Caleb 71 - Sarah and Arnie

Author's note.

It seems that there is no end to this story. As soon as I try to draw it to a close, the characters find some more trouble to get into.

I hope that you guys are still enjoying reading it, as much as I am enjoying writing it, and thanks for sticking with me.

As always, my thanks to Dr. Mark for his tireless work, and Theswiss for his work with the server.

As Nova would say - stay awesome.

KR

PM

Caleb 71 - Sarah and Arnie

It had been quite late before I'd got to sleep.

After a shower and a drink, Gracie, Dana, and I had played a lot of the night away. They both had agendas and it seemed that they'd discussed things beforehand. I was happy to go along, not only having a great night, but enjoying reconnecting with a pair of very close friends and lovers that I thought had drifted away.

I understood their reasons for moving out and even applauded it. If it meant that we could continue as we were before, without things getting more awkward or complicated, then I was all for it.

I woke as usual at four with Gracie and Dana both draped over me. Since it had been closer to two that I'd gone to sleep, I decided to have a lie-in and set my phone alarm for six. Flying tired was not a good idea and, although I needed less sleep than I used to, two hours didn't really cut it.

Dana moaned when my phone alarm beeped to let me know that I needed to get up.

I slid out of bed, and showered, in preparation for leaving for the airport. I'd told Arnie I'd be there at eight.

I made breakfast, having brought the ingredients for that too, and took it into the girls, where they were still dozing in bed.

"Breakfast," I said, placing the tray on the bed.

I took my own plate, and settled down in a chair to eat, while the two girls sat up side by side in the bed, each taking a plate for themselves.

"You have to go soon?" asked Gracie, a glint in her eye.

"I'm afraid so," I said. "I'm flying to Nevada and back today."

"Wasn't that what you were doing when you crashed?" asked Dana.

"It was," I said. "But in a different kind of plane. The one I'm flying today has its own parachute, so if there are any problems we can just drift gently down to the ground."

"Really?" asked Dana. "I never heard of that."

"I'm sure it will be fine," said Gracie. "Let us know you arrive back safe though, won't you."

I smiled at them.

"I will," I said. I started collecting my things together.

"Thank you both for last night," I said. "It was wonderful."

"It's us that should be thanking you," said Gracie. "For dinner, and...and breakfast too."

I smiled at them.

"Have a good day," I said heading out of the bedroom.

They followed me to their front door, each kissing me soundly before I left.

"Next time," I said, "you guys should come to us. I'm sure the girls would be pleased to have you over."

Gracie grinned. "That would be nice," she said. "Maybe when you get your new house?"

I gave each another peck on the cheek, and then headed down to my truck.

It was about a forty minute drive to the airport from their new place, and I arrived at a quarter of eight.

Sarah was already there. Ness had given her a ride over so she wouldn't have to walk.

Sarah got in my truck as I pulled up, and Ness came to the driver's window, which I rolled down.

"Did you have a good time?" asked Ness after our greeting kiss.

"I did," I said. "How about you guys. Did you have a nice night?"

"I don't know about Mary and Amanda," she replied. "They're not back yet. Jules, Melanie, Sarah and I had a girl's night. It was fun."

I looked across at Sarah who, for some reason, was blushing.

"Did you have fun?" I asked her.

"Melanie and Ness are a bad influence," she said. Ness just grinned.

"See you guys later," she said, and then to Sarah, "No joining the mile high club with Arnie. He needs to concentrate on his flying. Although I'm sure he might let you play with his joystick a bit if you ask nicely."

Sarah blushed even more but laughed.

"See what I mean?" she said to me.

As Ness walked back to her car, Arnie pulled into the parking lot.

"Morning," he said getting out of his car. "Did you check the weather?"

"I did," I said, having done so on the internet while I was making breakfast.

"It's going to be a clear day, with some scattered clouds. Perfect flying weather."

He grinned at me. "Then let's get going."

He led us into the flying school where we briefed on the flight. This took slightly longer since we had to brief Sarah on emergency procedures before we left.

Then we went and did our external checks on the plane which had been fuelled in preparation for our journey today.

Everything checked out and we moved inside and began the pre-flight checks.

Between Sarah getting into the plane and us joining her, Arnie pulled me to one side.

"Dad says that you fly like a pro. He is convinced that you have as much, if not more, flight experience than I do. He also said that you were only taking lessons to get signed off."

"Yes," I said. "You can sit in the back with Sarah."

He grinned at me. "That transparent?" he asked.

"Like glass," I said. "I know the FAA would probably object, but nobody is going to know other than the three of us, and we won't tell."

I did have the fleeting thought that if we did crash, and all died, then the FAA would know by the position of the bodies in the wreck. I didn't think that we would care about it at that time, so didn't mention it.

Arnie climbed in beside Sarah and then I got in the pilot's seat.

"You don't get off quite so lightly," I said passing Arnie the checklist so he could call out the preflight checks.

With preflight completed, I started the engine and contacted the tower for permission to taxi and take off.

The flight to Nevada was uneventful. I'd debated having a fuel stop, as the Cirrus' range only gave us about seventy miles over the journey. That was calculated seats full and, since there were only three of us, I figured we'd have a bit more of a margin. Nevertheless, I'd decided that if I got below a certain level, before I reached a set point in the journey, I'd drop into a local airstrip and top up.

I'd fill up the plane, in Nevada, for the return journey and, since I'd be not flying directly back, but stopping at two other airstrips to satisfy the requirements of the flight, I would top up at one of those as well. I'd also be flying solo so would use less fuel per mile than on the outbound.

Throughout the flight, Sarah and Arnie chatted. Sarah seemed to be having a nice time with Arnie pointing out interesting landmarks as we flew.

We flew almost directly over the crash site, but despite all of us looking, we couldn't see any sign of the wreckage. Arnie said that the NTSB had not yet recovered the plane. I wasn't sure how they would go about it, but that was their problem and not mine.

The landing at Nevada was as uneventful as the flight and we taxied off the runway. I needed to fuel the plane, and Arnie needed to find his ride home.

"Right," said Arnie after he helped me fuel the plane. "You get yourself off. Your return flight is going to take longer than ours, so we'll beat you back by quite a margin."

"I'll wait until you're ready to leave," I said. "If there's issues with the plane, I don't want to leave you stranded here."

We walked across the apron together, to where a twin engine plane was sitting. Sarah and I waited by the plane, as Arnie went into an office in the adjacent building.

"You okay?" I asked Sarah while we waited.

She smiled at me.

"I am," she said. "Other than you, I don't think I've ever met a guy like him before."

"In what way?" I asked.

"He's just so..." she seemed to be struggling to put it into words, "comfortable."

"Comfortable?" I asked, amused.

"I don't know," she said. "Trevor... and all the other boys I knew... seemed to be trying to be something that they're not. Always trying to prove they're better than they are. It's as if they don't like who they are and want to be someone different.

"You and Arnie seem to be the person that you want to be. I'm not saying that you're arrogant, or that you think you're perfect, but it's like you understand who you are and are content with that person.

"You both have ambitions and are looking to improve yourselves. But it's not because you don't like who you are now, it's more that you feel like you haven't yet reached your full potential. Does that make sense?"

"I think..." she began, but then Arnie emerged from the office, and she stopped talking and turned to him with a smile.

"Everything good to go?" she asked.

"She's all fuelled and ready to go," he said.

Sarah frowned.

"She?" she asked. "Why do guys do that. Why are their cars, or in this case planes, always female?"

"Because they share the same characteristics," I said.

"You mean they're beautiful?" she asked with a grin.

"I was thinking more temperamental and expensive to maintain," I grinned back. Arnie wisely declined to comment.

"And we love to be inside them,"

I added telepathically.

Sarah who had been about to complain about my calling her temperamental and expensive, suddenly blushed scarlet and slapped my arm. Arnie, having obviously not been party to my last comment, laughed.

"You're a braver man than I am," he said. "And of course I completely disagree with everything he said," he added to Sarah.

"I hope not everything,"

I caught Sarah's unspoken thought, realizing that she'd meant me to.

Caught by surprise, I actually laughed out loud at that. Arnie grinned at me thinking I'd reacted to what he'd said.

Sarah and I shared a glance, as he continued to do the external checks.

"Right," I said. "I'm going to get ready. I'll leave at the same time you do, but I need to do my own checks."

Sarah came over and hugged me, giving me a quick kiss. "Thanks for letting me come with you," she said. "Fly safe."

"I will," I replied. "And remember what Ness told you."

She grinned at me.

I went back to the Cirrus and, after doing all my preflight checks, I waited until I saw the engines start on Arnie's plane. At that point, I called for clearance and started my journey home.

The flight back was a kind of dichotomy. This was the first time I'd actually, personally, flown solo, and so it was an exciting occurrence. However, I had memories of thousands of hours of flying, most of which were in a much faster and more exciting aircraft. That made the flight quite boring.

I arrived back at my home airfield and went and fuelled the Cirrus up before taxiing it over to the flight school and parking it on the apron next to the plane Arnie had flown up. Sarah and Arnie came out of the flight school as I shut her down.

"Everything alright?" Arnie asked as he helped me tuck the plane up.

"Absolutely fine," I said. "I also fuelled her up, so she's ready for whatever plans you have for tomorrow."

"Nice," he said. "Although I didn't expect you to do that."

I shrugged. "It was no big deal," I said.

I looked at Sarah, "Hungry?" I asked. She nodded.

"How about we get the girls to meet us somewhere for dinner?" I suggested.

"Great idea," she said. "You coming too?" she asked Arnie.

"I..." he began.

"Come on," I said. "The girls will be disappointed if you back out."

"Let me call my dad," he said. "I don't know if he will have something planned."

It was likely that Danny did have something planned, but I guessed he remembered what it was like being Arnie's age, and dating, so he told Arnie to have fun. He did remind him that he had lessons booked the next day so not to be too late home.

While he was talking to his dad, I chatted to the girls to see what they wanted to do.

"Have you guys eaten?"

I sent.

"No,"

Amanda replied.

"I'm starving."

"What do you fancy?"

I asked.

"Meat,"

sent Jules.

"I want a big thick juicy steak."

"Ringside?"

I suggested and got a cacophony of approvals from all the girls.

"I'll call and book a table,"

Mary sent.

"We'll meet you there."

"Arnie's joining us,"

I told her.

"Thought as much,"

she replied, a feeling of satisfaction in her send.

I drove to the Ringside Steakhouse on my own. Sarah elected to ride with Arnie in his car. When we arrived, the girls were already waiting for us in the lobby. We were seated almost immediately.

While we waited for our waitress to come take our drinks order I took out my phone.

"I promised Gracie and Dana that I'd let them know I got back alright," I explained as I sent the text.

We had a great meal at the steakhouse and, as things were winding down, Arnie excused himself to go to the bathroom.

"Things seem to be going well with you two," said Amanda grinning at Sarah.

"Yes," said Sarah. "I can't believe that someone like him would be interested in someone like me."

"You mean someone beautiful," I began.

"Kind," added Mary.

"Intelligent," was Jules' comment.

"Sexy," was Amanda's predictable contribution.

"Loving," added Melanie.

"Funny," chimed Ness.

"Why wouldn't he be interested?" I asked her. "And I'm prepared to bet that he's asking himself why someone like you would be interested in someone like him."

"It all seems so sudden though," she said. "He makes me feel so..."

"Horny?" suggested Ness, grinning. Sarah blushed but laughed.

"Is that all you think about?" she asked.

"Tell me I'm wrong," Ness defended herself.

"That's not what I was talking about," Sarah said. "I just feel like I've known him forever. We just seem to fit together. What's more I think if we told him, he'd be fine with it."

"Told me what?" asked Arnie as he returned to the table.

Sarah blushed, but closed her mouth, concerned that she'd said too much.

I looked around the restaurant, almost theatrically, to make sure nobody was listening.

"Sarah snores," I said. "Something awful."

"And she farts in her sleep," put in Ness. "But only if she eats red meat." She added as if in mitigation.

Arnie looked at Sarah's plate, where the remains of a ribeye steak were still sitting.

"I do not snore," she said indignantly, blushing furiously.

"Notice she didn't deny the farting," said Ness conversationally.

"I don't..." she began but then gave up as the table, Arnie included, burst out laughing.

Still laughing, Arnie leaned over from where he'd re-seated himself and pulled his girlfriend into a hug.

Over his shoulder, Sarah flashed me a grateful glance.

I wasn't so sure Arnie would be quite so easily diverted though. He was young, without a doubt, but he was by no means stupid. He knew when to push and when not to. I wondered at the conversation they would have later.

He surprised us all by declining our invitation to go back to the hotel with us.

"I've got an early lesson in the morning," he said. "I know you fuelled her up, but there are other things I need to do."

Sarah looked a little upset and I knew she was wondering if she'd made a mistake earlier.

I wondered if she'd read his mind, to find out what he was thinking, and I was both surprised and proud that she had not done so.

I did, however, catch an errant thought from him; that he and I were going to have a talk on Monday during my flying lesson. I was certain that if I'd heard that, then Sarah had too. I caught her eye and she gave me a weak smile.

Sarah was quiet in the truck on the way back to the Hotel.

"You ok?" I asked her. She was staring out of the window, and didn't answer immediately.

"What do you think he wants to talk to you about?" she asked, ignoring my question.

"Arnie is not a stupid guy," I said. "Although he chose not to pursue it, you practically told him that you were hiding something from him. I'm guessing that."

She sighed. "What are you going to tell him?" she asked.

"Depends on what he asks," I said. "But more than that, it depends on you. Telling Arnie about us is a big step not just for us, but for him too. It could have massive repercussions for him, especially if he can't keep the secret. If anything, he is at a bigger risk than we are."

"So why does that depend on me?" she asked.

"Because," I explained, "it depends on your feelings for him. The problem is, and please hear me out before you bite my head off, you're eighteen and you've known him a very short time. A time when so much else in your life is in turmoil. You just started a new school, found out you had powers, and had your home burned down. Not to mention finding out about two brothers and a nest of sisters-in- law. That's a lot for anyone to come to terms with.

"I'm in no way saying that this is the case, but are your feelings for Arnie simply a result of finding someone to talk to when the rest of your life is in such turmoil? And let's not forget the hero saving your big brother deal too."

Sarah was quiet for a long time.

"I met him before our house burned down," she said quietly. "And even then, I felt we had a connection. We just seemed to hit it off, to 'click', together. After talking to him for a few minutes, I felt like I'd known him all my life.

"I know he feels the same because I heard it from him. I wasn't reading his mind, I wouldn't do that to him, but you know how much he shouts out what he's thinking."

"I know," I reassured her.

"I've never felt so connected to anyone," she said. "Not even you, although we need to talk about that too. I just know that if I let him go, I'd regret it for the rest of my life."

"You know he's a norm," I said.

"So?" she said, a challenging note in her voice. "So are Jules and Ness."

"Not quite, but that's not the point I'm making. You know he'll age much faster than you. By the time he's eighty you'll look about twenty-five. Even if he lives to be a hundred years old, you'll out live him by three lifetimes.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't get involved with him." I assured her. "It's not my place, and I really like Arnie. I'm just saying you need to understand what getting involved with him means. To you. If you fall in love with Arnie then you're setting yourself up for a tremendous loss down the line."

"You could say that about anyone," she argued. "Nobody knows how long they are going to live. Even Norms. I could meet someone today and they could die tomorrow. It's not as if we have 'best before' dates stamped on our asses."

"True," I said, "but we know for certain that your lifespan is likely to be up to four times his. So in all probability you will outlive him by a considerable margin. You need to think about that...before getting even more involved. I'm not saying that should be a reason to not get involved, I'm just saying you need to bear it in mind when making the decision."

Sarah lapsed into silence and didn't speak again for the rest of the journey to the hotel.

When we got back, I half expected Sarah to go into the other suite. I thought she might be mad at me for what I'd said to her in the car. Instead, she came into the suite with the rest of us. As I settled into a chair she climbed into my lap, curling up just as Jules, Ness, or Melanie might. Mary and Amanda didn't often sit in my lap, at least not unless we were involved in something more than simply sitting together.

I put my arm around her, gently held her, and let her think about what we'd talked about.

"I know it's all very new, and sudden," she said out of the blue. "But I really think that Arnie is the person for me. For us."

"For us?" I queried, surprised at that.

Sarah looked up at me. Her blue eyes intense.

"You once told my mother," she said, "that it was possible, likely even, that you and I would end up in bed together. I didn't believe it. I liked you, but there was no way I'd sleep with you. You're my brother for goodness sake. But the longer I spent together with you guys, the more the idea appealed to me. I'd sometimes lie awake, listening to you guys being together, and wishing that I was in there with you. This was even before the fire.