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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
- 78
- 79
- 80
Jail - to put it quite simply -
was hell.
Why the hell had she set things
up so that she was unlikely to ever leave?
That's what Aida thought during her more lucid
moments, but for the most part she was apathetic. Sands was
gone. And she had known this would happen ever since she'd decided to go home.
That was the plain, unadorned truth.
What she hadn't known was how grisly it would be to
be paraded back and forth in front of the press every morning and evening as
she was led to and from the courtroom. She hadn't realized the pain being
questioned about her husband would cause, the shame
that unfeeling interrogators would cause her as they called her horrible,
horrible names. She hadn't expected that kind of abuse.
The other forms of abuse that the CIA woman had
hinted at never came. All the guards on her cellblock were women - they did
nothing worse that push and shove and yell. And occasionally single out for
humiliation, but Aida could handle that. As unhealthy as it undoubtedly was,
she simply let her mind drift, taking her to a "safe place." God, she
sounded like a whacko when she said it like that. But that's what it was. A refuge. The same place she went when forced to sit in that
cold courtroom, listening to testimony after testimony about how her husband
had been nothing more than a cold-blooded murderer and how she was nothing but
an ice-hearted bitch. Not that they ever said that...but they thought it. Aida
could see in their eyes that they thought it. That was one of the reasons it
was getting harder and harder to focus her mind on the real world. Another few
years of this and she'd really be insane.
No. That would
be bad. Aida struggled to make herself aware of her surroundings, but the
cinderblock walls and confining bars, the sickly florescent light and the
echoes of conversations from more than a hundred faceless women beat at her.
"No, must stay strong." Though she said the
words aloud, she didn't speak in anything above a whisper. The woman across the
walkway and down a cell or two would laugh and call her crazy. She wasn't
crazy. That would be bad for the baby.
My baby... Aida
went to look in cracked, dirty mirror that she'd been allowed to help her dress
for her court dates. She was momentarily ashamed; she could have made bail if
she'd wanted, gone home, slept in a real bed, been comfortable... But that
would be torture for her family, so she stayed put. Trying to
get used to the new circumstances of her life.
Today was the day she was going to find out her
sentence, and she was dressed for it in crisp black pants and a long-sleeved
chocolate colored silk shirt. Her
parents had brought them for her, even though she refused to see them. It was
enough to know that they were always in the courtroom...watching...crying...not
understanding.
"Hello, baby."
Turning sideways, Aida examined the tiny hump that had formed where her baby
was. A visit to the prison doctor - a vile man who had a tendency to grope -
had confirmed that she was pregnant. With just one baby.
Sands was so afraid there'd be seven or something.
She wished there were. Then she'd have more of him. But it was just the one. I hope Momma and Papa will take it. Aida
tried not to think that she would never know her child. The pain of loosing
Sands was still fresh and nearly overwhelming. The pain of loosing her child
would cripple her. And she had to be strong today.
Plucking a stray hair from her shirt, Aida examined
the rest of herself critically. The fancy clothing didn't hide her flaws, just
as they wouldn't help her soften the coming news. But they
gave her courage, and they infuriated the press who called her "a
shameless harpy" when they were being nice. Which
wasn't often. And they were never afraid to go on ad nausem
about her "skeletal frame," or her "bruised eyes, certain signs
of sleep lost to overwhelming guilt." It was true though...she wasn't
eating very well and she rarely slept. A lack of physical activity hadn't
helped at all, and her skin held more than its share of a
winter pallor in addition to the paleness caused by her poor eating
habits. The only thing that was vivid about her anymore was her hair. And even
that had lost its former riotous curls.
"Oh well." It didn't
really matter. She only dressed up to piss people off.
It was another half hour before the veritable squadron
of guards came for her. It always amused her that so many people came to subdue
what was so weak a woman. They must have suspected that one of these days she'd
go stark raving mad on them and try to kill someone with nothing more than her
fingernails and her teeth. That thought and the mental
imagery that went along with it amused her; she smiled absently as her wrists
were forced into handcuffs which were then attached to a thin chain that ran
around her waist. All I need is
the Hannibal Lector muzzle... Her smile spread; the guards watched her
uncomfortably. It was unnerving to see a prisoner act as she did.
Aida knew that. That's why she insisted on doing so.
It wouldn't do her any good if they knew of her private misery. Better they
think that five months of wedded bliss to the notorious SJ Sands had driven her
around the bend.
Her escort walked her slowly out of her cell and
towards the first of the security booths that led to the outside world. The few
friends she'd managed to make watched her pass by. She tried to smile
encouragingly at them; it came off with a bit too much desperation to comfort
anyone.
The only time she balked was when the women guards
turned her over to the men who would lead her to the transport vehicle and then
stay with her through the circus that today would prove to be. They were more
hostile than the women. Always inappropriate but never so bad that she really
had cause to complain. Especially since it was mostly verbal
abuse. Things would get worse if she was sent to a higher security
prison. Aida hoped that wouldn't happen.
"I don't know, Pete." Aida held her head
high as the heckling started. "I'm hoping they send this piece of ass back
here. Just imagine what she must have learned from that sonofabitch
that she married."
"If you want to catch something from her, be my
guest." That was Pete. Aida didn't like Pete. She didn't know why, she
just didn't.
"Aw, the only thing you'd
catch from her would be frostbite," another guard guffawed.
"I don't think so," the original speaker
drawled. "From the size of the stick up her ass, I'd say she likes it that
way. And those kind of girls are always hot."
"Takes
forever to get them off though."
Aida bit the inside of her lip, damming the comebacks
she'd love to make. It'd cause too much trouble though. And there were too many
of them.
"That's the beauty of it.
They can take an entire shift before trying to cry off."
Finally - finally
- Aida could see the exit they would lead her through. The harassment would
continue until they got to the courthouse, but at least in the van she could
see outside.
"I said, isn't that right." A brutal pinch
to her bottom made Aida jump, but she didn't let a single noise escape her. She
wouldn't let them win. She wouldn't.
Oh Sands...why did you have to leave...?
A blast of cold air chilled
Aida's body. This was it.
***
Sands sat very quietly behind the wheel of the
armored truck Aida would be transported in, trying to look inconspicuous in his
guard�s uniform and hat. It wasn�t terribly difficult. He had gotten his
shoulder-length hair cut short above his ears in a way he hadn�t had it since
before he�d torched his parents, and he�d coloured it to a sort of orangeish-blonde, not bothering to bleach it. He�d also
picked up a novelty mustache from a local joke store of a similar colour as his
new hair and glued it on. All in all he didn�t think he�d be recognized. Will Aida recognise me? He shook his
head. That didn�t matter. What mattered now was getting her out of this fucking
car and on a plane to St. Croix to meet sunrise.
�Here she comes, Spence. Be ready, she�s a tricky
bitch to deal with. She just looks at you with those fucking blank eyes of hers
and you�d swear she was trying to swallow your soul. I know you�re not exactly
new at this, but keep sharp anyway. It�d suck to get it on the first day of the
job, man,� his �partner� warned him. Sands just barely refrained from shooting
the moron in the throat and putting an abrupt end to the whole charade.
�Hey I just drive �em,
Nick. Keeping an eye on things is your job,� he said with a smirk designed to
put the other man at ease.
It worked and the man laughed. �You�re right about
that, Spence. You leave everything to me. I can spot trouble a mile away, you
can bet your life on it.�
I think we�ll
bet yours instead, Sands thought coldly while giving the man a seemingly
genuine smile of utter trust. It had been almost too fucking easy to get locate
the normal driver of the truck and convinced
him to stay home for the day. It had raised a few suspicions, but money had
allayed those easily. People are such
sheep. How can I not kill them? He mused to himself, not letting his eyes
move to where he knew Aida would be led out, bound like an animal. He would
make them pay. He would make them all pay. But first, he had to make sure she
was safe.
�Looks like it�s time to do my thing. I�ll secure her
to the bench and you get this mother started,� Nick instructed, grabbing up the
shotgun he had stashed between his feet on the floor of the truck. Sands just
nodded, willing himself to be silent and still as the
back doors of the truck were opened and Aida was pushed in. He could hear many
of the comments her guards made, they made no attempt to stop them once they
had reached the truck, and Sands� hands tightened on the wheel.
Aida tried to keep her balance as she stepped up into
the vehicle, but it was hard. Not only did she not have her hands to help
balance her, but all the extra hands on her body were eager to give her a
not-so-helpful push...and never in the right direction. Her head slammed into
the ceiling as she tried not to fall on her face and her knee slammed into the
bench as someone pushed at the small of her back, but finally she was seated.
The temptation to close her eyes and let out a breath
of relief was something she'd mastered long ago. It was dangerous to close her
eyes around others and relief was a weakness she couldn't afford. Instead, she
stared straight ahead - just as she always did - gazing out the windshield - or
what she could see of it through the safety gate - as the chain at her waist
was connected to another that kept her squarely in the middle of the bench.
Nick - she was almost always escorted by the same people so had picked up names
rather quickly - oh-so-innocently let the back of his hands brush across her
breasts as he fastened her seatbelt. It shamed her; she had no coat today and
the cold had made her nipples go hard. She knew he could feel it. Just another humiliation.
Her eyes focused on the parking
garage gate with greater determination.
Going
to make them pay. Going to
make them pay, Sands repeated to himself over and over again, his eyes
darting briefly to the various mirrors that showed the back of the truck, his
hands clenching the wheel tight enough that his hands were white under the
strain.
�Nuh uh, not today boy-o,�
Nick scolded one of the prison guards with a mocking laugh as he tried to ride
along in the back with Aida. �She�s ours today. But don�t worry. If all goes
well you�ll have the bitch back in your hot little hands in no time.� The guard
grumbled, but it was good-natured. Nick was well-liked among his fellow guards.
They knew he wouldn�t deny them their fun.
Once Aida was secured, Nick closed up the truck and
settled himself into the passenger�s seat, once more placing his shotgun on the
floor. Sands watched this intently, his eyes missing nothing. He had unhooked
the holster buttons on the gun at his hip while they had been dealing with
Aida. It would be a kill in front of Aida-something he had never wanted-but it
was inevitable. Once the bastard was dead he would dive on to the warehouse
where the man who was really supposed to be driving today waited. And he would
be waiting. Sands had promised him enough money to make the man�s mouth water
if he followed instructions. Sands had no doubt in his mind that he would.
Greed really did make for excellent manipulation.
�Let�s roll, Spence. We�ve got a court hearing to get
to. Wouldn�t want to be late,� Nick exclaimed, leaning back in his seat and
twirling his finger in the air in impatience. Sands started up the truck and
they were off.
They'd put the cuffs on too tight again. Aida tried
to discreetly adjust their fit on her wrists. If she could just get them to
stop rubbing on her wrist bones �
�Stop that little lady before I come back there and
make you stop,� Nick sing-songed to the back of the
truck, knowing what Aida was trying to do.
Sands was currently
pulverizing his teeth his jaw was clenched so tight. Just a few more blocks and this will be over. Just a few more blocks�
"Lovely weather today," Aida murmured back
as she gave the cuffs one last adjustment. "Is there a reason we're not
going to the courthouse?" She'd long since memorized the route they always
took - this wasn't it.
�What? What do you mean we�re not going to the
courthouse? Spencer what the hell are you fucking
doing�� Nick�s question was cut off by an echoing gunshot throughout the cab.
Sands had used a .22-it wouldn�t do to have the bullet go through the window
and splatter blood and brains over everything-but it was still fucking loud in
the enclosed space.
Ignoring Aida�s scream of shock and terror, he
continued on to the warehouse, accelerating as fast as the piece-of-shit truck
would go to outrun the curious cops that had been following. He didn�t say a
word to Aida, there would be time for that when they were safe.
Aida was frozen in shock. What was going on? That woman...this is her doing. She knows
they won't give me the death penalty. She's taking matters into her own
hands... Still staring at the bloody hole in the dead man's head, Aida felt
a bolt of fear go through her. The baby!
Can't let them hurt the baby. Won't let them hurt the baby. The moment she
was able, she was going to have to run like hell. She wasn't sure what she'd do
after that, but she had to get away. She couldn't let them hurt Sands' baby.
Sands made it to the warehouse without incident as he
knew he would. He parked the truck and got out, immediately approached by a
balding man in his late forties, a heavy paunch hanging over his belt. �Is Nick
in there? Is he in on this too? That guy�s a funny son of a bitch, isn�t he?
How�d it go? It must have gone without a hitch, right? Otherwise you wouldn�t
be here. Hey, when do I get paid?�
Sands ignored him and walked around to the passenger
door to get Nick�s set of master keys to unlock Aida�s chains. He grabbed the
keys off the dead man�s belt and turned to deal with the greedy traitor.
�You�ve been a big help, but you�ve outlived your usefulness.� The man fell
dead with a bullet hole right between the eyes without further pretense.
Sands stepped around him and moved to the back of the
truck, opening it with trembling hands.
Aida stared straight ahead. The second gunshot had reached
her ears as easily as the first. The
fear that maybe they weren't going to let her go before shooting her made her
hands tremble but she didn't let any other display of fear escape her. She
wouldn't let them win. But they had to
let her go! They had to...for the baby.
Sands pulled himself into the back of the truck with his
usual grace, but inside he was screaming. He couldn�t take his eyes off of her,
not daring to breathe as he lowered himself to her feet in silence and unlocked
the chain that kept her fixed to the bench.
Aida took her chance when she saw it.
Before he could stop her, she'd lashed out with her
foot, slamming Sands into the safety barrier. His head hit the metal grating
with a crack, momentarily stunning
him. Unaware that she was being rescued and not murdered, Aida threw herself out
of the truck, awkwardly landing, slipping in a patch of slush from a previous
days' snowfall. For a nasty moment she thought she was going to fall, but she
regained her balance and set off running.
Sands just blinked for a moment, his mind screaming
at him to run after her but his body unable to comply with its demands. �Aida,�
he gasped, rising to his feet and tearing out after her. �Aida!� he called as
loudly as he could, gaining on her easily as he hadn�t
yet removed the chains that shortened her stride. �Aida, it�s me!� he pleaded,
silently begging for her to stop. �It�s Sands, Aida, it�s
Sands. I swear to heaven it�s me. Oh please stop Aida,� he called.
Aida heard her name, but that was about it. The voice
was familiar though, so she stopped, skidding in another pile of slush. Only be
grabbing the pole of a nearby street sign was she able to stay on her feet.
"Jeffrey?" she asked weakly, examining the
unfamiliar man who was running towards her. Yes, the eyes were familiar.
"Jeffrey...you got the paper." The knowledge that she was safe was
hitting her with a vengeance. She wasn't going to have to go to jail. She would be able to keep her baby. "I was starting to think it hadn't
gotten to you."
�He got it,� Sands whispered, drinking in the sight
of her. He halted in front of her, barely daring to breathe. �Come back inside.
It�s not�it�s not safe out here.�
Aida nodded and looked at the ground. It hadn't grown
any less painful to look at Jeffrey over the months. Even with his hair the way
it was... There was still too much Sands.
�Aida, god,� he whispered as he led her into the
warehouse. She didn�t think he was himself. She thought he was Jeffrey! �I
tried to come back. I couldn�t. I swear I tried but it was so hard. I knew
nothing but black. They left me for dead, Aida. And I nearly was. Death would
have been preferable at that point. I was worse than dead; I was lost. I was
lost from you.� He had recently begun to remember some of the time in
between-vague glimpses of what had been Jeffrey�s waking moments-and it was
hell itself.
Aida stopped, too confused to go any further into the
warehouse. "What are you talking about, Jeffrey? Has something happened to
Salida?"
He pushed off his hat and tore off the fake mustache
so she could better see his face and he unlocked her chains, letting them fall
to the ground. �Aida, spitfire, it�s not Jeffrey. It�s me. It�s Sands. It�s
me,� he said in a trembling voice. �I promised to come back and I didn�t. I
broke it. I left you. I am so sorry,� he said in a hollow voice.
Aida felt all her blood rush down to her feet.
"Don't," she whispered. "Don't do this to me. I'm sorry I got
caught and you felt like you had to come get me. But this is too cruel. Sands is dead. You said so. There's no coming back from
that. You've both said that. So don't do this to me."
�I�m not dead, Aida. I swear it to you. Look at me.
Look into my eyes. I�m yours. I�m Sands. I�ve always been yours,� he moaned in
a pleading voice, desperate to gather her up in his arms but unable to while
she looked at him with such horror.
Aida looked.
She looked for several long, silent, motionless minutes until the horror
in her eyes turned to terrified hope. "Sands?"
�It�s me, my love. My spitfire.
My wise wife. My beautiful and very dangerous sexual
predator,� he whispered between tears. �It�s Sands.�
She reached for him, trembling from head to toe, but
her hands fell short as she fainted.
Sands rushed to her with speed bourn out of sheer
desperation to take her into his arms and lowered her gently to the floor
before she fell, holding her tight. �Aida, please wake up,� he whispered,
slapping her lightly on the cheek as he rocked her in his arms without fully
being aware of it.
She didn't wake. Her body had already been pushed too
far for too long, and now her mind had joined that club as well. Although she
was faintly aware of hearing her husband, she couldn't respond and didn't
bother fighting. What if she woke up and this was all a dream? What if she woke
up and she was insane? Better to remain in safety - she unconsciously moved
closer to him with that thought. If this was really, truly Sands, he'd be there
for her when she woke up.
Sands just sighed and sat on the cold floor with her
for a long moment before lifting her to his arms and carrying her to the car he
had rented. He left the truck and the dead bodies of the guards in the
warehouse without a second thought. They were dead, they didn�t matter. Nothing
did now except her. Well that and they had a plane to catch.
***
Aida woke slowly, fighting consciousness at every
step. She didn't want to wake
up. Waking up would mean returning to
her nightmare. It'd mean waking up and
having to be aware of every little thing that was going on, every word that was
said, every movement that was made. It meant always
being on her guard, always observing the prison guards... Always
feeling alone. Better to sleep. Better to allow her mind to turn her
uncomfortable cot into Sands' shoulder. Better to imagine that she could smell
his aftershave.
There were things to be said for being a delusional
fool...
Sands watched her sleep as they sat together on the
airplane to St. Croix, his hand gently tracing the line of her jaw. He had
gotten a few odd looks as he carried her aboard the plane, but he hadn�t cared.
She was safe now. She was his again. Nothing mattered save that. �I love you,
Aida. I will never leave you again. I swear it,� he whispered.
She mumbled something back. Something Sands couldn't
quite make out.
In her own dream-hazed mind, she saw Sands, she could
feel him holding her, hear him talking to her. She heard his promise. She asked
him what she'd been dying to ever since he'd insisted on going after Sheldon.
"Why? Why did you have to go?"
Sands drew in a breath, not fully knowing how to
answer that. �I had to know, Aida,� he whispered a moment later. �I had to know
you were safe. Getting rid of him would help to ensure that.�
"Wasn't safe. Lost you. Had bad dreams."
�I know you did, Aida. And if I had known that that
would happen�� he couldn�t finish the sentence. Would he have still gone after
Sheldon? He didn�t know.
"Missed you."
�I missed you too, Aida. I missed you so much,� he
whispered, drawing her close.
When he pulled her close, he pulled her into instant
wakefulness. The terror of having someone touch her while she was asleep was a
product of one too many threats by her jailors.
Shoving away from him, she stood, looking around in
confusion. This...this wasn't her cell. This was...
"A plane? What...?
How...?" She looked down at her hands - no handcuffs. She looked at the
man with her. "Jeffrey? No...not....Sands?"
Sands moved to pull her down, glancing around warily
at the other passengers in first class around them. �Spitfire, please sit down.
I�ll explain everything, I promise.�
"Sands?" Her hand tightened painfully around his.
�Yes, Aida. It�s me. It�s Sands,� he assured her
gently, his eyes never leaving hers and his hand not moving to pull away even
though she was hurting him.
"We're...on a plane?" she asked
uncertainly.
He nodded, still not moving from her touch. �We�re
going to meet sunrise in St. Croix. We should be there soon, Aida.�
"I'm awake?" The thought that she was
imaging all this was enough to make her break out in a cold sweat.
�Would you like me to pinch you?� he asked softly,
not trying to be funny.
She shook her head. "No. That hurts."
�You are awake, Aida. And I am here. I�m�I�m alive
and you�re safe,� he whispered, pulling their joined hands downward so that she
would regain her seat next to him.
Aida took her seat. "I don't have to go
back?"
�Never, Aida. You never have
to deal with any of those stupid sons of bitches ever again,� he assured her,
his jaw clenching as he thought of what they had done to her.
"I'm not... I haven't lost my mind, have
I?"
�Shh, of course you
haven�t, Aida,� he soothed. �Feel me. Look at me. I know I look different and
I�m sorry for that, but I�m Sands. I�m real. Feel my hands in yours. I�m really
here. You�re really here with me.�
With her free hand she oh-so-gently traced the lines
of his face. As reality sank in she started to tremble. This was... This was a
miracle.
�It�s really me, Aida,� he whispered, remaining
absolutely still beneath her flighty touches. �It�s Sands.�
"Promise?"
�Yes, Aida. I promise it�s me. It�s Sands. Your husband. I may not have the ring on my finger anymore,
but it�s still me. I swear it to you.�
"It's at my parent's house," she murmured,
more than a little dazed.
He nodded, trying not to sigh. He felt naked without
that ring but that wasn�t her fault. �It�s alright, Aida. Don�t worry about
it.�
"I'll call them. Ask them to send it." Very
slowly Aida was relaxing her grip on Sands' now numb hand.
Sands couldn�t fully hide a wince as blood-flow was
returned to his hand, knowing that it would begin hurting again very soon. It didn�t
matter. It was only pain. And it was pain that he would gladly endure to have
her back. He would have endured many times more just to see her again; to hold
her in his arms. �That�s fine,� he whispered, his eyes locked on her face. �I
love you, Aida. I�m not leaving you again. I don�t care what I have to do to
make sure that doesn�t happen. I�ll do anything to keep you with me.�
She nodded, unsure of what she was agreeing to, but
needing to do something.
Her nod only served to spur his determination on. He
had meant every word. He would do whatever it took to remain at her side. If
that meant that the men he had killed today were the last�then so be it. He
couldn�t lose her again. Surely the threat of that was worse than not being
able to kill�
"I was very scared."
"Shh..." Sands
placed a finger on her lips. "We'll talk when we land."
Aida searched his eyes, seeing that he wanted to talk
but was too cautious to do so in public.
"Alright." She
nodded again.
Sands just gave her a small smile and pulled her
against his chest after making sure that she had buckled her seatbelt. �Just
rest now, Aida. I�m not going anywhere,� he whispered, settling in his seat to
hold her until they landed, closing his eyes and letting himself
become enveloped in her presence while she did the same.
***
Aida knew she was attracting stares with her
wide-eyed amazement at her surroundings, but she didn't care. Just that morning she'd been prepared to spend the rest of her life
inside the grey walls of a prison. This evening she was surrounded by
bright tropical colors. She'd thought her husband was dead. Now he was by her
side, gently leading her to safety and privacy. She was more than just a little
shell-shocked, but she figured she'd get over it.
�It�s a little warmer than my tastes, but I figured
you�d like it,� Sands whispered to her offhandedly, enjoying her reactions
immensely. Making and keeping her happy was his new full-time goal.
"No snow," she murmured as he led her
through a hotel. They must have checked in already - although she didn't
remember doing so - because they were headed for a wall of elevators.
�I happen to like snow,� he murmured, pulling her
into an empty elevator and pressing the top button. He turned towards her as
they rode the elevator up, drinking in the sight of her. He couldn�t get enough
of her lately. Ever since they had left the airport his every sense had
directed itself onto her, and he felt as if he needed to give into them all or
burst. He needed to touch her, needed to breath in the scent of her skin,
needed to hear her soft breathing, he just needed her.
"It's not very nice. They made us go out in it. Sometimes without coats."
His expression fell, his eyes growing as cold as the
memories of snow that she shivered at. �You�re warm now, Aida,� he said softly.
She nodded. "Yes." Her mind in another
place, she absently moved into his arms, needing the safety of having him by
her. If she held on, he wouldn't disappear again.
He gratefully accepted her presence against him,
resting his cheek on the top of her head as they continued their ascent. �Your
hair�s gotten longer,� he murmured once the doors to their floor opened and
they were expected to move out.
She nodded. "They were going to cut it. Once I
was moved on."
�I wish I hadn�t had to cut mine,� he muttered as
they stepped reluctantly out of the elevator to find their suite.
She looked up, examining his hair. "It would be alright if the color
weren't so awful."
�Fortunately it�s only semi-permanent. It�ll wash out
within a few weeks or so,� he murmured as they came to a stop in front of their
suite, one of only two on the whole floor. He had thought about getting the
other one for Salida but it had been booked by someone else already. It didn�t
really matter.
He opened the door and extended a hand for to lead
the way. He had already seen the suite but he hadn�t enjoyed it as he hoped she
would now. The ocean views and decadent furnishings just hadn�t had much appeal
to him without her here.
Aida took in her surroundings, noticing how very comfortable
everything looked. How welcoming. It was a vast change of decor, one that was
proving just a little difficult to adjust to. Not that she
wasn't willing to try.
"You've done it again," was all that she
finally murmured, looked back up at her husband.
�Done what again?� he asked curiously, shutting and
latching the door behind him. It wasn�t paranoia if they were really out to get
you.
"Whisked me away to a tropical
island without letting me pack any clothing." A smile forced itself
past her stiff face.
Sands answered her smile with one of
his own. �Ah but this time you�re not left without a stitch, as fun as
that might be. I packed for you. Your suitcase is in the bedroom and the cats
are around here somewhere,� he gestured with an offhand wave.
"I didn't bring Agatha with me,� Aida murmured,
looking around for the cats.
�She�s here. She missed you,� Sands said as he made a
clicking sound with his tongue to bring the cats out of their hiding places. He
was greeted a moment later with a black beast that had once been a cute little
black kitten meowing for attention and food. Sands bent over to pet him and
gestured with his chin as a sleepy looking Agatha strolled out of the bedroom
as if she owned the place.
"Sands?"
�Yes, Aida?� he asked, righting himself to move to
her side.
"There's just the one baby. I saw a doctor. He
said there was only one."
He smiled, taking her into his arms feeling an
unbelievable swell of pride move through him at the news. �You and I are going
to have a kid, Aida. The news is still mind-boggling and more than a little
frightening, but for now that�s more than enough. And�however many I said I
thought you�d have�is far too many for us. One is good. One is enough.�
She nodded. "I knew that you would like
that."
His smile widened a little. �I would have found a way
to deal with more, but I�m not going to lie and say I�m not glad it�s just the
one. Jeffrey�s two next month or so is going to be a hassle enough as it is.�
She nodded again. "I'm tired but I don't want to
sleep."
�What would you like to do then, Aida? The sky�s the
limit. I haven�t checked yet, but I�m fairly certain there�s a tub like in our
suite in Hawaii if you�d like to take a bath.�
A groan of longing escaped her. "Yes...oh god
yes." The chance to wash away all traces of her ordeal was too good to
pass up.
Sands laughed softly, holding out his arm for her to
take it. �A bath it shall be then. Come with me and we�ll get you sorted. I�ll
even be the generous husband and offer to wash your back.� He was trying very
hard to act as if all was normal; to act as if he hadn�t just killed two men in
front of her and taken her from a prison transport; to act as if he hadn�t
lifted the chains she had been in and brought them along on a whim of a deviant
mind.
"Yes. I have to get clean." Aida allowed
Sands to lead her to the bathroom where she started to strip off her clothes
with disgusted fervor. She wanted to burn them, wanted to tear them to shreds. Anything to destroy the memories.
�We can burn them later if you like. Or I can give
you a pair of scissors. Whatever you find more cathartic,� he offered, guessing
at thoughts as he watched her undress.
"Both," she whispered, flinging the last
scrap of fabric away from her.
He nodded. �After you�re clean you can cut and burn
to your heart�s content if you wish,� he promised, moving past her to start her
bath, turning on the whirlpool jets when he judged it was warm enough and
adding a scented bubble bath to the churning water that he judged Aida-safe.
�Your bath is drawn, wife mine. In you get.�
She eagerly sank in, dunking under for a moment to
allow her entire body to get wet. Then
she reached for a bottle of shampoo - the brand she normally used, though she
noted it was a new bottle - and started to squeeze some into her hand.
�Let me,� he whispered, not demanding but softly
asking. He had taken a seat on the floor next to the tub and was watching her
intently.
Aida handed the bottle over,
watching closely to make sure Sands used enough shampoo. Clean...have
to get clean...
It was pure bliss to feel Sands work the shampoo into
a lather against her scalp. His fingers scrubbed and
massaged at the same time; it felt good. Very good.
Sands just kept washing her, dutifully massaging the
tension out of her as best as he could. He remained silent throughout, not
really knowing what to say. He simply let his presence speak what he himself
couldn�t. Once her head was covered in an excess of soapy bubbles he softly
directed her to close her eyes and he gently pushed her backwards into the
water so she could rinse the soap from her hair. As he watched her he knew that
she�d have to do the rest of the washing herself
unless she wanted his naked aroused company in the tub with her. He only had so
much self control and he knew that would be pushing it.
"Soap." Aida
looked around for that precious commodity. Sands handed it over silently; she
didn't bother wondering about his silence. It didn't matter right now. Nothing
did, not as long as she still needed to get clean.
Quickly lathering up a wash cloth, Aida then
proceeded to scrub ever inch of her skin.
She never quite got to the point of rubbing her skin raw, but her
efforts did leave behind a healthy pink glow.
"Hate them," she muttered to herself,
almost forgetting that she had company. "Hate them all. Dirty
bastards."
He would have offered her their heads and hands on a
platter if he thought she�d appreciate them, but as it was he just nodded and
whispered an �I know you do, Aida.�
"Always touching
when they think no one important is looking. Always talking." She squeezed her
eyes shut as she scrubbed at the nape of her neck. "Bullies..."
Sands� jaw tightened at her words and he found
himself speaking before he could fully think about what he was saying. �Ask me,
Aida. Ask me to kill each and every one of them for you and I will,� he hissed.
"No!" She looked up, shocked. "No
more. Rather they get caught. Loose their jobs. If that...if you can do that, do that."
He barely managed to hold back a sigh, but he should
have known better than to ask her. �Their lives are safe from me. I swear it,�
he murmured with a nod.
"You can't go. Can't get
caught. Can't leave me. Not again."
�I won�t, Aida. I swear I won�t. I�ll do whatever it
takes to never put you through that again. I promise you,� he vowed, locking
gazes with her and letting her see just how serious he was.
He promises. He
promised. He keeps his promises whenever he can. He'll try to keep this one.
Aida relaxed once more, then searched for the washcloth she'd dropped in her
alarm. "Still need a clean back," she murmured.
�And I did offer my services,� he said with a nod,
taking the soapy washcloth she handed him and nodding for her to turn around.
He ran the warm cloth over the curve of her spine in slow sensual strokes,
managing to get her clean but not quickly. He became entranced in how water
moved down her skin and found himself staring
unblinking at single drops of water for long minutes at a time. His hands
soothed the tension out of her shoulders and still he stared, longing to taste
the droplets of water from her skin but not moving. He wouldn�t be the
instigator. Everything was for her. He hadn�t been the one who had thought her
dead; it wasn�t him that needed the reassurance that she still lived.
Very slowly, Aida found herself drifting off against
her will. The fear that none of this was real was still strong, too strong for
her body to ignore.
"No!" Aida woke fully with a jerk that sent
water over the edge of the tub, soaking Sands' legs in warm, foamy water.
Sands frowned at her shout and his unintentional bath
and rose to his feet at the side of the tub. �I�m still here, Aida. Come on,
stand up and I�ll get you out of there,� he prodded gently, holding out a towel
after dabbing ineffectually at his sodden soapy legs.
"I keep falling asleep," she murmured as
she forced herself to stand. Blood drained from her head as she did so, causing
her to sway. She steadied herself with a hand against Sands' shoulder before
she could take a nose-dive though, which was an
improvement from her earlier performance.
�Then I�d say it�s time for a nap. Ritual clothes
mutilation can wait,� he said as he helped her out of the tub and wrapped her
tightly in the towel. Once she was sufficiently dry he turned off the water
jets on the tub and led her into the bedroom, his ears ringing in the sudden
silence after being forced to speak over the whirlpool for so long.
"Do I...have pajamas?" Anything would be
better than being forced to sleep in her prison uniform.
He nodded. �I probably brought your entire wardrobe.
I�ve never been good at knowing what to leave behind when I�m given the option.
Your pajamas are assuredly in here�somewhere,� he gestured to the now cat
fur-covered suitcases. So that�s where the cats had been when they�d gotten
home�
"Just give me something." Anything would
do. "Or one of your shirts. I could sleep in one
of your shirts."
�And look frustratingly sexy while you did it,� he
muttered under his breath, searching for one of his button down shirts. Not
immediately finding any, he handed her the top shirt to his black silk pajamas,
figuring that would suit better than one of his shirts. He took the bottoms for
himself, determined to not leave her side even as she slept.
Aida slipped it on, taking a deep breath of the
Sands-scent that rose from the fabric as she pressed it against her nose. Yes,
the past few months had been hell, but they were over now. They were. She
didn't need to be scared anymore.
Sands quickly changed as well and joined her between
the soft sheets of the king-sized bed after he was sufficiently dried off from
her unintentional splashing. He left his chest bare as he didn�t want to
wrinkle the shirt he�d been wearing and not having the rest of his pajamas.
That was fine. He liked it this way. He liked the feeling of her bare legs
hooked around his and her hand resting upon his bare chest. �Get some rest,
Aida. I�ll be here when you wake up.�
She nodded wearily.
He just pulled her into his arms, offering what
strength and peace he could while she was overtaken by sleep.
***
Aida woke Sands with her thrashing and agonized
moaning. When she'd believed Sands to be dead, she'd never had nightmares.
She'd just slept like a dead woman, waking without having any memory of any
dreams. Now that she knew he was alive, the nightmares had started, though they
had nothing to do with him. They had to do with his not really being alive, and
some of the unsavory people she'd met in prison.
Sands moved without thinking, grabbing a hold of her
and shaking her awake. He didn�t care about the wife�s tale of not waking
someone up from a nightmare; if he had been the one having it he would want to
be woken up. �Aida! It�s a dream,� he hastened to assure her. �It�s not real.
I�m here and you�re safe. You�re safe with me, Aida.�
Hindsight would show that shaking her was perhaps not
the best course of action; Aida lashed out with her fists, catching a
not-so-lucky blow against Sands' chin. It was his cursing that greeted her ears
as her eyes popped open.
"What...Sands!" She sat up and lightly touched
his face. "I'm sorry."
He offered her a pained smile, attempting to put on a
brave front when his face felt like it was already swelling. �Note to self: do
not attempt to shake Aida out of a nightmare,� he murmured wryly.
"I'm sorry," she said miserably. "I
was...I didn't know where I was or what was happening."
He nodded, taking her hand in his against his cheek
and kissing it lightly. �I understand and I�ll be alright. It wasn�t your
fault.�
"I-I'm probably going to be a bit jumpy for
awhile."
�What exactly are you afraid of?� he asked directly,
not liking her answer at all. He didn�t want her to be scared of anything. He
wanted her to be happy.
Aida shook her head, not wanting to have this
conversation.
�Tell me Aida. Don�t let your fear rule you,� he said
softly, knowing that she would push him in much the same way.
"It's nothing. I'm safe now. It's just going to
take a bit for me to remember that when I'm asleep."
�It�s not nothing, Aida.
It�s a fear. No matter how legitimate it might be, that�s all it is. And fears
can be overcome. You�ve taught me that,� he murmured. �I�m going to help you
get over this one. Now please Aida, tell me what you�re afraid of. Losing me?
Waking up to find this all a dream and you�re still in prison? What?�
For a long moment Aida did nothing. She was stubborn
and more than able to take care of herself, as she'd proved over the past
month. But then she realized that she didn't
have to take care of herself, and Sands was asking her to talk because he
cared for her and not because he would use this to his advantage.
"Yes. I dreamed I was back in prison. For good this time. And there was no reason for my guards to
be circumspect anymore." She shuddered.
He nodded, a muscle in his jaw jumping as he grit his
teeth again at the bastards who had done this to her, including himself in the
list. �I understand your fears, Aida but we�re going to work through them, you
and I. I won�t let them beat you and I know you won�t
either. Exorcise yourself of this. Don�t let it rule your dreams. I�m not going
anywhere. I�m going to help you do this.�
"I'm sure you don't need me to explain
further," she said softly, looking down at her loosely clasped hands
because his face was simply too harsh. "You've doubtlessly heard stories
of what can happen to women in prison."
He nodded. He had heard. He knew. �Is that what you
fear the most? Being a�victim?�
She nodded.
He grew thoughtful, trying to think of a way to cure
her of this. The whisperings of an idea formed, but she would not like it. �I
have a�plan, but you�re not going to like it,� he whispered, echoing his own
thoughts. �A little role-play if you will.�
"What?" she asked, not exactly liking where
this was going.
�Do you trust me?� he asked very softly, his
expression earnest.
Ooohh...now she really didn't like it. But what was she
supposed to say?
"Yes," she murmured grudgingly.
�Yes?� he asked, needing more assurance than her put-upon grunt offered.
Aida sighed and closed her eyes, her shoulders
slumping. "Yes. I trust you."
�Good. Then wait here.� He left without waiting for a
reply and returned with one of her old head scarves, intent on blindfolding
her. He let her guess his intentions as he moved over her, scarf in hand.
"Wait!" she exclaimed, jerking away from
him. "What if...what if I don't want to?"
�All you need to do is say �stop,� Aida and I will.
Just stop. But before you do I want you to be sure that you�re not just saying
it because you�re scared of the unknown. I will make this as easy for you as
possible, but it�s still going to be difficult. Difficult but
necessary. Do you understand?�
She shook her head. "I just need time."
�Time is not a luxury, Aida,� he intoned softly. �And
I�m sorry, you can hate me later, but I won�t allow you to be frightened of a
mere possibility. You�you wouldn�t let me be frightened of a room and what had
happened in it and therefore I am not willing to let you be frightened of what
might have been.�
She swallowed hard. "You'll stop when I
ask," she said more than inquired.
�The very instant,� he assured her. �And you trust
me, remember?�
"Alright...I'll try it."
He gave her a brilliant smile, kissing her briefly on
the lips and whispering how proud he was of her before covering her eyes with
the scarf. �I�ll be back soon, my love. Just remember you trust me and I won�t
hurt you.�
Aida tried not to interpret his words as meaning he
would hurt her if she didn't trust him. That was the sort of thing Pete and his
friends would have meant. It wasn't what Sands meant. Still, she found herself
tensing up as she waited for him to come back.
Sands caught his wording too late and sighed as she
tensed, knowing what she must be thinking. Oh
well. There�s no turning back now. He moved into the living room to where
he had dropped his coat and carry-on next and pulled out his prize. He
shouldn�t have taken them, he knew he shouldn�t have taken them, but damn it he
had to take them. He pulled the cuffs Aida had been shackled in and inspected
them closely, watching as the chain links sparkled in the light. The set of leg
and wrist irons with belly chain were the things fetishes were made of.
He grabbed the lot and carried it to the bedroom,
remembering to move so that Aida could hear his approach. He wasn�t trying to
sneak up on her; he was trying to get her to face her fear.
"Mind telling me what you're planning?"
Aida asked when she heard her husband approach.
�I don�t think you really want me to,� he murmured
letting one of the cuffs dangle from his hand so that she could hear the sound
the chain made.
The sound wasn't so much recognizable as it was
ingrained in her subconscious mind. "Sands..."
�Trust me, Aida. I�m not going to hurt you. And you
can still say stop if things get to be too intense,� he assured her, moving to
wrap the belly chain around her waist. �I�m sorry it�s cold,� he murmured as he
did so.
Aida bit the inside of her cheek as the fight went
out of her. Behind the blindfold her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she tried to
simply focus on her breath. It'd sped up considerably. If she didn't get things
under control, she'd be hyperventilating.
�Shh,
Aida. Just breathe and listen to my voice. You know my voice. I�m Sands.
I�m not them. You�re safe.� He snapped the first wrist cuff closed with a loud
click.
Her hand fisted, but she didn't try to get away.
�That�s it. My beautiful, brave
spitfire. You can do this. You know you can do this.� He snapped the
second cuff shut.
Her other hand fisted. When
nothing horrible immediately happened, she let out a long, shuddering breath.
�Nothing�s going to hurt you, Aida. You�re safe.
Listen to my voice, focus on that.� His voice grew softer as he moved down to
attach one of the leg irons to her bare ankle.
"No!" There was only so far she could go.
And by the way her body was suddenly wracked with shivers,
she knew this was too far. "Please. Don't."
It wasn�t quite �stop,� but wasn�t going to argue
semantics. �I�m stopping, Aida. I�m getting the keys, all right?� he reached up
and pulled off her blindfold, making sure she saw the key and that he was
freeing her.
"I don't...I don't like them around my
feet," she whispered, attempting to meet his eyes.
He nodded, accepting this. �Do you want me to take
them off your wrists?�
Yes. Oh yes,
please. She hated the way they felt, even if Sands didn't tighten them
nearly as far as the others hand. The metal was unaccountably heavy, weighing
her down. She hated them.
To her surprise, Aida felt herself shaking her head.
He gave her another brilliant smile, clearly pleased
with her answer. �I love you very much, my brave Aida. I knew you could do it.�
"Is this...is this it?" She tried not to
sound hopeful.
He sighed. It was as much as he was able to do at the
moment. He thought about making love to her like this, further proving that she
was safe, but he knew she wouldn�t go for that. �It�s it if you want it to be,
Aida. This isn�t for me.�
"Your idea," she whispered. "You planned more?"
�I always plan for more. But I figured this was your
limit,� he murmured, giving her a pointed look that laid his intentions out on
the table.
"I can...I can still say no?" The words
made their way past the constriction of her chest.
�Of course you can,� he whispered, mildly hurt that
she thought he was trying to force her into this.
"Alright. I'll-I'll try
it."
�I�ll go slow,� he said very
softly, leaning down to kiss the side of her neck gently.
Aida fought the urge to bring her shoulder up to her
ear in an effort to make Sands stop. Having him off to the side where she
couldn't see him made her just a tad bit nervous.
Sands felt her body tense even further and pulled
back to look at her. �Do you want to watch? Is that it? Do you want to keep
your eyes on me the whole time? Just ask, Aida. I�m not trying to frighten
you.�
"I need to see you," she murmured,
searching his eyes for the reassurance he was offering.
He gave her a smile and a brief nod. �Then you will.
I won�t move out of your line of sight if that�s what you want.� He moved his
hands to her chest and slowly unbuttoned the borrowed pajama shirt, making sure
to move very slowly so she could anticipate where his hands would be.
"I don't know why I'm being so silly," she
continued, needing a little distraction. "It's not as if we haven't done
this before."
�It�s alright, Aida. Its different
now like this. And I know you�re not really into bondage I�m not
expecting you to be someone you�re not or act differently than you normally
would. I�m just trying to help you overcome your fear and doing this robs it of
its power.�
"Doesn't feel like it," she murmured,
trying to relax.
�I know, but it is. You�re already beating it. You�re
seeing that being chained up like this doesn�t bring pain and fear along with
it.�
Aida noticed that their conversation had distracted
Sands as well. That or he's waiting for
it to be over before continuing, she thought as she watched him. He was
simply sitting by her side; he hadn't touched her, or tried to push apart her
now unbuttoned shirt, or broken eye contact once since she'd started their
little discussion. He was so sweet that it nearly took her breath away.
He noticed that she had fallen into silence and
raised a hand to trace a line along her jaw, down over her chin and further,
his fingertips ghosting over the line of her body from her chin to her belly
button and back again. He then took note of the small rounded bulge in her
belly and his eyes widened.
Aida shifted uncomfortably because she couldn't tell
what he was thinking. "If I'd been in any mood to actually eat more than
what was necessary to survive, you probably wouldn't be able to see that right
now."
He frowned briefly at that but nodded. �While I�m not
happy that you haven�t been eating right, I�� he frowned again, choosing his
words carefully. �The sight makes it real somehow. It�s more than an idea,
having a child with you, it�s real. This is better.�
"So you're not..." She shrugged. "I
don't know. Not disgusted is close to what I mean, I suppose."
�Why would I be disgusted?� he asked curiously. �I�m
fascinated. I mean that. I really am. There�s a�our�kid in there,� he breathed, sounding a little overwhelmed.
Aida wanted to touch him; when she moved her hands
though, she was reminded about her restraints and she immediately stilled.
He immediately moved closer, guessing her intent.
�Touch me if you like, Aida. Don�t let the chains limit you.� He knew how that
sounded, but that�s what he was trying to get her to understand; the chains had
no real power over her.
"I don't like the sound they make." She was looking a little white again.
�Then don�t listen to them. Listen to the sounds I
make. Listen to my breathing, my voice. Can you hear how my heart�s racing for
you?� he asked softly.
She shook her head.
He moved closer still, wrapping his arms around her
thin form and pulling her gently against him. She tensed as the chains shifted
but he made a shushing sound and instructed her to just listen.
Aida tried to relax. She was more successful with her
husband's comfortably warm and solid presence next to her. True, she was a
little uncomfortable with her hands trapped between them, but since he didn't press
too close it wasn't too big of an issue. And it was very nice to be held.
In an attempt to hear what he offered, she moved her
head against her pillow until her forehead was pressed against his breast bone.
While that didn't help her hear anything, if she moved just a little, she could
press her lips against warm skin that was pulsing from the strength of his
heart.
He smiled at the soft kiss, glad that she had done
so. His hands moved over her back, dipping under the pajama shirt and over the
belly chain to rub bare skin, taking and giving comfort in her presence.
Ever so slowly, Aida relaxed. She felt herself go
limp against Sands' body, felt the weight on her chest ease, felt her skin
warm. It was a pleasant feeling; having gone so long without it, she now wanted
more.
"More," she whispered against her husband's
chest.
He heard her whispered plea and lifted her chin
gently so that her lips met his in a slow kiss that grew in passionate
intensity.
He was confident; she was hesitant. He took; she
allowed. He led; she followed. Slowly - more slowly that he probably liked -
she learned how to kiss again, how to receive passion and not fear the one
giving it. This wasn't unwanted. No one was going to roughly push her up
against a wall and force their rough attentions on her. There would be no
pinching, no crudity, no one standing around and making humiliating comments.
This was safe because she was with someone she loved and who loved her.
Sands felt her relaxing into his touch and couldn�t
help but be prouder of her still. He had missed this-missed her-and he was facing his own fears
tonight. He hadn�t known how she would react to him after being apart for so
long. He had missed her terribly and he hadn�t even been�aware for the two
months they had been apart. Was she as desperate for his touch as he was for
hers? He thought so, but doubt still lingered.
Aida briefly pulled away, then
reinitiated the kiss. This time she took the lead, leisurely exploring his
mouth, soaking in the fact that she still had some power even though she was
bound. But only because she was with Sands. She was
only safe with Sands.
Sands let her take her time with the kiss, sighing in
pleasure and to let her know that he appreciated what she was doing. His hands
moved push the pajama shirt off of her shoulders and as far down as her cuffs
would allow before his nimble fingers found her breasts and set to work coaxing
pleasure and desire out of her.
Aida's immediate reaction was to pull away and try to
cover herself. But then she looked up and remembered
that she was with her husband. He's not
trying to humiliate me. Not taking advantage.
�I�m sorry,� Sands breathed, freezing at her
reaction. �I won�t do anything you don�t want me to do. If you don�t want this,
just say so, Aida. I�ll stop. It�ll be alright.�
She shook her head. "No. Just...just
a knee-jerk reaction. I'm fine. I don't want you to stop."
�Are you sure?� he
asked gently. When she nodded he returned his attentions back to her breasts,
silently thankful she hadn�t worn a bra with the pajama shirt. If she had it have ended up shredded on the floor after a
frustrated attempt to get it off of her without success due to the cuffs.
"More kisses?" she asked against his lips
when shifted as if he was going to focus on what his hands were doing.
�Always,� he replied, pressing his mouth against hers
insistently, pushing her to respond in kind. He breathed through his nose as to
not have to break the connection when he ran out of breath; his tongue dancing
with hers as the kiss deepened. He could kiss her forever.
Aida tried to wrap her arms around him and was almost
surprised when the handcuffs bit into her skin.
"Sands, I want to touch you."
�You want me to take the cuffs off?�
"Yes."
�No.�
"Why not?"
�Because I don�t think we�re finished yet.�
"We're going
to be finished if you don't listen to me," she muttered. "Sands!" Apparently he was done debating the topic
because he'd latched those kiss-swollen lips of his onto her right breast.
Sands rolled her nipple between his lips and teeth
with practiced ease, knowing just when to nip and when to suckle as he listened
to the way her breathing changed. Right hand moved to mimic his mouth�s actions
on her left breast not because he thought she�d appreciate the doubled
attention but because he needed to touch her.
With his head lowered, she could bring her hands up
to cup his chin which only further negated her reason for wanting him to let
her go.
He sighed a little at her touch and his free hand
snaked down between them to pull at the line of her underwear, wanting to drive
her arousal further.
"Sands..."
He nipped at her playfully, not stopping his hand�s
movements, but did lift his eyes to meet hers in response to her murmuring of
his name.
"I want to touch you."
�You are touching me, Aida.�
"You know what I mean."
�You want me to stop?�
"No." How could he ask that? Couldn't he
feel how she was responding?
�I mean, do you want me to take the handcuffs off? Do
you want me to stop that?� He was definitely not planning on stopping the rest.
"Yes."
�Then I�ll take them off.� After a brief search for
where the keys had run off to-he found them under his left hip, oddly not
having felt them there-he unlocked and removed the rest of the chains from her,
throwing them over his shoulder where they landed at the foot of the large bed,
gleaming in the soft light like silver snakes. �Touch me all you like,
spitfire.�
She took him at his word, digging her fingers into
his skin, desperate to feel each separate texture. She ghosted her palms over
his arms, shivering in delight as she felt goose bumps form and his hair stand
on end. And then she did as she'd been dying to do and sent her fingers into
his cropped hair. It took her all of a moment to decide that she liked it
longer, although the shorter cut did bring his eyes out more.
�I don�t like it either,� he murmured, guessing her
thoughts as she trailed her fingers through his shorn locks. �But it�ll grow
back,� he said with a sigh and a slight shrug.
"No...I like being able to see your eyes,"
she murmured.
�But you could always see my eyes, Aida. They didn�t
just appear as my hair was cut,� he said with a confused tilt of his head.
"But your hair...hid them. It was always down
around your face."
�I liked it that way,� he grumbled stubbornly. He had
learned the habit of tilting his head slightly forward so that his hair
intentionally hid his face when out in crowds. To suddenly not be able to do
that was irritating.
"Then grow it out again. Nobody's stopping you."
He almost said that he intended to do just that but
bit his tongue in hesitation. �Do you like it better this way? Honestly?�
"I didn't say I liked it better. I said I liked
being able to see your eyes." She laughed softly.
�I suppose I could work on that,� he mused
thoughtfully. �It�s just�I�m used to hiding behind my hair. It�s just one of
those things.�
Aida shrugged. "I never even realized you did it
until now."
�Is that a good thing or a bad thing?� he asked
wryly, turning his head to kiss her hand as it continued moving through his
hair.
"It's neither." Aida pulled him up towards
her, seeing as how they'd gotten off topic. "Have you noticed that we're
making a lot of sense right now?"
�I had noticed, yes,� he murmured, letting himself be
pulled.
"Don't you think there's something wrong with
that?"
�You think we shouldn�t be making sense? Or do you
think that we�re making more sense than we should be considering where we had
been moments ago?�
"You guessed it." She pressed her cheek
against his. "I've missed you."
�I�ve missed you too, Aida,� he whispered, turning
his head after a moment of brief contact to capture her mouth in his. It was
time they regained focus.
"Mmm..." Aida
sighed into the kiss before putting her hands back in motion. After all, there
were still parts of Sands' body that she hadn't touched yet, and she did love
the feel of his broad shoulders, and the dip of his spine, and the points of
his hips...
Sands sighed into her touch, tension flooding out of
him as if her hands somehow scared it off. As long as she kept up those gentle
touches, he felt he would do anything for her. All she had to do was ask.
"Sands, I -"
Riiiing
Aida froze.
Riiing
"Sands," she asked slowly over the ringing
telephone. "Who knows that we're here?"
�No one. Ignore it. It
doesn�t matter,� he tried to convince her, not making a move to get the phone.
The phone stopped ringing almost immediately after he
said that. Aida listened for a moment, then relaxed.
But just as she was about to resume their kiss, it started ringing again.
Sands grunted in displeasure. �Sunrise. She�s the
only one who knows we�re here. It�s got to be her calling,� he muttered, still
not moving to get the phone.
"Well...then should we answer?"
He sighed. �If we don�t she�ll just keep calling,� he
grumbled, rolling over on the bed to reach for the phone on the nightstand.
�Salida what is it?� he grunted into the phone.
"Someone
needs to call a fucking taxi so we can get to the fucking hospital. That's what
it is, which you would have known if you'd fucking picked up the first time I
called," Salida growled back.
�What? What�s wrong?� he asked, quickly sitting up in
bed at the sound of her voice.
"I've gone into fucking labor, that's what's
fucking wrong!" Salida was more than a little unnerved which accounted for
her atrocious language.
Sands didn�t even have time to answer her. At her
exclamation, Jeffrey took control so quickly it left his head spinning.
�Vixen? Fuck. Kitty�s
calling right now,� he made a brief search of the room, and thrust Aida a cell
phone he found a moment later. �Call a taxi. Salida�s in labour,�
he directed to her before turning back to Salida. �I�ll be right there, vixen.�
Seeing as how Aida didn't know the numbers of any
taxi services in...she forgot where they were...she
waited for Sands/Jeffrey to hang up before calling down to the front desk to
ask for a taxi. Then she wrapped the sheet around her and left the bed,
wandering into the main room where Jeffrey was hunting frantically for shoes.
"Jeffrey? Can I talk to Sands?" Her throat
tightened at the thought that perhaps he wouldn't be able to come back. Perhaps
that was it. Perhaps she'd never see him again.
Perhaps �
�He�s still here but I have no fucking time for this,
kitty,� he growled desperately, pulling on a shirt but leaving it unbuttoned
after slipping on a pair of sandals. �Button your shirt and put on some pants
and you can come with me,� he directed, just now noticing that she was naked.
�I�m still here, Aida,� he said with a sigh, silently
cursing Salida�
�Don�t you dare
blame my wife for this,� Jeffrey hissed upon hearing Sands� thought.
Aida rubbed tiredly at her eyes, the lustful
adrenaline rush she'd been experiencing having died off when the phone had
rung.
"Please don't argue. I just wanted to make
sure..."
�I�m not going anywhere, Aida. You�re not losing me
again,� Sands promised.
�Well I am
going somewhere. I�m going to gather my fucking wife and-and get her to the
hospital�� Jeffrey blinked at the thought that he might have a son and a
daughter in a matter of hours before shaking himself out of his stupor and
sliding back into mania again. �You have the phone. We�ll call it when we get
to the hospital.�
Sands had just enough time to say goodbye to her
before Jeffrey grabbed his wallet and keys and strode out the door, not looking
back.
***
"It's about fucking time you got here,"
Salida muttered as she paced. She glared at Jeffrey who was simply standing in
the doorway, his mouth hanging open. He's
probably upset that I'm on my feet -
�What the fuck are you doing?� he all but screeched,
directing her to take a seat on the bed. �The taxi�s coming and I had kitty
yell for a wheelchair to be sent up.�
Salida glared at him as she defiantly stood on her feet.
"My contractions are still at least fifteen minutes apart," she
ground out past clenched teeth. "And walking isn't going to hurt anything.
It might even hurry the process along, which I can assure you would only be a
godsend."
He winced at the anger in her voice and nodded,
trying to placate her. �We can walk down to the lobby then. If you�re truly
alright to do so��
"I'm not about to start shooting out babies if
that's what you're asking."
He gaped at her before nodding and offering her his
arm. She didn�t take it so he walked over to the door and grabbed the small bag
filled with clothes for this very situation. He directed her to lead the way.
"I swear to god, Jeffrey -" She stopped
mid-threat and braced herself against the wall, breathing deeply. The muscles
of her jaw tightened momentarily then relaxed.
I will not ask if she�s alright. I will not
ask if she�s alright. �Are you al�� he cut himself off by biting his
tongue. �You swear to god what?� he asked once she had started walking again, hovering
at her elbow as he if expected her to crumple at any second.
"Hmm?" Salida
glanced at her watch to check how long it'd been since her last contraction,
then her previous line of thought crashed back down on her. "Don't you
fucking dare wimp out on me, Jeffrey." Her eyes narrowed. "This is
half your fault and you're going to fucking stick around for it, you hear
me?"
�I�m still here, vixen. You think I�d miss this?� he
asked lightly, trying to scare a smile out of her. It didn�t work.
As they stepped into the elevator she just muttered
under her breath that he'd damn well better
be there or she'd make him pay for it later.
Jeffrey mashed the button for the lobby, watching her
intently as they rode down. She had one hand braced against the mirrored walls
of the elevator and the other on her swollen stomach as if she were trying to
keep everything in. Perhaps she was. �They�re early. I guess they inherited my
impatience,� he murmured under his breath.
"They're twins. Twins are often early. There's
not enough room anymore."
�Oh. I guess that makes sense,� he murmured,
witnessing his reflection in the doors in front of him and wincing. His now
cropped orange-for it definitely was not
blonde-hair was sticking up in all directions and his red shirt was buttoned
wrong. He had been about to drop the bag and fix it when the elevator doors
opened.
Salida took Jeffrey's offered arm this time. Bad enough to have to waddle across the lobby. It'd be worse
if she had an unexpected contraction and managed to fall on her considerable
bum.
Jeffrey ignored the whisperings the surrounded them;
ignored the way people eyed Salida as if she was going to drop a kid on the
floor at this very second and ruin the marble. He glared at any who dared meet
his eyes and took grim pleasure when they looked hurriedly away.
�Your taxi is out front, sir, madam,� a harried
concierge informed them as they strode through the lobby. �You will be taken to
St. Croix�s finest hospital. I assure you.�
�We fucking better be,�
Jeffrey grunted under his breath.
"Thank you," Salida said mildly, trying to
make up for her husband's rudeness. After all, this man was only doing his job.
It wasn't fair to be rude to him for that.
Jeffrey just shook his head and together they made
their way through the lobby and out to the waiting cab. The driver must have
been briefed on the situation for he sped off in the apparent direction of the
hospital mere moments after they had settled into the car.
***
"Goddamnit, Jeffrey!
I'm going to fucking geld you for this!" Salida wasn't in the best of
moods. After 17 hours of labor - she was sick
of hearing that wasn't so bad for a first time mother - she was tired, she
hurt so bad she practically couldn't feel it anymore, and she just wanted to
get this over with.
Luckily, the doctor at the foot of the bed was
encouraging her to "push."
Jeffrey didn�t have a response for that, thinking it
was probably safer to keep his mouth shut than to comment at this point. In
truth he was wondering what the hell was taking so long. He wasn�t quite sure
how long this had been going on but he�d about had it. And it was clear Salida
was far past the breaking point. But now the doctor was telling her to push.
Did that mean that this whole ordeal was almost over? He hoped so for her sake
at least. She had cursed him ten ways from Sunday through the hours, promising
to castrate him and worse as time went on. Right now she was trying to break
his hand as she bore down in an effort to bring their children into the world.
She wanted to scream but she was bearing down too
hard to waste the breath. This she could do. Get the little bastards out of me! And then she collapsed back on
the pillows, panting for breath. "Once more," she was being told. Anything. Anything to be done. She
pushed like there was no tomorrow....
Jeffrey knew she was hurting and wished there was
something else he could do for her. He was about to push sweaty hair out of her
face when he started at the sound of a baby crying. He barely heard, �It�s a
boy!� because he was too dumbfounded to really be paying close attention. The
child-his son!-was handed off to be
dried and wrapped in a blue towel to a nurse and the doctor all but ordered
Salida to push again. He hadn�t needed to.
"Shit!" she screamed as her face scrunched
up with the effort of getting the last one out.
Briefly she wondered why she hadn't opted for the C-section, but then
had no concentration left for anything but forcing her body to do what she
wanted.
Jeffrey just offered what strength he could by his
presence at her side, helpless to do anything else but watch. A few minutes
later-he was certain they had been hours-Salida gave a groan in relief in time
with the loud wailing of their second child, a little girl. Jeffrey hadn�t
gotten to really look at either of them closely but now he was almost afraid
to. Salida suffered through the affects of the afterbirth while a second nurse
cleaned and blanketed their daughter. He dared a look at Salida, certain his
eyebrows must be hitting his hairline in pure amazement. She was a goddess. She
was more than that but he didn�t have the words. �I love you, Salida,� he
whispered, too awed by what she had done to speak any louder.
"Fuck you," she muttered, although not
without squeezing his hand gently in appreciation of all he'd done for her over
the past hours. "Where's my babies?"
Their son and daughter appeared at opposite sides of
the bed as if her words were magic, each of them silent and probably sleeping
after the shock of being born. Jeffrey stared down at the fluffy blue blanket
on his side not moving to touch only to look. He needed to see who got Salida�s
blue eyes but apparently that was going to have to wait for a later date.
�They�re beautiful, vixen,� he murmured before stiffening as his son was placed
in his arms and his daughter was handed over to Salida. The nurse was telling
him how to hold his son properly and he followed each word to the letter,
somehow afraid that if he deviated from the instructions he�d break him. The
doctor announced that they both seemed to be in perfect health for being born
early and he was undeniably grateful for that.
"We need names," Salida murmured as she
cradled her little girl. All pain, irritation, anger, exhaustion, etc. had
disappeared now that she had her child in her arms. What replaced it was a hot
rush of pure, uncontrollable love and devotion. These were her babies.
Jeffrey lowered himself back into the chair he had
been sitting in, careful not to jar the child in his arms. Each child was born
with a fringe of dark hair that shouldn�t have been surprising in the least
given he and Salida�s colouring, but was endearing all the same. �She�s a
goddess,� he murmured, glancing over at his daughter, his beautiful daughter.
�Maeve,� he added, the Latin for �goddess� flowing off
his tongue as if the name had just been plucked out of the air.
"Maeve," she repeated. "It sounds
soft." Just as her child's skin did. "Maeve Amata."
He repeated the name and nodded in approval. A beautiful name for a beautiful little girl. He then turned
town to his son in his arms, practically melting there on the spot as he
yawned. �And�Julian,� he said after a moment�s consideration.
Salida glanced up from the entrancing bundle in her
arms and was equally caught up by the sight of her son. "Julian
Xavier," she murmured.
�Maeve Amata and Julian
Xavier,� he repeated again, wonder on his face. There would have been a
Nicholas as well but that thought brought with it too much pain for this joyful
moment. �Our children.�
Salida glanced up to her husband; her eyes told him -
even beyond her exultation and exhaustion - that she knew what he was thinking.
But at least they hadn't lost them all.
�Congratulations to the both of you,� the doctor
enthused. �You have a beautiful son and daughter who,� he checked his watch and
laughed, �have birthdays on two different days. Your son was born at 11: 54 pm
on the 29^th and your daughter at 12:03 am on the 30^th.
Have you both decided on names? The birth certificates need to be filled out.�
Salida was too tired to bother with that.
"Jeffrey?" she murmured, hoping he'd understand that she wanted him
to deal with the process of signing everything.
Jeffrey nodded and rose to talk with the doctor, his
son still in his arms. He didn�t quite know whether he should hand him off or
not so he just held him. When a nurse came to take him, Jeffrey shook his head
and murmured that Salida should get to hold him before they were moved to the
hospital�s nursery.
Salida gratefully took her son in the crook of her
left arm, leaving her daughter in her right. She examined them both with avid
eyes, taking note of their reddened skin, screwed up eyes, and wrinkly little
faces. They weren't very attractive, but she loved them anyway. The thought of
letting them go was nearly unbearable, but she did need to get some rest. And the sooner she did, the sooner she
could have them back where they belonged.
Jeffrey went through all that the doctor and nurses
instructed him to do, marveling on the inky footprints already taken of his
children for their birth certificates. They had already been signed and were on
their way to officialdom which meant that sooner or later-probably sooner given
how things had been lately-they would have to leave. He signed his own name to
the birth certificate however, not planning to stick around long enough for
them to do a background check on the information he provided and find out that
he was a wanted serial killer under another name. Once that was finished he
moved back to his wife�s side, standing for a moment and watching her with
their two children in her arms. The sight made him want to do
something uncharacteristically domestic and pull out a camera or a
camcorder and document the occasion.
It wasn�t long before a nurse appeared to take the
children away. Salida let them go reluctantly, then
held out her hands for Jeffrey to take. �Thank you,� she whispered, squeezing
gently.
�For what, vixen?� he asked curiously, retaking his
seat.
"For insisting that we keep
them."
�Oh,� he said softly, bringing both of her hands up
to his lips to kiss her fingertips gently. �Well you�re welcome, vixen.�
"They're so beautiful," she whispered. "So small. Although they didn't feel that way, believe
me."
�Oh I believe you,� he said with a short laugh. �But
you�re right. They�re perfect. Both of them. You done
good, wife,� he said with a slight smirk.
"You helped."
His smirk stayed in place. �Indeed I did,� he said
simply.
She eyed his smirk and pursed her lips. "Not that much."
Jeffrey just laughed again. �Alright you did most of
the work I agree. The real fun is about to begin now I think. At least when you
were still pregnant we could keep track of then easily. God knows that won�t be
the case now.�
"No, we're still good. They won't be crawling or
walking for awhile yet."
�Thank god for that,� he said in an intentionally
overdramatic voice.
"Haha."
Salida closed her eyes and sighed. "God, I'm sleepy."
�Then sleep, vixen. The nurses are taking good care
of our children,� They fucking better be. �So you rest now. And when you�re feeling up to it
we�ll go and see them through the nursery window like normal parents.�
"Fuck that," she murmured. "I'll be a
normal mother and make the nurses bring them to me. I'm not walking
today." Just the thought made her wince.
He frowned at her misinterpretation of what he�d
said. �Of course you aren�t. You�re not going anywhere until the doc says it�s
ok. You�re a bed-bound vixen for awhile at least.�
She shook her head. "Nope, I've been stitched up
already. Just a bit sore. Two days in bed and I'll be
released."
He pursed his lips at that but didn�t comment. In
truth he wanted nothing more than to take her and their children home today but
he didn�t, wouldn�t, do anything to endanger their health and
safety.
"How's Grant?" Salida asked as she tried to
fight off sleep for another few minutes. "I assume everything went off
without a hitch since you're all back."
�She�s�actually I don�t know how she�s doing.
Apparently she�s alright. You interrupted her and Sands in flagrante delicto when
you called up to the room so apparently she�s bounced back.�
"I don't know if you should go that far. She did think he was dead."
He shrugged. �Well she seemed alright to me. I didn�t
really talk to her.�
"Mmm..." She was
loosing the battle to stay awake. "You should let Sands see her. Or something."
�Why? She�ll be fine,� Jeffrey grumbled stubbornly,
not wanting to leave her side.
"You know what I'd be scared of if I were
her?"
�What�s that, vixen?�
"That it was only a fluke."
�What do you mean?�
"That Sands can't come
back. That now that he's disappeared again, all that bad stuff is going to
start over."
Jeffrey sighed. �Are you trying to make me feel
guilty about not letting her see him?�
"I'm just suggesting that since I'm going to be
asleep for awhile, and the babies - Maeve and Julian -" she grinned
"-are going to be asleep for awhile, that perhaps you might let Aida see
her husband."
Jeffrey sighed. It did sound�fair. �Fine.
I�ll let Sands go see her. But you have someone call me when you wake up,
alright? I won�t be gone long.�
"I am. I'm going to sleep until tomorrow."
He laughed softly at that. �You go right ahead,
vixen. You�ve more than earned it.� He leaned over to place a gentle kiss on
her lips before standing again to look down on her. �You rest. I�ll try and be
here when you wake up.�
"Yes. So we can spend time with Maeve and
Julian."
The smile that had been playing at his lips erupted
in a full-fledged grin at the mention of his new son and daughter. �I love you,
wife.�
"I love me too. But there's still some love left
over for you." She grinned rather lazily.
�Good to know,� he said with a slight smirk. �Sleep
now, vixen. Dream of our children.�
"Don't have to. We have the real thing
now."
�Indeed we do. Thanks to you.�
"Thanks to me."
He nodded and brushed a lock of her hair out of her
face just watching her, not saying a word.
"What?" she murmured, leaning into his touch.
�Nothing,� he said with a smile. �I was just looking
at you.�
"I'm..." She was covered in sweat, her hair
was sticking to her face and neck, and she smelled.
"I'm not pleasant at the moment.�
�I think you look beautiful,� he said seriously.
Instead of telling him to get his eyes checked,
Salida simply murmured, "Thank you."
�It�s alright if you don�t believe me. I still think
you�re beautiful.�
"No, that wasn't it. I do believe you."
�Then what was it?� he asked curiously.
She shook her head. "Nothing."
Jeffrey might have pressed for answers but she looked
tired and he was keeping her up. �Alright. Goodbye, my
love. Have a good sleep.�
"You too."
He nodded and with one last lingering look at her he
turned and walked slowly out of the room, waking Sands as he walked.
***
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More Than Darkness