mpmst1@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Michael P. Metlay) (11/27/90)
This work is copyright 1989 metlay, and is in the public domain for all forms of reproduction and distribution SAVE those involving sale of this material. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EPILOGUE: What was that old saying about going home again? Mid-January 1984 "It was a dark and stormy night...." Twink winced and put the book down. Gee whiz, she thought blankly, I'd never have dreamed that anyone would literally use that to start off a book! It's appropriate, though, she added to herself as she looked out the window at the pouring rain. The chill of January had lifted just enough to turn a blizzard of snow into sheets of thick, chilling rain that soaked to the bone and leached away all warmth. It had been a perfect day to stay inside, she thought, and tomorrow would be soon enough to go out and face the world.... She looked at the clock. Nearly midnight. Soon the security gates would come down, and the building would be buttoned up safely for the night. She sighed, set the book on the table by her bed, and began to undress. She was down to bra and panties when she was startled by a timid knock at the door. Twink looked up at the door, dropping her blouse on the floor in her sudden shock. She quickly walked to the closet and drew out her bathrobe, tying it around herself as she cautiously called, "Who is it?" "Twink?" Twink's eyes went wide. That voice.... "B--Bandit?" Her voice was a choked whisper. "Open the door? Please?" The voice was very soft, almost weak. Twink was at the door in two steps, throwing it open wide. The Bandit was standing before her, shivering miserably in a snow parka and jeans that were dripping with rain. His hair was matted down over his forehead, and his eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles, as if he hadn't slept in a long time. He smiled, a feeble shadow of the famous Bandit grin. "H--Hi." Twink just stared at him for a bare second, then threw her arms around him and hugged him to her fiercely. "Oh, BANDIT!" "No! No, don't, I'm soaking wet, I'm freezing," the Bandit said quickly, pulling her away from him. "You'll catch cold--" He sneezed violently. "Sounds like you already have," Twink said with a worried look, pulling him into her room and shutting the door. She began to remove his parka. "Get out of those wet things before you freeze. I'll pop them in the dryer while you go down the hall and take a nice, long shower to warm up. There's some soap, shampoo and a towel in the top drawer." She stripped off his wet clothes, layer by layer: he was soaked clear through, his skin wrinkled and icy to the touch. Even his penis seemed shrunken and miserable, huddled against itself in the chill. Twink, all business, didn't even touch it. She handed the Bandit her room key, and said, "I expect you to be in the shower when I get back. Okay?" "Ok--kay," he said through chattering teeth as she shut the door on her way out. He pulled open the drawer and retrieved the necessary items, his fingers numb and trembling, and tiptoed down the hall to the bathroom. It was deserted, he noted quickly as he poked his head in the door. Quickly he stepped inside and into one of the shower stalls, throwing on the hot water full blast. He stepped into the shower, wincing, and just stood under the steaming spray, his eyes closed. Five minutes passed, then another five. His trembling gradually stopped. He stretched luxuriantly under the water, then turned it down to a more reasonable temperature and began to soap his hair. "Bandit? Are you in there?" He smiled at the sound of Twink's voice, echoing eerily in the tiled room. "Yeah, it's me," he said, his voice much more assured than it had been a few minutes before. "Oh, good," Twink said, drawing aside the shower curtain and stepping in beside him. She was as naked as he was, and was smiling in expectation of his reaction. She stopped. He was facing away from her, into the spray, and was rinsing off his face and head. "Are you going to join me?" His burbling call was too loud for one who knew she was in there with him. Twink's smile turned playful. "Sure," she whispered as she slipped her arms around his waist and began to fondle his penis, which was already nearly hard. The Bandit jumped at her touch, then relaxed against her as her hand wrapped around his shaft and began to rhythmically squeeze it and stroke it up and down. He reached behind him, holding out the soap. "Here," he laughed. "As long as you're in here, make yourself useful." Twink took the soap and began to lather the Bandit's body gently. His shoulders, his back, his sides and under his arms, then his hips, his buttocks, and around to his penis and testicles and up his stomach and chest. He leaned back against her and sighed as she worked, saying, "That feels heavenly...." "Your turn," Twink replied, gently turning him around and handing him the soap. She stepped into his arms and kissed him gently as he soaped the broad curves of her back and shoulders, down to her buttocks and hips. He broke the kiss and turned her around, leaning her forward against the wall of the shower stall as he reached around her to soap and rub her belly and full, hanging breasts. Twink gasped as she felt his hardness in the cleft between her cheeks. "Bandit, be careful! I'm not protected!" "Good point," the Bandit sighed, turning her so the spray could rinse her clean. He grinned at her as she rinsed her long blonde tresses in the spray, adding, "We're probably about to run out of hot water, anyway. I can fuck you in the shower some other time." A few minutes later they were back in Twink's room, wrapped in dry towels and sipping hot chocolate on her bed. The hollows under the Bandit's eyes were still there, but he looked 100% better, Twink decided happily. Now that I know he'll be okay.... "What are you doing here, Bandit?" The Bandit looked sheepish. "I was coming to visit you and everyone else at Arcadia for a few days. I thought I would be here during the early evening, so I could talk to everybody and make arrangements for where to stay, but I had car trouble about twenty miles south of Arcadia and had to get a tow the rest of the way. My car's in the shop until Monday at the earliest. I didn't get on campus until after eleven, and I didn't know where else to try, so I came here. Would you like me to call Zero and ask for some floor space?" "Don't be silly," Twink smiled. "You're with me for the duration." The Bandit actually looked relieved. "Thanks," he said with a more confident grin than she'd seen from him yet. "That's good to know...." "Why wouldn't you stay here?" He shrugged. "What if the Paladin were visiting?" "Oh." Twink rested her chin on her hand thoughtfully. "I hadn't thought of that. It would be kind of awkward, wouldn't it?" She smiled suddenly and added, "Well, that's not important. We saw each other over Winter Break, and we'll see each other again in March. But for now, Guinevere's probably keeping him warm on those cold North Dakota nights, and now I have you to keep ME warm." She leaned forward and kissed his lips gently. "You're trembling," she smiled, pulling away slightly. "I always tremble when I'm near you," he whispered. He set his cup of chocolate down on the table and took hers from her hand, setting it aside as well. He reached out for her, twining his fingers in her damp hair and kissing her hungrily as he fell forward onto her, pushing her down on her back. "Wait, wait," she protested around his lips. "Please." "What's the matter?" He drew back from her, suddenly concerned. "I want to show you something I learned how to do this summer, back home," she said with a little giggle. She gently pushed him off of her, her towel falling away as she did so. She lay back on the pillow, golden and naked, and spread her legs apart for him, her perfect labia glistening with the last few drops of water from the shower. Smiling up at him, she reached into the drawer in the bed table and drew out a metal tube and a small plastic package, which she opened to remove a small cup-shaped object of pink plastic. The Bandit's eyes narrowed with interest. "What is that? It's too small to be a diaphragm...." "It's a cervical cap," Twink said, licking her lips in concentration as she carefully applied a thin bead of clear fluid from the tube into the cup, coating it evenly. "My gynecologist said I wasn't built properly for a diaphragm to work well, and that a cap would be safer. Here, watch this." She reached down and spread her labia apart, exposing the red inner folds of her vagina, and deftly slipped the cap into her. "Oooh, it's always cold at first," she laughed, tucking it into place with two ladylike fingers. Wiping her hands on her towel, she said, "Now we have to wait a few minutes...." "No problem," the Bandit replied with an evil grin. He suddenly knelt down before her and buried his face in her groin, his tongue finding her clitoris almost instantly. Twink's eyes flew wide open, then as swiftly squeezed tightly shut, as she arched her back and began to grind her hips into his face. Her pussy was moist and dripping with fluids, and the Bandit slurped and sucked away merrily as he felt her start to come, and come, and come.... He pulled away from her, licking his lips. "Want more?" "Uh, mmmm, don't stop, Bandit, please! I'm coming, lots of little ones, oh God, please don't stop!" "All righty." He returned to his task, his tongue flicking over her clit as it swelled and swelled and her moans grew louder and louder. "Twink?" "Mmmm--yeah?" "Have I waited long (slurp) enough?" "Hmmm? OH! Uh, yeah, I think so, climb on top of me, hurry!" He didn't need any further encouragement. He kissed his way up her belly and past her breasts, wiping his face on her skin as he went, and kissed her hard as he lowered himself between her legs. The taste of her juices on his lips seemed to excite her more than ever, and she frantically reached down and grasped him, pulling his length to the opening of her cunt. "Fuck me, oh, hurry, FUCK ME!" "Yes, ma'am." The Bandit slid into her easily, and she gasped as he set up a steady, pounding rhythm. She was wound up as taut as a bridge cable, and he'd been holding back for this moment, so it only took a minute or two of hard stroking before she gasped and cried out with another orgasm as he emptied himself into her with a long-drawn sigh of relief. He collapsed on top of her, exhausted, as her fumbling fingers found and pressed the light switch. "I'm glad to be back...." "Welcome home, love. Sleep well." The morning sun streamed into the room, bathing furniture and naked bodies alike in soft warmth. There was no trace of last night's storm, and the sky was friendly and blue over the Bandit and Twink as they lay intertwined in bed, whispering to one another in the glow that settles after a good night's sleep and a waking to gentle, teasing loveplay and mutual orgasm. "I missed you so...." There were tears in Twink's eyes. "I missed you, too," the Bandit smiled, hugging her tightly. "You're a big part of the reason why I came to visit. I wanted to see how you were, make sure you were doing okay. Am I being too protective of you?" "Yes," she said simply, "But I don't mind. It's a way of telling me you love me, and I'll never turn that aside." She smiled and shut her eyes as his fingers gently traced the outline of a broad, swollen nipple. "Mmmmm!" "Has your pussy been lonely without me?" He bent down to kiss the nipple gently, rolling it across his tongue. "Not really," she sighed, holding his head to her breast. "No?" He mumbled around his mouthful. "I'm jealous. You can really last that long between bouts with the Paladin?" "Well, no," she said uncertainly. "That's not what I meant." He stopped. Slowly he pulled away and looked up at her. "You're seeing somebody else?" "Only once or twice," she said softly. Her eyes were full of pain, a reflection of the pain she saw in his eyes. "They were just scattered incidents....at the time, they seemed the right thing to do....please don't hate me for it...." "Oh, Twink, I don't hate you!" The Bandit hugged her hard, her head cradled on his shoulder. He sighed. "Were you at least careful?" "Oh, yes! I always used my cap, and I trusted them not to have anything catching." "Anyone I know?" "Well...yes, actually." Something in her voice made him pull away and look her in the eye. "Like who?" "....Zero." The Bandit's eyes popped. "You slept with my BEST FRIEND?" She returned his accusing gaze coolly. "I slept with Zero," she said with as much dignity as she could manage with tears pouring down her face. "I can assure you that the fact that he was your best friend never entered into things. In fact, I didn't think about you very much at all during the whole incident." "I'm not surprised," the Bandit muttered. "So, what did you think of his, what the hell's he call it, 'Jimi'?" "It was incredible," she said softly, her eyes shining with the memory. "We went for hours and hours. Once the bleeding stopped, it was like nothing I'd ever felt before!" "Once the--" The Bandit frowned, remembering. "Oh. Your hymen." "Yup." She smiled, brushing his hair back from his eyes. "You and the Paladin only stretched it out. But he tore it wide open on the first push. I screamed bloody murder, he thought he'd killed me. But after the pain went away, he was--" She stopped. "Please don't hate HIM for it, Bandit. It was my idea. I was so lonely, and so was he...it just, well, it just happened." "Wait a minute! HE was lonely? With a hose monster like Diva sucking him dry every night? What the hell happened?" "Oh, my God, you didn't know!" Her hand flew to her mouth. "Know what?" "They broke up in September, just after she came back to school." "Whoa, hold it a second. ZERO and DIVA--" "Broke up." She nodded. "Lord God Almighty! I turn my back for ten seconds and the Universe starts unraveling!" The Bandit fell back on the pillows, one hand over his face. "How the hell did THAT happen?" "Well, she came back and found out he'd been sleeping with Mary Magdalene over the summer, and--" Twink stopped short as he looked aghast at her. "Oh. You didn't know about that, either." "No. I didn't." He fell back again, staring at the ceiling. What the hell happened, he wondered. My best friend's dinked every girl I ever loved in this school. Except Teenie, and she doesn't count. Why me? "Bandit? Are you okay? You look pale." "Uh, I'm fine. Let's just say it takes a little getting used to." She remained unconvinced. "I think I hit you with too much, too soon." "No, I'm all right. If he didn't hurt you, then I have no animosity toward him. He's still my best friend." Even if he HAS been sticking that mutant monstrosity into every pussy I love....Christ! He sighed and looked at her. "Anyone else?" "Well...." She looked uncertain. "Did I tell you about Mary Magdalene?" "Yeah, you just said--" He stopped, his mouth suddenly going dry. "Wait a minute," he croaked. "About Mary Magdalene and...who?" "Me," she said, her eyes downcast. A vision exploded in the Bandit's skull, full technicolor with Dolby stereo: Twink sinking back onto her back on this very bed, her smooth body open and inviting, her arms outstretched and a smile of pure ecstasy on her face as Mary Magdalene's breasts dangled over hers and she leaned down and-- "Um, no," he said, shivering slightly. "You hadn't mentioned that." "We did it acouple of times," Twink said softly, "When the world was being tough on one or the other of us... After the time with Zero--" "WHAT?" The vision was back, but this time there was a new element: Mary Magdalene kneeling on Zero's hips and pumping up and down on his huge shaft, Twink sitting on his face with his huge nose probing her pussy, the two women he loved more than anyone smiling at one another, leaning forward and kissing, oh, God, KISSING EACH OTHER-- "How--how was it?" His voice was a terrified croak. Twink thought a moment, and then shrugged. "Crowded," she said. The Bandit's eyebrow raised. "Crowded?" "Yeah," she nodded. "Crowded." The Bandit began to laugh. He laughed, and laughed, and laughed until he was crying, and Twink was holding him against her breast and laughing and crying with him. "I love you," she said between sobs. "Nobody can open my heart, no matter what the rest of my body tells me. Nobody but you, and the man I'm marrying. Did I ever tell you why I wanted to stay a virgin?" "No," he whispered into her hair. "I had to," she whispered. "I had to keep something of myself back from you. I knew, I, I just knew th-that if I let you take me that way you'd take all of me, a-and I'd be lost forever....I LOVED you too m-MUCH...." "Aw, Twink!" Zero, Mary Magdalene, Diva were forgotten in moments. "Never love someone that much! Never, NEVER love someone that much! It's bad, it hurts you, promise me you won't, promise me!" "I love you, Bandit...." She kissed him, tears running down his neck. "I know we could never make it work, I know that, but I...." "Shhhhh....shhhhhhh...." He held her closely, rocking her against him. For a long time, the room was silent. "Hi, gang!" Eight heads turned sharply at the familiar greeting, long gone unheard in the East Habitat Main Lounge. Eight pairs of eyes could only stare in shock as the Bandit calmly sat down in a free chair and smiled around him. "No, it's not a mirage," he chuckled. "How is everyone?" At that, the Lounge erupted into life. The Bandit found himself being bodily lifted up off the ground and crushed half to death by Conan. "BANDIT!" "I'm--whoof!--glad to see you too, big guy!" "When'd you get here?" "Last night. Put me down!" Bone and Thud shook hands with the Bandit, grinning widely. "Yo, Bone! Hi, Thud. Made any decisions, yet?" "Actually, I may be ordained, AND become gay," Thud said pleasantly. "In this day and age, the two aren't always mutually exclusive." "What the heck," the Bandit said, shaking his head. "Hi, Diva. Can I hug you without getting kicked in the groin?" "Of course, Bandit! What a question!" She smiled and hugged him tightly, kissing him on the cheek. Suddenly he felt her tongue flick his earlobe gently, and heard a tiny whisper. "You and me, later." The Bandit wasn't as unprepared for this as he might've been. His face betrayed nothing as he let go of Diva and shook hands warmly with the Rainbow Wizard, and gave Flower a polite kiss on the cheek. "Good to see you again, Wiz. Still in remission, I hope?" "I had an incident over the summer," the Rainbow Wizard replied. "The doctors tried out some new medication, and it didn't sit well with me. But I'm okay now." He smiled beatifically. "Life beyond Arcadia seems to have treated you well, Bandit." "I can't complain," the Bandit grinned. "How's it going, Lanky?" "Real well. Graduation bound, like everyone else!" Lanky's hair was now nearly to his waist, and he brushed it back from his face and smiled at the Bandit, who was shaking hands with Plaids. "Howdy, Plaid Thang! Still the master of playing with the organ?" Plaids blushed furiously amidst the ripple of laughter. "Actually, yes," he said quietly. "I've nailed a position as a church organist back home once I graduate. The pay isn't great, but it's a start...." "That's fantastic news!" He smiled around him at the friendly faces, his eyes bright. "Damn, it's good to be back!" He looked around. "Anyone know where Zero and the Sloth are?" He didn't miss the sudden frown on Diva's face. "They're in the Recital Hall over at the Music School," the Rainbow Wizard said with a smile. "They're scheduled to do a concert this afternoon and play the Clean Room tonight, and they've been having a terrible time getting set up. It seems they've overstretched themselves in their attempts to outdo Starch and myself." The Bandit's eyes narrowed at the Wiz's too-superior tone. "Oh, really?" he drawled. "Well, I think I'll just mosey on over there and see what's what." He turned and headed for the door. "Later, gang." "Was that necessary?" Diva demanded angrily. "It seemed so at the time," the Rainbow Wizard said mildly. "Shit, shit, SHIT!" The Sloth stopped the tape recorder angrily, and began threading the tape back onto the reels from its tangled heap on the ground. "I can't learn to do this in three hours! We're sunk!" "No, you're not," came a strange voice from the other end of the room. The Sloth and Zero, both covered in patchcords and cable, looked up in surprise, and both smiled widely as the Bandit strolled down the aisle to the stage. He bounded up to meet them, gave Zero a hard hug, then followed suit with the Sloth. "I hear you guys need an extra pair of hands...." "What are you doing here, Bandit?" Zero asked curiously. "Later on, I'll be reminiscing with you two over a beer or three," the Bandit replied crisply. "But for now, I'm helping you out of a jam. What's up, and is there anything I can do to help?" "No," said the Sloth. "YES," Zero said firmly. He glared at the Sloth, and continued, "That taped-drum dingus you designed isn't working very well. Neither the Sloth nor I can get it to run as cleanly as you used to. We could use your touch." His eyes carefully on the Sloth, who was looking away from him and scowling, the Bandit said, "If the taped drums weren't working, why are you even attempting to use them? They were my idea. Why weren't you guys doing something more suited to just the two of you?" "We are," the Sloth said, not turning around. "But not now." Zero explained, "Remember that concert we gave at the Music School right before Commencement last year? Well, the new Chancellor heard about it soon after he was inaugurated, and expressed a lot of interest, since none of us are Music School students and we generated more press than anyone in the School last year. So he asked us to give a repeat performance of the set for him and some visiting bigshots, and anyone else who wanted to come." He waved his arms about him at the tangle of disorganized synthesizers, mixing gear, and tape machines. "And here we are." "Why didn't you call me?" "No time," Zero said. "Besides, the Sloth wanted us to try it ourselves, to see if we could do it without you." He looked over at the Sloth, who had folded his arms angrily and was still looking away from them. "That's stupid!" The Bandit exploded. "You know how much acrobatics is involved in setting everything up! It's a miracle the three of us could pull it off--with two, it'll be impossible!" The Sloth whirled to face him. "I'm just pissed off that you think you can come waltzing in here and wave your magic wand and make everything all right again, just like that! We're doing all right for ourselves without you, Bandit! We've got a new band, we've got a new bassist, a new drummer, a new singer-- we didn't curl up and die after you left! And I RESENT like HELL the implication that we did, and that we're helpless without you!" "I NEVER IMPLIED THAT!" The Bandit was barely half the Sloth's size, but when he got angry there was no louder voice in Arcadia. "But this is a trio for synthesis and stringed instruments! You can't do it with two people any more than you can do a string quartet properly with no violin!" More calmly, he continued, "You're not proving anything by accepting the Chancellor's request, other than that you were too proud to realize what a mistake you were making. I didn't come back here to save your bacon, I came back here to visit my so-called FRIENDS!" He glared fiercely at the two of them. "I wouldn't have even known about it if the Rainbow Wizard hadn't gloated to me that you two IDIOTS were about to fall flat on your FACES!" "Bandit, we--" "SHUT UP!" The Bandit's eyes burned. "I helped compose this piece. I designed the setup for this piece. I played one third of the parts on this piece! And you have NO RIGHT to perform it without me, or without my knowledge and my permission! I've got half a mind to sit in the audience, right next to Starch and his gang of baby scarers, and laugh at you while you make fools of yourselves in front of the Chancellor!" His took a deep breath. "You've got a choice. Either work with me or don't. But if you don't, make damn sure you stand up and tell the audience that you're two people trying to do three people's work, or I'LL stand up and tell them MYSELF, because I don't want MY good name mangled because of YOUR stupid pride. And if you do, make damn sure you tell everyone that this is the last time you'll do this stuff, because the next time I won't be here." There was a long silence. Then the Sloth turned to the Bandit, and sighed. "All right, mea culpa," he said. "Maybe I DID have something to prove. To you, to Starch...to me. But I don't have to like getting bailed out like this!" "Who says you're getting bailed out?" The Bandit smiled softly. "I haven't rehearsed this piece in eight months. If we get it to work it'll be a miracle! But if you guys'll have me, we'll give it a go, all right?" "...All right," the Sloth nodded reluctantly. "All right," Zero said with his old smile. "Well, good! And next time, do your OWN stuff, okay? I'm looking forward to hearing your new band tonight in the Clean Room, and I don't want to hear nothing but rehashes of the old tunes we did with Livewire!" "Point taken," the Sloth said. "Now help me with this stupid tape." The audience let out a sigh of released breath as the last note of the song faded away into silence. There was a polite patter of applause that soon swelled into a strong ovation as the Chancellor stood up, followed by everyone else in the small Recital Hall. Twink's eyes were bright as the Bandit, sweating and shaky with exhaustion, set down the bass he'd been loaned for the day and stepped to the front of the stage to take his bows with the Sloth and Zero. He waved to Mary Magdalene, who was sitting in the back row and applauding furiously. "There will be no encore," he said into the microphone, "And this is the last time our trio will perform this piece. Thank you all for attending. Good afternoon." He bowed again, and left the stage with Zero and the Sloth behind him. Outside the stage door, in the deserted hallway of the Music Building, the Sloth opened a storage locker and hauled out his post-concert kit: three towels and three quarts of Gatorade, which Zero and the Bandit accepted gratefully. They were swigging it down and wiping their sweaty faces when the Chancellor came around the corner, all smiles. "A marvelous concert, gentlemen! I was most impressed, and so, I believe, were the Electronic Music faculty." He chuckled. "They left in quite a hurry. I daresay they're going to change the locks on the studio doors, to prevent other usurpers from teaching themselves electronic music after hours!" "I was an Electronic Music Student for a while, sir," the Sloth said, shaking the Chancellor's hand. "I kept working my tail off and getting C's on my projects. Finally, for my last project, I just gave up and handed in a bunch of spliced-together tape scraps I fished out of the garbage." He paused for effect. "I got an A." The Chancellor roared with laughter. "Typical academic mindset," he said with a smile. "We need more students like you to keep our professors in line." He turned to Zero, ignoring the rapidly-growing line of well-wishers behind him. "A marvelous job, young man. And you're not a guitar student?" "No, sir," Zero said. "Self-taught." "My." He shook his head. "I can not believe it. Well, keep it up; you're doing famously." Then he turned to the Bandit. "You, young man, are familiar from somewhere...." "We met at an alumni function this past fall," the Bandit replied easily. "You were out stumping for funds, and we chatted a bit. I graduated last year; the piece was first performed right before my Commencement." "Oh, now I remember you." The Chancellor frowned slightly. "You're the young man who told me I was doing for Arcadia what Reagan is doing for the United States." Zero's eyes widened at that. So did the Sloth's. The Bandit just smiled. "I'm flattered that you remember me." "Well," the Chancellor said with forced cheer, "Are you still of that opinion, now that you've seen my planes for the campus?" "Nice new entertainment complex you're building on the Western Habitat," the Bandit said mildly. "And the new Biophysics building on the North Campus is an exciting development, as is the remodeling of the Astronomy building and the new landscaping." His eyes narrowed. "But I have one question: with all this money you're sinking into pretty new architecture, what happened to the College's guarantee of financial support to all students regardless of need?" The Chancellor's smile froze on his face. "Good question," he said politely. "Can we make an appointment to chat while you're in town?" "I'll call your secretary," the Bandit said with a nod. "I'm looking forward to it," the Chancellor said, shaking the Bandit's hand. "Wonderful work, all of you. Good day." He strode off, looking at his watch. The Sloth looked at the Bandit. "Did you really say that?" "Yep." The Bandit grinned at him. "Having one's diploma gives one, shall we say, a certain sense of freedom." They spent the next few minutes shaking hands down the line of people, the Bandit getting an enthusiastic hug and kiss from Mary Magdalene toward the end. He noted her repetition of the hug and kiss with Zero, and her pointed avoidance of the Sloth, as he chatted with Twink. In-teresting, he thought. "Hey, Bandit!" The Bandit looked up as Starch came striding up to him, hand held out. "Nice to see you!" The Bandit didn't take the hand. "I saw you in the audience, Starch." "Yeah, well," Starch shrugged, withdrawing his ignored hand, "I wanted to see the repeat performance of your masterwork, since I was too busy getting set up for the big Commencement concert our band was playing last May. It sure was lucky you turned up, though; it came off ragged enough with THREE people up there." He chuckled. "I'd hate to have seen what would've happened with just two." The Bandit's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I'll bet you would," he gritted. You stinking pusbucket, you haven't changed a bit. "Are you going to go give some much-needed support to the gang these two are fronting at the Clean Room tonight?" "No," the Bandit said evenly, "I'm not a student here any more. They don't need my help, if they're not playing my music." Behind him, the Sloth seemed to relax slightly. "Heh! YOU haven't HEARD them," Starch sneered. "I didn't think things could sink any lower after you got done with your audiences, Bandit, but THEY take the PRIZE!" He grinned. "Pitiful." "Pitiful is right," the Bandit said coldly. "You overbearing, snobbish, utterly contemptible shitpile! Why don't you do us all a favor and go die in a hole somewhere?" "Hey, back off, Bandit!" Starch took a menacing step forward. "I'M not then one who stole away somebody else's GIRLFRIEND as a JOKE!" The Bandit didn't even blink. "Hey, Starch," he said softly. "Hey, what?" "I'm not enrolled here any more." The Bandit's fist lashed out in a straight line from his hip to Starch's left eye, impacting with a meaty thunk. Starch staggered backwards, clutching at his face with a choked gasp. "Don't try hitting back," the Bandit said pleasantly. "Any student who commits assault will be expelled from the College, remember? Save it for after you graduate. Then I can beat the shit out of you with a clear conscience." He turned on his heel and walked away. After a moment, the others followed him, leaving Starch to sink down on a bench, alone. The Clean Room was hopping, the Bandit noted as he made his way across the dance floor with his pitcher of beer. Twink and Mary Magdalene were waiting for him at a table near the stage, whispering to each other and giggling softly. They smiled up at him as he set down the pitcher and the three glasses. He was watching for telltale signs of fantasies coming true: a surreptitious hand on a thigh, perhaps. But there was none. No luck, he sighed to himself as he sat down and poured drinks for the ladies. "When does the band go on?" He had to shout to be heard over the music from the DJ booth. "In a few minutes," Mary Magdalene replied. "Thanks for escorting the two of us, Bandit." She smiled at Twink, who smiled back at her. "No problem," the Bandit said mildly, ignoring the sudden nervous twitch in his leg. "Just like old times, I guess." "Not really," Twink laughed. "You never would've had both of us at one time before this." Her offhand comment made Mary Magdalene gasp, then begin to laugh quietly into her clenched fist. Twink looked at her curiously. "What'd I say this time?" "Never mind," the Bandit said. "It's not important." He waved to another table suddenly. "Hey, Conan!" The big man came over to their table, holding a glass of beer. "How are you all doing tonight?" he asked. "Not bad," the Bandit grinned. The two ladies suddenly slid their chairs around the table to either side of him and began to run their fingers through his hair and nibble his ears. His eyebrows raised, but Conan just grinned. "Same old Bandit," he laughed. "Yeah, right," the Bandit said uncomfortably; under the table, hands were wandering far afield. "Very funny, ladies. Hey, where's Cricket?" Conan's beer glass cracked in his suddenly clenched fist. He looked down at it angrily, slammed it down on the table, and stalked off. "Bad question," one voice breathed. "They broke up last month," the other one continued. "Oh. My goof. Say, this is the weirdest pair of headphones I've ever used," the Bandit said with a quirky smile. "Do you ladies mind?" "Mmmmm, not at all," said one voice, nibbling an earlobe. "Me neither," said the other, followed by a wet tongue in his ear. This is getting serious far too quickly, the Bandit thought, feeling a pair of hands working slowly up the insides of his thighs. If there isn't a distraction soon, I'm going to be in real trouble.... "What's the matter, baby?" One voice giggled. "You seem kind of hot and bothered," the other laughed. "Well," the Bandit stammered as one hand found the base of his bulge, "It is k-kind of hot in here, and you ladies are REALLY bothering me--" "Humph!" One earlobe was nipped sharply, making him yelp. "Oh, pooh," said the other whisper, receding. "M-maybe later," the Bandit gasped in relief as they pulled away. Suddenly he stood up and began to clap and yell loudly. "ALL RIGHT!" Twink and Mary Magdalene joined him, cheering, as the band came on to the stage and bowed. There was Zero, and the Sloth, and the new rhythm guitarist, and the new bassist and drummer...and Diva! She was smiling radiantly in a tight T-shirt knotted high under her breasts, and she gave the Bandit a special wave and wink as she stepped behind her electric piano. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome...THE ZERO SLOTH PROJECT!" The crowd cut loose with a roar as the band kicked into gear, a high-energy dance tune that soon had the dance floor overflowing. Mary Magdalene yelled, "I've got the first dance with him, Twink! Your turn next!" And with that, she dragged the Bandit out of his seat and onto the dance floor. The next half hour was a blur of lights, music and heaving bosoms for the Bandit. Neither Twink, Mary Magdalene, nor Diva was wearing a bra, and all three of them seemed to be making an effort to shake things at him. By the end of the first set, he'd danced three times each with Twink and Mary Magdalene, including a slow dance or two with his arms around a familiar pair of waists. He was exhausted and sweating as the band took its break between sets. "Having fun?" Mary Magdalene leaned over to the Bandit as he shakily downed the last of his beer. "I'm pooped," he groaned, pouring another beer for himself. "You'd better not be," Twink said with a laugh. "You've got a long night ahead of you." Mary Magdalene smiled wickedly at that. The Bandit looked blearily from one to the other of them, and somewhere inside of him a huge, swollen balloon stuffed chock-full of utterly fulfilled sex fantasies began to rise to the surface. It'll be ME tonight, he suddenly realized. ME with the two of them. ME with-- No. There it was again. The cold voice, the voice that saw it all, the voice that saw the future. the balloon burst into wet pieces and was gone. The Bandit put down his beer. "I don't think so," he said coolly. Both smiles evaporated. "What do you mean?" Mary Magdalene asked. "When I told you this morning," Twink said, "You seemed--" "I seemed what?" Somewhere, anger began. "Hurt? Left out? Jealous? Yes! All three. But just because the Human Oil Derrick managed to swing it, doesn't mean I want it too as a consolation prize!" "CONSOLATION PRIZE?" Mary Magdalene's eyes went wide. "YOU-- YOU--" She gesticulated wildly, at a loss for words. "Yes," the Bandit said softly. "Me. Me. The Bandit. The man who threw over the woman who gave him the best love he'd ever failed to earn, for you. The man who fucked you silly for three months straight and then got tossed out on his ear. The man whom you wrote a letter to that said you would never, ever have a sexual relationship with him again." His voice never wavered. "I don't care what ecstasies I'm giving up, MaryMag. I'm holding you to that promise. You and I are quits, for good, and there is nothing that can restore what we had. And Twink, I'm really kind of upset at you for not thinking things through more carefully. Sure, it would've been a nice gesture. Hell, it would've been more than nice! But the three of us have all hurt each other so badly in the past...could one night of passion heal all of that?" He shook his head wearily. "Let it go. Zero had his fun, and you did, too. I don't belong here any more, maybe I shouldn't have come...." "No, don't say that!" Twink took one of his hands, her eyes pleading. "You're right, Bandit." Mary Magdalene took his other hand gently. "It wasn't a very well considered idea. It would've been nice at first, but...." She sighed. "I guess I got carried away. It was so exciting the first time!" Her eyes glazed over at the memory. The Bandit rolled his eyes to the heavens. Another member of the Jimi Fan Club, he sighed. "Yeah, I can imagine," he said ruefully. "Listen, if you two want to stay together tonight, I can make other plans...." Mary Magdalene looked at Twink worriedly. Twink said firmly, "No you won't, Bandit. You're staying with me tonight. And if it takes both MaryMag and me tying you to the bed, you are not getting NEAR Diva!" "Diva?" He blinked. Was I that obvious? Was she? "Yes, Diva," Mary Magdalene said sternly. "Ever since Zero left her, she's been a total wildcat. She's fucked anything that moved on the whole campus at least once!" "Oh, come on," the Bandit said uncertainly. "You must be exaggerating a little bit, right?" "She slept with Conan the night she and Zero broke up," Twink said. "And with Lanky the next day, and Plaids the day after that, and we THINK she even gave Thud a swing at hetero," Mary Magdalene added. "That friend of yours on the Rugby team--" "She did a trio thing with the Wiz and Flower--" "And supposedly she was more into Flower than the Wiz--" "Bone, and Starch, and Cricket isn't saying but she sure SMILES--" "And don't forget the Sloth." "I'm trying to forget the Sloth," Mary Magdalene gritted dangerously. The Bandit raised an eyebrow at her; she turned away from him. "She's been hanging out in the gym, picking up guys," Twink said. "And that's not the worst of it. D'you remember Mimosa?" "Yeah, sure. Nice quiet kid," the Bandit said. "Diva got HER?" "Worse!" Mary Magdalene had turned around again, her ire against Diva overcoming whatever she'd felt about the Sloth. "Mimosa has a brother, a kid from junior high school, barely into his teens. He came up here to visit his sister for a weekend, and Diva talked him into her room." "Holy shit," the Bandit breathed. "He sure left the campus smiling," Twink sighed. "Did Mimosa ever find out?" "Yes, and she raised hell, too," Mary Magdalene sighed. "But Diva calmed her down and asked her to come up to her room so they could talk it over quietly, and, well, now Mimosa doesn't complain too loudly." "Jesus. Busy girl!" "You bet," Twink said. "so you're staying with me tonight. Right?" "Right," the Bandit agreed. He gave both of the hands holding his a squeeze, and both ladies smiled back at him. "And...thanks for the offer." "Forget it," Mary Magdalene smiled. "I plan to," he replied with a wink. Both Mary Magdalene and Twink laughed at that, and the conversation settled onto a less dangerous tack until the band came out again for the second set. A few songs into the set, Zero took the microphone and said, "I'd like to invite an old mate of mine up here to sing lead on our next couple of songs. Please welcome, back from the grave...THE BANDIT!" The Bandit, who'd just finished a dance with Twink, looked at him in horror. Twink pushed him bodily over to the stage and Zero handed him the mic. "Are you insane?" The Bandit hissed. "I'm EXHAUSTED!" "Why?" Zero smiled. "They're not an exhausting pair." "So I've heard," the Bandit snapped. "Did you at least give Twink a good time?" "She asked me what planet I was from," Zero shrugged. He turned to the band, and yelled, "ONE TWO THREE FOUR--" The musicians kicked into a screaming run of choppy chords, and the Bandit had approximately two seconds to recognize the song, smile widely, recall the lyrics, and leap into the audience, straight at Twink. "You burn me up, I'm a cigarette-- You hold my hand and I begin to sweat You make me nervous Oh, ooh, I'm nervous! This must be real bad karma for this to be my dharma with You - woo - wooo...." The crowd cheered as he skanked across the dance floor, mic cable tripping people behind him, and sprawled into Mary Magdalene's lap. "You burn me up, I'm a cigarette-- Life with you is a losing bet You drive me crazy Oh, ooh, I'm going crazy! Your therapeutic antics, well, they only make me frantic with You - woo - wooo...." He ran back to the stage and began dancing in front of the Sloth. "Strategic interaction irreducible fraction Terminal inaction from a bitter hostile faction I'm getting anxious I'm Franctious Transactional diseases are the only thing that pleases We -- HEE HEE!" One quick spin and he was sprawled out across the top of Diva's piano, lolling back in a parody of a torch singer's slouch. "You burn me up, I'm a cigarette-- Demanding my attention which you're not gonna get I'll leave you cut down Tonight is SHUT down! Musical elation is my only consolation From You - woo - WHOA!" Diva had grown angrier and angrier as she listened to him mangle the last verse into a message especially for her, one she didn't like at all. With and angry shove, she heaved the Bandit off the piano and onto the floor in a heap, where he lay while finishing the song. The crowd, thinking it was all part of the act, howled with laughter as the song ended, and cried for more. The Bandit got up and bowed, then leaned back to Diva. "You and me, never," he whispered. "Your loss, needledick," she replied, smiling sweetly. The Bandit bowed again, smiling, and screamed, "ONE MORE!" The Clean Room was shut down, and the band was stowing its gear. Twink and Mary Magdalene had adjourned to the ladies' room, and the Bandit was in the Burger Bar having one last beer before closing. He finished his burger with a gulp, and wiped his mouth happily. I'd forgotten how good a fresh-grilled burger with double mayo can be, he sighed. Now, all I-- "Bandit?" The Bandit whirled around. After a moment, he smiled carefully. "Hi, Teenie." "Can I sit down?" Her voice was timid, almost fearful. "Sure." He motioned to the chair across the small table from him. "It's nice to see you again. How have you been?" "Okay," Teenie said with a little smile. "I went to the Far East on a concert tour this summer." "Marvelous! I hope you had a good time." He watched her carefully. "It was. We visited--" "Why'd you leave me?" The question stopped her like a blow to the face. She looked at him in real fear, biting her lip. He leaned forward, his voice a whisper. "I have a right to know. You walked out of my life two years ago with no explanation. I let you go because I loved you too much to keep you. But now whatever I'd felt was gone, and I'm just curious. Why?" Teenie took a deep breath. "Because," she said, "You didn't ever really love me at all." "I didn't?" The Bandit's eyes widened. "That's news to me...." "Oh, give it up, Bandit!" Teenie actually put a little anger into her voice. "You can lie to me, but you can't lie to yourself!" "I'm not lying." His voice was firm. "If I didn't love you, why did I ask you out?" "Because you wanted someone to have sex with," Teenie said flatly. "What?" The Bandit drew his hands across his brow. "Teenie, are you crazy? Do you really believe that?" "Why shouldn't I?" Teenie glared at him challengingly. "Because there's a helluva lot of evidence to the contrary. If all I'd wanted was a sex object, why not Twink, huh? She was on my case from day one. I could've had her in bed in no time flat! Why waste time chasing you? Tell me!" Teenie looked uncomfortable. "M-Maybe you didn't think she was very pretty," she said softly. The Bandit let out his breath in a disparaging huff. "Compared to you? Get out of here! She's built like a brick shithouse! I was interested in you because you were musically inclined, and sensitive, and funny, and caring, and a wonderful person over all! If you didn't want a sexual relationship with me, all you had to do is say so! This is the 1980s, Teenie. If a woman says 'Yes', unless there's good evidence to the contrary, she means 'Yes'! You said 'No' for a long time and I left you alone until you changed your mind of your own accord. I didn't threaten you, I didn't play mind games with you. The relationship went at its own speed, and I hate to tell you this, kid, but it was YOU at the controls, not me!" "That's not TRUE!" Teenie cried. "You WANTED me, I KNEW that!" "Yes, I did," he said quietly. "But that put no obligation on you. Twink, for all the fun people made of her, was smart enough to lay down the ground rules before we did anything at all. I will not accept full responsibility for the fact that you expected me to read your mind!" He looked at her grimly. "Are you telling me that every time we made love, you were coerced into it? I was raping you and you hated it? Are you telling me that?" "No, of course not!" Teenie shook her head. Slowly, as if doing something very difficult, she reached out and took his hand. He clutched it tightly, and smiled at her. It was the first time they'd touched in years. She looked into his eyes as she spoke. "It was so hard to go to confessional after we made love, Bandit. It, it felt miraculous, like God had meant Man and Woman to feel together! I felt like I wasn't committing a sin!" She shook her head. "But after a few months, I started wondering if there was anything else to our relationship besides sex...." "Are you kidding?" The Bandit slapped his forehead. "You helped me record some of my first electronic pieces! You sang backup for the band a couple of times! We shared books, we went to concerts together, we stayed up talking to all hours-- what was all of that, chopped liver?" "NO!" Teenie shook her head violently. "It wasn't, it wasn't! But I thought-- I thought you only did it to keep me around!" "Why the hell would you think that?" the Bandit wondered aloud. "Who the hell could put a crazy idea like that in your head, make both of us suffer the way we did? Did you really come up with this theory on your own?" Teenie looked down at the table for a long moment, her brow furrowed. "Of course I did," she said uncertainly. "I worked it out my, myself...." She looked up at him in sudden shock. "Once the suggestion was there!" "Who made this-- suggestion?" The Bandit already knew the answer, but he had to hear it from Teenie's lips. "The Rainbow Wizard," she whispered, a tear forming in her eye. "Thought so." The Bandit sighed loudly. "Well, what's done is done," he said, getting up from the table. "We both learned a lot from the whole affair, I guess. I hear you've got a new boyfriend." She looked up at him, smiling shakily. "Yes. He's very sweet." "I'm happy for you," the Bandit said, meaning it with all of his battered, scabby heart. "Take care, Teenie." He turned to leave. "Bandit?" He turned back to face her. "Uh-huh?" "I'm not sorry things went the way they did," she said quietly. "But I am sorry you went this long without knowing the truth." He smiled briefly. "So am I." The bar doors swung behind him. The morning sun was bright over the roof of the East Habitat as the Bandit tossed his luggage into the back seat of his car. Twink and Mary Magdalene were there to see him off; the others had said goodbye at breakfast, and had headed off for their Monday classes. "Well, this is it," the Bandit sighed. He gave Mary Magdalene a quick, hard hug, then held her at arms' length and shook her sharply. "Keep your promise to me," he said sternly. "And to yourself. You can't grow in Arcadia. Get the hell out. Soon! Okay?" Mary Magdalene nodded. "I'll try, Bandit. Sometime this year. Really." The Bandit looked skeptically at her, then suddenly gasped as he remembered something. "Here," he said, "I almost forgot." He dug into his pocket and pulled out something small and shiny on a ratty old thread. It jingled gently as he placed it in Mary Magdalene's hands, and she accepted it silently, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thanks," she said softly. "You were right; I did want it back." "No problem," the Bandit smiled, though now he was looking at Twink. He gazed into her tear-filled eyes for a long moment, then pulled her into his arms and hugged her long and hard. "Be good, kid," he whispered into her ear. "I will if you will," she whispered back. He let her go with a last, gentle kiss, and got into the car. He rolled down the window and said, "Take care, both of you." Then the window went back up and the car, crunching over the fresh snow, spun out and headed for the main highway. Glancing into the rear-view mirror, the Bandit saw Twink bury her face in her hands, saw Mary Magdalene gently take her in her arms and hold her. Then he turned his attention back to the road, and a single tear ran down his cheek as he turned the corner and the East Habitat was lost to sight. Damn sun in my eyes, he thought, wiping a hand across his face. He floored the accelerator as he hit the On-ramp, and the car was gone in a blur, leaving Arcadia for the long trip home. -- Mail rec.arts.erotica submissions to erotica@telly.on.ca. Most software will automatically mail your postings to that address.