My Sister's Keeper (rage0976 and Pagan_Goddess)

The sun was starting to set in his rear view mirror as he drove on, only a short distance from his destination. He had been on the road for almost twelve hours, but was determined not to stop until he got there. It had been too long since he'd seen her, and that now he finally had the opportunity he wasn't wasting it. As he stifled a yawn that was trying to creep up on him, he grabbed his iced coffee from the cup holder and took a long sip.

It had been four years since Shaun had seen his sister, though it wasn't entirely his fault. He had been stationed overseas, and was unable to come home very often because of it. She had been married, moving out to the East Coast, so was usually unable to come see him when he visited their parents. He wasn't able to come to her wedding, though she sent him pictures. He had missed a lot of important dates in his little sister's life since they had become adults, and he wouldn't let her down again.

Her birthday was only a few days away, and she had asked if he could come visit, telling him that would be the best present he could give her. He had been out of the service for a few months now, but still hadn't had the time to go visit her, but after such a request, he made the time. He wouldn't let her down again, even if he truly couldn't be blamed for all the events he'd missed in her life while serving his country.

It was just a little further, and he'd get to see his sister's smiling face in person for the first time in years. He missed that smile. It was so contagious. No one could see it and not want to smile right along with her. He took another sip of his coffee and focused on the road. It wasn't far now.

Kyra was busy putting the finishing touches on a dinner she had prepared for her brother and herself to enjoy once he got there. She had called him earlier and knew he wasn't that far away now. She scanned her eyes over the table, checking one last time that everything was there. She couldn't believe he was actually making it up this time. She knew it wasn't his fault that he rarely got to see her but she missed him terribly. They had been very close when they were younger.

Kyra's husband was away again. He often went away on business trips. She was beginning to resent him for it. Especially because of the fact that this time he was missing her birthday. So she'd invited her brother Shaun down instead and she'd been absolutley ecstatic when he'd said he would. She missed him terribly.

With the dinner cooking away nicely and the table all set, Kyra went into her bedroom to finish getting ready. She'd decided to dress up because it had been years since she'd seen her brother so it was a special occassion. She had on a tight fitting, black cocktail dress and a pair of black heels. Having not had and children she still had the impressive figure she had growing up due to all her dancing. She applied a little bit of make up, brushed out her waist lenght black hair and then sat down with a glass of wine to watch some T.V. while she waited for her brother to arrive.

As Shaun pulled into the driveway, he gave a sigh of relief. He was finally here. Turning the car off, he got out and grabbed his bags out of the trunk, walking the path to the front porch. Trotting up the steps excitedly, he had to admit he felt a bit giddy, like a teenage boy. He was looking forward to spending some time with his sister, especially since her husband apparently couldn't take the time to appreciate her company.

He gave the doorbell a ring and waited. Dropping one of his bags, he decided to straighten himself up a bit. Running a hand through his thick, dark hair, having let it grow out a little since being discharged, he checked himself out the best that he could in the reflection that the glass on the door offered. As a pair of deep, sea green eyes scanned the reflection, he straightened his shirt and pants a bit, dressed in a nice dark blue button down with a pair of tan cargos and brown lace up casual shoes, he gave a satisfied nod.

Picking his bags up once more, he waited for her to answer the door, his heart racing a bit with anticipation. He wanted to see her face and scoop her up in a big enough hug to make up for all the ones he hadn't been able to give her over the years.

Kyra jumped up excitedly when she heard the door bell ring almost knocking over her glass of wine. She rushed to the door, pausing just long enough to fix her dress and hair. She smiled a little when she saw the outline of her brother through the glass in her front doo, her pulse quikening a little at the sight.

Kyra opened the door just a little and put her head around. Now who's this stranger? And what are you doing on my door step?" She said teasingly, looking into eyes the exact same colour as hers. As she opened the door fully a smile spread over her face, causing her eyes to almost sparkle.

"Shaun!" She yelled running out to give him a big hug. "I can't believe you're finally here! It's been far too long!" She smiled up at him. "You look good." She continued. She couldn't actually believe he was really here.

Shaun wrapped his arms around his sister to catch her as she hugged him, pulling her body against his and picking her up off the ground, swinging her around a few times before letting her down with a laugh, his own eyes sparkling as he looked back at her. "So are you! I mean I had to fight the guys off of you when you were in school, but look at how you filled out. Now I'm gonna have to carry a gun just to scare 'em away!"

Giving her a playful wink as he flashed that charming smile of his that made most of her friends follow him around like lovesick puppies when they were younger thanks to those deep dimples and dancing eyes, he picked his bags up to come inside. Dropping the bags to the side of the door, he glanced around the house, this being his first time stepping inside it. "Wow. Guess the hubby does pretty well huh?"

He then looked toward the kitchen to see where she'd been preparing dinner, his eyes lighting up once more. He was starving after the long drive, having only eaten whatever light snacks he could pick up when he stopped for gas. "I could so kiss you right now. I thought I'd die from hunger..."

Kyra put her head back and laughed as he spun her around. God it really felt fantastic to have him with her again. She laughed at his compliment and blushed a little as well. "That is so not true!" She replied, laughing.

She smiled back at him, one of her warmest ones in a long time. "You were the one that had all the girls after you. Most of them my friends. The amount of times I had to listen to them going on about you was ridiculous.

I froze a little for a second at the mention of my husband. It was only a second though and I hoped Shaun didn't notice. "Yeah he does fairly well. He's away pretty much all the time though. I'm lucky if I see him for a total of 3 months a year." She said. Then shrugged her shoulders and smiled again. "But lets not discuss him."

She laughed as he said he could kiss her and kissed him on the cheek. "Well it's all ready to go once you are." She walked into the kitchen. "Do you want to have a shower or anything before hand? Or just eat now?" She asked. "I made your favorite. At least I hope it's still your favorite."

"I dunno. I'm still afraid to take a bath or shower around you after that little camping incident." He smirked, teasing her about something that had happened when he was eighteen, she herself only sixteen, when she and some of her friends had tried to catch a peek of him in the campground showers during a trip to the mountains. He had caught them, though he didn't tell their parents about it, but reserved the right to tease her mercilessly whenever he wanted. And it had been years since he'd been able to, so now he took advantage, giving her a cheeky grin.

"But seriously though, I think I'll eat. And it's still my favorite. You always did know me better than anyone." He winked as he moved to help her get the plates made. She had apparently gone through a lot of trouble to make him sesame chicken, his favorite dish since he was a kid. Taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes, he smiled at her as he turned his gaze upon her. "This smells amazing." He let his gaze linger for a moment. His sister had definitely grown quite shapely and beautiful since he had last seen her, no longer the skinny little girl he remembered.

Shaking his head briefly, he pushed the thoughts back, turning his focus to the food that they were now preparing to eat. "So you actually made this yourself? I'm impressed."

I blushed at him mentioning that little incident. "I was an unwilling acomplise to that little stunt as well you know it!" I knew he'd enjoy the fact that he was obviously getting to me but I couldn't help it so I gave him a playful smack on his ass.

I smiled as he moved to help me with the plates. "Don't you dare. I said in mock anger. "You're my guest and what kind of hostess would I be if I had you helping me with the dishes?" I asked. "Go sit down." I said, giving him a playful smack on his ass. We had always had a really easy, playful relationship.

I laughed and then pretended to be insulted, pouting my full lips a little. "I can cook extremely well thank you very much. You have been gone a long time and I've learnt a lot."

"Unwilling accomplice my ass! You were the ring leader of your little group of friends!" He laughed as he sat at the table, not wanting to incur the wrath of Kyra, already having seen what she'd done to some of her boyfriends and such in the past when they gave her an excuse. His sister was a fiery little thing, but that only added to her charm.

Tapping his fingers on the table idly as she prepared the plates, he gave her a playful smile. "And I know you can cook. Just not used to home cooking. I can tell you, people do NOT join the military for the food..." Laughing softly, he shifted in his seat a bit and just watched her for a moment. It was nice to be around her again. She was always the best of company.

"So we are eating sometime tonight, right?" Naturally he had to go back to teasing her a bit. He wasn't really in a hurry, he just liked giving her a hard time, but he was also always there when she needed him the most when they were younger, and now that he was free to do so, he planned to make sure he would be there for her from now on, starting now since her husband couldn't be bothered to spend the week of her birthday with her.

Kyra laughed at his statment. "I can well imagine they didn't! How ever did you survive?" She teased. "I am glad you have some free time now though." She said slightly more seriously. And she meant it. Every word. They had been apart for far too long.

Kyra laughed again when he spoke. "No, I was thinking more along the lines of eating tomorrow." She teased him back as she carried over the plates. After putting them down she couldn't resist wrapping her arms around his neck to give him another hug. "I really have missed you Shaun." She whispered as she went to give him another peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, me too," he replied to her as she hugged him again, smiling as he tilted his cheek into her kiss. "So tell me, what have we got planned to make this week truly memorable for you? I mean after all, you're getting old now and won't know how to have fun anymore before you know it." Of course she wasn't old at all, but he teased her relentlessly just like a big brother should.

Taking his utensils, he began to eat the meal set out before him, smiling as he rolled his eyes, savoring the flavor. "Oh man...this is really good. Even better than the stuff we used to get at that restaurant we used to eat at when we were kids." He referred to a little Chinese place that originally had turned him on to the dish and that they ate at regularly until he left for the military. They had their last meal together in that place.

Kyra sat down and began to eat her food enjoy it a lot as she had been hungry too. "Hmmm... I hadn't given it much thought..." She begann between mouthfuls. "Hey! I'm not getting old! If any one is it's you!" She teased back. "I bet already you can't do some of the funner things life has to offer!"

She smiled at his compliment. "Thank you. I wonder if that place is still there?" She said, almost half to herself. Seeing her brother again was a real trip down memory lane. "Is there anything you'd like to do?" She asked him, finishing her food.

Shaun cocked an eyebrow at Kyra's comment, giving her a sly grin. "Yeah, right. I have plenty of life left. One ride on this train and you'd be coming back for more." He hadn't meant the remark to be directed at her, but women in general, though it could easily be taken a bit more personally. He finished his meal and went about helping to clean the table off.

"I don't know really. What's there to do in this town? Hell, doesn't really matter. I just got out of the service a few months ago, and lemme tell you, after spending most of my time looking at those ugly bastards I had to bunk with, I need to get laid." He winked and laughed as he continued to gather the dishes. "But I'll go along with whatever you have. It's your birthday coming up after all. So it should be your choice."

((OOC:I'm back, do you still want to continue?))

Kyra laughed at Shaun's comment and found herself blushing a little but she didn't quite know why. She gathered up all the dishes off the table and started washing them in the sink. "Someone's full of themselves!" She teased.

I thought about his question for a few minutes. "Eh there's not really an awful lot to do around here... My husband didn't really pick an amazing spot to move us to." I shrugged my shoulders as if to say What can you do about it? "There is the cinema, or we can go to the beach or just spend some time here catching up." I laughed as he made the comment about needing to get laid. "I know exactly how you feel!"

(I do indeed. Welcome back! ^_^)

Shaun turned to Kyra with a thoughtful expression, raising a hand to scratch his chin briefly. "Hmm...a movie sounds fun. The beach is always a winner. Or we could check out a movie on pay-per-view or something and stay in. Honestly I'm kind of tired from the drive, so the last option sounds best to me right now."

Giving her a kiss on the cheek, he smiled his usual charming smile and walked to grab his bags from the bottom of the stairs. "First I need a shower and a change of clothes though. Care to point me out to that? And my room?"

"That sounds absolutely perfect!" Kyra said with a smile. "Gives us a proper chance to catch up that way." She returned his smile and took his bag from him. "Let me, and this way."

Heading out of the kitchen she headed up the stairs, the bottom of her dress slipping up slightly. When she reached the top, she turned and smiled at him. "Bathroom's through there." She motioned at a door straight across from them then walked down the hall and into another room. "This is your room, right next to mine." She said, putting his bag down beside his bed.

Noticing the slip of the dress as Kyra ran up the steps, he couldn't help but stare for a moment before pulling his eyes away. "Planning to peek on me again, huh?" Shaun smirked a bit, noting how she pointed out his room being next to hers, giving a playful wink as he stepped in and looked around. "Nice room. Definitely better than the bunks I've been used to sleeping on."

Giving his little sister a kiss on the cheek, he grabbed a change of clothes, really just a pair of boxers and a tank top to change into, and headed for the shower. "I'll just be a few if you wanna pick out something to watch. Um...what are the choices anyway?" Of course it was pay-per-view, so they had several choices, ranging from all the normal movie genres and of course the adult selections.

Kyra laughed and slapped her brother playfully. "You'd just love if I was!" She teased back. "After all, you did say you hadn't gotten any in a while." She smiled a little at him at his talk about the room. "Yeah my husband picked out a nice house. He'd want to considering how often he leaves me here alone."

She smiled and kissed him back on the cheek. "Hmmm." Kyra tried to remember what was on tonight. "Well it really depends on what you want to watch. "How about we pick tgether when you're done because I want to change myself before we settle down to watch something."

"Sure thing," Shaun replied, smirking a bit at her remark before he slipped out and toward the bathroom. He left the door cracked a bit so they could yell back and forth to each other as he began to remove his clothes, calling out to her as he turned the water on to let it warm up while he undressed and folded his clothes neatly to be placed in the laundry pile. "So how much time does he usually spend away?"

Shaun found it a bit irritating that Kyra's husband would just leave her alone so much because he couldn't tear himself away from his work. Of course he had other ideas about what might be going on as well. After all, he was a man and knew how most of them thought, but didn't say what was on his mind. She didn't need to hear that her husband likely had something happening on the side. It was highly likely she had come to that conclusion on her own and didn't need to be reminded.

Once he was finished stripping, he stepped into the shower, closing his eyes as he let the water cascade over his tightly muscled form and reached for the body wash and a cloth to scrub himself down. "Oh, wow," he called out with a laugh. "Massaging shower head. This is definitely better than what I've gotten used to. Might get spoiled staying here."

Kyra couldn't help but sigh a little at her brother's question. She walked into her own bedroom to change and left the door open like her brother so they could talk. She couldn't help but feel a little irritated thinking about her husband. "He's gone almost all the time." She replied.

She bit her lip a little as she slipped out of her dress and her mind wandered to thoughts of what her husband may be up to when he's away on his long business trips. "I wouldn't be surprised if he had someone else..." She called out a little down heartedly. She then laughed at what her brother said about the shower. "Well it is my intention to absolutely spoil you while you're here!" She replied while rooting through her drawers for something more comfortable to wear.

Shaun left his thoughts on the matter of Kyra's husband unspoken, instead simply concentrating on cleaning himself. "Yeah, I could get used to this. Oh man. This is almost as good as sex!" He laughed a bit before he began to lather some shampoo into his hair and started scrubbing it.

"So, you wouldn't happen to have a hot friend around," he joked before rinsing the shampoo from his hair, spending a few minutes after that just letting the soothing water run over his skin. "Did I mention this feels really good?" He laughed once more as he turned a bit to let the shower head massage his muscles, almost feeling the tension leaving them, though it still wasn't quite as good as someone with skilled hands.

Kyra laughed at her brother's comment. "Wow! It must really have been a long time if you think that's as good as sex!" She teased. She shook her head. "It's been a fair while for me too but I promise you, sex is even better then that shower." She pulled out a simple, but short silk nightgown. Not worried about how much she showed. It was her brother after all.

"Unfortunatley, no I don't have any single friends these days. They're all happily married with kids." She slipped the nightgown on and sat down at her dressed to remove her make-up and brush out her hair allowing it to fall in gentle waves down her back. "So I don't think I could get you anything to satisfy your needs in that area. We shall suffer together in our sexless lives." She said with a laugh.

"Yeah, well, given present company I think I'll live," Shaun replied with a soft chuckle, turning the shower off and stepping out to grab for a towel. As he dried himself, he continued talking through the partially open door. "Besides, my little sister grew up to be totally hot, so at least I have something nice to look at." He laughed again, figuring if nothing else he would have some fun by making her blush a bit.

Once he finished drying, he slipped into his boxers and pulled the tank top on before grabbing the comb from his pants pocket and running it briefly through his hair so it wasn't so wild looking. He then gathered his clothes and walked back to his room to set them aside to be washed later. "Okay," he called out. "Let's get a beer and settle in for a movie."

Kyra's cheeks burned bright red at her brother's comment as she walked out into the hall. "I have not! You liar." She replied. Not knowing how else to responde. She smaked him playfully when he came out.

Slipping her arm through his she smiled at his suggestion. "Sounds brilliant." She walked downstairs to the sitting room with her arm still in his and handed him the remote. "Like I said, I'm going to spoil you while you're here so you pick the movie, anything you like, and I'll get us something to drink." She slipped quietly into the kitchen, removing a beer from the fridge for him and getting a gin and tonic for herself.

Settling onto the sofa, Shaun turned on the TV and looked to Kyra with a smirk. "You know, you keep hitting me like that I might start to think you're flirting." He winked playfully before turning his eyes back to see what was on as he began to browse the on demand selection. Frowning a bit, he didn't seem very interested in most of what was playing, or had already seen most of them.

"Boring, seen it, no way in hell, not interested," he continued to muse to himself as he scrolled through the movies. "Seriously, do they have monkeys writing scripts these days? I mean for fuck's sake! They make movies out of anything now!" Chuckling a bit, he began to do an imitation of the guy who narrates all the movie trailers. "Coming this fall, a blade of grass...grows!" Shaking his head and rolling his eyes a bit, he shrugged. "So, how often do you order porn and sit here taking care of business?" He was joking, of course, to simply pick on his sister, but also knew a woman who spent that much time alone had to do something.