Disclaimer: Another incest / taboo story with a sci-fi twist. This again has elements of non-consent, and cheating. You've been warned.
*****
Fred and Louise sat in the clinic in adjoining uncomfortable chairs, hands clasped together tightly, Louise's head leaning on Fred's bony shoulder. Louise was short, almost a foot shorter than her husband, with large motherly hips and breasts, and long salt n' pepper hair tied in a tight ponytail. Fred was a tall, lanky, unassuming man in his mid-forties, with a greying beard and a friendly winsome smile, although on this day he was deadly serious.
Fred leaned over and kissed the top of Louise's head and she looked up at him and smiled slightly.
"I love you," she said, and then went back to leaning on his shoulder. "Are we doing the right thing?"
"I don't know," said Fred softly, "But I think I'd never forgive myself if we didn't."
"I know," Louise agreed.
A young nervous lab technician clutching a clipboard approached them, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Mr. and Mrs. Cane?" he asked.
Louise sat up straight and smoothed her blouse. "That's us."
"They're ready," the technician smiled awkwardly, and gestured towards the door.
Fred and Louise exchanged glances and squeezed each other's hand. They stood and followed the technician out of the waiting room.
*****
Fred and Louise held each other and sobbed as they looked through the one-way mirror at their son and daughter, Clay and Natalie. They were both sitting quietly in a waiting room watching TV, seemingly unaware or uninterested that they might be watched.
Dr. Stewart, an older man of about sixty, spear bald and quite rotund, stood next to them.
"Your son and daughter are both fine and healthy," Dr. Stewart reassured, "The cloning process was one-hundred percent successful."
Fred looked over at him, tears streaming down his face, "Are they both... OK? Do they remember the accident at all?"
"They have scattered memories of the car accident, yes, but we try to suppress as much of that particular moment as we can. It can be very traumatizing to remember in detail."
Louise smiled and nodded, wiping away tears, "Thank you, Dr. Stewart. This is a... a miracle." She burst into tears again.
Dr. Stewart smiled sympathetically, "Their memories of their life before the accident should be more complete. You may find it takes a few weeks or even months for them to fully settle back into their lives. Even then, you may see differences."
"In what way?" asked Fred.
Dr. Stewart shrugged diplomatically, "It's different in every case. Some clones are indistinguishable from the person they were before. And some find they suddenly like pineapple on pizza." Fred and Louise laughed at the joke Dr. Stewart told to every single customer.
"Small differences are not too concerning. If you notice anything big, take note of it, and we'll talk about it in our follow up appointment in two weeks."
Louise nodded, then rushed forward and hugged Dr. Stewart awkwardly. He smiled and patted her back while she composed herself. Fred shook his hand.
"Can we... see them now?" Louise asked hesitantly.
"Of course, whenever you feel you're ready. We always start with the one-way mirror to make sure that the customer is prepared to handle the situation."
"I'd like... WE'D like to see them," Louise said excitedly. Fred nodded.
*****
The reunion was a joyful one, if a tad muted on the Clay and Natalie's side. Mother and father were overjoyed to embrace their grown children, and their kids seemed more amused than anything. Having not gone through any grieving, they had no concept of the hell their parents had gone through in the last few months.
Natalie was twenty, short and curvy like her mother, with a pixie cut and a wide smile like her father's. Clay, nineteen, was as tall and lanky as his father, with sparkling blue eyes and blonde hair.
The cloning process was long and arduous, and Fred and Louise bankrupted themselves to get it done. They sold their thriving family furniture chain and large mansion, and moved into a modest bungalow. Fred and Louise, completely without egos, took ordinary jobs working at the business they had founded, all so that every penny of their fortune could go towards making their family complete.
As they drove home, they gently revealed the news to their kids.
"So... the house... my car..." Natalie said, wide-eyed.
"Gone, I'm afraid," Fred said apologetically.
"Oh," she said, eyes downcast, "You both... gave up everything... for us."
"It was nothing," Louise said sternly, "We'd give up a lot more to keep our family together."
"What about MY car?" Clay asked, mischievous glint in his eye, "Do we still have that?"
Natalie leaned over in the back seat and punched Clay in his bony shoulder.
"YOUR car is wrapped around a tree, idiot," she had a smile on his face as Clay winced and rubbed his bruised arm.
"I'm sure by now it's been towed somewhere," said Clay wistfully, "I miss that hunk of junk."
"I'm sure it's even junkier now," Fred added. "In all seriousness, you should be forewarned that the new house is great, but modest. VERY modest."
Natalie raised an eyebrow, "How modest is modest?"
*****
Natalie and Clay stared at their bedroom. It was a decent size, and their folks had built a half wall in the middle of the room so their beds would be hidden from each other and would give each of them a modicum of privacy.
Fred and Louise stood behind them nervously. Asking two adult siblings to share a room was not something they had been looking forward to.
Clay gave a half-grimace, half-smile, and looked at his sister. "Better than being dead."
Natalie nodded, "Better than being dead," she agreed.
*****
