-Prologue-
Victoria was 13 when her mother remarried; her new step-dad formalized the adoption when she turned 16. Victoria was never a bad child, she was a book worm and always brought home top marks from her teachers. She was a good kid, a nerdy wall flower but extremely polite and well mannered.
She was already 18 when she graduated high school; the last two years had seen many changes in Victoria's appearance and personality. Their little wall flower had blossomed into a fine young lady. Each day her step-dad could see her growing up, more and more like her mother; may she rest in peace.
Shortly before her 17th birthday, they got a call on the house phone. Nobody ever called the house phone, they all had cell phones. It was the police department, there had been an accident. Victoria's mother was fighting for her life, a battle she would lose before they could get to the hospital.
Victoria retreated back into her books, depression took over and nothing could make it right. There were good days, and then there were the really bad days. Screaming, fighting, and throwing things. Her psychologist suggested keeping a very close eye on Victoria. One suggestion was to install a type of spyware application on her laptop so that they could monitor her activities, check for unhealthy writings, trends in behavior, and ensure she was not building up to doing something really stupid.
Eventually the bad days subsided. They were strong together. Together they helped each other recuperate from their loss. She was his daughter, he was her dad, her protector, and together they somehow made it through the next 18 months.
-Chapter One-
There was never anything overtly sexual between them. She was his daughter after all. She confided in him with everything that was going on in her life, school, work, and boys. She wanted to go to college, and her mother had seen fit to provide for that in a trust she had setup years ago. They discussed which schools she wanted to attend, which were within her budget and provided a curriculum she would enjoy. He didn't know she wanted to attend one that would be 1200 miles away!
"Daddy we can talk on the phone every day," she said to him holding his face in her hands.
"There are always holidays, vacations, and long weekends that I can come home - it's not like I am moving to China," she said.
As far as he was concerned, it was China.
A few months later he was helping her pack her car. He would pretend to forget things she needed, like her suitcase. She understood it was his way of lightening the mood of her leaving. Twelve minutes after she left, he called her cell phone. "Hello dad, I am not even out of the neighborhood yet!" she said with a hint of sarcasm.
"I love you," he said and they hung up.
It was a long trip for her to make alone, and she called him several times each day. The hours between calls were like days to him. She arrived at the apartment they had arranged for her close to campus. She called to let him know she was getting settled in. Cable and power were already on, a couple of the male students "happily volunteered" to help her unpack her car and moved the heavier items in for her. They talked while she finished off her "Ramen Noodle" dinner and then she was off to bed.
A few hours later, his email went off. It was from Victoria; well actually it was from her laptop. The spyware he installed was informing him of an IP address change. He had forgotten about it, probably should have uninstalled that long ago. He'll get to it later, he assured himself.
Several weeks passed, they talked every day just as she promised they would. "Thank god for unlimited calling plans!" he told her on many occasions. She called to tell him about everything! She said she finally had her one bedroom apartment decorated just right and wanted to show it to him.
"Sure honey, send me some pictures in email and I will get a look at them," he said.