Seven Days at Maplewood Lane

Author's note: If you are enjoying this story or have anything to say, please leave a comment. I love reading them and it helps motivate me to keep writing. Thank you!

Previously: Elijah and Teagan enjoyed a rainy day in. The had sex, cried, read, and had more sex. While eating dinner a kitten turned up at their doorstep needing rescue. Teagan begged Elijah to keep it, and the three ended the door curled up in each other's arms.

***

Elijah stood at the bottom of the stairs, tapping his foot. "Hurry up Teags!" he called up, irritated. "We're not going to make it in time if you keep diddle dallying!"

"Just another minute!"

You said that ten minutes ago.Elijah signed and turned to face himself in the entrance way mirror, going over his appearance once again. The plaid dress shirt and black slacks he was wearing had been Mike's, but as he had been discovering all that week, they fit him just as well. He fidgeted with his hair for the third time that morning, adjusted his belt for the second, and smoothed down his sleeves; all unnecessary, but it was better than just waiting.

When Teagan finally came prancing down the stairs, one look and he knew the wait had been worth it. She was dressed simply yet no less stunning, wearing a jean jacket over a light blue and white stripped dress, its skirt just short enough to get away with. He felt his mouth involuntarily hang open.

"Do you like?" Teagan spun around, her dress twirling with her. Storm had of course followed her down the stairs and was at her feet, following the skirt with her eyes, looking ready to pounce.

"I do. You look good Teags."She looks like a good little Christian girl,he thought, and suddenly all the ambivalence he felt at the prospect of attending church that morning was gone.

It had been Teagan's idea, which came as somewhat of a surprise. They we're eating Chinese takeout the other day after an afternoon of going through more of her parents' things when she suggested it.

"Uncle Eli," said Teagan after swallowing a mouthful of orange chicken. "I have a weird request. You can say no if you want."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Could we...maybe visit a church this Sunday. I'm not getting all religious or anything, but I've never been, and I...just want to know what it's like. And who knows, maybe it'll help somehow."

While Elijah had only set foot in church a handful of times throughout his life (mostly for funerals and weddings), it had been enough to know it wasn't for him. The pageantry, the rituals, the beliefs, none of it was able to convince him much of anything.But this isn't about me,he had to remind himself.She just wants to find some assurances, no matter where they may be.The two of them had been so lost in each other in recent days, it was easy to forget that grief still sat fresh in her heart. His too. "Of course Teags. Did you have any place particular in mind? There's no lack of churches anywhere."

"Yeah, there's one nearby, so close we can walk. I see people around here attending all the time."

"Works for me."

She smiled. "Thank you."

No, thank you.He bounded up to Teagan and slid a firm arm around her waist and pulled her to him hard, thanking her efforts to look good with a long, wet kiss that sent those shivers he loved down her body.

"You know, we could just stay home and I could tear you out of that dress."

Teagan shook her head. "Not just yet big man. I said I wanted to go to church and I meant it." She held her arm up for him to loop his in. "Now let's go. And no more complaining."

The First Covenant Church of Maplewood was only a few blocks away, and they made sure to enjoy every minute of their short stroll there. The weather was as fine as they could have asked for, the air balmy from the prior days' storms. Elijah felt a stir of disappointment when he saw the church come stabbing up over the tree line; he would have preferred they pass it and kept walking. He looked to Teagan again, as he had been every few minutes. Her pixie hair was slightly tousled and parted down the middle, allowing the voluminous brown locks at the top to drape across both sides of her forehead and over her ears. She looked adorable, and it took all his efforts not to stop and kiss her.

The church was modestly sized and even more modestly designed, wooden and painted all white save for the spire, tiled black and tipped with a golden cross. Well-dressed people of various sized groups were heading inside and idling about. A few looked at them, and Elijah wondered what they were thinking.Do they think I'm her father? Or can they tell?Suddenly his and Teagan's recent sins seemed all the more sinful, their perversions all the more perverse, and the idea of stepping inside that church seemed so sacrilegious he wondered if they'd spontaneously combust.

At least we'd burn together.

"Good morning!" greeted a middle-aged woman warmly as they approached.

"Good morning," replied Teagan.

The greeter paused, giving them a quick but friendly scan over the top of her glasses before smiling. "You look a little lost friends. First time?"

"Uh, yeah actually," said Elijah. His eyes wandered to the doors behind her, wide open for all who desired to enter. Inside he could see rows up wooden pews leading up to the stage, a podium up top, two mid-sized speakers anchored to the corners of the ceiling. Soft, generic sounding music could be heard playing.

"We're so happy you decided to join us." The woman pulled out two pamphlets from a cloth pouch hanging from her waist and handed them both one. "Here's some information about our services and what we offer to the community. Please head inside and sit where ever you'd like. And feel free to mingle. We love new faces. There's coffee and donuts as well, help yourself."

"Thank you," said Teagan.

"Yes, thank you," said Elijah.

A second greeter gestured them inside, where they were met with the murmurs of idle chitchat and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. More groups of people were strewn about, some sitting in the pews, others standing around and wedged within. Elijah felt his anxiety rising, as it always did whenever he was somewhere new. He felt like an outsider.

"How are you feeling," he asked Teagan, wondering if she felt the same.

"I'm good. You?"

"I'm okay. Why don't you find us a seat while I get us some coffee. Want a donut?"

"Yes please. Thank you." She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek before leaving his side. Elijah felt his face grow hot, and was boiling with embarrassment and anger by the time he'd made it over to the snack table.Brazen girl,he thought as he poured himself the first cup of coffee.People are watching, and people talk, and you just gave them ammunition.He shoved a donut in his mouth and looked back at Teagan. She had taken a seat in the middle of an empty pew, furthest to the back on the left side.Good girl,and just like that the anger was gone.

"Here." He dangled her coffee and donut over her shoulders from behind, waiting for her to take them before stepping over to take his place to her right.

Teagan inspected the donut and frowned. "No cherry?"

"Nope, just generic powdered sugar."

"Oh well." She stuffed the entire donut in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed.For such a tiny thing, she sure can eat,he thought as he watched.

Elijah sipped his coffee and read over the pamphlet while they waited. It espoused all the sentiments he'd expected from churches: a sense of community, answers to life's great questions, everlasting salvation through a profound relationship with God. He folded the pamphlet and stuffed it in his shirt pocket when he was done, thoroughly unimpressed, but hopeful that Teagan would still get something out of it. "What do you think so far?"

"People seem nice enough," said Teagan. "I'm curious to see what the service is like." She rested her hand on his inner thigh. "Thanks again for coming with me."

Elijah tried to ignore the tingling her touch sparked in his manhood. "You're welcome."

Her hand was still on him when the service began and the pews had been filled. Theirs remained mostly empty, save for a single woman who took a seat at the end by the aisle. Aside from a cursory glance their way, she paid them no mind.Maybe she's new too,thought Elijah.

The pastor took his place at the podium and held out his hands for silence. "Thank you all for coming. First, let us pray." Every head in every pew bowed. Elijah waited for Teagan to bow hers before doing the same. "Dear lord, thank you for bringing us all together once again on this beautiful day..."

He followed the opening prayer with a story, recounting a time in which he and his family were at Disney World, and for a moment had lost their four-year-old son. "I was deathly afraid. 'Please God, please don't let me lose him' I prayed, over and over. Obviously, everything worked out and my prayers were answered, praise God, but that fear...that is what I want to talk about today." He stopped a moment and panned his eyes across the audience in front of him. "How many of you have been afraid?" Every hand rose. "Of course. To be afraid is to be human. But what is fear?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Fear is a compass. It guides us, diverts us from sin and drives us to do the right thing, should we follow it. Fear reminds us of what is at stake, what is important, and what God wants us to fight for. Please turn your bibles to 2 Timothy, chapter 1..."

As the pastor began reading, Elijah felt Teagan's fingers fidget within his inner thigh, stopping once they'd found the shape of his cock within his pants. They danced atop his length, growing him harder and longer with each tap.

"What are you doing?" whispered Elijah.

"Letting fear be my compass," she whispered back, her tone playful. "Don't look at me Uncle. Eyes up. Just listen and relax..."

Elijah couldn't. Not with so many eyes in one room, all of them only a glance away from seeing them, seeing their sin. He had his hand up, rising to remove her from him, to deny her, but then she squeezed and rubbed him in that way he loved, and his hand fell aside in quick surrender.

"Teags..." he begged out from the corner of his mouth, as quietly as he could. "Stop...not here..."

"Come for me and I'll stop," whispered back Teagan, staring ahead with a look of feigned concentration on her face. She increased her speed and pressure, bringing precum and even more anxiety to the surface, turning the pastor's sermon into nothing but white noise. "The sooner you come, the sooner it'll be over."

Damn you girl,he thought. Her movements were too obvious now, he knew; they'd be spotted at any moment by anyone who looked their way. Elijah's head whipped to the right, his eyes on the woman sitting at the end of their pew, ignorant to the grotesque act being committed just a few feet away, then down, trying his best to hide the agony in his face. His hardness would be obvious to anyone who looked, pressing firm against the fabric of his pants and filling up so much space it felt as though they were strangling him. A wet splotch had already formed at the tip, growing fast.

Teagan shifted closer, her skinny hips touching his as she drew her grip up and down, pumping him full of pressurized pleasure. "This is God's house," she whispered, still looking forward, "but even in God's house you're mine. Show God how much you love me Uncle..."

"You're...so...evil...girl," Elijah managed to sputter.

She merely giggled. "How can you say that? How can you say this..." She squeezed him hard, forcing a hard line of precum out of his cock head and a hard muted moan from his throat. "How can you say this is evil?"

Elijah glanced to the woman in their pew one last time, making sure she hadn't seen them before shifting down again, his gaze transfixed by fear and awe on little Teagan's little hand, working his big cock in open secret.

If God exists he can see us,he thought.There's no hiding now."Teagan...you have to stop...if I come..."

"We'll let God sort that out," she said. "Just...let...go." She stroked him three times and squeezed, and suddenly thick warm jets of pleasure were unleashing themselves within the confines of his pants. Elijah rooted himself in his seat, clenching his eyes shut and gritting his teeth and digging his fingers into the pew as he rode the waves of his agony. It shook him, bucking him like a horse trying to rid itself of its rider, and all he could do was hold on for dear life and hope he was strong enough not to fall.

When it was over Elijah opened his eyes, and his heart dropped when he saw the mess he had made. Even through the dark fabric of his slacks he could make out where his seed had landed and was spreading fast, at the midpoint of his thigh and down his left pant leg, shiny and wet. He could feel it dribbling, clinging to his skin as it made its long slow trek to settle at his ankle.

"So much love for me," he heard Teagan whisper. She squeezed him one last time and removed her hand, leaving him to sit there, alone, the evidence of their transgression plain as day on his lap. Suddenly Elijah felt eyes on him, and in a panic turned to the woman in their pew again, still staring out ahead and fidgeting in her seat.Did she see us?he thought in horror. He folded his hands together and placed them strategically over top, imagining her rising from her seat, followed by the entire convent, torches all in hand and pointing, screaming at them, calling them sinners as they ran them out of that church.

Elijah never thought he would be thankful for a long-winded sermon prone toward tangents, but he was. By the time the service was over, his seed had dried, leaving a crust of white in its place. He hurried to the bathroom as soon as was permitted, making sure no one was around before wetting a wad of toilet paper to quickly scrub away his mess.Damn her,he thought as he toiled away at his groin, huddled in a stall and feeling like a fool. He was angry with Teagan, angrier than he'd ever been with her and with no idea of how to deal with it.Mike was always the one who disciplined her.He remembered how he used to spank her, how she used to cry every time his hand hit her butt.Does she even need discipline?She was no longer a child, though at times like this it still felt like she was. Still, she needed to know that was she did wasn't okay, and simple words didn't seem enough.I'll figure something out.

She was waiting for him outside the bathroom, her eyes drifting down to the large dark imprint around his groin before rising back to his. "Everything okay?" she asked with a sly smile.

"No." He seized her arm and pulled her close to him, and her smile died. "That wasnotokay. That could have been a disaster. And you embarrassed me; I look like I pissed myself."

Teagan looked genuinely shocked, and a pout spread quick across her lips. "I'm sorry--"

"We'll talk about it when we're home." He planted a quick kiss on her forehead to let her know he still loved her. "Now smile. We have mingling to do."

The church attendees had gathered outside in a grassy open field behind the church, chattering under the cloudless sky. It was enough to elevate Elijah's mood, at least enough to endure his way through the rest of the morning.

"I love when I see fresh faces," he heard someone say after they'd been awkwardly idling about for a short while. The source was a thin elderly man, cleanly dressed, hair thin and grayed, a pair of glasses atop a large hooked nose. Elijah recognized him instantly as the pastor. His lips stretched into a kind smile as he held out his hand. "Welcome, and thank you for coming. I'm Pastor Raymond."

"Thank you for having us," said Elijah as he shook his hand back with a firm grip. "I'm Elijah, and this is Teagan." He watched the girl timidly shake the pastor's hand, during which tried recalling his sermon, on the high chance he might ask him what he thought of what he'd said, and realized he hadn't heard of word of it.It's her fault. Her and that damn sweet little hand of hers...

"It's wonderful to meet you both." The pastor pointed down to Elijah's pants, slightly dried by the sun but still plainly wet. "Looks like you had a bit of a spill. I hope it didn't hurt; we keep out coffee quite hot."

Elijah felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment and anger once more. "It was my fault," said Teagan, looking embarrassed herself. "I spilled my coffee on him."

"A small mistake." Pastor Roy looked to her then back to Elijah. "This beautiful young lady must be your daughter."

"Uh, no, actually, I'm her..."Uncle? Lover? Both? What am I?

"He's my uncle," said Teagan. "And my parents' best friend. He's been taking care of me since...my...my dad died recently, along with my mom."

Pastor Raymond's face turned solemn. "I'm so sorry to hear that child. Is that...why you've joined us?"

She nodded, and her grip on Elijah's arm tightened.

"Well, grief brought you to us, and we are happy to receive you. As is the lord." He placed a hand on Elijah's shoulder. "Bless you for taking care of this young lady in her darkest hour."

If only you knew just how I was taking care of her.Elijah turned to Teagan, noticing how small and fragile she looked again, and suddenly all animosity was gone. He felt his lips curl upward involuntarily as he spoke the truth. "To be honest Pastor I have no choice. I love her, and love her parents. They are as much my family as my own. She needs me, and...and I need her." He saw her smile and blink back tears when he said that, and it made his heart flutter.

"God brought you two together," said Pastor Raymond. "Your love grounds each other and makes you both stronger in your time of need. That is how he works. God is love. Your love is his love. Embrace it, and all the riches it brings into your lives."

Would this man be telling me this if he knew the truth?No doubt the pastor would cast them as sinners if he did, but still, in that moment his words of approval felt oddly reassuring to Elijah, as though he were life itself given voice, telling him it was okay, that what he was doing was right. That his and Teagan's love was good.

Maybe it is.He remembered how afraid he was, when he first pressed himself against Teagan in the middle of the night and made his intentions known, and what Pastor Raymond had said. It was the only word of his sermon he had heard.Fear is a compass.

"Well, I won't take up too much of your time. Please, get to know more members of our congregation. I promise we don't bite."

By the tenth introduction Elijah's mood was soured again, and he wanted nothing more than to leave that cursed church and never return. He was tired of small talk, and especially tired of having to explain himself. Every single person they'd talked to had to point at and ask about those damn wet pants, and every time he felt his blood boil in embarrassment a little more. Teagan of course covered for him every time, but it only reminded him that it was her doing.

I told her to stop,he ruminated as they were walking back home.I told her to stop but she wouldn't listen. She never does.Teagan never said a word; her silence telling him she knew how angry he was with her.She should be punished, like she punished me. But how...

By the time he was slipping his key into 9835 Maplewood Lane, Elijah knew.

"I'm sorry," she said when she finally spoke. There was genuine fear in her voice.

"Are you?" He slammed the door harder than he intended, causing her to flinch.