In a Barrel?

If you have read all 6 previous parts then I thank you for your patience and fortitude. If you are just dipping into the series at this point I have to suggest you go back and start at the beginning as I'm not sure you will follow what's going on.

LB

The Lab Rats 7: Shooting Rats in a Barrel

Previously

Chapter 55

The tapping on his window was enough to wake Alex and he looked with bleary eyes at the cause of the sound, a policeman. The sight of the uniformed PC kicked his brain into gear as he nervously wound down his window trying to work out where he was.

"Hello, officer, what I can do for you?"

"Well, sir, I was just checking to make sure everyone is all right. This road is a bit out of the way and we don't patrol here very often but I passed by here last night and saw your empty car so thought I would just check back this morning before I go off shift as we worry about strange vehicles left near RAF Fylingdales. Could I have your name please and are you the registered keeper of this car.

"Err... Alex Jackson... and yes, I am the owner."

The policeman looked at his PDA device and nodded before looking at the back seat.

So, is every thing OK, Miss, Ma'am?"

Alex, who had not realised there was anyone else in the car, turned in confusion to look at the back seat to see his mother and sister staring at the policeman. They nodded in unison like automatons but the confused look on their faces did not change. The policeman looked back at Alex and then back at the two passengers trying to work out the dynamic between them and whether they were with him voluntarily.

"Have you been drinking sir?"

Alex tried to remember what he had done the previous evening but the whole thing was a blank and his answer was hesitant.

"I don't... think so... Mum... Sask... have I been drinking...?"

The automaton response continued as the two women turned their heads to look at each other and then back to the policeman before shaking their heads in unison.

He could see the officer looking at them and then back at him with suspicion and he knew he was likely to get breathalysed but for the life of him he was not even able to say why he was on this road or where he was going.

"Ahh... these are your family members... OK... "

Alex could see the officer trying to gauge whether the fact that it was a family group made it any more or less likely that they had been abducted against their will.

"Can I see your driving licence please sir... oh excuse me..."

His radio squawked and he stepped away as he keyed the mike.

"Alpha Charlie responding..."

Whatever was said on the radio caused him to turn and run back to his patrol car which took off with blue lights flashing. The three occupants breathed a sigh of relief, not because they felt they had done anything wrong but there were large parts of their story they were unable to explain at that precise moment.

The siblings were dreading any comment from their mother who they knew tended to overreact when things did not go strictly according to plan, but her first words surprised them both.

"Well sweetie, I suggest we get the hell out of Dodge before he comes back and breathalyses you and does a body-cavity search on both of us for Smack or Crack!"

Saskia was the first to respond.

"Who are you and what have you done with our mother?"

Rowan stuck her tongue out at her daughter and giggled. Alex liked this new version of his mother and smiled at her in the mirror.

"Good idea, Mum, but where are we, where are we going and why? Sask, do you have any idea."

His sister looked confused but this was because she could not believe that her brother did not know where they are going.

"Dummy! How could you forget? We're going cousin Lucy's wedding at the Moorside Hotel and Spa... Oh that's a point... why am I with you guys 'coz I thought I was going with Dad? The last thing I remember is... fuck... having breakfast, then I went to uni... then... going back to the house... to get my stuff together..."

"Mind your language, Saskia Jackson... but as for why you are with us... I have no idea... unless your twat of a father cocked up again and suggested you come over to York because he was going to be late or something... why are you looking at me like that, Alex?"

Her son was smirking at her and struggling not to laugh.

"You do know what the word 'twat' really means? If so it's a bit rich calling out Sask for using the F-bomb."

His mother screwed up her nose and stuck her tongue out at him which he found cute and appealing.

"Do as I say, not as I do... anyway, he is a twat!"

Saskia giggled and hugged her mum to her side.

"Yep, you are definitely not the Rowan Jackson I know."

Her mother looked puzzled.

"That doesn't sound right... I thought I was Rowan Edwards... but you two are definitely Jacksons so I guess I must be as well."

Saskia looked surprised.

"You are using your maiden name? Why's that?"

Rowan searched her mind but could not come up with a reason so made a joke.

"Maybe the twat and I got divorced it would serve him right... what?

Her daughter shot her a disapproving look.

"Poor taste, Mum, and I rather hope you would have told us before now, don't you think Bro?"

Alex looked at his sister with a puzzled look.

"Umm... I'm pretty sure I knew she was using her maiden name... but I'm still a bit confused about the wedding as I thought that had already happened."

It was Rowan's turn to look at him like he was an idiot.

"How could it... you only picked me up from the station yesterday afternoon and then we went back to your flat with the horrible grey tiles in the bathroom..."

The siblings rolled their eyes as this was more like the mother they were used to.

"... but after that I can't remember a damn thing."

Alex nodded as he too recalled picking Rowan up from the station and her making the comment about his bathroom but like her, could not remember anything beyond that. He started the car and checked the SatNav which, indeed, confirmed their destination as the Moorside Hotel and Spa, about 10 miles away.

He looked back at the two passengers.

"It's only 15 minutes to the hotel so can someone ring Dad and let him know we're on our way because I reckon he's doing his fruit. I'm surprised he hasn't tried ringing to see where we are."

Both Rowan and Saskia checked their phones and spoke in unison.

"My battery is dead."

Saskia spoke the obvious.

"Better check yours Alex."

He found it in the central console and saw that his too, was dead and plugged it in to charge.

"Fuck... he'll be panicking like crazy if he hasn't been able to get hold of any of us. Probably visited every A&E department in the area to see if we've been in an accident or something. Anyway, we will be there in a few minutes so I guess we prepare to be bawled out big time."

The car park of the hotel was full and there were people milling about in long dresses and morning dress which concerned all three but Alex vocalised their feelings.

"The invite said nothing about morning dress, it said casual and I haven't even brought a suit, just a jacket and tie."

Rowan was looking perturbed but for a different reason.

"I don't recognise any of these people and I thought it was only going to be an extended family affair. I'll have words with Jackie when I see her. Let's go and find your father and get the beating over and done with! Then I need a cup of tea and a good couple of hours sleep."

They got out of the car and opened the boot and both women gasped in shock. Their dress bags were not there.

"What the fuck?"

"Language Rowan Jackson... err... Edwards"

Alex regretted his attempt at levity as soon as he saw the anger on his mother's face.

"Not helpful, Alex! This is a complete fucking disaster... you will have to go back to York... I must have left it in your apartment. You can do it in a couple of hours."

"What? I need a rest as well and in any case there is another problem... where is Sask's bag? I don't recall picking her up but we would very likely have come directly from the station so if hers is not here then she either left it on the train... or... more worryingly... somebody nicked them out of the back of the car... "

He stopped and gazed off into the distance as he recalled something.

"... I've just thought of something. The policeman said he saw our 'empty' car last night, so where the hell were we? This gets weirder and weirder... look let's get into our rooms and have some breakfast, a shower and a bit of kip and sort out what we are going to do... perhaps you can borrow a dress from someone... I'm sure some people will have come with a spare... I seem to remember you borrowing a really sexy one from Saskia, Mum at... no... I must have imagined that... I... umm... never mind."

They entered the lobby of the hotel and made their way to the reception desk where further problems ensued.

"Hi, I'm Rowan... err... Jackson could you ring my room and tell my husband that I'm here."

The girl behind the desk furrowed her brow and checked the computer before looking back at Rowan with an apologetic face.

"I'm sorry, we don't have a reservation for anyone by that name... I seem to remember we had two rooms booked for last night in the name of Jackson but they were both no-shows."

Rowan's blood pressure was starting to rise and her children knew the familiar signs.

"What do you mean you don't have any reservations for Jackson? There should be 3 rooms... 2 singles and a double... they were booked as part of the Miller wedding package."

The girl looked totally confused.

"You mean the Fairfield wedding... not Miller?"

"No I Do NOT! I mean Lucy Miller's wedding."

There was a flash of recognition in the girl's eyes and she hastily tapped at her keyboard before looking back at Rowan with a confirmatory nod of her head.

"I'm sorry madam but there appears to be a bit of a mix up. Lucy Miller's wedding was 6 weeks ago."

Chapter 56

Rowan stared at the girl and then at her two children with wide eyes as the realisation hit them.

They had lost six weeks of their memory.

Rowan tried to think of what to do but was feeling completely off balance and every time she went to say something to her children, nothing came out. Fortunately Saskia's mind was working slightly better and decided that driving back to York immediately was not a good idea given the state of shock they were in.

"Erm... excuse me... do you have the two rooms that we had booked for last night available?"

The girl shook her head and made a hand gesture at the wedding guests dotted about the place.

"No, sorry, the wedding party have taken just about everything. I'll check but I think we only have one room free..."

"OK, we'll take it. We just need to lie down for a bit... we... umm... have been driving all night... not really slept..."

The girl looked sympathetic but shook her head.

"I'm not sure that we can let 3 people share a room... I'll need to check."

"Look, we won't be staying the night. We just need to lie down... sit down somewhere quiet before we head back. We are family members... brother, sister, mother... so will not be... umm... doing anything... err... untoward."

The girl looked relieved.

"OK, I will do it at a day-rate for you but you need to be out by 6.00pm in case we need it for more wedding guests."

Alex and Saskia nodded gratefully but Rowan was in an almost catatonic state and the children had to lead her to the room when they got the key. Fortunately there was a couch as well as a double bed which Alex left for Rowan and Saskia while he took the couch. The children helped their mother to lay down and then sat on the couch together and talked quietly.

"How can we have lost six weeks, Bro? There must be somebody who can tell us what happened in that time. Let's ring Dad and ask what Mum has been up to since the wedding. I can try and get some info on what I've been doing from my housemates and college friends. What about you? Who can you ring?"

Alex didn't answer right away but then grabbed both of her hands with his own.

"Yes, that's all good but don't you realise there is an even more important question that needs answering... what happened to us last night? The policeman said the car was empty so wherever we were was where we lost our memories... so why were we all together yesterday? Ring Dad by all means because he can probably say why she was with us. You do that and I'll get some tea sent up because I think we all need a cuppa."

He stood up and looked over at his mother who had fallen asleep and he thought how beautiful she looked and lovingly pulled a blanket over. He stood up and suddenly heard a voice in his head.

'

You would, wouldn't you?'

He frowned at the inappropriate thought and shook his head to try to rid him of the voice. It persisted.

'Go on... look at her lying there... you would fuck her in a heartbeat... '

He shook his head again and turned to his sister.

"Sorry, I need some fresh air to clear my head. I'm going for a walk and I'll get the tea organised when I'm down there."

He hurried from the room as his thoughts echoed in his head but fortunately the voice did not come back.

'

I'm going mad... losing six weeks of my memory and then hearing voices... I must be having a psychotic episode. Maybe I need a stiff brandy rather than tea!'

He walked out through the lobby and into grounds and spotted a building that seemed familiar presumably a recollection from when he was at the wedding. However, given that nothing else about the hotel had generated such a response, why this particular building? Maybe some of those questions would be answered by whatever Saskia gleaned from their father.

He walked into the small pavilion which he realised had been a summerhouse when the hotel was a stately home and looked around. His eyes fell upon a chair against one wall and the voice in his head immediately started up again but this time the taunting message had changed.

' You did, didn't you... right there.'

He shook his head again to try and rid him of the unwelcome voice but slowly an image of a man fucking a woman from behind as she was on her knees on the chair facing the back with her hands gripping the frame as she was buffeted by the vigorous pounding she was receiving.

Alex closed his eyes hoping the vision would disappear but when he opened them it was still there, but worse as he could now hear the interchanges between the protagonists and the sound of their their bodies crashing together.

He recognised the first voice as belonging to him immediately even if he could not see his face and the words set the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end.

'Jesus Mum, you are so tight... fuck I love being in your cunt... you are such a sexy slut... I won't last...'

The woman turned and smirked at the vision-him and he saw with horror that it was indeed his mother looking gorgeously dishevelled and sexy.

'Ohh diddums... poor little mother-fucker Alex beaten by his sexy mother's hot body... well fuck me proper....make me come on my son's hard dick... breed me!'

He then saw his vision-self pull back and grab hold of his mother's hair and body to forcefully stop her from moving as she tried to skewer herself onto his hard rod, She whined in frustration and he saw her squirming in vision-Alex's grasp. Alex's eyes widened in disbelief at his vision-self next words.

'What's that you slutty ho? You want you son's big cock in that tight pussy filling you up... making you come... putting a bastard into you... your own grandchild... who would have thought that Mrs. Prim and Proper would want to be bred by her son... well here goes...!'

Alex could not turn away and felt his arousal growing at the sight of his vision-self pounding into the petite body of his mother who seemed to welcome every forceful thrust.

'Fuckkkk... yesss pound me... fuckkkk me... breed me... fuckkkkk meee.'

She flopped helplessly in the hands of her dominant lover and all he could hear was a suddenly familiar litany as Rowan lost the power of speech.

'o

uh... ouh... ouh... ouh... '

He closed his eyes because he was about to come in his underpants but when he reopened them the rutting couple were still there, although the pace had slowed and he could see that his vision-self was caressing Rowan's breasts through her dress and whispering in her ear as his other hand was touching her pussy and clit.

Alex took time-out to recognise what his mother was wearing... he had been right about Rowan borrowing one of Saskia's dresses... it had happened... at the wedding! He was also relieved about the change in his vision-self's behaviour because he had been a tad too... strident... dominating... demanding... before but he could now see that he was thinking of Rowan's pleasure.

'Come for me my beautiful Rowan... I want you to come.... I love making you come... '

Did that mean that this was probably not the first time they had...had sex... fucked... made love... and he could see the looks of love that passed between them.

'Yesss... baby.... make mummy come... please darling... I need to come and then feel you come inside me...?'

'Yes... come for me... beautiful Mum.'

Alex could see that she had done just that and his vision-self continued to caress her breasts and clit for a long time as her orgasm rolled through her body before she collapsed only to be supported by his vision-self as she cried out.

'Fuckkk... Alexxxx.... darling... I love you...'

He recognised the sounds of his own orgasm from his vision-self and this triggered one in the here-and-now as he came in his underpants. He had not touched himself at all.

The vision faded and he stood staring at the chair until he snapped out of the endorphin fuelled trance and sheepishly made his way back into the hotel, hoping that the growing damp patch on his trousers was not too visible to other guests.

Chapter 57

Alex ordered some tea at the reception desk and made his way up to the room and opened the door not sure how to react to his mother if she was awake. Fortunately she wasn't but instead was met by the stony face of his sister.

"What's up Brat?"

Saskia did not answer immediately but continued to give him the hard stare.

"You're freaking me out, Sask, what did Dad say?"

She squared her shoulders and looked accusingly at him.

"Apparently Mum asked for a trial separation two weeks ago, went to stay with her sister for a few days but has been living with you for a week and has now told Dad that she wants a divorce..."

Alex paled at this news... their relationship had obviously got more serious since the wedding if they were now living together.

"Hang on... she's living with me... in a flat with horrible grey tiles in the bathroom?"

Saskia was still staring at him and her reply was curt despite his attempt to be funny.

"Apparently so but Dad thinks there's something more behind it. He thinks she's met someone else and is using you as a 'beard'."

"A 'beard'... what the fuck is that?"

"A deception to throw him off the scent."

Alex said nothing but nodded his understanding of the description. Saskia continued to stare at him fixedly.

"Stop looking at me like that, Sask!"

"Well, are you... helping her hide an affair... I mean?"

Alex did a double take at his sister's question.

"Hello? We have all lost six weeks of memory during which time all this has happened, so how the fuck would I know?"

"Convenient, isn't it. She starts having an affair with you giving her cover and then you two claim to have lost your memory."