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More Than Darkness	By : SaMe Category: M through R > Once Upon A Time In Mexico Views: 4591 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the movie that this fanfiction is written for, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-1
- 2-2
- 3-3
- 4-4
- 5-5
- 6-6
- 7-7
- 8-8
- 9-9
- 10-10
- 11-11
- 12-12
- 13-13
- 14-14
- 15-15
- 16-16
- 17-17
- 18-18
- 19-19
- 20-20
- 21-21
- 22-22
- 23-23
- 24-24
- 25-25
- 26-26
- 27-27
- 28-28
- 29-29
- 30-30
- 31-31
- 32-32
- 33-33
- 34-34
- 35-35
- 36-36
- 37-37
- 38-38
- 39-39
- 40-40
- 41-41
- 42-42
- 43-43
- 44-44
- 45-45
- 46-46
- 47-47
- 48-48
- 49-49
- 50-50
- 51-51
- 52-52
- 53-53
- 54-54
- 55-55
- 56-56
- 57-57
- 58-58
- 59-59
- 60-60
- 61-61
- 62-62
- 63-63
- 64-64
- 65-65
- 66-66
- 67-67
- 68-68
- 69-69
- 70-70
- 71-71
- 72-72
- 73-73
- 74-74
- 75-75
- 76-76
- 77-77
- 78-78
- 79-79
- 80-80
- 81-81
- 82-82
- 83-83
- 84-84
- 85-85
- 86-86
- 87-87
- 88-88
- 89-89
- 42
- 43
- 44
This is a crossover smutty story featuring the character of
Tess/Salida ie Tess' Voice in Neon Dasies' OUATIM fics on ff.net, More Than
Eyes Alone Can See, and More Than Life,
and Sands/Jeffrey from Merrie's OUATIM fic on ff.net, Darkness Rising. This story
will make some sense, probably, if you read it without having read either of
our stories, but it'll make a hell of a lot more if you just read them. They're
all worth reading, we promise. Anyway, on with the show.
Rated for what has happened, and what might happen. We�re really not quite sure ourselves. On with the story.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

�What are we out for again? And why couldn�t you take your husband instead
of me?� Sands muttered to Salida, flexing the fingers of his newly stitch-free right
hand and arm. It had hurt like a son of
a bitch to get them out, but at least they were gone now. And the doctor hadn�t even said anything about
his hand. She had given him a somewhat
disapproving look which he had ignored, but otherwise stayed silent about the
whole matter.
�I thought you were
the one who wanted to do some shopping for Aida,� she muttered back. �And I�m having a hard time getting my pants
fastened anymore, so I had to come shopping too. So stop complaining � it�s not helping
anyone.�
�I wasn't
complaining, I was merely stating . . . creative differences between the two of
us,� Sands snarked under his breath. �Fine.
I need to get Aida a present for her
birthday. Not that you care,� he
muttered. He didn�t go so far as to
comment on just how badly she needed the new pants � i.e. how fat she was
getting � because he figured that wouldn�t help anyone either.
�Why should I care?�
she asked. �It�s not my birthday. And I don�t even give a damn about that,
because my birthday isn�t my birthday.�
�What do you mean
your birthday isn�t your birthday? Why
wouldn�t it be?� Sands paused, getting
what she meant. �Oh, you mean you don�t
consider it your birthday because it�s. . .� he searched for a name. �Tess� birthday, right?� Sands wasn�t quite
sure he felt the same. He hadn�t ever
really considered sharing a birthday with Jeffrey before.
�Bingo.�
Sands shrugged. �Well I suppose that�s your right. When do you consider your birthday to be then?�
He didn�t know why he was feeling so
garrulous at the moment, but he felt the urge to just talk to her about
something. Anything. He and silence weren�t on speaking terms at
the moment.
�I don�t know. Some time in the summer. I don�t remember the exact day. It�s not something you pay attention to when
you�re first . . . conceived is the right word, I suppose, or close enough to
it.� Salida started wandering towards
the women�s clothing section, not really caring if Sands followed or not. At the moment, she didn�t really mind talking
to him � he was being half polite � and she felt like having a bit of company.
�I wonder how
Jeffrey feels about it,� he half muttered to himself, following her without
hesitation. He didn�t really know what
to buy Aida yet anyway. Clothing might
be an ok gift. Assuming that he could
find something she would like, and that he would like seeing her in at the same
time. Not always an easy feat.
Salida looked at
the racks upon racks of maternity clothing and wondering just how baggy and
unattractive they could get. Well . . . maybe
not unattractive, but she pulled of pants off a nearby rack and wondered how
she�d ever fit in them. And these were
just ones for early pregnancy. She
couldn�t imagine fitting into the ones for the third trimester. Intellectually she knew that she�d have to
buy clothing at a specialty store since mothers of triplets got bigger than
your average pregnant woman, but still. . .
�Might as well get
it over with,� she muttered, searching through the forest of racks and hangers
for anything that looked moderately attractive and/or comfortable. I need
to go see the obstetrician again too. I
need to start pre-natal vitamins and such.
I wonder if I could make it out for a visit withoellielling Jeffrey. It wasn�t that Salida wanted to keep her
husband from having a part in this, but he almost made her nervous witr
er
eagerness, and she reacted badly to that, and then they got into fights.
And it�s not that he's too eager. Or it�s not that his eagerness bothers
me. It�s that I�m not. My own caution in all this seems . . . petty
. . . selfish . . . whenever he�s around and asking questions. She wanted to see the doctor alone, she
wanted time to process without feeling that Jeffrey saw her delay as a bad
thing, and she wanted to be able to ask her own questions without alarming her
husband.
Sands hardly
noticed the store around him as he followed Salida like a silent shadow. His mind wasn�t on the rows of frumpy,
seemingly ill-fitting clothing he saw before him, but on just what to buy Aida
for her birthday. He had nine days of
gift-giving to do, and he fully intended on making each day special. Why the
fuce yoe you buying her anything? She�s
not going to live long enough to enjoy any of it. There�s no fucking point. Sands told bastard to shut up under his breath
and forced his thoughts back on his wife. �Chocolate . . . and flowers,� he murmured to
himself. �But what else?� How
about a coffin? I hear those are in
fashion this season.
�Shut the fuck up. I�m not going to listen to you, so I don�t
know why you�re even bothering to talk to me.� You�re
listening to me now, aren�t you? Bastard taunted in response. �Fuck you. Leave me alone,� he muttered. What fun
would that be, you fucking pussy? Always
whining about his dead wifey. Poor baby.
How�s it feel to fuck a corpse? Does that make you a necrophiliac? Sands merely clenched his hands into fists
hard enough for his fingernails to bite into his skin and draw blood and
continued thinking about Aida. �I should
get her some movies too. Now that she�ll
be at home more.� Yeah, because she�ll be too sick to leave the fucking house. Face it, Sands. She�s fading away a little more each day. He was suddenly aware that Salida no longer had
her attention on clothes, but on him. How
long had she been watching? �I think I�m
going to go sit down in the common area of the store for a minute. You can come get me when you�re done.�
Her eyes
narrowed. �You sure that�s a good
idea? You�re looking a little pale. Nothing�s wrong, is it?�
Sands waved a hand.
�Bastard�s giving me grief, as usual,�
he muttered. Aww, she cares. How sweet. I think I�m going to fucking puke.
It was Salida�s
turn to pale. Bastard�s threat still
rang in her mind, a constant reminder to work, and now she was here without her
husband to help her.
�I hope you�re not
planning on stepping out any time soon,� she murmured, replacing some supremely
ugly shorts.
�Not a chance,� he
assured her firmly. �I don�t know how he
got out last time, but it�s not going to happen again.� Oh yes
it is. And I�ll make good on my fucking
promise to that bitch. I bet her blood
is sweet. Is it sweet? Oh wait, you wouldn�t know, would you? She doesn�t give you any. Well I�ll let you know after I�m through with
her. If I�m feeling generous and haven�t
killed you too by then. �Shut the
fuck up,� Sands muttered again.
Salida set all the
hangers in her hand back on the rack. �I
think we should go home. This is too chancy.�
�No. I�m alright, really. I�d tell you if I wasn�t. Finish your shopping and I�ll finish mine. I already know what I want, and it�ll only
take one quick stop and then we can go home and you can do whatever you want.� I know
what I want to do when I get home. .
. Sands ignored the rest of bastard�s
comment with effort, not wanting to hear it.
She didn�t look
happy, but Salida started her shopping again.
If her � if Jeffrey�s � theory was correct and stress was one of the
things that caused personality shifts/hallucinations, then she wanted to avoid
any arguments that might upset Sands into losing control. At some other time it might not be that bad,
but now it would be very bad. So she shut her mouth, gathered what clothing
she'd deemed suitable, picked out a few blouses, and then headed towards a
check-out counter.
�Thank you,� Sands
said softly, just to say it. �I�m really
ok.� It was true. He had such an iron grip of control on himself
right now that it was almost too much; not letting much emotion through along
with everything � everyone � else.
�It seems that
keeping you happy is in my best interests at the moment,� she said under her
breath. �I�m not your biggest fan, but I
prefer you over some of th. . . . charming . . . people you have in your head.�
�I prefer me too,�
he said evenly. �And there are others
you haven�t seen or met. They just aren�t
. . . strong enough I suppose to really affect anything.�
She sighed. �I�m trying.
I�ll figure something out. Before anyone else escapes.�
�Indeed,� was all
Sands had to say to that as he waited for her to pay for the items of clothing
she had selected. �Are you finished? I�ve stilt ont one more stop to make.�
�I�m done,� she
confirmed, taking the bags in her hand. �I�ve
had my fun. Time to get back to work.�

****************************** ***
******************************

Sands climbed the steps up into his and Aida�s bedroom,
bouquet of supposedly European wildflowers that he thought Aida would enjoy in
one hand, and a box of dark chocolate truffles in the other. �Honey, I�m home,� he called out, willing his
control to ease up a little so he could properly appreciate his wife. Thankfully it seemed that bastard had given up
tormenting him for the time being.
Aida looked up from
the book she was reading, smiling when she saw that her husband had come in
bearing gifts. �What are these for?� she
asked, setting her book aside and moving her feet off the ottoman so Sands
could sit down.
�Your birthday,
spitfire. This is day one of the
gift-giving extravaganza yet to come,� he said with a slight smirk, presenting
her with the gifts as he took a seat on the ottoman. He would, should, tell her what had happened
at the department store with bastard, but he didn�t want to spoil the mood now
so he kept silent.
�I didn�t think you
were actually going to do it,� she murmured, lifting the bouquet to her nose so
she could smell it. �But I�m not going
to complain.�
�Why didn�t you
think I was going to do it?� he asked with a slight frown. He wasn�t really upset, merely curious.
�It seems a little
extravagant,� she said. �When I was a
kid, I was lucky to get more than a book or two on my birthday.�
�You and me both,
spitfire,� he said with a small smile that wasn�t quite sad, but wasn�t quite
happy either.
�Sorry,� she
murmured, setting aside her presents to lean towards him. �At least I was getting as much as my family
could afford.�
�Don�t worry about
it. I�m sure they were wonderful gifts,�
he said with the same sad/happy smile, allowing her to lean into his embrace.
�I�ll make your
next birthday your best,� she promised. �I�ll
be well, and I�ll take you away somewhere, and you�ll be completely surprised
and delighted.�
�I know you will,�
he said with a real smile this time, albeit small still, and gave her a gentle
kiss on the forehead. �Do you like your
gifts? You once told me that dark
chocolate was the way to win your heart. That still true, wife mine?�
�If I hadn�t
already given it away.�
�Well then I�m glad
it�s already mine since it�s so easy to win it from you,� he teased gently.
�Just don�t let
anyone else give me chocolate, and you�ll be fine,� she teased back, raising
her face to rub her nose against his. �In
fact, you better make sure I take a bite just to make sure I�m not going to.�
�Is that so?� he
drawled with a grin. �Well then, I guess
I�d better get you some chocolate then.� Without looking away from her, his hand moved
to the box of truffles and deftly removed the ribbon, lid and a single truffle
and moved it along her lips in a slow and sensual manner. �Is this want you want?� Before she could take a bite of it, he moved
it away from her lips and took a bite of it himself and moved close enough to
give her a thorough, chocolate-tasting kiss.
�That was nice,�
she breathed. �But you�re hogging. I want one.�
Sands let out a
little chuckle at that. �As my princess
commands,� he said, first finishing off the rest of the half-eaten truffle he
had in hand and removing a second and presenting it to her lips.
Aida eagerly took a
bite, humming when she tasted the rich, expensive taste of the chocolate.
It was Sands� turn
to taste the chocolate on her tongue now, and he did so with relish. �Bliss,� he murmured, pulling back to lick his
lips and hers as content as a cat with a dish of cream.
�That . . . that
was amazing. Mostly I get a Hershey�s
bar, a Dove bar if I�m splurging. How
much did these cost?�
�Don�t worry about
it. Just enjoy it,� he said with careful
sidestepping around her question. �And
there�s plenty more where those came from, spitfire,� he murmured with a grin,
gesturing to the still mostly full box of chocolates at her side. �And this is only day one.�
�Sands, you ignored
my question. How much can chocolate
cost?�
�About fifty
dollars,� he murmured, waiting for her reaction.
Aida pretended to
faint, then sat back up. �I guess that
means I shouldn�t let any go to waste.�
She picked another up, and bit into it with enthusiasm.
�No, I guess not,�
Sands said with a small smile, somewhat thankful that she hadn�t asked how much
the flowers had cost on top of that. But
money was no object when it came to her.
�So, did you end up
going with Salida?� Aida asked, finishing off her second truffle and picking up
a third.
�Uh yeah,� Sands
said hesitantly, letting her have as
many truffles as she wanted without taking any for himself. They were for her. �We had a small . . . problem while we were
there. Or more accurate, I did. But it�s nothing to worry about now,� he
reassured her.
The chocolate was
set back down � a good indication of how upset she was. �What kind of problem? What happened?�
Sands sighed. This was what he had wanted to avoid by not
telling her. Well, it was too late for
that now. �Bastard showed up and annoyed
me for awhile. But he�s not here now. That�s all that happened. He didn�t take over again. And he won�t.�
�Bastard? Who�s that?�
�I�ve mentioned him
before, Aida. In Hawaii. He�s the annoying bastard in my head that
likes to taunt and curse at me. Hence
the name.� Something occurred to him
then and he cursed. �Ah shit. You make me stronger.�
�Love makes me weak.� He said the words as if she should have known
that. �It leaves me open and vulnerable
to everything. Especially you.�
�If you really and
truly believed that, why are you still here?�
�Because I can�t
leave,� he said simply. �Too late for
that now. Once it wasn�t so, but no
longer.�
�Why is it too
late?�
�Because I�m bound.
You made me care. You made me love. You made me weak. It can�t be taken back. Too late.�
�Would it be better
for you? To be strong still?� She whispered the question, waiting for his
answer.
Sands faltered for
a minute before answering. �I wouldn�t
be weak. I would be in control.�
�Would you let me
give that to you?� If loving him meant
leaving so he�d survive, she�d do it.
�Too late for
control. It�s already lost. I�m already bound. No getting around it now.�
�But if I could . .
. if there was a way to untie the binds, would you take it?�
�There is no way. Only death. �Til death do us part.� The words normally
said with such devotion and love managed to sound chilling and hollow in his
detached voice.
�How can you say
that so calmly?� she asked, getting nervous by his lack of emotion.
�Easily. It�s the truth. I�m bound to you now. Life and life, death and death.�
�Can�t you spare
even a little passion for a declaration like that?�
�Why? It�s the way things are. No more, no less.�
She pulled away at
that. �I can�t just lock my feelings
away, Sands. And right now, you�re
hurting me because you�re making it sound like our love is just as important to
you as the fact that . . . that . . . that thergravgravity. There�shinghing you can do about it, so you
might as well live with it.�
�But that�s how it
is �� Sands visibly shook himself. �I�m � sorry, Aida. I didn�t mean it. I didn�t mean to go away like that. I�m sorry,� he said again, his emotions
returning like a flood and practically dashing his control to pieces in the
process. It was an either or at this
particular moment; either he could have control or he could have emotions. It wasn�t always like this. �I�m so sorry. I didn�t mean to say those things to you.�
�Shh. . .� she
hushed him, once again coming back. �You�re
trying too hard. Just let your mind
drift.� She wrapped her arms around
him. �Don�t push for control, and don�t
push to feel. /p>

�Then focus. Don�t talk, don�t try to hide from me. Just focus.
Choose anything you want and don�t let your mind drift from that.�
Sands nodded dully
and moved close her her and pressed hisd agd against her chest to listen to her
heart. �Always your heart. Constant, unchanging. Controlled,� he murmured to himself aloud and
closed his eyes to let the beating of her heart fill his senses until that�s
all there was. He wouldn�t have been
surprised � if he had been aware of anything else beside the sound of her
heartbeat � to find that his own heart beat had matched hers. He would have liked to think that it did.
Aida leaned back in
her chair, sighing as Sands� weight pressed her back into it. The room was silent save for a ticking clock
and the soft sounds of their breathing.
He laid quietly, not really moving, as she sat and combed her fingers
through his hair. If this was the best
way she could help, then she�d never deny him this. This was easy, and peaceful, and
rewarding. This was uninterrupted time
with her husband. This was . . . this
was a joy.
The beating of her
heart was all he knew. Nothing else
intruded on that single thought. He wasn�t
even aware of the feeling of her fingers in his hair, even as they began to
relax him. His entire, his only, point of focus was the beating of
her heart. Nothing else existed. He didn�t move a muscle. Moving didn�t exist. He didn�t exist. Nothing did except for the soothing sound. He was filled with purest peace he had ever
known. He never wanted it to end.

****************************** ***
******************************

The first few times the phone rang, Salida ignored it. She didn�t want to talk to anyone. An idea was niggling at the back of her head,
and she if she stopped now, she�d lose it.
This research was a great deal like fishing; it took a great deal of
patience, changing tactics, and not jerking too hard when an idea started to
rise to the surface. We�ve got an answering machine, and there�s
at the very least, three other people in the house. Let one of them get it. But no one else answered, and the machine
didn�t pick up.
Finally she
couldn�t take it anymore. Feeling very
irritated, she picked up the phone.
Before she had a chance to say anything she heard, �Firefly?�
�Who the hell is
this?� Salida drawled. Some hippy looking for their lost weed?
�Aida?�
�I�m sorry lady,
you�ve got the wrong person.� How cute.
Firefly. The parental
nickname was something that Salida automatically mocked simply on the basis
that she � or Tess � had never had one.
�I�m sorry. I was just excited. . .� the woman stopped
short of giving Salida a full explanation, which the pregnant woman didn�t want
to hear anyway. �Is Aida there?�
�More than most of
us,� Salida replied unhelpfully.
�Is she at home?
�How the hell
should I know? I�ve never asked.� There was a sound of impatience and
irritation from the other end of the line, which made her smile. �Are you perhaps, asking if Grant is
currently in the building?�
�Yes.� The answer was short and clipped.
�Oh, well, the
answer to that is yes. Good-bye.� Salida hung up. If whoever that was really wanted to talk to
Aida, they�d call back. Sure enough, not
five minutes later, the phone rang again.
�Hello?�
�May we please talk
to Aida.�
Hmm, a guy this time. �I don�t know. Can you?�
�Can you put her on
the phone?�
This guy is loosing his temper faster. She grinned.
�Well, yes, I suppose. The phone would
break, but I could put her on it.�
�Look, missy, I
don�t know what you�re trying to pull ��
�The plug.� Salida hung up and walked towards Aida and
Sands� room. Without knocking, she
barged in and informed the couple, �The next time the phone rings, it�s going
to be for Grant.� Then she left.
Aida just looked
down at her lap helplessly. She couldn�t
tell if Sands was awake or asleep, but she didn�t want to move him to get the
phone. But if it was for her . . . what
if it was important?
Sands didn�t want to get up. He didn�t want to lose that fragile peace he
was currently feeling right now. But
even as he thought this, he could feel it slipping away. The moment he had thought about losing it, it
had already been lost. He sighed deeply
and opened weary eyes. He didn�t say
anything yet, but he made a small gesture to let Aida know that he was
conscious at least.
�Go lie down on the
bed,� she murmured. �I�ll go get the
cordless and be right back.�
Sands just nodded
slowly and moved himself away from the sanctuary of her arms reluctantly. �Flowers need water,� he murmured, rising to
his feet and moving to the bed and laying down on his stomach with his face
tilted in her direction. He pulled the
pillow out from under his head and moved it to his side absently, wrapping an
arm around it.
She smiled gently,
picked up the flowers, and came over to give him a quick kiss on the
temple. �Alright, then I�ll get the
phone, put these in water, and be back.
Would you like me to get you anything while I'm downstairs? I did manage to totter down while you were
gone, and I made brownies.�
�Maybe later,� he
murmured. �Could you maybe get me a
glass of water and some aspirin?� he added softly as an afterthought. He didn�t really have a headache; more of an
unsettled placed behind his eyes that couldn�t really be helped by aspirin, but
he�d take what he could get at the moment.
�Alright. Be right back. I promise.�
She dropped another kiss on his temple and left the room. She�d gotten Sands� water and aspirin, and
was working on putting the flowers in water, when the phone rang. Sighing, she put everything on a tray and
carried it all back upstairs. She�d
promised Sands she�d come right back, so she didn�t want to get involved
downstairs.
She came back into
the room, set the vase with the flowers in it on her bedside table, gave Sands
his aspirin and water, and laid down next to him. Only when she was content with the way she
was pressed against him, did she answer the phone.
�Hello?�
Sands returned as
much focus as he had left to the feeling of Aida pressed up against him and lay
still as she spoke on the phone.
�Aida? Is that really you?� A slightly frantic voice came through the
other end of the phone. �If this is that
rude woman again, so help me ��
�Momma?� Aida�s voice wavered a little. It�d been so long. . .
Sands� ears caught
the whispered word as if it were yelled, but he didn�t say anything and merely
let Aida talk.
�Oh my little
firefly, it�s really you, isn�t it!� Susan Grant said, tears apparent in her
voice. �I am so sorry, Aida! I never ever meant to send you away! Please forgive me, I love you so much and it�s
been so long and I�ve only ever been proud of you. I won�t ever try to tell you how to live your
life again, please just come home!�
�I�m so sorry,
Momma.� That was all Aida managed to get
out before she started crying. Just the
sound of her mother�s voice made her realize how much she�d missed her family
since she�d left. Years of missing them
and guilt at not contacting them poured out as she leaned into her husband.
Sands frowned at
this development, not knowing what to do. He couldn�t just lay there like an invalid and
let her cry her eyes out on his shirt. But
what could he say to her? What possible
comfort could he bring? He didn't know
family. He never had. How could he understand what she was going
through right now? After a moment�s
wavering, he remained silent.
�No, no, don�t you
be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry
about!� Susan Grant said sternly, sounding as if she were holding back her own
flood of tears by sheer force of will alone. �You are our Aida, our firefly, and nothing
has been the same without you. Please
come home to us. I�ve missed you so
much. Just come home. Please.� The tears she had been holding back began to
flow freely and made her voice hitch. �We
love you, Aida. We have always loved you.�
�I can�t come home,
Momma,� Aida sniffed, making an effort to control herself. Just for the comfort of it, she wrapped her
free hand in Sands� shirt and looked up at him.
Sands felt her hand
in his shirt but didn�t turn to look at her, and still didn�t say a word.
�What? Why not? What�s wrong? Do you still blame me? You do, don�t you? You blame me for sending you away. I�m so sorry, Aida. I never meant to,� she sobbed out before the
phone was taken from her gently, her husband seeming to think she was in no
state to be talking on the phone for the moment.
�Aida, honey?�
A new batch of
tears gathered in Aida�s eyes. �Hello,
Papa.�
�I can�t tell you
how happy we all were � especially your mother � to get your letter.�
�I�m so sorry,
Papa. I know I should have written
sooner, I just didn�t know what to say.
I did wrong. I ran away. And you were right, I always wanted to tell
you that, you were right. It was so hard
to make it, and there were a lot of bad people I had to meet, but . . . but I
wanted to tell you it was worth it too.
I got to act, Papa. I was on
stage. Good ones. And I got good parts.�
�I knew you would,
firefly.� Jack Grant�s voice was
gruff. �Your Momma and I just wanted to
spare you the bad parts.�
�I know you did,
but-but I�m okay. I�m so very happy.�
�Then why can�t you
come home, at least for a visit?�
�Oh, I want
to. I do. But I�ve got a life here, one I can�t leave
at the moment. But I want you and Momma
to come visit me. And anyone else who
wants to come. I-I�ve got a lot of news.� And the best of it was refusing to look at
her at the moment.
�You could go visit
them if you wanted,� Sands murmured softly. �It sounds like they�d like to see you.� He hadn�t been intentionally listening in on
Aida�s conversation with her parents, it had just kind of slipped in.
She pulled the
phone away from her mouth and spoke to him.
�No, I don�t want to leave you.
So if I visit, I�d want you to come, and . . . and now�s not the best
time for that.�
�What�s that,
honey?�
�Just a minute,
Papa.� She turned back to her
husband. �I want them to meet you. They can come visit us. We could take care of that, right? It could be a birthday present.�
�If you want. But Sunrise and Jeffrey . . . I don�t know
what they�ll say,� he said, rolling his head enough over his shoulder so that
he could look at her out of the corner of his eye.
�We could put them
up somewhere. There�s not enough room
here anyway. The roomies wouldn�t have
to be involved.� The look she gave him
told him she knew there�d be more involved, but that she didn�t want to talk
about it while on the phone.
�Then I guess it�s
alright with me,� he said softly, turning to look at her a little more.
�I love you,� she
murmured, pressing a kiss into his cheek.
�I love you too,
spitfire.� He w hav have said more � thanked her for earlier � but now wasn�t
the time.
Aida turned her
attention back to the phone. �You still
there, Papa?�
�Yes, but your
mother�s begging for the phone.�
�Alright, Papa.�
< sty style='mso-spacerun:yes'> �It was good to
hear your voice again, firefly.�
�Yours too,
Papa. I . . . I love you.�
�Love you too,
firefly. Here�s your mother.�
�I�m sorry, Aida. I didn�t mean to go into hysterics on you. I�m just a le . e . . . overwhelmed.� She let out a small laugh at that.
�I know,
Momma. Me too. Did-did you hear what I was talking to Papa
about?�
�Yes, I did. I suppose I should have guess that you had
made a life for yourself by now. It has
been ten years,� Susan Grant paused, not wanting to hurt her daughter more by
bringing up the length of time it had been since they had last spoken. �So, what�s his name?� she asked lightly.
�Whose name?� Aida
asked back, smiling at Sands. �I don�t
think I�ve said anything about a �he�.�
�Don�t try and fool
me, firefly. I�m still your mother. You told your father that you couldn�t come up
to visit us because you�ve made a life for yourself there. I understand that. Well, what�s his name?� she asked again
gently, determined she was on the right track with this.
�Why can�t my life
just be a fabulous job that I don�t want to take any time away from?�
�If that were the
case, then you would have said as much riawayaway, Aida dear.�
�You�re the one
that was always saying that I didn�t need a man to make my life complete,� Aida
teased, letting her hand run down her husband�s chest and over his ribs.
Sands batted her
hand away gently before she could start to tickle him and a small smile slowly
found its way to his face as he listened to her conversation. He still wasn�t that comfortable with the
whole family thing, but he realized that he was growing more and more tempted
to claim the phone from his wife and have a nice long chat with the Grants.
�And you don�t, but
a man�s still a nice thing to have once and awhile,� Susan said with a small
smile directed towards her husband at her side.
�I have mine more
than once in awhile,� Aida said promptly and proudly, re rre realizing what
she'd just told her mother. When she
did, she blushed brightly.
Sands couldn�t help
it. At the sight of Aida turning into a
tomato before his very eyes, he laughed.
�Is that him?�
Susan asked upon hearing Sands in the background. �Well then, now you have to tell me his name
if he�s been listening in our conversation all along, young lady.�
�Sands,� she said
softly. �His name is Sands. And I love him.�
Sands gave her a
small smile in return, but didn�t say anything for fear that he�d be caught
now.
�Sands. Is that a last name or a first name? And is he your boyfriend or your husband, Aida
Nicole, and it better be the latter if you�ve been having him �more than once
and awhile.� I raised you to be a good
Catholic.�
Aida flushed again,
but this time unhappily. She had been raised a good Catholic. But her mother needed to know the truth. �There�ve been others, Momma. I�m married now, and I love Sands so much . .
. but there were others.�
Susan hesitated for
a moment, glanced over at her husband, and spoke, �No one�s perfect, Aida. Don�t fret yourself over it. We�ve all made mistakes in the past. If you�re happy now and in love, that�s all
that matters. Will I get to meet him?� She moved her mouth away from the phone for a
minute to talk in the background before returning. �Perhaps I should have talked to you about
this while your father wasn�t around. He
wants to talk to this man of yours, Aida. want to be here? Which is
it, sweet?� he drawled, keeping her close. �And lying�s a sin you know,� he added with a
wicked grin. �You want to be here. He is, but he doesn�t help either,� Sheldon explained in a simple,
rambling voice.
�Sheldon, I
promised that I wouldn�t. I may be a lot
of things, but I keep my promises.
Besides, how many times do you think I�ve been in your place? Lost in a situation I don�t understand, that
I can�t control, and that I don�t like?
I want to cry sometimes too.�
�No one keeps
promises,� Sheldon said bitterly, looking over at her now that he saw that she
was covered up and no longer gross.
�Have I broken any
to you?� she asked gently, lying down on the floor so he wouldn�t have to crane
his head to look at her.
�You will. They all do,� Sheldon said immediately, but gave
a frown with just a hint of doubt in it. He wanted to trust her. He wanted to trust someone.
�I promise that I
will do everything in my power not to break any promise I make you.� She reached out a hand and laid it on the
floor halfway between them.
Sheldon�s eyes had
a hint of hope in them now. �Promise?�
he asked softly.
�I promise. But you need to understand that if you do
something that could hurt anyone, or something like that, and then try to make
me promise not to tell, I might not promise.
Do you understand why I might not?�
Sheldon shook his
head slowly, his eyes going mistrustful again.
Aida tried to think
of a situation that would explain what she meant. �An adult still needs to know if you take
some kind of medicine, right?� He nodded
slowly. �Alright. Then let�s say that you�re here visiting me,
and you have a headache. I leave the
room, and you decide to take some Advil.
When I come back, I catch you with the bottle. Because someone is supposed to know, and you
didn�t tell anyone, you make me promise not to say anything. But later, if my husband has a headache and
tries to take something, I have to tell him that he already has � sorta �
because I don�t want him to overdose.
Does that make sense?�
�I don�t like
taking medicine,� he offered solemnly.
�But do you
understand that the only reason I�d ever break a promise to you is to keep
someone from being hurt?� she pressed.
�I don�t want you
to get hurt, Ms. Aida. I would be sad,�
he said in a small voice.
�I�m not going to
get hurt,� she assured him. Then she
cocked her head a bit. �Feeling better?�
�A little,� Sheldon
said softly. �You scared me. I didn�t know who you were.�
�I�m sorry. I didn�t want to scare you. I just missed my husband.�
Sheldon nodded,
seeming to understand. �He was . . . nice
to me. He knew about Aloysius!� he said
suddenly as if it were the single greatest achievement on the face of the
planet.
�Aloysius?� Aida almost laughed. For a young boy, he certainly liked big
names.
�He�s my rabbit. But not a real one. He�s stuffed,� he hurried to assure her. His voice then grew quiet again. �I�m not supposed to have him. Father and Mother wouldn�t like it. Stuffed animals are for babies. I . . . miss him though. I wish he was here.�
�I still have a
stuffed animal,� she told him, smiling.
�Really? What is it? What�s its name?� Sheldon asked excitedly. �Did you get it when you were little like me?�
�I got it when one
of my younger siblings was born. I don�t
remember which one � I was too young. It�s
a giraffe, because they were my favorite animal when I was little, and its name
is Chocolate. And no, I don�t know what
I was thinking when I named it. It�s in
that drawer next to you,� she said, pointing.
�May I?� he asked
hesitantly, an arm paused before the drawer.
�Of course you may.�
Sheldon slowly
opened the drawer and peered inside. She
could tell he was excited from the look on his face, but he was also wary. He gave a small delighted smile as he pulled
out the stuffed animal and offered it to Aida.
She took the
foot-long giraffe in her hands, and smiled.
�I don�t think poor Chocolate�s been out of that drawer in a year or
two.� Her hands stroked the tattered
yarn hair, and circled the small patch of lighter fabric where a button eye had
fallen off. She could fix that. She should.
Her mind�s eye envisioned Sands going into a store and buying a pack of
buttons for her. The image made her
smile.
�Aloysius is white
and his nose is missing. I don�t know
what happened to it,� Sheldon volunteered suddenly. �I wanted someone to fix him, but then they
would take him from me so I don�t tell.�
�Why did you name
him Aloysius?� she asked curiously after stifling her automatic response that
she�d fix it for him.
�It was a name in a
book I read.� He gained a secretive
look. �I liked it because Father couldn�t
say it right. Only I could!�
Aida laughed,
delighted by this story. �That,� she
said, �sounds very much like something I should have expected.�
�Then why did you
ask?� Sheldon asked with an innocently confused frown.
�Because I didn�t
know better. Besides, you made me laugh,
and I need to do that more often.�
�Yeah, because you�re
dying, bitch,� bastard said viciously. �Aww,
isn�t that cute? The little corpse has a
stuffed animal. Is it going to keep your
company when you�re in the ground?�
Aida tried to
scramble to her feet, her heart pounding in fear, but tripped over the
blanket. The front of her toga-like
covering dipped a little, but she pulled it up and tried once more to get to
her feet.
�Giving me a free
show? What would your pansy husband feel
about that? Not that he�d find out. I could have you all to myself for hours and
he�d never know. Would you like that,
corpse? I bet you would.� He let the sheet Sheldon was holding around
him drop to the floor stalked over to her. �You like pain, I remember. Just how much pain do you think you could take
before I�m satisfied? I�m willing to
find out it you are!� he said gleefully, lunging at her.
Aida just reacted,
dropping and rolling. Somehow she ended
up under the bed again, and she rapidly moved back. If he wanted to get her, he�d either have to
come under where he�d be hampered by his bigger size, or go to the other side
of the bed which meant she�d have time to move.
�You bitch! out out and I�ll make it quick!� bastard
seethed. He attempted to lift the bed,
but had no such luck. He ran around to
the other side.
Aida scooted back
the way she�d come, trying to push back her fear. It�d only hamper her at the moment. She needed a clear mind. . . . But the hate on her husband�s handsome face
was almost more than she could stand.
�I don�t have
fucking time for this! You can�t fucking
stay under there forever. You don�t have
that long,� he taunted in a sing-song voice. He moved over to the nightstand, pushing the
flowers off of it by pure mean spiritedness alone, and grabbed the two knives
Sands had placed there. He didn�t bother
with the sheathes; he wasn�t wearing anything he could hook them onto anyway. �I think I�ll go pay that pregnant bitch a
visit. She owes me blood. I�ll be back for you soon, don�t you worry
your ugly little bald head.�
Aida trembled for a
split second after he passed through the door, and then she let out a
ear-splitting scream. She didn�t know
much, but she knew that it was more than likely that Sands had made Salida promise
to look out for his wife on the off-chance of this happening. If that was the case, it was only fair of her
to give the other woman some kind of warning that something was wrong.
�Music to my ears!�
bastard called out laughingly at the scream as he stalked down the hall to find
Salida. �Come out, come out wherever you
are, whore! You owe me blood and I
intend to collect!� He flipped one of
the knives in his hand so that he could throw it if she had a gun trained on
him again.
Salida had heard
Aida�s scream, although she wasn�t in the house. She was outside, taking a break from her
study and weeding a side garden. Sands
and Aida�s window had been open, and the scream was easily heard.
Shit!
If something was wrong, it needed to stay in the house, and not happen
in the yard where anyone might see. The
neighbors were already unfriendly enough without some kind of dire situation
taking place in front of their eyes.
Picking up the hoe
she�d been using to uproot some of the bigger weeds, she dashed into the house,
covered in dirt and sweat, and nearly unprepared for what she�d find.
�Ahh, and the dirty whore finally shows herself. I was beginning to think you weren�t coming,
you fucking cunt. He laughed amusedly as
he saw her �weapon�. �A whore with a
hoe. How amusing.� He held up the knives, licking the tip of one
slowly with a sadistic grin as blood dripped down on to his hand. �Remember what I said I wanted to do you? How I wanted to gut you as I fucked you? That hasn�t changed you�ll be happy to learn. Only now, I�m going to take it even slower
than I was before. I think it�ll be
better for both of us that way. I want
to hear your pathetic little whimpers as I tear effortless into your flesh. Who knows? Maybe I�ll start tearing into mine while I
fuck you? That could be fun too.� He was stalking toward her as he spoke, his
gestures hurried and heated, but wary. �Fuck,
I�m getting hard just thinking about it. You�re going to be sweet, I can already tell.�
�Not for you,�
Salida said calmly, rolling her eyes. �You
know, you really are an annoying bastard.
No one likes you. No one wants
you here. At least the fucking kid is
good for a laugh now and then. You�re .
. . you�re just every bit of nasty personality that neither Sands nor Jeffrey
could stand, which is saying a lot when you think about it. But then again, you don�t think much, do you?�
Bastard grinned
wide, blood still dribbling out of a corner of his mouth from his injured
tongue. �I�m going to enjoy this. A haughty cunt like you needs to be beaten
into submission.� He moved closer now,
mindful of but not really caring about the hoe. He was faster with the knives than she
possibly could be with the tool, so even if she did hit him, he would still get
a good taste of her before he went down. And that was all that mattered. She needed to bleed.
Salida shifted on
her feet, moving into a more stable position.
If neither of the men woke up in time to stop this, then she was going
to fight, and she had no intention of letting anything happen to her or to
Jeffrey�s children.
�If I�m haughty,
then you�re arrogant,� she said softly but intensely. �Especially if you think you�re going to lay
a hand on me.� Tess had some training
with hand to hand combat, and a bit with staves. For some reason, her old man�s head of
security had taken pity on a lonely girl and done the only thing he�d known how
to do � he�d taught her how to fight.
�Who said anything
about hands?� he drawled, tightening his grips on the hilts of the knives. He could practically see the air crackle
between them. He wanted a fight. He wanted the rush of blood and lust and
adrenaline that fighting and hurting and killing brought with it. Quickly he lunged at her, his hands moving in
different directions; one to her lower waist to cut her femoral artery, and the
other to her stomach and children.
She expertly
twirled the staff around like a propeller, knocking his hands away at the same
time she stepped to the side. From
experience she knew it had to have stung like a son of a bitch, but he kept his
hold on his weapons.
�Oo, hurt me again,
whore. Make me feel good. I�m just getting warmed up,� he taunted,
focusing on the pain rather than trying to push it away. He loved the pain; he embraced it. Feeling pain was the only time he really felt
anything except hate, and he loved it. He lunged at her again, scoring a shallow but
long cut along one her forearms. It wasn�t
what he had been going for, but she had spilled blood as he had wanted. He lost a knife in the process as she knocked
him hard enough on the wrist that he couldn�t help but drop the knife from limp
fingers. He hadn�t felt anything break,
but it hurt like a mother fucker. He
embraced the pain again and put it past him. �You smell so good,� he taunted again,
smelling the sharp scent of her blood in the air. He wanted to lap it up like a cat. He would
taste her. He moved to attack again.
Damn her arm hurt. She�d been sloppy, and that was not something
that could be afforded at the moment.
Ignoring her pain, she circled as he did, breathing hard. Jeffrey was going to yell at her for the cut.
Taking the
initiative this time, Salida took the hoe in a two-handed grip and swung at his
side, the blade of the tool pointing out.
She wanted to incapacitate, not seriously injure.
Bastard had only
enough time to move forward and away from the sharp end of the hoe before the handle
connected with a sick TWACK against
the left side of his ribs and he dropped to the floor, his mouth opening and
closing as he struggled to breathe through the intense pain. �Oh . . . fuck,� he groaned.
Her first instinct
was to drop her makeshift weapon and rush to his side, but she held herself
back. �Go away. You�re not wanted here. And I will kill you if I have to. Both Jeffrey and Sands said I should if I
couldn�t keep you at bay.�
�Don�t believe you,�
bastard forced out with a pained laugh.
�You know
them. You know they�d say that. You also know that they believe I�d do it.�
Bastard gave her a
considering look. �You can�t get rid of
me. I will always be here,� he jabbed a
finger viciously at a temple, �and I will be waiting. I will
kill you.�
�If I don�t kill
you first.� Salida�s eyes were cold.
�Fuck you. You can try.� With that last forced threat, bastard was gone
and Jeffrey was left in his place.
�Oh sweet holy
motherfucking hell, what the fuck just happened?� Jeffrey groaned, his left
side and right wrist screaming insults at him. �Vixen?� he asked with a pained wince, seeing
her standing over him with the hoe still gripped in her hands. �What the fuck is going on?!�
�Jeffrey?� Her arms lowered a little before she
remembered that bastard was probably capable of putting on such a show just
make her let her guard down. She took a
step back.
�Why the fuck are
you moving away from me? And why the
fuck are you carrying that?� His eyes
then narrowed in spite of everything. �What
happened to your arm?� he asked, propping himself up on his elbows with a gasp
of pain but managing to stay upright.
�How do I know you�re
you?� she demanded, forcing herself to stand still.
�What the fuck do
you mean � oh. Fuck. They all came out to play again, didn�t they? Uh . . . ask me something that only I would
know. Wait, no that wouldn�t fucking
work because we all share the same fucking mind. Fuck.� He hesitated, trembling slightly with the
effort or sitting up like he was, but not moving. �I love you, Salida. There. Would
that fucking bastard have said that? And
meant it? I love you more than anything I�ve ever known.
You�re my wife and even if we fight . .
. or you�re forced to take a fucking unruly personality down, that won't
fucking change. I will always love you. No matter what.�
Salida let his
words sink in before dropping her weapon and collapsing in a puddle of
nerves. Before breaking down entirely,
she managed to yell upstairs in a wavering voice, telling Aida she could go
back to sleep. Then she curled up in a
ball and started weeping, emotionally exhausted.
Ignoring all pain,
because when confronted with a vision of his wife like that he truly felt none,
he moved over to her and took her into his arms and held her tightly. �Shhh, mi Salida valiente. Ahora todav�a est�. Todo est� bien. encima. Usted es seguro ahora. Estoy aqu�. No dejar� cualquier cosa sucederle. Esto no suceder� siempre otra vez. Prometo. Matanza que coge mismo antes de que yo le
lastimar�a. Pero eso no va a suceder,
porque fijaremos esto. Lo haremos mejor.
Junto. Tr�beme para arriba. Subsistencia usted mismo segura.� My brave
Sa. I love you and everything will be alright.
She clung to him, weeping
as if she�d truly been forced to kill him.
Her emotions weren�t normally this unruly, but then again, she wasn�t
usually pregnant either. Taking some
comfort in the fact that it was just the hormones getting to her, and not that
she was turning into a wimp, she managed to slow her tears.
�I let him get too
close,� she whispered, cradling her arm to her chest. �I was stupid and I let him get too close.�
�Fuck him. He�ll pay for what he�s done. But he�s gone now, vixen. He�s gone and he�s not coming back. I promise you.� The sharp edge of his voice softened. �Are you alright? Let me see.�
Salida shook her
head, pulling her arm even closer to her body in an instinctive need to keep
weaknesses hidden.
�Are you hurt
anywhere else?� he asked softly. I am going to tear that miserable son of a
bitch to shreds, set them on fire, and fucking piss on the ashes.
She shook her head
again. �He just got my arm. I hurt you worse.�
�It was necessary,
vixen. I�ll be alright.�
�I didn�t break
anything, did I?� she sniffled, her tear-dampened face tilting up to look at
him.
�You�re the doc,
not me, but I don�t think so. Sprained
maybe, fractured probably, but I don�t think anything�s broken.� Her bottom lip trembled and her eyes welled
with tears again. �No, come on. Don�t start again, please,� he asked softly. �You did what you had to, vixen. Nothing more, nothing less. I have no doubt in my mind that that fucking
cocksucker forced your every action. I�ll
be fine.�
�I�m sorry,� she
whispered, using her wounded arm to wipe at her eyes. �I�m just a little . . . weepy.�
He leaned over to
kiss her cheeks, managing not to wince at the actions. �That�s understandable, vixen. Don�t worry about it.�
�I should go clean
this,� she murmured. �I never know how
clean those knives are.�
�I�m sorry,�
Jeffrey said softly. �I�m sorry he
fucking hurt you and no one was here to stop it. I�m also fucking pissed off about that. Where the fuck was Sands? Where the fuck is he now? Wait, where�s kitty? Is she alright? I�m not going to let that fucking son of a
bitch hurt anyone. Including her.�
�I assume she�s in
her room. I was outside and I heard her
scream. . . .� Salida�s eyes
widened. �That�s the last thing I heard
from her.�
�Aw fuck. We have to go check on her, vixen. If she�s fucking dead. . . .� He didn�t even want to think about that and what Sands would do in response right now. He pulled himself away and managed to make his
way to his feet without passing out. He
looked down at his side and saw that it was already turning into an alarming
display of colorful bruises. His right
wrist was about the same. �You�re going
to have to help me, but we need to hurry.�
For the first time,
Salida noticed that he was naked. It
didn�t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. She blushed, but climbed to her feet and
wrapped her arm round his waist, making sure not to press against anything that
was too tender. �We should stop for your
robe,� she muttered as they started to slowly climb the stairs.
Jeffrey hadn�t
really noticed his state of dress either. He had been too worried about his wife and
what had happened to worry about something so trivial as clothing. �Fine,� he agreed with a nod between clenched
teeth as every step he made caused his side to scream in agony at him.
�And after we check
on Grant, we�ll wrap those ribs. It�ll
help. I didn�t want to hit so hard, but
he wouldn�t back off ��
�Not-your-fault,�
he repeated. �He forced your fucking
hand. You did what you had do to.�
�I don�t know if I�d
be able to do it,� she admitted softly as they climbed the last few steps. �Stop him at all costs.�
�You�ll never have
to make that decision, so don�t worry over it,� Jeffrey said firmly.
�You better see
that I don�t, or I�ll come after you to give you hell about it. Stay here.�
She left his side to fetch his robe.
Jeffrey stayed. Or more accurately, he slouched against the
nearby wall and attempted to get a handle on the pain that was giving him so
much grief. His wrist wasn�t that bad. A little stiff, but he imagined that it had
only been jarred hard and not really sprained. Time would tell. His ribs on the other hand. . . . Just ghosting his fingertips over them caused
a ragged gasp of pain to escape from his lips. He did it again and gasped again before
forcing himself to leave them alone and dropping his hand to his side.
�Here,� his wife
said, reappearing at his side. �Let me
help you. I don�t want you twisting
around too much.�
He nodded and she
helped him into his robe and belted it loosely around his tender waist. �Come on. Kitty might be fucking hurt.� He wasn�t really worried . . . more concerned.
Sort of.
�She�s not
hurt. We both know she�s either
perfectly fine or she�s. . .� Salida let
the sentence go. If Grant was dead, then
this might possibly be the last few minutes they had together. Her hand tightened on Jeffrey�s as she rose
up on her toes to kiss him.
�Don�t think like
that,� he told her after a searing, needy kiss. �She�s fucking fine. He didn�t fucking go after her last time. We�re all fine.� He was trying his best to sound convincing. �You�d better call for her. She probably won�t trust my voice right now.�
Salida nodded,
trying to believe her husband. �We�re
fine,� she agreed. �All of us. Right.�
Letting go of his hand, she went to Aida�s door and since it was open,
stuck her head inside the room. �Grant,
are you �� Aida was curled up in the
bed, a pillow hugged to her middle and a dazed look on her face. �Oh.
There you are.�
The redhead raised
her gaze to meet Salida�s eyes. Whatever
she saw there made her relax. �He�sne?�ne?�
Salida nodded. �It took me awhile to make my point, but he�s
gone.� For a moment nothing more was
said, but then she muttered, �Do you want to talk to Sands?� If the other woman hadn�t looked so lost,
Salida never would have made the offer.
Aida however merely
shook her head. �That�s . . . that�s
alright. I�m . . .� She shrugged.
Salida
understood. �Alright. I�ll be tending the wounded. Just wanted to make sure you were still
alive.� And with that, she left.
�See? Everyone�s fine. A little worse for fucking wear, but fine,�
Jeffrey murmured as Salida exited the bedroom and moved to his side again.
�Fine other than
the chit is practically in shock. Sands
is going to have a lot of making up to do to that girl,� she murmured, running
a hand over her face. �But let�s get you
taken care of. Everything else can wait.�
�Especially since
Sands seems to have gone incommunicado at present,� Jeffrey murmured. �Where do you fucking want to do this?� he
asked, nodding his head down to his bruised ribs.
�Take it back?� She gave a tired laugh at her own
stupidity. �There�se ace ace bandaged in
the medicine cabinet. We�ll bind them
for now.�
Jeffrey nodded and
together they made their way back down the hall with slow, measured steps and
in through their bedroom into the bathroom. Salida had him sit down on the toilet seat as
she turned to the medicine cabinet to get what she needed. �It�s not your fault, vixen,� he said again,
noting the detachment that had come over her as she searched.
�You know what I
was doing?� she asked softly. �While
bastard was undoubtedly terrorizing Grant?
I was outside pulling weeds. If
the window hadn�t been open, I never would have heard her scream, and he could
have snuck up on me. And his threats
just keep getting worse.� Salida had to
stop what she was doing and brace herself on the sink. �We have to make this go away, Jeffrey.�
�We will,� Jeffrey
said just as softly, but his voice was full of passionate intensity.
�Did you know they
sometimes do stress tests on mothers of multiples?� she asked, trying to set
her mind on finding the damn bandages.
Jeffrey blinked at
the sudden change in subject, but went with it. �No, I didn�t know that. How does that work?�
�Oh, they hook you
up to heart monitors and such. They do
it because a stressed mother is bad for the babies. There are all sorts of health problems
related to stress, and multiples are harder to carry to term than singles. Well, term for multiples.�
�Oh. Stress,
huh?� Jeffrey said softly, feeling like a bastard for having to put her through
all this. Especially since it wasn�t
good for her or the babies. �Sorry.� He didn�t know what else to say.
�Not your fault,�
she said, finally finding the bandages she wanted. �It�s my choice to be here. We just have to get rid of him. No one else really bothers me that much. Just him.�
�I don�t know how
to fucking get rid of just him, but if there�s a way, I�ll fucking find it,�
Jeffrey muttered darkly, raising his arms so she could begin wrapping his ribs.
�Did-did you know,�
she said quietly as she worked, kneeling on the floor, �that the average length
of gestation for a singleton is 39 weeks, but it�s only 32 for triplets?�
�So that means what
. . . that you won�t be pregnant as long?� Jeffrey asked curiously, hiding a
wince as he spoke.
�Yeah. But I need to get as close to 32 weeks as possible. They�ll be preemies even then.�
�Preemies? Oh, premature.� He had been learning some things. �And . . . how
many more weeks is that?�
�How many more
weeks is what?�
�Until 32.�
�Oh. I�m not sure.� She counted back from the doctor�s
estimate. �25 weeks.�
�And then. . .� And then they would have three children. It still boggled the mind sometimes.
Salida didn�t know what
to say to that, so she just kept wrapping the cotton bandages around his
ribcage.
Jeffrey fell into
silence himself as she wrapped him up like a fucking mummy, lost in his
thoughts. Twenty five weeks wasn�t that far away, and that was somewhat
frightening all of a sudden. �We�re
going to have to go shopping again,� he sighed. He hated shopping, but it would need to be
done sooner or later for the children.
�For what?� she
asked, almost startled. That statement
had been an abrupt end to the silence, and she was confused for a long moment.
�What? Oh. For
. . . I don�t know, baby things,� Jeffrey murmured. He hadn�t quite meant to speak aloud then.
�Oh. Yeah. I
suppose so. Do you want to find out what
they are before we start shopping, though?�
�It might make
things easier. But if you don�t want to,
it�s alright. We can get things for
both. It doesn�t matter.�
�I-I think that the
more time I have to accustom myself to things, the better.�
Jeffrey nodded. �Alright. How . . . how soon can they find that out? We fin find out your next appointment if that�s
what you want.� It was what Jeffrey
wanted. He didn�t want to be surprised. He didn�t like surprises. And he wanted to know if he were going to have
sons or daughters. It could be both. Tdon�don�t
have to be identical. In fact, it would
probably be easier if they weren�t. The
notion of getting your own children confused with one another both annoyed and
amused him.
She nodded. �Yeah.
The doctor will probably be able to the next time we visit. I should make another appointment, huh?�
�I guess so,�
Jeffrey said with a small stupid shrug that left him wincing. �I can make it for you if you like.�
His offer made her
look up to meet his eyes. He was so
concerned and so generous. �I love you,�
she murmured.
�I love you too,
vixen,� Jeffrey said softly, looking down at her with a small smile. �Was that a �yes please Jeffrey?��
She shook her head. �No. I
can make my own appointments. I�ll do it
during one of Grant�s again. Which
reminds me � I think she got a phone call from her parents today.�
�Oh joy. I didn�t know kitty had fucking parents. Don�t tell me we�re about to be invaded by more
kittens?� Jeffrey asked with wide, wary eyes.
�No. I listened in on the other line. Sands was going to put them up in a hotel.�
�Sands talked to them? Well how about that? You don�t have a family somewhere that you
haven�t told me about, do you vixen?�
�Just the ones of
Tessa�s that I�d rather not come face to face with. If I wasn�t sure they�d kill you and your
kids, then I might. They�re the kind of
people you�d like, other than the punishment for consorting with el patron�s daughter is death.�
�Too bad then. All of Sands� are rich and boring. The family he�s got left anyway.� My kids.
Not hers. She still doesn�t see them as hers. Jeffrey didn�t let his thoughts show on his
face.
He may not have let
it show on his face, but she could hear someg stg strange in his voice. There was just something a little . . . off. �What?� she asked, searching his eyes for
some hint of what he was thinking. �What
are you thinking?�
�Nothing,� he said
with a wave of his hand. �Don�t worry
about it.� He looked down at his wrapped
ribs. �Are you done?�
�Yes. But you were thinking something. I could hear it. Did I say something wrong again?� Something
to hurt you?
�I didn�t know you
could read my thoughts now too, vixen,� Jeffrey said wryly. �I�m fine, really. And I should let Sands go see kitty if she�s
really as bad as you say she is. This
isn�t time for fucking hysterics.�
She knew a
distraction when she heard one, and held his hands so he couldn�t get up. �Please.
No more hiding. I want to know if
I said something wrong. I can�t stop if
you won�t tell me.�
Jeffrey sighed and
stopped trying to get up. �It�s really
fine.� She wasn�t letting him get off
that easy. �Fine, you said that Tess�
family would kill me and my kids. Not yours.
Mine.
It just made me think, is all.
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More Than Darkness