Forgiveness and Punishment

30

"Melissa? Are you alright?" Tad asks coming into the room. He goes up to Melissa and when he sees her crying he enfolds her in his arms. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so stupid, Tad, really, really stupid. I'm upset over something that hasn't even happened yet, and might not ever happen." Melissa angrily wipes away her tears. She's never liked crying, it never solves anything and just makes her tired and unable to breathe.

"What is it?" Tad just asks softly once more.

"Travis was just asking questions, I know that, but, the thought of Timothy getting married made my heart hurt. It's stupid, we don't have that kind of relationship. I've been with others and I know he needs to be with others or it will physically harm him."

"You don't know that, Melissa."

"He needs sex as much as he needs blood to survive." Melissa says exasperatedly.

"Perhaps that's true, you would know better than I would, but he could be with you to get that sex. He wouldn't have to be with others."

"He is the seethe leader, many of his seethe are his children, those he turned like me. You heard him, it creates a stronger bond between them."

"Yes, but he hasn't married any of them, has he? He had them long before you were created. From my point of view he's bent over backwards to make you happy. He even came out here so that you could drop off those ashes and talk to your lawyer. Wasn't it his idea on how to get back at Marissa?

"I'm no expert on love, but to me it looks like he loves you."

"I'm so selfish, Tad. I wanted you and TJ and even Travis and he didn't say anything."

"Oh, he said something. He made it very clear that we aren't to be together until I'm older." Tad says with more than a little bitterness.

"Tad-" Marissa says looking up at him after turning around in his arms. Tad stops her from speaking by kissing her. 

"I understand the reasoning Melissa, but it doesn't mean I have to like it." Tad says then kisses her again. His kisses were definitely well practiced and not sibling like in any way.

Melissa responds but talks to him mentally. "Where did you learn to kiss?"

"I'm not a virgin, Melissa. Not by a long shot." Tad replies the same way even as he kisses down her throat. "The foster home I was placed in was hell. They molested me from the first day I was placed there."

"What?" Melissa tries to pull back in her shock, the pleasure from his kisses blown away from his words.

Tad sighs and steps back from her. This isn't a conversation he really wants. "From the first day I was placed in that hell the mother made sure to welcome me. She touched me and rubbed me until she was satisfied by my response. It made me sick having her touch me. Then her daughter did the same that night when she slipped into my room, only she made sure to kiss me as well on the mouth.

"It progressed from there. They never actually did more than strip me while kissing and touching me, but it never failed to make me sick. I told TJ on his visit. He was angry, but there was little we could do without proof. 

"That's the reason TJ didn't go out of state to university, he wanted to, but he wouldn't have been able to take me with him. The first year of him having guardian ship they had strict guide lines for him. We were visited often by the social worker to check on us. Hell, if they had been so diligent with those child molesting bastards then I wouldn't have ruined TJ's life." Tad says more than a little bitter.

"Hey, you didn't ruin TJ's life, he loves you."

"I know he loves me. He took me out of that hell and gave me love. But it wasn't the same as when you gave me love."