Dirty-sweet girl & sexy beast

by BeeJay Shadowlady

No matter if a man had a taste for a certain kind of women for years, he needs variety every now and then. And even a two-fisted dynamo like Murdoc Niccals is no exception from that rule. When he meets a woman that's quite different from the girls usually catching his eye, he doesn't hesitate to take her – unaware that his priorities are to be reconsidered.

The familiar fog of alcoholic intoxication started to fade away when sleep was wearing off. Murdoc squinted into the dim light streaming through the Union Jack hung in front of the big cruddy bed room window of his Winnebago, right above his bed. He slowly stretched his green-skinned body to its full five-foot-plus height, winced at his joints crackling quietly – a day-to-day reminder that age was relentlessly catching up with him after all – and shifted into a more comfortable position to wait for the moment he'd wake up entirely. Suddenly, his hand brushed something soft and warm slightly bouncing against his hand. He cupped the object and ran his thumb along the soft curve to a small nub hardening slightly to his touch. Then, he could identify the object as a woman's breast. A sigh escaped him when scenes from last night flickered in front of his inner eye as he tried to recall how this ball of beautifully warm and soft flesh had found its way into his bed, brightening up the out-of-town engagement. He saw himself leaning on a bar counter, dressed in a blue shirt with his sleeves rolled up and the buttons opened down to his belly, a pair of dark-blue straight-cut jeans and his battered brown Cuban heels, downing one Tequila shot after another and smoking cigarettes by the dozen. So far, it had been an ordinary after-show night. But then he remembered a flock of girls huddling near him, each of them being not very much more than a long-haired child dressed to kill in high heels with incredibly short and tight dresses and not quite right makeup having written "all-the-way-groupie" all over her face. But then, the image of a woman on a stool quite near him dawned to the bassist. The ghost of a smile spread on his face as he remembered the incidents like watching a movie.

She is a brown-skinned woman of about Murdoc's own age – give or take 3 to 5 years – wearing a sleeveless red dress decorated with a swirl of golden dots over a black long-sleeved tee shirt. When she moves off the stool to rummage the front pocket on her pouch handbag made of blue leather, Murdoc notices the dress gently enveloping and caressing her slightly overweight body. A dark brown spot sits below the right corner of her mouth. Her dark brown hair is braided into thin rasta braids falling down to her shoulders. Small red, white and blue pearls are woven into the braids' ends, locking them shut. A black cigarette with red letters etched into the filter sits between her slim index and middle finger. Each of her carefully clipped nails is polished in a different colour – silvery with colourful sparks on the thumbs, metallic silver on the index fingers, dark grey with golden glitter on the middle fingers, golden glitter on the ring fingers and metallic bright purple on the pinkie's nails. It's her only make-up since her smooth rosey lips don't look painted. Every move of her head, either to draw on her cigarette, eat chicken wings from a plate in front of her or clean her fingers with her tongue, makes the braids dance and bounce, showing big silver loops dangling from her ears.

The bassist is caught by surprise when she offers him the plate of chicken wings as well as a re-fill of Tequila shots to go with the food. Murdoc accepts both gladly since the gig, no matter how good, has drained a lot of energy. All in all, she isn't one of the drop-dead, raven-haired, promiscious Goth beauties usually catching his eye but Murdoc considers her a real dish nonetheless as there is something in her whole appearance he finds very interesting. He can't tell if it's the rather pleasant sight of her breasts bulging underneath the black tee shirt, the differently polished nails or the pleasureable way she sucks the chicken wing's spices off her fingertips – obviously not above relishing food. While sucking meat scraps off a bone, she looks him over with a kind of unreadable judgement before she clears her throat to say, "What do you think about Hell?"

"Hell?" Murdoc manages to reply as the sight goes straight to his crotch.

"Hell, yes!" the woman repeats, picking up her cigrette from the next ashtray with a swift movement, hanging her handbag on a hook beneath the counter and sitting on the stool again, all more or less at the same time, "They say that you're one of the assorted few who went into the Kingdom Of Darkness and live to tell about it. And they say that you made some friends in low places. Or was that nothing but a big fat lie, Mr. Murdoc Niccals?"

"Eh?" The bassist's mind switches from the soothing warmth of Tequila running down his throat and the question running through his mind if this woman makes love like she eats back to the dark mellow voice mentioning his name.

"You are Murdoc Niccals, ain't you?" she continues.

"Yup, but don't shout it out, or they all want one," Murdoc manages to say in a voice that's even more raspy than usually. He has to swallow hard when her almost black beady eyes meet his mismatched ones. His hand gropes the counter for another soothing mouthful of Tequila. Touching an ice-cold shot glass, he downs it quickly before being able to make eye contact again and reply, "No, it was no big fat lie, as you put it, Miss Know-it-all. I have been downstairs, in Hades, looking for someone. Was not excactly a picnic. Say, you've got a name or just a number?"

"Bedelia Tozier," she says, taking another drag on her cigarette and extending her right hand holding a small diamond on a thick silver band on her pinkie. Murdoc takes the hand to give it a gentle squeeze. Her question – not really matching the fact that she obviously has recognized him – has caught the bassist a bit off guard, and he's curious to hear more from the voice ringing so dark and pleasant in his ear. Thus, he returns the question.

"Well, I imagine Hell to be some place where every wish is fulfilled with no chance to escape – even if you're fed up to the back teeth with it," Bedelia says after exhaling two thin trails of smoke through her nostrils. Murdoc watches her resting the cigarette back into the ashtray to peel juicy meat and crispy skin off another delicate bone with her teeth, suck the spices off her fingers and take a sip from her glass which is actually a medium-sized solid glass cylinder with a scooped-out martini glass top sitting on top of two egg-shaped and different-sized bubbles. Creamed whiskey on crushed ice fills the insides. Murdoc watches the tip of her tongue quickly and carefully clean the glass's rim and feels his crotch start to throb.

"Interesting idea," the bassist replies, "You mean like personal perdition?"

"Now we're talking," Bedelia agrees when a fresh cigarette sits between her fingers. About half an hour later, Murdoc can't keep ignoring the erection that has become noticable all of a sudden. The urge to go home and get closer to this deliciously round body is nearly over-whelming. Bedelia agrees when he asks her to come along and see his Winnebago's furniture. They leave the bar together, heading for the motor-home parked around the next corner. Before opening the door, Murdoc cups her face, looks into her eyes and claims her lips. Once again, he's surprised by her compliancy and her tongue's eager response to his exploring her mouth and cherishing the sweet creamed whiskey mingled with the cold of the crushed ice as well as her smoke, mixed up with the spices of the chicken wings and her smooth strawberry-flavoured lips. Then, he opens the door in an almost theatralic gesture of invitation, making her smile in return.

Having remembered all this, Murdoc rolled over and propped himself up on one elbow, resting his head on the hand to look at the body sprawled out next to him underneath the dark purple satin blankets. Her posture suggests that she's ready for him, just waiting for his touch. He eyed her bare shoulders with the smooth-looking caramel-coloured skin shimmering silkily in the early light, and the bare leg sticking out and couldn't help smiling to himself when he remembered how he had taken off her high wedged-heeled black peep-toe slippers and slowly had run his long nails along the instep of her left foot and up her inner leg to put her in the mood to sleep with him, resulting in her moaning throatily, quietly first but louder with every inch his nails proceeded. A broad smile of amusement spread on his face as the bassist remembered that her toe nails were equally differently polished.

But even if she allows him to strip her like a Hershey bar – not to mention a lack of refusal against the kiss Murdoc hasn't seen on a girl in years –, she resists to give herself up to him all the way, unlike any other girl he had been able to lure into his Winnebago so far. When the bassist stops striking her leg, resting his hand on her knee, Bedelia surprises him again by taking off her jewelery and offering him a blow job. Unzipping his jeans and examing his impressive manhood – uncovered by underwear, just as usual -, Bedelia takes a small black metal box from her handbag to chew a few triangle peppermints. When she grips his rod firmly yet gentle to wrap her lips around the head, the touch of her breath, chilled by the ice and the peppermints against his flesh, sends a strong shiver up and down Murdoc's spine, making him lean back on his elbows and tilt his head back. Looking at the air fresheners littering the ceiling, he utters an undeniably animal groan from the depth of his throat and grips the sheets hard enough to shred. His breathing turns into short and hasty gasps while his long tongue slips out of the corner of his mouth, the tip wiggling excitedly at the height of his collarbone as Bedelia's tongue wanders up and down the shaft of his rod, quickly poking the spot where the root and his balls meet before her lips crawl back to the head, wrapping around and sucking. Her oral cavity warming up as well as her teeth lightly grazing the head make him arch his back at her, nearly exploding in her mouth just a few moments later. Bedelia swallows as much as she can at a single blow before laying down on top of the blanket and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Sweet fucking Satan..." Murdoc says when he can think clearly again, "That was... Wow..." However, he hardly recognizes the deep raspy voice as his own.

"Thanks." Bedelia whispers with a smile, turning her back on Murdoc and giving him the chance to snuggle his broken nose into the fleshy crook of her neck. Gently, he brushes aside her braids to get a better sniff of the floral scent oozing from her skin. The scent triggers memories of the time the bassist had spent in Mexico, of the last whore he had paid at the Tijuana bordello, a petite brunette that had smelled almost as sweet as Bedelia.

Remembering all this, Murdoc scooted closer to Bedelia, wrapping one long sinewy arm around her middle, sniffing her skin again and finally running the tip of his tongue slowly up and down her neck and along her shoulder, cherishing her sweat. Then, he slid his tongue along the side of her neck and her jaw and up to her earlobe. Bedelia moaned sleepily when the tip of his tongue flicked the earlobe.

"Morning, luv," he whispered after pulling back his tongue and getting another taste of her sweat.

"Morning, Mr. Niccals," Bedelia answered.

"Aw no... Mr. Niccals was a good-for-nothing piss-artist who'd sell my last bit of dignity for a bottle of bottom shelf liquor," the bassist protested, unable to hide a jaded grin, "Call me Mudz."

"Thanks. I'm Della to friends." Bedelia smiled again, shifting into a more comfortable position with her bottom pressing against Murdoc's crotch and making the erection come back quickly. The bassist slipped his hand underneath the blanket to investigate her buttocks until his hand found the valley between her thighs. Much to his pleasure, Bedelia drew in her breath sharply when his middle finger slipped into her moist hole and slowly moved to and fro, the long nail grazing her inner flesh and jerking every nerve alive. A moment later, the ring finger slipped in as well, the nail grazing her flesh again. Both fingers moved in perfect synchronicity, changing gear every now and then.

Again, it was sweet music to the bassist's ears when she moaned as he lightly wiggled his fingers inside of her. Murdoc quickly snuggled closer against her until his other hand had found her breast and started teasing the nipple with his thumb. He couldn't help grinning when her moaning deepened at once. When she suddenly sucked in her breath and his fingers and palm were drenched with her juices, he knew he had been pushing the right buttons. He slipped his fingers out of her, flipped her over in a swift movement, knelt down between her legs and slowly lowered himself to claim her lips for a kiss. Again, Bedelia responded eagerly to his tongue exploring her mouth and touching the gum where one back tooth had been broken down, leaving just a jagged piece. After a felt eternity, their lips and tongues parted.

"Feeling good, luv?" Murdoc whispered, nudging her nose with his. Then, he put his hands on either side of her hips and slowly bent his spine upwards like an about-to -attack cobra, looking her over. He smiled to himself at the sight of her eyes still closed.

"Look at me," he demanded, "Then I know you hear me." Slowly, Bedelia opened her eyes, nodded and ran a hand along the bassist's arm and shoulder, tousling his black hair.

"Feel good," she said, running her hand down his back to give his buttocks a gentle squeeze. Murdoc smiled at her and lowered himself on his elbows for a quick kiss. Looking her over again, the ghost of a smile touched the corners of his mouth since he couldn't remember when he had felt this good before noon.

Murdoc and Bedelia stayed in bed for a couple of hours, sharing a left-over bottle of red wine and talking. A rapping at the Winnebago's door and a voice calling out for the bassist stopped them short from sharing another kiss. Snarling at the disruption, Murdoc pushed himself off the bed, putting on his jeans with his boots and pulling Bedelia's clothes from under the pillow to put them near her before he jerked the door open and glared daggers at the blue-haired singer. Carefully, Bedelia crept into the bathroom to get dressed. She didn't understand the words but it made her hold her breath when 2-D's voice was interrupted by a low predatory growl that made her arm hair stand on end. She swallowed hard when there was a "Thud" outside, followed by an outcry and whimper of pain that was cut off by the door being smashed close. Smoothing her tee shirt and dress, Bedelia took a deep breath when she heard Murdoc approaching the bathroom and opening the door to poke his head in.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Dullard just said lunch is served." Murdoc opened the door further and stepped in to pull her into a hug.

"I better go when you're busy," Bedelia mumbled against his chest, running her hands down his back. The bassist cupped her chin and raised it to look into her eyes.

"No need to, Della," he said, his deep raspy voice carrying an eerie calmness Bedelia couldn't help to find very interesting, "I expect to find you here when I'm back. Won't be long. Get comfy, luv. I'll bring some food for you."

"Okay, Mudz. Thanks." Bedelia closed her eyes, snuggling her face back against Murdoc's chest. Again, there was a rapping sound, this time against one of the bath room window frames, followed by a cawing. Murdoc raised his head to check and smiled broadly when he noticed the shape of his pet raven Cortez perching on the window-sill. He let go of Bedelia to open the window. Cortez stepped in, suspiciously looking Bedelia over who bowed her head to greet the bird. Cortez came to perch on Murdoc's shoulder, nudging his ear and uttering a low, long cawing as if to ask, "Who entered my domain?" Murdoc introduced his feathered friend to Bedelia and vice versa. Much to the bassist's surprise, Cortez went to perch on Bedelia's lower arm when she extended it. Again, a low cawing escaped his beak.

"Hello, Cortez," Bedelia said, again bowing her head at the bird, "My pleasure." Another cawing was heard while Cortez eyed Bedelia again. The woman held his gaze, suddenly remembering her favourite line from Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The raven". The line went, "And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon that is dreaming." And being confronted with the bright red eyes of the bird perching on her wrist now with his talons biting her skin through her sleeve, it suddenly began to dawn to her what Poe might have seen or imagined when writing these words.

Cortez eyed her once again and quickly spread his wings as if shrugging. Bedelia lowered her gaze. Looking into the raven's bright red eyes made her shiver inwardly as if the bird knew exactly what she was thinking of. For a moment, the thought crossed her mind that Poe's poem might have been about Cortez. The raven gave a low cawing and spread his wings again as if to say, "Stranger things have happened, right?" After a few minutes of smoothing his glossy black coat, he cawed once more, turning his head towards Murdoc and spreading his wings to full size. Immediately, the bassist left the bathroom. Bedelia heard him rummaging around before he returned with a medium-sized plastic box. Bedelia watched him lift off the lid, revealing eyeballs of different kinds and sizes. Carefully, the bassist took a switchblade and a small black plastic pick shaped like a sword from his pockets. As he opened the switchblade whose razor point had finished many fights of Murdoc's youth with a swift movement and speared one of the eyeballs - a cat's eye that was almost as green as his skin -, Cortez came to perch on the bassist's shoulder. Murdoc offered the eyeball to Cortez who snatched it off the blade and quickly tilted his head back to swallow.

Contently, Murdoc nodded to himself, closing the switchblade, putting it back into his pocket and putting the box on a glass shelf next to the tub. On top he placed the sword-shaped pick. Then, he took Bedelia's hand, gently running his thumb across the knuckles.

"Must fly now, luv," he said.

"I'll be waiting," Bedelia promised, smiling at him.

"I'll leave Cortez for company," Murdoc said, looking at the raven who just spread his wings a bit as if shrugging again.

"Thank you. But why?"

"Mind you, he came to you all by himself," Murdoc stated proudly, "And his snack box din't make you flinch. Back in the slammer, I have seen more than one hard-boiled bloke scream his head off when he saw Cortez feasting on a corpse in the Mexican sun. But you din't even blink. That's why I want you to be here when I'm coming back. I never met a girl like you before, Della."

"I never met a man like you, either, Mudz," Bedelia replied, placing a gentle kiss on his chest, beneath his left nipple. Then, she freed herself from Murdoc's arms, stepping back a little to sit down on the edge of the bath tub since she didn't want to delay him any further. As if on cue, Cortez flew to perch on the tub's edge next to her, cawing quietly.

"Mind if I give him a snack, too?" Bedelia asked, "He looks as if he could do with another bite."

"Be my guest," Murdoc invited. He leaned his back against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest, watching her pick up the sword pick, open the box again and spear a yellowish goat's eye. Cortez watched her offering him the eyeball with his head cocked aside. This time, he took his treat gingerly off the pick. When he had swallowed, he cawed again.

"Welcome. Just let me know when you want more." Bedelia smiled. When she turned around to say good-bye to Murdoc, the green-skinned man was gone. Considering the hard-soled boots he wore, she was surprised that she didn't hear him leave.

Slowly, Bedelia wandered through the dimly lit motor-home, looking at the things Murdoc had collected over the years. Cortez went to perch on a scythe standing in a corner as she stopped to take a closer look at something. Mostly there were occult things like pentagrams and inverted crosses of different sizes. She froze to the spot when she noticed two ancient-looking books sitting all alone on a single shelf. Carefully, she took each book off its spot to take a closer look. Small cracks and wrinkles ran across the smaller book's leathery cover that read "Al-Azif" in faded Arabian-ish letters. The other book was clad in smooth black leather looking less battered. Much to Bedelia's surprise, the book's front read "Holy Bible" in bold golden letters, written across a curvy symbol roughly resembling a richly decorated blossom.

Bedelia furrowed her brows when she remembered having read or heard the name "Al-Azif" once before. Yet, she couldn't place it. Questioningly, she looked at Cortez who had moved to the back of a seat near her. The raven shrugged again, cawing lowly and shifting his feet.

"Care for a snack?" Bedelia asked. When the raven flew to perch on the back of the next seat and gave another cawing, she went to get the box and the sword-shaped plastic pick.

"Here you are," she said, sitting down in the seat and spearing a fresh eyeball – the second cat's eye – for the raven. Cortez leaned forward to take his snack. As soon as he had swallowed, he flew towards the window, tapping the frame. Bedelia followed him to open the window and say, "Have a good time." Cortez didn't hesitate to move onto the outside window-sill. But instead of leaving, he sat a few minutes ruffling his jet-black feathers as if to consider what things to do and what places to go.

When the raven had left, Bedelia put the box into the small fridge in the kitchen since she assumed the eyeballs required chilled storage. Then, she discarded her dress, the tee shirt and the bra and panties to creep into the bed and get some more rest. The pillow still held the bassist's scent, an animal mixture of sour sweat and old smoke with a dash of stale breath. She sighed, burying her nose into the smooth cloth. When she had dozed off, Murdoc opened the door, leaned his back and his left foot against the door frame and peeked into the room. It took him a few minutes to discover her dark red bra and the same-colour panties on the floor and her body form underneath the blanket. The sight made him chuckle to himself while pushing the door shut, putting a pizza box and a fresh bottle of red wine onto the next shelf, unbottening his black shirt, stepping out off his battered boots and taking off his faded black jeans before kneeling down at the foot of bed. He let his eyes crawl over Bedelia's body form before lifting the blanket, slipping underneath and slowly running his hands up her stockinged leg to become noticable. Bedelia stirred as soon as his fingers had reached her knee. She moaned quietly when he rolled her on her back and opened her legs, deeply inhaling the promising scent from between her thighs. Bending across her unshaven crotch, he let his tongue explore her hole, parting her thick pubic hair. Bedelia stirred again, moaning throatily. Murdoc put one of her legs on his shoulder and bent down to run his tongue through her vagina from her hole to her clit in one swift movement. This time, her moaning became so deep that the bassist could rather feel than hear it – very much like the bass key from a synthesizer. It made him smile to himself before poking her clit with the tip of his tongue. Immediately, the deep-throated moaning was replaced by a high-pitched sound resembling the hissing shriek of a cat in heat. Murdoc planted a soft kiss on the tip of her crotch, took her leg off his shoulder, running his fingers along her garter-straps and crept upwards on his hands and knees to meet her lips.

"Well, hello there," he whispered when his head had found the pillow.

"Fancy meeting you here," Bedelia replied before he claimed her lips for a deep kiss, the tip of his excessively long tongue grazing her gums where the back tooth was missing. Simultanously, the tip of his rod poked her moist hole, making her shift and open her legs further. Slowly, he pushed himself into her hole, pausing every now and then this time to let her adjust to his size while letting his lips crawl along her neck and throat, kissing and licking the soft sweet-scented skin. When he had pushed himself in as far as possible, his lips went along her collar bone, sucking the skin and leaving tiny love bites.

"Feeling good, luv?" he asked when he had climaxed and slipped out of her, slowly rolling on his back.

"Feeling hungry," Bedelia clarified. This made Murdoc roll onto his belly in a swift movement, standing up on his knees.

"Almost forgot – I brought pizza." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, pointing to where he had put the box and the bottle. Bedelia watched him make his way over and get both. She opened the hook and eye of her broad garter belt and released the stockings, taking the garter belt off and dropping it on the floor. The stockings followed suit. Then, she sat up, adjusting the pillows to lean against. She smiled at the naked bassist taking a bow and handing her the box. Then, he put the bottle on his nightstand and slid back underneath the blanket. Bedelia opened the box to see a quarter pizza, sliced in two pieces loaded with ham, salami, bacon bits and extra cheese.

"Yummy." She took one of the pieces, starting to eat. Of course, the pizza had cooled off but was far from being nastily cold. When the bassist had slipped next to her underneath the blanket, she put the box onto his lap so he could have a bite too.

"Nah, thanks. I had my share. That's just for you, luv." The bassist waved a dismissive hand, put the box back on her lap and leaned in close, planting a light kiss on her cheek.

"You know, you're great, Mudz," Bedelia said between two bites. The bassist smiled knowingly, put his arm around her shoulder and replied, "And you're amazing, luv. Did you like my morning call?"

"Best I ever had," Bedelia smiled, pecking his cheek, "I don't know about you but I feel like having a smoke." She handed him the pizza box being empty except for the pizza crusts and got up to get her handbag.

"Care for a smoke?" she asked, putting one of her black cigarettes between her lips. Chuckling to himself, Murdoc put the pizza box on the floor and brushed his fringe from his eyes to shoot her a look. His reddish eye was twinkling excitedly.

"Thought you'd never ask," he said, rummaging his nightstand for a lighter and a small metal ashtray. He lit Bedelia's cigarette and watched her inhale deeply and exhale the smoke through her nostrils. A thin trail of smoke escaped her lips when she smiled at him and tapped his shoulder with a fresh cigarette. When the cigarette was sitting between his lips and the tip was lit, the bassist inhaled deep enough to smoke the cigarette halfways down to the filter in one breath. He blew a couple of smoke rings into the air before he rested the cigarette in the ashtray and climbed off the bed to make himself comfortable on top of the blanket, putting his head on Bedelia's lap and giving a long and very satisfied sigh. He straightened up again, placing the ashtray and the bottle within reach.

"Feel good?" Bedelia asked, running her fingers through his hair and along his sideburns.

"Feel great," Murdoc said, being in fact miserably happy. "What can I say – if anybody told me that having a girl around me for more than just a frantic tumble would feel so good, I'd have declared him as mad as a hatter. I'm glad we met." He took another draw at his cigarette and exhaled smoke through tiny gaps among his teeth. The sight reminded Bedelia of a sleeping dragon.

"Glad to hear that." Bedelia smiled at him, ruffling his chest hair. The bassist responded by giving a hum of pleasure and taking regular drags of his cigarette.

"I'm not really a fan of being dead honest with the birds," he confessed when his cigarette was smoked down to the filter, "But since a dirty-sweet girl like you deserves better, I hafta admit that I'd have you again, any day, anytime."

"I'd be very glad to be with you again, too. And to meet Cortez again, of course," Bedelia replied.

"Me too," Murdoc said, smiling back at her.

"By the way, where do you get his food?" Bedelia wondered, "Never seen eyeballs for sale."

"You hear a thing or two along the way," was all Murdoc would say, tipping ash off his cigarette and stubbing it in the ashtray.

Some time passed until Murdoc felt thirsty. Yet, he didn't feel like loosing his comfortable position. Bedelia noticed him eyeing the bottle. Following an inspiration, she took and opened it.

"Open up!" she said. When Murdoc had opened his mouth, watching her every move, she carefully lowered and tilted the bottle, pouring a narrow streak of ruby wine into his mouth and down his throat. The bassist raised his index finger in a sharp "enough"-motion when he had swallowed a third of the bottle. Bedelia took a sip herself before putting back the bottle.

"Thanks, luv. That was a really nice way to have a drink," he said, licking his lips and smiling at her. Slowly, his hand crawled up her front to run his index fingers along her cheeks.

"Welcome. Always wanted to try this. Good that you know how to drink." Bedelia took hold of his wrist and quickly planted a kiss on each knuckle when he had run the nail of his index finger along her throat and chin, sending a pleasant shiver down her spine. Then, he closed his eyes halfways and took a deep breath as if to doze off. Bedelia slouched further into the pillow, leaning her head against the wall and closing her eyes as well until she felt a light tapping against her thigh. She opened her eyes and found herself being watched by Murdoc once again. One of his hands rested on her thigh, losely curled into a palm-up fist. The bassist cleared his throat to ask, "Say, where do you come from, luv?"

"I was born in Maine – one of the states touched by the Canadian winter –, and raised by my grandmother and her second husband in a small town in West Virginia – a bit more to the South but still used to snowy winters," Bedelia answered, slightly confused, "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," the bassist answered casually, running the back of his losely curled-up hand along her thigh, "It just stroke me that I don't know much about you – except that I feel good having you around. You're the most interesting girl I ever met. And I'm pretty amazed about Cortez coming to you all by himself. That's why I rank you pretty high among my Top Ten of the birds I met along the way."

"Anything else you wanna know?" Bedelia smiled, her index finger tracing the lines on his palm, followed by a line along his arm.

"Let's start with the name of the town you were born in." The bassist gently caught her finger when it went along his lifeline.

"I was born on Little Tall Island," Bedelia said.

"On Little Tall Island?" the bassist wondered.

"Little Tall Island lies in front of Maine's coast – a heap of rock and earth holding a restaurant, a church, small grocery and household shops, a beauty parlor, a post office, a police station and a fish market where the docks used to be until they were destroyed by a real nasty storm people keep talking about. Up in the North were the rich people's houses. A city on the ocean, if you will. One of these places where you can't sneeze without the neighbour offering you a hanky or wiping your nose."

"Ew... Sounds pretty dull..." Murdoc said.

"Well, mostly it was. But if you kept an open ear, the strangest stories could be heard, most of them containing people getting lost in nasty weather and such. I revisited Little Tall, as it's called by its residents, in my teens, just to see if anything had changed – which hadn't. I remember old lady St. George inviting me for tea, telling me about some events from Little Tall and some from across the water people keep telling secretly – like a small town where people are said to be seen only in full moon nights and travellers are said to disappear by the dozen. Vampires are rumoured to rule this town, along with the ghosts of a preacher and his followers. She also told me about creatures from another dimension, trying to break through every now and then."

"Creatures?" Murdoc interrupted, a gleam of interest being set into his black right eye.

"Old lady St. George called them The Great Old Ones. She said there's a barriere between their dimension and ours wearing thin here and there – like the leather of a ball being kicked around too much. And when it's wearing thin enough, the creatures break through – causing people who happen to witness this to lose their way forever. Some of them are said to be found scared into insanity. Old lady St. George told me about a young couple passing through one town on a rather mild winter's day – a rare thing in that part of Maine. Two days later or so the woman was found all alone in the woods near the town with her hair having turned all white. She was shaking like leaves and talking to herself about the piper of the stars and the goat with a thousand young – over and over again."

"Sounds like you've had your share of strange things," Murdoc interrupted, "You weren't born in a proper hospital, per chance, were you?"

"Nope. Mom had found a job and room as a maid in a rich woman's house, and the next proper hospital was across the water. So, I was born in that room where Mom was staying at the time. Most of the neighbours were there to help her until the local doctor would come. Just like I said, a place where you couldn't sneeze without a neighbour wiping your nose. Crozet, the Virginian town where I was moved to by my grandmother and her second husband when I turned six, was just the same, only with lots of juicy gossip instead of the weird tales." Bedelia shrugged, a little smile spreading on her face. But as surprised as she was about the bassist's question, she didn't think of returning it. Murdoc smiled back at her while thinking the new information over. Somewhere deep inside his head, Bedelia's words had rung a distant bell. Yet, he couldn't quite put a finger on it. After a few minutes, he dismissed it and snuggled his head closer into her lap, catching a fresh sniff from between her thighs.

"By the way, I've seen your books on the shelf over there," Bedelia said.

"You read them?" Murdoc wondered, raising an eyebrow underneath his fringe.

"Nope, I didn't want to damage them as old as they look."

"Just souvenirs I picked up ages ago," the bassist explained, "Have a look if you like."

"I didn't expect you to have a bible," Bedelia said, "Not with all the rumours about you."

"What rumours? I made some friends in low places, remember? And I guess you can tell what's with my cross, too," Murdoc reminded her, the ghost of a smile crawling across his lips, "Besides, this ain't no ordinary bible but the Bible of Hell."

"The Bible of Hell?"

"Did you think just... the other place... has its history about mankind? Mind you, the Old Fella had his fingers in creation, too. Actually, he still has sometimes." Again, he shot Bedelia a look from underneath his fringe, making her bite her lower lip before she dared to ask about the other book.

"That's for summoning demons and stuff," the bassist explained in a voice that obviously meant business, "They call it The Necronomicon. And somehow I guess you heard about that one, too, luv." A faint smile crept into the bassist's face.

"Old lady St. George mentioned it. She mispronounced the name twice as if being scared shitless," Bedelia answered. Murdoc took another deep breath, closing his eyes. Bedelia ran a hand across his chest, causing another smile to spread on his face. He reached out to get hold of her hand, wrapping his fingers around it and running his thumb across the knuckles. Taking another deep breath and snuggling his nose into her crotch, he fell asleep. Considering this to be a good idea, Bedelia leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.

When the bassist woke up again, another day had dawned. Murdoc sat up to lean against the pillow as well. He put his arm around Bedelia's shoulder and pulled her close to kiss her temple.

"You're really amazing," he said while running his hand down her front, "I think I really could get used to having you around." He fell silent for a moment before tapping the tip of his scrunched-up nose, getting up and putting Bedelia's clothes near her. Then, he searched for a fresh pair of jeans, a shirt and his boots.

"What is it?" Bedelia wondered when he was dressed.

"I want you to meet my band, Della," Murdoc explained, leaning against the door and holding his hand out at her, "Guess it can't be wrong to show them I'm not in here so long with the nastiest hangover or something. Come here, luv." Bedelia smoothed and adjusted her dress and the tee shirt, straightening up her stockings and slipping her shoes on before she got up and came to Murdoc. The bassist pulled her into a hug before taking her hand to lead her across the carpark. Bedelia gasped when she noticed distant movements among the cars.

"That's just the zombies from the old graveyard round the corner. They drop in every now and then. No need to be scared, luv. You're safe with me around," she heard Murdoc whisper into her ear before reaching out over her shoulder and pushing the elevator's button with his extended knuckle. Feeling his hot breath touch her ear conch made her smile. She leaned against him, taking a quite shaky breath. A few minutes later, the metal doors slid open with a scrap and rattle. Murdoc lead Bedelia in, pushed the UP button and gave her a tight hug from behind before rubbing her shoulders and kissing her nape. The elevator's door rattled open again to reveal the curious face of singer 2-D with Japanese guitarrist Noodle standing in front of him and black drummer Russel towering above. When Murdoc and Bedelia stepped out of the elevator, the Japanese girl rushed forward with an outcry of joy.

"Murdoc-san!" she cheered, throwing her arms around the bassist, almost pushing him back against the elevator doors. Then, she noticed Bedelia.

"Who this, Murdoc-san?" she asked, her big green eyes twinkling, "Friend?"

"Friend," Murdoc confirmed, flashing a little smile at the guitarrist and a bigger one at Bedelia.

When Noodle was obviously done greeting the bassist, Murdoc introduced the band members to Bedelia, gesturing at each one. The following silence made 2-D square his bony shoulders to add his two cents, "Haven't seen you for yonks, Mudz."

"Too bad I din't drop dead, eh?" the bassist chuckled, taking Bedelia's hand again and running his thumb across the back.

"Christ, no," 2-D said quickly, noticing the gesture. He blinked hastily before asking, "And who's your friend?"

"Her name's Bedelia. We met in a bar after the last concert," Murdoc calmly said. No band member dared to comment this. Russel crossed his arms over his broad chest while Noodle looked at her shoes before tucking at the hem of 2-D's shirt and looking at him questioningly. The vocalist shrugged, looking Bedelia over curiously since she looked so much different from the girls 2-D was used to see around the bassist.

All of a sudden, a deep rumble was heard when Russel cleared his throat and asked if anyone was hungry. Giving a deep sigh of relief, the singer gestured invitingly towards the kitchen. The band walked into the kitchen, sitting down at the already set table. A big sauce pan was sitting on the stove, filling the room with the mouth-watering scent of fried ham and bacon with white beans in a rich tomato sauce. Crispy slices of toast were placed on a small plate in the middle of the table. As soon as everyone had found a seat, Russel filled a scoopful into each of the bowls on the table. He opened a cabinet to get another bowl, cup and a fresh spoon. Having filled the new bowl as well, he offered it to Bedelia who took it, bowing her head slightly at the drummer.

When all bowls were served, Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and Bedelia started eating. 2-D, however, kept looking into his bowl as if searching for something. After a few minutes, he pushed his bowl aside and hauled his lanky body off his chair to pour himself a cup of coffee instead. Having returned to his seat, he slowly sipped the coffee while chewing on a slice of toast. Noticing Bedelia's curious glance, he tapped his chest with his knuckles and explained, "Veggie.", smiling sheepishly.

When his bowl was empty, Murdoc stiffled a belch and put a hand on Bedelia's shoulder, gently running his thumb along the joint.

"I go back for some rest," he whispered into her ear, "I'll leave the door unlocked for you. I have something really nice in mind for us."

"I'll be over when I'm done," Bedelia replied, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear.

"See you then," the bassist whispered back and pecked her cheek. Silence crept into the room until the steps of his hard-soled Cuban heels had echoed out in the hall.

"Well, Bedelia, you really have been with Mudz since our last concert? That was a fortnight ago. Is he... err, good to you?" 2-D asked after the last sip of his coffee. A hint of concern crept across his pale face, making his black eyeballs shine. Bedelia blinked at his thick Cockney accent her brain refused to translate at first.

"Yeah, he is," she answered when she had made out his words, flasing him a smile, "Mudz is a... special guy." 2-D and Russel exchanged glances before both gave a nod and shrug.

"He's one of a kind," Russel added, his ghostly white eyes looking Bedelia over carefully. 2-D nodded his agreements while Noodle just smiled to herself, finishing her bowl. Then, she propped herself up on her elbows, resting her chin on her hands and watching Bedelia finish her own bowl and say, "Hmmm, yummy."

"Yum-my," the Japanese girl parotted instantly. Then, she repeated it over and over until Russel made her stop.

"Okay, I'm going now," Bedelia said, getting up.

"Bye Be-de-lia-san," Noodle said, extending a delicate hand.

"Konni chi wa, Noodle," Bedelia replied, gently shaking the surprised girl's hand, "Bye, guys." She shook Russel's and 2-D's hands as well before turning to leave. Instantly, 2-D got up to accompany her. They crossed the car park in complete silence until they reached the Winnebago's steps.

"Bye, Bedelia. It was nice meeting you," the singer and keyboardist said before Bedelia climbed up the steps.

"Likewise, 2-D," Bedelia replied, flashing him a final smile and shaking hands with him. She turned to look at the door, drumming her fingers against the frame and calling out for the bassist. It took a few minutes until the raspy voice called her in. The door inched open when she gave it a light push with her heel of hand.

When her eyes had adjusted to the dim light inside, Bedelia was surprised to find the bed empty. She called again. Once again, it took a few minutes until the bassist answered, "In here!" She followed the voice into the bath room that was lit by nothing but about a dozen dark blue candles sitting all over the room. The beautiful sight of the tiny flames made Bedelia sigh.

Murdoc had made himself comfortable in the tub filled with foamed water. The inverted golden cross was floating on the water and twinkling in the candle light. Alas, the tub was a bit too short to accommodate the bassist's body. Thus, he had propped up his heels onto the rim, leaving his lower belly and his crotch the only part hidden by the foam. Bedelia sat down onto the rim, letting her eyes crawl up and down his long slender legs since it was the first time she was getting a better peek at his lower extremities. She was a bit surprised to see that his nails were trimmed, making his hands and feet look less predatory.

"Well, hello there, my lovely," Murdoc said, sipping a greenish liquid on ice from a footed rocks glass sitting in his right hand. Without putting the glass aside, he shifted into a better position to straight up and kiss her. Bedelia frowned slightly since she couldn't place the strong bitter-sweet taste.

"Feeling cozy?" she then asked. The bassist nodded and reclined again, making the ice cubes in the glass clink and thin down the drink.

"Why don't you join me, luv?" he offered, taking another sip.

"Not enough room, as far as I can see." Bedelia rubbed the back of his right foot and ran her fingers through the stubby hair covering his shin.

"That's a crying shame," the bassist said, "Always wanted to share a bath with a woman." Bedelia smiled, moving closer to plant a light kiss onto his temple.

"Poor Mudz," she whispered, "Such a nice idea and no chance to make it come true."

"No harm done," the bassist chuckled to himself, "There'll be another chance if the Old Fella wills it."

"Fairly spoken. But I'll wash your back if you like," Bedelia offered. Murdoc considered this and nodded. Bedelia moved to the rim at the head of the tub and rolled up her sleeves. Putting the glass on a shelf within reach, the bassist pulled his legs against his torso, wrapping his arms around the knees, closing his eyes and giving a sigh when he felt water run down his spine. The water was followed by Bedelia's hand rubbing his back in small circles. A sigh of pleasure escaped the bassist.

"May I ask you something?" Bedelia asked when her hand brushed the small of his back and went up again.

"Go ahead, luv," the bassist curiously agreed.

"You said that Mr Niccals – being your father, I guess – would sell your dignity for the cheapest booze. What did that mean?" Murdoc bit his lip for a moment before he said in a low voice, "Well... you see... when I was a child, the local boozer held a talent show every now and then, and Dad made sure I was in it to win him beer money."

"Jeepers," Bedelia sighed while her hand washed his jutting shoulder blades. Murdoc leaned into the touch, cherishing it to the full.

"Precisely, I think," he then said, "Sebastian Jacob Niccals – or Jacob Sebastian Niccals, depending on who was asking – had just two ways of treating me. First one was beating my brains out with his walking cane when he was piss-drunk, and second one was forcing me on stage in the pub since I was three. And if Dad was too drunk to take a swing at me – that only happened once in a blue moon if I was lucky –, my older brother was more than happy to help out."

"Your father really had a walking cane?" Bedelia was audibly astonished.

"Uh-hu. A shiny black one with a silver wolf's head on top. As a child, I always thought the head would bite me if he'd let go of the cane. I guess the cane was his most prized posession. I can't remember having seen him leave home without that thing. I mean, he din't really need it – Dad was a lazy bugger who'd rather die than seek work but he was fast as lightning if he wanted to. I think he wore the cane just for his outfit. He always was dressed in a really fancy black suit with a blue scarf around his neck and a top hat. I've never seen a shirt on him but sometimes he'd wear matching gloves with the suit. In fact, he looked like a dandy from 19th century or so. If it hadn't been for his three-inch-long nose, he'd have made a quite handsome appearance, I hafta admit." A faint smile crept across Murdoc's face at the recollection.

"Did I get this right? You were beaten by your brother and your father?" Bedelia asked after a few minutes of rubbing his shoulder-blades in a thoughful manner.

"Yup. Hannibal was a neo-Nazi Skin who'd beat me black and blue without cause, especially when he was fuming about something. He broke my nose twice when I dared to take a closer look at his precious records once, picking one to play it."

"Gruesome..." Bedelia couldn't help shivering. Murdoc turned around halfways and ran his knuckles along her cheek before asking, "Do you know the tales parents tell their children to scare them into being good?"

"You mean things like If you don't be good, the Boogeyman's gonna eat you?"

"Precisely. But in the area of Stoke – the town I din't choose to be born and raised at – parents would say Hannibal Niccals is gonna eat you."

"Sounds like messing with him was like messing with a mine field," Bedelia said thoughtfully.

"And that's putting it mildly, luv," the bassist mused. Bedelia fell silent for a moment before wondering, "Where's Stoke?"

"In England, somewhere between Manchester and Birmingham. The town's full name is Stoke-On-Trent. People call it The Potteries because most of England's tableware is produced there. The town is famous for that – aside from being the home town of GUNS'N'ROSES guitarist Slash and MOTÖRHEAD's bass man and singer Lemmy," Murdoc explained after frowning in slight amusement. Bedelia fell silent for another moment before asking, "What did your mother do about you being beaten so much?"

"My mother?" Murdoc said, giving a shrug, "Fuck if I remember her. All I know is that I was born in the local mental asylum. I guess she was an inmate, most likely raped by my father. After I was born, somebody – maybe my mother or somebody who knew her – dumped me on his door step."

"Mhhhm..." Bedelia hand came to a sudden halt beneath Murdoc's nape, her middle finger tapping his skin in a thoughtful manner again.

"What?" Murdoc wondered, turning his head to face her.

"That's one thing we have in common – we're accidents, so to speak," she stated, "My parents met while Dad was together with somebody else. But one thing lead to the other, and boom! – into this world I'm thrown." Unable to hide a smile, Murdoc ran his index finger along her nose, gently poking the tip with his knuckle and whispering, "Say, luv, did you just quote a song to me?"

"Sort of. I ad-libbed a line from The Doors' Riders on the storm."

"The Doors..." Murdoc thought aloud, "Not my kind of music exactly but great tunes for smoking weed." Bedelia smiled, pouring another handful of water over his back and continued rubbing it. After a few minutes of cherishing, the bassist put his hand around her nape to pull her closer and kiss her. When releasing her, he accidently ran his nails across the side of her neck, making her laugh quietly. He pulled back, shooting her a look before grinning at her.

"Pour me nuther drink, luv," he said, handing her the glass, "Bottle's in the kitchen."

"Coming right over." Bedelia went to look for an opened bottle. She nodded to herself when she found a small bottle with a yellowing lable reading "Absinthe 66" in the fridge door. It was filled halfways. She poured the rest into the glass and added some ice cubes. When Murdoc had gulped down the second glass in one, he pushed himself out of the tub and reached out for a towel.

"I feel like getting dirty again," he said, wiping himself off, "Wanna join me?"

"Make a guess." Bedelia smiled, cupping her bosom suggestively. Without another word, she went into the bedroom, undressed and crept underneath the covers. Letting out a snicker, Murdoc leaned against the door frame of his bedroom and looked at her body form underneath the covers before he approached the foot of the bed, lifting the covers and working his way over her legs and hips with his hands and tongue.

It was the fourth morning after Murdoc had taken his occasional bath. The bassist woke up to the rhythm of rain drops drumming on the Winnebago's roof and splashing against the windows as if sand was thrown against the motor-home by the handful, mixed up with a couple of quick breathings that sounded rather odd. He rolled over and propped himself up on one elbow to look Bedelia over. A gasp escaped him when he noticed the colour of her face having changed from light brown to the unhealthiest yellow. He sat up and took her hand, protectively wrapping his calloused fingers around it. Bedelia responded by giving a long sigh. Her eyes opened slowly, giving the vacant look Murdoc had seen more than once in 2-D's face after a recent painkillers pop.

Murdoc felt concern and an icy dash of desperation wrap around his heart like a clammy hand when two tears rolled down her cheeks. Something was terribly wrong with his dirty-sweet girl, and all he knew was that he had to do something. But the hospital was far away, and no matter how hard he was racking his brain, he couldn't think of anything useful aside from holding her hand. Then, an idea struck him like a slap across the face. He put Bedelia's hand on top of her belly, gently patting the back. Then, he caressed her cheeks, shoulders and arms, wiped off the trails of her tears with the knuckle of his pinkie and went to kneel down on the threadbare carpet. He took a piece of chalk from a shelf within reach to draw a medium-sized pentagram. Then, he got up quickly to fetch a screw top jar from his fridge containing a dark red liquid – weeks ago, he had drained blood from a young stray cat Cortez had caught. When the raven had feasted on the black cat's golden eyes, he had dropped the carcass on the Winnebago's steps like a sacrifice. Murdoc had slit the cat's throat and collected the blood in the jar, just in case it might be of use later. Now, he unscrewed the jar, placing it in the middle of the pentagram. When everything was set, the bassist knelt down on the threadbare carpet and started mumbling an incantation he hadn't used for at least 6 months. When Murdoc had finished the incantation, the air in the Winnebago was thickening, like the air on the eve of a thunderstorm. Then, all of a sudden, a shock wave raced through the Winnebago, shaking the motor-home violently and catapulting the bassist against the nearest wall, almost forcing him through. Simultanously, the blood inside the unscrewed jar began to boil. Steam began to rise when Murdoc slid down the wall, slouching on the floor like a ragdoll that had lost its stuffing. After a few minutes, the steam cloud turned into a tall and slim man wearing a white suit with a black vest covering a shirtless upper body. The narrow head was clean-shaven except for a pair of slim eyebrows of indifferent colour. A pair of huge eyes looked around like search headlights, twinkling with excitement.

Lucifer who had stooped to following Murdoc's invitation sauntered over to the bassist, the unscrewed jar sitting in his long elegant fingers like a fancy cocktail. He took another sip from the jar, put it onto the next shelf and grabbed Murdoc's arms, yanking the bassist to his feet.

"Hey, Lu!" Murdoc said, managing a weak smile, "Long time no see."

"Murdoc Niccals, as I live and breathe!" Lucifer answered, giving Murdoc's shoulder a painful squeeze, "Thanks for the welcome drink. Young cat's blood, not much more than a kitten, I guess?"

"Sure. Just the best for old mates, Lu." Murdoc's smile widened a bit as his confidence grew.

"Thanks alot anyway," the fallen angel said, "How's your little jailbird with the chilling reputation?"

"He's out and about somewhere. Having fun, I guess," the bassist said, "And how's your kin?"

"Busy as always, thanks for asking. You look pretty good," Lucifer smirked, "For roadkill." The fallen angel nearly doubled over at his own joke before he tapped Murdoc's breast bone with the knuckle of his middle finger.

"Now, why don't we come to the point?" he snickered, picking up the jar for another long gulp, "I guess you didn't call me in for a tea party."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Lu. I need your help," Murdoc explained.

"Okay, what is it this time?" Lucifer rolled his eyes, drinking up and putting the jar aside. Then, he pulled a black piece of cloth from his sleeve to dap his mouth.

"My girl here... she's not well..." Murdoc was shushed by Lucifer's index finger tapping the bassist's crooked nose three times.

"What do I look like to you, a doctor?" the fallen angel asked, sounding highly amused. Nonetheless, he shoved the piece of cloth back up his sleeve and turned towards the bed, bending across Bedelia to run his fingertips along her face and throat. Shaking his head, he plopped down on the edge of the bed.

"What's wrong with her?" Murdoc picked himself up again, coming closer.

"Can't say... Her puls is most unsteady. As fast as a marathon runner's puls in one minute and slower than a zombie's puls in the next. Never seen this before." Lucifer shrugged.

"Is there anything you can do?" Murdoc's voice nearly cracked. Calm and serene, Lucifer started searching his pockets. Finally, he pulled a midget long-necked bottle from a little pocket on his vest. The bottle contained a clear fluid with a few dark red spots dancing and whirling around.

"Maybe this will do the trick," Lucifer said gravely. When Murdoc reached out for the bottle to take a closer look, the fallen angel quickly pulled it away, wrapping his fingers around it.

"Why, Mr. Niccals! Did you really think it's so easy?" he smirked, shaking his head.

"'course not," Murdoc said, his heart and head hanging low. Lucifer's hand cupped his chin and raised it.

"There, there," the fallen angel said in an almost fatherly voice, "You asked for help, and I didn't say I won't deliver. But you know how it works. I never give things away. What I do is bargain and trade. Remember?"

"How could I forget, Lu. So, what's the price this time?" the bassist managed to ask.

"Well..." Lucifer's diamond-like eyes crawled back to Bedelia's face, studying it carefully. He leaned in close enough to run the tip of his nose along her hairline and her lips. He inhaled deeply and smacked his lips before he said, "What a catch. So much different from your usual pick. She's got the scent of an almost fresh soul on her." The fallen angel ran a black tongue along his lips.

"Forget it, Lu!" Murdoc hissed through clenched teeth, squaring his shoulders. Lucifer rolled his eyes and furrowed his brow as if thinking hard.

"Oh, well... if this is your very last word, Murdoc Niccals..." he finally said, "I want you to french-kiss me, and you better make it a real good one!" Chuckling, the fallen angel grabbed Murdoc's wrist, making the bassist sit down next to him. Murdoc could just take a deep breath and lick his lips that had grown dry all of a sudden before Lucifer cupped the bassist's face, greedily claiming his lips. Murdoc couldn't help shivering when Lucifer's hands made their way down his bare back to his hips and thighs as a strong tongue pushed its way into his mouth, forcefully exploring every spot and wriggling around like an eel. The bassist's own tongue responded to the intruder as if having a mind of its own. His heart began to pound faster, making his blood throb all over when Lucifer's fingers squeezed Murdoc's thighs, just above the knees, making the bassist's legs twitch and jiggle. After a felt eternity, Lucifer pulled back and dangled the bottle in front of Murdoc's eyes, a lecherous grin spreading on his face.

"Shake well until the fluid turns light red and feed her one spoonful in the morning and three spoonful in the evening until the bottle's empty – down to the last drop. But you better not give her any on an empty stomach," he advised.

"What is this?" the bassist asked, taking the bottle.

"A televangelist's sweat with a few drops of blood from a used-car dealer's heart and a dash of fruit juice for taste. Blood is powerful, and sweat is precious. Nothing better against exorcism," Lucifer explained cheerfully as Murdoc turned his attention to Bedelia whose hands had started trembling slightly. He picked himself up to sit on the edge of the bed, taking her in his arms and kissing her forehead. Lucifer gave a small snort of amusement when the bassist's rough-handled voice softened amazingly as he started humming the lullaby from "Rosemary's Baby" against her forehead to soothe her. He had remembered a warm summer night in his early teens when he had woken up from hearing Sebastian come home and stagger into the living-room to flop his tall, drunken body on the couch and finish a bottle of gin. Murdoc had snuck in when Sebastian had decided to turn on the telly. Crouching beneath the rickety coffee table, Murdoc had watched the movie with growing enthusiasm, and the eerily sweet melody had gone straight to the boy's heart, soothing him. He had crept out of the room as soon as Sebastian was snoring.

Realizing he was being watched, Murdoc jerked up his head, glaring daggers at the fallen angel. However, before Lucifer could react in any possible way, the bassist grabbed the collar of Lucifer's vest, dragging him on eye level.

"I swear to Satan, Lu," Murdoc hissed, "If you ever tell anybody about this, I'm gonna come down for you and work you over so hard you won't get up again 'til next Friday!"

Lucifer blinked calmly at the bassist's icy voice and vicious glare from the mismatched eyes and replied matter-of-factly, "Well, then I'll be back on Saturday and break your nose for the ninth time." A tense moment of silence hung in the air until the fallen angel held out his hand to the bassist and said, "Won't tell anyone – big promise. Cross my heart and hope to die. Just didn't expect you to sing to someone. This one here really must mean a lot to you." Unable to hide a smile, Murdoc shook hands with the fallen angel who then sashayed back to the centre of the pentagram and clapped his hands, disappearing into a whisp of smoke. Simultanously, the pentagram vanished into thin air. Murdoc fell back onto his bed, giving an exhausted sigh. He still could feel Lucifer's fingers squeezing his thighs and scribbling all over his knees just like the fallen angel's tongue moving around in his mouth and exploring it from the teeth to the bend of the throat, making him feel like being raped, and somehow Murdoc was certain that Lucifer was still laughing. Carefully, he placed the small bottle on his nightstand and took Bedelia into his arms again, kissing her temple and humming the tune afresh when her hands trembled slightly again. For a moment, the bassist wondered if she had noticed any of the happenings. But her steady breathing assured him she hadn't. He laid down next to her, scooting closer, wrapping his arm around her middle and pecking her shoulder.

Bedelia took a deep breath, rolling over and facing the bassist. Murdoc couldn't help smiling when he felt her warm breath brush his chest hair, sending a shiver up his spine. He pulled her tighter to him, resting his chin against her forehead.

"My dirty-sweet girl." He gave a deep sigh, feeling better with every heartbeat. Being slapped against the wall by the bone-crushing shock wave didn't matter anymore, just like Lucifer's teasing fingers and forceful kiss. Murdoc pecked her closed eyes and ran his hand down Bedelia's bare back while drifting off to sleep.

It was four minutes past midnight when Murdoc got the munchies. He slowly took his arms off Bedelia, trying to not wake her up, and got up to rummage the kitchen cabinets. In the second one he found a bag of roasted and salted pastichios. He sat down at the small table where he kept his barely used laptop and his even lesser used TV, pushed the computer aside and sliced the bag open with his long thumb nail. He cracked the first pastichio's shell and popped the nut into his mouth. A rapping sound interrupted the bassist's snack. He got up and opened the door. Cortez strolled in, his feathers lubricated with rain. The bird flapped his wings, spreading some drops of water, and went straight to perch on the back of Murdoc's chair, looking at the open bag of pastichios with his head tilted to the side. Murdoc picked a fresh one that turned out to have a sealed shell and held it out to Cortez. The raven snatched it from the bassist's palm and quickly tilted his head back to swallow. Then, he watched Murdoc taking a fresh pastichio, a slit-open this time. Since the shell wouldn't open to the bassist's nails, he popped it into his mouth and cracked it using his teeth. He spat the shells into his palm to put them back into the bag and swallowed the nut.

It took almost an hour until the bag was empty. Cortez gave a content, yawn-like cawing and shifted into a comfortable position, pulling his head against his body and closing his eyes.

"Goodnight, mate," Murdoc said, going back to bed.

When a new day was dawning, the bassist woke up again by something gently striking his back, brushing his tattoos of the seven Deadly Sins scattered across his back, a souvenir from the Mexican jail. Every time the light touch went across his spine, Murdoc couldn't help shivering. Nobody had touched this particularly tender spot on him for decades, and being rather helpless to the tingly sensation displeased Murdoc almost as much as when Lucifer's fingertips had tickled his knees for spite. He opened his eyes to look at Bedelia who had wrapped an arm around his ribcage, obviously moving her fingertips across his back in her sleep. The sight of her head resting on his biceps, combined with the light touch creeping across his back, made him smile. Carefully, he took her arm off him to roll on his back, place her hand on his chest and pull her close.

When the sun rays were creeping through the motor-home, Cortez straightened up, spreading his wings. Carefully, he smoothed his coat and flew onto the bed to wake up the bassist. Murdoc moaned when the raven's beak poked his upper arm, hitting the black-and-white cross tattoo. Carefully so that Bedelia wouldn't wake up, he sat up und looked at the bird perching on the pillow. Cortez tapped him again, hitting the lowest rib this time.

"Alright, alright, mate," Murdoc whispered, hauling himself off the bed, "See? I'm fucking up." The raven, however, stayed put to look Bedelia over who was just regaining her senses. She wiped her eyes and smiled at the bird. Cortez leaned in closer to nudge her forehead with his beak. It was a surprisingly gentle touch, considering the bird's beak being strong enough to kill small animals or smash in windows if wanted.

"Morning, Cortez," Bedelia whispered. The raven tilted his head and looked her over again before he left through the door Murdoc had opened. When the bird was gone, the bassist locked the door and slipped back underneath the blanket, putting his arm around Bedelia again and pulling her close against him. His heart turned a somersault when she moaned sleepily.

"Morning, luv," he whispered against her forehead.

"Morning, you sexy beast," Bedelia answered, running a hand across his chest.

"Feel good?" Murdoc asked, unable to hide a grin about the odd yet suitable nickname.

"Feel a bit tired. Don't really remember sleeping."

"Well, you did." Murdoc thought for a moment before he suggested to get her some breakfast. He supposed that the band members had left some. Today was Pancake Day, recalled to life by 2-D to celebrate last New Years Day. Since then, it held place every second week.

"Thanks," Bedelia whispered, watching the bassist put on his jeans and boots and leave the motor-home. About ten minutes later, he returned, carrying a tray loaded with some forks and spoons, two mugs of coffee, a milk jug, a sugar bowl, a plate of pancakes and a smaller one of crispy bacon slices.

He put the tray onto the next shelf and stepped out of his boots and jeans before he crept back into bed, placing the tray between them on the blanket. Then, he put a few bacon slices between two pancakes like a sandwich and wolfed it down, every bite followed by lightly sugared black coffee. Bedelia sat up, rolled up a pancake and speared it to eat it with small bites. Seeing her lips wrap around the pancake roll, Murdoc felt an erection coming up. He leaned in on her and kissed the corner of her mouth.

"You're really amazing, luv," he whispered, putting the tray aside and putting his arm around her.

"You too, sexy beast," Bedelia smiled, running her index finger along his collar bone and down his breast bone, gently ruffling his chest hair.

"Remember last night?" Murdoc suddenly asked, turning around to grope for Lucifer's bottle.

"Nope. Why?"

"You din't feel very good," the bassist explained, "I got you some medicine from an old mate of mine, and he told me it works best when taken after food."

"So that's with the breakfast," Bedelia mumbled. Murdoc nodded, pouring her half a cup of milk with two sugars and adding coffee.

"I want you to get well as soon as possible," he said, handing her the cup. Then, he shook the bottle vigorously until the red spots had dissolved and held it out to Bedelia.

"That's it?" She frowned. The bassist nodded again, opening the bottle and pouring some of the liquid into the spoon he had stirred Bedelia's coffee with. Bedelia closed her lips tightly and eyed the spoon suspiciously.

"You trust me, do you?" Murdoc asked, the unfamiliar icy dash of desperation wrapping itself around his heart again. After a moment, Bedelia nodded. Murdoc ran the nail of his thumb along her lower lip, slightly tickling the corner of her mouth until she opened her lips and he could empty the spoon onto her tongue. When she had swallowed the liquid tasting a bit like stale lemonade, he kissed her. Bedelia took a sip of her coffee and rested her head on Murdoc's biceps, whispering, "Thanks, Mudz, you sexy beast." Smiling, he ran one of her braids through his fingers and his thumb along her cheek.

"My pleasure," he whispered back, "I just want you to get well soon, my dirty-sweet girl. Nothing else matters."

Bedelia closed her eyes, the ghost of a smile touching the corners of her mouth. The bassist took her hand and kissed the back. Then, he put his arm around her shoulder and laid back until his head had found the pillow. He pulled Bedelia close again and smiled when he felt her heart pace evening out. It was still quick but more regular against his ribcage.

Three days later, Bedelia had recovered enough to get up again. Murdoc watched her sitting up against the pillow every now and then. Relieved, he put the small bottle into his nightstand drawer. His relief grew when she moved to the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath and straightening up slowly.

"You're okay, my dirty-sweet girl?" he said, sitting next to her, "Hafta go in again before they miss me too bad."

"Feel fine. Just a bit tired," Bedelia answered when she felt his calloused hands rub her shoulders and arms in small circles. She turned her head to smile at him. Murdoc ran his knuckles along her cheek and leaned in close to kiss her forehead.

"So glad you're better, my dirty-sweet girl," he whispered against her skin.

"Thanks for the breakfast and the medicine," Bedelia replied, running a hand up to his nape and tousling his hair.

"My pleasure." Getting up, the bassist smiled to himself and took a bow at Bedelia, taking hold of her hand and pecking the knuckles of her hand before putting on his jeans and boots with a random tee shirt. Then, he picked up the tray and left the Winnebago.

Bedelia picked herself up and went into the bathroom to put on her panties and wash her face, hands and lower arms. She couldn't help feeling proud about Murdoc having called her his dirty-sweet girl.

This time, the bassist returned at nightfall. Bedelia straightened up when she heard an angry snarl answering to a weepy voice outside. She sat up against the head of the bed, adjusting a pillow against her back and wrapped the blanket around her upper body. Murdoc seemed to have company. She held her breath, waiting for what would happen.

When the door flew open, nearly coming off its hinges, she saw the bassist drag a deathly pale 2-D along, having the singer's neck in a tight grip. Having entered and pushed the motor-home's door close, the bassist dropped the singer on the floor like a spoiled rag.

"What you up to, Mudz?" 2-D asked, curling his lanky body into a protective ball, hiding behind his hands and peeking through his fingers like a child witnessing a nasty scenery.

"I told you to stop talking rubbish, Faceache," the bassist growled, searching his pockets. Bedelia swallowed hard when his hand came up with the closed switch-blade. 2-D whimpered at the sight, curling up tighter.

Slowly, the bassist knelt down next to the singer, grabbing his neck again and opening and closing the switchblade, starting out slow but picking up speed quickly. The dim light danced along the razor edge with every move. Finally, he grabbed 2-D's hair, dragging him into a sitting position.

"Now listen closely," Murdoc said in a low voice, running the knife's razor point down 2-D's face and throat, "If you don't learn when to keep your bleeding hole shut, I'm gonna cut something off next time you let your mouth run away from the chunk of Swiss cheese you call brain. And I promise you, Faceache, they will be things you will miss. You'd better remember that!" Hastily, the singer nodded his assurements, shaking off the bassist's firm grip with a painful moan and making his way to the door on his hands and knees. The bassist closed the door with the toe of his boot as soon as the singer was gone, wiping his hand against his jeans and shaking off the few strands of blue hair the singer had lost. Then, he slowly turned around, glancing at Bedelia and sitting down on the foot of the bed.

"Was not my intention to do this in front of you, luv. For that I'm sorry," he said laying back next to her and lacing his hands behind his neck, "Just was mad about what dullard said when he thought I wasn't listening." A deep sigh escaped him before he continued, "Long story short, he made fun of the fact that you're still here with me by choice. Couldn't let him have a quick tongue once too often, could I?" He ran a hand through his fringe and turned his head to look at Bedelia who gently patted his elbow to show him she didn't resent him his deed. This hadn't been the first scary szene she had seen, and considering her fondness for horror and dystopian books and movies, it wouldn't be the last. The only difference was that it hadn't been on the screen this time. But the scare was brushed off soon by the fact that the bassist indeed had defended her. Not that 2-D seemed to be a serious opponent – a few inches taller than Murdoc but said to be far from being strong or smart enough to win a hand over the bassist who had spend a great deal of his youth fighting. Yet the mere thought of Murdoc standing up for her was somewhat flattering.

When Bedelia was feeling good enough to get up and walk around more often, Murdoc noticed her getting twitchy all of a sudden. She clearly still enjoyed being in bed with him but when they laid side by side after the sex, he could see her eyes grow distant and thoughtful telling him she was bothered. Finally, he couldn't hold back. He put his arm around her middle, pulled her close, pecked her cheek and asked, "What is it, my lovely?"

"Well," Bedelia said, "I can't stay any longer."

"Why?" the bassist asked.

"They just unemployed me a week before we met, and the out-of-work benefits are a bad joke," Bedelia explained, "If I want to have a good life, I have to find a new job before they'll get the idea to cut my benefits. I'm sorry. I have to go home tomorrow."

"Where's your home, luv?" the bassist managed to ask.

"Mesquite, Nevada. Somewhere in the Las Vegas area."

"What if I'll take you there?"

"Better not. If you'd take me home, we'd kiss goodbye, and then I'd have to force myself into letting you go again." A sad smile crept across Bedelia's face. Murdoc had to tear his eyes from her face to hide how much this farewell affected him, too. However, he couldn't stop a single tear from running down his cheek.

"I'll never forget you, Murdoc Niccals," Bedelia whispered, wiping the tear off his jaw, "We had a heluva time together. Best I ever had."

"Thanks, luv," the bassist said, getting up and putting on his clothes, "Come say goodbye to my band, too." He went to the door and opened it, leaning against the frame. Bedelia got up to get dressed as well and followed him. Hesitatingly, she took the hand he held out to her. But the way he wrapped his fingers around her hand told her that her farewell had cut deeper than he showed. She fought back the urge to say how much she regretted to leave. It sounded hollow and flat to her own ears.

No band member was in sight when Murdoc and Bedelia entered Kong Studios. It took a while until they found 2-D and Russel playing snooker in one of the back rooms. The vocalist who sat on the ring fence at the foot part of the table, blocking one of the holes with his heel, jerked around when he heard the pair's footsteps. The movement made him lose balance and hit the floor with a "Thud!".

"Hey there!" he beamed nonetheless, picking himself up, "What's up?"

"Bedelia has to go home again," Murdoc said matter-of-factly, rubbing his lower back with the back of his free hand. Hearing his words made 2-D stare agape while Russel leaned on the snooker table, tapping the floor with his cue and looking at the balls' position.

"I came to say goodbye, guys," Bedelia said, "I have things to do bearing no delay." The tapping sound stopped apruptly.

"Good luck with your things then. It was nice to meet you," the drummer said, extending his hand. 2-D followed suit, patting Bedelia's shoulder. A predatory snarl was heard when Murdoc brushed the vocalist's hand off, almost knocking 2-D down again.

"Likewise, Russel," Bedelia said, shaking the drummer's large hand before Murdoc lead her out again. When they had reached the garage, he leaned against the next wall, kicking up some dust with his heel.

"Is it okay if I stay one more night with you?" Bedelia asked hopefully. Murdoc arose to his full height, put his hands on her shoulders and nodded before he hugged her tight.

"Sure. I wouldn't want to let you go right here and now anyway," he said as if every word was dragged through his nose from the depth of his chest. Relieved, Bedelia snuggled her face against his chest.

"Let's go back in," he whispered, making their fingers entwine between them. Bedelia raised her head to smile at him. Murdoc took a deep breath and smiled back. Hand in hand, they went back into the motor-home to cherish their company while it lasted. The pair spent the rest of the day in bed, talking and sharing lustful touches and kisses as well as the opened bottle of rum and a pack of her black cigarettes. When the night was coming down, Murdoc picked up a battered guitar from a corner and made himself comfortable on top of the blanket, resting his head on Bedelia's lap and starting to play without taking his eyes off her face. Looking at his naked lower belly hidden by the guitar and his long fingers plucking the strings and moving along the guitar's neck with practised grace and perfection, Bedelia tried to recognize the tune but she couldn't place it. Realizing him obviously playing something new to her, she smiled. The bassist kept playing until she had fallen asleep. Then, he leaned the guitar against the next wall and shifted into a comfortable position to sleep himself.

Bedelia sighed when the sensation of Murdoc's hot breath breaking on her nape woke her up. Carefully, she freed herself from his arms and got up to get dressed and collect her things. Then, she bent across the bassist and kissed his cheek.

"Goodbye, sexy beast," she whispered, running her knuckles along his sideburns, "You gave me the time of my life."

"Same here, my dirty-sweet girl," Murdoc whispered back, cracking his eyes open and sitting up in a swift movement. He pulled her into a tight embrace to make her sit on the bed, trailing soft kisses up her breastbone and along her throat and neck.

"You wouldn't want to sneak out on me just like that, eh?" he playfully growled when his cheek touched hers, getting up himself and making his way to the driver's seat. When he had jammed the keys into the ignition, jerking the engine alive, he patted the passenger's seat and looked back at Bedelia, beckoning her over with the crook of his index finger.

"I'll take you to Mesquite city limits," he explained firmly when Bedelia had buckled her seatbelt. The glance following these words made her bite back any objection. The Winnebago picked up speed once they reached the next freeway.

Six months later, Bedelia left the phone company she had found a job at on a windy and late Saturday afternoon. She ran a hand through the short locks she wore since her braids made of artificial hair had lost their grip and had fallen off a few days ago. Then, she wrapped her coat tight around the dark-gray two-piece dress she wore with brown short-heeled laced boots and went for the next bus stop when a cawing sound among the usual traffic sounds made her stop in her tracks, squinting into the darkness. She followed the quite familiar sound across the dimly-lit parking lot. The only car left was parked underneath one of the street lamps that was flickering. Its dim light revealed the car being jet-black with a white roof and a solid fivepointed white star painted onto the driver's door that was littered by bullet holes. A small white box she didn't recognize at first sight was sitting on top of the engine hood, like on the cars mostly driven by black teenagers. Again, the cawing was heard from inside the car. Bedelia bent down to look inside when suddenly a green-skinned face leaned out and rested on folded arms clad in black cloth. Bedelia smiled when she heard a raspy voice say, "Well, hello there. If it isn't my dirty-sweet girl."

"Mudz!" Bedelia cheered, "What are you doing here, you sexy beast?"

"Offering you a lift home. Meet Stylo." Murdoc grinned, his eyes shining like being glazed over as he got out. The grin resembled a vertical crescent moon.

"Stylo?" Bedelia repeated.

"My other possession on wheels. It took part in our Stylo video. After that, the name stuck," the bassist explained, gesturing at the car in an all-embracing wave of his hand before opening the front seat door for Bedelia. She let her eyes crawl across every scratch and dent the car was showing before she sat in the passenger's seat.

"I mean, how did you find me?" she clarified when the bassist slipped back behind the wheel.

"Actually, Cortez did," he explained, gesturing at the raven perching on the back of the front passenger's seat. The bird shifted into a better position to take a slight bow at Bedelia. She bowed her head back at the bird and frowned slightly when she suddenly remembered having seen a flock of birds perching on a fence near the company on her first coffee and cigarette break. One of them indeed had been a raven keeping aloof.

Murdoc watched her, almost able to see the little cogwheels inside her brain turning. When understanding dawned in her eyes, he cupped her nape to pull her into a kiss. Bedelia closed her eyes, feeling a shiver run up and down her spine when he ran his tongue along her teeth.

"Come on," he invited after their tongues and lips had parted, "Let's take you home." Bedelia went around the car hood to get in. Before she slipped onto the seat, she bowed her head again at Cortez. When she had shifted into a comfortable position, Murdoc cupped her face, leaning in close until their foreheads touched.

"So good to see you again," he said, "I've been missing my dirty-sweet girl."

"And I've been missing you, my sexy beast," Bedelia responded. Then she ran a hand over the black rough denim jacket the bassist was wearing for a shirt. Her fingers slipped between the buttons, gently tousling his chest hair. Smiling to himself, Murdoc let go of her and turned the key. The engine roared to life, setting the car into gear. Bedelia flopped back into her seat, watching the houses pass. It took almost an hour to reach Bedelia's house. Murdoc blinked in surprise when he noticed that the house resembled a small castle with a castellated tower attached to its side and a low fence running around. Its walls were made of big and uneven gray stones, the windows were surrounded by square reddish bricks, the frames were painted as dark brown as the door sitting in the tower, and the roof was covered with brownish shingles. Murdoc almost expected to see a pixie peek out of a window or around a corner.

"Where did you find this house?" Murdoc wondered, "This looks like a Scottish castle." Bedelia laughed.

"I know. Some rich guy had it brought here brick by brick from somewhere in Scotland about sixty years ago. But then he lost interest and went to live in Florida, they say. It was sold by a so-called reverse public sale with the smallest amount being the best bid," she explained, "136 Dollars and 66 Cents made it mine."

"No kidding, luv?" Murdoc asked. Shaking her head no, Bedelia invited him in.

"By the bye, luv, what happened to your braids?" Murdoc wondered, getting out of the car. He leaned against the car's roof on one elbow, waiting for her to get out as well. Cortez flew through the open door to perch on the nearest tree.

"They were made of artificial hair," Bedelia explained when she had gotten out of the car, "They were losing their grip a few days ago. That's what's left of my own hair. Hope you're not disappointed." She ran a hand through her locks. Quickly, the bassist pushed his door shut and stepped next to her, putting an arm around her and pulling her close.

"Why should I be disappointed? You know, I din't miss your braids," he whispered, "I missed all of you, like feeling your breath and your smooth skin against my skin in the morning. And smelling your sweet scent, too." Gently, he ran his hand through her locks, pecking her cheek.

"Come in," she invited again, entwining her fingers with his and running her thumb across the skin between his thumb and index finger. Then, she unlocked the door, leading him in. The bassist looked around, not being very surprised to see a fitting furniture made of dark wood, cloth and leather. He sat down on the couch upholstered with dark red velvety cloth.

When Bedelia had taken off her daytime clothes in her upstairs bedroom, she came back, wearing a sleeveless black dress made of thin cloth falling down to her ankles. The dress she mostly used as a house frock was slit open beneath her arms and up from her ankles to her knees on each side. The light brown skin showing in these slits suggested that she was naked underneath the dress covering her body frame like a waterfall. She sat down next to Murdoc, snuggling against his chest and holding her breath when she heard a quiet rumble from his stomach.

"You seem to feel hungry," she stated. "How does potatoes with butter and bacon bits sound to you? I have potatoes in the cabinet begging me to be cooked."

"Potatoes with butter and bacon?" Murdoc repeated, "Sounds like my kind of meal!"

"Then, potatoes with butter and bacon it's gonna be," Bedelia promised, running a hand along his arm and neck, "Make yourself at home, my sexy beast." The bassist shot her an amused look from underneath his fringe, unbottoning his jacket. A few minutes later, the jacket fell next to him onto the back of the couch, quickly followed by his jeans and underpants. He pushed his boots aside and laid down, planting his feet on the couch, close against his torso, slightly spreading his legs apart. Then, he laced his hands behind his neck and took a deep breath.

About half an hour later, Bedelia returned to the living room, carrying a tray holding forks, two beer tumblers and two soup plates, a big steaming bowl of boiled potatoes, a small bowl of raw bacon bits and a pitcher resembling a big milk jug with melted butter. The entire tableware, except for the clear glasses and the greyish pitcher, was black and octagonal. The sight of Bedelia setting the table made Murdoc sit up straight at once, licking his lips.

"Care for a drink?" she asked, knowing full well it was just a question out of politeness.

"Sure," the bassist answered.

"Coming right over," Bedelia said, already going towards a small cabinet painted black with red drawers and doors in the corner of the room and getting one bottle of branded whiskey, another black bowl with high walls and a golden handle attached containing big balls of ice and one half-empty bottle of Coca-Cola from the small fridge inside. She placed the whiskey and the ice bucket in front of the bassist and the Coca-Cola next to her plate. When Murdoc had downed a glass of whiskey on ice, Bedelia poured herself a glass of Coca-Cola with a dash of whiskey on ice. Murdoc eyed the iceball in his glass that had melted just a little bit – unlike the usual icecubes. Bedelia took another sip from her glass before she shared the food and said, "Enjoy."

The bassist didn't hesitate to mash the potatoes and the bacon bits with the melted butter and dig in. When he had emptied his plate, he slouched into his seat, running a hand over his little pot belly to indicate he was satisfied.

"That was great," he said, "Best potato dish I had in months."

"Thank you," Bedelia smiled, "It was Gramma's favourite meal with asparagus spears for holidays and birthdays when I was in my teens. Glad you like it." She sat next to him, running a hand up his arm and shoulder.

"It was sheer poetry of salt and fat." The bassist shifted into a better position to put his head on her shoulder and gently kiss her jaw. Since he couldn't remember when somebody had cooked just for him, he enjoyed the situation to the full.

"You're really amazing, my dirty-sweet girl," he added, running his fingertips through her hair, "Wouldn't have thought you could be even more marvellous but here's the proof. Like I said, I rank you pretty near the top among my Top Ten birds."

"Thanks, Mudz," Bedelia answered, her eyes meeting his. She felt an urge to confess her craving for a man like him, just like she had done in her daydreams she had had on regular basis since she had gone home. But something in the gleam of his eyes and the way his tongue slid out of the corner of his mouth made her dismiss that urge.

"Wanna go upstairs?" she asked instead. The bassist nodded, hauling himself off his seat. When they were standing side by side, Bedelia reached out for his hand and wrapped her hand around his fingers in a soft yet firm grip to lead him up the metal spiral stairs into the bedroom. When they had reached the upstairs bedroom, she noticed that she hadn't taken Murdoc's hand since the bassist had laced his hands behind his head. A meaningful smile crept into his face while he ran one hand through his fringe. Without letting go of his rod, Bedelia stood on her toes to kiss his chin. In response, the bassist wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace to claim her lips for a deep kiss, causing his erection to rub against her belly.

"Come in," she whispered when their lips and tongues parted. She sat down on the bed, pulling him close enough to kiss the tip of his rod. Simultanously, she ran her free hand over his lower back and his buttocks to give his rear end a gentle squeeze. Smiling to himself, Murdoc knelt down in front of her, pushing up her dress and pulling down her underpants. He licked his lips at the sight of her clean-shaven crotch and bent down further to get a sniff. Then, he took hold of her left ankle and ran his tongue slowly along the back of her foot and up her shin, cherishing the subtle influence of the shaving foam and the floral scent he already knew. Smiling to himself, the bassist kissed her knee-cap and ran the tip of his tongue up her inner thigh and through her vagina, from her hole to her clit and back, making her let lose a string of deep-throated moanings. Hearing this made him realized how much he really had missed her. Slowly, his lips crawled up her body, trailing tiny love bites and soft kisses along the soft curves of her belly and bosom, pausing to circle her belly-button and her nipples with the tip of his tongue. Murdoc couldn't help smiling again when her moaning was getting louder with every inch his lips were passing. When his lips had reached her throat, he felt her cupping his nape. He laid down next to her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close. His free hand searched hers to entwine their fingers between their bodys. He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered, "Have you ever been told that you're a woman of particularly... good... taste?" Bedelia couldn't help laughing quietly at the compliment while his rod poked her hole.

"Not yet, my sexy beast. Thank you," she whispered back, shifting in a better position to permit him entrance. A long passionate moaning followed the last word when he pushed himself in, pausing every now and then and letting her adjust her to his size like he had done before. When Bedelia wrapped her legs around him and curled her fingers into his hair, he nearly exploded inside her. He took a deep breath, feeling his rod soften again and slip out of her. Then, he laid down next to her again, taking a deep breath and wrapping an arm around her middle. Bedelia took a deep breath as well when he snuggled his nose into the fleshy crook of her neck. Feeling his hot breath break on her skin and his calloused fingertips gently rub her nipples sent a shiver down her spine. She put her hands on top of his, gently rubbing his knuckles and wrists in small circles.

"Say, luv," the bassist suddenly asked, "Did you shave on my account?"

"I had the idea this morning in the shower," Bedelia answered, snuggling her bottom against his crotch. Murdoc kissed her nape and caught a fresh sniff of her scent, smiling to himself again.

"Looks and feels great," he said, his hand crawling down to cup her crotch. His middle finger came to rest at her hole, gently circling it and moving in and out while he drifted off to sleep. It took Bedelia half an hour to fall sleep as well after she had shifted her legs to give him more room for his finger. She couldn't help smiling when his ring finger started slipping in as well, the friction of his nails against her inner flesh trigging memories of their first night together. Finally, she drifted off to sleep herself.

It was almost noon when Bedelia woke up again, being a bit disppointed that Murdoc's fingers had slipped out of her unnoticed. Sleep had turned him on his back with his other arm slipped between her neck and shoulder pulling her back close against his ribcage. His hand had come to rest on her ribcage. Carefully, she turned around to face him. First thing she noticed was his other hand splayed across his belly on top of the blanket. The middle and index finger were lubricated up to the knuckles. The sight made Bedelia smile and shiver with delight.

All of a sudden, she felt thirsty. She freed herself from his arm and went into the kitchen to prepare the coffee machine and get a cold drink from the opened chocolate milk bottle in the fridge door.

When she came back into the bedroom, the bassist was sitting upright against the pillows, stretching his arms and legs and wiping his eyes. Bedelia sat down on the edge of the bed when he looked at his hand and ran the tip of his tongue along his lubricated fingers as if eating a popsicle.

"Thanks for another wonderful experience, my sexy beast," Bedelia said, leaning in close to kiss his cheek, "Almost forgot what talented fingers and tongue you have." A grin spread on Murdoc's face as he pulled her close and kissed her lips, poking her lips with the tip of his tongue and slipping in to run it along her teeth.

"Thank you. I may have a bad mouth but I can do great things with it," he whispered when pulling back. Then, he furrowed his brows in slight confusion, asking, "Do I taste chocolate there?"

"I had some after waking up," Bedelia explained, "Sometimes I need a cold sip of something non-sparkling first thing in the morning." The bassist smiled at this and kissed her lips again.

"How about some breakfast for my sexy beast?" Bedelia asked when their lips parted.

"Wouldn't leave me cold," the bassist answered. Bedelia nodded and put on her house frock to go into the kitchen. She switched on a small ghetto-blaster holding a CD with her favourite songs from Judas Priest, Manowar, Guns'n'Roses and Nick Cave before she searched her fridge and found a box of chicken eggs, a single bigger egg in a shallow bowl and an opened pack of bacon slices.

She switched on the coffee maker before she put a pan and a sauce-pan with white ceramic coating on the stove and placed the bacon slices into the pan. Then, she got a bowl and cracked some chicken eggs and the bigger egg to scramble them with salt and pepper. She put a teaspoon of goose fat into the sauce-pan. Her best friend Maureen Straker had given her a small pot of it as a present for last Christmas, and since then Bedelia preferred it over concentrated butter when frying eggs. When the fat was melted, she poured the eggs into the sauce-pan and slowly started to scramble the eggs with a fork. A few minutes later, the bacon was crispy and the eggs were fried golden-brown. Bedelia shared the breakfast on two of her black octogonal plates when she felt Murdoc's breath touch her ear conch and his hands run up and down her hips and thighs. She cranked her neck to kiss his chin and held out one of the plates at him. The bassist kissed her temple in return and took the plate to sit down at the table.

"I thought your coffee wouldn't mind an Irish tuning," she said. Unable to hide a grin, the bassist unscrewed the bottle and took a sip before pouring a big dash into his black coffee with half a teaspoon of brown sugar. He stirred carefully, took another sip, licked his lips and leaned in close to kiss her lips. Then, he sniffed the eggs before he took a careful bite, using the bacon slices for spoons.

"This is good," he said through a mouthful, "It's got a nice rich taste to it."

"I added a goose egg," Bedelia explained, "I started using them in addition to chicken eggs about a month ago whenever I can get my hands on them."

When the bassist's plate and cup were empty, Manowar's song "Heart of Steel" was replaced by the deep mellow voice of Nick Cave, singing a duet with the equally mellow voice of a woman about a boy meeting a girl who failed to seduce him, killing him in the end. It made Murdoc smile to himself even if he didn't recognize the tune.

"My dirty-sweet girl is a little softie when it comes to music, eh?" he asked.

"There's a memory connected to each song on the CD," Bedelia explained, "You prefer a harder pace, I guess."

"Mostly, I do. But sitting here with you makes these songs worth listening." The bassist's smile widened as he cupped her chin and leaned in close to kiss her.

"How about a refill?" Bedelia asked when their lips parted. Murdoc hummed his agreements, pushing his cup over. She got up to fetch the pitcher and pour him another cup of coffee. Adding a bit of sugar and another dash of whiskey, Murdoc looked her over for the umpteenth time. A distant smile was spreading on his face when Nick Cave's song was finished, followed by two slightly faster songs of Judas Priest he didn't recognize. Slowly, he ran his hand along Bedelia arm and shoulder to pull her close and claim her lips for another deep kiss.

"My dirty-sweet girl," he whispered when their lips parted, leaning his forehead against her temple.

"My sexy beast," Bedelia whispered back.

"You hafta work tomorrow again, right?" the bassist asked after a few minutes, taking her hand and running his thumb across the back.

"Uh-hu. They expect me at eleven-thirty," Bedelia said, "Won't be home until 5 in the afternoon."

"I'll take you to work then," Murdoc suggested, "Then I'll go take care of some things." Bedelia smiled when he made their fingers entwine again.

"Got any plans for the rest of the day, my sexy beast?" Bedelia asked, running her thumb across the skin between his index finger and thumb.

"I'm always open for ideas from my dirty-sweet girl." A broad and slightly wolfish grin spread on Murdoc's face, revealing that one of his lower back teeth had gone missing. He ran the knuckles of his free hand along her jaw, cupped her chin and claimed her lips for a deep kiss.

"Sounds like a heluva plan," Bedelia whispered when their mouths parted. The bassist got up, taking a flourish bow at her and kissing the back of her hand before he pulled her against his still naked body. Bedelia smiled when she felt his rod hardening against her belly.

"Would my dirty-sweet girl please follow me..." he whispered, taking her hand and making his way to the bedroom. Bedelia smiled, giving in to his movement. Having arrived at the bedroom's door, he leaned against the door and pulled her into a tight embrace, claiming her lips for another deep kiss. Bedelia responded eagerly, running her fingers through his hair and down his chest. After about 10 minutes, Murdoc pushed the door open and stepped into the bedroom. He pulled her with him, making them tumble on top of the bed and melt into lustful kisses and touches. Feeling his semi-hard rod growing stronger with every heartbeat, the bassist knelt down in front of her, groping for the hem of her dress to push it up and for her underpants to pull it down. Then, he bent down to run his tongue up her shins and thighs, pausing every now and then to cherish the scent from between her thighs. A sound of anticipation escaped him when he opened her legs and saw her vagina's inner flesh glistening with tempting wetness, looking like a rose after an April shower. Slowly, he took her dress off, running his tongue across her hips and upper body until it reached her throat and chin. Finally, Murdoc claimed her lips for a deep kiss. Simultanously, his rod slid into her hole like a boat gliding into water. Bedelia moaned and wrapped one leg around his hip as well as both arms around his ribcage when she felt his climax fill her insides with his semen. The bassist couldn't help shivering when he felt her breath brush against his left sideburn.

Bedelia froze to the spot when she had left the company after another nerve-wrecking day and noticed a raven perching on the company's mailbox. She pulled her coat around the dark-red long-sleeved velvet shirt and the dark-blue pair of boot-cut jeans she wore with the brown short-heeled laced booties, went closer and took a deep breath when she noticed the bird's bright red eyes.

"Hello, Cortez," she said, "Had a good time?" Cortez flew to perch on the coat's sleeve covering her lower arm and wiped his beak against her hand. Again, the touch was surprisingly gentle.

"Are you here on your own?" she asked. The raven cawed and turned his head as if pointing at the parking lot. Bedelia followed his movement with her eyes and noticed Stylo sitting in a corner of the parking lot. She went over, trying to make out details.

"Hello there," Murdoc suddenly said, leaning out of the driver's seat window. Bedelia was surprised to see him wearing a khaki uniform jacket and a black officer's hat with a shiny bill and a small pair of goggles sitting atop the bill.

"Hey, my sexy beast," she answered, "I found your message." She lifted her arm so Cortez could climb onto the bassist's shoulder. The raven took his time to step on the bassist's elbow and walk along to the shoulder, pausing to wipe his beak against Murdoc's biceps. Bedelia smiled at the bassist and walked around the car's hood to get in. When she had sat down, she noticed Murdoc wearing matching pants with the jacket that turned out to be a shirt on closer inspection since it was tucked into the pants and unbottoned down to his belly, showing his chest hair and making his inverted golden cross rest on top of the curve of his belly. The pant's lower legs were tucked into a pair of black jackboots with silver spurs. She couldn't make out a rank but all in all, the bassist looked like having been around to plan World War II.

"Had a nice day, my dirty-sweet girl?" he asked, pushing back his hat and leaning in close to kiss her lips.

"Not really. Busy and full of stupid people asking stupid question about their telephone bills. Same shit, different day. And how about you? Made everything you wanted to?" Murdoc jerked his thumb over his shoulder at a few bags tossed on the backseat in respond.

"Nice outfit, by the way," Bedelia added, patting his thigh, "Been to the shops?"

"Nah, it's old. I got it when we did the video for one of our singles – fuck if I remember which one –, and I just felt like wearing it now." The bassist waved a dismissive hand.

"It looks good on you," Bedelia smiled.

"Thanks. I've got something for you," Murdoc answered, running his hand down her face, "Close your eyes." Bedelia obeyed. When the bassist ran his knuckles along her cheek and told her to open her eyes again, she noticed one of the shirt's front pockets was unbottoned. Then, she looked at the bracelet resting on Murdoc's palm. It was a silver locket attached to a long delicate chain. A Celtish swirl decorated the lid.

"For me?" she managed to ask when her heart pace had slowed down. The bassist nodded, cupping her chin and running his thumb across her cheek.

"Open it," he said. Bedelia obeyed, revealing a carved-in pentagram on the inside.

"That's beautiful. Thank you, my sexy beast," she said when Murdoc slipped the chain over her head and kissed her lips.

"And it looks beautiful on you," he said, touching the locket resting between her breasts, "Much more beautiful than I thought." He pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Where did you find it, if I may ask?" Bedelia whispered when she felt his nails grazing her neck.

"It's the first non-food thing I stole," Murdoc answered, a sly grin spreading on his face. His tone made Bedelia laugh quietly.

"When I was done with school and left Stoke, I was a bit too young for a regular job, so I had my years of shoplifting to survive," the bassist explained after a few minutes, "The locket was the first non-food thing I felt like wanting just in case I'd get the chance to sell it or meet someone really worth wearing it."

A proud smile touched the corners of Bedelia's mouth. It widened when Murdoc cupped her face and ran his thumb along her lips.

"Thanks, my sexy beast," she whispered, "And what can I do for you now?"

"Wait and see..." The bassist smiled to himself, turning the key and setting the car into movement. Having arrived at her house, he got out of the car, picking up some of the bags from the backseat and carrying them in. Cortez flew onto a near-by tree. Bedelia looked at a small bag still occupying the backseat before she picked it up and followed him. The bassist put the bags into a corner in the hall and went into the living room. He sat on the couch, lighting up a cigarette, stretching out his legs and crossing them at the ankles. Then, he held his hand out to Bedelia, pulling her into a kiss.

"I feel like having spuds with butter and bacon again," he said, drawing at his cigarette, "What do you say?"

"As you wish," Bedelia answered, getting up and going into the kitchen. An hour later, she came back to set the table and serve. When everything was in place, she got the iceballs, the whiskey, the rum and a fresh bottle of Coca-Cola.

"Enjoy," she said, sharing the food and pouring drinks. This time, Murdoc took his time to cherish every bite and sip. When he almost had emptied his plate, there was a rapping sound against the nearest window-frame. Bedelia opened the window to let Cortez in. The raven went to perch onto the table, looking over the bowls and plates before he turned his attention towards the small bowl of bacon bits, tapping the rim.

"Be my guest," Bedelia invited. The raven didn't hesitate to gobble down a few beakfuls of bacon bits. When he got thirsty, he turned his attention towards Bedelia's glass of Coca-Cola with rum, taking a few quick sips. Bedelia wasn't very surprised to see the bird obviously cherishing the drink.

A week full of passionate love-making passed until Bedelia received a call from her best friend Maureen who asked how she had been since they had met the last time. Bedelia was happy to hear her friend's voice until Maureen suggested to drop in. Bedelia bit her lip before she said, "Not a good plan, Dear. I've got a visitor."

"Who?" Maureen asked, "Did somebody new enter your life once again?"

"Yes, oh yes," Bedelia sighed, glancing at Murdoc sitting naked except for his boots at the head of the table, looking a lot like a savage tribe's king on his throne with a half-smoked cigarette sitting between his index and middle finger and a half-empty glass of whiskey sitting in front of him. He held her gaze for a few minutes, drawing slowly at the cigarette and exhaling the smoke through tiny gaps among his teeth before he shifted to cross his knees and take a sip of whiskey. Once again, Bedelia considered the thin trails of smoke rising from the gaps among his teeth a very interesting sight.

"Well?" Maureen asked, "What's he like, Hon?"

"He's... well... special, in lack of a better word," Bedelia said, tearing her eyes from Murdoc's face, "Different from the guys I met before."

"Come on, Hon – don't let me drag every word out of you!" Maureen snorted. Bedelia sighed before she said, "He's a British musician, to begin with, a bassist. We met in a bar, about 8 months ago, and we had a heluva time together."

"8 fucking months? And it didn't cross your mind to fill me in?" Maureen's voice dropped with surprise. Bedelia closed her eyes when she heard her friend say, "If he shook you up like I think he did, I really wanna meet him."

"Okay, okay," Bedelia gave in, knowing full well that her friend had never been one to give up that easy.

"See you tomorrow, then," Maureen said before she said goodbye and hung up. Bedelia hung up herself and put the telephone back into its cradle.

"What is it, luv?" the bassist asked, finishing his smoke and stubbing it in the ashtray. He drained his glass and moved next to Bedelia, resting his head onto her lap.

"My best friend called to say that she'll drop in tomorrow," Bedelia explained, running her hand across his chest and belly, "We haven't met for months, and she asked what's new, so I told her about you, and now she's dying to meet you."

"So far, I never got to meet a woman's best friend." Murdoc chuckled to himself, running his knuckles along her cheek and down her front. He paused to cup her left breast.

"That means I better keep my clothes on, eh?" he suddenly asked, his voice carrying a frown hidden by his fringe.

"Well... Maureen was never one to be touchy but she might lose control at this sight," Bedelia answered, running her hand down his belly and brushing his semi-hard rod, "But speaking of it, do you think you could keep your clothes on as long as she's here? She won't stay the night, I promise. She always says so if she wants to – our personal rule is that we can visit each other anytime but we better ask before staying the night – and she didn't mention it this time." Murdoc ran his hand along her arm and nodded.

"Thanks, my sexy beast." Bedelia took hold of his wrist to kiss the knuckles of his middle and index finger.

"I guess you can go shirtless when she's around," she added, "But I wouldn't want her to see your showpiece. I know this woman for almost 20 years now, and so far we didn't even fight over money, even if people say that money breaks any friendship. I don't want to start a fight over you." The bassist couldn't help grinning while sitting up and pulling her against him.

"No need to worry, my dirty-sweet girl. All will be well," he whispered into her ear.

"Good," Bedelia answered, smiling. Murdoc cupped her head, pulling her into a kiss. When their mouths parted, he kissed her temple, suggesting to go to bed. Bedelia took the hand he held out to her, leading him to the bedroom and slipping underneath the blanket.

The bassist sat down on the edge of the bed, taking off his clothes and reclining until his head found the pillow. Then, he slipped underneath the blanket as well, scooting close to her warm smooth skin, his leg hitching over hers. Bedelia wrapped her arm around his ribcage, resting her head on his biceps. Murdoc wrapped his arm tighter around her to pull her as close as possible, feeling her soothingly warm breath break on his chest.

After a few hours of unsteady sleep, Murdoc felt something odd fill his heart. On closer expection it turned out to be great nervousness. He released Bedelia and moved to the edge of the bed, drumming his nails against his elbow joint to put himself at ease. It took him until Midnight to realize it was no use. He got up, donned a pair of faded black jeans and his boots and went downstairs to rummage his bags. The biggest one held what he had been looking for – an opened bottle of absinthe, six dark blue and seven black candles and a book were jammed sloppily among sweaters, pants, shirts, tee shirts and a limited amount of underwear. He took the bag and went into the living-room. Cortez who had made himself comfortable on a couch cushion greeted him with a low cawing when Murdoc flopped himself in one of the dark red armchairs next to the square fire-place made of red bricks in a corner of the room, put the bottle next to the armchair and arranged the candles close enough to shine dim light, just bright enough for reading. As soon as the bassist had lit up the candles, had pulled up a stool as a footrest, had shifted into a comfortable position, putting his feet onto the stool and crossing his legs, and had taken a swig from the bottle, Cortez moved onto the back of the armchair as if to look into the book as well.

The bassist opened the book containing the complete tales and poems of Edgar Allen Poe at a random page and started reading. Whenever he had finished a tale or poem, he drank from the bottle or glanced at Cortez. Almost every time, one of the raven's bright red eyes locked with the bassist's reddish eye for minutes.

Finally, when the sunlight streamed into the room, Murdoc snapped the book shut and pinched out the candles. The sound of the closing book startled Cortez, causing him to fly towards the window and tap the frame. Murdoc mumbled his agreements, wiped his eyes with his heel of hand and got up to open the window. The cool wind breaking on his chest made him shiver slightly. He took the bottle, the book and the candles into the kitchen, taking a closer look at the prepared coffee maker and switched it on. When the scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the kitchen, he looked into the fridge. There was a fresh box of chicken eggs and two bigger eggs in a shallow bowl sitting on top of a fresh pack of bacon stripes. Murdoc couldn't help chuckling to himself as he wondered what Russel might say about him being in the kitchen for something else than browsing the fridge for a fresh bottle of alcohol whatsoever.

About an hour and three cups of black coffee with a pinch of brown sugar later, Murdoc was finished cooking a small heap of crispy bacon with toast and fried eggs sunny side up. He wiped his hands on a dish cloth he had slipped through one of his jeans' beltloops and went through the cabinets and drawers to find dishes and silverware. Looking at the breakfast he had fixed, he couldn't help grinning broadly. He put the pans into the sink and went upstairs. Bedelia moaned sleepily when he sat down on the edge of the bed, running his knuckles across her cheek. He couldn't help smiling to himself when he noticed her foot sticking out from underneath the covers. She opened her eyes and sat up when she felt him dragging the nail of his index finger slowly along her sole, from the heel to the toes, making the foot twitch.

"What's up?" she whispered loud, wiping her eyes and hiding her foot underneath the covers, "What time is it?"

"Don't worry," Murdoc answered, pulling her into a hug and kissing her cheek, "It's still early. Sun's up since an hour or so."

"Have you been up all night?" Bedelia wondered.

"Yup. I was reading a bit to soothe my mind."

"Did it help?"

"Sure. Reading Edgar Allan Poe mostly helps."

"Not to mention drinking absinthe, I suppose," Bedelia smiled, kissing his lips.

"Breakfast's waiting in the kitchen," the bassist said, returning the kiss.

"Breakfast?" Bedelia was astonished.

"Yup. Coffee, toast, bacon and eggs. Hope you like it." A bashful smile crawled across Murdoc's lips. He got up and went for the door. Having opened it, he turned around and said, "Coming, luv?" Bedelia nodded, creeping out of the bed and putting on her underwear and her house frock to follow him into the kitchen and sit at the table. Murdoc put a plate with bacon and eggs between two slices of toast and a cup of white coffee with a spoon of brown sugar in front of her. Bedelia took a bite from the egg-and-bacon-sandwich and smiled.

"Well, my sexy beast, you have much more qualities than I thought," she said between two bites. The bassist smiled back.

"You see, when I was a child, Dad din't take care of food for Hannibal and me, and since I din't want to starve or live on lousy sandwiches all the time, I learned how to cook simple food at some point – eggs and bacon, pasta and such. Same when I was grown enough for a job. Working as a grave-digger din't earn me a lot, so I still had to feed myself without spending much money. And after all the cooking you did for me, it was high time to return the favour," he explained, moving on the chair next to her and running his hand along her shoulder and neck before he started eating himself. Smiling, Bedelia rubbed his thigh and licked egg yolk off her lips. Then, she leaned in close to kiss his cheek. Her lips left a yellowish stain that looked odd against the green skin. The bassist frowned a bit when he felt the wet on his cheek. Carefully, he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand and cleaned his hand with his tongue after a quick look. He took the last bite of toast with bacon and egg before getting up.

"I'll be in the shower, luv," he said, bending down to kiss her lips.

"Upstairs next to the bedroom. Towels are in the in-walled wardrobe between bed room and bath room." Bedelia smiled.

Murdoc took a deep breath before he opened the bathroom door. First thing he noticed was the scent of vinegar that seemed to ooze from every pore, as if the whole room had been dipped in a dozen times at least. It took the bassist a few minutes to adjust to its intensity. Then, he saw the room was tiled wall-to-wall with red and black tiles, looking like a chessboard from ALICE IN WONDERLAND. 6 square mirror pieces sitting atop the sink interrupted the pattern. The shower head sat among two ceiling-to-floor glass plates forming a cubicle in a corner. One glass plate had two metal hinges and a metal door knob attached to open it. Murdoc took off his jeans and boots and tossed the jeans onto the toilet lid to step into the shower and turn on the water. The floor beneath the shower head was covered with a transparent film shaped like circles of different sizes. Compared to the smooth and cool tiles, the circles felt a bit odd against his feet. It took a few minutes until the water had changed to an agreeable temperature. Murdoc put his hands against the wall and examined the range of transparent bottles sitting on a small shelf in front of him. Every bottle wore a colourful cap, containing scented shower gels he didn't feel like using. Finally, he settled for a bottle with a pale yellow cap siting aloof. The whitish gel inside carried a smell he found quite agreeable since it reminded him of his clothes still warm from the tumbler – his most favourite scent from his childhood. This way, he would smell better but not feel perfumed. A content sigh escaped him when he felt the water trail down his back and legs.

Carefully, he soaped up his ribcage, hips and legs, sending tiny bubbles afloat. Suddenly, a cool whisp of air startled him. He turned his head to see Bedelia standing in the shower, just separated from him by the broad waterfall pouring down. Her arms were glistening with water as she reached out for him. The bassist couldn't help grinning about the sight of her pubic hair starting to grow back. He got down on one knee to take a closer look, carefully running his thumb across the stubbles scattered across the smooth skin. He bent closer to plant a soft kiss on the tip of her crotch. Thus, the water poured down on his neck and shoulders.

"Thought you wouldn't mind some company," Bedelia said, shivering with delight and holding on to his shoulders.

"Great idea, my dirty-sweet girl," Murdoc replied against her crotch, his hands wandering up and down her buttocks and thighs. Bedelia gasped and closed her eyes when his index and middle finger slid into and out of her hole, the nails grazing her inner flesh.

"My pleasure, my sexy beast," she whispered, once again amazed by the sensation. Murdoc looked at her face, unable to hide a grin. Then, he ran the tip of his tongue up her belly and bosom to reach her throat and mouth. His tongue slipped into her mouth, touching the spot where her back tooth was missing. Simultanously, his fingers moved quicker in and out. He wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her close and steadying her. Bedelia responded by standing up on her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck to make their tongues meet vigorously. Slowly, Murdoc's free hand went down her back to squeeze her buttocks. Bedelia smiled, imitating his touch before freeing herself from his grip and leaving the shower after a final kiss so he could finish his cleanup.

"Get me the small bag from the living-room, would you, luv?" he said when he noticed her covering herself with a big towel and turning to leave. Before opening the door, Bedelia held up her free hand, forming a circle with thumb and index finger. The towel covered her body like a strapless wrap dress falling down to her calves. When she returned, the bassist was done taking a shower himself. He toweled himself off before rummaging the bag for fresh clothes. It took a few minutes to find a clean pair of dark blue jeans and a dark gray, almost black v-neck sweater to wear with his boots. Contently, he nodded at his mirror image while getting dressed.

When he had dressed, he went to look after Bedelia who had gone into her bedroom to get dressed as well. She had picked the pair of dark blue boot-cut jeans to go with a purple sleeveless tee shirt and a matching jacket. The bassist sat down next to her on the edge of the bed, hugging her from behind and pecking the nape. Her skin had caught the clean-cotton-scent of the shower gel he had used. It made his tongue slip out of the corner of his mouth. Gently, he ran the tip along her jaw, cherishing her smooth skin. Simultanously, his hands went to rub her nipples and her crotch through her clothes.

"That was a really nice shower," he whispered, taking his hand off her crotch and entwining their fingers, "Thanks to you, my dirty-sweet girl."

"My pleasure entirely," Bedelia smiled.

"What do you think if I'd shave you in return? Would be my pleasure." The bassist chuckled and smiled to himself, the tip of his tongue bouncing excitedly at the level of his Adam's apple before it slowly reeled back in.

"Sounds good to me," Bedelia agreed, "I'm mostly afraid to cut myself when shaving. That's why I didn't do it in a while."

The doorbell interrupted the conversation. The pair went downstairs into the living-room. Murdoc sat down on the chair at the head of the table, lighting up one of Bedelia black cigarettes, taking a deep drag and blowing a few smoke rings. Bedelia headed for the door, hugging her friend who had chosen a sleeveless black velvet dress with dark purple ornaments to go with black fishnets and black laced booties. The dress falling down to her knees on the front and to her calves at the back was clinging to Maureen's bony body that most likely hadn't gained weight since puberty. Bedelia smiled at Maureen's emerald eyes shining with excitement.

"So, where is this guy who shook you up like an earthquake breaking the Richter scale?" was written all over her pupils. Maureen looked her friend over and pulled her in a hug to whisper, "You look dazzling, Hon. He must have pushed the right buttons."

"Thanks, Dear. Come in." Bedelia ran a hand along Maureen's hair – one side dyed red, the other side dyed black – falling in a braid over her left shoulder down to her teacup-sized breasts. Then, she took her friend's hand looking like marble against Bedelia peanut-coloured skin. Murdoc straightened up when the friends entered the living-room.

"Maureen Straker, meet Murdoc Niccals," Bedelia introduced. The bassist took Maureen's hand and bowed his head at her. Bedelia watched her friend looking him over, her eyes carrying a look of surprised shock. Then, she glanced at Bedelia, raising an eyebrow.

"How on earth did that happen?" the eyebrow said. Bedelia shot her a look that replied, "He sure ain't no angel but I'm really glad I met him."

"How about some coffee?" she asked to make the tension lose a bit when Murdoc sat down again, crossing his knees, picking up his cigarette and taking a draw. Maureen lit a cigarette as well and said, "Della said you're a four-stringer." Taking another draw at his cigarette and smiling to himself, Murdoc nodded. It happened very rarely that somebody knowing this term wouldn't recognize him at first go.

"Ever heard of The Gorillaz? Known as the world's biggest band?" he asked, unable to hide a grin. Maureen gasped, wiping her mouth.

"Yeah," she confessed, casting her eyes down, "Della didn't mention that she met a man that famous." The bassist chuckled to himself, tipping off some ash from his cigarette. Bedelia entered, carrying a tray holding something resembling a milk bottle but turning out to be a set consisting of three earless white cups, a white milk jug formed like a tiny bottle with a long neck and a white sugar bowl, next to a coffee pitcher, a tiny red latte cup, a small bottle of mineral water and a plate of muffins. A sigh escaped her when she noticed Murdoc and Maureen talking to each other peacefully. She shared the cups – the tiny red one was filled halfways with water and put aloof –, the sugar-bowl and the milk jug before she placed the plate of muffins in the middle of the table. A sudden rapping against one of the window-frames interrupted the scene. The bassist turned his head to see Cortez perching on the window-sill. He got up to open the window. Maureen followed the movement with her eyes and took hold of Bedelia's wrist.

"What is it now?" she whispered.

"Murdoc brought his pet raven Cortez along," Bedelia explained, "My other guest, so to speak."

"Tell me, Hon, are you really serious with Mr. Green-skin Snaggle-tooth here?" Maureen asked.

"What do you think, Dear?" Bedelia shot back.

"Della, he's a fucking celebrity," Maureen added, watching Murdoc offering his arm to the raven and coming back, "He'll take all you can give and crumble your heart if he feels like."

"Look who's talking! You had your share of weird guys, too. Remember Edgar? The old geezer you went so nuts over? I never saw why you fell for him."

Maureen cast her eyes down to look at her pale and delicate hands with trimmed nails polished in a dark purple she had borrowed from Bedelia months ago. Then, a sigh escaped her.

"Sorry," she said, "If this guy really can make you as happy as I think he can, fine with me. Just be careful, okay? Remember Winston. I've seen it – music men are like gamblers, just that music rules their lifes. So, please be careful." The woman with the two-tone hair hugged her friend.

"What's with the fairy cakes?" Murdoc spoke up when the friends released again and Bedelia had seated. When Bedelia and Maureen frowned in confusion, he flicked his index finger against the plate of muffins.

"Pina Colada muffins to go with the coffee," Bedelia explained, "Maureen's favourite. I always keep the ingredients at hand, just in case she'd drop in."

"Pina Colada sounds great, luv." Murdoc picked one of the small cakes, taking a bite and chewing pensively. When the sweetness of pineapple, Coconut and cream, combined with the familiar taste of white rum hit his taste bulbs, he smiled. Cortez tilted his head and gave a low cawing as if to say, "Don't you forget about poor little me! Sooo hungry..." The bassist broke a second piece from the muffin and held it out to the raven who snatched it off the palm and gobbled it down, giving a satisfied cawing. Then, the bird went to perch on the back of Bedelia chair. Slowly, he leaned forward to wipe his beak against her shoulder.

"Proven delicious, my lovely," Murdoc said, taking Bedelia hand and running his thumb across the back.

"Thanks, Cortez. Glad you like them," Bedelia said, turning around and running her finger along the feathers on the raven's chest, gently smoothing them. Maureen blinked in surprise when the bird not only permitted the touch but leaned forward, gently nudging Bedelia shoulder in return. Then, he moved onto Murdoc's shoulder.

The conversation among the bassist, Bedelia and her best friend, interrupted every now and then by the occasional cawings of Cortez who had moved onto the back of an unoccupied chair, went on until Bedelia noticed the ashtray was almost brimming over. As soon as she had left the room, Murdoc leaned in close to Maureen, resting his left hand on his left thigh and his chin on the back of his right hand, one of his own cigarettes propped between his lips to look Maureen dead in the eyes. Cortez gave another low caw, leaning in close as well. Maureen blinked in surprise when she found herself watched by a pair of piercing mismatched human eyes and a red bird's eye.

"Say, what do you hate most about me?" the bassist asked, his cigarette's blaze going up and down like a dancing firefly, causing little fluffs of ash to spread on the table. He brushed them off with a wave of his hand and looked around for something he could use as a substitute ashtray. Finally, he settled for the tiny red cup that had been left.

"What makes you think so?" Maureen held Murdoc's gaze innocently until a broad smile crept into the bassist's face, releasing smoke through the gaps among his teeth and baring his back teeth for a moment. She blinked when Cortez opened and closed his beak as if yawning.

"Oh, come on! I've seen this face before," Murdoc said, taking the cigarette from his lips to tip off ash into the cup and making eye contact again, "Your first glance said Hello, and your second one said You bloody wanker. And I heard what you said about music men, taking all and crushing hearts. I'm arrogant, ruthless even, but I'm not stupid." He added a low growl for emphasis. Cortez cawed again, low but most insistently.

"I don't think you're stupid, I just care about Della. Frankly, you're her first music man, and she's one of those girls having a soft spot for And they lived happily ever after," Maureen said after her eyes darting at the raven and the inverted golden cross dangling in front of Murdoc's chest, "I don't want her to be hurt or something."

"Most girls are brimming with romance, I guess," the bassist explained, another smile crawling across his lips, "Now, I'll tell you everything you need to know about me. So listen closely. I come from a rotten family that's notorious all over the town where I was born. I'm a former jailbird and a Satanist who shook hands with the devil and saw hell with his own eyes. And yes, I am a true music man. I make good money with what I like to do, and I feel very good with Della around. She's very good company and much fun among the sheets. All in all, your friend's the most interesting girl I ever met."

Maureen gave a sigh of relief, breaking the eye contact and bidding a fond adieu to Bedelia, Murdoc and Cortez.

"Your friend is okay, luv," Murdoc said when Maureen had left in the early evening and the pair was relaxing on the couch, "How did you meet?"

"We met after a concert of a real good RAMONES cover band. The singer looked and sounded as if Joey Ramone had risen from the grave. It was amazing." Bedelia smiled at the bassist having put his head on her lap once again. She slipped her hand into the neck of his sweater, gently ruffling his chest hair.

"But it seems I'm not the first music man she runs across," Murdoc summed up the talk between him and Maureen, sitting up and taking off his sweater.

"She had a thing for a drummer a few years ago. They were seeing each other for about a year on irregular basis, and it didn't end too well," Bedelia explained, her voice carrying slight confusion, "Why you're asking?"

"She called me your first music man, and she used the term four-stringer, a word mostly used by other music people," Murdoc said, unable to hide a smile, "And she said she don't want you to be hurt." He dropped the sweater on the back of the couch to put his head on her lap again.

"It's true. I never got to be with a musician before. Or any other famous man, speaking of it." Bedelia sighed.

"You're worried?" Murdoc was surprised. Slowly, his hand crept up her front to caress her cheek.

"A bit," she confessed, idly running her fingers through his chest hair, "I mean, a man as famous as you are can have lots of girls much younger and prettier than me, and I was taught soon enough that I'm just a mulatto girl, nothing to shout about."

The bassist sat up, putting his arm around her shoulders and cupping her face to make her look at him.

"Don't you say so. Remember how we met?" he said, leaning his forehead against hers. Bedelia hummed her agreements.

"Remember the birds hanging around?" the bassist continued, taking her hand and entwining their fingers. Again, Bedelia agreed.

"I could have made each of them follow me like a puppy with a click of my fingers," the bassist said in a low voice, "But I settled for you – a black diamond in the rough, if you pardon my saying so." A smile crept across the bassist's face.

"A black diamond?" Bedelia was surprised.

"One of the rarest gems there is," Murdoc explained, gently kissing her cheek. Bedelia returned the kiss, whispering a thank-you. Smiling to himself, the bassist pulled her tighter against him, trailing soft kisses all over her forehead, cheeks and throat down to her breastbone.

"And that's just the way I see you, my dirty-sweet girl," he added, pulling her into a deep kiss, "Besides, I was told recently you're no average girl."

"Who said so, my sexy beast?" Bedelia whispered before their mouths connected.

"The old mate who gave me the medicine," Murdoc said before claiming her lips, running his knuckles along her cheek. While kissing her, he considered explaining what he had done to help her, not sure about Bedelia reaction. Her religion hadn't been mentioned so far but Murdoc was positive she had been raised with faith in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, just like everybody else. But on the other hand, considering her asking him about hell, she really might understand.

Temptation, temptation... Murdoc gave in.

"On this one night, when you didn't feel good, I thought I'd lose you," he stated when their mouths parted, "Thus, I summoned up a demon for help."

"Demon?" Bedelia repeated, her eyes widening, "You made a deal with the devil for my sake?" Murdoc nodded before he shrugged.

"Not with the Old Fella... Lucifer showed up," he explained, "He gave me the medicine."

"A quite careless thing to do," Bedelia said.

"It's not a first." The bassist shrugged again, whispering against her skin, "I just didn't have the heart to see you suffer so much. All I knew was that you needed help, and quick. The colour of your face gave me the willies."

"But what about the... the price?" Bedelia asked.

"Price?"

"Those deals are said to come along with a high price to pay, or so I heard," she said, "But considering the things you have seen I guess you're aware of this, too."

"Lucifer and I came to an agreement," Murdoc said after thinking for a minute, "We know each other quite well by now. Like you said, I made some friends in low places." A kind of proud grin spread on the bassist's face before he pecked her cheek.

"Say, how about a movie?" Bedelia said after just smiling to herself for a few minutes.

"I'm not really a big fan of the goggle box," Murdoc said, the ghost of a smile crawling across his lips, "Most on it is merely crap. But what kind of movie we're talking about?" Bedelia smiled to herself before saying, "Rosemary's Baby should be on in a few minutes. Haven't seen it in years."

"Not a bad pick," the bassist said, looking around for the remote control and switching the TV on to search the channel. Bedelia smiled and snuggled closer against the bassist's chest when the unmistakable theme song was heard, bloodcurdling in its eerily sweet serenity. She lit up two of her black cigarettes and held out one over her shoulder when the bassist pulled her into a tight embrace, his breath brushing her ear and making her temple hair tickle her skin.

"Wouldn't have thought you'd like this movie," the bassist stated after the dream-like rape/procreation sequence. Bedelia took hold of his hand cupping her breast, gently rubbed the back and said, "Well... I never got to tell people – except for Maureen, of course." She finished her smoke to lay down, putting her head on his lap and raising his hand to her mouth, kissing each phalanx, up to the nails. The bassist couldn't help smiling.

"Speaking of it, luv," he said after a short debate with himself, "Do you believe in... you know... God and such?"

"I was brought up a Protestant but a few years ago, I came to believe in Higher Powers, no matter what side they act from," Bedelia explained, "Everything's eventual, ain't it?" Murdoc ran his fingers through her hair, gently caressing the skin behind her ear.

"Where have you been so long, my dirty-sweet girl?" he whispered, chuckling to himself, "I know it's a fucking soppy thing to say but I... well... I never felt like this before." Bedelia smiled in response, kissing his pulse and making their fingers entwine before she snuggled closer against his chest. Both returned their attention to the movie. Bedelia heard Murdoc's breath quicken whenever something of the spookier variety was mentioned or seen on the screen, like the baby's black cradle, decorated with a black veil and a black inverted cross. When the end credits were showing, Bedelia hand crept up Murdoc's front, gently caressing the golden inverted cross dangling from the bassist's neck.

Little by little, the capricious weather having ruled the month of April and the first few days of May cleared up. With the sun getting warmer, Murdoc had suggested to spend the evenings outside. Bedelia had searched her cellar for a couple of chairs to sit outside, and finally, she had found a pair of wooden beach lounge chairs and a matching fold-up table, still folded up and wrapped in plastic. Obviously, the previous owner of the house had never gotten the chance to use them. Together, Murdoc and Bedelia carried the chairs and the table up the stairs on the flat metal roof of the tower and unfolded them. When it was done, the bassist flopped himself onto the chair he had unfolded, taking a deep breath and lacing his hands behind his head. Smiling at this explicit demonstration of leisure, Bedelia went downstairs to get them a drink. She returned with a short blossom-shaped glass of absinthe mixed up with iced water and a dash of sugar as well as an octogonal collins glass of non-alcoholic Pina Colada drink she had used to bake the muffins for her friend in her hands.

"Cheers," she said, handing him the absinthe and sitting down.

"To us, my lovely." The bassist clicked his glass against hers and smiled in respond before he took a sip. Then, he put the glass onto the table and took hold of her hand. Bedelia put her glass onto the table as well and slouched back into her chair. She smiled when Murdoc hauled himself off his chair, sitting on the edge of hers. A meaningful smile crept into his face as he bent across her and lowered himself on his elbows on either side of her shoulders for a kiss. This time, he sucked at her lower lip before letting his tongue slip into her mouth. A sigh escaped both of them when the sweetness of pineapple met the bitter sweetness of absinthe.

The kiss which Bedelia wished to last forever was interrupted when a gasp of cool wind announced the night beginning to cover the dark-red sunset.

"Let's go in," the bassist suggested as their mouths parted. He straightened up, picking up his glass to take a longer gulp.

"Hungry?" Bedelia asked.

"I think I could do with a bite," Murdoc confessed.

"Then my sexy beast shall be entertained acceptably," she proclaimed, getting up to pick up her glass and make her way into the kitchen. Curiously, the bassist followed.

"Say, luv..." he said when they had entered the kitchen.

"What?" Bedelia answered, searching the cabinets for a big sauce pan, a can of corned beef, a can of corn, a small onion, a few tomatoes, a small ceramic pot of garlic-flavoured salt and a pack of bacon bits. Then, she turned around to face Murdoc whose body had squeezed hers against the counter next to the stove in the middle of the room, his hands put on either side of her.

"What do you mean by acceptably?" he asked, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Just that you deserve a real good meal, being my guest and all," Bedelia explained, turning around again to dice the corned beef, the onion and the tomatoes. She freed herself from Murdoc's grip to add the onion and the bacon bits into the pot and put the pot onto the burner. The bassist grinned, resting his chin on her shoulder when she stood in front of him again.

"Well, thank you, my lovely," he whispered. He couldn't help smiling when his breath against her ear made her jump and shudder. The sizzling sound of frying bacon interrupted the moment. Bedelia returned her attention at the pot, adding a spoonful of concentrated butter stirring the bacon and the onion with a wooden spoon to keep bacon and onion from darkening too much. When the fat was melted, she added the corned beef and a pinch of the garlic-flavoured salt. When the corned beef had melted into a creamy stew, she added the can of corn and reduced the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally.

"Hhmmm..." Murdoc said, cherishing the scent from the pot that became more intense the longer the one-pot dish was cooking. Bedelia picked up a spoon to taste it. Being content, she held out another spoonful to Murdoc. The bassist's respond was a hum of approval, pressing tighter against her.

"Like it?" she asked.

"Yup. It's a bit like Irish Stew without the cole and spuds. If you don't mind, I'll set the table." Slowly running his hands up and down her hips and thighs, Murdoc released her and went through the cabinets for dishes and silverware.

"Kitchen or Sitting?" he asked, putting all onto a tray.

"Kitchen." Bedelia went to get the beverages and the ice-bucket from the living-room. When she came back, the table in the corner was set except for two soup plates waiting on the counter next to the stove. Murdoc sat on a chair, propped up on one elbow with his chin resting on his hand and an unreadable smile sitting on his face.

"Say, luv, what do you call this bloody marvellous meat pot?" he asked.

"It doesn't have a name, actually," Bedelia said, looking into the pot, pulling it off the burner and stirring again carefully, "I created it a few years ago from left-overs. But bloody marvellous meat pot sounds like a good name." She filled Murdoc's plate and placed it in front of him.

"Enjoy," she said, filling her own soup plate and sitting down herself.

"You really created this all by yourself?" Murdoc asked between two bites. Smiling proudly, Bedelia nodded.

"Very well done!" The bassist patted her shoulder before pulling her into a kiss.

"Thank you, my sexy beast," she said, "I'll have you know, you're the first one who gets to eat this. Maureen just knows I made a smash-up meal once. I'm so glad it passed the test." Bedelia closed her eyes and smiled. Suddenly, she jumped up and went into the hall. When she came back and sat down again, a small black box sat in her hand.

"Almost forgot this little something for you," she said, pushing the box across the table. The bassist looked at the box, hesitatingly taking and turning it in his hands. Then, he opened it, revealing a key made of black-painted metal on a silver ring with a tiny metal bass guitar attached to. He took it out, slipping his thumb through the ring and wrapping his fingers around the key and the pendant.

"This is nice. Thank you," he said, getting up to sit astraddle on her lap and rest his lower arms on her shoulders.

"Glad you like it." Bedelia wrapped her arms around his ribcage to hold him steady since he turned out to be heavier than he looked.

"It's a key to my house," she then explained, "I got the idea of giving you a retreat to come to anytime you need a break from your job and such."

"This is the most useful thing not related to music someone ever gave me," Murdoc chuckled to himself, slowly and gently running the nail of his index finger up and down her nape, "Be careful – you're gonna spoil me rotten!"

"Spoil you rotten?" Bedelia jaw dropped. The bassist gently pushed her jaw close with his index finger and sealed her lips with a kiss.

"I don't mean to spoil you," Bedelia said when their lips parted, "Just trying to get even with the wonderful way you treat me, my sexy beast. I'm so glad I went into that bar and met you." Murdoc leaned in close to kiss her cheek and lips.

"You're really wonderful," he then whispered, "I never met a girl like you before." Murdoc leaned his forehead against hers to lock his eyes with hers and frowned slightly when he noticed a hint of doubt dawning in her eyes. Slowly, Bedelia closed her eyes to get her words in order.

"This key means you're always welcome at my place," she said, "Drop in whenever you feel like. No matter if day or night." Murdoc had to struggle to keep his jaw from dropping. He put his arms around her neck, pulling her in a very passionate kiss of relief.

"Thank you, my lovely," he whispered when their mouths parted again.

"You're most welcome," Bedelia whispered back. The bassist smiled at her when he realized that even when he had to leave again soon there was a possibility to come back. A possibility to spend some time, not to mention his upcoming birthday, in selected company and far from Kong Studios.

Two and a half nerve-wrecking weeks of band rehearsal later, in an early June night, Murdoc paced his Winnebago, just wearing his underpants and his boots, unable to sleep. Cortez who perched on the steering wheel watched this with his head tilted to the side until the bassist sat down on his bed, donning jeans with a random shirt. Cortez grabbed the keys from the ignition, flew over to Murdoc, and dropped the keys next to the bassist before he perched on the back of a near-by seat.

"Thanks, mate," Murdoc said and went for his Camaro that was named Stylo since it had been shown in the GORILLAZ video of the same title. Cortez followed suit. Murdoc took a deep breath, looking at the little bass guitar attached to the key to Bedelia house while Cortez perched on the back of the passenger's seat. The Camaro's engine roared to life with a thunderous belch as soon as Murdoc tapped the gas. He smiled, heading out to the highway toward Mesquite city limits. The stress faded away the longer he listened to the engine's powerful roar as the pitch-black car went long the road like a shark gliding through the depth of the sea.

Murdoc stepped on the breakes as soon as he could see the tower attached to Bedelia house in the distance. A sigh of pleasure escaped him when the car came to a halt in front of the house. He pulled the car key from the ignition, searched for the house key, and went for the door while Cortez went to perch on a near-by tree. His steps echoed through the silence of the house as the bassist ascended the stairs, wincing at every creak until he stood in front of the bedroom door, inching it open and peeking into the room. The silvery moonlight enlightened the room so he could see Bedelia body form dressed in some sleeveless black night wear underneath the light gray cover. He crept to the bed to sit down and lean in close to run his hand over her hair now being the shortest hair he had ever seen on a woman, feeling like an odd and very soft brush against his hand and glistening softly in the moonlight. Bedelia whispered something he couldn't understand and opened her eyes. She rolled over and sat up, her eyes shining like black pearls.

"Welcome back, my sexy beast," she said, looking him over.

"Greetings, my dirty-sweet girl," Murdoc whispered back, kissing her forehead and running his hand over her hair again.

"Climb aboard," Bedelia invited, cupping his nape and pulling him close enough to make their noses brush.

"Be with you in a minute." The bassist freed himself from her grip and took off his boots and jeans before he shed his shirt and pushed his boots out of sight. Undressing as well, Bedelia watched him slipping underneath the cover and scooting close to her. A sigh of pleasure escaped her when she felt the touch of his calloused hands gently squeezing her buttocks and moving slowly towards her valley. A few pokes against her clit heated up her juices, making her become moist within seconds.

"So nice of you to drop in, my sexy beast," she whispered hoarsely, shifting her legs to give more room to his middle finger sliding into her hole. The friction of his nail against her inner flesh made her smile. She flexed her vaginal muscles in respond, gripping his finger tight. A gasp escaped Murdoc when the muscles fit like a glove around his finger. He ran the tip of his tongue up and down her nape and top spine, making her shiver and release her grip.

"Wow... Really nice..." the bassist whispered, pulling his finger back and brushing her clit once again.

"Just a hint how much I missed you," Bedelia whispered back, rolling over to face him.

"Thanks, my dirty-sweet girl," Murdoc answered, "Missed you, too." Bedelia cupped his nape again and pulled him close to kiss him. When their mouths parted, they drifted off to sleep for a few hours. Bedelia woke up when Murdoc's hot breath had stopped brushing her neck. She rolled over to see him sitting upright with his knees pulled tight against his chest and his arms wrapped around. His chin rested on his arms. The dawn filled the room with reddish light making his skin look brownish.

"Hey!" she whispered, running the back of her hand along his thigh, "What is it?" Murdoc gave an indifferent sound before he said, "Can't sleep anymore. Sorry for waking you up."

"Did not." Bedelia smiled at him, patting his hip, "Now, why so glum this morning?"

"Well... if you insist to hear... Today is my birthday, and I just came to realize that I might be the last of the Niccals Clan. If I'd drop dead tomorrow, our family tree might be unrooted," the bassist explained almost in one breath.

"What do you mean by you might be the last?" Bedelia frowned.

"Well... Dad kicked the bucket when I was in my early thirties or so, and only Satan knows where my sodding brother did get stuck," the bassist explained hesitatingly, avoiding eye contact, "But as far as I'm concerned, Hannibal can rot in the nastiest prison at the end of the world. Word has it that Dad had fathered more children but that has never been proven – at least not to my knowledge."

Bedelia sat up as well and gently rubbed his shoulder-blade. It nearly broke her heart to see him low-spirited like this. Nonetheless, she was flattered that he was willing to disburden his heart to her. Thus, she thought of a way to cheer him up. She ran the back of her hand along his biceps, then leaned in close to plant a light kiss on his arm, hitting the black-and-white cross tattoo. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

"What'll it be for breakfast?" she asked. Murdoc looked at her in slight confusion at the sudden change of subject.

"Free choice," she said, smiling at him, "I can imagine you don't really feel like celebrating. But that doesn't mean you'd have to do without a good bite to eat, does it?"

"You've got a point there," the bassist had to admit. He straightened up to lean against the padded head part of the bed, closing his eyes and making a show of rubbing his chin.

"Well... if it's free choice... I feel like having an egg-and-bacon-sandwich with tabasco... a coffee with Irish tuning... oh, and pancakes would be nice," he said and folded his hands behind his head, the ghost of a smile touching the corners of his mouth.

"Then this it's gonna be. You wait here. Won't be long," Bedelia answered, kissing his cheek before she put on a white silk dressing gown adorned with black twigs and went into the kitchen. She turned on the coffee-maker before she mixed up buckwheat flour and wheat flour with a dash of salt in a big bowl, added two chicken eggs and stirred until a smooth dough had formed. Then, she added enough milk to thin down the dough to the consistence of liquid cream. She put the bowl aside, set the table and searched her fridge for bacon. She put the bacon slices into a pan, forming a criss-cross pattern. When the bacon started sizzling, she added a small piece of concentrated butter since there was just a small amount of goose fat left and a scoopful of dough and tilted the pan, forming a flat pancake. The mouth-watering scent of bacon and dough mingled with the scent of the melted concentrated butter filled the air for minutes. Bedelia smiled and carefully flipped the pancake over. A minute later, she heard foot steps descend the stairs. Murdoc poked his head into the kitchen and inhaled deeply.

"Delicious," he said, approaching Bedelia to put his hands on either side of her and snuggle close against her back, "And the food's not bad, either." Bedelia cut a piece off the pancake and held it out over her shoulder. The long sound of pleasure emerging from Murdoc's throat made her smile again.

"No regular pancakes today," the bassist stated, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Nope. It's a receipt for bacon-pancakes I ran across a few days ago. And since you like bacon, I thought they'd make a good birthday breakfast."

"Not a bad choice," the bassist chuckled to himself, savouring the scent of frying bacon as well as the touch of Bedelia back against his front. When Bedelia had cooked a heap of bacon-pancakes, she turned around to plant a light kiss onto his chest. She ducked to slide through the gap between his arm and his rib-cage and get the coffee. On her way back to the stove she gently ran a hand across his back, making the bassist suck in his breath sharply and sitting down at the table. She picked up the plate of pancakes and placed it on the table. Then, she got a fresh small bottle of whiskey and a bottle of tabasco from the fridge.

"Enjoy," she said, sitting down and pouring coffee to the milk in her cup.

"Now, here is my present to you," Bedelia said when breakfast was finished. She pulled a folded envelope from the gown's pocket and pushed it towards the bassist who opened it hesitatingly, revealing two 50 Dollar bills and two 5 Dollar bills.

"What's this about?" he wondered. Smiling, Bedelia explained, "I want you to have a real good time today. Since Sin City is so close – that's our nickname for Las Vegas –, I want you to go there and do whatever you feel like."

"Whatever I feel like?" Murdoc had to swallow hard at this carte blanche offer.

"Have a ball," Bedelia assured, patting his elbow, "But if you happen to find a roulette table, please place this money on Black for me and let it sit for 13 rounds or until I lose – whatever comes first." She smiled.

"As you wish, my dirty-sweet girl." Murdoc got up and leaned in close to claim her lips for a soft yet firm kiss, a sign of how amazed he was. In fact, the bassist started to feel like a kid to be locked up overnight in a candy store. When their lips and tongues parted, he went upstairs for a quick cleanup – after all, he was up for a prowl to the most famous and biggest jungle of fun and games known to mankind – and got dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and the black military jacket for a shirt. While bottening the jacket and donning his boots, he started humming "Welcome to the jungle" from Guns'n'Roses, a song that had accompanied most of his youth. He looked himself over in the mirror, grinning at the gleam set into his eyes.

"Well then," he said to his reflection, running his hand through his fringe, "Let's go." Leaning against the kitchen door frame, Bedelia watched him descending the stairs.

"Have fun, my sexy beast," she whispered.

Three days of doing house chores, repolishing her nails with a metallic purple polish and grocery shopping later, at a quarter to eleven in the evening, Bedelia sat up in bed when she heard a key unlocking her door, followed by unsteady steps and choked hiccups. She rubbed her eyes and went to see. Murdoc sat at the kitchen table with his chin rested on his hands, chuckling to himself between the hiccups. Bedelia turned on the prepared coffee-maker, poured two black octagonal cups of coffee, one with a quarter teaspoon of brown sugar, one with lots of milk and a teaspoon of brown sugar, and sat down at the table as well.

"Hey!" she said, patting his elbow, "I guess you were having fun." Focussing on her and the cup of coffee, Murdoc straightened up, nodded, carefully stirred his coffee and took a long gulp. Bedelia waited until his gaze grew steady and asked, "What happened?"

"Well... First thing I found was a roulette table, and after 13 rounds, I found this," Murdoc said, pulling an envelope from his back pocket and pushing it towards Bedelia. Then, he propped himself up on his elbows, resting his chin on his hands like a school boy and watched her open the envelope to look inside, gasp and quickly thumb the bills to count the money. It turned out to be 13.000 Dollars.

"Nice side effect," she said, getting up and leaning in close to kiss his temple. Murdoc closed his eyes, cherishing her lips touching his skin.

"Met anyone interesting?" she then wondered. Murdoc flopped back in his chair, nodding his agreements and taking another gulp of coffee.

"Yup, two of the weirdest guys on a road trip. John and Ben, a reporter and his lawyer-friend with a baby whore in tow. Ben wanted to share her with John and me, but we din't feel like – if she was old enough to drive, I'll eat my hat. Ben then invited me to the strongest drink I ever had. Couldn't make out much more than whiskey and gin with a dash of cinnamon and mint. Delicious as hell. They called it Pangalac... whatever." Another chuckle escaped him while he cupped his cup with both hands as if feeling cold.

"Pangalactic Gargleblaster?" Bedelia asked, carefully pronouncing every syllable.

"I guess so. How come you know that one?" the bassist wondered, his voice carrying the frown hidden by his fringe. He looked at her expectantly, taking another sip of coffee.

"It's a drink from a book and movie," Bedelia explained, "It's described to be the strongest drink in the universe, making you feel like having smashed your brains out with a lemon slice wrapped around a gold bar when sobering up." Murdoc closed his eyes halfways before a smile crept into his face.

"Well then, I can't wait for that experience," he sighed, hiccupping again and taking another quick sip of coffee before asking for a refill.

"How much did you have?" Bedelia got up to get the pitcher.

"I had my share," was all the bassist would say.

"And there was something else Ben gave us to try when he found us a hotel room," he then added, "Some liquid called adreno... something. It had a... really special effect to it." Murdoc shuddered involuntary at the recollection.

"Was it adrenochrome?" Bedelia asked, carefully pronouncing every syllable of the word in question again. Murdoc just could nod.

"How do you know?" he wondered again, audibly impressed.

"My last boyfriend was heavy into drug movies. This stuff, a liquid produced by the adrenal glands, was mentioned in the third or forth movie he showed me," Bedelia explained, gently patting the bassist's thigh.

"Today I spent recovering," Murdoc continued, "I din't want to come back wasted." He sighed deeply.

"Wouldn't have minded," Bedelia assured, "I told you to have fun, remember? And frankly spoken, I didn't really expect you to come back sober." A smile crept across the bassist's face.

"Somewhen before sunrise, John, Ben and me had to sneak out of the hotel room – it looked like a raped and severely mutilated corpse. Only Satan knows what the guys did to this room when they were off with the pixies. I walked around and finally found a place to get some rest – a small chapel in a back road. I sat down in the back row to get some shut-eye – successfully, until a wedding was held. Between you and me and the wall, it was the funniest wedding ceremony I've ever been to. She was a blonde bombshell with the worst makeup and the sluttiest wedding dress I've ever seen, and he was past his nineties, I guess." The bassist wiped his mouth, shaking with silent laughter. It took him minutes to talk on.

"All went according to plan until the speak now or hold your peace forever-part," he continued when he had gotten a grip, "I couldn't believe when the groom cleared his throat and said he'd rather die than marry a slutty waitress from a crummy backstreet diner. A second later he collapsed and was pronounced dead." Again, the bassist was shaking with silent laughter.

Adding another dash of eggshell-white half-and-half to her own coffee and stirring, Bedelia had to admit this was funny indeed. A small giggle escaped her before she took another sip of coffee.

"After this, I went back into the place where I met John and Ben first, wanting another one of those drinks to feel better," the bassist finished his tale.

"I assume they were there," Bedelia said, sipping her coffee again.

"You assume right." A sly grin crept into the bassist's face as he ran his hand along her arm and shoulder to pull her close and claim her lips. Bedelia raised her eyebrows when the mingled taste of chilled whiskey, chilled gin, mint and cinnamon, along with the strong taste of black, lightly sugared coffee, hit her taste bulbs. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. She pulled back and leaned her forehead against Murdoc's to lock her eyes with his.

"By the way, my sexy beast, have you eaten enough?" she wondered. Slowly, her hand crept down his front to caress his belly. The bassist shrugged.

"Now that you mention it... I think I could do with a bite," he whispered as if being embarrassed.

"How about Egg In A Basket?" Bedelia smiled, "I found the receipt on the internet."

"Sounds great. Haven't eaten this for yonks." Murdoc smiled back. Bedelia kissed his cheek, nudged his nose with hers and got up, turning her attention to the cabinets and searching for kitchen tools and ingredients. Murdoc watched her bringing all to the workplace next to the stove, cutting holes into slices of toast using one of her octagonal glasses. She put a teaspoon of concentrated butter into a pan and placed the toast slices and the cut-out pieces into the melted fat. When the bread was fried golden-brown, she cracked one chicken egg into each hole, salting and peppering the egg and frying the toast until the egg had become solid. Being content with the result, she carefully flipped it over to fry and season the backside as well. Finally, she put two pieces on a plate, covering each egg with a crispy bread piece, and placed the plate in front of the bassist, along with a bottle of tabasco.

Murdoc lifted the bread pieces to look at the eggs surrounded by the crisp toast, spread a few drops of tabasco across the egg and take the first into one hand, inhaling deeply and taking a bite. The flavour of the spiced egg and toast, intensed by the tabasco, made him smile broadly. When he had eaten, he licked his lips and stiffled a belch with the back of his hand – much to Bedelia's amusement. Then, he flopped back in his chair, rubbing his belly.

"Better?" Bedelia asked, frying some plain toast in the pan for herself. The bassist hummed his agreements, getting up to snuggle against her back. He ran his hands along her hips and thighs and kissed her nape. Bedelia smiled when his hot breath brushed her skin and the short hair covering the back of her head. He slipped his hands beneath her gown to cup one of her breasts and her crotch.

"That was the best gift I've gotten in years," he whispered, kissing her cheek. A small gasp escaped Bedelia when his heel of hand pressed against her clit, rubbing it through her clothes. Simultanously, his fingertips rubbed her breast in small circles, hardening the nipple. Bedelia smiled when she felt an erection coming up against her back.

"Let's go upstairs," she suggested, finishing the toast and pulling the pan off the burner before gently taking his hand off her crotch and making their fingers entwine. Murdoc drained his cup of coffee and followed her. When they had reached the bedroom, Bedelia stood up on her toes and pulled him into a hug. A passionate sigh escaped her when the bulge of his erection rubbed against her belly. She ran her hands down his back to give his buttocks a gentle squeeze. The bassist groped for the hem of her hip-long pajama top, feeling for her breasts. Bedelia caressed his back and felt for the door-handle with her free hand. Step by step, the pair entered the room, trying not to break contact. Finally, they plopped down on the bed, parting their mouths. Murdoc stood up on his hands and knees and smiled down at Bedelia who took off her dressing gown and her pajamas. When just her black underpants were left, he bent down and tugged at the cotton fabric with his teeth. Bedelia shivered involuntarily when his breath simultanously brushed her lower belly and pubic hair that had grown back into thick curls. She smiled to herself when the bassist had taken off her underpants without tearing and opened her arms for him. Murdoc lowered himself on top of her to his elbows, claiming her lips again while the tip of his rod poked her hole. Bedelia curled her fingers into his hair and gave a deep-throated moaning when his rod pushed its way in, throbbing against her inner flesh in its climax.

About half an hour of passionate love-making later, Murdoc was unable to ignore the gnawing hunger suddenly hitting him. He took his arm off Bedelia, inching away from the comforting warmth of her skin. He put on his jeans and a white undershirt with his boots before creeping into the kitchen to go through the cabinets for a snack. He froze to the spot when he heard a gruff voice sing from one of the top cabinets. It was no tune Murdoc could place but hearing the way too familiar voice sent an icy shiver up and down his spine, rattling his bones like a xylophone. He worked up the courage to open the cabinet where the singing was heard and shrank back when he saw the head and shoulders of his father sitting among the black tableware. Appalled, the bassist groped for the nearest chair and pulled it close to sit down astraddle, unable to tear his eyes from the green-skinned face bearing the familiar steel trap grin as well as the coldhearted, disdainful gleam in the blood-shot dark eyes beneath the mildewed rim of the top hat.

"Hey, boy," Sebastian Jacob Niccals said cheerfully, "How you doing?"

"Good until a minute ago," Murdoc hissed back, squaring his shoulders, "What do you want?"

"Word got around that you are with a woman now meaning a lot to you." Sebastian's grin faded a bit as he looked Murdoc straight in the eye.

"Since when do you care about word?" the bassist replied under his breath. He blinked in surprise when Jacob's face began to melt away, revieling Lucifer's features.

"Well, hello there," the fallen angel greeted, emerging from the cabinet as soon as his body had formed from the shadows. This time, he was dressed in a light gray hooded sweater jacket with a pair of dark blue jeans; the sweater's zipper was open down to the middle of his bare chest.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. Hey, Lu," Murdoc sighed deeply, "Any particular reason why you're here?"

"Just wanted to see if it's true that you're still with the girl you asked me to save." The fallen angel shrugged.

"What if so?" Murdoc grumbled. Lucifer stepped up to grab the bassist's upper arms and pull him close enough to look him dead in the eyes. The strong grip made Murdoc gasp.

"And what was it about showing up as my sodding father?" he then managed to ask after taking a deep breath.

"Just thought you'd feel better with a familiar face to see," Lucifer said innocently, releasing the bassist.

"Not excactly a face worth missing," Murdoc sighed, slowly sitting down again, "What in Satan's name were you thinking, Lu?"

"Obviously wrong," the fallen angel said, patting Murdoc's arm, "Let bygones be bygones. Your father died half an eternity ago, and... well... sometimes people forget..."

"Well, I did not!" Murdoc growled, crossing his arms, "Sebastian Jacob Niccals was a useless bag of bones in life, and I'm pretty sure dying din't improve him. As far as I'm concerned, this fucking scumbag can rot in the tightest metal box chained to the core of the sun."

"Nice idea," Lucifer said, rubbing his chin, "Sorry for offending you. It's just that the moon is full, and I decided to call. So, this girl is really still with you?"

"Her name is Bedelia, and yup, we're still together. Or should I say I'm with her. This is her place." A faint gleam dawned in the bassist's mismatched eyes.

"I can see it's not your prized love-shack on wheels. Can't believe I'm saying this... you love her, don't you?" Lucifer leaned in close enough to brush his nose against Murdoc's.

"I called you to save her, din't I?" Murdoc answered, holding the fallen angel's gaze. Lucifer thought this over for a minute before he nodded and asked, "And she knows?"

"She knows," Murdoc said, "I told her, and she understands."

"Thought so," the fallen angel said as if speaking to himself, "I could sense she has an unusual point of view on her."

"She has," the bassist agreed, feeling fatigue wash through him. He hid a sudden yawn behind the back of his hand, closing his eyes doing so. When he opened his eyes again, the fallen angel had vanished into thin air. The only clue for the flying visit was the mildewed top hat still sitting among the tableware. Murdoc sighed, closing the cabinet and turning his attention to feeding himself. He looked at the slices of pan-fried toast Bedelia hadn't eaten and turned his attention towards the fridge. He found an opened screw top jar of small sausages in broth and a few bottles of beer and took both to drain in minutes' time, making his borborygmus go by with every bite and sip. When all was emptied, the bassist flopped back in his seat, rubbing his pot belly. A satisfied belch not unlike the starting sound of his Camaro escaped him as he went back to the bedroom. He undressed when he had entered the room and crept back in bed, snuggling close against Bedelia body.

"You okay?" she asked when his breath brushed her neck.

"All good," Murdoc answered, "Just had to eat a bite." Bedelia took his hand, kissing the knuckles.

"Thought I heard you talk to somebody," she whispered. The bassist hesitated for a moment before he said, "Just an old mate who decided to drop in."

"Old mate being Lucifer, right?" Bedelia rolled over to face him. Murdoc nodded his agreements, protectively wrapping his hands around hers.

"Why did he come to my place?" Bedelia asked after a few minutes of steady eye contact.

"Just checking on me, he said," the bassist explained, still holding her gaze and seeing the unspoken question if there was a reason to be worried dawning in the black beady eyes. It made his heart skip a beat.

"I don't think he'll be back," Murdoc said, gently running the knuckles of his free hand across her cheek and gently rubbing her earlobe between thumb and index finger. It was a half-truth making his stomach clench but he didn't know what else to say. Bedelia gave a soft sigh of relief and closed her eyes. Murdoc took a deep breath and closed his eyes as well, hoping to get some sleep. But it took him hours to find rest since he was positive that Lucifer was capable of coming back when Bedelia was alone again as the bassist had to go back to work in about two weeks. The mere thought gave Murdoc the creeps. He put his arm around Bedelia, pulling her closer until he felt her head rest on his biceps and her warm breath break on his collarbone. He pulled her arm over his torso to pull her tighter against him. A smile crept into his face when he felt her fingertips trace sleepy patterns across his back. At first, the tingly sensation made him jump and frown. On closer expection, he was miserably happy to feel the soft prickling since it reminded him of the comforting moment in the tub when Bedelia had washed his back. When the prickling suddenly stopped because Bedelia rolled onto her back, her hand moving onto his hip, he felt an urge to wake her up and ask her to go on. But one look at her peaceful face made him hold his tongue. He put his head back on the pillow, putting his arm around Bedelia's middle again, pulling her against his ribcage. He ran his knuckles along her cheek again, took hold of her hand resting on his chest now and took a deep breath to fall asleep. A moment later, sleep took him to the land of Nod.

A few hours later, the sun streaming through the shutters and warming his face woke Murdoc up again. The warmth was followed by a soft yet firm grip and the very pleasant sensation of slightly cool air quickly warming up against his rod. He yawned heartily and rubbed his eyes. The sensation between his legs suggested that Bedelia tried to wake him up as gentle as possible. The bassist sat up, and carefully scooted against the padded head part of the bed to enjoy the wake-up call to the fullest. He lifted the cover and smiled at Bedelia hand taking hold of his rod and her mouth wrapping around the head again. A string of low moans escaped him when she started sucking slightly, her teeth slowly and gently grazing the tip of the head. It took him just a few minutes more to climax in her mouth. Bedelia swallowed as much as she could in one gulp before she stood up on her knees and tilted her head back, slowly running her tongue along her slightly opened lips and pushing the blanket down her back. Murdoc looked her over, smiling at the white silk dressing gown opening to reveal the smooth brown skin of her lower belly and the dark brown thick curls beneath shimmering in a single sunbeam.

"That's my lovely," he said, noticing a few drops of her juices glistening amidst the curls like dewdrops. He smiled at this sight, commiting it to memory as his hand crept towards Bedelia who had knelt down within arms reach. A small gasp escaped her when his fingers crept up her inner thigh, his thumb gently wiping off the drops. Then, he carefully cleaned his thumb with the tip of his tongue as if eating a lollipop.

"Good morning," she said, smiling at him and lowering herself on her hands to creep up to him and lie down in his arm, snuggling against his ribcage, her hand gently ruffling his chest hair.

"Good morning," Murdoc whispered against her forehead, pulling her as close as possible and slipping his hand underneath her dressing gown to give her buttocks a gentle squeeze.

"Well, it's afternoon, actually." Bedelia smiled.

"Fuck if I care. I just woke up." The bassist chuckled to himself.

"I know." Bedelia couldn't help laughing, too since his chuckle was amazingly different from his voice being rough-handled by drinking and smoking for years, maybe decades.

"How do you feel?" she then asked, rolling on her back and running her knuckles along his cheek. Surprised, the bassist arose on his elbow and bent across her, looking into her eyes.

"I feel great," he replied, "No hang-over in sight. Thanks to your really nice wake-up call, I guess. And I think your marvellous breakfast din't do me no harm, either." He leaned in close to claim her lips. She smiled as he gently sucked on her lower lip. A small sigh escaped her when he ran his hand along her thigh to grope her buttock as his tongue pushed its way through her lips, grazing her teeth and playfully poking her tongue – much like a puppy begging for a playmate. Bedelia obeyed, rubbing her tongue against his as his other hand crept up her front to find her hand and entwine their fingers between them. Holding this position, the pair dozed off for some more sleep until they became hungry. Bedelia got up carefully, trying not to wake Murdoc up. She adjusted her dressing gown and went into the kitchen to check her inventory. After a few minutes, she settled for potatoes with bacon and butter as a meal since she had bought a bag of small potatoes with edible skin not too long ago.

The bassist descended the stairs when the potatoes were cooked and the butter was melted. Bedelia was busy setting the table when Murdoc entered the kitchen and pulled her into an embrace. He hummed his agreements at the sight of the meal, kissing her cheek and sat down when Bedelia put a soup plate and a fork in front of him. She went to get the beverages and the ice-bucket before filling her own plate with potatoes, bacon bits and melted butter and sitting down.

Murdoc took his time to cherish every bite and sip, thinking about how to tell her that he had to leave again soon. Thoughtfully, he licked the mashed potatoes, a chunk of bacon and a few drops of butter off his fork, looking at Bedelia. He swallowed and cleared his throat.

"I... err..." he started, reaching out to take hold of her hand.

"What is it?" Bedelia asked, gently squeezing his hand. Murdoc took a deep breath and replied, "Hafta go back to work." The sentence fell out of his mouth, almost in one word. Smiling, Bedelia raised his hand to kiss the back.

"I know you can't stay forever," she said, "It was wonderful to have you here, and I'm gonna miss you for sure. But you've got a job to do, and I don't wanna be your Yoko Ono or Nancy Spungen." Murdoc couldn't help laughing at the comparison.

"All that matters is that you know you can come back anytime when you need to lie low," Bedelia added. Uttering a small laugh herself, she browsed the pockets of her dressing gown. Murdoc frowned when she produced a dark red envelope, pushing it over to the bassist.

"What's this?" Suspiciously, he opened the envelope, revealing a dark red card.

"Well... when a certain blue-haired singer is getting on your nerves again, give him this," Bedelia advised, giving an enigmatic smile, "If he's really as dumb as he's said to be, it'll keep him busy for hours. And I guess it's easier than putting him in a round room and telling him to go stand in the corner."

Murdoc snickered, imagening 2-D twirling in desperate seek of a non-existing corner until he'd drop down exhausted. Murdoc eyed the card, noticing the words "see over" in black letters printed on both sides. Slowly, a grin spread on his face.

"Tell you what, luv, that's sheer brilliance," he said, getting up and kissing Bedelia cheek, "And to answer you guess, Dullard couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery. Where did you find this?"

"I had a co-worker who couldn't count to twenty without taking her shoes off but thought her to be a boon to mankind," Bedelia said after her brain had translated the bassist's words, "One day, when I was fed up with her chattering nonsense, I fixed up a paper like this and gave it to her. And what can I say – she was busy for half a day. Since then, she kept avoiding me until she quit last month. When she was gone, I made this second paper, just in case." Murdoc smiled to himself, folding the sheet again and putting it into his back pocket. Then, he got up and came to Bedelia seat, sitting down on her lap astraddle and resting his arms on her shoulders. The silky smooth fabric of her gown made him struggle for a moment to keep his balance.

"I'm so glad I met you, my dirty-sweet girl," he then whispered, kissing her cheeks and lips when Bedelia wrapped her arms around his ribcage, pulling him in a tight embrace.

"Same here, my sexy beast," she replied, running her hands up and down his back. Murdoc couldn't help gasping and shivering when her fingertips accidently crossed his spine. Bedelia just smiled at this, gently rubbing his shoulder-blades. Murdoc felt relief wash through him. Generally, he didn't really care what other people might think about him. But of course he had never missed the judging looks he had been receiving – like at his battered clothes throughout his childhood –, and if he'd say that they didn't bother him, he'd lie like a trooper. Thus, it was a great relief to have a retreat where he could be just himself in pleasant company. Suddenly, a thought crossed the bassist's mind.

"Say, luv," he whispered, his cheek snuggling against her temple, "You never said if you know my band at all." A small giggle escaped Bedelia before she said, "I know some songs from the charts. My favourite is Feel Good Inc. The bassiest song I ever heard."

"Bassiest?" Murdoc repeated, unable to hide a smile. Gently, he ran his hand over the back of her head.

"Yup. Hearing it makes me shiver every time. Beats the extremely long guitar solo of In A Gadda Da Vida by far. Do you really think I didn't know whose way I crossed that night?" Bedelia smile widened.

"To be honest, I couldn't believe it when you asked me to come along," she continued, her eyes locking with his, "I mean, to think that a man as famous as you are would take a closer look at a poor little nothing like me..." Murdoc put his index finger against her lips, shushing her.

"Don't you talk so ill of yourself. You see, on this night I wanted to be with somebody who'd not just have a fling with a celebrity to brag about it," he explained, "You just treated me like any other bloke you'd meet. And that's why I wanted to spend time with you. Still do. Being with you is like being on vacation in a country knowing about music but not making a fuss about me being famous."

"I'll take this as a compliment, my sexy beast," Bedelia said, pulling him closer and claiming his lips.

"It is, my dirty-sweet girl," Murdoc said when their mouths parted.

"Thank you then." Bedelia smiled. She made their fingers entwine, running her thumb across the skin covering the bone beneath his index finger. Gently, the bassist squeezed her hand, smiling when the squeeze was returned. He extended his index finger to run it down her nose, poking the tip with the knuckle. Bedelia raised their entangled hands to plant a kiss on his wrist.

"Oh!" Murdoc suddenly said in a low voice, "Almost forgot – I don't know yet when we'll meet again. Dentface has been on my back for weeks about going on a tour throughout the States and South America. Might take half a year at least." Bedelia pulled him closer, resting her head against his shoulder.

"I know you have to go back to work," she said, "Just remember you can come to my place anytime you like or need to." Murdoc couldn't help smiling when her hand slowly crept up his back, rubbing his nape.

"I guess I can make it back around Christmas, and I'd be very happy to spend it with you," he said thoughtfully, slowly running the nail of his index finger down her nape in respond. Drawing in a sharp breath, Bedelia raised her head to smile at him.

"Wouldn't have thought you'd care about Christmas," she said. The bassist cupped her chin and brushed his lips against hers.

"Well... some people are worth it," he said with the ghost of a smile touching the corners of his mouth, "But speaking of it... how do you spend Christmas?" Bedelia thought for a moment before she explained,"I'm flexible on that. To me, it's just a time to spend with people you like being with and a time to share presents and good meals. Most years I spend it with Maureen."

"Very good attitude..." Murdoc whispered against her forehead.

"Speaking of it... what's served in England for Christmas?" Bedelia asked.

"Roastbeef mostly... either with traditional Yorkshire pudding or with spuds and mint sauce," the bassist replied.

"Yorkshire pudding... looks like fluffy muffins with a dent on top, right?" Bedelia wondered. Again, the bassist nodded, the ghost of a smile touching the corners of his mouth as he ran his hands from her shoulders to her breasts and said, "When I'll be playing Feel Good Inc., I'll be thinking of you, my lovely."

"Thanks," Bedelia whispered, returning the smile and closing her eyes when his fingers gently pinched and rubbed the left nipple. She ran her hands up and down his nape and back in respond before running her hands along his buttocks and thighs.

On the next after-noon, Murdoc collected his things, put them into his car and pulled Bedelia into a good-bye hug and kiss.

"Take care of yourself, my sexy beast," she whispered against his chest before he raised her chin to claim her lips, making her stand on her toes and hold on to his shoulders.

"I will," the bassist answered when their lips parted, running his hand over her hair while noticing Cortez perch on a nearby tree. The raven looked back at the bassist but stayed put. Murdoc shrugged it off and claimed Bedelia's lips for a kiss good-bye. When they released each other minutes later, she went back in. Noticing Cortez, she opened a window, inviting the bird in.

"You're not going with him?" she wondered when Cortez came to perch on the armrest of the armchair she was sitting on. The raven crooned in reply, nudging her arm.

"Hungry?" Bedelia asked, smiling when the bird crooned again. She got up and searched the kitchen. After a while, she returned with a small bowl of crumbled salted potato chips and a cup of cold tapwater, placing both on the table.

"Sorry I don't have eyeballs for you," she said as Cortez stepped closer to inspect the bowl and cup before he took the first beak of potato chips and a few quick sips of water. When he had enough, he stood in front of Bedelia, spreading his wings and wiping his beak against her nose.

"You're welcome, amigo," she said, gently running the knuckle of her index finger along the glossy feathers beneath his beak in return, "Glad you like the potatoes. Just let me know when you want more." Cortez gave a low cawing in reply. Smiling, Bedelia watched the raven make himself comfortable on a couch cushion. She went to get a knitted blanket and snuggled into the armchair to get some rest until she felt a poke against her nose. When she opened her eyes, she found herself being watched by Cortez. The raven turned his head at the nearest window and cawed insistently. Bedelia got up and opened the window for him.

"Have a good time, amigo," she said when the raven went to perch on the window-sill. A low cawing was given before Cortez spread his wings and flew off. Bedelia took the chance to hear some music. Tonight, she was in the mood for a few assorted songs from PINK FLOYD'S THE WALL. It just took minutes until a nasally yet strong voice filled the room, joined by fluid bass riffs and a quickly strummed guitar, accompanied by some keyboard tunes every now and then. The song Bedelia had chosen first was about how to satisfy the growing greed of modern life, often leading to severe mental or physical damage. Since it was one of her favourite songs, she closed her eyes and sang along.

The song was followed by a song about the pure cruelty of war and another one about an over-protective mother.

Two days before Christmas, Maureen called Bedelia to invite her for the holidays. Bedelia was happy to agree.

"Is it just you coming?" Maureen asked, "What about Mr. Green-skin Snaggle-tooth?"

"He's still on tour through the States and South America," Bedelia reported.

"On tour?" Maureen was audibly surprised.

"Uh-hu," Bedelia said, "Takes longer than he thought, I guess. He said he might be back around Christmas."

"He might, Hon," Maureen repeated thoughtfully.

"You don't like him, Dear, do you?" Bedelia said.

"Honestly, I've seen wolverines with nicer smiles," Maureen replied, her voice slightly trembling, "And what's with that up-side down cross he wears? That's a... a Satanic symbol, for all I remember. Gives me the creeps, Hon. Satanists are said to do the weirdest things, and this guy makes me think of a vampire. Like, one taste of your life, and he owns your soul. But if he can make you as happy as I think he can, I won't argue. All I ask you to is to be careful, Hon." Bedelia promised, and the friends fell silent for a moment until Bedelia suddenly said, "Oh, almost forgot. There's something I'd like to eat for Christmas this year."

"What?"

"Roastbeef."

"Roastbeef? Just for you? Mind you, never done that before." Maureen chuckled to herself.

"Yep. And you know I trust in your great cooking skills, Dear. I'll bring all the ingredients when I come around."

"Okay, Hon," Maureen gave in, "We'll have my special meatloaf pizza on Christmas Eve and your required roastbeef on Christmas Day, then."

"Thanks, Dear. You're the best friend one can have," Bedelia said before the call was finished. She went to make a list of the required ingredients for the meatloaf pizza – basically being mincemeat mixed up with vegetables and spices and spread on a baking sheet to be baked in the oven – as well as her Christmas roastbeef, calculating the costs.

In the middle of the Night of New Year's Eve, Bedelia was woken up by the sound of a key opening her front door and recognizable hard-soled steps creeping up the stairs. She rolled over and pretended to sleep when the steps came to a halt next to her bed. Relief washed through her when she caught a sniff of Murdoc's unmistakable scent. She opened her eyes to see the bassist sitting down on the edge of her bed and running his hand along her upper body beneath the covers, his long nails grazing the fabric of her bright red polka dot camisole top she wore with matching panties. Yawning heartily, the bassist took off his clothes and crept underneath the covers to hug Bedelia and kiss her forehead. He smiled to himself when she gave a low moan in response. Carefully, he ran his hands along her bare arms and hands, making their fingers entwine. Unable to hide a smile, Bedelia opened her eyes and whispered, "Good to have my sexy beast back in one piece. Happy New Year."

"Good to be back in one piece with my dirty-sweet girl. Happy New Year to you, too," the bassist whispered back, letting his mouth wander along her neck and collarbone, sucking and kissing the soft skin there. Bedelia closed her eyes, melting into the touch.

"I missed you," Murdoc said between two kisses.

"Missed you, too," Bedelia replied, running her fingers through his hair and down his nape. Murdoc closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"You know, I really missed you," he whispered. He fell silent for a moment before he added, "If only... if only..."

"If only?" Bedelia wondered. Murdoc took another deep breath before he said, "If only I never had to leave you again."

"Remember, you're welcome at my place anytime," Bedelia said, raising their hands to kiss his knuckles one by one.

"Anyway," the bassist said, smiling at the touch, "You're the most interesting girl I ever met. I... can't believe I'm saying this... I love you, Bedelia Tozier. I... oh, for fuck's sake... I don't wanna loose you." He sniveled, unable to speak on for minutes. Bedelia gasped for air.

"I love you too, Murdoc Niccals," she then said, "I feel good when I'm with you. You're great company and a lover out of the ordinary. A skilled love-machine running on high octane and radiating an aura of raw sex, if I may say so." Relief washed through her, having heard the words she had hoped for and hadn't dared to say herself – not sure about the bassist's reaction.

"Thanks, luv. You're so good with words," Murdoc replied. She couldn't see his face but his voice, rough-handled as it was, became amazingly smooth as the bassist said, "I wish we could... well... become one..."

"Like... like being married?" Bedelia whispered.

"Sort of," the bassist said, rolling on his back and pulling her close against his ribcage. Bedelia took a deep breath and closed her eyes when he snuggled his chin against her forehead. But after all she had heard, she found it hard to get some rest. The pair stayed in bed until they became hungry in the early after-noon.

"Egg in a basket?" Bedelia suggested. Murdoc agreed and sat up against the padded head part of the bed as Bedelia got up and put on her silk dressing gown and a pair of black worn-out flat sandals she used to wear as slippers. At the door, she turned around and looked at him.

"Coming?" she asked, a meaningful smile crawling across her lips. Smiling back, Murdoc pushed the covers off and got up. She held her hand out to him as he came closer. Hand in hand, they wandered into the kitchen.

Bedelia switched on the coffee-maker and went through the cabinets and her fridge for the needed ingredients and cookware while the bassist sat down at the table. When coffee was ready, Bedelia poured Murdoc a cup and produced a black plastic box of her black cigarettes and a lighter from her gown's pocket, putting both in front of him, along with the white earless cup of coffee, the sugar bowl and the tiny earless red cup filled with tap water as a substitute ashtray. Murdoc lit up a cigarette and flopped back in his chair, blowing smoke rings in the air.

While cooking, Bedelia thought about what he had said about becoming one. She wasn't sure what to make of it. It sounded interesting all the same, of course. Yet, she didn't dare to dig deeper.

When the bassist had drained his cup and Bedelia had shared a couple of Egg in a Basket on two plates, he got up and snuggled against her back. His hand holding the cigarette steadied them against the counter as his other hand slipped underneath her gown to caress her front. Cupping her crotch, he kissed her neck.

"I like what you said last night," Bedelia whispered before his middle and ring finger felt for her hole and started slipping in.

"And I like what you said last night," the bassist replied, his nails grazing her inner flesh.

"Wouldn't have thought a Satanist would think about things like getting married and such," she added when Murdoc had withdrawn his fingers and she was able to think clearly again.

"Satanist do give their hearts to the ones who deserve it. We're no monsters, you know," the bassist explained, chuckling lowly to himself, "We can be in relationships or get married like anybody else, luv."

"So you did mean us to get married?" Bedelia wondered.

"Not in a traditional way," he clarified.

"Then what did you mean?"

Murdoc released her to take a plate and sit down again.

"Come here, my lovely," he said, holding his hand out to her, "Let me explain. I wanna schedule the time to be with you and be true to you."

"And how?" Bedelia sat down on the chair next to him and looked into his eyes. To her surprise, Murdoc handed her his empty cup.

"Smash it and count the shards," he advised, "I'll be all yours for as many years as there are shards on the floor." Bedelia closed her eyes and hurled the cup against the counter next to her stove. As she got up to get a new cup and the coffee pitcher, Murdoc went to look the cup shards over and count them by picking them up and putting them on a small black plate. When he was done, he handed the plate to Bedelia who had pulled the pan off the burner, had poured two cups of coffee and had returned to her seat with her plate.

"Thirteen," he announced, sitting back on his chair and reaching out to take her hand.

"Thirteen?" Bedelia repeated.

"Thirteen," Murdoc agreed, getting up and pulling her against him. Bedelia wrapped her arms around his middle and snuggled her head against his chest.

"I think we're gonna have a good time," she whispered against his skin, slowly running her hands along his long sinewy arms. Murdoc hummed his agreements, gently running his hand down her back in respond.

It was a cold and windy Saturday when Bedelia left her workplace. She adjusted her dark gray two-piece dress and the black-and-white fingerless gloves and shoved her hands into the hip-long brown jacket she had bought a while ago. The jacket matched a pair of ankle-high Cuban heels. Her steps were interrupted by a quite familiar cawing from a big bush next to her. Bedelia froze to the spot when a raven emerged from the bush and came to perch on her shoulder.

"Hello, Cortez!" she greeted, running her finger along the bird's chest feathers, "Long time no see, amigo. How are you?" Cortez crooned in reply, his head nudging hers. When Bedelia had reached the next row of empty parking spaces, Cortez cawed low but insistently, making her stop in her tracks again, and pointed his beak at the nearest corner of the parking lot. It took Bedelia a few minutes to recognize Murdoc's car sitting in the shadows. When Bedelia approached the car, the bassist got out to hug her. Bedelia smiled at the khaki World War II uniform he had chosen to wear again.

"Hello there, my lovely," the bassist said and claimed her lips for a deep kiss until Cortez gave another croon as if clearing his throat, "Remember the promise I gave you about being with you?"

"Sure." Bedelia smiled expectantly.

"And tonight, I wanna take you out and fulfill this promise," Murdoc added, "Where's a good place to have supper at?"

"Not much places to eat out in Mesquite," Bedelia explained after a few minutes of pondering, "Why spend time here when Sin City is so enticingly close?" She shrugged one shoulder, making Murdoc snicker and kiss her again.

"But there's a new diner who sells loose-meat-sandwichs. Delicious, they say," Bedelia said when their lips parted.

"Let's see." The bassist toook her hand and led her to the passenger's door.

Thirteen minutes later, the pair had arrived at the diner. The few people occupying the tables turned their heads when they entered and went at the counter to order. Most glances were glued to Murdoc's outfit with Cortez perching on his shoulder. The bassist studied the menu and settled for a loose-meat-sandwich with bacon and cheese and a bottle of ale which's brand sounded familiar to him. Indeed, it turned out to be the brand of beer his brother had been drinking regularly. Once, when Hannibal had left one bottle unfinished, ten-year-old Murdoc had taken a sip to see what was about that stuff. Sometimes, the bassist still could feel the sweet, malty liquid running down his throat. The rememberance at this blissful moment came back when he opened the bottle and took the first swig.

The pair sat down at a table in a corner. Cortez went to perch on the back of an unoccupied chair, his gaze shifting between Murdoc and Bedelia. Bedelia who had chosen a loose-meat-sandwich with bacon and cheese as well and a small bottle of Coca-Cola enjoyed her meal, feeding an occasional scrap to Cortez, until she noticed Murdoc putting his sandwich aside and turning his attention to her. The look in his mismatched eyes made her square her shoulders. The bassist took a deep breath before he took his switch-blade from his pocket, opened it, put it on the table with the handle facing her and said,"I pledge my blade, as I pledge my soul, ever to your service. Like this blade my love for you will be strong and enduring, so that our lives together will always be protected. Accept it, my beloved, and with it all that is mine becomes yours. Even if our paths should later diverge, yet I will always be your true friend, to love you and lend you aid and protection. By seed and root, by bud and stem, by leaf and flower and fruit, by life and love, in the name of Satan, I, Murdoc Alphonse-Faust Niccals, take you, Bedelia Tozier, to my hand, my heart, and my spirit." Bedelia blinked when he reached out to take her right hand with his left hand, entwining his fingers with hers and lifting their hands as if their palms were tied or glued together. Then, he produced a silver chain with a silver pentacle attached to it from the pocket of his shirt and held it out to Bedelia. Cortez crooned approvingly. She admired it a few minutes before she recited the vows she had found on the internet to show respect to Murdoc's chosen religion, "In the name of Babalon, I, Bedelia Tozier, take you, Murdoc Alphonse-Faust Niccals, to my hand, my heart, and my spirit." She smiled in relief when the bassist nodded approvingly, slipping the silver pentacle chain over her head with his free hand and leaning in close to kiss her. Eagerly, Bedelia responded to the touch of his tongue, cherishing the malty taste of ale.

"Herewith, I declare you Mrs. Murdoc Niccals," the bassist whispered when their lips parted. Bedelia nodded and gently touched the silver pentagram.

"Actually, there's a bit more to this ceremony when it's held in church," Murdoc said after admiring her for minutes, "But since it's an unofficial wedding, I think it'll do. You and me know it counts, and nothing else matters." He leaned across the table to kiss her again before he turned his attention back to his meal, finishing the sandwich with big bites followed by deep swigs of ale. Bedelia broke a piece off her sandwich to feed it to Cortez and offer him a few sips from her glass. Then, she finished her meal as well.

When the pair had made it back to Bedelia's house, the bassist suggested her to go into the bedroom and wait for him. Bedelia smiled expectantly at him before climbing up the stairs and changing into her sleepwear. But looking her over in the mirror, she decided to settle for nudity as if his arrival had surprised her. She looked herself over again, smiling at her reflection. Of course, her body had aged since they had met. But the silver pentacle dangling between her breasts made a nice contrast to her caramel-coloured skin, just like her nails she had polished in a sparkling dark gray matching her dress. She crept underneath the covers and closed her eyes, listening for Murdoc climbing up the stairs in a recognizable unsteady pace. When she heard his steps approaching and noticed his unmistakable scent close against her back, she couldn't help smiling. Yet, she didn't turn around to look at him but cherished the touch of his calloused hands moving up her back and down her front to give her nipples and clit an amazingly soft pinch for greeting. A gasp escaped Bedelia when his fingertips brushed her clit. She snuggled her back against his front, not being surprised at all to find him naked, too. She slid her hand between their bodies to get hold on to his quickly erecting rod. She gasped again when he slid his middle and ring finger into her hole in respond, his nails grazing her inner flesh and trigging memories of their first night together. When his fingers slid out and his rod poked her hole, she shifted into a better position to grant him full entrance. Murdoc pushed himself in, pausing every now and then, since he had learned she liked it better that way. Bedelia flexed her vaginal muscles at every pause as if giving a reply this time. Thus, the climax was delayed until Murdoc couldn't hold back anymore. When he had nearly exploded inside her and had laid down next to her, neither of them could think clearly for a moment. The bassist scooted closer, wrapping his arms around Bedelia and kissing her when his thoughts had untangled.

"That was amazing, my dirty-sweet girl," he whispered. Bedelia just smiled, returning the kiss.

"Losing a little weight, haven't we, Mrs. Niccals?" the bassist asked, a smile crawling across his lips. Bedelia ran her fingers through his hair, whispering, "Feels good?"

"Feels great," Murdoc answered, his smile widening, "Thanks for nuther wonderful experience, my dirty-sweet girl." He took a deep breath, pulled Bedelia close against him and closed his eyes. Bedelia ran her fingers through his hair and closed her eyes as well. Minutes later, the pair had fallen asleep.

Murdoc woke up around noon as his stomach grumbled slightly. He took his arms off Bedelia and sat up against the padded head part of the bed. Smiling, he let his eyes crawl across her and noticed that she still was wearing the silver chain and pentacle. He gently touched the pentacle sitting between her breasts before he stretched and yawned. When his stomach grumbled again, he hauled his body off the bed and made his way to the kitchen to look into the fridge. There was a fresh pack of chicken eggs and a fresh goose egg sitting on top of a pack of bacon slices. He went through the cabinets for a pan, plates, cups and silverware and started preparing scrambled eggs with crispy bacon. When all was cooked and shared on two black octogonal plates, the bassist heard footsteps approaching. He turned around to see Bedelia stand in the door frame, wearing the silver pentacle with her white silk kimono dressing robe that was loosely bound. Much to Murdoc's surprise, Cortez was perching on her shoulder. He put the pan, along with the other used cookware, into the sink and turned around to greet Cortez by striking the raven's glossy feathers. The bird crooned in reply and moved onto the bassist's shoulder. Bedelia took the chance to switch on the coffee-maker and pour two cups of coffee. Then, she put a small cup of water and some scrambled eggs on a small extra plate on the table. Murdoc couldn't help smiling when he saw the extra tableware obviously meant to be for Cortez. He suddenly remembered what he had said during the unofficial marriage about everything of his becoming hers, too. Obviously, Cortez had taken the first step into that direction.

The raven went to perch on the back of the unoccupied chair and took the first beakful of eggs, crooning approvingly when he had swallowed.

The couple spent almost three weeks at Bedelia's house until Murdoc decided to tell his band-mates about his unofficial marriage. He had crept beneath the blanket to snuggle into the welcoming warmth of Bedelia's skin when his eyes had met hers. In the depth of her black-brown eyes, he had noticed faint movements he hadn't been able to place at first go. But watching the movements made him smile to himself in pure and simple happiness – a quite new experience to the bassist. It took Murdoc a moment to realize that the movements he saw in Bedelia's eyes were images of kids with his black smooth hair and her caramel-coloured skin carrying a light green hue. Murdoc blinked in surprise when one of the images, a boy of about 5, turned around to look straight at him, smiling broadly and revealing the same sharp teeth Murdoc called his own. All of a sudden, a girl of about the same age appered next to the boy, hugging him and smiling as well, revealing the same sharp teeth. Again, the bassist smiled to himself, realizing he was looking at an image of his unborn son and daughter. Now, he was positive that the band ought to know about his wife.

"You... What?" 2-D stared at the bassist with his mouth hanging open. Russel found himself unable to speak when Murdoc had finished his tale. The male band-mates were sitting at the table in the kitchen of Kong Studios over a cup of coffee.

"I promised to be with her for thirteen years, and we had an unofficial marriage," the bassist repeated between deep guplps of lightly sugared black coffee.

"How that?" the drummer found his voice back.

"We went out for supper, we said our vows, and I gave her a necklace instead of a ring and declared her my wife with Cortez as our witness," Murdoc answered. The look in the singer's eyes grew more surprised as he wondered, "And where is she now?"

"In her house, in a small Nevada town," the bassist explained, finishing his coffee.

"So, you're not living with her?" The drummer gave a puzzled frown.

"I'll be in my Winnie mostly when I'm here to work but she said I can come to her place whenever I want to." Murdoc shrugged.

"And she trusts you?" the singer wondered. His coal-black eyes were growing distant while he obviously tried to work out the whole thing without melting his brain.

"Yup," was all Murdoc would say before tapping the nail of his index finger against his cup.

"Want some more?" Russel went to get a refill. As an answer, Murdoc put his cup closer to the drummer's seat.

"I'm not getting it," 2-D finally sighed, "What made you do that, Mudz?" The bassist shrugged, adding half a teaspoon of sugar to his coffee and stirring carefully.

"I just like her being with me," he said when he had taken the first sip, looking straight into the depth of 2-D's black eye holes, "I feel good with her around. Just like you did with that Paula bird." 2-D flinched at the name of his ex-girlfriend who had been the band's first guitarist but said nothing. A few minutes later, a sunny smile lit up the singer's face when he said, "I really hope you'll be happy together."

"Me too," the drummer said, extending his hand for the bassist to shake it. 2-D followed suit, suggesting, "Maybe she can come too next time."

"I'll ask her," Murdoc answered, his deep raspy voice carrying an unsual bashfulness, "And to answer your question, my dear Stu, I do feel happy." Just in time, 2-D bit back the comment that this was saying something. Murdoc glanced at the singer's mouth twitching but just continued to explain, "Della satisfies all of my appetites, much better than any other bird I had before. And most important, she understands." Unable to hide a smile, he shook hands with his bandmates again. Then, he gulped down his coffee and made his way back to his mobile home. He laid down on his bed for a few minutes before he felt for the keys in his pocket, running his fingers along the small metal bass guitar. He hauled himself off the bed to sit down in the driver's seat, run his fingers through his fringe and put the keys into the ignition, heading out for the next highway to Mesquite.

Bedelia was busy doing house chores when storm clouds filled the sky with darkness. Slowly, rain came, followed by the whipcracks of lightning and the deep rumble of thunder. When the time between lightning and thunder was becoming shorter by the second, she went into the kitchen to fix up a sandwich with raw bacon bits and sliced tomatoes on butter and rye bread, waiting for the weather to clear up. A light gust of wind came up from the North when a tapping against the window-frame startled her. She turned around to see Cortez who had knocked. The raven raised his head up to the sky and gave a loud and somewhat displeased cawing that put Bedelia's teeth on edge. She took a deep breath, frowning at the sky, and opened the window. The bird, however, spread his wings to full size before entering. He came to perch on her shoulder before he glared daggers at the sky. Then, the raven turned his attention to the sandwich, snatching a bacon bit from between the bread slices. Smiling to herself, Bedelia cut the sandwich in half, chopping one half into bits and putting the bits on a small plate in front of Cortez. The raven didn't hesitate to eat the bread and bacon bits, pushing the tomato aside at first before trying a tiny bit and gobbling down all of the sandwich bits. Bedelia cut another piece off her half and put it on Cortez' plate. The re-fill was gobbled down in next to no time, and the bird made himself comfortable on the back of an unoccupied chair, crooning contendly.

"Glad you like it, amigo," Bedelia answered through a mouthful of bread, bacon and tomato, making Cortez croon again. A knocking on her front door interrupted the moment. Cortez pulled his head against his body and closed his eyes as Bedelia went for the door. She opened it as wide as the chain would allow and asked, "Who is it?"

"A lone traveller caught in nasty weather," a dark voice answered, "May I come in and warm up a bit?" Bedelia looked at the face visible in the gap, studying it carefully. She looked into a pair of dark-brown piercing eyes peeking out from beneath the rim of a black top hat and atop an oddly long nose. Water was dripping from the hat's rim as well as the nose's tip. The man raised his hat and took a slight bow at her, revealing long black locks falling down to his shoulders. The strap of a knapsack was slung over his right shoulder. All in all, he didn't look extraordinary. Yet, there was something in his appearance that rang a distant bell in the back of Bedelia's head, keeping her from opening the door all the way and inviting him in. On the one hand, the man's skin looked oddly green against the dark clouds, and on the other hand, Bedelia could have sworn that Cortez was watching her with the most forcefulness. She cleared her throat and asked, "What made you wander around in the rain, then?"

"I'm a travelling salesman of silver jewelery," the answer came. Bedelia unchained and opened the door, leading the man into the kitchen. When the man had sat down, leaning his hands on a black walking cane with a silver grip that was shaped like a snarling wolf's head, she put the hat on her radiator to dry it. Then, she poured him a cup of coffee, looking him over again. A gasp escaped her when she realized she was facing nobody else than Sebastian Jacob Niccals. The shock dawning in her eyes made Sebastian's eyes glint briefly. Then, all of a sudden, the green-skinned face melted away, revealing a narrow face with eyes shining like diamonds beneath a pair of eye-brows of indifferent colour. It took Bedelia minutes to realize that the appearance of Sebastian Jacob Niccals had been a mask of some sort. She looked at the man clad in a light gray three-piece suit in front of her, trying to figure out who she was facing now. Noticing from the corner of her eye that the top hat and the cane had vanished, an idea dawned to her.

"You're Lucifer, right?" she said in a voice not being much more than a whisper. A nod was given in reply.

"I'm sorry, Murdoc's not in." Bedelia shrugged.

"I'm here to see you," Lucifer clarified, leaning back in his seat and putting his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Bedelia crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.

"I heard about you and Murdoc," the fallen angel answered the unspoken question he could see in her eyes, "I know he loves you. He told me so himself. And word gets around in hell very, very quick. Nothing much to do down there, you see. But if you ever played Chinese whisper, you know how it goes when word gets around – some parts get lost in the long run. That's why I wanted to speak to you myself." A moment of silence hung in the air until Cortez gave a low crooning and moved to the back of Bedelia's chair, gently wiping his beak against her shoulder. Bedelia turned her head and ran her finger along the bird's chest in reply.

"Looks like you made a new friend." The fallen angel chuckled to himself.

"Murdoc introduced us," Bedelia explained, "And Cortez and I get along quite well."

"Do you know how the two jailbirds met?" Lucifer asked.

"Murdoc mentioned the Mexican slammer," Bedelia said, looking at the fallen angel expectantly. He nodded.

"Murdoc was in Tijuana on vacation, and when he was running out of money, he started writing dud checks for the whores at the local bordello," the fallen angel explained, "But there's an unspoken law in Mexico – you never stiff a whore in Mexico! Murdoc was sent down to thirty years in the Tijuana jail. Worst place known to mankind where Cortez had found a new habitat. Nobody had taken a closer look at the bird so far – well, except for Murdoc. In fact, he and Cortez noticed each other on the first day. Bit by bit, the two became friends. And when Murdoc escaped after about three years, Cortez tagged along. Say, what did you think when you saw Cortez for the first time?" Bedelia smiled bashfully before she said, "I remembered a line from Edgar Allan Poe. And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon that is dreaming." Lucifer couldn't help laughing.

"I thought so," he replied, "And you wondered if this poem might have been about Cortez, right?"

"I did," Bedelia confessed, unable to hide another smile herself, "Would explain a lot."

"You don't seem to be impressed," the fallen angel stated.

"I was born in a place where strange things were happening quite frequently. I've seen and heard my share of things nobody could explain." Bedelia poured herself half a cup of coffee. Before adding sugar and milk, she held the cup out to Cortez who came to perch on her shoulder and took a few quick sips, crooning approvingly.

"Thanks, amigo." Bedelia smiled, adding lots of milk and a teaspoon of brown sugar to her coffee.

"Care for a refill?" she then asked, lifting the pitcher. Lucifer nodded, pushing his cup closer.

"Black as night and sweet as sin, I guess?" Bedelia smiled. Again, the fallen angel nodded, running his black tongue along his lips.

"I can't help noticing your necklace," he then said, "Any special reason why you're wearing this?" Bedelia glanced at Cortez before she said, "Murdoc gave it to me as a wedding symbol." Lucifer sat in silence for a moment before asking, "You're his wife now?" Bedelia nodded, tenderly touching the pentacle and explaining, "We had an unofficial marriage. Murdoc said it counts as the two of us know and Cortez was there to witness."

"Not a bad idea. Just like I thought when I saw you for the first time, you've got a special way of seeing the world on you."

"Oh, almost forgot! Thank you for the medicine." Bedelia held out her hand to the fallen angel. Lucifer took hold of her hand and patted the back.

"My pleasure," he answered before he reached out for his knapsack and started rummaging it. Finally, his right hand came up again, clenched into a loose palm-up fist.

"I've got something for you, Mrs. Niccals," he announced, holding the fist out to her. Hesitatingly, Bedelia touched the fallen angel's knuckles. One by one, the long fingers uncurled, revealing a delicate silver ring. It looked small enough to fit on Bedelia's pinkie. When she picked it up to take a closer look at it, she noticed it had a tiny pentacle.

"Nice little thing," she said, turning it in all directions to admire the light dance along the edges. It turned out that the ring was fitting nicely on her right ring finger and nearly perfect on her right middle finger. Lucifer beamed at Bedelia who said, "I hope this doesn't mean I've sold my soul to you now."

"No, don't worry," Lucifer assured her, shaking hands with her, "I didn't take it when you were sick, and I won't now. This is just a sign of respect to the first Mrs. Niccals since who-knows-when." The sound of a key unlocking the door, followed by the door pushed close and the recognizable steps of Murdoc's hard-soled Cuban heels approaching interrupted the handshake.

As soon as he noticed the fallen angel, the bassist snarled, "What for the love of Satan are you doing here?" Being dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans with the black denim jacket and his boots, his fists clenched and trembling as if he was holding a live wire, he was a quite impressive sight.

"Meeting your wife," Lucifer answered casually, "I came along and got caught in the rain. Your wife invited me in to have coffee, and we were talking a bit."

"You're okay, luv?" Murdoc turned to look at Bedelia, putting his hand on her shoulder. Running a finger across the ring's pentacle, she nodded.

"Cortez was with me," she explained. Murdoc smiled, looking at his feathered friend and striking his glossy feathers. The raven came to perch on the bassist's shoulder, snuggling his head against the bassist's cheek bone in reply. Murdoc leaned in close to cup Bedelia's head and pull her close, kissing her temple. Watching this, Lucifer cleared his throat and got up.

"I better move on now. Have a nice day, Mr. and Mrs. Niccals," he said, picking up his knapsack and making his way for the door. Bedelia sat down again at the table while Murdoc walked the fallen angel to the door.

"You got yourself a good one there," Lucifer said before leaving.

"I know, Lu," the bassist grinned, "Thanks." He pushed the door shut and returned to the kitchen where Bedelia was sipping coffee and looking at the ring. Murdoc sat down next to her and took her hand to look at the ring as well.

"Lucifer gave me this," Bedelia explained, "He called it a sign of respect for the first Mrs. Niccals since who-knows-when."

"Looks very nice on my dirty-sweet girl. For a wedding ceremony in church, I'd have picked such a ring for you, too." Murdoc got up, pressing his left palm against Bedelia right and entwining their fingers to lift her hand and kiss the tiny pentacle.

"I knew my sexy beast is a man of good taste," Bedelia smiled, standing up on her toes and kissing Murdoc's lips. Slowly, her hand slid down his back to give his buttocks a gentle yet firm squeeze.

"Why don't we go upstairs and prove the fact that you're a woman of good taste, too?" the bassist suggested, returning the squeeze before claming her lips. Hand in hand, the couple climbed up the stairs. When they had reached the bedroom, Murdoc released her hand.

"I'll be right with you, my dirty-sweet girl," he announced, heading for the bathroom. Out of a clear blue sky he had decided to trim his fingernails once again.

Taking off her clothes, Bedelia went into the bedroom. She put her clothes on an armchair in the corner and crept underneath the thin blanket. She shifted into a comfortable position and closed her eyes.

Murdoc entered the room a few minutes later. Undressing, he let his eyes crawl across her body form showing through the thin blanket. Then, he slid underneath the blanket, scooting into the welcoming warmth of her skin and wrapping his long, sinewy arm around her middle to pull her close. Suddenly, his fingers brushed across the skin around her belly-button. The bassist furrowed his brows when Bedelia laughed quietly and tried to free herself from his arm.

Much to Murdoc's surprise, her reaction resulted in him becoming aroused beyond all known limits. Curiously, he let his fingers crawl up to her ribs, making her laugh and squirm afresh. A new wave of arousal washed through him, causing his rod to harden quickly. Looking into Bedelia's eyes, he noticed arousal dawning in there matching his own. He stood up on his knees and steadied himself with one hand to dig his fingers into her ribs and sides. When he granted her a break, Bedelia ran her hands up his arms to lace her fingers behind his nape and pull him into a passionate kiss. Simultanously, she opened her legs, granting him entrance. Thus, his rod and his tongue entered her at the same time.

When their juices had mingled and his rod had slipped out of her, Murdoc laid down on his back, pulling Bedelia close and kissing her forehead. A mischivieous little smile crawled across his lips when she giggled and squirmed away from his index and middle finger quickly scribbling across her ribs.

"Why, Mrs. Niccals," the bassist said nonchalantly and propped himself up on one elbow, granting her another break, "I didn't know you're so ticklish." He chuckled to himself when Bedelia answered innocently, "Well... nobody asked."

"You'd really have told me?" Murdoc chided her, digging his fingers into her sides.

"Okay, okay," Bedelia admitted after a few minutes of laughter, "No, I wouldn't have told you."

"Thought so," Murdoc said, bending across her to kiss her lips.

"Would you?" Bedelia smirked back when their lips parted. Murdoc took a few minutes to think this over.

"If I was, I'd tell you, luv," he finally lied, running his knuckles along her cheek. He bent down for a quick kiss, hoping her to believe him. Bedelia ran her hands along his arms again, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck to intense the kiss.

About a week had passed since Murdoc had gone back to Kong Studios once again for recording some new tracks. Now, Bedelia was laying awake for the third night, waiting for him to come back. But no matter how close she was listening, there was no sound to be heard as a hint of the bassist's return. She sighed, laying down again and hoping to get some sleep when her cellphone's ringtone interrupted her. Accepting the call, she was greeted by 2-D's thick Cockney accent. The singer was audibly discomposed, and it took a while until Bedelia had made out his quickly spoken and slightly slurred words.

According to 2-D, the bassist had blacked out after the recordings, and Russel had taken him to the nearest hospital. Bedelia had to swallow hard before she could ask, "Any idea what's wrong?" The vocalist took a deep breath before he said, "Nah, Mudz just said something hurts. Couldn't understand what." Suddenly, Russel's deep Brooklyn accent came through the line, greeting Bedelia and explaining that Murdoc was suffering from acute appendicitis, and his appendix was to be extracted as soon as possible. The singer's voice suggested from afar that the band would pick up Bedelia and take her to the hospital to see Murdoc.

"I'm sure Mudz would be glad to see a familiar face when he wakes up again," 2-D explained when he had gotten hold of the receiver again. Russel agreed and promised that the band would be over to pick her up around next noon.

Relieved, Bedelia bid a fond adieu to Murdoc's band-mates and went into the kitchen to check her inventories, just in case that the band-mates might be hungry when arriving. She had a fresh box of chicken eggs and a fresh loaf of toast in stock.

Until next morning, Bedelia slept peacefully. She took a quick shower and put on a short long-sleeved red dress she hadn't worn a while since it hadn't been fitting too well. She smiled at her reflection, putting on a black vest in addition to cope with the lack of dress pockets. Then, she went to set the kitchen table, switch on her coffee-maker, and prepare Egg In A Basket as a snack. When the first heap was done, a rapping on the door startled her. When she had opened the door, Russel and 2-D shook hands with her while Noodle cheered and hugged her for greeting.

"How are you lot?" Bedelia asked, inviting them in. The drummer and the singer looked around interested before they assured that they were doing quite well – except for the bassist's collaps. Noodle nodded approvingly, her trademark frizzy hair bouncing.

"Nice house," 2-D said, sitting down at the table and looking at the plate of fried eggs surrounded by crisp toast.

"Is... is this...?" he asked breathlessly, picking one up and holding it in slightly trembling long fingers.

"Egg In A Basket," Bedelia confirmed, "Help yourself." The singer bit into the slice of toast, a broad smile creeping into his face and revealing his trademark missing front teeth.

"Haven't eaten this for yonks," he said through a mouthful, swallowing quickly and taking a sip of coffee. Bedelia couldn't help smiling. Russel and Noodle tasted suspiciously before they commended Bedelia for the dish. After the snack, the band-mates and Bedelia set off for the hospital.

When they had arrived at the square brick building, an elderly nurse at the reception desk told Russel that Murdoc had been taken to a private room on the second floor already. The drummer thanked her politely and led the band-mates and Bedelia to the named room. They looked through the glass pane at the bassist in the single bed. His green skin looked oddly pale against the bright yellow bedclothes and the white hospital gown. His hands rested on top of the blanket. A needle was sitting in his right arm, just above his wrist, delivering some remedy into his veins. Bedelia looked at his calm face and couldn't help sighing.

"Go in first," Russel suddenly said, nudging her shoulder.

As soon as Bedelia had entered the room, Murdoc's left index finger came alive, stirring as if sniffing for her. A sigh escaped his slack lips. She sat down on the edge of his bed, and ran the knuckles of her index finger along Murdoc's sideburns to become noticable. When he sighed again, she took hold of his left hand that felt stone-cold. Gently, she rubbed each finger, starting with the pinkie. A smile crawled across the bassist's lips as he opened his eyes and sat up.

"So good to see my dirty-sweet girl," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. Bedelia ran her hands along his shoulders and neck and kissed his cheek.

"How does my sexy beast feel?" she whispered.

"Much better now," the bassist answered, "By the bye, love your dress. You're a sight for sore eyes."

"Thanks," she whispered, "There's someone else to see you, too." The bassist turned his head to notice his band-mates peeking through the glass pane. He raised his hand, waving them in. Then, he released Bedelia to lay back on the pillow, etwining the fingers of his left hand with the fingers of her right hand and pressing his palm against hers.

While Russel remained calm as ever, keeping to the shadows – just his ghostly white eyes gave a hint of his presence -, Noodle and 2-D were interrupting each other with every second word, passing on the latest news. Murdoc just rolled his eyes at such excitement, cherishing the touch of Bedelia's hand.

The band-mates and Bedelia stayed until the nurse came to check on Murdoc's remedy. While Russel, 2-D and Noodle left the room, Bedelia took the chance to kiss the bassist good-bye properly. As she left as well, Murdoc closed his eyes again and shifted into a comfortable position. His lips were curled up in a broad and genuinely happy smile.

Three days later, when Bedelia was doing house chores, a rapping against the frame of the living-room window startled her. Much to her surprise, Cortez was perching on the outside window-sill. She opened the window to let him in. The raven came to perch on her shoulder, crooning to greet her. Then, he looked around and cawed lowly, sounding inquiring, almost disappointed.

"Have a seat," Bedelia invited while preparing a special snack she had created for Murdoc to lift his spirits. She was positive that he disliked being grounded at the hospital.

The snack consisted of a big baked potato, sliced open like a bread roll with a thick layer of butter and raw bacon bits spread between the halves. She offered a handful of bacon bits to the raven before she wrapped the potato into aluminium foil and spread the news to the bird. Perching on the back of her seat, Cortez listened patiently, his head cocked to the side.

"I'm going to visit him today," she said, "Care to join me, amigo?" The raven nodded and wiped his beak against her shoulder. Bedelia smiled and got up to call a taxi. Cortez gave another inquiring cawing. When the taxi arrived about half an hour later, he followed, keeping an adequate distance. In front of the hospital, Bedelia gestured at the window of Murdoc's room when Cortez came to perch on a near-by tree. Cortez crooned and flew up to perch on the window-sill while Bedelia hurried inside. When she had reached Murdoc's room, the bassist was in bed again, obviously dozing. The remedy needle was still sitting in his right arm. His hands that were resting on his chest stirred as soon as Bedelia sat down on the edge of the bed. Slowly, his left hand crept towards her knee and up her inner thigh. A smile crawled across his lips when his fingertips brushed her garter-straps and went along the hemline of her black stockings underneath the red dress she had chosen again. The bassist opened his eyes and looked at Bedelia who smiled at him.

"So nice you're here," he said, "Just when I thought it was a dream. My dirty-sweet girl looks wonderful."

"And you look much better," Bedelia answered, gesturing at the needle in his arm, "This stuff must do you good." Murdoc shrugged, running his hand along her inner thigh.

A rapping against the window-frame interrupted the scene. Murdoc turned his head and grinned broadly when he noticed the familiar shape of Cortez perching on the window-sill.

"He dropped in when I was about to leave," Bedelia explained, opening the window a crack since a metal bolting device wouldn't allow to open it wide, "I told him what happened, and he agreed to come along." Cortez wriggled through the small gap and came to perch on the nightstand next to Murdoc's bed, cawing to greet him.

"Oh, almost forgot," Bedelia said, rummaging her bag, "I brought you something." She put the wrapped-in sandwich potato on top of his blanket. Murdoc unwrapped it suspiciously, letting out one of his amazingly soft chuckles at the sight of the potato. He straightened up, pulling her close to claim her lips.

"Thanks a lot, my lovely," he said when their lips parted, "I'm starving. Can't get decent grub around here."

"Well... can't let you suffer from the worst meals known to mankind, can I?" Bedelia smiled. The bassist smiled back and took a huge bite, keeping quiet about that he had survived worse meals in the Tijuana prison.

"That's sheer brilliance, luv," he said instead through a mouthful of buttered potato and bacon bits.

"Thanks." Bedelia smiled at the sight of a small bacon bit sitting in the corner of his mouth. She bent across him to kiss it off. Murdoc cupped her nape, holding her close to claim her lips again.

Bedelia wasn't sure if Murdoc would appreciate a present to celebrate their first year in marriage, the way any usual husband would. But since it had been a good year, she nonetheless had browsed the internet for something to appreciate the occasion. Finally, she came across an online store for British items that looked suitable. She ordered a bottle of BROKER'S Dry Gin, a bottle of THE DALMORE 12-year-old Single Malt Scotch and a bottle of STONE'S Green Ginger Wine as well as a box of sea salt caramel milk chocolates, hoping to give the bassist a positive surprise.

A new day dawned, and Murdoc woke up to the sensation of Bedelia's smooth bare back against his front. He took his hand off her hip to yawn and stretch his limbs in all directions.

"Sleep well?" Bedelia asked softly, rolling over to face him. Murdoc nodded approvingly, wrapping his arm around her middle and pulling her close for a kiss good morning, cherishing the sweet and sour taste of her tongue. When their lips and tongues parted, Bedelia rolled over to open a drawer beneath the bed, pulling out a parcel wrapped in black paper with small red notes and decorated with a tiny black silk bow.

"Happy Handbonding Day, my sexy beast," she said, handing the parcel to the bassist who frowned at it, repeating, "Handbonding Day?"

"I thought it's a better word for our anniversary," Bedelia explained and smiled at Murdoc chuckling softly.

"Della, my lovely, you're so good with words," he said, opening the parcel. A gasp escaped him when he read the bottles' lables. Bedelia smiled at the unspoken question dawning in his mismatched eyes and explained.

"You like?" she asked.

"Do I!" Murdoc put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to kiss her temple.

"The gin is the best money can buy, and the green wine is awfully good and bloody rare stuff, you know," he explained against her skin, "Haven't seen it for yonks. Thank you, luv."

"Welcome, my sexy beast. I just thought you might miss your country and some of the stuff one can get over there." The bassist fell silent for a moment before he said, "Before I met you, I did sometimes."

They stayed in bed for about half an hour before Bedelia suggested to have breakfast. She got up and put on her white kimono dressing robe. Quickly, Murdoc rolled over and reached out to slip his hand underneath her robe and pinch her crotch, making her squeal and giggle.

"That's for after breakfast," she chided him, gently slapping his wrist with her index finger and leaving for the kitchen. About half an hour later, she returned, carrying a tray loaded with a plate of folded bacon pancakes, a small plate of crispy bacon slices, her "bottle coffee set" containing two white earless cups instead of three with the bottle-neck-shaped milk pitcher and the sugar bowl, some forks and spoons, and a small blue coffee pitcher. She handed the tray to Murdoc and slid back underneath the blanket. The bassist placed the tray on top of the blanket between them, disintegrated the bottle and poured coffee into the one cup before adding half a teaspoon of sugar, stirring carefully and taking a sip. Then he took a fork and speared the first bacon pancake, cherishing the mingled taste of bacon and slightly sweetened dough while Bedelia poured milk and added two teaspoons of sugar into the other cup before adding coffee.

Late after-noon was changing into dusk when the pair was done with their "bed-meal", as Bedelia called it.

"To a good year with my sexy beast," Bedelia smiled, clicking her cup against Murdoc's. The bassist gulped down his coffee and replied, "To us and the 12 years to come, my dirty-sweet girl." He clicked his cup against hers again and leaned in close to kiss her lips before saying, "And now for your gift, my lovely." Slowly, he lifted the blanket, revealing his quickly hardening rod while groping for her crotch with his free hand to slip his middle and ring finger into her hole since they were the longest, moving them to and fro. Bedelia moaned lowly, flexing her vaginal muscles in reply. Slowly, the bassist pulled back his fingers that were lubricated up to the knuckles. He started cleaning them with his tongue while shifting into a better position to push his rod into her hole, pausing every now and then and causing her to flex her vaginal muscles again at each pause. Murdoc responded by giving one of his deep-throated animal groans to each flexing, lowering himself on his elbows to bury his face into the fleshy crook of her neck. Bedelia gave a low hiss when she felt his hot breath brush her skin and his semen fill her insides simultanously. She wrapped both arms and one leg around him, riding out the climax to the fullest. As his rod was softening, Murdoc slid out of her, rolling on his back and pulling her close against his ribcage.

"For the love of Lilith, that was great," Bedelia whispered, naming one of the few demons she knew about. Smiling to himself, Murdoc hummed approvingly, kissing her forehead.

"By the bye, there's a Satanic convention held in Goldfield next week-end," he said. Bedelia scooted closer against his ribcage, wrapping her arm around him and whispering, "Enjoy." Murdoc ran his fingers through her hair that had grown in tight curls all down to her shoulders by now.

"You don't mind me going?" Knowing full well that one couldn't throw a rock into such a convention without hitting a black-clothed, promiscious Goth girl with seduction written all over her heavily rouged face, the bassist was audibly surprised.

"Who am I to interfere with my man's religion?" Bedelia laughed softly, resting her head on his biceps, "All I ask you to is to take care of you and to come back in one piece. Everything else is all up to you. Remember what I said before your Sin City trip – I don't wanna be your Yoko Ono or Nancy Spungen."

"Yup, I remember," the bassist said while spreading light kisses all over her face, "That's why I love you so much, my dirty-sweet girl."

"I love you, too, my sexy beast," Bedelia whispered back when his lips had touched her half-closed eyelids, gently sealing them shut. She took a deep breath and let her mind wander off to get some rest. Having sex with Murdoc, she had realized during their first night together, was like being hit by a huge wave. As satisfying as it was, it always required some recovery to get her mind back in order – not to mention to soothe her arousal that the bassist's touchs never failed to whip up. The pair stayed in bed until they felt hungry around next noon. After Murdoc had cooked scrambled eggs with bacon and toast, he went to check on the clothes he wanted to wear on the convention. After a few minutes of picking up clothes and dropping them back, he chose a pair of black jeans and a black turtleneck sweater as well as a black cape from the laundry basket. Bedelia who had watched him took the clothes he had picked to put them into the washing machine since the jeans and sweater had stains. Then, she looked at the pair of black Cuban-heeled boots Murdoc had bought a few weeks ago. She polished them throughly, spreading a thin layer of baby oil on the leather for finish.

On late Friday after-noon, Murdoc prepared for setting off by taking a shower once again. Bedelia checked on the washed clothes to see if there were any stains left. As soon as the shower was turned off, she spread the jeans and sweater on the bed and placed the boots in front of the bed. Suddenly, an idea struck her. She took a wad of cotton wool and a small bottle of baby oil to polish the boots again. Her efforts were rewarded with the black leather shining like new. The bassist came in and sat down next to her, pecking her cheek.

"Have a good time and take care," Bedelia whispered.

"I will," Murdoc answered, slipping on the turtleneck sweater and the jeans. Then, he looked at the shiny boots and put them on.

Midnight was close on a pitch-black and windy Sunday night when Murdoc's Winnebago pulled up in front of Bedelia's house. The moon that had accompanied the convention held in an abandoned hotel was hidden behind some clouds. Gusts of wind tugged at the branches of the near-by trees, making them creak and moan like ghosts in the darkness. The bassist turned off the engine and pulled the keys from the ignition before he felt for the small bass guitar pendant and the house key. He grabbed the parcel with the long wine purple velvet dress, the black velvet cloak and two sets of pentacle loop earrings he had bought for Bedelia - one was black with small winged pentacles, and the other one had big silver pentacles with a black stone in the middle – and climbed off the driver's seat to make his way for the door. Unable to find the keyhole due to the pitch-black night and the bottle of Scotch he had been drinking at the convention, Murdoc searched his pockets for his lighter, shifting the parcel from one arm to the other. With a timid flame coming ablaze, he unlocked the door and stepped in, pushing the door close with his boot. When he stood at the stairs to take off his cape, he caught a sniff of Bedelia's scent from upstairs. The bassist licked his lips in anticipation of her naked and warm body to come to after having spent three days among pretty Goth girls whose libidos had been visibly heated up by alcohol and the convention's spirits – a very familiar sight to Murdoc. He hung his cape on a hook on the wall next to the staircase and went upstairs. The bedroom door inched open when his elbow gave it a light push. Murdoc caught another sniff of Bedelia's promising scent and felt his way to the bed with his hands and nose. Taking off his clothes, he sat down on the edge of the bed and crept underneath the blanket. He inhaled again and scooted closer to Bedelia's welcoming warmth. Bedelia gave a throaty moan and shifted into another position when she felt his calloused hand gently rubbing her hip. She snuggled her bare back against his bare front. Murdoc shoved his left arm through the gap between her neck and shoulder, making her head rest on his biceps, and buried his nose into her hair. Bedelia took hold of his hand, kissing the inside of his wrist and entwining their fingers in respond as his other hand moved onto her thigh. They held this position until they dozed off at dawn. When the first light of day crept into the room, Murdoc's hand moved across Bedelia's ribs and belly, causing her to snuggle her bum into his groin. The bassist uttered one of his deep-throated animal growls as his rod was hardening quickly. He pulled her as close as possible, cupping her crotch and pressing his heel of hand against her clit. Bedelia freed herself from his grip to roll on her back and open her legs, granting him entrance which the bassist accepted gladly. When his semen had filled her insides, she wrapped both arms around him and planted a light kiss on his shoulder joint. Murdoc exhaled deeply when he felt his rod soften. He rolled on his back, put his arm around Bedelia's shoulders and pulled her close to plant a light kiss on her forehead.

"Good to be back," he whispered against her skin when raindrops started drumming on the roof and splashing against the windows, "Oh, and thanks for the welcome gift, my dirty-sweet girl." Despite the dimly lit room, Bedelia turned her head to smile at him.

"Oh, almost forgot!" The bassist took his arm off her and sat up, taking the blanket with him in the movement.

"What is it?" Bedelia blinked in surprise, pulling the blanket close around her as Murdoc hauled himself off the bed, quickly crossing the room to turn on the small lamp on the nightstand and get the parcel. He knelt down on top of the blanket, caging her between his legs and hiding the parcel behind his back.

"I got you something," he announced, "Hold out your hands and close your eyes." She obeyed and smiled when she felt the parcel's weight in her hands. Opening her eyes, she opened the black paper with shiny black pentacles scattered across, taking out the purple dress that was wrapped into the black cloak. The earrings were wrapped into a piece of blood red cloth and shoved into one of the long sleeves of the dress. Admriringly, Bedelia ran a hand across the soft fabric.

"Thank you very much. This is beautiful," she whispered, pushing the blanket aside as far as the grip of Murdoc's legs would allow. The bassist put his hands on either side of her shoulders, bending across her to claim her lips. Then, he laid down next to her and watched her climb off the bed and go into the bathroom. Murdoc sat up against the head part of the bed and expectantly laced his hands behind his head. It took about twenty minutes until Bedelia came back. The purple dress fell down to her ankles, accentuating her body shape, just like the slightly shorter black cloak cascading down from her shoulders like a water-fall of tar. The silver earrings were swinging back and forth smoothly with every step or move of her head. In addition, Bedelia had put on the long silver chain with the silver pentagram and the silver pentagram ring. Murdoc looked her over admiringly before standing up on his knees and reaching out for her.

"Come here, my dirty-sweet girl," he said, taking her hand and making her sit on the edge of the bed, "You look just as lovely as I thought."

"Thanks." Bedelia smiled as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She scooted closer and leaned in close to kiss him.

Two weeks and two days had passed since Murdoc and Bedelia had celebrated their first anniversary. The landline phone's melody interrupted a late after-noon of a lazy Sunday they had spent relaxing on the couch underneath a knitted blanket and watching some movies on a recently discovered TV channel broadcasting all kind of horror and science fiction movies all day. When the end credits of a sciece-fiction movie named "Class of 1999" were showing, Bedelia freed herself from Murdoc's arms to answer the phone, taking the blanket with her. She was greeted by Maureen who asked how Bedelia was doing.

Since the TV had switched to commercials, Murdoc shifted on his belly, resting his chin on his folded arms to watch Bedelia drape the blanket around her shoulders like a poncho and sit down in an arm-chair across from him, listening to Maureen who asked her when to meet again. The bassist slid his tongue out of the corner of his mouth when the blanket unfolded, revealing some drops of her juices glistening among her thick pubic hair in the light of the setting sun and the dim light of a black-and-white movie named "Village of the Damned". Slowly, he licked his lips, cherishing the sight that went straight to his crotch. When Bedelia got up to rest the phone into its cradle, he sat up and opened his arms at her. She came to sit next to him, draping the blanket around them both and leaning against his chest to rest her head on his shoulder. Murdoc lifted the piece of the blanket Bedelia had sat on to his nose and deeply inhaled her scent. Then, he rubbed the blanket between thumb and index finger before licking her juices off his fingers. He wrapped his arms around her and let his lips crawl along the side of her neck. A small mischivious grin spread on his face when the touch of his breath made her laugh and squirm. He held her tight with one arm, digging the fingers of his free hand into her sides and ribs. It didn't take long until Bedelia surrendered. When he felt the familiar heat of carnal desire warm up his groin, Murdoc put his hands on either side of Bedelia's shoulders and looked into her eyes. He couldn't help grinning wolfishly at the arousal dawning in her black-brown eyes as he shifted into the position to push his rod into her hole in a swift movement. Bedelia uttered a high-pitched moan when his semen filled her insides and clung to his shoulders, riding out the climax to the max. They broke apart, looking into each other's eyes and panting heavily. Murdoc leaned in close for a quick kiss.

"Drink?" he whispered, his voice hoarse with excitement. Bedelia just nodded. The bassist went to get two octagonal collins glasses from the kitchen and the ice bucket and a bottle of ginger ale as well as the beverages Bedelia had bought him from the small fridge in the living room corner. Bedelia took a deep breath to sit up and pour him a glass of the Green Ginger Wine on ice and a glass of Ginger Ale with a big dash of gin on ice for herself. They sat together, cherishing their drinks and watching "Village of the Damned". Murdoc smacked his lips when just the ice ball was left in his glass.

"Can't really beat absinthe," he said, wiping the inside of his glass with his index finger to catch every drop of the beautifully golden-brown liquid, "But it's got a nice taste to it."

He put the glass on the sidetable next to him and straightened up to kiss Bedelia. When their tongues touched, mingling the slightly sweet taste of the wine with the mixture of ginger ale and gin, a sigh escaped both of them. Murdoc stretched his arms over his head when their mouths parted, curling and uncurling his calloused fingers one by one until his finger joints crackled quietly.

"That was a wonderful day," he said.

"Nothing like a lazy day spent with you," Bedelia agreed, leaning in close to kiss his cheek and inhale his scent before suddenly sitting up straight as if having remembered something. She pecked his cheek again and left the room to get her handbag.

"I don't know about you," she said, rummaging the bag until her hand came up with a black cigarette case full of her black cigarettes and a small blue gas lighter Maureen had given her for Christmas, "But I think it's time for a smoke as a finish for a perfect lazy Sunday." Murdoc chuckled to himself when she opened the case, lit up two cigarettes and held out one over her shoulder.

"You're so right, luv," the bassist agreed, putting the cigarette between his lips to take a long drag and blow rings into the air. He blinked in surprise when he realized that this had actually been his first lazy Sunday.

"Care for a refill?" Bedelia asked when she noticed him looking at the slowly melting ice ball in his glass. Smiling to himself, Murdoc nodded and watched her getting up and pouring new drinks. He reached out to run a hand along her buttocks and her inner thighs, gently brushing her valley and her clit in the process.

"Ginger wine on the rocks," she announced, handing him his glass, "And a double G." She took her own glass to sit down again. Murdoc sucked in his breath when she traced her index finger along his thigh and up his belly and chest. He drained his glass and got up to sit astraddle on her lap. Murdoc couldn't help shivering when her hands crept up his back along the spine. He leaned in close to put his forehead against hers and whisper, "Say, my dirty-sweet girl, have I told you yet today that I love you?"

"Not yet, my sexy beast," Bedelia whispered back, tousling his hair, "And I love you too."

Smiling to himself, Murdoc shifted to nudge her nose with his and peck her lips. Bedelia slid her hands down his back in respond, groping his buttocks. Murdoc jumped involuntarily when her grip caused one of the whiteheads scattered across his rear to crack and ooze a thin streak of pus. It was a first for the bassist who hadn't really cared about the whiteheads and blackheads littering his buttocks for years. But since Bedelia didn't seem to notice or mind, he shrugged off the eerie sensation of pus running down his skin.

Putting his forehead against hers again and closing his eyes, the bassist reflected on the days he had spent in his birthday suit so far. Doubtlessly, he had enjoyed each of them. But being naked in Bedelia's company was different from moping around shirt- and trouserless at Kong Studios or in the privacy of his Winnebago. Generally, the fewer fabric the bassist's body was covered by, the stronger and better he felt. Being with Bedelia added a great deal of comfort to that feeling of almost invincibility. Murdoc couldn't help sighing when Bedelia turned her head to peck him on the cheek bone, whispering, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied with his voice turning amazingly smooth and leaned in close to peck her on the lips. All of a sudden, pain jolted through his back, making him hiss and pull back.

"What is it?" Bedelia wondered.

"Just my back," the bassist answered through clenched teeth. Inquiringly, she slowly ran her hands up and down his strained back muscles. Murdoc exhaled deeply at the soothing touch that reminded him of when she had washed his back in the tub.

"Mind if we go upstairs and I give you a back rub?" Bedelia suggested. In a surprisingly swift movement, the bassist got up and held his hand out to her.

"Unless you're feeling better already, of course," she added.

"I do feel better, luv. I always do with you around," Murdoc answered, chuckling to himself, "But I bet your back rub is gonna make me feel even better." Smiling to herself, Bedelia followed him to the bed room. He plopped down face down on the bed, spreading his limbs in all directions. She sat down astraddle on his thighs, admiring his prison tattoos in all of their glory. A groan of pleasure escaped Murdoc when he felt Bedelia's hands creep upwards from the hips to his shoulders, rubbing his skin in soothing circles.

"Terrific," he whispered when relaxation was spreading all over his muscles, quickly making the knots in his back come undone.

"Glad you like it," Bedelia said, planting a light kiss beneath his nape, making Murdoc suck in his breath sharply.

"Still hurts?" she asked.

"Nah, just a sore spot from a fight long ago," he explained, not intenting to reveal his weakness, "Some bloke crashed a chair into my back." Bedelia ran her heel of hand up his spine in gentle pressure making him sigh. Then, she laid down at his side, suggesting to sleep. Murdoc smiled at her in respond, slipping underneath the covers.

Maureen fell silent as Bedelia repeated, "Murdoc promised to be all mine for 13 years. We were eating out and had an unofficial wedding, just the two of us saying our vows with Cortez as a witness." The glance from Maureen's emerald eyes made her stop and sip her coffee. Her friend cupped her mug of coffee as if freezing all of a sudden.

"So you're married now, Hon," Maureen said as if speaking to herself, absent-mindedly patting the fur of Boris, an old tiger-striped alley-cat she had taken in a few weeks ago who had curled up on her lap, "Married to Mr. Green-skin Snaggle-tooth." A broad smile spread on her pale face as she added, "I should have known. Are you happy?"

"Believe it or not, I am. My sexy beast is great, in his own special way." Bedelia took another sip of white coffee with a teaspoon of sugar before lighting up two of her black cigarettes and handing one to Maureen.

"Sexy beast... suitable for a man with fingernails and teeth he'd need a gun licence for," Maureen stated, taking a drag and releasing a delicate whisp of smoke. Boris pricked up his scarred ears and sneezed. Soothingly, Maureen patted his fur down until the old tom cat was purring.

"I know, Dear." Bedelia couldn't help smiling as she remembered the first time when she had felt the bassist's nails grazing her inner flesh and arousing her in a way that had been all new to her. Maureen couldn't help smiling herself, seeing emotions flicker in Bedelia's black-brown eyes. She reached out to take hold of her friend's hand.

"If he can make you happy, I'm glad for you," she said. Then, she noiced Bedelia's ring.

"That's a pretty one," she said, "Your wedding ring, I suppose?"

"Nope," Bedelia clarified, adjusting the silver chain with the silver pentacle, "Murdoc gave me this necklace instead of a ring. An old pal of him gave me the ring as a sign of respect." She tapped her right thumb against her right ring finger.

"What pal?" Maureen leaned in close, locking her emerald eyes with Bedelia's black-brown. Bedelia took a deep breath and bit her lip for a moment. Of course, Maureen would always welcome her and be there for her. She had dried Bedelia's tears when a man had dumped her and had even shared her meals when needed. But telling about a demon's flying visit was a different story. Finally, Bedelia took another sip of coffee and said, "Lucifer did."

"Lucifer like in devil?" Maureen's eyes grew big when Cortez who had accompanied Bedelia gave a cawing from the outside window-sill where he had been eating an assortment of nuts and dried fruits Maureen had served him in a bowl. Bedelia nodded, explaining, "He dropped in to talk to me when he heard about Murdoc and me. As far as Murdoc said, Lucifer visit earth every now and then."

"What does a demon look like?" Maureen asked. Bedelia couldn't help laughing.

"At first, he took the form of Murdoc's dead father, and according to Murdoc, he does that quite often when he comes to earth without being called," she explained.

"Did he show his true form, too?" Maureen wondered.

"He did. Lucifer is tall and quite handsome in a certain way," Bedelia discribed the fallen angel, "He doesn't have hair, just a pair of slim eye brows. And he's got really remarkable eyes – shiny like diamonds." Maureen drained her cup, letting the discription sink in. Finally, she asked, "And how it'll go on with you and your husband now?"

"You're talking about kids?" Bedelia shrugged as Maureen raised an eye brow.

"We'll see about that when it's waiting around the corner," she said, "I don't know if we can handle a baby. Murdoc's childhood was awful, from what he told me. I don't know if he'd make a good father."

"He might not, Hon. He mentioned that he comes from a rotten family," Maureen remembered.

An early April night fell on Mesquite when Murdoc found himself unable to sleep. He shifted into a better position to bury his nose into the warm skin of the welcoming body at his side, catching a sniff of Bedelia's sweet scent. She rolled over to face him and whisper, "Can I ask my sexy beast a favour?"

"Anything my dirty-sweet girl wants to," Murdoc replied, running his index finger through his fringe as if imitating a military greeting, "I'm all at your service."

"Tell me something about you nobody else knows," Bedelia said, pecking his cheek. He sat up against the padded head part of the bed and rubbed his chin. Bedelia took a box of her black cigarettes, a lighter and a small ashtray from her nightstand, lit up two cigarettes and handed one to the bassist who took a long drag and blew a few smoke circles into the silvery moonlight. Then, she sat up as well, snuggling against his side. The bassist let out one of his amazingly soft chuckles and pecked her temple before he said with a smile crawling across his face, "When – I turned 14 and left the run-down house Dad called our own, I spent almost a year among gypsies on a campside south of London. They taught me how to bare-knuckle box."

"Boxing without gloves, ain't it?" Bedelia asked. Murdoc gave a sound of agreement.

"Did that break your nose so often?" she wondered.

"Nah, that was much later," the bassist clarified, "I was pretty good at letting my fists fly." He raised his arm and made a fist to show his muscles. Admiringly, Bedelia ran her hand along his arm as he slowly rotated his fist, and leaned in close to plant a light kiss on his inner biceps.

"There was only one bloke who could beat me," Murdoc went on, opening his fist and wiggling his fingers, "One-punch Mickey, they called him. He was sorta famous for knocking the other one out with a single blow." He interrupted himself, uttering a low growl before he said, "Mickey's fist had the force of a pump-gun shot, to be blunt. Bloody bastard nearly wrecked my jaw when we had our first fight. I couldn't chew properly for a week." He took another drag on his cigarette, smoking it down to the filter.

"But I gave him hell when I was back on my feet, thanks to an old gipsy woman who tended to me," the bassist finished his tale, blowing more smoke rings and stubbing the cigarette against the ashtray. Then, he laid back on the pillow.

"Never doubted that," Bedelia smiled, pecking his cheek and laying down at his side, "My sexy beast is a two-fisted dynamo."

"A two-fisted dynamo?" Murdoc repeated, unable to hide an impressed smile, "You're really good with words, my dirty-sweet girl, always saying the nicest things." He wrapped both arms around her, pulling her on top of him and stretched out his neck to plant a light kiss on her lips. Bedelia put an elbow on either side of his shoulders to steady herself and return the light kiss while running her knuckles along his sideburns and cheeks. Murdoc ran his hands down her back in reply, frowning when he noticed she had lost weight again.

"Loosing weight again, do we, Mrs. Niccals?" he snickered, feeling for her now slightly jutting ribs, "But don't you waste away."

"Won't," Bedelia promised, pecking his lips again.

"Atta girl," the bassist snickered again, cherishing the warmth of her weight covering him. Closing his eyes halfways, he wrapped his arms tighter around her and rolled over again so that both were laying on their side. Pulling her as close as possible, he spread light kisses all over her face. Bedelia wrapped her arms around his neck and one leg around his thigh, letting her lips crawl along his collar-bone, from one shoulder to the other. Murdoc gave a deep-throated sigh and felt for her hand to entwine their fingers when her lips had reached his shoulder joint.

"Have I told you yet today that I love you?" she whispered.

"Nah, not yet," Murdoc smiled, running his hand down her back to give her buttock a gentle squeeze.

"And I love you, too," he whispered and pecked her forehead while his long fingers rubbed along her inner thigh in small circles.

A moonless autum night had fallen on Mesquite when Murdoc woke up from a slight grumble in his stomach. He took his arm of Bedelia to sit up and soothingly run his hand across his belly. Since the grumble wouldn't cease, the bassist hauled himself off the bed, put on a jeans that was within reach and walked downstairs into the kitchen to browse the kitchen for a snack. When he had gone through the kitchen cabinets, he turned his attention to the fridge that towered above the stove. First thing he noticed was a fresh bottle of bourbon. He pulled his lighter from his pocket, and the timid flame coming ablaze revealed two deep baking pans of potato halves topped with sliced tomatoes and sliced cheese that was sitting in the oven. Murdoc looked at the stove's control buttons and switched the oven on, choosing medium heat to cook the dish. Soon, the potatoes were covered with melted cheese. Murdoc took an oven glove from a hook atop the stove and opened the oven to take the first baking pan out. He winced when a gust of hot air hit his face. He put the pan on top of the stove and turned to get a plate and a fork and knive. Then, he speared the first potatoe to cut it in half and take the first bite. A delicious mixture of hot cheese, softened potato and juicy tomato wrapped in salty bacon exploded in Murdoc's mouth, slowly running down his throat and ceasing the rumble from Murdoc's stomach as the bassist was chomping. Within the quarter of an hour, Murdoc had eaten half of the pan, each bite followed by a swig from the bottle of bourbon. He took a breath to lick his lips and look at the remaining baking pan that was still sitting in the oven. Again, he ran his tongue along his lips, cherishing the tasty dish. A soft burp escaped his lips before he speared the next potato, finishing it in two bites. One and a half hour later, Murdoc ran his left hand over his slightly bloated belly, wiping his mouth with the back of the other. He took another deep breath, uttering a thunderous belch that made him snicker. He took the last swig from the bottle, patted his belly again and hauled himself off the chair, making his way back into the bedroom. When he approached the bed, unbottening his jeans and pushing them off, Bedelia rolled over and propped herself up on an elbow.

"Feeling better now?" she asked as he plopped down next to her. The bassist rolled on his side, facing her, and nodded his agreements as soon as his head had found the pillow. Smiling, Bedelia ran her hand along the curve of his belly. The bassist closed his eyes, cherishing the soothing touch. He ran his hands along Bedelia's back in respond. Once again, he felt miserably happy.

It had been a while since he had eaten this much at such a late hour, and he was grateful for Bedelia rubbing his belly and soothing the gurgling noises from inside. However, he couldn't help gasping every time her fingertips brushed the skin around his belly-button. Finally, Murdoc rolled on his back and took hold of Bedelia's hand to make the tingly sensation stop.

It was the third night since Murdoc had gone to Kong Studios for recording songs once again. A few minutes past midnight, Bedelia woke up from nausea creeping up her esophagus. She sat up and tried to swallow it back down. But as the swallowing didn't work, she got up and rushed into the bathroom, opening the toilet lid just in time to throw up. It took minutes until the nausea was receding. She took a deep breath and turned towards the sink to wash her face and rinse her mouth. Of all possibilities of emptying her stomach, throwing up was the most despicable to Bedelia. Anything else was better than the eerie sensation of slightly degisted food creeping up her esophagus. Wiping off her face and hands, she heard the familiar cawing of Cortez from outside, followed by Murdoc's recognizably unsteady steps climbing up the metal stairs. The bassist went straight into the bedroom. Bedelia went in as well to find him sprawled out face down on top of the bed, naked except for his black Cuban heels, with his head propped on one hand and the other arm dangling over the edge. Bedelia couldn't help smiling when she noticed the long nail of his index finger moving as if plucking the strings of an invisible guitar on the floor.

"Greetings," he smiled, rolling on his back, patting the edge of the bed and waving her close with the crook of his index finger. Bedelia came to sit at his side, running a hand down his front. Murdoc cupped her nape in respond, pulling her close to peck her on the lips.

"What is it?" he whispered as he put his forehead against hers, noticing the dark shadows beneath her eyes. Bedelia closed her eyes for a moment, avoiding eye contact. Murdoc gave a low snarl, cupping her chin.

"Come on, tell me," he demanded, putting on his smoothest voice.

"Okay," she gave in, "I had to throw up before you came in."

"Did you eat something wrong?" Murdoc ran his hand through her hair. Cortez who had been perching on the pillow came to perch on her shoulder, nudging her head with his. Bedelia ran her fingers along the raven's glossy chest feathers in return while recollecting her food that included a few bacon-bit-tomato-sandwichs and a pizza with salami, ham, sliced mushrooms and sliced ball peppers. Cortez crooned soothingly before moving back onto the pillow. Murdoc gave one of his amazingly soft chuckles as he splayed his hand across her slightly gargling belly.

"Yup, sounds just like you," he said, leaning in close to peck her cheek.

"What do you think about Adrian – like the baby in Rosemary's baby? And maybe Marc as a middle name to separate the Ns?" Bedelia whispered, sitting up against the head part of the bed in Murdoc's Winnebago. When she had been in pain, Murdoc had taken her into the motor-home and to a hospital to get her looked at. When it was certain that she was in labour, he had changed the bedclothes as quick as possible, preparing for a kind of home birth since he didn't intend to have his baby born in a hospital. As soon as the doctor and a nurse had stopped complaining about the thick air filling the Winnebago and had delivered the baby, Murdoc had paid them handsomely and kicked them out of the motor-home.

She looked at Murdoc's first-born son wrapped in the bassist's biggest and cleanest towel and cradled in her arms. He approached the bed to sit on the edge again and admire the baby's smooth black hair and tanned skin holding a light green hue. He couldn't help smiling as he remembered the images he had seen in Bedelia's eyes.

"Adrian Marc Niccals," he whispered aloud. Much to Bedelia's amusement, the baby boy opened his dark-brown, almost black eyes that were surrounded by a light blue hue that looked like tiny solar eclipses, and gave a joyful coo, reaching out for the bassist. Murdoc smiled at the baby, cupping the tiny head and running his thumb over the smooth black hair. He frowned slightly when the coo was followed by a yawn revealing a tiny yet appearantly complete set of teeth. A second later, Bedelia frowned at the sight as well. Quickly, she decided to bottle-feed the baby for sure. She looked into the bassist's mismatched eyes and reached out for his hand, entwining their fingers. Murdoc gave her hand a tender squeeze, running his thumb across the back. Bedelia raised their hands to plant light kisses on his knuckles. She smiled when this made the bassist smile at her. But in the back of her head, the image of their new-born son's teeth lingered, reminding her of something about demons she had come across on the internet a few years ago. She made herself comfortable to get some sleep. The birth had gone off without a hitch but had been exhausting nonetheless. A few hours of unsteady sleep passed until Bedelia sat up, unable to ignore what she had read on the internet. It had made itself crystal-clear in her mind by now. She got up, trying not to wake up the bassist, and went into the living-room where Murdoc had padded out a big drawer as a make-shift crib. Cortez was perching on the edge, looking the sleeping baby over. Bedelia stood at the crib, looking at the baby, too.

"Hi, Cortez," she greeted the raven, running the knuckle of her index finger along the feathers beneath the raven's beak, "Meet Adrian Marc Niccals." The bird crooned lowly with his head tilted aside before he came to perch on Bedelia's shoulder. He nudged her head with his as she closed her eyes to focus on the fact that was bouncing her mind like a crystal ball. After a few minutes, she remembered that babies that were born with teeth would turn into vampire-like creatures after their death who would drain life from people passing their graves by sucking on their shrouds instead of getting up and hunting for blood. Bedelia couldn't name these creatures but she was quite positive that Murdoc might have heard about this – the frown flickering in his eyes hadn't escaped her. And even if the bassist might not be in the know, maybe she could convince him to ask Lucifer. She assumed that the fallen angel would come by sooner or later if hell was really as boring as he had told her. Bedelia just wondered if Lucifer would have to be called or drop in all by himself again.

Murdoc hauled himself off the bed and came to give Bedelia a tight hug from behind.

"Let's go home, luv," he whispered, pecking her cheek and the side of her neck. Then, he ran the knuckle of his index finger along Adrian's cheek. The baby stirred and gave a small sound. Murdoc waited until their son was laying sill again, his tiny hands loosely curled into fists on either side of his head. Then, the bassist made his way to the driver's seat. He jammed the keys into the ignition to jerk the engine alive. Bedelia went back to bed, listening to the engine's regular sounds as the Winnebago headed out towards Mesquite.

The new day was dawning when Murdoc found himself too tired to go on. He pulled into the parking lot of a large building, pulling the keys from the ignition and coming to join Bedelia. He checked on Adrian and Cortez who hadn't moved off the make-shift crib, and shed his jeans and boots to creep underneath the blanket and scoot into the welcoming warmth of Bedelia's skin. She gave a few of her deep-throated moanings and shifted her back against his chest when his arm snaked around her middle and his hot breath brushed her neck. Murdoc smiled contendly as his hand found hers, entwining their fingers.

"We're home yet?" Bedelia whispered.

"Nah, just pulled over. Need some shut-eye." Murdoc yawned. Feeling the soothing warmth of her body against his, he relaxed. Bedelia raised their entwined hands to plant a light kiss on his fingers and whisper, "Sleep well, my sexy beast."

"Sleep well," the bassist whispered back, drifting off to sleep during the last word. Silence fell upon the Winnebago until the hour of noon when Bedelia couldn't keep ignoring the waves of hunger roaring inside her stomach. She freed herself from Murdoc's arm and got up to look after Adrian who had shifted on his side. Cortez spread his wings to full size and gave a soft crooning when she approached.

"Morning, Cortez," Bedelia whispered, "Thanks for standing sentinel, amigo." The raven folded his wings and turned his head to look at her in a grave and solemn manner that reminded Bedelia of a mortician. She ran her index finger along the bird's chest and turned her attention towards the fridge.

"Breakfast?" she asked the raven as she noticed the plastic box Murdoc had taken the eyeballs from. When the raven came to perch on her shoulder, she took the sword-shaped pick from the lid and opened the box. Cortez crooned in anticipation and quickly spread his wings when she sat down at the table and speared the first eyeball which happened to be a bright blue human eye. The raven sized up the eye and took it off the pick. Bedelia couldn't help smiling when the raven's beak seemed to curl up into a little smile.

"Care for a drink, too?" she asked. Cortez spread his wings to full size and crooned approvingly. Bedelia got up to get two cups and poured the raven half a cup of black rum she had found in the fridge door. She had no idea how old the opened bottle might be but since it didn't smell odd or rotten, she poured herself half a cup and clicked her cup against the one sitting in front of Cortez. The raven perced on the table, spread his wings again and bowed at her when the cups touched.

"Cheers, amigo," Bedelia said, slowly sipping the rum. The raven bent across his cup, taking a few quick sips himself. His red eyes began to twinkle as if being glazed over.

All of a sudden, Bedelia and Cortez heard steps aproaching. She turned around when she caught a sniff of Murdoc's recognizable scent. The raven just turned his head solemnly at the bassist who cleared his throat to ask, "Having a party, luv?"

"Cortez was hungry, and I asked if he'd like a drink with his eyeballs," Bedelia explained, spearing a fresh eyeball for the raven. Murdoc picked up the raven's cup, sniffed it and said, "Here's looking at you, mate." He downed the rum, letting out a belch before he sat down next to Bedelia and put his arm around her shoulders.

"If my dirty-sweet girl ain't a perfect hostess," he snickered, pecking her cheek and running the nail of his thumb down her nape, "Well, can Cortez handle his drink?"

"I think so. He didn't show any signs of not," Bedelia said, pecking the bassist's cheek, "Did he never drink before?"

"Never seen him drink, come to think of it," Murdoc confessed, "But since he lived in the Tijuana slammer, I guess he caught a drop here or there over the years."

"Thought so, too." Bedelia watched Cortez take quick sips from her cup before she picked up the cup to take a sip herself. Placing it in front of the raven in a gesture of invitation, she glanced out of the window. A small "oh" escaped her when she noticed they were standing in front of a huge store for baby's items.

"I thought we might need some basics for Adrian," the bassist explained, unable to hide a grin at her expression.

"Methinks you thought right." Bedelia cupped his chin to peck him on the lips again. The bassist's grin widened when their lips parted and stretched his arms over his head until his joints were crackling quietly. Then, he wrapped his arms around Bedelia and hugged her tight. When she wrapped her arms around his ribcage, he rested his chin on her head with a sigh and ran his hands down her back to give her buttocks a gentle squeeze.

"Let's go splash out on something," he said, releasing her to take off his tee shirt and put on a pair of straight-cut black jeans with his boots. Bedelia went to check on Adrian. The baby yawned and reached out for her.

"Good morning, my little one," she said, picking him up and running a hand along his diaper. Even if the diaper didn't feel spoiled, she was sure that it better be changed soon. She took the baby on her arm and followed Murdoc who had exited the Winnebago with Cortez perching on his bare shoulder. Bedelia couldn't help smiling when he stood next to the steps, holding out his hand at her in an almost knightly manner. Dressed in nothing but the black jeans and the brown battered Cuban heels, with Cortez perching on his shoulder, he gave the impressive sight of a king returned from a victorious battle with his enemy's blood still dripping off his sword. He returned the smile as he took her hand and led her down the steps. When she was standing next to him, he entwined their fingers and strolled towards the entrance door.

The store's employees gasped at the sight of Cortez who looked around the store, crooning whenever he noticed something of interest. As soon as Murdoc and Bedelia had entered the store, the raven went to perch on a foldable crib consisting of a hammock made of dark red cloth attached to a dark brown wooden frame. Murdoc followed the raven to take a closer look while Bedelia went to look for diapers and glasses of food. When she had returned from the rest-rooms with the freshly changed baby wrapped into the towel again, the bassist put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to ask, "How about this one, luv?" Bedelia turned in his embrace to look at the crib and to plant a light kiss beneath his chest hair, humming her agreements. Then, she thankfully stroke Cortez' chest feathers. The raven gave a low croon in reply and flew off to look at pacifiers and rompers. Murdoc followed slowly, wincing involuntarily whenever he noticed something in pink or bright blue or sunny yellow. In the meantime, Cortez had grabbed a couple of dark-coloured pacifiers from a shelf, dropping them into the chosen crib, along with a dark-red romper with dark-blue legs and arms and a black romper with the image of a Cartoon skeleton decorating the front. Bedelia took the red romper to dress Adrian properly.

"A thousand thanks, mate," Murdoc said, running his fingers along the bird's chest feathers and over his son's hair. Then, he picked up the price tags to make his way to the next cash point, searching his wallet and putting the required amount of cash on the counter while sparing the red-haired till girl the ghost of a smile. The till girl nodded her thanks and motioned some of her co-workers to lend a hand putting the items into the Winnebago. When all was put in, Murdoc climbed the driver's seat and drove the motor-home to Mesquite while Bedelia put Adrian back into the make-shift crib until the purchased crib would be set. When the bassist took the babymonitor and the crib into the house to fix it, she looked at the glasses of baby food she had put into the fridge, picking one with pasta and small meat balls in tomato sauce to warm up for Adrian in a small saucepan with water. She rested their son in her arm to feed him. Obviously, Adrian indulged the meal, especially the meat balls. Bedelia smiled as he chewed each meat ball with sheer indulgement and smiled before opening his mouth and expecting more. She planted a light kiss on his forehead and leaned him against her shoulder to burp him. She pecked his forehead again and put him back into the make-shift crib, talking to him soothingly. Adrian cooed in delight when Cortez came to perch on the edge. The raven crooned softly in reply before he gave Bedelia a look from his red twinkling eyes. She picked up a red-and-black pacifier to gently nudge Adrian's lips. When the baby's lips wouldn't open, she reconsidered. She picked up the jar of baby food which had traces of the pasta sauce and meat balls left and wiped the insides until the pacifier was covered in tomato sauce and a few meat ball scraps. Adrian sucked the sauce and the meat scraps off the pacifier with obvious indulgement. Thus, she decided to put some glasses of the pasta dish in stock when running errands next time. And she thought if Adrian might cherish scambled eggs with crispy bacon for next breakfast. Bedelia stepped back from the make-shift crib to sit down at the table until Cortez gave a low cawing as if clearing his throat dunningly.

"Sorry, Cortez," she said, getting the raven's snack box from the fridge. Quickly, Cortez came to perch on her shoulder, taking the first eyeball, a rather dumb looking sheep's eye, from the black plastic pick. When the bird had gobbled down the fourth eyeball, Murdoc entered the Winnebago.

"What's taking so long?" he asked, "The crib's all set and waiting."

"It took some time to feed a hungry mouth and a hungry beak," Bedelia replied, smiling broadly at him and revealing a gap next to her right eyetooth where a tooth had gone missing a few weeks ago. The bassist ran his index finger along the bottom of Cortez' beak before he picked up Adrian, pecking his forehead, cradling the baby boy against his shoulder and taking him into the house. Bedelia took the eyeball box with her to take it into her fridge and followed him. A second before the Winnebago's door blew shut, Cortez tagged along.

The next morning started with Adrian giving a whining sound and Cortez who had spent the night perching on the edge of Adrian's new crib giving a low cawing. Murdoc collected his senses and his limbs to get up, put on a pair of jeans and go check. Much to his relief, just the pacifier had slipped from Adrian's mouth. The bassist picked up the pacifier that had dropped onto the blanket only to have it taken from his fingers by Cortez. He frowned as the raven turned towards an open glass of baby food Bedelia had put onto a shelf within reach and dipped the pacifier into the glass. Murdoc dipped the pacifier deeper into the tomato-meat-ball-sauce and gently poked the baby's lips. At once, Adrian opened the lips and took the pacifier in. Murdoc bit back a chuckle and went back to the bedroom.

"Guess what, luv," he remarked, creeping underneath the blanket and scooting into Bedelia's promising body heat, "Our son likes tomato pasta."

"Yup. I found out yesterday when I fed him," she said with a small yawn, stretching her arms over her head, "He drained the tomato-and-meat-ball pasta in next to no time and wouldn't take the pacifier without the rest of the meal." She let out a small giggle when Murdoc propped himself up on one elbow and cupped her right breast.

"Look at my little secret-keeper," the bassist grinned, running his thumb along the soft curve and teasing the nipple, "Anything else I should know?"

"I think Adrian might like scrambled eggs with bacon for breakfast," she said, rolling over. Murdoc chortled as he lowered himself to peck her cheek and reply, "And I'm pretty sure that you don't mind having them for breakfast, either, do you?"

"Not to mention Cortez," Bedelia added, running her index finger along the bassist's sideburns.

"Well, then we'll have scrambled eggs with bacon for breakfast," Murdoc announced, wrapping his arm around her neck to pull her tight. Instead of saying something, Bedelia just pecked him on the cheek and rolled over to snuggle her back against his ribcage. Murdoc put his hand on her hip and ran his thumb across her skin. They drifted off to sleep for a few hours until Adrian was whining again. Much to the couple's surprise, the whining stopped apruptly this time. They got up and went to see. Perching on the edge of the crib, Cortez gave a low cawing and spread his wings to full size as the couple entered. Adrian was dozing with the pacifier between his lips. Cortez crooned softly, bending across the baby and gently adjusting the pacifier. Adrian gave a small sound and shifted slightly. Murdoc smiled, running his hand over the boy's head.

"You can handle this, can you, amigo?" Bedelia asked, running her index finger along the bird's chest feathers. Cortez turned his head at her, approvingly nudging her arm and giving another croon in reply.

The bassist went back into the bedroom to put on a pair of jeans and his boots. Bedelia joined him to put on her black house frock. Hand in hand, they wandered down the stairs into the kitchen. Bedelia prepared the coffee-maker and took a fresh box of chicken eggs and a goose egg as well as a fresh pack of bacon from the fridge while Murdoc went through the cabinets for silverware, tableware and cookware. She sat down at the table to watch Murdoc spread bacon slices in a pan, crack the goose egg and two chicken eggs in a small bowl and scramble them with a pinch of salt and pepper and melt some concentrated butter in a sauce pan. He poured the eggs into the melted fat and spread bacon slices in a pan. When the bacon started sizzling, he stir-fried the eggs with a wooden spoon until they were fried golden-brown.

The dim light of a Mid-October dawn crept into the room, and Murdoc gave up trying to sleep. He rolled over and ran his knuckles along Bedelia's ribs, making her give one of her deep-throated moanings. The bassist smiled to himself, leaning in close to plant a light kiss on her bare shoulder joint. Then, he collected his limbs to put on a pair of jeans with his boots and shove the babymonitor into his pocket while letting his eyes crawl across Bedelia's body form showing through the blanket.

"Happy birthday, my dirty-sweet girl," he whispered, sneaking into the kitchen. Since Bedelia had given him a really nice birthday present, he intended to return the favour. Browsing the cupboards and the fridge, he was surprised to find some British items he hadn't seen for years. The cupboard held a metal box of branded English breakfast tea, a metal kettle and a silver teapot. A fresh box of chicken eggs and a fresh pack of bacon were put in the fridge, along with a pack of small beef sausages, a pack of mushrooms and a jar of clotted cream. Murdoc blinked in surprise when he noticed a jar of MARMITE in the cupboard, a spicing yeast extract the bassist hadn't seen since his teenhood. Obviously, Bedelia had been doing some shopping while he had been at Kong Studio once again. Murdoc ran his tongue along his lips while deciding to cook a British breakfast for Bedelia.

It took an hour until Murdoc had cooked a plate with three eggs sunny side up, a second plate holding crispy bacon slices and four small fried sausages and a third plate holding slices of pan-fried toast as well as a bowl of chopped mushrooms fried with MARMITE and a pot of strong tea. He put the tea pot, the plates and the bowl into the oven at low heat to keep the breakfast warm until he heard Bedelia descend the stairs, clad in her white kimono dressing robe and the black flat sandals, with Cortez perching on her shoulder. Murdoc spread the breakfast on the table and put the double oven glove next to Bedelia's plate before he pulled her into a hug.

"Happy birthday, my dirty-sweet girl," he said, pecking her lips, "English breakfast for you." Invitingly, he gestured at the set table. Bedelia looked at the dishes, breathing in the unfamiliar scents. Using the double oven glove, Murdoc poured her a cup of tea, adding milk and two sugars before he put a helping of eggs with bacon and sausage and mushrooms on plain toast on her plate.

"Careful, luv, hot plates," he said before helping himself and sitting down. Cortez looked the breakfast over as well before he tended to the mushrooms and Bedelia's teacup.

"This is scrumptious. Thank you very much," Bedelia said, chewing on the mushrooms on toast.

"Thank you for buying the items so I could cook this, my lovely," Murdoc smiled, sipping his lightly sugared tea. Sudenly, Adrian's whining was heard from the babymonitor. The bassist wiped his mouth and left the room in his usual long strides. He returned with Adrian who had turned out to be hungry. The bassist sat his son on his lap, cradled against his chest, and picked up the baby boy's beaker of milk to feed him. When he had taken a few sips, Adrian turned his head to the side, indicating that he was done with the milk. As Murdoc put the beaker back on the table, Adrian cooed in joy at the sight of the breakfast. Murdoc shifted the boy into a better position to slice up a sausage and feed it to the boy who cherished the new taste of sausage slices dipped in egg yolk.