Daughter, Lover, Superheroine Ch. 07

"The thought," Conqueress said coldly, "would not even occur to me."

When they were alone, Cindy rounded on Vicky.

"Alright, it's time for you to come clean!" she said hotly. "What've you been hiding from us? Why are you really here? Why weren't you honest with them just now?"

"Cindy!" Barbara gasped. "Cindy, darling, please..."

"I do not like the way they interrogated me!" Vicky snapped, folding her arms across her chest. "They were being very rude!"

"That's no reason for you to hide things from them, or from us - unless you really have ulterior motives for being here!" Cindy said accusingly. "Was it really an accident?"

"Cindy, please! That's enough!" Barbara said firmly. When her mother spoke like that, which was rarely, Cindy had no choice but to obey. She subsided, still glaring at Vicky, who sighed.

"Mother... it's alright. Let me explain it to you both, and set your minds at rest. I can understand why Cindy is suspicious. I would be, too, in her place."

She is not your mother! Cindy thought resentfully. She's mine!

"There've indeed been various people who crossed over from my world to yours, and the other way around too. And not all of them have meant well - in fact, just last year we had to deal with some terrorists from your world, who caused no end of trouble in our residential districts. Many in Powers Division had to be deployed because our police were being overwhelmed. It was a difficult time.

"We've had a few misguided souls come over to this world too, misfits and vagrants who didn't appreciate what they had. But, well, that's their choice, and we haven't tried to chase them down to bring them back against their will. Besides, as the old story goes, the crow who's not happy in one place won't find happiness if he flies to another - because the problem is inside him!

"I have people on the other side looking for me. They won't abandon me - they just need time to get things working so they can contact me, and bring me back," Vicky said earnestly. "My true place is in that world - I am on the front lines in the battle against all the vandals, arsonists, thieves and radical anarchists who want to tear down everything good and lawful and right. There is nothing I want more right now than to go back there. But I will not be idle. While I am here..."

She face Cindy squarely and held out her hand. "I will continue the fight here, alongside you... my battle sister. If you will have me."

Cindy shuffled uncomfortably. But Barbara was giving her a meaningful and expectant look. "Cindy, darling..."

She could do nothing but grip that hand and shake it. "Alright, Vicky. We'll be partners out there."

"Then let criminals tremble at the might of Battleborn and Conqueress!" Vicky proclaimed. She seemed to have a taste for grandiloquence. It did not sit well with Cindy. Perhaps... that was because it was actually an amplified version of Cindy's own tendencies.

Vicky pulled her in for a hug. In Cindy's ear, she whispered, "I'm glad we shall be fighting together, battle sister. I would love to see your strength for myself."

She pulled back, and they stared into each other's eyes, mirror images of each other. And somehow, Cindy knew the unspoken words at the end of Vicky's statement were being conveyed wordlessly with Vicky's eyes:

"And test it."

***

Over the next two weeks, they helped Vicky adjust to her new surroundings. Barbara and Cindy conducted a day tour of the city, and pointed out various landmarks to her. Through it all, Vicky surveyed the architecture and the day to day happenings with few comments, only noting occasionally if something struck her as familiar.

They also didn't have to interfere with very many instances of street crime. Vicky commented approvingly on the way would-be snatch thieves and muggers took one look at the pair and fled. "An impressive reputation is half the battle won," she declared. "Fear is a weapon wise warriors use well!"

"Um... not quite the way I'd put it, but... thanks?" Cindy muttered. Vicky seemed to have a certain... hardness... in her soul, a kind of edge that Cindy couldn't quite understand.

After two weeks, Vicky had received no word from her Praetorian contacts, but she declined to appeal to Portal Corp for help in returning to her dimension. Besides, she told them, she was in no rush.

"You must miss your home dimension, though," Barbara said solicitously.

"Not as much as you would think!" She took Barbara's hands in her own. "This is like a vacation for me, really. Even Powers Division members need some downtime! Besides... it's good to find the both of you here." She smiled, looking at Cindy as well, and then looked away. "It's like... well... having a family," she said quietly.

Cindy could only shuffle her feet awkwardly at that, but Barbara was moved. They still didn't know much about her or her background, but they did know one thing - she had lost her mother, her Barbara.

As odd as that was for Barbara to contemplate, there was only one way she could respond to Vicky's words, her momentary display of vulnerability, the cracking of her shell. She put her arms around her daughter's lookalike, and enfolded her. Vicky buried her face in the crook of Barbara's neck, sniffling slightly.

And when she detached herself from the hug she turned to Cindy and spread open her arms too, for a sisterly embrace.

Cindy felt a little ashamed of herself. Surely her jealousy was unwarranted, and quite irrational - not to mention graceless. "Mom brought you up better than this," she told herself. So she smiled and hugged her Praetorian twin too.

But they did manage to bond over something near and dear to Cindy's heart.

Vicky's eyes shone when she saw Cindy's collection of sports trophies from high school and college. "Greco-Roman wrestling is quite popular in many circles, in Nova Praetoria!" she exclaimed, as she examined Cindy's last trophy with some delight. "Every conscientious Praetorian citizen strives to be strong and healthy, after all, and skilled in unarmed combat and self-defense. Cindy, I am highly impressed! In Praetoria you would be a model citizen!"

Cindy could not help but blush a little and accept the praise. "Well, as you can see, my last trophy here was from my junior year. Because after that, well, I had certified powers, and I couldn't compete on the teams anymore." She sighed. She had missed the thrill of competition, especially the joy of striving and winning while her mother was in the audience.

Even in her freshman year, when she had won the championship, it had felt wonderful for her to be standing on the podium, having the medal draped around her neck, holding the trophy aloft... seeing Mom clap and cheer proudly from the audience.

Vicky looked up, and there was a gleam in her eye as she said, "Care for some sparring, sister?"

Cindy gaped. Then, eagerly, she nodded.

Barbara was only too pleased to referee. Cindy brought out a pair of old low-cut wrestling leotards, emblazoned with the colors of Steel Canyon University. She'd grown considerably in muscle mass since her time in college, and as much as the material stretched, it was still a little tight around the shoulders and chest. For Vicky, obviously, it was the same.

"Well, no matter," Vicky declared, and in a few quick motions pulled down the shoulder straps to stand bare-chested. "The hips fit."

Cindy was startled, and it showed. "Oh, come on, we're family!" Vicky laughed, lacing her fingers together and stretching her arms, causing the front of her entire torso to ripple mesmerizingly. "We could even do it in the buff, like the ancient Greeks did!"

Feeling strangely self-conscious, Cindy followed Vicky's example. It felt bizarre - she and Barbara were completely comfortable with each other's bodies, but Vicky was basically a virtual stranger, though physically a copy of Cindy. It was literally an otherworldly level of intimacy. Did Vicky feel as she did, she wondered - that this was somehow an impromptu physique contest between the two of them? More importantly... was Barbara seeing it this way?

She felt her nipples stiffening of their own accord, and sucked in her breath through her teeth. They stood face to face, chest to chest, in front of her mom. Or perhaps... their mother?

This was the first time they would compete physically, body against body, with Mom watching - and to top it off, it would be done topless! Cindy could only hope she wasn't too rusty. She did not want to put up a poor showing, not against Vicky, and especially not in front of Mom.

All her worries flew out of her head, though, from the moment Barbara gave the signal to begin and their arms came together in a tangle. Once more, Cindy felt the familiar heady rush of competition with a near-equal, according to established rules. Her duel with Elena hadn't counted - that had been a fight with intent to injure, dominate, put out of commission, destroy. This was no such thing - this was a test of athleticism and skill.

And Vicky could take what she, Cindy, could dish out. She dominated the first few falls - Cindy was woefully rusty, after all. But she displayed nothing but good sportswomanship, even reminding Cindy of a few basic pointers. Before long Cindy was managing to score some falls herself, pinning Vicky's shoulders to the mat fair and square. And each time she heard Barbara giving her the point, she felt once more the rush of pride that came from performing well in front of her beloved mother.

They wrestled happily this way for an hour, before deciding to take a break, sweating and panting - though they could have gone on for an interminable time, if they had wished it. They stood face to face again, both grinning happily, in front of Barbara.

Cindy hadn't felt so challenged on this level in a long time. It was a joy to be matched against a fellow sportswoman, who was playing by the same rules, with strength and stamina the equal of her own.

Wrestling with Mom, naturally, took on a very different character. Also, Barbara was strong, but was never really skilled at these specific techniques, despite Cindy's instruction. And with Michelle, they stood in the relation of teacher and student, and what Cindy learned was a different kind of combat. This wrestling exercise with Vicky was something Cindy wasn't even aware she had missed to such an extent.

And her mom could tell - she always could. Barbara gave her a knowing smile, and favored Vicky with a grateful look. Then, because Vicky had scored more falls overall - 15 to 13 - Barbara took hold of Vicky's hand and raised it high.

Vicky reached out with her other hand and clasped Cindy's waist, pulling her in close. "I enjoyed that very much, sister," she said, and kissed Cindy chastely on the cheek. "I'm not surprised at all you won so many championships. Even without super strength, you would have dominated the competition!"

At this gracious and affectionate display, Cindy felt the walls in her breaking down. "I'm so glad we did this, Vicky... sister," she said, her voice becoming thick with emotion. "I enjoyed it very, very much. Thank you for this," she told her, returning the cheek kiss.

"Workout buddies?" Vicky suggested, lowering her gaze coyly.

"Workout buddies!" Cindy affirmed with a nod.

With gladness welling up in her heart, Barbara drew the both of them - both her daughters - into her arms, for a long three-way embrace.

Subsequently, all three of them worked out together using the machines in the Training Chamber. The dynamic was no longer strange. Usually, Barbara and her daughter would work out topless or simply nude, and now Vicky could comfortably join them. It made for less laundry, for one thing.

It still felt somewhat strange, Barbara thought, to be watching someone who was practically a near-perfect physical copy of Cindy, in sexy exertion. Sometimes, just the mere sight of Cindy performing a squat or deadlift, with every muscle on her body standing out, was enough to make Barbara climax without having to use her fingers on her pussy or clitoris. When she watched Vicky do it, it was undeniably arousing - but at the same time...

... it wasn't really her daughter. It was... and yet it wasn't.

So naturally, there would be some strange guilt involved. Her body could not deny it - it responded to Vicky's sexiness just as it responded to Cindy's.

Cindy and her Praetorian doppelganger were about evenly matched for lifts - sometimes one lifted more than the other, sometimes one outlasted the other. They seemed to be trying to outdo each other especially for Barbara's eyes. Barbara had to wonder how she would recognize the point when this stopped being healthy competition and became something that had to be nipped in the bud.

Still, she had to admit it was a guilty pleasure for her, to watch Cindy being tested in all these ways by her double. And, with every passing day, it seemed easier for Barbara to think of Vicky as a second daughter. Despite the discernible differences in their characters and personalities, it was still the same young woman she recognized - that same thirst for justice, the same kind of fire burning inside, the same strength of will and self-confidence and desire to do good.

And so far, it seemed that Cindy and Vicky were becoming more and more accepting of each other, day by day. The next turning point came during one of their workout sessions.

It was about a month after Vicky's arrival. Vicky was feeling frustrated at being unable to break a personal record for a standing shoulder press.

It was then that Cindy gave Barbara a meaningful look, and then said, "Vicky, there's something we could do that might help. To be more exact... it's something Mom could do." She waggled her eyebrows at Barbara.

Barbara was taken aback for a moment, but soon she felt a warm smile spread across her face. "Yes, Vicky dear, there is," she agreed.

Vicky listened, wide-eyed, as Cindy explained about their discovery regarding Barbara's lactation. "There's both a short-term boost, and also, I like to think, a long-term effect. Of course, we don't have control experiments," Cindy said, "but I'm almost completely sure that I'm developing better because Mom's milk is part of my regular diet!"

"And... and you're willing to.. share it with me?" Vicky asked. Her voice shook a little.

It was Barbara who answered, wordlessly, by stepping forward and taking off her tank-top to bare her breasts. Cindy helped her to rub her nipples, which were soon stiffened and engorged. It didn't take long at all - watching Cindy and Vicky working out never failed to arouse Barbara, after all, and her nipples were already swollen and sensitive.

Vicky blinked away tears. Cindy put a sisterly arm around her twin, giving her a bright smile. "Go on. Try it out. It's delicious."

Vicky looked up, and Barbara felt herself awash in the glow of adoration she saw in Vicky's eyes. Then Vicky took a deep breath, and closed her lips around Barbara's nipple, puckering them as she sucked.

Soon, all three of them were moaning. Barbara tensed her chest muscles as much as she could, squeezing out the orange-tinted fortified liquid nourishment into Vicky's eager mouth. Vicky was shivering all over, clutching at Barbara's arms which she obligingly flexed. And Cindy nuzzled Vicky's neck, laying soft kisses on it, moaning in sympathy at Vicky's unalloyed delight. When Barbara motioned for Cindy to take her other nipple, she did so with ardent fervor.

Barbara looked down at the tops of their heads. Side by side, they were practically indistinguishable. Each gripped one of her flexed biceps, clutching it with equal force. She felt her mammary glands being emptied into their hungry mouths, and closed her eyes in pure contentment.

She had never been happier than when she felt herself to be a mother. And now, she felt doubly so, twice-blessed, with not just one but two wonderful daughters she was suckling at the same time. She made sure to flex her muscles as hard as she could, as hard as she had ever flexed, for best effect.

After a while even they had to come up for breath. They sat back, licking the traces of milk from the corners of her lips. Vicky's eyes filled again with tears as she looked up and said, "You can be a mother to me now... can't you?"

"Yes, my darling," Barbara said, caressing her cheek fondly. "Yes, I can be a mother to you, Vicky."

Cindy hugged her from the side, and Vicky returned it, turning to her twin. "And you're a sister to me now, truly. Even after I return, to Praetoria, you'll be my sister. Right?"

"Right!"

They shared a kiss, and Cindy could taste her mom's milk on her twin's lips. It sent a frisson of pleasure through her entire body.

Then Vicky went onto the weight-generating machine again, and promptly set a new personal best, exceeding her previous lift by 4.5%.

It was one of the best days of their lives.

***

They were sitting together in the lounge.

Barbara cleared her throat. "Vicky... there's something I've been meaning to ask you. It's about your name."

"Anything, Mother," she responded immediately. "I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Your last name is... Nelson?"

"Why, yes. It was Father's family name. You... I mean to say, my Mother took it. But I understand you kept your maiden name."

Barbara nodded. "We're the Becks," she said softly. "She's Cindy Beck... and you're Cindy Nelson, technically." She sighed.

"Mom... does that name mean anything to you?" Cindy asked, fidgeting.

"Yes, honey, it does..." Barbara smiled indulgently. "I never told you because, well, there was nothing much to tell. It was many years before you were born. I was being courted... well, in those days there was still courting, you know, and there were various young men who expressed their interest in me. One of them, well, was your father... Steve Sheldon... the other was a man called Nate Nelson. He seemed nice enough... but well... I guess I didn't choose him."

"Well, funny you should mention that," Vicky said. "Actually... Nate Nelson was my stepfather. My biological father was a certain Steve Sheldon, too. I guess that much isn't different, between our worlds!"

"That's quite the coincidence!" Barbara exclaimed.

"Yes. There was some infidelity involved, I recall, and Mother left and married Nate, and even took his name. Just out of curiosity, where is Nate in this world?"

"He... died in the Rikti War, a civilian casualty. Steve as well."

"Only not so civilian," Cindy muttered.

Vicky quirked an eyebrow curiously.

"He was a brilliant scientist whose mutagen formula gave us our powers, but in an accident," Barbara explained. "Here, he... cheated on me, as well, and joined an evil organization... but during the Rikti invasion, an interdimensional war, he was killed."

"That is exactly where I got my powers too - only it was through deliberate experimentation, not an accident!" Vicky exclaimed. "I was his first and only test subject. I wasn't spared, even though I was just a fetus! Let's just say he... was a bit of a scumbag, in both of our worlds, and leave it at that."

"Well, that's something we can agree on!" Cindy said, with a small scowl.

"I guess your family history is a glimpse at what could've been, for me!" Barbara observed. "It really is fascinating, when we think about it!"

"You know what else would be fascinating?" Vicky said, slyly. She slid over to sit beside Cindy and put a comradely arm around Cindy's shoulders. Cindy's lips curled in amusement, and she reciprocated. Vicky turned to Barbara.

"It'd be fascinating... to see which of us is the stronger," she suggested. "For real. Once and for all, sister!"