The Empath Cycle: 2001 It Takes One - Book 2

After several unsuccessful tries, Lucia finally found her voice and some of her former sense of humour.

"I should have realized you would be the clown specialist. If I had known, I would have chipped in for season tickets at the Molson Center to sweeten the pot."

The banter would have gone on, both women with a silly grin plastered on their faces, but the members of the Board surrounded Claude to welcome her to the institute.

"Phew! I thought they'd never leave. Is everyone this exuberant and friendly around here?"

Lucia was still standing by her chair, as afraid as Claude to make the first move. Both paralyzed by indecision.

"For the most part, yes. This is a small operation compared to what you're used to. A mom and pop shop in many ways. Wait until you know more of its history. It's quite amazing."

"So, you're going to be my boss. Or am I going to have to call you 'my Khan'?"

"Oh no! There can never be another Genghis Khan but you. When we're at work, you should call me Dr. Morgan and I'll call you Dr. Xavier. We find that a little protocol makes for a more stable environment for the patients, but everybody is very friendly and we are all on a first name basis outside work."

"Good... Lucia... Hum... Do... Do you think I could have a hug? You know, for old times' sake."

The words had barely left her mouth that she was almost bowled over by her friend.

"Oh, Claude! I've missed you so much." She cried.

When she had begun on the long road back to health, Claude had quickly noticed the calming emotions being projected her way by her therapists. There could be no other explanation to the phenomenon.

In discussing it with Sille, they found that she too had some small empathic talent. Her innate ability to know when someone was in her personal space was the untrained perception of a receiving talent which worked only at short distances. They had worked on it so she could use it consciously with her patients.

At such close range, there was no mistaking the love she felt pouring from Lucia, nor the fear. She had been warned about this and she silently blessed the fact that her friend only had the empathy of her big heart.

In an effort to avoid losing complete control of her own emotions, she gently pushed Lucia away, keeping her hands on her shoulder so it wouldn't look like a rejection.

"I'm sorry boss. I have to go back to the city tonight to finish packing my things. I have to be ready when the moving people arrive Friday morning. I found an apartment in the village and I have a lot of work ahead of me so I'm ready to start work on Monday. I'm told you're quite the slave driver."

Lucia slapped her arm. "Oh you. I see things are going to get lively around here. Whatever gave me the idea to hire a clown?"

Lucia's plan had been to temporarily use Claude as a roving psychologist for the first weeks to see where Dr. Adams' technique could be best be applied. She soon realized that this was the best way to do it, in conjunction with the other courses of treatment.

In the following months, Claude became a fixture around the clinic, always there to support anyone who needed it, whether her colleagues, members of the medical support staff or the maintenance personnel. She viewed them all as members of the larger team and they respected her for it.

Alison noticed this and shanghaied Claude into becoming her own assistant. She still brought down the Law from on High, as she laughingly referred to the various administrative directives, and Claude brought to her attention the situations that required Lucia's attention when Alison couldn't fix them herself. In short order, Claude was doing it on her own. So Alison piled on more and more responsibilities on her shoulders until she went to Lucia to announce her retirement.

"I've already trained my replacement so well that you won't even see the difference."

"When? How? I never authorized the hiring of new personnel. Did you forge my signature again, missy?"

"You see? Things have been going so smoothly you didn't even notice. And if you didn't, I'll let you have the surprise next Monday morning.

For the rest of the week, Lucia paid particular attention to the goings on at Alison's desk, but could see nothing out of the ordinary.

She tried every subterfuge she could think of to get her assistant to tell her the name of her replacement even resorting to bald faced bribery.

"This looks like a great cake, dear. Triple chocolate, I hope. But I still won't tell you."

"You're a meanie, missy. You can bet I won't let her get away with half of what you make me suffer."

"Whoever told you it's a woman?" Alison asked her genially.

Lucia could hear Ali's laughter through the door as she fumed at her desk.

On Monday morning, Lucia walked past her assistant's desk and greeted Claude.

"Good morning. I'm waiting for someone. Can you send him or her in when he or she arrives, please?"

"Sure thing, boss. I'm finishing the expense report for this month's Board meeting. Then I have to get to the second floor for a treatment review meeting, but I'll send your visitor right in if I see him or her. You really don't know if it's a man or a woman?" Claude laughed.

"Don't start on me too. I let Alison have the last laugh. The dear old thing earned it."

"You let her? That's a good one, boss."

"Yes, well..." She walked into her office.

When she left to get her morning snack at the cafeteria, the desk was empty and her new employee hadn't shown up.

'Damned funny way to impress a new employer.' She thought.

When she came back, Claude was rummaging in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet.

'Nice ass.' She thought, quickly suppressing her smile of appreciation. "Still haven't seen my visitor?"

"Nope. I'll let you know when I do. Don't forget your two o'clock meeting with the people from the Montreal General Hospital. The report is on your desk."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"No problem, boss."

When Lucia came back from lunch, she was totally confused.

"Claude, can you tell me if there's a sign on my back saying 'I'm stupid' or some such."

"Of course not, boss. Why would you think that?"

"I got the oddest feeling all through lunch that everyone was pointing at me and laughing."

"You must be imagining things, I'm sure. You're going to have to sign the requisitions I left on your desk. The maintenance people say they're running low."

"They are?" Lucia asked, surprised. That had never happened before. "Oh! I forgot them. Alison always forged my signature on those things. I guess I'll have to learn to do that in the future."

"Or you could authorize your new assistant to sign the supply requisitions."

"If I ever see him or her." She grumbled. "I'll do it right away."

She was explaining to the two doctors from the Montreal General the protocol they had followed with the patient they had referred when she stopped suddenly.

"Dr. Morgan..." The man prompted as she continued to look at them blankly, her smile growing wider and wider until she started to laugh.

"Sorry, doctors. I'll be right back."

She stepped out of her office and leaned on the closed door.

"How much did she win in the pool?"

"Actually, I won. She had you pegged for the lunch hour. I picked mid-afternoon, two to three pm, in fact. Everyone else chose sometime this morning."

Lucia went back to her meeting, smiling.

Though a trace of darkness always lurked, her dear friend's presence at her elbow was beneficial for Lucia. Her health improved and most of her energy and joie de vivre returned.

Claude relearned the joy of socializing with friends and family thanks to the kindness of people who gently but firmly pushed her out the door of the clinic on Friday evening and forbade her to return before Monday morning unless she was on call.

Unspoken by either but understood by both, if for different reasons, Claude stayed away from Lucia's husband, Gregory. It was easier than they had thought it would be since he had little attention for anything other than neurology and the papers he published. Lesser people were of no account to him.

The years went by until, in November 2001, they heard a story about the legend of the long lost daughter of First Therapist Catherine Lamoureux. Neither paid much attention to it since it was a clan thing.

Chapter 13

Claude couldn't imagine a more perfect way to spend the rest of eternity than cuddled with the love of her life.

After the long years of burying herself in work as she pined for her, then of living with her day in and day out at arm's length because Lucia would never break her weddings vows even if it meant enduring a lifetime of abuse, she could finally give free rein to her heart.

For the first time in her life, Lucia fully understood the expression 'a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders'.

In her case, it was more like a tight binding had been unwrapped from around her heart, allowing it to feel as it should have all along. The elation so great she felt it surely couldn't fit in her chest anymore.

She was reveling in the regular heartbeat under her cheek, in the slow respiration she naturally followed, in the heat of the body on which she molded her own, in the memory of its sensuality and the knowledge of so much more to come, basking under the blanket of tenderness, support and happiness wrapping her when she felt lips kissing the top of her head.

"So you think I have a nice ass?"

Lucia joined the general hilarity.

"That's all you take from what we just went through?" Lucia asked the woman in her arms.

"You forget I had months of therapy before I could face you again."

"I don't, my love. I am so sorry I couldn't understand my feelings for you from the beginning. I could have saved you so much pain."

"Don't be. You were who you were and I accepted that. Let's forget the past and concentrate on the future."

"I agree with the sentiment, but I have a lot to work through. For one, I need to go to Cherryl. I owe her so much."

"She's been waiting for years to be able to talk to you about the incident. She helped me too, you know. That woman is a rock."

"I know... now." Shifting in Claude's arms, she took Sylvie's hands in hers. "Words can never be enough to express my gratitude. You have given me my life back. I am in your debt. Whatever you need, you only have to ask and it's yours."

"There is no debt between us. If we could help you heal, that is enough for us." Sylvie answered with feeling.

"The only thing we ask is that you keep your experience here private." Patricia interjected. "There is enough interest in Sylvie as it is. Let's not add to it until we have settled into all the changes that have been piling up."

Lucia looked at Claude who nodded.

"We agree. Can we at least tell some people about our joining you here? They will only be the same ones who know about the mammies' visit. You see, there are Secret Archives in which Dr. Grisholm has described all that the three empaths involved in the First Event remembered, her theories and their further experiments. What you take for granted has been the Holy Grail for the empaths and para-psychologists of the institute, but no one has been able to reproduce it. These are only accessible by Senior Therapists and the Director of the Clinic. Even the scientists of the Research Department are not privy to them. We may direct some of their research, but we are careful to disguise the real reason behind our requests. As far as I know, Claude is the first Assistant to know and you would not believe the hoops I had to jump through for that to happen."

"As long as it goes no further and no improper demands are made on her." Patricia insisted.

"You have our word. We will only describe how it took a similar psychic and emotional storm to reproduce the phenomena. The rest will stay private. But would you mind terribly if we occasionally discussed it privately with you all?"

Sylvie laughed. "You can't keep a curious scientist down. We will be happy to discuss whatever you want. We have a lot of questions ourselves and the most private place I know is right here. Since we have already made contact, I'm confident I can bring you back."

"When you are ready, let us know." Jade added. "We'll be happy to show you some of the other features of the place."

"We can well imagine if you tapped in our memories so easily." Claude laughed. "I'm sure we have some subconscious fantasies that would be quite interesting."

"Trust the pervert to think about that first. Oooooh!"

"Yes, my love? Do you want me to stop?"

"But... Aaaahhhh... No! Don't stop."

"They won't mind if my finger is twirling your pearl. Unless I'm very much mistaking, Jade's hand is doing something similar to Karlie. And Ryanna is fondling Julia's breasts openly."

"I know... I see... I... Please, stop teasing me, you meanie."

"Get on your knees then. Let's show these young pups how us old biddies make out."

"Who's old? You realize that I'll get you for this."

"I certainly hope so. Now, spread your legs more."

"Do you mind if we play with you, Dr. Morgan?" Julia asked meekly.

"No, dear. I've watched you grow into beautiful young women and I've always admired you and Ryanna. If... Hnnngg... Claude and your family are okay with it, I certainly don't miiiiiind."

She arched her back as Claude fingered her pussy and licked her asshole. She hadn't played with it since the days when she protected her virginity. She missed it. She pushed back against the fingers and tongue, her eyes shut so she wouldn't miss a single moment of pleasure, then she started. Looking down, she watched Julia wriggle on her back between her arms. She didn't have time to kiss her before her mouth was past, but she fondled and kissed her perky breasts when they came in reach.

Lucia moaned deeply when Julia paid homage to her breasts. When her nipples were pulled and twisted more roughly, she began to panic, going back to the long years where her husband had taken pleasure of her body only when he was inflicting pain, but a blanket of reassurance and love immediately enveloped her.

Claude moved up and wrapped her arms around her. Lucia could feel Claude's love flowing through her core, chasing the memories away. 'This is what being an empath is.' She thought with awe. She tried her best to send all her love back.

"I love you, Lucia. Claude said softly in her ear. "I'm sure the girls didn't realize the trauma you've lived with for so long. It seems they like to play rough a little."

"Yes, Dr. Morgan, we do. Some of us more than the others, so we forgot ourselves because all we have to do is tell each other when we go too far." Ryanna told her.

"That's true, Dr. Morgan. Always remember that nobody will hurt you... unless you ask for it." Julia added. "If we do something you don't like, just tell us and we'll stop. Don't hesitate to tell us what you like either."

"Lucia, dears. Please call me Lucia. You shared so much of my life and here I am naked, ready to play with you. I'm sorry if I overreacted. You all have done so much by helping me face my fears, but I still have a lot to get over."

"You do, my love, and I will help you. You are not alone. You will never be alone again."

"We will all help you, Lucia." Sylvie added. "Patricia and I had to learn a lot about ourselves in the last few months and it's been Ryanna and Julia's turn these the last few days. We have marvelous teachers in Karlie and Jade. Add Claude and her love for you to the mix and you are as safe as you can be to discover and explore this side of your sexuality."

"If we may, Lucia, the first thing you must learn is to trust Claude." Jade said. "And for her to trust you as you get in touch with your dominant side."

"I trust her completely, but I'm not a dominant." Lucia replied. "Quite the opposite, as you may have noticed as we relived my memories."

"Are you sure?" Jade grinned. "In fact, I've been trying to find a way to bring the subject up. When we were at the house, things happened fast and I was also caught up in the maelstrom of emotion and lust, but if I remember correctly, you were quite the aggressor with Claude. Also, from the little you told us about your private time in the palace, I would say that you have a strong dominant side and that Claude likes it very much."

They all laughed as the older women blushed.

"There's nothing wrong with that, sweetie." Karlie told Lucia. "The thing you have to remember, though, is that you have to talk to each other. You have to set the boundaries to your games. We are not psychologists, but we have a lot of experience with this and we have seen it go terribly wrong."

"We know." Claude interjected. "Like the woman Ryanna and Julia brought to the institute earlier last fall."

"That's one extreme example." Karlie continued. "We have also seen couples destroyed to various degrees, from acrimony to hate. Jade and I are a little bit extreme in our play, but we have been at it for years and had great guides in the beginning. Patricia and Sylvie quickly discovered their limits which they trust each other not to cross. There are some things Sylvie likes that Patricia can't bring herself to do so we help them with those. We are guiding Ryanna and Julia as they learn to deal with Julia's slutty side."

"Is that what you call it?" Claude asked. "She pushed my hands away from Lucia's breasts and she has a couple of fingers inside my vagina while we are talking."

They all laughed heartily.

As Julia continued toward her goal, Lucia saw a penis swinging with her hip movements. It looked so realistic that she pulled back, not yet over her own bad experiences with the thing.

"It's not for you." Ryanna told her gently. She was on her knees between Julia's legs, caressing her thighs.

"Is it real? I don't see any straps." Lucia asked.

"No, it's not. The other half is inside her own vagina so she gets the same pleasure when she fucks me with it. We have Jade to thank for finding it in an adult store. See, there's a flat surface that rubs on her clit and the other end of it curls inside her."

Julia moaned when Ryanna pulled the dildo from her vagina with a wet noise. Since her mouth was glued to Lucia's pearl, that worthy's eyes glazed for a second. She came back to the moment when she felt a rounded object slipping along her lips and tasted a delicious flavor.

"She tastes good, doesn't she? Everyone tastes different, I like hers best, but let's put this to better use." Ryanna brought the thing back to Julia's pussy. She slapped her thigh to stop her squirming. When she saw Lucia flinch, she explained. "Don't worry, dear Lucia. It doesn't hurt her... much. And she loves it. See? She's humping in the air. She wants it back inside her. Here, try it. Give her a good slap. Harder. Harder. Don't worry, she's a masochist. She can take a lot more. I can hear the both of you moan. I guess she's doing something you like too."

Leaning over Lucia's shoulder, Ryanna pulled Claude's head closer so she could kiss her deeply. When she had her panting, she whispered in her ear. "Keep licking her ass and be ready." Out of Lucia's field of vision, she handed Claude a strapless dildo like the one Julia was wearing.