A/N: I know I've had some murmurs about setting Stefan up with Elena, but it's all good. She's not quite the same Elena as in the show. Stay with me, pretty please! The form of therapy I mention is actually a real therapeutic model, and has been especially effective for those suffering from the effects of sexual and physical abuse.
There are some fairly intense sections in this chapter. We find out what Stefan's been holding back, and why he's so traumatized. It gets dark, so be warned.
Thanks a million for the follows, faves and reviews!
Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Vampire Diaries" or "The Boys of Colony Theta."
Chapter 11: Sweet Release
Damon and Stefan started a Sunday afternoon ritual. After church, they ate lunch, then usually took a short nap, and while Kate worked on lesson plans, the brothers went out to their favorite diner for pie and coffee, or did something else that gave them time to spend together. Kate was a regular churchgoer, so Damon went to be with her, and Stefan followed, too. There were worse ways to spend a Sunday, and Damon liked the music.
A couple of weeks after the retreat, the brothers were in the diner and Stefan said, "I met someone at the camping weekend."
Damon was immediately interested. "Really? Tell me about her."
"Her name is Elena Gilbert and she's a student at Belmont University. She lives at the dorm. We're the same age."
"Sounds good. What does she look like?"
Stefan produced the phone Damon bought for him and pulled up a photo. "She took this after we got through rafting." It showed the two, wet as they could be, grinning at the camera. Damon looked at it and smiled.
"She's really pretty. Why haven't you told me about her before now?" he teased.
Stefan grinned a little sheepishly. "Well, I wanted to call her and you know…"
"See if there was anything to it?" Damon helpfully finished the sentence.
"Yeah. And I think there is. She's really sweet, and she's one of Dr. Forbes' patients, so like the doc said, she's got kind of a strange story, too. I don't know what it is yet. We haven't talked about that. But we've talked on the phone a few times. I told her I don't have a car, and she offered to pick me up so we could go out sometime. But I'd like to be able to have a job so I could pay for some of this."
Damon nodded. "Your ID should be coming any day, and you can get your license, so you can get on at the factory. My foreman said they need someone else who's willing to work. I know you would be." He didn't know exactly what the paperwork Caroline submitted was, or how it would produce a birth certificate for Stefan, but it was easier than it was for Damon.
The late April weather was beautiful, and Damon suggested he and Stefan go for a run. They went to the National Cemetery, since the older parts were usually free of traffic, and it was quiet. After 20 minutes or so, they reached the main monument. Stefan looked at it. "This is where they put the Andrasta memorial in our time, isn't it?"
"Yeah. They just expanded on what was already here. See, the memorial was built on to the archway, and behind it."
Stefan nodded as he caught his breath. "It's so strange to see it like this. It's strange to be in a world where the plague hasn't decimated everything."
"And where we're human beings, not slaves," Damon added.
"Especially that. I'm like you, Damon. After being here, living in freedom, there's no way I'd go back. I'd die first. It's bad enough for males who are privately owned, but for Consorts and copulators, well, that's just hell on earth. We just didn't know the difference."
The brothers walked back to Damon's car, talking over their lives now, as opposed to their lives before.
When they got home, Kate was in the middle of cooking Sunday supper. She loved to cook and with two men in the house, had ample opportunity to show off her culinary skills. Plus, with Stefan's testosterone levels normalizing, his metabolism was changing too, and he was a bottomless pit. Kate didn't know where he put it all. But he never gained an ounce.
Damon was naturally lean too, though, so she concluded it had to be something in their genes. She would bet the man who fathered them probably was the same way. It was interesting watching them interact with each other. Once you knew they were brothers, you could see some similarities. They had some of the same mannerisms, and their faces had similar angles, although their coloring was completely different. Damon was fair-skinned and pink-cheeked, with that raven hair and blue eyes. Stefan tanned in the sun and his light brown hair that bleached out to dark blond, was coupled with his green eyes. Both were strikingly handsome though, and Kate figured their dad was probably a looker too, to have sired two such fine looking sons.
Kate wondered about the man who fathered Damon and Stefan, and who knows how many other children. With Damon being 23 and Stefan about to turn 21, he would have to be in his early 40s in their time. She hoped he found someone kind to live with - someone who was good to him and treated him well.
"What's on the menu?" Damon asked, as he sniffed the air appreciatively.
"That chicken and wild rice casserole you and Stefan love, along with roasted asparagus and a green salad."
"Mmmm. Sounds great," he answered.
"What's that sauce you serve with asparagus?" Stefan asked.
"Hollandaise?" said Kate.
"Yeah. That was really good. Is it hard to make?"
"Nah. I've got a blender version that's easy," she answered.
Once they sat down, Kate watched Stefan eat with pleasure. Even though his appetite meant she had to double all her recipes, it was worth it to see him enjoying her cooking, and able to eat what he wanted to, rather than stick to a prescribed diet.
When Kate got up to put her dishes in the sink, she ruffled Stefan's hair affectionately. She and Damon both had a separate session with Dr. Forbes, and the psychiatrist encouraged Kate not to shy away from offering nonsexual touch. She knew Stefan needed to feel Kate wasn't rejecting him, and that he needed to learn to process that kind of touch in a healthy way. She also encouraged Kate and Damon not to eliminate all physical contact in front of Stefan. Modeling a healthy relationship was good for all of them, she said. "Obviously, it would be downright rude to just start sucking face in front of him, just like it would be in front of anyone else," Dr. Forbes said. "But brief kisses, hugs - it's all part of a healthy physical relationship." It certainly made things easier around the house.
Kate finally found out what had been haunting Stefan one evening when she was working on lesson plans. He and Damon were in the den, watching TV. She walked in from the hall and saw them sitting on the sofa. Stefan's head rested on his brother's shoulder and his face was indescribably sad. Damon's expression was grave, concerned, as he looked at Stefan and attempted to comfort him.
"I still dream about it sometimes," Stefan said.
"Have you told Dr. Forbes?" Damon asked.
"I can't. Not that. How could she understand?"
"But you won't tell me either, and I would understand. You know I would, Stefan. I know something happened to you. Wouldn't it help to get it out, rather than keep it inside? It's eating you alive, brother." Damon put his arm around Stefan's shoulders in a hug. Kate stood silently in the hall. She didn't want to make Stefan feel uncomfortable, and she thought he was close to a breakthrough.
Stefan heaved a huge, resigned sigh. "Do you remember Serena Lawson? You serviced her a few times. She always kept her head shaved."
"Oh yeah. I remember. I never did feel comfortable around her," Damon answered. Kate sat down in the hallway to listen so she wouldn't disturb them.
"It was her. And her friends. Isaac was with me that night, too." Damon nodded, his face growing darker with concern. "Well, we had to go to the infirmary when we got back. He had two broken ribs. It took Dr. Frances going over Mrs. Gilley's head to get that woman banned from hiring us again. Mrs. Gilley saw me and Isaac and told us we needed to toughen up. Isaac told Dr. Frances what she said and that's when the doctor filed a formal complaint with UGC Regional."
"What happened?" Damon asked, his voice quiet.
"It started like usual, you know, she and her friends tying us up, taking turns riding us… She had hired us for a whole 24-hour period. And then, one of her friends came up with the idea of getting her leather belt and wrapping it around our necks while they were riding us, to partially cut off our air. It was the ultimate domination, she said. Well, Serena had no conscience, and she thought it was a wonderful idea. One of her friends actually sat on Isaac's chest during the sex and that's how his ribs were broken. They just choked me. Over and over and over. I don't know how many times I passed out. Then they'd throw cold water on my face and laugh at me when I came to. One time, I wet myself while I was blacked out."
Damon closed his eyes against the pain in his brother's tone, and Kate did the same thing. He looked at Stefan, who was pale and shaking. "You don't have to tell me the rest," Damon said.
"No. Now that I've started, I have to finish. Anyway, when I came to, Serena was livid because I'd messed up her riding bench and she would need to have it cleaned. So she untied me, grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and rubbed my nose in the wet spot like you would a dog. Then she took the belt and she and her friends took turns whipping me until I passed out again. I don't know how many times they whipped me, but it was over and over, until I blacked out again. Isaac said he was scared to death. For the whole time, we didn't leave the riding room. No food, no water. Isaac had to do oral sex on all Serena's friends so they would allow him to go to the bathroom. Gina was waiting on us when we got back to the Maison and she was horrified when she saw us. I can't imagine what we must have looked like. She sent us straight to the infirmary and called Dr. Frances, who put both of us on medical leave and Mrs. Gilley was pissed beyond words, but even she couldn't contravene a medical order. Damon, I really think Serena was trying to kill me. I really do. I felt like I was dying so many times that day."
Kate sat in the hallway, hands over her face, trying to keep them from hearing her cry. She gathered her courage, stood and went into the den. Damon was holding Stefan, talking low to him. She went to the sofa and knelt on the floor in front of Stefan. She put a tentative hand on his knee and he turned his tear-stained face to her. She looked up at him and took his hand in both of hers. "Saying I'm sorry seems so inadequate, but I am sorry, Stefan. I'm shocked to my bones that anyone would want to do that to another human being, and I'm so very sorry that woman did it to you." Kate brought Stefan's hand to her lips and pressed a kiss on his knuckles. She climbed on the sofa beside him. He turned to her instinctively and she held him close, soothing him as she would a child.
Damon watched as Kate held Stefan, much as she had once held him when he had a breakdown. She looked over Stefan's head at him and her eyes were anguished. She shook her head and stroked his hair. When she sensed the storm had passed, she handed him some tissues and he wiped his eyes and blew his nose and sniffed. "Thank you," he rasped, his voice still rough with crying.
"Any time," she replied. "Want some hot chocolate?" Stefan had a weakness for it, she knew. He nodded and gave her a watery smile. She returned it and went to make the drink for him. She returned with a mug and handed it to him. He sipped it and Kate could see him relaxing. But she was going to wait for Damon to break the silence. He was Stefan's brother in blood and also as a Consort, and as such, she felt he could best address the issue.
Damon, however, waited until Stefan finished his cocoa. "Feel a little better?" he asked, and Stefan nodded. "How do you feel about telling this to Dr. Forbes now?"
Stefan was silent for a few moments, and he looked at Kate, who gave him a sympathetic smile and squeezed his hand. "I-I guess I need to, don't I?"
"She knows there's something you haven't told her. So you probably need to do that, yeah."
"I feel like I should have done something, even though I know there was nothing I could do," Stefan said.
"Stefan, that woman had you at her mercy. And poor Isaac, too," Kate said. "The system that was supposed to protect you failed. That's not your fault. There was nothing you could have done differently. But she cannot hurt you again. Or Damon. She doesn't even exist in this time. You're liberated from people like her, and are your own person now. You're Stefan Michael Salvatore, U.S. citizen and a free man."
Stefan sat up straighter at Kate's words. "I guess I am, aren't I?
"You sure are. And nothing can change that," she answered.
Damon smiled. Kate's teaching background helped so much in her knowing how to relate to Stefan.
Damon sat with Stefan in Dr. Forbes' waiting room. "Do you want me to be in there with you when you tell her about Serena?" he asked.
Stefan shook his head. "No. I appreciate it, but I've got to do this myself."
"All right, but if you need me, come and get me," Damon said.
"I will."
Caroline Forbes listened carefully as Stefan told her about Serena Lawson. To say she was shocked was putting it mildly. She knew he was holding something back, but this was truly awful. She had heard many sordid stories in her practice, but this was one of the worst.
"Stefan, I am sorry this happened to you. It shouldn't have, and you have every right to be angry and scared. But you weren't really allowed to be angry at the Maison, were you?"
"Not really, no. We were told we had to accept what these women did to us, that they paid for it."
"I see. Well, I think one thing you need to do is to allow yourself to express the anger you feel. And I have a safe way for you to do that," she said.
"What's that?"
Caroline grinned. "I know your brother's out there. He might appreciate this, too. Go get him, will you?"
"All right." Stefan went to the door of the waiting room and beckoned Damon back to the treatment room.
"Hi Damon. Good to see you. I was telling Stefan he needs a healthy way to release some of his anger. Maybe you do, too."
"I don't understand. What did you have in mind?" Damon asked.
"Come with me and I'll show you." She led the men to a room at the back of the clinic. She opened the door and turned on the light. "Welcome to the anger room," she said.
Damon and Stefan looked around. The room's walls were covered in white plastic. On one side were a couple of tables with cheap dishes and glasses, and on another table stood paint cans, brushes and soup ladles. In the corner were a couple of baseball bats.
"Sometimes, the best way to release anger is to get downright physical," she said. "In here, you can throw paint, break dishes, paint your anger on the wall, yell, scream and break dishes with the baseball bat. Whatever helps you get it out." She opened a small door in the corner and pulled out two packages. "These are disposable coveralls. Put them on over your clothes and remember to wear the shoe covers, too, so you don't ruin them. Here are two sets of goggles to protect your eyes. I'll go out and you can suit up and go nuts. How does that sound?"
Stefan was eyeing the paint. "Sounds great, Doctor," he answered.
She grinned. "Okey dokey, then. I'll leave you to it. Just don't pound on the wall with the bats. Floor is fine. When you're done, press the button by the door and I'll come and get you." She closed the door and the brothers were left alone.
They looked around again for a moment. "What are we waiting for?" Stefan said. He grabbed one of the coverall packages, tore it open and pulled on the plastic garment. He covered his shoes, put up the hood and put on the goggles. Then, he went to the can of paint and opened it. Damon put on the coverall too, as he watched his brother.
Stefan took a ladle full of paint and flung it at the wall. "Take that, bitch!" he screamed. He turned to Damon. "That felt great," he said. Damon grinned, hefted a large plate and smashed it into smithereens against the wall. In short order, plates and glasses were flying, paint was everywhere and the boys were screaming themselves hoarse. Finally, Damon took the baseball bat and with a wicked grin, in one fell swoop, raked all the remaining plates off the table. Crockery flew all over the place and shattered as it hit the floor and the walls.
"Awesome," Stefan said, and grabbing the other bat, sent the paint cans and remaining paint flying across the room.
"YES!" Damon cheered. Then, anger, energy and adrenaline completely gone, he pressed the button Dr. Forbes indicated and collapsed against the wall. He sat down on the floor and pushed the hood back and removed the goggles. Stefan did the same and they sat, panting and spent. Both had cried, cursed, screamed and yelled until they had no voices left.
Caroline opened the door and her eyes widened. Seldom had she seen the room so thoroughly destroyed. Obscenities were scrawled on the walls. Not a single dish was intact. The paint cans were empty and the only items still upright were the two tables. Stefan and Damon sat, sweaty and exhausted. She surveyed the scene and nodded slowly. "Looks like this was a good idea," she said.
"Who cleans it all up?" Stefan asked.
"The housekeeping staff, but it's not that much, really. The plastic peels off the walls, so all they have to do is roll everything up and stuff it into the dumpster. That far door opens to the outside, and the dumpster is right there. This idea started in Japan for executives to relieve stress, and it's caught on as that, and also as a great therapy tool. Some places are really elaborate and have rooms set up like actual rooms in a home or office, but I've found that paint and dishes work about as well. I've had people who knew they were coming in here bring a couple of dozen eggs to throw. But I think it's an effective, and very safe way to release anger." She looked around again. "Wow. This is impressive, you two. It's obvious this represents decades of pent-up rage."
Damon looked at the room, as if seeing it for the first time. He was on some kind of adrenaline high while he was smashing dishes and slinging paint, and he took in the destruction around him. He grinned at the writing Stefan smeared on the wall. "Wish I'd thought of that," he said, his voice hoarse.
"Why is that?" Caroline asked.
"I just like the idea of writing all that in big letters on a wall."
Caroline chuckled. "It doesn't leave any doubt about how Stefan feels about that woman, does it?" Damon shook his head. "Well, I think you all have had enough for one day. Damon, come back with Stefan to his next appointment and we'll talk about all this. You'll have time to process it between now and then. Just come on to the door, strip off your coveralls and shoe covers and leave them in here. Put the goggles on the table." They did as she asked and left the room. They said their goodbyes and walked outside.
When they got in the car, Damon started the engine and sighed. "I wasn't expecting that," he said.
"Me either. But I enjoyed it!" Stefan exclaimed.
"Me too. It felt good to just break things and fling paint everywhere!"
"I have a confession to make."
"What's that?" Damon asked.
"When I knocked all the paint cans off the table with the baseball bat, I was pretending I was bashing Serena's head into a pulp." Stefan looked ashamed.
"I don't blame you. I think that was the point of doing what we did, was to pretend we were smashing heads, but safely," Damon answered.
"That's kind of the impression I got from Dr. Forbes. I'd like to do it again sometime."
"I think I would too," Damon agreed.
Damon and Kate went for a walk that evening and he told her about the session in the anger room.
She chuckled. "Makes me wish we had one of those off the faculty lounge. I think it would be very beneficial to our mental health. But I'm glad you were able to do that. It had to be good for both of you. Tore up the room, huh?"
"Yeah, pretty much trashed it. I guess we had a lot of anger to release."
"Must have. I'm betting Stefan will sleep like a baby tonight. And probably better from now on."
"I wouldn't be surprised." He rubbed his face. "I've been clean shaven all my life, but a few months wearing a beard, and when I shave it off, I feel like something's missing."
"I like you either way. I will admit to admiring your dimples, though, so it's nice to see them," Kate answered, as she tucked her hand into the crook of his arm.
He chuckled and Kate said, "What is it?"
"Nothing."
"I know there is. Out with it."
Damon rolled his eyes. "Well, when you said that about dimples, it reminded me of this older woman who used to hire me about twice a month. All she wanted was me to play cards with her and talk to her. She used to call me 'Dimples.' She was a nice lady."
"Sounds like it. Didn't she have any family?" Kate asked.
"No. She said her daughter didn't visit very often. She was very lonely. Being with her was the one time I didn't resent being a Consort. She just wanted someone to talk to. She treated me like a guest. She always had some cookies baked and coffee or tea ready when I got there and gave me a hug and had me sit down while she served me. She was a good person."
"It's good to know there were some women who were kind to Consorts."
"There really weren't that many who were downright cruel - they were usually just thoughtless more than anything. They'd been raised to think of males as a little less than human, so they didn't treat us like we were fellow humans."
Kate slipped her arm around Damon's waist as they walked back to the house. "Oh, you're human all right," she snickered and Damon joined in as they walked. When they got to the house, there was an unfamiliar car in the drive. "Who's here?" Kate said.
"No idea."
When they went inside, Stefan was sitting on the sofa with a very attractive girl. He smiled as they came in. "Elena called and said she was in the neighborhood and asked if she could drop by. I said she could. I hope that's all right."
Kate was a little irritated, but she hadn't said Stefan couldn't have a friend over. She would have liked a little notice, though, just to make sure things were picked up. At least her roomies were both neat freaks, so they kept things mostly in order. "Sure. It's fine, Stefan," she said with a smile.
"Thanks, Kate. Elena, this is my brother, Damon, and this is his girlfriend, Kate Frost."
"It's nice to meet you, Elena. C'mon, Damon. We'll go sit in the office so they can talk." She had an old sofa in the room, so it was cozy.
"Nice to meet you guys, too," Elena said.
They went into the office and Kate said, low, "She's a pretty girl."
Damon nodded. "Yeah. Stefan showed me her picture."
"Wonder what her story is?" Kate said, leaning against Damon's shoulder.
"Dunno. Stefan doesn't either. He said they just haven't talked about it. He hasn't told her about himself, either, though."
Kate nodded. "I can see where it would be weird. He wants to make sure she's not gonna freak out on him when he tells her. But I guess it depends on what her story is, too."
Damon stood and closed the office door silently, then locked it. He then went to the computer, pulled up Kate's music catalog, and selected a CD to play. When the music started, he sat back down on the sofa and patted his lap invitingly. Kate grinned and arranged herself so she was facing him and she kissed him. "What brought this on?" she asked.
"They're occupied and I need you," he answered, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her. "They don't care what's going on in here, I guarantee you. Because it's probably the same thing that's going on out there. Or close, anyway." He kissed her again and Kate returned his kiss, tangling her fingers in his thick hair.
Elena looked down the hall. "I think Damon just locked the door in that back bedroom," she said.
"That's Kate's office. Her computer's in there, and they do that when they want to be private and listen to music or something. Hear that? Damon just turned on some music in there. We don't hear them, they don't hear us. It works out," he answered.
"Yeah, I guess it does," Elena said with a grin. "So what do you want to do with all this privacy?"
He shrugged. "Got any ideas?"
"You bet I do." Now it was Elena's turn to crawl into Stefan's lap and she kissed his cheek and neck, and finally made her way to his lips. Their first kiss was sweet and tender, but it still fired every nerve in Stefan's body. This was passion on his terms, not someone else's. He ran his hands up her arms and deepened the kiss. Like Damon, he excelled in the kissing lessons they had as Consorts. His lips were well-shaped with a defined Cupid's bow, and they were soft. Elena thought he might have the best lips she had ever kissed. And mercy, did he ever know what to do with them!
When they finally broke for air, Elena looked at Stefan and said, "Wow. Did you kiss for a living or something?"
He nodded and dropped his eyes. "Yeah, actually, I did. But I don't want to talk about it right now, if that's all right."
Elena was equal parts stunned and intrigued, but she heard the emotion in Stefan's voice, so she opted to let the topic go for the short term. They both had stories to share, or they wouldn't be seeing the same psychiatrist, and it was enough to know those stories were in the backwater for now. They didn't have to be dredged up right away.
April, 2455
Shaun was doing the weekly grocery shopping. He marked the last item off the list, and presented his wrist unit to the reader at the checkout stand, so the credits could be taken out of Myra's account. He went outside and called a taxi-pod with his wrist unit and waited for an available vehicle. He looked at his unit. It was 6:30 - only half an hour until curfew, but he had helped Myra at work today, and was late leaving.
"Excuse me, young male." Shaun turned to the voice and saw two Enforcer officers. His heart sank.
"Yes, Mistresses?" he said.
"Your name, Pretty One?" the older officer asked.
"Shaun 423589 Alpha, Mistress."
"You're out awfully close to curfew, sweetie," she replied.
"A taxi pod is on the way to take me home. I was just getting some groceries, Mistress," he said, keeping his eyes lowered in deference.
"Well, I'm Senior Enforcement Patrol Officer Cavendish and this is Officer Merritt. Your chip says it's been over two years since you've been scanned, so it's definitely past time."
"Mistress Cavendish, my Mistress, Dr. Myra Sullivan, is still at work and can't be with me. Could we make an appointment to come to the Enforcement station and have this done, maybe tomorrow? I certainly don't want to be out after curfew and she'll be concerned about me." Shaun made his voice as soft and fearful as possible. This was the very kind of thing the Brotherhood of Mars was trying to stop. It was a hellish invasion of privacy.
"Your first consideration is for your Mistress, and that's like the good, obedient boy you are," Cavendish said, "But we can get this done in less than 10 minutes if you cooperate, Pretty Boy."
Shaun was not a violent male - far from it. But this woman calling him a Pretty Boy was almost too much. But, he took a deep breath and said, "Yes Mistress. I'll be glad to cooperate."
"There's a love," Officer Cavendish said. "Officer Merritt, bring his groceries along so they don't get stolen while we're inside."
"Yes Ma'am," she answered, clearly not pleased to do something so menial.
Shaun followed meekly, knowing what was going to happen. This was the second time since he left the Colony that he had been scanned. The first time was about three years ago. Cavendish was right: it didn't take long, but it was beyond humiliating. They went into a nearby business where the manager was obliged to allow the use of her office for the process, and act as a witness.
They scanned his chip, which was painless, and took a blood sample - ostensibly to check his Andrasta immunity - but it also measured his testosterone levels to make sure they were within the acceptable, low levels the UGC required.
"You're just fine, Shaun," Officer Cavendish said. "Very healthy. Now, if you please, remove your leggings and underwear. We need that urine and sperm sample."
With a sigh, Shaun took off his clothes, fully prepared for the officers' gasps as they spied a male with a male's normal body hair. Since joining the Brotherhood, Myra felt that making Shaun shave his body hair was oppressive, unless he just preferred shaving. He didn't, and as a result, had lightly furred legs and pubic hair. "Well, well, young male. Aren't you a surprise? And your Mistress prefers you like this?" She poked at his leg.
"Yes, Mistress, she does. I don't question my Mistress' preferences."
"Of course not. It's just unusual. All right. Let's have that urine sample now." She held a bag out to him and Shaun took it with relief. The last time he was scanned was when they were in Memphis, and they used catheters to get the samples. He managed to relax enough to give them a sample as they watched and he handed the bag to Officer Merritt, who took it in her gloved hands and inserted a pipette into the bag for the sample. She put it in the analyzer and went to dispose of the urine.
"Very good," Cavendish said. She looked carefully at Shaun's legs and backside. "No marks or scars. That's fine, and his tattoo is clear and readable." She spoke of the tattoo Myra had put on him when he was deflowered. It meant she would never be able to sell him. It was her initials - MAS - inside a scalloped border. Shaun had looked at it in the mirror, and it could have been worse, certainly. "Your Mistress has marked you. You must be a very special boy."
"Thank you Mistress," he answered. What else could he say?
"Now then, here's the fun part for you: the semen sample," she said cheerfully. Shaun closed his eyes to hide the outrage. Fun? Having to jack off in front of three women? That was fun? Perverted woman. He wanted to strike her.
Cavendish fitted a vibrating sleeve over his shaft and turned it on. Shaun could feel himself getting erect in spite of himself, and reminded himself this was better than having his prostate stimulated any day, as happened in Memphis. He ejaculated into the specimen bag and the manager kindly brought him some wipes so he could clean himself. She seemed a nice lady, and intensely embarrassed by the whole event.
"Allrighty. Everything looks just as it ought to. You can dress and be on your way, Shaun," Officer Cavendish said, patting his bare rump fondly. The old heifer, Shaun thought. Myra would be outraged when he told her. He dressed and called another taxi pod so he could get home immediately.
The Enforcers packed up their cases and left. The office manager patted him on the shoulder. "I'm so sorry, young Shaun. I can't believe they still do that. Why not just scan your chip and have done with it? Doesn't your Mistress take you to the doctor once a year?"
"Yes, Mistress, she does."
"That ought to be enough. The UGC is just a bunch of control freaks and it's going to backfire on them one of these days mark my words. Here, let me help you carry your groceries to the taxi pod."
"Thank you, Mistress," he said as they got to the taxi pod.
"Oh, you're welcome - little brother." Shaun shot her a look, but she just smiled and held her finger to her lips. "One day," she said. "One of these days." She helped him into the taxi pod and waved to him as it pulled away from the curb.
Myra was home and frantic about him. "What happened?" she asked.
"Enforcers scanned me." He chuckled. "You should have seen their faces when I got my leggings off. I thought the one was going to pass out when she saw a male with pubic hair."
Myra laughed, too. "I take it everything was in order?"
"Yeah. I think the manager is a member of the Brotherhood. She called me little brother. I'll have to ask Joshua." Joshua was the leader of the local sect of the Brotherhood of Mars.
"Do that. We need all the allies we can find. They didn't suspect you, did they?"
"I don't think so. I said you wanted body hair, so I didn't shave and didn't question you."
"Good. That's exactly what to say. Let's get some supper ready. I know we're both starving."
Myra was glad the Enforcers didn't seem suspicious. She wanted them to remain as inconspicuous as possible. But she was afraid they couldn't hide forever. She had some thinking and planning to do.
Can I get a review? Begging here. Groveling. ;)