Dark Affections

AN: If Alessa seems a bit too light and over-happy here, things will get darker soon. This is a Silent Hill fic, after all. ;D


Dark Affections

Chapter 1


The house on 2732 Wilkrose Lane looked like an ordinary house to any who viewed it from the outside. A row home on the corner of a busy intersection, there was nothing about it that led strangers to assume it was any different than the others. Little did they know that two of the most extraordinary people on the planet dwelt within its walls.

Alessa Gillespie was one of them. She looked like an ordinary teenager, perhaps a little withdrawn compared to her peers. Shy and introverted, the dark haired teenager didn’t say much to other people and rarely went out of her way to have a conversation unless the situation demanded it. But behind the quiet surface was a girl who had experienced the worst humanity and the world beyond our senses had to offer. This was a girl forged in the fires of Hell, who had come within a hair’s width of destroying the world through her situation, and had also saved it, by resisting a force that most mortals couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

The other was Harry Mason. A writer in the genres of mystery and horror novels, Harry was not the type of man who seemed intimidating on first impression. He was well known to some people, but was hardly famous in the vein of other novelists. He was quiet, reserved, and fairly average in looks, albeit a little aged from the years. But beneath the skin of an ordinary guy was a hero who had saved the world and himself, a man who had confronted a nightmare of the worst kind imaginable in a town believed by most to be a run-down resort area. This was a man who had fought the devil itself to rescue his daughter, and what he ended up with was not what he expected, but turned out to be a daughter who saved him from a miserable life of loneliness and misery.

They were extraordinary individuals, both of them. Few would believe what they had gone through in their lived; they barely believed it sometimes. And yet the proof was there, lurking in the former’s very existence, and in a quiet little town called Silent Hill. There was no doubt in their minds – they had saved everyone from a fate they couldn’t begin to imagine, and they never forgot it.

But to everyone else, they were the Mason household. A seemingly normal father and his adopted daughter struggling to carve out a living like everyone else in the city of Portland.

And that was the way they liked it.

Today was a very special day for them. Harry arrived through the front door, carrying a large cake in his hands. He had been gone a while to get the last necessary item for the night. He already had the ingredients to make Alessa the dinner he had planned on, and the gift that he had spent so much time meticulously searching for. Now he had the absolute perfect cake as well. He was looking forward to seeing her. She was going to be so happy to see him when she saw what he had gotten her.

It was only recently that they had grown close to each other. Before that, Harry had been too obsessed with resenting Alessa to get close to her. It all stemmed from that little girl he had lost in Silent Hill, his precious daughter Cheryl. He blamed Alessa for Cheryl’s death. And no matter how much Alessa tried to convince him that she was Cheryl, Harry wouldn’t believe her. It had gotten to the point where he was treating her harshly every day, until Alessa did something that surprised him beyond words.

She had burst into tears, accusing him of not wanting to believe that she was Cheryl. She had suffered a breakdown, breaking into such distraught sobs that Harry could literally hear the agony she was going through.

It was in that moment that Harry realized things had to change. He hadn’t realized what he was doing to her, until confronted with the evidence of his spitefulness. And when he looked into her eyes, he saw the glimmer of light that had been present in Cheryl, his little girl. She was Cheryl, and he had been a fool to deny that.

Of course, he had struggled to believe her; to bring those two concepts together. But the agony in Alessa’s voice couldn’t be denied. She was Cheryl, and nothing he could say would change that.

From that moment, he had begun treating her much more as he would a grown up Cheryl. He had taken her in his arms and let her cry into his shoulder, apologizing for how he’d treated her. It was not much, but it was a start. Of course things were difficult at first. It had taken a while for them to get used to each other. But Harry made the effort. He knew it was important that he make this work. She was all he had now. Alessa only wanted to be loved. She had suffered so much pain throughout her existence, he owed it to her to give her a better life. Alessa only wanted her daddy, and he was taking that away from her.

If he wanted to be any kind of father to her, he had to let go of the past. Cheryl was gone and he had to move on, for both their sakes. And once he started treating her better, Alessa began to reciprocate that. She began to warm up to him, telling him about herself and the life she led in Silent Hill before his arrival. Harry was astounded at the depth of suffering she recounted. It was one thing to read about it in memos, but it was another thing to hear about it from the person herself. She delicately avoided mention of Cheryl, but Harry told her it was all right; that he would not judge her for what happened to Cheryl. She told him there was a lot she didn’t understand about the connection between her and Cheryl, but she sensed the times Cheryl was happy with him. The way she spoke about Cheryl made it clear to Harry that Cheryl was another part of her, and like it or not, that part was inside of her now.

In return, Harry told her about the life he had before, with Cheryl and Jodie, his late wife. Alessa began to understand the desperation Harry had when it came to Cheryl. She was all he had left of Jodie. Cheryl was the child they found together, and the one they wanted to raise to adulthood. Those plans were cut short when Jodie got sick and died, leaving Harry all alone with their daughter. Harry dedicated himself to Cheryl and her well being. It saddened Alessa to know what he had lost, that day in Silent Hill. And while it pained her to admit it, she acknowledged to herself that perhaps she had taken something from him. She wasn’t Cheryl, she said, but she would try to make him proud of her.

It angered Harry, in a strange way, to know that he had convinced this incredible young woman that she could never be good enough to be his daughter. He had taken her by the shoulders and reassured her that he didn’t expect her to be Cheryl. He was wrong about her earlier and he would never forgive himself for treating her like that. All he wanted was for her to be happy.

And here they were.

It wasn’t easy sometimes. They took it one day at a time. Alessa had issues she needed to work out and so did he. But they had each other, and that was more important to them than any horrid past lurking at the back of their subconscious. Their care for each other grew, until they now considered themselves the best friend the other had.

Today was a particularly special cause for celebration. Today was Alessa’s birthday. She was turning 20 today, and Harry was going to make sure it was a great one.

He couldn’t give much in terms of presents. And he wished he could take her out somewhere nice. But Alessa wasn’t the type to go out celebrating at a club or fancy restaurant, and she’d only tell him to save his money. She was still a little scared of people. Besides, she knew about their situation and she didn’t want him to spend any more on her than was absolutely necessary.

Even so, Harry had gotten her a great present. He showered her with love and presents every chance he got, and tonight would be no different.

Taking the cake into the kitchen, he began to prepare for later tonight.


~


“Make a wish,” Harry told the girl.

His daughter dutifully closed her eyes and waited a few moments.

Alessa blew out the candles on her birthday cake. 20…she could hardly believe it. It seemed a while ago that they had returned from Silent Hill, facing an uncertain future ahead of them. And now she was 20. Boy how time flew by.

“Open your presents,” Harry told her.

Alessa went about the first one. He had made her favorite dish for dinner, and now he was presenting her with two gifts wrapped in simple wrapping paper. They were long rectangular boxes, one of which fit in her hand, so Alessa assumed that was jewelry. The other one was slightly larger, and she had no idea what it was. She went with the smaller box first. She tore off the bow from the box, followed by the paper, and opened the box to reveal a beautiful silver necklace with an angelic shaped pendant attached to it. Alessa gasped when she realized what it was. She had seen it at the mall and commented on how much she would like it, but she hadn’t expected her dad to get it for her.

“Dad, it’s beautiful. I can’t accept this,” Alessa breathed hesitantly. “This must have cost a fortune.”

“Alessa, it’s okay. Take it,” Harry smiled, quite pleased with her reaction. “Don’t worry about how much it cost. I promise you, we’re in good shape.”

Alessa moved on to the second gift. She could only imagine what it was. She wasn’t expecting anything fancy. He had gotten her a car for her 16th birthday, and nothing could really top that. And yet he had already gotten her an absolutely gorgeous pendant. She tore off the ribbons and paper from the box and opened it.

As soon as she opened it, Alessa found herself wondering what it was. It looked like an ancient artifact brought up from an archaeological dig. The artifact looked like an ankh, painted in crimson, only with an open top and two extra ‘legs’ in place of one at the bottom. She pulled out the object carefully from the box from where it was padded, examining it closer. It fit in her hands, but was quite larger and heavier than her pendant. She had no idea what it was. And yet, the artifact seemed to give off some strange aura as she stared at it.

“What is it?” she asked her father.

Harry was unhesitant about the answer. “It’s a device to repel demons, specifically one that’s very similar to the one you were fighting in Silent Hill. And I have it on good authority that it works.”

Alessa stared at him. “Are you serious?”

“Very. I did some research on the subject, and everything came up valid,” he boasted, pleased that she at least wasn’t dismissing it out of hand. He went through a lot of trouble to get his hands, and he was hoping Alessa would appreciate the effort of what he was giving her.

“Dad, I don’t know what to say,” Alessa stated, at a loss for words.

It was her biggest concern, that the creature she had fought would reassert itself in her body. Until now, there was nothing they could do hope but hope that wasn’t the case. But if this was true, then they would no longer have to worry.

Alessa recalled those times when her worst fear reasserted itself. She woke up in a cold sweat sometimes, terrified that the demon would invade her body again. Harry had to rock her back to sleep, holding her in his arms until she fell unconscious again. It was pathetic – she was a grown woman when they first started happening, the nightmares, if not in body, then in spirit. But the image of the god was so terrifying, so revolting, that she had no choice but to let Harry take care of her. Sometimes she wondered if she would ever be normal enough to lead an ordinary life. But if this thing truly repelled demons, and ones that were astoundingly similar to the one she encountered, then perhaps her worries were at an end. She would finally be able to lead a normal life.

“How did you get your hands on this?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“It took a lot of time and research,” Harry answered, “and I had to go to great lengths to get my hands on it. But it was well worth it.” Harry looked at her, staring into her eyes. “I know how much you worry, that it’ll come back. And I don’t want you to have to worry about that ever again. You deserve better than to live in fear.”

Alessa felt tears coming to her eyes. She set the artifact on the table, her vision suddenly becoming blurry. She couldn’t believe the depths of what he’d gone through for her. She knew he cared about her, but to go to such an effort to alleviate her greatest fear, to assure that she would never be overtaken by her demons again, was more than she could ever expect from this man. Alessa felt her chest growing tight, and she struggled to restrain a sob. Alessa looked at the object again.

It looked powerful, that was for sure. She had never seen anything like it. And yet, there was an odd feeling that took hold of her every time she stared at it. Like there was some power there that even she knew nothing about.

Maybe that was it. Maybe because this was an object from outside Silent Hill, it would do what no magic from the town had managed to do – keep the god away from the human realm, and away from her life permanently.

“Thank you,” she said, immediately launching into a hug. She was unable to restrain her tears, and she began to cry into his chest. Harry wrapped his arms around her, letting her pour out her emotions onto his shirt. He would change it later. “I love you,” he said, holding her tightly. Alessa pulled back and looked at him with utter love in her eyes.

“Thanks, Dad,” she said, overwhelmed with her gratitude and admiration. And as he stared at her, he realized how beautiful she was. How could he ever have hated this woman? Harry wondered. She was beautiful, intelligent, and she had been through more in her life than anyone he knew, himself included. She was the most caring individual he had ever met, and he felt privileged to call himself her father. Truly he was misguided in blaming her for Cheryl’s ‘death’ all those years ago.

“Come on, let’s eat some cake,” Harry said, lightening the mood of the moment. The gamble worked, and Alessa smiled a grateful smile, thankful she didn’t have to keep crying anymore. Yes, cake was good, and she wanted plenty of it. She could go back to enjoying her birthday rather than sobbing all over his shirt.

Boy did she feel silly for that. She’d practically left a wet spot in the middle of his shirt.

They sat down at the table and began eating some of the birthday cake. Alessa beamed while they enjoyed each other’s company, riding on an emotional high from the marvelously generous gifts Harry had given her. They talked about what Alessa wanted to do over the following week, and whether Harry had any new ideas for novels. As it turned out, he had quite a few, but it was getting late and now wasn’t the right time to discuss them.

It was incredible how normal they could be, given their pasts together. The thought did not escape either of them: they had come a long way since that day in Silent Hill, when Harry pulled Alessa away from that burning netherworld and carried her to safety. When occasions like this came, they could enjoy their life together and almost forget about the past, so long as they had each other.

They weren’t really father and daughter. They related to each other far more intimately than that. But it was as good a description as any for their relationship. Despite the fact they knew each other’s deepest secrets, it remained that Harry did have a paternal quality left over from Cheryl, and her stay with him, and Alessa was glad to play the role of a daughter to him. Besides, it was fun to pretend they had always been this way.

And when the celebrating ended, they cleaned up and went to bed, pleased that today had been one of the best days they’d had in a long time.


~


Later that night, Harry was lying in bed in his room. The celebrations from earlier had left him tired. He wasn’t as young as he used to be. Even staying awake talking wore him out more than it used to. The artifact was on a pedestal out in the living room, behind glass. It was been something that had been lying around, a gift of sorts to display some valuable item he couldn’t remember at this time. It seemed perfect to display the one thing that would protect them from their greatest enemy.

Alessa was happier than he’d seen in days, maybe even weeks. She seemed more content with herself, more at peace than he’d seen in a long time. Harry was glad he was able to alleviate her fears and give her a gift that she would appreciate. Two of them, actually. But there was no doubt that the second one was the more valuable of the two.

As he lay there in his room, Harry reflected how much things had changed. Alessa was 20 now, hardly a kid like she was at the beginning. Alessa had become more refined, more sophisticated. When she was first staying with him after his enlightenment, Alessa was much more childlike than her 14 years would have portrayed. She had learned to communicate with people, to open up to him and share her feelings with him. She had become more mature as she stayed with him. Not that she wasn’t already mature, but she was mature about different things. Yet she still retained an innocence that he found utterly charming. The distance between them seemed to dissipate as Alessa spent more time with him, until it was virtually non-existent. She was his equal in every way. Alessa was by far the best thing in his life. She had grown physically too. Her girl’s body had developed into that of a woman who stunned passersby whenever she walked by, and the best part was she wasn’t even aware of it. She was a stunning, incredible woman who radiated charm without noticing it. She was beautiful.

He had always found her beautiful, since she was a teenager. From a parental point of view, you had to find your child beautiful, and you had to let them know that. If you didn’t, who knew what they might do? They might grow to resent you and take out that frustration on someone else. But after looking at her tonight and seeing how she had grown, he had to admit she was more beautiful than he ever would have expected.

He wondered what she thought of him. Harry usually slept in his boxers and nothing else. Sometimes Alessa had seen him like that, whenever she came into his room after a nightmare, or when he went to check on her in the middle of the night after a screaming fit awoke him (he did have the decency to throw a robe on, but sometimes things slipped open). Looking down at his bare chest, Harry had to admit he wasn’t bad looking. He wasn’t flabby, he wasn’t muscular; he just average. Nothing embarrassing, nothing too outstanding. He was just average, ordinary Harry, taking care of the extraordinary, talented Alessa.

He wondered if she ever boasted of her handsome dad, or if any of her friends (which seemed nonexistent) ever found him handsome. God, how time flew by. He would be forty soon, and he knew how everybody dreaded the big 4-0. Just two more years and half of his life would already be gone. But Alessa had made those past six years worth it. He was incredibly blessed to have her in his life.

There was one thing he missed in his existence. He missed having a woman to kiss and share his life with. He hadn’t dated in these past few years since he didn’t know if Alessa would like anyone he brought home. His focus was exclusively on Alessa. It was same thing back when Cheryl was with him. He didn’t date while he was taking care of her, choosing to focus exclusively on her wellbeing. He couldn’t even remember how to date anymore. It had been that long since he entered the world of romance. And then there was the obvious problem, the one he couldn’t deny. Alessa would be jealous if he brought another woman home, and if she didn’t learn to accept that person, there would be trouble ahead for sure. As a parent, he had to be focused first and foremost on taking care of his child, and so he repressed his urges, choosing instead to focus entirely on making his little girl happy.

But he missed his wife. Alessa hadn’t known her, but she was the best woman he could possibly ask for. They had met in high school and they had never been apart since, until that fateful day when he lost her forever. But Cheryl knew her. She clearly had some memories of her, even though she was very young. He wondered if Alessa had those memories now that she was Cheryl. Or rather, that Cheryl was her again. It was a pity she and Alessa never gotten to meet each other. He could picture her and Alessa getting along marvelously with each other. Jodie always had a way of winning people over.

And that was why he wanted to date again. He wanted to show Alessa what it was like to be with someone that special and loving. Alessa deserved the chance to experience that, having missed out on a relationship with her own parent. If only he weren’t as tentative in his pursuit; if he could actually go out there and meet someone. Alessa needed to see what a stable relationship was like for people. If she didn’t see that for herself, how would she ever learn? If only he weren’t so scared of her reaction. Of course, she was hardly a little girl anymore. But she still might not understand that he needed some companionship, and what if he chose wrong? There was a definite danger to his relationship with Alessa if should start dating and wind up with the wrong person. And with his luck, how did he know that he wouldn’t end up with someone who would reveal him to the Order? Paranoid though that was, it was a very real possibility. Those freaks were everywhere from what he heard. They were slowly propagating throughout the region, spurred on by a desire to grow again. Some new leader had taken hold of them, and had a mysteriously effective way of convincing people to follow him. Harry found it largely unsettling, to say the least.

Back to dating though, there was one other reason that held him back from searching. Harry knew he really should go out there and look for someone. Alessa needed a mother figure in her life. But the reason was a simple one. What if he found no one who lived up to his old standards? Older though he was, he wouldn’t settle for just anyone. It would have to be someone who would accept what they had gone through and accept their unusual situation.

He could almost picture her. Long black hair, fair skin, a curvaceous build that was that wasn’t flaunted too much. She would look like Jodie, but have her own differences. She would be kind and courteous, and be willing to listen to them whenever they wanted, but she wouldn’t hesitate to express her opinion if she thought they were wrong about something. She would have her flaws like anyone else, but they would pale in comparison to her beauty, both inner and outer. Alessa would love her, and he, he would treasure her. She would be beautiful in bed, willing to be open-minded and explore the things they could do together without guilt or shame. And in return, he would put her pleasure before his own, making sure every single one of her needs was satisfied before he found his own release.

For some reason, that called up images of Alessa as a partner to some man or another. It was something he preferred not to think about, but he knew it would happen eventually. Maybe. He didn’t know. It wasn’t as cut and dried as he sometimes believed.

He wondered what Alessa would be like as a girlfriend. He could imagine her with her arms around him, embracing him lightly as he kissed the side of her neck. Her shirt was off, and she was chest to chest with his shirtless form. He would kiss her down the side of her neck and move on to the front of her bare chest. Leaving a trail of kisses in his wake, he would move downwards towards her center. Alessa’s breasts waited for attention from him, the nipples standing out proudly against the paleness of her chest. He would kiss Alessa’s bare breasts, ravishing the supple mounds with an ample supply of caresses from his lips. And then he would take one into his mouth, tasting of her flesh, sucking on the mound and licking over her pink areola as Alessa moaned in pleasure.

Suddenly, he realized what he was doing. Stop it, he told himself firmly. That was another thing that happened. Sometimes he had these flashes, images of Alessa in a very inappropriate situation. Harry largely ignored them. Didn’t everybody think inappropriately of a relative now and then? It wasn’t like he was ever going to act on them. But now he was feeling something he had never felt before. It was an urge to give in to those feelings, to take Alessa in a way that befitted a lover taking his companion. He couldn’t believe he was feeling this way. He had never pictured himself acting on his thoughts in this matter, ever. And now he found himself contemplating their situation.

Was it wrong for a father to be attracted to his adopted daughter? He didn’t know, but this was certainly not within the realm of normal parental feelings. The answer was almost certainly a yes. And yet, he couldn’t help but feel this way. It was a strange thing, and what if he wasn’t alone? What if Alessa felt the same way? Hadn’t he been wondering a moment ago whether Alessa found him attractive? Was it that impossible that she might grow to like him, after everything he did for her? The prospect was almost frightening in its implications, and not for the first time, Harry reached out to whoever was listening for guidance.

“Jodie, what should I do?” he asked aloud, hoping that for once, his late wife would have some advice for him.

As usual, there was no response. It seemed that wherever she was, his beloved was unwilling or unable to answer back. He would have thought the latter before, but now he wondered. If gods could be summoned and spirits raised into being in human form, what excuse did the dead have for abandoning their loved ones, even in death?

He would have to fight this on his own. If only it weren’t so difficult to resist, the image of her beauty…it was more challenging than he expected, reminding himself that Alessa was his daughter. His daughter. If not in flesh, then at least in spirit. He struggled to get it under control, but he had no idea where it was coming from, much less how to get it under control.

Alessa. He had to go see Alessa. Throwing on a robe over his bare-chested form, Harry got out of bed and went towards the room where his most precious possession was sleeping. He bypassed the living room on his way there, not noticing the object in the display case in any way, shape or form. The repelling of demons was the last thing on his mind now.


~


He watched her from across the room, simply staring at her sleeping body. She looked angelic. The beauty she radiated, and the innocence on her face, was utterly awe inspiring. He had never seen a more beautiful creature. Even Jodie paled to her. He hated to admit that, but it was true. There was no comparison. Alessa was the more beautiful of the two.

Harry cautiously approached her, not wanting to wake her up. She looked so innocent too. He knew she wasn’t, in most respects, but there was still a touch of innocence about her when it came to certain matters of life. And that innocence was exemplified in her sleep. She was so secure in the knowledge that he would protect her, so safe in the home he had created for them by letting go of his anger and resentment. Did she deserve this, having him standing there leering at her like some kind of pervert?

But then again, he wasn’t leering at her. He was admiring her. He was entranced by her beauty, not captivated by the prospect of what he could do to her. Of course, there was that too. But his focus was on more than that. Alessa truly was a beautiful person and he found himself appreciating that greatly now that he had spent several years without any female companionship. Not dating and not having sex on a regular basis led to years of repressed desires. It was a hard road to travel, not being able to share yourself with someone or indulge in your baser needs. And now those desires were coming out full force, like a railroad engine going full speed ahead in an out-of-control collision with a vehicle.

He sat carefully on the edge of the bed. She was so peacefully asleep. He didn’t want to disturb her. It was hard to believe she had been through so much in her life, and she was only 20 years old. What else did the future hold for her? Harry tried to make her happy. He gave her everything he possibly could. But would there come a point at which that wasn’t enough? On the other hand, he was more than just her father. Was it possible he could give her more?

Harry took a closer look at her. She was so beautiful. Surely someone else had noticed that. And yet, she gave no indication of that. Oh, he knew that people found her attractive. But had anyone ever asked her out? He had no idea what she thought of herself either. Did she have some low self-esteem? Harry did what he could, but he wasn’t sure he always succeeded in that regard. He would hate to think she didn’t think of herself as beautiful despite the obvious fact that she was.

Did she even know about sex? She hadn’t given any indication she was interested in boys. She didn’t date, never talked there being anyone she liked. As far as he was aware, she had absolutely no interest in a relationship whatsoever.

Harry would be lying if he said that didn’t concern him. While that was okay for now, what would happen to her after he was gone?

Harry didn’t know why he was disappointed. The impulses coursing through him were strange. He wanted to teach her about sex. He wanted to show her what it was like to be with someone you cared about. He wanted to show her how good it could feel.

Like in a dream, he found himself touching her fertile body.

He started by touching her thigh, sliding his hand up her sensual skin. She was so smooth in her texture, like a stretch of silk overlaid on her form. He watched as his hand traveled up her thigh, coming dangerously close to her crotch. The temptation to dive into her shorts to see what she was hiding was strong, but he held back. That wasn’t what he wanted right now.

He moved up his focus to her breasts. Those subtle mounds were lying on her chest looking oh so tantalizing. God, how he wanted to touch those breasts. He did just that. He grabbed her breasts through her sleepwear, fondling them through her shirt. They were soft under his grasp, enticing him to grope them in every way possible. Lifting her gently by her back, he took off her undershirt, sliding the garment over her shoulders. He laid her back on the bed, leaving her fully exposed to his eyes.

There was no way to describe how beautiful she was. Harry felt himself grow hard as he took in Alessa’s beauty. Her breasts were absolutely gorgeous, more tantalizing than any he had seen before. It was impossible to resist. He grabbed her breasts with both hands, rolling them and squeezing them in his hands, grabbing and twisting the nipples like a child playing with a favorite toy. Alessa never stirred, although Harry almost wished she would – he could imagine her moaning and gasping in response to his actions, her heartbeat growing steadily frantic as she became more excited. He thought about taking them into his mouth, but it was better to save that for later. He wanted to hear those moans from her; to hear her gasp and groan in pleasure as he sucked on her luscious tits.

He worked his way down to her hips. Hooking his fingers into her clothes, he pulled down the shorts and underwear concealing them from view, sliding them past her legs. At last Alessa was exposed to his advances. He feasted his eyes on her exposed sex. Harry couldn’t resist. He brought his mouth down between her legs, kissing the length of her sex. He lavished kiss after kiss on the area, moaning in delight at the back of his throat. This close in, Alessa’s scent was wonderfully prevalent. Her black curls tickled his nose as he inhaled, breathing in her wonderfully musk of an aroma. God, she smelled so good. It was intoxicating, her aroma. And that was nothing compared to her taste. Jesus, she tasted good. He couldn’t remember the last time one woman had impacted him so deeply while going down on her. He’d rarely dated while raising Cheryl, choosing instead to focus solely on her well being. He was certain Jodie hadn’t tasted as good either. His beloved wife hadn’t been in the mood much for sex near the end of her sickness, to the point where he had forgotten what she tasted like.

But Alessa…Alessa tasted wonderful. He feasted on her succulent sex, tasting of her womanly delights. He wondered what it would be like to make her come in her sleep. Would her hips spasm and thrust in pleasure as he sent her over the edge? Would it filter into her dreams, causing her to moan in pleasure as she received a vigorous fucking from some imaginary lover? The possibilities were tantalizing, but he was not sure they were plausible. After all, he had never done this before. He enjoyed himself greedily as he continued to eat out her pussy, ravishing her in her sleep.

It was bound to happen eventually. Had he been paying attention, Harry would have noticed the subtle movements that indicated Alessa was awakening.

Alessa opened her eyes. Something was going on. She wasn’t sure why she had awoken. She was a little groggy, so it took her a few moments to realize where she was. But that bleariness was shattered when she felt something dabbing at her private area. She looked down and got the shock of her life as she saw her father settled between her legs.

“Dad?”

Harry looked up when she said that. Alessa squeaked and instantly shifted back on the bed. “Dad, what are you doing?” The panic was evident in her voice.

Harry backed in up shock, hand to his forehead. His mind was in a daze. It was like he had no control over his actions, watching himself from the outside. And now he had a frightened daughter staring at him with widened eyes, wondering just what the hell was going on.

Alessa looked down at herself. She was naked, her body fully exposed to the room – and to her father’s eyes. There was a funny feeling between her legs, like a sort of tension that wouldn’t go away. It wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t normal either.

Alessa quickly covered her herself as best she could. She shivered at the contact of her fingers with her privates. For some reason, it felt good to touch herself down there, and she had to resist the urge to rub the delicate area. She stared at Harry with mystified eyes, trying to make sense of it all.

“I…I don’t know,” Harry answered. He held his hand against his forehead, trying to gain some sense of what he was doing. It was like his mind was foggy, and no matter what he did, he couldn’t break through the barrier. Something was going on here, and he found it very unsettling, to say the least. And yet, he could only focus on one thing.

Alessa was waiting for an answer, and he had no idea what to give her. She looked scared and confused, and for good reason. If he himself weren’t responsible for this, he would almost be angry someone had made her this way.

Harry sat on his knees. He’d almost had a heart attack when he heard Alessa’s voice. How was he going to explain this to her? He should stop this right now, a voice at the back of his mind told him. And yet, there was something stronger that taking hold; a compulsion that urged him to keep going and convince her that this was what she wanted.

“Alessa, are you feeling anything strange right now? Something that you can’t explain, and feels sort of strange when you think about it?” Harry asked her carefully, feeling out how she felt first. He was tempted to add “besides the obvious,” but that was self-apparent.

Alessa thought about it. “Now that you mention it, there is something odd I’m feeling. I…I don’t know why, but there’s something different about the way I feel when I think about you,” Alessa said. Realizing how that could be taken, she went on. “Well, besides the fact that you were…” she drifted off; he didn’t need more clarification.

Harry nodded. “Alessa, when I woke up tonight, I was feeling something strange. I didn’t know what to make of it at first, but now I know what it was I was feeling. I’ve been thinking about you a lot, Alessa. And now I’m thinking about you in a…very different way,” Harry stumbled slightly over the last part.

Alessa didn’t know what to think. And then it hit her. She was nearly speechless, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Dad…”

“I know how that sounds. And I know that you’re probably thinking that I must really be going out of my mind right now, and honestly, I’m thinking of myself the same way. I don’t want to scare you. I just wanted to let you know,” Harry said.

Alessa looked enlightened. “So that was why you were…touching me?” she hesitated.

Harry nodded in response. Alessa sat there stunned, trying to find the words to respond with to this unique and undeniably bizarre situation.

“Dad…I don’t know what to say.”

Harry hesitated too, not quite knowing what to say either.

“So what do you want me to do? I mean, I get what you’re telling me, I guess, but how do we deal with this?”

Harry sighed wearily. “It’s been a long time since I was with a woman, Alessa. Raising Cheryl didn’t leave much time for dating. And then you came along, and well…I don’t regret you being a part of my life. Not in the slightest,” he fervently shook his head. “But,” he paused, “I haven’t exactly had time to fulfill other needs.” Harry gave his daughter a pointed look. “If you know what I mean…”

Alessa swallowed. She may have been naïve about a few things, but she knew he was talking about sex. Alessa contemplated what he was saying. Harry had taught her the basics, of course, but that was all she knew. She didn’t even know why other people found it so appealing. And now he was talking about having sex with her? Was he really looking at her in a sexual way? She felt like her whole world was turning upside-down in the span of a moment. Was this all a dream she was having? It didn’t seem real.

“You…you want me to…?” she asked in bewilderment.

“I won’t force you to do anything, but I thought…since we’re both adults, and we’re pretty lonely sometimes…” Harry implied.

Alessa knew what he was asking. She also knew how dangerous it was. She’d read that incest was bad; very bad. And yet, there was something that told her not to stop. She wondered what it could be. She hadn’t thought of her father in those terms before. Intellectually, she knew he had to be interested in companionship, but it was easier to pretend that he lived only for her, and wasn’t interested in the things other guys were. She’d most certainly never thought of him having sex. So why was she somewhat intrigued by the idea now? She had never felt anything like it, and for the first time she found herself imagining what he would be like in that situation. Alessa was taken aback as a sudden mental image flashed in her mind.

She could almost picture Harry’s naked body in her mind, running his arms down her body. It didn’t help that he was already mostly undressed. She felt her face warm as she took in his naked body from the waist up. He wasn’t alone in his thoughts. She was looking at him in a different way too. Alessa thought hard about what he was asking. She had never really thought about sex, figuring that it was something she would eventually do, or not do. She didn’t value her virginity, the way other people did. It was just a fact about her; it was the way she was. She knew that was unusual for her age, but it just wasn’t something she thought about on a daily basis.

And now it seemed she had a chance to actually explore some of those things. What should she do? On the one hand, he was her father, in a way. She knew it would be ‘wrong’, by most people’s standards, to do anything with him. On the other hand, he was an attractive man who cared for her. She knew he wouldn’t pressure her. He was just presenting her with an option. She hadn’t planned on having sex, but now that she was faced with the possibility, she found it difficult to pass it up. Amazing as it was, he really did seem like the best possible partner. And there was that strange feeling between her legs, which she definitely wanted to explore. Contemplating everything she’d heard, taking into account everything she felt, there was really only one way she could respond.

“Okay.”

Harry looked stunned at her quick agreement.

“You sure?” he asked.

“Yes,” Alessa was more definitive this time. It felt right, simply put; like she wouldn’t regret it despite the extreme circumstances.

Still, Harry seemed a little dubious that she would accept so easily. “Yeah, you’re my dad, but so what? I mean, it’s not like we’re blood related,” Alessa said casually, trying to hide her nervousness. But there was no going back. She wanted to do this, the more she thought about. She didn’t know whether that was her own motivation, or whether the opportunity just arose at exactly the right time. All she knew was that she wanted to, regardless of the facts. And there was another thing to consider. The truth was – she was curious too.

Harry smiled at his curious daughter. “I promise you’ll enjoy it,” he said. And that was the honest fact. The truth was that he wanted to pleasure her more than he wanted it himself. He could pleasure himself any time; Alessa needed a bit more help. He wanted her to feel the enjoyment that sexual pleasure could bring her.

Taking the hint, Alessa seemed to release a little tension from her body, as she prepared for whatever he was about to do. He knew she was probably clueless about how to make love to someone, but with his help, that would change real soon.

Alessa lay back down on the bed. She had to resist the urge to cover herself. She felt exposed lying here like this, but if they were really going to do this, then it couldn’t be helped. She had to let him see her. It felt weird, letting her dad see her breasts. Not to mention, the other part. And yet, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking as he stared at her. Did he really find her attractive? Surely he did, since he said as much a few minutes ago. But why, out of all the women he could have, did he pick her? She had to admit, she was a little awed, and scared, that he thought so highly of her.

She fought hard not to burst into shaking. Nobody had ever seen her like this, outside of her doctor. Even so, she started quivering just the slightest bit, though she subtly masked it. Harry lowered himself over her and after an admiring glance, began to kiss her neck. Alessa moaned as he kissed the pale white skin, going to the center of her throat, and then further down. Harry kissed his way down her stomach and Alessa gasped as she realized where he was heading. He stopped over her mound and leaned back. He waited only a moment, then dove down over her dark curls. Alessa let out a gasp just instinctive from having someone down there. Harry kissed her entire mound, letting his tongue dab at the folds between her curls. Alessa really had to restrain herself not to start shaking like crazy. She was still a little weirded out that they were doing this, and now she had her father between her legs, with pretty much free reign of her body. Harry began to lick her, and Alessa had to grip the sheets tightly in response. It felt ticklish in a weird way, causing her to practically jump up off the bed. She found it difficult to keep herself still, and her mouth was ajar in a half-smiling, half-shocked expression as she squirmed underneath her father’s lips.

Harry was having no such issues. He had little problem picking up where he left off, choosing to lick over her clit, lapping at the tiny pearl, before going down to tease her labia and back up again. God, she tasted even better than before, if that was possible, because she was awake now. He could see the effect it was having on her, and that was enough to make the experience even more delightful. He knew this was new to her, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her too quickly. For that reason, he resisted the urge to slide his hands underneath her, not knowing how she would react to that yet.

Alessa was finding it hard not to give voice to her barrage of questions. For the first time in her life, she was completely at a loss on how to react. His tongue was doing weird things to her, making her feel things she never had before, and by God, she wasn’t sure if she wanted him to stop. What was this that he was doing to her, and why was she finding it so difficult to resist? Somehow she had managed to stop shifting around on the bed, and was now focusing on what he was doing. Her body was tense, namely her hips, as he licked her flesh and touched her, causing these new sensations to pour out of her. It was strange and bizarre, and yet, it was not at all unpleasant. She was at a loss on what to do with her hands, holding them close to her chest, and she wondered if she should be doing something else with them; touching herself with them, or putting them in his hair. Gradually she grew used to the sensation flourishing below her waist as she laid back and tried her best to relax.

Harry was in blissful heaven. This was the best situation he had found himself in years, and he was making the best of it. Not because he was ‘getting some’, but because he was finally getting to please someone else in this way. He looked at Alessa and was pleased by what he saw. Her face was calm: her eyes were closed and her mouth slightly ajar. She had grown used to the sensations he was giving her. She was moaning and whimpering, albeit quietly. She wasn’t a screamer, obviously, but he was glad that she was at least letting him know whether she enjoyed this or not. She was getting wet, too. Her moisture was seeping out of her, brought on by the attention he was giving her sex. She was aroused. Harry took one taste of it and realized he was mistaken earlier. He had thought her clit and lips tasted good before. It was nothing compared to the evidence of her arousal. He lapped it up eagerly, savoring its tangy flavor. And the more he tasted, the more he wanted her to get really wet when she finally came.

Harry focused his entire efforts on her clit. It had been a while since he started this, and he wasn’t exactly subtle in his approach. He knew she had to be close to the edge by now, and he was determined to get her there. It didn’t take long. Alessa was new to these sensations and wasn’t used to dealing with them. Harry was relentless as he licked rapidly over her clit. The sensations grew more intense and Alessa began to shift on the bed again. She was very audible now, whimpering and panting as she made her pleasure known. Harry smiled as she ran her hands through his hair, unintentionally encouraging him. For Alessa’s part, she was being overwhelmed by the sensations. The young woman seemed to grow panicked and even scared. Something was changing; the feeling was growing more intense, and far deeper than before.

“What…what’s happening?” she asked frantically, getting no answer from Harry. He continued to lick her, despite finding that a little puzzling, and Alessa whimpered helplessly until Harry got the reaction he was looking for. Alessa’s body arched as she gave a cry of uncontrollable release, and her hips spasmed rhythmically in his grasp.

He finally let her go as she stopped shaking, and she fell to the bed in a daze. She was breathing hard and he was doing so as well, nearly as exhausted from watching her have this enormous reaction that she got from his doings. Alessa was panting heavily from the aftermath of her experience. Harry sat back to allow her room to breathe. When she finally spoke, her voice was awed and intrigued.

“What was that?” she asked.

Harry was smiling. “You just had an orgasm,” he answered her, giving her a curious look.

So that’s what it feels like, Alessa thought to herself. She had heard about the orgasm, but she had never experienced it personally. She didn’t even know what it entailed, except that it was some kind of sexual release. What was ‘sexual release’ anyway? Did just kind of just get a happy feeling when you were done doing…whatever it is that you were doing? Now she knew why sex was so popular. If this was what it resulted in, then she could see why people were willing to risk all sorts of dangers to do it. It felt…good. Yeah, that was it. It felt good! Actually, it felt great.

“You’ve never had one?” Harry asked her.

“No,” Alessa admitted shamefully, looking down from his gaze.

Harry was taken aback by her confession. She had never had an orgasm before? How was this possible? Of course, he knew how it was possible, now that he really thought about it. He had never really explained to her about sex – not the way he was supposed to. He had told her the basics, ignoring certain aspects that were too embarrassing to discuss. He figured she would pick it up on her own. Obviously, she hadn’t. And now he found himself feeling guilty that he had neglected to tell her. God, what had he done? He had made several screw-ups over the course of his life, but this was one of the worst. No wonder she wasn’t interested in a relationship. If she didn’t know this was what people found appealing about them, then she had no reason to pursue one.

Harry felt a stab of guilt over his actions. She had wasted several years because of him. She should have been exploring this side of herself and finding out what made her feel good. Instead she was in the dark because he hadn’t had the guts to tell her how to get pleasure out of her sexuality. Alessa often struggled to feel good about anything in her life, and he knew this really would have helped her feel good about herself.

“Well, you learn something new every day, don’t you?” Harry smiled, opting to focus away from his mistake. Alessa had to laugh at the corner expression on his face. It certainly helped to diffuse the tension. She chuckled nervously before she turned quiet again.

Harry turned serious as he bent down to kiss her, and for the first time, Alessa found herself kissing Harry in the way that lovers did. It felt weird to be kissing her father like this, and she had a gag reflex as his tongue slipped into her mouth. But Harry took things slowly, allowing her to get accustomed to the feeling of kissing someone like this. She cupped his cheek with her left hand as he cupped hers, and they were the very picture of intimacy between loves. Harry broke off the kiss and moved downward, stopping at her chest. He moved to take one of her breasts into his mouth, and he fondled them as he licked one, engulfing her areola with his mouth. He moved to the other one soon, giving it the same loving treatment, enjoying as she gasped under his touch. Alessa moaned as he licked and sucked the rosy pebble, causing it to send shivers through her body. This was something new to her as well, and it felt almost as good as having him down there, between her thighs.

Harry backed up from her. Without hesitating, he pulled off his boxers and knelt between her legs. Alessa’s eyes widened when she caught sight of his hardened penis, jutting out below his abdomen. She had never seen her father like this! Her heart was pounding, as for the first time, this became utterly real to her. His body was familiar to her, but this part was brand new to her eyes. It looked so strange and alien to her, standing out against the rest of his body. It was a reminder that while Harry was her father (of sorts), he was still a man, and right now he was very into what they were doing. She wasn’t sure she wanted to touch it. But if that was what she needed to do to pleasure him, then that was what she was going to do. God, he looked so big. How was she going to get it inside her?

Harry pulled out a condom from robe he had brought. It was something he had grabbed out of his dresser drawer and put in his pocket almost mindlessly. He kept a packet of them in his dresser drawer, but he never had to use them. He knew from a medical exam that Alessa probably couldn’t have children. But he wasn’t taking any chances. No way was he getting his little girl pregnant.

He positioned himself over her. This was the part he was worried about the most, but there was no getting around it. “This is going to hurt. I’ll go slowly so that you can get used to it,” as he lowered himself over her body. Alessa nodded and he began the process of entering her. She held onto him as she felt the first intrusion into her, gradually expanding her vagina. He guided himself into her little by little until he gave one gentle thrust to bury himself inside her. Alessa cried out in anguish as she gripped tightly onto his shoulders.

“It hurts!” she cried out in pain, as the agony overwhelmed her.

Harry looked at her. Tears were stinging her eyes and she looked agonized. “Do you want me to stop?” he asked her.

“No,” Alessa shook her head, in almost a sob. She needed to do this. If she stopped now, then she was never going to get used to it.

“It’s supposed to hurt for girls the first time,” Harry said to reassure her. “It’ll get better as you go along.”

He began to slide in and out of her gently. Alessa cried quietly to herself, but she didn’t tell him to stop and he didn’t ask her again. He went slowly at first; he didn’t want to harm her already wounded sex. Every thrust he made was full and deep, as he sheathed himself in her body. Alessa clung to him with both arms, content to let him take full control.

Harry was in paradise. He had never felt anything so good before. God, her pussy felt so tight and warm around him. She was wet too, sliding easily over his cock. He didn’t need lubrication; she was wet from her orgasm and probably dripping out juices onto the sheets. The feel of skin-on-skin contact, and the sounds of her hips meetings his and her whimpers was too much. It had been too long since he did this, and he could tell he wasn’t going to last long. The memories of Jodie were a distant thought as he moved in and out of her core.

Alessa was getting used to being under him in this manner. She hadn’t known what to expect, and though it was awkward, it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. He seemed to be trying not to hurt her, and she appreciated that. But Harry was still a man and eventually he wanted more pleasure. He began to speed up the motions as he thrust into her body. Alessa held onto him unyieldingly, and she whimpered as the friction increased against her sex. She wished he was going down on her again like before. The pain had faded into a dull ache, and it didn’t hurt like that blast of pain in the beginning. But she clearly wasn’t getting out of it what he was. Harry’s face was awash with pleasure and he was moaning quietly. Alessa found it amazing that he was enjoying this so much. He felt so big inside her. But that was all she felt. No, she felt something – but that wasn’t enough to bring her to orgasm again. Harry had no such complaints, however. His movements rocked her body as Alessa clung to him, not frantic in pace, but not slow and soft either. Alessa was confused. Was he going to orgasm? She wrapped her arms tightly around his back, meeting his rapid thrusts, until he gave a guttural cry and stiffened against her.

Harry stayed inside her until the orgasm had washed over him. He withdrew from her carefully, knowing she had to be very sensitive now. Harry tossed the condom into the bedside trash can and lied down beside her. There was a tiny bit of blood dripping between her legs, so he grabbed some tissues from the nearby nightstand. Alessa winced at first, but he wiped her gently until she was clean. He lied back down and placed an arm behind her.

“Are you okay?” Harry asked her.

Alessa glanced down at her lower body, moving a hand gently to the area.

“It hurts,” she answered, with a tremor in her voice.

She brought her left hand closer to her, seeing a tiny bit of blood on her fingers. And for the first time, she realized fully what she had done. But she was too tired to consider the consequences.

“I understand,” Harry said sympathetically. “Don’t worry, it’ll get better once you get used to it.”

After some moments of lying there, Alessa nestled her head in the crook of his arm. Harry moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her body. He drew the sheets up to cover them. Lying there side by side, they eventually fell asleep like that in each other’s arms.

In the living room of the house, the artifact hovered over its resting place in its case, glowing with an ominous shade of crimson.