The Late Night Low Down Undead Blues

[disclaimer] This is a work of fiction. No challenge to existing copyrights
is meant, most notably whoever's got the rights to 'Re-Animator' the movie, and/or
whoever's got the rights to Lovecraft's canon. I think it's Chaosium these days.
Anyway, I'm not making money off this, and neither is anyone else. I'm only
in it for the amusement. [/disclaimer]

          His room was not quite so neat as the last time Hallie had seen it; books were
scattered over every surface, and several empty mugs fought for purchase on the edge of
the already overcrowded desk.

          West moved a handful of books from the bed and set them atop a pile that covered a
nearby table. He picked up a clipboard that had been wedged under the books and
glanced around the room, apparently looking for enough free space to set it down.

          "We need to get the preliminaries out of the way. Date of last sexual encounter?"

          "Ummm, the twelfth of never, " Hallie said in a rush, voice shaking a little, "It was
probably a Tuesday."

          West looked up at her over the clipboard. For the first time, she saw him actually
taken aback.

          "...You've never done this?"

          Hallie shrugged. "Sorry, just because I live in Dunsany doesn't mean that I'm a slut.
As evidence, you'll notice I haven't fucked your roommate, despite his efforts to the
contrary, and apparently my roommate thinks I'm a lesbian because I refused to go behind
the bleachers with her drunken cousin."

          "Yes, well, you have shown some sense in certain areas."

          "Why, Mr. West, you'll turn my head with such pretty compliments."

          He sighed and put the clipboard on top of the already teetering pile of books. "Birth
control?"

          "The pill, since I was thirteen. Things weren't...arriving on a regular basis, and- "

          "I understand. It's a common prescription for complications with the menstrual cycle.
You're taking it at the same time each day?"

          "Yep. Nine-thirty am on the dot, for twelve years. I'm a little anal-retentive about it."

          "After that amount of time, we can assume that it will be functioning nominally. Do
you want an additional barrier device?"

          "Are you safe?"

          She knew the answer before she spoke- the idea that West would be anything other
than careful was patently ridiculous- and winced, waiting for him to snap at her, but he
only shrugged and answered her in a mild tone.

          "My last routine physical was six months ago, before I entered the country, and I
received a clean bill of health. I have the paperwork in my dresser if you would like to see
it. I have done nothing in the interim that would jeopardize that rating, although you'll
have to take my word on that."

          "I do."

          "All right, then. We can proceed." West loosened his tie and began to unbutton his
shirt.

          "So, no foreplay then?"

          He rolled his eyes. "I don't have all day to fritter away. Every moment we waste is
one more moment that humanity remains enslaved under the unjust and capricious rule of
Death."

          "Humanity will survive twenty extra minutes without you."

          West considered a moment. "Ten."

          "Fifteen."

          "Twelve."

          "Twelve and a half."

          "Done."

          He removed the rest of his clothing with a few quick gestures and stood
unselfconsciously in the center of the room. Hallie whistled.

          "Jeez, West, are there a lot of basketball players in your family?"

          He gave her the barest hint of a smile. "I assure you that my dimensions are only
slightly above average for a Caucasian male."

          "If you say so. From here it looks like you've been experimenting with elephant DNA."
Hallie began to undo the top button of her shirt and hesitated.

          "Are you having second thoughts? You're wasting your twelve and a half minutes..."

          "I...No on the second thoughts, and sorry about the time wasting. Honestly, I'm just a
little scared."

          He nodded. "That's to be expected. You may take your time, provided you don't take
all night."

          "Thanks." She finished unbuttoning her shirt, shrugged it off, and started on the rest of
her clothes. "I was wondering if you'd just, you know, go for it."

          "If you were more experienced it would likely have been a different story. If both
parties are well acquainted with what pleases them, not to mention what to expect, a
satisfactory conclusion can be reached in less time. However, given your inexperience, I
am prepared to go a little more slowly."

          It was odd, she thought, that being naked didn't increase her nervousness any. Mind
you, she thought, it didn't decrease it any, either. "Well...How should we begin?"

          "I'd suggest that you start small, until you're comfortable."

          "Small, huh? I definitely won't be starting down there..."

          West ignored this and remained still as Hallie leaned in closer. She took a deep breath
and kissed him just below his ear. Underneath the harsh odors of industrial cleaner and
hospital grade soap was the same pleasant, masculine scent she remembered.

          "Nice, " she murmured, and began to nibble cautiously at his earlobe. His left hand slid
around her shoulders.

          "I believe, " West said calmly, "That you've already used four minutes."

          "Ah, so I shouldn't waste any more time, " she said, and kissed him.

          He did not pull away, but neither did he lean towards her. He simply stayed still and
responded with precisely the same amount of pressure and movement that she used. He
seemed technically proficient enough, and she felt she was doing a fair job, but there was
still something missing.

          Hallie drew back slightly. "Okay, so maybe the kissing's out."

          "I understand that it requires an emotional attachment to reach its full potential."

          "Mmm, pity. I think you'd be really good at it."

          West ran his hands lightly across her ribcage, and she took a quick breath. "I'm sure
we can find something else to do to keep ourselves occupied."

          His fingers stroked upwards, caressing the undersides of her breasts. The breath
caught in her throat, and she made a small mewling noise as he rolled his thumb expertly
over her left nipple. Her hand reached out convulsively and grabbed him by the arm.

          "Do you want me to stop?"

          "No, " Hallie said, eyes closed, "No, that wasn't a stop signal. That was an 'either I
hang on to you or I fall over' signal."

          "Ah. In that case, I'll just keep going."

          His left hand slid down slowly over the curve of her hip, while the right continued to
play with her nipples, alternating between each as his other hand did fascinating things
below her bellybutton. Hallie leaned her head back with a contented sigh.

          "I believe your time is up."

          Again, his face was expressionless, but she had known him long enough to guess when
he was making a joke.

          "I suppose we'd better cut to the chase, then. Unless you're having second thoughts..."

          West pushed her gently onto her back with a palm flat on her chest, and settled himself
on his elbows above her. He held himself there, motionless, letting her fidget and shift
until she was comfortable.

          "You have pretty eyes, " Hallie said finally.

          "I assume that if my appearance displeased you it would be unlikely you would have
proposed this little...study break."

          "Wow, West, I'm amazed you don't have to fight off women with a stick."

          He looked skyward for a moment. "Are you ready or not?"

          She considered, then nodded, and without preamble he shifted his hips forward slowly
and entered her. A long breath hissed out between his teeth, but his expression remained
focused.

          Hallie whimpered softly. West paused and looked at her with, she was surprised to
find, something approaching concern.

          "Is it painful?"

          "No, it's fine-"

          "Don't lie. You're in pain?"

          "...Yeah."

          "It'll pass. Take a deep breath and relax. Tell me when you're ready to continue."

          She looked up at him curiously. He held his weight easily on his elbows, unmoving,
clearly content to maintain his position for as long as necessary.

          "It's nothing to worry about, " he said, misreading her look, "It's perfectly normal.
Though your hymen was not intact, likely due to childhood participation in athletics or
gymnastics, it is still common for a inexperienced woman to experience discomfort during
the initial stages of penetration. Your level of lubrication is sufficient, so any pain is likely
due to tenseness in the lower vaginal muscles. They will relax shortly and it should
become more pleasurable."

          Hallie bit back a sarcastic comment; for all the flaws in his delivery, West seemed to be
genuinely trying to comfort her.

          Instead she murmured a quiet, "Thanks." The pain was fading, slowly, being replaced
with an interesting sensation she had no name for.

          She began to run her fingertips lightly up and down West's sides and back, watching
him carefully for a reaction. His expression remained unchanging, but she noted the places
that made the muscles in his throat jump.

          Hallie rubbed softly at one particular spot, just at the small of his back, and he drew a
quick breath. She grinned gleefully and did it again, and a third time.

          He saw her grin and looked down at her quizzically. "What?"

          "When I do this- " she stroked her fingers across his back, and he made a small sound,
"You do that. I'm just amazed, that's all."

          "If I were completely immune to pleasure there would be no point to my being here at
this moment. I am not made of stone."

          Hallie grinned again and shifted her hips. "Certainly could have fooled me."

          "I assume if you're back to making smart remarks the pain has passed. How do you
feel?"

          "Honestly..? Nice."

          "Good."

          He thrust in and out once experimentally, and Hallie clutched at him and whimpered in
something wholly opposite to pain.

          "Now, " he began, still in that same, clipped tone, "While most men opt for thrashing
about, wasting energy in an inefficient manner and doing little for their partners, I have,
through some reading, discovered a useful movement that benefits both parties."

          He drove into her deeply, until he was tight against her and she cried out.

          "Now, instead of a back and forth motion, I move thusly-" he ground his hips upward,
dragging another moan from her throat, "And I am able to stimulate your clitoral region
via heavy contact of my pubic bone."

          "I love it when you talk dirty, West, " Hallie managed, and threw her head back and
gasped as he repeated the movement. He paused for a moment, then grinned.

          "Also, it seems an effective means of shutting you up."

          "There is no effective way to-" she began, but he ground against her again and the
sentence ended abruptly.

          "You were saying?"

          "I was saying, 'Please keep doing that, Mr. West, if it isn't too much trouble.' "

          "Certainly."

          He continued, picking up the pace slightly, until Hallie was mewling in time with his
strokes. He felt her tighten all around him, but maintained a steady rhythm, letting the
tension build. Hallie was bucking underneath him, grinding her pelvis upwards against him
and pulling at his hips. He calculated that it would be only a matter of minutes until she
reached a peak, given her state of arousal, and he pressed against her harder, deciding to
speed up the process.

          It didn't take long. "I think I'm going to- to-"

          "I suggest you stop talking about it and do it, " he replied shortly.

          Hallie tried to speak again- something along the lines of "You bastard, "- but the
orgasm hit her so hard it choked the words off in her throat, leaving her gasping and
clutching at his shoulders. He continued on without pause until she came again, calling
out his name, eyes wide with surprise. Only then did he pause, panting slightly, both to
give her a chance to recover and to regain some of his self-discipline. His control over his
emotions was flawless, which he felt befit a scientist of his caliber, but he admitted to
himself that even scientists were often hard-pressed to maintain control over other, more
primitive functions, especially when in the midst of giving someone a screaming orgasm.

          It was some moments before Hallie could speak.

          "Fucking hell, West, " she managed finally, and he gave her a triumphant grin.

          "Voila. Results need not come at the expense of efficiency."

          "So, um, can you come by doing that?"

          He gave her a complacent smile. "You could take my word for it, but I imagine you'd
like a practical demonstration."

          "Please."

          "Forgive me, but it will likely not take too long."

          "It's all right. I think it's probably your turn by now. I mean, like you keep saying, we
haven't got all night. You've got to get back to beating up on Death."

          West chuckled deep in his throat and began again.

          There were times, he thought, as Hallie bit his shoulder lightly and moaned, that he
almost understood why people gave up the academic life. Not that he would ever
consider such a thing; there was far too much yet for him to accomplish, far too many
discoveries waiting. But there were times like this one when he felt he almost understood
the normal student's drive to do nothing more than eat, sleep, and pound themselves
breathless into a willing woman. Almost. Almost.

          Almost there...

          He heard her call out his name, high and lost, as she raked one hand down his back to
the base of his spine. West shut his eyes and surrendered himself to sensation.

          When he opened his eyes again, Hallie was gently stroking his shoulders. He allowed
himself that little luxury for a few moments, resting his weight on her, then he withdrew
carefully and pushed himself up onto his knees.

          "How do you feel?"

          Hallie considered. "Is 'amazing' a viable choice? How about you?"

          "I feel more positive that I will be able to surmount the current obstacles in my
research."

          "So maybe there is something to this endorphin theory."

          West chuckled. "Yes, I think we've got some empirical evidence to support the
established studies."

          He paused a moment, suddenly lost in thought. "Endorphins, endorphins..."

          West leapt off the bed, heedless of Hallie's startled squeak, and struggled into his pants,
eyes alight with eagerness. "Of course! Of course, it's been staring me in the face!"

          He threw on his shirt, not bothering with the buttons, and dashed into the hallway.
From beyond, Hallie could hear the sound of the front door opening.

          West turned towards the kitchen. "Dan!"

          "What?"

          "Dan, get over here!"

          Hallie hurriedly pulled the blanket up to her chin. Cain careened around the corner,
still dressed in his work clothes, and stopped dead in his tracks. He took in the scene;
West, barely dressed, wild-eyed and tousle-haired. Hallie, huddled in West's bed,
apparently torn between hiding under the covers or bursting into hysterical laughter.

          "West, whoa, what the- "

          "No time, Dan- join me in the lab as soon as you get changed! I think I've figured out
the problem!" He bolted back into the room and grabbed a pile of notebooks off the desk,
tucking them under his arm.

          'Madness or genius? ' Hallie thought, and then wondered if there was any appreciable
difference. Maybe geniuses didn't stuff as many bloodstained clothes in their laundry
hampers, but still...

          Cain was still standing in the doorway, staring. He looked from Hallie to West and
back again, twice, and so quickly Hallie wondered briefly if his head would fall off.
"West, " he began again, but West pointed towards the cellar door.

          "No time, Dan! Get to the lab! I've got the solution!"

          Cain nodded dumbly and left. West opened the small refrigerator and pulled a black
leather bag from it.

          Hallie sat up, still holding the blanket. "West-"

          He turned swiftly, eyes still alight with that same, fey excitement. "Yes?"

          "Good luck."

          For a moment his face softened and he gave her a quick half-smile.

          "Thanks." He bolted out the door.

          Hallie sank back against the pillows, listening to the footsteps as they receded towards
the cellar. After a moment, she slipped out of bed and began to dress.