The Body McAllister is dedicated to my friend Enrique Pullo. Special thanks to my friend Kat for her editing assistance.
This is the conclusion (for now) to the Body McAllister story. I reserve the right to revisit it later. My mind is already full of my next story. Having said that, I loved this universe and fully believe there are so many stories to tell. If you have any stories you would like to see featured based on the people you met in this series, please drop me some feedback.
Minette was a fun character to right after the perfection of Heather. Min is flawed, so delightfully so. Seeing her start to embrace them was satisfying to right. After the intense love of No Sacrifice and Lucky, this story was a bit of a break for me.
Having said that, I'm curious as to whether you all can figure out my favorite character in this story. ;)
Without further ado ...
*****
Minette Dusseau stood at her brother's doorway. She had a realization after talking with her ex-boyfriend. She had never really talked with Luc about what happened all those years ago to drive them apart. They had been lovers in their youth, as their mother's family embraced incestuous sexual encounters in a system known as the body McAllister. Their feelings for each other had deepened beyond what was normally considered acceptable in the family's system, but they both continued to pursue other lovers. Minette had accidentally walked in on her brother with their cousin Abigail, whom she had no idea he was even seeing.
Part of the way the body McAllister worked is that everything was kept confidential. Min had a vague idea Luc had at least one other lover, but she didn't know who it was or anything else related to it. Likewise, Luc had no idea who Min was sleeping with in the family. Min had more lovers than her brother did, but she didn't see them often due to attending university on the other side of the state. Luc, on the other hand, made it a practice to have sex with Abigail often, at least twice a week. They were comfortable with each other, their encounters loving and special.
When his sister walked in on himself and Abigail, it was just in time to witness him telling Abigail he loved her as he orgasmed. Min had been horrified and ... jealous. She had run from Luc's dorm without giving him a chance to explain. Her father had sent her out of the country for the summer at her request. Min chose to leave the body McAllister. While she had loved the traditions of her mother's family, she wanted a shot at a normal life.
Ted Aiello, a colleague at the District Attorney's office, had seemed like the perfect opportunity to make that normal life a reality. To her shock, he had abruptly ended things with the announcement that his twin's sister was pregnant with Ted's twins. Reeling, Min had tried to take comfort in Luc, but he had pushed her away. Luc had pointed out to Min that she tended to make things about her rather than thinking about the other side of the equation. Minette was ready to discuss all of this with him at last.
"Minette ... Hey," Luc said. He stepped aside, letting her into his condo. Breathing a sigh of relief that he had let her in and that he was alone, she set her purse down and walked into his living room. They both took a seat on his comfy sofa. Luc cleared his throat. "What brings you by?"
Taking a deep breath and struggling to find the right words, Minette said, "Ted Aiello came to see me today. He requested that I keep the story of Heather and the paternity of her twin daughters a secret."
Luc nodded thoughtfully. "It took a lot of courage for him to ask that of you, but I think it would be harsh to ruin her reputation when she didn't even realize they had switched places during the conception." He said this hesitantly, waiting for a potential explosion from his volatile sister.
Minette quickly agreed, reaching out to touch Luc's arm reassuringly. "I always liked Heather a lot, she was nice and accepting. We got along great, I would never dream of embarrassing her by revealing what John and Ted did to her."
He grinned, pleasantly surprised at this reaction. Min had the right idea and he was relieved at the change. "So, you came by to ask me to keep the secret as well?"
Shaking her head, Min explained, "I know you would never violate your ethics. You helped assist in the birth, you would be in all sorts of trouble if you breathed a word. Besides, that's not you, Luc. You're a good guy and it's just not in you to do something like that." She took a breath, and then went on. "Ted said something that really shocked me. He told me that what we had was real, that he had never cheated on me, that his 'encounters' with Heather were over before I came along. He was sincere, and I believed him."
Biting his lip, Luc asked, "Well, that's good, right?"
Minette lowered her head a moment, and then raised her gaze to his blue eyes, so like her own. "I had been so angry since that day he threw me out of his place. It never occurred to me that he was anything other than a slime ball. He was dealing with something major, and I was standing there thinking he and John had swapped with me, too. I insisted on staying, and I was going to cause a scene. Heather was so emotional when she arrived, absolutely enormous with her twins and being so pregnant and all. This situation had nothing to do with me at all. In that moment, I was so ashamed with my behavior."
She went silent a moment, allowing herself a chance to gather her thoughts. Luc didn't breathe a word, wanting to see where this was going. She screwed up her courage. "That day with Ted, I demanded to know everything and the chance to have my say, butut on that day with you, when I walked in on you and Abigail, I fled and left the country. I never gave you a chance to explain. I was hurt, I was scared, and I didn't know how to deal with it at all. I could blame the fact I was so young, but given that I made the exact opposite mistake with Ted, I don't think being 19 had anything to do with it." She sucked in a breath, and then made her point. "I was selfish, Luc. I went overboard making myself a victim, and I never looked at my own behavior. I just wanted you to know that I've realized that now. And I'm sorry."
Floored, Luc could only stare at his tiny, red haired sister. He had never seen her look so vulnerable, so contrite. He scarcely believed what she had just spoken aloud. Luc reached out and twisted one of her red locks around his finger. "Minette, we were kids. Moreover, we broke all the rules by falling in love. I was the one who took us on that trip and spoke of it first. I thought we could handle it while staying in the body McAllister."
When Minette started to interrupt, Luc held up a hand to silence her. "I heard you out, let me finish. We were trying to have our cake and eat it, too. The traditions are all there for a reason. The only way the body McAllister stays intact is if all the traditions are followed." He swallowed, and then continued. "Min, what you saw that day with Abigail, it was real. I do love Abigail a lot. I am not going to minimize my feelings for her to make you feel better, baby sister. I learned a long time ago, that you could love more than one person. Our parents prove it to each other all the time."
He looked at her fiercely. "At no point did Abigail ever know about us, or our feelings for each other. Seeing you there must have been a huge shock. When you acted like you did, she was filled with guilt. So was I, for that matter. You left, and we felt it was our fault. Abigail and I never discussed it." Luc reached out and cupped Minette's chin. "But my dealings with Abigail had nothing to do with you. The secrecy is there to prevent exactly what happened. What's more, I'm positive you continued to see others in the family as well. My god, Min. Every time we made love, you had some new trick to share with me. I had powerful feelings of jealousy sometimes, knowing that someone had taught you something that I had wanted to teach you myself."
Minette opened her mouth to reply, but Luc shushed her again. "No, don't confirm or deny it. There's no need. You didn't do anything wrong by enjoying your sexuality. The only thing you did wrong was make me out to be the bad guy for doing the same thing."
Hugging her arms around her torso, Minette hung her head a bit. "I know. You're right, all of it. I had been with other lovers all along. I guess the only difference is that I never told them I loved them while we were having sex. I loved them as my family; I enjoyed the sex with them. I didn't mix the two."
Peering into her eyes, Luc ducked his head a little to keep her gaze. "Except with me, Minette. You crossed that line with me. While I don't trade the times with you for anything, it was wrong of us. We let the sex cloud our thinking. We can't be together as a couple, not legally. We can't be married and have children. The people who set up the body McAllister knew this, and that's why we follow the traditions. We can make love, we can share love, but we can't be in love."
Her eyes filling with tears, Minette acknowledged what he was saying with a nod. Luc was right; there was no happy ending here for them. She could never ask him to be with her, and she knew he would never ask himself. They would be loving siblings, but they would never be lovers again, and it was both of their faults.