Mike, Karen, and Alex were laughing as the vehicle pulled up, and they could not begin to imagine how many stares and looks of wonder it had received on the trip down from Kapuskasing. The Decoliner parked in front of the Manor, with Connor at the wheel up top on the deck. No sooner had the bizarre land-whale of a vehicle stopped than the hatch door flew open and Veronica, Mike's little sister, came dashing out.
'Little' was a relative term, of course, since Ronnie was now forty-five, and even though she was a woman, like all DeBournes she was tall and athletic. Her blonde, shoulder-length hair fluttered behind her as she sprinted up the marble stairs and flew into her big brother's arms, laughing joyously and almost crying.
She was hugging Karen and Alex now as the rest of the clan followed. Mike's mom and dad were escorted out of the vehicle by Josh, his youngest sibling, and a delightful anomaly compared to the other members of the family. He was still tall and blond with the blue eyes, but his build was slender, as opposed to the rugged and strong physiques of just about just about any other DeBourne man. He was graceful in his movements, with a little bit of flair. The fact that he had always been gay bothered no one.
Orion and Anne were with him, the patriarch and matriarch of the clan. Anne was a pretty woman, though her blonde hair was going silver in places. Karen did her best to keep from crying as she hugged her mother-in-law, because Anne meant the world to her.
Orion was as tall as Connor and Alex, but with a great barrel chest, and huge hands like canned hams and thick, calloused fingers, the signs of a lifelong ironworker. Like his wife, his full head of blond hair was silvering, but those blue eyes were as spry as ever.
Stevie, Connor's wife, brought their two children Derek and Starsha up the stairs now to greet everyone. Once the gang was all together and greeting hugs were exchanged, they headed indoors to meet everyone else.
Mona, Janet, and Lisa squealed and rushed up to hug them. They all loved Mike's family so much! They were introduced to Jenny and Millie next, and the DeBournes greeted them respectfully. They were delighted to see Jordan again before being introduced to the staff.
"Connor, I'm sending everyone to the little dining room for refreshments since you've been driving overnight," Mike announced, looking at his younger brother while everyone else dispersed. "Can you do me a favour and get my new guitar from the ballroom? I want to show it off."
"On it, bro!" Connor said readily before turning and heading to the east wing while Theresa the new manor chef led his family to the west wing. Mike had told him about some guitar Alex and a few friends had made for him at Christmas, and Connor was eager to check it out.
He was walking into the ballroom when he noticed a stunningly beautiful young blonde woman standing in the middle of the space. She smiled and walked toward him.
"Hello, miss" he said with a cheerful smile, although he was still blown away by how gorgeous she was. He could only readily think of one other woman as beautiful as this girl. "It's nice to meet you."
"Hi, Connor," she said in an angelic voice, her radiant smile almost holding him spellbound. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"
***
Mike & Karen
Disclaimer:
All characters are 18 years of age or older while actively engaging in sexual activity. This story is a prequel/sequel (sprequel?) to my other work, Alex & Alexa. As always, many thanks and gratuitous panty shots from Freja and Jeanie to my long-suffering editor and beta-reader for their assistance in polishing up and improving this work. Reviews are welcome; flames will be snickered at and deleted with extreme prejudice. Enjoy!
Please Note:
There are incest themes with a secondary couple in this story. Just a forewarning.
Chapter XXXV- A Long Overdue Reunion
Connor stared blankly for several seconds, trying to figure out how this girl knew his name.
Finally, his eyed widened in realization. Her facial features and natural grace were so familiar to him now.
"Alexandra?" he almost whispered, his voice heavy with wonder and almost disbelief.
She bit her lip and nodded, her eyes shining. "It's me."
Connor was backing up slightly, as if he'd seen a ghost. His mouth laboured to form words.
"Alexandra..." he breathed. "Oh God, I..."
He turned around and bolted out of the ballroom. It never ceased to amaze Alexa how fast DeBourne men could run, given how big they were. She smiled and shook her head before following him at a walk.
"Mom! Dad!" Connor gasped as he slammed up against the door of the informal dining room, where everyone was just sitting down and getting ready for a beverage. His eyes were wide and wild. "Alexandra!"
"What?" Ronnie asked, giving her twin a wry look.
"Alexandra!" he said breathlessly, his eyes still betraying disbelief.
"I'm not playing Ask Me Another, use your words, you lunkhead," she stated flatly. She was pretty sure she'd always been the smarter of the two of them.
Connor took a breath. "Alexandra... Karen's sister... she's here!"
"What?!" Ronnie, Josh, and Stevie all exclaimed at the same time, bolting up from their seats. "Where?!"
"Ballroom," Connor gasped, pointing behind himself before his eyes widened even more. "Ballroom! Shit! I left her in the ballroom!"
He turned and dashed back out, heading down the Hall of Ancestors at full tilt. Trilby squeaked and jumped out of the way before she got mowed down. Connor's siblings and wife hurried after him.
By the time they caught up, Alexa had reached the grand foyer, and was standing there waiting for them, looking inhumanly beautiful. She was wearing a peasant blouse and form-fitting jeans, neither garment doing anything to hide her curves. Her long, golden-blonde hair flowed down to the back of her knees, threaded through with tiny braids.
Connor was still just staring dumbly, standing a few feet in front of her. Ronnie and Stevie both caught up, their eyes wide with shock. Josh had his hands clapped over his mouth as he came to a stop with the others.
"Hi, everyone," Alexa said finally, breaking the silence. The fact that Mike, Karen, Alex, and several other people were standing on the stairs nearby watching didn't seem to have registered with the DeBournes yet, not that anyone blamed them. "It's been a hot minute."
None of them said anything.
"Oh, for goodness' sake, Connor, hug her," Karen laughed, standing beside her husband and son at the foot of the stairs. "You haven't seen her in twenty years, you know."
Without a second thought, Connor swept Alexa up into a bear hug, to the point that her eyes almost bulged.
"Ooffff," she wheezed. "Yep, you're a DeBourne alright..."
He pulled back from the hug, but still had his hands on her arms, as if reluctant to let her go in case she disappeared into nothingness. He looked her up and down in what seemed like amazement and then up at his big brother. "We- we didn't know you were coming!"
"Yeah, we thought we'd make it a surprise," Mike chuckled. "Nothing like a DeBourne surprise to raise the merriment level, is there?"
"Oh, God, it's her!" Stevie exclaimed, almost shoulder-blocking her husband out of the way as she hugged Alexa, who was once again fighting back emotional tears. "We had no idea! Alli!"
"Good to see you again, Aunt Stevie," Alexa whispered, her cheeks glistening. "I've waited so long..."
"Oh my God, lookit you," Josh breathed, holding Alexa's hands and looking her up and down. "Kar, I thought God broke the mold after you, but I see He got one more use out of it."
"Just like you to pull a fast one and surprise us," said the younger DeBourne brother with a hearty laugh, initiating some ridiculous secret handshake with Mike now that people were closing in around Alexa. "I mean, even without Alexandra, it'd be great to see you, bro, but this is just..."
"Oh, don't choke up just yet, you little softie," Mike said cheerfully. "There's a
lot
to catch up about."
"I'll bet there's a heckuva story behind this," Ronnie said, finally releasing her death grip hug on Alexa. Ronnie was used to being the tallest blonde in the room, since she was slightly taller than Lady Penrose, and about the same height as the estate mechanic, Andrea. But now that Alexandra was here...
"And there'll be time enough to explain," Mike replied readily, his arm around Karen's shoulder. "It's going to be a very busy weekend, count on it."
Karen took Connor's son and daughter by the hand and presented them to Alexa, who smiled at them almost sheepishly.
"Starsha, Derek, I want you to meet my little sister, Alexandra," Karen said quietly while everyone watched. "Alli, this is Starsha and that's Derek, they're Connor and Stevie's kids."
Alexa knelt to be at eye-level with Connor's son and daughter. Derek stared for several seconds, while Starsha reached out and put her hand on Alexa's cheek, as if to make sure she was real. Derek then went up on his toes and whispered something in Karen's ear, making her smile.
"Yes, she
does
look just like Galadriel, doesn't she?" Karen agreed, and Alexa blushed almost scarlet. They both hugged Alexa and said it was wonderful to meet her. Alexa had a hard time keeping her tears in her eyes.
Orion and Anne now entered the foyer, and everyone went silent. The throng of people around Alexa parted respectfully, and she suddenly felt very exposed as the two approached her. She held her hands in front of herself, trying not to fidget and biting her lip. The two seniors stopped a few feet away and regarded her without saying a word. Everyone waited, and even the children present were silent.
Alexa gasped and almost stumbled forward as her sister nudged her from behind. She was now standing directly in front of the patriarch and matriarch of the DeBourne clan. Her heart was thundering in her chest, and she'd never felt so intimidated in her life.
"Well now," Orion said, smiling kindly. "Safe to say the family's finally complete, isn't it, Anne?"
"I'm so glad I lived to see it." Annette replied as she pulled Alexa into a hug. Shaking with emotion, Alexa couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears.
"It's okay, dear," Annette cooed, stroking her golden hair. "I'm pretty sure everyone feels this way."
