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Bodyguard

mypgems

Super-Earth
Joined
Apr 9, 2016
Location
Back and Beyond
This is a story written by me and Falcon_Master who isn't on the board. Least I don't think he is.... :cautious: Anyways I play Abbie and her family and FM plays everyone else. NSFW in places.

Enjoy!

Bodyguard

It happened so fast that people on the sidewalk didn't realize what had happened until it was all over.

First, two vans bumped into the front and rear bumpers of a nondescript black SUV trapping it in the middle of the street. The back door of the van in front swung open with a hooded person leaping onto the SUV's hood and swinging a sledgehammer into the windshield several time until they got a hole in the bullet resistant glass. They then shoved a canister of pepper spray before jumping to the street to swing at the backseat passenger windows. Another hooded figure had jumped out of the rear van to pound a sledgehammer on the SVU windows on the opposite size. As quickly as the windshield had broken the other windows did too with the attackers then dropping the sledges and reaching in to open the doors. Each had a stun gun in a hand as they made a quick scan of the inside of the SVU, ignoring the violent coughs of the two occupants up front. They glanced at each other when the search came up empty and then ran back to the vans that took off in a squeal of tires.

The driver side door opened with a uniformed police officer nearly falling out onto the pavement. The coughing spasms were so violent that he had vomited on the front of his uniform. It took several gulps of fresh air before he could bring his radio up. "10-33! 10-33!" he spoke/coughed. Then, without thinking, he used the informal name they used. "Princess detail attacked!"

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

"How the hell did they know where to hit?!" yelled an older man in an immaculate suit who wore an ID on a lanyard with the words 'FBI' on it.

"The dumbasses must've used the same route everyday. That's how!" growled an equally old man who wore a police uniform with enough stars on it say that he was the chief. "The mayor will be calling me any minute for an update. What's the status on his daughter?" He pointed at another man in a suit, nowhere as expensive as the FBIer's, who was his Chief of Detectives.

"We're lucky there. The kid's in one of the library branches," he said in a voice that told of too many cigars. "Talked with the bodyguard, Detective Sergeant Tabby Michels, damn good officer, and they're in a back part of the place. No windows, limited entry points. Hasn't told the kid yet and I told her not to yet. Library is getting everyone out quick and quiet and I'll four teams in there in about 10 minutes." He glaced at his smartphone. "Make that 5 and patrol will have radio units staking the place out."

"Good but how do we get her out of there? We can't keep on the press for much longer." That they had so far was sheer luck. No one had picked up on the initial transmission and the media was treating the attack as unusual but not 'breaking news' worthy.

"Special Weapons is staging with a couple of their Bearcat trucks. They'll go in and get her armored up before bringing her out. Ain't nobody getting to her."

"The Bureau is getting the lists of every group that has motive and/or capabilities to pull this off. Its going to be a long list I'm afraid."

"Just got worse." The voice that said it belonged to the woman in charge of the VIP security details. She plopped a series of message printouts and maps on the conference room's table. "I talked with my people from the truck..."

"Didn't you tell them to vary the routes they take?" the chief growled.

"They do the best they can but you know the streets down there? There's only so many changes you can make. Take a look at this...." she spread out the paper as the men crowded around her. "This was the route they were to take bringing her home. They made a detour for a stop that took less than a minute at the library. They kept going after that so nobody suspect she was there. SOP. Here's where things went wrong." She pointed at message log and then at one from instant messaging. "They messaged dispatch control over the secure line about the route change but didn't mention the stop. They texted me a code phrase to tell me about the stop. I was the only one who knew she wasn't in the SUV but...."

The Chief of D's started rubbing his eyes like he had a migraine. "They knew about the route change but not the drop off. They had access to the secure line."

"That's impossible!" the chief exclaimed. "That has an GPS based encryption system that resets 20 times per second using a cellular network. There's an ID chip hardwired into it so we know if one is missing and where its at." The system was the chief's pride and joy and would be replacing all the various radios the department used.

"It means you have a mole somewhere that's feeding them real time information." The FBIer was already thinking about the counter-intelligence they would be 'providing' the locals. "It also means she isn't safe anywhere because you don't know who to trust."

"He's got a point boss," The Chief of D's said, heading off a blow up by his boss. "We could turn her over to the Feds to look after but we don't know if they have a mole either." The sly smile punctured the rapidly inflating ego of the Fed.

"Here's a suggestion people..." the only woman in the room said. "One person. Totally trustworthy who picks her up at the library and they go....someplace. Totally off the grid. No computers, tablet, anything. Only phone is a burner that calls another burner the chief has. They stay out until we know what the fuck is going on." She glanced around and started to see a series of nods.

"I know just the person...." the C of D's said.

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

With a heavy sigh, Detective Sergeant Draven Darius switched off the computer on his desk and pushed his chair back, rising to his feet to hook the black suit jacket off the back of his chair before he turned towards the partially open door to his small office. At five feet eleven inches, he wasn’t especially tall, and he was lean and trim, with broad shoulders, but there was something about him that made you look twice. Maybe it was his deep, brooding, dark grey eyes, or maybe it was his shoulder length jet black hair, with just the faintest speckles of grey, or perhaps it was the ‘Globe and Anchor’ Marine Corps tattoo that was partially visible below the left sleeve of his short sleeved shirt. Maybe it was just the way he moved, a lifetime of martial arts training having taught him to be light on his feet, skills enhanced by over ten years in Marine Force Recon. He wore a white, short sleeve shirt, dark tie, black pants. Against the white of his shirt, the black leather shoulder rig he wore stood out, the rosewood grips of the Colt 1911A1 pistol he carried clearly visible. Slipping on his jacket, he paused in the doorway to shut off the light in his small office, before he started towards the elevator that would take him down to the parking lot below the building, so he could go home.

“Detective,” called a voice, just as the doors to the elevator opened and he was about to step inside. Draven paused, turning towards the sound of the voice and spotting a uniformed officer walking rapidly towards him. He recognized the desk sergeant, leaning against the wall beside the elevator as the doors closed.

“This better be important,” he said, softly, as he waited for the sergeant to reach him.

“Chief wants to see you, it’s urgent,” answered the sergeant, as he reached the detective. Darius waited a few seconds, to see if the sergeant had anything else to add, before he reached for the button to call the elevator once more.

“Then I guess I shouldn’t keep the chief waiting,” he said, as the elevator pinged once and the door slid open. Stepping inside, Darius pushed the button to send the elevator car up three floors to the chiefs’ office.


Half an Hour Later

The elevator ride down to the basement parking lot seemed to take forever, as Darius leant against the wall of the elevator car and thought about his assignment. Bodyguard duty, every cop’s worst nightmare. If everything went right, that was great, although you never got any thanks for it. And, well, if something went wrong they knew exactly who to blame. But this was worse than that, with a potential mole somewhere in the department it meant that he was on his own. No back up, nothing. If the shit hit the fan, and it probably would, then he was going to have to keep not only himself alive, but his charge too. And he really wasn’t looking forward to being cooped up in a safe house, in the middle of nowhere, for God alone knew how long, with an eighteen year old girl. As he rode the elevator down, he tried to remember what he knew about Abbie Michaels and her father.

David Michaels had been a very successful prosecutor with the Willowburg D.A.’s office, before he’d decided to go into politics. Which meant he’d already had a long list of enemies and people gunning for him, before he’d taken the Mayor’s office by storm six years earlier. After a successful term as mayor, because of his stint as a DA he’d been seen as tough on crime and had increased funding for the entire Willowburg Police Department. Thanks to Michaels the department now had two dedicated S.W.A.T. teams, as well as a Hostage Rescue Squad and almost twice the number of uniformed officers that they’d had before he took office. Which made him very popular amongst the police. After his first term as mayor, he’d surprised a great many people by announcing that he was running for the vacant Senate post. He’d taken the election by a landslide, becoming one of the youngest senators in the senate, and had recently announced that he intended to run for president. According to the early polls, he was the favorite to take the primary.

His daughter, on the other hand, he didn’t know much about, except what he’d been told in the briefing. She’d just turned eighteen, senior in high school, 3.8 grade point average, kept herself out of the public eye as much as possible. They’d shown him a picture of her, she was a good head shorter than him, long hair, glasses, pretty enough, he guessed, but could be a lot more if she’d make even half an effort.

The burner phone the chief had given him weighed heavily in the pocket of his jacket, it was his only way of contacting the outside world. How long he’d have to be with her no one knew, it might be a day, it could be a lot longer. The elevator reached the basement and the doors slid open, revealing the parking lot. Stepping out of the elevator, Draven lit a cigarette as he walked towards where he’d parked his car, the metallic black Mustang hiding in a far corner of the lot. As he walked his footsteps echoed softly in the mostly empty parking garage, the air was warm and humid, but not uncomfortably so. Reaching the car, he dropped his cigarette and crushed it out, unlocking the door and climbing inside without first removing his shoulder rig, as he usually did. Gunning the engine, the powerful V6 roaring into life, his fastened his seatbelt, made sure the A/C was on and then guided the car out of the parking garage and onto the street.

The roads were fairly devoid of traffic, which was a little surprising considering it was early evening and they were usually crowded with commuters making their way home. The drive from the precinct to the library took a little over twenty minutes, more time for him to reflect on what he’d been told. He didn’t like the idea that there was a mole in the department, didn’t like the feeling that someone he trusted had betrayed the badge for money. Reaching the library, he guided the car around to the back of the building.

Willowburg City Library was a large building, built over a hundred years earlier and recently modernized. Dirty, white, marble steps ran up to the front of the building, the huge glass doors set in more marble below a porch supported by a dozen foot diameter marble pillars. Reaching the rear of the building, Draven killed the car engine and pushed open the door, crossing the short distance to the rear fire exit and knocking on the door three times. Once, followed by two quick taps. Almost instantly the door slid open and Detective Sergeant Tabby Michaels appeared in the opening, the two of them knew each other from a couple of cases they’d worked a few years ago. “I’ll go get her,” she said, simply, before she disappeared and the door closed. Returning to his car, Draven settled into his seat and waited.

Abbie Michaels stood quietly in the dim light where her bodyguard had had left her. It was close to the rear door but safely out of direct sight of it. She could barely see anything due to the sunglasses she wore that could have doubled as welder’s goggles. A blue suit coat that was a size too large she wore over her brown school uniform. A baseball cap with her long hair piled into on her head.

Everything had happened so fast....

Instead of going home right after school as was usual, she asked her escort to let her go to the library for a couple of hours. It was an impulse that Abbie had come up with the moment she had climbed into the police SUV. The detail was cool about it because they had done it before. Besides, Abbie didn’t give them any trouble like some VIP’s might have so they were willing to do a little extra at times.

It seemed that the impulse had saved her that afternoon.

There had been no real reason to go to the library other than it being a quiet place of sanity to work on her college entrance thesis for CalTech and MiT. They had to be *perfect* for her to even have a shot at getting in. So far, the stars seemed to be aligning in her favor with getting the recommendations and grade. The actual fight was with her parents, in particular her mother, who not so bluntly suggested she wait a year. They ‘needed’ her to help with her dad’s campaign.

The.Campaign.

That’s why she didn’t want to work at home. The place was campaign ground zero right now even if her parents were out of town. People coming and going, telephones, meetings, and the rest just filled the place with tension. Even locked in her room with her headphone playing her favorite calming music didn’t do Abbie much good. The library was a blissful place of relief compared to it.

There was an almost hidden area way in the back of the library that almost no one came to for some reason. Abbie didn’t care why, she just used the table and chair with her laptop to be in her own world. The only sound was the tapping of the keys and the rustle of paper when she looked up a note she had written down. Tabby would be wandering around the area where she could keep an eye on things and still give her charge some privacy.

The pair had been together for over six months and got along well. The worlds each was from and the age differences meant they would never be friends but they respected each other a lot. Abbie never made trouble with trying to ‘escape’, except for that one time of course, and listened to their directions. Tabby didn’t ride close herd on her, especially at school, and actually listened when Abbie made a request for something. A few times they had had ‘girl talk’ sessions that had led to lots of laughing. All in all they were a good fit. Everything was going fine until....

“Huh?” Abbie said with a start and looked up. Tabby’s hand touched her shoulder. Instantly Abbie knew something was up because the look on the officer’s face. She had been around cops long enough to know when the ‘game face’ appeared things had gone south. Quickly, she pulled the earbuds out and saved her work before shutting down the laptop.

“Listen and don’t ask questions, k? The SUV got hit by a team and they were looking for you. We’re getting you out of here, k” Tabby spoke quietly and directly at Abbie. Her suit jacket was pushed back to reveal her holstered Glock. She shook her her head when Abbie began to stuff her laptop into her school bag. “No, you’re not taking that. Nothing electronic including your phone. They’re worried about tracking.”

Abbie’s jaw dropped at the news. SUV? Hit? They wanted HER? Her head started shaking in disagreement. This wasn’t how things were suppose to go! The cops...bodyguards were all for show and all that. Nobody was actually going to do anything to her. Her parents were the ones any nut cases would go after. Wasn’t that was dad had told her a long time ago? Back when he was a DA and the mob or the Russian or whoever got pissed at him for a crackdown. They weren’t going after families.

“Worried about tracking? Why? Aren’t they going to land a helicopter on the roof or stick me in a tank for the ride home?” She was half joking but again, she knew cops and knew they tended to use too much protection rather than too little when it came to civilians.

Tabby sighed and shook her head. “You aren’t going home. There’s a leak someplace in the department. They had info they shouldn’t have. It might be paranoia but they are worried that there could be other threats to your safety Abbie. Maybe in your house. We need time to check it out.” Taking hold of both of the girl’s hands the older woman looked into the girl’s blue eyes. “We’re going to hide you for a day or two. One officer, off the grid, somewhere out of town I guess.”

“With you?” Abbie whispered, a tremble in her voice from the sudden fear. The fact that the cops thought there could be more to the ‘plot’ and that she might not even be safe at home was very unsettling. Only Tabby’s firm grip that transmitted some of her strength kept Andie from breaking down in tear.

“No honey, not me.” Tabby smiled as she let go of the girl’s hands and slipped out of her suit jacket and put Andi’s school jacket, that had been hanging on the back of a chair, on. “SWAT is going surround ‘you’ as they escort ‘you’ out of the building into an armored car to take ‘you’ to HQ where ‘you’ will be kept in the chief’s office for the time being. That’s where everybody will be looking. Not at a civilian car with a plainclothes officer driving.” Then Tabby did something totally out of the blue: she kissed her charge’s forehead. “Now let’s get going. We don’t got much time.”

Abbie closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. “I can do this....” she whispered. Then she gave a little smile as she stood up, smooth out her knee length skirt, pulled her school tie tight, before tucking it into the brown vest with school logo she wore. “What do I have to do?”

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

“Okay, he’s waiting out there,” Tabby said after coming back inside. “I know the guy and he’s good. You’ll do okay with him.”

“Just for a day or two, right?” Abbie asked softly. She had a bag in her hand that held her notebook, sketchpad, and a paperback copy of “War & Peace”. Nothing electronic. It also contained Tabby’s ankle holster with her backup S&W Model 640 .38 snubnose with te instructions to tell her new bodyguard about ASAP.

“Yep sweetie. We’ll get the shit straightened out here and you can come home.” It was easy to how scared Abbie was and she gave her a hug again. “Stay strong. Listen and do everything he says and it’ll be fine.”

Abbie nodded and without another word went out the door.

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

Even with the sunglasses, the sunlight almost blinded her for a second. The humid air was cloying after the A/C of the library and made the nylons she had to wear with the uniform seem even more tight than usual. As Tabby had said, ‘he’ was waiting there.

The passenger door was ajar so Abbie just had to pull it open and climbed in, shutting it behind her. Instinctively she put fastened the seatbelt before settling back. She heard the door lock and felt the car go into motion. For the moment, she just looked down at her hands clasped on her lap.

They drove silently for a few minutes before Abbie said in a soft voice, “Mustang. I like the ‘67 Shelby GT350 myself. I asked my dad for one when I was fourteen. He laughed and gave me a model instead.”

The wait seemed to take forever. The waiting was the worst part, he knew that from experience. On a stake out, waiting for the order to go in, or stand down. But, more than that, he remembered how much he’d hated waiting when he’d been with the Marines. Waiting for orders, waiting for the attack everyone knew was coming. Waiting, in the rubble, eye glued to the eyepiece of a sniper scope, a mile away, tracking his target whilst he waited for the order to fire. Then he saw the rear door open again, Tabby Michaels appearing in the opening before she turned to embrace a young woman and then speak softly to her before she pushed the girl towards the car.

The first thing he noticed as she got into the car, was how young she looked. Then he noticed the school uniform, and the nylons she wore. His eyes strayed, briefly, to her legs, he’d always had a weakness for legs and nylons and he had to admit that Abbie Michaels had a great pair of pins. Quickly he pulled his attention back to the task at hand, flipping Tabby a casual salute before he gunned the engine and guided the car away from the library, hopefully Abbie hadn’t noticed his eyes straying. The darkened windows of the Mustang meant that no one could see inside, no one would be able to tell who was in the car.

They’d been on the road for several minutes before she spoke. Her voice was soft, almost lilting, with just the faintest hint of the nervous anxiety she had to be feeling. She was definitely strong, he’d give her that. He knew trained marines who wouldn’t have been able to cope even half as well with the situation she found herself in. “You’re dad’s a smart man,” he said, after a few seconds, keeping his voice soft, friendly, as he spoke. “But, if you’re gonna talk Shelby, you can’t forget the AC Cobra. That’s the reason the Brits have speed limits,” he added, as he guided the Mustang out of the city and onto the highway. “I’m Draven, by the way,” he added, by way of an introduction.

Once they were clear of the city, with the long, straight, highway stretching far into the distance ahead of them, he set the cruise control then took his hands off the wheel long enough to remove his jacket and tossed it into the tiny rear passenger compartment. Even with the A/C on, the jacket was getting a little warm. He returned his attention to the road and driving, guiding the car along almost empty highway as it ate through the miles. They were heading for an FBI safe house up in Maine, one that no one at the precinct could know about. He’d had to study an old fashioned, paper, map and memorize the house location because they couldn’t trust that then cars internal GPS hadn’t been hacked. The Chief had even had the Department transponder, which told the dispatch officer where the car was, disabled. Which, of course, made sense.

His eyes flicked down to the fuel gauge, as much as he loved his Mustang it was heavy on the gas, and he eased the car onto the next exit ramp and then into the gas station. “Stay inside,” he told her, although he was sure the instruction was unnecessary, as he slid his shoulder rig off, tucked the Colt into the back of his pants, hidden by his shirt, and went to pump gas. Minutes later, they were back on the road.

Leaving the gas station, he lit a cigarette, guiding the car back onto the Interstate. They were still a good eight hours from their destination, which meant that unless she wanted to sleep in the car they were going to have to find somewhere to stay overnight. Driving through the night didn’t both him, but if she wanted to stop he would. They’d also need something to eat, although they could hit a burger joint along the way, he just hoped the FBI had thought ahead and made sure there would be at least some supplies at their destination. He finished his cigarette and stubbed it out, trying to focus on the road ahead. His eyes flicked to the left, lingering a fraction of a second on her legs before he returned his gaze to the road. He noticed that she’d pulled a book out of her bag, had it open on her lap, and he caught the title in his peripheral vision. “War and Peace, huh?” He said, softly, as he guided the car onto the exit ramp and onto the next road that would take them to their destination. “That’s some heavy reading, we had to study it at Quantico,” he added, after a few seconds. He figured she’d seen the Marine Corps tattoo, would be able to work out the rest. “We should grab something to eat, soon, there should be a drive through burger place somewhere around here. And, do you want to stop overnight? I don’t mind, either way, but if you want something more comfortable than that seat to sleep in we’re gonna need to find a motel at some point,” he added.

“Cobra’s are nice,” Abbie said as she took off the sunglasses and tucked them in the coat’s pocket. That was followed by the hat that was placed on her lap with fingers combing her hair a bit. It felt a little weird not to have it in her customary ponytail but Abbie didn’t want to go through the trouble of doing it right now. “But if I’m going that route I’ll take a Lotus Seven. One of dad’s friends has one I took me for a ride. That was cool. I’m Abbie by the way but you know that I guess.”

The car got quiet again as they drove north. Most of the time Abbie just looked out of the passenger window as the scenery flew past. This wasn’t the first car trip she had been on, not with all the campaigns and conferences her dad was apart of. Growing up, her parents had made it a point to bring her along the conferences her dad was going to when it didn’t interfere with school so they could spend time together. That’s how she got to visit several different countries before she was fifteen. Abbie had loved those trips because they at the end of the day, they would have fun.

Then came the campaigns and the fund raising trips and the meet and greets. Some Abbie had to go to because the image makers wanted the ‘family’ imaged projected. The trips became less fun and more like work or duty. She soon became happy when she didn’t have to go. It all felt like a bubble was forming between her and the real world....

A slight bump pulled her out of her thoughts and caused her to glance over at Draven. He wasn’t familiar to her but that wasn’t surprising at all considering the sheer size of the department. Abbie thought he was kind of cute, in an intense sort of way. A tiny smile came to her lips after she mentally compared him to him to some of the guys she knew at school. There was no comparison, they were boys and Draven was a man. Not that it really meant anything of course. Still...

Abbie snuck another glance over at him and held it for a moment longer than she had planned. The tiny bits of gray in his hair made him seem more attractive somehow. It was then that she caught Draven sneaking a glimpse of her and with a start, realized that he was looking at her legs. Both realized what the other was doing as they eyes locked. Nothing was said but Abbie’s cheeks blushed and the tiny smile came back as she turned away. Was he flirting with her or did he just like her legs. Either way it did make Abbie feel nice inside. She wasn’t one of those girls guys tended to hit on. Not when you had an armed cop close by and the fact that she was the mayor’s daughter didn’t help.

The car stayed silent with Draven concentrating on the driving and Abbie looking out the window again.

At the gas station, she took advantage of the stop to slip out of Tabby’s suit jacket and to roll up the sleeves of her white shirt above the elbows. The school vest would show the swell of her breasts but there wasn’t anything Abbie could do about that. Guys, and a few girls, did tend to focus on those two lumps of fat. During swimming class it was difficult not to run and hide. Even worse was the showers afterwards with the other girls giving her a ‘look’ at how perfect they appeared on her petite body. She hated all the stares that she might get so that’s why Abbie tried to wear clothes that didn’t show too much. When Draven got back into the car, she suddenly wondered what his eyes would do. To her shock, she realized she didn’t care. That made her smile again.

It took a moment for her to realize that he was talking to her and to register the words. “This book?” Abbie asked, holding it up for a moment as she smiled. “It's my ‘emergency’ book. You know, if I’m stuck someplace without a computer I can have something to keep my mind occupied. Gods help you if I’m bored. It can be disastrous. Not as bad as today though...” Her smiled faded a little before she shook her head. “Quantico? Cops become FBI and not the other way around so you must be....a marine? Officer and a Gentleman and all that? Cool beans.”

She looked at at him as he mentioned food. Surely he could hear the sudden rumble of her stomach over the sound the engine. “Burgers sound good and no, I’m not a vegan or vegetarian. I like meat. I’m cool with us driving straight through to wherever we are going if you are. I can sleep just about anywhere.” The suit jacket, suitable folded, would make a good pillow to lean her head against.

“There’s something I do have to tell you and should have told you right away but I...forgot.” Carefully, Abbie reached into her bag and pulled out the gun in the ankle holster she had been given. “Tabby gave me her backup gun, just in case, and said to tell you about it. I think it suppose to be a ‘last resort’ kind of thing. I’ve shot a gun once or twice so I’m not scared of them. Probably couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn though. I leave it up to you to decide.” The gun she had shot was a .357 that had nearly put her back on her butt! There was a video her mom had of it that Abbie refused to let her show anyone.

“Can I ask where we are going?” She put the book away because with the sun beginning to go down it was getting harder to read.

All thoughts of food disappeared, as Abbie took the holstered gun from her schoolbag. Making a mental note to talk to Tabby, giving the girl her back up weapon, even as a last resort, went against at least a dozen regulations he could think of, and probably another dozen that he couldn’t. He could understand why she’d done it, but she shouldn’t have. “Put it in the glove box, and don’t even think about touching it unless I say,” he said, finally. He waited until she’d tucked the holstered pistol in the glove box, before he turned his attention back to the road. One thing the chief had told him about the safe house, when he’d expressed concerns about having to protect Abbie with nothing but his sidearm, there was a small arsenal of weapons there, plenty of ammunition and two shooting ranges. A small, short, one under the house, and more than enough room outside for a full rifle range.

For a brief second, a while ago, he’d been worried that she’d caught him stealing a glance at her legs, but she hadn’t said anything or reacted, so he assumed he’d been wrong. Still, he knew he had to be careful. She was barely eighteen, young enough to be his daughter. She was cute, though, maybe if he was twenty years younger, or she was ten years older… He derailed the thought before it could fully form. He was a cop, he had a job to do.

“Yes, Marine Force Recon, ten years, give or take a few months,” he said, in answer to her question as to whether or not he was a marine. “Officer, yes, gentleman, not according to my ex-wife,” he added, after a few seconds. “Tell you what, I believe there’s a shooting range where we’re going, if we get bored, I’ll teach you to shoot, properly, okay?” He added, after a few more seconds. She nodded, before she put her book away, with the fading light it was going to be pretty much impossible for her to read anyway.

“We’re heading for a safe house, up in Maine, that’s about all I can tell you.” He said, in answer to her question, pausing briefly before he added. “The chief says it’s pretty secluded, out in the middle of nowhere, a log cabin is how he described it. Other than that, I have no idea, I’ve never been there before,” he finished. “There’s not gonna be much else there, so we’re gonna need to work on a list of supplies, clothes and food, tomorrow, I can hit the local Wal-Mart,” he added, after a handful of seconds.

At the next exit he pulled off the highway, hitting a drive through McDonalds and ordering burgers and fries for both of them. He ate as he drove, he was used to it, and opened the window to smoke a cigarette once she’d finished. Finishing his smoke, he tossed the butt out of the open window, leaving it open so the cool air kept him awake even as took the jacket she’d been wearing and used it as a pillow for her head as she settled into her seat and drifted off to sleep. He had to make another stop for gas, but she didn’t notice as she slept soundly.

The car ate up the miles, cruising along the deserted highway that was lit only by the Mustang’s headlights and those of the occasional car they passed. Once or twice he heard her stir lightly in her sleep, and once he glanced across at her and let his eyes linger on her legs. She definitely had great legs.

Several hours later, just as he was starting to yawn and feel the fatigue of driving all night, he pulled the Mustang off the highway and onto the road that would take them to the safe house. Half an hour, and two wrong turns later, he guided the Mustang onto the long, sweeping, curving, driveway that would take them up to the house. Pulling the car into the rear of the house, he killed the engine and glanced across at Abbie. She was still fast asleep, snoring ever so gently, and for a brief second he thought about waking her up. Deciding against it, instead he opened his door, went across to the house and opened the front door, before he went back to the car and then opened the passenger door.

Reaching across her, he unfastened her seatbelt and then gently scooped her up into his arms. She stirred gently in her sleep, but didn’t wake up, and he carried across to the house and inside, being careful not to wake her. He carried her through to one of the bedrooms and lay her gently on the bed, then went back to the car to retrieve the pistol she’d left in the glovebox. Locking the car, he returned to the house and went through to the kitchen to check on supplies. As he’d suspected there was pretty much nothing, and he went through to the lounge and sat on the couch. Removing his shoes, he placed his pistol back in his shoulder rig and then lay down. Closing his eyes, he felt himself drift off to sleep.

As much as he tried to stop them, his dreams drifted to Abbie.

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

The air in the car changed just enough that even Abbie could feel it. Draven wasn’t angry, at least so she thought, but he had fallen into ‘police mode’. Nodding, she did as she was told and made the glove compartment was tightly shut. “I’m not stupid either. I know what guns are and I know that I don’t do anything without your express order. I didn’t want it either,” she said in a soft but calm voice. “Don’t get Tabby in trouble for this. It was wrong but her heart was in the right place.” Abbie thought she caught a slight nod from him but she couldn’t be sure.

When he described the cabin and the fact that he might have to go to Wal-Mart to get things she piped up: “I’ll drive the car!” That did earn her a look of surprise and then narrow eyebrows. Abbie almost caught her grinning because the scowl look so cute on him! “Well, you aren’t going to leave me alone in that cabin while you go and you can’t take me in with you. Gods knows how many news channels my face is on by now.” She settled back in the seat, quite proud of herself. “I can drop you off, park someplace quiet and where I watch the door, and then pick you up. I have a plan!” If she didn't know better she would have sworn his teeth were grinding but he didn’t seem to object to it.

McD’s wasn’t exactly a favorite but she wasn’t about to turn down food. Afterwards, the day finally caught up with Abbie as she placed the folded up jacket against the window and watched the dark fly past until her eyes closed.....
 
Abbie smiled in her sleep as she dreamt about lips that kissed her bare shoulders, a hand that reached around from to cup a naked and hard tipped breast, another hand that reached down to touch that wet....

Her eyes flew open as a gasp escaped her lips. For a moment she expected to feel those big, warm hands touching her in all the right places... When nothing happened Abbie breathed a sigh of relief and a bit of disappointment. She hadn't had a hot dream that was as vivid as that one in a long time. She settled back with eyes closed and tried to remember every detail of the dream. It wasn't that she was horny, no more than most girls that is, but just the fact that she had so little practice in it all. Other than some kissing and a boob grab, which earned the kid a fat lip, that was the extent of her exploring. As she got older, the less chances and less willing victims could be found. Who get dad was tended to keep the boys away. Although there was that dreamy Italian guy Abbie had met at a conference in Rome her dad was attending. Neither spoke the other's language but they created one in the kisses. When her mom dragged her away, she had the most dazed look and smile on her face.

Suddenly her eyes flew open again as Abbie realized that she definitely wasn't in the car anymore. That she was laying on top of a bed with a sheet covering. Pushing the sheet off and sitting up, she saw in the dim moonlight that she was still fully dressed right down to her Mary Janes. She hadn't woken up in the car and Draven carried her into bed. That hadn't happened in a very long time. She wondered why he just didn't wake her up? Abbie knew that she was not 'as light as a feather'. The room didn't seem bad at all. Just a little musty but that was because the place hadn't been aired out in a while. She wondered what the rest of the place looked like but knew it could wait until morning. Wandering about in the dark wasn't a smart thing. Besides, she could still do with some more sleep. First though...

Abbie swung her legs off of the bed so she could undo the straps on the shoes so she slip them off to place on the floor. There was a dresser in the corner that she went over to and pulled over a drawer. It was empty save for a couple of faded t-shirts. One seemed to have more holes than fabric. The other looked better but when Abbie hung it in front of herself she found it was twice size. It also had the AC/DC logo on it as well. Shaking her head she scooted back over to the bed, stocking feet sliding on the polished wood floor.

After a glance to make sure the door was closed, she reached under the skirt to slide the nylons down and off. A small sigh at feeling the tight elastic on her upper thighs being gone. The skirt, vest, tie, and white shirt quickly followed. Abbie started to reach behind her to undo the bra but stopped for a moment. Should she leave it on? It would be uncomfortable to sleep in but this wasn't her own room, it was a strange place with a stranger outside the door. A gentle shake of the head at thinking she had to worry about Draven. Her fingers moved a little and the loosened bra slipped to the floor to leave her naked but for her panties.

There was a mirror on the wall that held her reflection. The light was dim but still enough to make herself out in it. Abbie shook her hair and attempted a ‘sexy’ pose that made her roll her eyes. Another caused her to shake her head before pulling the shirt on. Her mom always said that she was a beautiful girl and tried to get her really into the really ‘girly’ stuff but it never took. Her body might look great but what if you didn’t know how to ‘use it’?

Abbie gave a sigh and gathered up her clothes to place on the other side of the bed with her climbing under the covers on her side. Surprisingly, she was fast asleep not long after her her eyes closed....

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

Sunlight falling on his face, woke Draven a half dozen hours later, consciousness slowly returning as his sleepy brain tried to fight off the inevitable. Slowly his eyes opened, one hand rising to shield them from the bright, early morning, light that streamed through the window. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was, a little longer to remember why he was there, before the events of the previous evening came flooding back. Picking the girl up from the library, the long drive through the night, talking, stealing glances at her…He derailed that thought almost before it had formed, although he could clearly remember the gentle curve of her legs, the way they looked in the nylons she wore, the school uniform…he tried to stop the thought but it was there before he even realized.

Sitting up he stretched, feeling the muscles in his back, neck and shoulders protest at the sudden movement, even as he heard his joints creak and crack. “Damn, must be getting old,” he said to himself, as he tried to work the knots and kinks out. Of course, he knew that sleeping on the couch hadn’t helped but he’d slept in much worse places and woken up better rested. He put his shoes on, tying the laces, before he finally rose to his feet and thought to check his watch. It was a little after seven in the morning. Running fingers through his hair, he headed to the room he’d set Abbie in the night before. The girl was still sleeping peacefully, although the pile of discarded clothing on the floor by her bed told him she’d woken in the night and undressed before she went back to sleep. Deciding to let the girl sleep, she’d had a long, taxing, tiring, day the day before, he decided to check out the cabin a little more thoroughly. There were too more bedrooms, one a little smaller than the one he’d settled Abbie into, and one much larger, clearly the master bedroom. As well as the three bedrooms and the lounge, there was the kitchen and a small dining room, as well as a covered porch outside. Making his way into the kitchen, he was glad to see there was at least a coffee maker, as well as fridge/freezer. He checked the cupboards, finding coffee filters and a package of coffee. He checked the expiration date on the coffee, glad to see it was still ‘in date’, and he filled the coffee maker with water, added a filter and coffee then set the machine to brew. Going across to the fridge, he checked the freezer compartment and found a pack of waffles that were still good, at least Abbie would be able to have something for breakfast, if she wanted. There was no milk, of course, but that didn’t bother him, he’d always drank his coffee black anyway.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee carried to him and he went in search of a cup, or mug. He had to open almost every cupboard before he finally found them and he carried a mug across to the coffee maker. Pouring himself a cup of the fresh brew, he in haled the fragrance and then headed for the door that, he assumed, would take him outside and onto the porch.

Outside, the lightest, gentlest, breeze blew softly through the early morning air. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the cabin was set back in a small clearing surrounded by trees and the breeze ruffled the leaves ever so gently. Despite the early hour it already felt warm outside, which told him it was going to be another hot, humid, day. Opposite the house was a small, covered, outbuilding, with a small supply of cut logs visible. Taking his coffee, he moved around beneath the eaves the covered the porch. There was a waist high railing that ran around most of the porch and he set his mug on top of it, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes. Lighting his smoke, he tucked the old, battered, Zippo lighter back in his pocket, as he leant against the railing and drew on his smoke. Reaching for his mug, he took a sip of coffee he let his gaze take in his surroundings.

Even as he took in the scenery the Marine in him was evaluating his surroundings from a tactical viewpoint. He didn’t like the fact that they were almost surrounded by trees, that meant there were too many places for a bad guy to hide. But, with that said, there was only one approach to the cabin and that was fairly open, which meant that it would be almost impossible for anyone to get close without being seen. It was a trade-off, because the dense woods would also give them somewhere to hide if things went south. All in all, the cabin was perfect, he considered. Very defendable, and also very romantic. The prefect place for a romantic getaway, he thought, before he could stop himself.

Almost instantly, his mind and thoughts drifted back to Abbie. She was definitely strong, the way she had coped with everything that had been thrown at her yesterday had proven that. But, at the same time, she was also vulnerable. He tried to shake the way his mind was drifting, reminding himself that he was her bodyguard, but it didn’t help.

Taking another sip of his coffee, he finished his smoke and flicked the butt away, watching as it spiraled through the air and died in a shower of sparks on the shingles that covered the driveway. Taking his coffee, he went back into the cabin. He needed a shower, but that could wait a few hours until he had fresh, clean, clothes, to change into. They’d have to work on that list of things they’d need, then head for the nearby Wal-Mart. Entering the cabin, he heard movement coming from the rear of the cabin, which told him that Abbie was awake. Going to pour himself another cup of coffee, he waited for her to find the kitchen.

It wasn't so much the brightness the morning light added to the room but the faint aroma of blessed coffee that woke Abbie. Two to three cups were required before she could even think of facing the day. Her eyes blinked open and then quickly shut due to the brightness before opening again. It still wasn't her own room at the mayor's mansion so it meant that everything that happened yesterday was real. A girl could hope that it wasn't, right?

With a sigh, she kicked back the covers to reveal her bare legs. Yesterday she had caught the detective eyeing her legs several times. At one point, Abbie had thought he knew that she had caught him but it didn't appear to be the case. It was kind of flattering that he liked to look at them. It wasn't a pervy kind of thing... Just a 'guy' thing she bet. Girls tended to look at guys' butts, didn't they? Not that she really had. Except with the dreamy Italian guy. Now there was a....

Abbie gave a shake of her head to get THAT memory out of there. Her ears perked up at the sound of someone moving about. If he was up, then she should be as well. So out of bed she arouse and then took a look at her available clothes. Abbie had to decide how she was going to dress. Bra of course! Letting the girls run free could be dangerous since they had bounced up and nearly smacked her in the face on occasion. Skirt? Again yes. Shirt... She smiled as she pulled the AC/DC off, fastened the bra, and pulled it back on. After the skirt, she looked in the mirror to see her hair going in several directions at the same time. A hair scrunchie and ponytail solved that issue. Like the night before, Abbie tried a couple of poses but stopped after they seemed
worse than before. The last thing would be her glasses but they were in her bag. Not that they were a big deal because she could see without them. The world was a bit blurry but still okay.

She didn't know the layout of the cabin due to being asleep when they arrived so Abbie just trusted her nose to lead her to the blessed coffee. "Morning..." was all she said until a cup had been poured and cradled in both hands under her pert nose. It was not the best coffee she had ever had but it would do the trick for now. A couple of sip caused a smile to spread across her lips. "Mothers milk... Nectar of the gods..." She then looked up at Draven and poked him in the arm with a finger.

"You know you could have woken me up? I didn't need to be carried in like I was five." She then smiled and shook her head. "Regardless, thank you. It was very sweet. How did you sleep and where if I may ask? Does this place have more than one bedroom? Oh and check the drawers because I found this shirt in one." Draven gave her a quick tour of the place and Abbie was impressed. She had been expecting a literal log cabin with a two hole outhouse not something that approximated a full house. It kind of reminded her of a couple of places she and the parents had vacationed at when she was younger and things were calmer. Her smile faded for a moment at knowing those times were gone for good now.

After seeing what they had on hand, Abbie gave a nod. "I'd agree that we do need some supplies unless we're going to 'live off the land'. If you're game, I'm game." She stopped, lift her arm up, sniffed under her arm, and made a face. "And I'm a bit gamey i'm afraid to say. What kinds of things do yu think we should get? If you didn't have it on the list already, clothes. All I need is a pair of sneakers, some jeans, and a couple of t-shirts. Oh and some....panties and bras. Sorry! I'd do it myself but...." Andie shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "Hey, at least you don't have to go get a cube of pads! A girl at school called her dad once to bring her some because she had that time of the month. He didn't know what kind so he bought a sample of every size, shape, etc. The filled the back of the car. He showed up at lunch, standing proudly outside the car, backseat filled with pinkness, and most of the school seeing it. I've never seen a person go that shade of white as she did."

Abbie was still chuckling when she knelt down to check under the kitchen sink for anything. As she did, she didn't realize that the loose t-shirt opened enough at the collar for Draven to look right down to see the cleavage formed by her bra enclosed breasts. "Least we got some dish soap and towels". Standing back up, she glanced at the stove. "I can cook a little. The one I can do the best is a chili that contains a ground up Satin for heat in it. It's kind of potent. I don't suggest it because we aren't close to a hospital." I was hard to tell if she was joking or not...

As she knelt to check what was under the sink he started to turn towards her, about to say something, when he realized the shirt she was wearing had pulled away from her body enough to give him a view down her top. He turned away, almost before the realization had dawned on him, but he caught a hint of pert mounds and white lace even so.

“I think we could both do with a shower and change of clothes,” said, once she’d stood up. “As for living off the land, nothing is in season right now, except Coyotes, and I really wouldn’t recommend eating one. They taste like burnt plastic and smell twice as bad,” he added, after a few seconds, with a grimace. Back during his marine survival training he’d trapped one, it had taken almost a month to get the taste out of his mouth. “But they sure beat the hell outta living off bugs,” he added, with a sly grin and wink as he saw the look on her face.

Taking their coffees through to the small dining room, they both sat at the table with a pad of paper and pen as they worked on a list of supplies they’d need to pick up. Clothes, underwear, socks, were the first things on the list, then came toiletries and other essentials and he added a first aid kit to the list. He’d already checked, and aside from a slightly mildewed pack of band aids in the bathroom cabinet there was nothing. They made a list of food, including meat, bread, fish, frozen pizza, coffee, milk, cereal, chips and snacks, drinks and such. They added other essentials, toilet paper, tissues, trash bags and various other sundry items and by the time they had finished they had quite a long list. Checking his watch, Draven realized that almost two hours had passed, it was close to eleven, time for them to go do their shopping. Fortunately the chief had given him an authorized credit card, with strict orders not to go crazy.

Whilst Abbie went to get her shoes, Draven stepped outside for another smoke. He was tempted to leave her at the cabin, no one knew where they were so he was sure she would be safe, but he really didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone. True, she wouldn’t be able to go into the store with him, but at least in the car she’d be close enough that he could get to her in time if anything happened. And, with the Mustang’s tinted windows, even if someone pressed their face against the glass they’d never be able to tell anyone was inside the car unless Abbie moved. He already had the car engine running when she came out of the cabin, a few minutes later. If Abbie thought she was going to be driving, then she was going to be very disappointed.

The drive to the Wal-Mart took a little over twenty five minutes, mostly because of the narrow roads and surprising amount of traffic on them. Reaching the store, he found a space in the parking lot and parked, killing the engine before he released his seatbelt and turned towards her. “Stay put, and don’t even think about going for a joyride,” he told her, before he took off his jacket and shoulder rig, tucked the Colt into the waist of his pants, covered by his shirt, and then left the car.

The shopping trip took him the best part of an hour, as he made his way around the unfamiliar store trying to find everything on the list. There were a couple of awkward moments, most notably as he was shopping for underwear for her, he wandered up and down the aisle of panties, staring at them as he tried to decide what style she’d like. She’d only given him her size, so, conscious of the associate watching him like a hawk, he’d finally just grabbed a couple of multipacks of a different styles and gone on his way. He also added a pack of pantyhose for her too, it wasn’t on their list but he hoped she might wear them. The thought caught him by surprise, but, even more to his surprise, he didn’t resist it.

The rest of the shopping trip went fairly easily, as he gathered the items on the list. Clothes, shoes things for both of them, sneakers for her and a pair of combat boots for him. Swinging by the electronics department, he added a couple of DVD TV series and a couple of books. A couple of Sci Fi novels by one of his favorite authors, he had them already at home, but home was a long way away, and he added The Marine Corps Survival Manual for Abbie. He also added a thirty rack of beer and a couple of bottles of wine, too. Making his way through the checkout line, he tried not to feel too embarrassed as he felt the strange looks the cashier gave him as she rang up some of the items. Then, shopping cart loaded with bags, he left the store and headed across to where he’d parked the Mustang.

It took him almost five minutes to load the bags into the small trunk of the car, mostly because he had to try it three times and even then he couldn’t get everything in. The last half dozen bags he placed on the small rear seat, before he got back into the car. “I brought you a present,” he said, with a grin, as he handed her the bag that contained the book he’d brought for her.

The ride back to the cabin was quicker, and just over quarter of an hour after they left the store they were carrying the bags into the cabin. “You go take a shower, I’ll get these put away,” he told her, once they were done and faced with a mountain of plastic on the kitchen floor. He found the bags with her clothes and carried them through to her room, waiting until he heard the shower running first, and then carried the bags with his own clothes through to the other bedroom. With that done, he set about unpacking the groceries and everything else, and began putting things away. He knew he could have had Abbie help, but the truth was he wanted to be alone. He was starting to think about her a little too much, and the more she was around the more intense the thoughts, and feelings, were becoming. She was definitely attractive, very much so, but she was only eighteen and he was supposed to be protecting her. Still…he tried to derail the thought, but he was starting to find it a lot harder than it should be. With the groceries put away, he stepped outside and lit another smoke, maybe a shower and a long run would help, but somehow he doubted it.

One thing she made sure to add to their list was was a jug of plain bleach. It was one of those things that was good to have around because there were plenty of uses for it besides in laundry. When Draven had asked for her sizes Abbie was able to give them until it came time for her bra size. She said “34D” in almost a whisper and then had to repeat it again so he could hear it. All the while she was looking at the table and when Abbie looked up she expect that Draven would be grinning or eyeing her chest like most guys would. Instead, he was looking into her eyes and gave a slight nod. Abbie smiled a little and nodded too. It was as if to say that everything was okay and not to be embarrassed because there wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about..

They quickly moved on and settled the rest of the list.

Draven hadn't said anything about disagreeing with the plan of who drove so Abbie walked out the cabin door to hear the Mustang's engine already running. Standing in front of the car she glared at him for several seconds before climbing into the passenger seat. "I do have my license...." she said with a slight pout. "And yet I'm not turning the car over to you," Draven replied. "Mock me at your peril... I'll make that chili just to have the pleasure of watching your colin explode!" That was said in a proud voice and a slight nod as Abbie decided that she had 'won'. The reply was a the slightest of chuckles....

Since she wasn't driving, Abbie put on her sunglasses and watched the scenery go by. She was almost remembering the route as well. Draven made a short stop at a gas station to top off the gas tank and to buy a couple of newspapers. That gave her something to read while he was in the store. It was weird reading about yourself in the news Abbie found. Some of the background on her was correct but some of it was.... Well the words 'exaggerated' and 'blown out of proportion' could be said of it. Abbie figured part of it was whatever info the media already had but a lot could be from the campaign staff. They so wanted to get her part of the campaign but she had put her foot down about it and her dad had agreed. At least until school was out. She was still
reading when Draven came back with the load of goods.

"Not much in the media about what happened," she said as they headed back. "Other than the basics. Not surprising of course. You will be happy to know that the president has offered the assistance of the federal agencies in tracking the bad guys down. As for me... I'm in various places from a bank vault in Williamsburg to Hawaii." Abbie laughed softly at the thought of that. A beach girl she wasn't. "Oh and thank you for the book too. You didn't need to do so of course. Least now I'll know how to field dress a....um...field dress something totally inedible." They both got a chuckle from that.

After hauling all of the goods inside, she was surprised that he didn't want help putting things away but wasn't going to let the chance at a shower slip by. Before undressing, Abbie checked out the clothes that laid on the bed. There wasn't anything that wasn't acceptable and it looked like Draven did very well. Even with the bra choices. She would have loved to seen him going to get those! The pack of pantyhose did cause an eyebrow to be raised. Did he get that because she had worn them with the uniform or because he.... She blinked a couple of times at the thought that Draven liked her legs in the nylons? That would be considered a 'kink'. wouldn't it? That said, she didn't have a problem with him looking at her legs so nylons it would be!

As she let the hot water wash away the sweat and grime she was amazed at the amount of stuff Draven had been able to cram into the car. It looked like that wouldn't be needing to go into town for anything for at least a week if not more. That thought brought Abbie up short... A whole week? That brought the reality of the situation crashing back down on her. That and knowing that there were people she didn't know who wanted her for some reason. Wanted her but also do something to her? It was an idea that Abbie had known about but right at this moment it became a crystal clear fact. One that turned the water from feeling hot to ice cold. Mechanically, she finished the shower and began drying off.

Draven was sitting on the couch when Abbie came out of her room after drying off and putting on some new clothes to sit next to him. A blind man could see there was a troubled look on her young face. "I know you don't know," she said softly after a few moments. "But why is this happening to me? I've never done anything to anyone. Why do they want me?! Something with my dad? What do they think it will do? Drop out?" Tears began rolling down her cheeks as the emotions that Abbie hadn't felt building were released. She looked over at Draven. "I just want to go home and not be scared someone is going to kill me or rape me or... I just want to go home.... I'm sorry I'm acting like an idiot..." She half felt arms taking hold of her and giving dome
reassurance that she was safe.

The fact that Abbie was scared, emotional, that the reality of what was happening to her had finally dawned on her, really didn’t surprise him. What did surprise him, though, was how long she’d held out. He knew marines, and cops for that matter, who would have broken down the second their cozy little world got turned upside down. His first instinct was to put an arm around her, to hold her gently and try to reassure her everything was going to be okay, and he hesitated for only a brief second before he slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Hey, look at me,” he said, softly, waiting until her tear streaked face turned towards him before he added. “It’s okay, you’re allowed to be scared, you’re allowed to want to go home and for your life to go back to normal,” he said, softly, as he reached out and gently brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. “But you’re safe here, too, I won’t let anyone hurt you,” he added, as the barest flicker of a tiny smile brightened her face for the briefest second. “Trust me, I’m a Marine,” he added, with a slight grin as another brief smile brightened her face.

“Semper Fi,” she whispered.

“Semper Fi,” he echoed, holding her for a few more minutes, until she stopped crying, although he found it much harder than it should have been to let her go. “Now, I’m gonna take a shower, why don’t you make some coffee and we’ll decide what to have for dinner,” he finished.


The Next Day

The rest of the previous day had passed uneventfully, as he took a shower and the two of them had taken a short walk around the cabin before dinner. She’d prepared her ‘infamous’ chili, and been more than a little surprised when he didn’t collapse in convulsions because of the ‘heat’. After dinner they’d settled down to watch a couple of episodes of the TV show ‘The Big Bang Theory’ on DVD, before Abbie had gone off to her room. He’d picked up a couple of board games during the shopping trip, including Monopoly, as well as a chess set, but neither of them had really felt like playing games that night. Nothing more had been said about her little breakdown, but he was sure that she knew he would protect her, and that he would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

He woke early the next morning, a glance at his watching telling him it was barely after seven in the morning. Quickly he pulled on clothes, black cargo pants and a short sleeve T, along with a sweatshirt, and the boots he’d brought the previous day. It might not, exactly, be Martine fatigues but it was close enough. He went through to the kitchen and made coffee, leaving the machine to brew as he stepped outside for a cigarette. As soon as he stepped outside, he sensed more than felt the change in the weather. They had been enjoying an unseasonably warm spring, but there was something in the air that told him it was about to turn. He glanced across at the small outbuilding with the chopped logs, there weren’t a whole lot there which meant he was going to have chop more.

Finishing his smoke and heading back into the cabin, he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the table as he drank it. He finished his coffee and poured another cup, he’d never been one for breakfast but he fixed himself a couple of waffles before he went through to her room. Listening at the door, he heard the soft sounds of her snoring softly that told him she was still sound asleep. He went back to the kitchen, poured another cup of coffee and then went back outside. Looking at the woodshed, he saw a whole pile of logs that needed to be chopped, along with an axe. Sipping his coffee, he carried the cup across and then set it down before he picked up the heavy axe and a log. Setting the log on the chopping block, he hefted the axe and then swung it down, splitting the log in half.

For the next half an hour the only sounds he was aware of was the sound of his breathing and the rhythmic ‘thunk’ of the axe head as it slammed into the logs. As he worked he found the rhythmic motion relaxing and therapeutic. His mind still kept drifting to Abbie, though. She was strong, intelligent, independent, but there was still a softness and vulnerability in her that drew him like a moth to a flame. He tried to stop the thoughts, but they came anyway. If he was younger, or she was older, there would be no question that he would have done something about the feelings that he knew were growing inside him. But Abbie was young enough to be his daughter, and he wasn’t delusional enough to even think she might be interested in him. As far as she was concerned, he knew, he was just a bodyguard and an inconvenience. He started to work up a sweat, and he paused to take his shirt off, hanging it from a handy nail, as he picked up the axe once more. The axe head slammed into the logs, but his mind kept drifting to Abbie.

He wasn’t aware of the audience that watched him, didn’t even realize that Abbie had woken, until he went back into the cabin an hour later and she was sitting at the dining table with coffee in hand.

After she had finally stopped crying Abbie had enjoyed the warmth of Draven’s body and being held against it. It wasn’t like when her dad would do it, it wasn’t like anything she had felt before but Abbie knew she liked it. She was still scared but now wasn’t terrified like she had been because she knew that she had a protector. Before Draven had gone to take his shower, Abbie gave him a quick, chaste kiss on the cheek and a whispered “Thank you”.

He seemed proud of himself that he ‘survived’ her chilli. Abbie didn’t have the heart to tell him that was nowhere near the stuff she was infamous for because it lacked the firepower of the various chilis that went into it. Someday she would make him a portion and laugh when the flames came shooting out of his ears. The rest of the evening was fairly quiet with them watching some DVD’s. A ‘normal’ night for her back home would be locked in her room, some light classical or classic rock (depending on the mood), and her doing school work or sketch work. It was kind of nice having company.

At bedtime, she put on the AC/DC shirt, she now considered it her sleeping shirt, and crawled into bed. Sleep came easy because she knew she was safe with Draven there. Abbie’s dreams weren’t as passionate as the previous night’s but they were still nice. Ones of her being cuddled with someone who had strong arms and liked to kiss softly but deeply. Most of the night there was a smile on her face...

What eventually woke her up wasn’t the sunshine or any noise. No, it was the need to pee! With that and brushing the teeth taken care of Abbie sat on the edge of the bed to let her thoughts start to untangle themselves. Today had to be a better day than yesterday’s meltdown had been. It felt like all the pressure she had collecting since the nightmare began just blew up all at once. In a way it was a good thing she knew but just the fact that she had let it get that bad in the first place. Maybe there was a way to work off the tension. Draven had mentioned something about shooting range here? That could do the trick. As she was getting dressed her toes hit something under the bed. Kneel down Abbie pulled out a dust covered book. “‘Being a Russian Biker Babe: Stories from an Undercover Policewoman’ by Katya Komarovsky-Darius. Darius? Oh this should be good....” she said with a grin.

When she went searching for him, Abbie saw the remains of a waffle on a plate and the pot of hot coffee. It was then she heard a rhythmic ‘thunk’ sound outside. Grabbing a cup, she went to a window to look out and nearly dropped her cup. There was her protector out chopping wood. Shirtless. Shirtless and sweaty, Shirtless and sweaty and muscles defined. Her mouth had dropped open and her eyes grew wide as she took in the sight. This wasn’t the first time she had seen a guy shirtless with her own eyes. This was, however, the first time she had seen one all by herself and not boy either. Not even someone a little older. This was a man.

Abbie knew she should turn away. Make breakfast. Do anything. Her legs wouldn’t obey the commands to move though. All she could do was watch as he moved, muscles flexed, sweat dripped, ass got defined from bending. It was a human body, big deal! It was also a body that had held her to him the previous day. Her brain just didn’t know how to react to all of this. It was a good thing she was in the shadows so he couldn’t see her watching.

Finally, without realizing it Abbie set the cup down on the table and went for her bag in the bedroom. Quickly returning, she opened her sketchbook and took a deep breath to stop her fingers from trembling. In quick but exact strokes, ones that her art teachers loved, she made a sketch of Draven in mid-swing of the ax. Adding the detail of that horrid scar on his shoulder. When she got to his waist she gave a slight gasp at how she was beginning to draw him naked with an aroused.... Abbie quickly erased that and drew it properly.

By the time she was done, Draven was finishing up so she quickly stuffed the book back in her bag and then took a seat at the table. The cold cup of coffee in her hands to keep them from shaking as she tried to calm herself down. Why did she do that? He was nice...make that great looking and a gentleman but was old enough to be her father. That and they had just met and knew nothing about each other. He probably had a girlfriend. Abbie knew girls who went all lusty after boys to the point of having a quick session in a bathroom to take the edge off of things. She had never felt that way before. Not even the dreamy Italian guy. So why now?

“Hey there Paul Bunyan,” she said with a smile and perhaps a twinkle in her eyes. “If I ask nicely would you show me how to shoot a gun and not fall on my butt? That and tell me if she’s related to you?” She held up the book she found and had an instant thought that this might be his ex-wife??

‘Oh no, not that book ‘again’, was his first thought, as Abbie showed him a copy of ‘that’ book. It was the unusual last name, he knew, which confused people. “No, no relation,” he said, simply, in answer to her second question. He checked his watch, it was a little after eleven, he’d been chopping wood for almost two hours, before he went across to the refrigerator and took a bottle of root beer out. Popping the cap, he took a long drink before he turned back to her. “I’ll teach you,” he said, softly, pausing before he added. “But, if you’re gonna learn to shoot one, you’ll learn to clean one too,” he added.

After lunch, whilst Abbie took care of the dishes, Draven went out for a smoke and then headed down to the basement and the small pistol range that was down there. He checked the backstop, making sure it was in good condition, before he went through to the small room off the side that house a collection of rifles and handguns. He picked out a selection of weapons for her to try, a Walther .22 pistol, a Beretta M9, 9mm pistol and a Ruger GP10100 .357” magnum revolver. He gathered a selection of ammo and magazines, enough to keep them busy for a few hours, before he went back up to the main cabin.

She had finished the dishes and was sitting at the kitchen table, when he returned. She had a sketch book open in front of her, but she closed it almost as soon as she saw him. “You ready?” He asked, as her head turned towards him. She nodded and he waited for her to rise from her seat before he led her down to the small range.

“You’ll need these,” he said, as he handed her a pair of ear defenders and safety glasses. He waited until she had the glasses on, before he continued. “Load ten rounds into the magazine, when you’re ready we’ll start,” he instructed. Whilst she loaded the magazine he took a target and fixed it to the clip, using a hand crank to send the target down range to about ten yards.

“Ready,” she said, as she held up the loaded magazine.

“Okay,” he said, softly, before he stepped in close to her and helped her to load the weapon and chamber a round. “When you’re ready,” he added, making sure he was close behind her as she raised the pistol. Just in case she panicked.

The soft pop of the Walther was barely audible through the ear defenders he wore. Normally he wouldn’t bother with them for a .22, but as they were indoors and underground, he decided to wear them. Once she’d finished, he retrieved the target, she’d put all ten rounds in the paper, but over half of them were way off target, low and to the left. Changing the target, he waited for her to reload the magazine as he sent the paper down range. “Use your left eye,” he told her, as she raised the pistol once more. She was obviously left eye dominant, and right handed, just like him. “Close your right eye, use the left to look through the sights. Make sure you keep it level,” he added, as he reached out a hand to steady the pistol in her grip.

She squeezed the trigger after a handful of heartbeats, the center of the target disappearing in a flutter of paper scraps. “See,” he said, softly, as she turned and grinned at him. “Now, do it nine more times,” he added, as she returned her attention to the pistol she held.

They spent another half hour with the Walther, before they moved on to the Beretta. He wasn’t a huge fan of the M9, the 9mm just didn’t pack enough punch as far as he was concerned. Which was why he’d opted to carry the Colt when he was in the marines, instead of the M9. After the relatively non-existent recoil from the .22, the punch from the 9mm had taken her a little by surprise, but she’d adapted quickly. She was nowhere near as accurate with the Beretta, which was to be expected, but she managed to keep all, the rounds in the paper. Most of the time. “That’s enough,” he said, finally, after an hour or so. He retrieved the target, she had all fifteen rounds inside the ‘silhouette’ gunman, but only a couple in the center of the target. “We’ll try some more tomorrow,” he added.

“I’d like to see you do better,” she said, with a slightly teasing grin, as she lay the heavy pistol on the bench in front of her. Before he could answer, she took a fresh target and clipped it in place, sending it down the full length of the twenty five yard range, over twice the distance she had been shooting at. Without saying anything, he drew his Colt and brought the weapon up, squeezing off a single shot. He waited for the target to settle back down once more, before he unleashed another six rounds in rapid succession. Retrieving the target, he took off his ear defenders as Abbie started at the paper. There was a single hole, dead center of the ‘head’, and an ‘X’ across the center of the target.

“Ex marks the spot,” he said, with a grin, as he gathered up the weapons they’d used. “Now, it’s time to clean these,” he added.

The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully, as the spent an hour cleaning the guns before he went out for another cigarette. When he returned, he lit a fire, the temperature had started to drop and with the sun going down it was only going to get colder. After that, he went to make dinner.

No relation? Just the way he said it made Abbie wonder if there was more to it than that. She wasn't about to pry into it. Yet. It did look interesting so she decided to check it out later. What was also interesting, in a different way, was the odor that Draven was giving off right now. It had to do with his sweat she knew but Abbie hadn't ever smelled sweat that way or if she had, she hadn't noticed it before. She found that she liked it... "I have to clean it after I shoot with it? Fair deal I'd say," she smiled and watched as he went to take a shower. As he did so, she caught herself looking at his ass. "This is ridiculous!" Abbie whispered to herself.

Before starting lunch, she made a quick trip into her bedroom to slip on some pantyhose to go along with the shorts she was wearing. It was strange because Abbie didn't usually like wearing them but this time it seemed right. As she pushed the legs of her shorts down she then remember that Draven seemed to like the look of her legs in. A shy smile and blush came to her cheeks as the realization that she was trying to be 'sexy' for him. Again, it was silly because nothing would, could happen between them! He came out from taking his shower and almost did a double take at seeing the hose on Abbie's legs. She didn't act like she had seen him look or when he stole other glances. If he caught her glancing at his now shirt covered torso Draven didn't act it either. Lunch passed quietly until he said that he had to go get the range ready for their lessons.

Clean up from lunch was quickly done with time to spare before Draven would come get her. Abbie got out her sketchbook to work on another drawing of the morning's subject. This one was still clothed from waist down but was more carefully drawn and in a pose of her creation. A couple of times Andie noticed her pencil moving down to 'enhance' certain area on the pants. She literally slapped her hand the second time it did it. Why did she have to draw Draven? That was a question she asked herself several times until an answer presented itself: a tiny tingle in the spot between her thighs. "Stop it!" Abbe whispered. "He too old to even imagine such things. Besides, why do you think he'd want you?" The last was said when she heard Draven come in. As she
quickly closed the book, she also closed her eyes to push all those other thoughts into the trash.

Her experience with shooting a gun was just that time she fired a .357 and got knocked on her butt. That was due to lack of experience and lack of training she knew. She was actually looking forward to learning a bit more. The ‘bit more’ turned out to be a lot and she was surprised that she was actually not bad. At least with the .22. The 9mm was lot more to deal with in terms of weight, recoil, and the rest. That she got so many on the paper was remarkable to her. Then she had to open her big mouth....

“You were a Marine and Force Recon and a cop,” she laughed. “I will not doubt your abilities again!”

As they were cleaning the weapons Abbie decided something. “When this is all over, I’d like to try learning rifle shootings. You know, the long range kind of stuff. Just at targets. All The stuff you have to keep in mind like wind, gravity, weight of the bullet, temperatures, etc and do all the calculations in your head. I love that kind of stuff. Add how careful and precise you have to be with a firearm... When that makes it even more fun!”

Draven hadn’t said a word but then gave her a grin and a nod. “You set your mind to it and you can do anything. I also know that you will won’t treat it as a game or as play. Hell! Maybe you can join the WPD as a SWAT sniper.” He gave a nudge with an elbow and got the same in return.

“I don’t think so!”

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

Abbie hadn't known what to expect when Draven went to cook dinner that night. She half expected burnt toast and a rotten egg but was pleasantly surprised by homemade hamburgers and a tossed salad. "Who are you and what did you do with the grizzled divorced police detective that was here earlier?" she asked from around a mouthful of burger. That got a cherry tomato flicked her her way. That was a good thing since Abbie loved cherry tomatoes and how when you
held them between your lips a gentle bit made them squirt into your mouth. She didn't catch the look Draven gave her... After dinner was done and the dishes cleaned, they settled down to watch some DVD's. In Abbie's case, half watch while reading the book she found. "You sure you don't know her and her husband? They should like an interesting couple." The response from Draven was a curt "No". Eventually she called it a night and went to bed.

Later that night...

She was laying on the softest bed ever invented with the smoothest silk sheets ever woven. Abbie couldn't look around because of a silk scarf tied over her eyes. When she tried to remove it, she found that her arms and legs were also tied with scarves that left her spread eagle on the bed. There was some give to move her limbs but not much. Not that Abbie wanted to move either. A gasp came from her lips at the touch of finger on her body and then something else...oh those were lips that kissed. Both did an excellent job at telling her that their owner knew more about her body then she did and left her gasping but not satisfied. Then a warm, hard body pressed against her smaller, softer one to share a deep kiss as if to say that the wait was over. As she breathes quickened in anticipation, the blindfold was pulled away and she caught sight of his face just as he pushed.....

Abbie gasped and sat straight up in bed! Quickly, her eyes darted around the dark room to see that there was no giant bed, no silk scarves, no.... She flopped back down and covered her eyes with her free hand. "That did not just happen... It can't of happened!" she whispered and the realized where her other hand was located: between her thighs where it had been rubbing that certain little spot. The spot that was pleading for release. Abbie masterbated on occasion of course but this time it was different because she feared what her mind would want to see. Eventually the need became too strong and... Eyes closed and face buried in a pillow, she imagined that bare skin and hard muscles from the morning finishing out the dream that had been interrupted. A muffled groan said it was over as she laid there limp...

The morning found her sitting on the edge of the bed as the last of body dried from the shower. Sleep hadn’t come easily for the rest of the night for fear that another dream like the previous one would happen. Abbie didn’t know what was happening to her. All of these sudden thoughts and wantings that could never, ever be. Perhaps it was that she had never had a serious relationship with a guy except for shit that wanted to see a story to the tabloids. That was mostly just lust. What she was feeling now was also lust but something more.... Something deeper that she didn’t want to feel because in a few days it would be over. Maybe though... Maybe if she tiptoed closer to the it she could satisfy things and still be okay.

When sitting there quiet, Abbie thought she could hear the ‘thunks’ of Graven chopping woods. .What if she did something totally not like her and let it say that she was satisfied with it? That would work! THe still logical part of her mind was screaming “NO!!!” but the rest of her head said “Shut UP! We’re working here.” The ‘working’ was sliding some pantyhouse on and then a t-shirt and nothing else. No bra. No panties. No shorts. Abbie took a deep breath and opened her bedroom door and walked out.

Barely making a sound, she stepped to the kitchen area and looked out the window at the woodpile. Not hearing the ax or seeing Draven out there, she stood on her tools to look out more. The side effect was that her shirt rode up a little so the round bottom of her ass could be seen. Still nothing but she did smell coffee. Coffee? Coffee! As Abbie slowly turned around her profile showed her unbound breasts in their lovely shape and the hard nipples peaking against the shirt. Then she was looking at Draven who was looking at her. The hem of the t-shirt went down to her upper thighs so you didn’t see ‘that’ but you could tell that there was nothing being worn at the same time.

For what seemed hours, but was less than a minute, they stared silently at each other, not moving a muscle. Eventually Abbie began to back up slowly to her room, not taking her eyes off of him until she was able to close the door. She clicked on the door lock not out of fear of him but because she dare not say anything or think anything because her brain would explode. Slowly she sat on the bed and stared at the door.....
 
When Abbie had come out her room, before they went shooting, wearing short denim shorts and hose, he’d almost done a double-take. His eyes had lingered on her legs for several seconds, far more than would be long enough for her to realize he was looking at them, before he had finally led her down to the range.

Shooting had been fun, he’d always enjoyed teaching newbies to shoot. Long ago, he’d decided, if he ever left the police department, he’d love to get a job as a firearms instructor somewhere. When she’d expressed an interest in learning to shoot a rifle, he’d thought about the outdoor range that had been set up in the grounds, apparently the cabin had once been used to house hunting parties and an outdoor range had been set up to allow them to sight in their rifles. “That might be possible,” he said, softly. He’d noticed a couple of ‘big bore’ rifles in the small armory, including a copy of the Marine Corps standard sniper rifle. He’d trained on that rifle, Marine Corps snipers called it ‘Kate’. His instructor had been an old school Marine sniper, a Vietnam veteran. They’d gone trap shooting, once, the other guy hadn’t needed a shotgun, and he’d picked every target off with his sidearm.
The rest of the evening had consisted of dinner and watching DVD’s, Draven had settled himself into a comfortable recliner which left the couch for Abbie. She’d sat with her long legs tucked up under her, and although he’d done his best to resist he knew he’d glanced across at her legs at least a dozen times, and that she’d caught him at least once. Again she had asked about that book, and his response had been a lot shorter and sharper than he’d intended. But, the truth was, he was tired and fed up of people asking if he was related to the author. As far as he could tell, she was married to another former marine and detective who just happened to have the same last name as him, but that was as far as the connection went. They weren’t related, as far as he could tell.

Before going to bed he stepped outside for one last cigarette, but as he stood under the eaves that covered the porch he found his mind kept drifting to Abbie and the way she’d looking in the shorts and hose.

That Night

Draven lay on his bed, the Colt and three spare magazines on the covers beside him. He was planning to clean his sidearm, but so far he hadn’t been able to summon up to motivation to do so. He picked up a cartridge, examining it from every possible angle, before there was a soft knock at the closed door to his room. “Come in,” he said, softly, before the door opened to reveal Abbie standing in the doorway. She was wearing nothing except black pantyhose and an ACDC T shirt. She leant against the door frame, before she moved slowly, sensuously, into his room, crossing to the bed before she knelt on the soft covers.

“You’re so uptight, you really should learn to let yourself go and enjoy yourself,” she said, her voice breathy, before she pushed him back onto the bed. “You know what you, what we both, want,” she added, as she reached up to pull the shirt over her head and expose her naked breasts.

Draven awoke with a start from the dream, his heart racing. He glanced at the clock beside his bed, it was almost eight in the morning. “What the fuck is happening to me?” He asked himself, as he realized exactly what had been happening to him, what he had been dreaming and the effect it had had on him. For the briefest second his hand moved to the hard lump of gristle between his legs, that which poked through the hole in his shorts, it would be so easy to lose himself in that fantasy, but he stopped himself. He was a marine, a cop, he had a job to do and he had to stay focused.

He got out of bed, went to the shower and made sure the water was as cold as possible. It was a cliché, but if that was what it took then that was what he would do. That he was attracted to Abbie was not in dispute, it was what he did about it that mattered. And if he had to take cold showers for the next day, or week, or month, then so be it.

Leaving the shower, he dressed quickly and then went through to the kitchen. He made coffee and then stepped outside for a smoke. They’d need more logs, and without thinking about it he went across to the woodshed and began to chop more. A little over ten minutes later, with no more logs to chop, he had returned to the house, which was when he had encountered Abbie. It took him several seconds to realize that she was naked except for the pantyhose and T shirt. He’d stared at her, although he tried not to, before she had backed away from him and disappeared into her room. He thought about following her, but was stopped as the burner phone rang.

“Darius,” he said, answering the phone.

“I trust everything is going well,” said a familiar voice on the other end of the line.

“Something like that,” he answered, after a few seconds. He paused, then added. “How are things on your end?”

“Nothing new, stay alert and we’ll be in touch soon,” answered the voice, before the line cut off and Draven was left listening to dead air.

“Well, so much for getting this over with quickly,” he said, to himself, as he returned the phone to his pocket. Although, in truth, he was glad about that. Something seem3ed to be developing between him and Abbie. What it was, he had no idea, and it scared the hell out of him, but at the same time he knew he didn’t want it to just fade and die

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

Abbie just sat on the edge of her bed in a semi-state of shock. Having done what she had did and having Draven actually see her in that state was overwhelming. A tiny part of her mind wanted to shout that she had wanted that to happen but was shushed by the rest of it. How long she sat like that she never never knew but finally her body started to relax from the rigid pose she had had. Leaning forward with elbow resting on her knees, she cupped her head in both hands.

“What did I do...” she whispered It wasn’t like she had walked out there nude but it was close enough. What was the most shocking to Abbie was the reactions of both her and Draven. No screaming or attempts to cover up or ‘looks’. Nothing like that happened. Only surprise. If she hadn’t left him.... What would’ve happened next? An image formed in her mind of Draven coming over to hold her, to kiss her, to pull the shirt off of her, to take her to bed, to....to make love to her.

A gasp came from her lips as she looked up at the closed door. The dreams and now this. “Oh my gods...” For the first time in her young life, Abbie wanted to be made love to by someone. It wasn’t lust or a need. She had been through that already with the pig. He had talked the talk and pushed the right buttons and almost succeeded but for her protection detail finding them before the paparazzi did. What was happening now felt so different than that. Did Draven feel the same way? That was the impossible question. His reactions to what had just happened had been to leave or throw a coat on her. He had just looked without expression. Perhaps he was just being polite?

She groaned as her knuckles lightly rapped her forehead. It was so frustrating! The unknowns in all of this... The questions she wanted to ask but couldn’t. It was so damn frustrating! Why couldn’t this be over so the two of them could go their separate ways and never see each again?. The most terrifying thing was that there was part of her that didn’t want it to end and not just because of making love. Something more than that....

Later....

When Abbie came out of her room, with bra, panties, and shorts on she found Draven sitting in the TV area cleaning his gun and the .38 Tabby had given her. He looked up her for a moment and went back to the cleaning without saying a word. In a way, she was glad of that. Making a detour to the kitchen, Abbie fixed herself a sandwich and brought it to sit near’ish him. It was kind of interesting watching a the pieces that made up his .45 go back together. So many little pieces that had to fit perfectly in order for it to work.

“What kind of recoil does the .38 have compared to the .22 I shot yesterday?” she asked softly. “Just curious.”

“It’s a little more but not like the Beretta. With practice you would get used it.” He looked at the open cylinder of the .38 before snapping it shut with a click. “The stopping power is more and it’s accurate even with the short barrel.” Standing up, he looked down at Abbie and asked her if she wanted to try it.

She blinked for a second before saying a quick “Yes!”.

The time in the shooting range was like yesterday but with ehr good shooting stance, he didn’t need to get too close. Abbie was kind of disappointed but tried not to show it. The recoil was more but her groupings were also good. Not dead center but in the center of the torso area. After they were done, Abbie cleaned the weapon without having to be told and then gave it back to him. As she handed it over, their fingers touched briefly and neither moved for a moment as they looked at each other. Nothing was said afterwards.

It was her turn to make supper and this time it was spaghetti with meat sauce. I huge bowl so they didn’t need anything else. As she sat down, she saw him reaching into a cabinet for something....

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

After what had happened earlier, Abbie coming out of her room wearing nothing except the T shirt and her pantyhose, Draven had no idea what to think. When she’d rushed back into her room he’d been almost grateful, because if she’d stayed out there just a little longer he didn’t know what he would have done. Not that he would ever have forced himself on her…but still…the desire for her was very definitely there. The phone call from the chief had helped to make him focus. He’d gone outside for a smoke, but his mind had been filled with thoughts of Abbie, images of her in just the hose and shirt. She had great legs and a sexy ass, and he felt sure he’d caught a glimpse of…he tried to derail the thought but it remained in his head. Returning to the cabin, he’d gone to his room to fetch his gun cleaning kit. He’d lingered a brief second outside her door, before he’d moved on.

Cleaning his gun helped, a little. Not that it needed to be cleaned, but he found that the simple task of stripping, cleaning and putting the weapon back together helped his mind to concentrate, to focus on something other than Abbie. When she came out of her room, a little later, this time fully dressed, and had gone through to the kitchen to make herself a sandwich, his eyes had followed her for a brief second before he returned his attention to the task at hand. “What? You didn’t make me one?” He teased her, as she sat down and watched him.

The shooting session had gone well, she’d handled the punch of the .38 pretty well and her shot groupings had been good. They weren’t that well placed, but the grouping was tight. With a little training, she’d easily pass basic marksmanship.

Whilst Abbie cooked dinner, he went outside for a cigarette. There was a definite chill in the air and before he returned he made sure to gather a good supply of logs for the fire. He’d have to chop more, tomorrow, but for now they had more than enough. When Abbie called to say dinner was ready, he went through to the small dining area as she brought in a bowl of pasta and sauce. He reached for a beer, but instead his fingers curled around the neck of a bottle of wine. He wasn’t much of a wine drinker, but he figured it wouldn’t hurt. “You’ve had wine before?” He asked, as the bottle hovered over her glass. She nodded, and he poured a little into her glass.

Dinner had been nice, the conversation general and pleasant. As they sat talking over their empty plates, he tried not to frown as Abbie kept topping up her glass. He never drank on duty, and technically he was still on duty, so he’d limited himself to the one glass. As they talked he noticed Abbie start to slur her words, just as little, and he took the bottle away from her as she went to top up her glass yet again. She didn’t resist, and after another ten minutes or so she had excused herself to go to bed.

Clearing the dishes away, Draven had made himself coffee and then went outside for a last smoke before bed. The temperature had definitely dropped since the sun went down, and a wicked wind blew around the cabin. Returning to the lounge with his coffee, he sat on the couch and enjoyed the quiet, save for the odd crackle from the fire, before he finally rose to his feet and went through to his room. He’d barely laid down on the bed, when there was a small knock at his door before it opened and he saw Abbie, framed in the doorway, wearing nothing but her pantyhose and T shirt. “Hello, sailor,” she said.

“Abbie, what are you doing?” He asked, once he’d recovered from the shock. The image before him was just like the dream he’d had the night before. That she was drunk, he knew, but at the same time he couldn’t take his eyes off her legs, off the curve of her breasts beneath the shirt she wore. He shook his head, trying to clear it, even as he heard himself say “Abbie, are you drunk?” He didn’t need her to answer, he knew she was drunk.

“No, no I’m not,” she answered, after a few seconds, as she thought about her answer, moving away from the doorframe she’d been leaning against and then almost instantly leaning back against it. “I want you,” she said, after a few more seconds.

Slowly he rose from the bed and went across to her, dodging as she tried to slide her arms around him. “You’re drunk,” he said, softly, as she seemed to stumble and almost fall into his arms as she moved away from the doorframe she’d been leaning against for support. “And I won’t take advantage of that,” he added, as he caught her. He scooped her up into his arms, twisting away from her as she tried to kiss him. He carried her back to bed, held her hair from her face as she was violently ill, and stayed by her bedside until she finally fell asleep.
Next Morning

Draven awoke early, went to stoke the fire, put on coffee and then stepped outside for a smoke. As he smoked his mind drifted to the night before, Abbie coming to his room, just like his dream. Except, in his dream, she’d been stone cold sober. He knew he could have taken advantage of her, but he wasn’t like that. And yet, at the same time, he knew he was attracted to her and that if she’d been sober he’d have taken her in a heartbeat. He was attracted to her, he couldn’t deny that anymore. When and how it had happened he had no idea, but he knew it was true.

Several hours later, it was almost midday, he heard movement coming from the area where Abbie had her room. He’d heard the shower running earlier. He went to make fresh coffee, had a mug already poured for her when she came into the kitchen. And awkward silence hung between them as she took her coffee, it lasted for almost half an hour before she started to speak.

“Draven, I…” she looked at him, her eyes soft. She looked lost, vulnerable, but more than that he could see that she felt for him exactly as he felt for her. How long they’d have, he had no idea and it didn’t matter.

“Shush, don’t say anything,” he whispered, as he knelt beside her. Using his fingers he gently lifted her head, gazed into her eyes, before he leant in to kiss her. Whether she’d kiss him back, slap him, run away screaming, he had no idea.

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

An eyebrow went up at seeing the wine bottle in Draven's hands as she dished out the spaghetti onto their plates. "On occasion," Abbie said with a nod. Because she was underage, she couldn't be seen drinking publicly but at private dinners with her folks she might have a glass. Harder stuff though, she stayed away from that. There would be plenty of time later in life to experiment and see what she might like. After he pour the glasses, she took a sip of her's and decided that it wasn't bad.

As they ate, Draven told her about the phone call and how they were stuck there for a while longer. She asked him if next they called, if he could ask to have her parents call her. Even if it was just a brief "I'm fine" type call. Abbie knew her parents had to be getting frantic about her and she was missing them too. They had been all the way in California when all of this broke. Gods only knew how they reacted when they had found out. Just thinking about it made her fill her glass with more wine then he had given her.

With the plates empty, they stayed at the table and talked more than they had since meeting. Nothing too personal, just little things about his being a detective and her plans after graduating. He was a bit surprised at hearing that she wanted to go to CalTech to get a degree in astronomy and make that a career. Working on her second full glass, Abbie mentioned how she probably wouldn't get in this fall because of the campaign and her 'needing' to be in it according to the campaign gurus. Abbie giggled for no reason and was surprised when Draven took the bottle away from her.

They 'talked' for a little while longer but it was more of an Abbie monolog. Finally, the room started to feel awfully warm and she wanted to get out of some of the clothes to cool off. Couldn't do that in front of him because it was wrong she knew. So Abbie smiled a good night to him, toddled off to bed. After closing the bedroom door she fell face first into bed and should have been asleep in seconds but couldn't. The images from the dreams, from what happened earlier in the day, and tonight all ran together. Her head pounded against the pillow a few times in frustration. She wanted him. She wanted to share his bed and make love. She wanted him to always be there. She.....

"Don't say that... Don't ever THINK that," she whispered to herself. "You're just horny is all and we can take care of that right now!" It was quite a bit of effort to get her t-shirt and then bra off without strangling herself in the process. Abbie sat on the edge of her bed and groaned as she looked down at her shorts. Those and the panties both had to go but she was worried about breaking a leg in doing so. The shorts were kind to her and didn't fight. Shaking her shirt, she got the bra out and looked at it. Did she want to go to the trouble putting it on? Didn't he want to see her boobs? Probably did but her beauty would be too much for him so on the shirt it went.

When she walked out of the bedroom it was like another person was running her body and Abbie was just along for the ride. Seeing Draven laying there in bed with just his undies on was something that made her smile. And yes, she wanted him so badly right now! His lips, his hands, his... Another smile at being able to say the word, his cock. She wanted it all! Her legs however had other problems coordinating themselves. Finally she was in Draven's arms...but no kissing! Hey! Stomach began to rumble....

Next thing Abbie knew was that her head was in the toilet and she was puking her guts out. Someone was making her wash her mouth out and then drink water before putting her to bed. Now sleep finally claimed Abbie and the dreams mercifully kept their distance.

"Uggghhhh....." she groaned from under blanket. At some point Abbie had woken up enough to pull the blanket over head because the dark room was too bright. What finally woke her up for good was the skunk that had crawled under the covers with her. It really stunk. She groaned again at realizing the skunk had died in her mouth and if she didn't do something about it, she was going to puke again. Staggering to the bathroom, Abbie washed her teeth before sitting on the toilet to take stock of the situation. She had had too much to drink and she had done things... Things that she could remember doing. How could she face Draven after that? Maybe she could hide in the room and have food slipped under the door? Yeah that would work... Abbie knew
the only to do was go out and face him...

She sipped a little of the coffee but mostly let the mug warm her hands as she looked at the table surface. Draven wasn't yelling at least. He didn't even seem upset when she dared look at him. The worst thing of it all was that her feelings hadn't changed. In fact, they had grown deeper from lust to something that she couldn't understand at the moment. All she knew was that she wanted to be near him and in his arms. She just knew that there were feelings for her behind his eyes. What and how powerful she didn't know but ached to find out. How could she expect anything from him after the embarrassing spectacle of yesterday afternoon and last night? He wouldn't want anything to do with her. Not even she wanted anything to do with her!

Abbie looked at him and started to speak but before more than a couple of words came out he was kissing her. Her eyes went huge before slowly closing as she melted against him. She hadn't had much practice at truly kissing a man but Abbie was a fast learner. They parted to catch their breath before she leaned in to kiss him. Their mouths opening so their tongues could introduce themselves to the other. When the kiss ended this time, both saw the same fire in their eyes. A wordless questions was asked and then answered. With a smile, they went into the, so-far, unused master bedroom. It wasn't much different from the others except for a bigger bed.
 
Each stood before the other before their fingers started working at their clothes. Abbie was faster because her's were similar but held back for a moment after dropping her shorts and panties. With fingers that was trembling a little, she reached under her shirt to unclasp her bra and then with a deep breath pulled the shirt up and off of her head. Dropping her arms afterwards allowed the bra to slide off so she was naked before him. Each hand clasped the other and rested on her stomach as she nervously looked to one side. What if he didn't like her? Maybe she was too short or that her boobs were too big or.... A hand cupped her chin to turn her head towards Draven. He was as equally nude as she was.

A light gasp came from her lips at the sight of him. This was no boy, this was a man. without realizing it, her fingers reached up to carefully touch him in places like his muscles, the gray speckled hair on his chest, and pock marks from bullets or shell fragments. Looking down Abbie saw his cock for the time and it looked massive. She had lost her hymen, while horseback riding of all things, so there wouldn't be pain but still.... How could her little...call it what it is...pussy take all of that? On its own a hand reached out to touch the length and shot back as if burned when it throbbed from the touch.

"I've never... I mean I'm..." she stuttered and stopped before looking at him. "I'm a virgin. Barely got to second base with a guy..." Abbie shook her head for a moment before looking up again. "Draven, will you make love to...me. Today, tonight, tomorrow... However long we have I want to be with you. I think I have always wanted it..." Abbie leaned up and Draven leaned down for a kiss that seemed to ignite something that neither could admit to just yet but would....

For only the second time in his life, Draven felt about as coordinated as a drunk after a head transplant as he tried to remember how to get undressed. The first time he’d felt this way had been over twenty years ago, the night he’d lost his virginity. He didn’t remember kicking off his shoes or removing his socks, he’d almost ripped his shirt as he tried to pull it over his head, and then his fingers seemed to forget how to work a belt and buttons as he tried to undo his pants. But, eventually, he was standing naked in front of her, as she was in front of him.

He took her in his arms, kissing her deeply, his hands caressing her gently, sliding up her back and then down to gently hold her firm, hose covered, ass. They stepped back from each other, her hands reaching out to brush against him. He didn’t flinch as her fingertips brushed against the scars on his ribs and shoulder, the legacy of his career in the marines. Lightly her fingers brushed through his hair, stroking the grey streaks at the temples, before they trailed down to brush through the grey on his chest. He wasn’t embarrassed as her eyes trailed a little lower, and he felt his cock twitch and throb as her fingertips lightly brushed along its length before she jerked her hand back as if burnt.

Of course, in his mind, he’d known she was a virgin, although to hear her admit it made him feel suddenly very nervous. He didn’t want to hurt her, be too forceful, he wanted her to remember this time as a special and magical experience. He didn’t say anything, instead he gently cupped her face in his hands and leant in to kiss her softly, letting the embrace linger as her arms slid around him and her fingers caressed his back. The kiss broke slowly, and as it did he scooped her up into his arms and carried her across to the bed, laying her down gently on the black silk sheets.

He knelt on the bed above her, kissing her softly as his fingers caressed and explored her body. His dog tags brushed against her breasts before he shifted his weight slightly and he began to slowly kiss up and down her neck. Her back arched slightly, her nylon covered legs rubbing against him, as his kisses slowly trailed down her body to her breasts. Supporting his weight on one arm, he cupped and gently squeezed one of her breasts, his soft kisses finding the other before he took her hard nipple into his mouth and gave it a delicate nip with his teeth. “I want you,” he said, softly, before he returned his lips to hers in another long kiss, before he trailed more kisses back down to her breasts.

He trailed more kisses down her body, across her tummy, as his fingers caressed and stroked her legs through the soft nylons she wore. He was glad she’d kept them on, maybe she’d sensed that he liked to see her in them. His fingers stroked slowly higher, as her legs parted and his hand slid up her inner thigh until he could feel the moist heat between her legs. He looked down, noticing for the first time that her pussy was smooth except for a tiny tuft of darkness. He shifted position slightly, unconsciously putting his hardness within her reach if she wanted, before his fingers began to caress and stroke her pussy through the nylons. He pulled the sticky material away from her pussy, before there was a soft ripping sound as he tore a hole in the fabric. He leant in, kissing all around her pussy, as soft moans escaped her, before he finally gave her pleasure bud a soft flick with his tongue. “You like that, huh?” He asked her, with a sly, teasing, grin, as her back arched. Her only response was to run her fingers through his hair and ever so gently ease him back down before his tongue began to gently work at her clit and pussy, teasing, licking and pleasuring her as her legs lifted and spread wider to give him better access.

Abbie remembered how she just wanted to be held by him. A laugh echoed through her head at silly wish. She was being held by him and she held him as well. The feel of his rougher skin against her smooth was more intoxicating than the wine last night. All over his back her fingers touched and explored to try and map each muscle and scar. That Draven had been wounded like that made her want to somehow kiss it and make it all better. Then she was swept off her feet and carried to the bed. A giggle was heard that went with the smile that appeared on her face.

For a moment they looked at each other with smiles on their faces before another kiss began. All of the tensions and fears were pushed away for the moment. Now they were in their own world and enjoying every bit of it. Draven was mapping her body with the touches like she had down with him. The differenced was that he was far more skilled and drew shivers with each stroke. A comparison filled her mind for a second where she compared Draven with the pig she had made out with. Oh he touched her as well but his were more like pawing and grabbing that actually let a bruise. Draven knew how to treat a woman he claimed as his. That brought a burst of pride to her mind. At least for now, Abbie was HIS woman.

Then her mind was blown when Draven’s thumb flicked a hard nipple as he squeezed her breast. Abbie had always know how sensitive a nipple could be when it was hard from having cloth rub against them. But a finger that was soon replaced with lips? A soft groan was the only thing she ‘say’ at the moment. Guys had eyed her breasts so many times but none would have treated them with the care that Draven did. The worry that he wouldn’t have liked them? That was dismissed!

“And I want you,” she replied to his statement and kissed him again. Then she laid back as to stroke his back as Draven suckled and tormented one nipple and tne its twin. Kisses and nibbles came from his lips all over the mounds until the glistened in the light. Soft sighs and gasps were here reactions to it all.

A small moan of dismay when he pulled his lips away and moved downwards. What was he going to do about the pantyhose she half wondered. These were the kind that went all the way up. Most of the others were just thigh high. The touch of his fingers in that most private of areas caused an involuntary cry with her eyes flying open as she looked down her body at him. No one else, except for her doctor, had ever touched her there. Draven glanced at her with a concerned look on his face. A smile and a nod told him that he hadn’t hurt her and he adjusted his position a bit.

It was just enough so that a curious hand could reach out to trace a finger along the length of his cock before taking hold of it in her hand. It was smooth but also so hard. Abbie stroked her hand up and down several times before rubbing the velvet smooth head with a finger. The gasp he admitted as he pulled away made her grin. Abbie was not afraid of that cock and planned to investigate it more closely later on.

The hole in the hose allowed the cooler air to reach the moist heat of her pussy to cause a shiver. The coolness was replaced by the warmth of his tongue and mouth that did wondrous things to her! Abbie had never imaged that a person could feel the things she was feeling right now. They were incredible! Each lap of his tongue... The kiss and suckles by his lips... A finger in.... O....oh oh...oh...OH....OH!!!

Abbie’s hands left his head so her elbows could brace themselves on the bed as she arched her body and gave a cry of pleasure as what had to be the most wonderful ograsm pulsed through her body! Her body shivered and trembled while arched with a gasp, she fell back to bed with her body still trembling. Her eyes were squeezed shut with her mind trying to recover itself from that lightning bolt. Dreven moved up to wrap his arms around his Abbie and hold her until she stopped shaking.

When she opened her eyes, she smiled and kissed him softly for a moment. “Thank you,” was what she said before kissing him again. “I wanted you like this but I didn’t know if you wanted me. I don’t want to let you go after finding you. You might be stuck with me...” Abbie wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear that but she wasn’t going to hold back from him anymore. They had wasted too much time already.

He smiled down at her, before he took her lips in another deep kiss, flicking his tongue against hers so she could taste herself, before they parted slowly and he held her close. “I think I could live with that,” he said, softly, after a few seconds. Of course, he knew, that almost certainly wouldn’t be possible, but he still felt it. When this was over, when they went back to civilization and the real world, they’d almost certainly never see each other again. Her father was, in all probability, about to become the next president, and even if, by some remote chance, he failed then Draven still highly doubted that he’d want his teenage daughter dating a cop old enough to be her father. But none of that mattered, all that mattered was the here and now.

He kissed her again, this time as they parted he moved slightly so he could continue to caress and explore her body. He took her hand, guiding it down to his rock hard cock, sighing softly as her fingers curled around the shaft. He leant in, kissing her breasts gently as his fingers wandered slowly lower. He stroked and caressed her legs, before his hand moved higher, towards the heat between her legs once more. He began to tease her clit with his thumb, brushing it ever so lightly against her pleasure bud, taking her lips in a deep kiss as she sighed softly. Then she surprised him, pushing him away as she moved to kneel beside him and began to run her hands over his body.

He sighed as her lips brushed against his chest, her hands gliding lightly over his chest as she began to explore him the way he had her. As her lips glided across his chest, brushing feather light kisses against his skin, he gave another soft sigh of pleasure and his fingers moved to stroke and caress her hair. Slowly, she worked her way lower, her hand moving to stroke his cock slowly as she kissed across his tummy. She came back up to kiss him, as they parted she had a wicked, sly, sexy, grin on her face as she pushed him down and then returned to kissing his chest.

A soft moan of pleasure escaped him as her kisses trailed lower and he felt her hand back on his rock hard cock, stroking it a little firmer. It had been so long since he’d been with anyone, that he’d almost forgotten what it was like to be touched, held, and kissed by another person. His fingers returned to her hair, and then she surprised him. Her kisses had trailed lower, before he felt her warm breath against the head of his cock and he let out a low moan and sigh.

The thought of waking up together and just being with each other was a beautiful dream. Perhaps not realistic but reality could be shoved aside for the moment. As they kissed again, Abbie found that she really enjoyed kissing and wondered why she hadn't partaken it before. Oh yes... because the available persons weren't Devon.

When his lips took her nipples again, she smiled with eyes closed and pressed her breast against him. This time all Draven did was gently suckle like a baby would. Somehow it was more erotic to her then the biting and such. A quick image of her nursing a baby with a smiling onlooker who kisses her forward. That image gets dumped into a shredder because Abbie will not go there. Yet. Then he took her hand to place it on his hard cock with her instinctively wrapped her fingers around it. Or at least as much as she could. If it was possible, he was harder than the last time she touched him. Reach down, her gently cupped both balls to feel how heavy they seemed to be.

Her eyes opened with a start at the touch of his finger on her clit. It was tempting to lay back and let Draven work his magic again but Abbie had other ideas in mind! A brief kiss to his lips and she was kissing her way down his next to his furry chest. Brushing her hair back, she laid kisses on his
little nipples and heard a groan when she tried suckle them. The gray streak hair didn't both Abbie in the slightest, she like how the hairs tickled her nose. Draven might not have a 6-pack abs, and she didn’t care that he didn’t, but his tummy was firm enough to bounce a quarter off of she bet.

“What are you up to you sexy minx?” he asked when she moved up for a moment to kiss him on the lips. Her only reply was a grin before returning to his stomach and then lower until a cheek brushed his cock. Andi had never thought she would be doing this to a guy. It had always seemed ‘icky’ but now it was something she had to do. For a few moments she studied it at close range and inhaled its musky scent. Then, with fingers that lightly but then more firmly squeezed the shaft, Abbie closed her eyes and moved her head down to take the smooth head into her mouth.....

Abbie hadn’t given any thought as to what the taste would be like so the mix of salty and musky was a bit of a surprise. That and it being so hot! For several moments she held her head still with just the head of Draven’s cock in her mouth. Her tongue swirling around it while the hand that had taken hold of the shaft stroked it slowly. The fingers of the other hand touched the inside of his thighs until they touched his heavy balls.

Ever so carefully did those fingers cradle the egg like masses hidden in the soft flesh. Weighing them, giving a gentle squeeze heard a deep groan coming from him. A smile appeared around the shaft as she pushed forward to take as much of him as she could without gagging. There was still so much left that she couldn’t take and was left up to her hand to carress. Slowly did Abbie then pull back while sucking then pushed forward again. Several times she did that until her head pulled off with a soft ‘pop’.

Her eyes remained closed as her tongue began licking along the shaft until Abbie’s nose was buried in his pubic hair. Another smile when she thought she heard a moan. Then a kiss to a ball and then the other before licking back down to the tip. There was a drop there that tasted thick and salty. Abbie took the head in her mouth again and bobbed her head just a little faster on Draven’s cock.

Several times did she repeat this pattern except to replace the kiss on his testicles with taking each into her mouth to give a gentle suckle. Draven had his hands in her hair, caressing her head but didn’t seem to be guiding her. It meant that she was doing it right she vaguely thought because he would have stopped her if he hadn’t liked it. At the same time Abbie’s pussy was getting soaked all over again.

Maybe it was how his cock throbbed or her fingers feeling his balls begin to tighten that Abbie moved her mouth to just off the tip with her tongue licking the underside. If Draven made any sound she didn’t know because how his hands gripped her head covered both ears. It didn’t matter though because Abbie felt the first blast of cum enter her mouth followed by several more that she greedily swallowed. Both hands worked his balls and shaft to extract as much of his seed that she could get.

Finally, when Draven stopped dribbling out Abbie gave the cock tip a loving kiss before sitting back and looking up. There was a look of satisfaction and perhaps awe at what she had made him do. That she could give such pleasure to him like he had with her was a good thing she knew. Abbie moved back up the bed to lay next to him and Draven wrapped an arm around her to hold her close.

“Before you ask, internet video and very bad stories,” she grinned and snuggled up to him as they rested for the moment. “I had dreams about you. One had me tied to a bed, blindfolded, and you having your way with me. It was most enjoyable...” There were others things to say but Abbie dared not mention them. Like about how they would continue to see each other after going back home. While she didn’t care about the age difference, he parents would. Abbie was of legal age and capable of make her own choice but that was only a same part of things.

For the moment, she just enjoyed being with Draven...

When Abbie had taken him into her mouth, he’d been more than a little surprised. But that had quickly passed, and he had focused instead on the pleasure she was giving him. When he felt his climax getting closer he tried to warn her, but she either hadn’t heard or didn’t care as she took everything he had in her mouth.

As she lay next to him, he had turned to kiss her gently, the two of them holding each other as they both took a rest and a breather. “Oh, really,” he said, softly, giving her a teasing grin as she mentioned her dream. He’d never really been interested in that type of thing, but for Abbie, he knew, he could be persuaded to experiment a little. “I dreamt about you, too,” he added, after a few more seconds. “You were dressed like a bunny girl,” he finished, as he held her close and let his fingers slide down to stroke her nylon covered leg.

He kissed her gently, stroking her hair and shoulder with his other hand as her fingers moved to play through the hair on his chest. They held and caressed each other, enjoying the moment and the closeness of each other, and every thirty seconds or so their lips would touch. Sometimes their kisses were soft and quick, almost chaste, other times they would linger, grow deeper and more passionate until they parted. Abbie brushed her hosed legs against him and he felt his cock stir and grow hard once more, ready for them to begin again when they were ready. He kissed her again, caressing her gently as they parted slowly.

“Are you ready for round two?” He asked her, with a soft smile, as their kiss broke slowly. He smiled softly down at her as she nestled against him. There was a slight hesitation, a barely perceptible nervous smile on her face as she nodded. He leant in to kiss her again, before he pulled back and gently eased her down onto the bed.

He knelt over her, kissing her softly and trailing kisses over her body as his hands caressed and stroked her legs before they slowly, gently, began to ease them apart. He lifted her legs, spreading them a little wider, as he knelt between her nylon covered thighs and gazed down at her. He knew the answer to the question, but he had to ask anyway. “Are you ready?” He asked her, before he turned to trail a few kisses against her leg. She gave a slight nod, her hands moving down to grip the bed sheets.

Slowly he rubbed his cock against the moist heat between her thighs, before he held the head of his cock against her pussy. He gave her another, silent, questioning look, saw the desire and lust in her eyes and slowly pushed himself inside her.

She gave a soft gasp as his cock stretched and filled her, he paused to give her time to adjust to the feelings and sensations, before he slowly slid his full length into her until his balls rested against her. He leant in to kiss her, before he began to slowly, gently thrust into her, being careful to keep his pace slow so he wouldn’t hurt her. Belatedly he realized they had no protection, which meant he would have to be careful.

A bunny girl? What was that... Then Abbie rolled her eyes and laughed. "We'll see what we can do to make that a reality." They got quiet again as they enjoyed the touches and just the feel of the other's warm body against their own. Abbie half wondered what it would be like sleeping with Draven in the same bed as her. She found that she enjoyed the concept very much.

Each time her hose covered leg rubbed against his recovering cock, it seemed like it got bit more harder. She wonder what it felt like to Draven when the smooth but also slightly rough texture of the nylon slid across him. It must have been good because his cock was at full staff already. Abbie knew the question Draven would ask before he asked it and the answer was simple nod the head. She was nervous but had wanted this to happen ever since their first kiss. If someone had the honor to claim her virginity she wanted it to be Draven.

Looking down her body at him when he asked again, her eyes widened for a moment as Abbie took in the sight of him. Draven knelt between her spread legs and had a hand on each knee. Arising from between his thighs was a hard cock that looked so huge that she doubted he would be able to get it in her. That was silly of course but just the image of this man made her sure that this was the right person for her to make love to.

Both of them gave small gasps when the head of his cock touched her hot wetness and then the tip pressed against her opening drawing a new gasp from her. Her fingers gathered a bunch of the sheets in each hand as Draven pushed himself into her untried passage until their thighs touched. Abbie found that it didn't hurt but created a fast disappearing ache. He loomed over her with a concerned look in his eyes before he kissed her lips.

Draven had been pleasantly surprised at not finding a hymen as his cock eased into her. His earlier explorations of his pussy hadn't found anything but he wasn't sure until now. It made things all the more sweet to have avoided the pain. He closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy that feeling of a tight velvet sheath caressing his cock. "I don't have a condom," he whispered in her ear and was interrupted by a kiss.

"Doesn't matter... I'm on protection," Abbie whispered back, eyes closing and a with a mask was ecstasy on her face. As her hips moved a little as an experiment, Draven began moving in her. Slowly and gently a first with short strokes but then pulling back until just the head as in her before pushing back in. All of it done slowly to give her time to adjust and to begin to move with him. He leaned back so he could place his hands on her hips to guide her. The orgasm Abbie had given him earlier took the edge off so Draven would be able to last a little longer he hoped.

The sheer amount of sensations she was able to feel now was nearly mind blowing for Abbie. Each time their hips met it drew a small gasp from her. The little circles and then the squeeze her pussy made on his cock made Draven groan a little. He leaned down to suckle and nip on her hard nipples before suddenly rolling them on to his back. The change drove his cock just a bit deeper into her pussy and made her gasp in surprise. He asked her if she was okay and got a slow nod and smile in return.

When she felt his hands take hold of her breasts she leaned over with hands resting on the bed above his shoulders. First one nipple and then the other with gentle squeezes of the breasts as if to milk her. After a bit of that, they turned back over to let Draven take charge of their mating with long, harder thrusts that Abbie kept up with. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his just above the knees to help pull him in deeper as he braced himself on his hands.

Gone was the slowness to draw out the most pleasure. In its place was lustful rutting to feed the fire that burned inside of both of them. Abbie's body was a riot of sensations that she hadn't felt before with something building that made the previous orgasm look mild. Her body could feel Draven coming closer to his peak with the quicker, shorter thrusts until he tried to pull out. Abbie's legs tightened around him, her hands grabbed his ass, and her pussy clamped around his cock as she came with a cry of his name. Within moments, his cock was jerking inside of her as it spurt jet after jet of seed. Their bodies trembled as each tried to mash itself into the other.

For Abbie, her mind seemed to go blank for several moments. When she recovered, she found that she was panting for air with a sheen of sweat on her body. Draven was laying, partially braced above her in the same condition. He was a little heavy but she did NOT want him to move at the moment. Their eyes asked the other the same question of "what just happened??!"

"Is...is making love always like that?" she asked him with a grin when she trusted her voice.

He smiled and leant in to kiss her softly, his shoulder was more than a little stiff from supporting his weight as he loomed over her, but even if she’d release him he didn’t want to move yet. “Sometimes, when you’re with the right person,” he said, softly, in answer to her question. He leant in to kiss her again, then used his other hand to brush the hair away that stuck to her pretty, sweat-slick, face. Her eyes shone brightly as she gazed up at him, and there was a smile on her face. Slowly she began to relax against him, her legs, which had held him tight and close to her, moving to allow him to gently break free of her. His cock slid from her slick pussy, and he rolled onto his side, breathing a little heavily.

The two of them lay on the bed for some time, cuddling, kissing softly, gazing into each other’s eyes and just enjoying the closeness of another warm body. He could feel Abbie’s heartbeat against his side, the warmth of her body and breath against him skin, as she lay next to him. Occasionally her nylon covered foot, or leg, would brush against his, and her turned his head to kiss her gently. There was so much he wanted to say, wanted to tell her, but he couldn’t. He wanted to tell her he was falling, had fallen, in love with her, but he stopped himself. He had no idea when that had happened, but he knew it had. He also knew it was silly, foolish, he was far too old for her. So he lay back on the bed and simply enjoyed her closeness, the soft touch of her fingers as she brushed them against his chest.

They fell asleep cuddled close together, her leg across his and her head on his chest as he held her.

He awoke with a start, eyes flying open, and for several seconds he tried to remember where he was before everything came flooding back. Holding Abbie, kissing her, making love. He could feel her weight still pressed gently against him, her breath soft and warm on his chest. His fingers played through her hair and he kissed the top of her head softly as she stirred lightly against him in her sleep. He lifted his arm and checked his watch, it was a little after six in the evening, which meant they’d been asleep for maybe an hour, an hour and a half maximum. His left shoulder ached a little, partly from supporting his weight earlier, but mostly because whenever the weather was about to turn the pins and plate that held it together always ached. There was a slight chill in the room, too, which told him the temperature had dropped.

He felt Abbie stir against him, before her eyes flickered open and a broad smile brightened her face as she gazed up at him. “Hey, beautiful,” he said, softly, as he kissed her forehead and nose. Which brought a slightly brighter smile, before she kissed him and then stretched against him. He smiled down at her, as she nestled back against him, one arm supporting her head as she gazed down at him, the other on his chest.

How long they lay like that neither of them knew, time seemed to hold no meaning for them as they held each other. Eventually, though, he felt the call of nature and he reluctantly moved to sit up as Abbie pouted a little. That they would spend that night together he had no doubt, falling asleep holding her, waking up with her in his arms had just felt so right, so natural, like it was something they had done a million times before. Conscious of her eyes on his back, he went through to the bathroom, when he emerged a few minutes later, Abbie was sitting on the bed, pulling off the ripped nylons she wore. Moving to the bed, he kissed her gently, before he started to search for his clothes. “I’ll get some wood for the fire, it’s gonna be a cold one tonight,” he said, as he began to dress. He turned to leave, then came back. “Abbie, earlier, it was…” he paused, searching for the right word before he added, “Perfect,” he finished.

He kissed her again, turned to leave, paused in the doorway. “Abbie, I…” his voice froze, he wanted to tell her he loved her, but knew that would be foolish, silly. She looked over at him, and he was sure she could almost read his mind. “I’ll get the wood,” he finished, instead of saying what he wanted, what he felt. He caught the faintest hint of disappointment on her face, before he turned and left. Outside it had started to snow, he lit a cigarette and headed for the woodshed. His mind was full of images of Abbie, the memory of her touch and kiss.

During the aftermath and recovery from the unbelievable experience they had was just magical to Abbie. Every nerve cell in her body was still tingling and the touches from Draven kept them that way. It felt like they were someplace out of space and time where they could just be like this forever. Neither said anything but she thought there was plenty being said just by the looks each gave the other. How she was in love with him and suspected he was with her. The actual words were too scary for them to say out loud. Eventually, she rested her head on his chest just for a moment. The smooth rhythmic beat of his heart lulled her to sleep. With his arms around her, Abbie knew there wasn’t anything to be afraid of...

“Don’t drop him! No...no...not that....there you go,” her voice said soothingly. Abbie felt a smile on her face as she sat on the porch watching the back of a man as he held a tiny little baby in his arms. Eventually he gave her the child as she was looking down to pull open the front of dress t expose a nipple. “Like father, like son... You both like my boobs.” Fingers tilted her chin up so Draven could kiss the mother of his child.

.Draven’s slight movement was just enough to wake her and end Abbie nice dream. The remembrance of it and seeing that making love to him wasn’t a dream is what put the smile on her face. They would make beautiful babies she knew and she also knew that she was not ready to be a mom anytime soon. It was nice to dream about though.

They spent plenty of time cuddle together and didn’t need to say any words at all. If Abbie were to say anything it would have a questions about what took them so long to do this? Biological functions made the need to get up a necessity. She also wanted to remove the ruined stockings too as they were become a little uncomfortable from the various bodily fluids cast upon it. As she was tugging them off, Draven came back into the bedroom to get dressed. “Don’t make it too warm? I want to be able to cuddle with you under a blanket to stay warm.” That got her a grin..

“It takes two to make it perfect and it was beyond perfect,” she said softly and kissed him again. When he stopped and started to say something Abbie’s heart nearly stopped because she knew what he was going to say....but then he didn’t. For a moment, she just sat on the edge of the bed and tried to process things. Why had she expected him to say “I love you”? She knew in heart that he did just like he knew she did. It was like they were too scared of everything outside of the cabin to let their feelings show. Maybe what they had could never go further but Abbie decided that she was not going to bury her feelings away. She had done too much of that in her life!

By the time Draven came back in, Abbie had cleaned up a little and was dressed in just panties and a t-shirt. With thigh high stockings of course. She fixing sandwiches and soup for dinner. Something they could eat while sitting on a sheet spread out on the floor in front of a fireplace. Every so often, she rested her head on his shoulder and he would them kiss it. When she was done eating, Abbie set the plate and bowl aside and looked into the fire. “Draven?” she said softly. “I’d like to say something and please, don’t say anything until I’m done.”

“There once was a girl who pitied herself greatly because her life wasn’t as ‘normal’ as everyone else's. Her parents, who she loves dearly, had made choices in life that made her life... Well let’s say it's in the spotlight more than most people's. The girl wasn’t happy with it but she dealt with it as best she could and was a good girl. Except for the time when she went out with a pig...I mean...boy who was going to record him taking her virginity and have a paparazzi ‘catch’ afterwards. She was lucky that her police detail for her and bounced the pig’s head on the pavement a few times. That got the girl thinking that most boys weren’t great and a large portion were jerks.”

She took a sip of water before going on. “Then one day a bad thing happened and someone’s bright idea was to have the girl run away with a man who would protect her. She first thought he was cute, in an intense sort of way, and found she liked how he kept looking at her legs. Not in a pervy sort of but that he...liked them. She also liked how they seemed to get along quite well even from the way different background they had. They had a ‘connection’ for some reason. She enjoyed it and thought the guy did to. More things happened and emotions were exposed and she like how gentle and caring he could be. At the same time he was a warrior and a protector so she felt safe with him. When the girl got sloshed, she knew that somehow, someway those feelings she had had grown into something more and were fermenting into something greater. She then made an idiot of herself but the guy... The guy took care of her and didn’t use her like how he could have and that, at the time, she wanted to be used. Even better, he wasn’t furious with her or thought she was a slut. Far from it, because he then made love to her. It was so sweet and passionate, and... Girls are suppose to remember their first lover and she will never, ever forget him. Not just because of that but because it made her realize that she was in love with him. Not a crush, but love. The kind where you want to wake up next to them every morning and go to sleep next to them every evening. That kind.”

Abbie didn’t feel them but there were tears rolling do her cheeks as she looked at Draven. “I love you that way Draven. I don’t know how or why but I love you like I never want to let you go. I know it's totally stupid considering the different worlds we are from and our ages. I also know we...can’t be together. If I had a normal life I could say that I’m eighteen and can do what I want and be with who I want. It’s not normal though and to bring you into it would rip you to shreds. Your job, your life, everything. The amount of hurt that would be inflicted on you... I can’t have that and won’t.”

She touched his cheek and smiled sadly as he wrapped his arms around her. “I love you too much Draven. I’m sorry if I...” He silenced her with a long kiss and just held her to him.

He listened as she spoke, knowing that she was talking about herself. As she finished, as her voice started to break and falter he moved in to hold her close and give her a long, gentle, tender kiss. She had tears in her eyes and he leant to gently brush them away with soft, tender, brushes of his lips against her cheeks. “Hey, no tears,” he said, softly, as he held her and continued to brush the tears from her eyes with his fingers. He ran his fingers through her hair, stroked her cheek and let her nestle against him. His heart beat a little quicker as he held her, felt her heart beating against him. When the tears had stopped, he leant in and kissed her gently, before he put a finger to her lips before she could say anything. “Now, if you’re sitting comfortably, it’s my turn to tell you a story,” he said, softly, as he leant against the couch and Abbie nestled in against him with her head on his shoulder and her legs tucked up under her. He reached for his bottle of beer, took a sip, then began.
“Once upon a time, there was a high school jock. He played short stop on the baseball team, and he was damn good at it too. So good, in fact, that he could have gone to any college he wanted to, but he knew that wasn’t what he wanted.” He began, taking another sip of his beer before continuing. “As much as he loved sports, he knew that wasn’t what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to make a difference, to push and challenge himself and protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. So, one day, when his parents were away on vacation, he went down to the Marine Corps recruitment office and signed up as a Marine Corps officer cadet. His parents weren’t best pleased, but in time they came around.

“So, off he went to Quantico, and it was hell. He came close to quitting more times than he could count, but he didn’t, he pushed himself and in time he even came to find that he liked and enjoyed the challenges. He graduated second in his class, beaten out for the top spot by the son of a Marine general who was only there because it was expected.” He paused again, running his fingers through her hair gently as she shifted lightly against him. “For three years he trained and learnt to be a marine officer, he took courses, trained to be a sniper, he even met a woman and they got married. But she wasn’t the one for him, something he would have known if he hadn’t let his libido take control. She wasn’t cut out to be a military wife, she couldn’t deal with the pressure and separations. She wanted him to quit, he refused and she walked out. The divorce was messy. And then came 9/11 and ‘The War on Terror’.”

“He was sent to Afghanistan and Iraq, he did things he’ll never talk about over there. He lost friends, comrades, men he commanded, and he felt every loss like it was a stab to his heart. He was wounded,” he paused as he felt her fingers move to the scars on his chest and ribs, before he continued. “They brought him home, put him back together and gave him medals, he even met the president when he received one,” he added. “They wanted to send him back, but he said no, his time was up and he didn’t want to kill anymore. So they sent him away, back home to Willowburg where he’d grown up. There was even a parade for him, and he visited his old school, but he felt out of place. And then he was offered the chance to be a protector again, a police officer,” he took another sip of his beer and continued.

“After he became a police officer he felt more at peace, of course the job was hard and had its problems, but he felt like he was making a difference again. And then they came to him, took him to the office, gave him an assignment. Protect the girl, she was in danger, take her away and keep her safe. Easy enough, what he hadn’t expected was that she would be so special,” he paused, turning her face so she could look up into his eyes. “He never expected to fall in love with her,” his voice was soft as he spoke.

“I love you, my Abbie, I love you with all my heart and being,” he spoke softly, gently, pausing for a brief second before he added. “I don’t know how long we’ll have, but however long it is I want to hold you, kiss you, make love to you. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms, wake up holding you close, to spend every waking minute with you. I love you, my Abbie,” he finished.

He held her close as he finished before she stirred in his arms, he shifted position slightly and gazed down at her. He didn’t have anything else to say, didn’t know what else to say, but as he gazed down into her gentle eyes he knew he didn’t have to say anything.

As he began his story, Abbie nestled with her head on his chest as she listened to him. All the things he had done... All the different possibilities he could have followed... He defied his parents and went his own route and pushed through to win. That She wished she could be that strong. Then about his ex-... Could she be a good military wife? Maybe... Abbie knew she would worry constantly about his safety but you always do that for someone you love. It made her smile a little at the thought of it. She could also be there to help when the dreams and thoughts about the lost comrades would surface. She could give him the love to see it all through. 'Met with the president'? Her eyes blinked open. Draven is a Medal of Honor winner? Even Abbie knew what
it meant to have the MoH.

She felt his fingers and looked up at him with a bit of awe in her eyes which quickly turned to love, with hints of sadness, at his final words. "And I love you my handsome man. I don’t know how or why we fell in love like we have but I want to squeeze a lifetime into what time we have left. I do know this, I’ll see you in another life, when we are both cats!”

He grinned, "Nope, I wanna come back as a wolf. Running free with my pack, just you, me and our pups."

They both laughed softly and cuddled together, just looking at the fire. Every so often, one might squeeze the other’s hand or they would kiss softly.

Abbie started to chuckle softly before looking at Draven. "When I woke up a little while ago I had a smile on my face. It was partly from knowing that you were still there and what we had done was real. The other reason was the dream I was having. You and me and you were holding our son." She liked the sudden surprised look on his face and kissed him before he could say anything. "No Draven, I don't want to get pregnant. Not for a long while yet. If I did, I'd want it to be your's. Any child would have the best of us I know. Although I bet with a daughter you would do the ‘and what are your intentions with my daughter?’ routine with a shotgun on your lap to a boyfriend.”

Draven just shook his head, "I'd just toss a bullet at him and tell him they move faster after 10 o'clock."

They both got a laugh out of those images and then kissed deeply. “Why don’t we do everything we need to do if we actually wanted a baby?” he whispered in her ear. Abbie’s only response was to pull back enough so she could remove her t-shirt and panties. Draven quickly did the same so they were both naked, except for the thigh-high pantyhose she wore. “Making love in front of a fire? I like..,” she smiled as she pulled a couple of pillows from the couch on to the sheet they sat on.

In the orange glow the pair laid together with bodies touching, hands lightly caressing, lips that were kissing. His head dipped to suckle on a nipple and then its twin. A finger drifted down to tease the hard little clit before giving gentle tug to the bit of fur there. At the same time, a different hand stroked the hand shaft that throbbed between them. Both sighed softly into the other’s mouth from what they were doing to each other.

With a gentle shove, Abbie moved her lover on to his back and adjusted herself so that her breasts dangled over his face and a hose covered thigh rubbed his cock. When Draven took ahold of her breasts in his hands. He gently squeezed them as if to draw milk as he suckled. The sensation of it drew a gasp from her lips as she closed her eyes for a moment. Abbie didn’t know such feeling could come from her boobs when touched like it. Each time she moved, her thigh rubbed and his cock responded to make him groan softly.

.Adjusting herself again, she pushed until the head of Draven’s cock pressed against her opening. He moved his hands to her hips to guide Abbie slowly down onto him until he was fully within her warmth. The lovers looked at each other with expressions of ecstasy on their faces. It felt like they were perfectly fitted for each other somehow. For several seconds they didn’t move and enjoyed what they were feeling. Then she allowed herself to be guided up and down his cock in time with their breathing. The fire making them seemingly glow.

Then Draven rolled them to their sides and pulled out. Before she could protest, he moved behind her and guided her up on her hands and knees. “A stallion and his mare...” Abbie whispered and spread her legs a little wider. Guiding his cock in again, they both moaned from the delicious new sensations this position caused. Slowly at first and then with a steady rhythm they moved together. Draven’s hands rubbing all over her back and then reaching around to grasp the swaying breasts.

Abbie’s mouth was open from silent cries as she experience a small orgasm and then another. One of his hands had moved to stroke her hard clit in time with their thrusts. Never in her wildest fantasies did she imagine making love could be like this. “With me my love...” Draven whispered in her ear as his thrusts became harder, faster. His hands on her hips pulling her back to force himself in deeper with her pushing back.

The only sounds in the room were the crackling fire, the wet sounds of skin rubbing, and the moans from the lover. Then Draven threw his head back to loudly groan as he fired jets of cum into her. Abbie hung her head as her body shuddered from a powerful orgasm. He lowered himself to lay against her before rolling them to their sides, bodies still pressed against the other. Her legs came together to trap his cock inside of her warmth.

Neither said anything as they let their heartbeats slow and they could gather their strength for the next round of lovemaking. As Abbie had said, they need to squeeze a lifetime of love into the time they had left.

How much time passed, neither of them knew and they didn’t care either. What finally stirred them out of their daze was the crackle and pop of the fire as it burned. Draven leant in to kiss her softly, before he moved a she released the pressure on him with her legs, so he could put the fireguard in place. He glanced at his watch, was surprised to find it was after eleven. “Time to get you to bed, missy,” he said, softly, as he leant in and kissed her before he scooped Abbie up into his arms and carried her through to the master bedroom.

He lay her gently on the bed, leant in to kiss her softly, before he moved away before she could wrap her arms around him and drag him back down. “I need to go make sure everything is locked up, grab a quick smoke. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes, I promise,” he said, as he saw the look on her face. She smiled back at him, reached out to brush her fingers along his chest before he could move completely out of the way.

Returning to the lounge, he added a couple of logs to the fire and replaced the fireguard, before he gathered up his clothes and quickly threw on the shorts, sweatpants and sweatshirt he’d removed earlier. He went outside, the air was chill and aside from the moon there was no stars in the night sky overhead. There was no wind, but the night sky was clear, the air cold and crisp, and a thin sheen of frost was on the ground. It was definitely going to be a long, cold, night. Finishing his smoke, he made sure all the doors and windows were locked before he returned to the lounge and added another log to the fire. He went through to the bedroom, Abbie was already beneath the covers although as he entered she pulled them back to reveal she wore nothing except the thigh high stockings. “Perhaps it won’t be so cold, after all,” he said to himself, as he got undressed and then joined her in bed. The two of them cuddled close, Abbie’s hand began to slide lower before he caught it and stopped her, there would be plenty of time in the morning, for now he just wanted to curl up with the woman he loved and fall asleep with her in his arms. He turned and smiled at her, kissed the tip of her nose and then her lips. “In the morning, I promise,” he said, softly, as she pouted.

The two of them settled onto the bed, snuggled and cuddled close together, her head on his chest and his arm around her. He felt her drift off to sleep, her breathing slowing, before he finally closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.

Fallujah

“Incoming!” Yelled a voice, a few precious seconds before the mortar rocket exploded. Giving the marines the time and chance to take cover. A shower of rubble and shrapnel whizzed through the air, bouncing off Kevlar helmets, but the marines were safe, having taken cover behind one of the remaining walls of the house they’d been investigating when all hell had broken loose.

“Watch the flanks,” ordered Draven, as he clutched his M4 assault rifle. Dust and dirt was smeared over his face, over his uniform, and he readjusted the helmet the protected his head even as he heard the chatter of automatic weapons fire from the right. “Phones, get me the battalion commander,” he added, directing the order to a young marine who wore a radio backpack.

“Shit, they got us pinned here,” said a female voice, as another marine crawled into the cover of the wall where Draven knelt. He turned and smiled to the newcomer, Jocelyn was his second in command they’d grown close. Too close.

“You ain’t just whistlin’ Dixie,” he replied, as a burst of automatic gunfire sent chips of brick and stone flying in all directions. “Get me some fucking suppressive fire, now,” he ordered, as two marines with the squad automatic weapon, the M249, took up position and began to lay down fire.

“Sir, battalion on the line,” announced the radio operator, as he handed the headset and mic to Draven.

“Sir, it was a trap, we’re pinned down. Request fire mission at,” he paused to give their position. He listened to the reply, frowning. “Aye sir, five minutes,” he added, before the line went dead. He turned to his marines, pausing before he spoke. “Five minutes, lady and gents, I strongly suggest we not be here when the colonel sends the bad guys a present,” he finished.

“What’s the plan?” Asked Jocelyn, as she hunkered down next to him. She offered him a soft smile, despite the dust and dirt on her face, he thought she looked beautiful.

“The plan is, we get the fuck outta here, then I buy you a beer and then you rock my world,” he answered, ducking as more bullets sent chips of stone flying through the air.

“You’re on, captain,” said Jocelyn, with a grin that matched his.

“First squad, fall back, second and third cover them, then second squad fall back, then third, the lieutenant and I will bring up the rear. Fifteen second intervals, move out,” he ordered, before he took a firm grip on his rifle. He used the corner of the wall for cover, spraying the enemy position with controlled bursts from his M4 as he counted off the seconds. The magazine ran dry and he rolled back into cover, reloading before laying down more fire. He felt the tap on his shoulder which told him the last of his marines was moving out. He reloaded again, looked at Jocelyn. “Ready?”

“Ready, boy I was born ready,” she answered.

He was about to say something, didn’t hear the whine of the incoming RPG round, wasn’t aware of the danger until she was pushing him out of the way. The grenade exploded, showering them with lethal shrapnel and shards of rock. He felt the impact on his Kevlar vest as a sliver sliced through it, the agony of a rifle round punching through his left shoulder. “Fuck, that hurt,” he yelled, more to keep his mind off the pain than anything else. Another RPG slammed into the wall, showering them with debris. Lieutenant, we are leaving,” he said, not realizing that Jocelyn had been hit until he turned around and saw her lying on the ground.

He knew it was bad, there was so much blood. All over her uniform, bubbling from her lips, on her face, her breathing was coming in short, sharp gasps. His first instinct was to call for a medic, but there wasn’t one so he didn’t. “Easy, Jocelyn,” he said, softly, as he knelt beside her.

“Go, get out of here,” she told him, through clenched, bloodied, teeth.

“I’m not leaving you,” he told her, ducking once more as another RPG obliterated a good portion of the wall they hid behind. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he turned and unleashed a full magazine at the hidden enemy, dropped his rifle and drew his sidearm. “I’m not leaving you behind,” he repeated, as he lifted her up and onto his shoulder. He knelt in cover, waited until his squad opened fire on the enemy and then ran for safety.

He reached his marines, laying Jocelyn on the sand even as the artillery barrage slammed down to obliterate the enemy position. “Medic!” He yelled, even as a young marine, wearing a Red Cross armband made his way through the ranks of marines who knelt around the two officers.

Jocelyn suddenly grabbed his arm, her fingers digging into the muscle, as she opened her eyes, her other hand reached up to touch his face. “Draven…” she began, before her grip began to slacken. The light began to fade in her eyes, and Draven leant in, despite the blood on her face and lips and kissed her cheek softly. Her body suddenly went stiff, and then limp, in his arms and she was gone.

He looked down at her again, blinking as he realized it was no longer Jocelyn who lay, limply in his arms. It was Abbie, her hair matted bloodily to her forehead, her soft eyes gazing up at him lifeless and accusing.

Present

“No!” He screamed the single word as he sat up in bed, his body shaking and slick with sweat. He hadn’t had that nightmare in some time, relieving the firefight in Fallujah. He sat up in bed, trying to catch his breath, his hand moving almost instinctively to touch the scar on his shoulder. Tears came to his eyes, he wasn’t aware of Abbie as she sat up and held him. Tears rolled down his face and his body jerked with the sobs.

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

“Mmmmm....” she sighed with a smile as she stretched out her body. From the way his cock reacted, Abbie knew he liked the view. All she wanted to do was make love to Draven again and again. “You can take me to bed and have your way with me again my love. I won’t fight you, much!” she said with a laugh as he carried her. Draven’s only reply was to kiss her deeply and squeeze his arms around her. It was almost scary how much she loved being held by him. When she was, she felt so safe and protected. Abbie didn’t want to think what it would be like when that couldn’t happen.

Abbie found herself licking her lips as she watched Draven’s ass as he walked away. That made her shake her head at doing it. While he was outside, she took the opportunity to use the bathroom and clean up a little. A small gasp occurred when Abbie wiped a damp washcloth between her legs and that was followed by a smile. A look at her body in the mirror with a step or two so she could see it all. Nothing looked different from the way it looked this morning so why did Abbie feel so different? Not the old ‘Now I’m a woman because I sex’ thing. Just that she looked different. Maybe it was that someone loved her deeply no matter how she looked. That she was special to someone and wanted and desired. She smiled at herself before going back to bed.

His fetish with pantyhose amused her but if he liked it, she was more than willing to do it for him. Draven’s body was cold after being outside so Abbie did her best to try and warm him up. She was doing a good job by the way his cock felt. A handed snaked down to help it a little bit more when he caught it with his own. “You had better!” she said with a pout and then a laugh. Abbie resolved to wake up before him so she could wake Draven up in a special way with a kiss. The thought put a smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep being held by her lover.

Later...

Their bodies had adjusted so that they were laying on their sides,facing each other and touching. Abbie was in a deep sleep dreaming of being somewhere and dancing with Draven. That was odd considering she didn’t know how to dance very well and the long dress wasn’t making things all that much easier. Wait.... Dress? Before she could think/dream about that any further Draven’s shout and his body sitting up woke her.

At first she thought someone had broken in and they were being attacked. Her hair whipped around as she turned her head to see where the attack was coming from. The room was dimly lit from the glow of the fire in the other room but her eyes quickly adjusted to it. There wasn’t anything but them in the room. All of this took only seconds.

“Draven? What’s wrong?!” Abbie took hold of his shoulder and pressed her body against his. He was crying...no...sobbing and that scared her. He was the strong one so what could have happened.... A dream? A nightmare? “It's okay sweetie. It was just a dream. Just a dream....” He turned to take hug her but this time Abbie was the one hold one. “It’s okay my love... It’s okay. Shhhh.... It’s okay....” she whispered, kissing the top of Draven’s head while stroking his back.

Slowly, he began to recover but stayed in Abbie’s arms as she gently stroked his back. She didn’t know what to do but instinctively held her love like how she had been held as a child after a nightmare. When he had recovered enough to lift his head to look at her, she kissed his forehead before going into the bathroom to get a damp rag. Carefully, she wiped his eyes before laying back down on the bed with him.

Her hand stroked his cheek as she looked into her love’s eyes. Something bad had happened in that dream. Abbie had a guess but wasn’t going to ask yet. “Are you okay?” she asked softly.

“I…I’m fine,” he answered her, after a few seconds, although he knew that wasn’t strictly true. He’d had that nightmare countless times before, although not for some time now, but never had it triggered that kind of reaction. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, almost as if to reassure himself that she really was there and safe in his arms. “It was just a nightmare,” he added, after a few more seconds. The cool, damp, washcloth felt soothing against his face.

“Tell me?” She asked, after a few seconds, her arms still wrapped around him and her head resting lightly against his back.

He hesitated for a handful of seconds, not sure how much to tell her. He’d never told anyone about the dream, the nightmare. “I…I was back in Fallujah. My unit had been on patrol, searching for insurgents and searching houses, when we were ambushed,” he said, finally, moving his hand to stroke her shoulder gently. “We got hit pretty hard, they were throwing everything except the kitchen sink at us,” he continued, after taking a deep breath.
“I called in artillery support, we had five minutes to butt out before the big stuff obliterated everything. My…my second in command and I held our position, to give our marines time to bug out. She…her name was Jocelyn, Jocelyn Chappell, she saved my life. But, when it came down to it, I couldn’t do the same for her,” he paused, voice faltering, before he continued. Abbie listened, not saying anything as she let him talk.

“She pushed me out of the way of an RPG, the shrapnel ripped through my Kevlar, I took a round to the shoulder, but she took the worst of it. We were close,” he added, noting the look on her face before he added. “No, nothing like that, maybe we could have been but we were both marines and we knew the rules.”

“She was hit bad, really bad, but our marines were safe. I carried her out, she…she died in my arms,” he finished, after a few more seconds. He didn’t add that in his nightmare it had been Abbie, not Jocelyn he’d held as she died. “She was special, twice the marine I was. She had to be. She was the only female officer in Force Recon at the time, she had to work twice as hard as anyone else and she still didn’t get the recognition she deserved,” he added, after a few more seconds.

He turned in her arms, holding her gently as he lifted her head and gazed down into her eyes. He didn’t know what he’d do if he lost Abbie. Of course, he knew that sooner, or later, their time together would come to an end, that they would have to go back to the real world. He was prepared for that, or at least he thought he was.

“She…she died in my arms, there was nothing I could do,” he added, after another short pause. “The corpsman, marines don’t have medics, he wanted to tend to me, I told him to help her, he wouldn’t,” he continued as the memories came back. He lay back on the bed, feeling comfort from the closeness of Abbie as she lay next to him, the warmth of her body as she nestled against him,. The gentle touch of her fingers as she stoked his hair, his face, her soft, soothing, voice as she whispered in his ear. It was a long time before he fell asleep again, but when he did his dreams were much happier, full of Abbie and the life they would have together.

Abbie closed her eyes for a moment as she listened. She couldn't even begin to imagine everything that Draven had gone through. Not sure the battle but also being wounded and then losing someone he cared about right in front of him. He didn't say so but she got the impression there were feeling between the two of them even if they hadn't been acted upon. If possible, it would have made things all the more hurtful. "She sounds like she was an incredible woman and is probably knocking back beers in Valhalla," she said softly and got a bit of a smile from Draven. "I'd also think that she would want you to be at peace as well so you can go on living." She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek and pulled the covers up over them. There wasn't much she could think of saying so mostly just held Draven to her as he passed into sleep.

They would have to lose each other soon and Abbie wasn't sure how she was going to go about trying to recover from it. In such a short period of time she had gotten used to the feel his warm body next to her and the knowledge that he was not far away. To go back to the way things were in her life would be difficult Abbie knew. Even worse was the fact that she wouldn't be able to talk about it to anyone to try and get support. She couldn't because the real fear that it would somehow hurt Draven. Even the smallest slip could start a chain reaction to disaster. Just because they would lose each other didn't mean that they couldn't make the most of things now.

That thought comforted Abbie as she fell asleep as well...

Later...

When her eyes fluttered open, she saw that it was morning from the brightness in the bedroom. Her ears told Abbie that Draven was snoring softly next to her. For a few moments she was content to lay next to his sleeping body and lightly stroke his chest hair. A gleam came to her eye and the hand began drifting lower until it found Draven's cock. It was softened but still impressive. He snorted once but stayed asleep as she lightly stroked it into hardness. Grinning, Abbie glanced once more to make sure he was still asleep before sliding under the covers until she was in the proper position. It was too dim to make him out well but she could easily smell his musky man-scent. Holding him lightly in her hand, Abbie's lips closed around the smooth head and then more.

It didn't long for sensations to wake Draven up with a moan. His head went from side to side looking for his lover before groaning as he saw were the covers were raised him. "A...Abbie?!" he said, throwing back the cover to reveal her lovely form kneeling beside him. His hips buck for a moment and
Draven closed his eyes to regain control. She laughed as he dragged her off of his cock and then helped him guide her pussy on to him. "I want all of you," he moaned as that wonderful velvet sheath enclosed him again.

Both knew that this wasn't going to be a long, slow session but a quick and lusty one. They both needed the other too much. Draven sat up so that Abbie was sitting on his lap with her hose covered legs encircling him. His hands enclosed her soft breasts as they kissed deeply with Abbie moving along his cock. Her 'stimulation' of him had brought him close to his peak already so he needed her to reach it as well. His hands moved down to her trim waist to rest on her hips with the thumbs stroking her clit. Abbie's eyes flew open at the touch of it and it made her move even faster. When he heard the cry forming in her throat, he pulled her down on and released his own self-control.

Afterwards, Abbie lay on top of Draven's body with his hands on her ass to steady her. She had clamped her legs together to try and trap his cock inside of her pussy. The pair were kissing softly as they recovered from their mutual orgasms. "So you do like how I wait you up in the morning?" she laughed and brushed her hair back before snuggling against him. They were going to have to take a shower, together mostly likely, and wash up, among other things, before stripping the bed. Some fresh sheets would be good considering Abbie really didn't want to do much more that lay there and have lusty sex with her man.

"Oh and before you forget Draven, I love you and I always will," she said softly. "You will be the one, perfect in my life and will bring me joy when I think about it."

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

The Future

There was a deep, resonating, boom of thunder, as a flash of lightening split the night sky. The thunder sounded like artillery fire, reminding him of his nightmares, but he knew this was real and not just a dream. Rain hammered down, hard and heavy, drumming on the porch roof above his head as he sat in the swing on the porch. He watched the raindrops as they splattered against the sidewalk and road, puddles forming, turning into rivulets as the water ran down the road. He watched the night sky as more lightening ripped streaks of light across the heavens above, watched the dark storms clouds as they grew and spread across the horizon.

Behind him he heard the door to the house open, then the screen door, and he turned with a smile towards the lithe figure that stepped outside to join him on the porch. “There you are,” said a female voice, as the owner stepped over to join him on the swing. He turned towards her, smiled as he saw Abbie and leant in to kiss her as she nestled against him.

“It’s a storm, where else would you expect to find me,” he answered her, with a soft smile as she nestled snuggly against him. He ran his fingers through her hair, touched her cheek and her leg.

“I have something to tell you,” she said, her voice equally soft, a smile on her face as she felt the light caress of his fingers. She paused, sighing as his fingertip traced the curve of her thigh, before she continued. “I took a test this morning, it was positive,” she added.

“You mean you’re…we’re…gonna…” he couldn’t finish the sentence and she smiled as she took his hand and placed it gently on her tummy.

“We’re gonna have a baby,” she said, softly, before he took her in his arms and kissed her deeply.

“I love you,” he said, softly, gazing into her eyes as they parted.

Later

“Come on Abbie, push,” said Draven, as he stood beside the hospital bed. Abbie lay on the bed, her face red and dripping with sweat, her hair matted to her forehead and face contorted with pain. He had to fight to stop himself crying out in startled pain as her hand closed around his and squeezed hard. “Push, Abbie, push,” he added, even as she squeezed harder.

“I am pushing, what do you think I’m doing?” she snapped, her head turning towards him before she added. “And if you ever come near me again, I’ll cut you off at the family jewels,” she finished, before she began to breathe and pant in the rhythm the doctors had taught her.

“I can see the head,” announced an excited sounding female voice, from between Abbie’s legs, as the midwife looked up above the sheet that was covering her. “Just one more push,” she added.

“AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH,” screamed Abbie, gripping his hand and pushing for all she was worth. She paused, relaxing for a few seconds, before she bore down and pushed again. Her reward this time, was the sound of crying.

“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Darius, you have a beautiful baby girl,” announced the midwife, as she took care of what she needed to, before she brought a tiny bundle of arms and legs across to her proud, new, parents. She handed the blanket wrapped bundle to Draven, helped him to hold her correctly, as Abbie reached up to lightly touch their daughter.

“I love you, my beautiful Abbie,” said Draven, softly, as he slipped their daughter into her arms and then used one hand to gently brush the hair away from her face. She looked like hell, he was sure, but right then she had never looked more beautiful to him.

“And I love you,” she answered, reaching up to touch his face.

*
Present

The sensation of warm breath on his cock woke Draven slowly, followed by the feel of warmth as his cock was engulfed by soft, gentle, tender lips. For several minutes he lay there, enjoying the pleasure and sensation, before he pushed back the covers to find Abbie working her special magic. He sighed and moaned softly as she woke him up in the most perfect way, before he finally dragged her off his cock and up into a hard, deep kiss. With his hands on her ass he’d guided her onto his cock, moaned softly as she impaled herself and slid slowly down his shaft until he was all the way inside her. He held her ass as they both came almost at the same time, the two of them lying together for some time before she had finally slid off his cock and nestled beside him.

“Abbie, there’s not a straight man alive who wouldn’t enjoy that,” he said, softly, in answer to her question. He couldn’t think of a more enjoyable way to wake up in the morning. “But, you need to be careful. I could get very used to waking up that way every morning,” he added, giving her a sly wink before he took her lips in a deep kiss. As they parted, he grinned down at her and continued. “I won’t forget,” he said, giving her another kiss before he added. “And, just in case you forget, I love you. Always and forever,” he kissed her again before he pushed back the covers. Getting out of bed, he headed for the shower, he really wasn’t surprised when Abbie joined him a couple of minutes later.

After their shower and a quick breakfast, Draven had told her he needed to head out for a little while. He didn’t tell her where he was going, but they both knew she would be safe at the cabin. She had the Beretta, just in case, but there was no way the bad guys could find them. He drove to the Wal-Mart they’d visited a few days earlier, heading for the jewelry department. It took him almost a quarter hour, but he finally found what he was looking for. A gold chain, and a Marine Corps ring. Leaving the store, he returned to his car and then made the short drive back to their cabin.

Abbie was doing laundry when he arrived, and he went through to his room. He took off his dog tags, slipped one off the original chain and then onto the chain he’d brought for her, along with the ring. He tucked that chain back into its box, before he went back into the lounge. “Abbie,” he called, smiling as she came into the lounge to join him. “I brought you something,” he added, as he handed her the box.

He took the chain and dog tag out of the box, gently placed it around her neck and fastened the clasp. “This way, even when we’re apart, I’ll always be with you,” he said, softly. His dog tags were as much a part of him as his limbs or organs, and as long as Abbie had them he would always be with her. “I love you, I know we’ll have to part soon, but I want you to know what I love you and I will always be with you,” he said, softly, as he kissed her gently.

As Draven walked towards the bathroom, Abbie sighed as she watched his ass move. Before the door could close, she was pushing it open so to join in the shower. They both got clean, eventually but first she was given an example of having sex while standing up. She wanted to do it again, just to make sure she had gotten it right, but Draven had declined. That had gotten him one of Abbie's infamous pouts but it had gotten them both dressed for the moment.

Outside, there was a very thin layer of snow, the kind that would vaporize the instant the sunlight fell upon it. The temperature would be going up while in the sun but you could just feel that the night would bring the cold again. That said, winter was fighting a losing action against the onset of spring weather. Both dressed in jeans with Abbie making sure she had a bra so she wouldn't be slapped in the face by a boob. Their breakfast went fast and as they were putting the dishes in the sink Draven told Abbie about his going into town. Of course she wanted to go with, even just to stay in the car, but he refused to let her. That got a raised eyebrow but she said nothing. When Draven gave her the loaded Beretta and two spare magazine Abbie's jaw nearly dropped open. She was told that "The safety will remain on and no round in the chamber unless I tell you differently and/or circumstances dictate it." They both knew what 'circumstances' he was talking about. She nodded in agreement and stuck the gun in the waistband of her pants at the small of her back.

After she waved goodbye and watched the car disappear Abbie stood on the porch for several second listening to.....nothing. No birds, no breeze, no noise at all. The silence was almost oppressive and frightening to the point where she nearly reached for the gun but didn't. "You can do this.... Nothing to be scared of..." she whispered and went back inside. To take her mind off of things, Abbie stripped the bed and remade it with fresh sheets. The dirty ones got tossed in the washer. Keeping herself busy helped to keep the worries somewhat away. One thing she did was walk through the cabin to note any hiding spots or defensive feature. Not that she really knew what to look for considering her experience consisted of movies and books. It passed the time until
Draven came back. He was still being mysterious about why he had to go into town. She hadn't seen any bags or anything to show that he had gotten anything. Abbie was finishing making the master bed when Draven asked her to join him.

At first, she stared the box curiously but after he opened it and explained its significance she had to brush a few tears from her eyes. "I....don't know what to say. Other than 'thank you' and 'I love you' because I truly do!” The pair then kissed deeply and held the other close to them. People might see the tag and ask about it but Abbie knew she wouldn’t say a word. Perhaps just smile. “I wish there was something I could give you too but I don’t....”

Without saying another word, she went into the kitchen for a moment and when she came back out, Abbie presented Draven with a small plastic baggie that had a lock of her brown hair in it. “You may do with it as you wish my love. I would recommend using it in a cloning project. I doubt the world can survive two of me. Although you being double teamed by the two of us could be interesting!” She laughed at the shocked expression on his face and was going to say something but was interrupted by the sound of a cell phone ringing. Oh no.... Not yet she thought.

When she came back, with the plastic baggie, it took him a few seconds to realize there was a small lock of her hair inside. He took it, his fingers lingering lightly against hers as he did. He had a gold locket that had belonged to his grandmother, he never wore it but he could turn it into a bracelet he could wear without raising eyebrows and it would be the perfect place to hide her gift so it was always with him. “I love you,” he said, softly, as he took her back into his arms. “And you’re right, I don’t think the world is ready for two Abbie’s” he added, with a grin, as they parted. He gazed down at her, his forehead resting lightly against hers as he gazed into her eyes. “And even if it is, I know I’m not,” he added, with a grin, at her suggestion. He could see she was about to say something, before the ringing of the phone in his pocket stopped her.

“Darius,” he said, as he answered the phone.

“Detective,” said a familiar voice, on the other end of the line, that of the Chief of Detectives. “How are things?” He added, after a short pause. “I trust the girl is still safe,” he finished.

“We’re good, sir, still safe and sound, she’s driving me crazy but what else would you expect from a teenage girl,” he answered, as he took a couple of steps away from Abbie. “How are things on your end, sir? Any progress? Any ideas who might be after Miss Michaels, or why?” He added, after several seconds, he had to be careful not to use her first name. He tried not to cross his fingers, to hope that there had been little progress. He wasn’t ready for his time with Abbie to end, although he knew it would have to eventually.

“No real progress, as of now, I’m afraid you’re going to be holed up there at least a little while longer,” answered the chief. “We’re working on a few strong leads, but so far we haven’t found anything that points directly to one man or organization,” he added.

“I see, sir,” said Draven, trying to sound as if he’d just been given the worst news in the universe even though it was exactly what he wanted to hear. “There was one more thing, though, sir, Miss Michaels was wondering if it would be possible for her to speak with her parents, or at least to get a message to them to let them know she’s okay? I’m sure you can understand, sir, she’s scared and misses them,” he finished, as Abbie came over to take his hand.

“I think that would be possible,” said the chief, after a short pause. “I’ll call you the day after tomorrow, unless we have any more news before then, Miss Michaels parents are due back in Willowburg tomorrow, I think we can arrange something,” he added.

“Thank you, sir, I’ll talk to you then,” said Draven, before the line went dead. He turned to Abbie, could see the look on her face. “Nothing new, just following leads, which means we’re safe here for another couple of days, at least,” he said, in answer to one of the unspoken questions he could see in her eyes. “And the chief says he’ll arrange for you to speak with your parents the next time he calls, in a couple of days,” he added, as he settled onto the couch and Abbie nestled against him.

“Thank you,” she said, softly, as she settled against him.

Willowburg

The man sat behind the huge desk and picked up a cellphone, another of the so-called ‘burner’ phones. Supposedly untraceable. Of course he knew that, usually, that was a myth but this one was different. Nothing, no one, could trace this phone, and if they ever managed it they’d find an elderly lady who’d died five years ago. “It’s about time,” snapped the voice on the other end of the line.

“Unless you want your ass hung out to dry, I strongly suggest you remember who you’re talking to,” he said, after a short pause. “The girl is in Maine, these are the GPS coordinates,” he added, before he rattled off a string of numbers. “Remember, I want the girl alive, she’s no use to me dead,” he added.

“What about the one with her?” Asked the voice.

“If he gets in the way, which he will, kill him,” was the simple answer, before the line went dead.
 
The Cabin

“Two more days,” said Draven, softly, as Abbie nestled against him. He had no idea what they’d do, but he was sure it would be fun. “You wanna take a walk?” He added, after a few more seconds. It might be a little chilly outside, but it was a reasonably nice day, the two of them could take a walk through the woods and, maybe, if they were lucky, they could make believe that they were just like any other young couple in love.

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

When Draven said that she was ‘driving him crazy’ and was a ‘teenage girl’ she was glad he took steps back because Abbie was tempted to slug him in the stomach. Lovingly of course. What she did do was mouth: “I know where you sleep!” at him. The grin she got back from Draven told her what he thought of her ‘threats’.

Afterwards, as they sat on the couch...

“I can understand why mom and dad are probably still on the road. It’s something to do, something to keep their minds off of it,” she said as she snuggled next to him. “I’d love to say that I could tell them about you and they would be thrilled and give their blessing and all that but they wouldn’t. I don’t think it would be so much the age difference.” Abbie smiled at his reaction to that statement. “No, honestly I think there would shock at first but.... Mostly because of my mom’s mom. Mom’s from western Virginia and the family is only a generation from being up in the hills. My granny was....15 when she married my grandfather and he was in the early 30’s, widowed with a couple of kids.”

“How were they able to do that?” Draven asked, quite surprised. “Isn’t age of consent like 16?”

“Yep so what they did was have a quiet church wedding and just not bother the state about it until she turned 16. Not right on her birthday though because she was pregnant with one of my uncles.Getting back to the subject...” she smiled. “Their main issue would be that you’re a cop and they wouldn’t want me to have to get that 2am phone call. Except that I’d know what I was getting into and....I would rather spend the time we had together being in love then worrying.”

It all seemed so simple and so easy for them to be together but both knew it wouldn’t be. Even if her parents somehow agreed the publicity would be nightmarish. The media would would never leave them, especially Draven, alone. The sad truth was that, and so many other things, would keep them separate..

Before they, especially Abbie, could fall into a funk Draven suggested a walk in the wood. She gave a nod and a smile before getting Tabby’s coat that was ‘loaned’ to her. It wasn’t a true outdoor jacket but it would do nicely.

The trail they found in the wood looked like it hadn’t been used or cleared in a while but was easy enough to walk on. The pines kept a lot of the sunlight out so it was still a bit chilly . They found enough opening that kept them warm enough though. The vegetation was just beginning to wake up to spring and if the hints they gave came true there would be a riot of colors in a few months. They didn’t talk much, they just enjoyed being together.

As they started back and were just in sight of the cabin Draven stopped suddenly. Abbie hadn’t noticed and only stopped when she began tugging on his arm. Just as she was about to ask him what was wrong he held up a finger to be silent. The quietness that she had noted earlier made it easier for them to hear the crunch of wheel moving on gravel. The only gravel was the driveway that led to the cabin.

Draven pulled them back into the forest to hide behind some brush as they listened. Abbie kept down while he peeked up. The noise stopped and then there was another metallic sound that stopped as well. “One van,” he whispered in her ear after ducking down. “Four to give men.”

Abbie’s eyes went wide and a wave of fear rushed over her. Just as quickly she tamped it down and looked at him. “What do we do?” she whsipered back. The emphasis on ‘we’.

“We aren’t going to do anything,” he answered her question, as they knelt in the brush for cover. As quietly as he could he unzipped his jacket, slid a hand inside to touch the grips of his Colt, but he didn’t draw it yet. “We stay here, watch, observe, they could be lost, looking for directions,” he added, although he knew that wasn’t the case. They could see a couple of the men, the way they moved told him they were looking for something, or, more likely, some one.

“We both know why they’re here,” she whispered, after a few seconds.

They watched as the two they could see spread out, one heading across to the mustang and placed a hand on the hood, checking to see if the engine was warm. A third man came into view, emerging from the rear of the cabin. “Place is empty, no one home,” he announced, before he reached into a pocket and pulled out a pair of black, lacy panties. “I did find these though,” he added, with a grin towards one of his friends.

“She’s definitely got a great rack, you think the boss will…” began another, before he was cut off, sharply, as a fourth and then a fifth man came around the corner of the cabin.

“Cut that shit out, you know the rules. No one, and I mean no one, touches the girl,” said the man, glaring at the rest of his gang. He went across to the man who held up the panties, yanked them from his hand and then slapped him hard across the face. “Spread out, they can’t be that far,” he added.

“Car’s cold, they have to still be here,” said the man by the mustang, before he turned back towards the man who’d been holding the panties. “Did you look, or did you just grab her panties and beat off?”

“Fuck you,” snarled the man.

“Spread out, they must be in the woods, or the garage. Jake,” began the one who, apparently, appeared to be their leader. “Jake, stay close to the house, just in case we missed something. We’ll search the surrounding area, meet back here in ten minutes, if we find anything, fire a shot,” he added, pointing towards the man closest to the house. The five men drew their weapons, before they began to spread out and move away from the cabin, none of them coming even close to where Abbie and Draven knelt.
*
Draven saw the man holding Abbie’s underwear, sensed the anger broiling beside him and clamped a hand across her face before she could yell out indignantly. He heard the conversation, had no illusions of what might happen if their leader lost control and they found Abbie. He moved slightly, which was when he felt the weight in his pocket. Of course, he still had the burner phone. He took it out, was about to call the chief when he paused. Only one person could possibly know where they were, which meant that for whatever reason they chief had sold them out, they had been betrayed. So, if he couldn’t make that call, who could he trust? The answer came almost instinctively, Tabby Michaels had been a marine, too. Quickly he typed in a quick message: ‘Fire mission, 3508N 2971E, Semper Fi,” he sent the message to Tabby. Hopefully she would realize it meant they were in trouble and gave her the coordinates for the cabin. If they were lucky, they could hold out until she arrived, if not, then they’d be SOL. But, at least she would be there to rescue Abbie. “Now what?” Hissed Abbie, from beside him.

“Now, we fuck with them. Stay put, do not move unless I go down. Then you run, into the woods, Tabby will be here soon, if something happens to me, you hide until she arrives,” he told her, placing a finger to her lips to cut off any protest she might make. He was no longer a cop, he was a marine again. “I’ll be back, I promise,” he added, after a few more seconds.

Without waiting for a response, he slipped his jacket off and began to move away from her, starting to circle around the cabin even as he worked his way closer. He made almost no sound as he moved, his Marine Force Recon training kicking in and he approached the cabin and the single man left to guard it. He came up behind him, grabbed him and pulled him down into cover. One hand wrapped around his chest, holding tight, the other was clamped tight across his mouth to stifle any scream, before he twisted his grip sharply and felt, as well as heard, the man’s neck snap. Still holding the lifeless body, he paused for a few seconds before he shoved the corpse away. He stood, beckoned Abbie over, and then waited. He was shaking, he’d never liked killing, but sometimes he knew it was necessary. It was easier with a gun, the distance made it less personal, but close quarters was something else and he knew that he’d have nightmares. If he, they, survived.

She hadn’t seen what he’d done, and he kicked the body into cover before she reached him. Taking her hand, he led her into the cabin. “Take this, safety off, if you have to use it you don’t hesitate, got it,” he told her, as he handed her the Beretta. “Find a place, hide,” he added. She hesitated as he gave her the gun, before her fingers closed around the grip. “I mean it, Abbie, if you have to use that don’t hesitate and you shoot to kill. Shooting to wound only stops the bad guy in the movies,” he continued. She looked scared, terrified, which was more than understandable. He kissed her forehead, gave her a grin, before he added. “We’re gonna get through this, I promise,” he said, “Trust me, I’m a marine.” She nodded, although she looked more than a little pale, before she turned and went to hide.

They weren't 'professionals', they were pigs. That was the first impression Abbie got as she listened to the men talking. At hearing that she wasn't to be 'touched' her eyes widened for a moment but then narrowed because her anger at all of this happened steadily increased. Draven slapping his hand over her mouth was more of a surprise because she wasn't about to do anything to reveal their position. She wasn't that stupid! While he was fiddling with the phone, Abbie kept her eyes facing front as she considered their options. That was Draven's job but she could do it too.

Making a break for the car was out because even if they could get to it, the van blocked the driveway. They could go deeper into the wood but the issue there was that they didn't know the terrain and could easily get lost. That, combined with being hunted and the weather could be fatal. The other was that they could fight but it would have to be a 'hunt & peck' type. If they could get into the basement armory Draven could get well armed. Abbie didn't think of any firearms herself because she would shoot her foot with one.The odds were not good...

“Now what?” she asked her lover when he was done with the phone. His answer of: “Now, we fuck with them.” Made her smile a little and say “Mon centre cède, ma droite recule, situation excellente, j'attaque. My centre is giving way, my right is retreating, situation excellent, I am attacking.” That got her a smile. Then Draven explained the plan and Abbie got shut up before she could say a word.

As she waited, Abbie kept glancing from side to side and listening for any sounds that someone was approaching from behind. Draven sign to come was a tiny bit of relief. They had made it a little further down the road... She looked for a moment and didn’t see the thug that was left behind. He should be around here...

Right then Abbie caught sight of a boot sticking out from cover. She didn’t have to guess that the owner was the thug and that he would no longer be moving. When her eyes turned to Draven she found that she didn’t...couldn’t see him as a ‘killer’. He was a warrior in something that was not a game. This was very real and very deadly. Maybe Abbie would be sick later or not. Right now those feelings were a liability.

The gun she had had earlier was back in her hand and it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. This was for real. Could she actually fire upon a human being and very possibly kill them? That was a question Abbie couldn’t answer until the actual time came. All she could do was hope it didn’t.

For all the bravado that she had felt earlier, there was still a strong element of fear that was peaking through the mask she had on. As she took a deep breath and racked the slide back to put the first round in the chamber before sticking it in her waistband for a moment. “Stay safe,” she whispered and gave Draven a quick hug. Then she ran into the master bedroom, making a slight detour into the kitchen to get a couple of things, before going into the bathroom.

The room had no windows and was pitch dark. Abbie turned the light on for a moment so she could pour the contents of the bleach jug into a bowl. Her nose wrinkled at the strong fumes but that was a good thing because it meant the liquid was strong. Before she shut the lights off, she pulled the porcelain of the toilet off and set it in an easy to reach position. Abbie wasn’t much of a school athlete but she loved baseball.

As she waited in the dark, she thought she heard movement or things outside the room. It was hard to put those thoughts aside so she wouldn’t start using her imagination. For the moment, she kept herself focused on the matters at hand....

Then Abbie heard the doorknob rattle as someone tried to open it. The lock was engaged so they couldn’t. Then it stopped. If it had been Draven, he would have said something to her but there was only silence. Abbie lifted the bowl up just as the door was kicked open!

The sudden light blinded her for a second but she tossed the bowl anyways. There was a splash and then a howl of pains from the bleach getting into eyes, nose, and mouth. Abbie grabbed the toilet lid and swung it as hard as she could. There was a CRACK that was either the porcelain breaking or his jaw or both. In anycase the thug was down and as Abbie ran over him as she pulled out the gun and went to make a break for the trees....

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

He waited until Abbie had slipped away, wherever she went to hide he hoped she had the sense to lock the door, before he drew his colt and took a few precious seconds to evaluate the situation and what options he had. The second part was easy enough, if only because he had two. Win, or die! And as far as he was concerned, the second was not an option. Tactically, the situation wasn’t great. He was outnumbered, outgunned and he had Abbie to worry about. But it wasn’t all bad news. He had the element of surprise, he knew the enemy was here and roughly where they were, they could not say the same. He was armed and he was a marine, the bad guys didn’t stand a chance. Keeping low, below the level of the windows, he headed for the room he’d originally slept in, he found his bag and took an extra couple of magazines for the colt out of them, before he made his way back to the lounge. It was central, would give him the best cover and he’d be able to get to any part of the cabin quickly.

Outside he heard voices, as the men came back from their search of the woods.
*

“Jake!” Called out one voice, a pause. “Jake!” He repeated, as his eyes scanned the area around the front of the cabin, searching for the man he’d left behind. There was no answer, and the man moved closer to the mustang, searching for his missing man.

“Maybe he saw something, went to check it out,” suggested one of the others, who held a shotgun.

“He could have gone inside for a piss,” added another, after a few seconds.

“He better not have,” snapped the leader, although he didn’t think either suggestion was likely. Even if he had wandered off, Jake would have heard them come back, heard him calling. He started to get a slightly uneasy feeling, something wasn’t right. It felt wrong. “Spread out, stay in sight, search the area, he has to be here somewhere,” he finished.

The men spread out, starting to move cautiously as they searched for their missing friend. They knew he couldn’t be far. The leader turned to one of the others, “Ben, check the cabin. If that sonovabitch is in there taking a piss I’ll make sure it’s the last one he ever takes,” ordered the leader. The man turned and headed towards the cabin, pausing at the door before he disappeared inside.

Suddenly one of the men gave a startled cry, as his foot touch something. He looked down, saw the body at his feet, hidden in the brush, the head twisted at an unnatural angle that clearly showed the neck was broken. “Oh fuck,” he cursed, before he raised his weapon and fired a shot into the air. “I found Jake, boss,” he called out, as the other two came running.

“What the fuck?” Exclaimed the leader, as he knelt beside the body. He rolled it onto its back, tried not to stare at the wide open eyes or flinch as the head rolled loosely to the side on its snapped neck. No cop could have done this, no way, which meant the boss had lied to them. And that meant all bets were off. If the boss wanted the girl alive and unharmed, he was going to have to pay. He’d already lost one man.

“Whoever did this, they’re no cop,” said one of his men, staring at the corpse. “They’re Special Forces, Army Ranger, or marine, they’re the only ones trained to kill like this,” he added, after a few seconds.

“Fuck this, I didn’t sign up for this,” said the other, starting to panic.

“Shut the fuck up and let me think!” Snarled the leader, as he turned away from the corpse. The body was still warm, which meant that whoever was responsible had to be somewhere nearby. They could be in the woods, but he doubted that. The cabin was the most logical place, it was easy to defend. Turning towards the cabin, he, belatedly, realized that the man he’d sent in there hadn’t returned yet. “Fuck,” he cursed, to himself. Whoever this guy was, he was good. In less than fifteen minutes he’d taken out two men.

“Where’s Ben?” Asked one of the others, as he too realized the other man hadn’t come back.

“Still looking for Jake, obviously,” snapped the leader. He stood up, turned back towards the cabin. “You two, take the back, I’m going in the front,” he paused, then added. “They have to be in there, we’ll make that bastard pay for what he did to Jake, and then…well, if the boss doesn’t want to pay extra you get to have some fun with the girl before we kill her,” he finished.

*
Draven heard the man enter, and he moved to hide behind the couch as he stuck his head through the open doorway and stared into the lounge. He remained in the doorway for almost a minute, almost as if he could sense something was there, before he finally turned away and Draven almost started to relax. Before he heard the crash of a door being kicked in, followed by howls of pain and then a loud crack that sounded as if God himself had just taken the mother of all home run swings. The crack was followed by the sound of running footsteps, Abbie was, presumably, making a break for it.

There was a pause, followed by startled yells, presumably as the men saw her break from the cabin and run for the woods. “Leave her, we’ll track her down once we’ve dealt with him,” he heard the leader snap at his men.

Suddenly the rattle of automatic gunfire rang out, as someone poured a burst into the kitchen area. Barely had the gunfire faded, before he could barely make out the sound of footsteps and then a voice. “Clear,” called out the voice.

Draven moved to the doorway, took a position so he could cover the hallway that led from the kitchen to the lounge whilst he was covered by a good portion of the wall. A shadow fell across the opening of the kitchen doorway and he raised the colt, finger tensing on the trigger a fraction of a second before one of the men appeared in the opening.

The shot was loud, the bullet striking the doorframe and sending splinters of wood flying in all directions. The answer was a stream of rifle fire from the kitchen, the bullets sending shards of plaster and wood flying all around him as Draven dropped and rolled into the open doorway. He fired as fast as the colt would let him, seven rounds ripping through the gunman who stood in the opening. The man went down, didn’t move again, as another gunman took his place, firing on Draven even as he rolled back into cover and reloaded. He tried to move into the open again, to return fire, but the bullets whizzing through the open doorway kept him pinned in place.

Sticking his pistol around the edge of the door frame he opened fire, squeezing off seven shots more in the hope of keeping the gunman back than of hitting anything. He knew the chances of hitting the gunman were practically zero, but still… Reloading again, he rolled away from the door as more bullets ripped through the wall he’d been hiding behind. The shooter paused, presumably to reload, and Draven moved to kneel in the open doorway. It was a risk, he knew, the gunman could be trying to trick him into exposing himself, but somehow he knew the gunman wasn’t that smart.

The gunman appeared again, framed in the open doorway that led from the hall to the kitchen. Draven fired.

Travelling at eight hundred and seventy five feet per second, two hundred and thirty grains of copper jacketed lead crossed the thirty feet from muzzle to gunman in a little over three one hundredths of a second. The bullet slammed into the gunman’s head, snapping it back, with the impact energy of a small truck, exiting from the back in a shower of blood, brains and bone fragments. Draven kept firing until the slide locked open on an empty magazine, just in case, although the first round had been more than enough. As he lowered the pistol he heard the brush of footsteps behind him, before he heard the gunshot and felt the bullet as it ripped through him.

He slumped against the wall, the empty colt falling from his limp fingers. The bullet had passed through, clipping two ribs on its passage, but otherwise missing anything else. He rolled along the wall, so he was facing his assailant, trying to ignore the burning sensation in his side. He knew he’d got lucky, if you could call it that, although that luck wasn’t going to last much longer, the bullet had missed everything vital. “How much did he pay you?” He asked, fighting back the pain.

“Not enough, obviously,” answered the man, his gun never moving from the center of Draven’s chest. “You’re gonna die, anyway, tell me what I want to know and I’ll make it quick. Where’s the girl?” He added.

“Fuck you,” answered Draven, trying to ignore the warmth of the blood that dribbled from the wound and down his side. “Give it up, back up is on the way and even if I knew where the girl was, I wouldn’t tell you,” he added. Behind the gunman he saw the flicker of a shadow.

“I’ll find her, anyway,” said the gunman, pausing before he added. “Too bad, all you’ll be is a dead hero,” he added, before a gunshot rang out. A blossom of red appeared on his chest, spreading rapidly, before the hand that held the gun began to droop, as if the weight had suddenly become too much. His knees began to buckle as he began to fall, the pistol finally falling from his grip as he slumped to his knees and then finally fell face first onto the carpet. Draven looked up, behind the gunman, smoking Beretta held in both hands, he saw Abbie. He wanted to stand, to go and take her in his arms, but he couldn’t. “What took you so long?” He asked her, with a grin, before he slumped onto his side.

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

There was shouting but Abbie ignored it and just focused on the forest. The tiny advantage she had was that they didn’t want her dead just yet. When it got darker, she realized she was in the forest and immediately veered off to a side to get off of the trail. A tree appeared in her way so Abbie stopped, turned, and held the pistol up in a two hand grip like Draven had taught her. Safety was off and she was ready to shoot at....nothing.

Nobody had followed her and from the lack of noise, no one even trying to. Her shoulders slumped as she lowered the gun. What the hell was going on! Abbie kept listening as she both caught her breath and thought. “They did come after me because...” she whispered. “Because I’m not a threat. Draven’s the threat!”

The ripping sound of a machine gun carried faintly to where she was standing. Without even thinking about it, Abbie started to make her way back to the cabin. Draven had told her, no...ordered her to hide out until Tabby could get there. He would hold them off so she would be saved. That’s what warriors and protectors and friends and lovers do. Her feet picked up the pace as her love for him made Abbie want to be at Draven’s side. It was stupid but she couldn’t help it!

More gunshots, louder as she got closer. Ducking behind the mustang Abbie peered over the edge at the cabin. There were suddenly series of bangs that she recognized as coming from Draven’s .45, then a machine gun, silence, then the .45 again. That was him! He was alive! With one dead outside, the one she took care of, and he had to have taken at least one more there had to be just 1 or 2 left. With the lack of firing now, Abbie was betting.... Bang! Her head jerked up. That wasn’t Draven’s and there was no response. Slipping the safety off, she crept towards the open door...

The cabin smelled of gunpowder, or whatever they used today, and a new smell that she hadn’t never smelled before. The copper’ish smell of spilled blood. Then she caught sight of one body and then another with a hole in it. That explained the brain matter on the wall. Abbie wanted to gag but swallowed hard and moved towards the sounds of voices. Peeking around the corner, her eyes widened at seeing Draven on the floor, hurt. In front of him was a thug with a gun. A gun pointed at her lover.

Abbie didn’t even think as she brought the pistol up in the proper grip and stance and pulled the trigger. It bucked in her hand as the noise nearly deafened her. As taught, she had aimed for center mass which caused the 9mm slug to miss the spine by a hair and then rip through the heart as it continued on its way out of the body. When the thug fell forward, Abbie stood there with a stunned expression on her face from what had just happened.

Then she saw the blood coming from Draven and ran over to kneel next to him. Without knowing it, her fingers set the safety on the pistol before setting it down. “Oh my gods! Draven!” The bloody shirt made her panic as she slapped her hands against him to try and stop the blood. That caused him jump a little and gasp from the pain. “Sorry! Sorry!” There were two holes? That meant the bullet was not in him. He was bleeding but it wasn’t gushing? Was that good or bad?

“First...aid kit,” he groaned.

Without a word, Abbie ran into the other room where they had but put the box. She also got towels and a scissors too. A while a go, she had taken an advanced first aid course at school. Hopefully she could remember at least some of it. “Just stay still. You will not die on me Draven! I’ll kill you if you do!” Her voice had the edge of panic but Abbie’s hands were steady enough to cut away the shirt from the wound and gently, but firmly press towel against both holes.. “Its...its not gushing. Is that good?” she asked, looking at him. “What should I do?”

He felt the scissors brush against his skin as she cut away his shirt, felt the cool air against his skin and the stickiness of blood drying. The blood had already started to congeal a little, sticking the shirt to his body, and he winced a little as she pulled the bloody fabric away from his skin. “Not gushing, that can be good or bad,” he said, softly, once she had the shirt cut away. “You see two wounds, entry and exit?” He added, she nodded. “Then it’s good,” he continued. “Apply pressure to both wounds, until the blood stops,” he added, in answer to her last question.

He felt her press folded towels to both wounds, her fingers applying pressure through the fabric. It hurt like a sonovabitch, but he kept a smile on his face so he wouldn’t alarm her. “Well, you could try and kill me, but I’m Marine Force Recon and we are not that easy to kill,” he said, lightly, as he reached for her arm and placed a bloody hand on her wrist. “I’m not gonna die on you, I promise,” he added, giving her a sly grin.

“You better not,” she said, although she suddenly didn’t look quite so worried.

He waited until he could sense that the blood had stopped flowing from the wound, it wasn’t serious although he’d be in hospital for a few days once they made it back to civilization. The bullet had missed everything vital, he had a couple of chipped ribs, but aside from that it was nothing. “In the kit, there’s some brass sutures, use them to pull the wounds closed,” he said, once she had relaxed the pressure. He watched as Abbie removed the towels, they were bloody but not as much as they could have been. She set the towels aside, reached for the brass sutures and he searched with his free hand for something to grab hold of. His fingers closed around one of the empty mags for his colt, and he clenched his fist around it. He knew this next part was going to HURT a lot. Maybe more than actually getting shot.

“Sonova-fucking-bitch,” he cursed, mentally, as she began to apply the brass sutures to the wound, pulling it closed. The barbs on the sutures dug into his skin, pulling the edges of the wounds closed as she applied three to each side, front and back. “Now, tape gauze pads over them,” he said, as he relaxed his grip on the mag. “Now, wrap a bandage around me, there should be a long one in there, just keep wrapping it until you get to the end, then use another couple of the sutures to hold it together,” he finished. He tried not to show any signs of pain or discomfort as she wrapped the bandage around him, waiting until she’d finished before he took her hand gently in his. “I’m not gonna die, trust me,” he said, softly, as he gently turned her head until she was looking at him. “I’ve had a lot worse,” he added, as he felt her fingers move to the scar on his shoulder.

“Now what?” She asked, as she settled onto the floor beside him and nestled in close. She was careful to keep her weight off his injured side, but she nestled her head gently against his shoulder.

“Now, we wait for Tabby,” he answered her, before he kissed her forehead. He was tired, and he held her gently, fighting the feeling of nausea and lightheadedness he knew was just a side effect of the blood loss and the fact that he’d killed three men. The lightheadedness would pass, he knew, the nausea too, although that would be transferred to his dreams. “I love you, my Abbie,” he said, softly, as he closed his eyes. He felt Abbie nestle closer, before he dozed off.

“Well, ain’t this cozy,” said a familiar voice, which jerked Draven into wakefulness. He opened his eyes, realized that at some point he and Abbie had fallen asleep and curled up close together on the floor. He looked up, blinking as his brain fought to recover from sleep, to find Tabby standing over them.

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

“You want me to do what?” she asked when told about putting in sutures. It was necessary given the type of wounds he had. Just covering them up could cause them to bleed if Draven tried to move. Abbie looked at him and shook her head slightly. “You do know I am horrible at sewing? Last thing I tried ended up looking like Frankenstein’s monster. Okay...if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this right.” She stood up from where she had knelt but gave him a quick kiss first. “Keep smiling my love, I’ll be right back.”

She ran into the master bedroom and saw the man she had hit was groaning in pain. His jaw was obviously broken in several places. Abbie didn’t want to spend the time on him but she didn’t have the choice. First, she used several glasses of water to rinse the bleach from his eyes and face. Then, using the zip ties she found in a pocket, securely tied his hands feet. Finally she took his weapons and placed them outside. With all that done, Abbie washed her hands and poured a mix of bleach and water into the bowl before closing the door to the bedroom.

:”Okay, I’m back,” she said as she knelt next to her love again. “Had to secure the guy I took care of in the bathroom.”

“He’s still alive?” Darven said, suddenly concerned.

“Yes but he won’t be eating solid food for awhile. I kinda....broke his jaw in 3 or 5 places. I tied him up just to be sure.” As she was saying this Abbie was pulling on the surgical gloves found in the kits and then setting out the things she thought she might need. Then, taking a breath, pulled the towels away to expose the wounds. With a tweezers that was dipped in the bleach solution, she pulled out a few pieces of shirt that had gotten in the wound. Every time she did so, Draven’s body twitched.

“Where...did you...learn to..do...this?” he said through gritted teeth. Abbie was doing a debridement of the wounds, to make sure no foreign material got caught in it to cause infections. When she was done, she wiped the area down with iodine swabs.

“‘No Country for Old Men’ I’ve watched it a like a million times. Especially when Chigurh does the self-surgery. Now hold still....” Abbie gritted her her teeth as she tried to follow the directions that had been printed a sheet that came with the sutures. That she was hurting the man she loved didn’t help matters! Before putting the gauze on, she pulled off the gloves and put a fresh set on and squirted a little antibiotic gel on the gauze.

When she was done and all the items put away, Abbie was exhausted. She and Draven talked for a few minutes before both fell asleep. She didn’t want to because someone should keep watch but couldn’t keep her eyes open.

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

Detective Tabitha Michaels, no relation to the mayor’s family, didn’t know Draven Darius too well. She did know his ‘namesake’ but had quickly learned never to mention that subject. So when she got the text from him she was mildly surprised but what it had said got her rolling fast. She was one of Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children and knew what the codewords meant. The only thing she stopped to get was her Mini 30 rifle. A little extra firepower might be welcome.

By the time she reached the location, it was starting to get dark. The rumble of her Impala died away as she sat there for a moment. By rights, she should have called the locals to go in with her but Tabby hadn’t. Something about this whole thing with the mayor’s daughter smelled to high heaven. No one was saying anything publicly, but she had heard that the FBI, along with the agencies who weren’t suppose to be operating in the US, hadn’t found a single clue to any ‘conspiracy’. Also a whisper that the Feds had pushed their way in to examine the communication system that had been leaked.

With all of that thought she grabbed the rifle and carefully made her way up the driveway. There was a van, same color as one of the one used in the original attack, blocking things but no one was nearby. As she got near the cabin, it was quiet. Way too quiet. The door was open and she could see some bullet holes and then the leg of body. Oh yes....there had been some action here. A quick check showed that the two were dead and it looked like there were trying to go into another room....

Seeing Draven, Abbie, and another body all on the floor and motionless brought Tabby up short. Then she the remains of the aid kit and then breathing. More like snoring coming from Abbie. The way she and Draven were snuggled up together.... They hadn’t..... ““Well, ain’t this cozy,” she said loudly enough to wake them.

Abbie woke with a start and grabbed for her pistol before seeing who it was. “Tabby!” she all but yelled and jumped up to hug her former bodyguard. It was so NICE to see someone she knew.

The near tackle by Abbie nearly knocked Tabby over but then she laughed and wrapped her free arm around the girl. “Thank gods you're alright! What happen to him? He not duck fast enough?” she nodded at Draven.

“Heh...” Draven groaned as he sat up. “Five attackers. Four dead and one with a broken jaw if Abbie is to be believed and what took you so long?” The last was said without a smile but Tabby could tell it was in jest.

Tabby just looked at Draven, then at the body on the floor, then at Abbie, and backed to Draven. It was easily to make out that the wound on the body was the entry and that they had fallen on the exit. It was just as easy to see that there was no way Draven could have made the shot so.... “You did all four of the kills Draven?” she asked quietly. If he wanted to cover up the fact that Abbie had killed this attacker Tabby wouldn’t have an issue with it.

Before anyone could say anything else, Abbie spoke up. “No, I shot and....killed him and that is the way it will be told,” she said firmly. She was going to have to deal with the fact that she took a man’s life but she didn’t think it would be too much a problem. He had been about to kill the man she loved and then here. “Dad always said that the lie and the coverup makes something simple into something so much worse.”

She thought for a moment and nodded. “Yeah that sounds like your old man. What about the truth between you two? Just guessing here but....” Tabby shrugged. She had been around Abbie long enough to know the girl couldn’t be seduced, not after that near fiasco, and that Draven wouldn’t try it. Something happened here and it wasn’t any of her business. “Whatever you want to say or not say I’m cool with it. Nobody’s business but your own.

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

As the time passed and the burner phone didn’t ring the he got more and more worried. While the men he had hired weren’t the team of professionals that he had hoped for they weren’t a bunch of idiots. Five of them could certainly handle one cop and a young girl. When he had met with the boss of them and explained what he wanted the man said it was a ‘piece of cake’.

In order for the plan to work, he had to betray the trust that had been given him. It was only a little bit and was for a good cause. He would not cause the nightmare that the Brian Jones case had caused a few years ago. A serial killer who was a police captain who had kidnapped a fellow officer. They were lucky that Jones was killed so they could avoid the spectacle of a trial. Still, the blackeye that the police force got was a long time in healing...

Again he looked at the photo of his late wife and son. Family. That had been drummed into his head since he was a child by his grandmother: If you were without family then you were nothing. If you had no heirs to carry on the family line or name you were a failure. She raised him after his parents died when he was a child. Her only child, his father, was the last of the line and so the burden of carrying it on fell to him. What was so important about family he had always asked and most of the time received a “Because it is!” and maybe a rap on the head.

Finally one day his grandmother showed him a small box with a wood inlay that he later learned was a tea caddy. Inside were a series of very old documents. Some were paper and others made of some other material that he later learned was parchment. The writing on most looked like English letters but wasn’t. The paper documents were in written English and mentioned something about ‘Kalash’ and an agreement.

His grandmother explained that over two hundred years ago an ancestor and his friend had made their way from British India to what is today Afghanistan & Pakistan to seek their fortunes. Over a decade later he stumbled, half dead, back to India with a pack full of these papers. He lived long enough to be reunited with his wife to tell her the tale. An incredible story of meeting various unknown peoples until they reached the legendary kingdom of Kafiristan. It was under siege from various tribes but the pair led the kingdom to victory. They stayed for years but decided to go back home. Before they left they secured an agreement that would give them a sizable share of the vast gold and jewels in the treasury. The ancestor died soon after but not before fathering a child.

The legacy was handed down generation after generation. Ones who tried to go claim it were stopped by one thing or another. Scholars who looked at documents labeled them as fakes. That the ‘Kalash’ writing and the English were made by the same hand and that no one had ever heard of Kafiristan other than as a children’s tale. That never stopped the family from believing it. Now the only two left was his grandmother and he. Eventually, just him.

He graduated college, became a police officer, married, and fathered a son. They wanted more children but suffered testicular cancer that made him infertile. A car accident claimed the lives of his wife and son. There was no one left. The bloodline would die with him.

All of this he suffered in silence. No one knew the emotional traumas that he was going through. Not just the loss of his wife and son but that he had failed the family. Perhaps he would’ve committed suicide but he couldn’t do it.

Then one day he met the mayor and his family at a social gathering for his announcement of the presidential campaign. He normally never went to those things but decided to just this once. He knew the mayor had a daughter and had seen pictures of her but this was the first time he had seen her in the flesh. She was quiet but friendly enough. When he shook her hand, he happened to look in her eyes and nearly lost his composure. It took supreme will for him act as if nothing had happened.

What had happened was that he saw himself in those eyes! At that instant, he KNEW that Abigail Michaels was HIS daughter.

He cornered Cynthia Michaels as soon as he could and demanded the truth from her. Before he had married his wife he and Cynthia had shared a brief ‘moment’. Literally a quick fuck in a bathroom when her husband was the DA of Williamsburg and he was an up and coming detective. It was just a moment of lust that never happened again. Cynthia looked at him and then laughed in his face. It was impossible for him to be Abbie’s father. She had been between cycles so was not fertile at that moment. Yes, Abbie was born nine months after their liaison but that was because she was a month premature. Nothing else.

Cynthia patted his shoulder and told that he shouldn’t flatter himself. She would never have taken the chance at having a child with the likes of him.

From then on a rage burned in him. He knew Cynthia was lying to him. Perhaps she had found out about the legacy and wanted it for herself. In any case he saw how treated their...his daughter. All the traveling, leaving her alone. The publicity. Finally one day he picked up the phone and contacted someone he knew from long ago. He outlined a plan and provided the money.

He would make his daughter safe. It might take a little while to defeat the brainwashing that had been inflicted on her but he would. The family and the legacy would be safe.
 
“Nothing happened,” said Draven, his voice firm even as he reached for Abbie’s hand. He looked up at Tabby, then to Abbie, who looked as if she was about to explode. “You know the truth, Tabby, you’re smart, you can tell. And I know that, whatever we say your report will show that nothing happened. It will also show that I took out all four dead bad guys, the fourth is outside with a broken neck,” he added, as he pushed himself up so he was standing although somewhat unsteadily. He was still a little weak and dizzy from the bloodless, although he knew it would pass. He still held the empty colt, and he reloaded, slapping in a fresh magazine. He nodded and Tabby rolled the body over, before he took careful aim and fired one shot. The bullet went through the same hole Abbie’s shot had left, no one, not even the most experienced coroner, would be able to tell that another round had caused any damage. He dropped the mag, slapped in an empty and then racked the slide so it locked open. “I got lucky, last round.” He said. “He shot me in the back, he let his guard down and I shot him when Abbie made a noise in another room to distract him.” He finished.

He turned to Abbie, who was looking more than a little indignant, before he spoke softly. “Abbie, if I let you take responsibility for this, questions are going to be asked. Why did I give you a gun? Why did I put you in the position of having to use it? Not to mention, he was shot in the back.” He paused, to let that sink in to Abbie’s stubborn mind. That Abbie was willing to take the responsibility was more than laudable, but if she officially took responsibility there would be questions and repercussions. She had shot the man in the back, NO court in the land would accept that as self-defense. “You might be acquitted, you might not, I’m not going to put you in that position,” he finished. He nodded to Tabby, the other detective took her cue and turned away but not before she felt the need to speak and explain.

“He’s right, Abbie,” said Tabby, softly. “As much as he, and I, applaud your honesty and courage for taking responsibility, if I put that in my report both of you are going to be in a world of trouble. Draven, because he put a gun in the hand of an unlicensed and unqualified civilian, and you because you shot a man in the back. Yes, you could justify it by saying he was about to shoot Draven, about to kill the man you love,” she paused, she’d seen the way Abbie and Draven looked at each other. “A jury might buy that, especially if your dad was defending you, but it will open up Draven to a whole world of trouble,” she added, as she stared at the young woman. “So my report will show that Draven killed all four gunmen, but you took out the one who broke into the room you were hiding in. That is clearly self-defense,” she finished, before she finally turned away.

“It has to be this way, Abbie,” said Draven, softly, as he carefully moved so that he could hold her. “If we were in Willowburg, this wouldn’t even be an option. There’s no way the DA would even think about charging you, but this isn’t Willowburg,” he finished, as he reached out and gently stroked her face, his thumb brushing the corner of her mouth. He looked over his shoulder, Tabby was studiously ignoring them and was instead looking out the window. “And thank you, for saving my life, my Abbie. He leant in and kissed her, knowing it would probably be the last time he’d ever be able to do so. “I love you,” he said, softly, as they parted.

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

The more Draven and Tabby talked, the more Abbie didn't understand. This wasn't like her and Draven, this was something involving truth and the law and honesty. Things were so puzzling that she nearly missed her love trying to get up. Before she could get to him though, Tabby gestured for her to stay back as the woman turned the body over. The sound of the shot and seeing the impact made Abbie jump before she looked up at the others. She wanted to explain to them about the line between black and white shouldn't be a mass of gray. That she was going to do so to a couple of officers with almost as many years of experience then she had birthdays. It was something that she truly thought she had to do. It wasn't until they patiently explained just why things had to be the way they had to be that Abbie understood. She didn't like it, but she understood. In the end she just nodded and then kissed her love again.

"Now that's settled... I assume you're going back to have a word with that piece of shi..." Draven looked at Tabby who looked at Abbie who shrugged. "...crap?"

Before he could answer, Abbie lightly poked him in the chest. "If you're going back, then so am I. This all involves me and I want, nay, I have a right to know just what the fuck is going on!" Abbie crossed her arms and glared at Draven who stared back until he finally looked away. "I'll go change into something more presentable."

She turned on her heel and marched into her room with Tabby following her. Before she went in she mouthed, "I like her!".

Tabby followed Abbie into her room and quietly shut the door behind her. "Just between us two and I ask just to make sure you're okay," she said as the girl was peeling off the blood soaked jeans. Draven had said that nothing had happened but in a way that was a 'non-denial denial'. As before, Tabby didn't think he would do anything against Abbie's will. Also that Abbie was not the kind that could be 'seduced' so easily. She just needed to be sure is all. That and she was curious.. "Did you and Draven get....intimate?"

Just as she was walking to the bathroom to wipe her bare legs Abbie heard the question. She came to a suddenly so fast that she nearly tripped! For several seconds she said nothing as her face started blushing. The answer should be a 'no' or a 'none of your business' Abbie knew but this was a different situation. While she didn't think that Tabby would expose them she also had a fair idea she would if she thought something was wrong.
"Yeah...we have been," Abbie said softly. "It wasn't planned, something we thought would happen, but...it did and it was with mutual consent. The only thing I'll say about it was that it was wonderful." That caused her face to go really red as she smiled shyly.

The woman was satisfied with the answer and gave the girl a grin. She was Draven was a gentleman and made sure that Abbie enjoyed it very much. Tabby did want to ask for details but decided not to. There was another question to be asked though... "What about..."

"...after this is all over?" Abbie said from the bathroom where she was wiping the blood that had leaked through the jeans. "There isn't any. We both know there can't be. Not with everything with my parents. I could survive it but I won't let Draven get caught in that buzzsaw. I just can't." She came out to grab an unopened set of pantyhose to slip on. "I love him too much and he loves me. Yes, I know... How can we love each other that much after a couple of days but we do. Abbie stood up to pull on her school skirt but got stopped by Tabby who put her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"It can happen young lady. My sis got hit by the thunderbolt, as my Nana said, when she meant a blind date. Six weeks later they were married. Ten years later then have 3 kids and are still in love." Tabby could see the hurt that was in Abbie's eyes about the doomed love she had with Draven. "I wish it could be different for you two but I understand. And it will hurt for a long time but never, ever let it stop you from looking, k? I bet if you do, he'll come spank your ass. Hmmm....he interested in that stuff?" She gave a shocked Abbie a wink.

She just stared at Tabby for a few seconds but saying, "NO!" which caused both to laugh. As she put her shirt, vest, and tie on she nodded towards a book on the dresser. "Did you ever meet Detective Komarovsky-Darius? I asked Draven about it but he just growls when I mentioned it."

Seeing the book made the older woman roll her eyes. "I bet he did! It's sort of a running joke in the department. But yeah, I have met her once or twice. A bit flaky but all that undercover jazz will make you like that. She and her hubby are both good cops, the kind you want watching your back. You remember the Brian Jones shi...crap awhile back? She was the officer he was obsessed with."

"No way!" Abbie exclaimed as she finished putting her hair back in a ponytail. All she needed was her jacket, that Tabby had taken, for her school uniform to be complete. "I read about that psycho in the papers. Serial killer and killed the wife of another detective to steal her baby because he was obsessed with a woman. That was her?" She shuddered at what that officer had to go through. Somehow, the name and that it was a policewoman was kept out of the
papers. Officially that is.

When the door opened, Draven saw the two ladies come out. He stopped and stared for a moment at his Abbie and how nice she looked. Nice as in his cock giving an involuntary twitch.

Tabby bit her lip from grinning when she saw his look and leaned over to whisper into Abbie's ear. "I think he likes the 'schoolgirl' look." That got her a slight jab to the ribs from an elbow.

"Where are the car keys because you will not be driving all the way home. You will fall asleep and crash the car. I can drive. The officer next to me can attest to that fact." Abbie looked at Tabby who rolled her eyes.

"Don't get me involved with this.... Oh hell... Yes Abigail can drive and has a license and does not play bumper cars. She has a lead foot though..."

When Tabby asked if they were going to do anything about the asshole who had set them up, he gave her a barely perceptible nod. He was a Marine, of course he was going to do something about it. The question was, what? A direct, open, and official confrontation, was out of the question. Any evidence would be swept under the counter, the chief would be dismissed, probably with a slap on the wrist and loss of benefits, but still free to stalk Abbie again. Why he was obsessed with her, no one knew and it probably wouldn’t make any sense anyway. At least not to anyone sane. No, whatever they did it would have to be final, and that meant it had to be clean. Waiting until Abbie and Tabby had left the room, Draven crossed to the body of the man Abbie had killed, he knelt and quickly searched his pockets, finding a cellphone almost identical to the one he already had in his pocket. He checked the call log, the phone had received two calls, both from the same number. The number was very familiar, because it was from the same phone that had called the one in his pocket. Taking the phone, he hit the button to call that phone back.

“Do you have the girl?” Demanded a very familiar voice, on the other end of the line, before the receiving phone had barely rung twice.

“Your men are dead,” said Draven, softly, fighting the anger that was boiling inside him. “You sonovabitch, you tried to have me killed,” he added.

“No…no…no, that was just a misunderstanding,” answered the voice. “Is the girl safe, is she okay?” He added, after a short pause.

“She’s safe,” he answered, pausing before he continued. “I don’t want to know why you want her, but if you want her alive, safe and unharmed, you’ll have to pay. I don’t care what you offered these guys, you’ll have to pay a lot more, because after I deliver her I’m going to have to disappear, start a whole new life, and that ain’t cheap,” he finished.

“A quarter million,” said the voice, almost before Draven had finished speaking.

“You’re joking, right,” said Draven, his tone conveying that he was far from amused or impressed by the offer. “Try a million, in cash, and I want it ready when I bring the girl. You try holding out on me, I’ll put a bullet in her fucking brain right in front of you,” he added, he paused, then finished. “You’ve got four hours, chief,” he didn’t wait for a reply, as he closed down the phone, dropped it and then stamped on it. He took the burner phone and tossed it on the couch.

He turned as he heard the sound of movement, just as Tabby and Abbie came into the room. His eyes flicked over Abbie, she was wearing her school uniform again, complete with hose and he felt his body respond as his eyes flicked down to her legs. Tabby whispered something to Abbie, who jabbed the detective in the ribs with her elbow. He took the keys for the mustang from his pocket, hesitated for a split second and then tossed them to Abbie. She had a point, he might be awake and alert right now, but he was still more than a little weak from the blood loss.

“If the needle on the speedometer goes past seventy, I promise you I’ll slap you with so many speeding tickets and fines they’ll never give you your license back,” said Draven, as Abbie caught the keys. They waited until Tabby left the cabin, before they followed, their hands linking. He had his colt in the shoulder rig, the Beretta she had used was tucked into the back of his pants. He squeezed her hand, leant in to give her a soft kiss. It was going to be a long ride back to Willowburg. Hand in hand they walked to the car, if Tabby noticed she never said anything.

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

Tabby had to move her car out of the way and then the van the thugs came in so Abbie could back the mustang out. As she looked back at the cabin, she turned to the detectives and asked a simple question: “Are we going to let the local police know there are a bunch of bodies out here? I have a little feeling that they will be quite peeved about it all.”

Before Tabby could say anything Draven held up a finger and then pointed it at Abbie. “Think about it for a second.” His love had a good mind and he wanted her to use it. She looked puzzled for a few seconds and then smiled.

“Its an FBI safe house. We tell them and let them deal with the locals. Am I right?”

“Close enough young padawan.” Tabby then looked at Draven who looked rather tired. “You know you could sleep in the back of my Impala and we leave your modernistic piece of trash here?” The look she got from him actually made Tabby step back a bit. “Just a suggestion....”

“Do not insult a man's wheels. Even I know not to do that!" Abbie smiled and then helped Draven get seated in the car. He didn't want the help but Abbie gave him no choice in the matter. Tabby got a hug before Abbie got into the driver’s seat. Putting on the sunglasses, she then cracked her knuckles, and grinned. “I feel the need... The need for speed!” When she looked at Draven, she saw that he crossed himself. “Oh shut up....” and she started up the car....

To Draven's surprise, Abbie handled the manual transmission very smoothly with nary a grinding gear. "I want that Shelby so I had better know how to drive stick." was all she said. Once they were on the highway, things relaxed a bit more. Abbie found a station that played 60's & 70's music and she was happy. That got her another look from her lover. "What? I like the classics and classical is all." Things got quiet again until Draven realized that his love was quietly singing 'Seven Bridges Road' by the Eagles. Her voice added a little sweeter, softer sound to the melody. When the song ended Abbie heard clapping from the passenger seat. "Stop...please... I'm not that good. You should hear me when I try and do 'Gimme Shelter' by the Stones.

They made a stop at a gas station to refuel. Draven forbid her from getting out to pump the gas and insisted on doing it himself. She sighed and left the window half open to catch the breeze that was blowing. It felt like the cold snap didn't extend down to where they were now. He came back bearing gifts: pop and snacks. Abbie thanked him with a light kiss and told his to SLEEP! That seemed to do the trick because soon after she heard him snoring softly.

The miles flew by even though part of Abbie didn't wish them to. Every mile closer to home was a mile closer to ending things with Draven. She smiled at remembering the perfection of that first time they made love. Especially afterwards when they rested together in the afterglow. If she hadn't already been in love with Draven she would have been after that. Abbie knew that while she might have other share her bed in the coming years they wouldn't match the feelings she had with him.

Near Williamsburg, she stopped and topped off the gas tank with a pay@pump station. with her school jacket off and sunglasses on, no one noticed who she was. They hadn't discussed where they would go when they got into town but Abbie figure would be police HQ. By the time Draven woke up, they were in the downtown traffic. "Glad you could join us officer," she smiled. Soon enough they were in the underground parking lot beneath the HQ.

The pair sat in the now quiet car as they enjoyed the last moments of being alone together. Each squeezed the other's hand and then shared a final, loving kiss. "Let's go to work," he said simply and she nodded.

They walked together to the elevator where he put the button for the correct floor. Draven had given her the 9mm Beretta again to stuff in the waistband at the back of her skirt. It was nicely hidden by her school jacket. She had strict orders: DO NOT USE or TOUCH IT. The door opened once but Draven held up a hand to stop them coming onboard. The sight of Abbie so shocked them that doors closed before they could react.

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

The drive back to Willowburg seemed to pass in a blur of dreams and sleep, interspersed by glimpses of trees and fields as the miles sped by. At some point Draven had fallen asleep, managing to ignore the pain in his ribs for long enough to grab a quick nap. He woke just before the car entered the outskirts of downtown Willowburg, and he opened the window to light a cigarette as they drove along the street. Without needing to be told, Abbie was heading for Police HQ, Draven glanced in the side mirror and spotted Tabby’s Impala tailing them.

They reached the police headquarters and Abbie pulled the mustang into a space around the back, the two of them holding hands and sharing one last kiss before it was time to go to work. He took the Beretta, racked the slide to chamber a round and then handed it to her to stuff in the back of her skirt. “Do NOT even think about touching that,” he said, firmly, as they started towards the rear entrance and the elevator that would take them up to the top floor, where the brass had their offices. Tabby joined them as they waited for the elevator, stepped in with them.

The ride up to the top floor seemed to take an age, although it was less than two minutes. Once, the elevator doors opened, but Draven put an arm across the opening to stop anyone from joining them. If they recognized Abbie, no one said anything, as the elevator doors before anyone else could board the elevator.

The next time the doors opened, it was because they had reached their destination. The three of them stepped out, Draven and Abbie starting towards the chief of detectives’ office, before he realized that Tabby was following. “No, you stay here,” Draven told her, as he paused. He could tell that Tabby was about to protest, to say something, and he cut her off. “If he even suspects someone else knows he betrayed us, he’s going to clam up,” he said, simply. Tabby nodded, after a few seconds, it was easy to tell she wasn’t happy but she knew that he was right. Draven turned to Abbie, touched her hand gently. “You ready?” He asked.

“Yes,” was the single word answer he received, although it was far from convincing. “Let’s do this,” she added, after a few more seconds.

The two of them moved along the corridor, Draven had his colt in one hand because he knew the chief would be expecting him to be armed. The weapon was empty, and the safety was on, just in case. Reaching the door to the chief’s office, he didn’t even bother to knock as he pushed it open and then shoved Abbie in ahead of him.

The look of relief on the chief’s face, as he saw that Abbie was alive and safe, was more than enough to convince Draven that the chief was more than a sandwich short of a picnic. “See, she’s safe and sound, just like I promised,” said Draven, as he eased Abbie into the office ahead of him and she half stumbled, acting as if he’d pushed her much harder.

“Detective, what do you mean?” Asked Abbie, playing her part.

“You have the money?” Demanded Draven, bringing up the colt. It wasn’t pointing at Abbie, but it wasn’t exactly pointing away from her, either.

“I’m afraid there’s been a change of plan,” said the chief, bringing up his own weapon. “Drop the gun, detective, we both know you won’t shoot the girl,” added the chief.

Slowly, Draven let the colt slip from his fingers, the pistol landing with a heavy thud that was barely muted by the thick pile of the carpet in the chief’s office. “Now what? You’re gonna shoot me?” Said Draven, as his other hand moved down to rest against the grip of the Beretta.

“Something like that, after all, you are the one who tried to kidnap Miss Michaels,” said the chief, his attention flicking briefly to Abbie. “Don’t worry, child, this will all be over soon and you’ll thank me,” he finished. What happened next, happened so fast that, afterwards, Abbie wasn’t sure of the sequence of events.

With the chiefs’ attention, fractionally, away from him, Draven pushed Abbie aside, at the same time drawing the Beretta from the back of her skirt. The chief fired once, the bullet smashing into the doorframe behind Draven. Draven brought the Beretta up, squeezing off a single shot.

The 9mm bullet slammed into the chief, impacting right between his eyes and exploding from the back of his skull in a shower of blood, brains and bone fragments. As he fell, the chief squeezed off a second shot, which barely missed Abbie as Draven shoved her aside. Then Tabby was in the room, tending to Abbie, as Draven all but fell to the floor as the combination of pain and blood loss from his earlier wound finally caught up with him. He reached for Abbie’s hand, squeezed it gently, before he finally passed out.

Hospital, 36 Hrs Later

“Ah, you’re finally awake,” said an unfamiliar voice, as a doctor stood over his bed.

“Apparently,” said Draven, as the doctor leant over and took his pulse. “What happened?” He added.

“You’re a hero, detective, you saved President Elect Michaels daughter, it’s all over the news,” added the doctor, pausing before he added. “They’re going to give you a medal.”

“Great, that’s all I need,” said Draven, before he slumped back on the bed. When he finally fell back asleep, his dreams were full of Abbie and a future they could never have.

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

As the pair strode through the plush surroundings people did double takes at the sight of Abbie. By the time they could react, she and Draven had already passed by. Someone had the presence of mind though to race over to the Chief's office to announce: "Darius and the girl! They're here!"

The Chief looked up from the mounds of paperwork he had on his desk while the buzz of conversation in the adjoining conference room got quiet. "What?! He wasn't suppose to be bringing her back yet. Where are they?"

"In the building, on THIS floor! Heading to the Chief of D's office!"

That led to a scramble as everybody made for the door. They had barely left when the muffled sounds of gunshots were heard. A tall man pushed through to take the lead even though there were shouts for him to stay back. The door to the office was part way open so he shoved it open and took a quick glance around the room. “Abbie!” he shouted as the girl ran to him and hugged him tight.

“I’m home dad. I’m safe. Draven saved me.”

Later....

A touch from something that was very soft and a whisper of "Open your eyes" was what woke Draven up again. The touch and whisper were both from Abbie whose smiling face was filled his vision. The room he was in was different from the previous one in that the other one was more ICU while this one was more like a hotel room. On the edge of the bed sat his Abbie and for the moment, they were alone. Before Draven could say anything, Abbie placed a finger on his lips.

"Let me go first," she smiled. "You've been asleep for about the past two days. The doctors opened you back up to debride the wound and sew you up better. They said, and I quote 'Good job but don't ever do it again'. I guess I'm never going to be a surgeon..." As she sat back a little, his eyes saw that she was wearing a simple jacket, blouse, skirt ensemble that was plain but somehow made her look gorgeous. He also noticed that she was letting her hair be loose and was wearing just a bit of makeup that enhanced her features. It was then that Draven realized that his Abbie had stopped being a girl and had become a young woman.

"There's going to be a ceremony in a couple of days to give you a commendation medal. One of the bright PR people decided it would be great if I presented it to you. I didn't fight too hard to get out of that assignment." She rolled her eyes at that and they both laughed softly. "The Chief will
probably be talking to you about the 'story' they are giving out about why the bastard did all of it. He wanted to hold me for ransom. It's better than saying 'we haven't a clue why the nut did it'. Our cover story is holding too." They had decided to keep as close to the truth about their time in the
cabin as possible. Omitted were them falling in love and the glorious sex they had. Instead, it would be quiet nights watching DVD's or reading. Draven also had shown Abbie how to shoot so that explained her prints on the 9mm.

Both of her hands held one of his and gave it a squeeze. "I miss you... I didn't think it would hurt as bad as it does. I keep waking up at night because you aren't there. And I won't be able to sneak out to see you either. Starting tomorrow I Secret Service detail and they have no sense of humor. They will be either with me or just outside the door 24/7...." Suddenly there was a knock at the door. The pair had just enough time to pull their hands away before Abbie’s parents walked in.

David Michaels was a politician who scared other politicians. Scaring them because when he said or promised something, he meant it. Or that he wouldn’t do things just for ‘the good of the party’ but would because it was the right thing to do. Or that he listened to the people instead of the money brokers. He was the type of politician who shouldn’t exist in 21st century America but did. As he reminded everyone, he wasn’t perfect or special. He was just somebody who grew up in Williamsburg and wanted to do the right things.

Cynthia McDuff Michaels was just as intelligent and driven as her husband but disguised it well with the soft Virginia accent, blond hair, and lady-like manners she used. In private and amongst friends and family the Appalachia of her birth came out in both speech and attitude. When Cynthia wanted something, she got it but was also careful about what she wanted. She dearly loved her husband, as he did her, and would never do anything to hurt him or their daughter. Her main job was do her best to protect her family.

“Hey,” Abbie said, slowly standing up. “I was about to tell Draven that I’m going to be homeschooled the remainder of the school year on account of my new bodyguards.”

“We talked about this already my dear,” her mother said in a soothing voice. “It's only for a few more weeks and you can survive.” She glanced over at her husband for support and was sadly disappointed.

“They were talking about having someone be in the bathroom with me when use it!” Abbie stood and glared at her mother. The agents also would be wearing the standard suits and sunglasses so they would really stand out. At least Tabby made the effort at trying to blend in a bit.

“...and we talked them out of it. They will just do a sweep and stand outside while you are in there.”

The young lady rolled her eyes and glanced at Draven. “And won’t anybody else in. I felt more free when you had me stuck in that cabin in the middle of nowhere.” The last was said as Abbie looked directly at him and gave a wink.

“I’m sure Detective Darius has had enough the MIchaels Roadshow for the time being,” David Michael said, smiling and wrapping his arms around the females. At 6’2” he towered over his 5’5” daughter and 5’1” wife. “We won’t stay long so the docs can spring from here. My wife and I just wanted extend our gratitude to you for taking care of our daughter. It all could have turned out so much the worse except for talent and determination. When I heard that you were the one they inflicted my daughter on....” Before Abbie's mouth could open he already had his hand covering it. “I knew they had made a great choice. I remembered your work on the Hibble case and how difficult that was. Then your military service, Well...I couldn’t think of a better person to be her protector.”

Michaels knew about Draven’s Medal of Honor of course. He did mention it because he some men didn’t like to be known just for an award but for the man that earned it. He kept his awards in a drawer. Not because he wasn’t proud of them but because they were just objects. His DSC was in a safe in the Pentagon because it was for a still classified op when he was in Delta back in the early 90’s. That was before meeting his wife, becoming a lawyer and all the rest.

“You could make him Chief of Detectives?” Abbie suggested. That way he would be out of the line of fire on the streets.

“I wouldn’t do that to him sweetie. That kind of a job is politics and pushing paper. It would be like using a thoroughbred as a draft horse. Doesn’t fit.” He gave a nod at Draven. “Get healthy and get back to work. Gotta earn your keep.” The last was said with a nod and grin and got the same from Draven.

As they turned to leave, Abbie broken away to give her love a kiss on the cheek. Then a whispered “I love you” and a louder “Thank you”.

Then she was gone.....

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

One Week Later

Hidden from view, Draven watched as the press and other assorted dignitaries gathered in the room and took their places. A podium had been set on the small stage, the gathered reporters and television news crews jostling for position to get the best angles from in front of the podium, whilst the assembled VIP’s took their seats on the stage behind it and in front of the dark blue curtain that was draped behind. He could see the chief of police, the acting chief of detectives, commissioner and head of the cities FBI branch all in their seats, as they waited for the show to begin.

He’d been discharged from hospital two days after the visit from Abbie, with very strict instructions to take it easy for the next two weeks. After that, he’d been called to a meeting with the chief and commissioner, questioned about what had actually happened at the cabin and in the chief of detectives’ office. He’d been cleared of any wrong doing, it had taken the FBI’s computer monkeys less than twenty four hours to unpick the web of lies and false evidence the chief had planted linking him to the attempted abduction of Abbie. Once that was over, he’d been sent home and told not to be late for his own award ceremony.

Sitting at home in his apartment, he’d found it almost impossible not to think about Abbie and the amazing time they’d had together. It hurt far more than he’d thought it would, even though he’d known their time together would be short. Getting drunk would have helped, because at least then he’d be able to forget until he woke up the next morning, but the painkillers and antibiotics he was on meant that wasn’t going to be an option. Knowing that he’d see her at the award ceremony, that they would have to act as if nothing had happened, almost made it worse and he’d been tempted to simply not go. He could have claimed his injury was giving him trouble, no one would have said anything. He didn’t want, or need, the medal, anyway, it would just end up collecting dust in his desk. When he slept his dreams were full of Abbie, they time they’d had together and the life they could never have.

He eased the curtain that hid him aside a fraction, hoping to catch a glimpse of Abbie, but she was nowhere to be seen. The Secret Service agents, on the other hand, couldn’t have been more obvious if they’d been wearing bright neon green suits and carrying signs that said: “Hi, I’m a Secret Service Agent”. Not seeing her, he let the curtain fall back into place and turned away. Which was when he felt the hand on his ass, and heard a voice whisper, “Hello sailor.” He turned, smiling as he saw Abbie.

“What are you doing back here? How did you know I was here?” He whispered, as she slid into his arms. His fingers moved to stroke her hair, to hold and caress her as if to imprint the memories indelibly in his mind, even as he realized she seemed taller than he remembered. “I missed you, so much,” he added, before he kissed her.

“I missed you too,” she whispered, once their lips parted. “I saw the curtain move, figured you’d be hiding back here,” she added. “I don’t have long, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum will be looking for me, but I wanted to see you, alone,” she finished, before she gave him another kiss.

“I love you,” he said, softly, as they parted, giving her another squeeze.

“I love you, too,” she whispered, before she finally pulled back. She smoothed down her skirt and blouse, and he finally realized why she’d seemed taller, she was wearing heels. She touched his cheek, softly, before she turned and was gone, slipping through the curtain and out onto the stage. “See, here I am, safe and sound,” she said, as she passed the nearest Secret Service agent. The man’s expression didn’t change, but he came over to the curtain and peeked around the edge, but saw nothing as Draven ducked back out of sight.

The award ceremony seemed to go much easier, smoother, than Draven had expected, although he knew that was mostly because he’d had those few precious moments with Abbie. It would have been so much harder without them, being so close to Abbie and not being able to touch or kiss her. When Abbie had draped the ribbon around his neck, she’d given him a gentle peck on the cheek, which had been accompanied by what felt like a million flashbulbs going off at the same time. In fact the light had been so bright, that Draven had seen spots before his eyes for almost thirty seconds afterwards.

Once the ceremony was over, he had stayed long enough to exchange a few pleasantries with David Michaels, as was expected, before he’d finally left. Returning to his apartment, it still felt lonely, but at least he had those fresh memories of Abbie.

Six Months Later

Sighing heavily, Draven leant back in his chair as there was a knock at the door to his office. He’d been promoted to Detective Lieutenant a month or so after returning to duty, which meant he got to spend most of his days sitting behind a desk. “Come,” he called, as the door opened and Tabby Michaels entered the office.

“Thought I’d pop my head in, see how you’re holding up,” said Tabby, as she took a seat in front of the desk. She’d seen Abbie a couple of days earlier, the young woman was holding up pretty good, but it was easy to tell that she missed Draven. That time, and distance, had done nothing to lessen the feelings she had for Draven. It was also easy to tell, that Draven still felt the same too. “You still miss her, don’t you?” She added. She knew about the locket he wore, on the same chain as his dog tags, and she also knew what it contained.

“It’s that obvious, huh?” He asked, with a grin, as he stood and went across to the coffee pot on top of the filing cabinet. He poured two cups, carried both back to his desk and passed one to Tabby. He opened a drawer in his desk, took out a bottle of bourbon and added a small splash to each cup.

“Only to me,” answered Tabby, as she sipped her coffee. “She misses you, too,” she continued, after a few seconds. “She’ll be back in town tomorrow, celebration rally for daddy winning the presidential nomination. You should go,” she added, as she finished her coffee.

“I just might,” he said, finishing his coffee before he stood and took his jacket off the hook on the wall. “Come on, I’ll walk you out,” he added, before the two of them left the office.

The Next Day

The size of the crowd surprised him, but then again he knew it shouldn’t have. After all, David Michaels was a local boy, born and raised in Willowburg, the ultimate definition of a ‘Hometown Hero’. Standing at the back of the crowd, Draven still had no idea why he’d come. Just catching a glimpse of Abbie wouldn’t be enough. He wanted to hold her, kiss her, take her in his arms and never let her go.

The Michaels family came out onto the stage, David waving to the cheering crowd, his wife and daughter joining him. Draven pushed his way through the crowd, until he was somehow standing at the front. He saw Abbie, could tell the exact second she recognized him, because her face changed. She pulled away from her parents, jumped down off the dais and into his arms, holding him, kissing him even as a camera zoomed in on them and their image was emblazoned across the huge screen behind the stage. They broke apart, slowly, still holding each other, grinning broadly. “I missed you, so much,” he said, softly, as their foreheads touched.

“I love you,” she said, her eyes shining. Without saying another word, hand in hand, they pushed through the crowd and were swallowed by the masses, neither of them looking back. They didn’t see David Michaels place a hand on the Secret Service agents’ shoulder, stopping him from following them.

“Let them go,” he said, as he watched them disappear. He knew Abbie had been unhappy for some time, ever since she’d come back from her ordeal. At first he’d thought it was because of the agents, or what she'd been through, but he’d always suspected there was more to it than that. And now he knew why. Draven Darius might not be the man he would have chosen for his daughter, but he made her happy and he knew she’d always be safe. And, at the end of the day, that was what mattered.

“She’ll be happy, now,” said his wife, as she came to join him. “That’s what matters,” she added, as she took her husbands’ hand.

“I know,” he answered.

When she went back to school Abbie was, for the most part, left alone by everyone. Mostly due to the fact that people didn't know what to say so said nothing. That and the imposing image of several Secret Service agents that followed her around. Abbie quickly gave them private nicknames like 'Lurch', 'Tweedledum' and 'Tweedledee' but kept them to herself. While she didn't like them, they were still just doing their job. Eventually the people who were friends opened back up to her but with the end of school fast approaching no one had much time for things. That suited Abbie just fine. She buried her nose into work to take her mind off of Draven.

That brief meeting with him was bad because it brought everything to the surface again. It was good in that it refreshed all of the good memories she had had as well. Remembering when they made love was so vivid that Abbie swore she could smell him when she rubbed her clit to quiet orgasms in bed. That was the thing she most missed. Not the sex, although she would admit that it was blissful, but cuddling with him. Just laying in bed, touching and kissing, and enjoying the feel of their bodies... That was so perfect. When Abbie would wake up at night and not feel Draven next her were the times she couldn't help but cry. Not too much, but enough because of the feeling her soul was missing a piece.

After graduation, Abbie had agreed to help her dad with the campaign a little. That involved some traveling but she was always happy to get back to Williamsburg but that was home to her. When Tabby stopped by Abbie was sitting in bed and doing some idle sketching in one of her books. She kept then under lock and key but they were private. Some people had diaries and she had this. Seeing Tabby, she had nearly leaped off of the bed and hugged her. They spent a little time talking about nothing and then....

"Well, you'll be off to CalTech or MIT like you planned...." Tabby stopped when she saw the look on Abbie's face. "You didn't get accepted? That's impossible. You were a shoe in for it."

"It's not impossible when you didn't even try," Abbie said softly and sighed when she saw the woman's incredulous face. "It would have been a waste of time. My head... I wouldn't be able to focus on things very well. It doesn't help with all the nuttiness happening right now. Maybe next year when things have calmed down a bit." They both chuckled at that actually happening.

With the conventions done, things were settling into the final campaign insanity. No one wanted to jinx it, but it was looking like David Michaels was going to get elected come November. The campaign people dearly wanted to get Abbie out there on the trail and/or in front of the TV cameras. She was the perfect age for the youth vote, had a clean & wholesome type background, a dynamite story with the attempted kidnapping, and was finally not looking like a 'frump'. They had collectively torn their hair out when Abbie had refused to do all the things they wanted, speeches/interviews/etc, and her parents backed her up on it. If she didn't want to, they were not going to make her do it. Abbie would do things like appear with them at rallies and maybe say a
few words if an interview was done but not much more than that.

The lack of her involvement didn't matter though but Abbie still back a bit of a hit. People liked her because she was 'normal' and legitimately nice. Except for the time she encountered some opposition's hecklers at an appearance. Not caring if she was on camera, Abbie gave them a 'Bras d'honneur'
View: https://youtu.be/YwiREoLF-fQ
and several other 'gestures'. That brought the house down with people cheering, to her embarrassment, her name. Quickly, Abbie became beloved by the voters was considered to be the Michaels's secret weapon.

"You looked like you were have fun out there," Tabby grinned, lightly punching Abbie's shoulder and getting a shy grin in return.

"Yeah...it was kind fun. Don't worry, I will be going back to school but just right now... My heart's not in it." She shrugged a little and glanced out the window. This was probably going to change too if her dad won. The Mayoral Mansion wasn't really a 'mansion', it was just a large house. The kind where Abbie could wander down the kitchen and get something for herself. The White House was more like a museum even in the family areas. She could never get used to a place like that. "Maybe I'll take a few courses someplace just to keep active. God I miss his...." she whispered softly.

Tabby wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders. "It'll get better. It just takes time...."

A week later....

The noise in the auditorium was almost deafening. It was worst, if that was possible, than the political convention they had recently been at. If it wasn't for the flesh colored ear plugs she wore, Abbie knew her ears would ringing for days after this. Thank gods this was just going to be a 'stand, smile, wave' event so she really didn't have to do anything. Mom looked perfect, as usual, and looked the part that he would win in a couple of months. She could smile at knowing the person he was when he gave a speech was the same when the cameras weren't on.

Her dad was just finishing his speech when her eyes stopped scanning the crowd because they saw something...someone very familiar. How...how did Draven get there... WHY was he there... He didn't do anything other than just stand there, looking at her. Their stare just only seconds but for Abbie it seemed like forever. Some many things flashed before her eyes... All the things that she had thought about, wished for, and then shoved in a box now burst open. What she didn't feel was the type of smile that have been missing for months, the one of complete jpy, appeared on her lips.

A squeeze of her mom's hand before Abbie left go and walked forward, not seeing her dad's surprised stare, before stepping off of the stage and to the floor. Ignoring the stares of the people who were suddenly around her she pushed until there was her love before her. Without a second's thought. The pair embraced and kissed deeply before smiling at the other. With their faces on the jumbo screen and on TV screens around the country their secret was out. There wasn't any audio but Abbie's "I love you" was easily read from her lips.

With that, they started to move through the crowd towards and exit. No so much 'move' as the crowd parted before them.

When they reached Draven's mustang they both got in an sat there silently for seconds.

Finally Draven said, "Let's go."

To which Abbie asked, "Where?"

"Anywhere."

"What'll we do?"

"Anything."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

Abbie smiled and sat back as Draven started to car and they roared off into life.


epilogue

As expected, the media went wild about the surprising romance. Draven didn't have much family and Abbie's maintained a strict 'no comment' so the media couldn't get the details they dearly wanted. Some tried guesswork, aka making things up, or tried finding friends but no one who might know anything talked. They couldn't get anything from the couple because they had all but disappeared from sight. It wasn't until a couple of days afterward that the Michaels issued a notice telling the media, and everyone else, to "Leave them alone". The command was quickly picked up by people all over the internet and country who tweeted, emailed, and called the various outlets to tell them to stop it. Somehow, the romance had touched a chord in the population. A few in the opposite campaign grumbled that it must've been a setup but they were quickly shushed.

As for Abbie and Draven, they didn't have any idea of what was going on and wouldn't have cared if they had. Except for a phone call to her parents to explain what happened, they weren't talking to anyone but each other from their hiding spot at the cabin. There they made love, ate, slept, made love again, and just enjoyed the feel of their bond with each other. Sometime during it all, a new life was created that would make its appearance in nine months or so. Both were rather shocked at that surprise but the shock faded to joy and was followed by a small, quiet wedding.

As to the rest of the story.... Well it wasn't a 'happily ever after' because it never is. That said, they had much more happiness than sadness and that's all they wanted.
 
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