Link: Lost Faith Title Page and Description

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Sitting at her vanity, Erica brushed out her hair. She loved that the braids she'd taken out had given her hair a cute wavy look. She'd braided her hair before her shower, blown it dry, then taken the braids down and brushed it out, just like the night of the Halloween party. "April? What do you think?" she asked, turning to look toward the bathroom.

April stood up from the old fashioned sink, her toothbrush still in her mouth, and looked out the door at Erica. "'Bout what?" she asked innocently around a toothbrush and a mouth full of toothpaste.

"My hair!" Erica groused. "God! Don't you even notice?"

She turned back to the sink to finish brushing and spit. Once her mouth was clear, she retorted, "Honey, I think it looks beautiful! I just didn't know what you were talking about is all!" returning to the sink after.

Coming up behind her, Erica leaned against the opposite wall, looking at April in the mirror. "I was thinking about braiding my hair sometimes when we get back home, just overnight. I like the way it looks after I brush it out."

"I like it!" April noted. Turning around, she walked up to Erica and wrapped her arms around her waist. "But then, I like everything about you!"

Draping her arms over April's shoulders and around her neck, Erica smiled. "I hope you had a good time tonight!"

She nodded. "Uh-huh! It was nice having one last dinner with just Faith and Heather... just the four of us. I feel like this last week has been one giant string of family reunions after another!"

"Anxious to get back to Concord tomorrow?" she asked.

"Don't get me wrong," April explained. "I love your family, and I'll miss them, but I'm also looking forward to some time by ourselves for a while."

The woman she held tried to look innocent. "Oh? And why is that?"

Pursing her lips, April's eyes half closed into slits. "Oh, you think you're so funny, do you? Well..." At that her gentle hold on Erica's waist changed to a firm grip as she dug her fingertips into Erica's tender flesh.

Erica jumped and squealed as April began furiously tickling her. "No! Stop it! April!" Laughter rang out from their shared bathroom and into the bedroom as April pursued the fleeing teen. Turning to face her, Erica took a defensive stance. "No! April? No tickling! Now, stop it!" she said, still trying to keep the mirth from her voice.

She slowed and held her hands up. "Alright, I'll stop. In exchange..."

"In exchange for what?" Erica asked hesitantly as she dropped her guard.

"A kiss!" April demanded.

Blushing, Erica sat on her bed and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I thought you wanted to wait until we got back?"

She smiled wickedly as she closed in on Erica. "I changed my mind. I want our first real kiss to be right here... in your bedroom... with your cousin across the hall... your aunt just downstairs... and Cook, Franchesca, and Fredrick right next door!"

Laughing a little, Erica's blush deepened. "April! Mamma could walk in any second to say goodnight!"

"And?"

"You can be just terrible sometimes, April! I don't want Mamma to see that!" Her smile grew wider as April continued to get closer.

"So... you're telling me 'No', then?" she asked.

"No! I mean, no, I'm not telling you 'No'... I mean..." Erica rolled her eyes and glanced around the room as though someone were about to catch them.

Carefully lowering herself to sit on the bed next to Erica, April slid over until their hips were touching. Reaching out, she pulled gently on Erica's shoulders to turn Erica to her, a hand then drifting up to caress Erica's wavy auburn hair, gently pushing it out from in front of her face. Leaning in seductively, she let her fingers trace around Erica's ear and down her neck, making her oldest and best friend lean toward her. When their lips were less than an inch apart, April closed her eyes and sighed out, "I love you."

Erica melted at the words. She only managed to get out, "I love..." before their lips joined for the first time. Caught by surprise, Erica's eyes shot open wide as she drew in a sharp breath through her nose, letting it out in a nasal moan; her eyes gently closing.

She'd wanted to wait for Erica to return the sentiment, but the moment the girl's breath hit April's lips she couldn't hold back her desire any longer. Plunging forward, she savored the moment she'd been dreaming about for over half a decade, held back only by Erica's uncertainty, and then by her own desire to make their first kiss as memorable as possible.

While the kiss lingered, April opened her mouth and let the tip of her tongue slip out and tenderly caress Erica's lips into opening like the petals of a flower. She moaned at the deliciousness of their intimacy, delicately probing the feel of her love's lips, teeth, and tongue. Gently she slid her hand back around Erica's neck and ran her fingers through her tinted hair, trapping her love in an erotic embrace.

Erica's mind exploded with feeling. Fear at being walked in on, joy at finally getting to be with her long lost love, desire to make April feel just as good as she was making her feel, exhilaration to see just how far this first kiss would go, and lusting for it to go a lot farther than it probably would or should. She mirrored April's hand, running her own up and into her love's dark hair. Relishing the feel of it, she found her free hand being taken by April's, their fingers interlocking in a romantic expression of what their hearts desired... to be one.

Slowly April pulled back, letting their first of many kisses end, as all things must. Their eyes opened as their lips parted, a smile creeping across both their faces as Erica exhaled dreamily.

"Oh, April! That was..." She tried in vain to put a word to the perfection of the moment. Deciding that no one word sufficed, she strung together a collection of them. "Magical! Incredible! Beautiful! Hot! Breathtaking! Lovely!" She took a deep breath and sighed. "Perfect! I love you! Always have..."

"...and always will!" April finished with her. Pulling back, she looked at Erica who seemed to be lost in a dream world. "Hey! Are you OK? Do you need a breather? Smelling salts? Stiff drink?"

Laughing, Erica leaned forward, giving her another loving kiss just like their first, taking her time and relishing the feel of their intimacy. Finally pulling back, she answered, "No! I'm fine! More than fine! I'm..."

"...in love?" Heather asked. She smiled as she watched her niece turn toward the door in surprise and quickly move away from April.

"Mamma!" Erica yelled. "Wha... wha... we... um... that is, we..."

"It's alright, sweetie!" Heather laughed. "I knocked, but when no one answered, I let myself in. If you want privacy, you need to lock the door!"

"How long were you standing there, Mamma?" Erica asked as she started flushing red.

"Just a short time is all. I think I came in at 'Breathtaking'. I'm sorry, sweetie! I didn't mean to interrupt!" Heather started to move out the doorway to close it behind her. "Why don't I go wait downstairs a while..."

Jumping off the bed, Erica stood next to her bedpost. "No! It's fine Mamma! We were just... um... we were just finished!"

Still standing in the doorway, she looked at Erica and sighed. "It's OK, sweetheart! I know what it's like to be young and in love! Just... here. Give me a quick kiss goodnight and I'll head off to bed and then you two can get back to..."

Standing up, April grabbed a pillow and her book. "It's alright, Heather. I was just getting ready to go down and read for a while."

"Are you sure?" Heather looked at the two with concern. "I just want you to know that I really am OK if you want to stay together in Erica's room. She's an adult and this is her home. You don't have to keep pretending on my account! I may be a lady, but I'm a woman, too!"

"There's no need, Heather! It's fine! Really! I just..." April looked over at Erica who still stood by her bedpost turning beet red. "Right before you came in, Erica and I just shared our first real kiss. That's all!"

"What?" Heather blinked dumbly. "Your... but you've been here now for close to two weeks and I thought... well, since you were dating now..."

"What?" Erica looked up. "You thought we... Mamma! In my old room?"

"Well naturally, sweetie! I didn't think you'd be sneaking off out of the house..." Heather paused. "Well wait a minute. Do you mean to say that... April? You've been actually sleeping on that old couch every night for the last two weeks?"

"Well, naturally!" April echoed her. "Did you think I was sneaking up here and then sneaking back down every morning?"

Heather crossed her arms defensively. "Well... quite frankly... yes!"

"Mamma!" Erica exclaimed in shock.

"What did you think, sweetie? That your cousin was born by immaculate conception?" her aunt asked bluntly. Seeing Erica turn even redder and look away, her smile melted as she began to worry. Is this my fault? she wondered. Did making her leave cause her to have intimacy issues?

Gently pushing past the older woman, April went out the open door. "I'll leave you two alone. I think you need to talk about some things!" Turning to Erica, she kissed air at her. "Love you, honey! Goodnight!"

While April headed down the hall toward the stairs, Heather stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Moving over to the bed, she patted the mattress and waited for an embarrassed Erica to grudgingly sit next to her. "Alright, well I know you know about the birds and the bees, sweetie." She saw Erica bury her face in her hands.

"Mamma! It's embarrassing!" she nearly cried. "You saw me kissing April!"

"I'd assumed you'd done that already, sweetie... and a lot more!"

"How much more do you think we would do, Mamma? April and I have been dating less than two weeks!"

"Yes dear, but you've been in love for much longer than that, haven't you?" Heather asked as gently as she could.

Confused, Erica stood up and paced in front of her. "Yes, but... I mean... a couple should wait until they're married, shouldn't they?"

"Is that what you believe, sweetie?"

"Of course, Mamma!" Erica answered with frustration. She was trying to keep her voice down, but found it increasingly difficult. "You taught Faith and me to follow The Word! It's pretty clear on that point, isn't it?"

"Yes, sweetie." Heather smiled. "It's also very clear that we are all human and all fall short of the glory of God."

"I just... I don't want you to be disappointed in me, Mamma! You're acting like you were expecting me to... to... I want to make you proud of me!"

She reached out and took her niece's hand, guiding her to sit back on the bed. "I am proud of you, sweetheart! Immensely! But I know you're not perfect!" Feeling Erica relax a little, she decided to broach the subject. "Erica, I want to ask you something, and I want you to be honest with me."

"Of course, Mamma. Always."

Taking a deep breath she asked, "Are you still a virgin, dear?"

Erica looked at her aunt with a stunned expression. "Of course I am, Mamma! I've only been eighteen for four months, so I haven't been married yet!"

"Do you think I was a virgin when I met your Uncle Richard at twenty-one? Or even at eighteen?"

From the way she asked it, it slowly dawned on Erica that she might not have been. "Well... I guess I never really thought about it. I just assumed... Weren't you?"

Laughing, Heather put her arm around Erica's shoulders. "Hardly! And there's nothing wrong with that! If you love April, and she loves you, then it's a gift from God! I wouldn't expect you to wait until you had a legal ceremony, unless that's what you both really want." She choked back a tear as she finished her thought. "I... I just don't want you to waste the time you have together. You never know when it will end. Everything does."

She looked at her aunt and nodded solemnly. "You mean, like you and Uncle Richard? Or Mom and Dad?"

"Exactly." she answered, wiping a tear away. "I want you to have all the happiness this world can give you. Don't waste a second of it, sweetheart! Before you know it, it'll all be gone. You can't know when or how you and April will part ways. Maybe tomorrow, maybe in fifty years. Enjoy it! Of course, if it's important to you two to wait, then don't let anyone push you to it." She turned and pressed her forehead to Erica's. "Not even me!"

Smiling, Erica hugged her aunt, feeling like a little girl all over again. "Thank you, Mamma! You're the most wonderful mother in the world!"

"I sincerely doubt that sweetie, but thank you for the compliment just the same!" She kissed Erica on the cheek, stood up, and slowly walked over to Erica's door. "Goodnight, sweetheart. Do you want me to send April up?" she asked, hoping that her talk had made Erica less inhibited.

Sighing, Erica shook her head. "That's alright, Mamma. I'll go down and talk to her for a little bit though, if you don't mind."

"It's fine, dear! I'll make myself scarce! Goodnight!" Leaving for her bedroom, she left Erica's door slightly open.

Standing and stretching, Erica made her way to the door, opening it fully and looking out just as she heard her aunt's bedroom close. Tip-toeing into the hallway, she started for the stairs when Faith's door opened.

"Oh!" Faith exclaimed. "I... I didn't know if you were... I thought you would be in bed already."

"I was just going down to talk with April for a few minutes." Erica smiled. "I'll be going to bed in a little bit."

"Oh, alright." she replied. "Tell her goodnight for me?"

Reaching the stairs as Faith closed her door once more, Erica started down. Quiet as a church mouse, she crept into the living room. Spotting April laying on the loveseat by the bay window, a blanket and quilt covered her legs while she sat up reading her book. The only light was coming from the tiny table lamp behind her right shoulder.

The teen could tell someone had come down the stairs, but didn't turn to look until she could almost feel them approaching. Turning around, she saw Erica smiling at her. "Hey you! I thought you would have gone to bed already." she whispered.

Sitting on the edge of the couch while April set the book aside, Erica took her hands and held them lovingly. "Mamma wanted to have a talk."

"I know." April smiled. "Was it the sex talk?" she joked.

Shrugging to one side, Erica arched an eyebrow. "Sort of, I guess."

Her eyes bulged out as she almost swallowed her words. "Really!? She never had it with you before?"

"No. Oh, I know about sex. Mamma had us do a report on it when Faith reached menarche, but we never talked about love or romance before."

"Oh." April looked distant as her mirth died on her lips. "My mother never had any kind of talk like that with me. Just the sex talk. You know, where they tell you if you get knocked up before you turn eighteen they'll kill you, so use birth control pills and protection?"

"Mamma thought you and I were... um..."

"Yeah, I figured that out!" April giggled. "Ya wanna?"

"Do you?" Erica demurred.

Nearly growling, April wrapped her arms around Erica. "Yeah! I really do!" She sat forward and kissed Erica eagerly on the lips. Smiling as she sat back, she shook her head. "I think we can wait though, for a bit longer. We can talk about it when we get home tomorrow. Maybe then!" She waggled her eyebrows seductively at her lifelong love.

Smiling, Erica found herself slightly frightened by April's libido, as well as her own. "I... I wanted to tell you, I'd always planned on waiting until my wedding night. You know, the whole purity thing? But I... I want you to know that I... um... if you don't want to wait, since I love you and um... I guess I see us eventually..."

April swallowed hard. "Are you saying you want to get married?"

"Well... not right away!" Erica looked away. "I mean... not if you don't want to, but I mean... like... eventually? Yeah... I want to. Don't you?"

Unsure how to answer, April stalled. "Well, I guess I see myself getting married someday... not at eighteen, though!"

Erica's heart raced, sure that she'd misunderstood April's intentions all along and, faced with admitting it, April had never seriously considered spending their whole lives together. Tears started to form as she felt hurt, even though April had only said she didn't want to marry her now. But she didn't say she wanted to marry me later, either. God! I must be crazy! she beat herself up. Why would April want to marry me? She's beautiful and wonderful... and I'm just... me... the crazy girl that thought she was her own mother!

Seeing the hurt in Erica's eyes, April reached out with a hand and turned her face to her. "Honey, I wasn't saying I don't think about it! I think about it a lot! I've been imagining it for years! I think I first did when I was eight and we were playing house, and I've been thinking about it ever since!"

Sniffing to hold back the tears, she looked down at April's lap. "But?"

"But now I understand that marriage is much more important than just a fantasy or a thing to do. Do I want to marry you? God, yes! But will I rush into it without being absolutely certain it's the right thing for us? No. When I marry, it'll be for life. One time, never again. Isn't that what you want?"

"I guess you're right." Erica nodded. "I'm sorry, love. I... it's just... I just wanted to wait to be... um... be intimate... I mean like... um... go all the way, I guess?... until I'm at least engaged. Do you understand? It's... it's important to me."

"Oh." April replied disappointedly. "Um... well, I guess we'll need to do a lot of talking then, because... well... I really want to!" Yawning she added, "But not tonight! You go up to bed. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

They both leaned forward and kissed just as passionately as the first time. Erica couldn't help but think of wedding bells, white gowns, rice, rings, kissing at the altar, and a lifetime of memories to come with her sweet April. April in turn was thinking of nights full of passion, romance, candles, carnal bliss, and her beautiful Erica lost in ecstasy. Neither knew just how different their dreams were.

Parting once more, Erica sighed lovingly while April growled with desire. Standing slowly, their hands linked, Erica sighed happily and said, "G'night, mah A rúnsearc! Is ceol mo chroí thú! You're the music of my heart!"

Moaning, April smiled while her body squirmed with want. "Goodnight, pretty girl!"

Just as Erica started to walk away, she stopped and turned. "Oh! Faith said to say goodnight, too! I saw her in the hall on the way down here."

"Say goodnight to her from me too, will you honey?" April asked as she picked up her book again. "Love you!"

"Love you!" Erica silently padded up the stairs, stopping once more to turn and look at the beautiful woman who loved her so much before climbing the rest of the way toward her waiting bed.

Opening her door, she slipped in quietly, taking off her satin robe. Draping it over the back of her vanity chair, she crept to her bed and lowered herself into it, relishing the comfort of her white satin nightgown against the peach satin sheets. Scooting back, she lowered the sheet and blanket over herself. Resting her head comfortably against the feather-filled satin pillow that smelled faintly of Japanese Cherry Blossoms, Erica sighed as she closed her eyes and relaxed.

She felt the hand on her hair first, fingers running through it gently and lovingly. Smiling, she purred in contentedness. Slowly, she felt the soft and warm body press against her back, full and perfect breasts pressing against her, taught and firm nipples poking gently into her shoulder blades signaling their arousal. A hand sensuously wrapped slowly over her round hip, down her firm thighs, back up again, then down along her tender tummy.

Tracing small circles through the satin and onto her sensitive skin, the hand traveled lower, threatening to invade the delicate secret between her legs. Her breath caught momentarily, erotic sensations bringing a slight wetness below. Then back up again, the hand slid up between her breasts, gently caressing the soft mounds to either side before finally coming to rest between them.

"April said to say goodnight." Erica purred.

"She is a wonderful girl, Erica." Faith sighed. "I'm so happy for you! I'm also grateful that she said you could be mine whenever you're here."

Snuggling closer together, Erica giggled. "She kissed me, Faith! A real kiss! Beautiful and romantic and loving... It was perfect!"

"Mmmm!" Faith smiled.

"Then Mamma walked in on us!" her voice turning sardonic. "She was nice about it, but thought April was sneaking up to sleep with me and... um..."

"Make love to you?" Faith asked. Erica nodded. "Has she?"

"No. We've only kissed three times, and that was all tonight. I told Mamma I wanted to wait until my wedding night. She said I didn't have to."

"Good! You don't! In fact you probably shouldn't." Faith admonished as she ran a fingertip along Erica's left breast.

Giggling slightly, Erica smiled again. "I think I want to wait until I'm at least engaged. Mamma said that if that's what I want, I shouldn't let anyone tell me it's wrong, even her. Why do you think I shouldn't wait?"

Moaning slightly, Faith pressed her body more firmly against Erica's. "Because God loves us and wants us to be happy! Remember?"

Reaching over her head, Erica ran her fingers through Faith's luxurious blonde curls. "But what if waiting makes me happy?"

"Not waiting would make you happier... much, much happier!" Faith cooed.

"God, your hair is so sexy!" Erica commented. "Faith? Have you...?"

"Done it?" she finished the unspoken question. "Not with a guy... but um..." Suddenly embarrassed, she stopped caressing Erica and rolled over, separating them. "I... I was trying to get over you. I dated some. Two guys and a girl. I never did anything but kissing with the guys, but... um..."

Rolling over to be closer, Erica ran her fingertips along Faith's shoulder. "It's alright, Faith. Whatever you did, it doesn't make me mad or anything. I was gone and you were trying to move on. That's normal and healthy. I'm glad you did, and... um... I'll understand when you find someone you can love. Like I did with April? I'll be happy for you both! You deserve love, Faith. Someone who... deserves you. Tell me about her."

"Who?"

"The girl you dated." Erica said. "Was she pretty? Prettier than me?"

Faith giggled. "No one's as pretty as you, Erica... not even you!"

"Come on! Be serious! I... I wanna know... like... who she was... what you did together. Did you love her?"

She felt the pangs of regret at the memory of it. "I thought I did. Her name was Tamara. I knew her from school from before you moved here. She came out when she turned sixteen. She was sweet, pretty, soft, and gentle... a lot like you. I think that was the biggest problem. She was too much like you. I thought... if I dated a girl like you, it would help me get over you, but all it did was make things worse. She ended up reminding me of you all the time. It made me feel like I was cheating on you... because I told you I'd never love anyone else ever again."

Kissing Faith's shoulder gently, Erica reassured her. "I didn't expect you'd stick to that, Faith. We were thirteen. Back then six years was half a lifetime!"

"Don't I know it! I... don't know how you could stand it, being alone all that time. You didn't even date at all?"

"No." Erica shook her head sadly. "I was... ugly. Not like I am now, at all. Ugly and gross! I stank like a teenage boy no matter what I tried to do!"

Rolling back over to face her, Faith smiled. "You could never be ugly to me, Erica. Even dressed like a boy with short hair and pimples, I would know who you were inside. My beautiful Erica!" She reached out and took Erica's hand. "But you wanted to know about Tam. She invited me to her sixteenth birthday party. Not many people came because she'd come out, but I wanted to be supportive, so I went, we had fun, I asked her out, we went out a few times, and then a few weeks later we started fooling around. Just... touching, you know... intimately. One night we got carried away and she wanted to... um... 'go downtown'. I told her she was my first, so she went slow and it was nice, but..." Faith's voice trailed off shakily.

Squeezing her hand, Erica looked at her reassuringly. "It's alright. Go on."

Faith started to cry. "I... I kept imagining it was you! I let her take me, but in my mind it was you! Afterwards, I cried... a lot. Tam thought she'd hurt me somehow, but I... I broke up with her the next day. I felt so bad. It wasn't fair to her. I... I should have stopped her." Pausing to wipe away a tear, she sighed. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it's better to wait. I just... I want so much for you to be happy, and I know April won't be the same for you as Tam was for me."

"Don't be so sure." Erica whispered. "I... I think when April... I... I don't know that we ever will. I mean, she wants to now, but I want to wait until we're engaged... and I think we might not..."

"It'll be OK." Faith whispered back. She slowly extended a fingertip and ran it along Erica's right cheek. "I know when you two are together for the first time, it'll be beautiful, sweet, and fun. You two are so into one another! I... I doubt I'll even enter your mind... and that's OK. I think it's better that way. It should just be about you two."

"Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a hopeless romantic!" The two teens giggled together before Erica leaned forward and let their lips touch for a moment before becoming more passionate. Letting their hands roam wherever they felt like, the two lost themselves in the sharp pleasures of simple touches and deep soulful kisses until they threatened once more to cross the line from making out to making love.

Mere moments away from crossing that line, the two slowly backed off, Erica sighing. "This is really nice Faith... being close like this... because it's you and sweet and beautiful! I couldn't imagine actual sex being better!"

"Thank you!" Faith said grinning as her breath slowed from nearly climaxing just from Erica's intimate touches. "Now roll over and lets cuddle for a while."

Doing as Faith asked, Erica turned toward her vanity as her cousin slipped up sensuously behind her and they wrapped their smooth legs around one another. Faith's hand once more drifted up over Erica's hip and delicately traced its way up to her cousin's soft bosom, Erica gasping in ecstasy as Faith's hand caressed her taught nipples.

"Cuddling, huh?" Erica giggled. "Seems like someone wants to cross a line."

Faith sighed, desperate for Erica to finish what she'd started. "I... I admit it... I do want to cross that line. Right here... right now! Erica, I want you so badly I ache for it!"

"You know I'll give you whatever you want of me, Faith." Erica admitted before loosing the ability to speak and gasping once more as Faith's hand drifted down her tummy, gently slipping her fingernail just under the elastic waistband of Erica's panties through the satin nightgown. Tracing back and forth without delving further downward, she teased Erica's skin.

"I know you will." Faith cooed in Erica's ear, sending shivers down the younger girl's spine. "Do you know how close you had me, Erica? Another few seconds and we would have become lovers. Did you know that?"

Shivering at Faith's breathy questioning in her ear and the exquisite torture of Faith's hand giving rise to own pleasure, Erica nodded. "Y-yesss... I... I knew! I l-love seeing you th-that happy, Faith!"

"Are you ready to cross that line?" Faith dared as her fingers dipped lower into Erica's silk panties, barely touching a few pubic hairs. "Are you ready to be lovers, my beautiful Erica? Still want to wait until you're engaged?"

Reaching behind her head, Erica ran her fingers once more through Faith's golden locks. "Oh, Faith! I... I want to so badly! You know I do! I love you!" As Faith pressed her breasts into Erica's back, she slid her leg up and down Erica's legs, causing the satin nightgown she wore to rise up while her fingers slid out of her panties and traced up over her hip, hooking a thumb and pushing the tiny garment downward. "Oh, Faith!"

Laughing gently, her cousin slowed her assault. "Still think actual sex can't be better?" she teased. "Want me to show you?"

Nodding slowly, Erica prepared herself for whatever Faith asked of her.

Sliding her hand back up to Erica's breasts, she teased them for a few more moments before sighing and slipping her hand between them as her body relaxed. "Thank you for showing me that I can have you if I want to, love." she sighed. "Fair warning for next time though... I'm not going to stop!"

Erica awoke early as usual, rousing Faith by slowly and sensuously kissing her. When their lips separated, Erica smiled. "I meant what I said last night, Faith. I really do hope you can find someone to love. It would make me so happy for you! Whoever gets you is going to be one lucky person!"

Giggling, Faith ran her hands over her love one more time. "I think I can now... truly love someone, that is. I... I'm really glad you came home... and I can't wait for you to come home again!" she sighed, reminding Erica that their next visit would have no boundaries. Her fingers drifted over Erica's chest, causing the redhead to twitch and moan in pleasure.

Waiting for the sweet torture to ebb, Erica shivered when it finally did. "We're going to try for Thanksgiving weekend, then a long stay over Christmas." Erica sighed as she recovered her composure and returned the favor, letting her fingers drift over the naked body lying next to her and prying moans of desire from Faith's luscious lips. "I'll miss you."

"I think two weeks will be tolerable... it's better than five years! God! April must have gone crazy living without you for six!"

"She did, a little." Erica replied, relenting in her erotic assault, leaving Faith gasping for more. "I think she had an even harder time than we did."

"You have that effect on some of us!" Faith said as she ran a finger along Erica's arm. Sighing, she sat up, the sheet and cover falling down to expose her naked body. Erica rose to kiss her goodbye one last time before she and Faith parted ways once more, Faith closing her eyes and relishing the feel of Erica's fresh young breasts against her own while their mouths and bodies said wordlessly what was in their hearts.

Smiling, Faith took Erica's breasts in her hands through the thin fabric of her nightgown, running her thumbs over the sensitive nipples, making Erica quietly cry out in pleasure. "Just remember. I won't stop the next time I have you in my bed. There will be no lines. I'm going to show you how much I love you... and you'll finally and truly be mine." Slipping silently out of Erica's bed, Faith picked up her robe and slipped it over her arms, tying it as she left her cousin alone once again.

Laying in bed awake for another hour in a waking dream of what might have been... of the road not taken... then in blissful memory of their joyous parting a short time earlier and the eager anticipation of their next meeting, Erica found herself wishing it was already Thanksgiving.

Hearing the household start to wake, she rose and quietly slipped into her bathroom. Taking her essentials with her, she brushed her teeth quickly before getting partially dressed and slipping her robe on. Heading back out into the bedroom, she smiled.

"Good morning, Franchesca!" she chirped. "Busy day!"

"You ain't kiddin', sister!" she replied. "Between you two leaving and Faith going into town with your aunt, I'll be left with a half dozen rooms to clean, not the least of which is her pigsty! At least she won't be moping around here all day in yoga pants, getting in my way anymore!"

Erica pulled out the outfit she had chosen for the return trip as she listened to Franchesca. "I'm sure the fans of 'New Hampshire vs. California' will understand if this week's article is late, Fran."

She stopped making the bed and put her hands on her hips. "What did you just call me, young lady?"

Turning and smiling, Erica headed for the bathroom once more. "Fran!"

When she closed the door quickly behind her, Franchesca huffed, blustered, and finally threw up her hands in frustration. "Well go on, then! Call me what you like!" As she finished making Erica's bed, she smiled wistfully at the diminutive her favorite little girl had given her.

Shortly after breakfast, April and Erica were once more in the entryway, this time saying goodbye as they parted ways with Hargrave House.

"Call when you get in?" Heather asked. "I just don't want to worry, is all!"

Erica hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. "I will, Mamma." She turned to Franchesca and hugged her quickly. "Try not to miss me too much, Fran. Love you!"

Returning the hug she only said, "You be careful, young lady!"

Enveloping Erica in a bear hug, Theresa threatened to squeeze the air from her lungs. "Bye, girlie! Hurry home again, soon!"

"Thanksgiving, barring natural disaster!" Erica laughed. "Love you!" Turning to Fredrick, she smiled shyly and closed in for a gentle hug. "Love you too, Fredrick! Try and stay out of trouble!"

"Me, Miss Erica?" he huffed. "I should think you would benefit from that advice!" As they parted, he genuinely smiled. "Do come back soon!"

While April made her way through the others, Erica stopped in front of Faith. Folding into each other's arms, it was a chaste hug, but both of them felt differently about it and wanted so badly to make it much more. "I love you, Faith!" Erica cried.

"I love you too, Erica!" Faith returned, trying to stem the tide of both tears and yearning.

Pulling back and just holding Faith's arms, Erica smiled. "Remember! God loves us and wants us to be happy! All of us!"

Nodding as she freed a hand, Faith wiped her eyes. "I will! You remember it, too! Drive careful!"

Erica laughed as they released one another. "She will!"

With good-byes done, she and her lifelong love headed for April's car. With a four-hour drive ahead and the weather taking a turn for the worse, Heather watched pensively as Erica climbed into the passenger seat. "Be safe!" she shouted. "Come home soon!"

Closing her door, Erica waved through the open window. "We will! Love you! See you at Thanksgiving!"

The car speeding off down the driveway, the rest started inside to leave Faith standing alone to watch Erica drive away once more. Her heart was sad at watching her go, but the tears that fell silently from her eyes were not of sorrow or grief, but happiness. Happiness for her sweet cousin who had managed the impossible; to find true love not once... but twice... and yet somehow managed to make it all work.

Turning to enter the house once more, the car long out of sight, she thought of her future optimistically for the first time in years. Walking in as Fredrick closed the door behind her, she smiled. "Mamma? I'll be ready to go in a little bit." To town today... then school in January... Erica was right! Nurses are just as important as doctors!