As Day Follows Night Pt 08

"She's been lookin' like a queen in a sailor's dream,

and she don't always say what she really means.

Sometimes, I think it's a shame

when I keep feeling better when I'm feeling no pain.

Sometimes, I think it's a shame

when I keep feeling better when I'm feeling no pain."

-Gordon Lightfoot, *"Sundown"*

The ball continued.

Several hours later, Julie Equals was seated with a group of wealthy old women, chatting away with a champagne flute in hand.

"So, it took some persuasion, but we finally get backstage and one of the groupies; obviously strung out on something, pulls a knife and says 'Nobody gets to fuck the band before me!' Well, we've been coked up for days and Helen; sorry, LA CONTESSA; isn't going to stand for that, so she grabs this beer bottle..."

Julie stopped as she saw Helen slip out of the crowd and step onto an outdoor balcony.

"Why, there's the nasty ol' cunt now; excuse me, ladies." She finished her glass, stood up, and grabbed another from a passing waiter before making her way to the balcony.

* * *

Contessa Helena de San Finzione stood by the railing, watching the full moon over one of the castle's gardens and smoking a cigarette. Two metal chairs stood next to a patio table near her; one of which had been pulled away as if Helena had been sitting there before Julie came out and set her drink on the table.

"Come out to howl?" Julie asked, stepping up to her and taking a cigarette from Helena's pack and lighting it without asking. "That's the one supernatural creature that nobody in town seemed to think you are."

"Troy know you're doing that?" La Contessa replied. Julie took a long drag before answering.

"We're in Europe; somebody told me it's not bad for you here." Helena smiled at that.

"I'm sorry we haven't been able to talk sooner. I mean, yes, I threw this whole thing together for you two, but this is also where I get most of my work done. I've stopped wars in this ballroom, you know."

Julie nodded. "And more in your bedroom, I'm guessing."

Helen took a drag of her cigarette. "As a matter of fact, yes."

"You're a real humanitarian, Helen."

Helen pursed her lips in irritation. "Pfft. You sound just like those geeks at the Nobel Institute."

They laughed at that, Julie coughing a little bit at the end from her first cigarette in three years.

"Well, where is Troy?" Helena asked once the laughing and coughing died away.

"Last I saw, he was slipping off somewhere with Maria."

"Hm. Probably slipping her The Dick to End All Dicks too." Helena wiped away an invisible tear and gave a little sniffle as she tossed her still-lit cigarette off the balcony. "My little girl is all grown up."

Julie took another drag. "Probably. I totally would."

"Why do you think I sent her to your room? Figured you two would teach her a thing or two."

"See, that's the thing: If our friend Helena had just knocked on our door or picked up a phone, we'd have welcomed her with open arms; and yes, at least one pair of open legs. We could have had the kind of fun we all used to have together. Instead, we spent the week playing our little spy game and now we have to leave tomorrow afternoon."

"And I still haven't figured out what you two are up to. I see what you mean. And I'd have loved it if you'd come straight to the castle and let me go all out for you instead of all this hotel nonsense. Remember partying on rich guys' yachts? Mine's more decked out than any of their 'Daddy-Bought-Me-This-To-Compensate' machines."

Julie tamped out her cigarette and leaned against the railing opposite Helen.

"Dammit, Helen, we care about YOU, not all this shit!" Julie pulled off her earrings and hurled them off the balcony to land somewhere in the moonlit garden below. "This is what I've been talking about: You couldn't just accept our wedding invitation, you had to buy the hotel and snipe my bid and take control of Troy and our friends, just to fucking talk? So we'd come watch you live in your Barbie Dream Castle and drive your Barbie Dream Car around?"

"Ok, let's take these things in order," Helen said, starting to pace angrily and setting her cigarettes and lighter on an old metal patio table. "First off, the earring thing? Would've been more impressive if I didn't know you had two more pairs just like them at home. Second, it wasn't exactly difficult to figure out who I was bidding against, MerryPoppynz666. Third, you wouldn't have just come for a visit after the way we left things unless I lured you somehow. Fourth, no, you were supposed to decide you liked this place and wanted to stay because I fucking love and miss both of you! And fifth, it's a Ferrari, SHOW SOME FUCKING RESPECT, YOU SKANKY COW!"

Julie walked across the balcony and started shouting in Helen's face. "WHEN DID I SAY DIDN'T LOVE YOU, DURING THE TWO YEARS WE WERE FUCKING? I SAID IT ALL THE TIME AND I MEANT IT! WHY WASN'T THAT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, YOU FUCKING CUNT?"

Helen bowed her head. She took a short, deep breath and looked up and back into Julie's eyes, tears forming in the corners of her own.

"Because I knew who you really wanted it to be; even when you didn't. Because when he fucked me and said it, I knew who he really wanted ME to be too."

The anger on Julie's face and in her voice subsided immediately. "Helen, that's not..."

Helen cut her off. "Haven't you ever wondered why neither of you could ever hang onto a relationship when you didn't do our thing to the other person? They sensed what I already knew. They'd see the two of you together; see the energy between you and Troy and how close you are and think 'There's no way these two aren't screwing behind my back, they BELONG together!' Haven't you wondered why every Last Argument you had with someone, including me; ended with 'Well, why don't you just go fuck Troy, then?' I can promise you all his relationships ended with someone telling him he should go fuck you." She paused for a moment. "Because ours did."

Julie turned and leaned on the railing next to Helen, putting her arm around La Contessa and seeing tears forming in her eyes.

"And we'd both say 'Ew, gross, he's like my brother.' Or she's like my sister. You know."

"Keeping that to myself, knowing you two are meant to be, but that it'd take some outside force like being split apart for college for you to see it... I always had to settle for second with both of you. Not doing anything to help it along was the closest I came to leaving either of you with something to keep for myself."

Julie put her other arm around Helen as well and turned her so that they could hug.

"We didn't know. I mean, I always knew we'd be together forever and that he meant the world to me, we just didn't know how deep it went." Julie paused for a moment. "Wow, we REALLY don't pass the Bechdel Test, do we?"

"Is that a Facebook thing? The castle and the government are on there, but I've been advised against getting my own account."

"Sorta, and you need to keep listening to those advisors."

Helen broke the hug and sat down, lighting another cigarette. Julie took the other chair but declined a second smoke and picked up her drink instead.

"You know what it's been like? Like watching two people play that Snake game that they used to put on phones: They keep moving around each other, and more reasons why they should crash into each other keep getting added and you keep waiting for them to either do it or hit a wall but it kept not happening."

"You should have told us how great it would've been if we'd connected."

"I tried. You always said 'ew,' so I stopped."

Julie took a drink. "Well, I'm not ashamed to say you were right. You know, that first night, I gave him my panties. He earned them. They're on display in the bedroom."

"He got yours too? I always thought if I ever ran out of underwear, I could just raid Troy's collection or borrow mine back. And I think it's safe to say that the woman whose friends went down on her on stage at the bachelor party doesn't feel shame often."

"Yeah, I can't argue with that. I really wish I HAD listened to you and we'd found each other sooner."

"Oh God, no! You two were sickening enough just as friends. Watching you do that whole teenage 'nobody else understands REAL love like ours' thing? I'd have had to kill you both."

They both laughed. Helena's hand was on the table. Julie took it, leaned forward, and kissed her. A second kiss followed. Tongues emerged on the third kiss.

"Ya know that Troy guy?"

"Oh yeah," Helen replied. "He's so dreamy."

"Betcha I could talk him into a threeway. Four if Maria's still in the mood."

"No way! I'll totally give you my Ferrari if that happens!"

They laughed again as Julie scooted her chair closer for a fourth kiss. It was broken by Troy shouting from the garden below.

"Hey, anyone lose some earrings," he asked.

"Hey, Troy," Helena shouted back down. "Is Maria with you?"

"Si, " Maria called up from down below. "Troy and I, we have been..." She giggled a little before continuing. "Talking."

"So've we," Julie shouted down to them. "Troy, we're spending the night. Get up here and make that cock useful."

"You may need to give him a minute on that," Maria shouted back, giggling some more.

Julie stood up and offered Helen her hand. Helen took it, stood, and kissed her again. Their kisses escalated to groping before Julie stepped back.

"You know, the thing that's happening tomorrow," she said to Helena. "It's too late for us to call it off."

"I guessed that. Will anyone be hurt?"

"I shouldn't think so."

"Will I think it's funny?"

"We hope."

"Then I'll try to appreciate it. And if I don't... well, I live in one of the grand old castles of Europe. You know I've got a dungeon."

"Let's save that for our anniversary visit," Julie said with another kiss as they embraced again.

"Ok, but dammit, you two have to let me spoil you just once while you're here. My jet's prepped to take you back to the States tomorrow. Take the limo straight to the airport from here; I can have people take care of your hotel room and rental car and your stuff loaded onto the plane before you get there. It's a 28-hour flight back home. I want to know my best friends are spending it on my vibrating waterbed watching the giant screen and enjoying the wet bar, not crammed into coach with a bag of peanuts."

"All right, but if we're doing this, let's go all out. Can you do the whole police escort, run red lights thing?"

"With a text."

"Then send those texts, excuse yourself from the party and let's get your tongue in my pussy and my husband's cock in yours, woman. I'll go brief them."

"After you, skanky cow."

"Oh, no, I insist. YOU'RE the Contessa, fucking cunt."

Helen kissed her again as they walked back into the party.

* * *

"My friends," Contessa Helena de San Finzione said into the microphone. "The hour is late and my dearest guests have to return to America in the morning, and so I must end this party and retire for the night to tell old stories and sing old songs with the remaining time we have to together. I entrust my dearest great-granddaughter, Maria Louisa Francesca de San Finzione to present your gift bags and see you out and hope that she chooses to join us afterwards; for Troy and Julie are as much her familia as mine. I bid you all good evening and hope that the rest of your night is as pleasant as I know ours shall be."

* * *

It was the expressions on Julie's face than Helen had missed most.

That look of joy in her eyes that, no matter how intensely she hissed for Helen to keep licking her clit, always conveyed how genuinely happy Julie was to have the other person making her feel this way. It made Troy's thrusting into her from behind as her tongue worked even more incredible.

That grin and sparkle in Julie's eye as she slipped a second finger inside Helen that said how much watching Helen use her mouth to clean Julie's best friend's cock was turning her on.

The welcoming smile on her face when Maria came to join them and Julie got up from watching Troy take Helen the way he would when they were teenagers and only knew the one sexual position to greet her with a kiss and slowly, sensuously help undress Maria.

That sweet mix of surprise, gratitude, and happiness on her face after Maria brought her to orgasm, like she'd just walked in on Maria hand-making her a birthday card; that brought Helen over the edge as Troy exploded inside her.

The hunger in her eyes as Julie's tongue met Helen's pussy, Julie's hand stroking Troy's cock as he lay on his back and pleasured Maria; who in turn, licked and sucked Helen's tits while Troy ate her.

She couldn't see the look on Julie's face as they 69ed, but the ecstasy on Maria's face as Troy pounded into her again and again made up for it.

And then a new look, one Helen had never seen before. One of absolute love and passion as Julie rode Troy. Helen and Maria idly kissed and stroked each other's bodies as they admired it, as well as the joyous look on Troy's face as he thrust up into her. A look like he'd been on a wonderful journey with Helen and Maria; but now he was home, where he knew he belonged, and everything the two of them had done that night had been leading up to their final mutual homecoming.

The look of drowsy fulfillment in her eyes as she and Troy rested their heads on Helen's breasts, holding hands while cupping Helen's pussy and periodically craning their heads forward to share little kisses with Helen or each other.

The contented look of peace on her face as they drifted off to sleep this way, Maria spooning up to Troy and kissing Helen as well before closing her own eyes, and the sight of the three people she loved most in the world in satisfied sleep before her own eyes closed.

* * *

The Sun tried to shine through the closed balcony doors into the bedroom of the castle. It attempted to cast its beam across the marbled floor, onto the Persian rug, across the king-sized bed, and onto the face of Contessa Helena de San Finzione, as was its daily routine. However, on this day, there was a problem. Some crazed Visigoth had closed the door and curtains. This wasn't like The Sun's valiant foe Contessa Helena de San Finzione at all! She usually lost, but she'd never backed down from their daily joust in ages.

The Sun was on a schedule, it didn't have time to stop and ask if everything was ok. It'd call today a draw, but if she wasn't there tomorrow, it'd be upgraded to a forfeit. And it swore it'd make such a heat wave if she didn't show a second time.

* * *

It was often said that nothing happened between 12 and 2 in San Finzione. But this day, something did.

As the bells of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral sounded the hour, many people began their customary two-hour lunch break. Others made excuses to leave work during those hours for a personal matter.

All of them began to congregate toward the city park in front of the Cathedral. As they carefully obeyed all traffic laws while walking, driving, or riding to their shared destination; they produced Zorro masks from pockets, purses, and bags and donned them. Those whose journey took them via the marketplace were observed by an old woman dressed entirely in black who sat at an outdoor cafe drinking her vino and watching the world go by; as she had for as long as anyone could remember and would probably still be doing each day simply to baffle future generations.

Recently, the waiter had become better about making sure her glass was never empty and no longer bothered her about payment. She'd had a dim memory of a nice, respectful American girl who'd drank and talked with her one day having something to do with that. The crazy young thing had even claimed that SHE was a great-grandmother as well. Ridiculous! She'd later heard something about the girl going on to become Contessa. That was nice, good for her.

Memories had been getting trickier for her lately, but she recalled more of what they'd talked about: Another couple of nice young Americans who'd stopped and bought her a bottle and talked to her some time before that. She didn't understand why people seemed to hate Americans so much; the ones she'd met during The War seemed nice, and the only three she'd met since had all bought her drinks.

The memory of what she'd talked about with the young couple seemed hazier than most, but suddenly it had become clear. Not like something she'd forgotten, more like something that the church bells signaling the noon hour on this day had reminded her that she'd set aside to remember at this time.

The other girl had been a former lover of both the pretty new bride and her young husband (Scandalous! But then, there'd been a couple of girls back in her own day...) and they'd come to play a joke on her. They'd told her what the joke was, but strangely, asked her not to remember it until this time. What a crazy thing to say! Maybe Americans were all crazy too. Still, they'd bought her drinks long after the men had stopped doing so, and here she was remembering it...

And their joke was crazy too now that saw the people going to do it and knew what was coming. All they'd wanted from her were her observations on the people she saw from her spot every day, but if she'd been much younger, she'd have asked what else she could do to help. She'd been contemplating walking over to the park to see it for herself until the waiter came and topped off her vino.

Yeah, why change a good thing now?

* * *

The tolling of the noon bells woke Contessa Helena de San Finzione with a start, and a small fright brought on by the uncertaintainty whether it was noon or midnight in her darkened bedroom. Either way, it was much later than she preferred to wake.

She looked toward the balcony. Troy or Julie must've closed the doors and curtains because Maria knew better than to do that. She looked around for them and saw she was alone.

She put her hand on the bed and felt something crinkle. Turning on a lamp and looking down, she saw a sticky note affixed to a folded piece of stationary. The sticky note was in Maria's handwriting and said that she apologized for not waking La Contessa, but she was sleeping more peacefully than Maria had ever seen before and that the girl had been waiting to deliver Julie's letter, but had somewhere she needed to be and would explain to La Contessa when she returned. The longer note was from Julie.

*Helen, (Yeah, yeah, "That's La Contessa to you." I made you my finger puppet last night, woman. You're HELEN! LEARN TO COPE!)

We want to wake you to say goodbye, but you're sleeping more peacefully than any of us have ever seen you, and considering how unpeacefully we've all seen you sleep, have decided to let you. (Also closed the curtains for you. The Sun's gotta come in and hit you in the face every morning. Not a good way to wake up.)

Since we've still got a plane to catch, we're going to have to leave as soon as I finish this letter telling you some of the things we didn't get to say last night.

1. We love you. If the offer to come back next year is still good by then, we'll call THAT your anniversary present and NO PRANKS this time!

2. I was 75% joking when I asked for the police escort. I can see them assembling from the balcony as I write this, and not only is it impressive, but it will actually take care of one last little snag in our plan that we were uncertain about.

3. When you see Maria next, she's going to have something important to talk to you about. We love her too, so listen to what she has to say and don't meddle, bitch, or I'll put you in your own dungeon, and not in a fun way.

4. Math Boy wants me to tell you that if La Contessa accepts "The People's Jest" in good humor and plays her cards right, she could come away with a major boost to San Finzione's tourism revenue. (Fuck, did you two used to talk about money IN BED when you were dating?)