Sioux, Lita, Dawne and Darleen. Their men are either trying to or thinking about clearing the dark glass between them. Very brave men I think. Leather & Lace. When these folks have had their say, retribution and justice will ensue. Again I write to 'Hallelujah'. Please Read & Review my dears. -:-)

Lita and Andy

She was propped against the headboard, Andy's head in her lap, and this time she held a makeshift ice pack to his eye. He had been caressing the small of her back but his hand had dropped, his breathing had slowed and deepened, as he fell into a exhausted sleep. Lita looked down at him and smiled.

Earlier he had been so sweet as she sat on the foot of the bed and he had knelt between her legs, holding her tight. With a resigned deep breath, he had raised his head, his tired cerulean blue eyes sadly held holding hers.

'I'm so sorry.'

'Pobrecito, you apologized and I already forgave you'. She softly kissed his forehead.

But Andy hadn't yet forgiven himself and was desperate to make her understand.

'I get out here, lock into Captain mode and think I rule the world. And on the boat I do rule the world. I have to if I'm going to get my crew home in one piece, find and catch crab, and bring them home with a paycheck that will support their families. I'm different out here Lita. Me, but different. I don't expect you to understand but. . .'

She had cupped his chin in one hand and silenced his lips with the other.

'Yes I can. I get it, your fishin' issue. In a few weeks you will be out here in what you call full Captain mode with lives and livelihoods in your hands. Your hands! You're an Alaskan fisherman Andy. It's your DNA. It's who and what you are. Nobody is going to change that.'

'Can you see yourself with that guy?' Andy blurted out holding his breath as he prayed.

Lita ran a finger over his tense mouth. 'Let me ask you a question first. Why would that guy even want to come home to a loca Latina who will call him on his shit, and expect to Captain their domestic life when he's on land?'

Andy knew she was calling no bullshit. Was just one of the reasons he realized he loved her like he did. But did she love him? Did she know he loved her? With a deep breath and Hail Mary pass, he went for it.

'Because I have to. Don't have any choice. I love you. I have to be with you.'

In return, Lita kept it real with him. 'Me be with that guy? I love that guy! Gotta be with you too.' And surrendered to the rush of his crushing mouth on hers.

Later she mused, well here you are chica, as she ran hand under his tee, over his warm, muscled back sprawled in her lap. Out in the middle of nowhere, with a man she hardly knew, but loved like she had never loved a man before, the man she had stopped praying for, and had long ago accepted would never come for her. Yet here he was. Gracias a Dios! (Thank God!). An Alaskan crab boat Captain!? And some people say there's no such thing as miracles or answered prayers. Well she had hers. . . snoring softly under her hand.

As the Alaska sky outside the glass sliding door slowly pushed away the darkness, it was like a dark glass clearing. And like the night was slowly making way to light, the darkness from which she and Andy had been cautiously peering at one another was starting to clear. And if they continued to bravely stand face to face as the glass cleared, each would know, and be known to each other.

Darleen

The off-air static from the T.V. woke her. With a start she realized she was snuggled under a blanket and Jake was gone. But, Boa was propped near her head and he held a sheet of paper. Blearily she rubbed her eyes and sat up. A glance at the bedside clock told her it was almost two in the morning.

'What do you have there Boa?' She mumbled and plucked the paper from the crook of his arm. 'Did you write this?' She teased, and then read.

Dear Darleen,

Never met anyone like you before.

So sweet, smart, funny and beautiful.

Call me in the morning will you?

Corny, but I have to ask.

Roses are red

Violets are blue

Will you give me a chance

To be with you?

Jake

P.S. Boa likes me and thinks I'm a good guy! Go ahead. Ask him!

Darleen gazed fondly at her best friend. 'Boa, do you really like him? I do. I like him a lot.'

Only she could discern the depths of Boa's glass brown eyes. Dark and moody when she was sad, light and warm when she was happy. Tonight in her old friend's eyes she saw something she'd never seen before. . . genuine anticipation glossed with glee.

Dawne and Edgar

She dozed peacefully in his arms and he worried. She didn't know. She thought she did, but she had no idea. When he subsumed to his disease, he could and would drag her down into his hell, and make it her own. Could he tell her how he got sober? How he'd disappeared and binged out in a hotel room in his pain and paranoia for over a week before calling Norman for help? How do you prepare someone for that possibility? How he was just now finding out and examining who and what the man he was? If he was to be genuine and real, he would have to tell her. . .and risk losing her. Already in his mind, he was imagining his life without her.

'Dawne?' He jostled her. 'You asleep? Are ya?'

Dawne was now grumpily awake. 'Not now! Whaaat?'

Here we go he thought and threw his Hail Mary pass as a caqsual cool aside. 'Did I ever tell you how I got sober?'

Dawne leapt to wakefulness and slowly turned. Oh she knew that look. The sly 'baby of the family' around his eyes and mouth, and she knew he was about to confess some significant shit. She quickly sat up and leaned against the headboard, her arms folded spearing him with a no-nonsense of her dark green eyes.

'No. I don't believe you have. Do tell baby.'

Oh Shit! Edgar gulped. She just morphed into Sig!

Sioux and Johnathan

He had whispered her out of the monitoring room, into the shower with him, in one of his tees, and into his bed. Suck it Andy! I got this! He was very pleased with himself as he held Sioux close and relaxed on his chest. He was getting better at Sioux whispering. Getting all heated and hollering didn't work, just the opposite. Problem was when she scared him, he panicked and the madness ensued. But when he gentled and babied her she reacted like a child starved for affection and let him sooth her.

She had sworn she wouldn't leave him, but when she got down on herself she was capable of going to a very bad place. He shuddered to think what would happen if he wasn't close by when she went there. He knew he'd have to keep her close until she stopped losing her mind, thinking he would be better off without her. His thoughts were making him sad.

'Sioux?'

'Hummm.'

'You know I love you. Scares me. . .no it's more like I panic when you talk about leaving me. I'm not kidding or being dramatic. It would kill me. Not immediately, but it wouldn't take long for me to destroy myself. That's what's I was doin' when you came back saved me from myself.'

Sioux traced a bear on his chest and confessed. 'I almost didn't make it through that first night. I was going to bolt, but Andy made me stay. He was so worried about you he begged me to stay. For you.'

Johnathan brushed a stay lock of hair off her face. 'Andy is the best brother any man could ever have. Don't deserve him but the poor slob is stuck with me.'

Of his four brothers, he had always been closest to Andy. They were like twins. Shared a kind of telepathic ability to read each other's thoughts. He knew Andy had been worried about him and he felt bad about that, but he had slipped so low he couldn't seem drag himself back up. Until Sioux.

'I'm stuck with you too.' Sioux whispered.

'Are you? Sometimes I'm not so sure about that baby.' He confessed. 'I know I'm not the easiest man to deal with, but when you get it in your head to run, I don't think it's about me. I think it's your stuff. Am I right?' Sioux nodded.

'You got a whadaya call it? . . .yeah, a self-destructive streak. You get down on you and want to punish yourself by runnin' off. Don't think you're running to anything, just running off to I don't know. . .to suffer? I don't think you really want to be alone anymore. Do you? Really?'

Sioux shook her head as a single hot tear ran down her cheek to flame his skin. He patted and rubbed her shoulders roughly. 'Look at me and listen up!' His voice, ragged with emotion urged.

She turned and rested her chin on her hands pouting guiltily, her sea green eyes swimming.

'You are the most amazing woman I will ever know or be blessed to love. But this shit just kills me and you gotta figure it out. I think it's the reason I'm so obsessive about not letting you out of my sight. I know when you get like you got today you'll run off and I'll never find you. That's real stressful Sioux. Put yourself in my shoes. How would you feel? What would you do? '

'I'd run like hell from the crazy bitch!' She mumbled and roughly wiped an eye as Johnathan's look narrowed. 'Sorry. I hear you.'

She wasn't surprised at his insight. Despite the big, burly, he-man facade, he was a sensitive soul, always had been, and she felt wretched that she caused him pain and comfessed.

'Just listen O.K.? Right now for two cents I'd knock you out and run for my life because I feel like shit 'cause of how I've made you feel.'

'Sioux. . .I don't want you to feel bad. . . I. . .' He hurried to reassure her.

'No. I'm glad you told me.' She stopped him. 'I needed to hear it. When I get into my negative feedback loop I go to a very dark place, and you're right, a very self-destructive place. I think I need, no I know I need a tune-up. Funny it never occurred to me before. Thank you my love.'

Johnathan was confused. 'What do you gonna get tuned-up?'

'Me.' She smiled shyly. 'Me. When we get home Dr. Salazar's getting a new client.'

Johnathan frowned. 'You depressed like Andy?'

She was relieved and hopeful. 'Nope. How could I be with you? Never been happier in my life and that's what's messing with me. Never been this happy and don't know how to handle it. Wanna run from it because I don't think I deserve it. It's old stuff. Now you know. That's my crazy.' She shut her eyes tight and grimaced a face.

The next thing she knew he had her pinned beneath him, smothering her face and mouth with fevered kisses. As he ran a finger over the beautiful face he loved more than any other, he needed for her to understand.

'Yep. You're crazy alright. Waaay too smart and complicated. Me? I'm simple man. I love you and you love me. That's all I need in my world. You're one of the best people I've ever known. Whatever it takes for you to know that too, I'm all for.' He whispered in her mouth as a hand snaked between her legs and cupped her mound.

'Be a lot easier if it were just sex. But it's not. Don't get me wrong, you close down the kitchen and I'll be running my ass to your Dr. Salazar.'

He suddenly froze. 'You think I need to see him too? I will if you think I need to.'

Sioux chuckled low as she cupped his precious face. 'You? You're handsome face could be the poster boy for the 'I'm O.K.! Rest of Ya's is Out Yo' Damn Minds!' campaign. You my love are solid. . .the rock that tethers me as I bob in the wind.'

He liked that image and spread her legs grinning. 'Keep you tethered? Then I need to keep you good and nailed down then don't I?'

'Nail me down ?' She gasped as he ran his mouth between her breasts, down her stomach, lower and lower.

'Oh yes. Please baby pleeese!' She moaned and surrendered.

For my Gurls and their Guys: Leather And Lace (Stevie Nicks duet with Don enley)

Is love so fragile...
And the heart so hollow
Shatter with words...
Impossible to follow
You're saying I'm fragile... I try not to be
I search only... for something I can't see

I have my own life... and I am stronger
Than you know
But I carry this feeling
When you walked into my house
That you won't be walking out the door
Still I carry this feeling
When you walked into my house
That you won't be walking out the door

Lovers forever... face to face
My city or mountains
Stay with me stay
I need you to love me
I need you today
Give to me your leather...
Take from me... my lace

You in the moonlight
With your sleepy eyes
Could you ever love a man like me
And you were right
When I walked into your house
I knew I'd never want to leave
Sometimes I'm a strong man
Sometimes cold and scared
And sometimes I cry
But that time I saw you
I knew with you to light my nights
Somehow I'd get by
First time I saw you
I knew with you to light my nights
Somehow I would get by

Lovers forever... face to face
My city or mountains
Stay with me stay
I need you to love me
I need you today
Give to me your leather...
Take from me... my lace

Lovers forever... face to face
My city or mountains
Stay with me stay
I need you to love me
I need you to stay
Give to me your leather
Take from me... my lace
Take from me... my lace