The Devil's Due

The bed came up to meet Ryan's weary body on the way down. The limo ride had been comforting (if only slightly) because of the time he spent sleeping in the back with Thaelor. Allowing his soul to recoup from the vast amount of heinous information he picked up from the prison visit with Travis and Monica. True enough, they weren't his favorite people on the planet. But as Steppan always said: "Sometimes all you have left in this world, is family." His brother and sister shed tons of light on things he had no idea what went on behind the closed doors of his father's house. The sexual assaults on both Monica AND Travis, the fact that the attacks they orchestrated against Thaelor were in fact ORDERED by his father, and that they had in fact been targeted by SOMEONE who was after the "Good" Senator. It was too much to take in at one time.

Now in his bedroom at the mansion, Ryan was thankful that Steppan knew him so well. Showing up at the front door with a bag of ice and a couple more migraine tabs, Ryan flopped onto his refuge. He wanted so badly for Thaelor to join him, just to be by his side. But due to the time of the day (mid-afternoon), there were too many eyes and too many opportunities for a nosey person to walk in on them and blow their whole relationship. The freezing cold sensation was having its desired effect of his headache. It was actually having a soothing, calming effect on his brain. His awareness was just beginning to wane, when the infernal machine called for his attention yet again. Ringing and vibrating like a screaming Banshee that would not be ignored. A fresh pang of pain shot through his head again as he picked it up.

"Hello?" Answered Ryan, his voice sounding tired and stressed.

"Hello...? Is this Ryan?" came the disembodied voice on the other end. "This is Thomas Rollins; do you remember me?"

The name flashed through Ryan's head at the speed of thought. Thomas Rollins was his father's lawyer and long-time friend. In fact, Thomas had lost a round of golf to Ryan on his last trip to the Right Coast.

"Oh yeah...Mr. Rollins. How are you sir?!"

"Look Ryan, I don't have a lot of time and neither do you. Due to the difference in time zones, you may not have heard: your father suffered a stroke and is currently in a coma. You need to get here!"

Ryan sat up bolt straight. His brain working over the new data that had assaulted his consciousness.

"Tom..." Ryan said in a shocked tone. " Are you serious? Is this a joke? Believe me, I don't have the strength for any more shenanigans today...my siblings are sitting in a Federal Pen right now."

"I know; and I'm sorry. I saw the warrants before they were issued as is my job. But, this is no bluff. Your father is on death's door and he wanted you out here in the event of anything happening to him."

Ryan blew a stress breath, today couldn't end fast enough. "I'm on my way. Don't let him die. Do whatever you have to."

Hitting the end button, Ryan screamed. The next second saw him running to his closet and grabbing a travel bag. Throwing clothes and shoes in it as fast as he could.

"Thaelor!! Thaaaaaaaaaeeeee llllllllllorrrrrrrrrrr!!"

The sound of her brother's voice caused Thaelor Renee Morrison to leap off her bed. Hitting a dead sprint, she rammed her shoulder into the door leading to his bedroom. When she arrived, Ryan was like a blur, grabbing several items of clothing and stuffing them pell mell into a suitcase on his bed.

"Sis, I have no time to explain, go to your room, pack a small suitcase of clothes and get ready to hit the door. Dad's in a coma and we got to get to D.C. ASAP!"

"Ryan...are you..."

"MOVE SIS!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!"

Without another word, Thaelor turned on her heel and headed back to her room to complete the task. Ryan's demeanor left no doubt in her mind, the case was serious as a heart attack. Going back through the door, Thaelor almost ran head first into Steppan. Ryan's guttural screams had brought him as well.

"Young Master, what's going..."

"Steppan...I need you to call a car for Thaelor and I, we're going to the airport. I just heard from his lawyer that Dad had a stroke and is in a coma. We need to be there yesterday. Go!!"

Again, Ryan's commanding behavior leaving no room for exceptions to his will. Still feeling the heft of the cell phone in his hand, Ryan flicked the screen through his contacts until he came to the number and name he wanted. Satisfied he had the right one, Ryan pressed the button to connect the call. Waiting for the second ring, an older, soothing sounding female voice came back when the line was connected.

"This is Comp 716, may I have your access code please?"

"Access number 0675-AR-00351. Ryan responded.

"Thank you sir, I have your access number confirmed. Hi Ryan! How can I help you?"

"Hi Meredith, I need a MAC flight from LAX to D.C. for 2 travelers ASAP."

"Oh...you and your father going back to D.C. already?" Meredith asked.

"No...He's already there and in a coma, I need to get there ASAP."

"OH NO!!" Meredith stated. Well, I hope that works out. But, if it's not your father, who is your other family member going?" Meredith paused as she looked through the information on her computer screen. "Is it Travis, Monica, or Sharmel?"

Ryan's blood began to boil. The bastard had even left Thaelor's name off his flight list.

But, he had to try none the less. "No...all of them are otherwise occupied. It's my other sister Thaelor; T-H-A-E-L-O-R Morrison. Do you have her info?"

After another pause Meredith finally responded; "Not as a family member, but as a plus one."

"FUCK!!" Ryan screamed.

"Hey, hey, hey;" Meredith soothed. "No reason to get angry. I'll just upgrade her to an extended family status under emergency circumstances. Calm down young man...one family member in the hospital is enough for any family, OK? Hey...count backwards with me and calm down. OK? 19, 18, 17..."

Ryan counted with Meredith. By the time they got to one, he felt a little bit better and a lot calmer.

"Better?" Asked Meredith. "Slightly...thank you." Ryan answered.

"Good, now...when do you need that flight?"

"Have anything in the next 2 ½ hours?"

Another long pause, then finally Meredith gave her answer. "I really don't have anything express, but I do have a connecting flight from LAX to Denver, then another connector to Milwaukee. With a 45 minute lay over, then a last flight to D.C., will that suffice? Because everything else I have is almost 13 hours long and won't be available until 2:00 am."

"I'll take that...are they First or Business class seats?"

"I'll have to bump some people and of course the pricing goes up, but I can do that for you." She answered.

Pulling out his wallet, Ryan read off the numbers from his credit card.

"Done." Meredith responded. "I certainly hope your father is OK Ryan. I'll keep him in my prayers, and you too...OK?"

"Thank you Meredith." Ryan sighed. "I owe you big time."

"No problem..." she said jokingly, "I'll expect a gift basket this Christmas."

Ryan hung up the line in a much better mood than when he began the call. Meredith was a good woman, though they had never met in the flesh. When Ryan was 17 and on his second trip East with his Dad, Senator Morrison put him in charge of the itinerary and making all the travel arrangements. He was so nervous, Ryan made a myriad of mistakes. But then he met Meredith. She was a kindly woman that walked him through the entire process so that it went seamlessly. She mentioned that talking to him reminded her of her son (who at that time had just left for military boot camp). From that point on, she always helped him make travel arrangements when going across country. He loved her dearly, like another Mom. She was a single mother that had raised her 4 boys after her husband died from injuries he sustained as a Green Beret. Every Christmas since, Ryan made sure to send her a gift basket to her work station.

Walking out of his room, Thaelor met him at the top of the stairs, heavy bag in tow. Ryan smiled at his sister, seeing her dedication to him by knowing the gravity of the situation by not going overboard. He was truly in love with her, and by her actions...he was convinced she loved him too.

Steppan met the siblings at the door, two bag lunches in hand. "Master Ryan, if I know you, you've been taking that medication without anything on your stomach again. You know it is detrimental to the lining thereof. I don't need you gaining an ulcer, trying to kill a headache. Mistress Thaelor...you too. You can't lose weight by starving yourself to death. It's not healthy." With a big hug, he hefted the bags and transported them to the waiting limo. Once inside, Ryan and Thaelor's eyes misted. Even in the midst of all the madness of the day, Steppan remembered enough to pack their sandwiches just right. Ryan had his Spicy Seafood Salad with extra mayo and Thaelor had Turkey Pastrami with Pepper Jack and a small bag of Sea Salted Veggie chips.

"You know..." Ryan said as he took the first savory bite. "I love that old man dearly."

Thaelor could only nod her ascent, her mouth was full of a third bite of food.

The two siblings were rushed to LAX as fast as the freeways would allow. The driver even confirming that they had picked up a press "tail" or two once traffic permitted more range of movement. Telling the Airport Security guards who they were, the two were whisked away behind the walls of the facility and led to the Executive lounge to await the plane's readiness. Finally, Ryan and Thaelor were led to their seats on the plane and were rocked into their chairs once it took off.

The flight to Denver was fit full for Ryan. No matter how hard he tried, sleep just wouldn't come. His mind raced with the awful truths he and his sister were subjected to that day. The truth that his father was a monster. A man that he respected and in many ways; loved. Had been instrumental in destroying the lives of his other children, while building a reputation around the country as a "Good" man. Yet, sitting mere inches away from him, sat a beautiful, smart, intelligent, woman that came from his loins; yet he has done so many disgusting things to her. For no other reason than she was an "inconvenience."

Thaelor picked up on this disturbance in her brother's demeanor. She had been around him since they were both 10, and she knew now that they were intimate, when he was off.

"Hey hon...you ok?" she whispered.

"I'm just all kinds of confused and wrecked right now. At this point, I really don't know WHAT to think or feel." Ryan blew a breath, placing his head in the palm of his hand. He was running on empty, and the hardest part was still to come.

"Your head's not hurting is it?"

"Thankfully no...just my mind. I can't seem to get it to quiet down. Too many awful things swirling around in it at the moment."

Grabbing her brother's hand, Thaelor kissed it. She wished there was a way she could help. She loved her brother more than anything. But he was more than just her brother. More than just a familial bonded member of the race. He was her heart, her soul, her sun and moon. He was her peace in a world that neither understood, nor accepted her. But Ryan, did all those things. He quieted her storms and made her body crave the touch of love. Besides, the more she thought of him...the more she was becoming horny. Taking a look around, most of the passengers in First Class were busy either watching the movie that was on or engrossed in their separate pieces of technology (phones and laptops). Spreading the blanket across her body, Thaelor undid the fasteners to her pants and guided Ryan's hand between her legs. She needed a release.

Ryan came back from the plain of worry. His hand had contacted Thaelor's overheated sex. His fingers sliding across the hot, wet, fabric of her thong panties. His eyes shot to hers. Thaelor bit her bottom lip at the sensation of his touch. A wry smile came over his face seeing her in such a state. But at that moment, his heart just wasn't in it. Pulling his hand away, Ryan returned it to the armrest from whence it came. Whenever he was with his sister, he wanted to give it his all. Nothing half assed or half done. Especially not his love for her. He so wished to use the box he had in his luggage. But now, just wasn't the time.

Frustrated, Thaelor just shook her head. She was just as frustrated at the turn of events as he was. Now she was horny too. Pulling her pants back up and into place, she got up from her chair and marched to the bathroom. Ryan didn't need this. With the truth about Travis and Monica in the open, Sharmel doing Lord only knows who or what in Europe, Dad sitting in a coma (whether he loved the guy or not, he WAS the head of the family) in D.C., he really wasn't in the mood for one of her hissy fits. His brain power was best used (at least at the moment) on trying to figure out how to keep them all afloat.

Several minutes went by and Thaelor hadn't returned to her seat. It was one thing to be in her feelings about something, but this was holding a grudge. Standing, he tiptoed to the bathroom she had gone into. Knocking, he waited on a reply; "Yeah?!" she said. "De Nile." Was his response. This was there code, a little something they did at home to make their illicit affair a tad bit safer. The lock on the door unfastened almost immediately. HE pushed the door in and faced his sister's face. Streaked with a few trails of past tears, her visage a mask of pained anger.

"You know what Ryan, I was..."

Her words were cut off as her brother wrapped her waist in his strong arms and kissed her passionately. Hungrily, pleadingly. Thaelor couldn't resist. Her will evaporated along with her anger. She couldn't be angry at him forever. She loved him too much. She just needed his attention for a little while. Ryan lifted her up on the sink by her ass, deftly moving her panties to the side. His fingers finding the engorged pearl that was slick from her state of arousal. Their lips never parted as his fingers found the deepest part of her soul. She ground her hips, giving him better access and allowing the friction to bring her closer to ecstasy. The plane then hit a pocket of turbulence, shaking the fuselage a tad wildly. A knock at the door from one of the flight attendants broke their reverie. "Is everything ok in there ma'am?" the disembodied voice asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'll be out in just a minute. Thaelor responded.

Hearing the footsteps walk away, the siblings silently giggled at each other. Knowing just how close they were to being caught.

"I love you Ryan. I just hate to see you in pain."

Her brother washed his hands as he smiled. "I know. I love you too. Just so much on my mind right now. I didn't mean to leave you feeling unappreciated." Another quick kiss and the twosome left the bathroom for their seats and the unknown of D.C.

Finally arriving at the hospital, the siblings dragged their tired, weary bodies into yet another elevator to get to the ICU unit. Fortunately, the media had been diverted to the Naval Hospital 30 minutes South of their location. Instead, their father had been taken to the University of Maryland at John's Hopper's, one of the most respected hospital's in all the nation.

The siblings were met at their father's door by two dark figures. Dressed head to toe in black, save their crisp, white shirts. They were stopped at the outside of the door.

"State your business sir." Came the curt response form the first one. Looking every bit of the "spook soldiers" that made up the Secret Service corps, Ryan hadn't ever seen him before. He must have been new.

"My name is Ryan Morrison. The Senator is my father. I came to see him."

Looking at Thaelor the guard then said; "And who is this?"

Ryan's blood began to boil. He really wasn't in the mood for this disrespect. "This is my sister Thaelor. She is also here to see her father." Ryan remarked, a tone of irritation leaking into his words.

"We need to see some ID's." Said the other guard.

"See some I.D.?" Ryan snapped. "Are you serious? My Dad is in there dying and you want to see some damn ID?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa..." Came a voice from down the hall. "They're good. These are the "kids" I was talking about. Ryan, just give him your ID really quick."

Ryan's eyes never left the two guards. He ripped his wallet out of his back pocket and showed it to them. Thaleor reached in her purse and did the same. The first guard took a glance at both IDs, then spoke quickly into his cuff link. A couple seconds later, he held his hand over the ear that held the ear bud. He then gave the ID's back to their respective owners and moved from in front of the door. Grabbing Ryan's hand, he shook it sternly.

"I'm so sorry for your loss sir. I'm just doing my job."

Taking a deep breath, Ryan nodded and returned the greeting. "It's ok...I'm just tired and concerned."

Turning the knob, the siblings walked in. Thaelor and Ryan almost hit the floor at what they saw. Senator Robert Morrison was hooked up to a myriad of machines. Heart monitors, lung re-breathers, and dialysis. All while lying under an oxygen tent, a nurse sitting at a bank of computer screens, paying attention to the information coming across them.

Ryan's legs buckled. The man he always knew to be the biggest, strongest, meanest man in the world; looked at that moment to be nothing more than a vegetable attached to batteries. A hand reached out an grasped his shoulder. Turning, he saw the face of his father's lawyer.

"You two come with me...there's nothing more you can do here."

Following him out of the room, the siblings were escorted to an empty conference room.

Thomas Rollins was a pint-sized terror. Coming in at only about 5',9", he was just as height challenged as their beloved cousin Brittney. But what he lacked in height, Thomas more than made up for in intelligence. Ryan made his first acquaintance when he was 11, he brought his father a mountain of paperwork concerning what, he had no idea. But, Thomas made sure to introduce himself. He even spent about 20 minutes playing basketball with him in the driveway. It was almost comical to see such a short man slipping and sliding on the asphalt in his "church shoes." Since Ryan began following his Dad to D.C., Ryan knew Thomas to always be close by. Not only was he a member of his father's inner circle, but he was also a trusted friend.

Thomas shut the door behind them. The latch shutting with a resounding thump. The room was semi-dark, as only a few of the lights were on. The center of the room was occupied by 6 cloth covered swivel chairs and a high wooden table. In opposite corners of the room, there were two more cloth upholstered chairs...and the shadow of a very large individual.

Thaelor jumped when she saw him. It was almost as if the light itself shrunk away from him.

"Don't worry about him right now. "Thomas said. "We have bigger issues that need your attention right now." Pointing at the chairs, he invited the sibling s to sit as he spelled out the situation.

"I appreciate you guys coming out here so quickly. I know you must be dealing with a lot of emotions of confusion and anger. But I assure you; it isn't over yet."

Ryan interrupted Thomas abruptly; "Did you know about Travis and Monica?"

Thomas took a breath. "I didn't hear about it until at least an hour after their arrests. They called my law firm asking for representation. But because we represent your father first, it was decided that it would be a conflict of interest. I know that the law firms of other people caught up in that sting had no such issues, but there is a hell of a lot more going on behind the scenes than you know."

"It must be pretty deep if you called us all the way out here." Ryan answered.