My Healer

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My Healer

Part Eight

By Chris

"When I was born, I had a defective gene that I didn't know I had. I lived a perfectly normal childhood with the defective not giving me a problem. However when I got to college, that defective gene switched on and my blood was no longer able to provide my organs and muscles with the nutrition that they needed to survive. For a while I was able to live on blood transfusions but I eventually ran out of my allotment. So before my body gave completely out and I died a slow death with my best friend and sister trying to care for me and a new baby that was about to make her arrival, I decided to end my life on my own terms." Grace told them and then she paused to let that sink in and she saw that it was making an impression on them.

"I went to a cliff that Maryanne and I used to visit and drink beer far away from our foster mother's eyes." She told them and that got a smile from them as she meant for it to.

"I was just starting to lean forward and fall off the cliff when some bitch grabbed me from behind pulling me to the ground." Grace said with a smile and got two smiles in return as the girls knew that the bitch had to be Hope.

"To say the least, I was pissed but Hope had this way of calming me. She talked me into helping her learn about my world in exchange for her healing me," Grace told her, "And I only agreed because she was much stronger than me with me being days away from dying. However I planned on escaping her as soon as I could and jump to my death as I intended."

"But Hope could heal you," Tammy told her and Grace knew she had Tammy convinced about Hope but then Tammy had seen what Hope could do.

"Ah but I didn't know that then, I thought she was crazy and I wanted to get as far away from her as I could. Then I was going finish what I had started," Grace said with a smile.

"Oh yea," Tammy said.

"Hope actually was smarter than I gave her credit because she put me to sleep by putting a hand to my forehead and I didn't wake up for about six weeks. And when I saw myself in the mirror, I didn't recognize myself and I thought that I had gone crazy." Grace told them getting a giggle from them both.

"I still needed several days to be convinced that she had cured me and not just give me several blood transfusions that would appear to make me well when I wasn't." Grace told them.

"What convinced you?" Madison asked.

"First she went several days without getting any transfusions and instead of getting sicker, she got stronger." Hope said coming out of the grill with four glasses on a tray and she had everyone watching her to make sure she didn't fall.

"Yes that and I got her to tell me who she was," Grace told them, "Only then did I really believe."

"How did you get her stronger when she was asleep the whole time?" Madison asked showing that she was now really thinking this information through.

"Yea did you use a feeding tube or something and give her some of your food that you made me eat?" Tammy asked critically.

"Actually I would let her wake just enough to get her to eat," Hope told them.

"And..." Grace said smiling at Hope.

"And I breastfed her," Hope said with a grin.

"Which explained why I woke you with a strange attraction to her breasts and an aversion to her food," Grace told them with a grin.

"Oh..." Madison said as she blushed making Grace smile at her and she saw that Tammy was now gazing at Hope's breasts picturing them full of milk, Grace was sure.

"Her food wasn't that bad," Tammy said taking her eyes away from Hope's breasts and back to her face.

"You got Grace's version of my breakfast, she made me add sugar to it to take the bitterness away," Hope said with a laugh.

"Oh I see, if it was bitter then I wouldn't have cared for it either," Tammy said with a smile.

"So you did heal me like Tammy said you did?" Madison asked getting the subject back on subject, meaning Hope's ability to heal.

"Yes I did which brings me to ask a favor of you both," Hope said to them both.

"We both want to ask this of you," Grace added.

"We can't tell anyone, that's what you're asking?" Madison stated.

"No you can't," Grace told them.

"But there's so much good that you could do; you healed both Grace and Madison, so why not everyone else?" Tammy asked and Grace wasn't surprised that she would be the one to ask the question.

"Tammy, Hope can't heal the whole world, we have to do that our way and in our time, not Hope's way. In her world there are many, many healers where here we have doctors and hospitals." Grace said to her trying to get her to understand.

"Well then how about just here?" Tammy asked.

"And would everyone here keep our secret?" Grace asked.

"If we asked them too..." Tammy said and then she frowned knowing that it would get out. So she switched tactics by saying, "So what if it got out?"

"Then I would have to go home sooner than I am supposed to. I was sent here to only observe and do nothing else. They didn't want to send a healer but I convinced them that I would offer a different perspective and that I wouldn't heal anyone, something that I have done already and shouldn't have." Hope told them.

"So you're leaving, you going to leave Grace? How can you do that?" Madison asked not believing that anyone could leave someone that they loved.

"Honey, I knew long before I fell in love with Hope that our time was limited and I'm cool with that." Grace said though it was something she did know but hadn't completely faced yet.

"When do you have to leave?" Tammy asked Hope.

Hope then looked at Grace and she knew that Hope had no clue as to how to tell them since she was still shaky on how to keep up with earth's time. "We have some time yet but not a long time, and I want to keep her with me as long as I can." Grace said adding the last part hoping to cater to the girls' sense of love and romance.

Tammy looked over at Madison who looked at her, "Okay we'll keep our traps shut and not tell anyone on one condition." Tammy said with a grin on her face.

"And that being?" Hope asked with Grace frowning at the girls for even thinking of putting a condition onto their promise.

"That you tell us all about your planet," Tammy said with a grin.

Hope smiled and Grace had to also, "I can do that but you do promise to keep this quiet?" Hope asked being solemn this time.

"We promise," Madison said and so did Tammy though Grace wasn't so sure about Tammy's promise. She was a girl that had almost too kind of a heart and she hurt when someone else hurt. But Tammy proved Grace wrong for the most part, she only came to Hope when a child had gotten hurt, mostly scrapes and cuts, all minor in nature. But to the child, they were major and when Hope took their pain away and wiped the tears from their eyes, she got a heartfelt hug in return. Grace almost envied Hope of this ability but she also marveled at this ability to make a child whole again.

Tammy and Madison kept them up all night making Hope tell them of her planet and the people there. She could see them both wanting to live in such a world but then so did she. It was only just before daybreak did Tammy and Madison allowed them to head to bed. However Hope did take the long way back to their cabin, making Grace come with her to see the sun arise upon the calm sea.

That weekend the resort was full and there were lots of activities to keep them both going. They went to a dance and afterwards, stopped at a huge bonfire and sat with the people there who were drinking and telling bad or naughty jokes. Some of these Grace had to explain and then Hope would laugh a moment after the others had stopped laughing. This amused most everyone and embarrassed Hope but she didn't seem to mind much. She was learning what made the people here laugh. Grace even told a couple of jokes that she could remember from college and of course they were more than a little naughty and she felt herself blushing as she told them which made everyone laugh even more. Grace also discovered that Hope disliked beer as she only took a couple of sips of the one she was given. Beer wasn't one of Grace's favorite drinks either though she had gotten used to drinking them in college.

The next week, they enjoyed the peace and quiet and also Tammy and Madison's company as it was the last week before they had to return to school. And Wednesday of that week, a package arrived that contained several Tunskans for Madison and Tammy who just have to have one since they had seen theirs. Grace wondered just how Hope was able to get them shipped to the resort, but all Hope really told her was that there was a storage area where they arrived on earth and that she could get things sent to her if she needed them. So Grace then knew that someone had to stay there, wherever that was. But she assumed that is was in the northwest somewhere.

Grace also got Hope to venture off the resort to buy some fresh fruit and also some herbs and green leafy things that she would dry out to made more of her powers. It wouldn't be as good as what she had on her planet but would do in a pinch. Grace did like being able to go out clothed again but she also found that she had grown to like not having to wear anything at all and that she would return to a resort like this one day. When she told Hope this, she saw the smile come to her face though she didn't say "I told you so," even though she had every right to do so.

Their month at the resort ended too soon for both of them and especially Tammy and Madison who both almost begged them to stay there forever. But they had other places to visit and people to meet, so with a kiss and a hug to both and more than a few tears, Hope and Grace got into their car and headed south. They headed down to the Keys but not before making a stop at the well know Fantasy Park where they rode every ride that was there and some of them several times. While the park was fun, it also allowed Grace to show Hope some of their culture and the characters that kids grew up watching and dreaming of being. It was a child's fantasy world come to life.

They went next to the northeast, stopping in New York City to see the sights there and also take in several Broadway plays. This Hope loved and Grace began to wonder if she would ever get Hope away from there. As they watched a play, Grace could see Hope getting lost in it.

There were also so many different cultures in New York that they got to experience and so many different foods to taste. They visited about every different type of restaurant that they could find. Most they both enjoyed but there was a couple that neither cared for but they wanted to taste them all and they did. They stayed for about three weeks before heading west again, this time traveling along the northern states stopping at some of the larger cities and smaller towns to see what there was to see but also to learn of the people there and their history.

When they got to Chicago, they took in the sights there and even went to a pro football game. Grace didn't know much about the game other than the basics but she just wanted to show Hope one of the major sporting events of her world. They also took in a basketball game or two and some college games. These games, they enjoyed but mostly they went so that Hope could learn more about her world.

As they moved west, the colder weather moved in and they got stuck in a small town in South Dakota when the first real blizzard of the winter arrived with them. The car that Hope had brought from her planet wasn't made for snow and so they couldn't move until the streets and highways were cleared of all the snow and ice. It didn't take Hope long to discover that while she loved watching the snow fall and how it turned everything white, she didn't like the cold temperatures that went with it. She had come from a plant with two suns and lots of light and warmth.

Grace found that while the Tunskans were great for keeping a woman warm in cool weather and relativity cool in hot weather, it was defenseless against the frigid cold. So Grace introduced Hope to jeans, sweaters, and parkas. This was more constrictive but better able to ward off the cold temperatures. So they enjoyed their time in this small town snuggling together on the cold mornings and venturing out to the local diner to eat and talk to the people of the town. Once they were able to move on, they did, taking their time heading west and Grace feared that their time together was slowly coming to an end. She could feel it in her bones and from the way that Hope was acting. They made love each night and Hope seemed intent that she made sure that Grace had several orgasms.

They eventually made their way to Washington as spring arrived. Grace then knew that they were close to home and from the way that Hope was holding her tighter at night that soon she would have to say goodbye to her. So she talked Hope into making a brief visit up to Alaska, just to delay what she knew was coming. Grace tried to make their time there last but Hope would only stay a couple of weeks before she made Grace return to Washington, this time going to the interior of the state where there was mostly forest and farming land. Hope found them an old motel to stay in, and Grace saw they the people there seemed to remember Hope which told Grace that they were near where Hope had arrived.

They spent almost every evening watching the sun set and Grace knew that Hope was burning the sight into her soul as she would never see it again. And Grace would wake up feeling Hope getting out of bed so that she could watch the sun rise. Grace would get up with her and together they would watch the sun arise over the trees of the forest.

Grace knew when her last night with Hope had come, as Hope took her out to a nice restaurant in the next town over. They had a very nice meal though neither talked a lot and when they did it was mostly about the things that they had seen in their travel across and around the country. When they got back to their motel, they went straight to the shower where they bathed together. Hope washed Grace so sensually and slowly. She caressed every part of her body getting Grace every aroused. She felt Hope's fingers caress her nipples, pinching and pulling on them as she washed them. Her fingers slowly made their way down Grace's belly going around to her hips before coming back to her pussy. Hope's soapy fingers slowly moved down her pussy washing the skin and her lips which were getting very wet. Hope moved on down to her legs washing them as she got down on her knees. Hope moved her hands down her right leg, caressing every inch of Grace's thighs and lower legs. Then she took her right foot and washed it just as slowly. She then got Grace to raise her left foot so that she could wash it even caressing her toes and making her giggle a little.

Hope then turned her around and gave a kiss to each ass cheek before Grace felt Hope's hands on it caressing her ass cheeks and teasing her rosebud as she washed it. Those wonderful hands moved to her lower back and she felt Hope kissing her shoulders thus indicating that she had stood back up. Hope's hands moved up to her shoulders, massaging and caressing them making Grace let out a contented coo. She let out a moan as those hands went to her neck making her relax completely.

Grace felt Hope's hands leave her for a moment and she was about to open her eyes when she felt some shampoo being put on the top of her head and then Hope's hands on her head, soaping up her hair and massaging her scalp. Grace would have been content to let Hope wash her hair all night but much too soon she felt Hope's hands guiding her up under the spray of the warm water, rinsing her hair and washing the soap from her aroused body. Again she felt Hope's hands moving all around her body going from her breasts to her pussy and then to her ass cheeks as the water washed the soap away.

When she felt Hope pull her away from the water, she wiped the water from her eyes before opening them. She was about to tell Hope to move around so that she could wash her but Hope placed her finger to Grace's lips stopping any words that might come from them. Hope gave her a soft smile before pacing a light kiss to her lips. Hope then turned off the water and pulled back the shower curtain. There was so many things that she wanted to say to Hope, most of them being something to the line of getting her to stay here with her forever. But she knew that Hope couldn't stay and no amount of talking would change that fact. So she let Hope help her out of the shower allowing Hope to dry her body and brush out her hair.

Hope took her hand, leading her to the bed. She pulled down the covers before placing Grace on the center of the bed. Grace looked up at Hope seeing a smile on her face but it was a sad smile all the same. Even as aroused as she was, Grace felt more than a little sadness come to her heart and she felt her eyes water and the tears begin to flow. Hope saw those tears and she gave Grace a frown before tears began to flow from her eyes.

Hope slowly climbed onto the bed, lying down on top of her. She put her hands to Grace's cheeks holding them softly and caressing them with her fingers. Hope then spoke softly, "We both knew that this day would come and it has. I must go back to my world and you must stay in yours. My stay here was shorter than most but that is all that they would allow me giving what I am. Now let me make love to you one last time my love."

Grace could only nod as she feared that she couldn't form any words and whatever words she might say would be the wrong ones. She stared up into Hope's eyes as Hope lowered her head. Grace wanted to look at her lover and healer for as long as she could before she closed them an instant before she felt Hope's soft lips touch hers.

Grace put her hands to Hope's upper arms, grasping them as Hope kissed her softly first just using her lips making the kiss so sensual. Their lips kissed as they moved their heads as the kiss slowly became more passionate and Grace felt Hope opening her lips. Grace felt Hope's tongue entering her mouth. She met it with her own tongue and their tongues caressed the other while they were in her mouth. Grace felt her body heating up again and she felt nipples hardening and her pussy getting very moist.

She pushed her pussy up against Hope's pussy while she wrapped her legs around Hope's waist. Hope kept kissing her as she ground her pussy down onto Grace's pussy. Grace felt Hope's juices running down onto her pussy making them both slick. Grace moved her hips faster and faster pressing down hard. Soon Grace began to pant and that made it hard for her to continue to kiss but their lips remained in contact while they ground into each other. They hadn't made love this way before and Grace wished they had as she felt her pussy heat up and her clit began sensitive as she rubbed against Hope's clit and pussy. She loved feeling Hope's juices mixing with her own. She heard Hope moaning within the kiss just as she was moaning. She used her legs to grip Hope's hips tighter and making their rubbing that much more intense. She felt her clit get so sensitive and then she felt it explode as her orgasms hit her hard and she heard Hope grunt with her as indicating that she was cumming to.

When she began to recover; she felt Hope's tongue on her pussy licking up their combined juices and she had to let out a contented moan. That wonderful tongue was moving over her lips going across her clit making her moan and then going above her pussy to lick up the juices that they both had made. Grace let on a contented coo as she reached down to caress Hope's fine hair. The tongue moved back down to her pussy and concentrated on her lips and slit, moving up and down there, and going down below her pussy to lick up the juices running out of her. Slowly the tongue began to between her lips getting in deeper.

Grace opened her legs even wider so that Hope's tongue could get in deeper. Soon she felt Hope's fingers spreading her open and the tongue reaching in so deep. It felt like Hope was touching her soul and in a way, she was. Grace kept her eyes closed just enjoying the sensation of Hope licking her and wanting to burn it into her soul. Hope's tongue moved within the entrance of her pussy teasing her and then going deeper to make her moan and push her hips off the bed to get Hope to go deeper. Oh it felt so good and even better when Hope would move up to her clit, sucking it into her mouth and sucking while using the tip of her tongue to tease it.

But before her orgasm could arrive, Hope would give her sensitive clit a kiss and go back to licking her pussy and sucking up the juices flowing from her. By doing this Hope was able to get her to rise to a higher and higher plateau of arousal until she felt like she was either going to die or explode with an orgasm so intense. Luckily it was the latter as the next time Hope's mouth went to her clit, it stayed there first kissing and sucking on it until Grace was at such a high level of arousal that she just knew that death was upon her. Then Hope started to lick hard against her sensitive bud and she felt her body go still and she cried out as she came so fucking hard.

She felt her soul leave her and she was floating about her own body, seeing and feeling Hope lick her so lovingly and with so much passion. She so wanted to stay there forever but slowly she felt her soul return back to reality where her lover was about to leave her forever.

Just as she was about to open her eyes, she felt Hope lying beside of her and she felt her warm breath in her right ear, "I need to you to sleep baby..." She heard Hope whisper into her ear. As much as she wanted to argue but she didn't, she just let her body relax. She felt Hope's hand on her forehead but before she fell into a deep sleep, she felt Hope's soft lips upon her lips for one last kiss.

When she awoke, she felt a hunger within her body. She was about afraid to open her eye as she could sense that she was in the bed alone and there were no sounds of Hope moving within the hotel room. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around while she sat up in the bed. She saw that Hope was nowhere to be seen but then she saw Hope's bag and that gave her some hope but she knew that it was a false hope. She got up out of the bed, going to the bathroom to pee.

While sitting on the toilet, she had this strange feeling deep within her abdomen, something that she had never felt before and she knew it wasn't a cramp like she got just before her period started. But something was different within her body. She wiped her pussy clean before getting up and going to the mirror. She saw that her face was flush and then she felt this hunger pain. She brushed her teeth before brushing out her hair. She then went to the window looking out to see that their car was gone.

She felt the tears come to her eyes and she let herself just stand there and cry while looking down at the empty place where their car had been parked. She wasn't sure how long she allowed herself to cry before she finally cried herself out. She went back to the bathroom and blew her nose with some toilet paper and she splashed cold water on her face.

She went back out going to Hope's bag. She pulled out several Tunskan's before getting down to the bags of powder that Hope used to make her food up. She pulled a couple out to fix her something to eat. She started to get up when she saw something green, she moved a couple of bags to see all the money that they had left and there was a lot of it. She felt around and she felt something hard. She pulled it out to discover Hope's tablet or whatever it was. She took it and the powders to the little kitchenette so that she could make her something to eat as she was starving now. She mixed the powders together adding a little sugar before sitting down. Then she remembered her phone so she jumped up going to the bed. She picked up her phone and saw that it was dead. She found her charger, plugging it up, and hooking her phone to it. It took a minute for the phone to come to life and when it did, she saw that she had lost a week. She cussed Hope for doing that to her; not that it did her any good since Hope was surely well on her way back home by now.

She began to eat while opening the tablet and getting it going. She now knew well how to work it. She started by looking at some of Hope's stuff though she could read only a couple of the words on it that Hope had taught her. She hadn't worked long on it when something appeared to one side. She saw that it was in English and she began to read the short note.

"Please remember me and the love that I have for you. And I left a present for you, cherish it and think of me as you..." the note said but then there was nothing else.

"As I what?" Grace asked herself aloud. "Damn that bitch!"

Then she saw a email address written in small letters below that and she knew that Hope had left her a way to contact her though she figured that it would take a while to get a reply. She went on to the internet and signed to her own email address. She sent out an email out to the address that Hope had left for her.

"I will remember you and your love and please remember how much I love you... and I will think of you when I look at your present." Grace wrote thought she didn't have a clue as to just what the present was.

She washed out her bowl feeling better at least as far as her stomach was concerned. She went back into the bathroom to take a shower and figure out just what she would do with the rest of her life now that Hope was gone. She had just gotten under the water when the emotions hit her again, she felt her knees go weak, and she slipped down in the tub. She curled up in a ball and sobbed as the water cascaded down upon her. She cried, sobbed, and cursed Hope, while the sat in the tub. It was only when the water began to turn cold that she was pulled from her sadness.

She forced herself to finish her shower in the cold water leaving her freezing. When she moved her hands down to her pussy, she felt a warmth there and then something flashed into her mind before it was gone. It was like her pussy was on fire and the fire felt so good. She had long learned to trust these feeling and images that flashed into her mind where Hope was concerned.

She finished rinsing off and turned off the water. She stepped out grabbing a towel to dry off. She kept trying to get the memory to come back as she knew this wasn't a dream, it was real. She knew that from when Hope was healing her that she could retain some of what Hope had done to her.

Once she was dry and had brushed her damp hair out, she put her hair brush down and she stared into the mirror. She put herself in almost a trance as she tried to remember that vague memory. Slowly more and more of the memory came back to her. She knew that Hope was doing something to her pussy like she had done when she had removed the last of her pussy hair. The only difference was that it wasn't Hope's hand that was on her pussy but instead it was Hope's pussy that was pressed against her pussy. She knew that this was Hope's present to her, a orgasm that was so intense and wonderful that it made her knees weak just thinking about it. She just wished that Hope had done it while she was awake, for that she was more than a little pissed at her.

She finished drying out her hair and then she went back to the bed sitting down on the edge knowing that she had to figure out where she was going from here. She knew that she had the money to finish getting her degree in history but she also knew that before she even thought about school, she had to do something that she should have done long ago, she had to tell Maryanne that she was alive and well. The worst part was that she was going to have to do it in person, a phone call wouldn't work. She knew putting it off wasn't going to make it any better and besides she missed her friend and sister and she so wanted to see Little Grace.

So after sitting another moment, she got up, went to Hope's bag, pulled out a Tunskan and put it on. She packed up her and Hope's things before putting some money in one of her hidden pockets. She put the bags over her shoulders feeling the weight of them and knowing it was going to be fun carrying them. She went on down to the office and checked out. She called a cab and waited out front for it. When the cabbie found out how far Grace wanted him to take her, he bucked until Grace gave him a hundred dollar bill. That changed his attitude quickly and she was soon on the fifty mile drive to the airport. The trip cost her almost two hundred dollars, half for the cab fee and the other half as a tip. On the trip, Grace moved her things from one bag to another so that all the clothes and tablet went into her bag that she would check while the powders and money went into Hope's bag that she would carry on. These would make it through the x-ray machine and not raise any flags.

The flight was only about an hour long and very uneventful and thus gave her time to think of what she would say to Maryanne. The problem was she didn't have a clue as to what to say. It was unforgivable for her to wait this long to tell Maryanne and she knew that Maryanne would be pissed at her for a while. But in the end she would be forgiven, that's what sisters do. She would just have to do a lot of begging and once forgiven, she knew that Maryanne would help her get over losing Hope.

After landing, she got her bag and headed out to find a cab. She was glad that Billy had gotten a job in Eugene, Oregon. It was easy to fly into also had lots of cabs to take her where she needed to go. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she got into the cab. Her mind was going blank as she thought of a way to tell Maryanne how she was still alive and actually in the best shape of her life. But the most important thing was to tell her why she hadn't told her best friend and sister (if not by blood, then by growing up together) before now. That she knew was unforgiveable.

She arrived in front of Maryanne's house much sooner than she was ready for. She looked at the small house, seeing that Billy had painted it and added onto the front porch. There was now a rocker on the porch and she saw a swing on one end. She also noticed that there was a swing hanging from a tree limb with a molded seat at the end of the ropes for Little Grace to swing in. She just sat there looking at the house remembering the last time that she had been in that house and the crying that she and Maryanne had done that last night. It was only when the woman cabbie cleared her throat that Grace was awakened from her memories. She apologized to the lady before paying her and giving her a generous tip.

Grace got out and then got her bags. She went up the walkway carrying her bags. She slowly went up the three steps and onto the porch. She put her bags down and took in a deep breath before opening the screen door, she paused again before bringing up her right hand which was shaking and knocking on the door, much harder than she meant to. Still it was a minute or two before she heard the door knob opened and she was looking at Maryanne. Her light brown hair was cut short and was a little out of place. Something that she remembered Maryanne was careful to prevent once she discovered that boys were there for more than teasing and beating up as she and Grace had done through grade school. She had also gained about ten pounds but her eyes were just as bright and carefree.

"May I help you?" Maryanne said as if Grace was a stranger at her door and in a way she was.

"It's me Maryanne," Grace said softly.

"What?" Maryanne said in a confused way but then her eyes went wide as if she was seeing a ghost. The next words that came out of her voice were "Oh My God..." as her right hand came up to her mouth covering it.

Grace started to say something when she saw Maryanne's eyes flutter and she started to fall forward. For once Grace reacted quickly as she caught her sister and she helped ease her down to the floor. She turned Maryanne onto her back brushing the hair from her face. Of all the things that might happen when Maryanne saw her, fainting wasn't one that Grace had thought of. About this time, she heard heavier steps coming toward her and then she saw Billy carrying a pretty brown hair baby that could only be Little Grace.

"What have you done to my wife?" Billy said suddenly alarmed as he looked down at her kneeling by his prone wife.

"I didn't do anything to her Billy, now go and get me a wet cloth, cold if you don't mind." Grace told Billy with a bit of authority in her voice just like she had heard Hope do in times like this.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked as he seemed to be stuck in place powerless to move.

"She just fainted when she saw me, now go get that wet cloth Silly Billy," Grace told him and it took a moment for what she had called him to register in his brain.

"Grace?" Billy said as she was the only person that ever called him Silly Billy.

"Yes it's me Billy, now go and get me that rag so that we can get Maryanne back on her feet.

It took Billy another second to move but he did. He soon returned with a wet dish cloth still dripping with water. He had obviously just dipped it in water and came back running to his wife. Grace frowned at him as Billy kneeled by his wife still holding on tightly to Little Grace who was looking on unconcerned for her mother. Grace had to move over and open the screen door to ring the rag out before coming back to Maryanne.

"Sorry," he said blushing a little but not looking away from Maryanne. Grace could see that Billy loved her even more now than he had before and that made her feel good to know.

Grace carefully wiped Maryanne's face off with the cold rag and slowly but surely Maryanne began to come around. She moaned a little at first and then her eyes began to flutter open. Maryanne looked up at her and she smiled softly. Maryanne then got this confused look on her face before she reached up with her right hand putting it to Grace's left cheek.

"Is that really you Grace?" Maryanne asked her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes it's me," Grace said softly.

"You're alive?" Maryanne said still obviously confused.

"Yes I'm alive and well," Grace told her and she saw that Maryanne was finally getting the cobwebs out of her head and she knew that the trouble was about to begin.

"Let me sit up," Maryanne said to both her and Billy who was hanging over Maryanne with a worried look on his face.

Grace started to reach down to place her hand on Maryanne's left shoulder but Maryanne slapped her arm away and sat up on her own.

"You're really all better, no longer sick?" She asked again.

"Yes Maryanne, I'm cured, I found someone who could make me better and turn off that bad gene," Grace said with a smile.

"How long have you been better?" Maryanne asked of her.

Grace knew that this was when the shit was about to hit the fan when she replied with, "Close to a year now."

Maryanne had always had quick reactions but what she did next was so fast that Grace never saw it coming though she should have. The next thing that Grace knew was that she was sitting on her ass and the left side of her face felt like it had been hit with a board. Her head exploded in pain and she was the one that was a bit dazed.

"You fucking bitch! You couldn't spare a second to tell your sister and I thought best friend, that you were alive and well?" Maryanne spat out at her and this time Grace saw Maryanne's hand move back so that she could slap her again.

Grace's instinct was to reach up and stop that hand but she knew that she deserved a second slap and accepted it though knowing it was coming didn't help much as it left her in pain and seeing stars. "I'm sorry," was all Grace could think to say and she knew that wasn't even close in helping her case.

"Get the hell out of my house and I don't want you to ever set foot in here again!" Maryanne spat out while standing up.

She then grabbed Little Grace from Billy's hands scaring Little Grace and making her cry. "And to think that I named my child after you! You're a fucking bitch!" She said before disappearing around the corner, disappearing into a room.

Billy reached down and helped Grace up, "Go have a seat in the living room and let her cool off." He said pointing to the right.

He started to head toward where Maryanne had gone when he stopped, "You know she is right, you should have called and told her you were alive. She has been grieving for you for a long time. You two were closer than real sisters could ever be and you owe her an explanation but I'm not sure even the best one will ever make her forgive you. I'm not sure that I can ever forgive you either." He told her before heading toward his wife and baby.

Grace felt tears come to her eyes as she headed toward the living room. She sat down on a worn couch having to move a couple of Little Grace's toys out of the way first. She knew that Billy was right as was Maryanne and knowing Maryanne, she wasn't too sure that she would forgive her. But she also knew that Maryanne's curiosity would eventually get the better of her. But then she heard Maryanne ask loudly, "Is the bitch gone?"

To which she heard Billy say something in reply and Maryanne came back just as loudly as before, "Well go and throw the bitch out of here. She's dead to me and will always be dead to me!"

Grace was beginning to think that maybe she should leave for a while when Billy came back in holding Little Grace while Maryanne was making a lot of noise in what seemed to be the kitchen. It was like she was messing with some pots and pans and not handling any of them gently. He didn't say anything as he came over to the couch sitting down and putting Little Grace on his lap. He gave her a toy key ring to play with and that went straight into her mouth and she began to chew on it.

"She's teething," Billy said to her.

"Should I leave?" Grace asked wiping the tears from her eyes.

"No let her cool down, you know her temper, fast to blow, but then once she gets it out of her system, she settles down." Billy said.

"Yes I remember her temper well," Grace said with a smile as she put her hand to her cheek feeling that it was still tender and hurting.

"Why didn't you call her?" Billy asked.

"By the time that I was able to call, so much time had passed and I knew that Maryanne would have already accepted the fact that I had gone through with what I had intended to do. A phone call wouldn't have been enough; I had to come here to tell her, to show her that I was alive." Grace said.

"So why didn't you come then bitch?" Maryanne said from the doorway.

Grace could see that Maryanne had been crying and that made her want to cry but she didn't.

"Because..." Grace said and then she hesitated as she knew she should have called. "Because I..."

"Because what bitch?" Maryanne asked harshly.

Grace was beginning to get tired of being called a bitch but then she knew that Maryanne called anyone that pissed her off, a bitch, no matter if they were male or female. "If you will sit down with me and I'll tell you everything. When I'm done and you still want me to leave then I will and I'll never return. But please remember that I will always think of you as my sister and that I love you. You saved me when I was placed in foster care and I have loved you ever since no matter how many bars of soap I had to suck on because of you."

Grace almost saw a smile come to Maryanne's face and she hoped that was a good sign. But then the scowl came back to Maryanne's face as she said, "I'll give you five minutes bitch then I want you out of my house and out of my life," Maryanne said coming over to where Billy was sitting, taking Little Grace out of his hands. Billy got up leaving them alone but he did give Grace a smile before departing.

"The clocks ticking bitch!" Maryanne said making Grace cringe.

Grace wanted to tell Maryanne to stop calling her that but she didn't. Instead she paused for a moment gathering her thoughts before she began. "When I left you, I had every intention of jumping off our cliff by that very evening. I got there and I prepared myself to fall to my death ending the suffering that I had gone though for all too long. But that was when some bitch grabbed me from behind pulling me down to the ground and wrapping her arms and legs around me." Grace said and she saw that she had at least gotten Maryanne's attention.

Grace went on to tell about going back to a motel with Hope all the while trying to think of a way of getting away from her and then came the tricky part of the story as she told Maryanne about waking up six weeks later with a body that was no longer sickly looking. She saw Maryanne looking at her skeptically as she would have done but she went on with her story of how she got Hope to tell her who and what she was. She saw some disbelief in Maryanne's eyes but she didn't say anything just letting her talk. Little Grace meanwhile had become interested in her and she struggled out of Maryanne's arms crawling over to Grace who was dying to hold her and Little Grace crawled up into her lap. It was a good sigh that Maryanne was allowing her daughter to come to her.

As she went on with her story, Billy came in with something for them to drink and he took Little Grace to check her diaper and also give her a bath thus giving Grace more time to talk since she had gone well past her allotted five minutes. She went on through some of the things that she and Hope had done and also that she had fallen for her healer and her healer had fallen for her but now she was gone.

"You expect me to believe this story?" Maryanne asked her when she was done.

"Yes I do though I know that it's not a believable story. If someone had told me the same story that I just told you; I would say that they're crazy but I do hope that I would believe you if you had told me that story." Grace told her.

"You wouldn't have believed me," Maryanne told her.

"Yes I would," Grace protested, hoping that she was right about that.

"But you're the muff diver of the family not me," Maryanne said finally cracking a smile, a small smile but a smile.

The comment took Grace a second to digest but then she had to smile, "Yes I'm the muff diver of the family." She conceded glad that Maryanne still considered her family even if that was by calling her a muff diver but at least she wasn't calling her a bitch.

"May I have a hug?" Grace asked.

Maryanne seemed to have to think this over and that wasn't a good sign but then she said with a sigh, "If you must..."

Grace scooted over to Maryanne covering the whole distance between them and she opened her arms. Maryanne gave her a smile before leaning and giving Grace the hug that she so desperately needed.

"This doesn't mean that I've completely forgiven you yet," Maryanne whispered into her ear.

"I know, but if I may ask one more favor?" Grace asked.

"What's that?" Maryanne asked with a questioning look on her face indicating that Grace wasn't in any position to ask for favors yet.

"Just don't slap me anymore, my ears are still ringing from the last two times you slapped me." Grace said with a smile while rubbing her cheek to make her point.

Maryanne laughed at this and she replied with, "I make no more promises about that either." Then she pulled Grace back into her arms giving her a real tight hug this time.

"I am glad that you're still alive. I've missed you so much!" Maryanne said and then she let out a sob that got Grace to crying with her.

They cried for a while before parting so that Maryanne could get them some tissues and something to drink. When she came back, the questions came as Grace knew that they would. She knew her story was unbelievable but then if anyone would believe it then that would be her sister Maryanne. They talked long into the night, long past the time that Billy put little Grace to bed and then himself. About midnight, Maryanne began to yawn so she set Grace up on the couch since the spare bedroom was now Little Grace's room.

After they had made up the couch, Maryanne gave her a hug before she started to head toward hers and Billy's bedroom. Grace was about to pull her Tunskan open when she realized that she was wearing nothing underneath. She had some jeans and sweaters in her bag from when they were in North Dakota and got snowed in but that was it. She didn't particularly want to sleep in those.

"Ah Maryanne, I do need another favor..." She said to her sister.

"What's that hun?" Maryanne asked as she came back to her.

Grace blushed a little as she said with a sheepish smile, "Hope kind of got me used to sleeping in the nude. I need something to wear to sleep unless you don't mind Silly Billy getting an eyeful in the morning."

"No I don't want that, this is the only body he needs to look at." Maryanne said with a grin and then she took a hold of Grace's hand leading her back to the bedroom.

"Can I also ask you for a favor?" Maryanne asked and the seriousness of the expression that was on her face, Grace knew that it was important to Maryanne.

"Sure, whatever you want," Grace told her just as seriously.

"Would you stop calling my husband Silly Billy, he's a good man and a good father. I know you don't mean anything by it and it never bothered me before but it does now." Maryanne told her.

"I know he is a good man and I know he loves you with all his heart." Grace said to her, "I'll never call him silly again."

"Good now let's see what I can find you to wear," Maryanne said taking her hand again and she started into the bedroom when Grace stopped.

"I'll let you get it, I'll stay out here." Grace told her.

"Oh don't worry; Billy can sleep through anything," Maryanne said while pulling Grace into the bedroom.

Grace only glanced at Billy who was covered and very sound asleep. Then as they got to the dresser, Billy let out a loud snore and then a fart causing them both to giggle. "I can always count on Billy to do something like that just when I build him up to be something great." Maryanne said with a laugh.

"Well maybe he's not great but he is a good man," Grace told her trying to control her giggling that she feared would wake Billy.

"Yes he is but that doesn't mean that I don't want to kill him some days," Maryanne said as she went through some of her pajamas and gowns before finding a pair of pajamas that would fit Grace and more importantly to cover her up. Maryanne also got her a pair of panties just to cover all the bases.

"Is that you honey?" A very sleepy Billy mumbled in his sleep.

"Yes dear, I'm coming to bed." Maryanne said to him in a sweet voice. "Come on," she then said to Grace.

"I hope we didn't wake him," Grace said once they were outside of the bedroom door.

"Nah, he's more asleep than awake, but if he doesn't feel me beside of him soon, he will wake up," Maryanne told her.

"Okay goodnight and thanks for forgiving me," Grace said before giving Maryanne a hug.

"Oh I haven't forgiven you yet dear sister, you got some begging to do yet," Maryanne said into her ear and then she gave her a kiss on the cheek before disappearing behind the door of her and Billy's bedroom.

Grace went on to the bathroom with Maryanne pajamas and she noticed that she had a smile on her face. She knew that Maryanne had forgiven her but just wasn't ready to concede the point just yet. She was going to make her suffer just a little longer. She got changed before going to the couch lying down with that same smile.

Sometime early in the morning, she woke up sensing something was wrong, nothing bad but something wasn't quite right. She sat up and listened for a second and she heard a whimpering coming from Little Grace's nursery. Grace got up and felt her way back to the bedroom, guided by the night light coming from Little Grace's nursery.

She went on in and just as she got to the crib, Little Grace let out with a cry. "Shhhhh..." she said softly as she bent down and picked Little Grace up. As soon as she got Little Grace to her chest, she knew what the problem was.

"You poo-pooed didn't you, you little stinker," Grace said to her namesake who just grinned at her.

"Don't you grin at me like that and then expect me to clean you up," Grace said to her giving Little Grace a kiss on the cheek.

She took her over to the changing table where she changed her diaper and got Little Grace cleaned up. While she did this, she talked to her as Little Grace just watched her so intently and cooed at the attention that she was getting. Once she had her cleaned and smelling like the cute adorable baby that she was, she picked her back up, taking her over to the rocking chair to put her back to sleep.

She then glanced up, she saw Maryanne standing in the doorway watching her. "Oh I didn't see, how long have you been watching me?" Grace asked Maryanne softly as Little Grace was playing with a string of her hair.

"Long enough to know you'd make a great mother," Maryanne said with a smile.

"You forgot I'm the muff diver of the family," Grace said making Maryanne smile.

"There's more than one way to skin a cat," Maryanne said as she went down the hallway.

"You're mother has no clue about being a lesbian is does she," Grace told Little Grace who just smiled at her and let out a little gas.

"Well we now know for sure that Billy's your daddy." Grace told Little Grace as she patted her bottom and slowly rocked her back to sleep. She put her back into her crib and instead of leaving; she stood there and watched as Little Grace moved her legs and mouth for a moment before going into a deep sleep. On then did Grace leave to go get some sleep of her own and envying Maryanne a little for having such a beautiful child.

She heard Billy when he got up and get ready for work, though she could tell that he was trying to be quiet. When things quieted back down, she fell back asleep. It was only when she heard Maryanne talking did she wake back up. When she opened her eyes, she saw Maryanne walking into the kitchen carrying Little Grace and talking to her as Little Grace talked back using a language that only babies and mother's know. Grace went to the bathroom to pee and to brush her teeth and hair before changing into her Tunskan.

When she came into the kitchen, she saw Maryanne drinking a glass of milk, something she hated when they were growing up and Little Grace was sitting in her high chair with some green stuff all over her lips.

"What are you feeding that child for breakfast?" Grace asked while going to the fridge to get a soft drink only to find favored bottle water. "And where are your soft drinks?"

"I'm feeding her peas and I stopped buying soft drinks when Little Gracie arrived. I don't want her growing up on that stuff." Maryanne said seriously.

"You're feeding that poor child peas for breakfast?" Grace asked as she leaned up against the counter watching Maryanne feed Little Grace.

"Sure, she doesn't know peas isn't something you eat for breakfast," Maryanne said with a little laugh.

"Well her Aunt Grace is going to teach her all the good stuff to eat," Grace said going over to Little Grace and giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Oh no her Aunt Grace isn't going to do that!" Maryanne said while Little Grace ate and watch the interchange between them like she understood every word that was being said.

"What mommy doesn't know won't hurt her," Grace said to Little Grace.

"Maybe not but it will hurt Aunt Grace when Mommy finds out about it," Maryanne said to Grace.

"You used to be fun," Grace said kidding with Maryanne.

"That was before this sweet child entered my life and I realized that I had to grow up fast," Maryanne said seriously.

"I can understand that but I'm still telling her all the trouble you got me into," Grace told her.

"I don't remember you protesting any," Maryanne countered.

"You never gave me a chance to protest," Grace said with a laugh, "Not that I would have, it was too much fun."

"We did have fun growing up didn't we," Maryanne said with a soft smile.

"I thought my life had ended when they took me away from my parents and they deposited me at Mama Rose's door. But then this wild eyed brown hair girl grabbed my hand and my life was never the same." Grace said softly with a soft smile on her face.

Maryanne reached over and placed her hand on top of Grace's hand making Grace feel a little better and a lot better when she said, "You know you saved me too, I was so lonely before you arrived and Mama Rose wouldn't let me do anything, but with you there, I had a sister to play with, a sister that I had gone to sllep at night dreaming that one day I would have. But you turned out to be a even better sister than I dreamed." Maryanne told her giving her hand a squeeze.

"I used to tell Hope all about the things we got into and how many times we both ended up with bars of soap in our mouths for saying bad words," Grace told her and she felt a deep sadness come over her.

"You miss her don't you?" Maryanne asked.

The question caught her off guard and she felt the hole in her heart that Hope's leaving had created; the tears came to her eyes before she could stop them. The next thing she knew, Maryanne had her in her arms holding her tightly and letting her cry it out.

"You know that bitch should never have left you, she should have found a way to stay," Maryanne said to her after Grace's tears began to slow down.

"She's not a bitch; I knew that she would have to return one day." Grace said in defense of Hope.

"Maybe not but she's still a bitch in my eyes for leaving you," Maryanne said straightforward as what her nature.

Grace pulled back looking into her sisters' eyes and saw the love that Maryanne had for her but also how serious she was about what she had said. Grace had to let out a slight smile, "Okay she's a bitch for leaving me but I still love her," Grace told her.

"I know you do, I know you do," Maryanne said giving her a long tight hug that only ended when Little Grace began to fuss.

"I guess you know who's the boss around here," Maryanne said with a smile as she pulled back and went to Little Grace.

"Yep and so does she," Grace said with a little laugh.

"That she does," Maryanne said going to Little Grace and she started to clean her up before getting her out of the high chair.

"Come on, time for our morning ritual," Maryanne said to both Grace and Little Grace.

Grace followed Maryanne and Little Grace into the living room where Maryanne sat in a rocking chair. Maryanne put Little Grace in her lap and she immediately pushed her robe over uncovering her right breast and then she put Little Grace to it. Little Grace immediate latched onto the nipple and began to suckle as her hands grasped it.

"Does this bother you?" Maryanne asked obviously noticing her staring at her holding Little Grace to her breast.

"Oh no, I've seen prettier breasts than that," Grace popped out giving Maryanne a grin.

"Oh shut up!" Maryanne said with a laugh as she threw a clean cloth diaper at her with Little Grace watching her every move.

"No it actually reminds me of something Hope did to help heal me," Grace said blushing a little as she remembered those times she breastfed from Hope's breasts.

"Why do I get the feeling that she did to you what I'm currently doing to Little Grace," Maryanne said as she held her daughter who now with a full belly was sucking less and her eyes were getting heavy.

"Because it does," Grace said feeling her face grow warmer.

"Well let me put this one to bed for a quick nap and you can tell me all about it. I want to know how she could heal you when no one else could. It's just too hard to believe," Maryanne said taking a half asleep Little Grace from her nipple and getting up. "It's not that I don't believe you, the fact that you're alive and here proves that but the whole thing that you told me last night is so..."

"Unbelievable?" Grace said with a smile.

"Well yes," Maryanne said honestly.

"I know, it took me a little while to actually believe that I was healed too, I first thought that she had given me a bunch of blood transfusions or had somehow brainwashed me into believing I was better when I wasn't. Like what I was seeing in the mirror was an illusion." Grace said following Maryanne into the nursery.

So Grace spent the morning telling Maryanne about the whole process that she went through in coming to understand Hope's healing powers. She could see Maryanne wanting to believe her but she wasn't convinced. Grace understood this and went slowly as it was important for Maryanne to understand and to believe her but it was hard to convince someone of the impossible.

That afternoon, Grace took Little Grace out for a walk in her stroller as Maryanne worked on editing a book for a writer. Grammar was the one subject that Maryanne excelled at in school and she had found a way of supplementing their income by doing edits on books for authors before they submitted them to be published. She had told Grace that she had lucked into doing this and now she was making decent money at it.

The next couple of weeks were spent catching back up on each other and also Grace was able to talk out her feelings about Hope with the one person that she knew would understand her. While Maryanne was straight, she had been there with Grace as Grace discovered that she was lesbian. They both had shared their feelings towards the people that they had crushes on when they were young, and continued to do to when those crushes became love affairs. Grace was the only one who knew when Maryanne and Billy first made love and she knew all the details, as Maryanne knew all the details of Grace's first love affair.

About three weeks after she had gotten there, Grace was talking to Maryanne as Maryanne fried them some eggs and sausage for breakfast while Little Grace took her morning nap. Neither of them were big on fried eggs and sausage but for some reason they both had a craving for them that morning. Just as Maryanne put their plates on the table, Grace felt her stomach churn, and what she thought were hunger pains, she now knew was something else. Grace jumped up from the table heading for the bathroom hoping that she would make it there in time. She did but just barely, emptying the contents of her stomach into the toilet. She had no more than finished when Maryanne crowded her aside and emptied her stomach into the toilet.

"We must have a stomach virus," Grace said getting up and getting a wet towel to wipe her face and then getting one for Maryanne.

"No I don't think that's my problem," Maryanne said sadly but yet Grace could see that she wasn't as sad as she made herself out to be.

"What do you mean?" Grace asked, still feeling some nausea.

"Have you been feeling nauseous the last few days?" Maryanne asked going to the linen closet to get a box down.

"Yea, a little, like I said we are getting or now have gotten a stomach virus." Grace told her.

"No we're pregnant," Maryanne said putting the pregnancy test box on the sink and taking two out.

"You may be but I'm not!" Grace protested.

"Well we're abut to find out sugar," Maryanne said going to the toilet, pulling her panties down and her robe up before sitting. She opened the package and then she let her urine start before putting one end into the stream. They both watched as the positive sign appeared.

"Congratulations sister," Grace said hugging Maryanne and then she said, "I didn't know you were trying."

"We weren't but Billy and I got a bit too horny one night and he didn't use a condom. I haven't gone back on my birth control yet since I am still breastfeeding Little Grace though I'm not producing that much milk anymore." Maryanne said with a shy grin.

"What will Billy think?" Grace asked.

"Oh he'll love it, he loves kids," Maryanne said to her.

"And what do you think, do you want another child?" Grace asked her friend and sister.

"I was kind of hoping to get pregnant, I want Little Grace to have someone to fight and play with." Maryanne confessed.

"Well you got it," Grace said giving Maryanne another hug before Maryanne wiped herself and then got off the toilet.

"Your turn," Maryanne said holding out a test strip to Grace who didn't take it.

"I can't be pregnant, I'm the rug-muncher of the family remember." Grace said.

"Humor me," Maryanne said putting the test strip into her hand.

"Whatever," Grace said with a sigh as she sat down on the toilet.

She opened her legs with Maryanne watching to make sure she did it right, "I didn't know you shaved," Maryanne commented.

"I don't, Hope kind of changed my genetics a little when she healed me so I no longer grow hair there anymore, it's so smooth now, you want to feel?" Grace asked teasing her.

"No that's okay, I'll take your word for it," Maryanne said with a laugh. "Now pee."

"Yes ma'am," Grace said and she began to pee before sticking the test strip into the flow. She pulled it out and Maryanne came over to watch. Silently Grace was praying that it wouldn't turn positive but it did so, even faster than Maryanne's did.

"Someone been holding out on me, who is he?" Maryanne asked giving Grace a questioning look.

"No one, I've never been with a man, I promise." Grace said staring at the positive sign and wondering how it was possible that she was pregnant but obviously she was.

"What about when she put you to sleep that last week, could she have brought some man in?" Maryanne asked

"No she wouldn't do that, she's lesbian like me... but she did do something..." Grace said as her mind went back to the morning that she woke up and she had remembered that Hope had made her cum so hard while she was asleep. And then she remembered the message that Hope had left. She also remembered Hope telling her how on her planet; two women could have a child together. She then knew that the present wasn't a great orgasm; that was just a way for Hope to get her pregnant.

"That bitch!" Grace said jumping up from the toilet not bothering to wipe. She went straight for her bag and pulled out Hope's tablet.

"What? She did bring in a man to impregnate you?" Maryanne asked as she chased after her.

"No, she said that she left me a present, I thought that it was a great orgasm but it wasn't, it was a child, I'm carrying her child." Grace told her as she got the tablet turned on and then started.

"She got you pregnant? That's impossible." Maryanne said with the disbelief showing in her voice as well as her face.

"Yes she did and it's not impossible for her and her people." Grace said as she got to where she wanted to go on Hope's tablet.

"But you're not one of her people," Maryanne told her.

Grace looked up at Maryanne, "No I'm not but in the process of healing me, she made me a little like her."

"So you're going to have an alien child?" Maryanne asked and the look of fear came over her face.

"No I'm having our child, Hope's and mine and she will be just like us... no difference." Grace reassured her.

Then Grace found what she wanted, Hope's message to her only now there was something added to it that wasn't visible before.

"Yes love, you're having our baby and she will be a healer... please tell her about me and how much I love her..." Hope had added and Grace could feel Hope's pain at leaving her child behind.

"She's going to be a healer..." Grace said almost silently.

"Who is?" Maryanne asked now completely confused.

"My baby, Hope's and my baby..." Grace said putting her hand to her belly as if she could feel the child growing inside of her.

"Oh god and I thought my life was complicated," Maryanne said with a bit of a laugh.

But then she went to Grace sitting down beside of her on the couch. "You know you'll make a great mother." And then she gave her a hug as Grace cried with joy and a bit of fear and loneliness with Hope not here to celebrate this with her.

"I'm going to need you..." Grace said hugging her sister tightly.

"I'm not going anywhere though Billy may run away from home." Maryanne said to her.

Grace pulled back fearing that her being pregnant with an alien's child would scare Billy away, "Why?" She asked.

"In the same house with two pregnant women, he'll take Little Grace and run until we have our babies." She said with a laugh making Grace laugh with her and relieving the tension that she was feeling. She could always count on Maryanne to make things better.

"True, he and you know better than I what is coming," Grace said to her.

"Yep, though I admit that he was very understanding with me even when I was calling him a cocksucker and a bastard as I went through labor," Maryanne said with another laugh.

"I wish I could be able to call Hope the same thing," Grace said as she began to cry thinking about having this baby alone and a baby that would need Hope to guide her. She wasn't prepared to raise a child with healing powers. Hell she was just getting used to being in love with a woman with those powers.

"I'm sure she wants to be here if she could," Grace heard Maryanne say softly as she felt Maryanne's arm go around her shoulders pulling her in close. Grace put her head on Maryanne's shoulder crying it out again and silently cursing Hope for leaving her here alone.

"So just how can two women make a baby?" Maryanne asked after Grace got herself back together.

"I'm not sure exactly, she just told me that on her planet that they could. I'm not sure that I completely believed her until now and the bitch did this to me while she had me asleep. All that I can recall of it was it was one of the best orgasms that I've ever had." Grace told her.

"Well at least it was fun," Maryanne told her with a little laugh.

"It would have been more fun if I had been awake at the time." Grace corrected her.

"True, orgasms tend to more a lot more fun when you're awake," Maryanne agreeing with her.

"So when you going to tell Billy?" Grace asked.

"Tonight sometime," Maryanne told her.

"Do you want me to disappear for a while, I can always get a motel room for the night if you want to be alone," Grace offered.

"Oh no, you're a part of this family, I want you to be here too." Maryanne told her.

"No you and I are foster sisters, you have you own family now," Grace told her.

"Grace I can't believe you said that!" Maryanne told her and Grace saw that somehow she had hurt Maryanne's feelings.

"What?" Grace asked not sure what she had said to Maryanne to hurt her feelings.

"Do you see us as just foster sisters?" Maryanne asked and then she went on before Grace could clarify what she meant. "Because I don't, I think us as real sisters and more than that, best friends, true friends. You're the one person in this world that I love as much as I do my child and my husband and in a lot of things I would tell you but not Billy. But I guess you don't feel the same way about me..." And Grace saw Maryanne's eyes watering as Maryanne got up from the couch and started to walk away.

Grace jumped up catching back with Maryanne and making her turn around and she saw the tears running down her face which made Grace want to cry too, "No that isn't what I meant." Grace said giving Maryanne a hug which she felt Maryanne resisting.

"What I was trying to say and I did so poorly was that you have made a life of your own here with Billy and Little Grace. I left and you thought I was dead for almost a year so you moved on and found happiness here with your little family." Grace told her and then she quickly added, "And you know I think of you as a real sister and my only true friend."

"But you called us foster sisters..." Maryanne pouted a little.

"I did and I'm sorry, you are my real sister, I promise." Grace said remembering Maryanne's flare for the dramatic.

Maryanne finally gave in and hugged Grace back thus indicating that she had forgiven her, "You know I never thought of you as being dead, at least not in my heart."

Grace gave Maryanne a heartfelt hug and it meant a lot to her that Maryanne thought this way while she was away. And she did feel worse about not calling her but she also knew that she was right about having to show Maryanne that she was well and very much alive in person. The real mistake was not coming immediately to Maryanne once she knew that she was going to live and be strong and healthy. For that she had a lot of making up to do.

They talked about their babies through the morning as they both played with Little Grace. When Maryanne went to do her editing work, Grace insisted on cooking dinner and she didn't allow Maryanne to help in any way. When Billy came home, Grace said that she and Little Grace were going out for the evening, having a girl's night out. Billy seemed very confused by this but Maryanne mouthed "thank you" to her. Grace knew that Maryanne did want to tell Billy by herself no matter what she said before.

Grace packed up Grace's diaper bag, getting her some food, and they were out the door taking Maryanne's old car. They went to the mall and did a little window shopping though Grace did find Little Grace some outfits that she had to buy for her. Little Grace didn't seem too impressed by them but Grace was. Little Grace was more interested in the little toy teething key ring that she got for her for all of two dollars. They stopped in the food court of the mall where Grace got a taco salad and ate it while she fed Little Grace. When Little Grace began to get cranky and started to rub her eyes, Grace got them a room in one of the nicer hotels in town. She put a little water into the tub then she and Little Grace had their bath. Well Little Grace played while Grace bathed her.

When they arrived back home the next morning, she saw that Maryanne had a glow about her and she knew that if Maryanne hadn't already been pregnant, she would have been after last night. Maryanne told her all about her evening and how happy Billy was though he was a bit worried about her being pregnant so soon after having Little Grace, but Maryanne said that she showed him that she still had a lot of strength and stamina left in her.

They both soon got used to the morning sickness thought Maryanne was dealing with it better than she was but then Maryanne had been through it before. Every time that she threw up she would curse Hope for doing this to her but also miss her that much more. She did miss her so much and she told Maryanne about their time together and what Hope was really like. By the time that their morning sickness had ended, Grace could see that she had Maryanne believing what Hope could do and what she was like. She so hated that she never got to bringing Hope to see Maryanne. She just knew that Maryanne would grow to love her almost as much as she still did.

Grace kept going to Hope's tablet hoping that she would get another message from her but there never was one. Still she would send out a message to her telling Hope about her life and how she and Maryanne were doing. She would always sign off by telling Hope how much that she missed her and how much she loved her. She also wanted to put how much she hated Hope for leaving her alone and pregnant but that she left off the emails that went unanswered.

On the twenty-ninth of June, Bea, the widow that lived next door to Maryanne and who Maryanne had been looking after since she and Billy had bought the house next door died in her sleep. Bea had only one son who rarely came to see her so she had pretty much adopted Maryanne when she moved in and then Little Grace became her grandchild when she got there. When they went to the funeral home, they both got to see the son for the first time, Maryanne wanted to let the man have it for pretty much abandoning his mother and Grace wanted to do the same however she got Maryanne to bite her tongue as she had something else in mind. Since her had found out that she was pregnant, she had been wondering where she could live. Maryanne's house was too small for three kids and three adults. Plus she knew as much as Maryanne loved having her there, Maryanne and Billy needed some time alone too. There weren't too many people to show up at the funeral home and that gave Grace time to sit down with the fat slob that was this sweet old woman's son.

"So why did you spend so much time with that bastard?" Maryanne asked obviously not too pleased with Grace.

Grace just smiled as she said, "I'm going to buy his mother's house... real cheap."

"What?" Maryanne said as she hit the brakes about sending Grace through the windshield if not for her seat belt.

"Hey watch it; you're going to get us killed!" Grace said putting her hand to her belly to make sure everything was alright down there.

"Sorry," Maryanne said as she put her foot back on the gas and slowly went forward, waving at the car behind her that had to stop as fast as she did.

"How are you going to do that?" Maryanne asked. "I mean I know you got the money but won't that raise red flags as to where you got the money?"

"Not if I learned what Hope taught me," Grace said with a smile.

"Okay now you got me all confused." Maryanne said and then she added with a frown, "I thought that you were going to stay with us. I mean don't you want to? And when did you start thinking of moving away?"

"Now don't start getting your feelings hurt Maryanne," Grace told her while putting her hand on Maryanne's arm and giving it a squeeze. "I haven't been thinking of moving away per say. I just know that three adults and three kids in your little house will be crowded. But I also didn't want to be far away either. As much as I hate that Bea died and I do miss her, this solves the problem. The baby and I can have our own place and you'll be right next door. We'll both be going back and forth so much that you'll never know that I'm not living there."

Maryanne thought this over for a second and then she sort of smiled, "Yes it does and I have to admit I was wondering how we were ever going to figure how we're going to all live at our house. I have even been talking to Billy about adding on to the house some way, maybe adding a bedroom or something."

"Well unless you learn how to close those long legs of yours, you're going to need more than one more bedroom," Grace spat out.

"Oh god you hussy!" Maryanne said while slapping Grace's arm however she was laughing all the same.

"Well it's the truth, you and Billy are so horny all the time," Grace said just egging Maryanne one.

"And you're not?" Maryanne asked arching her eyebrows at Grace.

"Of course not," Grace said seriously before bursting out laughing.

"Yea right," Maryanne said and then she added seriously, "No this is out last one. Once we make sure this baby is okay, Billy is going to get fixed."

"Poor baby," Grace said, "but that is nice of him to do that."

"Yea, he offered to do it." Maryanne said. "So anyway, what is it that Hope taught you?" Maryanne asked.

"I'll show you in the morning but we can't tell Billy anything and you need to deny knowing about if I fuck it up." Grace told her.

"Then don't fuck it up," Maryanne told her.

"I don't plan on it." Grace told her.

End of Part Eight

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think of my story. I welcome all comments good or bad. You can email me at numlfl@hotmail.com