More Than Darkness

More than an hour passed before either of them said anything
again. It was Jeffrey who finally broke
the silence. "Have you eaten
yet?"

"No.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I'm not hungry."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Salida knew what the likely reaction to this
would be, but at the moment she didn't care.

"Vixen, you
have to eat something. It's not healthy for you not to. Remember what the
doctor said?" He 't f't feel as if he had the right to be telling her what
to do right now, but he couldn't help it.

"I'm not hungry,"
she repeated herself, hiding her face in his shoulder.

He felt like an ass
for having to say this, especially now, but she was leaving him with no choice.
"It's not just you anymore, vixen."

"They're not
hungry," she stubbornly persisted, even though it sounded ridiculous.

"If I have
learned anything about babies in the last few weeks, it's that they are style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>always hungry, vixen."

"Well...then
I'm spoiling them and they have to learn to live with it."

"Vixen, come
on. Don't do this, please. You have to eat something. Please."

"Don'
wanna," she whined into his shoulder.

"Well you
haveta," Jeffrey murmured, matching her tone. "You can stay here if
you want to and I'll bring you something, but you are going to eat whatever I bring."

Salida pouted at
this pronouncement.

"You can pout
all you want. You're still going to eat. Now what do you want? And don't say
nothing. Either pick somng yng you'll actually eat and enjoy or I'll pick
something and make you eat it anyway whether you enjoy it or not." He was
faking all of this. He was being strong and decisive with her because if he
wasn't, then he'd be tempted to lay at her side feeling depressed and tell her
how sorry he was over and over again until he couldn't talk any longer.

"A sandwich,"
she finally muttered.

"That's a
start. What kind of sandwich?"

"Ham and Swiss
with tomato. No, I want the tomatoes on
the side. And sugar for them."

"Drink? Fruit?
Desert?"

"Just
water. And tomatoes are a fruit."

"Do you want
any real fruit? A tomato is not a
real fruit in my book. It's an imposter. Like an avocado."

"Are dried
fruits imposters too? Like
raisins?"

"No, they're
not. Do you want some? We might have some. I haven't checked because I don't
realikelike them. Too sweet. Grapes are better."

"No.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I don't want any.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Just a sandwich and a tomato.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> And water."

"Do you want
some ice for your wrists?" he asked slowly.

She shook her
head. "They don't hurt."

"Alright."
His jaw fuc did did. But it probably wasn't the time nor the place to bring
that up since she hadn't said a word about it since he had come up here.
"I'll be right back," he said as he pushed himself off of the bed and
rose to his feet.

"I wanna
come," she said, pushing after him.
"I don't want to be left alone."

"Oh. Ok. I'm
sorry. I thought…ok. Come on then." He walked to the door after making
sure she was following behind him.

Her legs were a
little weak under her, but she managed to make it downstairs before collapsing
on the couch. Jeffrey continued on into
the kitchen, while she looked at the sleeping Aida.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Because of the other woman's kindness, Salida
was reluctant to disturb her, but on the other hand, she was bored.

Giving a mental
shrug, Salida reached for the remote and turned on the Jerry Springer
Show. If Aida slept, she slept.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> If she woke, she woke.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> was was the way things went.

"Do you want
this hot or cold, vixen?" he called out from the kitchen as he took the
ham and the Swiss out of the refrigerator and set them on the counter.coulcould
probably figure out how to grill the sandwich if she wanted.

"Cold,"
she called back, keeping her voice somewhat low.

Jeffrey nodded but
didn't otherwise respond out loud as he moved about the kitchen grabbing a
plate from a cabinet above his head and setting it on the counter in front of
him. He them located the bread from which he took two slices and set them on
top of the plate. Making the sandwich was easy after that. It was slicing the
tomato that was difficult, but he managed to keep all of his fingers in tact
and all of the slices on the plate so he counted it as a success. He quickly
put everything he had gotten out away before juggling her the plate with the
sandwich and sliced tomato in one hand, and a bottle of water and the bowl of
sugar and a spoon in the other and walked out into the living room.

"Thank
you," she murmured as he handed her the sandwich and set everything else
on the table.

"You're
welcome. Did you want to eat down here?" he asked softly, eyeing Aida's
sleeping form. He then seemed to remember that he had forgotten the ice and
turned back to head into the kitchen before she could answer, returning a few
minutes later with a washcloth filled with ice cubes pressed against his
throbbing chin and taking a seat next to her on the couch. Sorry. Forgot the
ice," he murmured around the bag.

"S'ok."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Even though the sight of the ice pack made
her feel a twinge of guilt, it wasn't enoughmakemake her apologize.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Between the two of them, he was really the
least injured.

"You haven't
eaten anything," he pointed out, looking down at her untouched sandwich
and tomato slices.

"Sorry."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Mechanically, she took a bite of her
sandwich, ng ang another soon afterward when she discovered that it actually
had taste. For some reason, she'd been
expecting her nerves to turn everything to cardboard and sawdust in her mouth.

"It's
ok," he murmured settling back in the couch a little and turning his
attention towards the TV. "What the hell are you watching, vixen?"

"Jerry
Springer." Currently, a very large
tattooed white woman was trying to beat the hell out of a scrawny Mexican male.

"And that's
supposed to mean something to me?"

"It's a talk
show. Right now they're discussing total
opposites who fall in love for the wrong reasons."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Without the bouncer, the man would be creamed
by now.

"If it's a talk
show, then why is the crowd chanting like it's some kind of gladiatorial fight
to the death?"

"Because its
trash TV." She was about halfway done
with her sandwich and wondering what the possibility of getting another was.

"I can see
that. Why are you watching it? The big guys in the black t-shirts stop anything
from gettingereseresting." And yet, even as he said all of this, he was
watching what was going on.

"At least it
isn't boring. I could have chosen
Oprah."

"I'm very glad
you didn't," he said turning to give her a somber nod before noticing that
she had finished her sandwich. "Do you want another one?"

"I'm not a
pig." It was a non-answer and she
knew it.

"No, I know
you aren't. Wanting to eat two sandwiches makes you hungry, not a pig,
vixen," he answered wryly.

"Alright."style='mso-spaceyes'yes'> Letting him take her sandwich plate, she
picked up her tomatoes after liberally sprinkling them with sugar.

"They're
better with salt," he murmured before walking into the kitchen and making
her another sandwich. He returned a few minutes later with a second sandwich in
hand, and a glass of orange juice for himself. He would have rather added a little
vodka to it to dull the pain in his jaw a little, but he told himself to s bei being a fucking wuss and drink his orange juice. "Enjoy. Let me know if
you want anything else."

"I'm
fine." She actually felt guilty
about asking him to do things for her.
It was too much like taking advantage of him right now.

"Are sur sure?" he asked before taking a quick gulp of orange juice. He didn't know
why he had gotten it, he just knew that he had wanted a glass and didn't really
care to ask why.

"Yes."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Instead of starting the new sandwich, she
finished her tomatoes first, then slowly started eating her sandwich.style='mso-srun:run:yes'> "I would have been fiithoithout it
though."

Jeffrey shrugged.
"I don't mind making you a sandwich every now and again if it gets you to
eat, vixen." He finished off his orange juice and set the glass on the
table in front of him.

It wasn't what
she'd meant, but Salida wasn't going to press the issue.

"What…did you
and kitty talk about?" Jeffrey asked suddenly, casting a glance over to
Aida's still sleeping form. He then realized that it was none of his business
to be asking, and Salida probably didn't want to tell him anywayuot;uot;Sorry.
Forget I asked," he murmured, fidgeting a little.

She nodded and kept
her mouth shut.< sty style='mso-spacerun:yes'> It wouldn't help him to
know what she'd asked Grant at the last moment.
Giving him the answer would be even worse.

Jeffrey lapsed into
an uncomfortable and awkward silence that in turn made him even more restless
than he already was, which was saying a lot. He needed something to do, but he didn't know what that particular something
was. He just knew he needed to do it. Soon. "Did you want anything else to
eat?" he asked casually in lieu of another better response. He honestly
did not know what to say to her at the moment, and he hated it. He had never
felt this way around her before. He had always known what to say, or at least
been able to fake that he did, around her. It wasn't like that now.

"No.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I'm fine.
How's...how's the jaw?"
Salida kept her eyes resolutely locked on the TV screen, not wantio
so
see his face if he took the question badly.

"It
hurts," he said simply. It was the truth. It was also truth that he didn't
blame her for id thd that it probably would have been better if she had knocked
him out rather than giving him a swollen jaw and loosening a few teeth-at
least, he hoped that it was all it was, a broken jaw was not something he
looked forward to having fixed-but he kept silent. It was easier this way.

"I'm
sorry," she murmured quietly.
"I just...I just reacted."

"No. Don't do
that. Don't let yourself be sorry. I don't deserve it and you've got nothing to
be sorry for. You did what you had to. I don't even begin to blame you for
that. You did the right thing, Salida."

"Then why does
it hurt so much?"

"That's my
fault," he said softly. "I forced you…in more ways that one…to do
something you didn't want to."

"Not
you," she reminded him a bit desperately.
"Not you. Never you."

"Yeah,"
he responded with a weak smile that still made his jaw ache. "How's it
look?" he asked slowly, gesturing to his jaw with a hand. "I haven't
seen it."

"Bruised,"
she whispered. "Swollen."

"That's how it
feels," he murmured, fingering it lightly. The cloth full of ice he had
been using to combat the swelling had melted and dripped in his hand so he had
left it in the kitchen when he had gotten her the second sandwich. He hadn't
bothered to get any more. He figured he deserved the pain.

"I'm style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>sorry," she whispered again,
half-crawling, half-turning so she could lean against his chest and feel him
support her.

"Don't be
sorry for me, vixen. It's not your fault. It'll heal. Don't worry about
it," he murmured, trying not to stiffen at her touch. As much as she
insisted that none of what happened was his fault, and the fact that he
desperately wanted to believe her, this all felt wrong somehow. Like he shouldn't be allowing himself to take any
comfort in her presence - for that was what he yearned for - because he didn't
deserve it. To feel uncomfortable in his wife's touch was depressing beyond
belief, but he couldn't seem to help feel that way.

Salida felt his
muscles tense momentarily before once more relaxing, but even then they
trembled. He doesn't want to touch me, she realized, and it hurt.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Far be it from her, though, to force him to
do anything he didn't want to.

She half-hugged,
half-patted him before getting up off the couch.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "I'm tired," she murmured, not
meeting his eyes. "I think I'm
going to go nap for a little while."

Whn>When she didn't
meet his eyes, his face crumpled into a lost look that he covered quickly with
a blank expression. But of course, she didn't see any of that since she wasn't
looking at him anyway. She's still afraid
of me, he thought to himself grimly, feeling depression settle a little
more across his shoulders. "Ok. I'll be down here," he said a little
dully.

style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>But I want to sleep beside you.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I want to be safe.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> What if I dream and you're not there to wake
me? She kept her questions to
herself and simply nodded.
"Jeffrey, I-I love you."

"I love you
too, Salida," he responded automatically, his mind whirling with thoughts.
Is she still mad at me? She said she
believes it wasn't my fault, but then why is she acting like this? She wouldn't
even look at me. Is she afraid I'm going to hit her or something? To him,
lowered eyes meant either fear or guilt, and since she had nothing to be guilty
for, she therefore must have been afraid. Of him. Of him hurting her. Again.
Depression settled ever more.

style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Salida was halfway up the stairs before she
turned back to him. The thought of
sleeping in that room, in that bed, with those memories...style='mso-spacerun:yes'> It was simply ludicrous.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He had to come with her to keep the
nightmares away.

"Jeffrey?"
she called, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "Please?
Come with me? You don't have to
get in bed with me, or touch me or anything, but please keep me company?"

Jeffrey looked up
at her suddenly, startled out of his thoughts by her question. "What? Why?
Why do you want me to come with you?" he asked before he could stop
himself. He didn't understand it. Hadn't she been afraid of him?

"I'm scared of
sleeping alone."

"You're
not…scared of me?" he asked hesitantly, not moving from the couch.

"N-no."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Of being with him?style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Never.
Of intimacy - at least at the moment?
Perhaps.

"But I
thought…never mind." He rose from the couch slowly and moved towards her
keeping his movements deliberate as if he were afraid he'd startle her at any
moment. "If you're sure, I'll come with you." He managed to look up
at her and keep his head slightly bowed in a mixture of subservience and
wariness at the same time.

"I'm
sure. I don't want to dream."

"Oh."
That didn't make him feel any better. If anything, it made him feel worse.
"I understand." He moved to follow her up the stairs regardless of
what he felt though, because she was asking for this.

"You don't
want to. Do you."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Her voice was flat.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Sometimes he was a mystery, but at others he
was an open book. Right now, his
reluctance was clearly coming through.
"You don't have to. I
suppose I can turn on the radio or something."

"No, it's not
that. I'm sorry. I'll come with you."

"It's
alright," she said softly, turning to go the rest of the way upstairs.

"No. Don't.
I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me. You wouldn't have asked had you
not wanted me to come and I will. I'm sorry. I don't mean to be an ass."
He pushed everything he was feeling right now to the side because it was
selfish of him not to concentrate on her after what-he had done-had happened.

"Jeffrey, I
want you to tell me the truth. And
remember, I know if you're lying. Do you
want to come with me, or do you just feel guilty?"

Jeffrey hesitated.
"Both," he murmured finally, looking down at the floor at the
admittance. "I'm sorry."

"Don't
be...but I don't want your duty, Jeffrey.
I'll be fine by myself." She
continued up the stairs.

He moved up the
stairs to catch up with her again. "No, don't. It's not duty. I'm sorry.
I'm being a selfish bastard. I want to come with you, vixen. I…want to make
things better."

For a long moment,
she studied him, making sure that he wasn't just feeding her a line.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> His eyes were too earnest though, too
sincere...too miserable...for her to take him at anything but face value.

"Alright,"
she conceded, stepping into the hallway and walking towards their room.

He didn't bother
saying thank you, because he didn't want to sound petty, so he merely moved
behind her silently into their bedroom. Somehow it was harder to be in this
time. The memories of what had happened began playing themselves out before his
eyes and he had to take a moment to calm himself. When he had come to her the
first time, he hadn't been focused on anything but her; not the room. He hadn't
even really seen it. But now it seemed as if everything was hitting him at once
and he let out a soft strangled piece of a moan, hoping she hadn't hear.
T.
This wasn't about him. This was about her and
he needed to keep that in mind. It was all about her. She was what
mattered. "What would you like me to do?" he asked softly, standing
still behind her and waiting for her instructions.

"I want to
sleep, but-but I'm afraid of having nightmares.
I just want to be sure that there'll be someone around to wake me up if
I do."

"I…can do
that. Where do you want me to be?"

style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>With me.
"Wherever you feel most comfortable."

That hadn't been
the kind of answer he was looking for. He didn't want to have to make those
decisions here. He wanted her to tell him where she wanted him so he knew he
was doing what she wanted. After floundering for a moment, he took a hesitant
seat on the bed, ready to move if she told him to. "Is this alright?"

She nodded quickly,
too eager at his display of something resembling their normal affection to
allow him to doubt that she was anything less than please.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "There is good."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> She got on the bed a little behind him, not
close enough to pressure him into anything, but close enough for her to tell
that he was near her.

"Ok,"
Jeffrey said hesitantly before moving a little so that his back was pressed
against the headboard and he was sitting next to her. He wouldn't be able to
watch her for nightmares if he couldn't see her, he reasoned to himself.
"Is this alright? Is this what you want?"

"Close
enough," she murmured, closing her eyes and hoping he wouldn't ask what
she'd meant by that.

"No, tell me.
I don't want…I want to know what you want me to do," he asked her softly.

"This is fine,"
she said. "If this is what you're
comfortable with, then this is what I want."

"It's not
about me. What do you want?"

"It style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>is about you," Salida replied.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "If I have to ask you to do something
that you're not comfortable with, then...then it's not going to be comfortable
for me either.

Jeffrey began
shaking his head slowly, muttering to himself. "No, no, that's backwards.
Supposed to be about you. Not me. I don't matter. Only you. I want what you
want. That's how it works. How it should work. You're switching it. Don't…don't
do that. It's not right. I don't want to make a mistake. You're supposed to
tell me what to do."

As he continued to
mutter, Salida reached up and placed two fingers over his lips.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "Then what I want is to not make anyone uncomfortable,
including myself."

"I
am…uncomfortable," he admitted after a long moment of silence. "But
it's not your fault," he hastened to assure her. "I just feel like I
should be doing something…changing
something. I don't know."

"I don't want
you to do anything. I don't want you to
change anything. All I want is to be
able to sleep and not be afraid. And if
you can give me that, then...then I'll be happy."

"I want to
make you happy, vixen. Th all all I've ever wanted," he said softly, turning
his head to look down at her.

"I know,"
she whispered back. "And I am.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> For the most part.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Happier than I would be if we'd never
met."

"That's
something, at least," he murmured, giving her a small smile, ignoring the
pain it still managed to cause him as insignificant compared to what he was
trying to express.

"It's
everything." She caught his eyes
and wouldn't let him look away until he accepted the truth of her statement.

He nodded,
accepting what she had said on the surface at least. "Get some rest,
vixen. I'll keep your dreams safe."

"Alright."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> With a large sigh, she closed her eyes and
tried to fall asleep.

With a hand that
trembled more than he wanted to acknowledge-hell, he didn't want to acknowledge
it at all-he reached down and gently brushed a lock of her hair out of her
face. "I love you, Salida," he whispered.

"I know,"
she murmured, smiling as she felt him touching her.

"Get some
rest. I'll be right here beside you."

"Keep brushing
my hair?"

"Alright,"
he said softly, moving his fingers through the dark wave of her hair, enjoying
the way it felt in his hand even as he told himself not to. It didn't stop him
though. This was what she wanted, so this was what he gave.

"Thank
you," she breathed, inching her head a little bit closer to him before
allowing herself to relax. "I'm
going to sleep now."

"Alright,"
he murmured, still running his fingers through her hair. "Have only good
dreams, vixen," he whispered.

She nodded, and
then eventually nodded off.

Jeffrey watched her
sleep, his fingers still moving slowly through her hair because he hadn't
thought to stop them. He saw her body curled towards him, so trusting that he
would protect and care for her. What had he done to deserve such trust? He
loved her more than anything, it was true, but what was love when compared with
how many times he had hurt her? Images flashed through his mind without order
or reason: the sound of a hand hitting skin, shards of a broken door fly past
him, a savageness he hadn't been able to control before the prick of a needle
in a vein, mottled purples and blues and yellows and greens on flesh like a
sadists' rainbow, the look of fear in a pair of familiar blue eyes…all things
he had done; not imagined. He had hurt her over and over again and yet, she was
still here. She still trusted him. It didn't make any sense. Nothing made any
sense anymore.

He couldn't just
sit here any longer. After making sure his wife was firmly asleep, he removed
himself from her grasp, trying to ignore the way her face turned down with a
slight frown as he moved out of her reach. She didn't wake up though, and that
was what mattered right now. He moved off of the bed and paced thom
om
silently, every so often taking the time to glance over at her to make sure she
was still asleep. The feeling of needing to do something; anything, hadn't
passed yet, but he hadn't been able to figure out what that something was
either. She had told him that she wasn't looking for him to do anything or
change anything, but it wasn't necessarily something he had to do for her. He
didn't know. All that he did know was that he couldn't just sit here doing
nothing. But he couldn't leave either after he had promised to watch over her
either. He didn't know what to do so he paced. And paced. And paced some more.

Eventually he began
to get dizzy and he had to sit down in a chair across the room next to the same
window his wife had hidden under, feeling a curious nostalgia for their old
hotel room and it's balcony. That was where he would be right now; on the
balcony and listening to the sounds of the city around him. He couldn't do that
here. It was too quiet and it was driving him insane. How could anyone live
with this fucking quiet all the time? That was another of the many reasons why
he had hated the Sands' estate so much. It was too fucking quiet. No place that
close to the throbbing heart of a city like DC should be that quiet. It wasn't
natural. And neither was this. Suddenly feeling a wave of almost overwhelming claustrophobia
move over him, he threw open the curtains and stood to open the window as
quickly as he could.

He needed the air,
the smell of the city. But in doing so, this just reinforced the lack of sound.
Where was all the sound? New Orleans
wasn't a small city, so why was it so fucking quiet? Was it early? He cast a
glance at the clock, but no, it's was nearing lunch time. Surely there should
be some people about, going to jobs, moving through the city? But no, he heard
nothing. Not even the sound of the neighborhood's many dogs. All was silent and
he sank to the floor beneath the window sill just to the side of the chair he
ignored, and listened for something that didn't seem to exist anymore and in
fact, never had. All was silence.

 
>

"Aida.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Spitfire."

Aida shifted
uncomfortably where she seemed to have fallen asleep sitting up.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Her entire body was now a gigantic cramp, and
she didn't want to wake up and face that.
However, her guest - her husband - was being rather insistent and was
now brushing a thumb over her cheek.
Back and forth...back and forth...back and forth...

style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>That's nice.
Soothing...

"I know you
can here me, spitfire."

She groaned and
opened her eyes, not exactly pleased.

Sands sighed upon
seeing her look. "If you want to go back to sleep, you can if you really
want to, but not here. It made my back hurt just looking at you," he
murmured with a wince, gesturing to the way she had situated herself in the
chair.

"Don't want to
move," she sighed. "I don't e the the energy."

"Then I'll do
the moving for you. You can't sleep here any longer though. You'll give
yourself cramps," he took in a wince she made as she shifted a little.
"If you haven't done so already."

"I'm
stiff," she admitted. "I ought
to start stretching before I go to bed, but just the thought makes my joints
hurt." With a sigh she held out her
arms. "Up," she said with a
semi-teasing smile.

Sands let out a
short laugh and took her up into his arms and brought her tightly against his
chest. His arms ached for unknown reasons-something having to due to time spent
between Jeffrey and sunrise if what looked to be friction burns on his wrists
were anything to go by-but that didn't impair him from lifting his small wife
into his arms with little difficulty. He had just taken a step toward the
stairs when the phone rang. He ignored it and kept walking.

"Sands, put me
down," she murmured. "That
could be a doctor. Perhaps one of the
ones you saw. You can't just not answer."

"They can call
back. You're more important." He kept walking.

"I can sit on
a couch," she protested, struggling a bit in his grasp.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "Please just get the phone?"

If he didn't get
the phone now, he will have missed the call from whoever it was and that fact
alone would drive him insane for the rest of the day so he did as his wife
asked and set his wife down on the couch gently before running to get the
phone. "Hello?"

"Am I speaking
with Mr. Sands?" a man's voice came through the phone clearly as Sands
walked back into the living room to rejoin his wife.

"Yes, who is
this?"

"Mr. Sands, I
am Dr. Hal Barns from New Orleans General. You had an MRI taken on…the fifth,
correct?"

"Yes, that's
correct. Why? Did you find something?" he asked, hating the way this doctor
was making him wait. Couldn't he tell that he just wanted to know why the fuck
he was calling and get this over with? Stupid fucking doctors.

"It's nothing
to be alarmed about, Mr. Sands, but we did find some…abnormalities," the
doctor said hesitantly.

"What? What do
you mean? What kind of abnormalities?" Sands asked with a frown and a
glance towards his wife.

"It's not
something I care to discuss over the phone, Mr. Sands. Can you come down to the
hospital today? I promise we'll discuss anything you like."

"No, I won't
do that until you tell me what the hell is going on. You can't just call and
tell me something like that without telling me what you mean it's not-" he
was cut off by the doctor again.

"Let me ask
you this first, Mr. Sands. Do you suffer from any symptoms commonly associated
with schizophrenia?"

Sands froze.
"Schizophrenia?"

"Yes, that's
correct. Some of the abnormalities we found could indicate-" It was Sands'
turn to interrupt.

"I'll be there
later today." With that, he hung up the phone.

Aida was looking at
him, incredibly concerned. "What
did they find?"

Sands snorted.
"The doctor asked me if I suffered from schizophrenia. According to the
scan they took, there's a good chance I do," he said wryly.

style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "And you're going to go in to the
hospital?" He nodded.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "Well," she sighed.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "I suppose I'd better get cleaned up.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I can't leave the house in my pajamas."

He looked at her
with a frown. "Aida, just a minute ago you were practically falling asleep
in my arms. Don't tell me you really feel up to this right now, because I won't
believe it."

"Well...no."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Aida gave him a puzzled frown.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "But I need to go with you.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> You don't like the hospital."

"No. I really
don't, but what choice do I have? I'll be alright, spitfire. I don't plan on
being there for long. And I managed last time well enough, remember?"

"Last time I
was there with you and you almost passed out when you saw the MRI
machine." Now she not only looked
puzzled, but sounded puzzled as well.

"I did not.
Ok, I got a little freaked out. That's all. I didn't tear the place apart, I
didn't run around screaming like a madman, and all the doctors and nurses made
it out of their alive and intact. I'll be alright. I'll probably just been in an
office anyway. I've been in offices before."

"The last time
I saw you in an office was the day you proposed, and you looked as pale as a
ghost."

"I'm always
pale, Aida. You'd think living here would give me some kind of a tan. That, or
our honeymoon…Never mind. So, I was pale. I still managed."

"You almost
had a nervous breakdown when we got outside."

Sands pursed his
lips at that. "And yet I still came back."

"Why don't you
want me to come?"

"Aida, if our
positions were reversed and I looked the way you do right now, you wouldn't
want me to come either," he said gently. "You look as if you could
use a year's sleep. Maybe more."

"I can sleep
when we get back." Stubbornly, she
got up from the couch, trying not to grimace.

"Who are you
trying to fool, Aida? Because if it's me, you're not doing a very effective
job."

"I
promised," she murmured, forcing her back to straighten.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "I promised that I'd never make you go
alone."

"You're not
making me do anything, Aida. Just sit back down before you fall down.
Please."

"I'm not going
to fall." Teeter a bit, perhaps, but not fall.

"That's not
what it looks like from here, Aida," he murmured, moving a hand to her
elbow to steady her before gently forcing her back down to the couch. "I'll
be alright, spitfire. I promise. And if I'm not, I'll just leave."

"Sands..."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Aida sighed.
"Fine."

"I'll be
alright, Aida. I promise. And I'll be back before you know it."

She just sighed
n ann and laid her head on his shoulder.
"I wish you'd let me come."

"Why? There'd
be nothing for you to do but sit, Aida and listen to some boring medical
explanations that neither of us would understand anyway, probably telling me
things I already know."

"But at least
I'd be certain that you were okay."

"I'll be ok,
Aida," he said softly, leaning over to place a kiss on her forehead.
"There's nothing for you to worry about. But…do you want me to call you?
They won't let me in the hospital, but after? I will if that'll make you feel
better."

"Yes.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Yes, please do.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I can't help but worry."

"Alright, I
will." He kissed her again before standing slowly, giving her a chance to
move her head away from his shoulder. "I'll go now. The sooner I go, the
sooner it will all be over. Will you explain where I went to Salida if she
wakes up and asks? And, could you keep an eye on her? I'm not sure that Jeffrey
was supposed to leave." He shrugged.

"Bed
first," she said, holding her arms up again.

"Alright,"
he said as he lifted her up into his arms again and continued his journey up
the stairs and into their bedroom. "I really will be alright, Aida,"
he murmured as he reached the top of the stairs and turned right.

"So you
say. I'm not so convinced."

"Why
not?" he asked as he entered their bedroom and made his way across the rug
to lay her down in the bed. "Because I tend to freak out whenever I find
myself in a hospital? It happens. I deal with it. I don't really know why it
happens, it just does. I'll be alright."

"And I'm not
going to convince you otherwise, am I?" she asked as she reclined against
the pillows.

"No," he
said softly. "Are you upset with me because of it?"

"No.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> It's not worth getting upset over."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> She reached for him and ran her hands down
his silk-clad chest. "Just...if you
start to feel...claustrophobic, get out?
Don't push yourself to the breaking point?"

"The breaking
point?" he asked wryly before grabbing one of her hands and bringing it to
his lips briefly. "I will. I already promised I would. I'll be fine, Aida.
You don't have to worry about me."

"If I said
that would it keep you from worrying about me?"

Sands stopped the
automatic 'yes' from passing his lips because he knew it would have been a lie.
"I guess not."

She smiled
softly. "There we go."

"Alright,
you've made your point," he said with a matching smile of his own.
"Do I have your leave to go now, my lady?" He affected a small bow.

"I want a kiss
first."

"Any kind of
kiss?" he asked, a glimmer of mischief in his dark eyes.

Aida looked at him
suspiciously. "Yeah.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Sure.
But if I don't like it, I get another."

"I think I can
arrange that." He moved onto the bed so that he was kneeling between her
legs, moving his hands to her stomach and hooking his fingers into the waistband
of the pajamas he had bought for her, liking the way the silk felt on her body.
He then moved up the edge of her shirt with his nose and began kissing her
stomach just below her bellybutton, kissing lower and lower slowly as his hands
began to pull her pants down her hips.

"Sands!"
she yelped sitting up and pushing him away.
"That is not the kind of kiss I meant and you know it."

He propped up his
head on his elbows in-between her legs and looked at her with all innocence.
"I must have misunderstood, spitfire." A glimmer of a wicked grin
made its way into his expression.

"No you
didn't," she accused, reaching for the waist of her pants.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "You knew perfectly well what I meant
and what you were doing."

Sands just grinned
at her and kissed high up on the inside of her thigh through her pajamas.

"Stop,"
she demanded, placing her foot on his shoulder to push him away.

"You're no
fun," he sighed but moved to kiss her mouth passionately instead. When
they finally broke apart, he kissed the tip of her nose before asking.
"Was that more of what you had in mind?"

"Yes."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> She glared at him.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "You know it was."

"I know it
was," he agreed, seemingly unaffected by her glare.

"Jerk."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Softening her words with another kiss to his
cheek, she pushed him away. "Well,
go on."

"When I get
back can I have more kissing options?" he asked with a wicked smirk as he
kissed the soft underside of her chin before moving off the bed to stand at her
side.

"No.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> When you get back you're going to let Jeffrey
check-in with Salida."

Sands sighed.
"I was afraid you'd say something like that. Alright fine. I'll be good
and I'll be back soon."

"Hmph.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> You may be back soon, but I have no
confidence that you'll be good."

"You're
probably right about that," he said with a grin. "Being bad is much
more fun."

"So you
claim. One day we'll see just how much
fun you have being bad if I start rewarding only good behavior."

"Likewise,
wife mine," he said with an unworried smirk. "I'll be back
.&qu." He leaned over to give her another kiss on the lips before pulling
up to stand over her again. "Get some rest."

"Mmm..."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> She made a non-committal noise, but didn't
outright disagree with him.

"I love
you," he said with a fond smile, not quite moving away from her side yet,
but knowing that he should.

"Love you too.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Now go, or I'm going to think that you want
me to come despite all your protests."

"I'm going,
I'm going. See you soon." With that, he turned and walked out of the door,
went downstairs and strapped his two knives to his belt that were lying on the
coffee table where…someone had left them, and called a cab. He would have liked
to have taken the Porsche, but he was being practical in not knowing what he'd
be getting himself into by going to this fucking hospital. He then took a seat
on the couch and waited. The taxi showed up about 10 minutes later and he was
on his way.

"Ah, Mr. Sands. What a pleasure to see you again. I
didn't expect you to be arriving quite so soon," Dr. Barns said kindly,
rising from behind his desk and offering Sands a hand which Sands shook.
"Please, take a seat. Do you recall what we talked about over the
phone?" he asked as Sands took a seat in one of the office chairs in front
of Dr. Barns' desk.

"You asked me
if I was suffering from any symptoms of schizophrenia. Something on my scan
apparently caused you to ask the question. What was it? Raised dopamine levels?
Abnormalities in my frontal lobe? What?"

"You have some
knowledge of medicine? I wasn't aware of that. Where did you study?"

"Not of
medicine, of psychology. But you didn't answer my question, doctor."

"Of course,
forgive me. Yes, we did find the things you mentioned, and also the fluid
filled ventricles within your brain are larger than that of a person non
exhibiting symptoms of schizophrenia which is why I asked, Mr. Sands. I will
ask again since you did not give me an answer. Are you or have you suffered
from symptoms of schizophrenia?" Dr. Barns looked at him seriously,
leaning forward on his desk a little.

"Like
what?" Sands asked evasively.

"Paranoid
delusions? Auditory hallucinations? Unusual motor activity such as
pacing?"

"And these are
symptoms of schizophrenia?"

"Yes, Mr.
Sands. Answer the question, please."

"Before I do,
can I ask you a favor?" Sands asked, intentionally putting a bit of
edginess in his voice. He wasn't faking it, he really did feel about to climb
the walls. Dr. Barns nodded after a moment's hesitation. "I'm
nosocomephobic. Is there somewhere else we can talk?" Sands didn't like
admitting such things at all because admittance was weakness, but he didn't
want to be here anymore.

"Nosocomephobic?
What does-oh. You're afraid of hospitals." Dr. Barns searched Sands' face
for signs that he was telling the truth and apparently was satisfied because he
nodded. "There's a restaurant across the street. Would that be a
preferable place to talk in? Or is it too close to the hospital?"

"No, no. That
will be fine. Thank you," Sands said with a grateful nod.

Dr. Barns waved off
the thanks and together they walked through the corridor the the hospital
before something occurred to Sands. "Shouldn't you tell someone where
you're going?" he asked curiously as they exited through the main doors.

Dr. Barns shook his
head. "It's about lunch time anyway."

Sands accepted this
and they crossed the street and entered the small restaurant which was actually
down a few blocks than right across the street as Dr. Barns said it would be.
And it was also curiously empty for it being so closed to the lunch hour. Dr.
Barns though either didn't seem to notice or liked it that way because he moved
into a booth next to the front window with the ease of familiarity.

"Are you going
to answer my question now, Mr. Sands?"

Sands debated on
how much to tell this man. Before deciding to fuck it and go for broke. If he
got worried about what he told him afterwards, he could always kill him. It
wasn't a big deal. "Yes. I have suffered from symptoms of schizophrenia.
I've had auditory and visual hallucinations both."

"I see. And
when did these symptoms first start occurring?"

Sands shrugged.
"When I was young, I guess. But they've gotten worse in the last
year."

"Worse? How
so? Have you ever sought treatment for this before?"

"Oh I hear
voices. More so now than then. But that's probably more to do with the
associative identity disorder than the schizophrenia," he mused
thoughtfully.

"You suffer
from associative identity disorder as well?" Dr. Barns asked, somewhat
shocked that this man was sitting so calmly in front of him as he told him
this. He began to think it was all an act. "Tell me about it."

personalities have shown up in the last few months. One a small child and the
other well…I call him bastard. Let's just say he was well named. There's
Jeffrey too, but the more I think about it, the more I realize he's always been
around in one form or another. He's the chief dominant personality. He and I
don't always get along, but I think we need each other. I just try and keep him
out of as much trouble as he inflicts on me. Or maybe it's oth other way
around."

"What kind of
trouble?" Dr. Barns asked slowly, not believing it was an act anymore and
wishing that they hadn't left the hospital. This man needed to be medicated and
right now.

Sands weighed his
options. He had already told this stranger more about himself than he had ever
told anyone else-except his wife and sunrise-before. "I also suffer from a
few different forms of psychosis. I'm a sociopath, Dr. Barns. I don't feel
guilt. I don't care about rules or laws. They don't apply to me. They never
have."

Dr. Barns was no
psychologist, but he was able to recognize a sick man when he saw one. "I
want you to come back to the hospital with me, Mr. Sands. We'll be able to help
you." He tried to sound calm andurinuring as a doctor should be, but this
man before him made him nervous.

"Who says I
want or need your help? I'm perfectly fine on my own," Sands said in a
cold voice, removing his knife from the sheath on his left side and keeping it
in his hand as he judged the distance he could reach under the small table.
This man needed to die. And soon. But how? He couldn't reach and he had to be
oh so careful about how he killed now. It wasn't fair. "But you're
probably right. And I'm probably not a good judge of how much help I need or
not, right?" he asked forcing a slight laugh as he returned the knife back
to its sheath casually so that the doctor wouldn't notice the movement. "I'll
come with you."

Dr. Barns nodded
warily and rose from his seat, never knowing how close to death he had come
just then. But Sands didn't intend to give up his prey that easily, and he
certainly didn't intend on going back to that fucking hospital, so he improvised.

"Give me all
of you fucking money or I swear I will you where you stand," he hissed,
pushing the doctor down into a side alley in-between buildings and holding one
his knives at his neck. It was an imperfect solution given it was the me ofe of
the day, but he would take what he could get at the moment. He pocketed the
thick wallet the man had handed him with a smirk. "Your jewelry too. And
if you even think about calling for help, your throat will be fucking slit
before you can get the word out." He had never actually mugged someone,
but from what he had seen on television and the way the good doctor reacted, he
figured he was doing a pretty convincing job. When two rings and a gold St.
Christopher's medal were handed over, Sands pocketed them too before the doctor
started begging. Sands ignored him and stabbed him in the liver. Without
immediate medical attention, he would bleed to death in a manner of minutes. He
was taking a risk with a hospital so close, but he didn't have any other
choice. "Good bye, Dr. Barns. Everything I told you was truth by the way.
Except I didn't mention this," he leaned over to whisper in the doctor's
ear as he hadmpedmped to the ground, and whispered,style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "I have killed over 30 people before
you. It was nice chatting with you." He turned and left the good doctor to
die, wondering what or whom he was going to spend all of the this extra cash
on. He did still need to buy Aida a dress for tonight

Aida was sleeping soundly when Sands arrived home, but at
least she smelled of soap and shampoo, so she hadn't slept the entire afternoon
away.

He'd already been
in to check on Salida - who was also asleep - but there wasn't much he could do
for her. Not that he particularly minded
having some time on his hands that he could spend with his wife.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> If she ever woke up that was.

He set down the
packages he had bought throughout the day on the floor or on the chair near the
window depending on what they were, and quickly climbed in bed next to his wife
without bothering to change anything. His knives were uncomfortable against his
thighs, but he had just spent an afternoon shopping and he was feeling lazy.
Well, mostly. He moved towards his clean smelling wife slowly with the
"mostly" in mind as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind
her and breathed in the scent of her slowly. God, she smells good. She better not sleep for too long or I might be
tempted to wake her up.

Aida instinctively
moved back against him, but she never emerged from her heavy sleep for even a
moment.

Sands sighed as she
pressed up against the burgeoning erection he had been suffering all day -
killing someone always made him
fucking horny - and began to nibble at her neck, trying to wake her up in the
nicest but most effective way he could.

Aida sighed, and
murmured in her sleep, but stubbornly refused to open her eyes.

Sands was beginning
to grow frustrated so he moved a hand up from her waist and under her
loosely-fitting pajama to cup one of her breasts, running a thumb over a nipple
slowly but firmly. He wasn't going to be denied that easily.

"Not
now," she muttered, half sleep.

He didn't listen to
that, merely doubled his efforts until 'not now' evolved into 'take me now,
Sands,' or a like variation on the theme. A thought occurred to him though as
she stubbornly refused to wake up. How close could he get her to coming before
she woke up? It seemed a worthy experiment that he was just curious enough to
push his impatience to the side and attempt. He shifted her slightly into his arms,
so that while the fact that her ass was firmly seated on his hardened length
now making him uncomfortable and impatient, he could reach around with his
other hand under her body to manipulate her other breast, keeping his movements
gentle and slow, but firm as he wanted to arouse her not relax her.

Aida moaned, and tossed
her head a few times, but otherwise stayed still and asleep.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> If her dreams were now full of her devilish
husband, however, that was only to be expected.

Sands grinned at
this reaction, wanting more. With this thought in mind, he moved one hand under
the waistband of her pants and thumbed her clit deliberately and slowly, not
wanting to startle her into wakefulness. While his one hand did that, his other
continued rolling her nipple in-between his thumb and forefinger as he nibbled
on the side of her neck and her earlobe when she tilted his head towards him
enough so that he could reach it.

"Sands..."
she sighed, slowly coming awake. It was
desire now that weighed her eyelids down, and not sleep.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> She almost immediately understood what he was
trying to do though, and she wasn't going to steal his fun.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> No.
Instead she was going to up the stakes and see how long she could keep
him doing this before he realized she was awake.

style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Sands just continued what he was doing as if
he hadn't heard her moan, which was likely. He was beginning to become lost in
the sensations of her body reacting beneath his hands and he felt like letting
out a little moan himself. It wasn't ultimately the satisfaction he was looking
for, but it wasn't serving to diminish his arousal any either.

His hands felt
wonderful on her, and if he was willing to do all the work, then she was
willing to let him. Moving to return any
caresses – or even to indicate her
appreciation – was more than she could offer.
But he seemed to be enjoying herself, and she still liked the idea of
tricking him, so she laid still in his arms and tried not to smile.

How something could
be so incredibly frustrating and rewarding at the same time eluded him as he
simultaneously enjoyed giving his wife pleasure and strongly disliked not being
able to take any for himself. But that was ok for now. She couldn't sleep
forever, could she? No, she coul pos possibly. He wouldn't let her. With
this thought reassuring him, he
continued working at arousing his wife, trying to focus on the enjoyment he was
getting out of it.

Aida felt his
determination, but didn't let it affect her.
As long as she kept up her pretense of sleep, she was in control, and at
the moment she was finding that very enjoyable.
Even as his hands moved over her, touching and rubbing every erogenous
zone she had, she kept a straight and relaxed face.

Ok, his patience
was beginning to wear thin. While he thoroughly enjoyed the control he had over
her at the moment, he was growing tired of the lack of wakefulness on her part.
"Aida, come on now, wake up and give your impatient and horny husband some
attention. Please?"

The pleading in his
voice betrayed her into letting her lips quirk up into a small smile.

Unfortunately, as
Sands was behind her, he couldn't see her face and didn't notice the grin.
"Aida, you're not listening to me. Come on. No one need sleep style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>that much. I'll let you go back to sleep
later, promise. You just have to wake up. se?&se?"

"But I like
having you do all the work," she said clearly, not a hint of sleep in her
voice.

"How long have
you been awake?" he asked calmly, his hands stilling where they were.

"Awhile."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> She grinned again.

"So basically
you've just been laying there enjoying the spoils, is that it?"

"Something to
that effect. You offered.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Far be it from me to pass it by."

"Yeah, well I
offered in the hopes that you would wake up and return the favor,"nds nds
said with a touch of irritation.

"You never
said that." Nonetheless, she
pressed back against him. "I do
have to warn you that my energy level is at a 3 or thereabouts," she said,
turning her head so she could at least see his face.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "This is going to be up to you."

Sands sighed,
feeling even more irritated now, but at himself not her. "No, it's
alright. I shouldn't have asked. I should have let you sleep. You don't have to
do anything for me, spitfire. I'll be fine."

"I want
to," she murmured, wiggling until she could meet his eyes.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "I love you."

"Don't wiggle
like that us yos you're serious," Sands murmured, looking at her with a
crooked smile on his face. "I love you too, spitfire. Are you sure? I'll
be fine, if you're not. Really. It's not like I'm going to curl up and die or
anything."

"I'm...wet..."
she pronounced clearly, daring him to do something about it since he caused it.

"Yeah, well
I've been carrying around a hard-on for the last hour or so that's only gotten
harder since you decided to have your fun and play possum, so what's you're
point?" he asked with a smirk, but began moving his fingers down from her
clit in-between her legs. "Mm, indeed you are, spitfire. Dripping, in
fact. What do you want me to do about it?" he murmured with a grin even as
he slowly began to explore the contours of her wet, hot depths with a single
finger.

"I think you
can do what you like about it. I'm too
lazy to move. Sounds like you'd have an
easy time getting me to cooperate."

"Alright, I can
do that I suppose. I like doing things for you. I spent the rest of my day
doing things for you as a matter of fact," he said with a grin as his left
hand began to move over her breast again as his right hand still worked between
her legs. He liked holding her from behind like this. It appealed to his
possessive nature to have her pressed up against him with his arms wrapped
around her like this, notwithstanding what his hands were currently doing to
her.

"That
right?" she asked, allowing some of her breathlessness to be heard.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "I don't suppose you thought to make
dinner."

"Did you want
me to? Because maybe I could do that. But no, I haven't done it yet," he
murmured as he nibbled at her neck and shoulder gently.

"Didn't think
you had," she murmured, struggling to turn all the way around.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He didn't let her.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "Were you just going to tease?style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Because I can tell you now that I don't have
the energy to do this twice."

"Are you up to
it? Tell me the truth. I'll be fine if you're not. I like teasing you,"
Sands murmured, licking along the shell of her ear gently.

"I'm up to
it," she said, reaching a hand back as he still held her in place.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Her fingers brushed against him, eliciting a
gasp from him. "Perhaps not as up
to it as you are -"

"If I was any
more up right now, I'd be hitting the
ceiling," he growled in her ear before slipping out from under her so that
she was lying on her back looking up at him. He then unbuttoned her shirt and
removed it and her pants with hurried care before groaning as he looked down
and saw that he was still completely dressed. "Fuck," he murmured
under his breath as he moved to remove his clothing as quickly as he could,
taking care not to damage something important as he unzipped his pants.

Once he was finally
in a suitable state of dress to match her, he climbed back on the bed and
paused before her parted thighs. "You're sure? And please don't say no or
I'll be taking one very cold shower
right about now."

"Brrr..."
she murmured, pulling his head down so they could kiss.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> His tongue surged into her mouth immediately,
causing her to make a surprised whimper in reon, on, but then she was kissing
him back lazily in counterpoint to his desperation.

He was trying very
hard to be as gentle as he could, but fuck he wasn't made of stone -perhaps style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>hard as
at the moment, but certainly not made
of - and his patience was practically
nonexistent. But still, he was able to enter her slowly and gently with one
flthruthrust as he continued trying to devour her tongue and get her to do the
same.

Aida spread her
legs a little farther, and sighed as she felt him move deeper inside her.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Her hands slid up into his hair and she
pulled him back slightly as she kissed him slowly but passionately.

Her slow kiss had
pretty much the same effect as sprinkling water on hot coals. It made him hiss
and react, but it didn't do anything to stop the heat. His hands had begun to
move over her body with abandon, tracing the contours of her skin without
thought or purpose except to touch,
so that was what he did.

"Sands..."
she murmured after tearing her lips away from his.style='mso-span:yen:yes'> "I love you."

"I love you , Ai, Aida," he murmured as he leaned down to kiss her collarbone and her
neck; anything and everything he could reach.

"You -
oh!" His fingers found her clit
again. "You feel good."

"You feel
better," he murmured as he suckled on an earlobe for a few minutes before
deciding that he needed to get closer
to her, so he moved back a little, effectively arching up into her even more,
before grabbing her hips and lifting them off the bed so that she locked her
ankles around his ass. It hurt, and it probably wasn't the most comfortable
position for her to be in at the moment, but dear god, he felt like he wanted
her tollowllow him whole with every thrust they were so deep. He was moaning
and murmuring proclamations of love and meaningless ramblings under his breath
within minutes.

The pain from the
position was battling with her arousal by the time Aida felt her husband
growing closer to the edge. She knew
that if she could get him to come, then he'd set her back down.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> To that end, she reached up and started to
gently pinch his small nipples while she squeezed down on him.

Sands let out a
long moan in pleasure as his body responded to her touch, arching up against
her even further. He was going to fucking lose it. He loved her so much. Loved
what she could do to Lov Loved the way her hands felt on him and her body felt
around him. These thoughts while all clear were not in any particular linear
order, merely being stated as quickly as his lust-fevered brain could process
them. "Lose it….love…hands…felt…" this was what managed to make it
through his mouth regarding his thoughts.

"Come for me,
my love," she whispered, tightening her legs around him.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "Let go.
I'll catch you."

With a quick intake
of air in a gasp as he tilted his head back, Sands was able to thrust into her
all of one more time before he his orgasm was suddenly wrenched out of him and
sent deep inside of her in wave after pleasurable wave. He moaned through gasps
and grabbed onto whatever happened to beneath his hands tightly, just holding
on as his orgasm rode its course.

After an
indeterminate amount of time he was letting her fall back to the bed out of
limp arms as he bent over her and tried to reclaim his breath, his
sweat-slicked hair sticking to his face and shoulders. Before he had even fully
reclaimed his breath, he began kissing her with a passion that while it was no
longer heated by desire, it was tempered by absolute love and devotion to her.

Aida kissed him
back gratefully, cupping his face in her palms and nipping playfully at his
lips when she could. This closeness was
what she really craved, not the physical release of sex.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Right now she wouldn't mind being abstinent style='mso-spacerun:yes'> for awhile if she was only allowed this
closeness to her husband. However, she
doubted she'd ever have the chance to test that theory, considering his
appetites.

Sands smiled as she
nipped at his lips, enjoying every attention she gave him. He was the very
picture of lazy contentedness right now. If he could just lay here with her and
feel like this forever, then he would do so without another worry in the world.
"I love you, Aida," he mued ied in-between her nipping and kissing.

"I
know." She caressed his
cheeks. "Do I get to resume my nap
now?" Her lips quirked against his.

"That depends…
Do I have to move?" he asked as he moved away r a r a final kiss, letting
his head fall gently to the bed over her shoulder so that his head was in his
favorite spo the the crook of her neck.

"No."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> As he moved, she moved her arms until they
slipped around his waist.

spanspan>"That's good.
Cause I wasn't planning to anyway," he murmured with a lazy grin.
"Although I did get some things for you today. They're over there."
He didn't bother to gesture. "Remind me to give them to you later."

"Alright."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> She yawned and squeezed him.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "Do I get a blanket?"style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Somehow it'd ended up around their ankles.

"Do you really
need one? Because honestly, I'm not wanting to move to get it, spitfire,"
he murmured. "But I will if you want it."

"I do.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> And you can come back."

Sands made a short
grumbling noise, but levered himself off of her gently, trying not to wince at
the stickiness the delightful mix of body fluids caused on him.turnturned and
grabbed the blanket and pulled it over his naked back like a cape and reclaimed
his place on top of her with the blankeverivering both of them.
"Better?" he asked softly.

"Mmm-hmm."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Her arms went around him again.stymso-mso-spacerun:yes'> "I should wap.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I've been sleeping all day."

"Sleep is
supposedly good for you and now I'm feeling inclined to join you," he
murmured. He wasn't tired, merely feeling incredibly lazy.

"Eighteen
hours of it? style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Aida paused.
"Have you seen the cats lately?"

"I haven't
really been around but I'm sure they're here somewhere. There's no where else
for any of them to go," he murmured.

"I miss
Aggie."

"I'm sure she
misses you too, spitfire. She's probably sleeping in a closet somewhere or
something. Doing cat things."

She frowned.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He wasn't being very understanding.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "Or she could be dead and we wouldn't
know until she started to smell."

Sands sighed.
"Alright. I'll go find her and assure you that she does indeed still live,
along with the others, and is probably just sleeping on a pile of clean clothes
somewhere." He lifted himself up, needing her to let go of him before he
could do anything else.

"I didn't mean
for you to go," she said, watching him.

"It's alright.
It's too early for sleep anyway," he murmured with a slight sigh as he
pulled on his boxers, vowing to take a shower once he had located the cats.
"Did you want to stay here or come along on the kitten safari?"

"I'll
come. I need to wake up
anyway."spanspan>Climbing out of bed she
slowly donned her pajamas again, smiling as Sands helped her button her top
up. "Thank you.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> It's not often you're actually helping me put
on clothes."

"It feels like
I'm doing things backwards," he said with a small smile. "Alright,
come on. I think the easiest way to find them all at once is food. Shake the
food bag or fill their dishes, and they'll come running."

Aida followed him
downstairs, looking for her cat as she went.
It was bad of her, but she hadn't been paying much attention to her
kitten lately.

"I'll bet
Desdemona is in sunrises' room, so we probably won't see her. But as for Agatha
and Obsidian…" he trailed off as he stooped down to grab the bag of kitten
chow out of a low cupboard near their bowl and gave it a good shake. It took a
minute and another shake, but 4 pairs of little kitten feet could be heard as
the two cats came tearing across the kitchen from wherever they had been
getting into trouble and immediately began circling Sands' legs and meowing for
food even though they had been fed just a little while ago when he had gotten
home. "See? There they are. I told you they were alright."

Aida immediately
scooped up her cat and smiled when it began purring.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "Yes," she said.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "I hear you.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Did you miss me?"style='mso-spacerun:yes'> When it began to rub the top of its head
against her chin, she laughed. "I
suppose so."

"You got
tric Acc Accept it," Sands murmured as Obsidian was still meowing for the
food he had just put away. The kitten didn't seem to take it to heart however,
and was soon rubbing against Sands' bare leg until Sands lifted him into his
arms. Obsidian immediately climbed up Sands' chest a little and began eating
the tips of his hair. Sands bore it with an amused grin and turned to Aida.
"Feel better now?"

"Yes."style='mso-spacerun:yes'> When she saw Obsidian though, she
laughed. "I think the growing
kittens need more food."

"Oh, I don't
know. Something tells me he'll be doing this to me even if he turns out to be
the biggest, toughest cat in the world." He looked down into Obsidian's
golden eyes and tried to imagine what he would look like full grown. He
couldn't do it. He noticed that he had already grown from when he had first
gotten him, but he was still pretty small.