A Mother's Love

…can sometimes lead to an interrogation.

Ren Transton expected many things when she went to visit her family for a few days. She had expected the big hugs she had received from her parents, the hair ruffle and playful pokes to her stomach from her brother and sister, as well as her dad questioning suspiciously about how Shane was treating her, although he tried to make it casual. These were all expected from her family, whom she loved endlessly even if they drove her crazy now and again. But what she didn't expect, was her mom finding out her alias on accident.

You see, when Ren had been packing with Shane as they both prepared for a few days alone with their families, something they hadn't done since they moved in together, she had gotten a bit distracted. By who or what, I'll let your minds decide. Either way, she managed to pack her Tickle Master's shirt in with her clothing, something she had planned to leave behind. Ren's family, excluding her older siblings, had no idea that she was one of the infamous Tickle Masters. Ren's brother, Alex, had found out when one of his friend's little brothers had gotten the treatment. He had been quite surprised, but in the end just laughed and told her that the job suited her, since she had been his and their sister's little tickle victim since she was a child. He swore to secrecy, after some playful convincing from both Ren and Shane. Her sister, Amber, had known as soon as Ren came up with the idea. The sisters had a special bond with them that allowed them to trade secrets as they got older when they felt nobody else could know. Once Ren admitted to her sister she was going to try and create the Tickle Masters, her sister had supported her (after making sure she wouldn't do anything dangerous or illegal) and helped her get the confidence to ask Shane to join her. (This happened a little while after they got together ) But, Ren had been afraid to tell her parents. She knew they were very open and accepting, but she still feared what they would think when they learned that she was one of them.
Shane's parents had been a bit unsure of the idea at first, until Ren and Shane explained that the idea was to convince people to have happier attitudes or to be less misbehaving through tickling, without pushing them past their limits. This was affective, and didn't involve any form of unsafe activities or harm that other methods could cause. Once they realized that, they welcomed the idea. Shane's parents had offered to tell Ren's parents, but she admitted that it would be best if she told them herself. She just hadn't gotten the courage to do so yet.

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"Ren, can I talk to you a minute?" Ren looked up into the blue eyes of her mother. Although Ren looked a lot like her mother, sharing her skin, long purple hair, and womanly features, she had gotten her emerald eyes from her father's side. Ren herself had been reading a book Amber had recommended for her. She was still dressed in her sleepwear: Plaid pajama bottoms, a tank top that was too worn to wear in public anymore, and her feet were bare.

Kasey Transton had been doing her daily chores around the house she did to keep herself busy. Her family called it OCD, she called it keeping herself busy and the house from looking like a pigsty. Now she stood before her daughter in a pair of khaki slacks and a light brown blouse, one arm on her hip while the other held a small bundle of fabric.

"Sure mom, what's up?" She asked, setting her book aside.

"Well, while I was cleaning the bedrooms I noticed you had left some of your clothes in a messy pile on your suitcase." Kasey began, then paused when she noticed her daughter's face.

Ren was blushing, she had meant to put the clothes away, knowing how her mother got when things were left like that. But she had forgotten last night, being tired after escaping the wrath of her dad and brother teaming up on her. "I'm sorry mom, I should have taken care of it earlier. I'll go do it now." She got up and started toward her room.

"Ren, what are you talking about?" Ren looked over at her mom in confusion.

"Uh, my clothes? Isn't that what this is about?" Kasey shook her head, and Ren found her even more confused than before. "Then….what is it?"

At that, Ren's mother held up the small bundle she had been carrying. Once unfolded, the black t-shirt revealed the words "Tickle Master Ren" with their symbol on one side. Ren visibly paled, then tried to play it off.

"What's that?" She tried to make her voice innocent, but it cracked a bit with fear.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. Ren, why do you have a shirt with the Tickle Master symbol on it?" Kasey had an idea of exactly why she had it, but knew better than to jump to conclusions.

"Um….Well, I'd better get started on those clothes!" Ren said quickly, then turned and
darted out of the room. She slipped into her bedroom and hurriedly tried to make herself
look busy by folding and unfolding the clothes, then putting them away.

Her mother, however, was not about to let this go. She followed her daughter to the
bedroom, and paused in the doorway, hands on her hips. "Ren Transton we are going to talk about this right now. Are you or are you not part of this Tickle Master group?" She asked, becoming increasingly frustrated.

"It's not a group, there's only two of them, and I'm not! The shirt is just a joke!" She lied, facing her mother. The only problem with that was that Kasey Transton was smart, and knew her daughter well enough to know when she was lying to her.

"Don't lie to me young lady!" Kasey's patience had worn thin. She wasn't normally this pushy or prying, but this was a big deal to her. Being an internationally known tickler wasn't exactly a small affair, and she cared about her daughter very much. So this wasn't a matter that could be left alone.

"I-I'm not!" As Ren stepped back, he mother followed forward until the backs of her legs hit the bed behind her. She started to move sideways, knowing her mother could very well keep up with her if needed, but still wanting to try, but Kasey grabbed her wrists and held her in place. It only took her a few seconds to realize how she could use this position to her advantage, and a plan formulated in her mind. Without warning, she released Ren's wrists and shoved Ren forcefully backward. Ren yelped in surprise and fell on her back on the bed, arms flailing outward in an attempt to grab something to steady herself with. Her mother took hold of her wrists and in moments had her daughter pinned down, sitting on her legs to keep her from moving.

"Mom!" Ren's face had a faint blush from the sudden rush of air being pushed out of her lungs before she regained it. "What are you doing?!" She knew this position well, and feared of what was to come.

"Well, if you're not going to tell me the truth straight out, then I guess there's only one other option." Ren's mom didn't seem as angry now. In fact, she seemed a bit playful and eager, most likely because she used to love playing with her daughter. Alas, as she got older, those times became fewer and less frequent thanks to her moving out and their lives becoming more separate.

Ren knew that look, and a spark of fear ran across her features. "Please not that…" She whispered, trying to break free.

"Yes. I'm going to tickle you until you tell me the truth!" With this slightly playful declaration, the mother of the Transton family dug her fingers into her daughter's sides, wiggling around.

"Mohohohom! Nohoohoho STAHAHAHAHAP!" Ren's light giggling broke into full-blown laughter as her mother unleashed her own tickling skills. "I'm not lying!"

"You should know better than to try to lie to me Rennie!" Kasey teased her with an old nickname she had given to Ren when she was just a toddler. It had been used frequently until she grew older and became embarrassed by it. Seeing that she wasn't getting very far, she switched to tickling her tummy, knowing it was a weak point she had gotten genetically, not just randomly.

"MOHOHOHOHOM!"  Ren laughed and turned red in due to both embarassment and lack of air. "STOP I'M NOHOHOHOT LYIHIHIHIHIHIHING! I SWEHEHEHEHEAR!"

"Keep it up sweetie, it'll just get worse for you." Kasey reached down and lightly squeezed part of her daughter's thigh. Although it wasn't one of her worst spots, she had learned through an old playground trick one fo her friend's children had learned. Starting at the top of someone's kneecap, you moved your finger up for each letter in their first name. Once you reached the end, you squeezed that area. It was supposedly a pressure point that could tickle the person. (It works, my family, my friends, and I have tried it. Sometimes people aren't affected much, but it's true) She wasn't disappointed when Ren suddenly yelped and jerked her leg, laughing.

"QUIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIT THAHAHAHAHAHAT!" She laughed, trying to pull away.

"Why? Is my wittle girl ticklwish?" Her mother smiled and giggled along with her daughter, randomly switching between the pressure point and her tummy, making her laugh and squirm. "Are you going to tell me the truth?"

"I AHAHAHAHAHAHAM!" Ren managed to say, shaking with laughter and tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

Kasey smirked suddenly, looked  like her daughter did when she was about to expose a weak point on one of her victims. She knew one trick that never failed to work on Ren before when she was growing up, and was confident it would work this time. First, she stopped and gave the poor girl a break, letting her get a chance to catch her breath and regain her senses.

"I'm going to ask you one more time before I'm forced to use my trump card. Are you going to tell me the truth or not?" Kasey asked her patiently.

Ren, breathing hard and so tired she could barely struggle anymore, contemplated this. She had a feeling her mother would understand if she explained, but also felt a fear that she would shun her for it. Not all people could understand the point of their job. So softly, she shook her head. "I'm not lying mom. You just have to believe me."

Her mom sighed, and looked at Ren. "I want to sweetie, I really do. But I'm your mother, and I care about you. If you're hiding something like this from me then I will worry unless you talk to me." With that said, she slid Ren's pajama top upward to reveal her pale tummy. Ren was already giggling nervously, knowing what was to come.

"Come on mohohohom, no!" Her protests sounded a bit joking now, as if she wanted her to continue. Could it be possible that Ren enjoyed being tickled by her mom?

"You're leaving me no choice Rennie~" Kasey smiled, then leaned down and raspberried her right on the bellybutton.

The Tickle Master's attempt to resist proved futile as she was forced into a squealing, laughing girl. She laughed and pulled and squirmed against her mother's grasp as her lips laid ultra ticklish raspberries on her worst tickle spot. Her mother laughed as well, finding the irony that Ren still acted the same raspberried as she did when she was just a little girl funny, as well as happy to be enjoying this moment with her daughter.

"ALRIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIGHT! I'LL TEHEHEHEHEHELL YOU! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAEHEHEHEHAHAHA!" Ren screamed her surrender, tears running down her red cheeks.

"Good." Kasey let her daughter go, and sat beside her, waiting for an explanation. Once she caught her breath, Ren sat up and explained. She told her mother how the Tickle Masters came to be, why they did it, and what they had been doing. She also confessed that she had been hiding it while her older siblings knew, and had made them swear to secrecy. Finally, she told her why she had been hiding it in the first place. Her mother listened patiently and quietly, before reassuring her that she'd would have accepted her from the start if she had only told her.

"I'm sorry Mom, I should have had more faith in you. I guess I let my fear cloud my judgement." Ren admitted. Kasey Transton sighed slightly, then smiled.

"It's alright. Just remember, you can always trust me with anything." She told her.

"I will mom, I promise." Ren smiled at her mom. She smiled back, and the two fo them hugged.

----

Ren's father, Ronald, was told the secret his daughter had admitted when he returned home that night. He was surprised, and a bit unsure of the idea, being protective of his baby girl and not wanting something to happen to her because of her job as a Tickle Master. However, he was soon convinced of the idea as well, and expressed pride in the fact his daughter was succesful with her partner, while still acting the way she was raised.

It had been a long day for Ren Transton and her mother, but she was glad she had finally been able to talk to her mother. After all, it all worked out in the end