Price of Past Miracles

Author's Note:

This series is a continuation of my last story series, "Ghosts of the Past." It is taking place 18 years plus into the future and involves the children of the group of friends surrounding Charles and Diana Richards and Tom and Lynda Seldon... who are just about to learn the "Price of Past Miracles..."

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"Mama... I love him and he loves me!" Megan Richards exclaimed as she clung to her lifelong friend and soul mate, Brad Seldon.

"Aunt Dee... I know you probably think we're too young, but we've known each other our whole lives. We know everything about each other... I love her and I want to marry her!" Brad stated emphatically as he pulled the bed sheet up around them.

Oh, God...this so embarrassing... my girlfriend's mother catching us in bed together...

Diana Richards' heart pounded as she took several deep, calming breaths.

Oh, God... this can't be happening! I opened this door expecting to find her in bed with Jonnie! Why couldn't I have seen this coming...

"Megan... Brad... I'm going to shut the door and the two of you will get out of that bed and put your clothes on immediately. I'm going to call your fathers at work and get them home! All of us need to sit down and have a long talk."

"It doesn't matter what any of you have to say, Mama... it's not going to change our minds! We love each other and we want to be together! Brad is the only one I'll ever love..."

Diana's heart constricted at the tears gathering in her daughter's hazel eyes. "Megan, sweetie, just do what I said. If the two of you aren't dressed and out here in five minutes I'm coming back! This is very serious... do not argue with me!"

She shut her daughter's bedroom door and headed straight for the phone and dialed her best friend's number. "Lynda... it's Diana. We have a big problem! I just caught Brad in bed with Megan! Oh, God... What are we going to do?!!"

Lynda gasped and then was silent for several seconds. "Oh, God... Diana... this is going to kill them! Have you called Charles and Tom yet?"

"No. I was going to call them as soon as I called you to get you over here!"

"I'm on my way, Diana. I'll be there in about five minutes!"

**********

"I just don't understand what the big deal is! It's not like we're actually related!" Brad ranted as he paced back and forth in the living room between his parents, Tom and Lynda Seldon, and their long time best friends, Charles and Diana Richards. Uncle Charles had been his dad's partner with the FBI for over eighteen years. He and Aunt Dee had been like a second set of parents to him and his three other siblings, but they were not blood relatives.

He and Meggie had grown up together since infancy and had been playmates along with their other siblings and close friends throughout their lives. But he'd always felt a special pull toward her for some reason. For a while, he'd felt closer to her than he was to his own sister. But when they hit puberty and Meg's body had blossomed to be as shapely as her mother's... She didn't seem like a sister to him any more.

When they'd turned fifteen, the dreams he'd been having of her suddenly had him waking up in a sweat with a raging hard-on almost every night. Her deep-set hazel eyes framed with sparse lashes would deepen in desire as she stared at him while he took her virginity... He was determined to be her first... they would be each other's first. Every time he saw her start to get interested in another boy, he'd swoop in and tell her everything bad he knew about the guy to make her think twice. Though he did feel guilty at times for keeping Jonnie away from her...

He'd finally had to reveal his feelings to her. At the beginning of their senior year in high school, she started dating the quarterback of the football team... another friend of his. And there was nothing bad he could tell her about Lee... he was a good guy. But when he saw Lee making out with Megan in the parking lot at school one afternoon in December and saw the look in her eyes...

**********

New Year's Eve 1974, Megan Richards had gotten the shock of her life. Brad had gone to a party with his and Meg's close siblings and childhood friends; Meg's twin brother Charlie and Brad's younger sister DiDi, and their close friends Jonnie North, Barbie Estevez and Lily Wilson. Jonnie's parents, Jon Sr. and Barbara, Barbie's parents, Rick and Dawn, and Lily's parents, Larry and Maria, were also good friends of Meg and Brad's parents. Meg had come to the party with Lee, but she'd ended up going home with Brad.

Megan recalled the moment she found out that Brad loved her as much as she had always loved him...

"Brad, have you seen Lee? I can't find him!"

"I sent him away, Meg."

"Why?!! I thought you liked Lee! What is it now? Am I not good enough for HIM?!!" she asked with tears in her eyes.

God Brad... Why do you have to keep treating me like I'm your sister?!!

She couldn't get him to notice her because of Barbie... Meg had seen him kissing her a couple weeks earlier. But why did he have to keep interfering with every guy who did notice her?!! And why wouldn't he let Jonnie anywhere near her any more? "Why do you keep doing this to me?"

He grabbed her shoulders and hauled her against him. "This is why..." he said quietly as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her. It had started out as a slow, tender kiss but it quickly morphed into a full-blown, deeply spine tingling, toe curling kiss. Their bodies felt like they had fused as soon as their lips parted and their tongues stroked together.

Megan clung to Brad's strong, athletic body, molding her full breasts against his lower chest. Brad tangled his hands into Megan's long, wavy, golden brown hair. Then he quickly backed her up against the wall behind her, pressing the full length of his body against hers so that she would be in no doubt of how he felt about her.

Megan gasped when she felt the hard bulge in the front of his jeans pressed against her.

Oh, my God... all of a sudden I'm not your sister?

When Brad finally broke the kiss, she saw the need in his deep hazel eyes... eyes very similar to her own... But there was also something else... something she hadn't seen since that dance five years earlier...

"I've been dreaming of you since we were thirteen years old. But I was afraid to let you know. I somehow sensed that you felt the same way and we could've gotten in way over our heads when we were too young. So I treated you like you were my sister... looking out for you at school... making sure no boys got out of line with you... making sure you never fell for anyone else..."

He untangled his right hand from her hair to stroke her cheek. "I've loved you all my life, Meg... we belong together. You're my soul mate..."

**********

They had agreed that they didn't want anyone else to know how they felt about each other. They were both afraid that it might make their friends or family members feel uncomfortable for some reason. They'd promised each other that they wouldn't make love for the first time until they graduated. Both of them were going off to college the next fall. They'd decided that they were going to spend a magical summer together before they had to part. Once they were through college and knew that they belonged together, then they'd tell everyone else...

They had stolen moments over the months since New Year's to kiss and make out as often as they could when no one else was around. They'd even progressed to some pretty heavy petting, stroking each other to mind-blowing orgasms. They'd just graduated a week ago... Friday, June 6, 1975.

They had skipped the graduation party to go to a secluded beach in Malibu to give their bodies... and their souls... to each other for the first time. It couldn't have been any more beautiful and perfect... Megan had hardly felt the sting of his first penetration. He'd given her a powerful orgasm with his lips and tongue and then entered her for the first time in the midst of her climax.

Brad had practiced while masturbating, learning how to control when he wanted to come. He'd kissed her deeply and stroked her body with his until he brought her to another climax and then he'd let go to join her. It had surpassed all his dreams... They were making love for only the third time when Aunt Dee unexpectedly came home from work early and caught them together...

**********

Megan's attention was torn away from Brad by her mother's anxious voice. "Just how many times have the two of you been together? And please tell us that you've used condoms!"

"Oh, Mama... this was only our third time together and yes, we've used condoms every time. I'm not stupid and I'm not ready to get pregnant! We're being very careful! We just want to spend as much time together as we can this summer before we leave for college! We'll be careful... we promise! We love each other... and you can't keep us apart!" Megan exclaimed as she threw herself into Brad's arms.

Tom Seldon sighed wearily and stood up to approach them. He said quietly, "Kids... it's not that simple. It's not about being careful. We have something to tell you... so please... sit down and let us tell you a story."

Brad and Megan's similarly colored eyes stared defiantly into his weary hazel eyes. He put his arms around their shoulders and walked them over to sit them down beside him on one of the couches. Charles and Diana sat down on chairs beside their daughter and Lynda sat beside Brad.

Tom began, "Charles and I were assigned as partners in September of 1956. We've told you that your Uncle Charles and Aunt Dee were responsible for introducing your mother and me and that we fell in love the second we saw each other. And I'm sure you've figured out by now that your mother was pregnant with you before we married." Brad rolled his eyes and nodded.

"As a matter of fact, it was that traumatic event just before Thanksgiving of that year that we'd told you kids about that had all of us a little anxious to have children as soon as possible. And as you know, all five of you oldest kids were born that next year... you and Charlie were the last ones, Meggie. Your Mom and Dad weren't even sure they'd be able to have children at all, but we all prayed for a miracle that Christmas. As a matter of fact, we did a little more than just pray...

"It all started while your father and I were working on our first big investigation together. We all realized by the time that investigation was through, how fate or destiny had been twisting our chances and choices to make sure ALL our lives would be forever intertwined..."

Tom began to relate the events of the arms smuggling investigation after reminding the kids of the tragic story they'd told them years ago. "Also because of that incident, your Mom and Dad realized they could communicate telepathically, Meggie. And then your Mom discovered that she could actually hear your Dad's thoughts even when he wasn't trying to communicate them to her!"

Brad interrupted, looking at Uncle Charles and Aunt Dee. "I've always believed that you two could communicate without words! I've watched you do it over the years. That's why I believe Meggie and I are soul mates... we can read each other's thoughts sometimes, too! I'm just glad you were never able to read my thoughts about her, Aunt Dee... I'd have been in big trouble!"

Diana looked at Brad with a sad frown. "Bradley, dear, just because you and Meggie can read each other's thoughts, it doesn't mean you're meant to be soul mates! And I've never been able to read the thoughts of any of you kids... but I wish I could've! Just let your Dad continue with the story..."

Tom smiled sadly at Diana and continued, telling them about how Donald Price and Robert Clark had past connections to them and about running into them at that Christmas party a few weeks later. "Your mother was none too pleased to see Donald and your Aunt Dee wasn't very happy to see Uncle Bob, either. And, at the time, Aunt Lisa was the wife of your mother's ex-husband, Brad, and she was not happy to see your mother. This was also the night we realized that your Uncle Bob and Aunt Lisa knew each other. But it wasn't until the end of the investigation that we learned they were more than just acquainted." Megan jumped in. "This is the story why Uncle Bob and Aunt Lisa always say they're grateful to you guys for the way things worked out for them! You all started out hating each other and now you're friends? Man... this is starting to sound like a really twisted story. I can't even imagine how it's going to end..."

The adults all glanced at each other.

Oh, Meggie... you're not going to like the ending, sweetie...

Tom continued again. "It was during this part of the preliminary investigation that your Dad received some devastating news, Meggie. Your Mom had been so upset, wondering why she hadn't been able to get pregnant, so your Dad went to the doctor to get checked out. He was told by the doctor that he was virtually sterile... most of his sperm were dead. Your Aunt Lynda and I were the only ones they told about that..."

Tom continued to tell them about the night they learned of that and about the poker party and how Aunt Dawn had recognized the last man they still hadn't identified. "It turned out he was Bradley Williams, your Aunt Dawn's uncle who was supposedly killed during World War II... and he was my commanding officer when I was a Marine Intelligence officer. We'd all thought he was dead all those years, but instead, he'd disappeared and was then a suspect in our investigation."

"Wait a minute!" Brad exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch. "Are you saying that the man you named me after was involved in the arms smuggling ring you were investigating? You named me after a criminal? Why?!!!"

Tom stood up and grasped his shoulders. "Sit back down, son. There's a lot more to the story. We've got to tell you about the investigation as it unfolded. To jump ahead would be too confusing. This is only the part where we were just starting to put things together..."

Tom's mind momentarily wandered from the story of the investigation. It had been a fun night playing cards with all their friends, despite the heartbreaking discoveries... Until Diana and Charles had wiped everyone out by cheating together! But he remembered what a good time Jon told the guys he and Barb had that night in their car on the way home... The night he found out about Jonnie...

Tom dragged his thoughts away from the irrelevant memories and continued the story, explaining how all four of them had ended up in Washington for the Christmas and New Year holidays. "It was on the way back to Washington from your Mas and Grandaddy's house in Colonial Heights that your Aunt Lynda and I realized how devastated your Mom and Dad were at the thought they'd never have children. But they tried to keep their hopes up. They told us that the doctor had said there wasn't a zero chance that your Dad would have children, just that it would take a miracle. So they said they were going to keep trying and praying for a miracle that night!"

Tom skipped the part where Meg's Mom and Dad actually fucked in the back seat of the car but Charles and Diana looked at each other.

Our kids would be shocked to hear how wild we were...and still are... sometimes...

Tom paused and looked at his son Brad and at Megan. "Four fervent prayers were heard that Christmas night. And with good intentions, we tried to aid in making a miracle happen on New Year's Eve. It turned out to be even more of a miracle than we knew... But we'll come back to that after we finish the rest of the story." He glanced around. "I need to take a break and get something to drink. Is that OK?"

The adults all nodded, but Brad and Megan looked anxious to get on with the story...

Tom fixed himself a drink and sat back down on the couch between the kids again, and told them how they had returned from Washington with confirmation of Bradley Williams' alias identity and authorization to start formal investigation of Green Worldwide Enterprises. But their investigation had been stalled until their Aunt Barbara had foolishly taken a job as Harold Green's secretary and secretly gotten them a piece of key evidence. Brad and Megan had looked at each other in surprise as they realized almost all of their parents' friends had been instrumental in helping them in that investigation.

Then Tom told them about how they'd tracked down a former army buddy of his to help try and identify who the "source" for the illegal arms was and watched as the kids faces registered their shock to hear that his old friend had turned out to be the source. Then they were further shocked to learn that his old friend, his former commanding officer Bradley Williams, and Harold Green had all conspired to have he and Charles killed. Brad and Megan were shaking their heads in disbelief when he told them that the man they'd hired to kill them was an old boyfriend of their Aunt Dawn.

Megan interrupted again. "Uncle Tom... this is a very weird and interesting story, but I still don't see how all of this has anything to do with me and Brad being in love and wanting to be together!"

Charles took his daughter's hand in his. "Megan, sweetie, I know this all sounds irrelevant, but it's not. Our group of friends was meant to meet and share our lives together for a very special reason... We all know what it means to have found our soul mates and we've tried to teach you kids how important that is... but we didn't expect it to happen between any of you kids! And for you and Brad... Sweetie... just bear with us and we'll explain everything in the end. Go ahead, Tom..." Charles nodded at his best friend.

Tom frowned as he remembered the pain he'd felt when his old army pal Gary Butler had revealed a shocking part of the story. Gary said he'd only done it for the money, but Bradley Williams had felt betrayed by him because he'd fallen in love with the woman Tom had married on Okinawa, Yakira, and he'd had no idea that it was she who'd helped Williams convince everyone he was dead.

Brad and Megan could see the pain on his face and hear it in his voice as he told them how upset he'd been to learn of his friends' betrayals, his first wife's deception and that Williams' had felt betrayed by him and Yakira and that he'd hurt Yakira terribly to get his revenge. "I was so upset to hear all of that. I came home that morning and your mother held me and comforted me. I remember it so clearly because it was the first time she felt you move inside her, Brad. She put my hand on her stomach and I felt you, too. I laid my head on her stomach and told you that we were anxiously awaiting your arrival and that I'd keep talking to you until then."

Brad rolled his eyes. "Oh, for God's sake, Dad! You've always been so damn corny! I can't believe you started it even before I was born!"

"Thomas Bradley... what a mean thing to say to your own father! I think it's very sweet, Uncle Tom. Daddy told me he did the same thing with Charlie and me before we were born!"

Tom and Charles stared at each other and Charles said quietly, "That's because Uncle Tom and I wanted to be fathers so desperately... we loved you kids even before you were born." He looked at his daughter's smiling face and reached his hand out to caress her cheek. Then he looked back at Tom. "Go on, partner, finish telling about how this case played out."

Tom told them about how the bust went down at the port docks and how Donald Price had intended to kill Uncle Bob until Aunt Lisa unexpectedly showed up to warn him. "They got into a scuffle, so that's when we moved in. Your Dad and I got Price to lower his gun, and that's when your Dad saved my life, Meggie. Bradley Williams pulled a gun on me and Charles shot him. Price raised his gun again to shoot your Dad but your Uncle Bob shot him in the shoulder and stopped him. Williams wasn't so lucky... your Dad hit him square in the chest."