisumasu present, Jakku San; I already have what I want; you are here, that is all Kurisumasu no Okurimono I need; I am happy you well!"

She pulled my head down to kiss me, and whisper in my ear.

"Later, Jakku San give me special present of his own, yes?"

I grinned at her, my jeans suddenly tightening as I realised what she was saying, and suddenly the day just couldn't end soon enough! Mum had made her usual superb Christmas turkey lunch, topped-off with a flaming Christmas pudding. We pulled crackers and ate mince pies, drank Rum punch and mulled cider, and Teruko sang Christmas carols in her sweet, bell-like voice, relaxing me somewhat, enough at least that I could enjoy Christmas Day with my family, and especially with my very own Christmas angel, who'd stayed with me and been there for me even when she thought there was no hope. I had a special Christmas treat planned for her, but it would have to wait until later that night.

We sat up until late, enjoying the firelight, the room filled with the sweet smell of apple wood from the Yule log in the fireplace, sipping mulled cider and watching the standard Christmas night television ('The Great Escape' on one channel, 'White Christmas' on another, a Christmas ghost story on ITV, one of the 'Lord of the Rings' movies on Channel 4, and 'Jurassic Park' on Channel 5). Grandad was snoozing in front of the fire, an empty brandy glass next to him and the remains of a turkey, sausage, and stuffing sandwich perched on his chest. Mum had had a long day, and was fast asleep in her chair next to the fire, a shawl pulled around her.

I was in a mellow mood, no doubt helped by the Rum punch, Teruko curled up next to me, her arm through mine as we sat and watched the fire, ignoring the TV in the background, enjoying being home again for Christmas. Eventually, she got up, stretched, and began tidying up, removing Grandad's sandwich, kissing him good night and walking him, a little unsteadily, up the stairs to the guest bedroom while I damped down the fire and gently shook mum awake.

"Wakey Wakey, mum, it's late, better go to bed, Teruko and I'll clear up. Goodnight, mum!"

"Jack...I'm sorry, I didn't mean...!" she began, but I shushed her.

"It's okay, mum, you've had a long day, we've all had a great day because of you, now go to bed, we'll clear up and switch everything off. Off you go!"

She smiled and stood up, yawning and stretching after being asleep in her chair for so long. She wrapped her shawl around herself, kissed her fingertip and touched my forehead with it, and made her way upstairs, passing Teruko and giving her a goodnight hug on the way. I sprawled back onto the couch, reluctant to go to bed and admit Christmas Day was over for another year, a hangover from my childhood, and I wanted to enjoy the fire and watch the tree lights for a while, maybe snack on some Christmas cake or snag a couple of sausages and a mince pie or two, something I always did on Christmas Night. Teruko came into the room with a platter with some bread, butter, sliced stuffing, turkey slices, mince pies, sausages, and a few slices of Christmas pudding, good girl, she remembered!

Once again she cuddled up against me on the couch, nibbling at some turkey while I worked my way through a sausage, turkey and stuffing doorstep sandwich of my own, the smell of her hair filling my nostrils as she hugged herself close to me, her legs long and golden in the firelight. I could feel another sort of appetite beginning to make itself felt as I munched, but before we did anything, I had a special present for her. Gently disengaging her arm from mine, I went over to the tree and took out a small box out from where I'd hidden it among the needles and tree decorations. When I sat down, I pulled her round to face me, smiling inwardly at her puzzled expression.

"Teruko, this morning you asked me to give you a present that was just from me. I still have that for you, but this is from all of us, but especially from me. I asked you if you would be my wife, and you said yes, and I asked if you would wait until I could give you a special ring. This is for you."

I opened the box to show her the beautiful diamond and Burmese Ruby ring inside.

"This was my grandmother's ring, mum wanted you to have it, and gave it to me so I could give it to you. You never left me, you never once walked away from me, and this is to thank you for being there, for loving me enough to stay by me no matter what. This is a family piece, and no-one deserves it more than you; I once promised you a special ring; this is it, truly a special ring for the most special person in the world. I want you to wear it for me. Teruko Cameron, once again, will you marry me?"

Teruko looked at me, her eyes shining.

"Jakku san ask me once before long time ago to marry him, and I say yes; he ask me again, each time my answer same; yes, I will marry him, I will wear ring that is part of family, I will be part of family in this way as well. My heart only belong to Jakku san, his heart belong with mine; we will be husband and wife, we will have many children, this will please mummy and Grandad, and all ancestors, strong sons and proud daughters, our children. I love Jakku san, and so I will wear his ring, become a part of him, as he is already a part of me!"

She moved in close to me, holding my neck as she kissed me, her lips soft and tempting, sealing her promise as the antique engagement ring sparkled in the firelight.

Teruko climbed off the couch, checked the fire-guard was locked in place and the hearth was clear, and took my hand.

"Come, my husband, we still have Kurisumasu no Okurimono to exchange!"

I followed her, once again that pleasant tightness in my groin awakening as I watched her lithe figure ascending the stairs in front of me, then turning at the top of the stairs to wait for me, a pale glimmering figure in the reflected fire-light from downstairs.

She led me into my bedroom, although it was rapidly becoming our bedroom, and turned to help me unbutton my shirt and pop my jeans while I slid her dress off her shoulders and pulled it down, Teruko wriggling delightfully to get it past her hips, to stand before me in just her panties. I slid my jeans down and tugged my shirt off, my excitement obvious by the bulge in my shorts. Teruko giggled, her hand stroking me as I pulled her close.

"Jakku san not tired, then?" she asked, squeezing me deliciously, and for answer I slid my hands into the back of her panties and pushed them down so I could cup and squeeze her firm, squeezable cheeks in retaliation.

"I'm never tired when you're around, little sister, I thought you knew that!" I grinned. Teruko responded by holding me a little more firmly, less playfully, her eyes shining as I pulled her close so I could kiss my girl. She let go of my cock to slide her arms around my neck as she kissed me back, her lips soft and sweet, then breaking off to gently pull me back towards our bed.

"It Christmas Night, Jakku san, now is time to exchange gift!" she smiled, slipping her panties all the way off and padding over to the bed, her twinkling buttocks captivating in the mellow golden light from the bedside lamp. She climbed onto the bed, remaining on all fours, her pussy slick and juicy with anticipation, the scent of her excitement calling to me. I held her hips, running my hands over her smooth flanks, her taut belly, her firm, rounded buttocks, enjoying the feel of her warm, silky skin against my palms, my hands "seeing" her even as my other senses revelled in her nearness, her excitement, her readiness for me.

As I touched and smoothed and fondled her, she reared up onto her knees to lean back against me, her arms going around the back of her neck to hold herself against me, my cock iron-hard and firmly lodged in the deep, warm cleft between her taut, springy cheeks. My hands automatically slid round her ribcage to catch and squeeze her firm breasts, weighing those beautiful globes, feeling the heft and sway of them even as her nipples stiffened into hard points between my gently squeezing fingertips.

I squeezed and teased her nipples, her hand slipping down to gently rub and slide between her labia, touching herself even as she slowly raised and lowered herself, masturbating my cock with the cheeks of her lovely arse. I gave myself over to what she was doing to me, nibbling and gently biting her neck, her earlobes, her shoulders, as she moved against me, the pleasure slowly building into an unstoppable need for her as she ground away at me.

When she judged she'd worked me up enough, she sat up straight, my cock falling between her thighs; she reached under herself and positioned me, to slowly sink back down, impaling herself on me with a hiss as I filled her. I gasped at the feel of her wet heat engulfing me, the muted rush of sensation as she slowly slid herself onto me until I was in her to the hilt. Holding her as I was, I only had limited movement, but now she began a slow rise and fall, her tight pussy squeezing me as she rose and fell, fucking herself on me, and taking me with her.

My head was spinning with the slow eroticism of what we were doing here; low-key as it was, it was still enough to light me up inside as my beautiful girl made love to me. Now her breath began to come in staccato bursts, and I could feel her heart beginning to race, my hands clamped around her as they were, her movements harder, faster, as she ground herself against me, pumping faster now, moving against me like a wild thing, jamming herself down on me, her hand rubbing and pulling at her engorged clitoris as I pumped harder and harder into her.

"Harder, Jakku san, please to ...oh yess, like that, harder...harder, oooh yesss, yesss YESS! YES, Jakku...YESS! Ooooohhhhh! OoooHHH! Yesss! YESSS!"

She screamed as her orgasm hit, a flood of warmth bathing my groin and upper thighs as she squirted her hot juices over me, the sensation almost making me lose it there and then. I held her against me as she shook and gasped in the throes of orgasm, her hands clasped tightly about my neck as she held herself against me, shaking and wailing as wave after wave of pleasure rolled and crashed though her, eventually diminishing and dying away. Her death-grip around my neck relaxed, and she slumped forward to lie prone on the bed, her sides heaving as she fought for breath after her incredible orgasm.